cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DNA-Binding Activities in Streptococcus gordonii: Identification of a Receptor-Nickase and a Histonelike Protein

Extraction of Streptococcus gordonii cells with the mild chaotropic agent, LiCl, drastically decreased DNA transforming ability, had little effect on viability, and released both DNA nicking and binding activities. Both activities were Mg2+ and Ca2+ independent and were not competence specific. Southwestern blot analysis of the extract identified putative surface proteins of 56 kDa and 68 kDa in strain Challis and Wicky, respectively. Extracts also contained a 10-kDa DNA-binding protein, designated HSgo, that belongs to the eubacterial histonelike class of proteins.
On raptors and rodents: testing the ecological fidelity and spatiotemporal resolution of cave death assemblages

Natural accumulations of skeletal remains represent a valuable source of ecological data for paleontologists and neontologists alike. Use of these records requires a quantitative assessment of the degree to which potential biasing factors affect how accurately ecological information from the living community is recorded in the sedimentary record. This has been a major focus in recent years for taphonomists working with marine records, yet terrestrial systems have remained virtually unstudied—particularly communities of small-bodied taxa. Our ability to assess the potential origins and effects of postmortem bias in terrestrial skeletal assemblages (both modern and fossil) has therefore been limited. Predation is a common mechanism by which small-mammal skeletal remains are concentrated; raptors regurgitate the remains of their small-mammal prey in pellets rich in skeletal material, which accumulate below long-term roosting sites, especially in protected areas such as caves and rock shelters. Here I compare small-mammal death assemblages concentrated via owl predation at Two Ledges Chamber, a long-term owl cave roost in northwestern Nevada, with data from modern trapping surveys to evaluate (1) their ecological fidelity to the modern small-mammal community, (2) the effects of temporal variation and time-averaging (over months to centuries) on live-dead agreement, and (3) how spatial averaging affects the landscape-scale picture of the small-mammal community as reconstructed from dead remains. Despite potential obstacles to the recovery of ecological information from skeletal deposits generated via predation, I find high live-dead agreement across all ecological metrics and all temporal comparisons. I also find that the effects of time-averaging (specifically increased species richness of the death assemblage) become significant only at the century scale. Finally, I combine a mixing model approach with a principal coordinates analysis to show that the owls at Two Ledges Chamber sample from all habitats present in the immediate vicinity of the cave, producing a high-fidelity snapshot of the community that is spatially integrated at the local landscape scale.
Granulysin Crystal Structure and a Structure-derived Lytic Mechanism

Our crystal structure of granulysin suggests a mechanism for lysis of bacterial membranes by granulysin, a 74-residue basic protein from human cytolytic T lymphocyte and natural killer cells. We determined the initial crystal structure of selenomethionyl granulysin by MAD phasing at 2A resolution. We present the structure model refined using native diffraction data to 0.96A resolution. The five-helical bundle of granulysin resembles other "saposin folds" (such as NK-lysin). Positive charges distribute in a ring around the granulysin molecule, and one face has net positive charge. Sulfate ions bind near the segment of the molecule identified as most membrane-lytic and of highest hydrophobic moment. The ion locations may indicate granulysin's orientation of initial approach towards the membrane. The crystal packing reveals one way to pack a sheet of granulysin molecules at the cell surface for a concerted lysis effort. The energy of binding granulysin charges to the bacterial membrane could drive the subsequent lytic processes. The loosely packed core facilitates a hinge or scissors motion towards exposure of hydrophobic surface that we propose tunnels the granulysin into the fracturing target membrane.
Photonically-Synthesized Waveforms to Combat Broadband Antenna Phase Distortions

We review our work in photonically enabled arbitrary electromagnetic waveform generation. Here, we emphasize a technique based on Fourier transform optical pulse shaping that enables user-defined radio-frequency waveforms with frequency content spanning the ~1-11 GHz range. We highlight the capabilities of this technique by demonstrating our apparatus may be used to combat waveform distortions arising from the nonuniform phase response of broadband antennas. In this work, we demonstrate compression (dispersion compensation) of waveforms with up to 10 GHz bandwidth at a center frequency of 6 GHz.
Improving multipath reliability in topology-aware overlay networks

Use of multiple paths between node pairs can enable an overlay network to bypass Internet link failures. Selecting high quality primary and backup paths is challenging, however. To maximize communication reliability, an overlay multipath routing protocol must account for both the failure probability of a single path and link sharing among multiple paths. We propose a practical solution that exploits physical topology information and end-to-end path quality measurement results to select high quality path pairs. Simulation results show the proposed approach is effective in achieving higher multipath reliability in overlay networks at reasonable communication cost.
A New Small-Bodied Species of Palaeonictis (Creodonta, Oxyaenidae) from the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

