cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How to Squeeze a Crowd: Reducing Bandwidth in Mixing Cryptocurrencies

Several popular cryptocurrencies incorporate privacy features that "mix" real transactions with cover traffic in order to obfuscate the public transaction graph. The underlying protocols, which include CryptoNote and Monero's RingCT, work by first identifying a real transaction output (TXO), sampling a number of cover outputs, and transmitting the entire resulting set to verifiers, along with a zero knowledge (or WI) proof that hides the identity of the real transaction. Unfortunately, many of these schemes suffer from a practical limitation: the description of the combined input set grows linearly with size of the anonymity set. In this work we propose a simple technique for efficiently sampling cover traffic from a finite (and public) set of known values, while deriving a compact description of the resulting transaction set. This technique, which is based on programmable hash functions, allows us to dramatically reduce transaction bandwidth when large cover sets are used.We refer to our construction as a recoverable sampling scheme, and note that it may be of independent interest for other privacy applications. We present formal security definitions; prove our constructions secure; and show how these constructions can be integrated with various currencies and different cover sampling distributions.
India-US Relations in the Age of Uncertainty: An uneasy courtship

In the initial phase of the Obama administration, India’s ruling class and strategic community formed a perception that the spirit of strategic partnership between the two countries might be diluted on account of China looming large in the priorities of this administration. Despite occasional hiccups in their relationship, this perception was overshadowed by the administration’s recognition of India’s role as counterweight to China in the Asia-Pacific region. This book addresses and re-evaluates the perceptions, policies and perspectives of public policy makers and bureaucratic elites in both India and the US in setting and articulating the tone, tenor and substance of the multi-faceted ties between the two countries. The scope of the book is not exclusively limited to the bilateral relationship in the critical areas such as the Indo-US nuclear deal, defence, security and strategic partnership. Its concerns and ramifications are much wider in global and regional contexts, covering/involving security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, the interface between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), China as a factor in India-US relations, and the fallout of the New Delhi-Washington partnership on South Asia.
Isolated Treatment of a Comminuted Capitate Fracture: A Case Report.

Case Comminuted fractures of the capitate, in the absence of associated carpal injuries, are exceedingly rare. Treatment of this complex injury is not well-documented in the literature. We describe the case of a comminuted capitate fracture that was successfully managed with Kirschner wire fixation. Conclusion Based on this case and a review of the literature, management of a comminuted capitate fracture with Kirschner wire fixation can lead to successful treatment and positive patient outcomes.
Metagenomics of Meat and Poultry

This chapter focuses on the understanding and application of metagenomics as it applies to meat and poultry research. Key concepts for understanding metagenomics include how to conduct a metagenomic study from experimental design to analysis, the difference between shotgun metagenomics and 16S rRNA amplicon studies, and data visualization. Special consideration is also given to discussions on rarefaction and normalizing data. Application of metagenomics in meat and poultry production from both a food safety and a food quality standpoint is discussed in relation to the current body of work published and possible future directions. Meat and poultry food safety is framed around reduction and detection of pathogens, while food quality includes shelf life and packaging differences. The conditions in which animals are reared and the processing environments they are harvested in are considered in the context of impact on end food quality and safety. Additionally, the public heath and regulatory implications of using shotgun metagenomics as a tool for pathogen detection and reduction are addressed.
Limited-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer: Is Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation Necessary?

Abstract Purpose Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) reduces the incidence of brain metastases in patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). However, PCI is associated with neurotoxicity. Previous studies have not consistently used pretreatment magnetic resonance imaging. Modern imaging improvements continue to enhance early metastasis detection, potentially decreasing the utility of PCI. We sought to determine whether PCI was associated with improved outcomes in LS-SCLC patients with modern imaging. Methods and Materials We identified LS-SCLC patients with no intracranial disease who were treated between 2007 and 2018. Kaplan-Meier estimates of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were generated. The cumulative incidence of brain metastases was estimated using competing risks methodology. Results Ninety-two patients were identified without intracranial disease at initial staging, 39 of whom received PCI. Median follow-up was 56.7 months. The median OS for the cohort was 35.5 months (95% CI, 25.8-49.3), and median PFS was 19.1 months (95% CI, 12.3-30.5). Median OS with PCI versus observation was 37.9 months (95% CI, 31.8-not reached) versus 30.5 months (95% CI, 14.6-56.1; P = .07), whereas median PFS was 26.3 months (95% CI 19.1-not reached) versus 12.3 months (95% CI, 8.5-30.5; P = .02), respectively. Overall, at 2 years, the cumulative incidence of brain metastases was 10% with PCI and 29% without; this increased to 32% and 29% by 4 years (P = .66). In those patients who had negative magnetic resonance imaging of the brain after completing initial treatment, the 1-year cumulative incidence of brain metastasis was not significantly different at 8% versus 11% (P = .46) respectively. Both PCI and treatment response were independent predictors for PFS on multivariate analysis. Stratified by disease response, patients with a complete response did not benefit from PCI (P = .50), whereas those with partial response or stable disease experienced improved PFS (P = .01). Conclusions Overall, PCI was associated with improved PFS and reduced early incidence of brain metastases. Patients achieving a complete response to initial therapy did not experience a PFS benefit with PCI. This may indicate that subsets of LS-SCLC patients can potentially be spared from PCI in the era of modern imaging.
Expensive Tastes and Public Funding for the Arts

