cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Central Andean Environments

The Andes is a region of great environmental diversity, and the period of human occupation over the last 13,000 or more years has been a time of change in climate and environment. Our understanding of the ancient people of the Andes must be embedded in this physical context. In this chapter, we focus on the Central Andes—or modern day Peru, highland Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile (Figure 6.1). We also recommend Chapter 2 in Moseley (2001) and Chapter 1 in Richardson (1994). Though lying mostly in the southern tropics, the Central Andes includes high, snow-capped peaks, rich intermontane valleys, well-watered eastern slopes dropping to the Amazon jungle, and arid western slopes descending to a coastal desert broken by irrigable valleys and fronting one of the world’s richest fisheries (Figure 6.2). Within this general setting lie a multitude of microenvironments, the location, size, and productivity of which have varied as climate changed and natural and cultural forces altered the landscape and necessarily affected human-environment interactions. As one outcome of this diversity, ancient Andean people found and domesticated a wide variety of plants adapted to the range of available habitats (see National Research Council 1989; see Chapter 7 in this volume). The number of domesticated animals, however, was not correspondingly large, consisting of guinea pigs, several birds, llama, and alpaca; the dog came into the region early but already domesticated. Technology, history, cultural practices, religion, perception, and individual and group idiosyncrasies can all affect the way a society and its members dynamically interact with their environment and respond to environmental and climatic change (Sandweiss et al. 2001). Nevertheless, people must make a living from the natural world around them, and when that world changes, they must respond in some way. How humans took advantage of, altered, or succumbed to the physical conditions imposed by the Andean region through time is an important part of regional prehistory. Indeed, the special characteristics
Cerebral cortical arteries in the diagnosis of epidural hematoma.

Review of cerebral arteriograms of all our patients [19] with epidural hematoma over a 2 year period revealed evidence of localized extrinsic compression of the cerebral cortex in all cases. This finding, although not as specific as those previously described for epidural hematoma, was strongly suggestive. A 2 year prospective study was then initiated employing internal, rather than common carotid arteriography, because opacification of the external carotid artery is not necessary for evaluation of cortical compression. In this study, which consisted of 21 patients, epidural hematoma was correctly diagnosed in all, relying primarily on signs of localized extrinsic cerebral cortical compression. No epidural hematoma was misinterpreted as being a subdural hematoma or an intracerebral injury, and all epidural hematomas that were present were diagnosed correctly. We conclude that internal carotid arteriography is a sensitive method for diagnosing epidural hematoma. The signs of extrinsic cortical compression should be emphasized in the interpretation of arteriograms of patients with head injuries whether the internal or the common carotid artery is injected.
Workload decomposition for power efficient storage systems

Power consumption and cooling costs of hosted storage services and shared storage infrastructure in data centers account for a growing percentage of the total cost of ownership. The bursty nature of storage workloads requires significant over provisioning of the capacity and power consumption to meet traditional response-time QoS guarantees. In this paper, we propose a graduated, distribution-based QoS model and a runtime scheduler for power efficient storage servers. Through the evaluation of the real storage workload traces, we show a new general tradeoff between the performance and power consumption.
Patient characteristics and correlation with sexual functioning and quality of life among female cancer survivors: Results of the WFU CCOP Research Base Protocol 97106.

e22094Background: Problems with sexual function are common following therapy for female cancer survivors, though assessments of causative factors are lacking. The goal of this study is to assess im...
Si nadie tuviera nombre

Las hipotesis de Nadie. Juan Manuel Roca, Eduardo Chirinos (prologo). Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogota. 2005, 129 pags.
Health and Health Care Problems Among the Kumiai of San Antonio Necua and Their Indigenous Relatives in Baja California

The rural Kumiai community of San Antonio Necua is one of the few remaining indigenous communities in Baja California, Mexico. Necuan health and health care problems are best understood through a consideration of the effects of colonialism and marginalization on indigenous groups in northern Baja California as well as a tradition of medical pluralism in Mexico. The lack of traditional healers and biomedical providers in the community, high rates of preventable or manageable illnesses, and a blend of biomedical, folk mestizo, and traditional indigenous beliefs about health and illness reflect current conditions of rural poverty and economic isolation. Descriptions of health and health care problems are based on ethnographic fieldwork among the Kumiai, their Paipai relatives, and their primary nongovernmental aid organization.
A RAD approach to deep mixture models

Flow based models such as Real NVP are an extremely powerful approach to density estimation. However, existing flow based models are restricted to transforming continuous densities over a continuous input space into similarly continuous distributions over continuous latent variables. This makes them poorly suited for modeling and representing discrete structures in data distributions, for example class membership or discrete symmetries. To address this difficulty, we present a normalizing flow architecture which relies on domain partitioning using locally invertible functions, and possesses both real and discrete valued latent variables. This Real and Discrete (RAD) approach retains the desirable normalizing flow properties of exact sampling, exact inference, and analytically computable probabilities, while at the same time allowing simultaneous modeling of both continuous and discrete structure in a data distribution.
Abstract 1603: Valproic acid and hydralazine reverse increased mammary cancer risk and upregulate Cdkn2a/p16 in mice exposed to a high fat diet in utero

