cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MONSOON: Multi-Step Optimization and Execution of Queries with Partially Obscured Predicates

User-defined functions (UDFs) in modern SQL database systems and Big Data processing systems such as Spark---that offer API bindings in high-level languages such as Python or Scala---make automatic optimization challenging. The foundation of modern database query optimization is the collection of statistics describing the data to be processed, but when a database or Big Data computation is partially obscured by UDFs, good statistics are often unavailable. In this paper, we describe a query optimizer called the Monsoon optimizer. In the presence of UDFs, the Monsoon optimizer may choose to collect statistics on the UDFs, and then run the computation. Or, it may optimize and execute part of the plan, collecting statistics on the result of the partial plan, followed by a re optimization step, with the process repeated as needed. Monsoon decides how to interleave execution and statistics collection in a principled fashion by formalizing the problem as a Markov decision process.
Editorial Commentary: The Segond Fracture Has Multiple Attachments: Yet Another Demonstration of the Anatomical Complexity of the Anterolateral Complex of the Knee.

Abstract The anterolateral complex (ALC) of the knee comprises multiple layers, with continued debate on the identity and function of the structures of the ALC. The Segond fracture, long considered pathognomonic of an anterior cruciate ligament injury, has now been shown to have several attachments to soft tissues of the ALC. To the extent that a Segond fracture, or injury to the ALC more broadly, increases knee rotatory instability in vivo is a question of ongoing investigation. By extension, it remains uncertain whether an untreated Segond fracture adversely affects outcomes and therefore warrants consideration for operative intervention. Prospective randomized studies of anatomic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with or without concomitant treatment of Segond fractures are needed to more definitively answer these questions.
The role of non-governmental organizations in achieving environmental justice for green and blue spaces

Abstract The governance of green and blue spaces (GBS) has gradually shifted from public agencies to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide. Scholars have attributed this shift to the increased adoption of neoliberal governance involving reduced public spending for GBS. Although NGOs’ work on GBS has raised environmental justice (EJ) concerns, some GBS NGOs have formed to advanced EJ goals. To date, limited research has compared GBS NGOs striving to advance different EJ pursuits, namely distributional justice (equal provision of GBS), procedural justice (engagement of marginalized people in GBS decision-making), and interactional justice (meaningful experiences in GBS for marginalized people). Focusing on California, where NGO coalitions have achieved significant EJ victories, we examine which GBS NGO characteristics are associated with their involvement in different EJ pursuits. We identify 121 GBS NGOs working in coalitions and analyze their websites and tax returns to extract information about their EJ focus, scope of work, revenue, and other characteristics. We find that working in urban settings, having higher revenue, and having a smaller geographic scale of work are associated with the odds of coalition-member GBS NGOs working on distributional justice. Few NGO characteristics are associated with the odds of working on procedural and interactional justice, suggesting that a broader range of coalition-member NGOs work on these tasks than on distributional justice. We also find that significantly fewer GBS NGOs outside coalitions focus on EJ than NGOs in coalitions. These findings from California can inform funding agencies, NGO management, and GBS government agencies worldwide.
Over-the-air testing of wireless devices in heavily loaded reverberation chambers

This chapter covers some of the key issues related to the use of heavily loaded reverberation chambers for OTA testing of wireless-device performance. It specifically adresses the cases where the communication signal is spread over a wide modulation bandwidth and must be demodulated and cases in which a particular PDP is to be replicated. Metrics used to characterize the chamber configuration, such as the reference power transfer function, spatial uniformity, isotropy, and chamber decay time, are not significantly different from those used in prior work of the EMC/EMI community. However, their application to the case where significant correlation exists between frequencies and spatial samples requires additional consideration.
Large deformation of 3D printed reconfigurable cylindrical shells with multiple stable states

This Conference Presentation, “Large deformation of 3D printed reconfigurable cylindrical shells with multiple stable states,” was recorded for the Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation 2021 Digital Forum.
Fast barrier synchronization hardware

A special-purpose hardware scheme uniquely tailored to barrier synchronization is presented. It allows barrier synchronization to be performed within a single instruction cycle for moderately sized systems, and is scalable with logarithmic increase in synchronization time. It supports a large number of concurrent barriers, and can also be used to support a number of different barrier synchronization schemes. The hardware is relatively simple and inexpensive. Simulation results have shown that, under reasonable assumptions, it can decrease typical parallel-loop execution time significantly, especially for fine-grained and statically scheduled loops.
COMMERCE AND TRADE Electronic Signatures and Records: Permit the Use of Electronic Signatures and Records Even When a Statute, Regulation, or Other Rule of Law Specifies a Non-Electronic Type of Signature or Record

The Act attempts to prevent the federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (15 U.S.C.S. sections 7001, et seq., and 47 U.S.C.S. section 231) from preempting state law by expressing legislative findings and intent that previous Georgia digital signature legislation was consistent with federal law. Additionally, the Act allows all departments in the Georgia state government to use their best judgment in providing for the efficiencies that result from the use of electronic signature equivalents without having to affirmatively change thousands of specific references in the code to non-electronic signatures or records.
Protecting the airway and the physician: Aspects of litigation arising from tracheotomy.

