cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The FTC PAE Study: A Cautionary Tale About Making Unsupported Policy Recommendations

In October 2016, the Federal Trade Commission released its long awaited case study examining the business practices of 22 Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs). One clear policy implication is that PAEs do not present an antitrust problem. While the study makes a number of interesting and potentially important factual findings, it makes four policy recommendations that simply are not substantiated by anything in the study. The FTC acknowledged that the limitations of its sample rendered it inappropriate to extrapolate its findings to PAEs as a whole. Curiously, however, in spite of that acknowledgement, FTC went on to make recommendations applicable to the entire population of PAEs. Because it is unclear whether the policy recommendations in the FTC’s PAE study would survive a cost-benefit test, and because they certainly cannot be substantiated based upon the PAE Study alone, we conclude the policy recommendations should be afforded little weight.
Machine Learning at Amazon

In this talk I will give an introduction into the field of machine learning and discuss why it is a crucial technology for Amazon. Machine learning is the science of automatically extracting patterns from data in order to make automated predictions of future data. One way to differentiate machine learning tasks is by the following two factors: (1) How much noise is contained in the data? and (2) How far into the future is the prediction task? The former presents a limit to the learnability of task --- regardless which learning algorithm is used --- whereas the latter has a crucial implication on the representation of the predictions: while most tasks in search and advertising typically only forecast minutes into the future, tasks in e-commerce can require predictions up to a year into the future. The further the forecast horizon, the more important it is to take account of uncertainty in both the learning algorithm and the representation of the predictions. I will discuss which learning frameworks are best suited for the various scenarios, that is, short-term predictions with little noise vs. long-term predictions with lots of noise, and present some ideas to combine representation learning with probabilistic methods. In the second half of the talk, I will give an overview of the applications of machine learning at Amazon ranging from demand forecasting, machine translation to automation of computer vision tasks and robotics. I will also discuss the importance of tools for data scientist and share learnings on bringing machine learning algorithms into products.
Economies of integration: a new manufacturing focus

The need to respond to competition is becoming a dominant theme in the argument advocating new technology acquisition. Clearly, the choice of technology should be based on the complete manufacturing strategy of each company rather than being simply a defensive response. This paper discusses the technological characteristics of economies of scale and economies of scope, and maintains that there is potential with the new technology to realise both scope and scale economies simultaneously, making their relationship interdependent. Furthermore, while the paper does not purport to develop a fully theoretical basis, it contends that to focus on only one of the economies limits he potential strategic manufacturing options of the firm. Achieving both economies concurrently will prove to be a key competitive axiom in many industries in the future. This axiom is referred to as 'economies of integration'.
Abstract 360: IL-10-inhibits Pressure Overload-induced Homing, Proliferation And Differentiation Of Non-resident Fibroblast Progenitors And Improve Heart Function.

Background: Recently we have shown that IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, markedly inhibited the pressure overload-induced cardiac fibrosis, however, antifibrotic mechanisms of IL-10 are largely unknown. In most of organs, including heart, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling is primarily mediated by excessive proliferation of activated fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. Here we hypothesized that IL-10 inhibits stress-induced homing, proliferation and differentiation of nonresident bone marrow-derived fibroblast progenitor cells and therefore, attenuates cardiac remodeling and improves of heart function. Methods and Results: Cardiac hypertrophy was induced in Wild-type (WT) and IL-10-knockout (KO) mice by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). TAC-induced left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and fibrosis were further exaggerated in KO mice compared to WT. TAC significantly increased TGF-β, collagen Iα and IIIα genes expression. Systemic recombinant mouse IL-10 administration markedly improved LV function, inhibited TAC-induced cardiac fibrosis and fibrosis associated genes expression. To identify the role of fibroblast progenitor cells (FPCs), we measured the mobilization of FPCs (Prominin1 positive cells) from bone marrow to heart by FACs. Exacerbated mobilization of FPCs in peripheral blood and heart in IL-10 KO mice were found 3 and 7 days after aortic constriction. Bone marrow transplantation experiments were performed where WT-GFP positive marrow was transplanted in BM depleted IL-10 KO mice. TAC-induced mobilization was significantly reduced in WT-transplanted marrow as compare to TAC-IL-10 KO mice. To identify the role IL-10 on TGFβ-induced endothelial cells trans-differentiation to myofibroblasts, we treated aortic endothelial cells with IL-10 and TGFβ2 for 96 hrs. Both Immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis results suggested that TGF-β2-induced EndMT was significantly inhibited by IL-10 treatment. To understand the mechanisms, we found that TGF-β2-induced Notch1 signaling was reduced by IL-10. Conclusion: Taken together our observations suggest that the anti-fibrotic effects of IL-10 treatment are mediated by reduced proliferation and differentiation of non-resident myofibroblasts.
A pilot investigation of the physical and psychological benefits of playing Pokmon GO for dog owners

