cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Getting the Right Mix of Capital and Cash Requirements in Prudential Bank Regulation

Cash reserve requirements are useful as a broadly conceived prudential tool, not just as a narrowly focused means of limiting the risks associated with illiquidity. Indeed, illiquidity risk is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for establishing bank liquidity requirements. The primary means of mitigating the systemic costs of bank illiquidity risk is the creation of an effective lender of last resort (LOLR). But instead of focusing narrowly on bank funding risks when designing liquidity requirements, regulators should consider tradeoffs among capital requirements, liquidity requirements, and LOLR policies for achieving the broader prudential goal of limiting bank default risk. When considering the optimal tradeoff between capital ratios and cash ratios as prudential requirements, five “frictions” are identified that favor the use of one or the other: (1) the adverse-selection costs of raising equity (which favors the use of cash); (2) the opportunity cost of forgone abnormal profits (or “quasi rents”) from lending (which favors the use of capital); (3) the limited verifiability of loan outcomes (which favors the use of cash); (4) the moral hazard that results from costly or postponed loss recognition, given the incentive for risk shifting in bad states (which favors the use of cash); and (5) the prospect of changes in the risk environment (which favors cash since it creates greater option value for maintaining targeted default risk with lower adjustment costs in the face of changing loan risk or illiquidity risk). When viewed from the perspective of achieving the main prudential goal of controlling default risk at a minimum social cost, capital requirements have some limitations that favor liquidity requirements, and vice versa. And thus the optimal regulatory policy will combine liquidity and capital requirements.
Annular dystrophic calcinosis cutis in an infant.

Dystrophic calcinosis curls occurs in the heels of newborns subjected to repeated heel sticks, l in infants who have received calcium gluconate infusions, 2"4 and in children who have undergone electroencephalography with calcium chloride-containing paste on abraded skin. 5 The usual appearance is of scattered yellow-white papules and nodules. Radiologic examination confirms the presence of amorphous calcification. We report annular dystrophic calcinosis cutis in an infant who had received both calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate intravenously.
The wreck of the morning dew: The United States coast guard and crisis communication

On a stormy December 1997 night in Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina, four lives were lost when the sailing vessel Morning Dew crashed into a jetty near the entrance to the city's harbor. At first, authorities were at a loss to explain what happened to the Morning Dew. However, it was soon revealed that the vessel had radioed the Coast Guard station in Charleston, yet received no assistance. The Coast Guard soon found itself defending its actions ofthat night, and was accused of covering up evidence of the Morning Dew's mayday call. By not communicating with the media and public, the Coast Guard's actions brought into question its Search and Rescue (SAR) capabilities. Coast Guard errors in dealing with this crisis are examined, and observations about crisis communication, in general, are discussed.
Mastery of Verb Tense Markers by Normal and Learning-Disabled Children

Sixty learning-disabled children with a mean age of 7-11 and 60 children in regular classes with a mean age of 7-10 were given a tense marker test to elicit future, present, and past tense markers ...
Directional differences in autokinesis based on stimulation of the left versus the right eye.

The present experiment tests an implication of an incidental finding of a previous experiment. The method used by Crovitz and Daves ( 1962) included presentation to one or both eyes of a row of numerals for 100 msec. and electrooculographic recording of the initial measurable post-exposure eye movemenc. A surprising incidental finding was thac, when the left eye was not occluded (i.e., it was stimulated by the pre-exposure fixation dot and the numerals), there were more initial post-exposure eye movements to the left than the right and, when the right eye was not occluded, chere were more inirial posc-exposure eye movements to the right than the left. Interpretation of this anomalous finding was not possible in the context of the experiment in which it appeared. A simple possibility is that foveal stimulation of the left (right) eye leads to innervation for a conjugate eye movement to the left (right). Were this correct, monoci~lar foveal stimulation supplied by the pre-exposure fixation doc in the srudy of Crovicz and Daves (1962) may have elicited a tendency to eye movemenc in the direction of the viewing eye and the numerals may have served as a signal that the eyes could move. Three exploratory studies have supported this interpretation.' If it is correct thac monocular foveal stimulation sets up a neural state one property of which is innervacion for an eye movement in the direction of the eye stimulated, a purer method of studying the directionality of the innervacion exists than the determinar~on of actual movements, since these may also be affected by structural and learned asymmetries. It has long been known that, when there is an intention to move the eyes in a direccion but the eyes do not move, there is illusory movement of the stimulus in the direction of the intended eye movemenc. This has been shown in eye muscle paralysis and paralysis induced by mechanical means (von Holst, 1954; Bruell & Albee, 1955). If there is an innervation for
Brain Slicer: a high-performance Internet-based neuromedical imaging system

