cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A 3/2 log 3-competitive algorithm for the counterfeit coin problem

We study the following counterfeit coin problem: Suppose that there is a set of n coins. Each one is either heavy or light. The goal is to sort them according to weight with a minimum number of weighings on a balance scale. Hu and Hwang gave an algorithm with a competitive ratio of 3 log 3 (all logarithms are base-2). Hu, Chen and Hwang also gave an algorithm with a competitive ratio of 2 log 3. In this paper we give an improved algorithm whose competitive ratio is 3/2 log 3.
Surface studies of electrically conducting “CsSn2I5”

The gel method of crystal growth is a rather simple technique for the controlled crystallization of certain compounds.1 Single crystals of CsSn2I5 have been grown in sodium metasilicate gels and identified by X-ray powder and single crystal diffraction methods and suitable chemical analyses. This report deals with the synthesis, chemical characterization and surface properties of CsSn2I5.
Influence of sex and age on febrile responses to peripheral and central administration of pyrogens in the rabbit

1. Intravenous injections of leucocytic pyrogen in doses of 15, 30 and 60 mul./kg caused febrile reactions in male rabbits that were related to age of the animal: rabbits under 2 yr of age developed fevers that were related to dose of pyrogen, while rabbits 2-3 yr old showed large febrile responses which were not dose-related.2. Female rabbits of comparable ages generally showed smaller febrile reactions to I.V. leucocytic pyrogen, and still older females (3-5 yr) developed fever only after the largest dose.3. Dose-related febrile responses to 2.5, 5 and 10 mul. leucocytic pyrogen given intracerebroventricularly (I.C.V.) were greater in male rabbits 1-3 yr old than in females of comparable age. Female rabbits 3-5 yr old showed dose-related fevers that were smaller than those of younger animals of both sexes.4. There were no major differences in response to 125, 250 and 500 ng PGE(2), given I.C.V., between male and female rabbits under 2 yr of age. Females 2-3 yr of age had greater responses to PGE(2) than males of comparable age whilst the oldest females showed smaller responses.5. It is concluded that the febrile response of the rabbit to peripheral and central leucocytic pyrogen varies with both age and sex. Differences in sensitivity of central fever controls to endogenous pyrogen in animals of different ages and sexes may account for the different responses to peripheral pyrogen.
Is a slowdown in agricultural productivity growth contributing to the rise in commodity prices

A slowdown in the rate of agricultural productivity growth is thought by many observers to be contributing to the recent rise in agricultural prices. In this article I decompose sources of output growth in global agriculture into aggregate input and total factor productivity (TFP) components and examine whether productivity growth slowed substantially in the years leading up to the recent rise in commodity prices. Contrary to widely held perceptions, I find no evidence of a general slowdown in sector-wide agricultural TFP, at least through 2006. If anything, the growth rate in agricultural TFP accelerated in recent decades. However, the results do show a slowdown in the growth of agricultural investment. Accelerating TFP growth largely offset decelerating input growth to keep the real output of global agriculture growing at about 2% per year since the 1960s. Regionally, however, agricultural productivity performance has been uneven. These findings have important implications for the appropriate supply-side policy response to the current agricultural price crisis.
Integron Diversity in Heavy-Metal-Contaminated Mine Tailings and Inferences about Integron Evolution

Integrons are horizontal gene transfer (HGT) systems containing elements necessary for site-specific recombination and expression of foreign DNA. The overall phylogenetic distribution of integrons and range of genes that can be transferred by integrons are unknown. This report contains an exploration of integrons in an environmental microbial community and an investigation of integron evolution. First, using culture-independent techniques, we explored the diversity of integrons and integron-transferred genes in heavy-metal-contaminated mine tailings. Using degenerate primers, we amplified integron integrase genes from the tailings. We discovered 14 previously undescribed integrase genes, including six novel gene lineages. In addition, we found 11 novel gene cassettes in this sample. One of the gene cassettes that we sequenced is similar to a gene that codes for a step in a pathway for nitroaromatic catabolism, a group of compounds associated with mining activity. This suggests that integrons may be important for gene transfer in response to selective pressures other than the presence of antibiotics. We also investigated the evolution of integrons by statistically comparing the phylogenies of 16S rRNA and integrase genes from the same organisms, using sequences from GenBank and various sequencing projects. We found significant differences between the organismal (16S rRNA) and integrase trees, and we suggest that these differences may be due to HGT.
Specific Interaction of the Recombinant Disintegrin-like Domain of MDC-15 (Metargidin, ADAM-15) with Integrin αvβ3

