cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chosŏn’s Office of Interpreters: The Apt Response and the Knowledge Culture of Diplomacy

From 1392 until its dissolution in 1894, Chosŏn Korea’s Office of Interpreters managed diplomatic relations with its vastly more powerful Ming and Qing neighbors. The Office was originally conceived out of a bureaucratic strategy to formalize the training of its interpreters and manage the volatile knowledge they possessed. This bureaucratizing of diplomacy created a distinct socio-economic niche for these interpreters, facilitating their social reproduction. This article argues that a distinct culture of knowledge also emerged in this process. Beyond language, interpreters also translated between multiple domains of knowledge. As experts of diplomatic protocol, they served as informants to their social and administrative superiors. As scholars, they produced compendia and handbooks that made their office legible to outsiders. As specialists, they asserted the dignity of their craft. And as diplomats, they were tasked with furnishing the “apt response” that enabled them to move between local exigency and the demands of state ideology. Herein lies the central dilemma of bureaucratic knowledge: the skill to do so required both cultivated erudition as well as accumulated experience, but its timely execution could not be legislated through bureaucratic rules—a tension between the desire to control and the need to preserve agency. The article deliberately locates bureaucracy in a domain (diplomacy), place (East Asia), and a time (premodern) that was not supposed to “have” bureaucracy in order to dispute the casual conflation of bureaucratization with modernization that has obscured the Korean Office of Interpreters in the global history of diplomacy. This article is part of a special issue entitled “Histories of Bureaucratic Knowledge,” edited by Sebastian Felten and Christine von Oertzen.
In Vivo Chimeric Alzheimer's Disease Modeling of Apolipoprotein E4 Toxicity in Human Neurons

Despite its clear impact on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) risk, apolipoprotein (apo) E4’s contributions to AD etiology remain poorly understood. Progress in answering this and other questions in AD research has been limited by an inability to model human-specific phenotypes in an in vivo environment. Here we transplanted human induced pluripotent stem cell derived neurons carrying normal apoE3 or pathogenic apoE4 into human apoE3 or apoE4 knock-in mouse hippocampus, enabling us to disentangle the effects of apoE4 produced in human neurons and in the brain environment. Using single nucleus RNA-sequencing, we identified key transcriptomic differences between human and mouse neurons, as well as transcriptional changes specific to human neuron subtypes, in response to apoE4 . We also found A β from transplanted human neurons formed plaque-like aggregates, with differences in localization and interaction with microglia depending on the transplant and host apoE genotype, again highlighting the power of chimeric modeling for studying AD.
SOME INEFFICIENCY IMPLICATIONS OF GENERATIONAL POLITICS AND EXCHANGE

This paper explores the implications of generational selfishness in a model in which each generation has its own government. Such selfish generational governments will potentially distort the economy along a number of dimensions. One is the monopolization of factor supplies; another is the under- or overprovision of durable public goods. We demonstrate that selfish generations may place sizable marginal taxes on their factor supplies in order to monopolize their factor markets. We also show that selfish generations will provide inefficient levels of durable public goods both at the local and national levels. Finally, we demonstrate that generational inefficiencies can arise even in models of cooperative bargaining because of the first-mover advantage of earlier generations.
Virtual Catalytic Reactor Laboratory

A virtual catalytic reactor laboratory (VCRL) experiment, which can be used in most browsers, is described. Students select feed conditions and use the VCRL to take data for a gas-phase catalytic reaction and fit kinetic parameters to a Langmuir-Hinshelwood rate expression. The VCRL contains instructions, equipment descriptions, an animated start-up procedure, a video tour of a physical laboratory, screencasts about nonlinear regression, a means to submit answers online, and an instructor portal.
Application of 915 MHz Band LoRa for Agro-Informatics

Use of the LoRa low-power wide-area network modulation scheme with the LoRaWAN® (Long Range Wide Area Network) MAC layer is becoming popular for subterranean agro-informatics networking applications. LoRa uses chirp spread spectrum technology and is licensed by Semtech. Sensors with LoRa radios can be designed to detect and measure toxins that can leach into agricultural soils from industrial and storm water sources. Sensors can be buried with cameras that can detect and classify pathogens affecting the roots of plants. Sensor measurements and camera images can be sampled in situ and transmitted to an above-ground central LoRa concentrator (gateway) on a farm. LoRa devices can be buried at variable depth, however soil and water both attenuate the strength of a transmitted signal. In this work, we conduct experiments to measure the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) under different LoRa spreading factors, coding rates, and soil depths. Our results show LoRa transceiver burial depth should not exceed 50cm for agro-informatics applications.
Improving Cultural Humility and Competency in Diabetes Care for Primary Care Providers

