cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The influence of limit cycle topology on the phase resetting curve

Understanding the phenomenology of phase resetting is an essential step toward developing a formalism for the analysis of circuits composed of bursting neurons that receive multiple, and sometimes overlapping, inputs. If we are to use phase-resetting methods to analyze these circuits, we can either generate phase-resetting curves (PRCs) for all possible inputs and combinations of inputs, or we can develop an understanding of how to construct PRCs for arbitrary perturbations of a given neuron. The latter strategy is the goal of this study.We present a geometrical derivation of phase resetting of neural limit cycle oscillators in response to short current pulses. A geometrical phase is defined as the distance traveled along the limit cycle in the appropriate phase space. The perturbations in current are treated as displacements in the direction corresponding to membrane voltage. We show that for type I oscillators, the direction of a perturbation in current is nearly tangent to the limit cycle; hence, the projection of the displacement in voltage onto the limit cycle is sufficient to give the geometrical phase resetting. In order to obtain the phase resetting in terms of elapsed time or temporal phase, a mapping between geometrical and temporal phase is obtained empirically and used to make the conversion. This mapping is shown to be an invariant of the dynamics. Perturbations in current applied to type II oscillators produce significant normal displacements from the limit cycle, so the difference in angular velocity at displaced points compared to the angular velocity on the limit cycle must be taken into account. Empirical attempts to correct for differences in angular velocity (amplitude versus phase effects in terms of a circular coordinate system) during relaxation back to the limit cycle achieved some success in the construction of phase-resetting curves for type II model oscillators. The ultimate goal of this work is the extension of these techniques to biological circuits comprising type II neural oscillators, which appear frequently in identified central pattern-generating circuits.
Characterization of soil moisture using a microstrip resonator

The development of a successful remote sensing instrument for soil moisture relies on the accurate knowledge of the soil dielectric constant relative to its moisture content. Two existing methods for measurement of dielectric constant of soil at low and high frequencies are, respectively, the time domain reflectometry (TDR) and the reflection coefficient measurement using an open ended coaxial probe. The accuracy of the measurements provided by both methods is limited. A microstrip resonator dielectric probe (MRDP) is proposed for the dielectric constant measurement of soil medium. In this technique the microstrip resonator is placed in contact with soil medium and by measuring the shift in the resonant frequency and change in the quality factor of the resonator, the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant are calculated. A prototype microstrip resonator at L-band is designed and measurements of soil with different moisture content are presented. >
Corrigendum to Wagner et al.: Natural soil microbes alter flowering phenology and the intensity of selection on flowering time in a wild Arabidopsis relative

Keywords: Flowering time; life history; microbiome; phenology; plant–microbe interactions; plasticity; selection; selective agents; soil ecology
All-optical XOR gate based on Kerr effect in single highly-nonlinear fiber

We demonstrate an all-optical XOR gate based on Kerr effect in a single highly-nonlinear fiber. We obtain a 25 dB extinction ratio using 2-km of highly-nonlinear fiber with a nonlinear coefficient of 9.1 W/sup -1/km/sup -1/.
Poliovirus Vaccination: A Trilogy

The incidence of poliomyelitis has declined dramatically since the introduction and widespread use of inactivated (IPV) and live oral (OPV) poliovirus vaccines. In the United States, fewer than 10 cases of paralytic poliomyelitis are reported each year, and all cases are vaccine associated. In contrast, paralytic disease due to wild virus continues to be a problem in less developed nations, in part due to poor seroconversion rates after receipt of OPV. The recent introduction of enhanced potency IPV has stimulated the prospects for a combined vaccine schedule that will reduce the frequency of vaccine-associated paralytic polio and retain good mucosal protection. Recent studies suggest that two doses of enhanced potency IPV followed by two doses of OPV provide excellent systemic and local immunity against polioviruses 1, 2, and 3.
Internet Chat Room Use, Satisfaction with Life, and Loneliness

In this study, 50 chat room users responded online to the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, and demographic questions which included time spent per week in Internet chat rooms. Time spent in chat rooms was positively correlated with loneliness but only weakly and negatively related to satisfaction with life.
First level hold: a novel low-overhead delay fault testing technique

This paper presents a novel delay fault testing technique, which can be used as an alternative to the enhanced scan based delay fault testing, with significantly less design overhead. Instead of using an extra latch as in the enhanced scan method, we propose using supply gating at the first level of logic gates to hold the state of the combinational circuit. Experimental results on a set of ISCAS89 benchmarks show an average reduction of 27% in area overhead with an average improvement of 62% in delay overhead and 87% in power overhead during normal mode of operation, compared to the enhanced scan implementation.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL VIEWS ON A HISTORY OF LANDSCAPE CHANGE IN EAST AFRICA

