cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Democracy and Social Policy in Brazil: Advancing Basic Needs, Preserving Privileged Interests

Has democracy promoted poverty alleviation and equity-enhancing reforms in Brazil, a country of striking inequality and destitution? The effects of an open, competitive political system have not been straightforward. Factors that would seem to work toward this goal include the voting power of poor people, the progressive 1988 Constitution, the activism of social movements, and governance since 1995 by presidents affiliated with center-left and left parties. Yet these factors have been counterbalanced by the strong political influence and lobbying power of organized interests with a stake in preexisting arrangements of social protection and human capital formation. An analysis of four key federal sectors, social security, education, health care, and public assistance, illustrates the challenges for social sector reforms that go beyond raising basic living standards to enhancing socioeconomic inequality.
Two-Year Follow-up of Patients Treated with Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy

The two-year follow-up of patients treated with extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) is reported with regard to factors enhancing a successful stone-free result, new stone recurrences, and the fate of residual fragments. Analysis of 1,910 patients evaluated three months following ESWL demonstrated that factors associated with an increased likelihood of a stone-free (SF) state were stone size less than 2 cm (79% SF), solitary stones (78% SF), stone location in the renal pelvis (84% SF), and the presence of normal renal anatomy (71% SF).
Solution of inverse problems in electromagnetics using Hopfield neural networks

Inverse problems are encountered in many fields of science and engineering. In electromagnetics, for example, inverse problems may involve the reconstruction of the source or scatterer on the basis of information contained in electromagnetic measurements. In general, the measurements can be related to the scatterer via integral equations. This paper presents a neural network approach for solving the inverse problem associated with such equations. Results of implementing the method on an application problem are presented. >
Evolution of Hormone Signaling in Elasmobranchs by Exploitation of Promiscuous Receptors

Specific interactions among proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites drive virtually all cellular functions and underlie phenotypic complexity and diversity. Despite the fundamental importance of interactions, the mechanisms and dynamics by which they evolve are poorly understood. Here we describe novel interactions between a lineage-specific hormone and its receptors in elasmobranchs, a subclass of cartilaginous fishes, and infer how these associations evolved using phylogenetic and protein structural analyses. The hormone 1alpha-hydroxycorticosterone (1alpha-B) is a physiologically important steroid synthesized only in elasmobranchs. We show that 1alpha-B modulates gene expression in vitro by activating two paralogous intracellular transcription factors, the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR), in the little skate Leucoraja erinacea; MR serves as a high-sensitivity and GR as a low-sensitivity receptor. Using functional analysis of extant and resurrected ancestral proteins, we show that receptor sensitivity to 1alpha-B evolved millions of years before the hormone itself evolved. The 1alpha-B differs from more ancient corticosteroids only by the addition of a hydroxyl group; the three-dimensional structure of the ancestral receptor shows that the ligand pocket contained ample unoccupied space to accommodate this moiety. Our findings indicate that the interactions between 1alpha-B and elasmobranch GR and MR proteins evolved by molecular exploitation: a novel hormone recruited into new functional partnerships two ancient receptors that had previously interacted with other ligands. The ancestral receptor's promiscuous capacity to fortuitously bind compounds that are slight structural variants of its original ligands set the stage for the evolution of this new interaction.
Blending Policy and Research: The California Outcomes Study

(1997). Blending Policy and Research: The California Outcomes Study. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs: Vol. 29, PIONEERING TREATMENT AND RECOVERY MODELS, pp. 161-163.
Synchrony, Waves, and Spatial Hierarchies in the Spread of Influenza

Quantifying long-range dissemination of infectious diseases is a key issue in their dynamics and control. Here, we use influenza-related mortality data to analyze the between-state progression of interpandemic influenza in the United States over the past 30 years. Outbreaks show hierarchical spatial spread evidenced by higher pairwise synchrony between more populous states. Seasons with higher influenza mortality are associated with higher disease transmission and more rapid spread than are mild ones. The regional spread of infection correlates more closely with rates of movement of people to and from their workplaces (workflows) than with geographical distance. Workflows are described in turn by a gravity model, with a rapid decay of commuting up to around 100 km and a long tail of rare longer range flow. A simple epidemiological model, based on the gravity formulation, captures the observed increase of influenza spatial synchrony with transmissibility; high transmission allows influenza to spread rapidly beyond local spatial constraints.
Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome Caused by Solid Food Proteins

