cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Receptive-field maps of correlated discharge between pairs of neurons in the cat's visual cortex

1. To investigate the functional significance of temporally correlated discharge between nearby cells in the visual cortex, we obtained receptive-field maps of correlated discharge for 68 cell pairs in kittens and cats. Discharge from cell pairs was measured by a single extracellular electrode. A reverse correlation procedure was used to relate neural discharge to particular stimuli within a random sequence of briefly flashed bright and dark bars. Bicellular receptive fields (BRFs) were mapped by applying reverse correlation to approximately synchronous discharge from two cells. Unicellular receptive fields (URFs) were simultaneously mapped by separately applying reverse correlation to the discharge of each cell. 2. The receptive fields of the two neurons within each pair were initially studied by varying the orientation and spatial frequency of drifting sinusoidal gratings. After these tests a random sequence of appropriately oriented bars was used to evoke discharge suitable for reverse correlation analysis. For most cell pairs, the temporal pattern or strength of correlated discharge produced by such stimulation is different from that observed with stimulation by sinusoidal gratings. This indicates that visually evoked correlated discharge between nearby cells is stimulus dependent. 3. BRFs were classified according to their pattern of spatial sensitivity into three groups that roughly correspond to the single-cell receptive-field types of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN; center-surround) and visual cortex (simple and complex). These classifications were compared with the receptive-field types of the single cells within each pair. LGN-type and simple-type BRFs were only seen for pairs in which at least one of the cells was simple. Conversely, complex-type BRFs were only seen for pairs in which at least one of the cells was complex. 4. Because the reverse correlation procedure can be used to characterize the spatiotemporal receptive-field structure of simple cells, we were able to compare both the spatial and temporal properties associated with the URFs and BRFs of simple cell pairs. The spatiotemporal structure of the BRF of a simple-cell pair can largely be predicted on the basis of the two URFs. Although this prediction suggests the possibility that BRFs are stimulus artifacts, a shuffle procedure, in which multiple repetitions of random sequences were presented, verifies the neural origin of BRFs. BRFs emerge from specific neural pathways and are not simply a consequence of unicellular response preferences. 5. Five measures were derived from the reverse correlation analysis of simple-cell receptive fields: width, duration, optimal spatial and temporal frequency, and optimal velocity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
HANDS: a multimodal dataset for modeling toward human grasp intent inference in prosthetic hands

Upper limb and hand functionality is critical to many activities of daily living, and the amputation of one can lead to significant functionality loss for individuals. From this perspective, advanced prosthetic hands of the future are anticipated to benefit from improved shared control between a robotic hand and its human user, but more importantly from the improved capability to infer human intent from multimodal sensor data to provide the robotic hand perception abilities regarding the operational context. Such multimodal sensor data may include various environment sensors including vision, as well as human physiology and behavior sensors including electromyography and inertial measurement units. A fusion methodology for environmental state and human intent estimation can combine these sources of evidence in order to help prosthetic hand motion planning and control. In this paper, we present a dataset of this type that was gathered with the anticipation of cameras being built into prosthetic hands, and computer vision methods will need to assess this hand-view visual evidence in order to estimate human intent. Specifically, paired images from human eye-view and hand-view of various objects placed at different orientations have been captured at the initial state of grasping trials, followed by paired video, EMG and IMU from the arm of the human during a grasp, lift, put-down, and retract style trial structure. For each trial, based on eye-view images of the scene showing the hand and object on a table, multiple humans were asked to sort in decreasing order of preference, five grasp types appropriate for the object in its given configuration relative to the hand. The potential utility of paired eye-view and hand-view images was illustrated by training a convolutional neural network to process hand-view images in order to predict eye-view labels assigned by humans.
In Our Own Voices, Redux: The Faces of Librarianship Today: Neely, Teresa A., and López-McKnight Jorge R. (Eds.). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, (2018), xxix + 298pp., $55.00, ISBN 978-1-5381-1537-4.

In 1996, twenty-six early career librarians joined together to share their stories about becoming library and information professionals and the challenges they faced navigating a lack of racial, et...
What’s Not Clovis? An Examination of Fluted Points in the Far West

ABSTRACTWithin thirty years of the 1927 Folsom discovery, post-Clovis fluted point types were being described in all regions North America except the Far West, where “if it’s not Folsom, it’s Clovi...
A comparison of robotic mesh repair techniques for primary uncomplicated midline ventral hernias and analysis of risk factors associated with postoperative complications.