Some 2,500 years ago along the western shores of Victoria Nyanza, Bantu-speaking iron workers began to practise their industry in the area today known as Buhaya. This article examines the archaeological evidence for the history of iron technology in Buhaya from that earliest period until the present century. Of particular interest is the destructive impact of iron production and agricultural settlement on the forest resources of the region. Between 200 B.C. and A.D. o, iron-producing communities appeared along the shores of Victoria Nyanza. In the first half of the first millennium A.D., iron production and settlement increased dramatically, with hundreds of sites scattered across the landscape as far as Lake Ikimba, about 25 km. to the west of Victoria Nyanza. Charcoal excavated from iron-smelting furnaces near Kemondo Bay show that wet, gallery forests grew along the lake shore at that time, and that the smelters used a wide variety of species of wood for their industry. These forests quickly disappeared, and by A.D. 400 iron producers were exploiting secondary regrowth and less accessible swamp forests. The pollen record and the sedimentary evidence show that forests in the interior also shrank rapidly at the same time and that the area experienced a severe erosion event in the late fifth century A.D., shortly before a decline in iron smelting during the seventh century. Abandonment of the region - except for the littoral of Victoria Nyanza -followed in the second half of the first millennium A.D. Some of the Rutaran-speaking population then moved to the grassy plains of southern Uganda. Archaeological evidence shows that the region, partly reforested, was quickly reoccupied during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries A.D. According to evidence from historical linguistics, the new occupants brought more cattle and a larger number of varieties of bananas than their predecessors. Thereafter iron technology prospered again, but employed techniques that were more
Remote Sensing and GIS as Counterterrorism Tools in the Afghanistan War: Reality, Plus the Results of Media Hyperbole

Many applications of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) have been, and are being, used actively for counterterrorism in the ongoing confrontation between the remnants of the Ta...
Mis)Reading Muslims and Multiculturalism

This paper offers a review and conceptual reflection on fears about the Muslim pres ence and lack of inclusion into Western European societies and the core features of criticisms of multiculturalism. It does so by first addressing the misreadings of Islam and multiculturalism in influential works by Christopher Caldwell and Paul Scheffer. It then addresses the main points of their critiques by examining the role of the state in Muslim incorporation, framing multicultur alism theoretically in terms of claims-making, and offering evidence of the ways in which Muslim claims-making has occurred.
Into the deep blue sea: Commons theory and international governance of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

The need to understand how to sustainably govern oceanic fisheries has become increasingly urgent as their contribution to global food security and livelihoods are threatened by declining stocks. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (ABFT) is a prominent example of the complexities associated with widely distributed oceanic resources, extending in this case to include much of the North-Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. This distribution has led to limited attention from commons theorists that tend to focus on small-scale social ecological systems. Therefore in order to explore the fit between theories of the commons developed in small-scale systems, we apply the Social-Ecological Systems Meta-Analysis Database (SESMAD) to systematically analyze ABFT governance over a 22 year period. The results, which focus on the effects of resource characteristics, broadly correspond to the expectations of commons theory. Interestingly, however, the addition of resource storage in the form of ABFT ranches appears to be contributing to unsustainable harvests. This stands in contrast to previous findings in the commons literature that storage tends to enhance prospects for sustainable governance. Therefore several alternative hypotheses are developed by comparing and contrasting attributes of ABFT and canal irrigation storage. These hypotheses may be used in future research to evaluate the conditions in which storage enhances prospects for sustainable governance.
Detection of corrosion in pipe using the magnetostrictive sensor technique

A technique for inspecting steel pipes or tubes using magnetostrictive sensors (MsSs) is described. Signals acquired from approximately 6.6-m-long, 164-mm-diameter, 5-mm-wall steel pipes before and after inducing a simulated corrosion defect are given. The data show that the MsS technique is very sensitive to corrosion-type defects and can be used for 100% volumetric inspection of a long segment of piping from a single sensor location. Also, the ability to operate the sensor with a substantial gap to the outside surface of pipe makes the MsS technique suitable for inspection of piping under thermal insulation or lagging.
COSMOS-a novel MOS device paradigm

Downscaling alone is not sufficient to sustain the development of CMOS devices, and further paradigm shifts are necessary. In this paper, we argue such a shift is possible and show through technology computer-aided design simulations that a symmetrically operating CMOS device pair may be built under a single gate structure by a surprisingly simple choice of device layout and channel engineering parameters. As a result, we predict that another seemingly fundamental CMOS architectural requirement, the need to build two separate MOSFETs with individual gate stacks, may be eliminated. We call this new architecture a complementary orthogonal stacked MOS (COSMOS), which places the n and p MOSFETs perpendicular to one another under a single gate, integrating them vertically, as well as laterally. We demonstrate how the device may be built, operated, and optimized for symmetric operation, as well as verifying logic NOT operation via three-dimensional device simulations. The COSMOS architecture would not only mean significant savings in the active device area of a conventional digital CMOS layout, but also reductions in RC device parasitics associated with building and wiring two sets of devices for a single Boolean output function.
Arbitrary cutting of deformable tetrahedralized objects