Background. Infantile food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a severe, cell-mediated gastrointestinal food hypersensitivity typically provoked by cow’s milk or soy. Solid foods are rarely considered a cause. Objective. To describe the clinical characteristics and natural history of FPIES provoked by solid foods. Methods. Patients with FPIES induced by solid foods were identified and their clinical course compared with a control group with FPIES caused by cow’s milk and/or soy evaluated over the same time period. Results. Fourteen infants with FPIES caused by grains (rice, oat, and barley), vegetables (sweet potato, squash, string beans, peas), or poultry (chicken and turkey) were identified. Symptoms were typical of classical FPIES with delayed (median: 2 hours) onset of vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy/dehydration. Eleven infants (78%) reacted to >1 food protein, including 7 (50%) that reacted to >1 grain. Nine (64%) of all patients with solid food–FPIES also had cow’s milk and/or soy-FPIES. Initial presentation was severe in 79% of the patients, prompting sepsis evaluations (57%) and hospitalization (64%) for dehydration or shock. The diagnosis of FPIES was delayed, after a median of 2 reactions (range: 2–5). Thirty patients with typical cow’s milk- and/or soy-FPIES were identified for comparison. Overall, 48% of the 44 infants with FPIES were reactive to >1 food protein, and the risk for multiple food hypersensitivity approached 80% in the infants with solid food or soy-induced FPIES. None of the patients developed FPIES to maternally ingested foods while breastfeeding unless the causal food was fed directly to the infant. Conclusions. Cereals, vegetables, and poultry meats, typically regarded as of low allergenic potential, must be considered in the evaluation of FPIES, particularly in infants previously diagnosed with FPIES to cow’s milk or soy, and as an initial cause in patients who have been exclusively breastfed. Infants with FPIES are at risk for multiple dietary protein hypersensitivities during an apparent period of immunologic susceptibility. Pediatricians should consider FPIES in the differential diagnosis of shock and sepsis.
Trellis Exploration Algorithm Aided Unitary Precoder Design for Maximizing MIMO Capacity With Limited Feedback

In this letter, we present a novel approach to determine limited feedback-based unitary precoder for maximizing single user (SU)-MIMO capacity. Specifically, a polyphase unitary precoding matrix is custom designed via the trellis exploration algorithm employing system capacity as the metric to maximize. Since the trellis exploration algorithm operates on a finite set of phases, information regarding the optimal precoder is fed back to the transmitter using a limited number of bits.
THE SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE OF THE NORMAL RABBIT MEASURED BY A SLIGHTLY MODIFIED VAN LEERSUM METHOD : FINAL REPORT.

The blood pressure and pulse rate of 90 normal rabbits have been studied for various periods of time, from 1 day (accidental death interrupting the observation) to 15 months. The main data are presented in a table containing the blood pressure and pulse rate on the 1st day of observation, the maximum and minimum of both during the entire period of observation of each animal, together with the sex and weight of the animal. Separate tables are given showing the distribution of blood pressure, pulse rate and the "maximum" blood pressure by animals. Detailed data on two animals observed for the longest time are given in tabular form. The anatomical changes that occur in some carotids enclosed in a loop are described and discussed. Considerations on "excitement" and pathological conditions which arise spontaneously in rabbits are given. A criterion for a pathologically high blood pressure in rabbits is proposed. The blood pressure of the normal rabbit ranges between 70 and 170 mm. Hg. The pulse rate, taken simultaneously with the blood pressure, fluctuates between 112 and 300 per minute.
How the ecdysozoan changed its coat.

Most people are aware that insects are crunchy on the outside. What they don't always realize is that the external crunchy parts form the animal's skeleton, and that this body design makes the apparently simple process of growing extremely complex.
Mechanical and Chemical Regulation of Endothelial Cell Polarity

See related article, pages 939–946 McCue et al1 showed by a combination of in vitro and in vivo studies that shear stress regulates planar cell polarity (PCP) of endothelial cells (ECs) and that glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) plays a significant role in this process. The application of shear stress at 15 dyn/cm2 to cultured porcine aortic ECs caused tubulin acetylation and stabilization of microtubules (MTs), downstream polarization of microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs), as well as MT orientation and EC elongation in the shear direction. The importance of tubulin dynamics in these shear-induced changes was demonstrated by their elimination by the MT-disrupting agent nocodazole and also the MT-stabilizing agent taxol. A novel finding is the role of GSK-3β in shear-induced MT orientation. GSK-3β is a regulatory serine/threonine kinase2 that has high activity under basal state, and its activity is inhibited after serine-9 phosphorylation (p-GSK-3β); this would lead to downstream signaling3 and MT stabilization,4 eg, through the binding of adenomatous polyposis cell protein (APC).4,5 GSK-3β can be inhibited by lithium and SB415286, which interfere with the binding of ATP to GSK-36 rather than acting directly on GSK-3 phosphorylation. The evidence that GSK-3β plays a role in mediating the shear-induced MT orientation and cell shape change is as follows. First, shear stress caused an increase in p-GSK-3β (at 1 and 4 hours, though waned at 24 hours). Second, inhibition of GSK-3β by LiCl and SB415286 blocked the shear-induced EC elongation. SB415286 was also shown to reverse the shear-induced downstream localization of MTOCs to become upstream. Third, overexpression of a constitutively active GSK-3β (GSKS9A), which cannot be phosphorylated, attenuated tubulin acetylation, blocked cell elongation, and caused MTOC distribution to be more random. Although these results provide evidence that the shear-induced PCP and cell elongation are …
Personalized security for e-services

