cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recurrent and persistence primary hyperparathyroidism occurs more frequently in patients with double adenomas.

Abstract Introduction The incidence of recurrent primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) had been reported to be between 1% and 10%. The purpose of this study was to examine if patients with multigland disease have a different recurrence rate. Methodology A retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database was performed on patients with PHPT who underwent parathyroidectomy at one institution between 2001 and 2013. Patients who underwent initial parathyroidectomy with at least 6 mo of follow-up were included and were divided into three groups according to operative notes: single adenoma (SA), double adenoma (DA), and hyperplasia (HP). An elevated postoperative serum calcium level within 6 mo of surgery was defined as a persistent disease, whereas an elevated calcium after 6 mo was defined as a recurrence. Results In total, 1402 patients met inclusion criteria, and the success rate of parathyroidectomy was 98.4%. The mean age was 60 ± 14 y and 78.5% were female. Among them, 1097 patients (78%) had SA, 124 patients (9%) had DA, and 181 patients had HP (13%). The rate of persistent PHPT was higher among patients with DA (4%) versus SA (1.3%) and HP (2.2%) (P = 0.0049). Moreover, the recurrence rate was higher among patients with DA (7.3%) versus SA (1.7%) and HP (4.4%) (P = 0.0005) with identical median follow-up time. The median of the follow-up was 11 mo for patients with SA, 12.5 for patients with DA, and 12 for patients with HP (P = 0.1603). Conclusions Recurrent and persistent PHPT occur more frequently in patients with DA. These data suggest that DA in some cases could represent asymmetric or asynchronous hyperplasia. Therefore, patients with DA may warrant more rigorous intraoperative scrutiny and more vigilant monitoring after parathyroidectomy.
Tetraspan cargo adaptors usher GPI-anchored proteins into multivesicular bodies.

Ubiquitinated membrane proteins are sorted into intralumenal endosomal vesicles on their way for degradation in lysosomes. Here we summarize the discovery of the Cos proteins, which work to organize and segregate ubiquitinated cargo prior to its incorporation into intralumenal vesicles of the multivesicular body (MVB). Importantly, cargoes such as GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) that cannot undergo ubiquitination, rely entirely on Cos proteins for sorting into intralumenal vesicles using the same pathway that depends on ESCRTs and ubiquitin ligases that typical polytopic membrane proteins do. Here we show Cos proteins provide functions as not only adaptor proteins for ubiquitin ligases, but also as cargo carriers that can physically usher a variety of other proteins into the MVB pathway. We then discuss the significance of this new sorting model and the broader implications for this cargo adaptor mechanism, whereby yeast Cos proteins, and their likely animal analogs, provide a ubiquitin sorting signal in ...
Genome Sequences of Streptomyces Phages Amela and Verse

This article describes Amela and Verse, two Streptomyces phages isolated by enrichment on Streptomyces venezuelae (ATCC 10712) from two different soil samples.
Mediators of the relation between community violence and sexual risk behavior among adults attending a public sexually transmitted infection clinic

Prior research shows that violence is associated with sexual risk behavior, but little is known about the relation between community violence (i.e., violence that is witnessed or experienced in one's neighborhood) and sexual risk behavior. To better understand contextual influences on HIV risk behavior, we asked 508 adult patients attending a publicly funded STI clinic in the U.S. (54 % male, M age = 27.93, 68 % African American) who were participating in a larger trial to complete a survey assessing exposure to community violence, sexual risk behavior, and potential mediators of the community violence-sexual risk behavior relation (i.e., mental health, substance use, and experiencing intimate partner violence). A separate sample of participants from the same trial completed measures of sexual behavior norms, which were aggregated to create measures of census tract sexual behavior norms. Data analyses controlling for socioeconomic status revealed that higher levels of community violence were associated with more sexual partners for men and with more episodes of unprotected sex with non-steady partners for women. For both men and women, substance use and mental health mediated the community violence-sexual risk behavior relation; in addition, for men only, experiencing intimate partner violence also mediated this relation. These results confirm that, for individuals living in communities with high levels of violence, sexual risk reduction interventions need to address intimate partner violence, substance use, and mental health to be optimally effective.
Quantitative aspects of the inhibition of anaphylactic shock in guinea pigs.

