cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How Americans Lost Sight of the State: Adapting Republican Virtue to Liberal Self-Interest

The republican ideas that informed leading thinkers resonate today in America's distrust of distant authority. Yet this vigilance was only one part of the compound known as republicanism. Lost today is an element in republican thought that supported an expansive view of governance. Indeed, from a republican perspective, vigilance was essential because the polity was all-encompassing. Granting so much authority to the government required extraordinary citizens. As long as those who governed remained virtuous, and citizens remained engaged, government could be trusted to carry out an ambitious agenda, enlightened British North Americans believed. This complex compound of authority and scrutiny worked best at the local level. Government was most active there, intervening in the economy and sharply proscribing the rights and prospects of women, not to mention slaves. From this republican perspective, politics structured everything else. In the eyes of the founders, social divisions and economic relationships were the product of, not the foundation for, the political order. It is this republican conception of the relationship between politics and the rest of the society that students of American political development have neglected. We should not judge contemporary scholars too harshly for ignoring what was at best, a fragile, idealized conception of governance. Even some of the founders who had embedded republican ideas in the Constitution narrowed their conception of the proper role of the central government by the early nineteenth century, going so far as to charge their Federalist counterparts with the Tory tendency to “consolidate” the executive and judicial branches of government. Men like Jefferson leveled these charges, laying the groundwork for more than two centuries of antistatist rhetoric. Jeffersonians warned of “consolidation,” even as they pursued bold national initiatives like the Louisiana Purchase.
Co-design Visual Displays in Virtual Stores: An Exploration of Consumer Experience

The purpose of this research is to learn about consumer preferences for visual displays and their experiences in co-designing an “ideal store” for themselves mainly regarding visual displays. Research participants were shown modules of six virtual stores that the researchers created that displayed merchandise based on grouping methods of lifestyle, brand name, and color, and varied in high or low density. The research participants, acting as co-designers, could pick and base their design on one module. However, they were encouraged to make changes and display merchandise that reflected their own needs and preferences. A total of 39 co-designed virtual stores were content analyzed based on a framework that was adopted from previous research. And 37 written reports were also analyzed to reveal participants’ co-design experiences and their evaluations of co-design as a retail offering.
Gene Fusions in Prostate Cancer

Recurrent chromosomal rearrangements resulting in the fusion of androgen regulated genes with ETS transcription factor family members ERG or ETV1 are the most common molecular abnormality in prostate cancer. In the ensuing decade since this discovery, enormous progress has been made in understanding the diversity, biogenesis, and function of ETS gene fusions, both in vitro and in vivo. ETS gene fusions and associated co-occurring or mutually exclusive genetic events provide a rational basis for the comprehensive molecular subtyping of prostate cancer with potential utility for precision medicine approaches. As the most specific known biomarker in prostate cancer, ETS gene fusions may have utility in tissue based diagnosis, risk stratification of precursor lesions, early detection, and distinguishing between clinically aggressive and indolent cases of prostate cancer. While the vast majority of recurrent gene rearrangements in prostate cancer involve the ETS gene family, additional low frequency fusion events involving known oncogenes BRAF, KRAS, RAF1, and FGFR2 have also been described. These rare events suggest that small subsets of prostate cancer patients harbour fusion events with immediate clinical significance and are candidates for targeted therapy.
A greenhouse screening method forPyrenochaeta lycopersici resistance in tomatoes

A greenhouse screening method for corky root (Pyrenochaeta lycopersici) resistance in the tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is described in detail. In determining the reliability of the method, known resistance sources within wild asccessions, commerical cultivars and breeding lines were evaluated for resistance in fields naturally infested with corky root and their response compared under greenhouse conditions in soil heavily infested with corky root and artifically maintained at temperatures between 10–13°C. The procedure developed can be used year round and improves the efficiency of recovering resistant progeny in large segregrating populations.
Inverse scattering off anisotropic targets

The model for radar targets described in Chapter 7 allowed us, in particular, to identify a physically meaningful observable quantity in SAR imaging. It was a slowly varying amplitude of the Bragg harmonic in the spectrum of ground reflectivity (i.e., of the variation of the target permittivity). The derivation of this observable revealed, among other things, one possible mechanism of scattering anisotropy, which is the dependence of the scattered field, including its polarization, on the incident and scattered direction.
MSCs and Innovative Injectable Biomaterials in Dentistry

