cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Frequency of the erythrogenic toxin B and C genes (speB and speC) among clinical isolates of group A streptococci.

Abstract DNA probes corresponding to the internal region of the erythrogenic toxin B and C genes, speB and speC, were used in hybridization studies with clinical isolates of Streptococcus pyogenes to determine the frequency of occurrence of these genes in a large population of group A streptococci. More than 500 strains from different geographical locations throughout the world were used in this study. The results from colony-lift hybridization experiments indicated that the frequency of occurrence of each toxin gene among all of these strains was 100% for speB and 50% for speC. Division of these strains into subgroups of general group A strains and strains associated with scarlet fever or rheumatic fever resulted in a frequency of occurrence of speC of about 50% for all subgroups. The speC gene was found to be more frequently associated with serotype M2, M4, and M6 strains and less frequently associated with serotype M1, M3, and M49 strains. The results from a similar study with the speA gene have been previously reported (C.-E. Yu and J.J. Ferretti, Infect. Immun. 57:3715-3719, 1989).
Myogenic mechanism for peristalsis in opossum smooth muscle esophagus

We studied the propagation of phasic contractions initiated by tetraethylammonium (TEA, 1-10 mM), high K+ concentration (10-30 mM), and bethanechol (10(-6) to 10(-2) M) in a whole organ in vitro preparation of the opossum smooth muscle esophagus. TEA initiated phasic contractions that began at all sites along the smooth muscle esophagus and propagated in both directions with a velocity similar to that of primary peristalsis. Blockade of neural transmission by tetrodotoxin (TTX, 10(-7) M) did not prevent contraction propagation. Although a majority of contractions initiated by TEA did not propagate the full length of the esophageal specimen, with the addition of TTX most contractions initiated by TEA did propagate the full specimen length in either direction. High K+ concentration and bethanechol elicited propagated contractions similar to those initiated by TEA. We conclude that 1) a myogenic mechanism exists for propagation of contractions along the smooth muscle esophagus and 2) intramural inhibitory nerves modulate the extent of myogenic propagation in the ascending as well as descending direction. We suggest that esophageal peristalsis may occur by myogenic propagation of contractions that are normally initiated in the proximal smooth muscle esophagus by excitatory nerves. Intramural inhibitory nerves may inhibit retrograde propagation as well as mediate descending inhibition in advance of the peristaltic wave.
Subclassified acutely dissociated cells of rat DRG: histochemistry and patterns of capsaicin-, proton-, and ATP-activated currents.

We used a “current signature” method to subclassify acutely dissociated dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells into nine subgroups. Cells subclassified by current signature had uniform properties. The ty...
From the Beginning to the End: How to Generate and Transmit Funerary Texts in Ancient Egypt

With a continuous tradition spanning more than two millennia, funerary texts from ancient Egypt offer an excellent data set for studying how compositions were composed and passed on in the ancient Near East. Clear evidence demonstrates the importance and mechanics of scribal copying in the transmission process. What remain less clear are the methods by which new compositions were created. In some cases, the accretion of scholia, commentary, and exegesis produced new versions of old texts. This is well illustrated by the continuum between Coffin Text ( CT ) spell 335 and Book of the Dead ( BD ) spell 17. In other cases, however, large collections appear in writing for the first time showing few hints at the earlier stages of their production. This is true for the Pyramid Texts ( PT ), whose pre-written forms can only be hypothesized. Fortunately, fragmentary steps from conception to textualization are partially preserved for a relatively little studied corpus from Roman Period Egypt, sometimes known by the title the Demotic Book of Breathing. Despite clearly representing the final stage in the PT-CT-BD tradition, scribes did not create this composition by copying from its predecessors. Instead, a new composition was crafted without direct parallel. In addition, the new text was never fixed, as fifty separate exemplars attest to a core set of formulae that could be added to, subtracted from, or rearranged at will. The variance in this corpus reflects a growing trend toward multiplicity in similar funerary manuscripts from Greco-Roman Egypt. A portion of this variance can be demonstrated to derive from an active oral tradition and it is this oral tradition, I will argue, that provided the raw material for new compositions such as the Demotic Book of Breathing. This paper will therefore address how textual traditions began by looking at the very end of funerary literature in ancient Egypt.
Review on Analysis and Prevention Measures of Galloping for Transmission Line

The conductor galloping is a self-excited vibration caused by wind excitation to iced transmission line conductors which leads to strand break and wire break due to conductor fatigue and interphase flashover and trip,and even results in hardware fittings damage and tower collapsing and other accidents.On the basis of galloping accidents occurred in large-area within State Grid Corporation of China in 2009-2010,we analyzed and summarized the mechanism of galloping,the new characteristics of galloping and anti-galloping measures,as well as progress of research approach of galloping at home and abroad and other aspects.With the fast development of line construction in China,however,some new characteristics of line galloping were presented.The efficiencies for different anti-galloping measures and limitations were discussed by reviewing the galloping prevention and controlling study that had been put into practice.Finally,the guidance was given to instruct the suitable choice of prevention and controlling technology for galloping,and the further novel idea for research of galloping was given.
Wide-area Power System Stabilizer Design Based on Joint Geometric Index

