cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Altered postnatal lung development in C3H/HeJ mice.

C3H/HeJ mice develop an increase in terminal air space area detectable by postnatal d 14 that persists into adulthood compared with strain-matched controls (C3H/SnJ, C3H/OuJ). Morphometric quantification revealed a 50% increase in terminal air space area by postnatal d 14 and a 2.3-fold increase by 2 mo of age in C3H/HeJ mice. Bacteriologic cultures obtained from the left lung on postnatal d 7 revealed >100 colony-forming units (CFU)/left lung of predominantly Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) (Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis) in 13 of the 14 C3H/HeJ mice compared with 0 of 12 controls demonstrating colonization of the developing lung in C3H/HeJ mice. An approximately threefold increase in macrophages from bronchoalveolar lavage, threefold increases in matrix metalloproteinase 12 (MMP-12) mRNA and protein levels and elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1) and keratinocyte-derived cytokine (KC) were also found. P. mirabilis obtained from lung cultures in C3H/HeJ mice induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) cells transfected with TLR5. In C3H/HeJ mice lacking TLR4 signaling, bacterial colonization is associated with chronic inflammation and permanent changes in lung morphology.
On reliability of content identification from databases based on noisy queries

In this paper we quantify an achievable error-exponent for the problem of content identification from a large database based on noisy queries.
Cardiac transplantation for pediatric restrictive cardiomyopathy: presentation, evaluation, and short-term outcome

Abstract Background: Because of the poor prognosis of pediatric restrictive cardiomyopathy, transplantation has been proposed as the treatment of choice for this disease. Methods: We reviewed our experience with the presentation, evaluation, and short-term outcome in 8 pediatric patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy referred for transplantation. Potential reversibility of elevation in pulmonary vascular resistance was tested before transplantation with nitroprusside and nitric oxide, with follow-up cardiac catheterization performed 6 to 12 months after transplantation. Results: The mean age of diagnosis of restrictive cardiomyopathy was 6.3 years and the mean interval from diagnosis to referral for transplantation was 3.6 years. Elevation of pulmonary vascular resistance was common and tended to progress with longer follow-up. Three of the 8 patients had pulmonary vascular resistance indices greater than 10 Woods unit/m 2 and transpulmonary gradients greater than 20 mm Hg. The administration of nitroprusside and nitric oxide reversed elevated pulmonary resistance and transpulmonary gradients in all patients. Nitric oxide successfully reversed pulmonary vascular resistance in patients unresponsive to nitroprusside. All patients underwent successful transplantation and follow-up catheterization revealed normal pulmonary hemodynamics in each patient. Conclusions: Pediatric restrictive cardiomyopathy can be associated with marked elevation in the pulmonary vascular resistance, which may contribute to the poor prognosis in these patients and potentially make cardiac transplantation problematic. Orthotopic cardiac transplantation can be successfully performed in patients who demonstrate reversibility of pulmonary vascular resistance. Nitric oxide appears to be the best agent to demonstrate reversibility of pulmonary resistance in these patients.
RCS characterization using the alpha-stable distribution

The radar backscatter from complex sources, such as ships and ocean waves, can vary rapidly with target aspect or time. The radar cross section (RCS) of such targets is usually described in statistical terms using one of the many statistical models that are available. These models, however, tend to fit less well when the amplitude fluctuations begin to vary over wider extremes and become impulsive in nature. To better handle this condition, the alpha-stable distribution is shown to model RCS over a wide range of amplitudes. The alpha-stable distribution is derived from the generalized central limit theorem and contains the Gaussian (or Rayleigh) distribution as a subset. The alpha-stable distribution is shown to fit examples of ship RCS as well as sea clutter examples. The performance of various envelope detectors including the maximum likelihood detector for the alpha-stable distribution is shown for a low signal-to-noise (SNR) case.
Judicial discretion in federal sentencing

Q uestions about who has authority to make which decisions with how much discretion has occupied the attention of organizational sociologists for years. As applied to the criminal legal system, the focus is on judicial and prosecutorial discretion. After decades of allowing judges extensive discretion within broadly defined statutory limits, coupled with unreviewable sentence outcomes in both federal and state courts, critics in the early 1970s and 1980s argued for limitations on judicial discretion (Frankel, 1972). Critics argued that judicial discretion produced uncertainty and disparity in sentence severity. Some social scientists found that that federal sentence disparity prior to reforms of the 1980s was linked to extralegal variables such as the defendant’s race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status (Albonetti, 1998, 1999; Hagan, Nagel, and Albonetti, 1982; Nagel and Hagan, 1982; Peterson and Hagan, 1984; Weisburd, Wheeler, Waring, and Bode, 1991; Wheeler, Weisburd, and Bode, 1982). Other researchers found no significant relationship between defendant’s socioeconomic status and sentence severity (Benson and Walker, 1988).
Automated design of part feeders using a genetic algorithm

We describe a genetic algorithm approach to the automated design of vibratory bowl part feeders. Our approach gives us near-optimal designs in much less time than previously published optimal, brute-force search methods. We have implemented our approach in an automated part feeder design system, and we present preliminary results generated by our system.
In the Shadow of Prohibition: Domestic American Alcohol Policy since 1933

American domestic policy towards alcoholic beverages during the twentieth century has swung from prohibition of the businesses that supplied drink, to promotion of those same industries, and back t...
Amniotic fluid concentration of surfactant proteins in intra-amniotic infection.

