cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reason, Interest, Rationality, and Passion in Constitution Drafting

Liberal constitutionalism is founded in part on a desire to build a polity on the basis of reason and the public interest. At its most ambitious, the result can verge on a prepolitical or even apolitical view of constitution writing. To be sure, most liberal constitutionalists have backed away from the extreme view by increasingly recognizing that passion and bargaining will inevitably play a role in constitution writing. But few have moved beyond grudging acceptance of passion and bargaining to active incorporation. In addition, the terms themselves are used in increasingly slippery ways. Yet while greater terminological precision is desirable and possible, it cannot overcome a key feature of constitution drafting: reason and interest are easily confused in practice as are passion and rationality. Even if reason and deliberation over the public interest could be distinguished from passion and private bargaining, they are unlikely to be able to deliver what is demanded of them. Constitutional politics differs from normal politics less in the role for rationality and the public interest and more in the means used and the number of actors with veto power. In such an environment, partisan interest and passion are not merely inevitable contaminants but essential elements.
Why nature chose phosphate to modify proteins

The advantageous chemical properties of the phosphate ester linkage were exploited early in evolution to generate the phosphate diester linkages that join neighbouring bases in RNA and DNA (Westheimer 1987 Science 235, 1173–1178). Following the fixation of the genetic code, another use for phosphate ester modification was found, namely reversible phosphorylation of the three hydroxyamino acids, serine, threonine and tyrosine, in proteins. During the course of evolution, phosphorylation emerged as one of the most prominent types of post-translational modification, because of its versatility and ready reversibility. Phosphoamino acids generated by protein phosphorylation act as new chemical entities that do not resemble any natural amino acid, and thereby provide a means of diversifying the chemical nature of protein surfaces. A protein-linked phosphate group can form hydrogen bonds or salt bridges either intra- or intermolecularly, creating stronger hydrogen bonds with arginine than either aspartate or glutamate. The unique size of the ionic shell and charge properties of covalently attached phosphate allow specific and inducible recognition of phosphoproteins by phosphospecific-binding domains in other proteins, thus promoting inducible protein–protein interaction. In this manner, phosphorylation serves as a switch that allows signal transduction networks to transmit signals in response to extracellular stimuli.
Hybrid CMOS/nanoelectronic digital circuits: devices, architectures, and design automation

Physics offers several active devices with nanometer-scale footprint, that can be best used in combination with a CMOS subsystem. Such hybrid circuits offer the potential for high defect tolerance combined with unparalleled performance. In this tutorial, we highlight key issues and architectural alternatives for this promising technology and outline the challenges posed by the hybrid circuits pose for design automation.
Efficient and fault-tolerant feature extraction in wireless sensor networks

We consider a canonical task in wireless sensor networks - the extraction of information about environmental features - and propose a multi-step solution that is fault-tolerant, self-organizing and energy-efficient. We explicitly take into account the possibility of sensor measurement faults and study a distributed algorithm for detecting and correcting such faults, showing through theoretical analysis and simulation results that 85-95% of faults can be corrected using this algorithm even when as many as 10% of the nodes are faulty.We present a self-organizing algorithm which combines shortest-path routing mechanisms with leader-election to permit nodes within each feature region to self-organize into routing clusters. These clusters are used in data aggregation schemes that we propose for feature extraction. We show that the best such aggregation scheme can result in an order-of-magnitude improvement in energy savings.
A Tack in the Shoe: Neutralizing and Resisting the New Surveillance

Eleven behavioral techniques of neutralization intended to subvert the collection of personal information are discussed: discovery moves, avoidance moves, piggybacking moves, switching moves, distorting moves, blocking moves, masking moves, breaking moves, refusal moves, cooperative moves and counter-surveillance moves. In Western liberal democracies the advantages of technological and other strategic surveillance developments are often short-lived and contain ironic vulnerabilities. The logistical and economic limits on total monitoring, the interpretive and contextual nature of many human situations, system complexity, and interconnectedness and the vulnerability of those engaged in surveillance to be compromised, provide ample room for resistance. Neutralization is a dynamic adversarial social dance involving strategic moves and counter-moves and should be studied as a conflict interaction process.
IGF-I activation of the AKT pathway is impaired in visceral but not subcutaneous preadipocytes from obese subjects.

