cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Young-Onset Rapidly Progressive Dementia (P1.331)

Objective: A case report of a young man with rapidly progressive dementia with a positive 14-3-3 brain protein, abnormal PET-FDG brain imaging and literature review of FDG-PET imaging in patients with presumed Cruetzfield-Jakob Disease. Background: The use of PET-FDG imaging has been suggested to provide an additional modality in diagnosing Prion disease, Limbic Encephalitis and Alzheimer’s disease. A patient’s metabolism of FDG is compared to that of the average person’s metabolism, generated from a database comprised of patients above 50 years old, typical of the epidemiology of the diseases above. The body of case reports of young men with signs and symptoms clinically similar to the diseases mentioned above whom have undergone PET-FDG imaging is limited. Methods: This is a single case report and literature review of a young man with progressive cognitive dysfunction found to have a normal electroencephalogram, an abnormal metabolism PET-FDG imaging and positive 14-3-3 protein consistent with presumed Cruetzfield-Jakob Disease. Results: A 32 year old Gambian man who suffered a motor vehicle accident 6 months prior to presentation demonstrates rapidly progressive dementia, mood behavior changes, headache, seizures, right sided ptosis, left extremity weakness and left arm intention tremor. He was referred to our institution for higher level of care, where he underwent a lumbar puncture, EEG, MRI brain imaging and PET-FDG imaging. A brain biopsy was refused by the patient’s family. The patient’s 14-3-3 CSF count was elevated at >100ng/mL ( nl<1.5ng/mL), a neuronal specific enolase at 10.3ng/mL (nl<10.8 ng/mL), a negative paraneoplastic and autoimmune antibody panel, an MRI brain revealing non-specific T2-hyperintensities and mesiotemporal hypometabolism on PET-FDG brain imaging. A presumptive diagnosis of CJD was made. Conclusion: PET-FDG imaging may show signs of prion disease earlier than that of other brain imaging. Disclosure: Dr. Wallman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Branson has nothing to disclose. Dr. McGeeney has received personal compensation for activities with Pfizer, Lilly, Ortho-McNeil, Endo International, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Pricara, PRI-MED and Primary Care Network.
Catch 22: a case of incessant ventricular tachycardia post-left ventricular assist device resulting in right ventricular failure, left ventricular cavity obliteration and failure of endocardial ventricular tachycardia ablation

Ventricular tachycardia (VT) in the setting of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy has been well described. We present a case of incessant ventricular tachycardia resulting in severe right ventricular (RV) failure and subsequent left ventricular (LV) cavity obliteration, which in turn diminished the feasibility of initial attempt at VT ablation.
Documented variations of extensor digitorum attachments: the new normal

Findings associated with the presented case study combined with subsequent additional cadaver dissections confirmed that the extensor digiti minimi is significantly more common as the sole extensor of the 5th digit and the extensor digitorum has minimal or no direct contribution to the extensor mechanism of the 5th digit. These findings are contrary to what most textbooks have discussed and therefore contrary to what is commonly taught in most anatomy curriculums. These cadaverific observations represent a more common dorsal extrinsic muscle tendon arrangement which is of particular importance when corrective surgical procedures are indicated.
Systems Engineering Baseline Concept of a Multispectral Drone Detection Solution for Airports

The baseline concept for a multispectral drone detection (MSDD) system for use in airports is generated. The baseline development process is based on a modified system of systems architecting with ilities (SAI) method. The solution uses multiple independent sensors, which when the sensor outputs are combined, provide functionality that the individual systems were never intended to provide. Also, several sensors are pre-existing and have their own funding, operations, and management. The problem of drone detection is described and examples are given, which justify the need for the system. Then the specific need for airport protection is described. The result is a feasible baseline design that is capable of meeting the need.
The Influence of Social Norms on Korean Wives’ Intention to Talk with Their Husbands about the Equal Division of Housework

ABSTRACTCurrently, Korean males see the equal division of housework more positively than in the past. However, a large gap still exists between the attitude and the actual behaviour of the equal am...
Efficient Video Browsing

People can browse text documents very quickly and efficiently. A user can find, within seconds, a relevant document from a dozen retrieved items listed on a screen. On the other hand, browsing of multiple audio and video documents could be very time-consuming. Even the task of browsing a single one-hour video to find a relevant segment might take considerable time. Different visualization methods have been developed over the years to assist video browsing. This chapter covers several such methods, including storyboards, animation, slide shows, audio speedup, and adaptive accelerating fast playback. These views are integrated into a video search and retrieval system. A synchronized browser allows the user to switch views while keeping the context. The results of a usability study about audio speedup in different views are presented.
Adapting the Elixhauser comorbidity index for cancer patients.

