cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Controller switching based on output prediction errors

We consider a switched nonlinear feedback control strategy for controlling a plant with unknown parameters so that the output asymptotically tracks a reference signal. The controller is selected online from a given set of controllers according to a switching rule based on output prediction errors. For control problems requiring asymptotic tracking of a reference input we provide sufficient conditions under which the switched closed-loop control system is exponentially stable and asymptotically achieves good control even if the switching does not stop, Our results are illustrated with three examples.
In-flight neurologic emergencies

In the late 1980s, a group of cardiologists, including one author of this editorial (A.J.M.), contacted several major American and foreign airlines and recommended placement of automatic external defibrillators (AED) on all transcontinental and transoceanic flights. Qantas Airlines responded favorably, and in 1991 external defibrillators were installed in the major international Australian terminals and into each of 55 international Boeing 747 and 767 aircraft with appropriate training of flight personnel. Within a short time after placement of the defibrillators on Qantas planes, a passenger flying from Australia to Los Angeles was successfully resuscitated in-flight from cardiac arrest using an AED. During a 64-month period, Qantas reported that the defibrillator …
Prioritizing Warning Categories by Analyzing Software History

Automatic bug finding tools tend to have high false positive rates: most warnings do not indicate real bugs. Usually bug finding tools prioritize each warning category. For example, the priority of "overflow " is 1 and the priority of "jumbled incremental" is 3, but the tools 'prioritization is not very effective. In this paper, we prioritize warning categories by analyzing the software change history. The underlying intuition is that if warnings from a category are resolved quickly by developers, the warnings in the category are important. Experiments with three bug finding tools (FindBugs, JLint, and PMD) and two open source projects (Columba and jEdit) indicate that different warning categories have very different lifetimes. Based on that observation, we propose a preliminary algorithm for warning category prioritizing.
Hyperhomocysteinemia and low pyridoxal phosphate. Common and independent reversible risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Background High plasma homocysteine is associated with premature coronary artery disease in men, but the threshold concentration defining this risk and its importance in women and the elderly are unknown. Furthermore, although low B vitamin status increases homocysteine, the link between these vitamins and coronary disease is unclear. Methods and Results We compared 304 patients with coronary disease with 231 control subjects. Risk factors and concentrations of plasma homocysteine, folate, vitamin B12, and pyridoxal 5′-phosphate were documented. A homocysteine concentration of 14 μmol/L conferred an odds ratio of coronary disease of 4.8 (P<.001), and 5-μmol/L increments across the range of homocysteine conferred an odds ratio of 2.4 (P<.001). Odds ratios of 3.5 in women and of 2.9 in those 65 years or older were seen (P<.05). Homocysteine correlated negatively with all vitamins. Low pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (<20 nmol/L) was seen in 10% of patients but in only 2% of control subjects (P<.01), yielding an odds...
Neyman-Pearson hypothesis testing in distributed networks

This paper considers the problem of distributed hypothesis testing with a distributed data fusion. Using the Neyman-Pearson approach, all decision and fusion rules are obtained. The problem of distributed hypothesis testing with a centralized data fusion using the Neyman-Pearson approach has been solved by Hoballah and Varshney [2]. The solution of N-P hypothesis testing problem for DSN topologies, can be found in [1].
Establishing and Sustaining a Prospective Screening Program for Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema at the Massachusetts General Hospital: Lessons Learned

There has been an increasing call to prospectively screen patients with breast cancer for the development of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) following their breast cancer treatment. While the components of a prospective screening program have been published, some centers struggle with how to initiate, establish, and sustain a screening program of their own. The intent of this manuscript is to share our experience and struggles in establishing a prospective surveillance program within the infrastructure of our institution. It is our hope that by sharing our history other centers can learn from our mistakes and successes to better design their own prospective screening program to best serve their patient population.
Effects of viscosity on droplet formation and mixing in microfluidic channels

This paper characterizes the conditions required to form nanoliter-sized droplets (plugs) of viscous aqueous reagents in flows of inuniscible carrier fluid within microfluidic channels. For both non-viscous (viscosity of 2.0 mPa s) and viscous (viscosity of 18 mPa s) aqueous solutions, plugs formed reliably in a flow of water-immiscible carrier fluid for Capillary number less than 0.01, although plugs were able to form at higher Capillary numbers at lower ratios of the aqueous phase flow rate to the flow rate of the carrier fluid (in all the experiments performed, the Reynolds number was less than 1). The paper also shows that combining viscous and non-viscous reagents can enhance mixing in droplets moving through straight microchannels by providing a nearly ideal initial distribution of reagents within each droplet. The study should facilitate the use of this droplet-based microfluidic platform for investigation of protein crystallization, kinetics, and assays.
Retention of Histidine-Containing Peptides on a Nickel Affinity Column