Obesity morbidity is associated with excess visceral adiposity, whereas sc adipose tissue is much less metabolically hazardous. Human abdominal sc preadipocytes have greater capacity for proliferation, differentiation, and survival than omental preadipocytes. IGF-I is a critical mediator of preadipocyte proliferation, differentiation, and survival through multiple signaling pathways. We investigated IGF-I action in primary cultures of human preadipocytes isolated from sc and omental adipose tissue of obese subjects. IGF-I-stimulated DNA synthesis was significantly lower in omental compared with sc preadipocytes. IGF-I phosphorylation of the IGF-I receptor and the ERK pathway was comparable in sc and omental cells. However, omental preadipocytes had decreased insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 protein associated with increased IRS-1-serine636/639 phosphorylation and degradation. IGF-I-stimulated phosphorylation of AKT on serine473 but not threonine308 was decreased in omental cells, and activation of downstream targets, including S6Kinase, glycogen synthase kinase-3, and Forkhead box O1 was also impaired. CyclinD1 abundance was decreased in omental cells due to increased degradation. Over-expression of IRS-1 by lentivirus in omental preadipocytes increased IGF-I-stimulated AKT-serine473 phosphorylation. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-Rictor complex regulates phosphorylation of AKT-serine473 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, but knockdown of Rictor by lentivirus-delivered short hairpin RNA in sc preadipocytes did not affect AKT-serine473 phosphorylation by IGF-I. These data reveal an intrinsic defect in IGF-I activation of the AKT pathway in omental preadipocytes from obese subjects that involves IRS-1 but probably not mTOR-Rictor complex. We conclude that impaired cell cycle regulation by AKT contributes to the distinct growth phenotype of preadipocytes in visceral fat of obese subjects.
Some Properties of R. G. D. Allen's Treatment of Kalecki's 1935 Model of Business Cycles

More than sixty-five years have passed since Michal Kalecki (1935) published one of the first formal mathematical models of business cycles. His paper presents a closed-form analytic solution. This characteristic, among others, sets Kalecki's work apart from that of contemporary literary business cycle theorists such as Friedrich A. Hayek (1935) and John Maynard Keynes (1936).
The Waxy Locus in Maize. I. Intralocus Recombination Frequency Estimates by Pollen and by Conventional Analyses.

THE waxy (wx) locus in maize conditions the type of starch which is synthesized in the triploid endosperm and in the haploid pollen grain. Further, the phenotype of a pollen grain is determined by its own genotype and not by that of the plant which produces the pollen grain (BRINK and MACGILLIVRAY 1924) and (DEMEREC 1924). This makes it possible to use the pollen grain as the unit of observation in genetical investigations on the wx locus. The Wx pollen grains stain blue with an iodine-potassium iodide stain while wx pollen grains stain a reddish-brown color. Since a maize plant produces millions of pollen grains, large populations can be obtained and scored easily, thus markedly enhancing genetic resolution. The investigation of low frequency events is more easily carried out with this system than with any other locus in a higher organism
Reservoir potential of sands formed in glaciomarine environments: an analogue study based on Cenozoic examples from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

This paper provides documentation of unexpectedly high-reservoir-quality glaciomarine sands found in the Cenozoic succession beneath McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, as an analogue study for evaluations of hydrocarbon prospectivity in basins elsewhere. The Oligocene to Lower Miocene succession of the Victoria Land Basin, an extant portion of the West Antarctic Rift System, comprises diamictites, mudrocks, and sandstones with minor conglomerates. These lithologies are arranged in repetitive stacking patterns (cycles), interpreted to record repeated advance and retreat of glaciers into and out of the basin, with attendant eustatic and isostatic effects. Phases of ice retreat within the cycles comprise an array of mudrocks, sandy mudrocks, and sandstones, deposited mainly during relative sea-level highstands. Clean, wellsorted, unconsolidated, and porous sands <25 m thick from such intervals, which are interpreted to be mainly deltaic in origin, were encountered. Some of these sands, which have visible porosity as high as 41%, flowed into the well bore together with significant volumes of cold formation water. Diagenetic modification of sands in these intervals is minimal, which can be attributed to the low-temperature nature of the subsurface environment. Accordingly, glaciomarine sands in near-field glaciogenic successions should be considered as potential reservoir facies in prospectivity assessments.
On Oncogenes and Tumor Suppressor Genes in the Mammary Gland

Breast cancer in humans is associated with genetic alterations of a number of oncogenes (ErbB2, MYC, PIK3CA) and tumor suppressors (TP53, BRCA1/2, RB1, PTEN), as outlined by Lee and Muller. The use of genetically engineered mouse models harboring deletions or mutations in these genes has provided insight into how such alterations drive tumor initiation,progression, andmetastasis, andhow they influence responses to anticancer agents. Beyond these well-characterized alterations, there has been a recent explosion in new information regarding the molecular pathogenesis of breast cancer, and therefore a need to define thefunctionalrolesofnewlydescribedpotential
Formal Distinctiveness of High‐ and Low‐Imageability Nouns: Analyses and Theoretical Implications

Words associated with perceptually salient, highly imageable concepts are learned earlier in life, more accurately recalled, and more rapidly named than abstract words (R. W. Brown, 1976; Walker & Hulme, 1999). Theories accounting for this concreteness effect have focused exclusively on semantic properties of word referents. A novel possibility is that word structure may also contribute to the effect. We report a corpus-based analysis of the phonological and morphological structures of a large set of nouns with imageability ratings (N = 2,023). High- and low-imageability nouns differed by length, etymology, prosody, affixation, phonological neighborhood density, and rates of consonant clustering. On average, nouns denoting abstract concepts were longer, more derivationally complex, and emerged in English from a different distribution of languages than did concrete nouns. We address implications for interactivity of word form and meaning as pertain to theories of word concreteness, lexical acquisition, and word processing.
Harvest, yield, and scalable tolerant systems

