cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why restraint is religiously unacceptable

I begin this essay by articulating an argument in support of the claim that theistic citizens ought not to support coercive policies for which they lack an adequate secular rationale. That argument employs various claims regarding God's nature to show: (i) that theistic citizens should expect to discern secular corroboration for each religiously grounded moral truth to which they adhere; and (ii) theistic citizens should doubt any religiously grounded moral claim for which they cannot discern an adequate secular rationale. I dispute both (i) and (ii) and conclude that theistic citizens may reasonably reject the claim that they ought not to support coercive policies for which they lack an adequate secular rationale.
When and where is binocular rivalry resolved in the visual cortex

Anatomically "early" visual areas including striate cortex (V1) are known to play a role in the resolution of binocular rivalry. However, the time course of such activity and its relationship with subjective perception are unclear. The present study used an intermittent stimulation design to measure event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with perception during binocular rivalry and during physical alternations of the same stimuli. When gratings of high or low spatial frequencies were presented in physical alternation, the amplitude of the earliest cortical ERP component (the C1, at 60-100 ms) was larger for high spatial frequencies. When the same two stimuli competed during rivalry, however, C1 amplitudes were equivalent for perceptions of high versus low spatial frequency. These findings suggest that rivalry is not resolved before or during the initial cortical response at 60-100 ms. At longer latencies (approximately 130-160 ms), however, occipital ERPs with similar topographies and estimated sources as the C1 differed according to perception in both the rivalry and physical alternation conditions. These results suggest that during rivalry, neural activity coupled with the dominant percept first emerges in anatomically early visual cortex, but at delayed latencies.
The ubiquitin-associated domain of hPLIC-2 interacts with the proteasome.

The ubiquitin-like hPLIC proteins can associate with proteasomes, and hPLIC overexpression can specifically interfere with ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis (Kleijnen et al., 2000 ). Because the hPLIC proteins can also interact with certain E3 ubiquitin protein ligases, they may provide a link between the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation machineries. The amino-terminal ubiquitin-like (ubl) domain is a proteasome-binding domain. Herein, we report that there is a second proteasome-binding domain in hPLIC-2: the carboxyl-terminal ubiquitin-associated (uba) domain. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments of wild-type and mutant hPLIC proteins revealed that the ubl and uba domains each contribute independently to hPLIC-2–proteasome binding. There is specificity for the interaction of the hPLIC-2 uba domain with proteasomes, because uba domains from several other proteins failed to bind proteasomes. Furthermore, the binding of uba domains to polyubiquitinated proteins does not seem to be sufficient for the proteasome binding. Finally, the uba domain is necessary for the ability of full-length hPLIC-2 to interfere with the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis of p53. The PLIC uba domain has been reported to bind and affect the functions of proteins such as GABAA receptor and presenilins. It is possible that the function of these proteins may be regulated or mediated through proteasomal degradation pathways.
Origins and Persistence of State-Sponsored Militias: Path Dependent Processes in Third World Military Development

Abstract This article uses a sequential mixed method approach to examine the origins and persistence of paramilitaries and state-sponsored militias in the developing world. Combining comparative case studies of Southeast Asia and the Middle East with statistical analysis, it shows that revolutionary decolonization produces more decentralized and localized force structures, while direct inheritance of colonial armies leads to more conventional force structures. Subsequently, the level of competition within the regional system influences whether a state can persist in the use of paramilitaries or must transition to a more centralized, conventional force.
The Prehistory of Samba: Carnival Dancing in Rio de Janeiro, 1840–1917

Rio's pre-Lenten carnival and its Afro-Brazilian dance, samba, have been symbols of Brazilian identity since the 1930s. This article explores the choreographical antecedents of samba, before the crystallisation of the modern dance genre with that name, highlighting the importance of earlier social dances in the evolution of the twentieth-century symbol. It traces the development of carnival dancing in Rio de Janeiro from the time when few danced, through the long reign of the polka, to the emergence of generalised carnival street dancing around 1889. A modified view of the roots of samba has interesting implications for on-going debates on the social meaning of Brazilian carnival.
A practical approach to solve Secure Multi-party Computation problems

Secure Multi-party Computation (SMC) problems deal with the following situation: Two (or many) parties want to jointly perform a computation. Each party needs to contribute its private input to this computation, but no party should disclose its private inputs to the other parties, or to any third party. With the proliferation of the Internet, SMC problems becomes more and more important. So far no practical solution has emerged, largely because SMC studies have been focusing on zero information disclosure, an ideal security model that is expensive to achieve.Aiming at developing practical solutions to SMC problems, we propose a new paradigm, in which we use an acceptable security model that allows partial information disclosure. Our conjecture is that by lowering the restriction on the security, we can achieve a much better performance. The paradigm is motivated by the observation that in practice people do accept a less secure but much more efficient solution because sometimes disclosing information about their private data to certain degree is a risk that many people would rather take if the performance gain is so significant. Moreover, in our paradigm, the security is adjustable, such that users can adjust the level of security based on their definition of the acceptable security. We have developed a number of techniques under this new paradigm, and are currently conducting extensive studies based on this new paradigm.
LXXXI.—Studies on fishes of the family Characidae. No. 1. A new genus of cheirodontine characids from the Canal De Casiquiare and adjacent waters in Venezuela and northern Brazil