A challenging question in moral philosophy is how to gauge the achievement of equity between individuals when people differ in their preferences, and in particular where some people might have “expensive tastes”, in that the goods necessary to bring them to a certain level of welfare are much costlier to obtain than the goods that bring others to the same level of welfare. “Opera” is an example often presented in the literature, although we can imagine other aspects of culture that are vitally important to a small minority but very costly to provide, and whose benefits are not most often enjoyed by the well-off; the preservation of an aboriginal language, or the specific cultural practices of an immigrant minority, for example. A distinction might also arise if equity involves consideration of whether the “expensive tastes” were deliberately cultivated by the people who hold them. This paper situates the “expensive tastes” debate in the real world of arts funding bodies that value equity in funding, and are challenged with making allocation decisions under hard budget constraints. Should “expensive tastes” matter at all in choices regarding funding, and, if so, how?
Lectures on Categorical Data Analysis

This section will review those books whose content and level reflect the general editorial policy of Technometrics. Publishers should send books for review to Ejaz Ahmed, Department of Mathematics ...
Early Challenges and Successes from Adapting the Laboratory Model to Undergraduate Teaching Institutions

As the laboratory model is becoming increasingly popular in Political Science, what are the best models of adapting this research opportunity to an undergraduate teaching institution? Undergraduate research experiences are a high impact learning practice, and new research documents how innovative adaptations of the laboratory model to the social sciences offers students valuable scaffolded research training and mentoring (Becker 2019). How can this model be adjusted to smaller teaching institutions, where funding, research time, and student-led research mentoring are often more limited? This paper documents successes and failures from a collaborative research initiative on immigration politics in Nebraska started in August 2019 at Nebraska Wesleyan University, focusing on early challenges and successes in hopes of assisting other faculty interested in expanding this research opportunity most efficiently and effectively.
Image-Based Phenotyping of Flowering Intensity in Cool-Season Crops.

The timing and duration of flowering are key agronomic traits that are often associated with the ability of a variety to escape abiotic stress such as heat and drought. Flowering information is valuable in both plant breeding and agricultural production management. Visual assessment, the standard protocol used for phenotyping flowering, is a low-throughput and subjective method. In this study, we evaluated multiple imaging sensors (RGB and multiple multispectral cameras), image resolution (proximal/remote sensing at 1.6 to 30 m above ground level/AGL), and image processing (standard and unsupervised learning) techniques in monitoring flowering intensity of four cool-season crops (canola, camelina, chickpea, and pea) to enhance the accuracy and efficiency in quantifying flowering traits. The features (flower area, percentage of flower area with respect to canopy area) extracted from proximal (1.6–2.2 m AGL) RGB and multispectral (with near infrared, green and blue band) image data were strongly correlated (r up to 0.89) with visual rating scores, especially in pea and canola. The features extracted from unmanned aerial vehicle integrated RGB image data (15–30 m AGL) could also accurately detect and quantify large flowers of winter canola (r up to 0.84), spring canola (r up to 0.72), and pea (r up to 0.72), but not camelina or chickpea flowers. When standard image processing using thresholds and unsupervised machine learning such as k-means clustering were utilized for flower detection and feature extraction, the results were comparable. In general, for applicability of imaging for flower detection, it is recommended that the image data resolution (i.e., ground sampling distance) is at least 2–3 times smaller than that of the flower size. Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing imaging for monitoring flowering intensity in multiple varieties of evaluated crops.
Scheduled versus as-needed postpartum analgesia and oxycodone utilization.

Background: An optimal approach for providing sufficient postpartum analgesia while minimizing the risk of opioid misuse or diversion has yet to be elucidated. Moreover, there is scant literature o...
'Next Week, You Will Teach Your Courses Online': A Reassuring Introduction to Pandemic Pedagogy

Many institutions of higher education in the US and around the world have responded to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic by closing down campus operations and moving all teaching activity online. This essay aims to provide a helpful, demystifying and comforting first read for faculty who have just received online transition orders from their institution.For information on conducting in-class student simulations by video, see https://ssrn.com/abstract=3557303 ."
The History of the Personal Belief Exemption.

