cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Conformal FDTD Method With Accurate Waveport Excitation and S-Parameter Extraction

We demonstrate a conformal finite-difference time domain (CFDTD) technique with accurate waveport excitation and S-parameter extraction. We discuss, under the CFDTD framework, object modeling with effective subcell material, impedance calibration for the conformal modeled coaxial feed, waveport mode calculation with a newly developed conformal 2-D finite-difference frequency domain solver, waveport excitation with a modified total field scattered field method, and a modified S-parameter extraction scheme that is compatible with the CFDTD method. Lastly, we present two specific validation cases intended as relevant precursors to the inverse scattering application: modeling of the reflection coefficient of a tapered patch antenna and modeling of the transmission coefficient in a probe-fed rectangular waveguide.
Afterword: Writing Neoliberal Values: Literacies of Necropolitical Violence

In previous chapters, I discussed Achille Mbembe’s (2003) expansion of biopolitics into necropolitics, which describes the creation of “death worlds” in which subcontracted laborers, sex workers who have children, women who move in and out of halfway homes, impoverished men of color who have HIV, and many others are disposable. Mbembe describes “topographies of cruelty,” in which populations of people are surveilled and incarcerated, neglected and abandoned, or left to die because they are not value-producing. Building upon Mbembe’s work, with attention to how the politics of death works through gender as well as race, I have argued that analyzing rhetorical processes for the selective encouragement of life, and the creation of death worlds, is essential for understanding current forms of neoliberal governmentality. Chapters focus on human-interest stories that rhetorically extend and circulate necropolitical violence.
Outcomes of Direct Current Cardioversion in Adults With Congenital Heart Disease.

Few data exist on direct current cardioversion (DCCV) in adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). This is a retrospective case-control study of 279 adults with CHD and 279 adults without CHD (control group) who had elective DCCV for atrial arrhythmias at Mayo Clinic, 2001 to 2013. Control patients were matched by gender and arrhythmia type. The objective was to compare DCCV procedural failure (failure to terminate the presenting arrhythmia) and arrhythmia recurrence (AR). In the CHD group (mean age 55 ± 20 years; men 166 [59%]), the most common diagnosis was Fontan palliation (61; 22%). Transesophageal echocardiography was performed before DCCV in 216 patients (77%); 162 (58%) had atrial flutter, and 117 (42%) had atrial fibrillation. Procedural failure and AR between the case and the control groups were more common in the CHD group (14% vs 7%, p = 0.01) and (83% vs 66% at 60 months, p = 0.001) respectively. There were no deaths or thromboembolic complications. The multivariable risk factors for procedural failure were Fontan palliation and spontaneous echocardiographic contrast; the risk factors for AR were Fontan palliation and atrial fibrillation. When patients with Fontan palliation were excluded from the analysis, the outcome of DCCV (failure and recurrence rates) was similar for the CHD and non-CHD groups despite the age difference between the cohorts. In conclusion, the present study showed that DCCV outcomes were similar for CHD and non-CHD patients, with the exception of patients with Fontan palliation.
Regional Variation in Outcomes of Hospitalized Patients Having Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

The aim of this study was to investigate patient outcomes after hospitalization for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States. We used the 2002 to 2013 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database to identify adults ≥18 years with an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, principal diagnosis code of cardiorespiratory arrest (427.5) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) (427.41). In 4 predefined federal geographic regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West, means and proportions of survival, survival stratified by initial rhythm, hospital charges, and cost were estimated. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were conducted. Of the 154,177 patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest hospitalized in the United States, 25,873 (16.8%) were in the Northeast, 38,296 (24.8%) in the Midwest, 57,305 (37.2%) in the South, and 32,703 (21.2%) in the West. Variability in survival was noted in VF arrests; compared with the Northeast, survival was higher in the Midwest and South (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 to 1.32 and AOR 1.24, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.40, respectively), with no difference detected in the West (AOR 0.93, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.06). No variability in survival was noted after non-VF arrests (p >0.05). Hospital charges rose significantly across all regions of the United States (p-trend $109,000/admission, AOR 1.76; 95% CI 1.50 to 2.06). In conclusion, nationwide, we observed significant regional variability in survival of hospitalized patients after out of hospital VF cardiac arrest, no survival variability after non-VF arrests, and a steady increase in hospital charges.
Outcomes of ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Complicated by Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (from the Los Angeles County Regional System).