(1952). LXXXI.—Studies on fishes of the family Characidae. No. 1. A new genus of cheirodontine characids from the Canal De Casiquiare and adjacent waters in Venezuela and northern Brazil. Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Vol. 5, No. 56, pp. 775-777.
Surface-reconstruction-induced changes in free-carrier scattering from the W(100) surface: An infrared surface-electromagnetic-wave study

Using the infrared-absorption technique of surface-electromagnetic-wave spectroscopy (SEWS) we have studied the effects of H/sub 2/ and D/sub 2/ chemisorption on the SEW attenuation coefficient ..cap alpha.. in the 10-..mu..m region between 165 and 350 K. The change in ..cap alpha.. at room temperature has also been measured for N/sub 2/, O/sub 2/, and CO adsorption. The coverage (C-italicT-italicH-italicE-italicT-italicA-italic) dependence of ..cap alpha.. for N/sub 2/, O/sub 2/, and CO is fairly simple (either a monotonic increase (N/sub 2/) or a peak at some intermediate coverage (O/sub 2/, CO)) and points to changes in free-carrier (FC) surface scattering as the dominant ..cap alpha..-changing mechanism. Much richer structure in ..cap alpha..(C-italicT-italicH-italicE-italicT-italicA-italic) upon H/sub 2/ and D/sub 2/ adsorption is observed: A small peak followed by a sharp dip at C-italicT-italicH-italicE-italicT-italicA-italic = 0.42 monolayer (ML) (C-italicT-italicH-italicE-italicT-italicA-italic = 2 monolayers equivalentsaturation), a broad maximum at C-italicT-italicH-italicE-italicT-italicA-italic = 1.28 ML, and a value at C-italicT-italicH-italicE-italicT-italicA-italic = 2.0 ML higher than for the clean surface. For C-italicT-italicH-italicE-italicT-italicA-italic>0.42 ML the variations are dominated by reconstruction-induced changes in FC scattering from the surface.
Electron cyclotron resonance deposition of a-Si:H and a-C:H films

Amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films have been deposited by electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave plasma enhanced CVD. A high deposition rate of 25 A/sec and a light-to-dark conductivity ratio of 500,000 for a-Si:H films have been achieved by the ECR process using a pure silane plasma. ECR microwave plasmas have been analyzed by in situ optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and have shown a strong H-asterisk emission at 434 nm indicating higher chemical reactivity than RF plasmas. The linear correlation between the film deposition rate and the SiH-asterisk emission intensity of ECR silane plasma suggests that SiH-asterisk species are related to the neutral radicals which are responsible for the a-Si:H film deposition. Hard and soft a-C:H films have been deposited by ECR with and without RF bias power, respectively. The RF bias to the substrate is found to play a critical role in determining the film structure and the carbon bonding configuration of ECR deposited a-C:H films. Raman spectra of these films indicate that ECR deposition conditions can be optimized to produce diamond films.
An efficient, highly regioselective synthesis of substituted (1-cyclohexenyl) acetic acid derivatives via ionization/elimination of β-lactones

Abstract When treated with magnesium bromide, spiro β-lactones undergo an ionization/elimination reaction to afford cyclohexenyl acetic acid derivatives in high yield and isomeric purity.
NADPH Diaphorase Histochemistry Detects Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthetase Activity in the Thymus of Naive and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B-stimulated Mice

Here we examined the changes in NADPH diaphorase (NADPHd) and inducible nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS) positivity in the medulla of the mouse thymus in response to treatment with the superantigen, Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). A few NADPHd+ and iNOS+ cells scattered in the medulla were detected in the thymi of naive mice. SEB induced the appearance of a large number of NADPHd+- and iNOS-immunoreactive cells in the thymic medulla. In the thymus of iNOS-deficient mice, a total absence of these NADPHd+ and iNOS+ medullary cells was found both under basal conditions and after SEB stimulation. With the NADPHd reaction, only endothelial staining was detected in the thymi of iNOS-deficient mice. Our data indicate that NADPHd+ cells in the thymic medulla express iNOS and that SEB induces iNOS expression in the mouse thymus.
On the Efficacy of a Fused CPU+GPU Processor (or APU) for Parallel Computing