Abstract MDC-15 (ADAM-15, metargidin), a membrane-anchored metalloprotease/disintegrin/cysteine-rich protein, is expressed on the surface of a wide range of cells and has an RGD tripeptide in its disintegrin-like domain. MDC-15 is potentially involved in cell-cell interactions through its interaction with integrins. We expressed a recombinant MDC-15 disintegrin-like domain as a fusion protein with glutathione S-transferase (designated D-15) in bacteria and examined its binding function to integrins using mammalian cells expressing different recombinant integrins. We found that D-15 specifically interacts with αvβ3 but not with the other integrins tested (α2β1, α3β1, α4β1, α5β1, α6β1, α6β4, αvβ1, αIIbβ3, and αLβ2). Mutation of the tripeptide RGD to SGA totally blocked binding of D-15 to αvβ3, suggesting that D-15-αvβ3 interaction is RGD-dependent. When the sequence RPTRGD is mutated to NWKRGD, D-15 is recognized by both αIIbβ3 and αvβ3, suggesting that the receptor binding specificity is mediated by the sequence flanking the RGD tripeptide, as in snake venom disintegrins. These results indicate that the disintegrin-like domain of MDC-15 functions as an adhesion molecule and may be involved n αvβ3-mediated cell-cell interactions.
Democracy is not enough: Rights, proportionality and the point of judicial review

The principle of proportionality has become a central structural feature of rights adjudication in liberal democracies worldwide. One of the most pressing issues such a practice raises is institutional: What reasons are there to believe that courts are better positioned institutionally then politically accountable actors, if all they are guided by are the abstract criteria provided by the proportionality test? And apart from securing better outcomes, is the empowerment of courts with such a task, inevitably involving engagement with contentious empirical and moral questions and often requiring a judgment on difficult trade-offs compatible with democracy? The essay relates what I take to be the strongest arguments against judicial review made by Waldron and Bellamy, among others, to the more specific practice of proportionality based rights adjudication. The function of proportionality based judicial review, I argue, is to institutionalize a practice of Socratic contestation. The essay makes two strong claims about that practice. First, there are good reasons to expect that the institutionalization of such a practice is likely to improve outcomes. Proportionality-adjudicating-courts have an important role to play to help remedy pathologies that occasionally plague political decision-making, even in mature liberal democracies. The essay highlights a) the vice of thoughlessness based on tradition, convention and preference b) reasons relating to the good, that do not respect the limits of public reason c) hyperbole and ideology: legitimate concerns are invoked, but a lack of concrete engagement and grounding in reality leads to the enactment of measures that inappropriately expand the power of public authorities d) the capture of the political process by rent-seeking interest groups. Second, judicial review is not just legitimate. The idea of competitive elections grounded in an equal right to vote and the rights based practice of Socratic constestaion are complementary basic institutional commitments of liberal democratic constitutionalism. Liberal democracy without judicial review would be incomplete and deficient.
How People Explain Behavior: A New Theoretical Framework

This article presents a theoretical framework of how people explain behavior. The framework, based on the folk concept of intentionality, distinguishes two major modes of explanation—reason explanation and cause explanation—as well as two minor modes and identifies conditions under which they occur. Three studies provide empirical support for these distinctions. As part of the framework, a detailed model of people's reason explanations is developed, which emphasizes the unique conceptual and linguistic features of reasons. This model points to limitations of traditional attribution concepts, which are examined theoretically and empirically. Finally, the theoretical framework incorporates attribution concepts, which apply to some but not all modes of explanation. Several paths for future research are outlined—on novel topics such as the roles of rationality and subjectivity in explanations and on classic topics such as the actor-observer asymmetry and the self-serving bias.
A comparison of death certificate out-of-hospital coronary heart disease death with physician-adjudicated sudden cardiac death

The number of deaths due to out-of-hospital coronary heart disease as determined by death certificates was compared with the number physician-adjudicated sudden cardiac deaths in the Framingham Heart Study from 1950 to 1999. Out-of-hospital coronary heart disease deaths overestimated sudden cardiac death by 47%, suggesting that out-of-hospital coronary heart disease death rates derived from death certificates should be interpreted with caution.
Deep-sea faunal communities associated with a lost intermodal shipping container in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, CA.

Abstract Carrying assorted cargo and covered with paints of varying toxicity, lost intermodal containers may take centuries to degrade on the deep seafloor. In June 2004, scientists from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) discovered a recently lost container during a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dive on a sediment-covered seabed at 1281 m depth in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). The site was revisited by ROV in March 2011. Analyses of sediment samples and high-definition video indicate that faunal assemblages on the container’s exterior and the seabed within 10 m of the container differed significantly from those up to 500 m. The container surface provides hard substratum for colonization by taxa typically found in rocky habitats. However, some key taxa that dominate rocky areas were absent or rare on the container, perhaps related to its potential toxicity or limited time for colonization and growth. Ecological effects appear to be restricted to the container surface and the benthos within ∼10 m.
Phaseless bi-polar near-field measurements using a two-plane squared amplitude interpolation algorithm

