cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diet, Autoimmunity, and Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus: A Controversy:

AbstractInsulin-dependent diabetes melllltus (IDDM) is a serious disorder comprising approximately 10% of the total diabetic population. The majority of the genetic mutations that result In the phenotypic expression of the IDDM genotype are in the immune system. In some, the disease arises as a consequence of a viral infection. While some viruses target the islet β cell and destroy it, other viruses induce changes in the antigen recognition system such that the affected individual appears to have autoimmune disease. Autoimmune-IDDM results from one or more mutations in the immune system that result in a failure to distinguish self antigens from foreign antigens. As a result, the β cells of the endocrine pancreas are destroyed. This review addresses the issue of whether dietary factors, in particular, milk protein, can initiate the autoimmune process. Based on the population studies available in the literature, the conclusion is reached that, while antibodies to milk proteins can be found in the patient wi...
Effects of anti-thymocyte serum on lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) virus infection in mice.

SummaryRabbit anti-mouse thymocyte serum significantly modified the course of mouse LCM virus infection. Clinical and histologic signs of infection were absent so long as therapy was regularly maintained, and the severity of the host response to the virus was reduced following discontinuation of prolonged therapy. Treatment in the early period of incubation was more protective than at later times.
A Study on Computer Aided Analysis and Calculation System of Accuracy of Cylindrical Gears

Gear transmission precision theoretical analysis is introduced.Then the design software main composition and its main function are analyzed in detail.Finally an application example confirms this software feasibility.The visual basic language is used to write the software for analysis of gear precision and computation.This software used an interactive window,so the operation is simple,and can define rapidly correctly three gear tolerance classes, the tooth thick limit deviation,various tolerance class test item and the value of tolerance.
Congenital Mesoblastic Nephroma: Relationship to other Renal Tumors of Infancy

AbstractAlthough nephroblastomas (Wilms tumor) do occur in the newborn most of the solid renal tumors in this age group constitute a distinctly different pathologic entity, congenital mesoblastic nephroma. While a more cellular histologic variant of congenital mesoblastic nephroma has been recognized recently, which occasionally may follow a malignant course, the tumor with conventional histology has never been reported to metastasize and follows a benign course when treated by adequate local excision alone.We report our 50-year experience with 11 cases of this tumor (9 cases with conventional histology and 2 with cellular variant histology). Typically, the tumor presented in the newborn as a large asymptomatic mass. Local invasion was never seen and the tumors were resected without difficulty. Grossly, the tumors usually resembled a uterine “fibroid” and, unlike nephroblastomas, rarely exhibited hemorrhage or necrosis. Microscopically, the conventional histologic congenital mesoblastic nephroma was compo...
Endovascular Repair of Ruptured Infected Arteries as a Temporizing Measure Versus Destination Therapy.

OBJECTIVE Mycotic rupture of the arteries is a rare but deadly disorder. Current management typically involves open surgical repair. However, endovascular repair is a potential treatment that can be used to delay open repair, especially in acutely unstable patients. A case report and review of the literature was conducted to determine whether endovascular therapy could be a destination therapy for patients with arterial rupture secondary to infection. METHODS We present the case of a 72-year-old man with a left common iliac artery aneurysm rupture secondary to Salmonella infection treated with endovascular therapy upon initial presentation. A literature review of PubMed yielded 29 patients with ruptured aortic and iliac infected aneurysms that were initially treated with endovascular repair. RESULTS Majority of the patients (76.7%, 23 of 30) were successfully treated with the endovascular treatment and did not require open revision. These patients were often placed on long-term antibiotics. CONCLUSION The literature review supports endovascular repair with a stent graft as a temporizing measure for infected ruptured arteries in an emergent setting and, in select cases, as a destination therapy.
Shielded No More? [Turnstile]

Explores the special features of Faraday cages and assesses their electrial safety protection capabilities.
Energy-Efficient Optimization of the Viterbi ACS Unit Architecture

Different architectural approaches for saving energy are considered for the ACS unit of a Viterbi decoder. It was found that although providing less throughput improvement than parallelism, pipelining is more energy efficient. The optimal mix of these two architectures favors more pipelining at lower throughput requirements
Batch SQL—Architecture

In this chapter, we will take a deeper look at the first SQL engine on Hadoop: Hive. I will discuss the architectural details of Hive and look at how it translates SQL queries to MapReduce.
Emotional and Behavioral Functioning

Social, emotional, and behavioral functioning though not necessarily contributing to weight status of youth, can impact the implementation of healthier lifestyle habits. Even when caregivers are not identifying any significant emotional or behavioral issues, issues can arise when implementing changes in daily routine or habits especially in youth who are routinized as can be the case in autism spectrum disorder and some neurodevelopmental disorders. Prior to seeking weight management treatment, some caregivers do not experience behavioral concerns due to their frequent acquiescence to the youth as a way to avoid conflict. The process has become so habitual that caregivers may not even realize the level to which they acquiesce. Assessing and treating the comorbid emotional and behavioral issues that are reported and the ones that are anticipated can assist the youth and family in more effective and potentially successful implementation of health behaviors. Additionally, social development and the ability to interact with healthcare providers, family, and peers are important to asses as this will inform healthcare providers about treatment options (e.g., individual, family, group treatment).
Adjuvant Therapy for High Risk Localized Kidney Cancer: Emerging Evidence and Future Clinical Trials