In this paper, we present a neuro-medical imaging system called the Brain Slicer, which allows neuroscientists to construct a three-dimensional digital brain atlas from an array of high-resolution parallel section images and obtain arbitrary oblique section images from the digital atlas. This application is based on a new data structure, the Scalable Hyper-Space File (SHSF). The SHSF is a generalized data structure that can represent a hyperspace of any dimension. The two-dimensional SHSF is a scalable linear quadtree and the three-dimensional SHSF is a scalable linear octree. Unlike the normal linear quadtree and octree, the data structure uses a scalable linear coding scheme. It recursively uses fixed-length linear code to encode the hyperspace, which is efficient in terms of storage space and accessing speed. The structure lends itself well to pipelined parallel operations in constructing the volumetric data set, so that it enjoys excellent performance even though the huge data set imposes heavy disk I/O requirements. The data structure can provide different levels of detail; therefore it can be used in an environment where the bandwidth and computation power is limited, such as the Internet and slow desktop computers. We envision that this methodology can be used in many areas other than neuro-medical imaging.
Alteration of myofibrillar ATPase activities in hearts of cardiomyopathic hamsters (BIO 53.58)

Purified myofibrils were prepared from cardiac muscle of normal (RB) and cardiomyopathic (BIO 53.58) hamsters at the age of 24 to 160 days. Myofibrils from normal hamsters were sensitive to increasing concentrations of calcium buffered with EGTA. As the free calcium concentration rose from 0.1 to 10μm, the ATPase activity increased from 0.06 to 0.35 μmol/mg/min. The free calcium concentration for half-maximal myofibrillar ATPase activity was found to be 1 × 10−6 m. The myofibrillar ATPase activities from male and female normal hamsters did not vary with age. However, the fractions from cardiomyopathic hamsters behaved differently according to their sex. The maximal myofibrillar ATPase from the female cardiomyopathic hamsters (24- to 30-day-old) was less than that of the normal, but increased greatly at 36 days of age. At 44 days of age, the female myofibrillar ATPase activity was again depressed. The myofibrillar ATPase of the male cardiomyopathic hamsters was slightly increased at 36 days of age. At 44 days, the male hamsters exhibited a slight decrease in the myofibrillar ATPase activity. At 50 days of age, myofibrillar ATPase activities from both male and female cardiomyopathic hamsters were found to be depressed; this decrease was also observed at 91 days in the male and 161 days in the female animals. The free calcium concentration for the half-maximal myofibrillar ATPase activity was found to be unchanged in all the cardiomyopathic hamsters studied.
Airing Grievances Online: Search Engine Algorithms and the Fate of Minorities at Risk

ABSTRACT This paper examines the role search engine algorithms have in ethnopolitical mobilization. Offline, the news media are vital in a minority at risk (MAR) group's message dissemination. As Tarrow (1994) explains, they are a valuable “external resource.” We argue search engine algorithms perform a similar external resource function mediating what sites get reported as top-ranked search results. The paper addresses whether an association exists between the number of MAR advocacy Web sites protesting a MAR's plight within a search engines' (Google) top 30 search results and the level of grievance a MAR group experiences or the available open opportunity structures. We hypothesize and find that a MAR's grievance level—rather than the availability of open opportunity structures—is vital in explaining the role of search engines in ethnopolitical mobilization.
Positive operators and automorphism groups of bounded symmetric domains

Abstract The spectrum of self-adjoint operators arising from unitary representations of semi-simple Lie groups is investigated. A series of irreducible unitary representations in which certain generators of non-compact one-parameter subgroups are realized by positive operators is described. These representations occur only for groups of automorphisms of bounded symmetric domains.
234Th and 7Be as tracers for the transport and dynamics of suspended particles in a partially mixed estuary

The sources of the natural radionuclides {sup 234}Th (half-life = 24 d) and {sup 7}Be (half-life = 53 d) to the partially mixed Hudson River estuary are distinctly different: {sup 234}Th is produced from decay of dissolved {sup 238}U that varies conservatively as a function of salinity, and {sup 7}Be is added directly from the atmosphere. {sup 234}Th and {sup 7}Be activities were measured in suspended and bottom sediments under varying conditions of river flow to evaluate the relative importance of local sediment resuspension and advection of suspended sediments through the estuary. Both radionuclides are removed from the estuarine water column on time scales of from <1 to 13 d. The {sup 234}Th{sub xs}/{sup 7}Be activity ratio is used to eliminate variations in the specific activities caused by grain size or sediment compositional changes. A simple steady-state model is used to set limits on the activity ratios expected if local processes (in situ production of {sup 234}Th, atmospheric supply of {sup 7}Be, scavenging, particle settling, and resuspension) dominate the activity ratio. During low river discharge, observed {sup 234}Th{sub xs}/{sup 7}Be ratios exceed the model upper limits in the higher salinity portions of the estuary, suggesting that particles labeled with Thmore » and Be in higher salinities are transported to lower salinities with the estuarine circulation. Distance scales of particle transport are estimated to be from 10 to 20 km, comparable to the tidal excursion. Sampling during a high-flow event of short duration shows that the activity ratios tend toward the lower limit. Such a pattern could be produced by down-river transport of particles or by enhanced suspension. Similarities between the {sup 234}Th{sub xs}/{sup 7}Be activity ratios of suspended and bottom sediments suggest that increases in resuspension during high flow events dominate the activity ratio in the suspended sediment reservoir.« less
Production of high-intensity laser pulses with adaptive optic wavefront correction

