cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A prosody only decision-tree model for disfluency detection.

Speech disfluencies (filled pauses, repetitions, repairs, a nd false starts) are pervasive in spontaneous speech. The ability to detect and correct disfluencies automatically is important for eff ective natural language understanding, as well as to improve speech models in general. Previous approaches to disfluency detect ion have relied heavily on lexical information, which makes them less applicable when word recognition is unreliable. We have developed a disfluency detection method using decision tree classifiers that use only local and automatically extracted pros odic features. Because the model doesn’t rely on lexical informa tion, it is widely applicable even when word recognition is unreliable. The model performed significantly better than chance a t detecting four disfluency types. It also outperformed a lang uage model in the detection of false starts, given the correct tra nscription. Combining the prosody model with a specialized language model improved accuracy over either model alone for the detection of false starts. Results suggest that a prosody-only mo del can aid the automatic detection of disfluencies in spontaneo us speech.
Classifying the Findings in Qualitative Studies

A key task in conducting research integration studies is determining what features to account for in the research reports eligible for inclusion. In the course of a methodological project, the authors found a remarkable uniformity in the way findings were produced and presented, no matter what the stated or implied frame of reference or method. They describe a typology of findings, which they developed to bypass the discrepancy between method claims and the actual use of methods, and efforts to ascertain its utility and reliability. The authors propose that the findings in journal reports of qualitative studies in the health domain can be classified on a continuum of data transformation as no finding, topical survey, thematic survey, conceptual/thematic description, or interpretive explanation.
Digital Humanities and Libraries: A Conceptual Model

Though there has been much discussion of the connection between libraries and digital humanities (on both sides), a general model of the two has not been forthcoming. Such a model would provide lib...
Expression of I-CreI Endonuclease Generates Deletions Within the rDNA of Drosophila

The rDNA arrays in Drosophila contain the cis-acting nucleolus organizer regions responsible for forming the nucleolus and the genes for the 28S, 18S, and 5.8S/2S RNA components of the ribosomes and so serve a central role in protein synthesis. Mutations or alterations that affect the nucleolus organizer region have pleiotropic effects on genome regulation and development and may play a role in genomewide phenomena such as aging and cancer. We demonstrate a method to create an allelic series of graded deletions in the Drosophila Y-linked rDNA of otherwise isogenic chromosomes, quantify the size of the deletions using real-time PCR, and monitor magnification of the rDNA arrays as their functions are restored. We use this series to define the thresholds of Y-linked rDNA required for sufficient protein translation, as well as establish the rate of Y-linked rDNA magnification in Drosophila. Finally, we show that I-CreI expression can revert rDNA deletion phenotypes, suggesting that double-strand breaks are sufficient to induce rDNA magnification.
Topology of Human Environment: Realistic and Futurological Evolution Modeling Based on the Transdisciplinary Methodology

The article represents an attempt of creating and testing an interdisciplinary methodology of forming a topological concept of human environment as a complex system. Topology as a methodological matrix contains a potential of illustration and analysis of evolutionary changes of system objects in the social and humanitarian knowledge which is not fully realized. Macro-models developed on its basis give an insight into the regularities of the complex system dynamics with regard to its most significant, fundamental parametric properties. The models of the evolution of human environment presented in the paper are focused on the issue of mankind technical and technological progress and the concomitant changes. The most significant finding resulting from the study is the thesis concerning the necessity of forming a network structure as the most appropriate scenario for the future of the evolution the hierarchical form of human environment.
The 1996 Mount Everest climbing disaster: The breakdown of learning in teams

Qualitative analysis of the events leading to the deaths of eight climbers on Mt Everest in 1996 illustrates the breakdown of learning in teams. The analysis contributes to research on the role of teams in organizational disasters by considering team learning and development as the basis for success in complex and changing organizations. Multiple qualitative methods reveal three precursors associated with the breakdown of learning in teams: narrowly defined purpose, directive leadership and failure to sense an ill-defined problem. Findings have implications for normal disasters and sense-making, performance in short-term project teams, and organizational learning.
Correlation between plasma amylase activity and concentration of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA).

