cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extraterritorial Financial Regulation: Why E.T. Can't Come Home

Systemic risk poses a classic "public goods" problem. All nations want systemic stability, but most would prefer that other nations pay for it, allowing them to "free ride." Moreover, because global financial institutions can park their higher risk operations almost anywhere, some nations can profit from regulatory arbitrage by keeping their regulatory controls laxer than in the more financially developed nations (which bear the principal share of the costs from financial contagion). As a result, the free riders do not need to internalize the full costs of systemic risk, but profit from imposing costs on others.Under these conditions, all the preconditions for a "tragedy of the commons" are satisfied, because (i) the nations that profit from regulatory arbitrage cannot be excluded from offering under-regulated markets, and (ii) they do not need to internalize the costs they impose on others. While the "tragedy of the commons" literature has been much used in environmental law and related fields, it applies equally well to international financial markets. The solution to this problem lies in finding ways to tax the free riders or otherwise subject them to stronger controls. But here is exactly where current "soft law" approaches to international financial regulation fail. Because "soft law" is almost by definition non-binding and unenforceable, it cannot control a financial services industry that wishes to pursue highly profitable, higher risk strategies.Aspirational theorists of international "soft law" thus misconceive the problem. To expect "soft law" to be kinder and gentler than formal law and to give every nation an equal voice is to prescribe the essential conditions for a "tragedy of the commons." Instead, as this article argues, only the major financial nations have the right incentives to curb systemic risk, precisely because they are exposed to it. Thus, bilateral negotiations among them (particularly between the U.S. and the E.U.) and the assertion of extraterritorial jurisdiction by them is necessary to create a governance structure under which highly mobile financial institutions cannot flee to less regulated venues. Ultimately, this assertion of extraterritorial authority (which both the U.S. and the E.U. have now done) may be an interim stage in the longer term development of adequate international "soft law" standards. But, absent the assertion of such authority, the commons will predictably collapse again into tragedy. This article examines recent negotiations over the international regulation of OTC derivatives markets and the uncertain status of the Volcker Rule as cases in point. With respect to the latter, it poses the question: how should a legal regime of "substituted compliance" deal with the Volcker Rule where no other nations has adopted or proposed a close financial equivalent? Finally, it asks: how "extraterritorial" does U.S. law need to be and proposes some limits.
Fuzzy reliability in hydraulics

A fuzzy reliability model is developed for a flood levee where both load and resistance are assumed to be fuzzy. A new measure of reliability index is proposed within the framework of fuzzy set theory to assess the reliability of such a hydraulic structure. The methodology is illustrated with a case study on an existing levee system of Sebes-Koros River in Hungary. The load is taken as the fuzzy wind wave action above the 100 year flood level; the resistance of the levee to wind waves is also considered to be fuzzy. A parametric analysis on the widths of the fuzzy set membership functions of both load and resistance is carried out. The results indicate that the proposed index may be a viable measure of reliability in such problems. >
SPEAKeasy II-an IPT approach to software programmable radio development

The concept of integrated product teams (IPT) that use to the greatest extent possible commercial technologies and practices has been demonstrated by the SPEAKeasy program to meet aggressive goals for the development of software programmable multiband multimode radio development. IPTs were put in place for management, systems, RF, modem, INFOSEC, internetworking, and control to develop an open architecture, simultaneous multichannel, multiband multimode software programmable/re-programmable networked and secure radio system that operates continuously and continuously in the radio spectrum from 2 MHz to 2 GHz. Within fifteen months after contract initiation from July 1995 to September 1996 the SPEAKeasy team demonstrated the first software embedded waveform on a 2-channel platform. This was achieved by using architectural principles from the PC community coupled with state of the art technology developments from the wireless communications community. After the first waveform was successfully demonstrated it was shown that additional waveforms could be integrated within the SPEAKeasy platform in a matter of a few days for each new waveform. In March of 1997 the SPEAKeasy MBMMR was shown to successfully interoperate with HF, SINCGARS, civil aviation, Have Quick II, and UHF SATCOM radios during Task Force XXI.
Planning for the manufacture of axisymmetric parts: an AI-based approach

Abstract Process planning is an important stage in the manufacturing process because it bridges the gap between design and manufacture. Automation of this crucial activity will yield significant benefits in the efficiency, consistency and economy of manufacture. In this paper, an AI-based approach to the automation of process planning is described. It explores the potential for generating efficient plans for machining operations by making use of techniques from AI research. Currently, the system is capable of generating process plans for rotational parts. We plan to extend it to examine 2 1 2 - D and 3-D machining of prismatic parts for generality. The planner selects processes and tools and generates a complete operation sequence. Detailed schemes for feature-based part representation and tool description enable us to include relative tolerance information, which is a distinguishing characteristic of this system. The plan synthesized by the system can be further processed to generate NC code. The system described in this paper is characterized by the following: • • Use of a feature-based representation system. • • Accessibility to IGES format input commercial CAD systems. • • Complete tool description scheme for checking geometric consistency during tool selection. • • Adoption of the hierarchical planning approach and utilizing the nonlinear planning algorithm in implementation.
Surveillance as a Management Strategy for Retained Third Molars: Is It Desirable?

