cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of supervised learning algorithms for telerobotic control using electromyography signals

Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is central for many applications, including hazardous environment inspection and telemedicine. Whereas traditional methods of HCI for teleoperating electromechanical systems include joysticks, levers, or buttons, our research focuses on using electromyography (EMG) signals to improve intuition and response time. An important challenge is to accurately and efficiently extract and map EMG signals to known position for real-time control. In this preliminary work, we compare the accuracy and real-time performance of several machine-learning techniques for recognizing specific arm positions. We present results from offline analysis, as well as end-to-end operation using a robotic arm.
Benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]difuran and furan substituted diketopyrrolopyrrole alternating copolymer for organic photovoltaics with high fill factor

In comparison to the conjugated polymers synthesized from thiophene or thiophene derivatives, furan and its derivatives are promising alternative building units due to their desirable properties such as smaller heteroatom size, more electronegative heteroatom, and larger dipole moment. Considering the advantages of furan units, conjugated polymers synthesized from furan and its derivatives show a higher degree of conjugation with reduced twisting between adjacent units, smaller π-stacking distance, and improved solubility. To date, despite research on polymers constructed from furan derivatives gaining attention, conjugated polymers made up of only furan or its derivatives are still rare. Herein, we report a new conjugated polymer, poly(4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)furan-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]difuran-alt-2,5-didodecyl-3,6-di(furan-2-yl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione), P(BDF-FDPP), for organic solar cells. The smaller oxygen atom in furan of P(BDF-FDPP) results in a planar conjugated backbone with negligible torsion (dihedral angle < 0.1°) determined by density functional theory. P(BDF-FDPP) exhibits broad absorption up to 940 nm with HOMO and LUMO located at −5.19 eV and −3.63 eV, respectively. Power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.55% with a high fill factor (FF) of 0.73 was obtained for the devices fabricated using DPE as an additive. The substantial changes in photovoltaic performance of the device fabricated with or without additives was further investigated with grazing incident wide-angle X-ray scattering, and transmission electron microscopy experiments. Preferential face-on orientation of P(BDF-FDPP) and sophisticated interpenetrated network for P(BDF-FDPP)/PC71BM blend films enabled relatively good PCEs and high FF in solar cell devices.
Nanopore Analysis of the 5-Guanidinohydantoin to Iminoallantoin Isomerization in Duplex DNA.

In DNA, guanine oxidation yields diastereomers of 5-guanidinohydantoin (Gh) as one of the major products. In nucleosides and single-stranded DNA, Gh is in a pH-dependent equilibrium with its constitutional isomer iminoallantoin (Ia). Herein, the isomerization reaction between Gh and Ia was monitored in duplex DNA using a protein nanopore by measuring the ionic current when duplex DNA interacts with the pore under an electrophoretic force. Monitoring current levels in this single-molecule method proved to be superior for analysis of population distributions in an equilibrating mixture of four isomers in duplex DNA as a function of pH. The results identified Gh as a major isomer observed when base paired with A, C, or G at pH 6.4–8.4, and Ia was a minor isomer of the reaction mixture that was only observed when the pH was >7.4 in the duplex DNA context. The present results suggest that Gh will be the dominant isomer in duplex DNA under physiological conditions regardless of the base-pairing partner in the d...
Explication to Performance

This chapter shows how non-photographic thought can be practiced or performed. We will see, in fact, that non-philosophy is a kind of performance art of philosophy. The chapter brings together many of the themes that have been explored thus far and combines them in a prose experiment.
Parallel rendering of human-computer interaction industrial applications on multi-/many-core platforms

Industrial Human Computer Interaction (Industrial HCI) devices are beginning the transition from single-core to multi-/many-core technology. In practice, improving the real-time response time of graphical user interface (GUI) applications in multi-/many-core is difficult. This paper presents a novel parallel rendering approach targeted to improve the performance of Industrial HCI applications in multi-/many-core technology. This is accomplished through the identification of coarse-grain parallelism during the application design, and the exploitation of fine-grain parallelism during runtime using a dynamic scheduling algorithm and true parallel execution of GUI workloads. Using a real benchmark application, we show that response time can be reduce by up to 217% in a quad-core processor.
A high performance web-based system for analyzing and visualizing spatiotemporal data for climate studies

Large amount of data are produced at different spatiotemporal scales by many sensors observing Earth and model simulations. Although advancements of contemporary technologies provide better solutions to access the spatiotemporal data, it is still a big challenge for researchers to easily extract information and knowledge from the data due to the data complexities of high dimensions, heterogeneity, distribution, large amount and frequently updating. This is especially true in climate studies, because climate data with coverage of the entire Earth and a long time period (such as 200 years) are often required to extract useful climate change information and patterns. A well-developed online visual analytical system has the potential to provide an efficient mechanism to bridge this gap. Using performance improving techniques for an online visual analytical system, we researched and developed a high performance Web-based system for spatiotemporal data visual analytics includes the following components: 1) a Spatial Data Registration Center for managing the big spatiotemporal data and enabling researchers to focus on analyses without worrying about data related issues such as format, management and storage; 2) a workflow for pre-generating and caching frequently requested data to reduce the server response time; and 3) a technique of "single data fetch, multiple analyses" to reduce both server response time and client response time; Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the prototype through a few use cases.
Decay Column Boundary Layer Formation in Maple

