cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Restoring and Sustaining Lands—Coordinating Science, Politics, and Community for Action

We propose that a new conceptual framework is needed for conservation and land restoration to achieve sustainability. We present two conceptual models—Static Productive Harmony and Dynamic Productive Harmony—for formulating environmental policy and making natural resource management decisions. The static model seeks a balance among ecological, social, and economic systems through compromises that require trade-offs that often end up satisfying no one. The dynamic model represents a fundamentally different approach to restoring and sustaining lands. In this model, healthy ecosystems are the foundation for thriving communities and dynamic economies. The dynamic model aims to generate resource management approaches that add value to each of the systems for a mutual gains outcome. Restoring and sustaining lands is a wicked problem. New institutions need to be shaped that support ongoing collaborative and participatory processes to achieve durable and equitable environmental policy.
Da Anulação à Revolução: o direito das crianças à cidadania / direito à cidade

As criancas sao cada vez mais colocadas em uma posicao insustentavel no que diz respeito ao seu direito de representacao civica e seu acesso aos espacos publicos. Para resolver esse impasse, criancas e jovens muitas vezes resolvem eles proprios os problemas. Neste artigo vou me concentrar no movimento Izbrisani, na Eslovenia, e na revolucao Pinguinos, no Chile, atraves de ideias desenvolvidas por teoricos do espacco e filosofos geopoliticas em combinacao com o meu proprio trabalho sobre a formacao politica dos jovens, para sugerir formas que as criancas, o espaco urbano e politica podem ser re-imaginados.
THE GENERAL CAUCHY THEOREM

In this chapter we consider two basic questions. First, for a given open set U, we try to determine which closed paths γ in U have the property that ∫γf(z)dz = 0 for every f analytic on U. Second, we try to characterize those open sets U having the property that ∫γf(z) dz = 0 for all closed paths γ in U and all functions f analytic on U. The results, which may be grouped under the name “Cauchy's theorem,” form the cornerstone of analytic function theory. We need some preliminary results on logarithm and argument functions.
A Utopian Perspective on the Environment

Broadly speaking, the weakness of environmental theory is its failure to comprehend man. This flaw dooms “laws” and “generalizations” to perpetual revision as they struggle to keep pace with human events. Since his appearance on the planet, man has persisted in revolutionizing himself and his world. Moving from hunter and gatherer, to farmer, to master of artifact and technique, man has refused to accept a static niche in the order of things. He has experimented with myriad forms of social organization: families, tribes, nations, empires. He is an unstable object of analysis. He defies the orderly processes of intellect as they struggle to define his character.
Organ and Tissue Retrieval and Donation The Ethical Imperative

An organ, as defined in Taber’s Medical Dictionary, is “a part of the body having special function.” The entry goes on to note that, since most organs are in pairs, “one may be extirpated and the remaining one will perform all necessary functions.” In the accompanying alphabetical list of 32 organs, however, at least 13 are not paired and, of these, the extirpation of several, such as heart and liver, is fatal (barring their immediate replacement). Nevertheless, the dictionary’s remark is well taken, since the human body has a remarkable ability to compensate for the loss of its parts or to generate tissue. For centuries, this was important because parts were lost by accident or by deliberate extirpation in a surgical procedure. One ethical question was consistently asked about deliberate extirpation: Is it morally licit to multilate one’s body? The answer, from most moralists during those centuries, was “yes, if the loss of the bodily part is necessary for the health of the whole body.” Clearly, the physical and physiological capacity to compensate for loss of an organ, and even more, of tissue made that answer an easy one.
Proximity to the Diaphragm Predicts the Presence of Rhabdomyomatous Dysplasia in Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformations.

Introduction Rhabdomyomatous dysplasia (RD) is a pathologic finding in CPAMs that was incorrectly attributed to their malignant potential. The increasing recognition of extrathoracic (intradiaphragmatic and intraabdominal) congenital pulmonary airway malformations (CPAMs) offers a clue to the origin of RD. We hypothesize that the presence of RD is related to the CPAM's anatomic location. Materials and Methods Retrospective review was performed of all children who underwent resection of a CPAM during a 10-year period. The age at the time of operation, location of the CPAM, and pathologic findings were collected. Peridiaphragmatic location was defined as within the inferior pulmonary ligament, deep to the diaphragmatic portion of the parietal pleura (“intradiaphragmatic”) or adjacent to the abdominal side of the diaphragm. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher's exact test for 2 × 2 tables. Results Twenty-six patients with CPAM were identified. Preoperative imaging was performed by computed tomography (CT) scan (16/26), ultrasound (5/26), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (1/26), and chest radiograph (4/26). The median age at resection was 15 months. Of these, 16 were pure cystic adenomatoid malformations, 4 were extralobar sequestrations, 4 were intralobar sequestrations, and 2 were bronchogenic cysts. Nine lesions were peridiaphragmatic with four being intradiaphragmatic (44%). Eight of the nine resected peridiaphragmatic lesions contained histologic evidence of rhabdomyomatous changes (89%, confidence interval [CI] 52–99%). None of the other lesions contained RD (CI 0–19%, p Conclusion RD was seen exclusively, and in virtually all peridiaphragmatic CPAMs. While the exact significance of RD remains unclear, it may represent incorporation of striated muscle tissue associated with the developing diaphragm.
Water Level and Salinity Drive Community Structure of Culturable Baldcypress ( Taxodium distichum ) Endophytes in Southern Louisiana

