cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Separation of Powers and the Class Action

The scope of constitutional protection afforded “litigant autonomy” — that is, claim owners’ ability to control their own claims — is one of the most hotly debated questions in all of class action law. Participants in this debate, though, share an unstated assumption: The source of constitutional protection for litigant autonomy begins and ends with due process. This Article challenges that assumption by rotating they way we view litigant autonomy. Yes, litigant autonomy is a due process-protected interest. But it is also a building block of our system of limited federal jurisdiction, which exploits litigant autonomy to check against federal consolidation. Jurisdictional rules do so by giving claim owners substantial power to use control of their claims to dodge federal court — through, for example, their selection of the theory of the case and their control over party structure. The trajectory of modern mass torts reveals how significant this check is: when each person injured in a mass tort controls her own claim, substantial chunks of litigation inevitably radiate out of federal courts’ reach into state court as litigants leverage their claim control to park their claims there. Class actions, indeed, are such a potent force for federal consolidation in no small part because they override class members’ ability to exploit the jurisdictional power of claim control.By focusing on litigant autonomy’s jurisdictional role, this Article opens a new way of thinking about the source of constitutional constraints on federal class actions — one rooted in some familiar separation of powers and federalism principles, rather than due process. Along the way, it also plugs a gap in the theoretical literature on class actions: While class action scholars almost uniformly agree due process, by itself, can’t justify the Court’s narrow approach to class certification, they haven’t identified other constitutional principles that can convincingly ground the Court’s current class action jurisprudence. By approaching litigant autonomy from a new angle, this Article identifies one overlooked way to do so.
X-Ray Standing Wave Studies of the Liquid/Solid Interface and Ultrathin Organic Films

X-ray standing waves generated above a mirror surface during total external reflection have been used to locate a heavy atom layer which was embedded hundreds of angstroms above the mirror surface in a Langmuir-Blodgett multilayer. This same method has also been used to map out the ion distribution in the diffuse double layer that forms at the electrolyte / charged surface interface.
Economics, Bureaucracy, and Race: How Keynesians Misguided the War on Poverty

(2004). Economics, Bureaucracy, and Race: How Keynesians Misguided the War on Poverty. Journal of Economic Issues: Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 1091-1094.
The fuzzy-nets based approach in predicting the cutting power of end milling operations

Process planning is a major determinant of manu&cturing cost. The selection of machining parameters is an important element of process planning. The development of a utility to show the cutting power on-line would be helpfiil to programmers and process planners in selecting machining parameters. The relationship between the cutting power and the machining parameters is nonlinear. Presently there is no accurate or simple algorithm to calculate the required cutting power for a selected set of parameters. Although machining data handbooks, machinability data systems, and machining databases have been developed to recommend machining parameters for efScient machining, they are basically for general reference and hard to use as well. In this research, a self-organizing fuzzy-nets optimization system was developed to generate a knowledge bank that can show the required cutting power on-line for a short length of time in an NC verifier. The fiizzy-nets system (FNS) utilizes a five-step self-learning procedure. A generic FNS program consisting of fuzzification and deflizzification modules was nnplemented in the C-Hprogramming language to perform the procedure. The FNS was assessed before an actual experiment was set up to collect data. The performance of the FNS was then examined for end milling operations on a Fadal VMC40 vertical machining center. The cutting force signals were measured by a threeconq}onent dynamometer mounted on the table of the Fadal CNC machine with the workpiece moimted on it. Amplified signals were collected by a personal computer on which an Omega DAS-1401 analog-to-digital (A/D) converter was installed to sample the data on-line. Data sets were collected to train and test the system The results showed that the FNS possessed a
Optical ray tracing method for simulating beam-steering effects during laser diagnostics in turbulent media.

In most coherent spectroscopic methods used in gas-phase laser diagnostics, multiple laser beams are focused and crossed at a specific location in space to form the probe region. The desired signal is then generated as a result of nonlinear interactions between the beams in this overlapped region. When such diagnostic schemes are implemented in practical devices having turbulent reacting flow fields with refractive index gradients, the resulting beam steering can give rise to large measurement uncertainties. The objective of this work is to simulate beam-steering effects arising from pressure and temperature gradients in gas-phase media using an optical ray tracing approach. The ZEMAX OpticStudio software package is used to simulate the beam crossing and uncrossing effects in the presence of pressure and temperature gradients, specifically the conditions present in high-pressure, high-temperature combustion devices such as gas turbine engines. Specific cases involving two-beam and three-beam crossing configurations are simulated. The model formulation, the effects of pressure and temperature gradients, and the resulting beam-steering effects are analyzed. The results show that thermal gradients in the range of 300–3000 K have minimal effects, while pressure gradients in the range of 1–50 atm result in pronounced beam steering and the resulting signal fluctuations in the geometries investigated. However, with increasing pressures, the temperature gradients can also have a pronounced effect on the resultant signal levels.
Compensation of dead-time effects based on revised repetitive controller for PMSM drives