We propose a flexible geometric algorithm for placing arbitrary cracks and incisions on tetrahedralized deformable objects. Although techniques based on remeshing can also accommodate arbitrary fracture patterns, this flexibility comes at the risk of creating sliver elements leading to models that are inappropriate for subsequent simulation. Furthermore, interactive applications such as virtual surgery simulation require both a relatively low resolution mesh for efficient simulation of elastic deformation and highly detailed surface geometry to facilitate accurate manipulation and cut placement. Thus, we embed a high resolution material boundary mesh into a coarser tetrahedral mesh using our cutting algorithm as a meshing tool, obtaining meshes that can be efficiently simulated while preserving surface detail. Our algorithm is similar to the virtual node algorithm in that we avoid sliver elements and their associated stringent timestep restrictions, but it is significantly more general allowing for the arbitrary cutting of existing cuts, sub-tetrahedron resolution (e.g. we cut a single tetrahedron into over a thousand pieces), progressive introduction of cuts while the object is deforming, and moreover the ability to accurately cut the high resolution embedded mesh.
Cardiovascular biomarkers predict susceptibility to lung injury in World Trade Center dust-exposed firefighters

Pulmonary vascular loss is an early feature of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Biomarkers of inflammation and of metabolic syndrome predict loss of lung function in World Trade Center (WTC) lung injury (LI). We investigated if other cardiovascular disease (CVD) biomarkers also predicted WTC-LI. This nested case-cohort study used 801 never-smoker, WTC-exposed firefighters with normal pre-9/11 lung function presenting for subspecialty pulmonary evaluation (SPE) before March 2008. A representative subcohort of 124 out of 801 subjects with serum drawn within 6 months of 9/11 defined CVD biomarker distribution. Post-9/11 forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) at defined cases were as follows: susceptible WTC-LI cases with FEV1 ≤77% predicted (66 out of 801) and resistant WTC-LI cases with FEV1 ≥107% predicted (68 out of 801). All models were adjusted for WTC exposure intensity, body mass index at SPE, age on 9/11 and pre-9/11 FEV1. Susceptible WTC-LI cases had higher levels of apolipoprotein-AII, C-reactive protein and macrophage inflammatory protein-4 with significant relative risks (RRs) of 3.85, 3.93 and 0.26, respectively, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.858. Resistant WTC-LI cases had significantly higher soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule and lower myeloperoxidase, with RRs of 2.24 and 2.89, respectively (AUC 0.830). Biomarkers of CVD in serum 6 months post-9/11 predicted either susceptibility or resistance to WTC-LI. These biomarkers may define pathways either producing or protecting subjects from pulmonary vascular disease and associated loss of lung function after an irritant exposure.
Consolidating Applications for Energy Efficiency in Heterogeneous Computing Systems

By scheduling multiple applications with complementary resource requirements on a smaller number of compute nodes, we aim to improve performance, resource utilization, energy consumption, and energy efficiency simultaneously. In addition to our naive consolidation approach, which already achieves the aforementioned goals, we propose a new energy efficiency-aware (EEA) scheduling policy and compare its performance with current state-of-the-art policies, namely round-robin (RR), resource utilization-aware (RUA), adaptive shortest-job first (ASJF) in order to support the consolidation of applications in heterogeneous computing systems, and in turn, simultaneously improve performance, resource utilization, energy consumption, and energy efficiency, as measured by the energy-delay product. Of particular note, our experimental results on a real heterogeneous computing system demonstrate the efficacy of our scheduling policies by improving overall energy efficiency by an order of magnitude.
The experimental and theoretical study of scattering losses in SI/SIO2 waveguides

CMOS-compatible, sub-micron Si/SiO2 waveguides are experimentally and theoretically studied for the effect of size and sidewall roughness on transmission losses. The loss contour map constructed from this study can be used for optimal waveguide design.
Integrating Multijurisdictional Issues into the Introductory Tax Courses

Tax educators are recognizing the increased importance of international and multistate tax issues in accounting practice, and the corresponding need to introduce accounting students to the basic principles of multijurisdictional taxation. Obstacles to greater coverage of multijurisdictional issues in the introductory tax courses include not only the significant time constraints that instructors face in these courses, but also a lack of instructional resources and experience needed to effectively teach these topics. This paper is designed to help tax educators overcome these obstacles by identifying the appropriate multijurisdictional learning objectives for the introductory tax courses, summarizing available instructional resources, and providing sample teaching materials that can be used to teach these topics.
Effects of figural complexity on the identification of different solid and outlined shapes

