cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anonymity, accountability & John Doe

This paper addresses the issues of anonymity and accountability on the Internet, and the controversy surrounding anonymous message posters who are implicated in defamation lawsuits. "Anonymity ensures governments cannot spy on citizens and thus guarantees privacy and free speech" [7]. Free speech is not only a cornerstone of society in America but also a cornerstone of communication on the Internet. The difference between the two is that communication on the Internet can be largely anonymous - where people can post to message boards freely with minimal threat of punishment. Unless individuals can be "held accountable, we lose all recourse to the law and hence risk our very freedom" [7].
A Chinese natural language query system giving information about computer science

We are building an intelligent knowledge-based system. The major goal of the system is to help high school students to learn the fundamental knowledge about computer science. Our system allows the user to ask questions at any point, as long as the question contains at least one entry about computer science.Our system processes a natural language query in four stages: Query Preprocessing, Query Analysis, Information Retrieval and Response Generation as indicated in figure 1.In natural language, a particular query can be expressed by many different constructions. That is, a set of different statements can convey the same meaning; therefore, our query analysis becomes more complex. To simplify the task of the Query Analysis, we preprocess the natural language query before the Query Analysis stage. We are employing a many-to-one mapping method by mapping all the various queries with the same meaning into a single query format. We have finally categorized all of queries into fourteen query format.For analyzing a query we are using the Linguistic String Parser (LSP). The Linguistic String Parser was developed at New York University by Naomi Sager. A linguistic string grammar must be written in three parts: a set of context-free unordered rules, a collection of restriction rules and a lexicon. We have studied and developed our LSP grammar for processing Chinese queries. The LSP will first apply syntactic analysis to the query formats, then carry on semantic analysis. According to the various analytical results it creates a corresponding predicate logic file as output.The Information Retrieval procedure gets the predicate logic form output from the LSP and searches for the required information in our database. Once the required information has been found, the system will check whether the information satisfies the user's query. If satisfied, the system then displays the information to user. Otherwise, the system will activate the Response Generation module.A major component of our Response Generation module is a set of reverse transformation rules derived from our LSP grammar. The reverse transformation rules can add or delete words from a sentence, reorder the words of a sentence, or combine two sentences to form a new sentence. In the Response Generation we use the transformation rules to produces a satisfactory answer to user.One of our future goals is to implement the mechanism of focus in this research. We believe that the use of focus not only provides a computationally tractable method of producing coherent and cohesive answers, but also ensures the connectivity of them.
Equation of state, flow, fluctuations and J/ψ suppression

Abstract Radial flow observed at AGS/SPS energies is very strong, with collective velocities of matter reaching about 0.5c for central collisions of the heaviest ions. The lattice-based Equation of State (EOS) is however rather soft, due to the QCD phase transition. We show that both statements are consistent only if proper kinetic-based treatment of the freeze-out is made. In fact chemical and thermal freeze-out happen at quite different conditions, especially at SPS. Event-by-event fluctuations can shed new light on this problem. We also propose new model of “anomalous” J/ψ suppression found for PbPb collisions, related it to prolonged lifetime of dense matter due the “softest point” of the EOS.
An exegesis of IAPs: salvation and surprises from BIR motifs

Abstract The BIR (baculovirus IAP repeat) motif is a conserved sequence of approximately 70 amino acids that was identified originally in the ‘inhibitor of apoptosis' (IAP) family of proteins. BIR-containing proteins (BIRPs) are found in viruses, yeast and metazoans. Recent genetic analysis of a nematode BIRP demonstrated an essential role in cytokinesis instead of apoptosis. It is likely that BIRs originated in eukaryotes to serve a role in cytokinesis and/or mitotic spindle function during cell division and that, with gene duplication, the more recent adaptation of some BIRPs to the regulation of apoptosis was possible. IAPs interact with a variety of proteins, including members of the caspase protease family. This article discusses current research on the structure and function of the BIR motifs and how it could provide insight into the function of BIRPs in cell division.
Optimization of High Order Control including overlay, alignment and sampling

Overlay requirements for semiconductor devices are increasing faster than anticipated. Overlay becomes much harder to control with current methods and therefore novel techniques are needed. In this paper, we present our investigation methods for High Order Control, and the candidates for improvement. This paper will present the study for each components of high order control. High order correction is one component for high order control and several correction methods were compared for this study. High order alignment is another important component for higher order control instead of using conventional linear model for the alignment. Alignment and overlay measurement sampling decision becomes a more critical issue for sampling efficiency and accuracy. Optimal sampling for high order was studied for high order control. Using all these studies, various applications for optimal high order control have also been studied. This study will show the general approach for high order control with theory and actual experimental data.
Tipping Pennies? Privately Practical Anonymous Micropayments