Objective. Pulmonary surfactant is a complex molecule of lipids and proteins synthesized and secreted by type II alveolar cells into the alveolar epithelial lining. Both lipid and protein components are essential for lung function in postnatal life. Infection is a well-established cause of preterm delivery, and several inflammatory cytokines play a role in the mechanisms of preterm parturition. An increased concentration of inflammatory cytokines in amniotic fluid or fetal plasma has been linked to the onset of preterm parturition and fetal/neonatal injury, including cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease. Experimental evidence indicates that inflammatory mediators also regulate surfactant protein synthesis, and histologic chorioamnionitis is associated with a decreased incidence of hyaline membrane disease in neonates. This study was conducted to determine if amniotic fluid concentrations of surfactant protein (SP)-A, SP-B, and SP-D change in patients with and without intra-amniotic infection (IAI).Mate...
Pierre Viret's Ideas and Attitudes Concerning Humanism and Education

Historians for some time now have tried to solve the extremely complex and very interesting problem of whether or not the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth-century represented a reaction against or an extension of Renaissance attitudes and ideas. Debate over whether or not the Reformation was essentially medieval or modern has taken several forms. One of the methods used to approach the problem has been that of studying in detail the life and thought of certain leaders of the Protestant movement in order to ascertain whether they were basically men of the Middle Ages or individuals who contributed substantially to the making of the modern world. Pierre Viret was one of those early champions of the Protestant drive for reform, in particular of that branch of the Protestant Reformation later known as Calvinism. This study represents an attempt to demonstrate to what extent he was influenced by Renaissance attitudes and ideas.
Organ Size Control by Hippo and TOR Pathways

The determination of final organ size is a highly coordinated and complex process that relies on the precise regulation of cell number and/or cell size. Perturbation of organ size control contributes to many human diseases, including hypertrophy, degenerative diseases, and cancer. Hippo and TOR are among the key signaling pathways involved in the regulation of organ size through their respective functions in the regulation of cell number and cell size. Here, we review the general mechanisms that regulate organ growth, describe how Hippo and TOR control key aspects of growth, and discuss recent findings that highlight a possible coordination between Hippo and TOR in organ size regulation.
Total synthesis of (+)-dihydromevinolin

Abstract The potent hypocholesterolemic agent (+)-dihydromevinolin was synthesized from chiral pyranoside 5 and octahydronaphthalene 6 which was obtained from maleic anhydride Diels-Alder adduct 7 by intramolecular sulfoxide acylation and methyl cuprate addition.
Using Molecular Modeling to Understand Cleaner Efficiency for Barc ("Bottom Anti-Reflective Coating") After Plasma Etch in Dual Damascene Structures

The invention of inorganic bottom anti-reflective coatings (BARCs) was a promising enabling technology for lithography due to their near unity plasma etch selectivities with the low-k dielectric materials used in advanced via first trench last (VFTL) dual damascene structures. Having these selectivities during plasma etch allowed for the avoidance of via "fence" defects that are often created by the shadowing of the dielectric surrounding the vias by the slower etching organic BARC via fill. The presence of "fence" defects creates an area of high stress in the copper line due to the tight space between the fence and side of the trench that has to be filled, and can cause failure of the device due to shorting of the line from voids caused by copper migration away from the high stress area. In order to achieve a 1:1 selectivity in plasma etch which avoids fence formation, organosiloxane polymers are typically employed in the inorganic BARC materials. However, modification of the organosiloxane film during plasma etching and ashing densifies the material and may also remove organic content from the film, making removal more difficult with traditional cleaning technologies. This work describes the surface energy and reactivity modeling of the Honeywell cleaner technology that has demonstrated an inorganic BARC removal solution with significantly higher removal rates and etch selectivities compared to currently available products. We will show how molecular modeling influenced the development of the cleaner formulation and the impact on experiments.
Genitourinary issues in the male college student: A case-based approach

Five percent of all ambulatory visits by men 18 years of age or older include genitourinary symptoms as a reason for the visit. In this article, using typical, unusual, or otherwise instructive cases, the authors review a select group of genitourinary issues in the college-age male. Warts (human papilloma virus), is the most common sexually transmitted infection, and it may mimic other disease. Testicular cancer is one of the most serious diseases to confront health care providers. Varicoceles are the most common scrotal mass. Urethritis is a common presentation of sexually transmitted infection in the young adult male. Acute prostatitis is an unusual condition in the young adult, but it is easily treatable. Sexual dysfunction causes great distress in the young adult, but a systematic approach usually leads to a treatable psychological or environmental cause. With understanding of these medical conditions, the practitioner should feel comfortable addressing the most challenging genitourinary health needs of this population.
Assessment of performance potential of MoS2-based topological insulator field-effect transistors

