cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Capitalization of Brokerage Commissions: The Case of Nonlocal Buyers and Sellers

Abstract Brokerage services have long been an integral part of property exchanges; yet, our understanding of how brokerage services influence sales prices of properties is quite limited. While recent papers have advanced the much needed theory on this and related questions, the empirical evidence is modest and comes only from single family residential property markets. This study provides new evidence from Ocean City, Maryland summer vacation condiminium markets. Because the majority of the property owners and potential buyers in resort towns are not permanent residents of these towns, both parties may face high search costs and, as a result, prefer to recruit a broker. This increased demand for brokerage services may potentially increase the extent of capitalization of brokerage commissions into property sales prices in the form of higher broker-assisted property prices. On the other hand, homogeneity of the properties should reduce uncertainty about prices, making it more difficult to pass on commissions to buyers. This study reports evidence of full capitalization of brokerage commissions in the Ocean City, Maryland summer vacation condominium markets.
Radiative and inner-shell dielectronic recombination in a highly charged barium ion.

The direct radiative recombination (RR) to n=3, 4, and 5 levels and the resonant dielectronic recombination (DR) cross section involving 2p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}3d excitation of Sc-like barium ${\mathrm{Ba}}^{35+}$ and Ti-like barium ${\mathrm{Ba}}^{34+}$ are calculated and compared with a recent electron beam ion trap experiment at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Assuming a fractional population of ${\mathrm{Ba}}^{35+}$ in the trap of about 30%, we obtain good agreement between theory and experiment for the cross section ratio \ensuremath{\sigma}(DR)/\ensuremath{\sigma}(RR)(n=4), as well as for \ensuremath{\sigma}(RR)(n=5)/\ensuremath{\sigma}(RR)(n=4). The result confirms again that the simple angular momentum averaged procedure can be effective in treating DR for heavy open-shell ions when the energy resolution is not high. A large, broad peak below 2 keV in the x-ray spectrum is being theoretically examined. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
A three-dimensional interactive virtual dissection model to simulate transpetrous surgical avenues.

OBJECTIVE: This project involves the development of a three-dimensional surgical. simulator called interactive virtual dissection, which is designed to teach surgeons the visuospatial skills required to navigate through a transpetrosal approach. METHODS: A.robotically controlled microscope is used for surgical planning and data collection. The spatial anatomic data are recorded from sequentially deeper cadaveric head dissections as a series of superimposed anatomic pictures in stereoscopic digital format. The sequential series of images are then merged to form the final virtual representation. RESULTS: The current three-dimensional virtual reality simulator allows the user to drill the petrous bone progressively deeper and to identity crucial structures much like an experienced surgeon drilling tile petrous bone. The program allows surgeons and trainees to manipulate the virtual surgical field by interacting with the surgical anatomy. The interactive system functions on a desktop computer CONCLUSION: The ability to visualize and understand anatomic spatial relationships is crucial in surgical planning, as is a surgeon's confidence in performing the surgery. The virtual reality simulator does not replace the need for practicing surgery on cadavers. However, it is designed to facilitate, via stereoscopic projection, learning how to manipulate a drill in complicated or unfamiliar surgical approaches (e,g., a transpetrosal approach).
Prologue: Vascular effects of free radicals

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are now thought to play an important role in the onset of various vascular pathologies. Collectively, ROS refers to free radicals and oxidants derived from one-electron reduction of molecular oxygen. These radicals are the following:
“The chimney graft”—A simple technique for endovascular repair of complex juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms in no‐option patients

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has developed as a less invasive alternative to open surgery for patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms. However, patients with very short infrarenal necks require complex surgical open repair, which is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. The risk of complex open repair may be prohibitive in high-risk patients. Thus, modifying the technique of EVAR may be required in such patients to successfully exclude aneurysms. An alternative that can be used in these patients is the so-called "chimney graft" technique. We report two cases where the chimney graft technique was used with good immediate results.
Experience in the utilisation of a university reactor in education and research

During the 1980s and 1990s, the utility of university reactors in education and research became questionable. This result may be attributed to several factors, including the decline of programmatic funding for such facilities, the lack of technical personnel who are able to utilise these reactors, and the general apathy towards nuclear engineering education. Recently, nuclear power has reemerged as a viable global source of reliable and environmentally friendly power. Therefore a resurgence of nuclear engineering education and research has been initiated worldwide. At North Carolina State University (NCSU), the Nuclear Reactor Program has initiated an ambitious plan for developing a state-of-the-art reactor-based centre for the nondestructive examination of materials. This centre is based on unique tools that utilise the radiation emanating from the core of the 1-MW PULSTAR reactor as a probe of matter. Facilities to perform neutron imaging and neutron powder diffraction have been developed and are currently operational. An intense low-energy positron beam is in advanced stages of testing and operation. In addition, an Ultracold Neutron source is in the construction stage. All these projects engaged undergraduate and graduate students, which has resulted in an excellent educational and research experience for a new generation of students.
G-protein-coupled receptors at a glance

