cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized Tem, E, and H Modes

Previous papers have considered transient lenses for propagating TEM modes without dispersion. This paper considers the properties of E and H modes in such lenses. The presence of longitudinal field components brings in additional constraints on the allowable coordinate systems, limiting the cases of transient lenses supporting E and H modes to a subset of those supporting TEM modes.
APSA Presidential Address: The Public Role of Political Science

I'm pleased to report that the health of the American Political Science Association (APSA), and of political science as a discipline, is excellent.
Internet Taxation and U.S. Intergovernmental Relations: From Quill to the Present

One of the most contentious issues involving federal, state, and local relations today is Internet taxation. Internet taxation is a significant battleground because it involves issues of great import to federalism, including state and local autonomy and revenue adequacy. Since the U.S. Supreme Court's 1992 decision in Quill v. North Dakota, the taxability of online transactions has been governed by the court's physical presence nexus rule. This nexus rule has recently been called into question by various organizations, corporations, and elected officials. Proposals to alter the nexus rule abound from various sources. This article examines the roles played by these various actors in the Internet taxation debate and explores the potential implications of changes to the nexus forfederalism and intergovernmental relations.
Differential expression of human metallothionein isoform I mRNA in human proximal tubule cells exposed to metals.

In contrast to the single metallothionein (MT)-1 gene of the mouse, the human MT-1 gene family is composed of seven active genes and six pseudogenes. In this study, the expression of mRNA represent...
Toward a Customer-Orientation and a Differentiated Position in a Nonprofit Organization: Using the 5th P-People

SUMMARY There have been scant references in the marketing literature to conceptualizing an organization's employees as an element of the organization's marketing mix. Extending a previous conceptualization in a manufactured product-market context, this paper focuses on nonprofit organizations. It proposes that nonprofit organizations move beyond their traditional view of their employees in order to capitalize on “people-power” as a distinctive element of their marketing mixes. To do so presents a real managerial challenge for any nonprofit organization. It is a challenge worth undertaking, however, because successful implementation will help an organization achieve a customer-orientation and more effectively meet the needs of its customers (clients, patients, students, etc.) with competitively viable offerings.
Upstream regulatory elements controlling expression of the Entamoeba histolytica lectin.

Entamoeba histolytica genomic organization and putative promoter elements appear to be distinct from both metazoan and better characterized protozoan organisms. The recent development of DNA-mediated transfection for E. histolytica enabled characterization of cis-acting promoter elements required for gene expression. A deletion and replacement analysis was conducted on the promoter of an E. histolytica gene encoding the heavy subunit of the N-acetyl-β-d-galactosamine-specific adhesin (hgl5). Deletion of the DNA from −1000 bases to −272 bases upstream from the start of transcription of hgl5 did not decrease reporter gene expression. Subsequent nested deletions and 10-bp replacement mutagenesis identified four positive upstream regulatory elements between bases −219 to −200, −189 to −160, −69 to −60, and −49 to −40. A negative upstream regulatory element between bases −89 to −80 was conserved upstream of three other E. histolytica genes. Mutation of the previously unidentified ‘GAAC’ element conserved within the putative core promoter decreased reporter gene expression by 75%. Site directed mutagenesis of the putative TATA element decreased reporter gene expression by greater than 50%, while mutation of the putative initiator element resulted in a more modest decrease. This analysis suggests that E. histolytica promoters are unlike other protozoan promoters, with AT-rich upstream regulatory elements, a nonconsensus TATA element, the ‘GAAC’ element, and an unusual initiator element.
Trimerization of monocyanate ester in nanopores.

The effects of nanoconfinement on the reaction kinetics and properties of a monocyanate ester and the resulting cyanurate trimer are studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). On the ba...
Comparison of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T on callus induction and growth in three Gramineae species

Abstract The synthetic auxins 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T were compared at concentrations ranging from 10 μM to 60 μM on callus induction and growth of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). This comparison was made on whole caryopses of orchardgrass and on embryos of all three species. Culture was on a modified Murashige-Skoog (MS) medium at 26°C in the dark for 19 days (whole caryopses) or 42 days (embryos). Both auxins were effective in inducing callus in both whole caryopses of orchardgrass and embryos of all three species. Higher auxin concentrations, especially of 2,4-D, were required to induce maximum callus growth for whole caryopses than for embryos of orchardgrass. Except for fescue embryos, good callus growth was induced by 2,4,5-T and lower concentrations of this auxin than 2,4-D were required for maximum growth. The effective concentration range of 2,4,5-T, however, appeared to be narrower than that of 2,4-D. Annual ryegrass embryos tolerated higher concentrations of 2,4,5-T before growth inhibition than orchardgrass embryos. The amount of callus growth from fescue embryos was much less than for the other two species and maximum callus growth with 2,4,5-T was only about one-half that obtained with 2,4-D.
Size and shape variation in Australopithecus afarensis proximal femora

