cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ARGET-ATRP synthesis and swelling response of compositionally varied poly(methacrylic acid-co-N,N-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate) polyampholyte brushes

Modifying the composition of polyampholytes, which are comprised of charge-positive and charge-negative repeat units, directly contributes to trade-offs between charge and structure, which are externally regulated by solution pH and added salt. Here, the relative ratio of anionic and cationic comonomers is varied to tailor the stimuli-responsiveness of poly(methacrylic acid-co-N,N-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (P(MAA-co-DEAEMA)) brushes to changes in solution pH and an added zwitterion. These systems display a strong dependence on excess repeating units of either type and the random incorporation appears to facilitate self-neutralization of charges. Pseudo-living growth with smooth comonomer incorporation is achieved using activators regenerated by electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP), creating well-defined brushes. In situ ellipsometry measurements of solvated brush thickness indicate that at low and high pH, the brushes display polyelectrolyte behavior with a strong compositional dependence, but at intermediate pH values, the brushes show the characteristic collapse attributed to self-neutralization of polyampholytes. The polyampholyte brushes maintain these patterns of behavior across all compositions and in the presence of an added zwitterion, which contributes additional hydrophobic character as evidenced by decreases in the swollen layer thicknesses. The response of the P(MAA-co-DEAEMA) brushes to the organic osmolyte betaine is consistent with its tendency to stabilize proteins and peptides in a kosmotropic fashion. These studies add perspective to efforts to manipulate sequence in polyampholytic polymers, support broader efforts to tailor interfacial soft films for applications in biotechnology and sensing, and understand aggregation and stability of biological polymers.
Physics-guided energy-efficient path selection: a summary of results

Given a spatial road network, an origin, a destination, and trajectory data of vehicles on the network, the Energy-efficient Path Selection (EPS) problem aims to find the most energy-efficient path (i.e., with least energy consumption) between the origin and the destination. With world energy consumption growing rapidly, estimating and reducing the energy consumption of road transportation is becoming critical. The main challenge of this problem is to adopt energy consumption as the cost metric of paths, which is neglected by the related work in shortest path selection problem whose typical metrics are distance and time. Additionally, negative energy consumption caused by the use of regenerative braking on electrified vehicles prevents classical algorithms like Dijkstra's algorithm from functioning correctly. We introduce a Physics-guided Energy Consumption (PEC) model based on a low-order physics model, which estimates energy consumption as a function of the vehicle parameters (e.g., mass and powertrain system efficiency) and use the estimation in the proposed adaptive dynamic programming algorithm for path selection. Our PEC model treats energy consumption as a unique metric that is determined not only by the path and vehicle's motion along the path, but also on properties of the vehicle itself. Experiments show that the PEC model estimates are more similar to real trajectory data than the estimates represented by the mean or histogram of historical data. Also, the path found by the proposed method is more energy-efficient than both the currently used path and the fastest path found by a commercial routing package. As far as we know, this is the first paper to use a physics-guided method to estimate the vehicle energy consumption and perform path selection.
Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis "Resistant" to Topical Treatment Responds Rapidly to Topical Desoximetasone Spray.

Purpose:Topical corticosteroids (TS) are a treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis (Ps). We assessed whether use of a TS under conditions designed to enhance adherence would be effective...
Open Mouth-Maximal Isometric Press: Development and Norms for Clinical Swallowing Evaluations and Treatment.

Purpose The aims of this study were to (a) describe the development and utility of the Open Mouth-Maximal Isometric Press (OM-MIP), a tool designed for the quantitative assessment of suprahyoid–inf...
A survey of blockchain from security perspective

The report starts with an overview of the blockchain security system and then highlights the specific security threats and summarizes them. We review with some comments and possible research direction. This survey, we examines the security issues of blockchain model related technologies and their applications. The blockchain is considered a still growing like the internet in 1990. It has the potential to disrupt so many technology areas in the future. But as a new underdeveloped field, it is suffering many setbacks mostly resulting from the security area. Its security concerns coming not only from distributed/decentralized computing issue or Cryptography algorithm issue, from some unexpected field too. Here, in this paper, we tried to classify the security concerns for the blockchain based on our survey from recent research papers. We also tried to show which way blockchain development trends are going.
The Timing and Behavioral Context of the Late-Pleistocene Adoption of Ceramics in Greater East and Northeast Asia and the First People (Without Pottery) in the Americas

Scholars have suggested that late Pleistocene foragers in greater East and Northeast Asia adopted pottery, but the chronology and behavioral contexts of pottery adoption are debated. This review ev...
Revolutiana and the Sublime in George Gleig’s Subaltern, Lord Byron’s Siege of Corinth, and Joanna Baillie’s Count Basil

