cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Authority and Legitimacy

In common political language, authority is often confused with legitimacy. In their relation to power, authority and legitimacy are complexly intertwined. Some scholars have defined authority as some kind of power, for example ‘formal power’ or ‘rightful power’. We have explored above (see Chapter 7) the problem of what makes people accept authority, and we have seen that ‘acceptance’ is at times made the central criterion of authority. This tendency has given rise to various interpretations of authority, and to assertions concerning its source. Max Weber1 more particularly has in his discussion of sources of authority failed to distinguish clearly authority from legitimacy, and at times even equated these two related but distinct phenomena. He developed a tripartite theory of the sources of legitimacy, calling them ‘traditional’, ‘rational-legal’, and ‘charismatic’.2 He argued these sources in contrast to older notions which had been developed by earlier thinkers, notably Rousseau. For while the discussion about legitimacy goes in substance back to Plato, it was Rousseau who at the opening of his Contrat Social raised the question explicitly when he wrote: ‘Man is born free, but always he is in chains… what could make this legitimate? I believe I can resolve that question.’ Rousseau argued that it was basically the consent of the governed which could make it legitimate that people are ‘in chains’, that is, subject to government.
Taking Back Juvenile Confessions

The limited capacity of juveniles to make good decisions on their own — based on centuries of common sense and empirically supported in recent decades by abundant scientific research — informs almost every field of legal doctrine. Recent criminal justice reforms have grounded enhanced protections for youth at punishment and as criminal suspects on their limited cognitive abilities and heightened vulnerability. One area of criminal procedure doctrine lags behind this legal, scientific, and social consensus. Despite historical recognition of the need for special protections for interrogated youth, current law regarding the waiver of the rights to silence and to counsel at interrogation predominantly treats juvenile suspects like adults. This underenforces their privilege against self-incrimination, disrespects their dignity, and raises the risk of wrongful convictions. This Article considers whether interrogation law should correct course by incorporating a rule akin to contract law’s centuries-old infancy doctrine and permit individuals to retract uncounseled Miranda waivers elicited by law enforcement while they were juveniles. The justifications, advantages, and drawbacks to such a doctrinal shift are explored.
Performance-Based Measures Associate With Frailty in Patients With End-Stage Liver Disease.

BackgroundPhysical frailty, as measured by the Fried Frailty Index, is increasingly recognized as a critical determinant of outcomes in patients with cirrhosis. However, its utility is limited by the inclusion of self-reported components. We aimed to identify performance-based measures associated wi
Glucose oxidase stabilization against thermal inactivation using high hydrostatic pressure and hydrophobic modification.

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) stabilized glucose oxidase (GOx) against thermal inactivation. The apparent first-order kinetics of inactivation of GOx were investigated at 0.1-300 MPa and 58.8-80.0 °C. At 240 MPa and 74.5 °C, GOx inactivated at a rate 50 times slower than at atmospheric pressure at the same temperature. The apparent activation energy of inactivation at 300 MPa was 281.0 ± 17.4 kJ mol−1 or 1.3 fold smaller than for the inactivation at atmospheric pressure (378.1 ± 25.6 kJ mol−1). The stabilizing effect of HHP was greatest at 74.5 °C where the activation volume of 57.0 ± 12.0 cm3 mol−1 was highest compared to all other studied temperatures. Positive apparent activation volumes for all the treatment temperatures confirmed that HHP favors GOx stabilization. A second approach to increase GOx stability involved crosslinking with N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) and either aniline or benzoate. The modified enzyme remained fully active with only slight increases in KM (1.3 to 1.9 fold increases for aniline and benzoate modification, respectively). The thermal stability of GOx increased by 8 °C with aniline modification, while it decreased by 0.9 °C upon modification with benzoate. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
A Principled Approach to Procedural Reform: Zooming in on the Claim

At the core of every liberal democracy is a commitment to a wide range of individual rights. The recognition and evolution of those rights is a lively topic of public debate. Procedural law, on the other hand, is well below the public radar. Yet, federal practice and procedure are silently eroding our system of democracy through a mechanical and fragmented approach to procedure that is increasingly detached from the litigation mission in a manner that elevates form over substance, prevents the creation and enforcement of rights, and ultimately denies access to justice. This article is part of a larger project intended to change the way we think about and approach procedural law and procedural reform at the federal level. My goal is to unearth the unifying principles of federal procedure and practice, and use them to design a system that promotes the coherent, fair, and efficient creation and enforcement of substantive rights. To that end, I elaborate a theory of federal procedure and practice that assigns to the claim, the essential litigation unit, a central role in litigation analysis and reform. Testing the federal rules and procedural doctrines against the claim helps us see when procedure, operating at a very high level of abstraction and formalism, suffocates substantive law and justice, thus failing to accomplish its essential mission of means in the creation and enforcement of substantive rights. Once identified the flaws in our procedural system, the project formulates reform proposals that are intended to return the rules and doctrines to the right balance between formalism and pragmatism, one essential for the rules and doctrines to accomplish their mission. Zooming in on the claim is crucial in this respect.
The Unequal Consequences of Mass Incarceration for Children.