We have developed a Ti:sapphire/Nd:glass laser system which produces > 1.25 PW peak power. An irradiance of 1020 - 1021 W/cm2 is achieved utilizing an on-axis parabolic mirror, with adaptive optic wavefront correction. Experimental results will be described.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Numerical Investigation on the Impact Strength Properties of Weldox Steel, Pure Copper, 2024-T3 Aluminum Alloy, Ti-6Al-4V Titanium Alloy and Some Composites

In recent times as civilian technology has grown more sophisticated, more demands are being made on the study of behavior of materials under very short duration loading. This paper describes a numerical comparison of the penetration and perforation of circular plates, struck by blunt projectile based on Johnson-Cook failure model and isotropic failure model. Explicit finite element code (ABAQUS) is used for the simulation. The better of the two failure models is used to investigate the penetration and perforation behavior of four different plate materials namely Weldox Steel, Pure Copper, 2024-T3 Aluminum alloy and Ti-6Al-4V Titanium alloy, struck by blunt and conical shaped projectiles. Nominal hardness, diameter, and mass of the projectile are kept constant in all simulations. The thickness of the plates is varied from 8mm to 40mm. The initial and residual velocities are determined from the numerical simulations. The ballistic limit velocity and the residual velocity curves are obtained for each target thickness tested. The plastic dissipation and strain energy curves are also obtained for each target thickness and plotted for different thickness-to-diameter ratios. Finally the numerical modeling of composite laminates of AS4 Carbon/Epoxy, Kevlar 149/Epoxy, AS4 Carbon/Peek and Kevlar 149/Peek are also compared for different thickness-to-diameter ratio to predict the composite laminate that has the highest impact strength.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Relationships Between Parental Attachment, Work and Family Roles, and Life Satisfaction

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between parental attachment and satisfaction with work and family roles, as well as the relationship of these variables to life satisfaction. Results from a multiple regression analysis indicated that satisfaction with work and marriage, but not parenting satisfaction or parental attachment, was significantly related to life satisfaction. Responses to open-ended questions indicated that parental attachment relationships affected participants' career, marriage, parenting, and life satisfaction in varied and complex ways. Implications for counselors and directions for future research are discussed.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy decreases mortality and morbidity in patients with advanced HIV disease.

The data from this study support an independent reduction in mortality and opportunistic events attributable to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), even in patients with very advanced HIV...
Commissions and omissions are dissociable aspects of everyday action impairment in schizophrenia.

Prior research using performance-based assessment of functional impairment has informed a novel neuropsychological model of everyday action impairment in dementia in which omission errors (i.e., failure to complete task steps) dissociate from commission errors (i.e., inaccurate performance of task steps) and have unique neuropsychological correlates. However, this model has not been tested in other populations. The present study examined whether this model extends to schizophrenia. Fifty-four individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were administered a neuropsychological protocol and the Naturalistic Action Test (NAT), a performance-based measure of everyday action. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to examine the construct(s) comprising everyday action impairment, and correlations between the resultant component(s) and neuropsychological tests were examined. Results showed that omissions and a subset of commissions were distinct components of everyday action. However, results did not support unique associations between these components and specific neuropsychological measures. These findings extend the omission-commission model to schizophrenia and may have important implications for efficient assessment and effective rehabilitation of functional impairment, such as the potential efficacy of targeted interventions for the rehabilitation of omission and commission deficits in everyday functioning. Larger studies with prospective designs are needed to replicate the present preliminary findings. (JINS, 2014, 20, 812–821)
Synthesis and validation of nondiagonal accommodation matrices for error-corrective assembly

A methodology is described by which erroneous contact configurations for a given task are used to synthesize an appropriate accommodation matrix (either diagonal or nondiagonal) such that the motions which result from contact with the environment are error corrective. The methodology is verified by the synthesis and experimental validation of a nondiagonal accommodation matrix sufficient for an error-corrective place-in-detent robotic assembly operation, an operation that fails if a diagonal accommodation matrix is used. >
Introduction to CMOS analog standard cell ASIC design

