cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
COGNITIVE REAPPRAISAL MODERATES THE QUADRATIC ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND NEGATIVE AFFECTIVITY

There is uncertainty as to how high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), a marker of an individual's capacity for flexible physiological reactivity, relates to an individual's tendency to experience negative emotions. We propose that both excessively high and excessively low HF-HRV may reflect maladaptive physiological reactivity tendencies associated with high negative affectivity and that this association may be influenced by the use of emotion regulation strategies, such as cognitively reappraising negative environmental stimuli to downregulate the experience of negative emotions. The purpose of the current study was to examine the moderating role of cognitive reappraisal in the quadratic association between HF-HRV and negative affectivity. Electrocardiograms (ECG) were recorded at rest for 269 young adults (77% female; M = 19.7 years) who then completed self-report rating scales assessing trait negative affectivity and trait cognitive reappraisal. As predicted, high and low HF-HRV were associated with high negative affectivity at low levels of trait cognitive reappraisal. At high levels of trait reappraisal, the quadratic association between HF-HRV and negative affectivity was not significant. These results suggest that, contrary to traditional views, high HF-HRV may not always be an adaptive characteristic and may depend on an individual's use of emotion regulation strategies, such as cognitive reappraisal.
Comparative Study of a New Dietary Screener to Assess Food Groups of Concern in Children

Background:Although there are several valid and reliable dietary screeners to measure child intake patterns, there is a paucity of brief assessment tools targeting under- and overconsumed foods.Objective:To compare the Fueling Learning through Exercise study (FLEX) dietary questionnaire, a screener designed to assess consumption patterns in third to fifth graders, to a validated dietary assessment tool.Methods:The FLEX dietary questionnaire was developed to assess fruit, vegetable, snack, and beverage consumption and was compared to the Block Kids Food Screener (BKFS). Correlations were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient. Agreement was assessed using Bland-Altman plots.Results:The sample (n = 63) had mean age of 9.9 years (SD 0.7). Most participants were non-Hispanic white (70%) and eligible for free/reduced price lunch (57%). Correlations between food group categories were significant for all groups (P < .05) except fruits (r = 0.51) and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) (r = 0.21). We found m...
Synthesis of hollow Pt–Ag nanoparticles by oxygen-assisted acid etching as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction

Hollow bimetallic nanostructures have recently shown promising performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. In this work, we report the synthesis of hollow Pt–Ag nanoparticles of varying sizes by O2-assisted acid etching of Ag@Pt core@shell nanostructures at room temperature. With a Pt shell less than 6 nm thick, the O2 dissolved in acetic acid could oxidize the Ag core. Subsequently, silver oxide was dissolved in acetic acid and turned into Ag+ ions. During this process, the Ag atoms diffused into the lattice of the Pt shell, and Ag@Pt core@shell nanostructures evolved into hollow Pt–Ag alloy nanoparticles. The as-synthesized hollow Pt–Ag nanocatalysts maintained specific ORR activities that were enhanced beyond the specific activity for commercial carbon supported Pt nanoparticles. The 5.8 nm hollow Pt–Ag nanoparticles displayed the highest activity of 1.12 mA cm−2. Over the course of an accelerated durability test, the 5.8 nm nanoparticles retained 95% and 87% of their initial electrochemical surface area and specific ORR activity. The enhanced activity and durability can be ascribed to the high surface area of the porous structure and the new d-band center due to the hollow morphology and Pt–Ag alloy formation. This work demonstrates a simple strategy for fabricating small porous nanoparticles, which can be potentially used as electrocatalysts in PEM fuel cells.
Public procurement of innovation policy: Competition regulation, market structure and dominant design

Recently, industry policy researchers have been more interested in public procurement, as a “demand side” policy approach. The mainstream exclusively targeted public procurement demand to push innovation and furthermore leads to the “first mover strategy.” This paper points out that procurement decisions are likely to have a broader innovation impacts, and mostly via their influence on intermediate outcomes such as the structure of industrial competition. In this paper, the author explores the specific features of public procurement as a competition shaping instrument, and conducts an empirical study to measure the correlations among the competition regulation of procurement contracts awarding, industry competition structure and dominant design cultivation efficiency.
Chemical and semiconducting properties of NO2-activated H-terminated diamond

