cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Empirical Analyses of Soviet Foreign Trade Decision Making

In chapter 2, we noted the rising priority that the Soviet leadership has assigned to improvement of the economic rationality of the foreign trade structure. In subsequent chapters, we surveyed a number of methodological and systemic developments that may have contributed in one way or another to the pursuit of economic rationality. In this chapter, we shall review the statistical record in order to gauge the actual performance of Soviet foreign trade decision makers. After a brief examination of the evolving commodity structure of Soviet trade, we shall consider several hypotheses that have been proposed to explain that structure. In the process, we shall draw on evidence that has been assembled by a number of Soviet and Western economists, as well as by the present author, to test those hypotheses.
Chromosomal control of foot pad development in Sarcophaga bullata: II. Cuticle formation and tanning☆

Abstract The polytenic pulvilli cells of Sarcophaga bullata grow rapidly during early stages of pupal development, and approximately 5 days after puparium formation two of these cells cover the entire dorsal surface of the foot pad. The replication of their chromosomes terminates in an extended phase of exclusively discontinuous thymidine incorporation and is completed during the 8th day after the white-puparium stage. The synthesis of cuticle components of the dorsal foot pad cuticle has been studied in isolated pretarsi cultured in vitro. As indicated by the incorporation of leucine-14C and glucose-14C the major portion of cuticle protein and chitin of an inner cuticle layer is synthesized between day 9 and day 11. Cuticle tanning occurs during a 36-hour period between day 11 and day 12 1 2 . The spatial and temporal patterns of cuticle tanning vary specifically for individual foot pad cells. During incubation of pretarsi in vitro tyrosine-14C incorporation into the dorsal foot pad cuticle proceeds in complete correspondence with cuticle tanning in situ. Most likely, the synthesis of the tanning substance proceeds via the route phenylalanine → tyrosine → dopa → dopamine. Correspondingly, phenylalanine, tyrosine, dopa, and dopamine progressively stimulate cuticle tanning in this order. Tyramine seems excluded as a tanning intermediate in foot pads. A portion of the tyrosine metabolites is apparently channeled into the indole-melanin pathway and used in indole-melanin formation. The sequential and stage-specific metabolic changes and their specific variation among different types of pulvilli cells is discussed in relation to the sequential and cell type-specific changes in chromosomal puffing patterns.
Recent Observations of Recycled Pulsars

More than 30 of the 520+ known radio pulsars show evidence of “recycling” during a spin-up phase in which mass and angular momentum were accreted from an evolving companion star. Recycled pulsars spin faster and live longer than the ordinary variety; they are also considerably more stable as clocks, and most of them are found in gravitationally bound binary systems. For All of these reasons, they make exquisite experimental tools for investigations ranging from fundamental physics to stellar evolution to cosmology. My colleagues and I have put much recent effort into observing recycled pulsars; I summarize here some recent work, much of it still in progress, involving especially PSRs 1744-24A, 1855+09, 1913+16, and 1957+20.
Fidelity Diluted: Client Confidentiality Gives Way to the First Amendment & Social Media in Virginia State Bar, Ex Rel. Third District Committee V. Horace Frazier Hunter

Fidelity and confidentiality are hallmarks of the attorney-client relationship. However, as social media use permeates the legal profession, new challenges have arisen to the traditional interpretation of client confidentiality. The Virginia Supreme Court’s recent holding, which concludes that to deny attorney Horace Hunter the ability to blog about his clients’ cases without client consent, after the case concludes and based upon what is found in the public record, is to deny Hunter his First Amendment right of free speech has spurned controversy. The Hunter opinion arguably undermines the long standing legal ethics rule of confidentiality and strikes at the heart of the attorney-client relationship as it has been defined and has evolved since the late nineteenth century. Ultimately, the central issue for the legal profession is whether an attorney’s relationship with a client and the simultaneous duty of confidentiality owed to the client survives the completion of the case notwithstanding what may appear in a public record and regardless of First Amendment considerations. The underlying components that define the attorney-client relationship and the history, evolution, and moral underpinnings of the ethical rule of client confidentiality suggest that the Virginia Supreme Court has diluted client confidentiality in a manner that warrants both further exploration and extreme concern for the fundamental attorney-client relationship.
Tax Reform Dis course

Our tax system is supposed to serve the public good by fairly raising the revenue that we need to fund public expenditures — for example, the common defense, social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare, etc. But the tax reform debate has shifted away from discussing how best to distribute the burden of these common expenditures and instead has come to focus on how tax reform can be used to spur economic growth. Especially in times of economic crisis, these two goals — equitably funding public expenditures and spurring economic growth — sound equally important and somehow compatible. After all, shouldn’t a rising tide of economic growth lift all boats and make contributing to the common weal easier for everyone?The problem, however, lies in the studies and reports indicating that recent cycles of economic growth have not been akin to a rising tide lifting all boats. Rather, economic growth has redounded largely to the benefit of a very few at the very top of the income scale. Or to continue with the tidal metaphor, the rising tide has lifted the yachts of the wealthy and privileged while swamping the rest of us. In that light, using tax reform as a vehicle to spur economic growth looks less like an endeavor of public benefit for all and more like one of private benefit with the purpose of entrenching the privilege of a relative few.In this article, I call into question the idea that tax reform should be used to stimulate economic growth. Instead, drawing primarily upon the development literature and the work of the economist and philosopher Amartya Sen, I advocate a turn toward a people-centered approach to tax reform. I argue that tax reform debates should focus not on encouraging economic growth but, in keeping with the tax system’s basic purpose, on advancing human development for all — and particularly for the disadvantaged among us.
Phase-only synthesis of ultrafast stretched square pulses