Pilot information on the health behaviors and perceptions of adult, dog owning, Pokmon GO players in the US was gathered via an anonymous, on-line survey. A total of 269 participants provided details about their playing habits, daily exercise routines, and interactions with their family and dog, and how these were impacted by playing the game. Playing Pokmon GO affected the amount of time players spent with other people and pets, with 43.2% of respondents reporting an increased amount of time spent with family/household members and 52.3% reporting they spent more time with their dog. Additionally, 62.9% of participants reported spending more time walking their dog since starting to play. A statistically significant increase in amount of exercise obtained was found when comparing pre-to post-game levels. A number of respondents reported feeling less anxious leaving the house (38.6%), interacting with strangers (39.7%), and going to new places (39.4%) after they began playing Pokmon GO. In conclusion, playing Pokmon GO appears to positively impact all areas studied, suggesting a new opportunity to enhance both mental and physical health. Participants spent more time with family and pets after starting to play Pokmon GO.Increased amount of time walking their dog and exercising after starting to play.Anxiety about leaving the house was reduced after starting to play Pokmon GO.Reduced anxiety about interacting with strangers and visiting new places.Pokmon GO could be a new opportunity to enhance both mental and physical health.
Precluding oscillations in Michaelis-Menten approximations of dual-site phosphorylation systems.

Abstract Oscillations play a major role in a number of biological systems, from predator-prey models of ecology to circadian clocks. In this paper we focus on the question of whether oscillations exist within dual-site phosphorylation systems. Previously, Wang and Sontag showed, using monotone systems theory, that the Michaelis–Menten (MM) approximation of the distributive and sequential dual-site phosphorylation system lacks oscillations. However, biological systems are generally not purely distributive; there is generally some processive behavior as well. Accordingly, this paper focuses on the MM approximation of a general sequential dual-site phosphorylation system that contains both processive and distributive components, termed the composite system. Expanding on the methods of Bozeman and Morales, we preclude oscillations in the MM approximation of the composite system. This implies the lack of oscillations in the MM approximations of the processive and distributive systems, shown previously, as well as in the MM approximation of the partially processive and partially distributive mixed-mechanism system.
From Isolation Time to Node Resilience: Impact of Cascades in D2D-Based Social Networks

The ever-increasing traffic demand from social networking service (SNS) users and recent progress in device-to-device (D2D) technology have empowered a new D2D-based SNS paradigm, which enables multimedia content exchange via short-range wireless networking. In this paradigm, a small node failure may trigger a collection of rapidly-spreading isolation events called cascade-of-failures. Unlike existing works that studied the outcome of cascading failures from the spatial and probabilistic perspectives, this paper sheds light on the temporal properties of the cascade-of-failures. To do this, we introduce a maximum isolation time that quantifies the steps needed until the last node is isolated by the cascades, and then show that it scales non-monotonically to the fraction of initial survivors (non-failure nodes) and increases logarithmically with the network size. Then, we use the result to further analyze a node resilience metric, which is the likelihood that a node does not become isolated before its social networking session is finished. These findings, which are validated using numerical simulations, provide a temporal perspective of network performance that is valuable in the design of D2D-based SNSs yet still missing in the literature.
Soils of the United States

Soil diversity in the United States reflects a vast array of parent materials and topography, as modified and affected by changing climate and organisms through time. Although complex in origin, US soils have been classified, mapped in detail, and interpreted for their suitability and limitations for land uses. This Herculean task was accomplished by the US Soil Survey via a hierarchical taxonomic system used to classify soils known as Soil Taxonomy. At the highest taxonomic level are the 12 soil orders. Mollisols are the most widespread soil order in the conterminous United States; Gelisols are most common in Alaska; and Andisols are most common in Hawai'i. The prevalence of Mollisols across the central part of the United States, in addition to a favorable plant growth climate, is responsible for the largest and most productive agricultural system in the history of civilization. The greatest challenge currently facing US soils is human misuse of soil. Although the Soil Survey helped correct past human behaviors that were unsustainable, ending decades of poor soil management, the future security of US soils will depend on aggressive education and research on soil management in the face of an ever-growing human population. Keywords: agriculture; climate, landform, and vegetation history; mapping; natural resources; paleoenvironments and paleoenvironmental change; soils
Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Also: Humans, Our Capacities, and the Powers We Share

In this chapter, I defend the first step of the main argument: if something is human, it has a set of typical human capacities. A more precise way of putting this step is as follows: there is some set, H, of capacities, such that for any individual X, if X is human, then X has H. I defend this step in the face of three main problem areas: the obvious diversity of capacities among normal humans, the nebulous sense in which undeveloped humans have capacities, and the apparent absence of certain capacities among abnormal humans.
18O13C16O in Earth's atmosphere