Abstract The H-terminated surface of diamond when activated with NO2 produces a surface conduction layer that has been used to make field effect transistors (FETs). Previous reports have suggested that during NO2 exposure (NO2-activation), NO2− forms on the diamond surface and generates positive carriers (holes) in the diamond, making the diamond surface conductive. We report here on X-ray-photoelectron-spectroscopy (XPS) surface characterization of single crystal diamonds and on infrared absorption of diamond powder. After activation, XPS showed the presence of N atoms on the diamond surface, but infrared absorption found no evidence of NO2−, but instead NO3− is present on the diamond surface. Two wet chemistry techniques determined the concentration of NO3− per milligram of diamond powder. With the powder's surface area measured by the BET technique, the surface NO3− concentration was measured to be between 6.2 × 1013 and 8.2 × 1013 cm−2. This is in the same range as the carrier densities, 3 × 1013 to 9 × 1013 cm−2, determined by Hall mobility and surface conductivity measurements of single crystal diamonds. Using similar techniques, the concentration of NO2− was determined to be Both the surface conductance and the surface H atoms are stable in dry nitrogen, with or without NO2-activation, but the surface conductance, the concentrations of H atoms both with and without activation and NO3− decrease when exposed to laboratory air over a period of hours to days. Infrared absorption measurements showed the reduction of surface NO3− and H atoms during laboratory air exposure, but gave no indication of what reactions are responsible for their loss in laboratory air.
Reply to Ahluwalia et al.: Contributions of melatonin receptors are tissue-dependent.

In our recent publication (1), we advance the previous findings regarding melatonin type 1 (MT1) receptor in brain mitochondria. We demonstrate that melatonin is synthesized in brain mitochondria and signals through the MT1 receptor located in the outer mitochondrial membrane (MM). We further show that melatonin binds mitochondria MT1, which in turn activates inhibitory Gi proteins in the intermembrane space and inhibits stress-mediated cytochrome c release (1, 2). We have exclusively worked with neurons or brain tissue, and have therefore … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: jpv{at}pitt.edu or friedlanderr{at}upmc.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
The Current State of Project Management Research: Trends, Interpretations, and Predictions:

This paper describes the methodology and results of a research effort that identified the project management research published in English since 1960. An annotated bibliography was created of 3,554...
Alterations des fonctions de reproduction chez les souris males deficientes en recepteur aux estrogenes

La deletion du recepteur aux estrogenes (estrogen receptor knock out i.e ERKO) chez la souris mâle conduit a la sterilite suite a une deficience de la gametogenese associee a des alterations du comportement sexuel. En fonction de l’âge, le developpement testiculaire est de plus en plus anormal et les cellules germinales degenerent. Les taux circulants de gonadotropines et de testosterone ne sont pas significativement plus eleves chez les mâles ERKO ce qui suggere que les androgenes testiculaires exercent correctement leur controle sur les secretions de gonadotropines meme en absence d’aromatisation et d’activation du recepteur aux estrogenes (ER). La sterilite des souris mâles ERKO n’est pas la consequence d’une modification du role des androgenes puique la morphologie du tractus genital n’est pas alteree. Le comportement de monte des mâles est normal alors que l’accouplement et l’ejaculation sont severement compromis.
Ribonucleotide Reductase and the Ocular Virulence of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 infections of the eye affect approximately 500 000 people in the United States of America each year and are the leading cause of blindness due to infectious disease in developed countries. Several factors, including the strain of virus, the host immune response, and innate host resistance affect the severity of the infection. The fact that the strain of virus is important indicates that genes in the virus affect virulence. Little is known about the genetics of ocular HSV virulence. The viral thymidine kinase, ICP0, and possibly glycoprotein C genes have been reported to be involved in ocular virulence. We have been studying the role of the HSV ribonucleotide reductase (RR) gene in ocular infections using a null (deletion) mutant (ICP6Δ). The ICP6Δ deletion mutant was unable to cause blinding eye disease in our murine model of HSV keratitis compared to the parent HSV-1 KOS and a genetically engineered revertant (ICP6Δ+3.1). These results indicate that HSV-1 RR is a virulence determinant. ICP6Δ grew poorly in mouse and human corneal fibroblasts and in the mouse eye when compared to HSV-1 KOS and ICP6Δ+3.1, suggesting that the role of the HSV-1 RR is to enhance growth in the animal. RR may therefore be a valid target for new antiviral drugs. Mutants lacking the viral RR gene may also be useful as vaccine strains and vectors for neuronal gene therapy.
Anti-Müllerian hormone levels and cardiometabolic disturbances by weight status among men in the 1999 to 2004 national health and nutrition examination survey

Context Serum anti-Mullerian hormone level (AMH) and body mass index may be jointly associated with cardiometabolic risk. Objectives Examine the contribution of AMH to cardiometabolic disturbances by weight status among US adult men. Design Cross-sectional analysis using data from the 1999 to 2004 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Setting Multistage probability sampling of the noninstitutionalized US population. Participants US men aged ≥18 years. Final analytic sample sizes ranged from 517 to 1063 participants. Main Outcome and Exposure Measures Cardiometabolic disturbances (metabolic syndrome and its components, insulin resistance, diabetes, and chronic inflammation) and AMH were obtained from trained staff and nurses in a mobile examination center or during in-home visits. Results AMH was directly associated with insulin resistance among obese men [OR 1.08 (95% CI 1.00, 1.15); P = 0.046; N = 146], whereas AMH was inversely associated with waist circumference (WC) among obese men [OR 0.95 (95% CI 0.91, 0.99); P = 0.049; N = 146]. An inverse relationship was also observed between categorical AMH and diabetes status [medium vs low AMH; OR 0.19 (95% CI 0.043, 0.84); P = 0.030; N = 145] among obese men, with a strong inverse relationship also detected among overweight men [high vs low AMH; OR 0.011 (95% CI 0.0004, 0.27); P = 0.007; N = 193]. An inverse relationship between continuous AMH and diabetes [OR 0.75 (95% CI: 0.59, 0.93); P = 0.011; N = 193] was also detected among overweight men. Conclusions AMH was associated with specific cardiometabolic risk factors, including WC, diabetes status, and insulin resistance, in overweight and obese US men.
Electrical Detection of Surface Plasmons for Sensing Applications