As type 2 diabetes continues to plague the United States and the world at an increasingly alarming rate, the role of primary care providers (PCPs) grows ever more crucial. PCPs can help patients prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes, provide early diagnosis, and assist patients in maintaining glycemic and metabolic control once a diagnosis has been made. Diabetes is a largely self-managed chronic disease, making patient education vital to the health and wellness of patients. Because diabetes prevalence and related mortality disproportionally affect non-White individuals, PCPs and other health care professionals must learn to connect and communicate effectively with patients of different cultures and backgrounds. Thus, the goal of this article is to highlight the health disparities that exist among patients with diabetes and to give PCPs a framework to improve diabetes treatment through cultural competency and humility. Maria is a 57-year-old, Spanish-speaking woman with a medical history of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, who presents to your clinic to establish care. Through an interpreter, you learn that she immigrated from Mexico to the United States 2 years ago and lives with her children and grandchildren. This is her first visit to a doctor since she moved to the United States. Maria ran out of her medications about 1 year ago and reports feeling excessively thirsty and fatigued. She also reports that she wakes up several times each night to urinate. She is worried about her diabetes. Her sister, who still lives in Mexico, recently had to get her foot amputated as a result of diabetes-related complications, and her brother just had a stroke. She takes a daily 30-minute walk around her neighborhood, and her diet is a mixture of traditional Mexican foods such as tortillas, rice, and beans and a typical Western diet, including fast food and …
The Transatlantic Century: Europe and America, 1890?2010

This is a fascinating new overview of European-American relations during the long twentieth century. Ranging from economics, culture and consumption to war, politics and diplomacy, Mary Nolan charts the rise of American influence in Eastern and Western Europe, its mid-twentieth century triumph and its gradual erosion since the 1970s. She reconstructs the circuits of exchange along which ideas, commodities, economic models, cultural products and people moved across the Atlantic, capturing the differing versions of modernity that emerged on both sides of the Atlantic and examining how these alternately produced co-operation, conflict and ambivalence toward the other. Attributing the rise and demise of American influence in Europe not only to economics but equally to wars, the book locates the roots of many transatlantic disagreements in very different experiences and memories of war. This is an unprecedented account of the American Century in Europe that recovers its full richness and complexity.
The concept of presence in group psychotherapy: an operational definition.

PURPOSE: The paper aims to operationally define the concept of presence, as developed and exhibited by the therapist leading a psychotherapy group, and illustrated with case examples. CONCLUSIONS: A group therapist, who addresses tangible, basic group survival needs, while integrating knowledge of psychotherapeutic processes, authentic and effective interpersonal communications, and genuine concern for individual members and the group as a whole, is best situated to enact presence in the context of group psychotherapy. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Establishing presence can be achieved in a systematic way with an understanding of the meaning of being present at each step in the development of the group psychotherapeutic process.
A Test of the Economic Strain Model on Adolescents' Prosocial Behaviors.

The present study was designed to examine the links between economic strain, parental depression, parent–child connectedness, and adolescents' prosocial behaviors. The sample consisted of 478 participants (M age at Time 1=11.29 years, 51% male) recruited from the community who were mostly of European American descent (69%) and from mostly middle to upper SES families. At Time 1 parents completed measures of their own income and economic stress, depression, and connectedness with their child. At Time 1 adolescents reported on connectedness with both their mother and father. At Time 2 (1 year later) adolescents reported on their own prosocial behavior toward strangers, friends, and family. Structural equation model tests showed that economic strain was related positively to parental depressive symptoms, which in turn predicted lower levels of parent–child connectedness, which in turn positively predicted adolescents' prosocial behaviors. Discussion focuses on the family context of adolescents' positive behavioral outcomes.
Why was the Logic of Discovery Abandoned

It is difficult to find a problem area in the philosophy of science about which more nonsense has been talked and in which more confusion reigns than ‘the philosophy of discovery’. It is even hard to keep the characters straight. Russ Hanson, who thought the logic of discovery was a good thing, advocated the method of abduction, which was a method for the evaluation, not the discovery, of hypotheses. Hans Reichenbach, who was notorious for insisting that the ‘context of discovery’ is of no philosophical significance, was a proponent of the straight rule of induction, a technique for the discovery of natural regularities if ever there was one. Not to be slighted here is Karl Popper who wrote a book called the Logic of Scientific Discovery, which denies the existence of any referent for its title.
Conformation of Cytochromes: II. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CIRCULAR DICHROISM SPECTRA, OPTICAL ROTATORY DISPERSION, AND ABSORPTION SPECTRA OF HORSE HEART CYTOCHROME c