We aim to compare short-term outcomes of robotic intraperitoneal onlay (rIPOM), transabdominal preperitoneal (rTAPP) and retromuscular (rRM) repair for uncomplicated midline primary ventral hernias (PVH) and determine risk factors associated with postoperative complications. The three groups were compared in terms of pre-, intra-, and post-operative variables. Postoperative complications were assessed using previously validated classifications. Univariate analyses were conducted to determine which variables influence postoperative complications (up to 90 days), followed by a multivariate regression analysis revealing statistically important risk factors. A total of 269 patients who underwent robotic PVH repair patients were grouped as rIPOM (n = 90), rTAPP (n = 108), and rRM (n = 71). rRM repair allowed for the use of larger-sized meshes for larger defects; however, it was associated with higher-grade complications. rTAPP repair resulted in the lowest morbidity and offered the highest mesh-to-defect ratio for smaller-sized hernias. Operative time for the rRM group was longer. The rIPOM group had a higher morbidity, likely due to higher frequency of minor complications, as compared to rTAPP and rRM groups. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that coronary artery disease, absence of defect closure, intraperitoneally placed mesh, and skin-to-skin time (minutes) were significantly associated with postoperative complications. Robotic PVHR contributes multiple techniques to a surgeon’s armamentarium, such as IPOM, TAPP, and RM mesh placements. Patient characteristics as well as the potential consequences of each technique need to be taken into consideration when deciding the appropriate approach for the repair of primary uncomplicated midline ventral hernias.
Learning a model-based neural network for quantitative phase imaging based on the transport of intensity

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) provides enhanced contrast for weakly absorbing specimens such as biological tissues under optical light and soft materials under X-ray. In this work, we develop a model-based phase retrieval framework by integrating the physics principles of phase imaging with the deep learning-based approach. Both measurements and the forward model are used as the inputs for a model-based neural network. The features of the object and the regularization weight of the established priors are learned by minimizing the difference between the network output to the ground truth during the training process. This method is tested on phase imaging of handwriting digital patterns and biological cells in a simulation of propagation-based TIE (transport of intensity equation) phase retrieval. We achieve enhanced accuracy for the phase retrieval compared to non-model based end-to-end neural networks and reduce the computation cost compared to traditional model-based iterative reconstruction algorithms.
Between Ethos and Moralité: Reading La Fontaine's "Préface" to the Fables

This paper proposes a reading of La Fontaine’s puzzling and coy preface to his first volume of Fables. Presented at the start as a friendly debate between the author and a rival, the “Preface” becomes an ironic sort of performance art that reveals the fabulist’s own ambivalence toward a genre that has come to him cloaked in the sober robes of a moralizing pedagogy. La Fontaine tries on the costume and does his best to play the part, composing his role from the illustrious examples of Socrates — a fabulist in extremis — and eventually a crafty Aesop, only to show us little by little that he is more a poet and artist than a moralist. Distrustful of those who would lecture on virtue and rectitude, La Fontaine’s teaching anticipates at once Rousseau’s negative education in the Emile and also Victor Turner’s pedagogy of anti-structure.
Can Bostock do the Texas Two-Step? The Need for LGBTQ Legal Protections in the Lone Star State

LGBTQ Texans are offered zero protections from discrimination under Texas law. Texas is one of only five states with no laws to prevent discrimination in public accommodations despite the majority of Texans supporting legal protections for this community. Public accommodation laws ensure that individuals are able to engage in commerce at businesses generally open to the public without being discriminated against based on their membership in a protected class. When the Supreme Court decided Bostock v. Clayton County, it held that Title VII’s “because of sex” analysis inextricably includes the derivatives of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). While the majority limited the holding to Title VII, even the dissent understood that the holding would have implications far beyond employment, referencing the hundreds of other federal statutes that would be affected. This ever-developing precedent was recently expanded by an Executive Order from President Biden, applying Bostock to all federal statutes that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. Multiple states are already applying this holding to laws prohibiting discrimination in other contexts like housing, education, and public accommodation under the logic that the holding applies equally to state laws that are modeled after federal counterparts. Further expansion of the Bostock holding is inevitable. Unlike other LGBTQ rights cases that were decided under the Equal Protection Clause or Due Process Clause, Bostock is a statutory interpretation decision whose effects will seamlessly bleed into other areas of law. Texas has multiple interests in joining the growing number of states expanding LGBTQ protections: safeguarding the monetary interests that business transplants and tourism bring to the state, avoiding needless litigation from advocate groups, and a shifting state electoral map that is trending evermore purple as Texas is further diversified. The holding in Bostock is the writing on the wall for Texas; now is the time to pass substantive legislation that has stalled in the legislature for the past two decades. Texas should pass legislation that closes the gaps in federal law and balances state interests to afford protections to LGBTQ individuals in places of public accommodation. Passing this legislation is the first step in righting the wrongs of decades of discrimination and would set Texas on a path for progress.
Development Of A Flexible Printed Battery