SummaryBlood amylase and plasma non-esterified fatty acid concentrations responded in a correlated way to glucagon, glucose, fructose, epinephrine and orinase. Apparently these two components are associated in some common metabolic process, extrapancreatic in location.
NONPARAMETRIC CONTINUOUS/DISCRETE CHOICE MODELS*

Modeling choices that are both discrete and continuous is important in several settings. The purpose of this article is to explore formulation and identification of such models when indirect utility functions are specified nonparametrically. Here we consider general nonseparable disturbances. We give identification results for nonseparable sample selection models and use these to analyze identification of discrete/continuous choice models.
S-MED: Sarcoma microRNA Expression Database

Human sarcomas are a heterogeneous group of over 50 different malignant tumors for which very few diagnostic markers currently exist. MicroRNA (miRNA) transcript levels have been proposed for use in the diagnosis, classification and prognosis of tumors. Over 700 miRNAs are identified in humans and miRNA are considered attractive candidates for developing novel biomarkers in sarcomas. However, miRNA expression patterns found in sarcomas are poorly understood and no central resource exists to contain this information. To systematically address the gap in both biological knowledge and bioinformatics infrastructure, we generated miRNA expression profiles for over 300 tumor tissue samples representing 22 different sarcoma types and developed a web-accessible database to enable facile access to the data. Sarcoma microRNA Expression Database (S-MED) is a repository that describes the patterns of miRNA expression in various human sarcoma types. S-MED provides both basic and advanced data search options for exploration of the data in heat map and text/numerical formats. The database also provides statistical details such as fold changes and P-values for differentially expressed miRNAs in each sarcoma type and corresponding normal tissue. Further, we have experimentally validated differentially expressed miRNAs in angiosarcoma and other sarcoma types. This comprehensive database is the first of its kind specifically devoted to miRNA expression patterns in sarcomas is available through the URL link http://www.oncomir.umn.edu/.
Lobe-Specific Lineages of Carcinogenesis in the Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of Mouse Prostate and Their Responses to Chemopreventive Selenium

BACKGROUND The transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate (TRAMP) model is by far the most practical transgenic model for preclinical prostate cancer chemoprevention studies. It is critical to characterize the prostate lobe-specificity of lesion lineages to consolidate the advantages of this model and minimize its limitations for chemoprevention studies. METHODS We dissected dorsolateral (DLP), ventral (VP), and anterior prostate (AP) lobes, and macroscopic tumors from 90 male C57BL/6J TRAMP mice at 22–24 weeks of age (WOA) and analyzed lesions by histological, biochemical and proteomic approaches. To determine whether methylseleninic acid (MSeA) led to a deletion of initiated cells, we gave oral MSeA to TRAMP mice from 5 to 23 WOA or from 5 to 15 WOA and analyzed lesions at 23 WOA. RESULTS All tumors (n = 18) were T-antigen(+), synaptophysin (SYP)(+), androgen-receptor(−), and E-cadherin(−) poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NE-Ca). They were traceable most frequently to VP (66.7%) and rarely to DLP (11.1%) and AP (5.6%) with an estimated life-time incidence of 1 out of 3 mice. In DLP, epithelial lesions ranged from mild-to-severe atypical hyperplasia, with T-antigen(+), SYP(−), androgen-receptor(+), and E-cadherin(+). Proteomic profiling revealed many molecular differences between VP and DLP. In MSeA experiment, 6 out of 19 (31.5%) mice developed NE-Ca in the control group, only 2 in each MSeA group of 17–18 mice (11.1–11.8%) bore a detectable NE-Ca. CONCLUSION The C57BL/6J TRAMP mouse represents at least two lineages of prostate carcinogenesis. Chemoprevention studies should incorporate this knowledge for efficacy assessment and molecular target validations. Prostate 71:1429–1440, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
AN INVESTIGATION OF VOLUNTEER‐STUDENT RELATIONSHIP TRAJECTORIES WITHIN SCHOOL‐BASED YOUTH MENTORING PROGRAMS

This prospective, mixed-method study investigates the development of school-based mentoring relationships using direct observations, in-depth interviews, and questionnaires from the perspective of mentors and students. A pattern-oriented analysis of qualitative data explores the diversity observed in the life-course of mentor-student relationships. Systematic variation in developmental trends across relationships revealed four distinctive groupings. Some relationships showed progressive improvement in strength and quality. Others started well but reached a plateau and did not become particularly close. A third group struggled throughout to make a connection. Finally, some relationships succeeded after a breakthrough to overcome their challenges. These inductively derived categories are corroborated and supplemented with quantitative data regarding relationship quality. The study reveals the heterogeneity of relationship trajectories within school-based mentoring programs.
Exploring mixed reality robot gaming

We describe an interactive, mixed reality (MR) robot gaming platform in which the user controls a tangible, physically embodied character. Miso, an expressive tele-operated robot plays with its virtual peers by passing a graphical object back and forth seamlessly through an integrated physical and virtual environment. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of maintaining perceptual continuity by closely coupling the simulated world's physical laws to our material reality. We present our implemented MR robot gaming environment and describe the design of an interreality portal at the boundary of the physical and virtual realities.
Understanding Attentional Modulation of Binocular Rivalry: A Framework Based on Biased Competition