Background In recent decades, medical malpractice costs have increased and have led to a change in the way physicians practice medicine. Tracheotomies are cases in which complications have a high risk of morbidity and mortality and the potential for litigation. Methods The Westlaw legal database was used to gather data on 43 jury verdicts and settlements from 1987 to 2013. Various factors included outcome, defendant specialty, and the reason for litigation. Results Median settlements were $500,000 and median verdict awards were $2,000,000. Postoperative negligence was alleged most often (81%) followed by intraoperative negligence (27.9%) and permanent injury (18.6%). Otolaryngologists were named as defendants most often (25.6%), with nurses named second most often. Pediatric cases had significantly higher awards and were more often named in favor of the plaintiff. Conclusion An awareness of tracheotomy malpractice litigation has the potential to both help physicians avoid future litigation and improve patient safety. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 751–754, 2016
Citryl Phosphate and the Mode of Action of the Citrate Cleavage Enzyme

Abstract When the citrate cleavage reaction is conducted with 18O-citrate, 1 atom of citrate oxygen is incorporated into each molecule of orthophosphate stemming from ATP. This is consistent with the notion that citryl phosphate is an intermediate of the reaction. Chemically synthesized dl-citryl 1-phosphate is an active substrate of the citrate cleavage enzyme, undergoing stereospecific cleavage in the presence of coenzyme A to oxalacetate and acetyl coenzyme A. Citryl phosphate transfers its citryl group to the enzyme to form citryl enzyme, which is identical in its biochemical properties with the citryl enzyme formed from citrate plus ATP. Citryl phosphate can also transfer its phosphoryl group to the enzyme to form a phosphoprotein which differs in its properties from the phosphoenzyme formed from ATP.
Mississippi Flora. I. Monocotyledon Families with Aquatic or Wetland Species

Keys, distribution maps, habitats, references, nomenclature, and notes are given for some 16 families of monocotyledons occurring naturally or naturalized in Mississippi. These families all contain one or more species which are found in aquatic or wetland habitats. They are: Alismataceae, Araceae, Cannaceae, Haemodoraceae, Hydrocharitaceae, Juncaginaceae, Lemnaceae, Marantaceae, Mayacaceae, Najadaceae, Pontederiaceae, Potamogetonaceae, R u g piaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae, Zannichelliaceae.
Seasonal variability of the response of desert lemons to rind injury and decay caused by quarantine cold treatments

Early-season (September-October) California-Arizona desert lemons held at 0-2.2°C (mean 1°C) for 2, 4 or 6 weeks showed greater chilling injury than did mid- (January) or late-season (February-March) fruit. More lemons were injured and the symptoms were more severe the longer the fruit was held at 1°C. There was no chilling injury to lemons stored at 5 or 10°C. Curing fruit for one week at 15°C before cold-treatment at 1°C significantly reduced the incidence and severity of chilling injury. Rind injury that developed on cured fruit held at 1°C for two or four weeks for Tephritid fruit fly quarantine purposes was within acceptable levels for mid- and late-season lemons, and may also be acceptable for the early-season lemons if the slight injury to this fruit is disregarded and quarantine treatments are for two or three weeks only.
Developing empirically based student personality profiles for affective feedback models

The impact of affect on learning has been the subject of increasing attention. Because of the differential effects of students' affective states on learning outcomes, there is a growing recognition of the important role that intelligent tutoring systems can play in providing affective feedback to students. Although we are only beginning to understand the complex interactions between affect, feedback, and learning, it is evident that affective interventions can both positively and negatively influence learning experiences. To investigate how student personality traits can be used to predict responses to affective feedback, this paper presents an analysis of a large student affect corpus collected from three separate studies. Student personality profiles augmented with goal orientation and empathetic tendency information were analyzed with respect to affect state transitions. The results indicate that student personality profiles can serve as a powerful tool for informing affective feedback models.
Poetry immersion: Reading, writing and performing with secondary students

In an attempt to counter the culture of high-stakes testing and the instrumental coverage of poetry, the authors designed and taught a sustained, intensive poetry course to secondary students. In this article they advocate a deep genre study of poetry for students and teachers and highlight important principles from their work that are applicable in a variety of teaching contexts.
Associations between condom experiences and beliefs, intentions, and use in a sample of urban, low-income, African-American and Hispanic youth.