This paper presents a new dead-time compensation method for voltage-source inverters (VSI) used in PMSM drives. The proposed method is developed based on the revised repetitive controller (RRC) to reduce current distortion caused by dead-time voltage errors at the inverter output. This method significantly suppresses the sixth order harmonics and it's multiples in synchronous reference frame and reduces the current total harmonic distortion (THD). Unlike in most average value theory based compensations, the proposed method doesn't require additional hardware for precise current sampling especially in the zero-crossing region. The algorithm is integrated to 2.5 kW PMSM drive controlled by FOC. It is quite immune robust to motor parameter variations due to the nature of repetitive control. Its effectiveness is validated by experimental results and spectrum analysis.
Relations Between Executive Functions, Social Impairment, and Friendship Quality on Adjustment Among High Functioning Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

High functioning adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have adjustment difficulties, specifically loneliness and depression. To better understand contributing factors, the current study evaluated associations between several Executive Function (EF) domains, social impairment, and friendship quality on depressive symptoms and loneliness in this population. Participants included 127 high functioning ASD adolescents and a parent/caregiver. Results indicated significant levels of parent-reported EF impairment which were positively correlated with increased levels of loneliness and depressive symptoms. Social impairment was identified as a significant mediator between all studied EF domains and adjustment, while friendship quality only partially mediated the relation between emotional control and loneliness. These results have implications for treatments focusing both on social skills and adjustment in adolescents with ASD.
Civic Engagement – A Problem in Search of a Solution?

ABSTRACTThis article discusses the use of community partnerships to produce civic engagement. In two undergraduate courses during the Fall 2016 semester, students created products that met the stat...
Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Receipt Among Young Males Aged 15-24.

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to describe young men's sexual and reproductive health care (SRHC) receipt by sexual behavior and factors associated with greater SRHC receipt. Methods There were 427 male patients aged 15–24 who were recruited from 3 primary care and 2 sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in 1 urban city. Immediately after the visit, the survey assessed receipt of 18 recommended SRHC services across four domains: screening history (sexual health, STD/HIV test, family planning); laboratories (STDs/HIV); condom products (condoms/lubrication); and counseling (STD/HIV risk reduction, family planning, condoms); in addition, demographic, sexual behavior, and visit characteristics were examined. Multivariable Poisson regressions examined factors associated with each SRHC subdomain adjusting for participant clustering within clinics. Results Of the participants, 90% were non-Hispanic black, 61% were aged 20–24, 90% were sexually active, 71% had female partners (FPs), and 20% had male or male and female partners (M/MFPs). Among sexually active males, 1 in 10 received all services. Half or more were asked about sexual health and STD/HIV tests, tested for STDs/HIV, and were counseled on STD/HIV risk reduction and correct condom use. Fewer were asked about family planning (23%), were provided condom products (32%), and were counseled about family planning (35%). Overall and for each subdomain, never sexually active males reported fewer services than sexually active males. Factors consistently associated with greater SRHC receipt across subdomains included having M/MFPs versus FPs, routine versus non–STD-acute visit, time alone with provider without parent, and seen at STD versus primary care clinic. Males having FPs versus M/MFPs reported greater family planning counseling. Conclusions Findings have implications for improving young men's SRHC delivery beyond the narrow scope of STD/HIV care.
Selectivity of Glycine for Facets on Gold Nanoparticles

The performance of nanoparticles in medical applications depends on their interactions with various molecules. Despite extensive research on this subject, it remains unclear where on an inhomogeneous nanoparticle molecules prefer to adsorb. Here we investigate the selectivity of glycine molecules for facets on five bare gold nanoparticles with diameters from 1.0 to 5.0 nm. Well-tempered metadynamics simulations are conducted to calculate the adsorption free-energy landscapes of a glycine molecule on various locations for the five gold nanoparticles in explicit water. We also calculate the glycine molecule’s adsorption free energies on the five gold nanoparticles in vacuum and on three flat gold surfaces as a reference. The simulation results show that glycine molecules prefer to adsorb on the (110) facet for the 1.0 and 2.0 nm nanoparticles, the edges for the 3.0 nm nanoparticle, and the (111) facet for the 4.0 and 5.0 nm nanoparticles in water. The effect of water solvent on the selectivity is investigat...
Program Analysis Tools in Automated Grading of Homework Assignments: (Abstract Only)

