cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Burn After Viewing: The CIA's Destruction of the Abu Zubaydah Tapes and the Law of Federal Records

This article examines the crucial, but largely unexamined, question of whether the CIA’s destruction of interrogation tapes depicting the waterboarding of Abu Zubaydah violated the federal records laws and assesses the CIA’s troubling, but largely ignored, public assertion that the tapes were not federal records at all. While the press has focused primarily on the narrow issue of whether the tapes were relevant to specific cases or investigations – such as the 9/11 Commission, the Guantanamo detainee cases, or the Moussaoui trial – the federal records laws would have required the preservation of the tapes regardless of their relevance to such proceedings. Morever, the recently completed criminal investigation focused solely on criminal violations rather than on the CIA's institutional compliance with the federal records laws, which is relevant not only to these tapes but the CIA's ongoing obligation to preserve records of its intelligence operations. The article concludes that the CIA should have considered the interrogation tapes records and argues for modest amendments to the federal records laws designed to ensure that the records preservation responsibilities of the intelligence community are sufficiently clear and transparent and that the oversight and enforcement powers of the National Archives and Records Administration are sufficiently robust.
Response of Water-Quality Indicators to the Implementation of Best-Management Practices in the Upper Strawberry River Watershed, Arkansas

Abstract This 4-y study monitored 6 sites located in the upper watershed of the Strawberry River, AR, where multiple types of best-management practices (BMPs) were implemented in an attempt to alleviate the impacts of cattle grazing on adjacent waterways. The water-quality variables we assessed included turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), and concentrations of NO2-, NO3-, PO43-, Escherichia coli, and chlorophyll-a. We calculated the average annual sediment loading for comparison to published acceptable total-maximum annual load (TMAL). The mean values detected for most parameters that we assessed were within acceptable state limits and reference-stream values for the Ozark Highlands ecoregion. Following BMP implementation, all sites showed significant increases in at least one variable, and the concentration of E. coli for 3 of the sampling locations exceeded the maximum allowable concentration. The estimated sediment loading was within the accepted TMAL. We conclude that implementation of BMPs was n...
Order Separation Using Multiple Tachometers and the TVDFT Order Tracking Method

An automobile and a tracked military vehicle were instrumented with multiple tachometers, one for each drive wheel/sprocket and operated with accelerometers mounted at suspension, chassis, and powertrain locations on the vehicles. The Time Variant Discrete Fourier Transform, TVDFT, order tracking method was then used to extract the order tracks and operating shapes estimated based on each tachometer. It is shown that under some conditions a different operating shape is excited by each of the wheels/sprockets simultaneously. This is due to the asymmetries present in the vehicles. The strengths of the TVDFT order tracking method are shown for this type of analysis, which is difficult due to the closeness, within 0.001 orders, and crossing of the orders. Benefits of using multiple tachometers and advanced order tracking methods become apparent for solving a class of noise and vibration problems.
The physiology of parathyroid hormone-related protein.

Parathyroid hormone–related protein was identified in the 1980s as a tumor product that had the ability to activate parathyroid hormone receptors and cause hypercalcemia.1 Parathyroid hormone–relat...
Self-regulation of BAX-induced cell death.

Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death, is a process in multicellular organisms responsible for normal tissue development and homeostasis. The intrinsic pathway of apoptosis is principally regulated by protein-protein interactions within the BCL-2 family of proteins, which can prevent or promote mitochondrial dysfunction. There are over twenty BCL-2 family proteins grouped together based on their functional and structural similarities. Specifically, family members are divided into anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic proteins and posses up to four BCL-2 Homology (BH) domains, namely BH1, BH2, BH3 and BH4. The BH3 domain is the most conserved and serves as the key domain to mediate protein-protein interactions between the members. Upon a variety of apoptotic stimuli, pro-apoptotic protein BAX triggers the intrinsic apoptotic pathway by inducing mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization and the release of soluble factors important in caspase activation that are required for apoptosis. The precise mechanisms of BAX activation and inhibition are essential to the understanding of the mitochondrial cell death pathway in physiological and pathological states. Pro-apoptotic BAX resides primarily in the cytosol in a conformation that requires activation for inducing apoptosis [1]. Interaction of cytosolic BAX with the BH3 domain of BH3-only proteins, such as BIM, induces structural conformational changes on BAX enabling it to translocate to the mitochondria and homo-oligomerize into a deadly membrane pore [2, 3]. Specifically, structural studies have identified that BH3-binding to the N-terminal activation site stimulates conformational changes leading to the release of the C-terminal helix α9 from the hydrophobic groove, which facilitates mitochondrial anchoring and oligomerization of BAX [4, 5]. Therefore, two structural regions critical to BAX activation are available for BAX modulation in the cytosol. Because BAX activation requires the availability of its activators, it is not understood if and how BAX can regulate its activation in the presence of apoptotic insults. In search of additional mechanisms that keep cytosolic BAX inactive and regulate its activation, we investigated the hypothesis that other proteins may interact with BAX in the cytosol. For several cell lines that are under non-apoptotic stress, we isolated cytosolic fractions Commentary: Autophagy and Cell Death
Organizing Conflict Resolution Interventions in Situations of Rapid Change: The South African Transition

