cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tests to Identify Similarities

The inferential tests presented in Chap. 5 are concerned with identifying significant differences. If the results are not significant, the researcher fails to reject the hypothesis under test, but could never prove that the hypothesis under test was correct. This chapter looks at tests that would allow the researcher to prove that the levels of an independent variable are equivalent within a prescribed amount of similarity. As with previous test, there is a degree of confidence associated with interpreting the equivalence being analyzed. Tests of equivalence present in this chapter include confidence intervals and ratio methods associated with t-tests for the one-sample, two-sample, and paired situations. Minitab applications for evaluating the level of equivalence are presented. Also the SUPAC guidance for determining the equivalence of dissolution curves for immediate-release solid oral dosage forms is discussed.
Afterword: After the Great Undoing

The chapters gathered together in Personhood in the Age of Biolegality: Brave New Law raises a question of vital urgency: who, or what, are we becoming? They investigate many of the key conundrums and lines of fracture that attend this, in many ways unprecedented, moment in the history of modern personhood. While the chapters touch on a wide range of perplexing topics from data doppelgangers, genetic privacy and the rights of pre-conceived children, to contending theories of pain and proof, taken as a whole the volume makes a strong case that in our time the concept of personhood has become profoundly destabilized. We could say “undone”.
Does feature integration affect resolution of multiple simultaneous forms of ambiguity

Ambiguity resolution, perceptual grouping, and feature integration all occur seamlessly and subconsciously. When multiple regions of an image share ambiguous features, perceptual grouping can yield an integrated object percept rather than one of multiple objects, each with its individual features. Here, perceptual resolution and grouping of chromatically rivalrous Necker cubes were investigated in three experiments to determine the principles that underlie these coherent percepts. The first experiment showed perceptual grouping beyond independent resolution of each cube's color and orientation, but the second experiment did not show grouping greater than expected from separate color- and orientation-grouping processes. The third experiment found no reliable difference in grouping when two features (color and orientation) were part of the same object versus when they were distributed across separate objects. These findings fail to support a role for feature conjunctions in grouping objects with multiple ambiguous features.
Adaptable Platform for Interactive Swarm Robotics (APIS): A Human-Swarm Interaction Research Testbed

This paper describes the Adaptable Platform for Interactive Swarm robotics (APIS) - a testbed designed to accelerate development in human-swarm interaction (HSI) research. Specifically, this paper presents the design of a swarm robot platform composed of fifty low cost robots coupled with a testing field and a software architecture that allows for modular and versatile development of swarm algorithms. The motivation behind developing this platform is that the emergence of a swarm's collective behavior can be difficult to predict and control. However, human-swarm interaction can measurably increase a swarm's performance as the human operator may have intuition or knowledge unavailable to the swarm. The development of APIS allows researchers to focus on HSI research, without being constrained to a fixed ruleset or interface. A short survey is presented that offers a taxonomy of swarm platforms and provides conclusions that contextualize the development of APIS. Next, the motivations, design and functionality of the APIS testbed are described. Finally, the operation and potential of the platform are demonstrated through two experimental evaluations.
PET Imaging of [11C]MPC-6827, a Microtubule-Based Radiotracer in Non-Human Primate Brains

Dysregulation of microtubules is commonly associated with several psychiatric and neurological disorders, including addiction and Alzheimer’s disease. Imaging of microtubules in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET) could provide valuable information on their role in the development of disease pathogenesis and aid in improving therapeutic regimens. We developed [11C]MPC-6827, the first brain-penetrating PET radiotracer to image microtubules in vivo in the mouse brain. The aim of the present study was to assess the reproducibility of [11C]MPC-6827 PET imaging in non-human primate brains. Two dynamic 0–120 min PET/CT imaging scans were performed in each of four healthy male cynomolgus monkeys approximately one week apart. Time activity curves (TACs) and standard uptake values (SUVs) were determined for whole brains and specific regions of the brains and compared between the “test” and “retest” data. [11C]MPC-6827 showed excellent brain uptake with good pharmacokinetics in non-human primate brains, with significant correlation between the test and retest scan data (r = 0.77, p = 0.023). These initial evaluations demonstrate the high translational potential of [11C]MPC-6827 to image microtubules in the brain in vivo in monkey models of neurological and psychiatric diseases.
Effect of 3-bromopyruvate on human ovarian cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis

Objective To investigate the effect of 3-bromopyruvate on proliferation and apoptosis of human ovarian cancer cell line SK-OV-3,and to determine the anti-tumor effects in vitro.Methods MTT and colony formation assay were employed to determine the effect of 3-bromopyruvate on the growth inhibition of SK-OV-3 cells.Morphologic change as observed under electron microscopy.The 3-bromopyruvate-induced apoptosis was analyzed using flow cytometry,which entailed the assessment of the altered cell cycles.Results The 3-bromopyruvate markedly inhibited the proliferation of SK-OV-3 cells in a time-and dosedependent manner (both P＜0.05).The cells were diminished primarily because of a stagnation at stage Go/G1.Condusion The 3-bromopyruvate inhibits SK-OV-3 cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in a timeand dose-dependent manner. Key words: 3-bromopyruvate; Colon ovary cell; Proliferation; Apoptosis
Flexural performance of precast concrete insulated wall panels with various configurations of ductile shear ties

