Extracting Human Reaction Time from Observations in the Method of Constant Stimuli

We consider the psychophysical experiments in which the test subject’s binary reaction is determined by the prescribed exposure duration to a stimulus and a random variable subjective threshold. For example, when a subject is exposed to a millimeter wave beam for a prescribed duration, the occurrence of flight action is binary (yes or no). In experiments, in addition to the binary outcome, the actuation time of flight action is also recorded if it occurs;the delay from the initiation time to the actuation time of flight action is the human reaction time, which is not measurable. In this study, we model the random subjective threshold as a Weibull distribution and formulate an inference method for estimating the human reaction time, from data of prescribed exposure durations, binary outcomes and actuation times of flight action collected in a sequence of tests. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the inference of human reaction time based on the Weibull distribution converges to the correct value even when the underlying true model deviates from the inference model. This robustness of the inference method makes it applicable to real experimental data where the underlying true model is unknown.

DNA extraction from fresh-frozen and formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded human brain tissue

Both fresh-frozen and formalin-fixed,paraffinembedded（FFPE）human brain tissues are invaluable resources for molecular genetic studies of central nervous system diseases,especially neurodegenerative disorders.To identify the optimal method for DNA extraction from human brain tissue,we compared methods on differently-processed tissues.Fragments of LRRK2 and MAPT（257 bp and 483 bp/245 bp）were amplified for evaluation.We found that for FFPE samples,the success rate of DNA extraction was greater when using a commercial kit than a laboratory-based method（successful DNA extraction from 76%versus 33%of samples）.PCR amplicon size and storage period were key factors influencing the success rate of DNA extraction from FFPE samples.In the fresh-frozen samples,the DNA extraction success rate was 100%using either a commercial kit（QIAamp DNA Micro）or a laboratorybased method（sample boiling in 0.1 mol/L NaOH,followed by proteinase K digestion,and then DNA extraction using Chelex-100）regardless of PCR amplicon length or tissue storage time.Although the present results demonstrate that PCR-amplifiable genomic DNA can be extracted from both fresh-frozen and FFPE samples,fresh brain tissue is recommended for DNA extraction in future neuropathological studies.

ACTIVATION OF BOVINE FACTOR IX BY THE REACTION PRODUCT OF BOVINE FACTOR VII AND HUMAN TISSUE FACTOR

A study was carried out on the alternate activation of factor IX （FIX） by bovine FVII and human tissue factor （TF） rather than by activated factor XI （FXI）. The reaction product of bovine FVII and human TF functioned as a FIX activator in the assay system used. Published studies suggest that in the presence of Caions, the complex of human FVII-TF readily activates both human FIX and human FX,and at low TF concentrations, FIX appears to be the preferred substrate for the reaction product of FVII and TF. This may explain the discrepancy between the mild bleeding of hereditary FXI deficiency and the severe bleeding of hereditery FIX deficieney. The results obtained with bovine FVII and a crude human TF preparation confirm that at low TF concentrations,bovine FIX is the preferred substrate rather than FX. At higher TF concentrations, bovine FX was rapidly activated.

Identification of human cytochrome P450 and UGT enzymes involved in the metabolism of ferulic acid, a major bioactive component in traditional Chinese medicines

Ferulic acid(FA) is an active component of herbal medicines. One of the best documented activities of FA is its antioxidant property. Moreover, FA exerts antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective effects. However, the metabolic pathways of FA in humans remain unclear. To identify whether human CYP or UGT enzymes are involved in the metabolism of FA, reaction phenotyping of FA was conducted using major CYP-selective chemical inhibitors together with individual CYP and UGT Supersomes. The CYPand/or UGT-mediated metabolism kinetics were examined simultaneously or individually. Relative activity factor and total normalized rate approaches were used to assess the relative contributions of each major human CYPs towards the FA metabolism. Incubations of FA with human liver microsomes(HLM) displayed NADPH-and UDPGA-dependent metabolism with multiple CYP and UGT isoforms involved. CYPs and UGTs contributed equally to the metabolism of FA in HLM. Although CYP1 A2 and CYP3 A4 appeared to be the major contributors in the CYP-mediated clearance, their contributions to the overall clearance are still minor(< 25%). As a constitute of many food and herbs, FA poses low drug-drug interaction risk when co-administrated with other herbs or conventional medicines because multiple phase I and phase II enzymes are involved in its metabolism.

Lack of human papillomavirus types 16 and 18 DNA in esophageal squamous carcinoma cell lines

Objective To assess the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the carcinogenesis of the esophageal carcinomas in a high incidence geographical area in Northern China Methods The presence of HPV types 16 and 18 DNA in the three esophageal carcinoma cell lines was examined by type specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Results No HPV type 16 and 18 DNA was found in any of the three esophageal carcinoma cell lines Conclusion The results suggest that the role of HPV in human esophageal carcinogenesis in a high incidence geographical area remains to be elucidated

RESILIENCE 2.0： COMPUTER-AIDED DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Many factors （larger population, more dependency on technology, more human-caused interference in the natural systems and equilibria, climate changes,... ） contribute to the seemingly growing number and severity of disasters. Additional exaggeration is generated by public media. As a consequence Disaster Prevention and Disaster Management must be given increased attention. The ultimate goal of Disaster Management is resilience of the affected system and thus the adequate and acceptable survival of the affected population. We discuss system behavior in the case of an assault or disturbance： from being fragile （loss of their functionality due to the assault） to being resilient （having the capacity ... of bouncing back to dynamic stability after a disturbance）, or even antifragile （being able to ＂learn＂ so as to improve disaster resilience）. Resilience 2. 0 identifies a new paradigm： modem Information and Communication Technologies （ICT） are employed as a basis for enabling and improving resilience of a system. ICT provide the basis for sufficient preparation before an assault, for quick recognition of, and for effective, efficient reactions to disasters. Only the coordinated intra- and interphase deployment of ICT promises sufficient success and can bring resilience to currently as yet fragile systems. We discuss stressors （time and performance pressure, physical and psychological stress on personnel） and problems due to damaged ICT-platforms and communication infrastructure. The basic message is that computer-aided Disaster Management is able to offers a new level of reactivity： Resilience 2.0.