Summary and ConclusionsThe L. D.100dose of a solution of hen egg white by intracardial injection was determined for a group of actively sensitized guinea pigs. It was found that 5 to 10 mg of pyribenzamine or benadryl injected intraperitoneally between 10 and 30 minutes before giving the shocking dose protected the animals against approximately 8 L. D.100 doses of the antigen while injection of 10 or more L. D.100 doses resulted in rapid death with symptoms indistinguishable from the control animals. If 6 or less L. D.100 doses were given, no symptoms were noted in the protected group.These results seem to indicate that the socalled anti-histaminic drugs do exert a protective influence, quantitative in nature, against anaphylaxis in the actively sensitized guinea pig. This fact might well be expected since a similar quantitative protection is obtained with these drugs against histamine shock.1,2,3 The modifying action of these drugs again seems in accord with the theory that histamine plays a major role i...
Boomerang Flight Tests

Flight trajectories for a small three-winged boomerang have been collected using off-body measurement techniques. A thorough investigation of a conventional (returning) boomerang flight is presented, and results show the bank angle, translational velocity, and rotational velocity all decrease throughout the flight. Methods were implemented to define the initial conditions at which the boomerang was thrown, and results indicate the success of a flight is dependent on not only initial translational velocity, rotational velocity, and bank angle (as previously known) but also on the initial elevation angle. Three-dimensional curvature was calculated and remains nearly constant during the flight, which indicates a flight path trajectory similar to a line on a surface of sphere as opposed to an ellipsoid. Aerodynamic forces and moments including lift, drag, and rotational torque were calculated for the experimental data, and the dependencies of the three forces and moments upon various parameters were computed; results indicate lift and drag are primarily a function of V 2 with a secondary dependency upon ω2. Rotational torque is highly dependent upon both V 2 and the boomerang orientation ψ . Experimental data are compared to previously-developed analytical models for flight path radius, trim conditions, and necessary initial conditions for a successful flight. Variants on a conventional boomerang flight are presented, and differences between these flights and a conventional flight are presented.
GAT-1 and reversible GABA transport in Bergmann glia in slices.

Although glial GABA uptake and release have been studied in vitro, GABA transporters (GATs) have not been characterized in glia in slices. Whole cell patch-clamp recordings were obtained from Bergm...
Comparison of Intravenous Anesthetic Agents for the Treatment of Refractory Status Epilepticus

Status epilepticus that cannot be controlled with first- and second-line agents is called refractory status epilepticus (RSE), a condition that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Most experts agree that treatment of RSE necessitates the use of continuous infusion intravenous anesthetic drugs such as midazolam, propofol, pentobarbital, thiopental, and ketamine, each of which has its own unique characteristics. This review compares the various anesthetic agents while providing an approach to their use in adult patients, along with possible associated complications.
Cell-Free Protein Synthesis as a Promising Expression System for Recombinant Proteins

Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) has major advantages over traditional cell-based methods in the capability of high-throughput protein synthesis and special protein production. During recent decades, CFPS has become an alternative protein production platform for both fundamental and applied purposes. Using Renilla luciferase as model protein, we describe a typical process of CFPS in wheat germ extract system, including wheat germ extract preparation, expression vector construction, in vitro protein synthesis (transcription/translation), and target protein assay.
Adipogenic Differentiation of Thyroid Cancer Cells Through the Pax8-PPARγ Fusion Protein Is Regulated by Thyroid Transcription Factor 1 (TTF-1).

A subset of thyroid carcinomas contains a t(2;3)(q13;p25) chromosomal translocation that fuses paired box gene 8 (PAX8) with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ gene (PPARG), resulting in expression of a PAX8-PPARγ fusion protein, PPFP. We previously generated a transgenic mouse model of PPFP thyroid carcinoma and showed that feeding the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone greatly decreased the size of the primary tumor and prevented metastatic disease in vivo. The antitumor effect correlates with the fact that pioglitazone turns PPFP into a strongly PPARγ-like molecule, resulting in trans-differentiation of the thyroid cancer cells into adipocyte-like cells that lose malignant character as they become more differentiated. To further study this process, we performed cell culture experiments with thyrocytes from the PPFP mouse thyroid cancers. Our data show that pioglitazone induced cellular lipid accumulation and the expression of adipocyte marker genes in the cultured cells, and shRNA knockdown of PPFP eliminated this pioglitazone effect. In addition, we found that PPFP and thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) physically interact, and that these transcription factors bind near each other on numerous target genes. TTF-1 knockdown and overexpression studies showed that TTF-1 inhibits PPFP target gene expression and impairs adipogenic trans-differentiation. Surprisingly, pioglitazone repressed TTF-1 expression in PPFP-expressing thyrocytes. Our data indicate that TTF-1 interacts with PPFP to inhibit the pro-adipogenic response to pioglitazone, and that the ability of pioglitazone to decrease TTF-1 expression contributes to its pro-adipogenic action.
A highly efficient mm-wave CMOS SOI power amplifier

Three mm-wave power amplifiers (PAs), each with 6 stacked transistors, are implemented in Global Foundries 45 nm CMOS SOI technology. As experimentally demonstrated, the design with two triple-Cascode cells with combined transistor layouts achieves the best power performance among the three designs. It achieves a power-added efficiency (PAE) of higher than 40% at 46 GHz and a relatively good power performance from 42 to 54 GHz. At 46 GHz the PA, biased under 6 V, measures a saturated output power (PSAT) of 22.4 dBm, a linear gain of 17.4 dB, a peak PAE of 42%, and a drain efficiency (DE) of 49%. Under a smaller supply voltage of 4.8 V, PSAT is reduced to 20 dBm while DE and peak PAE increase to 53% and 45%, respectively.
Effect of Prior Mental or Physical Fatigue on the Biomechanical Response During a Lifting Task