After decades of oppressive, authoritarian rule, South Africa (like the former Soviet Union discussed in the previous chapter) experienced a rapid transition to majority rule from 1990 to 1994. As white minority rule came to an end, the country publicly discussed issues which only a short time earlier had been taboo. While the political negotiations, constitutional issues, and leading personalities were the focus of the world’s attention at the time, within South Africa there was also a great deal of attention to the details of daily life. How would the allocation of public resources which had so favoured white South Africans change in areas such as education, housing or health care? What would the new police force look like? What would be the fate of rival political leaders and groups within both the white and black communities?
Comparative Tolerability of Intravenous Azithromycin, Clarithromycin and Erythromycin in Healthy Volunteers Results of a Double-Blind, Double-Dummy, Four-Way Crossover Study

To compare the tolerability of intravenous azithromycin, clarithromycin, erythromycin and placebo. A double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, four-way crossover study was conducted in 12 healthy male volunteers. The participants were randomised to receive 1-hour intravenous infusions of azithromycin 500mg (2 mg/ml) once daily, erythromycin 500mg (1 mg/ml) three times daily, clarithromycin 500mg (2 mg/ml) twice daily, or placebo (normal saline, 500ml) three times daily, with each regimen administered for 3 days. There was a minimum 4-week washout period before participants switched to an alternative regimen, in random sequence, until all four regimens had been completed. Participants were monitored for infusion site reactions and gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events. Clarithromycin caused clinically significant infusion site pain in 92% of the 12 participants evaluated and was exclusively associated with phlebitis and inflammation. Areas under score-time curves (AUSs) rating the intensity of inflammation and pain were significantly higher for clarithromycin compared with azithromycin (p < 0.0005). Erythromycin infusion caused clinically significant abdominal pain or nausea in 25% of participants. The AUSs for GI tolerability were significantly different for erythromycin compared with azithromycin (p < 0.001). Discontinuation rates due to infusion site reactions were 0% for azithromycin, 50% for clarithromycin, and 8% each for erythromycin and placebo. Treatment with erythromycin was interrupted or discontinued as a result of abdominal pain in 17% of patients and as a result of nausea in 8% of patients. Intravenous azithromycin had better infusion site tolerability than clarithromycin and better GI tolerability than erythromycin. The superior tolerability of azithromycin may avoid the discontinuation of intravenous antimicrobial therapy in seriously ill patients and assist in reducing the duration of hospitalisation and the cost of patient management.
Does the degree of coarctation of the aorta influence wall shear stress focal heterogeneity

The development of atherosclerosis in the aorta is associated with low and oscillatory wall shear stress for normal patients. Moreover, localized differences in wall shear stress heterogeneity have been correlated with the presence of complex plaques in the descending aorta. While it is known that coarctation of the aorta can influence indices of wall shear stress, it is unclear how the degree of narrowing influences resulting patterns. We hypothesized that the degree of coarctation would have a strong influence on focal heterogeneity of wall shear stress. To test this hypothesis, we modeled the fluid dynamics in a patient-specific aorta with varied degrees of coarctation. We first validated a massively parallel computational model against experimental results for the patient geometry and then evaluated local shear stress patterns for a range of degrees of coarctation. Wall shear stress patterns at two cross sectional slices prone to develop atherosclerotic plaques were evaluated. Levels at different focal regions were compared to the conventional measure of average circumferential shear stress to enable localized quantification of coarctation-induced shear stress alteration. We find that the coarctation degree causes highly heterogeneous changes in wall shear stress.
How Turkey’s slide to authoritarianism defies modernization theory

ABSTRACTTurkey’s current slide to authoritarianism creates a puzzle for democratization theory, as it challenges the commonly accepted relationship between wealth and democracy. There is a large consensus in the democratization literature that a robust civil society, a growing middle class, and high GDP per capita create a conducive environment for an authoritarian country to democratize and make it harder for democratic countries to turn authoritarian. Prominent scholars of Turkish politics used these arguments when conceptualizing Turkey’s liberalization and the checkered democratization process in the post-1980 period. Yet, despite positive economic growth, a flourishing civil society, and a rising middle class, Turkey drifted toward a competitive authoritarian regime during the past five years. The article addresses this puzzle and discusses how the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi, AKP) co-opted Islamic civil society organizations and attached conservative businessmen to the ...
Orígenes del lenguaje: un análisis desde la perspectiva de las afasias