Starting from early scientific explorations of binocular rivalry, researchers have wondered about the degree to which an observer can exert voluntary attentional control over rivalry dynamics. The answer to this question would not only reveal the extent to which we may determine our own conscious visual experience, but also advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying binocular rivalry. Classic studies, intriguingly, reached contradictory conclusions, ranging from an absence of attentional control, as advocated by Breese, to nearly complete control of rivalry dynamics, as reported by Helmholtz. Recent investigations have revisited this question, but the results have continued to echo the conflicting findings of earlier studies, seemingly precluding a comprehensive understanding of attentional effects on rivalry. Here, we review both classic and modern studies, and propose a unifying framework derived from the biased competition theory of attention. The key assumption of this theory is that the nature of stimulus conflict determines the limits of attentional modulation. For example, a condition in which unresolved stimulus conflict transpires through many levels of visual processing should be very susceptible to attentional control. When applied to binocular rivalry, this framework predicts strong attentional modulations under conditions of unresolved stimulus conflict (e.g., initial selection) and conditions where conflict is resolved at higher levels of visual processing (e.g., stimulus rivalry). Additionally, the efficacy of attentional control over rivalry can be increased by utilization of demanding, behaviorally relevant tasks, and likely through perceptual training paradigms. We show that this framework can help facilitate the understanding and synthesis of a diverse set of results on attentional control over rivalry, and we propose several directions for future research on this interesting topic.
Manipulation of a fragile object

We investigated strategies of adjustments in kinetic and kinematic patterns, and in multi-digit synergies during quick vertical transport of an instrumented handle that collapsed when the grasping force exceeded a certain magnitude (quantified with a fragility index). The collapse threshold of the object was set using a novel electromagnetic device. Moving a fragile object is viewed as a task with two constraints on the grip force defined by the slipping and crushing thresholds. When moving more fragile objects, subjects decreased object peak acceleration, increased movement time, showed a drop in the safety margin (SM) (extra force over the slipping threshold), and showed a tendency toward violating the minimum-jerk criterion. Linear regression analysis of grip force against load force has shown tight coupling between the two with a decline in the coefficient of determination with increased fragility index. The SM was lower in bimanual tasks, compared to unimanual tasks, for both fragile and non-fragile objects. Two novel indices have been introduced and studied, the SM due to fragility and the drop-crush index. Both indices showed a decrease with increased object fragility. Changes in the drop-crush index showed that the subjects would rather crush the fragile objects as opposed to dropping them, possibly reflecting the particular experimental procedure. We did not find differences between the performance indices of the dominant and non-dominant hand thus failing to support the recently formulated dominance hypothesis. The synergies stabilizing grip force were quantified at two levels of an assumed two-level control hierarchy using co-variation indices between elemental variables across trials. There were strong synergies at the upper level of the hierarchy (the task is shared between the opposing groups of digits) that weakened with an increase in object fragility. At the lower level (action of an effector is shared among the four fingers), higher fragility led to higher synergy indices. Analysis of force variance showed that an increase in object fragility was accompanied by exploring a smaller range of equivalent combinations of elemental variables. The additional constraint imposed by high fragility facilitated synergies at the lower level of the hierarchy, while there was evidence for a trade-off between synergies at the two levels.
Effect of echo-sampling strategy on the accuracy of out-of-phase and in-phase multiecho gradient-Echo MRI hepatic fat fraction estimation

Purpose To assess the effect of echo-sampling strategy on the accuracy of out-of-phase (OP) and in-phase (IP) multi-echo gradient-echo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hepatic fat fraction (FF) estimation, using MR spectroscopy (MRS) proton density FF (PDFF) as a reference standard.
P02.134. Effect of dispositional mindfulness on recovery from an acute laboratory stressor

Author(s): Corey, S; Moran, P; Koslov, K; Daubenmier, J; Mendes, W; Bacchetti, P; Acree, M; Kemeny, M; Goldman, V; Hall, M; Epel, E; Hecht, F
An evaluation of timestamp-based packet schedulers using a novel measure of instantaneous fairness

A number of emerging Internet applications, such as video-conferencing and live multimedia broadcasts, must rely on scheduling algorithms in switches and routers to guarantee performance and an acceptable level of quality of service. Fairness in packet schedulers is an intuitively desirable property with practical value; fair schedulers are a critical component of QoS mechanisms that seek to guarantee end-to-end delay bounds. Popular measures of the fairness achieved by packet schedulers are based on bounds, such as the relative fairness bound which captures the maximum possible difference between the normalized service received by any two flows. We argue that such measures do not capture the actual fairness achieved at most instants of time, and therefore, do not represent a true measure of the ability of a scheduler to successfully deliver end-to-end quality for real-time applications. We borrow from the field of economics and propose a new measure of fairness based on the Gini index. This measure captures the instantaneous fairness of a scheduler and, unlike other measures based on bounds, also captures the fairness of the scheduler in its handling of flows during idle periods. Using real traces of gateway and video traffic, we present a simulation-based evaluation of several well-known schedulers based on the Gini index. We also present a qualitative analysis of the phenomena underlying the observed results.
Should the first trimester ultrasound include anatomy survey

