cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Story of Indopco: What Went Wrong in the Capitalization V. Deduction Debate?

This paper presents the story of INDOPCO v. Commissioner, 503 U.S. 79 (1992), the most recent decision in this volume, and, in part for that reason, the decision that is most frequently discussed in the tax world. A case such as Knetch v. United States exerts its influence subtly, in forming the basis for today's economic substance doctrine. Lawyers can (and do) debate the merits of that doctrine, and in so doing comment upon the Knetch decision, but the decision itself has faded into the background. INDOPCO, by contrast, is still very much alive. Industry has lined up an (anti) "INDOPCO Coalition," headed by the (former) IRS Commissioner who pursued the case; the government has recently issued INDOPCO regulations; the decision (and its aftermath) is discussed in today's tax and business journals. The case is important, then, for its practical significance. It is the most recent Supreme Court announcement on the deductibility of business expenses that do not produce or enhance tangible assets. In time, of course, INDOPCO will lie under, and help give shape to, newer cases and regulations. The case will be worth studying less for its practical import than the light it sheds on the administration of an income tax, or, more speculatively, any tax or set of rules shaped by the political process. The judge, legislator, or administrator must balance competing goals: uniformity, certainty, practicality and so on. In INDOPCO, that balancing act failed: the opinion in the case is widely seen as making a bad situation worse. What makes this failure particularly sobering is that the case fell into seemingly able hands. The opinion was written by the most knowledgeable tax jurist ever to sit on the Court and solicited by an administration whose leadership opposed everything the opinion came to stand for. The paper will be published as a chapter in a book to be entitled Tax Stories: An In-Depth Look at Ten Leading Federal Income Tax Cases (Foundation Press, forthcoming 2002). Additional financial support for the project has been provided by the American Tax Policy Institute.
Ability tilt for whites and blacks: Support for differentiation and investment theories

Abstract This research is the first to examine race differences in ability tilt for whites and blacks, two groups that show an average difference in g (favoring whites) of about one standard deviation. Tilt was defined as within-subject differences in math and verbal scores on three aptitude tests (SAT, ACT, PSAT). These differences yielded math tilt (math > verbal) and verbal tilt (verbal > math), which were correlated with specific abilities (verbal and math) and college majors in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) and the humanities. Math tilt was higher for whites than blacks, whereas verbal tilt was similar for both groups. In addition, tilt correlated positively with similar majors and abilities (e.g., math tilt and math ability), and negatively with competing majors and abilities (e.g., math tilt and verbal ability). Tilt effects were generally stronger for whites, and were unrelated to g. The results support differentiation theories, which predict higher levels of tilt for higher ability subjects, and investment theories, which predict negative tilt effects for competing abilities (e.g., math tilt and verbal ability).
Receptor-Receptor Interactions in the Modulation of Nicotinic Receptors in Adrenal Medulla

Many important studies directed to clarify the molecular nature of nicotinic receptor function were carried out using chromaffin cells of adrenal medulla as a model. Such a selection was motivated by the convenience of evaluating nicotinic receptor function through a simple measurement of the catecholamines that are released from either perfused adrenal gland or primary cultures of bovine chromaffin cells. For many years, the background rationale for all these studies included the tacit assumption that the release of catecholamines from chromaffin cells was exclusively regulated by acetylcholine (ACh) which was believed to be the only chemical signal released from splanchnic nerves that acts on nicotinic receptors of adrenal chromaffin cells. Moreover, it was believed that the exclusive function of chromaffin cells was the synthesis, storage and secretion of catecholamines. This simple model has been challenged by the discovery in adrenal chromaffin tissues and in their afferent neurons of a number of additional neuromodulators, including γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (Kataoka et al., 1984, Alho et al., 1985), substance P (Mizobe et al., 1979), enkephalins (Schultzberg et al., 1978, Yang et al., 1980) and NPY (Majane et al., 1985). The aim of the present paper is to reevaluate many of the literature’s tenets on nicotinic receptor function that resulted from an oversimplistic model of cholinergic transmission.
Abstract 4756: Anti-melanoma-specific humoral immune responsesin vitroin patients vaccinated with DC-rIL-2-VMO