Little is known about effects of salinity and flooding on plant symbionts, including baldcypress trees (Taxodium distichum), the dominant trees in many swamp ecosystems in the southeastern US. In this study, we characterize the culturable fungal and bacterial endophytes in the roots and leaves of baldcypress trees at four sites with varying levels of salinity and flooding regimes in southeastern Louisiana. Both salinity and flooding (water level) contributed to endophytic community composition of leaves and roots. We found that diversity and endophyte isolation frequency were higher in roots than in leaves, with leaf bacteria being almost negligible. Our study demonstrates a connection between environmental variables, plant symbionts, and a key restoration species. This work may help in predicting future outcomes of sea level rise for endophytes communities in baldcypress and other wetland plants.
Whole-Genome Sequencing of Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates to Track Strain Progression in a Single Patient With Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important uropathogen that increasingly harbors broad-spectrum antibiotic resistance determinants. Evidence suggests that some same-strain recurrences in women with frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs) may emanate from a persistent intravesicular reservoir. Our objective was to analyze K. pneumoniae isolates collected over weeks from multiple body sites of a single patient with recurrent UTI in order to track ordered strain progression across body sites, as has been employed across patients in outbreak settings. Whole-genome sequencing of 26 K. pneumoniae isolates was performed utilizing the Illumina platform. PacBio sequencing was used to create a refined reference genome of the original urinary isolate (TOP52). Sequence variation was evaluated by comparing the 26 isolate sequences to the reference genome sequence. Whole-genome sequencing of the K. pneumoniae isolates from six different body sites of this patient with recurrent UTI demonstrated 100% chromosomal sequence identity of the isolates, with only a small P2 plasmid deletion in a minority of isolates. No single nucleotide variants were detected. The complete absence of single-nucleotide variants from 26 K. pneumoniae isolates from multiple body sites collected over weeks from a patient with recurrent UTI suggests that, unlike in an outbreak situation with strains collected from numerous patients, other methods are necessary to discern strain progression within a single host over a relatively short time frame.
Proteomic Profiling of Seminal Plasma Proteins in Varicocele Patients

Purpose Seminal plasma provides a nutritive and protective milieu for spermatozoa. It contains factors/proteins required for sperm maturation, hyperactivation, capacitation and acrosome reaction. Alteration in the expression levels of seminal plasma proteins affect the fertilization process. The main objective of this study is to compare the seminal plasma proteome of healthy fertile men (control group) with varicocele patients in order to identify the differentially expressed seminal plasma proteins. Materials and methods Pooled seminal plasma samples from control (n=5) and varicocele (unilateral: n=5 and bilateral: n=5) subjects were used for proteomic profiling and functional bioinformatic analysis. Key differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) associated with binding of zona pellucida (acrosin; ACR), protein folding (heat shock related 70 kDa protein 2; HSPA2), oxidative stress (peroxiredoxin 2; PRDX2), lipid peroxidation and DNA fragmentation (apolipoprotein A2; APOA2) were validated by Western blot. Statistical analysis was conducted using Mann-Whitney test. Results A total of 412 and 486 proteins were detected in seminal plasma of control group and varicocele patients respectively. Twenty-eight proteins were identified as DEPs between varicocele and control group. Validation of DEPs revealed downregulation of HSPA2 (p=0.0037) as well as APOA2 (p=0.0373), and upregulation of PRDX2 (p=0.0474). Conclusions The seminal plasma protein profile of varicocele patients differ from healthy fertile men. Aberrant expression of seminal plasma proteins serve as an indicator of sperm pathology in varicocele patients.
Experience with morphosyntactic paradigms allows toddlers to tacitly anticipate overregularized verb forms months before they produce them.

