cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploring the behavior of a matched load in the time domain

The purpose of a matched load is to produce maximum absorption of energy from a signal source or, equivalently, to minimize reflections from the load. The matched load originated as a circuit concept, but also plays a role in antenna design and performance. This note elaborates on the discussions by Bantin [1, 2], in which he used the idea to reduce late-time radiation from an impulsively excited dipole antenna. Illustrated explicitly here is how a matched load performs using the time-domain code TWTD (Thin-Wire Time Domain) [3].
PREDICTING EARLY ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN A BACCALAUREATE NURSING PROGRAM

Baccalaureate nursing programs are under increased pressure to graduate greater numbers of students to meet the demands of the nurse workforce of the future. Schools of nursing are admitting larger cohorts of students, but early academic achievement in the nursing major and retention are problematic. Historical predictors of early academic achievement, such as scholastic aptitude, may not be the best for identifying students at risk of early academic failure. Increasingly, baccalaureate nursing programs are relying on standardized nursing aptitude tests to evaluate the readiness of applicants for the nursing major. However, reliable predictors of early academic achievement have yet to be identified. The purpose of this study was to explore whether scholastic aptitude and nursing aptitude are predictive of early academic achievement in a baccalaureate nursing program. Using an exploratory descriptive design, data from 164 sophomore nursing students were examined. The data indicated that scholastic aptitude and nursing aptitude together predicted 20.2% of the variance in early academic achievement, with scholastic aptitude accounting for 15.4% of the variance.
Streetscape improvements in an historic tourist city a second visit to King Street, Charleston, South Carolina

Abstract “King Street, like people, after years of use and abuse, has developed wrinkles in its face. It's time for a facelift” (The Post and Courier, November 17, p. B1). Such was the sentiment, several years ago, of Charleston, South Carolina merchants as they considered their historic main street. This paper, second in a series, follows the progress of the King Street revitalization project undertaken by the City of Charleston as it strives to maintain its downtown's attractiveness. The current views of the city's merchants, based upon a survey exercise conducted mid-project, provide useful feedback to the city, but of broader importance, provide valuable lessons for other historic tourist cities striving to preserve their urban retail core.
The formation of a 1–5 phosphodiester linkage in the spontaneous breakdown of 5-phosphoribosyl-α-1-pyrophosphate

Abstract The decomposition of 5-phosphoribosyl-α-1-pyrophosphate (PRPP) in the presence of Mg 2+ at pH=7.8 yields a combination of products including ribose 5-phosphate, ribose 1-phosphate, 5-phosphoribosyl 1,2 cyclic phosphate, inorganic phosphate, and pyrophosphate. Hydrogen decoupled 31 P NMR analysis of the product mixture also exhibits a sharp peak (+2.6 ppm from phosphocreatine) in a chemical shift region which includes phosphodiester bonds. Alkaline phosphatase treatment of the product mixture results in cleavage of monophosphate esters such as ribose 1-phosphate and ribose 5-phosphate, but does not affect the unidentified peak. Homonuclear ( 1 H) correlation spectroscopy (COSY) of a partially purified sample was successful in identifying the hydrogen spectra of this compound. Combined with results from the splitting patterns of selectively decoupled 31 P spectra, the COSY data indicate that several hydrogens are directly coupled to the unknown phosphate group with J value matches to the hydrogen on carbon one and to the two hydrogens on carbon five. Heteronuclear ( 1 H– 31 P) chemical shift correlation studies confirm these couplings and further substantiate the formation of a ribose 1–5 phosphate linkage during the degradation of PRPP under these conditions. It is presently unknown whether this is an intramolecular or intermolecular phosphodiester linkage, although some spectroscopic evidence suggest the intramolecular bond formation, i.e. a ribose 1,5-cyclic phosphate (R-1,5cP). The formation of R-1,5cP helps explain the observation that the 5-phosphate group from PRPP becomes labile during the spontaneous degradation of PRPP.
On bubble flow in liquids and fluidised beds

Abstract An illustration of Nicklin's conclusions for two-phase flow is given, and application of these conclusions is made to the two-phase theory of fluidised beds. Some expressions previously derived for fluidised beds are believed now to require re-consideration.
Safety and efficacy of two dose formulations of alicaforsen enema compared with mesalazine enema for treatment of mild to moderate left-sided ulcerative colitis: a randomized, double-blind, active-controlled trial.

