cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
China's “Soft” Naval Power in the Indian Ocean

For the past several years, Beijing has been attempting to “shape” the diplomatic and strategic environment in maritime Asia, projecting an image of itself as an innately trustworthy great power. As a part of this public relations campaign, Chinese leaders have retailed the story of Zheng He, the Ming Dynasty eunuch admiral who voyaged to destinations throughout the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean six centuries ago. They have touted the feats of Zheng He, who sojourned in maritime Asia without attempting military conquest, as a metaphor for China's current peaceful ascent in the maritime domain. In doing so, Beijing hopes to convince key audiences in Southeast Asia and South Asia that it remains pacific in outlook – and thus can be counted on not to abuse the sea power it is amassing. An attractive vision of China, they hope, will avert the tendency of regional states to band together to balance Chinese power. Until now, Chinese diplomats have had the luxury of telling their story how they wanted to, as deployments of China's naval forces beyond East Asia remained abstract. Beijing neither saw the need nor boasted the capacity to maintain strong forces far from Chinese shores. However, the headline-grabbing dispatch of two destroyers and a combat logistics ship to the Gulf of Aden on counter-piracy duty in late 2008 has put China squarely in the spotlight. By depicting itself as an inherently defensive power, China has set a high standard for its behavior at sea. Fellow Asian powers will hold Beijing to this lofty benchmark – measuring its actions against the storyline Chinese leaders have developed around Zheng He's voyages. Beijing's anti-piracy mission thus offers an ideal opportunity to empirically test the efficacy of Chinese soft power at sea. To this end, this paper explores the motives behind the Zheng He narrative and assesses the key messages that Chinese leaders are attempting to convey to Asian capitals. This study then examines the extent to which China's unprecedented naval presence in the Indian Ocean has dovetailed with the Zheng He storyline and with the larger strategy of easing regional misgivings about Chinese maritime power. Finally, the paper analyzes how India, a target audience, is responding to China's narrative, drawing several preliminary conclusions about the effectiveness and the prospects of Chinese soft power in the Indian Ocean.
Design of Group Sequential Clinical Trials with Ordinal Categorical Data Based on the Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon Test

Abstract In this paper, methodology necessary do design group sequential trials based on ordinal categorical data based on the Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon test is presented and illustrated in two practical examples. Curtailment for futility is an important component in improving the performance of the methods in terms of expected sample sizes under the null hypothesis. Simulation can also be employed to verify the asymptotic properties claimed by the method, and if necessary be used to tweak the design to better approximate the desired operating characteristics.
Repair of a wide sternal cleft in a young female

Sternal clefts are rare congenital malformations of the anterior chest wall. Surgical correction is typically recommended as early as possible due to the compliance and growth potential of the infant sternum. Several operative techniques have been employed with great success. However, there is a paucity of data regarding repair in large clefts refractory to standard reparative techniques. We report the successful surgical repair in a 15-month-old female with an excessively large, superior sternal cleft.
Production and application of methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris

Pichia pastoris is a methylotrophic yeast that makes use bf the enzyme alcohol oxidase to catalyze the first step of the dissimilatory pathway that enables it to grow on methanol. Because of its stability and low substrate specificity, alcohol oxidase is of considerable interest for a range of biotechnological processes. Various feeding regimes were evaluated in an effort to increase the biomass concentration and productivity that could be achieved from fermentations using this organism. Through continuous or semicontinuous feeding, biomass concentrations were increased 10-fold over those achieved in batch fermentations. In subsequent trials, nongrowing whole cells were applied successfully to convert ethanol to acetaldehyde. Quantitative conversions of 20-g/L solutions of ethanol have been achieved in 2 h, and acetaldehyde concentrations of up to 35 g/L have been achieved using extended reaction times of 5 h. The conversion reaction was limited by end product inhibition and by acetaldehyde holdup within the yeast cells.
May the force be with you: unfolding lipid-protein interactions by single-molecule force spectroscopy.

In this issue of Structure, Serdiuk et al. report the use of single-molecule force microscopy to establish a role for phosphatidylethanolamine in promoting the native fold of lactose permease, thereby preventing it from populating a functionally defective, nonnative conformation (Serdiuk et al., 2015).
A semantic approach to visualizing online conversations

Visualizing patterns in online conversations give participants a better grasp of their cyber environment and their fellow inhabitants.
Adsorption of Hg (II) by Ferric Hydroxide