This chapter pairs Benjamin Rush’s notion of “revolutiana,” enthusiasm for battle, with Burke’s theories of the sublime. War can also result in trauma, what Thomas Weiskel terms the negative sublime. The chapter first examines the importance of distance in Thomas DeQuincey’s “On War” and “The English Stage-Coach” to set the stage for Byron’s Siege of Corinth, which capitalizes on the distance of Muslim culture. George Gleig’s Subaltern also features sublime moments, mostly looking from afar at the events of the battlefield; this feeling will be replicated in Robert Ker Porter’s incredibly successful panorama, Conquest at Seringapatam. Spectatorship is also crucial to Joanna Baillie’s Count Basil, featuring a character whose obsession with conquest begins in the military and ends with a woman.
Development of Near-Infrared Rare Earth Doped Organic Materials for Nanophotonics Applications

We have synthesized a series of near-infrared rare-earth doped organic materials for nanophotonics applications and studied their absorption and emission properties. The developed materials show promise as research tools and (meta)device components. © 2019 The Author(s)
Pericytes in Type 2 Diabetes

Pericytes are mural cells that are found ubiquitously throughout the microvasculature. Their main physiological roles are to support endothelial cells, regulate microvascular blood flow, and respond to perturbations in their microenvironment. Pericytes are sensitive to the metabolic abnormalities that are characteristic of type 2 diabetes mellitus, including dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hyperinsulinemia. As a consequence of these abnormalities, advanced glycation end products, reactive oxygen species, polyol pathway activation, and protein kinase C isoform activation cause pericyte dysfunction and contribute to the pathogenesis of many common complications of type 2 diabetes. Pericyte dysfunction is known to be a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, beta cell dysfunction, and peripheral artery disease in people with type 2 diabetes. Therapies should target pericytes to treat these common diabetic complications.
Immunological and clinical profiles of patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors to investigate potential biomarkers for immune-related adverse events.

e14037Background: Immune-related adverse events (irAEs) related to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) may target any organ and originate from autoreactive T cells injuring host tissues. There is a...
Scale-dependent effects of geography, host ecology, and host genetics on diversity of a stickleback parasite metacommunity

Many metacommunities are distributed across habitat patches that are themselves aggregated into groups. Perhaps the clearest example of this nested metacommunity structure comes from multi-species parasite assemblages, which occupy individual hosts that are aggregated into host populations. At both spatial scales, we expect parasite community diversity in a given patch (either individual host or population) to depend on patch characteristics that affect colonization rates and species sorting. But, are these patch effects consistent across spatial scales? Or, do different processes govern the distribution of parasite community diversity among individual hosts, versus among host patches? To answer these questions, we document the distribution of parasite richness among host individuals and among populations in a metapopulation of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We find some host traits (host size, gape width) are associated with increased parasite richness at both spatial scales. Other patch characteristics affect parasite richness only among individuals (sex), or among populations (lake size, lake area, elevation, and population mean heterozygosity). These results demonstrate that some rules governing parasite richness in this metacommunity are shared across scales, while others are scale-specific.
The next US astronomy decadal survey

US astronomy decadal surveys advise government on how to optimize the scientific return on national investments in astronomy research. The 2020 survey will guide our community into the future, but current strains in an otherwise world-leading astronomy programme may affect this collective exercise.
Facial Recognition Task for the Classification of Mild Cognitive Impairment with Ensemble Sparse Classifier

Conventional methods for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) require cognitive exams and follow-up neuroimaging, which can be time-consuming and expensive. A great need exists for objective and cost-effective biomarkers for the early detection of MCI. This study uses a sequential imaging oddball paradigm to determine if familiar, unfamiliar, or inverted faces are effective visual stimuli for the early detection of MCI. Unlike the traditional approach where the amplitude and latency of certain deflection points of event-related potentials (ERPs) are selected as electrophysiological biomarkers (or features) of MCI, we used the entire ERPs as potential biomarkers and relied on an advanced machine-learning technique, i.e. an ensemble of sparse classifier (ESC), to choose the set of features to best discriminate MCI from healthy controls. Five MCI subjects and eight age-matched controls were given the MoCA exam before EEG recordings in a sensory-deprived room. Traditional time-domain comparisons of averaged ERPs between the two groups did not yield any statistical significance. However, ESC was able to discriminate MCI from controls with 95% classification accuracy based on the averaged ERPs elicited by familiar faces. By adopting advanced machine-learning techniques such as ESC, it may be possible to accurately diagnose MCI based on the ERPs that are specifically elicited by familiar faces.
Advances and promises of nutritional influences on natural bone repair