Introduction: DC-rIL-2-VMO, an allogeneic cellular melanoma vaccine consisting of five melanoma cell lines, a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding for IL-2, as well as dendritic cells, has previously been shown to generate a potent cellular response in murine tumor models. We now demonstrate that this vaccine also has the capacity to generate a sustained humoral response in vitro. Methods: To detect anti-tumor antibodies in pre- and post-vaccinated melanoma patients’ sera, a mixed hemadsorption assay (MHA) was used. The binding of human antibody from diluted patients’ sera (1:05, 1:15 and 1:45) to cultured melanoma cells (Mel-2, Mel V, GLM-2 and KFM cells) was determined as indicator cells, sheep red blood cells (SRBC) coated sequentially with mouse anti-SRBC sera, goat sera against mouse sera, and mouse anti-human IgG sera to detect binding of human anti-melanoma antibodies. Results: Out of four patients evaluated with Stage IIIA-C and Stage IV resected with no evaluable disease (NED), three patients’ post-vaccination sera showed antibodies specifically binding to melanoma cell lines. Antibodies from two of the patients’ sera showed moderate to strong binding to three different melanoma cell lines (Mel 2, Mel V and GLM-2). Additionally, antibodies from patients’ sera and sera from two normal healthy donors did not show any binding to colorectal carcinoma (SW1116) cells (CRC), a negative control. Conclusions: Treatment of patients with Stage IIIA-C and Stage IV melanoma resected to be NED with DC-rIL-2-VMO induced a tumor-specific antibody response. The presence of these anti-melanoma antibodies suggests that this vaccine may be effective in slowing the progression of melanoma in some patients via cellular and humoral immune mechanisms. DC-rIL-2-VMO has been FDA-approved for Phase I trials. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4756.
Effects of grain-shape anisotropy and texture on balanced-biaxial creep of Ti and Zr alloys

Biaxial creep behaviors of stress-relieved and recrystallized thin-walled tubing of Ti-3Al-2.5V and Zircaloy-4 are considered under equal hoop and axial stresses by internal pressurization superimposed with axial load. Both hoop and axial strains were monitored and the ratio of the strain rate along the hoop to that along the axial directions is considered to represent the degree of anisotropy. In both of these alloys, relatively weak hoop direction in cold-worked stress-relieved (CWSR) materials became slightly stronger following recrystallization. Crystallographic texture was considered in terms of x-ray pole figures from which the crystallite orientation distribution functions (CODFs) were derived and crystal plasticity model with slip dominant on prism planes was combined with the CODFs to predict the creep anisotropy. While good correlation was noted for recrystallized materials, distinct deviations are observed for CWSR that are believed to arise from grain shape anisotropy. The relatively small (equiaxed) grain size along the hoop and radial directions results in grain boundary sliding leading to stress enhancements along these directions. This anisotropy in grain boundary sliding is shown to explain the observed deviations.
Evaluation of Fatigue Behavior of Ceramics Toughened by Grain Bridging Mechanism

Rotary bending fatigue and static fatigue tests were carried out for silicon nitride and silicon carbide ceramics at room temperature, with determining the fracture toughness values by SEVNB and SEPB methods. Two of the silicon nitride ceramics exhibit the great difference between the toughness values obtained from two methods, suggesting that there is a strong traction force in the propagating crack interface. From the observation of crack extension path, mechanisms of grain bridging and crack surface interlocking are concluded to be responsible for the strong traction. Materials, having a much greater SEPB toughness than that of SEVNB, exhibited considerable degradation in fatigue strength due to cyclic loads during rotary bending tests. This suggests that the damage in the crack surface causes degradation in fatigue strength. Analysis, assuming that cyclic loads affect the R-curve behavior, was consistent with the measured rotary bending fatigue behavior.
Effect of β-Aminopropionitrile and Ascorbate on Fibroblast Migration

Ascorbate and beta-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) have direct, but diverse affects on collagen matrix production. Ascorbate is necessary for the intracellular hydroxylation of prolyl and lysyl residues during collagen biosynthesis whereas BAPN inhibits the enzyme lysyl oxidase in the extracellular space thus preventing collagen crosslink formation. To study the influence of these two agents on fibroplasia, an in vitro model was used to analyze fibroblast migration, proliferation, and collagen synthesis. Biopsies of chicken tendon were covered with a fibrin clot to simulate an in vivo wound environment, and then they were exposed to either ascorbate or BAPN for up to 7 days. Fibroblast migration into the fibrin clot was measured using a Zeiss Mopp II planimeter, DNA synthesis by 125IUDR incorporation, and collagen synthesis by [3H]proline incorporation into collagenase-digestible protein. Tendon biopsies treated daily with fresh ascorbate (0.1 mM) had significantly greater fibroblast migration than controls without ascorbate (P less than 0.05). Cellular proliferation, collagen synthesis, and total protein synthesis were not significantly altered by ascorbate treatment. In contrast, BAPN inhibited fibroblast migration in a dose-dependent fashion without inhibiting proliferation (0.25 and 0.5 mM), collagen, and noncollagen protein synthesis. Therefore, the effect of BAPN on migration does not appear to be due to generalized cytotoxicity. These combined studies suggest that compounds such as ascorbate and BAPN which can modify collagen may also modify fibroblast migration.
System reliability of composite laminates