Forty-eight Ss responded in a paper-and-pencil figure-cancellation task to both solid and outlined histoforms and polygons. Three levels of complexity were provided by use of four-, six-, and eight-element constrained metric figures. Perceptual performance, in terms of speed of figure identification, was generally better on polygons than on histoforms, and better on outlined than on solid figures. More importantly, figural complexity was found to interact significantly with these variables: perceptual performance was relatively better on outlined than on solid figures at low levels of complexity, and increases in complexity were less disturbing with polygons than with histoforms.
Coupled Systems: Capillary GC/MS and Capillary GC/FTIR

Les deux techniques analytiques sont comparees des points de vue appareillage, traitement des donnees et type d'information structurale
Study on Predicting Model for Indoor Flashover Based on Support Vector Machine

In order to accurately predict flashover,based on the fact that insufficient samples restrict the knowledge-based method to some extent on predicting the flashover,a mathematical model for predicting indoor flashover was built using SVM technology.Under the condition of only a small quantity of samples,the application tool software LIBSVM was used to simulate the flashover prediction model and artificial neural network prediction model.The result shows that the SVM model can solve the contradiction of precision between small samples and prediction models with a higher accuracy and feasibility than neural network prediction model.The application example demonstrates that the traditional prediction methods have certain limitations in the application of predicting flashover due to many factors affecting indoor fires,but the SVM model can get a good prediction result which is relatively in accord with the experimental results.
Further Developments in the Electromagnetically Sustained Rhodes Piano.

The Electromagnetically Sustained Rhodes Piano is an original Rhodes Piano modified to provide control over the amplitude envelope of individual notes through aftertouch pressure. Although there are many opportunities to shape the amplitude envelope before loudspeaker amplification, they are all governed by the ever-decaying physical vibrations of the tone generating mechanism. A single-note proof of concept for electromagnetic control over this vibrating mechanism was presented at NIME 2011. In the past year, virtually every aspect of the system has been improved. We use a different vibration sensor that is immune to electromagnetic interference, thus eliminating troublesome feedback. For control, we both reduce cost and gain continuous position sensing throughout the entire range of key motion in addition to aftertouch pressure. Finally, the entire system now fits within the space constraints presented by the original piano, allowing it to be installed on adjacent notes.
Renal Vein Thrombosis: Diagnosis by B-Scan Ultrasonography

Abstract The substantial morbidity associated with renal vein thrombosis dictates early diagnosis and therapy. While acute renal vein thrombosis may present with symptoms and radiographic features suggestive of venous thrombosis the findings in chronic renal vein thrombpsis are often non-specific. A case of acute renal vein thrombosis is reported in which thrombus in the inferior vena cava was visualized with B-scan ultrasonography. Since nearly 50 per cent of the reported cases of renal vein thrombosis are associated with thrombosis of the inferior vena cava, B-scan ultrasonography may provide a simple method of early diagnosis.
The lumbar spine in the aging athlete.

Recent years have seen an explosive emphasis on physical fitness in all age groups including our older population. Athletic endeavors in this group may range from weekend sports enthusiast to full-time competitive Master’s athlete. This article highlights the diagnosis and treatment of the various lumbar spine syndromes frequently seen in the mature athlete.
Marketing Sovereign Promises: Monopoly Brokerage and the Growth of the English State

How did England, once a minor regional power, become a global hegemon between 1689 and 1815? Why, over the same period, did she become the world's first industrial nation? Gary W. Cox addresses these questions in Marketing Sovereign Promises. The book examines two central issues: the origins of the great taxing power of the modern state and how that power is made compatible with economic growth. Part I considers England's rise after the revolution of 1689, highlighting the establishment of annual budgets with shutdown reversions. This core reform effected a great increase in per capita tax extraction. Part II investigates the regional and global spread of British budgeting ideas. Cox argues that states grew only if they addressed a central credibility problem afflicting the Ancien Regime - that rulers were legally entitled to spend public revenue however they deemed fit.
FPGA implementation of two involutional block ciphers targeted to wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we investigate the energy cost of the FPGA implementation of two cryptographic algorithms targeted to wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Recent trends have seen the emergence of WSNs using sensor nodes based on reconfigurable hardware, such as a field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), thereby providing flexible functionality with higher performance than classical microcontroller based sensor nodes. In our study, we investigate the hardware implementation of involutional block ciphers since the characteristics of involution enables performing encryption and decryption using the same circuit. This characteristic is particularly appropriate for a wireless sensor node which requires the function of both encryption and decryption. Further, in order to consider the suitability of a cipher for application to a wireless sensor node, which is an energy constrained device, it is most critical to consider the cost of encryption in terms of energy consumption. Hence, we choose two involutional block ciphers, KHAZAD and BSPN, and analyze their energy efficiency for FPGA implementation.
Racing Heart and Sweaty Palms

