cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The statistics of bulk segregant analysis using next generation sequencing.

We describe a statistical framework for QTL mapping using bulk segregant analysis (BSA) based on high throughput, short-read sequencing. Our proposed approach is based on a smoothed version of the standard statistic, and takes into account variation in allele frequency estimates due to sampling of segregants to form bulks as well as variation introduced during the sequencing of bulks. Using simulation, we explore the impact of key experimental variables such as bulk size and sequencing coverage on the ability to detect QTLs. Counterintuitively, we find that relatively large bulks maximize the power to detect QTLs even though this implies weaker selection and less extreme allele frequency differences. Our simulation studies suggest that with large bulks and sufficient sequencing depth, the methods we propose can be used to detect even weak effect QTLs and we demonstrate the utility of this framework by application to a BSA experiment in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Modeling the bias of the dependence of the base-collector capacitance of power heterojunction bipolar transistors

This paper introduces a modified formulation for the minority charge of a recently published heterojunction bipolar transistor large-signal model that results in an accurate description of the base-collector capacitance bias dependence of power HBTs. The accompanying parameter extraction procedure determines the stored minority charge through simultaneous optimization of the cutoff frequency and the base-collector capacitance bias dependencies. The modified model results in accurate predictions of the HBT small- and large-signal characteristics over a wide range of bias, frequencies, and RF excitations.
Feedback Linearization of an Electrostatic Actuator by Particle Swarm Optimization

A method of searching for an input to state linearizing controller is presented. The problem of finding the appropriate weights of the control law's terms is treated as an optimization problem. Given the highly nonlinear surfaces that are likely to be searched, particle swarm optimization is applied. This effort serves to explore the use of particle swarm optimization as a means of tuning a nonlinear controller. The MEMS parallel plate actuator is used to examine the effectiveness of this technique. The resulting tuning of the controller is then compared to that of the analytically designed solution. Using this comparison, conclusion are drawn as to the viability of this technique for partially automated design of a linearizing control.
Force & torque feedback vs force only feedback

Providing force and torque feedback in every degree of freedom of a haptic device can be complex and costly, often prohibitively so. Consequently, devices that reduce the number of actuators such as SensAble's PHANTOM Omni, a 6-degree-of-freedom (DOF) positioning, 3-degree-of-freedom force feedback haptic device, have gained popularity. While these devices have been widely accepted, no previous study has examined how performance with force feedback alone differs from performance with force and torque feedback for a 6-DOF positioning device. Results from this user study show that for simple tasks like drawing and tracing, performance with force feedback alone can approximate the performance with force and torque feedback. Similarly, torque feedback alone is sufficient to minimize contact forces, but is disconcerting to users.
A Foot in the Door: An Experimental Study of PAC and Constituency Effects on Access*

A between-groups experimental design tests the hypothesis that PACs have an advantage over constituents in gaining access to members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Sixty-nine congressional staffers participated in an exercise designed to simulate the process by which scheduling decisions are made. The study was conducted in Washington, DC, in the fall of 1996. Analysis of variance reveals a significant constituency main effect, but no significant PAC main effect. That is, requests associated with a PAC are not significantly more likely to be granted access than those not associated with a PAC, whereas requests from constituents do have a significant advantage in gaining access.
Outcomes After Coronary Stent Implantation in Patients With Metal Allergy

Background— Clinical outcomes after stent placement in patients with a history of metal allergy remain incompletely understood. We performed a single-center retrospective study to evaluate such outcomes. Methods and Results— Twenty-nine allergic patients who underwent coronary stent implantation were compared with a nonallergic group (n=250) matched for demographics and a propensity score for allergy to metal. Hypersensitivity to nickel was reported in 26 of 29 and chromium in 9 of 29. Patch testing performed in 11 of 29 patients was positive in all. Comparing allergy versus control subjects, there were no differences in number of segments treated (1.4±0.7 versus 1.5±0.7), stents placed (1.7±1.1 versus 1.6±0.9), and frequency of drug-eluting stent usage (52% versus 60%). In-hospital death (0% versus 0%), myocardial infarction (MI, 4% versus 3%, P =0.27), and 30-day death (3% versus 0%, P =0.53) and MI (3% versus 4%, P =0.71) were statistically similar. There were no differences in 4-year death (12% versus 13%), target lesion revascularization (TLR, 13 versus 17%, P =0.54), or death/MI/TLR (24% versus 34%, P =0.20). Clinically driven repeat angiography in 12 of 29 allergy patients revealed binary restenosis rates of 27% in bare metal stents and 0% in drug-eluting stents, with mean diameter in-stent restenosis of 36% and 8%, respectively. There was no change in circulating eosinophil and lymphocyte counts after stenting in the allergy group (0.19–0.20, P =0.67, and 1.90–1.79, P =0.59, respectively). Conclusions— A history of metal allergy was not associated with adverse early or late outcomes in this single-center study.
Physiological correlates to courtship, mating, ovarian development and maternal behaviour in the ring‐legged earwig