This paper investigates the ultimate strength failure probability of composite laminates. A probabilistic progressive failure model is proposed based on system reliability theory. In this model, the overall failure of the laminate is caused by a series of ply-level failure events, such as matrix cracking and fiber breakage, and the structural stiffness matrix is modified after each failure to simulate the laminate progressive failure process. The first-order reliability method (FORM) is employed to compute the failure probability of the plylevel events. The branch-and-bound technique is used to identify the significant failure sequences. The system failure probability is computed using reliability bounding techniques.
Urinary Kallikrein Excretion in Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome

The plasma kallikrein-kinin system, a potent vasodilator, has been implicated in causing the protein loss of the idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. However, the kidney possesses a kallikrein-kinin system separate from the plasma system. Thus, urinary kallikrein may reflect more accurately intrarenal events. Using a radiochemical esterolytic assay we measured the urinary kallikrein excretion in a patient with a minimal lesion nephrotic syndrome during relapse. Protein excretion was initially elevated (8.1 plus or minus 2.0 gm. per 24 hours) as was urinary kallikrein excretion (96.4 plus or minus 46.6 EU per 24 hours). After initiation of steroid therapy protein and kallikrein excretion decreased significantly (p less than 0.05). During the entire study kallikrein excretion was significantly correlated with protein excretion (r equals 0.89, p less than 0.01). It is tempting to speculate that activation of the intrarenal kallikrein-kinin system participates in the protein loss characteristic of the nephrotic syndrome.
MR imaging of thoracic lymph nodes. A comparison of computed tomography and positron emission tomography.

SUMMARY CT scanning has traditionally been the preferred imaging modality for the assessment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. The low sensitivity and specificity of CT scanning, however, has limited its usefulness in assessing nodal status. Despite this limitation, CT scanning still plays an important role by aiding the selection of the most appropriate procedure for staging purposes, guiding biopsy procedures, and providing anatomic information for visual correlation with FDG-PET images. Anatomic imaging with MR imaging has been shown to have accuracy comparable with CT scanning in assessing mediastinal lymph nodes. MR imaging, however, is more accurate than CT in the assessment of hilar lymph nodes. At present, anatomic imaging of lymph nodes with MR imaging should be considered a secondary, problem-solving tool for cases in which CT scanning is inconclusive. Advances in physiologic imaging of mediastinal lymph nodes with FDG-PET imaging have resulted in better diagnostic accuracy than obtained with anatomic imaging with CT scans or MR imaging. At present, an imaging strategy that employs both FDG-PET imaging and CT scanning appears to be the most accurate, noninvasive, and cost-effective means available for assessing nodal status in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Physiologic MR imaging with iron oxide is currently being assessed in clinical trials. Future studies are necessary to determine the clinical efficacy, accuracy, and cost effectiveness of this technique.
The Phase Behavior of Binary Lipid Monolayers as Determined by Surface Chemistry and IR Spectroscopy

We have applied both a classical surface thermodynamic analysis and quantitative IR spectroscopy to mixed monolayer films of phosphocholine (PC) and phosphoglycerol (PG) lipids in order to quantitatively describe the phase miscibility of these physiologically important species. The particular PC:PG binary mixtures were chosen to model the major components of mammalian pulmonary lung surfactant. The surface chemistry analysis revealed that saturated PC:PG mixtures were nearly ideal at all mole ratios studied, while the mixtures of saturated PC with unsaturated PG lipids were found to have positive deviations from ideality at all mole fractions studied, indicating phase-separated binary mixtures. We have also utilized Langmuir-Blodgett transfer methods, ATR-IR, and 31P NMR spectroscopy as a means of determining the surface composition of the phospholipids at varying surface pressures. Using these IR methods, we have found no evidence for the selective exclusion of any component from the interface, or the so-called “squeeze-out” of monolayer components.
Pose-guided human parsing by an and/or graph using pose-context features

Parsing human into semantic parts is crucial to human-centric analysis. In this paper, we propose a human parsing pipeline that uses pose cues, i.e., estimates of human joint locations, to provide pose-guided segment proposals for semantic parts. These segment proposals are ranked using standard appearance cues, deep-learned semantic feature, and a novel pose feature called pose-context. Then these proposals are selected and assembled using an And-Or graph to output a parse of the person. The And-Or graph is able to deal with large human appearance variability due to pose, choice of clothes, etc. We evaluate our approach on the popular Penn-Fudan pedestrian parsing dataset, showing that it significantly outperforms the state-of-the-arts, and perform diagnostics to demonstrate the effectiveness of different stages of our pipeline.
To Cough or Not to Cough? Examining the Potential Utility of Cough Testing in the Clinical Evaluation of Swallowing

Purpose The clinical swallowing evaluation (CSE) represents a critical component of a comprehensive assessment of deglutition. Although universally utilized across clinical settings, the CSE demonstrates limitations in its ability to accurately identify all individuals with dysphagia. There exists a need to improve assessment and screening techniques to improve health outcomes, treatment recommendations and ultimately mortality in individuals at risk for dysphagia. The following narrative review provides a summary of currently used validated CSE’s and examines the potential role of cough testing and screening in the CSE.
Use of Bladder Antimuscarinics in Older Adults with Impaired Cognition