Background This study was designed to adapt the Elixhauser comorbidity index for 4 cancer-specific populations (breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal) and compare 3 versions of the Elixhauser comorbidity score (individual comorbidities, summary comorbidity score, and cancer-specific summary comorbidity score) with 3 versions of the Charlson comorbidity score for predicting 2-year survival with 4 types of cancer. Methods This cohort study used Texas Cancer Registry-linked Medicare data from 2005 to 2011 for older patients diagnosed with breast (n = 19,082), prostate (n = 23,044), lung (n = 26,047), or colorectal cancer (n = 16,693). For each cancer cohort, the data were split into training and validation cohorts. In the training cohort, competing risk regression was used to model the association of Elixhauser comorbidities with 2-year noncancer mortality, and cancer-specific weights were derived for each comorbidity. In the validation cohort, competing risk regression was used to compare 3 versions of the Elixhauser comorbidity score with 3 versions of the Charlson comorbidity score. Model performance was evaluated with c statistics. Results The 2-year noncancer mortality rates were 14.5% (lung cancer), 11.5% (colorectal cancer), 5.7% (breast cancer), and 4.1% (prostate cancer). Cancer-specific Elixhauser comorbidity scores (c = 0.773 for breast cancer, c = 0.772 for prostate cancer, c = 0.579 for lung cancer, and c = 0.680 for colorectal cancer) performed slightly better than cancer-specific Charlson comorbidity scores (ie, the National Cancer Institute combined index; c = 0.762 for breast cancer, c = 0.767 for prostate cancer, c = 0.578 for lung cancer, and c = 0.674 for colorectal cancer). Individual Elixhauser comorbidities performed best (c = 0.779 for breast cancer, c = 0.783 for prostate cancer, c = 0.587 for lung cancer, and c = 0.687 for colorectal cancer). Conclusions The cancer-specific Elixhauser comorbidity score performed as well as or slightly better than the cancer-specific Charlson comorbidity score in predicting 2-year survival. If the sample size permits, using individual Elixhauser comorbidities may be the best way to control for confounding in cancer outcomes research. Cancer 2018;124:2018-25. © 2018 American Cancer Society.
The Brauer Group of a Commutative Ring

The Brauer group Br(R) of a commutative ring was introduced by Auslander and Goldman in their 1960 paper The Brauer Group of a Commutative Ring, building on earlier work of Azumaya. This group coincides with the “classical” Brauer group (cf. Chapter 4) in the case when R is a field. One of the points of extending the theory to rings is that one can relate Brauer groups of fields to Brauer groups of related rings in exact sequences; one then hopes that this will help compute the classical Brauer group. The Brauer group of a commutative ring is also part of a Galois theory of commutative rings. For more on these matters, the reader may consult Galois Theory and Cohomology of Commutative Rings by Chase, Harrison and Rosenberg, The Brauer Group of Commutative Rings by Orzech and Small, Separable Algebras Over Commutative Rings by DeMeyer and Ingraham, or the paper of Auslander and Goldman quoted above.
Memetic Diagnosis, Memetic Assessment and Biopsychosocial Epigenetic Formulation

Memetic diagnosis should be accompanied by a thorough memetic assessment of the patient that includes the early memetic environment, potential gene x meme interaction in childhood, early and recent imitation figures, and recent infusion of stress memes. What memetic diagnosis implies, in addition to the meaning of the memes collected, is the fact that the memes have replicated to become a problem. Thus, it is necessary to identify the cause of the replication as well as to treat the process of replication. The cause of the replication may be (1) imitation and/or empathy, (2) large influx of new memes, (3) replication of dormant resident memes due to either weakening of the dominant memes or new memes augmenting the resident ones, and (4) combination of any of the above, potentially causing a final common pathway dysregulation of the brain. Epigenetic formulation involves the interaction between genes and memes through development, with particular attention to significant stresses and nurturing in early life and recent stresses and social support. These are the factors that may have augmented vulnerability genes and attenuated resilience genes or vice versa, resulting in syndromic mental illness, neurotic traits, or mental health. In this chapter, I briefly describe how memetic assessment should be made, how priming factors and role models should be considered in the biopsychosocial formulation, and anticipate some new methods and techniques that need to be developed to further this aim.
Emergent Network of Systems Implication for System Design

This work builds on previous work that applied social network analysis tools and methods to networks of systems to gain a better understanding of how these systems interoperate to provide value to their stakeholders. Within the Department of Defense (DoD), and systems engineering at large, systems are more interconnected and dependent upon one another for functionality. However, traditional systems engineering and architecture tools and methods are not equipped to handle the hundreds of systems with thousands of connections in these emergent networks of systems. Previous work applied social network analysis to better understand the interoperability and versatility, two systems engineering ilities, of individual systems within these networks of systems. Additionally, other work in this area found that these ilities, along with several others, are essential in understanding why the DoD makes the decision to extend the life of a system versus retire the system on time. The next step to further this research is to identify and understand the implications for designing systems and ensuring they can operate in these complex networks of systems that emerge over time. This paper examines how the insights gained from previous work can apply to the design of systems to incorporate these ilities early in the system lifecycle. It also examines how system design can incorporate the findings of the application of social network analysis to networks of systems. It is important to accept that future systems will operate in a network of diverse systems and understand how the addition of a new system would affect the overall network of systems. At the network level, will a new system improve or degrade the overall performance of the network? Does a new system increase or decrease the reliability of the overall network? Does the new system introduce additional risk or vulnerabilities to the overall network of systems? Systems engineers should consider these types of questions as they design systems that will fit within a network of systems to provide value to its stakeholders. This paper proposes that these types of considerations should be included in the design process; however, it does not go as far as to model the potential impacts of these types of designs on networks of systems. Future work could expand this research by examining historical design process that took similar approached to incorporate the ilities, or nonfunctional attributes, into consideration when designing a system. Additionally, future work could model the effect of the introduction of a new system into the network to determine which designs improve performance, add complexity to the network, increase reliability, or introduce vulnerabilities into the network.
Incentive-Based Pricing for Network Games with Complete and Incomplete Information