Abstract The degree of size and shape variation in the A. afarensis fossil sample has been interpreted in a variety of ways. Size variation has been described as exceeding that of extant hominoids, similar to that of strongly sexually dimorphic hominoids, and best matched to modern humans. The degree of shape variation has been characterized both as great and negligible. Recent fieldwork has increased the proximal femoral sample, providing new data with which to examine variation. The proximal femur of A. afarensis is analyzed in a comparative framework in order to gauge the magnitude of size and shape variation in this element. Seven of the best-preserved A. afarensis proximal femora contribute to the analysis (A.L. 128-1, A.L. 152-2, A.L. 211-1, A.L. 288-1ap, A.L. 333-3, A.L. 333-123, A.L. 827-1). Comparative samples from Pan , Pongo , Gorilla , and Homo provide context for interpreting variation among the fossils. The coefficient of variation (CV) of linear measurements is used to estimate size variation. Bootstrap resampling of CVs from extant hominoids provides distributions for comparison to A. afarensis CVs. Ratios of linear measurements provide scale-free shape variables that are used in pairwise comparisons. The Euclidean distance between pairs of A. afarensis are compared to the Euclidean distances between extant hominoid pairs. As found in some earlier analyses, size variation in A. afarensis is accommodated best in gorillas and orangutans. The magnitude of difference in shape between A. afarensis pairs is exceeded by most taxa, indicating that shape variation is not extreme. These general findings are contradicted by a few instances of excessive size and shape variation. These are uncharacteristic results and could point to temporal bias, although other alternatives are explored. The signal from the proximal femur is that size variation in A. afarensis is like that of the strongly sexually dimorphic apes, and shape variation is well within the range of most hominoids irrespective of their degree of size dimorphism.
Clinical and manometric findings in benign peptic strictures of the esophagus.

To determine the possible factors that may contribute to the development of peptic stricture of the esophagus, clinical and manometric features were compared in patients with symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux and those with peptic strictures of the esophagus. Patients with stricture were older and had a longer duration of heartburn than patients without a stricture. Most importantly, patients with stricture had a more marked decrease in lower esophageal sphincter (LES) pressure, 4.9±0.5 mm Hg, than patients without a stricture, 7.5±0.6 mm Hg, P<0.01. The LES pressure in all patients with stricture was below 8 mm Hg, and did not overlap with normal values. Patients with stricture had either a nonspecific motor abnormality or aperistalsis (64%), compared to patients with symptomatic reflux (32%), P<0.05. Thus, peptic stricture of the esophagus is commonly associated with a long duration of reflux symptoms in patients with a very low LES pressure and esophageal motor disorder.
Intramodal and crossmodal sensory transfer of visual and auditory temporal patterns

Temporal pattern perception for vision and audition was measured using pair comparisons of precisely determined rhythms as test items. Visual rhythms were more difficult to match than were comparable auditory ones. Crossmodal transfer equaled intramodal transfer in one experiment but was inferior in another. The differences between intra- and crossmodal transfer were related to the frequency of pattern elements, with crossmodal performance decreasing more when frequency rose. The nine test items showed a consistency in relative difficulty across experimental conditions. Differences in item difficulty were related to the symmetry of the first pattern in the item.
Schumann resonances and electrical conductivity of the atmosphere and lower ionosphere—II. Evaluation of conductivity profiles from experimental Schumann resonance data

Abstract Since resonance frequencies and Q of the Earth-ionosphere cavity in the 3–30 Hz ELF range depend upon the electrical conductivity of the space between ground level and 100 km altitude, it is possible to obtain a worldwide average of the atmosphere-lower ionosphere conductivity profile from an analysis of Schumann resonance noise (3–30 Hz) generated by global thunderstorm activity. An iterative procedure is described which involves use of the ELF data for locating the major noise sources (thunderstorm regions) and for determination of the vertical conductivity profile. Resonance frequencies are used to obtain profiles for the 40–100 km altitude range on four different days characterized by different solar and cosmic ray activity. The “ninety per cent widths” (related to cavity Q) of the ELF spectral peaks are then used to obtain an average value of the conductivity for the 0–45 km space and to modify the conductivity profile in the 60–75 km region. Results are compared with other published data on lower atmosphere and lower ionosphere conductivity.
Water Nucleation on Gold: Existence of a Unique Double Bilayer

Combining the results from experimental (STM and IRAS) and theoretical (DFT) studies of water adsorption on gold, we show that the Au(111) surface is hydrophobic. The weak interaction of water with Au induces the formation of a unique double bilayer, which itself is hydrophobic due to the internal locking of all hydrogen bonds within the bilayer and between the two bilayers of the water clusters.
Neural Coding: Neurons cleverer than we thought?

