cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stable torsion radicals over FBN rings

Gabriel [9] called a localizing subcategory stable if it is closed under injective envelopes. (In this case, the associated torsion radical or torsion theory is also said to be stable.) He showed that over a commutative Noetherian ring R every localizing subcategory of R-Mod is stable. He noted the connections between stability and the Artin-Rees property for ideals, and considered the stability of the localizing subcategory generated by the class of simple modules. Papp [18] studied Noetherian rings for which every localizing subcategory is stable, and Louden [16] utilized stable torsion radicals to define a sheaf over the spectrum of an FBN ring. This paper gives a characterization of stable torsion radicals over left FBN rings. The equivalent conditions stated in Theorem 1.2 exhibit the connections with the Artin-Rees property and with the notion of ideal invariance introduced by Robson [19]. Over an FBN ring, there is a natural correspondence between torsion radicals in R-Mod and those in Mod-R. In Theorem 1.6 it is shown that corresponding torsion radicals are both stable if and only if they are both ideal invariant, and that such torsion radicals correspond to the biradicals defined by Jategaonkar [12], and thus to the link-closed hereditary sets of prime ideals in the sense of Miiller [17]. Finally, it is shown that every torsion radical over an FBN ring is stable if and only if every prime ideal is localizable. In the second section of the paper, applications are given to the study of certain specific torsion radicals. For a left FBN ring, necessary and sufficient conditions are given under which any finitely generated essential extension of a module of Krull dimension at most a again has Krull dimension at most a. These conditions can be checked easily for an FBN ring or for a left Noetherian ring integral over its center, yielding a unified approach to certain results of Jategaonkar [13] and Chamarie and Hudry [5]. Finally, the results in the first section are applied to determine several conditions under which finitely generated essential extensions of Artinian modules are again Artinian, extending a result of Ginn and Moss [lo].
Man-machine natural language exchanges based on selected features of unrestricted input. II. The use of the time-shared computer as a research tool in studying dyadic communication.

INTRODUCTION RECENT developments in compyter technology and programming have permitted the refinement of on-line control by computer of natural language input-output machines-7 It is now possible for a computer to accept essentially unrestricted types of natural language input and use such input to select or assemble a typed natural language response which appears on the output machine in about the same time that it would take a human to respond to a similar natural language statement.8 Although the superficial similarity between such conversations and those actually occurring between human beings can be remarkable to both human participants and to observers, most programs accepting unrestricted input at the present time generate plausible responses without recognizing many of the available cues in the input message or without making the selection of responses conditional on the enormously complex decision processes of a human brain. The plausible conversation which can be generated by these machines often leads to disputes over the alleged intelligence of the computer. Such disagreement may distract attention from the important contributions such a machine may make to the understanding of communication. For each computer program is a simplified model of dyadic communication and may greatly assist in theory construction and testing. Thinking in terms of models,
System Analysis of Semi-Markov Processes

Flow graph analysis has proved a valuable approach to the study of probabilistic systems. This paper extends the analytic procedures to semi-Markov processes, Markov processes whose transition times can also be arbitrary random variables. First we present the basic theory of the semi-Markov process. We derive expressions for the interval transition probabilities, the probabilities that the system will be in each state after the passage of a time interval of length t, and find the limit of these probabilities when t is large. Then we develop the flow graph interpretation of these relations. We consider the special cases of counting transitions, transient processes, and first passage times. We investigate the effect on interval transition probabilities of starting the process in different ways, including choosing a time at random to begin observation of the process. We find that results are often most conveniently expressed by the matrix flow graph for the process.
A Bookless Library, Part I: Relocating Print Materials to Off-Site Storage

This article presents an analysis of the feasibility of a bookless library in a research setting. As spaces for collections are being converted for increased study and community spaces, many libraries have been moving low-use collections to off-site storage. Issues regarding the types of storage spaces available are addressed. Concerns and solutions addressed include electronic availability, virtual browsing, and efficient interlibrary loan services. The article concludes that although moving all materials off site could be adequate for research needs on a short-term basis, the permanent removal of all materials would be undesirable due to a loss of discovery by browsing.
Art and Woman as Thresholds of the Sublime: the Gendered Limits of "the Method of BETWEEN" in Godard's Passion

In the 1980s, Jean-Luc Godard embarked on an exploration of the relationship between the mundane and the sublime that spanned three films: Passion (1982), Prenom: Carmen (1983), and Je vous salue Marie (1985). The first of these works shows the power of cinema to create a space where the two spheres converge. This is achieved through the use of what Gilles Deleuze termed the "method of BETWEEN", an approach to montage and sound editing that dismantles oppositions and emphasizes "betweenness" while preserving alterity. This article examines Godard's use of this method in Passion, where the investigation of its potential also reveals its limits, found in the film's treatment of gender difference. While the film productively reconfigures the relationship between art, the sublime, and the mundane, it upholds the problematic equation of women with mystery, presenting Woman as a threshold to the sacred.
The Role of Defects in the Quantum Size Effect

