cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Law Clerks: A Jurisprudential Lens

American law clerks often draft opinions for their judges. Yet American legal culture is remarkably diffident about that simple fact. The role that law clerks play in drafting opinions is not a secret. Far from it. But it might qualify to be somewhere in the outer vicinity of being an “open secret.” And it continues to be controversial. This essay explores a set of questions about opinion-writing by law clerks. The first major question is meta-normative. The goal is not to decide whether the practice of law clerks drafting opinions is proper or improper, but why it is occluded and controversial in the first place. Specifically, why is there so much more diffidence and doubt about the role of law clerks than about the work of aides in the other branches of government such as Presidential speechwriters and Congressional staff? The second question is hermeneutic. Should the fact that judges might not always draft their own opinions lead us to read and interpret those opinions differently, especially when we draw conclusions about the “jurisprudence” of this or that judge or Justice or the way that legal doctrines often seem to be shaped by longstanding, dialectical, debates among judges or Justices? The discussion of both questions tries to shed some light on broader constitutional and jurisprudential questions, including the distinctly metonymic relationship between the “President” and the rest of the Executive Branch and the complicated connections between judicial reasoning, the exercise of judicial authority, and the identity of the individual judge. This essay was written as part of symposium marking the hundredth anniversary of the formal institution of Supreme Court law clerks.
Abstract 1140: Declining awareness of HPV and HPV vaccination within the general US population

Background: Programs aimed at boosting awareness on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and HPV vaccination are considered one of the most effective strategies for increasing vaccination uptake and eliminating HPV-associated cancers. Several US states have demonstrated a strong commitment to this effort through legislation and dedicated funds, however the impact of this intervention over time remains poorly studied. Methods: Using a nationally representative population of US adults from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), we examined for awareness of HPV and HPV vaccination between 2009 and 2018. Prevalence estimates and confidence intervals were calculated for HPV and HPV vaccination awareness. Further, we assessed awareness status after stratifying by key sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Overall, the awareness of HPV and HPV vaccination declined over time. This finding was consistent across gender and socioeconomic strata. The lowest rates of awareness were found among those with educational level at or below high school completion, those who earned less than $35,000 per annum, rural residents, and male adults, aged 60 years and older. Declines in awareness of HPV or HPV vaccination between 2014 and 2018 were more than 10% among male adults, those with educational level at or below high school completion and those who earned less than $35,000 per annum. Only 36.1% of adults with high school education or lower had ever heard of HPV vaccine in 2018, a 15.6% reduction from 2009. In 2018 awareness of HPV and HPV vaccine was highest among non-Hispanic whites (65.8% and 66.5%) and female adults (70.5% and 71.4%), however these figures represented declines of at least 5% from rates observed in 2009. Discussion: Amid a background of sub-optimal HPV vaccination uptake and a growing incidence of HPV-associated cancers in the US, the awareness of HPV and HPV vaccination within the general population has declined over time. This calls for stricter enforcement of legislature aimed at boosting HPV awareness, as well as frequent evaluations of government-funded HPV awareness programs. Citation Format: Onyema G. Chido-Amajuoyi, Inimfon Jackson, Robert Yu, Sanjay Shete. Declining awareness of HPV and HPV vaccination within the general US population [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 1140.
A command to estimate and interpret models of dynamic compositional dependent variables: New features for dynsimpie:

Philips, Rutherford, and Whitten (2016, Stata Journal 16: 662–677) introduced dynsimpie, a command to examine dynamic compositional dependent variables. In this article, we present an update to dyn...
Nav1.3 and fibroblast growth factor homologous factor 14 are primary determinants of the TTX-sensitive sodium current in mouse adrenal chromaffin cells

Adrenal chromaffin cells (CCs) in rodents express a rapidly inactivating, TTX-sensitive sodium current. The current has generally been attributed to Nav1.7, although a possible role for Nav1.3 has also been suggested. Nav channels in rat CCs rapidly inactivate into two separable pathways, which differ in their time course of recovery from inactivation. One population recovers with time constants similar to traditional fast inactivation and the other about 10-fold slower. Inactivation properties suggest that the two pathways result from a single homogeneous population of channels. Here we probe the properties and molecular components of the Nav current present in mouse CCs. We first confirm that functional properties of Nav current in rat and mouse cells are generally similar in terms of activation range, steady-state inactivation, and dual pathway fast inactivation. The results then show that all inward Nav current is absent in CCs from Nav1.3 KO mice. Subsequently, in a mouse with KO of fibroblast growth factor homology factor 14 (FGF14), we find that the slow component of recovery from fast inactivation is completely absent in most CCs, with no change in the time constant of fast recovery. Experiments probing the use-dependence of Nav current diminution between WT and FGF14 KO mice directly demonstrate a role of slow recovery from inactivation in determination of Nav current availability. Overall, the results indicate that the FGF14-mediated inactivation is the major determinant in defining use-dependent changes in Nav availability in CCs. We also consider the potential impact that inactivating FGFs with different recovery kinetics can exert on differential use-dependent changes in Nav availability.
Characterization of constitutive ER-phagy of excess membrane proteins