It was suggested that single-layer MoS2 at the 1T′ phase is a topological insulator whose electronic structure can be modulated by a vertical electric field for field-effect transistor (FET) applications [X. Qian, J. Liu, L. Fu, and J. Li, Science 346, 1344 (2014)]. In this work, performance potential of FETs based on vertical field modulation of the topological edge states is assessed by using quantum transport device simulations. To perform efficient device simulations, a phenomenological Hamiltonian is first proposed and validated to capture the effects of electric fields. Because the ON-state conductance is determined by transport through gapless edge states with a long scattering mean free path and the OFF-state conductance by transport through the gapped bulk states, the ON/OFF ratio is sensitive to the channel length, which is different from conventional FETs. Although a high vertical electric field is required to modulate the topological edge state, a reasonably small subthreshold swing of 131 mV/dec can still be achieved for a practical value of the gate insulator thickness.
Information Theoretic Capacity of Long On-chip Interconnects in the Presence of Crosstalk

This paper presents a framework for calculating the data capacity of long on chip interconnects. This framework is based on the Shannon's capacity theorem. The extension of this theorem into binary symmetric channels (BSC) is studied and applied to the VLSI interconnects. This paper presents a simulation study that shows the variation of capacity with a variety physical and operating conditions of long wires. The results show that the operating frequency, that was arrived at using a worst case delay analysis, can be vastly increased through use of error correction coding. This capacity can also be used as a benchmark for evaluation of coding schemes on interconnects.
An Automated, Observations-Based System for Short-Term Prediction of Ceiling and Visibility

Abstract Several methods of generating very short term (0–6 h) probabilistic forecasts of ceiling and visibility are investigated: 1) an observations-based (OBS-based) system in which potential predictors consist of weather observations from a network of surface stations along with several climatic terms; 2) the traditional model output statistics (MOS)-based approach in which potential predictors consist of nested grid model (NGM) output, the latest observation from the forecast site, and climatic variables; and 3) persistence climatology in which potential predictors consist of the latest observation of the predictand variable from the forecast site and several climatic terms. Forecasts are generated for each technique on 2 yr (1993–94) of independent data for 25 stations in the eastern United States. Two variables (ceiling and visibility) are forecasted for eight thresholds, two initial times (0300 and 1500 UTC), and three lead times (1, 3, and 6 h). Results show that the OBS-based method is superior t...
Hikikomori: The Japanese Phenomenon, Policy, and Culture

Hikikomori (hee-kee-koh-MOH-ree) is a growing social behavioral syndrome among Japan's male adolescents. The main symptom of hikikomori is for young men to lock themselves away in their rooms for months, years, or even sometimes decades at a time, with minimal social contact. While there have been a number of important scholarly works on the causes, treatments, and consequences of hikikomori, detailed research of its relation to Japanese health-care policy and its contextualizing culture is lacking. In response, this article examines two critical dimensions of the Japanese phenomenon of hikikomori: (a) the general conceptual policy model developed by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare for understanding and addressing the hikikomori phenomenon, and (b) the interplay between current hikikomori policy and some of the more dominant elements of Japanese culture. On the basis of this examination, the authors conclude that hikikomori may be best seen as an example a rational and intentional resp...
Compositional Modelling of Fluid Power Systems using Predictive Tradeoff Models

AbstractSystem-level decisions can have a large impact on the success of any design project, including those in the fluid power domain. Regardless of efforts by designers to optimize individual fluid power components, poor decisions at the systems level can lead to poor system performance and unsatisfied design requirements. In this paper, the principles of system-level decision making are applied to the design of fluid power systems. Describe a methodology for modelling fluid power component technology using predictive modelling and data mining techniques in a way that facilitates system-level modelling and decision making is described. This approach is demonstrated on the design of a hydraulic log splitter.
Readability Evaluation of Nine Patient Drug Education Sources

Summary Patient information materials from nine drug information sources were evaluated for readability. The following sources were assessed: American Association of Retired Persons Medication Information Leaflets for Seniors; American Medical Association Patient Medication Instructions; American Society of Hospital Pharmacists Medication Teaching Manual: A Guide for Patient Counseling and The New Consumer Drug Digest; Canadian Pharmaceutical Association's Supplementary Information on Medication; Dorothy Smith's Medication Guide for Patient Counseling; NARD Patient Information Leaflets; United States Pharmacopeia Convention Patient Drug Education Leaflets; and United States Pharmacopeia Drug Information, Volume II: Advice for the Patient 1986. The 10 most commonly prescribed drugs in 1986 were chosen for evaluation. The SMOG readability formula was used to compare these sources. This formula evaluates readability based on average sentence length and average word length. The SMOG formula determines the reading grade level that a person must have reached to fully comprehend written material. The reading grade level for the U.S. adult population varies from study to study, ranging from less than fourth-grade level to ninth-grade level. Our results indicate a mean grade level ranging from 9.6 for the AARP material to 12.9 for NARD. Readability grade level for information on individual drugs ranged from 9 to 14. These levels exceed the reported reading grade level of the adult population by several years, thus many may not understand these drug information materials. This study reinforces the need for patient education leaflets to be written at a level appropriate for the majority of the population.
A Detailed Study of Acetate-Assisted C–H Activation at Palladium(IV) Centers

