cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Addendum to “A pascal theorem applied to minkowski geometry”

The results of the author's previous paper imply that the class of all (B*S)-geometries of Benz (see Benz, Leissner, and Schaeffer [2])coincides, up to isomorphisms, with the class of all plane Minkowski geometries over commutative fields.
Low-energy electron diffraction and photoelectric study of /110/ tantalum as a function of ion bombardment and heat treatment.

Electron diffraction and photoelectric study of crystal surface structure stability of tantalum subjected to ion bombardment and heat treatment
Facile and controllable electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide and its applications

Graphene oxide is electrochemically reduced which is called electrochemically reduced graphene oxide (ER-G). ER-G is characterized with scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The oxygen content is significantly decreased and the sp2 carbon is restored after electrochemical reduction. ER-G exhibits much higher electrochemical capacitance and cycling durability than carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and chemically reduced graphene; the specific capacitance measured with cyclic voltammetry (20 mV s−1) is ∼165, ∼86, and ∼100 F g−1 for ER-G, CNTs, and chemically reduced graphene, respectively. The electrochemical reduction of oxygen and hydrogen peroxide are greatly enhanced on ER-G electrodes as compared with CNTs. ER-G has shown promising features for applications in energy storage, biosensors, and electrocatalysis.
Environmental initiatives in Costa Rica: A political ecology perspective

Abstract This paper analyzes natural resource management initiatives and environmental dilemmas in Costa Rica and derives lessons pertinent to developing countries in general. It is recognized that Costa Rica has a reputation of having “successful”; environmental policies and has made progress in conservation efforts; however, it is argued that the initiatives and policies actually have constraints and weaknesses, including failure to address the political and economic roots of the problems, insufficient attention to the environmental needs of the poor, and perpetuation of the domination of foreign interests. Moreover, resource degradation problems have accelerated. Using a political ecology approach, this analysis reveals contradictions in prevailing strategies. Alternative actions and social/human/ecological orientations are suggested, emphasizing the need for major political changes.
Surface modification with nitrogen-containing plasmas to produce hydrophilic, low-fouling membranes

Abstract Nitrogen-based plasma systems such as N 2 , NH 3 , Ar/NH 3 , and O 2 /NH 3 were used to modify microporous polyethersulfone membranes. Treatments were designed to alter the surface chemistry of the membranes to create permanently hydrophilic surfaces. Contact angle measurements taken initially, as well as 1 year post-treatment confirmed that treatments using O 2 /NH 3 plasmas (with a 5:3 gas flow ratio) were successful in achieving our designed goals. Analyses by FT-IR and XPS established the incorporation of NH x and OH species in the PES membranes. Moreover, the plasma penetrates the thickness of the membrane, thereby modifying the entire membrane cross-section. Optical emission spectroscopy studies of excited state species present in the modifying gases revealed the presence of OH * , which was not present in a 100% ammonia plasma, suggesting OH * must play a critical role in the membrane modification process. Investigations using bubble point analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy demonstrate there is no damage occurring under these specific treatment conditions. The usefulness of this treatment is revealed by increased water flux, reduced protein fouling, and greater flux recovery after gentle cleaning when compared to an untreated membrane.
Two models of formal social control

In recent years there has been an increasing concern with the link between judicial decisions and the socio-political attributes of the environment in which courts function. Little attention has been paid to the link between attorneys' advice and that same court environment. This study fills the gap. In this paper two models of formal social control are developed—a legalist and a decentralized model. The effect of this environmental factor on attorneys' forum advice is examined. Forum advice data were collected on 143 attorneys in Maryland, Louisiana, and Texas. The data were analyzed using analysis of variance for repeated measures. It was found that a state's adopted model of formal social control does affect attorneys' judge-jury advice. Attorneys in legalist states are more likely to advise the judge trial than are attorneys in decentralized states. This effect was mediated, however, by the race of the client, the racial composition of the community in which the case was to be heard, and the seriousness of the offense. With increasing levels of legalism, attorneys representing blacks based their judge-jury advice on both the seriousness of the offense and the racial composition of the community in which the case is to be heard. With increasing levels of legalism, attorneys of white clients based their forum advice solely on the seriousness of the offense.
Asymmetric division of activated latently infected cells may explain the decay kinetics of the HIV-1 latent reservoir and intermittent viral blips.