The growth of the Internet has been accompanied by a proliferation of e-services. The increasing attacks on these services by malicious individuals have highlighted the need for security. The security requirements of an e-service may be specified by the service provider in a security policy. However, a service consumer may have security preferences that are not reflected in this policy. In order for service providers to reach a wider market, a way of personalizing a security policy to a particular consumer is needed. We introduce the concept of security personalization, derive the content of an e-service security policy suitable for personalization, and describe four approaches for such personalization, including the design and use of a context-aware security policy agent (CASPA) that personalizes an e-service security policy to the needs of the consumer on-the-fly. We further give recommendations on applying the personalization approaches based on their advantages and disadvantages.
Preliminary characterization of diacylglycerol generation in human basophils: temporal relationship to histamine release and resolution of degranulation.

Purified human basophils were examined for changes in diacylglycerollevels to determine whether the transient nature of a N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl- phenylalanine (fMLP) -stimulated elevation in mem- brane protein kinase C (PKC) activity could be ex- plained by the transient production of diacyiglycerol (DAG). In preliminary experiments total 1MG levels were measured by the DAG kinase assay. AltJough ele- vations followed stimulation with 1 tM fMLP (basal levels of 15 pmol/106 basophils vs. 45 pmolIlO6 baso- phils at the 3-mm time point), there were no detect- able changes in the first 60 s ofthe reaction. Histamine release is typically complete by 30-45 s. Measurement ofinositol trisphosphate indicated a rapid increase by 5 5 of2.5 pmolIlO6 basophils. IfDAG were produced at similar levels, the DAG kinase assay would not have detected the elevation. Consequently, fMLP-sthnulated basophils were examined for changes in 1-stearoyl, 2- arachidonoyl, 3-sn-glycerol (SA-DAG) and 1-oleoyl, 2-arachidonoyl, 3-sn-glycerol by GC-NICIMS (nega- five ion chemical ionization mass spectroscopy). A 5-s elevation in these two species averaged 2 pmol/106 basophils, consistent with the inositol trisphosphate levels and occurring during the period of histamine release. However, a much more pronounced second phase to the SA-DAG response also occurred, mirroring the total DAG levels. This second phase of the DAG response, either total or SA-DAG, was transient on a time scale temporally coincident with the appearance and resolution of degranulation sacs as measured by fluorescence microscopy. These data suggest that there is selective generation of DAG species in the early re- action and the later appearance ofDAG may be related to the formation and resolution of granule structures that follow the secretion ofhistamine. J. Leukoc. Biol. 61: 637-642; 1997.
Student-generated active-learning exercises

Active-learning exercises are an effective use of class time to bring about desired learning outcomes. Instead of listening to a lecture, students are engaged in tasks that allow them to discover new knowledge, or apply what they have just learned. A barrier to wide usage of active-learning exercises is the need to design them, since few are available in textbooks, technical papers, or on the Web. The work reported in this paper demonstrates that students can design active-learning exercises that are worthy of being used in CS1 and CS2. This frees the instructor from having to write all the exercises him/herself. This paper makes three contributions: a methodology for creating student-generated active-learning exercises, several exercises for teaching difficult concepts in CS1 and CS2, and guidance about the kinds of active-learning exercises that students will enjoy and learn most from.
The Sin of Protesting God in Rabbinic and Patristic Literature

Scholars of rabbinic literature have often noted the widespread tendency to question and argue with God in rabbinic literature. Oddly, they have largely ignored the unequivocal antiprotest traditions found in these writings. Responding to this scholarly lacuna, this essay collects anti-protest traditions of the midrash and Talmud, and explicates their exegetical and conceptual basis. In the process, the paper makes two central arguments: First, that later anti-protest texts intensify or radicalize their opposition; while early anti-protest traditions merely prohibit one from challenging God, later aggadot tend to attach harsh punishments to that prohibition. Second, from a comparative perspective, rabbinic anti-protest sentiments diverge from similar sentiments voiced by the church fathers. While both critique the act of protest on exegetical and (similar) conceptual grounds, they have different ways of harmonizing their conservative attitudes with a biblical tradition that problematically, at least for them, seems to tolerate, if not valorize, confronting God. More specifically, whereas the rabbinic position tends to retell the biblical confrontation by having God castigate or punish the protester, early Christian thinkers, by stark contrast, tend to reject the literal reading of Scripture altogether: any apparent protest by a biblical hero is deemed a dangerous misreading.
Overview of Environmental Systems

Chapter Objectives– After you finish this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Recognize many environmental phenomena as coming from dynamic systems. 2. Name the four components of a system and use those components to construct a simple model of a system. 3. Describe how difference equations are used to calculate the behavior of a dynamic system over time. 4. Distinguish between systems thinking and other kinds of thinking. 5. Explain how dynamic systems models can be used to understand environmental problems. 6. Define feedback and steady-state behavior and explain why these features are important to environmental systems.
The Use of Intracorneal Ring Segments for Keratoconus