Purpose: We reviewed the literature on adjuvant therapies for patients with high risk localized kidney cancer following surgical resection. In this analysis we merge 2 recently published prospective trials with conflicting results within the context of their respective designs. In addition, we spotlight upcoming trials that use novel immunotherapy based checkpoint inhibitors and have the potential to establish a new standard of care.Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed® for English language articles published through January 2017 using the keywords “renal cell carcinoma,” “kidney cancer,” “immunotherapy,” “targeted therapy” and “adjuvant therapy.” ClinicalTrials.gov was queried for ongoing studies. Relevant data recently presented at major urology and medical oncology meetings are also included.Results: Adjuvant therapies for high risk localized kidney cancer can be grouped into the categories of 1) traditional immunotherapy, 2) inhibitors of the vascular endothelial growth factor and mTOR (mammalian...
The Jurisdiction on the Social Rights: A Conflict Between the Courts and Public Power in the Italian Legal System

The Chapter aims to understand how the Italian Ordinary Courts—due to the control of supranational Courts—have the jurisdiction over private law realized by public power, specifically in the field of social rights. The protection of such rights via private law (and also jurisdiction) is not excluded just because they are provided for by the public authority, acting either in the form of public or private law (financial aid by administrative order, or in forms of contracts). The reference will be the ECtHR judgment on the Mennitto vs. Italy (2000). According to ECtHR, social services fit perfectly into the arena of “private law human rights”, which is over administrative control in the Italian legal system. The control by the ordinary Courts realizes that going over any possible limitation of the social rights through discretionary activities puts the public power “private law human rights” up to the possibility of judicial review by the Strasbourg Courts on administration activities as to whether or not they are acting in the form of public or private law.
Transdermal Nicotine in Tourette’s Syndrome

In an open clinical trial, transdermal nicotine patch significantly ameliorated the frequency and severity of tics in patients with Tourette’s syndrome who were receiving dopamine receptor blockers. This effect, noted within 3 hours after application of the patch, persisted for a variable period of time after removal of the patch. In 2 patients, initially with incapacitating Tourette’s symptoms, the effect persisted from 3 weeks to 4 1/2 months without further administration of nicotine.
Path-following or reference tracking?

Abstract In path-following the control objective is to force the output to follow a geometric path without a timing law assigned to it. We highlight a fundamental difference between the path-following and the standard reference-tracking by demonstrating that performance limitation due to unstable zero-dynamics can be removed in the path-following problem.
Approaches to the Study of Negative Learning

This paper presents several suggestions about the study of negative learning. First, while much negative learning is both factually incorrect and social undesirable, we should separate these two attributes, as they are distinct and can reflect different causal mechanisms. Second, it is essential that we investigate negative learning in the context of larger societal and political trends, and doing so will often require complex models with moderation and reciprocal causation. Third, we should apply three criteria in selecting sources to examine: archetypal content, readership, and impact. Devising appropriate measures of impact will be challenging for both technical and ethical reasons. Finally, while basic research is important in this domain, it is essential that we also focus on applied research with practical implications.
Nutrients and Productivity During the 1982/83 El Niño

Abstract The eastern Pacific Ocean, particularly in the low latitude region from 20°S to 20°N, has higher primary productivity than the equivalent region in the western Pacific. Enhanced productivity at the base of the food web supports larger populations and faster growth rates throughout higher trophic levels so that the ecological character of the eastern Pacific is distinctly different from that of the western Pacific. El Nino is a natural, aperiodic, coupled ocean/atmosphere perturbation of the global heat budget that profoundly modifies the normal east/west asymmetry of both heat content and productivity of the Pacific basin. During the 1982/83 El Nino a surface layer of warm, nutrient-depleted water appeared in the eastern Pacific and persisted for about 9 months. Nutrient supply, phytoplankton abundance and primary productivity were dramatically reduced by the altered physical conditions of the 1982/83 El Nino. The decrease of new primary production available to the marine food chain caused proportional reductions in growth, reproduction and survival of marine invertebrates, fish, birds and mammals. Food deprivation together with active and passive redistribution of organisms accounts for most of the biotic changes observed in higher trophic level organisms but direct thermal and sea level effects also were observed, particularly in sessile invertebrates.
Cardiac patients at end of life in the emergency department

Patients with symptoms related to end-stage cardiac disease, including coronary artery disease and heart failure, commonly present to the emergency department. Emergency healthcare providers’ understanding of disease trajectory aligned with patient and family goals of care facilitates an optimal approach to individualized management. This review highlights existing cardiac-specific prognostic instruments within the context of contemporary emergency and palliative care models, emphasizing the benefits of efficient and pre-organized communication strategies.
Remedial Enrollment During the 1st Year of College, Institutional Transfer, and Degree Attainment