Most HIV-infected patients when treated with combination antiretroviral therapy achieve viral loads that are below the current limit of detection of standard assays after a few months. Despite this, virus eradication from the host has not been achieved. Latent, replication-competent HIV-1 can generally be identified in resting memory CD4+ T cells in patients with “undetectable” viral loads. Turnover of these cells is extremely slow but virus can be released from the latent reservoir quickly upon cessation of therapy. In addition, a number of patients experience transient episodes of viremia, or HIV-1 blips, even with suppression of the viral load to below the limit of detection for many years. The mechanisms underlying the slow decay of the latent reservoir and the occurrence of intermittent viral blips have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we address these two issues by developing a mathematical model that explores a hypothesis about latently infected cell activation. We propose that asymmetric division of latently infected cells upon sporadic antigen encounter may both replenish the latent reservoir and generate intermittent viral blips. Interestingly, we show that occasional replenishment of the latent reservoir induced by reactivation of latently infected cells may reconcile the differences between the divergent estimates of the half-life of the latent reservoir in the literature.
Interaction of electromagnetic radiation with spatially periodic plasma density structures

Abstract The transmission of a 3 cm wavelength microwave beam through regular plasma density structures is investigated. The structures have a spatial periodicity, d , comparable to the microwave wavelength. The measured attenuation at Bragg angle is consistent with theoretical estimates.
Optimizing cache energy efficiency in multicore power system simulations

Due to recent trends in computer chip design and architecture, the power consumption of computing systems is increasing. Further, with increasing number of cores on a single chip, the size of cache is also increasing and hence, their contribution in overall processor power consumption has become significant. As computing systems become ubiquitous, their excessive power consumption is likely to increase the demands of electricity, thus increasing the level of stress on power systems. In this paper, we propose an approach for reducing cache energy consumption in power system dynamic simulations which are computationally intensive. Our approach is based on the observation that there exists large intra- and inter-program variation in cache resource demand in simulation of different contingencies. Thus, using decay cache technique, we dynamically turn off the cache blocks to save cache energy. In multicore systems, the requirements of meeting worst-case cache demand leads to over-provisioning of resources and hence, saving cache energy is even more important in multicore systems. Hence, we evaluate energy savings in the context of both dual-core and quad-core processors. We simulate several contingencies of different power systems using time domain simulation. Further, we explore the opportunity of dynamically saving cache energy by using a computer architecture simulator and simulate dual-core and quad-core processor configurations. The results show that our technique is effective in saving cache energy and also keeps the loss in performance minimal.
Correlation of peripheral receptive field area and rostrocaudal locus of neurons within the raccoon cuneate nucleus

There is a significant positive correlation between peripheral receptive field (RF) area and neuron locus within the rostrocaudal extent of the raccoon cuneate nucleus for units having tactile RFs on the glabrous surfaces of the forepaw digits, larger RFs being associated with more rostrally located neurons, smaller ones with caudally situated neurons, but not for units having tactile RFs on the glabrous surfaces of the palm. For digits and palm, RF areas of neurons of the cuneate nucleus are approximately 40 and 100 times larger, respectively, than RF areas of primary afferent fibers of the cuneate fasciculus.
Role for Endotoxin and Complement in Periodontal Tissue Destruction

The immune system plays a central role in protecting the host against microbial invasion. To subserve this role, the mammalian immune system has evolved two functional limbs (Fig 1). The first, a recognition limb, discriminates "self" from "nonself." The components of recognition include the immunoglobulins IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM (humoral immunity), and sensitized lymphocytes (cellular immunity). However, to protect the host against dissemination of foreign material, a means must exist to eliminate any substance recognized as nonself. This is accomplished by the second functional limb of the immune system, namely, the immune effectors. Immune effectors include the complement, kinin, and clotting systems, and biologically active molecules (lymphotoxin, monocyte chemotactic factor, and migration-inhibition factor [MIF]) released from sensitized lymphocytes when they interact with specific antigen. Immune effector systems mediate elimination of nonself by means of the inflammatory process. On activation by the immune recognition system, immune effectors release biologically active products that enhance vascular permeability, contract vascular smooth muscle, and chemotactically attract leukocytes. The inflammatory process allows the localization of the inciting agent and its removal by phagocytosis and degradation by leukocytes. Although inflammation is important for host defense, it also should be recognized that this same process can be detrimental to the host under certain conditions. In the process of localizing and destroying material recognized as nonself, inflammation may lead to the destruction of the tissues of the host. Therefore, inflammation that occurs in specialized tissues such as the heart, kidneys, or periodontium may lead to a
Preventing interrupt overload

