cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Soybean nodulation and nitrogen fixation on soil amended with plant residues.

Residues from some tree species may contain allelopathic chemicals that have the potential to inhibit plant growth and symbiotic N2-fixing microorganisms. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] was grown in pots to compare nodulation and N2-fixation responses of the following soil amendments: control soil, leaf compost, red oak (Quercus rubra L.) leaves, sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh) leaves, sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) leaves, black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) leaves, rye (Secale cereale L.) straw, and corn (Zea mays L.) stover. Freshly fallen leaves were collected from urban shade trees. Soil was amended with 20 g kg-1 air-dried, ground plant materials. Nodulating and nonnodulating isolines of “Clark” soybean were grown to the R2 stage to determine N2-fixation by the difference method. Although nodulation was not adversely affected, soybean grown on leaf-amended soil exhibited temporary N deficiency until nodulation. Nodule number was increased by more than 40% for soybean grown on amended soil, but nodule dry matter per plant generally was not changed compared with control soil. Nonnodulating plants were severely N deficient and stunted as a consequence of N immobilization. Nodulating soybean plants grown on leaf or crop residue amended soil were more dependent on symbiotically fixed N and had lower dry matter yields than the controls. When leaves were composted, the problem of N immobilization was avoided and dry matter yield was not reduced. No indication of an allelopathic inhibition on nodulation or N2-fixation from heavy application of oak, maple, sycamore, or walnut leaves to soil was observed.
Outside directors and corporate board decisions

Abstract Between 1993 and 2000, at least 18 countries saw publication of guidelines proposing minimum representation of outside directors on corporate boards. Underlying this movement is an apparent presumption that boards with significant outside directors will make different and, perhaps, better decisions than boards dominated by insiders. As the first-mover in this movement, the United Kingdom provides a laboratory for a “natural experiment” to examine this presumption empirically. We find that UK boards that complied with the exogenously imposed standard were more likely to appoint outside chief executive officers (CEOs). Additionally, announcement period stock returns indicate that investors appear to view appointments of outside CEOs as good news. Apparently, boards with more outside directors make different (and perhaps better) decisions.
Immunoregulation of dendritic cells by IL-10 is mediated through suppression of the PI3K/Akt pathway and of IκB kinase activity

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) has potent immunoregulatory effects on the maturation and the antigen-presenting cell (APC) function of dendritic cells (DCs). The molecular basis underlying these effects in DCs, however, is ill defined. It is well established that the transcription factor NF-kappaB is a key regulator of DC development, maturation, and APC function. This study was initiated to determine the effects of IL-10 on the NF-kappaB signaling pathway in immature DCs. IL-10 pretreatment of myeloid DCs cultured from bone marrow resulted in reduced DNA binding and nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB after anti-CD40 antibody or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Furthermore, inhibited NF-kappaB activation was characterized by reduced degradation, phosphorylation, or both of IkappaBalpha and IkappaBepsilon but not IkappaBbeta and by reduced phosphorylation of Ser536, located in the trans-activation domain of p65. Notably, IL-10-mediated inhibition of NF-kappaB coincided with suppressed IkappaB kinase (IKK) activity in vitro. Furthermore, IL-10 blocked inducible Akt phosphorylation, and inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) effectively suppressed the activation of Akt, IKK, and NF-kappaB. These findings demonstrate that IL-10 targets IKK activation in immature DCs and that suppressing the PI3K pathway in part mediates blockade of the pathway.
Hydrodynamic forces on barnacles: Implications on detachment from fouling‐release surfaces

Concern over the environmental impact of traditional biocide‐containing antifouling formulations has led to the development of non‐toxic, fouling‐release coatings. An “ideal”; fouling‐release surface for a ship is one that reduces the tenacity of biofouling to a point that hydrodynamic self‐cleaning occurs under normal operating conditions. In order to address the feasibility of designing such a surface, an understanding of the relationship between the hydro‐dynamic forces and the strength of adhesion of the organism to the substrate is needed. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation to measure the hydrodynamic lift and drag of an acorn barnacle (Balanus eburneus) attached to an instrumented foil. The results are used to generate a model of the tensile and shear stresses at the base of the barnacle, as a function of the water velocity. Predictions of the maximum barnacle adhesion strength in shear and tension that will allow detachment at operational speeds are offered.
Uniform particles of zinc oxide of different morphologies

Abstract Zinc oxide dispersions of different morphologies were obtained by aging at elevated temperatures solutions of zinc nitrate in the presence of NaOH, KOH, NH4,OH, triethanolamine (TEA) and ethylenediamine (En). Hydrothermal treatment at 150°C of the system Zn (NO3)2-NaOH (or KOH) yielded whiskers of very large axial ratios, while the precipitates formed with other bases on aging at 90°'C resulted in intertwined or spheroidal particles. The particle size and aggregation could be affected by the addition of anionic surfactants.
Post Doctoral Fellowship at the Juniper Gardens Children's Project: Developing Research Leadership in Special Education