We design and analyze the first practical anonymous payment mechanisms for network services. We start by reporting on our experience with the implementation of a routing micropayment solution for Tor. We then propose micropayment protocols of increasingly complex requirements for networked services, such as P2P or cloud-hosted services. The solutions are efficient, with bandwidth and latency overheads of under 4% and 0.9 ms, respectively, in the ORPay implementation, provide full anonymity (for both payers and payees), and support thousands of transactions per second.
Monte Carlo simulation of polyampholyte-nanoparticle complexation

The complexation between a polyampholyte and a charged particle was investigated via Monte Carlo simulations on an off-lattice. The simulations revealed that there are three regions for the conformation of the complex formed between a positively charged particle and a polyampholyte chain. When the charge density and the size of the particle were small, the chain adsorbed on the particle surface maintained to a large extent its configuration from the bulk (spherical, dumb-bell, necklace or rod-like). By increasing the charge density and the particle size, the polyampholyte chain has collapsed on the surface. Further increases of the charge density and size of the particle caused a segregation of the beads of the sub-chains with mostly positive charges from those with mostly negative charges, those richer in positive charges being repelled by the particle. The simulation results are compared with some analytical results.
Personality, clinical performance and knowledge in paediatric residents

This study examines the relationship between personality, knowledge and teachers' evaluations of paediatric residents at a large, urban teaching hospital. All residents (n = 30) were graduates of foreign medical schools. Each resident completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as a measure of personality and was rated (on a scale of 1-7) by teachers on each of 35 items representing 14 different aspects of clinical performance. These data were correlated with performance on the American Board of Pediatrics In-training Examination (ABPITE), and with demographic data. Ratings of knowledge were directly associated with scores on the ABPITE (r = 0.51, P < 0.01) and with the MBTI continuous score for extraversion (r = 0.51, P < 0.01), but inversely associated with age (r = -0.41, P < 0.01). ABPITE scores were also associated directly with MBTI Extraversion (r = 0.44, P < 0.01) and inversely with age (r = -0.56, P < 0.001). Age and MBTI Extraversion were independently significant predictors of ABPITE (Multiple R = 0.64, P < 0.01) and ratings of knowledge (Multiple R = 0.59, P < 0.01). Results suggest that teachers' evaluations of knowledge have validity, and that age and introversion/extroversion play a significant role in both subjective and objective evaluations of paediatric knowledge. Demographic and personality variables may be predictive of knowledge acquisition, but are unrelated to many dimensions of clinical performance.
Multi-Narrow Beam Sonar Systems

This paper provides a very general description of the BO'SUN and Sea Beam multibeam sonar systems. They are the latest multi-beam sonar systems to be marketed by the General Instrument Corporation. The data flow necessary to process the sonar signals in each system is described.
The rise and fall of the ‘all‐people's state’: Recent changes in the soviet theory of the state

(1968). The rise and fall of the ‘all‐people's state’: Recent changes in the soviet theory of the state. Soviet Studies: Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 81-93.
On targeted constraints and cluster simplification

In his article ‘Consonant cluster neutralisation and targeted constraints’, Wilson (2001) proposes a far-reaching revision of Optimality Theory to accommodate targeted constraints, which compare candidates differing only in certain specific ways. Targeted constraints, it is argued, can explain why cluster-simplification processes affect the first member of a cluster but never the more marked member of a cluster. In this remark, I show that this argument encounters difficulties once it has been embedded in a fuller picture of constraint interaction. Some general properties of the targeted-constraints model are also discussed.
Model for end-stage liver disease score predicts adverse events related to ventricular assist device therapy.

Background The Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score is a marker of multisystem organ dysfunction. It has been used to predict outcomes in patients undergoing hepatic and nonhepatic interventions. End-stage heart disease exhibits a varying degree of multiorgan dysfunction, which impacts the adverse events related to ventricular assist device (VAD) therapy. Our aim for the present study was to investigate the value of MELD score in predicting adverse events related with VAD therapy. Methods Data were collected on demographics, clinical characteristics, MELD score; Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support-defined VAD adverse events within the first 6 months, and survival from VAD recipients (n = 286; from 1996 to 2009). Univariable, multivariable, and Cox regression analyses were performed using SAS software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Results The mean MELD score was 14.4 ± 5.9. Actuarial incidence of infections, bleeding events, and cardiovascular dysfunction at 6 months was 65.4%, 52.1%, and 45.6%, respectively. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards model (controlling for gender, type of device, diagnosis, intention to treat, urgency, and inotropic use) confirmed that MELD score predicted mortality, respiratory, and renal dysfunction at 6 months ( p Conclusions Preoperative MELD score is predictive of mortality, respiratory, and renal dysfunction at 6 months after controlling for gender, type of device, diagnosis, intention to treat, urgency, and inotropic use. The MELD score may be used as a quantitative tool to assess the adverse events associated with VAD therapy.
Secondary Autogenous Arteriovenous Fistulas in the “Fistula First” Era: Results of a Longterm Prospective Study