Introduccion. Diferentes areas del conocimiento han contribuido a una mejor comprension de los origenes del lenguaje humano. Objetivo. Relacionar el conocimiento actual sobre los origenes del lenguaje con la patologia del lenguaje hallada en el caso de lesiones cerebrales (afasia). Desarrollo. Existen dos formas basicas de afasia asociadas con defectos en el sistema lexicosemantico (afasia de Wernicke) y gramatical (afasia de Broca) del lenguaje. Las observaciones sobre el desarrollo infantil del lenguaje y los experimentos con primates demuestran que el lenguaje inicialmente aparece como un sistema lexicosemantico. La gramatica se correlaciona con la habilidad para representar acciones (verbos) y depende de la llamada area de Broca y de los circuitos cerebrales relacionados, pero tambien se relaciona con la habilidad para secuenciar rapidamente los movimientos articulatorios (praxis del habla). Conclusiones. El lenguaje como sistema lexicosemantico puede haber aparecido mucho antes que el lenguaje como sistema sintactico. El primero puede haber surgido hace unos 200.000-300.000 anos, correlacionado con el incremento del lobulo temporal, y haber existido en otros hominidos. El lenguaje como sistema gramatical aparecio solo recientemente, quiza hace unos 50.000 anos, y parece exclusivo del Homo sapiens.
Anisotropic Conductivity Tensor for Irreversible Electroporation Simulations

In the past few years, interest has drastically increased in using surgically inserted electrodes to ablate cancer cells. The treatment is referred to as irreversible electroporation (IRE) and has the advantage of being a minimally invasive procedure that can be used to treat tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue and preserving blood vessels. However, treatment planning is required to ensure the electrodes are placed in the correct location and at the proper voltages to ensure all cancer cells are killed while causing the least amount of damage to healthy cells. Computer simulations are used to develop individual treatment plans. Currently, computer simulations for treatment planning have used an isotropic conductivity that increased as the tissue was electroporated. In this work, we propose using a conductivity tensor in which the conductivity increases more in the direction of the electrical field, and results in an anisotropic conductivity tensor. This slightly alters the predicted ablation zone, and could lead to more accurate simulations.
Robust control of interval systems

In this paper we consider a feedback interconnection of two linear time invariant systems, one of which is fixed and the other is uncertain with the uncertainty being a box in the space of coefficients of the numerator and denominator polynomials. This kind of system arises in robust control analysis and design problems. We give several results for the Nyquist plots and stability margins of such families of systems based on the extremal segments of rational functions introduced by Chapellat and Bhattacharyya [1]. These CB segments play a fundamental characterizing role in many control design problems.
Underestimating Youth's Commitment to Schools and Society: Toward a More Differentiated View

Many media reports contend that American youth are dangerous, self-possessed, and care too little about their personal education or the broader society. Not only are youth criticized, but their teachers and schools are subjected to exaggerated criticism. We argue that the “average,” undifferentiated view of youth as presented by the media is inaccurate and pejorative. Researchers have added to the chorus of unfounded negative assertions about youth and their schools. As an example, Laurence Steinberg, in Beyond the Classroom, argued that American students' levels of academic achievement were woefully inadequate. He argued that students did not do enough homework, that they cheated, and that pervasive, negative peer pressure undermined academic achievement. The purpose of our study was to examine students' attitudes and perceptions in three major areas – cheating, homework, and peer pressure. Using data from over 700 students drawn from one public high school and one junior high school, our results indicated that students' beliefs and norms concerning cheating, homework, and peer pressure varied widely in terms of gender, GPA, and school context. Our data failed to replicate the findings from Beyond in that (a) our average findings were more positive than those reported in that study, and (b) we showed that the reporting of average was highly misleading. Our findings provided evidence that one cannot describe American students in a general, sweeping way. Average statements about youth, especially adolescent youth, are apt to be very misleading.
Higgs Spectroscopy and Control of Non-Equilibrium Phases in Superconductors by Terahertz Light-Induced Supercurrent Injection

The non-equilibrium dynamics of superconductors after ultrafast terahertz excitation is analyzed. Excitation of selective non-equilibrium phases and detection of Higgs mode in the nonlinear response are demonstrated by inducing supercurrents via terahertz pulse shaping. © 2019 The Author(s)
Littermate cats rescued from a shelter succumbed to acute, primary toxoplasmosis associated with TOXO DB genotype #4, generally circulating in wildlife