This paper discusses negative experiences with using condoms reported by the condom user subsample of (n = 975) of a household probability sample of low income, urban, African-American and Hispanic youth. Condom users were asked about 12 specific experiences with condoms. Although the pattern of the association varied with the particular belief and experience, it appeared that, overall, having had a negative experience increased the likelihood that the user would agree with a negative belief about condoms (p < or = .005). In addition, users who had experienced a condom making it hard to move in and out of the vagina or anus were less likely both to intend to use a condom and to have used a condom at last intercourse (p < or = .005). Condom use was also less likely if the user had experienced condoms interrupting love-making or reducing feeling or sensation.
Late Persistence of Serum γ-Glutamyl Transpeptidase Activity After Mononucleosis: Report of 3 cases

gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase (GGTP) is a sensitive but nonspecific index hepatobiliary disease. In infectious mononucleosis (IM) or the mononucleosis-like disease attributable to cytomegalovirus (cytomegalovirus-induced IM), GGTP reverted to normal later than aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase. In three cases elevated serum GGTP activity persisted for up to 24 months -- raising the question of persistent 'post-IM' hepatitis. Such prolonged GGTP activity was unusual in other late IM specimens. Possible, but unlikely, causes for such persistent GGTP activity are an unusual degree of hepatic damage during acute IM, excessive induction of microsomal enzyme system activity by drugs, or unusual Epstein-Barr virus carrier state activation that might contribute to ongoing hepatic structural damage. Other markers of chronic hepatocellular disease including aspartate aminotrasferase, alkaline phosphatase, and bilirubin were normal in late specimens from these 3 patients. The cause of their persistent elevated GGTP activities remains unknown.
NAB2: a yeast nuclear polyadenylated RNA-binding protein essential for cell viability.

Abstract A variety of nuclear ribonucleoproteins are believed to associate directly with nascent RNA polymerase II transcripts and remain associated during subsequent nuclear RNA processing reactions, including pre-mRNA polyadenylation and splicing as well as nucleocytoplasmic mRNA transport. To investigate the functions of these proteins by using a combined biochemical and genetic approach, we have isolated nuclear polyadenylated RNA-binding (NAB) proteins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Living yeast cells were irradiated with UV light to covalently cross-link proteins intimately associated with RNA in vivo. Polyadenylated RNAs were then selectively purified, and the covalent RNA-protein complexes were used to elicit antibodies in mice. Both monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies which detect a variety of NAB proteins were prepared. Here we characterize one of these proteins, NAB2. NAB2 is one of the major proteins associated with nuclear polyadenylated RNA in vivo, as detected by UV light-induced cross-linking. Cellular immunofluorescence, using both monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, demonstrates that the NAB2 protein is localized within the nucleus. The deduced primary structure of NAB2 indicates that it is composed of at least two distinct types of RNA-binding motifs: (i) an RGG box recently described in a variety of heterogeneous nuclear RNA-, pre-rRNA-, mRNA-, and small nucleolar RNA-binding proteins and (ii) CCCH motif repeats related to the zinc-binding motifs of the largest subunit of RNA polymerases I, II, and III. In vitro RNA homopolymer/single-stranded DNA binding studies indicate that although both the RGG box and CCCH motifs bind poly(G), poly(U), and single-stranded DNA, the CCCH motifs also bind to poly(A). NAB2 is located on chromosome VII within a cluster of ribonucleoprotein genes, and its expression is essential for cell growth.
High-Grade Leiomyosarcoma Arising in a Previously Replanted Limb

Sarcoma development has been associated with genetics, irradiation, viral infections, and immunodeficiency. Reports of sarcomas arising in the setting of prior trauma, as in burn scars or fracture sites, are rare. We report a case of a leiomyosarcoma arising in an arm that had previously been replanted at the level of the elbow joint following traumatic amputation when the patient was eight years old. He presented twenty-four years later with a 10.8 cm mass in the replanted arm located on the volar forearm. The tumor was completely resected and pathology examination showed a high-grade, subfascial spindle cell sarcoma diagnosed as a grade 3 leiomyosarcoma with stage pT2bNxMx. The patient underwent treatment with brachytherapy, reconstruction with a free flap, and subsequently chemotherapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of leiomyosarcoma developing in a replanted extremity. Development of leiomyosarcoma in this case could be related to revascularization, scar formation, or chronic injury after replantation. The patient remains healthy without signs of recurrence at three-year follow-up.
An approach for facilitating service management in networked virtual manufacturing environments

Abstract This paper defines an approach for management of networked entities, including either hardware devices or software services. In describing this approach, the paper presents a model architecture that is intended for, but not limited to, virtual environments. A sample application for dynamically monitoring and controlling remote facilities illustrates the benefits of this approach to virtual manufacturing. The service interface has functionality that enables a client to download its graphical representation and behaviors for display within a client application's virtual environment.
Increased Calcification in Osteoprotegerin-Deficient Smooth Muscle Cells: Dependence on Receptor Activator of NF-κB Ligand and Interleukin 6