From 1983 to the present, 30 post-doctoral Fellows have spent at least one year at the Juniper Gardens Children's Project developing their own research plans, programs, and skills in research. Forty percent of these fellows were members of minority groups, 70% were female, and 1 had a disability demonstrating impact with traditionally underrepresented groups. The fellows received stipends, materials, and training provided by three leadership training grants from the Division of Personnel Preparation, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. The program is guided by the philosophy that research leadership is a function of one's own active research program and that the traditional research experiences leading to the Ph.D. in special education are often insufficient to establish a research career. Building upon this philosophy, are a number of programmatic themes: (1) minorities, minority issues, and urban schooling; (2) ecological (environmental) and behavioral assessment and analysis; (3) i...
A crise Baring e a crise do Encilhamento nos quadros da economia-mundo capitalista

O final do seculo XIX foi marcado, para Brasil e Argentina, por crescimento e instabilidade na economia. Neste periodo, ocorreram duas importantes crises economicas, que ficaram conhecidas como crise Baring (na Argentina) e crise do Encilhamento (no Brasil). Este artigo tem o objetivo de apresentar as conexoes existentes entre essas duas crises e a conjuntura da economia-mundo capitalista das ultimas decadas do seculo XIX, enfatizando o problema da divida externa e da politica economica, e re-organizando algumas contribuicoes da historiografia economica por meio da metodologia da "encompassing comparison" e da teoria dos ciclos mundiais de endividamento. O artigo mostra que ambas as crises estiveram condicionadas pela dinâmica da economia-mundo capitalista, especialmente pelos fluxos mundiais de capital, nao sendo resultados exclusivos de politicas economicas nacionais.
Book reviews - Analytical techniques in the theory of guided waves

This book mainly discusses and explains the Weiner-Hopf technique to the solution of a class of electromagnetic boundary value problems associated with rectangular waveguides in general. Chapter I presents some background of the material. Chanter II deals with the standard mode matching technique used for formulating boundary value problems in guided waveguide theory. Chapter III gives a comprehensive discussion of the Weiner-Hopf technique and its application to boundary value problems. Chapters IV and V discuss the generalization of mode matching and Weiner-Hopf techniques so that the ranges of applications can be broadened.
Daisy Chaining Based Visual Servo Control Part II: Extensions, Applications and Open Problems

In this paper, the open problems and applications of a daisy chaining visual servo control strategy are given. This paper is Part II of Hu et al. (2007) in which a tracking problem using the daisy chaining strategy is addressed. The main idea of the daisy chaining strategy is to use multi-view geometry to relate coordinate frames attached to the moving camera, moving planar patch, and the desired planar patch specified by an a priori image. Geometric constructs developed for traditional camera-in-hand problems are fused with fixed-camera geometry to develop a set of Euclidean homographies. Based on the homographies, the corresponding rotation and translation components can be extracted for use in the control development. Different from the traditional camera-to-hand and camera-in-hand visual servo control configurations, two cameras are used to construct the homography relationships and estimate the pose of an object modeled as a planar patch (e.g., an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) or an unmanned air vehicle (UAV)) when in case the object is out of the field of view (FOV), or when the current and desired poses of the object are within the FOV of a single camera.
Sehwa: a software package for synthesis of pipelines from behavioral specifications

A set of techniques for the synthesis of pipelined data paths is described, and Sehwa, a program that performs such synthesis, is presented. The task includes the generation of data paths from a data-flow graph along with a clocking scheme that overlaps execution of multiple tasks. Some design examples are given. Sehwa can find the minimum-cost design, the highest performance design, and other designs between these two in the design space. Sehwa is written in Franz Lisp and executes within minutes, for problems of practical size, on a VAX 11/750. >
Uprooting “Indigeneity” in South Africa's Western Cape: The Plant That Moves

Amid global concerns about climate change, scientists suggest that South African rooibos tea's indigenous ecosystem may be shifting southward. By 2011, rooibos farmers were beginning to worry that the plant was abandoning its “proper” home and undermining both their livelihoods and their rooted sense of belonging. Using the framework of plant and human mobility to explore the impact of environmental changes on one farming community, I investigate how climate change unsettles not only livelihoods but also social cosmologies. If rooibos's growing range shifts, how will it affect the ways that farmers understand and claim their heritage in connection to this indigenous plant? How does the uprooting of a plant's indigeneity influence ideas about cultural indigeneity as rooted in place? What role can anthropology play in theorizing ecological mobility? In addressing these questions, I contend that understanding the effects of climate change also involves destabilizing the idea of place. By focusing on plant mobility, I articulate a theory of geographical precarity: I imply that people's uncertain claims to belonging in place merged with uncertainty of the rootedness of place itself. I conclude by examining industry efforts to delineate and control where rooibos could “legally” grow through the creation of geographical indications.
An Automatic Framework for Efficient Software Performance Evaluation and Optimization