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute a large and diverse family of proteins whose primary function is to transduce extracellular stimuli into intracellular signals. They are among the largest and most diverse protein families in mammalian genomes. On the basis of homology with rhodopsin,
Mathematical analysis of transport properties of polymer films for food packaging. VI. Coupling of moisture and oxygen transport using langmuir sorption isotherms

Deterioration of food products stored in flexible packaging materials can be attributed to the presence of both water and oxygen in the environment surrounding the food. Mathematical models for the simultaneous permeation of moisture and oxygen through the packaging polymeric film and subsequent adsorption on the food surface are presented for the case of competitive adsorption of the two diffusing species. These models are then used to predict internal packaging conditions over time for selected food products. Oxygen and moisture permeation are treated as independent phenomena, and the competition is regarded as occuring on a surface described by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. It is found that for certain polymer physical properties and relative surface coverages, water and oxygen molecules can dislodge each other from the food surface and, even for situations where the initial partial pressure of oxygen is less than the external partial pressure, can cause an outward flow of the more weakly adsorbed material. This theory is then extended to incorporate varying external conditions of storage.
Structural studies of ( Ru 0.84 Zr 0.16 ) 1 − x B x metallic glasses with 0.46 ≤ x ≤ 0.52

In this paper we present detailed x-ray-diffraction studies on the metallic glass system ${({\mathrm{Ru}}_{0.84}{\mathrm{Zr}}_{0.16})}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{B}}_{x}$ over the composition range $0.46\ensuremath{\le}x\ensuremath{\le}0.52$. Available, binary dense-random-packing models are not successful in explaining the structure of these glasses. The presence of a peak in the $G(r)$ at a distance of $\sqrt{2}$ times the nearest-neighbor separation has led us to invoke the packing of trigonal prisms to explain their structure. With this proposed short-range order, we find that we can reproduce the main features of the experimentally obtained reduced radial distribution functions. These glasses have very high atomic densities and are found to be extremely brittle.
The Road Less Traveled: Regulation of Leukocyte Migration Across Vascular and Lymphatic Endothelium by Galectins

Leukocyte entry from the blood into inflamed tissues, exit into the lymphatics, and migration to regional lymph nodes are all crucial processes for mounting an effective adaptive immune response. Leukocytes must cross two endothelial cell layers, the vascular and the lymphatic endothelial cell layers, during the journey from the blood to the lymph node. The proteins and cellular interactions which regulate leukocyte migration across the vascular endothelium are well studied; however, little is known about the factors that regulate leukocyte migration across the lymphatic endothelium. Here, we will summarize evidence for a role for galectins, a family of carbohydrate-binding proteins, in regulating leukocyte migration across the vascular endothelium and propose that galectins are also involved in leukocyte migration across the lymphatic endothelium.
Deletion of Selenoprotein P Results in Impaired Function of Parvalbumin Interneurons and Alterations in Fear Learning and Sensorimotor Gating

Abstract One of the primary lines of defense against oxidative stress is the selenoprotein family, a class of proteins that contain selenium in the form of the 21st amino acid, selenocysteine. Within this class of proteins, selenoprotein P (Sepp1) is unique, as it contains multiple selenocysteine residues and is postulated to act in selenium transport. Recent findings have demonstrated that neuronal selenoprotein synthesis is required for the development of parvalbumin (PV)-interneurons, a class of GABAergic neurons involved in the synchronization of neural activity. To investigate the potential influence of Sepp1 on PV-interneurons, we first mapped the distribution of the Sepp1 receptor, ApoER2, and parvalbumin in the mouse brain. Our results indicate that ApoER2 is highly expressed on PV-interneurons in multiple brain regions. Next, to determine whether PV-interneuron populations are affected by Sepp1 deletion, we performed stereology on several brain regions in which we observed ApoER2 expression on PV-interneurons, comparing wild-type and Sepp1−/− mice. We observed reduced numbers of PV-interneurons in the inferior colliculus of Sepp1−/− mice, which corresponded with a regional increase in oxidative stress. Finally, as impaired PV-interneuron function has been implicated in several neuropsychiatric conditions, we performed multiple behavioral tests on Sepp1−/− mice. Our behavioral results indicate that Sepp1−/− mice have impairments in contextual fear extinction, latent inhibition, and sensorimotor gating. In sum, these findings demonstrate the important supporting role of Sepp1 on ApoER2-expressing PV-interneurons.
Self-consistent analysis of the effect of runaway electrons on plasma facing components in ITER

Physical and computational models are developed, used and benchmarked for studying the response of ITER tokamak plasma facing components to runaway electron impact following a plasma disruption. The energy deposition, temperature evolution and material melting thickness are calculated for a wide range of runaway electron parameters, namely, electron kinetic energy, magnetic field, energy partition ratio (along and across magnetic field direction) impact duration, and wall material composition. It is shown that the electron energy partition ratio will have a significant effect on the wall heat load with melting of the first wall with beryllium armor possible. If tungsten armor is used instead, the surface of the mockup is overheated and melted for all ranges of studied parameters of the runaway electrons. Using an insert of a thin layer of a high-Z material inside the beryllium armor can mitigate the heat load in the armor and heat sink structure.
The age of the Waiho Loop terminal moraine, Franz Josef Glacier, Westland