Objective To examine the use of antimuscarinics for treating urinary incontinence (UI) in older adults with varying levels of cognition. Design Cross-sectional. Setting National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center from 2005 through 2015. Participants Community-dwelling men and women aged 65 and older (N = 24,106). Measurements Clinicians and staff evaluated each participant's dementia status during annual in-person assessments. Participants or their informants reported all medications taken in the 2 weeks before each study visit. Results Overall, 5.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.9–5.5%) of the cohort took a bladder antimuscarinic. Participants with impaired cognition were more likely to be taking an antimuscarinic than those with normal cognition. Rates of bladder antimuscarinic use were 4.0% (95% CI = 3.6–4.4%) for participants with normal cognition, 5.6% (95% CI = 4.9–6.3%) for those with mild cognitive impairment, and 6.0% (95% CI = 5.5–6.4%) for those with dementia (p < .001). Of 624 participants with dementia who took antimuscarinics, 16% (95% CI = 13–19%) were simultaneously taking other medicines with anticholinergic properties. Conclusion Use of bladder antimuscarinics was more common in older adults with impaired cognition than in those with normal cognition. This use is despite guidelines advising clinicians to avoid prescribing antimuscarinics in individuals with dementia because of their vulnerability to anticholinergic-induced adverse cognitive and functional effects. A substantial proportion of cognitively impaired individuals who took antimuscarinics were simultaneously taking other anticholinergic medications. These findings suggest a need to improve the treatment of UI in individuals with impaired cognition.
Brønsted acid-catalysed intramolecular hydroamination of unactivated alkenes: metal triflates as an in situ source of triflic acid

Hydroamination of alkenes or alkynes is one of the most straightforward methods to form C-N bonds and nitrogen-containing heterocycles. A simple Lewis acid Al(OTf)3 was found to be an effective precatalyst for the hydroamination of unactivated primary and secondary alkenylamines between 110 and 150 °C. Subsequent studies show that other metal triflates are also effective precatalysts for the hydroamination reactions. For metal triflate salts, mechanistic studies, including kinetics, are consistent with the in situ generation of triflic acid, which likely serves as the active catalyst.
Radiocarbon Evidence from Tell Abu en-Ni'aj and Tell el-Hayyat, Jordan, and Its Implications for Bronze Age Levantine and Egyptian Chronologies

Archaeological interpretation of the Levantine Bronze Age depends on a regional chronology based on material culture and settlement dynamics with presumed linkages to Egyptian political history. We discuss current radiocarbon sequences from Tell Abu en-Ni‘aj and Tell el-Hayyat in the northern Jordan Valley, Jordan that expand the traditional time range of the Early Bronze IV Period, contract the range of the Middle Bronze Age, and thereby call into question the chronological correlations and explanatory value of previously assumed linkages to the dynastic history of Egypt.
Management of acute liver failure

Acute liver failure (ALF) is defined as the sudden onset of coagulopathy (i.e. elevated INR) and mental status changes in a patient without preexisting liver disease. ALF is an uncommon disorder that can arise from a multitude of etiologies with acetaminophen (APAP) overdose accounting for nearly 50 % of adult cases in the US. The clinical course of ALF is highly variable but associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. All ALF patients with cerebral edema, renal failure, or an etiology that is associated with a low likelihood of spontaneous recovery should be urgently referred for emergency liver transplant evaluation. Aggressive hemodynamic support, mechanical intubation, preemptive treatment of bacterial and fungal infections, and use of disease specific therapy in selected patients is recommended. Cerebral edema, which is notoriously difficult to diagnose, may arise in 50–70 % of ALF patients due to hyperammonemia, high levels of circulating proinflammatory cytokines, and cerebral hyperperfusion. Administration of blood products along with recombinant factor VIIa can allow for the placement of an intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor in ALF patients with stage III or IV encephalopathy. ICP monitors allow intensivists to rationally administer osmotic agents (mannitol and hypertonic saline), vasopressors, and pentobarbital to maintain an adequate cerebral perfusion pressure. In summary, outcomes in ALF patients are largely determined by the etiology of ALF, maximal degree of encephalopathy, and development of multi-organ failure. ICU interventions can help support native liver recovery and also help bridge patients with progressive ALF to emergency liver transplantation.
5-Methyl­pyrazine-2-carboxamide

The title compound, C6H7N3O, is nearly planar, with a dihedral angle of 2.14 (11)° between the pyrazine ring and the mean plane of the carboxamide group [C—C(=O)—N]. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked via pairs of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds forming inversion dimers with an R22(8) ring motif. These dimers are further linked by a pair of N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, enclosing an R22(10) ring motif, and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming ribbons lying parallel to the ab plane. The ribbons are linked by offset π–π inter­actions [inter­centroid distance = 3.759 (1) A], forming two sets of mutually perpendicular slabs parallel to planes (110) and (1-10).
Demographic differences in and correlates of perceived body image discrepancy among urban adolescent girls: a cross-sectional study