The retention of histidine-containing peptides in immobilized metal-affinity chromatography is studied using several hundred modeled peptides. Retention is driven primarily by the number of histidine residues; however, the amino acid composition in the immediate vicinity plays a significant role. Specifically, the arginine and tryptophan content has to be taken into consideration. During the course of this study, an alternative tag that can be used similarly to a polyhistidine tag is discovered.
Spectroscopic Changes during a Single Turnover of Biotin Synthase: Destruction of a (2Fe-2S) Cluster Accompanies Sulfur Insertion †

Biotin synthase catalyzes the insertion of a sulfur atom between the saturated C6 and C9 carbons of dethiobiotin. Catalysis requires AdoMet and flavodoxin and generates 5'-deoxyadenosine and methionine, suggesting that biotin synthase is an AdoMet-dependent radical enzyme. Biotin synthase (BioB) is aerobically purified as a dimer of 38.4 kDa monomers that contains 1-1.5 (2Fe-2S) 2+ clusters per monomer and can be reconstituted with exogenous iron, sulfide, and reductants to contain up to two (4Fe-4S) clusters per monomer. The iron-sulfur clusters may play a dual role in biotin synthase: a reduced iron-sulfur cluster is probably involved in radical generation by mediating the reductive cleavage of AdoMet, while recent in vitro labeling studies suggest that an iron -sulfur cluster also serves as the immediate source of sulfur for the biotin thioether ring. Consistent with this dual role for iron -sulfur clusters in biotin synthase, we have found that the protein is stable, containing one (2Fe-2S) 2+ cluster and one (4Fe-4S) 2+ cluster per monomer. In the present study, we demonstrate that this mixed cluster state is essential for optimal activity. We follow changes in the Fe and S content and UV/visible and EPR spectra of the enzyme during a single turnover and conclude that during catalysis the (4Fe-4S) 2+ cluster is preserved while the (2Fe-2S) 2+ cluster is destroyed. We propose a mechanism for incorporation of sulfur into dethiobiotin in which a sulfur atom is oxidatively extracted from the (2Fe-2S) 2+ cluster.
Adipose tissue of atrial septum as a marker of coronary artery disease.

Background Paracrine effects of epicardial adipose tissue may promote coronary atherosclerosis. Adipose tissue is the main determinant of atrial septum thickness. The association between atrial septum thickness and coronary artery disease (CAD) has never been studied. Methods We studied 75 patients who underwent coronary angiography and echocardiography within 1 week (mean [± SD]duration, 2.0 ± 2.0 days). Atrial septum thickness, representing adipose tissue, was identified and measured with two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography. Angiographic data were analyzed for the presence, extent, and severity of CAD, using a standardized 27-segment classification. Any CAD was defined as the presence of stenosis of any severity in at least one coronary vessel. The number of segments with a coronary artery with at least 20% stenosis (coronary artery greater even than 20 [CAGE ≥ 20] score) was recorded. Results The mean atrial septum thickness was 1.5 ± 0.4 cm (median, 1.42 cm; range, 0.74 to 2.55 cm). In a simple linear regression analysis, we found no significant correlation between atrial septum thickness and clinical variables (p > 0.05). However, we found a significant correlation between atrial septum thickness and any CAD (p = 0.03), which persisted after controlling for age, gender, and body mass index (p = 0.03). Patients in the lowest quartile of atrial septum thickness had a lower proportion of subjects with any CAD (p = 0.02) and a lower median CAGE ≥ 20 score compared to other quartiles (p = 0.04). Conclusion Adipose tissue of the atrial septum, represented by atrial septum thickness, is associated with the presence of CAD.
Within-night variation in respiratory effort preceding apnea termination and EEG delta power in sleep apnea

We studied the within-night variability of the maximum esophageal pressure deflection before apnea termination (DPmax) in nine patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea as an index of the arousa...
Hyperpolarizing and depolarizing GABAA receptor-mediated dendritic inhibition in area CA1 of the rat hippocampus.