Objective: Vascular calcification is highly correlated with cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is a secreted decoy receptor for receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL). Inactivation of OPG in apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-) mice increases lesion size and calcification. The mechanism(s) by which OPG is atheroprotective and anticalcific have not been entirely determined. We investigated whether OPG-deficient vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are more susceptible to mineralization and whether RANKL mediates this process. Results: Lesion-free aortas from 12-week-old ApoE-/-OPG-/- mice had spotty calcification, an appearance of osteochondrogenic factors and a decrease of smooth muscle markers when compared to ApoE-/-OPG+/+ aortas. In osteogenic conditions, VSMCs isolated from ApoE-/-OPG-/- (KO-VSMC) mice deposited more calcium than VSMCs isolated from ApoE-/-OPG+/+ (WT-VSMC) mice. Gene expression and biochemical analysis indicated accelerated osteochondrogenic differentiation. Ablation of RANKL signaling in KO-VSMCs rescued the accelerated calcification. While WT-VSMCs did not respond to RANKL treatment, KO-VSMCs responded with enhanced calcification and the upregulation of osteochondrogenic genes. RANKL strongly induced interleukin 6 (IL-6), which partially mediated RANKL-dependent calcification and gene expression in KO-VSMCs. Conclusions: OPG inhibits vascular calcification by regulating the procalcific effects of RANKL on VSMCs and is thus a possible target for therapeutic intervention.
CALCIUM AND pH REQUIREMENTS IN THE CULTURE OF BULLFROG (Rana catesbeiana) LARVAE

Skeletal deformities previously observed in Rana catesbeiana larvae reared in water containing <4 mg/liter calcium were suspected to be caused by calcium deficiencies. Initial studies utilizing the low calckum water showed that an increase of total calcium in the diet from 0.5 to 0.9% significantly (p< .001) reduced the frequency and severity of deformities. Mortality rates of Rana catesbeiana larvae increased significantly (p< .001) at pH levels above 8.1. Newly hatched larvae maintained for three weeks in water buffered at either pH 7.2 or 8.3 experienced mortality rates of 10.0 and 96.7%, respectively. Larvae maintained at pH 7.2 for three weeks and then at pH 8.3 for four weeks experienced higher mortality rates than did a similar group of larvae maintained at pH 7.2 for seven weeks (23.3% and 3.6% respectively). Bacteriological analysis of surviving larvae maintained at pH 7.2 or 8.3 indicated greater numbers of potentially pathogenic bacteria in the carcass and gut of larvae at pH 8.3.
Mechanism of action of Escherichia coli phosphoribosylaminoimidazolesuccinocarboxamide synthetase

The conversion of ATP, L-aspartate, and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxyribonucleotide (CAIR) to 5-aminoimidazole-4-(N-succinylcarboxamide) ribonucleotide (SAICAR), ADP, and phosphate by phosphoribosylaminoimidazolesuccinocarboxamide synthetase (SAICAR synthetase) represents the eighth step of de novo purine nucleotide biosynthesis. SAICAR synthetase and other enzymes of purine biosynthesis are targets of natural products that impair cell growth. Prior to this study, no kinetic mechanism was known for any SAICAR synthetase. Here, a rapid equilibrium random ter-ter kinetic mechanism is established for the synthetase from Escherichia coli by initial velocity kinetics and patterns of linear inhibition by IMP, adenosine 5'-(beta,gamma-imido)triphosphate (AMP-PNP), and maleate. Substrates exhibit mutual binding antagonism, with the strongest antagonism between CAIR and either ATP or L-aspartate. CAIR binds to the free enzyme up to 200-fold more tightly than to the ternary enzyme-ATP-aspartate complex, but the latter complex may be the dominant form of SAICAR synthetase in vivo. IMP is a competitive inhibitor with respect to CAIR, suggesting the possibility of a hydrogen bond interaction between the 4-carboxyl and 5-amino groups of enzyme-bound CAIR. Of several aspartate analogues tested (hadacidin, l-malate, succinate, fumarate, and maleate), maleate was by far the best inhibitor, competitive with respect to L-aspartate. Inhibition by IMP and maleate is consistent with a chemical mechanism for SAICAR synthetase that parallels that of adenylosuccinate synthetase.
On the prediction of the number of solitons excited by an arbitrary potential: an observation from inverse scattering

Abstract A heuristic estimate for the soliton production rate by a pulse is verified for the Korteweg - de Vries equation using inverse scattering. An observation from this result, which is shown to hold for some other nonlinear equations and for the case of the “forced” nonlinear Schrolinger equation, is that production is determined by quantities that are invariant under rescaling of the original nonlinear equations. We speculate that this result may be useful to the development of an inverse scattering theory for “forced” nonlinear systems.
The students are unstable! Cluster analysis of motivation and early implications for educational research and practice

The type of motivation that a student evinces can shape such outcomes as academic engagement, performance, and satisfaction. In this paper we explore student motivation using cluster analysis, a quantitative method that has been proven useful in examining group-based motivational profiles within academic settings. We apply a range of clustering techniques to a data set comprising motivational survey responses of undergraduate engineering students at three different colleges. We confirm the outcomes of previous clustering analyses, revealing the existence of different student motivational profiles in academic settings, and we offer several new perspectives on engineering student motivation. First, different cluster analysis methods describe similar trends in motivational profiles, but divergent judgements in the distribution of students into these profiles. Second, examination of longitudinal data illustrates that students' endorsements of the various motivations fluctuate significantly, and sometimes dramatically, within the duration of a single course. This challenges the "they either have it or they don't" concept of motivation, and highlights the importance of understanding of students' situational motivational responses to classroom activities.
Satellite animations reveal ocean surface dynamics for shortest timescales ever