Summary Background Alicaforsen is an antisense oligonucleotide inhibitor of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 protein expression with activity in subjects with ulcerative colitis and pouchitis. Aim To compare the effects of alicaforsen enema to standard of care mesalazine (mesalamine) enema in subjects with mild to moderate active left-sided ulcerative colitis. Method A randomized, double-blind, active-controlled multicentre clinical trial. Subjects received a nightly enema of 120 mg alicaforsen (n = 55), 240 mg alicaforsen (n = 50), or 4 g mesalazine (n = 54) for 6 weeks, followed by a 24-week monitoring period. The primary end point was Disease Activity Index at week 6. Clinical improvement, remission and relapse were secondary end points. Results No significant difference was observed between treatment arms in the primary end point. However, the median duration of response to alicaforsen enema treatment was two- to threefold longer (128 and 146 days) in comparison with mesalazine (54 days). Complete mucosal healing occurred in 24% of the 240 mg alicaforsen group, when compared with 17% in the mesalazine. Conclusions Alicaforsen enema demonstrated an acute response and safety profile similar to mesalazine enema, but was differentiated by a more durable response. The extended length of remission suggests that alicaforsen enema treatment may have a disease modifying effect.
Detection is unaffected by the deployment of focal attention.

There has been much debate regarding how much information humans can extract from their environment without the use of limited attentional resources. In a recent study, Theeuwes, Van der Burg, and Belopolsky (2008) argued that even detection of simple feature targets is not possible without selection by focal attention. Supporting this claim, they found response time benefits in a simple feature (color) detection task when a target letter’s identity was repeated on consecutive trials, suggesting that the letter was selected by focal attention and identified prior to detection. This intertrial repetition benefit remained even when observers were required to simultaneously identify a central digit. However, we found that intertrial repetition benefits disappeared when a simple color target was presented among a heterogeneously (rather than homogeneously) colored set of distractors, thus reducing its bottom-up salience. Still, detection performance remained high. Thus, detection performance was unaffected by whether a letter was focally attended and identified prior to detection or not. Intertrial identity repetition benefits also disappeared when observers were required to perform a simultaneous, attention-demanding central task (Experiment 2), or when unfamiliar Chinese characters were used (Experiment 3). Together, these results suggest that while shifts of focal attention can be affected by target salience, by the availability of excess cognitive resources, and by target familiarity, detection performance itself is unaffected by these manipulations and is thus unaffected by the deployment of focal attention.
A comparison of parametric conditional error-rate estimators for the two-group linear discriminant function

Using mean absolute deviation, we compare the efficay of two new parametric conditional error rate estimators with six others, four of which are well known.The performance of both new estimators is found to be superior to the six competing estimators examined in this paper, especially when the ratio of the training sample size to the feature dimensionality is small.
β-Lactams Enhance Vancomycin Activity against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia Compared to Vancomycin Alone

Vancomycin (VAN) is often used to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia despite a high incidence of microbiological failure. Recent in vitro analyses of β-lactams in combination with VAN demonstrated synergistic activity against MRSA. The goal of this study was to examine the impact of combination therapy with VAN and a β-lactam (Combo) on the microbiological eradication of MRSA bacteremia compared to VAN alone. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with MRSA bacteremia who received Combo therapy or VAN alone. Microbiological eradication of MRSA, defined as a negative blood culture obtained after initiation of therapy, was used to evaluate the efficacy of each regimen. A total of 80 patients were included: 50 patients in the Combo group and 30 patients in the VAN-alone group. Microbiological eradication was achieved in 48 patients (96%) in the Combo group compared to 24 patients (80%) in the VAN-alone group (P = 0.021). In a multivariable model, the Combo treatment had a higher likelihood of achieving microbiological eradication (adjusted odds ratio, 11.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.7 to 144.3; P = 0.01). In patients with infective endocarditis (n = 22), 11/11 (100%) who received Combo therapy achieved microbiological eradication compared to 9/11 (81.8%) treated with VAN alone, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.20). Patients with MRSA bacteremia who received Combo therapy were more likely to experience microbiological eradication of MRSA than patients who received VAN alone.
Micro Cold Spray Direct Write Process

Gas dynamic cold spray was first discovered in the 1980s and has since been used as a surface coating process for depositing metals, metal-ceramic composites, metal-carbon nanotube composites and other composite materials onto both flexible and rigid substrates. We recently developed a focused cold spray material deposition tool termed Micro Cold Spray (MCS). MCS is a direct-write tool applicable for printed electronics and has been used to print conductive trace patterns as thin as 50 μm wide using copper, aluminum and tin micro powders. Unlike conventional aerosol processing at 10–100 m/s, aerosol particles in the MCS process are accelerated to speeds greater than 500 m/s. In this paper the possibility to accelerate, focus, collimate, and deposit aerosol particles is theoretically explored using a finite difference approximation method to simulate the flow of Helium through a symmetric converging-diverging nozzle of throat diameter 200 μm. A Lagrangian particle tracking algorithm is used to calculate the particle trajectories and corresponding velocities. This paper presents a comparison of the effect of Stoke’s drag force and Saffman’s lift force on the trajectory and velocity of copper particles 3 μm in diameter.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Identification of benzomorphan‐κ opiate receptors in cerebral arteries which subserve relaxation

