cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of electrolyte concentration on fluidity and structure in deuterium oxide

Abstract The effect of electrolyte concentration on the fluidity of forty-three deuterium oxide solutions of nine different salts has been evaluated in terms of the parameters of the Arrhenius and Eyring equations, and in terms of the structural properties of the solvent.It is demonstrated that the solutes can be grouped into three classes depending upon the type of solvation, positive or negative, between each ion and the solvent. Class I, to which KCl, KBr, KI and KMnO 4 here belong, consists of negatively hydrated cations and anions; Class II, here LiCl and NaF, consists of small positively hydrated cations and negatively hydrated anions; Class III, here Li 2 SO 4 , Na 2 CO 3 and MnSO 4 , consists of positively hydrated cations and anions. These effects are compared with previous data for ordinary water: no significant differences exist.
Ki67 expression in different epithelial types in columnar lined oesophagus indicates varying levels of expanded and aberrant proliferative patterns.

Aims : To evaluate proliferative patterns in metaplastic columnar epithelia of the oesophagus, classified as oxynto-cardiac (n = 43), cardiac (n = 45) intestinal without dysplasia (n = 41), dysplastic intestinal epithelium (n = 25), and adenocarcinoma (n = 15) by Ki67 immunohistochemistry. Methods and results : Abnormal patterns of Ki67 immunoreactivity were classified into (i) expanded proliferation, characterized by increased levels of Ki67 expression in the deep and mid third of the foveolar pit; and (ii) aberrant proliferation, characterized by positive staining in the surface epithelium and superficial third of the foveolar pit. A significant step-wise increase in the frequency of expanded proliferation was seen in oxynto-cardiac, cardiac, intestinal and dysplastic intestinal epithelium indicative of increasing levels of damage. Aberrant proliferation was absent in oxynto-cardiac mucosa, present at a low and similar level in cardiac, intestinal and low-grade dysplastic epithelia and at a significantly increased frequency in high-grade dysplasia. Conclusions : These findings suggest that oxynto-cardiac mucosa occurs in a low damage environment and intestinal metaplasia in a high damage environment along the length of the columnar lined oesophageal segment. Aberrant proliferative patterns with Ki67 staining are not useful in differentiating reactive epithelia from low-grade dysplasia, but may prove useful in the diagnosis of high-grade dysplasia.
Distribution of mechanical impedance at the fingers and the palm of the human hand.

Abstract A comprehensive understanding of the complex biodynamic response of the human fingers–hand–arm system may help researchers determine the causation of injuries arising from hand-transmitted vibration. This study theoretically demonstrates that the mechanical impedance (MI) in a hand power grip, as a measure of the biodynamic response of the system, can be divided into finger MI and palm MI. A methodology is developed to measure them separately and to investigate their distribution characteristics. This study involves 6 adult male subjects, constant-velocity sinusoidal excitations at 10 different discrete frequencies (16, 25, 40, 63, 100, 160, 250, 400, 630, 1000 Hz), and three different hand–handle coupling conditions. Our results suggest that at low frequencies (⩽40 Hz), the palm MI is substantially higher than the finger MI; the majority of the hand MI remains distributed at the palm up to 100 Hz; and at frequencies higher than 160 Hz, the finger MI is comparable to or higher than the palm MI. Furthermore, at frequencies equal to or above 100 Hz, the finger MI is practically independent of the palm–handle coupling conditions. Knowledge of the MI distribution pattern may increase the understanding of vibration transmission to the hand and aid in the development of effective isolation devices.
Chu spaces from the representational viewpoint

Abstract We give an elementary introduction to Chu spaces viewed as a set of strings all of the same length. This perspective dualizes the alternative view of Chu spaces as generalized topological spaces, and has the advantage of substituting the intuitions of formal language theory for those of topology.
Multispectral random field models for synthesis and analysis of color images

Multispectral extensions to the traditional gray level simultaneous autoregressive (SAR) and Markov random field (MRF) models are considered. Furthermore, a new image model is proposed, the pseudo-Markov model, which retains the characteristics of the multispectral Markov model, yet admits to a simplified parameter estimation method. These models are well-suited to analysis and modeling of color images. For each model considered, procedures are developed for parameter estimation and image synthesis. Experimental results, based on known image models and natural texture samples, substantiate the validity of thee results.
“Playing Nice”: Transcription Factors in TH17 Cells