Performance guarantees can be given to tasks in an embedded system by ensuring that access to each shared resource is mediated by an appropriate scheduler. However, almost all previous work on CPU scheduling has focused on thread-level scheduling, resulting in systems that are vulnerable to a lower-level form of overload that occurs when too many interrupts arrive. This paper describes three new techniques, two software-based and one hardware-based, for creating systems that delay or drop excessive interrupt requests before they can overload a processor. Our interrupt schedulers bound both the amount of work performed in interrupt context and its granularity, making it possible to provide strong progress guarantees to thread-level processing. We show that our solutions work and are efficient when implemented on embedded processors. We have also taken a description for a microprocessor in VHDL, modified it to include logic that prevents interrupt overload, synthesized the processor, and verified that it works using simulation. By allowing developers to avoid making assumptions about the worst-case interrupt rates of peripherals, our work fills an important gap in the chain of reasoning leading to a validated system. These techniques cannot replace careful system design, but they do provide a last-ditch safety guarantee in the presence of a serious malfunction.
Breaking out of Binaries: Reconceptualizing Gender and its Relationship to Language in Computer‐Mediated Communication

Virtual environments provide a rich testing ground for theories of gender and language. This paper analyzes interactions in one virtual environment, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), to look at the extent to which research on face-to-face (FTF) talk and computer-mediated communication (CMC) can describe gender and its relationship to language. I find that neither the function of utterances nor the construction of gender adheres to dualistic descriptions, as past research has implied. Reconceptualizing gender as performative helps researchers break out of binary categories that have bound past research. Conceiving of gender as under constant construction also helps demystify and thus disrupt the binary gender system which naturalizes patriarchy.
Out of Balance: Evaluating American Strategy in Vietnam, 1968–72

This paper examines the ineffective implementation of American military strategy in the Vietnam War’s final years. While the Nixon administration conceived a comprehensive strategic concept aimed at winding down the war in South Vietnam, civilian and military leaders struggled to realize, in an effectual manner, Nixon’s wide-ranging political objectives. American officials in Saigon and Washington found it near impossible to balance the competing strategic imperatives of combat operations, diplomatic negotiations, Vietnamization, and the withdrawal of US forces from South-east Asia. This inability to reconcile imbalances within the American strategic framework helps explain more fully the outcome of US political and military efforts in South Vietnam.
Catalytic Naphtha Reforming

Abstract During the past twenty years, the demand for high octane motor fuels has resulted in the installation of catalytic naphtha reforming capacity at a much higher rate than was forecasted by some of the
WIF1, a Wnt pathway inhibitor, regulates SKP2 and c-myc expression leading to G1 arrest and growth inhibition of human invasive urinary bladder cancer cells

Epigenetic silencing of secreted wingless-type (Wnt) antagonists through hypermethylation is associated with tobacco smoking and with invasive bladder cancer. The secreted Wnt inhibitory factor-1 (WIF1) has shown consistent growth-inhibitory effect on various cancer cell lines. Therefore, we assessed the mechanisms of action of WIF1 by either restoring WIF1 expression in invasive bladder cancer cell lines (T24 and TSU-PR1) or using a recombinant protein containing functional WIF1 domain. Both ectopic expression of WIF1 and treatment with WIF1 domain protein resulted in cell growth inhibition via G(1) arrest. The G(1) arrest induced by WIF1 is associated with down-regulation of SKP2 and c-myc and up-regulation of p21/WAF1 and p27/Kip1. Conversely, reexpression of SKP2 in WIF1-overexpressing TSU-PR1 cells attenuated the WIF1-induced G(1) arrest. Furthermore, inhibition of nuclear Wnt signaling by either dominant-negative LEF1 or short hairpin RNA of TCF4 also reduced SKP2 expression. The human SKP2 gene contains two TCF/LEF1 consensus binding sites within the promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation/real-time PCR analysis revealed that both WIF1 and dominant-negative LEF1 expression decreased the in vivo binding of TCF4 and beta-catenin to the SKP2 promoter. Together, our results suggest that mechanisms of WIF1-induced G(1) arrest include (a) SKP2 down-regulation leading to p27/Kip1 accumulation and (b) c-myc down-regulation releasing p21/WAF1 transcription. Additionally, we show that WIF1 inhibits in vivo bladder tumor growth in nude mice. These observations suggest a mechanism for transformation of bladder epithelium on loss of WIF1 function and provide new targets such as SKP2 for intervention in WIF1-deficient bladder cancer.
Discovery of a Predicted Gene Arrangement in Drosophila Azteca.

A method which under certain conditions permits prediction of as yet undiscovered gene arrangements was described a few years ago.(1,2) Its essence is as follows. If an inversion transforms the gene arrangement ABCDEFGH into AEDCBFGH, a second inversion taking place in the altered chromosome may be of the overlapping type, that is one of the breaks of the second inversion may lie within and the second break outside the limits of the first inversion. Thus the arrangement AEDCBFGH becomes AEDGFBCH. If the first and the third of these arrangements are known, one can postulate the existence of AEDCBFGH as a necessary intermediate step. If a family of gene arrangements related as overlapping inversions is known, a phylogenetic scheme indicating the lines of descent within this family may be drawn. Occasionally such phylogenetic schemes involve hypothetical links constructed with the aid of the method just outlined. The purpose of the present note is to record an instance of the discovery of such an hypothetical link, and certain related facts.
Influences on member commitment to group purchasing organizations