Oxyaenid creodonts are extinct carnivorous mammals known from the Paleogene of North America, Europe, and Asia. The genus Palaeonictis is represented by three species that together span the late Paleocene to early Eocene of North America, and at least one species from the early Eocene of Europe. Previously, only a single trigonid of Palaeonictis was known from the interval encompassing the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) in North America. We describe Palaeonictis wingi sp. nov. from the PETM in the Cabin Fork drainage, southeastern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, based on associated right and left dentaries with P2-M2. Palaeonictis wingi sp. nov. is substantially smaller than the other North American congeners, making it similar in size to P. gigantea from the earliest Eocene of Europe and the previously described PETM specimen. We suggest that a form similar to the large-bodied late Paleocene P. peloria from North America gave rise to two smaller species in the earliest Eocene of North America (P. wingi) and Europe (P. gigantea). Palaeonictis wingi may have given rise to P. occidentalis following the PETM in North America. Dispersal of Palaeonictis to Europe coincided with rapid global warming of 5–10°C and related geographic range shifts in plants and other animals during the PETM. It has been suggested that certain mammalian lineages decreased in body size during the PETM, possibly in response to elevated temperature and/or higher CO2 levels. Results from a dietary analysis of Palaeonictis indicate that it was an omnivore that primarily consumed meat. This suggests that the decreased nutritious quality of vegetation caused by increased CO2 levels was not the direct contributing factor that caused body size reduction of this lineage during the PETM. Other selective pressures such as temperature, aridity, and prey size may have also contributed to the smaller body size of carnivorous mammals during this interval, although the presence of smaller species could also be explained by latitudinal range shifts of mammals during the PETM.
FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES OF ENZYME‐MODIFIED ACYLATED FISH PROTEIN DERIVATIVES

Enzymemodified acylated protein derivatives were prepared with succinic and acetic anhydrides from washed fish muscle and were evaluted for their functionality. The degree of acylation and of hydrolysis by bromelain was studied to determine how these variables affect functionality of the protein. The degree of acylation was determined by measuring available epsilon amino groups of lysine. Susceptibility to hydrolysis was determined by treating with bromelain at different ratios of bromelain to substrate. The functional properties studied were emulsifying activity, emulsifying capacity, gelation, water absorption, aeration, and foam stability. These functional properties increased until 43–59% of the free amino groups were acylated. Further acylation had no significant effect. Hydrolysis of the acylated protein slightly lowered the emulsifying, gelation, and water absorption properties, but increased the aeration capacity of both the acetylated and succinylated proteins and the foam stability of the latter. The succinylated proteins displayed functional properties similar to those of the acetylated proteins. Succinylated proteins, however, yielded functionality slightly but significantly superior to that of acetylated proteins. The performance of enzyme-modified acylated fish protein derivatives in food systems is also discussed.
Exercise capacity and prognosis in chronic heart failure.

The association among fitness, health, and longevity is probably as old as there are historical records. The writings of the classic Greek physicians Herodicus, Hippocrates, and Galen are replete with references to fitness, and each believed that a healthy body was a prerequisite for mental well-being.1 The US founding fathers were also conscious of the importance of fitness. Benjamin Franklin advocated 15 minutes of brisk stair climbing at intervals throughout the day, along with swimming and the use of dumbbells for health purposes.2 Thomas Jefferson recognized the need for fitness, although perhaps to an extreme, when he wrote, “Not less than 2 hours a day should be devoted to exercise and the weather shall be little regarded. If the body is feeble, the mind will not be strong.”3 Of course, none of these historical icons was cognizant that we would one day routinely measure an individual’s maximal physiological response to maximal exertion under controlled circumstances. Nor could they have imagined that the exercise test would be a valuable tool to predict the consequences of diseases related to 21st-century lifestyles. Article see p 3189 The use of the exercise test to stratify risk and optimize clinical management for patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) spans several decades. However, evidence of the importance of exercise capacity as a risk marker in patients with CVD is relatively recent, and clinical practice has yet to embrace this evidence. In a growing number of studies, exercise capacity has been shown to outperform traditional markers of risk (including clinical history, hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia, and other exercise test responses) in persons with and without CVD. In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), exercise capacity has even been demonstrated to outperform invasive hemodynamic data (cardiac output, pulmonary wedge pressure, and ejection fraction) in stratifying risk. Because …
Transcriptome profiling and sequencing of differentiated human hematopoietic stem cells reveal lineage-specific expression and alternative splicing of genes

Hematopoietic differentiation is strictly regulated by complex network of transcription factors that are controlled by ligands binding to cell surface receptors. Disruptions of the intricate sequen...
Effect of Hot Water Immersion on Storage Stability of Non-Refrigerated Peanuts1

