cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Machine Vision-Based Gestural Interface for People With Upper Extremity Physical Impairments

A machine vision-based gestural interface was developed to provide individuals with upper extremity physical impairments an alternative way to perform laboratory tasks that require physical manipulation of components. A color and depth based 3-D particle filter framework was constructed with unique descriptive features for face and hands representation. This framework was integrated into an interaction model utilizing spatial and motion information to deal efficiently with occlusions and its negative effects. More specifically, the suggested method proposed solves the false merging and false labeling problems characteristic in tracking through occlusion. The same feature encoding technique was subsequently used to detect, track and recognize users' hands. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed approach was superior to other state-of-the-art tracking algorithms when interaction was present (97.52% accuracy). For gesture encoding, dynamic motion models were created employing the dynamic time warping method. The gestures were classified using a conditional density propagation-based trajectory recognition method. The hand trajectories were classified into different classes (commands) with a recognition accuracy of 95.9%. In addition, the new approach was validated with the “one shot learning” paradigm with comparable results to those reported in 2012. In a validation experiment, the gestures were used to control a mobile service robot and a robotic arm in a laboratory chemistry experiment. Effective control policies were selected to achieve optimal performance for the presented gestural control system through comparison of task completion time between different control modes.
X-ray Crystal Structure of Bovine 3 Glu-Osteocalcin

The 3 Glu form of osteocalcin (3 Glu-OCN) is increased in serum during low vitamin K intake or oral anticoagulant use (warfarin). Previous reports using circular dichroism show it is less structured than 3 Gla Ca2+-osteocalcin and does not bind strongly to bone mineral. Recent studies have suggested a role for 3 Glu-OCN as a potential regulator of glucose metabolism. A G-protein-coupled receptor, GPRC6a, found in the pancreas and testes was identified as the putative osteocalcin receptor. The purpose of this study is to determine the high-resolution structure of bovine 3 Glu-OCN, using X-ray crystallography, to understand molecular interactions with mineral and the GPRC6a receptor. Diffraction quality crystals of thermally decarboxylated bovine osteocalcin were grown, and the crystal structure was determined to 1.88 A resolution. The final refined structure contained residues 17–47 and, like 3 Gla Ca2+-OCN, consisted of three α-helices surrounding a hydrophobic core, a C23–C29 disulfide bond between two o...
Quantum mechanical study of the structure and stability of molecular van der Waals' clusters II: (NH3)nHCN

The structures and stabilities of small mixed clusters of ammonia with hydrogen cyanide have been studied usingab initio electronic structure calculations at the Hartree Fock and Moller Plesset levels of theory. Stable structures for (NH3)nHCN, n=1, 2, 3 have been located. Two stable structures and a transition state for the heterodimer are described.
The histochemical classification of muscle fibers.

Abstract Histochemical studies have shown that red and white mammalian muscles are not homogeneous and that, regardless of the enzyme reaction employed, most white muscles possess three types of fibers and most red muscles possess one or two fiber types. Inasmuch as different nomenclatures for the three basic fiber types have been proposed (according to the histochemical technique used), we have attempted to reconcile these differences and achieve a unified nomenclature. Using serial sections of rat and cat muscle, the three fiber types (A, B, and C) revealed by the succinic dehydrogenase reaction were compared with the three types (α, β, and αβ) revealed by the actomyosin adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) reaction. The B fibers of both rat and cat are β (base-labile ATPase). However, the cat's A fibers are α (acid-labile ATPase) and the rat's are αβ (hybrid, or intermediate in pH labilty). Conversely, the cat's C fibers are αβ and the rat's are α. Thus, these classifications cannot be reconciled between species. Inasmuch as fiber typing is used extensively in clinical investigations of human diseases and in biochemical and physiological studies on mammals, it is important that the species, muscles, and enzymes studied be considered in interpreting results and that oversimplification of the three fiber types into a dual classification be avoided.
Finding expert authors in institutional repositories

Institutional repositories collect the output of scholarly activities at universities and similar organizations. While a great deal of research has treated curation, collection development, and interoperability in institutional repositories, the literature regarding information retrieval in these repositories is small. This poster reports initial work on an ongoing project to improve access to institutional repository data through advanced information retrieval techniques. In particular, this poster treats the problem of “expert finding” in institutional repositories. We propose that a useful mode of information discovery lies in supporting queries seeking people (as opposed to documents) who evince expertise on a given topic. This poster describes a framework for conducting searches of expert authors in institutional repositories. Additionally we report results from several empirical tests designed to judge the effect of various modeling decisions in the expert finding problem for expert finding in institutional repositories.
Optimum three-dimensional atmospheric entry