Abstract Iron (III) oxide precipitated from Fe2(SO4)3 by NaOH was found to adsorb Hg (II) over the pH range from 3 to 10. Adsorption was not found to be affected by pH in the range from 4 to 10, but dropped off sharply between pH 4 and pH 3. Chloride additions at the 0.6M level inhibited adsorption of Hg (II) at neutral pH, but not above pH 10; Hg(OH)2 was found to be the adsorbed species. In solutions with low ionic strength the adsorption by Fe(OH)3 follows the form of the Freundlich isotherm in the neutral range; Hg (II) is adsorbed less strongly on Fe(OH)3 than on MnO2. The corresponding exponential Freundlich constants for Fe(OH)3 are: 293 for the coefficient and 0.76 for the exponent of the equilibrium concentration of Hg (II) in solution. This is far less than 1.9 × 1010 for the coefficient and 1.73 for the exponent of the equilibrium concentration of mercury in solution in the case of MnO2 adsorbent.
Mocking the Masters and Creating a Nation: The Yiddish Satirical Press in Late Imperial Russia

AbstractThis article considers the growth and development of Yiddish satire journals as a publishing phenomenon in the wake of the 1905 revolution, particularly in consideration of the unusual nature of the legal, political, and social positions of Jews in the Empire. Also considered is the proliferation of cartoons and their visual critiques of Jewish life.
Asian International Students’ Willingness to Seek Counseling: A Mixed-Methods Study

Using a mixed-methods survey design that was predominantly quantitative, this study explored Asian international students’ willingness to seek counseling. Participants were 177 Asian international students recruited from a U.S. Midwestern University. After controlling for attitudes toward psychological help-seeking and past counseling experience, academic stress was significantly and positively related to willingness to seek counseling for academic problems. Qualitative data were also collected using one open-ended question in the survey: “What comes into your mind when you think about ‘counseling’ or ‘mental health counseling’?” The qualitative analyses revealed positive perceptions of counseling as well as a personal reluctance to seek counseling.
The adsorption of CO on molybdenum studied by low energy SIMS and EID

Abstract The adsorption of CO on polycrystalline molybdenum was studied using a combination of secondary ion mass spectrometry at low primary energies and electron induced desorption. Auger electron spectroscopy was used as an auxiliary technique. By examining ion yields during adsorption and desorption at various temperatures, it was possible to identify several different states of adsorption in agreement with earlier flash desorption studies. There are two strongly bound states which fill simultaneously, followed by the occupation of a third state. Continued exposure to CO results in the formation of weakly held states. Electron induced desorption gives O + from one of these states but CO + from the most weakly bound state. A characteristic of the latter is the production of MoCO + on ion bombardment. The different states of adsorption have quite different influences on the secondary ion yields. The nature of the adsorption states and the significance of SIMS in characterizing them is discussed.
Treatment of advanced cancer of the head and neck.

The combination of radiation plus 5-FU produced a significantly increased survival in patients with advanced tonsil and intra-oral cancer compared to patients who received radiotherapy alone. There was no significant difference in survival between these 2 treatment modalities in advanced cancer of the nasopharynx, hypopharynx, extrinsic larynx, or primary unknown. Similarly, there was no significant difference in survival resulting from these 2 methods of treatment in patients with T1 and T2 as well as T4 head and neck cancers, but a highly significant difference in those with T3 lesions.
Effects of Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Administration to Periparturient Cows on Neutrophils and Bacterial Shedding

Abstract Administration of recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor to periparturient dairy cows was evaluated as a method to prevent periparturient immunosuppression. Eleven of 21 cows were experimentally infected with Staphylococcus aureus in one mammary quarter prior to the study. Cows were randomly assigned to four groups in a 2 × 2 factorial design to evaluate the effects of placebo or recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor administration on chronic, subclinically infected and uninfected cows during the periparturient period. Blood neutrophils were isolated and evaluated for phagocytic activities 5 wk before expected parturition through 7 wk postpartum. Administration of recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor (5μg/kg body weight or placebo subcutaneously beginning 14 d prepartum through 10 d postpartum) resulted in a prepartum and postpartum leukocytosis of 35,600/μl and 53,500/μl, respectively. This was attributed to a mature neutrophilia of 24,010/μl during prepartum and 38,080/μl during postpartum treatment periods (pretreatment baseline=2330/μl). Mononuclear cell counts averaged 7610/μl during prepartum and 9830/μl during postpartum treatment periods (baseline=3450/μl). Neutrophil random and directed migration were reduced during recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor treatment compared with placebo or baseline levels. Ingestion of bacteria and cytotoxicity by neutrophils was increased during recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor therapy compared with placebo or baseline levels. Shedding of S. aureus in lacteal secretions was unaffected by recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor treatment. In summary, administration of recombinant bovine granulocyte colony stimulatory factor increased the number and functional activity of neutrophils and prevented some aspects of periparturient immunosuppression in dairy cows.
Dissociation of cortical steady potential shifts from mass action potentials in cats awaiting food rewards

