cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tax and Corporate Governance: The Influence of Tax on Managerial Agency Costs

This chapter of the Oxford Handbook on Corporate Law and Governance canvasses a broad range of ways that tax influences managerial agency costs, focusing especially on the United States. In doing so, this chapter has two goals. The first is to help corporate law experts target managerial agency costs more effectively. The analysis here flags when tax is likely to exacerbate agency costs, and when it is likely to mitigate them. Armed with this information, corporate law experts have a better sense of how vigorous a contractual or corporate law response they need. In some cases, a change in the tax law may also be justified. This chapter’s second goal, then, is to enhance our understanding of tax rules, shedding light on a set of welfare effects that are important but understudied. After all, tax policy is more likely to enhance welfare if policymakers weigh all possible welfare effects, including managerial agency costs. Overall, the U.S. tax system’s record in influencing agency costs is not encouraging. After all, a tax system’s priority is not to reduce agency costs, but to raise revenue efficiently and fairly. Government tax experts do not usually have the expertise or motivation to tackle corporate governance problems. Tax also is a poor fit because it typically applies mandatorily and uniformly, while responses to agency cost should be molded to the context. For example, promoting stock options or leverage will be valuable in some settings, but disastrous in others. There also are political hurdles to be overcome. Accordingly, when tax rules target agency costs, the results often are poorly tailored or even counterproductive. Even so, the effects are not all bad. On the positive side of the ledger, U.S. tax rules encourage performance-based pay, albeit in blunt ways. In addition, by taxing intercompany dividends, the U.S. keeps block-holders in one firm from indirectly controlling other firms. U.S. tax rules also encourage leverage, which usually (but not always) mitigates managerial agency costs. Likewise, some tax rules favor long-term ownership, which can motivate shareholders to monitor management more carefully. The need to disclose financial information on a corporate tax return can also discipline management. Discouraging the use of offshore accounts and off-balance sheet entities can keep managers from cheating shareholders, as well as the fisc. On the other side of the ledger, U.S. tax rules can be a reason (or excuse) for flawed pay. Managers also can use tax as a pretext to retain earnings, and also to oppose takeovers that put their jobs at risk. Tax also can be invoked to justify “empire building” acquisitions as well as hedging, each of which appeals more to undiversified managers than to diversified shareholders. U.S. tax rules also encourage firms to incorporate offshore or to use pass-through entities, even though these steps can weaken shareholders’ corporate law rights.
Building a community system to teach collaborative software development

This paper reports an Open Source Software (OSS) community for Computer Science students to support collaborative software development activities. We built an in-house version control system using only OSS products, which allows students to easily collaborate on development projects, while simultaneously allowing instructors to easily track students' activities. As our system provides a controlled educational environment, students can experience various aspects of software development by playing different roles. In addition, the community's code repository works as a knowledge base for student projects, and thus students can reuse the code and artifacts as examples or basic frameworks for their development.
Distance Education in the 21st Century

Abstract Advances in technology have expanded options for distance education (DE), yet raise a number of issues for college faculty: What exactly is DE? Can it work on any campus? Is it as effective as classroom instruction? Which direction will DE take in the 21st century? These questions are addressed from the perspectives of faculty at the Universities of Hawaii and Washington who have collaborated on the development, teaching, and evaluation of an integrated DE package, Growing Old in a New Age. This pedagogical tool consists of 13 hours of video, a social gerontology text, faculty and study guides, an index of all video segments, and a telecourse Web site. The concept of person-environment fit is suggested as a framework within which to understand, provide, and improve DE and to guide its movement into the 21st century.
Gamma Process Poisson Factorization for joint modeling of network and documents