The objective of this study was to evaluate the time to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and the outcome for patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) complicated by out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). In this regional system, all patients with STEMI and/or OHCA with return of spontaneous circulation were transported to STEMI Receiving Centers. The outcomes registry was queried for patients with STEMI with underwent primary PCI from April 2011 to December 2014. Patients with STEMI complicated by OHCA were compared with a reference group of STEMI without OHCA. The primary end point was the first medical contact-to-device time. Of 4,729 patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI, 422 patients (9%) suffered OHCA. Patients with OHCA were on average 2 years (95% confidence interval 0.7 to 3.0) older and had a slightly higher male predominance. The first medical contact-to-device time was longer in STEMI with OHCA compared with STEMI alone (94 ± 37 vs. 86 ± 34 minutes, p
Traffic Load Balancing Among Brokers at the IoT Application Layer

At the Internet of Things (IoT) application layer, a physical phenomenon, which is sensed by a server (i.e., an IoT device), is defined as an IoT resource. In this paper, we propose to cache popular IoT resources in brokers, which are considered as the application layer middleware nodes. Caching popular resources in the brokers is to move the traffic loads (for delivering the up-to-date contents of the resources) from the servers (which host these popular resources) to the brokers, thus reducing the energy consumption of the servers. However, many brokers may be geographically distributed in the network and caching popular resources in nearby brokers may result in unbalanced traffic loads among the brokers, and may thus dramatically increase the average delay of the brokers in delivering the contents of their cached popular resources to clients. To reduce the average delay among the brokers, we propose to re-cache/re-allocate the popular resources from heavily loaded brokers into lightly loaded brokers in order to balance the traffic loads among brokers. We formulate the popular resource re-caching problem as an optimization problem, which is proven to be NP-hard. We design the latency aware popular resource re-caching (LEARN) algorithm to efficiently solve the problem, and demonstrate the performance of LEARN via simulations.
Resident memory T cells: Runx and hide

The transcription factor Runx3 enhances the differentiation and survival of CD8+ resident memory T cells; enhancing Runx3 expression in responding T cells could lead to better therapies for infection and cancer.
Asymptotic Behavior of Rényi Entropy in the Central Limit Theorem

We explore an asymptotic behavior of Renyi entropy along convolutions in the central limit theorem with respect to the increasing number of i.i.d. summands. In particular, the problem of monotonicity is addressed under suitable moment hypotheses.
Neoliberal Agrarian Policies and Its Effects: Labour Flexibility and Regimentation in Mexico’s Export Agricultural Industry

This chapter examines the production of fresh produce in northern Mexico for consumer markets in the United States and its impact on farmworkers in Baja California. While labour flexibility is at the heart of the global fresh-produce industry, work has become increasingly standardized and regimented to enhance workers’ productivity. The result is a labour regime characterized by heightening discipline and labor control. Five elements of this production regime, namely indoor agriculture, piece-rate system, the merging of harvest and packing, the use of good agricultural practices (GAP), and time as a mechanism for labor control are described. Together, the author contends, these components have led to the quantitative and qualitative intensification of the work process for farm laborers, which he terms regimented flexibility.
Event-Related Potentials: Slow Potentials

The electroencephalography (EEG) in humans was first demonstrated by Hans Berger in the 1920s. Later, researchers have examined time-locked EEG segments in relation to particular stimuli. Various EEG measures including evoke-related potential (ERP), Bereitschaftpotentials (BP), and lateralized readiness potential (LRP) that have focused on motor- and cognitive-related activities were illustrated. Alteration of ERP, BP, and LRP in patients with movement disorders has been documented in numerous studies.
Clays and Clay Minerals of Hydrothermal Origin in Hawaii

Abstract Hydrothermal clays and clay minerals of Hawaii include actinolite, albite, alunite, anhydrite, calcite, cristobalite, hematite, heulandite, laumontite, mordenite, pyrite, quartz, chlorite, kaolinite, montmorillonite, mixed-layered chlorite-montmorillonite and mixed-layered chlorite-vermiculite. They can be grouped into five zones: (1) actinolite, (2) chlorite, (3) montmorillonite, (4) kaolinite, and (5) alunite. Four examples of hydrothermally altered Hawaiian basalts of Hawaii are discussed. They are (1) cores from Hawaii geothermal project well-A, Kilauea, Hawaii, (2) Waiahewahewa Gulch near Hoolehua, Molokai, (3) Koolau Caldera, Oahu, and (4) Waianae Caldera, Oahu. The zonal distribution of hydrothermal minerals is related to temperature, permeability and composition of fluid.
Allosteric effectors are required for subunit association in T4 phage ribonucleotide reductase

Bacteriophage T4 encodes its own aerobic ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), which reduces ribonucleoside diphosphates to the corresponding deoxyribonucleoside diphosphates. T4 RNR is composed of homodimeric large (R1) and small (R2) subunits. Intricate regulation of enzymatic activity is accomplished by the binding of nucleotide effectors to R1. Berglund (Berglund, O. (1972) J. Biol. Chem. 247, 7270-7275) described similarities between T4 RNR and the corresponding enzyme from aerobic Escherichia coli. An important difference, however, is that T4 RNR forms a tight R1.R2 complex, while the E. coli R1 and R2 more readily dissociate. In this study we purified the phage R2 subunit from an overexpression vector constructed by Tseng et al. (Tseng, M., Hilfinger, J., He, P., and Greenberg, R. (1992) J. Bacteriol. 174, 5740-5744) and used this as an immunogen to generate polyclonal antiserum. Using co-immunoprecipitation techniques, we probed in vitro for interactions between the phage-induced R1 and R2 subunits. Our studies indicate that tight binding of the phage RNR subunits is completely dependent upon the known allosteric effectors of the enzyme. Once the R1.R2 holoenzyme has been formed it appears to be remarkably stable when in the presence of dATP. However, if dATP is removed, the R1.R2 complex readily dissociates.
Considerations in randomized trials to test technologies