In psychotherapy, virtual audiences have been shown to promote successful outcomes when used to help treating public speaking anxiety. Additionally, early experiments have shown its potential to help improve public speaking ability. However, it is still unclear to what extent certain factors, such as audience non-verbal behaviors, impact users when interacting with a virtual audience. In this paper, we design an experimental study to investigate users’ self-assessments and physiological states when interacting with a virtual audience. Our results showed that virtual audience behaviors did not influence participants self-assessments or physiological responses, which were instead predominantly determined by participants’ prior anxiety levels.
System Identification Using Nonlinear Structural Models

Analytical modeling of structures subjected to ground motions is an important aspect of fully dynamic earthquake-resistant design. In general, linear models are only sufficient to represent structural responses resulting from earthquake motions of small amplitudes. However, the response of structures during strong ground motions is highly nonlinear and hysteretic, and the development of appropriate models is an important and challenging problem.
Overdiagnosis, Underdiagnosis, Synthesis: A Dialectic for Psychiatry and the DSM

Defining the borders of mental illness is challenging due to the lack of established validity for psychiatric disorders, a diagnostic system based largely on reported symptoms, and the highly subjective nature of distress and functional impairment. Consequently, debates about the potential perils of overdiagnosis (e.g., false positives) and underdiagnosis (e.g., false negatives) with new diagnostic revisions are ongoing as we prepare for the release of DSM-5. Such debates are rooted in the many different and often conflicting applications of psychiatric diagnosis, with clinical work generally favoring lowered diagnostic thresholds on the one hand and the work of rationing of healthcare resources necessitating higher thresholds on the other. Deciding what should or should not be considered a mental disorder in DSM can only be resolved by a pragmatic analysis of contextual utility. A philosophically satisfying, scientifically grounded, and economically viable model of future psychiatry should more formally acknowledge a continuum of mental illness and mental health, apply research evidence-based guidelines regarding optimal interventions along this continuum rather than assuming pharmacotherapy is a panacea, and concede that specialty care provided by psychiatrists must be integrated within the larger scope of mental health care.
Neither Here Nor There: War Memorial Landscape in Imperial Russia, the Soviet Union, and the Russian Emigration, 1914–1939

The emergence and persistence of an internationalist, revolutionary state in Russia after 1917 meant that Russian war memory would differ from that of other combatant nations in the interwar period. In wartime Russia, efforts were made to create a new type of war cemetery that would provide patriotic education and a place for mourning and consolation. In the early Soviet Union, however, political leaders were part of an international movement that negated the tsarist past, and they rejected any commemoration of the First World War. A ‘Russian’ national memorial landscape of war was instead imagined by emigres in foreign lands. There, Russians recreated the physical and cultural attributes of a Russia-in-exile to maintain a national consciousness and create common connections with non-Russian populations and governments. Russian memorial cemeteries were thus ‘neither here nor there’ as the interwar national memorial landscape became detached from the physical landscape and legal sovereignty of the Russian homeland.
High efficiency high temperature heat extraction from porous media reciprocal flow burner: Time-averaged model

Abstract The high temperature heat extraction from a porous media reciprocal flow burner (RFB) is studied numerically. In RFB, the air/fuel mixture flow direction is switched periodically to contain and sustain combustion. High temperature heat extraction is essential for the efficient operation of small electrical and thermal systems based on thermoelectric generators, Stirling engines and micro-turbines. In this paper, the efficiency of the heat extraction is studied for different extraction locations, temperatures and equivalence ratios. An 1-D time-averaged model is developed and validated to represent a RFB and to further predict the behavior of the burner. Optimization on the burner’s geometry is also performed to increase the heat extraction efficiency.
A creep-damage phase-field model: Predicting topological inversion in Ni-based single crystal superalloys

Abstract The lifetime of Ni-based single crystal superalloys is connected to the integrity of the strengthening phase, γ′. Hence, fundamentally understanding and predicting how the mechanical behavior of the γ′ phase softens with the evolution of damage is essential to improve their lifetime predictions. During high-temperature creep, the γ′ phase coalesces, coarsens, and is finally topologically inverted, viz. surrounds the γ phase and acts as the matrix. The topological inversion comes along with an increase in the plastic strain rate known as the tertiary creep. X-ray tomography experiment has recently revealed that the tertiary creep initiates before the expected increase in the volume fraction of pores. Thus, the initiation of the tertiary creep stage might also be due to the destabilization of the γ/γ′ interfacial dislocation network leading to the massive shearing of γ rafts concomitantly resulting in topological inversion. Therefore, to account for microstructural degradation as damage, we proposed a ‘macroscopic damage-coupled crystal-plasticity’ informed elasticity formulation in phase-field. The predictions from this ‘creep-damage phase-field model’ agree with the experimental observations; are strikingly similar to the SEM images, and gives a complete microstructural evolution, including topological inversion, leading to further insights about the role of γ′ volume fraction in topological inversion.
Insights from a Math Phobic