We introduce the concept of nonlinear pricing within the context of our previous Stackelberg network game model and view the Internet Service Provider’s (ISP’s) policy as an incentive policy, and the underlying game as a reverse Stackelberg game. We study this incentive-design problem under complete information as well as incomplete information. In both cases, we show that the game is not generally incentive controllable (that is, there may not exist pricing policies that would lead to attainment of a Pareto-optimal solution), but it is ɛ-incentive controllable (that is, the ISP can induce a behavior on the users that is arbitrarily close to a Pareto-optimal solution). The paper also includes a comparative study of the solutions under linear and nonlinear pricing policies, illustrated by numerical computations.
Color Doppler Duplex Ultrasound Parameters in Men Without Organic Erectile Dysfunction.

Abstract Objective To define age-specific normal Color Doppler Duplex Ultrasound (CDDU) parameters based on a large institutional database of men referred for vascular erectile testing, but found to have normal and sustained rigidity following penile injection of alprostadil. Methods A retrospective review of patients who underwent CDDU from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2014 was conducted. The indications for CDDU assessments included complaint of erectile dysfunction refractory to PDE-5 inhibitors, new-onset penile curvature, or secondary consultation for erectile dysfunction. Pearson correlation test was used to evaluate the association between ordinal age groups with peak systolic velocity (PSV) and resistive index (RI) measurements to determine the effect of age on erectile response. Results A total of 2043 patients underwent CDDU from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2014. 259 patients (12.7%) with a mean age 53.7 and a mean BMI of 27.2 were noted to have normal erectile rigidity and normal Doppler parameters (PSV >35 cm/s, RI >0.90). Prolonged erection, defined by need to inject phenylephrine reversal agent at 1-2 hours, occurred in 93% of patients. When age was categorized by decade, a negative correlation coefficient was obtained for previsual sexual stimulation PSV (−0.09, P = .164) and postvisual sexual stimulation PSV (−0.23, P = .005). Conclusion In men with normal vascular erections there appears to be a significant, age-related decline in postvisual sexual stimulation PSV without compromise to cavernous venous occlusion as measured by RI. We have used Doppler parameters in patients without vascular ED to define age-specific normalcy.
Validation of the Expressions of Moral Injury Scale-Military version-Short Form

Military personnel may encounter morally injurious events that lead to emotional, social, and spiritual suffering that transcend and/or overlap with mental health diagnoses (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]). Advancement of scientific research and potential clinical innovation for moral injury (MI) requires a diversity of measurement approaches. Drawing on results from the bifactor model in Currier et al.'s (2017) psychometric evaluation of the Expressions of Moral Injury Scale-Military version (EMIS-M), this study validated a four-item short form of the instrument with two samples of veterans with a history of war-zone service. Namely, despite the reduced number of items, the EMIS-M-Short Form (SF) yielded favourable internal consistency and comparable levels of convergent validity with theoretically related constructs (e.g., PTSD and struggles with morality and ultimate meaning) as the full-length version. Notwithstanding the possible utility of distinguishing between self- and other-directed forms of MI, factor analytic results further revealed that the EMIS-M-SF was best conceptualized with a unidimensional factorial model that might allow for a general assessment of MI-related outcomes. Overall, these initial results suggest that the EMIS-M-SF may hold promise as a short, reliable, and valid assessment of overall outcomes related to a possible MI.
The Optimal Forest Management of an Even-Aged Stand: The Biological Rotation versus the Land Expectation Value

This 4-page fact sheet written by Andres Susaeta and Chris Demers and published by the UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation provides a guide for forest landowners, managers, and stakeholders in conducting a valuation of timber investments. It reviews and provides examples of two different approaches for determining the optimal rotation age of even-aged forest stands. These methods can help forest landowners and managers in making forestry investment decisions. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr424
Classification Trees as Proxies

