cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Resurgence of (Immanent) Religion and the Disintegration of the Secularization Hypothesis

This chapter argues that the terms in which the discussion concerning secularization and toleration is regularly framed fail to capture essential ingredients of our situation. Toleration, on the one hand, has morphed into nonjudgmentalism. The term “secular,” on the other hand, fails to capture a pervasive religiosity discernible in modern progressivism—a religiosity oriented toward an immanent sacredness rather than toward the transcendent sacred of traditional Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. In the light of this distinction, this chapter discusses the contemporary culture wars and the resources for toleration that can be found in each disposition.
Household factors and the risk of severe COVID-like illness early in the US pandemic

Abstract Objective To investigate the role of children in the home and household crowding as risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease. Methods We used interview data from 6,831 U.S. adults screened for the Communities, Households and SARS/CoV-2 Epidemiology (CHASING) COVID Cohort Study in April 2020. Results In logistic regression models, the adjusted odds ratio [aOR] of hospitalization due to COVID-19 for having (versus not having) children in the home was 10.5 (95% CI:5.7-19.1) among study participants living in multi-unit dwellings and 2.2 (95% CI:1.2-6.5) among those living in single unit dwellings. Among participants living in multi-unit dwellings, the aOR for COVID-19 hospitalization among participants with more than 4 persons in their household (versus 1 person) was 2.5 (95% CI:1.0-6.1), and 0.8 (95% CI:0.15-4.1) among those living in single unit dwellings. Conclusion Early in the US SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, certain household exposures likely increased the risk of both SARS-CoV-2 acquisition and the risk of severe COVID-19 disease.
Over half of western United States' most abundant tree species in decline

Changing forest disturbance regimes and climate are driving accelerated tree mortality across temperate forests. However, it remains unknown if elevated mortality has induced decline of tree populations and the ecological, economic, and social benefits they provide. Here, we develop a standardized forest demographic index and use it to quantify trends in tree population dynamics over the last two decades in the western United States. The rate and pattern of change we observe across species and tree size-distributions is alarming and often undesirable. We observe significant population decline in a majority of species examined, show decline was particularly severe, albeit size-dependent, among subalpine tree species, and provide evidence of widespread shifts in the size-structure of montane forests. Our findings offer a stark warning of changing forest composition and structure across the western US, and suggest that sustained anthropogenic and natural stress will likely result in broad-scale transformation of temperate forests globally.
Higher Mortality in Pediatric Liver Transplant Candidates With Sarcopenia.

Little is known about the impact of sarcopenia (reduced muscle mass and function) in pediatric chronic liver disease. We compared psoas muscle surface area (PMSA), measured at the 4th lumbar vertebrae, in children listed for liver transplantation (LT) to that of healthy controls and studied the impact of sarcopenia on transplant-associated outcomes. The effect of PMSA (raw value and z score) on survival was studied using multivariable proportional hazards, whereas the impact of PMSA on other transplant-associated outcomes was assessed by multivariable linear or logistic regression. The correlation of PMSA with anthropometric values and markers of disease severity was studied using Spearman's rank-order correlation. Mean PMSA was significantly lower in LT candidates (n = 57, 699.4 ± 591.9 mm2 [mean ± SD]) than controls (n = 53, 1052.9 ± 960.7 mm2 ; P = 0.02). For LT candidates, there was an increased risk of death (either while on the waiting list or following transplantation) with lower PMSA (hazard ratio [HR], 1.6 per 100 mm2 [P = 0.03]; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-2.8), amounting to a 4.9 times higher risk of death for every 1 unit decrease in PMSA z score (HR, 4.9 [P = 0.05], 95% CI, 1.2-34.5), adjusting for age and sex. PMSA did not correlate with posttransplant length of intubation, hospital length of stay, or perioperative complications. PMSA also did not correlate with calculated (r = 0.10, P = 0.60) or appealed Model for End-Stage Liver Disease/Pediatric End-Stage Liver Disease scores (r = 0.10, P = 0.69). Pediatric LT candidates have a significant reduction in muscle compared with controls. LT candidates with lower PMSA experience significant increases in mortality. As such, sarcopenia may provide a novel indicator of disease severity in children with chronic liver disease.
Turnover, Conditionality, and Europeanization in the Western Balkans

The EU accession process in the Balkans has gone from being a major force for political and economic change to being accused of promoting “stabilitocracy”, while deep societal problems in Western Balkans countries have become more entrenched. The EU’s global competitors have intensified their strategic engagement with the Western Balkans, and elite and mass interest in enlargement within the EU have waned. The length of the enlargement process has allowed for significant flux among the EU personnel who interface with regional peers. This paper examines the effects that such changes have had on conditionality in the Western Balkans with a focus on the application of conditionality in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where EU negotiators have been arrayed against much more stable local leadership, creating opportunities for regional and global opponents of liberal democracy.
Scottish Women's Writing in the Long Nineteenth Century: The Romance of Everyday Life