A flexible alkaline based battery was fabricated for wearable electronics applications. This alkaline based battery system consists of a zinc-based negative electrode (anode), manganese dioxide (MnO2) and carbon black composite based positive electrode (cathode), and potassium hydroxide (KOH) saturated with zinc oxide (ZnO) as the electrolyte. The battery was fabricated by coating the electrodes (anode and cathode) onto a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, to identify the electrical performance expected for the chosen electrochemical system in flexible packaging. The battery’s electrical performance was evaluated by discharging to 0.8 V and charging to 1.1 V. An electric potential of 1.1 V and a capacity of 0.25 mAh was measured for the flexible battery when it was discharged at 0.01C. In addition, the flexible battery's performance was compared with a coin cell model to analyze the efficiency of the flexible design. Future work is focused on improving the cell's electrical performance, substitute PET with a paper solution, and implement screen printing technology.
Roots to Research

The four numbers problem Rational right triangles and the congruent number problem Lattice point geometry Rational approximation Dissection Appendix A. Volume Appendix B. Convexity Index.
Evaluation of the impact of lime softening waste disposal in natural environments

Drinking water treatment residues (WTR), generated from the lime softening processes, are commonly reused or disposed of in a number of applications; these include use as a soil amendment or a subsurface fill. Recently questions were posed by the Florida regulatory community on whether lime WTR that contained a small percentage of other treatment additives could appropriately be characterized as lime WTR, in terms of total element content and leachability. A study was done using a broad range of leaching tests, including a framework of tests recently adopted by the United States-Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and tests that were modified to account for scenario specific conditions, such as the presence of natural organic matter (NOM). The results of these additional leaching tests demonstrated that certain applications, including disposal in a water body with NOM or in placement anaerobic environment, did result in increased leaching of elements such as Fe, and that a site specific assessment should be conducted prior to using WTR in these types of applications. This study illustrates the importance of leaching test selection when attempting to provide an estimation of release in practice. Although leaching tests are just one component in a beneficial use assessment and other factors including aquifer and soil properties play a significant role in the outcome, leaching tests should be tailored to most appropriately represent the scenario or reuse application being evaluated.
Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotopes in Soils

The most common use of stable carbon (C) and oxygen (O) isotopes in archaeology is to infer paleodiet, artifact provenance, and paleoenvironment (Herz, 1990; Herz and Garrison, 1998).
Understanding Probabilistic Classifiers

Probabilistic classifiers are developed by assuming generative models which are product distributions over the original attribute space (as in naive Bayes) or more involved spaces (as in general Bayesian networks). While this paradigm has been shown experimentally successful on real world applications, despite vastly simplified probabilistic assumptions, the question of why these approaches work is still open. This paper resolves this question.We show that almost all joint distributions with a given set of marginals (i.e., all distributions that could have given rise to the classifier learned) or, equivalently, almost all data sets that yield this set of marginals, are very close (in terms of distributional distance) to the product distribution on the marginals; the number of these distributions goes down exponentially with their distance from the product distribution. Consequently, as we show, for almost all joint distributions with this set of marginals, the penalty incurred in using the marginal distribution rather than the true one is small. In addition to resolving the puzzle surrounding the success of probabilistic classifiers our results contribute to understanding the tradeoffs in developing probabilistic classifiers and will help in developing better classifiers.
Förster Resonance Energy Transfer between Quantum Dot Donors and Quantum Dot Acceptors

Forster (or fluorescence) resonance energy transfer amongst semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) is reviewed, with particular interest in biosensing applications. The unique optical properties of QDs provide certain advantages and also specific challenges with regards to sensor design, compared to other FRET systems. The brightness and photostability of QDs make them attractive for highly sensitive sensing and long-term, repetitive imaging applications, respectively, but the overlapping donor and acceptor excitation signals that arise when QDs serve as both the donor and acceptor lead to high background signals from direct excitation of the acceptor. The fundamentals of FRET within a nominally homogeneous QD population as well as energy transfer between two distinct colors of QDs are discussed. Examples of successful sensors are highlighted, as is cascading FRET, which can be used for solar harvesting.
Identifying mobile learning challenges at male high schools in Saudi Arabia from the teachers' point of view

The intention of this study was to identify mobile learning challenges at high schools for Saudi males from teachers’ point of view. Study findings may help the Saudi Ministry of Education identify ways to apply mobile learning strategies in the country. Findings may also guide decision making among those interested in investing in mobile learning in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected via an online survey (Survey Monkey). An email that included a link to that survey was sent to 40 teachers working at a male high school in Saudi Arabia. Only six teachers participated in the study—these individuals offered a total of ten challenges relating to mobile learning in male high schools in Saudi Arabia. These included technical challenges, support challenges, lack of face-to-face discussion, and lack of social interaction among students. This paper concludes with a summary of findings and recommendations for next steps.
Activation and Regulation of Platelet-Activating Factor Receptor: Role of Gi and Gq in Receptor-Mediated Chemotactic, Cytotoxic, and Cross-Regulatory Signals