The cost of reconciling consistency and state management with high availability is highly magnified by the unprecedented scale and robustness requirements of today's Internet applications. We propose two strategies for improving overall availability using simple mechanisms that scale over large applications whose output behavior tolerates graceful degradation. We characterize this degradation in terms of harvest and yield, and map it directly onto engineering mechanisms that enhance availability by improving fault isolation, and in some cases also simplify programming. By collecting examples of related techniques in the literature and illustrating the surprising range of applications that can benefit from these approaches, we hope to motivate a broader research program in this area.
Kinetics of strontium and calcium skeletal metabolism in the rat.

ConclusionsThe present study demonstrates that the absolute values for the computer derived parameters of skeletal metabolism obtained with Sr tracer data do not differ significantly from those obtained with Ca. Further, the whole-body turnover of bone-fixed Sr is not significantly different from that of Ca as measured by whole-body counting. The evidence here supports the common assumption that Sr is a reliable tracer of calcium in skeletal metabolism, at least over a 40-day period.
Low‐Temperature Crystallization of Sol‐Gel Processed Pb0.5Ba0.5TiO3: Powders and Oriented Thin Films

A novel sol-gel process suitable for depositing thin-film lead barium titanate has been developed. X-ray diffraction analysis showed perovskite phase crystallization to occur at a temperature as low as 400°C with single-phase Pb_(0.5)Ba_(0.5)TiO_3 (PBT) resulting at a temperature as low as 500°C. Small concentrations of barium carbonate were evident by X-ray diffraction at 400°C, and indications of minor, carbonate-containing phases were evident by FTIR at 600°C. Deposition of the sol by spin coating on single-crystal and thin-film MgO on silicon resulted in highly oriented PBT films after calcination at 600°C. Mixed (100)/(001) films were obtained on single-crystal MgO, whereas entirely (100) films were obtained on thin-film MgO.
Ablation of Ventricular Tachycardia Originating From the Papillary Muscle of the Left Ventricle Early After Heart Transplantation

A 46-year-old man 2 months status post heart transplant for cardiac amyloidosis was admitted with recurrent palpitations. There was no reported ventricular dysfunction or history of ventricular arrhythmia in the donor, a 26-year-old man who died in a motorcycle accident. Monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) was observed in the second week after heart transplant. Echocardiogram revealed preserved graft function with left ventricular ejection fraction of 55%, and endomyocardial biopsy revealed no evidence of rejection. The patient was treated with metoprolol with reduction in his VT burden, but he subsequently signed out of the hospital against medical advice. Three weeks later, he presented to the emergency department with recurrent palpitations. Cardiac monitoring showed frequent ventricular premature complexes and VT (as many as 30 beats), with right bundle branch block morphology QRS configuration and rightward frontal axis—identical to the early postoperative arrhythmia (Figure, panel A). An …
Inhibition of aggression by progesterone and its metabolites in female syrian hamsters

The sequence of estradiol and progesterone is known to inhibit the expression of aggression in female hamsters. Despite the key importance of progesterone in the inhibition of aggression, little is known of the mechanisms through which progesterone may exert this effect. Three experiments were performed to assess the degree to which metabolites of progesterone can affect aggression in female Syrian hamsters. Systemic estradiol treatment followed by injections of either progesterone (300 μg IP) or 4-pregnen-21-ol-3,20-dione (DOC, 300 μg IP) reliably inhibited aggression. Systemic injection (75, 150, or 300 μg IP) of either 5α-pregnan-3α,21-diol-20-one (THDOC) or 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one (3α,5α-THP) did not affect aggression. Intracerebroventricular infusion of 3α,5α-THP following systemic estradiol treatment also did not affect aggression. In a third experiment, female hamsters were given systemic treatments with estradiol and progesterone that were subthreshold with respect to inhibition of aggression. In these females, intracerebroventricular infusion of THDOC inhibited aggression. These results indicate that metabolites of progesterone can inhibit aggression, most notably in synergy with progesterone itself. Aggr. Behav. 27:372–381, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A Novel Snf2 Protein Maintains trans-Generational Regulatory States Established by Paramutation in Maize

