cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In Pursuit of a Monster: Militarisation and (In)Security in Northern Uganda

Through a feminist geopolitical analysis, this article interrogates the role of monster narratives in producing geographic imaginaries of difference and lived experiences of insecurity in northern Uganda. Building upon theories of monsters as cultural imaginaries, I argue that state and non-state actors evoke colonial-era constructions of difference to construct Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), as a monster to support contemporary geopolitical agendas. By troubling state-based definitions of security, this article disputes the idea that security practices predicated on the defeat of a monster translate into increased security for those most directly affected by the violence of the monster. Additionally, this article discusses alternative narratives circulating in northern Uganda that offer different readings of Kony's role in the cycles of violence that have ravaged the region. These narratives, when viewed through a feminist geopolitical lens, challenge the monster imaginary and, ...
SPECIAL FEATURES OF FLORIDA'S MOBILITY MANAGEMENT PROCESS

The purpose of the Florida Mobility Management Process (MMP) is to improve the mobility of residents and tourists. Although all states must develop congestion management systems (CMS), special features of the Florida CMS, which others may wish to consider, are presented. Florida's special MMP features include: development framework, applicability of MMP and CMS to all urbanized areas, MMP and CMS relationship with the transportation planning process, multimodal alternatives analyses of major investments, institutional arrangements, implementation techniques, performance measures, and MPO prototypes.
Killing Babies: Hrdy on the Evolution of Infanticide

Sarah Hrdy argues that women (1) possess a reproductive behavioral strategy including infanticide, (2) that this strategy is an adaptation and (3) arose as a response to stresses mothers faced with the agrarian revolution. I argue that while psychopathological and cultural evolutionary accounts for Hrdy's data fail, her suggested psychological architecture for the strategy suggests that the behavior she describes is really only the consequence of the operation of practical reasoning mechanism(s) – and consequently there is no reproductive strategy including infanticide as such, nor could the alleged strategy be sufficiently mosaic to count as an adaptation. What might count as an adaptation is a ‘window’ before bonding that permits practical reasoning about the reproductive value of infants and hence variable maternal investment, and which, contra (3) arose early in hominid history due to a combination of increases in infant dependency and increased human abilities for conditional practical reasoning.
Establishing "Fields of Care": Teaching Settings as Active Participants in Science Education.

In their article, “Space, relations, and the learning of science,” Wolff-Michael Roth and Pei-Ling Hsu draw our attention to the importance of field in the teaching and learning of science. While the Roth and Hsu study is focused on the scientific research laboratory as an internship setting for the teaching of science, this response to their paper expands the discussion of the settings where science is taught in order to bring to the fore some of the affordances and challenges associated with teaching science in specific fields. By extending our thinking about the settings where science is taught/learned and the active role these settings play in teaching our students, we can re-envision how to better utilize a variety of fields in the teaching of science. The notion of ‘field of care’ is explored as a way of both finding and building connections between students and the settings where science is experienced.
Surgical division of Wolff-Parkinson-White pathways utilizing the closed-heart technique: a 2-year experience in 47 patients.

Abstract Kent bundle interruption for ventricular preexcitation has been successfully accomplished utilizing several different surgical techniques. The external closed-heart technique of Guiraudon combining surgical dissection and cryoablation has been used to interrupt 52 accessory pathways in 47 consecutive patients since May, 1985. The 35 male and 12 female patients ranged in age from 10 to 67 years (mean, 30 years). There were 25 left free wall, 13 right free wall, 13 posterior septal, and 1 anterior septal accessory pathways. Preoperative and intraoperative electrophysiological studies were performed in all patients to induce the arrhythmia and localize all accessory pathways. The operation consisted of dissection of the atrioventricular fat pad. Following this, the delta wave and retrograde accessory pathway conduction disappeared, thereby indicating successful pathway ablation. In 4 patients with right-sided accessory pathways, interruption of the pathway required cryoablation. Cryolesions (made with cryo-probe at −60°C for two minutes) were created in the region of the accessory pathway insertion. All accessory pathways were successfully ablated without any deaths or heart block. Concomitant surgical procedures were performed in 4 patients. Two patients required a second operation the next day for an accessory pathway not found at the initial operation. Three patients had postpericardiotomy syndrome, and 4 had recurrent atrial fibrillation requiring therapy. The remaining patients have had no arrhythmia recurrence and have remained drug free after a follow-up of 1 month to 22 months (mean, 12.5 months). We conclude that the closed-heart technique of accessory pathway ablation is safe and reproducible, obviates the necessity for aortic cross-clamping and cardioplegic arrest, and allows instantaneous monitoring of conduction over the pathway.
Bowl championship series vulnerability analysis