Neurons may encode information in more subtle ways than their average firing rate; encoding by more complex features of a neuron's firing pattern may allow more efficient information transmission.
Acquisition of paired associates as a function of interpair interval

Two experiments are presented which replicated previously reported findings. Both experiments investigated the effect of varying interpair interval on acquisition of paired associates. In Experiment 1, Ss were exposed to either a 0 or 5 sec inter-pair interval. The group exposed to the 5 sec interval reached the learning criterion in significantly fewer trials. In Experiment 2, Ss counted backwards over the 5 sec interval and did not learn significantly faster than a 0 interval group.
GROWTH OF CELLULAR FORMS IN CULTURES OF CHROMATIN BODIES ISOLATED FROM BACILLUS MEGATERIUM

Abstract Chatterjee, B. R. (Baylor University College of Medicine, Houston, Texas) and Robert P. Williams. Growth of cellular forms in cultures of chromatin bodies isolated from Bacillus megaterium. J. Bacteriol. 85:623–627. 1963.—Chromatin bodies isolated from old cultures of Bacillus megaterium were capable of growing into protoplastlike cells when cultured in broth enriched with horse serum, yeast extract, adenosine triphosphate, and penicillin. A tendency toward formation of rod forms of bacteria was observed in such cultures. Omission of penicillin from the medium resulted in development of short bacterial forms. In 3 of 29 experiments, actual bacillary forms indistinguishable from the parent B. megaterium organism were recovered. Culture of the chromatin bodies in plain nutrient broth did not produce any growth. Inoculation on serum-enriched agar medium of a culture of chromatin bodies, after they had begun multiplication in serum-enriched broth, resulted in development of large bodies characteristic of L forms. Ability of chromatin bodies to grow was not affected by heating for 2 hr at 80 C or by sonic treatment for up to 25 min. The possible role of such resistant chromatin bodies in the latency and persistence of infectious diseases was discussed.
Early evolution of bladder emptying after myelomeningocele closure.

Objectives. To analyze bladder emptying in newborns with spina bifida after closure of the myelomeningocele defect. Manipulation of the spinal cord and nerve roots results in temporary changes in bladder function in many settings. Methods. We reviewed 62 consecutive newborn patients who underwent closure of a myelomeningocele defect at our institution from January 1990 to December 1997. We examined the catheterized urine volumes obtained before and after closure, radiographic and urodynamic studies, and the subsequent need for intermittent catheterization. Poor bladder emptying was defined as most catheterized urine volumes greater than 10 mL (20% of expected bladder capacity). Adequate follow-up was available for 54 patients for a period of 4 to 96 months (mean 42). One patient with posterior urethral valves was excluded from the study, leaving 53 for evaluation. Results. Of the 53 patients, 4 with high outflow resistance and dyssynergy never emptied the bladder adequately before or after closure. Of the remaining 49 patients, 6 (12%) emptied well immediately after the myelomeningocele repair. In the other 43 (88%), the bladder did not empty as well after closure. The mean volume obtained with catheterization after closure was 20 mL, significantly higher (P <0.001) than the mean volume obtained before repair (6.5 mL) or after resumption of better spontaneous emptying (4 mL). Intermittent catheterization done for poor emptying was required for an average duration of 11 days (range 2 to 42). Of the 43 patients with poor emptying immediately after closure, 32 (74%) required catheterization for 2 weeks or less; the remaining 11 (26%) required catheterization for 2 to 6 weeks. Despite the relatively early resumption of good emptying, numerous patients (19 of 49) required additional intervention (clean intermittent catheterization or vesicostomy) before attempts to toilet train. Conclusions. A clinical pattern similar to spinal shock does occur in most newborns after closure of a myelomeningocele defect. Resumption of near-complete emptying usually occurs less than 2 weeks after repair but may require up to 6 weeks.
Microarray discovery of new OGT substrates: the medulloblastoma oncogene OTX2 is O-GlcNAcylated.

O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is a serine/threonine glycosyltransferase that is essential for development and continues to be critically important throughout life. Understanding OGT’s complex biology requires identifying its substrates. Here we demonstrate the utility of a microarray approach for discovering novel OGT substrates. We also report a rapid method to validate OGT substrates that combines in vitro transcription-translation with O-GlcNAc mass tagging. Among the validated new OGT targets is Orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2), a transcription factor critical for brain development, which is primarily expressed only during early embryogenesis and in medulloblastomas, where it functions as an oncogene. We show that endogenous OTX2 from a medulloblastoma cell line is O-GlcNAcylated at several sites. Our results demonstrate that protein microarray technology, combined with the target validation strategy we report, is useful for identifying biologically important OGT substrates, including substrates not present in most tissue types or cell lines.
Effects of chopper control circuits on core losses of permanent magnet DC motors

A two-dimensional finite-element method was used to compute the armature core losses of a permanent magnet DC motor when it was operated by a chopper control circuit. A comparison is made with the losses of the same machine when it was supplied from a pure DC source under the same operating conditions. For both cases, minor hysteresis loop and eddy current correction factors due to the restored waveforms of flux densities were considered. The numerical work was carried out in conjunction with experimental work on a 1.2-hp permanent magnet DC machine, and the effects of excitation current and electronic forces revealed by the test were compared with those computed from the numerical model in order to validate the parameters used in obtaining the numerical data. According to the analysis of the example presented here, an increase in the motor core losses of 63% took place as a result of chopper operation. This indicates that the effect of chopper operation on the overall losses and the efficiency of such a motor can be significant. >
Ultrasound assessment of chorionicity and amnionicity in twin pregnancies