The wounding of sapwood in living trees results in a cascade of processes, including the formation of wound-initiated discoloration (Shigo, 1965). In three dimensions, this discoloration appears in the form of columns parallel to the stem axis with ragged, conical ends. All published reports indicate that in living trees, decayed wood only occurs in tissue that has undergone wound-initiated discoloration. The visible degree of discoloration and other features following wounding vary from one tree species to another. The size of wounds capable of inducing the decay process range from very small branch and root stubs to the mechanical breakage of main stems of adult trees.
Controversies in VTOS: How Long Should Anticoagulation Be Used in VTOS?

Anticoagulation is an important element in the management of most patients with VTOS. The use of anticoagulation should be tailored to the specific form of VTOS present, however, and modified according to the condition of the individual patient. In general, patients with non-thormbotic positional venous compression requires no anticoagulation. Those with acute axillosubclavian vein thrombosis require anticoagulation to prevent propagation of thrombus, reduce the risk of pulmonary embolus, and to reduce the risk of rethrombosis while awaiting decompression, and following this should be anticoagulated for 3 months. Patients with chronic venous occlusion do not require anticoagulation for safety, but long-term anticoagulation may be associated with spontaneous recanalization and thus can be considered.
Location Modeling and Covering Metrics

The field of location science is firmly rooted in several substantive developments, including the ground-breaking work of von Thunen (1826), Launhardt (1872), Weber (1909), Hotelling (1929), Hoover (1948, 1967), Christaller (1933), Losch (1954), Weiszfeld (1937), Isard (1956), Moses (1958), Cooper (1963, 1964), Manne (1964), Hakimi (1964, 1965), Buffa et al. (1964) and Toregas et al. (1971). These authors may be considered founding fathers of location science, and they dealt with problems involving the competitive uses of land and land allocation, the location of industrial and communication facilities, the spatial arrangement of retail centers across a landscape, the location of competitors and competition through pricing, the layout of factory space, and the early use of computers in structuring and solving location problems. Since these early contributions, the field has expanded into new areas of application, new theoretical models, specialized solution approaches, and conceptual/technical forms of modeling location decisions and representing the spatial domain within Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Finally, as the field of location science has matured so too have the applications in both the public and private sectors.
Unreasonable Rationality

This paper explores how fractional demands the optimal fraction of wealth invested in a security change upon exogenous changes in security returns and wealth. In the first part of the paper, the analysis is conducted in an Arrow-Debreu framework. Here we demonstrate the counterintuitive but completely rational result that fractional demands can remain unchanged or in fact decrease upon an exogenous increase in return. Furthermore, we show that this can occur without any offsetting wealth effect. In the second part of the paper, we apply these results to ordinary securities those composed of fixed portfolios of Arrow-Debreu securities. Here we derive a complete analytical solution and show that portfolio managers should beware. Even correct information that the return from holding an underlying pure security will improve is not sufficient to conclude that one should increase or decrease one's holdings of any particular stock.
Incorporating behavior into animal movement modeling: a constrained agent-based model for estimating visit probabilities in space-time prisms

Animal movement is a dynamic spatio-temporal process. While trajectory data reflect the instantaneous animal position in space and time, other factors influence movement decisions between these obs...
Subsidizing Economic Segregation

Economic segregation has increased over the past half century. The trend of rich localities getting richer while poor localities get poorer is particularly concerning because it limits upward mobility and perpetuates intergenerational income inequality. This Article makes the novel argument that the state and local tax deduction subsidizes economic segregation. It arrives at that conclusion by showing that the “local tax deduction” provides a greater subsidy, per capita, for wealthy, economically segregated localities because only those localities have a critical mass of wealthy taxpayers who claim the deduction. This allows wealthy localities, but not poor localities, to provide services at a cost less than face value to their residents. This Article argues that the deduction’s subsidy for wealthy localities rewards and likely contributes to economic segregation because it provides an incentive for the wealthy to segregate into wealthy, subsidized localities over less segregated and less subsidized localities. This Article’s analysis and arguments are particularly relevant in light of recent controversy surrounding the state and local tax deduction, including the new $10,000 limit on the deduction, efforts to circumvent this limitation, and Congressional proposals to reform it.
Outcomes of Metabolic Resuscitation Using Ascorbic Acid, Thiamine, and Glucocorticoids in the Early Treatment of Sepsis: The ORANGES Trial