Walter Scott's tales of chivalry and adventure inaugurated a masculinized Scottish romance tradition that celebrated a sublime and heroic version of Scotland. Nineteenth-century Scotswomen responded to Scott's influence by establishing a counter-tradition of unromantic or even anti-romantic representations of Scotland. Their novels challenged the long-standing claim that Scotland lacked any equivalent to the English realist novel. In turning from the past to the present and from the sublimity of Scott's Highland landscapes to farmhouses, factories, and suburban villas, Scottish women writers brought romance to everyday life, illuminating the magnificence of the mundane. Drawing on the evangelical discourses emerging from the splintering of the Presbyterian Church in 1843, they represented fiction as a form of spiritual comfort, an antidote to the dreary monotony and petty frustrations of daily existence. This volume introduces the previously overlooked tradition of nineteenth-century Scottish women's writing, and corrects previously male-dominated histories of the Scottish novel.
Evaluation of phase change plaster/paste composites for building envelopes

Abstract Thermal energy storage (TES) materials increase a building’s thermal mass and provide the flexibility to shave and time-shift energy use. These materials are needed to enable grid-interactive efficient buildings, allowing building occupants to lower costs by leveraging free ambient heating/cooling as well as shifting consumption to cheaper electricity periods. Phase change materials (PCMs) that store heat through a solid–liquid/solid–solid transformation are of particular interest for TES because of their ability to store large amounts of energy across a constant temperature or very small temperature range. Previous studies on PCM building envelopes evaluated products that may only be incorporated as part of new construction and are not easily applicable to existing, energy-intensive buildings. In this work, we leverage laboratory PCM characterization and whole-building energy simulation to study the energy and cost savings of PCM plaster/paste coatings, which can be applied post construction to both new builds and retrofits of existing buildings (about 40% of residential buildings in the United States fall into the retrofit category). We evaluated the energy impact of PCM plaster/paste composites for a single-family residential building in the United States, including layer design (location and thickness), composite properties (phase change temperature, energy density, and shape of the enthalpy curve), and U.S. climate zone. The enthalpy curve shape of PCM shows that phase change temperature and energy density are not the only two parameters that must be considered for PCM selection. Maximizing the energy density amid the effective TES zone is key to boosting energy savings. We also studied PCM price targets with the aim of achieving reasonable payback periods based on both block and time-of-use electricity rates. Moreover, we developed an empirical equation to provide a rough estimate of the energy savings potential of incorporating PCM without the need to perform detailed simulations. These results will help guide the selection and design of PCM plaster/paste composite elements for residential building envelopes.
Analysis of Intra-Operative Physiological Responses Through Complex Higher-Order SVD for Long-Term Post-Operative Pain Prediction

Long-term pain conditions after surgery and patients' responses to pain relief medications are not yet fully understood. While recent studies developed an index for nociception level of patients under general anesthesia, based on multiple physiological parameters, it remains unclear whether and how dynamics of these parameters indicate long-term post-operative pain (POP). To extract unbiased and interpretable descriptions of how physiological parameters dynamics change over time and across patients in response to surgical procedures, we employed a multivariate-temporal analysis. We demonstrate the main features of intra-operative physiological responses can be used to predict long-term POP. We propose to use a complex higher-order SVD method to accurately decompose the patients' physiological responses into multivariate structures evolving in time. We used intra-operative vital signs of 175 patients from a mixed surgical cohort to extract three interconnected, low-dimensional complex-valued descriptions of patients' physiological responses: multivariate factors, reflecting sub-physiological parameters; temporal factors reflecting common intra-surgery temporal dynamics; and patients factors, describing patient to patient changes in physiological responses. Adoption of complex-HOSVD allowed us to clarify the dynamic correlation structure included in intra-operative physiological responses. Instantaneous phases of the complex-valued physiological responses within the subspace of principal descriptors enabled us to discriminate between mild versus severe levels of long-term POP. By abstracting patients into different surgical groups, we identified significant surgery-related principal descriptors: each of them potentially encodes different surgical stimulation. The dynamics of patients' physiological responses to these surgical events are linked to long-term post-operative pain development.
HOA Fees: A BAPCPA Death-Trap