Sonography during the first trimester of pregnancy is essential in twin pregnancies. This is due to the fact that a short two minute scan can reliably determine chorionicity and amnionicity. However, if the scan is not performed until the second or third trimester, the determination of chorionicity and amnionicity may be tedious and time consuming at the end of which many competent sonographers will frequently mis-assign chorionicity and amnionicity. A first trimester scan can therefore determine the appropriate management of the patient for the entire duration of the pregnancy.
Influence of simulated bed rest and intermittent weight bearing on single skeletal muscle fiber function in aged rats.

Abstract Objective: To characterize specific musculoskeletal contractile property changes that occur during inactivity and intermittent weight bearing in aged muscle. Design: Randomized control trial. Setting: A controlled laboratory environment. Subjects: Fifteen aged rats were randomly assigned to control (CON), hindlimb unweighted (HU), and hindlimb unweighted with intermittent weight bearing (HU-IWB) groups. Interventions: The HU and HU-IWB rats were suspended for 1 week. The HU-IWB animals were unsuspended four times daily allowing 15 minutes of weight-bearing. Main Outcome Measures: Muscle weights, muscle fiber diameter, peak absolute force, peak specific tension (P o ), and maximal shortening velocity (V o ). Results: In comparison to CON animals, the soleus (SOL) wet weight was significantly ( p ≤ .05) reduced by 19% and 6% in HU and HU-IWB animals, respectively. SOL single fiber analysis showed no difference in fiber diameter between the three groups. However, peak absolute force and P o of SOL type I fibers were significantly ( p ≤ .05) reduced in the HU group compared to CON values. V o of SOL fibers increased with HU. In comparison to CON animals, the gastrocnemius (GAS) wet weight was significantly reduced by 9% and 8% in HU and HU-IWB animals, respectively. Conclusions: Inactivity significantly altered the contractile properties of single fibers isolated from aged mammalian SOL skeletal muscle. Furthermore, minimal weight bearing attenuated these detrimental effects induced by inactivity in the SOL. However, this weight-bearing protocol did not attenuate the inactivity-induced alterations in aged mammalian GAS skeletal muscle.
Lyme Disease: Neurology, Neurobiology, and Behavior

The Lyme disease controversy can be largely linked to the misconception that neurobehavioral effects of illness constitute evidence of nervous system infection. Appropriate differentiation between neuroborreliosis (nervous system Borrelia burgdorferi infection) and Lyme encephalopathy (altered nervous system function in individuals with systemic but not nervous system infection)-or encephalopathies of other etiologies-would lessen the controversy considerably, as the attribution of nonspecific symptoms to supposed ongoing central nervous system infection is a major factor perpetuating the debate. Epidemiologic considerations suggest that the entities referred to as "posttreatment Lyme disease" and "chronic Lyme disease" may not actually exist but rather reflect anchoring bias, linking common, nonspecific symptoms to an antecedent medical event. On the other hand, there are data suggesting possible mechanisms by which posttreatment Lyme disease could occur.
The role of aerodigestive tract endoscopy in penetrating neck trauma

Objective/Hypothesis To determine the role of aerodigestive tract endoscopy in the management of penetrating neck trauma. Study Design Retrospective case series. Methods A search of the hospital's trauma database was performed for patients who presented with penetrating neck trauma between July 1989 and June 2008. The mechanism and site of injury, airway status and manipulation, physical findings, diagnostic and therapeutic steps taken, and outcomes were all recorded. Results One hundred sixty-three patients were identified. There were 144 males and 19 females. The mean age was 28 years (range, 13 to 65 years). There were 105 gunshot wounds, 9 shotgun injuries, and 48 stab wounds. Seventy-three patients (45%) underwent emergent neck exploration, of which 15 had upper aerodigestive tract injuries; intraoperative endoscopy was performed on 13 and was used to guide the repair. Ninety patients (55%) did not meet the criteria for emergent neck exploration. Endoscopy in this group was performed in symptomatic patients, which revealed two cases of unilateral true vocal fold motion impairment, one mucosal laceration of the right mainstem bronchus, one questionable area of injury at the apical segment of the right upper lobe bronchus, and one mucosal laceration of the proximal esophagus. Conclusions Aerodigestive tract endoscopy is critical in assessing and guiding surgical repair of injuries noted on surgical exploration. In stable patients with a low clinical suspicion of aerodigestive tract injury, it was of low yield. We propose a new algorithm for assessing aerodigestive tract injuries that includes multidetector computed tomography, in which only symptomatic patients who fail to meet the criteria for emergent neck exploration undergo endoscopy. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 124:S1–S9, 2014
Fuel Cell Membranes Based on Polymer-Modified Silica Colloidal Crystals and Glasses: Proton Conductivity and Fuel Cell Performance

