cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Networks and Theories: The Place of Connectionism in Cognitive Science

This article considers how connectionist modeling can contribute to understanding of human cognition. J argue that connectionist networks should not be thought of as theories or simulations of theories, but may nevertheless contribute to the development of theories.
Physical-layer wireless security of reconfigurable antennas in line-of-sight channels

Secure transmission is one of the most important aspects of wireless communications systems. In contrast to traditional cryptographic methods, physical layer security exploits the propagation channel to ensure security. It has been proven that a time-varying reciprocal channel can be used to generate secret keys which are secure even when an eavesdropper is located near one of the communicating nodes [1]. For line-of-sight (LOS) and slow-fading channels, reconfigurable aperture (RECAP) antennas have demonstrated their utility for physical layer security [2].
Effect of proton pump inhibition on the gastric volume: assessed by magnetic resonance imaging.

Summary Background Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy is known to suppress gastric acid secretion. Thus PPI therapy may decrease gastric volume and gastric contents available for gastro-oesophageal reflux by decreasing acid secretion. Aim To determine the effect of PPI therapy on the gastric volume after a standard meal. Methods A total of nine healthy subjects were studied using magnetic resonance imaging, before and after a standard liquid meal mixed with a paramagnetic contrast to help demarcate the gastric region. Images were acquired for a total of 90 min after the meal. Studies were conducted before and following esomeprazole twice daily for 7 days. Images were analysed to determine the gastric liquid volume. Results Gastric volume, 15 min after the meal peaked to 611 ± 37 mL on the control day and 539 ± 30 mL following the PPI administration (P < 0.001). Average gastric volume remained significantly lower (56 ± 9 mL, P < 0.05) on the PPI therapy from 5 to 75 min after the meal. Conclusions Proton pump inhibitor therapy causes a significant reduction in the gastric contents volume during first 75 min after the meal. In addition to increasing the gastric pH, PPI therapy may decrease the frequency of gastro-oesophageal reflux by decreasing the volume of gastric contents.
Altrusim in children: A naturalistic study of reciprocation and an examination of the relationship between social dominance and aid-giving behavior

Abstract Dyadic fights between children on a playground may be terminated by intervention of a third child on behalf of the one losing the fight. A small cluster of children repeatedly served as aid-givers within the playgroups monitored in study 1; little reciprocity was observed within this situational context. Study 2 was performed to examine the relationship between aid-giving and playgroup social status. Children who intervened during fights were consistently rated as dominant members of the playgroup by naive raters who viewed randomly selected videotaped segments of general playgroup activity. Another index of dominance, visual regard by other members of the playgroup, also provided evidence that documented the relationship between peer group social status and aid-giving. The generality of this relationship was examined in study 3. Children ranked as good leaders by their fourth-grade classmates demonstrated significantly more prosocial sharing than lower ranked peers. Thus, status within a social group hierarchy may be an important dimension related to a variety of prosocial behavior exhibited by children.
Responses to Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Section

Objectives To compare women's reactions to their experiences of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) with their reactions to their previous cesarean birth experiences, to identify the factors that influenced the women's decision to attempt VBAC, and to describe the causes the women ascribed to the outcome of their birth experiences. Design An exploratory descriptive study derived from the Roy Adaptation Model of Nursing. Setting Hospital postpartum unit. Participants Thirty‐two women who had experienced a VBAC. Main outcome measures The Perception of the Birth Scale and an investigator‐developed questionnaire. Results The women reported moderately positive perceptions of the VBAC experience. However, the mean score was lower than previously reported means for vaginally delivered women. A statistically significant association (χ2=22.70, p Conclusions The women reported both positive and negative aspects of childbearing, regardless of mode of delivery. The results indicate a need for a high quality of nursing and obstetric care for all women, with an emphasis on relief of pain and the provision of support and information.
RNA Folding Landscapes in the Presence of Putrescine and Magnesium

RNA folding in vivo is driven by a diverse set of interactions with cytoplasmic components. Of these interactions, the screening of negatively charged phosphates on the RNA backbone by cations is critical for folding to the native structure. Given their high intracellular concentrations, the positive charges of Mg2+ and putrescine (totaling 100mM and 60mM respectively) neutralize a large fraction of negative charges possessed by structured RNA. Using an experiment analogous to equilibrium dialysis we observe the competitive interactions of putrescine and Mg2+ in an RNA ion atmosphere for both native and intermediate states of RNAs. These interactions are related to a folding free energy landscape for three different RNAs. In the presence of Mg2+, putrescine is found to be either stabilizing or destabilizing depending on the fold of the RNA. RNAs that chelate Mg2+ become destabilized in the presence of putrescine while non-chelators become more stabilized by putrescine. For some RNA molecules putrescine has an apparent synergistic effect on excess Mg2+ while other RNAs show an antagonistic effect. These results can be attributed to a difference in the manner in which putrescine and Mg2+ populate the ion atmosphere and affect RNA conformation.
A 2-phase liquid scintillation assay for glycolipid synthetases.