Impaired fracture healing continues to be a significant public health issue. This is more frequently observed in aging populations and patients with co-morbidities that can directly influence bone repair. Tremendous progress has been made in the development of biologics to enhance and accelerate the healing process; however, side-effects persist that can cause significant discomfort and tissue damage. This has been the impetus for the development of safe and natural strategies to hasten natural bone healing. Of the many possible approaches, nutrition represents a safe, affordable, and non-invasive strategy to positively influence each phase of fracture repair. However, our understanding of how healing can be hindered by malnutrition or enhanced with nutritional supplementation has lagged behind the advancements in both surgical management and the knowledge of molecular and cellular drivers of skeletal fracture repair. This review serves to bridge this knowledge gap as well as define the importance of nutrition during fracture healing. The extant literature clearly indicates that pre-existing nutritional deficiencies should be corrected, and nutritional status should be carefully monitored to prevent the development of malnutrition for the best possible healing outcome. It remains unclear, however, whether the provision of nutrients beyond sufficiency has any benefit on fracture repair and patient outcomes. The combined body of pre-clinical studies using a variety of animal models suggests a promising role of nutrition as an adjuvant therapy to facilitate fracture repair, but extensive research is needed, specifically at the clinical level, to clarify the utility of nutritional interventions in orthopedics. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 38:695-707, 2020.
Skeletal Muscle Function, Oxygenation and Biochemistry in an Endotoxemic Model of Sirs

Traditionally, “sepsis” refers to bacteremia leading to arteriolar vasodilatation and signs of generalized infection. Sepsis may progress to septic shock, often characterized by hypotension, classically explained as pooling of blood in the peripheral microcirculation.1 A similar clinical picture in patients with no laboratory evidence of infection has been called the “septic syndrome.”9 Many of the characteristics of sepsis and the septic syndrome are mediated by host inflammatory products. The more comprehensive title systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) encompasses both states as well as states with similar clinical characteristics such as burn injuries.16 The clinical signs of SIRS are fever, tachycardia, low systemic vascular resistance, tachypnea, and leukocytosis or leuk- openia. Organ dysfunction may ensue despite adequate cardiac output and arterial oxygen tension. When more than 2 organs are dysfunctional, the patient is said to have multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). In patients the development of MODS leads to high mortality and great expense. Understanding the pathophysiology of SIRS may lead to improved therapy, lower mortality and reduced cost.16
Safety of Repeated Administration of Parenteral Ketamine for Depression

The objective of this study was to investigate the safety of repeated parenteral ketamine for depression. An electronic survey inquiring about the frequency of adverse events was distributed to providers of parenteral ketamine for depression. In addition, the investigators conducted a search of published studies describing six or more repeated parenteral ketamine treatments administered to individuals for depression, and extracted reported adverse events. The survey was sent to 69 providers, of which 36 responded (52% response rate); after eliminating those that were incomplete, 27 were included in the analysis. The providers in the analysis collectively reported treating 6630 patients with parenteral ketamine for depression, one-third of whom received more than 10 treatments. Only 0.7% of patients experienced an adverse effect that required discontinuation of ketamine. Psychological distress during the treatment was the most frequent cause. Other adverse events were extremely rare (such as bladder dysfunction (0.1%), cognitive decline (0.03%) and psychotic symptoms (0.03%)). Among the 20 published reports of repeated parenteral ketamine treatments, rates of significant adverse events resulting in discontinuation were low (1.2%). The rate of adverse effects reported in the survey and the published literature is low, and suggests that long-term treatment of depression with ketamine is reasonably safe.
Slippin’ in and out of frame: An Afrafuturist feminist orientation to Black women and American citizenship

Heeding Karma Chavez’s (2015) call to imagine rhetoric as “something entirely different,” I introduce what I call an Afrafuturist Feminist (AFF) rhetorical approach with the aim of offering one mea...
Unique Features of Prostate Cancer in African American and West Indian Patients Including Diagnosis of High Grade Cancers Using Only Elevated Serum Levels of Prostate Specific Antigen.

Objective We have studied the occurrence and nature of prostate cancer in 330 African American patients with respect to its frequency of occurrence, the prevalence of high grade cancers (Gleason score ≥7), distribution of prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, whether serum PSA levels correlate with Gleason scores, and whether tumor grade correlates with tumor extension and/or metastasis. Methods We reviewed the medical charts of patients at the University Hospital of SUNY Downstate Medical Center for whom prostate biopsies or excisions were performed (2015-2019). We then computed the prevalence of prostate cancer and high grade tumors. To determine if there was a quantitative relationship between PSA and Gleason score, we used linear regression analysis. We further used the Fisher exact test to determine if there exists a serum PSA level beyond which the diagnosis of high-grade prostate cancer is definitive. Results The prevalence of prostate cancer was high at 75.8%; of these cancers, 70% were found to be high grade. Ninety two percent of PSA values were ≥ 4.0ng/mL; the sensitivity was 94%; the positive predictive value was 80%. There was a poor correlation between PSA and Gleason score (R2=0.1), but almost 30 percent of PSA values were >20 ng/mL, and almost all of these corresponded to high grade tumors (Fisher exact test, p Conclusions These patients presented with a high frequency of high-grade prostate cancer and elevated PSA values, such that PSA> 20ng/mL are virtually diagnostic of high-grade prostate cancer. Since the average age, 65, of screening for biopsy in this population is the same as for other demographic groups, screening should be performed at younger ages in this population.
"Shame on me... or Shame on You": The Connection Between Arts and Decision-making