Abstract This paper presents an experimental evaluation of the flexural response of non-load bearing precast concrete insulated partially-composite wall panels fabricated with varying layouts of ductile shear ties. The out-of-plane, one-way, single span load-displacement relationship is obtained for each panel via experimental pseudo-static flexural testing using a water bladder apparatus. Panel specimens constructed with several tie layouts are examined for potential improvements in flexural performance relative to current construction methods. The influence of the shear tie pattern, insulation type, and concrete-insulation interface are examined. Results indicate that placement of additional ties in regions with higher shear demands can enhance the overall flexural capacity and ductility of the panel. Test results show good agreement with partially-composite numerical predictions of both flexural capacity and deflection ductility. Panel deformation histories including full deflected shapes are used to develop deformation-dependent load-mass transformation factors for blast-resistant design via dynamic analysis. Lastly, the strain energy of each panel at several flexural load-deflection milestones are calculated as a preliminary approximation of the blast resistance of each panel.
Evaluation of ecological, stressor and social factors for the prioritization and restoration of Trinity River Basin watershed

Public interest in the restoration of impaired water bodies is growing, and as such, it is critical to understand the causes of impairment and the likelihood of successful restoration. Restoration efforts often focus on a specific factor (stressors) of the impaired water body without including equally important but often overlooked societal and ecological factors. In this study, segment-specific indicators such as stressor exposure, ecological capacity, and societal traits were used to perform a screening analysis to evaluate the restoration potential of fifteen impaired segments in the Trinity River Basin. Data obtained for each impaired segment were normalized and compared using simple ranking, three-dimensional bubble plots, and mapping. Results indicate that when individual indices were rank-ordered, water segments that ranked low on the stressor index and high on the ecological and social indices had the best chance of restoration. While the three-dimensional bubble plot analysis of interrelated ecological, stressor, and social indices suggests that watershed segments with high ecological and low stressor indices may not necessarily be prime candidates for restoration. Their ranking on the social index score determines their priority for restoration. The results of the screening analysis show the utility of the recovery potential screening tool in prioritizing the restoration of impaired water bodies.
Estimating tranche spreads by loss process simulation

A credit derivative is a path dependent contingent claim on the aggregate loss in a portfolio of credit sensitive securities. We estimate the value of a credit derivative by Monte Carlo simulation of the affine point process that models the loss. We consider two algorithms that exploit the direct specification of the loss process in terms of an intensity. One algorithm is based on the simulation of intensity paths. Here discretization introduces bias into the results. The other algorithm facilitates exact simulation of default times and generates an unbiased estimator of the derivative price. We implement the algorithms to value index and tranche swaps, and we calibrate the loss process to quotes on the CDX North America High Yield index.
Brittle-Ductile Transition in Heterogeneous Metallic Materials

This is a copy of the slides presented at the meeting but not formally written up for the volume. Low temperature fracture behavior of multiphase metallic materials is controlled by the microcracks originated in brittle precipitates embedded metallic matrix. Fracture in these materials propagates by the extension of critical microcrack situated in the plastic zone of macrocrack ahead of it. The crack-tip plasticity of both microcrack and macrocrack are simulated as dislocation arrays using as discrete dislocation simulation. The analysis reveals the factors that contribute to the exponential increase in fracture toughness with temperature at the brittle - ductile temperature (BDT). They are found to be: (a) the marginal increase in microscopic fracture stress, (b) the increase in crack-tip blunting with increase in plastic-flow with temperature, and (c) the increase in dislocation mobility with temperature. On applying the model to a set of microcrack distributions it has been found that (1) always it is one of the largest microcracks that lead to the fracture (2) the scatter in fracture toughness measurements is due the scatter in the size of the microcracks not their relative position to the macrocrack.
Sports Nutrition : Fats and Proteins

SECTION I Introduction to Sports Nutrition: Fats and Proteins, J.J.B. Anderson SECTION II Fats Total Fats, Saturated Fats, and Cholesterol, H.E. Rasmussen and J.Y. Lee Medium-Chain Triglycerides, W. E. Billon Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids, K.R. Lora and N. M. Lewis Conjugated Linoleic Acid, C.G. Koster and M.A. Belury Octacosanol and Wheat Germ Oil, S.H. Mitmesser SECTION III Proteins Protein: Quantity and Quality, M.A. Tarnopolsky and B.W. Timmons Whey, Casein, and Soy Proteins, B.S. Snyder and M.D. Haub Creatine, R.B. Kreider Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate, C.G.R. Jackson Carnitine, S.A. Chelland-Campbell and R.J. Moffatt ss-Hydroxy-ss-Methylbutyrate, S.L. Nissen Branched-Chain Amino Acids, M.Gleeson Glutamine, S.S. Jonnalagadda Other Individual Amino Acids, N.F. Spruce and C.A. Titchenal SECTION IV Recommended Intakes of the Energy-Yielding Nutrients Recommended Proportions of Carbohydrates to Fats to Proteins in Diets, H.C. Lukaski Index
Structure of the Dimeric α-Keto Acid Analogue of Asparagine