A phase retrieval algorithm and measured results applicable to the bipolar planar near-field technique in which the measurement planes have limited separation has been presented. An optimal sampling interpolation (OSI) algorithm operating on the measured squared amplitude bi-polar near-field data has also been presented. Phase retrieval results were generally found to be very good. The success of any such algorithm, however, is dependent on many factors including, for example, the proximity of the "initial guess" to the actual solution. The presented measured results indicate that the phase retrieval problem is a tractable problem in the bi-polar planar near-field measurement modality.
Control of Malate Synthase Formation in Rhizopus nigricans

The control of malate synthase formation in a fumaric acid-producing strain of Rhizopus nigricans has been found to be similar in most respects to that of isocitrate lyase, the companion enzyme of the glyoxylate bypass. A basal level is formed in a casein hydrolysate medium, which is repressed by glucose. Utilization of glucose during growth results in relief of glucose repression. Any factor which stimulates growth promotes relief of glucose repression by enhancing the incorporation of repressor metabolites derived from glucose into cell material. Thus, malate synthase formation was enhanced in glucose-containing media by the addition of zinc, or by an increase of the concentration of available nitrogen source in a synthetic medium. Both acetate and glycolate acted as apparent inducers of malate synthase, with glycolate the more effective of the two when added alone. Acetate induction was enhanced by Zn++, however, whereas induction by glycolate was unaffected. This supports the concept that acetate stimulates formation of glyoxylate bypass enzymes by a derepression mechanism, whereas glycolate or a product derived from it acts directly as an inducer. Moreover, it is indicated that the malate synthases induced by acetate and glycolate are separate and distinct, as has been shown in Escherichia coli.
A biosequence processor based on free-space optical interconnect

Biological sequence analysis requires a large amount of computing capabilities, some of which goes well beyond current electronic-based information processing systems. A novel parallel processing biological sequence processor based on free-space optical interconnects (FSOI) has been developed to verify the feasibility of such FSOI systems. Silicon photodetectors were designed into the standard CMOS integrated circuit as optical input. The processor has been fabricated with AMI 0.5 /spl mu/m CMOS technology via MOSIS service. Electronic and optical testings have been conducted. The system is shown to operate reliably with laser power as low as a few miniwatts.
REDUCED-ORDER MODELING OF DYNAMIC HEAT RELEASE FOR THERMOACOUSTIC INSTABILITY PREDICTION

The feedback interaction between dynamic heat release and the acoustic characteristics of a combustor can produce an unstable “self-excited” system that ultimately results in a steady pressure oscillation. A simplified model of this feedback loop is needed to predict the limit cycle frequencies and amplitudes. This paper is focused on the development of a physically-based, reduced-order, nonlinear heat release model for a burner-stabilized, laminar premixed flame in a laboratory combustor. Starting from the governing conservation equations, the heat release dynamics are described by partial differential equations that are simulated by a finite-difference method. Using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and a generalized Galerkin procedure, the infinite-dimensional PDE model can be reduced to a set of low-order nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The issues of model order versus accuracy and the selection of mode shapes to be used in the reduction are discussed. In addition, this theoretical mode...
Minimizing the deformation of a static magnetic field by the presence of a ferromagnetic body

Using boundary element methods, it is shown how linear and nonlinear single-valued, reversible magnetization of a body can deform a uniform magnetic field. Soft magnetic materials with a small amount of remanence were investigated. As the relative magnetic permeability of the linear magnetization of the materials increased, the deformation of the uniform magnetic field decreased because of the increase of the demagnetizing field. The deformation of the uniform field by nonlinear magnetization decreased with increasing impressed uniform fields. Use of a Preisach model will enable the evaluation of the impact of irreversible magnetization on the deformation of the uniform magnetic field and will enable methods to minimize this deformation. >
The Word of God in the New Model Army

At the close of 1644 the Long Parliament and the Westminster Assembly found themselves in a difficult position. The preachers had declared that, if they all did the will of the Lord in the church, He would surely bless the efforts of their army in the war against the King. But the church was still unreformed and the King undefeated. They could have peace at the risk of allowing Charles to regain control of the church. They could go on with the war at the cost of permitting religious differences among their own partisans to continue and spread. In other words, nothing could be settled so long as Charles kept the field and the fear of defeat hung over English and Scots, Parliament and Assembly, Presbyterians, Independents, and sectaries alike. The predicament was made to Cromwell's hand. The campaign of 1644, having ended in frustration, he returned to his place in the House of Commons and initiated the maneuvers which led to the reorganization of the army with Fairfax in command but in the event with Cromwell still as its driving force. The result was the victory the Assembly divines had looked for as the sign of God's favor upon their efforts to reform the church but victory on terms which made reform of the church as they conceived it more difficult than ever. For Cromwell's accomplishment in war and politics was due to his gift for drawing upon those very energies of the spirit in himself and others which had been evoked in the people by Puritan preaching but which the ministerial caste was now striving to keep within bounds. He had succeeded in organizing victory not by curbing and containing the Puritan spirit but by giving it free play among the men under his command and by granting scope to its most characteristic modes of expression and organization. Hence the preaching of the Word in the parliamentary army as reconstituted in the New Model had not a little to do with the army's military success.
Simultaneous, multi‐frequency, VLA observations of inverted spectrum radio sources