Glycolipid synthetases can be assayed conveniently by incubating the lipid substrate with the radiosugar-labeled nucleotide in a small plastic scintillation vial. At the end of the incubation period, water and perchloric acid are added, thenn-butanol, then a toluene-based scintillation cocktail. The radioactive lipid partitions into the scintillation fluid, leaving excess sugar nucleotide in the aqueous phase. Only a small fraction of the total radioactivity in the aqueous layer is detectable. This method is illustrated for ceramide: UDP-glucose glucosyltransferase. The approach should be applicable to other lipid synthetases that can be assayed with a radioactive hydrophilic substrate.
Amphetamine Addiction and Pregnancy: II. Pregnancy, delivery and the neonatal period. Socio-medical aspects

The adverse effects of amphetamine addiction during pregnancy and the neonatal period were studied in 69 Swedish women. Almost one-third of the women (Group I) succeeded in overcoming their addiction in early pregnancy. The women in Group I (n = 17), unlike those in Group II (n = 53), received the same amount of prenatal care as the average Swedish woman. An increased rate of preterm deliveries (25%) as well as a higher perinatal mortality (7.5%) was found in Group II. During the neonatal period an increased incidence of mother-infant separation was found since many of the infants (46%) were transferred to pediatric wards for medical and social reasons. All newborns in Group I and 74% of infants born to mothers with continuous amphetamine addiction throughout pregnancy remained in their mother's custody following discharge from the maternity clinic.
μ-Opioid receptor down-regulation and cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation in a mouse model of chronic morphine tolerance

Results of radioligand binding and transfected receptor studies indicate that μ-receptor down-regulation and phosphorylation may be critical to the expression of morphine tolerance. In this study, an animal model of morphine tolerance was used to correlate antinociception with changes in receptor number and phosphorylation state. μ-Opioid receptor protein was quantitated by Western immunoassay of brainstem tissue from morphine-treated mice. Degree of receptor phosphorylation was assessed using immunoprecipitation (IP) of the receptor followed by back-phosphorylation. Acutely administered morphine produced no changes in μ-receptor quantity. Chronic morphine administration resulted in a 50% reduction in receptor protein quantity over placebo-treated samples. Back-phosphorylation experiments showed a drop in cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA)-induced receptor phosphorylation shortly after acute morphine administration, followed by a naloxone-reversible increase in phosphorylation of the receptor that correlated with the onset of antinociception. Chronic morphine administration resulted in a decrease in PKA-induced phosphorylation of the μ-receptor. Since it has been shown that PKA activity is enhanced in the brains of morphine-tolerant mice, this decrease in μ-receptor phosphorylation suggests that the μ-receptor may be structurally or conformationally altered in the morphine-tolerant state.
How Does Gender Identity Affect the Relationship Between Strain and Negative Emotions

General strain theory suggests that negative emotions are the key mediating variable between strain and crime. Researchers have found that the relationship between strain and emotions sometimes differ by sex. We argue that gender identity, or how masculine or feminine individuals view themselves, offer an additional explanation of emotional reactions to strain rather than focusing on sex differences alone. Using a subsample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we examine the direct effects of gender identity on negative emotions and the conditioning effects of masculinity and femininity on the relationship between strain and negative emotions. Our results indicate that gender identity is important for explaining the effect of strain on anger for males and females. Gender identity plays less of a role in explaining depression, however. These findings support the inclusion of gender identity when explaining gender differences in a general strain theory context.
Dependence, hyper-dependence and hypothesis testing in clinical trials

While investigators designing clinical trials face the important issue of endpoint selection, an equally troublesome concern can be the a priori selection of the endpoint analysis. In this latter circumstance, there may be only one endpoint of interest in the clinical trial, but several competing endpoint analyses are available (e.g., an analysis of the endpoint that is adjusted for clinical center versus an analysis that is adjusted for geographic region versus an unadjusted analysis). An example that demonstrates the unsatisfactory conclusions that ambiguous choices can produce is offered. A procedure utilizing conditional probability is provided that permits the conservation of type I error when the investigators have one endpoint and several worthy competitor endpoint analyses that are each prospectively identified and carried out at the trial's conclusion. When the high levels of dependence among these analyses are taken into account, it is possible to carry out the hypothesis tests in a way that 1) provides practicable type I error levels for each analysis, and 2) conserves the familywise type I error. In circumstances in which the endpoint and all members of the family of analyses are selected during the design phase of the trial, this procedure provides confirmatory conclusions as opposed to exploratory findings.
Measurements of atmospheric attenuation near 225 GHz: Correlation with surface water vapor density