We report the generation of square temporal-shape pulses with no loss of spectral bandwidth, using an analytic expression for the spectral phase modulation dependent only on the input spectrum and stretching factor. We demonstrate numerically and experimentally conversion of 40fs pulses into 150 times longer flat top pulses with sharp on and off fronts. Applications in pulse amplification and free electron lasers are considered.
Intermediate to felsic middle crust in the accreted Talkeetna arc, the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island, Alaska: An analogue for low-velocity middle crust in modern arcs

[1] Seismic profiles of several modern arcs have identified thick, low-velocity midcrustal layers (Vp = 6.0–6.5 km/s) that are interpreted to represent intermediate to felsic plutonic crust. The presence of this silicic crust is surprising given the mafic composition of most primitive mantle melts and could have important implications for the chemical evolution and bulk composition of arcs. However, direct studies of the middle crust are limited by the restricted plutonic exposures in modern arcs. The accreted Talkeetna arc, south central Alaska, exposes a faulted crustal section from residual subarc mantle to subaerial volcanic rocks of a Jurassic intraoceanic arc and is an ideal place to study the intrusive middle crust. Previous research on the arc, which has provided insight into a range of arc processes, has principally focused on western exposures of the arc in the Chugach Mountains. We present new U-Pb zircon dates, radiogenic isotope data, and whole-rock geochemical analyses that provide the first high-precision data on large intermediate to felsic plutonic exposures on Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula. A single chemical abrasion–thermal ionization mass spectrometry analysis from the Afognak pluton yielded an age of 212.87 ± 0.19 Ma, indicating that the plutonic exposures on Kodiak Island represent the earliest preserved record of Talkeetna arc magmatism. Nine new dates from the extensive Jurassic batholith on the Alaska Peninsula range from 183.5 to 164.1 Ma and require a northward shift in the Talkeetna arc magmatic axis following initial emplacement of the Kodiak plutons, paralleling the development of arc magmatism in the Chugach and Talkeetna mountains. Radiogenic isotope data from the Alaska Peninsula and the Kodiak archipelago range from ɛNd(t) = 5.2 to 9.0 and 87Sr/86Srint = 0.703515 to 0.703947 and are similar to age-corrected data from modern intraoceanic arcs, suggesting that the evolved Alaska Peninsula plutons formed by extensive differentiation of arc basalts with little or no involvement of preexisting crustal material. The whole-rock geochemical data and calculated seismic velocities suggest that the Alaska Peninsula represents an analogue for the low-velocity middle crust observed in modern arcs. The continuous temporal record and extensive exposure of intermediate to felsic plutonic rocks in the Talkeetna arc indicate that evolved magmas are generated by repetitive or steady state processes and play a fundamental role in the growth and evolution of intraoceanic arcs.
FUNDAMENTALISM, BUREAUCRATIZATION, AND THE STATE'S CO-OPTATION OF RELIGION: A JORDANIAN CASE STUDY

In the Middle East over the past half-century, three religious processes have grown together. One, the growth of fundamentalism, has received worldwide attention both by academics and journalists. The others, the bureaucratization of religion and the state co-optation of religion, of equal duration but no less importance, have received much less attention. The bureaucratization of religion focuses on the hierarchicalization of religious specialists and state co-optation of religion focuses on their neutralization as political opponents. Few commentators link the three processes. In Jordan, fundamentalism, the bureaucratization of religion (BOR), and state co-optation of religion (SCR) have become entwined sometimes in mutually supportive and sometimes in antagonistic relations. The following case study will describe and analyze the implications of this mutual entanglement for the relations of state and civil society and for the human beings simultaneously bureaucratized and “fundamentalized.”
THE ETIOLOGY OF SPONDYLOLISTHESIS

Whatever may be the etiology of spondylolisthesis, it is probably not on the basis of a congenital defect.
Role of Erk1/2 Signaling in the Regulation of Neutrophil Versus Monocyte Development in Response to G-CSF and M-CSF