Table of ContentsI. Introduction 1396II. Assessments Are Prepetition Debts Under § 101 1400A. Declaration as a Prepetition Contract 1403B. Declaration as an Executory Contract 1406C. Declaration as a Property Interest 1407D. Right to Payment Determined by State Cause of Action 1411E. Conclusion on Claim 1412III. Statutory Exemption from Discharge 1414A. Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1994 1414B. Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 1417C. BAPCPA § 523(a)(16)'s Death-Trap 14181. BAP CPA's Faulty Assumptions and Disincentive to Foreclose 1419a. The Mortgage Crisis 1419b. Inability to Force Foreclosure 14222. Section 523(a)(16)'s Ineffectiveness in Protecting Associations 14263. Section 523(a)(16)'s Overinclusiveness 1429IV. Possible Solutions 1430A. Proposal to Amend § 523(a)(16) 1431B. Judicial Solutions 14341. Section 105 Equitable Powers 14342. Violation of Automatic Stay or Discharge Injunction by Refusing to Foreclose or Release 1436V. Conclusion 1440I. IntroductionThe Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA)'s1 codified protections to common-interest associations create a death-trap for honest bankruptcy debtors trying to achieve a fresh start. Because it is impossible to compel foreclosure and because the current economic and legislative environment creates strong incentives not to foreclose, association fees may accrue indefinitely, a problem the debtor is powerless to correct.Associations, including homeowner associations (HOAs) and condominium associations, are real estate developments or neighborhoods with individually owned lots or units "burdened by a servitude that imposes [a nonavoidable] obligation ... to pay dues or assessments."2 Mandatory member assessments provide a means for members to share the cost of otherwise cost-prohibitive amenities.3 Associations are creatures of state law and each state has an enabling statute that sanctions the formation of the association upon meeting certain requirements.4Contrary to the traditional use of bankruptcy, many debtors are choosing to surrender5 their homes in bankruptcy because of decreases in home values6 and equity.7 The depressed real estate market combined with other disincentives to foreclose means lenders are not rushing to foreclose on delinquent borrowers.8 While the Bankruptcy Code (Code) provides debtors with an option to surrender property, it does not compel foreclosure sale by a lender.9 Absent foreclosure, debtors still own their homes, even after bankruptcy discharge.10 The result is that a borrowerdebtor's fresh start becomes solely dependent on their lender's decision to foreclose. …
Spanos, Nicholas A. (1996). Multiple Identities & False Memories: A Sociocognitive Perspective. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, xiii + 371 Pages, $29.95 (Cloth)

(2000). Spanos, Nicholas A. (1996). Multiple Identities & False Memories: A Sociocognitive Perspective. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, xiii + 371 Pages, $29.95 (Cloth) American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis: Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 161-163.
Self-Testing Among Transsexuals

Abstract Gender dysphoric individuals typically recount histories of prolonged conflict between their bodies and their minds to the effect that they believe they are born into the wrong body. Also, typically, they tell of an early onset of dislike and avoidance of activities appropriate to their genetic sex and affinity with and practice of behavior patterns appropriate for their preferred sex. The conviction that they are bom into the wrong sex and better suited to the opposite sex arises from day to day events of living: a so-called living test. Once accepted into a program of counseling leading to sex reassignment surgery, the individual is required to live in the manner of the opposite sex, e.g., a male believing he is a female is required to live as a woman for a year to two years. This is called the real-life test. The present paper describes the self-test and self-testing experience of many transsexuals wherein they, on their own, undergo circumstances that challenge their conviction: “I really am ...
Science Teacher Beliefs and Intentions to Implement Science-Technology-Society (STS) in the Classroom

(1998). Science Teacher Beliefs and Intentions to Implement Science-Technology-Society (STS) in the Classroom. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 1-24.
Using the law to protect the brand on social media sites

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the legal concepts and theories that are useful in protecting a brand from harmful and unauthorized social media use by third parties.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative research of articles, news stories, court decisions and statutes was conducted. Various legal concerns and theories were developed from this information.Findings – The various legal theories were organized into a three‐category framework: Monitoring; 'Mposters; and Message.Practical implications – This framework should be useful to brand managers to protect their brand against unauthorized use, imitation or unfavourable affiliations in social media.Originality/value – This work is the first to develop a managerial framework of legal issues to address unauthorized and unfavourable use of a brand identity in social media.
The Neuropathology of Myelin Diseases

The following terminology and classification form the scaffold of this neuropathological chapter and the closely integrated chapter (Chapter 9) on the clinical aspects of the myelin diseases. Appropriate naturally occurring and experimental conditions of animals will be briefly covered. Naturally occurring disorders of myelin in animals are covered in greater detail in Chapter 14. Experiments dealing with metabolism of myelin in experimentally induced animal disorders are discussed in Chapter 13.
Smith, Hamilton Othanel

1931– American scientist who elucidated the action of bacterial restriction enzymes that cut DNA molecules at specific places.
On the low-frequency breakdown of FDTD

In this work, we find the FDTD-based time-domain simulation breaks down at low frequencies in both explicit and implicit time marching schemes. This breakdown also exists in the other time-domain methods since the root cause is finite machine precision. A rigorous and fast method is developed in an unconditionally stable and also explicit FDTD method to solve the low-frequency breakdown problem. Numerical simulations of transient phenomena with arbitrarily low input frequencies have validated the proposed method.
'Just because it's gone doesn't mean it isn't there anymore': Planning for attraction residuality