We describe a hybrid organic-inorganic fuel cell membrane material based on silica colloidal crystal and using EEMA/SPM co-polymers. We demonstrate that there is an S-shaped dependence of proton conductivity on the amount of sulfonyl groups in the copolymer for the copolymer-modified membranes and that there is no significant increase in proton conductivity with increasing amount of sulfonated monomer content above 60%. The studies of fuel cell potential dependence on the degree of sulfonation show that the presence of non-ionic moieties improves the performance of fuel cell, likely due to the reduction of methanol cross-over through the membrane. The fuel cells using the polymer-modified silica colloidal membranes perform better than Nafion 117.
Synthesis and evaluation of novel heteroaromatic substrates of GABA aminotransferase

Two principal neurotransmitters are involved in the regulation of mammalian neuronal activity, namely, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter, and L-glutamic acid, an excitatory neurotransmitter. Low GABA levels in the brain have been implicated in epilepsy and several other neurological diseases. Because of GABA's poor ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a successful strategy to raise brain GABA concentrations is the use of a compound that does cross the BBB and inhibits or inactivates GABA aminotransferase (GABA-AT), the enzyme responsible for GABA catabolism. Vigabatrin, a mechanism-based inactivator of GABA-AT, is currently a successful therapeutic for epilepsy, but has harmful side effects, leaving a need for improved GABA-AT inactivators. Here, we report the synthesis and evaluation of a series of heteroaromatic GABA analogues as substrates of GABA-AT, which will be used as the basis for the design of novel enzyme inactivators.
Characterization on the Electrical Properties of PDMS Nanocomposites by Conducting Polymer Nanowires

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is one of the most used materials in bio-applications. However, previous works were mainly focus on the mechanical aspect. In this paper we presented a practical and efficient approach to enhance the electrical properties of PDMS by using conducting polymer nanowires (CPNWs). The nanowires were synthesized using template method and added in PDMS to form nanocomposites. The dielectric constants of the composites were characterized by impedance measurements, and the dielectric relaxation behavior and the volume fraction of CPNWs was investigated. Based on the percolation theory a much lower threshold (5.3 vol%) was achieved.
Individual Differences In Computer-Based Information Retrieval

A methodology proposed by Egan and Gomez (1985) to accommodate individual differences was applied to a hierarchical information retrieval system. An experiment was conducted to identify the predictors of task performance, and to quantify the magnitude of the individual differences. Results indicate that a psychometric test of spatial visualization ability is the best predictor of task performance, accounting for 33% of the variance. The practical significance of the individual differences in task performance is dramatically illustrated by the fact that, on the average, subjects with low spatial ability took twice as long to perform the task as those with high spatial ability. The implications of these findings for accommodating individual differences are discussed.
THE STATUS OF MULTILATERAL AND BILATERALTRADE TALKS—IMPLICATIONS FOR THE U.S. DAIRY INDUSTRY

This discussion paper provides an overview of the status of multilateral and bilateral trade talks affecting the U.S. economy, U.S. agriculture, and the U.S. dairy industry. Trade negotiations discussed reflect the complex interactions between economic and political issues that occur in U.S. presidential election years. Bilateral and regional trade negotiations have assumed more importance for the U.S. as a result of the snags that have hit World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. However, the Doha Round of WTO negotiations is not dead. Noteworthy trade agreement developments affecting the U.S. dairy industry include the U.S. - Australia Free Trade Agreement and the chance that dairy export subsidies will be substantially curtailed under the Doha Round of WTO negotiations.
Strategic route planning and sensor fusion

A method of looking at sensor fusion that combines sensor outputs in a simple way to derive an upper bound of the detection probability is presented. The concept is useful in strategic route planning and for assessing tradeoffs between various possible sensor upgrades. It can be used to guide expenditures so that funds applied are applied in a well-balanced manner. A toy problem is analyzed to demonstrate the concept. >
The Relationships Among Generativity, Values, Individual Differences, and Commitment to an Ideal Vision

Kaufman (2006a, 2011) defines Ideal Visions as measurable statements of the kind of world an organization, as well as its associates and external stakeholders, commits to help create for the future. This study investigated the relationships among several research-supported variables regarding personality aspects and individual characteristics with indicators of individuals’ motivation to achieve goals aimed at adding value to external clients and society. Indicators of generative beliefs, values, individual differences, and commitment to an Ideal Vision were examined in this study. Generativity (the concern in establishing and guiding the next generation), membership and activity in a formal civic organization, and gender, each demonstrated a statistically significant relationship with commitment to an Ideal Vision. In addition, various values were ranked differentially by those with relatively high versus low commitment to an Ideal Vision. A discussion of how these variables warrant the ongoing investigation into these variables is provided.
THERE'S MORE TO TIME THAN TICKING AWAY