Developing models to discover, analyze, and predict clusters within networked entities is an area of active and diverse research. However, many of the existing approaches do not take into consideration pertinent auxiliary information. This paper introduces Joint Gamma Process Poisson Factorization (J-GPPF) to jointly model network and side-information. J-GPPF naturally fits sparse networks, accommodates separately-clustered side information in a principled way, and effectively addresses the computational challenges of analyzing large networks. Evaluated with hold-out link prediction performance on sparse networks (both synthetic and real-world) with side information, J-GPPF is shown to clearly outperform algorithms that only model the network adjacency matrix.
MPI programming environment for IBM SP1/SP2

In this paper we discuss an implementation of the message passing interface standard (MPI) for the IBM Scalable Power PARALLEL 1 and 2 (SP1, SP2). Key to a reliable and efficient implementation of a message passing library on these machines is the careful design of a UNIX-Socket like layer in the user space with controlled access to the communication adapters and with adequate recovery and flow control. The performance of this implementation is at the same level as the IBM-proprietary message passing library (MPL). We also show that in the IBM SP1 and SP2 we achieve integrated tracing ability, where both system events, such as context switches and page fault etc., and MPI related activities are traced, with minimal overhead to the application program, thus presenting application programmers the trace of all the events that ultimately affect efficiency of a parallel program.
Tension sensor for tethered satellites

The design, construction, and testing of a tension sensor for sensing tension in a flexible tether connecting two orbiting satellites are presented. The analog sensor measures the tension profiles for deployment, retrieval, and disturbances of the tethered satellite system. The test results (linearity, bias, and drift) from the laboratory model indicate that the sensor is suitable for in-flight measurements with a minimum of peripheral upkeep/maintenance by the attitude control computer. >
The width of the ξ(2230) meson

Abstract A lower bound of 135 MeV for the width of the ξ meson is obtained from analyzing the pp and p p interactions by use of Regge theory. The pp data exclude a narrow ξ as the latter would lead to σ p p tot far exceeding the measured ones. The broad width explains why the ξ may not be seen in p p experiments.
Modulation of adpative immune responses by sphingosine-1-phosphate

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) has long been recognized as a mediator of a variety of cell functions. A growing body of evidence has accumulated demonstrating its role in cell migration and as a mediator of growth factor-induced events. In recent years, it has become apparent that S1P also mediates many cytokine and chemokine functions. Cells of the immune system function and migrate in response to a complex network of cytokines and chemokines, and the outcome is determined by the interplay of the effects of these molecules on the target cell. S1P may be a bona fide component of these networks and influence the responses of cells to these immune modulators.
Material‐modeling and structural‐mechanics aspects of the traumatic brain injury problem

Purpose – This paper aims to conduct a combined Eulerian/Lagrangian fluid/solid transient non‐linear dynamics computational analysis of the interaction between a single planar blast wave and a human head in order to assess the extent of intra‐cranial shock wave generation and its potential for causing traumatic brain injury.Design/methodology/approach – Two levels of blast peak overpressure were selected, one corresponding to the unprotected lung‐injury threshold while the other associated with a 50 percent probability for lung injury caused death. Collision of the head with a stationary/rigid barrier (at an initial collision velocity of 5 m/s) was also analyzed computationally, since blunt‐object impact conditions may lead to mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), i.e. concussion.Findings – A comparison between the two blast and the single blunt‐object impact cases with the corresponding head‐to‐head‐collision results showed that, while the von Mises stress‐based head‐to‐head collision mTBI thresholds are n...
Evaluation of the efficacy and neural mechanism of a hypnotic analgesia procedure in experimental and clinical dental pain.