Performance evaluation has been an important part of software development. Fast and accurate software performance evaluation can help not only in understanding the behavior of software during development, but also in capacity planning during deployment. In this paper, we propose an automatic framework that can be used to optimize software performance indicators. For optimization, we use response surface methodology (RSM) for its simplicity and its ability to describe the behavior of a system in a whole neighborhood. To efficiently obtain the response data for different parameter settings, a reusable importance sampling (IS) simulation and testing method can be applied. We describe here this novel method based on a combined response surface and importance sampling (RS-IS) framework and we illustrate its usefulness via simulated examples that minimize total cost in a capacity planning problem
Comparative effectiveness of aggressive thoracic radiation therapy and concurrent chemoradiation therapy in metastatic lung cancer

Abstract Purpose We aimed to determine the comparative effectiveness of radiation dose escalation and concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) in a population-based cohort of patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer who underwent palliative thoracic radiation therapy (RT). Methods and materials The cohort consisted of 27,063 patients in the National Cancer Database with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer treated with thoracic RT between 20 and 55 Gy in 2004 to 2011. High- versus intermediate- vs low-dose (HD vs ID vs LD, respectively) RT was defined as biologically effective dose above 50 Gy, between 35 and 50 Gy, and below 35 Gy, respectively. Among patients who received any chemotherapy, separate analyses were performed to examine the impact of CCRT on overall survival (OS). Results The median follow-up was 3.9 months for the entire cohort and 18 months for surviving patients. The 5 most common treatment schemes were 30/10 (Gy/fraction, 23% of entire cohort), 35/14 (8%), 37.5/15 (7%), 40/20 (3%), and 50/20 (3%). On multivariable analysis, the survival hazard ratios (HRs) for HD and ID compared with LD RT were 0.37 and 0.51, respectively ( P P P = .667). On multivariable analysis, the HR for CCRT was 1.01 ( P = .46). Conclusions The delivery of higher-dose RT but not concurrent chemotherapy was associated with a significant improvement of OS. This population-based study supports higher-dose palliative regimens and motivates prospective study of escalation beyond a biologically effective dose of 35 Gy.
Fast inter-prediction mode decision and motion search for H.264

A fast inter-prediction mode decision and motion search algorithm is proposed for the H.264 video coding standard. The multi-resolution motion estimation scheme and an adaptive rate-distortion model are employed with early termination rules to accelerate the search process. With the new algorithm, the amount of computation involved in the motion search can be substantially reduced. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve a speed-up factor ranging from 60 to 150 times as compared to the full-search algorithm with little quality degradation
Relational Communication Behaviors and Related Outcomes in an Online Class

This study investigated how in one graduate genetics class, verbal/textual cues of relational communication were related to perceptions of presence, student performance, and student satisfaction with their learning. Data were gathered from subthread posts to the class discussion site, student responses to a summative survey, and instructor evaluation of performance. Results of the study indicated a statistically significant regression relationship between frequency of textual relational cue use in subthread postings and performance in the class. There was no significant relationship between cue use and perceptions of presence of the other students, of the instructor, or of selfassessed presence. Similarly, there was no significant relationship between cue use and student satisfaction with their learning. This pilot study demonstrates the presence and importance of textual relational cues and argues for extension and replication of the examination of the ir role in signaling relationship and engagement in online classes.
Contrasting effects of two exotic invasive hemipterans on whole‐plant resource allocation in a declining conifer

Invasive herbivores can cause widespread dieback of naive native hosts in the invaded range. Some consume leaves, some bore through wood, whereas others, such as piercing-sucking insects, alter plant resource allocation through changes to source-sink dynamics and depletion of long-term stores. Invasive sap-sucking herbivores that target cells critical to resource transport and storage may have particularly large effects. Herbivory by two exotic hemipterans, hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae Annand (Adelgidae), and elongate hemlock scale (EHS), Fiorinia externa Ferris (Diaspididae), have very different effects on eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere (Pinaceae). Although these insects differ in both timing and feeding site on their hemlock host, the reasons for their differential effects are poorly understood. Here, using potted seedlings in a common garden, we examined the effects of these two herbivores on resource uptake and allocation immediately after an initial attack. We labeled the plants with a single pulse of 13CO2 and a supply of 15NH415NO3 every third day to obtain a whole-plant perspective on resource uptake and allocation. After 10 weeks of controlled infestation, plants were measured and divided into tissue types (needles, branches, main stem, and roots). In each tissue we quantified biomass, 13C, 15N, total carbon (C), nitrogen (N), protein, and starch pools. Hemlock woolly adelgid feeding decreased new needle biomass by 34%, increased 13C allocation to roots and main stems by 130%, and increased 15N allocation to old foliage by 18%. Hemlock woolly adelgid infestation also resulted in increased starch storage in old branches over new needles, and marginally increased protein content plant-wide. Elongate hemlock scale infestation resulted in a different growth pattern, with a 27% increase in biomass allocation to the main stem. Elongate hemlock scale also caused a 23% increase in N allocation to roots and main stem. Increases in resource allocation to main stem and belowground may indicate herbivore-induced changes to storage patterns, or compensatory increased fine root growth to facilitate nutrient and water uptake. These resource allocation effects likely underlie the rapid and dramatic decline of hemlock in response to HWA feeding, and the considerably milder effects of EHS feeding.
Pericarditis and Pulmonary Artery Stenosis Due to an Extragonadal Non-seminomatous Germ Cell Tumor: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract Background Chest pain is a common complaint in the Emergency Department that rarely can be attributed to anterior mediastinal masses. Objectives We review the differential diagnosis for anterior mediastinal masses and their potential consequences. Case Report An unusual case of chest pain in a young male patient is presented that is caused by an anterior mediastinal mass associated with pericarditis and right ventricular outflow obstruction. Conclusion Pericarditis and right ventricular outflow obstruction are potential complications of anterior mediastinal non-seminomatous germ cell tumors.
In vitro reduction of peroxidation in UVC-irradiated cell cultures by concurrent exposure with Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor

Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor (BBI), extracted from soybean flour, has been shown to protect cells from damage after UVC irradiation. BBI also reduces the number of transformed foci following exposure to the same doses of UVC irradiation. Proteins have been reported to act as antioxidants by their sheer intracellular bulk. In this study we assessed BBI's ability to attenuate UVC-irradiation-induced peroxidation. Balb c/3T3 cells, clone A31, subcloned by this laboratory were used. Treatment groups consisted of cells suspended in Hanks' Balanced Salt Solution with and without 100 micrograms/ml of a crude soybean extract containing the Bowman-Birk protease inhibitor. Cells were exposed to irradiation in suspension by using GE (G8T5) germicidal lamps which deliver predominantly 254 nm light at 0.385 J/m2/s as measured at the cell surface. Aliquots of UVC-exposed cells were homogenized in HBSS in the presence and absence of 100 micrograms/ml BBI with a motor-driven Teflon pestle and assayed for peroxidation. The results showed significant (P less than 0.0001) protection afforded by BBI against peroxidation at 1.16 (65%), 1.93 (60%, and 2.70 (48%) J/m2 of UVC irradiation. Transformation was reduced to 0.33 foci per dish at all levels of radiation exposure.
A geometric isomorphism with applications to closed loop controls

Summary form only given. In this work feedback equivalence of n-state, (n-1)-control systems satisfying certain regularity conditions divides such systems into two invariant classes. The author shows that class 1 corresponds, via a geometric isomorphism, to classical Lagrangian variational problems. He proves the existence of time-critical closed-loop controls for systems which satisfy the nondegeneracy condition that the analog of the Hessian for the Lagrangian problem have full rank. The author shows that the vanishing of this Hessian characterizes the control linear systems in class 1 and identifies the rank condition for local controllability for such systems as the nonvanishing of a differential invariant. The control linear systems in class 2 are also characterized by the vanishing of an invariant, and the rank condition is identified. >
Calibration of Optical Tweezers for In Vivo Force Measurements: How do Different Approaches Compare?

There is significant interest in quantifying force production inside cells, but since conditions in vivo are less well controlled than those in vitro, in vivo measurements are challenging. In particular, the in vivo environment may vary locally as far as its optical properties, and the organelles manipulated by the optical trap frequently vary in size and shape. Several methods have been proposed to overcome these difficulties. We evaluate the relative merits of these methods and directly compare two of them, a refractive index matching method, and a light-momentum-change method. Since in vivo forces are frequently relatively high (e.g., can exceed 15 pN for lipid droplets), a high-power laser is employed. We discover that this high-powered trap induces local temperature changes, and we develop an approach to compensate for uncertainties in the magnitude of applied force due to such temperature variations.
Documentation of the Chromosome Number for Zigadenus glaberrimus (Liliales: Melanthiaceae) and its Significance in the Taxonomy of Tribe Melanthieae

Abstract The monotypic genus Zigadenus occupies a critical position in the evolution of Melanthieae as sister to the clade comprising the rest of the genera in the tribe. Meiotic (n = 27) and mitotic (2n = 54) chromosome counts for Zigadenus glaberrimus documented here do not support a long-standing tentative report of 2n = 52. The likely base chromosome number of the tribe and significance of chromosome numbers as generic synapomorphies are discussed in reference to these newly recorded counts for Zigadenus glaberrimus, a likely hexaploid.
PowerPack: Energy Profiling and Analysis of High-Performance Systems and Applications