1. gamma-Aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptor-mediated inhibition of pyramidal neuron dendrites was studied in area CA1 of the rat hippocampal slice preparation with the use of intracellular and extracellular recording and one-dimensional current source-density (CSD) analysis. 2. Electrical stimulation of Schaffer collateral/commissural fibers evoked monosynaptic excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and population EPSPs, which were followed by biphasic inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs). In the presence of the excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX) and D,L-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV), stimulation in stratum radiatum evoked monosynaptic fast, GABAA and late, GABAB receptor-mediated IPSPs and fast and late positive field potentials recorded in s. radiatum. 3. Fast monosynaptic IPSPs and fast positive field potentials evoked in the presence of DNQX and APV were reversibly abolished by the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline methiodide (BMI; 30 microM) and were not changed by the GABAB receptor antagonist P-[3-aminopropyl]-P-diethoxymethylphosphinic acid (CGP 35,348; 0.1-1.0 mM). CGP 35,348 (0.1 mM) reversibly blocked late monosynaptic IPSPs and late positive field potentials. These results suggest that fast field potentials are GABAA receptor-mediated population IPSPs (GABAA, fast pIPSPs) and that late field potentials are GABAB receptor-mediated population IPSPs (GABAB, late pIPSPs). 4. Fast pIPSPs were reversibly abolished when the extracellular Cl- concentration [( Cl-]o) was reduced from 132 to 26 mM in parallel with a depolarizing shift in the reversal potential of fast IPSPs. Paired or repetitive stimulation in s. radiatum reversibly depressed fast pIPSPs and fast IPSPs. Paired-pulse depression of fast pIPSPs was reversibly antagonized by CGP 35,348 (0.4–0.8 mM). 5. Laminar analysis of s. radiatum-evoked fast pIPSPs and one-dimensional CSD analysis revealed active current sources in s. radiatum and passive current sinks in s. oriens and s. lacunosum moleculare. S. radiatum sources were abolished by pressure application of BMI in s. radiatum but not in s. oriens. Stimulation in s. oriens, s. pyramidale, or s. lacunosum moleculare evoked GABAA current sources horizontal to the stimulation site. Changes in the dendritic location of inhibitory current with changes in stimulus location paralleled changes in the distribution of excitatory current. 6. In the presence of 4-aminopyridine (50–100 microM), DNQX and APV long-lasting depolarizing GABAA receptor-mediated responses (LLDs) occurred spontaneously or could be evoked. Current sinks associated with s. radiatum-evoked LLDs were located in the same dendritic area as sources associated with hyperpolarizing fast IPSPs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Technical feasibility and performance studies of a Doppler guide wire for potential neuroendovascular applications.

PURPOSE To conduct technical feasibility and performance studies on a new Doppler-tipped, 0.014-inch micro-guide wire for potential neuroendovascular applications. METHODS In vivo microcatheterizations of brachiocephalic arteries were performed in two swine using the 0.014-inch Doppler guide wire and a commonly used microcatheter. A standardized, bench-top method of evaluating basic mechanical properties of micro-guide wires was also used to compare the 0.014-inch Doppler guide wire with a commonly used micro-guide wire. RESULTS The 0.014-inch Doppler guide wire had similar steerability, tractability, torque control, and distal tip flexibility to the commonly used micro-guide wire in the in vivo simulations. Frequent micro-guide wire exchanges were possible without loss of superselective positioning of the microcatheter. Bench-top testing showed the 0.014-inch Doppler guide wire to have comparable distal tip flexibility and stiffness to the commonly used micro-guide wire. CONCLUSION The comparable subjective and objective mechanical properties of the 0.014-inch Doppler guide wire to that of a commonly used micro-guide wire further establishes the possibility of clinical implementation of the device.
ANALYSIS OF DELAY DISCOUNTING AS A PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURE OF SUSTAINABLE BEHAVIOR

As concerns regarding the current and future state of the planet continue to grow, the need to understand the behavioral mechanisms that underlie behaviors linked to large-scale, probabilistic and delayed outcomes become more critical. Delay discounting refers to decline in the subjective value of a stimulus as the delay-interval to access that stimulus increases. In this article, the relevance of delay discounting to issues of sustainability is explored. The research on delay discounting and related processes is summarized, specifically research that relates discounting and sustainability issues. Implications for behavior change and future research are discussed.
The relative importance of subpopulation connectivity and the age distribution of mortality in exploited marine fish populations

Abstract Exploited marine fish populations are known to exhibit complex spatial dynamics and display age-structured processes, yet many models of these populations do not account for within-population variability in age in conjunction with the spatial distribution of individuals within a stock management area. Our work presents a method of modeling, known as hybrid modeling, which incorporates both continuous-time and discrete-time processes into a single modeling framework. Using this model together with its parameterization, we show that assumptions about the age distribution of mortality affect predictions of spawning population attributes, namely abundance and the proportion of the stock that is mature. However, the precise nature of this effect on whole population scales depends on both the life history characteristics of the species and the level of connectivity between subpopulations. Long-lived and fast-maturing fish are shown to be most sensitive to the age distribution of mortality rates, but this sensitivity decreases as age at maturity increases. Additionally, when connectivity between subpopulations operates in a pseudo source-sink fashion, regardless of life history, abundance of large mature fish is higher and also the proportion of mature fish in the population is greater when the exploitation rate on the source population is higher than that on the pseudo sink population. Lastly, we show that spawning stock attributes are highly sensitive to age-dependence of the fishing mortality rates. This final result reinforces the need for reliable estimates of age-dependent fishing mortality rates in exploited stocks.
Psychologically Impacted Houses: Broker Disclosure Behavior and Perceived Market Effects in an Unregulated Environment

This article reports the disclosure practices of Ohio real estate licensees when dealing with a psychologically impacted house and examines the perceptions of licensees concerning the market effects associated with such housing. Ohio is similar to many other states in that licensees there are not protected by statute from liability for failing to disclose this information, nor are they required by statute to disclose it. Survey information obtained from licensees about psychologically impacted residential transactions is examined. In the sample, disclosure practices vary widely among licensees, and they report moderately negative market effects associated with psychologically impacted houses.
Singularity theory of fitness functions under dimorphism equivalence