New Hampshire's Old Man of the Mountain illustrates the concept of attraction residuality, wherein a destroyed iconic tourist site is reinvented as a residual attraction through a process of selected ex situ reconstruction and memorialisation. Various mechanical and social reproduction strategies characterise the latter component, including the construction of an off-site full-scale replica and the declaration of a commemoration day and annual awards. Applied more broadly into a specialised disaster planning framework, attraction residuality options can be expanded to include redefinition of the unaltered nucleus and in situ reconstruction of the original icon.
Rheology and Microstructure of β-Lactoglobulin/Sodium Polypectate Gels

Thermally induced β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) and sodium polypectate (SPP) composite gels or coagulum were formed at pH 6.5 and 3.5 and evaluated by dynamic rheological techniques and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At pH 6.5, SPP-induced β-Lg gelation, resulting in the formation of opaque β-Lg/SPP and transluscent β-Lg/SPP/CaCl2 gels. Co-gelation of β-Lg and SPP increased the storage modulus (G‘) of β-Lg/SPP/CaCl2 gels during cooling, whereas ungelled SPP prevented further increases in G‘ of β-Lg/SPP gels. Irrespective of calcium cations, β-Lg and SPP interacted at pH 3.5 to form a grainy white precipitate that coagulated on heating. At pH 6.5, TEM micrographs revealed a nonuniform distribution of β-Lg aggregates in β-Lg/SPP gels as opposed to a homogenuous β-Lg/SPP/CaCl2 gel matrix. At pH 3.5, however, micrographs indicated the formation of a curd-like β-Lg/SPP coagulum that did not form a cohesive network structure. Overall, there is a potential for using pectates or other anionic polysaccharides to...
Non-divergent semiclassical wave functions in supersymmetric quantum mechanics

Abstract Recent work has shown that the supersymmetric WKB approximation (SWKB) gives better results for the energy eigenvalues of most potentials than the standard WKB method. Here, we obtain wave functions in the SWKB scheme which do not diverge at the classical turning points, using a simple, newly developed regularization procedure which rearranges terms in the semiclassical perturbation expansion in ħ.
PUBLIC POLICy AND LANDLORD MAINTENANCE EFFORT IN THE SECTION 8 EXISTING RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: EVIDENCE FROM TWO CASES1

This paper examines an issue with significant implications for the viability of the Section 8 Rental Assistance Program for Existing Housing: the trade-offs between the financial costs and benefits experienced by landlords participating in the program. Using a modified experimental design, these trade-offs are analyzed in carefully matched samples of Section 8 and market rate units managed by two rental firms operating in very different neighborhoods within the St. Louis area—one poor, predominantly black, and central city in location; the other, middle income, white and suburban. Similar patterns are found in both cases: (1) Section 8 units cost significantly more to repair and maintain than comparable market rate units; (2) Section 8 authorized rents and rent collections are significantly higher than market rate; and (3) no significant cashflow differences before debt service are observed between Section 8 and market rate properties. In other words, added maintenance costs resulting from Section 8 participation are adequately compensated for by above-market rents, thereby enhancing program viability. Implications for housing administrators and policy makers are examined in the concluding section of the paper.
Tadarida and Myotis Occupying Cliff Swallow Nests

On March 20, 1957, H. P. Kirby and the writer found Mexican free-tailed bats, Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana Saussure, and cave myotis, Myotis velifer incautus (J. A. Allen), occupying abandoned nests of the cliff swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonata , under a high bridge over a stream, locally known as Pinto Creek, 18.6 miles southeast of Del Rio, in Kinney County, Texas. The typical mud cliff swallow nests were located in the corners of cavities of “inverted box” shape formed by the concrete and steel under-girding and the bottom of the bridge. Possibly 100 such nests were present at the time of our visit; stains on the concrete at points of attachment attested to the former presence of many more. At …
Surface π bonding in the (2 × 1) reconstruction of Si (111)

Abstract The role of a bonding in the (2 × 1) reconstruction of Si (111) is examined. The difference in total energy (Δ E ) between the planar and twisted SiSi π systems in a single π bond (Si 2 H 4 ), a pair of π bonds (Si 4 H 6 ) and an Si 6 chain with three π bonds embedded in an Si 12 cluster show a definite trend: Δ E decreases as the number of π bonds increases. For the largest system studied, an Si 12 cluster model of the Si (111) surface, Δ E is negligibly small. The corresponding Δ E values for C 2 H 4 and for models of the (2 × 1) reconstruction of the diamond (111) surface are larger than the values for silicon. Such differences between silicon and carbon can be understood in terms of smaller energy needed for atomic rehybridization ( s 2 p 2 → sp 3 transition) for silicon. The results suggest that the partial breaking of SiSi π bonds does not energetically inhibit surface reconstruction.
Accountability in Municipalities: The Use of Internal Auditors and Audit Committees

Through the assistance of professional internal auditors and well-designed audit committees, municipalities can run a leaner operation and monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of their operatio...
GABAergic inputs shape responses to amplitude modulated stimuli in the inferior colliculus