Abstract Oxidative stability of Fla Early Bunch and NC7 peanuts immersed in hot water (79 C) for 90 sec and stored under non-refrigerated conditions was evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that water immersion disrupted structural makeup of the surface to form a glaze and caused coalescence of subcellular bodies. Initial hot water immersion resulted in decreased lipoxygenase activity. Throughout storage, peroxide values, free fatty acid values and lipoxygenase activity were lower in the immersed peanuts than in the non-immersed peanuts. Free fatty acid and peroxide values were significantly higher in the Fla Early Bunch cultivar than the NC7 cultivar.
Performance of Density Functional Theory for 3d Transition Metal-Containing Complexes: Utilization of the Correlation Consistent Basis Sets

Article discussing the performance of density functional theory for 3d transition metal-containing complexes and the utilization of the correlation consistent basis sets.
Transformations to normality and selectivity bias in hedonic price functions

Zuehlke and Rasmussen (1988) presented an investigation of selectivity bias in hedonic price functions estimated from sold subsamples. The empirical findings were sensitive to the degree of skewness allowed by the choice of offer distribution. With the generalized model presented in this paper, the degree of skewness present in the offer distribution is determined empirically, rather than imposed by assumption. This allows a test of the hypothesis advanced in Zuehlke and Rasmussen, that by failing to allow for an upward skew in offers, the normal distribution incorrectly attributes skewness in observed selling prices to censoring.
Electron propagator studies of molecular anions

Electron propagator (EP) or Green's function (GF) methods have been successfully employed to compute electron affinities for a large number of molecules having either a closed-shell or sin- gle-valence-hole dominant electronic configuration. The accuracy of such calculations, if carried out through third order, bas often been comparable to that of reasonable configuration interaction (CI) calculations. However, as a computational tael, EP methods have not yet been adequately de- veloped in relation to general open-sbell molecules and atoms, and only recently have they begun to be generalized to describe states having twa or more dominant configurations. Thus although GFS look promising as methods for ab initio calculation, much formai and programming wark re- mains to be clone before this approach can be sa id to compete with CI methods. On the other band, GFS provide us with a mechanism for focusing on the one-electron (EP) or two-electron (polarization propagator (pp)) features of any problem. It is this fact that makes GFS an attractive route for de- veloping chemical models which may or may not make use of experimental data. Although such a viewpoint bas been widely used in solid-stale physics, not enough wark bas been clone on making models based upon the EP or PP. In this article, both the computational and forma l history of GFS, as they apply particularly to molecular anion studies, are overviewed. The author's opinions con- cerning the current status and future development ofthe area constitute a large part ofthe presen- tatian.
The HSP70 family and cancer

The HSP70 family of heat shock proteins consists of molecular chaperones of approximately 70kDa in size that serve critical roles in protein homeostasis. These adenosine triphosphatases unfold misfolded or denatured proteins and can keep these proteins in an unfolded, folding-competent state. They also protect nascently translating proteins, promote the cellular or organellar transport of proteins, reduce proteotoxic protein aggregates and serve general housekeeping roles in maintaining protein homeostasis. The HSP70 family is the most conserved in evolution, and all eukaryotes contain multiple members. Some members of this family serve specific organellar- or tissue-specific functions; however, in many cases, these members can function redundantly. Overall, the HSP70 family of proteins can be thought of as a potent buffering system for cellular stress, either from extrinsic (physiological, viral and environmental) or intrinsic (replicative or oncogenic) stimuli. As such, this family serves a critical survival function in the cell. Not surprisingly, cancer cells rely heavily on this buffering system for survival. The overwhelming majority of human tumors overexpress HSP70 family members, and expression of these proteins is typically a marker for poor prognosis. With the proof of principle that inhibitors of the HSP90 chaperone have emerged as important anticancer agents, intense focus has now been placed on the potential for HSP70 inhibitors to assume a role as a significant chemotherapeutic avenue. In this review, the history, regulation, mechanism of action and role in cancer of the HSP70 family are reviewed. Additionally, the promise of pharmacologically targeting this protein for cancer therapy is addressed.
Detailed design of a resonantly enhanced axion-photon regeneration experiment

A resonantly enhanced photon-regeneration experiment to search for the axion or axionlike particles is described. This experiment is a shining light through walls study, where photons traveling through a strong magnetic field are (in part) converted to axions; the axions can pass through an opaque wall and convert (in part) back to photons in a second region of strong magnetic field. The photon regeneration is enhanced by employing matched Fabry-Perot optical cavities, with one cavity within the axion generation magnet and the second within the photon-regeneration magnet. Compared to simple single-pass photon regeneration, this technique would result in a gain of (F/{pi}){sup 2}, where F is the finesse of each cavity. This gain could feasibly be as high as 10{sup 10}, corresponding to an improvement in the sensitivity to the axion-photon coupling, g{sub a{gamma}}{sub {gamma}}, of order (F/{pi}){sup 1/2}{approx}300. This improvement would enable, for the first time, a purely laboratory experiment to probe axion-photon couplings at a level competitive with, or superior to, limits from stellar evolution or solar axion searches. This report gives a detailed discussion of the scheme for actively controlling the two Fabry-Perot cavities and the laser frequencies, and describes the heterodyne signal detection system, with limitsmore » ultimately imposed by shot noise.« less
An Interdisciplinary Approach to Dialysis Decision-Making in the CKD Patient With Depression

