cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of creep deformation in a rapidly solidified Al–Fe–V–Si alloy

Abstract Creep experiments on a rapidly solidified Al-8.5 wt% Fe-1.3 wt% V-1.7 wt% Si alloy (FVS0812) suggest that it exhibits similar or superior deformation resistance compared to other high temperature Al alloys. However, aging at 798 K for 200 h resulted in severe loss of creep strength. Stress reduction results show that FVS0812 exhibits similar creep characteristics to those of other dispersion-strengthened alloys under constant structure conditions following stress reductions, even though the creep mechanism is determined to be significantly different. The operational activation area analysis reveals that the rate-controlling obstacles to dislocation glide are dislocation-dislocation interactions. The role of the particles is to carry a portion of the applied load rather than causing dislocation detachment, local climb, or general climb. This result contradicts the validity of modeling the material using the Rosler-Arzt approach or relying on a threshold stress that is based on the increase in dislocation line length during local or general climb.
Effect of skull thickness and conductivity on current propagation for noninvasively injected currents

Objective.When currents are injected into the scalp, e.g. during transcranial current stimulation, the resulting currents generated in the brain are substantially affected by the changes in conductivity and geometry of intermediate tissue. In this work, we introduce the concept of 'skull-transparent' currents, for which the changing conductivity does not significantly alter the field while propagating through the head.Approach.We establish transfer functions relating scalp currents to head potentials in accepted simplified models of the head, and find approximations for which skull-transparency holds. The current fields resulting from specified current patterns are calculated in multiple head models, including MRI heads and compared with homogeneous heads to characterize the transparency. Experimental validation is performed by measuring the current field in head phantoms.Main results.The main theoretical result is derived from observing that at high spatial frequencies, in the transfer function relating currents injected into the scalp to potential generated inside the head, the conductivity terms form a multiplicative factor and do not otherwise influence the transfer function. This observation is utilized to design injected current waveforms that maintain nearly identical focusing patterns independently of the changes in skull conductivity and thickness for a wide range of conductivity and thickness values in an idealized spherical head model as well as in a realistic MRI-based head model. Experimental measurements of the current field in an agar-based head phantom confirm the transparency of these patterns.Significance.Our results suggest the possibility that well-chosen patterns of current injection result in precise focusing inside the brain even withouta prioriknowledge of exact conductivities of intermediate layers.
Influenza Vaccination Rates Among Patients With a History of Cancer: Analysis of the National Health Interview Survey.

Background Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all patients with cancer, but vaccine uptake data by cancer type and time since diagnosis are limited. We sought to estimate vaccination rates across different cancer types in the United States and determine whether rates vary over time since diagnosis. Methods Vaccination rates in individuals with solid tumor and hematological malignancies were estimated using data from 59 917 individuals obtained by the 2016 and 2017 National Health Interview Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Results An average of 64% of the 5053 individuals with self-reported cancer received the influenza vaccine. Vaccination rates in men and women with solid tumors (66.6% and 60.3%, respectively) and hematological malignancies (58.1% and 59.2%, respectively) were significantly higher compared to those without cancer (38.9% and 46.8%, respectively). Lower rates were seen in uninsured patients, those younger than 45 years of age, and in African Americans with hematological malignancies but not with solid tumors. Vaccine uptake was similar regardless of time since cancer diagnosis. Conclusions Influenza vaccination rates are higher in men and women with cancer but remain suboptimal, highlighting the need for additional measures to improve vaccine compliance and prevent complications from influenza across all cancer types.
Liberty in Hobbes’ Leviathan

What is liberty for Hobbes? If subjects have covenanted away absolute sovereign authority to the Leviathan, in what sense do they have liberty or liberties? This is an undergraduate paper I wrote for the beloved Professor Shannon C. Stimson and my favorite graduate student instructor James Tate. Disturbed by the civil wars broken out in England between 1642 and 1651, Thomas Hobbes saw the cause of the wars was that, in the state of nature, each person has and exercises his/her own standard of right and wrong, thereby creating an unnecessary state of perpetual war. Therefore, in his famed book Leviathan, Hobbes aims to bring his fellow Englishmen out of the state of nature by laying down a common ground in which there is only one and supreme standard of right and wrong, and that is the laws of the sovereign. In this paper, I first argue that Hobbes’ definition of liberty, both in a corporal sense and as a right or choice, is perfectly compatible with the absolute power of the sovereign, for corporal liberty, according to Hobbes, simply means the absence of external impediments, and liberty as right, on the other hand, is still to be found in the silence of the laws of the sovereign. I then contend that liberty, to Hobbes, is not an abstract concept but rather something that can be easily and objectively measured, and I also explain Hobbes’ agenda for his unconventional but brilliant definition of liberty. Lastly, I discuss a few possible critiques to Hobbes’ views on liberty.
Criminalizing Starvation in an Age of Mass Deprivation in War: Intent, Method, Form, and Consequence