Several 'so-called' kappa-opiate receptor agonists e.g., ketocyclazocine (Kc), ethylketocyclazocine (Ekc), bremazocine, MR-2034 and U-50488H, were tested on basilar and middle cerebral arteries of the dog in vitro for relaxant or contractile activities. Ekc, Kc and bremazocine were found to produce concentration-dependent reductions in basal tone and to relax cerebral arteries contracted with prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha). All three agonists appear to act on benzomorphan-kappa opiate receptors which subserve relaxation in cerebral blood vessels. MR-2034 and U-50488H were found to induce contraction in the cerebral arteries. These opiate agonists appear to act on phencyclidine (PCP) or sigma-opiate receptors which subserve contraction. A variety of pharmacological antagonists (phentolamine, propranolol, methysergide, atropine, diphenhydramine, cimetidine, naloxone) did not modify any of the cerebral vascular effects produced by the opiates. These results suggest: (1) specific benzomorphan-kappa opiate receptors which subserve relaxation exist in cerebral blood vessels; (2) some kappa agonists appear to produce, primarily, contraction in cerebral vessels via PCP or sigma-opiate receptors: and cerebral vascular muscle may provide a useful tool to analyse the molecular constitution of these two distinct and opposite-acting opiate receptors.
The Absence of a Cellulase in Limnoria

OWING to the almost invariable presence of fragments of wood in the stomach and gut of the woodboring isopod, Limnoria lignorum, it has been assumed that this animal is capable of digesting cellulose. Thus Calman (Brit. Mus. (N.H.) Economic Series No. 10) states: “Limnoria certainly swallows, and probably digests, the wood which it gnaws away to form its burrow, but it is not known whether it has any other source of nourishment.” In a report on the Marine Piling Investigation, published in the Bulletin of the American Railway Engineering Association (vol. 28, No. 290, Oct. 1926), the definite statement is made that “the main food of the limnoria is the wood into which it bores.” No experiments on the digestive powers of Limnoria appear to have been made, and it is never advisable to draw definite conclusions as to the food of any animal from the contents of its stomach, for a great deal of material may be passed through the gut which cannot be acted upon by the digestive enzymes. Though it is known that wood is ingested intracellularly by Teredo which, as shown by Harington (Biochern. Jour., vol. 15, p. 736) and Dore and Miller (Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool., vol. 22, p. 383), possesses a cellulase, it by no means follows that a similar enzyme is present in the crustacean, Limnoria, in which both the alimentary system and mode of digestion are totally different.
Effect of initial condition on subsonic jet noise

The initial boundary-layer state can significantly affect the radiated noise from an axisymmetric jet. Jets with initially laminar boundary layers are found to emit more noise. Thus, 'cleaner' far-field noise characteristics are achieved in tripped jets. Data suggest that the additional noise in the initially laminar case partly originates from the first stage of pairing of the coherent shear-layer vortices.
Mechanical behaviour and morphology of tactic poly(vinyl methyl ether)/polystyrene blends

Abstract The mechanical properties of tactic poly(vinyl methyl ether)/polystyrene (PVME/PS) blends are investigated as a route to toughened polymers by using the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behaviour as a mechanism for the production of rubbery domains. Crystallites in the tactic PVME-rich phase act as physical crosslinks. Shear bands as well as crazes are observed in these in situ composites due to interaction between a PS matrix plasticized with PVME and the PVME-rich rubbery domains.
Selection of Intermetallic Compounds for High-Temperature Mechanical Use

In the widespread search for structural materials for high temperatures, it is useful to first apply basic physical considerations to eliminate the least promising candidates. Certain basic quantities are indicators of some of the several properties that are demanded of hightemperature materials. Those properties are high strength and specific strength, high stiffness and specific stiffness, and low creep and thermal expansion coefficient. The basic quantities (structure-insensitive in that they vary little with processing history and consequent microstructural changes) which are chosen to measure these properties are melting temperature Tm, specific gravity ρ, and elastic moduli Cij. Fortunately the most readily available of these structure-insensitive properties, Tm and ρ, are the most useful. As Tm increases, the general trend is for stiffness and strength to increase and thermal expansion and creep to decrease. For space and aircraft applications, knowledge of ρ allows relative values of specific stiffness and specific strength to be estimated from the ratio Tm/ρ. Data for more than 280 intermetallic compounds have been collected and subdivided by crystal class so as to allow the most promising compounds and groups of compounds to be selected. The Ll2 structures tend to lie in the least desirable regions of Tm and ρ and therefore are not the first m candidates for maximizing high-strength at elevated temperatures. At present we have no simple structure-independent indicators of ductility and oxidation resistance--two other properties that are needed in hightemperature structural materials.
Effects of enhanced depression treatment on diabetes self-care.