Keratoconus is one of the leading causes of corneal blindness and a frequent indication for penetrating keratoplasty (PK) (1). One of the most effective methods for visual rehabilitation of keratoconus patients is rigid contact lenses use, but a high percent of these patients are contact lens intolerant. Various types of surgical procedures have been suggested for keratoconus as an alternative for PK, including apex cauterization, epikeratophakia, sectorial keratotomy, photorefractive keratotomy (PRK), Lasik, and lamellar keratoplasty, but with worse results when compared to PK (2).
The Role of CD44 in Glucose Metabolism in Prostatic Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma

While prostatic adenocarcinomas are relatively indolent, some patients with advanced adenocarcinomas recur with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma which is highly aggressive and lethal. Because glycolysis is a feature of malignancy and the degree of glycolysis generally correlates with tumor aggressiveness, we wanted to compare the metabolic differences and the molecular mechanisms involved between the two tumor types. In this study, and based on previous characterization, LNCaP and PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines were selected as models of prostatic adenocarcinoma and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, respectively. In addition to measuring glucose consumption, lactate secretion, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, we performed metabolic profiling in these two model systems. The role of CD44 was studied by RNAi and lentivirus-mediated overexpression. Expression of key enzymes in glycolysis was studied using human tissue microarrays containing benign prostate, adenocarcinoma, and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. Results showed that glycolytic features of PC-3 cells were higher than that of LNCaP cells. PFKFB4 was overexpressed in human small cell carcinoma tissue versus adenocarcinoma tissue. CD44 regulated glucose metabolism, intracellular ROS, and cell proliferation in PC-3 cells. Inhibition of CD44 also sensitized PC-3 cells to carboplatin. In conclusion, this study suggests different pathways of glucose metabolism contribute to the disparate biologic behaviors of these two tumor types. Implications: CD44 is an important regulator of glucose metabolism in small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and may be an important therapeutic target. Mol Cancer Res; 14(4); 344–53. ©2016 AACR .
Quantum Properties of Bloch Electrons in Spatially Homogeneous Electric Fields

The existence of the Wannier Stark (WS) ladder and Bloch Oscillations (BO) have been the subjects of great controversy [1] until recent experimental demonstrations of their existence in semiconductor superlattices. The photoluminescence and photocur-rent measurements of the biased GaAs/GaAlAs superlattices [2] provided the earliest experiment evidence of the electric field induced WS ladder energy levels. Recent optical experiments on excitonic emission from double wells [3], four-wave mixing from superlattices [4], and optical absorption studies clearly indicated oscillatory electron dynamics and the manifestation of concomitant Stark-ladder transitions when optical probing is invoked. Since all these recent experiments for observing WS ladder and BO involve semiconductor superlattices in electric fields, it is very timely to investigate the Bloch electron dynamics in a homogeneous electric field.
Combustion of Pre-Vaporized, Premixed Fuel Fuels Using Porous Inert Media

The homogeneity of combustion using lean premixed, pre-vaporized kerosene fuel stabilized within a carbon-carbon composite porous material has been investigated. The experiments were performed to acquire temperature and emissions measurements downstream of the combustion zone. The effect of equivalence ratio and energy release rate on spatial uniformity of the combustion is explored. Additionally, the flow distribution upstream and downstream of the porous material was studied through velocity measurements. Results indicate that flames stabilized within carbon-carbon composites are relatively uniform. High velocity regions were observed near the combustor walls because of an imperfect fit of the porous material in the metal liner. Wall regions were also characterized by lower temperatures, lower NOx and higher CO concentrations.
Twin pregnancy using cryopreserved sperm from a man with chondrosarcoma.

This case report illustrates the usefulness of sperm banking before radical tumor removal. Sperm was collected from a 25-year-old man with chondrosarcoma and frozen in liquid nitrogen before the patient underwent hemipelvectomy to remove the tumor. The surgery resulted in complete removal of the sarcoma and subsequent impotence and failure of emission. After 10 months of sperm storage, the patient’s wife received the first of three artificial inseminations. On the third attempt, the wife conceived and carried the pregnancy to term, when normal twin infants were delivered.
Effect of Adenine on Picornaviruses and Isolation of an Adenine-resistant Mutant of Echovirus Type 7

The growth rate of picornaviruses in tissue culture cells is affected by certain biochemicals. Selection of mutants which exhibit a contrasting response to these compounds has been demonstrated with poliovirus with cystine [1], guanidine [2] tryptophan [3], and adenine [4]. This report describes the effect of adenine on certain echoviruses and coxsackieviruses and on the isolation of an adenine-resistant mutant of echovirus
Source Parameters of Large Australian Intracontinental Earthquakes