Scientists can now monitor the displacement and evolution of ocean surface thermal patterns on a shorter timescale than ever before possible, thanks to a new satellite detection method. Animations of daily composites of sea surface temperature (SST) from GOES [Menzel and Purdom, 1994” are allowing even a first-time observer to instantly recognize the relevant patterns at timescales from several hours to several months. Meteorologists have used GOES effectively to monitor cloud motions and to track storms, and now oceanographers can benefit too. Each individual daily composite is still partly cloud covered, but rapid display provides the appearance of continuity. So by viewing the composites rapidly the human eye can separate the fast moving residual clouds from the slower moving SST patterns associated with ocean currents, eddies, and upwelling.
Influence of Moisture on CO2 Separation from Gas Mixture by a Nanoporous Adsorbent Based on Polyethylenimine-Modified Molecular Sieve MCM-41

Adsorption separation of CO2 from simulated flue gas containing CO2, O2, and N2 with and without moisture was investigated using a novel nanoporous adsorbent based on polyethylenimine (PEI)-modified mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 in a flow system. The CO2 adsorption capacity and CO2 separation selectivity of MCM-41 were greatly improved by loading PEI into its nanosized pore channels, which made the resulting adsorbent operating like a “molecular basket” for CO2. CO2 adsorption capacity of the MCM-41-PEI adsorbent for the simulated moist flue gas was higher than that for the simulated dry flue gas. CO2 separation selectivity of the MCM-41-PEI adsorbent was also improved in the presence of moisture when compared with those in the dry gas condition. The influence of moisture concentrations in the simulated flue gas on the CO2 adsorption separation performance was also examined. The results of adsorption/desorption separation cycles showed that the MCM-41-PEI adsorbent was stable over 10 cycles of adsorpt...
Preparation and properties of uniform coated inorganic colloidal particles. IV. Yttrium basic carbonate and yttrium oxide on hematite

Etude par microscopie electronique, des suspensions de particules de Fe 2 O 3 modifie par de l'oxyde d'yttrium et du carbonate d'yttrium
Research Note Perceptions Are Reality: How Family Meetings Lead to Collective Action

Family meetings develop family unity through the creation of perceived shared beliefs. The article presents a model with strategic implications showing how shared beliefs lead to collective action, which leads to outcomes and then the reassessment of the shared beliefs. Finally, the article reports on initial research on the reliability of instruments developed to explore one aspect of this model: The creation of shared beliefs through family meetings. The initial results suggest that perceptions of shared beliefs may be an important stimulant of collective family activity.
GATA-4 regulation of myocardial survival in the preconditioned heart

Recent studies identified that GATA-4 is a stress responsive transcription factor and can exert cell survival signaling in cardiac myocytes. The present study was designed to examine whether GATA-4 is modulated by ischemic preconditioning (PC), and ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). PC of isolated rat hearts was elicited by perfusing with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate buffer with four cyclic episodes of 5 min ischemia and 10 min reperfusion. Some hearts were then subjected to 30 min ischemia followed by 2 h reperfusion. PC increased the DNA binding activity of GATA-4 compared to control, while I/R downregulated GATA-4 expression. Activation was associated with post-translational modifications of GATA-4 via acetylation. As nitric oxide (NO) may be involved in PC and I/R, we examined whether NO could modulate GATA-4 in HL-1 cardiac muscle cells. An NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), downregulated GATA activity and GATA-4 mRNA expression. We cloned the 5'-flanking region of human GATA-4 gene and found that the luciferase activity controlled by this region was also suppressed by NO. A protein kinase G (PKG) inhibitor KT5823 inhibited SNP-induced downregulation of GATA-4, while YC-1 (guanylyl cyclase activator) and dibutyryl cGMP (PKG activator) downregulated GATA-4. Thus, GATA-4 is modulated by PC, I/R and NO, and might regulate cardiac myocyte survival and apoptosis.
33.2: Solution Processed Hole Injection and Hole Transport Layers: Design Features for OLED Manufacturing

We present recent developments of our core technologies targeted towards solution based OLED device manufacturing including non-aqueous (NQ) hole injection layer and solution processed hole transport layer. We demonstrate low voltage, and long lifetime devices with non-aqueous hole injection layer. Also, comparable performance with our intractable solution processed HTL versus NPB vapor HTL has been demonstrated in vapor WOLED devices in combination with our NQ hole injection layer technology.
DEONTOLOGICAL RETRIBUTIVISM AND THE LEGAL PRACTICE OF INTERNATIONAL JURISPRUDENCE: THE CASE OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR RWANDA