Background Sepsis is a major public health burden resulting in 25% to 30% in-hospital mortality and accounting for over 20 billion dollars of US hospital costs. Research Question Does hydrocortisone, ascorbic acid, thiamine (HAT) therapy improve clinical outcomes in sepsis and septic shock? Study Design and Methods This was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial conducted from February 2018 to June 2019, assessing an HAT treatment bundle for the management of septic and septic shock patients admitted to an ICU. The primary outcomes were resolution of shock and change in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. Secondary outcomes included 28-day mortality, ICU mortality, hospital mortality, procalcitonin clearance (PCT-c), hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU LOS, and ventilator-free days. Results One hundred thirty-seven patients were randomized to the treatment group (n = 68) and comparator group (n = 69), respectively, with no significant differences in baseline characteristics. A statistically significant difference was found in the time patients required vasopressors, indicating quicker reversal of shock in the HAT group compared with the comparator group (27 ± 22 vs 53 ± 38 hours, P Interpretation Our results suggest that the combination of IV ascorbic acid, thiamine, and hydrocortisone significantly reduced the time to resolution of shock. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings and assess any potential mortality benefit from this treatment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT03422159; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov ;
The Relationship Between Medicaid Coverage and Outcomes Following Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review

Background Access to elective total knee arthroplasty is important in the treatment of end-stage arthritis, and numerous initiatives, including Medicaid expansion, have sought to improve patients' ability to undergo this procedure. However, despite this, the role of Medicaid insurance in patient outcomes remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of the literature to explore the relationship between preoperative Medicaid insurance status and outcomes following primary total knee arthroplasty. Methods A systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to identify studies examining outcomes in patients who had Medicaid and were undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Studies including complex revision operations or less common indications for total knee arthroplasty were excluded. Data on insurance status, postoperative complications, length of stay, readmissions, and subsequent revision surgical procedures were collected for each article. Results A total of 13 studies showing 6.18 million patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty were included in the qualitative synthesis. Seven analyses described an important association between Medicaid coverage and short-term readmissions, and 2 analyses showed a relationship between Medicaid and prolonged length of stay. However, the included studies did not describe a significant association between Medicaid and postoperative mortality or revision rates. Conclusions Patients with Medicaid undergoing total knee arthroplasty may be more likely to experience an increased length of stay and to be readmitted postoperatively. The unique factors associated with these patients may help to inform customized perioperative surveillance and optimization to improve outcomes in this group. Level of evidence Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
INTRACELLULAR MICROHETEROGENEITY OF OXYGEN CONCENTRATIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the intracellular micro heterogeneity of oxygen concentrations. There is a wide heterogeneity of the solubility coefficient of oxygen within isolated cells and tissues. This was demonstrated by staining nonrespiring cells and tissues with pyrene butyric whose fluorescence is proportionately quenched by oxygen. Using the Stern–Volmer relationship on each pixel, the solubility coefficient for oxygen could be calculated. Each volume observed contained a wide sample of cytosol and organelles. The range of oxygen solubility was wide. In tissue slices, about 20% of the pixels contained very little oxygen and about 5% had a solubility coefficient greater than water. The chapter describes a study to examine the physical basis for this heterogeneity. The study showed that the high solubility coefficient may be because of lipid droplets or lipid-rich organelles. This was tested by studying liver cells enriched in lipid by exposure to carbon tetrachloride. It was also found that the percentage of pixels with a high oxygen solubility rose pari passu with the liver lipid content. It appears that the channels and islands of high oxygen solubility observed are predominantly lipid-rich structures threading their way through an oxygen-poor cytosol.
Augmenting building performance predictions during design using generative adversarial networks and immersive virtual environments

Abstract Existing building performance models (existing BPMs) often lack the capability for addressing human-building interactions in future buildings or buildings under design because they are mainly derived using data in existing buildings. The limitation may contribute to discrepancies between simulated and actual building performance. In a previous study, the authors discussed a framework using an artificial neural network (ANN)-based greedy algorithm which combines context-aware design-specific data obtained from immersive virtual environments (IVEs) with an existing BPM to enhance the simulations of human-building interactions in new designs. Although the framework has revealed the potential to improve simulations, it cannot determine the appropriate combination between context-aware design-specific data and the existing BPM. In this paper, the authors present a new computational framework (the GAN-based framework) to determine an appropriate combination based on a given performance target to achieve. Generative adversarial networks (GANs) are used to combine data of an existing BPM and context-aware design-specific data using a performance target as a guide to produce an augmented BPM. The effectiveness and the reliability of the GAN-based framework were validated using an IVE of a single occupancy office. Thirty people participated in an experiment on the simulation of artificial lighting switch uses using the IVE. Their light switch uses data under different work area illuminance were collected and analyzed. The building performance models (BPMs) proposed by Hunt and Da Silva were selected as the existing BPM and the performance target respectively. The data of each participant was used to generate an augmented BPM using the GAN-based framework and an updated BPM using the previous framework (i.e., ANN-based greedy algorithm framework). The thirty pairs of the augmented and updated BPMs were compared. Specifically, the errors measured between the updated BPMs and the performance target (E1) and the errors measured between the augmented BPMs and the performance target (E2) were analyzed using t-tests (α = 0.05). In 22 out of 30 cases, the performance of the augmented BPMs was significantly better than the updated BPMs, and in four cases, the performance of the two was similar. Only in four other cases, the performance of the updated BPMs was better. The results confirmed the efficacy of the framework. However, future research is needed to study the performance target and uncertainties associated with IVE experiments to better understand and control the reliability of the framework.
The Significance of Tau Aggregates in the Human Brain