We have examined the largest earthquakes in the Australian continent over the past 20 years by modeling their teleseismic long-period P and SH and short-period P waveforms. Eight earthquakes beneath the continent show thrust faulting at depths shallower than 10 km. Three (1, 2, 4 below) produced surface faulting and their waveforms indicate centroid depths of 3 km or less. The P-axes in the southwestern half of the continent have easterly trends. Preliminary examination of the 3 large earthquakes near Tennant Creek on 22 January, 1988, (7–9) indicate thrusting at less than 10 km depth, but with N-trending P-axes. The largest event (9), at 12:06 GMT, had a seismic moment of roughly 10 19 Nm, which makes it comparable in size to the 1968 Meckering event (1). One event (6) beneath the continental margin indicates strike-slip at 26 km depth.
Stabilizing the cold plasma-stimulated medium by regulating medium's composition.

Over past several years, the cold plasma-stimulated medium (PSM) has shown its remarkable anti-cancer capacity in par with the direct cold plasma irradiation on cancer cells or tumor tissues. Independent of the cold plasma device, PSM has noticeable advantage of being a flexible platform in cancer treatment. Currently, the largest disadvantage of PSM is its degradation during the storage over a wide temperature range. So far, to stabilize PSM, it must be remained frozen at −80 °C. In this study, we first reveal that the degradation of PSM is mainly due to the reaction between the reactive species and specific amino acids; mainly cysteine and methionine in medium. Based on this finding, both H2O2 in PSM and the anti-cancer capacity of PSM can be significantly stabilized during the storage at 8 °C and −25 °C for at least 3 days by using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and cysteine/methionine-free Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM). In addition, we demonstrate that adding a tyrosine derivative, 3-Nitro-L-tyrosine, into DMEM can mitigate the degradation of PSM at 8 °C during 3 days of storage. This study provides a solid foundation for the future anti-cancer application of PSM.
Parallel Multiple-Bounce Irradiance Caching

Building designers rely on predictive rendering techniques to design naturally and artificially lit environments. However, despite decades of work on the correctness of global illumination rendering techniques, our ability to accurately predict light levels in buildings-and to do so in a short time frame as part of an iterative design process-remains limited. In this paper, we present a novel approach to parallelizing construction of an irradiance cache over multiple-bounce paths. Relevant points for irradiance calculation based on one or multiple cameras are located by tracing rays through multiple-bounce paths. Irradiance values are then saved to a cache in reverse bounce order so that the irradiance calculation at each bounce samples from previously calculated values. We show by comparison to high-dynamic range photography of a moderately complex space that our method can predict luminance distribution as accurately as Radiance, the most widely validated tool used today for architectural predictive rendering of daylit spaces, and that it is faster by an order of magnitude.
Epilogue: Raj, empire, nation

THE RAJ AND THE EMPIRE The British Raj in India did not of course exist by itself, or solely in its relationship to Great Britain as the metropolitan power. It participated as well in a larger network of relationships that defined the entire British Empire. Ideas and people flowed outward from India, above all to East and South Africa and to Southeast Asia, while the administrators of the Raj had in turn to take into account events that occurred in Africa, and even in Canada and Australia. Participation in this larger arena opened up fresh territories in which the ideologies of the Raj were to find expression. Such notions as ‘indirect rule’ through compliant princes, and the demarcation of communities on the basis of ethnicity and religion, shaped the working of the British Empire from South Africa to Malaya. In addition, the ties to the larger empire both reinforced India’s ‘distinctiveness’ as a land set apart, above all from white settler dominated colonies, and yet made possible an assertion of India’s membership in a community which secured all of its members equal rights of movement and citizenship. The existence of the British Empire thus forced the British to confront once again the tensions between the two enduring ideals that shaped their rule of India. Was the ideology that sustained the Raj meant to link India as an equal with Britain’s other colonial territories, including those of British settlement, or to reaffirm its ‘difference’?
Monitoring hemlock forest health in New Jersey using Landsat TM data and change detection techniques

Defoliation of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis Carriere) forest caused mainly by the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand) was detected, quantified, and mapped for a 1,267 km2 study area in the New Jersey Highlands using anniversary dates of Landsat Thematic Mapper data (1984 and 1994). A model relating estimates of canopy condition to the temporal difference in near infrared/red reflectance (i.e., the vegetative index difference) was developed to predict and map four classes of hemlock condition across the study area. Data from 105 circular ground plots (90 m diameter) were used to develop the regression model, while data from 50 plots were reserved for accuracy assessment. The vegetative index difference was highly correlated to hemlock damage as measured on the ground (R2 = 0.73). Lightly defoliated hemlock canopy did not differ spectrally from healthy hemlock; thus, these two classes were joined together. Accuracy assessment showed that hemlock condition can be predicted within one-half damage class with an overall accuracy of 64% for four damage classes, 70-72% for three classes, and 78-92% for two classes. Of the 7,735 ha of hemlock forest in 1984, 47% remained healthy to lightly defoliated, 44% had experienced moderate to severe defoliation, and 9% were dead by 1994
Does vertical specialization increase productivity