Photoinduced voltages in metal films with rectangular profile modulation demonstrate sharp polarity switching at plasmon resonance conditions. We explore this effect for applications for compact plasmonic sensors with electrical detection. © 2019 The Author(s)
The coming of age of agroforestry

The success of modern agricultural and forestry production can be largely attributed to monoculture systems using a few select species. In the drive for maximizing yield and profit, the age-old tradition of using combined farming systems was essentially avoided and in some cases this has resulted in environmental problems such as land and water degradation and increased land clearing. During the last 30 years, however, the positive benefits of agroforestry to the producer and the environment have been increasingly recognized. Combining trees and crops in spatial or temporal arrangements has been shown to improve food and nutritional security and mitigate environmental degradation, offering a sustainable alternative to monoculture production. By providing supportive and complimentary roles with a flexible approach, agroforestry can offer specific social and environmental benefits across a range of landscapes and economies. More research and effort is needed to explore the full potential of agroforestry applications and to fuel awareness. As the plethora of benefits of agroforestry are realized, modern land-use systems are evolving towards a more sustainable and holistic approach to land management. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry
RoboGraphics: Dynamic Tactile Graphics Powered by Mobile Robots

Tactile graphics are a common way to present information to people with vision impairments. Tactile graphics can be used to explore a broad range of static visual content but aren't well suited to representing animation or interactivity. We introduce a new approach to creating dynamic tactile graphics that combines a touch screen tablet, static tactile overlays, and small mobile robots. We introduce a prototype system called RoboGraphics and several proof-of-concept applications. We evaluated our prototype with seven participants with varying levels of vision, comparing the RoboGraphics approach to a flat screen, audio-tactile interface. Our results show that dynamic tactile graphics can help visually impaired participants explore data quickly and accurately.
Sociotechnical convex hulls and the evolution of transportation activity: A method and application to US travel survey data

•Sociotechnical hull metrics show good correlation with overall transportation activity.•The method could be useful in forecasting Airplane, Bike, and Hired mode shifts.•The auto overlap relationship was strongest for Airplane, Bike, and Hired modes.•As Hired modes capture more auto sociotechnical space, usage will increase.•The Hired OTB indicates longer trip durations becoming normalized for this mode.
Addressing Contextual Challenges in Underserved Indigenous Spaces of the Global South: In Search of an Approach Based on Unlearning, Co-Learning, and Relearning:

Qualitative scholars are increasingly arguing in favor of bridging the gap between emic and etic knowledge as well as to become critically reflexive while conducting research, especially in the und...
Attitudinal Predictors of Juror Decisions on Gender and Sexual Minority Defendants.

This study examined whether defendants’ gender identity and/or sexual orientation influenced jurors’ decisions of guilt across several crimes and what juror attitudes predicted these decisions. In ...
Early-stage Automated Identification of Similar Hardware Implementations with Abstract-Syntax-Tree

The resource requirements of application-specific accelerators challenge embedded system designers who have a tight area budget but must cover a range of possible software kernels. We propose an early detection methodology (ReconfAST) to identify computationally similar synthesizable kernels to build Shared Accelerators (SAs). SAs are specialized hardware accelerators that execute very different software kernels but share the common hardware functions between them. SAs increase the fraction of workloads covered by specialized hardware by detecting similarities in dataflow and control flow between seemingly very different workloads. Existing methods use either dynamic traces or analyze register transfer level (RTL) implementations to find these similarities which require deep knowledge of RTL and time-consuming design process. ReconfAST leverages abstract-syntax-trees (ASTs) generated from LLVM's-clang to discover similar kernels among workloads. ASTs provide the right level of abstraction to detect commonalities. ASTs are compact, unlike control and dataflow representations, but contain extra syntax and variable node ordering that complicates workload comparison. ReconfAST, transforms ASTs into a new clustered-ASTs (CASTs) representation, removes unneeded nodes, and uses a regular expression to match common node configurations. The approach is validated using MachSuite accelerator benchmarks. On FPGAs, a good Shared Accelerator accelerates workloads by an average of 5x and reduces the resources required for FPGA implementations: 37% FFs, 16% DSPs, and 10% on LUTs on average over a dedicated accelerator implementation.
Genomics of Breast Cancer and Treatment-Related Pain and Comorbid Symptoms

This chapter provides an overview of various theoretical models and genomic research that has been performed to develop a deeper understanding of the symptom experience in individuals with breast cancer. Methods for applying genomics in cancer symptom research, and importantly, integrating omic findings across datasets are discussed.
The Quantose Insulin Resistance Test for Maternal Insulin Resistance: A Pilot Study.