The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) is the system used to select the top two college football teams to play in a championship game at the end of a season. During the nine seasons played under the BCS, few have not caused considerable debate and controversy. We believe that an analysis of the BCS and its components is therefore required. This work uses a GRNN to model the eight polls that compose the ranking system of the BCS. Then, a genetic algorithm (GA) is used to evolve season schedules that would perform poorly under the current BCS. These difficult seasons are then analyzed to highlight weaknesses in the current model.
A Novel Window on the Academy: Commentary byLiesa Stamm, Contributing Editor

In this issue Kimberly Nehls introduces us to a different way of learning about students’ college experiences and how these experiences shape their lives (Nehls, 2009). Nehls’s review of J. Courtney Smith’s novel Commencement demonstrates the insights into higher education that fiction can provide. As an anthropologist, I have found that novels represent a valuable form of ethnography, descriptions of cultural beliefs and practices. While scholarly studies of culture offer ethnographic descriptions in the analytic categories created by anthropologists or other scholars, novels take us into the lived experience of a culture through the interactions of individuals with their social world and through their thoughts, meanings, and understandings. Novels also depict well the emotional encounters and reactions associated with situations of daily life, an aspect of human experience that constraints of scholarly work generally cannot impart. One of the rewards of our current globalized existence is the easy avail...
Effect of Substrate Stiffness on Early Mouse Embryo Development

It is becoming increasingly clear that cells are remarkably sensitive to the biophysical cues of their microenvironment and that these cues play a significant role in influencing their behaviors. In this study, we investigated whether the early pre-implantation embryo is sensitive to mechanical cues, i.e. the elasticity of the culture environment. To test this, we have developed a new embryo culture system where the mechanical properties of the embryonic environment can be precisely defined. The contemporary standard environment for embryo culture is the polystyrene petri dish (PD), which has a stiffness (1 GPa) that is six orders of magnitude greater than the uterine epithelium (1 kPa). To approximate more closely the mechanical aspects of the in vivo uterine environment we used polydimethyl-siloxane (PDMS) or fabricated 3D type I collagen gels (1 kPa stiffness, Col-1k group). Mouse embryo development on alternate substrates was compared to that seen on the petri dish; percent development, hatching frequency, and cell number were observed. Our results indicated that embryos are sensitive to the mechanical environment on which they are cultured. Embryos cultured on Col-1k showed a significantly greater frequency of development to 2-cell (68±15% vs. 59±18%), blastocyst (64±9.1% vs. 50±18%) and hatching blastocyst stages (54±25% vs. 21±16%) and an increase in the number of trophectodermal cell (TE,65±13 vs. 49±12 cells) compared to control embryos cultured in PD (mean±S.D.; p<.01). Embryos cultured on Col-1k and PD were transferred to recipient females and observed on embryonic day 12.5. Both groups had the same number of fetuses, however the placentas of the Col-1k fetuses were larger than controls, suggesting a continued effect of the preimplantation environment. In summary, characteristics of the preimplantation microenvironment affect pre- and post-implantation growth.
Investigation of the electronic structure of carbon single wall nanotube hybrid nanostructures

The effects of protonation on the structure of the carbon single-walled nanotube (SWNT) polymer composites were studied by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques and Raman spectroscopy. In addition, solid-state 13 C NMR was used to elucidate the aggregation state of the SWNTs in the polymer films relative to pristine SWNTs.
Physical activity and physical self-concept among sedentary adolescent females: An intervention study

PROBLEM: Physical activity has been promoted as a means of enhancing self-concept, yet the evidence for this connection is far from compelling. In particular, experimental research investigating this association during adolescence, a period during which many youth struggle to maintain a positive self-image, is noticeably lacking. This study investigates the impact on self-concept of a 9-month physical activity intervention among sedentary adolescent females. METHOD: Female adolescents who were sedentary at baseline were assigned either to an exercise intervention or a comparison group as part of the controlled trial. The intervention was school-based, and assignment to groups was based on school attended. Intervention participants engaged in supervised activity 4 times per week and received didactic instruction promoting activity outside of school 1 day per week. Self-concept, physical activity participation, and cardiovascular fitness were assessed before, mid-way through, and after the 9-month intervention. RESULTS: The intervention had a significant positive impact on participation in vigorous activity and cardiovascular fitness. The intervention did not significantly influence any of the self-concept dimensions overall. There was, however, a three-way interaction such that there was an increase in global physical self-concept among those intervention participants who increased cardiovascular fitness. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that a physical activity intervention among sedentary adolescent females enhanced global physical self-concept for a subset of intervention participants who manifested positive changes in fitness.
Nucleation of boron nitride on Ni(100) surfaces