We selected extragalactic sources with inverted spectra at 1.4 to 5 GHz, and observed ∼250 of them at the VLA at frequencies from 1.4 to 22 GHz and in some cases 43 GHz. Here we summarize the spectral index distributions, and report on polarization measurements and/or upper limits for a subsample of ∼35 sources (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The Epstein-Barr virus transforming protein LMP1 engages signaling proteins for the tumor necrosis factor receptor family

The cytoplasmic C-terminus of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection membrane protein 1 (LMP1) is essential for B lymphocyte growth transformation and is now shown to interact with a novel human protein (LMP1-associated protein 1 [LAP1]). LAP1 is homologous to a murine protein, tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2), implicated in growth signaling from the p80 TNFR. A second novel protein (EBI6), induced by EBV infection, is the human homolog of a second murine TNFR-associated protein (TRAF1). LMP1 expression causes LAP1 and EBI6 to localize to LMP1 clusters in lymphoblast plasma membranes, and LMP1 coimmunoprecipitates with these proteins. LAP1 binds to the p80 TNFR, CD40, and the lymphotoxin-beta receptor, while EBI6 associates with the p80 TNFR. The interaction of LMP1 with these TNFR family-associated proteins is further evidence for their role in signaling and links LMP1-mediated transformation to signal transduction from the TNFR family.
Contractile agonists attenuate cGMP levels by stimulating phosphorylation of cGMP-specific PDE5; an effect mediated by RhoA/PKC-dependent inhibition of protein phosphatase 1.

Background and purpose: In gastrointestinal smooth muscle cGMP levels in response to relaxant agonists are regulated by PKG-mediated phosphorylation and activation of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5). The aim of the present study was to determine whether contractile agonists modulate cGMP levels by cross-regulating PDE5 activity and to identify the mechanism of action. Experimental approach: Dispersed and cultured muscle cells from rabbit stomach were treated with the nitric oxide donor, S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), or with a contractile agonist, ACh and GSNO. PDE5 phosphorylation and activity, and cGMP levels were determined. Key results: GSNO stimulated PDE5 phosphorylation and activity and increased cGMP levels in gastric smooth muscle cells. Concurrent activation of cells with ACh augmented GSNO-stimulated PDE5 phosphorylation and activity, and attenuated cGMP levels. The effect of ACh was blocked by the m3 receptor antagonist and by inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) or RhoA, but not by the m2 receptor antagonist or inhibitors of PI hydrolysis. The effects of ACh on PDE5 phosphorylation and activity, and cGMP levels were mimicked by a low concentration of tautomycin (10 nM), and a high (1 μM) but not low (1 nM) concentration of okadaic acid. PDE5 was associated with protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and dephosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of PP1 but not PP2A. Conclusion and implications: In gastrointestinal smooth muscle cGMP levels are cross-regulated by contractile agonists via a mechanism that involves RhoA-dependent, PKC-mediated inhibition of PP1 activity. This leads to augmentation of PDE5 phosphorylation and activity, and inhibition of cGMP levels. British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 153, 1214–1224; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707686; published online 21 January 2008
Line harmonics reduction in high power systems using square-wave inverters

This paper presents a hybrid parallel active filter scheme using small rated square-wave inverters for supply line harmonic current reduction for high power nonlinear loads in the range of 1-50 MW to meet IEEE 519 harmonic standards. The active filters are connected in series with 5th and 7th passive filters. A synchronous reference frame based controller which achieves harmonic isolation for dominant 5th and 7th harmonic load currents in presence of supply voltage harmonics is presented. The impact of mistuned passive filters on the operation and rating of the hybrid parallel active filter is examined. Simulation results validate the proposed harmonic isolation controller under mistuned 5th and 7th passive filter conditions and supply voltage distortion. The proposed scheme is general and applicable for high power 12 pulse rectifier loads. The proposed use of small rated-2%-square-wave inverters increases the cost effectiveness and practical viability of hybrid parallel active filter scheme for high power applications.
Protein C, Antithrombin, and Venous Thromboembolism Incidence. A Prospective Population-Based Study

Although deficiencies of protein C and antithrombin, 2 natural plasma anticoagulants, are known risk factors for venous thrombosis, population-based prospective incidence data on these associations are lacking. Venous thromboembolic events have been identified in adults in 2 longitudinal cohort studies, the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). Incidence was examined in relation to prediagnostic plasma levels of protein C (ARIC Study only) and antithrombin. Over a mean of 8.1 years of follow-up, there were 130 incident venous thromboembolic events that were not due to cancer in the ARIC Study. The age-adjusted incidence was elevated 3.36-fold (95% CI 1.24 to 9.11) in the 1.1% of subjects with protein C values <2.0 mg/L compared with subjects with higher values. In contrast, in the ARIC Study and the CHS, there was no association between low plasma antithrombin and venous thromboembolism. In conclusion, in this population-based study, a low protein C, but not antithrombin, level has been determined to be associated with an increased incidence of venous thromboembolism. Attributable risk estimates suggest that low protein C levels account for approximately 2.5% of venous thromboembolic events in the ARIC population.
A Web Search Model for Strategic Decision Making