. The involvement of the endocrine system in courtship, mating, maternal behaviour and the gonadotrophic cycle was studied in the earwig, Euborellia annulipes, after application of JH III and, alternatively, precocene II. Topical application of 35 or 122 μg of JH III to newly eclosed females advanced the onset of courtship behaviour from 6.6 ± 1.3 days in acetone-treated controls to 1.4 ± 2.8 and 0.5 ± 2.5 days, respectively. Application of 6 μg of JH III had no effect on the onset of courtship behaviour. Applications of Juvenile Hormone had no significant effect on the age at first mating nor on the duration of mating, though the trend is towards advanced onset. The age at first oviposition was advanced by hormone treatment; clutch size and the proportion of offspring hatching was reduced by hormone treatment. The interclutch interval, size and proportion hatching of the second clutch were not affected by hormone treatment. Topical application of 50 μg of JH III to females on the day of oviposition shortened the total duration of maternal care from 15.4 ± 0.5 to 5.3 ± 1.7 days; whereas in acetone-treated and precocene II-treated groups maternal care lasted 16.1 ± 1.9 and 13.8 ± 1.6 days, respectively. The duration of maternal care was positively correlated with number of offspring hatching and fledging. In a corollary experiment, topical application of JH III significantly enhanced the onset of the second gonadotrophic cycle as assessed by basal follicle length; application of 20 μg of precocene II, either singly or in repeated doses, did not delay growth of basal follicles. Finally, repeated application of as much as 80 μg of precocene II had no effect on basal follicle length, nor on ovary wet weights. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that intermediate to high titres of JH are associated with oocyte growth, mating, and the cessation of maternal care; low titres of JH appear to be associated with the period of maternal behaviour and slow ovarian follicle development.
Person-Centered Psychiatric Care: A Tribute to Wayne S. Fenton, MD

Wayne S. Fenton, MD, was an accomplished psychiatric researcher, but his colleagues knew him as an equally talented clinician. This memorial recognizes the personal qualities and professional skills that endeared Wayne Fenton to hundreds of mentally ill persons he treated over the course of his professional career. Among these attributes, deep compassion, sincere respect, and tremendous flexibility were hallmarks of an approach that emphasized collaborative, recovery-oriented therapy. Through his actions and writings, Wayne Fenton influenced a generation of mental health professionals who aspire to similar professional excellence in all aspects of clinical care.
Natural killer-cell differentiation by myeloid progenitors.

Because lymphoid progenitors can give rise to natural killer (NK) cells, NK ontogeny has been considered to be exclusively lymphoid. Here, we show that rare human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors develop into NK cells in vitro in the presence of cytokines (interleukin-7, interleukin-15, stem cell factor, and fms-like tyrosine kinase-3 ligand). Adding hydrocortisone and stromal cells greatly increases the frequency of progenitor cells that give rise to NK cells through the recruitment of myeloid precursors, including common myeloid progenitors and granulocytic-monocytic precursors to the NK-cell lineage. WNT signaling was involved in this effect. Cells at more advanced stages of myeloid differentiation (with increasing expression of CD13 and macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor [M-CSFR]) could also differentiate into NK cells in the presence of cytokines, stroma, and hydrocortisone. NK cells derived from myeloid precursors (CD56−CD117+M-CSFR+) showed more expression of killer immunoglobulin-like receptors, a fraction of killer immunoglobulin–like receptor-positive–expressing cells that lacked NKG2A, a higher cytotoxicity compared with CD56−CD117+M-CSFR− precursor-derived NK cells and thus resemble the CD56dim subset of NK cells. Collectively, these studies show that NK cells can be derived from the myeloid lineage.
Preliminary assessment of combustion modes for internal combustion wave rotors

Combustion within the channels of a wave rotor is examined as a means of obtaining pressure gain during heat addition in a gas turbine engine. Several modes of combustion are considered and the factors that determine the applicability of three modes are evaluated in detail; premixed autoignition/detonation, premixed deflagration, and non-premixed compression ignition. The last two will require strong turbulence for completion of combustion in a reasonable time in the wave rotor. The compression/autoignition modes will require inlet temperatures in excess of 1500 R for reliable ignition with most hydrocarbon fuels; otherwise, a supplementary ignition method must be provided. Examples of combustion mode selection are presented for two core engine applications that had been previously designed with equivalent 4-port wave rotor topping cycles using external combustion.
Multi-decadal variability and trends in the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and tropical Pacific fisheries implications