Abstract We report studies of the formation of boron nitride by decomposition of diborane (B 2 H 6 ) and ammonia (NH 3 ) on the Ni(100) surface. Diborane decomposes on the Ni(100) surface and is accompanied by the desorption of hydrogen, with the decomposition complete at 500 K. In the absence of ammonia, the boron on the surface reacts with the substrate to form a Ni 2 B phase. Boron nitride can be formed by heating ammonia and diborane multilayers from 100 K or by coadsorption of the two gases at temperatures above 800 K. The former procedure produces disordered, submonolayer coverages while the latter procedure produces ordered overlayers. A low energy electron difraction (LEED) pattern characteristic of an overlayer (1 x 7) is observed after growth at 950 K. This surface reconstruction appears to be consistent with the formation of a strained hexagonal boron nitride overlayer.
Geographic Image Retrieval Using Local Invariant Features

This paper investigates local invariant features for geographic (overhead) image retrieval. Local features are particularly well suited for the newer generations of aerial and satellite imagery whose increased spatial resolution, often just tens of centimeters per pixel, allows a greater range of objects and spatial patterns to be recognized than ever before. Local invariant features have been successfully applied to a broad range of computer vision problems and, as such, are receiving increased attention from the remote sensing community particularly for challenging tasks such as detection and classification. We perform an extensive evaluation of local invariant features for image retrieval of land-use/land-cover (LULC) classes in high-resolution aerial imagery. We report on the effects of a number of design parameters on a bag-of-visual-words (BOVW) representation including saliency- versus grid-based local feature extraction, the size of the visual codebook, the clustering algorithm used to create the codebook, and the dissimilarity measure used to compare the BOVW representations. We also perform comparisons with standard features such as color and texture. The performance is quantitatively evaluated using a first-of-its-kind LULC ground truth data set which will be made publicly available to other researchers. In addition to reporting on the effects of the core design parameters, we also describe interesting findings such as the performance-efficiency tradeoffs that are possible through the appropriate pairings of different-sized codebooks and dissimilarity measures. While the focus is on image retrieval, we expect our insights to be informative for other applications such as detection and classification.
Mathematical modeling of the LiAl/FeS2 high temperature battery system

Abstract A one dimensional mathematical model is presented for a high temperature lithium–aluminum, iron disulfide molten salt battery system. Multi-physics transport phenomena in the electrolyte, charge balances in the solid phases and electrolyte, complex multi-step electrochemical and chemical reactions in the electrodes are described in this model. The model includes the effects of precipitation salt on active area in the electrode and the discharge capacity. In addition the model also takes the change in volume of the active material into account during the electrochemical reactions by incorporating the change in porosity of the electrode and the change in dimension of the electrode. The model results are compared to the existing model in literature and available experimental data.
Field Theory and Rational Choice: A Lewinian Approach to Modeling Motivation

Economically based rational choice theories, which have been highly influential in the social sciences, are in various respects inferior to field theory, and have advanced farthest precisely when they have adopted field-theoretical assumptions. Through its underlying model of the fully specified motivational calculus, field theory proposes that psychological forces are commensurate and expressed in affective terms, and its recognition of the importance of salience anticipates recent developments in decision theory. Field theory corrects the unwarranted assumptions of economic rational choice models when applied to social policy, and counters the biased and misleading implications of such theories.
Abstract 5419: Thiamine deficiency induces HIF-1 α stabilization and target gene expression.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Introduction: Thiamine deficiencies have been reported in a number of common pathologies including diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders and in particular, cancer. Deficiencies can arise due to drug mediated reductions in cellular availability of thiamine or due to limited diffusion into solid tumors. Biochemically, a metabolic consequence of thiamine deficiency is a reduction in enzyme activity and expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDH), which converts pyruvate to acetyl-CoA. Evidence suggests that trans-activation of hypoxia inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1α) regulated genes is mediated through stoichiometric changes in the metabolic intermediate pyruvate, independent of low oxygen termed pseudo-hypoxia. The resulting dysfunction of PDH and accumulation of pyruvate during TD may facilitate a pseudo-hypoxic state and mediate trans-activation of HIF-1α regulated genes. Therefore, we hypothesize that thiamine deficiency induces a pseudo-hypoxic state resulting in a stabilization of HIF-1α. Methods: The impact of TD treatments on cellular pyruvate levels was determined after 48h of TD treatment using a pyruvate assay. Protein expression of HIF-1α was assessed in nuclear lysates of SK-N-BE cells treated with 1% O2 and TD for 12, 24, and 48h by Western blot. Expression of the known HIF-1α regulated gene, GLUT1 was measured by qRTPCR after 12, 24 and 48h hypoxia (1% O2) and thiamine depletion. Results: An approximately 2 fold increase in cellular pyruvate was observed after 48h of TD exposure. A corresponding increase in HIF-1α protein expression in both 1% O2 and TD was found after 48h exposure. SK-N-BE cells demonstrated a 6 and 10 fold increase in expression of GLUT1 and SLC19A3, respectively after 48h of 1% O2 exposure. TD treatment exhibited an approximately 2 fold increase in expression of both GLUT1 and SLC19A3 after 48h treatments. Conclusions: An increase in pyruvate production and the induction of HIF-1α protein expression after TD treatment suggests the role of TD acting as a feed forward mechanism for HIF-1α stabilization and gene regulation. These results demonstrate nutritional regulation of the pro-oncogenic transcription factor, HIF-1α and an important connection of cellular thiamine to adaptive glycolytic metabolism. Citation Format: Rebecca Sweet, Lauren Lim, Jason Zastre. Thiamine deficiency induces HIF-1 α stabilization and target gene expression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5419. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5419
Diel activity patterns of river otters (Lontra canadensis) in southeastern Minnesota