Platelet-activating factor (1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerolphosphocholine; PAF) induces leukocyte accumulation and activation at sites of inflammation via the activation of a specific cell surface receptor (PAFR). PAFR couples to both pertussis toxin-sensitive and pertussis toxin-insensitive G proteins to activate leukocytes. To define the role(s) of Gi and Gq in PAF-induced leukocyte responses, two G-protein-linked receptors were generated by fusing Gαi3 (PAFR-Gαi3) or Gαq (PAFR-Gαq) at the C terminus of PAFR. Rat basophilic leukemia cell line (RBL-2H3) stably expressing wild-type PAFR, PAFR-Gαi3, or PAFR-Gαq was generated and characterized. All receptor variants bound PAF with similar affinities to mediate G-protein activation, intracellular Ca2+ mobilization, phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis, and secretion of β-hexosaminidase. PAFR-Gαi3 and PAFR-Gαq mediated greater GTPase activity in isolated membranes than PAFR but lower PI hydrolysis and secretion in whole cells. PAFR and PAFR-Gαi3, but not PAFR-Gαq, mediated chemotaxis to PAF. All three receptors underwent phosphorylation and desensitization upon exposure to PAF but only PAFR translocated βarrestin to the cell membrane and internalized. In RBL-2H3 cells coexpressing the PAFRs along with CXCR1, IL-8 (CXCL8) cross-desensitized Ca2+ mobilization to PAF by all the receptors but only PAFR-Gαi3 activation cross-inhibited the response of CXCR1 to CXCL8. Altogether, the data indicate that Gi exclusively mediates chemotactic and cross-regulatory signals of the PAFR, but both Gi and Gq activate PI hydrolysis and exocytosis by this receptor. Because chemotaxis and cross-desensitization are exclusively mediated by Gi, the data suggest that differential activation of both Gi and Gq by PAFR likely mediate specific as well as redundant signaling pathways.
Orientation Of Space Station Freedom Electrical Power System In Environmental Effects Assessment

The orientation effects of six Space Station Freedom Electrical Power System (EPS) components are evaluated for three environmental interactions: aerodynamic drag, atomic oxygen erosion, and orbital debris impact. Designers can directly apply these orientation factors to estimate the magnitude of the examined environment and the environmental effects for the EPS component of interest. The six EPS components are the solar array, photovoltaic module radiator, integrated equipment assembly, solar dynamic concentrator, solar dynamic radiator, and beta gimbal.
A Review of “Music Education at a Crossroads: Realizing the Goal of Music for All”

Many forces and issues prevent music education from becoming a universal benefit for American students. Policies concerned with No Child Left Behind, high stakes testing, and scheduling cloud the p...
Massage Therapy Produces Short-term Improvements in Balance, Neurological, and Cardiovascular Measures in Older Persons

Background: Falls are the primary cause of accidental death in older persons, producing increased morbidity, decreased independence, and billions in medical costs annually. Massage therapy (MT) may produce adaptations that decrease risk of falling. If MT can improve stability in older persons, it may provide a new intervention for this issue. Purpose: Determine the acute effects of a 60-minute MT treatment on static and functional balance, neurological measures, heart rate, and blood pressure in healthy, older individuals. Setting: Laboratory Research Design: A 2 by 4 (treatment by time) mixed factorial experimental design for the cardiovascular and postural control variables; independent variables were treatment with two levels (control, MT) and time with four levels (pretreatment baseline, immediate post-treatment, 20-minute post-treatment, 60-minute post-treatment). Neurological measures utilized a 2 by 2 mixed design, with testing conducted pre- and 60-minutes post-treatment. Participants: Thirty-five healthy, older volunteers (19 male and 16 female; ages 62.9 ± 4.6). Intervention: A 60-minute full-body therapeutic massage. The control group rested quietly in the treatment room. Main Outcome Measures: Static (double-legged) and functional (single-legged) postural control with eyes-open and eyes-closed; Hoffmann-reflex measures; heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Results: MT significantly decreased rectangular displacement area in both the eyes-open and eyesclosed, double-legged stance conditions (p < 0.05); displacement velocity in both eyes-open conditions (p < .05); and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (p < .05), while increasing heart rate (p < .05). MT also significantly lowered Hmax/Mmax ratios compared to controls (p = .002). Decreased Hmax/Mmax measures were correlated to improved stability. Conclusions: A single, 60-minute, full-body massage therapy treatment was shown to have a stabilizing effect on measures of static and dynamic balance and physiological factors related to stability in older adults. MT should be investigated as a potential intervention to decrease falls in older individuals.
Are political statements only expressive? An experiment

Abstract Many forms of political communication are thought to be expressive rather than instrumental. We present evidence suggesting the presence of a perceived instrumental benefit of individual political communication. Subjects may send a sometimes costly comment on another person's choice of how to donate to two rival political groups. Subjects who may comment before the choice is made – when they may have some persuasive impact – are more than twice as likely to comment as those who may only send a message after the decision. When the timing of the messages – pre- or post-decision – remains fixed, but the experimenter alone receives the message, there is no difference in the proportion of messages sent pre- and post-decision. Moreover, most of the comments made to the decision-maker prior to the decision use an imperative construction, while few do so after the decision is made or when writing to the experimenter alone. Taken together, these results indicate that political expression is both expressive and instrumental.
Accurate and Efficient Calculations on Strongly Correlated Minerals with the LDA+U Method: Review and Perspectives