Objective Insulin resistance (IR) increases during pregnancy which can lead to hyperinsulinemia, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and neonatal hypoglycemia (NH), especially in obese women. Glucose tolerance testing (GTT) is used clinically to evaluate IR in pregnancy. Quantose IR score index is a novel blood screen of IR validated in nonpregnant individuals. The score is generated using an algorithm that combines insulin and three biomarkers of fatty acid pathways (α-hydroxybutyrate, oleic acid, linoleoyl-glycerophospocholine). Our objective was to determine the validity of Quantose IR test (Metabolan Inc. Morrisville, NC) in assessing IR in pregnant obese women, as compared with the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and its ability to predict GDM and NH. Study Design Women between 100/7 and 136/7 weeks of gestation with a pre-pregnancy or early pregnancy body mass index more than 30 kg/m2, and no pregestational diabetes, were included. Fasting blood samples were collected at 100/7 to 136/7 (T1) and 240/7 to 280/7 (T2) weeks. Quantose IR and HOMA-IR were calculated. All women underwent an early (T1; indicated for women with obesity) and a T2 glucose tolerance tests. GDM was diagnosed using the two-step approach, and NH was defined as a neonatal glucose less than 40 mg/dL in the first 24 hours of life. Linear regression and receiver operating characteristic curves were used for analysis. Results The trial enrolled 100 patients. Ten subjects (10%) were diagnosed with GDM in the second trimester and none in the first trimester. At T1, Quantose IR (R2 = 0.48), but not 1-hour glucose tolerance test (R2 = 0.07), correlated with HOMA-IR. Similar correlations were observed at T2. The 1-hour glucose tolerance test followed by HOMA-IR and Quantose IR (area under the curve [AUC]: 0.82, 0.68, and 0.62, respectively) were predictors of GDM. Quantose IR (AUC: 0.74) and 1-hour glucose tolerance test (AUC: 0.72) at T1 and T2 (AUC: 0.75; AUC: 0.93; respectively) were best predictors of NH. The best cut offs, sensitivities, and specificities for prediction of NH were determined. Conclusion Similar to nonpregnant individuals, Quantose IR appears to be a valid measure of IR in obese pregnant women. First trimester Quantose IR is a predictor of GDM diagnosed in the second trimester and NH. Given that it requires a single blood draw and no glucose challenge, it may be a useful test to evaluate and monitor IR in pregnancy. Our findings may be used as pilot data to explore the potential use of Quantose IR in pregnancy further. Key Points
The impact of a rectal hydrogel spacer on dosimetric and toxicity outcomes among patients undergoing combination therapy with external beam radiotherapy and low-dose-rate brachytherapy

Abstract Purpose Rectal hydrogel spacers have been shown to decrease rectal radiation dose and toxicity. In this study, we compared prostate and rectal dosimetry and acute toxicity outcomes in patients who had and had not received a rectal hydrogel spacer prior to combination therapy with external beam radiotherapy and low-dose-rate brachytherapy. Materials and Methods All patients with intermediate-risk and high-risk prostate cancer who received combination therapy at our institution were identified between 2014 and 2019. Dosimetric outcomes of brachytherapy implants and quality of life (QOL) outcomes were compared between patients who had and had not received a hydrogel spacer. Results A Total of 168 patients meeting our inclusion criteria were identified. Twenty-two patients had received a rectal hydrogel spacer, among whom the mean separation between the rectum and prostate was 7.5 mm, and the V100rectum was reduced by 47% (0.09 cc vs. 0.17 cc, p = 0.04). There was no difference in the percentage of patients achieving a D90 of ≥100 Gy between those who had and had not received a spacer. The mean rate of change in I-PSS and SHIM scores did not differ between the two groups at 2 months after PID. Conclusion LDR brachytherapy appears feasible after the placement of a rectal hydrogel spacer. While there was a significantly reduced V100rectum among patients who had received a hydrogel spacer, there was no statistically significant difference in patients achieving a D90prostate of ≥100 Gy. Although there was no difference appreciated in QOL scores, the length of follow-up was limited in the rectal-spacer group.
Managing Behavioral Health Risks in Older Adults

Dear Fellow Clinical Gerontologists:Managing behavioral health risks is an important element of high-quality clinical care for older adults. In this issue, we present papers that address different ...
Redistribution of Outpatient Oncologic Surgical Specialty Referrals During COVID-19.