The selection of control locations and feedback signals is a key step in designing wide-area power system stabilizers(WPSSs).The residue method,which is the most commonly used method to select locations and feedback signals,suffers a scaling problem when comparing different signals.The joint observability/controllability geometric index is used to select the most effective stabilizing signals and control locations.The observability of different types of signals such as tieline active power flows,bus voltage angle differences,center-of-inertia(COI)difference between areas,generator output powers and generator rotor speeds are considered in this method.The tie-line active powers are found to be the most effective input signals, considering the requirement of measurement devices and communication channels in actual power systems.Taking a 2-area power system as case study,the joint geometric index based WPSS design procedure is illustrated.The importance and feasibility of the method are also discussed in the same study.The simulation results demonstrate the advantages of the proposed WPSS through improved system damping.
‘Spaces of Freedom’: Materiality, Mediation and Direct Political Participation in the Work of Arendt and Sartre

This chapter explores the contributions of Jean-Paul Sartre and Hannah Arendt to describing and defending direct political participation. Although they disagree on many other matters, both view such participation as intrinsically valuable: as the enactment of human freedom. However, both also note that the “spaces of freedom” wherein such forms of political action are possible are always ephemeral. Although Arendt deeply laments the fleeting quality of such spaces and the impermanence of free action, her explanations as to why they do not endure are not sufficient. Sartre offers a further and more compelling explanation in The Critique of Dialectical Reason, where he demonstrates how free human action is always mediated by forms of materiality that will necessarily reify it.
Face Search at Scale

Given the prevalence of social media websites, one challenge facing computer vision researchers is to devise methods to search for persons of interest among the billions of shared photos on these websites. Despite significant progress in face recognition, searching a large collection of unconstrained face images remains a difficult problem. To address this challenge, we propose a face search system which combines a fast search procedure, coupled with a state-of-the-art commercial off the shelf (COTS) matcher, in a cascaded framework. Given a probe face, we first filter the large gallery of photos to find the top- $k$ most similar faces using features learned by a convolutional neural network. The $k$ retrieved candidates are re-ranked by combining similarities based on deep features and those output by the COTS matcher. We evaluate the proposed face search system on a gallery containing $80$ million web-downloaded face images. Experimental results demonstrate that while the deep features perform worse than the COTS matcher on a mugshot dataset (93.7 percent versus 98.6 percent TAR@FAR of 0.01 percent), fusing the deep features with the COTS matcher improves the overall performance ( $99.5$ percent TAR@FAR of 0.01 percent). This shows that the learned deep features provide complementary information over representations used in state-of-the-art face matchers. On the unconstrained face image benchmarks, the performance of the learned deep features is competitive with reported accuracies. LFW database: $98.20$ percent accuracy under the standard protocol and $88.03$ percent TAR@FAR of $0.1$ percent under the BLUFR protocol; IJB-A benchmark: $51.0$ percent TAR@FAR of $0.1$ percent (verification), rank 1 retrieval of $82.2$ percent (closed-set search), $61.5$ percent FNIR@FAR of $1$ percent (open-set search). The proposed face search system offers an excellent trade-off between accuracy and scalability on galleries with millions of images. Additionally, in a face search experiment involving photos of the Tsarnaev brothers, convicted of the Boston Marathon bombing, the proposed cascade face search system could find the younger brother's (Dzhokhar Tsarnaev) photo at rank $1$ in $1$ second on a $5$ M gallery and at rank $8$ in $7$ seconds on an $80$ M gallery.
Do firms follow GAAP when they record share repurchases

Abstract This paper examines U.S. firms' accounting for share repurchases and the accounting choice provided to Delaware-incorporated firms between the treasury and retirement methods. This accounting choice does not affect income, cash flows, or net assets, but it nevertheless affects financial reporting transparency and the allocation of equity between retained earnings and contributed capital. According to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), the accounting choice to record share repurchases should reflect management's intended disposition of the repurchased shares. We compare characteristics of Delaware-incorporated treasury and retirement firms and find that the choice between the two accounting methods is not always consistent with GAAP, but neither is it random; rather, this choice is related to a number of firm characteristics including firm growth, industry membership, trading exchange, and price–earnings ratio. We also find that a firm's accounting method for share repurchases is associated with a firm's propensity to make future share repurchases.
Catecholamine synthesizing enzymes in rat pheochromocytoma PC-12 cells