The total attenuation through the earth's atmosphere for radio waves at frequencies near 225 GHz has been monitored for several weeks from a 1-km elevation site. The zenith attenuation at these frequencies was found to be correlated with the ground level water vapor content of the atmosphere; the correlation is consistent with the relation A (db)= 0.50 \rho ( g \dot m-3of water) predicted for clear sky conditions by theory, assuming a 2-km scale height for water in the atmosphere.
Outcomes of bariatric surgery in patients ≥65 years

Abstract Background Although the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee found that significant evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of bariatric surgery, few data are available on the outcomes of bariatric procedures in patients ≥65 years. The aim of this study was to report on contemporary outcomes of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in patients ≥65 years. Methods We reviewed prospectively collected data from all patients ≥65 years who underwent RYGB at two Florida university-based programs from 1999 to 2005. Similarly, the Florida Discharge Database was queried for patients ≥65 years who had undergone RYGB from 1999 to 2005. The data are presented as the mean ± SEM. Results A total of 25 patients ≥65 years had undergone RYGB at our institutions (age 68 ± 1 years, body mass index 50 ± 3 kg/m 2 ). The overall complication rate was 20%, and the length of stay was 7 ± 3 days. One patient (4%) died 5 weeks postoperatively of septic complications. For the 13 patients with a median follow-up of 21 months (range 9–61), the percentage of excess body weight loss was 51% ± 7%; medication use for co-morbidities decreased from 9 ± 1 to 4 ± 1 medications/day ( P Conclusion In a small cohort of patients ≥65 years, RYGB resulted in significant weight loss and resolution of obesity-related co-morbidities. The findings from the mandatory reported Florida Discharge Database strongly confirmed the safety of RYGB in patients ≥65 years.
Evaluation at regional level-science and technology in structural funds

The target of this paper is to suggest some ideas on the evaluation of science and technology policies at the regional level and addresses in particular the less prosperous regions, where technology is not market driven, and thus policy makers need to intervene in an effort to amplify market messages. The topic presents both academic and practical interest
Esophageal Lichen Planus

Abstract Esophageal lichen planus is an underrecognized condition, with fewer than 50 cases reported to date. Unlike cutaneous lichen planus, esophageal lichen planus occurs almost exclusively in middle-aged or older women who also have oral involvement. It commonly involves the proximal esophagus and manifests as progressive dysphagia and odynophagia. Endoscopic findings can include lacy white papules, pinpoint erosions, desquamation, pseudomembranes, and stenosis. Histologic features of esophageal lichen planus have only rarely been illustrated. They differ from those of cutaneous disease in several respects, including the presence of parakeratosis, epithelial atrophy, and lack of hypergranulosis. Correct diagnosis of esophageal lichen planus is difficult but bears important therapeutic implications. It is typically a chronic and relapsing condition that can require systemic or local immunosuppressive therapy and repeated endoscopic dilatations for esophageal strictures. Esophageal lichen planus may hav...
Low level modeling of the development of directionally selective microcircuits in cat striate cortex

The development of a directionally selective structure in cat striate cortex is used as a paradigm for exploring issues of biologically plausible and computationally interesting learning algorithms. A compartmental model of a canonical microcircuit is used to represent functional units of the cortex. Initially, the thalamus projects in a random fashion to a pair of cortical microcircuits. Through the use of a sliding threshold model of long-term potentiation and long-term depression, these projections develop biologically plausible, directionally selective responses to randomly moving visual stimuli. The possible implications of the learning algorithm on self-organization in the developing cortex are discussed. >
Novel read disturb failure mechanism induced by FLASH cycling

The read disturb failure mechanism reported causes unselected erased bits residing on selected wordlines to gain charge under low field conditions, causing them to appear programmed. This failure appears to be due to electron tunneling barrier lowering by positive charge trapped during program/erase cycling. The Si-SiO/sub 2/ barrier in failing bits is reduced from 3.0 eV to under 1.0 eV at 70 degrees C. The FLASH EPROM array failure rate dependence on cycling, stress voltage, temperature, and duty cycle is characterized. A low failure rate has been found for the fabrication process studied. >
Nestling Diets and Provisioning Rates of Sympatric Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers

We examined comparative food use and provisioning of Golden-fronted (Melanerpes auri- frons) and Ladder-backed (Picoides scalaris) wood- peckers at the Rob and Bessie Welder Wildlife Foundation Refuge, in San Patricio County, Texas. We combined video surveillance and direct observa- tions to monitor provisioning rates and identify items delivered by adult woodpeckers to nestlings. We collected 328 hours of data at Ladder-backed Wood- pecker nest cavities and 230 hours of data at Golden- fronted Woodpecker nest cavities. Ladder-backed Woodpecker nestling diets consisted of 100% animal matter, comprised of invertebrate larvae (99%) and invertebrate adults (,1%). Diets of Golden-fronted Woodpecker nestlings were also high in animal matter (77%) with more invertebrate adults (55%) and fewer invertebrate larvae (27%), but also included vegetable matter (16%). Morisita's measure of overlap suggested a relatively low dietary overlap of 31% between ne- stlings of these two sympatric woodpecker species. Foraging methods used by these species may explain their low dietary overlap and facilitate their coexistence. Received 8 March 2012. Accepted 2 August 2012.
Dismissal of a Sociologist: The AAUP Report on Carl C. Taylor