The LDA+U has become the method of choice to perform predictive and affordable calculations of the properties of minerals in the Earth’s interior. In fact, the ubiquitous presence of transition metals (especially Fe) in several compounds of the mantle and of the core of our planet imposes an accurate description of the effects of electronic correlation. At the same time the investigation of the thermodynamic and mechanical properties of these materials at various and extreme conditions of temperature and pressure requires a method to evaluate energies and energy derivatives with a low computational cost. LDA+U is one of the few approach (if not the only one) to satisfy both these requirements. In this paper I will review the general formulation of this approach, will present some successful paradigmatic applications, and finally will discuss possible developments to improve its accuracy.
Genotype-environment interactions for growth of blue, channel and hybrid catfish in ponds and cages at varying densities

Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus; blue catfish, I. furcatus; and hybrid channel ♀×blue♂ catfish fry were grown in ponds at densities of 7410/ha–2 245 000/ha. Channel catfish fingerlings and hybrid fingerlings were grown in ponds at densities of 7410/ha–22 230/ha, or 7410/ha with the addition of 1000 or 2000 kg/ha of co-stocked larger fish and in cages at 275/m3. Genotype-environment interactions for growth rate occurred (P<0.05) between hybrid catfish and channel catfish fry and between blue catfish and channel catfish fry stocked at varying densities. Channel catfish fry grew faster (P<0.05) than hybrid fry at low densities, but hybrid catfish fry grew faster than channel catfish fry at higher densities. The relative growth advantage of channel catfish fry over blue catfish fry increased with density. The increased growth rate of hybrid catfish fry compared to channel catfish fry at high densities was observed in both communal and separate experiments. Hybrid catfish fingerlings grew faster to market-size than channel catfish fingerlings at all densities in ponds. Their relative advantage to channel catfish increased with density and the addition of larger competing fish in the ponds. The hybrid was also superior to channel catfish in both communal and separate high density experiments when grown from fingerlings to marketsize. Genotype-environment interactions occurred for growth rates in cages or ponds. Hybrid catfish grew faster (P<0.01) than channel catfish in ponds, but slower (P<0.01) than channel catfish in cages.
Circulatory Changes in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Using the dye dilution technic of Hamilton the cardiac output was measured in 20 patients with acute myocardial infarction. The blood pressure, circulation time, venous pressure, plasma volume, and hematocrit were also determined. Those patients who developed congestive heart failure had a low cardiac output and a prolonged circulation time. These changes were more pronounced in seven patients with sustained shock. One patient who had just recovered from circulatory collapse was found to have a cardiac output of 9.3 liters per minute.
Flip-chip optical transceivers, monolithic pin receivers and quadratic-phase voltage-controlled oscillators in ultra-thin silicon-on-sapphire

Summary form only given. The ultra-thin silicon-on-sapphire process uses 100 nm silicon on top of fully insulating, optically transparent synthetic sapphire. The process has good thermal conductivity properties and thermal expansion coefficients well-matched to flip-chip-bonded GaAs optical devices. It is one example of a silicon-on-sapphire CMOS process with great potential for photonic integration. We present the design, simulation, fabrication and test of UTSi chips containing several test circuits and subsystems useful for optical communications and interconnections.
Effect of neutron irradiation on select MAX phases

Abstract Herein we report on the effect of neutron irradiation – of up to 0.1 displacements per atom at 360(20) °C or 695(25) °C – on polycrystalline samples of Ti3AlC2, Ti2AlC, Ti3SiC2 and Ti2AlN. Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns of the irradiated samples showed irradiation-enhanced dissociation into TiC of the Ti3AlC2 and Ti3SiC2 phases, most prominently in the former. Ti2AlN also showed an increase in TiN content, as well as Ti4AlN3 after irradiation. In contrast, Ti2AlC was quite stable under these irradiation conditions. Dislocation loops are seen to form in Ti2AlC and Ti3AlC2 after irradiation at 360(20) °C. The room temperature electrical resistivity of all samples increased by an order of magnitude after irradiation at 360(20) °C, but only by 25% after 695(25) °C, providing evidence for the MAX phases’ dynamic recovery at temperatures as low at 695(25) °C. Based on these preliminary results, it appears that Ti2AlC and Ti3SiC2 are the more promising materials for high-temperature nuclear applications.
Measurements of interfacial areas in cocurrent gas—liquid downward flow