This study examined whether remediation enrollment during the 1st year of college influenced individuals’ college transfer and attainment and if effects varied by racial and socioeconomic subgroups...
Microfluidics-enabled orientation and microstructure control of macroscopic graphene fibres

Macroscopic graphene structures such as graphene papers and fibres can be manufactured from individual two-dimensional graphene oxide sheets by a fluidics-enabled assembling process. However, achieving high thermal-mechanical and electrical properties is still challenging due to non-optimized microstructures and morphology. Here, we report graphene structures with tunable graphene sheet alignment and orientation, obtained via microfluidic design, enabling strong size and geometry confinements and control over flow patterns. Thin flat channels can be used to fabricate macroscopic graphene structures with perfectly stacked sheets that exhibit superior thermal and electrical conductivities and improved mechanical strength. We attribute the observed shape and size confinements to the flat distribution of shear stress from the anisotropic microchannel walls and the enhanced shear thinning degree of large graphene oxide sheets in solution. Elongational and step expansion flows are created to produce large-scale graphene tubes and rods with horizontally and perpendicularly aligned graphene sheets by tuning the elongational and extensional shear rates, respectively. Sheet alignment and orientation order of graphene structures induced by microfluidics design enable the optimization of electronic and mechanical properties of macroscopic graphene fibres.
Five Nonobvious Changes in Editorial Practice for Editors and Reviewers to Consider When Evaluating Submissions in a Post p < 0.05 Universe

The American Statistical Association’s Symposium on Statistical Inference (SSI) included a session on how editorial practices should change in a universe no longer dominated by null hypothesis sign...
Assessing test-retest reliability of phase contrast MRI for measuring cerebrospinal fluid and cerebral blood flow dynamics.

Purpose Pathological states occur when cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) dynamics become dysregulated in the brain. Phase-contrast MRI (PC-MRI) is a noninvasive imaging technique that enables quantitative measurements of CSF and CBF flow. While studies have validated PC-MRI as an imaging technique for flow, few studies have evaluated its reliability for CSF and CBF flow parameters commonly associated with neurological disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate test-retest reliability at the cerebral aqueduct (CA) and C2-C3 area using PC-MRI to assess the feasibility of investigating CSF and CBF flow dynamics. Methods This study was performed on 27 cognitively normal young adults (ages 20-35 years). Flow data was acquired on a 3T Siemens Prisma using a 2D cine-PC pulse sequence. Three consecutive flow measurements were acquired at the CA and C2-C3 area. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variance (CV) were used to evaluate intrarater, inter-rater, and test-retest reliability. Results Among the 26 flow parameters analyzed, 22 had excellent reliability (ICC > 0.80), including measurements of CSF stroke volume, flush peak, and fill peak, and 4 parameters had good reliability (ICC 0.60-0.79). 16 flow parameters had a mean CV ≤ 10%, 7 had a CV ≤ 15%, and 3 had a CV ≤ 30%. All CSF and CBF flow measurements had excellent inter-rater and intrarater reliability (ICC > 0.80). Conclusion This study shows that CSF and CBF flow can be reliably measured at the CA and C2-C3 area using PC-MRI, making it a promising tool for studying flow dynamics in the central nervous system.
Boot Camp in a Box: Initial Experience with Pretraining Skills Preparation for New Interns.

Purpose In order to increase selected skills at onset of training, we provided newly matched PGY-1 trainees with materials and instructions to practice these skills, as well as the opportunity to share video-recorded performance and receive feedback based on these videos. Methods Knot tying and suturing kits, instruments and supplies, and video instructions for task performance were sent to newly matched trainees to our program (n = 10), with instructions to practice 4 tasks (1- and 2-handed knot tying, interrupted and running suturing) until self-assessed comfort with each task was achieved or the 8-week time point before start of training was reached. Each trainee returned a video of each task, which was graded by blinded reviewers for time and errors using an itemized evaluation instrument (12 items for suturing and five items for knot-tying). Feedback (annotations of submitted videos) was provided after grading was completed. Task performance was repeated and reassessed at the time of new intern “Boot Camp” and again 8 weeks after start of training. Performance scores were compared for the 3 time points and with scores of PGY 2-4 residents using ANOVA with posthoc tests. Results Compliance with instruction for practice and return of video recorded tasks in the months before start of PGY-1 training was high, with only 1 of 10 failing to return knot-tying videos. A significant pattern of performance change (p Conclusions A high level of compliance was achieved with requested skills practice and video documentation of performance. We attribute the consistently lower scores on the tasks during Boot Camp tests to higher stress test environment which was apt to be less favorable than having the trainee choose to submit their best possible preresidency video recording of performance in a low-stress situation. Subsequent achievement of significantly higher performance even compared to more senior residents may have been helped by incentivized pretraining practice.
High-dose temperature-dependent neutron irradiation effects on the optical transmission and dimensional stability of amorphous fused silica