Over time artists have grappled with the experiences of the soul, particularly the human struggle to be virtuous. In this research project, choreographic tools are used to examine expressionistic links between the movement of Auguste Rodin’s sculpture The Gates of Hell and the narrative of Dante Alighieri’s Dante’s Inferno. These works were intended to persuade men to be righteous instead of committing sin. Rodin’s attention to human anatomy centers the importance of the body’s organic creation of movement in this struggle. Attention to the physique and emotion of the human body in motion has enabled Rodin’s work to transcend “generations and nationalities with the utmost ease”. The choreographic research aims to connect the links between emotion, expressions, and narrative of the souls to today. In contrast to sin simply being a conscious individual choice, an individual could be influenced to engage in “unethical behavior” by a group. Using dancers’ interpretation of ‘moral injustices’ as a guide for motifs, the choreography entitled “Shame on Me… or Shame on You?” will be a group work embodying the struggle of humanity to be good in real time.
Insula sub-regions across the psychosis spectrum: morphology and clinical correlates

The insula is a heterogeneous cortical region, comprised of three cytoarchitecturally distinct sub-regions (agranular, dysgranular, and granular), which traverse the anterior-posterior axis and are differentially involved in affective, cognitive, and somatosensory processing. Smaller insula volume is consistently reported in psychosis-spectrum disorders and is hypothesized to result, in part, from abnormal neurodevelopment. To better understand the regional and diagnostic specificity of insula abnormalities in psychosis, their developmental etiology, and clinical correlates, we characterized insula volume and morphology in a large group of adults with a psychotic disorder (schizophrenia spectrum, psychotic bipolar disorder) and a community-ascertained cohort of psychosis-spectrum youth (age 8-21). Insula volume and morphology (cortical thickness, gyrification, sulcal depth) were quantified from T1-weighted structural brain images using the Computational Anatomy Toolbox (CAT12). Healthy adults (n = 196), people with a psychotic disorder (n = 303), and 1368 individuals from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (PNC) (381 typically developing (TD), 381 psychosis-spectrum (PS) youth, 606 youth with other psychopathology (OP)), were investigated. Insula volume was significantly reduced in adults with psychotic disorders and psychosis-spectrum youth, following an anterior-posterior gradient across granular sub-regions. Morphological abnormalities were limited to lower gyrification in psychotic disorders, which was specific to schizophrenia and associated with cognitive ability. Insula volume and thickness were associated with cognition, and positive and negative symptoms of psychosis. We conclude that smaller insula volume follows an anterior-posterior gradient in psychosis and confers a broad risk for psychosis-spectrum disorders. Reduced gyrification is specific to schizophrenia and may reflect altered prenatal development that contributes to cognitive impairment.
A novel sodium alginate active films functionalized with purple onion peel extract (Allium cepa)

Abstract The purple onion peel extracts (POPE) have a high content of phenolic compounds and can be used as a promising strategy in the development of active packaging. Biodegradable sodium alginate films have good characteristics of gel formation, flexibility, transparency, brightness, and low oil permeability. The incorporation of bioactive compounds from plant residues can be a low-cost technique to functionalize alginate-based materials. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of POPE incorporation on the physical, mechanical, barriers, antioxidants, and antimicrobial properties of alginate-based films. Filmogenic solutions were prepared with a concentration of 0, 10, 20, and 30% of POPE and glycerol was used as plasticizer. The addition of POPE in the sodium alginate matrix promoted the development of opaque red films, with a content of phenolic compounds 43 times greater than the film without extract. As expected, the incorporation of POPE increased the antioxidant activity and the thickness of the alginate-based films. In addition, the incorporation of phenolic compounds promoted better interaction between the polymeric networks, reducing the water solubility of the alginate films. The results indicated that the sodium alginate films incorporated with several concentration of POPE have been shown to be an interesting material for the production of active packaging, being possible to apply them in foods with high water activity or susceptible to lipid oxidation, to preserve and extend the shelf life of these products.
Initiating aerobic exercise with low glycogen content reduces markers of myogenesis but not mTORC1 signaling