FINK, JASON BENJAMIN, Deontological retributivism and the legal practice of international jurisprudence: the case of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Journal of African Law, 49, 2 (2005): 101–131Contemporary international criminal jurisprudence has fashioned a legal paradigm encoding the crime of genocide as a violation of moral law. Structured by an ethos of deontological retributivism, it has posited a set of institutional and conceptual mechanisms designed to situate and stabilize the meaning of genocide. The articulation of this paradigm has entailed the bracketing or suspending of alternative discursive strategies and institutions, particularly those inscribed with a traditional/contextual value. Configuring the social fact of genocide under a normative framework of retribution often fails to address the realities and needs of the local populations who have suffered through severe social trauma. In the intensely unstable space of post-genocidal societies, such as Rwanda, the mandating of formal legal structures by international judicial authorities may constitute a genuine barrier to the critical appropriation of the fact of genocide into the communal memory by imposing a set of privileged frameworks without recognizing the formal integrity and constructive potential of local strategies.
Soil formation in the Transantarctic Mountains from the Middle Paleozoic to the Anthropocene

Abstract In the Transantarctic Mountains (TAMs), soils from the middle Paleozoic and from the Oligocene to the present have been examined. Soils representing other sections of the geologic column are missing, probably because of the low proportion of ice-free areas (0.35%) in Antarctica. The evolution of soils in Antarctica reflects changes in climate and geologic conditions as the continent became separated and increasingly isolated from Gondwana. A greenhouse climate existed during the middle Paleozoic; and an icehouse climate began in the early Oligocene. The climate of the TAMs has become increasingly hyper-arid since the middle Miocene. Humans have had a dramatic effect on the climate of the TAMs during the Anthropocene. The first forest soils (under Callixylon–Archaeopteris forest) on Earth, identified as Alfisols, were discovered in Antarctica and assigned to the middle Devonian. During the Permian, Dicroidium forests covered Entisols and Inceptisols. In the Oligocene, Nothofagus–Podocarpaceae forests contained Gelisols. Miocene-aged soils enriched in silt are common in the TAMs, but they tend to be poorly developed because they have been eroded. A soil evolutionary sequence exists in the TAMs from the Holocene through the Pliocene that includes Glacic Haploturbels on ice-cored Holocene drift, Typic Haploturbels on late Pleistocene surfaces, Typic Anhyorthels on middle Pleistocene surfaces, Salic Anhyorthels on early Pleistocene surfaces, and Petrosalic Anhyorthels on Pliocene surfaces. These changes reflect gradual sublimation of ice in ice-cored drift and ice-wedge polygons, a recovery of the surface from cryoturbation, accumulation of salts, and eventual development of a salt pan. Soils of the TAMs are undergoing rapid change as the climate warms, including loss of semi-permanent snowbanks, an expansion of the hyporheic zone, flushing of salts from soils along valley walls, and the development of thermokarst.
Reactivity screening of silica

Abstract As a screening of the chemical activity of silica [SiO2/Si(1 0 0)], which is one of the most often used supports for nanostructures, thermal desorption spectroscopy data have been gathered for a variety of gases such as n-nonane, n-hexane, n-butane, iso-butane, ethane, CO2, CO, O2, and H/H2. Whereas, the alkanes with chain lengths larger than three adsorb with large binding energies (Ed = 50–70 kJ/mol), the activity towards the other probe molecules is negligible (
Satellite-measured seasonal and inter-annual chlorophyll variability in the Northeast Pacific and Coastal Gulf of Alaska

Abstract Four years (September 1997–August 2001) of SeaWiFS ocean-color satellite data are used to present the first synoptic quantification of chlorophyll variability on seasonal and interannual timescales over the Northeast Pacific and Coastal Gulf of Alaska. Low light levels and/or cloud during November–January prevent examination of winter patterns. The climatological seasonal patterns show shelf-intensified chlorophyll (by a factor of 3 or more) around the entire basin, extending up to 300 m beyond the shelfbreak along the eastern margin and south of Kodiak Island, with peaks in May and again but weaker in August–September. Over the central basin, concentrations are minimum in February (
Multiple Facial Angiofibromas and Collagenomas in Patients With Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1

Objective: To evaluate patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) for cutaneous manifestations. Design: Survey during a 3-year period. Setting: The National Institutes of Health, a tertiary referral research hospital in Bethesda, Md. Patients: A consecutive sample of 32 individuals with previously diagnosed MEN1 who were not preselected for the presence of skin lesions were examined for cutaneous abnormalities. None of the patients or family members were diagnosed as having tuberous sclerosis. Interventions: Lesions were identified by clinical appearance, photographed, and confirmed histologically. Main Outcome Measure: To determine the frequency of skin lesions in patients with MEN1. Results: Multiple facial angiofibromas were observed in 28 (88%) of the patients with MEN1, with 16 patients (50%) having 5 or more. Angiofibromas were clinically and histologically identical to those in individuals with tuberous sclerosis. Collagenomas were observed in 23 patients (72%). Also observed were cafe au lait macules in 12 patients (38%), lipomas in 11 patients (34%), confettilike hypopigmented macules in 2 patients (6%), and multiple gingival papules in 2 patients (6%). Conclusions: Multiple angiofibromas, collagenomas, lipomas, confetti-like hypopigmented macules, and multiple gingival papules are cutaneous manifestations of MEN1 and should be looked for in both family members of patients with MEN1 and individuals with hyperparathyroidism or other MEN1-associated tumors. Multiple angiofibromas can no longer be considered pathognomonic for tuberous sclerosis. The observation of angiofibromas in individuals without tuberous sclerosis necessitates further biochemical testing for MEN1. Arch Dermatol. 1997;133:853-857
Multiple forms of phospholipase D in plants: the gene family, catalytic and regulatory properties, and cellular functions.

