cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Work in progress - an interdisciplinary initiative in bioengineering education

The College of Engineering at Iowa State University is initiating a new minor program of study in bioengineering for undergraduate engineering majors. This minor program will introduce students to bioengineering and its applications to agriculture and health sciences, which are of high interest to both students and employers. Students who complete the bioengineering minor will be well-positioned to address engineering needs in the bioeconomy, specifically in the areas of bioinformatics and systems biology, biomechanics, biomaterials, bio micro systems, biobased products and bioprocessing. Core courses are designed to facilitate a holistic understanding of the field rather than compartmentalized introduction to various subfields. Several of the courses will be team taught by groups of two faculty with complementary expertise to bring broad and integrative learning experiences. This interdisciplinary effort will also involve undergraduate research and project experiences that provide opportunities for students to work as part of interdisciplinary teams and broaden their educational and career opportunities. The program will be offered starting Fall 2008.
Causal ambiguity in natural language: conceptual representation of 'parce que/because' and 'puisque/since'

If one wants to retrieve and exploit causal information coded in NL-texts, a semantic analyser that builds an adequate representation of causal links is needed. The importance of this point has been underestimated. For KALIPSOS, Sowa's Conceptual Graph theory [6"I has been taken as a target representation model; this model can be interpreted in logical terms, thus allowing deduction. Future research will use these interpretation rules and will exploit extra-lingni~e knowledge for automated reasoning. This subject is not addressed in this paper which focuses on the semantic analysis problem.
Factors influencing ozone chemistry in subsonic aircraft plumes

Abstract This study investigates several factors that could influence ozone chemistry occurring in subsonic aircraft plumes in the upper troposphere. The study focuses on uncertainties in gas-phase rate parameters, but also examines the influence of selected heterogeneous reactions, the rate of expansion of the plume, ambient and initial plume concentrations, and the time of emissions. Monte Carlo analysis with Latin hypercube sampling was applied to an expanding box model of an aircraft plume, in order to estimate the sensitivities of O3 perturbations (ΔO3) to uncertainties in rate constants in the RADM2 chemical mechanism. The resulting coefficient of variation in ΔO3 at the end of a 36 h simulation was about 50%. Influential uncertainties in gas-phase rate parameters include those for photolysis of NO2 and HCHO, O3+NO, HO2+NO, and formation of PAN and HNO3. With high background concentrations of non-methane hydrocarbons, uncertainties in rate parameters of reactions involving peroxy radicals from ethene and propene oxidation were also influential. The coefficient of variation for ΔO3 due to uncertainties in emission indices of NOx, CO, and organic compounds was less than 15%. The effects of the heterogeneous reaction of N2O5 leading to HNO3 formation, and hypothesized reactions of HNO3 and NO2 on soot, were also investigated. The results suggest that the latter two reactions could be influential for ΔO3 if published estimates of reaction probabilities and high estimates of soot concentrations in plumes are realistic.
Effects of Success and Instructions on Verbalized Expectancies and Amount Bet in a Two-Choice Situation

Summary.-Ss were told that their success in a rwo-choice situation would depend on either chance or skill. Their predictions of success on future trials, as well as their willingness to gamble on their performance, were studied as functions both of instructions and of acmal level of success as manipulated by E. The major findings were: (a) Ss who were more successful during the training trials had 3ignificantly greater verbalized expectancies and bet significantly more chips than those Ss who were less successful durina the training trials; (b) Ss who were presented with the skill-orienting instructions had significantly greater verbalized expectancies than those Ss presented the chanceorienting instructions re~ardless of percentage previous success. Considerable atcention has been given to the choice behavior of human Ss. However, there have bee3 comparatively few investigacions of behavior concomitant with the acnial choice. Of particular interesc is S's estimate of his funire performance as evidenced by verbalized expectancies and amount bet. The relations of these measures to previous history of success and co instructions were investigated in the present study. The decision task was simply to predict which of two events would occur on each trial. Alchough data on the effects of previous success have been obcained from studies of level of aspiration (Child & Whiting, 1949; Davids & White, 1958; Steisel & Cohen, 1951 ), there have been few atcempts to manipulate experimentally S's previous success over a large number of training trials. In the present investigation, the effects of three different percentages of previous success were compared. It was assumed that there is a direct relationship between verbalized expectancies and amount bet and the percentage previous success. Another variable possibly affeccing S's verbalized expectancies and the amount bet is how S perceives the sicuacion. Hyman and Jenkin ( 1956) found that verbalized expectancies of success in a two-choice situation were higher under skill-orienting instructions than under chance-orienting instr~iccions. The former were designed to convince S that personal endeavor would affect the outcome in task. In explcnation of the significantly higher expectancies of the skill-oriented group, the authors suggested that these Ss expect to perform better in the funire because they view the task as n problem which they should be able 'This paper is based on a thesis submitred by the first author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the M.S. dcgree at the Universiry of Massachusetts. The research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant MH-03803-03 and National Science ~Gndation Grant G-22118.
Oxygen isotope compositions of mixed-layer serpentine-chlorite and illite-smectite in the Tuscaloosa Formation (U. S. Gulf Coast); implications for pore fluids and mineralogic reactions