A growing literature has documented the mostly deleterious intergenerational consequences of paternal incarceration, but less research has considered heterogeneity in these relationships. In this article, I use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,065) to estimate the heterogeneous relationship between paternal incarceration and children’s problem behaviors (internalizing behaviors, externalizing behaviors, and early juvenile delinquency) and cognitive skills (reading comprehension, math comprehension, and verbal ability) in middle childhood. Taking into account children’s risk of experiencing paternal incarceration, measured by the social contexts in which children are embedded (e.g., father’s residential status, poverty, neighborhood disadvantage) reveals that the consequences—across all outcomes except early juvenile delinquency—are more deleterious for children with relatively low risks of exposure to paternal incarceration than for children with relatively high risks of exposure to paternal incarceration. These findings suggest that the intergenerational consequences of paternal incarceration are more complicated than documented in previous research and, more generally, suggest that research on family inequality consider both differential selection into treatments and differential responses to treatments.
Gametogenesis in the Sunray Venus Macrocallista nimbosa (Bivalvia: Veneridae) in West Central Florida in Relation to Temperature and Food Supply

ABSTRACT In Florida, culture of the sunray venus Macrocallista nimbosa is currently limited by seed supply. Hatcheries have not been able to condition and spawn brood stock on a predictable and consistent basis. The objective of this study was to determine the relative effects that temperature and diet have on the natural gametogenic cycle of this species so that improved conditioning protocols can be established for this species. The sunray venus M. nimbosa from west central Florida (Anna Maria Island) reached sexual maturity at a shell length >35 mm (age 6–8 mo). Small clams (mean shell length: 60 mm) had a 1:1 sex ratio, whereas larger clams (mean shell length: 129 mm) were predominantly female. This species exhibited a poorly defined annual reproductive cycle, and development was not synchronous between the sexes. Males developed mostly over the cooler months and spawned in the spring and early summer. Females exhibited two periods of relatively greater development: June to October and December to Feb...
Examining Gender as a Correlate of Self-Reported Pain Treatment Use Among Recent Service Veterans with Deployment-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders

Objective Women veterans with chronic pain utilize health care with greater frequency than their male counterparts. However, little is known about gender differences in the use of specialty pain care in this population. This investigation examined gender differences in self-reported use of opioids, interventional pain treatments, rehabilitation therapies, and complementary and integrative health (CIH) services for chronic pain treatment both within and outside of the Veterans Health Administration in a sample of veterans who served in support of recent conflicts. Methods Participants included 325 veterans (54% women) who completed a baseline survey as part of the Women Veterans Cohort Study and reported deployment-related musculoskeletal conditions and chronic pain. Measures included self-reported use of pain treatment modalities, pain severity, self-rated health, access to specialty care, disability status, and presence of a mental health condition. Results Men were more likely to report a persistent deployment-related musculoskeletal condition but were no more likely than women to report chronic pain. Overall, 21% of the sample reported using opioids, 27% used interventional strategies, 59% used rehabilitation therapies, and 57% used CIH services. No significant gender differences in use of any pain treatment modality were observed. Conclusions Use of pain specialty services was common among men and women, particularly rehabilitative and CIH services. There were no gender differences in the self-reported use of different modalities. These results are inconsistent with documented gender differences in pain care. They encourage further examination of gender differences in preferences and other individual difference variables as predictors of specialty pain care utilization.
Effects of Dormancy and Photoperiod on Alfalfa Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Reproductive Diapause

Alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), adults reared as larvae in the laboratory under an 8-h photophase were subjected to three storage conditions and two photoperiods to determine their effects on female reproductive diapause and fecundity. Contrary to previous reports, weevils reared in the laboratory as larvae and adults under a short-day photoperiod remained in a partial reproductive diapause. Newly-emerged weevil adults subjected to a 5-wk dormant period followed by an 8-h photophase had a rate of oviposition nearly twice that of adults reared under an 8-h photophase without a dormant period. Adults reared under a 15-h photophase after the dormant period also remained in a partial reproductive diapause. Results demonstrate that alfalfa weevil reproductive diapause is influenced by dormancy (an inactive state) and photoperiod. This is the first report of an efficient method to break reproductive diapause in the alfalfa weevil which will enable continuous production of nondiapausing laboratory-re...
An Integrated Model of Intentional Entrepreneurial Action

