cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From the Chaldean Oracles to the Corpus Dionysiacum: Theurgy between the Third and Sixth Centuries

This essay traces the journey of “theurgy” from its original, pagan associations with the Chaldean Oracles in the second century, to the Christian mystical theology of “Pseudo”-Dionysius the Areopagite in the early sixth century. The essay begins by inquiring into the theory and practice of theurgy as expressed in the fragmentary Oracles, and argues that the surviving sources do not permit us to draw firm conclusions. The essay then moves quickly over the Neoplatonic reception of theurgy, from Plotinus to Porphyry to Iamblichus. Iamblichus’ theory of theurgy is especially significant for the subsequent Christian reception. The essay ends by examining the use of the term “theurgy” in the Corpus Dionysiacum, and argues that while the author inherits the form of Iamblichean theurgy, he freights it with new content by figuring the Incarnation of Christ as the preeminent theurgy or “work of God.”
Quantitative isolation of total glycosphingolipids from animal cells

The quantitative isolation of total glycosphingolipids from crude lipid extracts without contamination from other lipid classes is described. The method consists of (a) acetylation of total lipids with pyridine and acetic anhydride, (b) separation of acetylated glycolipids from nonglycolipids on a magnesia-silica gel (Florisil) column, and (c) deacetylation of glycolipid in chloroform-methanol-sodium methoxide. This method is useful for determination of microgram quantities of glycolipids derived from less than 1 ml of packed cells.
Design of DC-DC converter for a grid connected inverter

Currently the use of energy from photovoltaic panels is a reality, and its extensive use will become extremely important in the research for solutions to energy and environmental problems. In this context, MPPT techniques are the most important part to extract the maximum power available. In this study, a DC-DC conversion system according to the boost topology has been designed. System tests were carried out outdoor at different solar radiation. First, the characteristic curve of the photovoltaic panel has been plotted, afterward the MPPT tracking system was connected. The controller communicates tracking data (current, voltage, duty cycle and power) at each step of the algorithm. Sometimes the algorithm deviates from the real maximum power point at first, making a false decision, but comes close thereafter. It is necessary to perform further investigations on this problem. An improvement of the used method is intended to take into account of all the constraints, so it would be possible to provide a simple and reliable system that tracks the maximum power point with minimum circuit and thus minimum consumption of energy.
The Gulf War and the 1990s

The Gulf War of 1990–91 was the world's first post-Cold War crisis. It appeared to open up the possibility for profound changes in the Persian Gulf region, as the United States, unconstrained by the fear of superpower confrontation, deployed massive force to the area and defeated a major regional power, Iraq, in a brief but intense war. However, after the Gulf War dust settled, not much had changed. Saddam Hussein was weakened and constrained by draconian international sanctions, but he still ruled Iraq (though Iraqi Kurdish areas secured de facto autonomy under American protection). His ambitious effort to redraw the regional map had failed. Kuwait remained an independent state; the regimes in the Gulf monarchies remained in power. The Islamic Republic of Iran gained relatively from the defeat of its Iraqi rival in terms of the regional power game, but could do little to turn that gain into a new position of regional leadership. Rather, and in contrast to its foreign policy in the 1980s, Tehran took a more moderate, diplomatic tack in its relations with its monarchical neighbors and refrained from adventures against a weakened Iraq. The biggest strategic change, aside from the destruction of Iraq's offensive military capabilities, to come out of the war was the development of a permanent American military infrastructure in the Gulf monarchies. That military presence hardly translated into regional hegemony. Saddam Hussein remained an irritant to the United States throughout the 1990s. American influence in Iran was nil.
Introduction: LGBT Identity and Selling Queer

The trite cliche “We are what we eat” applies directly to the steady stream of images and texts we consume daily via the screens in our lives. Through our phones, computers, tablets, and televisions, we are bingeing our way through a steady diet of information about who we are and what we should be, much of it unhealthy, stereotypical, preying on individual insecurities, and based on product consumption. The negative impact of these images is particularly strong for the queer—gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans—individuals. Media theorists and scholars have long argued, beginning with the popularization of television in the 1940s, that our experiences with and consumption of what is fed to us through our screens has a profound effect on how we see/define ourselves and the world. This book applies those theories and philosophies to the digital texts today in a keen analysis of a specific population: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. The primary question answered in these chapters is “How and why are representations of queer identity in the digital age shaping who we are as gay, lesbian, bi, trans, queer people?” The answers are vexing in that the digital media, which purports to open up the world with access to all kinds of information and knowledge, ultimately serves to distort and limit in very negative ways how we perceive, embody, perform queer identity. The dynamics of various media shaping our worldview and sense of self is not unique, but typical. The problem, however, is that with the digital age, what we consume is more restrictive than ever.
Diversity and Inclusion in Youth Development: What We Can Learn from Marginalized Young People