Gas-liquid interfacial areas were measured for cocurrent downward flow of the two-phase mixtures in a 2.54 cm ID open tube. The liquid phase was a dilute solution of aqueous sodium hydroxide and the gas phase was a mixture of air and carbon dioxide. Interfacial areas were determined by sampling the liquid phase and applying the technique of absorption with fast chemical reaction. Data were obtained in the froth flow regime and in the falling bubbly film regime which does not occur in horizontal or vertical upflow. Measured interfacial areas ranged from 0.7 to 2.5 cm−1. These values are lower than those for downflow in a 10-mm tube(10) by a factor of about two, suggesting a dependence on the tube diameter. A correlation in terms of Jepsen's frictional energy dissipation parameter is presented for the interfacial area.
Getting a Look into the Black Hole of Unrecognized States

Unrecognized States: The Struggle for Sovereignty in the Modern International System. By Nina Caspersen . Cambridge: Polity Press, 2012. 210 pp., $24.95 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-745-65342-6). The building blocks of the international system are, for the most part, sovereign states with full recognition by the international community. Yet, when we ask ourselves precisely how many states there are in the world, the answer is not that simple. Do we consider quasi-states and unrecognized states as states that are part of the international system or do we look at them merely as “black holes” that are war-torn and completely incapable of controlling their territory and population? If this would be the case then how come some unrecognized states, such as Taiwan and Northern Cyprus, for example, have been able to function as democracies with a higher standard of living for many years? Nina Caspersen, in Unrecognized States: The Struggle for Sovereignty in the Modern International System, investigates the question of whether unrecognized states are indeed considered states and that the only thing they lack is de jure recognition or are they something different. She assesses the connection between internal and external sovereignty and whether it is possible to survive in the international system if a state does not possess external sovereignty. The topic of recognition has not been given much attention in political science literature, even though the issue has far-reaching implications for conflict resolution and democracy. With well-written style, Caspersen uncovers a lot of this gray area and recommends ways to deal with problems in unrecognized states. The main idea of this …
The formability of a dual phase steel

The mechanical properties and the forming behavior of a dual phase sheet steel have been assessed. The effect of downgaging on forming properties was especially considered because of its importance in lighter weight, energy saving materials. A lower bound method has been used to determine the forming limit diagrams of the steel. Results have shown that the effect of sheet thickness on the stretch formability of the dual phase steel is comparable to some results published previously but not to others. The discrepancy could be due to variations in composition, processing and method used to determine the forming limit diagram of the steel. New formability curves and design guidelines for the steel have been obtained using a recently developed technique for the assessment of formability under simultaneous stretching and bending conditions.
Primary breakup in gas/liquid mixing layers for turbulent liquids

An experimental study of primary breakup of turbulent liquids in gadliquid mixing layers is described. The experiments involved mixing layers along large liquid jets (3.6.6.4 and 9.5 mm dia.) injected at various velocities into still air at atmospheric pressure with fully-developed turbulent pipe flow at the jet exit. Liquids studied included water, glycerol (42% glycerin by mass) and n-heptane. Pulsed shadowgraph photography and holography were used to find conditions where turbulent primary breakup was initiated and drop sizes and velocities after primary breakup. Drop sizes after primary breakup satisfied Simmons' universal root normal distribution and can be characterized solely by their SMD. Mass weighted mean streamwise and crosstream drop velocities after primary breakup were comparable to mean streamwise and crossweam rms fluctuating velocities in the liquid, respectively, with effects of mean velocity distributions in the jet passage reflected by somewhat lower streamwise drop velocities near the jet exit. Conditions for the initiation of turbulent primary breakup and the variation of SMD with distance from the jet exit were correlated reasonably well by a phenomenological analyses considering effects of surface tension and liquid turbulence properties alone. However, limited data in the literature indicates that aerodynamic effects begin to influence drop sizes after primary breakup at ambient pressures greater than atmospheric pressure.
Carbamazepine, HLA-B*1502 and risk of Stevens–Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: US FDA recommendations

Recently, the USA FDA has made a labeling change to the drug information contained in carbamazepine. Owing to recent data implicating the HLA allele B*1502 as a marker for carbamazepine-induced Stevens–Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in Han Chinese, the FDA recommends genotyping all Asians for the allele. This allele is seen in high frequency in many Asian populations other than Han Chinese, but there are few data on whether the allele is a marker for this severe outcome in anyone other than Han Chinese. In fact, the association has not been found in Caucasian patients. We review the data that prompted this recommendation, list data for other ethnic groups, both Asian and non-Asian, and briefly discuss the implication of this recommendation for clinical practice.
Impact of an Elective Diabetes Course on Student Pharmacists' Skills and Attitudes

Objective. To assess the impact of an elective diabetes course on student pharmacists' skills and attitudes about diabetes management. Design. A 1-credit elective course on diabetes was developed that included a 1-week simulation experience during which students completed daily insulin injections, glucose checks, carbohydrate counts, and kept a daily log. Assessment. A preintervention and postintervention survey was administered to assess students' attitudes toward and confidence in performing and teaching patients various diabetes self-management skills. Students' confidence in performing and teaching diabetes self-management skills significantly improved. Students' reflective writing assignment, diabetes logbook, weekly quizzes, and group presentation were also evaluated. Conclusion. A diabetes elective, which included a 1-week simulation of living as a diabetic patient, was an effective teaching method to increase students' confidence in performing and teaching diabetes self-management skills.
Nonequilibrium Phase Transformation and Particle Shape Effect in LiFePO4 Materials for Li-Ion Batteries