The psychological perspective of entrepreneurship has a rich history in entrepreneurship research. While personality and psychology have both been identified as key components in explaining how and why entrepreneurs act, many questions remain about what different factors lead to entrepreneurial action and outcomes as well as the role these factors have in the process. We shed light on these important questions by integrating two leading models of the individual psychology of entrepreneurship: the Action-Characteristics Model (ACM) of Entrepreneurship and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). We create the Intentional Entrepreneurial Action Model by integrating these two perspectives together to address concerns about the ACM and TPB considered separately. By synthesizing these two models into the Intentional Entrepreneurial Action Model and presenting supporting propositions, we develop an explanation about how entrepreneurs think and how this intentional process leads to entrepreneurial action and outcomes.
Mechanistic investigation of a Ru-catalyzed direct asymmetric reductive amination reaction for a batch or continuous process scale-up: an industrial perspective

A comprehensive assessment of a Ru-catalyzed direct asymmetric reductive amination (DARA) reaction for producing an intermediate for an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) was carried out. Experiments were conducted to investigate the impact of process parameters (such as reaction temperature, time, concentration, pressure, Ru-catalyst concentration, acid catalyst, and reagent stoichiometry) on chemo- and stereo-selectivity, and yield. An analysis of experimental data led to the development of a mechanistic mathematical model that was mathematically consistent with data from laboratory development and manufacturing campaigns. A combinatory approach outlined herein could be used to provide the optimum conditions for the DARA process. Furthermore, the feasible operating region was mapped out, which highlighted the complexity of the investigated chemistry and aided in developing the control strategy and regulatory submission package pertinent to this reaction. The efforts allowed the process to be successfully validated and scaled using a plug flow reactor (PFR) to manufacture 3200 kg of (S)-7,9-dimethyl-N-(2-methyl-2H-tetrazol-5-yl)-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-benzo[b]azepin-5-amine under current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).
Enterprise architecture: A competence-based approach to achieving agility and firm performance

As information technology (IT) proliferates across functional units, manufacturers that lack a coherent strategy for integrating, standardizing and leveraging their IT resources and capabilities are more likely to end up with fragmented systems that do not properly support business processes and hinder performance. One strategic approach to facilitating standardization and integration among IT resources is enterprise architecture (EA). As the representation of an enterprise's business processes and IT systems, EA underpins decisions relating to data, applications, IT infrastructure (technical and human), and management responsibilities in order to inform business strategies that enable organizations to accomplish their business objectives. In this research, we leverage competence-based theory to introduce EA strategic orientation and EA assimilation as dynamic and operational capabilities, respectively. Data collected from 190 manufacturers and seemingly unrelated regression are used to test hypotheses related to a nomological network consisting of EA strategic orientation, EA assimilation, agility and firm performance. The findings suggest that EA-based capabilities can enhance agility, and indirectly increase firm performance. As the first study to assess the value of EA from a non-IT-centric perspective, this work serves as a pivot point for examining the reach and range of EAbased capabilities, particularly in operations management. The findings provide operations and IT managers with evidence of how enterprise IT initiatives are ultimately linked to firm performance by way of EA-based capabilities.
Growth and Life Course Health Development

Physical growth is an emergent process integrating a complex network of social, biological, and environmental interactions. The global diversity of body shapes and sizes reflects developmental plasticity in response to environmental exposures, both advantageous and adverse, and depicts an evolutionarily robust strategy for species’ survival. Epidemiologic surveillance efforts demonstrate that early life skeletal growth and body composition trajectories are associated with and predict adult chronic disease risks. Both human and animal studies have provided an evidentiary base for the physiological mechanisms by which differences in growth processes manifest as cell- and organ-level changes that influence disease susceptibility across the life course. This chapter leverages a systems biology approach to describe macro- and micropathways affecting growth from a global perspective, reflecting on auxology’s place in theoretical frameworks that help us to understanding past, present, and future health trends. Methodological challenges that face the field are considered, and recommendations to guide future research and policy efforts are offered with the aim of advancing the science of growth biology and its contributions to life course health development.
Adaptive and Learning Control of Robotic Manipulators

Knowledge of a system is attained through the inputs and outputs of the system. Models of the system describe its behavior by mimicking the system. Therefore, model or a set of models of the system to be learned, characterize the behavior of the system.
Establishing a Chicana feminist bildungsroman for young adults

Mexican American literature for adolescent readership deserves scrutiny as much as appreciation. Young adult novels The Tequila Worm (2005) by Viola Canales and Under the Mesquite (2011) by Guadalu...
HEMODYNAMIC DURABILITY OF TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVES USING THE UPDATED VALVE ACADEMIC RESEARCH CONSORTIUM-2 CRITERIA

The updated Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 (VARC-2) criteria combines flow-dependent and flow-independent echocardiographic parameters for hemodynamic assessment of transcatheter aortic valves (TAV). All patients (n= 276) who received TAVs between 2006 to 2012; had ≥ 2 follow up
Shadowing emergency medicine residents by medical education specialists to provide feedback on non-medical knowledge-based ACGME sub-competencies.