This report describes a detailed investigation of acetate-assisted C–H activation at PdIV centers supported by the tris(2-pyridyl)methane (Py3CH) ligand. Mechanistic information about this transformation has been obtained through the following: (i) extensive one- and two-dimensional NMR analysis, (ii) reactivity studies of a series of substituted analogues, and (iii) isotope effect studies. These experiments all suggest that C–H activation at [(Py3CH)PdIV(biphenyl)Cl2]+ occurs via a multistep process involving chloride-to-acetate ligand exchange followed by conformational and configurational isomerization and then C–H cleavage. The data also suggest that C–H cleavage proceeds via an acetate-assisted mechanism with the carboxylate likely serving as an intramolecular base. The viability of acetate-assisted C–H activation at high valent palladium has important implications for the design and optimization of catalytic processes involving this transformation as a key step.
Retrospective Analysis of China Township Hospital Resources and Resource Utilization

OBJECTIVE Retrospective analysis of 10 years Chinese township hospital resources and resource utilization, hope to provide useful reference for the new medical reform. METHOD Literature study,investigation,data analysis. RESULT Because of the lack of government investment, township hospital compensation mechanism is not perfect and so on, so township hospital medical resources and utilization of vulnerable to external policy environment, appeared the provision of medical services enthusiasm drops and the number of the problem such as inadequacy. CONCLUSION Implementation of input, perfecting mechanism, give full play to township's role in providing basic medical services to the new healthcare reform goals of the.
The Differential Diagnosis of Sciatica

Summary Sciatica, when defined as pain radiating from the back along the course of the sciatic nerve, is nearly always due to intervertebral disc disease. All the other causes of sciatica and similar pain are rare but ought to be considered, particularly when the symptoms are atypical. In most instances the diagnosis of nerve root compression can be made clinically. X-ray examination and myelography serve to confirm the clinical diagnosis. Electromyography, in our experience, has not much to contribute in the differential diagnosis of sciatica.
Analytical modeling of wireless power transfer (WPT) systems for electric vehicle application

This paper presents an analytical model for wireless power transfer system used in electric vehicle application. The equivalent circuit model for each major component of the system is described, including the input voltage source, resonant network, transformer, nonlinear diode rectifier load, etc. Based on the circuit model, the primary side compensation capacitance, equivalent input impedance, active / reactive power are calculated, and the model provides a guideline for parameter selection. In addition, the voltage gain curve from dc output to dc input is derived as well. A hardware prototype with series-parallel resonant stage was built to verify the developed model. The model was validated by comparing the experimental results from the hardware prototype.
The possibility of repression: “Repression” (1915b); “Negation” (1925a)

It is not easy in theory to deduce the possibility of such a thing as repression. – S. Freud, “Repression,” 1915b, p. 146 Our impulses are fated to meet with obstruction, none more arresting than the threat of negative repercussions should we act on an impulse that produces them. Repression, like the “vicissitudes” in which impulses reverse into their opposite or turn around on the self (see Chapter 5), affords a way in which we may avoid such repercussions. It is a complicated way, involving an action by the entire ego fearful not only of bad material consequences, but also of a fall in its worth; sublimation has the same origin but employs a different mechanism of deflection. Of all the vicissitudes an instinct may undergo, repression inflicts the greatest psychological cost . Repression consists of barring entry of a germinating impulse into consciousness in order to keep it from discharging. It operates by prompting a withdrawal of consciousness from the impulse, much as we might withdraw our hand from a hot stove. But because it flows from a judgment, however fleeting and unthinking, Freud characterizes it as falling between flight, which the withdrawal from a hot stove would represent, and condemnation, an act of deliberative judgment (1915b, p. 146) . This chapter tracks Freud's principal paper on repression (1915b), addressing, in turn, the conceptual puzzle raised by repression, the course of repression, and its psychological cost. The paper seeds Freud's later paper on negation, which provocatively illustrates a conscious equivalent of repression and offers an illuminating reconceptualization of the pleasure and reality principles. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of that paper . “REPRESSION” (1915b) Instinctual impulses inherently seek discharge. Discharging them produces pleasure; not discharging them creates pain. But, Freud points out, although satisfying an impulse always leads to pleasure, satisfaction of, say, an incestuous or hostile urge could also cause un pleasure on account of other interests; those other interests might include safety, our parents’ love and protection, or others’ approbation. When the motive to avoid the unpleasure associated with satisfaction of an impulse becomes stronger than the motive to attain the pleasure expected from it we may repress the impulse.
In The Affordable Care Act’s Shadow: The Fate Of The Children’s Health Insurance Program