Abstract When do children acquire abstract grammatical categories? Studies of 2- to 3-year-olds' productions of complete morphosyntactic paradigms (e.g., all legal determiners with all nouns) suggest relatively later category acquisition, while studies of infant discrimination of grammatical vs. ungrammatical sequences suggest earlier acquisition. However, few of the latter studies have probed category generalization by examining how learners treat gaps in their input, and none have found evidence that learners before the age of 2 years fill gaps in verb paradigms. Therefore, the three experiments presented here asked whether 16-month-olds tacitly expect to hear forms like breaked by presenting them with overregularized verbs vs. (1) nonce verbs + –ed, (2) real English nouns + –ed, and (3) the correct irregular counterparts. The pattern of listening preferences suggests that toddlers anticipate overregularized forms, suggesting that they have a general proto-category verb, to which they expect the complete set of verb inflections to apply.
Ex situ seed collections will benefit from considering spatial sampling design and species’ reproductive biology

Abstract Collecting seed from natural plant populations is a key tool for conservation, ecological restoration, assisted migration, studying plant mating systems, and crop breeding. Many collections rely on simple, broadly-applied rules-of-thumb for minimum sample sizes, regardless of species’ natural history, and are likely inadequate for obtaining sufficient genetic representation. There is a current paucity of information about how various logistical and biological factors influence seed sampling outcomes. Here we use simulated and empirical data to, for the first time, quantitatively evaluate the degree to which collection effectiveness is influenced by spatial arrangement, sampling intensity, and species’ reproductive biology. We clearly and quantitatively demonstrate that collections with spatially limited or biased sampling arrangements, or collections from species with high selfing or low dispersal, will need substantially more samples than are commonly recommended, or else will fail to reach the targeted genetic diversity. We also show that the marginal gain from sampling additional maternal plants will nearly always exceed that of additional seeds. Lastly we show that random sampling outperforms “easy access” and “transect” sampling by 70% and 30%, respectively. Overall, we conclude that collection guidelines tailored to particular taxa will help facilitate optimal sampling design.
Building Blocks of Social Organization: Audience Perceptions of Hybrid Organizations as Assemblies

Organizational theories hold that audiences view pure organizations as legitimate and are thus more likely to support them. But hybrids of prototypical organizations–such as those combining feature...
A Cadaveric Evaluation of Pin and Tension Band Configuration Strength for Tibial Tuberosity Osteotomy Fixation.

Objective The purpose of this study was to compare the load at failure and mode of failure of four constructs used to stabilize a tibial tuberosity osteotomy, including two vertically aligned pins (V), two horizontally aligned pins (H), two vertically aligned pins with a tension band wire (V-TB) and two horizontally aligned pins with a tension band wire (H-TB). Study Design Eighteen pairs of cadaveric tibiae were randomized to receive a TB or no TB. One limb was randomized to be in the H or V group. The contralateral limb was then assigned to the opposite configuration. One pair of limbs was used as a control. A tensile force was applied to the patellar ligament until construct failure. Results There was no significant difference between the mean load at failure of the H (595 N) and V (556 N) groups or between H-TB (1032 N) and V-TB groups (1034 N) (p = 0.487 and p = 0.238, respectively). The TB constructs were significantly stronger than the pin only constructs (p Conclusion The use of vertically aligned pins versus horizontally aligned pins does not affect construct strength. These results support the placement of pins in a vertically or horizontally aligned fashion. When performing a tibial tuberosity osteotomy, the addition of a TB adds significant strength to the construct.
“Put the Jesuit Out Front”: How a Catholic, Jesuit University Addresses LGBQ Issues:

The campus climate for LGBQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer) communities in higher education has improved, but not necessarily at religiously affiliated institutions. This case study explores how fa...
Hobbes: A Multi-kernel Infrastructure for Application Composition.

This chapter describes the Hobbes OS/R environment, which was designed to support the construction of sophisticated application compositions across multiple system software stacks called enclaves. The core idea of the approach is to enable each application component to execute in the system software environment that best matches its requirements. Hobbes then provides a set of cross-enclave composition mechanisms enabling the individual components to work together as part of a larger application workflow. Unique aspects of Hobbes compared to other multi-kernels include its emphasis on supporting application composition, its focus on providing cross-enclave performance isolation, and its use of hardware virtualization to enable the use of arbitrary OS/Rs. In particular, Hobbes leverages distributed, user-level resource management and hardware virtualization to allow underlying OS kernels to be largely agnostic of the multi-kernel environment, making it straightforward to add support for new OS kernels to Hobbes. We demonstrate Hobbes using a modern Cray XC30m machine, showing the generality of OS/R configurations it supports, as well as its ability to leverage existing unmodified HPC system management tools.
Cas9/gRNA-mediated genome editing of yeast mitochondria and Chlamydomonas chloroplasts