Abstract Group purchasing organization (GPOs) have become an important part of some sectors of our economy, such as health care. To be successful at obtaining favorable purchase terms, a GPO must be able to foster and maintain the commitment of its members. Four positive influences on member commitment are hypothesized: (1) satisfaction with the GPO; (2) the perceived commitment of other GPO members; (3) the degree of information exchange between member and GPO; and (4) trust in the GPO. The suitability of alternatives to membership in the GPO was predicted to negatively influence member commitment. These hypotheses were tested with data from a mail survey returned by 249 (49.8%) retail pharmacies. A multiple regression analysis identified significant positive associations between member commitment and commitment of other members, information exchange, and trust. Also, the suitability of alternatives showed a significant negative relationship with commitment. Implications of the findings for managers and researcher are discussed.
Post-translational Regulation of the Arabidopsis Circadian Clock through Selective Proteolysis and Phosphorylation of Pseudo-response Regulator Proteins

The circadian clock controls the period, phasing, and amplitude of processes that oscillate with a near 24-h rhythm. One core group of clock components in Arabidopsis that controls the pace of the central oscillator is comprised of five PRR (pseudo-response regulator) proteins whose biochemical function in the clock remains unclear. Peak expression of TOC1 (timing of cab expression 1)/PRR1, PRR3, PRR5, PRR7, and PRR9 are each phased differently over the course of the day and loss of any PRR protein alters period. Here we show that, together with TOC1, PRR5 is the only other likely proteolytic substrate of the E3 ubiquitin ligase SCFZTL within this PRR family. We further demonstrate a functional significance for the phosphorylated forms of PRR5, TOC1, and PRR3. Each PRR protein examined is nuclear-localized and is differentially phosphorylated over the circadian cycle. The more highly phosphorylated forms of PRR5 and TOC1 interact best with the F-box protein ZTL (ZEITLUPE), suggesting a mechanism to modulate their proteolysis. In vivo degradation of both PRR5 and ZTL is inhibited by blue light, likely the result of blue light photoperception by ZTL. TOC1 and PRR3 interact in vivo and phosphorylation of both is necessary for their optimal binding in vitro. Additionally, because PRR3 and ZTL both interact with TOC1 in vivo via the TOC1 N terminus, taken together these data suggest that the TOC1/PRR3 phosphorylation-dependent interaction may protect TOC1 from ZTL-mediated degradation, resulting in an enhanced amplitude of TOC1 cycling.
An experimental investigation into natural convection heat transfer from horizontal isothermal circular disks

Abstract Experimental heat transfer data are presented and a dimensionless correlation developed for natural convection from heated horizontal stationary isothermal circular disks over a wide range of the Rayleigh numbers. Experiments with air were performed for a variety of disks of different diameters and thickness-to-diameter aspect ratios. The significant volume of data is consistent with the single set of data available in the archival literature, and is correlated with a classical Nusselt–Rayleigh correlation.
Model Epoxy/metal-oxide Chemical Interactions: Diethanolamine on Oxidized Copper and Aluminum

Abstract Diethanolamine (DEA), a model compound for an amine cured epoxy resin, was absorbed from dilute ethanol solutions onto air-oxidized Cu, air-oxidized Al and phosphoric acid-anodized Al. The adsorbate/substrate chemical interactions were probed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS monitoring of DEA coverage on air-oxidized Al as a function of temperature in ultrahigh vacuum shows that significant thermal desorption begins only above 500 K, demonstrating that specific chemical bonding interactions do occur between an amine-cured epoxy and a “real world” oxide surface. DEA desorption temperatures and N ls binding energies are consistent with N tone-pair coordination to acidic aluminum sites.
Improving Collaborative Filtering in Social Tagging Systems for the Recommendation of Scientific Articles

Social tagging systems pose new challenges to developers of recommender systems. As observed by recent research, traditional implementations of classic recommender approaches, such as collaborative filtering, are not working well in this new context. To address these challenges, a number of research groups worldwide work on adapting these approaches to the specific nature of social tagging systems. In joining this stream of research, we have developed and evaluated two enhancements of user-based collaborative filtering algorithms to provide recommendations of articles on Cite ULike, a social tagging service for scientific articles. The result obtained after two phases of evaluation suggests that both enhancements are beneficial. Incorporating the number of raters into the algorithms, as we do in our NwCF approach, leads to an improvement of precision, while tag-based BM25 similarity measure, an alternative to Pearson correlation for calculating the similarity between users and their neighbors, increases the coverage of the recommendation process.
Functional Genomics Approach to Identifying Genes Required for Biofilm Development by Streptococcus mutans