The immune system exists in a “love–hate” relationship with our own cells. It is responsible for maintaining our viability under the stresses of infection, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and other inflammatory disorders, yet it can also promote these same disorders when dysregulated. TH17 cells in particular play a distinct role in mucosal immune defense, cancer, and multiple autoimmune diseases. Various transcription factors (TF) are involved in the production of interleukin 17A (IL-17A), which is produced by TH17 cells, but little is known about how these TFs govern TH17 specification and cell function. Ciofani et al. aimed to define how TH17-cell TFs work together to determine cell lineage and function. To do this, the authors used both an integrated computational and experimental approach using mouse naive CD4+ T cells purified from lymph nodes and spleens, cultured under Th0 and TH17 conditions. An iterative systems approach combining genome-wide TF occupancy, TF mutant expression profiling, and expression time series uncovered the TH17 global transcriptional regulatory network. Ciofani and colleagues developed an accurate predictive model using multiple datasets, which was then experimentally validated in T cells. Cooperatively bound BATF and IRF4 TFs in TH17-polarized cells contributed to initial chromatin accessibility and subsequent recruitment of the nuclear receptor RORγt to regulate a selection of TH17-relevant genes. Several new TH17 regulators were identified using TF enrichment analysis, including the AP-1 family member Fosl2—a key determinant of cellular plasticity. From these data, it was clear that a collaborative series of events involving different TFs control distinct sets of genes important in TH17 cell function. The importance of this work goes beyond the knowledge relevant to TH17 cells and related human disorders. These authors provide an example of how systems biology can be used to answer a difficult, mechanistic biological question with potential therapeutic implications. This experimental design, computational approach, and analysis framework can be tailored to other cell types, other immune system cells, and potentially specific diseases to shed light on other challenging questions. In terms of translational research, any scientific tools that can augment our understanding of the “whole” rather than the “specific” bring us closer to understanding disease sequelae in organisms, thus bringing us closer to improving human health. M. Ciofani et al., A validated regulatory network for TH17 cell specification. Cell 151 , 289–303 (2012). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.cell.com/abstract/S0092-8674%2812%2901123-3
Absorption, Distribution and Excretion of Selenium from Beef and Rice in Healthy North American Men

Previous metabolic studies of selenium used pure selenium compounds with pharmacologic activities unrelated to selenium nutrition. Healthy men were fed foods naturally high or low in selenium while confined to a metabolic research unit. Selenium intake was 47 microg/d (595 nmol/d) for 21 d while energy intakes and body weights were stabilized and selenium excretion and intake came into metabolic balance. On d 22, selenium intake was changed to either 14 microg/d (177 nmol/d, low selenium) or 297 microg/d (3.8 micromol, high selenium) for the remaining 99 d. The absorption, distribution and excretion of selenium in food were similar to selenomethionine, and distinctly different from sodium selenite. Daily urinary selenium excretion and selenium concentrations in plasma and RBC showed the largest responses to selenium intake relative to interindividual variation. Urinary selenium and plasma selenium responded most rapidly to changes in selenium intake, whereas RBC reflected longer-term selenium intake. Given the difficulty of 24-h urine collections outside a metabolic research unit, RBC and plasma selenium seem to be the most useful indicators of selenium intake. During the intervention period, the high selenium group retained 15 mg (190 micromol) of selenium, with approximately 5 mg (63 micromol) going into skeletal muscle. The low selenium group lost only 0.9 mg (11 micromol) of whole-body selenium but lost 3.3 mg (42 micromol) from muscle, indicating that selenium was redistributed from muscle to tissues that have a higher metabolic priority for selenium such as testes. Fecal excretion decreased by half, representing an important but previously underappreciated adaptation to selenium restriction.
A phase field model of deformation twinning: Nonlinear theory and numerical simulations

Abstract A continuum phase field theory and corresponding numerical solution methods are developed to describe deformation twinning in crystalline solids. An order parameter is associated with the magnitude of twinning shear, i.e., the lattice transformation associated with twinning. The general theory addresses the following physics: large deformations, nonlinear anisotropic elastic behavior, and anisotropic phase boundary energy. The theory is applied towards prediction of equilibrium phenomena in the athermal and non-dissipative limit, whereby equilibrium configurations of an externally stressed crystal are obtained via incremental minimization of a free energy functional. Outcomes of such calculations are elastic fields (e.g., displacement, strain, stress, and strain energy density) and the order parameter field that describes the size and shape of energetically stable twin(s). Numerical simulations of homogeneous twin nucleation in magnesium single crystals demonstrate fair agreement between phase field solutions and available analytical elasticity solutions. Results suggest that critical far-field displacement gradients associated with nucleation of a twin embryo of minimum realistic size are 4.5%–5.0%, with particular values of applied shear strain and equilibrium shapes of the twin somewhat sensitive to far-field boundary conditions and anisotropy of twin boundary surface energy.
Novelties in Gonolobus (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) from the Lesser Antilles

Five new species of Gonolobus (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) are described from the Lesser Antilles: G. absalonensis, G. dussii, G. iyanolensis, G. waitukubuliensis, and G. youroumaynensis. The species exhibit distinct differences in floral characters, including the structure of corolline and gynostegial coronas. Gonolobus martinicensis is lectotypified. A key to Gonolobus in the Lesser Antilles is provided.
Four-pion final state in p̄p annihilations at 940 MeV/c☆