Cortical steady potential shift (SPS) and mass unit activity, derived from the same transcortical hybrid electrodes, were recorded in cats undergoing single alternation (SA) training. A 10-sec tone CS, occurring every 2 min, was alternately nonreinforced (N) and reinforced (R) with an intraoral food US. Results revealed: (1) Acquisition of a recurrent SPS pattern consisting of a gradual 200-300 micro V shift during the pre-R (N to R) interval followed by post-R shifting of opposite polarity during the R-to-N interval. (2) The pre-R SPS became dissociated from the integrated multiple unit (IMU) measure, but the post-R SPS remained associated with the IMU. (3) The CS elicited a conditional IMU response (cortical CR) when it signaled the US (R trial) but not when it signaled no US (N trial). The SPS pattern may reflect context-conditioned “expectancy”states (not detectable in IMU recording) postulated to “gate”the IMU CR on and off alternately.
How do physicians conduct medication reviews

BACKGROUND Medication reviews are recommended annually for older patients. A medication review is a discussion of a patient’s complete set of medications, but the actual content of a review is not well specified. The medical literature suggests that it is an exhaustive evaluation, but what physicians actually ask about their patients’ medication regimens has been little studied.
Swelling of poly(2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine) gel in linear sodium poly(vinylsulfonate) solution

The interaction of a poly(2-methyl-5-vinylpyridine) hydrochloride gel (1 a) with the aqueous solution of a linear sodium poly(vinylsulfonate) (2) was investigated. It was established that the gel collapse takes place as a consequence of the formation of a polyelectrolyte complex (1 a-2) between oppositely charged groups. The binding degree θ of the linear polymer with the gel was determined to be 0,4. The kinetics of the interaction process was examined. With increasing pH and ionic strength value a discrete phase transition both of the gel volume and of the polycomplex is induced. The collapse of the latter has increasingly sharp character.
Molecular and Serologic Analysis of Hla Genes and Immunoglobulin Allotypes in Iga Nephropathy

We studied a large North American Caucasian population of patients with biopsy proven IgA nephropathy for polymorphisms of HLA-A,B,C, HLA-DR, HLA-DQ and HLA-DP using a combination of serologic phenotyping and polymerase chain reaction sequence specific oligonucleotide probe (PCR-SSOP) hybridization genotyping. We also examined patients for polymorphisms of immunoglobulin by determining Gm and Km allotypes. When compared to healthy local controls there was an apparent decrease in HLA-DR5 (DRw11, DRw12) suggesting that this allele had a protective effect on disease susceptibility. None of the previously reported HLA-DQ associations found among Japanese or british Caucasian patients were found among this large North American Caucasian population. The HLA-DPB1*0601 genotype was increased among patients, but this was not significant when corrected for multiple comparisons. There were no differences in the distribution of Gm or Km allotypes among patients versus controls, regardless of whether they were stratified into those with progressive or non-progressive renal disease. Taken together, these findings suggest that there is substantial genetics heterogeneity in susceptibility to IgA nephropathy among different ethnic and/or geographically distinct populations.
Economics in the American Classroom What are We Teaching? What Should Be Taught?

(1982). Economics in the American Classroom What are We Teaching? What Should Be Taught? The Social Studies: Vol. 73, No. 6, pp. 256-262.
Development of an injection molding tool for complex microfluidic geometries

This paper will track the design and results of an injection molding tool developed to manufacture microfluidic chips. The mold design and injection molding process was complicated by the presence of integrated capillary fluidic interconnects. We determined that design of the runner and gate system responsible for delivering molten plastic to the cavity had a significant impact on the quality of parts produced by the mold and the size of the process window. Numerical results confirm our findings that reducing gate lengths and increasing part thickness dramatically improved the filling profile and lowered injection pressures by 37%. Finally, the influence of gate location on part shrinkage is analyzed and discussed.
H-measures, a new approach for studying homogenisation, oscillations and concentration effects in partial differential equations

New mathematical objects, called H-measures, are introduced for studying oscillations and concentration effects in partial differential equations. Applications to transport properties and to homogenisation are given as an example of the new results which can be obtained by this approach.
Simultaneous modeling of transient three-dimensional root growth and soil water flow

A model is presented for the simultaneous, dynamic simulation of soil water movement and plant root growth. Root apices are translocated in individual growth events as a function of current local soil conditions. A three-dimensional finite-element grid over the considered soil domain serves to define the spatial distribution of soil physical properties and as framework for the transient water flow model. Examples illustrate how field-observed morphology of root systems can be approximated by including even a coarsely discretized description of the soil environment. Intended as a tool for testing of hypotheses on soil-plant interaction, simulations can be performed for different levels of model complexity, depending on how much information is available. At the simplest level, root growth is simulated without soil water uptake, whereas the most comprehensive level includes growth of the shoot and dynamic assimilate allocation to root and shoot.
A phase I trial of immediate postoperative intraperitoneal floxuridine and leucovorin plus systemic 5-fluorouracil and levamisole after resection of high risk colon cancer.