The purpose of the present report was to define and advocate active surveillance compared with follow-up as needed (prn follow-up), as the preferred management strategy for patients who elect to retain their third molars (M3s). Active surveillance, a nonoperative management strategy for retained M3s, is characterized as a prescribed, regularly scheduled set of follow-up visits that include both clinical and radiographic examinations. Given that the risk of complications with M3 removal are age related, the rationale for recommending active surveillance instead of “prn follow-up” is that the frequency of future disease among retained M3s is sufficiently high to warrant routine scheduled follow-up visits to detect and treat disease before it becomes symptomatic. Symptomatic disease is a late finding. Patients electing active surveillance as their preferred management strategy might not avoid operative treatment in the future, but it should increase their chances of being diagnosed at the youngest age possible, thus minimizing the age-related operative complications. The author recommends that the frequency of follow-up visits be approximately every 24 months and the examination be completed by a specialist or general dentist. Active surveillance as a management strategy is based on level 5 evidence (ie, expert opinion).
Notch and TGFβ Form a Reciprocal Positive Regulatory Loop that Suppresses Murine Prostate Basal Stem/Progenitor Cell Activity

The role of Notch signaling in the maintenance of adult murine prostate epithelial homeostasis remains unclear. We found that Notch ligands are mainly expressed within the basal cell lineage, while active Notch signaling is detected in both the prostate basal and luminal cell lineages. Disrupting the canonical Notch effector Rbp-j impairs the differentiation of prostate basal stem cells and increases their proliferation in vitro and in vivo, but does not affect luminal cell biology. Conversely, ectopic Notch activation in adult prostates results in a decrease in basal cell number and luminal cell hyperproliferation. TGFβ dominates over Notch signaling and overrides Notch ablation-induced proliferation of prostate basal cells. However, Notch confers sensitivity and positive feedback by upregulating a plethora of TGFβ signaling components including TgfβR1. These findings reveal crucial roles of the self-enforced positive reciprocal regulatory loop between TGFβ and Notch in maintaining prostate basal stem cell dormancy.
Thermoelectric Properties and Electronic Structure of BaBiTe3

The compound BaBiTe3 was prepared by the reaction of Ba/Bi/Te at over 700 °C either in K2TE4 or BaTe3 flux and was recrystallized in Ba/Te3 flux. The black rod-shaped polycrystalline material crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P212121 with a=4.6077(2) A, b=17.0437(8) A, c=18.2997(8) A. Its structure is made of interdigitating columnar anionie [Bi4Te10(Te2)] ∞2+ “herring-bone” shaped segments which arrange into layers with Ba ions between them. The electrical conductivity, thermopower, thermal lattice conductivity, infrared absorption properties of this material suggest it is a narrow gap semiconductor.
Biosynthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in Euglena gracilis

SYNOPSIS. Extracts of Euglena gracilis carry out a very rapid but limited synthesis of phosphatidylcholine when S-adenosylmethionine or ATP and methionine are supplied. Cytidinediphosphocholine apparently is not utilized. Qualitatively the same results are obtained whether the cells are light- or dark-grown.
The roles of scenario use in ontology development

With the recent focus on knowledge management and knowledge-based systems, the proper development of ontologies, that is, conceptual structures underlying these systems, has become critical. Also recently, the benefits of using scenarios in the development of artifacts have received much attention in multiple disciplines. This paper examines the roles that scenarios can play in ontology development. It presents a set of claims about why scenarios are useful and how they can be used to support each phase of the ontology development lifecycle. These claims are drawn from, supported by, and illustrated with the lessons from a 5-year ontology design project that led to a NIST specification of the process ontology that is on the way to become an International Standard Organisation (ISO) standard. Based on the analysis of these claims, an overall picture relating the roles of scenario use in ontology development is presented in an effort to help ontology developers better understand why, when and how to use scenarios. The results of this study are also related to the earlier studies of the scenario uses in other related disciplines such as software engineering, human–computer interaction and management. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Benign Intraneural Epithelium in the Breast

53-year-old woman noticed a small nodule in the left lateral breast near the axillary region. Results of a mammogram were normal. The nodule was removed and consisted of a 0.4 3 0.2 3 0.2-cm piece of fat. It contained several small intraductal papillomas with superimposed hyperplasia of ordinary type. Epithelial elements within a nearby small nerve were identified (arrow). The lack of cytologic atypia and an architectural identity to the hyperplastic component of the papilloma led us to believe this was benign epithelium. The patient received no further therapy and is well 5 months later. Perineural involvement by benign breast disease is limited to one report of 2 patients 1 and a review of 1000 consecutive breast lesions coded as sclerosing adenosis. 2 The
DNA and DNA-polymerase activity in chicken brain regions during ontogeny.