The dismissal in 1931 of a distinguished sociologist, Carl C. Taylor, after 11 years as an influential faculty member, and the investigation by the American Association of University Professors which followed has received little attention in the literature on the history of sociology. Taylor did not have the security of a tenure system. Years later, he received an honorary degree from the same institution, now North Carolina State University, from which he had been dismissed. This paper makes accessible the AAUP's full report on the Taylor case and highlights his career and contributions. The AAUP report summarizes alternative explanations for the dismissal, concluding that the compelling cause was not the budgetary pressures cited by the president of the university. Our interpretation is that the university president had Taylor dismissed because of deterioration in their interpersonal relations and the cumulative effect of anti-liberal, conservative forces in the state at the time.
Trisomy for the Down syndrome ‘critical region’ is necessary but not sufficient for brain phenotypes of trisomic mice

Trisomic Ts65Dn mice show direct parallels with many phenotypes of Down syndrome (DS), including effects on the structure of cerebellum and hippocampus. A small segment of Hsa21 known as the 'DS critical region' (DSCR) has been held to contain a gene or genes sufficient to cause impairment in learning and memory tasks involving the hippocampus. To test this hypothesis, we developed Ts1Rhr and Ms1Rhr mouse models that are, respectively, trisomic and monosomic for this region. Here, we show that trisomy for the DSCR alone is not sufficient to produce the structural and functional features of hippocampal impairment that are seen in the Ts65Dn mouse and DS. However, when the critical region is returned to normal dosage in trisomic Ms1Rhr/Ts65Dn mice, performance in the Morris water maze is identical to euploid, demonstrating that this region is necessary for the phenotype. Thus, although the prediction of the critical region hypothesis was disproved, novel gene dosage effects were identified, which help to define how trisomy for this segment of the chromosome contributes to phenotypes of DS.
Avian Predators Target Nocturnal Runs of the Beach-Spawning Marine Fish, California Grunion, Leuresthes tenuis (Atherinopsidae)

Abstract Tidal cycles are important cues for many marine and near-shore animals. Birds that typically feed at the water's edge during daytime low tides are rarely present on beaches at night. However, we found that several species of diurnal birds reliably attended and preyed upon the nocturnal spawning runs of a marine fish, Leuresthes tenuis, the California Grunion (Teleostei: Atheriopsidae) on the shores of Malibu Lagoon State Beach (MLSB), Los Angeles County, California, USA. Avian hunters of California Grunion included Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax, Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias, Snowy Egret Egretta thula, and Western Gull Larus occidentalis. Spawning runs of California Grunion are synchronized by tides within a narrow window of time, two hours following the semilunar high tides of full and new moons. These silverside fish aggregate en masse predictably, and further increase their vulnerability by fully emerging from the water while spawning. This allows the birds to capture Calif...
An analysis of control using the weighted sum of spatial gradients in active structural acoustic control for flat panels

Active structural acoustic control uses a control metric that when minimized reduces the radiated sound. Previous research has identified the weighted sum of spatial gradients (WSSG) control metric and has shown that it is effective in attenuating the radiated sound power from a plate. The WSSG control metric is computed using weighted measurements of the structural response from four closely spaced accelerometers. In this work, it is shown that the weights used to compute WSSG directly impact the control performance and further understanding into choosing appropriate weights is presented. Weights optimized for single frequencies are investigated and shown to achieve nearly the same performance as minimizing sound power. A set of parameter-based weights for broadband frequency control is also proposed and analyzed. These parameter-based weights are inversely proportional to the square of the flexural wavenumber and can be computed using the ratio of the flexural rigidity to the mass per unit area. Both numerical and experimental results are presented using parameter-based weights for simply supported and clamped plates. The results show that the WSSG control using parameter-based weights is easy to implement and works more effectively than previous methods.
A Pulse-Based Ultra-Wideband Transmitter in 90-nm CMOS for WPANs