Oxygen isotopic compositions were determined for coexisting mixed-layer serpentine-chlorite (Sp-Ch) and illite-smectite (I-S) from 5 Tuscaloosa Formation sandstone cores sampled between 1937 and 5470 m burial depth. High gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) was used to concentrate Sp-Ch and I-S from the <0.5 μm fraction of each core sample into fractions with a range in the Sp-Ch: I-S ratio, and end-member δ18O compositions were determined by extrapolation. The Sp-Ch δ18O values range from + 10.4 to 13.7% and increase with burial between 3509 and 5470 m. The only exception is Sp-Ch from 1937 m, which has an anomalously high δ18O value of +12.6‰ The I-S δ18O values range from +16.1 to 17.3% and do not change significantly between 3509 and 5470 m burial depth.
Oxygen isotope ratios of organic matter in arctic lakes as a paleoclimate proxy: field and laboratory investigations

Paleoclimate research based on the stable isotopic composition of lake sediments is often hampered by the lack of preservation of suitable material for isotopic analysis. We examined organic material as a proxy for past water isotopic composition in a series of experiments. First, we cultured aquatic moss under constant illumination, temperature, and water δ18O, and show that new cellulose records source water δ18O precisely (r2 = 0.9997). Second, we analyzed paired lakewater and vegetation samples collected from sites spanning strong climatic gradients. In field conditions, the relationship between organic δ18O and water δ18O is more variable, though it is still controlled by environmental water isotopic composition. However, terrestrial mosses in the arctic are often significantly enriched in δ18O relative to aquatic mosses in nearby lakes due to their use of different water sources. Third, we measured δ18O of cellulose extracted from disseminated sedimentary organic material. In the majority of the middle- to high-arctic lakes in this study, the δ18O of disseminated sediment cellulose is greatly enriched relative to the expected values based on lakewater δ18O, suggesting a significant component of terrestrial cellulose. This interpretation is supported by radiocarbon dates from a Holocene sediment core in which 14C ages of sediment cellulose are 700-5000 yrs older than the enclosing sediments. We conclude that aquatic cellulose can be used as a reliable tracer of lakewater isotope ratios, but terrestrial cellulose often dominates the sedimentary cellulose pool in places such as Baffin Island where sedimentation rates are low enough to allow the degradation of aquatic cellulose. Care must be taken when interpreting sediment cellulose δ18O records where diagenesis has played a role, because terrestrial cellulose is more resistant to degradation, and therefore can predominate in environments with low organic carbon burial.
The Extracellular Space and Energetic Hierarchies in Electrochemical Signaling Between Cells

It is a reasonable assumption that the first living organisms existed as single cells floating or swimming at the surface of primitive oceans. This concept of a cell emphasizes the role of a bounding membrane that delimits an organized interior composed of biomolecules that may have first existed in the absence of cells, perhaps simply as an unconstrained molecular “soup” at the surface of primordial seas. Within cells, these molecular systems mediate processes essential for all terrestrial life in metabolism, reproduction and responses to environmental stimuli.
Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of Laos, with the description of four new genera and two new species

SummaryThis paper provides the first faunal checklist for the family Cicadidae (Insecta: Hemiptera) in Laos, comprising 60 species belonging to 33 genera. Aetanna pallidula n. sp. and Aetanna curta n. sp. are described as new to science. Cabecita draluobi (Boulard 2003) n. comb. and Hea yunnanensis Chou & Yao 1995 are added to the cicada fauna of Laos. Megapomponia imperatoria (Westwood 1842), which was recorded erroneously, is removed from the fauna. Unipomponia n. gen., Paranosia n. gen., Aetanna n. gen., and Cabecita n. gen. are erected. Nipponosemia Kato 1925 is synonymized with Vagitanus Distant 1918. Transfers of many species from one genus to another are made. Trengganua Moulton 1923 is transferred to Gaeanini Distant 1905 from Tosenini Amyot & Audinet-Serville 1843. Talainga Distant 1890 and Paratalainga He 1984 are transferred to Gaeanini from Talaingini Myers 1929, synonymizing Talaingini n. syn. with Gaeanini. Chloropsalta Haupt 1920 is transferred to Cicadatrini Distant 1905 from Gaeanini. Bij...
The Effect of Random Dopant Fluctuation on Specific Contact Resistivity