— 1 The DNA content of cerebral hemispheres, optic lobes, cerebellum and remainder was determined in chicken brains from the 11th day of embryonic life to 6 weeks after hatch. Each region showed a characteristic pattern of variation during development. The cerebellum showed the most rapid and the optic lobes the least rapid rate of DNA increase during the period studied. The concentration of DNA within these regions decreased continuously with age except for that of the cerebellum which passed through a maximum just before hatching. 2 The nature of the DNA-polymerase activity in soluble extracts from these brain regions seemed to be similar to the properties reported for this enzyme activity in other vertebrate tissues. Glycerol was stimulatory and denatured DNA was preferred to native DNA as primer. The requirements for magnesium ions and DNA were absolute. The requirement for deoxynucleoside triphosphates indicated this to be a replicative rather than a terminal addition enzyme. At nearly every age the level of enzyme activity was highest in extracts from the embryonic cerebellum. 3 The particulate fraction from brain homogenates decreased the DNA-polymerase activity observed in soluble brain extracts. Data are presented which indicate that this inhibition was the result of dephosphorylation of the deoxynucleoside triphosphate substrates by an ATPase in the brain particulate fraction whose activity increases during ontogeny.
Conserved interactions in the Staphylococcus aureus DNA PolC chromosome replication machine

The PolC holoenzyme replicase of the Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus pathogen has been reconstituted from pure subunits. We compared individual S. aureus replicase subunits with subunits from the Gram-negative Escherichia coli polymerase III holoenzyme for activity and interchangeability. The central organizing subunit, τ, is smaller than its Gram-negative homolog, yet retains the ability to bind single-stranded DNA and contains DNA-stimulated ATPase activity comparable with E. coli τ. S. aureus τ also stimulates PolC, although they do not form as stabile a complex as E. coli polymerase III·τ. We demonstrate that the extreme C-terminal residues of PolC bind to and function with β clamps from different bacteria. Hence, this polymerase-clamp interaction is highly conserved. Additionally, the S. aureus δ wrench of the clamp loader binds to E. coli β. The S. aureus clamp loader is even capable of loading E. coli and Streptococcus pyogenes β clamps onto DNA. Interestingly, S. aureus PolC lacks functionality with heterologous β clamps when they are loaded onto DNA by the S. aureus clamp loader, suggesting that the S. aureus clamp loader may have difficulty ejecting from heterologous clamps. Nevertheless, these overall findings underscore the conservation in structure and function of Gram-positive and Gram-negative replicases despite >1 billion years of evolutionary distance between them.
An evaluation of the drugs used for gingival retraction

Abstract 1. 1. Most of the drugs commonly used for gingival retraction are effective in shrinking the gingival tissues. 2. 2. Zinc chloride is caustic and prolonged application or high concentrations will cauterize the tissue. 3. 3. Negatan is highly acid and decalcifies the teeth. 4. 4. When very high concentrations or amounts of epinephrine are applied locally to lacerated tissue, epinephrine can be absorbed and cause an increase in the heart rate and blood pressure, which could be dangerous for patients with cardiovascular disease, hyperthyrodism, and to certain hypersensitive individuals. 5. 5. The application of high concentrations of epinephrine to large areas of lacerated or abraded gingival tissues should be avoided.
Informational connectivity: identifying synchronized discriminability of multi-voxel patterns across the brain.

The fluctuations in a brain region’s activation levels over a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time-course are used in functional connectivity to identify networks with synchronous responses. It is increasingly recognized that multi-voxel activity patterns contain information that cannot be extracted from univariate activation levels. Here we present a novel analysis method that quantifies regions’ synchrony in multi-voxel activity pattern discriminability, rather than univariate activation, across a timeseries. We introduce a measure of multi-voxel pattern discriminability at each time-point, which is then used to identify regions that share synchronous time-courses of condition-specific multi-voxel information. This method has the sensitivity and access to distributed information that multi-voxel pattern analysis enjoys, allowing it to be applied to data from conditions not separable by univariate responses. We demonstrate this by analyzing data collected while people viewed four different types of man-made objects (typically not separable by univariate analyses) using both functional connectivity and informational connectivity methods. Informational connectivity reveals networks of object-processing regions that are not detectable using functional connectivity. The informational connectivity results support prior findings and hypotheses about object-processing. This new method allows investigators to ask questions that are not addressable through typical functional connectivity, just as MVPA has added new research avenues to those addressable with the general linear model.
Resting metabolic rate before exercise vs a control day

