cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The ISIS Reader: Milestone Texts of the Islamic State Movement: by Haroro J. Ingram,Craig Whiteside, and Charlie Winter, New York, Oxford University Press, 2020, vii + 306 pp., Gloss. to p. 310. Index to p. 326. $44.95 (hardcover ISBN: 9780197501436).

The ISIS Reader is an indispensable work. It presents, in chronological fashion, key pronouncements of what would become the Islamic State, from an early speech (1994) by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to th...
Rhizosphere Microbial Communities and Heavy Metals.

The rhizosphere is a microhabitat where there is an intense chemical dialogue between plants and microorganisms. The two coexist and develop synergistic actions, which can promote plants’ functions and productivity, but also their capacity to respond to stress conditions, including heavy metal (HM) contamination. If HMs are present in soils used for agriculture, there is a risk of metal uptake by edible plants with subsequent bioaccumulation in humans and animals and detrimental consequences for their health. Plant productivity can also be negatively affected. Many bacteria have defensive mechanisms for resisting heavy metals and, through various complex processes, can improve plant response to HM stress. Bacteria-plant synergic interactions in the rhizosphere, as a homeostatic ecosystem response to HM disturbance, are common in soil. However, this is hard to achieve in agroecosystems managed with traditional practices, because concentrating on maximizing crop yield does not make it possible to establish rhizosphere interactions. Improving knowledge of the complex interactions mediated by plant exudates and secondary metabolites can lead to nature-based solutions for plant health in HM contaminated soils. This paper reports the main ecotoxicological effects of HMs and the various compounds (including several secondary metabolites) produced by plant-microorganism holobionts for removing, immobilizing and containing toxic elements.
Hepatocyte Cell Cycle Progression Depends on a Transcriptional Repressor Cascade Downstream of Wnt Signaling

Abstract Cell proliferation is tightly controlled by inhibitors that block cell cycle progression until growth signals relieve this inhibition. In several tissues including the liver, transcriptional repressors such as E2F7 and E2F8 function as inhibitors of mitosis and promote polyploidy, but how growth factors release these mitotic inhibitors to facilitate cell cycle progression is unknown. We describe here a newly identified mechanism of cell division control in which Wnt/βcatenin signaling in the postnatal liver maintains active hepatocyte proliferation through Tbx3, a Wnt target gene. TBX3 directly represses transcription of E2f7 and E2f8, promoting a low ploidy state and cell cycle progression. This sequential transcriptional repressor cascade, initiated by Wnts, provides a new paradigm for exploring how a commonly active developmental signal impacts cell cycle completion.
Magic Angle Spinning NMR of G Protein-Coupled Receptors

Abstract G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have a simple seven transmembrane helix architecture which has evolved to recognize a diverse number of chemical signals. The more than 800 GPCRs encoded in the human genome function as receptors for vision, smell and taste, and mediate key physiological processes. Consequently, these receptors are a major target for pharmaceuticals. Protein crystallography and electron cryo-microscopy have provided high resolution structures of many GPCRs in both active and inactive conformations. However, these structures have not sparked a surge in rational drug design, in part because GPCRs are inherently dynamic and the structural changes induced by ligand or drug binding to stabilize inactive or active conformations are often subtle rearrangements in packing or hydrogen-bonding interactions. NMR spectroscopy provides a sensitive probe of local structure and dynamics at specific sites within these receptors as well as global changes in receptor structure and dynamics. These methods can also capture intermediate states and conformations with low populations that provide insights into the activation pathways. We review the use of solid-state magic angle spinning NMR to address the structure and activation mechanisms of GPCRs. The focus is on the large and diverse class A family of receptors. We highlight three specific class A GPCRs in order to highlight how solid-state, as well as solution-state NMR spectroscopy, can answer questions in the field involving how different GPCR classes and subfamilies are activated by their associated ligands, and how small molecule drugs can modulate GPCR activation.
Critical urban theory in the Anthropocene

Critical urban thinkers often imagine urbanisation and the Anthropocene as inevitably being companion processes. But is planetary urbanisation the necessary telos and spatial limit of life in the A...
Biochemistry and Pharmacology of L-Dopa in Relation to Basal Ganglia Circuitry

Few drugs make it to the movies. Although the wondrous effects of L-DOPA were made known to a wide audience by the movie “Awakenings”, the actual mechanism of action of this drug remains somewhat of an enigma. L-DOPA is thought to be converted by the enzyme aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) into the neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) (Lloyd et al., 1975; Melamed et al, 1985), thus substituting for the loss of dopaminergic input to the striatum that is the underlying pathology of Parkinson’s disease. However, the effects of the DA formed from L-DOPA on target areas of the dopaminergic system are not well described. As an example of the action of L-DOPA on postsynaptic targets, we will discuss the impact of L-DOPA on striatal cholinergic function. Another important aspect to consider in understanding the actions of L-DOPA involves the assumption that the main site of action of the DA formed from this compound is in the striatum. In this paper we also will discuss evidence that L-DOPA is converted into DA not only at the level of the striatum, but also at the level of the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) and may thus have effects on basal ganglia functioning beyond restoration of dopaminergic tone in striatum.
Phase change alloy viscosities down to Tg using Adam-Gibbs-equation fittings to excess entropy data: A fragile-to-strong transition

