cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epistocracy is a Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing

‘Epistocracy’ is the name of a type of political power structure in which the power is held by the knowledgable—for example, by restricting the right to vote to those who can demonstrate sufficient knowledge. Though Plato and Mill defended epistocratic views, it has found few contemporary advocates. In a recent book, however, Jason Brennan argues that epistocratic power structures are capable of outperforming democratic ones. His argument is two-pronged: first, he argues that democratic procedures with universal suffrage allow poorly-informed voters to pollute the electorate, and that doing so has negative policy-related consequences that are easily avoidable. Second, he argues that voting does not possess any non-intrinsic value, and so restricting suffrage to the educated does not result in a loss of status or standing for less well-educated persons in any meaningful way. I argue that epistocratic techniques are (a) impossible to implement fairly, and (b) represent an ineffective solution for the problems they are designed to solve. On these bases, I recommend rejecting it.
Information Theory and the Ureter: A Hydrodynamic Point of View

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a simple, systematic approach to the hydrodynamics of the ureter is proposed in the light of information theory. The main goal is to analyze the examine the hydrodynamic information conveyed by the bolus flow in the ureter and to attempt to single out parameters that are useful for the identification of normal and pathological conditions of the urinary system. It is important to determine whether the process is a Markovian one, to determine the particular chain corresponding to a given diet and given living conditions, and to define the normal transitions. The time variation of the characteristics of the bolus and the stability of the urinary system should be examined under various disturbances, which may be caused by disease, drugs, mechanical factors, or by a combination of these agents.
Exploiting Higher Order Modes for Grating Lobe Reduction in Scanning Phased Array Antennas

A new approach is proposed to reduce the grating lobes by exciting higher order modes of conical radiation patterns in microstrip phased array antennas with a one-wavelength element spacing for medium- and wide-scan angles. The proposed concept utilizes the scanning and nulling capabilities of combined higher order modes of a circular microstrip patch as an antenna element in a seven-element hexagonal array. These elements facilitate providing suitable radiation-matched patterns for wide-scanned angles and simultaneously reducing the grating lobes for large element spacing in the order of one wavelength. In particular, for the scan angles of 35°–75°, two higher order modes, namely the TM21 and TM31, are excited and the grating lobes are reduced to well below −30 dB. The proposed method is also shown to be effective for near the horizon scanning with a $0.8\lambda _{\mathrm {o}}$ element spacing.
Differences in Falls and Recovery from a Slip Based on an Individual’s Lower Extremity Corrective Response

Background: Slips and falls account for high rates of injury and mortality in multiple populations. The corrective responses during the slip perturbation have been well documented. However, when a fall results from a slip, it is unclear which of these responses were inadequate. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in lower extremity corrective responses of the slip recovery response between individuals who fall and those who recover. Methodology: Sixty-four participants completed this study (32 males & 32 females). Participant’s gait kinematics and kinetics were collected during normal gait (NG) and an unexpected slip (US). A prediction equation for slip outcome and slip severity were created using a binary logistic regression model. Results: Our findings show an increased time to peak hip extension (OR = 1.006, CI: 1.000-1.011) and ankle dorsiflexion (OR = 1.005, CI: 1.001-1.009) moments increased the odds of falling, while the average ankle moment was negatively associated with falling (OR = 0.001, CI: 0.001-0.005). Conclusions: Rapid lower extremity corrective responses appear critical in arresting the slip and preventing a fall. While there are various strategies for slip recovery, our findings suggest that the primary recovery mechanism at the slipping hip may play a vital role in preventing the fall.
Soil heterogeneity increases plant diversity after 20 years of manipulation during grassland restoration.

The "environmental heterogeneity hypothesis" predicts that variability in resources promotes species coexistence, but few experiments support this hypothesis in plant communities. A previous 15-yr test of this hypothesis in a prairie restoration experiment demonstrated a weak effect of manipulated soil resource heterogeneity on plant diversity. This response was attributed to a transient increase in richness following a post-restoration supplemental propagule addition, occasionally higher diversity under nutrient enrichment, and reduced cover of a dominant species in a subset of soil treatments. Here, we report community dynamics under continuous propagule addition in the same experiment, corresponding to 16-20 yr of restoration, in response to altered availability and heterogeneity of soil resources. We also quantified traits of newly added species to determine if heterogeneity increases the amount and variety of niches available for new species to exploit. The heterogeneous treatment contained a factorial combination of altered nutrient availability and soil depth; control plots had no manipulations. Total diversity and richness were higher in the heterogeneous treatment during this 5-yr study due to higher cover, diversity, and richness of previously established forbs, particularly in the N-enriched subplots. All new species added to the experiment exhibited unique trait spaces, but there was no evidence that heterogeneous plots contained a greater variety of new species representing a wider range of trait spaces relative to the control treatment. The richness and cover of new species was higher in N-enriched soil, but the magnitude of this response was small. Communities assembling under long-term N addition were dominated by different species among subplots receiving added N, leading to greater dispersion of communities among the heterogeneous relative to control plots. Contrary to the deterministic mechanism by which heterogeneity was expected to increase diversity (greater variability in resources for new species to exploit), higher diversity in the heterogeneous plots resulted from destabilization of formerly grass-dominated communities in N-enriched subplots. While we do not advocate increasing available soil N at large scales, we conclude that the positive effect of environmental heterogeneity on diversity can take decades to materialize and depend on development of stochastic processes in communities with strong establishment limitation.
Children, Wrongful Death, & Punitive Damages