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is a success story. CHIP has contributed greatly to ensuring affordable insurance and access to medical services for millions of children. The 2015 tw...
A secreted Staphylococcus aureus lipase engineered for enhanced alcohol affinity for fatty acid esterification

Presently the production and use of biodiesel is not cost-effective in comparison to traditional fossil fuels. Naturally occurring enzymes, such as lipases and esterases, can potentially be engineered to lower the cost of certain steps in the biodiesel synthesis process that would otherwise be more costly. However, these enzymes have evolved to perform biologically relevant functions, and not necessarily to manufacture biodiesel under commercially viable conditions. To this end, we have identified, cloned, expressed, purified, and characterized two proteins from the staphylococcal lipase family that are capable of catalyzing the formation of fatty acid alkyl esters. In an effort to explore strategies for improving these fatty acid modifying enzymes (FAMEs), we have engineered a chimeric fusion protein that significantly increases the esterification of free fatty acid with ethanol. The fusion protein, which consists of a staphylococcal FAME fused to a Drosophila ethanol binding protein, demonstrably improves the rate of catalysis by providing an additional substrate binding site and concomitant increase in the local concentration of substrate. This results in greater overall substrate (ethanol) residence in proximity to the catalytic domain, and a faster rate of catalysis, without the necessity of altering the amino acid sequence of the FAME protein.
The in vivo hydrocarbon formation by vanadium nitrogenase follows a secondary metabolic pathway

The vanadium (V)-nitrogenase of Azotobacter vinelandii catalyses the in vitro conversion of carbon monoxide (CO) to hydrocarbons. Here we show that an A. vinelandii strain expressing the V-nitrogenase is capable of in vivo reduction of CO to ethylene (C2H4), ethane (C2H6) and propane (C3H8). Moreover, we demonstrate that CO is not used as a carbon source for cell growth, being instead reduced to hydrocarbons in a secondary metabolic pathway. These findings suggest a possible role of the ancient nitrogenase as an evolutionary link between the carbon and nitrogen cycles on Earth and establish a solid foundation for biotechnological adaptation of a whole-cell approach to recycling carbon wastes into hydrocarbon products. Thus, this study has several repercussions for evolution-, environment- and energy-related areas.
12-Lead Electrocardiogram to Localize Region of Abnormal Electroanatomic Substrate in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy.

AbstractObjectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between electrocardiogram (ECG) QRS fragmentation (fQRS) and right ventricular (RV) endocardial (ENDO) and epicardial ...
Synthesis and Experimental Implementation of DSP Based Backstepping Control of Positioning Systems

Novel nonlinear backstepping control with integrated adaptive control function is developed for high-performance positioning control systems. The proposed schemes are synthesized by a systematic approach and implemented based on a modern low-cost DSP controller, TMS320C32. A baseline backstepping control scheme is derived first, and is then extended to include a nonlinear adaptive control against the system parameter changes and load variations. The backstepping control utilizes Lyapunov function to guarantee the convergence of the position tracking error. The final control algorithm is a convenient in the implementation of a practical 32-bit DSP controller. The new control system can achieve superior performance over the conventional nested PI controllers, with improved position tracking, control bandwidth, and robustness against external disturbances, which is demonstrated by experimental results.
Differentiating Sense through Semantic Interaction Data

Words which have different representations but are semantically related, such as dementia and delirium, can pose difficult issues in understanding text. We explore the use of interaction frequency data between semantic elements as a means to differentiate concept pairs, using semantic predications extracted from the biomedical literature. We applied datasets of features drawn from semantic predications for semantically related pairs to two Expectation Maximization clustering processes (without, and with concept labels), then used all data to train and evaluate several concept classifying algorithms. For the unlabeled datasets, 80% displayed expected cluster count and similar or matching proportions; all labeled data exhibited similar or matching proportions when restricting cluster count to unique labels. The highest performing classifier achieved 89% accuracy, with F1 scores for individual concept classification ranging from 0.69 to 1. We conclude with a discussion on how these findings may be applied to natural language processing of clinical text.
Systemic lupus erythematosus: BAFF emerges from the genetic shadows.