The graphics processing unit (GPU) has made significant strides as an accelerator in parallel computing. However, because the GPU has resided out on PCIe as a discrete device, the performance of GPU applications can be bottlenecked by data transfers between the CPU and GPU over PCIe. Emerging heterogeneous computing architectures that "fuse" the functionality of the CPU and GPU, e.g., AMD Fusion and Intel Knights Ferry, hold the promise of addressing the PCIe bottleneck. In this paper, we empirically characterize and analyze the efficacy of AMD Fusion, an architecture that combines general-purposex86 cores and programmable accelerator cores on the same silicon die. We characterize its performance via a set of micro-benchmarks (e.g., PCIe data transfer), kernel benchmarks(e.g., reduction), and actual applications (e.g., molecular dynamics). Depending on the benchmark, our results show that Fusion produces a 1.7 to 6.0-fold improvement in the data-transfer time, when compared to a discrete GPU. In turn, this improvement in data-transfer performance can significantly enhance application performance. For example, running a reduction benchmark on AMD Fusion with its mere 80 GPU cores improves performance by 3.5-fold over the discrete AMD Radeon HD 5870 GPU with its 1600 more powerful GPU cores.
Working memory capacity and retrieval from long-term memory: the role of controlled search

In two experiments, the role of working memory capacity (WMC) in the controlled search of long-term memory was examined. Participants performed a prolonged category fluency task that required them to retrieve as many animals as possible in 5 min. The results suggested that WMC differences arose in the numbers of animals retrieved, the numbers of clusters retrieved, and the rates of the retrieval (Exp. 1). However, no differences were found in terms of how participants initiated retrieval or in the nature of the clusters generated. Furthermore, an examination of differences in retrieval strategies suggested that high-WMC individuals were more strategic than low-WMC individuals and that these differences in retrieval strategies accounted for the overall differences in the numbers of animals retrieved. Additionally, presenting participants with retrieval cues eliminated WMC differences in the numbers of animals retrieved (Exp. 2). These results suggest that low-WMC individuals are less able than high-WMC individuals to select and utilize appropriate retrieval strategies to self-generate cues to access information in long-term memory. Collectively, the results are consistent with research suggesting that WMC is important for controlled search from long-term memory.
StoryLines: an approach to navigating multisequential news and entertainment in a multiscreen framework

Using the iPad as a substitute for the remote control, and the Google TV platform as a model for a convergence information environment, StoryLines presents a timeline-based method of navigating news and episodic television in the context of rich archival resources. This approach allows us to present individual threads within a multisequential story environment and to demonstrate the sense-making value of a filtered multisequential timeline presentation.
Management of severe craniofacial deformity.

The concepts of craniofacial surgery and its place in our society are discussed, with a historical survey detailing the development of the techniques used. The range of conditions seen in the South Australian Craniofacial Unit and the results and complications of surgery are presented. Discussion includes the types of patients considered for craniofacial surgery, the optimal age for operation, the limitations of surgery, and the benefits of a team approach to the patient. Problems associated with the formation and operation of a regional craniofacial service in Australasia are presented.
The rotundifolia complex of the genus Amblycorypha (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae): Songs reveal New species

Since 1934, the rotundifolia complex of Amblycorypha has consisted of two named species: Amblycorypha parvipennis Stal, occurring from the Mississippi River westward into the eastern edges of the Great Plains, and Amblycorypha rotundifolia, occurring in most of the eastern United States. The latter entity is here shown to consist of at least three species with distinctive calling songs and different but overlapping geographical distributions. At 25C, A. rotundifolia (Scudder) produces 26 calling song units (phonatomes) per s, whereas Amblycorypha bartrami n. sp. Walker, A. parvipennis, and Amblycorypha alexanderi n. sp. Walker produce 10, 5, and 2.8 ph/s respectively. Amblycorypha rotundifolia occurs from Illinois to New York and southward along the Appalachians to northern Georgia. Amblycorypha bartrami occurs in the southeastern states, and A. alexanderi broadly overlaps the distributions of the other two eastern species. Where A. alexanderi and A. rotundifolia are sympatric, the two occur in similar habitats; where A. alexanderi and A. bartrami are sympatric, A. bartrami occurs in more xeric habitats. No morphological characters were found that reliably identify the three eastern species, yet no fewer than three species must be recognized to provide names for populations that behave as distinct species where they co-occur.
Recent Advances in Neuropsychological Assessment of Children

Neuropsychological assessment of children has expanded substantially in recent years, with a broadening of goals, assessment approaches, and populations served. Knowledge acquired from various disciplines including developmental and cognitive psychology, clinical neurosciences, and child psychiatry is increasingly being incorporated into child neuropsychological assessment models. An attempt is made in this chapter to highlight recent trends in child neuropsychological assessment. A broad presentation of the major domains, issues, and developments is presented. Our goal is to provide clinically useful information and multiple citations to point the reader to sources where more detailed consideration of each issue is provided.
Single chain structure of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) surfactant in water.