I appreciate the opportunity to comment on the editorial by Cushman and colleagues, which reviewed our trial, the first randomized trial to directly compare proton therapy with intensity-modulated photon (X-ray) radiation therapy (IMRT) for lung cancer (https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2017.74.0720).
Outcomes of elbow flexion reconstruction in patients older than 50 with traumatic brachial plexus injury

Background There is controversy regarding the effectiveness of brachial plexus reconstruction for elbow function in older patients, as reported outcomes are generally poor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate elbow function outcomes in patients older than 50. Methods Fifty-eight patients older than 50 years underwent nerve grafting, transfers, or free functioning muscle transfer to improve elbow function after traumatic brachial plexus injury. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively for elbow flexion strength and range of motion; Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scores; pain; concomitant trauma; severity of trauma; and type of reconstruction. Results The average age of the patients was 57.8 years, and the average follow-up was 24.0 months. The average modified British Medical Research Council elbow flexion grade improved significantly from 0.26 to 2.63. Thirty-three patients (60 percent) achieved functional flexion greater than or equal to M3 postoperatively, compared to zero patients preoperatively. There was no correlation between age and modified British Medical Research Council grade. Active elbow range of motion improved significantly postoperatively, with no effect of age on flexion motion. More patients achieved greater than or equal to M3 flexion with nerve transfers (69 percent) compared to free functioning muscle transfer (43 percent). Patients had worse outcomes with high-energy injuries. The mean Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score decreased from 51.5 to 49.6 postoperatively, and the average pain score decreased from 5.0 to 4.3. Conclusion Brachial plexus reconstruction for elbow function in patients older than 50 can yield useful flexion. Clinical question/level of evidence Therapeutic, IV.
Progress Monitoring Measures for Internalizing Symptoms: A Systematic Review of the Peer-Reviewed Literature

A critical component of multi-tiered systems of support is the incorporation of formative assessment, which supports school personnel in making data-based decisions about students’ responsiveness to interventions. Although a variety of assessments exist for monitoring the progress of students’ academic and behavioral functioning, the literature supporting progress monitoring of symptoms related to internalizing disorders, such as anxiety and depression, is less robust. Accordingly, the need for progress monitoring measures for internalizing symptoms for use within a school-based multi-tiered framework has been underscored. Thus, the purpose of this three-stage systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature was to (1) identify assessments that have been used to progress monitor the symptoms of children’ internalizing symptoms; (2) analyze their psychometric properties and basic characteristics; (3) and review their appropriateness for use as progress monitoring measures within a school setting. The results of the review identified 15 unique assessments that have been used to progress monitor internalizing symptoms in children, with eight of those assessments deemed practical for frequent use within a school setting. Implications of the results, limitations of the review, and future directions for research are discussed.
Cultivating familismo: belonging and inclusion in one Latina/o learning community

ABSTRACTThis qualitative study examines how belonging works in conjunction with a cultural framework called ‘familismo’ to promote inclusive environments for Latina/o student success. Using the ind...
Predictive cues reduce but do not eliminate intrinsic response bias

Abstract Predictive cues induce large changes in people’s choices by biasing responses towards the expected stimulus category. At the same time, even in the absence of predictive cues, humans often exhibit substantial intrinsic response biases. Despite the ubiquity of both of these biasing effects, it remains unclear how predictive cues interact with intrinsic bias. To understand the nature of this interaction, we examined data across three previous experiments that featured a combination of neutral cues (revealing intrinsic biases) and predictive cues. We found that predictive cues decreased the intrinsic bias to about half of its original size. This result held both when bias was quantified as the criterion location estimated using signal detection theory and as the probability of choosing a particular stimulus category. Our findings demonstrate that predictive cues reduce but do not eliminate intrinsic response bias, testifying to both the malleability and rigidity of intrinsic biases.
Stroke in the Young: a Global Update

We aim to evaluate the epidemiology, racial and gender disparity, etiology, and treatment of stroke in the younger population. The younger age group without vascular risk factors exhibits an increased prevalence of cardio-embolism in context of patent foramen ovale/atrial septal aneurysm strokes, from other determined etiology of non-atherosclerotic vasculopathy including dissection, inherited or acquired thrombophilia, and other unusual causes of stroke. Ethnic disparities also exist in certain populations. The prevalence of stroke in the young is increasing due to several factors. Since stroke is often disabling, this trend poses an enormous threat to socioeconomic stability especially in developing countries. In young patients with an absence of conventional vascular risk factors and negative preliminary stroke work-up, clinicians must consider less common causes of stroke in this population. There is prime opportunity for future investigations as there is currently a lack of evidence-based management guidelines for these uncommon etiologies based on research completed to date.
More Than Just Teenage Angst