A striking anomaly in the viscosity of Te85Ge15 alloys noted by Greer and coworkers from the work of Neumann et al. is reminiscent of the equally striking comparison of liquid tellurium and water anomalies documented long ago by Kanno et al. In view of the power laws that are used to fit the data on water, we analyze the data on Te85Ge15 using the Speedy-Angell power-law form, and find a good account with a singularity Ts only 25 K below the eutectic temperature. However, the heat capacity data in this case are not diverging, but instead exhibit a sharp maximum like that observed in fast cooling in the Molinero-Moore model of water. Applying the Adam-Gibbs viscosity equation to these calorimetric data, we find that there must be a fragile-to-strong liquid transition at the heat capacity peak temperature, and then predict the "strong" liquid course of the viscosity down to Tg at 406 K (403.6 K at 20 K min−1 in this study). Since crystallization can be avoided by moderately fast cooling in this case, we can...
Lobbying or Information Provision

Private firms are of growing importance in virtually all transition economies but operate in market and institutional conditions that are still far from competitive and transparent. Although firms have at their disposal various alternative strategies for dealing with their problems, in this paper we focus on two: making unofficial payments to officials and joining business associations. Choices between these strategies may be affected by both firm and industry characteristics and institutional conditions. This paper has two objectives: (1) to compare the effects of two alternative strategies (unofficial payments and association memberships) on various alternative measures of firm performance; and (2) in the case of association membership, to determine which particular functions—lobbying, information, or other—have the greatest effects on several different measures of firm performance. To accomplish these objectives, we make use of the 2002 and 2005 waves of the Business Environment and Enterprise Performa...
Inhibition of the Biosynthetic Completion of Rabbit Hemoglobin by Isolated Human Hemoglobin Chains

Abstract A cell-free system from rabbit reticulocytes incorporated 14C-valine and 14C-leucine into hemoglobin. This synthesis of rabbit hemoglobin was inhibited in a specific manner when α or β chains, isolated from human hemoglobin, were added to the system. The human α and β chains interacted with the newly synthesized 14C-rabbit chains to form hybrid hemoglobins, which were identified by cellulose acetate electrophoresis, and the amount of 14C-rabbit hemoglobin was decreased. When human β chains were added to the reaction, there was also a 40 to 50% decrease in the amount of the 14C-rabbit β chain component in the supernatant fraction and an increase in the amount of completed 14C-β chains in the ribosome fraction, as determined by chain separation chromatography of these fractions on carboxymethyl cellulose columns. The supernatant phase also contained an electrophoretic fraction with the properties of free 14C-rabbit β chains; this fraction was not detected in the system incubated without human β chains. Addition of hemin at the beginning of the reaction largely prevented the change in distribution of β chain radioactivity between supernatant and ribosome fractions caused by human β chains. It is suggested that, during rabbit hemoglobin synthesis, a pool of α chains, endogenous to the soluble phase of the reaction, aided in the release or solubilization of some of the completed rabbit β chains from the ribosome fraction. Human β chains, when added to the reaction, interacted with the α chains to prevent them from aiding in this release. Under these conditions some of the newly synthesized rabbit β chains were released as free chains, while others remained bound to the ribosomes. Addition of hemin to the reaction prevented the accumulation of ribosome-bound chains by aiding in their release. The enhanced release of newly synthesized β chains by soluble α chains or hemin may be part of a translational control mechanism in hemoglobin assembly; however, the presence of free 14C-β chains in the supernatants of reactions containing human β chains suggests that α chains were not required absolutely for this release.
Evidence for a mu-oxo-bridged binuclear iron cluster in the hydroxylase component of methane monooxygenase. Mössbauer and EPR studies.

Mossbauer and EPR studies of a highly active hydroxylase component of methane monooxygenase isolated from Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b are reported. The Mossbauer spectra of the oxidized (as isolated) hydroxylase show iron in a diamagnetic cluster containing an even number of Fe3+ sites. The parameters are consistent with an antiferromagnetically coupled binuclear cluster similar to those of hemerythrin and purple acid phosphatases. Upon partial reduction of the hydroxylase, an S = 1/2 EPR spectrum with g values at 1.94, 1.86, and 1.75 (gav = 1.85) is observed. Such spectra are characteristic of oxo-bridged iron dimers in the mixed valent Fe(II).Fe(III) state. Further reduction leads to the appearance of a novel EPR resonance at g = 15. Comparison with an inorganic model compound for mu-oxo-bridged binuclear iron suggests that the g = 15 signal is characteristic of the doubly reduced state of the cluster in the protein. In this state, the Mossbauer spectra exhibit two quadrupole doublets typical of high spin Fe2+, consistent with the Fe(II).Fe(II) form of the cluster. The spectral features of the iron center of the hydroxylase in three oxidation states are all similar to those reported for mu-oxo (or mu-hydroxo)-bridged binuclear iron clusters. Since no known monooxygenase contains such a cluster, a new oxygenase mechanism is suggested. Three different preparative methods yielded hydroxylases spanning a 9-fold range in specific activity, yet the same cluster concentration and spectral characteristics were observed. Thus, other parameters than those measured here have a major influence on the activity.
Minimum Cost Selection of One-Way Slab Thickness