Abstract The inferior colliculus (IC) is an important auditory processing center receiving inputs from lower brainstem nuclei, higher auditory and nonauditory structures, and contralateral IC. The IC, along with other auditory structures, is involved in coding information about the envelope of complex signals. Biologically relevant acoustic signals, including animal vocalizations and speech, are spectrally and temporally complex and display amplitude and frequency variations over time. Certain IC neurons respond selectively over a narrow range of modulation frequencies to sinusoidally amplitude modulated (SAM) stimuli. Responses to SAM stimuli can be measured in terms of discharge rate, with rate plotted against the modulation frequency to generate rate modulation transfer functions (rMTF). A role for the inhibitory neurotransmitter, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), in shaping selective responses to SAM stimuli has been suggested. The present study examined the role of GABA in shaping responses to SAM stimuli in the IC of anesthetized chinchilla. Responses from 94 IC neurons were obtained before, during and after iontophoretic application of the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline methiodide. Complete responses to SAM stimuli were obtained from 55 extensively tested neurons, displaying band-pass (38) and low-pass rMTFs (17). For neurons showing band-pass rMTFs, GABAA receptor blockade selectively increased discharge rate at low modulation frequencies for 14 units, increased discharge near the best modulation frequency for 12 units. For neurons showing low-pass rMTFs, GABAA receptor blockade selectively increased discharge rate at low modulation frequencies for nine units. GABAA receptor blockade consistently reduced peak modulation gain, producing low-pass gain functions in a subset of IC neurons. In support of previous findings suggesting that selective temporal responses to SAM stimuli are coded in lower brainstem nuclei, temporal responses to SAM stimuli were relatively unaffected by GABAA receptor blockade. These findings support a role for GABA in shaping selective rate responses to SAM stimuli for a subset of chinchilla IC neurons.
Fire Safety Skills Training for Individuals with Severe and Profound Mental Retardation

The purpose of this research was to evaluate behavioral skills training procedures for teaching individuals with severe and profound mental retardation to exit their residence upon hearing a smoke detector. Assessments took place in the participants’ group homes while the participants were unaware that an assessment was taking place. Training consisted of behavioral skills training and in situ training. Following training, it was anticipated that the participants would be able to initiate exiting behaviors within 10 s of the activation of a smoke detector and exit the building within 30 s of initiating exiting behaviors. The results showed that one participant out of seven met these criteria following training. However, data gathered on the level of prompting needed for participants to exit the building showed that four of the seven participants exited the building with a less intrusive level of prompting from staff.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the co-pyrolysis of 1,3-butadiene and propyne

Abstract To better understand how the interactions between fuel components and their pyrolysis products can affect the production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) during fuel pyrolysis, we have conducted co-pyrolysis experiments with the C4 hydrocarbon 1,3-butadiene and the C3 hydrocarbon propyne (supplied in equimolar amounts), in nitrogen, in an isothermal laminar-flow reactor at temperatures of 700–1000 °C and a residence time of 0.3 s. Analysis of the reaction products by high-pressure liquid chromatography with diode-array ultraviolet-visible absorbance detection has led to the identification of 80 PAH of three to nine rings—none of which have ever before been reported as products of 1,3-butadiene/propyne co-pyrolysis. Quantification of the products as functions of temperature shows that yields of PAH (⩾3 rings) are negligible at temperatures ⩽ 800 °C. Above 800 °C, PAH yields from the co-pyrolysis experiments rise sharply with temperature and, at temperatures of 850–950 °C, are five to seven times what would result from pyrolyzing the two fuels individually. Even at 1000 °C, when the individual fuels’ pyrolyses produce significant yields of PAH, the factor is 2.3. Detailed examination of the temperature-dependent yields of the other hydrocarbon products reveals three principal reasons for the co-pyrolysis-induced enhancement of PAH yields: (1) accelerated conversion of propyne when in the presence of the rich radical pool supplied by 1,3-butadiene; (2) reactions between C3 and C4 species that produce toluene and benzyl radical in higher amounts and at lower temperatures than when either 1,3-butadiene or propyne is pyrolyzed individually; (3) facilitated generation, during co-pyrolysis, of aryl and arylmethyl radicals, which, in combining with abundant C2–C4 species and aromatics in the reaction environment, prove to be very effective agents of PAH growth. As the greatest beneficiaries of this facilitated growth, the largest PAH (⩾5 rings) exhibit the highest relative increases in yields.
Amino acids 78 and 79 of Mammalian Orthoreovirus protein µNS are necessary for stress granule localization, core protein λ2 interaction, and de novo virus replication