Abstract The primary concern for implementing amorphous fused silica (a-SiO2) fiber optic sensors in a nuclear environment is the radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) of the light signal due to the formation of radiation-induced color centers. In addition, Bragg grating sensors drift under irradiation due to radiation-induced compaction of the a-SiO2 structure. This work provides new data regarding RIA and radiation-induced compaction of a-SiO2 samples irradiated to a fast neutron fluence of 2.4 × 1021 n/cm2 at temperatures of 95, 298, and 688 °C. Results show that RIA may be approaching saturation for the range of photon energies evaluated in this paper and that the hydroxyl content has a significant impact on RIA when the irradiation temperature is increased to 688 °C. A model was developed for predicting radiation-induced compaction, and the resulting signal drift for Bragg grating sensors, as a function of neutron fluence and temperature.
Quaternary evolution of ephemeral playa lakes on the Southern High Plains of Texas, USA: cyclic variation in lake level recorded in sediments

Ephemeral playa lakes on the Southern High Plains northeast of Amarillo, Texas, are underlain by more than 10 m of Quaternary lake deposits. Sediments beneath 12 lakes were examined in 76 hollow-stem auger cores and in excavations. Stacked depositional cycles recognized in lake sediments record repeated phases of (1) initial highstand, (2) ephemeral lake, and (3) lake shrinkage and prolonged exposure. Sedimentary and soil structures show that during all phases the lakes were ephemeral, but that the duration and frequency of flooding varied, which caused variation in the relative amounts of accumulation, deflation, and soil formation. The highstand phase is documented by wave-cut benches and lake sediments that extend beyond present lake margins. Mud transported as suspended load was deposited from ponded water. Desiccation resulted in mudcracks and allowed deposition of eolian sand, but exposure episodes were relatively short or infrequent, and vertic soil formation, oxidation of organic material, and deflation of sand were minimal. Decreased frequency and duration of flooding resulting in increased pedogenic modification under conditions similar to those under which modern playa lake sediments accumulate. Eolian silt deposited on dry lake beds and clays deposited in flooded lakes were mixed by vertic soil processes during repeated wetting and drying. Organic material was partly oxidized and partly translocated down roots and cracks, and interbedded upland facies were gleyed. Episodes of lake shrinkage and more frequent exposure are recorded by reddening and formation of calcic horizons within lake muds. Red-brown eolian loam prograded across lake sediments, and calcic soils developed on it. These grassland slope facies record decrease in the size of the playa lakes.
Vowels of the world’s languages

Many of the vowels of the world’s languages can be described simply by reference to the three traditional dimensions high–low, back–front, and rounded–unrounded, with the first two of these being considered as names for auditory dimensions. There may be up to five contrasting vowel heights. Some languages contrast otherwise similar front, central and back vowels. There are also two kinds of rounding: protrusion and labial compression. Minor vowel features include: nasalization, other tongue body features (advanced tongue root, pharyngealization, stridency, rhotacization, fricative), different phonation types (voiceless, breathy, laryngealized, creaky) and dynamic properties (long, diphthongal).
Data-Driven Generation of Synthetic Load Datasets Preserving Spatio-Temporal Features

A generative model for the creation of realistic historical bus-level load data for transmission grid models is presented. A data-driven approach based on principal component analysis is used to learn the spatio-temporal correlation between the loads in a system and build a generative model. Given a system topology and a set of base case loads, individual, realistic time-series data for each load can be generated. This technique is demonstrated by learning from a large proprietary dataset and generating historical data for the 2383-bus Polish test case.
Modeling Kinetic Glomerular Filtration Rate in Adults with Stable and Unstable Kidney Function: Vancomycin as the Motivating Example.

