cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
'Deserve Got Nothin’ to Do with It': The Value of Homicide Victims in The Wire

The moral principle of placing the highest value on human life is a basic one. It underlies a central responsibility of criminal law. But within the universe of the American crime drama series The Wire, these fundamental principles break down. The focus of government investigations is framed by the drug war, which sometimes distorts the goals and decisions of law enforcement strategy. At most, each killing in the inner city is typically acknowledged by the state in the form of an uptick in the police department’s weekly ComStat counts, by the press as a story buried deep within the paper, or not mentioned at all. In this Article, I argue that the frequency of killings and the sheer number of victims can itself result in the distortion of basic values and priorities. Exposure to large human death tolls can result in what researchers have called psychic numbing. Against the background of a large aggregate tragedy, each new death represents an incremental increase, which fails to register emotionally because our compassion becomes fatigued. In The Wire, psychically-numbed characters pursue institutional goals unencumbered by the negative emotions that otherwise might prompt them to question their participation in acts that lead to perverse outcomes. Less visible is the implicit hierarchical ordering of victims which, in addition to psychic numbing, contributes to law operating in a manner not always predicted by the law in the books. There were many premeditated murders depicted in The Wire, and the responsible individuals were depicted as almost never receiving punishment by the criminal justice system. This fictional depiction of the absence of accountability for killings is unfortunately largely accurate in many large U.S. cities today.
Rebel Territorial Control and Civilian Collective Action in Civil War: Evidence from the Communist Insurgency in the Philippines:

Under what conditions do rebel organizations control territory during civil war? How do civilians influence the distribution of territorial control? This article introduces a civilian agency theory...
Transition Fronts of Fisher-KPP Equations in Locally Spatially Inhomogeneous Patchy Environments I: Existence and Non-existence.

This paper is devoted to the study of spatial propagation dynamics of species in locally spatially inhomogeneous patchy environments or media. For a lattice differential equation with monostable nonlinearity in a discrete homogeneous media, it is well-known that there exists a minimal wave speed such that a traveling front exists if and only if the wave speed is not slower than this minimal wave speed. We shall show that strongly localized spatial inhomogeneous patchy environments may prevent the existence of transition fronts (generalized traveling fronts). Transition fronts may exist in weakly localized spatial inhomogeneous patchy environments but only in a finite range of speeds, which implies that it is plausible to obtain a maximal wave speed of existence of transition fronts.
Antenna Modeling on Complex Platforms Via Sparse Constrained Equivalent Distributions

Accurate in situ antenna manifolds are desired for evaluation of many signal processing algorithms. Measurements of the antenna mounted on the platform of interest are the most accurate way to obtain in situ manifolds, but are often impractical or impossible to obtain. Instead, combinations of simulations and measurements are used to estimate in situ manifolds. The antenna under test is measured on a ground plane, and measured data is imported into numerical electromagnetics codes to include platform scattering.We present a new method to represent measured antennas by a weighted sum of far-fields from a simulated equivalent distribution of simple elements. The weights are found through a sparse constrained l 2 -norm minimization between the measured far-fields and the equivalent distribution far-fields. The trade-off between solution accuracy and sparsity is controlled by a regularization parameter. In this paper, the details of the method, with a focus on the regularization parameter selection, are presented along with an example result.
TeleGam: Combining Visualization and Verbalization for Interpretable Machine Learning

While machine learning (ML) continues to find success in solving previously-thought hard problems, interpreting and exploring ML models remains challenging. Recent work has shown that visualizations are a powerful tool to aid debugging, analyzing, and interpreting ML models. However, depending on the complexity of the model (e.g., number of features), interpreting these visualizations can be difficult and may require additional expertise. Alternatively, textual descriptions, or verbalizations, can be a simple, yet effective way to communicate or summarize key aspects about a model, such as the overall trend in a model’s predictions or comparisons between pairs of data instances. With the potential benefits of visualizations and verbalizations in mind, we explore how the two can be combined to aid ML interpretability. Specifically, we present a prototype system, TeleGam, that demonstrates how visualizations and verbalizations can collectively support interactive exploration of ML models, for example, generalized additive models (GAMs). We describe TELEGAM’s interface and underlying heuristics to generate the verbalizations. We conclude by discussing how TeleGam can serve as a platform to conduct future studies for understanding user expectations and designing novel interfaces for interpretable ML.
Two new species of Neotropical cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettinae: Carinetini) from Bolivia

Two species, Carineta bidigitata sp. nov. and Herrera aurenigrapilosa sp. nov., of Neotropical cicadas from Carinetini Distant, 1905 are described as new. The species are illustrated and detailed comparisons to the cogeneric Bolivian species are made to facilitate identification of Bolivian specimens.
2019 Elijah High Altitude Balloon Payload: Electronic Failure at Altitude, Applications of Turbulence and Sonification of Data