The chemistry and budgets of atmospheric gases are constrained by their bulk stable isotope compositions (e.g., δ^(13)C values), which are based on mixing ratios of isotopologues containing one rare isotope (e.g., 16O13C16O). Atmospheric gases also have isotopologues containing two or more rare isotopes (e.g., ^(18)O^(13)C^(16)O). These species have unique physical and chemical properties and could help constrain origins of atmospheric gases and expand the scope of stable isotope geochemistry generally. We present the first measurements of the abundance of ^(18)O^(13)C^(16)O from natural and synthetic sources, discuss the factors influencing its natural distribution and, as an example of its applied use, demonstrate how its abundance constrains the sources of CO_2 in the Los Angeles basin. The concentration of ^(18_O^(13)C^(16)O in air can be explained as a combination of ca. 1‰ enrichment (relative to the abundance expected if C and O isotopes are randomly distributed among all possible isotopologues) due to enhanced thermodynamic stability of this isotopologue during isotopic exchange with leaf and surface waters, ca. 0.1‰ depletion due to diffusion through leaf stomata, and subtle (ca. 0.05‰) dilution by ^(18)O^(13)C^(16)O-poor anthropogenic CO_2. Some air samples are slightly (ca. 0.05‰) lower in ^(18)O^(13)C^(16)O than can be explained by these factors alone. Our results suggest that ^(18)O^(13)C^(16)O abundances should vary by up to ca. 0.2‰ with latitude and season, and might have measurable sensitivities to stomatal conductances of land plants. We suggest the greatest use of Δ_(47) measurements will be to “leverage” interpretation of the δ^(18)O of atmospheric CO_2.
Adaptive Parameter Identification of Underactuated Unmanned Underwater Vehicles: A Preliminary Simulation Study

This paper reports the analytical development and preliminary numerical evaluation of a novel adaptive identifier (AID) for the online experimental identification of parameters for underactuated three degree-of-freedom (DOF) unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) plant models. This approach extends previously reported results for AID for fully actuated 6-DOF UUV plant models to the ubiquitous case of underactuated vehicles. The performance of the new AID extension was compared to that of an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method in simulation studies of fully actuated and underactuated (control authority in surge and heading only) 3-DOF UUVs plant models. This result indicates that this AID can likely be used to estimate parameters of many variants of underactuated UUVs, as long as sufficient excitation in the appropriate degrees of freedom is present. Furthermore this AID does not require access to body acceleration signals, which can offer an advantage over other parameter estimation methods. To the best of the authors knowledge this paper reports the first simulation study that evaluates the performance of any AID for plant parameters of underactuated UUVs. Additionally, this is the first reported AID for 3-DOF UUV plant models.
Estimating Sit-to-Stand Dynamics Using a Single Depth Camera

Kinetic and dynamic motion analysis provides quantitative, functional assessments of human ability that are unobtainable through static imaging methods or subjective surveys. While biomechanics facilities are equipped to perform this measurement and analysis, the clinical translation of these methods is limited by the specialized skills and equipment needed. This paper presents and validates a method for estimating dynamic effects such as joint torques and body momenta using a single depth camera. An allometrically scaled, sagittal plane dynamic model is used to estimate the joint torques at the ankles, knees, hips, and low back, as well as the torso momenta, and shear and normal loads at the L5-S1 disk. These dynamic metrics are applied to the sit-to-stand motion and validated against a gold-standard biomechanical system consisting of full-body active motion-capture and force-sensing systems. The metrics obtained from the proposed method were found to have excellent concordance with peak metrics that are consistent with prior biomechanical studies. This suggests the feasibility of using this system for rapid clinical assessment, with applications in diagnostics, longitudinal tracking, and quantifying patient recovery.
Prevalence and Severity of Child Impairment in a US Sample of Child Maltreatment Investigations.

Objectives Although there is agreement that childhood disability is both a risk and result of maltreatment, the extent of disability in the child welfare system remains unclear. Our objective is to determine the prevalence and severity of child impairment in a national sample of child abuse and neglect investigations in the United States. Methods We used data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being II, a study of 2644 children older than 3 years who were subjects of child abuse and neglect investigations. Groups of children were identified by latent profile analysis using continuous standardized measures of intelligence, emotional or behavioral impairments, adaptive behaviors, and social skills. Results Whether the child remained in home or was removed to foster care after an investigation, 3 classes of children were identified: (1) slightly over one-tenth were in an intellectual disability subgroup characterized by marked intellectual impairments alongside delays in daily living functioning, (2) over one-third were in an emotional or behavioral impairment subgroup characterized by both frequent and severe internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and (3) slightly over half were in a typically developing subgroup. Conclusion When using standardized measures of disability, nearly half of the children investigated by child protection in the United States are not typically developing. These findings suggest that those working for the child welfare system need to be attentive to the complex needs of children with intellectual disabilities and emotional or behavioral impairments and their families, many of whom are under significant stress.
Few-Shot Point Cloud Region Annotation with Human in the Loop.