As we commemorate 100 years of youth development programs whose origins are traced to organizations founded in the United States, we consider key insights as well as strategies relevant for diversity and inclusion. Many of the large, mainstream youth development organizations and programs that were founded over a century ago now primarily serve youth in the “mainstream”: youth from the middle classes, traditional families, and dominant cultural groups. A growing body of scholarship considers the positive development of youth who are marginalized due to their social class, ability, sexuality, citizenship status, race, ethnicity, or culture. We draw insights from studies of youth and families who are immigrants, or who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). These findings provide a vantage point for considering ways that contemporary youth development organizations might stretch the margins, or adapt their practices, in order to reach and include all youth.
Trajectory-Based Segmentation of Loyalty Program-Type Data

The emergence of multiple marketing data sets available to marketers has created a need for the best way to analyze and interpret purchasing behaviors among varying segments of customers. In this paper, the loyalty card program of a U.S. mass merchandise retailer is segmented using a trajectory modeling approach. The trajectory modeling technique reveals seven distinct segments of customers within this loyalty card program that we named: (1) premiere, (2) early excitement but faded, (3) late bloomer, (4) moderate but steady, (5) disillusioned, (6) once-a-month visitors, and (7) moderate start but faded. These results provide evidence of the need to customize CRM strategies for multiple customer trajectory segments in order to maximize loyalty and profitability. Furthermore, this paper provides a unique methodological tool to identify and analyze unique customer segments based on their behaviors over time.
The interplay between adaptive and innate immunity promotes cancer development

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 45, 2004 1751 Recent clinical and experimental data suggest a strong promoting role for inflammatory cells during early neoplastic development, however, the mechanisms by which inflammatory cells are recruited towards (pre-) malignant lesions and the mechanisms by which they contribute to neoplastic progression are still largely unknown. Utilizing a transgenic mouse model of multi-stage squamous cell carcinogenesis, e.g. HPV16 mice we have previously shown that specific subsets of immune cells, in particular mast cells, are crucial modifiers of early epithelial carcinogenesis. The aims of this study are to understand the mechanisms regulating recruitment of these infiltrating leukocytes towards premalignant epithelial lesions and how they functionally contribute to neoplastic development. Taking a genetic approach, we have revealed that specific elimination of the adaptive immune system in HPV16 mice results in a dramatic reduction in the number of infiltrating mast cells at all stages of neoplastic progression. Moreover, neoplastic progression in the absence of functional T and B cell responses results in decreased infiltration of premalignant tissue by neutrophils, attenuated angiogenesis and reduced characteristic keratinocyte hyperproliferation. In addition, our preliminary data suggest that elimination of the adaptive immune response in HPV16 mice results in a reduction in overall tumor incidence. Since genetic elimination of either CD4+ and CD8+ T cells alone does not result in reduced mast cell infiltration or altered characteristics of angiogenesis in early premalignant tissue, and since neoplastic progression in HPV16 mice is characterized by abundant deposition of IgG and IgM antibodies in the neoplastic environment, we hypothesize that antibodies, and specifically activated B cells play a crucial role in the recruitment pathway regulating mast cell infiltration and mast cell potentiation of squamous carcinogenesis. The implications of these findings support a model in which inhibition of mast cell recruitment into premalignant neoplastic stroma significantly alters the characteristics of neoplastic development and suggests that pharmacological intervention targeting either activation of B cells, antibody deposition or mast cell recruitment may represent a viable therapeutic anti-cancer strategy. (Supported by a fellowship from the Dutch Cancer Society).
Mortality of Aspen on the Gros Ventre Elk Winter Range

Stands of aspen on the Gros Ventre elk winter range of northwestern Wyoming are suffering high mortality and are not regenerating satisfactorily. If the 1970 mortality rate (3.6 percent) continues, about a two-thirds reduction in the numbers of tree-sized aspen can be expected by year 2000. Collected evidence suggests that the mortality rate i s unusually high because of a combination of pathogenic fungi, injurious insects, and physiological stress that follow bark wounding of tree trunks. Elk and possibly moose are suspected of causing most of these severe trunk injuries. Sooty bark canker, Cytospora canker, sllld stem-boring insects were the most common pests associated with tree mortality. The prospect for aspen on the elk winter range i s especially critical because of the heavy impact of browsing and pests on aspen sprouts which prohibits natural replacement of the dying aspen overstory.
"I Feel I Am Really Pleading the Cause of My Own People": US Southern White Students' Study of African-American History and Culture in the 1930s through Art and the Senses.