This chapter provides an overview of innovative strategies in the field of oral cavity regeneration. In particular, the benefits of using injectable biomaterials in dentistry, especially for their restorative and regenerative applications are reported. Here also a detailed analysis of several experimental models for teeth regeneration is carried out. Over the past decade, recent findings in stem cell biology and tissue engineering suggest novel approaches for the regeneration of dental tissues or entire new teeth. Stem cells have the potential to self-renew and to give rise to a variety of cell types that ensure tissue regeneration. This chapter provides the various stem cell-based treatment strategies that could be translated in dental practice. The clinical translation of stem-cell-based oral cavity regeneration requires the use of injectable scaffolds that are able to reproduce dental pulp-like microenvironment in order to make odontoblast precursors capable of generating new tubular dentin. In this context, a considerable attention has been given to sol-gel process a new strategy of manufacturing composite biomaterials useful in periodontology and in oral and maxillofacial surgery. For example, nano-hydroxyapatite (the main constituent of the mineral part of teeth) obtained by using sol-gel process showed significant improvements in its mechanical and biological properties. Recent studies demonstrated that the sol-gel process confers distinctive features to composite materials for teeth repair, thus contributing to a more efficient replacement of oral cavity bone tissue.
Patterns in municipal food scrap programming in mid-sized U.S. cities

Abstract In recent years there has been a modest but noticeable surge of interest from U.S. cities in the diversion of food scraps and other organic wastes from the municipal solid waste stream. Using a unique data set gathered through a survey of mid-sized U.S. cities in 2015, this article examines patterns in food scrap management at the municipal level. Specifically, it studies the extent to which there are shared characteristics among those places most likely to develop municipal capacity for food scrap diversion, and how these patterns can inform policy makers eager to migrate to more sustainable materials management at the local level. We utilize a logistic regression model to test the relationships between two types of food scrap diversion capacities and both socio-economic and municipal waste system characteristics. We find that socio-economic characteristics have limited correlation with the presence of food scrap programming in general in mid-sized cities. Cities with yard waste collection and unit-pricing, on the other hand, are more likely to also have any food scrap diversion programs. We find further that, in mid-sized cities, population density is positively correlated with the curbside collection of food scraps, as is the presence of unit-pricing, while cities that have retained source-separated curbside recycling programs are less likely to have curbside food scrap collection.
Personal Universes: revealing community college students’ competences though their organization of the cosmos

In this article I present a study on learners’ conceptions in cosmology by situating the results in the context of broader historical and sociocultural themes. Participants were community college students in California from non-dominant cultural and linguistic backgrounds finishing their first semester of astronomy. Data were collected through a drawing activity and card sort given during clinical-style interviews. This type of work is typically done from the perspective of conceptual change theory, using drawings to reveal student “misconceptions.” I argue that in analyzing this kind of data, we need to come from the perspective that students are competent, and put their conceptions in context. I begin by presenting traditional frameworks for evaluating and describing learning, all of which rely on an outdated “banking” or “transmission” model of learning that puts an over-emphasis on the performance and attributes of individuals. Not only do these theories provide an incomplete picture of what learning looks like, they create and reify unnecessary divides between “scientific” and “unscientific” that can contribute to student alienation from the world of science. To illustrate this, I present my own results as a window into the logic of learners’ assumptions within a sociocultural context, and suggest ways to support their learning trajectories, rather than figuring out how to unlearn their misconceptions. Through this analysis, I hope to show how taking student conceptions out of sociocultural context can potentially exclude students from non-dominant cultural and linguistic backgrounds from science.
Functional Heterogeneity of Endothelial Cells Derived from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Specification of endothelial cells (ECs) into arterial, venous, and lymphatic cells is a crucial process of vascular development, and expanding our knowledge about EC specification from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) will aid the design of optimal strategies for producing desired types of ECs for therapies. In our prior studies, we revealed that hPSC-derived VE-cadherin(V)+CD31+CD34+ ECs are heterogeneous and include at least three major subsets with distinct hemogenic properties: V+CD43/235a−CD73− hemogenic endothelial progenitors (HEPs), V+CD43loCD235a+73− angiogenic hematopoietic progenitors (AHPs), and V+CD43/235a−73+ non-HEPs. In this study, using angiogenesis assays, we demonstrated that ECs within these subsets have distinct endothelial colony- and tube-forming properties, proliferative and migratory properties, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase and inflammatory cytokine production potentials. Culture of isolated subsets in arterial, venous, and lymphatic conditions revealed that AHPs are...
The Impact of Campus Climate on Queer-Spectrum Student Academic Success.