Abstract Extremes of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are known to have various socio-economic impacts, including effects on several Pacific fisheries. The 137-year-long record of Darwin sea-level pressure offers a uniquely long-term perspective on ENSO and provides important insight into various aspects of interannual to century-scale variability that affects these fisheries. One particular issue of interest is whether there is a centennial-scale (or longer) trend that can be expected to alter the future distributions of these fisheries. Since most tropical Pacific fishery records are no longer than a few decades, another issue is the extent to which trends over these recent decades are a good basis for detecting the presence of long-term (e.g., centennial-scale) deterministic changes, and perhaps thereby projecting future conditions. We find that the full 137-yr trend cannot be distinguished from zero with 95% confidence, and also that the ENSO variance in recent decades is very similar to that of the early decades of the record, suggesting that ENSO has not fundamentally changed over the period of large increase in atmospheric CO2. However, the strong multi-decadal variability in ENSO is reflected in decades with quite different levels of ENSO effects on the ecosystem. Many multi-decadal subsets of the full record have statistically significant trends, using standard analysis techniques. These multi-decadal trends are not; however, representative of the record-length trend, nor are they a useful basis for projecting conditions in subsequent decades. Trend statistical significance is not a robust foundation for speculation about the future. We illustrate how the difficulties involved in determining whether a trend is statistically significant or not mean that, even after careful consideration, an unexpectedly large number of trends may reach standard statistical significance levels over the time spans for which many newer records are available, but still not continue into future decades or be indicative of deterministic changes to the system. Analysis of the Southern Oscillation Index, another common ENSO index, but one that has been directly measured for fewer years than has Darwin, yields similar results.
Public Accounting and the Myth of the Public Interest

For decades it has been drummed into the conscience, the consciousness, and the subconscious of accounting students, researchers, and practitioners alike that the public interest is the sine qua non of the public accounting profession. Accounting researchers have attempted to explore the multi-faceted nature of what is referred to as the public interest based on the assumption that the public interest actually exists in the public accounting profession (including professional accounting organizations, government and quasi-government regulatory agencies, and auditing and accounting standard setting bodies). This paper questions that assumption by conducting an exegesis of the texts of the legislative findings, statutes, and purposes and missions of professional accounting organizations, government and quasi-government regulatory agencies, and auditing and accounting standard-setting bodies. It concludes that the assumption that the public interest exists in the public accounting profession is a myth that disguises what interest the public accounting profession actually serves and blinds the public from understanding what is meant by serving and protecting the public interest.
A report of the end-results of 554 consecutive hysterectomies

Summary 1. There are 554 hysterectomies of all types reported as follows: 180 panhysterectomies, 320 supravaginal, 35 vaginal, 7 Wertheim, 4 Porro and 8 hysterosalpingectomies (Beuttner). They are gronped in three periods. 2. In onr last gronp of cases, covering the years 1925 to 1931, the mortality of panhysterectomy has been half a per cent lower than that of supravaginal. 3. In this same period of time the morbidity for the two methods has been exactly the same. 4. Vaginal hysterectomy is all ideal method in older women where sufficient relaxation of the vagina exists to give easy access to the pelvic organs. 5. The chief symptoms for which the operation was performed were pain, hemorrhage, and tumor. 6. The average age of the patients who had vaginal hysterectomies was 51.6 years, panhysterectomies 42.5 years, supravaginal hysterectomies 37.7 years, while the hysterosalpingectomies, (Beuttner) were performed on women whose average age was thirty-one years.
Abstract 186: Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy Opens New Horizons to Neurointerventional Surgeons

Introduction: Intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) consists of delivering chemotherapeutic agents precisely into tumor vessels, minimizing systemic toxicity. At our institution, we have utilized this technique to treat children with advanced and extensive retinoblastomas. We assess the safety and efficacy of IAC in a large series of patients, with special emphasis on technique-related complications. Methods: Between 2010 and 2012, a total of 151 IAC procedures were performed at our institution. The ostium of the ophthalmic artery was superselectively catheterized followed by injection of chemotherapeutic agents in a pulsatile fashion over 30 minutes. Patients were closely observed post-operatively and discharged the same day. Data on procedural safety were prospectively collected. Results: Catheterization was successful in 98% of the procedures. Technical complications occurred only in 2 cases (1.3%). One patient with anomalous internal carotid artery had a severe spasm during cannulation and the procedure was aborted. He remained neurologically intact post-operatively. Another patient had two asymptomatic tiny foci of diffusion restriction on cerebral magnetic resonance imaging. No patient developed a retroperitoneal hematoma, acute limb ischemia, carotid dissection, or intracerebral hemorrhage. Tumor response was found in 88% of cases with globe salvage in 67%. There was no incident of metastasis, secondary tumor, or death. Conclusion: With proper technique and instrumentation, IAC can be performed with a technical complication rate as low as 1.3% and a morbidity rate of 0%. Our successful experience with IAC opens new horizons to Neurointerventional Surgeons involved in the care of patients with intracranial malignancies.
The Soldier as "I"-Witness in Novels by Barbusse and Ehni