Background. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of immediate postoperative intraperitoneal (IP) floxuridine (FUdR) and leucovorin (LV) after resection of high risk colon cancer, and to determine the appropriate dose of intravenous fluorouracil (FU) plus levamisole during concurrent intraperitoneal therapy. Methods. The authors conducted a tertiary referral Comprehensive Cancer Center Phase I Trial in patients with resected colon cancer at high risk for recurrence. After resection of all gross disease, intraperitoneal treatment was administered twice daily for 3 days every 2 weeks for three cycles (Days 1-3, 15-17, 29-31). Intravenous FU daily for 5 days was administered on days 29-33 concurrently with the third cycle of intraperitoneal therapy. Fluorouracil doses during the last cycle of intraperitoneal therapy were escalated; intraperitoneal FUdR and LV doses and weekly intravenous FU doses (starting on Day 58) were fixed. Results. Twenty-six patients with resected high risk colon cancer were treated. Three had Dukes' B2, 16 Dukes' C, and 7 Dukes' D (M1) resected tumors. Intraperitoneal therapy was well tolerated with no increase in operative morbidity and no operative mortality. Two patients had ⩾ Grade 3+ toxicity during IP therapy alone. There were no treatment related deaths. During concurrent intraperitoneal and intravenous chemotherapy, the maximum tolerated dose of FU was 300 mg/m2/day for 5 days. The recommended dose for Phase II or III trials is 200 mg/m2/day for 5 consecutive days. Pharmacokinetic analysis indicated that using the doses used in this trial, measurable systemic concentrations of FUdR and LV were obtained during IP therapy. This may have contributed to observed toxicity with intravenous FU doses of 300-400 mg/m2. With a median duration of follow-up of 18 months, four patients had recurrence of disease. No peritoneal recurrences have been noted to date. Conclusions. Immediate postoperative IP FUdR and LV are well tolerated after resection of high risk colon cancer. The recommended dose of intravenous FU beginning on Day 29 (concurrent with the last dose of IP therapy) is 5FU 200 mg/m2 for 5 consecutive days. The remaining year of adjuvant fluorouracil and levamisole can be administered with standard dose attenuation. Although follow-up is short, the lack of recurrent peritoneal metastases is encouraging. Additional trials with this approach are warranted in patients with high risk colorectal cancer.
ICRF-edge plasma interaction studies at MIT

Abstract The Alcator C-Mod experiment will study the high power ICRF heating of elongated, diverted plasmas at high density in a compact, high field tokamak. ICRF heating will be carried out in the minority heating regime by fast wave excitation in a deuterium plasma with a 3 He or H minority. Because of the compact size of the tokamak, high loading will be required to couple the power at acceptable voltages and there will be high power density at the antenna surface. High edge densities and steep edge gradients are expected, making the ICRF-edge plasma interactions a key issue. Several studies have been undertaken to better understand these effects. Measurements have been made of the short wavelength perturbations to the RF fields caused by various Faraday shield geometries. Magnetic field probes show a perturbation which is largest near the ends and between the shield elements where the RF magnetic field is mostly radial. Electric field probes show a perturbation which is larger in the center of the elements and close to each element. A test antenna is being installed in the Versator II tokamak to study ICRF-edge plasma effects. The RF will be excited in the IBW polarization with κ ‖ chosen for interaction with edge electrons. The properties of different Faraday shield coatings, including titanium carbide and boron nitride, will be explored. It will also be possible to bias the protection limiters of this antenna in order to study the effect of biasing on the plasma density in the vicinity of the Faraday shield and resultant impurity generation.
Behaviour of a flux pump using an automatic superconducting switch

A simple kind of magnetic flux pump, consisting of a small superconducting coil L1 in parallel with a superconducting magnet L2, has been constructed and tested. The device is attached to the secondary of a transformer and the entire assembly rests in a liquid helium bath. Persistent currents in L2 are generated by a power supply which can be made particularly simple if an axial magnetic field Hb is applied to L1 to make its critical current sense-dependent. Circuits analysis shows that the rate of flux pumping is dependent on the magnitude of the power supply output and the final persistent current level is related to Hb. These results are confirmed by experiments in which several circuit parameters were varied. A typical experiment generated 35 A in a small magnet in about 10 minutes. Suggestions are made for improvements on this behaviour.
Spongiose spumellarian radiolaria: The functional morphology of the radiolarian skeleton with a description ofSpongostaurus, a new genus

Abstract Two spumellarian species of the new genusSpongostaurus are described. Both construct a lobed central capsule enclosing a spongiose skeleton. The larger of the two reaches proportions of several cm in the length of the capsule lobes. The ultrastructural cytoplasmic features of the new species designate them as congeners with close affiliation with other spongiose groups. The importance of cytoplasmic characters relative to skeletal morphotypical characters is discussed in relation to radiolarian systematics.
Shakespeare's Henry V: Fifteenth Century Monarch, Twentieth Century Leader