We apply singularity theory to classify monomorphic singular points as they occur in adaptive dynamics. Our approach is based on a new equivalence relation called dimorphism equivalence, which is the largest equivalence relation on strategy functions that preserves ESS singularities, CvSS singularities, and dimorphisms. Specifically, we classify singularities up to topological codimension two and compute their normal forms and universal unfoldings. These calculations lead to the classification of local mutual invasibility plots that can be seen generically in systems with two parameters.
Characterisation of bile acid metabolism in man using bile acids labelled with stable isotopes

Bile acids are acidic steroids formed in the liver from cholesterol and secreted into bile as their N-glycine or N-taurine conjugates. Their biological and clinical aspects have been thoroughly reviewed (Heaton, 1972; Dietschy, 1972; Nair and Kritchevsky, 1973; Paumgartner, 1977). Bile acids are amphipathic molecules which can disperse lecithin in micellar form, and bile is a concentrated micellar solution containing mixed micelles of bile acids, lecithin and cholesterol. When this mixed bile acid micelle reaches the small intestinal lumen, its composition changes and now the major lipid constituting the mixed micelle is fatty acid (plus some monoglyceride), which derives from pancreatic lipolysis of dietary triglyceride. Micellar solubilisation of the relatively insoluble fatty acid and monoglyceride greatly increases their aqueous concentration and thus accelerates the diffusive flux through the unstirred layer. Most of the bile acids are reabsorbed in the small intestine, especially the terminal ileum, where there is an active transport site. The bile acids return in the portal blood to the liver, where they are efficiently extracted and rapidly secreted into bile. This circulation of bile acids from liver to intestine and back to liver is termed the enterohepatic circulation, and it occurs about twice per meal. A small amount of bile acids are lost from the enterohepatic circulation and are excreted in faeces; the bile acid pool is maintained by hepatic synthesis. There is no urinary loss of bile acids (Figure 17.1). The bile acid conjugates are mostly absorbed in conjugated form from the small intestine, but a small amount of the bile acid conjugates is hydrolysed by bacterial deconjugases, releasing the unconjugated bile acid moiety. Most of this is reabsorbed to return to the liver, where it is reconjugated (Hepner et al., 1973).
Comparison of the Parenteral Histamine2-Receptor Antagonists

The chemical structure, pharmacokinetic properties, and drug-drug interaction profiles of the parenterally available histamine2 (H2)-receptor antagonists were compared. Famotidine is a guanidinothiazole derivative, ranitidine contains an aminomethylfuran ring, and cimetidine has an imidazole ring. Data from the literature indicate that because of its chemical structure famotidine has a much greater potency and affinity for the H2-receptor and a notable lack of drug-drug interactions when compared with ranitidine and cimetidine. As a result, famotidine should be considered the H2-receptor antagonist of choice for critically ill patients who require gastric-acid suppression and at the same time are being treated with other drugs that depend on the cytochrome P-450 mixed-function oxidase system for their metabolism and/or on renal tubular mechanisms for their excretion.
Biodegradation of clomazone in a California rice field soil: carbon allocation and community effects.

Degradation pathways for the herbicide clomazone in a California rice field soil were characterized via pulse-labeling of anaerobic (flooded) and aerobic (moist) soil microcosms. Clomazone-derived ...
Simple Theory for Persistent-Flexible Liquid Crystal Polymers Beyond the Second Virial Approximation

Khokhlov and Semenov (KS) have proposed a theory for long persistent chains that quite accurately describes the liquid crystalline behavior of dilute solutions of long homogeneous bend-elastic macromolecules. By replacing their second virial description of excluded volume effects with Lee’s generalization of the Carnahan-Starling equation, results are obtained which are valid over a wider range of polymer concentrations. Comparison of the calculated order parameter and equation of state with experimental data for Poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) yields good agreement for large polymer axial ratios, where rigid particle theories deviate strongly from experimental results. In addition, we show how this approach to persistent flexibility can be connected to a recent model for translational order in lyotropic liquid crystals.
Decision-Making Strategies in Educational Organizations

(1997). Decision-Making Strategies in Educational Organizations. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 68, No. 4, pp. 39-45.
Visual recognition memory of severely head-injured patients.