Background Equations used to estimate kidney function for drug dosing rely on the assumption of homeostasis to translate a single-point measurement of serum creatinine into clearance (CL). Our objective was to rank order the performance of alternate kidney function equations as predictors of drug CL in stable and unstable patients. Methods Data were extracted from medical records at a single center for all adult patients treated with vancomycin over a 5-year period for population pharmacokinetic analysis. This analysis focused on comparison of nine kidney function equations as covariates of vancomycin CL. Both body surface area (BSA) indexed (ml/min/1.73 m2 ) and unindexed units (ml/min) of kidney function were tested, as time-varying and time-invariant covariates of vancomycin CL. Results The final data set consisted of 2640 patients (62% male, 81% white) with 6628 concentration measurements. The median (5th, 95th percentile) of measurements per patient, age, weight, body mass index (BMI) was 2 (1, 7) concentrations, 61.5 (28, 83) years, 90.0 (56.7, 147) kg, and 30.0 (20.7, 48.0) kg/m2 . Unstable kidney function was documented in 43.6% of patients, primarily as acute kidney injury (AKI) on admission with improvement (19.4%) and AKI during the admission (17.4%). Models based on time-varying kidney function estimates performed better than as time-invariant. Kidney function estimated by the Chen method was ranked higher than other estimation methods. Conclusions A time-varying kinetic estimated glomerular filtration rate method not indexed to BSA was identified as the highest ranked covariate model of vancomycin CL.
Glucocorticoid Priming of Nonviral Gene Delivery to hMSCs Increases Transfection by Reducing Induced Stresses.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are under study for cell and gene therapeutics because of their immunomodulatory and regenerative properties. Safe and efficient gene delivery could increase hMSC clinical potential by enabling expression of transgenes for control over factor production, behavior, and differentiation. Viral delivery is efficient but suffers from safety issues, while nonviral methods are safe but highly inefficient, especially in hMSCs. We previously demonstrated that priming cells with glucocorticoids (Gcs) before delivery of DNA complexes significantly increases hMSC transfection, which correlates with a rescue of transfection-induced metabolic and protein synthesis decline, and apoptosis. In this work, we show that transgene expression enhancement is mediated by transcriptional activation of endogenous hMSC genes by the cytosolic glucocorticoid receptor (cGR) and that transfection enhancement can be potentiated with a GR transcription-activation synergist. We demonstrate that the Gc-activated cGR modulates endogenous hMSC gene expression to ameliorate transfection-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and oxidative stresses, apoptosis, and inflammatory responses to prevent hMSC metabolic and protein synthesis decline, resulting in enhanced transgene expression after nonviral gene delivery to hMSCs. These results provide insights important for rational design of more efficient nonviral gene delivery and priming techniques that could be utilized for clinical hMSC applications.
Curative-intent radiotherapy for glottic carcinoma in situ.

Background The aim of the study was to update our experience treating patients with glottic carcinoma in situ (CIS) with curative radiotherapy (RT). Methods Fifty patients received continuous-course RT using once-daily fractionation. Twenty-eight (56%) had recurrent or persistent CIS after resection. Median total dose was 63.0 Gy; median dose per fraction was 2.25 Gy. Median follow-up was 9.6 years for all patients and 8.4 years for survivors. Results After RT, 5 patients (10%) recurred locally; salvage surgery was performed in 4 (1 refused). Five-year outcomes were as follows: local control, 91%; ultimate local control (including patients successfully salvaged after local recurrence), 100%; ultimate local control with larynx preservation, 93%; local-regional control, 91%; ultimate local-regional control, 100%; distant metastases-free survival, 100%; cause-specific survival, 100%; and overall survival, 81%. No patient experienced a severe complication. Conclusion RT is an excellent treatment for patients with CIS recurrent after transoral excision and those with previously untreated CIS who are unsuitable for partial laryngectomy.
Opioid Use After Orbital, Eyelid, or Lacrimal Surgery.

PURPOSE Opioids may be indicated to mitigate pain after oculofacial surgery. The opioid crisis prompted attention to how these medications are dispensed and disposed. This study aims to characterize opioid usage and handling of patients undergoing oculofacial plastic surgery. METHODS Eighty-nine adult patients were surveyed on their opioid usage after undergoing orbital, lacrimal, or eyelid (including esthetic) surgery at a tertiary oculofacial plastic surgery practice. Each patient was prescribed 10 tablets of hydrocodone/acetaminophen 5 mg/325 mg; one tablet taken orally as needed every 6 hours for pain not relieved by acetaminophen. Subset analysis was performed for type of surgery, age, and gender. RESULTS Patients consumed an average of 3 ± 0.4 tablets. In the subsets, the averages were 2.1 ± 0.5 (n = 38) tablets after eyelid surgery, 1.6 ± 0.6 (n = 24) after lacrimal surgery, and 5.6 ± 0.9 (n = 27) after orbital surgery. Greater opioid usage was observed after orbital versus eyelid surgery (p = 0.0007) and orbital versus lacrimal surgery (p = 0.0005) but not eyelid versus lacrimal surgery (p = 0.8604). Forty-six patients (51.7%) used no opioids. Over half (57.3%; n = 51) filled their prescription. Thirty-three patients (37.1%) had unused medications, of which 21 patients did not properly dispose of their medications. The mean age of patients who used opioids was less than the mean age of those who needed no opioids (p = 0.024). There were no gender differences in opioid usage use versus not (p = 0.62). CONCLUSIONS Opioid needs after oculofacial plastic surgeries, especially eyelid and lacrimal, were minimal in this cohort. For most patients, the prescription exceeded needs. Younger age but not gender was associated with opioid use versus not. Most did not properly discard these medications. Quality improvement in both the dispensing and disposal of opioids in oculofacial surgical practice may be warranted.
Leveraging the Manycore Architecture of the Loihi Spiking Processor to Perform Quasi-Complete Constraint Satisfaction