An analytical model is developed to describe the effect of random dopant fluctuation (RDF) on specific contact resistivity ?c. This model accounts for Schottky-barrier (SB) lowering due to image force, interface dipole, and bandgap narrowing effects and is calibrated to TCAD models and previously published experimental results. The contact parameters considered are contact area, SB height, and dopant concentration. The presented analysis suggests that ?c variation due to RDF will not be significant up to the end of the CMOS roadmap.
Computational study of human communication dynamic

Face-to-face communication is a highly dynamic process where participants mutually exchange and interpret linguistic and gestural signals. Even when only one person speaks at the time, other participants exchange information continuously amongst themselves and with the speaker through gesture, gaze, posture and facial expressions. To correctly interpret the high-level communicative signals, an observer needs to jointly integrate all spoken words, subtle prosodic changes and simultaneous gestures from all participants. In this paper, we present our ongoing research effort at USC MultiComp Lab to create models of human communication dynamic that explicitly take into consideration the multimodal and interpersonal aspects of human face-to-face interactions. The computational framework presented in this paper has wide applicability, including the recognition of human social behaviors, the synthesis of natural animations for robots and virtual humans, improved multimedia content analysis, and the diagnosis of social and behavioral disorders (e.g., autism spectrum disorder).
Diffraction tomography for inhomogeneities in layered background medium

Diffraction tomography was originally formulated for a constant velocity background medium. A variable background medium, e.g., layered, with embedded finer scale heterogeneities is a more practical model for subsurface reservoirs than the uniform background. The variable background of large scale variations may be determined from well logs or transmission tomography. To image the finer scale heterogeneities, we have developed a Fourier diffraction back-propagation method for point sources in a layered background. The method is based on the normal mode solution to the acoustic wave equation in cylindrical coordinates. The Fourier spectrum of the scattered fields is first decomposed into contributions from different layers. Then, a selection rule is applied to sort out the heterogeneity spectrum of the individual layers. The selection rule relates the scattered field in diffraction space to the spectrum of the heterogeneities, i.e., a Fourier diffraction theorem for layered media. The theorem differs from its counterpart for a uniform background medium by a matrix filter that reduces to unity as the stratification degenerates to a uniform background. A reconstruction algorithm based on this theorem is implemented and tested for an arbitrary layered background. The theory deals directly with point sources; therefore, the resulting algorithm does not require application of the "2.5-D correction" to field data as required in previously published diffraction tomography algorithms. Results obtained for both synthetic and field data demonstrate that an inversion with spatial resolution on the order of a wavelength can be achieved for crosswell data. The computations involved are much more efficient than those of traveltime tomography or crosswell migration. Unlike migration or CDP mapping, the diffraction tomography algorithm provides quantitative estimates for fine scale velocity.
Marine Recreation: An Update Of Its Effective Use Of The Sea

Mankind's long attraction to the sea and its adjacent shorelines continue to draw larger numbers of recreational users as population increases and the public is placing higher values on travel, vacations, tourism, and outdoor and marine recreation activities. Recent changes in the structure and attitudes toward life styles offer some keys to the future needs of society itself and an increasing need for more comprehensive planning to permit development that allows maximal use of the coastal and ocean areas without deleterious impacts on the resources themselves. New and developing recreational facilities and activities will be examined to illustrate the recent technological advances in recreational use of wastewater ponds and lagoons, underwater parks and preserves, fish farming for recreational uses, offshore "floatel", recreational programs and services, and the potential colonization of some portions of the sea.
Mutual information-based rigid and nonrigid registration of ultrasound volumes

We investigated the registration of ultrasound volumes based on the mutual information measure, a technique originally applied to multimodality registration of brain images. A prerequisite for successful registration is a smooth, quasi-convex mutual information surface with an unambiguous maximum. We discuss the necessary preprocessing to create such a surface for ultrasound volumes. Abdominal and thoracic organs imaged with ultrasound typically move relative to the exterior of the body and are deformable. Consequently, four specific instances of image registration involving progressively generalized transformations were studied: rigid-body, rigid-body + uniform scaling, rigid-body + nonuniform scaling, and affine. Registration was applied to clinically acquired volumetric images. The accuracy was comparable with the voxel dimension for all transformation modes, although it degraded as the transformation grew more complex. Likewise, the capture range became narrower with the complexity of transformation. As the use of real-time three-dimensional ultrasound becomes more prevalent, the method we present should work well for a variety of applications examining serial anatomic and physiologic changes. Developers of these clinical applications would match the deformation model of their problem to one of the four transformation models presented here.
Fatigue and aging with a disability.