Summary.-14 severely head-injured adults were compared with 14 normals on a recognition procedure, Kimura's Recurring Figures Test, which requires identification of eight recurring shapes among a series of 1GO. The head-injured patients showed, by far, more incorrect responses than the control group. Head injury at the point of impact is often referred to as a coup type injury (Lezak, 1983, p. 167). Conuecoup lesions, in which the brain sustains a contusion in an area opposite the impact of the blow, occur in most cases of occipital injury (Grubb & Coxe, 1978). Reports in the literature estimate a range of 50 to 80% of head injuries involving direct impact to the side of the head come from contrecoup (Smith, 1980; Roberts, 1976). Neuroanatomically, the Kimura Recurring Figures Test has been useful in demonstrating visual recognition deficits with patients who have sustained coup (primarily right temporal lobe) and contrecoup (occipital) injuries.
What Limits Laser Probing

Laser-induced fluorescence, LIF, data provide a wide variety of detailed information about physical and chemical reactions and plasmas. In today's technological environment these areas commonly extend from nanosecond laser etching to ion etching (in the low gas density direction), or to combustion gases (near atmospheric pressure). In studying these dynamical processes, the laser probe is nearly ideal; note that one measures a specific species' density as a function of position, velocity, temperature and time within an unperturbed working environment (i.e. high vacuum not required). Examples are derived from our LIF probing of laser etch plumes; the surfaces included sapphire, polymers and benzene (both as a gas and frozen monolayer). LIF results distinguish between diatomic radicals due to thermal vaporization as compared to diatomics from a photochemical decomposition. Beyond the above LIF probing of a laser-etch plume, sophisticated diagnostic techniques such as CARS, multiphoton excitation and ionization, and dissociation immediately followed by optical excitation appear regularly. Enhanced information gathering by laser probing is also demonstrated by the fact that spectroscopic data can be recorded as a 2D picture of a reacting species. With respect to limitations on laser probing, consider the following: Even though plasmas and etch plumes are luminous, the pulsed nature of laser experiments discriminates heavily against background light and dark current noise. While the various techniques measure relative densities at even very low densities, establishing accurate values for absolute densities is considerably more challenging. (Spectral-linewidth uncertainties are a common culprit.) Perhaps the main limitations on laser probing relate to the patience, dedication and budget of the experimenter.
Interaction Between a Wind Turbine Array and a Turbulent Boundary Layer

This paper describes further data analysis and discussion of an experimental study discussed in reference [1], in which a scaled down wind farm is placed in a turbulent boundary layer in a wind-tunnel. A 3x3 array of wind turbine models were built and inflow conditions were tailored to reproduce conditions expected to hold in the field under neutral flow. Hot-wire anemometry was used to characterize the inflow properties. Measurements using Stereo-Particle Image Velocimetry (S-PIV) were performed in 18 planes surrounding the center wind turbine at the third downstream row. The gathered data was interpolated in the x and z directions to generate cross-stream planes used for the estimation of the wind turbine induction factor. Assuming an axisymmetric streamtube shape, the resulting induction factor is 0.087, which corresponds to a lightly loaded wind turbine. Results are then compared to direct mechanical power measurements. Moreover, the streamtube is visualized in order to gain insight into the flow and to test the axisymmetric assumption used for the calculation of the induction factor. Results show that the streamtube is indeed close to axisymmetric, but exhibits some slight distortions due to strong tower effects and shear from the wall.
Case 23-1974

Presentation of Case First admission. A 72-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of ulcerations of the leg. Twenty-five years previously he underwent an appendectomy, which was complicated by postoperative thrombophlebitis in the left leg. Ten years before admission ulcerations developed on the left leg, accompanied by pain; he recovered after local treatment. He was then well until 12 weeks before entry, when trauma to the left leg was followed by recurrent ulcerations, which were treated with wet and dry dressings in the surgical clinic. The ulcers enlarged, and he entered the hospital. There was a long history . . .
Prevalence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Muscle Dysmorphia Among Entry-Level Military Personnel

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and muscle dysmorphia (MD) in enlisted U.S. military personnel; and secondarily, to determine supplement use and relationship with BDD and MD. Methods: A survey of advanced individual training of tri-service personnel at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, was performed combining the dysmorphia concern questionnaire, the MD symptom questionnaire, a supplement questionnaire, and demographic factors. Results: Of the 1,320 service members approached, 1,150 (87.1%) completed the survey. The majority of participants were male, 62.8% (n = 722) and Army soldiers 59.0% (n = 679). The prevalence rate of BDD was 13.0% in males and 21.7% in females. The prevalence of MD was 12.7% in males and 4.2% in females. There was a strong correlation between having BDD and using supplements to get thinner (odds ratio 5.1; 95% confidence interval 3.4–7.8; p < 0.001) and MD to get more muscular (odds ratio 5.4; 95% confidence interval 3.5–8.3; p < 0.001). Con...
4CAPS: An adaptive architecture for human information processing

4CAPS is a cognitive architecture of interest to both cognitive science and AI. 4CAPS is of interest to cognitive science because it supports models of neuroimaging data collected using fMRI and PET. 4CAPS should be of interest to AI because it organizes human information processing in an optimal and mathematically tractable form. This paper focuses on the adaptivity of 4CAPS models in the face of changing task demands and fluctuating resource availability. It illustrates this adaptivity in the domains of problem solving, spatial reasoning, and sentence comprehension. It also identifies new forms of adaptivity ripe for future research.
Co-alignment of comfort and energy saving objectives for U.S. office buildings and restaurants