First trimester scanning has become routine since the introduction of nuchal translucency screening. While most scans have included dating and gross anatomical structures, recent reports have shown that with improvement of ultrasound technology, especially high-frequency transvaginal transducers, detailed analysis of the early fetal anatomy is now possible. Studies included in this manuscript demonstrate the ability to now being able to identify many fetal malformations including some very subtle ones. The literature presented has carefully conducted many prospective studies presenting timelines that show optimal periods to review the anatomical structures by a given gestational age especially noting when these anatomical structures are not optimally seen.
Comparison of Rotordynamic Analysis Predictions With the Test Response of Simple Gas Hybrid Bearings for Oil Free Turbomachinery

Current applications of gas film bearings in high-speed oil-free micro-turbomachinery (<0.4 MW) require calibrated predictive tools to successfully deploy their application to mass-produced systems, for example oil-free turbochargers. The present investigation details the linear rotordynamic analysis of a test rotor supported on externally pressurized gas bearings. Model predictions are compared with the test rotordynamic response determined through comprehensive experiments conducted on a small rotor supported on three lobed hybrid (hydrostatic/hydrodynamic) rigid gas bearings. Predictions for the rotor-bearing system synchronous response to imbalance show good agreement with measurements during rotor coast downs, and manifest a decrease in damping ratio as the level of external pressurization increases. The rotor-bearing eigenvalue analysis forwards natural frequencies in accordance with the measurements, and null damping ratios evidence the threshold speeds of rotordynamic instability. Estimated whirl frequency ratios are typically 50% of rotor speed, thus predicting sub synchronous instabilities at lower rotor speeds than found experimentally when increasing the magnitude of feed pressurization. Rationale asserting the nature of the discrepancies calls for further analysis.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Reconstructive arterial surgery in upper-extremity injuries.

A plea is immade for primary restoration of arterial continuity in cases of upper-extremity traunma involving injury to major arteries. This is justified by the high incidence of limb loss in such injuries and is particularly important where there is conconmitant injury in the distal, relatively ischaemic portion of the extremity. Such efforts can be rewarding even in late and neglected cases. Excellent flow through the reconstructed vessel is essential to success. This requires scrupulous attention to the avoidance of stricture at the suture line and complete removal of distal thrombus in the artery. The latter can be accomplished by retrograde flushing or by the use of instruments from an unthrombosed point in the distal portion of the artery. Re-exploration in the event of postoperative thrombosis is urged since this frequently will convert failure to success if the reason for thrombosis is recognized and corrected. The free use of venous autografts is recommended. Extremes of heat and cold are to be avoided in the extremity with marginal circulation since both can cause serious tissue injury. The extremity should be warmed to a temperature of from 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Even severe degrees of ischaemic injury resulting from long periods of circulatory arrest will heal and allow salvage of a useful extremity if the circulation is restored. Conservatism is urged in the treatment of such cases.
Alterations in human visitation patterns and behaviors in southern California rocky intertidal ecosystems over two-decades following increased management efforts

Abstract In urbanized regions, such as southern California, USA, marine rocky intertidal habitats are frequented by large numbers of human visitors. Visitor activities, such as trampling, rock turning, and collecting, can harm rocky shore flora and fauna, including reducing their abundances, diversity, and reproductive output, shifting their size/age structure, and altering normal ecosystem functioning. Research characterizing human use of these ecosystems in 1995–96 at 8 sites in Orange County, California, revealed that levels of visitation and collecting were high at some sites, despite collecting being prohibited in these Marine Protected Areas, and that these behaviors have adversely affected some organisms. Over the decade following, the Orange County Marine Protected Area Council (OCMPAC), a local conservation collaborative, implemented education, outreach, and enforcement strategies to reduce the harmful activities of visitors. To determine whether human visitation and behaviors have changed over the last two-decades, during a period of increased management associated with OCMPAC efforts, we compared human use patterns between 1995–96 and 2013–14. Comparisons revealed a decrease in the frequency of detrimental activities, such as collecting and fishing, possibly due to management strategies. However, increases in visitation frequency over time, which often includes the detrimental impacts of trampling on organisms, highlights that some activities are increasing and will remain difficult to manage in the future. Comparisons of the size structures of Lottia gigantea, an exploited limpet herbivore, over the same time period, reveal an increase in size, possibly indicative of reduced collecting pressure, potentially as a result of OCMPAC management. While some adaptive management is necessary to improve enacted management strategies, it is recommended that the conservation model set by OCMPAC be introduced to other coastal regions exhibiting high levels of human visitation in order to better manage rocky intertidal ecosystems.
Teaching Tools: Profit Maximization Problem