Abstract This paper presents the general solution for the optimal three dimensional aerodynamic control of a lifting vehicle entering a planetary atmosphere. A set of dimensionless variables is introduced, and the resulting exact equations of motion have the distinctive advantage that they are completely free of the physical characteristics of the vehicle. Furthermore, a general lift-drag polar is used to define the aerodynamic control. Hence, the results obtained apply to any type of vehicle of arbitrary weight, dimensions and shape, having an arbitrary polar and entering any planetary atmosphere.
Preventive War and the Epistemological Dimension of the Morality of War

Abstract This essay makes three claims about preventive war, which is demarcated from preemptive war and is part of a broader class of ‘anticipatory’ wars. Anticipatory wars, but especially preventive war, are ‘hard cases’ for traditional Just War theory; other puzzles for this tradition include nuclear deterrence, humanitarian intervention, and provability a priori of the success of Tit-for-Tat. First, and despite strong assertions to the contrary, it is far from clear that preventive war is absolutely prohibited in traditional Just War Theory, and it is also dubious that it is in all cases ‘clearly illegal’. Second, the morality of both preemptive and preventive wars is shown to turn on epistemological considerations: on what degree and kind of justification the primary metaphysical facts of threat can be reasonably believed. Third, an argument is made that whatever epistemic threshold is held to be necessary, some preventive wars will exceed it, and that this is more likely with advancing technologies ...
Racial differences in survival of women with breast cancer

The hypothesis that white women with breast cancer survive longer than black women with this disease was evaluated in a retrospective analysis of a population-based prospective follow-up study. All female residents of metropolitan Atlanta with a first diagnosis of primary breast cancer between 1 January 1978 and 31 December 1982 were eligible for inclusion. The study population of 2322 white and 536 black women was followed through the end of calendar year 1983 to determine vital status. Univariate, multivariate and excess death rate analyses were performed to evaluate race as a prognostic factor. Overall, the cumulative percentage of survivors at 3 years was 83% among whites, compared with 71% among blacks. The racial difference in survival was greatest among women with advanced disease, and a higher proportion of black women with advanced disease did not receive surgery. Even when the type of surgery and stage of disease were controlled, race was a significant prognostic factor.
Persistent Cell-Autonomous Circadian Oscillations in Fibroblasts Revealed by Six-Week Single-Cell Imaging of PER2::LUC Bioluminescence

Biological oscillators naturally exhibit stochastic fluctuations in period and amplitude due to the random nature of molecular reactions. Accurately measuring the precision of noisy oscillators and the heterogeneity in period and strength of rhythmicity across a population of cells requires single-cell recordings of sufficient length to fully represent the variability of oscillations. We found persistent, independent circadian oscillations of clock gene expression in 6-week-long bioluminescence recordings of 80 primary fibroblast cells dissociated from PER2::LUC mice and kept in vitro for 6 months. Due to the stochastic nature of rhythmicity, the proportion of cells appearing rhythmic increases with the length of interval examined, with 100% of cells found to be rhythmic when using 3-week windows. Mean period and amplitude are remarkably stable throughout the 6-week recordings, with precision improving over time. For individual cells, precision of period and amplitude are correlated with cell size and rhythm amplitude, but not with period, and period exhibits much less cycle-to-cycle variability (CV 7.3%) than does amplitude (CV 37%). The time series are long enough to distinguish stochastic fluctuations within each cell from differences among cells, and we conclude that the cells do exhibit significant heterogeneity in period and strength of rhythmicity, which we measure using a novel statistical metric. Furthermore, stochastic modeling suggests that these single-cell clocks operate near a Hopf bifurcation, such that intrinsic noise enhances the oscillations by minimizing period variability and sustaining amplitude.
Animation: the fundamental, essential, and properly descriptive concept

As its title indicates, this article shows animation to be the fundamental, essential, and properly descriptive concept to understandings of animate life. A critical and constructive path is taken toward an illumination of these threefold dimensions of animation. The article is critical in its attention to a central linguistic formulation in cognitive neuroscience, namely, enaction; it is constructive in setting forth an analysis of affectivity as exemplar of a staple of animate life, elucidating its biological and existential foundations in animation.
Former Members’ Perspectives are Key to Impacting the FARC

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia — Ejercito del Pueblo (FARC–EP or FARC) is one of the world’s longest surviving insurgency groups. They have worked endlessly to topple the Colombian Government since 1964. [1] The group began like many anti-government socialist groups did at the time, in the shadow of Fidel Castro’s Cuba. The FARC’s story however, is different from most insurgent groups due to their longevity and ability to survive. Their flexibility has allowed them to remain active and adapt to environmental changes. Since Colombia remains a major world producer of cocaine, with the FARC being the leading producer, this group’s eradication is a major responsibility of the world community. Interviews conducted in Bogota July 7-17, 2012 revealed evidence that the FARC operates much like a secular cult. The structure of its internal operations, and how members relate to each other and to leadership are similar to traits in religious cults. Examining these traits may shed light on how to better strategize military and civil forces fighting not only the physical attributes, but also the psychological ones to resist the FARC and similar groups. [1] This date is debated among scholars as the FARC claims inception in 1964, the date of Operation MARQUETALIA, although they did not organize themselves as the FARC until 1966 during the Second Guerilla Conference. This article is available in Journal of Strategic Security: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol6/iss1/10
Molecular mechanism of contractile dysfunction in cardiac allograft rejection.