This study is directed toward the mixed-signal ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) system designer. The demand for mixed signal ASIC products continues to grow and places increased importance on reducing the design cycle time for the analog section of the chip. Modern generic digital CMOS technology is examined for use in analog integrated circuit design. Analog standard cells and design considerations are presented to assist in developing CMOS analog standard cell libraries for ASIC design. >
Secondary organic aerosol formation from m-xylene, toluene, and benzene

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation from the photooxidation of m-xylene, toluene, and benzene is investigated in the Caltech environmental chambers. Experiments are performed under two limiting NOx conditions; under high-NOx conditions the peroxy radicals (RO2) react only with NO, while under low-NOx conditions they react only with HO2. For all three aromatics studied (m-xylene, toluene, and benzene), the SOA yields (defined as the ratio of the mass of organic aerosol formed to the mass of parent hydrocarbon reacted) under low-NOx conditions substantially exceed those under high-NOx conditions, suggesting the importance of peroxy radical chemistry in SOA formation. Under low-NOx conditions, the SOA yields for m-xylene, toluene, and benzene are constant (36%, 30%, and 37%, respectively), indicating that the SOA formed is essentially nonvolatile. Under high-NOx conditions, aerosol growth occurs essentially immediately, even when NO concentration is high. The SOA yield curves exhibit behavior similar to that observed by Odum et al. (1996, 1997a, b), although the values are somewhat higher than in the earlier study. The yields measured under high-NOx conditions are higher than previous measurements, suggesting a "rate effect" in SOA formation, in which SOA yields are higher when the oxidation rate is faster. Experiments carried out in the presence of acidic seed aerosol reveal no change of SOA yields from the aromatics as compared with those using neutral seed aerosol.
Optimal energy-balanced algorithm for selection in a single hop sensor network

Sensor networks are being used to implement a large set of applications that require distributed, collaborative computations. Selection is an important kernel in several sensor applications, particularly those involving speech and image data processing. In this paper we present an energy and time optimal algorithm for the selection problem in a single hop wireless network. The algorithm also has the property that it is energy-balanced. This implies that all sensors dissipate asymptotically equal amount of energy. Uniform energy dissipation is desirable as it enables the network to remain fully functional for the maximum time. We demonstrate that in a single hop, single channel network of n randomly distributed sensors, selection can be performed in O(n) time and O(n) energy, with no sensor being awake for more than O(1) time steps. We extend our results for a p-channel network, where p/spl les/n/sup 1-/spl epsi// and 0</spl epsi//spl les/1. We show that selection can be performed in time O(n/p) and energy O(n) with no sensor being awake for more than O(1) time steps.
Dynamics of a triple inverse pinch

Experiments show that plasma may be temporarily confined in a potential well created by three symmetrically spaced inverse pinches. X -type neutral points form at each of the three points of first contact of the inverse pinches and these three neutral points act as flux switches impulsively transferring flux into a central confinement region. The confinement is terminated by a transition to anomalous resistivity at the centre of the device resulting in rapid annihilation of the confining flux by resistive dissipation. The subsequent magnetic field pattern is much more like the vacuum field having only one hyperbolic neutral point. The plasma configuration can probably be made stable for longer periods of time and should also be of interest for studies of interactions between laser light and a plasma in a state of microturbulence.
Cognitive vulnerability to depression: A dual process model

Dual process models offer powerful accounts of cognitive phenomena in social and personality psychology but they have not been widely adapted to clinical phenomena. This review presents a dual process model of cognitive vulnerability to unipolar depression. According to dual process theories, humans possess two modes of information processing. An associative mode involves quick, effortless processing that rests on well-learned associations. A reflective mode involves slow, effortful processing that rests on symbolic rule-based inferences. Whereas the associative mode occurs automatically, the reflective mode operates when expectancies are violated and sufficient cognitive resources are available to respond. A cognitive vulnerability to depression is observed when negatively biased associative processing is uncorrected by reflective processing. The circumstances when this is likely to occur are reviewed. New insights and implications for assessment, etiology, and treatment of cognitive vulnerability to depression are discussed.
NONREDOX TRANSFORMATIONS OF MAGNETITE-HEMATITE IN HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS

The transformation of magnetite to hematite, or hematite to magnetite, in nature has generally been considered a redox reaction and linked to a specific redox state of fluid; however, a nonredox reaction, Fe2O3 (hm) + Fe2+ + H2O = Fe3O4 (mt) + 2H+, may have been the principal mechanism for the transformations of iron oxides in nature, especially in hydrothermal environments. For example, the transformation of goethite and/or hematite (primary precipitates) to magnetite in banded iron-formations (BIFs) probably occurred through nonredox reactions with Fe2+-bearing hydrothermal fluids during the accumulation of a BIF sequence, rather than through redox reactions involving organic matter during and/or after the BIF deposition. The proposed mechanisms for the transformation of magnetite to hematite provides new exploration strategies for hematite-rich secondary ores, extending the target for orebodies to much deeper zones below the paleosurface. Another important implication of the proposed mechanism is that the presence or absence of magnetite and/or hematite in geologic formations may or may not provide meaningful information on the redox state of fluid.
DNA binding and phasing analyses of Tn5 transposase and a monomeric variant