This paper describes the design of a pulse-based ultra-wideband (UWB) transmitter for wireless personal area networks (WPANs). The transmitter consists of a pulse generator, a phase-locked loop (PLL), and modulation circuitry. All of the components except the transmit antenna and the reference clock source are integrated. The pulse generator employs on-chip finite-impulse response (FIR) filtering so that the transmitted signal is compliant with the indoor FCC spectral emission limits. The frequency-multiplying PLL is included to provide a stable clock that sets the tap delays of the FIR filter. The transmitter architecture is capable of providing simultaneous binary phase shift keying (BPSK) and pulse position modulation (PPM). Implemented in a 90-nm standard digital CMOS process, the 2.83 mm2 prototype transmitter achieves a maximum pulse rate of 1.8 Gpulses/s while dissipating 227 mW from a 1-V supply. The measured jitter at the output of the PLL is 1.9 psrms and 15.1 pspp.
The IL-10 -819T polymorphism is associated with increased susceptibility to severe sepsis

Severe sepsis is characterized by an aggressive inflammatory response, and is more common in patients with genetic polymorphisms that promote greater production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. -308A on the TNF gene). Thus, we hypothesized that the genetic predisposition to lesser anti-inflammatory response (-819T on the IL-10 gene) would also increase the risk of severe sepsis.
Socioeconomic Stratification from Within: Changes Within American Indian Cohorts in the United States: 1990–2010

Socioeconomic inequality in the United States persists with disparities in education, earnings, and health evident across racial and ethnic groups. Somewhat less attention has been given to the importance of inequality within minority racial and pan-ethnic groups. This paper considers the increasing divergence of socioeconomic status within cohorts of American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) adults in the United States. The analyses rely on US Census data for 1990, 2000, and 2010 to examine the relative contribution of demographic change and change in self-identification to the size of AIAN adult cohorts over time. Decomposition analyses demonstrate that declines in poverty within the AIAN cohorts are largely attributable to the more advantaged status of individuals who select AIAN in combination with other racial identifications.
Microstructural Characterization of Iron Implanted Sapphire Nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of iron in sapphire ({alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) prepared by ion implantation have been studied as a model to investigate the potential of such materials for applications in high technology areas. The implantation was performed with 160 keV ions at several doses; the nanocomposites were then annealed at selected temperatures between 700 and 1,400 C in an Ar-4%H{sub 2} atmosphere for 1 hour. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the structure of these nanocomposites. Measurements showed that damage depth extended to about 300 nm and the embedded iron extended to about 200 nm. This region became amorphous when the fluence reaches 2 {times} 10{sup 17} Fe/cm{sup 2} at this energy. Thermal annealing could be used to restore the crystallinity to the damaged near-surface region, to form the metallic colloids, and also to coarsen the precipitates. In the case of high dose implantation, oriented precipitates with diameters of 2 to 3 nm were identified by TEM techniques as {alpha}-Fe which had the following orientation relationship with the sapphire matrix: {sub Fe} {parallel} {sub Sapphire} and {l_brace}01{bar 1}{r_brace}{sub Fe} {parallel} {l_brace}006{r_brace}{sub Sapphire}. The optical density and luminescence spectra were also measured. The predominant defectsmore » were oxygen vacancies with two electrons (F center) at the known absorption peak of 200 nm.« less
Extension of Berner's New geochemical classification of sedimentary environments to ancient sediments

Using stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen in siderite nodules and lithology of host shales, one can recognize geochemical environments proposed by Berner in Devonian-Carboniferous sediments of the Appalachian Basin. His oxic, post-oxic, and sulfidic diagenetic environments are well represented; sediments of the methanic environment may be present, but the evidence is equivocal. The sulfidic sediments can be further subdivided into well laminated and bioturbated, corresponding to the presence of H 2 S in the overlying water in the first case but confined to the sediment pore waters in the second.--Journal abstract.
Wnt and Related Signaling Pathways in Melanomagenesis

Given the pivotal roles of morphogen pathways including Wnt, Notch, Hedgehog, and BMP pathways in the development of the neural crest lineage, it is not surprising that these signaling networks have also been implicated in the biology of malignant melanoma. Understanding the mechanisms by which these pathways can alter cell fate and other biological properties in tumor cells will be essential for determining whether the therapeutic targeting of these pathways has a potential role in melanoma treatment. This review highlights some of the recent findings with regards to how morphogen signaling may regulate melanoma cell biology.
60 GHz CMOS radio for Gb/s wireless LAN

The availability of 7 GHz of unlicensed spectrum in the 60 GHz band motivates the design of a low-cost 60 GHz wireless LAN (WLAN) system. System and circuit barriers to a low cost implementation are discussed and various solutions are proposed.
Isolation of Alkaline Mutagens from Complex Mixtures

A method for the preparative-scale enrichment of alkaline mutagens from complex natural and anthropogenic mixtures is described. Mutagenic alkaline fractions were isolated from cigarette smoke, crude petroleum, and petroleum substitutes derived from coal and shale.
The “Dot CT Sign” Indicates MCA Branch Occlusion