Abstract Alterations in the β-adrenergic receptor adenylyl cyclase pathway are well known in heart failure. To determine if an alteration in this pathway occurs during the reversible phase of cardiac allograft rejection, we used a rat heterotopic heart transplant model. Lewis rats received either isografts or Lewis Brown Norway allografts. Cardiac grafts and native hearts were explanted 4, 5, or 6 days later. Receptor-mediated modulation of adenylyl cyclase activity was investigated using isoproterenol, forskolin, and the muscarinic and adenosine receptor agonists carbachol and R- N 6 -(C2-phenyl-isopropyl)-adenosine (R-PIA), respectively. Allografts demonstrated evidence of histological rejection and a significantly impaired response to forskolin and isoproterenol on all days: Forskolin Isoproterenol Isograft Allograft Isograft Allograft n Day 4 535 ± 34 363 ± 65 138 ± 18 91 ± 9 7 Day 5 500 ± 25 325 ± 37 88 ± 4 80 ± 12 4 Day 6 752 ± 56 333 ± 70 147 ± 16 92 ± 14 7 (% increase in cAMP in response to forskolin or isoproterenol ± standard error. All results P
Cell surface topography duringMarsilea spermiogenesis: Flagellar reorientation and membrane particle arrays

Changes in the cell surface during spermiogenesis in the fern,Marsilea, have been investigated by freeze-fracture. Early in development 150 or more flagella appear on the surface of the spermatid cell. As they grow in length, they change orientation in relation to the spermatid cell surface and to each other. While the flagella are growing, a band of membrane particles surrounds each flagellum at the transition zone. These particles disappear near the end of development and are not seen in mature sperm. Other particles are associated with the plasma membrane during development. One set of particles is found early in spermiogenesis in hexagonal arrays. At the end of spermiogenesis, these are no longer observed, but clusters of particles, with no particular order, appear around the flagellar bases, following the line of the flagellar band.
Effects of Sceletium tortuosum in rats

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Broad historical and current uses in addition to diverse activity on CNS targets may make Sceletium tortuosum a useful therapeutic in a variety of clinical settings. This study sought to more broadly characterize activity of Sceletium tortuosum and mesembrine in a number of common, rodent-based assays that model nociception, depression, anxiety, ataxia, and abuse liability. Materials and methods Male Sprague-Dawley were administered Sceletium tortuosum extract products and behavioral responses were evaluated in the conditioned place preference (CPP), hot plate, forced swim, elevated plus, and rotarod tests. Results and conclusions Sceletium tortuosum does not cause preference or aversion in CPP. Mesembrine appears to have analgesic properties without abuse liabilities or ataxia. The Sceletium tortuosum fraction has antidepressant properties but does produce ataxia. The ataxia may limit its usefulness as an antidepressant unless the antidepressant activity is associated with one constituent and the ataxia is associated with a separate constituent.
2 nd Generation dual-channel optimization with cSiGe for 22nm HP technology and beyond

In this paper we report on a comprehensive study of Silicon-Germanium channel (cSiGe) physics, layout effects and impact on device performance. This work demonstrates a 2nd generation of dual channel technology, which meets the 22nm high performance technology (HP) requirement. Modeling and simulation are used to optimize the process to obtain a 10% Short Channel Effect (SCE) improvement and an overall 20% performance enhancement. This 2nd generation high performance dual channel process has been integrated into a manufacturable and yieldable technology, thereby providing a solid platform for introduction of SiGe FinFet technology.
Structure/function of human type 1 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase: An intrasubunit disulfide bond in the Rossmann-fold domain and a Cys residue in the active site are critical for substrate and coenzyme utilization