In data analysis, when data are unattainable, it is common to select a closely related attribute as a proxy. But sometimes substitution of one attribute for another is not sufficient to satisfy the needs of the analysis. In these cases, a classification model based on one dataset can be investigated as a possible proxy for another closely related domain's dataset. If the model's structure is sufficient to classify data from the related domain, the model can be used as a proxy tree. Such a proxy tree also provides an alternative characterization of the related domain. Just as important, if the original model does not successfully classify the related domain data the domains are not as closely related as believed. This paper presents a methodology for evaluating datasets as proxies along with three cases that demonstrate the methodology and the three types of results.
Glans ischemia following inflatable penile prosthesis surgery

We present a case report of acute glans ischemia in a patient with significant vascular comorbidities following insertion of an inflatable penile prosthesis for erectile dysfunction. In this report, we pictorially display the physical exam findings that led to prompt diagnosis and discuss the importance of early device explantation (within 24 hours) to prevent glandular tissue loss.
Authors' reply: Outbreak of COVID-19 - an urgent need for good science to silence our fears?

The author (polemic in response to) thanks J Finsterer for his comments and concludes it is possible that subsequent reports of COVID-19-associated neurol manifestations may emerge as the pandemic evolves
The paradox of the tight spiral pass in American football: A simple resolution

An American football is a rotationally symmetric object, which, when well-thrown, spins rapidly around its symmetry axis. In the absence of aerodynamic effects, the football would be a torque-free gyroscope and the symmetry/spin axis would remain pointing in a fixed direction in space as the football moved on its parabolic path. When a pass is well-thrown through the atmosphere, however, the symmetry axis remains—at least approximately—tangent to the path of motion. The rotation of the symmetry axis must be due to aerodynamic torque; yet, that torque, at first glance, would seem to have precisely the opposite effect. Here, we explain the action of aerodynamics on the ball's orientation at second glance.
Conceptual, empirical, and practical problems with the claim that intolerance, prejudice, and discrimination are equivalent on the political left and right

Proponents of the ‘ideological symmetry thesis’ claim that liberals and conservatives are equally prejudiced — but against different groups. Whereas conservatives are said to be more prejudiced against ‘left-leaning’ groups (such as racial, religious, and sexual minorities), liberals are said to be prejudiced against ‘right-leaning’ groups (such as racial, religious, and sexual majorities). We identify several problems with scholarship in this area: (1) evidence for ideological symmetry with respect to intolerance, prejudice, and discrimination is unconvincing; (2) it is based on shaky conceptual foundations, including a problematic definition of prejudice; and (3) the ideological symmetry hypothesis is contradicted by much of what we know about intergroup relations in society. For instance, in the U.S, FBI hate crime statistics — cataloguing violent crimes motivated by race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity — show that members of racial/ethnic minority groups (African Americans, Latinx, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and mixed race individuals) are dozens of times more likely to be victims of hate crimes than European Americans, adjusting for population base rates. Muslims are dozens of times more likely and Jews are hundreds of times more likely than Christians to be victims. LGBTQ people are thousands of times more likely to be victimized than heterosexuals. After considering several interpretations of these and related facts, we conclude that twentieth century theories of authoritarianism, prejudice, and ideological asymmetry account for the totality of evidence much better than recent theories stressing moral and ideological equivalence.
Implications of Genetic Distance to Reference and De Novo Genome Assembly for Clinical Genomics in Africans

Abstract In clinical genomics, variant calling from short-read sequencing data typically relies on a pan-genomic, universal human reference sequence. A major limitation of this approach is that the number of reads that incorrectly map or fail to map increase as the reads diverge from the reference sequence. In the context of genome sequencing of genetically diverse Africans, we investigate the advantages and disadvantages of using a de novo assembly of the read data as the reference sequence in single sample calling. Conditional on sufficient read depth, the alignment-based and assembly-based approaches yielded comparable sensitivity and false discovery rates for single nucleotide variants when benchmarked against a gold standard call set. The alignment-based approach yielded coverage of an additional 270.8 Mb over which sensitivity was lower and the false discovery rate was higher. Although both approaches detected and missed clinically relevant variants, the assembly-based approach identified more such variants than the alignment-based approach. Of particular relevance to individuals of African descent, the assembly-based approach identified four heterozygous genotypes containing the sickle allele whereas the alignment-based approach identified no occurrences of the sickle allele. Variant annotation using dbSNP and gnomAD identified systematic biases in these databases due to underrepresentation of Africans. Using the counts of homozygous alternate genotypes from the alignment-based approach as a measure of genetic distance to the reference sequence GRCh38.p12, we found that the numbers of misassemblies, total variant sites, potentially novel single nucleotide variants (SNVs), and certain variant classes (e.g., splice acceptor variants, stop loss variants, missense variants, synonymous variants, and variants absent from gnomAD) were significantly correlated with genetic distance. In contrast, genomic coverage and other variant classes (e.g., ClinVar pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants, start loss variants, stop gain variants, splice donor variants, incomplete terminal codons, variants with CADD score ≥20) were not correlated with genetic distance. With improvement in coverage, the assembly-based approach can offer a viable alternative to the alignment-based approach, with the advantage that it can obviate the need to generate diverse human reference sequences or collections of alternate scaffolds.
Integration of CITYgreen Landscape Ecological Analysis into a Capstone Environmental Science Course.