Abstract Post-occupancy research shows that only 11% of commercial buildings met the ASHRAE thermal comfort standard. Many buildings are too warm in winter and/or too cool in summer, wasting energy and not providing comfort. We investigate potential energy savings in U.S. offices and restaurants if thermostat settings are changed according the updated ASHRAE 55-2013 comfort model that accounts for outdoor temperature and clothing choice for different climate zones. We develop eQUEST building models calibrated to reproduce energy consumption statistics. Changes in energy consumption due to the new settings are analyzed for 14 cities, results are extrapolated to estimate potential national savings. We find that, depending on the climate zone, each degree increase in the summer saves 0.6% to 0.5% of total building electricity consumption. Each degree the winter setting is lowered saves 1.2%–8.7% of total building natural gas consumption. With new thermostat settings, national savings are 2.5% of the total consumed in all office buildings and restaurants, summing up to national savings of 69.6 million GJ annually, comparable to all 2015 total solar PV generation in U.S. The goals of improved comfort and energy/economic savings are thus co-aligned, raising the importance of thermostat management as an energy efficiency strategy.
Negating the Genetic Tie: Does the Law Encourage Unnecessary Risks?

Much of the debate about assisted reproduction concerns genetic selection. All things considered, parents prefer superior children. Yet, while we worry about parents who want a “perfect” child, we do not consider the lengths parents go to ensure a child of “their own,” who is more like them and less like others. This article asks whether we should consider the risks of attempting to engineer a child with “right” genetic connections. The regulation of assisted reproduction should be a dynamic process, where the answer to appropriate intervention depends on the regulatory process. Many people would not approve of surrogacy to create a child who is not genetically related to either intended mother or gestational carrier. Yet, the few states that address surrogacy are relatively restrictive. That the very idea of oversight of assisted reproduction is contested means it is difficult to predict regulatory oversight — or to minimize the risks of a technique without derailing new technologies. To date, assisted reproduction has come through a decentralized system in which professional norms offer a limited bulwark against unacceptable practices, but often after, rather than before, the risks in new procedures become apparent. This article reviews existing processes, examine new innovations, and argues that the fundamental choice is between discouraging particular technologies altogether or allowing them to develop with minimal oversight. Certain procedures, such as cloning, may be so intrinsically dangerous that bans may be justified. Once the safety of other techniques has been established, however, the only approach that keeps the techniques available may be professional norms designed to guide a decentralized, market driven process. The result will be a system that, while it takes great pains to police safety, is unlikely to be able to deal with motive in satisfactory ways.
Microrna Mediated Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Aging

Abstract Aging hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) exhibit numerous functional alterations including reduced capacity for self-renewal, myeloid-biased differentiation, and reduced production of mature lymphocytes and red blood cells. Interventions such as calorie restriction (CR) and rapamycin (Rapa) treatment have been shown to increase lifespan and to delay the onset of age-related diseases, and some studies have demonstrated that they may improve HSC function through poorly defined mechanisms. We and others have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) are potent cell-intrinsic regulators of HSC self-renewal and lineage specification and also contribute to age-related disorders such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We hypothesized that miRNAs may underlie the recovery of HSC function observed in anti-aging mouse models, and thus we characterized miRNA expression profiles from HSCs (Lin-c-Kit+Sca-1+CD34-CD150+) from young mice (12-16 weeks old), old mice (20-22 months), and old mice that had been treated with anti-aging interventions. Evaluation of HSCs from CR and Rapa treated old mice revealed numerous changes consistent with inhibition/reversal of age-related HSC changes including a 5-fold reduction in HSC frequency (p=0.04), 2-fold increase in erythroid progenitors (pro-erythroblasts, p=0.04), 2.5 fold increase in common lymphoid progenitors (CLP; Lin-c-Kit+Sca-1+CD127+FLK2+, p=0.05), as well as 3.5-fold increase in peripheral blood B cells (p=0.002), 2.2 fold decrease in platelets (p=0.01), and increased red blood cells (p=0.04). These changes were associated with statistically significant increases in the percentage of HSCs in S/M/G2 (p=0.045), and undergoing apoptosis (p=0.05). Using a TaqMan-based qPCR expression profiling method evaluating 750 miRNAs, we found that old HSCs exhibited altered expression of 91 miRNAs compared to young (FDR Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Intercommunication Between C-Myc and PTEN in the Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cell-Niche Interactions and Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Lineage Commitment.