Abstract Cook KF, Molton IR, Jensen MP. Fatigue and aging with a disability. Objective To compare self-reported fatigue in 4 disability populations with age-matched, U.S. population norms. We assessed fatigue and age in a sample of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), postpolio syndrome (PPS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and muscular dystrophy (MD). Design This study used survey responses and published age cohort means for fatigue to test the hypothesis that fatigue would be higher in each of 4 clinical samples than the U.S. population norm. We also hypothesized that, for clinical samples, the mean fatigue reported within age cohorts would be higher than the general U.S. population norms for those age ranges derived in the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Setting Survey responses were collected from participants in the Washington state area. Participants Participants (N=1836) were persons with MD (n=337), MS (n=580), Post-polio (n=441), and SCI (n=478). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure PROMIS Depression Short Form. Results Individuals with disabilities reported higher levels of fatigue than the normative PROMIS population. In the normative population, self-reported fatigue was substantially lower in age cohorts from middle age to retirement age. However, individuals with disabilities did not demonstrate this age cohort effect. Conclusions Individuals with disabilities are not only at greater risk to experience fatigue, but this risk, relative to normative values, increases with age. More research is needed to determine the specific negative impact of fatigue symptoms on functioning in individuals with disabilities as they age.
A condensation-based application of Cramer's rule for solving large-scale linear systems

State-of-the-art software packages for solving large-scale linear systems are predominantly founded on Gaussian elimination techniques (e.g. LU-decomposition). This paper presents an efficient framework for solving large-scale linear systems by means of a novel utilization of Cramer@?s rule. While the latter is often perceived to be impractical when considered for large systems, it is shown that the algorithm proposed retains an O(N^3) complexity with pragmatic forward and backward stability properties. Empirical results are provided to substantiate the stated accuracy and computational complexity claims.
An adaptive spectrum sensing architecture for dynamic spectrum access networks

Dynamic spectrum access networks are expected to operate in a manner that is transparent to the incumbent licensed spectrum users. Conventional non-adaptive wideband spectrum sensing approaches could potentially be inefficient since they employ the same scanning resolution to track signals, even though different signals require spectrum scans with different sensing parameters. In this paper, we present an adaptive spectrum sensing framework that varies its parameters according to the characteristics of the spectrum of interest. Furthermore, we propose a dynamic scheduling algorithm for spectrum sensing that can be implemented in both a conservative and non-conservative manner. This algorithm allocates different time resolutions to several portions of spectrum using a backoff mechanism. The proposed algorithm has been employed to perform the 'listenbefore- talk' function of a cognitive radio, and performance results have been obtained with respect to the improvement in the sensing efficiency over a non-adaptive approach, secondary spectrum utilization, and interference rate.
Bacillus subtilis mutants with alterations in ribosomal protein S4.

Abstract Two mutants with different alterations in the electrophoretic mobility of ribosomal protein S4 were isolated as spore-plus revertants of a streptomycin-resistant, spore-minus strain of Bacillus subtilis. The mutations causing the S4 alterations, designated rpsD1 and rpsD2, were located between the argGH and aroG genes, at 263 degrees on the B. subtilis chromosome, distant from the major ribosomal protein gene cluster at 12 degrees. The mutant rpsD alleles were isolated by hybridization using a wild-type rpsD probe, and their DNA sequences were determined. The two mutants contained alterations at the same position within the S4-coding sequence, in a region containing a 12-bp tandem duplication; the rpsD1 allele corresponded to an additional copy of this repeated segment, resulting in the insertion of four amino acids, whereas the rpsD2 allele corresponded to deletion of one copy of this segment, resulting in the loss of four amino acids. The effects of these mutations, alone and in combination with streptomycin resistance mutations, on growth, sporulation, and streptomycin resistance were analyzed.
On the distortion exponent of block-fading Gaussian interference channels

This paper studies the achievable distortion exponent of a white Gaussian source transmitted over a block fading Gaussian interference channel. Here-as opposed to most of the literature-SNR's and INR's are not restricted to be symmetric among the transmitter-receiver pairs. At the source encoder, both Multiple Description Coding (MDC) and Successive Refinement (SR) encoding are considered. At the channel encoders, different rate splitting options in the Han and Kobayashi achievable scheme are considered. The achievable distortion exponent is found to be the solution of a linear program for all the cases considered. We show that a particular rate splitting scheme inspired by the recent “to within one bit” capacity result for the unfaded case performs better than schemes without rate splitting in weak interference. We also show that the MDC scheme always outperforms the SR scheme.
Perspective---Neo-Carnegie: The Carnegie School's Past, Present, and Reconstructing for the Future