The purification of catecholamine synthesizing enzymes from rat adrenal glands or brain requires a large number of animals and elaborate procedures are yielding small amounts of purified enzyme preparations. Furthermore, rat adrenal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) tends to aggregate and this hampers its extensive purification. The availability of transplantable rat pheochromocytoma tumors (Warren and Chute, 1972), and of cultured rat pheochromocytoma cells (Tischler and Greene, 1975), provides an excellent source for purification of rat catecholamine synthesizing enzyme. Indeed, we have recently purified TH from a clonal pheochromocytoma PC-12 cell line (Markey et al., 1979) and dopaminebeta-hydroxylae (DβH) from rat pheochromocytoma tumors (Fong et al., 1980). In this presentation, we will review the characteristics of rat pheochromocytoma TH and DβH and we will describe some of our recent studies with DβH in cultured PC-12 cells.
Complexity of the Class B Phenotype in Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa Due to Rhodopsin Mutations.

Purpose Previously, patients with RHO mutations and a class A phenotype were found to have severe early-onset loss of rod function, whereas patients with a class B phenotype retained rod function at least in certain retinal regions. Here class B patients were studied at different disease stages to understand the topographic details of the phenotype in preparation for therapies of this regionalized retinopathy. Methods A cohort of patients with RHO mutations and class B phenotype (n = 28; ages 10-80 years) were studied with rod and cone perimetry and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Results At least three components of the phenotype were identified in these cross-sectional studies. Patients could have hemifield dysfunction, pericentral loss of function, or a diffuse rod sensitivity loss across the visual field. Combinations of these different patterns were also found. Colocalized photoreceptor layer thicknesses were in agreement with the psychophysical results. Conclusions These disorders with regional retinal variation of severity require pre-evaluations before enrollment into clinical trials to seek answers to questions about where in the retina would be appropriate to deliver focal treatments, and, for retina-wide treatment strategies, where in the retina should be monitored for therapeutic efficacy (or safety).
Trance Induction Procedures

Just as a new subject may tend to be somewhat nervous until he has been sufficiently informed concerning the nature of the experience he is about to undergo, many people also tend to be unduly apprehensive when they are conducting an induction procedure for the first time. However, if a subject’s ability to experience a trance is primarily a function of his ability to think along with and vividly imagine the suggestions he is given, as Barber and De Moor (1972) have stated, then the principal function of the suggestor is merely to present the induction in a sufficiently plausible manner; and beyond this, no special talent, ability, or charisma are required. In other words, one should not be led to feel that one has somehow “failed” if a subject has not responded appropriately to an induction procedure; for such an outcome is usually much more the “fault” of the subject than of the suggestor.
Application of ELISA to Retail Survey of Aflatoxin B1 in Peanut Butter.

A simple procedure was devised for the routine screening of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in peanut butter using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Peanut butter samples (5 g) were artificially contaminated with AFB1 and extracted by blending with 25 ml of 55% methanol and 10 ml of hexane. The extract was filtered and aqueous filtrate analyzed by a direct competitive ELISA. Recovery of AFB1 added to peanut butter samples ranged from 85 to 112%, with an average inter-well coefficient of variation of 18.4%. The inter-assay coefficient of variation was 22.7%. Using this procedure, only 3 of 63 commercial samples of peanut butter had detectable levels (>5.0 μg/kg) of AFB1.
History of Mirabilis expansa (Ruiz and Pav.) Standl.; Growth and Use in the Andes

Several documents concerning the history and growth of Mirabilis expansa (Ruiz and Pav.) Standl. (Nyctaginaceae), were found to be available by 2012 on international library and agency websites from South America. These documents, written in Spanish, had previously been difficult for this author to find in North America. Information in these documents and from additional papers and reports referenced in them, made it possible to summarize here what had been known historically about M. expansa. Modern research in Andean universities and agencies, completed but not seen by us prior to doing our research on M. expansa in southern Illinois, is included in the summary. Several points are covered in this material, including ideas on the origin of the crop, a list of indigenous names for the crop, and general descriptions of the appearance of several unnamed crop morphotypes grown in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. This information is considered relative to the appearance of and growth data from two crop morphotypes grown in southern Illinois. Additionally, there is information from the South American documents on ecological considerations for M. expansa in Latin America, germplasm information, how the crop has been grown traditionally, preparation of roots and stems for consumption including reduction of astringency and use in traditional dishes and for animal feed, and use of the leaves for fodder. Brief consideration is given here to invasive and rare Mirabilis spp. and how this relates to introduction of M. expansa into new locations, along with information on disease and pests known for the crop. Discussion includes our considerations for conservation of the crop, and comparison of Andean crop yields with published yield data for comparable crops grown in the United States.
Particle Reduction of a Macroaggregated Albumin Kit: Simplified Calculations

It is often difficult to compare a dose of technetium-99m ({sup 99m}Tc) macroaggregated albumin, which contains both a specified number of particles, as well as a specific dose in millicuries. This is further complicated by the fact that the commercial kit used contains many times more particles than is needed, particularly in the pediatric patient population. The authors have developed a set of simple formulas to facilitate calculating the number of millicuries and volume of sodium pertechnetate ({sup 99m}Tc) to be added to the kit.
Eliciting early-response signals from first-in-human clinical trials and validation of prognostic scores in aggressive biology bone cancers: The MD Anderson experience.