Repetitive lifting is a requirement in many occupations and often leads to prevalent and costly back injuries. What is unknown is how fatigue, whether mental or physical, occurring before the primary lifting task impacts the biomechanical response during the task. Study participants completed three lifting tasks with prior mental fatigue (Stroop test), prior physical fatigue (running on a treadmill), or no prior fatigue. Electromyography (EMG) was used to measure muscle activity and fatigue, and Borg’s Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) was also assessed. Muscle activation data and RPE data indicated that both prior mental and physical fatigue increases muscle activation and perceived exertion.
Piezo1 Channels are Inherently Mechanosensitive

The conversion of mechanical force to chemical signals is critical for many biological processes, including the sense of touch, pain, and hearing. Mechanosensitive ion channels play a key role in sensing the mechanical stimuli experienced by various cell types, and are present in bacteria to mammals. Bacterial mechanosensitive channels are characterized thoroughly, but less is known about their counterparts in vertebrates. Piezos have been recently established as ion channels required for mechanotransduction in disparate cell types in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of Piezos in heterologous cells gives rise to large mechanically activated currents; however, it is unclear whether Piezos are inherently mechanosensitive or rely on alternate cellular components to sense mechanical stimuli. Here we show that mechanical perturbations of the lipid bilayer alone are sufficient to activate Piezo channels, illustrating their innate ability as molecular force transducers.
Dose Escalation of Total Marrow Irradiation in High-Risk Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Abstract Patients with refractory leukemia or minimal residual disease (MRD) at transplantation are at increased risk of relapse. Augmentation of irradiation, especially to sites of disease (ie, bone marrow) is one potential strategy for overcoming this risk. We studied the feasibility of radiation dose escalation in high-risk patients using total marrow irradiation (TMI) in a phase I dose-escalation trial. Four pediatric and 8 adult patients received conditioning with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine in conjunction with image-guided radiation to the bone marrow at 15 Gy and 18 Gy (in 3-Gy fractions), while maintaining the total body irradiation (TBI) dose to the vital organs (lungs, hearts, eyes, liver, and kidneys) at
A systematic review of treatments for problem gambling

Gambling problems impact 0.2%-4.0% of the population, and research related to treating gambling has burgeoned in the last decades. This article reviews trials for psychosocial treatments of gambling problems. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Standards, we identified 21 randomized trials. Eleven studies evaluated interventions delivered via multisession, in-person therapy: cognitive therapies, cognitive-behavioral (CB) therapies, and motivational interventions (MI) alone or with CB therapies. An additional 10 studies used approaches that involved 1 or fewer in-person sessions; these included workbooks with CB exercises alone or in combination with MI and brief feedback or advice interventions. Although most studies found some benefits of CB therapy (alone or combined with MI) and brief feedback or advice relative to the control condition in the short term, only a handful of studies demonstrated any long-term benefits. Nearly half the studies used waitlist controls, precluding an understanding of long-term efficacy, and standardized outcomes measures are also lacking. Populations also differ markedly across studies, from nontreatment-seeking persons who screened positive for gambling problems to those with severe gambling disorder, and these discrepant populations may require different interventions. Although problem gamblers with less pronounced symptoms may benefit from very minimal interventions, therapist contact generally improved outcomes relative to entirely self-directed interventions, and at least some therapist contact may be necessary for patients with more severe gambling pathology to benefit from CB interventions. As treatment services for gambling continue to grow, this review provides timely information on best practices for gambling treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record
Activity based checkpoints ensure circuit stability in the olfactory system

Olfactory circuits function at birth, yet are continuously remodeled through the integration of adult-born interneurons into the olfactory bulb in a manner that preserves olfactory perceptual stability throughout adult life. The mechanisms that ensure appropriate circuit stability in this dynamic context remain poorly understood. Since interneurons sculpt the excitatory output of mitral and tufted (MT) neurons to the olfactory cortex, we predicted that MT neurons might instruct interneuron wiring in the adult brain. By blocking synaptic transmission from MT neurons we show that MT neuronal activity is critical to maintain olfactory bulb integrity and interneuron survival. Blocking interneuron death uncovered a second activity-dependent checkpoint regulating dendrite branching. In contrast, cortical circuits and MT neurons remain stable in the face of these silent and degenerating olfactory circuits. These studies identify a circuit-specific role for non-sensory activity in regulating integration of neurons into the adult brain, as predicted by previous computational models.
Role of handedness on forearm skin tissue dielectric constant (TDC) in relation to detection of early-stage breast cancer-related lymphedema

