cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cultural Environmentalism and the Wealth of Networks

In The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom, Professor Yochai Benkler provides a thorough and intellectually rich account of our modern information environment and its interrelationship with law, technology, and critically, networks. The book is remarkable in its breadth and depth. Benkler's primary thesis in the book is that the wealth of networks lies in the potential for widespread participation in the making, sharing, and experiencing of the information environment. The emerging networked nature of the information economy unlocks human potential and enables participation in an unprecedented manner. To support his claim that such change is in fact underway, Benkler offers a rich descriptive account of the networked information environment. To support his normative claim that such change ought to be allowed if not encouraged, Benkler appeals to a range of liberal political theories. In the end, Benkler frames a battle over the institutional ecology of the information environment and explains how incumbents may resist change at various layers of the system. To explore how Benkler accomplishes so much, this Review situates his book within cultural environmentalism, a complementary framework for integrating the seemingly disparate areas of policy brought together in The Wealth of Networks. Cultural environmentalism as a theory of information policy originated with Jamie Boyle's 1996 book, Shamans, Software, and Spleens, and his attendant scholarship. Boyle issued a call to arms to protect our cultural environment and used cultural environmentalism as a metaphor to spur the organization of a political, social, and intellectual movement. Cultural environmentalism is potentially valuable as an analytical construct because it focuses attention on our relationships with complex systems that are significantly more nuanced and varied than suggested by more traditional theories of information policy derived from economics or romantic notions of authorship and inventorship. With respect to the natural environment, environmentalism led to a better understanding of natural resource systems and our relationship to those systems, and consequently to an understanding that regulation is needed to preserve and protect those systems for sustainable use. Cultural environmentalism has yet to generate similar understandings, both descriptively regarding the systems and our relationships to them, and normatively regarding the consequences of how we choose to regulate the information environment. Benkler takes significant strides in remedying these deficiencies. Situating his book within the framework of cultural environmentalism reveals its contributions to our understanding of those systems that comprise the cultural environment, how we relate to those systems, and the normative consequences of different regulatory choices we might choose. This framing helps to make The Wealth of Networks more accessible, and at the same time, provides a useful lens for commenting on and extending Benkler's analysis.
ASAT arms control: still possible

The history of antisatellite weapons reveals several missed opportunities to limit their development. The superpowers now may face the last chance to control these destabilizing weapons.
P3.243 Influence of Scale and Zone on Syphilis Trend Interpretation

Background We investigated spatial clustering of primary and secondary syphilis rates in North Carolina (2003–2010) using multiple scales and geographical boundaries. We examined the influence of changes in scale and boundary on identification of spatial clusters using two cluster detection methods, local Moran’s I and Kulldorff’s space scan statistic. Methods We used two cluster detection methods: (1) local Moran’s I with empirical Bayes (EB) standardised rate statistic and (2) Kulldorff’s space scan statistic using a variable size moving circular window. We evaluated three geographic zones with decreasing boundary area, North Carolina, Piedmont region, and Mecklenburg County, at two spatial scales (census tract, census block group). We report results for Mecklenburg County. Results Using local Moran’s I, block group clusters were in the same location as tract clusters, but were more concentrated. Median rates were higher among block group clusters compared with tract clusters. As boundary areas decreased, some clusters in peripheral tracts and block groups were lost. High rate block groups were more likely to persist, while some high rate peripheral tracts were lost. With Kuldorff’s scan statistic, block group clusters were more concentrated than clusters in census tracts. Reducing boundary areas had little effect on census tract clusters detected using Kuldorff’s scan statistic. Cluster size decreased significantly when the boundary was restricted to Mecklenburg County. The reduction in cluster size reflected loss of a few high rate block groups peripherally and many block groups with a rate of zero. Clusters detected using local Moran’s I and Kuldorff’s scan statistic overlapped, but Kuldorff’s scan clusters were much larger with a high proportion of zero rate tracts/block groups. Conclusion In efforts to understand STI epidemiology spatially, investigators must carefully consider the spatial scale, geographical area of interest, and cluster detection approach.
Peripheral nerve defect repair with epineural tubes supported with bone marrow stromal cells: a preliminary report.