The nonequilibrium phase transformation and particle shape effects in LiFePO4 materials of Li-ion batteries are explored in this work. A continuum model employing the mushy-zone (MZ) approach, accounting for sluggish Li diffusion across the two-phase boundary, has been developed to study the kinetically-induced nonequilibrium phenomenon in Li-ion batteries. A theoretical analysis is presented to show that the nonequilibrium miscibility gap expands and shifts to higher Li composition at high discharge rates, due to insufficient compositional readjustments at the two-phase boundary. Furthermore, critical effects of particle shape on nonequilibrium phase transformation and discharge capacity have been discovered by the model.
High temperature internal oxidation behaviour of dilute Ni-Al alloys

The internal oxidation of dilute Ni-Al alloys, either pure or containing small additions of tantalum or hafnium, was investigated at 1200° C in air. The advance of the precipitation zone followed a parabolic relationship at a slightly decreasing rate with increasing aluminium content. The presence of active elements had no appreciable effect on the growth rate. The precipitate shape, size and spacing depended upon the aluminium concentration and more significantly on the active element additions. The morphology varied from polyhedral crystallites and epitaxial platelets in the Ni-0.5 wt% Al alloy, to well defined cylindrical rods extending across the precipitation zone approximately normal to the reaction interface, in the alloys of higher aluminium content. An also continuous and similarly oriented plate-like morphology was observed in the active element-containing alloys. X-ray microanalysis indicated that the continuous precipitates consisted of NiAl2O4 and Al2O3. The former phase comprised approximately 65±5% of the outer region of the precipitation zone. Aluminium depletion in the alloy ahead of the precipitation front and a consequent enrichment in the form of oxide within the reaction zone inferred that growth was controlled by simultaneous outward aluminium and inward oxygen diffusion. No correlation was found between either the growth rate or oxygen permeability and the distribution of the precipitates. It was, therefore, concluded that the interfacial boundaries were ineffective in accelerating oxygen transport at this elevated temperature.
Foreign Overt Military Intervention in the Nuclear Age: A Clarification:

It has been brought to my attention that further information may assist readers to better use the list of post-World War II international armed conflicts published in Tillema (1989). That list briefly describes 269 international armed conflicts representing 591 foreign overt military interventions initiated between 2 September 1945 and 31 December 1985, as identified within the OVERT MILITARY INTERVENTION file. Dates of
Infusing Theory into the Undergraduate Classics Curriculum: Examples from Haverford College's Senior Seminar, Translation and Transformation, and History of Literary Theory

This article describes three courses at Haverford Col- lege in which theory is the object of attention: Translation and Transformation: Theory and Practice; History of Literary Theory: Plato to Shelley; and Senior Seminar. In the last of these, students survey a range of theoretical approaches in relation to classical lit- erature and are thus encouraged to develop senior theses that are more sophisticated in their awareness and use of method. The the- oretical focus of all three courses allows students to appreciate the capacities and limitations of theory for the critical analysis of texts and cultures. Should critical theory be given a central place in the undergraduate clas- sics curriculum, and if so, what should that place be? Theory already plays an important, if supporting, role in many language and culture courses. When we teach classical mythology, contrasting theories about the nature and social function of myth—from formalism to structuralism and the psychosocial theories of Lacan and Butler—provide interpretive touch- stones for students as they read and discuss ancient texts. Translation theory might play a role in any Greek or Latin course whose instructor leverages the insights of Benjamin, Venuti, and others to complicate the
A Molecular View of Anti-ErbB Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

Abnormal activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its homolog HER2 (Neu/ErbB2) has been associated with many human cancers, and monoclonal antibodies targeting EGFR and HER2 are effective anticancer therapies. Structural studies of these receptors and antibodies have revealed much about how they function. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Schmiedel et al. report structural and functional studies of the anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody Matuzumab. They show that Matuzumab binds and inhibits EGFR in a manner distinctive from that of other therapeutic anti-EGFR antibodies and suggest that combination therapies with Matuzumab and other antibodies may prove beneficial.
Reverse genetics and the study of the immune response to schistosomes.