Abstract A 17-year-old girl with a history of anxiety and emotional dysregulation presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, weight loss, dizziness, and vomiting. She had previously been prescribed several medications for ongoing somatic and psychiatric complaints, but her symptoms continued to escalate. She was noted to have significant weight loss, orthostatic hypotension, a prolonged QTc on electrocardiogram, and a serum sodium of 130 mEq/L. She was admitted with concern for an eating disorder. While inpatient, her symptoms continued to evolve, and a test was sent that revealed her underlying diagnosis.
Stress hypothesis overload: 131 hypotheses exploring the role of stress in tradeoffs, transitions, and health.

Abstract Stress is ubiquitous and thus, not surprisingly, many hypotheses and models have been created to better study the role stress plays in life. Stress spans fields and is found in the literature of biology, psychology, psychophysiology, sociology, economics, and medicine, just to name a few. Stress, and the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal/interrenal (HPA/I) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS), are involved in a multitude of behaviors and physiological processes, including life-history and ecological tradeoffs, developmental transitions, health, and survival. The goal of this review is to highlight and summarize the large number of available hypotheses and models, to aid in comparative and interdisciplinary thinking, and to increase reproducibility by a) discouraging hypothesizing after results are known (HARKing) and b) encouraging a priori hypothesis testing. For this review I collected 214 published hypotheses or models dealing broadly with stress. In the main paper, I summarized and categorized 131 of those hypotheses and models which made direct connections among stress and/or HPA/I and SNS, tradeoffs, transitions, and health. Of those 131, the majority made predictions about reproduction (n = 43), the transition from health to disease (n = 38), development (n = 23), and stress coping (n = 18). Additional hypotheses were classified as stage-spanning or models (n = 37). The additional 83 hypotheses found during searches were tangentially related, or pertained to immune function or oxidative stress, and these are listed separately. Many of the hypotheses share underlying rationale and suggest similar, if not identical, predictions, and are thus not mutually exclusive; some hypotheses spanned classification categories. Some of the hypotheses have been tested multiple times, whereas others have only been examined a few times. It is the hope that multi-disciplinary stress researchers will begin to harmonize their naming of hypotheses in the literature so as to build a clearer picture of how stress impacts various outcomes across fields. The paper concludes with some considerations and recommendations for robust testing of stress hypotheses.
Toward a More Sustainable Energy Transition: Lessons From Chinese Investments in Namibian Uranium

iStock/undefined undefinedGlobal demand for electricity roughly doubled between 1990 and 2016.1 Most of this growth was met by coal-generated electricity, which has increased at a rate just under t...
Spaceflight-Induced Bone Tissue Changes that Affect Bone Quality and Increase Fracture Risk.

Bone mineral density and systemic factors are used to assess skeletal health in astronauts. Yet, even in a general population, these measures fail to accurately predict when any individual will fracture. This review considers how long-duration human spaceflight requires evaluation of additional bone structural and material quality measures that contribute to microgravity-induced skeletal fragility. In both humans and small animal models following spaceflight, bone mass is compromised via reduced bone formation and elevated resorption levels. Concurrently, bone structural quality (e.g., trabecular microarchitecture) is diminished and the quality of bone material is reduced via impaired tissue mineralization, maturation, and maintenance (e.g., mediated by osteocytes). Bone structural and material quality are both affected by microgravity and may, together, jeopardize astronaut operational readiness and lead to increased fracture risk upon return to gravitational loading. Future studies need to directly evaluate how bone quality combines with diminished bone mass to influence bone strength and toughness (e.g., resistance to fracture). Bone quality assessment promises to identify novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Small-t Expansion for the Hartman-Watson Distribution

The Hartman-Watson distribution with density $f_{r}(t)=\frac {1}{I_{0}(r)} \theta (r,t)$ with r > 0 is a probability distribution defined on $t \in \mathbb {R}_{+}$ , which appears in several problems of applied probability. The density of this distribution is given by an integral θ(r, t) which is difficult to evaluate numerically for small t → 0. Using saddle point methods, we obtain the first two terms of the t → 0 expansion of θ(ρ/t, t) at fixed ρ > 0.
Selling your network: how political skill builds social capital and enhances salesperson performance

Research suggests that political skill affects how salespeople build and leverage social capital. However, there are important questions left unanswered in this relationship. First, although it is ...
Pilot-Aided Channel Estimation for Massive MIMO Systems in TDD-mode Using Walsh-Hadamard Transformed Subsampled Data at the Base Station