Abstract The Waiho Loop terminal moraine lies c. 10 km in front of the 10 km long Franz Josef Glacier in Westland, New Zealand. In 1978 an age of 11450 ± 200 years B. P. (NZ4234A) was reported for in situ wood embedded in silt and overlain by glacial sediments 1.6 km behind the moraine. In late 1983 two more wood specimens were collected at the latter site and five radiocarbon ages were obtained. Four samples from the same log were dated, two at the New Zealand Institute of Nuclear Sciences, DSIR, at 11 500 ± 200 and 11 700 ± 200 years B. P. (NZ6573A and NZ6923A), and two at separate laboratories in the United States at 12 100 ± 275 (GX10053) and 12 510 ± 120 years B. P. (Beta 12 607). The second wood specimen was also dated in a U.S. laboratory at 12 120 ± 400 years B. P. (GX9981). The three New Zealand dates suggest an age of 11 550 years for the wood specimens while the three U. S. dates suggest an age of c. 12 420 years. Differences in sample pretreatment may account for the disparity between the New ...
Water Binding of Wheat Flour Doughs and Breads as Studied by Deuteron Relaxation

Water mobility in wheat flour doughs and breads was investigated by deuteron relaxation using pulsed NMR. Water was replaced by deuterium oxide in dough and bread at different concentrations. Mixograms indicated that wheat flour associated more strongly with D2O than it did with H2O. Varying the D2O:H2O ratio of flour doughs had no effect on the longitudinal (T1) or transverse (T2) relaxation times of deuteron. Hard wheat and soft wheat flour doughs showed similar increases in T1 and T2 with increasing moisture content. Staling of bread crumb was accompanied by decreased T1 and T2, indicating an overall decrease in water mobility and increase in water binding. The decrease in water mobility of bread crumb with storage time was shown to be independent of reduction in moisture content.
Script processing and intrinsic motivation: The cognitive sets underlying cognitive labels

Abstract Research on cognitive evaluation theory has found that imposed external constraints can reduce the intrinsic motivation associated with an originally interesting task. It has been suggested that external constraints such as rewards affect intrinsic motivation through their impact on perceptions of locus of causality and self-competence. Recently research has shown that the cognitive labels associated with a task (play vs work) also affect intrinsic motivation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of the cognitive sets that may underlie play and work labels and the effect of performance goals on intrinsic motivation. It was hypothesized that play and work scripts as measured by script-related memory measures would predict the degree of intrinsic motivation associated with an activity. In addition, performance goals were manipulated in order to investigate the effect of perceived locus of goal and goal difficulty on intrinsic motivation. In order to examine the above relationships, a 2 (play vs work context) × 3 (self-set vs assigned moderate vs assigned difficult performance goals) factorial design was used with 150 college students serving as subjects. The results were generally supportive of a script processing model. Play script memory items were significant predictors of intrinsic motivation. In addition, goals that were perceived as originating internally and as being difficult were positively related to intrinsic motivation.
The effect of hospital vascular operation capability on outcomes of lower extremity arterial bypass graft procedures.

Abstract Background. The purpose of this study was to determine whether hospitals with a high capability for vascular operations have lower rates of inpatient mortality, major complication, and major amputation with lower extremity arterial bypass (LEAB) procedures than do less well-equipped hospitals after controlling for hospital procedure volume and patient characteristics. Methods. Admissions of 16,422 northern Illinois residents to Illinois hospitals for aortoiliac (AI) or distal bypass operations during 1993 to 1999 were analyzed. Hospitals were considered to have a high capability for vascular operations if they had cardiac surgical facilities and either an accredited blood flow laboratory, general surgical residency, or fellowship training in vascular surgery. Logistic regression was used to model the effect of hospital capability on mortality after controlling for hospital LEAB procedure volume, operation level, severity of illness, age, sex, and emergent admission. Results. Sixteen of 98 Illinois hospitals with 34.4% of the sample patients, including 8 of 18 hospitals with more than 40 admissions for LEAB procedures annually, were classified as having high surgical capability. Hospitals classified as having high versus low capability had lower mortality (2.8% vs 3.7%; P =.003) and amputation rates (4.6% vs 4.9% [not significant]) but higher major complication rates (9.8% vs 8.5%; P =.006). Conclusions. Mortality outcomes for LEAB procedures were superior at high capability hospitals, even after controlling for patient characteristics, disease severity, and LEAB volume. Hospital complication rates were not correlated with mortality rates and may not be a meaningful measure of quality of care. (Surgery 2001;130:561-9.)
A sharp and flat section of the core-mantle boundary