With surging enrollment in Computer Science courses at both the introductory and advanced level, it is critical to leverage automated testing and grading to ensure consistent assessment of student learning. Program analysis tools allow us to streamline the grading process so instructors and TAs can spend more time teaching, one-on-one tutoring, and mentoring students. We present complex use cases of automated assignment testing and grading within the open-source homework submission system, Submitty. Students receive immediate and detailed feedback from the automated grader, and can resubmit to correct errors. Submitty uses custom-built grading tools, including difference checking of plaintext program output, instructor authored assignment-specific custom graders, and static analysis tools that reason about program structure. In addition, it employs a variety of external tools, including version control (Git and SVN), unit testing frameworks (JUnit), memory debugging tools (Valgrind and DrMemory), and code coverage tools (Emma). In this poster we describe our experience with memory debugging and code coverage tools, and outline plans to include immutability inference and verification.
Justice and Care

Proponents of the ethics of care, taking issue with the centrality of justice to morality, claimed to provide an alternative comprehensive morality. However, a reconstruction of the justice–care debate suggests that the distinction between the two approaches has been overdrawn and that relations between justice and care can be rendered in a more nuanced way. This article includes a discussion of repercussions of the debate for central questions in philosophy of education such as the aims of moral education, the legitimacy of citizenship education, and the distribution of educational resources.
Microhongos del suelo y asociados a pastos silvestres senescentes en una localidad precordillerana de la 9ª Región

Mediante metodos de dilucion y camara humeda, se analizo cualitativa y cuantitativamente la micota presente en el suelo y en su cobertura de pastos senescentes (gramineas principalmente), en una localidad precordillerana de pradera en la 9a region. Nuestra finalidad fue la obtencion de datos preliminares sobre la diversidad y composicion de especies en suelos sub tropicales. La diversidad de generos fue mayor en los pastos (38), que en el suelo(27), mientras el numero de especies en ambos habitat fue similar (50 y 48). Solo 14 especies fueron comunes en ambos sustratos (28,9%), representadas mayoritariamente por Hyphomycetes (71,4%) y Coelomycetes (21,45%.) Los taxa dominantes en los suelos fueron: Cladosporium cladosporioides, Penicillium spp. y las levaduras blancas. En los pastos senescentes: Acremonium spp. Alternaria alternata, A. tenuissima, Botrytis cinerea, Cladosporium cladosporioides, C. herbarum, Dactylaria candidula, Epicoccum purpurascens, Fusarium poae, Gliocladium catenulatum, G. roseum, Heteroconium chaetospira, Leptosphaeria ogilviensis, Myrothecium verrucaria, Papulaspora inmersa, Penicillium spp., Periconia minutissima, Phoma levellei, y Torula herbarum. En los suelos, a diferencia de los pastos, se presento una gran diversidad de taxa esporadicos (40).
Small Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Predicts Cardiovascular Events in Liver Transplant Recipients.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation (LT). Although LT is associated with dyslipidemia, particularly atherogenic lipoprotein subparticles, the impact of these subparticles on CVD-related events is unknown. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the impact of small dense (sdLDL-C) low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (LDL-C) on CVD events. Prospectively enrolled patients (N = 130) had detailed lipid profile consisting of traditional lipid parameters and sdLDL-C and were followed for CVD events. The primary endpoint was a CVD composite consisting of myocardial infarction (MI), angina, need for coronary revascularization, and cardiac death. Mean age of the cohort was 58 ± 11 years, and the most common etiology of liver disease (LD) was hepatitis C virus (N = 48) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (N = 23). A total of 20 CVD events were noted after median follow-up of 45 months. The baseline traditional profile was similar in patients with and without CVD events. A serum LDL-C cutoff of 100 mg/dL was unable to identify individuals at risk of a CVD event (P = 0.86). In contrast, serum concentration of atherogenic sdLDL-C >25 mg/dL was predictive of CVD events with a hazard ratio of 6.376 (95% confidence interval, 2.65, 15.34; P < 0.001). This relationship was independent of diabetes, hypertension, sex, ethnicity, LD, obesity, and statin use. Conclusion: sdLDL-C independently predicted CVD events whereas LDL-C did not. Thus, sdLDL-C may provide a useful clinical tool in risk stratifying and managing patients after LT.
Steno-occlusive Carotid Artery Disease: Carotid Artery Stenting Technique

Carotid artery stenting is a crucial aspect in the armamentarium needed for comprehensive management of steno-occlusive carotid artery disease. Understanding the principles for patient selection, intraprocedural implications, and the various technical nuances is helpful in successful treatment. Here we present an analysis of these key factors in the endovascular treatment of carotid stenosis.
Computational thinking: what does it really mean for the K-16 computer science education community

It is commonly agreed that being able to think computationally will make it easier for students to master computing disciplines as well as apply these thinking skills to subjects beyond computing. In this work, we attempt to bridge the gap between the overarching high-level ideas initially proposed by Jeanette Wing and K-16 computer science education. We propose a first step towards refining, summarizing and concretizing what computational thinking is within the K-16 computer science education scope. Our focus is on identifying and defining aspects (subtopics) of computational thinking that directly relate to computer science in terms of K-16 teaching and learning of computer science.
Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) as a Platform for Hierarchical Compartmentalization