This paper investigates the impact of global value chain participation on productivity, using data on trade in value added from the World Input-Output Database. The results based on a panel estimation covering 13 sectors in 40 countries over 15 years suggest that participation in global value chains is a significant driver of labor productivity. Backward participation in global value chains, that is, the use of imported inputs to produce for exports, emerges as particularly important. An increase by 10 percent in the level of global value chain participation increased average productivity by close to 1.7 percent.
Skin Aging and Carcinogenesis due to Ultraviolet Radiation

Skin cancers are unquestionably the most common malignant tumors of man. They are also among the least studied spontaneous human neoplasms, in part because the most frequently detected types rarely lead to death. The major types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma.
Experimental verification and optimization of a linear electromagnetic energy harvesting device

Implementation of energy harvesting technology can provide a sustainable, remote power source for soldiers by reducing the battery weight and allowing them to stay in the field for longer periods of time. Among multiple energy conversion principles, electromagnetic induction can scavenge energy from wasted kinematic and vibration energy found from human motion. Hip displacement during human gait acts as a base excitation for an energy harvesting backpack system. The placement of a permanent magnet in this vibration environment results in relative motion of the magnet to the coil of copper wire, which induces an electric current. This current can be saved to a battery or capacitor bank installed on the backpack to be used to power electronic devices. The purpose of this research is to construct a reliable simulation model for an electromagnetic vibration energy harvester and use it for a multi-variable optimization algorithm to identify an optimal coil and magnet layout for highest power output. Key components of the coupled equations of motion such as the magnetic flux density and coil inductance are obtained using ANSYS multi-physics software or by measuring them. These components are fed into a harvester simulation model (e.g. coupled field equations of motion for the backpack harvester) that generates the electrical power output. The developed simulation model is verified with a case study including an experimental test. Then the optimal design parameters in the simulation model (e.g., magnet layout, coil width, outer coil diameter, external load resistance) are identified for maximum power. Results from this study will pave the way for a more efficient energy harvesting backpack while providing better insight into the efficiency of magnet and coil layout for electromagnetic applications.
Adaptive acoustic metamaterial with periodic piezoelectric network

Metamaterial possesses a number of attractive features such as frequency filtering, wave guiding, wave focusing, etc. Conventionally, the realization of metamaterial is through the careful design of unit-cell of a mechanical structure which typically exhibits spatial periodicity. In this research, we propose the development of adaptive metamaterial beams with coupled circuits between adjacent piezoelectric transducers to realize multi-targeted bandgaps. To characterize the wave propagation attenuation, a numerical model based on the transfer matrix method and Bloch theory is formulated to predict the complex band structure of the infinite periodic structure. It is shown theoretically that three separate bandgaps can be generated compared to only one in the conventional LC-shunt since three resonating loops can be formed in the circuit due to the coupling effect. Consequently, wave propagation or vibration can be suppressed effectively inside those bandgap frequencies when the structure is subjected to vibration sources with multiple frequency components.
Bacterial Division: FtsZ Treadmills to Build a Beautiful Wall

Summary The tubulin-like FtsZ protein polymerizes into a contractile ring structure required for cytokinesis in most bacteria. Two new studies report that FtsZ polymers move around the ring by treadmilling, which guides and regulates the inward growth of the septal wall.
Studying the Role of Human Nature in Technology Acceptance

Humans are complex, evolved, social and cognitive beings. Thus, understanding their behavior is a complex task that requires a comprehensive theoretical repertoire. In this paper, we study the role of human nature in technology acceptance. We come to understand that by expanding our theoretical ontology and blending theories of evolutionary psychology, social, and cognitive psychology into a single frame, we gain a more comprehensive view that helps to better explain what drives humans to form reactions toward technology and to exhibit various usage behaviors. We situate the study in four different hospital settings using a case study method. By examining acceptance of mobile information technology (MICT) amongst nurses, we find that human nature in form of four drives has a bearing on technology acceptance and use in a manner that has not been adequately addressed in traditional IS literature.
Inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes Scott A 49594 in Apple Juice Supplemented with Cinnamon

Normal (pH 3.7) and adjusted (pH 5.0) pasteurized apple juice containing cinnamon (0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3%) was inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes Scott A 49594 at 10(4) CFU/ml and stored at 5 and 20 degrees C for 7 days. Counts on tryptic soy agar (TSA), modified Oxford (MOX) medium, and thin agar layer (TAL) were determined at 1 h and 1, 3, and 7 days. The TAL method (MOX medium overlaid with TSA) was used for the recovery of injured cells. In apple juice, both at normal and adjusted pH, with any doses of cinnamon, no L. monocytogenes (a 4.6-log CFU/ml reduction) was detected after 1 h of storage at both temperatures, and no growth occurred at any points of storage. Therefore, cinnamon by itself (regardless of pH) had a pronounced killing effect. A further enrichment step with brain heart infusion agar showed that L monocytogenes was completely inactivated in apple juice stored at 20 degrees C, except in pH 5.0 samples with 0.1% of cinnamon. The TAL method was as effective as TSA in recovering injured cells of L. monocytogenes. Cinnamon considerably inactivates L. monocytogenes in apple juice and thus enhances the safety of this product.
Learning adversary's actions for secret communication