. Time is an element that each of us experiences in the core of our being. Yet it also is one of the great mysteries in our conceptual grasp of reality. The notion of time has therefore been reflected upon and explored by thinkers and scientists since ancient times. In this essay I relate the multiple ways in which Antje's Jackelen's scholarly and stimulating work Time and Eternity analyzes the historical, philosophical, theological, and scientific perspectives on the notion of time lived and its relation to the conceptual endless time that we call eternity, and offer some of my own contextual reflections on the topic.
The Effects of Previewing Activities on Oral Reading Miscues

This study examined the effects of two previewing activities on poor readers' oral reading miscues. The two previewing activities consisted of (a) a concept analysis activity (CAA) and (b) a motivation statement (MS). The oral reading miscues measured were (a) graphophonemic, (b) syntactic, and (c) semantic. To counterbalance for order of previewing activity and experimenters, a factorial/modfied Latin-Square design was used. An analysis of variance with repeated measures on the last factor was used to analyze the data. The results indicated the CAA significantly decreased oral reading miscues and increased oral reading speed.
Parameter varying control of an MR damper for smart base isolation

This paper presents a parameter varying control of a magnetorheological (MR) damper with stiction effect and its application to seismic protection of a model two-story structure. This semi-active device is utilized to reduce the vibrations of the model structure due to earthquake excitations. A modified Bingham model is used to capture the nonlinear hysteretic dynamics of the MR damper including the stiction effect. The parameters of the model are identified by solving a nonlinear optimization problem. The Bingham model is considered because of its simple structure to be used in linear parameter varying (LPV) controller design. The model is verified experimentally showing an acceptable level of accuracy. The second part of the paper addresses the LPV controller design to command the MR damper to suppress the structural vibrations. The LPV controller is designed for the combined structure and MR damper based on the Bingham model. The scheduling parameter is chosen to be damper velocity which is obtained by measurement. An optimal passive damping design is also obtained for comparison purposes. The performance of the controller is compared with the optimal passive damping case for El Centro and Northridge earthquakes with different intensities. The experimental results show the improved performance of the LPV controller design approach in terms of the maximum acceleration and the RMS values of the structure response.
White spruce regeneration following a major spruce beetle outbreak in forests on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Between 1987 and 2000, a spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) outbreak infested 1.19 million ha of spruce (Picea spp.) forests in Alaska, killing most of the large diameter trees. We evaluated whether these forests would recover to their pre-outbreak density, and determined the site conditions on which spruce germinated and survived following the spruce beetle outbreak in forests of the Anchor River watershed, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. White spruce (Picea glauca) and Lutz's spruce (Picealutzii), a hybrid between white and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), dominate the study area. We measured the pre- and post-outbreak density of spruce in 108 3 m � 80 m plots across the study area by recording all live trees and all dead trees >1.5 m tall in each plot. To determine the fine scale site conditions on which spruce germinated and survived, we measured ground surface and substrate characteristics within 20 cm circular plots around a subset of post-outbreak spruce seedlings. The density of post-outbreak spruce (855/ha) was adequate to restock the stands to their pre-outbreak densities (643/ha) for trees >1.5 m tall. We could not accurately estimate recovery for pre-outbreak spruce seedlings because dead seedlings may have decayed in the 5-18 years since the beetle outbreak occurred. At the fine scale, spruce that germinated post-outbreak grew on a wide variety of substrates including downed log, stump, mesic organic mat, peat, hummocks and mineral soil. They exhibited a strong preference for downed logs (53%) and stumps (4%), and most (91%) of the downed logs and stumps that spruce rooted on were heavily decayed. This preference for heavily decayed logs and stumps was especially evident given that their combined mean cover was only 2% in the 3 m � 80 m plots. Within the 3 m � 80 m plots, spruce seedling survival was negatively correlated with bluejoint (Calamagrostis canadensis) litter cover. # 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The plasticity of aging: insights from long-lived mutants.

Mutations in genes affecting endocrine signaling, stress responses, metabolism, and telomeres can all increase the life spans of model organisms. These mutations have revealed evolutionarily conserved pathways for aging, some of which appear to extend life span in response to sensory cues, caloric restriction, or stress. Many mutations affecting longevity pathways delay age-related disease, and the molecular analysis of these pathways is leading to a mechanistic understanding of how these two processes—aging and disease susceptibility—are linked.
The relationship of pellagra to corn and the low availability of niacin in cereals.

The poorest inhabitants of an area generally eat the narrowest range of foods, and one staple (which serves as a cheap source of calories) dominates. In turn, the specific type of malnutrition seen in that area depends upon that predominant staple and how it is processed before consumption.
Minimally invasive parathyroid surgery