THE transition zone between the Earth's core and mantle plays an important role as a boundary layer for mantle and core convection1. This zone conducts a large amount of heat from the core to the mantle, and contains at least one thermal boundary layer2,3; the proximity of reactive silicates and molten iron leads to the possibility of zones of intermediate composition4. Here we investigate one region of the core–mantle boundary using seismic waves that are converted from shear to compressional waves by reflection at the boundary. The use of this phase (known as ScP), the large number of receiving stations, and the large aperture of our array all provide higher resolution than has previously been possible5–7. For the 350-km-long section of the core–mantle boundary under the northeast Pacific sampled by the reflections, the local boundary topography has an amplitude of less than 500 m, no sharp radial gradients exist in the 400 km above the boundary, and the mantle-to-core transition occurs over less than 1 km. The simplicity of the structure near and above the core–mantle boundary argues against chemical heterogeneity at the base of the mantle in this location.
Sliding Anterior Hemitongue Flap for Posterior Tongue Defect Reconstruction

Posterior tongue defects present a unique reconstructive challenge. The various reconstructive options available for treating the defect created by a posterior hemiglossectomy frequently result in a distorted tongue and functional impairment. This paper describes a novel sliding anterior hemitongue flap to allow reconstruction of moderate resection defects (i.e. for T1-T2 tongue squamous cell carcinomas) of the posterior tongue. By mobilizing the anterior tongue, near normal mobility and tongue length are maintained. This surgical technique may be performed alone intraorally or in combination with a neck dissection.
The critical difference : scope of optometry practice vs. entry level competency

This paper proposes a survey-based approach on how optometry can define the critical difference in competency levels between entry level and experienced practitioners. The report describes the design and pilot testing of a survey instrument on clinical competencies. This work is still in an early stage, and these preliminary findings are meant to encourage other individuals to work on empirical models for defining entry level clinical competencies. The pilot study concludes that a full scale project to describe empirically the entry level competencies for optometrists is feasible and worthy of effort
Co-rectangular bands and cosheaves in categories of algebras

Conditions on a categoryC are studied which imply that every structure of rectangular band on an objectS ofC arises from a unique product decompositionS=S1×S2, especially in the case whereC is the opposite of a category of algebras.
The Effect of Fish Meal and Antibiotics on the Growth of Chicks Fed Equal Amounts of Feed

Abstract THE mode of action of antibiotics in increasing the growth of chicks is as yet unknown. The work of Coates et al. (1951) and others indicates that the response to antibiotics is greater in quarters in which the bacterial population is higher. Even in clean quarters, however, it has been shown (Hill and Kelly, 1953) that antibiotics would increase growth if fed in high concentration (100 mg./lb. of diet) and if fish meal were also present in the diet (Hill and Kelly, 1954). Slinger et al. (1953) showed that penicillin caused a significant increase in chick weight when the ration was fed ad libitum but no increase was observed when the feed intake was equalized. This observation was later extended to turkey poults (Slinger and Pepper, 1954). The purpose of the investigation presented here was to determine the effect of fish meal and high levels of antibiotics on the growth …
Description of an Expert Teacher's Constructivist-Oriented Teaching: Engaging Students' Critical Thinking in Learning Creative Dance

Abstract The focus of this study was to investigate how an expert teacher implemented constructivist-oriented teaching strategies to engage students' critical thinking skills in learning creative dance. The data were collected through videotaping 16 creative dance lessons taught by an expert teacher to 2 kindergarten, 2 first-grade, and 4 third-grade classes and conducting two formal interviews and several informal interviews with the teacher. In addition, one group interview was conducted with 4 kindergarten students, 4 first-grade students, and 8 third-grade students. The three salient themes were: (a) relating students' knowledge and ideas to lessons to spark dispositions, (b) encouraging and facilitating students' inquiries and creative products, and (c) engaging students' metacognition in refining the quality of dance movement.
The steady state of a tumor cord cell population

The equilibrium equation of a proliferating tumor cord cell population is analyzed. The population is structured by age and by radial distance from the interior blood vessel which the cord surrounds. Sufficient conditions are given on the fraction of cells which enter proliferation to assure the existence of a unique steady state.
Studies on the secretion and interconversion of the androgens. II. Methods for estimation of rates of secretion and of metabolism from specific activities of urinary metabolites.

The application of isotope dilution techniques for the estimation of the rates of secretion and of metabolism of the C19 steroids, testosterone (T), androstenedione (Δ), dehydroisoandrosterone (D) and dehydroisoandrosterone sulfate (DS), is discussed. The techniques considered involve the injection of tracers and the measurement of the specific activities of urinary metabolites. The following subjects are discussed: I) calculation of the secretory rates of D and DS; II) calculation of the rates of peripheral interconversion of D and DS; III) information derived from the isotope ratios in urinary dehydroisoandrosterone glucuronoside and DS and from expressions of the type R/ā·t after injection of 3H-DS and 14C-D; IV) calculation of the secretory rate of T, a) after the administration of labeled T, Δ, D and DS, and b) after the administration of labeled T and Δ; V) calculation of the rates of interconversion and of metabolism to T and Δ; VI) information derived from the isotope ratios in urinary testosteron...
Inhibition of RNA Viruses In Vitro and in Rift Valley Fever-Infected Mice by Didemnins A and B

Didemnins, a new class of depsipeptides isolated from a Caribbean tunicate, have been shown to have potent antiviral activity against a broad range of RNA viruses in vitro. Didemnins A and B both protected mice against a lethal challenge of Rift Valley fever virus.
Lipolytic activity of a peptide fragment of porcine secretin.