At early times in Mammalian Orthoreovirus (MRV) infection, cytoplasmic inclusions termed stress granules (SGs) are formed as a component of the innate immune response, however, at later times they are no longer present despite continued immune signaling. To investigate the roles of MRV proteins in SG modulation we examined non-structural protein µNS localization relative to SGs in infected and transfected cells. Using a series of mutant plasmids, we mapped the necessary μNS residues for SG localization to amino acids 78 and 79. We examined the capacity of a μNS(78-79) mutant to associate with known viral protein binding partners of μNS and found that it loses association with viral core protein λ2. Finally, we show that while this mutant cannot support de novo viral replication, it is able to rescue replication following siRNA knockdown of μNS. These data suggest that μNS association with SGs, λ2, or both play roles in MRV replication.
Mortality in Female War Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom

Background Combat-wounded service members are surviving battle injuries more than ever. Given different combat roles held by men and women, female service members should survive wounds at an unprecedented rate.
Comparative analysis of neurological disorders focuses genome-wide search for autism genes

The behaviors of autism overlap with a diverse array of other neurological disorders, suggesting common molecular mechanisms. We conducted a large comparative analysis of the network of genes linked to autism with those of 432 other neurological diseases to circumscribe a multi-disorder subcomponent of autism. We leveraged the biological process and interaction properties of these multi-disorder autism genes to overcome the across-the-board multiple hypothesis corrections that a purely data-driven approach requires. Using prior knowledge of biological process, we identified 154 genes not previously linked to autism of which 42% were significantly differentially expressed in autistic individuals. Then, using prior knowledge from interaction networks of disorders related to autism, we uncovered 334 new genes that interact with published autism genes, of which 87% were significantly differentially regulated in autistic individuals. Our analysis provided a novel picture of autism from the perspective of related neurological disorders and suggested a model by which prior knowledge of interaction networks can inform and focus genome-scale studies of complex neurological disorders.
Design Sensitivity Analysis of Nonlinear Multidisciplinary Multibody Systems in the MIXEDMODELS Platform

Most state-of-the-art multibody systems are multidisciplinary and encompass a wide range of components from various domains such as electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, etc. The design considerations and design parameters of the system can come from any of these domains or from a combination of these domains. In order to perform analytical design sensitivity analysis on a multidisciplinary system (MDS), we first need a uniform modeling approach for this class of systems to obtain a unified mathematical model of the system. Based on this model, we can derive a unified formulation for design sensitivity analysis. In this paper, we present a modeling and design sensitivity formulation for MDS that has been successfully implemented in the MIXEDMODELS (Multidisciplinary Integrated eXtensible Engine for Driving Metamodeling, Optimization and DEsign of Large-scale Systems) platform. MIXEDMODELS is a unified analysis and design tool for MDS that is based on a procedural, symbolic-numeric architecture. This architecture allows any engineer to add components in his/her domain of expertise to the platform in a modular fashion. The symbolic engine in the MIXEDMODELS platform synthesizes the system governing equations as a unified set of non-linear differential-algebraic equations (DAE’s). These equations can then be differentiated with respect to design to obtain an additional set of DAE’s in the sensitivity coefficients of the system state variables with respect to the system’s design variables. This combined set of DAE’s can be solved numerically to obtain the solution for the state variables and state sensitivity coefficients of the system. Finally, knowing the system performance functions, we can calculate the design sensitivity coefficients of these performance functions by using the values of the state variables and state sensitivity coefficients obtained from the DAE’s. In this work we use the direct differentiation approach for sensitivity analysis, as opposed to the adjoint variable approach, for ease in error control and software implementation. The capabilities and performance of the proposed design sensitivity analysis formulation are demonstrated through a numerical example consisting of an AC rectified DC power supply driving a slider crank mechanism. In this case, the performance functions and design variables come from both electrical and mechanical domains. The results obtained were verified by perturbation analysis, and the method was shown to be very accurate and computationally viable.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Characterization of Physical Interactions of the Putative Transcriptional Adaptor, ADA2, with Acidic Activation Domains and TATA-binding Protein

RNA polymerase II transcription requires functional interactions between activator proteins bound to upstream DNA sites and general factors bound to the core promoter. Accessory transcription factors, such as adaptors and coactivators, have important, but still unclear, roles in the activation process. We tested physical interactions of the putative adaptor ADA2 with activation domains derived from acidic activator proteins and with certain general transcription factors. ADA2 associated with the herpesvirus VP16 and yeast GCN4 activation domains but not with the activation domain of yeast HAP4, which previously was shown to be independent of ADA2 function in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the amino terminus of ADA2 directly interacted with the VP16 activation domain, suggesting that ADA2 provides determinants for interaction between activation domains and the adaptor complex. Both TATA-binding protein (TBP) and TFIIB have previously been shown to interact directly with the VP16 activation domain in vitro (Stringer, K. F., Ingles, C. J., and Greenblatt, J. (1990) Nature 345, 783-786; Lin, Y. S., Ha, I., Maldonado, E., Reinberg, D., and Green, M. R. (1991) Nature 353, 569-571). Interestingly, when binding was tested between VP16 and these general factors in yeast nuclear extracts, both factors interacted with VP16, but only the TBP/VP16 association was dependent on ADA2. In addition, ADA2 physically associated with TBP, but not with TFIIB. These results suggest that the role of ADA2 in transcriptional activation is to promote physical interaction between activation domains and TBP.
Thermal-Radiation Absorption Characteristics of Patterned Wafers During Rapid Thermal Processing

