cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship of serum and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers with intracranial hypertension and cerebral hypoperfusion after severe traumatic brain injury.

Background:There is little that can be done to treat or reverse the primary injury that occurs at the time of a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Initial management of the patient with severe TBI focuses on prevention of subsequent secondary insults, namely, intracranial hypertension (ICH) and cerebral
Multiferroic behavior of templated BiFeO3-CoFe2O4 self-assembled nanocomposites.

Self-assembled BiFeO3–CoFe2O4 nanocomposites were templated into ordered structures in which the ferrimagnetic CoFe2O4 pillars form square arrays of periods 60–100 nm in a ferroelectric BiFeO3 matrix. The ferroelectricity, magnetism, conductivity, and magnetoelectric coupling of the ordered nanocomposites were characterized by scanning probe microscopy. The insulating BiFeO3 matrix exhibited ferroelectric domains, whereas the resistive CoFe2O4 pillars exhibited single-domain magnetic contrast with high anisotropy due to the magnetoelasticity of the spinel phase. Magnetoelectric coupling was observed in which an applied voltage led to reversal of the magnetic pillars.
Characterization of the gust response and its sensitivity for a typical section aeroelastic model

The goal of this paper is to characterize the time domain gust response and its sensitivity for a typical section aeroelastic model. Past examinations of the gust response have focused on the frequency domain to determine the Root Mean Square (RMS) response. Determining the response in this fashion involves a great deal of computation and can lead to loss of physical significance of some of the aeroelastic parameters and their influence on the behavior. This paper examines the gust response and its sensitivity of a typical section aeroelastic model in the time domain using the state covariance of the system. It was found that wash-in produces a smaller pitch RMS that wash-out. However, wash-out produces a similar plunge RMS to wash-in while increasing the pitch M S . Also, the ratio of bending to torsional frequency (R) has a large affect on the pitch RMS with a smaller value of R resulting in a smaller pitch RMS. In addition, it appears that the pitch RMS is more sensitive than the plunge RMS. to shear center location and R.
Multiplex Immunoassay of Plasma Cytokine Levels in Men with Alcoholism and the Relationship to Psychiatric Assessments

Chronic alcohol use alters adaptive immunity and cytokine activity influencing immunological and hormone responses, inflammation, and wound healing. Brain cytokine disturbances may impact neurological function, mood, cognition and traits related to alcoholism including impulsiveness. We examined the relationship between plasma cytokine levels and self-rated psychiatric symptoms in 40 adult males (mean age 51 ± 6 years; range 33–58 years) with current alcohol dependence and 30 control males (mean age 48 ± 6 years; range 40–58 years) with no history of alcoholism using multiplex sandwich immunoassays with the Luminex magnetic-bead based platform. Log-transformed cytokine levels were analyzed for their relationship with the Symptom Checklist-90R (SCL-90R), Barratt Impulsivity Scales (BIS) and Alcoholism Severity Scale (ASS). Inflammatory cytokines (interferon γ-induced protein-10 (IP-10); monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP1); regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES)) were significantly elevated in alcoholism compared to controls while bone marrow-derived hematopoietic cytokines and chemokines (granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF); soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L); growth-related oncogene (GRO)) were significantly reduced. GRO and RANTES levels were positively correlated with BIS scales; and macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) levels were positively correlated with SCL-90R scale scores (p < 0.05). Elevated inflammatory mediators in alcoholism may influence brain function leading to increased impulsiveness and/or phobia. The novel association between RANTES and GRO and impulsivity phenotype in alcoholism should be further investigated in alcoholism and psychiatric conditions with core impulsivity and anxiety phenotypes lending support for therapeutic intervention.
Tableur: Handwritten Spreadsheets

The need for back-of-the-envelope calculations, such as rough projections or simple budget estimations, occurs frequently and oftentimes while being away from desktop computers. While major software vendors have optimized their spreadsheet applications for mobile environments their generality still makes them heavyweight for such tasks. We have built Tableur a spreadsheet-like pen- & touch-based system targeted towards these use cases. Our design revolves around handwriting recognition - all data is represented as digital ink - and gestural commands. Through a rethought cell referencing system and by incorporating standard math notation recognition Tableur allows for simple formula creation and we experiment with techniques that support pattern-based prefilling of cells (Smart Fill) and exploration of what-if scenarios (Reverse Editing).
The Broken-Stick model as a null hypothesis for crinoid stalk taphonomy and as a guide to the distribution of connective tissue in fossils

Lengths of crinoid stalk segments consisting of multiple columnals (pluricolumnals) from the Fort Payne Formation of south-central Kentucky (Mississippian) were tested for uniformity using simulations. The results indicate that stalk segment lengths are too uniform to have been produced by a random process operating on homogeneous stalks. The most parsimonious explanation for the uniformity of pluricolumnal lengths is based on analogy with stalks of living isocrinids. The stalks of these crinoids are organized into multicolumnal segments of approximately uniform length: columnals within each segment are connected by "through-going" ligament and "intercolumnal" ligament. The articulation between segments, how- ever, consists of only intercolumnal ligament. Preliminary results from experiments on Recent carcasses indicate that the latter is the primary plane of disarticulation following death. The preservational pattern of the Mississippian stalks suggests that their ligamentary organization was similar to that of the isocrinids. Since the plane of primary disarticulation in isocrinids cor- responds to the autotomy plane, Mississippian crinoids also may have been capable of autotomizing their stalks.
Rank and sparsity in language processing