SUMMARY The sequencing of the schistosome genome and the establishment of techniques for RNAi and transient transfection in these parasites have opened the door for a reverse genetics approach to studying schistosomes. One of the most intriguing aspects of schistosome biology is the interaction of these parasites with the immune system. The immune response underlies the ability of the host to survive while infected and to eventually develop resistance to further infection. However, it is also instrumental in the development of disease due to its role orchestrating granuloma formation around tissue-trapped parasite eggs. While schistosomes have clearly evolved mechanisms for evading host immune responses, their normal development is, paradoxically, also dependent upon the presence of a normal immune system. This article will review recent advances in the development of tools for studying gene function in schistosomes, and discuss how these new tools may be exploited to investigate issues of key importance in the interaction of schistosomes with the host immune system.
Surgical complications in acute leukemia in childhood: A 20 year experience

A retrospective study of all patients presenting with acute leukemia to a single institution during the period 1968-1988 was undertaken to determine the type and incidence of surgical complications. One hundred twenty-eight of 296 patients were identified as requiring a surgical consultation for complications occurring during the course of the disease and many surgical disciplines were involved. Operative intervention was often required for these complications. Pediatric surgical specialists need to be aware of the range of surgical complications that can occur in children with acute leukemia and they must work in close co-operation with pediatric medical oncologists to ensure optimal treatment for all patients.
How to Construct a Random Probability Measure

Cet article presente un apercu sur plusieurs methodes constructives pour generer des mesures de probabilite aleatoires. Les applications des mesures de probabilite aleatoires incluent les statistiques Bayesiennes, des problemes de controle optimal moyen, des bornes d'erreure moyennes pour les methodes de resolution par des equations numeriques et des modeles pour les distributions aleatoires de masse dans l'espace.
Ordinal Position, Family Size, and Personal Adjustment

(1972). Ordinal Position, Family Size, and Personal Adjustment. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 81, No. 1, pp. 53-58.
Endoscopic removal of eroded bands in vertical banded gastroplasty: a novel use of endoscopic scissors (with video).

Background Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) as a surgical therapy for morbid obesity was first described in 1982. VBG involves partitioning the stomach with a vertical staple line and restricting the outlet pouch with a Gortex band. Complications of VBG include partial and total erosion of the band through the vertical staple line or through the lesser curvature into the gastric pouch. Band erosion occurs after surgery in 1% to 3% of patients, and patients may present with symptoms of obstruction, weight gain, nausea, pain, and bleeding. Unless a band has freely eroded from the stomach wall, allowing spontaneous elimination or simple endoscopic retrieval, surgical removal has been required heretofore. Previous attempts at endoscopic removal of eroded bands have included the use of neodymium-yttrium aluminum garnet laser ablation and other electrosurgical devices. Endoscopic scissors transection to remove an eroded laparoscopic band has been described in Europe but has not been performed in the United States. Objective In this series, we describe the endoscopic removal of partially eroded bands embedded in the gastric wall by using flexible endoscopic scissors to sever and subsequently withdraw the bands endoscopically through the mouth. Conclusions Eroded gastric bands have been safely removed endoscopically in 2 ambulatory outpatients. Design Case series. Setting Tertiary-care academic center. Main Outcome Measurements Efficacy and safety. Limitations Highly selected motivated patient population.
A Numerical Algorithm For 2-D Wavefront Reconstruction From Intensity Measurements In A Single Plane

In this paper we develop an algorithm by which, in general, a 2-dimensional wavefront can be reconstructed uniquely, up to conjugation, from intensity measurements in a single plane. Our technique consists of a detailed mathematical analysis employing Fourier theoretic concepts and differential equations. The algorithm is intended not as a practical algorithm, since efficient iterative algorithms have been developed which incorporate known prior information concerning the wavefront, but rather as a means of addressing the uniqueness question.
Inactivation of nucleotide excision repair in Chinese hamster ovary cells by exposure to an alkylating agent.

— Unscheduled DNA synthesis and excision of pyrimidine dimers in Chinese hamster ovary cells irradiated with UV light were inhibited by prior exposure to the alkylating agent N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)(1–10 μM) Although the pathways for excision of pyrimidine dimers and alkylation damage are known to differ, alkylations from MNNG exposure appear to have a direct effect on the nucleotide excision repair system. These results indicate that the method of exposing cells to two DNA-damaging agents to determine whether they are repaired by common or different pathways can be quite unreliable because of other effects on the repair systems themselves.
Technologies to mitigate the environmental impact of broiler production

A criacao industrial de frangos de corte tem sido eficiente na producao de proteina animal, no entanto geram residuos com alto conteudo de N, P, K, minerais traco, e alta carga de bacterias. A rapida degradacao microbiana destes residuos ocasiona volatilizacao de amonia, odores, e po fino, alem de atrair insetos e roedores. Esta apresentacao discutira os metodos mais efetivos para aproveitamento destes recursos e minimizar o possivel impacto ambiental. Estes procedimentos incluem planejamento, capacitacao do pessoal, zoneamento das areas para dispor dos residuos finais nas glebas, isolamento da granja, nutricao com precisao, praticas de manejo da cama e galpao, e correto manejo das aves mortas. A cama de frangos tem sido utilizada na alimentacao animal e geracao de energia. Adicionalmente serao apresentadas novas tecnologias visando a reducao de emissoes de amonia, odores e po fino, ou a reducao na solubilidade de fosforo.