This business problem for microeconomic students might be used as part of a problem set or as a take-home exam. It highlights the importance of marginal analysis, and the implications of the fact that rational individuals will undertake the most cost-effective measures first.
Manufacturing and Biotechnology Synergisms for the Early 2000’s

Manufacturing industries ranging from the pharmaceutical and medical, commodity, industrial chemical, and energy-intensive or alternative fuel enterprises pace the biotechnological revolution for the next decade. The papers which follow in these proceedings make ample food for the argument that, indeed, absent a strong applied biotechnology research and development component each of these industries will languish or fail by early in the 21st Century. This paper will suggest that other manufacturing disciplines, such as those in the automotive and “medium machine-building” industries, have slowly begun to consider specialized process technologies, orphan products, and unique bio technologically derived opportunities. And they will provide synergisms that will enhance their competitiveness. It is believed that although interactions between some of the problems and biotechnology prospects are daunting, failure to recognize them in some cases will certainly cause giants to fall and others to discover new strategies to race the competition and win.
Greenleaf's 'Asian Data Privacy Laws': A Key Resource for U.S. And International Privacy Scholars

As of publication date, University of New South Wales Law Professor Graham Greenleaf’s Asian Data Privacy Laws: Trade and Human Rights Perspectives is the only comprehensive book available that examines and aggregates the privacy laws of countries across Asia. This is important because on an international level, Asian privacy law is relatively underdeveloped when compared with the privacy law of other regions including the Americas and Europe. With the rise of Asia as an economic and technological powerhouse, Asian privacy laws are becoming increasingly crucial to any serious study of international privacy law. Understanding the current status of privacy laws in Asia is also essential for any U.S. or international entity that seeks to influence or adapt to the future direction of privacy law both in Asia and, by extension, the world.This Article reviews Greenleaf's treatise, providing an overview of the book, as well as highlighting significant areas of mention. Ultimately, the Article gives a positive recommendation of this treatise and its use for privacy practitioners and scholars.
There's Battle Lines Being Drawn.

This case is written for graduate students in a superintendency seminar course, a school–community relations course, or a school leadership course, such as a school politics course. It presents a highly charged school referendum issue in a school district that is comprised of two distinctly different communities. An initial referendum to construct a new middle school failed by a wide margin. The voting outcome was split along community lines. The ensuing backlash was serious and threatened the very existence of the school district. The case provides an opportunity to examine two issues: potential causes for the failure of the first referendum and an analysis of change theory and its application to a planning process that will lead.
Study on Motor Network Control Using Industrial Ethernet

The industrial ethernet based internet used to motor measurement control network are studied in the paper.On the DSP TMS320F2812 processor,the hardware and software design of embedded ethernet port also be introduced.Finally,the framework of long distance control system applying to motor is built.
Nosocomial Infection Surveillance and Control in Beijing Children′s Hospital

OBJECTIVE To understand the risk of nosocomial infection and establish an effective control of infection diseases in Beijing Children's Hospital. METHODS Prospective and retrospective studies on 60 618 hospitalized patients in recent three years were conducted. RESULTS From them 2 397 infection patients were reported (3.95%) and the total infection cases were 2 487 (4.10%); two major infection sites were the respiratory and the gastrointestinal tracts; the primary disease was respiratory infection; and Gram negative bacilli were the most common pathogens. CONCLUSIONS Nosocomial infection rate could be decreased by understanding infection factors and developing effective surveillance.
MAINTAINING WINGED-EDGE MODELS

Publisher Summary This chapter analyzes winged-edge models. The winged-edge data structure is a powerful mechanism for manipulating polyhedral models. The basic idea rests on the idea of an edge and its adjacent polygons. The name is derived by imagining the two polygons as a butterfly's wings, and the edge as the butterfly's body separating them. This simple concept provides a basis for implementing a variety of powerful tools for performing high-level operations on models. There are several fundamental operations that a winged-edge library must support. Each operation requires carefully moving and adjusting a variety of pointers. This chapter describes solution of some tricky pointer-stitching problems in implementing a winged-edge library. It suggests a general architecture and data structures, and gives recipes for performing those basic mechanisms that require some care to implement correctly. The architecture suggested by Pat Hanrahan is discussed. The general structure in this architecture is that faces, edges, and vertices each are stored in a ring.
Effects of carbadox, copper, or Yucca shidigera extract on growth performance and visceral weight of young pigs.