Both full-length Tn 5 transposase and a COOH-terminal truncated monomeric form of the protein,n369, have been shown to specifically bind end sequences at comparable affinities. In addition, both proteins distort the target sequence in a similar manner, as determined by a circular permutation assay. In this study,nEK54, a derivative ofn369 with a single amino acid substitution that significantly enhances binding activity, is used in further binding and bending studies along with full-length transposase. Phasing analysis has shown that distortion of the end sequences upon binding of full-length transposase and nEK54 protein is due in part to a protein-induced bend oriented towards the major groove. Because the center of transposase-induced bending maps to the extreme leftward end of the 19 bp consensus sequence, we examined the possibility that optimal protein binding requires additional upstream nucleotide contacts. Experiments presented here show that 9-10 nucleotides are needed upstream of +1 of the 19 bp sequence for efficient binding and this requirement can be met by either single-stranded or double-stranded DNA.
Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica Serovar Dublin Induce Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand Expression by Normal Mouse and Human Osteoblasts

Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica serovar Dublin invade osteoblasts and are causative agents of human bone disease. In the present study, we examined the ability of S. aureus and Salmonella serovar Dublin to induce the production of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) by normal osteoblasts. Normal mouse and human osteoblasts were cocultured with S. aureus or Salmonella serovar Dublin at different multiplicities of infection. Following initial incubation and examination of TRAIL expression, extracellular bacteria were killed by the addition of media containing the antibiotic gentamicin. Lysates and conditioned media from osteoblast cultures were then collected at various times following invasion and analyzed. The results demonstrated that S. aureus and Salmonella serovar Dublin are potent inducers of TRAIL expression by osteoblasts. Mouse and human TRAIL mRNA expression was induced by bacterial infection and demonstrated a dose-dependent response. Analysis of kinetics suggested that TRAIL mRNA was induced within 30 min after exposure to bacteria and that its level of expression remained relatively constant over the time period examined. mRNA molecules encoding TRAIL receptors were constitutively expressed by osteoblasts. Furthermore, TRAIL protein was detected as early as 45 min and up to 24 h following infection. The quantity of TRAIL protein produced also increased in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, these findings suggest a mechanism whereby bacterial pathogens mediate bone destruction via osteoblast apoptosis.
Cepstrum-based deconvolution for speech dereverberation

We present a blind deconvolution-based approach for the restoration of speech degraded by the acoustic environment. The proposed scheme processes the outputs of two microphones using cepstra operations and the theory of signal reconstruction from phase only. Under mild assumptions, it reconstructs the room impulse response associated with each microphone and restores the speech signal.
Efficient hybrid search for visual reconstruction problems

Abstract Visual reconstruction refers to extracting stable descriptions from visual data ( [1] ; A. Blake and A. Zisserman, Visual Reconstruction, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1987). Visual reconstruction problems are commonly formulated in an optimization framework and normally require the optimization of nonconvex functions especially when discontinuity preserving image/shape recovery is the goal. Example problems include, image restoration, surface reconstruction, shape from shading etc. Most existing deterministic methods fail to reach the global optimum and lack the generality to incorporate reasonably complex interactions between boolean valued line process variables used for representing the presence (absence) of discontinuities. Stochastic methods for solving such problems e.g. the simulated annealing algorithm or variants thereof do achieve a global optimum but are plagued by slow convergence rates. In this paper, we present a new hybrid search algorithm as an efficient solution for achieving the global optimum of the nonconvex function derived from a Markov random field formulation which allows for incorporation of complex interactions between the line process variables to better constraint the line processes. In the hybrid search, for the stochastic part, we develop an informed genetic algorithm (GA) while employing an incomplete Cholesky preconditioned conjugate gradient algorithm ( [23] ; S.H. Lai and B.C. Vemuri, Robust and efficient algorithms for optical flow computation, in: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Computer Vision, Coral Gables, FL, 1995, pp. 455–460) for the deterministic part. Our informed GA consists of a reproduction operator and an informed mutation operator. The informed mutation operator exploits specific domain knowledge in the search and is accomplished by the Gibbs sampler. Our hybrid search algorithm is highly parallelizable and leads to a globally optimal solution. The performance of our algorithm is demonstrated via experimental results on the sparse data surface reconstruction and the image restoration problem.
ORIGINAL INSIGHT INTO SURGICAL ANATOMY AND HISTOLOGY OF CORPORAL BODIES OF EPISPADIAC PENIS WITH IMPLICATION ON SURGERY