Objective Non-medical knowledge-based sub-competencies (multitasking, professionalism, accountability, patient-centered communication, and team management) are challenging for a supervising emergency medicine (EM) physician to evaluate in real-time on shift while also managing a busy emergency department (ED). This study examines residents' perceptions of having a medical education specialist shadow and evaluate their nonmedical knowledge skills. Methods Medical education specialists shadowed postgraduate year 1 and postgraduate year 2 EM residents during an ED shift once per academic year. In an attempt to increase meaningful feedback to the residents, these specialists evaluated resident performance in selected non-medical knowledge-based Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) sub-competencies and provided residents with direct, real-time feedback, followed by a written evaluation sent via email. Evaluations provided specific references to examples of behaviors observed during the shift and connected these back to ACGME competencies and milestones. Results Twelve residents participated in this shadow experience (six post graduate year 1 and six postgraduate year 2). Two residents emailed the medical education specialists ahead of the scheduled shadow shift requesting specific feedback. When queried, five residents voluntarily requested their feedback to be included in their formal biannual review. Residents received milestone scores and narrative feedback on the non-medical knowledge-based ACGME sub-competencies and indicated the shadow experience and subsequent feedback were valuable. Conclusion Medical education specialists who observe residents over the course of an entire shift and evaluate non-medical knowledge-based skills are perceived by EM residents to provide meaningful feedback and add valuable information for the biannual review process.
Assessing Change in Learners’ Causal Understanding Using Sequential Analysis and Causal Maps

New methods and software tools are needed to assess the quality of learners’ causal maps (maps that convey a learner’s understanding of complex phenomena) and the quality of learners’ discourse used to help justify changes and refinements in learners’ causal maps. New methods and software tools are needed to assess the dialog move sequences observed in group discourse that trigger changes in causal maps and to measure and visualize across time the extent to which changes in causal maps of the individual or collective group progress toward group consensus and target maps. The software tool called jMAP was developed to enable learners to individually produce and submit causal maps, download and aggregate the maps of other learners. It also generates aggregated maps to reveal similarities between individual/group maps, the percentage of maps sharing particular causal links, average causal strength assigned to each link, and degree of match between the maps of the collective group and the target/expert diagram. jMAP also supports the use of sequential analysis to measure and visualize (with transitional state diagrams) how learner’s causal maps change over time and how dialogic processes of argumentation conducted in online discussions trigger changes in learner’s causal maps. This chapter presents findings from two case studies to illustrate how jMAP can be used to support the assessment of causal understanding, and to identify areas for future research and development.
Manual stretch: effect on finger movement control and force control in stroke subjects with spastic extrinsic finger flexor muscles.

This study evaluated the effects of manual stretch of extrinsic finger flexor muscles on finger extension movement control and force control in 16 spastic hemiparetic subjects. These subjects were randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group. A group of able-bodied subjects also participated. A joint-movement tracking test (JMTT) quantified control of active finger extension movement at the metacarpophalangeal joint of the index finger within the available range of active movement, and a force tracking test (FTT) quantified control of isometric finger extension force at the same joint within the subject's available force range. Electromyographic activity was monitored in the extensor digitorum and flexor digitorum superficialis muscles during both tracking tests. Manual stretch was applied to the extrinsic finger flexor muscles of the experimental group between the pretest and posttest tracking tests. The JMTT performances of both control (p less than .025) and experimental (p less than .05) groups were significantly subnormal on the pretest as were FTT performances of controls (p less than .01) and study subjects (p less than .03). The JMTT improvement on posttest was significantly greater (p less than .05) in subjects than in controls. However, the change in FTT performance was not significantly different between the two groups. Manual stretch treatment, properly applied to extrinsic finger flexor muscles, is an effective method of temporarily improving the control of finger extension movement in spastic hemiparetic subjects.
Characterization of the Functional Changes in Mouse Gut Microbiome Associated with Increased Akkermansia muciniphila Population Modulated by Dietary Black Raspberries.