The 2019 WSGC Elijah High-Altitude Balloon Payload Fellowship focused on 4 high-altitude phenomena: Modular Payload Design, Applications of Air Turbulence (power generation and visualization), Electronic Behavior at Altitude, and Sonification of Atmospheric Data. Modular payload design focused on user-accessibility by creating friction-reducing rings in-between insulation and the instrumentation capsule. Height-adjustable, modular shelving was also constructed. Turbulence and Electronics project both suffered data loss during flight. However, post-flight lab analysis showed the power generation apparatus produced 96J – 120J and turbulence visualization’s potential to assist in calculating Eddie dissipation rates. Additionally, Electronic Behavior observed corona discharges across large electrical gaps near-vacuum pressures. Sonification of Data used computer algorithms to transcribe data relationships into music. The intent was to allow users to perceive data relationships and patterns aurally.
Fluids and Vasoactive Agents

Fluid resuscitation and the use of vasoactive agents are the primary means of improving tissue perfusion in patients with circulatory shock. Intravenous fluid boluses not only help to restore hemodynamic stability in hypovolemic shock, but in many other shock states as well. Vasoactive agents are often necessary to help improve blood flow to vital organs, particularly in patients with shock refractory to fluid resuscitation. The type and quantity of fluid administered and the appropriate selection of vasoactive agents can affect patient outcomes. A clear understanding of the pharmacologic principles, the indications and contraindications, and the toxicities of fluids and vasoactives will help guide effective resuscitation of the patient with shock.
Solving School’s Survey Request Overload:

Limited information is available on strategies for managing the large number of survey requests that reach an individual nursing school. This article addresses problems identified in managing surve...
Scalable Machine Learning on Popular Analytic Languages with Parallel Data Summarization

Machine learning requires scalable processing. An important acceleration mechanism is data summarization, which is accurate for many models and whose summary requires a small amount of RAM. In this paper, we generalize a data summarization matrix to produce one or multiple summaries, which benefits a broader class of models, compared to previous work. Our solution works well in popular languages, like R and Python, on a shared-nothing architecture, the standard in big data analytics. We introduce an algorithm which computes machine learning models in three phases: Phase 0 pre-processes and transfers the data set to the parallel processing nodes; Phase 1 computes one or multiple data summaries in parallel and Phase 2 computes a model in one machine based on such data set summaries. A key innovation is evaluating a demanding vector-vector outer product in C++ code, in a simple function call from a high-level programming language. We show Phase 1 is fully parallel, requiring a simple barrier synchronization at the end. Phase 2 is a sequential bottleneck, but contributes very little to overall time. We present an experimental evaluation with a prototype in the R language, with our summarization algorithm programmed in C++. We first show R is faster and simpler than competing big data analytic systems computing the same models, including Spark (using MLlib, calling Scala functions) and a parallel DBMS (computing data summaries with SQL queries calling UDFs). We then show our parallel solution becomes better than single-node processing as data set size grows.
Electrolocation? The evidence for redox‐mediated taxis in Shewanella oneidensis

Shewanella oneidensis is a dissimilatory metal reducing bacterium and model for extracellular electron transfer (EET), a respiratory mechanism in which electrons are transferred out of the cell. In the last 10 years, migration to insoluble electron acceptors for EET has been shown to be nonrandom and tactic, seemingly in the absence of molecular or energy gradients that typically allow for taxis. As the ability to sense, locate, and respire electrodes has applications in bioelectrochemical technology, a better understanding of taxis in S. oneidensis is needed. While the EET conduits of S. oneidensis have been studied extensively, its taxis pathways and their interplay with EET are not yet understood, making investigation into taxis phenomena nontrivial. Since S. oneidensis is a member of an EET-encoding clade, the genetic circuitry of taxis to insoluble acceptors may be conserved. We performed a bioinformatic analysis of Shewanella genomes to identify S. oneidensis chemotaxis orthologs conserved in the genus. In addition to the previously reported core chemotaxis gene cluster, we identify several other conserved proteins in the taxis signaling pathway. We present the current evidence for the two proposed models of EET taxis, "electrokinesis" and flavin-mediated taxis, and highlight key areas in need of further investigation.
Ideas and party change: the role of predistribution in labour’s ideological renewal

The literature on political parties and ideologies tends to highlight the instrumental nature of that relationship. In those accounts, political parties are either constrained by ideology or they u...
CTKG: A Knowledge Graph for Clinical Trials

Effective and successful clinical trials are essential in developing new drugs and advancing new treatments. However, clinical trials are very expensive and easy to fail. The high cost and low success rate of clinical trials motivate research on inferring knowledge from existing clinical trials in innovative ways for designing future clinical trials. In this manuscript, we present our efforts on constructing the first publicly available Clinical Trials Knowledge Graph, denoted as CTKG. CTKG includes nodes representing medical entities in clinical trials (e.g., studies, drugs and conditions), and edges representing the relations among these entities (e.g., drugs used in studies). Our embedding analysis demonstrates the potential utilities of CTKG in various applications such as drug repurposing and similarity search, among others.
Managed Care and Financial Risks of Health Insurers Under PPACA