Maternal or paternal high fat (HF) diet that modifies the epigenome in germ cells and fetal somatic cells can program increased susceptibility to breast cancer among offspring. Resulting epigenetic changes include transgenerational upregulation of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs). We studied here if this increased breast cancer risk can be reversed by treating HF offspring with a well-tolerated drug that inhibits DNA methyl transferase (DNMT; hydralazine), combined with a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor valproic acid (VPA). Adult C57BL/6NTac mouse offspring of dams fed either corn oil -based HF or control diet during pregnancy were treated with 5 g/kg/day VPA and 5 mg/kg/day hydralazine in drinking water, starting after mice received 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) to initiate mammary cancer. Treatment with VPA/hydralazine prevented the increase in mammary cancer risk associated with in utero HF diet exposure: it reduced mammary tumor multiplicity and lengthened tumor latency, compared with non-treated HF offspring. These drugs downregulated DNMT3a protein levels, and reversed down-regulation of Cdkn2a/p16 mRNA in the mammary tumors of HF offspring. p16 is a tumor suppressor that is often epigenetically silenced in human breast cancers. However, in control offspring not exposed to HF diet in utero, VPA/hydralazine increased mammary tumor incidence and burden. Further, this treatment upregulated genes involved in the unfolded protein response pathway in in utero control diet exposed animals that were already upregulated in non-VPA/hydralazine treated mammary tumors from in utero HF diet exposed animals, including HIF-1α, NFkB, PERK and SQSTM1 p62. Thus, VPA and hydralazine had opposing effects on breast cancer risk in HF and control offspring, suggesting the importance of individually tailoring breast cancer prevention strategies. Citation Format: Leena A. Hilakivi-Clarke, Fabia de Oliveira Andrade, Nguyen Nguyen, Kerrie Bouker. Valproic acid and hydralazine reverse increased mammary cancer risk and upregulate Cdkn2a/p16 in mice exposed to a high fat diet in utero [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1603.
Metamaterial Embedded Optical Devices for Millimeter Wave and Terahertz Applications

We propose a unique metamaterial embedded geometrical optics device formed through the fusion of a frequency selective metamaterial with an optical parabolic reflector for frequency selective focusing function. This device combines individual properties of an optical device (parabolic mirror) and photonic device (metamaterial) in a single device. The fabricated device operates in the millimeter wave frequency range. Simulation and measurement results using terahertz continuous-wave spectrometer validate its functionality and performance. The device is fabricated using a combination of 3D printing and metal deposition. This approach will open the door to a new generation of metamaterial embedded geometrical optics (MEGO) devices. It will also enables us to have more compact Terahertz spectroscopy setup.
1659 Factors Associated with Use of Robot-Assistance for Hysterectomy in Treating Benign Disease

Study Objective To evaluate what factors are associated with the use of robot assistance in benign gynecologic hysterectomies. Design We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the 2007 - 2014 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database. All women age ≥18 years who underwent hysterectomy were identified using ICD-9-CM procedure codes. A second ICD-9-CM code was used to identify cases with robot assistance. Patients who underwent treatment for cancer or have concomitant cesarean deliveries were excluded. Logistic regression was used to assess independent demographic, clinical or health system factors associated with undergoing a robotic-assisted procedure versus traditional laparoscopy or abdominal approaches. Setting N/A Patients or Participants N/A Interventions N/A Measurements and Main Results When compared to all routes of hysterectomy, patients age > 34 (OR 1.16), median household income above the first quartile (OR 1.13) and a diagnosis of obesity (OR 1.19), endometriosis (OR 1.15), uterine prolapse (OR 1.11), abnormal uterine bleeding (OR 1.22) and pelvic pain (OR 1.24) were more likely to undergo robot-assisted hysterectomy. Those undergoing treatment in urban (OR 3.36) and large hospitals (OR 1.47) were more likely to undergo robot-assisted hysterectomy. Medicaid insurance holders (OR 0.64) and Black (OR 0.74), Hispanic (OR 0.97) and Asian/Pacific Islander (OR 0.78) races were associated with lower likelihood of undergoing robot-assisted hysterectomy. Similar factors were found when examining predictors of robot-assisted hysterectomy among all laparoscopic hysterectomies, although patient race, income, and diagnosis were not associated with undergoing robot-assisted hysterectomy in this subgroup. Conclusion In addition to clinical diagnosis, many demographic and health system factors are associated with use of robot-assistance for hysterectomy. This may indicate decreased access to the robot among underserved patient populations coupled with the capacity of large, urban facilities to make capital investments in robotic equipment.
Evidence-Based Therapies for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate deficits in social communication and the presence of restrictive or repetitive behaviors or interests that result in functional impairment. This chapter describes an evidence-based assessment approach to guide identification of intervention targets and treatment approaches. Psychological intervention should be tailored depending on many variables, such as the scope of intervention (i.e., focused on single domain or comprehensive), the age and functional level of the individual, and the context of treatment. A number of evidence-based interventions exist that span multiple disciplines and theoretical approaches targeting various outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy appears to be a promising approach to treatment in order to address comorbid symptoms of anxiety as well as core features of autism spectrum disorder (i.e., social communication skill deficits). Comprehensive interventions grounded in behavioral principles of learning yield improvements in various domains for young children. Behavioral and cognitive behavioral interventions exist that increase adaptive, language, cognitive, and communicative functioning and decrease psychological and behavioral symptoms, such as anxiety, depression, and disruptive behavior. Therefore, for older children and, adolescents, the authors describe the evidence base for focal interventions that target specific problem areas.
The Federalist Frontier: Settler Politics in the Old Northwest, 1783-1840