Depression and depressive symptoms are common in advanced kidney disease and are associated with poor outcomes. For those with CKD not on dialysis, depression may influence how patients cope and prepare for their disease and its management, including decisions about dialysis treatment. Patient self-reported scales exist to better identify depression; how to incorporate these scales into clinical practice and assist with treatment decision-making is less clear. We present a case-based discussion of depressive symptoms in patients with advanced kidney disease not on dialysis. We highlight the contribution of underlying somatic and psychosocial factors in the assessment and management of depression. We further define the role of the interdisciplinary care team, including palliative care and hospice medicine, to assist with symptom management and end-of-life care for CKD patients with depression.
Phylogenetic Relationships in Lasthenia (Heliantheae: Asteraceae) Based on Nuclear rDNA Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) Sequence Data

Abstract The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA was sequenced in 36 samples representing 16 of the 17 species of Lasthenia. Phylogenetic analysis supported the monophyly of only section Hologymne whereas other sections are paraphyletic or polyphyletic. Species of section Baeria together with L. leptalea (section Burrielia) form a well supported clade. Samples of L. californica (section Baeria) form two clades representing geographically separated populations in a north-south pattern. Section Burrielia is polyphyletic and the ITS data suggest that different species of this section are more closely related to taxa of either sections Baeria or Ptilomeris. The monotypic section Platycarpha shares a close affinity with some species of section Ptilomeris. Species of section Ptilomeris formed two clades. One clade includes L. burkei, L. conjugens and L. fremontii supporting a close relationship among these species as previously recognized. The remaining species of section Ptilomeri...
The meaning of group delay in barrier tunnelling: a re-examination of superluminal group velocities

We show that the group delay in tunnelling is not a traversal time but a lifetime of stored energy or stored probability escaping through both ends of the barrier. Because it is a lifetime associated with both forward (transmitted) and backward (reflected) fluxes, it cannot be used to define a group velocity for forward transit in cases where a wavepacket is mostly reflected. For photonic tunnelling barriers the group delay is identical to the dwell time which is also a property of an entire wavefunction with reflected and transmitted components. Theoreticalpredictionsandexperimentalreportsofsuperluminalgroupvelocities in barrier tunnelling are re-interpreted.
The National Children's Study — End or New Beginning?

Why are rates of asthma, autism, birth defects, cancer, obesity, and other diseases still increasing among U.S. children? Answers could be found in a redesigned National Children's Study entailing a confederation of regional, prospective birth-cohort studies.
Interstate Practice of Dental Teleradiology in the United States: The Effect of Licensing Requirements on Oral and Maxillofacial Radiologists' Practice Patterns

Abstract Background: In the United States, each state has independent licensing standards. Dentists wishing to practice in more than one state must apply to each individually. The goal of this study was to assess whether board-certified oral and maxillofacial radiologists interpreted images taken outside the states in which they were licensed and whether coverage provided by the malpractice insurance plans to which they subscribed affected their behavior. Materials and Methods: An electronic survey was sent to all current members of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, with a response rate of 74%. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: The majority of respondents (54.6%) indicated they write reports for patients in states for which they do not have a dental license. An even larger majority (80.0%) do not know whether their malpractice insurance protects them in these cases. Qualitative responses indicate that there is confusion among practitioners as to what is legally permitt...
Responding to radical populism: Chavismo in Venezuela

What are the effective ways of responding to populists, especially radical populists in government? The pessimistic answer provided by Chavismo is that little can be done; most of the negative impact of highly populist movements cannot be avoided in the short to medium term. The reasons lie not only in Venezuela's unique oil-based economy, but in the country's previous failures of democratic governance, a condition shared by many developing countries. Such failures make it likely that radical populists will receive broad popular support. This does not suggest that international actors cannot play a useful role in responding to populism. But the most viable democratic strategy is a long-term one emphasizing patient efforts by domestic opponents to reorganize themselves into programmatic, pluralist options for the future.
Effects of Landfall Location and Approach Angle of an Idealized Tropical Cyclone over a Long Mountain Range