BACKGROUND Initial reports of significantly worse outcomes for cancer patients with COVID-19 led to guidelines for triaging surgical cancer treatment. We sought to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on oncologic surgical specialty referrals. METHODS We compared referrals to oncologic surgical specialty clinics at an academic tertiary care institution following implementation of stay-at-home orders in California (3/19/20-7/31/20, "COVID") to the same time period the year prior (3/19/19-7/31/19, "Pre-COVID"). The number of appointments, consulted surgical services, insurance types, acuity of diagnoses, and times from referral to first appointment (TRFA) were assessed. RESULTS The overall number of patients seen in matched time periods decreased by 21.6% from 900 (pre-COVID) to 705 (COVID). Proportions of patients with malignant and suspicious diagnoses, surgical and thoracic oncology visits, and Medicaid insurance differed from comparison groups during the COVID period (P < .05). Overall median (interquartile range) TRFA decreased from 14 (20) to 12 (19) days (P = .001) during COVID. CONCLUSION After implementation of stay-at-home orders, higher acuity and vulnerable patients were appropriately seen in oncologic surgical specialty clinics. While the long-term effects of decreased clinic visits during COVID remain uncertain, further examination of scheduling practices that led to shorter referral times may identify methods to improve timeliness of care and surgical oncologic outcomes in non-pandemic settings.
A Comparison of Wage Inequality in For-profit, Non-Profit and Local Government Organizations: Nursing Homes in the Midwestern US

This essay is devoted to investigate ownership-related wage differentials, distinguishing between nonprofit, for-profit and local government organizations, within a sample of US nursing homes. It focuses on within-organization across-occupation wage dispersion. The results do not support widespread opinions about wage dispersion across the three ownership types. Neither the intrinsic motivation perspective’s prediction of less inequality among employees in nonprofit and government sectors, nor the agency theory prediction that higher level employees will use their influence to increase their own well-being without increasing the well-being of others, are supported.
Deformation and Fatigue Damage in 1070 Steel under Thermal Loading

The fatigue lives of 1070 steel (Class U wheel steel) under (1) isothermal loading, (2) thermo-mechanical constant amplitude loading, and (3) thermo-mechanical block loading have been examined. Fatigue lives for these three cases were compared based on the same mechanical strain range and maximum temperature level, with similar strain rates. Predictions of thermo-mechanical block loading cases were nonconservative based on isothermal data, while the predictions improved to within a factor of 1.5 of experimental lives when thermo-mechanical constant amplitude data were utilized. Oxide scales readily formed at high temperatures ( >500°C) and resulted in increased damage due to a localized high strain state and an inherent lack of ductility. Oxides of different composition and morphology form depending on the temperature and type of loading. Stratified and non-stratified oxide layers (predominantly Fe 3 O 4 ) were identified in the experiments.
The Use of Anoxic Selectors for the Control of Low F/M Activated Sludge Bulking

Laboratory and pilot plant experiments on anoxic selector activated sludge systems were conducted on two wastewaters in some cases supplemented with nitrate, acetate or glucose. To prevent bulking sufficient anoxic selector detention time and nitrate levels must be available to reduce selector effluent soluble COD to below 100 mg/l and to reduce readily metabolizable organic matter to virtually zero ( Soluble COD/NO 3 -N removal stoichiometry is in the range 6.0-6.7. Selector systems have elevated soluble substrate removal and denitrification rates compared to CSTR systems. These rates are not affected greatly by temperature (20-25°C) for CSTR sludges but are for selector sludges. Upon exhaustion of nitrate in a selector soluble COD leaks out of the activated sludge in significant amounts. Thiothrix sp. and type 021N denitrify only to NO 2 and at much slower rates than Zoogloearamigera does to N 2 . A sequencing batch system provides an optimistic estimate of the SVI that can be obtained by an anoxic selector system.
Self-assembled polypeptide and polypeptide hybrid vesicles: from synthesis to application.

Abstract The development of nanoscale drug delivery vehicles is an exciting field due to the ability of these vehicles to improve the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of existing therapeutics. These vehicles can improve drug effectiveness and safety by providing benefits such as increased blood circulation, targeted delivery, and controlled release. With regard to the building blocks, amphiphilic polypeptide and polypeptide hybrid (i.e., a macromolecule comprised of a polypeptide and another type of polymer) systems have been recently investigated for their abilities to self-assemble into vesicles. Advances in synthesis methodologies have allowed the development and characterization of many different amphiphilic polypeptide and polypeptide hybrid systems. In this review, we will discuss these vesicle-forming materials in terms of their synthesis, processing, and characterization. In addition, current efforts to use them for drug delivery purposes will be discussed.
A METHOD FOR THE ESTIMATION OF SUGAR IN SMALL QUANTITIES OF BLOOD