We present a new approach to edit both mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes. Organelles have been considered off-limits to CRISPR due to their impermeability to most RNA and DNA. This has prevented applications of Cas9/gRNA-mediated genome editing in organelles while the tool has been widely used for engineering of nuclear DNA in a number of organisms in the last several years. To overcome the hurdle, we designed a new approach to enable organelle genome editing. The plasmids, designated "Edit Plasmids," were constructed with two expression cassettes, one for the expression of Cas9, codon-optimized for each organelle, under promoters specific to each organelle, and the other cassette for the expression of guide RNAs under another set of promoters specific to each organelle. In addition, Edit Plasmids were designed to carry the donor DNA for integration between two double-strand break sites induced by Cas9/gRNAs. Each donor DNA was flanked by the regions homologous to both ends of the integration site that were short enough to minimize spontaneous recombination events. Furthermore, the donor DNA was so modified that it did not carry functional gRNA target sites, allowing the stability of the integrated DNA without being excised by further Cas9/gRNAs activity. Edit Plasmids were introduced into organelles through microprojectile transformation. We confirmed donor DNA insertion at the target sites facilitated by homologous recombination only in the presence of Cas9/gRNA activity in yeast mitochondria and Chlamydomonas chloroplasts. We also showed that Edit Plasmids persist and replicate in mitochondria autonomously for several dozens of generations in the presence of the wild-type genomes. Finally, we did not find insertions and/or deletions at one of the Cas9 cleavage sites in Chloroplasts, which are otherwise hallmarks of Cas9/gRNA-mediated non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair events in nuclear DNA. This is consistent with previous reports of the lack of NHEJ repair system in most bacteria, which are believed to be ancestors of organelles. This is the first demonstration of CRISPR-mediated genome editing in both mitochondria and chloroplasts in two distantly related organisms. The Edit Plasmid approach is expected to open the door to engineer organelle genomes of a wide range of organisms in a precise fashion.
Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate for very large benign prostatic hyperplasia (≥ 200 cc)

Patients presenting with prostate gland sizes greater than 200 cc pose a unique surgical challenge to both patients and surgeons. The objective of this study is to critically assess the efficacy and risks associated with performing holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) on glands ≥ 200 cc. Using a prospective maintained database, all consecutive benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients with gland size ≥ 200 cc who underwent HoLEP were included. We reported patient preoperative, intraoperative, postoperative outcomes and complications. Subgroup analysis of outcomes was stratified by gland sizes 200–299 cc and ≥ 300 cc. Univariate analysis using Kruskal–Wallis and Fisher exact test was performed to compare the two groups. There were 88 patients with a mean preoperative gland size of 255.9 cc (200–770 cc). Mean operative (171 vs 182 min) and enucleation time (77 vs 83 min) were not different between the two subgroups (200–299 cc vs ≥ 300 cc). Enucleation efficiency was greater for glands ≥ 300 cc (2.6 cc/min vs 2.0 cc/min, p = 0.04). Morcellation time was longer in the ≥ 300 cc group (74.5 min vs 46.8 min, p = 0.021). Mean length of stay was 1.8 ± 1.2 days and catheter duration was 2.6 ± 2.7 days. 1 (1.1%) patient required retreatment of BPH at last follow-up. The main limitation of this study is the retrospective data analysis. Holmium laser enucleation for prostate glands volume > 200 cc is feasible with minimal morbidity. These data further reinforce the size independence success of this procedure for BPH.
QT Prolongation as a Substrate for Syncope

A woman with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, managed on dofetilide, suffered recurrent pre-syncope. Tracings from an implantable loop recorder provided recognition of torsades de pointes, and with cessation of dofetilide, her episodes of presyncope resolved. In the right context, as in use of a QT prolonging drug, acquired long QT syndrome and torsades de pointes may be an etiology of presyncope or syncope.
The Mechanisms of Direct and Indirect Rule: Colonialism and Economic Development in Africa

A number of studies have found that British colonialism â€” specifically its policy of indirect rule â€” improved local economic development relative to the French policy of direct rule. There is less consensus, however, as to why indirect rule would produce better economic outcomes. This article proposes three mechanisms linking indirect rule to development: the devolution of power to local communities, the empowerment of traditional authorities, and the reification of ethnic identities. Using a geographic regression discontinuity research design on Cameroon's internal anglophone-francophone border, a legacy of the country's dual colonial heritage, the article finds the most evidence for the first mechanism, that citizens on the anglophone side of the border are more likely to act locally and, indeed, see their local institutions as more legitimate. In contrast, we find mixed evidence for the other two mechanisms regarding the power of chiefs and ethnic identities.
Electron-Rich Phenoxyl Mediators Improve Thermodynamic Performance of Electrocatalytic Alcohol Oxidation with an Iridium Pincer Complex.

Electron-rich phenols, including α-rac-tocopherol Ar1OH, 2,4,6,-tri-tert-butylphenol Ar3OH, and butylated hydroxy-toluene Ar4OH, are effective electrochemical mediators for the electrocatalytic oxidation of alcohols by an iridium amido dihyride complex (PNP)Ir(H)2 (IrN 1, PNP = bis[2-diisopropylphosphino)ethyl]amide). Addition of phenol mediators leads to a decrease in the onset potential of catalysis from -0.65 V vs Fc+/0 under unmediated conditions to -1.07 V vs Fc+/0 in the presence of phenols. Mechanistic analysis suggests that oxidative turnover of the iridium amino trihydride (PNHP)Ir(H)3 (IrH 2, PNHP = bis[2-diisopropylphosphino)ethyl]amine) to IrN 1 proceeds through two successive hydrogen atom transfers (HAT) to 2 equiv of phenoxyl that are generated transiently at the anode. Isotope studies and comparison to known systems are consistent with initial homolysis of an Ir-H bond being rate-determining. Turnover frequencies up to 14.6 s-1 and an average Faradaic efficiency of 93% are observed. The mediated system shows excellent chemoselectivity in bulk oxidations of 2-propanol and 1,2-benzenedimethanol in THF and is also viable in neat 2-propanol.
Slice Profile Estimation From 2D MRI Acquisition Using Generative Adversarial Networks