Abstract Cats are important in the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection because they are the only hosts that can excrete the environmentally resistant oocysts in the environment. Although exposure is common (approximately 30% of cats in the USA), clinical toxoplasmosis is relatively rare. Here, we report overwhelming disseminated toxoplasmosis in two litter mate 8-week-old kittens, thought to have acquired toxoplasmosis postnatally. Five domestic shorthair kittens, approximately 2–3 weeks of age, and the queen were found in upstate New York by a rescue group in spring of 2018. The kittens and queen were placed in a foster home for approximately 4–5 weeks and then transferred to a shelter. Two kittens died unexpectedly following a short illness. Postmortem examination of the two deceased kittens revealed overwhelming toxoplasmosis and the presence of entero-epithelial stages in small intestine, suggestive of recent ingestion of infected tissues. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in the deceased kittens and the queen but not in the three asymptomatic littermate kittens. No obvious cause of immunosuppression was demonstrated. Genetic typing of T. gondii from DNA extracted from liver and lungs of both kittens revealed Toxo DB #4 genotype, commonly found in wildlife. Owners and veterinarians should be aware of dangers of feeding raw meat to cats and contact with infected cat feces. Procedures to safely handle T. gondii infected feces in hospital setting are outlined.
SAMPL: The Spreading Activation and Memory PLasticity Model

Abstract We present the Spreading Activation and Memory PLasticity Model (SAMPL), a computational model of how memory retrieval changes memories. SAMPL restructures memory networks as a function of spreading activation and plasticity. Memory networks are represented as graphs of items in which edge weights capture the strength of association between items. When an item is retrieved, activation spreads across nodes depending on edge weights and the strength of initial activation. A non-monotonic plasticity rule, in turn, updates edge weights following activation. SAMPL simulates human memory phenomena across a number of experiments including retrieval induced forgetting, context-based memory enhancement, and memory synchronization in conversational networks. Our results have implications for theorizing memory disorders such as PTSD and designing computationally assisted conversational therapy.
Nearby Nature Buffers the Pain Catastrophizing–Pain Intensity Relation Among Urban Residents With Chronic Pain

Pain catastrophizing is among the strongest predictors of pain intensity. This study examined the role of the nearby natural environment in the experience of pain among community-dwelling adults with chronic pain (N=81) living in New York City and explored the notion that attention may underlie nature’s effect. Nearby nature was objectively measured using satellite data. Daily diary data across 14 days was employed to operationalize pain catastrophizing (and subscales: rumination, helplessness, and magnification) and pain intensity. Results indicated that nearby nature buffered the relation between catastrophizing and pain intensity. Moreover, nearby nature moderated the association between pain-related rumination (the most attention-based subscale of pain catastrophizing) and pain intensity, but did not moderate the helplessness-pain intensity or the magnification-pain intensity associations. These results suggest that the mechanism underlying nearby nature’s moderating influence involves attention. Practitioners in search of strategies to reduce pain intensity experienced by community-dwelling chronic pain sufferers might look to a community resource: nearby nature.
Transportation Network Companies (TNC) and Marketplace Contractors (MC) State Laws: Preemption of Local Government Regulations and Treatment of Employment Status of Drivers

The following table is a compilation of data on state Transportation Network Companies (TNC) and Marketplace Contractors (MC) laws, as of Oct. 2018. The table sums information on two aspects of those laws: Preemption of local government regulation of TNCs, and treatment of employment status of TNC drivers. This is part of an ongoing project on TNCs, labor, and federalism.
Violence and Sovereign Citizens

Despite the fact that there is very little empirical research about sovereign citizens, a narrative has developed that they rarely engage in violence. Perhaps this is because of their well-known association with committing acts of paper terrorism, a term that refers to the use of legal loopholes to attempt to circumvent the law (Southern Poverty Law Center 2017). Chapter three challenges the view that sovereign citizens are seldom violent by exploring acts of violence committed by sovereign citizens in furtherance of their antigovernment agenda.
Evaluation of clinical examination location on stress in cats: a randomized crossover trial.

ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to quantify the effects of owner separation and physical examination location on fear, anxiety and stress (FAS) behavioral indicators in cats.MethodsThe st...
Application of an Effects-based Monitoring Strategy to Assess the Impact of Contaminants on Fish Health in an Urbanized Watershed

Effects-based monitoring frameworks that combine the use of analytical chemistry with in vitro cell bioassays, and in vivo whole organism tests offer an integrative approach to broadly screen for chemical contaminants and link their presence with adverse effects on aquatic organisms. California is currently evaluating the use of such a framework to assess the impact of emerging contaminants on biota in urbanized rivers and other waterbodies. In the present study, the occurrence and effects of contaminants found in the Los Angeles River were examined using analytical chemistry, in vitro and in vivo bioassays. Male fathead minnows were deployed in field-based exposure units and exposed to river water for 21 days. The two field sites (BLC; GWR) were selected based on their unique characteristics and different contaminant discharge sources. In addition, two control units (filtered city water and estrone-spiked water) were added to the experimental design. Chemical analyses revealed differences in abundance of CECs between the two field sites and the controls, with GWR having the highest number and concentrations of CECs and metals. Cell bioassays screening for estrogenic, glucocorticoid, progestin, and dioxin-like activities were near or below detection limits in all river water samples, indicating low potential for endocrine related toxicity and tissue damage. Cell bioassay results were corroborated by the in vivo analyses. Field-exposed fish exhibited no changes in plasma hormones (e.g. estradiol, vitellogenin) or gonad maturation, but gene biomarkers of chemical exposure, cytochrome p450 1A and metallothionein, were significantly elevated confirming exposure of the fish to complex chemical mixtures. This study demonstrated the value of a tiered monitoring approach to assess the sublethal effects of chemical mixtures on aquatic life. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Implications of SARS-CoV-2-Associated Myocarditis in the Medical Evaluation of Athletes.