The human type 1 (placenta, breast tumors) and type 2 (gonads, adrenals) isoforms of 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/isomerase (3beta-HSD) are key enzymes in steroidogenic pathways leading to the production of all active steroid hormones. Kinetic analyses of purified 3beta-HSD1 show that the Michaelis-Menten constants (Km) for substrates and cofactor are decreased dramatically (three- to eight-fold) by the addition of beta-mercaptoethanol (BME), which suggest that a disulfide bond may be critical to ligand utilization. Western immunoblots and SDS-PAGE of purified 3beta-HSD1 in the presence or absence of BME showed a lack of intersubunit disulfide bonds in the dimeric enzyme. The Rossmann-fold domain of 3beta-HSD1 contains two Cys residues, Cys72 and Cys111, which are capable of forming an intrasubunit disulfide bond based on their proximity in our structural model. Our structural model also predicts that Cys83 may affect the orientation of substrate and cofactor. To test these predictions, the C72S, C72F, C111S, C111A, C83S and C83A mutants of 3beta-HSD1 were produced, expressed, and purified. BME failed to diminish the Km values of substrate and cofactor for C72S, C72F, C111S and C111A but produced a 2.5 decrease in Km values for C83A ligands similar to wild-type 3beta-HSD. Thus, our results support the presence of an intrasubunit disulfide bond between Cys72 and Cys111 that participates in the tertiary structure of the Rossmann-fold domain. Although C83S had no enzyme activity, the C83A mutant enzyme exhibited two- to five-fold higher Km values for substrate and cofactor but had similar K(cat) values compared to wild-type 3beta-HSD. These data characterize the roles of Cys residues in 3beta-HSD and validate the predictions of our structural model.
Prescriptions for self-injectable epinephrine and follow-up referral in emergency department patients presenting with anaphylaxis

Background Anaphylaxis guidelines recommend that patients with a history of anaphylactic reaction should carry self-injectable epinephrine and should be referred to an allergist. Objective To evaluate how frequently patients dismissed from the emergency department after treatment for anaphylaxis received a prescription for self-injectable epinephrine or allergist referral. Methods A retrospective medical record review identified patients with anaphylaxis in a community-based study from 1990 through 2000. Records of patients with Hospital Adaptation of the International Classification of Diseases, Second Edition or International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes representing anaphylaxis were reviewed, and a random sample of patients with associated diagnoses was also reviewed. Patients who met the criteria for diagnosis of anaphylaxis were included in the study. Results Among 208 patients identified with anaphylaxis, 134 (64.4%) were seen in the emergency department and discharged home. On dismissal, 49 patients (36.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 28.4%-44.7%) were prescribed self-injectable epinephrine, and 42 patients (31.3%; 95% CI, 23.5%-39.2%) were referred to an allergist. Treatment with epinephrine in the emergency department (odds ratio, 3.6; 95% CI, 1.6-7.9; P = .001) and insect sting as the inciting allergen (odds ratio, 4.0; 95% CI, 1.6-10.5; P = .004) were significantly associated with receiving a prescription for self-injectable epinephrine. Patient age younger than 18 years was the only factor associated with referral to an allergist ( P = .007). Conclusions Most patients dismissed after treatment for anaphylaxis did not receive a self-injectable epinephrine prescription or allergist referral. Emergency physicians may be missing an important opportunity to ensure prompt treatment of future anaphylactic reactions and specialized follow-up care.
Resolution of ephedrine stones with dissolution therapy

Abstract A patient with a history of ingesting large quantities of an over-the-counter stimulant developed renal calculi that on further analysis, after stone passage, revealed increased amounts of ephedrine. Over the course of 7 months, all of the patient’s ephedrine stones were managed successfully by alkalinization. Similar to previously reported ephedrine calculi, these stones were radiolucent on x-ray imaging, but their course was monitored on serial nonenhanced computed tomography scans. We believe this to be the first reported use of alkaline therapy for the dissolution of renal stones containing ephedrine.
A mm-sized implantable power receiver with adaptive link compensation

Wireless powering of implanted devices obviates the need for batteries, which must be periodically replaced and constitute a health risk. There has long been an assumption that efficient wireless transfer of power to biomedical implants requires fields operating in the low MHz in order to avoid excess losses in tissue, thus requiring antenna diameters of a few cm [1]. Such antennae increase device size and thereby restrict the range of viable applications. This work presents a wireless power transfer system that uses an antenna area 100× smaller than previous designs [2] while maintaining the same power transfer efficiency over the same range.
Characterization of an Inducible, Antibiotic-Resistant Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase Gene in Streptomyces coelicolor

Streptomyces coelicolor has two genes encoding tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetases, one of which (trpRS1) is resistant to and transcriptionally activated by indolmycin. We found that this gene also confers resistance to chuangxinmycin (another antibiotic that inhibits bacterial tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetases) and that its transcription is not absolutely dependent on either antibiotic.
The impending globalization of ADHD: Notes on the expansion and growth of a medicalized disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been medicalized in the United States since the 1960s. Primarily used in North America until the 1990s, ADHD diagnosis and treatment have increasingly been applied internationally. After documenting the expansion of ADHD in a global context, this paper presents five brief international examples examining ADHD usage and expansion: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Brazil. We then identify and describe several vehicles that facilitate the migration of the ADHD diagnosis: the transnational pharmaceutical industry; the influence of western psychiatry; moving from ICD to DSM diagnostic criteria; the role of the Internet including the related advent of easily accessible online screening checklists; and advocacy groups. Finally, we discuss what this globalization of a diagnosis reflects about the potential global medicalization of other conditions.
Factor analysis for El Niño signals in sea surface temperature and precipitation