Hierarchically self-assembled structures are common in biology, but it is often challenging to design and fabricate synthetic analogs. The archetypal cell is defined by hierarchically organized mul...
Predicting Sports Injuries with Wearable Technology and Data Analysis

Injuries resulting from sports and physical activities can be persistent and pose a substantial problem for player’s economic wellbeing and quality of life. Wearable technologies in conjunction with analytics can help mitigate the risk to players by identifying injury risk factors and focusing on risk reduction. Prior to engaging in strenuous sport activities, wearables can be employed to facilitate the quantification of relevant functional capabilities, ultimately advancing the field of sports injury management. In this paper, we discuss how wearable technologies can improve the health and athletic performance of athletes by monitoring participants across many variables. A cohort of 54 army ROTC cadets participated in this study. Using Zephyr BioHarness Wearable technology, we gathered quantifiable data to generate insights that allow us to predict and prevent injuries related the wearer’s physical exertion during sporting activities. This study finds that a combination of high BMI and high mechanical loads could result in injury. Therefore, in creating an exercise program, it is imperative to ensure that mechanical load is incrementally increased through the practice season as athletes become conditioned. While, a high level repetitious mechanical load with unconditioned athletes could cause injuries in short time, it is important to impose enough mechanical loads in the training program to ensure good musculoskeletal development. While our analyses identified several factors associated with injury data during ROTC activities, other wearable variables might become significant in other situations. In summary, results from this study demonstrate that wearable technology allows players with an increased risk of injury to be identified and targeted for intervention.
The partisan politics of low-carbon transport: Why democrats are more likely to adopt electric vehicles than Republicans in the United States

Abstract Electric vehicle (EV) acceptance varies across political ideologies. EV symbolic attributes, or the extent to which people perceive EVs to reinforce aspects of their identities, are among the strongest predictors of EV adoption intentions, and may contribute to this group difference. The primary objectives of this study are to better understand the role of social (in this case, political) identity in symbolic attribute perceptions, and how these variables work together to influence EV adoption intentions. Among 545 survey respondents from the state of Ohio in the United States, Democrats are more willing to adopt EVs than Republicans. This relationship is mediated by symbolic attribute perceptions. Specifically, Democrats have stronger EV symbolic attribute perceptions than Republicans, and these perceptions predict adoption intentions. Using an identity framework, this study advances our understanding of the psychological mechanisms that help explain differences in EV adoption intent amongst U.S. Democrats vs. Republicans, and offers guidance for targeted marketing efforts to enhance EV uptake.
Laboratory Evaluations of Corrugated HDPE Pipes Containing Postconsumer Recycled Material under Constant Deflection Conditions

AbstractIn recent years, incorporation of recycled material in the production of large-diameter plastic drainage pipes for nonagricultural purposes has gradually increased. With this new developmen...
DeepGRN: Prediction of transcription factor binding site across cell-types using attention-based deep neural networks

Due to the complexity of the biological systems, the prediction of the potential DNA binding sites for transcription factors remains a difficult problem in computational biology. Genomic DNA sequences and experimental results from parallel sequencing provide available information about the affinity and accessibility of genome and are commonly used features in binding sites prediction. The attention mechanism in deep learning has shown its capability to learn long-range dependencies from sequential data, such as sentences and voices. Until now, no study has applied this approach in binding site inference from massively parallel sequencing data. The successful applications of attention mechanism in similar input contexts motivate us to build and test new methods that can accurately determine the binding sites of transcription factors. In this study, we propose a novel tool (named DeepGRN) for transcription factors binding site prediction based on the combination of two components: single attention module and pairwise attention module. The performance of our methods is evaluated on the ENCODE-DREAM in vivo Transcription Factor Binding Site Prediction Challenge datasets. The results show that DeepGRN achieves higher unified scores in 6 of 13 targets than any of the top four methods in the DREAM challenge. We also demonstrate that the attention weights learned by the model are correlated with potential informative inputs, such as DNase-Seq coverage and motifs, which provide possible explanations for the predictive improvements in DeepGRN. DeepGRN can automatically and effectively predict transcription factor binding sites from DNA sequences and DNase-Seq coverage. Furthermore, the visualization techniques we developed for the attention modules help to interpret how critical patterns from different types of input features are recognized by our model.
DC Collection System Layout Optimization for Offshore Wind Farm