Starting in the mid-nineteenth century, state legislatures created wrongful death claims, including claims for bereaved parents against the tortfeasor who killed their child. Legislatures limited recoverable damages to pecuniary damages, meaning parents could recover the lost economic contributions they expected to receive from their child during his minority, minus the costs of raising the child. That pecuniary damage measure still controls today, with most states now also allowing recovery of noneconomic loss-of-relationship damages, although many states also cap the recovery of noneconomic damages. In sum, parents’ recovery of damages for their child’s death—a personal and cultural tragedy—is limited to pecuniary damages, which today’s parents lack, and a possibly capped noneconomic damage award. The first Part of this Article explores the historical context—the antiquated assumptions about children—existing when state legislatures adopted the pecuniary measure. Those assumptions rely on two realities of the nineteenth-century child—that he was likely to die in his youth, and that he was valued economically. The infant and child mortality rates were high in the nineteenth century, which historians agree caused parents to expect at least one of their children to die and possibly also caused parents to be indifferent to that child’s death. Relatedly, parents valued their children economically, most evident in still-increasing prevalence of child labor in the nineteenth century. Under these realities, a pecuniary measure of damages was appropriate. But these realities of the nineteenth-century child long ago faded. Child death is now a personal and cultural tragedy, a reality in which pecuniary damages make no sense. The second Part of this Article suggests the adoption of a remedy consistent with the current tragedy of child death. That remedy is the exclusive use of punitive damages in wrongful death of children cases, a remedy for parents that is actually a substantive response to the death of a child and that could provide parents something significant and meaningful. The use of punitive damages is consistent with private redress punitive damage theory, empowering victims to obtain damages for the moral injury suffered, allowing parents to recover damages for the moral injury they suffer when their child is tortiously killed. The appreciation that parents suffer a moral injury better encapsulates parents’ actual experience—an experience involving much more than compensable grief. Also, punitive damages, unlike compensatory damages, actually express the wrongfulness of the wrongful death of a child.
Carbonic anhydrases are influenced by the size and symbiont identity of the aggregating sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima

Carbonic anhydrases (CA; EC 4.2.1.1.) play a vital role in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) transport to photosynthetic microalgae residing in symbiotic cnidarians. The temperate sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima can occur in three symbiotic states: hosting Breviolum muscatinei (brown), Elliptochloris marina (green) or without algal symbionts (aposymbiotic). This provides a basis for A. elegantissima to be a model for detailed studies of the role of CA in DIC transport. This study investigated the effects of symbiosis, body size, and light on CA activity and expression, and suggests that A. elegantissima has a heterotrophy-dominated trophic strategy. We identified putative A. elegantissima CA genes and performed phylogenetic analyses to infer subcellular localization in anemones. We performed experiments on field-collected anemones to compare (1) CA activity and expression from anemones in different symbiotic states, (2) CA activity in brown anemones as a function of size, and (3) CA activity in anemones of different symbiotic states that were exposed to different light intensities. Carbonic anhydrase activity in brown anemones was highest, whereas activity in green and aposymbiotic anemones was low. Several CAs had expression patterns that mirrored activity while another had expression that was inversely correlated to activity suggesting that symbionts may induce different DIC transport pathways. Finally, CA activity was inversely correlated with anemone size. Our results suggest that the observed CA activity and expression patterns are not only affected by symbiosis but also by other factors in the host physiology including trophic strategy as it relates to body size and cellular pH homeostasis.
Gastrointestinal perforation in a critically ill patient with COVID-19 pneumonia

Gastrointestinal complications in critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic pose a diagnostic and treatment dilemma. We present a case of a 74-year-old male who was brought to our emergency department with worsening shortness of breath, fever, and dry cough and was found to have COVID-19 pneumonia. Early in his hospital course, he was admitted to the intensive care unit, and was found to have significant abdominal distension with large amounts of simple fluid on bedside ultrasound. Bedside paracentesis returned succus and enteric feeds, and a methylene blue test confirmed a likely gastrointestinal perforation. The patients' family refused surgical intervention and the patient underwent bedside drainage. This case represents several critical dilemmas clinicians faced during the recent surge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evaluating Landsat classification accuracy from forest cover-type maps

