cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporally oblivious anomaly detection on large networks using functional peers

Abstract Previous methods of network anomaly detection have focused on defining a temporal model of what is "normal," and flagging the "abnormal" activity that does not fit into this pre-trained construct. When monitoring traffic to and from IP addresses on a large network, this problem can become computationally complex, and potentially intractable, as a state model must be maintained for each address. In this paper, we present a method of detecting anomalous network activity without providing any historical context. By exploiting the size of the network along with the minimal overhead of NetFlow data, we are able to model groups of hosts performing similar functions to discover anomalous behavior. As a collection, these anomalies can be further described with a few high-level characterizations and we provide a means for creating and labeling these categories. We demonstrate our method on a very large-scale network consisting of 30 million unique addresses, focusing specifically on traffic related to web servers.
Virtual Perimeter Security (VPS) in a Physical Protection System

There is a need to provide response force personnel with advanced warning of intruder activity in rough terrain outside the traditional facility perimeter. Often the land surrounding a high consequence facility is remote and difficult to sensor with conventional long-range detection systems. In order to combat this difficult problem, Sandia has investigated, developed, and fielded a wireless sensor network that demonstrated the value of providing advanced information of adversary activities. The project used wireless technologies to detect and assess intruders in remote "un-engineered" terrain around a fixed facility. In the time since the wireless intrusion detection system was fielded, minimal time has been spent on maintenance and no batteries required replacement. Sandia's wireless sensor network provides advanced warning of intruder activities and its installation will improve the security posture of a facility
Cardiovascular and renal control in NOS-deficient mouse models

Nitric oxide (NO) plays an essential role in the maintenance of cardiovascular and renal homeostasis. Endogenous NO is produced by three different NO synthase (NOS) isoforms: endothelial NOS (eNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS), and neuronal NOS (nNOS). To investigate which NOS is responsible for NO production in different tissues, NOS knockout (-/-) mice have been generated for the three isoforms. This review focuses on the regulation of cardiovascular and renal function in relation to blood pressure homeostasis in the different NOS-/- mice. Although regulation of vascular tone and cardiac function in eNOS-/- has been extensively studied, far less is known about renal function in these mice. eNOS-/- mice are hypertensive, but the mechanism responsible for their high blood pressure is still not clear. Less is known about cardiovascular and renal control in nNOS-/- mice, probably because their blood pressure is normal. Recent data suggest that nNOS plays important roles in cardiac function, renal homeostasis, and regulation of vascular tone under certain conditions, but these are only now beginning to be studied. Inasmuch as iNOS is absent from the cardiovascular system under physiological conditions, it may become important to blood pressure regulation only during pathological conditions related to inflammatory processes. However, iNOS is constitutively expressed in the kidney, where its function is largely unknown. Overall, the study of NOS knockout mice has been very useful and produced many answers, but it has also raised new questions. The appearance of compensatory mechanisms suggests the importance of the different isoforms to specific processes, but it also complicates interpretation of the data. In addition, deletion of a single gene may have physiologically significant effects in addition to those being studied. Thus the presence or absence of a specific phenotype may not reflect the most important physiological function of the absent gene.
Photo-voltaic power converter with a simple maximum-power-point-tracker

A simple power conditioner to convert the power available from solar panels for feeding into 60 Hz AC mains is described. The output from the solar panels will be converted into a regulated DC voltage using a boost converter and a large capacitor. The DC output will then be converted to 60 Hz AC using a bridge inverter. The ratio between the load current and the short-circuit current of a PV panel at maximum power point is nearly constant for different insolation (light) levels and this property is utilized in designing a simple maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller. The results obtained on an experimental converter are presented.
N400 Brain Responses to Spoken Phrases Paired with Photographs of Scenes: Implications for Visual Scene Displays in AAC Systems

AbstractAugmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems are often implemented for individuals whose speech cannot meet their full communication needs. One type of aided display is called a Visual Scene Display (VSD). VSDs consist of integrated scenes (such as photographs) in which language concepts are embedded. Often, the representations of concepts on VSDs are perceptually similar to their referents. Given this physical resemblance, one may ask how well VSDs support development of symbolic functioning. We used brain imaging techniques to examine whether matches and mismatches between the content of spoken messages and photographic images of scenes evoke neural activity similar to activity that occurs to spoken or written words. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded from 15 college students who were shown photographs paired with spoken phrases that were either matched or mismatched to the concepts embedded within each photograph. Of interest was the N400 component, a negative deflecting wave...
Patterns of activation during ventricular fibrillation in open chest dogs

Patterns of activation of electrically induced ventricular fibrillation (VF) were studied with computerized mapping techniques. The results showed that each of C.J. Wiggers' (1940) four stages of VF was accomplished by an electrical correlate: reentry at the stimulus site, multiple wavelets traversing large regions with similar cycle lengths, multiple wavelets confined to fixed regions with different cycle lengths, and asynchronous electrical activity becoming intermittent. A transmural gradient of activation rate was demonstrated at the third and fourth stages of VF. >
Correlation of quantitative computed tomographic subchondral bone density and ash density in horses.