Considerable cost savings can result from the design of one-way reinforced concrete slabs, beams of constant width, and footings based on cost minimization techniques of flexural capacity. Equations for minimum cost slab depth are developed and a simple iterative method of their solution is presented. Resulting slab costs are compared, one using the minimum cost procedure, the other based on minimum slab thickness requiring no deflection check. The minimum cost slab usually requires a deflection check except where steel is expensive relative to concrete or for intense design loads.
Consistency and Optimality in a Dynamic Game of Pollution Control II: Monopoly

This paper continues a line of research begun in Batabyal (1995a). I model the interaction between a regulator and a monopolistic, polluting firm as a Stackelberg differential game in which the regulator leads. The firm creates pollution, which results in a stock externality. I analyze the intertemporal effects of alternate pollution control measures. The principal issue here concerns the dynamic inconsistency of the optimal solution. Inter alia, I compare the steady state levels of pollution under optimal and under dynamically consistent policies.
Regulation of oxygen delivery to the body via hypoxic vasodilation.

The respiratory system has traditionally been thought of as a two-gas model: hemoglobin (Hb) within red blood cells (RBC) binds oxygen in the lungs, delivers the oxygen to peripheral tissues, and binds carbon dioxide, which is returned to the lungs, released, and expired. However, fine-tuning of the system is required so that blood flow is preferentially shunted to tissues that have a greater need for oxygen. This mechanism, hypoxic vasodilation, is defined as the prompt vascular response to increased local demand for oxygen because of a change in metabolic activity in the absence of injury or disease (1, 2). This process involves detection of blood oxygen content by sensors and then a rapid transduction of the signal into a vasodilatory bioactivity (2). Emerging data suggest that Hb in the RBC not only functions as a vehicle to carry adequate amounts of oxygen to tissues, but also functions as an oxygen sensor and oxygen-responsive nitric oxide (NO) signal transducer, thereby regulating vascular tone (2, 3).
THE TREATMENT OF INTUSSUSCEPTION IN INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD

1. The experience at the Denver Children9s Hospital over the past 20 years has been analyzed in 2 10-year periods. Results in the last 10 years represent more accurately the improvements in general therapy including anesthesia, fluid and electrolyte replacement and anti-bacterial agents. 2. One hundred twenty-four cases of intussception were treated during the 20 years with an overall mortality rate of 7.2 per cent, and an operative mortality rate of 3.3 per cent. In the past 10 years, 89 cases were admitted, of which 3 died, all deaths being in moribund cases not mechanically treated, leaving no mortality following hydrostatic or surgical procedures. 3. In the last 10-year period, 47 cases were treated with initial surgery with no deaths; 39 were treated with initial barium enema, 19 of these enemas being followed by surgery, also with no deaths. 4. Most of the successful barium enema cases were those of short duration. But short duration does not insure reduction nor does the method always fail in late cases. 5. The main advantage of barium enema would seem to be its simplicity and an even chance of success in early cases thus avoiding unnecessary surgery and economic loss. The main advantage of initial surgery would seem to be its more positive approach and more definite assurance of adequate treatment.
Isobaric-spin violation in the reaction 10 B(d,d') 10 B