Investigations on resting and recovery metab- olism have used both preexercise and separate control-day mea- surements as a baseline for comparisons. The purpose of this study was to compare preexercise resting data with nonexercise control-day resting data. Seven active men aged 25 ± 5 y and weighing 83.2 ± 15.4 kg followed prescribed dietary (12-h fast) and activity (48-h abstinence) preparatory protocols and were scheduled to exercise for 60 ruin on three separate occasions. A fourth session involved no exercise (control) and included an extended rest period. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) and heart rate measured in a semirecumbent position were not significantly different among preexercise and control conditions. Respiratory exchange ratio (RER) increased as the control rest was extended to 120 mm. Reliabilities for both RMR and RER were initially high but were decreased at the end of the extended rest. These results suggest that preexercise RMR data can be used as a base- line for comparison purposes. In addition, prolonging the rest period does not appear to improve the RMR or RER values. Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59:28-31.
Analysis and synthesis of a class of neural networks: variable structure systems with infinite grain

An investigation was conducted of the qualitative properties of a class of neural networks described by a system of first-order ordinary differential equations with discontinuous right hand side. An efficient synthesis procedure is developed for this class of neural networks. The class of systems considered may be used as a representation of the analog Hopfield model with the nonlinearities having infinite gain. Also, under appropriate assumptions, the output of the class of systems considered may be viewed as representing the behavior of the discrete Hopfield model. Thus the results give insight into the qualitative behavior of the analog as well as the discrete Hopfield models, and they provide a means of designing such models. The applicability of the present results is demonstrated by several specific examples. >
Time series modeling for syndromic surveillance.

Background: Emergency department (ED) based syndromic surveillance systems identify abnormally high visit rates that may be an early signal of a bioterrorist attack. For example, an anthrax outbreak might first be detectable as an unusual increase in the number of patients reporting to the ED with respiratory symptoms. Reliably identifying these abnormal visit patterns requires a good understanding of the normal patterns of healthcare usage. Unfortunately, systematic methods for determining the expected number of (ED) visits on a particular day have not yet been well established. We present here a generalized methodology for developing models of expected ED visit rates. Methods: Using time-series methods, we developed robust models of ED utilization for the purpose of defining expected visit rates. The models were based on nearly a decade of historical data at a major metropolitan academic, tertiary care pediatric emergency department. The historical data were fit using trimmed-mean seasonal models, and additional models were fit with autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) residuals to account for recent trends in the data. The detection capabilities of the model were tested with simulated outbreaks. Results: Models were built both for overall visits and for respiratory-related visits, classified according to the chief complaint recorded at the beginning of each visit. The mean absolute percentage error of the ARIMA models was 9.37% for overall visits and 27.54% for respiratory visits. A simple detection system based on the ARIMA model of overall visits was able to detect 7day-long simulated outbreaks of 30 visits per day with 100% sensitivity and 97% specificity. Sensitivity decreased with outbreak size, dropping to 94% for outbreaks of 20 visits per day, and 57% for 10 visits per day, all while maintaining a 97% benchmark specificity. Conclusions: Time series methods applied to historical ED utilization data are an important tool for syndromic surveillance. Accurate forecasting of emergency department total utilization as well as the rates of particular syndromes is possible. The multiple models in the system account for both long-term and recent trends, and an integrated alarms strategy combining these two perspectives may provide a more complete picture to public health authorities. The systematic methodology described here can be generalized to other healthcare settings to develop automated surveillance systems capable of detecting anomalies in disease patterns and healthcare utilization.
Development of the acoustic startle response in the rat: Ontogenetic changes in the magnitude of inhibition by prepulse stimulation

Three experiments examined the development of the acoustic startle reflex and its modification by a preliminary stimulus in the infant rat during the 2nd and 3rd postnatal weeks. The 1st experiment employed a white noise S1 (20 msec, 70 dB), the 2nd a cutaneous S1 (.5 msec, .5 mA and 1.0 mA shock), and the 3rd identical S1-S2 pairs (20 msec, 10 kHz, 110 dB tones). The results demonstrate a similar maturation of the prepulse modification pattern over days in the 3 experiments, evidenced mainly in the growth of inhibition. The findings indicate peripheral and central mechanisms that are maturing during the period of life under observation and that contribute to the developmental patterns of modification.
Vascular applications of human gene therapy.