Understanding factors related to girls’ body image discrepancy, which is the difference between self-perceived current or actual and ideal body size, is important for addressing body-related issues and preventing adverse sequelae. Two aims were to: 1) examine demographic differences in body image discrepancy; and 2) determine the association of body image discrepancy with weight status, percent body fat, physical activity, sedentary behavior, and cardiovascular (CV) fitness among young adolescent girls. The cross-sectional study included a secondary analysis of baseline data from a group randomized controlled trial including 1519 5th–8th grade girls in 24 U.S. schools. Girls completed physical activity and sedentary behavior surveys. To indicate perceived current/actual and ideal body image, girls selected from nine body figures the one that represented how they look now and another showing how they want to look. Girls wore accelerometers measuring physical activity. Height, weight, and percent body fat were assessed. The Progressive Aerobic CV Endurance Run was used to estimate CV fitness. Independent t-test, one- and two-way ANOVA, correlational analyses, and hierarchical linear regressions were performed. The majority (67.5%; n = 1023) chose a smaller ideal than current/actual figure. White girls had higher body image discrepancy than Black girls (p = .035). Body image discrepancy increased with increasing weight status (F3,1506 = 171.32, p < .001). Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity were negatively correlated with body image discrepancy (r = −.10, p < .001; r = −.14, p < .001, respectively), but correlations were not significant after adjusting for race and body mass index (BMI), respectively. Body image discrepancy was moderately correlated with CV fitness (r = −.55, p < .001). After adjusting for demographics, percent body fat, but not CV fitness or MVPA, influenced body image discrepancy. Girls with higher percent body fat had higher body image discrepancy (p < .001). This study provided important information to guide interventions for promoting a positive body image among girls. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01503333 , registration date: January 4, 2012.
'A more perfect arrangement of plants': the botanical model in psychiatric nosology, 1676 to the present day

Psychiatric classification remains a complex endeavour; since the Enlightenment, nosologists have made use of various models and metaphors to describe their systems. Here we present the most common model, botanical taxonomy, and trace its history from the nosologies of Sydenham, Sauvages and Linnaeus; to evolutionary models; to the later contributions of Hughlings-Jackson, Kraepelin and Jaspers. Over time, there has been a shift from explicit attempts to pattern disease classification on botanical systems, to a more metaphorical use. We find that changes in the understanding of plants and plant relationships parallel changes in the conceptualization of mental illness. Not only have scientific discoveries influenced the use of metaphor, but the language of metaphor has also both illuminated and constrained psychiatric nosology.
Machine Learning for Feature-Based Analytics

Applying machine learning in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) has received growing interests in recent years. One approach to analyze data in EDA applications can be called feature-based analytics. In this context, the paper explains the inadequacy of adopting a traditional machine learning problem formulation view. Then, an alternative machine learning view is suggested where learning from data is treated as an iterative search process. The theoretical and practical considerations for implementing such a search process are discussed in the context of various applications.
The Distribution of Romantic Life in Erasmus Darwin’s Later Works

ABSTRACTThis essay explores what Romantic theories of life offer to the environmental humanities and the problem of agency. It explores the turn in Erasmus Darwin’s later works toward a distributed model of organic agency and against the commitment to epigenesis featured in The Botanic Garden (1789–91) and Zoonomia (1794). Taking up Darwin’s discussion of elective affinity in Phytologia (1800), and its influence on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s 1809 novel, Die Verwandshaften, I explore the implication of Darwin’s analysis of the ontology of life for current debates over the distribution of agency and responsibility in the Anthropocene, with particular reference to Donna Haraway’s “sympoeisis,” Jane Bennett’s material ecologies, and Bruno Latour’s secular Gaia. Finally, the article explores how this distribution of organic agency conditions the poetics of The Temple of Nature (1803), and revises the cosmogony of Darwin’s earlier poetry.
Vestibular rehabilitation for migraine-associated dizziness.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a vestibular rehabilitation program on patients with the diagnosis of migraine-associated dizziness. Subjects were placed in four groups as follows: idiopathic migraine-associated dizziness; idiopathic migraineassociated dizziness and associated benign positional vertigo; posttraumatic migraine-associated dizziness; and posttraumatic migraine-associated dizziness and benign positional vertigo. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy was administered to all patients. Criterion measurements included the dizziness handicap inventory, activities-specific balance confidence scale, computerized dynamic posturography performance, and dynamic gait index. After vestibular physical therapy, all subjects showed significant improvement in the dizziness handicap, activities-specific balance confidence, dynamic gait, and computerized dynamic posturography measures. Patients with migraine-associated dizziness can benefit from physical therapy intervention. The results of this study are important in considering the approach to vertiginous migraine patients with and without head injury
von Willebrand disease: a database of point mutations, insertions, and deletions. For the Consortium on von Willebrand Factor Mutations and Polymorphisms, and the Subcommittee on von Willebrand Factor of the Scientific and Standardization Committee of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Abstract The current system for the diagnosis and classification of von Willebrand disease (vWD) is quite complex, with more than 20 distinct variants described. Over the past few years considerable progress has been made toward an understanding of vWD at the molecular level. A small cluster of mutations within the vWF A1 homologous repeat appears responsible for over 90% of type IIB vWD. A similar cluster of mutations in the vWF A2 homologous repeat accounts for the majority of type IIA vWD. By RFLP analysis, several type II vWD mutations have been shown to be recurrent on distinct haplotype backgrounds, suggesting independent genetic origins (see accompanying manuscript for a complete list of known polymorphisms). Several mutations at the N-terminus of the mature vWF subunit have been identified in association with abnormal factor VIII binding. Homozygotes for this abnormal vWF present with a hemophilia-like phenotype that is autosomal recessive in inheritance. In a small subset of patients with type III vWD large gene deletions have been identified on one or both vWF alleles. Carriers heterozygous for a deleted locus and one normal vWF gene are generally asymptomatic. Nonsense mutations and other defects resulting in loss of vWF mRNA expression from one allele have also been associated with a recessive type III vWD phenotype. No distinct molecular defect responsible for classic type I vWD has yet been defined.
Genetic ecotoxicology II: population genetic structure in mosquitofish exposed in situ to radionuclides