Background The outflow vein of a dysfunctional arteriovenous dialysis access can be used to create a secondary autogenous arteriovenous fistula (SAVF) (type I). In the absence of an outflow vein, an SAVF can still be created elsewhere in the ipsilateral or contralateral extremity by identifying vessels suitable for SAVF creation (type II). But their patency rates and the use of tunneled dialysis catheters during the postoperative period have not been reported in a prospective fashion. Study Design Patients undergoing SAVF creation were included in this analysis. Data were collected prospectively. The primary, secondary, and cumulative patency rates, along with the number of procedures required to maintain patency, were investigated. The need for tunneled dialysis catheters in patients with SAVF before the fistula was ready to support dialysis was also evaluated. Results Sixty-two (type I, n=35; type II, n=27) SAVFs were created over a period of 5 years. The primary patency rates for types I and II SAVF at 6 and 12 months were 87% and 14% (type I) and 71% and 11% (type II), respectively. The secondary patency rates for type I at 12, 24, and 36 months were 100%, 100%, 83%, respectively, and for type II were 92%, 88%, 83%, respectively. The primary and secondary patency rates between the groups were not statistically significant. The cumulative patency rates for type I at 12, 24, and 36 months were 100%, 100%, 94%, respectively, and for type II were 96%, 96%, and 91%, respectively. Type I required 1.4 procedures/year, and type II needed 1.5 procedures/year (p=nonsignificant). Tunneled dialysis catheters were required in 21 patients with type I and 27 patients with type II SAVF. Conclusions Although the primary patency rates were not colossal, excellent secondary and cumulative patency rates were observed for SAVF in this study.
Security-Constrained Unit Commitment With AC/DC Transmission Systems

This paper presents the solution to the security- constrained unit commitment (SCUC) problem with a detailed representation of high voltage direct current (DC) transmission system with current source converters (CSCs). The SCUC problem is decomposed into a master problem for solving unit commitment (UC) problem and hourly transmission security check subproblems that evaluate branch flows and bus voltages of integrated AC/DC transmission systems. The solution of the transmission security check subproblem is based on a linear programming (LP) formulation that minimizes AC bus mismatches subject to AC/DC transmission constraints. The final SCUC solution prescribes an economic and secure operation and control strategy for AC/DC transmission systems and coordinates DC power transfers for enhancing the economics and the security of AC transmission systems. Numerical tests illustrate the efficiency of the proposed AC/DC transmission model.
The effect of intracellular delivery of catalase and antisense oligonucleotides to NF-κB using albumin microcapsules in the endotoxic shock model

Microencapsulated (MC) catalase has been shown to inhibit H2O2 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in vitro after endotoxin stimulation. It is the purpose of this study to determine whether MC catalase improves pro-inflammatory cytokine inhibition and mortality in an endotoxic shock model in vivo. We also examined whether MC catalase and antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) to nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) together improved survival by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines using different mechanisms. Methods: Albumin microcapsules containing catalase and ASO to NF-κB were prepared 2–7 μm in size by using a Buchi spray dryer. Progressively increasing doses of MC catalase, MC ASO to NF-κB, and the combination were given to rats before the administration of Escherichia coli endotoxin. Results demonstrated 60% survival in rats given 15 mg/kg MC catalase, 70% survival with 20 mg/kg MC ASO NF-κB, and 80% survival with the combination. TNF was inhibited by 53% in the MC catalase group 4 h after endotoxin administration, 43%...
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identification of rodent blood meals confirms host sharing by flea vectors of plague

Elucidating feeding relationships between hosts and parasites remains a significant challenge in studies of the ecology of infectious diseases, especially those involving small or cryptic vectors. Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are a species of conservation importance in the North American Great Plains whose populations are extirpated by plague, a flea-vectored, bacterial disease. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, we determined that fleas (Oropsylla hirsuta) associated with prairie dogs feed upon northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster), a rodent that has been implicated in the transmission and maintenance of plague in prairie-dog colonies. Our results definitively show that grasshopper mice not only share fleas with prairie dogs during plague epizootics, but also provide them with blood meals, offering a mechanism by which the pathogen, Yersinia pestis, may be transmitted between host species and maintained between epizootics. The lack of identifiable host DNA in a significant fraction of engorged Oropsylla hirsuta collected from animals (47%) and prairie-dog burrows (100%) suggests a rapid rate of digestion and feeding that may facilitate disease transmission during epizootics but also complicate efforts to detect feeding on alternative hosts. Combined with other analytical approaches, e.g., stable isotope analysis, molecular genetic techniques can provide novel insights into host-parasite feeding relationships and improve our understanding of the role of alternative hosts in the transmission and maintenance of disease.
Analysis of the biliary transcriptome in experimental biliary atresia.