PURPOSE Among patients with diabetes, major depression is associated with more diabetic complications, lower medication adherence, and poorer self-care of diabetes. We reported earlier that enhanced depression care reduces depression symptoms but not hemoglobin A1c level. This study examined effects of depression interventions on self-management among depressed diabetic patients. METHODS A total of 329 patients in 9 primary care clinics were randomized to an evidence-based collaborative depression treatment (pharmacotherapy, problem-solving treatment, or both in combination) or usual primary care (routine medical services). Outcome measures included the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA), reported at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months, and medication non-adherence as assessed by automated pharmacy refill data of oral hypoglycemic agents, lipid-lowering agents, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. We used mixed regression models adjusted for baseline differences to compare the intervention with usual care groups at follow-up assessments. RESULTS During the 12-month intervention period, enhanced depression care and outcomes were not associated with improved diabetes self-care behaviors (healthy nutrition, physical activity, or smoking cessation). Relative to the usual care group, the intervention group reported a small decrease in body mass index (mean difference = 0.70 kg/m2, 95% CI, 0.17 to 1.24 kg/m2) and a higher rate of nonadherence to oral hypoglycemic agents (mean difference = −6.3%, 95% CI, −11.91% to −0.71%). Adherence to lipid-lowering agents and to antihypertensive medicines was similar for the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS In general, diabetes self-management did not improve among the enhanced depression treatment group during a 12-month period, except for small between-group differences of limited clinical importance. Research needs to assess whether self-care interventions tailored for specific conditions, in addition to enhanced depression care, can achieve better diabetes and depression outcomes.
An Experimental Study of Competitive Market Behavior

INTRODUCTION RECENT years have witnessed a growing interest in experimental L. games such as management decision- making games and games designed to simulate oligopolistic market phenomena. This article reports on a series of experimental games designed to study some of the hypotheses of neoclassical competitive market theory. Since the organized stock, bond, and commodity exchanges would seem to have the best chance of fulfilling the conditions of an operational theory of supply and demand, most of these experiments have been designed to simulate, on a modest scale, the multilateral auction-trading process characteristic of these organized markets. I would emphasize, however, that they are intended as simulations of certain key features of the organized markets and of competitive markets generally, rather than as direct, exhaustive simulations of any particular organized exchange. The experimental conditions of supply and demand in force in these markets are modeled closely upon the supply and demand curves generated by the limit price orders in the hands of stock and commodity market brokers at the opening of a trading day in any one stock or commodity, though I would consider them to be good general models of received short-run supply and demand theory. A similar experimental supply and demand model was first used by E. H. Chamberlin in an interesting set of experiments that pre-date contemporary interest in experimental games.
Detecting 3D Corpus Callosum abnormalities in phenylketonuria.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a genetic disorder characterised by an inability to metabolise phenylalanine. Several studies have reported that the Corpus Callosum (CC) is one of the most severely affected structures with respect to volume loss in early treated PKU patients. In this work, we aim to detect the abnormalities of the CC in PKU from both global and local perspectives. 3D models of the CC are extracted from MRI data using a
Neural-fuzzy control system for robotic manipulators

This article presents a control system structure, as well as a control algorithm, that combines neural networks with fuzzy logic for dynamical compensation of both structured and unstructured uncertainties. A new fuzzy reasoning method is derived in the neural mechanism and implemented with a cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC), which outperforms conventional fuzzy controllers by reducing computational complexity and providing a learning ability that conventional fuzzy systems do not have. The overall control system is proven to be stable. The simulation results confirm that the system can track the desired position for both set-point and dynamic tracking in the presence of uncertainties such as changing payload, various frictions, and unknown disturbances.
A Partial Equilibrium Model Based on the Kinetics of Dissolution and Equilibrium in Solution of the UO2-FeS2-Fe2(SO4)3-H2SO4-System

A mathematical model for determining the concentration changes in solution during the dissolution of a uranium dioxide-pyrite mixture has been developed using a Fe2(SO4)3-H2SO4 lixiviant. When modeling such a leaching process, the two dissolution reactions are considered to be slow enough so that the reactions in solution can be assumed to be at continual equilibrium. This situation allows for the partial equilibrium approach to be utilized in modeling the overall leaching process.
Synthesis of subcellular protein fractions in the rat heart in vivo in response to chronic ethanol feeding

An investigation was made into the chronic effects of ethanol on the subcellular protein fractions in the hearts of young rats (80–100 g body weight). Rats were fed a nutritionally adequate liquid diet containing ethanol as 36% of total energy. Controls were fed the same diet in which ethanol was substituted by iso-energetic glucose. At the end of 6 weeks, rats were killed and hearts were fractionated into sarcoplasmic, myofibrillar and stromal protein fractions by differential solubilisa-tion. The total myofibrillar protein content was significantly reduced by chronic ethanol feeding, though the contents of other fractions were relatively unaltered. The fractional and absolute rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis were significantly increased, but the synthesis rates of sarcoplasmic and stromal protein fractions were unaffected by ethanol feeding. This suggests independent regulation of myofibrillar protein content in the ethanol exposed heart. These changes may be responsible for alterations in myocardial function in alcoholic cardiomyopathy.
Differential Mechanisms of Transmission at Three Types of Mossy Fiber Synapse