Abstract Resilts are reported on the four-pion final state from antiproton annihilations in hydrogen in the vicinity of 940 MeV/ c . The cross section for π − π − π + π + is found to be 3.6 mb. Abundant resonance production is observed, with fits indicating that quasi-two-body production constitutes approximately half the four-pion events. The model employed, which includes resonance production and Bose symmetrization, yields excellent fits to mass distributions and angular correlations.
Opening an Oral Argument before the Supreme Court: The Decline of Narrative's Role

In contrast to an earlier era, today's oral advocate can expect Supreme Court justices to start asking questions earlier and often. Consequently, the advocate should expect to launch the argument with only a few sentences before the questions begin. These critical sentences offer the brief opportunity to introduce the theme of the subsequent argument. Advocates in other "hot bench" courts face the same challenge.Our study of opening statements in Supreme Court oral arguments finds that the statements have one of three themes: a conventional legal argument, a policy argument, or a narrative argument. The conventional legal argument is the most common, followed by the policy argument, followed by the narrative argument.The dearth of narrative arguments - even as supplementary arguments - can have adverse consequences for the advocate seeking to be persuasive and the Court seeking to decide the case properly.
Correlates of depression in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a significant health problem in the United States. This study examined the relationship between depression and substance use, substance problems, conduct disorders, and sociodemographic factors in primary care settings. METHODS: A survey of 1898 patients in 88 primary care offices was conducted using a self-administered health-habits questionnaire. Depression was assessed for both lifetime and for the past 30 days using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition Revised (DSM-III-R) criteria. RESULTS: A total of 21.7% of women and 12.7% of men met DSM-III-R criteria for depression in the 30 days prior to completing the survey. Lifetime rates of depression were 36.1% for women and 23.3% for men. Young women who smoke, drink, or use marijuana, and both men and women with antisocial personality disorder and a family history of mental health problems are particularly at high risk for depression. CONCLUSIONS: One in 5 women and one in 10 men who see their primary care physicians have recently been depressed. Language: en
What to Do about Low Incomes in Agriculture

HRONIC low incomes still persist as the typical situation in large parts of American agriculture. This is so now after several years of rapid growth in the general economy and after more than two decades of large-scale federal programs directed to farm price and income problems. Increasing public awareness of, and interest in, the persistence of these low incomes has now culminated in the official recognition of them at the national policy level as an important public action problem. What action holds good promise of alleviating and correcting these conditions in traditionally low-income farming areas is the problem to which this paper is directed. Instead of proposing a prescription, however, my intent is to outline and to analyze, necessarily in broad general terms, the major low-income policy alternatives now open to us, hoping that this analysis and the thought and study it may stimulate will be helpful in the development of low-income farm policies at federal, state, and local levels.
Effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate upon the duration and characteristics of human gestation and labor.

The effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate upon the duration and char acteristics of human gestation and labor was studied. 200 pregnant women (36-38 weeks gestation) were randomly assigned to a group receiving 20 mg 4 times/day or to a group receiving only the tablet base. This double-blind study failed to reveal any effect upon the duration of pregnancy or the characteristics of pregnancy labor or fetal conditions.
Narrative and Psychological Understanding

NARRATIVE understanding is based in philosophical hermeneutics, a tradition regnant in Europe but only recently penetrating the American intellectual consciousness. Within this epistemology, there is only the text (communicated in language), which is itself about a text, and dialogue within and among these texts. There is no priori place to stand to make truth claims: there are only interpretations made from a particular historical and value-implicated stance. The "hermeneutic circle" describes a process in which understanding requires reference to a priori understandings such that knowledge accrues in a circular, dialectic fashion. No knowledge can be independent of context or interpreter. The enterprise of science then becomes conversation from which emerge consensual ideas that constitute ways of perceiving and interpreting future texts.
Media Models for the Industrial Goods Advertiser—A Do-it-yourself Opportunity:

Can low-cost media models be built for industrial advertisers? These advertisers typically have small media budgets and are faced with specialized audience groups about which little is known. What problems are encountered in building a low-cost media model? What results can be obtained through the use of such a model? The authors attempt to answer these and related questions through the use of a case history.
Sulfur Containing Stable Unsubstituted Heptacene Analogs

Heptacene and higher polyacenes have been sought for their high degree of charge carrier mobility in thin film transistors. Such acenes are, however, extremely unstable in ambient conditions. Approaches to obtain stable heptacenes include introduction of suitable substituents, of heteroatoms, or both. Methods to synthesize stable linear and a nonlinear unsubstituted heptacene analogs are discussed. No changes in the UV–visible absorption spectra in solution over time for these materials indicate higher oxidative stability compared to analogous polyacenes.
A Microtus population with supplemental food.