Abstract Many macroscopic properties of films exhibit an oscillatory dependence on thickness when the thickness is comparable with the de Broglie wavelength of an electron at the Fermi surface. This behavior is called the quantum size effect. In this paper the influence of defects in thin semimetal films on the electrical conductivity is explored by extending the work of Sandomirskiǐ to include a scattering potential of finite range. An isotropic sample bounded by infinitely high potential walls is assumed, and the Greenwood-Peierls formula is the starting point for this calculation. The potential selected and the approach taken allow the conductivity to be calculated with correction terms which have not previously been given. Within this model the calculations show that for δ-function scattering, Sandomirskiĭ's results are exact. Compared with Sandomirskiĭ's work, the calculations in this paper predict a reduction in the amplitude of the oscillations in addition to an overall decrease in the conductivity. A physical explanation of the results is given.
Visitors' Perceptions of a Trail Environment and Effects on Experiences: A Model for Nature-Based Recreation Experiences

The purpose of this study is to examine visitors' perceptions and to determine how these perceptions affect their recreation experiences along a segment of the Appalachian Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The study consisted of two parts—a visitor employed photography exercise and a posttrip interview. Analysis of the photographs and photograph logs show that participants noticed both negative and positive aspects of the trail environment. Five perceptual themes emerged from the interviews: nature-oriented details, scenic values, management influences, presence of other people, and depreciative behavior. Analyses indicate that these elements did not detract from participants' overall outdoor experiences. A model based on the study's findings is proposed to guide future visitor behavior research.
Alternate Possibilities and Responsibility

Examinant la critique recente des exemples de Frankfurt developpee par C. Ginet, l'A. refute le principe des possibilites alternatives comme condition de la responsabilite morale, a partir de deux arguments fondes sur la motivation inconsciente et sur les troubles multiples de la personnalite.
Retrospective local artefacts detection in diffusion-weighted images using the Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) paradigm

Robust estimation of diffusion models in presence of local artefacts that corrupt only a subset of gradient directions is essential in diffusion weighted imaging to accurately assess the brain connectivity and white-matter characteristics. In this work we investigate the estimation of diffusion tensors in the Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) paradigm. First, we show that it enables robust estimation to artefacts such as patient motion during the images' acquisition and local signal loss due to the vibration artefact. Second, it provides us with a set containing only the reliable gradient directions at each voxel. This may enable robust but computationally efficient estimation of more complicated diffusion models by considering only the gradient directions identified as reliable at each voxel from the RANSAC tensor estimation.
Altering embryonic cardiac dynamics with optical pacing

Several studies have shown that altering blood flow early in development leads to congenital heart defects. In these studies the perturbations to hemodynamics were very gross manipulations (vessel ligation, conotruncal banding, etc.) that would be inappropriate for probing the delicate mechanisms responsible for mechanically-transduced signaling. Also, these perturbations lacked feedback from a monitoring system to determine the exact degree of alteration and the location of its effect. Here, we employed optical pacing (OP) to alter the heart rate in quail embryos and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure the resultant shear forces on the endocardium. OP is a new technique utilizing pulsed 1.851 µm infrared laser light to noninvasively capture the heart rate to the pulse frequency of the laser without the use of exogenous agents. To measure shear stress on the endocardium, we extended our previous OCT algorithms to enable the production of 4-D shear maps. 4-D shear maps allowed observation of the spatial and temporal distribution of shear stress. Employing both OCT and OP, we were able to develop perturbation protocols that increase regurgitant flow and greatly modify the oscillatory shear index (OSI) in a region of the heart tube where future valves will develop. Regurgitant flow has been linked with valve development and precise perturbations may allow one to determine the role of hemodynamics in valvulogenesis.
Thermoelectric and bulk mobility measurements in pentacene thin films

Low-noise thermoelectric and electrical measurements were used to derive the dependences of Seebeck coefficient and hole mobility on carrier concentration and grain size in the “bulk” regions of thermally evaporated pentacene thin films (in contrast to the channel field-effect mobility typically measured using thin-film transistor geometries). Distinct charge transport regimes were observed for larger (0.5 and 0.8 μ m ) and smaller ( 0.2 μ m ) grain sizes, attributed to carrier-dopant scattering and percolation, respectively.
Increased impedance to inspiration ameliorates hemodynamic changes associated with movement to upright posture in orthostatic hypotension: a randomized blinded pilot study.