Energy efficiency is a major concern in modern high-performance computing system design. In the past few years, there has been mounting evidence that power usage limits system scale and computing density, and thus, ultimately system performance. However, despite the impact of power and energy on the computer systems community, few studies provide insight to where and how power is consumed on high-performance systems and applications. In previous work, we designed a framework called PowerPack that was the first tool to isolate the power consumption of devices including disks, memory, NICs, and processors in a high-performance cluster and correlate these measurements to application functions. In this work, we extend our framework to support systems with multicore, multiprocessor-based nodes, and then provide in-depth analyses of the energy consumption of parallel applications on clusters of these systems. These analyses include the impacts of chip multiprocessing on power and energy efficiency, and its interaction with application executions. In addition, we use PowerPack to study the power dynamics and energy efficiencies of dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) techniques on clusters. Our experiments reveal conclusively how intelligent DVFS scheduling can enhance system energy efficiency while maintaining performance.
The onset of convection and turbulence in rectangular layers of normal liquid 4He

We have carried out high-precision measurements of the heat transport in intermediate-size rectangular layers of convecting normal liquid 4He with Prandtl numbers of 0.52 and 0.70. The containers used for these experiments had horizontal dimensions, in units of the height d, of 13.4 × 5.95 (cell I) and 18.2 × 8.12 (cell II). The slopes N1 of the Nusselt curves were 0.56 and 0.70 respectively for cell I and cell II. These values are significantly lower than predictions for N1 for horizontally unbound layers, but comparable with results obtained in cylindrical containers of liquid helium with roughly the same number of convection rolls. For the two containers, the onset of the first instability after the onset of convection occurred at Rayleigh numbers R1 that were in reasonable quantitative agreement with the predictions of Busse and Clever for the skewed-varicose instability. For both containers, the transition at R1 was characterized by long transients ranging from ∼ 102 to ∼ 103 vertical-thermal-diffusion times. A decrease in the Nusselt number was also observed. As the Rayleigh number was increased above R1, a new steady state evolved and then additional transitions were observed. These transitions occurred at Rayleigh numbers labelled R2, R3,…, with a total of five transitions seen in cell I and a total of three transitions seen for cell II. The transition for each cell at R2 can be related quantitatively to the skewed-varicose instability, and the transition at R3 is associated with an oscillatory instability. For cell II, the time-dependence beginning at R3 persisted to the highest Rayleigh number studied, R = 11.7Rc. However, for container I, two more regimes of time-independent flow were observed; the last of these was at an unexpectedly high Rayleigh number of 6.7Rc. This work extends to lower Prandtl number recent studies made on moderate-size rectangular layers of convecting water and alcohol.
Reflective Plastic Mulch but not a Resistance-Inducing Treatment Reduced Watermelon Mosaic Virus Incidence and Yield Losses in Squash

Plant viruses, especially those transmitted by aphids in a nonpersistent manner, cause significant yield losses in cucurbit crops. Studies have shown that UV-reflective mulches can reduce insects from entering a crop with coincidental reductions in virus incidence. Treatment of plants with various forms of resistance-inducing agents have also shown promise for their ability to reduce plant virus incidence and associated losses. In this article, we describe a two-trial study that evaluated the integration of UV-reflective plastic mulch and a commercially available resistance-inducing treatment, BioYield™, to reduce the incidence and disease-related yield losses in summer squash [Cucurbita pepo var. melopepo (L.) Alef.] caused by the aphid-borne plant virus, Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV). In the spring trial, there was significantly reduced WMV incidence and whole treatment average enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) values among squash plants grown on silver-on-black (UV-reflective) mulch compared wi...
The Effects of Hydrostatic Pressure on Living Aquatic Organisms II. Pressure Chambers, Apparatus and Experimental Methods Used in the Florida State University Hyperbaric Ecology Program (1970–73)

The methods and pressure chambers used in the experiments are described. Special attention is paid to standardization of results, to problems of operation, adiabatic heating, safety procedures, and philosophy of operation of the pressure systems in the exploration of the problem.
Role of Vacuolating Cytotoxin in Gastritis Due to Helicobacter pylori in Gnotobiotic Piglets

To investigate the role of the Helicobacter pylori cytotoxin in the pathogenesis of gastritis, gnotobiotic piglets were colonized with either toxigenic H. pylori or a nontoxigenic isogenic mutant. Only piglets given the toxigenic strain developed toxin-neutralizing antibodies (indicating that toxin is expressed in vivo), but there was no difference in bacterial colonization, epithelial vacuolation, or gastritis between the two groups of piglets.
The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States and implications for prevention.

Objectives To present new estimates of the average lifetime costs per child maltreatment victim and aggregate lifetime costs for all new child maltreatment cases incurred in 2008 using an incidence-based approach.
The psychology of death in geriatrics.