Abstract Studies on the dimer of α-ketosuccinamic acid indicate that its structure is 4,6-dihydroxy-2-oxo-piperidine-5-carboxamide-4,6-dicarboxylic acid. The dimer was converted in acid solution to 2-hydroxy-pyridine-4,6-dicarboxylic acid; ultraviolet spectral evidence was obtained for intermediates in this transformation and studies with l-[4-14C]asparagine confirmed the pathway. On hydrogenation the dimer gave 4-hydroxy-2-oxo-piperidine-5-carboxamide-4,6-dicarboxylate. The proposed structure of the dimer is in accord with these transformations and is consistent with earlier data on the chemical and enzymatic properties of this compound.
Terapia genética para la infección por VIH

El Sindrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida (SIDA), producido por el Virus de Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH), ha adquirido caracteristicas de pandemia y es motivo de preocupacion mundial. En el Peru, se han diagnosticado mas de 4,500 casos de SIDA y se calcula que alrededor de cincuenta mil personas estan infectadas con el VIH. De estos ultimos, aproximadamente el 75% desarrollaran la enfermedad en los proximos cinco anos. Mas de veinte millones de personas estan infectadas alrededor del mundo, siendo mujeres y ninos las poblaciones cuyas tasas de infeccion estan aumentando con mayor rapidez (1,2). La biologia molecular del virus ha sido bastante estudiada. La secuencia genetica del virus y la variedad de proteinas virales que son sintetizadas son conocidas, asi como la regulacion de la replicacion viral. Desafortunadamente, la terapia anti-VIH esta lejos de ser optima. Las actuales combinaciones de drogas anti-VIH retardan la progresion de la enfermedad y la aparicion del SIDA, pero el efecto a largo plazo no es claro. Zidovudina, la primera droga anti-VIH que demostro reducir la concentracion de virus en plasma y la recuperacion de los linfocitos T, asi como inducir una aparente mejoria clinica en los paciente, no demostro poder reducir la mortalidad por SIDA (3). Nuevas drogas anti –VIH estan siendo probadas con diferentes protocolos de tratamiento; sin embargo, la posibilidad de desarrollo de resistencia a estos medicamentos es aun alta, debido a que el virus muta con una frecuencia extraordinaria. Ademas los efectos adversos son bastantes severos y frecuentes. Muchos pacientes no toleran estos efectos y no pueden cumplir con el esquema de tratamiento (4).
Lectures on Neutrino Physics

The studies of the intrinsic nature of neutrinos as elementary particles, their interactions, and their important use as probes of hadron structure have been extremely important over the past two decades. These areas of experimentation have been possible because of the availability of a diversity of sources, providing neutrinos over a wide range of energies with wide flexibility in experimental configurations.
A computerized spreadsheet program for estimating costs and returns of selected field-grown nursery stock.

Abstract A computerized, menu-driven spreadsheet program was developed to assist nursery producers and other nursery professionals with generating customized nursery budgets for field-grown nursery stock and Christmas trees. The compiled spreadsheet is a “stand alone” program with its financial models based on enterprise budgets taken from extension publications. The program enables the user to estimate production cost and potential profit of an existing or prospective crop. Advantages of the program include the user modifying existing data bases rather than entering all relevant information. Users of the program can also evaluate risk parameters of a decision through the “what-if” capabilities of the spreadsheet
Purification and properties of teleost growth hormone

Highly purified growth hormone (GH) has been prepared from the pituitary glands of a euryhaline teleost, Tilapia mosambica. Tilapia GH was obtained in a yield of 1400 mg/kg wet weight tissue. It was found to have a molecular weight (gel filtration) of 22,200 daltons, a sedimentation coefficient (s20,w) of 2.19, and an α-helix content (circular dichroism) of 50%. Isoleucine was found to be the major amino-terminal residue; leucine was found to be COOH terminal. The amino acid composition, disc gel electrophoresis pattern, and circular dichroism spectra were similar to those of mammalian GHs. Tilapia GH was found to have a low but significant activity in the rat tibia assay and showed immunological relatedness to mammalian GH in a rat GH radioimmunoassay. Antiserum was prepared against the Tilapia GH and characterized in agar diffusion experiments and radioimmunoassay. Results from these investigations demonstrated a significant degree of cross-reaction between Tilapia GH and pituitary extract from another teleost (perch), but purified tetrapod GHs were essentially nonreactive. The data indicate a significant resemblance between Tilapia GH and mammalian GHs and suggest that the GH structure has been strongly conserved during evolution.
Evolution: A complement for evolutionary genetics.