Introduction This study was performed to assess the effects of nerve gap repair with isogenic epineural tubes filled with isogenic bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) as an alternative to autograft repair. Methods A total of 24 epineural tubes were transplanted as a conduit to bridge 20 mm nerve gap defects in 2 experimental groups. In group 1, the tube was filled with saline, whereas in group 2 with isogenic BMSC prestained with PKH-dye. In all, 12 autograft sciatic nerve repairs served as a control. Sensory and motor recovery was evaluated by gastrocnemius muscle index; pinprick, toe-spread tests; and somatosensory-evoked potentials at 6 and 12 weeks postrepair. Histomorphometry and immunostaining were also performed. Results Evidence of successful nerve regeneration was present in all animals at 6 and 12 weeks. There were no significant differences between experimental groups in functional recovery--toe-spread and pinprick tests; however, epineural conduit groups trended toward better toe-spread scores compared with autograft repair at 6 weeks. All animals had full sensory recovery as evaluated by pinprick at 12 weeks. Saline group had significantly higher gastrocnemius muscle index compared with other groups at 6 weeks; however, no differences were noted at 12 weeks. Histomorphometrical assessment did not reveal superiority of any group at 6 weeks postrepair. However, at 12 weeks, the BMSC group had significantly increased myelin thickness compared with other groups and larger diameter nerve fibers than autograft. In group 2, PKH-positive cells and expression of nerve growth factor, Laminin B2, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and vascular endothelial growth factor were confirmed. nerve growth factor- and glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive BMSC were also found inside the tube. Conclusion The epineural tube is a viable, naturally occurring biologic conduit for nerve repair. Cotransplantation of BMSC-enhanced nerve regeneration by means of increased myelinization and expression of neurotrophic factors. Overall, obtained results with epineural tube/BMSC construct were comparable to autograft repair.
In vitro Synthesis of Fœtal and Adult Hæmoglobin by Fœtal Hæmatopoietic Tissues

THE demonstration of a biochemical distinction between adult and fœtal forms of haemoglobin (haemoglobins A and F) has stimulated interest in their physiology and biochemistry1. Little is known about the site of origin or conditions governing the production of these two haemoglobins. It has been postulated that haemoglobin A is synthesized in the bone marrow and that haemoglobin F is produced principally in the liver and spleen2,3. This theory corresponds well with the known sites of red cell production in the fœtus and in the adult2. As a corollary, it has been proposed that haemoglobin A and haemoglobin F occur in separate red cells2,4. Anoxia has been thought to increase the production of haemoglobin F 4. This report presents a study of the synthesis of haemoglobins A and F by haematopoietic tissue from two white human fœtuses aged 17 and 9 weeks.
Physics of the fundamental limits of nonlinear optics: a theoretical perspective [Invited]

The theory of the fundamental limits (TFL) of nonlinear optics is a powerful tool for experimentalists seeking to create molecules and materials with large responses and for theorists who are seeking to understand how the basic elements of quantum theory delineate the boundaries within which these searches should be conducted. On a practical level, the TFL provides a metric for measuring the performance or “goodness” of new molecules, relative to what is possible. Explorations of large sets of structures within the theory provide insight into new design rules for creating more active molecules. This paper is a review of the TFL, starting with a history of its development and its first use in discovering that all molecules as of the year 2000 fell a factor of 30 below the limits, and continuing to the present day, where the theory continues to provide research opportunities and challenges. The review focuses on off-resonant nonlinear optics in order to sharply focus on the key elements of the TFL, but pointers are provided to the literature for near- and on-resonance applications.
The Crown, the Parties, and the People, 1780

When Parliament opened in November 1779, an energized Opposition, riding a tide of public discontent, faced a demoralized ministry with a restless body of supporters, held together by a resolute, unyielding King. ‘I know they [Opposition] can vote at 180 — if they get all up —,’ John Robinson wrote to Charles Jenkinson. ‘They certainly are summoning all —.’1 North told Robinson that he knew his followers would desert him on some question, which would ‘overturn the Government [and] endanger the King.’ The prospect made him almost frantic, he said, ‘and prevented him from making decisions.’2
rDNA Copy Number Variants Are Frequent Passenger Mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Deletion Collections and de Novo Transformants

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae ribosomal DNA (rDNA) locus is known to exhibit greater instability relative to the rest of the genome. However, wild-type cells preferentially maintain a stable number of rDNA copies, suggesting underlying genetic control of the size of this locus. We performed a screen of a subset of the Yeast Knock-Out (YKO) single gene deletion collection to identify genetic regulators of this locus and to determine if rDNA copy number correlates with yeast replicative lifespan. While we found no correlation between replicative lifespan and rDNA size, we identified 64 candidate strains with significant rDNA copy number differences. However, in the process of validating candidate rDNA variants, we observed that independent isolates of our de novo gene deletion strains had unsolicited but significant changes in rDNA copy number. Moreover, we were not able to recapitulate rDNA phenotypes from the YKO yeast deletion collection. Instead, we found that the standard lithium acetate transformation protocol is a significant source of rDNA copy number variation, with lithium acetate exposure being the treatment causing variable rDNA copy number events after transformation. As the effects of variable rDNA copy number are being increasingly reported, our finding that rDNA is affected by lithium acetate exposure suggested that rDNA copy number variants may be influential passenger mutations in standard strain construction in S. cerevisiae.
Making “Better Girls”