To save time and maintain an adequate signal-to-noise ratio, magnetic resonance (MR) images are often acquired with better in-plane than through-plane resolutions in 2D acquisition. To improve image quality, recent work has focused on using deep learning to super-resolve the through-plane resolution. To create training data, images can be degraded in an in-plane direction to match the through-plane resolution. To do this correctly, the slice selection profile (SSP) should be known, but this is rarely possible since precise details of signal excitation are usually unknown. Therefore, estimating the SSP of an image volume is desired. In this work, we first show that a relative SSP can be estimated from the difference between in- and through-plane image patches. We further propose an algorithm that uses generative adversarial networks (GAN) to estimate the SSP. In this algorithm, the GAN’s generator blurs in-plane patches in one direction using an estimated relative SSP then downsamples them. The GAN’s discriminator distinguishes the generator’s output from real through-plane patches. The proposed method was validated using numerical simulations and phantom and brain scans. To our knowledge, it is the first work to estimate the SSP from a single MR image. The code is available at https://github.com/shuohan/espreso.
Peerformance: Bystanders Enacting and Challenging Gender Norms in Community-Based Theater to Prevent Domestic Violence.

This study examined the gender beliefs and norms expressed by South Asian community members when intervening as bystanders in Peerformance, a publicly performed scene depicting a husband’s controll...
PCRMS: a database of predicted cis-regulatory modules and constituent transcription factor binding sites in genomes

More accurate and more complete predictions of cis-regulatory modules (CRMs) and constituent transcriptional factor (TF) binding sites (TFBSs) in genomes can facilitate characterizing functions of regulatory sequences. Here, we developed a database PCRMS (https://cci-bioinfo.uncc.edu) that stores highly accurate and unprecedentedly complete maps of predicted CRMs and TFBSs in the human and mouse genomes. The web interface allows the user to browse CRMs and TFBSs in an organism, find the closest CRMs to a gene, search CRMs around a gene, and find all TFBSs of a TF. PCRMS can be a useful resource for the research community to characterize regulatory genomes.
What does a mathematician do and why

The conference started with why, for ten minutes. I do mathematics because I like it. We discussed briefly the distinction between pure mathematics and applied mathematics, which actually intermingle in such a way that it is impossible to define the boundary between one and the other precisely; and also the aesthetic side of mathematics. Then we did mathematics together. I started by defining prime numbers, and I recalled Euclid’s proof that there are infinitely many. Then I defined twin primes, (3,5), (5, 7), (11,13), (17,19), etc. which differ by 2. Is there an infinite number of those? No one knows, even though one conjectures that the answer is yes. I gave heuristic arguments describing the expected density of such primes. Why don’t you try to prove it? The question is one of the big unsolved problems of mathematics.
What Is Earth Jurisprudence?: Key Principles to Transform Law for the Health of the Planet

We have entered a pivotal time in the history of Earth, with the likelihood of global warming of at least two degrees Celsius, the compromise of all major ecosystems of Earth, and the extinction of thousands of species. As the moral agents on this planet, humankind has the responsibility to recreate human institutions to meet this challenge. Into this momentous niche of time, the field of Earth Jurisprudence has emerged with a goal of transforming law and governance for the sake of the planet. The article proposes key principles underlying this new approach to law and governance. As a key premise, Earth Jurisprudence advances the necessity of a shift in thinking from purely human-centered to Earth-centered systems of law and governance. Without such a jurisprudential shift, the article argues that Earth and humanity remain at peril.To contribute to the development of the field of Earth Jurisprudence, this article draws from three themes articulated by Thomas Berry for the functioning of the universe – subjectivity, communion, and differentiation. From a jurisprudential perspective, the article explores a vision of Earth Jurisprudence through corresponding principles of the intrinsic value of Earth, the relational responsibility of humanity toward Earth, and the democratic governance of the Earth community. These jurisprudential principles are illustrated through a legal framework of rights, responsibilities, and duties and through the representative legal doctrines of standing, the public trust doctrine, and intergenerational equity.
Observations and analyses of natural laminar flow over a nonlifting airframe surface