Background & Aims: Discovery of the pathogenic mechanisms of biliary atresia has been limited by the inability to study extrahepatic biliary tissues from patients at early phases of disease. Here, we used a rotavirus-induced model of biliary atresia to investigate the entire biliary transcriptome for molecular networks activated at the onset and different phases of progression to duct obstruction. Methods: We injected Balb/c mice with saline or rotavirus intraperitoneally within 24 hours of birth, microdissected the gallbladder and extrahepatic bile ducts en bloc 3, 7, and 14 days later, generated biotinylated RNA pools, and hybridized them against microarrays containing 45,101 gene products. Results: Data filtering, cluster analysis, and functional assignment of the gene expression platform revealed 2 unique patterns of expression. The first was an overarching expression of genes regulating immunity, enzymes, and structural proteins at all phases of atresia. Within this pattern, the sequential expression of the interferon inducers Irf7 and Irf9 at the onset of injury, and interferon-γ and interferon-γ–activated genes (Stat1, Igtp, Cxcl9, Cxcl10) at the time of duct obstruction, pointed to a prominent proinflammatory circuit. The second was the time-restricted expression of genes regulating biological networks previously unrecognized in biliary atresia, such as the complement components C3ar-1 and C1q-α/β. Conclusions: The coordinate expression of functionally related genes in the biliary transcriptome underscores a predominant proinflammatory footprint and provides a basis for identification of gene groups that may play regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of duct injury and obstruction in experimental biliary atresia.
Biomechanical Comparison of Reconstruction Techniques in Simulated Lateral Ankle Ligament Injury

Eighteen intact ankles were loaded with inversion- eversion and anterior-posterior forces, and motions of the talus and calcaneus were measured. Ankles were tested in neutral, 15° of dorsiflexion, and 15° of plantar flexion. The anterior talofibular ligament was then sec tioned and testing was repeated. In half the specimens the calcaneofibular ligament was also sectioned fol lowed by repeat testing. The Evans, Watson-Jones, and Chrisman-Snook procedures were performed on each ankle and testing was repeated. With inversion- eversion loading, only the Chrisman-Snook reconstruc tion resulted in a significantly more stable ankle joint complex than in the anterior talofibular ligament cut ankles. All three reconstructions increased ankle sta bility over the anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligament cut state. With anterior-posterior loading, all reconstructions resulted in a significantly more stable ankle joint complex than the anterior talofibular ligament cut ankles. The Evans and Chrisman-Snook pr...
Competitive learning with floating-gate circuits

Competitive learning is a general technique for training clustering and classification networks. We have developed an 11-transistor silicon circuit, that we term an automaximizing bump circuit, that uses silicon physics to naturally implement a similarity computation, local adaptation, simultaneous adaptation and computation and nonvolatile storage. This circuit is an ideal building block for constructing competitive-learning networks. We illustrate the adaptive nature of the automaximizing bump in two ways. First, we demonstrate a silicon competitive-learning circuit that clusters one-dimensional (1-D) data. We then illustrate a general architecture based on the automaximizing bump circuit; we show the effectiveness of this architecture, via software simulation, on a general clustering task. We corroborate our analysis with experimental data from circuits fabricated in a 0.35-/spl mu/m CMOS process.
Prognostic information fusion for constant load systems

This paper describes a process for aggregating different information sources to estimate remaining equipment life. Specifically, the approach presents a rigorous chain of preprocessing, modeling and postprocessing steps that arrive at the desired prognostic result. The preprocessing steps deal with data reduction, filtering, and signature amplification. The prediction model applies adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to the data. The post-processing steps include recursive trending which implicitly forces the prognostic trend to be confirmed before updated estimates are reported. Prognostic false positives and false negatives are introduced as innovative measures that help in assessing the performance of the approach. The method is illustrated using real-life data from industrial Web paper breakage prediction.
Communication Difficulties in the AIDS Ward Can Cultural Theory Help

Cultural theory claims that there are only five basic ways of life, or worldviews, and that communication difficulties stem from different beliefs about right and wrong. According to cultural theory, communication difficulties experienced between groups can be explained by understanding the participants' views of morality, appropriate behavior, and just consequences for bad acts. Interactions among correctional transport officers, clinic nurses, and inmates with AIDS were examined in a community hospital in the northeastern United States. Based on comments culled from 500 hours of observation, each group was placed in a cultural theory category. The majority of correctional officers were placed in the hierarchy category, nurses were egalitarian, and inmates were fatalists. Cultural theory may explain why the participants believe as they do and appears to merit further study in this and other areas in which security and health care personnel clash.
Procedures for Socially Integrating Preschoolers Who Are Hearing, Deaf, and Hard-of-Hearing