Phobies can become fans any adults readily admit to having "math phobia." I am one of them, and until recently I believed that math phobia was an incurable disease. However, what I discovered about learning and teaching mathematics as a result of taking a statistics course helped me realize that with a more personal and process-oriented approach, teachers can not only prevent math phobia but may also be able to turn some phobies into fans. In my public-school days I didn't understand mathematics. I didn't like it and I didn't do well. I got high school credit for the two courses I needed for college by voluntarily attending after-school help sessions two days a week. These sessions did little to increase my understanding of mathemat ics, but my attendance at them led my teachers to give passing grades for my efforts. Recently when I was required to take a statistics course, I had to fight very hard against the old feel ings that had previously caused me to give up on learning mathematics. The ensuing struggle was worthwhile; not only did I discover that I could do mathematics, but I also found out why I had never viewed mathematics as a language that I could learn to speak and a way of thinking that I could comprehend. Math phobia isn't an inherited ten dency; it is created. It can be created when teach ers place too much emphasis on memorizing formu las and applying rules. It can result when teachers fail to realize the critical connection between stu
The Catalyzed Reduction of Nitric Oxide by Carbon Monoxide Using Soluble Rhodium Complexes

The reduction of nitric oxide by carbon monoxide to yield CO2 and N2O is of obvious environmental importance. However, despite its favorable thermodynamics,2 reaction (1) does not proceed at an appreciable rate in the absence of catalyst.
The Cosmic Perspective

My topic throughout this book has been the good for individual man. I began by considering just that, as though the individual were only a whole containing parts and not himself a part of any larger whole, or as though he were part of a larger whole which had to be considered just in connection with the perspective taken from that particular part. A certain amount of insight was gained in that way but the picture could not be completed because there are moral considerations which remain to be defined in terms of a larger context. For man is not independent but exists in virtue of his ability to adapt to his environment. Thus it became necessary to consider the morality of the human species, and now we shall have to include in our considerations the relations between the human species and other species.
Organic Haptics: Intersection of Materials Chemistry and Tactile Perception

The goal of the field of haptics is to create technologies that manipulate the sense of touch. In virtual and augmented reality, haptic devices are for touch what loudspeakers and RGB displays are for hearing and vision. Haptic systems that utilize micromotors or other miniaturized mechanical devices (e.g., for vibration and pneumatic actuation) produce interesting effects, but are quite far from reproducing the feeling of real materials. They are especially deficient in recapitulating surface properties: fine texture, friction, viscoelasticity, tack, and softness. The central argument of this Progress Report is that to reproduce the feel of everyday objects requires chemistry: molecular control over the properties of materials and ultimately design of materials which can change these properties in real time. Stimuli-responsive organic materials, such as polymers and composites, are a class of materials which can change their oxidation state, conductivity, shape, and rheological properties, and thus might be useful in future haptic technologies. Moreover, the use of such materials in research on tactile perception could help elucidate the limits of human tactile sensitivity. The work described represents the beginnings of this new area of inquiry, in which the defining approach is the marriage of materials science and psychology.
Theurgy and Transhumanism

Abstract: Theurgy was a system of magical practices in the late Roman Empire. It was applied Neoplatonism. The theurgists aimed to enable human bodies to assume divine attributes, that is, to become deities. I aim to show that much of the structure of theurgical Neoplatonism appears in transhumanism. Theurgists and transhumanists share a core Platonic-Pythagorean metaphysics. They share goals and methods. The theurgists practiced astrology, the reading of entrails, the consultation of oracles, channeling deities, magic, and the animation of statues. The transhumanist counterparts of those practices are genetics, self-tracking with biosensors, artificial intellects like Google and Siri, brain-computer interfaces, programming, and robotics. Transhumanist techno-theurgy shows how Neoplatonism can be a modern philosophical way of life.
Severe COVID-19 infection in pregnancy requiring intubation without preterm delivery: A case report.