Gut microbiome plays an essential role in host health through host–gut microbiota metabolic interactions. Desirable modulation of beneficial gut bacteria, such as Akkermansia muciniphila, can confer health benefits by altering microbiome-related metabolic profiles. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of a black raspberry-rich diet to reshape the gut microbiome by selectively boosting A. muciniphila population in C57BL/6J mice. Remarkable changes of the mouse gut microbiome were revealed at both compositional and functional levels with an expected increase of A. muciniphila in concert with a profound impact on multiple gut microbiome-related functions, including vitamin biosynthesis, aromatic amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and oxidative stress. These functional alterations in the gut microbiome by an easily accessed freeze-dried black raspberry-supplemented diet may provide novel insights on the improvement of human health via gut microbiome modulation.
The Carbon:234Thorium ratios of sinking particles in the California current ecosystem 1: relationships with plankton ecosystem dynamics

Author(s): Stukel, MR; Kelly, TB; Aluwihare, LI; Barbeau, KA; Goericke, R; Krause, JW; Landry, MR; Ohman, MD | Abstract: We investigated variability in the C:234Th ratio of sinking particles and its relationship to changing water column characteristics and plankton ecological dynamics during 29 Lagrangian experiments conducted on six cruises of the California Current Ecosystem Long-Term Ecological Research (CCE-LTER) Program. C:234Th ratios of sinking particles collected by a surface-tethered sediment trap (C:234ThST) varied from 2.3 to 20.5 μmol C dpm−1 over a depth range of 47–150 m. C:234ThST was significantly greater (by a factor of 1.8) than C:234Th ratios of suspended g51-μm particles collected in the same water parcels with in situ pumps. C:234Th ratios of large (g200-μm) sinking particles also exceeded those of smaller sinking particles. C:234ThST decreased with depth from the base of the euphotic zone through the upper twilight zone. C:234ThST was positively correlated with several indices of ecosystem productivity including particulate organic carbon (POC) and chlorophyll (Chl) concentrations, mesozooplankton biomass, and the fraction of Chl g20-μm. Principal component analysis and multiple linear regression suggested that decaying phytoplankton blooms exhibited higher C:234ThST than actively growing blooms at similar biomass levels. C:234ThST was positively correlated with indices of the fractional contribution of fecal pellets in sediment traps when the proportion of fecal pellets was low in the traps, likely because of a correlation between mesozooplankton biomass and other indices of ecosystem productivity. However, when fecal pellets were a more important component of sinking material, C:234ThST decreased with increasing fecal pellet content. C:234ThST was also positively correlated with the Si:C ratio of sinking particles. Across the dataset (and across depths) a strong correlation was found between C:234ThST and the ratio of vertically-integrated POC to vertically-integrated total water column 234Th (vC:234Thtot). A mechanistic one-layer, two-box model of thorium sorption and desorption was invoked to explain this correlation. Two empirical models (one using vC:234Thtot; one using depth and vertically-integrated Chl) were developed to predict C:234Th ratios in this coastal upwelling biome. The former regression (log10(C:234ThST) = 0.43 × log10(vC:234Thtot) + 0.53) was found to also be a reasonable predictor for C:234ThST from diverse regions including the Southern Ocean, Sargasso Sea, Subarctic North Pacific, and Eastern Tropical North Pacific.
Subalgebras of gc N and Jacobi Polynomials

We classify the subalgebras of the general Lie conformal algebra gc N that act irreducibly on C(@) N and that are normalized by the sl2-part of a Virasoro element. The problem turns out to be closely related to classical Jacobi polynomials P ( ; ) n , 2 C. The connection goes both waysowe use in our classication some classical properties of Jacobi polynomials, and we derive from the theory of conformal algebras some apparently new properties of Jacobi polynomials.
History of Transhumanism

As a philosophy transhumanism deals with the fundamental nature of reality, knowledge, and existence. As a worldview, it offers a cultural ecology for understanding the human integration with technology. As a scientific study, it provides the techniques for observing how technology is shaping society and the practice for investigating ethical outcomes. Its social narrative emerges from humans overcoming odds and the continued desire to build a world worth living in. These processes requires critical thinking and visionary accounts to assess how technology is altering human nature and what it means to be human in an uncertain world.
The 1D Schrödinger equation with a spacetime white noise: the average wave function

For the 1D Schrodinger equation with a mollified spacetime white noise, we show that the average wave function converges to the Schrodinger equation with an effective potential after an appropriate renormalization.
Factors associated with alien plant richness, cover and composition differ in tropical island forests