The effects of low muscle glycogen on molecular markers of protein synthesis and myogenesis before and during aerobic exercise with carbohydrate ingestion is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of initiating aerobic exercise with low muscle glycogen on mTORC1 signaling and markers of myogenesis. Eleven men completed two cycle ergometry glycogen depletion trials separated by 7-d, followed by randomized isocaloric refeeding for 24-h to elicit low (LOW; 1.5 g/kg carbohydrate, 3.0 g/kg fat) or adequate (AD; 6.0 g/kg carbohydrate, 1.0 g/kg fat) glycogen. Participants then performed 80-min of cycle ergometry (64 ± 3% VO2peak) while ingesting 146 g carbohydrate. mTORC1 signaling (Western blotting) and gene transcription (RT-qPCR) were determined from vastus lateralis biopsies before glycogen depletion (baseline, BASE), and before (PRE) and after (POST) exercise. Regardless of treatment, p-mTORC1Ser2448, p-p70S6KSer424/421, and p-rpS6Ser235/236 were higher (P < 0.05) POST compared to PRE and BASE. PAX7 and MYOGENIN were lower (P < 0.05) in LOW compared to AD, regardless of time, while MYOD was lower (P < 0.05) in LOW compared to AD at PRE, but not different at POST. Initiating aerobic exercise with low muscle glycogen does not affect mTORC1 signaling, yet reductions in gene expression of myogenic regulatory factors suggest that muscle recovery from exercise may be reduced.
Convergence Analysis of a Symmetric Dual-Wind Discontinuous Galerkin Method

A new symmetric discontinuous Galerkin method for second order elliptic problems is analyzed. We show that the numerical method is stable for any positive penalty parameter and converges with optimal order provided the exact solution is sufficiently regular. These results are also shown to hold for some non-positive penalty parameters. Numerical experiments are presented that support the theoretical results.
Young and old adults' concerns about morality and competence

Two experiments were conducted to examine people's sensitivity to person information from the morality domain (relation-oriented) and the competence domain (task & achievement-oriented). In a lexical decision paradigm, the findings from Experiment 1 showed that younger adults were faster to identify person cues (trait words) from the morality than from the competence domain, especially cues that were related to immorality. Experiment 2 compared the responses of younger and older adults. Despite the slower responses of the older adults, the findings indicated that all participants were faster at identifying cues from the morality domain than from the competence domain, with no age interactions. The results from Experiment 2 also suggested that disparate findings in the literature regarding reaction times to morality/competence cues and valence (positive or negative) were a function of word frequency effects. The findings are discussed in terms of people's chronic concern with the moral aspects of others as invariant across the lifespan, given that the morality domain is where interpersonal costs and threats are most likely to be signaled.
Chapter 1.2 Bioinformatics and neuroscience in the post-genomic era

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses bioinformatics and neuroscience in the post-genomic era. It illustrates that, at present, the application of bioinformatics to neuroscience research problems is relatively limited. However, the power of bioinformatics techniques to compare, integrate, and analyze vast amounts of data along with different data types is an increasingly important element in all aspects of biological, including neuroscience, research in the future "post-genomic era". This requires continued development of new bioinformatics strategies and tools, including new databases and information management structures and analytical computational techniques, for integrating all the different data types necessary for understanding the relationship of genotype to phenotype. The chapter illustrates that specific applications to neuroscience can be developed and incorporated within the Human Brain Project NeuroInformatics initiative with the goal of an integrated understanding of brain function, from genes to behaviors, facilitating hypothesis generation and distributed multidisciplinary research collaborations.
Identification of Developmental Regulatory Genes in Aspergillus Nidulans by Overexpression

Overexpression of several Aspergillus nidulans developmental regulatory genes has been shown to cause growth inhibition and development at inappropriate times. We set out to identify previously unknown developmental regulators by constructing a nutritionally inducible A. nidulans expression library containing small, random genomic DNA fragments inserted next to the alcA promoter [alcA(p)] in an A. nidulans transformation vector. Among 20,000 transformants containing random alcA(p) genomic DNA fusion constructs, we identified 66 distinct mutant strains in which alcA(p) induction resulted in growth inhibition as well as causing other detectable phenotypic changes. These growth inhibited mutants were divided into 52 FIG (Forced expression Inhibition of Growth) and 14 FAB (Forced expression Activation of brlA) mutants based on whether or not alcA(p) induction resulted in accumulation of mRNA for the developmental regulatory gene brlA. In four FAB mutants, alcA(p) induction not only activated brlA expression but also caused hyphae to differentiate into reduced conidiophores that produced viable spores from the tips as is observed after alcA(p)::brlA induction. Sequence analyses of the DNA fragments under alcA(p) control in three of these four sporulating strains showed that in two cases developmental activation resulted from overexpression of previously uncharacterized genes, whereas in the third strain, the alcA(p) was fused to brlA. The potential uses for this strategy in identifying genes whose overexpression results in specific phenotypic changes like developmental induction are discussed.
In vitro footprinting of promoter regions within supercoiled plasmid DNA.