: The psychological problems related to the geriatric patient who is nearing death can well be related to geriatric patients in general. The following psychological factors chiefly influence the attitudes of elderly patients toward impending death: 1) mental impairment, 2) the feeling that death represents an end to physical suffering, 3) an end to loneliness, 4) an end to physical inadequacy, 5) the belief that it represents a chance to be reunited with loved ones, and 6) denial of the imminence of of death. Even if death does not intervene immediately, the physician can be of significant help in providing dignity and serenity to the elderly person during his last days.
Thermal Properties of Polysiloxanes

Thermal properties are among the most characteristic and at the same time the most technologically important properties of polysiloxanes. They embrace a unique combination of pronounced elasticity at unusually low temperatures and high thermal and thermo-oxidative stability at elevated temperatures. These properties are characteristic of polysiloxanes because they directly originate from a specific interplay of some of the most fundamental features inherent to the basic structural building blocks that make up their repeat units, chain segments and entire macromolecules. They are therefore found in more or less all members of this family of polymers. At the same time they are also of outstanding technological importance because not only that they clearly distinguish these unique polymers from their purely organic, -C-C- type counterparts, but they often make polysiloxanes the materials of choice for many applications where performance under extreme service conditions is required and where no other polymer can successfully satisfy the purpose.
How Implied Express Preemption Happened, What it Means to Trial Lawyers, and Why It Matters

This piece is written from the perspective of a long-time advocate for the use of tobacco products litigation as a public-health strategy. It describes the surprise arrival of preemption as an effective defense in tobacco (and other products) cases, the impact on the ability of plaintiffs’ lawyers to get plaintiffs their day in court, and the consequences for public health of the failure of tobacco litigation in the 1980s.
Privacy-preserving inference of social relationships from location data: a vision paper

Social relationships between people, e.g., whether they are friends with each other, can be inferred by observing their behaviors in the real world. Thanks to the popularity of GPS-enabled mobile devices or online services, a large amount of high-resolution location data becomes available for such inference studies. However, due to the sensitivity of location data and user privacy concerns, those studies cannot be largely carried out on individually contributed data without privacy guarantees. Furthermore, we observe that the actual location may not be needed for social relationship studies, but rather the fact that two people met and some statistical properties about their meeting locations, which can be computed in a private manner. In this paper, we envision an extensible framework, dubbed Privacy-preserving Location Analytics and Computation Environment (PLACE), which enables social relationship studies by analyzing individually generated location data. PLACE utilizes an untrusted server and computes several building blocks to support various social relationship studies, without disclosing location information to the server and other untrusted parties. We present PLACE with three example social relationship studies which utilize four privacy-preserving blocks with encryption and differential privacy primitives. The successful realization of PLACE will facilitate private location data acquisition from individual devices, thanks to the strong privacy guarantees, and will enable a wide range of applications.
On Using Response Latency to Measure Preference

The role of response latency in the measurement of preferences is investigated by means of a causal modeling method. The convergent validity and predictive validity of response latency measures are...
Methodological Implications of Confederate Use for Experimentation in Safety-critical Domains

Abstract Team environments include an interaction component that contributes to human performance and mission success. Investigating individual differences in these complex team environments allows researchers to study the interactions that affect every day complex tasks and determine if these types of team interactions influence the safety and effectiveness of successfully completing task components. Researchers must consider how to explore these individual differences during team interactions without introducing biases from other participants in the team. Thus, in order to control for these effects researchers can opt to enlist the help of a confederate. Confederates are individuals recruited by lead experimenters to play the role of a bystander, participant, or teammate. The researcher may choose to utilize the confederate in a way that the participant(s) remains unaware that the confederate has experience with the investigators and with the task throughout experimentation. This is most often the case. The experimenter requires the help of the confederate in order to either elicit specific behaviors, to observe verbal and non-verbal communication changes in real time, and/or to study individual performance and differences in team tasks. The intention of the experimenter is to investigate the individual behaviors and performance while also controlling experimental manipulations and reducing complexity and outside influence. However, little research exists on best methodological practices when using confederates, specifically in safety-critical domains such as intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance missions, firefighting, air traffic control, nuclear power plant operation, and medical fields. The present paper addresses details of experimental development when utilizing confederate approaches and training techniques in complex domains with specific operational examples.
Ectoderm nuclei from sea urchin embryos contain a Spec-DNA binding protein similar to the vertebrate transcription factor USF

The Spec gene family of Stronglyocentrotus purpuratus is expressed exclusively in aboral ectoderm cells during embryogenesis. To investigate the regulation of Spec gene activity, the region around the Spec1 transcriptional initiation site was analyzed for sites of protein-DNA interaction. One high-affinity site bound a factor termed SpF1 within the Spec1 5' untranslated leader region at position +39 to +60. The core sequence recognized by SpF1, CACGTG, is the same as that of the upstream stimulatory factor (USF), a widely occurring vertebrate transcription factor containing a myc-HLH motif. A comparison of USF- and SpF1-binding activities suggested that SpF1 was a sea urchin version of USF. SpF1 activity was detectable only in ectoderm cells of the embryo, implying that it has a role as a cell type-specific transcription factor. SpF1-binding sites were also found upstream of the Spec2a and Spec2c genes in the same conserved sequence block as Spec1. Extracts from Lytechinus pictus embryos showed an SpF1-like activity, suggesting that SpF1 is conserved in sea urchins. Surprisingly, changes in the Spec1, Spec2a, or Spec2c genes that removed or modified the SpF1-binding site had no effect on expression when reporter gene fusions containing these mutations were injected into sea urchin eggs and analyzed for expression during embryogenesis. We propose that, while SpF1 may not be essential for expression of the exogenously introduced reporter genes, it may be required for proper regulation of the endogenous Spec genes.
Trasentine: experience with its use in obstetrics and gynecology; a preliminary report.