The reaction $^{10}\mathrm{B}(d,{d}^{\ensuremath{'}})^{10}\mathrm{B}$ was investigated to determine the isobaric-spin violation in exciting the lowest $T=1$ state of $^{10}\mathrm{B}$ at an excitation energy of 1.74 MeV. The extent and nature of the isobaric-spin-forbidden reaction was obtained by measuring yield curves at laboratory angles of 30, 45, and 77\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}, using deuteron bombarding energies from 5 to 12 MeV and at 140\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} from 6.5 to 16 MeV. Simultaneously, data were obtained on the nearby isobaricspin-allowed $T=0$ state at 2.15 MeV. Generally, broad structure dominates the excitation functions at all angles but tends to disappear at higher bombarding energies. Angular distributions of deuterons leading both to the $T=0$ and $T=1$ states were obtained at five bombarding energies between 6.5 and 12.0 MeV. The angular distributions both for the forbidden ($T=1$) and allowed ($T=0$) state are characterized by a trend to forward peaking with increasing bombarding energies although much less so for the $T=1$ state. The total cross sections were measured, and the ratios of the forbidden yield to allowed yield were found to decrease linearly from 0.69% at 6.5 MeV to 0.16% at 12 MeV. In an attempt to describe the angular distributions in terms of a direct-reaction mechanism, distorted-wave Born-approximation (DWBA) calculations were performed assuming collective excitations for the residual nucleus. No clear physical interpretation could be derived from these calculations. Indications are that the reaction $^{10}\mathrm{B}(d,{d}^{\ensuremath{'}})^{10}\mathrm{B}$ proceeds through states very high in the compound nucleus $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, where the isobaric-spin violation originates in Coulomb mixing of $T=1$ and $T=0$ states of the same spin and parity. In view of the very small yield of deuterons leading to the lowest $T=1$ state in $^{10}\mathrm{B}$, and in view of the background difficulties anticipated and experienced, a specialized charged-particle detection system was used, consisting of a position-sensitive gas proportional counter mounted on the focal surface of a broad-range magnetic spectrograph. This constitutes the first observation of the lowest $T=1$ state in $^{10}\mathrm{B}$ by the present reaction.
Have Voter Initiatives Paralyzed the California Budget

Many observers blame the California budget crisis on a series of voter initiatives that unrealistically appropriated spending while prohibiting tax increases. However, a review of all initiative measures approved by the voters since 1912 shows that no more than 32 percent of appropriations in the 2003-04 budget were locked in by initiatives. Virtually all of the earmarked spending was for education, and would have been appropriated by the legislature even without an initiative mandate. Initiatives placed only minimal constraints on the legislature's ability to raise revenue. The facts suggest that voter initiatives are not a significant obstacle to balancing the budget in California.
Halothane blocks low-voltage-activated calcium current in rat sensory neurons

Although volatile anesthetic agents have been used clinically for many years, the mechanisms by which they act on the nervous system to produce anesthesia are not known. A possible site of action is the voltage-gated calcium-selective channel (Krnjevic and Puil, 1988). Accordingly, the action of the halogenated alkane anesthetic halothane on voltage-dependent Ca currents in neonatal rat sensory neurons was examined using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. Halothane reversibly reduced the low-voltage-activated Ca current with an EC50 of about 100 microM. Similar effects were seen using a halogenated ether anesthetic (isoflurane) and in sensory neurons from adult rats. At higher concentrations, both halothane and isoflurane reduced the high-voltage- activated Ca current. Because low-voltage-activated Ca current. Because low-voltage-activated Ca current has been postulated to be involved in the control of neuronal excitability and bursting (Llinas, 1988), this block may explain some of the clinical actions of volatile anesthetics.
Effects of Physical and Social Environments on the Health and Well-Being of Antarctic Winter-Over Personnel:

This article examines the influence of physical and social environmental stressors on the short-term and long-term health and well-being of 358 enlisted U.S. Navy personnel who wintered-over in Antarctica between 1964 and 1974. Station size and severity of physical environment were significantly inversely associated with symptomatology of the winter-over syndrome. These characteristics of station environments were also significantly inversely associated with subsequent risk of total first hospital admissions relative to a group of 2,396 enlisted Navy men who volunteered for winter-over duty and were evaluated as medically and psychologically qualified for such duty but who were assigned elsewhere. The results suggest that adaptation to extreme social and physical environments may provide long-term health benefits for certain individuals.
Two-time photon correlations in resonance fluorescence

Abstract The factorization formula for the two-time intensity correlation of the fluorescence produced by a two-level atom in a coherent field is generalized for an arbitrary quantum state of the field. The formula is then applied to a Fock state.
CRISIS EFFECTS ON INTRAORGANIZATIONAL COMPUTER-BASED COMMUNICATION

This research examined an organization's change in computer-based communication structures in response to a crisis. All private electronic mail messages were captured in a state extension organization for one year. Month-by-month network analysis revealed that electronic mail patterns changed with the occurrence of a crisis associated with merger, funding changes, and staff positions. Amount of communication increased. Number of communicators increased. Messages became shorter. Individual-level networks became less interlocking. One large user group formed. Finally, communication structures largely returned to baselines without oscillation. Content analysis of messages revealed significant increases in words associated with the organizational changes. This evidence helped rule out rival explanations. The study illustrated some of the advantages of research using computer-based and monitored communication data. Findings from earlier crisis research were testable in a naturalistic, unobtrusive, quantitative...
Division of labor in frontal eye field neurons during presaccadic remapping of visual receptive fields.