In the 1930s there emerged an initiative to teach black history and culture to white students, which pre-dates more widespread efforts of the post-Second World War era. This article analyses studen...
Effect of Impact Mechanism on Head Accelerations in Men’s Lacrosse Athletes

Quantifying head impacts is a vital component to understanding and preventing head trauma in sport. Our objective was to establish the frequency and magnitude of head impact mechanisms in men’s lac...
Tissue Iron and an Overview on Nonheme Iron Biochemistry

It is difficult to decide exactly where a treatise on nonheme iron metabolism should begin, especially in view of the fact that heme and nonheme iron biology are so intricately interconnected. It is perhaps prudent to introduce some basic vocabulary and concepts in an abbreviated form and to present a brief unified overview of iron metabolism which can serve as a framework upon which the more detailed material of this and the following chapters can be constructed.
Cell and Tissue Organization in Soft Materials: Insight from Mathematical and Biophysical Modelling

All complex organisms are hierarchically structured: the body is composed of organs each fulfilling a specialized function, organs contain specialized tissues and a tissue is an organized assembly of specialized cells and extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is mainly composed of a network of protofilaments like collagen or fibronectin which are secreted by the tissue’s resident cells and is constantly remodeled by cells.
Illegal Aid: Legal Assistance to Immigrants in the United States

There is an enormous unmet need for immigrant legal aid in the United States. This is partly due to regulations that bar federally-funded legal services organizations from representing many types of immigrants. The possible repeal of these restrictions is rarely discussed as a means to expand immigrant access to counsel. Federal funding for immigrant legal aid appears to have become taboo, despite the fact that for much of its history, legal aid was deeply connected to immigration. This forgotten history reveals that there was once a broad national consensus in favor of immigrant legal aid; it became contentious and faced restriction only after legal aid lawyers began representing “illegal aliens” during the War on Poverty. Congress reacted to legal aid lawyers’ bringing high profile civil rights litigation on behalf of undocumented immigrants by enacting a restriction scheme that authorized representation only of those immigrants that Congress deemed permanent. This article contends that as a constitutional matter government should not be in the business of carving out castes of persons entitled to fewer civil rights than others. The denial of legal aid to certain immigrants conflicts with a Jeffersonian view of democracy and with the principle of anti-subordination at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment. Civil legal aid may not, at this point in time, be an absolute right, but it does represent an important way for indigent and powerless minorities to have their grievances heard. The article concludes that there is no substantial justification for discriminating against immigrants as to this basic democratic safeguard.
The Localization of Sex in the Brain

The hypothalamo-hypophyseo-gonadal axis has been generally looked upon as the neuroendocrine basis of sexual behavior and many animal studies support this view. Higher neuronal circuits must be involved in sexuality, at least in man, but there has been little curiosity and little knowledge concerning these mechanisms.
META RNA profiling: Multiplexed quantitation of targeted RNAs across large numbers of samples.

Abstract META RNA profiling is a simple and inexpensive method to measure the expression of multiple targeted RNAs across many samples. By assigning sample-specific tags up-front during reverse-transcription, cDNAs from multiple samples can be pooled prior to amplification and deep sequencing. Such early parallelization of samples simplifies the workflow, minimizes cross-sample experimental variability, and reduces reagent and sequencing costs. Herein we describe the theoretical framework of the method and provide a detailed protocol to facilitate its implementation.
Moving Toward Understanding Social Justice in Sport Organizations: A Study of Engagement in Social Justice Advocacy in Sport Organizations:

This study examines the factors that can be associated with social justice advocacy in the field of sport and explains why the activists get involved in the social justice advocacy. The authors imp...
Selected Experimental Highlights from Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions at RHIC

Nucleus-nucleus collisions at RHIC produce high temperature and high energy density matter which exhibits partonic degrees of freedom. We will discuss measurements of nuclear modification factors for light hadrons and non-photonic electrons from heavy quark decays, which reflect the flavor dependence of energy loss of high momentum partons traversing the dense QCD medium. The hadronization of bulk partonic matter exhibits collectivity in effective partonic degrees of freedom. Nuclear collisions at RHIC provide an intriguing environment, where many constituent quark ingredients are readily available for possible formation of exotic particles through quark coalescences or recombinations.
Words matter: age-related positivity in episodic memory for abstract but not concrete words.

Research continues to assess potential boundary conditions for the age-related positivity effect in emotional information processing. Beyond the valence and arousal characteristics of a stimulus, o...
Biomarkers and Noncalcified Coronary Artery Plaque Progression in Older Men Treated With Testosterone.