Lineage specification in the hematopoietic system depends on the expression of lineage specific transcription factors. However, the role of hematopoietic cytokines in this process has been controversial and little is known about the intracellular signaling mechanisms by which cytokines instruct lineage choice. G-CSF and M-CSF are two lineage-specific cytokines that play a dominant role in granulopoiesis and monopoiesis, respectively. We show here that a G-CSFR mutant in which tyrosine 729 had been mutated to phenylalanine (Y729F) promoted monocyte rather than neutrophil development in myeloid precursors, which was associated with prolonged activation of Erk1/2 and augmented activation of downstream targets c-Fos and Egr1. Inhibition of Erk1/2 activation or knockdown of c-Fos or Egr1 largely rescued neutrophil development in cells expressing G-CSFR Y729F. We also show that M-CSF, but not G-CSF, stimulated strong and sustained activation of Erk1/2 in mouse lineage marker negative (Lin(-)) bone marrow cells. Significantly, inhibition of Erk1/2 signaling in these cells favored neutrophil over monocyte development in response to M-CSF. Thus, prolonged Erk1/2 activation resulted in monocyte development following G-CSF induction whereas inhibition of Erk1/2 signaling promoted neutrophil development at the expense of monocyte formation in response to M-CSF. These results reveal an important mechanism by which G-CSF and M-CSF instruct neutrophil versus monocyte lineage choice, i.e. differential activation of Erk1/2 pathway.
Tertiary brittle deformation in the central Sierra Nevada, California: Evidence for late Miocene and possibly younger faulting

Tertiary to Holocene(?) strike-slip and oblique-slip faults with minor displacements cut metasedimentary rocks of Snow Lake pendant and surrounding Jurassic to Cretaceous plutonic rocks in the Tower Peak quadrangle. These faults occur in a part of the Sierra Nevada where little Cenozoic deformation has previously been documented. Two sets of faults are present, one set striking northeast and the other striking east-northeast. Pre-Tertiary markers have separations across these faults ranging from 10 to 335 m. Some dextral displacement on both sets of faults postdates an 8.8 Ma hornblende andesite dike. The faults also show evidence of minor Holocene(?) displacements. Displacement histories of these faults are complicated. Geometric relations of markers of different ages indicate that multiple episodes of displacement, including slip reversals, have occurred, and that displacements were not synchronous on all faults. Displacement on the faults was mainly strike slip, although field relations indicate some oblique displacement. The faults may have originated as joint and fracture sets that formed shortly after emplacement of plutonic rocks of the Sierra Nevada batholith (80-90 Ma). Reactivation of the faults then probably occurred during Cenozoic uplift and erosion of the Sierra Nevada, which was probably related to the complex interaction of oblique-convergent to transform margin tectonics and Basin and Range extension.
Combinations of modified serum γ-globulin with other proteins

Abstract Addition of serum γ-globulin exposed to high concentrations of guanidine hydrochloride for several hours to certain proteins results in formation of insoluble and soluble combinations of the modified serum γ-globulin with the other proteins. These combinations are formed under conditions where only the γ-globulin has been denatured. Effects of various experimental conditions on the formation of combinations have been evaluated. Egg albumin, serum albumin, and casein show a much smaller tendency to form combinations under comparable conditions than does γ-globulin. Combinations are readily obtained between modified γ-globulin and casein or native γ-globulin, but not between modified γ-globulin and serum albumin, egg albumin, or urease. Coupling of serum albumin or casein with diazotized sulfanilic acid or aniline markedly increases the extent of combination with the modified γ-globulin. At least two types of combinations are formed between the modified serum γ-globulin and serum albumin coupled with p -diazobenzenesulfonic acid. The insoluble combinations consist essentially of a matrix of γ-globulin from which the bulk of the combined azoalbumin can be extracted with alkyl or aryl sulfonates. The soluble combinations formed between modified γ-globulin and azoalbumin as well as some of the azoalbumin in the insoluble combinations cannot be dissociated under much more drastic conditions as evaluated by electrophoretic analyses. In electrophoresis the soluble combinations migrate as a single peak with mobility intermediate between the azoprotein and native γ-globulin.
Quantitative Structure-Property Relationships for Melting Points and Densities of Ionic Liquids

Although innumerable different ionic liquids are possible, even basic physical-property data, such as the density and melting point, exist only for relatively few. Derivation of melting point quantitative structure−property relationships (QSPRs) for energetic ionic liquids would therefore greatly aid in the molecular design of new compounds. A new class of ionic liquids, based on 1-substituted 4-amino-1,2,4-triazolium bromide and nitrate salts, were recently synthesized and their melting points and densities measured. We optimized the molecular geometries of the cations of the ionic liquids using ab initio quantum chemical methods. Melting point QSPRs were then derived from molecular orbital, thermodynamic, and electrostatic descriptors. Good correlations with the experimental data were found. The correlation coefficients for three-parameter melting point QSPRs and for one-parameter density QSPRs exceed 0.9. Although some of the descriptors that appear in our QSPRs were designed to describe chemical react...
Molecular tilt in fatty acid multilayers