The circular dichroism spectra of horse heart ferri- and ferrocytochrome c in the absence and presence of 9 M urea, pH 7.0, in the wave length region 188 to 600 mµ have been examined and the results were compared with results of optical rotatory dispersion and absorption spectra. The circular dichroism spectra of both ferri- and ferrocytochrome c in the region below 240 mµ exhibit characteristics of both an α-helix, namely, the negative minima at about 222 and 210 mµ and a positive maximum at 190 mµ, and of β structurally organized polypeptide chain, a shoulder at 218 mµ and a peak at 195 mµ. The change of oxidation state of heme iron seems to be devoid of any significant effect on the dichroic pattern in this wave length region. The dichroic spectra in the near ultraviolet and the visible spectral regions are exceedingly rich in detail and exhibit strong dependence on the valence state of the protein. The reduction of the protein results in a significant increase in the rotatory strengths of the porphyrin transitions (300 to 370 mµ), the inversion of the dichroic pattern in the Soret absorption region, possible change of sign of the dichroic bands corresponding to the aromatic absorption bands, and replacement of the broad dichroic peaks above 500 mµ by multiple small positive peaks. An internally compensated conformational change during the oxidation-reduction cycle, including the possibility of switching of the centrally coordinated amino acid side chain or the alteration of the geometry of heme iron or both, has been discussed.
Revolutionary Leadership/Revolutionary Pedagogy: Reevaluating the Links and Disjunctions Between Lukacs and Freire

INTRODUCTION A major problematic in Marxist theory is how to conceptualize, or reconceptualize, revolutionary organization. A useful topography of the various historical modes of organization is provided by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri in their highly controversial and conceptually rich book Multitude. Here the authors suggest that any theory of counterhegemonic resistance must be framed by a historical materialist understanding wherein (a) resistance is always in relation to a specific form of oppression, (b) resistance is determined in the last instance by changing forms of economic and social production, and (c) each new form of resistance organization is an attempt to correct the antidemocratic failures of the previous forms. Thus we see correspondences between the formation of people’s armies and the rise of an industrial working class out of a peasant/feudal system. While these hierarchically organized armies might very well have been necessary at that historical phase, they had increasingly antidemocratic tendencies that negated their stated goals of liberation. In the nineteen sixties, there was a turn to guerrilla organizations in response to the failures of the “party” and the growing restructuring of productive relations on a global scale. Yet even here, the supposedly democratic and decentralized form of organization led to reterritorialization by the guerrilla leader. Now a new crisis/historical opportunity has opened up calling for a reimagining of revolutionary organization. According to Hardt and Negri, transnational, networked production acts as the material precondition for a struggle against “Empire” capable of finally articulating a democratic praxis of revolution. Yet the question of what this network looks like remains vague and, as many have suggested, highly allegorical. So Hardt and Negri open up a line of inquiry — pinpointing possible tendencies — rather than offer a solution. It is their urgent framing of the issue rather than their final model that remains most important for current grass-root struggles and political theorists.
Pituitary Tumors in Children

Pituitary tumors are relatively uncommon in the pediatric population and most commonly present during adolescence. The average annual incidence has been estimated at two per million children, comprising about 8% of all intracranial tumors of childhood [3]. In contrast to adults, prolactin (PRL)- and adrenocortico-tropic (ACTH)-secreting adenomas appear to be most common, while nonfunctioning tumors appear to be rare [20, 22].
Volume Discounts, Loss Leaders and Competition for More Profitable Customers

When some customers are more profitable to serve than others, one might expect sellers to compete more vigorously for the more profitable customers. One way sellers might do this is to sell goods that are purchased primarily by the most profitable customers using a lower mark-up than on other goods. This allows the firms to give discounts to more profitable customers without offering them to less profitable customers. This paper presents a model in which competing multi-product firms facing customers that purchase different quantities of goods, set prices in this manner. This model suggests a theory of multi-product pricing in which the mark up on any particular product is inversely related to the average profitability of the customer that purchases the good. One interesting implication of this paper is that loss leader pricing might be viewed as a way for firms to compete more vigorously for more profitable customers. Such an explanation offers another characteristic of products that should be used as loss leaders. This explanation provides potentially testable implications about the types of goods that can (or ought to) be used as loss leaders and can explain why grocery stores sell turkeys as loss leaders at Thanksgiving and lower the price of eggs at Easter, but not flowers on Mother's Day, or candy on Valentines Day.
Performance of asynchronous linear iterations with random delays

In this paper we investigate the speedup potential of asynchronous iterative algorithms over their synchronous counterparts for the special case of linear iterations. The space of linear iterations of size two is explored by simulation and analytical methods. We find cases and conditions for high asynchronous speedups. However, averaging asynchronous speedups over the whole set of iteration matrices reveals that the domain of matrices with high speedups is not sizable and that asynchronous iterations perform no better than synchronous ones over the entire convergence space.
Low- and high-frequency oscillations reveal distinct absence seizure networks.