Cyert and March's (1963) A Behavioral Theory of the Firm and the broader Carnegie School form critical theoretical underpinnings for modern organization studies. Despite its impact, however, we suggest that researchers who rely on the Carnegie School have progressively lost touch with its defining commitment to a decision-centered view of organizations. Decision making has given way to learning, routines, and an increased focus on change and adaptation; the organizational level of analysis, although frequently invoked, has been largely supplanted by either a more micro or a more macro focus. In this paper, we argue for restoring the School's original mission and perspective. Our proposal for how this overarching goal can be achieved encompasses three central points. First, we believe the School needs to resurrect a few select ideas that, despite their fundamental importance, have been neglected over time. Second, we believe there is a need for greater paradigmatic closure amongst the School's central theoretical pillars. Loose coupling among such pillars might keep key insights on organizational decision making from emerging. Finally, there is the need to incorporate major developments that have been generated post-Carnegie School, both within organization theory and in the behavioral and social sciences more broadly. In particular, we point to the shift to more open systems perspectives on organizations, the conceptions of organizations being embedded in larger social contexts, and recent developments in the study of individual cognition.
Chromosome-specific desynapsis in the n = 2 race of Haplopappus gracilis (Compositae)

During cytological screening for pollen sterility in a wild population of Haplopappus gracilis (n = 2), several partially sterile plants were found that had good pachytene pairing but varying numbers of univalents. Some plants had chromosome A bivalents or A univalents, while in the same cells chromosome B had only bivalents. In other plants the reverse condition occurred; the B chromosome had B bivalents or B univalents and only A bivalents. This demonstrates a chromosome-specific effect for the desynapsis genes. Hybridization between the two homozygous mutant genotypes produced only normal bivalents; this indicates the two mutants are not alleles and each is recessive. An F2 generation showed independent assortment of the desynaptic mutations. The chromosome A bivalent is the larger of the two and normally has one or two chiasmata; the B bivalent normally has a single chiasma. Chiasmata distribution was tested in the desynaptic mutant A bivalents and showed an acceptable fit to a binomial distribution. This occurs also in heterozygous, asynaptic pairing control gene mutations. Analysis of the NOR bivalent in two hologenomic desynaptic mutations in tomato also showed a good fit to a binomial distribution of chiasmata. This indicates the same methods are applicable to diverse species.
Conversion of Diaspore to Corundum: A New α‐Alumina Transformation Sequence

A new two-step transformation sequence has been identified for the conversion of diaspore (α-AlOOH) to corundum (alpha-Al2O3). The powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the intermediate phase, designated alpha'-Al2O3, has been indexed to a monoclinic (P2) cell, with a = 9.566(5) A, b = 5.124(2) A, c = 9.156(4) A, and s= 91.76(3)°. Nuclear magnetic resonance of alpha'-Al2O3 indicates that 15-20% of the aluminum is on tetrahedral sites, with the remainder in octahedral coordination. Controlled-atmosphere high-temperature X-ray diffraction shows that water accelerates the second transformation step, alpha'-Al2O3→> alpha-Al2O3, acting as a mineralizer for the conversion process.
Downsizing Juvenile Institutions in Ohio: Five Innovations

AbstractOver the past 15 years, Ohio’s juvenile justice system has undergone important reforms that have led to a significant decline in the number of youthful offenders committed to state correctional facilities. As such, the purpose of this paper is to describe five unique innovations carried out across the state that have led to the downsizing of juvenile confinement in Ohio. These innovations include (1) the creation of Community Corrections Facilities; (2) RECLAIM Ohio; (3) the Ohio Youth Assessment System; (4) Targeted RECLAIM; and (5) the Behavioral Health/Juvenile Justice Initiative. Lessons learned from these efforts will be identified and discussed.
Variation and error in eosinophil counts of blood and bone marrow.

1. The literature on eosinophil variations under various stresses is reviewed in the light of recent interest in the adrenal cortex as a regulator of blood eosinophil levels. Chamber eosinophil counts are necessary for accuracy in these studies. Phloxine-propylene glycol or eosin-acetone stains with standard white cell pipets and chambers may be employed for simple and satisfactory chamber counts. 2. Statistical formulae are applied to chamber eosinophil counts and marrow differential counts to delineate the theoretic errors. Actual observations differ slightly from the predicted results but substantiate the appreciable intrinsic errors frequently seen. 3. Studies on physiologic variation are reviewed. There are significant minute-to-minute fluctuations as well as a more marked diurnal trend in eosinophil levels with a mid-morning low and a night-time peak. Comparison of single morning eosinophil levels with single noon specimens may be misleading. 4. Oral ephedrine is a potent eosinopenic agent. 5. Repeated tests of the eosinopenic response to ephedrine or epinephrine frequently show significant variation in the same subject. 6. Many patients with various diseases fail to react adequately to ephedrine or epinephrine. 7. Repeated and controlled observations are necessary before conclusions regarding pituitary-adrenal function can be drawn from eosinophil counts alone.
Gold-based SERS tags for biomedical imaging