Paramutations represent heritable epigenetic alterations that cause departures from Mendelian inheritance. While the mechanism responsible is largely unknown, recent results in both mouse and maize suggest paramutations are correlated with RNA molecules capable of affecting changes in gene expression patterns. In maize, multiple required to maintain repression (rmr) loci stabilize these paramutant states. Here we show rmr1 encodes a novel Snf2 protein that affects both small RNA accumulation and cytosine methylation of a proximal transposon fragment at the Pl1-Rhoades allele. However, these cytosine methylation differences do not define the various epigenetic states associated with paramutations. Pedigree analyses also show RMR1 does not mediate the allelic interactions that typically establish paramutations. Strikingly, our mutant analyses show that Pl1-Rhoades RNA transcript levels are altered independently of transcription rates, implicating a post-transcriptional level of RMR1 action. These results suggest the RNA component of maize paramutation maintains small heterochromatic-like domains that can affect, via the activity of a Snf2 protein, the stability of nascent transcripts from adjacent genes by way of a cotranscriptional repression process. These findings highlight a mechanism by which alleles of endogenous loci can acquire novel expression patterns that are meiotically transmissible.
Sublime: A Speech- and Language-Based Information Management Environment

With ever-increasing amounts of information to be organized in people's daily lives, current mechanisms for personal information management (PIM) leave much room for improvement. We present Sublime, a distributed, multimodal, and mobile environment for speech-based personal information management. In addition to discussing the design philosophy and evolution of the current prototype, this paper describes the functionality and architecture of the system, and indicates future research directions for the project.
Closure Bolt Modeling for Seal Evaluation Under Extreme Thermal Loads

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently completed an evaluation of a used nuclear fuel transportation package subjected to loads associated with the MacArthur Maze fire and overpass collapse of 2007. This historical event is used as the basis of an extreme accident scenario to investigate the performance of the package system under loads that are beyond regulatory limits and to assess the potential risk to the public. The accident scenario was modeled in a number of physics regimes, including fire dynamics models, thermal models, structural impact models, and structural thermal expansion models. In this case the thermal expansion behavior of the bolted closure was a key component of the leak rate calculations and offered a tough analytical challenge, which was ultimately resolved using a detailed nonlinear finite element model of the bolt threads with thread inserts discretely modeled. This paper describes the analytical steps that were taken, starting with classic bolt stress calculations and ending with sophisticated finite element analysis, while also putting the analysis into context of the larger analytical effort and the assessment of used nuclear fuel transportation package safety that is critical to the mission of the US NRC.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Factors Affecting Flight Initiation Distance in American Robins

Both behavioral ecologists and wildlife biologists have shown considerable interest in the responses of animals to approaching humans. Behavioral ecologists have typically viewed humans as a means of simulating predators (reviewed by Lima and Dill 1990, Lima 1998a,b), whereas wildlife biologists have focused on animals' responses to humans because humans are often the major factor in disturbance and may have a particularly strong impact on sensitive species during breeding (Sekercioglu 2002, Taylor and Knight 2003). Animals respond similarly to approaching humans and predators, typically by becoming alert or fleeing, and either response can be costly. Both responses reduce the time available for other activities that benefit fitness (Kohler and McPeek 1989, Scrimgeour and Culp 1994, Hik 1995, Sinclair and Arcese 1995), and individuals that flee expend extra energy. Animals can reduce these costs by assessing risk and responding appropriately. One adjustment that many species make to different levels of risk is to vary flight initiation distance, the distance between an individual and an approaching threat when the individual flees.
Individuals and Individuation in Leibniz’s Mature Philosophy

In this and the next chapter it will become plain that I subscribe to the view that striking continuities exist between the philosophy of the early and that of the mature Leibniz. Mates is the chief proponent of this controversial reading of Leibniz:
Coupled infrared laser-thermo-mechanical response of RDX-PCTFE energetic aggregates

A computational approach is developed to investigate the coupled phenomena of high frequency electromagnetic (EM) wave propagation, laser heat absorption, thermal conduction, and inelastic dynamic thermo-mechanical deformation in heterogeneous energetic materials. The method is used to study hot spot formation in RDX-PCTFE aggregates subjected to high strain rate loads and infrared laser irradiation. The approach couples Maxwell's equations with a dislocation density-based crystal plasticity formulation within a nonlinear finite-element approach to predict and understand thermo-mechanical response due to the interrelated effects of dielectric heating, adiabatic heating, thermal decomposition, and heat conduction. RDX crystalline interfaces and orientations, polymer binder, inelastic strains, dislocation-density evolution, and voids significantly affected the coupled EM-thermo-mechanical response. EM and thermo-mechanical mismatches at interfaces between RDX crystals, binder, and voids resulted in localized regions with high electric field and laser heat generation rates, which subsequently led to hot spot formation. It is predicted that incident laser intensity and plastic shear strain localization are the dominant mechanisms that lead to hot spot formation.
Magnesium in clinical stroke