To the Editor: The hyperdense sylvian fissure MCA “dot” sign1 has been described as a CT marker of acute ischemia seen in 16% of a series of patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke. It is thought to …
Sex-Specific Splicing of the Honeybee doublesex Gene Reveals 300 Million Years of Evolution at the Bottom of the Insect Sex-Determination Pathway

Sex-determination mechanisms vary greatly among taxa. It has been proposed that genetic sex-determination pathways evolve in reverse order from the final step in the pathway to the first step. Consistent with this hypothesis, doublesex (dsx), the most downstream gene in the Drosophila sex-determination cascade that determines most sexual phenotypes also determines sex in other dipterans and the silk moth, while the upstream genes vary among these species. However, it is unknown when dsx was recruited to the sex-determination pathway during insect evolution. Furthermore, sex-specific splicing of dsx, by which dsx determines sex, is different in pattern and mechanism between the moth and the fly, raising an interesting question of how these insects have kept the executor of sex determination while allowing flexibility in the means of execution. To address these questions, here we study the dsx gene of the honeybee Apis mellifera, a member of the most basal lineage of holometabolous insects. We report that honeybee dsx is sex-specifically spliced and that it produces both the fly-type and moth-type splicing forms, indicating that the use of different splicing forms of Dsx in controlling sexual differentiation was present in the common ancestor of holometabolous insects. Our data suggest that in ancestral holometabolous insects the female Dsx form is the default and the male form is generated by suppressing the splicing of the female form. Thus, it is likely that the dsx splicing activator system in flies, where the male form is the default, arose during early dipteran evolution.
Isosurface stuffing: fast tetrahedral meshes with good dihedral angles

The isosurface stuffing algorithm fills an isosurface with a uniformly sized tetrahedral mesh whose dihedral angles are bounded between 10.7° and 164.8°, or (with a change in parameters) between 8.9° and 158.8°. The algorithm is whip fast, numerically robust, and easy to implement because, like Marching Cubes, it generates tetrahedra from a small set of precomputed stencils. A variant of the algorithm creates a mesh with internal grading: on the boundary, where high resolution is generally desired, the elements are fine and uniformly sized, and in the interior they may be coarser and vary in size. This combination of features makes isosurface stuffing a powerful tool for dynamic fluid simulation, large-deformation mechanics, and applications that require interactive remeshing or use objects defined by smooth implicit surfaces. It is the first algorithm that rigorously guarantees the suitability of tetrahedra for finite element methods in domains whose shapes are substantially more challenging than boxes. Our angle bounds are guaranteed by a computer-assisted proof. If the isosurface is a smooth 2-manifold with bounded curvature, and the tetrahedra are sufficiently small, then the boundary of the mesh is guaranteed to be a geometrically and topologically accurate approximation of the isosurface.
Foliar resistance to ozone injury in the genetic base of U.S. and Canadian soybean and prediction of resistance in descendent cultivars using coefficient of parentage

Development of ozone (O3)-resistant cultivars is a potentially important approach for maintaining crop productivity under future climate scenarios in which tropospheric O3 pollution is projected to rise. A first step in the breeding of resistant cultivars for a crop such as soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is identification of sources of O3 resistance genes. Thirty ancestral lines of soybean were screened for differences in O3 foliar injury under greenhouse conditions. The ancestors represented 92% of the genetic base of North American soybean as determined by pedigree analysis. Injury among ancestors ranged from 5 to 50% of leaf area, based on response of the five oldest main stem leaves, indicating both the presence of substantial genetic variation for O3 injury among the ancestors as well as resistance levels greater than that of the standard control cultivar, resistant Essex (15% injury). Ancestral types Fiskeby 840-7-3 and Fiskeby III exhibited the greatest foliar resistance and PI 88788 the least. A subsequent field study confirmed the foliar resistance of the Fiskeby types. Resistant ancestors identified here are proposed for inheritance and DNA mapping studies to determine the genetic basis of foliar resistance. Because the presence of O3-resistant ancestors suggested that resistant descendents may exist in addition to the resistant control Essex, a method was developed to facilitate their identification. A predicted O3-resistance score was calculated for 247 publicly-released cultivars, based on pedigree analysis and ancestral response to ozone. Using this approach, the 32 public cultivars most closely related to resistant ancestors and, thus, most likely to be resistant were identified as priority candidates for future screening efforts. Predicted scores from the analysis suggested that cultivars from the Midwest may be more sensitive to foliar injury, on average, than Southern cultivars.
Small Sample Lung Biopsy Techniques in the Diagnosis of Airway and Parenchymal Lung Diseases