DC collection system for an offshore wind farm has become an alternative to AC system. Since the DC system requires high-cost converter technology to be integrated to existing AC grid, the cost of overall system becomes a concern. Submarine XLPE collection cable connecting wind turbines with substation is part of the electrical system cost. Effective cable layout design and right cable size selection can contribute to cost reduction. This paper presents a DC collection system layout optimization for offshore wind farm using Genetic Algorithm and Traveling Salesman Problem. The cable cost is minimized as an objective function considering cable power losses, cable cross-section, and cable length. Case studies are conducted considering fix substation locations and optimum number of feeders are identified. Results are compared with optimized AC layout in an earlier study and show that DC collection system cable cost has superiority over AC system cost.
Anomalously warm weather and acute care visits in patients with multiple sclerosis: A retrospective study of privately insured individuals in the US

Background As the global climate changes in response to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, weather and temperature are expected to become increasingly variable. Although heat sensitivity is a recognized clinical feature of multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system, few studies have examined the implications of climate change for patients with this disease. Methods and findings We conducted a retrospective cohort study of individuals with MS ages 18-64 years in a nationwide United States patient-level commercial and Medicare Advantage claims database from 2003 to 2017. We defined anomalously warm weather as any month in which local average temperatures exceeded the long-term average by ≥1.5°C. We estimated the association between anomalously warm weather and MS-related inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department visits using generalized log-linear models. From 75,395,334 individuals, we identified 106,225 with MS. The majority were women (76.6%) aged 36-55 years (59.0%). Anomalously warm weather was associated with increased risk for emergency department visits (risk ratio [RR] = 1.043, 95% CI: 1.025-1.063) and inpatient visits (RR = 1.032, 95% CI: 1.010-1.054). There was limited evidence of an association between anomalously warm weather and MS-related outpatient visits (RR = 1.010, 95% CI: 1.005-1.015). Estimates were similar for men and women, strongest among older individuals, and exhibited substantial variation by season, region, and climate zone. Limitations of the present study include the absence of key individual-level measures of socioeconomic position (i.e., race/ethnicity, occupational status, and housing quality) that may determine where individuals live-and therefore the extent of their exposure to anomalously warm weather-as well as their propensity to seek treatment for neurologic symptoms. Conclusions Our findings suggest that as global temperatures rise, individuals with MS may represent a particularly susceptible subpopulation, a finding with implications for both healthcare providers and systems.
The Paramour's Predicament: Does Firing an Attractive Female Employee Constitute Sex Discrimination?

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and similar state statutes, guarantee protection against sex discrimination in the employment context. “Because of sex” in current jurisprudence, however, has often been interpreted exceedingly narrowly and excluded several seemingly viable claims. Part of this issue is attributable to sex’s dubious inclusion under the statute. One example arises with personal relationships between employers and employees in the workplace that, for various reasons, fail and lead to the termination of the employee. The current approach does not recognize these personal relationships as being connected to the victim’s sex and thus exclude sexual discrimination claims arising from them, sometimes leading to absurd results in the courtroom. This Article focuses on one such example, the Iowa Supreme Court case of Nelson v. Knight, where an attractive female dental assistant was terminated after unrequited sexual advances and her boss’s professed “irresistible attraction” aroused jealousy in the boss’s wife who ordered that she be fired. Melissa Nelson’s claim for sexual discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act was dismissed. Using this case as a framework, this Article argues for a new approach by synthesizing current law to evaluating personal relationship claims based on employer attraction and spousal jealousy. When these factors influence the employer to terminate an employee, it should be recognized as a decision on the basis of sex. In the case of Nelson, there was also a potential claim for sexual harassment based on the conduct of Dr. Knight. Under this Article’s proposal, such issues placed in the employment context are the result of sexually motivated animus and should amount to impermissible discrimination.
The Impact of Physical Activity on Pericarditis.

To discuss the possible harmful effects and pathophysiology of exercise in cases of pericarditis, explore the role of multi-modality imaging to help guide exercise recommendations, and compare U.S. with European guideline recommendations on the safe resumption of physical activity following resolution of pericarditis. Despite multiple postulated mechanisms by which exercise may be harmful during active inflammation of the myocardium or pericardium, the exact pathophysiology remains largely unknown. The inclusion of multi-modality cardiac imaging may play a role in further elucidating the relationship of exercise with outcomes in pericarditis. More recently, the prevalence of COVID-19 cardiac involvement in athletes prior to returning to play appears lower than previously reported; however, current recommendations are consistent with those for other etiologies of pericarditis. Further research is certainly needed to better understand the relationship between physical activity and pericarditis, the pathophysiology, and the prognostic role of multimodality imaging.
Learning style preferences of internal medicine residents and in-training examination scores: is there a correlation?