It was shown that c-Myc is required for the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors. Mice with c-Myc deletions develop severe anemia and cytopenia. However, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) accumulate in significant numbers in the bone marrow (BM) of mutant mice, probably due to an increase in adhesiveness of the mutant HSCs to BM osteoblastic niche cells. Previously, we demonstrated that PTEN might play a critical role in the process of adhesion of HSCs to BM niche cells. Deletion of PTEN results in the proliferation and peripheral mobilization of HSCs, followed by a decline in these cells. PTEN mutant mice proceed to develop myeloproliferative disorders. Here we report that c-Myc also has an essential role to play in regulating the lineage commitment of HSCs and progenitors (HSC/Ps). HSC/Ps in which c-Myc is deleted are biased toward megakaryocytic lineage differentiation at the expense of other lineages. c-Myc knockout mice develop significant thrombocytosis (3- to 5-fold increase in peripheral platelet numbers) due to an obviously increased megakaryopoiesis in BM and spleen. PTEN deletion causes down-regulation of expression of adhesive molecules, including integrins and N-cadherin, in HSCs, resulting not only in an increased mobilization of c-Myc -mutant HSCs from the BM niche but also mobilization of c-Myc- mutant megakaryocytic progenitors to the spleen. We found that HSCs and megakaryocytic progenitors are significantly reduced in BM but dramatically increased in the spleens of PTEN/c-MYC double-knockout mice, compared to c-Myc single-gene knockout mice. In addition, PTEN deletion further promotes megakaryocytic progenitor cell proliferation, as well as infiltration of these cells into the liver. PTEN/c-Myc double-gene knockout mice consistently develop megakaryocytic proliferative disorders. We conclude that the ability of c-Myc to regulate HSC-BM niche interactions is at least partially accomplished through inhibition of PTEN function by c-Myc. In addition, c-Myc controls the lineage commitment of HSC/Ps. Deletion of c-Myc converts the myeloproliferative disorder seen in PTEN knockout mice to a megakaryocytic proliferative disorder. Whether PTEN and c-Myc mutations are likewise etiologically involved in human megakaryocytic proliferative disorders and megakaryocytic leukemia is currently a topic of active investigation in our laboratory.
Immunoglobulin Variable Light Chain Restriction, Cytokine Expression and Plasma Cell-Stromal Cell Interactions in POEMS Syndrome Patients

Abstract POEMS syndrome is defined by the presence of peripheral neuropathy (P), organomegaly (O), endocrinopathy (E), monoclonal protein expression (M), and skin changes (S). In addition, patients also have sclerotic bone lesions, papilledema, extravascular volume overload, thrombocytosis, and restrictive lung disease/pulmonary hypertension. A striking but inexplicable feature of the clonal plasma cells in patients with POEMS is that they are virtually always lambda restricted. More surprising is that of the 81 functional immunoglobulin light-chain variable-region genes (IgVL) available in the plasma cell/B cell repertoire, among the 13 cases in which variable gene light chain usage has been reported, all have been either IgVL1-40 or IgVL1-44. The molecular mechanisms triggering the initiation and the progression of POEMS syndrome or the clonal expansion of plasma cells marking this condition remain unclear. We have analyzed the immunoglobulin heavy and light chains sequences in the plasma cells of POEMS patients at the Mayo Clinic Rochester. We found that in 8 out of the 9 patients tested, we could document heavy chain clonality in any given patient; however, no restriction of gene usage among patients was observed in the variable regions of these chains. In the case of light chains, in 14 out of 17 patients we could document not only clonality but also restriction of light chain variable gene usage to IgVL1-40 or IgVL1-44. Our goal is to understand the relevance of this restricted expression of light chain variable region, and its effect on the communication between plasma cells and the neighboring stromal cells that might provide more insight into the disease pathology. To this end, we are generating viral vector constructs that will harbor the germline or mutant versions of IgVλ1-40 and IgVλ1-44 genes and introduced into pre-established malignant plasma cell lines (i.e. myeloma cell lines). We will assay the effects of this over expression in terms of alterations in the expression of cytokines such as VEGF and TNF, and on plasma cell-stromal cell interaction (in a co-culture system). Results from these assays will be discussed.
Transistency Models: Memory Ordering at the Hardware-OS Interface

This article introduces the transistency model, a set of memory ordering rules at the intersection of virtual-to-physical address translation and memory consistency models. Using their COATCheck tool, the authors show how to rigorously model, analyze, and verify the correctness of a given system's microarchitecture and software stack with respect to its transistency model specification.
Absolute thermoelectric power of vanadium-iron alloys between 100°K and 600°K

The absolute thermoelectric power S of vanadium rich vanadium-iron alloys with up to 45 at.% iron was measured between 100 and 600°K with a differential technique. S was usually temperature independent between 300 and 500°K. S, if plotted as a function of composition for different temperatures, increased approximately linearly with composition from a value between 0 and 2 μV/°K for pure vanadium to a maximum between 12 and 15 μV/°K for alloys with about 26 at.% iron. A further increase of iron concentration decreased S nearly linearly to negative values of about −7 μV/°K, for the alloy with 45 at.% iron, except for the ferromagnetic state.
Scholarly productivity in communication studies: five-year review 2012–2016