A newly identified insertion–deletion variant of the B cell activating factor (BAFF)-encoding TNFSF13B gene leads to increased levels of soluble BAFF and is associated with the development of systemic lupus erythematosus. The discovery raises a number of compelling questions for further investigation.
On the Classification Characteristics of Networks with Ellipsoidal Activation Functions: A Comparative Study

Abstract The standard feedforward network considers a sigmoid squashing function and a linear activation function. These networks exhibit extrapolation problems because the linear discriminant functions create half spaces of high activation. For fault diagnosis, we are specifically interested in activation functions that generate closed decision regions. An ellipsoidal activation function provides a closed discriminant function. The standard backpropagation algorithm does not guarantee the proper determination of the ellipsoidal activation functions as it may run into local minima problems attributable mainly to bad choices of initial network weights. A clustering algorithm based on Kohonen's self-organizing feature maps has been developed to determine the initial number of hidden nodes and the initial estimates for the hidden layer weights. The algorithm is demonstrated to determine a minimal number of hidden nodes. Backpropagation is used for fine-tuning the ellipsoids initialized by the cluster information. The proposed algorithm avoids having to determine the number of hidden nodes a priori. Examples are shown to demonstrate the utility of the clustering algorithm and the classification by networks with ellipsoidal activation functions.
Transposable Element Exaptation into Regulatory Regions Is Rare, Influenced by Evolutionary Age, and Subject to Pleiotropic Constraints

Transposable element (TE)-derived sequences make up approximately half of most mammalian genomes, and many TEs have been co-opted into gene regulatory elements. However, we lack a comprehensive tissue- and genome-wide understanding of how and when TEs gain regulatory activity in their hosts. We evaluated the prevalence of TE-derived DNA in enhancers and promoters across hundreds of human and mouse cell lines and primary tissues. Promoters are significantly depleted of TEs in all tissues compared with their overall prevalence in the genome (P < 0.001); enhancers are also depleted of TEs, though not as strongly as promoters. The degree of enhancer depletion also varies across contexts (1.5-3×), with reproductive and immune cells showing the highest levels of TE regulatory activity in humans. Overall, in spite of the regulatory potential of many TE sequences, they are significantly less active in gene regulation than expected from their prevalence. TE age is predictive of the likelihood of enhancer activity; TEs originating before the divergence of amniotes are 9.2 times more likely to have enhancer activity than TEs that integrated in great apes. Context-specific enhancers are more likely to be TE-derived than enhancers active in multiple tissues, and young TEs are more likely to overlap context-specific enhancers than old TEs (86% vs. 47%). Once TEs obtain enhancer activity in the host, they have similar functional dynamics to one another and non-TE-derived enhancers, likely driven by pleiotropic constraints. However, a few TE families, most notably endogenous retroviruses, have greater regulatory potential. Our observations suggest a model of regulatory co-option in which TE-derived sequences are initially repressed, after which a small fraction obtains context-specific enhancer activity, with further gains subject to pleiotropic constraints.
Zur Prozessdynamik terroristischer Kampagnen

Trotz relativ niedriger Fatalitatsraten im Vergleich zu anderen Konfliktaustragungsformen, tragen terroristische Akte durch ihnen innewohnende Anschlusszwange wesentlich zur Perpetuierung von Gewaltkonflikten bei. In diesem Artikel sollen lang- und mittelfristige Ursachenzusammenhange sowie kausallogisch nicht erfassbare Vorzeichen erlautert werden, um die zugrundeliegenden Strukturen aufzudecken, die terroristische Kampagnen ermoglichen und fordern.
Pierre Bourdieu, Indignado: Social and Symbolic Struggles in Spain’s 15-M

In light of Bourdieu’s writings on culture and power, this chapter examines the struggles and interests that motivated and shaped Spain’s 15-M movement, a series of civilian protests and demonstrations that took place in 2011. The chapter situates Bourdieu’s political thought in the context of his career and focuses on two interrelated elements central to his writings about politics and social change that are relevant to the 15-M movement in its attempt to debunk received notions of how the social world is constructed. First, it addresses the issue of delegation and its “misrecognition” as one of the factors behind the movement, and second, it examines Bourdieu’s ideas on language and its power in the construction of a social and political reality.
Panel theme: Energy and cybersecurity constraints on consumer electronics

With the growth of Internet-of-Things (IoT) enabled consumer electronic devices, the potential threat vectors for malicious cyber-attacks are rapidly expanding. As an example of cyber-attack, software vulnerabilities could be exploited to remotely take control of safety-critical systems in the vehicle. These cyberattacks are threat to the reliability and safety of the consumer electronic devices, consumer's personal information and piracy or cloning of intellectual property. As the IoT paradigm emerges, there are challenging requirements to design area-efficient, energy-efficient and secure systems. Further, due to novel computing paradigms such as quantum computing there is a threat that the fundamental public-key cryptography tools could be broken. Considering these challenges, the panel would provide their perspective towards the energy and cybersecurity constraints on consumer electronics.
Research on flexible power distribution unit and its key technologies for energy internet

With the rapid development of energy internet and also power electronics, the intelligent electronic transformer, power electronic transformer and energy router have been proposed, which provide the basis for energy internet. This paper presents a Flexible Power Distribution Unit (FPDU) for energy internet. The concept, functions, specific classification, and application examples of FPDU are studied. The reference model for interconnect of FPDU based on Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) is proposed. Furthermore, four key technologies of FPDU including port plug and play access, multi-port energy routing, hierarchical information communication and layered energy management are researched in this paper. In the end, the paper proposes a Fully Flexible Power Distribution System (FPDS) for the energy internet. The FPDS structure used the new flexible electric equipment: iPower+ Router, iPower+ Switcher and iPower+ Hub.
Recurrent Urethral Stricture Disease Managed by Clean Intermittent Self-Catheterization