Summary skin tissue dielectric constant (TDC) measurements help assess local skin water to detect incipient early-stage lymphedema subsequent to breast cancer treatment-related lymphedema. However, presurgery measurements are not always obtained and assessments for evolving lymphedema are only made after surgery. Thus, subsequent TDC assessments may be biased in an unknown way dependent on a patient's handedness in relation to the at-risk arm. We investigated this issue by comparing TDC values in dominant and non-dominant volar forearms of 31 left-handed women and 31 right-handed women (age range 24–84 years). Body fat and water percentages were assessed by bioimpedance at 50 KHz. Results showed that TDC values of dominant versus non-dominant arms did not significantly differ for left-handers or for right-handers. There was also no statistically significant difference in absolute TDC values between left- and right-handers or a statistically significant difference in dominant-to-non-dominant arm ratios between left- and right-handers. For the composite data set (N = 62), TDC values for dominant and non-dominant arms were, respectively, 30·0 ± 4·6 and 29·6 ± 4·2 and the dominant-to-non-dominant arm TDC ratio for combined left- and right-handers was 1·015 ± 0·075. These results suggest that handedness is not a major factor when assessing lymphedema status in women who have previously been treated for breast cancer but for whom pretreatment TDCvalues have not been obtained. Moreover, these results suggest that threshold ratios of incipient subclinical unilateral lymphedema based on interarm TDC ratios apply independent of a patient's handedness for the site and tissue depths herein measured.
Integrin alpha v (Αν) expression on dendritic cells identifies a subset with unique antigen presentating activity following adenoviral transduction

4242 Dendritic cells (DC) play a central role in presenting antigens and activating immune responses. Adenoviral (AdV) vectors have been used as a method for targeting DC to stimulate transgene-sepcific vaccine responses. However, DC lack high affinity CAR receptors and integrin receptors [ανβ3 and ανβ5, binds to Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence] primarily mediate their transduction. In the present study we evaluated the expression of alpha v (αν) integrin (CD51) on mouse bone marrow derived DC (BM-DC) to determine whether expression of this integrin identifies a distinct DC subset with unique antigen presenting activity. 20-25% of CD11c+ BM-DC expressed αν integrin receptor (αν+ DC) when stained by specific antibody. These αν+ DC also expressed high level of β3 integrins, whereas αν- DC expressed low level of β3 integrins. The MHC class I, MHC class II and co-stimulatory molecules (B7.1, B7.2) were expressed equally on both the DC subsets. Transduction of BM-DC by a first generation AdV (AdV-GFP) revealed that αν+DC are preferentially transduced by AdV (Mean Fluorescent Intensity (MFI): 74) whereas αν- DC are not (MFI 19). An AdV vector that was designed to express an RGD sequence in the fiber knob (RGD-AdV-GFP) produced even better transduction of αν+ DC (MFI: 794) and partial transduction of αν- DC (MFI: 133). Transduction of BM-DC by AdV was shown to be RGD-dependent by using exogenous RGD peptide as a specific inhibitor. In order to assess these two different DC subsets for their antigen presenting activity, BM-DC were transduced with AdV expressing ova-albumin (AdV-OVA) and sorted into either αν+ DC or αν-DC by flow cytometry. DC were then cultured with OVA specific OT-I T cells in vitro and proliferation measured as an indicator of antigen-presenting efficiency. The αν+ DC subset was 2-3 fold more efficient in OVA-specific antigen presentation than αν- DC. Transduction of these DC subsets by AdV produced minor changes in MHC class I, Class II and costimulatory molecules. These DC subsets were also evaluated for their ability to stimulate allogenic T cell responses. Control αν+ DC, prior to transduction, induced lower allostimulatory activity than αv- DC. When BM-DC were transduced with AdV, the αν+DC remained weak stimulators whereas the allostimulatory activity of αν- DC increased by 3 fold. This study indicates that BM-derived DC can be classified into two subsets on the basis of their αν integrin expression (αν+ DC and αν- DC); which differ markedly in their transduction by AdV, presentation of transgene antigen, and allostimulatory capacity.
Commentary on Celia Iriart and Emerson Elias Merhy: “Inter-capitalistic disputes, biomedicalization and hegemonic medical model”

“Inter-capitalistic disputes, biomedicalization and hegemonic medical model”Comentarios sobre o texto de Iriart e Merhy: “Disputas inter-capitalistas, biomedicalizacao e modelo medico hegemonico”Comentarios sobre el texto de Iriart y Merhy: “Disputas inter-capitalistas, biomedicalizacion y modelo medico hegemonico”
The History of Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia

Abstract Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) owing to 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) is a disorder of adrenal steroidogenesis, which causes virilization of external genitalia in females affected with the severe form of the disease. However, genital ambiguity is preventable with prenatal treatment with dexamethasone during the first trimester. While prenatal treatment has remained largely unchanged since its institution, prenatal diagnosis of CAH has witnessed a number of advancements in the past 50 years. The first successful prenatal diagnosis utilized hormonal measurements of the amniotic fluid. Elevated levels of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone in the amniotic fluid became diagnostic for a fetus affected with the severe form of the disorder. This finding was followed by the discovery of the close linkage between the disease and the HLA complex, which led to HLA linkage studies as a second approach for prenatal diagnosis. Cloning of the CYP21A2 gene ushered in molecular genetic analysis as the third method for prenatal diagnosis. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods to amplify the CYP21A2 active gene, and not the CYP21A1P pseudogene, diagnostic procedures increased in specificity and led to accurate prenatal diagnosis in the first trimester. The advent of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis heralds a new development for prenatal diagnosis of CAH, with the potential for improved safety, earlier detection, and increased accessibility.
The Center for Chinese Music and Culture, Middle Tennessee State University

The Center for Chinese Music and Culture (CCMC) at Middle Tennessee State University holds a musical instrument gallery, library, archives, and classrooms. The Center’s activities include exhibitin...
Comparative investigation of porous nano-hydroxyapaptite/chitosan, nano-zirconia/chitosan and novel nano-calcium zirconate/chitosan composite scaffolds for their potential applications in bone regeneration.

Abstract Zirconium (Zr) based bioceramic nanoparticles, as the filler material to chitosan (CS), for the development of composite scaffolds are less studied compared to hydroxyapatite nanoparticles. This is predominantly due to the biological similarity of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA; Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) with bone inorganic component. In this study, we compared the physical and biological properties of CS composite scaffolds hybridized with nHA, nano-zirconia (nZrO; ZrO2), and nano-calcium zirconate (nCZ; CaZrO3). For the first time in this study, the properties of CS-nCZ composite scaffolds have been reported. The porous composite scaffolds were developed using the freeze-drying technique. The compressive strength and modulus were in the range of 50–55 KPa and 0.75–0.95 MPa for composite scaffolds, significantly higher (p
Flame-etched carbon nanofibers

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the preparation of flame-etched carbon nanofibers. The advantages in the preparation of flame-etched carbon fiber electrodes are that they can be easily obtained at minimal cost and with short fabrication times. Borosilicate tubes of 1.0 mm outer diameter and 0.58 mm inner diameter are immersed in 0.5 M HNO3 for 15 min and sonicated for 10 min in deionized water. The tubes are then pulled using a laser pipet puller. This yields micropipet tips with inner diameters of approximately 20 μm and tapers that are approximately 0.5 cm in length. Approximately 1 cm of a 10 μm diameter carbon fiber is attached to one end of a straight nickel-chromium (Ni–Cr) wire using a small amount of silver epoxy and cured in an oven for 45 min at 100°C. The wire/fiber assembly is then manually inserted into the top of the micropipet and pushed through so that approximately 3 mm of the fiber protrudes from the micropipet tip. At that point, epoxy cement is applied for sealing the other side of the capillary to form a stable connection between the Ni–Cr wire and the glass. The capillary is then sealed around the carbon fiber using a cool low oxygen natural gas flame. The part of the carbon fiber that protrudes from the glass pipet is then flame etched in an oxygen-rich natural gas flame. To probe for pinholes in the electrophoretic paint insulation, the carbon nanofiber electrodes are tested with a scanning electrochemical microscope. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is effective in characterizing the geometry, radius, and shape of the flame-etched carbon nanofiber.
Integrated Utility Communications and Distribution Automation; Building the Framework for Differentiated Products

Today, utilities are facing increasing pressures of deregulation, competition, changing business conditions and varying customer requirements.
Viral vaccines under development: a third generation.

These are exciting times in virology, immunology and molecular biology, and there is a brisk pace of advance in the basic sciences which provide tools for vaccine development. Additionally, the brilliant success of vaccines created in the fifties and sixties has spawned a host of attempts to apply active immunization principles to the prevention of numerous viral diseases which still evade efforts at control. Partial reviews of current vaccine candidates have appeared in profusion in recent months, and so I have modified my initial purpose for this presentation. Rather than attempting a compendious “state of the art” effort concerning the candidate vaccines themselves, my aim here will be twofold. First, I wish to highlight some of the recent scientific advances which can and/or should be elements in rational vaccine development. Second, I will assess several of the current candidate vaccines in the context of new knowledge with the goal of identifying factors that constitute limits to their further improvement. I should in good conscience confess at the outset that my attention to cell substrates per se will be somewhat peripheral except as I perceive them to be the central factor which limits progress in a given context.
The Steps of Evidence-Based Practice in Clinical Practice: An Overview

We have seen that the evidence-based medicine (EBM) and evidence-based practice (EBP) movements follow the overall goals of Dr. Archibald Cochrane who sought to increase the use of effective treatments while reducing the use of ineffective and harmful treatments. In addition, EBP is usefully understood via three different perspectives in the social work and the allied professional literature. As such, the focus of EBP discussion will differ based on the perspectives of (1) clinical practitioners, (2) researchers, and (3) funders or program administrators. While these different audiences all are key parts of the EBP movement, their specific purposes vary widely.
The Structure of Global Law: Fracture, Fluidity, Permeability, and Polycentricity