Review of: The Federalist Frontier: Settler Politics in the Old Northwest, 1783–1840, by Kristopher Maulden.
Measuring chemical deterioration of foods

Abstract Chemical deterioration can affect the quality and safety of food products. This chapter is aimed at providing a better understanding of chemical deterioration in food, including its cause, influence on food quality and available detection methods. Specifically, major types of chemical deterioration are presented, such as enzymatic deterioration, nonenzymatic browning, lipid oxidation, protein oxidation, vitamin and pigment degradation. Currently available methods for detection of chemical deterioration in food are also overviewed, including sensory evaluation, physic and chemical analysis, spectroscopic and chromatographic methods as well as electronic nose, electronic tongue, and electronic eye.
Evaluation of ReSPECT documentation in a tertiary children's hospital in the UK.

To the editor, We would like to present the finding from an audit done across acute and community settings in a large tertiary children’s hospital. The Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) is a process widely practised from 2016 onwards in England and Scotland.1 ReSPECT process creates personalised emergency care plans for use across health and care settings through conversations between a person, their families and their health and care professionals.2 The ReSPECT form is not legally binding and does not replace a conversation in the emergency. It forms the last part of the advanced care …
The Early (2009-2017) Experience With Robot-assisted Cholecystectomy in New York State.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine real-life patterns of care and patient outcomes associated with robot-assisted cholecystectomy (RAC) in New York State (NYS). BACKGROUND Although robotic assistance may offer some technological advantages, RACs are associated with higher procedural costs and longer operating times compared to traditional laparoscopic cholecystectomies (LCs). Evidence on long-term patient outcomes after RAC from large population-based datasets remains limited and inconsistent. METHODS Using NYS inpatient and ambulatory surgery data from the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (2009-2017), we conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to examine patterns of utilization, complications, and secondary procedures following cholecystectomies. RESULTS Among 299,306 minimally invasive cholecystectomies performed in NYS between 2009 and 2017, one thousand one hundred eighteen (0.4%) were robot-assisted. Compared to those undergoing LC, RAC patients were older, travelled further for surgery, and were more likely to have public insurance and preoperative comorbidities. RAC versus LC patients were more significantly likely to have conversions to open procedure (4.9% vs 2.8%), bile duct injuries (1.3% vs 0.4%), and major reconstructive interventions (0.6% vs 0.1%), longer median length of stay (3 vs 1 day), readmissions (7.3% vs 4.4%), and higher 12-month post-index surgery hospital charges (P < 0.01 for all estimates). Other postoperative complications decreased over time for LC but remained unchanged for RAC patients. CONCLUSIONS Patients receiving RAC in NYS experienced higher rates of complications compared to LC patients. Addressing patient-, surgeon-, and system-level factors associated with intra/postoperative complications and applying recently promulgated safe cholecystectomy strategies coupled with advanced imaging modalities like fluorescence cholangiography to RAC may improve patient outcomes.
2019-04 Tariff rate pass-through: buyer power and product differentiation effects

A key tenet of economic theory is that the economic actor who pays the tax is not necessarily the same as the actor who bears the burden of a tax. Tariffs, like any tax, result in higher domestic prices. The question is whether tariffs completely pass through to domestic prices, or whether foreign producers will bear part of the burden. This study seeks to shed light on this issue by assessing how tariff rate pass-throughs vary with product differentiation and buyer market concentration. The study covers selected manufacturing sectors from 1996 to 2015, a period when tariff rates were declining. We find that tariffs pass through incompletely to import prices in more differentiated domestic product-markets. We also find tariffs incompletely pass through in more concentrated product markets, but tariffs will completely pass through in more commodity-oriented product-markets, as buyer market concentration increases.
Critically ill patients with severe immune checkpoint inhibitor related neurotoxicity: A multi-center case series.