Health care insurers have faced increased risks under the health care reform (PPACA) in the United States. By increasing the population of insureds, eliminating coverage caps, extending covered perils, and mandating minimum loss ratios, health care reform confronts insurers with the specter of potentially large financial risks. Many of these risks manifest through increases in health services utilization. Empirically, utilizations have increased - especially for the Medicaid population -, not only absolutely but also per capita. Insurers have a variety of tools to mitigate the financial impact of these heightened risks, including managed care, increases in capital and/or reductions in investment portfolio risk. Managed care is more effective with hospitalizations than with patient encounters with providers. This study examines how insurers are adapting their relationship between the financial management tools of capital and investment portfolio risk to PPACA-induced changes in two types of utilizations: patient encounters with providers (less subject to managed care) and hospitalizations (more subject to managed care) for four subpopulations: Medicaid, Medicare, Federal employees, and other comprehensive (employer and individual) programs. An innovative feature of the analysis is the use of semiparametric modeling to avoid the distortions imposed by traditional linear models. One surprising finding is that during the phase-in of PPACA, financial management tools largely decouple from utilization rates - becoming uncorrelated with them, and suggesting that the magnitude of the mitigation bears little relation to the magnitude of the risk. Since most enterprise risks are controlled for in the models, this raises questions about whether and how health insurers are managing the new risks.
Comparative Analysis of Perceived Indicators of Success by Women Entrepreneurs in a Traditional Versus a Non-traditional Business

The purpose of this project was to compare perceived indicators of success by female entrepreneurs who had chosen a traditional (apparel retailing) versus a nontraditional female business enterprise (real estate). Findings suggested there were select attributes perceived as very important by all respondents. However, there were a number of significant differences between responses of female entrepreneurs who had chosen traditional versus nontraditional business enterprises, and the former with male entrepreneurs of these same business sectors. The study also revealed the nontraditional female business owners responses were similar to the males in their business sector.
Mass imprisonment and the life course revisited: Cumulative years spent imprisoned and marked for working-age black and white men

Over the last 40 years, imprisonment has become a common stage in the life-course for low-skilled and minority men, with implications not only for inequality among adult men but also for inequality more broadly. Unfortunately, all research documenting how increases in imprisonment have transformed the life-course of poor, minority men has neglected to estimate how much time black and white men on average spend imprisoned or marked as an ex-prisoner. In this article, we fill this gap by using multistate life tables to estimate what share of their working lives (18-64) black and white men will spend imprisoned and marked as ex-prisoners. Our estimates imply that white men spend on average 0.33 years of their working lives imprisoned and 2.31 years marked, while black men spend on average 1.79 years of their working lives imprisoned and 11.14 years marked. This implies that black men spend on average one-third of their working lives either imprisoned or having been freed but marked by the penal system. For the 32.2% of black men who ever experience imprisonment (Bonczar, 2003), moreover, these estimates imply that they spend on average 5.56 years imprisoned, corresponding to 13.4% of their working lives. Taken together, these findings imply a dramatic reorientation of the life course for black men, as one-third of the black male population will spend one-seventh of their working life in prison.
Li-Ion Battery Pack and Applications

An accurate battery pack model is of significant importance for electric-vehicle drivetrain design and simulation. It is not uncommon to see simple resistance battery models used in vehicle simulations or energy storage system simulations (Zhang et al. in Energy conversion congress and exposition, pp. 3270–3277, 2011; Chen et al. in International conference on electric information and control engineering, pp. 2601–2604, 2011) even involving fast dynamics in vehicle power delivery. In contrast to the view that vehicle system level simulation does not require highly accurate battery models (Tremblay et al. in IEEE vehicle power and propulsion conference, pp. 284–289, 2007), a high fidelity battery pack model is critical for the vehicle simulation because the drivetrain power management, the motor/generator control, AC/DC and DC/DC converter design and control, the battery pack state of power (SOP) management, etc. are highly dependent on the accurate prediction of the battery power and battery state of charge (SOC). This is true largely because of the dynamics of the battery current when a real-world battery electric vehicle (BEV), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is modeled with realistic drive cycles. As a result, simple models are not capable of predicting the dynamic responses of the battery pack, which can limit the validity of the entire simulation, especially if controller performance is included.
Fibroblast Growth Factor (Fgf) 21 is a Novel Target Gene of Glucocorticoid Receptor

Fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) 21 is a metabolic regulator that plays an important role in the maintenance of glucose, lipid, and energy homeostasis. Recent studies also suggest that Fgf21 inductio...
Predictors of Recovery of Chronic Aphasia (P6.228)