Synthetic porcine secretin, a peptide chain of 27 amino acids, accelerates li poly sis in rat and mouse fat cells. Six synthetic fragments of the porcine secretin molecule have now been assayed for lipolytic activity on free fat cells of the rat: peptides 23–27, 14–27, 9–27, 5–27, 5–14 and 1–14. Only peptide 1–14 is active; its minimal effective dose, 1 μg/ml, is 100 × greater on a weight basis and 200 × greater on amolar basis than that of secretin itself in the same assay system. It is concluded that the lipolytic property of secretin resides in the NH2- terminal half of the hormone molecule, 1–14; that sequence 1–4 plays an essential role in the activity of 1–14; and that 15–27, either in whole or in part, enhances the effect of the active region 1–14. (Endocrinology 85: 610,1969)
Effects of grain boundaries on the resistivity of co-sputtered WSi2 films☆

Abstract Resistivity and grain size measurements on thin films of co-sputtered WSi2 show that the resistivity in this material is dominated by grain boundary scattering. The reflection coefficient for the transport of charge carriers through the grain boundaries was determined to be approximately 0.9.
Biosynthetic origin of oxygen in the leaf xanthophylls

Isotope enrichment was studied in the xanthophylls from Chlorella vulgaris grown in the dark and in the presence of either molecular oxygen or water enriched with O18. All three leaf xanthophylls—lutein, violaxanthin, and neoxanthin—incorporate oxygen from the atmosphere. Oxygen from water was incorporated by neoxanthin but not detectably by lutein. The pattern of incorporation suggests that O2 is utilized for the hydroxyl groups and H2O for the epoxides.
Characterization of regional stress patterns in the western Great Basin using grouped earthquake focal mechanisms

Abstract Focal mechanisms from the Mammoth-Round Valley-Chalfant area, the Mono-Excelsior seismic zone and western central Nevada are compared with results from southern Nevada, a small area in the southern Sierra Nevada and the Truckee region. The most important conclusions are the following: the regional extension direction changes from NE-SW in the Mammoth Lakes area to NW-SE in western and southern Nevada. The Walker Lane, a clear boundary between differing styles of Tertiary and Quaternary faulting, as deduced from Geology, shows no such relationship to the focal mechanisms: earthquakes with common focal characteristics straddle this structure. Strike-slip faulting dominates everywhere with the exception of west central Nevada and the southern Sierra Nevada, but this result is based mainly on small to moderate shocks (e.g. none greater than M L 6.3), and appears to be inconsistent with the record of Holocene normal faulting in these regions.
Effect of Solution Annealing on Critical Potentials of Alloy 22

The effect of solution annealing on localized corrosion resistance of Alloy 22 was studied in electrolytes of varying composition. The experiments were carried out on Alloy 22 specimens with the resultant thick dark brown oxide film from the solution annealing process still intact. The effect of solution annealing on the localized corrosion resistance of Alloy 22 was found to be electrolyte specific within the temperature range investigated.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Automating approximate Bayesian computation by local linear regression

In several biological contexts, parameter inference often relies on computationally-intensive techniques. "Approximate Bayesian Computation", or ABC, methods based on summary statistics have become increasingly popular. A particular flavor of ABC based on using a linear regression to approximate the posterior distribution of the parameters, conditional on the summary statistics, is computationally appealing, yet no standalone tool exists to automate the procedure. Here, I describe a program to implement the method. The software package ABCreg implements the local linear-regression approach to ABC. The advantages are: 1. The code is standalone, and fully-documented. 2. The program will automatically process multiple data sets, and create unique output files for each (which may be processed immediately in R), facilitating the testing of inference procedures on simulated data, or the analysis of multiple data sets. 3. The program implements two different transformation methods for the regression step. 4. Analysis options are controlled on the command line by the user, and the program is designed to output warnings for cases where the regression fails. 5. The program does not depend on any particular simulation machinery (coalescent, forward-time, etc.), and therefore is a general tool for processing the results from any simulation. 6. The code is open-source, and modular. Examples of applying the software to empirical data from Drosophila melanogaster, and testing the procedure on simulated data, are shown. In practice, the ABCreg simplifies implementing ABC based on local-linear regression.
STRONG FAULT-TOLERANCE: PARALLEL ROUTING IN STAR NETWORKS WITH FAULTS