Effects of landfall location and approach angle on track deflection associated with a tropical cyclone (TC) passing over an idealized and Central Appalachian Mountain is investigated by a series of idealized numerical experiments. When the TC landfalls on the central portion of the mountain range, it is deflected to the south upstream, passes over the mountain anticyclonically, and then moves westward downstream. The TC motion is steered by the positive vorticity tendency (VT) which is dominated by horizontal vorticity advection upstream and downstream, but with additional influence from the stretching and residual terms, which are mainly associated with diabatic heating and frictional effects. The track deflection mechanism upstream and downstream is similar to the dry flow in previous study, but is very different in the vicinity of the mountain. When the TC landfalls near the northern (southern) tip, it experiences less (more) southward deflection due to stronger (weaker) vorticity advection around the tip. When the TC approaches the mountain range from the southeast and landfalls on the northern tip, center, or southern tip, the track deflections are similar to those embedded in an easterly flow but with weaker orographic blocking. These results are similar to the cases simulated in the dry flow in previous study, except that there is no track discontinuity due to the weaker orographic blocking associated with strong TC convection. When a TC moves along the north-south mountain range from the south, it tends to deflect toward the mountain and then crosses over to the other side at later time. In these cases, the positive VT is influenced by all horizontal vorticity advection, vorticity stretching (diabatic heating) and residual (friction) terms due to longer and stronger interaction with the mountain range. The vorticity stretching is mainly caused by diabatic heating in the moist flow, instead of by lee slope vorticity stretching in the previous study for dry flow.
Predicting and explaining behavioral intention and hand sanitizer use among US Army soldiers.

Background Using hand sanitizers can reduce bacterial contamination and is an efficient and inexpensive method of preventing infections. The purpose of this study was to explore the behavioral intention (low and absolute), attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control of hand sanitizer use among US Army soldiers. Methods A questionnaire was developed following an expert panel (N = 5) review and 2 pilot studies (N = 35) to ensure questionnaire validity and clarity. Surveys were distributed among nontrainee soldiers during lunch periods. A total of 201 surveys were collected. Results Results indicated that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls explained 64% of the variance in behavioral intention. Attitude remained the strongest predictor of behavior (β = 0.70, P P Conclusions Soldiers with absolute intention to use hand sanitizers hold significantly different behavioral and normative beliefs than low intenders. Other soldiers create negative social pressure about using hand sanitizers, indicating that if other soldiers use hand sanitizers, they will refuse to do so. Intervention to ensure use of hand sanitizer should focus on strengthening behavioral and normative beliefs among low intenders. This should increase the overall well being of the military.
Aspiration Pneumonitis and Aspiration Pneumonia

Aspiration is defined as the inhalation of oropharyngeal or gastric contents into the larynx and lower respiratory tract.1,2 Several pulmonary syndromes may occur after aspiration, depending on the amount and nature of the aspirated material, the frequency of aspiration, and the host's response to the aspirated material.2 Aspiration pneumonitis (Mendelson's syndrome) is a chemical injury caused by the inhalation of sterile gastric contents, whereas aspiration pneumonia is an infectious process caused by the inhalation of oropharyngeal secretions that are colonized by pathogenic bacteria. Although there is some overlap between these syndromes, they are distinct clinical entities (Table 1). Other . . .
Synthesis and properties of C12-C16 dimethylalkanes

1. The synthesis and properties of nine C12-C16 dimethylalkanes were described. 2. The reasons for glass formation by paraffins and the connection between this phenomenon and the structure and molecular weight of the latter were considered.
Inductive factors in gliosis.

ConclusionMorphologic and histochemical studies of glial reaction during Wallerian degeneration in the dorsal column of the spinal cord have shown that reactive gliosis is independent of alterations of the blood-spinal cord barrier. These data suggest that substances inducing gliosis may pre-exist in normal central nervous system tissue.
Abstract A120: Tumor-educated B cells acquire LAP/TGF-β1 and PD-L1 expression and suppress antitumor immune response

B lymphocytes play a role in inhibiting the immune response against certain tumors, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. EMT-6 mammary tumors grow well in wild type (WT) mice but show reduced growth in B-cell deficient μ-/- BALB/c mice (BCDM). WT mice demonstrate B cell infiltration into the tumor bed and a reduced cytolytic T cell response relative to BCDM. Expression of LAP/TGF-β1, CD80, CD86 and PDL-1 is increased in tumor infiltrating B cells (TIL-B) relative to splenic B cells. LAP/TGF-β1 expression progressively increased from 5.4±1.7% on d8 to 43.1±6.1% of TIL-B by d21 post tumor implantation. Co-culture of EMT-6 tumor cells with naive B cells generated B cells (EMT6-B) with a similar immunophenotype to TIL-B. Purified TIL-B or in vitro generated EMT6-B markedly suppressed CD4+CD25- T cell proliferation, and Th1 cytokine secretion compared to naive splenic B cells. Acquired B regulatory function required direct tumor cell: B cell contact, and was partially reversed by antibody to TGF-β1 or PDL-1, leading to tumor rejection in vivo. B cell acquisition of a suppressive phenotype following tumor infiltration may result in profound inhibition of T cell anti-tumor response. Similar B cell mediated immunosuppression may be operative in human solid tumors. Citation Format: Yu Zhang, Richard Morgan, Chuan Chen, Yancheng Cai, Seung-Uon Shin, Hyun-Mi Cho, Ahmed Al Bayati, Augustin Pimental, Joseph D. Rosenblatt. Tumor-educated B cells acquire LAP/TGF-β1 and PD-L1 expression and suppress antitumor immune response. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A120.
Economic Sanctions, Domestic Politics and the Decline of Rhodesian Tobacco, 1965–79