California’s 2015 elimination of personal belief exemptions to required childhood vaccinations may have set off a trend. In 2019, in response to record-breaking measles outbreaks, lawmakers in at least 10 states attempted to eliminate or restrict the exemption. The moves suggest a possible end for the legal tool, which has a long yet little-examined history. The term “personal belief exemption” first came into popular use in the 1990s, but the idea of granting exemption from compulsory vaccination on the basis of secular convictions dates to the late 19th century. Since then, the exemption has evolved through 4 stages, each prompted by new vaccines or vaccine laws. In each stage, the exemptions reflected political compromise in the lawmaking process and broader struggles over liberties and rights. Smallpox prompted the earliest vaccination mandates, and by the late 19th century, those laws inspired the first personal belief exemptions. California passed its first law requiring smallpox vaccination for school admission in 1889, a time when compulsory schooling and rising smallpox rates had been prompting such laws nationwide.1 The law included a medical exemption, but other states’ laws often omitted exemptions, and the unvaccinated could generally be fined, quarantined, or suspended. On the other side of the Atlantic, meanwhile, England’s 1853 compulsory vaccination law triggered decades of widespread noncompliance and openly hostile antivaccinationism.2 In 1898, the British government responded by adding a “conscience clause” to the law.2 US antivaccinationists and … Address correspondence to Elena Conis, Graduate School of Journalism and Center for Science, Technology, Medicine, and Society, University of California, Berkeley, 121 North Gate Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720. E-mail: econis{at}berkeley.edu
Viewport-Adaptive Scalable Multi-User Virtual Reality Mobile-Edge Streaming

Virtual reality (VR) holds tremendous potential to advance our society, expected to make impact on quality of life, energy conservation, and the economy. To bring us closer to this vision, the present paper investigates a novel communications system that integrates for the first time scalable multi-layer 360° video tiling, viewport-adaptive rate-distortion optimal resource allocation, and VR-centric edge computing and caching, to enable next generation high-quality untethered VR streaming. Our system comprises a collection of 5G small cells that can pool their communication, computing, and storage resources to collectively deliver scalable 360° video content to mobile VR clients at much higher quality. The major contributions of the paper are the rigorous design of multi-layer 360° tiling and related models of statistical user navigation, analysis and optimization of edge-based multi-user VR streaming that integrates viewport adaptation and server cooperation, and base station 360° video packet scheduling. We also explore the possibility of network coded data operation and its implications for the analysis, optimization, and system performance we pursue in this setting. The advances introduced by our framework over the state-of-the-art comprise considerable gains in delivered immersion fidelity, featuring much higher 360° viewport peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and VR video frame rates and spatial resolutions.
Rewards decrease risky decisions for adolescent drivers: Implications for crash prevention

Abstract Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are a major contributor to adolescent mortality. Adolescent drivers are more likely to make risky decisions in the presence of peers. However, rewards have also been shown to improve decision making in adolescence. Our goal was to determine if peer observation and reward effects on decision-making were dependent upon adolescent driving styles. Twenty-four healthy adolescents played a driving game in a 2 (no peer; peer) × 2 (no rewards; rewards) within-subjects experiment. Driving styles were measured by self-report. Rewards favoring safe choices reduced risky decision making, but this effect was especially robust for adolescents with driving styles that increase risk of MVCs (i.e., dangerous, fast, angry, or distracted styles). Findings suggest that rewards for safe driving can be an effective mechanism for reducing MVCs, especially for the most at-risk drivers, if they can be made appetizing to adolescents.
Planning for Aerial Robot Teams for Wide-Area Biometric and Phenotypic Data Collection.

This work presents an efficient and implementable solution to the problem of joint task allocation and path planning in a multi-UAV platform deployed for biometric data collection in-the-wild. The sensing requirement associated with the task gives rise to an uncanny variant of the traditional vehicle routing problem with coverage/sensing constraints. As is the case in several multi-robot path-planning problems, our problem reduces to an $m$TSP problem. In order to tame the computational challenges associated with the problem, we propose a hierarchical solution that decouples the vehicle routing problem from the target allocation problem. As a tangible solution to the allocation problem, we use a clustering-based technique that incorporates temporal uncertainty in the cardinality and position of the robots. Finally, we implement the proposed techniques on our multi-quadcopter platforms.
Spontaneous homeotic mutants and genetic control of floral organ identity in a ranunculid

The regulation of floral organ identity was investigated using a forward genetic approach in five floral homeotic mutants of Thalictrum, a noncore eudicot. We hypothesized that these mutants carry defects in the floral patterning genes. Mutant characterization comprised comparative floral morphology and organ identity gene expression at early and late developmental stages, followed by sequence analysis of coding and intronic regions to identify transcription factor binding sites and protein-protein interaction (PPI) motifs. Mutants exhibited altered expression of floral MADS-box genes, which further informed the function of paralogs arising from gene duplications not found in reference model systems. The ensuing modified BCE models for the mutants supported instances of neofunctionalization (e.g., B-class genes expressed ectopically in sepals), partial redundancy (E-class), or subfunctionalization (C-class) of paralogs. A lack of deleterious mutations in the coding regions of candidate floral MADS-box genes suggested that cis-regulatory or trans-acting mutations are at play. Consistent with this hypothesis, double-flower mutants had transposon insertions or showed signs of transposon activity in the regulatory intron of AGAMOUS (AG) orthologs. Single amino acid substitutions were also found, yet they did not fall on any of the identified DNA binding or PPI motifs. In conclusion, we present evidence suggesting that transposon activity and regulatory mutations in floral homeotic genes likely underlie the striking phenotypes of these Thalictrum floral homeotic mutants.
Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with increased symptomatic acromial and scapular spine stress fracture after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty

Background The purpose of this study was to determine factors associated with early symptomatic acromial and scapular spine fractures in patients who underwent reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA). Methods We retrospectively evaluated all RTSAs performed by the senior author between 1/1/2013 and 6/1/2019. We evaluated patient demographics including gender, age, prevalence of comorbidities including osteoporosis, inflammatory arthritis, diabetes, and endocrine disorders such as hypothyroidism. We also evaluated preoperative and 2-week postoperative radiographs for center of rotation medialization (CORM) as distance between the center of the humeral head or glenosphere and the line of the deltoid, and distalization via the acromial-greater tuberosity distance (AGT). We evaluated inter- and intra-rater reliability via intraclass correlation coefficients. Results We included 335 RTSAs with a minimum of 3 months of follow-up in the analysis. Reliability was acceptable with all intraclass correlation coefficients> 0.75. Symptomatic acromial and scapular spine stress fractures were significantly more common in those with inflammatory arthritis than those without (18% vs. 5%, P = 0.016). The rate of fracture was highest in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (24% vs. 5.2%, P = 0.003). There was no statistically significant association between symptomatic fractures and preoperative CORM or AGT (P = 0.557, P = 0.528) or postoperative CORM or AGT (P = 0.56, P = 0.102). There also was no statistically significant correlation between symptomatic stress fracture and patient age, gender, BMI, smoking, osteoporosis, gout, medical comorbidity, or previous shoulder surgery. Conclusion In this retrospective analysis of postoperative RTSA, symptomatic acromial and scapular stress fractures were significantly more common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and thus precautions should be taken in these patients.
Office of Student Affairs: Engagement and Leadership Opportunities for Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows

Introduction Exposing trainees to roles within medical school offices is an important, but often overlooked, component of academic medicine career development. This module described the roles and r...
Circulating microRNAs are associated with variability in fasting blood glucose over 12-months and target pathways related to type 2 diabetes: A pilot study.

INTRODUCTION MicroRNAs (miRs) may be important regulators of risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Circulating miRs may provide information about which individuals are at risk for T2D. The purpose of this study was to assess longitudinal associations between circulating miR expression and variability in fasting blood glucose (FBG) and to identify miR-targeted genes and biological pathways. METHODS Variability in FBG was estimated using standard deviation from participants (n = 20) in a previously completed yoga trial. Expression of 402 miRs was measured using hydrogel particle lithography. MirTarBase was used to identify mRNAs, and miRPathDB was used to identify pathways targeted by differentially expressed miRs. RESULTS Six circulating miRs (miR-192, miR-197, miR-206, miR-424, miR-486, and miR-93) were associated with variability in FBG and targeted 143 genes and 23 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Six mRNAs (AKT1, CCND1, ESR1, FASN, SMAD7, and VEGFA) were targeted by at least two miRs and four of those were located in miR-targeted KEGG pathways. CONCLUSIONS Circulating miRs are associated with variability in FBG in individuals at risk for T2D. Further studies are needed to determine whether miRs may be prodromal biomarkers that can identify which individuals are at greatest risk to progress to T2D and which biological pathways underlie this risk.
Physical Geomorphology of Debris Flows

Debris flows claim hundreds of lives and cause millions of dollars of property damage throughout the world each year. In Japan alone, an average 90 lives are lost annually from debris flows (Takahashi 1981). In 1970 a debris avalanche (a rapidly moving form of debris flow) triggered by an earthquake, completely destroyed the city of Yungay, Peru, killing an estimated 17,000 people and burying the whole city under 5 m of mud and debris (Plafker and Erickson 1978). Some countries with chronic losses from debris flows include Japan (Okuda et al. 1980); United States (Committee on Methodologies for Predicting Mudflow Areas, 1982; Scott 1972; Cummans 1981; Scott 1971; Flaccus 1958; Williams and Guy 1973; Woolley 1946; Morton and Campbell 1974); Indonesia (Scrivenor 1929); Tanzania (Temple and Rapp 1972); Scandinavia (Rapp and Stromquist 1976); Costa Rica (Waldron 1967); China (Li and Luo 1981; Chinese Society of Hydraulic Engineering 1980); Brazil (Jones 1973); Ireland (Prior et al. 1968); Romania (Balteanu 1976); India (Starkel 1972); Bangladesh (Wasson 1978); New Zealand (Selby 1967; Pierson 1980a, b); and the Soviet Union (Gol’din and Lyubashevskiy 1966; Niyazov and Degovets 1975; Gagoshidze 1969).
Transmittance of Ex vivo bovine lens capsule from 800 cm −1 to 40000 cm −1

Here we present detailed transmission measurements of ex-vivo lens capsule from 40,000 cm−1 to 800 cm−1. Time-dependent measurements were also performed to eliminate water absorption.
A ribosome-associated inhibitor of the digestion of polyadenylate-containing ribonucleic acid.