Although the popularity of including preschoolers who are deaf and hard-of-hearing into a variety of preschool facilities is increasing, facilitating social integration of preschoolers who are hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing is particularly challenging (Antia, 1988). This is in part because language difference (e.g., use of American Sign Language rather than English), modality difference (e.g., sign use rather than speech), or language delay have the potential to render ineffective both adult and peer conversation. In this article, the relationship between communication and social integration is explored, followed by information pertaining to intervention and evaluation of social integration activities with children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. Finally, we describe several components to assist adults who wish to facilitate the social integration of preschoolers who are hearing, deaf, or hard-of-hearing. It is hoped that those attempting the proposed techniques will disseminate objective, data-base...
Investigating the stratigraphy of an alluvial aquifer using crosswell seismic traveltime tomography

In this study, we investigate the use of crosswell P-wave seismic tomography to obtain spatially extensive information about subsurface sedimentary architecture and heterogeneity in alluvial aquifers. Our field site was a research wellfield in an unconfined aquifer near Boise, Idaho. The aquifer consists of a 20-m-thick sequence of alluvial cobble-and-sand deposits, which have been subdivided into five stratigraphic units based on neutron porosity logs, grainsize analysis, and radar reflection data. We collected crosswell and borehole-to-surface seismic data in wells 17.1 m apart. We carefully considered the impact of well deviation, data quality control, and the choice of inversion parameters. Our linearized inverse routine had a curved-ray forward model and used different grids for forward modeling and inversion.An analysis of the model covariance and resolution matrices showed that the velocity models had an uncertainty of 10 m/s, a vertical resolution of 1 m, and a horizontal resolution of 5 m. The velocity in the saturated zone varied between 2100 m/s and 2700 m/s. Inclusion of the borehole-to-surface data eliminated the Xshaped pattern that is a common artifact in crosswell tomography, and the increased angular coverage also improved the accuracy of the model near the top of the tomogram. The final velocity model is consistent with previous stratigraphic analyses of the site, although the locations of some of the unit boundaries differ by as much as 2 m in places. The results of this study demonstrate that seismic tomography can be used to image the sedimentary architecture of unconsolidated alluvial aquifers, even when the lithologic contrasts between units are subtle.
Policy Emulation or Policy Convergence? Potential Ambiguities in the Dyadic Event History Approach to State Policy Emulation

I demonstrate a source of bias in the common implementation of the dyadic event history model as applied to policy diffusion. This bias tends to severely overstate the extent to which policy changes depend on explicit emulation of other states rather than on a state's internal characteristics. This happens because the standard implementation conflates policy emulation and policy adoption: since early adopters are policy leaders, later adopters will appear to emulate them, even if they are acting independently. I demonstrate this ambiguity analytically and through Monte Carlo simulation. I then propose a simple modification of the dyadic emulation model that conditions on the opportunity to emulate and show that it produces much more accurate findings. An examination of state pain management policy illustrates the inferential differences that arise from the appropriately modified dyadic event history model.
Primer on tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy

Individualized cancer therapy is a central goal of cancer biologists. Immunotherapy is a rational means to this end—because the immune system can recognize a virtually limitless number of antigens secondary to the biology of genetic recombination in B and T lymphocytes. The immune system is exquisitely structured to distinguish self from non-self, as demonstrated by anti-microbial immune responses. Moreover the immune system has the potential to recognize self from “altered-self”, which is the case for cancer. However, the immune system has mechanisms in place to inhibit self-reactive responses, many of which are usurped by evolving tumors. Understanding the interaction of cancer with the immune system provides insights into mechanisms that can be exploited to disinhibit anti-tumor immune responses. Here, we summarize the 2012 SITC Primer, reviewing past, present, and emerging immunotherapeutic approaches for the treatment of cancer—including targeting innate versus adaptive immune components; targeting and/or utilizing dendritic cells and T cells; the role of the tumor microenvironment; and immune checkpoint blockade.
Working Memory Capacity and Attention Network Test Performance

SUMMARY Complex span tasks are predictive of many aspects of behavior, in both experimental and applied areas of cognitive psychology. Our view is that these tasks measure primarily working memory capacity (WMC), which we argue is the ability to control attention. The development of the Attention Network Test (ANT) provided the opportunity to study the relationship between WMC and specific types of attention. Extreme WMC-span groups differed in the executive control network but not in the alerting or orienting networks, supporting the view that individual differences in WMC reflect variation in the ability to control attention. We discuss problems with the design of the ANT that limit its appropriateness for applied research. Copyright # 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Westernmost Structures of Idaho-Wyoming Thrust Belt: Structural Geology of Mt. Putnam and Vicinity, Northern Portneuf Range, Southeastern Idaho: ABSTRACT