My house is in order & my handmaidens wait upon me.… Catherine Edmondston, mistress I will give you a full history of my belief of Darkey, to wit: I believe her disposition as to temper is as bad as any in the whole world. I believe she is as unfaithful as any I have ever been acquainted with.…I have tried and done all I could to get on with her, hoping that she would mend; but I have been disappointed in every instant. I can not hope for the better any longer. Elisha Cain, overseer How very domestic I am. Gertrude Thomas, mistress In Gone With the Wind , Margaret Mitchell has the fictional Gerald O'Hara understand that a plantation without a proper mistress was but a plantation in the making. O'Hara might accumulate land and slaves enough, but without “a thrifty and kind mistress, a good mother and devoted wife,” Tara would never rise to the status of a great house and his ambitions to join the ranks of the planter elite, never succeed. A mistress meant order and efficiency: clean linen; polished furniture; timely meals; and an end generally to the disorder, sloth, and filth that governed his home without one. But while O'Hara gets this point, Mitchell insists he misses another: That the work of efficiently-run households in fact required the unending attention and oversight of mistresses and the unending attention of slave women to the work on which depended mistresses's ability to fulfill those standards of order and efficiency.
The Residential Use of Photovoltaics

Residential electricity demand data and forecasts for France, Japan and the United States are presented as background information pertinent to the market for solar photovoltaic power systems. Current residential photovoltaic system development activities in the United States are reviewed. Issues related to the eventual adoption of such systems are discussed.
In Vivo Metabolism and Binding of 6α-Methylprogesterone; A Progestin with Anti-Androgenic and Synandrogenic Activities

The synthetic progestin 6α-methylprogesterone (6MP) was shown to have androgenic, synandrogenic and anti-androgenic actions on mouse kidney. In vitro studies indicated that 6MP competes with testosterone for binding sites on the androgen receptor in kidney cytosol and nuclei. The in vivo distribution of 6MP and testosterone differed following subcutaneous administration: Testosterone levels were 10 and 100-fold higher than those of 6MP in plasma and nuclei from prostate-seminal vesicle. In kidney nuclei, the concentrations of these two steroids were similar. In addition, kidney nuclei bound a hydroxylated metabolite of 6MP as well as the parent compound, whereas only 6MP was found in nuclei from prostate-seminal vesicle. In vivo competition studies indicated that nonradioactive 6MP and testosterone decreased the uptake of 3H-testosterone by nuclei of kidney and prostate-seminal vesicle. By contrast, 3H-6MP uptake in kidney nuclei was potentiated by the prior administration of 6MP or testosterone. These results suggest that factors in addition to the androgen receptor may be involved in the binding and mechanism of action of 6MP on mouse kidney.
The Policy Implications of Licensing Standard Essential FRAND-Committed Patents in Bundles

Patents declared to standard development organizations (SDOs) as potentially essential for compliance with standards under development within the SDO are typically bound by so-called FRAND commitments – promises from the patent holder to license the patents on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms and conditions. It is widely agreed that FRAND commitments impose certain constraints on the terms and conditions that patent holders may seek from licensees in comparison to licensing patents without a FRAND commitment. But exactly what those constraints might entail has been the subject of heated debate for at least a decade. The particular constraint discussed in this chapter is whether FRAND prohibits patent portfolio licensing, where both FRAND committed and non-essential, non-FRAND-commitment patents are bundled together into a single license. We explain that the answer to that question is “no”, FRAND does not create a blanket prohibition against portfolio licensing. Whether such a patent portfolio license honors a FRAND commitment depends on the specific licensing terms and conditions.
Diagnostic value of sonography in treatment-naive chronic inflammatory neuropathies

Objective: To determine the diagnostic value of high-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) for detection of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), Lewis-Sumner syndrome (LSS), and multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN). Methods: Between January 2013 and January 2015, we enrolled 75 consecutive treatment-naive patients with chronic inflammatory neuropathies and 70 disease controls. We performed extensive nerve conduction and standardized HRUS studies bilaterally of large arm and leg nerves and brachial plexus. We determined optimal sonographic cutoff values of nerve size and used receiver operating characteristic analysis and logistic regression models to identify nerve combinations with optimal diagnostic performance. Results: Enlargement of median nerve at forearm >10 mm 2 , upper arm >13 mm 2 , and any trunk of brachial plexus >8 mm 2 was 99% specific for chronic inflammatory neuropathies. A shortened HRUS protocol for detecting this abnormal nerve enlargement showed high sensitivity (83%–95%), positive predictive value (100%), and negative predictive value (98%) in discriminating CIDP, LSS, and MMN from clinical mimics. Conclusions: Sonographic enlargement of proximal median nerve segments in the arms and brachial plexus is a key feature of chronic inflammatory neuropathies, which helps to reliably distinguish them from axonal neuropathies and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class II evidence that, in absence of clinical features that suggest a hereditary demyelinating neuropathy, sonographic enlargement of proximal median nerve segments and brachial plexus accurately identifies patients with chronic inflammatory neuropathies.
Efficient Situational Scheduling of Graph Workloads on Single-Chip Multicores and GPUs