Massive MIMO has been adopted for 5G communications due to its wide spectrum and energy efficiency. To realize its potential performance, however, accurate channel state information is essential. Here we propose a subsampling algorithm based on the Walsh-Hadamard transform (WHT) to perform channel propagation coefficient matrix estimation of a massive MIMO communication system operating in time division duplexing (TDD) mode. To do so, we apply an iterative graph-based Hadamard transform algorithm to compute the channel propagation coefficient matrix. To evaluate algorithm performance, we implement it in a seven cell scenario where the mobile users in the cell of interest are assigned the same set of orthogonal Walsh-Hadamard (WH) pilot sequences as the mobile users in the other cells and assume the worst-case scenario when all mobile users in all cells transmit their pilot sequences at the same time. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can accurately estimate the channel propagation coefficients with lower computational complexity than the commonly used least square (LS) estimation approach.
The Right to Carry Has Not Increased Crime: Improving an Old Debate Through Better Data on Permit Growth Over Time

Over the last 30 years, a majority of US states adopted Right-to-Carry (RTC) laws at the same time that crime rates dramatically decreased. A large literature has examined whether RTC laws contributed to or slowed this decline in crime, with most studies concluding that they have no significant effect on crime. However, this research has been plagued by methodological challenges, many of which are exacerbated by the common approach of modeling the effect of RTC laws using a binary dummy variable to indicate a one-time change in policy. Recently, Donohue, Aneja and Weber (2019a) have employed a novel synthetic control approach which they suggest indicates that RTC laws significantly increase violent crime. However, we show that this analysis is highly sensitive to modeling choices, and Donohue et al. chose a specification that has been criticized by Kaul et al. (2017) as mistaken because it prevents covariates from exercising any influence on the development of predicted crime rates. Correcting this to properly incorporate covariates dramatically changes the estimated effect in many states; and comprehensive synthetic control analysis reveals no significant effect on crime. Given the methodological challenges inherent in binary approaches to modeling the effects of RTC laws, we gather data on the growth of carry permits in states over time, which allows us to investigate the phenomenon of interest - the actual ability to carry - in a manner that is theoretically more valid and econometrically more powerful. Employing two different methods for estimating missing data - modeling the growth of permits as a logistical growth process and imputing missing data using the Amelia II package - we find that the growth in carry permits has no effect on violent crime rates, homicide rates, firearm homicide rates, or non-firearm homicide rates. This study provides further, strong evidence that the dramatic growth in the ability to carry firearms for self-defense in recent decades has not exacerbated crime rates.
William A. Radasky: Elected as a Member of the National Academy of Engineering

In February 2021, Dr. William A. Radasky was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in recognition of his distinguished contributions to engineering, “For leadership in the development and application of electromagnetic transient disturbance and protection standards for national security and commercial systems.” Dr. Radasky is President and Managing Engineer of Metatech Corporation, an IEEE Life Fellow and a Lord Kelvin Award Winner. He received the Richard R. Stoddart Award in 2018 from the IEEE EMC Society “For fundamental contributions to the understanding of high power electromagnetic (HPEM) and intentional electromagnetic interference (IEMI).” Congratulations to Dr. Radasky from the IEEE EMC Society!
Handbook of Cancer Survivorship

Burden.- Cancer Survivorship.- The Burden of Cancer Survivorship.- Quality of Care.- Quality of Life in Long-Term Cancer Survivors.- Health Care Disparities.- Measuring Quality of Life in Cancer Survivors.- Common Problems.- Exercise Motivation and Behavior Change.- Fatigue.- Pain.- Depression.- Interpersonal Relationships.- Adaptation in the Face of Advanced Cancer.- Secondary Prevention.- Restoring Emotional Well-Being.- Physical Activity for Cancer Survivors.- Nutrition and Weight Management in Cancer Survivors.- Management of Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Dysfunction.- Smoking Cessation and Cancer Survivors.- Psychological Distress, Depression, and Anxiety.- Managing Daily and Long-Term Stress.- Pain and Function.- Work.- Comprehensive Long-Term Follow-up.- Survivor and Provider Perspectives.- Survivor Perspectives on Quality Care.- Living with Advanced Cancer.- International Perspective.- Global Considerations.- Future Directions.- Cancer Survivorship.
Selecting an Appropriate Problem for Nursing Expert System Development

Abstract While conceivably there are many domains in nursing practice that could benefit from artificially intelligent decision-support, it is unlikely that such technology could be developed for each of them. The parameters for selection of a problem for expert system development, within the context of artificial intelligence research in nursing, must be followed to ensure practical application of the developed expert system.
The comfort and satisfaction of air travelers - Basis for a descriptive model

The results of a questionnaire and interview survey are used as a basis for proposing a descriptive model of the comfort and satisfaction of the commercial air traveler. Passenger attitudes toward the present commercial air travel system are examined. Comfort is interpreted as being represented by a four-dimensional composite of commonly encountered environmental variables. Satisfaction is represented as a composite of safety, cost-benefit, luxury, and in-flight activity dimensions.
Global Circulation as Christian Enclosure: Legend, Empire, and the Nomadic Prester John