Abstract Previous research implicates an endogenous central pain inhibitory mechanism in opiate analgesia, analgesia produced by focal electrical stimulation of the brain and acupuncture analgesia. This investigation evaluates the possibility that analgesia produced by hypnosis is also mediated by such a mechanism. Results suggest that hypnotic analgesia is unlikely to involve this central pain inhibitory mechanism since hypnotic analgesia is not altered by naloxone hydrochloride, a specific narcotic antagonist. Results further demonstrate that the hypnotic procedure used produces an unusually effective and reliable increase in pain threshold. This finding generalizes to the control of clinical dental pain and suggests that hypnotic pain control is a more widespread phenomenon in the population than has been thought.
Oocyte maturation inhibitor activity in human follicular fluid: Quantitative determination in unstimulated and clomiphene citrate- and human menopausal gonadotropin-stimulated ovarian cycles

Since removal of the oocyte from the intrafollicular milieu allows meiotic resumption and germinal vesical breakdown to proceed, the concept of an intrafollicular oocyte maturation inhibitor (OMI) has evolved. Accordingly, we asked the following questions: Is there OMI activity in human follicular fluid? Does OMI activity change with ovarian hyperstimulation? and Does OMI activity correlate with oocyte fertilization or the concentration of steroids in the corresponding follicular fluid? Fresh cumulus enclosed porcine oocytes from small follicles were incubated with human follicular fluid aspirates from normally menstruating patients with or without treatment: unstimulated follicles (N=10), clomiphene citrate (150 mg/day) (N=10)-treated cycles, and human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) (N=12)-treated cycles. A lyophylized porcine follicular fluid standard and serum-free culture media were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. After a 40-hr incubation with test materials, the oocytes were fixed, stained, and evaluated for oocyte maturation as determined by germinal vesical breakdown. Human follicular fluid, estradiol, progesterone, androstenedione, and testosterone levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. The 50% inhibitory dose (ID50) for OMI activity in follicular fluid from untreated, spontaneously menstruating women was less than that for follicular fluid from clomiphene-stimulated patients, which was less than that for follicular fluid from hMG-stimulated patients. The difference between OMI values from untreated and hMG-stimulated follicular fluids was statistically significant. Human oocytes removed from follicular fluid with higher OMI activity tended not to fertilize in vitro compared to the relatively lower OMI activity present in follicular fluid yielding oocytes which did fertilize. However, these differences were not significant. Although there were no significant correlations between any of the follicular fluid concentrations of sex steroids and OMI activity, there was a trend toward higher androgen levels in follicular fluid with higher OMI activity. These findings lend support to the hypothesis that immature, nonfertilizable follicles obtained from spontaneously cycling women with or without exogenous gonadotropin treatment contain higher OMI activity levels than mature, fertilizable follicles.
Rasch analysis of the Executive Interview (The EXIT-25) and introduction of an abridged version (The Quick EXIT).

Abstract Larson EB, Heinemann AW. Rasch analysis of the Executive Interview (The EXIT-25) and introduction of an abridged version (The Quick Exit). Objectives To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Executive Interview (EXIT-25) and to propose modifications that will improve those properties. Design Rasch analysis of existing datasets contributed by 3 prior projects, all of which examined criterion-related validity of the EXIT-25. Setting A large, urban, academic free-standing rehabilitation facility. Participants The sample of 147 was comprised of 109 adults diagnosed with stroke evaluated during inpatient rehabilitation and 38 adults with traumatic brain injury evaluated during inpatient (n=11) or outpatient rehabilitation (n=27). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures The EXIT-25, Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status, and Trails A and B. Results Eleven of the 25 items correlated weakly with the total measure and misfit the rating scale model. Deleting these 11 items improved the internal consistency of the remaining 14 items and enhanced the measure's criterion-related validity. Conclusions The EXIT-25 can be reduced from 25 to 14 items without reducing internal consistency. Convergent validity of the abbreviated measure is supported by moderate-size correlations with standard measures of cognitive deficits.
NewProconsul (Xenopithecus) from the Miocene of Kenya