Language modeling is one of many problems in language processing that have to grapple with naturally high ambient dimensions. Even in large datasets, the number of unseen sequences is overwhelmingly larger than the number of observed ones, posing clear challenges for estimation. Although existing methods for building smooth language models tend to work well in general, they make assumptions that are not well suited to training with limited data. This thesis introduces a new approach to language modeling that makes different assumptions about how best to smooth the distributions, aimed at better handling the limited data scenario. Among these, it assumes that some words and word sequences behave similarly to others and that similarities can be learned by parameterizing a model with matrices or tensors and controlling the matrix or tensor rank. This thesis also demonstrates that sparsity acts as a complement to the low rank parameters: a low rank component learns the regularities that exist in language, while a sparse one captures the exceptional sequence phenomena. The sparse component not only improves the quality of the model, but the exceptions identified prove to be meaningful for other language processing tasks, making the models useful not only for computing probabilities but as tools for the analysis of language. Three new language models are introduced in this thesis. The first uses a factored low rank tensor to encode joint probabilities. It can be interpreted as a "mixture of unigrams" model and is evaluated on an English genre-adaptation task. The second is an exponential model parameterized by two matrices: one sparse and one low rank. This "Sparse Plus Low Rank Language Model" (SLR-LM) is evaluated with data from six languages, finding consistent gains over the standard baseline. Its ability to exploit features of words is used to incorporate morphological information in a Turkish language modeling experiment, with some improvements over a word-only model. Lastly, its use to discover words in an unsupervised fashion from sub-word segmented data is presented, showing good performance in finding dictionary words. The third model extends the SLR-LM in order to capture diverse and overlapping influences on text (e.g. topic, genre, speaker) using additive sparse matrices. The "Multi-Factor SLR-LM" is evaluated on three corpora with different factoring structures, showing improvements in perplexity and the ability to find high quality factor-dependent keywords. Finally, models and training algorithms are presented that extend the low rank ideas of the thesis to sequence tagging and acoustic modeling.
Local Government Taxes in Tanzania: Weaknesses of the Current System of Local Government Revenues

It is clear that there are problems with the current system of local government revenues in Tanzania. A common critique of local government revenues in Tanzania is that local government revenue sources are low yielding, inequitable, form an obstacle to local economic growth, are inefficiently administered, and impose high compliance costs on taxpayers. Based on such a negative assessment of local revenues, some central government politicians and stakeholders have arrived at the conclusion that own local government revenue sources are not a necessary ingredient for a sound system of local government finance. In fact, a “rationalization” of the local government revenue system announced in June 2003 (which included the elimination of the Development Levy as well as the abolition of a number of other minor local revenues) suggests that it proved politically expedient to accept the argument that it is easier to just eliminate local taxes and introduce compensatory grants to provide resources to the local government level, as opposed to attempting to fix the problems with the current local government revenue system.
FOXP3-Positive Regulatory T Cells and Kidney Allograft Tolerance.

Normal immune homeostasis is achieved by several mechanisms, and prominent among them is immunoregulation. Although several types of regulatory lymphocyte populations have been described, CD4 T cells expressing the FOXP3 transcription factor (FOXP3-positive regulatory T cells [FOXP3+ Tregs]) are the best understood. This population of cells is critical for maintaining self-tolerance throughout the life of the organism. FOXP3+ Tregs can develop within the thymus, but also under select circumstances, naive peripheral T cells can be induced to express FOXP3 and become stable Tregs as well. Abundant evidence from animal systems, as well as limited evidence in humans, implicates Tregs in transplant tolerance, although whether these Tregs recognize allo- or self-antigens is not clear. New translational approaches to promote immunosuppression minimization and/or actual tolerance are being designed to exploit these observations. These include strategies to boost the generation, maintenance, and stability of endogenous Tregs, as well as adoptive cellular therapy with exogenous Tregs.
The Case for the Case Study in the Twenty-First Century: A Rupture in the Order of Discourse

This commentary discusses the consequences the shift from a paper-based world to a screen-centric world has for writers, teachers, and therapists. Whereas the case study was once composed for and stored on paper and its circulation thus restricted, now digital composing transforms the potential for the case study to circulate widely and freely via the World Wide Web. Moving the case study from paper to screen is not a question of reformatting; rather, it requires becoming literate in a new medium, one that offers the potential for ongoing collaborative revision and the development of participatory forms of knowledge production.
Lambs of God, Ravens of Death, Rafts of Corpses: Three Visions of Trauma in Nagasaki Survivor Poetry