Abstract Purpose Surgical anatomy and histology of corporal bodies of the epispadiac penis is still not well described. Using our complete disassembly technique we revealed specific anatomical and histological features of the epispadiac penis which have a significant impact on surgical outcome. Material and Methods From October 1996 till August 2007, 58 patients age between 2 days and 23 years (mean 48 months) underwent primary repair of the epispadiac penis. Nineteen patients presented with an isolated epispadias while the remaning 39 had epispadias –extrophy complex. Complete penile disassembly with mobilization of NVB, urethral plate and corporal bodies was performed. Free corporeal bodies are evaluated during surgery in the flaccid and erect state. In 8 patients a histological specimen was harvested from ventral, medial and wedge-shaped dorsal side. Results Investigating anatomical and histological features of the epispadiac penis we revealed several important particularities. Corporal bodies have a triangular shape: ventral - convex side, medial and lateral. Dorsal side is concave and narrowed into a wedge shaped streak. The main substrate of dorsal curvature is disproportion between longer ventral and shorter dorsal side. Histological examination revealed a normal ventral side of albuginea with two layers while medial side have only an underdeveloped circular layer. Dorsal, wedge-shaped side consists only of thick fibrous tissue. These features are compared to normal peers’ cavernosal bodies. Conclusions A new insight into anatomical and histological features of epispadiac corporal bodies have significant impact on surgical repair. Only equalizing the shorter dorsal and longer ventral side by minimum of two transversal dorsal incisions with grafting can correct curvature and this way straighten and lengthen the penis.
Stricter systolic blood pressure control is associated with higher all-cause mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease

Commentary on : Kovesdy CP, Lu JL, Molnar MZ, et al. Observational modeling of strict vs conventional blood pressure control in patients with chronic kidney disease. JAMA Intern Med 2014;174:1442–9.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] Hypertension is a major cause of mortality. Previous studies have identified a J-shaped association between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and risk of mortality, raising concerns about the safe limits of blood pressure lowering in certain patient populations. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) represent 13% of the US population and have high prevalence of cardiovascular morbidity and a high mortality rate. However, data on optimal blood pressure targets in this high-risk patient population is limited. The few published trials of blood pressure in patients with CKD have primarily focused on kidney end points.1 ,2 Prior observational studies of patients with CKD have suggested that … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJAMA%2BIntern%2BMed%26rft.volume%253D174%26rft.spage%253D1442%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1001%252Fjamainternmed.2014.3279%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F25089540%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.3279&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=25089540&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F20%2F2%2F68.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000341574400010&link_type=ISI
Local structure variations observed in orthoenstatite at high pressures

The site-specific behavior of iron in an orthoenstatite-structured ^(57)Fe-enriched (M1)(M2)Si_(2)O_(6) powdered sample was explored using synchrotron Mossbauer spectroscopy and diamond-anvil cells in two independent experiments at ambient temperature. In one experiment, NaCl was used as the pressure-transmitting medium (ambient pressure to 36 GPa), and in the other experiment, Ne surrounded the sample (4.1 to 26.8 GPa). The hyperfine parameters of the M1 and M2 sites at room pressure are in excellent agreement with previous literature values obtained using conventional Mossbauer spectroscopy and yield (Mg_(0.980)Fe_(0.020(5))(Mg_(0.760)Fe_(0.240))Si_(2)O_6 as the chemical formula. Analyses of both data sets reveal a change in the trend or discontinuity in the hyperfine parameters around 10 GPa, indicative of a transformation in orthopyroxene. However, the detailed behaviors of the iron sites with pressure appear to depend on the local stress conditions provided by the different pressure media. Our observations may help explain the reported variations in structural transition behavior for orthopyroxenes at high pressures.
Pattern of eyelid motion predictive of decision errors during drowsiness: oculomotor indices of altered states.

Sequential patterns of eye and eyelid motion were identified in seven subjects performing a modified serial probe recognition task under drowsy conditions. Using simultaneous EOG and video recordings, eyelid motion was divided into components above, within, and below the pupil and the durations in sequence were recorded. A serial probe recognition task was modified to allow for distinguishing decision errors from attention errors. Decision errors were found to be more frequent following a downward shift in the gaze angle which the eyelid closing sequence was reduced from a five element to a three element sequence. The velocity of the eyelid moving over the pupil during decision errors was slow in the closing and fast in the reopening phase, while on decision correct trials it was fast in closing and slower in reopening. Due to the high variability of eyelid motion under drowsy conditions these findings were only marginally significant. When a five element blink occurred, the velocity of the lid over pupil...
Magnetic frustration on the diamond lattice of the A -site magnetic spinels CoAl 2 − x Ga x O 4 : The role of lattice expansion and site disorder