Author(s): Shaikh, Kashif; Ellenberg, Susan S; Nakanishi, Rine; Snyder, Peter J; Lee, Juhwan; Wenger, Nanette K; Lewis, Cora E; Swerdloff, Ronald S; Preston, Peter; Hamal, Sajad; Stephens-Sheilds, Alisa; Bhasin, Shalender; Cherukuri, Lavanya; Cauley, Jane A; Crandall, Jill P; Cunningham, Glenn R; Ensrud, Kristine E; Matsumoto, Alvin M; Molich, Mark E; Alla, Venkata M; Birudaraju, Divya; Nezarat, Negin; Rai, Kelash; Almeida, Shone; Roy, Sion K; Sheikh, Mohammad; Trad, George; Budoff, Mathew J | Abstract: ObjectiveRecent results from the Cardiovascular Trial of the Testosterone Trials showed that testosterone treatment of older men with low testosterone was associated with greater progression of noncalcified plaque (NCP). We evaluated the effect of anthropometric measures and cardiovascular biomarkers on plaque progression in individuals in the Testosterone Trial.MethodsThe Cardiovascular part of the trial included 170 men aged 65 years or older with low testosterone. Participants received testosterone gel or placebo gel for 12 months. The primary outcome was change in NCP volume from baseline to 12 months, as determined by coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). We assayed several markers of cardiovascular risk and analyzed each marker individually in a model as predictive variables and change in NCP as the dependent variable.ResultsOf 170 enrollees, 138 (73 testosterone, 65 placebo) completed the study and were available for the primary analysis. Of 10 markers evaluated, none showed a significant association with the change in NCP volume, but a significant interaction between treatment assignment and waist-hip ratio (WHR) (P = 0.0014) indicated that this variable impacted the testosterone effect on NCP volume. The statistical model indicated that for every 0.1 change in the WHR, the testosterone-induced 12-month change in NCP volume increased by 26.96 mm3 (95% confidence interval, 7.72-46.20).ConclusionAmong older men with low testosterone treated for 1 year, greater WHR was associated with greater NCP progression, as measured by CCTA. Other biomarkers and anthropometric measures did not show statistically significant association with plaque progression.
Patterns in Geographic Access to Health Care Facilities Across Neighborhoods in the United States Based on Data From the National Establishment Time-Series Between 2000 and 2014

Importance The association between proximity to health care facilities and improved disease management and population health has been documented, but little is known about small-area health care environments and how the presence of health care facilities has changed over time during recent health system and policy change. Objective To examine geographic access to health care facilities across neighborhoods in the United States over a 15-year period. Design, Setting, and Participants Using longitudinal business data from the National Establishment Time-Series, this cross-sectional study examined the presence of and change in ambulatory care facilities and pharmacies and drugstores in census tracts (CTs) throughout the continental United States between 2000 and 2014. Between January and April 2019, multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate associations between health care facility presence and neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics over time. Main Outcomes and Measures Change in health care facility presence was measured as never present, lost, gained, or always present between 2000 and 2014. Neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics (ie, CTs) and their change over time were measured from US Census reports (2000 and 2010) and the American Community Survey (2008-2012). Results Among 72 246 included CTs, the percentage of non–US-born residents, residents 75 years or older, poverty status, and population density increased, and 8.1% of CTs showed a change in the racial/ethnic composition of an area from predominantly non-Hispanic (NH) white to other racial/ethnic composition categories between 2000 and 2010. The presence of ambulatory care facilities increased from a mean (SD) of 7.7 (15.9) per CT in 2000 to 13.0 (22.9) per CT in 2014, and the presence of pharmacies and drugstores increased from a mean (SD) of 0.6 (1.0) per CT in 2000 to 0.9 (1.4) per CT in 2014. Census tracts with predominantly NH black individuals (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.37; 95% CI, 2.03-2.77), Hispanic/Latino individuals (aOR 1.30; 95% CI, 1.00-1.69), and racially/ethnically mixed individuals (aOR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.33-1.77) in 2000 had higher odds of losing health care facilities between 2000 and 2014 compared with CTs with predominantly NH white individuals, after controlling for other neighborhood characteristics. Census tracts of geographic areas with higher levels of poverty in 2000 also had higher odds of losing health care facilities between 2000 and 2014 (aOR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.05-1.19). Conclusions and Relevance Differential change was found in the presence of health care facilities across neighborhoods over time, indicating the need to monitor and address the spatial distribution of health care resources within the context of population health disparities.
Professional quality of life and intent to leave the workforce: Gender disparities in child welfare.

