cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evolving Robot Morphology Facilitates the Evolution of Neural Modularity and Evolvability

Although recent work has demonstrated that modularity can increase evolvability in non-embodied systems, it remains to be seen how the morphologies of embodied agents influences the ability of an evolutionary algorithm to find useful and modular controllers for them. We hypothesize that a modular control system may enable different parts of a robot's body to sense and react to stimuli independently, enabling it to correctly recognize a seemingly novel environment as, in fact, a composition of familiar percepts and thus respond appropriately without need of further evolution. Here we provide evidence that supports this hypothesis: We found that such robots can indeed be evolved if (1) the robot's morphology is evolved along with its controller, (2) the fitness function selects for the desired behavior and (3) also selects for conservative and robust behavior. In addition, we show that if constraints (1) and (3) are relaxed, or structural modularity is selected for directly, the robots have too little or too much modularity and lower evolvability. Thus, we demonstrate a previously unknown relationship between modularity and embodied cognition: evolving morphology and control such that robots exhibit conservative behavior indirectly selects for appropriate modularity and, thus, increased evolvability.
Free energy of CO binding to iron(II) protoporphyrin IX in water

Abstract A series of CO binding constants to two iron porphyrins in different solvents have been determined spectrophotometrically in an effort to estimate the free energy of CO binding to heme in water. The free energy of CO binding to iron(II) protoporphyrin IX dimethylester(1,2-dimethylimidazole), FePPIXMe(DMI), in water has been estimated by determining the CO binding constant for the water-soluble heme iron(II) tetra( p -trimethlyammoniumphenyl)porphyrin(DMI), FeTAP(DMI), in phosphate buffer and assuming that the difference in free energies for binding CO to FeTAP(DMI) and to FePPIXMe(DMI) is the same in water as in DMSO solvent (this is equivalent to assuming that the FePPIXMe(DMI)-to-FeTAP(DMI) ratio of CO binding constants is the same in DMSO as in water). These studies estimate the CO binding constant to FePPIXMe(DMI) in phosphate buffer to be (9.1 ± 2.4) × 10 6 M −1 (P 1/2 CO =0.082±0.022 Torr). Using reported CO affinity to T-state hemoglobin (J.P. Collman, Inorg. Chem. (1997) 5145 and references therein), this leads to the smaller estimate of distal and proximal protein contributions to CO binding in T-state hemoglobin of +0.55 kcal/mol.
The end of the beginning: a commentary on ‘Evaluation Metrics for Biostatistical and Epidemiological Collaborations’

Rubio et al’s paper ‘Evaluation Metrics for Biostatistical and Epidemiological Collaborations’, represents an important initial advance in the evaluation of biostatistics, epidemiology and research design (BERD). The authors present a sensible three-domain model (collaboration with investigators, application of BERD-related methods, and discovery of new BERD methodologies), rightly acknowledge the importance of team science, and break new ground in illustrating that the CTSAs can function as a kind of national laboratory for the development and exploration of measures and metrics. Building upon these gains, there are several future considerations worthy of subsequent serious attention: strengthening the connection between BERD evaluation and both the science of team science and the field of evaluation; facing the challenges of operationalization of the conceptual domains; augmenting the work of Rubio et al with standard evaluative models; and, anticipating the need for multiplistic mixed methods and experimental and quasi-experimental complements to the proposed BERD metrics. Several common pitfalls will also be important to avoid, including the tendency to conflate the meaning of “metrics” and “measures”, and the potential for a premature rush to adopt national “standards” before adequately pilot testing the initial set of methods they have worked so diligently to develop.
Specific Nucleotide Binding and Rebinding to Individual DNA Polymerase Complexes Captured on a Nanopore

Nanoscale pores are a tool for single molecule analysis of DNA or RNA processing enzymes. Monitoring catalytic activity in real time using this technique requires that these enzymes retain function while held atop a nanopore in an applied electric field. Using an α-hemolysin nanopore, we measured the dwell time for complexes of DNA with the Klenow fragment of Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I (KF) as a function of the concentration of deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) substrate. We analyzed these dwell time measurements in the framework of a two-state model for captured complexes (DNA−KF binary and DNA−KF−dNTP ternary states). Average nanopore dwell time increased without saturating as a function of correct dNTP concentration across 4 orders of magnitude. This arises from two factors that are proportional to dNTP concentration: (1) The fraction of complexes that are in the ternary state when initially captured predominantly affects dwell time at low dNTP concentrations. (2) The rate of binding and rebin...
Influence of embryo transfer depth on in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer outcomes