We present atomistic simulations of a single PNIPAM–alkyl copolymer surfactant in aqueous solution at temperatures below and above the LCST of PNIPAM. We compare properties of the surfactant with pure PNIPAM oligomers of similar lengths, such as the radius of gyration and solvent accessible surface area, to determine the differences in their structures and transition behavior. We also explore changes in polymer–polymer and polymer–water interactions, including hydrogen bond formation. The expected behavior is observed in the pure PNIPAM oligomers, where the backbone folds onto itself above the LCST in order to shield the hydrophobic groups from water. The surfactant, on the other hand, does not show much conformational change as a function of temperature, but instead folds to bring the hydrophobic alkyl tail and PNIPAM headgroup together at all temperatures. The atomic detail available from these simulations offers important insight into understanding how the transition behavior is changed in PNIPAM-based...
The application of ADI DSP processor in electric secondary equipment products

ADI DSP processors have a broad application in electric secondary equipment products.This paper introduces ADI DSP processor series, the application situation reference, the hardware and software development flow in electric secondary equipment development.
On the design of scalable and reusable accelerators for big data applications

Accelerators are becoming key elements of computing platforms for both data centers and mobile devices as they deliver energy-efficient high performance for key computational kernels. However, the design and integration of such components is complex, especially for Big Data applications where they have very large workloads to elaborate. Properly customizing the accelerators' private local memories (PLMs) is of critical importance. To analyze this problem we design an accelerator for Collaborative Filtering by applying a system-level design methodology that allows us to synthesize many alternative micro-architectures as we vary the PLM sizes. We then evaluate the resulting accelerators in terms of resource requirements for both embedded architectures and data centers as we vary the size and density of the workloads.
TRANSPORT IN LIQUID SYSTEMS WITH DIFFUSION AND REACTION COUPLING

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses transport in liquid systems with diffusion and reaction coupling. When chemical reactions take place in nonhomogeneous mixtures of many components, complicated behavior may be expected as any entity may pass through many different environments in its lifetime. Interaction with neighboring species may lead to chemical reaction or to a directed motion which we describe in terms of bulk motion and diffusion. Systems of this type are important in engineering and in biology. The chapter presents a comparison of fine-scale diffusion effects that occur in a mixture in which there are no large-scale concentration gradients, with a situation in which the effects are on a large scale. The chapter discusses diffusion in multicomponent systems in situations of constant temperature and pressure and no external forces.
Ballot order effects in direct democracy elections

Many political practitioners believe that voters are more likely to approve propositions listed at the top than the bottom of the ballot, potentially distorting democratic decision making, and this belief influences election laws across the United States. Numerous studies have investigated ballot order effects in candidate elections, but there is little evidence for direct democracy elections, and identification of causal effects is challenging. This paper offers two strategies for identifying the effect of ballot order in proposition elections, using data from California during 1958–2014 and Texas during 1986–2015. The evidence suggests that propositions are not advantaged by being listed at the top compared to the bottom of the ballot. Approval rates are lower with more propositions on the ballot.
Electrolyte Abnormalities in Febrile Seizures

The role of serum sodium in susceptibility to complicated febrile convulsions was studied in 115 children admitted with simple or complicated febrile convulsions to the Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.
Error Correction and the Structure of Inter-Trial Fluctuations in a Redundant Movement Task.

We study inter-trial movement fluctuations exhibited by human participants during the repeated execution of a virtual shuffleboard task. Focusing on skilled performance, theoretical analysis of a previously-developed general model of inter-trial error correction is used to predict the temporal and geometric structure of variability near a goal equivalent manifold (GEM). The theory also predicts that the goal-level error scales linearly with intrinsic body-level noise via the total body-goal sensitivity, a new derived quantity that illustrates how task performance arises from the interaction of active error correction and passive sensitivity properties along the GEM. Linear models estimated from observed fluctuations, together with a novel application of bootstrapping to the estimation of dynamical and correlation properties of the inter-trial dynamics, are used to experimentally confirm all predictions, thus validating our model. In addition, we show that, unlike “static” variability analyses, our dynamical approach yields results that are independent of the coordinates used to measure task execution and, in so doing, provides a new set of task coordinates that are intrinsic to the error-regulation process itself.
Intracranial dual-mode IVUS transducer for image-guided brain therapy preliminary experiments

In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using 3.5-Fr IVUS catheters for minimally-invasive, image-guided hyperthermia treatment of tumors in the brain. Feasibility is demonstrated in two ways: 1) by fitting a 3.5-Fr IVUS catheter with a 5 × 0.5 × 0.22 mm PZT-4 transducer for 9-MHz imaging, and 2) by testing an identical transducer for therapy potential with 3.3-MHz CW excitation. The imaging transducer's performance was compared to a 9-Fr, 9-MHz ICE catheter as a gold standard, visualizing a 2.5-cm cyst phantom and a postmortem ovine brain. The therapy transducer was able to maintain a power output of 700 mW, achieving a temperature rise of +19°C at a depth of 1.5 mm in excised brain tumor tissue.
Real-time adaptive distributed state estimation in smart grids