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the frequency-dependent, spatiotemporal involvement of corticothalamic networks to the generation of absence seizures. Methods Magnetoencephalography recordings were obtained in 12 subjects (44 seizures) with untreated childhood absence seizures. Time-frequency analysis of each seizure was performed to determine bandwidths with significant power at ictal onset. Source localization was then completed to determine brain regions contributing to generalized spike and wave discharges seen on electroencephalogram. Results Significant power in the time-frequency analysis was seen within 1 to 20Hz, 20 to 70Hz, and 70 to 150Hz bandwidths. Source localization revealed that sources localized to the frontal cortex similarly for the low- and gamma-frequency bandwidths, whereas at the low-frequency bandwidth (3–20Hz) significantly more sources localized to the parietal cortex (odds ratio [OR] = 16.7). Cortical sources within the high-frequency oscillation (HFO) bandwidth (70–150Hz) localized primarily to the frontal region compared to the parietal (OR = 7.32) or temporal (OR = 2.78) areas. Interpretation Neuromagnetic activity within frontal and parietal cortical regions provides further confirmation of hemodynamic changes reported using functional magnetic resonance imaging that have been associated with absence seizures. The frequency-dependent nature of these networks has not previously been reported, and the presence of HFOs during absence seizures is a novel finding. Co-occurring frontal and parietal corticothalamic networks may interact to produce a pathological state that contributes to the generation of spike and wave discharges. The clinical and pathophysiological implications of HFOs within the frontal cortical region are unclear and should be further investigated. Ann Neurol 2014;76:558–567
Rapid Visco‐Analyzer (RVA) Pasting Profiles of Wheat, Corn, Waxy Corn, Tapioca and Amaranth Starches (A. hypochondriacus and A cruentus) in the Presence of Konjac Flour, Gellan, Guar, Xanthan and Locust Bean Gums

The Rapid Visco-Analyzer (RVA) 20min test was used to study the effects of different levels of konjac flour, guar, gellan, xanthan and locust bean gums on starch cooking properties. Wheat, corn, waxy corn, tapioca and A. hypochondriacus and A. cruentus starches were affected to different degrees by different levels of the gums. Peak viscosity increased at the higher gum concentrations, especially with locust bean gum at the 0.4 g level. The increase in viscosity was more pronounced with wheat and corn starches than with waxy corn and tapioca starches which consist mostly of highly branched amylopectin thus preventing close physical association between molecules. Amaranth starches showed much lower viscosity with all the gums than the other starches. Peak viscosity, time to reach the peak and maximum setback viscosity were affected by the gums. The increase in viscosity of starch/hydrocolloid systems is due to the release of amy-lose and low molecular weight amylopectin which promotes the formation of polymer complexes and significantly adds to the viscosity of the system.
Numerical simulation of atmospheric bore waves on Mars

Abstract The Viking Orbiters imaged early morning, long, linear wave clouds along the flanks of the Tharsis volcanoes during late northern spring and early summer. These clouds are believed to be a product of either an atmospheric bore wave or a hydraulic jump generated by nightly katabatic winds. The Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System was used to study the interaction of the katabatic flows with the surrounding atmosphere to determine what mechanism is responsible for the clouds. Simulations at L s = 90 ° , 100°, 142°, 180°, 270°, and 358° were conducted focusing on the eastern flank of Olympus Mons. Model results compare well with Viking observations and closely approximate theoretical treatments of atmospheric bores. Strong downslope flows are simulated during the night, with a bore wave forming on and behind a well-defined katabatic front. The observed seasonality of the clouds was reproduced in the simulations; the bore was deeper and faster during northern summer and weakest during the winter. When the bore was strong, it was undular in form, and generated vertically propagating gravity waves in the atmosphere above. During the winter, the atmospheric structure was such that any gravity waves generated damped with height. Less atmospheric water vapor abundance during northern winter, as compared to the summer, is also a factor in the seasonality of the wave clouds. This study concludes that bore waves are the most likely mechanism for the generation of the observed linear wave clouds.
Endovascular surgical approach to intracranial vascular diseases.

PURPOSE The endovascular surgical approach to complex disorders of the central nervous system has made rapid and significant advancements over the past decade. Patients with intracranial arterial aneurysms, traumatic carotid and vertebral artery lesions, including fistulas and pseudoaneurysms, hemodynamically significant atherosclerotic lesions, vasospasm, and acute stroke are now being approached and treated by newer and less invasive techniques, including cerebral angioplasty and thrombolytic therapy. METHODS All procedures are usually performed from a transfemoral approach utilizing a variety of occlusion devices, including detachable silicone balloons, microcoils, electrolytic detachable coils, liquid tissue adhesives, and particulate emboli for vessel occlusion. For dilatation and reperfusion of vessels, balloon angioplasty catheters, stents, and thrombolytic drugs are being used. RESULTS For the treatment of traumatic vascular injuries, such as carotid cavernous sinus fistulas and vertebral arteriovenous fistulas and pseudoaneurysms, endovascular therapy has become the treatment of choice. The endovascular approach for intracranial aneurysms is emerging as a therapeutic option in selected cases. For occlusive disorders in patients presenting with acute cerebral ischemia, extracranial angioplasty and cerebral thrombolysis techniques are currently under investigation. CONCLUSIONS As these techniques continue to evolve, the field of interventional neuroradiology will expand the therapeutic options for managing complex cerebrovascular disorders and improve patient outcome in acute stroke therapy.
Parallelisation of the Lagrangian model in a mixed Eulerian–Lagrangian CFD algorithm

Abstract This manuscript presents an algorithm implemented in a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code for parallelisation of the Lagrangian particle tracking model in a mixed Eulerian–Lagrangian CFD algorithm. The algorithm is based on the domain decomposition parallelisation strategy and asynchronous message passing protocol. The methodology is tested on two industrial CFD test cases and the parallelisation results are presented. Further, it is discussed how the parallel efficiency of the runs can be improved by adopting the domain decomposition scattering technique.
Opening up “the spaces of public dissension”

(1997). Opening up “the spaces of public dissension”. Communication Monographs: Vol. 64, No. 3, pp. 270-275.
Surgical treatment of nonmalignant tracheoesophageal fistula: a thirty-five year experience.