Context:Myocarditis is a known cause of death in athletes. As we consider clearance of athletes to participate in sports during the COVID-19 pandemic, we offer a brief review of the myocardial effe...
A Thermodynamic Perspective for Formation of Solid Electrolyte Interphase in Lithium-Ion Batteries

This work studied the formation and growth of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) under the assumption that the formation of an SEI layer is associated with the nucleation and growth of disk-like islands at the interface between an active material and nonaqueous electrolyte solution (NES). The supersaturation of NES favors the nucleation of the islands via lowering the Gibbs free energy with the contribution of interfacial energy and mismatch strain enegy to the nucleation process. Using a modified Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner model, the growth of the disk-like islands is analyzed. Explicit kinetic estimation for the change of the density and mean dimension of the islands as well as the degree of supersaturation of NES with time is obtained. The degree of supersaturation at time t is found to be proportional to the square root of time.
Safer Sex Is No Joke: Women’s Condom Use Self-Efficacy

Communication plays a central role in promoting effective condom use. In particular, women’s humorous communication functions to facilitate condom use self-efficacy in heterosexual dating relations...
DCVNet: Dilated Cost Volume Networks for Fast Optical Flow.

The cost volume, capturing the similarity of possible correspondences across two input images, is a key ingredient in state-of-the-art optical flow approaches. When sampling for correspondences to build the cost volume, a large neighborhood radius is required to deal with large displacements, introducing a significant computational burden. To address this, a sequential strategy is usually adopted, where correspondence sampling in a local neighborhood with a small radius suffices. However, such sequential approaches, instantiated by either a pyramid structure over a deep neural network's feature hierarchy or by a recurrent neural network, are slow due to the inherent need for sequential processing of cost volumes. In this paper, we propose dilated cost volumes to capture small and large displacements simultaneously, allowing optical flow estimation without the need for the sequential estimation strategy. To process the cost volume to get pixel-wise optical flow, existing approaches employ 2D or separable 4D convolutions, which we show either suffer from high GPU memory consumption, inferior accuracy, or large model size. Therefore, we propose using 3D convolutions for cost volume filtering to address these issues. By combining the dilated cost volumes and 3D convolutions, our proposed model DCVNet not only exhibits real-time inference (71 fps on a mid-end 1080ti GPU) but is also compact and obtains comparable accuracy to existing approaches.
Observed dyadic collaboration among couples coping with type 1 diabetes.

Previous research linking collaboration to relationship and health outcomes has relied almost exclusively on individual self-report and failed to take into consideration the dyadic nature of collaboration. We enrolled couples (n = 193) in which one person had Type 1 diabetes (52% female; 91% non-Hispanic white) into the study and asked them to discuss a diabetes-related issue of high concern for 8 min. These videotaped interactions were coded for dyadic collaboration. Mood was measured before and after the discussion. After the discussion, patients and partners reported support provided and received during the discussion. Results showed that observed dyadic collaboration was related to improvements in mood and greater support exchanges for both patients and partners when self-reported collaboration was statistically controlled. Gender moderated the effects on partners, such that benefits of dyadic collaboration were stronger for women than men. Future research may benefit from including collaborative elements into couple-focused interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Meaning, Language, and Subjectivity

This chapter focuses on the core idea that the production of meaning is a hauntogenic event, as the process that creates meaning also creates spectral traces of the original events and entities that are made sense of. As infants develop they master the creation of symbols to represent sense impressions of external and internal events, entities and experiences; followed by the ability to communicate such representations in the social space of a symbolic system. Through each wave of elevated representation spectral traces of the signified entities and experiences are also produced, silent/negative references to an original object which “haunt” the new signifier. The process of transformation of a “thing in itself” to a signifier is examined here with specific attention to the role played by phonemes, which serve as gateways between somatic and cognitive levels of experience. The discussion continues with an examination of the psychoanalytic notion of Nachtraglichkeit. Freud introduced Nachtraglichkeit to explain the clinical observation that some old and forgotten events find a way of returning to life to assert traumatic impact, often with more devastating force than did the actual experience. This chapter will serve as the foundation for upcoming discussions of the higher levels of representation, as these semiotic structures make possible the emergence of desire and its psychological economy in tandem with death drive through higher level linguistic functions such as metaphoricity and metonymy.
School enrollment in Slovakia

In this paper the author analyzes the development of unemployed graduates in Slovakia. The aim of this paper is to analyze the course of unemployment of graduates, the main causes of unemployment and ways to address the situation in the labor market.
Early versus late transition metals. Electronic structure of nido-2-CpMLnB4H8, CpMLn=CpTaCl2, CpWH3 and CpCo