Streptococcus mutans, the primary etiological agent of human dental caries, is an obligate biofilm-forming bacterium. The goals of this study were to identify the gene(s) required for biofilm formation by this organism and to elucidate the role(s) that some of the known global regulators of gene expression play in controlling biofilm formation. In S. mutans UA159, the brpA gene (for biofilm regulatory protein) was found to encode a novel protein of 406 amino acid residues. A strain carrying an insertionally inactivated copy of brpA formed longer chains than did the parental strain, aggregated in liquid culture, and was unable to form biofilms as shown by an in vitro biofilm assay. A putative homologue of the enzyme responsible for synthesis of autoinducer II (AI-2) of the bacterial quorum-sensing system was also identified in S. mutans UA159, but insertional inactivation of the gene (luxS(Sm)) did not alter colony or cell morphology or diminish the capacity of S. mutans to form biofilms. We also examined the role of the homologue of the Bacillus subtilis catabolite control protein CcpA in S. mutans in biofilm formation, and the results showed that loss of CcpA resulted in about a 60% decrease in the ability to form biofilms on an abiotic surface. From these data, we conclude that CcpA and BrpA may regulate genes that are required for stable biofilm formation by S. mutans.
Inhibition of ligand binding to G protein-coupled receptors by arachidonic acid.

Arachidonic acid (AA), released in response to muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) stimulation, previously has been reported to function as a reversible feedback inhibitor of the mAChR. To determine if the effects of AA on binding to the mAChR are subtype specific and whether AA inhibits ligand binding to other G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the effects of AA on ligand binding to the mAChR subtypes (M1, M2, M3, M4, and M5) and to the μ-opioid receptor, β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR), 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HTR), and nicotinic receptors were examined. AA was found to inhibit ligand binding to all mAChR subtypes, to the β2-AR, the 5-HTR, and to the μ-opioid receptor. However, AA does not inhibit ligand binding to the nicotinic receptor, even at high concentrations of AA. Thus, AA inhibits several types of GPCRs, with 50% inhibition occurring at 3–25 µM, whereas the nicotinic receptor, a non-GPCR, remains unaffected. Further research is needed to determine the mechanism by which AA inhibits GPCR function.
The precision of human-generated-hand-hygiene observations: a comparison of human observation with an automated monitoring system

We compared the observations of nearly 1,400 hand-hygiene-related events recorded by an automated system and by human observers. Observation details differed for 38% of these events. Two likely explanations for these inconsistencies were the distance between the observer and the event and the busyness of the clinic.
Modeling and querying uncertain spatial information for situational awareness applications

Situational awareness (SA) applications monitor the real world and the entities therein to support tasks such as rapid decision-making, reasoning, and analysis. Raw input about unfolding events may arrive from variety of sources in the form of sensor data, video streams, human observations, and so on, from which events of interest are extracted. Location is one of the most important attributes of events, useful for a variety of SA tasks. In this paper, we propose an approach to model and represent (potentially uncertain) event locations described by human reporters in the form of free text. We analyze several types of spatial queries of interest in SA applications. Our experimental evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach.
Femtosecond fluorescence depletion anisotropy: Application to the B850 antenna complex of Rhodobacter sphaeroides

The authors extend the technique of fluorescence depletion to measure femtosecond anisotropy decays. In cases where excited-state absorption contributes to the transient spectra, such as in photosynthetic antenna complexes, the anisotropy measured by fluorescence depletion differs from that measured by pump-probe spectroscopy. This new technique has the potential to elucidate the fate of the states created by excited-state absorption.
Effects of Extraction Conditions on the Sensory and Instrumental Characteristics of Fish Gelatin Gels

Fish skin gelatin has recently been of interest as a product that eliminates religious concerns (Jewish and Muslim) and could be an alternative value-added product from fish waste. Recent research has shown that extraction conditions affect gelatin quality. In this study, gelatin from Asian silver carp skin and extracted under different conditions have been studied sensory properties using descriptive analysis and time intensity testing to determine how extraction conditions affect gelatin sensory properties. Three pairs of gelatin samples were selected based on their gel strength, viscosity, and melting temperature. The impacts of different extraction conditions on instrumental methods were examined. Some functionality measurements were also done to determine how sensory measurements correlate with instrumental measurements. The gel strength varied between 60 ± 10 g and 590 ± 30 g while the viscosity varied between 1.9 ± 0.0 cP and 7.4 ± 0.2 cP. The hardness, melting and gelling temperature of the samples were well correlated with the gel strength (r > 0.90). The results indicated that the strongest correlation among all the sensory attributes was between firmness and melting temperature, which was a negative correlation (-0.75) suggesting that the firmer the gel samples the slower they melt. The viscosity was found to be very discriminative between samples in terms of sensory properties. The functional measurements were found to be strongly correlated within themselves while the sensory measurements were less so, which might be due to the greater variability when using sensory panelists or sensory parameters simply might not be related. The firmness, melting rate, and aftertaste were those sensory attributes most successfully discriminated by the panelists.
Important region in the β-spectrin C-terminus for spectrin tetramer formation