Abstract The optical properties of films of Ba-Cu-H stearate formed by successive monolayer transfer from the air-water interface to a solid carrier have been studied by two methods: ( a ) the Hartman method, which gives thickness and refractive index of stepped multilayers for an incident s-ray, and ( b ) the Mattuck method, which gives thickness and refractive index of thin film increments upon a suitable multilayer carrier. It has been found ( a ) that the Hartman multilayers show directional properties with respect to the direction of “dipping” during monolayer transfer, and ( b ) that the apparent refractive indices found by the Mattuck method vary considerably with film pressure of transfer. These findings are interpreted quantitatively in terms of molecular tilt imposed by the process of monolayer transfer from the original a/w interface. Preliminary data on films of BaCuH nonadecanoate show these to be unstable and nonhomogeneous, with much looser molecular packing than in the case of the corresponding stearates. On the average the hydrocarbon chains are very nearly normal to the slide.
On the distribution of comparisons in sorting algorithms

We considered the following natural conjecture: For every sorting algorithm every key will be involved inΩ(logn) comparisons for some input. We show that this is true for most of the keys and prove matching upper and lower bounds. Every sorting algorithm for some input will involven−n e /2+1 keys in at leastelog2 n comparisons,e>0. Further, there exists a sorting algorithm that will for every input involve at mostn−n e/c keys in greater thanelog2 n comparisons, wherec is a constant ande>0. The conjecture is shown to hold for “natural” algorithms from the literature.
Velocity analysis in the presence of amplitude variation

Conventional semblance velocity analysis is equivalent to modeling prestack seismic data with events that have hyperbolic moveout but no amplitude variation with offset (AVO). As a result of its assumption that amplitude is independent of offset, this method might be expected to perform poorly for events with strong AVO—especially for events with polarity reversals at large offset, such as reflections from tops of some class 1 and class 2 sands. We find that substantial amplitude variation and even phase change with offset do not compromise the conventional semblance measure greatly. Polarity reversal, however, causes conventional semblance to fail.The semblance method can be extended to take into account data with events that have amplitude variation, expressed by AVO intercept and gradient (i.e., the Shuey approximation). However, because of the extra degrees of freedom introduced in AVO‐sensitive semblance, resolution of the estimated velocities is decreased. This is because the data can be modeled acc...
COMMENT ON A LIMITING TEMPERATURE IN HADRON PHYSICS.

It has been pointed out by Yang that if hadron physics were indeed governed by a limiting temperature ${T}_{0}\ensuremath{\sim}160$ MeV, then such a far-reaching conclusion would constitute no less than the establishment of a fourth law of thermodynamics. Here we comment briefly but critically on the basis for the limiting-temperature concept with particular emphasis on its implications for the production of massive exotic hadron states.
RELATION BETWEEN QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ALTERATIONS IN THYROID HORMONE SYNTHESIS INDUCED BY VARYING DOSES OF IODIDE.

The effect of varying doses of stable sodium iodide on thyroid hormone biosynthesis has been studied in rats. From measurements with 131I, the incorporation of iodine into several thyroidal components was determined, both as a proportion of the administered dose and as the absolute quantity of administered iodine. In short-term (30-min) experiments, 2 phases of response could be distinguished. Over a narrow range of small iodide doses, the proportionate metabolism of iodine remained unchanged. In this range, the percentage uptake and organification and the percentage incorporation of administered I31I into iodinated amino acids was unaltered. The total quantity of administered iodine accumulated and incorporated into mono- and diiodotyrosine and iodothyronines increased with and remained proportional to the dose of iodide administered. The second phase of iodine metabolism was induced by larger doses of iodide. Here, increasing doses led to progressively severe: 1) decrease in mI uptake, 2) decrease in pr...
Much room for improvement in deposition rates of expression microarray datasets.

Nat. Methods 5, 991 (2008); published online 25 November 2008; corrected after print 26 November 2008. In the version of this article initially published, the e-mail address of the corresponding author Neil J. McKenna was incorrect. The correct e-mail address should be nmckenna@bcm.edu. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.
Potential-scattering models for the quasiparticle interactions in liquid /sup 3/He

Using a Legendre function expansion, we obtain analytic results for the transport coefficients and superfluid Ginzburg-Landau parameters of liquid /sup 3/He from any model quasiparticle scattering amplitude with the form of a matrix element of a local two-body potential. We perform a least-squares fit to the measured Landau parameters and transport coefficients and obtain nearly perfect agreement for models including Legendre components with l< or =3.
EFFECT OF INCREASED OXYGEN-HEMOGLOBIN AFFINITY ON CARDIAC TISSUE OXYGEN UNLOADING OF LAMBS FOLLOWING INHALATION OF CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)

Previous studies in newborn lambs have shown that a decrease in whole blood oxygen affinity results in an increased coronary sinus PO2 and in an decreased cardiac output for the same oxygen consumption (VO2). The present studies were designed to investigate the response of the heart to an acute shift of the oxyhemoglobin equilibrium curve to the left. Polyvinyl catheters were placed chronically in the right ventricle, carotid artery and coronary sinus of 4-8 wks. old lambs by direct visualization during thoracotomy. Measurements of blood [HbO2] and [HbCO] % saturation, PO2, PCO2, pH and P50 in these vessels and total VO2 were obtained before and after blood [HbCO2] was raised 12-15 % by CO inhalation. Arteriovenous oxygen content difference (AVD) and cardiac output were calculated. In the 11 animals studied mean coronary sinus Fog decreased from 24 to 17 mmHg, AVD across the heart decreased from 7.7 to 6.1 ml O2/100 ml blood and the total cardiac output increased from 165 to 250 ml/m min. x kg. These data suggest that by increasing blood O2 affinity there may have been an increase in coronary blood flow presumably as a secondary increase to myocardial hypoxia.
Emissions from the combustion of polystyrene, styrene and ethylbenzene under diverse conditions