Background Movement to upright posture may result in marked drop of blood pressure with susceptibility to injury from syncope and falls in patients with orthostatic hypotension. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine if increasing negative intrathoracic pressure by using an inspiratory impedance threshold device before change of posture diminishes blood pressure fall by enhancing venous return. Methods Eighteen healthy subjects and 22 orthostatic hypotension patients were randomized to either an active (impedance 7 cmH2O) or sham (no inspiratory impedance) impedance threshold device. Arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and estimated stroke volume and total peripheral resistance were recorded in the supine and upright postures using a noninvasive finger arterial blood pressure monitor. After a rest period, the alternate impedance threshold device (sham or active) was tested in each individual. Results Compared with the sham impedance threshold device test, the active impedance threshold device resulted in significant reduction in the magnitude of upright posture-induced fall in blood pressure and a greater increase of total peripheral resistance after standing in both healthy subjects and orthostatic hypotension patients. Stroke volume was not measurably altered. Among all subjects who exhibited a postural blood pressure drop >10 mmHg on the day of study, active impedance threshold device treatment consistently blunted blood pressure fall during the initial 100 seconds after standing ( Conclusion Enhancing impedance to inspiration may prove useful as adjunctive therapy for diminishing symptoms associated with movement to upright posture in individuals with orthostatic hypotension.
Golgi-mediated vacuolar sorting in plant cells: RMR proteins are sorting receptors for the protein aggregation/membrane internalization pathway

Abstract The mechanism by which storage proteins carrying C-terminal vacuolar sorting determinants (ctVSDs) are sorted to vacuoles in plant cells has been controversial, and some reports suggest that receptors of the BP80/AtVSR family are responsible. Here we show that an Arabidopsis receptor homology-transmembrane-RING H2 (RMR) protein binds specifically the tobacco chitinase ctVSD both in vitro and in vivo, but not the proaleurain sequence-specific vacuolar sorting determinant (ssVSD). In contrast, BP80 binds the proaleurain ssVSD but not the chitinase ctVSD in vivo. In co-expression studies with red- and green-tagged forms of reporter proteins carrying the RMR or BP80 cytoplasmic tails, RMR protein and BP80 do not co-localize, as compared to BP80–AtVSR1 or RMR–RMR co-expressions. RMR protein co-localizes with the green fluorescent protein–chitinase ctVSD reporter while AtVSR1 does not. In transient expression experiments, reporters with the RMR protein cytoplasmic tail are internalized into vacuoles while those carrying the BP80 or AtVSR1 cytoplasmic tails are not. We propose that aggregation of soluble proteins carrying a ctVSD is accompanied by RMR binding and membrane internalization. Binding of aggregates would explain how the RMR protein, which does not recycle back to the Golgi, could serve as an efficient sorting receptor.
Comparison of pediatric appendicitis outcomes between teaching and nonteaching hospitals

Abstract Purpose The aim of the study was to determine the outcomes of pediatric appendicitis between a teaching and nonteaching institution. Methods A retrospective review of all patients younger than 18 years treated for appendicitis between 1998 and 2007 was performed. The teaching institution has its own general surgery residency program, and the nonteaching institution has no surgical resident involvement. Both hospitals are part of a larger system and were similar except for resident involvement. Study outcomes included postoperative morbidity and length of hospitalization (LOH). Patients with perforated appendicitis treated nonoperatively were excluded. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum test and χ 2 analysis with P Results Seven hundred ninety-two patients were treated at the teaching institution (mean age, 10.9 years; 62% male) and 1670 at the nonteaching institution (mean age, 11 years; 61% male). The perforated appendicitis rate was 31% at the teaching institution and 26% at the nonteaching institution ( P = .008). Forty-five patients at the teaching institution and 14 at the nonteaching institution with perforated appendicitis were treated nonoperatively and excluded. For nonperforated appendicitis, despite similar rates of postoperative wound infection, abscess drainage, and readmission within 30 days between the 2 institutions, LOH was shorter in the teaching institution (1.4 ± 1.0 vs 1.8 ± 1.4 days; P Conclusions Children with nonperforated appendicitis cared for at a teaching institution had similar postoperative morbidity and shorter LOH compared to a nonteaching institution. In patients with perforated appendicitis, postoperative morbidity and LOH were similar between teaching and nonteaching institutions. Overall, the presence of surgical trainees did not adversely impact on the quality of care for children with appendicitis.
The Physiological Role of Relaxin in the Pregnant Rat. III. The Influence of Relaxin on Cervical Extensibility