article The purpose of this study was to compare subchondral bone density obtained using quantitative computed tomography with ash density values from intact equine joints, and to determine if there are measurable anatomic variations in mean subchondral bone density. Five adult equine metacarpophalangeal joints were scanned with computed tomography (CT), disarticulated, and four 1-cm
AN AFFORDABLE MEDIUM-FIDELITY VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT SOLDIER SIMULATOR DESIGNED FOR INFANTRY COMBAT RESEARCH

Due to the expense of obtaining access to purpose-built virtual environments, it has traditionally been difficult for some researchers to examine questions of interest involving infantry combat performance. As part of on going research into stress and human performance in infantry combat, a highly affordable soldier simulator was constructed using off-the-shelf parts and equipment. Simulators of this type are highly flexible and scalable in design, allowing researchers to fabricate them to the requirements of the study and/or in proportion to available resources. Our demonstration will allow participants to operate the simulator themselves, or observe the demonstrators operating it. Additionally, they will be able to design their own missions and execute them in the simulator, with the assistance of trained personnel. The purpose of the demonstration is to acquaint human factors researchers with a system that demonstrates that solder simulator systems can be developed affordably and easily.
Authenticated autonomous system traceback

The design of the IP protocol makes it difficult to reliably identify the originator of an IP packet making the defense against distributed denial of service attacks one of the hardest problems on the Internet today. Previous solutions for this problem try to traceback to the exact origin of the attack by requiring every router's participation. For many reasons this requirement is impractical and the victim ends up with an approximate location of the attacker. Reconstruction of the whole path is also very difficult owing to the sheer size of the Internet. This paper presents lightweight schemes for tracing back to the attack-originating AS instead to the exact origin itself. Once the attack-originating AS is determined, all further routers in the path to the attacker are within that AS and under the control of a single entity; which can presumably monitor local traffic in a more direct way than a generalized, Internet scale, packet marking scheme can. We also provide a scheme to prevent compromised routers from forging markings.
Loss of Rap1 induces telomere recombination in the absence of NHEJ or a DNA damage signal.

The ends of linear chromosomes suffer two problems: They cannot be replicated to their termini, resulting in loss of terminal sequences; and they can be mistakenly sensed as DNA double-strand breaks, activating DNA repair pathways that can result in serious genome derangement. These problems are solved by the addition of telomeres, repeat sequences at the ends of chromosomes, which are shielded by a protein complex called shelterin. Sfeir et al. (p. [1657][1]) show that the mouse Rap1 protein, which is part of the shelterin complex and which binds to a second shelterin protein called TRF2, helps prevent telomeres undergoing unscheduled homologous recombination. Such recombination could threaten telomere integrity by generating sequence exchanges between sister telomeres resulting in critically shortened telomeres. [1]: /lookup/volpage/327/1657
ATP release and hydrolysis contribute to rat pial arteriolar dilatation elicited by neuronal activation

Owing to their intimate anatomical relationship with cerebral arterioles, astrocytes have been postulated as signal transducers, transferring information from activated neurones to the cerebral microcirculation. These forwarded signals may involve the release of vasoactive factors from the end-feet of astrocytes. This mechanism is termed ‘neurovascular coupling’ and its anatomical components (i.e. neurone, astrocyte and vascular cells) are termed the ‘neurovascular unit’. The process of neurovascular coupling often involves upstream dilatation. This is necessary during periods of increased metabolic demand, in order to permit more blood to reach dilated downstream vessels, thereby improving nutrient supply to the activated neurones. Without it, that downstream dilatation might be ineffective, placing neurones at risk, especially during episodes of intense neuronal activity, such as seizure. In the brain, pial arterioles represent important ‘upstream’ vascular segments. The pial arterioles overlie a thick layer of astrocytic processes, termed the glia limitans. This essentially isolates pial arterioles, anatomically, from the neurones below. Vasodilating signals that originate in the neurones therefore reach the pial arterioles via indirect pathways, primarily involving astrocytes and the glia limitans. Here we discuss a process whereby purinergic mechanisms play a key and neuronal activity-dependent role in astrocyte to astrocyte communication, as well as in glia limitans to pial arteriolar signals leading to vasodilatation.
BEHAVIORAL MOMENTUM IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Three classes of events were scored from videotapes of 14 college basketball games during the 1989 National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament: reinforcers (such as points and favorable turnovers), adversities (such as missed shots, unfavorable turnovers, and fouls), and responses to adversities (favorable or unfavorable outcomes of the first possession of the ball following an adversity). Within-game and within-team analyses of these data supported three findings. First, a team's favorable response to an adversity generally increased as the rate of reinforcement increased 3 min preceding the adversity. Second, basketball coaches called time-out from play when being outscored by their opponents an average of 2.63 to 1.0. Third, calling time-outs from play appeared to be an effective intervention for reducing an opponent's rate of reinforcement. Rates of reinforcement during the 3 min immediately after a time-out were nearly equal for both teams. Results are discussed within a behavioral momentum framework.
Advances in understanding the genetic causes and mechanisms of female germ cell aneuploidy