Microscale radiation effects are responsible for the dependence of absorption and temperature distributions on the geometry of the layering structures and the spectral characteristics of the heat source. The effect of patterned wafers, which may contain several different structures and materials, on the wafer absorption characteristics are investigated for rapid thermal processing. A numerical model to determine the thermal radiative absorptivity of the wafer for different structures and materials is presented for different heating conditions. The resulting transient effects are determined numerically for different rapid thermal processes. The changes in radiative properties for rapid thermal annealing and chemical vapor deposition are investigated for patterned wafers.
How Fat is Fat? Some Consequences of Similarity Between Judge and Judged Object

(1961). How Fat is Fat? Some Consequences of Similarity Between Judge and Judged Object. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 133-136.
Individual and Situational Factors That Influence Managers' Ethical Judgments

This study is an investigation of potential relationships between ethical judgments and both personal demographic and situational variables among a national sample of 602 managers. A significant po...
A low power electronic sticker for vehicle identification system using proprietary active RFID wireless protocol

This paper presents the design and implementation of an electronic car sticker (e-sticker) using a proprietary RFID protocol. The system is a wireless data transmission system and consists of a monitoring module (reader) and many data acquisition modules (tags). In order to extend the battery life, the hardware and software components in both reader and tag modules are specifically designed to consume minimal power/energy. The proposed e-sticker can replace many windshield stickers such as registration, inspection and parking stickers on vehicles and can be monitored by patrol officers, inspection stations and authorized offices.
Predicting First-Grade Achievement from Pre-Kindergarten WPPSI-R Scores:

WPPSI-R scores from 50 middle- and upper-middle-class children, obtained 3 to 8 months prior to enrolling in kindergarten in an independent school, were used to predict achievement in Listening, Reading, Math, and Word Analysis 2 years later, at the end of first grade. Simple correlations between these achievement areas and both VIQ and FSIQ are highly significant, while correlations that involve PIQ are nonsignificant. Multiple regression analysis further revealed that, after VIQ no additional variance in any of the achievement areas was accounted for by PIQ.
A framework for health numeracy: how patients use quantitative skills in health care

Our objective of this study is to develop a conceptual framework for the construct of health numeracy based on patient perceptions, using a cross-sectional, qualitative design. Interested participants (n=59) meeting eligibility criteria (age 40-74, English speaking) were assigned to one of six focus groups stratified by gender and educational level (low, medium, high). Fifty-three percent were male, and 47% were female. Sixty-one percent were white non-Hispanic, and 39% were of minority race or ethnicity. Participants were randomly selected from three primary care sites associated with an academic medical center. Focus group discussions were held in May 2004 and focused on how numbers are used in the health care setting. Data were presented from clinical trials to further explore how quantitative information is used in health communication and decision making. Focus groups were audio and videotaped; verbatim transcripts were prepared and analyzed. A framework of health numeracy was developed to reflect the themes that emerged. Three broad conceptual domains for health numeracy were identified: primary numeric skills, applied health numeracy, and interpretive health numeracy. Across domains, results suggested that numeracy contains an emotional component, with both positive and negative affect reflected in patient numeracy statements. We conclude that health numeracy is a multifaceted construct that includes applied and interpretive components and is influenced by patient affect.
A Public Choice Analysis of Congressional Franking

Based on the rational choice assumption that politicians seek to enhance their reelection chances, the authors posit and test several hypotheses about how the use of franked mail varies across members of the House of Representatives. This study improves upon the existing literature by using a sample of all full-term representatives and by using multiple regression analysis that allows for estimation of the marginal effect of each explanatory variable after controlling for other factors that might affect franking behavior. The results of this study indicate that (1) politicians seeking higher office tend to make greater use of franked mail while those who are retiring engage in less franking, (2) narrower electoral margins, especially for first termers, are associated with more franking, (3) representatives who have larger campaign expenditures also have higher levels of franked mail, and (4) franked mail increases with a congressional district’s distance from Washington, D.C.
Cortisol responses to emotional stress in men: Association with a functional polymorphism in the 5HTR2C gene