Abstract Background Efforts to enhance professional quality of life (ProQOL) may prove a promising area for intervention to reducing workforce jettison and maintaining a healthy and resilient workforce necessary for supporting children and families in the child welfare system. Objective The current study aimed to describe the relative contributions of measures of ProQOL to intent on leaving the workforce among child welfare professionals. We also aimed to describe gender differences in ProQOL, intent to leave, and associated correlations among child welfare professionals. Such an investigation is a critical extension of earlier efforts as women constitute a markedly larger proportion of the workforce compared to men and evidence exists pointing to gender disparities in helping professionals’ work experiences. Participants and setting Secondary data were used from a survey of child welfare professionals across five sites. Methods Univariate and bivariate statistics, hierarchical linear regression, and associated z-scores and p-values were used to meet the aforementioned aims. Results Burnout accounted for the greatest variation in intent to leave among all professionals. However, gender disparities were found for all ProQOL measures with the largest difference observed for burnout, an effect more pronounced in males. Compassion satisfaction was significantly higher among females. Conclusions Burnout shapes intentions to leave for child welfare professionals; however, the effects of emotional exhaustion and hopelessness are stronger predictors of turnover among male than females in the current sample. Organizational strategies to reduce burnout and future research directions are discussed.
Clinical impact of rapid influenza PCR in the adult emergency department on patient management, ED length of stay, and nosocomial infection rate.

Background Seasonal influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality and incurs large economic costs. Influenza like illness is a common presenting concern to Emergency Departments (ED), and optimizing the diagnosis of influenza in the ED has the potential to positively affect patient management and outcomes. Therapeutic guidelines have been established to identify which patients most likely will benefit from anti-viral therapy. Objectives We assessed the impact of rapid influenza PCR testing of ED patients on laboratory result generation and patient management across two influenza seasons. Methods A pre-post study was performed following a multifaceted clinical redesign including the implementation of rapid influenza PCR at three diverse EDs comparing the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 influenza seasons. Testing parameters including turn-around-time and diagnostic efficiency were measured along with rates of bed transfers, hospital-acquired (HA) influenza, and ED length of stay (LOS). Results More testing of discharged patients was performed in the post-intervention period, but influenza rates were the same. Identification of influenza-positive patients was significantly faster, and there was faster and more appropriate prescription of anti-influenza medication. There were no differences in bed transfer rates or HA influenza, but ED LOS was reduced by 74 minutes following clinical redesign. Conclusions Multifaceted clinical redesign to optimize ED workflow incorporating rapid influenza PCR testing can be successfully deployed across different ED environments. Adoption of rapid influenza PCR can streamline testing and improve antiviral stewardship and ED workflow including reducing LOS. Further study is needed to determine if other outcomes including bed transfers and rates of HA influenza can be affected by improved testing practices.
Monotonic, Cyclic, and Postcyclic Responses of an Alluvial Plastic Silt Deposit

AbstractThis study presents a comprehensive investigation into the monotonic, cyclic, and postcyclic response of a medium stiff, plastic, lightly-overconsolidated, alluvial clayey silt deposit. The...
JCL roundtable: Lipids and inflammation in atherosclerosis

Clinical effort in lipidology focuses largely on mitigating effects of atherosclerosis, a pathologic process localized to the intimal layer of larger arteries. This JCL Roundtable brings together 3 leading researchers to discuss the current understanding of pathogenesis in atherosclerosis. We begin by recognizing that low density lipoprotein concentrations in arterial intima far exceed concentrations in other connective tissues, consistent with the response-to-retention hypothesis of atherogenesis. High density lipoproteins facilitate reverse cholesterol transport and also have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory roles. New evidence points to remnants of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins as promoters of atherogenesis, highlighted by deleterious effects of apolipoprotein C-III. The multifaceted role of inflammation is becoming clearer through discoveries related to leukocyte recruitment, efferocytosis, resolution of inflammation, and crystal formation. MicroRNAs represent a new, complex mode of gene regulation bearing on lipoprotein and inflammation biology. Progress in understanding atherosclerosis portends a future in which residual risk related to obesity, diabetes, and other factors will yield to new targeted therapies.
The Specious Art of Single-Cell Genomics

Abstract Dimensionality reduction is standard practice for filtering noise and identifying relevant dimensions in large-scale data analyses. In biology, single-cell expression studies almost always begin with reduction to two or three dimensions to produce ‘all-in-one’ visuals of the data that are amenable to the human eye, and these are subsequently used for qualitative and quantitative analysis of cell relationships. However, there is little theoretical support for this practice. We examine the theoretical and practical implications of low-dimensional embedding of single-cell data, and find extensive distortions incurred on the global and local properties of biological patterns relative to the high-dimensional, ambient space. In lieu of this, we propose semi-supervised dimensionality reduction to higher dimension, and show that such targeted reduction guided by the metadata associated with single-cell experiments provides useful latent space representations for hypothesis-driven biological discovery.
The Angular Spectrum Representation of the Pulsed Radiation Field

Attention is now directed to the rigorous solution of the electromagnetic field that is radiated by a general current source in a homogeneous, isotropic, locally linear, temporally dispersive medium characterized by the time-dependent dielectric permittivity \({\hat \sigma }\)(t\ electrical conductivity \({\hat \varepsilon }\)(t), and constant magnetic permeability pi that occupies all of space.
Reduced cerebellar brain activity during reward processing in adolescent binge drinkers