The spinels ${\text{CoB}}_{2}{\text{O}}_{4}$ with magnetic ${\text{Co}}^{2+}$ ions on the diamond lattice $A$ site can be frustrated because of competing near-neighbor $({J}_{1})$ and next-near-neighbor $({J}_{2})$ interactions. Here we describe attempts to understand these interactions by substitution on the nonmagnetic $B$ site. The system we employ is ${\text{CoAl}}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}{\text{Ga}}_{x}{\text{O}}_{4}$, where Al is systematically replaced by the larger Ga, ostensibly on the $B$ site. Ga substitution has the effect of expanding the lattice and pushes Co atoms on the $A$-site further away from one another weakening the magnetic interactions. We also find, however, that Ga distributes between the $B$ and the $A$ site in a concentration dependent manner displacing an increasing amount of Co from the $A$ site for larger values of $x$. This site mixing, confirmed by powder neutron diffraction studies carried out at room temperature, affects magnetic properties very significantly and changes the nature of the ground state. We discuss the role that both structural changes play in changing the degree of magnetic frustration on the diamond lattice. We also use classical Monte Carlo modeling of the magnetic coupling to illustrate the complexity of the interactions that arises from site mixing.
Entity Hierarchy Embedding

Existing distributed representations are limited in utilizing structured knowledge to improve semantic relatedness modeling. We propose a principled framework of embedding entities that integrates hierarchical information from large-scale knowledge bases. The novel embedding model associates each category node of the hierarchy with a distance metric. To capture structured semantics, the entity similarity of context prediction are measured under the aggregated metrics of relevant categories along all inter-entity paths. We show that both the entity vectors and category distance metrics encode meaningful semantics. Experiments in entity linking and entity search show superiority of the proposed method.
A Rational Response to the Privacy "Crisis"

With over a dozen bills pending in both the U.S. and E.U. to "solve" the privacy crisis, perhaps it's time to take a step back and ask some fundamental questions about information management in the age of big data. Why does "private" information evoke visceral policy responses? Is there a rational model for evaluating information exchange and value? Is intellectual property law the model to apply to personal information, or would licensing work better?This paper, part of the Cato Institute's Policy Analysis series, traces the historical origins of the "creepy factor" as a conflict between America's Puritan and frontier origins. It rejects the IP model for personal information and recommends instead a licensing approach -- which is largely in place today.
Longitudinal decline in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease: Analyses of placebo data from clinical trials

Abstract Introduction Accurate estimates of cognitive and clinical decline rates are essential to the design of clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia. Methods To investigate the trajectories of individuals enrolled in therapeutic trials in mild-to-moderate AD, we analyzed the placebo arm data from 20 clinical trials including over 4500 subjects. We analyzed decline as measured by two cognitive instruments, the cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAScog) and the Mini-Mental State Examination, and one clinical rating scale, the Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes. Results Trajectories were generally similar across trials and nearly linear. Greater cognitive impairment at baseline, younger age, and greater education were associated with increased rate of cognitive decline. Effect sizes for the ADAScog were generated as a function of population characteristics. Discussion These data will inform the design of future studies of potential disease-modifying therapies for mild-to-moderate AD dementia.
Genetics of speciation in the Aedes (Stegomyia) scutellaris group (Diptera: Culicidae). 3. The genetic relationship of Aedes cooki with Aedes kesseli.

Cytology, morphology, and other genetic data were compared among inbred parental colonies and interspecific crosses involving Aedes cooki and Aedes kesseli . Sex ratios and inheritance of eye color indicated genetic compatibility in interspecific hybrids. Chromosome lengths differed significantly between species, but somatic and meiotic cytology indicated complete chromosomal pairing in hybrids. Laboratory strains of Ae. cooki and Ae. kesseli showed extensive overlap in 4 morphological characters used to distinguish the species in existing keys. Results of mixed populations over several generations suggested random mating among Ae. cooki and Ae. kesseli . There was also evidence of hybrid vigor in mixed populations, which further indicated genetic compatibility between the 2 species.
Genetic and environmental variation for corolla traits in Portulaca grandiflora

SummaryA commercial seed lot of Portulaca grandiflora was sampled and the variation for several flower traits was analysed. A genotypic component of variance was estimated for the traits petal length, petal width, and petal number. The heritability for petal number was high (64 · 3), for petal width was intermediate (31 · 3), and for petal length was low (12–3). The environmental variance was partitioned into three components, but more than 90% of it was unaccountable. A significant positive correlation between petal length and petal width was found. A covariance analysis was used to test for genetic variance for petal length and petal width after the effects of covariance had been removed. No relationship was found between total corolla area and flower production. Thus, selection for larger flowers is not expected to reduce the number of flowers produced. Selection responses are predicted for different selection differentials and the assumptions are discussed. The results suggest that selection for incre...
Stability of Si3N4-Al2O3-ZrO2 composites in oxygen environments