Stroke is the second leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability worldwide. Unfortunately, current therapies for acute ischemic stroke are of extremely limited effectiveness. The ideal neuro- protective agent for stroke would be inexpensive, readily available, easy to administer and have no significant adverse side effects. Intravenous magnesium sulphate offers promise as just such an agent. In clinical trials to date, administration of magnesium sulphate has shown favourable trends toward neuroprotection in resuscitated cardiac arrest patients, in cardiac bypass surgery and carotid endarterectomy. In acute stroke, eight pilot clinical trials of magnesium sulphate have shown good safety, and the subset of pilot trials with randomized controls have shown favourable effects on clinical outcome point estimates. The first phase 3 trial of magnesium sulphate for focal stroke was the Intravenous Magnesium Efficacy in Stroke (IMAGES) Trial. Hampered by late administration of the study agent, IMAGES overall produced a neutral result, but exploratory analyses identified early (under 3 hour), lacunar stroke, haemorrhagic stroke, and severely hypertensive patients as having a potential differential beneficial response to magnesium that deserved further investigation. The Field Administration of Stroke Therapy – Magnesium (FAST-MAG) trial has been specifically designed to test magnesium in the hyperacute time window by initiating therapy in the prehospital setting.
The Strategic Impact of an Iranian Nuclear Weapons Capability on Israel

This paper will address the likely strategic impact of an Iranian nuclear weapons capability on Israeli security, both in terms of the country’s regional standing within the Middle East, and in terms of its homeland security issues. It should be emphasized that an Iranian capacity to produce and deploy nuclear weapons in a fairly short period of time will have largely the same strategic impact on Israel as an already existing Iranian nuclear weapons capability because Iran will be able to claim that, by developing this capacity, it will be able to counter Israeli “aggression” in the Middle East, thus enhancing its prestige in the region and beyond. Moreover, an Iranian capability to develop and deploy nuclear weapons may embolden Iran to risk further confrontation with Israel, the United States, and America’s Arab allies because a nuclear weapons capability is likely to be perceived in Teheran, particularly by regime hardliners, as an insurance policy against a catastrophic attack on Iran that could threaten the regime’s hold on power. Finally, even if Iran does not actually build nuclear weapons, once it has the capacity to build them in a short period of time, Israel will need to think about the implications of their use against Israeli cities and what this means for its homeland security.
Neuromuscular physiology of the longitudinal muscle of the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris. 3. Mapping of motor fields.

1. The motor fields of individual segmental nerves have been mapped electrophysiologically in the longitudinal muscle of the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris. 2. The anterior pair of segmental nerves (SNI) innervates approximately the anterior two-thirds of its segment and a small portion of the segment just anterior to it. 3. The posterior pair of segmental nerves (SNII-III) innervates approximately the posterior two-thirds of its segment and a small portion of the segment just posterior to it. 4. Adjacent nerves (both intrasegmental and intersegmental) have partially overlapping motor fields; that is, adjacent segmental nerves innervate some of the same longitudinal muscle fibres.
Reflex speed recording. An aid in the diagnosis of thyroid disorders.

A Kinemometer was used to measure three time intervals of the Achilles tendon reflex complex in hyperthyroid and hypothyroid patients and in members of a control group. An average of the V-P interval (the last part of the contraction phase and the first part of the relaxation phase) for both legs compares favorably with results of standard thyroid function tests. Reflex speed recording is an excellent way to estimate the peripheral effect of thyroid hormones.
Status and strategy of hospital development of information based condition

The hospital informationization was the outcome of the calculator technique,network technique,management learn and medical science in Society development progress,Consumedly change the management style and workflow of hospital,become the essential condition of modern hospital development.The text main discussed that the information construction solved of actual problem,discussed that how do well the hospital information construction.
New Administrative Concerns: Hiring Off-The-Street Coaches—Staffing Salvation or Legal Liability?

Abstract Athletic departments are now in an era where the employment of part-time coaches has become a necessity in order to provide sufficient numbers of staff for their teams. Part-time coaches include any person who serves in a salaried and titled coaching position, either as an off-the-street coach (not a school employee) or as an in-house teacher for a grade or subject, who is assigned coaching duties. This need to employ part-time coaches comes at the same time that more athletes, when they become injured, are taking legal action against physical activity supervisors. Thus, the greater demand for coaches comes at a time when coaching decisions have greater consequences for employers. This article discusses the current status of coaches within the high school setting, the legal history of liability, and administrative policies which should enable schools to employ effectively both full-time staff members, certified to coach, and part-time coaches.
The "Puck" energetic charged particle detector: Design, heritage, and advancements.

