When Models Interact with their Subjects: The Dynamics of Model Aware Systems

A scientific model need not be a passive and static descriptor of its subject. If the subject is affected by the model, the model must be updated to explain its affected subject. In this study, two models regarding the dynamics of model aware systems are presented. The first explores the behavior of "prediction seeking" (PSP) and "prediction avoiding" (PAP) populations under the influence of a model that describes them. The second explores the publishing behavior of a group of experimentalists coupled to a model by means of confirmation bias. It is found that model aware systems can exhibit convergent random or oscillatory behavior and display universal 1/f noise. A numerical simulation of the physical experimentalists is compared with actual publications of neutron life time and {\Lambda} mass measurements and is in good quantitative agreement.Comment: Accepted for publication in PLoS-ON

The ability of thiourea to scavenge hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals during the intra-coronal bleaching of bloodstained root-filled teeth

The document attached has been archived with permission from the Australian Dental Association. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Background: Hydrogen peroxide, an agent used in the intra-coronal bleaching of root-filled teeth for over a century, has been shown to diffuse from the pulp chamber to the outer root surface. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that destructive hydroxyl radicals, the by-products of the bleaching process, have been detected on the external root surface. The control of such diffusion may be of importance in minimizing the risk of invasive cervical resorption (ICR) which has been linked to intra-coronal bleaching of discoloured root-filled teeth using hydrogen peroxide. The aims of the present in vitro study are to quantify the diffusion of hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals to the outer root surface following intra-coronal bleaching, and to evaluate the ability of thiourea incorporated into the bleaching protocol to scavenge residual hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals. Methods: Thirty-five single rooted premolar teeth with intact cementum at the cemento-enamel junction were used in this project. Thirty teeth were stained with red blood cells and root-filled with gutta-percha and AH26. The five unstained teeth were root-filled and constituted a negative control (Group 1). The stained teeth were divided equally into the following experimental groups and subjected to various intra-coronal bleaching regimes: Group 2 – ‘walking bleach’ with 20μl 30 per cent w/w hydrogen peroxide; Group 3 – 20μl 30 per cent w/w hydrogen peroxide and thermocatalytically activated; Group 4 – 20μl acidified thiourea; Group 5 – 20μl acidified thiourea and 20μl 30 per cent w/w hydrogen peroxide; Group 6 – 20μl acidified thiourea and 20μl one per cent sodium hypochlorite; Group 7 – 20μl acidified thiourea, 20μl one per cent sodium hypochlorite and 20μl 30 per cent w/w hydrogen peroxide. The reaction products of the bleaching process were quantified at the outer root surface using high performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD).Results: Results showed that hydrogen peroxide used alone in Groups 2 and 3 was able to be detected at the outer root surface in 100 per cent of the samples, and that the presence of the hydroxyl radical generated in both groups was detected in equal amounts (P<0.05). When thiourea was incorporated into the bleaching protocols in Groups 5–7, it was shown to scavenge both hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals to a significant degree (P<0.05). Conclusions: Acidulated thiourea is an effective scavenger of residual hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radicals generated during the intra-coronal bleaching of bloodstained root-filled teeth.DS Farmer, P Burcham, PD Mari

Group membership and racial bias modulate the temporal estimation of in-group/out-group body movements

Social group categorization has been mainly studied in relation to ownership manipulations involving highly-salient multisensory cues. Here, we propose a novel paradigm that can implicitly activate the embodiment process in the presence of group affiliation information, whilst participants complete a task irrelevant to social categorization. Ethnically White participants watched videos of White- and Black-skinned models writing a proverb. The writing was interrupted 7, 4 or 1 s before completion. Participants were tasked with estimating the residual duration following interruption. A video showing only hand kinematic traces acted as a control condition. Residual duration estimates for out-group and control videos were significantly lower than those for in-group videos only for the longest duration. Moreover, stronger implicit racial bias was negatively correlated to estimates of residual duration for out-group videos. The underestimation bias for the out-group condition might be mediated by implicit embodiment, affective and attentional processes, and finalized to a rapid out-group categorization

A new era for understanding amyloid structures and disease

The aggregation of proteins into amyloid fibrils and their deposition into plaques and intracellular inclusions is the hallmark of amyloid disease. The accumulation and deposition of amyloid fibrils, collectively known as amyloidosis, is associated with many pathological conditions that can be associated with ageing, such as Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, type II diabetes and dialysis-related amyloidosis. However, elucidation of the atomic structure of amyloid fibrils formed from their intact protein precursors and how fibril formation relates to disease has remained elusive. Recent advances in structural biology techniques, including cryo-electron microscopy and solid-state NMR spectroscopy, have finally broken this impasse. The first near-atomic-resolution structures of amyloid fibrils formed in vitro, seeded from plaque material and analysed directly ex vivo are now available. The results reveal cross-β structures that are far more intricate than anticipated. Here, we describe these structures, highlighting their similarities and differences, and the basis for their toxicity. We discuss how amyloid structure may affect the ability of fibrils to spread to different sites in the cell and between organisms in a prion-like manner, along with their roles in disease. These molecular insights will aid in understanding the development and spread of amyloid diseases and are inspiring new strategies for therapeutic intervention

NYSE Rule 80A restrictions on index arbitrage and market linkage

To the extent that NYSE Rule 80A collar, which restricts index arbitrage form of program trading on volatile days, aims to delink S&P 500 cash and futures markets and prevent transmission of volatility from the futures to the cash market, this study finds the collar to be ineffective. The analyses are based on lead-lag regressions for the first and second moments using data diurnalized via a nonparametric filter for intraday volatility periodicity. The regression results also suggest that, consistent with the literature, the futures market has a much stronger tendency to lead the underlying cash market than lag and there is a strong bi-directional lead-lag relationship between volatilities of the two markets, which does not support the assertion that there is a systematic transmission of volatility from the futures to the cash market.