Abstract Developmental geneticists' contribution to the study of the evolution of morphological divergence has proceeded along two lines: comparative analysis of gene expression and quantitative genetics. Recent studies highlight how complementation tests between species can bridge the gap between these approaches.
Mobile Robot Design in an Introductory Engineering Course

The course ‘Introduction to Engineering Design’ is aimed at freshmen students entering Mechanical and Aerospace engineering. The course was restructured from its previous 3-credit lecture format to a 2 credit lecture coupled with a new 1 credit design laboratory. The laboratory project aims at giving the students experience in professional design, engineering practice, and teamwork. While the lecture presents an overview of the engineering profession and its practices, small student teams conduct a structured hands-on design project in the lab. The team assignment is the design, programming, and testing of autonomous mobile ‘Sumo’ robots. Each team develops and builds an autonomous robot, which will compete against the other teams’ robots at the end of the semester. Students find the robot project highly motivating and spend voluntarily several afternoons weekly working in the lab. Student enrollment has increased more than five-fold since course inception six years ago. The course is also being taught regularly to seniors at local high schools through distance education, further broadening the pool of future engineering students. The paper describes the lab course structure, organization, and student learning outcomes.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Research notes and communications: An exploratory approach to measuring perceptions of strategic decision process constructs

Two recent studies (Fredrickson, 1984; Fredrickson and Mitchell, 1984) used a new research method to obtain statistically verifiable measures of a strategic decision process construct. In this paper the method's underlying theory and assumptions are made explicit, its benefits and shortcomings are discussed, and possible extensions are suggested.
Visual transduction in dialysed detached rod outer segments from lizard retina.

1. Properties of a new preparation for studying the physiology and biochemistry of phototransduction in retinal rods are described. Whole-cell voltage clamp was used to record the generation, maintenance and light-sensitivity of dark current in rod outer segments that had been isolated from the rest of the receptor cell by detachment at the connecting cilium. 2. Detached outer segments dialysed with standard internal solution supplemented with physiological amounts of ATP (5 mM) and GTP (1 mM) developed a standing inward dark current that was the sum of three components: approximately 91% light-sensitive current, approximately 6% Na(+)-Ca2+,K+ exchange current and approximately 3% leakage current. Light-sensitive dark current (mean amplitude approximately -63 pA) was suppressed transiently by brief flashes in an intensity-dependent manner. Light responses had the same kinetics, sensitivity and intensity-response relationship as those recorded from intact rods. 3. Dialysed outer segments differed from intact rods in that intense flashes evoked saturating responses that recovered incompletely to a plateau of reduced dark current caused by incomplete inactivation of the transduction cascade. Light sensitivity was reduced for a short time following an intense flash and then recovered despite persistent reduction of dark current. This suggests that there is no fixed relationship between dark current amplitude and light sensitivity. 4. Light-sensitive dark current faded rapidly when outer segments were not supplied with nucleotides. Outer segments dialysed with solution that contained cyclic GMP, but no ATP or GTP, supported dark current at a level that increased with [cyclic GMP]. When basal phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity is inhibited, 8 microM cyclic GMP supports a dark current of approximately 70 pA. 5. Light sensitivity decreased during recordings made with solution that contained only cyclic GMP, consistent with the inhibition of G protein activation by loss of GTP. After thorough nucleoside triphosphate depletion, however, intense illumination evoked a transient increase rather than a decrease in dark current, i.e. an inverted light response. This result suggests that isomerized rhodopsin may generate a signal that causes either inhibition of basal PDE activity or release of bound cyclic GMP. 6. Sustained Na(+)-Ca2+,K+ exchange current was recorded during steady illumination when Ca2+, but not when Mg2+, was added to the dialysis solution. Exchange current increased with the amount of added Ca2+ and saturated at approximately 18 pA when the dialysis solution contained > or = 10 mM Ca2+.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Demand for health risk reductions: A cross-national comparison between the U.S. and Canada

Using a large stated preference survey conducted across the U.S. and Canada, we assess differences in individual willingness to pay (WTP) for health risk reductions between the two countries. Our utility-theoretic choice model allows for systematically varying marginal utilities for avoided future time in different adverse health states (illness-years, recovered/remission years, and lost life-years). We find significant differences between Canadian and U.S. preferences. WTP also differs systematically with age, gender, education, and marital status, as well as a number of attitudinal and subjective health-perception variables. Age profiles for WTP are markedly different across the two countries. Canadians tend to display flatter age profiles, with peak WTP realized at older ages.
Differential Impact of Administrative, Organizational, and Personality Factors on Teacher Burnout.

Abstract This study investigates the relationships among the independent variables of the principal leadership style, the school organization, and the teacher's personality characteristics and the dependent variable of teacher burnout. A total of 200 public high school teachers was included in this survey. The findings of the study showed that (a) leadership style was not a significant predictor of teacher burnout; (b) organizational stress factors such as work overload, support, and isolation were significant predictors of teacher burnout; and (c) personality characteristics, such as anomie, personality type A or B, and empathic self-concept, were significant predictors of teacher burnout.
Studies on the effects of several pentamidine analogues on the NMDA receptor.