10531 Background: There have been no new US FDA approved therapies for bone sarcomas (osteosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma) in the last three decades. Current treatment options are lim...
Peer Coaching Interventions for Parents of Children with Type 1 Diabetes

Peer support is a promising model of providing psychosocial support to parents of children with type 1 diabetes. This review seeks to discuss the findings of the existing literature in peer coaching as it relates to parents and diabetes as well as to identify gaps in knowledge for future intervention development and implementation. Peer support programs vary widely with regard to recruitment, training, and delivery protocols. Across most programs, ongoing support and supervision are provided to peer coaches. Despite inconsistent effects on psychosocial and child health outcomes, parent coaching is consistently a highly acceptable and feasible intervention with parents of children with T1D. Current evidence supports use of parent coaching as part of a multicomponent intervention or program to increase patient satisfaction, but more research is needed to determine if it can stand alone as an active mechanism for behavior change. The use of peer coach interventions for parents of young children with diabetes is feasible to implement and highly acceptable. However, more research is needed to understand the enduring impact for target parents and peer coaches alike, as well as impact on child outcomes.
Physiological dynamics of stress contagion.

Can viewing others experiencing stress create a “contagious” physiological stress response in the observer? To investigate second-hand stress, we first created a stimulus set of videos, which featured participants speaking under either minimal stress, high stress, or while recovering from stress. We then recruited a second set of participants to watch these videos. All participants (speakers and observers) were monitored via electrocardiogram. Cardiac activity of the observers while watching the videos was then analyzed and compared to that of the speakers. Furthermore, we assessed dispositional levels of empathy in observers to determine how empathy might be related to the degree of stress contagion. Results revealed that depending on the video being viewed, observers experienced differential changes in cardiac activity that were based on the speaker’s stress level. Additionally, this is the first demonstration that individuals high in dispositional empathy experience these physiological changes more quickly.
Weather Forecasting Using Genetic Algorithm Based Artificial Neural Network in South West of Algeria (Béchar)

As one of artificial intelligence technologies, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are widely used as an alternative solution for ill-defined problems. Training using examples make it possible to deal with noisy and replace missed data. Nonlinear problems can be solved using artificial neural networks and, once trained, forecasting.
Providing Trust in Ubiquitous and Pervasive IoT Network

Existence of several application specific network technologies like Sensor Networks, Cloud, Personal Area Networks (WPANs), Vehicular Networks (VANETs), Content Delivery Networks and Wifi operating oblivious to each other in the same ISM band creates numerous problems like contention for the same bandwidth leading to excessive collisions and hence lower throughput. This calls for a hybrid mesh framework that is capable of supporting heterogeneous devices in an IoT paradigm. This work proposes exactly that kind of environment.There are several benefits of deploying a hybrid mesh to bridge numerous types of networks and devices, like availability of more data and in some cases, redundant data leads to high reliability. Further, Co-operative interoperability assures higher throughput and efficiency. In case of universal rich data availability, accurate and situation aware decision modeling is achieved. For example, In case of a vehicular network, accurate driving decisions can be made. Additionally, Higher and reliable data availability leads to detailed knowledge and perception which can be further exploited to ensure high level of Security in the network.
System Dynamics Models for the Valuation of Real Options in P3 Concession Project Agreements

AbstractPublic-private partnerships (P3) are increasingly being pursued for infrastructure procurement because of their ability to alleviate pressure on government budgets, promote innovation, and ...
Synthesis of Aluminum-Titanium Carbide Micro and Nanocomposites by the Rotating Impeller In-Situ Gas–Liquid Reaction Method

The Rotating Impeller In-Situ Gas–Liquid Reaction Method is employed for the production of Al-TiC composites. The method relies on injecting a carbon-bearing gas by means of a rotating impeller into a specially formulated molten aluminum-titanium alloy. Under the optimal conditions of temperature and composition, the gas reacts preferentially with titanium to form titanium carbide particles. The design of the apparatus, the process operation window, and the routes for forming titanium carbide particles with different sizes are elucidated.
Barriers to implementing climate resilient agricultural strategies: The case of crop diversification in the U.S. Corn Belt