The paper presents a fully distributed framework for sequential recursive state estimation in inter-connected electrical power systems. Specifically, the setup considered involves a grid partitioned into multiple control areas that communicate over a sparse communication network. In the absence of a global sensor data fusion center (the conventional centralized SCADA) and with sensing model uncertainties, an adaptive distributed state estimation approach, the DAE, is proposed in which the system control areas engage in a collaborative joint (model) learning and (state) estimation procedure through sequential information exchange over the pre-assigned communication network. The proposed distributed estimation methodology is recursive, in that, each system control area refines its state estimate at a given sampling instant by suitably combining its past estimate with the newly collected local measurement(s) and the information obtained from its communication neighbors. Under rather weak assumptions of global observability and connectivity of the control area communication network, the proposed distributed adaptive scheme is shown to yield consistent system state estimates (i.e., estimates that converge to the true system state in the large sample limit), the convergence rate being optimal in the Fisher information sense. As discussed, the proposed approach based on local communication and computation is suitable for real-time implementation as opposed to conventional centralized SCADA based estimation architectures with periodic data gathering and processing, thus being potentially more responsive and adaptive to sensed data generated by advanced non-conventional sensing resources like the PMUs with significantly higher system sampling rates.
Bifurcation trees of periodic motions to chaos in a parametric Duffing oscillator

In this paper, bifurcation trees of periodic motions to chaos in a damped, parametric Duffing oscillator are investigated. From the semi-analytic method, differential equations of nonlinear dynamical systems are discretized first to obtain implicit mappings. Following the implicit mapping structures, periodic nodes of periodic motions are computed. The bifurcation trees of period-1 to period-4 motions are presented to demonstrate the routes of period-1 motions to chaos, and the corresponding stability and bifurcation are determined by eigenvalue analysis. For a better understanding of nonlinear behaviors of periodic motions in a parametric Duffing oscillator, harmonic frequency–amplitude characteristics of periodic motions are presented. From the analytical predictions, numerical simulations are performed. The trajectory, time-histories of displacement and velocity, harmonic amplitudes and phases of period-1 to period-4 motions are presented. Based on comparison of numerical and analytical results, determined is how many harmonic terms should be included in finite Fourier series, which help one select harmonic terms in analytical solutions and engineering application.
Linearizing an intermodulation radar transmitter by filtering switched tones

For nonlinear radar, the transmit power required to measure a detectable response from a target is relatively high, and generating that high power is achieved at the cost of linearity. This paper applies the distortion mitigation technique Linearization by Time-Multiplexed Spectrum (LITMUS) to intermodulation radar, a type of nonlinear radar which receives spectral content produced by the mixing of multiple frequencies at a nonlinear target. By implementing LITMUS, an experimental detection system for an intermodulation radar achieves a signal-to-noise ratio up to 20 dB for a total transmit power of approximately 80 mW and nonlinear targets placed at a standoff distance of 2 meters.
Suppression of greasy spot disease caused by Mycosphaerella citri Whiteside on grapefruit trees in an organic orchard using an aqueous organic mixture of composted cornmeal, humic acid, molasses, and fish oil versus vegetable oil ☆

Abstract Greasy spot disease of citrus, caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella citri Whiteside, afflicts citrus trees in all citrus-growing areas of the United States, eastern Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean islands, causing premature defoliation, blemished fruit, and reduced tree vigor, yield, and fruit size. This three-year study investigated the effects of organic, nonconventional tactics using an aqueous organic mixture, steeped for 10 h, of composted cornmeal, humic acid, molasses, and fish oil and an aqueous suspension of vegetable oil, separately and in combination, for greasy spot suppression in an organic grapefruit, Citrus paradisi Macfad., orchard in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The extent of greasy spot infection on each tree was consistently reduced by each of the treatments throughout much of every growing season. The organic mixture had a more consistent, though lesser, effect on greasy spot reduction when precipitation was relatively high in the spring than when spring rains were relatively light. In four of five field experiments conducted during this study, late season bare patches on the tree canopies were more extensive on the control trees than on treated trees. While fruit yield was not consistent in terms of treatment effects, the organic mixture and vegetable oil treatments each protected foliage from greasy spot infection to limited extents during years with wet springs. The greatest protection was observed during a year with a relatively dry spring.
Blue-White Veil as Novel Dermatoscopic Feature in Discoid Lupus Erythematosus in 2 African-American Patients