ABSTRACTThis article explores the poetry written by survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki to elucidate the history of atomic memory in the city. Looking closely at works by three poets, the article discusses how poetry served as a medium for the survivors to grapple with traumatic memory and convey the atomic experience in meaningful ways that both provided catharsis and challenged a landscape of memory that ignored their personal trauma and suffering. An analysis of their verse also informs our understanding of the historical nature of war trauma more generally.
Artificial Skin: A Fifth Route to Organ Repair and Replacement

The design of biomaterials has relied extensively, and with considerable success, on the concept of the inert and permanent prosthesis. Ideally, the latter is a device which replaces a diseased or damaged tissue or organ and restores physiological function over the lifetime of the patient without altering the structure and function of tissues adjacent to it and without itself undergoing changes in structure or function. This concept has motivated a great deal of interdisciplinary research, some of it ingenious, which has led to design of several useful prostheses.
Neomorphic ERα Mutations Drive Progression in Breast Cancer and Present a Challenge for New Drug Discovery.

In this issue of Cancer Cell, Jeselsohn et al. dissect the function of several of the most clinically important estrogen receptor alpha mutants associated with endocrine therapy resistance in breast cancer and demonstrate that they manifest disease-relevant neomorphic activities that likely contribute to tumor pathogenesis.
Palliation and Benign Conditions

This chapter will cover brain metastases, bone metastases, spinal cord compression, liver metastases, airway obstruction, superior vena cava obstruction, and gynecologic bleeding.
Somatic embryogenesis in cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.)

The genus Cupressus, native to warm temperate climates of the Northern hemisphere, can be found around the Mediterranean, in North America and in Asia. Twenty-five taxa have been identified in the genus and described as species (Ducrey et al., 1999), all generically named “cypress”. Here, we refer to the species Cupressus sempervirens L., also called “common”, “Mediterranean” or “Italian” cypress, by far the most important and widespread cypress in the Mediterranean basin. The species is native to northern Persia, as well as Syria, Turkey, Cyprus and several Greek islands. However, during the Roman Empire it was introduced into all the Mediterranean countries, where it can now be considered naturalised. The cypress grows up to 30 m in height, it is monoecious, and bears male and female strobili (cones) separately at the end of short branchlets. Depending on the crown branch habit, the species is divided into two varieties, i.e.: C. sempervirens var. horizontalis, the most common in natural areas, characterized by spreading branches and a broad conical crown; C. sempervirens var. pyramidalis (= var. fastigiata), the most popular for ornamental use because of its erect branches, parallel to the trunk, which give the tree its typical columnar shape, resembling a flame (Fig. 1).
The thalamocortical motor system and stability: Observation of a possible regulatory mechanism

1. A simplified model of the thalamocortical motor system (VL-MC) is proposed, containing as principal components, an integrator and a regulator. The integrator generates ramp functions, with the slope of the ramp determined by sensory (peripheral) input. The duration of the ramp function is controlled by the regulator. The regulator is assumed to be a higher order control system whose overall goal is to prevent the VL-MC system from shifting to an unstable (e.g. epileptiform) mode of operation. 2. The VL-MC system has been investigated in cats utilizing 3 anesthetic agents; pentobarbital, chloralose and ketamine. The experimental results, when explained within the constraints of the model, were as follows: a) In the pentobarbital cases, ramp slopes were truncated by a negative slope of approximately equivalent magnitude. The ramp truncation mechanism (regulator) operates to limit the maximum amplitude of the ramp, resulting in a compensatory reduction in ramp duration for steeper ramp slopes. No cortical epileptiform activity was observed. b) In the chloralose cases, at a level of anesthesia where active nociceptive reflex action was present, steeper ramp slopes were observed which were not truncated by a negative slope of equivalent magnitude. Epileptiform spike activity was observed on motor cortex. The ramp truncation or regulatory mechanism appears to be significantly reduced in capacity, when chloralose is used as an anesthetic agent, as compared to pentobarbital. c) In the ketamine cases, the ramp generation mechanism appears to be completely disabled. No epileptiform activity was observed. 3. It is suggested that a regulatory mechanism exists as a functional part of the thalamocortical motor system of the cat and that this regulatory mechanism plays a key role in preventing the system from shifting to an unstable mode, characterized by epileptiform cortical activity. 4. A simplified model of the system has been implemented on an analog computer and suggests one possible design for the regulatory mechanism in terms of the variables measured and the parameters controlled.
Neutron Scattering Study of the Dynamics of (KCN) 0.5 (KBr) 0.5

Our earlier measurements on pure KCN and (KCN)/sub 0.25/(KBr)/sub 0.75/ have been extended to mixed crystals of (KCN)/sub 0.5/(KBr)/sub 0.5/. From a comparison of the observed neutron scattering line shapes to those predicted by a simple extension of the theory used to describe pure KCN, it is concluded that this theory does not describe the mixed systems correctly. This Letter suggests that the current results may be indicative of the formation of a ''glass'' phase at low temperatures in these mixed systems.
Server workload analysis for power minimization using consolidation

Server consolidation has emerged as a promising technique to reduce the energy costs of a data center. In this work, we present the first detailed analysis of an enterprise server workload from the perspective of finding characteristics for consolidation. We observe significant potential for power savings if consolidation is performed using off-peak values for application demand. However, these savings come up with associated risks due to consolidation, particularly when the correlation between applications is not considered. We also investigate the stability in utilization trends for low-risk consolidation. Using the insights from the workload analysis, two new consolidation methods are designed that achieve significant power savings, while containing the performance risk of consolidation. We present an implementation of the methodologies in a consolidation planning tool and provide a comprehensive evaluation study of the proposed methodologies.
Tropomyosin and ADF/cofilin as collaborators and competitors.