Abstract This experimental study contrasts the products of incomplete combustion (PIC) of polystyrene, a widespread solid waste, with those from the combustion of its predominant pyrolyzate, styrene. The study also included ethylbenzene, as it has been reported to convert to styrene extensively and extremely fast in combustion conditions. Emissions were compared from: (i) steady-state combustion of vaporized ethylbenzene in premixed flames, (ii) steady-state combustion of polystyrene powders in a drop-tube furnace, (iii) batch combustion of fixed beds of polystyrene in a muffle furnace, and (iv) batch combustion of pools of liquid styrene in a muffle furnace. PICs, sampled in post-combustion zones, included unburned hydrocarbons, with emphasis to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), particulates, CO2 and CO. Yields of major PIC were compared to underscore the differences in the underlying physics of premixed and non-premixed (diffusion) flames. Combustion of polystyrene and styrene in diffusion flames generated soot at any nominal global (bulk) equivalence ratio, no matter how fuel-rich or fuel-lean. On the other hand, combustion of ethylbenzene in premixed flames did not generate any soot up to its soot onset limit, which typically occurs well-within the fuel-rich domain. However, conditions that were not conducive to the formation of soot did not preclude the presence of other PIC, such as PAH.
Examination of the Role of the Acidic Hydrogen in Imparting Selectivity of 7-(Aminosulfonyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (SK&F 29661) Toward Inhibition of Phenylethanolamine N-Methyltransferase vs the α2-Adrenoceptor1a

7-(Aminosulfonyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (SK&F 29661, 1) is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT, EC 2.1.1.28). In contrast to other inhibitors of PNMT, it is also highly selective toward PNMT in comparison with its affinity toward the α2-adrenoceptor (PNMT Ki = 0.55 μM, α2 Ki = 100 μM, selectivity [α2 Ki/PNMT Ki] = 180). A diverse set of compounds was synthesized and evaluated to probe the role of the acidic hydrogen of the aminosulfonyl group of 1 in imparting this selectivity. Compounds were designed to investigate the effect on selectivity of the acidity of the NH group [the 7-N-methyl (compound 5) and 7-N-(p-chlorophenyl) (compound 4) derivatives of 1], the relative spatial position of the acidic hydrogen [7-(N-(methylsulfonyl)amino)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (6) and 7-((N-(methylsulfonyl)amino)methyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (8)], or the effect of the substitution of an acidic phenolic group for the aminosulfonyl moiety [1-(aminomethyl)-6-...
Effects of Echo Intensity on Doppler-Shift Compensation Behavior in Horseshoe Bats

Echolocating horseshoe bats respond to flight-speed induced shifts in echo frequency by adjusting the frequency of subsequent calls. Under natural conditions, Doppler effects may force the frequenc...
TIME RESOLVED FLUORESCENCE OF NORMAL AND ATHEROSCLEROTIC ARTERIES

Picosecond time-resolved fluorescence measurements were performed on fibrous and calcified atherosclerotic plaque and normal coronary artery with 351nm picosecond excitation of a mode-locked Nd-glass laser. Double exponential decay profiles were measured. The fast component of lifetimes of fibrous plaque is different than that of normal artery or calcified plaque and can be used to discriminate fibrous plaque from normal artery.
Use of the Vorticity Equation in Dual-Doppler Analysis of the Vertical Velocity Field

Abstract The anelastic vertical vorticity equation is imposed as a flow constraint in dual-Doppler wind analysis techniques, with emphasis on improving retrievals of the vertical velocity field. Several new techniques in which the vorticity equation is imposed as a weak constraint are presented. In one method, the vorticity equation is used to obtain the vertical velocity boundary condition field required when mass continuity is used as a strong constraint. In a second method, the vorticity equation is used to solve for the set of two boundary condition fields required when the vertical velocity is expressed in a “weak constraint form.” A final correction step to the horizontal wind field ensures that mass continuity is satisfied exactly in the final analysis. This latter method can be easily adapted to retrieve a single boundary condition when an opposing boundary condition can be accurately assessed using another method. These new analysis techniques are tested and compared with each other and to common...
Las Campanas Observatory seeing measurements

Instrumentation built to record seeing data automatically via image motion measurements of bright stars in small telescopes is described. The centroid of the star image is found 256 times s-1 in one dimension and is analyzed on-line. The device works over a range of FWHM values as would be seen through a large telescope between <0.1 and 3.0 arcsec. The first results for two identical instruments set up at two locations near the duPont Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory are reported. For a total of 61 nights of data (450 h at each site), the median seeing is 0.6 arcsec, with quartiles at 0.4 and 0.8 arcsec. These are FWHM values referred to 5000 A at the zenith. So far, the two sites are indistinguishable on average.
Molecular Simulation of Shear Instabilities in Polyethylene and n-Alkane Crystals under Axial Compression