Traditionally, bilateral cervical exploration for localization of all four parathyroid glands and removal of any that are grossly enlarged has been the standard surgical treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). With the advances in preoperative localization studies and greater public demand for less invasive procedures, novel targeted, minimally invasive techniques to the parathyroid glands have been described and practiced over the past 2 decades. Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) can be done either through the standard Kocher incision, a smaller midline incision, with video assistance (purely endoscopic and video-assisted techniques), or through an ectopically placed, extracervical, incision. In current practice, once PHPT is diagnosed, preoperative evaluation using high-resolution radiographic imaging to localize the offending parathyroid gland is essential if MIP is to be considered. The imaging study results suggest where the surgeon should begin the focused procedure and serve as a road map to allow tailoring of an efficient, imaging-guided dissection while eliminating the unnecessary dissection of multiple glands or a bilateral exploration. Intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) levels may be measured during the procedure, or a gamma probe used during radioguided parathyroidectomy, to ascertain that the correct gland has been excised and that no other hyperfunctional tissue is present. MIP has many advantages over the traditional bilateral, four-gland exploration. MIP can be performed using local anesthesia, requires less operative time, results in fewer complications, and offers an improved cosmetic result and greater patient satisfaction. Additional advantages of MIP are earlier hospital discharge and decreased overall associated costs. This article aims to address the considerations for accomplishing MIP, including the role of preoperative imaging studies, intraoperative adjuncts, and surgical techniques.
MAVEN SupraThermal and Thermal Ion Compostion (STATIC) Instrument

The MAVEN SupraThermal And Thermal Ion Compostion (STATIC) instrument is designed to measure the ion composition and distribution function of the cold Martian ionosphere, the heated suprathermal tail of this plasma in the upper ionosphere, and the pickup ions accelerated by solar wind electric fields. STATIC operates over an energy range of 0.1 eV up to 30 keV, with a base time resolution of 4 seconds. The instrument consists of a toroidal “top hat” electrostatic analyzer with a $360^{\circ} \times 90^{\circ}$ field-of-view, combined with a time-of-flight (TOF) velocity analyzer with $22.5^{\circ}$ resolution in the detection plane. The TOF combines a $-15~\mbox{kV}$ acceleration voltage with ultra-thin carbon foils to resolve $\mathrm{H}^{+}$ , $\mathrm{He}^{++}$ , $\mathrm{He}^{+}$ , $\mathrm{O}^{+}$ , $\mathrm{O}_{2}^{+}$ , and $\mathrm{CO}_{2}^{+}$ ions. Secondary electrons from carbon foils are detected by microchannel plate detectors and binned into a variety of data products with varying energy, mass, angle, and time resolution. To prevent detector saturation when measuring cold ram ions at periapsis ( $\sim10^{1 1}~\mbox{eV/cm}^{2}\,\mbox{s}\,\mbox{sr}\,\mbox{eV}$ ), while maintaining adequate sensitivity to resolve tenuous pickup ions at apoapsis ( $\sim10^{3}~\mbox{eV/cm}^{2}\,\mbox{s}\,\mbox{sr}\,\mbox{eV}$ ), the sensor includes both mechanical and electrostatic attenuators that increase the dynamic range by a factor of $10^{3}$ . This paper describes the instrument hardware, including several innovative improvements over previous TOF sensors, the ground calibrations of the sensor, the data products generated by the experiment, and some early measurements during cruise phase to Mars.
Spyglass: demand-provisioned Linux containers for private network access

System administrators are required to access the privileged, or "super-user," interfaces of computing, networking, and storage resources they support. This low-level infrastructure underpins most of the security tools and features common today and is assumed to be secure. A malicious system administrator or malware on the system administrator's client system can silently subvert this computing infrastructure. In the case of cloud system administrators, unauthorized privileged access has the potential to cause grave damage to the cloud provider and their customers. In this paper, we describe Spyglass, a tool for managing, securing, and auditing administrator access to private or sensitive infrastructure networks by creating on-demand bastion hosts inside of Linux containers. These on-demand bastion containers differ from regular bastion hosts in that they are nonpersistent and last only for the duration of the administrator's access. Spyglass also captures command input and screen output of all administrator activities from outside the container, allowing monitoring of sensitive infrastructure and understanding of the actions of an adversary in the event of a compromise. Through our evaluation of Spyglass for remote network access, we show that it is more difficult to penetrate than existing solutions, does not introduce delays or major workflow changes, and increases the amount of tamper-resistant auditing information that is captured about a system administrator's access.
On Permanent Rotations of a System of Two Coupled Gyrostats in a Central Newtonian Force Field

This paper studies the problem of the motion of a chain of two gyrostats coupled by an ideal spherical joint. The chain moves about a fixed point in a central Newtonian force field. Under the assumption that the gyrostatic moment of each gyrostat is constant relative to its carrier, the paper establishes and analyzes the conditions for existence of the chain’s permanent rotations about a vertical axis. For a case when each gyrostat has the mass distribution analogous to the one of a Lagrange gyroscope, the paper derives and analyzes the necessary conditions for stability of the permanent rotations. The findings of the paper extend corresponding results in the dynamics of a single gyrostat to a case of the multibody chain as well as generalize some of the known properties of permanent rotations in the many-body dynamics.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
The duodenal mucosa in peptic ulcer disease. A clinical pathological correlation.