Abstract Objective To investigate the influence of transfer distance from the fundus (TDF) on clinical pregnancy rate (PR) and ectopic pregnancy rate. Design Retrospective cohort. Between January 2000 and December 2001, 699 ultrasound (US)-guided embryo transfers were conducted. Mock transfer was performed to measure uterine cavity depth 1 month before treatment. Cavity depth was measured by abdominal US before the transfer, from the vaginal stripe to the fundus. Transfers were performed with a Wallace embryo transfer catheter (Cooper Surgical, Shelton, CT) using US and physician's judgment of cavity depth. Transfer distance from the fundus was calculated by subtracting the depth of catheter insertion from the cavity depth, as determined by US or by mock transfer. Statistical analyses were performed by building a multivariable logistic regression model to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Setting Women aged 23 to 43 years who are in a university-affiliated, community-based IVF program in Springfield, Massachusetts. Patient(s) All patients enrolled in IVF program undergoing embryo transfer. Intervention(s) No patient received any additional procedure or intervention. All of the measurements obtained with the embryo catheter and the transvaginal ultrasound were part of the program's protocol for the embryo transfer. Main outcome measure(s) Odds ratio examining relationship between embryo transfer depth and PR. Result(s) Clinical, implantation, and ectopic PR were 37%, 20%, and 2.1%. Cavity depth by US differed from cavity depth by mock by at least 10 mm in >30% of cases. The TDF by US was highly predictive of PR; TDF by mock was not predictive of PR. Increasing the TDF by US resulted in significantly increased PR as well as lower ectopic rates. Using regression analysis, the odds ratio for TDF by US was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.07–1.14). This suggests that for every additional millimeter embryos are deposited away from the fundus, the odds of clinical pregnancy increased by 11%. Conclusion(s) After controlling for potential confounders, the clinical PR is significantly influenced by the transfer distance from the fundus. Cavity depth by US is clinically useful to determine the depth beyond which catheter insertion should not occur.
Motif III S5 of L-type Calcium Channels Is Involved in the Dihydropyridine Binding Site A COMBINED RADIOLIGAND BINDING AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDY

Abstract The α1 subunit of L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (α1C) has been shown to harbor high affinity binding sites for the Ca2+ channel dihydropyridine (DHP) modulators. It has been suggested by a number of investigators that the binding site may be composed of III S6 and IV S6. Evidence with chimeric channels indicated the possible involvement of III S5 in DHP binding. Site-directed mutations were introduced in motif III S5 region of the α1C, changing the amino acids to their counterparts in the DHP-insensitive α1A channel. The mutant channels were expressed both in HEK 293 cells and in Xenopus oocytes. Equilibrium binding and electrophysiological studies showed that the Thr1006 to Tyr substitution produced a mutant channel with at least 1000-fold decreased affinity in [3H](+)isopropyl-4-(2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)-1,4-dihydro-(2,6-dimethyl-5-methoxycarbonyl)pyridine-3-carboxylate (PN200-110, isradipine) binding and in sensitivity of R(−)-4(2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl)-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-3-pyridincarboxylic acid isopropylester (R202-791) in terms of inhibition of current through the L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. Replacing Gln1010 with Met resulted in more than a 10-fold decrease in binding affinity for [3H](+)PN200-110 and in the potency of channel modulation by S202-791. Four additional mutations in this region also lead to a slight but statistically significant increase of KD values for [3H](+)PN200-110 binding. The binding and electrophysiological results show that certain residues of the transmembrane segment III S5 are important in contributing to the DHP binding “pocket” and are critical for DHP binding and for its calcium channel effect.
Falling: suicide and the sidewalk

This work comprises a video sequence shot from my sixth-floor apartment window to the sidewalk below and composed inside a digital-game environment. The intention is to empty the video of narrative and reduce it to an image string. Exploring the space, flying over and through the image sequence, the effect turns unsettling and a new narrative emerges.
Seeking the optimal LaTaO4:Eu phosphor

Lanthanum orthotantalate, LaTaO{sub 4}, is an excellent host lattice for rare-earth luminescent ions such as Eu{sup 3+} for red emission. However, there are multiple RETaO{sub 4} (RE=rare earth) polymorphs, and the stability of these is controlled predominantly by the RE-radius. Thus it is difficult to obtain a pure phase of LaTaO{sub 4}:Eu as Eu concentration and consequently the RE radius is varied. We recently reported a 'soft-chemical' route that allows crystallization of pure-phase LaTaO{sub 4}:Eu at temperatures as low as 800 Degree-Sign C. In the current report, we investigate polymorph evolution and Eu emission as a function of Eu concentration and annealing temperature. We obtain a maximum quantum yield (QY) of 83% at the highest Eu substitution (25%) for which the low temperature orthorhombic (Pbca) polymorph is stable. Therefore, QY is not limited necessarily by concentration quenching; rather it is limited by polymorph stability as the RE-radius decreases with increasing Eu substitution. - Graphical Abstract: Eu-substituted lanthanum orthotantalates, LaTaO{sub 4}:Eu, are excellent red phosphors. They exhibit up to 83% quantum-yield emission under blue light excitation, optimized through both 'soft chemical processing' and polymorph purity. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer LaTaO{sub 4}:Eu phosphors were synthesized via 'soft-chemical' and solid-state routes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Quantum-yield of Eumore » emission depends on host polymorph, which changes with La:Eu ratio. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Polymorph with optimal Eu-emission is only obtained by 'soft-chemistry'.« less
Kinetic isotope effects in the active site of B. subtilis chorismate mutase