The increasing complexity of the business environment virtually demands that upperechelon leaders seek nontraditional sources of knowledge in attempting to address emergent issues. The use of drama...
Neuropathologic Basis of Age-Associated Brain Atrophy

Importance While brain volume changes are used as surrogate markers for Alzheimer disease neuropathology in clinical studies, the extent to which these changes are due to pathologic features of Alzheimer disease in the aging brain is not well established. This study aims to clarify the neuropathologic correlates of longitudinal brain atrophy. Objective To examine the association between brain atrophy during life and neuropathology in an elderly population. Design Autopsy study of a cohort of elderly individuals. Setting Community-based population. Participants Seventy-one healthy elderly individuals were selected from participants of the Oregon Brain Aging Study for having an autopsy, more than 1 magnetic resonance imaging scan, and the last magnetic resonance imaging scan within 36 months of death. Main Outcomes and Measures The associations between brain volume trajectories (ventricular, total brain, and hippocampal) and time interaction terms for neurofibrillary tangles, neuritic plaques, gross infarcts, microinfarcts, amyloid angiopathy, Lewy bodies, APOE ϵ4 presence, and clinical diagnosis (no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia as time-varying covariates) were examined in mixed-effects models, adjusting for duration of follow-up and age at death. Results Ventricular volume trajectory was significantly associated with age, presence of infarcts, neurofibrillary tangle and neuritic plaque scores, APOE ϵ4 allele presence, and dementia diagnosis. Total brain volume trajectory was significantly associated with age and mild cognitive impairment diagnosis. Hippocampal volume trajectory was significantly associated with amyloid angiopathy. Conclusions and Relevance Ventricular volume trajectory is more sensitive than total brain and hippocampal volume trajectories as a marker of accruing Alzheimer disease and vascular pathology in elderly individuals. The association between brain volume trajectories and cognitive impairment (mild cognitive impairment and dementia) remained after controlling for the degree of neuropathology and other covariates. This suggests that there may be other factors not measured in this study that could be contributing to brain atrophy in those with cognitive impairment.
Direct measurement of spectrally selective absorption enhancement in Fano resonance photonic crystal cavities on plastic substrates

We report direct measurement of spectrally selective absorption properties of PbSe and PbS colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) in Si nanomembrane photonic crystal cavities on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. Enhanced optical absorption was obtained when CQD absorption overlaps with photonic crystal Fano resonances. On the other hand, no absorption was observed when the Fano resonance has no spectral overlap with the CQD absorption bands. The measurement results agree well with the simulation results obtained based on 3D FDTD and RCWA simulation techniques. Measured angular and polarization properties also agree well with Fano resonance transmission properties, which were obtained experimentally and, theoretically based on simulated dispersion properties and transmission properties. Bending induced spectral shifts were characterized for potentially flexible photonic device applications.
The topopyrones poison human DNA topoisomerases I and II.

The topopyrones are fungal natural products shown previously to act as poisons of human DNA topoisomerase I. Recent total syntheses of the four known naturally occurring members of this class of compounds have enabled more detailed biochemical characterization. Presently it is shown that in addition to topoisomerase I, topopyrones A−D also act as poisons of human DNA topoisomerase II. The topopyrones thus represent a rare example of molecules capable of interacting effectively with more than one DNA topoisomerase.
(E)-1-(2-Hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)ethene.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, C(18)H(20)O(5), all geometric parameters fall within experimental error of the expected values. Analysis of the molecular-packing plots reveals an infinite one-dimensional linear array running parallel to the c axis, formed by an O-H...O intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction. The stilbene framework and most of the substituents are approximately coplanar.
Profit‐Rate Equalization in the Kalecki–Steindl Model and the “Over‐Determination” Problem

This note points out that the “over-determination” problem discovered by Park in Kalecki–Steindl (KS) models is not a problem intrinsic to KS models and can easily be removed if one introduces a mechanism involving classical competition into them. The solution to the problem suggested by Park using a moving-average interpretation is therefore unnecessary, and also it does not provide an adequate solution to the “over-determination” problem. However, the interpretation does serve to clarify the meaning of long-run equilibria in KS models.
A Theory of the Public Sphere

The dominant approach to the public sphere is characterized by idealism and normativism. It overemphasizes civic-minded or civil discourse, envisions unrealistically egalitarian and widespread part...
Peptidomic discovery of short open reading frame–encoded peptides in human cells