Objective: To identify predictors of aphasia recovery in chronic left hemisphere stroke Background: Degree of aphasia recovery in first 3 months is fairly predictable by initial severity, but is highly variable thereafter. We tested the hypothesis that degree of recovery beyond 3 months is influenced by lesion volume and education. Design/Methods: We tested 45 acute left hemisphere ischemic stroke patients (mean age 54.9; education 14.7 years; TPO 35.4 months; lesion volume 126 cc) on the Western Aphasia Battery (WAB). Sum of comprehension, repetition, and naming summary scores was used as the outcome variable. “Spontaneous speech” scores were omitted because of lower reliably in scoring. Infarct volume was measured on MRI FLAIR. We determined variables associated with WAB Quartile (because scores were not normally distributed) using logistic regression, with antidepressant use as cofactor, and age, education, infarct volume, time post onset (TPO) as covariates. Results: WAB Quartile was significantly predicted by a model that included education, age, volume of infarct, and antidepressant use, but not TPO (X2 for goodness of fit=207; p<.0001; Cox and Snell r2=.47) Education had the highest Wald statistic of 17.3 (p<.0001) [df=1], followed by volume of infarct (Wald=7.0; p=.008), antidepressant use (Wald=5.2; p=.022), and age (Wald=5.0; p=.023). Compared to patients who had never taken antidepressants, those currently taking antidepressants had higher repetition scores (mean 9.4 vs.7.6; p=0.039), even though they had larger infarct (mean 225 vs 82 cc; p=.008); they were no different in age, education, TPO, or total WAB (mean 28.4 vs.22.9). Conclusions: Chronic aphasia recovery is positively influenced by higher education, smaller lesions, younger age, and current antidepressant use (independently of one another). *Study supported by: NIH R01 DC05375 Disclosure: Dr. Suneja has nothing to disclose. Dr. Gonzalez-Fernandez has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hillis has received research support from Allon Pharmaceutical.
Using Communication Strategies to Promote Sexual Health: Can Mass Media Get in Bed with the “Female” Condom?

Many public health students receive little, if any, formal training in communicating health information to the public. Public health practitioners, however, are regularly asked to use communication strategies to convey health information. The lesson plan was designed to teach students mass communication strategies in the context of sexual health promotion. It is expected that by participating in the activity, students will be better prepared to communicate sexual health information in their future roles as public health practitioners.
A reflection on violence and peacebuilding from theater and art

This paper is an invitation to think about art and the legacy of violence and injustice in the history of mankind and the efforts from different artistic projects on conflict resolution and the promotion of peace in the world. Some of these experiences are presented and analyzed and it is examined how they have been applied by different disciplines to solve or make progress on some of the problems society faces. It is also important to think about the use of art, theater and creativity as a methodological strategy and as an exercise of participatory research that allows transformative research in the field of violence and teamwork from the affected communities.
Standing Vigil for the Day to Come

Michel Foucault’s “Standing Vigil for the Day to Come” was a review of Roger Laporte’s novel, La Veille, published by Gallimard earlier that year. Although Laporte’s work never received the wide readership it deserved, Foucault held it in high esteem, praising it in his assessment as one of the “most original” and “most difficult” of his time and, subsequently, urging Derrida to read it. This article is most appropriately situated in the series of literary reviews Foucault composed between 1961 and 1966, in which his marked attempts to understand the relationship between language and thought drew him to the works of Roussel, Klossowski, Holderlin, Mallarme, and, of course, Laporte. Foucault finds Laporte’s treatment of the subject-matter particularly satisfying because it provides a non-reductive account of thought and its relationship to language; thought is neither identical with nor distinct from language. Foucault sees Laporte as relying on an important Nietzschean insight that thought is both too fundamental and too archaic to be reduced to philosophy or to require a Cartesian ego. In this way La Veille is naturally of interest to Foucault because it deals with the relationship of a writer to an anonymous other; it is this other — not the writer — that makes writing possible. With the role of the subject de-emphasized, Foucault finds in Laporte a starting point for talking about language in contemporary literature and thought in postCartesian philosophy.
Instrumentalism and teacher education in the United States: an analysis of two national reports

Teacher education in the USA lives in a policy shadow world that is jumbled and unfocused because decision‐makers do not see teacher education as a public good in and of itself. Rather, it is viewed as an instrument to achieve other, more important, policy goals. Consequently, teacher education policy tends to be parsed across fields and levels of instruction, compartmentalized, and often isolated; these circumstances thwart development of consistent and coherent policy on how teachers are prepared. This article considers whether two recent national reports, A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education and Tough Choices or Tough Times clarify or further confound teacher education policy directions, and concludes with the caution that both reports continue the instrumental definition of teacher education, a situation that will hinder development of comprehensive and more effective policy options.
Provenance and pedology of a long-term Pleistocene depositional sequence in Wisconsin's Driftless Area