Dynamics of actin filaments is pivotal to many fundamental cellular processes such as cytokinesis, motility, morphology, vesicle and organelle transport, gene transcription and senescence. In vivo kinetics of actin filament dynamics is far from the equilibrium in vitro and these profound differences are attributed to large number of regulatory proteins. In particular, proteins of the ADF/cofilin family greatly increase actin filament dynamics by severing filaments and enhancing depolymerization of ADP-actin monomers from their pointed ends. Cofilin binds cooperatively to a minor conformer of F-actin in which the subunits are slightly under rotated along the filament helical axis. At high stoichiometry of cofilin to actin subunits, cofilin actually stabilizes actin filaments. Many isoforms of tropomyosin appear to compete with ADF/cofilin proteins for binding to actin filaments. Tropomyosin isoforms studied to date prefer binding to the “untwisted” conformer of F-actin and through their protection and stabilization of F-actin, recruit myosin II and assemble, different actin superstructures from the cofilin-actin filaments. However, some tropomyosin isoforms may synergize with ADF/cofilin to enhance filament dynamics, suggesting that the different isoforms of tropomyosins, many of which show developmental or tissue specific expression profiles, play major roles in the assembly and turnover of actin superstructures. Different actin superstructures can overlap both spatially and temporally within a cell, but can be differentiated from each other based upon their kinetic and kinematic properties. Furthermore, local regulation of ADF/cofilin activity through signal transduction pathways could be one mechanism to alter the dynamic balance in F-actin-binding of certain tropomyosin isoforms in subcellular domains.
Introduction: The Nexus of Imperfect Duty and the Ethical Norm

The role of the ethical norm, specifically as it applies to management, is reviewed. It presents direction for moral analysis and also for organizing empirical observations of practice. This is the purpose of the nexus-of-imperfect-duty model of the firm as presented in this monograph. It provides clarity concerning our aspirational notions of moral managerial behavior. As such, it also gives the basis for examining and judging management as an institution.
Characterization of Au catalytic activity in low-temperature graphene etching

Abstract Recent research into Au nanoparticles has revealed some surprising catalytically favorable properties. We apply these properties to the signficant challenge of patterning graphene at low temperatures in a scalable manner. By utilizing these Au nanoparticles, we demonstrate a simple method for low-temperature gold-catalyzed etching of graphite with predictable characteristics using ambient air at 350–375 °C and an ability to etch only the top graphene layer of a graphite piece with suitable choice of processing steps. The naturally occurring water vapor in ambient air is necessary for this reaction to occur. In addition, we characterize the etch characteristics as a function of process parameters. Ar annealing is required to obtain crystallographically straight etches, and 375 °C may be required to obtain single-layer deep etching. The catalytic activity is around ∼ 1 μ mol C / g Au s and terminates due to catalyst poisoning around ∼ 0.7 mmol C / g Au . We hypothesize that enhanced nanoparticle size control will have the greatest effect on catalytic activity. We anticipate that this work can be adapted by future research to precisely control the shape of the etched areas, allowing for the simple low-temperature creation of nanoscale graphite features, and ultimately can be applied to single-layer graphene sheets for integrated device fabrication.
Is PASA Passé?: Rethinking Compensatory Mechanisms in Cognitive Aging.

A ubiquitous observation among cognitive aging studies across species is the substantial increase in interindividual variability of cognitive capacities, most notably in episodic memory and working memory, with age ([Rapp, 2009][1]; [Morrison and Baxter, 2012][2]). Anecdotal accounts of aging
Male caregivers in child daycare: why so few?

ABSTRACTAttitudes about male caregivers in child daycare were explored in two studies. In Study 1 participants (N = 301) read a written vignette asking them to imagine themselves as parents who are...
Spatial distribution of fluoride in drinking water and health risk assessment of children in typical fluorosis areas in north China.