In many cases, low power autonomous systems need to make decisions extremely efficiently. However, as a problem space becomes more complex, finding a solution quickly becomes nearly impossible using traditional computing methods. Thus, in this work we show that constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs) can be solved quickly and efficiently using spiking neural networks. Constraint satisfaction is a general problem solving technique that can be applied to a large number of different applications. To demonstrate the validity of this algorithm, we show successful execution of the Boolean satisfiability problem (SAT) on the Intel Loihi spiking neuromorphic research processor. In many cases, constraint satisfaction problems have solution sets as opposed to single solutions. Therefore, the manycore architecture of the Loihi chip is used to parallelize the solution finding process, leading to a quasi-complete solution set generated at extreme efficiency (dynamic energy as low as 8 micro joules per solution). Power consumption in this spiking processor is due primarily to the propagation of spikes, which are the key drivers of data movement and processing. Thus, the proposed SAT algorithm was customized for spiking neural networks to achieve the greatest efficiency gains. To the best of our knowledge, the work in this paper exhibits the first implementation of constraint satisfaction on a low power embedded neuromorphic processor capable of generating a solution set. In general, we show that embedded spiking neuromorphic hardware is capable parallelizing the constraint satisfaction problem solving process to yield extreme gains in terms of time, power, and energy.
The Truth-Default and Video Clips: Testing the Limits of Credulity

Truth-default theory posits that absent a trigger, people passively accept communication content as truthful and honest. Most often, the idea that some communication might be deceptive does not com...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is a Risk Factor for Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A US Population Study.

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study is to determine if chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in a national database. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING National sample of the United States population. PATIENTS Adults with audiometric and spirometry data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES) database. INTERVENTIONS None. METHODS A total of 2,464 adults with spirometry and audiometry data from the NHANES database (2009-2012) were studied. Outcome measures included hearing, measured by high-frequency pure tone average (HFPTA; 3, 4, 6, 8 kHz) and low-frequency pure tone average (LFPTA; .5, 1, 2 kHz) frequencies. SNHL was defined as a HFPTA or LFPTA threshold more than 25 decibels (dB) in the better ear. Multivariable regression analyses explored the association between hearing loss and COPD. RESULTS The prevalence of COPD was 19.8% in individuals with SNHL in the better ear and 4.7% in individuals with normal hearing (p < 0.001). Presence of COPD was associated with elevated hearing thresholds (worse hearing) at each individual frequency. The presence of COPD was independently associated with a 3.29 dB (95% CI: 1.48, 5.09) increase in HFPTA (p < 0.001), and 2.32 dB (1.13, 3.50) increase in LFPTA (p < 0.001) after controlling for medical, social, and environmental covariates. The presence of COPD was independently associated with a 1.85-fold (1.12, 3.06) increased odds of isolated low-frequency SNHL (p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS COPD was independently associated with sensorineural hearing loss after controlling for multiple confounding factors. These results contribute to the evidence that COPD and pulmonary dysfunction can be comorbid with hearing decline.
Performance of scientific software

We review performance methodologies used for the evaluation of scientific software in von Neumann architectures. A prototype evaluation facility for second order elliptic partial differential equation (PDE) solvers is described which realizes the main objectives of these methodologies. Finally, the results of an evaluation study for a new class of spline collocation solvers for elliptic PDEs are presented.
Conceptual Models for Search Engines

Search engines have entered popular culture. They touch people in diverse private and public settings and thus heighten the importance of such important social matters as information privacy and control, censorship, and equitable access. To fully benefit from search engines and to participate in debate about their merits, people necessarily appeal to their understandings for how they function. In this chapter we examine the conceptual understandings that people have of search engines by performing a content analysis on the sketches that 200 undergraduate and graduate students drew when asked to draw a sketch of how a search engine works. Analysis of the sketches reveals a diverse range of conceptual approaches, metaphors, representations, and misconceptions. On the whole, the conceptual models articulated by these students are simplistic. However, students with higher levels of academic achievement sketched more complete models. This research calls attention to the importance of improving students’ technical knowledge of how search engines work so they can be better equipped to develop and advocate policies for how search engines should be embedded in, and restricted from, various private and public information settings.
Scanning electron microscopy of spores of the myxosporidans Chloromyxum trijugum Kudo and Chloromyxum catostomi Kudo.

Spores of Chloromyxum trijugum Kudo from Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque and Chloromyxum catostomi Kudo from Notropis dorsalis (Agassiz) were obtained from infected gall bladders, glass-bead sonicated, and examined by scanning electron microscopy. Valves of C. trijugum spores each have a thick ridge running parallel to the sutural ridge. Uncapped cnidocyst pores open into the extrasutural ridges. A pyriform structure of unknown function was observed at the posterior surface in some spores. Spore valves of C. catostomi are sculptured with ridged striations running in various parallel and converging patterns over the entire surface. Cnidocyst pores open into ridges adjacent to the sutural plane. Glass bead sonication was found effective in polar filament extrusion. Discharged filaments were twisted along the long axis and partially coated with mucoid globules.
Alternating method applied to edge and surface crack problems