The amount of the transcriptome that is translated into polypeptides is of fundamental importance. We developed a peptidomic strategy to detect short ORF (sORF)-encoded polypeptides (SEPs) in human cells. We identified 90 SEPs, 86 of which are novel, the largest number of human SEPs ever reported. SEP abundances range from 10-1000 molecules per cell, identical to known proteins. SEPs arise from sORFs in non-coding RNAs as well as multi-cistronic mRNAs, and many SEPs initiate with non-AUG start codons, indicating that non-canonical translation may be more widespread in mammals than previously thought. In addition, coding sORFs are present in a small fraction (8/1866) of long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs). Together, these results provide the strongest evidence to date that the human proteome is more complex than previously appreciated.
Newer Palliative Measures in the Management of Inoperable Bronchogenic Carcinoma

1) The significant and growing number of new patients with inoperable bronchogenic cancer makes it mandatory that every new palliative measure be employed to contribute toward the maintenance of their comfort and useful activity during the relentless downhill progress of their disease. 2) Recent advances in widely varied fields of therapy have made possible newer palliative measures which provide amelioration of intractable symptoms, prolongation of useful life, and even a rare chance for cure. 3) The authors have assembled them here and have presented, as well, their combined experience with several hundred patients in the use of radiation therapy, the nitrogen mustards, thoracosurgical and neurosurgical procedures, and a variety of newer palliative medical measures. Radiation therapy, in particular, has provided the most effective and the most prolonged palliation. This agent gives real promise of becoming even more useful in the near future.
Modeling of Concurrent Task Execution in a Distributed System for Real-Time Control

In a distributed system that implements real-time control, computational tasks are distributed over different nodes for execution to improve response time and system reliability. To model system behavior, tasks in each node are first decomposed into activities. The activities and precedence constraints among them are then modeled by a generalized stochastic Petri net (GSPN). Finally, a sequence of homogeneous continuous-time Markov chains (CTMC's) is built from the GSPN to model the concurrent task execution in the system.
Youth culture, music, and cell phone branding in China

This article tracks the relationship between music and youth culture in China in the context of transnational cell phone branding. A research project conducted by the author as a participant observ...
Prospects and Status of Low-Aspect-Ratio Tokamaks

The prospects for the low-aspect-ratio (A) tokamak to fulfill the requirements of viable fusion power plants are considered relative to the present status in data and modeling. Desirable physics and design features for an attractive Blanket Test Facility and power reactors are estimated for low-A tokamaks based on calculations improved with the latest data from small pioneering experiments. While these experiments have confirmed some of the recent predictions for low-A, they also identify the remaining issues that require verification before reliable projections can be made for these deuterium-tritium applications. The results show that the low-A regime of small size, modest field, and high current offers a path complementary to the standard and high A tokamaks in developing the full potential of fusion power.
Dynamical and Microphysical Retrievals from Doppler Radar Observations of a Deep Convective Cloud

A four-dimensional variational data assimilation system consisting of a three-dimensional time-dependent cloud model with both liquid and ice phase microphysics parameterization was used to assimilate radar data into a cloud model. Data of a severe thunderstorm observed during the Cooperative Huntsville Meteorological Experiment project were assimilated and results compared to a conventional analysis. The analysis system was able to retrieve all the prominent features of the storm, but differed in some of the details. However, the consistency of this retrieval dataset lent credence to the results. It was found that the algorithm was very sensitive to several coefficients in the microphysical and turbulence parameterizations. Simulations proved to be unable to reproduce the evolution of the observed storm even with parameterization coefficients set at values that produce reasonable storm evolutions. This result has implications for short-range forecasting of convective events. Such forecasts require initial fields that currently can only be derived from observations such as used in this study. The problems with assimilating radar observations point to additional work to design parameterizations that allow models to more accurately simulate actual observed storms.
Iron-chelating backbone coupled with monoamine oxidase inhibitory moiety as novel pluripotential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer’s disease: a tribute to Moussa Youdim

It is for these authors a great privilege to dedicate this review article to Moussa Youdim, who is one of the most imperative pharmacologists and pioneer investigators in the search and development of novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. 40 years ago, Moussa Youdim has started studying brain iron, catecholamine receptor and monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A and -B functions. Although Moussa Youdim succeeded in exploring the novel anti-Parkinsonian, selective MAO-B inhibitor drug, rasagiline (Azilect, Teva Pharmaceutical Co.), he did not stop searching for superior therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative disorders. To date, Moussa Youdim and his research group are designing and synthesizing pluripotential drug candidates possessing diverse pharmacological properties that can act on multiple targets and pathological features ascribed to Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. One such example is the multimodal non-toxic, brain-permeable iron-chelating compound, M30 (5-[N-methyl-N-propargylaminomethyl]-8-hydroxyquinoline), which amalgamates the propargyl moiety of rasagiline with the backbone of the potent iron chelator, VK28. This review discusses the multiple effects of several leading compounds of this series, concerning their neuroprotective/neurorestorative molecular mechanisms in vivo and in vitro, with a special focus on the pathological features ascribed to AD, including antioxidant and iron chelating activities, regulation of amyloid precursor protein and amyloid β peptide expression processing, activation of pro-survival signaling pathways and regulation of cell cycle and neurite outgrowth.
Don’t Let Capital Accounts go Negative