In her article "The Soldier as 'I'-Witness in Novels by Barbusse and Ehni" Jane E. Evans discusses the representation of the French soldier in two first-person accounts based on life writing journals. The first, set during World War I, describes the simple ground soldier or troufion (Le Feu). The second, set during the Algerian War for Independence and later, sketches the life of the French army conscript. Three themes in Evans's analysis predominate: the narrators' reliance on life writing as sources of inspiration in both Henri Barbusse's 1916 Le Feu and Rene-Nicolas Ehni's 2002 Algerie roman, the narrator's perception of his role as storyteller and writer including Ehni's idea of the paramyth juxtaposing the individual and the collective whole, and the manner in which the narration is presented through the narrator's point-of-view, format for addressing his audience, imagery, and language style. Evans also considers differences in narrative perspective, attitude, tone, and register in relation to the subjects of war and the soldier, as well as to what they suggest about the narrator's reliability as a witness. Jane E. Evans, "The Soldier as 'I'-Witness in Novels by Barbusse and Ehni" page 2 of 8 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 17.3 (2015): Thematic Issue Life Writing and the Trauma of War. Ed. Louise O. Vasvari and I-Chun Wang
Hybrid governance and property rights: A formal model

Property Rights Theory and Transaction Cost Economics predict different outcomes when analyzing hybrid governance forms. In this research, we create a formal model of transaction incentives on investment by the buyer and effort by the seller to make the transaction more efficient. The formal model results in testable propositions that hold promise (a) to resolve the theoretical disconnection between governance structure and the nature of required mutual investments and (b) to allow scholars to better understand how hybrid governance forms motivate transaction partners to engage efficiently in transaction-support actions such as capital investments and the allocation of specialized effort.
Know Your Worth: Angel Financing of Female Entrepreneurial Ventures

This study explores success rates in angel financing based on the gender composition of entrepreneurial teams using unique, hand-collected data from the television program Shark Tank. We find that the likelihood of a team receiving an offer from an angel investor is independent of the entrepreneurs’ gender and initial asking valuation. However, consistent with prior work, we find that female teams receive lower company valuations and less capital to finance their new ventures relative to their male counterparts and that this differential valuation depends on industry. We also discover, however, that female teams receive less funding because they initially ask for significantly lower valuations for their companies, ceteris paribus. These results hold when controlling for important entrepreneur and firm characteristics that may strongly impact the angel financing outcome, such as the size of the entrepreneurial team, company age and prior success of the firm.
TEACHING AIRWAY MANAGEMENT SKILLS: How and What to Learn and Teach

Airway management is the foundation on which anesthesiology and resuscitation are built. Consequently, it is essential that all physicians acquire some proficiency in this important skill. The importance of this need is highlighted in the Closed Claims Analysis, a structured evaluation of closed malpractice claims against anesthesiologists derived from the databases of 35 medical liability insurance carriers. In the initial report published in 1990, Caplan et al 3 demonstrated that respiratory events resulting in adverse outcomes were the largest class of injury from anesthesia care that resulted in malpractice litigation. The majority of events resulted from three mechanisms: inadequate ventilation, esophageal intubation, and difficult tracheal intubation. Other less common events include airway trauma, pneumothorax, aspiration, and bronchospasm. 4 In 1998, Caplan 5 reported a significant change; a steady decline in the incidence of adverse respiratory events from 55% of all claims for death or brain damage in the 1970s to 45% in the 1990s. Although improved monitoring and the increased use of pulse oximetry and capnography may account for the decrease, one cannot downplay the role of education. Through seminars, conferences, and publications, improvement in airway management was achieved. Although no one questions the importance of education in airway management, the means to best accomplish it is debatable. When designing an education program in airway management, it is important to decide on the material to be covered and ensure that it is appropriate for the target audience. A rational approach to teaching airway management skills is one familiar to all physicians: begin with basic science and then proceed to the clinical arena. For airway management skills, this means a review of the anatomy of the airway and physics behind the equipment followed by the teaching of the technical skills.
Transfection of Molecularly Cloned HIV Genomes

The ability to introduce molecularly cloned HIV genomes into cells has two major applications: producing stocks of pure molecularly defined virus and studying HIV biology and regulation in a well-defined genetic system. Because an individual may be infected by more than one virus and because different viral variants can be generated in vivo, virus isolated from human or animal specimens may well be a mixture of genetically distinct viruses. In contrast, virus produced from a molecularly cloned genome is a homogeneous population of identical virions, at least in early passages after transfection. For this reason, a number of important questions concerning HIV and SIV biology will be best answered if the virus used in the experiments is genetically well characterized and viral stocks are made from the molecular clone soon after transfection. Studies on the nature and importance of the viral genetic variability in vivo are one example of a question that can be precisely addressed only using molecularly cloned viruses. This section of this chapter will describe approaches to introduce viral genomes into cells to derive viral stocks as well as techniques to transiently express wild-type or mutated viral genomes to address questions related to the primate retrovirus biology.
Predicting bat colony survival under controls targeting multiple transmission routes of white-nose syndrome.