Detailed mapping of Mt. Putnam in the Portneuf Range (Fort Hall Indian Reservation) has revealed the presence of previously unrecognized large-scale overturned folds and thrust faults characteristic of the Idaho-Wyoming overthrust belt. The structure of Mt. Putnam is controlled primarily by a northwest-trending overturned anticline-syncline system that is responsible for the inverted Precambrian Z-Cambrian stratigraphy of the area. Parts of the upper limb of the overturned anticline were sheared off and thrust over more gently dipping strata to the east. This "Bear Canyon thrust" places Precambrian Z-Cambrian Camelback Mountain Quartzite over the Cambrian-Ordovician carbonate sequence. Mt. Putnam, as well as the rest of the Portneuf Range, is in the upper plate of the Putnam thrust that is exposed 7 km (4 mi) northeast of Mt. Putnam. The thrust is then displaced 5 km (3 mi) to the east by east-trending normal faults interpreted as reactivated tear faults. These faults have created windows through the upper plate Pennsylvanian-Permian Wells Formation, exposing the Ordovician Garden City Formation of the lower plate. South of this offset, the Putnam thrust resumes its southeasterly trend toward the Chesterfield Range and a possible juncture with the Paris thrust. Ten kilometers (6 mi) west of Mt. Putnam in the Bannock Range are younger over older low-angle faults characteristic of the hinterland of the thrust belt. The area of transition between the two structural styles lies in the Pocatello Range north of Inkom, Idaho, and is presently being remapped in detail. End_of_Article - Last_Page 945------------
The Application of Most-Favored-Nation Clauses to Dispute Resolution Provisions in Bilateral Investment Treaties

Many BITs contain the so-called MFN clause, under which a host State may not treat the relevant investment less favorably than the investment of an investor from any other country. Much confusion, however, has arisen on the question of whether an investor may rely on an MFN clause to invoke the dispute resolution provisions of a third party BIT that are comparatively more favorable to the investor. While some ICSID arbitral decisions, including Maffezini v. Spain and Siemens v. Argentina, determined that MFN clauses apply to BIT dispute resolution provisions, other decisions like Salini v. Jordan and Plama v. Bulgaria concluded that they do not. This Article argues that these decisions can in fact be reconciled by analyzing their differences under Article 31 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which in turn requires a determination of whether the particular use sought of the MFN clause falls within its "ordinary meaning." The former category of decisions involved reliance on broadly-rendered MFN clauses to avoid a procedural requirement that delayed, but did not ultimately preclude, ICSID arbitration, and which reliance is as such arguably within the reasonable contemplation of State parties as judged by its "ordinary meaning." The latter category of decisions, however, involved reliance on MFN clauses in BITs that strongly suggested an intent on the part of the parties to exclude from their scope dispute resolution in general, and/or to effect the substitution of an entirely different dispute resolution system, and thereby implicates an aggressive use of the MFN clause that does not sit well with its "ordinary meaning." Thus, the approach advocated in this Article seeks to provide a more comprehensive and coherent framework in which to analyze the relationship between the MFN clause and BIT dispute resolution provisions, anchored by fundamental interpretive principles of customary international law articulated in Article 31 of the Vienna Convention.
Proteolytic, hypotensive and thromboplastic properties of hypochlorite treated trypsin.

SummaryTreatment of commercial trypsin with suitable amounts of sodium hypochlorite greatly diminishes the hypotensive effect of the enzyme while its proteolytic activity is increased by approximately 50%. Similar changes result from treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Hypochlorite treated trypsin possesses a marked thromboplastic effect. Heparin prevents fatal embolism which otherwise results in a high percentage of cases following the intravenous injection of treated trypsin in rabbits. An increase in the readily activated protease fraction of plasma is observed after adding the treated enzyme to plasma in vitro and after injecting it intravenously.
Amelioration of Aflatoxicosis in Rats by Volclay NF-BC, Microfine Bentonite

Addition of sequestering agents to feeds and foods has been proposed as a protective strategy against mycotoxins. To investigate the efficacy of Volclay, a bentonite clay, to protect against aflatoxicosis, rats were fed peanut butter (50% wt/wt)-based diets containing 1,500 ppb aflatoxin (AF), 1,500 ppb aflatoxin with 0.1% Volclay supplementation (AF-LD), or 1,500 ppb aflatoxin with 1% Volclay supplementation (AF-HD) for 8 weeks. The control group was fed a peanut butter-based diet without aflatoxin or Volclay supplementation and a fifth group was fed the control diet with 1.0% Volclay supplementation (VC). No differences in appearance, behavior, or selected hematological and serum chemical variables were observed. Decreased weight gain, decreased food consumption, and liver lesions consistent with hepatic aflatoxicosis were found in AF-fed rats. Weight gain and food consumption of the AF-HD group were comparable to the control and VC groups and were significantly increased compared to AF-fed rats, even though weekly aflatoxin ingestion of AF-HD rats equaled or exceeded that of the AF group. Body weight and food consumption of the AF-LD group were slightly increased compared to AF group and decreased compared to the control, VC, and AF-HD groups, but the differences were not statistically significant. Liver lesions were found in all AF and AF-LD rats. Lesions were also detected in eight of 10 AF-HD-fed rats, but were subtle and significantly less extensive than in AF and AF-LD rats. The data suggest that Volclay is nontoxic and may be an efficacious sequestering agent for residual aflatoxin in peanut butter.
Stone Age Sailors: Paleolithic Seafaring in the Mediterranean