The use of complete enumeration in the form of photointerpreted forest cover-type maps to evaluate the accuracy of Landsat classifications was compared with assessments made directly from the aerial photography. A computerized, geographic information system was utilized to compare the Landsat classifications with the cover-type maps on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Error maps of pixels which were similarly misclassified by a variety of algorithms contained a larger number of errors than were verified from the aerial photography. For the two test sites studied, only 67 and 52 percent of the pixels which were originally considered to be in error were substantiated as being in error. Discrepancies between the two results were primarily caused by definitional differences between the cover-type maps and the Landsat classifications, especially with regard to minimum-type size and crown closure estimates of forest land.
Landsat 9 Operational Land Imager2 (OLI2) diffuser panel response lab predictions vs. pre-launch measurements

The radiometric calibration of OLI-2 for Landsat 9 uses two types of sources: pre-launch radiancecalibrated sphere sources and on-board flight solar diffuser panels. For both calibration articles the instrument contractor, Ball Aerospace Corp. assured the NIST scale transfer via laboratory measurements. The NIST reflectance scale transfer was conducted for the OLI-2 two flight diffusers at the University of Arizona Optical Sciences Center. In this report we present an approach in which the per detector information can be derived for the reflectance panel sources from their BRDF characterization. Using such information enables a cross-check of the as measured reflectance results during the prelaunch diffuser collects illuminated by a Heliostat. This information then enables a derivation of the uncertainty levels to allow assessment of the two radiometric calibration paths agreement.
AI-driven Event Recognition with a Real-Time 3D 60-GHz Radar System

A vertically integrated antennas-to-AI system is presented. 60-GHz 16-element phased array transmitter and receiver modules, previously developed for Gb/s NLOS communications, are used to implement a 3D radar system that extracts volumetric information from a scene at a high frame rate. The system employs an FMCW signal with 1-GHz bandwidth and can process 1250 radar readouts per second. An efficient timing control scheme between the radar electronics and the phased array module control enables obtaining each of the radar readouts from a separate beam direction. The system can scan a frame of 5×5 directions 50 times per second. All the radar system components including signal generation and ADC are assembled in a single portable chassis. A camera is also included in the system to enable the simultaneous capture of radar and video streams. A DNN was developed to extract temporal and volumetric features from the 3D radar information stream and enable the automatic recognition of fast evolving events. As an application example, the DNN was trained to perform automatic hand gesture recognition. The overall radar system and the associated DNN achieved a recognition accuracy of 93% on a set of 9 different gestures involving two hands.
Microstreaming, Microcelebrity, and Marginalized Masculinity: Pathways to Visibility and Self-Definition for Black Men in Gaming

While conversations around digital celebrity are often situated on users of social media, less attention has been given to celebrity within gaming contexts. And even then, these conversations are c...
Σ - Decay Parameters

We have measured the decay parameters of ${\ensuremath{\Sigma}}^{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}n+{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. We find ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\ensuremath{-}}=\ensuremath{-}0.104\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04$. Defining $\ensuremath{\phi}$ by ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{\ensuremath{-}}={(1\ensuremath{-}{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\ensuremath{-}}}^{2})}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{2}}sin\ensuremath{\phi}$, ${\ensuremath{\gamma}}_{\ensuremath{-}}={(1\ensuremath{-}{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\ensuremath{-}}}^{2})}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{2}}cos\ensuremath{\phi}$, we find $\ensuremath{\phi}=\ensuremath{-}22\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}30\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$, i.e., the decay occurs mainly through the $S$-wave channel.
Breeding Bird Selection of Restored and Native Wooded Draws in North Dakota

Breeding Bird Selection of Restored and Native Wooded Draws in North Dakota DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v31i6_kelly
Molecular mechanisms of environmental toxin cadmium at the feto-maternal interface investigated using an organ-on-chip (FMi-OOC) model.

Abstract Human labor is associated with feto-maternal-derived signals that coordinate to initiate delivery. Exposure to environmental chemicals can prematurely trigger labor-initiating signals at the feto-maternal interface (FMi: decidua, amniochorion), leading to spontaneous preterm birth (PTB). Testing the association between environmental chemical exposure and PTB is difficult due to many limitations in vivo or in vitro. Physiological organ-on-chips (OOCs) are potential alternatives for studying mechanisms leading to PTB. The presented study tested the effect of maternal exposure to cadmium (Cd), an environmental toxin, using the FMi-OOC that incorporates maternal decidua cells and three different fetal cells (chorion, amnion mesenchymal, and amnion epithelial cells). Cd transport through the FMi and its impact on cell cycle, cell death, and inflammation were analyzed. Cd treatment resulted in significant cell death and a pro-inflammatory environment in the maternal decidua, but had minimal effect on the fetal chorion cells, and no effect in the fetal amnion cells compared to controls. The maternal response, but lack of fetal response, indicates that Cd-mediated adverse effects originate from maternal pathophysiology rather than fetal-derived triggers of preterm labor. This study demonstrates that the FMi-OOC can indeed predict the response of FMi upon exposure to chemicals, opening the possibility for using OOC models for environmental toxin screens.
Molecular and Ionic Theory of Hardy Spaces