Energetic charged particle detectors characterize a portion of the plasma distribution function that plays critical roles in some physical processes, from carrying the currents in planetary ring currents to weathering the surfaces of planetary objects. For several low-resource missions in the past, the need was recognized for a low-resource but highly capable, mass-species-discriminating energetic particle sensor that could also obtain angular distributions without motors or mechanical articulation. This need led to the development of a compact Energetic Particle Detector (EPD), known as the "Puck" EPD (short for hockey puck), that is capable of determining the flux, angular distribution, and composition of incident ions between an energy range of approximately 10 kiloelectronvolts to several megaelectronvolts. This sensor makes simultaneous angular measurements of electron fluxes from the tens of kiloelectronvolts to about 1 megaelectronvolt. The same measurements can be extended down to approximately 1 kiloelectronvolt per nucleon,with some composition ambiguity. These sensors have a proven flight heritage record that includes missions such as MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) and New Horizons, with multiple sensors on each of Juno, Van Allen Probes, and Magnetospheric Multiscale. In this review paper we discuss the Puck EPD design, its heritage, unexpected results from these past missions and future advancements. We also discuss high-voltage anomalies that are thought to be associated with the use of curved foils, which is a new foil manufacturing processes utilized on recent Puck EPD designs. Finally, we discuss the important role Puck EPDs can potentially play in upcoming missions.
A Programming Language for Sophisticated Robot Sensing and Sensor-Based Control

The versatility of a robotic system depends heavily on its sensing capability.(1–4) Without appropriate sensing provisions, the robot is not able to react to unpredictable events in its working environment. It can only succeed for fully prearranged tasks, and thus the tasks it can perform will be quite limited. To get beyond this restriction, powerful sensing capabilities are indispensable. With the advance of sensing technology, more and better sensors will be developed while the cost is reduced. Robotic systems equipped with more sensors are expected for the near future. The use of sensors also relaxes the absolute accuracy requirement of the robot mechanical constructs.(5) And this makes the robots even more cost-effective and attractive for use.
Visualizing turbulent flames using flamelet libraries

Abstract This paper presents a ray tracing visualization technique to generate realistic images of turbulent non-sooting hydrocarbon flames. The method uses flamelet libraries to reconstruct the flame structure in physical space, calculating the light emitted in the visual range of light emitting radicals present in the flame. The generated visualizations clearly convey the complex structure of turbulent flames and provide a vehicle for presenting complex simulations of turbulent flames to the general public.
Flow Cytometric Disease Monitoring in Patients with Multiple Myeloma Undergoing Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation: A Retrospective Study.

The persistence of abnormal neoplastic plasma cells (APC) detectable in the bone marrow by flow cytometry at more than 3 months after autografting for multiple myeloma (MM) has been reported to predict early disease progression. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the flow cytometric data from bone marrow aspirates of MM patients before and after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Light scatter properties and CD38 expression were used to identify plasma cells, and CD19/CD45/CD56 further distinguished normal plasma cells (NPC) from APC. Conventional response criteria (Blade criteria) and survival data were also collected. Forty-seven (47) patients treated with the same conditioning regimen were screened. Median follow up from ASCT was 19 months. After ASCT, 66% (31/47) patients achieved complete remission (CR)/very good partial remission (VGPR), as compared to only 36% (17/47) prior to ASCT. In 39 patients with data before and after ASCT, all 39 (100%) had a detectable abnormal plasma cell population identified phenotypically by flow cytometry prior to ASCT. Of these patient, 18/39 (46%) had greater than 30 APC and these patients had significantly shorter PFS independent of other covariates (1-sided P=0.036, 2 sided P=0.072, logrank). Twenty-six out of 39 patients (67%) also had detectable NPC. Following ASCT, the number of patients with detectable NPC increased to 35/39 (89%), while 3/39 (8%) had no detectable NPC and 1/39 (3%) had neither NPC or APC. The proportion of APC decreased significantly after transplant (81% prior to transplant vs. 59% post-transplant, P=0.008, 2 tailed t-test). Patients with a APC to NPC ratio 30) prior to transplant appears to correlate with poorer PFS in MM patients.
Subgroup identification of early preterm birth (ePTB): informing a future prospective enrichment clinical trial design

Despite the widely recognized association between the severity of early preterm birth (ePTB) and its related severe diseases, little is known about the potential risk factors of ePTB and the sub-population with high risk of ePTB. Moreover, motivated by a future confirmatory clinical trial to identify whether supplementing pregnant women with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has a different effect on the risk subgroup population or not in terms of ePTB prevalence, this study aims to identify potential risk subgroups and risk factors for ePTB, defined as babies born less than 34 weeks of gestation. The analysis data (N = 3,994,872) were obtained from CDC and NCHS’ 2014 Natality public data file. The sample was split into independent training and validation cohorts for model generation and model assessment, respectively. Logistic regression and CART models were used to examine potential ePTB risk predictors and their interactions, including mothers’ age, nativity, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, education, pre-pregnancy smoking status, pre-pregnancy BMI, pre-pregnancy diabetes status, pre-pregnancy hypertension status, previous preterm birth status, infertility treatment usage status, fertility enhancing drug usage status, and delivery payment source. Both logistic regression models with either 14 or 10 ePTB risk factors produced the same C-index (0.646) based on the training cohort. The C-index of the logistic regression model based on 10 predictors was 0.645 for the validation cohort. Both C-indexes indicated a good discrimination and acceptable model fit. The CART model identified preterm birth history and race as the most important risk factors, and revealed that the subgroup with a preterm birth history and a race designation as Black had the highest risk for ePTB. The c-index and misclassification rate were 0.579 and 0.034 for the training cohort, and 0.578 and 0.034 for the validation cohort, respectively. This study revealed 14 maternal characteristic variables that reliably identified risk for ePTB through either logistic regression model and/or a CART model. Moreover, both models efficiently identify risk subgroups for further enrichment clinical trial design.
Politically Motivated Readings of the Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is arguably the most important document in American politics. It is recognized by many as the founding document of the United States and lauded for continuing to have ideological significance in modern politics. However, there are others who would argue that the Declaration of Independence is certainly an important historical document, yet deserves to remain a part of history and has no bearing on modern politics, the future of American politics or continuing political ideology. Regardless of the opinions held, the Declaration of Independence undoubtedly is being used in modern politics by both conservative and liberal political thinkers as a means to justify political platforms. Interpreting Independence: Rewriting America through Readings of the Declaration of Independence (Chapter 3 - Natural Law & Conservative Declarationism) by Jessica Brand is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Tuning elastic wave propagation in multistable architected materials