Search services are now ubiquitously employed in satisfying the information needs of managers and business analysts involved in strategic decision making. In this paper, we propose a model of a user’s interaction with a search service in satisfying information needs and empirically evaluate the principal factors involved. Findings indicate that the information need type influences the search process more significantly than the specific search service being used. Consequently, managers and business analysts should pay particular attention to the types of information needs involved in a strategic decision.
An Analysis of the Applications of Neural Networks in Finance

Over the last 10 years, neural networks have been increasingly applied to various areas of finance. Neural networks are more often applied on the assets side than on the liabilities side of the balance sheet. Some major characteristics of the areas of these applications are their data intensity, unstructured nature, high degree of uncertainty, and hidden relationships. Most of the applications use the backpropagation model with one hidden layer. In most of these applications, neural networks out-performed traditional statistical models, such as discriminant and regression analysis. Furthermore, these applications have shown significant success in financial practice, for example, in forecasting T-bills, in asset management, in portfolio selection, and in fraud detection.
College Student Suicide

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among college students, and it is estimated that 1,088 college students die by suicide each year (National Mental Health Association and the Jed Foundation, 2002). This chapter presents the context of college student mental health within which the problem of college student suicide is situated. Because it is estimated that 90 to 95 percent of those who die by suicide have some form of treatable mental disorder at the time of their deaths, frequently depression or substance abuse (Joiner, 2010; Moscicki, 2001), the state of college student mental health today is highly relevant to campus suicide prevention. Many campus suicide prevention efforts focus on the identification of students struggling with mental health concerns and the referral of those students to counseling resources available to them before their treatable problems reach the acute stage of suicide. This chapter presents highlights of the data on college student mental health and suicide risk and protective factors. Next, it explores college students' use of counseling services and patterns of help seeking among college students. Finally, the need for a comprehensive approach to campus suicide prevention is addressed. Language: en
The Maintenance Diets of C57BL/6J and 129X1/SvJ Mice Influence Their Taste Solution Preferences: Implications for Large-Scale Phenotyping Projects

We examined the extent to which maintenance diet influences the taste preferences of mice. C57BL/6J (B6) and 129X1/SvJ (129) mice were fed one of three standard cereal-based diets (Teklad 8604, Zeigler NIH-07, Purina 5001), a cereal-based diet formulated for breeding (Purina 5015), or two purified diets (AIN-76A or AIN-93G). The mice were given 48-h two-bottle choice tests between water and the following seven taste solutions: 2 mmol/L saccharin, 5 mmol/L citric acid, 50 mmol/L citric acid, 30 micro mol/L quinine hydrochloride (QHCl), 300 micro mol/L QHCl, 75 mmol/L NaCl, and 10% ethanol. There were very few differences in taste solution preference scores among mice of the same strain fed the three different versions of standard cereal-based diet. There were also very few differences in taste solution preference scores between mice of the same strain fed the two purified diets. However, the mice fed standard cereal-based diets generally drank more water and total fluid than did mice fed purified diets. There were larger differences between the B6 and 129 strains in saccharin and ethanol preference scores with mice fed standard cereal-based diets than purified diets. Conversely, there were larger differences between the B6 and 129 strains in citric acid and NaCl preference scores with mice fed purified diets than standard cereal-based diets. These results show that maintenance diet composition can have strain-dependent effects on taste solution preference. They illustrate that attention must be paid to the effects of diet on phenotype in screens of mutagenized mice and other genetic studies.
Effects of psychoactive agents on acquisition of conditioned pole jumping in rats

The present study was designed to determine whether acquisition of an avoidance response in the rat is selectively affected by LSD-25 and phencyelidine. A sedative-hypnotic (amobarbital) was chosen to determine if these effects were limited to the psyehotomimeties. Furthermore, a sympathomimetic agent (d-amphetamine) was included for investigation.
Comparison of intracellular PO2 and conditions for blood-tissue O2 transport in heart and working red skeletal muscle.