Abstract Background Coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) is a global health crisis, but there is limited guidance for the critical care management of pregnant patients experiencing respiratory collapse. We describe our management of a peri-viable pregnant patient requiring intubation; discussion includes pharmacologic interventions, mechanical ventilation adjustments, and consideration of fetal interventions, including delivery timing. Case A 36-year-old, gravida 2, para 1 woman positive for COVID-19 at 23 weeks of gestation with severe disease required admission to the intensive care unit and intubation. She completed 5 days of hydroxychloroquine and 7 days of prednisone. She was successfully intubated after 8 days and discharged home in a stable condition without preterm delivery on hospital day 11. Conclusion Fortunately, the patient responded to aggressive respiratory support with intubation and mechanical ventilation early upon presentation. It is unclear whether our institution's empiric use of hydroxychloroquine and prednisone facilitated her recovery. We hope that our report helps other institutions navigate the complex care surrounding pregnant patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring intensive care.
Amyand's hernia with perforated appendicitis complicated by post-operative bowel Necrosis in an extremely preterm infant

Abstract Amyand's hernia is an exceedingly rare condition in which the appendix is found in an inguinal hernia. The appendix can be normal, inflamed, infected, or perforated. Here, we present a case of perforated appendicitis in an Amyand's hernia in an extremely preterm infant with subsequent post-operative complications including necrotic bowel and venous thrombosis of the mesentery. This article stresses the importance of complications that can arise in Amyand's hernia, especially in an extremely preterm infant.
In Memoriam: Leonard C. Maximon (1926–2020)

It is with great sadness that we report the death of our special colleague, Leonard Charles Maximon. Max, as he was called by his friends and colleagues, passed away in his sleep on 4 January 2020,...
The LVAD-Supported Patient Presenting for Non-Cardiac Surgery

As the numbers of patients implanted with an LVAD continues to grow, the number of supported patients that require interventional and diagnostic non-cardiac surgical procedures (NCS) is also increasing. This chapter discusses the pre-, intra-, and postoperative considerations for LVAD-supported patients presenting for non-cardiac surgery.
High Incidence of Barotrauma in Patients With Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Objective.:To report the high incidence of barotrauma in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to discuss its implications.D...
Spectral partitioning for structure from motion

We propose a spectral partitioning approach for large-scale optimization problems, specifically structure from motion. In structure from motion, partitioning methods reduce the problem into smaller and better conditioned subproblems which can be efficiently optimized. Our partitioning method uses only the Hessian of the reprojection error and its eigenvector. We show that partitioned systems that preserve the eigenvectors corresponding to small eigenvalues result in lower residual error when optimized. We create partitions by clustering the entries of the eigenvectors of the Hessian corresponding to small eigenvalues. This is a more general technique than relying on domain knowledge and heuristics such as bottom-up structure from motion approaches. Simultaneously, it takes advantage of more information than generic matrix partitioning algorithms.
Identification of the Target for a Transition Metal-α-Amino Acid Complex Antibiotic Against Mycobacterium smegmatis.

Spontaneous mutants of Mycobacterium smegmatis strain mc2155 resistant to 1-PG (iridium-L-phenylglycine complex), an antimycobacterial antibiotic, were isolated. Based on the discovery that some 1-PG-resistant mutants (1-PGR) were also resistant to high concentrations of clarithromycin (≥ 250 µg/mL), but no other anti-mycobacterial antibiotics, the 23S rRNA region spanning the peptidyl transferase domain was sequenced and mutations shown to be localized in the peptidyl transferase domain of the 23S rRNA gene. Measurements showed that 1-PG bound to ribosomes isolated from the 1-PG-sensitive parental strain, but the ribosome binding values for the 1-PGR mutant were significantly (P = 0.0474) reduced.
Sums of Squares and Positive Polynomials

In most cases, the building blocks of certificates of positivity are sums of squares of polynomials. In this chapter we discuss the theory of positive polynomials and sums of squares, which underlies everything else in the book. This theory has its origins in the work of Hilbert from the late 19th century; Hilbert’s interest in these topics appears to have started when he was an officially appointed “opponent” for Minkowski’s thesis defense on July 30, 1885.
Design Life Simulation of a PCRV

A nonlinear three-dimensional finite element program was used to analyze the prestressed concrete reactor vessel (PCRV) of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. The various loading conditions were selected to simulate the 40-year design life of the vessel. The computer program was developed to consider the nonlinear behavior of concrete, including cracking, crushing, and creep; the elasto-plastic behavior of steel liner plates; prestressing effects due to unbonded tendons and circumferential prestress. The program theory has been described elsewhere. This paper deals with the application of the program to the study of a PCRV. The vessel’s response to various normal, abnormal, and extreme loading conditions are discussed together with the approaches taken to assess the safety against failure.
Risk Based Student Loans -- Powerpoint Presentation

This is a powerpoint presentation based on Risk Based Student Loans. The full article is available on SSRN at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1941070
Samir Puri. Pakistan's War on Terrorism: Strategies for Combating Jihadist Armed Groups Since 9/11.