Neurofibrillary degeneration has attracted the attention of neuroscientists as both a hallmark of the disease and a subject for experimentation for more than a century. Recent studies implicate phosphorylated tau (p-tau) directly in neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis, although the human data continue to raise questions. P-tau accumulates with age in a roughly hierarchical manner, but avoids abundance in the neocortex unless co-occurring with amyloid-β. Neurodegenerative tauopathies tend to have p-tau morphologies that differ from aging and Alzheimer's disease. Tau isoforms (3R vs. 4R) have a tendency to vary with tauopathy phenotype for unknown reasons. Selective vulnerability to p-tau and spatial-temporal disconnect from amyloid-β are evident in aging. P-tau assessment at autopsy involves tissue decomposition, which may skew microanatomical observations toward limited biological meaning. Two major consensus guidelines for interpreting p-tau at autopsy emphasize the challenges of clinicopathologic correlation, and reinforce the observation that regional neurodegeneration is a better correlate of clinical signs than is proteinopathy. Despite the proliferation of interesting and novel theories related to tau-mediated pathogenesis, the weight of the human observations suggests that neurofibrillary degeneration is an epiphenomenal hallmark of aging and disease rather than an epicenter of neurotoxicity. This is consistent with numerous tau-targeted therapeutic strategies that have been unsuccessful to date.
Enhanced Micro-Doppler Feature Analysis for Drone Detection

As low-cost drones become more accessible, they pose various safety, security, and privacy threats. As such, it becomes increasingly important to detect their presence, locate and track their positions, and classify their types in real time. In this paper, we perform time-frequency analyses of drone Doppler and micro-Doppler signatures to provide enhanced drone detection and feature extraction capabilities. The analyses are based on the combined use of spectrogram and inverse Radon transform (IRT). The paired property of propeller blades associated with a rotor is further utilized to compute the IRT product for enhanced performance. It is demonstrated that the IRT and IRT product images, when expressed in terms of the rotation frequency and blade position phase, provide flexibility and effectiveness for the presentation and estimation of these parameters.
The Added Burden of Transfer Status in Patients Undergoing Surgery After Sustaining a Periprosthetic Fracture of the Hip or Knee.

Background A significant proportion of patients who sustain periprosthetic fractures are transferred to another institution for definitive care. There is limited understanding of the impact of transfer on outcomes. Methods The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) was utilized to identify patients who sustained periprosthetic fractures of the hip or knee requiring surgical intervention. Inclusion criteria were total joint prosthesis of the hip or knee with documented periprosthetic fracture of a single hip or knee along with surgery during hospitalization. Transfer status and discharge location were recorded. A total of 1,194 non-transferred patients were compared to 620 transferred patients. Cohorts were compared utilizing standard parametric and non-parametric tests depending on the characteristics of the data. Results Transferred patients had a higher mean age (75.6 years vs. 72.9 years, p < 0.0001), longer mean length of stay (7.9 days vs. 6.9 days, p = 0.0023), and greater American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade. Transferred patients were less likely to be discharged home (p = 0.0001) and more likely to be discharged to hospice (p = 0.049) or rehabilitation facilities (p = 0.0001). No significant differences were detected regarding readmissions or complications. In transferred patients, having lower preoperative albumin was a risk factor for readmission within 30 days. Conclusion Transfer centers accepting and treating periprosthetic fractures should be aware that these patients often have a longer length of stay and are less likely to be discharged home. However, the data suggests these patients are well cared for, given the similar complication rates.
A Test of the Pioneer Factor Hypothesis

The Pioneer Factor Hypothesis (PFH) states that pioneer factors (PFs) are a subclass of transcription factors (TFs) that bind to and open inaccessible sites and then recruit non-pioneer factors (nonPFs) that activate batteries of silent genes. We tested the PFH by expressing the endodermal PF FoxA1 and nonPF Hnf4a in K562 lymphoblast cells. While co-expression of FoxA1 and Hnf4a activated a burst of endoderm-specific gene expression, we found no evidence for functional distinction between these two TFs. When expressed independently, both TFs bound and opened inaccessible sites, activated endodermal genes, and "pioneered" for each other, although FoxA1 required fewer copies of its motif to bind at inaccessible sites. A subset of targets required both TFs, but the mode of action at these targets did not conform to the sequential activity predicted by the PFH. From these results we propose an alternative to the PFH where "pioneer activity" depends not on the existence of discrete TF subclasses, but on TF binding affinity and genomic context.
Reactive Changes and Organisms