Abstract Soil coring in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin has revealed an approximately 9 m stratigraphic sequence containing five buried soils formed in seven lithologic units below the youngest late Wisconsin loess. The sequence is preserved on a toeslope remnant, 30 m above the present valley floor, and provides the most complete stratigraphic section known for the Upper Mississippi Valley region. The stratigraphic sequence is
Conical diffraction in honeycomb lattices

Conical diffraction in honeycomb lattices is analyzed. This phenomenon arises in nonlinear Schr\"odinger equations with honeycomb lattice potentials. In the tight-binding approximation the wave envelope is governed by a nonlinear classical Dirac equation. Numerical simulations show that the Dirac equation and the lattice equation have the same conical diffraction properties. Similar conical diffraction occurs in both the linear and nonlinear regimes. The Dirac system reveals the underlying mechanism for the existence of conical diffraction in honeycomb lattices.
A model for the free energy of adsorption on low energy surfaces.

Abstract In constructing a generalized thermodynamics for the fluid-vapor-solid equilibrium in poorly wetted systems the specific free energy of adsorption at saturation vapor pressure is a basic and elusive term. If the adsorbed phase is modeled as a two dimensional gas, systems for which a complete spectrum of data is available can serve as an empirical basis for constructing and testing adsorption-contact angle relationships. From the extension of such relationship other often inassessible terms can be estimated. Such a construct is reported here and extended to the estimation of the excess adsorption entropy at saturation vapor pressure in non-wetting systems
Climatological Aspects of Mesoscale Cyclogenesis over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf Regions of Antarctica

Abstract A one-year (1988) statistical study of mesoscale cyclogenesis near Terra Nova Bay and Byrd Glacier. Antarctica, was conducted using high-resolution digital satellite imagery and automatic weather station data. Results indicate that on average two (one) mesoscale cyclones form near Terra Nova Bay (Byrd Glacier) each week, confirming these two locations as mesoscale cyclogenesis areas. The maximum (minimum) weekly frequency of mesoscale cyclones occurred during the summer (winter). The satellite survey of mesoscale vortices was extended over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf. Results suggest southern Maric Byrd Land as another area of mesoscale cyclone formation. Also, frequent mesoscale cyclonic activity was noted over the Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf, where, on average, six and three mesoscale vortices were observed each week, respectively, with maximum (minimum) frequency during summer (winter) in both regions. The majority (70%–80%) of the vortices were of comma-cloud type and were shallow. Only a...
Pricing Implications of Development Exactions on Existing Housing Stock

Research has found that development exactions are capitalized into the price of new housing. As the price of new housing increases, one would expect to see a price rise in existing housing as well, albeit lagged to some extent. This paper presents the results of an empirical study designed to measure how much impact fees affect the price of existing, single-family dwellings. Data for this study were obtained from county property appraiser files provided by the Florida Department of Revenue. The data represent 1,055 new and 3,135 existing home sales, respectively, in Dunedin, Florida, and 7,292 existing home sales in Clearwater, Florida, from 1971-1982. On June 3, 1974, the city of Dunedin began assessing impact fees of $1,150 against all new, single-family construction. The methodology used in this paper examines the price differential of new relative to existing housing and finds that the difference disappeared after six years.
The role of connexin‐36 gap junctions in alcohol intoxication and consumption

Ventral tegmental area (VTA) GABA neurons appear to be critical substrates underlying the acute and chronic effects of ethanol on dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in the mesocorticolimbic system implicated in alcohol reward. The aim of this study was to examine the role of midbrain connexin-36 (Cx36) gap junctions (GJs) in ethanol's rewarding effects. Using behavioral, molecular and electrophysiological methods we compared the effects of ethanol in mature Cx36 knockout (KO) mice and age-matched wild-type (WT) controls. Cx36 KO mice exhibited significantly more ethanol-induced ataxia in the open field test, but less disruption in motor coordination than their WT controls in the rotarod paradigm. Cx36 KO mice and WT mice treated with the Cx36 antagonist mefloquine (MFQ) consumed significantly less ethanol than their vehicle-treated WT controls in the drink-in-the-dark procedure. The firing rate of VTA GABA neurons in WT mice was inhibited by ethanol with an IC(50) of 0.25 g/kg, while VTA GABA neurons in KO mice were significantly less sensitive to ethanol. Dopamine neuron sIPSC frequency was reduced by ethanol (30 mM) in WT mice, but not affected in KO mice. Cx36 KO mice evinced a significant up-regulation in DAT and D2 receptors in the VTA, as assessed by quantitative RT-PCR. These findings demonstrate the behavioral relevance of Cx36 GJ-mediated electrical coupling between GABA neurons in mature animals, and suggest that loss of coupling between VTA GABA neurons results in disinhibition of DA neurons, a hyper-DAergic state and lowered hedonic valence for ethanol consumption. Synapse, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Language: en
Synthesis of fluorinated mucin core 2 branched oligosaccharides with the potential of novel substrates and enzyme inhibitors for glycosyltransferases and sulfotransferases