Abstract: A low density population of the California vole was provided with unlimited food supplementing the natural forage for 11 months. Numbers at first increased very slowly, then rose abruptly to only a moderate density and then declined rapidly in spite of excellent individual growth rates and a sustained high reproductive rate among the adults. Thus supplemental food was not sufficient to produce a rapidly expanding population or to prevent a decline to low numbers.
A genetic analysis of bacteriophage λ head assembly

Abstract The sequence of steps involved in bacteriophage λ head assembly has been studied by characterizing second-site mutatons that can compensate for the reduced level of synthesis of a particular phage “head” protein. Such studies reveal these classes of protein interactions: (1) A reduced level of either p A synthesis or activity can compensate for the reduced amount of p D made when λD am mutants are grown in a supC host. This result implies that p A acts before p D during the packaging of phage DNA. (2) A reduced level of either p B synthesis or activity can compensate for the reduced amount of p E made when λE am mutants are grown in a sup C host, and vice versa. This result suggests an interaction between these proteins that is stringently dependent on maintaining a proper ratio between them. An identical argument has been made to explain the properties of gro E hosts (Sternberg, 1973) . (3) A very specific class of mutations in phage gene E can compensate for the reduced amount of p C made when λC am mutants are grown in a sup C host. This suggests that the products of these two genes directly interact. Using the techniques described in this report it is possible to easily isolate a variety of mutations ( am, oc, ts, and missense) in specific phage “head” genes (genes A, B and E).
Role of the clinical dietitian. II. Ideal vs. actual role.

Does the dietitians performance measure up to her ideal role in her own estimation? in the estimation of the physician? What deterrents does the dietitian see to fulfilling her ideal role?
Effects of the carcinogen N-acetoxy-2-fluorenylacetamide on the template properties of deoxyribonucleic acid.

Treatment of DNA in vitro with the carcinogen N-acetoxy-2-fluorenylacetamide (N-acetoxy-2-FAA) drastically reduced the capacity of the DNA to serve as a template for RNA synthesis. Significant inactivation of template activity occurred within seconds after mixing the carcinogen with DNA. A given quantity of treated DNA could bind 10 times more RNA polymerase than the same quantity of control DNA. RNA synthesis directed by treated DNA ceased after 5 min of incubation, while RNA synthesis directed by control DNA continued for over 1 hr. Treated DNA was as effective as control DNA in supporting the exchange of [32P]pyrophosphate into nucleoside triphosphates in the presence of RNA polymerase. These findings indicated that N-acetoxy-2-FAA inhibited RNA synthesis by preventing chain elongation, and that chain initiation was unaffected. Denaturation by heat or alkali decreased the template capacity of control DNA but increased the template capacity of treated DNA. In addition, treated DNA was more effective than control DNA in supporting the homopolymerization of adenylic acid by RNA polymerase. It therefore appeared likely that N-acetoxy-2-FAA produced regions of partial denaturation of DNA. Comparison of the effects of a series of N-acetoxyarylacetamides revealed that abolition of DNA template activity only occurred when the aryl moiety was greater than one ring in size and when the nitrogen atom was located para to the aromatic system.
The Lust for War vs. The Lust for Judgment

How does one judge war? Though we often make judgments about partic ular wars — referring to them at times as “foolhardy,” “tragic,” “savage,” or “noble,” “justified,” “humanitarian” — we just as often claim that we cannot judge war generally, referencing such cliches as “all’s fair in love and war,” “war is hell,” “the fog of war,” or “war is a world of its own.” For some, this schism might merely indicate that we feel that it is possible to judge the decision to fight particular wars, while we feel that it is impossible to judge decisions made in the course of fighting wars. We might say that we can judge wars politically, but we cannot judge wars militarily, or to put it another way, that we can judge only what we know. For others, such as Michael Walzer and contemporary just war theorists, this schism might instead indicate the success of those involved with military decision-making in getting the rest of us to agree to the myth that one cannot judge war unless one has experience of it. Hence, for just war theory, one should not judge wars only politically or militarily, but also morally, and to claim otherwise is to let both them off the hook for taking responsibility for the crimes that take place in war, and to let us off the hook for holding them responsible for these crimes. In other words, judge lest ye be judged.
The Effect of 2450 MHz Microwave Irradiation on the Growth of Mice

AbstractMany claims have been made concerning the low power density effects of microwave irradiation of living material. We herein refute one claim for the growth stimulating effect of chronic 2450 MHz irradiation and correct the record of our having confirmed experimentally a dielectric saturation effect which might cause denaturation of molecules in living material.
Behavioural Physiology of the Colonial Hydroid Obelia