Kinetic isotope effects are determined for the enzyme-catalyzed Claisen rearrangement of chorismate to prephenate using computational methods. The calculated kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) compare reasonably with the few available experimental values with both the theory and experiment obtaining a large KIE for the ether oxygen, indicating large polarization of the transition-state geometry. Because there is a question of the extent that the experimental rate constants are for chemistry as the rate-limiting step, the KIEs for all the atoms of the substrate are reported with the exception of the carboxylate groups. A substantial number of large regular and inverse isotope effects are predicted for the hydrogens on the cyclohexadienyl ring related to activation of the reactant and charge reorganization in the transition state. A large KIE is predicted for the hydrogen atom bound to the ether carbon atom because the largest valency change and charge transfer occurs at the ether bond in both the reactant and tansition state. Observation of the overall pattern of predicted KIEs would ensure that conditions are favorable for the rate-limiting chemistry. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 94: 287–292, 2003
On nonindexical contextualism

MacFarlane distinguishes “context sensitivity” from “indexicality,” and argues that “nonindexical contextualism” has significant advantages over the standard indexical form. MacFarlane’s substantive thesis is that the extension of an expression may depend on an epistemic standard variable even though its content does not. Focusing on ‘knows,’ I will argue against the possibility of extension dependence without content dependence when factors such as meaning, time, and world are held constant, and show that MacFarlane’s nonindexical contextualism provides no advantages over indexical contextualism. The discussion will shed light on the definition of indexicals as well as the meaning of ‘knows,’ and highlight important constraints on the way meaning can be represented in semantics.
On farm and packhouse: Employment at the bottom of a global value chain

Abstract The fresh vegetables commodity chain linking Kenyan producers with United Kingdom (UK) consumers employs significant numbers of workers in production and processing. This chain is dominated by UK retailers that determine the production imperatives of Kenyan firms upstream in the chain and, indirectly the employment strategies they adopt. This paper explores how competitive pressures are transmitted through the supply chain, and how exporters absorb these risks by placing greater emphasis on organizational flexibility and the elasticity of labor in horticultural production. The paper argues that while the industry provides substantial employment opportunities in Kenya, the commodity chain is dependent upon the “gendered” and insecure forms of employment it creates.
Matrix formulation of the reconstruction of phase values from phase differences

Methods in speckle imaging and adapative optics, as well as a new technique in digital image restoration, require the calculation of the Fourier phase spectrum from measurements of the differences on a two-dimensional grid of the phase spectrum. The calculation of phases from phase differences has been analyzed in the literature and relaxation mechanisms for computing the phase have been derived by least-squares analysis. In the following paper we formulate the phase reconstruction problem in terms of a vector-matrix multiplication, and we then show that previous solution methods are equivalent to this general description. We also analyze the errors in reconstruction and reconcile previously published error results based on simulations with an analytical error expression derived from Parseval’s theorem. Finally, we comment upon the rate of convergence of phase reconstructions, and discuss numerical analysis literature which indicates that the methods previously published for phase reconstruction can be made to converge much faster.
A human DNA segment with properties of the gene that predisposes to retinoblastoma and osteosarcoma

The genomes of various tumour cells contain mutant oncogenes that act dominantly, in that their effects can be observed when they are introduced into non-malignant cells. There is evidence for another class of oncogenes, in which tumour-predisposing mutations are recessive to wild-type alleles. Retinoblastoma is a prototype biological model for the study of such recessive oncogenes. This malignant tumour, which arises in the eyes of children, can be explained as the result of two distinct genetic changes, each causing loss of function of one of the two homologous copies at a single genetic locus, Rb, assigned to the q14 band of human chromosome 13. Mutations affecting this locus may be inherited from a parent, may arise during gametogenesis or may occur somatically. Those who inherit a mutant allele at this locus have a high incidence of non-ocular, second tumours, almost half of which are osteosarcomas believed to be caused by the same mutation. Here we describe the isolation of a complementary DNA segment that detects a chromosomal segment having the properties of the gene at this locus. The gene is expressed in many tumour types, but no RNA transcript has been found in retinoblastomas and osteosarcomas. The cDNA fragment detects a locus spanning at least 70 kilobases (kb) in human chromosome band 13q14, all or part of which is frequently deleted in retinoblastomas and osteosarcomas.
Evaluation of augmentation cystoplasty in childhood with reference to vesico‐ureteric reflux and urinary infection