Aneuploidy, the gain or loss of one or more chromosomes, is the main ascertained cause of embryonic loss and the most common genetic defect in newborns. Human germ cell aneuploidy is characterized by its more frequent occurrence during oogenesis and its correlation with maternal age. Although we still lack a unique precept explaining the etiology of aneuploidy, progress has been made in elucidating the mechanisms that control chromosome segregation. The use of experimental models with genetic mutations in specific genes has helped to identify mechanisms that predispose female germ cells to aneuploidy, including disturbances in meiotic recombination, spindle attachment and cell cycle checkpoint. This article presents the latest advances in identifying genetic factors involved in the genesis of germ cell aneuploidy.
L-Lactate dehydrogenase in the longitudinal muscle of the sea cucumber Sclerodactyla briareus (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

The infaunal holothurian Sclerodactyla briareus (Thyone briareus) is able to tolerate exposure to hypoxic conditions for over 2 days. Since the in vitro anaerobic degradation of glucose-U-C14 by longitudinal muscle preparations leads to an accumulation of labeled lactic acid, it is apparent that lactate dehydrogenase plays a key role during anoxia. Disc electrophoresis resolved one major band of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in longitudinal muscle extracts. Muscle extracts of s. briareus oxidized L-lactate only, as is the case with most other echinoderms. The apparent Michaelis constants for lactate oxidation and pyruvate reduction are dissimilar from values reported for other marine invertebrates. The LDH activity in this holothurian is higher than the activities reported for other marine invertebrates with the exception of some active, large arthropods. Substrate inhibition of LDH maximal activity occurs at substrate concentrations (pyruvate) exceeding 10 mM, and then to only a minor extent. The characteristics of lactate dehydrogenase from the longitudinal muscle of S. briareus support the hypothesis that it functions to maintain glycolytic flux during prolonged periods of exposure to anoxic or hypoxic conditions.
A Perinatal Continuing Education Program: Its Effects on the Knowledge and Practices of Health Professionals

Objectives: To determine whether there was an increase in knowledge when an interdisciplinary group of health care providers participated in the same comprehensive perinatal continuing education program and to determine whether care practices followed before the program differed from those followed 1 year after its completion. Design: Administration of a 100‐item comprehensive pretest and a similar posttest measuring knowledge before the continuing education program and 1 year after taking it, as well as an ex post facto audit of medical records of newborns who were sick and at risk. Setting: Hospitals throughout the state of Oklahoma that provide perinatal care. Test data were derived from health care providers in 24 hospitals; data on care practices were obtained from 12 hospitals. Intervention: A comprehensive program of perinatal continuing education. Participants: Physicians, nurses, and other providers of perinatal health care. Main outcome measures: Scores on a 100‐item test measuring knowledge of perinatal care and newborn care practices taught in the educational program. Results: Pretest and posttest scores demonstrated an increase in scores at the p Conclusion: A continuing education program delivered to a multidisciplinary group of health care providers can increase knowledge and improve perinatal care to newborns who are sick and at risk.
Defining NELF-E RNA Binding in HIV-1 and Promoter-Proximal Pause Regions

The four-subunit Negative Elongation Factor (NELF) is a major regulator of RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) pausing. The subunit NELF-E contains a conserved RNA Recognition Motif (RRM) and is proposed to facilitate Poll II pausing through its association with nascent transcribed RNA. However, conflicting ideas have emerged for the function of its RNA binding activity. Here, we use in vitro selection strategies and quantitative biochemistry to identify and characterize the consensus NELF-E binding element (NBE) that is required for sequence specific RNA recognition (NBE: CUGAGGA(U) for Drosophila). An NBE-like element is present within the loop region of the transactivation-response element (TAR) of HIV-1 RNA, a known regulatory target of human NELF-E. The NBE is required for high affinity binding, as opposed to the lower stem of TAR, as previously claimed. We also identify a non-conserved region within the RRM that contributes to the RNA recognition of Drosophila NELF-E. To understand the broader functional relevance of NBEs, we analyzed promoter-proximal regions genome-wide in Drosophila and show that the NBE is enriched +20 to +30 nucleotides downstream of the transcription start site. Consistent with the role of NELF in pausing, we observe a significant increase in NBEs among paused genes compared to non-paused genes. In addition to these observations, SELEX with nuclear run-on RNA enrich for NBE-like sequences. Together, these results describe the RNA binding behavior of NELF-E and supports a biological role for NELF-E in promoter-proximal pausing of both HIV-1 and cellular genes.
Global inequality and global macroeconomics