The use of SERS tags in biomedical imaging is described. SERS tags are a novel entity that has recently emerged in the SERS community, mainly spurred by the necessity of carrying out experiments in the biomedical and clinical fields, where the heterogeneity and constant evolution of the environment hamper the application of direct SERS sensing concepts. Direct sensing would in fact require the use of nanoparticles with bare metallic surfaces to allow for intense signal responses; however, the high salt contents typical of physiological conditions and issues such as fouling lead the nanoparticles to aggregate and precipitate out of solution, thus limiting reproducibility and quantitative target identification. As a consequence, the concept of indirect detection has gained importance, in which the SERS signal provided by the SERS tag indirectly provides identification and localization of the target. In this brief review, aimed both at the expert scientist and the novice, the anatomy of a SERS tag is first described, which includes the gold nanoparticle, Raman reporter molecules, a coating layer, and targeting moieties, and the concept of hot spot is explained. A brief overview of the most recent imaging applications in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo is also provided, along with specific recommendations toward the synthesis of effective SERS tags that could find application in the biomedical field, and meet specific needs of the clinical community. Major emphasis is placed on the concept of multiplexing, which is perhaps the most important feature of SERS tags that could render their clinical application a reality.
To Choose or Not to Choose: Federal Income Tax Credits and Deductions and College Choice Decisions

Education-related tax preferences studied in this paper (Hope credit, Lifetime Learning credit, and tuition and fees deduction) are a form of federal aid available for qualifying students who are currently enrolled in postsecondary institutions and paying certain college-related expenses. Such tax-based aid simply reduces personal federal income tax liabilities. The Hope and Lifetime Learning credits have been around since 1997 and education-expense deductions since 2001. Since then, the federal government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on these tax preferences according to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In 2010 alone, the OMB estimates that education-related tax preferences for individuals cost the federal government about 36 billion dollars in foregone taxes. Despite the magnitude of these tax preferences and the fact that they have been around for fifteen years, research on the ability of tax preferences to actually promote college matriculation and success is very limited. Three prior articles examine this issue: all look at the effect of tax credits on the decision to enter college (Long, 2003; Turner, 2011; LaLumia, 2012); one additionally looks at the choice between two and four year institutions and college pricing (Long, 2003).I use four waves of a National Postsecondary Student Aid study (NPSAS) (NPSAS:96, NPSAS:00, NPSAS:04, and NPSAS:08) restricted-use data files to learn how tax-based aid affects college choice decisions. The Tax Relief Act of 1997 was an important change in tax code related to educational tax preferences which created a natural experiment. I estimate an instrumental variable difference-in-differences model, where the 1995-96 school year, two years before the major changes in tax preferences’ legislature occurred, is treated as a reference year. The other three waves of data are considered post years (two, six, and ten years after the policy implementation). I find that students eligible for the tax-based financial aid are more likely to attend private for-profit and two-year colleges. In addition, eligible students are more likely to attend college part-time.
Health care policy in an age of austerity.

As they focus on the budget deficit, policymakers eye savings from federal health programs. Fiscal concerns may enhance the prospects for stronger cost controls, but they may also produce “reforms” that are mere exercises in cost shifting.
Photogenerated base as catalyst for imidization reactions : a new design of photosensitive polymers

The photogeneration of free amines or diamines from soluble organic precursors such as photoactive 2-nitrobenzyl carbamates is useful for the imidization of polymers containing amic acid or amic ester moieties. The base-catalyzed reaction occurs at lower temperatures than the non-catalyzed thermal process and is applicable to the patterning of polymer coatings or thin films.
Decentralized scheduling with data locality for data-parallel computation on peer-to-peer networks

Despite distributed in computation and data storage, current data-parallel computing systems are centralized in task scheduling, which results in hierarchies that create single point of failure, limit scalability, and increase administration costs. In this paper, we propose a fully decentralized scheduling algorithm for data-parallel computing systems on peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. Our scheduling algorithm eliminates the centralized scheduler by letting each node in the network make scheduling decisions. To achieve good performance, data locality, which stresses the efficiency of colocating tasks with their input data, and load-balancing, should be considered jointly, and in a decentralized fashion. By exploring a backpressure-based approach, the proposed task scheduling algorithm strikes the right balance between data locality and load-balancing with each node only knowing the status information of part of the nodes in the network, and proves to maximize the throughput.
Bayesian inference for two-part mixed-effects model using skew distributions, with application to longitudinal semicontinuous alcohol data:

Semicontinuous data featured with an excessive proportion of zeros and right-skewed continuous positive values arise frequently in practice. One example would be the substance abuse/dependence symp...
Spin-density-wave dynamics in (TMTSF)2PF6.