The serotonin 5HTR2C receptor has been shown to mediate HPA axis activation during stress. We hypothesized that a functional polymorphism (rs6318) of the 5HTR2C gene would be associated with HPA axis response to a laboratory stress protocol. The present sample consisted of 41 men (22 African Americans, 19 Caucasians). We found that at rest men with the more active rs6318 Ser23 C allele had similar cortisol values compared to those with the less active Cys23 G allele. During laboratory stress, however, men with the Ser23 C allele exhibited the predicted significantly higher cortisol levels (p<0.001), as well as larger increases in anger (p=0.08) and depressive mood (p=0.006) ratings, compared to the Cys23 G carriers. The increase in cortisol was significantly related to the increases in ratings of anger and depression assessed before and after the emotion induction, and these correlations became nonsignificant when rs6318 genotype was covaried. We conclude that genetic variation in 5HTR2C may be associated with HPA axis activation and stimulated by emotional stress, and also with both psychological and physiological endophenotypes that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes.
The mediating effects of delinquent attitudes on race, race heterogeneity, and violent offending

Race is often linked with crime. Research, regardless of method, finds that crime appears to be disproportionately committed by racial and ethnic minorities, especially blacks. And, this disproportionality is greater for violent crimes such as robbery and homicide than it is for non-violent crimes. While some studies identify the importance of neighborhood context, others discuss the importance of a youth's peer group in accounting for the relationship between race and violent offending, particularly the racial heterogeneity of the peer group. Drawing on the work of organizational literature as well as the subculture of violence thesis, the current study explores the race-violence relationship by examining three additional mediators: the formation of delinquent attitudes, adherence to a street code, and susceptibility to peer influence. Furthermore, utilizing a sample of white, black, and Hispanic youth, this study examines the extent to which these variables mediate the relationship between racial hetero...
Prestack migration by split‐step DSR

The double‐square‐root (DSR) prestack migration equation, though defined for depth variable velocity, can be used to image media with strong velocity variations using a phase‐shift plus interpolation (PSPI) or split‐step correction. The split‐step method is based on applying a phase‐shift correction to the extrapolated wavefield—a correction that attempts to compensate for the lateral velocity variations. I show how to extend DSR prestack migration to lateral velocity media and exemplify the method by applying the new algorithm to the Marmousi data set. The split‐step DSR migration is very fast and offers excellent imaging results.
The balcony of the Chapín, or the vain architecture of shoes in early modern Spain

This paper explores the role shoes played in the regulation of sex and gender in early modern Spain. A key component of a sartorial code identified with prostitution and civil status, the chapines became the object of self-fashioning for women, as well as the target of control of their sexuality and subjectivity. “The Balcony of the Chapin” analyzes the correspondences of representation of these kinds of shoes in Lope de Vega's play El perro del hortelano [The Dog in the Manger], the theatrical home of Tristan, Marcela, Diana, and Teodoro, and in a series of regulation texts (edicts, laws, and treatises by moralistas) that sought to contain the wearing of such shoes. Rather than separating the “free” expression of this footwear in the fantasy of theater from the “contained” prescription of the regulation texts, the goal of this article is to tease out how the wearing of these shoes by women responded to a more complex agency than mere banality (the “vain architecture” of the balcony of the chapines uttere...
Surface compression using over-determined Laplacian approximation

We describe a surface compression technique to lossily compress elevation datasets. Our approach first approximates the uncompressed terrain using an over-determined system of linear equations based on the Laplacian partial differential equation. Then the approximation is refined with respect to the uncompressed terrain using an error metric. These two steps work alternately until we find an approximation that is good enough. We then further compress the result to achieve a better overall compression ratio. We present experiments and measurements using different metrics and our method gives convincing results.
Miche: Modular Shape Formation by Self-Disassembly

We describe the design, implementation and programming of a set of robots that, starting from an amorphous arrangement, can be assembled into arbitrary shapes and then commanded to self-disassemble in an organized manner to obtain a goal shape. We present custom hardware, distributed algorithms and experimental results from hundreds of trails which show the system successfully forming complex 3D shapes. Each of the 28 modules in the system is implemented as a 1.8-inch autonomous cube-shaped robot able to connect to and communicate with its immediate neighbors. Embedded microprocessors control each module's magnetic connection mechanisms and infrared communication interfaces. When assembled into a structure, the modules form a system that can be virtually sculpted using a computer interface and a distributed process. The group of modules collectively decides which elements are a part of the final shape and which are not using algorithms that minimize information transmission and storage. Finally, the modules not in the structure disengage their magnetic couplings and fall away under the influence of an external force: in this case, gravity.
Life-Course Influences on Nonearnings Income Migration in the United States:

This paper contributes to the emerging body of literature examining the interregional income migration in the United States and offers explanations for why certain areas emerge as magnets for nonearnings income flows while other areas are losing this increasingly important source of personal income. By synthesizing ideas from contemporary understandings of life-course influences on migration and earlier work on income migration, the paper builds a theoretical model of factors shaping income migration across space and tests the model with evidence from Census 2000 by using both ordinary least squares and geographically weighted regression techniques. The analysis highlights the importance of life-course understandings of migration in shaping nonearnings income flows across space. Demographic factors such as concentrations of married couples with no children combine with quality-of-life and economic variables to explain nonearnings income migration. Other factors such as housing-market costs and immigration...