Abstract Cropping system diversity can help build greater agroecosystem resilience by suppressing insect, weed, and disease pressures while also mitigating effects of extreme and more variable weather. Despite the potential benefits of cropping systems diversity, few farmers in the US Corn Belt use diverse rotations. This study examines factors that may influence farmers’ decisions to use more diversified crop rotations in the US Corn Belt through a parallel convergent mixed methods approach, using a multi-level analysis of Corn Belt farmer survey data (n = 4,778) and in-depth interviews (n = 159). Analyses were conducted to answer questions regarding what factors influence farmers’ use of extended crop rotations in intensive corn-based cropping systems and to explore whether farmers in the Corn Belt might use extended crop rotations in response to climatic changes. Findings suggest that path dependency associated with the intensive corn-based cropping system in the region limits farmers’ ability to integrate more diverse crop rotations. However, farmers in more diversified watersheds, those who farm marginal land, and those with livestock are more likely to use extended rotations. Additionally, farmers who currently use more diverse rotations are also more likely to plan to use crop rotations as a climate change adaptation strategy. If more diverse cropping systems are desired to reduce climate risks, in addition to reducing the negative impacts associated with industrial agricultural production, then further efforts must be made to facilitate more diverse crop rotations in the U.S. Corn Belt. This may be achieved by adjusting policy and economic incentives that presently discourage cropping system diversity in the region.
A Model for Evolutionary Ecology of Disease: The Case for Caenorhabditis Nematodes and Their Natural Parasites.

Many of the outstanding questions in disease ecology and evolution call for combining observation of natural host– parasite populations with experimental dissection of interactions in the field and the laboratory. The ‘‘rewilding’’ of model systems holds great promise for this endeavor. Here, we highlight the potential for development of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and its close relatives as a model for the study of disease ecology and evolution. This powerful laboratory model was disassociated from its natural habitat in the 1960s. Today, studies are uncovering that lost natural history, with several natural parasites described since 2008. Studies of these natural Caenorhabditis –parasite interactions can reap the benefits of the vast array of experimental and genetic tools developed for this laboratory model. In this review, we introduce the natural parasites of C. elegans characterized thus far and discuss resources available to study them, including experimental (co)evolution, cryopreservation, behavioral assays, and genomic tools. Throughout, we present avenues of research that are interesting and feasible to address with caenorhabditid nematodes and their natural parasites, ranging from the maintenance of outcrossing to the community dynamics of host-associated microbes. In combining natural relevance with the experimental power of a laboratory supermodel, these fledgling host–parasite systems can take on fundamental questions in evolutionary ecology of disease.
Targeted and Nontargeted α-Particle Therapies

α-Particle irradiation of cancerous tissue is increasingly recognized as a potent therapeutic option. We briefly review the physics, radiobiology, and dosimetry of α-particle emitters, as well as the distinguishing features that make them unique for radiopharmaceutical therapy. We also review the emerging clinical role of α-particle therapy in managing cancer and recent studies on in vitro and preclinical α-particle therapy delivered by antibodies, other small molecules, and nanometer-sized particles. In addition to their unique radiopharmaceutical characteristics, the increased availability and improved radiochemistry of α-particle radionuclides have contributed to the growing recent interest in α-particle radiotherapy. Targeted therapy strategies have presented novel possibilities for the use of α-particles in the treatment of cancer. Clinical experience has already demonstrated the safe and effective use of α-particle emitters as potent tumor-selective drugs for the treatment of leukemia and metastatic disease.
Manipulating DNA damage response pathways for the treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalitis (THER7P.952)

The race between pathogens and the immune response drives rapid expansion of lymphocyte populations, suggesting genomic stress in responding lymphocytes. We have previously reported the unique apoptotic sensitivity of activated T cells to DNA damaging drugs in diverse therapeutic contexts. We now report that activated T cells display a pronounced DNA damage response (DDR) in vitro and in vivo . We hypothesized that this intrinsic DDR could be manipulated with targeted small molecules for the elimination of pathologic T cells in a therapeutic context. We found that potentiation of p53 (via inhibition of MDM2)) or abrogation of the G2/M cell-cycle checkpoint (via inhibition of WEE1) synergized with DNA damaging drugs for the elimination of acutely activated, pathologic T cells. Moreover, a combination of p53 potentiation and checkpoint abrogation displayed therapeutic benefits in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalitis a preclinical disease model of Multiple Sclerosis, without the concurrent use of genotoxic chemotherapeutics. Additionally, combination inhibitor therapy showed minimal off target toxicities on other immune populations. Thus, targeted manipulation of p53 and cell cycle checkpoints may represent a new therapeutic modality with significant translational potential for diverse immune mediated diseases.
A ribonucleoprotein octamer for targeted siRNA delivery.