We study the strong fault-tolerance for the star networks. Let G be a network in which all nodes have degree d. We say that G is strongly fault-tolerant if it has the following property: let Gf be a copy of G with at most d - 2 faulty nodes removed, then for any pair of non-faulty nodes u and v in Gf, there is a container of width t between u and v, where t is the minimum of degree of u and degree of v in Gf. We show that the star networks are strongly fault-tolerant and develop an algorithm that constructs a maximum width container of nearly optimal length in a star network with faults. Our algorithm requires no prior knowledge for the faulty nodes and runs in optimal time.
Insulin increases amino acid transport into rat soleus motor axons

Hyperosmotic neurosecretion was used to measure basal and insulin-stimulated amino acid and myoinosital transport into rat motor nerve terminals. L-Alanine and alpha(methylamino)-isobutyric acid (a nonmetabolizable system A-specific analog) transport was rapid into motor nerve terminals innervating a fast-twitch muscle, the extensor digitorum longus, and slow into motor nerve terminals innervating the soleus, a slow-twitch muscle. A physiological concentration of insulin, 10 microU/mL, increased L-alanine and alpha(methylamino)-isobutyric acid transport into motor nerve terminals in the soleus. Large doses of insulin, 100 or 1000 microU/mL, had no effect on L-alanine or alpha(methylamino)-isobutyric acid transport into nerve terminals in the extensor digitorum longus. There was negligible basal or insulin-stimulated transport of D-alanine or myoinositol into nerve terminals of the soleus or extensor digitorum longus. These studies show that insulin regulates sterospecific amino acid transport into soleus motor axons, but has no effect on the rapid amino acid transport into extensor digitorum longus motor axons. Differences in basal and insulin-stimulated transport suggest that motor axons differ in their metabolism, and might be selectively vulnerable to disease processes.
Psychiatric and medical comorbidities of bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVES This review summarizes the literature on psychiatric and medical comorbidities in bipolar disorder. The coexistence of other Axis I disorders with bipolar disorder complicates psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. Conversely, symptom overlap in DSM-IV diagnoses hinders definition and recognition of true comorbidity. Psychiatric comorbidity is often associated with earlier onset of bipolar symptoms, more severe course, poorer treatment compliance, and worse outcomes related to suicide and other complications. Medical comorbidity may be exacerbated or caused by pharmacotherapy of bipolar symptoms. METHODS Articles were obtained by searching MEDLINE from 1970 to present with the following search words: bipolar disorder AND, comorbidity, anxiety disorders, eating disorder, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, ADHD, personality disorders, borderline personality disorder, medical disorders, hypothyroidism, obesity, diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, lithium, valproate, lamotrigine, carbamazepine, atypical antipsychotics. Articles were prioritized for inclusion based on the following considerations: sample size, use of standardized diagnostic criteria and validated methods of assessment, sequencing of disorders, quality of presentation. RESULTS Although the literature establishes a strong association between bipolar disorder and substance abuse, the direction of causality is uncertain. An association is also seen with anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and eating disorders, as well as cyclothymia and other axis II personality disorders. Medical disorders accompany bipolar disorder at rates greater than predicted by chance. However, it is often unclear whether a medical disorder is truly comorbid, a consequence of treatment, or a combination of both. CONCLUSION To ensure prompt, appropriate intervention while avoiding iatrogenic complications, the clinician must evaluate and monitor patients with bipolar disorder for the presence and the development of comorbid psychiatric and medical conditions. Conversely, physicians should have a high index of suspicion for underlying bipolar disorder when evaluating individuals with other psychiatric diagnoses (not just unipolar depression) that often coexist with bipolar disorder, such as alcohol and substance abuse or anxiety disorders. Anticonvulsants and other mood stabilizers may be especially helpful in treating bipolar disorder with significant comorbidity.
Network motifs come in sets: correlations in the randomization process.

E. coli and S. cerevisiae in which randomized networks are generated via an edge-swapping algorithm (Milo et al., Science 298:824, 2002). We show that correlations among 3-node subgraphs are easily interpreted, and we present an information-theoretic tool that may be used to identify correlations among subgraphs of any size.
Transmission of the Agent of Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiosis by Ixodes spinipalpis Ticks: Evidence of an Enzootic Cycle of Dual Infection with Borrelia burgdorferi in Northern Colorado