This chapter is dedicated to the exploration of the molecular and ionic theory of H p (X) in the setting of d-AR spaces. As a motivation for this topic, suppose one is concerned with the behavior of a bounded linear operator T: L 2(X, μ) → L 2(X, μ).
Hume on Motivating Sentiments, the General Point of View, and the Inculcation of "Morality"

L'A. presente sa propre lecture de la philosophie morale de Hume, qui defend la these d'une reconciliation de l'interpretation sentimentaliste et de la perspective de l'observateur (ou spectateur) ideal, en developpant un argument d'ordre pedagogique
Variation of Silicate Dust Features with Phase Mid-IR Monitoring of Oxygen-Rich Mira Variable Stars

We present photometric and spectroscopic data on a subset of over 30 oxygen-rich Long Period Variable (LPV) stars which we have been monitoring between 8/95 & 4/97. With these data, we are attempting to ascertain the relationship of dust formation to optical period. Our ultimate goal is to determine what conditions lead to dust formation and destruction in these environments, and whether or not an evolutionary sequence can be inferred for AGB stars also based on their spectra and dust formation.
Firm-Specific Resources and Wealth Creation in High-Technology Ventures: Evidence from Newly Public Biotechnology Firms:

We explore the relationship between wealth creation in high-technology ventures and firm-specific resources. We argue that Market Value Added is a particularly appropriate measure of entrepreneuria...
Balancing Liberty, Dignity and Safety: The Impact of Domestic Violence Lethality Screening

This Article undertakes the first ever analysis of the consequences of the justice and legal system’s extensive use of lethality assessment tools for women subjected to abuse. An increasing number of states are now requiring their police, prosecutors, civil attorneys, advocates, service providers, and court personnel to assess women in order to obtain a score that indicates the woman’s lethality risk because of domestic violence. The mandated danger assessment screen of all women subjected to violence focuses only on the risk of homicide and thereby limits the definition of what is domestic violence. In addition, the accompanying protocol for the screen addresses the homicide risk by directing women into particular courses of action, some of which may actually increase their risk. This Article argues that the state’s and legal system’s pervasive use of lethality assessment tools encroaches on women’s dignity unnecessarily and even detrimentally. To better address the domestic violence experienced by women, society needs to ensure that its pursuit of one goal - the reduction of homicide - does not undermine its other goals - such as the respect necessary for the woman’s dignity and autonomy. To address these concerns, this Article first suggests that there should be full transparency to both the woman subjected to abuse and legal system actors about the benefits and disadvantages of lethality assessments. Second, all administrators of lethality assessments should ensure they obtain the woman’s informed consent to conduct the screening or permit the woman to decline the screen. Third, in order to address the serious concern of coercion, risk assessment administrators should engage in woman-centered counseling, so that options for courses of action are evaluated through the lens of the woman’s objectives.
The Influence of the Model Water Code on Water Resources Management Policy in Florida

Increasing demands of municipal, industrial, and agricultural water users have taxed existing water supplies in many parts of the Eastern United States.1 Larger rivers and lakes have not been severely threatened, but recurrent drought conditions in some areas have impaired stream flows and lake levels in smaller watercourses.4 Groundwater problems have also arisen as more users have turned to groundwater sources to meet water needs.8 These problems include interference between wells, overdraft of groundwater aquifers, salt water intrusion, and subsidence.4 Water quality is also a problem in many states. Although secondary sewage treatment has increased dramatically in recent years, municipal sewer systems still discharge pollutants into the nation's rivers and streams." In addition, stormwater runoff from urban areas continues to impair surface water quality.6 While in-
Institutional Activism Through Litigation: An Empirical Analysis of Public Pension Fund Participation in Securities Class Actions

The PSLRA's lead plaintiff provision enlisted institutional investors to monitor class counsel in order to curb the agency costs endemic in securities class actions. This article uses a sample of 731 settlements to examine the efficacy of this provision. It finds that, even when controlling for institutional self-selection of potentially easier or higher-quality cases, cases with public pension lead plaintiffs have larger recoveries and lower fee requests and fee awards than cases with other lead plaintiff types. The article also finds evidence consistent with the existence of a significant positive externality associated with public pension participation. Over time, fee requests and fee awards have on average declined significantly even in cases without such lead plaintiffs. These findings suggest that public pensions act as more effective monitors of class counsel than traditional plaintiffs and that the lead plaintiff provision has substantially reduced the transactions costs associated with securities class actions.
MOOCs and Community College Distance Education