Nonsurgical approaches to sample focal or diffuse, solid, or infiltrative pathology of the lung offer the advantages of lower risk, comfort, and cost compared to surgical biopsy techniques. However, tissue size obtained by nonsurgical techniques is in the sub-centimeter range increasing the chance of sampling error and compromising the specificity of interpretation. We focus in this chapter on the various small sample biopsy techniques applied to pathology of the airways and lung parenchyma. Selection of which technique to use depends on the location of the lesion and its consistency, predominantly solid or diffuse. The techniques used are described from the perspective of the operating clinician in the diagnosis of diseases of the airways and lung parenchyma.
Dynamic Randomization Enhances Monte-Carlo Go

This paper proposes two dynamic randomization techniques for Monte-Carlo Go that uses Monte-Carlo tree search with UCT algorithm. First, during the in-tree phase of a simulation game, the parameters are randomized in selected ranges before each simulation move. Second, during the playout phase, the order of simulation move generators are hierarchically randomized before each playout move. Both dynamic randomization techniques increase diversity while keeping the sanity of the simulation game. The first technique, dynamic randomization of the parameters, increase the winning percentage of the author’s program GoIntellect(GI) against GnuGo3.8 by 8 percentage points on the average in 19x19 games. The second technique used in conjunction with the first technique further increases the winning percentage of GI against GnuGo3.8 by up to an additional 7+ percentage points in 19x19 games.
Making Activity Recognition Robust against Deceptive Behavior

Healthcare services increasingly use the activity recognition technology to track the daily activities of individuals. In some cases, this is used to provide incentives. For example, some health insurance companies offer discount to customers who are physically active, based on the data collected from their activity tracking devices. Therefore, there is an increasing motivation for individuals to cheat, by making activity trackers detect activities that increase their benefits rather than the ones they actually do. In this study, we used a novel method to make activity recognition robust against deceptive behavior. We asked 14 subjects to attempt to trick our smartphone-based activity classifier by making it detect an activity other than the one they actually performed, for example by shaking the phone while seated to make the classifier detect walking. If they succeeded, we used their motion data to retrain the classifier, and asked them to try to trick it again. The experiment ended when subjects could no longer cheat. We found that some subjects were not able to trick the classifier at all, while others required five rounds of retraining. While classifiers trained on normal activity data predicted true activity with ~38% accuracy, training on the data gathered during the deceptive behavior increased their accuracy to ~84%. We conclude that learning the deceptive behavior of one individual helps to detect the deceptive behavior of others. Thus, we can make current activity recognition robust to deception by including deceptive activity data from a few individuals.
JUSTINIAN: LIEUTENANT OF CHRIST, LEGISLATOR FOR CHRISTENDOM

Born a peasant of the Balkans and elevated to the highest station on earth, the Roman Emperor Justinian produced perhaps the second most important writing in the history of the world. His faithfulness to God in the work God had put before him produced fruit that nourishes man and glorifies God to this day, one and one half millennia later. Justinian's greatest work, second in influence only to the word of God, is the Corpus Juris Civilis, the definitive compilation of Roman law. The year 483 saw the birth of Petrus Sabbatius in the town of Tauresium, in what is now Yugoslavia. There he likely would have stayed had not his uncle Justin risen through the ranks to become chief of the imperial palace guard in Constantinople, New Rome, capital of the Roman Empire. The childless Justin had drawn his nephew to the capital, where the illiterate soldier hoped Petrus would acquire the command experience his uncle possessed and the learning his uncle lacked. These attainments, and political connections, would make the youth a suitable heir., Petrus Sabbatius, taking the added surname Justinianus in honor of his avuncular patron, apparently took well to his military duties, to his studies-especially in theology and law-and to Theodora, a lowborn actress of loose morals and engaging personality. The death of the emperor in 518 led to the elevation of Justin himself to the Purple. By then, the 36-year-old Justinian had become well prepared to guide his uncle, if not in fact to reign through him. 2 (Actually, it seems Justinian was offered the throne himself before Justin, but declined in favor of the old soldier. Some say this was to give himself a trial run at ruling the empire.) Justin made his nephew Caesar, and then Augustus--his official co-ruler. When Justin's wife, Euphemia, died, Justinian was able to
Digital storytelling in adult education and family literacy: a case study from rural Ireland

ABSTRACTPrevious research on digital storytelling (DST) has focused chiefly on children and youth, but we know little about how it is used in non-formal adult education. This article analyzes a DST class in rural Ireland, which was organized by a family literacy program and offered for parents at an elementary school. Data sources included fieldnotes, interviews, and digital stories by the parents who finished the class (n = 3). Janks's interdependence model of critical literacy is used to analyze how the class incorporated power, access, diversity, and design. The class did not engage in ideology critique or analyze the origins or consequences of dominant technologies, languages, and literacies (i.e., investigate power as domination). However, the class did provide access to technology knowledge and skills; affirm parents’ diverse knowledge, languages, life experiences, and identities; and equip participants to design and disseminate their digital stories. The study highlights possibilities for using mul...
Projected free fall trajectories. I. Theory and simulation