This study examines how campus climate directly affects academic success for queer-spectrum students. The linear regression analysis model with all independent variables explained 23% of the varian...
Unusual fragmentation of derivatized cysteine-containing peptides

RATIONALE Modification of cysteines by aminoethylation results in side chains similar to those of lysine. Trypsin cleaves at this modified residue and this labeling method can facilitate the analysis of proteins, specifically antibodies. In this work, the ability to identify peptides containing aminoethylated cysteines is investigated through digestion, covalent labeling, and low-energy ion fragmentation. METHODS A prototype antibody was reduced, aminoethylated, and digested with either Lys-N or Glu-C. The resulting peptides were amidinated with SMTA and analyzed by PSD in a MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometer or by CID in an ESI ion trap/orbitrap mass spectrometer. RESULTS PSD and CID fragmentation of peptides with an amidinated aminoethylated cysteine can produce an intense characteristic loss from this modified residue. A neutral loss of 118 Da or charged loss of 119 Da is observed when peptides have low charges. This fragment can form when the cysteine is located in any position in the peptide. The rationalization for this ion is that the amidino group can be initially neutral or protonated and initiates fragmentation. CONCLUSIONS The combination of a dual-labeling technique and low-energy fragmentation produces an abundant diagnostic ion for the analysis of cysteine-containing peptides. These 118 and 119 Da losses are observed when protons are sequestered.
Mammalian and Plant Carbonic Anhydrases: Structure, Function, Mechanism and Control

Carbonic anhydrase (carbonate hydrolyase, EC 4.2.1.1) is the first zinc metalloenzyme to have been discovered. Its detection by Meldrum and Roughton1 confirmed an earlier observation by a group of physiologists and biochemists that the release of carbon dioxide from hemolyzed blood occurs more rapidly than that expected from the buffer catalyzed rate of conversion of bicarbonate to CO2.
Le misure antidumping dell’Unione europea alla luce del Regolamento n. 182/2011 (The Antidumping Measures of the European Union in the light of the EU Regulation 182/2011)

The Trade Defense Measures in the European Union and the Recent Normative Developments - II. The Anti-dumping Measures and the Related Procedure - III. The New Legal Issues Introduced by Paragraph 5 of Article 5 of Regulation 182/2011: the Comitology and the Specific Mechanism for the Adoption of the related Acts and Permanent Anti-dumping or Compensatory Measures.
Orphan Diseases, Bioinformatics and Drug Discovery

In general, a rare or orphan disease is any disease that affects a small percentage of the population. Since a majority of the known orphan diseases are genetic, they are present throughout the life of affected individuals. Many of the orphan diseases appear early in life and approximately 30% of children with orphan diseases die before the age of 5. The bulk of genes and pathways underlying these diseases remain unknown and pose a major gap in orphan disease research. In spite of technological advances and opportunities available to understand the causes of orphan diseases and for developing innovative medical approaches, most of the current efforts are focused either on a single or related group of orphan diseases. Relatively few studies have attempted global analysis of all orphan diseases. Constructing networks that underlie biological processes and pathways associated with orphan diseases and orphan drugs facilitate identification of the functional units that respond to genetic perturbations and potentially affect disease risk or therapeutics. Analysis of these biological networks can also identify common pathways or processes for multiple orphan diseases that are biologically related. Comprehensive understanding of such molecular bases may provide opportunities for novel interventions that are beneficial for an array of related orphan diseases. In this chapter, we review some of the current bioinformatic analytical options available for orphan disease and drug research including computational approaches for candidate gene prioritization. We also discuss strategies and present examples and case studies of common drugs being repositioned for treatment of orphan diseases.
5 – Cerebral Asymmetry

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses what research has revealed to be the properties of the left and right hemispheres and the implications of these findings for the study of language. The study of cerebral asymmetry had its beginnings with Broca's observations on language disorders and their relation to left-hemisphere lesions. The discovery of the special properties of the “other side of the brain” has made the area of cerebral asymmetry less obviously “linguistic,” which is a trend that is continued by current speculation and research in the nature of appositional thought. Such inquiry is relevant to linguists if they are ever to answer the question of what is studied when one studies language. Regardless of the relationship between language and propositional thought, some consideration of the appositional mind should aid in the investigation of language and in the study of man and wherein his uniqueness lies.
Clinical Examination and Risk Classification of the Diabetic Foot

Foot ulceration is one of the most common precursors to lower extremity amputations among persons with diabetes (Singh et al., JAMA. 2005; 293(2):217–28; Boulton and Vileikyte, Wounds. 2000; 12(Suppl B):12B–8; Reiber et al., Rehabil Res Dev. 2001; 38(3):309–17). Ulcerations are pivotal events in limb loss for two important reasons. They allow an avenue for infection (Armstrong and Lipsky, Diabetes Technol Ther. 2004; 6:167–77), and they can cause progressive tissue necrosis and poor wound healing in the presence of critical ischemia. Infections involving the foot rarely develop in the absence of a wound in adults with diabetes, and ulcers are the most common type of wound in this population (Armstrong and Lipsky, Diabetes Technol Ther. 2004; 6:167–77). Foot ulcers, therefore, play a central role in the causal pathway to lower extremity amputation (Pecoraro et al., Diabetes Care. 1990; 13:513–21).
Factors associated with non-adherence to lenalidomide in patients with multiple myeloma.

e20031Background: Lenalidomide (LEN) improves outcomes in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and is used in both frontline and refractory settings. We examined the association between medical and ...
The Role of Dielectric Screening in Organic Shortwave Infrared Photodiodes for Spectroscopic Image Sensing