Abstract We have investigated the interactions of six analogues of pentamidine with the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor complex. All six compounds were effective NMDA receptor antagonists based upon their ability to inhibit [3H]dizocilpine binding to rat brain membranes. IC50 values ranged from 2 to 18 μM, and all compounds had Hill coefficients in excess of 1 suggesting a non-competitive interaction with [3H]dizocilpine. All compounds also inhibited NMDA- and glycine-induced intracellular Ca2+ changes measured in cultured rat forebrain neurons using the fluorescent indicator, fura-2. IC50 values in this assay ranged from 0.4 to 4.7 μM. Whereas pentamidine is directly toxic to cultured neurons, this was not a consistent finding with the pentamidine analogues tested, indicating that the toxic effects are not related to NMDA receptor antagonism. Finally, all of the agents tested were also effective in protecting neurons from NMDA-induced neurotoxicity. These data emphasize the possible utility of pentamidine-like drugs as neuroprotective agents and suggest that it is possible to generate compounds with a wider margin of safety than pentamidine itself.
Examining Sex Differences in Altering Attitudes About Rape: A Test of the Elaboration Likelihood Model

This intervention sought to improve first-year college students' attitudes about rape. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) was used to examine men and women's attitude change processes. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used to examine how men and women construed rape prevention messages. Results indicated numerous sex differences in the ways in which men and women experienced and changed during and after the rape prevention intervention. Women seemed to use more central-route attitude change processes and showed more lasting change from the intervention at 2-month follow-up, whereas men seemed to attend more to peripheral cues of the speaker and demonstrated more transient attitude change.
Discordant changes in epicardial and microvascular coronary physiology after cardiac transplantation: Physiologic Investigation for Transplant Arteriopathy II (PITA II) study.

Background Investigating changes in coronary physiology that occur after cardiac transplantation has been challenging. Simultaneous and independent assessment of the epicardial artery by measuring fractional flow reserve (FFR) and of the microvasculature by calculating the index of microvascular resistance (IMR) with a single coronary pressure wire may be useful. Methods Twenty-five asymptomatic patients with normal coronary angiograms underwent FFR, thermodilution-derived IMR and coronary flow reserve (CFR) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) evaluation soon after cardiac transplantation and 1 year later. Results FFR significantly worsened (0.90 ± 0.05 at baseline to 0.85 ± 0.06 at 1 year, p = 0.004). FFR correlated strongly with percent plaque volume as measured by IVUS ( r = −0.58, p p = 0.007). CFR increased, but not significantly (2.6 ± 1.4 at baseline to 3.2 ± 1.2 at 1 year, p = not significant). Diabetes and donor heart ischemic time independently predicted baseline IMR. Treatment with rapamycin independently predicted FFR at 1 year. Conclusions New coronary physiologic measures, FFR and IMR, show that epicardial artery physiology worsens and correlates with anatomic changes, whereas microvascular physiology improves during the first year after cardiac transplantation. CFR, the traditional method for evaluating coronary circulatory physiology, did not identify these changes.
Accumulation of caesium-137 by plants grown in simulated pond, wet meadow and irrigated field environments.

PLANTS grown in nutrient culture1,2 and aquatic environments3 accumulate more caesium-137 than terrestrial plants. The work cited indicates that this isotope should be more available from fall-out under one set of environmental conditions than another. Consequently, the availability of caesium-137 to plants was examined under conditions simulating shallow ponds, wet meadows and irrigated fields.
Self‐generated oscillations in continuous crystallizers: Part II. An experimental study of an isothermal system

An experimental study was undertaken to verify the theoretical predictions that for a certain range of operating conditions an isothermal crystallizer would produce oscillating outputs even when the inputs were maintained constant. An interesting feature of the results is that even though a power-law model and Volmer's model for nucleation kineties provided equivalent descriptions of the steady state data, predictions of transient responses based on Volmer's equation were much better than the power-law results, and the observed behavior of the oscillating system was described well with Volmer's expression, whereas the power-law equation predicted that the system would not oscillate.
BCG Vaccine-Induced Neuroprotection in a Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease

There is a growing interest in using vaccination with CNS antigens to induce autoreactive T cell responses that home to damaged areas in the CNS and ameliorate neurodegenerative disease. Neuroprotective vaccine studies have focused on administering oligodendrocyte antigens or Copaxone® in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Theoretical considerations, however, suggest that vaccination with a neuronal antigen may induce more robust neuroprotective immune responses. We assessed the neuroprotective potential of vaccines containing tyrosine hydroxylase (a neuronal protein involved in dopamine synthesis) or Copaxone® in CFA in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of Parkinson's disease. Surprisingly, we observed that the main beneficial factor in these vaccines was the CFA. Since the major immunogenic component in CFA is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which closely related to the bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) that is used in human vaccines, we tested BCG vaccination in the MPTP mouse model. We observed that BCG vaccination partially preserved markers of striatal dopamine system integrity and prevented an increase in activated microglia in the substantia nigra of MPTP-treated mice. These results support a new neuroprotective vaccine paradigm in which general (nonself-reactive) immune stimulation in the periphery can limit potentially deleterious microglial responses to a neuronal insult and exert a neurorestorative effect in the CNS. Accordingly, BCG vaccination may provide a new strategy to augment current treatments for a wide range of neuropathological conditions.
Shock Jocks and Their Legacy: Introduction