In a global Middle Ages, there are few individuals, fictional or historical, who have exercised a stronger cosmopolitan pull than Prester John. A product of anxious cultural imaginings mixed with hope for historical change, Prester John has commanded consistent interest since 1145. Over the course of six centuries, Prester John figured centrally in Christendom's understanding of what the distant world was like: crusading aspirations depended on his materialization; missionary undertakings in the East leveraged their chances of converting the heathen against a presumption of his existence, and, mercantile-minded men from Marco Polo through Christopher Columbus dreamt of the putative riches of his kingdom.2 From its inception in the twelfth century, the Prester John legend linked the impulse to explore a global landscape with the desire for this landscape to be revealed as a continuation of, rather than a departure from, the known: as already Christian. Nowhere is this better expressed than in the original Latin Letter, the primary source for the legend of John. Produced in the mid-twelfth century at the zenith of the Crusading impulse,3 the legend situates John as a Christian sovereign ruling authoritatively over an East that is beyond Dar al-Islam and, despite its exotic and strange landscape, remains decidedly Christian.
Evolution as Design Engineer

Exponential growth in digital information gathering, storage, and processing capabilities for biological data herald a new age of biology, when entire biological systems can potentially be understood. In order to facilitate human understanding of electronic components, the electronic design automation (EDA) industry has developed clean abstractions and design rules, enabling pervasive design reuse. We conjecture that design reuse arises as an emergent property in biological systems driven by the pressure for efficiency in evolution. Design reuse requires clean abstractions and interfaces, and these fortuitously provide an opportunity for human understanding and exploitation with computational toolsets. We draw some conclusions about future systems biology toolsets that might be inspired by EDA tools.
An abundance of Epsilonproteobacteria revealed in the gut microbiome of the laboratory cultured sea urchin, Lytechinus variegatus

In this study, we have examined the bacterial community composition of the laboratory cultured sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus gut microbiome and its culture environment using NextGen amplicon sequencing of the V4 segment of the 16S rRNA gene, and downstream bioinformatics tools. Overall, the gut and tank water was dominated by Proteobacteria, whereas the feed consisted of a co-occurrence of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes at a high abundance. The gut tissue represented Epsilonproteobacteria as dominant, with order Campylobacterales at the highest relative abundance (>95%). However, the pharynx tissue was dominated by class Alphaproteobacteria. The gut digesta and egested fecal pellets had a high abundance of class Gammaproteobacteria, from which Vibrio was found to be the primary genus, and Epsilonproteobacteria, with genus Arcobacter occurring at a moderate level. At the class level, the tank water was dominated by Gammaproteobacteria, and the feed by Alphaproteobacteria. Multi-Dimensional Scaling analysis showed that the microbial community of the gut tissue clustered together, as did the pharynx tissue to the feed. The gut digesta and egested fecal pellets showed a similarity relationship to the tank water. Further analysis of Campylobacterales at a lower taxonomic level using the oligotyping method revealed 37 unique types across the 10 samples, where Oligotype 1 was primarily represented in the gut tissue. BLAST analysis identified Oligotype 1 to be Arcobacter sp., Sulfuricurvum sp., and Arcobacter bivalviorum at an identity level >90%. This study showed that although distinct microbial communities are evident across multiple components of the sea urchin gut ecosystem, there is a noticeable correlation between the overall microbial communities of the gut with the sea urchin L. variegatus culture environment.
Marine Terraces and Quaternary Tectonism, Northwest Baja California, Mexico

Deformed marine terraces provide excellent measures of Quaternary tectonism along 400 km of the Pacific coast of Baja California between Ensenada and Punta Blanca. The nature and magnitude of deformation are well expressed by the present elevation of the marine limit, of Upper Pliocene or Lower Pleistocene age, which has been upwarped to 345m, 357m, and at least 195m in three separate localities, while occurring at lower levels elsewhere. Multiple terraces are found below this marine limit where appreciable uplift has occurred. Where relative subsidence has prevailed, fewer broader terraces or thick alluvial and eolian deposits occur. Terraces are further dislocated by NW-SE strike-slip faulting and by normal faults that trend NE-SW across the coast. Folding and faulting are less significant on the younger terraces than on the older features, and negligible for the Sangamonian terrace, except close to major faults. Crustal movements revealed by these terraces, and by similar features in southern Californi...
Neural stem cell-mediated delivery of oncolytic adenovirus

The use of stem cells (SCs) as carriers for therapeutic agents has now progressed to early clinical trials. These clinical trials exploring SC-mediated delivery of oncolytic adenoviruses will commence in the near future, hopefully yielding meritorious results that can provoke further scientific inquiry. Preclinical animal studies have demonstrated that SCs can be successfully loaded with conditionally-replicative adenoviruses and delivered to the tumor, whereupon they may evoke pronounced therapeutic efficacy. In this protocol, we describe the maintenance of SCs, provide an analysis of optimal adenoviral titers for SC loading, and evaluate the optimized viral loading on SCs.
Group process in short-term outpatient therapy groups for schizophrenics