Syntheses of fluorinated mucin core 2 tri- and tetrasaccharides modified at the C-3 or C-4 position of the pertinent galactose residue are reported. These compounds were used for the study of sialyltransferases and 3-O-sulfotransferases involved in the biosynthesis of O-glycans. Our acceptor substrate specificity studies on three cloned sialyltransferases (Sia-Ts) revealed that a 3- or 4-fluoro substituent in beta1,4Gal resulted in poor acceptors for alpha2,6(N)Sia-T and alpha2,3(N)Sia-T, whereas 4-fluoro-Galbeta1,3GalNAcalpha was a good acceptor for alpha2,3(O)Sia-T. Uniquely, 4-F-Galbeta1,4GlcNAcbeta1,6(Galbeta1,3)GalNAcalpha-OBn was an inhibitor of alpha2,6(N)Sia-T activity but not alpha2,3(N)Sia-T activity. Further we found that the activities of only Gal 3-O-sulfotransferases and not sialyltransferases were adversely affected by a C-3 fluoro substituent at the other Gal terminal of mucin core 2. The strategy of building branched mucin core 2 structures by three glycosidation sequence coupling three classes of glycosyl donors with the reactivity-matching acceptors proved to be successful in syntheses of modified mucin-type core structures of O-glycan. The relative poor yields of the glycosylations using fluorinated galactosyl donors indicated that the fluorine modification dramatically decreased the donor reactivity due to electron-withdrawing effect.
The endocrine stress-response and social status in the wild baboon

Abstract The relationship between social status and the testosterone and cortisol stress responses was studied in male olive baboons living in their natural environment in Kenya. (1) A variety of measures of social status are correlated with each other but are not correlated with aggressiveness or frequency of fighting. (2) Aggressiveness is positively correlated with high testosterone titers. (3) In contrast, copulatory success is not correlated with testosterone titer. Instead, it is associated with the change of testosterone levels with time; successful males increase testosterone titers in response to stress while subordinates show declines. (4) Finally, those same males with high rates of copulation showed the lowest initial cortisol levels but showed relatively faster and greater cortisol elevations following stress.
Hepatic effects of a methionine–choline-deficient diet in hepatocyte RXRα-null mice

Retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXRalpha) is an obligate partner for several nuclear hormone receptors that regulate important physiological processes in the liver. In this study the impact of hepatocyte RXRalpha deficiency on methionine and choline deficient (MCD) diet-induced steatosis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and hepatic transporters gene expression were examined. The mRNA of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-regulated genes, important for lipid synthesis, were not altered in wild type (WT) mice, but were increased 2.0- to 5.4-fold in hepatocyte RXRalpha-null (H-RXRalpha-null) mice fed a MCD diet for 14 days. Furthermore, hepatic mRNAs and proteins essential for fatty acid beta-oxidation were not altered in WT mice, but were decreased in the MCD diet-fed H-RXRalpha-null mice, resulting in increased hepatic free fatty acid levels. Cyp2e1 enzyme activity and lipid peroxide levels were induced only in MCD-fed WT mice. In contrast, hepatic mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory factors were increased only in H-RXRalpha-null mice fed the MCD diet. Hepatic uptake transporters Oatp1a1 and Oatp1b2 mRNA levels were decreased in WT mice fed the MCD diet, whereas the efflux transporter Mrp4 was increased. However, in the H-RXRalpha-null mice, the MCD diet only moderately decreased Oatp1a1 and induced both Oatp1a4 and Mrp4 gene expression. Whereas the MCD diet increased serum bile acid levels and alkaline phosphatase activity in both WT and H-RXRalpha-null mice, serum ALT levels were induced (2.9-fold) only in the H-RXRalpha-null mice. In conclusion, these data suggest a critical role for RXRalpha in hepatic fatty acid homeostasis and protection against MCD-induced hepatocyte injury.
Constructing cubature formulae for spheres and balls

Abstract It has been shown recently that cubature formulae for the unit sphere and for the unit ball are closely related; in particular, cubature formulae for the surface measure on the sphere correspond to formulae for the Chebyshev weight function on the ball. This provides a new method to generate cubature formulae on these regions. In this paper we construct a number of cubature formulae for the Chebyshev weight function on the unit ball in R 2 , and use them to derive new formulae for the surface measure on the sphere S2.
Numerical Analysis of a Swept-Fin Missile