MOOCs are Massive Open Online Courses that enroll thousands of students. MOOCs are constructed so that one professor provides course materials to as many students who want to participate, the students listen to the lectures, read the text materials and complete computer graded online assessments and then the students receive a certificate of completion for the course. Whether the course provides any kind of academic credit is an open question, but some colleges are investigating how to use MOOCs for college credit. With the possibility of serving thousands of students in one course, MOOCs appear to be a cost effective way to allow students to fulfill at least some of their general education requirements. But, do MOOCs provide the opportunities to develop critical thinking skills and foster civic engagement that most instructors of introductory American government classes strive to include in their classes? This paper will explore the development of MOOCs and how and if they should be incorporated at the community college level.
British Policy and Colonial Growth: Some Implications of the Burden from the Navigation Acts

Very few issues in American economic history have stirred as many contrasting views as the debate regarding the effects of the British Navigation Acts on the Thirteen American Colonies. The most recent entry in the long argument is Robert Thomas' analysis of the problem. Thomas constructs quantitative estimates of the impact of the Acts which are designed “… to measure, relative to some hypothetical alternative, the extent of the burdens and benefits stemming from imperial regulation of the foreign commerce of the 13 colonies.” He presents these estimates to test the hypothesis that: “… membership in the British Empire, after 1763, did not impose a significant hardship upon the American Colonies.” Thomas has employed new data in constructing his estimates, and he has carefully brought economic theory explicitly into the discussion. His framework requires the construction of a “counterfactual” hypothesis against which to evaluate the impact of policy. As he views it: “The only reasonable alternative in this case is to calculate the burdens or benefits of British regulation relative to how the colonists would have fared outside the British Empire, but still within a mercantilist world.” Given such a model, the value of the burden and benefit is estimated in terms of market prices and the pattern of trade which would have emerged had the colonies been free in 1763.
Factors associated with tonic-clonic seizures in patients with drug-resistant mesial temporal epilepsy.

Abstract Purpose Among different seizure types, tonic–clonic seizures are more significant because they are more often associated with morbidity. No prior study has been done to investigate risk factors associated with tonic–clonic seizures in patients with mesial temporal epilepsy. Methods In this retrospective study, all drug-resistant mesial temporal epilepsy patients in the database of patients who underwent epilepsy surgery at Jefferson comprehensive epilepsy center were recruited. These patients were prospectively registered in a database from 1986 till 2014. Patients' age, gender, epilepsy risk factors, age at seizure onset, and preoperative seizure type(s) were registered routinely. Potential risk factors associated with experiencing preoperative tonic–clonic seizures were investigated. Results Two hundred seventy-five patients (132 males and 143 females) were studied. Aura type was associated with experiencing perioperative tonic–clonic seizures. Patients with epigastric auras less frequently reported having tonic–clonic seizures compared with those who had other types of auras (odds ratio: 0.37 and 95% confidence interval: 0.19–0.70; p = 0.001) and those who did not have any auras (odds ratio: 0.35 and 95% confidence interval: 0.16–0.77; p = 0.008). Conclusion Epigastric auras may indicate that a specific anatomic location is involved in epileptogenesis from which generalization is harder because of that location's poor connections with other brain regions.
A Modified Orthant-Wise Limited Memory Quasi-Newton Method with Convergence Analysis

The Orthant-Wise Limited memory Quasi-Newton (OWL-QN) method has been demonstrated to be very effective in solving the l1- regularized sparse learning problem. OWL-QN extends the L-BFGS from solving unconstrained smooth optimization problems to l1-regularized (non-smooth) sparse learning problems. At each iteration, OWL-QN does not involve any l1- regularized quadratic optimization subproblem and only requires matrix-vector multiplications without an explicit use of the (inverse) Hessian matrix, which enables OWL-QN to tackle large-scale problems efficiently. Although many empirical studies have demonstrated that OWL-QN works quite well in practice, several recent papers point out that the existing convergence proof of OWL-QN is flawed and a rigorous convergence analysis for OWL-QN still remains to be established. In this paper, we propose a modified Orthant-Wise Limited memory Quasi-Newton (mOWL-QN) algorithm by slightly modifying the OWL-QN algorithm. As the main technical contribution of this paper, we establish a rigorous convergence proof for the mOWL-QN algorithm. To the best of our knowledge, our work fills the theoretical gap by providing the first rigorous convergence proof for the OWL-QN-type algorithm on solving l1- regularized sparse learning problems. We also provide empirical studies to show that mOWLQN works well and is as efficient as OWL-QN.
Disruption of the actin cortex contributes to susceptibility of mammalian cells to nanosecond pulsed electric fields.

Nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) perturb membranes of cultured mammalian cells in a dose-dependent manner with different types of cells exhibiting characteristic survivability. Adherent cells appear more robust than non-adherent cells during whole-cell exposure. We hypothesize that cellular elasticity based upon the actin cytoskeleton is a contributing parameter, and the alteration of a cell's actin cortex will significantly affect viability upon nsPEF exposure. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells that are (a) untreated, (b) treated with latrunculin A to inhibit actin polymerization, or (c) exposed to nsPEFs have been probed using atomic force microscopy (AFM) force-indentations. Exposure to 50 or 100 pulses of 10 ns duration and 150 kV/cm in a single dosage approximately lowers average CHO cell elastic modulus by half, whereas latrunculin lowers it more than 75%. Latrunculin pre-treatment disrupts the actin cortex enough that it negates cumulative damage by equally fractionated (i.e., two rounds of 50 pulses each, separated by 10 min) dosages of nsPEFs as seen in untreated and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-treated cells with propidium uptake, phosphatidylserine externalization, and 24 h viability according to MTT and CellTiter Glo assays. These results suggest a correlation among cell stiffness, cytoskeletal integrity, and susceptibility to recurrent exposures to nsPEFs, which emphasizes a mechanobiological underpinning of nsPEF bioeffects.
Strategies for Improving Vertical Alignment: Implementation of a College-Readiness Collaborative of Secondary and Post-Secondary Educators

This article describes how one community college and region service center developed a collaborative of secondary and post-secondary English/Language Arts educational professionals to promote college readiness. Challenged by state mandates to test college readiness and by concerns about student performance in high school and college English classes, the collaborative examined standards and testing practices, high school and college cultures, college placement policies, course content, assessment practices, syllabi and sample assignments, and college preparation programs. The results of the two-year collaboration include a list of nine specific practices that educators can use to enhance students’ success in college Composition I. In addition, the collaborative implemented these recommendations in several area high schools.
Principles of avian clinical neuroanatomy

This review of the anatomy of central nervous system will concentrate on clinically important principles. The basic long ascending and descending tracts will be described in relation to the mammalian tracts with which veterinarians are more familiar. By understanding these tracts in relationship to the function and location of cranial nerves and their nuclei in the brain and brain stem, the clinician will be able to understand the neurological examination, better interpret findings, and localize lesions within the central nervous system. These principles will be the focus of this paper.
Image restoration technique for motion-compensated frame averaged data collected by 3D flash ladar imaging system

A new image restoration algorithm is proposed to remove the effect of atmospheric turbulence on motion-compensated frame averaged data collected by a three dimensional FLASH Laser Radar (LADAR) imaging system. The algorithm simultaneously arrives at an enhanced image as well as Fried's seeing parameter through an Expectation Maximization (EM) technique. Unlike blind deconvolution algorithms that operate only on two dimensional images, this technique accounts for both the spatial and temporal mixing that is caused by the atmosphere through which the system is imaging. Additionally, due to the over-determined nature of this problem, the point-spread function parameterized by Fried's seeing parameter can be deduced without the requirement for additional assumptions or constraints. The utility of the approach lies in its application to laser illuminated imaging where processing time is important.
Hashing practice: analysis of hashing and universal hashing

Much of the literature on hashing deals with overflow handling (collision resolution) techniques and its analysis. What does all the analytical results mean in practice and how can they be achieved with practical files? This paper considers the problem of achieving analytical performance of hashing techniques in practice with reference to successful search lengths, unsuccessful search lengths and the expected worst case performance (expected length of the longest probe sequence). There has been no previous attempt to explicitly link the analytical results to performance of real life files. Also, the previously reported experimental results deal mostly with successful search lengths. We show why the well known division method performs “well” under a specific model of selecting the test file. We formulate and justify an hypothesis that by choosing functions from a particular class of hashing functions, the analytical performance can be obtained in practice on real life files. Experimental results presented strongly support our hypothesis. Several interesting problems arising are mentioned in conclusion.
Virtual Laboratory Meets Case-Based Instruction

Review of: CaseIt!, which is an NSF sponsored project developed by Mark Berglund and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls aimed at bringing active, case-based learning of complex molecular biological techniques and subjects into introductory science classes by freely providing a software simulation environment and supporting instructional resources to educators.
A variational principle for nonconservative power systems

Recent results for nonconservative dynamical systems involve a variational principle of the Hamilton type. In this approach the velocity of variation and the variation of velocity are not commutative as in the case of mechanics governing conservative dynamical systems. In this paper we adapt the above approach to power systems which include the effects of transfer conductances. For such power systems we show that if certain noncommutative rules (which are consistent with the ones used for the variation of velocities in nonconservative dynamical systems) are used, then it is possible to employ a variational principle of the Hamilton type to derive the classical model for power systems. Numerous simulations of specific postfault multimachine power systems have verified that the above noncommutative rules are indeed satisfied for the types of power systems which we consider.
Reconstructing hydrodynamic flow parameters of the 1700 tsunami at Cannon Beach, Oregon, USA