A maxillary fragment with M2–3 from the middle Miocene of Lothidok Hill, northwestern Kenya represents a new species ofProconsul—the typical East African early and middle Miocene hominoid species group. M2 inProconsul (Xenopithecus)hamiltoni sp. nov. is about 50% larger than in Kenyan lower MioceneP. (X.)koruensis. Xenopithecus is revived as a subgenus ofProconsul because its species are less derived than typical species of that genus in having small—unexpanded—trigons, in possessing an M2 with a significantly lower relative length, and in lacking a hypocone and large metacone on M3; however, xenopithecines share with proconsulines welldefined trigon ridges on M1–3, large hypocones on M1–2, greater relative height of M2–3, and crenulated cingula on M1–3 four character complexes derived over those of plesiomorphous East African early and middle MioceneLimnopithecus. An upper canine from Lothidok Hill represents a second species ofProconsul, P. (Proconsul)major. This identification confirms earlier records of that species from Lothidok.
Low-Frequency Gravitational Wave Searches Using Spacecraft Doppler Tracking

This paper discusses spacecraft Doppler tracking, the current-generation detector technology used in the low-frequency (∼millihertz) gravitational wave band. In the Doppler method the earth and a distant spacecraft act as free test masses with a ground-based precision Doppler tracking system continuously monitoring the earth-spacecraft relative dimensionless velocity 2Δv/c = Δν/ν0, where Δν is the Doppler shift and ν0 is the radio link carrier frequency. A gravitational wave having strain amplitude h incident on the earth-spacecraft system causes perturbations of order h in the time series of Δν/ν0. Unlike other detectors, the ∼ 1–10 AU earth-spacecraft separation makes the detector large compared with millihertz-band gravitational wavelengths, and thus times-of-flight of signals and radio waves through the apparatus are important. A burst signal, for example, is time-resolved into a characteristic signature: three discrete events in the Doppler time series. I discuss here the principles of operation of this detector (emphasizing transfer functions of gravitational wave signals and the principal noises to the Doppler time series), some data analysis techniques, experiments to date, and illustrations of sensitivity and current detector performance. I conclude with a discussion of how gravitational wave sensitivity can be improved in the low-frequency band.
Risk factors for recurrence of hemorrhagic endovasculitis of the placenta

Objective To assess the potential for recurrence of placental hemorrhagic endovasculitis and to identify clinical or pathologic cofactors that might influence recurrence of this lesion or subsequent pregnancy outcome. Methods Ninety-seven women with a placenta affected by hemorrhagic endovasculitis, who also had at least one placenta referred to the Michigan Placental Tissue Registry from a subsequent pregnancy, were identified from 10,531 referrals between 1978 and 1988. Histologic slides from 209 placentas and clinical data from 211 infants (two sets of twins) from initial (first) and subsequent referrals were analyzed. Placentas were graded for the presence, extent, and severity of hemorrhagic endovasculitis and chronic villitis of unknown etiology; for placental lesions indicative of hypertensive maternal vessel disease; and for intravascular nucleated erythrocytes and chorionic thrombi. Maternal data included age, gravidity, number of previous losses, and history of toxemia or hypertension. All data were analyzed for significance using χ2 and t tests. Outcome assessment was based on recurrence of hemorrhagic endovasculitis and infant viability with the second referral. Results With first referrals, 80 of 98 infants (81.6%) were stillborn. Among second referrals, 26 of 98 infants (26.5%) were stillborn. Hemorrhagic endovasculitis recurred in 28 second placentas (28.9%); of these, 18 infants (64.3%) were stillborn. Higher rates of recurrence were found with progressively higher first-referral chronic villitis severity scores (P Conclusions Placental hemorrhagic endovasculitis is associated with pregnancy loss and can recur in some patients. Interrelations among placental hemorrhagic endovasculitis, chronic villitis, maternal hypertension, and adverse outcomes in subsequent pregnancies are apparent. This information may be useful in patient counseling.
ELECTRON CYTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF CYSTINE IN PLANT CELL WALLS