Abstract The mono-metal analog of B 5 H 9 , 2-CpCoB 4 H 8 , is used as a benchmark for the interpretation of molecular orbital calculations on 2-CpWH 3 B 4 H 8 and 2-CpTaCl 2 B 4 H 8 , all of which have square pyramidal cluster cores. The latter two molecules are shown to obey the prescription of the cluster electron counting rules for a nido , five atom cluster. On the other hand, although both 2-CpCoB 4 H 8 and 2-CpWH 3 B 4 H 8 possess metals that obey the 18 electron rule, the metal atom in 2-CpTaCl 2 B 4 H 8 must be viewed as a 16 electron center. Further, it is shown that the asymmetric ligand arrangements about the metal centers in 2-CpWH 3 B 4 H 8 and 2-CpTaCl 2 B 4 H 8 are required in order to satisfy the demands of cluster bonding. Finally, the magnitude of the barrier for rotation of the CpML n fragment in the same two compounds relative to the borane core depends on the number of ligands, n , via the magnitude of the splitting of the metal frontier orbitals.
Merger Abnormal Returns and the Use of Independent Fairness Opinions

Using hand-collected data on fairness opinions from corporate filings, I show that acquirers that purchase independent fairness opinions outperform acquirers that purchase nonindependent opinions around merger announcements. Moreover, the amount of contingent fees that acquirers pay to investment bankers who provide fairness opinions is negatively associated with the same abnormal returns. Furthermore, acquirers with independent fairness opinions perform better in the stock markets until eighteen months after the announcement. Finally, contingent fees that acquirers pay are negatively associated with long-term operating performance. However, no evidence is found for targets except for long-term operating performance, possibly because both shareholders and investment bankers for targets share the same incentive for a higher price.
The application of spread spectrum signaling techniques to underwater acoustic navigation

There are three standard techniques of tracking underwater vehicles; long baseline acoustic navigation, short baseline acoustic navigation, and ultra-short baseline acoustic navigation. All three techniques require accurate detection of a known signal which may be corrupted by additive noise and multipaths. In the particular case of ultra-short baseline navigation, an accurate phase measurement of the signal must be made in order to compute the bearing estimate. Significant improvements in the resolution of underwater navigation systems are possible with the use of coded wideband signals, as compared to conventional tone bursts. An ultra-short baseline acoustic tracking system has been developed at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution based on the use of spread spectrum signaling techniques. Simulations and expressions are presented which demonstrate the application of wideband signaling to the problem of underwater acoustic navigation.
Plasma Hydrogenation – A New Method of Reducing the k Value of the Low k Polyimide Film

A new method of lowering the dielectric constant (k) of a low k polyimide thin film by plasma hydrogenation has been studied. The influence of the plasma process to the material properties, such as the composition, binding energies, and bond types, and dielectric characters, such as k and leakage current, were investigated. The result showed that after hydrogenation, the film’s chemical and physical structures were changed. The film’s k value could be lowered to 2.3 or less and the leakage current was only slightly increased. The mechanism of the process, which is responsible for the film’s material and electrical property changes, is discussed. This is an effective method in preparing dielectrics with very low k values, which is critical for the success of the multilevel interconnection structure.
A reactor for high-throughput high-pressure nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The design of a reactor for operando nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) monitoring of high-pressure gas-liquid reactions is described. The Wisconsin High Pressure NMR Reactor (WiHP-NMRR) design comprises four modules: a sapphire NMR tube with titanium tube holder rated for pressures as high as 1000 psig (68 atm) and temperatures ranging from −90 to 90 °C, a gas circulation system that maintains equilibrium concentrations of dissolved gases during gas-consuming or gas-releasing reactions, a liquid injection apparatus that is capable of adding measured amounts of solutions to the reactor under high pressure conditions, and a rapid wash system that enables the reactor to be cleaned without removal from the NMR instrument. The WiHP-NMRR is compatible with commercial 10 mm NMR probes. Reactions performed in the WiHP-NMRR yield high quality, information-rich, and multinuclear NMR data over the entire reaction time course with rapid experimental turnaround.
DNA sequence of the gene for the outer membrane lipoprotein of E. coli: an extremely AT-rich promoter

Abstract The outer membrane lipoprotein is the most abundant protein in an E. coli cell. Its structural gene (Ipp) was cloned into a X phage vector and the nucleotide sequence of a DNA fragment of 814 bp encompassing the Ipp gene was determined. The promoter region of the gene was found to have the following features. First, a segment of 261 bp preceding the transcription initiation site (−1 to −261) has a very high AT content of 70%, in contrast to 53% for the mRNA region of 322 bp, 44% for a segment of 127 bp after the transcription termination site and 49% for the average AT content of the E. coli chromosome. Second, in particular, of the first 45 bp upstream from the transcription initiation site (−1 to −45), 36 bases (80%) are A or T. Third, there is a heptanucleotide sequence homologous to the "Pribnow box," eight bases apart from the transcription initiation site. Fourth, a sequence homologous to the "RNA polymerase recognition site" exists on both strands between positions −27 and −39. Finally, there is a long dyad symmetry centered at the transcription initiation site.
Inhibit Globally, Act Locally: CDK7 Inhibitors in Cancer Therapy