We live in an era of mass starvation in war. Belligerents across a range of conflicts have attacked humanitarian workers, destroyed, looted, or rendered unusable food and food sources, and engaged in comprehensive siege warfare, sequestering populations from key sources of essential goods. Millions have been left in famine or on the brink thereof. The scale and prevalence of this phenomenon have contributed to growing calls for accountability. Traditional criminal categories are not promising. The situation and nature of objects indispensable to survival is such that they typically provide sustenance to both civilians and combatants; the conduct that deprives people of those objects often involves acting on the objects, rather than acting directly on the affected persons; and the causal chain from deprivation to civilian suffering is long and complex. Appropriately, attention has turned instead towards the recently codified and largely untested war crime of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare. Whether and how this framework can underpin a legal response to mass deprivation hinges on how key debates as to the crime’s meaning are resolved. This Article enters those debates, debunks the common view that the starvation war crime attaches only to conduct that seeks to weaponize the civilian suffering associated with starvation, and offers a distinct theory according to which the crime should be understood transitively as focused primarily on the act of deprivation, rather the suffering it produces. The recommended approach would fundamentally reshape how we think about the crime, with particularly acute implications for the regulation of sieges or blockades.
Technology Integration in Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade Classrooms in a Florida School District.

Third, fourth and fifth grade teachers have the potential to shape the way their students will begin to view and use technology. This study investigated the nature of technology usage among third, fourth and fifth grade teachers in a Florida school district as well as the relationship between the level of technology usage factors such as available technology access/support, professional development relating to technology, and teachers’ attitudes and beliefs toward technology usage. Also of interest was how teachers rate the barriers to technology integration. An original survey instrument was designed, and responses from 75 participants were analyzed. Results indicated that only 18.7 % of respondents met the requirements to be considered high-level technology integrators. Teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about the importance of technology integration and direct student access to computers within the classroom had significant positive correlations with high-level technology usage. The strongest barrier to technology integration was a lack of available computers/hardware, followed by factors relating to the time required to develop and implement lesson plans that incorporate technology.
Aquatic Insects as Measures of Trace Element Presence in Water: Cadmium and Molybdenum

Metal concentrations in rivers and streams vary continually. An indicator of toxic trace metals is needed to establish recent maximum levels. An initial study was conducted during the summer of 1979 on Coal Creek and Slate River, Gunnison County, Colo., to test whether aquatic insects could be used to assay for low-level element presence. Aquatic insects were taken from Coal Creek above a mine tailing break. Both live and air-dried insects were transplanted to the Slate River below the discharge from the mine and removed consecutively for 3 days. Water samples were taken simultaneously with each insect collection. The dissolved ions in a litre of stream water were concentrated to 25 ml with the use of an ion-exchange resin column. The results demonstrate that the ratio of the concentration of the element in the insect to the concentration of the element in the water, the field concentration factor (FCF), for each genus of aquatic insect is more sensitive than a water sample for measuring the level of cadmium in water. The insect cadmium accumulation and water cadmium levels exhibited a repeated relationship in the Slate River. The similarity between the sorption of cadmium by the live and dead insects indicates that cadmium uptake is more than a physiological process. Mayflies concentrate cadmium and molybdenum more than caddis flies, and of the mayflies tested the Drunella grandis sorbs the most. Equilibration between water and insect concentration of cadmium appears to take place after 72 h.
Owl Recognition and Anti‐predator Behaviour of Sharp‐shinned Hawks

The effectiveness of owl models and owl-like objects to elicit mobbing responses in migrating Sharp-shinned Hawks (Accipiter striatus) was determined by the shape and size of the model, and the presence of eyes. Larger owl models and models with eyes were attacked more often than smaller models or models without eyes. Mobbers did not approach as closely to larger models or models with eyes. Adult hawks approached closer and made fewer vocalizations than immature birds. Unrealistic combinations of morphological features were approached more closely than those resembling owl species naturally encountered, suggesting that these hawks recognise specific predators. Zusammenfassung Ziehenden Sperbern (Accipiter striatus) wurden eulenartige Objekte und Eulenmodelle geboten, die sich auf funferlei Weise unterschieden: Form, Grose (gros oder klein), Augenfarbe (gelb oder dunkelblau), und mit oder ohne Augen oder Federohren. Der zum Hassen notige Mindestreiz war ein Modell mit eulenartiger Form. Mehr Sperber hasten auf grose als auf kleine Eulenmodelle und auf Modelle mit gelben als mit blauen oder ohne Augen. Ein flaches Brett mit aufgemalten Augen loste nichts aus, ebensowenig ein brauner Zylinder in der Grose einer kleinen Eule. Augen wirkten nur auf einer Eulenform auslosend. Die Annaherungsdistanz variierte mit dem Vorhandensein von Augen und der Grose des Eulenmodells; die Annaherungsdistanz fur grosere Modelle und fur solche mit Augen war groser als fur kleine Modelle und solche ohne Augen. Die Tatsache, das Augenfarbe und das Vorhandensein von Ohrbuscheln die Annaherungsdistanz beeinflusten, zeigt, das Sperber Kombinationen von naturlichen morphologischen Kennzeichen erkennen und sich ihnen nicht so weit nahern wie unnaturlichen Kombinationen.
New records of freshwater and land molluscs from Lebanon