Author(s): Wu, Zhenghui; Zhai, Yichen; Yao, Weichuan; Eedugurala, Naresh; Zhang, Song; Huang, Lifeng; Gu, Xiaodan; Azoulay, Jason D; Ng, Tse Nga
Optimization of a Quantum-Secure Sponge-Based Hash Message Authentication Protocol

Hash message authentication is a fundamental building block of many networking security protocols such as SSL, TLS, FTP, and even HTTPS. The sponge-based SHA-3 hashing algorithm is the most recently developed hashing function as a result of a NIST competition to find a new hashing standard after SHA-1 and SHA-2 were found to have collisions, and thus were considered broken. We used Xilinx High-Level Synthesis to develop an optimized and pipelined version of the post-quantum-secure SHA-3 hash message authentication code (HMAC) which is capable of computing a HMAC every 280 clock-cycles with an overall throughput of 604 Mbps. We cover the general security of sponge functions in both a classical and quantum computing standpoint for hash functions, and offer a general architecture for HMAC computation when sponge functions are used.
A reduction for the distinct distances problem in Rd

We introduce a reduction from the distinct distances problem in R^d to an incidence problem with (d−1)-flats in R^(2d−1). Deriving the conjectured bound for this incidence problem (the bound predicted by the polynomial partitioning technique) would lead to a tight bound for the distinct distances problem in R^d. The reduction provides a large amount of information about the (d−1)-flats, and a framework for deriving more restrictions that these satisfy. Our reduction is based on introducing a Lie group that is a double cover of the special Euclidean group. This group can be seen as a variant of the Spin group, and a large part of our analysis involves studying its properties.
Estimating PV power from aggregate power measurements within the distribution grid

The increased integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems in distribution grids reduces visibility and situational awareness for utilities because the PV systems' power production is usually not monitored by them. To address this problem, a method called Contextually Supervised Source Separation (CSSS) has been recently adapted for real-time estimation of aggregate PV active power generation from aggregate net active and reactive power measurements at a point in a radially configured distribution grid (e.g., substation). In its original version, PV disaggregation is formulated as an optimization problem that fits linear regression models for the aggregate PV active power generation and true substation active power load. This paper extends the previous work by adding regularization terms in the objective function to capture additional contextual information such as smoothness, by adding new constraints, by introducing new regressors such as ambient temperature, and by investigating the use of time-varying regressors. Furthermore, we perform extensive parametric analysis to study tuning of the objective function weighting factors in a way that maximizes performance and robustness. The proposed PV disaggregation method can be applied to networks with either a single PV system (e.g., megawatt scale) or many distributed ones (e.g., residential scale) connected downstream of the substation. Simulation studies with real field recorded data show that the enhancements of the proposed method reduce disaggregation error by 58% in winter and 35% in summer compared to previous CSSS-based work. When compared against a commonly used transposition model based approach, the reduction in disaggregation error is more pronounced (78% reduction in winter and 45% in summer). Additional simulations indicate that the proposed algorithm is also applicable for PV systems with time-varying power factors. Overall, our results show that—with appropriate modeling and tuning—it is possible to accurately estimate the aggregated PV active power generation of a distribution feeder with minimal or no additional sensor deployment.
An Assessment Of A Practical Experience Requirement For Undergraduate Business Majors

Approximately five years ago, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor added a unique, practical work experience requirement to the customary graduation requirements for an undergraduate business degree. This paper examines the perceived value of this requirement from the perspective of the students (now alumni) who have been subject to the requirement and the fulltime faculty who advise undergraduates. 90% of the responding alumni believe that this practical requirement is a good idea, has been valuable to them and should be enhanced and continued.
Preliminary validation of the NTM Module: A patient-reported outcome measure for patients with pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease

Introduction Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) cause chronic, debilitating pulmonary disease. Patient-reported outcomes provide measures of symptoms, functioning and treatment response. Here we describe the preliminary validation of the recently developed NTM Module. Methods The study population included Northwest NTM Biobank patients in whom Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) was isolated and who had ever met the 2007 American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America pulmonary disease criteria. The NTM Module was administered at enrolment and 12 months; a subset also completed the Quality of Life Questionnaire–Bronchiectasis (QOL-B). The NTM Module generates four domain scores (0–100; higher scores indicate better functioning) reflecting NTM-specific symptoms (NTM Symptoms, Body Image, Digestive Symptoms and Eating Problems). We described patient characteristics and mean scores, and evaluated psychometric properties, including response to treatment at 12 months, for each domain. Results Overall, 203 patients with pulmonary MAC disease were included. Average enrolment scores ranged from 76 (NTM Symptoms) to 84 (Eating Problems). Ceiling effects were observed for Body Image (26% of participants) and Eating Problems (52%). Internal consistency (Cronbach9s alpha) ranged from 0.67 (Digestive Symptoms) to 0.89 (Eating Problems). The intraclass correlation for test–retest reproducibility (n=27) ranged from 0.72 (Body Image) to 0.94 (Eating Problems). Patients starting treatment (n=35) had statistically significant increases in scores for NTM Symptoms (+5, p=0.04), Digestive Symptoms (+7, p=0.002), Body Image (+7, p=0.03) and QOL-B Respiratory Symptoms (n=25, +10, p=0.006). NTM Symptoms scores increased by 15 points (p=0.002) in the 16 patients with scores ≤80 at enrolment. Conclusion The NTM Module generally performs well as a valid patient-reported outcome for pulmonary MAC disease and was responsive to MAC treatment.
Arab Existentialism: What Was It?