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are involved in temporal control of the cell cycle and transcription and play central roles in cancer development and metastasis. Recently, Kwiatkowski and colleagues identified a novel CDK7-specific inhibitor, THZ1, that hinders proliferation in cancer cell lines and dampens global transcription in T cell leukemia.
High-speed transient currents in chalcogenide glasses

Abstract High-speed transient currents are often observed in chalcogenige glasses. We explain these effects by invoking the presence of Valence Alternation Pairs (VAPs). After an electric field is applied across the chalcogenide glass, carriers can tunnel directly from the electrodes onto the appropriately charged defect centers. This leads to the appearance of potential barriers near the contacts, resulting in a rapid decay of the current. Such a mechanism cannot occur in materials without a large concentration of negatively correlated defects.
Distribution and Variability of Cosmic X-Ray Sources

At least 30 discrete cosmic x-ray sources have been detected thus far. The distribution is concentrated toward the galactic plane, and most of the sources are believed to lie within 2 kiloparsecs of the sun. It is estimated that the average luminosity of the observed sources is about 5 x 1036 ergs per second and that the entire galaxy contains about 1250 such sources. Comparisons of fluxes observed over the course of the past 2 years reveal that many sources are highly variable.
Concealed Drainage of the Middle Lobe of the Lung into the Superior Vena Cava through a Tributary of the Superior Pulmonary Vein

SUMMARY A unique variation of anomalous drainage of the right superior pulmonary vein into the superior vena cava has been presented. Through a large concealed tributary, much of the blood from the middle lobe passes into the superior pulmonary vein which otherwise drains the upper lobe into the vena cava. Consequently, half of the blood from the right lung passes into the right atrium. Because of the concealed course of the middle lobe vein, more oxygenated blood enters the vena cava than would have been anticipated from surgical examination of the hilum.
Multilevel analysis of classical conditioning in a behaving real world artifact

Abstract The explanation of behavior requires a multilevel approach taking into account the properties of the nervous system, the phenotype (e.g., body structure) and the environment. In this paper we present an illustration of such an approach, synthetic neural modeling. We will analyse the behavior of Darwin IV, which is comprised of a real world artifact (NOMAD) and a simulated nervous system, during a block sorting task. In this study we focus on the behavioral implications of different rules governing synaptic plasticity. More specifically the concept of value-dependent learning and the role of diffuse ascending systems will be addressed. Some properties of value-dependent learning will be demonstrated by comparing it to two simulated mechanisms for synaptic change derived from Hebbian principles. Differences in performance are explained in terms of differences in the mechanisms governing the potentiation and depression of synaptic strength. The present results form a small part of a larger project focused on understanding the brain mechanism involved in classical conditioning.
Chiral dynamics of low-energy kaon-baryon interactions with explicit resonance

The processes involving low energy $\bar{K}N$ and $Y\pi$ interactions (where $Y= \Sigma$ or $\Lambda$) are studied in the framework of heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory with the $\Lambda$(1405) resonance appearing as an independent field. The leading and next-to-leading terms in the chiral expansion are taken into account. We show that an approach which explicitly includes the $\Lambda$(1405) resonance as an elementary quantum field gives reasonable descriptions of both the threshold branching ratios and the energy dependence of total cross sections.
Klein, Einstein, and Five-Dimensional Unification

I examine the changing attitudes of Oskar Klein (1894–1977) and Albert Einstein (1879–1955) toward the notion of extending general relativity by an extra dimension with the aim of encompassing electromagnetism and gravitation in a unified field theory. I show how Klein developed his model of five-dimensional unification with the goal of explaining the discreteness of atomic energy levels, and how Einstein later embraced that goal. By examining the correspondence between Klein and Einstein, some of which was relayed through Paul Ehrenfest (1880–1933), I speculate that Klein’s work helped motivate Einstein to explore deterministic five-dimensional theories as a potential alternative to probabilistic quantum mechanics. Finally, I consider the contributions of Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958) to the subject and elucidate his role in convincing Klein and Einstein that their models were not viable.
Limb pain in childhood.