Abstract White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a lethal infection of bats caused by the psychrophilic fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans ( Pd ). Since the first cases of WNS were documented in 2006, it is estimated that as many as 5.5 million bats have succumbed in the United States—one of the fastest mammalian die-offs due to disease ever observed, and the first known sustained epizootic of bats. WNS is contagious between bats, and mounting evidence suggests that a persistent environmental reservoir of Pd plays a significant role in transmission as well. It is unclear, however, the relative contributions of bat-to-bat and environment-to-bat transmission to disease propagation within a colony. We analyze a mathematical model to investigate the consequences of both avenues of transmission on colony survival in addition to the efficacy of disease control strategies. Our model shows that selection of the most effective control strategies is highly dependent on the primary route of WNS transmission. Under all scenarios, however, generalized culling is ineffective and while targeted culling of infected bats may be effective under idealized conditions, it primarily has negative consequences. Thus, understanding the significance of environment-to-bat transmission is paramount to designing effective management plans.
Body Cavity Fluids

Various diseases, neoplastic and non-neoplastic, tend to cause fluid build-up in the cavities between surfaces of body walls (parietal) and of organs (visceral). These body cavities include the thorax, the pericardium, the abdomen, and the tunica vaginalis testis in men. Regardless of the anatomical cavities, the surfaces are lined by serous membranes that are lined by a single layer of cytologically identical, thin and flat mesothelial cells which, when irritated, become plump, cuboidal and hyperplastic.
Examining the Impacts of Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy (SEEL): Attention to Teacher Practices and Classroom Effects across the Kindergarten Year.

ABSTRACTThis study examined teachers’ implementation of an early literacy intervention, Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy (SEEL), on kindergarten children’s development of early literacy skills. One hundred forty-nine kindergarten children (102 treatment) across six classrooms participated in this study. Results reveal that children who received SEEL instruction evidenced greater learning outcomes in relation to children in the comparison group on rhyme awareness, rhyme generation, letter knowledge, and letter-sound association but not on spelling, blending, or reading tasks. Results also reveal that children with limited phonological skills benefited most from the intervention, in that they made significantly greater gains in literacy skills than children with more proficient phonological skills. Results are examined with attention to teachers’ fidelity of SEEL implementation. Findings are discussed in relation to the important role that intervention fidelity has on teachers’ implementation of syste...
Limited field-of-view dynamic PET imaging from truncated time-of-flight sinograms

Time-of-flight (TOF) PET imaging enables a more precise localization of an emitted event along a given line-of-response (LOR). The additional temporal information could be used to restrict the effective coincidence window in the scanner to conform to the object being imaged. This can be achieved by truncating the sinogram bins along the TOF direction, keeping only those that contain LORs passing through the object, while further truncation can be done in the transaxial direction. When the region of interest (ROI) is localized and known, TOF sinogram truncation could then be used to exclude data not only outside the patient outline but further inside as well. One specific type of imaging which could substantially benefit from such an approach is dynamic imaging. By truncating the sinograms to conform to a specific ROI which is often needed in dynamic imaging, significant computation benefits could be obtained. Moreover, additional benefits could be realized through reduced propagation of errors specific to dynamic imaging. Using simulated and clinical studies, we investigate the feasibility and benefits of limited FOV imaging from truncated TOF sinograms in dynamic imaging.
Representations and Uses of Yue Identity along the Southern Frontier of the Han, CA. 200–111 B.C.E.