Many hereditary hemolytic anemias are due to spectrin mutations at the C-terminal region of beta-spectrin (the betaC region) that destabilize spectrin tetramer formation. However, little is known about the betaC region of spectrin. We have prepared four recombinant beta-peptides of different lengths from human erythrocyte spectrin, all starting at position 1898 of the C-terminal region, but terminating at position 2070, 2071, 2072 or 2073. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the two peptides terminating at positions 2070 and 2071 did not associate with an N-terminal region alpha-peptide (Spalpha1-156) in the micromolar range. However, the peptides that terminated at positions 2072 and 2073 associated with the alpha-peptide. Circular dichroism results showed that the unassociated helices in both alpha- and beta-peptides became associated, presumably to form a helical bundle, for those beta-peptides that formed an alphabeta complex, but not for those beta-peptides that did not form an alphabeta complex. In addition, upon association, an increase in the alpha-helical content was observed. These results showed that the beta-peptides ending prior to residue 2072 (Thr) would not associate with alpha-peptide, and that no helical bundling of the partial domains was observed. Thus, we suggest that the C-terminal segment of beta-spectrin, starting from residue 2073 (Thr), is not critical to spectrin tetramer formation. However, the C-terminal region ending with residue 2072 is important for its association with alpha-spectrin in forming tetramers.
The epidemic of the 20(th) century: coronary heart disease

Heart disease was an uncommon cause of death in the US at the beginning of the 20th century. By mid-century it had become the commonest cause. After peaking in the mid-1960s, the number of heart disease deaths began a marked decline that has persisted to the present. The increase in heart disease deaths from the early 20th century until the 1960s was due to an increase in the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis with resultant coronary heart disease, as documented by autopsy studies. This increase was associated with an increase in smoking and dietary changes leading to an increase in serum cholesterol levels. In addition, the ability to diagnose acute myocardial infarction with the aid of the electrocardiogram increased the recognition of coronary heart disease before death. The substantial decrease in coronary heart disease deaths after the mid-1960s is best explained by the decreased incidence, and case fatality rate, of acute myocardial infarction and a decrease in out-of-hospital sudden coronary heart disease deaths. These decreases are very likely explained by a decrease in coronary atherosclerosis due to primary prevention, and a decrease in the progression of nonobstructive coronary atherosclerosis to obstructive coronary heart disease due to efforts of primary and secondary prevention. In addition, more effective treatment of patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction has led to a substantial decrease in deaths due to acute myocardial infarction. It is very likely that the 20th century was the only century in which heart disease was the most common cause of death in America.
Correlation between Kinetically Defined Calcium Compartments and Contractile Response in Rabbit Atrium

THE importance of calcium ions in the contraction mechanism of skeletal and cardiac muscle has been established on the basis of previous work1–15. Calcium seems to be stored in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and plays a critical part in coupling excitation with contraction when released into the sarcoplasm of these tissues after depolarization of the membrane. The exact way in which calcium performs this function is not clear, and, furthermore, calcium in cardiac tissue is divided into at least two components by kinetic studies with calcium-45 (refs. 16–19). This communication presents evidence for the applicability of kinetic analysis to the contraction process in cardiac tissue.
Decreased ventilation response to hypoxia in children with asthma

We measured the ventilation and inspiratory muscle activity responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia in 18 children with asthma. Ventilation was less efficient in the asthmatic children in that more inspiratory muscle activity per liter of ventilation was required than in normal children. Asthmatic and healthy children had similar ventilation responses to hypercapnia; at all levels of end-tidal Pco 2 , the inspiratory muscle activity was greater in those with asthma. However, during progressive isocapnic hypoxia, asthmatic patients did not increase their inspiratory muscle activity at a rate greater than normal. Thus, because of inefficient ventilation, they had significantly decreased ventilatory responses to hypoxia. Neither ventilation nor inspiratory muscle activity response to hypoxia was correlated with duration of illness or with the degree of airways obstruction present. These results demonstrate that children with chronic asthma have decreased hypoxic responsiveness and suggest that neither long-term airways obstruction nor intermittent hypoxia associated with asthma is necessary to diminish hypoxic response in asthmatic patients. An asthmatic child with depressed hypoxic responsiveness may be at increased risk of hypoxic complications or respiratory failure during acute asthma.
Fetal alcohol syndrome: A new primate model for binge drinking and its relevance to human ethanol teratogenesis