Two identical trials, each with 128 crossbred weanling barrows (6.8 +/- .2 and 7.6 +/- .2 kg for Trials 1 and 2, respectively), were conducted. In each trial, pigs were allowed to consume ad libitum a 16% CP corn-soybean meal basal diet (B), B + 55 ppm of carbadox, B + 250 ppm of copper (Cu), or B + 125 ppm of Yucca shidigera extract for 56 d (four pens/diet; eight pigs/pen). At d 56 of the test, eight pigs/diet (two pigs/pen) were slaughtered for carcass and viscera measurements. Data of carbadox treatment in Trial 1 are excluded from this paper because of an error in mixing of the diet. In Trial 1, during the test period from d 0 to 28, pigs fed Cu had greater (P .05) compared with those fed B. During the period from 29 to 56 d, ADG was similar among pigs fed different diets (P > .05) but ADFI was affected (P Cu > B). No differences (P > .05) among diets were detected for gain/feed (G/F) and visceral weights expressed as a percentage of slaughter BW. In Trial 2, during the first 28 d, the ADG, ADFI, and G/F responses of pigs to Cu, yucca extract, and B were similar to those observed in Trial 1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Power and security cooperation

It has become de rigueur to focus on the European Union as a global economic actor. The introduction of the euro as Europe's common currency and the establishment of a single European market have indeed transformed the European Union into a major economic power. As former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer noted regarding economic and monetary union: In Maastricht one of the three essential sovereign rights of the modern nationstate – currency, internal security, and external security – was for the first time transferred to the sole responsibility of a European institution. The introduction of the euro was not only the crowning-point of economic integration, it was also a profoundly political act, because a currency is not just another economic factor but also symbolizes the power of the sovereign who guarantees it. The evidence shows that European states have also increasingly cooperated in the security realm, though it has been intergovernmental rather than supranational. Examples include the creation of a security arm of the European Union, the coordination of economic sanctions for foreign policy goals, rationalization in the European arms industry, and the creation of a rapid reaction military force. This poses an interesting puzzle. Why has there been a substantial increase in security cooperation among European Union states since the end of the Cold War? Why was there little cooperation during the Cold War? The answer is a function of the changing structure of the regional and international systems.
Repairing Damaged Wildlands: Site preparation and seedbed management

Introduction Selectivly manipulating the seedbed environment is a powerful tool that influences the direction of repair efforts. We selectively modify the availability of safe sites to influence the direction of change. Welldesigned site preparation strategies increase certain species by creating safe sites that favor their establishment over unwanted species. Some site preparation techniques focus on improving equipment access to sites with heavy debris or vegetation. Well-designed site preparation and seedbed management strategies consider the long-term implications of vegetative development on microenvironmental parameters. We can manipulate site and propagule availability by (1) doing nothing (unassisted natural recovery); (2) modifying seedbed conditions and relying on natural seed dispersal mechanisms (assisted natural recovery); or (3) selectively modifying seedbed conditions and adding carefully selected species mixtures (artificially induced recovery). Unassisted natural recovery Unassisted natural recovery is a passive strategy that requires neither seedbed preparation nor planting (Table 6.1). This strategy is attractive because it requires no management input. The direction and rate of natural recovery processes are restricted by (1) insufficient immigration of desired seed; (2) dominance by undesirable plants; and (3) excessive herbivore damage to developing plants. Careful evaluation of these potential interactions contributes to the development of appropriate recovery strategies. Chapter 4 contains additional discussions of natural recovery strategies. Unassisted natural recovery operates slowly, with unpredictable results (Harmer & Kerr, 1995). It is unsatisfactory if repair objectives require the establishment of particular species groups within a particular time span. Colonization requires years to develop, particularly if it does not begin soon after disturbance.
Improving access to exercise training programs for patients with serious mental illness

In a recent issue of this journal, Pratt et al report on an important new position statement by the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the American College of Sports Medicine to improve access to exercise programming as a treatment for patients treated in community mental health settings. If implemented, these recommendations could greatly expand access to these services and improve outcomes for patients treated in community mental health settings.
Religious pluralism, cultural continuity and the expansion of early Christianity: Stark revisited

Abstract Stark’s (1996) quantitative analysis of early Christianity’s urban expansion argued that churches were established earlier in cities that were less influenced by Rome and had a synagogue. Since Stark maintains that religious pluralism stimulates religious involvement, Christianity should emerge first in cities characterized by a more diverse religious economy. An index of religious pluralism and two measures of cultural continuity (Jewish influence and contact with Paul) are included to test Christianity’s early urban expansion. Logistic regression analysis identifies religious pluralism as the strongest correlate of early Christian expansion. Christianity grew through a system of urban networks within a deregulated religious market that was not saturated.
Deletion of proton-sensing receptor GPR4 associates with lower blood pressure and lower binding of angiotensin II receptor in SFO.