What is the current status of shock radio and what legacies has it left for U.S. media culture in the 21st century? The four articles included here argue that while the format seems to have decline...
Cranio-spinal migration of a metallic clip placed during arteriovenous malformation resection - A case report, review of the literature, and management strategies

Microclip placement during AVM resection is generally accepted to be a safe practice in neurosurgery. Here, we describe an unusual complication involving cranio-spinal clip migration discovered five years after the initial AVM surgery. A 53-year-old man underwent resection of a superior vermian AVM that required the placement of two microclips during the procedure. Five years after surgery, the patient suffered from descending sensory radiculopathy that resolved spontaneously. The workup revealed cranio-spinal migration of one of the previously placed microclips. AVM clip migration is a rare phenomenon; however, the diagnosis should be entertained in patients with posterior fossa instrumentation who suffer from unusual neurologic symptoms.
How does maturity adjustment influence the estimates of overweight prevalence in adolescents from different countries using an international reference

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of adjusting for differences in timing of maturation when assessing overweight prevalence among adolescents in different populations by using an international reference recommended by the WHO. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, comparative study in three large samples from China, Russia and the United States. SUBJECTS: A total of 2014 American, 1316 Chinese and 744 Russian non-pregnant adolescent girls aged 10–18 y. MEASUREMENTS: Data on body weight, height, menarcheal status and age at menarche (AAM) were collected. Overweight was defined as age-sex-specific body mass index (BMI) greater than the 85th percentiles from the US NHANES I data (collected in 1971–1974), which is recommended by the WHO for international use. Maturity adjustments were made using population differences in median age at menarche (MAM), calculated using the status quo method. MAM was 12.8 in the WHO reference population, 13.7 in China, 13.2 in Russia, and 12.6 in the US (NHANES III data). Maturation age-matched BMI cut-offs were used to compute the adjusted prevalence. We also compared population-adjusted results with individually adjusted results in post-menarcheal American girls (based on each girl's AAM) and in pre-menarcheal girls (based on breast stage). RESULTS: Maturity adjustment increased the estimated prevalence of overweight in China and Russia where girls mature later than the reference population, and decreased it in the NHANES III sample. The unadjusted and adjusted prevalence was 3.5 vs 4.9% in the China sample, 8.3 vs 9.7% in Russia, and 29.2 vs 28.0% in the US. The adjustment had a greater effect in younger adolescent girls (10–13 y) than in older girls (14–18 y). In general, we found a good agreement between the population and individual adjustments. Viewing the individual adjustment as a ‘gold standard’, the population method has a high sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to assess WHO recommendations for maturation adjustment when estimating overweight prevalence in different countries. While the overall effects of adjustment are small, maturation status should be considered, particularly when assessing young adolescents, and populations with markedly different timing of maturation relative to the international reference. Population-based adjustment is useful and practical in situations where individual maturity data are not available. International Journal of Obesity (2001) 25, 550–558
Some results in differential approximation

(1968). Some results in differential approximation. International Journal of Computer Mathematics: Vol. 2, No. 1-4, pp. 231-245.
The HF and DF B1Σ+-X1Σ+ and C1Π-X1Σ+ band systems studied by 1 XUV + 1 UV resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization

Abstract Rotationally resolved spectra of the HF and DF C 1 Π- X 1 Σ + and B 1 Σ + - X 1 Σ + band systems are recorded in the wavelength range 93.8–99.0 nm by 1 XUV + 1 UV resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI). Spectroscopic constants for the HF and DF C 1 Π v = 0 states and for a sequence of 14 vibrational levels of DF B 1 Σ + are determined. The B 1 Σ + state is found to be perturbed by the C 1 Π and D 1 Σ + states, as previously reported. XUV + UV REMPI is shown to be a viable method for state selective detection of HF with a detection sensitivity of 10 7 molecules per cm 3 per quantum state.
Mapping and ablation of ventricular tachycardia guided by virtual electrograms using a noncontact, computerized mapping system

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to describe a computerized mapping system that utilizes a noncontact, 64 electrode balloon catheter to compute virtual electrograms simultaneously at 3,360 left ventricular (LV) sites and to assess the clinical utility of this system for mapping and ablating ventricular tachycardia (VT). BACKGROUND Mapping VT in the electrophysiology laboratory conventionally is achieved by sequentially positioning an electrode catheter at multiple endocardial sites. METHODS Fifteen patients with VT underwent 18 electrophysiology procedures using the noncontact, computerized mapping system. A 9F 64 electrode balloon catheter and a conventional 7F electrode catheter for mapping and ablation were positioned in the LV using a retrograde aortic approach. Using a boundary element inverse solution, 3,360 virtual endocardial electrograms were computed and used to derive isopotential maps. An incorporated locator system was used in conjunction with or instead of fluoroscopy to position the conventional electrode catheter. RESULTS A total of 21 VTs, 12 of which were hemodynamically-tolerated and 9 of which were not, were mapped. Isolated diastolic potentials, presystolic areas, zones of slow conduction and exit sites during VT were identified using virtual electrograms and isopotential maps. Among 19 targeted VTs, radiofrequency ablation guided by the computerized mapping system and the locator signal was successful in 15. CONCLUSIONS The computerized mapping system described in this study computes accurate isopotential maps that are a useful guide for ablation of hemodynamically stable or unstable VT.
In vivo and in vitro effects of helenalin on mouse hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450