We propose a point cloud annotation framework that employs human-in-loop learning to enable the creation of large point cloud datasets with per-point annotations. Sparse labels from a human annotator are iteratively propagated to generate a full segmentation of the network by fine-tuning a pre-trained model of an allied task via a few-shot learning paradigm. We show that the proposed framework significantly reduces the amount of human interaction needed in annotating point clouds, without sacrificing on the quality of the annotations. Our experiments also suggest the suitability of the framework in annotating large datasets by noting a reduction in human interaction as the number of full annotations completed by the system increases. Finally, we demonstrate the flexibility of the framework to support multiple different annotations of the same point cloud enabling the creation of datasets with different granularities of annotation.
Nutrient sensing, the oxidative stress response, and stem cell aging

Abstract The free radical theory of aging was first proposed by Harman in the 1950s with the idea that oxidative damage accumulates with age and contributes to functional deteriorations during aging. Caloric restriction (CR) has been shown to be one of the most effective approaches to extend life span and health span. Recent advances in nutrient sensing have identified molecular regulators responsible for CR-mediated oxidative stress defense and underscore their importance in preserving stem cell maintenance and tissue integrity during aging. Deciphering molecular mechanisms of the oxidative stress response during CR will enhance our knowledge toward the biology of aging and provide insights into developing activators targeting the nutrient-sensing pathways to extend health span and life span.
Using Death Certificates to Explore Changes in Alcohol-Related Mortality in the United States, 1999 to 2017.

Background Alcohol consumption, alcohol-related emergency department visits, and hospitalizations have all increased in the last 2 decades, particularly among women and people middle-aged and older. The purpose of this study was to explore data from death certificates to assess whether parallel changes in alcohol-related mortality occurred in the United States in recent years. Methods U.S. mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics were analyzed to estimate the annual number and rate of alcohol-related deaths by age, sex, race, and ethnicity between 1999 and 2017 among people aged 16+. Mortality data contained details from all death certificates filed nationally. For each death, an underlying cause and up to 20 multiple or contributing causes were indicated. Deaths were identified as alcohol-related if an alcohol-induced cause was listed as either an underlying or multiple cause. Joinpoint analyses were performed to assess temporal trends. Results The number of alcohol-related deaths per year among people aged 16+ doubled from 35,914 to 72,558, and the rate increased 50.9% from 16.9 to 25.5 per 100,000. Nearly 1 million alcohol-related deaths (944,880) were recorded between 1999 and 2017. In 2017, 2.6% of roughly 2.8 million deaths in the United States involved alcohol. Nearly half of alcohol-related deaths resulted from liver disease (30.7%; 22,245) or overdoses on alcohol alone or with other drugs (17.9%; 12,954). Rates of alcohol-related deaths were highest among males, people in age-groups spanning 45 to 74 years, and among non-Hispanic (NH) American Indians or Alaska Natives. Rates increased for all age-groups except 16 to 20 and 75+ and for all racial and ethnic groups except for initial decreases among Hispanic males and NH Blacks followed by increases. The largest annual increase occurred among NH White females. Rates of acute alcohol-related deaths increased more for people aged 55 to 64, but rates of chronic alcohol-related deaths, which accounted for the majority of alcohol-related deaths, increased more for younger adults aged 25 to 34. Conclusions Death certificates suggest that alcohol-related mortality increased in the United States between 1999 and 2017. Given previous reports that death certificates often fail to indicate the contribution of alcohol, the scope of alcohol-related mortality in the United States is likely higher than suggested from death certificates alone. Findings confirm an increasing burden of alcohol on public health and support the need for improving surveillance of alcohol-involved mortality.
Metastatic atypical meningioma to the parotid gland - A cytopathological correlation.

Abstract The tumors involving the parotid gland are mainly primary, with metastatic lesions comprising only 5% of malignant salivary gland neoplasms. We are presenting a rare case of metastatic meningioma to the parotid in a 51-year-old male with a past medical history of recurrent atypical meningioma involving the frontal lobe. For the past 1.5 years, routine imaging showed parotid lesions with interval growth including a 2.0 cm dominant tender preauricular parotid mass. The chronicity and the number of lesions made malignancy unlikely. The differential diagnosis included non-specific lesions such as intraparotid lymph nodes and benign neoplasms. Fine needle aspiration of the parotid mass was performed to show loosely cohesive fragments and singly scattered neoplastic cells with mild nuclear pleomorphism and oncocytic cytoplasm. The main cytomorphologic differential diagnosis included oncocytic and myoepithelial-rich tumors. The neoplastic cells were immunoreactive to p63, calponin and SSTR2A and were negative for cytokeratins, progesterone receptor, S100, DOG-1, EMA, synaptophysin, and chromogranin. The cytology slides and the parotid gland mass resection were compared to the previous meningioma resection specimen which showed a similar morphology of the oncocytic tumor cells in some areas. The overall morphologic and immunohistochemical findings of the parotid tumor were consistent with metastatic meningioma. Extracranial metastases from intracranial tumors are extremely rare. Meningiomas arise from the dura matter, constitute 15% of primary brain tumors, and metastasize at an estimated rate of 0.1%. Despite how uncommon metastatic meningioma is, our case emphasizes the critical role of clinical history when evaluating parotid gland lesions.
Introduction to the Issue