Situational dynamic changes in graph analytic algorithm implementations give rise to efficiency challenges in concurrent hardware, such as GPUs and large-scale multicores. These performance variations stem from input dependence, such as the density and degree of the graph being processed. Consequently, concurrency control becomes challenging, because the complex data-dependent behavior in these workloads exhibits a range of plausible algorithmic and architectural choices. This article addresses the question of how to efficiently harness the multidimensional search space of such choices for graph analytic workloads in a real-time execution environment. A key insight is that architectural choices are sufficient to yield a concurrency control setting that is comparable to the optimal setup that optimizes both algorithmic and architectural choices. The authors propose a situationally adaptive scheduler (SAS) that learns the architectural choices offline using synthetically generated graphs. SAS-assisted execution in a real-time setup provides geometric performance gains of 40 percent for a large-scale GPU (Nvidia GTX-970), 35 percent for a smaller GPU (Nvidia GTX- 750Ti), and 30 percent for a large-scale multicore (Intel Xeon Phi).
Understanding the Lung Abscess Microbiome: Outcomes of Percutaneous Lung Parenchymal Abscess Drainage with Microbiologic Correlation

Lung parenchymal abscesses represent an uncommon pathology with high mortality if untreated. Although most respond well to antibiotics, the optimal therapy for persistent abscesses is unknown. The purpose of this study was to review the outcomes of percutaneous lung parenchymal abscess catheter drainage after broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy failure and correlate with patient microbiologic samples. Retrospective review of patients who underwent percutaneous lung abscess drainage at a tertiary hospital system from 2005 to 2015 was performed. In total, 19 procedures were identified on 16 different patients; six females and ten males. Mean patient age was 55 years (range 22–81). Median follow-up time was 7 months (range <1–78). Technical success was 100%. There was one major complication, a pneumothorax. Follow-up was until tube removal or death in 100% of patients. Catheters were removed with resolution of the abscess cavity in 58% (11/19) or with non-draining abscess cavities in 21% (4/19) for a clinical success rate of 79%. Blood cultures demonstrated no growth in all cases, while 21% (4/19) of sputum or bronchoscopic cultures demonstrated growth. In comparison, the specimens from initial catheter placement isolated a causative organism in 95% (18/19) of case (p < 0.0001). In cases of persistent lung abscess after broad-spectrum antibiotics, percutaneous abscess drainage is highly sensitive for microbiologic sampling compared to sputum/bronchoscopic or blood cultures. Additionally, percutaneous drainage of lung parenchymal abscess cavities may promote resolution of the abscess with high rates of therapeutic success and low complications.
Imagination as the Productive Faculty for ‘Creating Another Nature…’

In the section (§ 49) of the Critique of Judgment which he entitles The faculties of the mind which constitute genius’, Kant writes that “The Imagination (as a productive faculty) is very powerful in creating another nature, as it were, out of the material that actual nature gives it.” What the Productive Imagination creates, he adds, “surpasses nature.”
The Trigeminal Complex: Anatomy and Physiology

The many procedures performed for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia require an extensive knowledge of the brainstem and spinal nuclei anatomy and physiology, their projections, central and peripheral connections, the trigeminal autonomic elements, and autonomic effects of trigeminal injury. Recent advances in the understanding of the anatomy and physiology complex as presented in the neuroscience literature are reviewed.
Theory and Context

Appendix 10 provides a summary of the major conferences and Summits held with regard to the wider issues of development of the living and environmental conditions of the world’s poor, developing and developed countries. Section 1.2 discusses the main points recognised, and the lessons learned since Stockholm 1972, highlighting that all the various issues connected with development are complex and thus it is not possible to work with a single overarching theoretical model of sustainable development. Further, it stressed that in order to achieve concurrently, social, political and ecological changes in the real life settings of the end-users of development projects, anyone active in the field must consider much broader approaches than previously applied.
Unbiased screen of RNA tailing enzymes at single-nucleotide resolution reveals a poly(UG) polymerase required for genome integrity and RNA silencing

Ribonucleotidyl transferases (rNTases) add non-templated ribonucleotides to diverse RNAs. We developed a screening strategy in S. cerevisiae to identify sequences added by candidate enzymes from different organisms at single-nucleotide resolution. The rNTase activities of 19 previously unexplored enzymes were determined. In addition to poly(A)- and poly(U)-adding enzymes, we identified a C-adding enzyme that is likely part of a two-enzyme system that adds CCA to tRNAs in a eukaryote; a nucleotidyl transferase that adds nucleotides to RNA without apparent nucleotide preference; and a poly(UG) polymerase, C. elegans MUT-2, which adds alternating U and G nucleotides to form poly(UG) tails. MUT-2 is known to be required for certain forms of RNA silencing, and mutations in the enzyme that are defective in silencing also fail to add poly(UG) tails in our assay. We propose that MUT-2 poly(UG) polymerase activity is required to promote genome integrity and RNA silencing.
Maximal aerobic capacity can be increased by enhancing performers' expectancies.