Abstract In this paper, we analyze the propagation of elastic waves of small amplitudes in reconfigurable architected materials formed by a one-dimensional chain of bistable unit cells. Due to the bistability of the unit cells, these architected materials have multiple stable configurations. Using finite element models, we determine the dispersion relations and band gaps for the propagation of elastic waves in the undeformed and fully deformed stable configurations. Numerical results demonstrate that each of these two configurations has unique dispersion relations; in particular, low frequency band gaps emerge in the deformed configuration when the values of the design parameters are chosen to make the unit cell close to the limit between monostable and bistable behaviors. In order to obtain a deterministic sequence of multiple stable deformed configurations when an external stimulus is applied, multimaterial systems that consist of unit cells with different Young’s modulus are considered. A reduced order model based on a one-dimensional lattice is developed to interpret and explain the emergence of low frequency band gaps in intermediate stable configurations in which some unit cells are undeformed while others are deformed. Simulations for systems of finite size demonstrate that applying a compressive deformation can be used to switch on and off the propagation of elastic waves in the frequency ranges that correspond to the band gaps, such that these materials might find applications as acoustic switches.
Separating Bulk and Surface Contributions to Electronic Excited-State Processes in Hybrid Mixed Perovskite Thin Films via Multimodal All-Optical Imaging

A comprehensive understanding of electronic excited-state phenomena underlying the impressive performance of solution-processed hybrid halide perovskite solar cells requires access to both spatially resolved electronic processes and corresponding sample morphological characteristics. Here, we demonstrate an all-optical multimodal imaging approach that enables us to obtain both electronic excited-state and morphological information on a single optical microscope platform with simultaneous high temporal and spatial resolution. Specifically, images were acquired for the same region of interest in thin films of chloride containing mixed lead halide perovskites (CH3NH3PbI3–xClx) using femtosecond transient absorption, time-integrated photoluminescence, confocal reflectance, and transmission microscopies. Comprehensive image analysis revealed the presence of surface- and bulk-dominated contributions to the various images, which describe either spatially dependent electronic excited-state properties or morpholog...
Consent and engagement, security, and authentic living using wearable and mobile health technology.

Consent and engagement, security, and authentic living using wearable and mobile health technology
Ultrasound curriculum taught by first-year medical students: A four-year experience in Tanzania

Author(s): Denny, Sean P; Minteer, William B; Fenning, Reece TH; Aggarwal, Sahil; Lee, Debora H; Raja, Shella K; Raman, Kaavya R; Farfel, Allison O; Patel, Priya A; MarkLieber; Bernstein, Megan E; Lahham, Shadi; Fox, John C | Abstract: BACKGROUND:Diagnostic imaging is an integral aspect of care that is often insufficient, if not altogether absent, in rural and remote regions of low to middle income countries (LMICs) such as Tanzania. The introduction of ultrasound can significantly impact treatment in these countries due to its portability, low cost, safety, and usefulness in various medical assessments. This study reviews the implementation of a four-week ultrasound course administered annually from 2013-2016 in a healthcare professional school in Mwanza, Tanzania by first-year allopathic US medical students. METHODS:Participants (n=582, over 4 years) were recruited from the Tandabui Institute of Health Sciences and Technology to take the ultrasound course. Subjects were predominantly clinical officer students, but other participants included other healthcare professional students, practicing healthcare professionals, and school employees. Data collected includes pre-course examination scores, post-course examination scores, course quiz scores, demographic surveys, and post-course feedback surveys. Data was analyzed using two-tailed t-tests and the single factor analysis of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS:For all participants who completed both the pre- and post-course examinations (n=229, 39.1% of the total recruited), there was a significant mean improvement in their ultrasound knowledge of 42.5%, Pl0.01. CONCLUSION:Our data suggests that trained first-year medical students can effectively teach a point of care ultrasound course to healthcare professional students within four weeks in Tanzania. Future investigation into the level of long-term knowledge retention, impact of ultrasound training on knowledge of human anatomy and diagnostic capabilities, and how expansion of an ultrasound curriculum has impacted access to care in rural Tanzania is warranted.
Exhaled breath markers in COPD