The occasion of the 125th anniversary of Plessy v. Ferguson offers the opportunity for a general retrospective consideration of the legacies of state-sanctioned racial oppression as well as specific inquiries into plausible connections between the Supreme Court’s approval of state-imposed racial
Early detection of pancreatic cancers by novel nanobiosensor-based protease biomarkers using hierarchical decision structure.

e16273Background: There is a critical need to develop fast, reliable, and cost-effective methods for the detection of pancreatic cancer (PC) at the earliest stage to maximize the impact of treatmen...
Toll-like receptor 4 signaling activates ERG function in prostate cancer and provides a therapeutic target

The TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusion and subsequent overexpression of the ERG transcription factor occurs in ∼50% of prostate tumors, making it the most common abnormality of the prostate cancer genome. While ERG has been shown to drive tumor progression and cancer-related phenotypes, as a transcription factor it is difficult to target therapeutically. Using a genetic screen, we identified the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway as important for ERG function in prostate cells. Our data confirm previous reports that ERG can transcriptionally activate TLR4 gene expression; however, using a constitutively active ERG mutant, we demonstrate that the critical function of TLR4 signaling is upstream, promoting ERG phosphorylation at serine 96 and ERG transcriptional activation. The TLR4 inhibitor, TAK-242, attenuated ERG-mediated migration, clonogenic survival, target gene activation and tumor growth. Together these data indicate a mechanistic basis for inhibition of TLR4 signaling as a treatment for ERG-positive prostate cancer.
An individualized system of skeletal data-based CNN classifiers for action recognition in manufacturing assembly

Real-time Action Recognition (ActRgn) of assembly workers can timely assist manufacturers in correcting human mistakes and improving task performance. Yet, recognizing worker actions in assembly reliably is challenging because such actions are complex and fine-grained, and workers are heterogeneous. This paper proposes to create an individualized system of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) for action recognition using human skeletal data. The system comprises six 1-channel CNN classifiers that each is built with one unique posture-related feature vector extracted from the time series skeletal data. Then, the six classifiers are adapted to any new worker through transfer learning and iterative boosting. After that, an individualized fusion method named Weighted Average of Selected Classifiers (WASC) integrates the adapted classifiers as an ActRgn system that outperforms its constituent classifiers. An algorithm of stream data analysis further differentiates the actions for assembly from the background and corrects misclassifications based on the temporal relationship of the actions in assembly. Compared to the CNN classifier directly built with the skeletal data, the proposed system improves the accuracy of action recognition by 28%, reaching 94% accuracy on the tested group of new workers. The study also builds a foundation for immediate extensions for adapting the ActRgn system to current workers performing new tasks and, then, to new workers performing new tasks.
The Politics of Losing: Trump, the Klan, and the Mainstreaming of Resentment

Since Trump's electoral success in 2016, the publishing industry has turned out an incredible quantity of books about the United States of America's 45th President. Indeed, the mass of works on thi...
Longitudinal Ultrasound Assessment of Changes in Size and Number of Incidentally-Detected Gallbladder Polyps.

Background: Recent European multisociety guidelines recommend routine follow-up imaging of gallbladder polyps (including polyps <6 mm in patients without risk factors) and size change of ≥2 mm to prompt cholecystectomy. Objective: To assess longitudinal changes in the number and size of gallbladder polyps on serial ultrasound examinations. Methods: This retrospective study included patients who underwent at least one screening ultrasound examination between January 2010 and December 2020 as part of a hepatocellular carcinoma screening and surveillance program that demonstrated a gallbladder polyp. Number of polyps and size of largest polyp were recorded based primarily on review of examination reports. Longitudinal changes on serial examinations were summarized. Pathologic findings from cholecystectomy were reviewed. Results: Among 9683 patients, 759 (8%) had at least one ultrasound examination showing a polyp. Of these, 434 patients (248 male, 186 female; mean age, 50.6 years) had multiple examinations (range, 2-19 examinations; mean 4.8 examinations per patient; mean interval between first and last examinations of 3.6 ± 3.1 years, maximum 11.0 years). Among these 434 patients, 257 had one polyp, 40 had two polyps, and 137 had more than 2 polyps. Polyp size was ≤6 mm in 368 patients, 7-9 mm in 52 patients, and ≥10 mm in 14 patients. Number of polyps increased in 9%, decreased in 14%, both increased and decreased on serial examinations in 22%, and showed no change in 55%. Polyp size increased in 10%, decreased in 16%, both increased and decreased on serial examinations in 18%, and showed no change in 56%. In 9% of patients, gallbladder polyps were not detected on follow-up imaging; in 6% of patients, gallbladder polyps were not detected on a follow-up examination but then detected on later studies. No gallbladder carcinoma was identified in nineteen patients who underwent cholecystectomy. Conclusion: Gallbladder polyps fluctuate in size, number, and visibility over serial examinations. Using 2 mm threshold for growth, 10% increased in size. No carcinoma was identified. Clinical Impact: Recent European multisociety guidelines that propose surveillance of essentially all polyps and a 2 mm size change as basis for cholecystectomy are likely too conservative for clinical application.
The Party as Polity: The Party-State and the Chinese Constitutional Order