The axons of the dentate gyrus granule cells, the so-called mossy fibers, innervate their inhibitory interneuron and pyramidal neuron targets via both anatomically and functionally specialized synapses. Mossy fiber synapses onto inhibitory interneurons were comprised of either calcium-permeable (CP) or calcium-impermeable (CI) AMPA receptors, whereas only calcium-impermeable AMPA receptors existed at CA3 principal neuron synapses. In response to brief trains of high-frequency stimuli (20 Hz), pyramidal neuron synapses invariably demonstrated short-term facilitation, whereas interneuron EPSCs demonstrated either short-term facilitation or depression. Facilitation at all CI AMPA synapses was voltage independent, whereas EPSCs at CP AMPA synapses showed greater facilitation at -20 than at -80 mV, consistent with a role for the postsynaptic unblock of polyamines. At pyramidal cell synapses, mossy fiber EPSCs possessed marked frequency-dependent facilitation (commencing at stimulation frequencies >0.1 Hz), whereas EPSCs at either type of interneuron synapse showed only moderate frequency-dependent facilitation or underwent depression. Presynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) decreased transmission at all three synapse types in a frequency-dependent manner. However, after block of presynaptic mGluRs, transmission at interneuron synapses still did not match the dynamic range of EPSCs at pyramidal neuron synapses. High-frequency stimulation of mossy fibers induced long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD), or no change at pyramidal neuron synapses, interneuron CP AMPA synapses, and CI AMPA synapses, respectively. Induction of LTP or LTD altered the short-term plasticity of transmission onto both pyramidal cells and interneuron CP AMPA synapses by a mechanism consistent with changes in release probability. These data reveal differential mechanisms of transmission at three classes of mossy fiber synapse made onto distinct targets.
Performance Comparison of Web Service Engines in PHP, Java and C

PHP is well known as a programming language in the Web 2.0 era enabling agile server-side software development. It has officially supported SOAP messaging since version 5 through a C-based built-in library. In this paper we perform a thorough study of the capability of PHP as a Web service engine in both qualitative and quantitative aspects while comparing it with other Web service engines implemented in Java and C. We used Axis2 for this purpose as it is an open source web service engine whose implementation is available both in Java and C. We report that PHP as a web service engine performs competitively with Axis2 Java for Web services involving small payloads, and greatly outperforms it for larger payloads by 5-17 times. As the authors expected, Axis2 C performs best, but the experimental results demonstrate that PHP performance is closer to Axis2 C with larger payloads. This performance difference comes from the fact that the SOAP engine within the PHP runtime is implemented in C with a monolithic architecture, whereas Axis2 uses a more modular architecture for the flexible insertation of handlers for an assorted set of WS-* standards, and also that Axis2 uses a different data binding mechanism known as ADB (Axis2 Data binding). This paper is the first attempt to compare Web services engines implemented in PHP, Java and C, and the authors believe that this boosts the development of SOAP-based Web services in PHP by letting people know its decent performance score and high productivity characteristics.
Ethnic Accommodation in a Historical Case

I. The Political Meaning of Ethnic ConflictIf politics “in its broadest sense” is conceived as the “distribution of advantages and disadvantages among people” (Froman, p. 3), then the ultimate penalty is subordination (total exclusion from advantages) and the ultimate reward is dominance (total monopoly of advantages). The effort to change the balance of advantages and disadvantages between groups is the nexus of political conflict. In such conflict, ethnicity is a particularly important variable, precisely because it is one criterion found throughout the world by which groups are regularly assigned superior and inferior places.
Subwavelength light guiding in photonic funnels

We present new class of waveguides with metamaterial cores. In contrast to conventional structures, our system propagates light on subwavelength scale and provides effective nano-to-micro coupling. The design is scalable from optical to THz frequencies.
Colonization of potato by Rhizoctonia solani as affected by crop rotation

Potato stems and stolons infected with Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn were collected from ten fields in the Red River Valley of North Dakota, USA, in 1987. Six potato cultivars were sampled from dryland production areas with different crop rotation schemes. Approximately 1350 isolations from 203 plants were made for the recovery of R. solani. Pure cultures of R. solani were obtained and 119 cultures were successfully purified using a hyphal tip technique. These cultures were paired on anastomosis plates with tester isolates representing anastomosis groups AG-1 through AG-9, and tested for pathogenicity on potato. Anastomosis groups 4 and 5 were the predominant groups recovered from potato plants sampled in fields not previously cropped to potato, while anastomosis groups 3 and 5 were most frequently recovered from fields with a previous cropping history of potato. The potato plants grown in these fields also had the highest incidence of symptoms and greatest severity. There was no relationship between potato cultivar and the colonization of a particular anastomosis group of R. solani. Based on these preliminary studies, infection of potato by various anastomosis groups of R. solani appears to be influenced mainly by crop rotation in our production area.
Postmodernism and Democracy: Learning from Lyotard and Lefort