Coastal communities in the western United States face risks of inundation by distant tsunamis that propagate across the Pacific Ocean as well as local tsunamis produced by great (Mw > 8) earthquakes on the Cascadia subduction zone. In 1964, the Mw 9.2 Alaska earthquake launched a Pacific-wide tsunami that flooded Cannon Beach, a small community (population 1640) in northwestern Oregon, causing over $230,000 in damages. However, since the giant 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2010 Chile tsunami and the recent 2011 Tohoku-Oki tsunami, renewed concern over potential impacts of a Cascadia tsunami on the western US has motivated closer examination of the local hazard. This study applies a simple sediment transport model to reconstruct the flow speed of the most recent Cascadia tsunami that flooded the region in 1700 using the thickness and grain size of sand layers deposited by the waves. Sedimentary properties of sand from the 1700 tsunami deposit provide model inputs. The sediment transport model calculates tsunami flow speed from the shear velocity required to suspend the quantity and grain size distribution of the observed sand layers. The model assumes a steady, spatially uniform tsunami flow and that sand settles out of suspension forming a deposit when the flow velocity decreases to zero. Using flow depths constrained by numerical tsunami simulations for Cannon Beach, the sediment transport model calculated flow speeds of 6.5–7.6 m/s for sites within 0.6 km of the beach and higher flow speeds (~8.8 m/s) for sites 0.8–1.2 km inland. Flow speed calculated for sites within 0.6 km of the beach compare well with maximum velocities estimated for the largest tsunami simulation. The higher flow speeds calculated for the two sites furthest landward contrast with much lower maximum velocities (<3.8 m/s) predicted by numerical simulations. Grain size distributions of sand layers from the most distal sites are inconsistent with deposition from sediment falling out of suspension. We infer that rapid deceleration in tsunami flow and convergences in sediment transport formed unusually thick deposits. Consequently, higher flow speeds calculated by the sediment model probably overestimate the actual wave speed at sites furthest inland.
Fanconi's anaemia and pregnancy

We have identified six new cases of Fanconi's anaemia (FA) who had pregnancies, and reviewed 11 others from the literature. At least 110 FA females have reached 16 years of age or more, of whom 15% became pregnant. There were a total of 26 pregnancies, resulting in 19 births and 18 surviving children. Anaemia and/or thrombocytopenia worsened during pregnancy in 10 patients, but five subsequently improved: seven had no haematological problems. Seven of the FA patients who had pregnancies died subsequently from cancer, and two from thrombocytopenic bleeding 3 and 20 years later. There were no peripartum deaths. Pregnancy in FA is clearly possible, with increased risks that are manageable from both the haematological and the obstetric aspects.
Standard Hardware Acquisition and Reliability Program's (SHARP's) efforts in incorporating fiber optic interconnects into standard electronic module (SEM) connectors

SHARP is a Navy wide logistics technology development effort aimed at reducing the acquisition costs, support costs, and risks of military electronic weapon systems while increasing the performance capability, reliability, maintainability, and readiness of these systems. Lower life cycle costs for electronic hardware are achieved through technology transition, standardization, and reliability enhancement to improve system affordability and availability as well as enhancing fleet modernization. Advanced technology is transferred into the fleet through hardware specifications for weapon system building blocks of standard electronic modules, standard power systems, and standard electronic systems. The product lines are all defined with respect to their size, weight, I/O, environmental performance, and operational performance. This method of defining the standard is very conducive to inserting new technologies into systems using the standard hardware. This is the approach taken thus far in inserting photonic technologies into SHARP hardware. All of the efforts have been related to module packaging; i.e. interconnects, component packaging, and module developments. Fiber optic interconnects are discussed in this paper.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Vitamin E Succinate Inhibits Colon Cancer Liver Metastases

Background. Vitamin E succinate (VES) is a promising anti-cancer micronutrient. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that VES will promote colon cancer tumor dormancy and inhibit liver metastases in colon cancer. Methods. CT-26 colon cancer cells were treated with VES in vitro and in an in vivo model of liver metastases. The impact of VES on cellular proliferation and apoptosis was measured in vitro by MTS assay and sandwich ELISA and in vivo by PCNA staining and TUNEL assay, respectively. Correlation coefficients and independent t tests were used for statistical analysis. Results. VES significantly and specifically inhibited cell proliferation (P = 0.011) and promoted apoptosis (P < 0.0074) of cancer cells in vitro. VES produced a 40% reduction of liver metastases (P = 0.037). Five of the eight mice had an excellent response to VES. Subsequent analysis of these five mice revealed a 75% reduction in the number of liver metastases (P < 0.05). VES significantly promoted tumor cell apoptosis (P < 0.0003) and inhibited cell proliferation (P = 0.0069) in vivo. Conclusions. VES inhibits the growth of colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. This is the first report of VES inhibition of colon cancer tumor metastases. The mechanism of VES anti-tumor and anti-metastatic activity in vivo appears to involve promotion of tumor apoptosis and inhibition of cell proliferation. These findings support further investigation of VES as a micronutrient to promote colon cancer tumor dormancy and prevent metastases.
Hypergammaglobulinemia—the role of the immunoglobulins (γG, γA, γM)