Abstract Purpose Serious immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-related neurotoxicity is rare. There is limited data on the specifics of care and outcomes of patients with severe neurological immune related adverse events (NirAEs) admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Materials and methods Retrospective study of patients with severe NirAEs admitted to the ICU at 3 academic centers between January 2016 and December 2018. Clinical data collected included ICI exposure, type of NirAE (central [CNS] or peripheral nervous system [PNS) disorders), and patient outcomes including neurological recovery and mortality. Results Seventeen patients developed severe NirAEs. Eight patients presented with PNS disorders; 6 with myasthenia gravis (MG), 1 had a combination of MG and polyneuropathy and 1 had Guillain-Barre syndrome. Nine patients had CNS disorders (6 seizures and 5 had concomitant encephalopathy. During ICU admission, 65% of patients required mechanical ventilation, 35% vasopressors, and 18% renal replacement therapy. The median ICU and hospital length of stay were 7 (2–36) and 18 (4–80) days, respectively. Hospital mortality was 29%. At hospital discharge, 18% of patients made a full neurologic recovery, 41% partial recovery, and 12% did not recover. Conclusion Severe NirAEs while uncommon, can be serious or even life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated early.
Atlas of Statelessness: Dignity

People who are stateless are especially vulnerable to deprivations of rights. If they become stateless during their lives, they often lose the rights that they held as citizens in their home state. When they leave, they leave behind more than their rights – they leave behind family and friends and familiar places, things they’ve cherished, places they’ve called home, and the landscapes of their lives. They may leave everything behind. Except their dignity. Whatever the circumstances, dignity should remain intact. So too for those who are born stateless: they may have none of the attachments of citizenship, but they have an attachment to their own human dignity. The original drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights chose to highlight the primacy of the individual person over any group or entity, real or imagined, and to attach dignity to birth of every “member of the human family.” Because human dignity exists independently of any state and does not need any government to create or define or grant it, it has special salience for those who find themselves stateless. For those who are stateless, human dignity is the energy that animates their rights to claim rights, from one state or another or none at all.
The Lipoxygenase Metabolite of Arachidonic Acid, 12-(S)-Hete, Induces Cytoskeleton Dependent Upregulation of Integrin αIIbβ3 in Melanoma Cells

Cell-extracellular matrix interactions are essential prerequisites of normal cell function mediated by specific receptors including integrins (1). This family of transmembrane proteins are characterized by α and β heterodimers linked with S-S bonds. There are a limited number of β subunits and a large number of a units which can combine to form at least 16 unique heterodimers (1).
Short-Crested Breaking Waves and Vorticity

Abstract : The long-term goal is to determine the contribution of short-crested breaking waves to vorticity (and thus mixing) in nearshore regions and near strong flows from inlets or river mouths.
Transcriptional Regulation of Keratin Gene Expression

Keratin synthesis is regulated at the level of transcription. Each keratin gene appears to be regulated by a characteristic constellation of transcription factors and DNA binding sites. Often these occur in clusters and complexes, providing a mechanism for fine-tuning the expression levels. Most commonly, the important regulatory sites are found in the promoter regions, infrequently coding and downstream sequences also play a role. Transcription factors Sp1, AP1 and AP2 are important components in regulation of many keratin genes, and the nuclear receptors for retinoic acid and thyroid hormone also regulate majority of keratins. In addition, the expression of most keratin genes can be modulated by extracellular signals, such as growth factors. Universal or general regulators for all keratin genes have not been found; apparently each keratin protein has its own, characteristic circuits and machinery for regulation of expression.
Doux Commerce in the City of God: Trade and the Mormon Ideal of Zion

This essay is a reflection on the relationship between religion and commerce in the Mormon tradition. Drawing on the social criticism of the prominent Mormon scholar Hugh Nibley, it asks if commercial activity is consistent with the good life in a just society, what Mormons call Zion. Nibley gave a largely negative answer to this question, and this essay argues that he was mistaken, attempting reconciliation between religious notions of a righteous society and the largely secular doux commerce tradition of the eighteenth century. While the relationship between religious ideas of Zion and Enlightenment defenses of the market is uneasy, I argue that each tradition has much to teach the other.
Impaired Host Defense in Mice Lacking ONZIN

ONZIN is a small, cysteine-rich peptide of unique structure that is conserved in all vertebrates examined to date. We show that ONZIN is expressed at high levels in epithelial cells of the intestinal tract, the lung, and in cells of the immune system including macrophages and granulocytes. Because this pattern of expression is suggestive of a role in innate immune function, we have generated mice lacking this protein and examined their ability to respond to challenge with infectious agents. Onzin(-/-) mice show a heightened innate immune response after induction of acute peritonitis with Klebsiella pneumoniae. This increased response is consistent with an increased bacterial burden in the Onzin(-/-) mice. Ex vivo studies show that, whereas phagocytosis is not altered in Onzin(-/-) neutrophils, phagocytes lacking this protein kill bacteria less effectively. This result identifies ONZIN as a novel class of intracellular protein required for optimal function of the neutrophils after uptake of bacteria.
Third- and second-harmonic generation from 1.319-/spl mu/m Nd:YAG laser in one KTiOPO/sub 4/ crystal