Jean-Francois Lyotard's postmodern approach has stumbled against the criticism that it fails to generate concrete proposals for political action or analysis. Focusing on his articulation of a politics of the sublime and his unique interpretation of Kant's Critique of Judgment, I argue that Lyotard's identification of the differend opens new avenues of questioning the experimental and heterogeneous potential of democratic practice. Claude Lefort rephrases the significance of the political and challenges the mainstream demarcation of political science. A postmodern analysis of democracy reveals a provocative and compelling interpretation of its meaning that testifies to its uncertain and indeterminate character. An analysis informed by Lyotard and Lefort advocates alternative forms of democratic practice and suggests the need for additional research on instances of marginal democratic action often neglected in research on democratization.
A pricing policy for scalable VOD applications

Many video applications are scalable due to human tolerance to the degradation in picture quality, frame loss and end-to-end delay. Scalability allows the network to utilize its resources efficiently for supporting additional connections, thereby increasing revenue and number of supported customers. This can be accomplished by a dynamic admission control scheme which scales down existing connections to support new requests. However, users will not be willing to tolerate quality degradation unless it is coupled with monetary or availability incentives. We propose a pricing policy and a corresponding admission control scheme for scalable VOD applications. The pricing policy is two-tiered, based on a connection setup component and a scalable component. Connections which are more scalable are charged less but are more liable to be degraded. The proposed policy trades off performance degradation with monetary incentives to improve user benefit and network revenue, and to decrease the blocking probability of connection requests. We demonstrate by means of simulation that this policy encourages users to specify the scalability of an application to the network.
Why the best and brightest approaches don't solve the innovation dilemma

Purpose – Highlight the management dilemma disruptive innovation poses and examine what the leading management theorists have to offer as a solution.Design/methodology/approach – The author examines six leading theories of innovation and three alternatives to disruptive innovation.Findings – The leading theories that try to solve the paradox of innovation don't work and the alternatives to disruptive innovation merely delay having to deal with the dilemma.Research limitations/implications – The author reviewed many theoretical approaches to innovation management and selected six for commentary.Practical implications – The author argues that the theorists are looking at innovation in the wrong way. Because innovation is a paradox, the solution lies in rethinking the fundamental assumptions.Originality/value – First article that examines the logic behind the leading disruptive innovation theories and refutes their advice.
Subsurface clade of Geobacteraceae that predominates in a diversity of Fe(III)-reducing subsurface environments

There are distinct differences in the physiology of Geobacter species available in pure culture. Therefore, to understand the ecology of Geobacter species in subsurface environments, it is important to know which species predominate. Clone libraries were assembled with 16S rRNA genes and transcripts amplified from three subsurface environments in which Geobacter species are known to be important members of the microbial community: (1) a uranium-contaminated aquifer located in Rifle, CO, USA undergoing in situ bioremediation; (2) an acetate-impacted aquifer that serves as an analog for the long-term acetate amendments proposed for in situ uranium bioremediation and (3) a petroleum-contaminated aquifer in which Geobacter species play a role in the oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons coupled with the reduction of Fe(III). The majority of Geobacteraceae 16S rRNA sequences found in these environments clustered in a phylogenetically coherent subsurface clade, which also contains a number of Geobacter species isolated from subsurface environments. Concatamers constructed with 43 Geobacter genes amplified from these sites also clustered within this subsurface clade. 16S rRNA transcript and gene sequences in the sediments and groundwater at the Rifle site were highly similar, suggesting that sampling groundwater via monitoring wells can recover the most active Geobacter species. These results suggest that further study of Geobacter species in the subsurface clade is necessary to accurately model the behavior of Geobacter species during subsurface bioremediation of metal and organic contaminants.
Masculinity and Emotionality: An Investigation of Men's Primary and Secondary Emotional Responding

In this study, we investigated the role of masculinity in men's affect intensity and men's fear of emotions. Men's masculine ideology and self-reported masculine gender role stress were assessed as cognitive and experiential factors of adherence to traditional masculine gender norms. Masculine ideology was negatively related to men's global affect intensity. However, on a 3-factor model of affect intensity, only negative reactivity was significantly related to masculine ideology. Both masculine ideology and masculine gender role stress were positively related to men's fear of emotions. Results are discussed in the context of theories of gender differences in emotion.
Adiabatic-rapid-passage multiphoton Bragg atom optics