In 1977, approximately 250 mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) from a relatively uncontaminated site (Crystal Springs) were transplanted into a small pond on the Department of Energy Oak Ridge Reservation which is heavily contaminated with radionuclides (Pond 3513). Starting in 1992, DNA polymorphism was evaluated using the RAPD (Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA) and allozyme genotype techniques to determine if genetic differentiation had occurred between the two populations. Fish from a second radionuclide-contaminated population (White Oak Lake) and another unrelated non-contaminated population (Wolf Creek) were also examined. For the RAPD analyes, 15 RAPD primers (from a total of 40) were found to produce polymorphic banding patterns in at least two of the four populations and subsequently were used to produce a total of 142 bands. Data generated by these RAPD primers indicated an increased genetic diversity in radionuclide-contaminated sites relative to reference sites. Furthermore, the patterns from six RAPD primers produced a higher average number of bands when using DNA from radionuclide- contaminated populations than from non-contaminated, and for three RAPD primers the average number of bands from radionuclide- contaminated populations was lower. In addition, 17 bands occurred at a higher frequency in the radionuclide-contaminated compared to the non-contaminated populations. For the allozyme analyses, it was found that there was a higher percentage of polymorphism and heterozygosity in the radionuclide-contaminated relative to non-contaminated sites. These findings contribute to our understanding of the evolutionary effects of contaminant exposure as well as to the development of population-level biomarkers
Multi-Hop Coflow Routing and Scheduling in Data Centers

Communication in data centers often involves many parallel flows that all share the same performance goal. A useful abstraction, coflow, is proposed to express the communication requirements of prevalent data parallel paradigms. The multiple coflow routing and scheduling problem faces challenges when deriving a good theoretical performance ratio because coexisting coflows will compete for the same network resources such as link bandwidths. In this paper, we focus on the coflow problem in the most popular data center infrastructure: the Leaf-Spine topology. We first formulate the problem and study the path selection issue on this two-tier structure. In order to minimize the average coflow completion time (CCT), we propose a Multi- hop Coflow Routing and Scheduling strategy (MCRS) for inter-coflows and intra-coflows and prove that our method has a reasonably good competitive ratio. Extensive experiments show that MCRS outperforms other state-of- art schemes.
The Color of Justice without Prejudice: Youth, Race, and Crime in the Case of the Harlem Six

In its time, the case of the Harlem Six captured national headlines; yet, its significance escapes the public memory and record of many today. Ignited by the 1964 death of a white shopkeeper in Harlem, the case and its subsequent events resonated across the United States as black youth encounters with the carceral state influenced public discourse on youth, race, and crime. This article recovers the experiences of the Harlem Six to demonstrate how by the 1960s constructions of youth criminality were reestablished as a racial problem that required state intervention and punitive responses. As New York City officials authorized anticrime laws such as “stop-and-frisk” and “no-knock,” which contributed to higher arrest rates in predominantly black communities, it was the youths who bore the brunt of inordinate policing. For the Harlem Six, in particular, their narrative reveals the overwhelming power of the state and attests to the firmness of race as a crucial determinant in American notions of crime and delinquency.
History and Future of Automated Vulnerability Analysis