Abstract Multiple Phospholipase D (PLD) genes have been identified in plants and encode isoforms with distinct regulatory and catalytic properties. Elucidation of the genetic and biochemical heterogeneity has provided important clues as to the regulation and function of this family of enzymes. Polyphosphoinositides, Ca2+, and G-proteins are possible cellular regulators for PLD activation. PLD-mediated hydrolysis of membrane lipids increases in response to various stresses. Recent studies suggest that PLD plays a role in the signaling and production of hormones involved in plant stress responses.
Refinements to Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane prediction from 1 December

[1] Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane predictions have been issued by the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State University since 1984, with early December forecasts being issued every year since early December 1991. These forecasts have yet to show real-time forecast skill, despite several statistical models that have shown considerable hindcast skill. In an effort to improve both hindcast skill and hopefully real-time forecast skill, a modified forecast scheme has been developed using data from 1950 to 2007. Predictors were selected based upon how much variance was explained over the 1950–1989 subperiod. These predictors were then required to explain similar amounts of variance over a latter subperiod from 1990 to 2007. Similar amounts of skill were demonstrated for each of the three predictors selected over the 1950–1989 period, the 1990–2007 period, and the full 1950–2007 period. In addition, significant correlations between individual predictors and physical features known to affect hurricanes during the following August–October (i.e., tropical Atlantic wind shear and sea level pressure changes, ENSO phase changes) were obtained. This scheme uses a new methodology where hindcasts were obtained using linear regression and then ranked to generate final hindcast values. Fifty-four percent of the variance was explained for seasonal Net Tropical Cyclone (NTC) activity over the 1950–2007 period. These hindcasts show considerable differences in landfalling U.S. tropical cyclones, especially for the Florida Peninsula and East Coast. Seven major hurricanes made Florida Peninsula and East Coast landfall during the top 15 largest NTC hindcasts compared with only two major hurricane landfalls in the bottom 15 smallest NTC hindcasts.
Absorption and excretion of benzpyrene in the cockroach ( Periplaneta americana )

Le benzopyrene le pyrene et l'anthracene peuvent etre reveles au moyen du spectrophotometre dans les extraits de tissu des blattes (Periplaneta americana) nourries avec ces hydrocarbures; ils sont excretes lorsqu'on interrompt l'alimentation.
Pressure dependence of the static magnetic susceptibility of the heavy-fermion superconductor UBe13.

The pressure dependence of the static magnetic susceptibility χ(T) of the heavy-electron superconductor UBe13 was investigated over temperatures ranging from 1.5 to 300 K and at pressures from 1 bar to 8 kbar. It is linear in pressure over the full temperature range, having a small constant pressure dependence at higher temperatures that increases rapidly below about T=150 K. The maximal value of the relative susceptibility change [1/χ(dχ/dP)] is about 1% per kbar. The Curie-Weiss law is obeyed in the temperature range 100 to 300 K with the effective magnetic moment peff=3.46μB independent of pressure, while the paramagnetic Curie temperature FTHETA∼-100 K becomes more negative with pressure. The lattice parameter of cubic UBe13 was measured as a function of pressure, permitting a determination of a compressibility value of -9.2×10-4 kbar-1 near ambient pressure. The pressure dependence of χ(T) is significantly weaker than that of the specific-heat coefficient C(T)/T; we discuss whether this can be resolved by (i) consideration of intersite antiferromagnetic interactions, or (ii) the quadrupolar Kondo-effect model, and conclude that the latter provides a stronger explanation of the results. © 1993 The American Physical Society.
Central AT1 receptors are involved in the enhanced cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex in rats with chronic heart failure

The purpose of this study was to determine if the cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) was augmented in rats with coronary ligation-induced chronic heart failure (CHF), and if central angiotensin II (ANG II) was involved in this enhancement. Under alpha-chloralose and urethane anesthesia, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) were recorded in sino-aortic denervated and cervical vagotomized rats. An intracerebroventricular cannula was implanted. The CSAR was examined by epicardial application of bradykinin (BK, 0.04 and 0.4 microg in 2.0 microl) or capsaicin (0.04 and 0.4 microg in 2.0 microl) to the anterior and posterior wall of the left ventricle. The CSAR evoked by BK or capsaicin was augmented in rats with CHF. In sham rats, there was no significant difference of the CSAR induced by BK or capsaicin between anterior and posterior epicardial application. However, in rats with CHF, the CSAR induced by BK (0.04 microg) to anterior epicardial application was blunted compared with posterior application. Intracerebroventricular injection of losartan (500 nmol) normalized the enhanced CSAR in rats with CHF, but had no significant effects on the CSAR in sham rats. However, intravenous application of the same dose of losartan only decreased the baseline MAP, but did not alter baseline RSNA or the CSAR in sham or CHF rats. Pre-treatment with epicardial application of lidocaine to the anterior wall abolished the CSAR evoked by application of BK or capsaicin but had no effects on the CSAR evoked by epicardial application of BK or capsaicin to the posterior wall. These results suggest that the CSAR induced by epicardial application of BK and capsaicin is enhanced in the rats with CHF, and the enhanced CSAR is mediated by central AT(1) receptors.
Spatially resolved spectra of V1974 Cygni (Nova Cygni 1992) with the goddard high resolution spectrograph