Objectives To assess the non-operative treatment of vesico-ureteric reflux in patients with abnormal bladder compliance, to determine whether reduction in storage pressure by augmentation leads to cessation of reflux and whether symptomatic urinary tract infection worsens or renal function deteriorates if reflux continues after augmentation and clean intermittent catheterization (CIC). Patients and methods Thirty-nine children (17 boys, 22 girls) who underwent clam ileocystoplasty over a 5-year-period were evaluated. The mean age at operation was 9.7 years (range 1.5–17.5). Pre-operative assessment included renal imaging and slow fill video-cystometry. Vesico-ureteric reflux, if present, was graded I-V. The frequency and severity of symptomatic urinary tract infections were recorded. Cystometry was performed 6 months after reconstruction. Storage pressures below 20 cm saline were regarded as safe. The mean follow-up was 3.3 years (range 10 months-6.1 years). Results Of the 17 renal units assessed for the outcome of reflux, 11 stopped reflux and one showed a lower grade. No patient showed worsening of upper tract dilatation or progressive renal scarring. Thirty-seven patients (95%) had symptomatic urinary tract infection pre-operatively. Following bladder augmentation, clean intermittent catheterization and trimethoprim prophylaxis, seven continued to have symptomatic infection. Conclusions Augmentation cystoplasty is effective in resolving reflux in a majority of the patients. This is achieved by reducing storage pressures to below 20 cm saline and emptying the bladder regularly by CIC. There is also a reduction in the incidence and severity of symptomatic urinary tract infections. Even when reflux persists there is no evidence of deterioration of the upper tracts or progressive renal scarring.
Performance of maximum likelihood detectors in partial erasure

Partial Erasure is a well known phenomenon whereby closely spaced magnetic transitions in digital saturation recording partially erase each other. The resulting playback signals exhibit nonlinear pattern dependent amplitude losses. This paper defines and analyzes the performance of sequence detectors matched to a partial erasure model, matched to the RLL code d=0 or d=1 constraint, and also matched to the popular inter-symbol interference targets: PR4, EPR4, EEPR4, or EEEPR4. All of the d=0 detectors show losses on the order of -20*log/sub 10/(1-e) dB, where e is the fraction of the magnetic transition amplitudes erased in a di-bit. All of the d=1 detectors exhibit much less loss than the d=0 detectors. The d=1 EEPR4 and EEEPR4 detectors have no distance losses if e<0.2 and 0.37 respectively, even though significant signal energy is lost.
Blind estimation of the carrier frequency offset in OFDM systems

We present a novel approach for carrier frequency offset estimation in OFDM systems. Before they enter the OFDM system, the information bearing symbols are segmented into blocks so that each even indexed block shares one common symbol with the previous block. This redundancy allows for the frequency offset estimation at the receiver, without the need of pilot symbols. The offset is obtained based on cross-correlations of successive received blocks, and is decoupled from the channel estimate. With the proposed approach, offset estimation is achieved with very small reduction of rate of the OFDM system, as opposed to higher reduction caused by other existing approaches.
Commentary: Evidence-Based Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

The argument for evidence-based child and adolescent mental health services is irresistible. Indeed, I have yet to meet a mental health practitioner who has told me that his or her work was not based on evidence. The exam question, however, is ‘what is the best evidence?’ In a helpful contribution to the current debate about evidence-based practice, Ramchandani, Joughin and Zwi point out that the answer depends on what the question was in the first place. They argue that while some clinical questions are best tackled using quantitative methods such as randomised trials, other questions are better answered using different techniques. Traditional hierarchies of evidence that give primacy to randomised trials may not always be appropriate to child mental health practice.
Perceptions of environmental justice: the case of a US urban wastewater system

Environmental justice is often viewed as an access point for disadvantaged communities to engage the policy process to prevent their exploitation by more established policy players. The mostly untested assumption of it, however, is that communities have accurate perceptions of the distribution of environmental harms. This study tests this assumption with data on San Francisco's wastewater system. Survey data from residents were coupled with operational data on various wastewater system problems. When compared, these data suggest that people's perceptions of the distribution of environmental harms do not match empirical measures of it. Instead, perceptions of neighborhoods' exposures were more associated with socio-economic and physical characteristics of the neighborhoods than their actual exposures. In essence, perceptions of environmental justice resembled social equity issues more than environmental equity issues. These findings have implications for the changing roles of government agencies and the public in their efforts to achieve environmental justice and sustainable development. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Race and Gender Differences in Sport Participation as a Function of Self-Schema

The present investigation studied the influence of race and gender on sport and physical activity choices by regarding specific sport and physical activities as appropriate for participation or self-defining for race and gender groups. The study was designed to confirm the existence of self-schemata for sport and physical activities. A computer-generated instrument was employed to assess the existence and strength of self-schemata. Results of logistic regression analysis suggest that self-schemata for particular sport and physical activities indeed exist and certain schemata differ by race and/or gender. Understanding the dynamics of the development of selfschemata development and the influences of race and gender holds potential for a more comprehensive explanation of the disparity in sport and physical activity participation and performance.
Traveling the Semantic Web through Space, Time, and Theme