CITYgreen Geographic Information Systems software was used to develop a campus wide cover type map for Stephen F. Austin State University in an environmental science landscape ecology course. The finding indicated an equal division of forest cover type compared to impervious surface of buildings and paved surface. Once the classification was completed, students chose an area for reforestation identified in CITYgreen, while raising funds for the purchase of trees for the project. Before completing the project, students reviewed tenets of landscape ecology, civic ecology education, and benefits of urban forestry. At the completion of the project, students reviewed service-learning aspects of campus beautification reflecting on making a difference, working outdoors, and using high end technology to complete a real-world environmental project incorporating partnerships and teamwork. The outcome demonstrates the benefits of applying ecological planning to complete an environmental project based on a perceived need within a campus setting.
Growth, calcification, and photobiology of the threatened coral Acropora cervicornis in natural versus artificial light

Land-based coral culture is of increasing interest for conservation and educational display. Shallow water corals generate most of their energy from photosynthesis, and light is a critical abiotic factor in their husbandry. We compared growth, calcification, and photobiology in the coral Acropora cervicornis between natural and artificial (light-emitting diode; LED) light to better understand the impact of light source on coral performance. One tank of a greenhouse recirculating system at The Florida Aquarium's Center for Conservation was used to culture replicate coral colonies. Half of the tank and corals were covered to block sunlight and illuminated with a commercial reef aquarium LED fixture, while the other half was exposed to natural sunlight. Treatments were matched in terms of maximum photosynthetically active radiation and spectral measurements characterized both light regimes. Coral growth and calcification were tracked over a period of 19 weeks by repeated measurements of total linear extension (TLE) and buoyant weight. For the first 5 weeks, photosynthetic yield was measured weekly using a pulse-amplitude-modulated fluorometer. Calcification was significantly higher under LED lighting relative to natural light, but TLE did not differ. Photobiology data suggest that corals in both treatments were acclimated to the same light level, but photosynthetic efficiency was ultimately greater in the natural light treatment. More consistent light delivery and different spectral composition under LED treatment conditions may explain the incongruity between calcification and photosynthetic efficiency. This experiment informs husbandry of shallow-water scleractinian corals maintained in both natural sunlight and enclosed structures.
Heterogeneity in the Development of Executive Function: Evidence from Nationally Representative Data

Research Findings: The present study examined patterns of executive function (EF) development among socio-demographically diverse children in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Using nati...
707 Association of Self-Reported Anxiety, Informational Support, and Sleep in Sleep Medicine Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: Stressful events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can have a detrimental effect on sleep. It is important for practitioners to understand how their patients are affected by events to optimize their care. In this study we evaluated associations of anxiety and daily habits with self-reported sleep disturbance among sleep medicine clinic patients. Methods: Between June-November 2020, 81 sleep medicine clinic patients (54.8±15.9 y, 44% male, 69% Caucasian) completed an online survey that included PROMIS measures (Sleep Disturbance, Sleep- Related Impairments, Informational Support, Emotional Distress- Anxiety) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Patients were asked about changes in their daily habits (sunlight exposure, caffeine consumption). During the 5-month survey completion time window, the weekly average of positive COVID-19 cases in the Houston area was 2,914. Stepwise linear regression was performed using SAS to determine if self-reported anxiety and informational support predicted PROMIS Sleep Disturbance, PROMIS Sleep-Related Impairments and ISI. Results: Anxiety had a significant effect on Sleep Disturbance (0.43 ± 0.11, p=0.0001), Sleep-Related Impairments (0.53 ± 0.12, p=0.0001) and ISI (0.28 ± 0.08, p=0.0004). Informational support had a significant inverse effect on Sleep Disturbance (-0.29 ± 0.10, p=0.0063), Sleep-Related Impairments (-0.26 ± 0.11, p=0.01) and ISI (-0.31 ± 0.08, p<0.0001) measures. Decreased sunlight exposure during the pandemic contributed to a significant increase in Sleep Disturbance scores (0.06 ± 0.03, p=0.045). Increased caffeine consumption during the pandemic had significant increase in ISI scores (16.3 ± 7.59, p=0.035). Conclusion: Higher levels of anxiety and lower levels of informational support predicted greater insomnia severity, sleep disturbance, and sleep-related impairments in sleep medicine clinic patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Decreased sunlight exposure and increased caffeine consumption also predicted greater sleep disturbance and insomnia severity, respectively. Addressing anxiety symptoms and access to accurate information during the pandemic is advised when treating sleep medicine clinic patients.
Baptism by Wildfire? Wildfire Experiences and Public Support for Wildfire Adaptation Policies:

In recent years, wildfires have ravaged the landscape in many Western American states, especially California. But will these horrific wildfire experiences increase public support for wildfire adapt...
Sovereign Bond Restructuring: Commitment vs. Flexibility