This paper presents evidence for a common global pattern in the movement of inequality in national structures of pay, over the years 1963 to 1999. We find a worldwide pattern of declining inequality from 1971 until 1980, followed by a long and sharp period of increasing inequality from 1981 through the end of the century. The existence of a global pattern suggests that the study of inequality, long associated with the disparate effects of technology, trade in local or national labor markets and with national policy choices, would be better treated as a branch of a global macroeconomics, associated with the breakdown of Bretton Woods in 1971-73 and with the onset of the global debt crisis in 1981-82. The work is based on data sets developed by the University of Texas Inequality Project. © 2007 Society for Policy Modeling. Published
Syndromes of social maladaptation among elementary school boys and girls

The cross-sex comparability of child social maladaptation is assessed within populations of elementary school children. The randomly aggregated normative sample for the revised Bristol Social Adjustment Guides (BSAG) was partitioned into subsamples of 1,305 boys and 1,222 girls ranging in age from 5 to 15 years. The children were observed by 900 classroom teachers and rated on the BSAG's six core syndromes and two associated groupings of problem behavior. For each sex, scores on the various behavioral groupings were normalized and submitted to principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation of retained dimensions. A general two-factor model emerged, with one factor resembling a dimension of general overreaction and the other a dimension of general underreaction. Cross-sex equivalence of factor structures was confirmed via Kaiser's analytic factor relations process. The BSAG's core syndromes and nonsyndromic groupings were found to sustain similar functions across the sexes, although differential trends were noted in the prevalence of specific behavioral syndromes.
Performance evaluation of distributed computing paradigms in mobile ad hoc sensor networks

The emergence of mobile ad hoc sensor networks has brought new challenges to traditional network design. This paper compares the performance of two distributed computing paradigms, the client/server-based paradigm and the mobile-agent-based paradigm, through mathematical modeling and simulation. Previous works have shown that the mobile-agent-based paradigm is more appropriate to handle computations in ad hoc sensor networks. However, no simulation work has been done to quantitatively measure the performance. This paper first describes how computing is accomplished in the mobile-agent-based paradigm. It then presents a modified mathematical model and uses the execution time as a metric to measure the performance. Eight experiments are designed to show the effect of different parameters to the performance of the paradigms. Experimental results show that in the context of mobile ad hoc sensor networks with hundreds or even thousands of nodes, unreliable communication links and reduced bandwidth, the mobile-agent-based computing provides solutions to low network latency and reliable data processing.
Isotopic fractionation of dissolved ammonium at the oxygen-hydrogen sulfide interface in anoxic waters

The δ15N of dissolved ammonium was determined in three anoxic marine basins: Black Sea, Saanich Inlet, B.C., Canada, and Framvaren Fjord, Norway. In each basin, the δ15N-NH4+ was greatest near the 02/H2S interface, with δ15N as high as +21‰. The depth distributions of NH4+ and δ15N-NH4+ for Black Sea and Framvaren Fjord were examined with a one-dimensional, steady-state, vertical advection-diffusion model to calculate the isotope fractionation during the consumption of NH4+ by bacteria. Isotope enrichments, ϵ, for Black Sea were between 5 and 15 ‰, whereas in Framvaren Fjord ϵ ranged from 20 to 30 ‰. These differences are related mainly to the ambient concentration of NH4+. Biosynthetic uptake of NH4+ rather than nitrification was responsible for the fractionation. The δ15N-NH4+ in Saanich Inlet appears related to in-situ regeneration of NH4+ with little isotopic fractionation between dissolved and particulate nitrogen (PN).
In vitro activity of 5-fluorocytosine against Candida and Torulopsis species.

One hundred yeasts were studied. Tests included detailed identification and determination of 24- and 48-hr minimal inhibitory concentrations and minimal fungicidal concentrations of 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC). Final identifications included 57 isolates of Candida albicans , 15 isolates of C. tropicalis , 13 isolates of C. parapsilosis , 7 isolates of Torulopsis glabrata , 3 isolates of C. guilliermondii , 2 isolates each of C. stellatoidea and Cryptococcus neoformans , and 1 isolate of Candida krusei . Twenty-three original identifications were in error; these involved mostly C. albicans, C. tropicalis, C. parapsilosis , and T. glabrata . Inhibitory end point readings based on 24 hr of incubation were misleading. Whereas 79 of 91 isolates of Candida appeared to be inhibited at 24 hr by 12.5 μg or less of 5-FC/ml, only 52 were inhibited at 48 hr; whereas only 12 isolates appeared to be resistant to 100 μg/ml after 24 hr, 37 were resistant after 48 hr. Susceptibility varied amount the different species. C. tropicalis was the most susceptible, with 10 of 15 isolates (66.7%) being inhibited by 12.5 μg or less/ml and 7 (46.7%) being killed by 100 μg or less/ml. C. albicans was similarily susceptible; 33 of 57 isolates (57.9%) were inhibited by 12.5 μg or less/ml and 25 (43.9%) were killed by 100 μg or less/ml. C. parapsilosis was quite resistant, as only 4 of 13 isolates (30.8%) were inhibited by 12.5 μg or less/ml and 3 (23.1%) were killed by 100 μg or less/ml.
Too Neurotic, Not Too Friendly: Structured Personality Classification on Textual Data