In this installment of Semantics and Services, we further develop the idea of spatial, temporal, and thematic (STT) processing of semantic Web data and describe the Web infrastructure needed to support it. Starting from Ramesh Jain's vision of the EventWeb as a view of what's possible with a Web that better accommodates all three dimensions of event-related information (thematic, spatial, and temporal), we outline the architecture needed to support it and current research that aims to realize it.
Signal modeling techniques in speech recognition

A tutorial on signal processing in state-of-the-art speech recognition systems is presented, reviewing those techniques most commonly used. The four basic operations of signal modeling, i.e. spectral shaping, spectral analysis, parametric transformation, and statistical modeling, are discussed. Three important trends that have developed in the last five years in speech recognition are examined. First, heterogeneous parameter sets that mix absolute spectral information with dynamic, or time-derivative, spectral information, have become common. Second, similarity transform techniques, often used to normalize and decorrelate parameters in some computationally inexpensive way, have become popular. Third, the signal parameter estimation problem has merged with the speech recognition process so that more sophisticated statistical models of the signal's spectrum can be estimated in a closed-loop manner. The signal processing components of these algorithms are reviewed. >
A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTER BIAS ON THE OPERANT LEARNING OF LABORATORY RATS.

IT NOW appears to be a well-established finding that under a number of differing conditions, psychological experimenters tend to obtain from their human subjects the data experimenters expect or want to obtain. (1337495) In addition, one study has been carried out which showed that the experimenter bias phenomenon may also occur when the subjects (Ss) are laboratory rats. (6) In that study, twelve experimenters (Es) each ran five albino rats on a simple discrimination problem, daily for a five day period. Half of the Es were told that the rats they were running had been bred for maze-brightness while the remaining Es were told that their Ss had been bred for maze-dullness. The animals actually assigned to each E were standard laboratory animals randomly assigned to E. Results of this study clearly indicated that those Es believing their Ss to be maze-bright obtained significantly better performance from their Ss than did the Es believing their Ss to be maze-dull. The purpose of the present experiment was to test the generality of these findings by studying the effects of Es’ biases on the performances of rats in an extended series of Skinner box problems.
Energy Integration Describes Sound-Intensity Coding in an Insect Auditory System

We investigate the transduction of sound stimuli into neural responses and focus on locust auditory receptor cells. As in other mechanosensory model systems, these neurons integrate acoustic inputs over a fairly broad frequency range. To test three alternative hypotheses about the nature of this spectral integration (amplitude, energy, pressure), we perform intracellular recordings while stimulating with superpositions of pure tones. On the basis of online data analysis and automatic feedback to the stimulus generator, we systematically explore regions in stimulus space that lead to the same level of neural activity. Focusing on such iso-firing-rate regions allows for a rigorous quantitative comparison of the electrophysiological data with predictions from the three hypotheses that is independent of nonlinearities induced by the spike dynamics. We find that the dependence of the firing rates of the receptors on the composition of the frequency spectrum can be well described by an energy-integrator model. This result holds at stimulus onset as well as for the steady-state response, including the case in which adaptation effects depend on the stimulus spectrum. Predictions of the model for the responses to bandpass-filtered noise stimuli are verified accurately. Together, our data suggest that the sound-intensity coding of the receptors can be understood as a three-step process, composed of a linear filter, a summation of the energy contributions in the frequency domain, and a firing-rate encoding of the resulting effective sound intensity. These findings set quantitative constraints for future biophysical models.
Winter road maintenance-ITS options

Winter road maintenance operations are of great importance for driver convenience and safety. Keeping US roads safe for winter travel is a $2.1 billion proposition annually for State and local agencies. The US Department of Transportation and State and local agencies have been looking into the application of ITS technologies and products toward the improvement of winter maintenance operations. The paper reviews potential applications of ITS for winter maintenance, discusses technologies involved and benefits from technology implementation and provides examples of case studies.
Social class sentiments in formation : Influence of class socialization, college socialization, and class aspirations

What explains social class sentiments among public university students? This empirical study uses a distributional model to define social class, which places students and their families with comparable resources over time into similar class locations. We survey a sample of students enrolled in four different schools at a large public midwestern university. The research finds that examining experiences with past, present, and anticipated or aspired future class locations is necessary for understanding the attitudes and beliefs associated with class that are held by young adults. We contend that future research designed to validly measure class consciousness or class sentiments must recognize that for some segments of the general population, class sentiments are not fixed, but are in a process of formation.
Intensity in phonological intervention: is there a prescribed amount?