The combination of adiabatic rapid passage and multiphoton Bragg diffraction (ARPMB pulses) to efficiently transfer many photon recoils of momentum ($\ensuremath{\hbar}k$) to cold-atom clouds is theoretically and experimentally investigated. This method is insensitive to perturbations of the pulse intensity or detuning. In particular, the theoretically calculated velocity acceptance can be up to $80%$ of one recoil velocity ${v}_{r}$, the theoretical maximum in Bragg diffraction. We experimentally demonstrate ARPMB pulses with transfer efficiency of 99.7$%$ per $\ensuremath{\hbar}k$ using $10\ensuremath{\hbar}k$ pulses, limited by spontaneous emission losses, and Mach-Zehnder interferometers with $80%$ contrast.
The Influence of Dietary Salt and Plasma Renin Activity on Myosin Heavy Chain Gene Expression in Rat Hearts

The renin-angiotensin system has been implicated as a possible mediator of the cardiac adaptations that develop in response to chronic pressure overload. In order to explore this, we studied rats that had elevated plasma renin activity (PRA) secondary to 6 weeks of either dietary salt restriction or renovascular hypertension (Htn)--conditions that exert distinctly different loads on the myocardium. Separate groups of sham and Htn animals were maintained on a high salt diet that resulted in a relative (Htn) or absolute (sham) reduction in PRA. Heart weight and heart/body weight ratios were increased only in animals with Htn. The ratio of alpha/beta myosin heavy chain (MHC) mRNA was significantly decreased with Htn. This ratio was markedly increased with low salt and was not influenced by high salt intake. Thus, the circulating renin-angiotensin system does not appear to play a primary role in defining cardiac myosin heavy chain adaptations to hemodynamic loads. However, sodium restriction, either via its hemodynamic or humoral effects, is sufficient to induce a physiologic change in myosin heavy chain gene expression in rats.
Abstract B135: A Mediterranean dietary intervention for reducing colon cancer risk

B135 Epidemiological and animal studies indicate that the major components of the traditional Cretan-Mediterranean diet have great promise for the prevention of colon cancer while improving overall health. We designed an exchange-list diet that would target 1) an increase in amount and variety of fruits and vegetables, 2) an increase in whole grains and 3) a decrease in n-6 fatty acids with increased n-3 and n-9 fatty acids. The exchange list approach provided flexibility in food choices for meeting nutrient goals. In this ongoing study we are recruiting study participants at increased risk for colon cancer. Subjects are being randomized to a modified Mediterranean diet or a Healthy People 2010 diet for 6 months, each of which involves intensive dietary counseling. Dietary intake data, blood samples and biopsies of normal colonic mucosa from flexible sigmoidoscopy are being collected and analyzed. Thus far 45 subjects have been enrolled with a mean age of 52 years, mean BMI of 28 kg/m2 and 67% were female. Two thirds of the subjects had a family history of colon cancer and the remainder had a personal history of adenomas. Dietary intakes of mono-unsaturated fats increased by about 70% and fruit and vegetables intakes doubled, but caloric intake did not change appreciably in the Mediterranean arm. This indicates that the exchange list diet was an effective tool. HPLC-MS-MS methods were developed to profile prostaglandins and leukotrienes in granulocytes and colonic mucosa using a single chromatographic run. Thus far granulocyte samples from 23 subjects have been analyzed there was a trend for decreases in several eicosanoids in samples from the Mediterranean arm while changes in the Healthy Eating arm were more variable. These preliminary data indicate that subjects can make large dietary changes and that this may impact on inflammation. Effects on biomarkers in the colonic mucosa are ongoing and will be important to evaluate the potential preventive effects of a Mediterranean type of diet. Supported by NIH grant 1RO1CA120381. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):B135.
Religious institutions and practices

For the outsider religion ranks high among the more difficult aspects of Soviet life to study and to understand. This is in large part a function of official Soviet sensitivity on the subject,—a sensitivity rooted in the nexus of an assumed anti-religious ideology on the one hand, and the need to produce an occasional show of religious toleration on the other. But complications also arise from a natural tendency among believers in the Soviet Union, and their friends elsewhere, to exaggerate their numbers and perhaps their social importance. The local and international issues engendered by the Jewish “refuseniks” add further dimensions to the problem, as do the burgeoning Muslim populations of Soviet Central Asia.Paul Lucey surveys the situation of the major religions in the Soviet Union from both historical and contemporary perspectives. He concludes, with respect to the Russian Orthodox Church, that the Soviet regime could never “accommodate itself to a Russian nationalism based on the faith which for 60...
Two for the price of one

ABSTRACT’Two for the Price of One’ was written when the author was a student at Goddard College’s MFA in Creative Writing Program in Plainfield, Vermont. It is a self-contained memoir excerpt whose major theme is the child’s developing sense of responsibility, and it explores the universality of dread at the knowledge of one’s own guilt. The events recounted take place in Metro Manila, Philippines, during the early 1990s. The piece is a chapter from a larger work in progress that juxtaposes the author’s tumultuous childhood in the Philippines, with his migration to and fragmentary life in the United States.
Effects of Sterol Mole Fraction on Membrane Lateral Organization: Linking Fluorescence Signals to Sterol Superlattices