The e owabout the complete Hypersonic Applied Research Technology missile is simulated for inviscid, laminar, and turbulent conditions and Mach numbers from 2 to 6. An explicit, second-order-accurate, e ux-differencesplitting algorithm is implemented and employed to solve the Navier ‐Stokes equations. The equations are solved using a e nite volume methodology. The formulation models turbulence with the zero-equation, Baldwin ‐Lomax turbulencemodel,accountingforpressure-gradientandcompressibilityeffects.Itisfoundthatazimuthalclustering near the e ns is crucial to predicting the pitching-moment coefe cient at Mach numbers above 4. Static stability for laminar e ow is found to improve very slightly over inviscid e ow as Mach number increases. In the turbulent simulations, thestructure of the e ow near thee ns is changed. In the e n region, the crosse ow becomes blocked, and the turbulence causes bleeding around the e n leading edges. Ultimately, this results in lower e n effectiveness and reduced static stability.
Evaluation of ionic liquids on phototrophic microbes and their use in biofuel extraction and isolation

Multiple ionic liquids (ILs) were assessed for their ability to extract branched, unsaturated hydrocarbons from an aqueous medium. In addition, IL cytotoxicity studies were performed on two phototrophic microbes, Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and Botryococcus braunii var Showa. The optimum IL for use in an isoprenoid hydrocarbon extraction may vary based on the biological source of the isoprenoids. Our results suggest that ionic liquids have the potential to serve as novel biocompatible milking agents for extracting high-value chem- icals from the microbes, with toxicity to both species minimized by considerations of ionic liquid structure and hydrophobicity.
Stimulating neurons with light

Abstract Recent technological advances have enabled the use of different optical methods to activate neurons, including ‘caged’ glutamate, photoactivation of genetically engineered cascades, and direct two-photon excitation. The ability to use light as a stimulation tool provides, in principle, a non-invasive method for the temporally and spatially precise activation of any neuron or any part of a neuron. When combined with two-photon excitation, excellent spatial control can be achieved even in complex and highly scattering preparations, such as living nervous tissue. Different methods that have been developed in the last several decades have been used to probe neuronal sensitivity, mimic synaptic input, and elucidate patterns of neural connectivity.
The Consumer Price Index: A History and Source List

While most Americans have heard of the consumer price index, many people are not knowledgeable about its meaning or history. In this article, Karen Chapman explains how the index reflects and affects the nation's economy, and lists sources of related information.
Growing string method with interpolation and optimization in internal coordinates: Method and examples

The growing string method (GSM) has proven especially useful for locating chemical reaction paths at low computational cost. While many string methods use Cartesian coordinates, these methods can be substantially improved by changes in the coordinate system used for interpolation and optimization steps. The quality of the interpolation scheme is especially important because it determines how close the initial path is to the optimized reaction path, and this strongly affects the rate of convergence. In this article, a detailed description of the generation of internal coordinates (ICs) suitable for use in GSM as reactive tangents and in string optimization is given. Convergence of reaction paths is smooth because the IC tangent and orthogonal directions are better representations of chemical bonding compared to Cartesian coordinates. This is not only important quantitatively for reducing computational cost but also allows reaction paths to be described with smoothly varying chemically relevant coordinates. Benchmark computations with challenging reactions are compared to previous versions of GSM and show significant speedups. Finally, a climbing image scheme is included to improve the quality of the transition state approximation, ensuring high reliability of the method.
Kulturelles Gedächtnis als topographische Selbstartikulation

In contrast to theories according to which urban memory is merely an arbitrary projection of historical meanings on architectural surfaces devoid of any inherent meaning, high-modernist writers like Kafka, Benjamin, Kracauer, and Rilke conceive of memory as networks of historical voices, traces, and echoes that are being articulated by material urban topographies figuring as quasi-subjects. In analogy to the hermeneutic act of reading (literary) texts, these topographic self-articulations are translated through various media and discourses—exemplified here by the novel, the essay, and poetry—into social discourses. Memory, then, is not only a temporal process but also a spatially located act of resisting modernity's hyper-acceleration. Reconstructing aspects of this aesthetic tradition opens up new ways of authentic interrogations of the past that may be of significant methodological value for intermedial cultural studies.
Expanding the role of the direct marketing database

The direct marketing database of customers and prospects has from its inception been recognized as critical to the success of tactical activities such as promotional and customer service programs. This article argues that there are numerous other programmatic decisions that can be improved by analysis of the database. Further, it argues that the most effective use of a database extends beyond tactical exercises to strategic marketing decisions. A hierarchy is presented that can guide managers toward more powerful and more integrative uses of the database resource in planning and executing databased marketing activities at both the tactical and strategic levels.
On Studying Fertility at High Altitude: A Rejoinder to Hoff