The short form of the group climate questionnaire (GCQ-S) was used to evaluate process in three 12-session therapy groups for outpatient schizophrenics. Results showed no difference on the Engaged dimension between the short-term schizophrenic groups and either a normative sample of outpatient neurotic groups or the first 26 sessions of a long-term outpatient schizophrenic group. However, the short-term groups scored significantly lower (p<.001) on the Avoiding and Conflict dimensions as compared with either long-term sample. The session-to-session GCQ-S dimension pattern did not support the presence of sequential group stages, but there was a tendency for the Engaged scores to increase and the Avoiding and Conflict scores to decrease as time went on.
Production platforms for the molecular pharming of alkaloid diversity

The field of natural products research has been experiencing a renaissance of interest for quite some time now, led in large part by a combination of practical realities, exciting new discoveries, and the development of some intriguing new concepts. Chemical, agricultural, food, and personal care products industries have all benefited from this arena of research. Nonetheless, the drug development pipeline has probably benefited the most from our fascination with natural products, and largely because of the structural complexity and diversity of compounds biosynthesized by natural sources as compared with those compounds arising from strictly an organic synthesis origin. The notion that natural products provide a greater opportunity for drug discovery and development than pure synthetic approaches has also been argued for some time now and is evident in the results presented by Minami et al. (1) in a recent issue of PNAS. The recent reports by Newman et al. (2, 3) also clearly document how approximately two-thirds of the drugs developed over the last 25 years have been derived from or inspired by particular natural products. Feher and Schmidt (4) provided an additional compelling argument as to why natural products have served so well for drug development. These investigators reported that the structural complexity found in drugs, as measured by the average number of 2.3 chiral centers per drug molecule, more closely resembled that found in natural products (average of 6.2 chiral centers per molecule) than the relative flat molecules (0.4 chiral centers per compound) found in libraries prepared by synthetic, combinatorial means (Fig. 1).
The CoPt system: a natural exchange spring

Abstract Ferromagnetic “exchange-spring” nanocomposite systems derive their technical magnetic properties, such as the remanence and coercivity, from the details of the interphase coupling between the magnetically soft component and the magnetically hard component. An ideal model material for the study of the interphase interactions in exchange-spring systems is the CoPt system in thin-film form. Depending on the details of post-deposition annealing treatment, CoPt consists of two phases in varying proportions: the chemically disordered A1 phase with low coercivity and the chemically ordered L10 phase with high coercivity. Coupled magnetic and transmission electron microscopy studies reveal simple relationships between the volume percent of ordered L10 phase, coercivity and the magnetic exchange within the samples.
Police occupational solidarity: Probing a determinant in the deterioration of police/citizen relations

Abstract The deterioration of police/citizen relations has had a major impact on the administration of justice. Mutual suspicion, hostility, distrust, and fear have resulted in minimal citizen cooperation and, consequently, an increase in police use of aggressive enforcement procedures. These procedures adversely affect the police as well as the citizenry. Use of aggressive enforcement has two salient consequences: it isolates the police from the citizen, and it generates occupational solidarity among police personnel. Solidarity subsequently increases police/citizen polarization. The process, thus, is circular. The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the determinants of social isolation and occupational solidarity. To investigate these determinants, a multivariate, multistage conceptual model was developed and analyzed. The findings suggest that the conceptual model, save two minor modifications, fits the data. Policy implications based on these findings are presented and discussed.
Effects of Dietary Magnesium on Growth and Tissue Magnesium Content of Blue Tilapia Oreochromis aureus

Juvenile blue tilapia Oreochrornis aureus (mean weight 0.5 ± 0.05 g) were stocked into 38 liter glass aquaria receiving Row-through well water containing 0.1 mg magnesium/L and fed semipurified, casein-based diets containing graded levels of magnesium (0.003, 0.008, 0.023, 0.037, 0.050 and 0.065% magnesium, dry weight). Magnesium supplements were provided as anhydrous magnesium sulfate (MgSO4). No treatment-related mortalities occurred and no visible magnesium deficiency symptoms were observed in any treatment group during the 18 week experimental period. Magnesium concentrations in scale and bone of tilapia fed diets containing 0.023 to 0.065% magnesium were greater (P 0.05) among fish that received dietary magnesium levels of 0.023% or greater. The magnesium content of muscle was higher (P 0.05) among fish that received 0.037% or more dietary magnesium. Adequate weight gain and superior feed efficiency occurred in fish fed 0.05 to 0.065% magnesium. Results indicated that diets for O. aureus should contain at least 0.05% magnesium (500 mg Mg/kg dry diet) for optimum growth and normal tissue mineralization.
Ancient Marbles to American Shores: Classical Archaeology in the United States. by Stephen Dyson, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1998.