1. The bioluminescent system of Obelia responds to stimulation by producing a burst of excitatory potentials (luminescent potentials, LPs) with each stimulus except the first. These LPs initiate flashes from the coupled luminescent effectors. 2. There is temporal facilitation between the applied stimulus and the LP-system; the LP-system shows adaptation to stimulation by a rise in threshold as well as fatigue. 3. There is facilitation within the LP-system that is temporal at a given point and spatial (in the distance of spread) between two or more points. The result is a limited spread of the first potentials and decreasing numbers of potentials with increasing distance but often a through-conduction of the final potentials. 4. The conduction velocity of the LPs is about22 cm/s at 12 °C; the refractory period is about 60 ms at 20 °C and 150 ms at 12 °C; the latency from stimulation to the first LP in a stimulus train first decreases from 130-600 ms to 20-80 ms and then increases again to 150-600 ms at 20 °C. The latency between LP and the flash is about 20±9 ms. 5. The intervals between LPs in bursts evoked by stimuli applied at 1/s gradually increase from about 65 ms to about 135 ms at 20 °C. The absolute LP intervals are temperature-dependent (the relative ratios are not) but independent of the stimulus frequency. The number of LPs in a burst is frequency dependent. 6. The facilitation curve of the LP-system-luminescent effector junctions, as determined from flash intensity, shows a rapid rise between 60 and 80 ms, a fairly rapid decay between 80 and 200 ms, and a long residual decay which lasts for several hundred milliseconds. Preliminary reports of this work have been published (Morin, Reynolds & Hastings, 1968; Morin & Reynolds, 1969) This work was supported in part by a predoctoral Fellowship from the National Science Foundation
Involuntary Symptoms: Trauma and Dissociation

In this chapter we see how closely trauma and dissociation are linked. Dissociation is defined as the mind’s ability under pressure to create barriers between components of functioning and/or contents. These barriers serve to protect the individual from overwhelming emotions, but, as with other EDPs, they become dysfunctional. Barriers that split feelings from consciousness help us understand the symptoms of PTSD as well as other psychological phenomena, including multiple personalities. The main challenge in treatment is to create a safe context where the mind becomes ready to face once-overwhelming affects so that they can heal.
A trust model for supply chain management

My thesis will contribute to the field of multi-agent systems by proposing a novel and formal trust-based decision model for supply chain management.
What does the person feel? Learning to infer applied forces during robot-assisted dressing

During robot-assisted dressing, a robot manipulates a garment in contact with a person's body. Inferring the forces applied to the person's body by the garment might enable a robot to provide more effective assistance and give the robot insight into what the person feels. However, complex mechanics govern the relationship between the robot's end effector and these forces. Using a physics-based simulation and data-driven methods, we demonstrate the feasibility of inferring forces across a person's body using only end effector measurements. Specifically, we present a long short-term memory (LSTM) network that at each time step takes a 9-dimensional input vector of force, torque, and velocity measurements from the robot's end effector and outputs a force map consisting of hundreds of inferred force magnitudes across the person's body. We trained and evaluated LSTMs on two tasks: pulling a hospital gown onto an arm and pulhng shorts onto a leg. For both tasks, the LSTMs produced force maps that were similar to ground truth when visualized as heat maps across the limbs. We also evaluated their performance in terms of root-mean-square error. Their performance degraded when the end effector velocity was increased outside the training range, but generalized well to limb rotations. Overall, our results suggest that robots could learn to infer the forces people feel during robot-assisted dressing, although the extent to which this will generalize to the real world remains an open question.
Divergent Experiences with the Rule of Law: A Comparative Analysis of Chile and Argentina

Chile and Argentina are neighbors in the Southern Cone of Latin America, yet their experiences with the rule of law are worlds apart. Although the two nations share the Spanish colonial legacy and the civil law tradition and they both recently underwent transitions from harsh military rule, they have been on opposite ends of the judicial autonomy continuum for most of their histories. Chile has had more success than Argentina in establishing a strong rule of law that includes a judiciary that is independent of the executive branch. In a rule of law system, state agents and private actors that wield significant power are subject to legality. Otherwise, these actors can use their power to violate the formal rules of the game. An autonomous judiciary on its own is not sufficient to ensure the rule of law, but it can aid in the establishment by binding powerful actors. In the context of Latin American ultrapresidentialism, the judiciary must have the capacity to act as a control on the executive branch.
Sex differences in the association between countries' smoking prevalence and happiness ratings