Complexing recombinant DNA with cationic liposomes is a convenient means of introducing foreign genes into cells (lipofection) and could potentially form the basis for genetically modifying diseased blood vessels in patients. The mechanism of lipofection is incompletely understood, but it is recognized that the degree of successful gene transfer is highly dependent on cell type. We have transfected primary cultures of human vascular smooth muscle cells with a plasmid expressing either firefly luciferase (Luc) or nuclearlocalized β-galactosidase (NL-β-gal). Cells were derived from either normal human internal mammary arteries, fragments of primary atherosclerotic plaque, or fragments of restenotic lesion. Concurrent lipofection of rabbit vascular smooth muscle cells and NIH 3T3 cells was performed as well. Compared with NIH 3T3 cells, expression in human vascular smooth muscle cells was markedly reduced: In cells derived from internal mammary artery, Luc expression, normalized for protein content, was 123-fold lower than in NIH 3T3 cells, while the proportion of cells expressing NL-β-gal was 30-fold lower. Luc expression in cells derived from restenotic tissue was significantly greater than from cells derived from primary plaque. Within a given population of cells, the mitotic index of cells expressing the recombinant gene was significantly higher than the mitotic index for the total population of cells (p < 0.05). Finally, cotransfection experiments, in which lipofection of smooth muscle cells was performed using genes for NL-β-gal and for human growth hormone, showed that among positive transfectants a high proportion of cells (23–36%) coexpressed both genes. Thus, the efficiency of successful lipofection in human vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro is low. Transfection appears to be preferentially facilitated in cells derived from restenotic tissue and specific properties of smooth muscle cells, including growth rates, appear to be critical for successful transfection. Further elucidation of cell properties that promote transfection is required to augment the efficiency of liposome-mediated gene transfer in human vascular cells.
Lessons from the Art of an Egg: The Ethics of Sound in the Osama bin Laden Audiotape Collection

Keywords: commentary, sound, ethics, Islam, terrorism, media, culinary, cooking, soundscape
Diffraction of Ultrasound by Soft Tissues:The Inhomogeneous Continuous Model

In this paper the theory of wave propagation in continuous- inhomogeneous media is utilized to explain scattering of ultrasound by soft tissues. When a number of scattering volume elements are present, as opposed to one, the scattered energy from a given volume element subsequently encounters other scattering volume elements. As a result of this, the sound energy is diffused instead of being propagated as well-defined waves. This means that the phase relationships are lost and the radiation becomes incoherent somewhat in the fashion described by Foldy15. If one were to freeze the ensemble to one instant and observe all the volume elements, each of them would appear as a secondary source emitting radiation in a different phase. Using this concept and assuming that soft tissues do not possess any sharp discontinuities, an equation for attenuation due to scattering is obtained which predicts a near linear frequency dependence for scattering-attenuation. The velocity fluctuations and correlation length for a variety of tissues are estimated from the values of scattering-attenuation using the postulated model. On the basis of these values, ray, Born, and Rytov approximations used to describe sound propagation through soft tissues, are evaluated.
Allopregnanolone attenuates N-methyl-d-aspartate-induced excitotoxicity and apoptosis in the human NT2 cell line in culture

Progesterone modulates gamma-aminobutyric acid and excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter systems and has neuroprotective properties in models of hypoxia-ischemia. This study examined the in vitro effects of allopregnanolone, the active progesterone metabolite, in models of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced necrosis and apoptosis. Cultured NT2 neurons were exposed to 1 mM NMDA. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release was measured 24 h later. NMDA at a concentration of 1 mM produced a 39 +/- 19% release of total LDH. Exposure to 10 microM allopregnanolone prior to NMDA exposure reduced LDH release by 51% (P = 0.0028). NMDA stimulated apoptotic cell changes defined by terminal dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and 5,5', 6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1,3,3'-tetra ethlybenzimidazolycarbocyanide iodide staining were reduced to baseline values by both 10 microM allopregnanolone and 100 microM MK-801. Pretreatment with allopregnanolone (0-10 microM) reduced the percentage of TUNEL-positive cells in a dose-dependent manner (EC(50) = 2.7 +/- 0.1 nM). Physiologic concentrations of allopregnanolone provided protection against both necrotic and apoptotic injury induced by NMDA excitotoxicity.
A new name in Ruellia L. (Acanthaceae) for Madagascar

CALLMANDER, M. W., E. A. TRIPP & P. B. PHILLIPSON (2014). A new name in Ruellia L. (Acanthaceae) for Madagascar. Candollea 69: 81-83. In English, English and French abstracts. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies showed that the endemic Malagasy Eusiphon Benoist is nested within Ruellia L. (Acanthaceae) . The authors here propose a new name to replace an illegitimate later homonym for Eusiphon longissi mum Benoist: Ruellia quartziticola Callm., E. Tripp & Phillip son. This striking species is rare in the wild and endemic to the quartzite veins of the Highlands of Madagascar. Follow ing IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria, Ruellia quartziti cola is considered to be “Critically Endangered”.
Phylogeographic structure of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta in its native South American range: roles of natural barriers and habitat connectivity