A NASA-sponsored flight experiment program has been conducted with a twin-engined, propeller-driven general aviation aircraft, in order to ascertain the transition location and mode over the nonaxisymmetric fuselage forebody. Attention is given to the transition instrumentation layout and the flight test plan matrix. The results obtained for transition in varying freestream and propeller conditions will furnish insights into transition mechanisms and the significance of crossflow instability during transition in realistic nonaxisymmetric fuselage forebodies at angles of attack and sideslip.
Revisiting pipelined parallelism in multi-join query processing

Multi-join queries are the core of any integration service that integrates data from multiple distributed data sources. Due to the large number of data sources and possibly high volumes of data, the evaluation of multi-join queries faces increasing scalability concerns. State-of-the-art parallel multi-join query processing commonly assume that the application of maximal pipelined parallelism leads to superior performance. In this paper, we instead illustrate that this assumption does not generally hold. We investigate how best to combine pipelined parallelism with alternate forms of parallelism to achieve an overall effective processing strategy. A segmented bushy processing strategy is proposed. Experimental studies are conducted on an actual software system over a cluster of high-performance PCs. The experimental results confirm that the proposed solution leads to about 50% improvement in terms of total processing time in comparison to existing state-of-the-art solutions.
Rebels without a cause? Transnational Diffusion and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), 1986-2011

This essay explores the transnational mechanisms affecting the violent struggle of the Lord's Resistance Army. In order to understand better new forms of post-Cold War violent conflict, a growing body of research focuses on the transnational dimensions of these struggles. Many of the recent quantitative studies addressing such questions have highlighted the role of diaspora support or the ability of rebel groups to retreat across state borders. But most of these studies are content with claims that such factors matter for outbreak and perpetuation of violence without showing how they specifically play into the mobilization of resources, changes in framing the violence, and choices of targets and strategies. Such analyses also largely fail to look at the interactions between transnational mechanisms and other, more locally driven factors that may mediate or even render external influences ineffective. Finally, rarely do studies explore the interaction between transnational mechanisms sustaining the violence and countervailing transnational efforts designed to end it. While greater attention to local grievances debunks persistent myths framing LRA violence as 'irrational,' a focus on transnational mechanisms sheds light on shifts in a rebel movement’s environment that are equally relevant to developing more effective interventions. The continued international preference for a military response reflects a limited grasp of both the local and the transnational dimensions of this conflict. As a result, the international community time and again fails to develop effective strategies to protect civilians. President Obama’s October 2011 decision to deploy an additional 100 U.S. forces to eliminate the LRA represents a continuation of such failed external efforts.
Product Market Competition and Shareholder Rights: International Evidence: Product Market Competition and Shareholder Rights

This paper examines the interaction between product market competition and international differences in shareholder rights in relation to firm performance and corporate policies. In contrast to existing literature, we provide evidence of complementarities between product market competition and country shareholder rights protections. The benefits of shareholder rights protections for firm performance are conditional on the presence of a competitive industry environment. We find that stronger shareholder rights protections are associated with better firm performance in competitive industries. However, this relation is not significant in concentrated industries. Consistent results are obtained from the analysis of key corporate policies.
Critical Communication History| Religious Rhetoric(s) of the African Diaspora: Using Oral History to Study HIV/AIDS, Community, and Rhetorical Interventions

As oral performances, HIV/AIDS sermons across the African diaspora are transitory, but ministers’ memories and those of their parishioners are not. This poses the problem, for communication historians, of recovering this significant rhetorical activity. This study does so by using oral history interviews with Black Protestant church leaders in three AIDS-stricken areas: Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. I discuss how oral history methodology, heretofore underutilized in communication studies, allows me to recover their evanescent rhetorical strategies, underpinnings, and justifications. Specifically, through the use of oral history I argue that church leaders’ religious rhetorics of identification yield interventional strategies and rhetorical resources that create safe spaces for people living with HIV/AIDS and models for future rhetorical interventions to address the crisis.
The Role of Stock Prices in Business Cycles

Stock prices slowly adjust after the peak of a business cycle. High stock prices during the months following the peak result in a lower cost of capital for firms. Investment is much higher than it would be otherwise. We estimate a dynamic macroeconomic model in four variables: investment, stock prices, GDP, and interest rates. Stock prices are shown to be exogenous to the system, and investment is positively related to the stock prices. Investment and GDP would be significantly lower during the recessions since 1969 if stock prices adjusted immediately. High stock prices cushion the blow of the recession.
Un esquema de la acción social. Aplicación a las reglas del fútbol

In this article, we first present the reader with an outline to explain human collective action, whatever its content might be. The original outline, first developed through the analysis of Military Drill is now being presented in a more current and advanced version, including its empirical verification. Due to its universal scope, its terminology is necessarily an abstract one; therefore, we will attempt to facilitate reader comprehension of this outline by resorting to a specific, well-known and well-documented example of social action, i.e., Soccer. To this end, we will apply step-by-step our outline in an analysis of soccer’s segregation from rugby and the later process by which soccer came to be quickly and efficiently institutionalized in England during the XIX century.
Colonial figures in motion: globalization and translocality in contemporary Puerto Rican Literature in the United States