Abstract A total of 17 freshwater and 33 land gastropod species as well as 6 small clams from different habitats were found during a study of limnic and terrestrial molluscs in central and northern Lebanon. New records for Lebanon or the Levant countries include Stagnicola cf. berlani (Bourguignat, 1870) sensu Kruglov, 2005, Planorbis carinatus O. F. Muller, 1774, and Potamopyrgus antipodarum (J. E. Gray, 1843) as well as the clams Musculium lacustre (O. F. Muller, 1774), Pisidium amnicum (O. F. Muller, 1774), and Pisidium tenuilineatum Stelfox, 1918. Among the land snails, Orculella mesopotamica riedeli Hausdorf, 1996, Buliminus damascensis (Pallary, 1929), Turanena benjamitica (Benson, 1859), Sphincterochila fimbriata (Bourguignat, 1852), and Monacha cf. compingtae (Pallary, 1929) are new for Lebanon.
Law as a Means to an End: Non-instrumental views of law

It is characteristic of non-instrumental views that the content of law is, in some sense, given; that law is immanent; that the process of law-making is not a matter of creation but one of discovery; that law is not the product of human will; that law has a kind of autonomy and internal integrity; that law is, in some sense, objectively determined. In the Medieval period in Europe, two distinct but commingled types of law possessed these characteristics. The first type was natural law and divine law in the Catholic tradition – the Ten Commandments, for example. Divine and natural law were thought to be binding upon and to be infused in the positive law that governed society. They were pre-given by God and were the product of God's will, unalterable by man. They were objective in that they constituted absolute moral and legal truths that were binding on all, providing the content of and setting limits upon positive law. These laws and principles were disclosed through revelation (mainly scripture) and discerned through the application of reason implanted in man by God. As medieval scholar Walter Ullmann put it, “the law itself as the external regulator of society was based upon faith. Faith and law stood to each other in the relation of cause and effect effect.” The second type was customary law. Everyday life during the Medieval period was governed by customary law, or, more accurately, by overlapping and sometimes conflicting regimes of customary law: feudal law, the law of the manor, Germanic customary law, residues of Roman law, trade customs, and local customs.
Regulation of l-Cysteine Biosynthesis in Salmonella typhimurium I. EFFECTS OF GROWTH ON VARYING SULFUR SOURCES AND O-ACETYL-l-SERINE ON GENE EXPRESSION

Abstract With the exception of serine transacetylase, the enzymes concerned with the biosynthesis of l-cysteine in Salmonella typhimurium are subject to derepression by sulfur starvation and to repression by sulfide and cysteine. Sulfate permease was not assayed in these studies. Under conditions of sulfur starvation, O-acetyl-l-serine, a direct precursor of cysteine, is necessary for derepression and is therefore an internal inducer. Sulfide and cysteine block the effect of exogenous O-acetylserine. Cys E mutants lack serine transacetylase and are pleiotropic due to their inability to synthesize the internal inducer, O-acetylserine. Cys B also appears to be regulatory, since the auxotrophs which define this region are generally repressed for most of the biosynthetic pathway even under conditions of sulfur starvation and an excess of O-acetylserine. Normally an intact cys B region, sulfur starvation, and O-acetylserine are all necessary for derepression, but certain mutations in the cys B region lead to constitutivity in the presence of sulfide or cysteine, and in the absence of O-acetylserine.
Quantitative Research for the Behavioral Sciences

FUNDAMENTALS The Nature and Kinds of Research The Nature of Science The Ethics of Research MAKING AND USING MEASUREMENTS The Theory of Measurement Issues in Measurement Measuring and Using Correlations EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Fundamental Ideas in Experimental Methods The Control of Extraneous Variables Quasi-Experimental Research DEALING WITH RESULTS Statistical Decisions The Research Report Science as a Human Activity Appendices References Glossary Index.
Behavioral flexibility in rats and mice: contributions of distinct frontocortical regions