Global law can be understood as the systematization of anarchy, as the management of a loosely intertwined universe of autonomous governance frameworks operating dynamically across borders and grounded in functional differentiation among governance communities. Global law is a way of pointing to an emerging universe of systems that share characteristics and whose interactions lend them to organization; it is the as the law of non-state governance systems. The structure of global law can be understood as an amalgamation of four fundamental characteristics that together define a new order in form that is, in some respects, the antithesis of the orderliness and unity of the law-state system it will displace (though not erase). The essay considers the structure of global law in this context, understood as an amalgamation of four fundamental characteristics that together define a new order in form that is, in some respects, the antithesis of the orderliness and unity of the law-state system it will displace (though not erase). These four fundamental characteristics — fracture, fluidity, permeability, and polycentricity — comprise the fundamental structure of global law. Fracture, fluidity, permeability and polycentricity are the basic characteristics of global law, the systematization of which marks its field boundaries. These also serve as the structural foundations of its constitutional element, its substantive element, and its process element. From that systematization one can derive a method of theorizing the emerging framework of the unity of disunity in governance, in which law and governance systems multiply within a discernible internal logic, while the objects of regulation remain constant. This essay continues work on the evolution of a "law" beyond that of the domestic legal orders of states and the international law frameworks that serve as an expression of state based collective governance. To that extent, it seeks to liberate theory both from the ideological constraints of the state system and as well from the limitations of earlier work in transnational law. To consider the possibility of global law, of law/governance beyond the state, it is necessary to avoid attaching its framework either to the state or to law (as traditionally and narrowly understood as a product of the state).
Origins of the Crisis in Asia

It has proven difficult to find a consistent pattern of fundamentals leading up to recent crises in emerging markets. The simple story of a government living beyond its means until the private sector cuts off its access to credit does not seem to fit the Asian tigers. Moreover, the apparent spread of trouble from one emerging market to the next seems unrelated to common problems arising within the individual economies. The inability to understand the disease or its contagion has led many economists and policy-makers to guess that some inherent weakness in private international capital markets accounts for these events. This interpretation has always found a sympathetic audience among policy makers that naturally prefer to believe that the markets are behaving badly rather than the governments they are sometimes called upon to defend. These sentiments have been given very substantial intellectual support by the development of multiple equilibrium models of crises. In these analytic frameworks costly bouts of illiquidity and crisis can be driven by shifts in investors’ expectations that are unrelated to economic fundamentals. The paper circulated with my remarks for this conference (Dooley 1997) swims against this stream in that it argues that it is not necessary to abandon a traditional first-generation model of speculative attacks in order to understand recent crises in emerging markets. In my remarks I want to focus on what is at stake in determining which approach better fits the facts.
Optimum Launch-Taper Matching Technique for mm-Wave Applications

An optimum launch-taper matching technique at mm-wave band is presented in this paper. End launch connectors are used to excite the feeding trace, and may lead to a short-circuit condition under certain situations; thus, degrading the matching at the feeding point. The short-circuit condition happens when the width of the feeding trace is greater than the diameter of the connector's dielectric. In this paper, an optimized tapered matching technique is proposed to attain good matching. The work is presented for Ka-band (26.5-40 GHz) using different substrate materials to encounter the problems faced during the excitation of different antennas. Measured results of fabricated prototypes agree very well with simulated ones.
Author Correction: A technology-forcing approach to reduce nitrogen pollution

In the version of this Perspective originally published, in the last paragraph of the section ‘The US corn sector’, there was an incorrect mention of Fig. 3; it should have referred to Fig. 2. This has now been corrected. The Supplementary Information has also been updated to provide absolute numbers for avoided N pollution as calculated in the main text.
Optimized light delivery probe using ball lenses for co-registered photoacoustic and ultrasound endo-cavity subsurface imaging

Abstract An optimized hand-held photoacoustic and ultrasound probe suitable for endo-cavity tumor subsurface imaging was designed and evaluated. Compared to previous designs, the prototype probe, consisting of four 1 mm multi-mode optical fibers attached with 1.5 mm diameter ball-shaped fiber tips sandwiched between a transvaginal ultrasound transducer and a custom-made sheath, demonstrated a higher light output and better beam homogeneity on tissue subsurface. The output power and fluence profile were simulated for different design parameters. A camera recorded fluence profiles through calibrated intralipid solution at various imaging depths. The light delivery efficiency was experimentally compared with and without the ball lenses, based on ex-vivo imaging of human colorectal cancer and in-vivo imaging of a palmar vein proximal to the human wrist. The simulations and experiments demonstrated that ball-shaped fiber tip design can achieve homogeneous fluence distribution on tissue subsurface with acceptable light output efficiency, suggesting its clinical potential for in-vivo endo-cavity imaging.
I Want You Back: The Interplay Between Legal Availability and Movie Piracy