Abstract An understanding of activity patterns of wildlife in relation to abiotic and biotic factors enables biologists to better understand the ecology of species, manage resources, standardize survey methods, and serve as an index of the relative density of a species. River otters (Lontra canadensis) were radiotracked between June 2002 and October 2003. Using radiotracking data, we conducted exploratory analyses to determine relative influence of abiotic and biotic factors on 2 measures of activity of otters. Abiotic factors included air temperature, barometric pressure, lunar phase, biological season, and time of day; the biotic factor was sex. Activity was measured indirectly via movement rates and directly as the proportion of location attempts recorded as active (PLA). Movement rate was defined as the distance traveled by an otter between consecutive location estimates. Generalized linear mixed models were used to explore the influence of covariates on both measures of otter activity. The model best...
Distributed diagnosis in uncertain environments using Dynamic Bayesian Networks

Model-based diagnosis for industrial applications have to be efficient, and deal with modeling approximations and measurement noise. This paper presents a distributed diagnosis scheme, based on Dynamic Bayesian Networks (DBNs) that generates globally correct diagnosis results through local analysis, by only communicating a minimal number of measurements among diagnosers. We demonstrate experimentally that our distributed diagnosis scheme is computationally more efficient than its centralized counterpart, and it does not compromise the accuracy of the diagnosis results.
Comparison of heating rate calculations with experimental data on a modified Shuttle orbiter at Mach 6

Heating-rate calculations from an 'engineering' code and a 'benchmark' Navier-Stokes code are compared with experimental wind tunnel data obtained on a 'modified' 0.0075-scale Shuttle orbiter at a Mach number of 6 and a freestream Reynolds number of 1.9 x 10 to the 6th/m. Comparisons are presented along the windward symmetry plane, in a circumferential direction around the body, and along the wing leading edge at angles of attack of 30 and 40 deg. Both codes provide accurate predictions of the heating rate over most of the body, but because the run time for the engineering code is relatively short, it is an ideal tool for both parametric and design studies.
Parity in Peril? The Continuing Vitality of Russian-US Strategic Nuclear Deterrence

The stability of nuclear deterrence between the United States and Russia no longer can be regarded as a relic of the Cold War. The topic is rapidly re-emerging as one of ever-greater relevance and policy-strategic urgency. A more fluid international order, the complexity of post-Cold War security issues, and the pressure of incipient nuclear proliferation in Asia, make clarity in American-Russian nuclear arms control of first importance. Through the revival of proven analytical techniques, however, this article self-consciously reintroduces concepts long at the heart of strategic nuclear debates. These show that although there is no imminent risk to first strike stability, arms control stability is more nuanced and cannot be assumed without deliberate effort. Missile defences, already deployed by the US and possibly appealing to others, may further complicate the stabilisation of Russian-American nuclear security relations and the containment of nuclear arms races in Asia. Strategic stability is not as im...
Policies without Memory for the Infinite-Armed Bernoulli Bandit under the Average-Reward Criterion

We consider a bandit problem with infinitely many Bernoulli arms whose unknown parameters are i.i.d. We present two policies that maximize the almost sure average reward over an infinite horizon. Neither policy ever returns to a previously observed arm after switching to a new one or retains information from discarded arms, and runs of failures indicate the selection of a new arm. The first policy is nonstationary and requires no information about the distribution of the Bernoulli parameter. The second is stationary and requires only partial information; its optimality is established via renewal theory. We also develop e-optimal stationary policies that require no information about the distribution of the unknown parameter and discuss universally optimal stationary policies.
Deviation of residual stress patterns in 52 100 bearing steel due to inherent microstructural transformations after rolling contact

Abstract A previous publication proved empirically that residual stresses in 52 100 bearing steel are caused mainly by microstructural transformations during rolling contact. It also introduced a model estimating the magnitude of residual stresses resulting from microstructural transformations. The results from this model prompted this study because the model showed a discrepancy between the measured results and the magnitude of the estimated residual stresses derived from the model. This study uses metallurgical analysis and modeling to explain why the measured and estimated magnitudes of residual stresses did not coincide. Metallurgical analysis explains the roles of retained austenite transformation and martensite decay in the ultimate magnitude of residual stresses at the surface of the bearing balls after rolling contact. The model estimates the magnitude of expected residual stresses due to martensite decay and suggests the number of cycles that bearing balls can operate under the beneficial effects of compressive residual stresses without spalling.
Catecholamines in the localization of pheochromocytoma.