Research examining the contribution of genetics to behavior is increasingly focused on higher order behavioral and cognitive processes including the ability to modify behaviors when environmental demands change. The frontal cortices of mammals, including rodents, subserve a diverse set of behavioral and cognitive functions including motor planning, social behavior, evaluation of expected outcomes and working memory, which may be particularly sensitive to genetic factors and interactions with experience (e.g. stress). Behavioral flexibility is a core attribute of these functions. This review orients readers to the current landscape of the literature on the frontocortical bases of behavioral flexibility in rodent laboratory experiments. Studies are divided into three broad categories: reversal learning, inhibitory learning and set-shifting. Functional dissociations within the broader scope of behavioral flexibility are reviewed, followed by discussion of the associations between specific components of frontal cortex and specific aspects of relevant behavioral processes. Finally, the authors identify open questions that need to be addressed to better establish the constituents of frontal cortex underlying behavioral flexibility.
Lower extremity necrotizing fasciitis: A unique initial presentation of Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease is a disease of the bowel, typically presenting with diarrhea, weight loss, and abdominal pain. Complications such as abscesses, fistulas, and strictures may require surgical intervention. We would like to report a patient with Crohn's disease who presented for the first time with left lower extremity necrotizing fasciitis. There are very few reports of necrotizing fasciitis in Crohn's disease as the initial presentation.
Pancreatic Cancer Cell Migration and Metastasis Is Regulated by Chemokine-Biased Agonism and Bioenergetic Signaling

Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) invariably succumb to metastatic disease, but the underlying mechanisms that regulate PDAC cell movement and metastasis remain little understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of the chemokine gene CXCL12, which is silenced in PDAC tumors, yet is sufficient to suppress growth and metastasis when re-expressed. Chemokines like CXCL12 regulate cell movement in a biphasic pattern, with peak migration typically in the low nanomolar concentration range. Herein, we tested the hypothesis that the biphasic cell migration pattern induced by CXCL12 reflected a biased agonist bioenergetic signaling that might be exploited to interfere with PDAC metastasis. In human and murine PDAC cell models, we observed that nonmigratory doses of CXCL12 were sufficient to decrease oxidative phosphorylation and glycolytic capacity and to increase levels of phosphorylated forms of the master metabolic kinase AMPK. Those same doses of CXCL12 locked myosin light chain into a phosphorylated state, thereby decreasing F-actin polymerization and preventing cell migration in a manner dependent upon AMPK and the calcium-dependent kinase CAMKII. Notably, at elevated concentrations of CXCL12 that were insufficient to trigger chemotaxis of PDAC cells, AMPK blockade resulted in increased cell movement. In two preclinical mouse models of PDAC, administration of CXCL12 decreased tumor dissemination, supporting our hypothesis that chemokine-biased agonist signaling may offer a useful therapeutic strategy. Our results offer a mechanistic rationale for further investigation of CXCL12 as a potential therapy to prevent or treat PDAC metastasis.
A constraint directed approach for communication network design/planning

A constraint-directed reasoning architecture is described that produces satisfactory solutions without global backtracking for the problem of rapidly configuring a transportable communications network. This problem requires that equipment be placed so that subscribers connected either by telephone line or radio can communicate with other network subscribers. It is shown that this is a difficult problem for operations research approaches and the system architecture and the heuristics that constrain the search are described. Another significant contribution of this work is that the authors replaced a slow state space generator operation for calculating radio signal reception with heuristics. It is shown how the traditional statistical calculations are inappropriate for network configuration problems and the set of heuristics substituted are described. A timing comparison made between the Longley-Rice signal propagation algorithm (M.M. Weiner, 1986) and these heuristics shows significant time savings. >
SU‐FF‐T‐528: Retrospective Analysis On Patient Localization Accuracy for Linac‐Based Intracranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery Using Frameless System

Purpose: The frameless system has been used in our clinic for intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery. This study reports our retrospective analysis and findings on patient setup and isocenter localization of radiosurgerytreatment.Method and Materials: The frameless immobilization consists of a bite‐block with fiducial markers and an infra‐red camera system. To test bite‐block seating, patient was taken for reseat verification before imaging. The SRS‐plan and images were sent to the camera computer for fiducials digitization. Prior to treatment, patient setup was guided by the camera readings on fiducials for isocenter localization. Orthogonal kV‐images were taken as verification only. In this study, we have analyzed reseat test and fiducial digitization data of 53 patients. Retrospective comparison of KV‐images with planning DRRs was carried out. Results: The patient reseat test is found of no correlation with the actual 3D treatment isocenter displacements. The sample mean of predicted error at isocenter from fiducial digitization is 0.46 mm. The histogram of 3D iso‐displacement shows that 86.8% of patients have localization error E⩽1 mm, 5.7% of 1<E⩽2 mm, 3.8% of 2<E⩽3 mm, and 3.8% of 3<E⩽5.1 mm. As a result, for 92.5% of patient sample, treatments were proceeded through optical guidance, where iso‐displacement errors range from 0 to 2 mm with a median of 0.0 mm, and sample mean of 0.4 mm. For the rest 7.5% of patient population, where 3D iso‐displacements were greater than 2 mm as compared with KV images, isocenter shifts were applied and patient positions were realigned using OBI, and treatments proceeded without the optical guidance. Conclusion: Our study concludes that the frameless localization for radiosurgerytreatment has acceptable accuracy and using KV‐imaging as a verification tool is a necessity to ensure its efficacy. Also, adding 2 mm margin to CTV to form PTV in the radiosurgery planning is strongly recommended.
Preferences for blood-based colon cancer screening differ by race/ethnicity.