Dermoscopic features of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) depend on the stage of the lesions: active lesions include yellow-brown dots and red dots, whereas longstanding inactive lesions show absence of follicular openings, cicatricial milky red or white patches, structureless white and brown areas, and thick arborizing vessels. Loss of pinpoint white dots, blue-gray dots in a speckled pattern, and a peripheral pigmented network have been described on dermoscopy of DLE in dark skin. We report a blue-white veil as a novel dermoscopic feature in 2 cases of biopsy-proven DLE in African-American patients. Dry trichoscopy revealed a central white area surrounded by irregular patchy areas of confluent blue and brown pigment and an overlying white "ground-glass" hue. This corresponds on pathology to the hyperkeratosis overlying interface changes at the dermal-epidermal junction, with pigment incontinence and melanophages in the papillary dermis.
Continuity and Change in the Native American Village: Multicultural Origins and Descendants of the Fort Ancient Culture

Two common questions asked in archaeological investigations are: where did a particular culture come from, and which living cultures is it related to? In this book, Robert A. Cook brings a theoretically and methodologically holistic perspective to his study on the origins and continuity of Native American villages in the North American Midcontinent. He shows that to affiliate archaeological remains with descendant communities fully we need to unaffiliate some of our well-established archaeological constructs. Cook demonstrates how and why Native American villages formed and responded to events such as migration, environment and agricultural developments. He focuses on the big picture of cultural relatedness over broad regions and the amount of social detail that can be gleaned from archaeological and biological data, as well as oral histories.
Autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Toxic oxygen radicals (collectively called reactive oxygen species, ROS) are intricately related to a vast number of disease processes including a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders1. It is difficult to directly measure ROS because of their extremely short half-life. However, the reactions in which they participate often leave measurable markers (“footprints”) that reflect oxidant activity. Primarily four strategies have evolved to detect oxidant activity for diagnostic purposes:1) measuring products of oxidation, for example lipid peroxides or oxidized glutathione (GSSG); 2) measuring the release of products from damaged cells, for example the release of hepatic enzymes during acute hepatitis; 3) measuring antioxidant enzyme activities which may reflect the systemic compensation to oxidant stress; 4) ROS can be directly measured although the technology is complex and imperfect, the methodology somewhat complicated, and the equipment cost often prohibitive. In this review, I will discuss sources of selected oxidant markers, methodologies involved in their measurement, and their relevance to the diagnosis and management of several autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Predicting Soil Organic Carbon and Total Nitrogen in the Russian Chernozem from Depth and Wireless Color Sensor Measurements

Color sensor technologies offer opportunities for affordable and rapid assessment of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) in the field, but the applicability of these technologies may vary by soil type. The objective of this study was to use an inexpensive color sensor to develop SOC and TN prediction models for the Russian Chernozem (Haplic Chernozem) in the Kursk region of Russia. Twenty-one dried soil samples were analyzed using a Nix Pro™ color sensor that is controlled through a mobile application and Bluetooth to collect CIEL*a*b* (darkness to lightness, green to red, and blue to yellow) color data. Eleven samples were randomly selected to be used to construct prediction models and the remaining ten samples were set aside for cross validation. The root mean squared error (RMSE) was calculated to determine each model’s prediction error. The data from the eleven soil samples were used to develop the natural log of SOC (lnSOC) and TN (lnTN) prediction models using depth, L*, a*, and b* for each sample as predictor variables in regression analyses. Resulting residual plots, root mean square errors (RMSE), mean squared prediction error (MSPE) and coefficients of determination (R2, adjusted R2) were used to assess model fit for each of the SOC and total N prediction models. Final models were fit using all soil samples, which included depth and color variables, for lnSOC (R2 = 0.987, Adj. R2 = 0.981, RMSE = 0.003, p-value < 0.001, MSPE = 0.182) and lnTN (R2 = 0.980 Adj. R2 = 0.972, RMSE = 0.004, p-value < 0.001, MSPE = 0.001). Additionally, final models were fit for all soil samples, which included only color variables, for lnSOC (R2 = 0.959 Adj. R2 = 0.949, RMSE = 0.007, p-value < 0.001, MSPE = 0.536) and lnTN (R2 = 0.912 Adj. R2 = 0.890, RMSE = 0.015, p-value < 0.001, MSPE = 0.001). The results suggest that soil color may be used for rapid assessment of SOC and TN in these agriculturally important soils.
Geoarchaeology in Alluvial Landscapes

This chapter is a discussion of geoarchaeology in fluvial environments ranging from temperate to arid. This environmental framework is chosen because of the striking differences in fluvial systems that pertain to alluvial records across different environments. The archaeological objectives in these different settings may differ slightly, owing to unique or specialized forms of adaptation in different environments; for example, the use of irrigation. But in the main, it is the characteristics of alluvial landforms, deposits, and soils that vary across bioclimatic clines, rather than the kinds of archaeological questions and problems that are pursued there. In this sense, geoarchaeological methods employed for defining stratigraphic frameworks, dating deposits and sites, and reconstructing environments and site formation histories are not specific to certain bioclimatic settings.
Managing Temporal Uncertainty Through Waypoint Controllability