Background Acquired nonmalignant tracheoesophageal fistula in the adult patient develops in a variety of conditions. We have applied surgical closure with success for 35 years. Methods From 1975 to 1991, 38 patients underwent surgical repair of a tracheoesophageal fistula. A retrospective study of 36 additional patients undergoing surgical repair from 1992 to 2010 was conducted. Results The most common causes were postintubation injury (n = 17, 47%), trauma (n = 6, 17%), prior laryngectomy (n = 6, 17%), and prior esophagectomy (n = 4, 11%). Four patients presented after failing fistula control with an endoluminal stent. The tracheal defect was closed with resection and reconstruction (n = 17, 41%), laryngotracheal resection (n = 5, 12%), membranous tracheal repair (n = 17, 41%), or repair over a tracheal T tube (n = 2, 5%), while esophageal repair consisted of 2-layer closure (n = 31, 78%), 1-layer closure (n = 6, 15%), esophagostomy (n = 1, 3%), end-to-end esophageal anastomosis (n = 1, 3%), or full thickness skin graft reconstruction (n = 1, 3%). The esophageal and tracheal repairs were buttressed by interposing pedicled muscle or omental flaps in all patients. There was 1 postoperative death (3%). Recurrence after repair developed only in fistulas arising after esophagectomy or laryngectomy (n = 4, 11%). Fistula closure was ultimately successful in 34 patients (94%). Twenty-nine patients (83%) resumed oral intake and 25 patients (71%) were breathing without a tracheal appliance. Conclusions Successful closure of benign tracheoesophageal fistula is achieved with several surgical techniques based on buttressed repair and restoration of normal breathing and swallowing. Closure of complex postsurgical fistula may fail. Endoluminal stenting was not found useful.
Inherited Breast and Ovarian Cancer: What Are the Risks? What Are the Choices?

IT IS now clear that susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer is inherited in some families. Between 5% and 10% of breast cancer1,2and ovarian cancer3can be attributed to inheritance of a gene conferring high risk, followed by genetic changes specific to the target epithelial cells of the breast or ovary. For decades, there has been no doubt that cancer is genetic, in the sense that transformation of a normal cell to invasive and malignant growth is due to changes in the DNA. But most cancer is genetic only at the level of the transformed cell, not in the germline cells of patients. Consequently, most cancer is not inherited in families. Not all that is genetic is inherited. Meanwhile, it has been observed for centuries that breast cancer clusters in families.4Of course, given the very high incidence of breast cancer in our times, there are
Structure of Redox Intercalated (NH4)0.5V2O5·mH2O Xerogel Using the Pair Distribution Function Technique

The structure of (NH4)0.5V2O5·mH2O (m ≈ 0.9), a representative member of the family of intercalated solids with reduced V2O5 xerogel framework, has been successfully determined using the atomic pai...
The Eau Claire River complex: A metamorphosed Precambrian mafic intrusion in western Wisconsin

The Eau Claire River complex is a metamorphosed differentiated mafic intrusion within the Chippewa amphibolite complex of western Wisconsin. The intrusion is layered and contains ultramafic, mafic, and feldspathic rocks; however, the internal stratigraphy and size of the complex are not known. Primary igneous structures, other than compositional layering, are rarely preserved, although autoliths and possible slump structures are exposed at Big Falls County Park. Primary igneous mineral textures are not preserved. Three metamorphic episodes are recognized and are characterized by distinct structures and mineral textures. Coarse garnet porphyroblasts, as much as 6 cm in diameter, are preserved from the mineral assemblage that formed under conditions of the upper amphibolite facies during the first metamorphism. Alternating hornblende-rich and plagioclase-rich compositional layers were isoclinally folded by associated deformation. These folded compositional layers are displaced across faults that were recrystallized and healed during the second metamorphism. During the second metamorphism, the complex was recrystallized to medium- to coarse-grained plagioclase and hornblende-bearing assemblages under conditions of the amphibolite facies. Compression perpendicular to compositional layering wrapped layering about older garnet porphyroblasts and produced zones parallel to compositional layering of rootless intrafolial folds and transposed foliation. The third metamorphism, under conditions of the green-schist to lower amphibolite facies, resulted in a partial recrystallization. A weak schistosity developed oblique to compositional layering. The age of the complex is uncertain. A uranium-lead age determination of 1,835 m.y. for a rutile sample is believed to be the age of the second metamorphism, the Penokean orogeny. The first deformation and metamorphism and magmatic crystallization may have occurred during the late Archean or very early Proterozoic.
3-Approximation algorithm for a two depot, heterogeneous traveling salesman problem