Objectives To examine attitudes of a diverse community-based sample toward SEPT9, a simple, cost-effective colorectal cancer (CRC) blood test. Methods One-hundred participants eligible for CRC screening (Mage =58.3; 44% unscreened; 38% white, 31% Hispanic, 31% black) completed cross-sectional surveys of their screening preferences following group discussions of colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, FOBT, and SEPT9. Results Overall, 91% ranked SEPT9 first or second. Controlling for sociodemographic factors, unscreened Whites strongly preferred SEPT9, listing multiple advantages, whereas unscreened Blacks preferred colonoscopy. Only 19% of the sample listed negative aspects. Conclusion Blood-based screening for CRC was widely favored. Future research on medical decision-making should examine the basis for racial/ethnic differences in biomarker screening preferences.
Fixture planning with friction

A fixture planning module is being developed as part of a computational system for concurrent product and process design. The module employs symbolic and numerical analyses at different levels of detail, from fast geometric checks to more time consuming force and friction analyses, depending on the completeness of the machining plan. In this paper we focus on the approaches used for analyzing fixture kinematics and clamping forces, including the analysis of friction. Since many fixture arrangements rely on friction to hold a part, the ability to reason about friction is an important component of fixture planning. Limit surfaces in force/moment space are introduced as a convenient formalism to check whether parts will slip and to help in specifying clamping forces.
Comparing robust and physics-based sea surface temperature retrievals for high resolution, multi-spectral thermal sensors using one or multiple looks

With the advent of multi-spectral thermal imagers such as EOS's ASTER high spatial resolution thermal imagery of the Earth's surface will soon be a reality. Previous high resolution sensors such as Landsat 5 had only one spectral channel in the thermal infrared and its utility to determine absolute sea surface temperatures was limited to 6-8 K for water warmer than 25 deg C. This inaccuracy resulted from insufficient knowledge of the atmospheric temperature and water vapor, inaccurate sensor calibration, and cooling effects of thin high cirrus clouds. The authors will present two studies of algorithms and compare their performance. The first algorithm they call robust since it retrieves sea surface temperatures accurately over a fairly wide range of atmospheric conditions using linear combinations of nadir and off-nadir brightness temperatures. The second they call physics-based because it relies on physics-based models of the atmosphere. It attempts to come up with a unique sea surface temperature which fits one set of atmospheric parameters.
FROM A FEW CRAFTSMEN TO AN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF ALLIANCES: BOSCH DIESEL FUEL INJECTION SYSTEMS

The evolution of the fuel injection technology for diesel engines initiated and repeatedly innovated since 1922 by Robert Bosch GmbH of Stuttgart, Germany, is used to illustrate the management and policy adaptations necessary to carry out repeated innovations as technologies move through different innovation patterns — transformation (first-of-a-kind), transition (major redesign) and normal (incremental) — and as they evolve from simple to complex. Special attention is given to the role of cooperative alliances in the innovation, knowledge management and decision-making associated with the development of the diesel injection technology. As the technology has become ever more complex, the Bosch innovation activities have manifested a process of co-evolution between a continuously adapting network of supplier and user organisations and diesel injection technology that has occurred as part of an ever-changing environment (e.g., market, public policy).
Ice microphysics and climatic temperature feedback

Abstract The potential effects of ice microphysics involving ice crystal size distribution and ice water path (IWP) on climatic temperature perturbations are investigated by using a one-dimensional radiative-turbulent climate model. We define a mean effective size, denoting the width of ice crystals weighted by the geometric cross section area, to represent ice crystal size distribution. Based on aircraft measurements, both the mean effective size and IWP are related to temperature and may be parameterized as functions of temperature. The radiative properties of cirrus clouds are further parameterized in terms of these two basic cloud physics parameters. Using CO 2 doubling as the radiative forcing, feedbacks among temperature, the mean effective size and IWP, and the radiative properties of clouds are analyzed from the model results. We show that overall, a positive feedback associated with ice microphysics and the coupled radiative transfer is produced by temperature increase.
State Welfare Options: Why Are Some States Tough?