Thirty percent of all cellular proteins are inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which spans throughout the cytoplasm. Two well-established stress-induced pathways ensure quality control (QC) at the ER: ER-phagy and ER-associated degradation (ERAD), which shuttle cargo for degradation to the lysosome and proteasome, respectively. In contrast, not much is known about constitutive ER-phagy. We have previously reported that excess of integral-membrane proteins is delivered from the ER to the lysosome via autophagy during normal growth of yeast cells. Whereas endogenously expressed ER resident proteins serve as cargos at a basal level, this level can be induced by overexpression of membrane proteins that are not ER residents. Here, we characterize this pathway as constitutive ER-phagy. Constitutive and stress-induced ER-phagy share the basic macro-autophagy machinery including the conserved Atgs and Ypt1 GTPase. However, induction of stress-induced autophagy is not needed for constitutive ER-phagy to occur. Moreover, the selective receptors needed for starvation-induced ER-phagy, Atg39 and Atg40, are not required for constitutive ER-phagy and neither these receptors nor their cargos are delivered through it to the vacuole. As for ERAD, while constitutive ER-phagy recognizes cargo different from that recognized by ERAD, these two ER-QC pathways can partially substitute for each other. Because accumulation of membrane proteins is associated with disease, and constitutive ER-phagy players are conserved from yeast to mammalian cells, this process could be critical for human health.
Geometric morphometric investigation of craniofacial morphological change in domesticated silver foxes.

To test the effects of domestication on craniofacial skeletal morphology, we used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics (GM) along with linear and endocranial measurements to compare selected (domesticated) and unselected foxes from the Russian Farm-Fox Experiment to wild foxes from the progenitor population from which the farmed foxes are derived. Contrary to previous findings, we find that domesticated and unselected foxes show minimal differences in craniofacial shape and size compared to the more substantial differences between the wild foxes and both populations of farmed foxes. GM analyses and linear measurements demonstrate that wild foxes differ from farmed foxes largely in terms of less cranial base flexion, relatively expanded cranial vaults, and increased endocranial volumes. These results challenge the assumption that the unselected population of foxes kept as part of the Russian Farm-Fox experiment are an appropriate proxy for ‘wild’ foxes in terms of craniofacial morphology and highlight the need to include wild populations in further studies of domestication syndrome to disentangle the phenotypic effects of multiple selection pressures. These findings also suggest that marked increases in docility cannot be reliably diagnosed from shape differences in craniofacial skeletal morphology.
Strategies to Improve Liver Allocation, Distribution, and Utilization in a Broader Sharing Climate

In an attempt to eliminate geographic disparities in median MELD at transplant, the allocation of deceased donor liver allografts has transitioned to the use of acuity-based circles. This has provided new obstacles for both organ procurement organizations and transplant centers to accommodate the implications of a broader sharing climate. With changes to allocation, OPOs and transplant centers have experienced new challenges in donor organ evaluation and logistics. However, these changes present an opportunity to refocus on the deceased liver donation process. Opportunities exist to develop strategies to optimize collaborations between OPOs and transplant centers, facilitate informed donor organ evaluation and acceptance, and create efficiency in donation logistics. By standardizing the evaluation of deceased donors and providing the necessary tools to ensure informed transplant center decisions regarding organ acceptance, improved efficiency in the new allocation system can be attained. Similarly, with anticipated changes in organ recovery travel and logistics, increasing reliance on local surgeon recovery and improved communication tools have the potential to facilitate adaptation to geographic changes in allocation and reduce costs.
Laparoscopic Surgery Requiring Abdominal Insufflation in Patients With Congenital Heart Disease.

Objective To determine if patients with congenital heart disease are undergoing laparoscopic surgery requiring abdominal insufflation and to compare the outcomes of these procedures with those who underwent an open surgical approach. Design, Setting, Participants This was a retrospective study using the National Inpatient Sample from 2006 to 2014. Individuals with congenital heart disease who underwent at least one of six selected surgical procedures (laparoscopic or open) were included in the study. Subgroup analysis was performed on patients with Fontan palliation. Measurements and Main Results The primary outcome was to determine the frequency with which congenital heart disease patients undergo laparoscopic surgery requiring abdominal insufflation compared with open surgery. Secondary outcomes included all-cause in-hospital mortality and in-hospital length of stay. Of the 5,527 patients included, nearly half underwent laparoscopic surgery (46.3%), and 128 (2.3%) had single-ventricle circulation. All-cause mortality was significantly higher for those who underwent open surgery compared with the laparoscopic approach (3.6% v 0.9%; odds ratio [OR], 4.0 [2.6-6.3]; p Conclusions Individuals with congenital heart disease are being offered laparoscopic surgery that requires abdominal insufflation. All-cause mortality and length of stay were higher for patients who underwent open surgical operations.
Real-Time Video Scan Method for Community Partner Use to Inform Play Streets Implementation:

System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) can provide accurate assessment of physical activity; however, the skills, time, and human resources necessary to collect/interpret ...
Performance and Emissions Characteristics of a Naturally Aspirated Diesel Engine with Esterified Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oil as a biomass-based energy, can be considered as possible alternative fuel. Neat Vegetable oil is too viscous, has poor volatility, comparatively low cetane number and having different chemical structures than diesel fuel. In DI diesel engine, these fuels can not be used without further processing. Modified or vegetable oils processed by esterification can mitigate these problems and become more suitable for diesel engine application. The present experimental study reports the performance and exhaust emissions of a DI diesel engine by using methyl esters karanji oil and heated karanji oil in comparison to 100% diesel operation. The influence of injection pressures and injection timings have also been reported. The data brake specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency generated using esterified karanji oil and diesel are comparable. The maximum variation of the emission CO for esterified karanji oil is about 35% higher than that of diesel. Though CO emission is on the higher side, but considering good engine performance and economy, in the rural area (less polluted) having abandunt availability of karanji oil, which can be a very good substitute for diesel to run diesel engines as prime mover for irrigation purposes.
Coupling of Ca2+-triggered unclamping and membrane fusion during neurotransmitter release

Neurotransmitter (NT) release is accomplished by a machinery that unclamps fusion in response to calcium and then fuses the synaptic vesicle and plasma membranes. These are often thought of as distinct tasks assigned to non-overlapping components. Vesicle release rates have a power law dependence on [Ca2+] with an exponent of 3-5, long taken to indicate that 3-5 Ca2+ ions bind the calcium sensor Synaptotagmin to trigger release. However, dependencies at low [Ca2+] are inconsistent with simple sequential binding to a single Ca2+ sensor followed by a final fusion step. Here we developed coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations of the NT release machinery accounting for Synaptotagmin-mediated unclamping and SNARE-mediated fusion. Calcium-triggered unclamping and SNARE-mediated fusion emerged from simulations as contemporaneous, coupled processes. Increasing cytosolic [Ca2+], the instantaneous fusion rate increased as SNAREpins were progressively and reversibly released by dissociation of Synaptotagmin-SNAREpin complexes. Simulations reproduced the observed dependence of release rates on [Ca2+], but the power law was unrelated to the number of Ca2+ ions required. Action potential-evoked vesicle release probabilities depended on the number of transiently unclamped SNAREpins, explaining experimental dependencies of release probabilities on both unclamping and membrane-fusing machinery components. These results describe a highly cooperative NT release machinery with intrinsically inseparable unclamping and membrane-fusing functionalities.
The curious behaviour of poly(A) RNA

Tatjana Trcek recounts the discovery of RNA phase separation, going back more than half a century.
Strategies for the Identification and Prevention of Survey Fraud: Data Analysis of a Web-Based Survey.

Background: To assess the impact of COVID-19 on cancer survivors, we fielded a survey promoted via email and social media in winter 2020. Examination of the data showed suspicious patterns that warranted serious review. Objective: The aim of this paper is to review the methods used to identify and prevent fraudulent survey responses. Methods: As precautions, we included a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA), a hidden question, and instructions for respondents to type a specific word. To identify likely fraudulent data, we defined a priori indicators that warranted elimination or suspicion. If a survey contained two or more suspicious indicators, the survey was eliminated. We examined differences between the retained and eliminated data sets. Results: Of the total responses (N=1977), nearly three-fourths (n=1408) were dropped and one-fourth (n=569) were retained after data quality checking. Comparisons of the two data sets showed statistically significant differences across almost all demographic characteristics. Conclusions: Numerous precautions beyond the inclusion of a CAPTCHA are needed when fielding web-based surveys, particularly if a financial incentive is offered.
Signature of Glycylglutamic Acid Structure.