Summary from only given. KTiOPO/sub 4/ (KTP) crystal is an excellent nonlinear material since it has large nonlinear coefficients and high damage threshold. Furthermore, KTP crystal can be used for 90/spl deg/-phase-matched sum frequency generation (SFG) from 1.32 /spl mu/m and 0.66 /spl mu/m to 0.44 /spl mu/m. This is the key to blue-light generation from a Nd:YAG laser since one can combine quasi-phase-matched second-harmonic generation (QPM SHG) and SFG in one crystal to achieve third-harmonic generation (THG).
The Covariance between Genetic and Environmental Influences across Ecological Gradients

Patterns of phenotypic change across environmental gradients (e.g., latitude, altitude) have long captivated the interest of evolutionary ecologists. The pattern and magnitude of phenotypic change is determined by the covariance between genetic and environmental influences across a gradient. Cogradient variation (CoGV) occurs when covariance is positive: that is, genetic and environmental influences on phenotypic expression are aligned and their joint influence accentuates the change in mean trait value across the gradient. Conversely, countergradient variation (CnGV) occurs when covariance is negative: that is, genetic and environmental influences on phenotypes oppose one another, thereby diminishing the change in mean trait expression across the gradient. CnGV has so far been found in at least 60 species, with most examples coming from fishes, amphibians, and insects across latitudinal or altitudinal gradients. Traits that display CnGV most often involve metabolic compensation, that is, the elevation of various physiological rates processes (development, growth, feeding, metabolism, activity) to counteract the dampening effect of reduced temperature, growing season length, or food supply. Far fewer examples of CoGV have been identified (11 species), and these most often involve morphological characters. Increased knowledge of spatial covariance patterns has furthered our understanding of Bergmann size clines, phenotypic plasticity, species range limits, tradeoffs in juvenile growth rate, and the design of conservation strategies for wild species. Moreover, temporal CnGV explains some cases of an apparent lack of phenotypic response to directional selection and provides a framework for predicting evolutionary responses to climate change.
A pantograph linkage parallel platform master hand controller for force-reflection

The authors discuss the kinematics of a serial/parallel six degree-of-freedom generalized hand controller for teleoperation. A description of the device is presented with equations needed for control of a remote manipulator. The pantograph linkages extend the workspace of traditional platform designs, while the parallel structure provides force regulation at the platform that is well suited for force-feedback to a teleoperator. The generalized teleoperator controller described will be part of a larger telerobotics system comprising a radio-controlled robotic arm module with appropriate end-effectors and a general-purpose supervisory controlled system. The robotic system is planned for remote handling of toxic solid and liquid debris. >
Theoretical study of ionization radiation effects on optical fiber parameters

The effect of ionizing radiation on various fiber parameters has been examined. It was demonstrated that when the real refractive index increases, the V number increases as does the numerical aperture. The percentage of power propagating in the cladding decreases with increasing real refractive index. Small changes in the refractive index will induce additional modes to form. The effect of radiation on fiber dispersion was reasoned to be negligible for short lengths of fibers (< 2 km).© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Postwar Exchange-Rate Parities

Experience after the first World War, 113. — I. Two helpful new concepts: general equilibrium, 115; price disparity, 116. — II. The Belgian devaluation of 1935: the problem posed, 117; the index of price disparity, 118; internal disequilibrium, 122; choice of the new rate, 123. — III. The price-disparity approach, 124. — Significance of cost-of-living index, 125. — Alternative measures of price disparity, 127. — A more sensitive index needed, 127. — Problems of comparability, 128. — Key-country indices, 129. — IV. Comparison with purchasing power parity, 131. — Definition of the equilibrium rate, 132. — Relation to state controls, 134. — Conclusion, 135.
Proposal for instruction time objectives

The designer of an instruction processing unit is generally faced with the problem to implement a machine able to execute a given instruction set within given timing and cost constraints. A very common method to state instruction timing constraints is by means of an average instruction time
The Contribution of Crystallinity to Tissue-level Properties in Modern and Fossilized Bone

A range of mineral content values and organization of the collagen and mineral phases are possible contributors to the significant variance demonstrated within the nanomechanical behavior of mineralized tissues. A combined approach using nanoindentation, to assess nanomechanical behavior, and X-ray diffraction, for analysis of crystallinity and composition, were used to investigate a range of modern and fossilized bone samples. This work provides new insight into the functional role of organization and composition of the mineral phase within heterogeneous, mineralized materials of biological origin. While the predominant influence on nanomechanical behavior is made by mineral volume fraction, the crystallinity was shown to play a significant role in the nanomechanical behavior of modern and fossilized bone samples. The interplay between material structure and function will ultimately help to elucidate the relative contributions of various factors to nanomechanical behavior and lead to improved development of biomimetic materials.
Human rights and Sino-US relations: Policies and changing realities

This paper examines disputes over human rights between the United States and China since 1972, with its focus on the period since 1989. The issue of human rights has been intertwined with strategic and economic issues in the Sino-US relationship. This explains why human rights was not treated as an important issue in the 1970s, why it became contentious after the cold war ended, why the Clinton administration decided to delink the human rights issue and most favoured nation (MFN) trade status for China in May 1994 and why the US government has become more muted over human rights in China since mid-1996. But whether human rights tops the diplomatic agenda or falls somewhere down the list, it is and will remain an important issue in the Sino-US relationship. It has a logic of its own, entrenched in domestic politics and cultural values in both nations.
Cancer immunotherapy using a DNA vaccine encoding a single-chain trimer of MHC class I linked to an HPV-16 E6 immunodominant CTL epitope.