Our percept of visual stability across saccadic eye movements may be mediated by presaccadic remapping. Just before a saccade, neurons that remap become visually responsive at a future field (FF), ...
Cooperative games with incomplete information

A bargaining solution concept which generalizes the Nash bargaining solution and the Shapley NTU value is defined for cooperative games with incomplete information. These bargaining solutions are efficient and equitable when interpersonal comparisons are made in terms of certain virtual utility scales. A player’s virtual utility differs from his real utility by exaggerating the difference from the preferences of false types that jeopardize his true type. In any incentive-efficient mechanism, the players always maximize their total virtual utility ex post. Conditionally transferable virtual utility is the strongest possible transferability assumption for games with incomplete information.
Total gravitational energy of a slightly ellipsoidal trilayer planet

We use a perturbational technique to compute the total gravitational energy of a slightly ellipsoidal trilayer planet as a function of the two sets of Euler angles. A second order computation is required since the torque is proportional to the product of the ellipticities of the inner core and the mantle. Although we focus on ellipsoidal perturbations, the intermediate analytical expressions are valid for arbitrary small deformations of the spherical configuration. The primary application of the expression for the total gravitational energy is in the Lagrangian formulation of dynamics. As a by-product, we determine the gravitationally stable equilibrium orientation of the rigid inner core. Due to symmetry, the six coaxial configurations are equilibrium. We show how to identify the stable configuration and to prove its uniqueness.
Depth variation of coseismic stress drop explains bimodal earthquake magnitude‐frequency distribution

[1] An essential part of seismic hazard analysis is the earthquake size-frequency relationship, used to estimate earthquake recurrence time, and thus probability. A key feature of those distributions is their bimodal character: small to moderate magnitude earthquakes follow the Gutenberg-Richter (GR) inverse power-law relation while large magnitude (characteristic) earthquakes are more frequent than anticipated from GR, following approximately a gaussian distribution around the maximum magnitude limited by fault geometry. Using a numerical earthquake simulator, we show that the temperature dependence of friction behavior and therefore the depth-variation of coseismic stress drop, derived from laboratory friction experiments, presents a simple and comprehensive explanation for the observed bimodal seismicity distribution. Characteristic earthquakes are the result of an abrupt increase in rupture width at the transition from small to large earthquakes.
Artificial intelligence techniques for voltage control

In the light of the review presented in this chapter, the following future requirements for reactive power control may be concluded: 1) Despite remarkable advances in mathematical optimisation technology, conventional methods have yet to achieve fast and reliable real-time reactive power control; considerable efforts are required to avoid mathematical traps such as ill-conditioning and convergence difficulties; 2) The experience of prototype expert systems applied to voltage control demonstrates that: (i) knowledge-based systems can enhance the capabilities of a power system in handling reactive power control; (ii) knowledge-based development methodologies are relevant to reactive power control; (iii)the application of hybrid systems is a novel development which represents a future trend in research; (iv)the application of fuzzy systems theory to voltage control requires further development, for example of techniques for rule sequencing and conflict resolution, before it can be considered for practical applications.
Near Optimal LP Rounding Algorithm for CorrelationClustering on Complete and Complete k-partite Graphs

We give new rounding schemes for the standard linear programming relaxation of the correlation clustering problem, achieving approximation factors almost matching the integrality gaps: For complete graphs our approximation is 2.06 - e, which almost matches the previously known integrality gap of 2. For complete k-partite graphs our approximation is 3. We also show a matching integrality gap. For complete graphs with edge weights satisfying triangle inequalities and probability constraints, our approximation is 1.5, and we show an integrality gap of 1.2.Our results improve a long line of work on approximation algorithms for correlation clustering in complete graphs, previously culminating in a ratio of 2.5 for the complete case by Ailon, Charikar and Newman (JACM'08). In the weighted complete case satisfying triangle inequalities and probability constraints, the same authors give a 2-approximation; for the bipartite case, Ailon, Avigdor-Elgrabli, Liberty and van Zuylen give a 4-approximation (SICOMP'12).
Gossypol removal by adsorption from cottonseed miscella

A variety of aluminas (acidic, basic, and neutral), silica, and synthetic magnesium silicates were screened to evaluate their potential use as adsorbents,for reducing the content of gossypol and related compounds from hexane-based cotton-seed miscella. Among the tested adsorbents, one type of silica and two types of magnesium silicate with a relatively high Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area (≥240 m2/g) showed a superior adsorption capacity in reducing gossypol from hexane miscella. As a possible regenerating method for the spent adsorbents, washing with acetone was tested. The effect of pH in the washing solvent was also evaluated. Adsorbents that were regenerated by washing with acetone at pH values between 7 and 7.5 performed better than those at pH values between 6.5 and 7. The pH values of washing solvent were adjusted by using a small amount of caustic and 1 M HCl.
Amino acid and peptide analysis using derivatization with p-nitrophenol-2,5-dihydroxyphenylacetate bis-tetrahydropyranyl ether and capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection

The amine derivatization reagent p-nitrophenol-2,5-dihydroxyphenylacetate bis-tetrahydropyranyl ether (NDTE) was used in conjunction with capillary electrophoresis (CE) and electrochemical detection (EC) for the pre-separation derivatization of primary amine analytes present in aqueous solution. Glycine, several dipeptides and angiotensin II were used as model analytes. A miniaturized EC detection cell was designed and fabricated, which featured a fractured-joint field decoupler with a fixed end-column carbon fiber electrode. When a series of glycine and angiotensin II calibration solutions were derivatized with NDTE followed by CE–EC determination, linear calibration plots resulted with pre-derivatization concentration limits of detection of 500 nM (106 attomoles on-column) and 6 μM (1.275 femtomoles on-column), respectively.
The Dynamic Consequences of Nonvoting in American National Elections

A growing body of work examines the consequences of unequal participation in American democracy for electoral outcomes. However, this scholarship has ignored the potential impact of unequal voting for the quality of dynamic representation in the American political system. Using data from the General Social Survey (GSS), we examine the dynamic relationship between the policy preferences of voters and nonvoters in the American electorate. Further, we assess how unequal participation—and the incentives that it may give to policymaking elites—may moderate the relationship between the mass public and policy outcomes. Our analysis reveals that the policy preferences of voters and nonvoters respond in similar ways to the political and economic environment. In addition, we find no evidence that national policymaking elites are differentially responsive to changes in the preferences of voters and nonvoters.
OYSTER, a three-dimensional structural simulator for microelectromechanical design

Abstract As microelectromechanical systems become more complex, designers will find it useful to derive models of the geometry of their device structures directly from the process description and planar mask patterns. OYSTER simulates the geometric effects of sequential IC process stages, including patterning of photoresists with planar masks, in order to produce three-dimensional polyhedral representations of all material structures in a design cell after each process stage. The polyhedral models may be used with various analytic procedures as sources of geometric data for finite-element calculations, or they may be subjected to interference calculations, or inspected to detect structural anomalies. OYSTER has been developed for IC simulation, but is applicable to microelectromechanical systems manufactured using similar processes. In addition, because it uses basic functions of a solid modeling program developed for mechanical systems, it provides access to features like dimensioning and tolerancing and kinematics.
The value of socially extrinsic vs. intrinsic outcomes: An exploration of Americans from 1974 to 1994

Stimulated by a recent exchange theory of value (Emerson, 1987; Stolte, 1998), the research reported here used archived data from the National Opinion Research Center’s General Social Survey (GSS) to examine 1974-1994 trends in the value placed by Americans on socially extrinsic vs. intrinsic outcomes of exchange. The data show an increase in the value placed on socially extrinsic outcomes (specifically income) and a decrease in the value placed on socially intrinsic outcomes (specifically those mediated by marriage, kin contact, neighborly interaction, fraternal, and church group membership). These trends raise questions about a possible imbalance in the pursuit of extrinsic over intrinsic outcomes, and possible deleterious social psychological consequences. While the present results are exploratory and highly provisional, they strongly encourage further research aimed at answering these questions.
Coulomb drag between in-plane graphene double ribbons and the impact of the dielectric constant

With recent developments in the search for novel device ideas, understanding electron-electron interaction in low dimensional systems is of particular interest. Coulomb drag measurements can provide critical insights in this context. In this article, we present a novel planar graphene double ribbon structure that shows for the first time that Coulomb drag is observable in two adjacent monolayer ribbons in the same plane at room temperature. Moreover, our planar devices enable experimentally study of the impact of the dielectric constant on Coulomb drag which is difficult to explore in the typically used double layer graphene structures. Our experimental findings indicate in particular that the drag resistance is proportional to the dielectric constant (e) and does not, as recently reported, show an increasing trend of interaction strength for small e-values. In fact, we find that the drag resistance follows approximately an e 1.2-dependence. The exponent of “1.2” is consistent with the theory considering the carrier concentration in our samples, and positions our results in between the weak and strong coupling limits.
Simulation, modeling, and application of ground-penetrating radar in pavement dielectric constant and thickness measurement

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a non-destructive and continuous electromagnetic (EM) detection technique for civil and environmental parameter measurement applications such as pavement condition and soil property characterization. This technique is based on the measurement of the travel time and reflection amplitude of a short EM pulse, which are functions of medium properties. Most GPR measurements of sub-layer thickness are conducted based on the priori knowledge of dielectric constants of the pavement materials. And actually, the dielectric constant is an unknown but important parameter in the applications. For some applications, the dielectric constants are estimated based on manuals or tables that can only provide rough results not the real changes of pavement materials. In some other cases, the dielectric constants are estimated by using the surface reflectivity information. However, such method is not applicable for rough surface and ground-coupled GPR applications. Compared to the air-launching GPR mode, the ground-coupled mode is more complicated because of the coupling effect between the antennas and ground. In this paper, numerical simulations about the wave propagation paths of the ground-coupled GPR are conducted. The simulation results reveal some interesting ray paths of GPRs in the ground-coupled mode. And based on the simulation results, new methods are introduced for calculating the pavement dielectric constant and thickness directly from the ground-coupled GPR data. Finally, applications and field test results for pavement evaluation are presented.
A System Architecture for Running Big Data Workflows in the Cloud