Background: Glutamate (Glu) is of great interest in biomedical research. It is considered a biomarker in diabetes, which may potentially contribute to the development of autism in genetically vulnerable human populations, and it is found in relation to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) [1]. Additionally, Glu plays an active role in the function of ligand-gated ion channel glutamate receptors, chloride channels capable of filtering glutamate, as well as Potassium (K+)-channel [2]. Glu attains α [3] and β [4] crystal forms and Cβ-CH2 show asymmetric 1H signal pattern in NMR spectra. Objectives: The current study was undertaken to understand the signal patterns of Cβ-CH2 in Glu of the smallest dipeptide, Glycylglutamic Acid (GlyGlu), as well as the order, and planarity of the amide bond in the molecule. Materials and Methods: NMR spectra of GlyGlu were measured in D2O to deduce 1H and 13C chemical shifts and coupling constants. GlyGlu was crystallized from MeOH and the structure was determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. Results: The sidechain of Glu in the dipeptide dissimilates the β form. The amino group of Gly (Glycine) is protonated and exhibits hydrogen bonding with the main chain carboxylate group of a symmetry-related Glu that is deprotonated in the crystal packing of GlyGlu. The deprotonated main chain carboxylate of Glu is also in hydrogen-bonding distance from the side chain carboxylic acid group that is in the protonated form of a symmetry-related Glu of the dipeptide. The Cβ-CH2 geminal protons on the side chain of Glu have different chemical shifts and splitting pattern in 1H NMR reflecting their dissymmetric environment. Conclusion: The results reported will be useful for monitoring changes that Glu and/or molecules in connection to Glu may undergo in in vivo, in situ, and in vitro conditions. This provides a valuable metric which will enable the examination of the metabolites relevant to the detection and diagnosis of disease or developmental conditions, as well as scrutinizing the effectiveness of treatment options.
Developing a Sustainability Network for Information Technology Adoption and Use in Micro-Enterprises

In the United States, there are over 25 million micro-enterprises, comprising 88% of all businesses. These businesses with five or fewer employees are resource-constrained – one of the many constraints is the lack of technical skills. An inability to acquire and use these skills creates a disadvantage relative to larger corporations. An innovative approach was explored that involved deploying a customizable technology-based assistance infrastructure for micro-enterprises. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) adoption can lead to social, economic, and human development if the ICT is sustained. An action research methodology was used to apply the innovative technology adoption approach to investigate a set of micro-enterprises in Western New York that had previously adopted ICT during a five-month timespan. This study investigates how Information Technology adoption and use in micro-enterprises may be sustained to facilitate their business growth. The main contribution of this study is development of an online tool to facilitate micro-enterprises’ sustainability of ICT adoption and use.
Failure: Damage Initiation and Progression

Under service conditions, laminated composite structures develop matrix cracks, fiber-matrix debonds, fiber fractures, and delaminations. These effects, which cause permanent loss of integrity within the laminate, are termed damage, and they result in the loss of stiffness and strength of the material. As a result, the load-carrying capacity and the service life of the structure is reduced. When a structure or a component ceases to carry out its intended function, it is said to have ‘failed’. For example, the microcracks observed within a layer constitute damage. As these microcracks grow in size and number, they coalesce and develop into debonds, resulting in a reduction of the load-carrying capacity of the laminate. In order to determine the load carrying capacity and service life of a composite structure, it is necessary to predict the initiation and evolution of damage.
Photoreceptor cell tumors in transgenic mice.

Purpose To produce transgenic mice that express the SV40 T-antigen oncogene specifically in photoreceptor cells, giving rise to retinoblastoma tumors of photoreceptor cell origin; to characterize the mice with regard to transgene expression and pathology and to characterize the resulting tumors histologically. Methods Transgenic mice were generated that express T-antigen under the control of the murine interstitial retinol binding protein promoter. Results All mice produced developed either ocular or intracranial tumors, or both, at an early age. One line of mice was generated, and all mice of this line develop both retinal photoreceptor cell and pineal tumors by as early as 2 weeks of age. Cell lines have been established from both tumor types. Conclusions These mice represent an animal model system for human trilateral retinoblastoma, in which retinoblastomas are accompanied by pineal tumors.
Dynamic image adaptation technique and architecture to enhance server performance in wireless image services

Image-based data services, like wireless photos with camera phones and multi-media message services, are gaining in popularity and wireless data market share. Dynamic image adaptation techniques have been shown to be effective to provide required tradeoffs between image quality, network bandwidth availability, and wireless transmission latency, enabling low-cost, best-effort wireless image data transmission (D.G. Lee et al., 2002; D.G. Lee et al., 2003). This paper investigates the effect of image adaptation techniques on image servers, including server latency and server capacity, and end-to-end service latency using a proposed performance evaluation and exploration framework. We first motivate the need for dynamic adaptation techniques by demonstrating the greatly reduced end-to-end service latency using the proposed dynamic adaptation technique over the existing methods. We next investigate the impact of image adaptation techniques under overloaded server conditions. While the proposed dynamic adaptation technique can provide server performance improvement (8/spl times/ lower maximum server latency and 6/spl times/ server capacity increase), even more significant server performance increases can be achieved through the use of a novel configurable hardware/software (HW/SW) architecture for the image adaptation technique. The proposed HW/SW architecture is capable of achieving significantly higher server performance (server capacity increase of 18/spl times/ and server latency decrease of 34/spl times/), while accommodating several different types of image adaptation techniques. Experimental results show that customized image-based data services can be enabled at significantly reduced server costs, and thereby reducing overall wireless service cost.
Paleo-Historical Fluctuations in Paleogeography, Depositional Environment, and Chemistry of Eocene Fossil Lake