Data on urinary catecholamines in a collected series of 75 cases of pheochromocytoma, including 18 of our own cases, indicate that the differential assay of urinary norepinephrine and epinephrine may be of value in predicting the location of the tumor preoperatively. If there is a significant elevation of urinary epinephrine (42 per cent of all cases), the tumor may be expected to lie in or adjacent to one of the adrenal glands in about 95 per cent of cases. Other tumors of this type have been found only in the organs of Zuckerkandl. If the urine contains norepinephrine alone (58 per cent of all cases), the tumor will be found in one of the adrenal areas in about two thirds of the cases and in an extra-adrenal location in the remainder. In a few patients (6 per cent) of this type, the tumor may be extra-abdominal. In some unusual cases more precise information on the location of the tumor must be obtained preoperatively. The demonstration of a marked step-up in plasma catecholamine concentration at the le...
Community views on crime and policing: Survey mode effects on bias in community surveys

This study compared two modes of administration, mail and random-digit dialing (RDD), in surveys targeting four diverse community areas within a large metropolitan area. The modes' differential susceptibility to nonresponse bias and response bias is revealed by directly comparing the two modes and procedures. The authors conclude that RDD phone community surveys on attitudes toward the police are likely to overestimate the population's true level of approval, whereas mail surveys are likely to underestimate it. Researchers should consider the mode of data collection when examining relationships and building models that explain community reactions to policing. Policy makers are cautioned to be aware that the survey mode may have a strong impact on estimates of prevalence, especially in neighborhoods with higher crime and lower income.
Using local linear kernel smoothers to test the lack of fit of nonlinear regression models

Abstract Herein, we propose a data-driven test that assesses the lack of fit of nonlinear regression models. The comparison of local linear kernel and parametric fits is the basis of this test, and specific boundary-corrected kernels are not needed at the boundary when local linear fitting is used. Under the parametric null model, the asymptotically optimal bandwidth can be used for bandwidth selection. This selection method leads to the data-driven test that has a limiting normal distribution under the null hypothesis and is consistent against any fixed alternative. The finite-sample property of the proposed data-driven test is illustrated, and the power of the test is compared with that of some existing tests via simulation studies. We illustrate the practicality of the proposed test by using two data sets.
Evaluation of disposable membrane filter units for sorptive losses and sample contamination

Abstract Nine disposable 0.4‐ to 0.5‐μm filter, units were tested for sample contamination from aqueous matrices. For some types of filters, contamination and sorptive losses ware significant. Degree of sorptive loss was a function of volume filtered and filtration rate. Analyte sorption was found to be reversible and could be mitigated by the addition of methanol (1/1 V/V) as an organic modifier prior to filtration.
Depositional Environments of Salem Limestone (Mississippian) of South-Central Indiana: ABSTRACT

Five major environments of deposition were present along the outcrop trend of the Salem Limestone in south-central Indiana. These environments are based on lithic and biologic distributions. Three separate regions existed during deposition of lower and middle Salem sediments. The northern region was restricted, as indicated by the presence of argillaceous, dolomitic, bryozoan calcarenite. This was a shallow sea which connected with the Michigan basin where evaporite deposition was occurring. The central outcrop region was one of open circulation where algal-mollusk and echinoderm-bryozoan sparry calcarenite was deposited. Distribution of the calcarenite indicates a regression toward the south. The Indiana building stone is quarried mainly from this facies. The southern region was the site of extensive large-scale (30 feet of relief) sparry calcarenite sand bars as indicated by the existence of macro-cross-beds. End_Page 461------------------------------ Inter-sand-bar deposits consist of carbonaceous dolosiltite which does not contain skeletal grains. A sample transect from sand-bar crests to inter-bar basins shows a continuous, progressive gradation from sparry calcarenite to dolosiltite. During deposition of upper Salem sediments, a fine-grained calcisphere calcarenite overlapped all three facies described above. This facies was deposited in restricted, shoaling conditions, as indicated by the presence of dolomite, quartz silt, and clay minerals. The final phase of Salem deposition is represented by a thin but persistent, laminated, argillaceous dolosiltite. Scour-and-fill structures, dolomite rhombs, and a lack of fossil grains indicate that this was an intertidal mud flat deposit comparable with New York Devonian "waterlimes." End_of_Article - Last_Page 462------------
Formation energies, binding energies, structure, and electronic transitions of Si divacancies studied by density functional calculations