Abstract A preliminary report has been offered of experience with Transentine (1) to relieve dysmenorrhea, (2) to relax Fallopian tube spasm, (3) to aid cervical dilatation in the first stage of labor. Significant statistical numbers of cases are being collected and the aggregate results will be analyzed and presented, when available.
COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON PLASMA ENZYME ACTIVITIES IN EXPERIMENTAL HEPATIC NECROSIS IN THE HORSE.

SUMMARY Plasma and tissue activities were determined in horses for the following enzymes: sorbitol dehydrogenase (SD), glutamic dehydrogenase (CD), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT), and isocitric dehydrogenase (ICD). After the oral administration of CCl4, all enzymes except GPT were significantly elevated in the plasma of horses by 48 hours. The analysis of plasma SD activity is recommended as the enzyme of choice for assessing the presence and degree of hepatic necrosis in the horse due to its ease of measurement, tissue specificity, low activity in normal plasma, and marked elevation.
The state of supply chain carbon footprinting: analysis of CDP disclosures by US firms

Abstract Although collaboration and performance measurement are widely recognized as critical for increasing sustainability in supply chains, little is known about how comprehensively firms are currently measuring their supply chain carbon emissions (or Scope 3). We develop a way to assess how complete firms' reports of Scope 3 emissions are, by comparing them to benchmarks based on Environmental Input-Output Life-Cycle Assessment models. We use this approach to evaluate Scope 3 carbon emissions disclosed by many of the largest firms in the United States to CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project). We estimate that, on average, these firms reported 22% of their full Scope 3 emissions in 2013. Our results show that Scope 3 reporting varies widely across industries. We highlight two firms that are able to capture a significant portion of their Scope 3 carbon emissions despite having a large number of suppliers. Although firms are beginning to account for an increasing portion of their supply chain's carbon emissions, there is substantial room for improvement in their measurement and disclosure of Scope 3 emissions.
The Roman Example

The specifics of the Roman example, and the various commonwealths that followed it, were available to American republicans in John Adams’s Defence of the Constitutions of the United States of America, which appeared on the eve of the United States Constitutional Convention. Adams’s Thoughts on Government had guided the forms of most of the new American state constitutions, as well as the more recent and widely respected constitution of Massachusetts, which Adams had largely drafted himself. This gave Adams particular authority on the structure of republican government, and explains his considerable influence during the convention, and the importance of his views afterwards. Adams repeated Cicero’s definition of republics as governments for the people, associated in pursuit of the common good, and divided into the one, the few and the many, mixed properly together. Balanced government alone could secure ‘liberty’, and Livy’s ‘government of laws and not of men’. Adams praised Rome as the ‘wisest republic’ with the ‘noblest people’ the world has ever seen, but also reported Tacitus’s grim assessment that republics are ‘easier to commend than to create’.
The Role of Raw Materials in Lithic Assemblage Variability

(1980). The Role of Raw Materials in Lithic Assemblage Variability. Lithic Technology: Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 68-72.
Criminology and war: where are we going and where have we been?

Although the metaphor of war (e.g., the war on terror, war on crime, war on drugs) figures prominently in contemporary criminological discourse, criminologists have generally lagged behind other disciplines in studying the reality of war and its implications for crime, punishment, and ideology. In this essay, I first consider potential reasons for criminology's limited role in studying war and make the case for why war warrants a more central place in criminological discourse. Subsequently, I trace some of criminology's early contributions to the study of war in two domains—(a) legal responses to war and (b) the link between war and crime—and reflect upon ways in which the discipline can both broaden its purview and draw from its own intellectual history to engage more critically with the subject of war.
Tips on Blood-Gas Analysis

Interpretation of arterial or venous blood gas values requires understanding of the normal values breathing air and oxygen.
Potentials for Colonization Control of Campylobacter jejuni in the Chicken.