We analyze the problem of secure communication over a wiretap channel with an active adversary, in which the legitimate transmitter has the opportunity to sense and learn the adversary's actions. Specifically, the adversary has the ability to switch between two channels and to observe the corresponding output at every channel use; the encoder, however, has causal access to observations impacted by adversary's actions. We develop a joint learning/transmission scheme in which the legitimate users learn and adapt to the adversary's actions. For some channel models, we show that the achievable rates, which we define precisely, are arbitrarily close to those obtained with hindsight, had the transmitter known the actions ahead of time. This suggests that there is much to exploit and gain in physical-layer security by monitoring the environment.
Matrix Metalloprotease-1 and Elastase Are Novel Uterotonic Agents Acting Through Protease-Activated Receptor 1.

Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and neutrophil elastase are proteolytic enzymes involved in tissue remodeling, but a role for them as uterotonic agents has not been considered. However, both these proteases activate protease-activated receptor 1 (PAR-1) that mediates thrombin-induced contractions. Matrix metalloproteinase-1 and elastase are products of neutrophils that infiltrate intrauterine tissues at the time of labor, so we tested the hypothesis that these proteases might be novel uterotonic agents acting via PAR-1. Decidual tissue was collected from fetal membranes of term not-in-labor (TNL), term labor (TL), and preterm labor (PTL) women and analyzed for gene and protein expression of MMP-1 and neutrophil elastase. Contractile effects of MMP-1 and elastase were tested with uterine strips of day 19 and 20 gestation rats. Expression of MMP-1 and neutrophil elastase was increased in TL and PTL as compared to TNL. Expression of both the pro- and active enzymes of MMP-1 increased progressively from TN...
Gestational carrier in assisted reproductive technology.

Objective To compare clinical outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles with the use of gestational carriers (GCs) with non-GC IVF cycles. Design Retrospective cohort study of assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles performed with (24,269) and without (1,313,452) the use of a GC. Setting ART centers. Patient(s) Infertile patients seeking IVF with or without use of a GC. Interventions(s) Autologous and donor oocyte cycles, fresh and cryopreserved embryo transfer cycles. Main Outcome Measure(s) Live birth rate (LBR), twin and high-order multiple birth rates. Result(s) Approximately 2% of embryo transfers used a GC. Per embryo transfer, GCs had greater pregnancy rate and LBR across all IVF types compared with non-GC cycles in crude models and models adjusted a priori for potential confounders. For women with uterine-factor infertility, embryo transfer with the use of a GC resulted in a higher odds of live birth for autologous fresh embryos and for cryopreserved embryos compared with patients with non–uterine-factor infertility diagnoses. Conclusion(s) GC benefits LBRs for some patients seeking ART. The highest LBRs occurred when the indication for GC was uterine-factor infertility.
A Beginner's Guide to Mathematical Logic

Edited by Jason RosenhouseDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807Raymond Smullyan, perhaps best known for his marvelous puzzle books (see [6–9], a...
Partially-organic relay design for improved on-state resistance

Previously-reported purely-organic microelectromechanical relays suffer from a high on-state resistance above 1 GΩ, which makes them unsuitable for relay-based organic integrated circuits. This letter demonstrates partially-organic relays that employ a metal and/or a metal oxide for their contacts to alleviate the issue.
No self to spare: How the cognitive structure of the self influences moral behavior

Abstract People represent knowledge about their self-concept in terms of multiple cognitive structures or self-aspects. “Self-overlap” refers to the extent to which people perceive their various self-aspects as interconnected, such that their thoughts and feelings about themselves are similar across these self-aspects. The present research shows self-overlap influences moral behavior. Specifically, people high in self-overlap (interconnected self-aspects) are more likely to behave ethically than people low in overlap (independent self-aspects), because they tend to see their actions as “self-diagnostic” (i.e., representative of the type of person they are). In six studies, we find this pattern of behavior for chronic/measured (Studies 1 and 2) and situational/manipulated self-overlap (Studies 3 – 6). We show people low in self-overlap behave as though they have “no self to spare”—unless their actions are presented as non-diagnostic for inferences about the self (Study 5), or unless they do not value the context-relevant moral characteristic (e.g., being altruistic; Study 6). Finally, we introduce a 7-item measure of perceptions of self-diagnosticity (SDS).
Organic-Phase Biosensors

The realization that enzymes can function in nonaqueous media has led to the development of organic-phase enzyme electrodes. Such biosensing probes greatly expand the possibilities of biosensors toward previously inaccessible samples or analytes, and offer many other improvements and advantages. Such unique analytical opportunities, as well as fundamental aspects of organic-phase biosensors are discussed.
Reoperative Cardiac Surgery: Challenges and Outcomes

Patients who need cardiac surgery have become increasingly more complex, and an increasing proportion of them require reoperative cardiac surgery. Surgical techniques have significantly improved, and recent reports suggest that reoperative status is no longer an independent predictor of death.1,2
CHEMONUCLEAR AND RADIATION CHEMICAL PROCESS APPLICATIONS.