Abstract An inhibitor associated with guinea pig adrenal ribosomes inhibits the digestion of polyribosome-associated poly(A)-rich messenger RNA purified from human peripheral lymphocytes by two ribonucleases: (a) a ribonuclease which is co-purified with the poly(A)-rich RNA and which initially cleaves the poly(A) tract and (b) an endoribonuclease (poly(A)ribonuclease) purified from bovine adrenal cortex cytoplasm which cleaves and digests the poly(A) tract of poly(A)-rich RNA synthetic poly(A). The inhibitor has been purified 150- to 200-fold with respect to specific activity. It is rapidly inactivated by heat, freeze-thawing, or by incubation with trypsin, but treatment with DNase or RNase has no effect on its activity. Glycerol gradient density centrifugation indicates an S of 1.5 to 2.0 for the inhibitor. Kinetic studies suggest a competitive mode of inhibition. The inhibitor fails to prevent digestion of synthetic poly(A) by poly(A) ribonuclease and appears to be ineffective in preventing digestion of poly(A)-rich RNA by several other ribonucleases.
The usefulness of computerized readability tools: three case studies

A 1993 survey of 39 communicators in high-tech industries revealed low use of computerized readability formulas among professional technical and business communicators. The current research focuses on case studies of three technical writers who used a variety of computerized readability tools and kept a detailed journal of their writing and editing processes. The study offers a look at real world use of commonly available readability tools, analyzes weaknesses, and indicates ways in which these tools must improve to be truly useful to technical communicators. >
Blueprint for a Computer Immune System

There is legitimate concern that, within the next few years, the Internet will proviEn a fertile medium for new breeds of computer viruses capable of spreading orders of magnituEn faster than today"s viruses. To counter this threat, we have Enveloped an immune system for computers that senses the presence of a previously unknown pathogen, and within minutes automatically Enrives and Enploys a prescription for Entecting and removing it. The system is being integrated with a commercial anti-virus product, IBM AntiVirus, and will be available as a pilot in 1997
Sea ice feedback and Cenozoic evolution of Antarctic climate and ice sheets

[1] The extent and thickness of Antarctic sea ice have important climatic effects on radiation balance, energy transfer between the atmosphere and ocean, and moisture availability. This paper explores the role of sea ice and related feedbacks in the Cenozoic evolution of Antarctic climate and ice sheets, using a numerical climate model with explicit, dynamical representations of sea ice and continental ice sheets. In a scenario of decreasing Cenozoic greenhouse gas concentrations, our model initiates continental glaciation before any significant sea ice forms around the continent. Once variable ice sheets are established, seasonal sea ice distribution is highly sensitive to orbital forcing and ice sheet geometry via the ice sheet’s control on regional temperature and low-level winds. Although the expansion of sea ice has significant climatic effects near the coast, it has only minimal effects in the continental interior and on the size of the ice sheet. Therefore the Cenozoic appearance of Antarctic sea ice was primarily a response to the growth of grounded ice sheets and was not a critical factor in episodes of Paleogene and Neogene glaciation. The influence of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on sea ice, Southern Ocean surface temperatures, and winds has important implications for ocean circulation, the marine carbon cycle, and the development of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The sensitivity of sea ice to grounded ice sheets implies reconstructions of sea ice based on marine diatoms are good indicators of glacial conditions in the continental interior and may provide insight into the long-term stability of Antarctic Ice Sheets.
A rapid method of determining the respiratory uptake of radionuclides of varying aerosol size.

A method is presented for graphically determining the total number of nuclear transformations in the lung of an individual who inhales a radioactive aerosol. Knowing the AMAD, the inhalation class and the half-life of the radioisotope, the number of transformations which occur in the respiratory system per second for a concentration of 1 Bq/m3 may be taken from a graph. This may be corrected for the actual concentration and for the time of the inhalation exposure.
A generalized motion compensated compressed sensing scheme for highly accelerated myocardial perfusion MRI

Background Compressed sensing (CS) based myocardial perfusion MRI methods that promote sparsity in temporal transform domains such as temporal Fourier (x-f), temporal PCA (x-PCA), temporal total variation (x-TV) have shown promise to accelerate breath held scans [Otazo et al, 10, Pedersen et al, 09, Adluru et al, 07]. However the performances of these schemes can degrade in the presence of motion if the sparse representations in these transforms are significantly disturbed. In this work, we propose to address this challenge by jointly estimating and compensating for the motion during the CS reconstruction (MC-CS). The proposed scheme employs a variable splitting based optimization strategy [Lingala et al 2011] to enable joint motion estimation along with reconstruction. Unlike existing MC-CS methods, the novelties enabled by this optimization are a generalized formulation capable of handling any temporal sparsifying transform, no requirement of fully sampled prescans or navigators for motion estimation. We compare the performance of the MC-CS method with three different sparsifying transforms on free breathing myocardial perfusion data.
Evidence for the clonal nature of hypereosinophilic syndrome

Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) is a disease process of unknown pathogenesis. Although some cases are believed to be primary hematologic malignancies, this issue remains unsolved. We present a case of HES in whom we have observed a clone of cytogenetically abnormal cells in the bone marrow in parallel with a clinical picture of a hematologic disorder characterized by progressive proliferation and organ infiltration by eosinophils. The cytogenetic abnormality 46,XY,t(7;12)(q11;p11) is previously unreported. Our case, plus other evidence present in the literature, supports the concept that HES is a hematologic malignant neoplasia.
Semi-continuous hydrogen production from catalytic methane decomposition using a fluidized-bed reactor

Non-oxidative, catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbons is an alternative, one-step process to produce pure hydrogen with no production of carbon oxides or higher hydrocarbons. Carbon produced from the decomposition reaction, in the form of potentially valuable carbon nanotubes, remains anchored to the active catalyst sites in a fixed bed. To facilitate periodical removal of this carbon from the reactor and to make hydrogen production continuous, a fluidized-bed reactor was envisioned. The hypothesis that the tumbling and inter-particle collisions of bed material would efficiently separate nanotubes anchored to the active catalyst sites of the bed particles was tested and shown to be invalid. However, a switching mode reaction system for the semi-continuous production of hydrogen and carbon nanotubes by periodic removal and replenishment of the catalytic bed material has been successfully demonstrated.
A critical appraisal of treatments for bipolar disorder.

When people who are depressed visit a primary care physician, the physician should question the patient about a history of mania or hypomania so that a possible bipolar disorder diagnosis can be discerned. The reason for this is that, while antidepressant monotherapy is appropriate for patients with major depressive disorder, this treatment should be avoided in patients with bipolar disorder, even when they are experiencing a depressive episode. Remembering this single point will be extraordinarily helpful to primary care physicians treating patients with bipolar disorder. Patients with bipolar disorder are more likely to visit physicians when they are depressed than when manic. Besides seeing patients who are experiencing an acute episode of depression, primary care physicians may also see patients who already have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and are taking medications for the long-term prevention of mood episodes; these patients may visit primary care offices for other psychiatric or physical health problems. Primary care physicians should be familiar with bipolar medications in order to help patients in both acute and maintenance phases of the illness. Mood stabilization is the primary focus in the treatment of bipolar disorder, and therefore effective treatments have been called mood stabilizers. Ketter and Calabrese1 clarified the term mood stabilizer when they characterized bipolar disorder as mood aberration from baseline (ie, one's mood is either above or below a euthymic midpoint) and explained that there are 2 types of mood stabilizers: those that stabilize mood from above baseline (ie, have an antimanic effect) and those that stabilize mood from below baseline (ie, have an antidepressant effect). Drugs that stabilize mood from above the baseline are used to treat mania, mixed states, hypomania, and subsyndromal mood elevation and include lithium, divalproex, carbamazepine, and the atypical or second-generation antipsychotic agents. Medications that stabilize mood from below the baseline are used to treat depression and subsyndromal depression, such as lithium, lamotrigine, the olanzapine/fluoxetine combination, and quetiapine.
The Role of City Managers: Are they Principals, Agents, or Both?

This study uses a survey of 1,135 city managers to evaluate the contemporary city manager role and to evaluate its consistency with principal-agent theory. The findings are mixed. It appears that city councils can control city managers as principal-agent theory suggests, but that most city councils opt for less complex solutions involving trust and role sharing with the city manager. In other words, principal-agent theory does not fully explain the council-manager relationship. In an effort to understand this relationship more thoroughly, this study develops a typology of city manager roles based on the extent of their involvement in policy and the degree of autonomy exercised.
A NEW SPECIES AND SUBGENUS OF PERISCELIS LOEW FROM AUSTRALIA (DIPTERA: PERISCELIDIDAE)

Periscelis (Notioscelis) fasciata subgen. et sp.n., from New South Wales and Queensland, is the first species of Periscelidinae to be described from Australian specimens. Family, subfamily, generic and subgeneric diagnoses and a key to subgenera of Periscelis are provided. Notioscelis is suggested to be the sister group of Periscelis sensu stricto based on morphological evidence.
Occurrence of reiterated sequences in an untranslated region of Simian virus 40 DNA determined by nucleotide sequence analysis.