Due to ongoing development, adolescence may be a period of heightened vulnerability to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol. Binge drinking may alter reward-driven behavior and neurocircuitry, thereby increasing risk for escalating alcohol use. Therefore, we compared reward processing in adolescents with and without a history of recent binge drinking. At their baseline study visit, all participants (age=14.86 ± 0.88) were free of heavy alcohol use and completed a modified version of the Wheel of Fortune (WOF) functional magnetic resonance imaging task. Following this visit, 17 youth reported binge drinking on ≥3 occasions within a 90 day period and were matched to 17 youth who remained alcohol and substance-naive. All participants repeated the WOF task during a second visit (age=16.83 ± 1.22). No significant effects were found in a region of interest analysis of the ventral striatum, but whole-brain analyses showed significant group differences in reward response at the second study visit in the left cerebellum, controlling for baseline visit brain activity (p/α<0.05), which was negatively correlated with mean number of drinks consumed/drinking day in the last 90 days. These findings suggest that binge drinking during adolescence may alter brain activity during reward processing in a dose-dependent manner.
Statics for the antisymmetric tensor potential due to closed strings

We study the properties, in the static limit of the antisymmetric tensor field, introduced by Kalb and Ramond to describe string interactions. Explicit expressions are obtained for a closed, circular string. These solutions indicate the lack of a monopole source. The coupling between two circular strings is calculated, leading to the hypothesis of a « sense » for closed strings.
Cocktail party processing

The acoustic environment is typically composed of multiple simultaneous events. A remarkable achievement of the auditory system is its ability to disentangle the acoustic mixture and group the sound energy that originates from the same event or source. This process of auditory organization is referred to as auditory scene analysis. The cocktail party problem, or segregation of speech from interfering sounds, has proven to be extremely challenging from the computational standpoint.
Prologue: ELITE – Electronic Library Information Transfer Experimentation

The Symposium which the current issue honors had two descriptive titles: (1) "Trends in Biomedical Telecommunications" and (2) "The Electronic Library A Realistic Appraisal". The emphasis should be on telecommunications in the main title and on appraisal in the sub-title. Telecommunications technology is complicated in the extreme, and has sensitive political and sociological overtones. Data-communications networks are highly sophisticated and expensive, both to implement and to maintain. The nature and content of the data supported by a digital channel are critical to the success of any shared services; major data-bank vendors are keenly aware of the need to make their data not only easy to retrieve, but worth the expense which retrieval incurs. Libraries are increasingly finding themselves under pressure to engage in the electronic management of information technology. The implications go far beyond merely furnishing printouts from data-bank services via 'dumb' terminals. The "realistic appraisal" component of the Symposium suggests that libraries and information centers must cast an apprehensive eye at what the extravagant claims of computer technology forbode, given the traditional manner in which most libraries still operate. For example, data-base retrieval, in reality, has merely given quicker 'pointers' to ind~cate what documents may be of help to a user. The references retrieved by computer do not, however, usually serve as a substitute for the information itself. Nor, for the present, are the references retrieved for any one user subsequently stored in such a manner as to be of utility to other clients of the information service. In reality, data-base retrieval is an 'elitist' luxury that is paid for by a relatively few fortunate individuals (usually not from their own pockets).
Empirical evaluation of a visual interface for exploring message boards

This paper introduces a method that presents a number of characteristics of threads in a discussion forum through graphical illustrations. This technique brings together visual components, such as dimension, color, intensity, and position to present multiple aspects of a thread including the amount of information, popularity, activities, comparative value, and tenure of the thread. This high visual abstraction of threads allows us to display a large number of threads showing overall properties of the contents on a limited screen space. These proposed visualization techniques will assist the user to filtering noisy threads effectively from threads having important features. We have conducted an experimental study, which compares the effectiveness of the developed visual interface to a traditional text-based interface. The experimental study has shown that the user’s search speed and accuracy in finding noticeable threads from a huge collection of threads has improved significantly by using the visual navigation tool.
LAOCOON PC: NMR simulation on a personal computer

112. Bits and pieces, 43. The authors have developed a modern version of an NMR simulation program.
Lifting idempotents in group rings