Although it is well known in the academic literature that anti-piracy measures can reduce the demand for pirated content, there are relatively few papers analyzing how legal availability impacts pi...
Creating the Mediterranean: Maps and the Islamic Imagination , by Tarek Kahlaoui

Tarek Kahlaoui’s book is a mixed bag with a few good place-name studies accompanied by grave manuscript-dating errors based on obsolete hundred year-old information. There are useful tables of regi...
Application of Pneumatics in Delivering Samples to Instruments on Planetary Missions

Traditional sample acquisition, transfer and capture approaches rely on mechanical methods (e.g. drill or a scoop) to acquire a sample, mechanical methods (e.g. robotic arm) to transfer the sample and gravity to capture the sample inside an instrument or a sample return container. This approach has some limitations: because of reliance on gravity, it is only suited to materials with no or little cohesion. Because of the sample transfer requiring mechanical system, the instrument or sample return container need to be easily accessible. Pneumatic based systems solve these problems because the pneumatic force can exceed the gravitational force and the sample delivery tubing can be routed around other spacecraft elements, making instrument or sample return container placement irrelevant to the sampling system. This paper presents background to pneumatic system applied to planetary missions and provides examples how this could be accomplished on planetary bodies with significant atmosphere (Venus and Titan) and on airless bodies (the Moon, Europa, Ceres).
An Improved Cellular Automaton Model for Work Zone Traffic Simulation Considering Realistic Driving Behavior

Traffic efficiency and safety in work zone are major concerns for traffic engineers, highway agencies and road users. Microscopic traffic simulation is an efficient method to study work zone traffi...
Effects of caffeine on inspiratory muscle function

Research suggests that caffeine can enhance measures of muscular strength in the upper and lower extremities, although the literature is somewhat equivocal. Little is known on whether or not caffei...
SIGKDD Impact Program 2018

The SIGKDD Impact Program was established in 2017. As the SIGKDD community has expanded its reach dramati- cally over the past few years and the KDD conference has grown into a major global event, the aim for the social im- pact program is to focus the power of the community to- wards a broader positive societal impact.The goal of this program was to support projects that pro- mote data science, increase its impact on society, and help the data science community. The project duration was lim- ited to one year. The total amount of funding provided by the SIGKDD Impact Program in 2018 was $250k, given as unrestricted gifts.Projects funded in 2018 were required to present a mid- project update of their work and outcomes at the KDD 2018 conference in London in August 2018.
Interactions between Mg and Blood Pressure

The relationship between magnesium and blood pressure has been sought, evaluated and studied in considerable depth both in the intact animal and at the level of the various organs involved. In the simplest form, three potential interactions are possible (Table 1). Although new insights have been gained regarding the acute effects of Mg loading or withdrawal on muscle cell excitability-contraction coupling, the contractile process and energy metabolism, present knowledge is still inadequate to establish the first form of interaction, viz. whether changes in Mg metabolism would produce sustained alterations in blood pressure in the intact but complex animal, endowed with all the physiologic counterregulatory and/or adaptive mechanisms. Bluntly put, the role of disturbances in Mg homeostasis, if any, has not been sufficiently defined in the pathogenesis and/or maintenance of hypertension.
Sexual attitudes and behaviours among Arab American young adults in the USA.

While the sexual behaviours of different racial and ethnic groups have been studied extensively in the USA, Arab Americans are relatively understudied. The purpose of our study is to describe sexua...
Mixed norm H 2/H ∞ and entropy covariance control: a convex optimisation approach

In this paper, we develop a covariance control problem to address a tradeoff between H 2 performance and H ∞ disturbance attenuation. In particular, we formulate a mixed-norm H 2 / H ∞ and entropy ...
Distribution Feeder-Scale Fast Frequency Response via Optimal Coordination of Net-Load Resources—Part I: Solution Design

This article is the first of a two-part series that develops and experimentally demonstrates a first-of-its-kind hierarchical control solution for optimally dispatching thousands of deferrable loads and distributed energy resources (DERs) across a distribution feeder to provide fast frequency response (FFR) within 500 ms to the bulk power system. This approach rapidly coordinates resources online after a frequency event occurs, allowing fast-changing, behind-the-meter (BTM) resources to be incorporated and aggregate FFR power set points to be achieved more quickly and accurately than existing approaches. We also present a solution for determining the optimal amount of headroom to operate solar inverters with to minimize opportunity cost while ensuring the FFR response viability of a building with the inverter and deferrable loads. In Part I, we develop practical algorithms for fast, cost-based optimal dispatch at multiple aggregation scales (single building, multiple buildings, and full distribution feeder), establish their optimality, and demonstrate via simulation that they are faster than state-of-the-art, coordinated frequency response approaches. In Part II, the entire platform is implemented and experimentally verified using a unique power hardware-in-the-loop demonstration, including more than 100 powered loads and DERs connected to a real-world distribution network model and over 10,000 net-load resources dispatched.
Organoids to Dissect Gastrointestinal Virus-Host Interactions: What Have We Learned?