The internal medicine in-training examination (IM-ITE) has been traditionally used as a measuring tool to evaluate the base of knowledge of the residents in internal medicine residency programs across the US. Multiple interventions has been applied and studied to increase the first-time passing rate of ABIM, as it is an indicator of each residency program’s performance and ranking. Additionally, studies have demonstrated that different learning styles and preferences are a predictor of exam results; however, it is not well known whether certain preferred learning styles are correlated with certain IM-ITE results. Primary objective of our study was to find a correlation between residents’ preferred learning style, based on Kolb learning style inventory, and their PGY1 and PGY2 IM-ITE performance score difference. Secondary objective was to find the correlation between PGY2s’ IM-ITE score and their preferred learning styles based on the Kolb learning style inventory. Mean scores of PGY1 and PGY2 IM-ITE were compared in each learning style group. Additionally, the mean difference between the PGY1 and PGY2 IM-ITE scores for each learning group was compared as well. The analysis of the mean IM-ITE score from PGY1 to PGY2 between groups revealed a statistically significant improvement in IM-ITE score from PGY1 to PGY2 in all groups, however, with a larger difference in one of the groups.
Regulation of Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Sector: An Empirical Analysis

In the mid-1980s a movement towards privatization and de-regulation of the telecommunications sector was begun. The sector has been privatized in most countries and subjected to regulatory reform. The major reform occurred in the late 1990s. Since then the internet and cellular-mobile industries have advanced significantly. Mobile service has exploded, particularly in the developing world. This has changed the dynamics of the industry dramatically. This paper empirically evaluates the reforms twenty-plus years after they have been implemented in selected OECD countries using cross-country analysis. Earlier studies did not account for the regulatory environment nor cover the entire ICT sector. This paper empirically evaluates the impact of regulation in selected OECD countries.
Overview of Information Retrieval Evaluation

An important property of information retrieval (IR) system performance is its effectiveness at finding and ranking relevant documents in response to a user query. Research and development in IR requires rapid evaluation of effectiveness in order to test new approaches. This chapter covers the test collections required to evaluate effectiveness as well as traditional and newer measures of effectiveness.
Sustainability innovation systems (SIS): IT Investments and Stages of Sustainability Maturity

We synthesize a new longitudinal framework for investing in IT assets to support sustainability and to prescribe specific investments for each stage of sustainability. This framework provides an IT investment plan for organizations that supports the five stages of sustainability and will positively moderate the relationship between an organization’s ability to traverse the stages of sustainability and organizational innovation. We propose that there is an innovation payoff at each stage and support that proposition with exemplars from the literature. To highlight their key role in supporting sustainability driven innovation, we choose to call these IT investments Sustainability Innovation Systems (SIS).
Rare inherited disorders of fibrinogen

Summary. Fibrinogen, a hexameric glycoprotein encoded by three genes –FGA, FGB, FGG– clustered on chromosome 4q is involved in the final steps of coagulation as a precursor of fibrin monomers required for the formation of the haemostatic plug. Inherited disorders of fibrinogen abnormalities are rare and not as well clinically characterized as some other inherited bleeding disorders. To characterize the clinical manifestations, molecular defects and treatment modalities of these rare disorders, a Medline search from January 1966 to September 2007 for these disorders reported in large studies and registries was undertaken. Inherited fibrinogen disorders can manifest as quantitative defects (afibrinogenemia and hypofibrinogenemia) or qualitative defects (dysfibrinogenemia). Quantitative fibrinogen deficiencies may result from mutations affecting fibrinogen synthesis, or processing while qualitative defects are caused by mutations causing abnormal polymerization, defective cross-linking or defective assembly of the fibrinolytic system. Clinical manifestations vary from being asymptomatic to developing catastrophic life-threatening bleeds or thromboembolic events. Management of bleeds includes use of purified plasma-derived concentrates, cryoprecipitate or fresh frozen plasma. Use of some of these products carries risks of viral transmission, antibody development and thromboembolic events. Establishment of registries in Iran, Italy and North America has fostered a better understanding of these disorders with an attempt to explore molecular defects. Rare Bleeding Disorder Registries developed through the United States and international efforts hopefully will encourage development and licensure of safer, effective products.
Using Simulation to Evaluate Data-Driven Agents

We use simulation to evaluate agents derived from humans interacting in a structured on-line environment. The data set was gathered from student users of an adaptive educational assessment. These data illustrate human behavior patterns within the environment, and we employed these data to train agents to emulate these patterns. The goal is to provide a technique for deriving a set of agents from such data, where individual agents emulate particular characteristics of separable groups of human users and the set of agents collectively represents the whole. The work presented here focuses on finding separable groups of human users according to their behavior patterns, and agents are trained to embody the group's behavior. The burden of creating a meaningful training set is shared across a number of users instead of relying on a single user to produce enough data to train an agent. This methodology also effectively smooths out spurious behavior patterns found in individual humans and single performances, resulting in an agent that is a reliable representative of the group's collective behavior. Our demonstrated approach takes data from hundreds of students, learns appropriate groupings of these students and produces agents which we evaluate in a simulated environment. We present details and results of these processes.
The Future of Use Taxes