A rejoinder in an ongoing controversy between C.J. Hoff and the present authors concerning Hoffs study of fertility in the highland community of Nunoa Peru is presented. Hoff maintained that his Nunoan data supported the contention that although the Nunoa have a high fertility rate fertility is somewhat reduced by the effects of hypoxic depression experienced by the high altitude dwelling Nunoa and that the fertility rate is lower in the highland regions than in the lowland regions. The present authors contend that wide but equal variations in fertility are observed among both highland and lowland groups and they hypothesize that these variations are attributable to cultural factors which either increase of decrease exposure of the women to the risk of pregnancy. The present authors restate their argument that Hoff failed to provide evidence of the existence of a hypoxic depression effect. Although Hoff responded to the authors criticism of the size of his sample he failed to respond to their more basic criticism that his sample was not representative of the community. The sample of 31 Nunoa women was not a random sample. A pattern of marriage instability was observed but not assessed in reference to its possible impact on completed fertility rates. Hoffs methods did not consider the influence of confounding factors. Therefore he cannot claim that the reduction in fertility was due to the effect of hypoxic depression. Hoff cited other studies he claimed supported his hypothesis but failed to cite a Bolivian study that reported a high completed fertility ratio of 8.05 among a group of 68 highland women. Hoffs insistence that he provided data on age specific fertility rates in his Nunoan study is refuted. Hoff reported child-woman means not age specific fertility rates.
Identification of Common Genetic Variants Predisposing to Neurobehavioral Disease by way of Genome-Wide SNP Association Studies

Dr. David Craig began by explaining expression and linkage studies. He then focused on genome-wide association studies (GWAS), giving examples from Diabetes Type 2 and Alzheimer’s research. Dr. Craig concluded with the recognition that GWAS cannot at the present adequately account for environmental influences on disease.To watch Dr. Craig’s presentation, please see the Panel 3 "Google Video posting.":http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7775076897136846879&hl=en
Experimental control of chaos.

It was demonstrated that one can convert the motion of a chaotic dynamical system to periodic motion by controlling the system about one of the many unstable periodic orbits embedded in the chaotic attractor, through only small time dependent perturbations in an accessible system parameter. They demonstrated their method numerically by controlling the Henon map. Far from being a numerical curiosity that requires experimentally unattainable precision, it was believed that this method can be widely implemented in a variety of systems including chemical, biological, optical, electronic, and mechanical systems. The method is based on the observation that unstable periodic orbits are dense in a typical chaotic attractor. Their method assumes only the following four points. First, the dynamics of the system can be represented as arising from an n-dimensional non-linear map. Second, there is a specific periodic orbit of the map which lies in the attractor and around which one wishes to stabilize the dynamics, and so on. To control the chaos, one attempts to confine the iterates of the map to a small neighborhood of the desired orbit.
Surface-Plasmon-Enhanced Third-Order Harmonic Generation of Organic Materials

We design and fabricate metallic photonic crystals that are integrated with highly-efficient third-order nonlinear polymers. Compared with nanoparticle-doped composite materials, metallic photonic crystals are favorable due to the presence of Bragg-grating-modulated surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) with strong light localization in large spatial volumes to uniformly enhance the harmonic signals. We experimentally observed extraordinary emission of THG signals from the surface-plasmon-enhanced organic thin film using telecommunication wavelength pulsed laser. This hybrid organic-plasmonic nanostructure opens a new avenue to develop innovative nonlinear optical devices.
TOTAL MESORECTAL EXCISION IN THE TREATMENT OF RECTAL CANCER : A VIEW FROM THE USA

The technique of total mesorectal excision (TME) has sparked much controversy in the surgical community with its reported advantages of reduced local recurrence, improved survival, and reduced need for adjuvant therapy. TME is the total excision of the tumor with precise, sharp dissection to include midrectum and integral mesentery of the hindgut which envelopes the midrectum. In a compiled series of over 10,000 patients treated for rectal cancer, the local recurrence rate for surgery alone was 18.5%. Proponents of TME report local recurrence rates from 3.5% to 7.3% and survival rates greater than 80% at 5 years. Histopathological studies suggest that a proportion of patients will be at increased risk of local recurrence if adequate circumferential and distal mesorectal margins are not achieved as proposed in TME. Unlike any other cancers, there appears to be a great deal of surgeon variability in the treatment of rectal cancer, and local recurrence rates range from 5% to 30%. There is an unanswered question about the high rate of recurrence with the abdominoperineal resection where the principals of TME are followed and a wide excision is performed. Further questions concerning TME include clinical function, anastomotic dehiscence, sexual function, and adjuvant therapy. There are also detrimental functional costs of more distal anastomoses as required by TME, and further, more distal anastomoses are associated with increased leak rates and potentially increased morbidity and mortality. In the hands of its proponents, TME has commendable results and achieves outcomes superior to others that use combined surgery and adjuvant therapy. Unfortunately, experienced surgeons using apparently similar dissection techniques have not been able to reproduce such good results. Potential explanations include variations in technical expertise, patient and tumor selection bias, and differences in the extent of follow-up. The functional costs, increased anastomotic leak rates, and increased need for diversion must be weighed against potential reduced local recurrence rates in patients with mid and upper rectal cancers. Semin. Surg. Oncol. 15:87–90, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.