One of the aspects of 20th century archaeology in America that would undoubtedly perplex our 19th century predecessors is the extreme intellectual distance between Americanist, anthropological archaeologists and our counterparts who work in the classical world. We belong to different profes­sional societies, publish in different journals. occupy different academic departments, and draw our inspiration from different intellectual sources. Crossovers exist, but are comparatively rare, and are viewed with suspicion by all. One of my professors once announced to a seminar that if classical archaeologists didn't start doing something interesting, we would "have to take over."
Histology of the adenohypophysis of the kelp greenling, Hexagrammm decagrammus (Hexagrammidae)

A combination of fixatives and stains were applied to the adenohypophysis of the kelp greenling, Hexagrammus decagrammus, to determine which were the most suitable for observation under a light microscope. Lillie's calcium acetate formalin (LCAF) followed by haematoxylin and eosin, lead haematoxylin/periodic acid-Schiff and alcian blue/periodic acid-Schiff/orange G provides the best general staining characteristics. Lactotropes, corticotropes, thyrotropes, somatotropes, gonadotropes and two types of melanotropes were effectively identified.
Ecology's AWFUL theorem : sustaining sustainability

Abstract Many momentarily important concepts in science pass after a time with little enduring consequence. Sustainability has the potential to become a really significant idea, but it could also disappear if it never becomes formally implemented to make it operational. To do this requires clarifying its various meanings, then integrating these into a measure or model, preferably quantitative. This paper makes a start at this employing propositional logic—first to establish that the success of any species requires proportional disadvantage to others in a zero-sum world (the AWFUL theorem), and then to explore three possible properties of sustainability (stability, continuation, and longevity) at two different levels of system organization (whole and part). The following conclusions are reached and discussed: at a given scale of organization, for sustainability (1) stability is a necessary but not sufficient condition, (2) continuation is sufficient but not necessary, and (3) longevity is also sufficient but not necessary. Across scales, between wholes and parts: (1a) part stability is sufficient for whole system sustainability, and part instability can be compensated by system design to achieve sustainability; (1b) system instability is sufficient for part unsustainability; (2a) part continuation is sufficient for system continuation, and therefore system sustainability; (2b) part noncontinuation is necessary for system unsustainability; (3a) part longevity is sufficient for system longevity, and therefore system sustainability; and (3b) failure of parts to achieve longevity is a necessary condition for system-level unsustainability. These attributes of sustainability in the part–whole context do not exhaust the possibilities. There are also comparisons to be made of relations between different sustainability attributes. The examples given indicate that sustainability is not a simple concept and that considerable development will be necessary to mold it into a permanently useful scientific tool.
Overlapping functions for recF and priA in cell viability and UV‐inducible SOS expression are distinguished by dnaC809 in Escherichia coli K‐12

The recF and priA genes have roles in DNA repair and homologous recombination. Mutations in these genes also cause decreases in cell viability and alterations in UV-inducible sulAp-lacZ (SOS) expression. To find out if the two genes are in the same or different pathways for viability and SOS expression, the phenotypes of the double mutant strains were studied. The recF priA double mutant showed a lower viability and SOS expression level than either of the single mutants. In the case of cell viability, recF missense mutations decreased viability of a priA2::kan strain two to five-fold whereas recF null priA2::kan double mutants were not viable at all. dnaC809, a mutation that suppresses the UV-sensitive (UVs and Rec- phenotypes of priA2::kan, restored cell viability, but not UV-inducible SOS expression, to a priA recF strain. Since recF is epistatic with recO and recR (recOR) for UV resistance, recOR mutations were also tested with priA2::kan. No overlap was found between recOR and priA for viability and SOS expression. It is concluded that priA and recF have two different overlapping functions in viability and SOS expression that are distinguishable by the effects of dnaC809. The role of recF in a priA2::kan strain in cell viability is a new function for recF and unlike recF's other roles in DNA repair and recombination, is independent of recOR. A new role for priA in UV-inducible SOS expression in a recF mutant is also defined.
Double urethra, double bladder, left renal agenesis, persistent hymen, double vagina, and uterus didelphys: A case report

Abstract A patient with a suspected mullerian anomaly was evaluated with an intravenous pyelogram (IVP), vaginoscopy, laparoscopy, cystoscopy, and vaginal exploration. The patient was noted to have a double urethra, double bladder, left renal agenesis, persistent hymen, double vagina, and uterus didelphys. She was managed conservatively with removal of the persistent hymen and vaginal septum. A review of similar anomalies is discussed and a plausible embryological explanation for this anomaly is offered.
Two Types Of Lambda Polypeptide Chains In Human Immunoglobulins

Two antigenic subtypes of human lambda polypeptide chains were distinguished by rabbit antiserum produced to a lambda Bence Jones protein. Lambda Bence Jones proteins and G myeloma proteins with lambda light chains were identified as being in one or the other subtype. The Oz (+) lambda chain subtype is present in light chains from pooled normal human immunoglobulin G and in whole normal immunoglobulin G molecules.
The continuing enigma of “religion”

During the last decade or so of teaching introductory religion courses, I began the term by asking students their definition of religion. My assumption was that they would have some minimal underst...