Polypurine/polypyrimidine (pPU/pPY) tracts, which exist in the promoter regions of many growth-related genes, have been proposed to be very dynamic in their conformation. In this chapter, we describe a detailed protocol for DNase I and S1 nuclease footprinting experiments with supercoiled plasmid DNA containing such the promoter regions to probe whether there are conformational transitions to B-type DNA, melted DNA and G-quadruplex structures within this tract. This is demonstrated with the proximal promoter region of the human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene, which also contains multiple binding sites for Sp1 and Egr-1 transcription factors.
HEI - A New Ignition System Through New Technology

A new high-energy , electronic ignition (HEI) system with substantially improved performance and durability has been developed for automotive gasoline engines. All components of the system are integrated within the distributor, and no scheduled parts replacement or adjustment of system components is required. The requirements of system performance and durability, which guided the development of the new system, are outlined. New concepts, materials, and technology used in the design and development are illustrated and explained. /GMRL/
Computer-assisted verification of an algorithm for concurrent timestamps

A formal representation and machine-checked proof are given for the Bounded Concurrent Timestamp (BCTS) algorithm of Dolev and Shavit. The proof uses invariant assertions and a forward simulation mapping to a corresponding Unbounded Concurrent Timestamp (UCTS) algorithm, following a strategy developed by Gawlick, Lynch, and Shavit. The proof was produced interactively, using the Larch Prover.
Understanding failure localization in mesh networks

We introduced a model for node failures and presented measures that effectively address node protection and failure localization. Results of our investigation show advantages of generalized loopback over ring-based algorithms in robustness and spare capacity in addressing node recovery and multiple failures compared to double cycle cover.
Distribution and magnetization of Co impurities in anatase TiO 2

Using the first-principles density-functional approaches, impurity distributions and magnetic properties of Co-doped anatase ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ were investigated. From the total energies calculated for various possible configurations, Co atoms were found to prefer the non-uniform doping mode with short Co-Co distances. This non-uniform distribution furthermore is crucial for the ferromagnetic ordering observed in ${\mathrm{Co}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ti}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{O}}_{2},$ whereas the antiferromagnetic state prevails in uniformly doped cases investigated $(x=0.0625).$ Large exchange parameters appear to explain high ${T}_{c}.$
The hermeneutic turn soft science or loyal opposition

The hermeneutic turn in psychoanalysis may be less a move toward soft science than an attempt to address certain failures in the classical tradition. The latter has failed to convert Freud's many metaphors into anything like responsible science; it has been unable to give up its fascination with Freud and move on to other thinkers and other points of view; it has been unable to find an answer to the problem of secrecy and privileged access to clinical data; under the heavy hand of theory, it has all but eliminated research from the psychoanalytic enterprise; and finally, it has been unable to find a home for the Roshomon effect and the fact that almost everything worth looking at has at least two sides. Above all, psychoanalysis needs to recognize that our theory is often the projection of either our Zeitgeist or our personal history. Until we can make room for the problem of subjectivity in our theory‐building, we will never be able to separate the singer from the song.
Do propriospinal projections contribute to hindlimb recovery when all long tracts are cut in neonatal or weanling rats

Abstract Lateral hemisection lesions separated by 1 to 3 spinal segments were made on opposite sides of the midthoracic spinal cord in 1-month-old (N = 15; weanling operates) and newborn albino rats (N = 16; neonatal operates). Hindlimb behavior was assessed between 1 and 6 months p.o. for both groups of operates using a protocol and rating system that have previously proved effective in differentiating behavioral recovery of the hindlimbs as a function of age of spinal transection. In addition, at the conclusion of behavioral testing, operates received spinal injections of [3H]proline and HRP caudal to the spinal lesions to determine if lesions were complete and if neurons within the region between the two lesions (interlesion zone) projected into the caudal spinal cord. In both groups of operates, neurons were retrogradely labeled within the interlesion zone bilaterally, primarily in laminae VII–VIII. When both lesions were complete lateral hemisections in weanling operates, little behavioral recovery was observed, similar to complete spinal cord transection (N = 3). However, much greater behavioral recovery was seen, including supporting reactions and locomotor responses, when one or both lesions spared axons along the ventrolateral rim of the white matter. Neurons were retrogradely labeled in the brain stem reticular formation (N = 12) in these cases. All lesions were complete lateral hemisections in neonatal operates but much greater behavioral recovery was seen than in weanling operates with the same lesions, including supporting, placing, and locomotor responses. In an additional group of eight neonatal operates, the spinal cord rostral to the spinal hemisections was transected at 1 month of age. Supportive, placing, and locomotor responses were seen immediately after recovery from anesthesia and responses returned to pretransection levels in six of eight operates over the 10-day survival period. Fink-Heimer impregnation showed that degeneration argyrophilia from the transection bilaterally filled the interlesion zone but little argyrophilia was seen caudal to this region. Our results indicate that an intact propriospinal circuit remains in both neonatal and weanling operates but does not appear to contribute to hindlimb response development or recovery. The greater behavioral recovery in neonatal operates appears due to intrinsic connections (doral root, interneuronal) continuing to be able to drive the spinal circuitry underlying the spared behaviors.
A hardware-based performance monitor for the Intel iPSC/2 hypercube