The red color obtained by heating a dextrose solution with picric acid and sodium carbonate is employed as the basis of the present method for the determination of blood sugar, the reaction being so delicate that it is possible to determine the dextrose in as little as 0.5 c.c. of blood. Following is the method in detail as ordinarily used by us.Two c.c. of blood are drawn from a vein through a hypodermic needle into an Ostwald pipette, a little potassium oxalate in the tip of the pipette preventing clotting. The blood is discharged immediately into a 25 c.c. volumetric flask containing 10 c.c. of N/100 acetic acid previously heated in a boiling water bath. The pipette is rinsed once with distilled water. The flask is replaced in the boiling water bath and shaken occasionally for five minutes. After cooling, 1 c.c. of 5 per cent. dialyzed iron (Merck) is added to precipitate any protein still in solution. Distilled water is added to the mark, the contents of the flask are filtered, and an aliquot of the c...
An unusual reaction between the esters of N-hydroxy-2-thiopyridone and activated azo compounds

Abstract The esters 1 of N -hydroxy-2-thiopyridone react smoothly at room temperature in a thermal reaction with diethyl azodicarboxylic ester to furnish adducts 2 of a novel structure. Photolysis of these adducts affords a convenient route to the little known tetrazanes 8 . Azo compounds without electron withdrawing groups do not react. The Cookson reagent, however, is so reactive that it gives diacyl derivatives of type 14 .
LIGO Vacuum System Study

A laser interferometer gravitational wave observatory (LIGO) is being developed with sensitivities that will have a high probability of detecting gravitational waves from astrophysical sources. Detectors are also planned by others in Europe and eventually in space. A major component of the proposed LIGO is a total of 16 km (10 miles) of 1.2 m (48 in.) dia tube at a pressure of less than 10" torr. It will be of 304 L stainless steel procured directly from the steel mills with the initial hydrogen content specially reduced. (Target is 1 ppm by weight.) Projections of the outgassing rates of hydrogen and of water vapor as a function of time will be given and the uncertainties discussed. Based on these, a preliminary analysis of the vacuum system will be presented.
Two-dimensional density estimation using smooth invertible transformations

Abstract We investigate the problem of estimating a smooth invertible transformation f when observing independent samples X 1 , … , X n ∼ P ∘ f where P is a known measure. We focus on the two-dimensional case where P and f are defined on R 2 . We present a flexible class of smooth invertible transformations in two dimensions with variational equations for optimizing over the classes, then study the problem of estimating the transformation f by penalized maximum likelihood estimation. We apply our methodology to the case when P ∘ f has a density with respect to Lebesgue measure on R 2 and demonstrate improvements over kernel density estimation on three examples.
A general characterization of the mean field limit for stochastic differential games

The mean field limit of large-population symmetric stochastic differential games is derived in a general setting, with and without common noise, on a finite time horizon. Minimal assumptions are imposed on equilibrium strategies, which may be asymmetric and based on full information. It is shown that approximate Nash equilibria in the n-player games admit certain weak limits as n tends to infinity, and every limit is a weak solution of the mean field game (MFG). Conversely, every weak MFG solution can be obtained as the limit of a sequence of approximate Nash equilibria in the n-player games. Thus, the MFG precisely characterizes the possible limiting equilibrium behavior of the n-player games. Even in the setting without common noise, the empirical state distributions may admit stochastic limits which cannot be described by the usual notion of MFG solution.
Computational and neural mechanisms for visual suppression

I investigate the computational and the neural mechanisms for suppressing retinal vascular image (RVI) and attempt to generalize some conclusions to other visual suppression phenomena First I present a new observation demonstrating RVI in negative afterimages Then I discuss RVI suppression from a computational perspective and suggest: (1) RVI is always there in the retinal stimulation; (2) RVI must be actively suppressed on a moment-by-moment basis; and (3) in order to suppress RVI, there must exist an internal representation of RVI at a monocular stage Mapping onto the organization of the primate visual system, particularly based on Adams and Horton's neuroanatomical demonstration of a complete representation of retinal blood vessels in layer 4C of V1, I propose that layer 4C is in fact the neural site for RVI suppression Finally, I suggest that layer 4C is the neural substrate for phenomenal visual consciousness (particularly, color and brightness consciousness).
Contrast-Set Mining of Aircraft Accidents and Incidents

Identifying patterns of factors associated with aircraft accidents is of high interest to the aviation safety community. However, accident data is not large enough to allow a significant discovery of repeating patterns of the factors. We applied the STUCCO algorithm to analyze aircraft accident datain contrast to the aircraft incident datain major aviation safety databases and identified factors that are significantly associated with the accidents. The data pertains to accidents and incidents involving commercial flights within the United States. The NTSB accident database was analyzed against four incident databases and the results were compared. We ranked the findings by the Factor Support Ratio, a measure introduced in this work.
Use of Wireless Technology for Reducing Medical Errors