Campylobacter jejuni is a major cause of enteritis in humans. Chicken is the most important vehicle in transmitting the agent to humans in the United States. The organism colonizes the intestinal tract of the chicken and there enters into a non-pathologic, commensal relation. During slaughter and processing the organism can, and does, adulterate the product. Unsuccessful attempts have been made to "clean" the contaminated carcasses or provide pathogen free flocks and rearing facilities. Therefore, the approach to intervene and diminish C. jejuni in the intestinal tract is now being studied. We have been gathering background data on colonization dose, isolate differences regarding colonization, competitive exclusion, expression of outer membrane proteins by the organism, immune response of the chicken to colonization, antibody neutralization of colonization, and how poultry lineage influences susceptibility to colonization. By using this information we hope to diminish colonization of poultry with C. jejuni .
Nonlinear control for the nonholonomic motion of space robot systems

Recent advances in space applications have necessitated the deployment of robotic systems in space. These systems have intrinsic features due to the nonholonomic constraints governing their motion. In this paper we discuss the presence of nonholonomic redundancy, as different from ordinary kinematic redundancy, in space robots. Nonholonomic redundancy can be utilized to increase the workspace of space robots. In this paper we present a path planning scheme using Liapunov functions in hierarchy for the utilization of nonholonomic redundancy.
Relational Communication Messages and Employee Outcomes in Supervisor/Employee Relationships

Supervisors’ relational communication messages were used to predict specific employee outcomes. In the study, 307 participants working in various industries completed measures of relational communi...
‘Something is rotten in the state of Denmark:’ Why the Internet’s advertising business model is broken

Large swaths of the Internet economy are based on an advertising business model. Many content platforms, social media sites and mobile applications provide a free service to users in exchange for personal data that, once collected, is sold to advertisers and data brokers to generate corporate revenue. Metcalfe’s Law predicts that corporate revenues should increase exponentially as a company’s number of connections goes up and that costs should increase linearly. The combination of exponentially increasing revenues and linearly increasing costs should generate large profits for ad-based Internet companies. However, the opposite tends to be the case. Many established Internet companies are deeply in the red and only an estimated 0.01 percent of mobile applications will ever earn a profit. This disjunction raises the question: why do so many ad-based Internet companies perform so badly? The answer lies in the interaction of two factors. First, the costs faced by advertising-based Internet companies tend to increase faster than their core resource ( i.e. , users). Ad-based Internet companies, therefore, do not seem to benefit from economies of scale on the cost side of the equation. The implication is that such companies need a very large number of users in order to reach profitability. Secondly, profitability’s large user base requirement turns out to be extraordinarily rare in the Internet ecosystem because the network tends to structure itself into what are known as power law distributions, where most companies get only a few users (millions maybe) while some get literally billions. This suggests that the advertising model that underwrites so many Internet companies is broken. It works for a few, but not for most.
Dynamic Contrast Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Improves Classification of Prostate Lesions: A Study of Pathological Outcomes on Targeted Prostate Biopsy

Purpose: PI-RADS™, version 2 stipulates that dynamic contrast enhanced imaging should be used to classify diffusion-weighted imaging score 3 peripheral zone lesions as PI-RADS score 3 (dynamic contrast enhanced imaging negative or nonenhancing) or 4 (dynamic contrast enhanced imaging positive or enhancing). However, to our knowledge it is unknown whether dynamic contrast enhanced imaging separates lesions into clinically meaningful pathological groups. We examined whether dynamic contrast enhanced imaging would improve the detection of clinically significant cancer.Materials and Methods: We identified patients without a prior diagnosis of prostate cancer who underwent multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-transrectal ultrasound fusion targeted biopsy of peripheral zone lesions with a diffusion-weighted imaging score of 3 or 4. Each lesion was grouped into 1 of 3 classifications, including group 1—diffusion-weighted imaging score 3/nonenhancing/PI-RADS score 3, group 2—diffusion-weighted imaging score...
Teaching Law Students About Business and Finance. Teaching Law Students Who are Afraid of Numbers About Business Basics: Learn from My Mistakes

This article discusses the “Business Boot Camp” approach to teaching law students about business and finance. Business and transaction skills are important for all law students; Professor Wagner discusses the methods of teaching in her transactional business classes and the Small Business & Nonprofit Law Clinic. It is based on a joint presentation with Jonathan Brown of Yale Law School given at Emory University School of Law’s Center for Transaction Law and Practice Fifth Biennial Conference on Transactional Education: "Method in the Madness: The Art and Science of Teaching Transactional Law and Skills" in June 2016.
SP0147 Can we prevent the onset of rheumatoid arthritis in high risk individuals

Multiple studies have demonstrated that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) related biomarkers can identify individuals without inflammatory arthritis who are at high-risk for the future development of clinically apparent synovitis and classified RA. These findings have led to the development of several prevention trials in RA that have either been completed, or are underway. With these exciting developments as background, this lecture will discuss multiple aspects of RA prevention including the role of biomarkers and other factors in developing robust prediction models for future RA, and methods to identify individuals before they develop RA. In addition, this lecture will discuss specific preventive approaches to RA such as clinical trial design and choice of preventive interventions that are based on our growing understanding of the mechanisms of RA development. Disclosure of Interest None declared