Pakistan's War on Terrorism: Strategies for Combating Jihadist Armed Groups Since 9/11 examines the origins and consequences of Pakistan's strategies against terrorism. Samir Puri chronologically t...
Proceedings of the 6th workshop on Parallel and distributed systems: testing, analysis, and debugging

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 6th Workshop on Parallel and Distributed Systems: Testing, Analysis, and Debugging (PADTAD '08). When we started PADTAD in 2003, it was the only workshop dedicated to testing of concurrent and distributed software. This field is taking center stage, as can be seen by the growing attention it is receiving in dedicated workshops and top conferences. Industry interest in PADTAD topics is reflected in our distinguished list of supporting companies, which includes IBM, Intel, and Microsoft. These companies and others now have groups dedicated to concurrency testing tools. PADTAD's mission is to share advances in the field of testing, analysis, and debugging of concurrent systems between industry and academia. This is achieved through the balanced mix of presentations and attendees from industry and academia. In this rapidly developing field, academic work can go quickly from theory to practice, and industrial work is often cutting edge and publishable. PADTAD '08 features a keynote presentation by Dr. Ramesh Peri, a Principal Engineer at Intel, on software development tools for multi-core/parallel programming. While PADTAD's traditional focus is on tools, it is clear that teaching students and professionals how to develop and test concurrent systems is also essential. Therefore, PADTAD '08 includes a special session on Education, featuring invited presentations by Dr. Madan Musuvathi from Microsoft Research and Dr. Eitan Farchi from IBM Research.
Moving towards a cure: blocking pathogenic antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by the presence of autoantibodies that can mediate tissue damage in multiple organs. The underlying aetiology of SLE autoantibodies remains unknown, and treatments aimed at eliminating B cells, or limiting their function, have demonstrated limited therapeutic benefit. Thus, the current therapies for SLE are based on the concept of nonspecific immunosuppression and consist of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), corticosteroids, anti-malarials and cytotoxic drugs, all of which have serious adverse side effects including organ damage. The major auto-specificity in SLE is double-stranded (ds) DNA. Many anti-dsDNA antibodies cross-react with non-DNA antigens that may be the direct targets for their pathogenic activity. Studying anti-dsDNA antibodies present in SLE patients and in animal models of lupus, we have identified a subset of anti-dsDNA antibodies which is pathogenic in the brain as well as in the kidney. We have recently demonstrated that specific peptides, or small molecules, can protect target organs from antibody-mediated damage. Thus, it might be possible to treat the aspects of autoimmune disease without inducing major immunosuppression and ensuing infectious complications.
A 300-million-year record of atmospheric carbon dioxide from fossil plant cuticles

To understand better the link between atmospheric CO2 concentrations and climate over geological time, records of past CO2 are reconstructed from geochemical proxies1,2,3,4. Although these records have provided us with a broad picture of CO2 variation throughout the Phanerozoic eon (the past 544 Myr), inconsistencies and gaps remain that still need to be resolved. Here I present a continuous 300-Myr record of stomatal abundance from fossil leaves of four genera of plants that are closely related to the present-day Ginkgo tree. Using the known relationship between leaf stomatal abundance and growing season CO2 concentrations5,6, I reconstruct past atmospheric CO2 concentrations. For the past 300 Myr, only two intervals of low CO2 ( 2,000 p.p.m.v.) concentrations. These results are consistent with some reconstructions of past CO2 (refs 1, 2) and palaeotemperature records7, but suggest that CO2 reconstructions based on carbon isotope proxies3,4 may be compromised by episodic outbursts of isotopically light methane8,9. These results support the role of water vapour, methane and CO2 in greenhouse climate warming over the past 300 Myr.
Hospitality and Hope

AbstractMajor currents within contemporary continental thought have been significantly influenced by the psychoanalytic tradition, particularly via Jacques Lacan. Thus a pervasive stream of thought conceives of the relationship between self and other as one characterized primarily by conflict, threat, or lack. This reading has often been taken as paradigmatic and broadened to include relations between societies. If not challenged, this paradigm undermines any cause for hope that society might be structured in terms other than us/them, insider/outsider. Jacques Derrida’s work opens up a way to think differently, training our attention on the essential affirmation of the other that underlies all human experience. The central thesis of this paper is that the developmental theory of Jean Piaget, read against the grain of how his work has often been appropriated, lends robust support to this more hopeful reading, highlighting a self constituted in and by orientation to the other. Currents within contemporary d...
Cultural influences on memory

Research reveals dramatic differences in the ways that people from different cultures perceive the world around them. Individuals from Western cultures tend to focus on that which is object-based, categorically related, or self-relevant whereas people from Eastern cultures tend to focus more on contextual details, similarities, and group-relevant information. These different ways of perceiving the world suggest that culture operates as a lens that directs attention and filters the processing of the environment into memory. The present review describes the behavioral and neural studies exploring the contribution of culture to long-term memory and related processes. By reviewing the extant data on the role of various neural regions in memory and considering unifying frameworks such as a memory specificity approach, we identify some promising directions for future research.