The electrodynamical response of the spin-density-wave state is examined in (TMTSF${)}_{2}$${\mathrm{PF}}_{6}$ by conducting experiments in the microwave and millimeter-wave spectral range. We present the first complete optical spectrum of the ground state, and show that both the collective-mode response and single-particle excitations contribute to the frequency-dependent conductivity. The analysis of the ac response leads to a significant spin-density-wave mass enhancement.
Emergence of the entrepreneurial society

Abstract Once dominated by a managed economy, the United States—and, eventually, the entire world—came to acknowledge the incredible power of the entrepreneurial movement of the 1990s. The entrepreneurial society refers to places where entrepreneurship has emerged as a focal point for economic growth, sustainable job creation, and competitiveness in global markets. This article explains why and how the entrepreneurial society emerged, and why it is key to taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by globalization by enhancing the innovation prowess of a nation.
Cultural Differences in Online Community Motivations: Exploring Korean Automobile Online Brand Communities (KAOBCs) and American Automobile Online Brand Communities (AAOBCs)

To gain a better understanding of online brand communities, this study has examined why people joined in online brand communities and whether there were some differences in the motivations of Inter...
Amino acid metabolic signaling influences Aedes aegypti midgut microbiome variability.

The mosquito midgut microbiota has been shown to influence vector competence for multiple human pathogens. The microbiota is highly variable in the field, and the sources of this variability are not well understood, which limits our ability to understand or predict its effects on pathogen transmission. In this work, we report significant variation in female adult midgut bacterial load between strains of A. aegypti which vary in their susceptibility to dengue virus. Composition of the midgut microbiome was similar overall between the strains, with 81–92% of reads coming from the same five bacterial families, though we did detect differences in the presence of some bacterial families including Flavobacteriaceae and Entobacteriaceae. We conducted transcriptomic analysis on the two mosquito strains that showed the greatest difference in bacterial load, and found that they differ in transcript abundance of many genes implicated in amino acid metabolism, in particular the branched chain amino acid degradation pathway. We then silenced this pathway by targeting multiple genes using RNA interference, which resulted in strain-specific bacterial proliferation, thereby eliminating the difference in midgut bacterial load between the strains. This suggests that the branched chain amino acid (BCAA) degradation pathway controls midgut bacterial load, though the mechanism underlying this remains unclear. Overall, our results indicate that amino acid metabolism can act to influence the midgut microbiota. Moreover, they suggest that genetic or physiological variation in BCAA degradation pathway activity may in part explain midgut microbiota variation in the field.
The real climate debate

In the scientific community, the big question is not whether action on climate change is required, but what form it should take — and the part that scientists should play. Three Nobel laureates and three early-career researchers gave their thoughts to Nature on the current state of climate action worldwide and the place of science in society.
Egypt’s Slaving Frontier: Environment, Enslavement, Social Transformations, and the Local Use of Slaves in the Sudan, 1780–1880

La Rue uses new information on the lives of Sudanese slaves to analyse local social transformations and the impact of environmental factors on enslavement processes, forces deployed to gather slaves, the loci of their servitude, and the ramifications for the broader Indian Ocean world (IOW). Darfur and Kordofan (Kurdufan) frequently experienced drought and famine and supplied slaves to Egypt and the Ottoman Empire. Many enslaved Sudanese died of exposure and disease, including cholera and plague, while making the trans-Saharan journey or later while in Egypt. Slaves transported ivory and irrigated Egyptian cotton fields. Demand for slaves transformed regional societies as local populations moved to avoid raids or developed gradations of servility to serve slave raiders. Such transformations and environmental impacts had parallels elsewhere in the IOW.
The role of the mucosa in modulation of evoked responses in the spinal cord injured rat bladder.

Aims Mounting evidence indicates that a variety of factors released from the urothelium or suburothelium can modulate smooth muscle activity. Although the relationship between the mucosa and smooth muscle has been investigated, little is known about the pathophysiologic changes in detrusor-mucosa interactions in neurogenic bladders. The goal of the study was to determine the impact of the mucosa on evoked responses in spinal cord injured (SCI) bladders. Methods Urinary bladders were obtained from 6wk SCI rats or age-matched uninjured controls. Ex vivo isometric tension studies were performed and muscarinic receptor expression was measured in bladder tissue with and without mucosa. Results The magnitude and area of nerve evoked responses in SCI tissue with mucosa was higher than without mucosa. The duration and decay time of nerve-evoked responses were longer in SCI than control tissue irrespective of the mucosa. The level of the muscarinic M2 receptor was decreased in the mucosa of SCI bladders. Conclusions Detrusor-mucosa interactions are substantially altered in the neurogenic bladder. After spinal cord injury, an excitatory modulation of smooth muscle contraction by the mucosa emerges, and could be targeted via intravesical treatment in the context of neurogenic bladder dysfunction.
Numerical Simulation and Visualization Models of Stress Wave Propagation Graphite/Epoxy Composites