One prominent explanation for the failure of economic sanctions is that they usually fail to impose significant economic penalties upon domestic groups powerful enough to change the policies of the target government. Interestingly, this was not true in one of the most important cases of economic sanctions, the British and UN sanctions against Rhodesia from 1965 to 1979. Central to these sanctions, which were intended to pressure Rhodesia’s white minority government to accept eventual majority rule in this central African colony, was a boycott of the colony’s tobacco exports. Tobacco accounted for 10 per cent of Rhodesia’s GDP and 34 per cent of its export earnings in the year before the boycott. The colony’s tobacco growers were also the single most powerful economic interest group in Rhodesian politics, strongly organised into the Rhodesian Tobacco Association (RTA) and well placed to influence government policy. Not only did the colony’s political institutions systematically over-represent the colony’s white agricultural and rural interests, so too did the structure of the colony’s ruling political party, the Rhodesian Front (RF), which had strong ties to the colony’s agricultural regions. As a result, the growers were widely regarded as the single most important constituency of the RF government (see Galtung, 1967, p. 396; Arnold and Baldwin, 1972, p. 6; Bowman, 1973, p. 116).
New technologies and future applications of surgical lasers. The right tool for the right job.

A variety of new wavelengths and delivery parameters for lasers have been developed in industrial and research-oriented laboratories during the last few years. This article discusses the properties and applications of promising laser technologies currently in use in the clinical setting as well as those just emerging from the laboratory.
Virtual Diasporas and Cyberspace

An important aspect of the digital city is the malleable virtual space that serves as its infrastructure. To map out a sociological dimension of that cyberspace, the focus of this chapter is on one of its components, virtual diasporic space.1 It is assumed here that the digital city houses lattices of cross-border virtual spatial circuits, and it is not the purpose of this chapter to enumerate or even analyze the properties of them all. By focusing on one of them—virtual diasporic space—including its global apparatus, we will begin to understand its operation and importance in the sustenance of the digital city. The digital city is a multiplex node in a transnational circuit of virtual and nonvirtual nodes, each serving as a pole for distinct social groups and formations. A virtual diaspora is a pole of an existing diaspora. Virtual diasporic space provides us a good entry point to penetrate and conceptualize the characteristics and modus operandi of a virtual diaspora.
“An Evening’s Curiosity”: Image and Indianness in James Welch’s The Heartsong of Charging Elk

In James Welch’s The Heartsong of Charging Elk , being Indian is defined as both a matter of birth and a myth imposed on the characters by society. Charging Elk engages in performance, essentially playing Indian before white audiences, because it provides him temporary approval, financial gain, an opportunity to showcase the old ways, and a degree of control over the myth. Welch’s novel illustrates that within the confines of the Wild West show, the audience accepts and values Indianess. However, once Charging Elk steps outside the performance arena, his Indianess is the subject of, among many things, suspicion, scorn, and ridicule. In this essay, I will argue how Welch’s text illustrates the repercussions of the mythical representation of the “Indian” and how the protagonist must negotiate the fictional and historical truths of “Indianness.”
Adjusting to partition: from irredentism to "consent" in twentieth-century Ireland

AbstractWhen the Irish constitution was amended after the 1998 Good Friday agreement to replace an apparent claim to jurisdiction over Northern Ireland by an aspirational statement, it seemed that many of the issues of conflict in the North–South relationship had been resolved. This article traces the process by which ideological change and policy shift in southern Ireland during the course of the twentieth century facilitated this agreement and the associated constitutional reformulation, looking at three areas within which change is obvious. First, demands for Irish unity, vigorously expressed but confined substantially to the domain of rhetoric, were softened in the early 1970s when the fuller implications of Irish unity became clearer, and in the context of a possible British withdrawal from Northern Ireland. Second, distaste for North–South institutions such as a Council of Ireland, on the ground that they implied recognition of partition, was replaced by acceptance of a modest level of institutional...
Vindicating Stalin: Responding to Lefebvre