Abstract An earlier report (Subramanian, Dhar, and Weissman, 1977c) presented the nucleotide sequence of Eco RII-G fragment of SV40 DNA, which contains the origin of DNA replication. The nucleotide sequence of Eco RII-N fragment located next to Eco RII-G on the physical map of SV40 DNA is presented in this report. Eco RII-N is found to be a tandem duplication of the last 55 nucleotides of Eco RII-G. This tandem repeat is immediately preceded by two other reiterated sequences occurring within Eco RII-G, one of them being a tandem repeat of 21 nucleotides and the other a nontandem repeat of 10 nucleotides. These repetitive sequences occur in close proximity to the origin of DNA replication which is known to contain other specialized sequences such as a few palindromes (one of which is 27 long and possesses a perfect 2-fold axis of symmetry), one "true" palindrome, and a long A/T-rich cluster. The repeats (and the replication origin) occur within an untranslated region of SV40 DNA flanked by (the few) structural genes coding for the "late" proteins on the one side and that (those) coding for the "early" protein(s) on the other side. The reiterated sequences are comparable in some respects to repetitive sequences occurring in eucaryotic DNAs. Possible biological functions of the repeats are discussed.
Cardiac Mechanics in Mild Hypertensive Heart Disease: A Speckle - Strain Imaging Study

Background— We hypothesized that abnormalities in regional systolic strain (e) might be present among hypertensive subjects with normal ejection fraction, and, if present, could be used to identify patients at high risk for heart failure. The aim of the current case-control study was to use speckle tracking imaging to identify subclinical global and regional systolic function abnormalities in hypertensive subjects with normal ejection fraction. Methods and Results— Standard 2D Doppler echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging, and 2D speckle strain imaging were performed in 52 hypertensive subjects with normal ejection fraction and 52 control subjects of similar age. Peak systolic (S′), and diastolic (E′) annular velocities were obtained by tissue Doppler imaging, whereas longitudinal myocardial systolic velocity (V l ) and circumferential, longitudinal, and radial strains (e c , e l , e r ) were obtained by speckle tracking. Midwall shortening and peak basal longitudinal strain (e l ) were used as indices of regional function. Hypertensive subjects had lower velocities—tissue Doppler imaging E′ and S′, and V l —and evidence of reduced regional function. Surprisingly, however, global e values did not differentiate hypertensive subjects from control subjects. Among hypertensive patients, significant inverse associations were found between left ventricular mass and global longitudinal and circumferential e (both P Conclusions— Hypertensive heart disease with normal ejection fraction is associated with reduced myocardial velocities and reduced regional function but normal global e. Our data suggest that velocity abnormalities occur early in hypertension and may be an appropriate target for preventive strategies because they occur before abnormalities in global e.
Molecular characterization of dissolved organic matter in a North Brazilian mangrove porewater and mangrove-fringed estuaries by ultrahigh resolution Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance mass spectrometry and excitation/emission spectroscopy

Abstract Electrospray ionization (ESI) combined with ultrahigh resolution Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) at 9.4 Tesla has been shown to be an ideal tool for the molecular characterization of dissolved natural organic matter (DOM). Here, we apply this technique for tracing DOM as it moves from mangrove porewaters into a Brazilian estuary and assess the changes that occur in the initial stages of outwelling. Comparisons of molecular features of DOM from the porewater and two sites within the adjacent estuary revealed that mass spacing patterns were far more pronounced in the mangrove porewater DOM, and the average molecular weights of estuarine DOM were lower. Calculation of double bond equivalents and Kendrick mass analysis normalized for both methylene (-CH 2 −) and oxygen (O) substitution indicated that the lower molecular weights observed in the estuarine DOM were due primarily to loss of high molecular weight, highly unsaturated and/or aromatic components observed in the porewater DOM. Photodegradation is suggested as one mechanism that removes these high molecular weight components once mangrove-derived DOM reaches the estuary. The mass analyses were supported by UV–Vis and 3-D synchronous scanning fluorescence spectroscopy measurements to aid in the characterization of DOM in this unique ecosystem.
The enthalpies of solution of potassium chloride and 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl) 1,3-propanediol (tris)

Abstract The performance of 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)-1,3-propanediol (Tris) and potassium chloride as solution calorimetry comparison standards has been evaluated. It has been established that both of these have some drawbacks, but of the two, we believe Tris is the preferable calorimeter comparison standard.
Interactions of Physical Maturation and Cultural Practice in Ontogeny: Kikuyu Adolescents

Most anthropologists would affirm that the unique pattern of physical development in humans has created vast ontogenetic potential, and that biology may nevertheless impose some constraint on human endeavors. But, curiously, the relationship between physical and social development is often a matter for dispute. In the study of ritual and socialization, this attitude has been long-standing. In his early, influential study of rites of passage, van Gennep (1960:65, 68) explicitly divorced social from physiological puberty, and focused attention on social acts as the significant events defining maturation. The present paper employs both cultural and biological analyses as complementary means to study human development.
Femtosecond index change mechanisms and morphology of SiC crystalline materials