Fossil Butte National Monument contains within its boundaries a significant portion the world's best preserved and most complete ancient lake deposit, known in the scientific literature as the Fossil Butte and Angelo Members of the Green River Formation (Oriel and Tracy 1970). Fossil Lake, the Eocene depository of these members of the Green River Formation, occupied a north-south trending structural basin within the Wyoming Thrust Belt known as Fossil Basin. Within Fossil Basin one can follow individual time horizons or rock units from lake center to margin with relative ease and great accuracy. Those rock units have faithfully recorded lake center to lake margin differences in lake depth, turbidity, salinity, alkalinity, temperature, and faunal elements. Areal changes in thickness and lithology (rock type) can be measured and mapped revealing details of lake shape, geography, and regional differences in lake depth and chemistry. Details concerning location and size of fluvial inlets and deltas, variations in lake bottom gradient and sediment type, and how these relate to flora and fauna can be discerned. An understanding of these aspects of the ancient lake system are essential if paloontologists are to put together a complete picture of the lake's fish fauna, which is the focal point of the monument. A variety of basin analysis maps derived from data collected in the field and laboratory will be used to make paleoenvironmental and paleogeographical interpretations of Fossil Lake through time.
Regulatory Barriers to the Growth of Multijurisdictional Virtual Law Firms and Potential First Steps to Their Removal

The spread of disruptive technologies to the legal profession is changing the dynamic of how law firms are structured as well as the value propositions associated with the delivery of legal services. The number of law firms with a national presence has grown due to the cost benefits and efficiency of using cloud computing. New models for expansion across jurisdictional boundaries are increasing. However, the regulatory barriers to create these new firm structures are numerous and costly. This paper reviews the evolution of technology in multijurisdictional firms and examines the primary regulatory barriers to their further development. A starting point for standardization of regulations is proposed as well as potential first-steps to removing barriers to the growth of multijurisdictional virtual law firms.
The effects of a low-fat/high-fiber diet on sex hormone levels and menstrual cycling in premenopausal women: a 12-month randomized trial (the diet and hormone study).

BACKGROUND Reduction of cumulative exposure to endogenous ovarian steroid hormones is a postulated method for reducing the risk of carcinoma of the breast and other malignancies. Although there are data from trials evaluating the effect of low-fat and high-fiber diets on sex hormone levels in premenopausal women, to the authors' knowledge none of these trials has combined a relatively large number of participants, follow-up of > 2–3 months, parallel controls receiving a usual diet, and careful timing of blood sampling within the menstrual cycle. METHODS A total of 213 healthy women, ages 20–40 years, were randomly assigned to follow their usual diet or to adopt an isocaloric diet with goals of 20% calories as fat, total fiber of 25 g/day, and at least 8 fruit or vegetable servings per day. Serum levels of total estradiol (E2), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), non-SHBG-bound estradiol (NSBE2), SHBG, and progesterone were evaluated during a menstrual cycle at baseline, and at 4 cycles (C4) and 12 cycles (C12) after the start of the intervention. Serum was collected during each test cycle 7–9 days after the detection of an luteinizing hormone peak in the urine. One hundred eighty-nine women provided serum at C4 and 176 women at C12. RESULTS Serum E2 decreased by an average of 7.5% or 7.8 pg/mL (95% confidence interval [95% CI], −16.0–0.04) at C12 in the intervention group, versus a decrease of 0.9% or 0.9 pg/mL (95% CI, −9.5–7.7) in the control group (the P value for the difference between the treatment groups was 0.25). Results for NSBE2 were very similar to those for total estradiol. There were no material effects found to result from intervention with regard to SHBG or progesterone. The results did not differ by baseline age, body mass index, or baseline hormone level above or below the median, and were not likely to be affected by weight change, which amounted to a mean loss of only 0.23 kg in the diet group versus a gain of 0.17 kg in the control group. The decrease in serum E2 associated with intervention was not greater when subjects were stratified by self-reported adherence to the dietary goals. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study suggest that the effects of this isocaloric low-fat, high-fiber diet pattern on circulating ovarian steroids were modest or nonexistent. However, the observed 7.5% reduction in estradiol could have biologic significance if it persisted over many years. Moreover, underestimation of the true dietary effect could have occurred because of incomplete adherence to assigned diets. Weight loss and weight control through midlife could be a more effective and feasible approach to dietary intervention in reducing the risk of breast carcinoma. Cancer 2003. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
Quarks, quaternions and weakly coupled gauge fields

Using the ring of complex quaternions, the more active view of weakly coupled gauge fields is formulated in such a way that, in theSU2×U1 model of Salam, Ward and Weinberg, for example, ΔS≠0, ΔQ=0 effects are properly suppressed without the appearance of a new quark field in the Lagrangian—only p, n and λ quark fields appear. Here,S is the strangeness andQ is the electric charge. The success of the more active view of theSU2×U1 model in describing\(\Gamma \left( {{\rm K}_L \to \bar \mu \mu } \right)/\left( {\left( {m_{K_L } - m_{Ks} } \right)/m_K } \right)\)% MathType!End!2!1!, charmed particles,\(\psi /J,\psi ',\Upsilon ,\Upsilon '\)% MathType!End!2!1!, etc., in terms of p, n and λ quarks is not disturbed by this new formulation. Here,mK=(mKL+mKs)/2 andma is the mass of a.
A Modeling Language for Activity-Oriented Composition of Service-Oriented Software Systems