No significant scholarship in educational studies has focused on Lefebvre’s engagement with socialist state theory and his position against Stalin. As a result, when Lefebvre’s thoughts on the state and on actually existing socialism are mentioned, they are engaged completely uncritically. This essay addresses this crucial gap. Toward these ends, I critically engage Lefebvre’s work on one of the most important and central concepts of socialist state theory, the dictatorship of the proletariat. While Lefebvre embraces Lenin’s theory of the dictatorship of the proletariat, as spelled out in The State and Revolution, following Khrushchev, he argues that Stalin distorted it in practice. Given the recent beginning stages of the vindication of Stalin as a result of previously unreleased Soviet-era state documents, this essay could not be more timely. In addition, the popularity of socialism among US youth also warrants a more honest appraisal of the historical context and contributions of Stalin.
Changes in Physiological Concentrations of Blood Phenylalanine Produce Changes in Sensitive Parameters of Human Brain Function

We previously demonstrated that increases of 1.0 mM in blood phenylalanine (Phe) decreased plasma L-DOPA, slowed brain electrical discharge, and prolonged performance on neuropsychological tests of higher integrative function. In this study, we evaluate the sensitivity of these tests of brain function during moderate elevation of plasma Phe. Six adult heterozygotes for phenylketonuria (PKU) and one homozygous normal volunteer were studied using a double-blind, double-crossover protocol of four 2-week intervals. Volunteers ingested a constant diet of 50 to 60 mg of Phe per kg per day supplemented by either 100 mg of Phe per kg per day or placebo. On the final two days of each study interval, the following parameters of brain function were evaluated: mean power frequency (MPF) of the EEG, plasma L-DOPA concentration, and cognitive function. The results indicate that plasma Phe rose in both heterozygotes and control during supplemental Phe ingestion from a mean of 99 ± 20 µM to 239 ± 166 µM. There was a wide range of interindividual variation with changes of plasma Phe between 7 µM and 403 µM, thus enabling evaluation of relative sensitivities among these parameters of brain function. Changes in EEG, L-DOPA, and cognitive function were all inversely related to plasma Phe changes between 330 and 403 µM. The MPF was the most sensitive of these parameters with changes seen with as low as 7 µM change in Phe. These changes were seen in the high-frequency α-band (8 to 12 cps) and gave a slope such that for every 100 µM change in plasma Phe, there was a 0.125-cps change in the inverse direction for brain wave function. This slope was similar to that seen in previous studies at changes in Phe concentration between 600 and 2400 µM. The plasma Phe concentrations used in these studies are attained by the chronic ingestion of 34 mg of aspartame per kg per day.
introduction to factorial design: two-way analysis of variance

The factorial design is used to study the relationship of two or more independent variables (called factors) to a dependent variable, where each factor has two or more levels. The logic of the factorial design follows from the logic of the more simple one-way design. The total variance is partitioned into within-group variance (error) estimate and between-group variance estimate. However, in the factorial design, the between-group variance estimate is itself partitioned into several parts: variation because of the first factor; variation because of the second factor; and variation because of the joint effects of the two factors, called the interaction. This chapter provides an outline of the computational procedure for the two-way factorial design, computation of total sum of squares, sum of squares within groups, sum of squares for interaction, F ratios and tests of significance. Interaction refers to the joint effect of two or more factors on the dependent variable.
Trace Buffer Attack on the AES Cipher

Since the standardization of AES/Rijndael symmetric-key cipher by NIST in 2001, it gained widespread acceptance in various protocols and withstood intense scrutiny from the theoretical cryptanalysts. From the physical implementation point of view, however, AES remained vulnerable. Practical attacks on AES via fault injection, differential power analysis, scan-chain and cache-access timing have been demonstrated so far. In this paper, we propose a novel and effective attack, termed Trace Buffer Attack. Trace buffers are extensively used for post-silicon debug of integrated circuits. We identify the trace buffer as a source of information leakage. We first report the detailed process of trace buffer attack assuming that the register-transfer level (RTL) implementation is available. We further analyze the AES encryption algorithm and Rijndael’s key expansion algorithm, and illustrate that trace buffer attack is feasible without implementation (RTL) knowledge. Our experimental results show that trace buffer attack is capable of partially recovering the secret keys of different AES implementations.
Multijunction solar cell design revisited: disruption of current matching by atmospheric absorption bands: Disruption of current matching by atmospheric absorption bands

This paper re-examines the impact of atmospheric absorption bands on series-connected multijunction cell design, motivated by the numerous local efficiency maxima that appear as the number of junctions is increased. Some of the local maxima are related to the bottom subcell bandgap and are already well understood: As the bottom subcell bandgap is varied, a local efficiency maximum is produced wherever the bottom cell bandgap crosses an atmospheric absorption band. The optimal cell designs at these local maxima are generally current matched, such that all subcells have nearly the same short-circuit current. Here, we systematically describe additional local maxima that occur wherever an upper subcell bandgap encounters an atmospheric absorption band. These local maxima are not current matched and become more prevalent as the number of junctions increases, complicating the solution space for five-junction and six-junction designs. A systematic framework for describing this complexity is developed, and implications for numerical convergence are discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Demonstrating Unique Behaviors of Polymers