AIM: To examine how native plant native communities, environment and geography are associated with alien plant species invasion in tropical island forests. LOCATION: Four US national parks in Hawai'i and American Samoa. METHODS: We analysed the richness, coverage and composition of alien plant species communities located across 204 plots, five islands and two archipelagos. We used generalized linear mixed‐effects models and generalized dissimilarity models to determine the relative importance of native plant species communities (richness, structure and composition), environment (temperatures, precipitation, and soil age) and geography (elevation, geographical distance between plots, identity of islands and archipelagos) on alien plant species communities. RESULTS: Alien plant species were found in >90% of plots with on average four species covering ~15% of the understorey. Variation in alien species richness and coverage was primarily explained by archipelago and island identity and elevation. Plots located on younger islands tended to exhibit higher richness and coverage of alien plants. Native tree density and canopy height were negatively correlated with alien species coverage but not with alien species richness. Elevation was negatively correlated with both the richness and coverage of alien species. Differences in elevation, mean annual precipitation and geographical distances explained about 40% of the observed spatial turnover in alien species composition with differences in elevation being the main driver. Turnover in alien species composition was weakly correlated with turnover in native species. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: In the studied islands, higher elevations seem to be relatively spared from alien species invasion so far. However, our results suggest that the negative effect of elevation on alien species coverage may be larger than on alien species richness. Maintenance of tall and dense canopy may limit the coverage of alien species but not the number of alien species. Our results also support that alien species invasion may be particularly high on isolated archipelagos and younger islands.
Physical Link Maintenance and Logical Message Routing Integration for Robotic Network Connectivity

Network connectivity maintenance is essential for efficient robotic team operations. Achieving robust robotic ad hoc network connectivity requires a capable link maintenance mechanism, especially if the network experiences expected intermittent connectivity. Although various routing protocols for wireless ad hoc networks have been proposed, they deal with the message routing and the link maintenance problems separately, resulting in additional overhead costs and long network latency. These limitations motivate us to develop a new routing mechanism for a robotic network, which we called Meta-Routing. Meta-Routing expands current routing protocols to include not only the normal routing of packets, but also the maintenance of broken links in robotic networks. This paper presents a method to achieve Meta-Routing by controlling robot motion based on gradient descent method augmented with the radio frequency (RF) environment recognition method. The RF recognition method utilizes hidden Markov models (HMMs) to categorize " RF shadows" into a set of RF obstacle primitives from partial information. The motion control algorithm utilizes the gradient estimations augmented with HMM results through RF recognition to determine the robot movement direction for achieving connectivity maintenance. The numerical experimental results demonstrate promising RF recognition and gradient estimations results as well as confirm their abilities in robot motion control for link maintenance, reduction of the total path cost and network latency for achieving Meta-Routing.
Household Food Insecurity and Dietary Saturated Fat in Rural Appalachia

Purpose: To explore the relationship between food insecurity and dietary saturated fat intake in rural Central Appalachia. Design: Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a longitudinal interventional studySample: Baseline assessment of dietary saturated fat intake and food security in volunteers who had resided in rural Central Appalachia for at least five years and were enrolled in a cooking skills class.Method: Volunteers (n=56, 89.3% female) completed the USDA Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) and Diet History Questionnaire-II. Average age was 56.5 (range 18-76) years. Average intake of saturated fat was calculated using DietCalc software. Food security was measured using the HFSSM. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted using SAS, v. 9.3 with an alpha level of .05.Findings: High or marginal food security was experienced by 75% with 25% of participants experiencing low/very low food security. Average daily saturated fat was 26 grams. Significant findings included greater saturated fat consumption in men; lower saturated fat consumption with older age; older age being associated with lower food insecurity; and no association between food insecurity and saturated fat intake. Average daily saturated fat gram intake was significantly lower for females than males; the group means were 23.6 (SD = 12.4) and 49.6 (SD = 15.0) for these two groups, respectively (t = 4.8, P < .001). For every 10-year increase in age, there was a 2.7 gram decrease in daily saturated fat intake.Conclusions: Historical food traditions and method of food preparation likely contribute to the lack of an association between high food security and saturated fat intake in rural Appalachia. Food insecurity was not associated with saturated fat intake in our sample. Additional research is needed to determine to the full impact of food insecurity on dietary fat intake in Appalachia.Keywords: Food Insecurity, Appalachian Region, Fatty Acids Saturated, Poverty DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v19i1.568 Acknowledgments: This study was funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research Grant 5K23NR014883-02.
Revisionist Conflict and State Repression

What kinds of international conflicts make states more likely to increase repression? I argue that the issues at stake in conflict may have different levels of domestic salience and may alter the d...
The β-Blocker Carvedilol Prevented Ultraviolet-Mediated Damage of Murine Epidermal Cells and 3D Human Reconstructed Skin.