Oxidation of dense Si3N4-Al2O3-ZrO2 and Si3N4-Al2O3 compacts, at 873–1773 K and 98 KPa air atmosphere, results in two different parabolic oxidation regimes. Oxygen diffusion is likely to be the governing step at low temperature (T ∼1623 K (ΔH = ∼800kJ mol−1) metal cation diffusion through the grain boundary phase appears limiting. The excellent stability in oxygen environments of the Si3N4-Al2O3-ZrO2 composites compared to other ZrO2-Si3N4 materials derives from (i) absence of easy-to-oxidize Zr-O-N phases; (ii) reduced amount of grain boundary phase, and possibly (iii) decreased solubilization rate of the nitride phases in the high viscous oxide film.
Calorimetric Glass Transition of Single Polystyrene Ultrathin Films

The calorimetric glass transition (Tg) is measured for single polystyrene ultrathin films using a commercial rapid-scanning chip calorimeter as a function of cooling rate and film thickness. Films have been prepared in two ways: spin-cast films placed on a layer of inert oil or grease and films directly spin-cast on the back of the calorimetric chip. For the films on oil or on grease, the 160 nm thick films show results consistent with those of a bulk sample measured by conventional DSC. On the other hand, the 47 nm thick film on oil and 71 nm thick films both on oil and on grease show a Tg depression which decreases with increasing cooling rate; the magnitude of the Tg depression is similar to results reported in the literature for the most mobile substrate-supported films. For films directly spin-cast onto the sensor, a Tg depression is not observed for 47 and 71 nm thick films but is observed for a 16 nm thick film. These results are also within the range of the data on supported films in the literatur...
Of Democracy in America

“There are at the present time two great nations in the world, which started from different points, but seem to tend towards the same end. I allude to the Russians and the Americans. Both of them have grown up unnoticed; and while the attention of mankind was directed elsewhere, they have suddenly placed themselves in the front rank among the nations, and the world learned their existence and their greatness at almost the same time.All other nations seem to have nearly reached their natural limits, and they have only to maintain their power; but these are still in the act of growth.”So concludes the first volume of Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America. Such a statement appearing in 1945 would, except perhaps for the view that the two countries “tend towards the same end,” be truistic. Even the journalists would understand and accept it. It appeared in 1835. To most Europeans of that day, the United States was a crude and bumptious little nation on the western fringes of the world, just as Russia was the half-Oriental, half-feudal state which was not so much a power as a vast expanse of inhospitable steppes. At a time when English travelers were frequently aware only of the vulgarity of American manners, and when some European visitors to this country were most impressed with its picturesque qualities, Tocqueville was much more concerned with the basic nature and with the future of the complex combination of laws, customs, and mores which were embraced within his inclusive conception of democracy. He came here, not to give slightly condescending lectures and to bolster his own feeling of superiority, but rather to observe and report on the operation of a principle of political and social organization. Partly because he had an inquiring mind and was willing to work hard at his self-imposed task, but largely because he was gifted with rare insight and was not prevented from seeing the trend of events by the surface happenings of his own time, his book on the nature of American institutions remains, after more than a century, one of the few invaluable books on that subject.
Angiotensin II degradation by human Cohn plasma fractions.

SummaryReaction of various Cohn fractions in vitro with angiotensin II labeled with I-131 has demonstrated that there are quantitative differences in the per cent angiotensin II-I131 degraded by the fractions. There is evidence for a heat labile inhibitor of angiotensin II-I131 degradation with electrophoretic and cold-ethanol characteristics of albumin. The alpha and beta globulin fractions are enriched with the factor or factors which enhance angiotensin II-I131 degradation.
Study on 400 long-distance truck drivers for HIV,hepatitis C and syphilis infection in Qilihe in 2009

Objective:To learn the infectious status of HIV(HIV),hepatitis C virus(HCV),syphilis(RPR)in the crowd of long-distance truck drivers in Qilihe district of Lanzhou City to control the AIDS behavioral intervention in the sexually transmitted diseases and provide scientific basis.Methods:Collected blood samples in long-distance truck drivers,and detected the HIV antibodies,anti-HCV,syphilis.Results:HIV antibodies,anti-HCV,syphilis infection rates were 0.25%,1.50%,0.25%.The three types of disease prevalence had no significant difference and relevance.Conclusion:Men drivers easily be overlooked as a high-risk crowd.So it is imperative that health education about AIDS,sexually transmitted diseases,promotion of knowledge and intervention should be carried out among them.
Analysis on Development Strategy of Special Agricultural Products in Taiwan and Its illumination

After the development,growth and innovation in several decades,the development of Taiwan's special agricultural products has transformed from traditional form to modern form with the development of featured agriculture in Taiwan.This paper discusses the development strategy of Taiwan's special agricultural products from the four aspects such as the natural endowments,technical research and development,marketing and public service,policy guarantee,and so on.Then the thinking on cultivating the advantageous area of special agricultural products in Fujian is proposed in this paper.