Abstract China has been suffering from endemic fluorosis for the past 30 years. This study investigated fluoride concentrations in 10 districts of Tianjin, China, to illustrate their spatial distribution characteristics and potential human health risks. The results showed fluoride concentration of 0.01–6.30 mg L−1 with a mean value of 0.99 mg L−1, and 78.82% of water fluoride reaches the standard for drinking water (1.5 mg L−1). Higher fluoride levels were recorded in deep well pumps supply zones, and more potential changes in fluoride occurred was positively correlated with pH in groundwater. Mean value of fluoride in drinking water in 10 districts followed the order of WQ > BC > JZ > NH > BD > BH > JN > JH > DL > XQ. Estimations of non-carcinogenic risk for drinking water indicated that mean hazard quotient values of fluoride for combined pathways (i.e., oral ingestion and dermal absorption) were >1.0 for all age groups of WQ and BC. The results also showed that the estimated risk primarily came from the ingestion pathway. Risk levels for children varied obviously, generally in the order of 1-4y > 4-7y > 7-9y (years old). In the central tendency center and reasonable maximum exposure conditions, estimated risks were 1.25, 1.12, 0.771 and 3.66, 3.29, 2.27, respectively. The results supply material information for health authorities in fluorosis areas to put forward more efficient policies to control the endemic diseases. Attention should be paid to the formulation of health promotion strategies and measures to reduce fluoride intake in order to protect the health of residents.
Spironolactone use does not increase the risk of female breast cancer recurrence: A retrospective analysis.

Background Spironolactone is used off-label for androgenic alopecia because of its ability to arrest hair loss progression and long-term safety profile. However, little is known about the safety of spironolactone in breast cancer (BC) survivors. Because spironolactone has estrogenic effects, there is a theoretical risk for BC recurrence. Given that spironolactone is an important tool in the treatment of alopecia, we investigated whether spironolactone increased risk for BC recurrence. Objective To determine whether spironolactone is associated with increased BC recurrence. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted using the Humana Insurance database. Patients with a history of BC were identified using International Classification of Diseases codes, stratified by spironolactone prescription, and also matched 1:1 using propensity score analysis. Patient characteristics and cancer recurrence rates between both cohorts were compared and analyzed. Results BC recurrence developed in 123 patients (16.5%) who were prescribed spironolactone compared with 3649 patients (12.8%) who developed BC recurrence without spironolactone prescribed (P = .004). After propensity matching, adjusted Cox regression analysis showed no association between spironolactone and increased BC recurrence (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.966; 95% confidence interval, 0.807-1.156; P = .953). Limitations Retrospective study. Conclusion Spironolactone was not independently associated with increased BC recurrence and may be considered for the treatment of alopecia in BC survivors.
Infantile leukemia-What factors determine its distinct biological nature? Clinicopathological study of 78 cases

Introduction Infantile leukemia encompasses a heterogeneous group which needs stratifying for treatment selection. Methods We collected 78 cases of infantile leukemia and retrospectively analyzed their clinicopathological data. Results Infantile leukemia featured a ratio of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) of 1:2, with a better survival for AML than B-ALL (median survival 36 vs 24 months). When stratified by age, "early" infantile B-ALL (2-6 months) showed a high rate of KMT2A rearrangement (100%), similar to the rate seen in congenital B-ALL (1 month) (100%) and higher than seen in "late" infantile B-ALL (≥7 months) (68%). The three categories of infantile B-ALL exhibited an age-dependent increase in survival (median survival 8.5, 24, and >24 months, respectively). The age-dependent survival benefit remained after excluding the cases negative for KMT2A rearrangement. Conversely, infantile AML lacked an age-dependent pattern of survival. Conclusion The clinical outcome of infantile leukemia depends on the type of leukemia. Given the age-dependent survival, infantile B-ALL can be divided into three subcategories.
Side Plank Pose Exercises for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Patients-Some Concerns About a Randomized Controlled Trial.

In their recent article, Side Plank Pose Exercises for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Patients, Sarkisova, et. al. found no beneficial effect using the simple poses that Drs. Groessl, Sherman and ...
Parmenides on Knowing What-is and What-is-not

Parmenides presented himself to his audiences as one who had achieved a profound insight into the nature of to eon or “what-is.” In support of this claim he conducted an elenchos or “testing” of the ways of inquiry available for thinking, in the process revealing a set of informative semata or “signs.” In this respect Parmenides was speaking the language of discovery heard elsewhere in early Greek poetry. Similarly, his claim that we can neither learn nor know about what-is-not (hence must not say or think “it is not”) was justified by the ordinary meaning of the ancient Greek verbs for learning and knowing. Strikingly, Parmenides’ revisionary metaphysics rested in large measure on a widely shared view of what can be learned, known, and made known to others.
Monte Carlo analysis of optical heart rate sensors in commercial wearables: the effect of skin tone and obesity on the photoplethysmography (PPG) signal

Commercially available wearable devices have been used for fitness and health management and their demand has increased over the last ten years. These “general wellness” and heart-rate monitoring devices have been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter use, yet anecdotal and more systematic reports seem to indicate that their error is higher when used by individuals with elevated skin tone and high body mass index (BMI). In this work, we used Monte Carlo modeling of a photoplethysmography (PPG) signal to study the theoretical limits of three different wearable devices (Apple Watch series 5, Fitbit Versa 2 and Polar M600) when used by individuals with a BMI range of 20 to 45 and a Fitzpatrick skin scale 1 to 6. Our work shows that increased BMI and skin tone can induce a relative loss of signal of up to 61.2% in Fitbit versa 2, 32% in Apple S5 and 32.9% in Polar M600 when considering the closest source-detector pair configuration in these devices.
Novel VCSEL structure with reduced constraints on modulation bandwidth

A novel high-speed, bottom-emitting, flip-chipped vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) structure with reduced constraints on modulation bandwidth is designed based on high-speed, fabrication and characterization. Results from top-emitting devices are reported. Benefits of the proposed structure are presented.
Intra-professional and inter-professional referral patterns of chiropractors.