Personality plays a fundamental role in human interaction. With the increasing amount of online user-generated content, automatic detection of a person's personality based on the text she produces is an important step to labeling and analyzing human behavior at a large scale. To date, most approaches to personality classification have modeled each personality trait in isolation (e.g., independent binary classification). In this paper, we instead model the dependencies between different personality traits using conditional random fields. Our study finds a correlation between Agreeableness and Emotional Stability traits that can improve Agreeableness classification. However, we also find that accuracy on other traits can degrade with this approach, due in part to the overall problem difficulty.
The Composition of Interstellar Dust

Various lines of evidence point towards the presence of Mg- and MgFe-silicates, iron, graphite, hydrocarbons, hydrogenated amorphous carbon, and PAHs in the diffuse interstellar medium. A major fraction of the solid C is presently unidentified. It may be in the form of large graphite, amorphous carbon, or diamond grains. Various Stardust components, isolated from meteorites, are discussed and related to interstellar dust components.
AlInAsSb/GaSb staircase avalanche photodiode

Over 30 years ago, Capasso and co-workers [IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 30, 381 (1982)] proposed the staircase avalanche photodetector (APD) as a solid-state analog of the photomultiplier tube. In this structure, electron multiplication occurs deterministically at steps in the conduction band profile, which function as the dynodes of a photomultiplier tube, leading to low excess multiplication noise. Unlike traditional APDs, the origin of staircase gain is band engineering rather than large applied electric fields. Unfortunately, the materials available at the time, principally AlxGa1−xAs/GaAs, did not offer sufficiently large conduction band offsets and energy separations between the direct and indirect valleys to realize the full potential of the staircase gain mechanism. Here, we report a true staircase APD operation using alloys of a rather underexplored material, AlxIn1−xAsySb1−y, lattice-matched to GaSb. Single step “staircase” devices exhibited a constant gain of ∼2×, over a broad range of applied ...
EHC design options and performance

Engine-aged EHC integrated cascades with equivalent overall volumes and several different design features were evaluated for FTP emission performance on a late-model V6 test vehicle. Design options evaluated included low and high cell densities (160 cpsi vs. 400 cpsi), a non-straight flow channel geometry (160 cpsi) and several low-power, zoned heating strategies (all with 160 cpsi). Cold-start hydrocarbon emission performance for the aged low cell density, and non-straight channel designs (all with full face heating strategies) were found to be equivalent in the underfloor location used on the test vehicle in this program. Zoned heating strategies offered significant power reductions (0.75--1.0 kW compared to 2.0--2.5 kW) at the expense of reduced cold-start hydrocarbon emission performance versus full face heating strategies (ca. a 50% NMHC cold-start emission reduction for zoned heating options vs. a 65% NMHC reduction for frill face heating, both relative to unheated operation without secondary air injection). Electrical and mechanical durability of integrated EHC cascades were found acceptable in a severe combined hot vibration/thermal cycling protocol.
Weak competing interactions control assembly of strongly bonded TCNQ ionic acceptor molecules on silver surfaces

The energy scales of interactions that control molecular adsorption and assembly on surfaces can vary by several orders of magnitude, yet the importance of each contributing interaction is not apparent a priori. Tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) is an archetypal electron acceptor molecule and it is a key component of organic metals. On metal surfaces, this molecule also acts as an electron acceptor, producing negatively charged adsorbates. It is therefore rather intriguing to observe attractive molecular interactions in this system that were reported previously for copper and silver surfaces. Our experiments compared TCNQ adsorption on noble metal surfaces of Ag(100) and Ag(111). In both cases we found net attractive interactions down to the lowest coverage. However, the morphology of the assemblies was strikingly different, with two-dimensional islands on Ag(100) and one-dimensional chains on Ag(111) surfaces. This observation suggests that the registry effect governed by the molecular interaction with the underlying lattice potential is critical in determining the dimensionality of the molecular assembly. Using first-principles density functional calculations with a van der Waals correction scheme, we revealed that the strengths of major interactions (i.e., lattice potential corrugation, intermolecular attraction, and charge-transfer-induced repulsion) are all similar in energy. The van der Waals interactions, in particular, almost double the strength of attractive interactions, making the intermolecular potential comparable in strength to the diffusion potential and promoting self-assembly. However, it is the anisotropy of local intermolecular interactions that is primarily responsible for the difference in the topology of the molecular islands on Ag(100) and Ag(111) surfaces. We anticipate that the intermolecular potential will become more attractive and dominant over the diffusion potential with increasing molecular size, providing new design strategies for the structure and charge transfer within molecular layers.
Central vs. Local Authority in Soviet Religious Affairs 1964–89