Background Maximum aerobic capacity (VO2max) is widely accepted as the best measure of cardiovascular fitness and aerobic power. The present study investigated whether enhancing participants' performance expectancies through positive social-comparative feedback would increase VO2max. Methods Participants were experienced runners who regularly ran for exercise or competitively. All participants completed two VO2max tests within a 2-week period at similar times of the day. Before the second test, enhanced expectancy group participants were informed that their aerobic capacity on the first test was above the group average, whereas control group participants were told the second test was for validation purposes. Measurements taken were relative to VO2max, as well as pulmonary ventilation, respiratory exchange ratio, heart rate, and ratings of perceived exertion. Results The enhanced expectancy group demonstrated a significant increase (+3.28%) in VO2max from test 1 (61.1±2.8 mL·kg-1·min-1) to test 2 (63.7±2.9 mL·kg-1·min-1, P=0.007), whereas the control group's VO2max decreased significantly (-4.11%, test 1 =59.4±2.9 mL·kg-1·min-1, test 2 =57.8±2.3 mL·kg-1·min-1, P=0.027). No group differences were found with respect to other performance measures (pulmonary ventilation P=0.22, heart rate P=0.97, respiratory exchange ratio P=0.11, rate of perceived exertion P=0.13). Conclusions The results show that maximum aerobic capacity is, in part, a function of the performer's self-efficacy expectations. These findings add to the increasing evidence demonstrating social-cognitive-affective influences on (maximum) motor performance.
Emotion, attitudes, norms and sources: Exploring sharing intent of disgusting online videos

Abstract Consumers are increasingly watching and sharing promotional and persuasive videos online via YouTube and other social media. Recent research has begun to explore both the content characteristics and the user motivations behind bona fide “viral” hits. The current study explores how both user motivations and emotional content of video messages containing the arousing emotion of disgust influence sharing intention among an undergraduate student sample (N = 456) and representative U.S. adult sample (N = 455). Some results mirror previous research and theory: Greater arousal and emotional response experienced while viewing was predictive of increased sharing intent across video message types and sources, as were positive attitudes and perceived social norms concerning sharing. Unique results also emerged in the data, revealing that advertising video messages elicited greater sharing intent than news videos and user-generated videos. In line with functional theories of disgust, videos which elicited higher-order, socio-moral disgust led to greater sharing intent than those that elicited sexual and pathogen avoidance disgusts. Implications for marketers and content creators are discussed.
Comparison of three antimicrobial strategies in diabetic foot infections post-amputation.

Background:The 2012 Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) guidelines recommend antimicrobial treatment of diabetic foot infections (DFIs) post-amputation, but the optimal route and duration ...
The Major Transitions in Professional Formation and Development from Being a Student to Being a Lawyer Present Opportunities to Benefit the Students and the Law School

Curricular support during the significant transitions each student experiences in law school will provide substantial benefits to students as well as the law school. What are the significant transitions? The distinction between the situational changes a law student experiences and the significant transitions of law school is important. During law school, each student experiences a number of situational changes like physically moving to a new city to attend law school or starting a new class or a new year of law school. A significant transition, however, is a psychological inner re-orientation and self-definition that the student must go through in order to incorporate the situational changes into a new understanding of professional life’s developmental process. This article will make clear that the major periods of inner re-orientation and self-definition for a law student are exceptional opportunities for the law faculty and staff to foster student growth toward later stages of the school’s learning outcomes. This benefits both each student and the law school itself. The premise of this article is that each law student during law school, similar to each medical student during medical school, will also have significant transitions where the student is growing, step by step, from being a novice outsider with a stance of an observer ultimately to join a new community of practice as an insider to the profession. Unfortunately, there is very limited scholarship about the significant transitions each student must navigate in legal education. Part II of this article provides an analytical framework regarding the major transitions a law student must make to become a competent practicing lawyer. In Part III, the article provides data from law students starting the 2L year that identify the students’ perception of the major transitions from being a student to being a practicing lawyer in the 1L year and the summer between the 1L and 2L years. Part IV analyzes principles that should inform an effective curriculum to help students grow during the major transitions of law school. Part V applies the principles of an effective curriculum from Part IV to the specific transitions that the students identified as most important in Part III.
Initial Experience with Transradial Intraoperative Angiography in Aneurysm Clipping: Technique, Feasibility, and Case Series

Background The transradial approach has slowly been gaining momentum in neuroendovascular procedures. We sought to assess its feasibility and safety and present a case series of transradial intraoperative angiography (IOA) during microsurgical clip ligation of intracranial aneurysms. Methods The setup and technique for transradial intraoperative angiography are described. Data on 10 consecutive patients undergoing IOA through the radial artery are presented. Results All target vessels were successfully catheterized transradially, and conversion to the transfemoral access was not required in any of the cases. There was no access-site complication, such as hand ischemia, hematoma, or radial artery spasm. There were also no thromboembolic events causing a stroke. The average time for the IOA was 9.3 minutes. Conclusions Our initial experience shows the transradial approach for IOA in clip ligation of aneurysms to be feasible and safe, with potential advantages over transfemoral IOA.
Recommendations about estimating errors-in-variables regression in Stata