Maximum likelihood factor analysis (MLFA) is applied to investigate the variables of monthly Tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures (SST) from Nino 1+2, Nino 3, Nino 3.4, and Nino 4 and precipitation over New South Wales and Queensland of eastern Australia, Kali- mantan Island of Indonesia, and California and Oregon of the west coast of the United States. The monthly data used were from 1950 to 1999. The November-February SST with time leads of 0, 1, 2, and 3 months to precipitation are considered for both El Nino warm phases and non El Nino seasons. Interpretations of the factor loadings are made to diagnose relationships between the SST and precipitation variables. For El Nino signals, the rotated FA loadings can efficiently group the SST and precipitation variables with interpretable physical meanings. When the time lag is 0 or 1 month, the November-February El Nino SST explains much of the drought signals over eastern Australia and Kalimantan. However, when the time lag is 2 or 3 months, the same SST cannot adequately explain the precipitation during January-May over the two regions. Communality results of five factors for precipitation indicate nearly 100% explanation of variances for Queensland and California, but the percentages are reduced to only about 30% for Oregon and Kalimantan. Factor scores clearly identify the strongest El Nino relevant to precipitation variations. Principal component factor analysis (PCFA) is also investigated, and its results are compared with MLFA. The comparison indicates that MLFA can better group SST data relevant to precipitation. The residuals of MLFA are always smaller than the PCFA. Thus, MLFA may become a useful tool for improving potential predictability of precipitation from SST predictors.
High Removal Rate CMP Process on TSV Thick Cu Overburden

In 3D packaging, Through Silicon Vias (TSVs) with high aspect ratios and depths measuring tens of microns are filled by advanced Cu electroplating processes. Today's 300mm TSV plating platforms are intended to produce bottom-up via fill, no seam voids, and minimal, controlled overburden. To achieve this, the preceding Cu-seed coverage must be continuous at a constant resistance, and the plating chemistries optimized. However, other factors such as hardware configurations and simple depletion of the plating formulations during the extended TSV process can lead to high Cu overburden thickness requiring a high removal rate (HRR) chemical-mechanical polish (CMP) process to remove the thick Cu layer. Presented here are CMP results of a thick Cu overburden (~6um) resulting from the fill of 5 x 25um TSVs on 300mm wafers. The goal is to uniformly polish the overburden and utilize the tool's endpoint system at Cu clear before the next step of conventional barrier CMP. Slurries were screened for removal rate, uniformity, planarization ability, and defectivity. This study focuses on achieving a removal rate of >2.5um/min through evaluation of several commercial slurries in a multi-step polish application. Cross-sections post-plating show the Cu overburden, barrier and liner layer. Cross-sections post-CMP quantify Cu recess, dielectric loss, and presence/absence of seam defects. The process selected is demonstrated to achieve good planarization results with low occurrence of polish defects, at a rate and selectivity suitable for emerging 3D TSV Cu CMP applications.
Theory of spintronic materials

The ability to manipulate and understand spin polarized materials is a key to constructing spintronic devices, i.e., devices in which the electron's spin and charge are both utilized. Here we review computational methods for predicting the properties of spin-polarized materials at the macro- and nano-limits, and at interfaces.
Mutual Fund Skills and the Performance of Corporate Acquirers

Existing corporate governance research interprets positive correlation between institutional ownership and the success of mergers as evidence of active monitoring by institutional investors. The possibility that some institutional investors may have merely picked stocks that make better acquisitions is acknowledged but not investigated. This study examines stock picking on acquirers by actively managed equity mutual funds. Using different proxies for fund skills, we show that acquirers held by the most skilled funds just prior to an acquisition experience significantly better stock performance and operating performance after the merger. In the year preceding the acquisition announcement, higher-skill funds increase their holdings of the most successful acquirers and decrease their holdings of least successful acquirers. Moreover, using Active Share as a proxy for stock picking, we show that more active funds decrease holdings in all acquirers, but the decrease is largest for the least successful acquirers. The link between fund skill and post-merger performance of portfolio companies is not attributable to better monitoring by high-skill funds. Overall, these results provide strong evidence that skilled mutual funds pick the stocks of firms that subsequently make better acquisitions.
Musical Preferences and Personality Diagnosis: I. A Factorization of One Hundred and Twenty Themes

(1954). Musical Preferences and Personality Diagnosis: I. A Factorization of One Hundred and Twenty Themes. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 3-24.
Baby boomers and busters: an exploratory investigation of attitudes toward marketing, advertising and consumerism