The β-blocker carvedilol prevents ultraviolet (UV)-induced skin cancer, but the mechanism is unknown. Since carvedilol possesses antioxidant activity, this study investigated whether carvedilol prevents oxidative photodamage of skin, a precursor event in skin carcinogenesis. The effects of carvedilol, metoprolol (a β-blocker without antioxidant property), and 4-hydroxycarbazole (4-OHC, a carvedilol synthesis intermediate and a free radical scavenger) were compared on UV- or H2O2-induced cell death and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in murine epidermal JB6 P+ cells. Although carvedilol attenuated cell death, metoprolol and 4-OHC failed to show protective effects. As expected, increased cellular ROS induced by H2O2 or UV was abolished by carvedilol and 4-OHC, but not by metoprolol. Consistently, carvedilol attenuated the formation of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and release of prostaglandin E2 in JB6 P+ cells. Carvedilol’s activity was further confirmed in full thickness 3D human reconstituted skin, where carvedilol attenuated UV-mediated epidermal thickening, the number of Ki-67 and p53 positive cells as well as CPD formation. Based on pathway-specific Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Array analysis, carvedilol treatment in many cases normalized UV-induced expression changes in DNA repair genes. Thus, carvedilol’s photoprotective activity is not attributed to β-blockade or direct ROS-scavenging capacity, but likely via DNA repair regulation.
Amelotin is expressed in retinal pigment epithelium and localizes to hydroxyapatite deposits in dry age-related macular degeneration

Deposition of hydroxyapatite (HAP) basal to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is linked to the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Serum-deprivation of RPE cells in culture mimics some features of AMD. We now show that serum-deprivation also leads to the induction of amelotin (AMTN), a protein involved in hydroxyapatite mineralization in enamel. HAP is formed in our culture model and is blocked by siRNA inhibition of AMTN expression. In situ hybridization and immunofluorescence imaging of human eye tissue show that AMTN is expressed in RPE of donor eyes with geographic atrophy ("dry" AMD) in regions with soft drusen containing HAP spherules or nodules. AMTN is not found in hard drusen, normal RPE, or donor eyes diagnosed with wet AMD. These findings suggest that AMTN is involved in formation of HAP spherules or nodules in AMD, and as such provides a new therapeutic target for slowing disease progression.
Observation of sixfold degenerate fermions in PdS b 2

Three types of fermions have been extensively studied in topological quantum materials: Dirac, Weyl, and Majorana fermions. Beyond the fundamental fermions in high energy physics, exotic fermions are allowed in condensed matter systems residing in three-, six- or eightfold degenerate band crossings. Here, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy to directly visualize three-doubly-degenerate bands in $\mathrm{PdS}{\mathrm{b}}_{2}$. The ultrahigh energy resolution we are able to achieve allows for the confirmation of all the sixfold degenerate bands at the $R$ point, in remarkable consistency with first-principles calculations. Moreover, we find that this sixfold degenerate crossing has quadratic dispersion as predicted by theory. Finally, we compare sixfold degenerate fermions with previously confirmed fermions to demonstrate the importance of this work: our study indicates a topological fermion beyond the constraints of high energy physics.
Observation of Floquet solitons in a topological bandgap

Topological protection is a universal phenomenon that applies to electronic, photonic, ultracold atomic, mechanical, and other systems. The vast majority of research in these systems has explored the linear domain, where interparticle interactions are negligible. We experimentally observed solitons-waves that propagate without changing shape as a result of nonlinearity-in a photonic Floquet topological insulator. These solitons exhibited distinct behavior in that they executed cyclotron-like orbits associated with the underlying topology. Specifically, we used a waveguide array with periodic variations along the waveguide axis, giving rise to nonzero winding number, and the nonlinearity arose from the optical Kerr effect. This result applies to a range of bosonic systems because it is described by the focusing nonlinear Schrodinger equation (equivalently, the attractive Gross-Pitaevskii equation).
Deconstructing the effects of concentration meditation practice on interference control: The roles of controlled attention and inflammatory activity.

Abstract Prior work has linked meditation practice to improvements in interference control. However, the mechanisms underlying these improvements are relatively unknown. In the context of meditation training, improvements in interference control could result either from increases in controlled attention to goal-relevant stimuli, or from reductions in automatic capture by goal-irrelevant stimuli. Moreover, few studies have linked training-related changes in attention to physiological processes, such as inflammatory activity, that are thought to influence cognitive function. This study addresses these gaps by examining associations between cognitive performance and cytokines in the context of an intensive meditation retreat. Participants were randomly assigned to complete 3 months of meditation training first, or to serve as waiting-list controls. The waitlist control participants then later completed a separate 3-month training intervention. We assessed participants’ interference control with a flanker task and used computational modeling to derive component processes of controlled and automatic attention. We also collected blood samples at the beginning, middle, and end of training to quantify changes in cytokine activity. Participants who completed training evidenced better controlled attention than waitlist controls during the first retreat intervention, and controls showed significant improvements in controlled attention when they completed their own, second retreat. Importantly, inflammatory activity was inversely associated with controlled attention during both interventions. Our results suggest that practice of concentration meditation influences interference control by enhancing controlled attention to goal-relevant task elements, and that inflammatory activity relates to individual differences in controlled attention.
A new approach to assessing reparability for seismic risk assessment of buildings