Hurdles in cell-specific delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) in vivo hinder the clinical translation of RNA interference (RNAi). A fundamental problem concerns conflicting requirements for the design of the delivery vehicles: cationic materials facilitate cargo condensation and endosomolysis, yet hinder in vivo targeting and colloidal stability. Here, we describe a self-assembled, compact (~30 nm) and biocompatible ribonucleoprotein-octamer nanoparticle that achieves endosomal destabilization and targeted delivery. The protein octamer consists of a poly(ethylene glycol) scaffold, a sterically masked endosomolytic peptide and a double-stranded RNA-binding domain, providing a discrete number of siRNA loading sites and a high siRNA payload (>30 wt%), and offering flexibility in both siRNA and targeting-ligand selection. We show that a ribonucleoprotein octamer against the polo-like kinase 1 gene and bearing a ligand that binds to prostate-specific membrane antigen leads to efficient gene silencing in prostate tumour cells in vitro and when intravenously injected in mouse models of prostate cancer. The octamer’s versatile nanocarrier design should offer opportunities for the clinical translation of therapies based on intracellularly acting biologics.
Evidence of Anisotropic Optical Turbulence Over Runway

Scintillation index for a Gaussian beam calculated from data taken over a runway in August 2017 is presented which shows evidence of anisotropic conditions early and late in the day and isotropic conditions during midday.
Variation in Function of Autosomes

Both chromosome function and movement are highly coordinated and precisely efficient processes. In this context Swanson (1957) commented: “The fact that cell division is not a unitary process means that the steps that normally occur in orderly succession are subject to disturbance and open to attack. The natural causes of upsets in cell and chromosome behavior can be examined, as well as their consequences to the particular individual and to the population at large.”
The Physical Effectiveness of Conscious Will and the Quantum Zeno Effect

A crucial question now arises: How does this dynamical psychoneurological connection via process 1, which can merely pose a question, but not answer it, allow a person’s effort to influence his or her physical actions?
Person Ascriptions, Profound Disabilities and Our Self-Imposed Duties: A Reply to Loretta Kopelman

Although various authors, especially philosophers, have written extensively on the concept of person — expanding and expounding on the necessary and sufficient conditions which warrant the non-trivial version of the claim that ‘Persons ought to be respected’ — Professor Kopelman has focused her attention on a more specific problem and on our relation to (what I shall call) ‘atypical individuals’, though this fine tuning has not made matters any less complex. On the contrary, as R. S. Downie and Elizabeth Telfer acknowledge, just prior to the close of the first chapter in their Respect for Persons, and after turning from their consideration of persons to atypical persons, “we are still left with some cases which are difficult to explain in terms of respect for persons.” Indeed, Professor Kopelman apparently would agree with their claim that although these cases “present difficulties to any theory of morality, [this] is not really an excuse for failing to make an attempt to account for them” ([2], p. 34). Whereas Downie and Telfer cite the cases of “children, the senile, lunatics and animals” and observe that these cases present difficulties, Kopelman directs her thought over a range of individuals who are differentiated as mildly, moderately, severely and profoundly retarded. She is, of course, fully aware of the value-laden baggage which such language is compelled to bear; she herself has carefully illustrated that a variety of everyday ascriptions of atypical individuals have built-in limitations. But just so long as general usage and ordinary language engender more social good than ill, on Kopelman’s view, such problematic usage may be permitted.1 With this I find no cause to quarrel.
DECAY OF CONVECTIVE TURBULENCE REVISITED

Results of a large-eddy simulation of a decaying convective mixed layer over land are presented. The time evolution of the mixed layer is forced by the surface heat flux gradually decreasing with time. The results obtained show that the decay of the turbulent kinetic energy is governed by two scales, the external time scale controlling the surface heat flux changes, and the convective time scale. During the simulation, large eddies persist even when the heat flux at the surface becomes negative. A decoupled residual layer of active turbulence is developed above the stable surface layer. The residual layer is marked by large-scale updrafts that are able to penetrate the capping inversion layer and induce entrainment.
Computer science outreach in an elementary school

To encourage interest in computer science, we visited three fourth grade classes once a week for thirty minutes each (three content sessions and a pretest and post-test session) in March-April 2007. The basis for the activities was Computer Science Unplugged. Pre and post tests indicate improved confidence and interest in Computer Science and Math.
Molecular Structure and Dynamics of Nano-Confined Water: Computer Simulations of Aqueous Species in Clay, Cement, and Polymer Membranes