Ethanol was administered nasogastrically to four gravid pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) weekly from 40 days after conception to term. Three animals received 2.5 gm/kg and one received 4.1 gm/kg per dose. One animal aborted after the first dose of 2.5 gm/kg ethanol. Serum ethanol and acetaldehyde were measured after each dose in the other three animals, who carried to term. After delivery the infants were assessed for growth, dysmorphic features, and neurologic and psychological development over six months and were compared with 10 age- and sex-matched controls. Complete autopsies with neuropathologic examinations were performed. The animal exposed to the high dose had neurologic, developmental, and facial anomalies similar to those seen in human fetal alcohol syndrome. One of the animals exposed to the more moderate dosage was similarly but less severely affected. The study demonstrates that a model for binge drinking and fetal alcohol syndrome can be developed in a primate. The model should be useful in exploring the mechanisms of teratogenesis and in determining the median effective dose for the production of the various anomalies seen in fetal alcohol syndrome.
Optimal Volterra kernels for nonlinear controllers

This paper presents a method for designing Volterra kernels for nonlinear controllers which minimize an analytic cost functional. Expressions for the kernels are obtained as well as an estimate of the radius of convergence of the resulting controller. First, a general unconstrained minimization problem on Banach spaces is stated and solved. The function to be minimized is assumed to be analytic in two variables: a parameter and a minimizing variable. The minimizing variable is found as an analytic function of the parameter. This function is found recursively in series form. The theory of polynomial operators is used to represent each analytic series. Next, by appropriately identifying the variables in the minimization problem with signals in a nonlinear control system, the results are applied to obtain Volterra kernels for a nonlinear controller.
A Unified Framework for System-Level Design: Modeling and Performance Optimization of Scalable Networking Systems

The need to bring high-quality systems to market at ever increasing pace is driving the use of system-level models early in the design process. This paper presents a new unified modeling framework, called the extended queuing Petri net (EQPN), which combines extended stochastic Petri net and G/M/I queuing models, to realize the design of reliable systems during the design time, while improving the accuracy and robustness of power optimization for high-speed scalable networking systems. The EQPN model is employed to represent the performance behaviors and to minimize energy consumption of the system under performance constraints through mathematical programming formulations. Being able to model the system with the EQPN would enable the users to accomplish the design of reliable and optimized system at the beginning of design cycle. The proposed system model is compared with existing stochastic models under real simulation data. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the modeling framework and show that our proposed energy optimization techniques ensure robust system-wide energy savings under tight performance constraints
Strengthening the global trade architecture for development: the post Doha agenda

Despite recurring rounds of trade liberalization under GATT/WTO auspices, complemented by unilateral reforms, many developing countries have not been able to integrate into the world economy. This paper argues that, from the perspective of the poorest countries, a multi-pronged strategy is required to strengthen the global trading system and that much of the agenda must be addressed outside the WTO. The most important contribution the WTO can make from a development perspective is to improve market access conditions – for goods and services – and ensure that trade rules are useful to developing countries. Enhancing trade capacity requires concerted action outside the WTO (‘aid for trade’) as well as unilateral actions by both industrialized and developing countries to reduce anti-trade biases.
THE EFFECT OF AXIAL TENSION ON THE LOAD BEARING CAPACITY OF TRACTION PINS

Skeletal traction is often used in the conservative treatment of fractures. Although a small diameter traction pin causes less trauma, its use is limited by the strength of the pin and the holding power of the bone. Both theoretical analysis and in vitro experiments were conducted to investigate the bending resistance of traction pins subjected to an applied traction force. the results of this study indicate that thin K-wires could be used successfully as traction pins. Excessive bending of these wires could be prevented by applying tension. the possibility of a pin cutting through bone is minimal if the cortical bone structure of the patient is normal. However, further in vivo study is necessary to ascertain whether necrosis might occur due to excessive contact stress between the pin and the bone.
A Medium Voltage DC Testbed for ship power system research

Medium voltage dc distribution systems are currently of interest for future naval warships. In order to provide hardware validation for research associated with the development of these systems, a low power Medium Voltage DC Testbed (MVDCT) is being constructed. This paper documents the system being constructed and provides some initial test results.
Non‐human Support: Broadening the Scope of Attachment Theory