Recent measurements (Honig et al., 1984; Gayeski, Connett and Honig, 1985; Gayeski and Honig, 1986) and mathematical models (Hellums, 1977; Clark et al., 1985; Federspiel and Popel, in press; Groebe and Thews, 1986) indicate that the principal resistance to O2 mass transfer is at the capillary under conditions of high O2 flux. Federspiel and Popel (in press) have described this behaviour by relating the transcapillary O2 flux to a driving force. The factor of proportionality is a mass transfer coefficient homologous to a conductance: $$J=C\times\left[Pcap{{O}_{2}}-Pcell{{O}_{2}}\right]$$ (1)
BeeSpace Navigator: exploratory analysis of gene function using semantic indexing of biological literature

With the rapid decrease in cost of genome sequencing, the classification of gene function is becoming a primary problem. Such classification has been performed by human curators who read biological literature to extract evidence. BeeSpace Navigator is a prototype software for exploratory analysis of gene function using biological literature. The software supports an automatic analogue of the curator process to extract functions, with a simple interface intended for all biologists. Since extraction is done on selected collections that are semantically indexed into conceptual spaces, the curation can be task specific. Biological literature containing references to gene lists from expression experiments can be analyzed to extract concepts that are computational equivalents of a classification such as Gene Ontology, yielding discriminating concepts that differentiate gene mentions from other mentions. The functions of individual genes can be summarized from sentences in biological literature, to produce results resembling a model organism database entry that is automatically computed. Statistical frequency analysis based on literature phrase extraction generates offline semantic indexes to support these gene function services. The website with BeeSpace Navigator is free and open to all; there is no login requirement at www.beespace.illinois.edu for version 4. Materials from the 2010 BeeSpace Software Training Workshop are available at www.beespace.illinois.edu/bstwmaterials.php.
Talk is Cheap: The Existence Value Fallacy

Recent developments in environmental law have heightened the importance of the concept of "existence value" -- the value that individuals gain simply from the knowledge that certain environmental resources exist. These values are non-use values, hence they are said to be in the nature of a public good and will tend to be underprotected by the market. Because there is no market for such values, some lawyers, economists, and policy-makers have proposed the use of "contingent valuation" studies to ascertain a value for these amenities. Contingent valuation studies ask respondents to state how much they would pay to preserve the environmental amenity in question. Contingent valuation studies have been roundly criticized by both legal scholars and economists on various practical grounds. The purpose of this article is to move beyond these practical problems and demonstrate the use of contingent valuation to be conceptually flawed. Understanding these conceptual problems reveals that the practical problems that have previously been identified are merely manifestations of these more fundamental conceptual problems. Contingent valuation studies are based on several fundamental misunderstandings about the nature of economic choice and the role of prices in a dynamic economy. Contingent valuation studies rest on the mistaken assumptions that prices are absolute and static. In reality, prices are relative and dynamic. Thus, contingent valuation rests on a mistaken conceptual premise and should be rejected as a policy-making guide. Because existence value, by definition, can be ascertained only through choice heuristics such as contingent valuation, there is no basis in contingent valuation for political or judicial protection for existence value.
With/Out a state, Kurds Rising: The Un/Stated foreign policy and the rise of the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq

AbstractLocated in northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) rules over an autonomous province in Iraq. Constitutionally, ‘Kurdistan Region’ is not independent, but empirically the KRG behaves as if it is a sovereign entity. With an elected parliament, a president, a prime minister, a cabinet, a flag, a national anthem, schools taught in Kurdish, and a booming economy, the ‘Kurdistan’ embodied by the KRG clearly exists empirically while unrecognized internationally. In this paper, I examine the rise of the KRG as an agent in international relations since the first Gulf War in 1991. I argue that foreign policy as a field of conduct and discourse has been central to the KRG's effective agency. In my analysis, I employ and interrelate Robert Jackson's work on ‘quasi-states’, Doug McAdam's argument on ‘political opportunity structures', and Giorgio Agamben's discussion on ‘indistinct zones of politics’ as in Iraq and the Middle East. Ultimately, I contend that while less than a full state in cons...
Chinese Closed-end Fund Discount, Investor Sentiment, and Stock Return

The cause of closed-end fund discounts is still a puzzle to finance academia. This paper uses Chinese closed-end fund data to examine whether the closed-end fund discounts can reflect the individual investor sentiment and predict returns of size decile portfolios. Our results show there is no significant relationship between fund discounts and size decile portfolios returns for a time period from October 1998 to March 2002. And in general, fund discounts can not predict the stock returns. Our evidence in the Chinese stock market does not support the investor sentiment hypothesis.
Systematic Clinical Placement of Physical Therapy Students

The focus of this article is a description of a management information system (MIS) designed to handle the task of matching physical therapy students with clinical education facilities in fulfillment of clinical requirements of the physical therapy curriculum. The use of a specialized MIS for the assignment of physical therapy students to clinical sites has resulted in a high degree of suitable placements, pairing students' needs with the resources of clinical sites. Multiple applications of the system to the placement task also have resulted in successful matching. The clinical placement system was designed to facilitate adaptation to an automated system in the future. Applications of the proposed computer-assisted placement system and the advantages of such a system in terms of administration and research in clinical education also are presented.
Profiles of liquid drops at the bottom of cylindrical fibers standing on flat substrates.