Molecular simulations are used to elucidate compressive failure in polyethylene fibers. Compression of perfect polyethylene crystals is found to give rise to a long wavelength Euler buckling instability. The critical stress necessary to produce this buckling instability decreases as the wavelength of the instability increases, and it approaches the value of the lowest shear modulus in the limit of very long wavelength. The role of defects and the lamellar structure on the compressive failure mechanism of real polyethylene fibers is qualitatively addressed by simulations of n-alkane crystals. In contrast to the infinite chain systems, elastic instabilities in n-alkane crystals occur at stresses significantly below the lowest shear modulus; this reduction in the critical stress occurs because the instability allows the relaxation of intrachain distortions concentrated near chain ends which accumulate during compression. Similar elastic instabilities associated with defects and the lamellar structure in real...
In Memoriam Max Lea Williams (February 22, 1922-September 18, 2013)

A seminal mind has departed: His students and the whole engineering community shall miss a concerned, rational engineer and scientist, whose actions were broadly based in the desire to improve the world in which we live. Though M. L. Williams was associated with academic institutions throughout his career, he demonstrated a firm belief in practical, hands-on engineering. He was a Registered Engineer and had a major influence in guiding national programs of defense research, saving millions of dollars through judiciously supporting, criticizing or phasing studies and programs. His practical insights transitioned into engineering management through guidance of (over 20) start-up engineering ventures, which depended critically on mature engineering judgment and the teaching by his economics mentor Economics Professor Horace Gilbert while a graduate student at Caltech.
Signaling system for multiple-access laser communications and interference protection.

Signaling by spatial coding is proposed for asynchronous multiple-access free-space optical communications and interference mitigation. The large spatial bandwidth (e.g., 106 pixels) of each laser transmitter aperture is utilized for user coding, while the transmitter temporal bandwidth is preserved for information signals. Signal recovery is based on incoherent optical detection, spatial sampling, and electronic or optical matched filtering of the remotely received transmit optical beam Fresnel or Fraunhofer diffraction pattern. The proposed signaling method is appropriate for multiple-access free-space laser links involving multiple transmitters that use a common receiver. With electronic filtering, low-to-medium (e.g., 3 Mbits/s) data-rate users are appropriate. With a lenslet-array-based incoherent optical correlator, higher (e.g., 100 Mbits/s) data rates can be achieved. Improved interference protection is achieved by spatially distributed bit-duration-based processing. Preliminary simulation results are carried out to demonstrate operating principles.
A method for programmable control of reservoir concentrations for protein crystal growth

Abstract Present protein crystallization methods such as vapor diffusion, dialysis, and liquid dialysis allow little or no control of the equilibration rates. Algorithms and hardware have been developed and tested at UAB which provide manual, interactive, or preprogrammed control of equilibration rates by controlling reservoir concentrations. A variable voltage DC power supply is used to control the flow of a peristalic pump into a microdialysis or vapor diffusion crystal growth chamber. A variety of equilibration curves were constructed initially. The apparatus was then configured to produce the desired equilibration curves experimentally by varying the voltage input to the peristaltic pump. This apparatus can be used to optimize protein crystal growth via dialysis or vapor diffusion techniques.
Inciting events initiating injection-proven sacroiliac joint syndrome.

Objective. To determine the inciting events leading to the development of sacroiliac joint syndrome (SIJS). Methods. This was a retrospective descriptive cohort series from an academic interdisciplinary spine center. Consecutive patients presenting with low back or buttock pain with or without leg symptoms who met specific inclusion and exclusion criteria for the diagnosis of SIJS were included in the study. Inciting events leading to the development of SIJS in these patients were categorized into traumatic, cumulative, and idiopathic events. Results. Of 194 patients who were included in the study, 54 patients had symptom resolution with one or more therapeutic intraarticular sacroiliac joint injections, following a positive diagnostic injection. Those patients were given the diagnosis of SIJS. Of these, 24 (44%) had had a traumatic event (13 motor vehicle accidents, six falls onto the buttock, three immediately postpartum, one severe football tackle, and one pelvis fracture). Eleven (21%) patients were considered to have a cumulative injury (four lifting, two running, three altered gait due to lower extremity disorder, one crew training injury, and one forceful hip extension injury). Nineteen (35%) patients had spontaneous or idiopathic onset of sacroiliac joint pain. Conclusion. SIJS can occur following a traumatic event or cumulative shear events, or can occur spontaneously.
Human xenograft models for virus infection.