Scientific workflows have become an important paradigm for domain scientists to formalize and structure complex data-intensive scientific processes. The ever-increasing volumes of scientific data motivate researchers to extend scientific workflow management systems (SWFMSs) to utilize the power of Cloud computing to perform big data analyses. Unlike workflows run in traditional on-premise environments such as stand-alone workstations or grids, Cloud workflows rely on dynamically provisioned computing, storage and network resources that are terminated when no longer used. This dynamic and volatile nature of cloud resources as well as other cloud-specific factors introduce a new set of challenges for "Cloud-enabled" SWFMSs. Although few SWFMSs have been integrated with Cloud infrastructures that provide some experience for future research and development, a comprehensive study from an architectural perspective is still missing. To this end, we conduct a hands-on study by running a big data workflow in Amazon EC2, FutureGrid Eucalyptus and OpenStack clouds. From this experience we 1) identify the key challenges for running big data workflows in the cloud, 2) propose a generic implementation-independent system architecture that addresses these challenges, 3) develop a cloud-enabled SWFMS called DATAVIEW that delivers a specific implementation of the proposed architecture. Finally, to validate our proposed architecture we conduct a case study in which we design and run a big data workflow towards addressing EB-scale big data analysis problem in the automotive industry domain.
Analytical Derivatization Reactions Based on Changes in Fluorescence Polarization: A Worthwhile Idea?:

When a fluorophor is coupled to an analyte it will necessarily increase in size and, therefore, will depolarize fluorescence less rapidly than fluorophor by itself. Thus, it is possible to distinguish analyte fluorescence from excess reagent fluorescence on the basis of polarization even if the analytical reaction does not otherwise cause a change in fluorescence behavior. This would permit the use of sensitive fluorogenic reagents. However, sensitivity is lost when analyte is distinguished from excess reagent on the basis of polarization because the measured analytical signal is a relatively small difference between large signals. We have calculated detection limits for analyte resolved from excess reagent on the basis of fluorescence polarization relative to the detection limit for fluorophor by itself. Detection limits are calculated as a function of rotational relaxation times for analyte and excess reagent, intrinsic polarization, excess reagent concentrations, and nature of the noise. It is assumed that coupling the fluorophor to analyte does not affect fluorescence efficiency or wavelength distribution. The calculations serve to define the conditions under which it may be practical to resolve analyte from excess reagent on the basis of polarization.
Insulin-like growth factors I and II expression in the healing wound

Demonstrating temporal variation in the expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) for growth factors may give some indication as to whether growth factor synthesis is regulated in wound healing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of insulin-like growth factors (IGF) I and II in the wound. Two wound models, an incisional model and a subcutaneous sponge implant model, were used in this study. The RNA was extracted and reverse transcribed and mRNA was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Semiquantitation of PCR products was accomplished using [3H]dGTP incorporation. Levels of expression for both IGF-I and -II were found to be low in unwounded skin and at 12 hr postwounding. However, in both wound models expression increased substantially from 1 to 21 days postwounding. Both factors also were found to be expressed by fibroblasts and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN). Additionally, two transcripts were found for IGF-II, the larger of which appeared to be specific for PMN and possibly cells involved in angiogenesis. Levels of message expressed in healing wounds for IGF-I and -II appear to be regulated with the highest levels of message found at time points coinciding with fibroblast predominance in the wound. Since fibroblasts are known to both secrete and respond to IGF-I, it is possible that IGF-I and IGF-II are acting to influence fibroblast differentiation and function in the later stages of wound healing.
Working With Educational Interpreters

Increasing numbers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing are being educated in their local schools. Accommodations frequently made for these students include the provision of educational inte...
Task difficulty in information searching behavior: expected difficulty and experienced difficulty

The purpose of the work is to better understand the issue of task difficulty from the perspective of the user. To investigate the relationship between task difficulty and information searching behavior, two types of task difficulty are considered: expected difficulty and experienced difficulty. Information searching behavior was observed via time spent, pages viewed, pages saved, search efficiency and the number of query reformulations.
STUDIES ON THYROIDECTOMIZED RATS WITH SPECIALREFERENCE TO LACTATION AND GROWTH

SINCE the thyroid gland profoundly influences the endocrine balance as well asthe metabolic and general physiological processes, it would presumably alsoaffect lactation. A large amount of work has been done and a considerable massof literature has accumulated in the study of this relationship. Due to the use ofdifferent species of experimental animals and different technics as well as to interpretations drawn from insufficient data, many contradictions exist. Nevertheless it hasbeen shown that the thyroid does play an active rOle in lactation, though the extent of its influence is not known. Folley (i) and Graham (2, 3) have shown that feeding thyroid or thyroxin to lactatinganimals causes an increase in milk secretion. Mammary development during pregnancy isgreatly increased and accelerated (4). The milk-fat is markedly increased and the phosphoruscalciumratio is lowered (1, 5,6). On the other hand, some workers (6-12) found that thyroidor thyroxin feeding decreases the milk output.
Effect of RNA from estradiol-treated immature rats on protein synthesis in immature uteri.