The proliferation of smart spaces and emergence of new standards, such as Web Services, have paved the way for a new breed of software systems. Often the complete functional and QoS requirements of such software systems are not known a priori at design-time, and even if they are, they may change at run-time. Unfortunately, the majority of existing software engineering techniques rely heavily on human reasoning and manual intervention, making them inapplicable for automatic composition of such software systems at run-time. Moreover, these approaches are primarily intended to be used by technically knowledgeable software engineers, as opposed to domain users. In this paper, we present Service Activity Schemas (SAS) , an activity-oriented language for modeling software system's functional and QoS requirements. SAS targets service-oriented software systems, and relies on an ontology to provide domain experts with modeling constructs that are intuitively understood. SAS forms the centerpiece of a framework intended for user-driven composition and adaptation of service-oriented software systems in a pervasive setting. We provide a detailed description of SAS in the context of a case study and formally specify its structural and dynamic properties.
Neuroimaging Features of San Luis Valley Syndrome

A 14-month-old Hispanic female with a history of double-outlet right ventricle and developmental delay in the setting of recombinant chromosome 8 syndrome was referred for neurologic imaging. Brain MR revealed multiple abnormalities primarily affecting midline structures, including commissural dysgenesis, vermian and brainstem hypoplasia/dysplasia, an interhypothalamic adhesion, and an epidermoid between the frontal lobes that enlarged over time. Spine MR demonstrated hypoplastic C1 and C2 posterior elements, scoliosis, and a borderline low conus medullaris position. Presented herein is the first illustration of neuroimaging findings from a patient with San Luis Valley syndrome.
A superstrate patch antenna for 60-GHz applications

This paper presents a balanced-fed aperturecoupled patch antenna suitable for broadband millimeter-wave communications. The antenna is realized in a low-cost PCB technology and can be integrated with RFIC chips. To improve antenna bandwidth and radiation efficiency, an air cavity has been embedded in the PCB stack. The measured antenna performances agree very well with the simulated results. The antenna has about 7 dBi gain, with at least 12 GHz impedance bandwidth.
The Body Positive Approach to Healthy Embodiment: Review of Embody: Learning to Love Your Unique Body (and Quiet That Critical Voice!), by Connie Sobczak

Connie Sobczak suffered from bulimia nervosa during her adolescence. Her eating disorder was related to her, and her sister’s, strong sense of body dissatisfaction, which they frequently discussed,...
Static resistance function for steel-plate composite (SC) walls subject to impactive loading

Abstract Steel-plate composite (SC) walls consist of a plain concrete core reinforced with two steel faceplates on the surfaces. Modules (consisting of steel faceplates, shear connectors and tie-bars) can be shop-fabricated and shipped to the site for erection and concrete casting, which expedites construction schedule and thus economy. SC structures have recently been used in nuclear power plant designs and are being considered for the next generation of small modular reactors. Design for impactive and impulsive loading is an important consideration for SC walls in safety-related nuclear facilities. The authors have previously developed design methods to prevent local failure (perforation) of SC walls due to missile impact. This paper presents the development of static resistance functions for use in single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) analyses to predict the maximum displacement response of SC walls subjected to missile impact and designed to resist local failure (perforation). The static resistance function for SC walls is developed using results of numerical analyses and parametric studies conducted using benchmarked 3D finite element (FE) models. The influence of various design parameters are discussed and used to develop idealized bilinear resistance functions for SC walls with fixed edges and simply supported edges. Results from dynamic non-linear FE analysis of SC panels subjected to rigid missile impact are compared with the maximum displacements predicted by SDOF analyses using the bilinear resistance function.
Modification of hemoglobin S with dimethyl adipimidate contribution of inter-tetrameric cross-linking to changes in properties