Welcoming Jean Paul Sartre to Egypt in late February 1967, writer Ahmad ʿAbbas Salih went straight to the point: Unlikely as it sounds, it was true. For about two decades (1950c–1970c), Arab intellectuals drew on Sartre’s ideas in order to devise a local existentialist tradition that would meet the formidable challenges of decolonization and carry them forward into a new era. Even Sartre was surprised at his fame. Indeed, with the exception of the dead Karl Marx, no other European thinker was so venerated, engaged and translated in the Arab lands as Sartre was. This warm reception cannot be reduced to Sartre’s stance on Algeria where, in the heat of battle, intellectuals were scarce and existentialism made very little sense. Rather, it is the story of the Arab East and its energetic intellectual centers: Beirut, Cairo, Baghdad and Damascus. It is also the story of a new cadre of Arab intellectuals who forged a concrete two-way relationship with Sartre and hoped that the French philosopher will fully enlist on behalf of what they began to call “the Arab cause.”
Small Cell Variant of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Possible Treatment.

Small cell variant of medullary thyroid carcinoma is an extremely rare histologic entity with a paucity of data. As such, there is a lack of literature and clinical experience regarding this disease. In this report, we examine a case of small cell variant of medullary thyroid carcinoma that presented with intractable nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. While these symptoms were essentially refractory to the standard symptomatic treatment, further laboratory analysis revealed dramatically elevated calcitonin levels and mildly raised thyroid-stimulating hormone levels. Interestingly, repletion of thyroid hormone and treatment with lanreotide resulted in an abatement of our patient's symptoms. This temporal clinical improvement highly suggests a potential role involving thyroid-stimulating hormone and calcitonin levels in the pathogenesis of this disease, and consequently suggests a role for thyroxine in treating the associated gastrointestinal symptoms.
PRRS: the most costly disease of pig production

Porcine reproductive respiratory syndrome virus replicates in monocytes, compromising the pig's immune system and making them vulnerable to other endemic diseases; this is the most economically imp...
Minimizing transient microenvironment-associated variability for analysis of environmental anthropogenic contaminants via ambient ionization.

Abstract The rapid and quantitative analysis of anthropogenic contaminants in environmental matrices is crucial for regulatory testing and to elucidate the environmental fate of these pollutants. Direct ambient mass spectrometry (AMS) methodologies greatly increase sample throughput, can be adapted for onsite analysis and are often regarded as semi-quantitative by most developed protocols. One of the limitations of AMS, especially for on site analysis applications, is the irreproducibility of the measurements related to the occurrence of transient microenvironments (TME) and variable background interferences. In this work we report an effective strategy to minimize these effects by hyphenating, for the first time, solid phase microextraction (SPME) arrow to mass spectrometry via a thermal desorption unit (TDU) and direct analysis in real time (DART) source. The developed method was optimized for the extraction and analysis of pesticides and pharmaceuticals from surface water. It was demonstrated that the hyphenation of the SPME and TDU-DART resulted in reduced background contamination, indicating the suitability of the method for onsite analysis even in variable and non-ideal environments. Model analytes were quantitated in the low μg/L range with a total analysis time of less than 5 min, linear dynamic ranges (LDR) and interday reproducibility for most compounds being 2.5–500 μg/L and lower than 10%, respectively. The developed approach provides an excellent analytical tool that can be applied for the onsite high-throughput analysis of water samples as well as air and aereosols. Considering the tunability of our extraction process, time-resolved environmental monitoring can be achieved onsite within minutes.
Retinal regeneration requires dynamic Notch signaling.