Helenalin, a natural plant product with significant antitumor activities, decreased male BDF1 mouse hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 contents in vivo and in vitro. A single i.p. dose of 25 mg helenalin/kg body weight significantly (P less than 0.05) decreased microsomal cytochrome P450 contents and inhibited cytochrome P450-dependent mixed-function oxidase activities within 1-2 hr post-exposure. Helenalin (1.0 mM) decreased microsomal cytochrome P450 contents in vitro by 11% in the absence of NADPH and by 32% in the presence of NADPH. These in vitro and in vivo decreases in cytochrome P450 were accompanied by comparable decreases in total microsomal heme contents. Helenalin (1.0 mM) increased mouse hepatic microsomal oxygen consumption and NADPH utilization by 3.2 and 5.4 nmol/min/mg protein respectively. Helenalin (1.0 mM) significantly (P less than 0.05) increased microsomal lipid peroxidation in vitro, and this helenalin-induced increase in lipid peroxidation was inhibited completely by the addition of 0.05 mM EDTA. However, microsomal cytochrome P450 contents were equally affected by helenalin in the presence or absence of EDTA, suggesting that lipid peroxidation did not contribute to the helenalin-induced decrease in cytochrome P450. The addition of 0.05 mM hemin to microsomes treated in vitro with 1.0 mM helenalin resulted in a 58% recovery of cytochrome P450 contents. This ability of hemin to reconstitute cytochrome P450 in helenalin-treated microsomes suggests that helenalin produced a selective loss of heme from the cytochrome P450 holoprotein, and that the resulting cytochrome P450 apoprotein remained intact after helenalin treatment. The increased loss of microsomal cytochrome P450 produced by helenalin in the presence of NADPH suggests that a helenalin metabolite may be responsible for heme loss and the in vitro destruction of cytochrome P450.
Angiographic progression to total coronary occlusion in hyperlipidemic patients after acute myocardial infarction.

Abstract The progression of coronary artery stenosis to total occlusion was assessed in 413 hyperlipidemic patients with a previous myocardial infarction. Coronary angiograms were recorded at baseline, 3 (n = 312), and 5 years (n = 248) after initial study and analyzed by 2 independent readers. There were 177 (43%) patients with 1-, 130 (31%) with 2-, and 61 (15%) with 3-vessel disease (≥ 50% diameter narrowing), whereas 45 (11%) did not have significant disease within a major coronary vessel at baseline. A new finding of total occlusion occurred in 4% (30 of 748) and 7% (40 of 605) of major coronary artery segments at 3 and 5 years, respectively. The risk of progression to total occlusion was higher if the initial stenosis was >60% compared to lesions ≤60% both at 3 years (19 of 143 = 13% vs 11 of 605 = 2%; p
DYNAMO ACTION DRIVEN BY SHEAR AND MAGNETIC BUOYANCY

We present direct numerical simulations based on the full MHD equations of dynamo action in a nonrotating, convectively stable layer containing a forced, localized velocity shear. The dynamo operates by the interaction of two MHD processes: the production of toroidal magnetic field from poloidal field by the shear, and the regeneration of poloidal loops from toroidal field due to the combined action of magnetic buoyancy and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. The nature of the dynamo process is such that it can occur only if the initial magnetic fields exceed a critical value that typically depends on the magnetic Reynolds number. As such, this dynamo does not operate in the kinematic limit. Several different behaviors are observed, including steady dynamo production and cyclic as well as chaotic activity. In the cyclic regimes, the dynamo process exhibits polarity reversals and periods of reduced activity.
Value of blood pool contrast agents in magnetic resonance angiography of the pelvis and lower extremities

Our objective was: (1) to determine the appropriate dose of new ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide particles for magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). This agent comprised of a single iron oxide crystal stabilized with a carbohydrate-polyethylene glycol coat (PEG-Ferron/NC 100150 injection); (2) to determine the proper flip angle for PEG-Ferron-enhanced 3 D time-of-flight (TOF) MRA sequence; and (3) to compare the enhancement of peripheral vessels following PEG-Ferron and GdDTPA-BMA. MRA parameters were: TR/TE = 50/2.1 ms, NEX = 1, FOV = 30 × 30 × 1.8 cm, and matrix = 256 × 128 × 64. In anesthetized beagle dogs (n = 10), the effects of PEG-Ferron and GdDTPA-BMA on regional signal were monitored for 45 min and compared. The lowest dose of PEG-Ferron (0.05 mmol/kg) produced the best enhancement of primary, secondary and tertiary vessels. The flip angle 60 ° provided better enhancement than 20 ° on contrast enhanced images. Unlike GdDTPA-BMA, PEG-Ferron allowed prolonged delineation (> 45 min) of the pelvis and lower extremities circulation. PEG-Ferron provided greater Contrast-to-noise ratio CNR (80.2 ± 6.2, P < 0.05) than GdDTPA-BMA (63.5 ± 2.5). It may be possible for blood pool contrast-enhanced 3 D TOF MRA to provide valuable information for visualization of vascular tree including guiding interventions.
The Interaction of RNA Helicase DDX3 with HIV-1 Rev-CRM1-RanGTP Complex during the HIV Replication Cycle