The complexity of parallel computer systems makes a priori performance prediction difficult and experimental performance analysis crucial. A complete characterization of software and hardware dynamics, needed to understand the performance of high-performance parallel systems, requires execution time performance instrumentation. Although software recording of performance data suffices for low frequency events, capture of detailed, high-frequency performance data ultimately requires hardware support if the performance instrumentation is to remain efficient and unobtrusive.This paper describes the design of HYPERMON, a hardware system to capture and record software performance traces generated on the Intel iPSC/2 hypercube. HYPERMON represents a compromise between fully-passive hardware monitoring and software event tracing; software generated events are extracted from each node, timestamped, and externally recorded by HYPERMON. Using an instrumented version of the iPSC/2 operating system and several application programs, we present a performance analysis of an operational HYPERMON prototype and assess the limitations of the current design. Based on these results, we suggest design modifications that should permit capture of event traces from the coming generation of high-performance distributed memory parallel systems.
A general scheme for computation of instanton effects

Abstract A general approach to the computation of instanton effects without invoking an ad hoc cut-off on their size is illustrated here by the computation of instanton contributions to the static Q Q potential and vacuum polarization. Our results suggest that the instanton effects are much smaller than perturbative effects in the region where both may be reliably computed.
Comparison of sympathetic skin response with quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test in diabetic neuropathy

The sympathetic skin response (SSR), the quantitative sudomotor axon reflex test (Q-SART), and cardiac beat-to-beat variability with respiration as measured by the expiratory/inspiratory ratio (E/I ratio) were studied in 39 patients with diabetic neuropathy of whom 33 also had one or more symptoms of autonomic involvement. In the lower extremities 87% of the patients with an absent SSR had an abnormal Q-SART (P less than 0.001), and 81% of patients with the SSR present had a normal Q-SART (P less than 0.02). The E/I ratio was abnormal in all but one of 23 patients with an absent SSR in the foot, and a normal E/I ratio was present only in those patients (n = 7) with the SSR present in hand and foot, and in an eighth patient who had SSR absent in the foot and present in the hand. A similar correlation was found between the E/I ratio and the Q-SART in the foot, although 4 of 25 patients with an abnormal foot Q-SART had a normal E/I ratio. We conclude that the concordance of results of the SSR and Q-SART supports the combined use of these tests to uncover early distal sympathetic failure in diabetic neuropathy.
Relationship between Measures of Sediment-Size-Frequency Distributions and the Nature of Sediments

The efficacy of indices that characterize grain-size-frequency distributions was evaluated for response of size distribution measures to variations of a theoretical model of two normal subpopulations. Empirical data patterns of Moiola and Weiser (1968) served as a check on the reasonableness of theoretical assumptions. Results indicate that, even for relatively simple models, percentile measures are not faithful counterparts of formal central-moment measures, except for nearly normal distributions. The percentile measures possess inherent flaws which severely compromise their utility. Data indicate, however, that combinations of two or more nonpercentile-based measures of size-frequency distributions can limit greatly the number of possible distributions for sets of statistical values and, in some cases, can define them uniquely. Empirical biparametric scatter diagrams on the basis of percentile statistics generally conform to the theoretically produced percentile-based curves, implying a degree of natural validity of the theoretical model and also a new means of evaluating such data. Evaluation of empirical data using knowledge of theoretical results indicates that water- and wind-deposited sediment can be described effectively using relatively simple models. Much of the scatter on these plots, however, can arise as likely from sample-sediment interactions as from inherent sediment variation.
A comparison of stimulus ratings made online and in person: Gender and method effects

In Experiment 1, separate samples rated nouns on danger, using either an online survey or the same survey in person. In Experiment 2, a single sample rated words on familiarity, using both methods. Women’s in-person and online ratings correlated significantly better than men’s. In-person ratings correlated significantly better with existing norms in 4 of 8 instances. There were significant effects of condition on mean ratings and completion times. Ratings from participants who withdrew from the experiment correlated significantly less well with existing norms than did ratings from those who completed the whole experiment, in 12 of 16 instances. Analysis of existing data showed that a different statistical conclusion is reached depending on whether in-person or online ratings are used. Furthermore, the categorization of 17.9% (Experiment 1) and 5.3% (Experiment 2) of the items as high or low depends on which ratings are used. Ratings gathered in person and online cannot be freely substituted.
Lung and gill ventilation of the African lung fish.