Cervices from day 18 (D18) intact pregnant rats show significantly greater extensibility and ability to accommodate to extension than cervices from D9 pregnant rats. On D22, cervices from intact pregnant rats show even greater extensibility and accommodation to stretch. Cervices from ovariet mized pregnant rats treated with estrogen (E) and progesterone (P; group OPE) show markedly reduced extensibility and ability to accommodate to stretch compared with intact pregnant cervical tissue (group C) on both D18 and D22. Extensibility of group OPE cervices resembles that of cervices from D9 intact pregnant rats. Cervices from ovariectomized pregnant rats treated with E, porcine relaxin (R), and P (group OPER) or porcine R and P (group OPR) exhibit similar extensibility and ability to accommodate to stretch as cervices from intact pregnant rats on both D18 and D22. The importance of R for cervical softening during pregnancy and its interaction with E near term and during parturition are discussed. (Endocrinolog...
Global Solutions for a Nonconvex Nonconcave Rail Network Model

This paper is concerned with developing long-range planning models of transportation systems to assist planners in assessing the impact of various levels of service in a transportation network. Railroad distribution networks are studied in particular, and emphasis is placed on the problem of determining optimal levels of service improvements, degradations, abandonments on each arc in the existing network. The problem is to optimally design a transportation system: the term “design” as used here, does not comprehend new networks, but more importantly, the optimization or “pruning” of existing transshipment networks. The model is formulated so that improvements to the shipping arcs are included as decision variables: The concave transshipment problem is extended to the case where coefficients of the shipping cost functions are treated as decision variables. Thus the model determines optimum movements of freight between nodes and optimum improvements/degradations to the network to minimize shipping costs plus maintenance costs on the shipping arcs. The result is a nonconvex, nonconcave transshipment problem which is then converted into a concave minimization problem for which global optimal solutions can be found. Several sample problems are solved.
Alterations of seed variables under storage in nitrous oxide (N2O) atmospheres for two recalcitrant Quercus species

Abstract Storage of recalcitrant seeds was, and still is, problematic. This study investigated the effects of nitrous oxide (N2O) on storage of recalcitrant oak seeds. Containers of Quercus alba and Quercus macrocarpa seeds were placed under three atmospheric treatments: air, 80/20% and 98/2% of N2O/oxygen. Every 2 weeks (total of 12 weeks), a sample of five seeds was used to evaluate seed respiration in each atmosphere. Another set of five seeds was used to determine moisture content, seed, pericarp and embryo fresh weight, and embryo dry weight. Germination percentage was evaluated based on a total of 50 seeds for each treatment and each sampling time. Analysis revealed a treatment effect on seed fresh weight and moisture content, with increased values for N2O treatments. Quercus alba had greater respiration than Q. macrocarpa. The percentage of germination for Q. alba showed a consistent pattern, while for Q. macrocarpa it gradually increased. Storage time had an effect on the mean values for most of t...
Cognitive Factors Associated with Nurses’ Successful Detection of Sepsis Versus Failure to Rescue

The objective of this study was to identify cognitive predictors of failure to rescue among acute care oncology nurses. Fifty-seven oncology nurses were video recorded as they monitored a patient developing a life threatening non-routine event in a high fidelity acute care hospital setting, in the case of this analysis– sepsis. Nurses who had higher levels of level 1 situation awareness (i.e., use limited data from the electronic health record and assessment findings) were more likely to detect sepsis and initiate an appropriate response. In the failure to rescue cases, the majority of errors occurred at the level of perception or level 1 situation awareness. Twenty percent of nurses who identified that the patient was septic, were not able to project the potential severity of the situation and apply appropriate interventions.
Rayleigh-Taylor instability in finite-thickness fluids with viscosity and surface tension

We consider the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in two finite-thickness fluids including the effects of viscosity and surface tension. The eight equations expressing boundary, continuity, and jump conditions imposed on the eigenfunction are written in the form MV=0 where M is an 8\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}8 matrix andV is a vector containing the eight coefficients that appear in the eigenfunction. Exact numerical results are obtained by solving det(M)=0, the dispersion relation which determines the growth rate \ensuremath{\gamma} as a function of the physical parameters of the system. For the case of a semi-infinite viscous fluid with a free surface the exact result is given analytically. We also derive an approximate analytic formula for arbitrary thicknesses, compare it with the exact results, and briefly discuss recent experiments on finite-thickness fluids. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Fabrication and investigation of nanostructures on transition metal dichalcogenide surfaces using a scanning tunneling microscope.

Nanometer-scale holes have been fabricated on the surfaces of the semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) by applying voltage pulses from the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) operating in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). It was found that the tip geometry (tip shape and sharpness) influences the formation and structure of the atomic-scale nanostructures. Threshold voltage ranges for the surface modification of MoTe2 (3.0 ± 0.3 V) and MoS2 (3.4 ± 0.3 V) were determined. Negative sample voltage pulses applied to a p-type MoTe2 surface produced much larger and deeper nanometer-scale holes when compared with those produced by positive voltage pulses. The existence of threshold voltages and the pulse polarity dependence of nanostructure fabrication suggests that an electric field evaporation mechanism is applicable. Support for this mechanism was obtained by nanostructuring metallic TMDC NbSe2, where both the produced features an...
Mitotic DNA damage and replication checkpoints in yeast

Studies of the genetics of G2/M checkpoints in budding and fission yeasts have produced many of the defining concepts of checkpoint biology. Recent progress in the biochemistry of the checkpoint gene products is adding a mechanistic understanding to our models and identifying the components of the normal cell cycle machinery that are targeted by checkpoints.
Kinetic properties of guard-cell phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase.