Sovereigns in distress often engage in debt restructuring, typically negotiating with multiple classes of bondholders at once. We investigate whether sovereign bondholders benefit from committing not to restructure their debt. To do so, we use a court ruling that made one class of bonds easier to restructure. We find that, relative to a control group, not only did that class depreciate, so did other classes. We rationalize these findings with a model in which bondholders benefit from disciplining a sovereign with a willingness-to-pay problem.
Research Demonstration of a Hardware Reference-Counting Heap

A hardware self-managing heap memory (RCM) for languages like Lisp, Smalltalk, and Java has been designed, built, tested and benchmarked. On every pointer write from the processor, reference-counting transactions are performed in real time within this memory, and garbage cells are reused without processor cycles. A processor allocates new nodes simply by reading from a distinguished location in its address space. The memory hardware also incorporates support for off-line, multiprocessing, mark-sweep garbage collection. Performance statistics are presented from a partial implementation of Scheme over five different memory models and two garbage collection strategies, from main memory (no access to RCM) to a fully operational RCM installed on an external bus. The performance of the RCM memory is more than competitive with main memory.
Exploring efficient operating points for voltage scaled embedded processor cores

Portable and battery operated devices pose a unique design challenge in terms of performance requirements, low-power constraints, and short design cycles. Embedded soft cores, on the other hand, provide functional flexibility and guarantee rapid design and thus are gaining popularity in designing such portable and battery operated devices. To address the low power needs, dynamic voltage scaled (DVS) processors provide a new tradeoff dimension to the designer. This work proposes an application-specific design space exploration framework for selecting energy-efficient operating points in an embedded soft core. Specifically, we address the problem of selecting an appropriate number of operating voltage/frequency points and the distribution of these points along the valid voltage span of a processor, given the application that is to be executed on the processor. Furthermore, we provide a static intra-task scheduling technique that reduces energy consumption (4-20% in our experiments) even when the worst-case application execution time does not leave any slack for effective voltage scaling. We have experimentally verified our technologies on a large set of embedded benchmarks selected from MiBench, PowerStone, and MediaBench.
The Equilibrium Organization of Labor

We look for the equilibrium mix of trading institutions when manufacturers need sequences of labor services. The environment has two critical features: (a) Multilateral matching allows gains from specialization, but players incur specific set-up costs each time they are matched with a new trading partner. (b) Bilateral relationships economize on set-up costs, but are burdened by bargaining costs. Under weak conditions, four mechanisms weakly dominate all others: Markets, employment with negotiated wages, employment with market wages, and bilateral sequential contracting. In labor market equilibrium, markets are used for services that take longer time to perform, are in less demand, require fewer partner-specific investments, and have larger cost differences between sellers. The most efficient sellers work as specialist employees, those of medium efficiency sell their services as professionals in markets, and the least efficient become employees. Large firms hire specialists, medium-sized firms use employees or the market, and small firms use the market exclusively..
Line labeling and junction labeling: a coupled system for image interpretation

The task of obtaining a line labeling from a greyscale image of trihedral objects presents difficulties not found in the classical line labeling problem. As originally formulated, the line labeling problem assumed that each junction was correctly pre-classified as being of a particular junction type (e.g. T, Y, arrow); the success of the algorithms proposed have depended critically upon getting this initial junction classification correct. In real images, however, junctions of different types may actually look quite similar, and this preclassification is often difficult to achieve. This issue is addressed by recasting the line labeling problem in terms of a coupled probabilistic system which labels both lines and junctions. This results in a robust system, in which prior knowledge of acceptable configurations can serve to overcome the problem of misleading or ambiguous evidence.
EVALUATION OF THE ABBOTT TDX-RADIATIVE ENERGY ATTENUATION (REA) ETHANOL ASSAY IN A STUDY OF 1105 FORENSIC WHOLE BLOOD SPECIMENS

In a preliminary study to determine the applicability of the Abbott radiative energy attenuation (REA) method for the quantification of ethanol in whole blood specimens it was concluded that a larger number of samples was required to evaluate the method, particularly for use in forensic toxicology applications. In this study, 573 blood specimens from suspected driving while intoxicated individuals (DWI blood) and 532 postmortem blood specimens (PM blood) were analyzed by the REA method and a headspace gas chromatographic method (GC) currently used in this laboratory. "Negative" specimens (less than 10 mg/dL by GC) and "positive" specimens (greater than or equal to 10 mg/dL by GC) in each category were analyzed. Linear regression analysis comparing the REA values with the GC values was performed for each type of blood specimen. The equation obtained for DWI blood specimens was REA = 0.943 GC + 1.54; the equation for PM blood specimens was REA = 0.980 GC + 2.76. The correlation coefficient for each group was greater than 0.99. The data suggested that a limit of detection of 10 mg/dL could be applied for DWI blood specimens, while 20 mg/dL would be recommended as the limit of detection for PM blood specimens.
Microbes, Molecules, and Marine Ecosystems