Simple Temporal Networks have proved useful in applications that involve metric time. However, many applications involve events whose timing is not controlled by the execution agent. A number of properties relating to overall controllability in such cases have been introduced in [Vidal and Ghallab, 1996] and [Vidal and Fargier, 1997], including Weak and Strong Controllability. We derive some new results concerning these properties. In particular, we prove the negation of Weak Controllability is NP-hard, confirming a conjecture in [Vidal and Fargier, 1997]. We also introduce a more general controllability property of which Weak and Strong Controllability are special cases. A propagation algorithm is provided for determining whether the property holds, and we identify tractable cases where the algorithm runs in polynomial time.
Persistence of herpes simplex virus DNA in rabbit corneal cells

Corneal cell cultures were established from the corneas of rabbits killed during a period of latency 118 d after ocular infection with the RE strain of herpes simplex virus (HSV). DNA was isolated from frozen cell pellets of 42 cell cultures that did not develop viral cytopathic effects during 44 d in culture. Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify HSV thymidine kinase (TK) gene sequences, HSV-specific DNA was detected in 15 of 42 culture-negative cell cultures. Subsequent reamplification, using nested primers that were complementary to HSV TK sequences internal to the orginal primers, resulted in eight additional culture-negative samples showing positive hybridization for HSV TK DNA. Twenty three of the 42 virus culture-negative corneal cell cultures tested by PCR were found to contain HSV genetic material. Detailed examination of the clinical histories of the eyes from which the corneal cultures were obtained showed no correlation between increased frequency or severity of epithelial disease, stromal disease, or virus shedding and more frequent isolation of virus or detection of HSV-specific DNA. These studies document that HSV DNA residues in the corneas of HSV-infected rabbits up to 118 d post-infection. About 10% of the eyes contained virus that could be reactivated in culture, whereas an additional 55% of the eyes contained DNA sequences homologous to a portion of the HSV TK gene.
El ejido mexicano en el siglo XIX

In this historical note, Robert J. Knowlton seeks to clarify the meaning of the word "ejido" because of confusion and difier­ences in writers' use of the term. He also reviews government acts and federal court cases involving the ejido, in order to place it in the larger context of nineteenth century village land legislation. The meaning of "ejido" differed between Spain and Mexico and within Mexico between Spanish and Indian towns, and there were differences in ejido land usage, as well. In the nineteenth century, prior to the Porfirian period, ejidos were generally excluded from efforts to individualize village communal lands. lnconststent application of the laws characterized the actions of officials and judges. Furthermore, defects in the Iegislation and villagers' opposition to division of Iands protracted the partition process. Knowlton doubts that the liberals' hoped for economic and social benefits from partition outweighed the costs for the typical villager.
Therian Teeth of Unusual Design from the Mid-Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian) Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah

Enigmatic, abundant mammalian teeth from the medial Cretaceous of Utah are shown to belong to antemolar loci, based on dentulous jaw fragments; isolated teeth representing several upper premolar loci and the reconstructed c-p4 series are identified. Three species, differing in size and morphology, can be recognized. Morphological appropriateness, relative abundance, and distributional data indicate that the teeth can be referred with some confidence to the three symmetrodonts known from the Cedar Mountain Formation: Spalacolestes cretulablatta, S. inconcinnus, and Spalacotheridium noblei. If the specimens represent replacement or successional teeth, they are strikingly atypical for Mesozoic mammals, particularly in their low crowns and high degree of molarization at posterior loci. Jaw structure, wear pattern, and aspects of tooth morphology (e.g., proportions, degree of molarization, enamel thickness) favor the alternative hypothesis that these teeth are deciduous. Diphyodonty at all antemolar loci is generally assumed to represent the primitive condition for mammals, though fossil evidence is scant; some of the earliest mammals are known to undergo replacement only at the last premolar locus, with ontogenetic loss (rather than replacement) mesially. Available evidence suggests that, like the eupantothere Dryolestes, North American spalacotheriid symmetrodonts probably underwent single replacement at most or all premolar loci and that the deciduous series became progressively more molariform distally, particularly at the p3–4 loci. Assuming that these teeth are deciduous, their great abundance in the Cedar Mountain Formation (and, apparently, elsewhere in the Cretaceous of North America) suggests that North American spalacotheriids were subject to unusually high juvenile mortality rates or, more probably, that succession at premolar loci took place late in ontogeny, compared to other Mesozoic mammals.
Assistance: Is it Better to Receive Than to Give?