The transplantation of human cells or tissues to severely immunodeficient strains of mice was first shown to allow engraftment of normal (as opposed to transformed) cells more than a decade ago (Kamel-Reid and Dick, 1988; Lubin et al., 1991; McCune et al., 1988; Mosier et al., 1988). Early studies using these models focused on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection, but many viruses have been the subject of more recent studies in xenografted SCID mice (see Table 1). Engraftment of fetal hematopoietic tissues into SCID-hu mice has permitted the study of T cell differentiation and HIV-1 infection of immature as well as mature lymphoid cells (Aldrovandi et al., 1993; Bonyadi et al., 1993). Transfer of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to hu-PBL-SCID mice has allowed the study of HIV-1 infection of mature lymphoid cells (Mosier et al., 1991, 1993; Picchio et al., 1998) as well as the understanding of some aspects of the immune response to infection (McKinney et al., 1999; Poignard et al., 1999). Transplantation of HIV-infected cells into the brains of SCID mice has reproduced some aspects of CNS infection in humans (Avgeropoulos et al., 1998; Persidsky et al., 1999; Sanders et al., 1998). Recent studies of HIV-1 infection in hu-PBLSCID or SCID-hu mice have provided important insights into virus immunity, target cells for virus infection, and suppression of hematopoietic progenitors. These studies will be briefly summarized here.
Justification and Moore’s paradox

Suppose that I am justified in believing (1). Then I am justified in believing each conjunct. Since I am justified in believing the first conjunct, (EA) implies that I am justified in believing that I believe that p. Since I am justified in believing the second conjunct, I am justified in believing that I do not believe that p. Williams says, 'This is logically impossible, because anything that justifies me in believing that something is the case renders me unjustified in believing that it is not the case' (Williams 2004: 352). This assumes that I cannot be justified in believing p and at the same time be justified in believing ~p. Though this assumption is controversial, I will not dispute it here. At first glance, the principle (EA) seems hopeless. Evidence for p is just not evidence for the proposition that S believes that p. But maybe things
Hydrodynamic and chemical factors in clogging by montmorillonite in porous media

Clogging by colloid deposits is important in water treatment filters, groundwater aquifers, and petroleum reservoirs. The complexity of colloid deposition and deposit morphology preclude models based on first principles, so this study extends an empirical approach to quantify clogging using a simple, one-parameter model. Experiments were conducted with destabilized suspensions of sodium- and calcium-montmorillonite to quantify the hydrodynamic and chemical factors important in clogging. Greater clogging is observed at slower fluid velocity, consistent with previous investigations. However, calcium-montmorillonite causes 1 order of magnitude less clogging per mass of deposited particles compared to sodium-montmorillonite or a previously published summary of clogging in model granular media. Steady-state conditions, in which the permeability and the quantity of deposited material are both constant, were not observed, even though the experimental conditions were optimized for that purpose. These results indicate that hydrodynamic aspects of clogging by these natural materials are consistent with those of simplified model systems, and they demonstrate significant chemical effects on clogging for fully destabilized montmorillonite clay.
Benchmarking technology infrastructures for embarrassingly and non-embarrassingly parallel problems in biomedical domain

Having the advantage of large scale open source data available to us in multiple forms, the ultimate goal is to integrate these resources with gene sequence data to enhance our understanding and make viable inferences about the true nature of the processes that generate this data. We are investigating the use of open source subset of the National Institute of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM) data for our analysis including text as well as image features to semantically link similar publications. Due to the sheer volume of data as well as the complexity of inference tasks, the initial problem is not in the analysis but lies in making a decision about the computational infrastructure to deploy and in data representation that will help accomplish our goals. Just like any other business process, reducing processing cost and time is of essence. This work benchmarks two open source platforms (A) Apache Hadoop with Apache Mahout, and (B) open source R using bigmemory package for performing non-embarrassingly parallel and embarrassingly parallel machine learning tasks. Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) and k-means are used to represent these two problem classes respectively and average task time is evaluated for the two architectures for a range of input data sizes. In addition, performance of these algorithms using sparse and dense matrix representation is also evaluated for clustering and feature extraction tasks. Our analysis shows that R is not able to process data larger than 2 giga-bytes, with an exponential performance degradation for data larger than 226 mega-bytes. Bigmemory package in R allowed processing of larger data but with similar degradation beyond 226 mega-bytes. As expected, Hadoop/Mahout did not perform well for SVD as compared to k-means due to the tightly coupled nature of data needed at each step and is only justified for processing of very large data sets.
If i had a model, i'd model in the mornin'

Despite the importance of modeling in producing high-quality software, modeling often receives scant attention in academic curricula. The recent (sometimes heated) discussion of the Object Management Group's Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) has created an opportunity and offered the motivation for making modeling a more central part of the study of software designs. This paper discusses the rationale for modeling, how modeling is currently taught in one graduate program in Management Information Systems and some experiences in the teaching of modeling to masters' level graduate students.
TE Modal Dispersion in Dielectric Slab Waveguide with Lossy Left-Handed Metamaterial

In this work, we derived the modal dispersion relation for TEm modes for a symmetric slab waveguide constructed from SiO2 dielectric guiding core material with lossy left-handed material (LHM) as cladding and substrate, and the power confinement factor. The dispersion relations and the power confinement factor were numerically solved for a given set of parameters: allowed frequency range; core’s thicknesses; and TEm mode order. We found that the real part of the effective refractive index decreased with thickness and frequency increase. Moreover, the imaginary part (extinction coefficient) of the effective refractive index has very small values for all thickness in the frequency ranges, which means the waveguide structure is transparent for the used frequencies. The waveguide structure offers good guiding power for all thickness in the frequency range with low power attenuation. The real part of the effective refractive index increases with the increase of mode order, and the power confinement factor decreases with the increase of mode order.
Principles of genomic robustness inspire fault-tolerant WSN topologies: A network science based case study