Based on Carroll’s derivation that describes a symmetric liquid drop sitting on an infinite cylindrical fiber and the shape of the drop, we have extended the derivation to describe a drop located at the bottom of cylindrical fibers standing on flat substrates. According to our derivation, the shape of the drop forms a bell as predicted by Carroll but is cut off by the flat substrate. This theoretical prediction was verified experimentally using water, ethylene glycol, and Kaydol drops on glass, nylon and polypropylene cylindrical fibers, and on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyester (PET) flat substrates. We found that only four parameters are required to obtain agreement between the theoretical shape and the observed shape: the drop volume, the fiber radius, the liquid–fiber contact angle, and liquid–flat substrate contact angle.
Multiple beam ptychography

We present an extension to ptychography that allows simultaneous deconvolution of multiple, spatially separate, illuminating probes. This enables an increased field of view and hence, an increase in imaging throughput, without increased exposure times. This technique can be used for any non-interfering probes: demonstrated with multiple wavelengths and orthogonal polarizations. The latter of which gives us spatially resolved polarization spectroscopy from a single scan.
Polypeptoid Materials: Current Status and Future Perspectives

Polypeptoids have recently emerged as a subject of scientific interest due to their structural resemblance to existing pseudo-peptidic polymers including poly(α-peptide)s, poly(β-peptide)s, poly(2-oxazoline)s, and poly(N-substituted acrylamide)s. With demonstrated backbone degradability, biocompatibility, and thermal processability, polypeptoids are potentially useful in a variety of biotechnological applications. Before those applications can be realized, it is important to develop their synthesis and understand their fundamental properties. In this Perspective, we will review recent advances in the synthesis and characterization of polypeptoids and their copolymers as well as the development of polypeptoid-based functional and structured materials. We will conclude by discussing the future prospects for this nascent class of pseudo-peptidic polymers.
Structure analysis of (3S)(2-oxo-6-thioxo-3-piperidinyl)phenylmethylcarbamate, C13H14N2O3S

The crystal structure of (3S)(2-oxo-6-thioxo-3-piperidinyl)-phenylmethylcarbamate (I) has been determined from three-dimensional single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. This compound crystallizes in the monoclinic noncentrosymmetric space group P21 (No. 4, C 2 2 ) withZ=2 anda=5.737(2),b=8.908(2),c=13.402(2)A, and β=100∶34(2)°. The phase problem was solved by direct methods and the standard difference-map technique. The final least-squares full-matrix refinement based on 1832 unique reflections yielded a reliability factor of 0.043. Bond lengths and angles are internally consistent and the molecules in the crystal lattice are held together by van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonding. Important geometric details are tabularized. Infrared,1H and13C NMR, and UV spectral results are presented and discussed.
Agile Project Management: The Importance of Communication

When managing a software project, communication is one of the most, if not the most, important aspects of software development. In this chapter you’ll learn the excellent features that Visual Studio Team Services offers you for managing your project.
Priority service for CSfC secure mobile communication over LTE networks for national security and emergency preparedness

Legacy secure mobile communications systems based on Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol (SCIP) and 2G cellular networks are at end-of-life and are being replaced with National Security Agency (NSA) Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) over 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular networks. A key challenge in this transition is that CSfC is incompatible with legacy wireless priority service (WPS) used to ensure that senior leaders and key personnel can communicate during National Security and Emergency Preparedness (NS/EP) events. This paper describes a solution framework for an NS/EP priority service to support CSfC-based secure mobile communications over LTE networks. The solution is standards-based to facilitate implementation in public cellular networks. End-to-end priority treatment is addressed across each major network segment, including (a) the LTE radio network, (b) the LTE core network, and (c) the wireline transport network. Priority in the LTE radio network is subdivided into access priority, admission priority, and scheduling priority. A bearer model with associated quality of service (QoS) is defined for priority treatment through the LTE core network. Priority is maintained across the wireline transport network using Diff-Serv Code Point (DSCP) packet markings. This solution may be used as a secure mobile addition to the NS/EP Next Generation Network Priority Services (NGN-PS) for LTE that are being specified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) for unclassified voice, video, and data services.
Say It Ain't So: Leading Logical Fallacies in Legal Argument – Part 1

This article, the first of two parts, covers the leading formal logical fallacies in legal argument.
Whisking mechanics and active sensing

We describe recent advances in quantifying the three-dimensional (3D) geometry and mechanics of whisking. Careful delineation of relevant 3D reference frames reveals important geometric and mechanical distinctions between the localization problem ('where' is an object) and the feature extraction problem ('what' is an object). Head-centered and resting-whisker reference frames lend themselves to quantifying temporal and kinematic cues used for object localization. The whisking-centered reference frame lends itself to quantifying the contact mechanics likely associated with feature extraction. We offer the 'windowed sampling' hypothesis for active sensing: that rats can estimate an object's spatial features by integrating mechanical information across whiskers during brief (25-60ms) windows of 'haptic enclosure' with the whiskers, a motion that resembles a hand grasp.
Journaling Together: The Antiracism Project in Social Work Doctoral Education