Any non-neoplastic findings and organisms in a Pap test, without cellular changes of preneoplasia or neoplasia, are mentioned under the interpretation/result category of “negative for intra-epithelial lesion or malignancy”.
West Side Story: Cultural Perspectives on an American Musical by Elizabeth A. Wells

West Side Story: Cultural Perspectives on an American Musical offers a thorough discussion of the American musical including not only cultural perspectives but also some social and/or psychological...
Bioelectric impedance phase angle and body composition

The use of bioelectric impedance phase angle for predicting body composition was determined in 53 males and 69 females 9-62 y of age. The phase angle describes the amount of reactance (Xc) in a conductor relative to the amount of resistance (R). Bioelectric resistance (R) and reactance (Xc) were determined for the whole body and separately for arm, leg, and trunk. Weight, stature, and skinfold thicknesses were measured. Body composition was determined from densitometry. Phase angles for the trunk (phi t), leg (phi 1), and whole body (phi w) had significant (p less than 0.05) negative correlations with percent body fat (%BF) in each sex, and positive correlations with fat-free mass (FFM) in males. In multiple regression analyses, phi t was associated significantly with %BF after controlling for age, mean skinfold thickness, and weight/stature2 in each sex. Bioelectric phase angle for the trunk may be useful for predicting %BF in clinical and survey research.
Estimating the Recession Risk Exposure of Stocks

This paper develops a new method to estimate a stock's recession risk exposure and finds that the exposure to macroeconomic risk is an important determinant for stocks' cross-sectional expected returns. I construct a recession score using financial ratios and find that firms with scores in the safest decile earn 13% per year more than firms in the most risky decile during recessions. These recession-score portfolios highlight exposure to recession risk and make good candidates to test linear asset pricing models. I find that the consumption-based CAPM can explain the cross-sectional returns on these recession-score portfolios, but the CAPM cannot.
Topology B-Trees and Their Applications

The well-known B-tree data structure provides a mechanism for dynamically maintaining balanced binary trees in external memory. We present an external-memory dynamic data structure for maintaining arbitrary binary trees. Our data structure, which we call the topology B-tree, is an external-memory analogue to the internal-memory topology tree data structure of Frederickson. It allows for dynamic expression evaluation and updates as well as various tree searching and evaluation queries. We show how to apply this data structure to a number of external-memory dynamic problems, including approximate nearest-neighbor searching and closest-pair maintenance.
Coordination-driven self-assembly of cavity-cored multiple crown ether derivatives and poly[2]pseudorotaxanes.

The synthesis of a new 120° diplatinum(II) acceptor unit and the self-assembly of a series of two-dimensional metallacyclic polypseudorotaxanes that utilize both metal–ligand and crown ether−dialkylammonium noncovalent interactions are described. Judiciously combining complementary diplatinum(II) acceptors with bispyridyl donor building blocks, with an acceptor and/or donor possessing a pendant dibenzo[24]crown-8 (DB24C8) moiety, allows for the formation of three new rhomboidal bis-DB24C8, one new hexagonal tris-DB24C8, and four new hexakis-DB24C8 metallacyclic polygons in quantitative yields. The size and shape of each assembly, as well as the location and stoichiometry of the DB24C8 macrocycle, can be precisely controlled. Each polygon is able to complex two, three, or six dibenzylammonium ions without disrupting the underlying metallacyclic polygons, thus producing eight different poly[2]pseudorotaxanes and demonstrating the utility and scope of this orthogonal self-assembly technique. The assemblies a...
The "amnesty" aftermath: current policy issues stemming from the legalization programs of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act.

The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) created two one-time only legalization programs affecting nearly 3 million undocumented immigrants. Legalization has produced important changes am...
Grafting of living poly(ethylene oxide) onto polystyrene via aromatic nucleophilic displacement of activated nitro groups

Polystyrene of Mω = 2.2 × 104 was alkylated with 4-nitrophthalimidomethyl groups as grafting sites. Several backbone polymers with various degrees of grafting sites (G = 2–100%) were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, IR, 1H- and 13C-NMR, and viscosity measurements. “Living” poly(ethylene oxide) with narrow molecular-weight distribution was prepared in the presence of 15-crown-5, and grafted onto the 4-nitrophthalimidomethylated polystyrene. The nitro displacement reaction was fast and the grafting yield was quantitative (100%). The graft copolymers are highly soluble in water and in organic solvents. The intrinsic viscosities of the graft copolymers are higher than those of the backbone polymers. The intrinsic viscosities show an initial increase followed by a decrease as the degree of grafting increase.
The Technological Imperative in Strategic Thought