How we manage to reconstruct the three-dimensional character of the world from the two-dimensional representations on our retinae has been a lively subject of research in the last ten or fifteen years. One principle that has emerged unifying many of these ideas is the need for constraints to allow the visual system to interpret the images it receives as three-dimensional. These constraints come from assumptions about the nature of the situation that produced the image. We have looked at how gravity can be used as a constraint in the case of a free fall trajectory projected onto an image plane by central projection. We have examined several possible methods for deriving the initial conditions of the trajectory from the two-dimensional projection, and examined their behavior under noisy and noiseless conditions, using both image simulations and videotapes of a real ball. We show that there are several ways to robustly compute the initial conditions of the parabolic trajectory from the image data in the presence of noise.
Elemental concentrations of stored whole and fractionated broiler litter.

Abstract Broiler (poultry) litter consists of excreta, bedding material (used to cover floor of broiler houses and absorb excreta), soil, feathers, and other components generated during broiler production. The objective of this study was to determine concentrations of 20 elements in whole litter and coarse and fine size fractions of whole litter exposed to single flocks and multiple flocks of broilers as well as to determine any significant differences or changes in concentrations of these elements during 4 months of litter storage. During storage for up to 4 months, whole litter and its fractions were analyzed for concentrations of Al, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, Si, Sr, and Zn. No consistent significant differences in litter elemental concentrations were found among samples taken at 0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 wk. Significantly higher concentrations of several elements were found in multi-flock litter than in single-flock litter. No consistent significant differences in elemental concentrations were found among whole litter and coarse and fine whole litter fractions. This research shows that while size fractionation of litter facilitates re-use of litter, litter exposed to multiple flocks of broilers contains significantly higher concentrations of several elements, so recycling of multi-flock litter may be limited.
State Government Hedging Using Financial Derivatives

IN examining the use of financial de? rivative contracts to manage risk, the typical analysis involves the hedging strategies of firms or individuals. In contrast, this article considers the potential use of de? rivatives to hedge macroeconomic risk in the public sector. Specifically, the analysis focuses on one of the largest risks faced by the public sector: volatility in tax revenue. Two issues of current interest are addressed: the potential evolution toward futures contracts based on macroeconomic indicators and the recent revenue shortfalls of individual states.
Effective tight-binding model for M X 2 under electric and magnetic fields

We present a systematic method for developing a five band Hamiltonian for the metal d orbitals that can be used to study the effect of electric and magnetic fields on multilayer MX2 (M=Mo,W and X=S,Se) systems. On a hexagonal lattice of d orbitals, the broken inversion symmetry of the monolayers is incorporated via fictitious s orbitals at the chalcogenide sites. A tight-binding Hamiltonian is constructed and then downfolded to get effective d orbital overlap parameters using quasidegenerate perturbation theory. The steps to incorporate the effects of multiple layers, external electric and magnetic fields are also detailed. We find that an electric field produces a linear-k Rashba splitting around the Γ point, while a magnetic field removes the valley pseudospin degeneracy at the ±K points. Lastly, our model provides a simple tool to understand the recent experiments on electric and magnetic control of valley pseudospin in monolayer dichalcogendies.
Complexity and Computation of Connected Zero Forcing

Zero forcing is an iterative graph coloring process whereby a colored vertex with a single uncolored neighbor forces that neighbor to be colored. It is NP-hard to find a minimum zero forcing set - a smallest set of initially colored vertices which forces the entire graph to be colored. We show that the problem remains NP-hard when the initially colored set induces a connected subgraph. We also give structural results about the connected zero forcing sets of a graph related to the graph's density, separating sets, and certain induced subgraphs, and we characterize the cardinality of the minimum connected zero forcing sets of unicyclic graphs and variants of cactus and block graphs. Finally, we identify several families of graphs whose connected zero forcing sets define greedoids and matroids.
Historiographical Background to the Memory Phenomenon

I set forth the larger historiographical context in which the memory phenomenon is situated. I trace the move in scholarship from the history of collective mentalities during the 1960s and 1970s toward the history of collective memory during the 1980s and 1990s. Mentalities focused on the inertial power of social traditions and hence on their relative stability. Studies of collective memory, by contrast, placed the accent on memory’s fragility. In this transition, one notes a shift from memory as the groundwork of history to memory as the object of the historians’ critical scrutiny for bias and distortion. I close with my plan for the book.
Review of Electroproduction Experiments at Cornell and M.I.T. - SLAC

This paper presents and up-to-date summary of electroproduction experiments by three groups. All of these groups are in the final stages of data analysis and much of this data has already been published. This paper will attempt to summarize what has been learned from all this. There are two groups from Cornell, DECO1 and LAME2, and an MIT-SLAC group3. The layout of the three experiments is shown in Figure 1.