In a celebrated remark, Kaplansky observed that the theory of von Neumann algebras implies that the abstract group algebra over a field of characteristic zero is von Neumann finite. This means that if x and y are elements of k[G] such that xy= 1 then it follows that yx= 1. In what is essentially the only known proof, Kaplansky first argues that the group algebra trace of a nonzero idempotent is a positive real number not exceeding 1 (5, p. 381. Since Iyx is an idempotent with zero trace, it must be zero. The same problem over fields of positive characteristic is open. For one thing, the trace of a nonzero idempotent may be zero. If G is the group of order three generated by c then t2+ t is an idempotent in Z/2Z[G] whose trace is zero. On the other hand, this idempotent can be lifted uniquely to the ‘p-adic group ring’ z2[G] where the resulting idempotent has trace 2/3. The hope is that a lifted trace can substitute for the very effective trace in characteristic zero. This paper is a preliminary study of the trace. We show that the trace of the lifting of an idempotent is independent of lifting. It is a function only of the equivalence class of an idempotent. Finally, and most important, the trace is always a p-adic integer. As a consequence, it is independent of specialization. Out general notation follows [5]. FP will denote the field with p elements and FP will be its algebraic closure. 2, is the ring of p-adic integers; its quotient field is QP. Throughout the paper A will denote a commutative algebra over the field FP.
Absence of MSY2 in Mouse Oocytes Perturbs Oocyte Growth and Maturation, RNA Stability, and the Transcriptome

Messenger RNA is remarkably stable during oocyte growth, thus enabling mRNAs to accumulate during the growth phase and thereby provide mRNAs that support early embryonic development. MSY2, a germ cell-specific RNA-binding protein, is implicated in regulating mRNA stability. MSY2 is essential for development because female Msy2 � /� mice are infertile. We describe here the characterization of Msy2 � /� oocytes. Mutant oocytes grow more slowly during the first wave of folliculogenesis, and maturation to and arrest at metaphase II is severely compromised because of aberrant spindle formation and chromosome congression. Consistent with MSY2 conferring mRNA stability is that the amount of poly(A)-containing RNA is reduced by ;25% in mutant oocytes. Stability of an exogenous mRNA injected into mutant oocytes is lower than when compared to their wild-type counterparts, and moreover, expression of wild-type MSY2 in mutant oocytes increases mRNA stability, whereas injection of a mutant form of MSY2 not capable of binding RNA does not. Transcription quiescence that normally occurs during the course of oocyte growth is not observed in mutant oocytes, and the transcriptome of mutant oocytes is markedly perturbed. These results, and those of previous studies, strongly implicate a central role of MSY2 in regulating mRNA stability. gene expression, histone modifications, meiotic maturation, mRNA stability, oocyte development
One Ring, Many Circles: The Hobbiton Tour Experience and a Spatial Approach to Media Power

This paper reports on fieldwork investigating the experience of visitors to the ‘Hobbiton’ film location site, a roughly 10-acre space in New Zealand co-opted for the production of The Lord of the Rings films. Based on participant observation of several tours of the attraction, as well as in-depth interviews with both visitors and guides, the data included herein engage with the draw of such a space, articulations of the visit experience, and the degree to which attitudes toward and behaviors within the space are indicative of an embodied assent to a particular kind of media power. In visiting the space, this paper suggests, actors respond to a repeating discursive structure that, by creating boundaries and sanctifying spaces, canalizes attitudes, behavior, and movement. Reified in the process is the normative centrality of media processes, people, and places.
Statistical Analysis of General Circulation Model Climate Simulation: Sensitivity and Prediction Experiments

Abstract Evaluation of general circulation model (GCM) experiments presents one of the most challenging statistical inference problems in the study of climate. The problem is similar and comparable in difficulty to that encountered in empirical studies of global climate, because the data sets take the form of small samples of large numbers of cross-correlated climate statistics. Thus, in the absence of detailed a priori hypotheses the ability to detect all but the strongest of climate signals is severely limited. Most studies directed at this problem have followed the lead of Chervin and Schneider and have emphasized parametric techniques to solve the univariate or “local” significance problem. Hasslemann was apparently the first to point out in the context of GCM problems that 1) a collection of “local” tests has dubious value in the absence of a “global” test, and 2) a sensitive global test is difficult to construct with multivariate methods without drastic a priori reduction in test dimensionality. Has...
The expression of BST2 in human and experimental mouse brain tumors

Glioblastoma multiforme (grade IV astrocytoma) is a highly malignant brain tumor with poor treatment options and an average lifespan of 15 months after diagnosis. Previous work has demonstrated that BST2 (bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2; also known as PDCA-1, CD137 and HM1.24) is expressed by multiple myeloma, endometrial cancer and primary lung cancer cells. BST2 is expressed on the plasma membrane, which makes it an ideal target for immunotherapy. Accordingly, several groups have shown BST2 mAb to be effective for targeting tumor cells. In this report, we hypothesized that BST2 is expressed in human and mouse brain tumors and plays a critical role in brain tumor progression. We show that BST2 expression is upregulated at both the mRNA and protein level in high grade when compared to low grade human astrocytoma (p<0.05). To test the relevance of BST2, we utilized the intracranially (IC)-injected GL261 cell-based malignant brain tumor mouse model. We show that BST2 mRNA expression is increased in mouse brain IC-injected with GL261 cells, when compared to mouse brain IC-injected with saline at 3 weeks post-operative (p<0.05). Furthermore, BST2 immunofluorescence predominantly localized to mouse brain tumor cells. Finally, mice IC-injected with GL261 cells transduced with shRNA for BST2±preincubated with BST2 mAb show no difference in overall lifespan when compared to mice IC-injected with GL261 cells transduced with a scrambled shRNA±preincubated with BST2 mAb. Collectively, these data show that while BST2 expression increases during brain tumor progression in both human and mouse brain tumors, it has no apparent consequences to overall lifespan in an orthotopic mouse brain tumor model.
The Role of Informal Financial Services in Africa