ABSTRACTSocial work instructors need to understand racism and promote racial justice to help social work students become skillful at addressing racism in practice and policy. Reflective practices, such as journal writing, can help instructors explore the impact of their racial socialization and identity on their teaching and guide their professional development in this area. This article presents a shared journaling project between peers within a social work doctoral program. Participants used this medium to increase their self-awareness and promote racial dialogue within a relational context. Relational-cultural theory is used as a lens for understanding how the relationships between journaling partners deepened over time and facilitated antiracist practice. Implications for social work practice, education, and research are discussed.
Case Study 20. The Neanderthal Problem: Neighbors and Relatives on Mt. Carmel

Mount Carmel in northern Israel lies on the route of any people traveling between Africa and Eurasia along the Mediterranean. It has been a sacred site and a refuge for fugitives from the world or merely from the law; but among its pilgrims today are paleoanthropologists. Numerous caves and archaeological sites on and near the mountain bear witness to the paleolithic cultures and hominin populations that have inhabited the region over hundreds of thousands of years. They include Neanderthals and other archaic peoples who probably missed one another by not so many thousands of years. The sites help us to perceive the differences among these types of humans as more ecological than technological.
Thin film iron pyrite deposited by hybrid sputtering/co-evaporation as a hole transport layer for sputtered CdS/CdTe solar cells

Abstract We report the properties of hybrid deposited iron pyrite (FeS2) thin films applied as the back contact interface layers of CdS/CdTe solar cells. The hybrid deposition process for FeS2 optimized in this study relies on DC magnetron sputtering of iron with simultaneous thermal evaporation of sulfur. We have fabricated solar cells incorporating CdS/CdTe window/absorber layers sputter-deposited onto commercial transparent conducting oxide coated glass and have compared the performance of devices incorporating the new FeS2/Cu/Au back contacts with that of standard devices incorporating Cu/Au back contacts. Considering our best devices of each type, the inclusion of the FeS2 thin film as a hole transport layer has improved the open circuit voltage VOC by 2.1%, reaching 817 mV, and the fill-factor FF by 8.3% relative, reaching 74.7%, in comparison with devices omitting the FeS2 layer. Under standard test conditions of 100 mA/cm2 simulated AM1.5G and 25 °C, devices utilizing the FeS2 hole transport layer have shown a conversion efficiency η as high as 13.3% – a relative increase in η of ~10% over our current laboratory standard back contact. The attained FF exceeds previous results for high efficiency sputter-deposited CdS/CdTe solar cells.
Behavioral Treatments for Post-Traumatic Headache

Post-traumatic headache (PTH) is a common headache type after traumatic brain injury (TBI). There are no FDA approved medications for PTH, and it is unknown how medications can affect the brain’s ability to recover from TBI. Thus, we sought to examine the biopsychosocial factors that influence PTH and the non-pharmacologic treatments studied for headache treatment. We also sought to determine if there is literature examining whether the non-pharmacologic treatments influence the biopsychosocial factors. The non-pharmacologic treatments assessed included cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation therapy (PMR), acupuncture, and physical therapy (PT). Factors associated with prognosis in PTH may include the following: severity of TBI, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, other psychiatric comorbidities, sociocultural and psychosocial factors, litigation, base rate misattribution, expectation as etiology, and chronic pain. There are few high quality studies on the non-pharmacologic treatments for PTH. Thermal and EMG biofeedback appear to have been examined the most followed by CBT. Studies did not have secondary outcomes examining the psychosocial factors related to PTH. Most of the behavioral studies involved a multi-modality intervention limiting the ability to assess the individual non-pharmacologic interventions we sought to study. There were very few randomized clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of non-pharmacologic interventions. Therefore, future research, which considers the noted biopsychosocial factors, is needed in the field to determine if these interventions reduce PTH.
Assessing ash quality and performance

Abstract This chapter reviews ash quality and performance issues, with a special emphasis on air entrainment and early-age performance. Recent developments in testing procedures are reviewed and recommendations are provided for standardized testing. One of the key contributors to variable air contents in concrete mixtures with fly ash is the presence of unburnt carbon. Here, a variety of techniques for assessing the absorption of air entraining admixtures by the fly ash are presented and critiqued. A second performance issue encountered with fly ash mixtures, particularly high-volume fly ash concretes, is early-age retardation that leads to delayed setting and reduced early-age strengths. Isothermal calorimetry is shown to be a valuable troubleshooting technique for evaluating the severity of this retardation. Various mitigation strategies are presented for restoring setting times and increasing early-age strengths to duplicate the performance of 100% Portland cement reference concretes. Finally, the contributions of fly ash to strength development via both pozzolanic and filler effects are assessed using both the standardized strength activity index test and the Keil Hydraulic Index test. The shortcomings of the former and the promising possibilities of the latter are discussed in detail.