Background With the increasing popularity of chiropractic care in the United States, inter-professional relationships between conventional trained physicians (MDs and DOs) and chiropractors (DCs) will have an expanding impact on patient care. The objectives of this study are to describe the intra-professional referral patterns amongst DCs, describe the inter-professional referral patterns between DCs and conventional trained medical primary care physicians (MDPCPs), and to identify provider characteristics that may affect these referral behaviors.
Planning with continuous resources in stochastic domains

We consider the problem of optimal planning in stochastic domains with resource constraints, where resources are continuous and the choice of action at each step may depend on the current resource level. Our principal contribution is the HAO* algorithm, a generalization of the AO* algorithm that performs search in a hybrid state space that is modeled using both discrete and continuous state variables. The search algorithm leverages knowledge of the starting state to focus computational effort on the relevant parts of the state space. We claim that this approach is especially effective when resource limitations contribute to reachability constraints. Experimental results show its effectiveness in the domain that motivates our research - automated planning for planetary exploration rovers.
Metrics for assessing snow surface roughness from digital imagery.

[1] Digital image profiles of snowpack surfaces were acquired concurrently with 1-cm resolution manual measurements. The manual measurements confirmed that unaltered digital images accurately represented a two-dimensional roughness profile of the snowpack surface. Roughness indices, such as random roughness, that have been used to represent soil surfaces were computed, and their utility for quantifying snowpack surface roughness is illustrated. Variogram analysis was used to determine the fractal dimension and scale break. Surface characteristics were a function of the scale, with a rough snow surface and graupel yielding similar results. A relatively smooth snow surface showed no crystal-scale features and had a fractal dimension approaching that of a random surface.
Pseudoauxotrophy of Methanococcus voltae for acetate, leucine, and isoleucine.

Abstract Methanococcus voltae is a methanogenic bacterium which requires leucine, isoleucine, and acetate for growth. However, it also can synthesize these amino acids, and it is capable of low levels of autotrophic acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) biosynthesis. When cells were grown in the presence of 14CO2, as well as in the presence of compounds required for growth, the alanine found in the cellular protein was radiolabeled. The percentages of radiolabel in the C-1, C-2, and C-3 positions of alanine were 64, 24, and 16%, respectively. The incorporation of radiolabel into the C-2 and C-3 positions of alanine demonstrated the autotrophic acetyl-CoA biosynthetic pathway in this bacterium. Additional evidence was obtained in cell extracts in which autotrophically synthesized acetyl-CoA was trapped into lactate. In these extracts, both CO and CH2O stimulated acetyl-CoA synthesis. 14CH2O was specifically incorporated into the C-3 of lactate. Cell extracts of M. voltae also contained low levels of CO dehydrogenase, 13 nmol min-1 mg of protein-1. These results further confirmed the presence of the autotrophic acetyl-CoA biosynthetic pathway in M. voltae. Likewise, 14CO2 and [U-14C]acetate were also incorporated into leucine and isoleucine during growth. During growth with [U-14C]leucine or [U-14C]isoleucine, the specific radioactivity of these amino acids in the culture medium declined, and the specific radioactivities of these amino acids recovered from the cellular protein were 32 to 40% lower than the initial specific radioactivities in the medium.Cell extracts of M. voltae also contained levels of isopropyl malate synthase, an enzyme that is specific to the leucine biosynthetic pathway, of 0.8 nmol min-1 mg of protein-1. Thus, M. voltae is capable of autotrophic CO2 fixation and leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis.
Who Should Be Worried About Asymmetric Information in Litigation