Resumen en: This essay situates contemporary Puerto Rican literature in the United States in the space between two discursive implosions: the implosion of the 1970s ...
The Molecular Features of Membrane Perturbation by Anaesthetic Steroids: A Study Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Small Angle X‐Ray Diffraction and Solid State 2H NMR

We have studied the interactions of the anaesthetic steroid alphaxalone and its inactive isomer delta 16-alphaxalone with model membrane bilayers using differential scanning calorimetry, small angle X-ray diffraction and solid state NMR. Our data show that the anaesthetic steroid broadens the membrane phase transition and increases the ratio of gauche to trans conformers in the membrane. Delta 16-Alphaxalone has only small effects on membrane and incorporates to a limited degree in the bilayer. The amphipathic anaesthetic steroid alphaxalone is located near the membrane interface (the junction of the polar and hydrophobic regions of the phospholipids forming the bilayer). It orients with its long axis parallel to the chains of the lipid membranes and its 3 alpha-hydroxyl group near the sn-2 carbonyl. Anchoring of the steroid at the membrane interface and imperfect packing with the bilayer chains may be involved in membrane perturbation and eventually lead to anaesthesia.
Circadian rhythms and mood: opportunities for multi-level analyses in genomics and neuroscience: circadian rhythm dysregulation in mood disorders provides clues to the brain's organizing principles, and a touchstone for genomics and neuroscience.

In the healthy state, both circadian rhythm and mood are stable against perturbations, yet they are capable of adjusting to altered internal cues or ongoing changes in external conditions. The dual demands of stability and flexibility are met by the collective properties of complex neural networks. Disruption of this balance underlies both circadian rhythm abnormality and mood disorders. However, we do not fully understand the network properties that govern the crosstalk between the circadian system and mood regulation. This puzzle reflects a challenge at the center of neurobiology, and its solution requires the successful integration of existing data across all levels of neural organization, from molecules, cells, circuits, network dynamics, to integrated mental function. This essay discusses several open questions confronting the cross-level synthesis, and proposes that circadian regulation, and its role in mood, stands as a uniquely tractable system to study the causal mechanisms of neural adaptation. Also watch the Video Abstract. Editor's suggested further reading in BioEssays Major depressive disorder: A loss of circadian synchrony? Abstract.
Nonuniversal gaugino masses from nonsinglet F-terms in nonminimal unified models

In phenomenological studies of low-energy supersymmetry, running gaugino masses are often taken to be equal near the scale of apparent gauge coupling unification. However, many known mechanisms can avoid this universality, even in models with unified gauge interactions. One example is an F-term vacuum expectation value that is a singlet under the standard model gauge group but transforms nontrivially in the symmetric product of two adjoint representations of a group that contains the standard model gauge group. Here, I compute the ratios of gaugino masses that follow from F-terms in nonsinglet representations of SO(10) and E{sub 6} and their subgroups, extending well-known results for SU(5). The SO(10) results correct some long-standing errors in the literature.
A direct combination of the Prim and Dijkstra constructions for improved performance-driven global routing

Motivated by analysis of distributed RC delay in routing trees, a new tree construction is proposed for performance-driven global routing which directly trades off between Prim's minimum spanning tree algorithm and Dijkstra's shortest path tree algorithm. This direct combination of two objective functions and their corresponding optimal algorithms contrasts with the more indirect 'shallow-light' methods. The authors' method achieves routing trees which satisfy a given routing tree radius bound while using less wire than previous methods. Detailed simulations show that these wirelength savings translate into significantly improved delay over standard MST routing in both IC and multichip module (MCM) interconnect technologies. >
Dietary Energy Density Is Associated with Selected Predictors of Obesity in U.S. Children

Increasing rates of childhood overweight have been linked to the rising energy density of the diet. We sought to provide temporal profiles of dietary energy density (DED) in a nationally representative sample of U.S. children and adolescents < or = 19 y old and to describe associations between DED and predictors of overweight. We used a subset of data from the 1994-1996, 1998 Continuing Survey of Food Intake for Individuals (CSFII) and a multivariate regression model to determine independent associations between DED and socioeconomic and demographic variables after controlling for covariates. In this cross-sectional data set, DED was positively associated with total energy intakes and varied with both age and gender. DED increased from birth, peaked at 7-8 y of age, and then declined. Boys consumed more energy-dense diets than girls. Among children < or = 4 y old, higher DED was associated in the regression model with lower household incomes and with enrollment in the food stamp program. Among adolescents 12-19 y old, higher DED was associated with being African-American. In contrast, lower DED among children < or = 11 y old was associated with being Asian or Hispanic and with total daily consumption of fluid milk. The quality of the diet for young children, as indexed by high DED, may be adversely affected by limited household economic resources. Although food insecurity and WIC enrollment were not associated with DED in this study sample, milk consumption in children < or = 4 y old was associated with lower DED.
Biophysical, physiological and biochemical processes regulating seed germination