Chinese Marxist Leninist constitutional theory has produced a constitutional order that is quite distinct from that common to the West and its baseline liberal democratic constitutional orders. Where the later starts from the premise that all sovereign power is vested in a government whose authority is ordered and constrained by a constitutional document, Chinese constitutional theory starts from the premise of the delegation of sovereign authority from the people to its leading forces constituted as a vanguard party. Administrative authority is then vested in the organs of state which accept the leadership of the Party and its guidance in the governance of the nation. This contribution examines the Chinese constitutional system within the parameters of its own political assumptions. China has moved toward a legitimately constitutionalist governance system in which power is divided between a vanguard party, which serves as the repository of political power, and the administrative organs of government. The CPC serves an institutional role within Chinese constitutionalism and also represents the political power of the Chinese polity directly in the political ordering of the government. The CPC, in turn, is constrained by the normative basis on which Chinese constitutionalism is ordered -- Marxist Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important Thought of Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era Theory. These serve as the ideological basis for the Chinese political model and a constraint on the exercise of authority within both Party and state organs. Thus framed the Chinese constitutional system can be understood as both distinctly and legitimately constitutionalist. The contribution embeds the substantive political theory of Leninist constitutionalism on which the political order is organized with its expression in the organization of the state. It starts with a consideration of the Chinese state constitution. It then turns to a consideration of the constitution of the political order institutionalized within the Constitution of the Communist Party of China. In that context it examines the anti-arbitrary assertion of power principle of constitutionalism in the relationship between the administrative organs of state and the organs of CPC governance. Lastly, it situates both constitutions within the hierarchies of Chinese constitutional authority, one in which the state constitution provides the cage of regulation that embodies the Chinese Communist Party core Basic Line,. This last contributes to the accountability mechanisms built into the system of Chinese constitutionalism grounded on the operating premise that the CPC is at the center, the navigator and helmsman of the nation. The published version of this contribution is submitted for inclusion in Ngoc Son Bui, Stuart Hargreaves, and Ryan Mitchel (eds.) Handbook of Constitutional Law in Greater China (Routledge, forthcoming 2022).
Indigenous attitudes, ecotourism, and Mennonites: recent examples in rainforest destruction/preservation.

During the Summer of 1992, the author traveled to three distinctive rainforest regions. Two were located in Ecuador: the west coastal rainforest and the northern “Oriente”, a headwater region of the Amazon Basin. The third rainforest was located in the northwestern region of Belize. As a member of a study group sponsored by Save the Rainforest, Incorporated, the author was involved with the Programme for Belize Research station at Rio Bravo. Having witnessed a variety of types of rainforest destruction in the Brazilian Amazon during the summer of 1989 and the accompaying multitude of indigenous attitudes concerning the same, the author was keenly aware of destruction/preservation activities in these other regions.
Pictorial communication in virtual and real environments

Papers about the communication between human users and machines in real and synthetic environments are presented. Individual topics addressed include: pictorial communication, distortions in memory for visual displays, cartography and map displays, efficiency of graphical perception, volumetric visualization of 3D data, spatial displays to increase pilot situational awareness, teleoperation of land vehicles, computer graphics system for visualizing spacecraft in orbit, visual display aid for orbital maneuvering, multiaxis control in telemanipulation and vehicle guidance, visual enhancements in pick-and-place tasks, target axis effects under transformed visual-motor mappings, adapting to variable prismatic displacement. Also discussed are: spatial vision within egocentric and exocentric frames of reference, sensory conflict in motion sickness, interactions of form and orientation, perception of geometrical structure from congruence, prediction of three-dimensionality across continuous surfaces, effects of viewpoint in the virtual space of pictures, visual slant underestimation, spatial constraints of stereopsis in video displays, stereoscopic stance perception, paradoxical monocular stereopsis and perspective vergence. (No individual items are abstracted in this volume)
Visualization of the abdominal aorta using three-dimensional computer models reconstructed from MR images