Abstract Treatment of purified hemoglobin S with dimethyladipimidate (DMA), which results in inter- as well as intra-tetrameric cross-linking, induces an increase in oxygen affinity, a decrease in 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid (DPG) effect and an increase in solubility of deoxyhemoglobin S. To determine the contribution of inter-tetrameric cross-linking to these changes, we isolated cross-linked components from DMA-modified hemoglobin S and from hybrids containing either a or βs-treated subunits (αtβcs or αcβts) and determined their oxygen affinity, interaction with DPG, solubility and kinetics of aggregation. Intermolecular cross-linking occurred only through βs subunits, while intra-tetrameric cross-links involved both α and βs subunits. Cross-linked hemoglobin tetramers exhibited higher oxygen affinity, lower cooperativity and decreased DPG effect compared to non-cross-linked tetramers. The solubility of DMA-modified deoxyhemoglobin S decreased from 27.1 g/dl to 22.0 g/dl following removal of inter-tetramerically cross-linked derivatives. The delay time, usually observed prior to aggregation of dilute deoxyhemoglobin S in 1.8 M phosphate, was abolished by DMA modification, but restored following removal of cross-linked hemoglobin tetramers. Cross-linked hemoglobin S tetramers isolated from DMA-treated hemoglobin S did not aggregate when deoxygenated. In contrast to the results in dilute solution, concentrated solutions of DMA-treated deoxyHb-S exhibited prolonged delay times prior to polymerization. These results demonstrate that inter-tetrameric cross-linking contributes to the antisickling properties of DMA by increasing oxygen affinity, increasing solubility and disrupting the aggregation of hemoglobin S.
Natural cytotoxic cells in NZB mice: Spontaneous in vivo and in vitro primed activity and structural characteristics

Abstract The natural cytotoxic activity of spleen cells from NZB mice was within the same range as those from 17 other murine strains. In vivo priming with a syngeneic lymphoma cell line, but not with murine leukemia virus (MuLV), stimulated T cells and also N cells, which are responsible for the natural cytotoxic activity. In vitro stimulation in this system resulted in an intense increase in N-cell activity and permitted isolation of a highly uniform population of cells. Marked differences were noted in the lysis target of cells of different types, but there was no relationship to MuLV expression by the targets.
New method for determination of absorption capacity of internal curing agents

Abstract Accurate assessment of absorption capacity ( k ) of internal curing agents is necessary to properly proportion cement-based mixtures and to measure their effectiveness in mitigating autogenous shrinkage. Standard methods for quantifying absorption capacity, such as those for coarse and fine aggregate, are not appropriate for the highly absorptive, finely divided materials often used for internal curing. Here, it is demonstrated that the absorption capacity of internal curing materials may be determined from early age heat evolution data measured through isothermal calorimetry. An example application, using pulp fibers as internal curing agents, is used to demonstrate the utility of the method.
Political Studies as Narrative and Science, 1880-2000

Today we are often skeptical of the role played by representations of the nation state in constructing and legitimating ways of life and public policies. We portray what once appeared to be neutral...
A model for detection and recognition with signal uncertainty

A model for signal detectability suggested by Luce is extended to situations in which the observer is uncertain of some important characteristic of the signal, such as frequency. By making a single assumption concerning the observer's covert response behavior, two solutions are obtained corresponding to qualitatively different behavior. Decrements in detectability and in recognition with uncertainty are shown to be particular functions of discriminability and detectability of the stimuli in other situations. Relevant experimental data are considered.
An ultrastructural analysis of the cuticle, epidermis and esophageal epithelium of Eisenia foetida (Oligochaeta)

The epidermis of Eisenia is covered by a cuticle and rests on a basement lamella. The cuticle, which is resistant to a variety of enzymes, is composed of non-striated, bundles of probable collagen fibers that are orthogonally oriented and are embedded in a proteoglycan matrix. The basement lamella consists of striated collagen fibers with a 560 A major periodicity. Proximity and morphology suggest that the epidermis may contribute to both the cuticle and the basement lamella — that is, the single tissue may synthesize at least two types of collagen. The epidermis is a pseudostratified epithelium containing three major cell types (columnar, basal and gland) and a rare fourth type with apical cilia. The esophagus is lined by a simple cuticulated epithelium composed predominantly of a single cell type, which resembles the epidermal columnar cell. Rare gland cells occur in the esophageal epithelium, but basal cells are lacking.
The design of a constraint/rule language for an object-oriented data model

Abstract Recent applications such as software engineering environments, computer-aided design, and process control require a more active data base environment in which the data base management system automatically monitors conditions and initiates appropriate actions when predefined conditions occur. In this research, a constraint/rule language, known as ALICE/ RL (ARL), is designed to support a data base environment that provides a general means for specifying active data base rules with an object-oriented view of data. The language is developed as an extension of ALICE, an Assertion Language for Integrity Constraint Expression. ARL not only extends ALICE to include rule expression capabilities, but ARL also enhances the condition expression capabilities of ALICE with features such as object identity/object equality, user-defined events, timing constraints, transition constraints, negated conditions, aggregate functions, and the triggering of multiple data base and/or user-defined actions. An important aspect of the research is the semantic analysis of ARL rules. The notion of object-centered constraints is used to define the connectivity between objects required for the valid expression of constraint and rule conditions. ARL provides a more generalized constraint/rule language than ALICE in which the results of semantic analysis can be used to debug rule conditions. A compiler for ARL with syntactic and semantic analysis was implemented as part of this research.
Virginia Community College System: Three Decades of Educational Service