The potency of DNA vaccines may be affected by the efficiency of intracellular processing and MHC class I presentation of encoded antigens. Since a single-chain trimer (SCT) composed of peptide, β2-microglobulin (β2m), and MHC class I heavy chain has been shown to bypass antigen processing and lead to stable presentation of peptides, we investigated the efficacy of a DNA vaccine encoding a SCT composed of an immunodominant CTL epitope of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) E6 antigen, β2m, and H-2Kb MHC class I heavy chain (pIRES-E6-β2m-Kb). Transfection of 293 cells with pIRES-E6-β2m-Kb can bypass antigen processing and lead to stable presentation of E6 peptide. Furthermore, C57BL/6 mice vaccinated with pIRES-E6-β2m-Kb exhibited significantly increased E6 peptide-specific CD8+ T-cell immune responses compared to mice vaccinated with DNA encoding wild-type E6. Most importantly, 100% of mice vaccinated with pIRES-E6-β2m-Kb DNA were protected against a lethal challenge of E6-expressing TC-1 tumor cells. In contrast, all mice vaccinated with wild-type E6 DNA or control plasmid DNA grew tumors. Our data indicate that a DNA vaccine encoding a SCT can lead to stable enhanced MHC class I presentation of encoded antigenic peptide and may be useful for improving DNA vaccine potency to control tumors or infectious diseases.
Synthesis of agglutinating substances in adult honeybees against Bacillus larvae

Abstract Adult worker honeybees, Apis mellifera, produced agglutinating substances in response to an injection of a vaccine prepared from Bacillus larvae, the causative organism of American foulbrood (AFB).
On the path from chemistry to neuroscience: Early explorations in chemical medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Erminio Costa, a neuroscientist with a big brain and a bigger heart

In this short note in tribute to Dr. Erminio Costa, I reflect upon the sabbatical period that I spent with him during his early years at the Fidia-Georgetown Institute for the Neurosciences [FGIN] at the Georgetown University Medical Center. I detail some of the interesting projects that we were involved in at that time, that led us to create strong bridges between chemistry and the neurosciences, and that led in turn to the discovery of various classes of interesting molecular tools such as the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor ligand FGIN-1-27.
Sliding HDCA: Single-Trial EEG Classification to Overcome and Quantify Temporal Variability

Patterns of neural data obtained from electroencephalography (EEG) can be classified by machine learning techniques to increase human-system performance. In controlled laboratory settings this classification approach works well; however, transitioning these approaches into more dynamic, unconstrained environments will present several significant challenges. One such challenge is an increase in temporal variability in measured behavioral and neural responses, which often results in suboptimal classification performance. Previously, we reported a novel classification method designed to account for temporal variability in the neural response in order to improve classification performance by using sliding windows in hierarchical discriminant component analysis (HDCA), and demonstrated a decrease in classification error by over 50% when compared to the standard HDCA method (Marathe et al., 2013). Here, we expand upon this approach and show that embedded within this new method is a novel signal transformation that, when applied to EEG signals, significantly improves the signal-to-noise ratio and thereby enables more accurate single-trial analysis. The results presented here have significant implications for both brain-computer interaction technologies and basic science research into neural processes.
Metamagnetic Behavior of Linear Chain Pyridine Compounds: Co(Pyridine) 2 Cl 2 , Fe(Pyridine) 2 Cl 2 , Fe(Pyridine) 2 (NCS) 2 and Ni(Pyridine) 2 Cl 2

Magnetic phase transitions in the pyridine (pyr) compounds Co(pyr)2Cl2, Fe(pyr)2Cl2, Fe(pyr)2(NCS)2 and Ni(pyr)2Cl2 have been observed at applied magnetic fields of ∼0.7, 0.7, 1.1 and 2.7 kG respectively. These low field phase transitions are observed in the Fe and Ni compounds at T = 4.2 K, and in the Co compound at T < 3K, and are consistent with metamagnetic behavior. Magnetic saturation is not achieved in any of these compounds for fields of 60 kG, reflecting high anisotropy.
Dimensions of Racial Ideology: A Study of Urban Black Attitudes