Through a detailed comparison of several great figures of the Southern Yue empire and kingdom, I highlight different types of interactions between Southern Yue and the Han imperial state. I examine the construction of elite identity in an attempt to measure how rulers of the Southern Yue viewed their own relationships to Yue culture and the people over whom they ruled. Rather than assume a simple model of sinicization, I present culture change and identity construction as complex processes contingent upon changing local conditions and international relations, especially with respect to how Southern Yue kings perceived the benefits of belonging to or resisting the Han imperial state. Moreover, I underscore instances in which individuals appropriated or implicitly accepted the values and political tools associated with local or foreign cultures, paying heed to their reasons for choosing certain values and tools over others.
Same-Day Versus Next-Day Discharge Increased Pain on the Day After, But Not on the Day of or Four Weeks After, Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Goyal N, Chen AF, Padgett SE, Tan TL, Kheir MM, Hopper RH Jr, Hamilton WG, Hozack WJ. Otto Aufranc Award: a multicenter, randomized study of outpatient versus inpatient total hip arthroplasty. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2016 Jun 10. [Epub ahead of print]. ### Question: In patients having total hip arthroplasty, does planned discharge on the same day versus the next day lead to different outcomes in terms of postoperative pain, complications, and health-care provider visits? ### Design: Randomized (allocation concealed)*, unblinded, controlled trial with 4 weeks of follow-up and intention-to-treat analysis. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02230657. ### Setting: 2 high-volume, adult reconstruction centers in the United States. ### Patients: 220 patients <75 years of age (mean age, 60 years; 53% men) with a body mass index of <40 kg/m2 who underwent primary unilateral total hip arthroplasty through a direct anterior approach. The exclusion criteria included chronic opioid use, need for a walker or wheelchair, lack of assistance at home, or history of cardiopulmonary disease with need for acute inpatient monitoring. 100% of patients completed follow-up. ### Intervention: Planned …
Energy-Saving Effects of Progressive Pricing and Free CFL Bulb Distribution Program: Evidence from Ethiopia

In Africa, about 70 percent of the total population still lives without electricity. Significant resources are needed to meet the gap. Demand-side management is crucial to curb the increasing deman...
Military Geotechnics in the Ancient World: Geo-Innovating the Hard Way

The technical expertise that is now part of geotechnical engineering was of paramount importance in the ancient worlds. This is because before, but also after, the invention of siege equipment, nearly all available defending or attacking techniques involved the excavation, transportation, and/or placement of soils or rocks to construct fortification walls and towers, excavate trenches and tunnels, or construct ramps, levees, and embankments. Although military geotechnics expertise in the ancient world was purely empirical, numerous case histories demonstrate the defining role that experienced engineers played in the outcome of military expeditions. This article highlights some characteristic examples of the role of military geotechnics in the ancient world.
Placentation in the plains zebra (Equus quagga)

The placenta and fetal gonads of 12 pregnant plains zebra (Equus quagga), estimated to be between 81 and 239 days of gestation, were examined. The diffuse, microcotyledonary zebra placenta appeared, developmentally, to be 3-4 weeks behind its counterpart in horse pregnancy and this, together with the presence of small and long-lived endometrial cups, low levels of zebra chorionic gonadotrophin in maternal serum and few accessory corpora lutea in the maternal ovaries during the first half of gestation, made zebra pregnancy more similar to donkey than horse pregnancy. Zebra fetal gonads enlarged after 80 days of gestation and their interstitial cells stained positively for 3β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 17,20 lyase steroid enzymes while the trophoblast stained for aromatase. This confirmed that zebra fetal gonads, like those of the horse and donkey, can synthesise C19 androgens, which can then be aromatised by the placenta to C18 oestrogens. It is remarkable that such unusual feto-placental mechanisms of production of gonadotrophic and steroid hormones has persisted unchanged within the genus Equus despite the many physical adaptations and the considerable loss of chromosomes that have occurred during the evolution of its member species.
One- and Two-Dimensional 19F-NMR Methods for Proteins and Nucleic Acids

Publisher Summary This chapter describes one- and two-dimensional 19 F-NMR methods for proteins and nucleic acids. 5-FdU substitutions in the lac operator DNA give 19 F-NMR signals that map specific interaction sites of the lac repressor DNA-binding domain. 5-FdU differs from deoxythymidine only at the 5 position, where the methyl is replaced by fluorine. As a result, 19 F-NMR signals monitor the local major groove electronic and magnetic environments of the DNA. These local environments are changed appreciably when the lac headpiece amino acid side chains interact at sites proximal to fluorines. The operator DNA base 6, a site adjacent to a pair of guanine N-7 atoms implicated by methylation protection, shows the largest chemical shift perturbation. There is no quantitative method for interpreting fluorine chemical shifts unambiguously in terms of structural details, although much progress has been made in identifying shielding contributions that affect fluorine chemical shifts. The use of two-dimensional heteronuclear Overhauser spectroscopy (HOESY) provides the advantages and sensitivity of fluorine detection and allows determination of real distances separating 19 F and 1 H nuclei.
Independence Through Terrorism? The Linkages Between Secessionism and Terrorism in the Basque Country