Summary The pivotal role of guard-cell phospho enol pyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in stomatal function is discussed. Appropriate tissue sources for this enzyme are suggested. The few kinetic data for guard-cell PEPC are compared with each other and to those of other PEPC's. Finally, an attempt is made to place these findings in the context of guard-cell cytoplasm. Directions for future research are indicated.
The Hypotensive Actions of Osteogenic and Nonosteogenic Parathyroid Hormone Fragments

Parathyroid hormone (PTH), hPTH-(1-84), and its hPTH-(1-34), hPTH-(1-31)NH2, and hPTH-(1-30)NH2 fragments reduced the tail artery pressure in anesthetized female Sprague-Dawley rats by 42.4–67.1% within about 1 minute after injection into a femoral vein, but reduced the pressure by only 8.5–36.2% 2–19 minutes after subcutaneous injection. hPTH-(1-84) and hPTH-(1-34) stimulate both adenylyl cyclase and phospholipase-C in their target cells, but the hypotensive action must have been stimulated specifically by adenylyl cyclase activation, because hPTH-(1-30)NH2 and hPTH-(1-31)NH2, which can only stimulate adenylyl cyclase, were potently hypotensive when injected intravenously whereas hPTH-(7-84), which can only stimulate phospholipase-C, was not significantly hypotensive when injected intravenously. Since PTH's osteogenic action is also mediated by adenylyl cyclase stimulation, it was expected that the hypotensive response might be used to screen new PTH constructs for possible osteogenicity. Indeed, the osteogenic activities of subcutaneously injected hPTH-(1-31)NH2, hPTH-(1-34), and hPTH-(1-84) correlated closely to their hypotensive activities, with hPTH-(1-34) being much more hypotensive and significantly more osteogenic than the other two molecules. hPTH-(1-31)NH2 and hPTH-(1-84) were equally osteogenic and hypotensive. However, this correlation broke down with hPTH-(1-30)NH2 which does not stimulate bone formation, but in the present study it stimulated adenylyl cyclase and reduced tail artery pressure almost as much as hPTH-(1-31)NH2 and hPTH-(1-34). Nevertheless, the ability to significantly reduce arterial pressure is a common property of osteogenic PTH and PTH fragments and is thus a rapidly determinable preliminary indicator of in vivo bioactivity of PTH fragments.
Real-time control of hind limb functional electrical stimulation using feedback from dorsal root ganglia recordings.

Objective. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) approaches often utilize an open-loop controller to drive state transitions. The addition of sensory feedback may allow for closed-loop control that can respond effectively to perturbations and muscle fatigue. Approach. We evaluated the use of natural sensory nerve signals obtained with penetrating microelectrode arrays in lumbar dorsal root ganglia (DRG) as real-time feedback for closed-loop control of FES-generated hind limb stepping in anesthetized cats. Main results. Leg position feedback was obtained in near real-time at 50 ms intervals by decoding the firing rates of more than 120 DRG neurons recorded simultaneously. Over 5 m of effective linear distance was traversed during closed-loop stepping trials in each of two cats. The controller compensated effectively for perturbations in the stepping path when DRG sensory feedback was provided. The presence of stimulation artifacts and the quality of DRG unit sorting did not significantly affect the accuracy of leg position feedback obtained from the linear decoding model as long as at least 20 DRG units were included in the model. Significance. This work demonstrates the feasibility and utility of closed-loop FES control based on natural neural sensors. Further work is needed to improve the controller and electrode technologies and to evaluate long-term viability.
A Random-Walk Approach to Interference

In this paper we sketch a probabilistic particle approach requiring no separate concept of wave to obtain interference. We describe in some detail how things work from a physical standpoint and show with a number of figures how the standard wave concepts are developed from purely particle random walks. For the wave concepts we have in each case a matching probability concept. The preliminary theory developed here is qualitative and stresses the physical character of the assumptions. In particular, we show that the periodic behavior of light is derived from the source and not from individual photons.
Mutagens in cooked foods

(1984). Mutagens in cooked foods. Journal of Environmental Science and Health. Part C: Environmental Carcinogenesis Reviews: Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 1-49.
Data processing people—Are they really different?