Molecular traffic between the nucleus and the cytoplasm is regulated by the nuclear pore complex (NPC), which acts as a highly selective channel perforating the nuclear envelope in eukaryotic cells. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) exploits the nucleocytoplasmic pathway to export its RNA transcripts across the NPC to the cytoplasm. Despite extensive study on the HIV life cycle and the many drugs developed to target this cycle, no current drugs have been successful in targeting the critical process of viral nuclear export, even though HIV’s reliance on a single host protein, CRM1, to export its unspliced and partially spliced RNA transcripts makes it a tempting target. Due to recent findings implicating a DEAD-box helicase, DDX3, in HIV replication and a member of the export complex, it has become an appealing target for anti-HIV drug inhibition. In the present research, we have applied a hybrid computational protocol to analyze protein-protein interactions in the HIV mRNA export cycle. This method is based on molecular docking followed by molecular dynamics simulation and accompanied by approximate free energy calculation (MM/GBSA), computational alanine scanning, clustering, and evolutionary analysis. We highlight here some of the most likely binding modes and interfacial residues between DDX3 and CRM1 both in the absence and presence of RanGTP. This work shows that although DDX3 can bind to free CRM1, addition of RanGTP leads to more concentrated distribution of binding modes and stronger binding between CRM1 and RanGTP.
Video tracking for experimental validation of discrete element simulations of large discontinuous deformations

Abstract The discrete element method (DEM) simulates large discontinuous deformations as a natural outcome of discrete particle interactions. The method is well suited for problems such as plowing, penetration and hopper flows. However, verification of DEM simulations has been largely limited to comparisons with laboratory stress-strain diagrams of two dimensional simulations of at most a few thousand ideally-shaped particles. This paper presents an automated video tracking and digital image analysis system that has been developed to obtain soil particle displacement fields and velocities from small-scale laboratory experiments. A three-dimensional simulation of a laboratory plowing experiment is performed in which a one-to-one correspondence is achieved between the number of particles and their size distribution in simulation and physical experiment. The data obtained from the video tracking system are used to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative ability of the simulation to model the experiment kinematics.
Solid state 2H NMR analysis of furanose ring dynamics in DNA containing uracil.

DNA damage has been implicated in numerous human diseases, particularly cancer, and the aging process. Single-base lesions, such as uracil, in DNA can be cytotoxic or mutagenic and are recognized by a DNA glycosylase during the process of base excision repair. Increased dynamic properties in lesion-containing DNAs have been suggested to assist recognition and specificity. Deuterium solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) has been used to directly observe local dynamics of the furanose ring within a uracil:adenine (U:A) base pair and compared to a normal thymine:adenine (T:A) base pair. Quadrupole echo lineshapes, ⟨T1Z⟩, and ⟨T2e⟩ relaxation data were collected, and computer modeling was performed. The results indicate that the relaxation times are identical within the experimental error, the solid lineshapes are essentially indistinguishable above the noise level, and our lineshapes are best fit with a model that does not have significant local motions. Therefore, U:A base pair furanose rings appea...
Liquid crystal adaptive lens: operation and aberration

A possible approach to a volume optical memory system is a page addressed or bit plane architecture. Bit planes of data are stored in the memory medium analogous to pages in a book. Each bit plane consists of a matrix of spots like letters on a page. A two-photon memory mechanism is used and the memory medium is assumed to be in the shape of a cube. Orthogonal beams will be used to locate a point within the cube. The memory architecture would consist of an input spatial light modulator, dynamic focus lens system, optical memory medium and detector array. Both read and write operations require that a bit plane of data be imaged to a specific plane within the memory medium. Read out would be accomplished in a similar way using the dynamic lens, second orthogonal beam and a detector array. The dynamic focus lens used here is the liquid crystal adaptive lens (LCAL). The LCAL focuses light by electrically grading the refractive index across its aperture. By changing voltages of the discrete electrodes the focal length is changed, thereby creating a dynamic lens. This presentation will discuss the LCAL's performance as applied to a page addressed volume optical memory.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Design patterns for monitoring adaptive ULS systems

As applications grow in size and complexity, and computing infrastructure continues to evolve, it is increasingly difficult to build a system that satisfies all requirements and constraints that might arise during its lifetime. As a result, there is increasing need for the software to adapt to new requirements and environmental conditions after the software has been deployed. Autonomic computing refers to a system that monitors itself based on high-level objectives and achieves, with minimal human guidance, self-management, and self-conguration. While progress has been made recently in applying rigorous development techniques to autonomic software, self-monitoring has received little attention. This paper describes a preliminary investigation into identifying design patterns associated with the self-monitoring aspects of autonomic computing systems.