Six dimensions of racial ideology were analyzed based on interview data from 1934 blacks in a northern city and a southern city. Blacks who favor separatism tend to be more alienated, fearful of race genocide, race conscious, and supportive of racial violence than those who endorse interracial cooperation. An orientation of suspiciousness, distrust, and estrangement toward white society was particularly evident in the sentiments of blacks who reside in a northern city, are under age 30, and have low socioeconomic status. Moreover, younger persons and males are substantially more in favor of racial violence than older persons and females. The view that less privileged blacks are more conservative in their assessment of race relations and the view that the depressed ghetto experience restricts their knowledge about and responses to racial subjugation are not upheld in this study.
Non-abelian paracurrents and their generalizations☆

Abstract Extending earlier work, the classical algebra of parafermions (paracurrents) of non-abelian coset models in quantized. The problems connected with non-associativity are resolved by generalizing the concept of factorization. Conformal generators are constructed and the associated conformal algebra with correct central charge is reproduced. It is also shown how to generalize the paracurrent algebra to arrive at new conformal models.
Parental educational level, gender differences, and seniors' aspirations for advanced study

Many factors affect an undergraduate student's postbaccalaureate plans. Academic interests, career-related factors, finances, and various psychological and sociological factors all have been found to be related to interest in advanced education. Few studies, however, are gender-specific in examining the relation of parental educational attainment to their children's aspirations. Such data would be helpful in the attempts to understand the continued underrepresentation of women in most fields requiring advanced degrees. All seniors at a large Midwestern university with at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average planning to graduate in spring or summer of 1986 were sent questionnaires dealing with their postgraduation plans. Of these 1900 surveys, 791 (42%) were returned. Results reported here examine the relation of future educational plans to gender of student, educational level of parent, and field of study. A modeling effect not noted in previous literature is discussed.
Scalable stochastic optimization of complex energy systems

We present a scalable approach and implementation for solving stochastic programming problems, with application to the optimization of complex energy systems under uncertainty. Stochastic programming is used to make decisions in the present while incorporating a model of uncertainty about future events (scenarios). These problems present serious computational difficulties as the number of scenarios becomes large and the complexity of the system and planning horizons increase, necessitating the use of parallel computing. Our novel hybrid parallel implementation PIPS is based on interior-point methods and uses a Schur complement technique to obtain a scenario-based decomposition of the linear algebra. PIPS is applied to a stochastic economic dispatch problem that uses hourly wind forecasts and a detailed physical power flow model. Solving this problem is necessary for efficient integration of wind power with the Illinois power grid and real-time energy market. Strong scaling efficiency of 96% is obtained on 32 racks (131,072 cores) of the "Intrepid" Blue Gene/P system at Argonne National Laboratory.
Evolution of ultrasonic signalling in wax moths: discrimination of ultrasonic mating calls from bat echolocation signals and the exploitation of an antipredator receiver bias by sexual advertisement

Pair formation in the lesser wax moth, Achroia grisella (Lepidoptera Pyralidae), is accomplished via male-produced pulses (100 µsec) of ultrasound (100 kHz) attractive to females. A. grisella are sensitive to a wide range of ultrasonic frequencies, enabling them to hear the echolocation signals of both aerialhawking and substrate-gleaning bats. Both flying and running moths exhibit defensive behaviors, dropping to the ground and cessation of locomotion, respectively, in response to simulated bat echolocations. We determined that female A. grisella discriminate the mating signals of advertising males from bat echolocations on the basis of the faster pulse rates (> 60 sec−1) of mating signals. Terrestrial defensive behavior is elicited by a slow rate of lengthy (≥ 1 msec) pulses, features of most searching phase bat echolocations. Unlike other insects that perceive and evade insectivorous bats, the perception of and negative responses to predators probably preceded acoustic signalling in A. grisella and oth...
Lithium and protein kinase C modulators regulate swelling-activated K-Cl cotransport and reveal a complete phosphatidylinositol cycle in low K sheep erythrocytes.

K-Cl cotransport (COT), a ouabain-insensitive, Cl-dependent bidirectional K flux, is ubiquitously present in all cells, plays a major role in ion and volume homeostasis, and is activated by cell swelling and a variety of chemical interventions. Lithium modulates several cation transport pathways and inhibits phospholipid turnover in red blood cells (RBCs). Lithium also inhibits K-Cl COT by an unknown mechanism. To test the hypothesis whereby Li inhibits swelling-activated K-Cl COT by altering either its osmotic response, its regulation, or by competing with K for binding sites, low K (LK) sheep (S) RBCs were loaded with Li by Na/Li exchange or the cation ionophore nystatin. K-Cl COT was measured as the Cl-dependent, ouabain-insensitive K efflux or Rb influx. The results show that Li altered the cell morphology, and increased both cell volume and diameter. Internal (Li i ) but not external (Li o ) Li inhibited swelling-activated K-Cl COT by 85% with an apparent K i of ∼7 mm. In Cl, Li i decreased K efflux at relative cell volumes between 0.9 and 1.2, and at external pHs between 7.2 and 7.4. Li i reduced the V max and increased the K m for K efflux in Cl. Furthermore, Li i increased the production of diacylglycerol in a bimodal fashion, without significant effects on the phosphatidylinositol concentration, and revealed the presence of a complete PI cycle in LK SRBCs. Finally, phorbol ester treatment and PD89059, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK2) kinase, caused a time-dependent inhibition of K-Cl COT. Hence, Li i appears to inhibit K-Cl COT by acting at an allosteric site on the transporter or its putative regulators, and by modulation of the cellular phospholipid metabolism and a PKC-dependent regulatory pathway, causes an altered response of K-Cl COT to pH and volume.
Evaluation of an Afterschool Children's Healthy Eating and Exercise Program