In An Introduction to Strategic Studies: Military Technology and International Relations Barry Buzan presents an overview of the field of strategic studies organized around the concepts of anarchy in the international state system and the technological imperative. The rivalries of the international system are fed by the stream of new weapons, and attempts to reach a stable status quo, e.g., through a stable deterrence posture, are constantly confounded by technological change. Given the impossibility of stemming the flow of technology from the civil to the military sector, there is no way out of the security dilemma. It is argued here, however, that a more sophisticated understanding of the processes of technical innovation and diffusion leads to a different conclusion. New technology is the result of social and political choices, and as such is subject to political control. Other points discussed include Buzan's treatment of Soviet military doctrine and his analysis of alternative defense policies within the framework of strategic studies.
Fractionation of the component processes underlying successful episodic encoding: A combined fmri and divided-attention study

Considerable evidence suggests that attentional resources are necessary for the encoding of episodic memories, but the nature of the relationship between attention and neural correlates of encoding is unclear. Here we address this question using functional magnetic resonance imaging and a divided-attention paradigm in which competition for different types of attentional resources was manipulated. Fifteen volunteers were scanned while making animacy judgments to visually presented words and concurrently performing one of three tasks on auditorily presented words: male/female voice discrimination (control task), 1-back voice comparison (1-back task), or indoor/outdoor judgment (semantic task). The 1-back and semantic tasks were designed to compete for task-generic and task-specific attentional resources, respectively. Using the “remember/know” procedure, memory for the study words was assessed after 15 min. In the control condition, subsequent memory effects associated with later recollection were identified in the left dorsal inferior frontal gyrus and in the left hippocampus. These effects were differentially attenuated in the two more difficult divided-attention conditions. The effects of divided attention seem, therefore, to reflect impairments due to limitations at both task-generic and task-specific levels. Additionally, each of the two more difficult divided-attention conditions was associated with subsequent memory effects in regions distinct from those showing effects in the control condition. These findings suggest the engagement of alternative encoding processes to those engaged in the control task. The overall pattern of findings suggests that divided attention can impact later memory in different ways, and accordingly, that different attentional resources, including task-generic and task-specific resources, make distinct contributions to successful episodic encoding.
β-Thalassemia-? Selected pseudogenes

The synthesis of delta-globin is directed by a gene whose inherent characteristics permit only limited expression, a gene resembling in some respects that of beta +-thalassemia. The existence of delta O-thalassemia and the presence of delta-globin genes in this condition recall the molecular findings in most types of beta O-thalassemia. The delta-globin and beta +-thalassemia genes may be evolving pseudogenes. Those for delta O and beta O-thalassemia are, in functional sense, already pseudogenes in that they closely resemble functional genes but lack a discernible protein product. In time they should accumulate sufficient changes in their nucleotide sequences which will make them more analagous to what we now recognize as pseudogenes. the selective pressure of Falciparum malaria infection may help maintain the beta-thalassemia "pseudogene" in many populations.
A language for visualization variation and transformation

Improvements in computer technology have spawned an exponential growth in both the scope and volume of data collection, as well as a corresponding shortage of capable analysts [1]. This applies not just to scientists, but also to consumers who are gaining unprecedented access to data from their cars, homes, phones, and other devices.
Topological conjugacy on the complement of the periodic points

Abstract We will say that two subshifts are essentially conjugate if they are topologically conjugate on the complement of their periodic points. In 1990, Susan Williams presented an example of a sofic shift that is not topologically conjugate to a renewal system. We show that the example of Williams is essentially conjugate to a renewal system. We also present an example of a renewal system that is essentially conjugate to a shift of finite type but not topologically conjugate to a shift of finite type. Finally, we prove that all renewal systems that meet a certain technical condition are essentially conjugate to a shift of finite type.
Reassessing Albrecht Ritschl's Theology: A Survey of Recent Literature

The theology of Albrecht Ritschl (1822–1889) has been undergoing a major reassessment since the late 1960s. This survey presents some of the best findings in recent scholarly literature. The aim of the reappraisal of Ritschl's theology has been and still is to reach a fair understanding of his theological achievement, which has sometimes been misunderstood and even caricatured in the late nineteenth and in the twentieth century. The survey focuses on Ritschl's use of Martin Luther, his debate with F. H. R. von Frank (1827–1894) on God as absolute, his interest in Kant and Lotze (1817–1881), his relation to metaphysics, and two decisive aspects of his constructive theology: his emphasis on community and the kingdom of God.
Genetics: A New Landscape for Medical Geography