We have established that inadequate access to timely information and ineffective communication among patient care team members are frequent events that are proximal causes of medical errors.1 We are exploring the use of wireless mobile computing technology to help reduce these problems through extensions to the Web-based clinical information system at New York Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH). Currently, there are several wireless devices that allow Web browsing and e-mail messaging along with other features. The advantage of Palm devices over other personal digital assistants (PDA) is size and the enormous amount of software available for the Palm OS. Compared to cellular phones and alphanumeric pagers, …
An efficient direct approach for computing shortest rectilinear paths among obstacles in a two-layer interconnection model

In this paper, we present a direct approach for routing a shortest rectilinear path between two points among a set of rectilinear obstacles in a two-layer interconnection model that is used for VLSI routing applications. The previously best known direct approach for this problem takes O(nlog^2n) time and O(nlogn) space, where n is the total number of obstacle edges. By using integer data structures and an implicit graph representation scheme (i.e., a generalization of the distance table method), we improve the time bound to O(nlog^3^/^2n) while still maintaining the O(nlogn) space bound. Comparing with the indirect approach for this problem, our algorithm is simpler to implement and is probably faster for a quite large range of input sizes.
The PSCz Galaxy Power Spectrum Compared to N-Body Simulations

By comparing the PSCz galaxy power spectrum with halos from nested and phased N-body simulations, we try to understand how IRAS infraredselected galaxies populate dark-matter halos. We pay special attention to the way we identify halos in the simulations.
Congenital myasthenic syndromes.

Publisher Summary Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMSs) are inherited disorders of neuromuscular transmission associated with abnormal weakness and fatigability on exertion. In each CMS, the safety margin of neuromuscular transmission is compromised by one or more specific mechanisms. This chapter provides an overview of the anatomic and physiologic aspects of neuromuscular transmission. The recognized CMSs stem from defects in presynaptic, synaptic basal lamina, and postsynaptic molecules. Generic diagnosis of a CMS is based on myasthenic symptoms since birth or early childhood. The types of presynaptic CMS are (1) CMS caused by defects in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) associated with episodic apnea; (2) a CMS with paucity of synaptic vesicles and reduced quantal release; (3) a CMS resembling the Lambert–Eaton syndrome; and (4) a CMS with reduced quantal release due to an undefined mechanism. The synaptic basal lamina harbors several molecules that regulate the development and function of the neuromuscular junction. Defects in any of these proteins could instigate a CMS, but defects only in the collagenic structural component of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) cause a CMS. Most postsynaptic CMSs are caused by defects in AChR.
Repair Expenses, Selling Contracts and House Prices

This article examines the impact of repair expenses on the selling price of a house. Using data that include the actual dollar amount of repairs stipulated in the settlement statement, we investiga...
A Positive Psychological Theory of Judging in Hindsight

Nothing is so easy as to be wise after the event. Everyone is familiar with the feeling that they “knew it all along.” Events, especially tragedies, often feel as if they were predictable. Folk wisdom admonishes us to distrust this sensation. We all know that hindsight vision is “20/20” and that “Monday morning quarterbacking” exaggerates one's ability to know the future. Learning how the story ends makes the outcome seem inevitable, thereby distorting our perception of what could have been predicted. Despite this well-known obstacle to assessing the predictability of events accurately, the law constantly requires courts to make such assessments. Numerous legal judgments, from determining whether a tort defendant failed to take reasonable care to whether a corporate officer committed securities fraud by knowingly making false statements, require that a judge or jury ignore what they have learned in hindsight. If the folk wisdom is correct, these judgments should be distrusted. Our legal system apparently must rely on faulty judgments. Psychological Research on Judging in Hindsight The Hindsight Bias Research by cognitive psychologists supports the folk admonition against trusting judgments made in hindsight. Beginning with the work of Baruch Fischhoff, psychologists have demonstrated repeatedly that people overstate the predictability of past events, a phenomenon that psychologists have termed the “hindsight bias.”
Comparing Graphs via Persistence Distortion

Metric graphs are ubiquitous in science and engineering. For example, many data are drawn from hidden spaces that are graph-like, such as the cosmic web. A metric graph offers one of the simplest yet still meaningful ways to represent the non-linear structure hidden behind the data. In this paper, we propose a new distance between two finite metric graphs, called the persistence-distortion distance, which draws upon a topological idea. This topological perspective along with the metric space viewpoint provide a new angle to the graph matching problem. Our persistence-distortion distance has two properties not shared by previous methods: First, it is stable against the perturbations of the input graph metrics. Second, it is a continuous distance measure, in the sense that it is defined on an alignment of the underlying spaces of input graphs, instead of merely their nodes. This makes our persistence-distortion distance robust against, for example, different discretizations of the same underlying graph. Despite considering the input graphs as continuous spaces, that is, taking all points into account, we show that we can compute the persistence-distortion distance in polynomial time. The time complexity for the discrete case where only graph nodes are considered is much faster.
Geodesics between 3d closed curves using path-straightening