Diets rich in grains and meat and low in fruits and vegetables (acid-producing diets) associate with incident hypertension, whereas vegetarian diets associate with lower blood pressure (BP). Howeve...
Local pH monitoring of small cluster of cells using a fiber-optic dual-core micro-probe

Biological studies of tissues and cells have enabled numerous discoveries, but these studies still bear potential risks of invalidation because of cell heterogeneity. Through high-accuracy techniques, recent studies have demonstrated that discrepancies do exist between the results from low-number-cell studies and cell-population-based results. Thus the urgent need to re-evaluate key principles on limited number of cells has been provoked. In this study, a novel designed dual-core fiber-optic pH micro-probe was fabricated and demonstrated for niche environment pH sensing with high spatial resolution. An organic-modified silicate (OrMoSils) sol-gel thin layer was functionalized by entrapping a pH indicator, 2', 7'-Bis (2-carbonylethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF), on a ~70 μm sized probe tip. Good linear correlation between fluorescence ratio of I560 nm/I640 nm and intercellular pH values was obtained within a biological-relevant pH range from 6.20 to 7.92 (R2 = 0.9834), and with a pH resolution of 0.035 ± 0.005 pH units. The probe's horizontal spatial resolution was demonstrated to be less than 2mm. Moreover, the probe was evaluated by measuring the localized extracellular pH changes of cultured human lung cancer cells (A549) when exposed to titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs). Results showed that the probe has superior capability for fast, local, and continual monitoring of a small cluster of cells, which provides researchers a fast and accurate technique to conduct local pH measurements for cell heterogeneity-related studies.
Game of Phones, Data Isn't Coming: Modern Mobile Operating System Technology and Its Chilling Effect on Law Enforcement

The encrypted smartphone presents a novel legal issue that is hard to crack. Smartphone data is essential to investigating and prosecuting a range of crimes, such as murder, human trafficking, child pornography, and terrorism. However, Apple and Google’s recently reengineered mobile operating systems threaten to lock out law enforcement completely. These operating systems use full-disk encryption technology, which converts everything on a hard drive into an unreadable format until the passcode is entered. Additionally, other security features on the smartphone could result in the data being completely destroyed if the passcode is incorrectly entered a certain number of times. Locked smartphones are thus quickly becoming expensive paperweights filing the evidence rooms of state and federal law enforcement. This Note provides relevant background information on Apple and Google’s use of full-disk encryption technology on their respective mobile operating systems. Based on the necessity of smartphone data in the twenty-first century, the Note explains that inaccessibility of such crucial data will likely frustrate investigations and prosecutions because law enforcement cannot access it elsewhere. The Note concludes that to prevent ‘Going Dark,’ Congress must immediately enact an amendment to the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act that subjects the manufacturer and mobile operating system provider to a civil penalty for each instance that law enforcement cannot decrypt a smartphone it has the legal authority to search.
The Killer Spiral

A monolayer is a membrane with one layer. A bilayer is a membrane with two layers. Lipid bilayers make up your cell walls and the walls around your cell nuclei. If the bilayer is flat, the two layers must have the same area. But if one layer then expands more than the other, the membrane will have to bend, and then it gets interesting. Bending of membranes by expansion of one side is a fundamental mechanism for producing form in Nature, responsible for the formation of cells, for making all kinds of organs and vesicles in the embryo, and for the coiling of materials during drying and heating. The bimetal, invented by John Harrison (1693–1776), the legendary clockmaker, is a bilayer of two different alloys with different thermal expansion coefficients, causing the strip to bend when heated.
A Model of Communicative and Hierarchical Foundations of High Reliability Organizing in Wildland Firefighting Teams

Organizational hierarchy is an inescapable aspect of many exemplary high reliability organizations (HROs). As organizations begin to adopt HRO theorizing to improve practice, it is increasingly imp...
Laryngeal Aerodynamics in Healthy Older Adults and Adults With Parkinson's Disease.