The emergence and reemergence of human pathogens resistant to medical treatment will present a challenge to the international public health community in the coming decades. Geography is uniquely positioned to examine the progressive evolution of pathogens across space and through time and to link molecular change to interactions between population and environmental drivers. Landscape as an organizing principle for the integration of natural and cultural forces has a long history in geography and, more specifically, in medical geography. Here, we explore the role of landscape in medical geography, the emergent field of landscape genetics, and the great potential that exists in the combination of these two disciplines. We argue that landscape genetics can enhance medical geographic studies of local-level disease environments with quantitative tests of how human–environment interactions influence pathogenic characteristics. In turn, such analyses can expand theories of disease diffusion to the molecular scal...
Regulation of phenotypic heterogeneity permits Salmonella evasion of the host caspase-1 inflammatory response

Abstract Sensing and adapting to the environment is one strategy by which bacteria attempt to maximize fitness in an unpredictable world; another is the stochastic generation of phenotypically distinct subgroups within a genetically clonal population. In culture, Salmonella Typhimurium populations are bistable for the expression of flagellin. We report that YdiV controls this expression pattern by preventing transcription of the sigma factor that recruits RNA polymerase to the flagellin promoter. Bistability ensues when the sigma factor is repressed in a subpopulation of cells, resulting in two phenotypes: flagellin expressors and flagellin nonexpressors. Although the ability to swim is presumably a critical survival trait, flagellin activates eukaryotic defense pathways, and Salmonella restrict the production of flagellin during systemic infection. Salmonella mutants lacking YdiV are unable to fully repress flagellin at systemic sites, rendering them vulnerable to caspase-1 mediated colonization restriction. Thus, a regulatory mechanism producing bistability also impacts Salmonella virulence.
Photofragment infrared emission spectroscopy: Vibrational progression and potential parameters of the CH3(ν2) ‘‘umbrella’’ mode

The out‐of‐plane bending vibration (ν2) of the free radical CH3 has been detected by time and wavelength‐resolved infrared emission spectroscopy following dissociation of CH3I with a pulsed laser at λ = 266 nm. Three distinct Q branch features in the vibrational progression of the ν2 ’’umbrella’’ mode are observed: 3‐2 (729±4 cm−1), 4‐3 (772±4 cm−1), and 5‐4 (811±4 cm−1). These low resolution measurements provide an approximate determination of the harmonic/quartic mixed oscillator potential parameters for the higher levels of the out‐of‐plane bend. The vibrational assignment is important to studies of radical excitation originating from photodissociation, which is considered in the accompanying paper.
Pivotal roles of three conserved carboxyl residues of the NuoC (30k) segment in the structural integrity of proton-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase from Escherichia coli.

The prokaryotic proton-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase (NDH-1) is an L-shaped membrane-bound enzyme that contains 14 subunits (NuoA−NuoN or Nqo1−Nqo14). All subunits have their counterparts in the eukaryotic enzyme (complex I). NDH-1 consists of two domains: the peripheral arm (NuoB, -C, -D, -E, -F, -G, and -I) and the membrane arm (NuoA, -H, -J, -K, -L, -M, and -N). In Escherichia coli NDH-1, the hydrophilic subunits NuoC/Nqo5/30k and NuoD/Nqo4/49k are fused together in a single polypeptide as the NuoCD subunit. The NuoCD subunit is the only subunit that does not bear a cofactor in the peripheral arm. While some roles for inhibitor and quinone association have been reported for the NuoD segment, structural and functional roles of the NuoC segment remain mostly elusive. In this work, 14 highly conserved residues of the NuoC segment were mutated and 21 mutants were constructed using the chromosomal gene manipulation technique. From the enzymatic assays and immunochemical and blue-native gel analy...
Preparation of Poly(arylene ether pyrimidine)s by Aromatic Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions

As part of a continuing effort to prepare novel thermally stable high-performance polymers, poly(arylene ether pyrimidine)s have been prepared with 4,6-bis(4-(trimethylsiloxy)phenyl)pyrimidine and a series of activated bis(aryl fluoride)s using a catalytic amount of cesium fluoride in diphenyl sulfone. These polymers exhibited good thermal stability in both air and helium atmospheres with 10% weight losses in the range 480−540 °C. Moderate to high inherent viscosities (ηinh: 0.40−0.92 dL/g) were recorded, and clear pale yellow flexible fingernail creasable films were solution cast from these samples. A polymer in this series containing a phenylphosphine oxide linkage exhibited good thin film tensile properties and resistance to oxygen plasma. Model reactions with 4,6-bis(4-fluorophenyl)pyrimidine and p-cresol along with studies of this compound's 19F NMR shift values indicated sufficient capacity of the pyrimidine ring to activate aryl fluorides toward polymerization with bis(phenol)s. The pyrimidine bis...
Understanding the Effects of Nonstraightforward Communication in Organizational Discourse The Case of Equivocal Messages and Corporate Identity