Errors-in-variables (EIV) regression is a standard method for consistent estimation in linear models with error-prone covariates. The Stata commands eivreg and sem both can be used to compute the s...
Novel drug discovery platform for spinocerebellar ataxia, using fluorescence technology targeting β-III-spectrin

Numerous diseases are linked to mutations in the actin-binding domains (ABDs) of conserved cytoskeletal proteins, including β-III-spectrin, α-actinin, filamin, and dystrophin. A β-III-spectrin ABD mutation (L253P) linked to spinocerebellar ataxia type 5 (SCA5) causes a dramatic increase in actin binding. Reducing actin binding of L253P is thus a potential therapeutic approach for SCA5 pathogenesis. Here, we validate a high-throughput screening (HTS) assay to discover potential disrupters of the interaction between the mutant β-III-spectrin ABD and actin in live cells. This assay monitors FRET between fluorescent proteins fused to the mutant ABD and the actin-binding peptide Lifeact, in HEK293-6E cells. Using a specific and high-affinity actin-binding tool compound, swinholide A, we demonstrate HTS compatibility with an excellent Z'-factor of 0.67 ± 0.03. Screening a library of 1280 pharmacologically active compounds in 1536-well plates to determine assay robustness, we demonstrate high reproducibility across plates and across days. We identified nine Hits that reduced FRET between Lifeact and ABD. Four of those Hits were found to reduce Lifeact cosedimentation with actin, thus establishing the potential of our assay for detection of actin-binding modulators. Concurrent to our primary FRET assay, we also developed a high-throughput compatible counter screen to remove undesirable FRET Hits. Using the FRET Hits, we show that our counter screen is sensitive to undesirable compounds that cause cell toxicity or ABD aggregation. Overall, our FRET-based HTS platform sets the stage to screen large compound libraries for modulators of β-III-spectrin, or disease-linked spectrin-related proteins, for therapeutic development.
Sacred Men: Law, Torture, and Retribution in Guam: by Keith L. Camacho, Durham, NC, Duke University Press, 2019, 295 pp., $104.95 (hardcover); $27.95 (paperback) ISBN: 978-1-4780-0634-3

In Sacred Men, Keith Camacho analyzes the U.S. Navy’s War Crimes Tribunals Program (1944–1949) in post-World War II Guam to theorize how empires employ forms of violence, discipline, and punishment...
Automated Mechanism Design for Strategic Classification: Abstract for KDD'21 Keynote Talk

AI is increasingly making decisions, not only for us, but also about us -- from whether we are invited for an interview, to whether we are proposed as a match for someone looking for a date, to whether we are released on bail. Often, we have some control over the information that is available to the algorithm; we can self-report some information, and other information we can choose to withhold. This creates a potential circularity: the classifier used, mapping submitted information to outcomes, depends on the (training) data that people provide, but the (test) data depend on the classifier, because people will reveal their information strategically to obtain a more favorable outcome. This setting is not adversarial, but it is also not fully cooperative. Mechanism design provides a framework for making good decisions based on strategically reported information, and it is commonly applied to the design of auctions and matching mechanisms. However, the setting above is unlike these common applications, because in it, preferences tend to be similar across agents, but agents are restricted in what they can report. This creates both new challenges and new opportunities, as we demonstrate in our theoretical work and our initial experiments. This is joint work with Hanrui Zhang, Andrew Kephart, Yu Cheng, Anilesh Krishnaswamy, Haoming Li, and David Rein.
A Customizable Domain-Specific Memory-Centric FPGA Overlay for Machine Learning Applications

This paper presents an overview and performance analysis of a software-programmable domain-customizable System-on-Chip (SoC) overlay for low-latency inferencing of variable and low-precision Machine Learning (ML) networks targeting Internet-of-Things (IoT) edge devices. The SoC includes a 2-D processor array that can be customized at design time for FPGA logic families. The overlay resolves historic issues of poor designer productivity associated with traditional Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) design flows without the performance losses normally incurred by overlays. A standard Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) allows different ML networks to be quickly compiled and run on the overlay without the need to resynthesize. Performance results are presented that show the overlay achieves $1.3\times-8.0\times$ speedup over custom designs while still allowing rapid changes to ML algorithms on the FPGA through standard compilation.
Experimental porphyria induced by 3-[2-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-thioethyl]-4-methylsydnone

Administration of 3-[2-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-thioethyl]-4-methylsydnone (TTMS) induces hepatic porphyria in rats, mice and dogs. The protoporphyrin pigment in livers of rats and mice is found mainly in bile ducts and leads to bile duct proliferation and portal inflammation. Dog livers contain protoporphyrin predominantly in bile canaliculi. The birefringence of the pigment appears to be associated with bilamellar components within the pigment. The markedly depressed catalase activity in livers of rats does not increase after clofibrate administration. The catalase activity of mouse liver is depressed slightly and responds to clofibrate treatment.
Rousseau's Critique of Inequality: Reconstructing the Second Discourse