What is the appropriate informational structure when modeling the lawsuit? In numerous papers stretching back almost 30 years litigation has been portrayed as a game involving incomplete, sometimes asymmetric information. That information is incomplete is beyond question. Clients, in conjunction with their attorneys, must make decisions on filing and settlement in the presence of uncertainty about how courts will interpret evidence, litigants’ settlement reservation values, and a host of other factors. However, the direction of informational asymmetry, if any, is a subject of disagreement in the theoretical literature. Various models have depicted the lawsuit as exercises in which plaintiffs [Farmer and Pecorino (1994); Reinganum and Wilde (1986); Shavell (1989)] or defendants [Bebchuk (1984); Nalebuff (1987); Png (1983, 1987); Spier (1992)] uniquely know key information such as the level of fault or damage. In other work both sides either each possess private information [Daughety and Reinganum (1994); Hay (1995); Schweizer (1989)] or contend with symmetric incomplete information [Priest and Klein (1984)]. Often these assumptions have significant implications for the predictions of these models. Given the large range of informational stipulations in the theory, it is surprising that so little empirical analysis of the informational structure of the lawsuit exists. This paper will examine that structure by testing litigants’ ability to predict court decisions. The paper has three findings. The first is that asymmetric information (AI) does exist in cases that proceed to a decision. This finding is in contrast to recent work by Waldfogel (1998), who finds that theories based on random optimism (RO), as in the Priest/Klein model and its descendants, explain trial data better than AI. The second finding is that this asymmetry is substantially in favor of defendants. The third is that the asymmetry is largely associated with the use of contingent fees by plaintiffs. The paper proceeds as follows: Section 2 presents evidence for AI, Section 3 investigates the direction of the asymmetry, and Section 4 examines the relation between attorneys’ fees and information.
Demonstration of acetylcholine-sensitive adenyl cyclase in malignant neuroblastoma cells in culture

WE have recently reported1 the existence of dopamine-sensitive adenyl cyclase (AC) in mouse adrenergic neuroblastoma cells which contain tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) but no choline acetyltransferase (ChA); whereas, nor-adrenaline-sensitive AC at low noradrenaline concentrations becomes apparent in cyclic AMP induced ‘differentiated’ neuroblastoma cells. The presence of acetylcholine receptors in neuroblastoma cells has been demonstrated by Harris and Dennis2. These acetylcholine receptors are blocked by nicotinic and muscarinic inhibitors3. We now report the presence of acetylcholine-sensitive AC in addition to dopamine- and noradrenaline-sensitive AC in inactive neuroblastoma cells which contain neither TH nor ChA, and in cholinergic neuroblastoma cells which contain ChA but no TH. Acetylcholine, dopamine and noradrenaline produced an additive stimulatory effect on AC activity, suggesting that these neurotransmitters act on different receptor sites all of which are linked with AC.
Comparison of periderm color and anthocyanins of four red potato varieties

The color, anthocyanin content per given surface area, and phenolics content of tuber periderm of four different varieties of red potatoes were compared. Three of the varieties, Norland, Red Norland, and Dark Red Norland, are members of a color sport family. Freshly harvested ‘Norland’ differed significantly in color, but not anthocyanin content per given surface area, from its sports. ‘Red Norland’ tubers were lighter in color than those of ‘Dark Red Norland’. In general, storage resulted in darkening of tubers and, except for the fourth variety, MN17922, a decrease in anthocyanin content per given surface area. Tubers from green-killed ‘Red Norland’ plants were more purplish-red than those from vine-killed plants. Stored tubers had greater periderm total phenolics content than freshly harvested tubers. The increase in periderm phenolics and decrease in anthocyanin content per given surface area may lead to darkening of tubers with storage. Cell walls connecting periderm to cortex tissue of ‘MN17922’ tubers were thinner than those in ‘Norland’ tubers, which may explain why it is realtively easy to separate the periderm of ‘MN17922’ from its cortex.
A co-boresighted synchronized ladar/EO imager for creating 3D images of dynamic scenes

An integrated ladar/EO imager has been developed that synchronizes and aligns CMOS digital camera readouts with the scan motion of a time-of-flight pulsed ladar . A prototype has been developed at the Utah State University Center for Advanced Imaging Ladar that reads out a 13 by 13 patch of RGB pixels within the subtended angle of a single ladar beam footprint. The readout location for the patch is slaved to the ladar and follows the ladar beam as it is scanned within the field-of-view. As the scanning occurs, the x-y-z position of each footprint and associated image patch is determined via the ladar. Multiple patches can then be mosaiked to build up a 3D image composed of 3D texture elements (texels) or 3D splats. Because of its ability to produce texels on-the-fly, the system is called a Texel Camera. The approach precludes mismatched occlusions and other ill-effects when motion occurs in the scene. The existing prototype consists of a single-channel flying-spot ladar running at approximately 470 shots/second and a color imager running at approximately 160 times the shot rate. Other designs are in development that employ line-flash and array flash ladar components that will run at pixel rates up to two orders of magnitude faster. The ability to create high-fidelity combined ladar/EO data sets in real time will be advantageous for time-critical applications such as cruise missile automatic target recognition. The design has the potential for applications in space rendezvous and dock, airborne automatic target recognition, surveillance from a tripod, and others that benefit from real-time 3D imagery creation.
The Function of the Pika Short Call in Individual Recognition

and Summary Two populations of individually marked pikas (Ochotona princeps) were studied on Niwot Ridge, Boulder County, Colorado, U.S.A., to determine if these lagomorphs are able to, and actually do, recognize other individuals through the use of vocal cues contained in the short call. Discriminant function analysis demonstrated that short calls are individually distinct in structure. Furthermore, pikas responded differentially to naturally occurring calls from different individuals and recognition appears to be possible solely through the use of vocal cues contained within the short call. Pikas also discriminated between playbacks of familiar and unfamiliar short calls. The strength of response appears related to the level of competition and the relative amount of threat that a familiar or unfamiliar pika represents to the responding individual.
Husbandry Notes on the Lesser Electric Ray