In implementing PRWORA, why have some states chosen the most stringent or toughest policy options allowed by the new law? A considerable literature on state policy decisions addresses this topic. The most consistent finding is that “tough states” are those with a conservative ideology and historically high rates of welfare use by minority populations. These conservative policies impact all welfare recipients in the state, regardless of race or sex.
PERK is essential for neonatal skeletal development to regulate osteoblast proliferation and differentiation

Loss of function mutations of Perk (eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 alpha kinase 3) in humans and mice cause severe neonatal developmental defects, including diabetes, growth retardation and multiple skeletal dysplasias. Comprehensive analyses on bone tissue, at the cellular and molecular level in PERK-deficient mice demonstrated that neonatal Perk-/- mice are severely osteopenic, which is caused by a deficiency in the number of mature osteoblasts, impaired osteoblast differentiation, and reduced type I collagen secretion. Impaired differentiation of osteoblasts in Perk KO mice was associated with decreased expression of Runx2 and Osterix, key regulators of osteoblast development. Reduced cell proliferation and reduced expression of key cell cycle factors including cyclin D, cyclin E, cyclin A, Cdc2, and CDK2 occur in parallel with the differentiation defect in mutant osteoblasts. In addition, the trafficking and secretion of type I collagen is compromised as manifested by abnormal retention of procollagen I in the endoplasmic reticulum, and reduced mature collagen production and mineralization. Taken together, these studies identify PERK as a novel regulator of skeletal development and osteoblast biology.
Mexican Views of 1848: The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Through Mexican History

The Mexican War (1846-1848) was one of the pivotal events in the history of United States-Mexico relations. As a result of this conflict the United States acquired the valuable lands and natural resources that accelerated its industrial growth into the twentieth century. Among Mexican elites the end of the war precipitated a period of self-criticism, self-examination, and debate that culminated in the reform movement of Benito Juarez and a civil war beginning in 1857. The disastrous military defeat in 1848 forced both conservatives and liberals to reevaluate the consequences of their political programs in hopes of finding ways to strengthen the nation (Hale 1957:153-174). The Mexican War set in motion political forces that would drastically change Mexico's future. Given the importance of this war and treaty for the history of Mexico, one would expect Mexican historians to give it a great deal of study. By and large, however, Mexican intellectuals have generally ignored or neglected it. This essay examines the way in which Mexicans have interpreted the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo since the fateful year 1848 when the treaty was signed. I have chosen to focus on the treaty rather than on the war for reason of economy. In fact, the way any historian has interpreted the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo inevitably has been conditioned by their view of the Mexican War. There are many Mexican historians of the war but few of them have studied in any detail the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In selecting Mexican authors for this essay my criterion has been to choose those historians that have significantly written about the treaty.
Low frequency pressure modulation of indium antimonide

A lumped parameter resonator capable of generating megapascal pressures at low frequency (kilohertz) is described. Accelerometers are used to determine the applied pressure, and are calibrated with a piezoelectric sample. A laser diagnostic was also developed to measure the pressure in semiconductor samples through the band gap pressure dependence. In addition, the laser diagnostic has been used to measure the attenuation coefficient α of commercially available indium antimonide (InSb) wafers. The resonator and laser diagnostic have been used with InSb samples to verify the pressure response.
Mortality rates and diabetic foot ulcers: is it time to communicate mortality risk to patients with diabetic foot ulceration?

Five-year mortality rates after new-onset diabetic ulceration have been reported between 43% and 55% and up to 74% for patients with lower-extremity amputation. These rates are higher than those for several types of cancer including prostate, breast, colon, and Hodgkinʼs disease. These alarmingly high 5-year mortality rates should be addressed more aggressively by patients and providers alike. Cardiovascular diseases represent the major causal factor, and early preventive interventions to improve life expectancy in this most vulnerable patient cohort are essential. New-onset diabetic foot ulcers should be considered a marker for significantly increased mortality and should be aggressively managed locally, systemically, and psychologically. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 98(6): 489-493, 2008)
Fractal modeling of capillary pressure curves for The Geysers rocks

Abstract Capillary pressure curves of The Geysers rocks have unique features because of their microfractures. The frequently used Brooks–Corey (1964) model does not match these capillary pressure curves. It would be useful to represent these curves mathematically, to provide a model for use in reservoir performance calculations. A general model developed from fractal modeling of a porous medium was applied and found to match the capillary pressure curves of The Geysers rocks satisfactorily. Capillary pressures were measured using a mercury intrusion technique. The values of fractal dimension, which is a representation of rock heterogeneity, were inferred from the match of the general capillary pressure model to the experimental data. The results demonstrate that the heterogeneity of The Geysers rocks can be determined quantitatively using the values of fractal dimension.
Magnetic resonance imaging-guided microdialysis cannula implantation in a spontaneous high-grade glioma murine model.

Cerebral microdialysis is used to study anticancer drug penetration in the central nervous system (CNS) and brain tumors in animal models. Genetically engineered murine models (GEMMs) have been recently used to study many aspects of CNS tumors since they represent a more relevant model than orthotopic brain tumor xenograft models. However, it is challenging to implant microdialysis cannula in these animals because T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) does not show the reference point (bregma) traditionally used to obtain stereotactic coordinates. Thus, an alternative reference point that can be visualized on MRI images is needed. In this study, a novel reference point, identified as the intersection between the olfactory bulb/frontal lobe border and the midline between cerebral hemispheres on T2-weighted MRI images, was used to calculate anterior–posterior and medial–lateral coordinates of brain tumors in a GEMM. This point overlies a visible crossover between the rostral rhinal vein and the midline suture on the mouse skull, allowing for the conversion of the MRI coordinates into surgical stereotactic coordinates. Postmortem MRI and histological examination confirmed accurate probe placement. This procedure will facilitate the accurate and precise implantation of microdialysis probes for the study of anticancer drug penetration in brain tumors of GEMMs. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 100:4210–4214, 2011
[The use of computerized tomography in the detection of intra-orbital foreign bodies].