An approach to creating a three-dimensional computer model of an arterial structure based on magnetic resonance (MR) images from a limited number of views is described. The computer model assumes that the vascular structure is composed of connected conical segments. From this three-dimensional computer model, quantitative measurements of vessel diameter, length, and position are available for any subset of the arterial structure. Visualization is enhanced by displaying the computer model rather than a direct set of images obtained from different perspectives. Ambiguities from overlapping branches can be resolved by rotating the model or by eliminating the interfering structures. The application of the approach to a glass phantom of an abdominal aorta is described, along with a three-dimensional computer model created by reconstructing the geometry extracted from two MR scans of the phantom. >
Force Detection and Imaging in Magnetic Resonance

The sections in this article are 1 Introduction 2 Principles of Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy 3 Experimental Results 4 Detecting the NMR of a Single Proton 5 Summary and Conclusions 6 Acknowledgements 7 Biographical Sketches
Studies of double-labeled mouse thyrotropin and free alpha-subunits to estimate relative fucose content.

The composition and structure of the complex oligosaccharides of thyrotropin (TSH) and free alpha-subunits are not well established, but are believed to be important determinants of the biological properties of these glycoproteins. We employed a simple double-label technique to learn the relative fucose content of mouse thyrotropin and free alpha-subunits. Thyrotropic tumor minces were incubated simultaneously with (/sup 35/S)methionine and (/sup 3/H)fucose. Thyrotropin and free alpha-subunits were labeled with both isotopes, and the ratio of /sup 3/H//sup 35/S was higher in free alpha-subunits than in thyrotropin; free alpha-subunits were approximately fivefold richer in fucose than was thyrotropin. The /sup 3/H//sup 35/S ratio was not substantially altered in TSH or free alpha-subunits secreted after a brief incubation with 10(-7) M thyrotropin-releasing hormone. Species which incorporated (/sup 3/H)fucose were resistant to endoglycosidase H. Thus, mouse free alpha-subunits secreted by thyrotropic tumor are relatively rich in fucose. Double-isotope labeling using an amino acid and a sugar appears to be a useful technique for studies of the glycoprotein hormones.
Synergistic induction of interferon α through TLR-3 and TLR-9 agonists stimulates immune responses against measles virus in neonatal cotton rats

Immunization of neonates is problematic because of the immaturity of their immune system and the presence of maternal antibodies, both of which affect B cell responses. We tested the effects of co-administration of measles vaccine with a combination of TLR-3 (pI:C) and TLR-9 (ODN2216, optimized for human TLR-9) agonists on the ability to induce an effective immune response in neonatal cotton rats. TLR-9 expression in cotton rat lymphocytes was at the same low level as in human lymphocytes, which is in contrast to mice that express higher levels. TLR-3 expression levels were comparable between cotton rats, mice, and humans. A combination of TLR-3 and TLR-9 agonists synergistically induced high levels of type I interferon in neonatal spleen cells and higher levels of IL-10 as compared to adult spleen cells. Previously, it was shown that type I interferon stimulates B cell generation and antibody secretion in vitro and in vivo, and that IL-10 has immunomodulatory effects. The simultaneous induction of both type I interferon and IL-10 indicated that this immunization regimen could be both effective and safe. Neonatal cotton rats did not generate neutralizing antibodies after measles vaccination in the first week of life (although a T cell response was detectable). However, co-administration of the TLR-3 and TLR-9 agonist combination with measles vaccine in neonatal cotton rats induced neutralizing antibody responses comparable to those after adult immunization. This immunization regimen was also effective in neonatal cotton rats in the presence of natural maternal antibodies, although antibody titers were lower than those after immunization in the absence of maternal antibodies.
Characteristics of ice-active substances released by sea-ice diatoms

Several species of antarctic sea ice diatoms have been found to release ice-active substances (IAS). At natural concentrations, they produce dense pitting on ice crystal surfaces at temperatures slightly below the freezing point, without significantly affecting the freezing point. This phenomenon appears to be associated with cold-adapted species as it has not been found in temperature fresh water and marine diatoms. IASs have been found in several species of sea ice diatoms, including both attached and unattached species. The ice-active substances have been found both in ice platelet water as well as in the solid congelation ice in McMurdo Sound in early summer, and in newly formed ice in winter in the Weddell and Bellinghausen seas. An IAS- producing species (Amphiprora) was cultured in the laboratory and produced noticeable increases in IAS activity. The IAS is retained by dialysis tubing and appears to be proteinaceous, as it is inactivated by proteases and heat. Further attempts to purify and characterize the IAS are in progress. The role of the IAS is unknown. Possible roles involving attachment of diatoms to ice and modification of the optical properties of ice are being considered.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Redlining Redux: Black Neighborhoods, Black-Owned Firms, and the Regulatory Cold Shoulder