Abstract Objectives To examine the cross-sectional relationship between measures of countries' happiness and countries' prevalence of tobacco smoking. Since smoking prevalence differs widely based on sex in some countries and is similar in other countries, it was examined if there was a sex difference in the relationship between smoking prevalence and country-specific happiness ratings. Study design Ecological study design. Methods Countries' age-standardized prevalence estimates of smoking any tobacco product among persons aged 15 years and older (%) for 2015 were obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Observatory. Country-specific scores from the World Happiness Report 2016 Update Ranking of Happiness (2013–15) and the 2015 Gallup Positive Experience Index were matched and correlated to 2015 WHO estimates of tobacco smoking prevalence for males and females. The difference between male and female age-standardized smoking prevalence estimates in each country was calculated by subtracting female prevalence from male prevalence and was then correlated to countries' World Happiness Report scores. The analyses did not control for potential confounders. Results The association between male age-standardized smoking prevalence estimates and countries' World Happiness Report scores was inversely correlated [r(104) = −0.22, P = 0.03], whereas the association between female age-standardized smoking prevalence estimates and countries' World Happiness Report scores was positively correlated [r(104) = 0.48, P = 0.00]. An inverse correlation was found between the difference in male and female smoking prevalence estimates and countries' World Happiness Report scores [r(104) = −0.50, P = 0.00]. The association between countries' male age-standardized smoking prevalence estimates and the Positive Experience Index scores was inversely correlated [r(99) = −0.37, P = 0.00], whereas the female age-standardized smoking prevalence estimates in countries were not significantly associated with Positive Experience Index scores [r(99) = −0.03, P = 0.75]. Conclusion There are distinct sex differences between the amounts of happiness measured in countries and male and female smoking rates. Greater inequality in age-standardized smoking prevalence estimates between males and females is associated with lower amounts of happiness as measured by the World Happiness Report. These findings can be applied to population-based strategies aimed at reducing national smoking rates in men and women.
Optimal control problems involving set measures

Abstract Various optimal control problems involving set measures are formulated. An example for such problems is that of optimal motion planning for a mobile observer or robot equipped with cameras to obtain maximum visual coverage of a given terrain. Optimality conditions in the form of variational inequality and maximum principle are presented. The results are applied to the optimal motion planning problem with a simple terrain.
Interactive Proof Systems

Recall the characterization of NP as the class of languages A having a polynomial-time verifier (Corollary 6.1). The verifier is capable of checking that a string is a short (polynomial-length) proof that an element is in the NP set A. Furthermore the verifier works in polynomial time. We do not put any restriction on how the verifier obtains the proof itself, it is sufficient that the proof exists. For example, the proof might be provided by a powerful prover with unrestricted computational power.
Newton's Method for Linear Optimal Control Problems*

Abstract Discrete-time optimal control problems with linear dynamics, linear objective function and linear state and control constraints form an important class of large scale linear programming problems the special structure of which cannot be exploited by straightforward application of the simplex method. As an alternative one may use a penalty or multiplier method to eliminate the state and control constraints and employ variations of Newton's method to solve the associated piecewise quadratic unconstrained optimal control problems. This paper shows under mild assumptions that the exact solution of the problem can be obtained by solving an associated Riccati equation a finite number of times and reports on the computational aspects of the related algorithms.
On the potential of proactive domain blacklisting

In this paper we explore the potential of leveraging properties inherent to domain registrations and their appearance in DNS zone files to predict the malicious use of domains proactively, using only minimal observation of known-bad domains to drive our inference. Our analysis demonstrates that our inference procedure derives on average 3.5 to 15 new domains from a given known-bad domain. 93% of these inferred domains subsequently appear suspect (based on third-party assessments), and nearly 73% eventually appear on blacklists themselves. For these latter, proactively blocking based on our predictions provides a median headstart of about 2 days versus using a reactive blacklist, though this gain varies widely for different domains.
Maskers of the Universe: Generating Transparency Around Antisocial Personality Traits of Executive Leaders in Corporate America

One out of every five chief executives is a psychopath who is consumed with playing a game of corporate accomplishment, as he takes inhumane pleasure in violating moral code to ensure his dominance and personal gain over others in the workplace. In fact, there are a growing number of “triadic persons” in the American workforce, who combine three types of antisocial personalities: narcissism, sociopathy, and psychopathy. These individuals are drawn to positions of power and prestige, making corporate America the ideal breeding ground for producing the number one most psychopathic profession: The Corporate CEO. These actors are intrinsic experts at performing a routine of tantalizing charm and believable devotion. Meanwhile, with the absence of an effective mechanism designed to highlight the antisocial tendencies of C-Level leaders in current hiring and promotion processes of publicly-traded companies, these corporations, their employees, and shareholders remain unable to expose the bad actors who are stealthily permeating the fabric of U.S. commercial markets. In order to generate the transparency necessary to afford employers, stockholders, boards of directors, and regulators the opportunity to make informed decisions about America’s corporate leaders, this Note proposes the SEC’s promulgation of an optional Corporate Character and Fitness (“CCF”) Disclosure tool, designed to unmask the antisocial personality traits of executive leaders employed by publicly-traded companies, in order to better gauge their risk propensity.
Corporate power, US drug enforcement and the repression of indigenous peoples in Latin America

The question that motivates this article is: what are the mechanisms through which the prosecution of the drug war in Latin America lead to human rights repression? In answering this question, I th...
Learning to Infer Voltage Stability Margin Using Transfer Learning