In their daily routine the Council [on Religious Affairs] and its commission ers in the various Republics, areas, and provinces continuously study vari ous idiosyncrasies, the organization and activities of the clergymen, try to restrict and neutralize their influence on believers, to reduce drastically the activities of fanatics and extremists, learn the view and attitudes of the clergy, their age, general education and level of culture, etc. This in turn helps to decrease violations of the law, to plan and implement specific measures to control the activity of the clergy, to stop indulging the church and get a firm grip on her.
Hegemony, Long Waves, and Major Wars: A Time Series Analysis of Systemic Dynamics, 1496-1967

In both systemic and realist theories, hegemons are expected to deter major intra-core wars that would upset their favored position in the status quo. Yet the conceptions, measures, and units of analysis for hegemony differ within and between the theoretical perspectives. We compare three conceptions of hegemony: economic efficiency in the world economy, global reach via sea power, and relative total power of states. Extrapolating from power transition theory, we also include the effects of rapid transitions in hegemony. In addition, we examine a central thesis in world system theories that long expansion periods produce the resources necessary for fielding large armies and sustaining long conflicts. We employ time series regression analyses for the entire period of 1496–1967 and for periods before and after the industrial revolution to explain the intensity of major wars between great powers. All hegemony measures have negative effects after the industrial revolution except hegemonic transition, which is rejected in all models. In preindustrial times, the Dutch failed and the Hapsburgs succeeded in functioning as hegemons with regard to major war. This suggests deficiencies in world economy theory and calls into question its generality across the history of the system. We find consistent positive effects of long-wave economic expansions on war intensity, and we reject Marxist crises theories. A novel finding is that imperial expansion, in the form of colonial conquest, lessens intra-core war by displacing internal pressures hierarchically onto the periphery.
Primary care technicians: A solution to the primary care workforce gap

Efforts to close the primary care workforce gap typically employ one of three basic strategies: train more primary care physicians; boost the supply of nurse practitioners or physician assistants, or both; or use community health workers to extend the reach of primary care physicians. In this article we briefly review each strategy and the barriers to its success. We then propose a new approach adapted from the widely accepted model of emergency medical services. Translating this model to primary care and leveraging the capabilities of modern health information technology, it should be possible to create primary care technicians who can dramatically expand the impact and reach of patient-centered medical homes by providing basic preventive, minor illness, and stable chronic disease care in rural and resource-deprived communities.
Effects of energy level and protein source on nitrogen kinetics in steers fed wheat straw-based diets.

A 4 x 4 Latin square metabolism trial with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was conducted to determine N kinetics in steers. Steers were fed either untreated (UNT-WS) or alkaline hydrogen peroxide-treated wheat straw (AHP-WS) based diets supplemented with soybean meal (SBM) or blood meal (BM). Single doses of (15NH4)2SO4 were infused into ruminal pools to determine N kinetics. Ruminal NH3N concentrations (main effects) were 3.81, 1.65, 3.18, and 2.28 mg/dL in steers when fed diets that contained UNT-WS, AHP-WS, SBM, and BM, respectively. Ruminal N pool size was greater (P .10) by diet. However, production rate of N from the ruminal pool was greater (P < .05) for UNT-WS than for AHP-WS diets and greater (P < .10) for SBM than for BM diets. Nitrogen recycled into the rumen was 33% greater (P < .05) for AHP-WS than for UNT-WS diets and 26% greater (P < .05) for BM than for SBM diets. Nitrogen recycling (percentage of N intake) was 33, 56, 36, and 49% for UNT-WS, AHP-WS, SBM, and BM diets, respectively. The blood urea N (BUN) concentrations were 10.23, 4.58, 7.15, and 7.65 mg/dL for UNT-WS, AHP-WS, SBM, and BM diets, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Reading Rites: Teaching Textwork in Graduate Education

The ability to comprehend, discuss, and use disciplinary texts is central to graduate education. Although techniques for teaching writing have been well-discussed, and even incorporated into graduate curricula, the same is not true for techniques of scholarly reading, a crucial skill that is largely untaught and which students must learn independently or through shared culture. We argue that more explicit training in reading has potential benefits for graduate student education. Drawing on thirty-six in-depth interviews with students in the social sciences, we focus on the routines of managing academic reading, necessary for accessing information for research. Graduate students develop techniques and schedules that permit them to read rapidly or carefully, to read for different academic purposes, and to make information retrievable through notating. We suggest how graduate programs might incorporate reading education into the curriculum.
MRI Changes in Dyslexia: A Reappraisal

The convolutional surface area of the planum temporale, temporal lobe volume, and brain volume were compared by MRI in 17 dyslexic children (7 girls) and 14 controls (7 girls) at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven.
wage—price controls and the great stagflation