The purpose of the current study was to compare and contrast various marketing‐ and consumer‐related attitudes and behavior across the baby boomer (those born between 1946‐1964) and baby buster (those born between 1965‐1976) generations. Study results suggest that baby busters, compared with baby boomers, are more favorably predisposed toward marketing and advertising. It was also found that the two generations differ in their understanding of the domain of marketing. These findings have important implications for marketing practitioners and academics alike. Possibly the most significant finding of the present study was the generally elevated levels of compulsive buying found across both generations. Using Faber and O’Guinn’s compulsive buying clinical screener, we found that 7 percent of baby boomers and 11 percent of baby busters were classified as compulsive buyers. These are considerably higher than earlier estimates of the incidence of compulsive buying and warrant further investigation.
High-Density Microarray of Small-Subunit Ribosomal DNA Probes

Ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, originally conceived as a way to provide a universal phylogeny for life forms, has proven useful in many areas of biological research. Some of the most promising applications of this approach are presently limited by the rate at which sequences can be analyzed. As a step toward overcoming this limitation, we have investigated the use of photolithography chip technology to perform sequence analyses on amplified small-subunit rRNA genes. The GeneChip (Affymetrix Corporation) contained 31,179 20-mer oligonucleotides that were complementary to a subalignment of sequences in the Ribosomal Database Project (RDP) (B. L. Maidak et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 29:173-174, 2001). The chip and standard Affymetrix software were able to correctly match small-subunit ribosomal DNA amplicons with the corresponding sequences in the RDP database for 15 of 17 bacterial species grown in pure culture. When bacteria collected from an air sample were tested, the method compared favorably with cloning and sequencing amplicons in determining the presence of phylogenetic groups. However, the method could not resolve the individual sequences comprising a complex mixed sample. Given these results and the potential for future enhancement of this technology, it may become widely useful.
“Rights without Access” The Political Context of Inequality in Health Care Coverage in the U.S. States

The question of how the American political process shapes inequality remains unsettled. While recent studies break ground by linking inequality to political institutions, much of this work focuses on national-level income inequality. The literature is lacking in its examination of inequality in other issue areas at the subnational level. This research explores how partisanship in government affects subnational-level inequality in health care coverage in the context of racial diversity. Using a new Gini-coefficient measure of inequality in health insurance coverage, we find a negative relationship between the seat share of Democratic representatives and inequality in health care coverage but only in states with racially diverse populations. Moreover, Democratic-controlled state legislatures mitigate the negative impact of racial diversity on inequality in health care coverage. These results highlight the importance of examining the partisan foundation of health care inequality in the context of racial diversity.
Facilitating Fire and Smoke Simulation Using Building Information Modeling

CFAST is a two-zone model which simulates fire growth and smoke transport. Manually modeling a building using CFAST user interface is a time consuming and error-prone process. In addition, the limitations in CFAST structure impede data transfer between CFAST and BIM (Building Information Modeling). In this research, we identified major limitations of CFAST, proposed solutions to the limitations, and developed a system for data interchange between BIM and CFAST. This greatly facilitated fire and smoke simulation. We further developed a visualization module to visualize the simulation results to overcome the problems when using SmokeView, an application developed by NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). A pilot test is conducted using this system. The simulation process was done in just a few minutes. This is expected to help architects to design buildings safer from building fires, and help students in learning building safety and fire related building codes.
Creeping Monism: The Judicial Trend Toward Interpretive Incorporation of Human Rights Treaties

This Article offers a narrow lens analysis of a key debate over the role of foreign authority in U.S. courts: the use of international human rights treaties in interpreting domestic law. Professor Waters argues that recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions (including Roper v. Simmons) should be viewed as part of a transnational trend among common law courtsa trend that she calls creeping monism. Common law judges are increasingly abandoning their traditional dualist orientation to treaties and are beginning to utilize human rights treaties despite the absence of implementing legislation giving domestic legal effect to the treaties. By developing a wide variety of so-called interpretive incorporation techniques, judges are entrenching international treaty obligations into domestic law, thus becoming powerful mediators between the domestic and international legal regimes. The Article traces the growing influence of creeping monism and interpretive incorporation, in an attempt to shift the discourse away from the all-or-nothing debate of recent years to a more nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in incorporating international legal sources into the work of domestic courts. Drawing on a six-year study of judicial treatment of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by the U.S. Supreme Court and four other common law jurisdictions, the Article develops a typology of interpretive incorporation techniques that courts are utilizing. It also provides statistical evidence regarding the use of human rights treaties across jurisdictions. Finally, it maps out a possible normative framework for evaluating courts' use of human rights treaties in interpreting domestic law.
Floristic Study of Lichens in Portage County, Wisconsin

Abstract. The results of a floristic study of lichens in Portage County, Wisconsin are presented. A total of 180 species in 73 genera were identified from field collections made in 2010 through 2013. A catalogue of species is included with 208 lichens presented as a result of field work, a literature search for previously reported collections and a physical search of the Wisconsin State Herbarium (WIS). There are 115 new records for the county and the following three species are reported for the first time for the State of Wisconsin: Leptogium rivulare, Heterodermia obscurata, and Peltigera extenuata. In addition to state and county records, two lichens of significant ecological interest were collected during this study; Lobaria pulmonaria, and Normandina pulchella.
Organizational Mutiny: Employee Experiences in Leader Oustings