The duodenum was evaluated in patients with X-ray negative dyspepsia (6), duodenal ulcer or deformed bulbs (18), duodenitis (3), and normal controls (5), using the peroral small-bowel biopsy instrument of Crosby and Kugler. Specimens from patients with X-ray-negative dyspepsia and normal controls were similar. The majority of patients with duodenal ulcer (14) had normal mucosal biopsies. However, the other 4 patients had marked histological changes, consisting of chronic inflammatory cell infiltration into the submucosa and blunting of the villi. One patient with duodenitis only, demonstrated by X-ray, had pathological findings confirming that diagnosis. No close relationship could be found between pathological material and either clinical or X-ray findings. It is believed that this histological picture is consistent with what has been described pathologically as duodenitis. The significance of these findings awaits further investigation.
Propagation in vitro of Poliomyelitis Viruses VII. pH Change of HeLa Cell Cultures for Assay.

SummaryA method is described for use of suspended HeLa cells and phenol red pH indicator for assay of poliomyelitis virus or antibody. A simple medium containing yeast extract and 4% chicken or monkey serum is used to maintain the cultures during incubation with virus or virus-serum mixtures. Infectious virus is revealed by unchanged color of the medium over a 6 day incubation period; neutralization of virus by antibody permits normal cellular metabolism during this period to produce acid with a change in color of the phenol red indicator in the medium to yellow. Evidence is presented for the agreement of results obtained by this method with those of the conventional established cell technic.
How do Cross-cluster Teams Affect Innovation Quality? The Moderating Role of Team Compilation

Access to valuable information across multiple geographic clusters is argued to increase the quality of innovation for teams utilizing a cross-cluster structure. Although valuable, the distant natu...
Intrinsic Structural Defects in Monolayer Molybdenum Disulfide

Monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) is a two-dimensional direct band gap semiconductor with unique mechanical, electronic, optical, and chemical properties that can be utilized for novel nanoelectronics and optoelectronics devices. The performance of these devices strongly depends on the quality and defect morphology of the MoS2 layers. Here we provide a systematic study of intrinsic structural defects in chemical vapor phase grown monolayer MoS2, including point defects, dislocations, grain boundaries, and edges, via direct atomic resolution imaging, and explore their energy landscape and electronic properties using first-principles calculations. A rich variety of point defects and dislocation cores, distinct from those present in graphene, were observed in MoS2. We discover that one-dimensional metallic wires can be created via two different types of 60° grain boundaries consisting of distinct 4-fold ring chains. A new type of edge reconstruction, representing a transition state during growth, was als...
Rejection of unknown periodic disturbances for continuous-time MIMO systems with dynamic uncertainties

Rejection of unknown periodic disturbances in multi-channel systems has several industrial applications that include aerospace, consumer electronics, and many other industries. This paper presents a design and analysis of an output-feedback robust adaptive controller for multi-input multi-output continuous-time systems in the presence of modeling errors and broadband output noise. The trade-off between robust stability and performance improvement as well as practical design considerations for performance improvements are presented. It is demonstrated that proper shaping of the open-loop plant singular values as well as over-parameterizing the controller parametric model can significantly improve performance. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Acute compressive myelopathy due to vertebral haemangioma

A 47-year-old woman with a history of anaemia presented to the emergency room with an acute onset of leg weakness. Physical examination of the bilateral lower extremities was significant for 0/5 muscle strength in all muscle groups with decreased pinprick and temperature sensation. A sensory level at the umbilicus was appreciated. Fine touch and proprioception were preserved. Bowel and bladder function were intact. CT revealed several thoracic, vertebral haemangiomatas. An MRI was suggestive of an epidural clot at the T8–T10-weighted posterior epidural space. At the level of the lesion, the cerebrospinal fluid space was completely effaced, and the flattened spinal cord exhibited signs of oedema and compressive myelopathy. The patient immediately underwent surgical decompression of the spinal cord. An epidural clot and vessel conglomeration were identified. A postoperative spinal angiogram confirmed the diagnosis of vertebral haemangioma. At 1-month follow-up, the patient regained strength and sensation.
Is the Lorentz Factor a Probability Function in Superfluid Spacetime

A number of studies indicate that spacetime may have properties resembling that of a superfluid, suggesting that percolation theory may provide a useful approach to studying the relationship between velocity and time. By hypothesizing that the effect described by the Lorentz factor may represent an increase in the viscosity of spacetime, it was possible to model time dilation in terms of the movement of a fluid through porous media. Using a random resistor network to equate superfluid percolation with conductance, it is shown that the Lorentz factor corresponds to a probability function involving the phase transition of the superfluid to a normal fluid with insulating properties.
A nifty tool for studying program and system behaviors: nifty tools

MARS is an integrated development environment (IDE) and simulator for MIPS assembly language programming. New features enable MARS to be a useful tool for discovery and experimentation even in courses that do not involve assembly language programming.
Current Trends Affecting Family Law and Child Custody: A Psychiatrist’s Perspective

The author details the various trends that have emerged in the field of child advocacy. Among the issues he discusses are parental and children's rights in custody cases, the best interest standards, pressure groups and their influence, enforced mediation, and conciliation courts.