We generated mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data from 402 individuals of the fire ant Solenopsis invicta collected from 11 native populations and analyzed these data using a combination of demographic, phylogenetic, and phylogeographic methods to infer features of the evolutionary history of this species. Prior expectations regarding high levels of genetic structure and isolation by distance among populations were supported by the data, but we also discovered several unanticipated patterns. Our analyses revealed a major genetic break between S. invicta mtDNA haplotypes that coincides with the Mesopotamia wetlands region of South America, resulting in two higher level nested clade groupings. In addition, we identified contrasting patterns of genetic differentiation within these two major groups, which may reflect differences in connectivity of suitable habitat in different parts of the native range of S. invicta. Our study represents the first attempt to understand the phylogeographic history of S. invicta across its native range.
Technofetishism and Online Education: Globalizing Geography through Virtual Worlds.

Online education is becoming an increasingly popular venture for postsecondary institutions. It is an often controversial undertaking with proponents lauding the possibilities of technological advancements to increase access to education, while critics question the value and form of pedagogy on offer. This paper examines the potential and problems of online learning with reference to global geographic education. Drawing on the emergent literature on technology and education, it examines issues of design, interactivity, access, and mode, and focuses on a collaborative project between international partners to introduce the study of South Asia through an online suite to a range of students.
Letter from Papagiannis and Kanter regarding article, "variable clinical features and ablation of manifest nodofascicular/ventricular pathways".

We have read with interest the article by Hoffmayer et al,1 titled Variable Clinical Features and Ablation of Manifest Nodofascicular/Ventricular Pathways. We agree with the authors’ conclusions that nodofascicular/ventricular (NFV) pathways can participate in tachycardia either as bystanders, as for example with atrioventricular node reentry tachycardia (AVNRT), which is a commonly associated arrhythmia, or as an integral part of the reentry circuit. We have previously published a case report of an 11-year-old patient with these characteristics in whom cryoablation in the right midseptal area eliminated both the slow atrioventricular nodal pathway and the NFV pathway, thus proving a close anatomic relationship between the 2.2 We have several comments to make on the 4 cases presented in this article. 1. Case 1: Among the 4, this case best documents the presence of a NFV pathway. There is evidence of antegrade conduction with decremental properties (Figure 2A); inducibility of tachycardia with the same morphology as with the pre-excited atrial extrasystoles; ventriculo-atrial decremental conduction; and continuation of the tachycardia despite ventriculo-atrial block (Figure 2C). Our interpretation of Figure 2D is as follows: the initial 3 beats of narrow complex tachycardia represent typical AVNRT with retrograde concealed conduction in the NFV pathway, thus preventing antegrade conduction. In the fourth beat, block in the distal atrioventricular node (or in structures downstream of it) develops, allowing antegrade conduction down the NFV pathway and resulting in antidromic tachycardia. The change from simultaneous retrograde conduction from atrioventricular …
About mitigation, adaptation and the UNFCCC’s 21st Conference of the Parties

Concern over global climate change increases daily as extreme weather events multiply and scientific evidence accumulates on planetary borders, challenging humankind to take effective measures to both counteract the drivers of ongoing climate change and improve public response to its consequences. Global governance on this matter is critical and the Conference of the Parties (COP) is the highest decision-making body of the UN Convention Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). All the States that are part of the Convention are represented in the COP, whose main tasks are to review the implementation of the Convention and any other legal instruments that the COP adopts, and to take decisions necessary to promote the implementation of the Convention. As shown in Annex, there have been twenty Conferences between 1995 and 2014 and overall results have admittedly been less than spectacular. Well-known political obstacles and the general lack of enthusiasm at the level of participating countries for necessary measures in the economic domain are generally at the root of these disappointments. This note, however, focuses on two other less prominent aspects of the negotiations that have obstructed analyses and problem-solving efforts at the technical level: the failure to deal with mitigation and adaptation within a balanced approach and the insufficient consideration of population dynamics in the overall structure of both problems and solutions in mitigation and adaptation.
In vivo implantation as a technique in skeletal biology.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews aims, technical procedures, and results of some investigations into the behavior of in vivo implants of growing skeletal organs. Virtually any embryonic, fetal, or early postnatal bone will survive removal from limb or body implantation into an adequate vascular site in a suitable host. Particular interest has been in experimental morphogenesis and growth, using young mouse bones as implants. However, with little difficulty, the application of this technique to problems in endocrinology, genetics, immunology, pathology, and related specialties can be visualized, where one or more characteristics of the isolated bones may be used as criteria. The chapter reviews experimental conditions and techniques, the behavior of free skeletal organ implants, and investigations in which this behavior is utilized for other experimental purposes. As a contemporary technique, in vivo skeletal organ implantation has both advantages and disadvantages relative to in vitro organ culture and grafting onto the chorioallantoic membrane of fowl embryos.
Risk Factors for Rapid Kidney Function Decline Among African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study (JHS).