Abstract: This paper considers the process of organizational mutiny - how subordinate members of an organization collectively mobilize against a leader in an attempt to remove her from power. Earlier work on social movements and organizations has focused primarily on inter-organizational processes, while interest in collective behavior at the intra-organizational level is relatively more recent (Zald 2008). Based on participant interviews and archival materials from two recent cases of mutiny in professional organizations, I examine the personal narratives that employees construct about these organizational upheavals. I also consider the personal and organizational risks of participating in mutiny, and how employees’ assessment of those risks impacts their decision-making. These accounts reveal that employees experience distinct stages in their commitment to internal protest participation, and they rely on different coping strategies and tactics depending on their level of commitment. Furthermore, employees’ assessments of the potential risks evolve as their commitment to mutiny deepens. This study contributes to our empirical understanding of how social movement processes unfold inside organizations. The findings are also likely to be helpful to practitioners seeking better ways to gauge and manage internal dissatisfaction in their organizations, and to minimize the costly damage that inevitably results from such organizational crises.
Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) Population Relationships to Cotton and Lint Stickiness in Long and Short Staple Cottons

Whitefly honeydew contamination resulting in sticky cotton lint is a significant problem in the textile industry throughout the world. We conducted studies in 1995 and 1996 to determine the effects of cotton cultivars, cotton plant densities, and insecticides on Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring populations and the subsequent effects on honeydew cotton lint contamination. In 1995, cotton plant densities of 25 or 100,000 plants per hectare had no effect on numbers of B. argentifolii, adults, eggs, or nymphs based on adult leaf turns and immatures counted on leaf disks. There also was no effect on extracted honeydew sugars from lint samples or thermodetector sticky cotton counts (the international standard for measuring cotton lint stickiness). Higher numbers of whiteflies occurred in early-season in 'Pima S-7' cotton than in 'Deltapine (DPL) 50' in 1995 and 1996 or 'DPL 5415' cotton in 1995. In 1995, amounts of trehalulose and melezitose (insect honeydew sugars) extracted from cotton lint and thermodetector counts of lint samples were higher for DPL 50 compared with Pima S-7 but not DPL 5415. Insecticide treatments, in both years, reduced thermodetector counts and honeydew sugars extracted from lint. Increases in thermodetector sticky cotton counts and trehalulose and melezitose were significantly correlated to increasing B, argentifolii nymphal and adult populations. Thermodetector sticky cotton counts did not reach levels of concern (≥5) until adult leaf-turn counts were 8.9 or when all life stage nymphs were 3.2 per square centimeter of leaf disk during the open mature cotton boll period.
Container Characteristics and Maximum Acceptable Weight of Lift1

A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the effects of handles, shape of the container, and dimensions of the container on maximum acceptable weight of lift using a psychophysical methodology. Ten male college students were required to lift six different boxes with handles, six without handles, and three different mailbags from the floor to a bench height (76 cm), using a free-style lifting technique. The six boxes varied in length and width, and the three mailbags varied in diameter and length. Statistical analysis showed that the maximum acceptable weights for mailbags and boxes without handles were lower than those for boxes with handles. The maximum acceptable weight significantly increased with an increase in dimensions of the mailbag. Among all the container characteristics studied, handles were found to have the most profound effect on maximum acceptable weight. It is concluded that the recommendations for maximum acceptable weight of the load based on boxes with handles need to be adjusted wh...
Evan B. Howard, Affirming the Touch of God: A Psychological and Philosophical Exploration of Christian Discernment (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, Inc., 2000). ix + 435 pp. Cloth, US$57.50.

Amos Yong sees in Evan Howard's book, Affirming the Touch of God the 'coming of age' of pentecostal charismatic theology.
Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Intracardiac Anatomy Using CTA and Surgical Planning for Double Outlet Right Ventricle: Early Experience at a Tertiary Care Congenital Heart Center

Background:Although transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) routinely establishes the diagnosis of double outlet right ventricle (DORV), it can be suboptimal for depicting exact ventricular septal def...
Failure Matters: Conflicting Practices in a High-Tech Case:

Technical communication researchers have studied failure through a number of different case studies, though none more often than the space shuttle Challenger explosion. While scholars have offered ...
Oligonucleotide-Directed Mutagenesis

Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis allows altering DNA in a specific location by hybridizing a complementary oligonucleotide primer containing the desired mutation to a circular single-stranded vector containing the target sequence. DNA polymerase extends the primer in vitro ; DNA ligase covalently joins the ends of the newly extended strand. This heteroduplex DNA now contains the mutation in its newly synthesized strand and the original sequence in the template strand. On transformation into E. coli, DNA repair and replication resolve this mismatch to produce colonies with either mutant or wild-type target DNA. Several methods can increase the chances of recovering mutant-containing clones. This chapter also illustrates how 58 bp can be deleted from virD2 and replaced with a 7-bp sequence that includes an NruI site.
Meta-analysis of psychophysiological interactions: Revisiting cluster-level thresholding and sample sizes.