In order to analyze shapes of continuous curves in ℝ3, we parameterize them by arc-length and represent them as curves on a unit two-sphere. We identify the subset denoting the closed curves, and study its differential geometry. To compute geodesics between any two such curves, we connect them with an arbitrary path, and then iteratively straighten this path using the gradient of an energy associated with this path. The limiting path of this path-straightening approach is a geodesic. Next, we consider the shape space of these curves by removing shape-preserving transformations such as rotation and re-parametrization. To construct a geodesic in this shape space, we construct the shortest geodesic between the all possible transformations of the two end shapes; this is accomplished using an iterative procedure. We provide step-by-step descriptions of all the procedures, and demonstrate them with simple examples.
Revisiting Impartiality: Social Media and Journalism at The BBC

This article contributes to the literature of news production studies by providing a powerful example of how processes of deliberation bring change to journalism. It explores the reconstruction of impartiality using the single case-study of social media in the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) international journalism. In this case-study, symbolic interactionism and mesostructure analysis enable us to explore social organizations and social processes, placing them in larger embedded contexts (structural, historical, and mode of action) and extended temporality. Following D. L. Altheide's (1996) ecology of communication framework, this study on BBC impartiality demonstrates that in the newsroom, techies have responded strategically to the logic of their environment. Techies have joined in the process of the new symbolic architecture of impartiality, which has transformed news agenda-setting. This new logic, ushered in by techies, has shaped editorial decisions at the public broadcaster. This article discusses how social media have contributed to the nature, organization, and consequences of communication activities of the BBC.
It's About Time: Real-Time Logics Reviewed

We summarize and reorganize some of the last decade's research on real-time extensions of temporal logic. Our main focus is on tableau constructions for model checking linear temporal formulas with timing constraints. In particular, we find that a great deal of real-time verification can be performed in polynomial space, but also that considerable care must be exercised in order to keep the real-time verification problem in polynomial space, or even decidable.
Examining the Effects of Ecological and Political Boundaries on the Potential for Water Quality Trading: Lessons from a Southeastern Trading Framework

Water quality trading (trading) as a means to improve water quality has become an increasingly popular instrument considered by environmental policy makers. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists more than forty current trading programs in the U.S., only a few active markets exist. The literature identifies several hurdles to trading, overcoming which requires a deeper understanding of the interaction between local environmental, legal, and economic conditions. Particular challenges include thin markets, uncertainty related to the course and fate of nutrient flows, varying degrees of political support, and high transaction costs related to market infrastructure, monitoring, and enforcement. These hindrances often arise from and contribute to the confinement of trading to tight ecological and political boundaries. This paper explores the effect of these boundaries on the potential for trading in two southeastern reservoirs and their respective watersheds. Results provide insight into the effects of the spatial expansion of markets. These findings contribute to the current dialogue that seeks to better understand barriers to trading.
External Control in Markovian Genetic Regulatory Networks

Probabilistic Boolean Networks (PBN's) have been recently introduced as a rule-based paradigm for modeling gene regulatory networks. Such networks, which form a subclass of Markovian Genetic Regulatory Networks, provide a convenient tool for studying interactions between different genes while allowing for uncertainty in the knowledge of these relationships. This paper deals with the issue of control in probabilistic Boolean networks. More precisely, given a general Markovian Genetic Regulatory Network whose state transition probabilities depend on an external (control) variable, the paper develops a procedure by which one can choose the sequence of control actions that minimize a given performance index over a finite number of steps. The procedure is based on the theory of controlled Markov chains and makes use of the classical technique of Dynamic Programming. The choice of the finite horizon performance index is motivated by cancer treatment applications where one would ideally like to intervene only over a finite time horizon, then suspend treatment and observe the effects over some additional time before deciding if further intervention is necessary. The undiscounted finite horizon cost minimization problem considered here is the simplest one to formulate and solve, and is selected mainly for clarity of exposition, although more complicated costs could be used, provided appropriate technical conditions are satisfied.
A Two Decade Comparison of Work After Retirement in the United States

The United States like many Western European countries saw the post World War II slide in the labor force participation rates of older males accelerate in the 1970s. A combination of substantial increases in social security retirement benefits, an increase in the coverage and in the size of employer pension benefits, and a decade of slow economic growth all influenced this trend. But the aging of the baby boom generation and concern over the pressure that the early retirement of this generation will put on the social security system led policymakers in the 1980s to review the United States retirement system.
Investigation of Equivalent Scale in Demand Using Latvia's Household Budget Survey

This study uses data from the 1991 Latvian household budget survey to evaluate one aspect of economic decision making of households: how income is allocated for consumption of various broad categories of food items. In addition to current estimates obtained from Latvian data, the economic approach and method of empirical analysis are provided in sufficient detail to be useful for other researchers replicating the methods and procedures on similar data sets.