We present the first approximation algorithm for a two depot, heterogeneous traveling salesman problem with an approximation ratio of 3 when the costs are symmetric and satisfy the triangle inequality.
Metabolic Surgery for Type 2 Diabetes: Appraisal of Clinical Evidence and Review of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials Comparing Surgery with Medical Therapy

Bariatric surgical procedures were originally developed to treat morbid obesity where their benefits certainly outweigh their potential side effects. Although they are very beneficial in improving metabolic control in type 2 diabetes, there are many medical treatments that are also effective. The role of bariatric surgery as primary therapy for type 2 diabetes depends on whether the benefit exceeds the surgical and nutritional complications, which are significant. The ultimate role for bariatric surgery in treating type 2 diabetes can only be determined by large, long-term randomized clinical trials which compare clinical outcomes of bariatric surgery with those of current intensive medical treatment. The four reported small, mostly 1-year trials have shown superior glycemic control by surgery as compared with medical treatment, but at the expense of significant surgical complications and unknown nutritional liability. They show that future trials will have to be much larger and last for at least 5–10 years.
Experimental Test of the Relaxing Self-Energy Model in Cs H 2 As O 4

Raman and Brillouin scattering studies of Cs${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$As${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ give no evidence for a central peak or a relaxing term in the self-energy of the ferroelectric soft mode. The previously reported gap between the transition temperature and the temperature at which the soft mode extrapolates to zero results from simple linear piezoelectric coupling which causes a 20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K difference between the free and clamped Curie temperatures.
‘On the four great relationships’: The prospects for China

(1994). ‘On the four great relationships’: The prospects for China. Survival: Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 22-42.
Localization of messenger ribonucleic acid for adrenomedullin and adrenomedullin receptor in the human placenta in normal pregnancies and pregnancies complicated by oligohydramnios.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the placental expression of adrenomedullin and adrenomedullin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid and compare them between placentas from pregnancies associated with oligohydramnios as a result of uteroplacental insufficiency and placentas from normal pregnancies. Study Design: Total ribonucleic acid was extracted from the amnion, chorion, cotyledon, umbilical vein, and umbilical artery in 5 normal placentas and 3 placentas from pregnancies complicated by oligohydramnios. A cell line known to express messenger ribonucleic acid of adrenomedullin and its receptor was used to optimize the polymerase chain reaction and served as a positive control preparation in all experiments. Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction results for adrenomedullin and adrenomedullin receptor were compared between tissues as densitometric ratios of adrenomedullin or adrenomedullin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid to β 2 -microglobulin messenger ribonucleic acid. Results were analyzed with a Kruskal-Wallis 1-way analysis of variance. Immunohistochemical staining with an antibody to human adrenomedullin was used to localize adrenomedullin in all tissue types. Results: Messenger ribonucleic acid sequences for adrenomedullin and adrenomedullin receptor genes were identified in all tested placental tissue components. Within the normal placentas the expressions of adrenomedullin and adrenomedullin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid sequences did not differ statistically between the tissue components. Within placentas from patients with oligohydramnios the expressions of adrenomedullin and adrenomedullin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid did not differ statistically between the tissue components. When normal placentas were compared with placentas from pregnancies complicated by oligohydramnios, however, a 5-fold increase in adrenomedullin messenger ribonucleic acid and a 3-fold increase in adrenomedullin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid were seen in placentas from patients with oligohydramnios. Adrenomedullin immunoreactivity was present in all tissues studied. Conclusion: The expression of messenger ribonucleic acid for both adrenomedullin and its receptor in these tissue components implies that placental tissues function in both synthesis and action of adrenomedullin. The increased adrenomedullin messenger ribonucleic acid expression in the umbilical artery and the elevated adrenomedullin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid expression in the cotyledons of placentas from patients with oligohydramnios may represent a local fetoplacental physiologic adaptive response to vascular compromise. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;183:1213-9.)
Donation dashboard: a recommender system for donation portfolios

In this paper we present Donation Dashboard, a system that recommends non-profit organizations to users in the form of a portfolio of donation amounts. Recommendations are made using our Eigentaste 2.0 constant-time collaborative filtering algorithm in combination with a new method for generating a weighted portfolio of recommendations. The key challenge is to generate a customized portfolio that does not necessarily exclude items already rated by the user. Under our method, the weights for items in the portfolio that have not yet been rated by the user are normalized factors of their predicted ratings, and the weights for items previously rated by the user are normalized factors of the actual ratings. Donation Dashboard 1.0 launched in April 2008, and as of May 8 2009 we have collected over 59,000 ratings of 70 nonprofit organizations from over 3,800 users.In this working paper we describe our experience developing Donation Dashboard, including the design of the system and our new method for portfolio generation. We use Normalized Mean Absolute Error (NMAE) to measure the accuracy of Eigentaste using our dataset of non-profit organization ratings and we compare that with the global mean algorithm. We analyze the data collected since the launch of the site, and we have made our dataset available to the public. Donation Dashboard and the Donation Dashboard dataset are accessible at: http://dd.berkeley.edu and http://dd.berkeley.edu/dataset
“Verily, there is only one hip‐hop Umma”: Islam, cultural protest and Urban marginality