ABSTRACTThis study reports prolific scholarship trends in communication studies based on individual publication rates in 24 journals from the field for the years 2012–2016. In addition, we summarized data from a subset of journals considered to be most central to our discipline (Human Communication Research, Communication Research, Communication Monographs, and Journal of Communication). Results provide information about what characterizes the 32 individuals who could be considered prolific scholars across the total list of 24 journals, and the nine individuals who could be considered prolific in the central journals. It took nine and seven articles within the five-year period to make it onto each list, respectively. Our data indicate that many of the trends (e.g., mean publication rates, rates of collaboration, etc.) found in recent analyses have largely remained the same. Results are discussed as they pertain to individual characteristics and institutional environments that support research proliferation.
Blow-Up, Homotopy and Existence for Periodic Solutions of the Planar Three-Body Problem

Deleting collisions from the configuration space of the planar N-body problem yields a space with a large interesting set of free homotopy classes of loops, classes which are encoded by “syzygy sequences” when N = 3. This expository piece centers on the question “ Is every free homotopy class of loops realized by a periodic solution to the problem?” We report on the recent affirmative answer (Moeckel and Montgomery, Nonlinearity 28:1919–1935, 2015) for the case of non-zero but small angular momentum and three equal or near-equal masses. The key tool is the McGehee blow-up (McGehee, Invent Math 27:191–227, 1974) as implemented by Rick Moeckel in the 1980s. After recounting some history and motivation, about a third of this article exposes the blow-up method. We use an energy balance under scaling transformations to motivate McGehee’s blow-up transformation. We give an explicit description of the blown-up and reduced phase space for the planar N-body problem, N ≥ 3 as a complex vector bundle over \([0, \infty ) \times \mathbb {C} \mathbb {P} ^{N-2}\). We end by returning to the angular momentum zero case where we conjecture the answer is ‘no’. We support this conjecture by recent work of Jackman and Rose (The Binary Returns!. arxiv:1512.01852, 2015; Geometric phase and periodic orbits of the equal-mass, planar three-body problem with vanishing angular momentum, Ph.D. Thesis, School of Mathematics and Statistics University of Sydney, 2015).
Structural brain abnormalities in bipolar affective disorder. Ventricular enlargement and focal signal hyperintensities.

• Structural brain abnormalities were examined in a sample of 48 patients with bipolar affective disorder who were compared with 54 schizophrenic patients and 47 normal controls. As in our previous work using computed tomographic scanning, lateral ventricular enlargement was due to a diagnostic effect. In this study, the effect was more prominent in the schizophrenic men, while a trend was seen in the bipolar men. Women in both groups did not differ significantly from normal subjects. This finding is possibly consistent with the fact that men have a higher frequency of birth anomalies such as hydrocephalus. Since one cause of such birth anomalies might be periventricular hemorrhage or infarction, we also evaluated all scans for the presence of small focal regions of signal hyperintensity. A significant increase in the number of focal signal hyperintensities was noted in the bipolar patients, in comparison with normal subjects, but not in the schizophrenics. The bipolar patients with focal signal hyperintensities had a trend toward larger ventricular size than those without. The pathophysiological significance of these findings is unclear.
A Cost-Benefit Model for Evaluating Remediation Alternatives at Superfund Sites Incorporating the Value of Ecosystem Services

In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in response to a particularly unfortunate incident in the Love Canal area of Niagara Falls, New York, in which numerous schoolchildren were exposed to toxic chemicals from an abandoned waste disposal site. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was charged with establishing, administering, and enforcing policies and procedures through which the nation’s worst hazardous waste sites (i.e., those posing the greatest risks to human health) might be identified, remediated, and returned to productive use. Further, the Act established an endowment, nicknamed “Superfund,” to assist with cleanup costs and imposed substantial liability on owners, transporters, and generators of hazardous waste materials.
Kinetics of Cooperative Binding

Numerous models have been developed to describe cooperative phenomena in binding and enzyme systems. De Meyts has proposed a general model for cooperative binding in which the equilibrium constant of dissociation (K d ) is a linear function of receptor occupancy (De Meyts and Roth, 1975). This model has been applied to a wide variety of systems, ranging from insulin, catecholamines, lectins, and small peptides to drugs such as the opiates. The existence of such a system is inferred from the kinetics of binding; equilibrium studies are insufficient. However, to date, a detailed mathematical treatment of the nonsteady state has not been available. We shall consider a special important case where the dissociation rate constant k’ (or k off) changes linearly from k e ’ to k ƒ ’ as fractional receptor occupancy changes from 0 to 1 while the association rate constant k (or k on) is invariant. The simultaneous differential equations for labeled and unlabeled ligand binding to a single class of homogeneous cooperative sites are formulated and the exact analytical solutions obtained. Properties of the model are examined in several coordinate systems, including the titration curve, Hill plot, and Scat-chard plot. For the most extreme case of negative cooperativity (k e ’ /k ƒ ’ → 0), the Hill coefficient tends toward a lower limit of 0.5. For the most extreme case of positive cooperativity, the midpoint of the titration curve shifts to the left by a factor of 2, the Scatchard plot becomes horizontal, and the Michaelis-Menten plot remains concave to the right.