Despite a number of studies that have demonstrated positive outcomes for inducing clinical change in children with speech sound disorders (SSD), there is a need to address the question of whether r...
Asking Too Much? Civility vs. Pluralism

In a morally diverse society, moral agents inevitably run up against intractable disagreements. Civility functions as a valuable constraint on the sort of behaviors that moral agents might deploy in defense of their deeply held moral convictions and generally requires tolerance of other views and political liberalism, as does pluralism. However, most visions of civility are exceptionless: they require civil behavior regardless of how strong the disagreement is between two members of the same society. This seems an excellent idea when those required to do the tolerating might otherwise smash us. However, the demands of civility are universal and fall upon everyone, including ourselves. They may seem to require us to tolerate the intolerable, leading us not into pluralism but rather into functional relativism, and also require the powerless to moderate their demands for redress. They also place moral agents in a very difficult position with respect to realizing our deeply held moral values. Isaiah Berlin’s pluralism, by contrast, allows us to violate tolerance when we come up against values that, put into practice, are incompatible with a form of life we can tolerate. Despite the many fronts on which civility and pluralism align, they are also pitted against each other. Only a qualified (not exceptionless) civility based in respect for persons can cohere with pluralism and thus resolve the double bind in which the moral agent seemed to be placed by exceptionless civility. I develop a rule for Accepted Exceptions that helps to explain how moral agents can be civil, value pluralism, demand redress, and maintain their own deeply held moral commitments.
Can texture-based classification optimally classify soils with respect to soil hydraulics?

[1] In the past, texture-based classification of soils has been used for grouping soils in variably saturated water flow and solute transport studies. Classification of soils becomes especially important for large-scale studies where the spatial and temporal variability in the hydraulic properties of soils exceeds the field sampling capabilities. Although soil-texture-based classification has been widely used, questions remain about the validity of its use from a hydraulic perspective. In this study, we attempt to answer the following questions: (1) what is the optimal number of (soil hydraulic) classes that can adequately classify the soils from a hydraulic standpoint, and (2) how does such a classification compare to the soil texture classification currently used? To investigate these questions, the commonly used k-means clustering algorithm was integrated with the ROSETTA pedotransfer functions to predict the so-called soil hydraulic classes. The optimal soil hydraulic classifications and the associated uncertainty were estimated for numbers of soil hydraulic classes varying from 2 to 30. It was concluded that the optimal number of soil hydraulic classes is 12. The optimal soil hydraulic classes were represented in a ternary diagram called the soil hydraulic triangle. While there exist some surprising similarities in classification between the soil texture triangle and the soil hydraulic triangle for soils with high sand percentages (sand >60%), the opposite is true for soils with low sand contents. From a hydraulic standpoint, the texture-based classification does not classify soils well when there is a considerable impact of capillary forces. The soil texture and hydraulic classes were analyzed for accuracy using two databases. Compared to the soil texture classes, it was found that the soil hydraulic classes marginally improve the accuracy of classification. Even though the improvement is only marginal, it was observed that the optimality of soil texture triangle for hydraulic studies cannot be assured because of the nonuniform distribution of data across various textural possibilities in the two databases. As an extension of this research, we have also estimated the average soil hydraulic parameters for the different optimal soil hydraulic classes.
THE EFFECT OF MEMBRANE FATTY ACID COMPOSITION ON THE NEAR‐UV (300–400 nm) SENSITIVITY OF ESCHERICHIA COLI K1060

— The near-UV (NUV, 300 400 nm) sensitivity of logarithmically growing Escherichia coli cells of the fatty acid auxotroph K1060 increases with the number of carbon-carbon double bonds in the fatty acid used as supplement. Cultures of K.1060 grown to stationary phase on unsaturated fatty acids of the same chain length but differing in the number of carbon-carbon double bonds per molecule differed only marginally in their NUV sensitivity. The clear NUV-sensitizing effect of increasing double bonds in the fatty acid supplement used to support logarithmic growth implies that the membrane may be an important NUV target only for logarithmically growing cells. Based on these observations, our previous suggestion that inefficient conversion of fatty acids in the membrane to their cyclopropane analogs as an explanation for the NUV-sensitizing effect of the nur mutation on stationary E. coli cell populations must be wrong.
Retaining Army nurses: a longitudinal model.

A longitudinal sample of active duty Army nurses working in a broad range of nursing specialties and settings was analyzed for retention behavior. A turnover model of actual retention behavior, estimated using logistic regression, included external market, personal/demographic, and work-related variables as explanatory factors. Satisfaction with work and military life, satisfaction with location/assignment stability, race–ethnic group, and family status had significant effects on the retention of Army junior nurse-officers.
Score Distributions of the Job Descriptive Index: An Evaluation of the Effects of Transformation:

Watson, Watson, and Stowe (1985) demonstrated that scores on some scales of the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) might not be normally distributed. As such, they recommended data transformation prior to parametric analysis of JDI scores. The present study used a Monte Carlo simulation to investigate the effect of data transformation on average correlations between JDI scores. Three degrees of nonnormality were investigated for different sample sizes and different magnitudes of correlation. In general, the results indicated that transformation of scores did not result in marked changes in the correlations. Contrary to the Watson et al. study, the present study revealed that transformation of JDI scores is probably not worthwhile.
Mutational Analysis of Families Affected with Molar Oligodontia