The software upon which our modern society operates is riddled with security vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities allow hackers access to our sensitive data and make our system insecure. To identify vulnerabilities in software, human experts, or vulnerability researchers, are employed. These human experts are quite expensive. And, more fundamentally, human experts cannot analyze every change made to every piece of software (any of which could introduce a security vulnerability). Therefore, automated vulnerability analysis techniques were developed to automatically perform the process of identifying security vulnerabilities in software systems. These tools attempt to democratize the vulnerability analysis process: allowing any developer to identify vulnerabilities in their software automatically, thus finding such vulnerabilities before a malicious hacker. In this keynote, I will discuss the history of automated vulnerability analysis, from both the binary and the web perspective. Binary fuzzing and black-box web application vulnerability analysis have many aspects in common, yet are often thought of separately. From this, I will discuss the future of automated vulnerability analysis, and how we can achieve the effectiveness of a human vulnerability researcher.
One-Size-Fits-None: A Heuristic for Proactive Value Sensitive Environmental Design

This article advocates for a contrasting Value Sensitive Design (VSD) framework based on principles of environmental justice, which encourages environmental-sensing wearable developers to make thei...
Simplifying Transactional Memory Support in C

C++ has supported a provisional version of Transactional Memory (TM) since 2015, via a technical specification. However, TM has not seen widespread adoption, and compiler vendors have been slow to implement the technical specification. We conjecture that the proposed TM support is too difficult for programmers to use, too complex for compiler designers to implement and verify, and not industry-proven enough to justify final standardization in its current form.To address these problems, we present a different design for supporting TM in C++. By forbidding explicit self-abort, and by introducing an executor-based mechanism for running transactions, our approach makes it easier for developers to get code up and running with TM. Our proposal should also be appealing to compiler developers, as it allows a spectrum of levels of support for TM, with varying performance, and varying reliance on hardware TM support in order to provide scalability.While our design does not enable some of the optimizations admitted by the current technical specification, we show that it enables the implementation of robust support for TM in a small, orthogonal compiler extension. Our implementation is able to handle a wide range of transactional programs, delivering low instrumentation overhead and scalability and performance on par with the current state of the art. Based on this experience, we believe our approach to be a viable means of reinvigorating the standardization of TM in C++.
Ureteroileal anastomosis. Comparison of Wallace and Bricker techniques.

Abstract Two methods of ureteroileal anastomoses are compared and contrasted. Our experience at the Squier Urological Clinic using these two techniques indicated that the Wallace-type anastomosis provides a lower incidence of ureteroileal stenosis and complications at the ureteroileal junction in comparison with the Bricker method, especially when dealing with normal caliber ureters.
Logics of representation in structured data graphs

Whether used to represent census facts about a country, the social hierarchies of a community, or the tonal contours of a photograph, structured data graphs have become a powerfully generic means for calculating and optimizing collective significance in the world. In the proposed paper, my interest is in critically reading structured data graphs as forms of mediation; to understand how their formal and calculative dimensions organize and configure our collective semiotic relationship to things, and to one another. I elaborate three types of data graph in the paper, briefly laying out their philosophical and social-theoretical precursors. In the case of knowledge graphs like Wolfram Alpha or DBPedia, I show how representation is based on modeling existing things or objects in a domain of discourse as entities formatted to suit the algebraic logic of Charles Sanders Peirce, generating what I call a logistically formatted subject. In the case of social graphs like Facebook and Twitter, emphasis falls more on interpersonal affinity, conversational turn-taking, and what the philosophers JL Austin and John Searle called illocutionary force, setting the terms of social individuation and production as performatively formatted. Finally, in the case of predictive-analytic graphs that underpin current thinking in AI research, conceptual focus has shifted to empirical experimentation around asignifying pattern-matching techniques, often styled as neuronal signaling, resulting in what I call a signaletically formatted subject. Overlapping and reinforcing one another in practice, I separate the three styles as an analytic exercise to show that at the heart of each lies some articulation between the diagrammatic, formal-semiotic possibilities of graph theory (and importantly, information theory) at the level of computation, and some appealing, collectively rational account of interaction through signs, which establishes sociality at the level of user affordance.
Updates on ophthalmic imaging features of optic disc drusen, papilledema, and optic disc edema.

Purpose of review Optic nerve head elevation can be associated with vision loss. This review provides an update regarding key features of optic disc drusen (ODD) compared with papilledema from increased intracranial pressure and optic disc edema from other causes. Recent findings Clinical history and funduscopic examination are not sufficient to correctly diagnose different causes of optic nerve head elevation. Multimodal ophthalmic imaging is noninvasive and should be used as first-line diagnostic testing to distinguish optic disc edema or papilledema from pseudoedema. Advanced ophthalmic imaging, including enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) and autofluorescence imaging, can visualize ODD at high resolution and determine whether there is optic disc edema. OCT angiography does not require contrast and can rapidly visualize papillary, peripapillary, and macular microvasculature and identify important vascular biomarker of ischemia and, potentially, visual prognosis. Summary Multimodal ophthalmic imaging can help in the diagnosis of ODD and optic disc edema and identify patients at high risk of vision loss and neurological issues in order to ensure appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
Felling trees, furthering malaria: links between deforestation and disease in developing nations