In the physiological sense, germination begins with seed water uptake and ends with the initiation of elongation by the embryonic axis, usually the radicle. The driving forces and constraints on expansion by the embryo are examined, particularly for seeds in which the embryo is surrounded by endosperm and testa tissues that restrict growth. Models have been developed to predict germination based on thermal time, hydrotime and combined hydrothermal time. These population-based models indicate that the timing of germination is closely tied to physiologically determined temperature and water potential thresholds for radicle emergence which vary among individual seeds in a population. The restraint imposed by tissues surrounding the radicle is a major determinant of the threshold water potential. Enzymatic weakening of these tissues is a key event regulating the timing of radicle emergence. Considerable evidence suggests that endo-β-mannanase is involved in this process in a number of species, although it is doubtful that it is the sole determinant of when radicle emergence occurs. Molecular and biochemical studies are revealing the complexity of events occurring in endosperm and embryo cells associated with the completion of germination. Unique permeability properties and the presence of enzymes associated with pathogen resistance suggest additional functional roles for the tissues enclosing the embryo. The insights gained from physiology and modelling are being extended by the application of molecular techniques to identify and determine the function of genes expressed in association with germination. Single-seed assay methods, in vivo reporters, specific modification of gene expression and mutagenesis will be critical technologies for advancing our understanding of germination
Minimum norm solutions to linear elastic analysis problems

En analyse d'elasticite lineaire un probleme consiste a trouver les vecteurs de contraintes et de deformations etant donnes un modele d'elements finis d'une structure et un systeme de charges externes. On montre que ce probleme est un cas particulier du probleme de norme minimum pour des systemes indetermines d'equations lineaires
Special Section on Communities and Media Computing

The six papers in this special section on communities and media computing cover three broad areas: content analysis; application design; and system optimization.
Exploring the Strategic Ground for Listening and Organizational Effectiveness

This paper proposes that strategic plans are most likely to be implemented successfully when hospitality leaders listen well and when hospitality organizations develop strong learning environments. It is proposed that leaders who listen effectively can influence organizational processes at three levels of analysis – individual, team/interactional, and organizational. Examples are provided of the specific listening challenges hospitality leaders confront at each level. The HURIER model proposes a 6‐stage listening process. A discussion then follows describing how listening skills can be applied to address the challenges posed at each of the three levels of analysis. It is argued that when leaders listen effectively they can create learning environments that then facilitate the implementation of the strategies they propose. When such organizational cultures are created and maintained, both employee empowerment and organizational performance are increased. Suggestions for increasing listening effectiveness a...
Thermal Lens Detectors for High Performance Chromatographies

Chromatographic detectors based on the thermal lens and related photothermal deflection effects are discussed. A pump/probe thermal lens detector is used to monitor HPLC effluents with 1 μA sensitivity. A photothermal deflection system is used as a densitometer in a scanned HPTLC system. Picogram sensitivity is observed. Prospects for practical devices are discussed.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Relationships Between Sleep and Body Temperature in Middle‐Aged and Older Subjects

OBJECTIVES: Although changes in the circadian timing system are thought to be a major factor in the decline of sleep quality that often accompanies aging, few reports have actually examined this relationship in detail. Because some treatments for age-related insomnia are based on putative circadian changes, it is important to expand the limited database that specifically addresses this issue. This study examined age-related changes in sleep, and relationships between those sleep changes and alterations in the circadian timing system, in a group of middle-aged and older subjects. DESIGN: Sixty healthy men and women between the ages of 40 and 84 were studied. A subset of older subjects (< 65 years) had reported sleep disturbance for at least 1 year before participation. Polysomnography was obtained, and body core temperature was recorded continuously for 24 hours. All recordings took place in the Laboratory of Human Chronobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Cornell University Medical College. RESULTS: There were no differences in sleep quality between middle-aged and non-sleep-disturbed older subjects. However, timing of the minimum body temperature was earlier in the older non-sleep-disturbed subjects than in the middle-aged group. In contrast, sleep-disturbed older people had shorter total sleep times, reduced sleep efficiency, more waking time after sleep onset, and a reduced proportion of REM sleep compared with non-sleep-disturbed older subjects. Yet, there were no differences between the two older groups in the rhythm of body temperature. For the entire group, age was correlated negatively with total sleep time, sleep efficiency, percentage of stage 2 sleep, and the timing of the temperature minimum. CONCLUSION: The results support the widely held notion that sleep and circadian rhythm changes occur with aging. However, the hypothesis that age-related changes in sleep may be associated with aging of the circadian system was supported only to a limited degree, suggesting that age-related sleep disturbance is likely to have multiple causes. Thus, treatment strategies that incorporate a combination of interventions may be the most effective.