Attachment theory proposes that people form strong social ties because certain relationships provide feelings of security and support. Traditionally, theorists and researchers have assumed that because this process is innate and evolved, only human targets are capable of meeting a person’s needs for security. Recent research challenges this assumption by demonstrating that an array of targets, such as places and pets, can also satisfy needs for security, particularly under conditions of threatened or absent connection to other people. We bring together these diverse findings and discuss how they enrich our understanding of the nature and operation of attachment processes and related phenomena. Specifically, this line of research contributes to a comprehensive picture of the diverse means by which people flexibly seek and maintain psychological security both within and outside of their close, interpersonal relationships. It also raises new research questions concerning the similarities and differences between human and non-human support. In many parts of the world today, we are observing a major cultural shift from social integration to isolation. Researchers have observed decreased involvement in community and political activities (Putnam, 2000), avoidance of social intimacy (Turkle, 2012), and an increasing number of adults living alone (Klinenberg, 2013). This may be cause for concern. Adults with weaker social ties have less access to social support, an important resource for coping with illness and other stressors (Uchino, 2004). Intimate social relationships are also integral to maintaining healthy psychological functioning (Cohen & McKay, 1984). We might worry, then, that rising individualism deprives individuals of a basic requirement for well-being. Yet people are surprisingly resourceful. Recent research shows that people sometimes seek (and find) feelings of security from a diverse array of non-human targets – things that are not human (e.g., pets), not alive (e.g., landmarks), and indeed may not exist at all (e.g., fictional characters). Although these relationships may not operate in precisely the same manner as close interpersonal attachments, studies show that they provide the person with many of the same psychological benefits, in particular the comforting assurance that someone or something will support them in times of need. This article brings together these diverse studies to illustrate how people use non-human targets to meet their needs for security and the conditions under which people are likely to do so. We outline attachment theory and discuss how its empirical scope is widened by the recognition that people supplement interpersonal attachments by seeking support from nonhuman targets. We then articulate a theoretical framework that integratesthis evidence to guide future research on attachment and support seeking.
SYNTHESIS OF STIFFNESSES BY SPRINGS

A new, systematic approach to the synthesis of sti®ness by springs is presented using screw (spatial vector) algebra. The space of solutions is fully characterized for all sti®nesses realizable by springs. The main result shows that a rank r sti®ness can always be synthesized by r springs. Further, a sti®ness can be synthesized by an arbitrarily large number of springs greater than r: Algorithms and numerical results support the theory.
Crustal subsidence rate off Hawaii determined from 234U/238U ages of drowned coral reefs

A series of submerged coral reefs off northwestern Hawaii was formed during (largely glacial) intervals when the rate of local sea-level rise was less than the maximum upward growth rate of the reefs. Mass-spectrometric {sup 234}U/{sup 238}U ages for samples from six such reefs range from 17 to 475 ka and indicate that this part of the Hawaiian Ridge has been subsiding at a roughly uniform rate of 2.6 mm/yr for the past 475 ka. The {sup 234}U/{sup 238}U ages are in general agreement with model ages of reef drowning (based on estimates of paleo-sea-level stands derived from oxygen-isotope ratios of deep-sea sediments), but there are disagreements in detail. The high attainable precision ({plus minus}10 ka or better on samples younger than {approximately}800 ka), large applicable age range, relative robustness against open-system behavior, and ease of analysis for this technique hold great promise for future applications of dating of 50-1,000 ka coral.
Interval between neoadjuvant chemoradiation and surgery for the management of rectal cancer.

Dear Editor: In the manuscript “Neoadjuvant Therapy for Rectal Cancer: The Impact of Longer Interval Between Chemoradiation and Surgery”, Dr. de Campos-Lobato 1 continues to add evidence to the positive oncological effects of achieving a pathological complete response (pCR). 2 Additionally, their manuscript provides alternative treatment strategies in terms of timing in the trimodality (surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy) approach for the management of rectal cancer. While the rate of complications was similar in both of the groups analyzed, the cohort that had a waiting interval of ≥8 weeks demonstrated a higher rate of pCR. This approach is novel and continues to add tools in the armamentarium in the management of patients affected with rectal cancer. There are, however, a few issues that remain at large: (1) how can we identify the patients likely to response to neoadjuvant modalities? Our experience shows that up to 50% of patients show a partial response; while, over 20% do not respond to this strategy and, in fact, the tumor continues to grow. 3 Thus, waiting longer clearly benefits the segment of the patients that achieve a pCR, but how can we identify this cohort patients preoperatively? (2) The 8-week period mark stems from the group’s previous work, 4 in which a longer interval was an independent predictor for pCR. However, can we wait even longer (10 to 12 weeks)? Will a longer interval even result in a superior rate of pCR? What should the limit be? Thus, we need randomized trials to assess the best interval for surgical intervention following neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Preclinical studies might also suggest a time interval for the best tumor response. (3) Should chemotherapy be continued during the interval period? We should exercise caution in widening the interval prior to surgical intervention as some patients might experience tumor growth during treatment. These patients should at least undergo restaging strategies at a given interval between the waiting period of neoadjuvant chemoradiation and surgical intervention. This interval is also best addressed in the context of a randomized control trial.