Calvin H. Johnson is a professor of law at the University of Texas. The author wishes to thank Deborah Geier, Adam Rosensweig, John Steines, and Patrick O’Daniel for helpful comments on a prior draft without binding them to conclusions with which they disagree. A negative capital account is a partnership tax concept describing the situation in which adjusted basis in partnership assets is less than the outstanding debt of the partnership. When the capital account is negative, the partnership is a tax shelter, worth more after tax than in the absence of tax. The shelter subsidy distorts the use of capital and induces investment into projects that are not justified by their real pretax economic merits. The term "negative capital account" is now used only in the partnership tax context, but the underlying concept of adjusted basis below debt applies to assets owned by a single corporation or individual. This proposal would prohibit deductions that would reduce a taxpayer’s capital account below zero. Subsidies resulting in negative tax should be given only when justified by the federal budget process. Real business activity that does not depend on the negative tax would be unaffected by the proposal. Deductions suspended by the tax limitation would be allowed when the capital account is positive by enough to allow the deduction because the debt is paid off or income or contributions come into the activity. The adjusted basis side of the capital account would include all assets that could be reached by the liability. The proposal is made as a part of the Shelf Project, a collaboration among tax professionals to develop proposals to raise revenue. The Shelf Project is intended to raise revenue without a VAT or a rate hike in ways that will improve the fairness, efficiency, and rationality of the tax system. Now is the time for congressional staff work to be done to prevent the impending revenue crisis. An overview of the Shelf Project is found in "How to Raise $1 Trillion Without a VAT or a Rate Hike," Tax Notes, July 5, 2010, p. 101, Doc 2010-13081, or 2010 TNT 129-4. Congress adopted its first Shelf Project in March 2010. New section 871(1), enacted in the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, is based on the Shelf Project proposal by Reuven S. Avi-Yonah, "Enforcing Dividend Withholding on Derivatives," Tax Notes, Nov. 10, 2008, p. 747, Doc 2008-22806, or 2008 TNT 219-34. Shelf Project proposals follow the format of a congressional tax committee report in explaining current law, what is wrong with it, and how to fix it.
Coordination of stem and leaf hydraulic conductance in southern California shrubs: a test of the hydraulic segmentation hypothesis

Coordination of water movement among plant organs is important for understanding plant water use strategies. The hydraulic segmentation hypothesis (HSH) proposes that hydraulic conductance in shorter lived, 'expendable' organs such as leaves and longer lived, more 'expensive' organs such as stems may be decoupled, with resistance in leaves acting as a bottleneck or 'safety valve'. We tested the HSH in woody species from a Mediterranean-type ecosystem by measuring leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf) and stem hydraulic conductivity (KS). We also investigated whether leaves function as safety valves by relating Kleaf and the hydraulic safety margin (stem water potential minus the water potential at which 50% of conductivity is lost (Ψstem-Ψ50)). We also examined related plant traits including the operating range of water potentials, wood density, leaf mass per area, and leaf area to sapwood area ratio to provide insight into whole-plant water use strategies. For hydrated shoots, Kleaf was negatively correlated with KS , supporting the HSH. Additionally, Kleaf was positively correlated with the hydraulic safety margin and negatively correlated with the leaf area to sapwood area ratio. Consistent with the HSH, our data indicate that leaves may act as control valves for species with high KS , or a low safety margin. This critical role of leaves appears to contribute importantly to plant ecological specialization in a drought-prone environment.
A numerical optimization approach for tuning fuzzy logic controllers

This paper develops a method to tune fuzzy controllers using numerical optimization. The main attribute of this approach is that it allows fuzzy logic controllers to be tuned to achieve global performance requirements. Furthermore, this approach allows design constraints to be implemented during the tuning process. The method tunes the controller by parameterizing the membership functions for error, change-in-error, and control output. The resulting parameters form a design vector which is iteratively changed to minimize an objective function. The minimal objective function results in an optimal performance of the system. A spacecraft mounted science payload line-of-sight pointing control is used to demonstrate results.
Results and Complications in Treated Retinal Breaks