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS), though a relatively young system of higher educational institutions, has strong and rich ties to Virginia's early history. The importance of public education in the development and preservation of our free society was well established by Thomas Jefferson. The VCCS plan of 23 community colleges emerged in the 1960s and became well established in the 1970s, a time when higher education needed to be extended more broadly to the population. After substantial growth and maturing of the system in the 1980s, the VCCS approaches the closing of the century with new and exciting applications of technology, distance learning, and teaching vitality as steps toward achieving its mission.
Bcl-rambo: a maverick of apoptotic genes

Comment on Holleman et al, page [769][1] Holleman and colleagues report finding differential expression of groups of apoptotic genes with differing subgroups of ALL, but only one such gene associated significantly with drug resistance and risk of relapse—BCL2L13 (Bcl-rambo). Apoptosis,
Nuclear Structure and Dynamics in the 3He(e,e′p)d and 3He(e,e′p)pn Reactions

We studied the reactions 3He(e, e′p)d and 3He(e, e′p)pn in quasi-elastic perpendicular, co-planar kinematics. The transferred energy and momentum were fixed at 840 MeV and 1502 MeV/c respectively. The cross sections were measured up to missing momenta above 1000 MeV/c. For the two-body break-up channel, the A T L asymmetry was measured up to missing momentum of 660 MeV/c. The data are compared to several model calculations and demonstrate an intricate interplay between reaction dynamics and nuclear structure.
ON STABILITY OF STATIONARY POINTS OF TRANSFORMATION GROUPS

Stability of stationary points is proved for well known groups acting on Euclidean spaces and other manifolds.
Environmental DNA as an effective tool for detection of imperiled fishes

Detection of aquatic species is imperfect, especially if the species is rare and exhibits spatial and temporal variability. Many fish species require a number of sampling trips before detection is positive. And yet, information on species persistence is critical for effective conservation efforts. New forensic genetic techniques, such as environmental DNA (eDNA), have been developed and successfully used to validate the presence of exotic aquatic species in new areas. We compared detection of a federally listed, threatened, migratory fish species the Slackwater darter (Etheostoma boschungi); using eDNA to concomitantly collected field collections. Detection probabilities for this species are variable, but consistently low in recent collections. Our results indicated that detection using eDNA was vastly more effective than traditional sampling at confirming the presence of the Slackwater darter. Positive detection at non-breeding sites was half of the detection rate at breeding sites, most likely to the greater area available in non-breeding streams. These data suggest that eDNA is an effective tool for quickly evaluating a relatively large number of sites for the presence of rare aquatic species.
Hippocampal subfield and medial temporal cortical persistent activity during working memory reflects ongoing encoding

Previous neuroimaging studies support a role for the medial temporal lobes (MTL) in maintaining novel stimuli over brief working memory (WM) delays, and suggest delay period activity predicts subsequent memory. Additionally, slice recording studies have demonstrated neuronal persistent spiking in entorhinal cortex (EC), perirhinal cortex (PrC), and hippocampus (CA1, CA3, subiculum). These data have led to computational models that suggest persistent spiking in parahippocampal regions could sustain neuronal representations of sensory information over many seconds. This mechanism may support both WM maintenance and encoding of information into long term episodic memory. The goal of the current study was to use high-resolution fMRI to elucidate the contributions of the MTL cortices and hippocampal subfields to WM maintenance as it relates to later episodic recognition memory. We scanned participants while they performed a delayed match to sample task with novel scene stimuli, and assessed their memory for these scenes post-scan. We hypothesized stimulus-driven activation that persists into the delay period—a putative correlate of persistent spiking—would predict later recognition memory. Our results suggest sample and delay period activation in the parahippocampal cortex (PHC), PrC, and subiculum (extending into DG/CA3 and CA1) was linearly related to increases in subsequent memory strength. These data extend previous neuroimaging studies that have constrained their analysis to either the sample or delay period by modeling these together as one continuous ongoing encoding process, and support computational frameworks that predict persistent activity underlies both WM and episodic encoding.
Fine structure of a cerebellar neuroblastoma

A cerebellar neoplasm of an 18-month-old boy was examined with both the light and electron microscopes. The diagnosis of neuroblastoma was made on the basis of the presence of numerous synaptic vesicles in the great majority of cell processes and the occasional complete synapses within the tumor tissue.
Prisoners' dilemmas and reciprocal altruists

Several authors have shown (or correctly implied) that altruists can face a Prisoner's Dilemma (PD); hence altruism itself is no sure remedy for the problem posed by that game. 1 This might suggest that no form of altruism provides such a remedy i.e., that for any type of altruism, we can find situations that would be PD's for the sort of altruists in question. In this paper I forestall that conclusion by discussing a brand of altruism (not to be confused with utilitarianism) that prevents PD's from occurring. (I also discuss some slightly disheartening facts about it.) My point of departure is a remark I made in an earlier essay, discussion of which provides a clue to finding the requisite brand of altruism.