Malaria represents a leading illness and cause of death throughout areas of the Global South. Since malaria is transmitted through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito, environmental conditions are paramount in understanding malaria vulnerabilities. A burgeoning area of research connects anthropogenic deforestation and subsequent land-use changes to the expansion of mosquito habitats and malaria outbreaks. This paper explores those literatures, and also examines the drivers of deforestation in the Global South to demonstrate how population pressures, agricultural production, and rural migration patterns underlie motivations for deforestation and land transformation in poorer countries.
SGS1-SuOff rescues the mild methylmethane sulfonate sensitivity of srs2Δ cells in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Sgs1p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae belongs to the RecQ helicase family. Sgs1p is involved in recombination during DNA damage repair and sumoylation of Sgs1p is one mechanism by which the protein is regulated. To further understand the significance of Sgs1p sumoylation in DNA damage repair, we examined the genetic interaction between SGS1 SUMO mutants and a mutant of SRS2, the protein product of which also prevents aberrant recombination structures. We observed that SGS1-SuOff, a mutant in which Sgs1p cannot be sumoylated, attenuates the mild sensitivity of srs2Δcells to methyl methane sulfonate.
A Comparison of Lighting Energy Modeling Methods to Simulate Annual Energy Use and Peak Demand

AbstractTwo simulation methods were developed to model the lighting energy use for a real office building and the results of those simulations were compared to submetered lighting energy data from that building. Three deterministic schedules and six stochastic first-order Markov-models were used to assess annual lighting energy density and peak demand density at both the office-level and the building-level. The stochastic simulations, which apply only to the private offices, resulted in much lower annual energy density and peak demand density predictions due to interactions of users with the lighting and shade controls, and widely different daily use profiles. For the whole-building simulations, comparing all three deterministic schedules resulted in an inverse relationship between peak demand density and annual energy density; the closest correlation with the submetered data was found through the most building-specific but least empirically-vetted schedule-based simulation.
Curriculum Development in Interorganizational Coordination.

Abstract Reduced financial support and increased service demand have led many human service administrators to undertake coordination activities with other organizations in order to maintain services for clients. Many social work administrators have little understanding of interorganizational theory and techniques. This paper suggests, from a political economy perspective, that interorganizational theory and practice skills should be further developed in the social work administration curriculum. As a step in this direction, the paper first identifies key interorganizational concepts and research. Factors crucial to successful coordination are then summarized, and strategies for promoting successful coordination are detailed, with attention to benefits and costs of each strategy. Finally, the paper describes several alternative ways to integrate interorganizational content in the social work administration classroom and field placement.
Endogenously released ACh and exogenous nicotine differentially facilitate long-term potentiation induction in the hippocampal CA1 region of mice.

We examined the role of α7- and β2-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP). Theta-burst stimulation (TBS), mimicking the brain's naturally occurring theta rhythm, induced robust LTP in hippocampal slices from α7 and β2 knockout mice. This suggests TBS is capable of inducing LTP without activation of α7- or β2-containing nAChRs. However, when weak TBS was applied, the modulatory effects of nicotinic receptors on LTP induction became visible. We showed that during weak TBS, activation of α7 nAChRs occurs by the release of ACh, contributing to LTP induction. Additionally, bath-application of nicotine activated β2-containing nAChRs to promote LTP induction. Despite predicted nicotine-induced desensitization, synaptically mediated activation of α7 nAChRs still occurs in the presence of nicotine and contributed to LTP induction. Optical recording of single-stimulation-evoked excitatory activity with a voltage-sensitive dye revealed enhanced excitatory activity in the presence of nicotine. This effect of nicotine was robust during high frequency stimulation, and was accompanied by enhanced burst excitatory postsynaptic potentials. Nicotine-induced enhancement of excitatory activity was observed in slices from α7 knockout mice, but was absent in β2 knockout mice. These results suggest that the nicotine-induced enhancement of excitatory activity is mediated by β2-containing nAChRs, and is related to the nicotine-induced facilitation of LTP induction. Thus, our study demonstrates that the activation of α7-and β2-containing nAChRs differentially facilitates LTP induction via endogenously released ACh and exogenous nicotine, respectively, in the hippocampal CA1 region of mice.
Integrated fluxes for emission lines in the ultraviolet spectra of several planetary nebulae

The IUE satellite observatory was used to obtain absolutely-calibrated emission line fluxes for diagnostic lines of multiply-ionized C, N, O, Si, Ne, and Ar which occur in the ultraviolet spectral region of planetary nebulae. These data, when combined with data from the blue, visual, and near infrared, provide improved estimates of ionic concentrations, plasma temperatures and densities, and elemental abundances.