Preventing voltage collapse is critical for reliable operation of power systems. A challenging problem is that the voltage stability margin, i.e., the distance from a given power profile to the voltage stability boundary, is very computationally intensive to obtain. A novel machine learning based approach for real-time inference of voltage stability margin is developed, only needing a very small number of offline-computed voltage stability margin data. An accurate margin predictor is trained by first training a binary stability classifier and then transferring this pre-trained model to fine-tune on the small data set of margins. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed method significantly outperforms Jacobian-based voltage stability margin estimation with even faster real-time computation.
Long Term Sustainability in Global Higher Education Partnerships

Drawing from extant literature, this chapter first identifies four threats to long-term sustainability for global higher education partnerships. The chapter then proposes four conditions that can improve the prospects of long-term sustainability. As a final matter, the chapter considers two ethical issues pertinent to contemporary global partnerships.
Pococurante (Poc): An ENU-Induced Missense Mutation of MyD88 with Selective Effects on TLR Signal Transduction.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key sensors of the innate immune system, and individual TLRs respond to specific molecules derived from microbes. MyD88 is a Toll/Interleukin-1/Resistance (TIR) domain-containing adaptor protein required for signaling by all TLRs except TLR3. While the structural basis of association between MyD88 and TIR-domain receptors is obscure, MyD88-deficient mice show no responses to bacterial flagellin, peptidoglycan (PGN), lipoteichoic acid (LTA), bacterial lipopeptides such as PAM 2 CSK 4 , PAM 3 CSK 4 and R- or S-MALP-2, DNA bearing unmethylated CpG dinucleotides (CpG DNA), or Resiquimod (RSQ). Using germline ENU mutagenesis, we have produced a large number of phenotypic variants that have abnormal TLR signaling. We now report the identification of a new mutation called Pococurante (Poc) , originally detected in screening because macrophages from this mouse showed no response to the tri-acylated lipopeptide PAM 3 CSK 4 , the di-acylated lipopeptide S-MALP-2, LTA, CpG DNA, RSQ, and a markedly reduced response to LPS: the ligands for TLRs 2/1, 2/6, 9, 7 and 4 respectively. They also had no response to interleukin-1, a cytokine that signals by way of a MyD88-dependent TIR domain receptor. However, Poc mice showed a normal response to PGN, as well as R-MALP-2 and PAM 2 CSK 4 lipopeptides. The latter three ligands are sensed in a TLR2-dependent, MyD88-dependent fashion. The Poc phenotype was ascribed to a point mutation of MyD88 affecting a surface residue (I179N). Because the mutation is discriminatory, permitting MyD88 to carry a signal from some TIR domain receptors but not others, we infer that it resides at the receptor:adaptor signaling interface. A new model of TIR receptor:adaptor interaction is proposed on the basis of docking studies that take account of the Poc phenotype, made using the protein-protein docking program SURFDOCK. We note that S-MALP-2 is dependent upon TLR2/6 heterodimers, while PAM 3 CSK 4 sensing depends upon TLR2/1 heterodimers. Since the Poc mutation forbids detection of both these ligands while it allows detection of PAM 2 CSK 4 and R-MALP-2, it may be inferred that TLR2 signal transduction entails greater structural diversity than was previously supposed. The involvement of TLR2 homodimers, or the incorporation of subunits yet unknown into the receptor complex, cannot be excluded.
Learning Network Design Objectives Using A Program Synthesis Approach

While the networking community has extensively tackled network design problems using optimization or other techniques (e.g., in areas such as traffic-engineering, and resource allocation), much of this work focuses on efficiently generating designs assuming well-defined objectives. In this paper, we argue that in practice, the objectives of a network design task may not be easy to specify for an architect. We argue for, and present a structured approach where the objectives of a network design task are learnt through iterative interactions with the architect. Our approach is inspired by a programming-by-examples approach that has seen success in the programming languages community. However, conventional program synthesis techniques do not apply because in our context a user can only provide a relative comparison between multiple choices on which one is more desirable, rather than provide an exact output for a given input. We propose a novel comparative synthesis approach to tackle these challenges. We sketch the approach, present promising preliminary results, and discuss future research questions.
Roles and detection of tissue factor positive microparticle in tumor

Tissue factor positive microparticle (TF-MP) plays an important role in the invasion and metastasis of tumor by promoting the formation of the vessels around the tumor. At present a number of studies suggest that TF-MP is associated with thrombosis in tumor, but the relevant mechanism is still not fully clear. TF-MP is extremely important for the prevention of tumor progression and thrombosis. Key words: Neoplasms; Venous thrombosis; Thromboplastin; Microparticle
Comprehensive study on the effects of process parameters of alkaline thermal pretreatment followed by thermomechanical extrusion in sugar liberation from Eucalyptus grandis wood