Atomic configurations, formation energies, electronic transition energies, and binding energies of the silicon divacancy in the $+1$, $0$, $\ensuremath{-}1$, and $\ensuremath{-}2$ charge states were obtained from density functional theory calculations. The calculations were performed using the local density approximation (LDA) and also the Perdew, Burke, Ernzerhof (PBE) formulation of the generalized-gradient approximation. Supercells of nominally 216, 512, and 1000 atoms were used to extrapolate formation energies for infinite-sized supercells corresponding to isolated defects. The predicted ground-state configuration was found to depend on charge state and the chosen formulation of exchange and correlation (LDA or PBE). Structures, binding energies, and transition energies are compared to values reported in the literature.
Fuzzy, crisp, and human logic in e-commerce marketing data mining

In today's business world there is an abundance of available data and a great need to make good use of it. Many businesses would benefit from examining customer habits and trends and making marketing and product decisions based on that analysis. However, the process of manually examining data and making sound decisions based on that data is time consuming and often impractical. Intelligent systems that can make judgments similar to human judgments are sorely needed. Thus, systems based on fuzzy logic present themselves as an option to be seriously considered. The work described in this paper attempts to make an initial comparison between fuzzy logic and more traditional hard or crisp logic to see which would make a better substitute for human intervention. In this particular case study, customers are classified into categories that indicate how desirable the customer would be as a prospect for marketing. This classification is based on a small set of customer data. The results from these investigations make it clear that fuzzy logic is more able to think for itself and make decisions that more closely match human decision and is therefore significantly closer to human logic than crisp logic.
An intersection algorithm for C2 parametric surfaces

A new intersection algorithm is developed for C2 parametric surface which is a combination of the subdivision and Newton's method. The subdivision method is used to “hunt” the first point for each intersection curve, starting from the second one, Newton's method is employed. A dedicated algorithm is developed to predict the initial values needed by Newton's method, a new concept “engaging direction” is also introduced to enhance the converging speed. As a result, the iteration times are remarkably reduced and all points on a particular intersection curve are automatically distributed in not only the correct order but also an optimal manner. The whole strategy has been successfully tested in a FORTRAN program where the uniform bi-cubic B-spline surface is used.
Echocardiographic findings in ischemic stroke patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with cardiac abnormalities. Whether any cardiac dysfunction is present in ischemic stroke patients with OSA is not known. The purpose of this study was to compare echocardiographic findings in ischemic stroke patients with and without OSA.
Refinements Of Formulas For Receptor Sensitivity

When it is desired to fit a polynomial to a function of wavelength, roundoff errors may be minimized by shifting the origin of the independent variable (wavelength or frequency) to the center of the region of interest.
Economic Statistical Control-Chart Designs With an Application to and R Charts

Control charts are the primary tools of statistical process control. These charts may be designed by using a simple rule suggested by Shewhart, by a statistical criterion, or by an economic criterion. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. In this article, I place statistical constraints on economic models to provide designs that meet industry's demand for lowprocess variability and long-term product quality. This constrained economic model yields a design I call an economic statistical design. The model can be readily adapted to design ant Shewhart-type control chart. In this article, I illustrate its use in the joint design of an chart and an R chart.
Is there a role for imaging in the management of patients with diabetic foot

Advanced imaging of the foot has improved our ability toevaluate the possibility of osteomyelitis. However, theability of imaging to detect the presence of osteomyelitisdoes not necessarily mean that it should be used on aregular basis. Indeed, our opinion is that it is of marginalvalue in most patients. This is because the value of adiagnostic modality depends not only on what one needs toknow but also on when one needs to know it and the levelof diagnostic certainty required. Such considerations havebecome increasingly important in the current climate ofconcern over healthcare costs and the appropriate use oftechnology.The infected, or potentially infected, diabetic foot can bea difficult management problem. Peripheral neuropathy candiminish symptoms and thus mask the severity of thedisease. Patients often present with visible evidence of softtissue infection—either ulcers or cellulitis. The presence ofosteomyelitis complicates treatment and may decrease theprobability of a successful outcome. Helpful clinicalfeatures that increase the probability of osteomyelitis arean ulcer with a cross-sectional area greater than 2 cm
Nerve root complications of percutaneous laser-assisted diskectomy performed at outside institutions : A technical note

Two patients, treated with percutaneous laser-assisted diskectomy, developed postoperative nerve root complications. The first patient, whose diskectomy had been performed by a gastroenterologist, suffered an acute foot drop that resolved following delayed surgical diskectomy, whereas the second patient's L4 and L5 root deficits remained permanent. Percutaneous laser-assisted diskectomy, by reducing intradiscal volume, is considered an alternative to open surgery in the management of contained lumbar disc herniations. After an L4-L5 diskectomy and a fenestration procedure performed 2 months later for a sequestrated disc herniation and segmental stenosis, the first patient's foot drop resolved. Unfortunately, the second patient's L4 and L5 root injuries, without MRI and myelo-CT surgical pathology, were complete. The laser-assisted diskectomy may produce reversible and irreversible nerve root injuries.
Predicting Earnings Using a Model Based on Cost Variability and Cost Stickiness

We evaluate the descriptive validity of the cost behavior model for profit analysis using Compustat data. For this purpose, we propose an earnings forecast model decomposing earnings into component...
Assembly of bacteriophage 80α capsids in a Staphylococcus aureus expression system.