Abstract Personality profiles of 202 data processing personnel are presented using Murray's Variables of Personality. Comparisons are made of the DP males and females with their general population counterparts, as well as the DP means of the study. DP males and females were found to possess remarkably similar personality profiles. DP males possess high needs for endurance, achievement, cognitive structure , and harm-avoidance ; low needs for aggression and social recognition . DP females possess high needs for achievement, cognitive structure , and endurance ; a low need for affiliation .
Design and performance evaluation of NUMA-aware RDMA-based end-to-end data transfer systems

Data-intensive applications place stringent requirements on the performance of both back-end storage systems and front-end network interfaces. However, for ultra high-speed data transfer, for example, at 100 Gbps and higher, the effects of multiple bottlenecks along a full end-to-end path, have not been resolved efficiently. In this paper, we describe our implementation of an end-to-end data transfer software at such high-speeds. At the back-end, we construct a storage area network with the iSCSI protocols, and utilize efficient RDMA technology. At the front-end, we design network communication software to transfer data in parallel, and utilize NUMA techniques to maximize the performance of multiple network interfaces. We demonstrate that our system can deliver the full 100 Gbps end-to-end data transfer throughput. The software product is tested rigorously and demonstrated applicable to supporting various data-intensive applications that constantly move bulk data within and across data centers.
The Economic Predicament of Italian Renaissance Ambassadors

This article examines the character and sources of the many complaints about money heard in the dispatches of ambassadors in the second half of the fifteenth century in Italy. In a period when ambassadors increasingly served for long periods of time as residents in a single locale, infrequency of regular remuneration became commonplace, as Italian states, with their lengthening list of pecuniary obligations, were notoriously unreliable paymasters. This article suggests that the language of complaint reflected the dynamics of Renaissance patron-client relationships and the rhetorical conventions that were shaped both by the medieval ars dictaminis and humanistic topoi . While the laments could reflect real deprivation, ambassadorial service often provided a real path to office, influence and enrichment. It also demonstrates that the financial concerns of ambassadors differed whether they were short-term or long-term ambassadors, and whether they were sent by princely or republican regimes. Based on diplomatic correspondence of ambassadors from several Italian states, the essay argues that the economic situation of these diplomatic envoys is analogous to that of condottieri: both served the cash-strapped Renaissance territorial state in areas of activity where institutions were becoming permanent.
A multiple discriminant analysis of physician specialty choice.

Abstract Multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) is applied in this study to the problem of the maldistribution of physicians among specialities in the health care field. The criterion variable of specialty choice of physicians is analyzed using admissions, medical training, and practice data as predictor variables. The conceptual notion and functional relationships expected can be represented as: Specialty Choice= f 1 ( admissions variables )Specialty Choice= f 1 ( admissions , training , practice variables ).The results imply that the correct classification rate for the general practice-family practice group may be high enough to warrant the use of MDA as an aid to predicting the specialty choice of the medical school applicant. The prediction may be useful as a criterion for acceptance to medical school or as a measure for counseling medical students in the specialty selection process.
Combined tracheostomy and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is rapidly becoming the preferred method of long-term enteral access with minimal complications obviating the need for prolonged nasogastric or orogastric intubation. Tracheostomy is the accepted technique for long-term airway control, especially for protection against upper airway secretions and respiratory failure. Over a 14 month period, 73 percutaneous gastrostomies were inserted in 71 patients. Nine patients (12.6 percent) had previously undergone tracheostomy, and 13 patients (18.3 percent) underwent a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy immediately after tracheostomy. All procedures were performed under local anesthesia. The concomitant percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy added little time to the total procedure and was not associated with additional complications. Early experience with percutaneous gastrostomy indicates that a substantial number of patients (30.9 percent in the present study) also required tracheostomy. The tracheostomy and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy combination completely frees the nasopharynx of indwelling tubes. Concomitant percutaneous gastrostomy should be considered in patients undergoing tracheostomy.
Potential interference of HTLV-1 HBZ protein with the DNA damage response pathway

It takes decades after infection by HTLV-1 for an individual to develop adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. This disease is associated with increase genomic instability, due to an alteration of the DNA damage response of the infected cells. While this alteration has been attributed to the viral protein Tax, we found that the viral protein HBZ might also play a role in this process. In this study, we found that expression of HBZ in Jurkat cells increases the sensitivity of these cells to Etoposide treatment. Etoposide phosphate is an anticancer drug that induces DNA damage. This drug acts by forming a ternary complex with DNA and Topoisomerase II, leading to inhibition of the enzyme and creating double strand breaks. As a result, errors are incorporated into the DNA and the cells undergo apoptosis. We treated a stable cell line expressing HBZ, or the backbone vector, with 12.5μM Etoposide for 24 hrs. To determine the percentage of viable cells as well as cells in early or late apoptosis, we used a combination of Propidium iodide and Annexin V staining. Interestingly, we found that the cells expressing HBZ exhibit a 16% increase in total apoptotic cells and a13 % increase in late apoptotic cells compared to the cells expressing the backbone vector. This result suggests that HBZ increases DNA damage following Etoposide treatment. Current and future work investigates the effect of HBZ on other activators of the DNA damage response and tries to delineate the effect of HBZ on the regulation of the DNA damage response pathway.
Estimating the Impact of Currency Unions on Trade: Solving the Glick and Rose Puzzle