We report the observation of spatially resolved low-resolution GHRS spectra of the shell of the bright Galactic ONeMg nova Cygni 1992. The spectra were obtained in 1995 September, after the X-ray turnoff of the nova. We have determined the dynamical structure of the ejecta and show the evolution of the ionization within the ejecta. Abundance limits have been found to agree with the published analyses based on earlier IUE data for key species in the ejecta, especially neon. The knot spectrum, obtained with the 025 aperture, shows an enhanced Ne/He ratio compared with the 2'' aperture observation. These data provide a detailed picture of physical conditions and abundances of the knots and larger scale ejecta that have not previously been available from UV spectra, including those taken before the COSTAR installation and IUE data. The knots were created during the initial stages of the explosion, and the differential mixing that may have resulted can be studied using the spatially resolved spectra. The 1995 spectra were compared with archival Faint Object Spectrograph data from 1994 and previous GHRS spectra from 1992 and 1993. We also obtained high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) observations of the UV continuum of the hot central star in order to study the physical conditions in the post-thermonuclear runaway envelope. These show that the white dwarf had relaxed to a very low effective temperature, about 20,000 K, and a luminosity of about 30 L☉, within 2 years after the X-ray turnoff. We also used reprocessed archival IUE spectra to determine the decay time for the ultraviolet continuum flux for this nova, which we find to be about 1.7 years. The current temperature and luminosity do not fall on the white dwarf cooling tracks for any reasonable stellar mass.
A delicate diplomatic situation.

Since the 1980s, commercial funding of medical research has provoked lively debate on a variety of issues relating to scientific integrity [1e4]. Much of the debate centers on the ability of researchers to maintain objectivity in the face of extramural financial relationships and the role of disclosure as a way of alerting readers to potential conflicts of interest. Concerns over commercial funding generally direct attention to the myriad ways in which a sponsor’s interests may influence the research, its findings, or its conclusions. Increasingly, the disclosure of funding sources is counted on to alert audiences to outside influences, which may help account for the evidence before them [5]. Some contend, however, that the funding source in and of itself presents no particular conflict of interest and that the disclosure requirements represent a new form of McCarthyism, which divert attention from the science, undermine open dialog, and tarnish the reputation of honest investigators [6]. Discussions of commercial sponsorship of scientific research have frequently had an abstract quality, with audiences left to nod over this or that point based on their own perspectives or experiences but little empirical confirmation of the intuited maneuverings that fuel conflict of interest concerns. However, with the entry of previously secret tobacco industry documents into the public domain in 1998 as a result of legal action, there is now a considerable body of evidence to inform these debates, even if areas of ambiguity remain [7]. In the case of the tobacco industry, at least, these documents reveal that commercial support for external scientific research was part of a deliberate effort to undermine evidence of the adverse health effects of cigarettes [8e10]. The documents also suggest that the motives of the individual scientists who accepted tobacco industry funding were just one factor in determining the success of the enterprise for the tobacco industry, which used the sponsored research for its own particular ends [11]. The tobacco industry’s foray into sponsored research was precipitated by influential studies in the early 1950s, which linked cigarette smoking to lung cancer and which
Morphological, Electrical, and Chemical Changes in Cyclically Contacting Polycrystalline Silicon Surfaces Coated with Perfluoroalkylsilane Self-Assembled Monolayer

The evolution of morphology, electrical properties, and chemical composition has been studied in cyclically contacting polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) surfaces coated with perfluoroalkylsilane self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The microinstrument used is a MEMS cantilever that is repeatedly actuated out-of-plane to impact a landing pad and is then moved in-plane to enable nondestructive in situ inspection of the impacted area. Analyses show that a device with a monolayer coating exhibits signs of surface degradation after a much higher number of cycles than its uncoated counterpart. A sharp increase in contact resistance between the cantilever and landing pad is observed at ~10 billion cycles for a coated device, versus ~25 million cycles for an uncoated device. Likewise, the onset of grain fracture in the landing pad occurs at ~25 billion cycles for the SAM-coated device, versus ~3 billion cycles for its uncoated counterpart. The effectiveness of the monolayer coating diminishes after more than 100 billion contact cycles as the SAM layer is removed, and the polysilicon substrate becomes susceptible to adhesive wear.
A new inherited coagulation disorder caused by an abnormal fibrinogen ('fibrinogen Baltimore').

A New Inherited Coagulation Disorder Caused by an Abnormal Fibrinogen (‘Fibrinogen Baltimore’)