80α is a temperate, double-stranded DNA bacteriophage of Staphylococcus aureus that can act as a “helper” for the mobilization of S. aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs), including SaPI1. When SaPI1 is mobilized by 80α, the SaPI genomes are packaged into capsids that are composed of phage proteins, but that are smaller than those normally formed by the phage. This size determination is dependent on SaPI1 proteins CpmA and CpmB. Here, we show that co-expression of the 80α capsid and scaffolding proteins in S. aureus, but not in E. coli, leads to the formation of procapsid-related structures, suggesting that a host co-factor is required for assembly. The capsid and scaffolding proteins also undergo normal N-terminal processing upon expression in S. aureus, implicating a host protease. We also find that SaPI1 proteins CpmA and CpmB promote the formation of small capsids upon co-expression with 80α capsid and scaffolding proteins in S. aureus.
An in vitro study of the fracture resistance and the incidence of vertical root fracture of pulpless teeth restored with six post-and-core systems

Abstract Statement of problem. Posts and cores are often required with pulpless teeth to provide retention and resistance form for complete crowns. Nevertheless, conventional posts may increase the potential for root fracture. Purpose. This study compared the resistance to vertical root fracture of extracted teeth treated with post-core systems that were modified with polyethylene woven fibers (Ribbond) with those treated with conventional post-and-core systems. Material and methods. Canal instrumentation was performed for 60 maxillary central incisors, and complete crown preparations were made. The coronal portion of each tooth was amputated, and 6 post-and-core systems were studied. Specimens were mounted in acrylic resin blocks with a layer of polyvinyl siloxane covering the roots. Loads were applied at an angle of 130 degrees and measured with a universal testing machine. Results were analyzed statistically with 1-way analysis of variance with Student-Newman-Keuls grouping and chi-square analysis. Results. Cast posts and cores resulted in significantly higher failure thresholds than all others, except for prefabricated, comparably sized, parallel-sided posts with composite cores. All failures in the group with cast posts involved fracture of the teeth, whereas 70% of the teeth with comparably sized parallel-sided posts and composite cores failed as a result of tooth fractures and 30% experienced core fractures. The woven fiber post-core system was significantly lower in strength than all others, and exhibited significantly fewer vertical root fractures. Conclusions. Polyethylene woven fiber and composite resin without a prefabricated post resulted in significantly fewer vertical root fractures, but mean failure load was the lowest. Smaller diameter prefabricated posts combined with the polyethylene woven fiber and composite cores improved resistance to failure. Traditional cast posts and cores were the strongest of the 6 post-core systems. (J Prosthet Dent 1999;81:262-9.)
Structural, Infrared, and Density Functional Theory Studies of N,N,N‘,N‘-Tetramethylimidazolidinium Dichloride: A Model for Cation−Anion Association of Headgroups and Counterions in the Interfacial Regions of Gemini Micelles

N,N,N‘,N‘-Tetramethylimidazolidinium dichloride (1-Im-1 2Cl) has been studied as a model system for cation−anion interactions in the interfacial regions of gemini micelles by X-ray crystallography, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and infrared spectroscopy. Single crystals of 1-Im-1 2Cl contain 1-Im-1 dications, whose five-membered rings adopt a distorted envelope conformation. Eight chloride anions surround each dication, two of which are cradled above and below the five-membered ring (apical) and six of which are dispersed about the periphery of the ring (equatorial). The cations and anions are linked in the solid state by an extensive network of weak CH···Cl hydrogen bonds that involve all of the H atoms of the dication. The calculated (DFT at the 6-31+G(d) level) structure of the asymmetric unit, which consists of a dication and two apical chloride ions, closely resembles the equivalent unit in the crystal structure with respect to bond distances and angles, the conformation of the 1-Im-1...
(De)Mythologizing Jurisprudence: Speaking the “Truth” about “Myth”

What is the relationship between law and modernity? Can moder law serve to free persons from religious intolerance, ethnic parochialism, and the fetters of inherited status? Can it help persons achieve unalienated subjectivity?1 Is the perfection of law the ultimate product of the rationalizing forces of modernity, or does the coming of age of modernity mark the demise of law and its displacement by regimes of discipline/bureaucracy and/or some other combination of power/knowledge?2 These questions have occupied an important place in the great works of social theory and jurisprudence from Weber to Unger, Austin to Hart, and Marx to Foucault. To address them is to take on the largest questions about law and, at the same time, to take on the burden of saying something new when so much has already been said.
Combining statistical monitoring and predictable recovery for self-management