Previous work described an enzootic cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (hereafter referred to asB. burgdorferi) maintained by the rodent Neotoma mexicana and the tick Ixodes spinipalpis in northern Colorado. We investigated the incidence of coinfection among rodents with the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (aoHGE). aoHGE was detected in 23.5% of 119 rodent spleens examined. Biopsy results indicated that 78 (65.5%) of the 119 rodents were positive for B. burgdorferi, whereas 22 (78.5%) of the 28 animals that harbored aoHGE were also infected with B. burgdorferi. In 14 of 25 I. spinipalpis tick pools, aoHGE was detected by amplifying both the 16s rRNA and p44 gene of aoHGE. The ability of I. spinipalpis to transmit aoHGE was examined in C3H/HeJ mice. aoHGE was detected in their blood 5 days after I. spinipalpis infestation. This study confirms that both B. burgdorferi and aoHGE can be transmitted by I. spinipalpis ticks and that there is a high incidence of coinfection in rodents, predominantly Peromyscus maniculatus and N. mexicana, that inhabit the foothills of northern Colorado. Since its first description in 1994 [1], human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) has been documented as an emerging tickborne illness in the United States. There have been 1400 cases, with the highest incidence in the upper northeastern and upper midwestern portions of the United States [2]. This disease incidence corresponds to the geographic distribution of the purported vector, Ixodes scapularis [3], whereas a small foci of human infection associated with I. pacificus has been reported in northern California [4].
HeroesX: The Ancient Greek Hero: Spring 2013 Course Report

CB22x: The Ancient Greek Hero, was offered as a HarvardX course in Spring 2013 on edX, a platform for massive open online courses (MOOCs). It was taught by Professor Greg Nagy. The report was prepared by researchers external to the course team, based on examination of the courseware, analyses of the data collected by the edX platform, and interviews and consultations with the course faculty and team members.
Optic nerve sheath diameter and acute mountain sickness.

Objective Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) may contribute to acute mountain sickness (AMS). Measuring optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) by ultrasound (US) is a noninvasive technique to detect elevated ICP, and increased ONSD has been associated with AMS. We hypothesized that ONSD would increase with acute, rapid ascent to 4300 m and that increased ONSD would be associated with symptoms of AMS. We further hypothesized that treatment with oxygen at 4300 m would reduce symptoms and ONSD. Methods A cohort study was performed comparing US measurement of ONSD in healthy subjects at 1400 m and 18 hours after rapid ascent to 4300 m, both before and after oxygen treatment and between subjects with and without AMS (Lake Louise Score ≥3). Results Among 57 subjects, 29 (51%) experienced AMS after rapid ascent to 4300 m. In subjects without AMS, mean ONSD did not increase at 4300 m. In subjects with AMS, mean ONSD increased at 4300 m and was higher than in those without AMS. Treatment with oxygen lowered mean ONSD in subjects with AMS but not in those without AMS. Individual responses to altitude and oxygen varied greatly within groups, and the relationship between ONSD and AMS symptoms was weak. Conclusions In this controlled study, mean ONSD increased in subjects with AMS at high altitude. However, individual variation was high, and most ONSD values were below the clinical threshold for raised ICP. Observed differences were small, of questionable clinical importance, and within the range of precision of the US machine. Overall, our data do not support a role for increased ICP in mild to moderate AMS.
On the poles and zeros of linear, time-varying systems

Definition of poles and zeros are presented for continuous-time, linear, time-varying systems. For a linear, time-varying state equation, a set of time-varying poles defines a stability-preserving variable change relating the original state equation to an upper triangular state equation. A zero is a function of time corresponding to an exponential input whose transmission to the output is blocked. Both definitions are shown to be generalizations of existing definitions of poles and zeros for linear, time-varying systems and are consistent with the definitions for linear, time-invariant systems. A computation procedure is presented using a QR decomposition of the transition matrix for the state equation. A numerical example is given to illustrate this procedure.
Lipid tail chain asymmetry and the strength of membrane-induced interactions between membrane proteins

Abstract Many lipids are composed of asymmetric tail chains that differ by their molecular weight (MW) and/or degree of saturation. Previous studies found that membrane moduli vary with the degree of lipid tail asymmetry. However, to date little is known regarding the effect (if any) of tail asymmetry on the membrane-induced interactions between embedded proteins. In this paper we use a self-consistent field model to examine the effect of lipid tail asymmetry on membrane proteins. We first examine the case where the overall tail length (sum of both chains) is held constant, which implies that the membrane thickness remains constant as well, independent of tail asymmetry. We find that, in these systems, the membrane area stretch and bending moduli decrease with increasing chain asymmetry, thereby reducing the magnitude of the membrane-induced barrier to protein aggregation. Since in symmetric lipid bilayers the energy barrier is typically of order ∼ 1–2 times the thermal energy kT, the asymmetry-induced reduction in barrier height may increase the probability of protein aggregation significantly. In systems where one tail chain is held constant, increasing asymmetry involves changes in the bilayer thickness which are found to dominate any effect arising from the asymmetry.
A feedback theory of two-degree-of-freedom optimal Wiener-Hopf design

The design of linear two-degree-of-freedom stabilizing controllers is treated in a quadratic-cost setting. The class of all such controllers which give finite cost is established and the tradeoff possible between optimum performance, tracking-cost sensitivity, and stability margins is discussed.
Why Your New Cancer Biomarker May Never Work: Recurrent Patterns and Remarkable Diversity in Biomarker Failures