Scrum immunoglobulins (γG, γA and γM) were measured in 86 adult patients with hypergammaglobulinemia and 66 normal adults. Hypergammaglobulinemia includes a heterogeneous collection of instanees in which the immunoglobulins may be elevated singly or in various combinations. No pattern of immunoglobulin change was specific for a particular discase or diseased organ system. (Monoclonal gammopathies were excluded). γA was the immunoglobulin elevated most frequently and to the greatest extent. Serum clectrophoresis was a good screening test for elevated immunoglobulins. Normal valucs for 66 normal adults are: (fifth percentile—mean—nincty-fifth percentile). γG, 720-995-1400 mg. per cent; γA, 84-177-314 mg. per cent; γM, 93-187-320 mg. per cent.
Transmission of a dsRNA in bell pepper and evidence that it consists of the genome of an endornavirus

A double-stranded (ds) RNA from bell pepper (BP-dsRNA) cv Yolo Wonder was inherited maternally and paternally after crossing Yolo Wonder with Jalapeno M or Hungarian Wax pepper. Partial sequence information was obtained from two cDNA clones derived from the BP-dsRNA and based on sequence similarity was related to members of the genus Endornavirus. Clones of the BP-dsRNA hybridized with similar dsRNAs from four other pepper cultivars, suggesting that all five dsRNAs tested are related. One of the cDNA clones contained a region that had significant similarity with UDP-glucose:glycosyltransferases from fungi, bacteria, plants, and three endornaviruses. Data presented indicate that the BP-dsRNA is the genome of a distinct species of the genus Endornavirus.
Unusual example of a persistent stapedial artery in a human.

A complete dissection of a persistent stapedial artery and its companion venous sinuses revealed several noteworthy features. 1) The proximal portion of the stapedial artery stem was missing, and the entire stapedial system was supplied through an anastomosis between the occipital artery and the ramus posterior of the stapedial artery; a similar type of collateral supply occurs in some xenarthrans and bats. The ramus posterior is a component of the primitive eutherian stapedial system and one that has not been reported previously in a primate. 2) Both the anterior and posterior divisions of the ramus superior were present. The posterior division is identified here for the first time in a primate. 3) The anterior and posterior divisions were accompanied by the cranio-obital and petrosquamous sinuses, respectively. These sinuses were incomplete and attenuated relative to the primitive eutherian condition.
Phosphorylation-induced Conformational Changes Regulate GGAs 1 and 3 Function at the Trans-Golgi Network

The GGAs (Golgi-localizing, gamma-adaptin ear homology domain, ARF-binding) are a family of multidomain proteins implicated in protein trafficking between the Golgi and the endosomes. All three GGAs (1, 2, and 3) bind to the mannose 6-phosphate receptor tail via their VHS domains, as well as to the adaptor protein complex-1 via their hinge domains. The latter interaction has been proposed to be important for cooperative packaging of cargo into forming clathrin-coated carriers at the trans-Golgi network. Here we present evidence that GGA1 function is highly regulated by cycles of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Cell fractionation showed that the phosphorylated pool of GGA1 resided predominantly in the cytosol and that recruitment onto membranes was associated with dephosphorylation. Okadaic acid inhibition studies and in vitro dephosphorylation assays indicated that dephosphorylation is mediated by a protein phosphatase 2A-like phosphatase. Dephosphorylation of GGA1 induced a change in the conformation to an "open" form as measured by gel filtration and sucrose gradient analyses. This was associated with enhanced binding to ligands because of release of autoinhibition and increased binding to the adaptor protein complex-1 gamma-appendage. A model is proposed for the regulation of GGA1 function at the trans-Golgi network.
Mitosis in the Rhizopod Lesquereusia spiralis

SYNOPSIS. The interphase nucleus of Lesquereusia spiralis, a testate rhizopod, 20–25 μ in diameter, contains 40–50 endosomes and a diffuse granular reticulum. Onset of nuclear division is marked by a cessation of pseudopod activity. Prophase changes include increase in size of the nucleus, disappearance of the endosomes except the peripheral ones, formation of 175–200 chromosomes from the reticulum, and the appearance of spindle fibers. By the end of prophase a well formed equatorial plate is present. The metaphase nucleus is slightly smaller and elongated; the chromosomes remain distinct. In anaphase the nucleus continues to elongate along the polar axis; the chromosomes apparently split lengthwise and polar caps appear. The nucleus elongates further so that by telophase it has become hour-glass shaped. The spindle fibers are now twisted. Separation of the nuclei takes place in the neck region. The nuclear membrane is unbroken during the process and peripheral endosomes are present at all stages. Total time for mitosis averages 45 minutes.