Introduction 1. Nature is not the source of social inequality 2. Amour propre is the source of social inequality 3. The normative resources of nature 4. Judging the legitimacy of social inequalities 5. The contemporary relevance of Rousseau's critique.
DISCUSSION OF SEISMIC RESPONSE OF HORIZONTAL SOIL LAYERS

THE AUTHORS' CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF PREDICTING THE SEISMIC RESPONSE OF UNCONSOLIDATED SEDIMENTS IS ACKNOWLEDGED. THE WRITERS EMPHASIZE THE POINT THAT THE SEISMIC RESPONSE OF A GIVEN SITE DEPENDS NOT ONLY ON THE GEOMETRIES AND MATERIAL PROPERTIES OF THE SOIL LAYERS AND THE MAGNITUDE OF SEISMIC INPUT BASE MOTIONS, BUT ALSO ON THE FREQUENCY CHARACTERISTICS OF INPUT MOTIONS. TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE RESPONSE OF A GIVEN SITE MAY VARY MARKEDLY FOR DIFFERENT EARTHQUAKES, THE WRITERS CALCULATED THE SURFACE ACCELERATIONS GENERATED BY TWO EARTHQUAKES FOR A SYSTEM CONSISTING OF A HORIZONTAL SOIL LAYER HAVING SPECIFIC UNIFORM AND LINEAR PROPERTIES. FIGURES ARE GIVEN WHICH SHOW THE BASE INPUT AND SURFACE RESPONSE ACCELERATIONS VERSUS TIME IN THE TWO EARTHQUAKES. THE WRITERS SUGGEST THAT POWER SPECTRAL TECHNIQUES CONTRIBUTE TO THE PRACTICAL USEFULNESS OF THE AUTHORS' ANALYTICAL METHODS, BECAUSE THEY ENABLE THE RESPONSE OF SPECIFIC SITES TO BE CHARACTERIZED IN TERMS OF SPECTRAL DENSITY RATIOS WHICH APPEAR TO BE RELATED SOLELY TO SITE PROPERTIES. REFERENCES: SEISMIC RESPONSE OF HORIZONTAL SOIL LAYERS, I.M. IDRISS, H. BOLTON SEED, ASCE PROC. PAPER 6043, JULY 1968.
Micronutrient dietary supplements - A new fourth approach - A new fourth approach

Currently the three main widely used strategies to control micronutrient deficiencies are food diversification, fortification, and consumption of medicinal supplements. In Tanzania a fourth strategy has been evaluated in school children, and is to be studied in pregnant and lactating women. The dietary supplement comes in the form of a powder used to prepare a fruit flavored drink. Children consumed for six months 25 grams per school day attended, the powder being added to 200 ml of water. The dietary supplement provides between 40 and 100 percent of the RDA of 10 micronutrients, which includes iron, vitamin A and iodine. Unlike medicinal supplements it provides the multiple vitamins and minerals in physiologic, not megadoses. In a well conducted randomized double blind placebo controlled trial, a dietary supplement in the form of a fortified powder fruit drink produced statistically significant differences not only in vitamin A and iron status, but also in the growth of young school age children.
The lymphocyte in immunology: from James B. Murphy to James L. Gowans

Historical insight: Between 1912 and 1921, James Murphy established conclusively the role of the lymphocyte in tissue and tumor graft rejection and in protection against infection. Contemporary mainstream immunology paid little attention to these findings, until the lymphocyte was “rediscovered” with the advent of modern cellular immunology after the mid-1950s.
H/sub /spl infin// control of systems with uncertainties in all entries

This paper concerns the stabilization of uncertain systems with H/sub /spl infin// attenuation. This is an extension of the work by Xie, et al. (1992) to allow uncertainties to appear in all the entries. It is found that the problem shares similar formulation with H/sub /spl infin// control problem for systems without uncertainties. >
Effect of ethanol upon uterine activity and fetal acid-base state of the rhesus monkey

Abstract Thirteen pregnant monkeys during the third trimester of their gestation were infused intravenously with ethanol (2 to 4 Gm. per kilogram) after a spontaneous onset of labor or following its induction by infusion of oxytocin. In the animals near term administration of ethanol did not alter appreciably either the intensity or frequency of uterine contractions. This pertained both to the animals in spontaneous labor and those stimulated by oxytocin. Ethanol was ineffective even in cases in which the dose was increased to a level which produced depression of maternal respiration. Only in animals before term and in which uterine contractions were irregular, partial suppression of labor was observed. This was associated with fetal hypotension, tachycardia, and acidosis, while only minimal changes were observed in the acid-base state of the mother.
An immunoblotting diagnostic assay for heartwater based on the immunodominant 32-kilodalton protein of Cowdria ruminantium detects false positives in field sera.