Oligodontia, the congenital absence of six or more permanent teeth, is a common developmental anomaly of human dentition whose genetic basis is poorly understood. We recently reported a nonsyndromic form of oligodontia involving mostly all permanent molars in a large kindred, caused by a frameshift mutation in exon 2 of the human PAX9 gene [3]. To better understand the genotype/phenotype correlation in non-syndromic familial oligodontia, we identified additional families with a similar pattern of molar oligodontia. We hypothesize that molar oligodontia is due to allelic heterogeneity involving different mutations in PAX9. To test this hypothesis, we performed pedigree analysis followed by mutational analysis. Pedigree analysis revealed that the oligodontia trait is inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. Mutational analysis of PAX9 thus far excludes the presence of the previously identified frameshift mutation.
2ℵ0 ways of approaching a continuum with [1,∞)

Abstract In 2014, V. Martinez-de-la-Vega and P. Minc proved that, for an arbitrary nondegenerate metric continuum X, there is an uncountable collection K of topologically distinct metric compactifications of [ 1 , ∞ ) , having X as the remainder. It is not clear without the continuum hypothesis that cardinality of K is 2 ℵ 0 . However, the continuum hypothesis is rarely necessary in the theory of metric continua. To support this assertion, presented here is an explicit construction of a compact metric space K with 2 ℵ 0 mutually not homeomorphic components each of which is a compactification of [ 1 , ∞ ) , having a copy of X as the remainder.
Linguistic Models of Deceptive Opinion Spam

of the talk Consumers increasingly inform their purchase decisions with opinions and other information found on the Web. Unfortunately, the ease of posting content online, potentially anonymously, combined with the public's trust and growing reliance on this content, creates opportunities and incentives for abuse. This is especially worrisome in the case of online reviews of products and services, where businesses may feel pressure to post deceptive opinion spam---fictitious reviews disguised to look like authentic customer reviews. In recent years, several approaches have been proposed to identify deceptive opinion spam based on linguistic cues in a review's text. In this talk I will summarize a few of these approaches. I will additionally discuss some of the challenges researchers face when studying this problem, including the difficulty of obtaining labeled data, uncertainties surrounding the prevalence of deception, and how linguistic cues to deceptive opinion spam vary with the text's sentiment (e.g., 5-star vs 1and 2star reviews), domain (e.g., hotel vs. restaurant reviews) and the domain expertise of the author (e.g., crowdsourced vs. employee-written deceptive opinion spam).
“Externality Mix”: A Case of Terminological Variability:

Buchanan has made a significant contribution to joint supply theory by emphasizing the relevance of technological variability to welfare optimality conditions. This paper shows that it is the joint supply relationship in his analysis—not the externality relationship—that should be labeled multidimensional. Buchanan's graphical model is replaced with a modified version of Lancaster's consumption model so that Buchanan's “externality mix” can be readily identified as a misnomer for “joint-product mix.” This demonstrates what Buchanan himself asserts: an externality implies, but is not implied by. the presence of joint supply.
Party Brands in Crisis: Partisanship, Brand Dilution, and the Breakdown of Political Parties in Latin America

Why have so many established political parties across Latin America collapsed in recent years? Party Brands in Crisis offers an explanation that highlights the effect of elite actions on voter behavior. During the 1980s and 1990s, political elites across the region implemented policies inconsistent with the traditional positions of their party, provoked internal party conflicts, and formed strange-bedfellow alliances with traditional rivals. These actions diluted party brands and eroded voter attachment. Without the assured support of a partisan base, parties became more susceptible to short-term retrospective voting, and voters without party attachments deserted incumbent parties when they performed poorly. Party Brands in Crisis offers the first general explanation of party breakdown in Latin America, reinforcing the interaction between elite behavior and mass attitudes.
Indexing HDFS data in PDW: splitting the data from the index

There is a growing interest in making relational DBMSs work synergistically with MapReduce systems. However, there are interesting technical challenges associated with figuring out the right balance between the use and co-deployment of these systems. This paper focuses on one specific aspect of this balance, namely how to leverage the superior indexing and query processing power of a relational DBMS for data that is often more cost-effectively stored in Hadoop/HDFS. We present a method to use conventional B+-tree indices in an RDBMS for data stored in HDFS and demonstrate that our approach is especially effective for highly selective queries.
Histological Aspects of the Glands of the Bat, Tadarida cynocephala (LeConte)