AbstractWe studied 41 patients with urethral stricture who had failed at least 1 operation, and were being maintained with filiform and follower dilation every 6 to 12 weeks. The patients were instructed in clean intermittent self-catheterization with a 16F red rubber catheter, which was performed every 1 to 30 days. Followup from 9 to 36 months revealed excellent compliance and average peak uroflow rates increased from 5.5cc per second before dilation to 17.1cc per second at the last followup visit. Clean intermittent self-catheterization is a simple method to maintain a patent urethra and obviates the need for further operations or painful dilations. (J. Urol., 144: 1142–1143, 1990)
High-resolution pulsed-field ionization photoelectron–photoion coincidence spectroscopy:

Abstract We have established a high-resolution vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoionization–photoelectron facility at the chemical dynamics beamline of the advanced light source. This facility is equipped with a 6.65-m monochromator, which has demonstrated a resolving power of ≈100 000 in the range of 6–30 eV. This resolving power is close to that achieved in common VUV lasers. Taking advantage of this high-resolution capability, we have developed novel synchrotron based pulsed-field ionization–photoelectron (PFI–PE) schemes, attaining resolutions of 1–5 cm−1 (FWHM), which are also similar to that attained in laser-based PFI–PE studies. Most recently, we have introduced a generally applicable PFI–PE–photoion coincidence (PFI–PEPICO) method, making possible the internal state selection for cations to a resolution of 4–5 cm−1 (FWHM) limited only by the PFI–PE measurement. The PFI–PEPICO study of the reaction O2+hν→O+(4S)+O(3P)+e− demonstrates that the dissociation dynamics of diatomic cations can be examined in specific rotational levels using this method. This study also supports that the dissociation threshold for O+(4S)+O(3P) lies at O2+(b4Σg−, v+=4, N+=9). In the PFI–PE–PICO study of CH4 (C2H2), we show that the 0 K dissociative photoionization threshold for CH3+ (C2H+) from CH4 (C2H2) can be determined unambiguously by the disappearance energy of the CH4+ (C2H2+) parent ion to an accuracy of ±0.001 eV. These measurements, when combined with accurate ionization energies for CH3, CH4 and C2H2 obtained by PFI–PE measurements, have allowed the determination of highly accurate 0 K bond dissociation energies for H–CH3, H–CH3+, and H–C2H+. The PFI–PEPICO study of 2-C3H7X (X=Cl, Br and I) has yielded more accurate values for the heat of formation of C3H7+ and the proton affinity of C3H6.
Immobilized enzymes in analytical chemistry

The use of immobilized enzymes in analysis has increased tremendously in recent years. The various applications can be categorized by the manner in which the enzyme is used as: transducer bound enzymes; immobilized enzyme reactors; and miscellaneous batch and membrane applications. Enzyme electrodes, making use of either potentiometric or amperometric detection, are the best known example of the first class. Analyses based on reactors have been performed using immobilized enzymes either packed in a column as in liquid chromatography or bound to the inside walls of hollow tubes. In this review, we discuss the basic principles of operation of each of these classes with particular emphasis on optimization of the devices. In addition, some applications of immobilized enzymes in environmental pharmaceutical, and clinical chemistry are presented.
Countering Sensor Drift in X-ray Microscopy with Fast and Robust Optimal Control

In X-ray microscopy it is imperative that the relative position between the optics stage, that carries the X-ray focusing optics, and the sample stage follow a certain trajectory while either the optics or sample stage is being scanned. Main challenges in achieving this requirement include - open loop drift, environmental disturbance, measurement noise, sensor drift, and control hardware limit. The state-of-the-art in X-ray microscopy at Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) features an $\boldsymbol{H}_{\infty}$ control architecture applied to only the optics stage or both the optics and sample stage, achieving the objectives of large tracking bandwidth over 200 Hz, good positioning resolution on the order of nanometers, rejection of environmental disturbance, attenuation of measurement noise, good X-ray diffraction image resolution and increased imaging bandwidth. However, an unaddressed issue in our existing robust control design is that the sensors and the fixtures that hold the sensors drift with time due to changing air temperature in the APS beamline. Since the drift of sensor itself is not measured, it affects the relative position between the focusing optics and sample resulting into imaging artifacts and reduced image resolution. In this article, we demonstrate the rejection of the sensor drift by directly measuring the displacement of the sensor with respect to the global reference frame. Both the measured sensor displacement (i.e. sensor drift) and optics stage displacement are incorporated in the $\boldsymbol{H}_{\infty}$ control architecture to achieve the above mentioned objectives in addition to minimal relative displacement between the optics stage and the sample stage. This will improve the X-ray image resolution and reduce image artifacts.
The United States and Canada: In Search of Partnership