Abstract Femtosecond lasers have a unique ability of processing bulk transparent materials for various applications such as micromachining, waveguide manufacturing, and photonic bandgap structures just to name a few. These applications depend on the formation of micron or submicron size features that are known to be index modifications to the bulk substrate [H. Guo, H. Jiang, Y. Fang, C. Peng, H. Yang, Y. Li, Q. Gong, J. Opt. A: Pure Appl. Opt. 6 (2004) 787]. To the best of our knowledge the physical understanding of how these index-modified features are formed is still unknown, but many good theories exist such as Petite et al. [G. Petite, P. Daguzan, S. Guizard, P. Martin, in: IEEE Annual Report Conference on Electrical Insulation and Dielectric Phenomena, vol. 15, IEEE, 1995, pp. 40–44] or Tien et al. [A. Tien, S. Backus, H. Kapteyn, M. Murnane, G. Mourou, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82 (1999) 3883]. In this Letter the question on the physical cause for index changes is investigated by the combined efforts between Wright–Patterson AFB (WPAFB) and the University of Dayton (UD) using numerous imaging equipment such as TEM, AFM, NSOM, Nomarski microscopy, X-ray crystallography, Raman spectroscopy, and even diffraction efficiency experiments. With all the combined imaging equipment this research is able to present valuable data and deduce plausible theories of the physics of the index modification mechanism.
Carnivore tooth marks and stone tool butchery marks on scavenged bones: archaeological implications

Abstract This paper compares naturalistic observations on carnivore feeding behavior and carcass abandonment to results of experimental butchery of long bones collected after carcasses were abandoned by carnivores. Experiments were conducted to assess the incidence of butchery marks and carnivore tooth marks on long bones where butchery followed carnivore defleshing of limbs. One hundred and sixty-eight long bones beating marrow and occasionally scraps of flesh were collected after carcasses were abandoned by free-ranging East African carnivores including lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and jackals. Flesh scraps and marrow were removed using lithic materials found commonly at Plio-Pleistocene archaeological sites. Minimally, marrow was recovered from all long bones. However, marrow was generally the only nutrient available on limbs from carcasses defleshed by nine or more carnivores. Conversely, both flesh scraps and marrow were frequently available on limbs from carcasses abandoned by solitary carnivores or groups of carnivores comprised of fewer than five animals. Data presented indicate that the incidence of butchery marks and carnivore tooth marks is related to the condition of bones upon carnivore abandonment. Quantitative data are presented on the incidence of long bone specimens bearing at least one carnivore tooth mark, one cut mark or one hammerstone percussion mark. Variability within the sample is examined with respect to the ratios of carnivore tooth marks and butchery marks on bones defleshed by different numbers of carnivores. Results indicate that variability within the sample is related to the number of carnivores involved in defleshing bones. Data presented provide a controlled basis for evaluating similar marks in archaeological bone assemblages.
Characterization, Modeling and Vibration Control of a Flexible Rubber Beam With Embedded Piezoelectric Actuators and Sensors

A cantilever rubber beam with laminated piezoelectric actuators and sensors is initially tested to determine the properties governing the dynamic behavior of the beam. Various techniques are employed to estimate beam properties such as elastic stiffness, damping coefficient and natural frequencies, as well as piezoelectric actuator capabilities for vibration control purposes. A simplified Euler-Bernoulli model is proposed, which is validated using the properties previously discovered. A passive electric shunt circuit is then proposed for the beam vibration suppression, when subjected to external excitation forces. Simulation of a series resistor-inductor shunt circuit is used to demonstrate the capability of altering the beam’s dynamic behavior. Various methods for tuning the shunt circuit are explored in an effort to achieve optimal vibration suppression characteristics. Furthermore, experimental testing is conducted for validation of simulation results, which also yields similar information about passive shunting techniques for vibration damping.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Liberal and Conservative in Social Work Education: Exploring Student Experiences

Claims of ‘liberal bias’ in higher education raise unique concerns for social work education in the United States. In a time of increasing conservatism in mainstream America, students who identify as political or social conservatives may find themselves particularly challenged by the perspectives, values and ideas they encounter in the social work classroom. This paper explores student perceptions of a ‘liberal’/‘conservative’ conflict in the social and educational environment of their MSW program. Drawing on Bourdieu's concepts of ‘habitus’ and the social ‘field’ as a framework for interpreting student interview data, we discuss perceptions of ‘liberal bias’ at the nexus of individual experience, educational processes, and broader socio‐political climate.
Determination of chloramphenicol, thiamphenicol, and florfenicol in fish muscle by matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction (MSPD) and ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract An UPLC–MS/MS method based on matrix solid-phase dispersion (MSPD) was developed for the determination of chloramphenicol (CAP), thiamphenicol (TAP) and florfenicol (FF) in fish muscle. Muscle tissue was blended with octadecylsilyl-derivatized silica (C18). A column made from the C18/muscle tissue matrix was washed with n-hexane, after which CAP was eluted with acetonitrile/water (50:50, v/v) and partitioned into ethyl acetate. The final extract was evaporated, and reconstituted into methanol/water (10:90, v/v) for the analysis of UPLC–MS/MS. The correlation coefficient (r2) with each matrix-matched calibration curve is higher than 0.999. CCα and CCβ of the fenicols upon the method were ranged from 0.02 to 0.06 μg kg−1 and 0.11–0.16 μg kg−1 respectively. At the fortified levels, mean recoveries of the three compounds were ranged from 84.2% to 99.8%, and the RSDs were lower than 12%. The method was accurate and reproducible, being successfully applied to the monitoring of CAP, TAP and FF in fish samples obtained from the Chinese market.