Over the past decade, numerous analytical solutions of crack problems have appeared in the open literature [1]. A great number of these solutions are concerned with idealized crack geometries in plane or axisymmetric elasticity. However, only a few problems involving the interaction of cracks with neighboring boundaries have been solved satisfactorily. In situations where the crack intersects a free edge or surface, the method of solution becomes much more difficult and requires special attention. The advent of computers has no doubt facilitated the numerical computation of stress distributions around cracks. Without them, many of the tedious calculations would not be attempted. The alternating method is one which intimately combines analytical results with the numerical calculations.
Choosing union representation: the role of attitudes and emotions

In the United States, most unions are recognised by a majority vote of employees through union representation elections administered by the government. Most empirical studies of individual voting behaviour during union representation elections use a rational choice model. Recently, however, some have posited that voting is often influenced by emotions. We evaluate competing hypotheses about the determinants of union voting behaviour by using data collected from a 2010 representation election at Delta Air Lines, a US-based company. In addition to the older rational choice framework, multiple regression results provide support for an emotional choice model. Positive feelings toward the employer are statistically significantly related to voting ‘no’ in a representation election, while positive feelings toward the union are related to a ‘yes’ vote. Effect sizes for the emotion variables were generally larger than those for the rational choice variables, suggesting that emotions may play a key role in representation election outcomes.
Control of HL-60 monocytic differentiation. Different pathways and uncoupled expression of differentiation markers.

Abstract Control of expression of the terminally differentiated phenotype was studied using the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60. Three known inducers of HL-60 monocytic differentiation were compared: 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D 3 , tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA), and sodium butyrate. At concentrations where all three inducers resulted in similar courses of G1/0-specific growth arrest, the kinetics of appearance of certain differentiation markers typically characteristic of mature monocytic cells was determined. The markers were inducible oxidative metabolism, non-specific esterase activity, and the cell surface determinants Mo1, My4, and Mo2. The results indicate that: 1. 1. Regulation of the expression of these markers during induced monocytic differentiation is not controlled in common. 2. 2. The three monocytic inducers do not induce the same metabolic cascade leading to differentiation. Similar states of differentiation could thus be reached by different pathways apparently due to the fact that control of expression of different differentiation markers was not tightly coupled.
Glomus tumor of the finger tip and MRI appearance.

The glomus tumor is a rare benign neoplasm that arises from the neuroarterial structure called a glomus body1, which accounts for 1 % to 4.5 % of tumors in the hand. The normal glomus body is located in the stratum reticulare throughout the body, but is more concentrated in the digits6. They are believed to function in thermal regulation. The average age at presentation is from 30 to 50 years of age, although can occur at any age1. Typical time from onset of symptoms to the correct diagnosis is seven years. The patient with glomus tumor seeks medical attention early, but the mass is frequently too small to be identified on physical examination5. Although the classic triad of moderate pain, temperature sensitivity, and point tenderness has been described, these are nonspecific and not all may be present6. Furthermore, because the mass is usually less than 7 mm in diameter, it is very difficult to palpate. Upon biopsy, the histopathology typically reveals organoid appearance of polyhedral cells. It also can display darkly staining nuclei with fibrous stroma, and few blood cells1. The plain radiographs are typically normal, although in longer standing lesions bony erosions can be seen. Although ultrasound has been advocated to aid in the diagnosis of glomus tumor, it is operator and techniques dependent2. Magnetic Resonance has become the imaging modality of choice when evaluating soft tissue masses. However, MRI descriptions of glomus tumors are rare in the English literature4,5.
Race, Immigrant Status, and Housing Tenure Choice

This paper applies Census microdata from 1980 and 1990 to assess the determinants of housing tenure choice among racial and ethnic groups in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Like previous research, our results indicate that endowment differences (income, education, and immigrant status) largely explain the homeownership gap between Latinos and whites. In contrast to previous work, we find that Asians are as likely to choose homeownership as are whites, and that status as an immigrant did not portend lower homeownership rates among Asians. However, the endowment-adjusted homeownership choice differential between whites and blacks remains sizable; further, that gap more than doubled between 1980 and 1990, to a full 11 percentage points.
Efficiency assessment of an experimental ocean current turbine generator

This document presents the experimentally determined power generation efficiency for the drive-train and motor of a 20 kW experimental ocean current turbine. This efficiency assessment was performed using a custom designed dynamometer and covered much of the generator's expected operating range. These measurements are used with numerically modeled rotor performance to predict the overall efficiency of the ocean current turbine when converting kinetic energy flux to electric power.
Reformas microeconómicas, política macroeconómica y crecimiento. El caso de México