There has been a growing body of evidence indicating race-based discrimination in small business lending. However, very little research has examined potential geographic redlining effects. This article measures small businesslending flows to neighborhoods in the Philadelphia metro politan area. It advances previous work by measuring differential credit flows while accounting for variations in the credit scores of small firms. Black tracts receive fewer loans after accounting for firm density, firm size, industrial mix, neighborhood income, and the credit quality of local firms. The findings suggest that federal bank regulators should expand small business lending data to include racial characteristics and application information, in part to help identify potentially discriminating lenders for further investigation. Also, Community Reinvestment Act regulations should pay more attention to the distribution of small business loans, by both race and income of neighborhood.
Two active forms of the accessory yellow fluorescence protein of the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri strain Y1

Abstract In addition to the typical blue luminescence (peak wavelength, approximately 490 nm), the light emission of the luminous bacterium Vibrio fischeri strain Y1 has a yellow component (peak, approximately 540 nm). This is attributable to an accessory “yellow fluorescence protein” (YFP; Mr ≈ 25 kDa), which acts in conjunction with the enzyme luciferase and possesses a flavin chromophore. Cell extracts contain two such YFPs in approximately equal amounts. Both have activity in vitro and are otherwise similar in the several respects examined. The possibility that they represent subunits of a heterodimer was examined, but no dimeric protein could be demonstrated.
The Rise and Decline of a Revolutionary Space: Paris' Place de Greve and the Stonemasons of Creuse, 1750-1900

A meaningful historical relationship existed between the Place de Greve, the open square fronting Paris' cityhall, and the migrant stonemasons who used it as a hiring fair in the nineteenth century. This spatial and social combination contributed to a "contentious repertoire" that helped make Paris the century's "capital of revolution." This article explores the conjuncture of historical trends and contentious repertoire at the Place to explain how the stonemasons suffered repression disproportionately during rebellions. The conjuncture broke down with the rebuilding of Paris under Prefect Haussmann. As workers moved to the suburbs and developed new ways to find jobs, and as migrants assimilated and police lost interest in the Place, apprehensions about the setting faded.
Accuracy in the determination of lunar transponder location from postarrival tracking.

Abstract The analysis represents an investigation of the accuracy in determining the location of a lunar-landed spacecraft, equipped with a transponder, from postarrival, earth-based range or doppler tracking data. The accuracy dependence upon various mission-dependent parameters is studied, and some implications for lunar mission planning are discussed. Expressions are derived, using Taylor expansion techniques, and output from computer runs is utilized to explain and assess the functional behavior of the RSS estimate error (root-sum-square of transponder position one-sigma component uncertainties). It is shown that for very short tracking durations and transponder zero latitudes, the range RSS estimate error is inversely proportional to the magnitude of the apparent latitude-libration rate. For these same conditions, another conclusion is that the doppler RSS estimate error increases with transponder-longitude magnitude and initial lunar elevation, whereas the range RSS estimate error is nearly independent of these quantities. The parallax contribution to estimate accuracy is examined and found small for range tracking, but very large for doppler tracking. An assessment is made of the estimate-accuracy dependence upon tracking duration, number of tracking stations used, and a priori knowledge of the lunar radius. The major implications for lunar mission planning are that range tracking usually yields better estimate accuracy than doppler tracking, and that the RSS estimate error for one week of tracking, using either data type, is generally less than 0.25 km.
Multiple Wavelength Method For Filtering Cloud Shadows From Oceanic Spectral Irradiance Profiles.

A method is developed, and tentatively tested using a single example, for using the different wavelength dependencies of variations in incident daylight and the diffuse attenuation coefficient of seawater to estimate fluctuations in incident irradiance at the surface during profile measurements of spectral irradiance, and to correct the profiles accordingly. Smoothed estimates of downwelling irradiance and its vertical derivative are obtained at 10 m intervals by fitting cubic Hermite polynomials; these values for 6 wavelengths are then combined to estimate the surface irradiance, its rate of change, and the diffuse attenuation coefficient.
Correction: dehydratase mediated 1-propanol production in metabolically engineered Escherichia coli

After publication of this work [Jain R, Yan Y, Microbial Cell Factories 2011, 10:97] we have noticed accidental errors that were introduced during our revision process. In our revision process, to address review comments we reduced the number of significant digits for the results of our enzyme assay experiments. As we reduced the number of significant digits to two in tables 1 and 2, we overlooked the corresponding values mentioned in the text of "Results and Discussion" section discussing the "Methylglyoxal Synthase Assay" and "Secondary Alcohol Dehydrogenase Assay" [Jain R, Yan Y, Microbial Cell Factories 2011, 10:97]. In order to maintain consistency between the text and the tables, we would like to correct tables 1 and 2 by increasing the number of significant digits up to four, which were used for our original submission. These changes will in no manner affect the outcome/interpretation of the experiments as described in the original publication and will not affect the merit of this work. In addition, we would like to modify the "Competing Interests" as below. The authors apologize for any inconvenience caused thereof.