Retinal damage in the adult zebrafish induces Muller glia reprogramming to produce neuronal progenitor cells that proliferate and differentiate into retinal neurons. Notch signaling, which is a fundamental mechanism known to drive cell-cell communication, is required to maintain Muller glia in a quiescent state in the undamaged retina, and repression of Notch signaling is necessary for Muller glia to reenter the cell cycle. The dynamic regulation of Notch signaling following retinal damage also directs proliferation and neurogenesis of the Muller glia-derived progenitor cells in a robust regeneration response. In contrast, mammalian Muller glia respond to retinal damage by entering a prolonged gliotic state that leads to additional neuronal death and permanent vision loss. Understanding the dynamic regulation of Notch signaling in the zebrafish retina may aid efforts to stimulate Muller glia reprogramming for regeneration of the diseased human retina. Recent findings identified DeltaB and Notch3 as the ligand-receptor pair that serves as the principal regulators of zebrafish Muller glia quiescence. In addition, multi-omics datasets and functional studies indicate that additional Notch receptors, ligands, and target genes regulate cell proliferation and neurogenesis during the regeneration time course. Still, our understanding of Notch signaling during retinal regeneration is limited. To fully appreciate the complex regulation of Notch signaling that is required for successful retinal regeneration, investigation of additional aspects of the pathway, such as post-translational modification of the receptors, ligand endocytosis, and interactions with other fundamental pathways is needed. Here we review various modes of Notch signaling regulation in the context of the vertebrate retina to put recent research in perspective and to identify open areas of inquiry.
Brief report: Bifactor modeling of general vs. specific factors of religiousness differentially predicting substance use risk in adolescence.

Religiousness is important to adolescents in the U.S., and the significant link between high religiousness and low substance use is well known. There is a debate between multidimensional and unidimensional perspectives of religiousness (Gorsuch, 1984); yet, no empirical study has tested this hierarchical model of religiousness related to adolescent health outcomes. The current study presents the first attempt to test a bifactor model of religiousness related to substance use among adolescents (N = 220, 45% female). Our bifactor model using structural equation modeling suggested the multidimensional nature of religiousness as well as the presence of a superordinate general religiousness factor directly explaining the covariation among the specific factors including organizational and personal religiousness and religious social support. The general religiousness factor was inversely related to substance use. After accounting for the contribution of the general religiousness factor, high organizational religiousness related to low substance use, whereas personal religiousness and religious support were positively related to substance use. The findings present the first evidence that supports hierarchical structures of adolescent religiousness that contribute differentially to adolescent substance use.
POLYMER CHAIN CONFIGURATIONS: MEASUREMENT AND APPLICATIONS

A primary goal of polymer science has been to relate macromolecular structure to macroscopic properties. In particular, it has been hoped that the sizes of polymer coils could be related to the degree with which they entangle, and hence, to their viscoelasticity in the melt. This notion has been realized via the use of the concept of the packing length ( p ), which can be defined as the volume of a chain divided by its root mean square end-to-end distance. The pivotal role of the packing length in melt rheological behavior is discussed in this chapter. The importance of these findings is to illustrate the overriding importance of the unperturbed chain dimension in the physical characteristics of melt polymer chains. This article provides information upon the acquisition of this parameter and recent developments in its use in predicting the viscoelastic parameters. The reported behavior demonstrates the critical importance of the packing length in melt rheological behavior.
The specificity of 4-aminopteroylglutamic acid (aminopterin) for leukemic hematopoietic tissue.

A study of the effect of aminopterin on the hematopoietic tissue of normal mice and mice with transplanted Ak 4 leukemia is reported. At less than lethal doses, aminopterin showed a striking inhibition specificity for neoplastic cell production.
Marine food-borne dinoflagellate toxins.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the marine food-borne dinoflagellate toxins. Toxins are substances potentially noxious to living organisms. These include poisonous substances produced by marine algae, either as byproducts of metabolism or as the necessary intermediates of metabolism for cellular growth, maintenance, or reproduction. The unifying factor in toxins is their ability to be transmitted to humans through bioaccumulation in an intermediate marine host. The intermediate accumulator of toxin, known as a “transvector,” can be divided into primary and secondary types. Dinoflagellates are foremost both in the number of known toxic species and in the potency of the toxins produced. Dinoflagellates that are responsible for the biosynthesis of many toxic compounds transmitted through the food chain are eukaryotes. The dinoflagellates are divided into two groups: those associated with red tides (the classic bloom organisms) and those associated with Ciguatera. The chapter discusses the toxinology of marine food-borne dinoflagellate toxins and describes some of the ecological factors governing the initiation and maintenance of toxic populations.
GLUTAMINE SYNTHETASE. IV.ITS FORMATION IN RAT LIVER FOLLOWING PARTIAL HEPATECTOMY AND DURING REPLETION.