Does leaving a currency union reduce international trade? This paper uses a historical approach to re-examine the puzzling large apparent impact of currency unions on trade. I find that the early time series estimates were driven by the gradual decaying of colonial trade ties and other major geopolitical factors, including warfare, communist takeovers and ethnic cleansing episodes. My methodology, which carries lessons for other uses of gravity equations in policy analysis, yields point estimates of currency unions on trade that are not statistically distinct from zero.
A Computer System for Signal Analysis at a Remote Terminal

A computer system which is operated from a remote terminal has been developed at Battelle Memorial Institute, Pacific Northwest Laboratories, to perform Fourier-transform analysis on time data rapidly and accurately. As many as 512 samples can be taken at frequencies up to 20 kHz, or digital data can be read directly into the computer memory. Fourier transforms, cross spectra, and autospectra can be determined for real or complex data. Hardware in the system consists of the computer and its standard peripherals; a general interface, which is a nonstandard peripheral device developed at Battelle-Northwest; and the communication link between the computer and the remotely located user. Software in the system is highly modular and consists of control and mathematical subroutines. Mathematical operations performed are the fast Fourier transform, complex multiplication, and conjugation. Transforms for 512 points can be calculated in five seconds, and a single real signal can be sampled and digitized at 20 kHz. Example calculations show that frequency components with relative amplitude ranges of five decades can be easily recognized. Calculation noise is a factor of a million less than the largest frequency component measured. The remote terminal allows the user with a complex experiment to have full-time direct access to the computer, but the computer room is not cluttered with his special-purpose experimental apparatus.
A New Hypothesis for Microvascular Inflammation in Shock and Multiorgan Failure: Self-Digestion by Pancreatic Enzymes

Shock is accompanied by a severe inflammatory cascade in the microcirculation, the origin of which has been hypothesized in the past to be associated with specific mediators such as endotoxin, oxygen free radicals, nitric oxide, cytokines, and lipid products. But no intervention with clinical effectiveness has been derived from these ideas to date. The authors propose here a new hypothesis suggesting that degradative enzymes, synthesized in the pancreas as part of normal digestion, may play a central role in shock and multiorgan failure. These powerful enzymes have the ability to digest almost every biological material. Self-digestion (i.e. autodegradation) is prevented by compartmentalizing the fully activated degradative enzymes in the intestinal lumen by the mucosal barrier. In shock, maintenance of the mucosal barrier is impaired and it becomes permeable to pancreatic enzymes. Digestive enzymes thereby gain access to the wall of the intestine and initiate self-digestion of submucosal extracellular matrix proteins and interstitial cells. The process leads to generation and release of a host of strong inflammatory mediators. The authors hypothesize that inhibition of pancreatic enzymes in the lumen of tile intestine can serve to attenuate formation of these inflammatory mediators in ischemic tissues following hemorrhagic shock, and consequently prevent cell and tissue injury as well as multiorgan failure.
A Robust Sensorless Control Algorithm for Induction Generator Operating in Deep Flux Weakening Region

Compared with conventional field orientation control (FOC), the proposed algorithm achieves induction generator objectives using only one regulator based on the principle of indirect field orientation control. By means of direct control of the slip angular velocity and full utilization of the DC bus voltage, the currents projected onto the d- and q-axes are self tuned in high speed range without any conflicting regulations, resulting in stable and constant power delivering in a flux weakening level of 1/4.3. Moreover, the close-loop slip regulation automatically compensates errors from the estimation of the rotor flux angle and speed, and therefore makes the system robust. Simulation and experimental results on a 10 kW induction generator system are presented to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
TFTR ICRF generator systems

The design and performance of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) generators and the overall RF system which controls multiple sources to provide 10 MW of ICRF power to the TFTR are discussed. Two 3.0-MW amplifiers operating at 47 MHz were designed and built. Their design is discussed in detail. Two 2.0-MW amplifiers tunable over the 40 MHz to 80 MHz range were designed to upgrade systems originally built for use on the Fusion Materials Irradiation Test Facility (FMIT). Design details of these systems are shown along with the characteristics of an experimental tetrode vacuum tube, designated the X-2242, developed for these systems. Operation of several high-power RF sources into single or coupled antennas in the TFTR vacuum vessel requires tight phase and amplitude control of each source to achieve an impedance match to the plasma. The method of controlling the amplifiers using phase-locked loops and amplitude feedback loops around each amplifier system is shown in detailed block diagram form. Final performance characteristics for the amplifiers operating singly and in combination into dummy loads are presented. Several problems peculiar to tokamak plasma loads are discussed in regard to their effect on the design and performance of the high-power RF amplifiers. >
Monolithic nanoporous copper by dealloying Mn–Cu