Existing and potential applications of high-energy radiation from fission fragment, isotopic, and machine radiation sources for commercial chemical processing purposes are reviewed. Fission fragmen...
Delay Fault Models

The focus of this chapter is on the ways to model delay faults. Five delay fault models are considered: transition fault model, gate delay fault model, line delay fault model, path delay fault model, and segment delay fault model. It is assumed that in the nominal design each gate has a given fall (rise) delay from each input to the output pin. Also, the interconnects are assumed to have given rise (fall) delays. Since the gate pin-to-pin delays and the interconnect delays can be combined together, the term “gate delay” will be used to denote this sum. Transition, gate and line delay models are used for representing delay defects lumped at gates while the path and segment delay models address defects that are distributed over several gates. The advantages and disadvantages of each model are discussed.
Prescriptive vs. Developmental: Academic Advising at a Historically Black University in South Carolina.

Many academic support programs promote the academic success of first-year students, and research has shown the importance of effective academic advising to first-year student retention. Among the n...
Lagrangian modeling of bedload movement via the impulse entrainment method

At low shear stresses merely above incipient conditions, the characteristic travel patterns of bedload particles remain difficult to predict due to intermittent movement. At these conditions, particles rest, are entrained into the flow when sufficient momentum transfer from near-bed turbulence occurs, and then come to rest again. The overarching goal of this research is to close the critical gaps related to intermittent movement in order to allow for Lagrangian modeling of bedload at near incipient conditions. Thereby, the specific objectives of the present work are to predict the statistics of (1) the particle resting time, tR, and (2) the magnitude of hydrodynamic momentum transfer (or impulse) during entrainment, Ient. To predict these statistics, we employed the conceptual framework of the impulse entrainment method and predicted impulse statistics by simulating turbulent time series realizations with a generic, regime-based streamwise velocity spectrum. Model validation was carried out by directly comparing simulation results with published experimental impulse and particle entrainment statistics. Model predictions showed that an increase in stress was correlated with a sharp decrease in the average tR and an increase in I ent .
Efficient Dynamic Parallel MRI Reconstruction for the Low-Rank Plus Sparse Model

The low-rank plus sparse (L+S) decomposition model enables the reconstruction of undersampled dynamic parallel magnetic resonance imaging data. Solving for the low rank and the sparse components involves nonsmooth composite convex optimization, and algorithms for this problem can be categorized into proximal gradient methods and variable splitting methods. This paper investigates new efficient algorithms for both schemes. While current proximal gradient techniques for the L+S model involve the classical iterative soft thresholding algorithm (ISTA), this paper considers two accelerated alternatives, one based on the fast iterative shrinkage-thresholding algorithm (FISTA) and the other with the recent proximal optimized gradient method (POGM). In the augmented Lagrangian (AL) framework, we propose an efficient variable splitting scheme based on the form of the data acquisition operator, leading to simpler computation than the conjugate gradient approach required by existing AL methods. Numerical results suggest faster convergence of the efficient implementations for both frameworks, with POGM providing the fastest convergence overall and the practical benefit of being free of algorithm tuning parameters.
A Lesson for the King: Renunciation and Politics

This chapter follows the political thread that runs through the story, interrogating its purpose as a didactic tool. Renunciation stories are told to kings in an attempt to control or mitigate their tyrannical behavior. The king-and-ascetic dialogue sets up a confrontation between power and authority, which paradoxically the king loses to a powerless adversary. This chapter explores how Renunciation stories can be used to achieve political goals, with renouncer figures serving as instruments of awareness in political genres—fables or mirrors for princes. The discussion reaches beyond Borges to a constellation of stories from the Borgesian hypertext (from Burton’s hermit trilogy in the 1001 Nights to Victorian renouncer stories) that complicate the pen-vs-sword problem. Ultimately, Renunciation stories raise the bigger questions of the power of storytelling and the possibility of truth-telling that were also central preoccupations for Hannah Arendt and Michel Foucault. It also reassesses Borges’s ambiguous position against this rich political tradition.
Introduction - Overcriminalization 2.0

This is the Introduction to the Symposium issue of the Journal of Law, Economics and Policy on Overcriminalization 2.0. This introduction sets the stage of the overcriminalization movement and provides a roadmap of the papers in this volume.