Abstract The lesser electric ray Narcine brasiliensis is a small member of the electric ray order Torpediniformes (Elasmobranchii: Batoidea). Although common circumglobally in the wild, this genus does not traditionally fare well in captivity. This study expands on methods previously published for captive maintenance of the lesser electric ray in large recirculating systems and outlines the husbandry of this species in displays equivalent to those in public aquaria. Once conditioned, rays will feed readily on polychaetes and shrimp; however, this species is prone to monogenean infestation and subsequent bacterial infections. As a result of parasitic infestation, these rays must be monitored carefully for anorexia. Common warning signs and administration of medication are outlined. Prophylactic treatment with the antihelminthic Praziquantel is required if the animals are to be maintained for any length of time in a closed recirculating system. To reduce ventral abrasion and facilitate capture of natural pr...
Scaffolding within the structure of Dialogical Self: Hierarchical dynamics of semiotic mediation

Abstract Scaffolding is a notion that allows us to conceptualize direction towards change. As a form of guidance, scaffolding may result in both change and non-change. In this paper I apply the notion of scaffolding by signs (semiotic mediation) to the theory of Dialogical Self (DS). The DS is a construct that brings into psychology a new way of theoretical thought—thinking in dualities. Dualities are systemic units of two opposites that are mutually related by functional dynamic relations. Within the theory of DS, human psychological functioning is explained by transformations of constantly changed I-positions that are mapped both structurally (internal/external) and temporally (past/present/future). Semiotic mediation within the DS guarantees the person's psychological distancing from the here-and-now setting. This distancing is guided by promoter signs—generalized meanings of field-like form that orient the self's transformation. These signs are parts of the semiotic mediating processes where higher-level signs guide the range of openness of the sign hierarchy itself for further transformation when that is needed.
Weakening of the T7 promoter-polymerase interaction facilitates promoter release.

During transcription initiation, RNA polymerases retain interactions with their promoters until the RNA is extended to 8–13 nucleotides, at which point the polymerase releases the promoter and moves downstream. It has been shown that release of the T7 promoter is inhibited when the T7 RNA polymerase-promoter interaction is strengthened. Here we asked whether release would be facilitated when the T7 promoter-polymerase interaction is weakened by the introduction of promoter mutations known to reduce promoter activity. Using chemical and enzymatic probes to monitor the position of the polymerase as a function of RNA length, we found that promoter mutations upstream of –4 facilitated release of the polymerase from the promoter, but more downstream mutations did not have such effects. We also found that released complexes turn over more slowly than promoter-bound complexes, indicating that retention of promoter interactions contributes to the dissociation of short RNAs during initial transcription.
Diurnal Cycle of Shallow and Deep Convection for a Tropical Land and an Ocean Environment and Its Relationship to Synoptic Wind Regimes

Abstract The characteristics of shallow and deep convection during the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission/Large-Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (TRMM/LBA) and the Eastern Pacific Investigation of Climate Processes in the Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere System (EPIC) are evaluated in this study. Using high-quality radar data collected during these two tropical field experiments, the reflectivity profiles, rain rates, fraction of convective area, and fraction of rainfall volume in each region are examined. This study focuses on the diurnal cycle of shallow and deep convection for the identified wind regimes in both regions. The easterly phase in TRMM/LBA and the northerly wind regime in EPIC were associated with the strongest convection, indicated by larger rain rates, higher reflectivities, and deeper convective cores compared to the westerly phase in TRMM/LBA and the southerly regime in EPIC. The diurnal cycle results indicated that convection initiates in the morning and peaks in the afternoo...
CLINICAL ISSUES IN ACUTE CHILDHOOD SEIZURE MANAGEMENT IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Generalized tonic-clonic seizure activity in infants and children frequently leads to an emergency department visit, often after emergency medical service personnel, such as paramedics, provide initial evaluation and treatment. Important subsets of patients who present to the emergency department include those with non-seizure-mediated movements, those with nongeneralized seizure activity, those with complications of anticonvulsant therapy, and those with status epilepticus. Recognizing, diagnosing, and treating these conditions and minimizing complications are key issues to be considered in the refinement of emergency department practice. Of the children with seizures who are seen in the emergency department, those with febrile convulsions or exacerbations of underlying seizure disorders predominate, while those with new-onset epilepsy or other seizure disorders account for a smaller proportion. Current issues in the emergency department management of seizures in children include: (1) modifying interventions to stabilize patients and simultaneously minimize the physiologic deterioration accompanying generalized seizures; (2) selection, initiation, administration, and refinement of anticonvulsant therapy; (3) minimizing complications of prolonged seizures and their treatment; (4) rapid recognition and treatment of life-threatening illnesses that underlie seizure presentations; (5) selection of appropriate diagnostic measures; and (6) use of electroencephalography in selected patients.