One hundred sixty-four patients (171 eyes) were treated for retinal breaks and the treatment outcomes were studied. One hundred two eyes were acutely symptomatic, 22 eyes were chronically symptomatic, and 47 eyes were asymptomatic. The reasons for further treatment in 38 of the 171 eyes (22%) included the following: (1) inadequate closure of the original break without detachment in eight eyes (5%), (2) new breaks without detachment in 15 eyes (9%), (3) an operation for retinal detachment caused by the original break in seven eyes (4%), or (4) retinal detachment caused by a new break in eight eyes (5%). Failure rates of treatment among acutely symptomatic, chronically symptomatic, and asymptomatic subgroups were not statistically significant. The risk of treatment failure was higher for aphakic and pseudophakic eyes, and in eyes with peripheral retinal abnormalities in the fellow eye. Among 38 patients with failed treatments, 20 (52%) returned for further examination within one month of initial treatment, whereas eight of the 38 patients with failed treatments (21%) returned six months or more after initialtreatment. Peripheral retinal abnormalities were recognized initially in 65 of the 171 fellow eyes (38%)and subsequently developed in nine of the fellow eyes (5%) during the follow-up interval. Further treatment is often necessary after initial treatment of peripheral retinal breaks, emphasizing the need for careful long-term follow-up care.
Sagittal clefting of the body and other vertebral developmental errors in Canadian Inuit skeletons.

The objective of this study was to determine the expression, distribution in the column, and overall frequency of sagittal clefting of the vertebral body in the skeletons of two Canadian Inuit groups. One group, referred to as Thule-Historic, lived along the coast northwest of Hudson Bay, while the other, known as the Sadlermiut, were limited to Southampton Island and Coats Island north of Hudson Bay. The Thule-Historic people are thought to be the ancestors of the present-day Inuit of this region, whereas the much smaller, relatively isolated Sadlermiut became extinct during the winter of 1902–1903. The sagittal clefting results were also compared with those obtained for two other vertebral developmental problems, segmentation error and spina bifida. Sagittal clefting was found to occur with high frequency in the two Inuit series, especially in the region T6–T10. Segmentation errors were found to occur in approximately the same region of the column, while spina bifida produced a completely different pattern, occurring primarily at T11 and S1. The T11 involvement is limited to females, while S1 involvement occurs primarily in males. Sagittal clefting and spina bifida occur in the same individual more frequently than sagittal clefting and segmentation error. Possibly reflecting the smaller population size and isolated location of the Sadlermiut, sagittal clefting was found with greater frequency and intensity in the skeletons of this group than in those of the Thule-Historic Inuit. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Group I Introns and Inteins: Disparate Origins but Convergent Parasitic Strategies

Genomes of most organisms harbor DNA of foreign origin that has no known function. Since these elements may not contribute to a host’s fitness but utilize host resources for their perpetuation, it is appropriate to consider them genetic parasites (4). With the advent of sequencing technologies, a wide variety of parasitic elements have been discovered in bacteria from all environments, including obligate intracellular pathogens (100), which were thought to be shielded from horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Detection of a parasitic genetic element in a genome represents only a snapshot of the continuing and dynamic interplay between the host’s attempts to purge the element and the element’s ability to persist. These adaptable genetic parasites have evolved mechanisms to overcome defenses (75) of the cellular machinery to ultimately invade, colonize, and replicate within the host. Their success is very evident in the human genome, which consists mostly of such apparently superfluous DNA (65). Even compact bacterial genomes packed with functional genes contain mobile genetic elements (100), underscoring their universality in nature. A number of parasitic genetic elements are found in bacterial genomes, including transposons, insertion sequences, prophages, introns, inteins, and intervening sequences. While bacteria, especially pathogenic bacteria, are well studied, their parasitic genetic elements have not received as much attention. In the past few years, while studying the obligate intracellular pathogen Coxiella burnetii, we came to appreciate the intimate relationship between bacterial hosts and parasitic elements (92, 93). In addition, interesting new studies have shed light on the evolutionary histories of group I introns, inteins, and homing endonucleases (HEs) (9, 109) and infused excitement into the field. This minireview, which focuses on the biology and evolution of group I introns and inteins found in bacteria, is an attempt to catalyze interest among bacteriologists in these fascinating genetic parasites. GROUP I INTRONS
Router group monitoring: making traffic trajectory error detection more efficient

Detecting errors in traffic trajectories (i.e., packet forwarding paths) is important to operational networks. Several different traffic monitoring algorithms such as Trajectory Sampling, PSAMP, and Fatih can be used for traffic trajectory error detection. However, a straight-forward application of these algorithms will incur the overhead of simultaneously monitoring all network interfaces in a network for the packets of interest. In this paper, we propose a novel technique called router group monitoring to improve the efficiency of trajectory error detection by only monitoring the periphery interfaces of a set of selected router groups. We analyze a large number of real network topologies and show that effective router groups with high trajectory error detection rates exist in all cases. However, for router group monitoring to be practical, those effective router groups must be identified efficiently. To this end, we develop an analytical model for quickly and accurately estimating the detection rates of different router groups. Based on this model, we propose an algorithm to select a set of router groups that can achieve complete error detection and low monitoring overhead. Finally, we show that the router group monitoring technique can significantly improve the efficiency of trajectory error detection based on Trajectory Sampling or Fatih.