Heartwater, a major constraint to improved livestock production in Zimbabwe, threatens to invade areas which have been previously unaffected. To monitor its spread in Zimbabwe, an immunoblotting diagnostic assay based on the responses of animals to the immunodominant, conserved 32-kDa protein of Cowdria ruminantium was evaluated. In this assay, no false reactions were detected with sera known to be positive and negative, but sera from some cattle, sheep, and goats from heartwater-free areas of Zimbabwe reacted strongly with the 32-kDa protein, suggesting that either these animals had previous exposure to heartwater or they were false positives. To investigate the possibility of previous exposure to heartwater, 11 immunoblot-positive and 6 immunoblot-negative sheep from heartwater-free areas of Zimbabwe were compared regarding their susceptibilities to challenge with C. ruminantium. Prior to challenge, C. ruminantium could not be detected in any sheep by transmission to Amblyomma hebraeum ticks or by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conducted with plasma samples. All sheep were equally susceptible to the challenge, and infection was confirmed by brain biopsy, necropsy, PCR, and transmission of C. ruminantium to ticks. Our data suggest that the immunoblot-positive reactions of sera from heartwater-free areas were due not to previous C. ruminantium infection but rather to antigenic cross-reactivity between C. ruminantium and another agent(s) such as Ehrlichia species. In conclusion, the immunodominant 32-kDa protein is not antigenically specific to C. ruminantium and its use in serological diagnosis of heartwater requires reevaluation. Images
(13)C MRS of human brain at 7 Tesla using [2-(13)C]glucose infusion and low power broadband stochastic proton decoupling.

Purpose Carbon-13 (13C) MR spectroscopy (MRS) of the human brain at 7 Tesla (T) may pose patient safety issues due to high radiofrequency (RF) power deposition for proton decoupling. The purpose of present work is to study the feasibility of in vivo 13C MRS of human brain at 7 T using broadband low RF power proton decoupling. Methods Carboxylic/amide 13C MRS of human brain by broadband stochastic proton decoupling was demonstrated on a 7 T scanner. RF safety was evaluated using the finite-difference time-domain method. 13C signal enhancement by nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) and proton decoupling was evaluated in both phantoms and in vivo. Results At 7 T, the peak amplitude of carboxylic/amide 13C signals was increased by a factor of greater than 4 due to the combined effects of NOE and proton decoupling. The 7 T 13C MRS technique used decoupling power and average transmit power of less than 35 watts (W) and 3.6 W, respectively. Conclusion In vivo 13C MRS studies of human brain can be performed at 7 T, well below the RF safety threshold, by detecting carboxylic/amide carbons with broadband stochastic proton decoupling. Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
β-Amyloid increases cathepsin D levels in hippocampus

A previous study established that beta-amyloid(1-42) is sequestered and retained intact for extended periods by select populations of neurons in cultured hippocampal slices. The present experiment tested if this effect is accompanied by increases in cathepsin D, a characteristic feature of lysosomal dysfunction and one that has been implicated in key aspects of brain aging in humans. Slices incubated with beta-amyloid(1-42) (15-30 microM) for 6 days had 56% greater concentrations of cathepsin D than controls. Scrambled peptides had no effect. The amyloid-induced increase was additive with that produced by submaximal concentrations of an inhibitor of cathepsins B and L but occluded that caused by chloroquine. This pattern of results (1) indicates that the uptake of amyloid results in lysosomal dysfunction and (2) suggests that perturbations of intralysosomal pH may contribute to this effect.
The politics of human rights in Argentina

Author(s): Brysk, Alison | Abstract: Revised edition of 1994 out-of-print Stanford University Press study of human rights protest, social change, and democratization in Argentina. A symbolic politics analysis of the truth commission, trials, and policy reform in Latin America's most sweeping transition of the 1980's.
Prognostic Issues in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

A rational for the creation of a reproducible pathologic and molecular biologic prognostic model of recurrence in localized non-small cell lung cancer is presented along with an example patient.
29 Pin the part on the dinoflagellate: a hands on learning activity

Marine science education often uses animals with high student appeal, such as manatees, sea turtles, whales and dolphins, to introduce science concepts. The challenge in teaching microalgae concepts is to make the activity as equally appealing and engaging to students. The activity created used an enlarged diagram of a marine dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, to introduce anatomy and function concepts. The activity was simple in design requiring only a large color diagram of the organism, laminated for durability and hook and loop fastener for placement of parts in the appropriate area. Because of its simplicity in design, the activity is inexpensive can be easily reproduced. Key words were also created and laminated to reinforce vocabulary. This activity was found to reach a wide age range from elementary school students to high school. The facilitator could adjust the prompts to assist the students in the proper labeling based on age. At the elementary level, basic anatomy such as nucleus and flagella could be introduced. At the middle school level, labeling of the chloroplasts could lead the discussion to photosynthesis and the food web, and at the high school level the discussion could be focused toward primary productivity and harmful algal blooms. The concepts taught in this activity easily address many key points in the National Science Education standards such as structure and function of living systems and diversity and adaptation of organisms. This activity could easily be adapted to numerous algal organisms in both the marine and freshwater environments.