Ecosystem complexity has been a huge challenge for marine ecologists and conservation biologists, and recent discoveries of great microbial diversity and abundance have further compounded the problem. In their Perspective, Azam and Worden propose a unifying ecosystems biology approach, treating marine ecosystems as biochemical matrices and molecular architectures.
Adaptive nonlinear control with nonlinear swapping

We present a new approach to adaptive nonlinear control based on a complete controller-identifier separation which has long been a goal in adaptive system design. In this approach it is possible not only to separately design and analyze the parameter identifier, but also to independently guarantee properties achieved by the controller. Our controllers guarantee input-to-state stability with respect to the parameter error and its derivative as inputs. The parameter identifiers, in turn, guarantee boundedness of these signals. A key ingredient in the identifier design, as well as the convergence analysis, is a nonlinear generalization of the famous swapping lemma. The identifiers are based both on the plant model and the error system and allow a wide variety of update laws-gradient and least-squares, normalized and unnormalized. >
E. coli sabotages the in vivo production of O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine-modified proteins.

The O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) post-translational modification is an important, regulatory modification of cytosolic and nuclear enzymes. To date, no 3-dimensional structures of O-GlcNAc-modified proteins exist due to difficulties in producing sufficient quantities with either in vitro or in vivo techniques. Recombinant co-expression of substrate protein and O-GlcNAc transferase in Escherichia coli was used to produce O-GlcNAc-modified domains of human cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB1) and Abelson tyrosine-kinase 2 (ABL2). Recombinant expression in E. coli is an advantageous approach, but only small quantities of insoluble O-GlcNAc-modified protein were produced. Adding β-N-acetylglucosaminidase inhibitor, O-(2-acetamido-2-dexoy-d-glucopyranosylidene)amino-N-phenylcarbamate (PUGNAc), to the culture media provided the first evidence that an E. coli enzyme cleaves O-GlcNAc from proteins in vivo. With the inhibitor present, the yields of O-GlcNAc-modified protein increased. The E. coli β-N-acetylglucosaminidase was isolated and shown to cleave O-GlcNAc from a synthetic O-GlcNAc-peptide in vitro. The identity of the interfering β-N-acetylglucosaminidase was confirmed by testing a nagZ knockout strain. In E. coli, NagZ natively cleaves the GlcNAc-β1,4-N-acetylmuramic acid linkage to recycle peptidoglycan in the cytoplasm and cleaves the GlcNAc-β-O-linkage of foreign O-GlcNAc-modified proteins in vivo, sabotaging the recombinant co-expression system.
Sympathetic Activity in Obese Subjects With and Without Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Background—Obese humans are reported to have increased muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may also be accompanied by increased MSNA. Because there is a high prevalence of OSA in obese humans, it is possible that high MSNA reported in obese subjects may in fact reflect the presence of OSA in these subjects. We tested the hypothesis that obesity, per se, in the absence of OSA, is not accompanied by increased MSNA. Methods and Results—We measured MSNA in 25 healthy normal-weight subjects and 30 healthy sedentary obese subjects. All subjects were screened by history and examination to exclude subjects with OSA or hypertension. OSA was further excluded by overnight polysomnographic studies. Despite careful screening, polysomnography revealed that 1 of 25 normal-weight subjects and 9 of 30 obese subjects had occult OSA (P=0.015). MSNA was similar in normal-weight subjects (41±3 bursts per 100 heartbeats) and obese subjects without sleep apnea (42±3 bursts per 100 heartbeats,...
Tolerance and dependence after chronic administration of clonidine to the rat.

Abstract Acute administration of clonidine (10–70 μg/kg, IP) disrupted operant behavior maintained by a fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement [1]. When chronically administered (100 μg/kg, IP and 3 μg/ml in drinking water) tolerance to the behavioral depressant effect developed within a few days and was complete by 14 days. Abrupt termination of drug treatment in tolerant rats resulted in an abstinence reaction which was characterized by suppression of operant performance for as long as one week. These results demonstrated the development of tolerance to and dependence on clonidine in rats. These behavioral observations in rats may be related to rebound hypertension and irritability of patients given this α-adrenergic agonist for treatment of hypertension.
Emerging role of junctophilin-2 as a regulator of calcium handling in the heart.