—According to a Gallup Poll taken earlier this year, a majority (54%) of the American people believe in angels.
T-REX on-demand redox targeting in live cells

This protocol describes targetable reactive electrophiles and oxidants (T-REX)-a live-cell-based tool designed to (i) interrogate the consequences of specific and time-resolved redox events, and (ii) screen for bona fide redox-sensor targets. A small-molecule toolset comprising photocaged precursors to specific reactive redox signals is constructed such that these inert precursors specifically and irreversibly tag any HaloTag-fused protein of interest (POI) in mammalian and Escherichia coli cells. Syntheses of the alkyne-functionalized endogenous reactive signal 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE(alkyne)) and the HaloTag-targetable photocaged precursor to HNE(alkyne) (also known as Ht-PreHNE or HtPHA) are described. Low-energy light prompts photo-uncaging (t1/2 <1-2 min) and target-specific modification. The targeted modification of the POI enables precisely timed and spatially controlled redox events with no off-target modification. Two independent pathways are described, along with a simple setup to functionally validate known targets or discover novel sensors. T-REX sidesteps mixed responses caused by uncontrolled whole-cell swamping with reactive signals. Modification and downstream response can be analyzed by in-gel fluorescence, proteomics, qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based and dual-luciferase reporters, or flow cytometry assays. T-REX targeting takes 4 h from initial probe treatment. Analysis of targeted redox responses takes an additional 4-24 h, depending on the nature of the pathway and the type of readouts used.
Influence of cutter velocity, friction coefficient and rake angle on the formation of discontinuous rock fragments during rock cutting process

Tribological properties during rock cutting under extremely high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) conditions are important in deep mining and drilling operations. In the present investigation, a rigid cutting tool of different rake angles was moved at different velocities against a stationary rock material. Rock material properties have been incorporated using an advanced damage constitute material model. In addition, the friction factors at the cutting tool - rock interface were varied in the contact model. The variation of cutting forces, stresses and rock fragment morphology have been investigated. In the numerical simulation, the separation of rock fragments from the rock slab was predicted using the numerical model and demonstrated the importance of the explicit finite element model for simulating rock cutting and the fragmentation process. The rake angle was found to have significant influence on the cutting forces and fragment morphology during rock cutting. Moreover, the cutting forces and the discontinuous fragmentation process were strongly influenced by the friction and cutting velocity. The current numerical predictions found a good agreement with experimental and numerical results obtained in the literature.
Multidimensional Digital Filter Recursibility and Stability

Given a continuous signal, acquired through sensors for subsequent sampling and discrete spatio-temporal processing, it may be assumed that, the sensed signal g a (x1, x2), in the 2-D case, is sampled so that no aliasing occurs, i.e., g a (x1, x2) must be exactly recoverable from the sampled bisequence {g[k1, k2]}. Indeed, then it was shown in the previous chapter, how from the output bisequence of the filter a continuous function having Fourier transform \(G_{a}(\Omega _{1},\Omega _{2})\), may be constructed. If {g[k1, k2]} whose Fourier transform is \(G(e^{-j\omega _{1}},e^{-j\omega _{2}})\) is filtered by a linear shift-invariant (LSI) 2-D discrete filter having wavenumber response \(H(e^{-j\omega _{1}},e^{-j\omega _{2}})\) (which is defined to be the 2-D Fourier transform of the unit impulse response {h[k1, k2]} of the 2-D digital filter) then the output bisequence has the product \(H(e^{-j\omega _{1}},e^{-j\omega _{2}})G(e^{-j\omega _{1}},e^{-j\omega _{2}})\) for its Fourier transform. The overall design problem of a multidimensional recursive digital filter involves the various phases of approximation, realization, stabilization and stability, design optimization, and error analysis. The stability problem will be discussed here first.
Efficacy of Gene Therapy Is Dependent on Disease Progression in Dystrophic Mice with Mutations in the FKRP Gene.

Loss-of-function mutations in the Fukutin-related protein (FKRP) gene cause limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2I (LGMD2I) and other forms of congenital muscular dystrophy-dystroglycanopathy that are associated with glycosylation defects in the α-dystroglycan (α-DG) protein. Systemic administration of a single dose of recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) vector expressing human FKRP to a mouse model of LGMD2I at various stages of disease progression was evaluated. The results demonstrate rescue of functional glycosylation of α-DG and muscle function, along with improvements in muscle structure at all disease stages versus age-matched untreated cohorts. Nevertheless, mice treated in the latter stages of disease progression revealed a decrease in beneficial effects of the treatment. The results provide a proof of concept for future clinical trials in patients with FKRP-related muscular dystrophy and demonstrate that AAV-mediated gene therapy can potentially benefit patients at all stages of disease progression, but earlier intervention would be highly preferred.
Update on IL-17 Inhibitors for Psoriasis

Purpose of Review We aim to qualify and summarize the major advances afforded by the development of IL-17 inhibitors in the treatment of psoriasis.
Influence of social and neighborhood contexts on smoking cessation among urban minorities.