A combination of alkaline thermal pretreatment followed by thermomechanical extrusion was studied as a novel sequential pretreatment process for an effective breakdown of the lignocellulosic structure of Eucalyptus grandis wood (EW). The first step was studied by analysing the influence of two factors: the NaOH-to-dry biomass ratio or NaOH loading (NaOH/DM) and the liquid-to-solid ratio (L/S). Optimization of these two parameters provided good results in terms of enzymatic hydrolysis at 5% (w w⁻¹) solids loading, obtaining a total sugar concentration of 24.9 g L⁻¹ and a total sugar production of 36.9 g 100 g⁻¹ raw EW after pretreating the biomass at 20% NaOH/DM and L/S = 1/1. The second step of extrusion, when followed by a final washing step, provided a significant increase in glucose and xylose production when working at 10% NaOH/DM. For a soda loading of 20%, there was a clear improvement in sugars conversion yield after extrusion and washing: 71% for glucan conversion and 89% for xylan.
Estimating Benthic Light Regimes Improves Predictions of Primary Production and constrains Light-Use Efficiency in Streams and Rivers

Light-use efficiency (LUE) describes conversion of incident light into gross primary production (GPP), combining the inherent photosynthetic efficiency of chloroplasts with light-capture ability of the autotrophic community. In lotic ecosystems, LUE is poorly constrained, in part because most studies neglect water-column attenuation. We hypothesized that rigorous quantification of benthic light would (1) improve GPP predictions and (2) constrain cross-site variation in LUE. We used a field-validated light model to successively attenuate open-sky irradiance through the riparian canopy and water column to estimate benthic light at 11 sites spanning discharge and dissolved-color gradients where we simultaneously calculated daily GPP. Our results indicate substantial water-column attenuation (up to 96% of stream-surface light), implying significant underestimation of LUE using stream-surface light alone. Benthic light dramatically improved GPP predictions, especially after considering mean-light conditions, which we suggest enumerates ecosystem light-capture ability due to biomass density. The model including mean-light effects explained 78% of GPP variation across sites and yielded a LUE identical to terrestrial ecosystems (1.9%). Interactions between daily and mean-light only slightly improved model fit (R2 = 0.80), implying higher LUE at sites with higher mean light, but notably reduced LUE variation across sites compared with individual site analyses. This suggests that better representation of benthic light regimes leads to LUE convergence. Our study supports use of a global river LUE to translate large-scale predictions of stream light regimes into expected GPP, from which disturbance and nutrient limitation effects can then be discerned.
Conclusion to Book

This chapter brings all the material in the book together in a 27-step answer to our question “What is a Human?”.
One day in the Guatemalan war: the rebel occupation of Nebaj, 21 January 1979

In early 1979, the Guerrilla Army of the Poor organized the occupation of Nebaj, a Maya-Ixil town located in the highly populated Department of Quiche. In Guatemala, Nebaj was one of the most important towns for coffee and sugarcane production both for highland and coastal plantations. From the marketplace and central plaza, the rebels called people to join the revolution against nonindigenous landlords and the army of the rich. This article delves into the history of this specific day in the Guatemalan rebellion through both written and oral testimonies of people who participated or witnessed the armed propaganda. It proposes to understand the guerrilla action as part of a broader and much more complex struggle taking place in the Central American revolutions. Through the analysis of the occupation of Nebaj, the article shows the complexity of the Guatemalan war from the standpoint of rebel encounters and intertwined personal stories.
CD8 + T cells specific for conserved coronavirus epitopes correlate with milder disease in COVID-19 patients.

A central feature of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is that some individuals become severely ill or die, whereas others have only a mild disease course or are asymptomatic. Here we report development of an improved multimeric αβ T cell staining reagent platform, with each maxi-ferritin "spheromer" displaying 12 peptide-MHC complexes. Spheromers stain specific T cells more efficiently than peptide-MHC tetramers and capture a broader portion of the sequence repertoire for a given peptide-MHC. Analyzing the response in unexposed individuals, we find that T cells recognizing peptides conserved amongst coronaviruses are more abundant and tend to have a "memory" phenotype, compared to those unique to SARS-CoV-2. Significantly, CD8+ T cells with these conserved specificities are much more abundant in COVID-19 patients with mild disease versus those with a more severe illness, suggesting a protective role.
Quality-of-Life Outcomes for Excision and Reconstruction of Periocular Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer.

Background: Understanding how periocular nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) impacts quality of life (QoL) provides insight into the patient experience. Objective: To prospectively measure QoL of indivi...
Software Engineering Course Projects: Failures and Recommendations

In the past there has been much written about successful commercial software development projects while failures are largely ignored. Similarly, the software engineering education literature contains many references to successful course projects, while academic course project failures are rarely described. This paper provides an analysis of software engineering course project failures as well as practical recommendations for increasing the chances of successful projects. The failures are grouped into technical, personal and management categories. Our recommendations are based upon a synthesis of current approaches being adopted to various degrees in industry as well as our own personal experiences. Most of our non-technical recommendations have historically received very little attention in course offerings or even current popular software engineering texts. It is our goal in this paper to sensitize software engineering course instructors to the possible failures their project teams face as well as provide them with insight into increasing their teams chances for success.