The role and organ specificity of RNA in mediating estradiol-induced growth of the uterus of immature rats was studied. RNA preparations from uteri and other organs of estradiol-treated immature rats were injected into one uterine horn, the contralateral horn serving as control. The time course of the increase in the incorporation of amino acids into uterine proteins after the application of estradiolinduced uterine RNA was similar to that after the systemic application of estradiol, reaching a peak after 24 hr. RNA preparations from kidney, adrenals, lungs, skeletal muscle and thymus had no effect on protein synthesis in uteri. RNA extracted from the liver of estradiol-induced immature rats resembled uterine RNA in increasing uterine protein synthesis. The results suggest that uterine RNA mediates the estradiolinduced protein synthesis in the uterus. The unexpected effect of liver RNA in the uterus is discussed in view of the role of the liver in the metabolism of estrogens. (Endocrinology 88: 279, 1971)
Enhancement and selective production of avermectin B by recombinants of Streptomyces avermitilis via intraspecific protoplast fusion

Among eight components of avermectin, B1 fractions have the most effective antiparasitic activities and the lowest level of toxic side-effects and are used widely in veterinary and agricultural fields. Intraspecific protoplast fusion between two strains of Streptomyces avermitilis, one an avermectin high producer (strain 76-05) and the other a genetically engineered strain containing the mutations aveD− and olmA− (strain 73-12) was performed for enhancement and selective production of avermectin B in the absence of oligomycin. Two recombinant strains (F23 and F29) were isolated and characterized with regards to the parental merits. F23 and F29 produced only the four avermectin B components with high yield and produced no oligomycin. The avermectin production of F23 and F29 was about 84.20% and 103.45% of the parental strain 76-05, respectively, and increased about 2.66-fold and 3.50-fold, respectively, compared to that of parental strain 73-12. F23 and F29 were genetically stable prototrophic recombinants and F29 was quite tolerant of fermentation conditions compared to avermectin high producer parental strain 76-05. The ability to produce avermectin B with high yield without the production of other avermectin components and oligomycin will make F23 and F29 useful strains for avermectin production. Strain F29’s tolerance of fermentation conditions will also make it suitable for industrial applications.
The torsion problem of a disk bonded to a dissimilar shaft

The torsion of an infinitely long elastic shaft bonded to an elastic disk of finite width and of different elastic constants is considered. The contact may be accomplished through bonding or shrink-fit. First the general problem with the axisymmetric edge cracks on the contact area is formulated. This problem is shown to reduce to a singular integral equation with a simple Cauchy-type singularity. In limit, when the contact is along the entire width of the disk, it is shown that the dominant kernel of the integral equation is of generalized Cauchy-type and the solution has a singularity of the form (c2−x2)−γ, where 2c is the width of the disk and 0 < γ < 12. A series of numerical examples is worked out with or without the edge cracks and under symmetric and anti-symmetric external loads. A variation of the torsion problem, namely, the problem of two semi-infinite strips under anti-plane shear loading is then considered. Again, the results of a series of numerical examples are given to show the effect of the geometry and the material properties on the stress intensity factor.
HAC Corrections for Strongly Autocorrelated Time Series

Applied work routinely relies on heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation consistent (HAC) standard errors when conducting inference in a time series setting. As is well known, however, these corrections perform poorly in small samples under pronounced autocorrelations. In this article, I first provide a review of popular methods to clarify the reasons for this failure. I then derive inference that remains valid under a specific form of strong dependence. In particular, I assume that the long-run properties can be approximated by a stationary Gaussian AR(1) model, with coefficient arbitrarily close to one. In this setting, I derive tests that come close to maximizing a weighted average power criterion. Small sample simulations show these tests to perform well, also in a regression context.
An aluminum salvage station for External Tanks of the Space Shuttle

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to show that the External Tanks of the Space Transportation System, when carried into low Earth orbit, can be reduced economically to a form of readily usable construction material. A scenario is assumed in which the first tank is partially dismantled and then becomes the facility for dismantling additional tanks, storing product and constructing space structures. A set of tools is identified to autonomously accomplish the tasks of cutting, transport of crude stock, removal of spray-on foam insulation, and product storage. Based upon reducing four tanks per year, more than 52,000 lb of structural aluminum can be salvaged annually, primarily in the form of I-beams and strip. The concept is cost competitive when compared to equivalent products delivered as orbiter payload and can be accomplished concurrent with other mission objectives.