Research highlights cited here illustrate some unconventional usage of fluorescent probes in biophysical studies on sterol superlattices in model membranes. The use of small sterol mole fraction increments over a wide range correctly delineates the global trend as well as the fine details of the effects of sterol content on membrane properties. An alternating variation of fluorescence signals and membrane properties with sterol content, with maxima or minima appeared at critical sterol mole fractions, was observed in many different membrane systems and can be explained by the sterol superlattice model. This model has been progressing over the last two decades. The current model links sterol superlattice formation with condensed complex formation, gives a deeper understanding of the liquid-ordered phase, and reveals two concentration-induced sharp phase transitions immediately below and above a critical sterol mole fraction for maximal superlattice formation. The density and size of membrane rafts isolated from model membranes as detergent resistant membrane fragments show characteristics typical for sterol superlattices, which suggests that membrane rafts and sterol superlattices are closely related. The concept of sterol superlattice formation can be used to optimize liposomal drug formulations and develop a method for a facile screening of lipid-soluble antioxidants for potency and toxicity.
Optimizing secure classification performance with privacy-aware feature selection

Recent advances in personalized medicine point towards a future where clinical decision making will be dependent upon the individual characteristics of the patient, e.g., their age, race, genomic variation, and lifestyle. Already, there are numerous commercial entities working towards the provision of software to support such decisions as cloud-based services. However, deployment of such services in such settings raises important challenges for privacy. A recent attack shows that disclosing personalized drug dosage recommendations, combined with several pieces of demographic knowledge, can be leveraged to infer single nucleotide polymorphism variants of a patient. One manner to prevent such inference is to apply secure multi-party computation (SMC) techniques that hide all patient data, so that no information, including the clinical recommendation, is disclosed during the decision making process. Yet, SMC is a computationally cumbersome process and disclosing some information may be necessary for various compliance purposes. Additionally, certain information (e.g., demographic information) may already be publicly available. In this work, we provide a novel approach to selectively disclose certain information before the SMC process to significantly improve personalized decision making performance while preserving desired levels of privacy. To achieve this goal, we introduce mechanisms to quickly compute the loss in privacy due to information disclosure while considering its performance impact on SMC execution phase. Our empirical analysis show that we can achieve up to three orders of magnitude improvement compared to pure SMC solutions with only a slight increase in privacy risks.
Functional Role(s) of Dimeric Complexes Formed from G-Protein-Coupled Receptors

Publisher Summary Findings from emerging studies with a variety of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) indicate that GPCR hetero-oligomerization alters receptor function by forming new signaling units with distinct properties, which are involved in specific pathophysiological mechanisms. This chapter reviews the evidence for receptor dimerization/oligomerization and describes how this leads to the modulation of the properties of individual receptors. It begins with presenting a historical perspective of GPCR dimerization, presenting the indirect evidence, functional complementation analysis, biochemical and biophysical evidence, and physical evidence to demonstrate direct association of proteins to form functional receptors. Following this, it reviews the studies that have examined the effect of association between two distinct receptors on their function. These studies are of scientific interest since they examine the influence of heterodimerization on receptor function at the molecular level. Also, they provide ample proof that GPCR heterodimerization allows for a new level of complexity in the regulation of the properties and thus functions of GPCRs. Furthermore, this study indicates that heterodimerization leads to the formation of new complexes with altered function in specific tissues, and especially in pathological contexts. This is explained using the examples of AT1R–B2Rin pregnancy-induced pre-eclampsia, β 2 AR–AT1R and β 2 AR–β 1 ARin cardiomyocytes, β 2 AR-prostaglandin receptor (EP1R) in asthma, 5HT2AR–mGluR2 in schizophrenia, and DOR–KORin spinal analgesia. These examples suggest that GPCR heterodimers represent new drug targets, with high tissue specificity, especially in pathophysiological contexts.
The Decline of Liberalism

Hence also we may see the reason why languages constantly change, take up new and lay by old terms. Because change of customs and opinions bringing with it new combinations of ideas, which it is necessary frequently to think on and talk about, new names, to avoid long descriptions, are annexed to them; and so they become new species of complex modes.508
Using Motor Imagery to Control Brain-Computer Interfaces for Communication

Brain-computer interfaces BCI as assistive devices are designed to provide access to communication, navigation, locomotion and environmental interaction to individuals with severe motor impairment. In the present paper, we discuss two approaches to communication using a non-invasive BCI via recording of neurological activity related to motor imagery. The first approach uses modulations of the sensorimotor rhythm related to limb movement imagery to continuously modify the output of an artificial speech synthesizer. The second approach detects event-related changes to neurological activity during single trial motor imagery attempts to control a commercial augmentative and alternative communication device. These two approaches represent two extremes for BCI-based communication ranging from simple, "button-click" operation of a speech generating communication device to continuous modulation of an acoustic output speech synthesizer. The goal of developing along a continuum is to facilitate adoption and use of communication BCIs to a heterogeneous target user population.