Junctophilin-2 (JPH2) is a membrane-binding protein that plays a key role in the organization of the junctional membrane complex (JMC) in cardiac myocytes. JPH2 is believed to keep the plasma membrane and sarcoplasmic reticulum at a fixed distance within the JMC, which is essential for proper Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release during the excitation-contraction process. Recent studies have revealed that mutations in the JPH2 gene are associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, highlighting the importance of this protein for normal cardiac physiology. In this paper, we review current knowledge about the structure and function of junctophilin-2 in the heart.
Comparison of the electrical and dielectric behavior of wet human cortical and cancellous bone tissue from the distal tibia

We compared the electrical and dielectric properties of wet human cortical and cancellous bone tissue from the distal tibia. The relationships between the electrical and dielectric behavior of cortical and cancellous bone and variables of measurement such as frequency and direction (orientation) were evaluated. In general, the resistivity of human cortical bone was found to be approximately 3.1 times more than that of cancellous bone in the longitudinal direction and least 25 times more in the transverse directions. The dielectric permittivity of human cortical bone was approximately 3.9 times that of cancellous bone in the longitudinal direction, whereas in the transverse directions it was about 0.65 times greater. Measurement variables such as frequency and orientation appeared to affect cancellous and cortical bone differently. Strong correlations were found between the electrical properties in one direction and the electrical properties in the other two directions; however, these relationships differed for the samples of cortical and cancellous bone.
Mechanical Properties of Fabrics Woven from Yarns Produced by Different Spinning Technologies: Yarn Failure as a Function of Gauge Length:

In a study of yam strength translation into woven fabric behavior, experiments were conducted to establish the effect of test gauge length on yarn properties. Yams produced on each of the three major spinning systems were tensile tested at varying gauge lengths. Yam strength data were fit to two-parameter Weibull distributions and corresponding shape and scale parameters were determined. Strength increased as gauge lengths decreased, a trend indicated by the weakest-link theory. At very short gauge lengths, however, the data deviated from prediction based on the weakest-link theory, thus suggesting a change in the yam failure mechanism, as one would expect when the gauge length approximates the staple length. More direct evidence of such a change is provided in SEM photomicrographs of tensile failures of long versus short gauge test specimens. Combined fiber slippage/pullout and breakage prevailed at longer gauges, whereas a greater extent of fiber breakage with less slippage occurred at shorter gauge len...
Separation of uranium and plutonium isotopes for measurement by multi collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy

Uranium (U) and plutonium (Pu) isotopes in coral soils, contaminated by nuclear weapons testing in the northern Marshall Islands, were isolated by ion-exchange chromatography and analyzed by mass spectrometry. The soil samples were spiked with 233U and 242Pu tracers, dissolved in minerals acids, and U and Pu isotopes isolated and purified on commercially available ion-exchange columns. The ion-exchange technique employed a TEVA® column coupled to a UTEVA® column. U and Pu isotope fractions were then further isolated using separate elution schemes, and the purified fractions containing U and Pu isotopes analyzed sequentially using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MCICP-MS). High precision measurements of 234U/235U, 238U/235U, 236U/235U, and 240Pu/239Pu in soil samples were attained using the described methodology and instrumentation, and provide a basis for conducting more detailed assessments of the behavior and transfer of uranium and plutonium in the environment.
Development and use of the sonic method for controlling the quality of refractories

With the use of the sonic method of control for certifying finished production the test time is speeded up by a factor of 8–10 [5]. This method permits us to obtain a considerable saving on account of preservation of the products and elimination of costs connected with laborious operations, and the preparation of large numbers of specimens for the test. The sonic method of control increases the quality of the specimens and more completely reflects the quantitative factors of the products being tested.
Bone marrow scanning with 52iron (52Fe). Regeneration and extension of marrow after ablative doses of radiotherapy.

Extensively irradiated patients were studied from 0 to 73 months after irradiation by /sup 52/Fe bone marrow scanning. Marrow regeneration was observed in most patients after intervals of 12 months or longer. The degree of recovery was not dose-related and the marrow ablative dose was not defined with doses of 4000-5000 rads. Degree of recovery depended more upon the antomic region and/or sequence of fields treated; the last field treated invariably showed poorer regeneration when recovery was uneven. Active erythropoiesis expanded into distal inactive erythropoietic sites from 3 to 12 months after irradiation and then decreased thereafter. Blood count cytopenias were almost always restricted to the first year after irradiation.
Iron Supplementation Reduces Iron Absorption from Food, Even for Women With Low Iron Stores

Abstract Human adaptation in iron absorption was evaluated by measuring iron absorption and serum ferritin in healthy volunteers before and after 12wk of iron supplementation. Men and women (n=57, 22 to 58 y) with normal hemoglobin and serum ferritin values from 10-230μg/L were randomly assigned to consume capsules daily containing either 50mg iron (as ferrous sulfate) or a placebo, with their evening meals. Radioisotopic tracers were used to measure heme and nonheme iron absorption from an unsupplemented test meal containing (by analysis) 1.2mg heme iron and 5.1mg total iron from a hamburger, French-fries, and a vanilla milkshake. Data were evaluated by analysis of variance with logarithmic transformation as appropriate. Iron supplementation did not affect the absorption of heme iron, but reduced nonheme iron absorption from 5.0 to 3.2%, p
Revenge of the Patriarchy: Is Big Love Big Enough?

It is certainly a hopeful trend that HBO and other media avenues are embracing non-traditional approaches to identity and human interactions. For instance, ever since celebrities such as Ellen DeGe...