Less than 1% of published cancer biomarkers actually enter clinical practice. Although best practices for biomarker development are published, optimistic investigators may not appreciate the statistical near-certainty and diverse modes by which the other 99% (likely including your favorite new marker) do indeed fail. Here, patterns of failure were abstracted for classification from publications and an online database detailing marker failures. Failure patterns formed a hierarchical logical structure, or outline, of an emerging, deeply complex, and arguably fascinating science of biomarker failure. A new cancer biomarker under development is likely to have already encountered one or more of the following fatal features encountered by prior markers: lack of clinical significance, hidden structure in the source data, a technically inadequate assay, inappropriate statistical methods, unmanageable domination of the data by normal variation, implausibility, deficiencies in the studied population or in the investigator system, and its disproof or abandonment for cause by others. A greater recognition of the science of biomarker failure and its near-complete ubiquity is constructive and celebrates a seemingly perpetual richness of biologic, technical, and philosophical complexity, the full appreciation of which could improve the management of scarce research resources.
Experimental Assessment of Strain Gradient Plasticity

Classical plasticity theories generally assume that the stress at a point is a function of strain at that point only. However, when gradients in strain become significant, this localization assumption is no longer valid. These conventional models fail to display a ‘size effect’. This effect is seen experimentally when the scale of the phenomenon of interest is on the order of several microns. Under these conditions, strain gradients are of a significant magnitude as compared to the overall strain and must be considered for models to accurately capture observed phenomena. The mechanics community has been actively involved in the development of strain gradient theories for many years. Recently, interest in this area has been rekindled and several new approaches have appeared in the literature. Two different approaches are currently being evaluated. One approach considers strain gradients as internal variables that do not introduce work conjugate higher order stresses. Another approach considers the strain gradients as internal degrees of freedom that requires work conjugate higher order stresses. Experiments are being performed to determine which approach models material behavior accurately with the least amount of complexity. A key difference between the two models considered here is the nature of the assumed boundary conditions at material interfaces. Therefore, we are investigating the deformation behavior of aluminum/sapphire interfaces loaded under simple shear. Samples are fabricated using ultra-high vacuum diffusion bonding. To determine the lattice rotations near the boundary, we are examining the samples with both electron backscatter diffraction methods (EBSD) in the scanning electron microscope and with a variety of diffraction techniques in the transmission electron microscope. The experimentally found boundary conditions shall be subsequently used to determine whether the simpler internal variable model is adequately descriptive or if the greater complexity associated with the internal degree of freedom approach is warranted.
Direct and indirect effects of neighborhood factors and self-care on glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes

Abstract Aim To determine whether neighborhood factors have direct or indirect effects, via self-care behaviors on glycemic control. Methods Adult patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited from an academic medical center and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the southeastern United States. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to create latent variables for neighborhood factors and diabetes self-care behavior. Structural equation modeling was used to test direct and indirect effects between neighborhood factors and glycemic control as assessed by HbA1c levels. Results CFA yielded four latent variables for neighborhood factors (neighborhood violence, access to healthy food, social support, and neighborhood aesthetics) and one latent variable diabetes self-care. We found that social support (β=0.28, z =4.86, p z =−2.95, p=0.003) had direct effects on self-care; self-care (β=−0.15, z =−2.48, p=0.013) and neighborhood aesthetics (β=0.12, z=2.19, p=0.03) had direct effects on glycemic control; while social support (β=−0.04, z =−2.26, p=0.02) had an indirect effect on glycemic control via self-care. Conclusion This study showed that self-care behaviors and neighborhood aesthetics have direct effects on glycemic control, social support and access to health foods had direct effects on self-care, and social support had an indirect effect on glycemic control via self-care.
Reviews Birth of the British Lichen Society

Abstract Gilbert, Oliver. 2004. The Lichen Hunters. x + 208 pages, 2 black-and-white and 35 color photographs on 16 plates, 1 site map, 2 small ink drawings. 16 × 24 cm, hardcover in gold-stamped navy cloth, with color dust jacket. The Book Guild Ltd., Sussex, England. [ISBN 1–85776–930–9]. £16.95 + postage. Available from The Book Guild, Temple House, 25 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 2LU, England, U.K. (info@bookguild.co.uk).
Predicting the Need for Home Oxygen Therapy in Preterm Infants Born Before 28 Weeks' Gestation.

Objective To discover a predictor, that could be used at least 3 to 4 weeks' before discharge, to identify infants who would need home oxygen therapy. We hypothesized that infants requiring a high level of respiratory support at 34 weeks' postmenstrual age (PMA) would require home oxygen. Study Design Single center retrospective study of 143 infants less than 28 weeks' gestation. We determined when infants weaned from each level of respiratory support (mechanical ventilation, nasal continuous airway pressure [nCPAP] or biphasic positive pressure, nasal cannula flow ≥ 2 L/min, nasal cannula flow Result Infants who required nCPAP at 34 weeks' PMA had a 100% positive predictive value for home oxygen therapy. Conclusion Higher levels of respiratory support at 34 weeks' PMA can predict the need for home oxygen and is useful in preparing patients and families for discharge.