Abstract The influence of changes in ambient gas tensions on gill and lung ventilation was determined in the African lung fish. Experiments were performed with the fish in water, but with free access to the air over it. Gill and lung frequency were measured using implanted electrodes; tidal volumes were determined by spirometry and by cineradiography. The results indicate that moderate hypoxia stimulates, whereas hyperoxia depresses, both gill and lung ventilation. Slight hypercapnia (0.5 per cent CO2 in inspired air) increases both lung and gill ventilation whereas increasing concentrations depress both. On the other hand, the combination of moderate hypoxia and hypercapnia has different effects on gills and lungs, increasing lung frequency and depressing gill frequency. The tidal volume remained virtually unchanged despite the wide variations in lung frequency. These observations are considered with respect to the chemoreceptors which mediate the ventilatory responses.
Imaging brain tumors -- beyond three dimensions.

Metabolic analysis using magnetic resonance spectroscopy may provide accurate noninvasive pathological diagnosis in brain tumors (pages 323–325).
Usefulness of abciximab for treatment of early coronary artery stent thrombosis

The clinical and angiographic outcomes of 10 patients who received abciximab as part of their therapy for early stent thrombosis was compared with 25 patients (using historical controls) who received conventional therapy. Although the angiographic outcome and the incidence of myocardial infarction in both groups was similar, there were no deaths or referral for emergency coronary bypass surgery in the abciximab-treated group versus 3 deaths and 10 referrals for emergency bypass surgery in the conventionally treated group.
Colonic manometry as predictor of cecostomy success in children with defecation disorders.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to define the predictive value of colonic manometry and contrast enema before cecostomy placement in children with defecation disorders. Methods Medical records, contrast enema, and colonic manometry studies were reviewed for 32 children with defecation disorders who underwent cecostomy placement between 1999 and 2004. Diagnoses included idiopathic constipation (n = 13), Hirschsprung's disease (n = 2), cerebral palsy (n = 1), imperforate anus (n = 6), spinal abnormality (n = 6), and anal with spinal abnormality (n = 4). Contrast enemas were evaluated for the presence of anatomic abnormalities and the degree of colonic dilatation. Colonic manometry was considered normal when high-amplitude propagating contractions (HAPC) occurred from proximal to distal colon. Clinical success was defined as normal defecation frequency with no or occasional fecal incontinence. Results Colonic manometry was done on 32 and contrast enema on 24 patients before cecostomy. At follow-up, 25 patients (78%) fulfilled the success criteria. Absence of HAPC throughout the colon was related to unsuccessful outcome (P = .03). Colonic response with normal HAPC after bisacodyl administration was predictive of success (P = .03). Presence of colonic dilatation was not associated with colonic dysmotility. Conclusion Colonic manometry is helpful in predicting the outcome after cecostomy. Patients with generalized colonic dysmotility are less likely to benefit from use of antegrade enemas via cecostomy. Normal colonic response to bisacodyl predicts favorable outcome.
Abnormal membranes in obstetrical ultrasound: incidence and significance of amniotic sheets and circumvallate placenta.

Amniotic sheets were identified in ten of 1784 patients having routine obstetric ultrasound scans, giving an incidence of 0.6%. In the same population, findings suggesting circumvallate placenta were seen in three patients, giving an incidence of 0.2%. The overall frequency of finding abnormal membranes projecting into the gestational sac was 0.8% which is an order of magnitude greater than the incidence of amniotic bands, which are only present in up to 0.08% of pregnancies. It is important to distinguish amniotic sheets and circumvallate placenta from amniotic bands, since they are much more likely to be found during the ultrasound examination and need to be properly identified so as to avoid needlessly alarming pregnant patients or inappropriately considering termination of pregnancy for relatively benign entities. Copyright © 1993 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology
Sources of Information and Adolescent Sexual Knowledge and Behavior

Sexual knowledge and behavior and response to peer sex educators were investigated in relation to adolescents' sources of sex information and the quality of communication with parents about sex. Subjects were 113 urban high school students. Although response to the peer educators was not found to be related to prior source of information, most adolescents indicated an adult as their preferred source of information and this trend was particularly strong for virgins. Adolescents who named an adult as their major source of information about sex and birth control were no more knowledgeable than were those who named peers. However, sexually active adolescents who used birth control had significantly better communication with their parents about sex than did sexually active subjects who did not use contraception. The results imply the importance of increasing the quality of parental involvement in sex education efforts.