This paper uses data from the Global Financial Inclusion (Global Findex) database to document the state of financial inclusion in Africa. The data show that less than a quarter of adults in Africa have an account at a formal financial institution and many adults in Africa use informal methods to save and borrow. The data also show deep disparities across sub-regions and individual characteristics in how adults use financial services. The database can be used to track financial inclusion policies within the region and to develop a deeper and more nuanced understanding of how Africans save, borrow, make payments and manage risk.
Cytoadherence-related neoantigens on Plasmodium falciparum (human malaria)-infected human erythrocytes result from the exposure of normally cryptic regions of the band 3 protein.

Murine monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) were produced by vaccination of Balb/c mice with live Plasmodium falciparum infected red cells (iRBC). The iRBC Mabs recognized altered forms of the human erythrocyte membrane protein band 3; however, these Mabs did not recognize the band 3 molecule in uninfected or ring-infected red cells. The location of epitopes was determined by studying the binding of the iRBC Mabs after selective proteolysis of band 3 as well as by the reactivity of these Mabs to synthetic peptides that corresponded to putative exofacial regions of band 3. Treatment of uninfected red cell membranes with trypsin under low ionic strength conditions resulted in exposure of cryptic epitopes of band 3 which were recognized by the iRBC Mabs. Several of the anti-iRBC Mabs (two of which were described previously) inhibited the in vitro adherence of infected erythrocytes to C32 amelanotic melanoma cells. A mouse polyclonal serum against a synthetic peptide based on an amino acid sequence motif of band 3 reacted (by immunostaining) only with the surface of iRBC and blocked adhesion. Thus, it appears that cryptic residues of the band 3 protein become exposed upon parasitization, and their presence contributes to the increased adhesiveness of the P. falciparum-infected red cell.
A value-oriented theory of modularity in design

We were motivated to undertake the research we describe here by a conversation with two practicing software engineers, who described a dilemma they faced at work. They worked for small company that earned revenues by delivering to a large customer a stream of enhancements to a software tool. The engineers' jobs were to estimate the time to make enhancements and to implement selected enhancements. They were good at estimating, but dissatisfied with the system design, believing that it significantly slowed new feature implementation. They had proposed to management to restructure the tool. However, the management, concerned about disrupting the flow of enhancements thus revenues, and having no clear model of likely benefits, declined. The engineers believed that refactoring would increase the velocity of feature delivery, but they had no sense or ability to analyze the situation quantitatively or to frame it in a way that was compelling to business decision-makers. As a result, the engineers were dissatisfied, and the company incurred a possibly significant opportunity cost.
Processes Limiting Native Shrub Recovery in Exotic Grasslands after Non‐Native Herbivore Removal

Although non-native herbivores are well known to increase the prevalence of exotic species in plant communities, herbivore removal is only sometimes sufficient for native plant recovery. Better predicting the influence of grazer removal, and identifying effective restoration approaches, requires a mechanistic understanding of the processes limiting native plant recovery in post-grazing landscapes. We evaluated the factors limiting the recovery of native shrubs in exotic annual grasslands after a century of sheep grazing on Santa Cruz Island, CA. To evaluate the life stage transitions most limiting the recovery of the two dominant native shrubs (Eriogonum arborescens and Artemisia californica), we quantified seed rain and censused establishment and growth rates over 5 years that varied widely in rainfall. In addition, we conducted competitor removal experiments to evaluate the influence of exotic annual grasses on shrub establishment. We found that seed rain is unlikely to limit native recovery; shrub recovery was most limited at the seedling establishment stage. For Eriogonum ,t he wet El Ni˜ no year increased establishment by almost an order of magnitude over average rainfall years, while grass competition reduced growth and survival by two thirds. Artemisia failed to recruit in any year of the study. Our results suggest that management efforts seeking to increase shrub recovery need to overcome barriers at the establishment life stage, but once such limitations are overcome, adult shrubs will persist with exotic grass competitors. Our work shows how understanding the factors limiting native recovery can inform the restoration of post-grazing landscapes.