(2004). “Verily, there is only one hip‐hop Umma”: Islam, cultural protest and Urban marginality. Socialism and Democracy: Vol. 18, Hip Hop, Race, and Cultural Politics, pp. 107-126.
Flotation characteristics of cyanobacterium Anabaena flos-aquae for gas vesicle production.

Cyanobacterium Anabaena flos-aquae was cultivated in photobioreactors for production of intracellular gas vesicles (GVs), as potential oxygen microcarriers. Natural flotation of the buoyant culture was investigated as a potential means of cell harvesting, because filtration and centrifugation tended to destroy the vesicles. Best flotation was found with actively growing culture and when conducted in the dark. The flotation-related cell properties, including the specific GV content, vesicle-collapsed filament density, and intracellular carbohydrate content, were measured to understand the phenomena. During the batch culture, the specific GV content remained relatively constant at 370 μL/(g dry cells) but the filament density (ranging 1.02 to 1.08 g/cm3) showed a decrease-then-increase profile. The increase began when the growth slowed down because of the reduced light availability at high cell concentrations. The dark flotation was studied with both actively growing (μ ≈ 0.2 day−1) and stationary-phase cultures. The specific GV content of the stationary-phase culture remained relatively constant while that of the growing culture increased slightly. The intracellular carbohydrate content of the growing culture decreased much faster and more significantly, from 57 to 10 mg/(g dry cells) in ⩽ 8 h. The filament density also decreased, apparently parallel to the profiles of carbohydrate content. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 60: 636–641, 1998.
Temperature dependence of the rate of defect tunneling in metals.

Recent measurements of the rate of single-defect tunneling in Bi wires at low temperatures (0.1--2.0 K) are mainly consistent with theoretical predictions based on a dissipation mechanism that couples the defect tunneling to low-energy excitations of the electrons. A deviation from this prediction is observed on the high-temperature side of the experimental range. We present a theory that accounts for this deviation based on the introduction of tunneling from another pair of levels of higher energy than the pair responsible for the lower-temperature behavior.
A dual-DSP TMS 320C25 processor system for real time digital correlation

A dual-processor system architecture and its application for real-time correlation are explained. This system uses two TMS320C25 digital signal processor (DSP) microprocessors and a dual-port common memory. System design details, theory of digital correlation, and software details are presented. Tables are given in which the performances and features of various DSPs are compared. >
Van der Waals Forces Between Symmetrical Rotators

Work of F. London on the van der Waals forces between linear dipole molecules has been extended to polyatomic molecules which are representable as symmetrical tops. The results obtained by a second-order perturbation calculation are compared with those of a variational calculation for the specific case of the interaction between two tops in one-quantum states.
The Moderating Effect of Organizational Cohesiveness in Knowledge Use and New Product Development

This study examined the influence of cohesiveness, an organizational cultural variable, on knowledge use and organizational learning within the context of new product development (NPD). The authors surveyed NPD managers from 323 firms, representing a wide range of product classifications, about their firms’ levels of cohesiveness and NPD efforts. Using structural equation modeling, the authors demonstrated that organizational cohesiveness has a moderating influence on both an organization’s use of its existing knowledge to develop innovative new products and the resulting performance of those products, which emphasizes how influential organizational “mind-set” can be. By considering cohesiveness an influence in new product innovativeness and new product performance, the authors incorporated a cultural variable that has received little attention in the NPD and more general marketing literature. This research reveals that much is left to learn about cohesiveness and that understanding it can advance knowledge use, organizational learning, and innovation.
A prototype analysis of psychological situations through the lens of alcohol expectancies and gender

The psychological situation, with significant origins in cognitive and personality psychology, consists of the meaningful environment encountered by an individual at a given time. In the present study, participants generated the characteristics (environmental, emotional, social, and cognitive) that they found as characteristic of "dating," "blind dating," and "drinking with friends" situations. Participants also completed a brief form of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (Brown, Goldman, Inn, & Anderson, 1980). Results indicate that women were more likely to characterize "drinking with friends" with negative descriptors; women were also likely to have more overlap than men in their schemas for "dating" and "drinking with friends." Participants with stronger alcohol expectancies also displayed more overlap in their schemas for "dating" and "drinking with friends" than did those with weaker expectancies. Results are discussed in terms of differing drinking experiences for men and women, and on the relationship between situational cues and expectancies.
Partial trisomy 2q and familial translocation t(2;18)(q31;p11).