Stone Age Sailors arrives in the midst of a paradigm shift. For decades, based on a limited amount of artifactual data, scholars have debated whether Pleistocene foragers crossed the Mediterranean ...
A Fast Topological Trigger for Real Time Analysis of Nanosecond Phenomena; Opening the Gamma Ray Window to Our Universe

This work was to enable the development of a proof-of-principle nanosecond trigger system that is designed to perform a real time analysis of fast Cherenkov light flashes from air showers. The basic building blocks of the trigger system have been designed and constructed, and a real world system is now operating in the VERITAS experiment.
Compact Models for Integrated Circuit Design: Conventional Transistors and Beyond

Compact Models for Integrated Circuit Design: Conventional Transistors and Beyond provides a modern treatise on compact models for circuit computer-aided design (CAD). Written by an author with more than 25 years of industry experience in semiconductor processes, devices, and circuit CAD, and more than 10 years of academic experience in teaching compact modeling courses, this first-of-its-kind book on compact SPICE models for very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) chip design offers a balanced presentation of compact modeling crucial for addressing current modeling challenges and understanding new models for emerging devices. Starting from basic semiconductor physics and covering state-of-the-art device regimes from conventional micron to nanometer, this text: Presents industry standard models for bipolar-junction transistors (BJTs), metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) field-effect-transistors (FETs), FinFETs, and tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs), along with statistical MOS models Discusses the major issue of process variability, which severely impacts device and circuit performance in advanced technologies and requires statistical compact models Promotes further research of the evolution and development of compact models for VLSI circuit design and analysis Supplies fundamental and practical knowledge necessary for efficient integrated circuit (IC) design using nanoscale devices Includes exercise problems at the end of each chapter and extensive references at the end of the book Compact Models for Integrated Circuit Design: Conventional Transistors and Beyond is intended for senior undergraduate and graduate courses in electrical and electronics engineering as well as for researchers and practitioners working in the area of electron devices. However, even those unfamiliar with semiconductor physics gain a solid grasp of compact modeling concepts from this book.
Juvenile drug court effects on recidivism and drug use: a systematic review and meta-analysis

To conduct a meta-analysis of the effects of juvenile drug courts on general recidivism, drug recidivism, and drug use, and to explore variability in effects across characteristics of the drug courts and juvenile participants. We conducted a comprehensive literature search to identify randomized and controlled quasi-experimental studies that reported the effects of juvenile drug courts in the United States. Random-effects meta-analysis models were used to estimate mean odds ratio effect sizes, and meta-regression models were used to explore variability in effects. The literature search yielded 46 eligible evaluation studies. The meta-analysis found that, overall, juvenile drug courts were no more or less effective than traditional court processing, with mean effects sizes that were not statistically significant for general recidivism, drug recidivism, or drug use. There was statistically significant heterogeneity in those effect sizes, but none of the drug court or participant characteristics coded from the study reports were associated with that variability. However, the juvenile drug court evaluations were generally of poor methodological quality, with very few studies employing random assignment and many instances of substantial baseline differences between drug court and comparison groups. Juvenile drug courts were not found to be categorically more or less effective than traditional court processing for reducing recidivism or drug use. The great variability in effects, nonetheless, suggests that there may be effective drug courts, but no distinctive characteristics of the more effective courts could be identified from the descriptive information provided in the generally low quality research studies currently available.
New Directions in Pd/Norbornene-Catalyzed Activation of Arene C–H Bonds

Mr. Zhe Dong is currently a fifth-year PhD student within Prof. Guangbin Dong's research group at the University of Chicago. He joined Prof. Dong's group at the University of Texas at Austin in 2012 and moved with the group to Chicago. His current research focuses on palladium- and norbornene-co-catalyzed site-selective activation of arene C−H bonds. Prior to his graduate studies, Zhe obtained his bachelor's degree in chemistry at Peking University, where he worked with Prof. Zhi-xiang Yu on gold-catalyzed tandem intramolecular cyclization.
Antimicrobial Effects of Quillaja saponaria Extract Against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and the Emerging Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli

Natural alternate methods to control the spread of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are important to prevent foodborne outbreaks. Quillaja saponaria aqueous bark extracts (QE), cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a natural flavorant, contain bioactive polyphenols, tannins, and tri-terpenoid saponins with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of commercial QE against E. coli O157:H7 and non-O157 strains over 16 h at 37 °C and RT. Overnight cultures of 4 E. coli O157:H7 strains and 6 non-O157 STECs in Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) were washed and resuspended in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.2), and treated with QE and controls including citric acid (pH 3.75), sodium benzoate (0.1% w/w), acidified sodium benzoate (pH 3.75) or PBS for 6 h or 16 h. Recovered bacteria were enumerated after plating on Tryptic Soy Agar, from duplicate treatments, replicated thrice and the data were statistically analyzed. The 4 QE-treated E. coli O157:H7 strains from initial ∼7.5 log CFU had remaining counts between 6.79 and 3.5 log CFU after 16 h at RT. QE-treated non-O157 STECs showed lower reductions with remaining counts ranging from 6.81 to 4.55 log CFU after 16 h at RT. Incubation at 37 °C caused reduction to nondetectable levels within 1 h, without any significant reduction in controls. Scanning electron microscopy studies revealed damaged cell membranes of treated bacteria after 1 h at 37 °C. QE shows potential to control the spread of STECs, and further research in model food systems is needed.
Open Repair of Thoracic and Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Abstract Open descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair remains a formidable surgical undertaking. Despite major advances in operative technique, anesthesia, and perioperative care, the risk of mortality, respiratory failure, renal failure, stroke, and paraplegia remain challenges that have yet to be overcome. Commendable results have been achieved at high volume, experienced centers using a combination of various techniques for the surgical procedure itself, monitoring and perfusion of the spinal cord, renal and visceral protection, and postoperative intensive care. Less invasive options are being investigated but open surgery remains the gold standard repair for these types of aneurysms.
Generation of Esophageal Organoids from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Use to Study Human Development

Tracheoesophageal disorders and diseases are prevalent in humans such that an organoid model of human esophagus could be greatly beneficial. We therefore established a three-dimensional esophageal organoid culture system through the directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). We identified that sequential manipulation of several signaling pathways was needed to first pattern definitive endoderm into foregut, then into anterior foregut (AFG), then dorsal AFG spheroids (dAFG). Outgrowth of dAFG spheroids for 1-2 months resulted in human esophageal organoids (HEOs) with a stratified squamous epithelium comparable to a late gestation mouse embryonic esophagus. We then used HEOs and mouse embryos to identify how SOX2 mediates separation of the esophageal and respiratory lineages and found that loss of endodermal Sox2 results in complete esophageal agenesis. At the transcriptional level, SOX2 acts to promote esophageal specification in both mice and humans in part by inhibiting Wnt signaling in the dorsal AFG and promoting survival of esophageal epithelium. In addition to this use of hPSC-derived esophageal organoids to study development, HEOs can be used for future studies of esophageal pathologies, such as Barrett’s metaplasia and carcinoma.
A Not Quite Multipolar World

New emerging powers in the international realm are causing change in the world’s power dynamics. This has also occurred due to new regional and internal conflicts. While it is important to recognize the recently emerging states as they gain power, it is also critical to acknowledge that the United States is not a declining power, but an enduring one. Furthermore, the only significant emerging powers that can potentially begin to challenge the US hegemony would be the BRICS countries, eliminating numerous other emerging powers as threats. Even so, major economic struggles in the BRICS countries make them difficult to be perceived as strong opposition. Ultimately, this chapter explains that while it is crucial to acknowledge the ongoing changes in the current international order, many of the changes should be seen as small reforms as opposed to major revolutions.
Enrique Castillo’s Contributions to Conditional Specification

Enrique Castillo and his coworkers have made extensive contributions to our understanding of conditionally specified distributions. In addition to the development of a broad panoply of models, careful development of efficient appropriate inference procedures has been provided. A survey of this corpus of work is provided. Enrique’s skills in stochastic modelling, simulation, graphical presentation, optimization and creative approaches to estimation and inference have found opportunities to be manifested in this aspect of his research career.
Price and Income Elasticities Estimated from BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys and ACCRA Price Data: Some Preliminary Results

This chapter represents our initial effort to estimate both price and income elasticities for several broad categories of consumer expenditure from cross-sectional data sets that combine price information that is collected quarterly for more than 300 cities and urban areas in the U.S. by American Chambers of Commerce Research Association (ACCRA);1 with individual household consumer expenditure data from quarterly consumer expenditure surveys that are conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Sixteen quarters of data are analyzed (1996–1999) for six categories of expenditure, namely, food consumed at home, housing, utilities, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous expenditures. Given that this is first effort, the exercise is accordingly more concerned with feasibility than with theoretical or econometric elegance. Among other things, only simple double-logarithmic demand functions are estimated, and the econometrics do not extend beyond ordinary least squares. Nevertheless, the results obtained make intuitive sense, and suggest that integrating price information with household expenditure surveys is worthy of continuing research.
Improving Healthcare Professionals’ Well-Being Through the Use of Therapy Dogs

The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library on the Medical Campus of Yale University provides the healthcare community with the information services critical to training students and informing doctors. The...