Within the neuroimaging community, coordinate based meta-analyses (CBMAs) are essential for aggregating findings across studies and testing whether those studies report similar anatomical locations. This approach has been predominantly applied to studies that focus on whether activation of a brain region is associated with a given psychological process. In a recent paper, we used CBMA to examine a distinct set of studies—that is, those focusing on whether connectivity between brain regions is modulated by a given psychological process (Smith et al. [2016]: Hum Brain Mapp 37:2904–2917). Specifically, we reviewed 284 studies examining brain connectivity with psychophysiological interactions (PPI). Our meta-analytic results indicated that PPI yields connectivity patterns that are consistent across studies and that can be specific for a given psychological process and seed region. After publication of our findings, we learned that the analysis software we used to conduct our CBMAs (GingerALE v2.3.3) contained an implementation error that led to results that were more liberal than intended. Here, we comment on the impact of this implementation error on the results of our paper, new recommendations for sample sizes in CBMAs, and the importance of communication between software users and developers. We show that our key claims are supported in a reanalysis and that our results are robust to new guidelines on sample sizes. Hum Brain Mapp, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Automated Discovery and Construction of Surface Phase Diagrams Using Machine Learning.

Surface phase diagrams are necessary for understanding surface chemistry in electrochemical catalysis, where a range of adsorbates and coverages exist at varying applied potentials. These diagrams are typically constructed using intuition, which risks missing complex coverages and configurations at potentials of interest. More accurate cluster expansion methods are often difficult to implement quickly for new surfaces. We adopt a machine learning approach to rectify both issues. Using a Gaussian process regression model, the free energy of all possible adsorbate coverages for surfaces is predicted for a finite number of adsorption sites. Our result demonstrates a rational, simple, and systematic approach for generating accurate free-energy diagrams with reduced computational resources. The Pourbaix diagram for the IrO2(110) surface (with nine coverages from fully hydrogenated to fully oxygenated surfaces) is reconstructed using just 20 electronic structure relaxations, compared to approximately 90 using t...
Fenestrated Aortic Endografts in the Last 3 Years: An Update

Fenestrated endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (FEVAR) is an accepted treatment option for patients who are not suitable for conventional endovascular aortic aneurysm repair or open surgical repair (OSR). Five years ago, the FDA approved the use of FEVAR in patients with inadequate infrarenal aortic seal zones (short necks). This procedural paradigm continues to gain in popularity compared to OSR for complex aortic disease. We seek to define the current state of fenestrated endovascular repair by reviewing relevant literature over the past 3 years. FEVAR continues to prove to be efficacious with reasonable durability as a therapy for patients who are not candidates for OSR. As a second-line treatment, FEVAR is less morbid in the short-term with trade-off of high reintervention rates in the follow-up period. Mid- to long-term outcomes have proven to be comparable to OSR in selected patients with persistent excellent patency of the visceral target vessels. Recent publications have thrust FEVAR into consideration as the primary interventional modality in juxtarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms, a traditional indication for OSR. As FEVAR continues to evolve from surgeon-modified devices to custom built and eventually off-the-shelf grafts, it is anticipated to be employed widely for managing complex aortic aneurysms. Compared to OSR, FEVAR carries a low risk of perioperative morbidity while demonstrating continued safety and durability in early to mid-term reports.
Heterogeneity of executive functions among comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders.

Executive functions (EFs) are used to set goals, plan for the future, inhibit maladaptive responses, and change behavior flexibly. Although some studies point to specific EF profiles in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) — prevalent and often highly comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders — others have not differentiated them. The objective of the current study was to identify distinct profiles of EF across typically developing (TD) children and children with ASD and ADHD. We employed a latent profile analysis using indicators of EF (e.g., working memory, inhibition, and flexibility) in a mixed group of 8–13 year-olds including TD children (n = 128), children with ASD without ADHD (n = 30), children with ADHD (n = 93), and children with comorbid ASD and ADHD (n = 66). Three EF classes emerged: “above average,” “average,” and “impaired.” EF classes did not reproduce diagnostic categories, suggesting that differences in EF abilities are present within the ASD and ADHD groups. Further, greater EF dysfunction predicted more severe socioemotional problems, such as anxiety/depression. These results highlight the heterogeneity of current diagnostic groups and identify an “impaired” EF group, consisting of children with both ASD and ADHD, which could specifically be targeted for EF intervention.