The presence of both glands and glandular tissue in various parts of the bodies of North American bats has been mentioned by several investigators. With the exception of the work of Harrison and Davies (Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 119:331357, 1949), on the facial glands of the European bat, Noctula noctula, studies of a histological nature to determine the type and the probable functions of such tissues seem to be lacking. The work of Harrison and Davies prompted us to begin a study of the glands of some North American bats. The form reported on here, Tadarida cynocephala, is a member of the family Molossidae. A few salient differences have been observed in the glands of the face of this species, as compared with Harrison's and Davies' description of the facial glands of Noctula noctula, which belongs to the family Vespertilionidae. Materials and methods.-Specimens, including both males and females, were collected in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Tissues were fixed in either Bouin's or Aceto-Zenker's solution depending upon the subsequent stain. All the tissues were dehydrated by means of various concentrations of ethyl alcohol, cleared in cedar oil, and embedded in paraffin. Serial sections were cut at five microns and stained as follows: Harris' haematoxylin with an alcoholic eosin counter stain, Heidenhain's modification of Mallory's connective tissue stain (Azan), Heidenhain's iron haematoxylin, the Feulgen reaction, and Lillie's iron haematoxylin and metachromatic dyes. The first stain is conducive to an over-all examination of the tissues. The azan method was used for identification of connective tissue patterns. The third and the fourth methods were of value because they are, respectively, specific for nuclear patterns and chromatin material. Lillie's metachromatic dye-method was used to detect the presence or absence of mucin within the cells. As a check of the effectiveness of this dye, cartilage was always stained simultaneously, along with the tissue. Discussion.-Two types of facial glands were found, namely, sebaceous and salivary glands. The former are holocrine glands, the secretion of which is derived from the degeneration of the cells of the gland itself, and is eventually expelled onto the skin of the bat. Harrison and Davies (loc. cit.) separated these glands in Noctula noctula on the basis of their location into pararhinal glands (on the muzzle) and submental glands (beneath the lower jaw). Glands similar to these were found in the corresponding body regions of Tadarida cynocephala, but they were also found elsewhere on the body of the bats. These glands are the etiology of the strong, unpleasant odor and the oily pelage of Tadarida. The salivary glands consist of three distinct pairs of glandular masses. One pair is located in the muzzle, above the upper jaw, and empties by means of a large duct into the inner side of the upper jaw, distal to the mandible. The second pair of glandular masses, located in the lower jaw, empties onto the mandibu395
The Next Generation of ECLSS: Life Support Outside the Earth-Moon System

To date humans have travelled distances of up to roughly 350,000 km to the moon and stayed alive in the Mir Space Station for a record single mission length of 438 days. These numbers are compelling and encouraging because the technologies used to achieve those feats could be used to help achieve missions to further destinations. While missions to near Earth objects (NEO) and beyond may have durations shorter than or similar to some of our stays at ISS and Mir, they will span distances up to hundreds of millions of miles from Earth; this represents lengths tens to hundreds of times farther than current records with the important distinction of exponentially longer abort times and diminishing opportunities for resupply. Because of many technology attributes based on abort time, resupply opportunities and total distances, long missions to NEO or to Mars can draw on our experience at Station and in LEO, but we will need to dig deeper. Taking humans further into space will require new architectures and potentially disruptive changes to our mentality regarding system engineering and risk. This could mean new architectures, development cycles focused on a unified end goal, and spacecraft holding systemic margins of safety instead of relying on Earth for support. This paper is a top-down look at the requirements that have traditionally driven ECLSS architectures over the past two decades and the life support technologies that have been developed to meet those requirements. From a historical investigation, ideas for the next generation of ECLSS can be derived to bring us closer to humankind’s aspirations to travel beyond the Earth-Moon system.
Integrative Review of Genetic Factors Influencing Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Preterm Infants

Preterm infants are at elevated risk for a host of neurodevelopmental problems, including disorders that appear later in life. Gene-environment interactions and prematurity may combine to increase the risk for poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. Increasing evidence supports a genetic link to risk for atypical development; however, no genomic risk profiles are currently used for infants without apparent genetic disorders. The purpose of this review was to synthesize recent evidence of genetic associations with atypical neurodevelopmental outcomes that may affect preterm infants who do not have a rare genetic disease. Electronic and hand-search strategies were used to find relevant articles that were English-language, peer-reviewed primary research or meta-analysis reports published between July 2009 and July 2014, involving human participants. Articles included in the analysis (N = 29) used a wide range of study designs and methodologies, complicating the analysis. An integrative-review design was used to synthesize the data. Numerous genes (n = 43) and additional large deletion copy number variants were associated with neurodevelopmental outcomes, including cognition, attention, perception, psychiatric disease, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, infant behavior, and alterations in brain architecture. The creation of genetic risk profiles for complex disorders of neurodevelopment is presently hindered by inconsistent genetic-association evidence, methodological considerations, reporting problems, and lack of replication. However, several avenues of investigation offer promise, including large (>100 kb) copy number variants and the candidate genes MET, NRG3, and SLC6A4, each of which were reported to have associations with neurodevelopmental outcomes in multiple, high-quality studies.