The need to monitor inflammation in the lungs has led to the exploration of exhaled gases and condensates, that may assist in differential diagnosis of pulmonary diseases, assessment of disease severity and response to treatment [1, 2, 3]. A proof-ofconcept study often will involve an examination of effects on a surrogate marker that is not guaranteed to produce a quick readout, such as effects on, for example neutrophilia or neutrophil activation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Round and Round the Mitral Valve We Go: The Quest for Effective Transcatheter Mitral Valve Repair

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most prevalent valvular heart disease in the western world and is estimated to occur in up to 10% of the population older than 75 years of age.1 Although surgery is...
Geospatial Technologies in the Courtroom

The function of a court is to resolve disputes through a legal process. With few exceptions, the progression of a legal case will follow the strict guidelines of rules and codes developed from numerous court decisions to fairly and efficiently securing a just determination. All federal courts adhere to a flexible set of rules published in the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE ). The FRE provides rules and definitions governing general provisions, judicial notice, presumptions, relevance , privileges, witnesses , expert witnesses , hearsay , and authentication . However, there are as yet no special rules governing the use of geospatial technologies or spatial data . From a pragmatic legal perspective, spatial data differs immensely from the traditional form of evidence. However, the power of spatial information is extremely persuasive and compelling in litigation. While the acceptance of spatial data and methods has increased in litigation, there are also several issues that merit careful consideration when using spatial data. This chapter examines key rules and court decisions that impact the potential admissibility of spatial data and technologies in a modern courtroom.
DYT3, X-linked Dystonia-parkinsonism (Lubag)

X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP) or ‘Lubag’ is an X-linked recessive disorder primarily seen among Filipino men. This article presents the history, clinical features, genetics, diagnosis, and treatment of XDP.
Organic carbon and nitrogen geochemistry of Black Sea surface sediments from stations spanning the oxic:anoxic boundary

A new method for determining organic carbon and total nitrogen in calcitic sediments is described and was employed in a study of Black Sea sediment samples from a transect of five proximal stations which crossed the depth where the water column oxycline impinged on the shelf. Bottom waters ranged from anoxic and sulfidic to fully oxic, with a suboxic zone between. The samples were collected with the aim of clarifying the relative importance of oxygen availability to organic matter preservation. Surface fluff layer organic carbon and total nitrogen levels both dropped steadily from anoxic to oxic stations, but carbon to nitrogen ratios increased due to preferential loss of a nitrogen-rich component. The source of organic matter appears constant across the transect, and both the bulk organic matter and diagenetic substrate are predominantly marine. Core profiles from oxic and anoxic stations displayed major differences in shape and in the depth extension of diagenesis. Distinct midcore transitions in carbon and nitrogen levels at two suboxic stations appear to be linked to changes from oxic to current suboxic bottom water conditions, arising from a shoaling water column oxycline. Profile differences result from degradation of a substrate which becomes progressively more nitrogen-depleted. Collectively, the results suggest that oxygen availability may play an independent role in organic matter preservation, but remain equivocal due to spatial heterogeneity of sediment accumulation rates and bioturbation.
Forced Submersion and Circulation

Considering the ready accessibility of the domestic mallard, it is not surprising that it was the first subject of study of forced submersions. It is also a curious twist that the domestic mallard is derived not from a diving duck, but a dabbler, a species that feeds just below the surface in puddles, shallow ponds, or small streams. So much of our first information, as well as a good deal of later data on “diving” physiology, first came from a nondiver. Yet, for unknown evolutionary reasons this bird has remarkable tolerance to asphyxia, and has provided a considerable body of useful information about asphyxial reflexes. An extensive review of the contribution duck studies played in assessing asphyxial defense responses is presented by Andersen (1966), an investigator who himself made a significant impact on diving physiology by studying the domestic mallard. The review of Andersen has now been extended considerably by others, and Jones and Furilla (1987) in particular have presented a broader review on birds, but still with emphasis on the domestic mallard. In this work many of the ideas dealt with are discussed in this and later chapters.
Pedro Mexía e le varie lezioni di Plutarco

Aquest article recull i analitza l'us de les Vidas paralelas en la Silva de varia leccion (1540) de Pedro Mexia, contextualitzant-lo en el creixent interes per la figura de Plutarc al llarg de la primera meitat del segle XVI. Mexia, a diferencia de la predileccio generalitzada per l'obra moral, s’inclina pel vessant historic, encara que sempre persisteix el caracter exemplar de les biografies. A mes, per tractar-se d'un intel·lectual que desconeixia el grec, es planteja l'origen de les seves fonts, barallant una doble solucio que implicaria la consulta d'una traduccio llatina i possiblement una traduccio en vulgar.