Background : The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of the Childrenâ€™s Healthy Eating and Exercise Program (CHEE) in an afterschool program of an elementary school. Methods : Students in a low-income elementary school were recruited to participate in the program. Thirty-three children were in the intervention group. Twenty-four children in the comparison group were recruited from after school clubs in the same elementary school. The CHEE Program consisted of 18 sessions, featuring nutrition (20 min) and physical activity (40 min) lessons. Nutrition lessons were adapted from the Traffic Light Diet. Other lessons included MyPlate, my refrigerator, my lunchbox, and a healthy foods tasting activity. Multiple physical activities were utilized in the program including soccer, dance, relay races, tag, and other fun games. Data were collected at the beginning and end of the program. Results : Children in both groups reported eating more vegetables at the post-intervention measurement. Children in the intervention group indicated that they learned about healthy eating and new physical activities due to their participation in the program. Conclusions : Future studies are needed to discover barriers to behavior change as well as apply a more rigorous design to examine the impact of the CHEE Program.
Calorimetric heats of adsorption at the silica/isooctane interface

Abstract The heats of immersion of a well-characterized mesoporous silica gel (Davisil 62) in solutions of six organic compounds (2-methylnaphthalene, benzothiophene, 2-methylbenzothiophene, pyridine, isoquinoline, and quinaldine) in isooctane (2,2,4-trimethylpentane) have been measured as a function of surface coverage by batch solution microcalorimetry. Adsorption isotherms at the silica/isooctane interface were obtained by conventional surface excess methods. The heat of adsorption of gaseous pyridine on silica was derived by correcting the heat of adsorption from the liquid for the bulk heats of mixing and phase change and the measured heats of wetting of silica covered with varioius preadsorbed amounts of pyridine in pyridine/isooctane solution. Connection was then made to the gas-phase adsorption data available for pyridine by the use of a rigorous thermodynamioc cycle. All of the compounds studied appeared to have site-limited adsorption (∼ 1 adsorbate per 2 surface silanol groups). 2-Methylnaphthalene and its sulfur aromatic analogs had very similar isotherms and low heats of adsorption from isooctane, in agreement with chromatographic experience. The one- and two-ring N-bases had high adsorption heats from isooctane which varied strongly with coverage (pyridine) or with adsorbate size (pyridine vs two-ring). It is argued, based upon the heats and entropies of adsorption, that the optimum hydrogen bond is the plane of the silica surface and that the observed large adsorbate steric effect reflected the geometry sensitivity of the hydrogen bond.
Repeat Citizens in Motor Vehicle Stops: A Black Experience

ABSTRACT This paper explores the possible existence of the repeat phenomenon and their impact on racial disparities in police motor vehicle stops. The repeat phenomenon is the existence of a small proportion of people or places that account for a much larger proportion of events. While this phenomenon has been identified and discussed in other areas of criminal justice and criminology, it has not been extended to motor vehicle stops. The current study examines the existence of repeat citizens in a population of motor vehicle stops (N = 4775) from a Mid-western city during 2001. A small, but significant, concentration of motor vehicle stops were discovered among a few citizens and significant predictors of citizen performance included citizen race, gender, age, residency, time of the stop, and reason for the stop.
Ecological selection as the cause and sexual differentiation as the consequence of species divergence

Key conceptual issues about speciation go unanswered without consideration of non-mutually exclusive factors. With tests based on speciation theory, we exploit the island distribution and habitat differences exhibited by the Caribbean cricket Amphiacusta sanctaecrucis, and with an analysis of divergent ecological selection, sexually selected differentiation and geographical isolation, address how these different factors interact. After testing for divergent selection by comparing neutral genetic and morphological divergence in one ecological (mandible shape) and one sexual (male genitalia shape) trait, we examine whether ecological or sexual selection is the primary mechanism driving population divergence. We find that all three factors—isolation, ecological and sexual selection—contribute to divergence, and that their interaction determines the stage of completeness achieved during the speciation process, as measured by patterns of genetic differentiation. Moreover, despite the striking diversity in genitalic shapes across the genus Amphiacusta, which suggests that sexual selection drives speciation, the significant differences in genitalia shape between forest habitats revealed here implies that ecological divergence may be the primary axis of divergence. Our work highlights critical unstudied aspects in speciation—differentiating the cause from the consequence of divergence—and suggests avenues for further disentangling the roles of natural and sexual selection in driving divergence in Amphiacusta.