Complex distributed Internet services form the basis not only of e-commerce but increasingly of mission-critical network-based applications. What is new is that the workload and internal architecture of three-tier enterprise applications presents the opportunity for a new approach to keeping them running in the face of many common recoverable failures. The core of the approach is anomaly detection and localization based on statistical machine learning techniques. Unlike previous approaches, we propose anomaly detection and pattern mining not only for operational statistics such as mean response time, but also for structural behaviors of the system---what parts of the system, in what combinations, are being exercised in response to different kinds of external stimuli. In addition, rather than building baseline models a priori, we extract them by observing the behavior of the system over a short period of time during normal operation. We explain the necessary underlying assumptions and why they can be realized by systems research, report on some early successes using the approach, describe benefits of the approach that make it competitive as a path toward self-managing systems, and outline some research challenges. Our hope is that this approach will enable "new science" in the design of self-managing systems by allowing the rapid and widespread application of statistical learning theory techniques (SLT) to problems of system dependability.
Reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting via left thoracotomy and hypothermic fibrillation.

Abstract Left posterolateral thoracotomy approach for reoperative coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is a useful alternative to median sternotomy. We describe use of a left posterolateral thoracotomy and hypothermic fibrillation for reoperative CABG in a patient with patent bilateral internal thoracic artery grafts. (J Card Surg 2011;26:34-36)
Prognostic factors for survival of patients with advanced urothelial tumors treated with methotrexate vinblastine doxorubicin and cisplatin chemotherapy

Between February 1983 and February 1986, 132 patients with advanced urothelial tract tumors were treated with methotrexate, vinblastine, Adriamycin (doxorubicin), and cisplatin (M-VAC) chemotherapy. Analysis of prognostic factors for survival of the first 92 patients was undertaken using the Cox proportional hazards model. Normal alkaline phosphatase and high Karnofsky performance status (KPS) were predominant for long survival. Patients 60 years or older at initiation of therapy were likely to survive longer than younger patients, perhaps indicating physician selectivity of older patients for this therapy, and those with initial hemoglobin in the normal range were also likely to survive longer. The additional 40 patients' data were used to validate the model. Clinical implications of the prognostic factors are discussed.
Effective couplings in Kaluza-Klein unification☆

Abstract The effective gauge coupling in the higher-dimensional unification is shown to depend crucially on the Kaluza-Klein dilaton field (and thus on the position of spacetime points) whose time-evolution should ultimately be determined by the unified cosmology. The result is model-independent and obtained with the dimensional reduction by isometry. The physical implications of the result are discussed.
SUMO-binding Motifs Mediate the Rad60-dependent Response to Replicative Stress and Self-association

In fission yeast, the replication checkpoint is enforced by the kinase Cds1 (human Chk2), which regulates both cell cycle progression and DNA repair factors to ensure that the genome is faithfully duplicated prior to mitosis. Cds1 contains a forkhead-associated domain that mediates its interaction with phosphorylated residues in target proteins. One target of Cds1 is the essential nuclear protein Rad60, which contains the unique structural feature of tandem SUMO homology domains at its C terminus. Hypomorphic mutants of Rad60 cause profound defects in DNA repair and replication stress tolerance. To explore the physiological significance of the Cds1-Rad60 interaction, we have examined the phosphorylation of Rad60 by Cds1 in vitro and the in vivo phosphorylation of Rad60 in response to replication blocks. We find that the N terminus but not the SUMO-like domain of Rad60 is phosphorylated in both conditions. Three important Rad60 phosphorylation sites were identified: Thr72, Ser32, and Ser34. Rad60 Thr72 mediates the Cds1-Rad60 interaction and is required for the Cds1-dependent phosphorylation of Rad60 in response to replication arrest. Phosphorylation of Rad60 Ser32 and Ser34 in a putative SUMO-binding motif is critical for the survival of replication stress. In addition, mutation of Rad60 Ser32 and Ser34 to alanine is lethal in cells deleted for the RecQ DNA helicase Rqh1. Finally, we find that Rad60 self-associates via its C-terminal SUMO-like domain and putative SUMO-binding motifs.
Superficial temporal artery biopsy diagnostic for lung carcinoma

Abstract PURPOSE: To report a unique finding of metastatic tumor cells in the lumen of a superficial temporal artery biopsy specimen in a patient with severe visual loss and optic neuropathy. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 69-year-old man presented with anorexia, pancranial headaches, and acute unilateral visual loss. Ophthalmic examination showed a visual acuity of no light perception and an amaurotic pupil in the left eye. Fundus examination was normal. A superficial temporal artery biopsy, performed for presumed arteritic posterior ischemic optic neuropathy, demonstrated intraluminal cells with irregular nuclei and prominent nucleoli suggestive of metastatic malignancy. Further systemic evaluation uncovered a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung with intravascular infiltration and multiple distant metastases. CONCLUSION: Extensive systemic intravascular tumor embolization may be associated with optic neuropathy.