The use tax has taken an important place in the revenue systems of the states. Sustained by the Federal Supreme Court as an excise rather than a property tax,' it has been adopted in a somewhat general scope by about twenty states.2 As it is still a comparatively recent development, it gives every prospect of much wider adoption, unless developments to be discussed hereafter in this paper should cause it to be regarded as unnecessary or undesirable. Even the very few state courts which have expressed disagreement with the Federal Supreme Court as to the nature of the tax, and regard it as a property tax, have nevertheless sustained it as a necessary supplement to the state sales tax, and as a proper protection to local merchants.3
Faculty Gender Balance: Best Practices for Undergraduate Institutions

Recruiting and retaining women in the STEM faculty ranks has been a US national priority for many years. Recent research, sponsored by the NSF ADVANCE program, was performed mostly by doctoral institutions. However, for small undergraduate universities, the resulting challenges and decision frameworks are likely to be different. The prevalent recommendations need to be re-evaluated and re-interpreted for relevance and applicability. Multiple change agents have been identified; however, the primary success factors are a set of formalized processes in: (1) teaching, scholarship and service; (2) mentoring; and, (3) leadership. There is also a strong connection between gender progress on the faculty side and improving the pipeline of female students. To effectively intervene on the supply side, it is important to have networking, mentoring and role modeling processes that match student demographics and global sociological conditions. This paper describes our best practices in the context of an undergraduate institution. We have demonstrated that even with limited resources and no external funding, it is possible to improve the community culture and climate. Tangible strategies and initiatives aimed at enhancing the climate are presented: (1) administrative leadership commitment; (2) grants and endowments; (3) faculty development resources; (4) workshops that mirror industry successes; (5) early and mid-career planning; and, (6) recruiting and retention of female faculty.
Three new species of Diascia (Scrophulariaceae) from the Western Cape, South Africa

Three new annual species of Diascia Link & Otto are described from the Western Cape Province of South Africa. D. collina is characterized by greyish magenta flowers with two divergent yellow sacs containing oil-secreting trichomes. It is restricted to granite outcrops in the vicinity of Saldanha Bay, from the West Coast National Park and Langebaan north to Vredenburg. D. pusilla is closely related to D. collina . but differs from that species in having smaller flowers with shorter, ± parallel sacs, and posticous filaments that lack a protuberance where they bend sharply backwards towards the upper lip. It occurs in grey to whitish sands usually near seasonally moist or wet areas. It has not been found more than 35 km from the coast and ranges from Modderrivier, south o f Darling, north to Lambert’s Bay. D. appendiculata is related to D. diffusa (Thunb.) Benth. and is characterized by having small, mainly reddish lilac to greyish magenta flowers, two shallow depressions in the corolla tube at the base of the upper lip, and posticous filaments with sterile appendages. It is known from only six localities in the general vicinity of Citrusdal and occurs in fynbos vegetation on lower mountain slopes or flats, in loose alluvial sands derived from Table Mountain Sandstone.
Reaction Coordinate of Pyranopterin Molybdenum Enzymes

Spectroscopic studies on two pyranopterin molybdenum enzymes, sulfite oxidase and xanthine oxidase, have been used to evaluate the results of detailed bonding calculations and provide insight into the reductive half reaction of these enzymes. Specifically, the nature of the reaction coordinate with respect to substrate oxidation appears to be under orbital control, with the inherent electronic structure of the active site playing a key role in the reactivity of these metalloenzymes. Keywords: xanthine oxidase; sulfite oxidase; spectroscopy; reaction coordinate; electron paramagnetic resonance; magnetic circular dichroism; electronic structure; density functional theory
Relationship Between Piercing-Sucking Insect Control and Internal Lint and Seed Rot in Southeastern Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

ABSTRACT In 1999, crop consultants scouting for stink bugs (Hemiptera spp.) in South Carolina discovered a formerly unobserved seed rot of cotton that caused yield losses ranging from 10 to 15% in certain fields. The disease has subsequently been reported in fields throughout the southeastern Cotton Belt. Externally, diseased bolls appeared undamaged; internally, green fruit contain pink to dark brown, damp, deformed lint, and necrotic seeds. In greenhouse experiments, we demonstrated transmission of the opportunistic bacterium Pantoea agglomerans by the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.). Here, green bolls were sampled from stink bug management plots (insecticide protected or nontreated) from four South Atlantic coast states (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida) to determine disease incidence in the field and its association with piercing—sucking insects feeding. A logistic regression analysis of the boll damage data revealed that disease was 24 times more likely to occur (P ...
Beyond Section 504: Satisfaction and Empowerment of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education:

College and university students with disabilities were surveyed to determine their levels of satisfaction with accessibility, special services, and accommodations at their schools. In addition, students were requested to identify barriers to postsecondary education, improvements in services, and other concerns. Respondents generally expressed satisfaction with the services that they had received. However, the majority indicated that they had encountered barriers to their education, including a lack of understanding and cooperation from administrators, faculty, staff, and other students; lack of adaptive aids and other resources; and inaccessibility of buildings and grounds. Recommendations were made for improving the delivery of services and self-advocacy of students with disabilities.
Wireless remote localization system utilizing ambient RF/solar power scavenging RFID tags

A novel hybrid battery-less tag design using ambient solar and proposed RF power is presented. The novelty of this system is that the RFID tag not only uses ambient RF/solar power to power itself, but also it uses it as triggering mechanism for initiating data communication. A remote localization system with very good accuracy utilizing this tag configuration and making use of RFID to Wireless Sensor Node communication is showcased as an end application with tremendous potential.
Chelating properties of bis(8-hydroxy-2-methyl-5-quinolyl)methane

Abstract A new chelating reagent, bis(8-hydroxy-2-methyl-5-quinolyl) methane, has been prepared and characterized. It does not react with aluminum but does chelate with many other metals. Analytical data did not permit a decision on the possibility that some of these chelates arc polymeric.
The First Direct Characterization of a High-Valent Iron Intermediate in the Reaction of an α-Ketoglutarate-Dependent Dioxygenase: A High-Spin Fe(IV) Complex in Taurine/α-Ketoglutarate Dioxygenase (TauD) from Escherichia coli†

The Fe(II)- and α-ketoglutarate(αKG)-dependent dioxygenases have roles in synthesis of collagen and sensing of oxygen in mammals, in acquisition of nutrients and synthesis of antibiotics in microbes, and in repair of alkylated DNA in both. A consensus mechanism for these enzymes, involving (i) addition of O2 to a five-coordinate, (His)2(Asp)-facially coordinated Fe(II) center to which αKG is also bound via its C-1 carboxylate and ketone oxygen; (ii) attack of the uncoordinated oxygen of the bound O2 on the ketone carbonyl of αKG to form a bicyclic Fe(IV)-peroxyhemiketal complex; (iii) decarboxylation of this complex concomitantly with formation of an oxo-ferryl (Fe(IV)O2-) intermediate; and (iv) hydroxylation of the substrate by the Fe(IV)O2- complex via a substrate radical intermediate, has repeatedly been proposed, but none of the postulated intermediates occurring after addition of O2 has ever been detected. In this work, an oxidized Fe intermediate in the reaction of one of these enzymes, taurine/α-ke...
Ab initio calculation of resonance energies and widths of HOCl(7νOH and 8νOH) and comparison with experiment

Abstract The resonance states of non-rotating HOCl are calculated for the sixth and seventh overtones of the OH-stretch, using a recent, adjusted potential energy surface based on high-quality ab initio calculations. The resonance calculations are done using a standard L 2 approach, augmented by a localized negative imaginary potential which serves as an absorbing boundary in the asymptotic Cl + OH region. The widths of these two resonances are compared with results from a very recent experiment. In addition we present calculated ro-vibrational distributions of the OH fragment for these two resonances.
Rapid chromatographic determination of cefotaxime and its metabolite in biological fluids

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the simultaneous determination of cefotaxime and its metabolite desacetylcefotaxime in plasma and urine was developed. Plasma was deproteinized with small amounts of acetonitrile. After separation of the proteins the supernatant was extracted with a mixture of chloroform and 1-butanol. A phase separation was obtained leaving the cephalosporin and its metabolite in the aqueous part and extracting most of the interfering endogenous material. The aqueous phase was injected directly into the chromatograph. As part of the plasma water was dissolved in the acetonitrile--1-butanol--chloroform layer, the concentration of the cephalosporin in the aqueous phase was significantly higher than in the original plasma sample. Therefore, the usual diluting effect of the deproteinization could be avoided. In a similar way the assay was applicable to measure cefotaxime and its metabolite in urine. Calibration curves were set up and were linear up to 25 micrograms/ml for desacetylcefotaxime and 250 micrograms/ml for cefotaxime. The assay was applied to study the pharmacokinetics of cefotaxime and its metabolite in a healthy volunteer. In a similar way this deproteinization and extraction method was also applied to assay for ceftazidime, cephalexin, cephazolin and cefoxitin.
Pleural Effusion Resulting from Metastatic Papillary Carcinoma of the Thyroid

We present a patient with a symptomatic pleural effusion resulting from papillary carcinoma of the thyroid metastatic to the pleura. Distinctive features include clinically evident pleural metastasis and the presence of psammoma bodies in the pleural fluid, which are characteristic (albeit not pathognomonic) of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.