Two experiments (n = 605) utilize equivocal communication theory to understand the effects of nonstraightforward communication in organizational discourse, specifically in initial spokesperson responses to organizational crises. In a first experiment, young adults rated equivocal and nonequivocal spokesperson responses to corporate crisis situations that either contained or did not contain an avoidance-avoidance goal conflict. As predicted, equivocal messages were both viewed as appropriate messages to use and associated with two measures of corporate reputation in avoidance-avoidance situations. By contrast, nonequivocal messages were viewed as more appropriate to use and associated with corporate reputation in non—avoidance-avoidance situations. Experiment 2 essentially replicated these findings and showed that the effect of nonequivocal and equivocal messages on perceived corporate reputation is partially mediated by how well the messages are perceived to handle goal conflicts in crisis situations.
Dual-Pump CARS Measurements in the University of Virginia's Dual-Mode Scramjet: Configuration "C"

In this paper we describe efforts to obtain canonical data sets to assist computational modelers in their development of models for the prediction of mixing and combustion in scramjet combustors operating in the ramjet-scramjet transition regime. The CARS technique is employed to acquire temporally and spatially resolved measurements of temperature and species mole-fraction at four planes, one upstream of an H2 fuel injector and three downstream. The technique is described and results are presented for cases with and without chemical reaction. The vibrational energy mode in the heated airstream of the combustor was observed to be frozen at near facility heater conditions and significant nonuniformities in temperature were observed, attributed to nonuniformities of temperature exiting the heater. The measurements downstream of fuel injection show development of mixing and combustion, and are already proving useful to the modelers.
Formula for the absorption coefficient for multi-wall nanotubes

We present a formalism for calculating the absorption coefficient of a pair of coaxial tubules. A spatially nonlocal, dynamical self-consistent field theory is obtained by calculating the electrostatic potential produced by the charge density fluctuations as well as the external electric field. There are peaks in the absorption spectrum arising from plasma excitations corresponding either to plasmon or particle-hole modes. In this Letter, we numerically calculate the plasmon contribution to the absorption spectrum when an external electric field is applied. The number of peaks depends on the radius of the inner as well as outer tubule. The height of each peak is determined by the plasmon wavelength and energy. For a chosen wave number, the most energetic plasmon has the highest peak corresponding to the largest oscillator strength of the excited modes. Some of the low-frequency plasmon modes have such weak coupling to an external electric field that they are not seen on the same scale as the modes with larger energy of excitation. We plot the peak positions of the plasmon excitations for a pair of coaxial tubules. The coupled modes on the two tubules are split by the Coulomb interaction. The energies of the two highest plasmon branches increase with the radius of the outer tubule. On the contrary, the lowest modes decrease in energy as this radius is increased. No effects due to inter-tubule hopping are included in these calculations.
Diagnostic utility and correlation of tumor markers in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of children with intracranial germ cell tumors

Purpose In order to predict whether tumor markers assist in the histopathologic diagnosis of germ cell tumors (GCTs), we analyzed the correlation of beta human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples at baseline and subsequent follow-up examinations.
Interaction of phosphate ester dispersants with calcined alumina

The interaction of two commercially available phosphate ester dispersants with calcined alumina has been investigated using the techniques of flow calorimetry and electrophoresis. Flow calorimetric experiments have shown that these dispersants chemically interact with the surface of calcined alumina. The electrical charging of alumina particles in an iso-octane solution containing a phosphate ester indicates that an acid-base interaction mechanism is operative in this system.
3-Methoxynaltrexone, a selective heroin/morphine-6β-glucuronide antagonist

Recent work has suggested that heroin and morphine-6β-glucuronide (M6G) both act through a novel mu opioid receptor subtype distinct from those mediating morphine's actions. This very high affinity 3H-M6G site is selectively competed by 3-methoxynaltrexone. In vivo, 3-methoxynaltrexone (2.5 ng, i.c.v.) selectively antagonizes the analgesic actions of heroin and M6G without interfering with mu (morphine and [d-Ala2,MePhe4,Gly(ol)5]enkephalin), delta ([d-Pen2,d-Pen5]enkephalin), kappa1 (U50,488H) or kappa3 (naloxone benzoylhydrazone) analgesia. In dose–response studies, 3-methoxynaltrexone (2.5 ng, i.c.v.) significantly shifted the ED50 values for heroin and its active metabolite, 6-acetylmorphine, without affecting the morphine curve. These results indicate that 3-methoxynaltrexone selectively blocks a novel 3H-M6G binding site which is responsible for the analgesic actions of heroin and M6G. This ability to selectively antagonize heroin actions opens new possibilities in the development of therapeutics for the treatment of opioid abuse.
Studies on the Syntheses of Benzoquinone Ansamycin Antibiotics. Syntheses of the C(5)−C(15) Subunits of Macbecin I, Geldanamycin, and Herbimycin A

A general and convergent route to the C(5)−C(15) subunits of the benzoquinone ansamycin antibiotics macbecin I, geldanamycin, and herbimycin A is described. Each subunit is prepared by the stepwise coupling of differentially functionalized aldehydes with a pentenyl dianion equivalent derived from diastereoselective pentynylation and regioselective reductive coupling.