Purpose The present study compared laryngeal aerodynamic function of healthy older adults (HOA) to adults with Parkinson's disease (PD) while speaking at a comfortable and increased vocal intensity...
On the Specification of Upward-Propagating Tides for ICON Science Investigations

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM) will provide a physics-based context for the interpretation of ICON measurements. To optimize the realism of the model simulations, ICON wind and temperature measurements near the ~97 km lower boundary of the TIEGCM will be used to specify the upward-propagating tidal spectrum at this altitude. This will be done by fitting a set of basis functions called Hough Mode Extensions (HMEs) to 27-day mean tidal winds and temperatures between 90 and 105 km altitude and between 12°S and 42°N latitude on a day-by-day basis. The current paper assesses the veracity of the HME fitting methodology given the restricted latitude sampling and the UT-longitude sampling afforded by the MIGHTI instrument viewing from the ICON satellite, which will be in a circular 27° inclination orbit. These issues are investigated using the output from a reanalysis-driven global circulation model, which contains realistic variability of the important tidal components, as a mock data set. ICON sampling of the model reveals that the 27-day mean diurnal and semidiurnal tidal components replicate well the 27-day mean tidal components obtained from full synoptic sampling of the model, but the terdiurnal tidal components are not faithfully reproduced. It is also demonstrated that reconstructed tidal components based on HME fitting to the model tides between 12°S and 42°N latitude provide good approximations to the major tidal components expected to be encountered during the ICON mission. This is because the constraints provided by fitting both winds and temperatures over the 90-105 km height range are adequate to offset the restricted sampling in latitude. The boundary conditions provided by the methodology described herein will greatly enhance the ability of the TIEGCM to provide a physical framework for interpreting atmosphere-ionosphere coupling in ICON observations due to atmospheric tides.
Silicon Photonics For High Performance Interconnection Networks

The growth in data analytics applications is driving the need for intense datacenter interconnect performance. The tutorial will explore silicon-photonic networks that leverage dynamic bandwidth steering for delivering required bandwidths at reduced system-wide energy consumption.
Distal Hypospadias, Chordee and Torsion: The Allen-Spence Procedure and New Modifications

AbstractHypospadias with chordee and associated torsion can be corrected by a simple 1-step procedure. The repair is based on the procedure described by Allen and Spence but is modified to correct more severe degrees of hypospadias and chordee below skin level. The procedure is simple, involves minimal complications and justifies the repair of marginal defects.
Is bilirubin good for you

Neonatal Jaundice Bilirubin is generally considered to be a diagnostically useful, sometimes toxic, metabolic waste product—and nothing more. Many studies, however, summarized in this article, have shown that bilirubin is an effective lipid-soluble antioxidant in vitro, even at physiologic concentrations, vying with even vitamin E in its ability to intercept and inhibit free radical chain reactions that generate hazardous lipid peroxides. These studies suggest that bilirubin may have a biochemical function in vivo and belong to a group of low-molecular weight antioxidants that together provide protection from cellular damage by endogenous-organic free radicals. Dovetailing with the notion that bilirubin may have a protective function is the recent discovery that heme oxygenase, one of the enzymes responsible for bilirubin formation, is a heat-shock protein, one of a group of proteins that are thought to protect organisms from oxidative and other forms of biochemical stress. Thus, the biochemical path from red to green to yellow may defend as well as degrade, and modest levels of the end product may possibly be physiologically beneficial.
Tuning of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Compartment in its Inflammatory Environment

The hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment is the cornerstone of a lifelong blood cell production but also contributes to the ability of the hematopoietic system to dynamically respond to environmental challenges. This review summarizes our knowledge about the interaction between HSCs and its inflammatory environment during life and questions how its disruption could affect the health of the hematopoietic system. The latest research demonstrates the direct role of inflammatory signals in promoting the emergence of the HSCs during development and in setting their steady-state activity in adults. They indicate that inflammatory patho-physiological conditions or immunological history could shape the structure and biology of the HSC compartment, therefore altering its overall fitness. Through instructive and/or selective mechanisms, the inflammatory environment seems to provide a key homeostatic signal for HSCs. Although the mechanistic basis of this complex interplay remains to be fully understood, its dysregulation has broad consequences on HSC physiology and the development of hematological diseases. As such, developing experimental models that fully recapitulate a normal basal inflammatory state could be essential to fully assess HSC biology in native conditions.
Optimizing Cardiac CTA Acquisition in Congenital Heart Disease

The purpose of this review of performance of cardiac computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) is to describe a strategy for optimizing CCTA protocols for various forms of CHD at diagnosis and throughout the lifetime of a patient. Recent expert consensus statements provide key recommendations for patient selection and technical performance of CCTA with tips to optimize contrast injection, scan acquisition, and understanding anatomy and postoperative changes in patients with CHD. Spectral CT will become invaluable in acquiring image data which has potential for enabling improved image quality and perhaps physiologic information. CCTA is an important non-invasive imaging modality for making initial diagnosis and providing follow-up imaging in patients of all ages with CHD. Optimization of imaging protocols requires combined expertise in all forms of CHD, surgical palliation procedures, and knowledge of surgical options for CHD surgery.