Assistance, or service, is becoming increasingly important in the information economy, but few people have studied it. MAEDEN provides a testbed for studying service using a variety of agent architectures. We are developing GARCIA, an architecture that supports interactions between agents and where one agent can provides assistance to another that is in need of help. We present several recent empirical studies that go beyond previous work with the intent of identifying fundamental features
Faculty perception before, during and after implementation of standards-based grading

An effective transition to a new grading system requires a process of reflecting on experiences to understand and reframe perceptions of grading. Standards-based grading (SBG), an alternative to th...
Testing a somatization hypothesis to explain the Black-White depression paradox.

Epidemiologic studies document a lower prevalence of major depression in Blacks than Whites in the United States. This is paradoxical from the perspective of social stress theory. A long-standing claim in the (clinical) literature is that Blacks express depression more somatically than Whites. If true, the diagnostic algorithm may undercount depression in Blacks, since the screening symptoms privilege the psychological rather than somatic dimensions of depression. We test hypotheses that (1) Blacks express depression more somatically than Whites which (2) reduces their likelihood of endorsing screening symptoms, thereby undercounting Blacks’ depression and explaining the Black–White depression paradox. We use cross-sectional data collected in 1991–92 from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (n = 42,862) among Blacks and Whites endorsing at least one past-12-month depression symptom. We compare groups on depression somatization and test whether greater somatization in Blacks leads to lower endorsement of psychological screening symptoms, and therefore under-diagnosis. Blacks have higher mean depression somatization scores than Whites (0.28, SE 0.04 vs. 0.15, SE 0.02), t(122) = − 2.15, p = 0.03. This difference is small and driven by Blacks’ higher endorsement of 1 somatic symptom (weight/appetite change) and Whites’ greater propensity to endorse psychological symptoms. However, Blacks have the same odds as Whites of endorsing screening symptoms, before and after adjusting for somatization. We find minimal evidence that Blacks express depression more somatically than Whites. Furthermore, this small difference does not appear to inhibit endorsement of diagnostic depression screening symptoms among Blacks, and therefore does not resolve the Black–White depression paradox.
State Case Study of Computing Education Governance

High school computing education reform efforts have been ongoing across the United States, particularly in the past decade. Although national Computer Science (CS) for All initiatives are promising, states retain control over education policies. Recent computing education reform efforts in the state of Maryland (U.S.A.) focused on providing every public high school student with access to high-quality high school computing courses. Such access provides exposure to computing careers and better prepares a diverse pool of students for computing majors in college and the workforce. This comprehensive embedded multi-level case study examines the state’s computing education reform efforts from 2010 through 2016. The expansion of computing education indicates that while there was positive growth, the growth was not the same for all categories of public high school students. Top-down policies assist in providing leverage to elevate the need for CS; however, bottom-up efforts to support students and to enable teachers to retain autonomy and professionalism is also needed for CS expansion. Despite successes, barriers at the state, Local Education Agencies (LEA), school, and classroom levels persist and are discussed. The findings in this study can be applied to other states with similar governance structures and policies, and we provide specific recommendations.
On the norm convergence of non-conventional ergodic averages

We offer a proof of the following non-conventional ergodic theorem: If Ti:ℤr↷(X,Σ,μ) for i=1,2,…,d are commuting probability-preserving ℤr-actions, (IN)N≥1 is a Folner sequence of subsets of ℤr, (aN)N≥1 is a base-point sequence in ℤr and f1,f2,…,fd∈L∞(μ) then the non-conventional ergodic averages converge to some limit in L2(μ) that does not depend on the choice of (aN)N≥1 or (IN)N≥1. The leading case of this result, with r=1 and the standard sequence of averaging sets, was first proved by Tao, following earlier analyses of various more special cases and related results by Conze and Lesigne, Furstenberg and Weiss, Zhang, Host and Kra, Frantzikinakis and Kra and Ziegler. While Tao’s proof rests on a conversion to a finitary problem, we invoke only techniques from classical ergodic theory, so giving a new proof of his result.
Distribution‐free Approximate Methods for Constructing Confidence Intervals for Quantiles

Quantile estimation is important for a wide range of applications. While point estimates based on one or two order statistics are common, constructing confidence intervals around them, however, is a more difficult problem. This paper has two goals. First, it surveys the numerous distribution‐free methods for constructing approximate confidence intervals for quantiles. These techniques can be divided roughly into four categories: using a pivotal quantity, resampling, interpolation, and empirical likelihood methods. Second, a method based on the pivotal quantity that has received limited attention in the past is extended. Comprehensive simulation studies are used to compare performance across methods. The proposed method is simple and performs similarly to linear interpolation methods and a smoothed empirical likelihood method. While the proposed method has slightly wider interval widths, it can be calculated for more extreme quantiles even when there are few observations.