Molecular-level knowledge of the thermodynamic, structural, and transport properties of water confined by interfaces and nanopores of various materials is crucial for quantitative understanding and prediction of many natural and technological processes, including carbon sequestration, water desalination, nuclear waste storage, cement chemistry, fuel cell technology, etc. Computational molecular modeling is capable to significantly complement the experimental investigations of such systems by providing invaluable atomic-scale information leading to improved understanding of the specific effects of the substrate structure and composition on the structure, dynamics and reactivity of interfacial and nano-confined aqueous solutions. This paper offers a brief overview of recent efforts to quantify some of these effects for individual H2O molecules and hydrated ions confined at the interfaces and in nanopores of several typical hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials. The first molecular layer of aqueous solution at all substrates is often highly ordered, indicating reduced translational and orientational mobility of the H2O molecules. This ordering cannot be simply described as “ice-like”, but rather resembles the behavior of supercooled water or amorphous ice, although with very significant substrate-specific variations.
CRITIQUE - OF “METHODS FOR ANALYSIS OF DENITRIFICATION IN SOILS”

ABSTRACT Suggested additional considerations for Focht's paper include the following: realization that fermentative and autotrophic bacteria also contribute to denitrification and not just the usual heterotrophic aerobic bacteria. Effects on subsequent denitrifying capacity resulting from drying of test soil samples may be significant. Assay for production of nitrous oxide during MPN counting assays and testing the initial and ultimate rates of reduction of nitrous oxide by soil denitrifiers are useful. Employment of algal reductases may provide specificity for estimates of soil contents of nitrate and nitrite. Selective use of acetylene to inhibit the terminal event in denitrification (reduction of nitrous oxide, which is easily determined by gas chromatography) offers considerable promise for greater accuracy in rate measurements. Newly designed sampling devices are needed to make the test procedure applicable. Field studies with this technique seem more widely promising than assays for reduction of 13N-labeled nitrate. Further studies are needed of the possibility of close association in the soil of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria.
Hydrogeomorphic controls on Holocene lacustrine loss-on-ignition records

Holocene loss-on-ignition (LOI) records were developed for radiocarbon-dated sediment cores from 20 lakes in the Uinta Mountains of northeastern Utah, USA. The hydrogeomorphic setting of each lake was characterized, permitting an analysis of connections between LOI values and lake setting. Median LOI values exhibit a significant negative correlation with lake elevation, with the range of elevations and the maximum slope of the watershed, with the extent of ice/snow and exposed rock in the watershed, and with the volume of through-flowing water. In contrast, LOI is positively correlated with the extent of forest cover and wetlands in the watershed. In addition, forward stepwise linear modeling demonstrates that lake area/lake depth ratio is a significant negative predictor for median LOI, that shoreline complexity is a significant positive predictor for maximum LOI, and the standard deviation of LOI values is greater in lakes surrounded by watersheds with more wetlands and surface water. Some LOI time series contain excursions at finer temporal scales that are recorded synchronously in adjacent lakes, however many excursions appear in only a single record. Similarly, step changes in LOI that are clear in some records are not preserved in the sediments of nearby lakes. Over longer timescales, some LOI records are essentially constant during the Holocene. In contrast, some lakes record steadily rising LOI values, and approximately half of the lakes have complicated LOI records with millennial-scale variability. Lakes with large surface area, large area/depth ratios, large watershed area/lake area ratios, rugged watersheds, and extensive ice/snow cover are more likely to record steady LOI values over time. The degree to which LOI records from neighboring lakes vary emphasizes that lacustrine proxy records reflect a strong filtering effect, whereby the signal of an external forcing is recorded to varying degrees depending on the nature of the lake and surrounding watershed.
Magnesium supplementation improves diabetic mitochondrial and cardiac diastolic function

In heart failure and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), the majority of patients have hypomagnesemia, and magnesium (Mg) supplementation has improved cardiac function and insulin resistance. Recently, we have shown that DM can cause cardiac diastolic dysfunction (DD). Therefore, we hypothesized that Mg supplementation would improve diastolic function in DM. High-fat diet-induced diabetic mouse hearts showed increased cardiac DD and hypertrophy. Mice with DM showed a significantly increased E/e' ratio (the ratio of transmitral Doppler early filling velocity [E] to tissue Doppler early diastolic mitral annular velocity [e']) in the echocardiogram, left ventricular end diastolic volume (LVEDV), incidence of DD, left ventricular posterior wall thickness in diastole (PWTd), and ratio of heart weight to tibia length (HW/TL) when compared with controls. DM mice also had hypomagnesemia. Ventricular cardiomyocytes isolated from DM mice exhibited decreased mitochondrial ATP production, a 1.7- ± 0.2-fold increase of mitochondrial ROS, depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential, and mitochondrial Ca2+ overload. Dietary Mg administration (50 mg/ml in the drinking water) for 6 weeks increased plasma Mg concentration and improved cardiac function. At the cellular level, Mg improved mitochondrial function with increased ATP, decreased mitochondrial ROS and Ca2+ overload, and repolarized mitochondrial membrane potential. In conclusion, Mg supplementation improved mitochondrial function, reduced oxidative stress, and prevented DD in DM.
Morphological and physiological characteristics of endornavirus-infected and endornavirus-free near-isogenic lines of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum)