Advanced performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE), as documented by FEMA P-58 provisions, can well serve as the bedrock for a building-specific risk assessment framework. The methodology emb...
A kinetic rationale for functional redundancy in fatty acid biosynthesis

Cells build fatty acids with biocatalytic assembly lines in which a subset of enzymes often exhibit overlapping activities (e.g., two enzymes catalyze one or more identical reactions). Although the discrete enzymes that make up fatty acid pathways are well characterized, the importance of catalytic overlap between them is poorly understood. We developed a detailed kinetic model of the fatty acid synthase (FAS) of Escherichia coli and paired that model with a fully reconstituted in vitro system to examine the capabilities afforded by functional redundancy in fatty acid synthesis. The model captures—and helps explain—the effects of experimental perturbations to FAS systems and provides a powerful tool for guiding experimental investigations of fatty acid assembly. Compositional analyses carried out in silico and in vitro indicate that FASs with multiple partially redundant enzymes enable tighter (i.e., more independent and/or broader range) control of distinct biochemical objectives—the total production, unsaturated fraction, and average length of fatty acids—than FASs with only a single multifunctional version of each enzyme (i.e., one enzyme with the catalytic capabilities of two partially redundant enzymes). Maximal production of unsaturated fatty acids, for example, requires a second dehydratase that is not essential for their synthesis. This work provides a kinetic, control-theoretic rationale for the inclusion of partially redundant enzymes in fatty acid pathways and supplies a valuable framework for carrying out detailed studies of FAS kinetics.
Plant-Microbiome Interactions for Bacterial Wilt Suppression in Modern Tobacco Production

The soil-borne bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum continues to represent a major threat to flue-cured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) production in the southeastern United States and other major producin...
A Model on AC Contact Resistance

Electrical contact is an important issue to high power microwave sources, pulsed power systems, field emitters, thin film devices and integrated circuits, and interconnects, etc. Contact resistance, and the enhanced ohmic heating that results, have been treated mostly under steady state (DC) condition. In this paper, we consider the AC contact resistance for a simple geometry1, namely, that of two semi-infinite cylindrical conductors of different radii joint at z = 0. The conductivity of the two cylinders may assume different values. In the DC case, this model was solved exactly by Zhang and Lau 1. We have constructed an exact solution under AC condition, and we have shown that in the limit of zero frequency, our AC solution reduces to the DC solution. New features that accompany AC condition, such as the resistive skin effect, inductive, and capacitive effects, as well as radiation losses will be explored.
Nitric Oxide and Hypertension

Nitric oxide (NO) is a paracrine/autocrine factor that is important in the physiological regulation of numerous biological processes including neurotransmission, cardiovascular control, cell growth, apoptosis, and inflammation (1, 2, 3). Numerous mammalian tissues and organs express NO synthase (NOS) and are therefore capable of producing NO under different physiological and pathophysiological conditions (1,2,3). The role of NO in the control of renal function has been extensively studied. Works to date indicate that NO participates in the control of renal and glomerular hemodynamics, the tubuloglomerular feedback response, the release of renin and sympathetic transmitters, tubular ion transport, and renal water and sodium excretion (2,4,5). The focus of this chapter is on the role of NO in the control of renal water and sodium excretion. Because renal excretion of sodium and water is a primary determinant of extracellular fluid volume and arterial blood pressure (6), this report emphasizes the importance of NO in the long-term control of arterial blood pressure.
The tortoise and the tortoise: The new race for space

Abstract Until now space activity has been driven by international political competition. But recent events in Eastern Europe have undercut the political incentives for expanded space activity, and meanwhile fiscal constraints, arising for different reasons in the USA, Europe and the USSR, are putting unprecedented pressure on space budgets. In the long term, however, it is likely that a new kind of competition fuelled by economic motives will provide the basis for a more determined and perhaps more stable opening of the space frontier. Dropping out of the space race for short-term reasons could be a costly and irrevocable decision.
Teaching of the International Component in the Introductory Marketing Course: A Replication Study.

Abstract For almost three decades, the AACSB and business leaders have sought increased emphasis on internationalizing students' perspectives. Recent studies demonstrate mixed results in the extent to which business schools have globalized their curricula. With decreasing student interest in the marketing major, Introductory Marketing emerges as a critical course for instilling an international marketing perspective, since it is typically required of all business majors. This study investigates the extent of change compared to a decade ago of how international marketing is taught in the introductory course. Also, it proffers pedagogic recommendations that marketing faculty can use to improve student learning in this area.