Historically, knowledge of human host–enteric pathogen interactions has been elucidated from studies using cancer cells, animal models, clinical data, and occasionally, controlled human infection models. Although much has been learned from these studies, an understanding of the complex interactions between human viruses and the human intestinal epithelium was initially limited by the lack of nontransformed culture systems, which recapitulate the relevant heterogenous cell types that comprise the intestinal villus epithelium. New investigations using multicellular, physiologically active, organotypic cultures produced from intestinal stem cells isolated from biopsies or surgical specimens provide an exciting new avenue for understanding human specific pathogens and revealing previously unknown host–microbe interactions that affect replication and outcomes of human infections. Here, we summarize recent biologic discoveries using human intestinal organoids and human enteric viral pathogens.
From Consumer Response to Active Consumer: Measuring the Effectiveness of Interactive Media

Traditional measures of the effectiveness of marketing communications suggest a specific process by which marketing actions influence consumers. This article offers a broader philosophical perspective on measuring the effectiveness of marketing communications that focuses on interaction as the unit of analysis, rather than the behavior of either the marketer or the consumer. Structuration theory is discussed and offered as a viable foundation for the identification, selection, and evaluation of new measures of effectiveness in an interactive context among active, goal-driven consumers and marketers. Structuration theory focuses on the emergence and evolution of the structure of interaction, which is posited as a critical factor in devising, selecting, and evaluating new measures of the effectiveness of marketing communications. This view broadens the potential set of measures of effectiveness of interactive marketing communications, implying alternative meanings for measures under different interaction structures and combinations of goal states.
A Study of Vehicle Driving Condition Recognition Using Supervised Learning Methods

In vehicle operation, in order to maximize the fuel economy, the propulsion system control can easily adapt to pressure and temperature variations as these variations can be measured by sensors. However, it is challenging to detect driving cycles. With growing progress made in the artificial intelligence field, pattern recognition gains momentum in various applications. This study presents a study on driving cycle pattern recognition based on supervised learning. Training data 2-D visualization is achieved by t-SNE algorithm. Ten out of twelve supervised learning algorithms predict driving conditions with the accuracy at 88% or higher and Extra Tree algorithm leads the recognition accuracy at 90.26%. To improve recognition accuracy, two hierarchical frameworks are proposed by integrating multiple supervised learning methods using weighted average and vote methods. The two hierarchical frameworks boost the driving condition recognition accuracy from 90.26% to 90.43% (weighted average) and 91.76% (vote). The results are further validated in holdout test. Additionally, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle simulation shows 3.88%-5.82% fuel economy improvement when compared to baseline method. Two hierarchical methods outperform the Extra Tree method by 2% fuel economy. In summary, supervised learning shows great potential to detect driving cycles for vehicle energy saving.
Connected Components for Infinite Graph Streams: Theory and Practice.

Motivated by the properties of unending real-world cybersecurity streams, we present a new graph streaming model: XStream. We maintain a streaming graph and its connected components at single-edge granularity. In cybersecurity graph applications, input streams typically consist of edge insertions; individual deletions are not explicit. Analysts maintain as much history as possible and will trigger customized bulk deletions when necessary Despite a variety of dynamic graph processing systems and some canonical literature on theoretical sliding-window graph streaming, XStream is the first model explicitly designed to accommodate this usage model. Users can provide Boolean predicates to define bulk deletions. Edge arrivals are expected to occur continuously and must always be handled. XStream is implemented via a ring of finite-memory processors. We give algorithms to maintain connected components on the input stream, answer queries about connectivity, and to perform bulk deletion. The system requires bandwidth for internal messages that is some constant factor greater than the stream arrival rate. We prove a relationship among four quantities: the proportion of query downtime allowed, the proportion of edges that survive an aging event, the proportion of duplicated edges, and the bandwidth expansion factor. In addition to presenting the theory behind XStream, we present computational results for a single-threaded prototype implementation. Stream ingestion rates are bounded by computer architecture. We determine this bound for XStream inter-process message-passing rates in Intel TBB applications on Intel Sky Lake processors: between one and five million graph edges per second. Our single-threaded prototype runs our full protocols through multiple aging events at between one half and one a million edges per second, and we give ideas for speeding this up by orders of magnitude.
A theorem of Ore and self-stabilizing algorithms for disjoint minimal dominating sets

A theorem of Ore 20] states that if D is a minimal dominating set in a graph G = ( V , E ) having no isolated nodes, then V - D is a dominating set. It follows that such graphs must have two disjoint minimal dominating sets R and B. We describe a self-stabilizing algorithm for finding such a pair of sets. It also follows from Ore's theorem that in a graph with no isolates, one can find disjoint sets R and B where R is maximal independent and B is minimal dominating. We describe a self-stabilizing algorithm for finding such a pair. Both algorithms are described using the Distance-2 model, but can be converted to the usual Distance-1 model 7], yielding running times of O ( n 2 m ) .