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are frameworks for modern pervasive computing infrastructures, and are often subject to operational difficulties, such as the inability to effectively mitigate signal noise or sensor failure. Natural systems, such as gene regulatory networks (GRNs), participate in similar information transport and are often subject to similar operational disruptions (noise, damage, etc.). Moreover, they self-adapt to maintain system function under adverse conditions. Using a PBN-type model valid in the operational and functional overlap between GRNs and WSNs, we study how attractors in the GRN-the target state of an evolving network-behave under selective gene or sensor failure. For “larger” networks, attractors are “robust”, in the sense that gene failures (or selective sensor failures in the WSN) conditionally increase their total number; the “distance” between initial states and their attractors (interpreted as the end-to-end packet delay) simultaneously decreases. Moreover, the number of attractors is conserved if the receiving sensor returns packets to the transmitting node; however, the distance to the attractors increases under similar conditions and sensor failures. Interpreting network state-transitions as packet transmission scenarios may allow for trade-offs between network topology and attractor robustness to be exploited to design novel fault-tolerant routing protocols, or other damage-mitigation strategies.
RHINOs: a research project about the quietly disaffected

Abstract The object of this research was the examination of disaffection among a group of pupils attending Sprowston High School in Norwich. The pupils in question were given the name RHINOs, which stood for Really Here In Name Only. Because the group in question did not disrupt lessons in an overt way, or break the school's basic conventions, their disaffection was not immediately apparent. In fact, although most teachers felt that there were pupils fitting this description in almost all classes, evidence for their existence was purely anecdotal. The enquiry sought to identify such pupils, to examine their learning and motivation, and to explore intervention strategies that could enhance their experience of school.
Sitting and standing tolerance in patients with chronic back pain: comparison between physician prediction and covert observation.

Abstract Brokaw JP, Walker WC, Cifu DX, Gardner M. Sitting and standing tolerance in patients with chronic back pain: comparison between physician prediction and covert observation. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85:837-9. Objectives To measure covertly observed continuous sitting and standing tolerance in patients with chronic back pain and to compare observations to physician predictions. Design Blinded, prospective, cohort study. Setting Ambulatory referral centers, both public and private, at 5 major medical centers in the eastern United States. Participants All volunteers (N=154; 64.0% women, mean age, 48.7y; 16.8% had active lawsuits) with diagnosis codes of the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision consistent with thoracic and/or lumbosacral back pain were selected from a cohort of 651 outpatients with chronic pain enrolled in the Multiperspective Multidimensional Pain Assessment Protocol (MMPAP). Interventions Not applicable. Main outcome measures Continuous sitting and standing tolerance was measured by (1) covert observation of subjects during the MMPAP trial and (2) blinded expert physician prediction based on complete history and physical examination. Results Most (124/154, 80.5%) subjects stood for 30 minutes or more and most (124/154, 80.5%) sat for 60 minutes or more. Overall, physicians underpredicted the ability to sit 60 minutes or more and to stand 30 minutes or more. Physician prediction showed poor correlation to covert observation for sitting tolerance (κ=–.061, P =.221) and standing tolerance (κ=–.021, P =.727). Conclusions The majority of this sample demonstrated the ability to sit continuously 60 minutes or more and to stand continuously 30 minutes or more while being covertly observed. Expert physician prediction showed poor correlation to covertly observed sitting and standing tolerances, raising doubt about the validity of using physician evaluation to establish work restrictions in patients with chronic back pain. These findings are preliminary, follow only a brief period of covert observation, and indicate the need for further research in this area.
Fleshy Fruit Removal and Nutritional Composition of Winter-Fruiting Plants: A Comparison of Non-Native Invasive and Native Species

ABSTRACT: Invasive, non-native plants threaten forest ecosystems by reducing native plant species richness and potentially altering ecosystem processes. Seed dispersal is critical for successful invasion and range expansion by non-native plants; dispersal is likely to be enhanced if they can successfully compete with native plants for disperser services. Fruit production by non-native plants during winter (or dormant season), when native fruits and arthropods are scarce, might enhance chances of fruit consumption and seed dispersal by vertebrates. We compared the proportion and rate of fruit removal among five invasive, non-native and two native plant species that retain fruit during winter to test whether non-native fruits are readily removed and their seeds dispersed by vertebrates-even where native fruit is available. We also assessed whether the nutritional content of fruit pulp affects fruit removal rates, and collected bird droppings from fecal traps to examine species and rates of seed dispersal. M...
The protracted maturation of human ESC-derived interneurons.

In the cerebral cortex, GABAergic interneurons play critical roles in regulating the output of individual excitatory pyramidal neurons as well as synchronizing the outputs of pyramidal neuron ensem...