El desempeno de la economia mexicana, en terminos de crecimiento, ha sido desde principios de los anos ochenta mediocre y decepcionante. El ritmo de crecimiento ha estado muy por debajo de la norma historica del periodo de 1940 a principios de los ochenta y los ingresos per capita han divergido en lugar de converger hacia los niveles alcanzados por las economias industriales avanzadas. El punto de vista dominante entre los formuladores de la politica economica es que el principal problema que detiene el crecimiento economico es la falta de reformas microeconomicas que hagan que los mercados operen libremente. En esta vision, la politica macroeconomica solo puede contribuir al crecimiento mediante el control de la inflacion y, por lo tanto, aun cuando la inflacion sea baja, este control debe ser su principal si no es que su unico proposito. Asi, habiendose alcanzado la estabilidad macroeconomica (estrechamente definida como inflacion baja y estable), no hay nada mas que la politica macroeconomica pueda hacer para acelerar el crecimiento. Este ensayo adopta un punto de vista diametralmente opuesto al dominante. Su argumento es que no es la falta de reformas microeconomicas lo que detiene el crecimiento de la economia mexicana, sino precisamente la postura de las politicas fiscal, monetaria y cambiaria. El corolario de esta discusion es que la recuperacion del crecimiento economico pasa por la reforma de la politica macroeconomica, mas que por la profundizacion de las reformas estructurales de corte microeconomico. El trabajo esta dividido en 4 secciones. La primera documenta el bajo crecimiento de la economia mexicana desde 1982 y el rezago que Mexico ha acumulado durante este periodo con respecto a otros paises y regiones. Entre 1981 y 2008, el PIB per capita de Mexico ha crecido a una tasa promedio de solo 0.7 por ciento al ano, que se compara muy desfavorablemente con la norma historica de 3.2 por ciento por ano durante el periodo 1940 a 1981. Incluso este magro crecimiento reciente
MC1R diversity in Northern Island Melanesia has not been constrained by strong purifying selection and cannot explain pigmentation phenotype variation in the region.

Variation in human skin pigmentation evolved in response to the selective pressure of ultra-violet radiation (UVR). Selection to maintain darker skin in high UVR environments is expected to constrain pigmentation phenotype and variation in pigmentation loci. Consistent with this hypothesis, the gene MC1R exhibits reduced diversity in African populations from high UVR regions compared to low-UVR non-African populations. However, MC1R diversity in non-African populations that have evolved under high-UVR conditions is not well characterized. In order to test the hypothesis that MC1R variation has been constrained in Melanesians the coding region of the MC1R gene was sequenced in 188 individuals from Northern Island Melanesia. The role of purifying selection was assessed using a modified McDonald Kreitman’s test. Pairwise FST was calculated between Melanesian populations and populations from the 1000 Genomes Project. The SNP rs2228479 was genotyped in a larger sample (n = 635) of Melanesians and tested for associations with skin and hair pigmentation. We observe three nonsynonymous and two synonymous mutations. A modified McDonald Kreitman’s test failed to detect a significant signal of purifying selection. Pairwise FST values calculated between the four islands sampled here indicate little regional substructure in MC1R. When compared to African, European, East and South Asian populations, Melanesians do not exhibit reduced population divergence (measured as FST) or a high proportion of haplotype sharing with Africans, as one might expect if ancestral haplotypes were conserved across high UVR populations in and out of Africa. The only common nonsynonymous polymorphism observed, rs2228479, is not significantly associated with skin or hair pigmentation in a larger sample of Melanesians. The pattern of sequence diversity here does not support a model of strong selective constraint on MC1R in Northern Island Melanesia This absence of strong constraint, as well as the recent population history of the region, may explain the observed frequencies of the derived rs2228479 allele. These results emphasize the complex genetic architecture of pigmentation phenotypes, which are controlled by multiple, possibly interacting loci. They also highlight the role that population history can play in influencing phenotypic diversity in the absence of strong natural selection.
Theory of Heterosis

Abstract The theory of heterosis is expressed by simple genetic models. Relevant population means are deduced for differences in gene frequencies among populations. Heterosis for the one-locus, two-allele model is a function of the square of the difference in gene frequency multiplied by the dominance deviation. Heterosis, for a model with two loci and two alleles at each, contains an additive by additive epistatic term as well. Recombination loss in the F 2 or the mating of similar crosses interse is a function of the recombination fraction between loci, differences in gene frequencies, and additive by additive and dominance by dominance epistatic effects.
Detection of prostaglandin induction of erythrocyte sickling.

Sickle cell crisis may be precipitated by pregnancy or infection, conditions in which prostaglandin concentrations can be elevated. We have investigated the effects of exogenous prostaglandins on whole blood and isolated, washed erythrocytes from patients with sickle cell anemia disease. Differential counting, light scattering, and optical absorption techniques indicate that prostaglandin E2 can induce and potentiate sickling of these cells under conditions of reduced oxygen tension. Absorption characteristics of sickle cell hemoglobin indicate that prostaglandin E2 affects hemoglobin only in an intact cell. These initial results suggest that prostaglandin E2 may represent a cofactor initiating or enhancing sickle cell crisis. A new application of a light-scattering technique appears a valuable method for continuous monitoring of the sickling process