In many heterogeneous countries throughout the world, the concept of self-determination remains a potent force in domestic politics. In regions like the Basque Country in Spain (a small part of the territory is also located in France), secession—the formal withdrawal from a central authority by a member unit (Wood, Can J Polit Sci 14(1): 110, 1981)—remains a high priority for many people. The majority of people who support independence for the Basque Country want to do so peacefully in an economically developed, democratic country, but there are linkages between secessionist activities and terrorism (see Sanchez-Cuenca, Terror Polit Violence 19(3): 289–306, 2007; Pokalova, Stud Confl Terror 33(5): 429–447, 2010). Most notably, under Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA), some people resorted to terrorist activities under the Franco dictatorship (1939–1975), and continued to wage a campaign of violence even after Spain transitioned to democracy in the late 1970s. ETA has claimed responsibility for the deaths of almost 500 people in a campaign lasting from 1959 to 2011 (see Douglass and Zulaika, Comp Stud Soc Hist 32(2): 238–257, 1990). The counterterrorism (CT) policies of both the Spanish and the French governments were broad in nature and, among other measures, sought to minimize terrorist activities through changes in the law, banning political parties associated with ETA (Turano, Int J Const Law 1(4): 730–740, 2003), surveillance, infiltration of ETA, and high-profile arrests of group members. After a long and arduous campaign, the Spanish and French governments restored order when ETA announced a formal ceasefire on October 20, 2011. Secessionist sentiments remain strong in the Basque Country, but the primary mode of agitation is through peaceful, democratic means such as electing supporters of Basque independence to parliament as well as peaceful protests and marches.
Bank Credit and Capital Formation: The Heretical Views of Harold Moulton and Adolf Berle

The long-standing barriers between commercial and investment banking have eroded, both with and without the help of Congress and the federal bank regulators. The restrictions were originally put into place in the 1930s in response to fears that merging the activities would, and did, lead to fraudulent activities. At the time the legislation was passed, there were those such as Adolf Berle, who believed that the separation would have long term detrimental consequences for the capital development of the economy. Berle argued that if commercial banks could not undertake long term capital investments, then a government owned, nation-wide system of capital-credit banks should be established along the lines of the Federal Reserve System. He based his argument on the theory developed earlier by Harold Moulton of The Brookings Institution, that because a fractional reserve banking system allows lending without a directly corresponding reduction in consumption expenditures, the credit so created by the banking system could be used for investment in capital. Moulton developed his views in a book published by the Brookings Institution in 1935, and Berle presented his proposal in 1939 to the Temporary National Economic Committee (TNEC). The purpose of this paper is to present the views of Moulton and Berle, evaluate their proposal and its relationship to present day proposals for government involvement in public capital creation. Finally, there is an assessment of the political feasibility of such proposals.
Multi-resolution multi-trial sparse classification model for decoding visual memories from hippocampal spikes in human

To understand how memories are encoded in the hippocampus, we build memory decoding models to classify visual memories based on hippocampal activities in human. Model inputs are spatio-temporal patterns of spikes recorded in the hippocampal CA3 and CA1 regions of epilepsy patients performing a delayed match-to-sample (DMS) task. Model outputs are binary labels indicating categories and features of sample images. To solve the super high-dimensional estimation problem with short data length, we develop a multi-trial, sparse model estimation method utilizing B-spline basis functions with a large range of temporal resolutions and a regularized logistic classifier. Results show that this model can effectively avoid overfitting and provide significant amount of prediction to memory categories and features using very limited number of data points. Stable estimation of sparse classification function matrices for each label can be obtained with this multi-resolution, multi-trial procedure. These classification models can be used not only to predict memory contents, but also to design optimal spatio-temporal patterns for eliciting specific memories in the hippocampus, and thus have important implications to the development of hippocampal memory prostheses.
Will inter partes review speed US generic drug entry

A new extra-judicial pathway for challenging pharmaceutical patents has intensified patent challenges and helped to clear the way for earlier generic entry.
The New Federal Rules and State Procedure

HE obvious advantages of a uniform system of procedure in the Federal and State courts call for serious consideration of the possibility of a State adoption of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Al ready there is something of a movement in this direc tion.1 In view of the fact that a substantial majority of the States have now adopted a so-called Code pro cedure there exists a basis for a comparison of the Federal Rules with Code procedure in its general form. It is believed that it can be demonstrated that the adop tion of the Federal Rules would not result in a serious disruption of existing procedure in a so-called Code state. The basic New York act has been extensively copied only in so far as it deals with the subject mat ter of pleading and when one speaks of Code proce dure the pleading aspect of procedure would usually be the only one in mind. The Federal Rules include also the subjects of the service of process and papers, trial practice, evidence, depositions and discovery, and also appellate procedure. In all of those fields one finds considerable variation in detail among the States. It is true, nevertheless, that there is a common basic common law and equity background (except of course in Louisiana) and a general similarity of statutory re form, so that the variations are largely as to detail and not as to general form. The consideration of uni formity between the Federal and the State rules in those fields is as pertinent as it is in the field of plead ing. On the face of it the States could very well give up local peculiarities in those fields in order to achieve complete uniformity. If one compares the Federal Rules on those sub jects with the varying State Rules it will be found that quite apart from the consideration of uniformity the merits of a given situation are largely in favor of the Federal Rules. On most of the more controversial points the rule finally adopted by the United States Supreme Court was one which was preferred by a substantial majority of representative lawyers through out the entire country.2 For example, Rule 3 consti
Understanding Achilles’ Heel: Information Dissemination, Readability, and Marketing in Urban School Choice:

Scholars have long acknowledged that the information parents have about schools is the “Achilles’ heel” of school choice. Although much has been written about school choice, far less is known about...
Causal Periodic Pulse Response

The causal periodic pulse response is of great importance especially for digital circuits. For example one of the most basic signals on a chip (if not every chip) is the clock, which is nothing other than a periodic pulse! We can find the causal periodic response, utilizing the transfer function via at least two methods. The first one is, since we know the causal sine/cosine response (from last chapter), and using the Fourier series we can build the causal periodic response one harmonic at a time! The second method is using the Laplace transform of periodic functions. We have an expression for the transform of a periodic pulse of width τ and period T as \(X(s)= \frac {1 - e^{-\tau s}}{s(1 - e^{-Ts})}\). If we take this, multiply by the system transfer function then find the inverse transform (analytically, numerically, or using a fit) we are then able to find the sought solution in the time domain. We illustrate both methods in the chapter on a few RLC circuits. We also examine the impact of multiplying the Laplace transform of the causal period pulse times the transfer function. Of course we can also find the causal period pulse simply by iterating the shifted pulse response.
Brief Announcement: Hardware Transactional Persistent Memory

This paper addresses the problem of creating durable transactions in byte-addressable Non-Volatile Memory or Persistent Memory (PM) when using Hardware Transactional Memory (HTM)-based concurrency control. It shows how HTM transactions can be ordered correctly and atomically into PM by the use of a novel software protocol combined with a Persistent Memory Controller, without requiring changes to processor cache hardware or HTM protocols. In contrast, previous approaches require significant changes to existing processor microarchitectures. Our approach, evaluated using both micro-benchmarks and the STAMP suite compares well with standard (volatile) HTM transactions. It also yields significant gains in throughput and latency in comparison with persistent transactional locking.
Optical Activity of Amino Acids, Peptides, and Proteins

The optical activity of proteins is due to two factors — the asymmetry of the polypeptide chain and the asymmetry at the α-carbon atoms in the amino acid residues. If the asymmetric order of folding of the chain is destroyed, the protein is still optically active because of the rotatory contributions of all the asymmetric α-carbon atoms in the disorganized chain. Although we are interested chiefly in the effects of the higher-order structures on optical activity, it is also important to know the contributions of the many asymmetric carbon atoms. For this reason, the optical activity of natural α-amino acids will be discussed briefly.
Greg Mazur and the Purchase of Great Eastern Premium Pet Foods

Greg Mazur decided to purchase a small business after graduating from the Harvard Business School. The case explores his decision about whether or not he should finalize his deal to purchase Great Eastern Premium Pet Foods, Inc. ("GEPP"). It gives students the opportunity to consider his search process, his due diligence about the company, his post-purchase plans, his valuation analysis and the structure of the potential transaction.Learning Objective: The case gives students the opportunity to consider Mr. Mazur's search process, his due diligence about the company, his post-purchase plans, his valuation analysis and the structure of the potential transaction.
Fabrication of Integrated Optics

We divide the present chapter to three main sections: waveguide formation, fabrication of integrated optical devices, and fabrication of active semiconductor/optical devices. Since our main objective in this book is to introduce integrated optic sensors, we only discuss silicon based optical devices. An example of A1GaAs/GaAs micromachined optical device is included at the end as an example of optical sensors in other materials.
Time to Delivery after Scheduled Shirodkar Cerclage Removal in Singleton Gestations based on the Original Indication for Cerclage Placement.

Objective To estimate the time to delivery after elective cerclage removal and evaluate whether there is a difference based on the indication for cerclage placement. Study Design This was a retrospective cohort of singleton pregnancies that underwent Shirodkar cerclage placement at a single maternal–fetal medicine practice between June 2005 and June 2017. We included all scheduled elective cerclage removals >36 weeks. The primary outcome was latency to delivery. We further compared time to delivery based on the original indication for cerclage. Data were analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance and chi-square test. Results A total of 143 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 40.6% were history indicated, 51.0% ultrasound indicated, and 8.4% exam indicated. The mean time from removal to delivery was 13.3 ± 8.4 days; 12.6% (18/136) of patients delivered within 24 hours of removal. When stratified by indication for cerclage, there were no significant differences for all delivery outcomes. Delaying cerclage removal to >37 weeks resulted in a statistically significantly later gestational age at delivery compared with removal between 36 and 36 6/7 weeks (39.0 vs. 38.3 weeks, p = 0.001). Conclusion The mean time from elective Shirodkar cerclage removal to delivery is 13 days with only 12.6% of patients delivering within 24 hours of removal.