Background Racial differences in rapid kidney function decline exist, but less is known regarding factors associated with rapid decline among African Americans. Greater understanding of potentially modifiable risk factors for early kidney function loss may help reduce the burden of kidney failure in this high-risk population. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Setting & Participants 3,653 African American participants enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) with kidney function data from 2 of 3 examinations (2000-2004 and 2009-2013). Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated from serum creatinine using the CKD-EPI creatinine equation. Predictors Demographics, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, and clinical risk factors for kidney failure. Outcomes Rapid decline was defined as a ≥30% decline in eGFR during follow-up. We quantified the association of risk factors with rapid decline in multivariable models. Measurements Clinical (systolic blood pressure and albuminuria [albumin-creatinine ratio]) and modifiable risk factors. Results Mean age was 54±12 (SD) years, 37% were men, average body mass index was 31.8±7.1kg/m 2 , 19% had diabetes mellitus (DM), and mean eGFR was 96.0±20mL/min/1.73m 2 with an annual rate of decline of 1.27mL/min/1.73m 2 . Those with rapid decline (11.5%) were older, were more likely to be of low/middle income, and had higher systolic blood pressures and greater DM than those with nonrapid decline. Factors associated with ≥30% decline were older age (adjusted OR per 10 years older, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.34-1.71), cardiovascular disease (adjusted OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.12-2.10), higher systolic blood pressure (adjusted OR per 17mmHg greater, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.06-1.41), DM (adjusted OR, 2.63; 95% CI, 2.02-3.41), smoking (adjusted OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.10-2.31), and albumin-creatinine ratio > 30mg/g (adjusted OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.08-1.21). Conversely, results did not support associations of waist circumference, C-reactive protein level, and physical activity with rapid decline. Limitations No midstudy creatinine measurement at examination 2 (2005-2008). Conclusions Rapid decline heterogeneity exists among African Americans in JHS. Interventions targeting potentially modifiable factors may help reduce the incidence of kidney failure.
Pooling Logit Models

The typical testing for equality of parameters across several response functions cannot be performed when the dependent variable is a probability. The authors investigate the pooling issues of the ...
Nanophotonic devices based on near-field phenomena in periodic nanostructures

We present a new modeling tool to analyze near-field phenomena in periodic nanostructures, and apply it to investigate nanophotonic devices, including 2-D photonic crystals with defects and a transverse near-field localization structure for nonlinearity enhancement.
Confidence-Building Measures for Genetically Modified Foods

"Confidence-building measures" (CBMs) are concrete, incremental steps, acceptable to all parties, that can be implemented relatively easily to reduce tensions and build trust in a time of conflict. The concept of CBMs arose in the sphere of international relations, and such measures are frequently used in international conflicts as the initial steps for reducing hostilities between enemies. In this international context, CBMs usually involve some mix of communication, constraint, transparency, or verification measures. CBMs are not intended to provide an ultimate solution to a conflict, but rather to reduce tensions and increase trust. This promotes a climate that is more conducive to negotiations and cooperation on a longer-term solution. CBMs are thus intended as pragmatic steps toward more substantial and enduring objectives. The concept of CBMs may be useful for conflicts over genetically modified (GM) foods and other biotechnology products. Biotechnology has the potential to provide many health, environmental, and economic benefits to society, but the realization of those benefits is called into question by public mistrust of this nascent technology. While the American public has not shown the widespread hostility to GM products that has been experienced in Europe, public opinion polls consistently show a strong undercurrent of concern and lack of confidence in the governmental and industry institutions controlling the development of biotechnology.
Tropics of whiteness: metaphor and the literary turn in white studies

AbstractA critical analysis of whiteness unavoidably relies on using metaphors in order to understand or apprehend its object of study. In this effort, scholars of whiteness recruit tropes to describe whiteness and in the process discursively constitute its contours, concerns and contradictions. In short, the tropics of whiteness reveal something symptomatic about critical scholars’ ability to intervene in relations of domination through race theory, but they also expose areas benefitting from reflection, such as the link between language use, power and history. Finding purchase in Hayden White’s use of ‘emplotment’, or the literary turn in history, I argue that the literary turn in Whiteness Studies is underutilised yet useful in a critical social theory of whiteness. In this article, I describe three dominant systems of tropes found in Whiteness Studies: tropic of the singularity (whiteness as only one thing), tropic of the multitude (whiteness as many things) and tropic of the journey (understanding wh...
Study of NMR properties on capped-structure of polyaniline