Abstract Plant endornaviruses are persistent viruses that infect plants without causing symptoms. Although endornaviruses have been reported in many economically important plant species, little is known about the effect they have on their hosts. Bell pepper endornavirus (BPEV) has been reported in cultivated peppers (Capsicum spp.). In commercial cultivars of bell pepper (C. annuum) grown in the United States, this virus is found at prevalence rates of 100%. Two bell pepper near-isogenic lines (NILs), one BPEV-infected and the other BPEV-free, were generated and used to investigate the type of symbiotic relationship between BPEV and bell pepper. Selected morphological and physiological characteristics of the NILs were evaluated. The overall appearance of the two NILs was similar. When compared with the BPEV-infected line, the BPEV-free line had a significantly higher percentage of seed germination. The plant height, number of fruits, and total fruit weight was higher in plants of the BPEV-free line than in plants of the BPEV-infected line; however, in most experiments, the differences were not statistically significant (p
The Impact of Globalization on Income and Wealth Inequality in the United States

This chapter focuses on the sharp increase in income and wealth inequality in the United States that has accompanied the expansion of economic and financial globalization and the links that may exist between these two phenomena. Growing income and wealth inequality has been caused by a number of factors, such as the divergence between the growth of real wages and labor productivity and the varying inter-sectoral effects of technological change. The chapter examines the degree to which growing trade and financial integration of the United States in the global economy has contributed to inequality, as reflected in a declining share of labor income in total national income and an expanding skill-based wage gap. Measures to reduce income inequality are also discussed.
A First Amendment Deference Approach to Reforming Anti-Bullying Laws

This Article examines the anti-bullying laws and their response to the problem of bullying in light of both the nature of the problem itself, the interventions the laws call for, and the laws’ First Amendment implications. Bullying has many varied, negative consequences, some tragic, and is widespread. Yet, the anti-bullying laws disproportionately focus schools’ responses to bullying on school exclusion, meaning suspending, expelling or otherwise excluding students who bully from school. This is so even though social science literature has found school exclusion ineffective and sometimes counterproductive as a method for addressing bullying. What is more, because much of bullying is speech, bullying interventions often implicate the First Amendment. Although the Supreme Court has given schools more deference—or effectively more authority—to suppress student speech as compared to other state actors, that deference is not unlimited and sometimes it arguably precludes any response to individual instances of bullying, no matter its efficacy. The anti-bullying laws then are at times either limited by the First Amendment to the point of being inapplicable, and even when they can be applied address bullying, they focus on a one-size-fits-all school exclusion approach. Drawing on all of these points, this Article thus argues that the anti-bullying laws represent a limited response to the complicated problem of bullying that raise a number of First Amendment concerns despite the deference the Supreme Court has given schools to suppress student speech. It also argues that drawing on First Amendment jurisprudence, particularly by deconstructing the rationales for schools’ deference to suppress student speech and crafting bullying laws in a way that closely aligns with those rationales, offers both a way for the anti-bullying laws to both better respond to the problem of bullying and an argument that schools should have more deference to suppress student bullying speech. So changing the anti-bulling laws and providing schools with more deference to suppress student bullying speech would help resolve some of the extant First Amendment problems with the anti-bullying laws. Perhaps most importantly, it would help the students who suffer the negative, sometimes devastating, consequences of bullying.
The Degraded Gaussian Many-Access Wiretap Channel

The Gaussian multiple-access wiretap channel when the number of transmitters grows unbounded and at most linearly with the blocklength is studied. Its capacity region is characterized when the eavesdropper channel is degraded and when the transmitters’ activities are random. Unlike the conventional Gaussian multiple-access wiretap channel, the capacity region is independent of the power of the transmitters and depends only on the sum of the message lengths of the transmitters.
Functional Outcomes of Cerebellar Malformations

The cerebellum is well-established as a primary center for controlling sensorimotor functions. However, recent experiments have demonstrated additional roles for the cerebellum in higher-order cognitive functions such as language, emotion, reward, social behavior, and working memory. Based on the diversity of behaviors that it can influence, it is therefore not surprising that cerebellar dysfunction is linked to motor diseases such as ataxia, dystonia, tremor, and Parkinson's disease as well to non-motor disorders including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. Regardless of the condition, there is a growing consensus that developmental disturbances of the cerebellum may be a central culprit in triggering a number of distinct pathophysiological processes. Here, we consider how cerebellar malformations and neuronal circuit wiring impact brain function and behavior during development. We use the cerebellum as a model to discuss the expanding view that local integrated brain circuits function within the context of distributed global networks to communicate the computations that drive complex behavior. We highlight growing concerns that neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases with severe behavioral outcomes originate from developmental insults to the cerebellum.