Limb pain during childhood is common, and its causes range from the benign, such as joint hypermobility, to the potentially fatal, such as infection or tumor. Clues to the diagnosis are usually evident in the history, which can then give direction to the physical examination and, if necessary, laboratory investigations. Children with limb pain may be either ill or well (Table 1). ILL CHILDREN WITH LIMB PAIN Severe Joint Pain The majority of ill children with severe limb pain experience an acute onset and may have associated symptoms, such as rash, fever, previous infection (especially skin infection, sore throat, or diarrhea), conjunctivitis, dysuria, or weakness (frequently interpreted by the family as tiredness). The severe nature of the pain usually renders the limb immobile or prevents even light weight-bearing. Erythema over the joint is an important sign because it is rare in chronic arthritic conditions (Table 2). The most important possible diagnoses include: infection, neoplasia, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatic diseases, and cardiopulmonary disease. Infection: Septic arthritis (with or without osteomyelitis) is the most common cause of severe monarticular pain. The absence of fever does not exclude a bacterial process. This is particularly true of septic sacroilitis and osteomyelitis of the pelvic and vertebral bones. Sudden onset of severe joint pain with marked swelling (and frequently erythema) is characteristic and typically involves the knee, hip, and ankle.
Incompetent great saphenous veins treated with endovenous 1,320-nm laser: results for 71 legs and morphologic evolvement study.

BACKGROUND Endovenous lasers with various wavelengths have been utilized with good outcomes in treating leg varicose veins. The natural history and evolution of treated veins after endovenous procedures, however, have seldom been addressed. OBJECTIVE This study determines the efficacy vein ablation and serial venous morphologic evolution of incompetent great saphenous veins (GSVs) after endovenous 1,320-nm laser treatment. METHODS Fifty patients with symptomatic varicose veins secondary to GSV insufficiency treated with 1,320-nm endovenous laser ablation were enrolled. The treated varicose veins in each limb were mapped and sized before laser treatment. Vein wall diameters were measured with duplex ultrasound at follow-up visits. RESULTS Seventy-one limbs in 50 patients were enrolled. During the mean 13.1-month follow-up, closure of GSVs was observed in 94% of limbs (67/71). Vein diameters at 3 cm below saphenofemoral junction level were reduced to 81% at 2 days, 75% at 1 month, 48% at 3 months, and 39% at 5 months. Average mean duration for treated GSVs to narrow as fibrotic cords (internal diameter,<2.5 mm) was 5.8 months. CONCLUSION The endovenous 1,320-nm laser ablation procedures have excellent efficacy in treating incompetent GSVs. This excellent shrinkage behavior may be the basis for nice long-term results of patients treated with 1,320-nm Cooltouch endovenous laser.
A postscript on steadfast rings and R-algebras in one variable

Swan’s paper, “On Seminormality” neatly characterizes commutative reduced steadfast rings as the reduced rings which are p-seminormal for all p [lo]. Swan conjectured that R, a commutative ring, is steadfast iff Rred is steadfast. Rred = R/N, where N is the ideal of nilpotents of R. It is the purpose of this note to prove this result and to similarly extend some results of Greither on R-algebras in one variable.’ A general lifting theorem is employed which may be of independent interest. All rings are commutative with 1.
A novel application of atomic force microscope to identify the Ag and I planes of β-AgI single crystals

Atomic Force Microscopy is used to determine the crystallographic polarity of the surfaces of β-AgI single crystals. The studies reveal that the hexagonal packed Ag+ plane is the (001) and the I– plane is the (001–). This observation is also consistent with the earlier x-ray diffraction measurements and chemical etching techniques as well as the polarizability and electronegativity of the ions.
Evolution of the digital tendon locking mechanism in bats and dermopterans: A phylogenetic perspective

A tendon locking mechanism (TLM) in the digits of the feet has been described previously only in bats and birds. In bats, this mechanism typically consists of a patch of tuberculated fibrocartilage cells on the plantar surface of the proximal flexor tendons, and a corresponding plicated portion of the adjacent flexor tendon sheath. The two components mesh together like parts of a ratchet, locking the digit in a flexed position until the mechanism is disengaged. This system apparently allows bats to hang for long periods of time with reduced muscular activity. In this study, we document for the first time the presence of a similar tendon lock in dermopterans, an occurrence that provides additional support for the hypothesis that dermopterans and bats are sister taxa. The present work also includes observations on the morphology of the digital tendon system in chiropteran species not previously examined, including members of the Craseonycteridae, Mystacinidae and Kerivoulinae. Unlike other bats that have a TLM,Craseonycteris andKerivoula have a plicated proximal tendon sheath but lack distinct tubercles on the flexor tendon. This condition may be related to small body size or may represent an evolutionary intermediate between the presence of a well-developed TLM and the complete absence of this structure. Phyllostomids apparently lack the ratchet-like TLM typical of other bats, instead exhibiting modifications of the tendon sheath that may contribute to its function as a friction lock. Consideration of the distribution of TLM structures in the context of previous phylogenetic hypotheses suggests that a ratchet-type tendon lock was lost and reexpressed at least once and perhaps several times within Microchiroptera. The friction lock is an autapomorphy of Phyllostomidae.