Behaviors characteristic of and unique to polymers are demonstrated through four simple experiments: (i) comparison of the dilute solution viscosities of a small molecule and a high-molecular-weight polymer, (ii) observation of the properties of a “slime”, (iii) the stretching of a rubber band, and (iv) a simple paper-and-pencil simulation experiment for the step-growth polymerization of X–Y (or A–B) types of monomers. The described demos have been performed for audiences ranging from middle school to university graduate students to successfully introduce and explain why polymers and materials made from them behave uniquely.
Robust Pole Clustering in a Good Ride Quality Region of Aircraft for Structured Uncertain Matrices

Abstract This paper presents a general analysis of robust pole clustering in a good ride quality region of aircraft for structured uncertain matrices. It is well known from experiments that control systems with poles located in this specific region provide a good ride quality for aircraft. This region, non-ω-transformable, is an intersection of a ring and a horizontal strip on the left half-plane. The paper applies Rayleigh principle along the norm theory to analyze robust pole clustering within this good ride quality region since the generalized Lyapunov theory is not valid for the non-ω-transformable region. Concerned uncertainties are structured uncertainties, i.e., parametric uncertainties, including interval matrices. The results are useful for robust control analysis, especially for analysis and design of robust good ride quality of aircraft, shuttles, vehicles, and space station, as well as some industrial systems.
The Financial Cockpit: Three Levers and One Flight Plan

This case focuses on the use and interpretation of the DuPont model financial ratios, in particular the following four: return on sales, asset turnover, financial leverage, and return on equity. Students consider how these ratios are used to assess a company's financial performance for a single year, over time, and in comparison with other companies within and outside the focal company's industry. They also learn how these ratios provide insight into a company's business model via the margins it is able to earn, the productivity with which it uses its assets, and the company's aggressiveness (or lack thereof) in using borrowed money to finance its operations.The case is rooted in the basic premise that “ROE is the ratio most commonly used to analyze profitability of a business” and it is “important to both current and prospective shareholders.” Furthermore, in the context of the DuPont model, the case positions ROE as the product of the other three ratios noted above. Thus, the protagonist in the case, Jill Keyes, has gravitated to the DuPont model. The case ends with a set of questions that Jill Keyes has left for her follow-up—these provide the basic assignment for students. Excerpt UVA-C-2313 Rev. Nov. 2, 2018 The Financial Cockpit: Three Levers and One Flight Plan Jill Keyes, a nonfinancial product specialist at Craftsman Furniture, Inc. (CFI), was interested in selecting a handful of financial ratios that would enable her to quickly and insightfully highlight some of the fundamental differences among companies' financial results. She was wondering how CFI compared with other companies, and she was also interested in some initial financial screening that she could use to identify a handful of small, healthy companies with which CFI might want to partner in the future. Moreover, if the few select ratios she settled on also pointed to some of the fundamental differences among companies' business models, that would be even better. At that moment, she did not have the time to undertake an extensive, data-intensive statistical-modeling research study—she just wanted some basic insights that she could easily access and use to compare and contrast how companies generated returns for their shareholders. She recalled from her college days learning about the DuPont financial ratios model in an introductory business course. She wondered if she could find her course notes and if those DuPont ratios would provide the succinct, provocative insights she was after. And wouldn't it be great if yearly amounts for those ratios were publicly available across a spectrum of companies? Resurrecting the DuPont Model Ratios . . .
FLAME: A Fast Large-scale Almost Matching Exactly Approach to Causal Inference.

A classical problem in causal inference is that of matching, where treatment units need to be matched to control units based on covariate information. In this work, we propose a method that computes high quality almost-exact matches for high-dimensional categorical datasets. This method, called FLAME (Fast Large-scale Almost Matching Exactly), learns a distance metric for matching using a hold-out training data set. In order to perform matching efficiently for large datasets, FLAME leverages techniques that are natural for query processing in the area of database management, and two implementations of FLAME are provided: the first uses SQL queries and the second uses bit-vector techniques. The algorithm starts by constructing matches of the highest quality (exact matches on all covariates), and successively eliminates variables in order to match exactly on as many variables as possible, while still maintaining interpretable high-quality matches and balance between treatment and control groups. We leverage these high quality matches to estimate conditional average treatment effects (CATEs). Our experiments show that FLAME scales to huge datasets with millions of observations where existing state-of-the-art methods fail, and that it achieves significantly better performance than other matching methods.
Evidence of Cycles in the Housing Economy

In this chapter, there is a consideration of five groups of data. The long series covers 60 years. That data is divided and each half is compared with the other for notable changes. A third set involves regional house prices; a fourth set covers buyer types; and the fifth considers house vintage.
Visual Arts, Design, and Differential Equations

This is the third paper in a series to connect ideas from differential equations to relevant and interesting material from the arts and humanities. Here, we discuss connections between differential...