Capped-structure and chain-structure of emeraldine base,polyaniline doped with HCl by one-step and two-step method were investigated by using 1H NMR,13C NMR,13C DEPT135 and FT-IR spectra,respectively.Results indicated that the structure of the doped polyaniline was consistent with "BQ model".In addition,the C chemistry-shifts of emeraldine base were determined.
Analysis and Verification of Independent Global Constraints for Web Service Composition Model

The analysis method of Petri net is used to verify the correctness and reliability of independent global constraints for Web service composition model.Firstly,according to the feature of the constraint,after improving the fire rule of the transition t,the method of the reachable tree is used to verify the correctness.Then,the reliability of the model is verified by constructing a reliability verification figure.Finally,an example is given to analyze the specific process and the result shows that the method is feasible.
Quantitative Heterogeneous Immunoassays in Protein Modified Polydimethylsiloxane Microfluidic Channels for Rapid Detection of Disease Biomarkers

Conventional detection of disease biomarkers employs techniques such as lateral-flow assays or central laboratory-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Miniaturization and performance improvement of such traditional immunoassays using microfluidic technologies has proved promising in producing rapid, sensitive and automated next-generation immunosensors for quantitative diagnoses in the point-of-care setting. In this article a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based immunosensor is presented for rapid detection of C-reactive protein. PDMS is selected in part because of the vast popularity of using PDMS as a material for microfluidic devices and in part because of the challenge of obtaining a stable surface coating with PDMS for immunosensing applications. Practical procedures for fabrication, surface modification, and preservation of the microfluidic immuno-chips as well as detailed descriptions of performing the microfluidic heterogeneous assay are presented.
Analyzing the relationship between head pose and gaze to model driver visual attention

Monitoring driver behavior is crucial in the design of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that can detect driver actions, providing necessary warnings when not attentive to driving tasks. The visual attention of a driver is an important aspect to consider, as most driving tasks require visual resources. Previous work has investigated algorithms to detect driver visual attention by tracking the head or eye movement. While tracking pupil can give an accurate direction of visual attention, estimating gaze on vehicle environment is a challenging problem due to changes in illumination, head rotations, and occlusions (e.g. hand, glasses). Instead, this paper investigates the use of the head pose as a coarse estimate of the driver visual attention. The key challenge is the non-trivial relation between head and eye movements while glancing to a target object, which depends on the driver, the underlying cognitive and visual demand, and the environment. First, we evaluate the performance of a state-of-the-art head pose detection algorithm over natural driving recordings, which are compared with ground truth estimations derived from AprilTags attached to a headband. Then, the study proposes regression models to estimate the drivers' gaze based on the head position and orientation, which are built with data from natural driving recordings. The proposed system achieves high accuracy over the horizontal direction, but moderate/low performance over the vertical direction. We compare results while our participants were driving, and when the vehicle was parked.
Do higher government wages induce less corruption? Cross-country panel evidence

Abstract Prior studies have lent mixed evidence on the effectiveness of increasing government wages to reduce corruption. Based on a dynamic principal–agent model, this study uses cross-country data over ten years (1999–2008) and various statistical models to present updated evidence. Our analyses show that increasing government relative wage by one unit (i.e., by the amount of the average manufacturing wage in a country) is associated with a decrease in the level of perceived corruption by 0.26 units. The effect appears to be particularly significant for non-OECD countries (where corruption is more rampant) or for countries with a relatively low government wage. The overall policy implication is: increasing government wages can help curtail corruption, but solely relying on increasing government wages to reduce corruption can be very costly. For example, to reduce the level of corruption in non-OECD countries to that in OECD countries, the government wage would have to be increased by about seven times.
Deep Learning Makes Its Way to the Clinical Laboratory.

Are pathologists obsolete? Although the current answer is most certainly no, this question will be asked with increasing intensity as technological advances in clinical diagnostics, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, prove to be as effective or even more accurate than the judgments of human experts. One area of pathology experiencing rapid expansion in the diagnostic power of computer technology is automated digital image analysis (DIA)2 (1). A recent study has suggested that automated scoring of biomarkers in breast cancer (Ki67, ER, PR, and HER2) by DIA can predict a molecular subtype of cancer with higher sensitivity and specificity than manual scoring by board-certified pathologists (2). The prospect of using such a tool is not restricted to research, as analyzers have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to score these biomarkers (3, 4). Clinical pathology has also become a fertile ground for DIA in the form of an FDA-approved analyzer for peripheral blood smear review (5). This analyzer identifies, classifies, and quantifies leukocytes by morphologic type using a machine learning approach to assist the technologist or pathologist performing manual differential counts. However, there currently is no similar tool for the morphologic characterization of erythrocytes (RBCs) that has been approved by the FDA. In this issue of Clinical Chemistry , Durant et al. present a novel DIA tool that uses very deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to predict the morphology of individual RBCs for the identification of significant abnormal populations that may aid in the diagnosis of hematologic and nonhematologic disease …