This report describes a malformed infant with distal 2q trisomy/ distal 18p monosomy due to adjacent segregation of a familial t(2;18). The rearrangement was present in four generations, and linkage studies were performed.
Evolution of an amphibious robot with passive joints

Passive joints provide a means to reduce the mechanical complexity of a robot because they do not require direct actuation from a motor. However, the inclusion of such components complicates the development process, as their behavior is highly dependent on external stimuli in combination with actuation of other components. In this paper, we describe a study on the evolution of morphological characteristics and controller parameters for an amphibious robot with passive arm joints. Results show that this approach is able to exploit the properties of passive joints, producing effective locomotion in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. Evolved solutions demonstrate a strong coupling between fin morphology and control strategy with respect to performance.
Conversion of Aquifex aeolicus 3-Deoxy-d-manno-octulosonate 8-Phosphate Synthase, a Metalloenzyme, into a Nonmetalloenzyme

The Aquifex aeolicus 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonate 8-phosphate synthase (KDO8PS), a class II metalloenzyme, is converted into an active nonmetalloenzyme by a single amino acid mutation, namely, C11N. The result may provide insight into the evolutionary link between the two KDO8PS classes as well as the potential role of the metal and/or asparagine in the catalytic mechanism.
Synthesis of Deoxyoligonucleotides on an Isotactic Polymer Support

Abstract An insoluble and noncross-linked polymer of isotactic polystyrene having a p-methoxytrityl group as part of its structure was chosen as a solid polymer support for deoxyribonucleotide synthesis. The p-methoxytrityl functional group was introduced into the isotactic polymer by benzoylation and Grignard reaction. Judging by the NMR spectra, the isotacticity of the polymer remains unaffected after the modifications. Deoxy-nucleosides were linked to the polymer via 5′ ether group. Condensation of the polymer-nucleoside derivative with 3′ protected nucleotides in the presence of mesitylene sulfonyl chloride resulted in 36-63% coupling to the bound nucleoside. Subsequent condensation gave the trinucleoside diphosphate in 25-57% conversion, based on polymer-bound dinucleoside phosphate. The limitation of the polymer support still lies in the low yield of the coupling step, but the value of an isotactic polymer backbone as a “dendritic” center for chain lengthening remains attractive.
Inhibition of hemoglobin-induced low density lipoprotein oxidation by haptoglobin

The effects of hemoglobin (Hb) and haptoglobinhemoglobin complex (Hp-Hb complex) on oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL) were investigated. Treatment of LDL (100 µg protein) with 60 µg (20 µM) of Hb for 6 h in phosphate-buffered saline resulted in an apparent LDL oxidation as determined by measuring lipid peroxidation, increasing electronegativity, aggregate formation, and decreasing lysine content of lipoprotein. Such effects of Hb on LDL oxidation showed in a dosedependent manner at concentrations up to 60 µg. But FeCl3 could not oxidize LDL even at 100 µM. Hb-induced LDL oxidation was blocked by addition of free Hp, and its inhibitory effect was a maximum when Hp:Hb molar ratio was 1:1. In addition, LDL incubated with purified Hp-Hb complex showed almost the same electronegativity and lysine content as native LDL. These findings indicate that Hb mediates LDL oxidation strongly and Hp inhibits Hb-stimulated LDL oxidation by forming Hp-Hb complex.
Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt migration with perforation of atrial septum: removal, repair and liver transplantation

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt migration with perforation of atrial septum: removal, repair and liver transplantation
Organometallic chemistry at the interface with materials science

Metal alkoxides are precursors of interfacial species which can be used to enhance interactions between dissimilar components of a composite. Metal alkoxides can react with surface hydroxyl groups of metal oxides or oxidized metals to give covalently bound surface alkoxide species through protolytic loss of one or several alkoxide groups. Because of the reactivity of any remaining alkoxide ligands in the coordination sphere of these surface complexes, a variety of composites can be prepared by ligand exchange.
Cardiovascular risk: a UK priority—it’s time to act

Cardiovascular disease remains the main cause of death in the UK, accounting for around four out of 10 of all deaths, more than 235 000 deaths each year.1 Perhaps more importantly, it accounts for about 36% of premature deaths in men and 28% of premature deaths in women. Despite a growing understanding of the pathophysiology and causes of cardiovascular disease, and an ever improving ability to treat it, this death toll is likely to continue rising worldwide. Yet as the World Health Organization’s World Health Report 2002 illustrates, more than 50% of deaths and disability from heart disease and strokes could …
Use of antibodies for analysis of bacterial proteins

Abstract The specificity of antibody molecules has proved to be of great value for serological identification and classification of bacteria. In the research laboratory monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies have been used extensively for comparative studies of proteins expressed by related organisms, as well as for the fine mapping of epitopes on bacterial antigens to facilitate structure-function analysis. Examples of the use of antibodies for these various applications are reviewed.