Abstract The change in glutamine synthetase activity has been studied under two conditions of liver growth, namely, mitotic growth after partial hepatectomy and nonmitotic growth during repletion after a fast. The surgical operation caused the enzyme activity in the liver to diminish to one half its normal value within one week after the operation and to remain at this reduced level for the duration of the experiment lasting 90 days. A second partial hepatectomy lowered the synthetase activity still further. The lowering appeared to have resulted from an impairment in the synthesis of the enzyme, which was associated with the high mitotic activity of the liver, and presumably with the de novo synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid. Furthermore, partial hepatectomy did not affect the kidney enzyme, nor did unilateral nephrectomy decrease the liver enzyme. A temporary fall in the liver synthetase activity resulted from repleting after a fast; the fall depended on the diet of repletion, being greater on a low protein diet than on a high protein diet. Conversely, the kidney enzyme of the rat during repletion rose to a higher level on a low protein diet than on a high protein diet. Raising the glutamine content in the diet did not reduce the synthetase activity in rat liver, nor did omitting glutamine from the diet increase the enzyme activity. A protein-free diet, however, proved to be more detrimental to the enzyme in liver than fasting, which brought varied effects on the enzyme depending on its duration.
Measurement of Perceived Environmental Uncertainties: Response and Extension

Miller (1993) presented an instrument for measuring managers' perceptions of the environmental uncertainties relevant to international business. Application of this instrument by Werner, Brouthers, and Brouthers (1996), led them to suggest an alternative measurement instrument. This study applies confirmatory factor analysis to examine the reliability and discriminant validity of these alternatives PEU scales.
Reproducibility and Repeatability of the SAE J4002 and J826 H-point Machines

A study of repeatability and reproducibility of the SAE J4002 and SAE J826 H-point machines (HPMs) was conducted using 15 operators, five of each type of HPM, and four different vehicle seats. Each operator performed 24 installations over two days. Across the 24 measurements, operators used 3-4 of each type of manikin in 2-4 of the seats. For each operator, some trials were repeated three times to generate measures of within-operator repeatability. Operators measured H-point x and z location, and torso angle. Variance decomposition showed that for H-point measurements, the J4002 manikin has better reproducibility (between-operator variance) but the J826 manikin has better repeatability (within-operator variance). For torso angle, both reproducibility and repeatability are better for the newer manikin. In addition, different manikins of one type produced negligible additional variability. Thus, different manikins of one type can be considered virtually identical, while the variance in measurements is attributed to operators.
Collisionless Multiple Photon Excitations in SF6: Thermal or not?

Recently, BLACK, KOLODNER, SCHULTZ, YABLONOVITCH, and BLOEMBERGEN (BKSYB) [1] made the claim that IR laser excitation in polyatomic molecules leads to a thermal population distribution. The far reaching implications of this result for laser induced chemistry stimulated several doubting researchers to perform experiments to either prove or disprove this result [2]. The experiments so far are not conclusive. One might then hope that existing theory could resolve this question, but to date theory remains incomplete, and divided into two regimes: detailed low level coherent excitation including first order rotation-vibration structure [3.a] and high level quasi-continuum (qc) absorption typically described by incoherent rate equations [3.b]. Joining the υ3 low level excitation with the higher lying qc in a smooth continuous manner has been the major stumbling block in forming a complete theoretical model of multiple photon excitation (MPE) and dissociation (MPD). In fact the lack of a complete model has forced researchers to speculate on the effects of the so called υ3 ladder “bottleneck” [1]. Therefore, the problem of whether laser excitation in polyatomic molecules leads to a thermal population distribution has remained unresolved.
Ghost interference with optical parametric amplifier

We analyze visibility loss in photon counting experiments with an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) source. The effect of the finite coincidence window time and bandwidth of the source is calculated for the Ghost interference experiment.
An H/ACA guide RNA directs U2 pseudouridylation at two different sites in the branchpoint recognition region in Xenopus oocytes

U2 is the most extensively modified of all spliceosomal snRNAs. We previously showed that at least some of the internally modified nucleotides in U2 snRNA are required for snRNP biogenesis and pre-mRNA splicing. Recent work from several laboratories suggests that nuclear guide RNAs facilitate U2 snRNA internal modification, including pseudouridylation and 2'-O-methylation. Here, we present a novel approach to identifying guide RNAs for U2 pseudouridylation. Several Xenopus oocyte nuclear RNAs were affinity selected with U2 snRNA substituted with 5-fluorouridine, a pseudouridylation inhibitor that sequesters pseudouridylases. One of these RNAs was sequenced and found to be a novel RNA of 134 nt. This small RNA contains an H/ACA motif and folds into a typical H/ACA RNA structure, and its authenticity as an H/ACA RNA was confirmed by immunoprecipitation analysis. The RNA contains two guide sequences for pseudouridylation (psi) of U2 snRNA at positions 34 and 44 in the branch-site recognition region, and we demonstrate that this RNA indeed guides the formation of psi34 and psi44 in U2 using a Xenopus oocyte reconstitution system. Therefore, this novel RNA was designated pugU2-34/44, for pseudouridylation guide for U2 snRNA U34 and U44. Intranuclear localization analyses indicate that pugU2-34/44 resides within the nucleoplasm rather than nucleoli or Cajal bodies where other guide RNAs have been localized. Our results clarify the mechanism of U2 snRNA pseudouridylation in Xenopus oocytes, and have interesting implications with regard to the intranuclear localization of U2 snRNA pseudouridylation.
The Efficacy of the Mediterranean Diet on Obesity Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis

Objective: The impact of a Mediterranean Diet (MD) on obesity is inconclusive. Therefore, the current study was designed to assess the efficacy of this intervention in reducing obesity outcomes and...
New robust filter for uncertain discrete-time system

A two-step robust filtering algorithm for uncertain discrete-time system is presented. To get a series of computational equations, the upper bound of uncertain parts generated by uncertain systematic matrix in the expression of the error covariance matrix of state estimation is given and the equivalent systematic matrix is obtained. These results build up a robust time update algorithm. On the other hand, the lower bound of uncertain parts generated by uncertain observation matrix in the expression of the error covariance matrix of state estimation is given and the equivalent observation matrix is obtained. Thus both the time update and measurement update algorithms are suggested. By means of matrix inversion formula, the expression structures of both time update and measurement update algorithms are all simplified.
Continuous trajectory optimization for autonomous humanoid door opening

The upcoming DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) presents a demanding set of real-world tasks to be accomplished autonomously by robots. In this paper, we describe the development of a system to control an existing humanoid robot to open a door, one of the many tasks of the DRC. Special emphasis is placed upon generating smooth trajectories which minimize unnecessary motion of the robot. We describe methods for generating and optimizing trajectories for the robot, and present preliminary results demonstrated on the physical robotic platform. To the best of our knowledge, we demonstrate the first large scale application of the CHOMP trajectory optimization in a situation with closed kinematic chain constraints.
Privacy-enhanced access control in primelife

This talk gives an overview of the PrimeLife1 project, funded by the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme, with a particular focus on its research results in privacy-preserving access control in distributed systems. Users commonly reveal more personal data than strictly necessary to be granted access to online resources, even though existing technologies, such as anonymous credential systems, offer functionalities that would allow for privacy-friendly authorization. Moreover, users currently lack any automated support in deciding whether the recipient will handle the revealed information in an acceptable manner. An important reason for these shortcomings is, as we believe, the absence of suitable policy languages offering adequate expressivity to address privacy-friendly functionalities.The PrimeLife project set out to overcome this problem by designing a policy language for privacy-enhanced access control and data handling. The PrimeLife Policy Language (PPL) features two-sided data handling policies with an automated matching procedure to check whether a server's proposed policy complies with a user's preferences. It also allows to specify access control requirements independent of the authentication technology used (e.g., SAML, OpenID, LDAP, anonymous credentials, etc.), but does so in a way that the privacy-enhancing features of anonymous credentials such as IBM's Identity Mixer and Microsoft's U-Prove systems can be fully leveraged.
Effect of a Concentrated Turbid Layer on the Polarization of Skylight

The effect of a concentrated turbid layer on the polarization of skylight is discussed in this paper. Two idealized models of the turbid atmosphere are employed. In one an aerosol layer is situated below a molecular layer and, in the other, above it. The size distribution of the aerosols of refractive index 1.33 is assumed to follow a power law. Inside the aerosol layer, only primary scattering of light is taken into account and polarization effects are neglected. The importance of the interaction between the aerosol and molecular layers is recognized. The resulting computations show broad agreement with available observations. The importance of the location of the turbid layer in characterizing the emergent radiation is revealed. In particular, the computations have shown that the Babinet and Brewster neutral (zero polarization) points can shift towards the sun from their normal positions in a molecular atmosphere when there is low-level turbidity. Such a shift is indicated by observations.
Fibernet II: A Fiber Optic Ethernet

This paper describes a fiber optic local area network which has been designed for use as an Ethernet and is currently operating at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. The fiber optic network, named Fibernet II, is an active-star configured network which is plug compatible with Ethernet at the transceiver cable interface. Collision detection is performed in the active star and collision presence is transmitted to the Fibernet transceivers. The performance and capabilities of Fibernet II are presented along with the motivation for the particular fiber optic implementation that was realized.
Magnetic response of certain curved graphitic geometries

Abstract The quasi-particle energy spectra associated with some members of buckyfamily (curved graphitic geometries), in particular C 50 , C 60 , C 70 and related fullerenes as well as coaxial helical microtubules of graphite, are obtained analytically within the mean-field approximation. These energy spectra are then used to calculate various response functions. Specifically, we calculate the specific heat, magnetization and magnetic susceptibility in the presence of an external magnetic field at low temperatures. For a single microtubule an extra peak superimposed on the first de Haas van Alphen (dHvA) oscillation in magnetic susceptibility is found in the 50 – 170 Tesla range depending on the radius which is possibly accessible in special (explosive flux compression) experiments. Finally, we point to important potential applications of these novel mesoscopic structures in nanotechnology.