Monolithic nanoporous copper was synthesized by dealloying Mn0.7Cu0.3 by two distinct methods: potentiostatically driven dealloying and free corrosion. Both the ligament size and morphology were found to be highly dependent on the dealloying methods and conditions. For example, ligaments from 16 nm–125 nm were obtained by dealloying either electrochemically or by free corrosion, respectively. Optimization of the starting Mn–Cu alloy microstructure allowed us to synthesize uniform porous structures; but we found cracking to be unavoidable. Despite the presence of unavoidable defects, the nanoporous material still exhibits higher than expected yield strength.
Thermal inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated at different depths of non-intact blade-tenderized beef steaks.

Studies evaluated thermal inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 inoculated at different depths of simulated blade- tenderized non-intact steaks. Fresh beef slices (0.3 or 0.6 cm thick) were stacked on top of each other to form 2.4 or 1.2 cm thick steaks. Steaks were blade-tenderized and then inoculated with rifampicin-resistant E. coli O157:H7 (8 strain mixture; 4 log CFU/cm 2 ) on the surface or between slices, vacuum-packaged, and stored at 4 or -20 ◦ C for 5 d before cooking. Steaks were cooked by pan-broiling or roasting to a geometric center temperature of 60 ◦ C. Frozen samples were either cooked from the frozen state or after thawing to approximately 4 or 25 ◦ C. In steaks inoculated on the external surface and cooked by pan-broiling, pathogen survivors recovered from thinner (1.2 cm) steaks were greater (P < 0.05) than those recovered from thicker (2.4 cm) steaks. Cooking steaks from a frozen state or after thawing (4 or 25 ◦ C) did not (P ≥ 0.05) affect extent of pathogen inactivation. Survivors after pan-broiling of 2.4 cm thick steaks increased (P <0.05) from 0.3 to 1.3 log CFU/cm 2 for surface-inoculated steaks to 2.5 to 3.2 log CFU/cm 2 for samples inoculated at the center (1.2 cm depth). In comparison, overall thermal destruction of the pathogen in steaks cooked by roasting was less, and survivor counts were generally not different (P ≥ 0.05) at each depth of inoculation. These data should be useful in development of lethality guidelines to ensure safe consumption of non-intact meat products.
Mental causation and the paradoxes of explanation

In this paper I will discuss Kim’s powerful explanatory exclusion argument against the causal efficacy of mental properties. Baker and Burge misconstrue Kim’s challenge if they understand it as being based on a purely metaphysical understanding of causation that has no grounding in an epistemological analysis of our successful scientific practices. As I will show, the emphasis on explanatory practices can only be effective in answering Kim if it is understood as being part of the dual-explanandum strategy. Furthermore, a fundamental problem of the contemporary debate about mental causation consists in the fact that all sides take very different examples to be paradigmatic for the relation between psychological and neurobiological explanations. Even if we should expect some alignment in the explanatory scope of neurobiology and psychology/folk-psychology, there is no reason to expect that all mental explanations are exempted by physical explanations, since they do not in general explain the same phenomena.
COMPUSEC, a personal view

This paper expresses a personal view of the state of computer security technology and its practice based on 20 years of experience. The paper contains a discussion of some of the events and concepts that have influenced the technology, a discussion of how computer system architectures have changed, creating gaps in our knowledge about how to design and certify multilevel secure computer systems, and a discussion about certain myths that have grown up about the design and implementation of multilevel systems. A personal assessment of our progress in computer security and a discussion about emerging system level computer security approaches are offered. >
Secure anonymous database search

There exist many large collections of private data that must be protected on behalf of the entities that hold them or the clients they serve. However, there are also often many legitimate reasons for sharing that data in a controlled manner. How can two parties decide to share data without prior knowledge of what data they have? For example, two intelligence agencies might be willing to cooperate by sharing documents about a specific case, and need a way of determining which documents might be of interest to each other.We introduce and address the problem of allowing such entities to search each other's data securely and anonymously. We aim to protect the content of the queries, as well as the content of documents unrelated to those queries, while concealing the identity of the participants. Although there exist systems for solving similar problems, to our knowledge we are the first to address this specific need and also the first to present a secure anonymous search system that is practical for real-time querying. In order to achieve this in an efficient manner, we make use of Bloom filters [5], definitions of security for deterministic encryption [22] that we adapt and instantiate in the private key setting and of a novel encryption primitive, reroutable encryption.