ABSTRACTA range of individual, social, and neighborhood factors influence the smoking-related health inequities of urban minorities. Yet little is known about how these factors interact to influenc...
Cuban land use and conservation, from rainforests to coral reefs

Cuba is an ecological rarity in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Its complex political and economic history shows limited disturbances, extinctions, pollution, and resource depletion by legal or de facto measures. Vast mangroves, wetlands, and forests play key roles in protecting biodiversity and reducing risks of hazards caused or aggravated by climate change. Cuba boasts coral reefs with some of the region's greatest fish biomass and coral cover. Although it has set aside major protected areas that safeguard a host of endemic species, Cuba's environment is by no means pristine. Through much of its early history, deforestation and intensive agricultural production under colonial then neocolonial powers was the norm. Using remote sensing, we find Cuba's land today is 45% devoted to agricultural, pasturage, and crop production. Roughly 77% of Cuba's potential mangrove zone is presently in mangrove cover, much of it outside legal protection; this is likely the most intact Caribbean mangrove ecosystem and an important resource for coastal protection, fish nurseries, and wildlife habitat. Even the largest watersheds with the most agricultural land uses have a strong presence of forests, mangroves, and wetlands to buffer and filter runoff. This landscape could change with Cuba's gradual reopening to foreign investment and growing popularity among tourists-trends that have devastated natural ecosystems throughout the Caribbean. Cuba is uniquely positioned to avoid and reverse ecosystem collapse if discontinuities between geopolitical and ecosystem functional units are addressed, if protection and conservation of endemic species and ecosystems services accompany new development, and if a sound ecological-restoration plan is enacted.
Insulin Regulation of Nuclear Envelope Functions: Relationship to mRNA Metabolism

Insulin is a major anabolic hormone for most mammalian species. The hormonal potency of insulin results, to a large extent, from its ability to regulate target cells at a variety of cellular sites. The effects of insulin on membrane transport, enzyme activity, and protein synthesis have been studied extensively. Most likely many of these effects result from the direct interaction of insulin with its plasma membrane receptor. Insulin also regulates nuclear functions such as DNA and RNA synthesis, but how insulin influences these processes is unknown. The presence of specific binding sites for insulin on nuclei and nuclear envelopes has been documented and characterized. These binding sites have biochemical characteristics that are different from insulin binding sites on the plasma membrane. Moreover, direct in vitro effects of insulin on messenger RNA (mRNA) metabolism have now been reported. These effects include: (1) stimula- tion of mRNA efflux from intact nuclei; (2) stimulation of nuclear envelope nucleoside triphosphatase (NTPase), the enzyme that regulates mRNA efflux; and (3) inhibition of 32P incorporation into nuclear envelopes. Thus, significant insight is now being gained concerning the actions of insulin on nuclear function.
I. Relating to the Order of Operations in Algebra

(1917). I. Relating to the Order of Operations in Algebra. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 93-95.
AN ADVISOR-ENHANCED, SIGNATURE-TABLE CONTROLLER FOR REAL-TIME CONTROL OF ILL-DEFINED SYSTEMS

Abstract This paper addresses a novel method for control of ill-defined systems that utilize bang-bang actuation. The system described is a hybrid signature-table controller that uses advisor logic in its decision making and statistical inference processes. The automaton reacts to changes in state space with rapid-fire control decisions and uses timeouts or failures to initiate learning interludes. This post-processing algorithm improves upon the values in the control matrix by comparing decision strengths computed from data collected for each state and its neighbors. The familiar inverted pendulum is used to highlight the effects of advisors on overall system merit.
Creating a Consistent Multi-Decadal Oceanic TRMM-GPM Brightness Temperature Data Record

Intercalibrating the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) to the Global Precipitation Measuring (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) is necessary for generating a consistent multi-decadal brightness temperature (Tb) data record that covers TRMM and GPM eras. However, TMI and GMI share only a 13-month common operational period (2014-2015). Fortunately, the polarimetric radiometer WindSat launched in 2003, has been vetted to be well-calibration, and exceptional long-term radiometric stability between WindSat and TMI over >8-year period (2005–2014) has been exhibited. Therefore, WindSat can be used as the calibration bridge to achieve a seamless transfer between TMI and GMI Tb time series. In this paper, TMI will be first intercalibrated to GMI for their 13-month overlap period, and then intercalibrated to WindSat for their >12 years period (2003–2015). Thus, a multi-decadal oceanic Tb dataset will be created to ensure a consistent long-term precipitation record that covers TRMM and GPM eras. Moreover, to quantify the Tb uncertainty of this dataset, an uncertainty estimation model considering various sources of uncertainties will be applied to both intercalibration processes. These results will allow the further study in potential climate trends and changes in the variability.