Recent meetings between President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau highlight the question regarding the cause of the periodic stress and virtual breakdown of good relations between the United States and Canada, perhaps in the world today the two most interdependent countries. Economic forces have compelled the leaders of the three NAFTA countries to eventually finalize a free trade agreement, for the simple reason that the alternative of finding new trading partners is undesirable and less feasible. If current U.S. policy runs counter to this assumption, it is because U.S. grand strategy has the additional task of confronting China over its unfair trading practices. Indeed, in the long run, Canada will be caught up in America’s slipstream as the two economic giants grapple with one another over access to markets, intellectual property rights, and manufacturing. Ultimately, even if peoples do not, governments sometimes periodically forget the importance of partnership. Every aspect of public and foreign policy from trade to the environment, and from security to immigration, captures the attention of Americans and Canadians toward each other. Perhaps the very intensity and scope of interdependence explains how the “noise” in Canada–U.S. relations sometimes obliterates the “signal”.
Making a Modern Barrio: Infrastructure and Progress in Mexico City, 1900-1903:

This article investigates an urban renewal project in Mexico City that took place between 1900 and 1903 under the leadership of the mayor Guillermo de Landa y Escandon. Unlike the efforts of Mexico...
Derrick Bell: Godfather Provocateur

Professor Derrick Bell, the originator and founder of Critical Race Theory, passed away on October 5, 2011 at the age of 80. Around the world he is considered a hero, mentor, friend and exemplar. Known as a creative innovator and agitator, Professor Bell often sacrificed his career in the name of principles and objectives, inspiring a generation of scholars of color and progressive lawyers everywhere. Bell resigned a tenured position on the Harvard Law School faculty to protest Harvard’s refusal to hire and tenure women of color onto its law school faculty. For the past twenty years, Professor Bell taught at the New York University Law School.Professor Bell’s writings seized my imagination while in law school and appeared to me as if “manna from heaven” as a second year student. Bell’s scholarship, including his widely influential books "Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism" and "And We Are Not Saved: The Elusive Quest for Racial Justice," resonated intellectually with me like nothing I had ever encountered before. His desire to disaggregate legal scholarship from its traditional moorings and introduce legal storytelling, narrative, parables, and fiction as new and bold forms of legal writing was groundbreaking and dramatically changed the legal academy.I believe that Bell’s groundbreaking narrative style struck a cord with me because I grew up in Southern California listening to the narrative storytelling of groundbreaking hip hop artists. In “A Furious Kinship: Critical Race Theory and the Hip Hop Nation,” I endeavored to parallel Professor Bell’s influence as the patriarch of Critical Race Theory with the influence of Chuck D and Public Enemy, one of the most important socially conscious hip hop artists and groups to ever emerge. In true Professor Bell fashion, when I had occasion to tell him of my vision of this influential parallel of powerful voices in person, he seemed genuinely delighted by this narrative connection, encouraging me to continue the exploration. Professor Bell will be deeply missed, though his influence will live on for generations.As my tribute to Professor Bell, I now endeavor to piece together portions of “A Furious Kinship,” so as to pay homage to one of the most influential legal minds to pass through the twentieth century. Part II will examine the parallels between Critical Race Theory and hip hop. Part III will examine the work of Derrick Bell and Chuck D and compare how these voices of power similarly inspired a generation.
Correction: Interfacial effects on droplet dynamics in Poiseuille flow

Correction for ‘Interfacial effects on droplet dynamics in Poiseuille flow’ by Jonathan T. Schwalbe et al., Soft Matter, 2011, 7, 7797–7804.
Optimal Risk-Based Group Testing

Group testing (i.e., testing multiple subjects simultaneously with a single test) is essential for classifying a large population of subjects as positive or negative for a binary characteristic (e....
What Patients with Disabilities Teach Us About the Everyday Ethics of Health Care

In Healers: Extraordinary Clinicians at Work, by David Schenck and Dr. Larry Churchill, and in What Patients Teach: The Everyday Ethics of Health Care, their follow-up with Joseph Fanning, the authors look at the everyday experience of health care and the relationships that shape it. This article expands upon that inquiry by exploring the experiences and challenges of patients with disabilities and by exploring what patients with disabilities can teach us about the everyday ethics of health care. The authors of What Patients Teach provide a framework in which to focus on the everyday experience of health care from the perspective of patients. This paper argues that their effort to promote the cultivation of the skills essential to relational and patient-centered care should be supported to improve care for all patients, including patients with disabilities. Attention to the ethical dimensions of the experiences of patients with disabilities in particular yields valuable lessons for clinicians about the architecture and attitudes that impact patient care. It suggests that, in addition to the skills of relationship building, medical students and clinicians should receive disability specific education, including education on the requirements of the ADA in clinical settings. Finally, consideration of the health and health care experiences of patients with disabilities presents an opportunity to develop an ethic of care grounded in the reality of disability shared by both patients and clinicians.