Within the last ten years there has been a renewed interest in simulation of stress wave propagation because of the availability of fast supercomputers with large memory capabilities [1,2,3]. Only recently have a few investigators [4,5] applied these simulations to problems where elastic anisotropy was included as a major factor. The massive output of results from these simulations, together with the added complexity of coupled phenomena that uniquely exist for a given anisotropy, defies intuition. To grasp the significance of these simulations requires scientific visualization [6] of these complex physical phenomena. Such visualizations often require a movie format to better understand the physics of particular problems [7]. In this study we simulated the experimental measurement of a shift in the quasi-transverse bulk wave propagation in an off-axis unidirectional graphite/epoxy composite in plane strain [8]. The purpose of the simulation was to aid the nondestructive evaluation engineer in designing an acoustic array to improve the measurement of the shift in the QT wave propagation direction [9]. Previously a finite element model [5] was used to simulate this measurement. In this study we demonstrate the advantages of using a finite difference model to simulate this experiment and, with special visual aids, observe the physics.
Isolated Right Ventricular Cardiac Sarcoidosis Presenting as Complete Heart Block

Introduction Sarcoidosis is a multi-organ disease with formation of granulomas. Involvement of the heart causes inflammation, leading to atrioventricular block (AVB) or ventricular arrhythmias, and portends a poor prognosis. Cardiac sarcoidosis is detected in only 2% of patients, and most have left ventricular (LV) involvement. Isolated right ventricular (RV) involvement is rare. High suspicion is necessary to make the diagnosis, and advanced testing is required. Recognizing cardiac sarcoid is imited to the RV and determining presence of pulmonary hypertension (PH), is imperative for management. Case Presentation A 53 yo woman presented with dyspnea and palpitations. She has a history of complete heart block (CHB) requiring permanent pacemaker placement, and atrial arrhythmias. On evaluation, BP 153/81 mmHg and HR 71 bpm. Physical exam was normal. Given clinical history and refractory dyspnea, there was concern for an inflammatory process. Cardiac monitoring revealed frequent premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT). An echocardiogram demonstrated normal valvular and LV function, but the RV was severely dilated with moderate dysfunction. A right -heart catheterization (RHC) demonstrated normal pulmonary artery pressures and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. A nuclear PET scan showed areas of increased FDG uptake within the RV, distal anteroseptal LV and pericardium, concerning for sarcoidosis. An endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) demonstrated multinucleated giant cells, confirming sarcoidosis. The patient underwent radiofrequency ablation for AFL. Her device was upgraded to a defibrillator. She was initiated on Cellcept. Serial echocardiograms revealed no PH and stable RV size and function. Case Discussion The diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis is elusive due to non-specific signs and symptoms. It often presents with CHB, ventricular arrhythmias or sudden death, atrial arrhythmias, or heart failure. Our patient was diagnosed with CHB, then went on to develop atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, and RV failure. The majority of patients with cardiac involvement have LV involvement. There are only a few case reports of isolated RV involvement. Since lone RV cardiac sarcoidosis is uncommon, diagnosis is delayed. Fortunately in our patient, once sarcoidosis was confirmed to be primarily involving the RV, a RHC and serial transthoracic echocardiograms were performed to rule out PH, which would influence treatment. Conclusion Cardiac sarcoidosis is rare, identified in only 25% of patients with systemic sarcoidosis, and has a poor prognosis. A high degree of suspicion is warranted, especially among young patients with arrhythmias of unclear etiology. Further investigation with serologic ACE levels, imaging such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) or nuclear PET scan, and EMB should be done. Finally, periodic echocardiograms and RHCs are necessary to ensure PH does not develop, which has implications for management.
Life History's Second Life

New and revisited insights, theoretical developments, and the emanation of a new political landscape—coupled with the influence of new technologies and social media—suggest that life histories migh...
Family Stress Processes and Children's Self‐Regulation

Economic hardship can affect children's development through child?caregiver interactions, which may mediate cascading effects of other family stress processes. This study examined, simultaneously, the relations of financial strain, caregiver general stress, and child?caregiver conflict?each measured at two time points?with child self-regulatory outcomes in a high-poverty sample (age 5?7 years; n = 343). Increase in child?caregiver conflict mediated negative relations between other processes and development of executive function. In contrast, only increase in financial strain had direct, negative association with development of delay of gratification and did not significantly mediate relations between any other process and children's outcomes. Results have implications for understanding effects of family stress on self-regulatory outcomes and for interventions with low-income families.
The New Natural Resource Economy: Implementing the healthy environment/healthy economy paradigm in eastern Oregon

The situation of rural America is in flux in the early twenty-first century, especially for communities with natural resource and agriculture-based economies dominated by industrialized commodity p...