Abstract Use of the CT scanner as an instrument for foreign body detection and localization was explored under experimental conditions. The results show that a sufficiently dense radiopaque foreign body as small as 0.7 mm 3 can he detected and localized by presently available scanners.
The Power of International Institutions: An Examination of U.S. Policy towards East Timor and Kosovo in 1999

This article looks at American foreign policy towards Kosovo and East Timor in 1999 using the extant literature, internal Administration documents, as well as elite interviews. I then test these cases against a structured focused comparison of two competing hypotheses. The first is realism. Secondly, I develop a hypothesis of institutional agenda setting, based on constructivism and neo-liberal institutionalism. I contend that the best explanation for both cases lies in the second hypothesis. Institutional identity shapes state preferences, not only in decisions to intervene but in shaping the size and scope of the mission. Institutions matter in complex human emergencies.
A scalable multi-level feature extraction technique to detect malicious executables

We present a scalable and multi-level feature extraction technique to detect malicious executables. We propose a novel combination of three different kinds of features at different levels of abstraction. These are binary n-grams, assembly instruction sequences, and Dynamic Link Library (DLL) function calls; extracted from binary executables, disassembled executables, and executable headers, respectively. We also propose an efficient and scalable feature extraction technique, and apply this technique on a large corpus of real benign and malicious executables. The above mentioned features are extracted from the corpus data and a classifier is trained, which achieves high accuracy and low false positive rate in detecting malicious executables. Our approach is knowledge-based because of several reasons. First, we apply the knowledge obtained from the binary n-gram features to extract assembly instruction sequences using our Assembly Feature Retrieval algorithm. Second, we apply the statistical knowledge obtained during feature extraction to select the best features, and to build a classification model. Our model is compared against other feature-based approaches for malicious code detection, and found to be more efficient in terms of detection accuracy and false alarm rate.
Information theoretic signal detection on the time-frequency plane

A comprehensive theory for time-frequency based signal detection has been developed during the past decade. The time-frequency detectors proposed in literature are linear structures operating on the time-frequency representation of the signals and are equivalent to quadratic receivers that are defined in the time domain. In this paper, an information theoretic approach for signal detection on the time-frequency plane is introduced. In recent years, Renyi entropy has been proposed as an effective measure for quantifying signal complexity on the time-frequency plane and some important properties of this measure have been proven. In this paper, a new approach that uses the entropy functional as the test statistic for signal detection is developed. The minimum error detection algorithm is derived and the performance of this new signal detection method is demonstrated through examples.
The biosynthesis of pisatin

Abstract The biosynthesis of pisatin, an antifungal compound produced in Pisum sativum L. tissue infected with various parasitic organisms or treated with chemicals, was investigated. l -phenylalanine-[U-14C]methionine-methyl-14C, cinnamic acid-COOH-14C and acetate-1-14C administered to excised pea pods were incorporated into pisatin. Evidence is presented that implicates acetate and cinnamic acid as precursors of pisatin.
The Internationalization of an Undergraduate Program Using Reciprocal Distance Education

The design and construction industries in the United States have become increasingly global and multidisciplinary over the last two decades. This emphasis will continue to expand even more rapidly in the near future. Undergraduate classes must be designed to reflect this tendency and introduce students to the tools and cultural diversity needed to compete in this environment in the future. This paper presents a model containing three distinct components for adding an international dimension to Architectural and Construction Science programs at Texas A&M University. The three components require varying degrees of commitment to an international dimension. The components are: 1) Insertion of an International Dimension at the Syllabus Level, 2) Integration of an International Dimension at the Curricular Level, and 3) Immersion in a Foreign Instructional Environment. The insertion and integrated components rely on the Internet and videoconferencing technology. These two components have come to be known as the “Reciprocal Distance Education Model.” The third component of the model is a blend of traditional study abroad programs with international internships and reciprocal student exchange programs.
Fusion of visual and range features using fuzzy logic

Abstract Multi-sensor systems provide a purposeful description of the environment that a single sensor cannot offer. Fusing several types of data enhances the recognition capability of an autonomous system and yields meaningful information otherwise unavailable or difficult to acquire by a single sensory modality. Because observations provided by sensors are uncertain, incomplete, and/or imprecise, the use of fuzzy sets theory was adopted as a general framework to combine uncertain measurements. A new fusion formula based on fuzziness measure was developed. This fusion formula was mathematically tested against several desirable properties of fusion operators. This method was tested using real data showing a robotic scene. The fused data shows clear benefits from fusion.
Inhibition of proteolysis in histiotrophic nutrition pathways alters DNA methylation and one-carbon metabolism in the organogenesis-stage rat conceptus.

Epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, contribute to the transcriptional regulation of developmental genes that control growth and differentiation during embryogenesis. The methyl donor, S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), is biosynthesized from methionine and adenosine triphosphate by methionine adenosyltransferase 2a (Mat2a) in the one-carbon (C1) metabolism pathway. SAM biosynthesis requires a steady supply of nutrients, vitamins and cofactors obtained by the developing conceptus through histiotrophic nutrition pathways (HNPs). The visceral yolk sac (VYS) captures proteins and their substrate cargos by receptor-mediated endocytosis and degrades them using lysosomal proteases. We hypothesize that leupeptin, a protease inhibitor, reduces the availability of methionine and C1 substrates, restricting SAM biosynthesis and altering patterns of DNA methylation. Rat conceptuses were exposed to 50 and 100 μM leupeptin in whole embryo culture for periods of 26 h from gestational day (GD) 10 or 6 h on GD11. After 6 h on GD11, the 100-μM leupeptin treatment significantly decreased methionine in embryo (EMB) and VYS, reduced Mat2a protein levels and inhibited Mat2a specific activity, all of which produced a significant 52% reduction of SAM in the VYS. The 50- and 100-μM leupeptin treatments significantly decreased global methylation levels by 6%–9% in EMB and by 11%–15% in VYS following both 6- and 26-h exposure periods. This study demonstrates that HNP disruption alters C1 activity and significantly reduces global DNA methylation during organogenesis. Because epigenetic reprogramming is crucial for normal differentiation and growth, these findings suggest a possible mechanism through which nutrients and environmental factors may alter early developmental regulation.
Computer-integrated manufacturing and competitive performance Moderating effects of organization-wide integration

Abstract The research reported here examined the conditions under which computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM's) machine-related benefits can be effectively exploited in competition. Using the integration theme that many have implicitly proposed to analyze CIM implementation, this research sought to test whether a CIM user with a higher level of tool integration enjoyed a higher competitive performance when there was a corresponding degree of organizational integration. Data from 110 CIM users belonging to the automotive, aerospace, medical instruments, and consumer appliance businesses provide strong support to this extended integration hypothesis. Data indicate that integration in operational jobs, competitive criteria, and relationship with customers/ suppliers significantly moderate CIM's impact on competitive performance. Task integration, commonly recommended in this context, has only main effects. It is necessary, but not sufficient, to transform CIM benefits into competitive benefits. We discuss our findings and their implications to technology management theory and practice.
Histone acetyltransferase complexes.

Modification of histone amino terminal tails by acetylation has long been linked to the transcriptional capacity of genes in chromatin and to various aspects of chromatin dynamics. Over the last few years a flurry of reports have described the purification and identification of a large number of histone acetyltransferases. Many of these enzymes had previously been described as transcriptional regulators and have frequently been isolated as part of larger multisubunit protein complexes. This review describes the association of acetyltransferases with partner proteins and the additional functional attributes of such complexes beyond catalytic function.
Spontaneous regression of metastatic testicular carcinoma in a patient with bilateral sequential testicular tumor

Spontaneous regression of metastatic neoplasia is rare. A review of previously reported spontaneous regressions of testicular cancer indicates that in no case has such a patient had a prior, concurrent, or subsequent contralateral tumor. The case presented is unusual because it is the first instance of bilateral sequential testicular cancer in which spontaneous regression of metastases from one of the tumors has been noted. Together with a previous report of a spontaneous regression of testicular cancer which occurred only after a second orchiectomy, the present case suggests the possibility of hormonal modulation of tumor growth.
Interactions in the Solid State II: Interaction of Sodium Bicarbonate with Substituted Benzoic Acids in the Presence of Moisture

The interaction of an organic acid with sodium bicarbonate in water produces an effervescent reaction. The reaction products are carbon dioxide, water, and the sodium salt of the acid. The kinetic rate-determining step for this reaction is the dehydration of carbonic acid. The solid-solid interaction with known amounts of moisture was followed by quantitatively determining carbon dioxide evolution as a function of time. The aqueous solubilities, diffusion coefficients, dissociation constants, and solid-solid interaction rates of six different substituted benzoic acids were determined. Using a model based on diffusion of the organic acid through the aqueous layer coupled with chemical reaction, predicted rates and levels of carbon dioxide production were compared with experimental results. Included in the model were the effects of the reaction products on the solution properties of the reactants. It was found that high concentrations of substituted sodium benzoate were generated very quickly and affected the solubility of the reactants, diffusion coefficient of the acid, and the carbonic acid dehydration rate constant. Moisture content was found to have a profound influence on the interaction rate. Water provides a medium for diffusion of the reacting species as well as the reaction solvent.