Abstract : A method for specific, cytochemical staining of cystine residues was applied to thin sections of human hair keratin, two yeasts, one fungus and one green alga, for observations in the electron microscope. The method, which deposits granules of metallic silver at or close to the site of cystine residues, may be a useful means of investigating the detailed distribution of disulphide bonds in cells provided that the following criteria are rigorously applied. First, grains of metallic silver must remain after exhaustive sodium thiosulphate extraction; second, the deposition of grains of metallic silver must be inhibited by prior alkylation of the disulphide linkage. Finally, the method should be used in conjunction with other available means of analysis. (Author)
Diaphragmatic Strength during Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation

Respiratory muscle weakness is considered to be a factor in the inability to wean from mechanical ventilation. To assess this possibility, the present study examined the mechanical behavior of the diaphragm by measuring the change in transdiaphragmatic pressure (delta Pdi) during weaning. Nine "T-piece" weanings were carried out in seven patients with prior weaning failure and were terminated with the development of hypercapnia, hypoxemia, or severe tachypnea. Serial measurements of delta Pdi during these weans revealed that (1) in no case was there a decrease in delta Pdi at termination of weaning, and (2) in the subgroup of patients whose weaning failed because of hypercapnia, the increase in arterial carbon dioxide tension (mean increase of 12 mm Hg) was associated with a significant increase in delta Pdi, from the beginning (21.1 +/- 12.1 cm H2O) to the end (24.8 +/- 13.4 cm H2O) of the trial (p less than 0.05). We conclude that failure to wean in these patients, in particular the development of carbon dioxide retention, was not due to failure of the diaphragm as a pressure generator.
Mid-life onset of dietary restriction extends life and prolongs cognitive functioning

Fourteen-month-old C57BL/6 (NIA) mice were placed on a nutritionally complete diet providing 139.4 kcal/week. Over a 2-month period the food ration of experimental mice (AE) was reduced to 85 kcal/week, where it remained for the duration of the study. An aged control group (AC) continued with the higher calorie diet. At age 22 months, AC mice and half of the AE mice (AE22) were given a battery of behavioral tests. The remaining AE mice (AE25) were given the test battery at age 25 months. Also, a middle-aged control group (MC) was tested at age 13 months. Midlife onset caloric restriction (CR) increased longevity and preserved strength, coordination, and spontaneous alternation behavior, and altered responses to enclosed alleys. A spatial discrimination in the Morris water maze and a spatial delayed matching-to-sample water-escape task were insensitive to age and diet. The aged mice were adversely affected by testing.
A novel anthraquinone annelation. A new approach to aklavinones.

Abstract 1-Hydroxyanthraquinone has been annelated to a tetracyclic ketoester containing the major structural features of 4-deoxyaklavinone. The cyclization of the A-ring involves the first case of an anionic alkylation of an anthraquinone at a position which is not ortho to a phenolic function.
THE EFFECTS OF CLASS INTERVAL SYSTEMS ON CHOROPLETH MAP CORRELATION

The correlation between a pair of distributions is often measured with the product-moment correlation coefficient, r. But the choropleth maps of the same distributions may be more alike or less alike than that coefficient would indicate. The degree to which map likeness corresponds to the correlation between the data before mapping is affected by the class interval method used. Using rank correlation (Kendall's t) to measure the map correlation and drawing data from normal distributions, it is found that: (1) there is a mathematically expressible curvilinear relationship between the product-moment correlation and the expected map correlation; (2) this relationship appears to remain identical regardless of class interval system; (3) the standard deviation about the expected values does vary from one class interval system to another. Smaller standard deviations are associated with increased numbers of observations within each variable and with increased numbers of intervals. For a given r value, number of o...
APSS: proactive secret sharing in asynchronous systems

APSS, a proactive secret sharing (PSS) protocol for asynchronous systems, is explained and proved correct. The protocol enables a set of secret shares to be periodically refreshed with a new, independent set, thereby thwarting mobile-adversary attacks. Protocols for asynchronous systems are inherently less vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks, which slow processor execution or delay message delivery. So APSS tolerates certain attacks that PSS protocols for synchronous systems cannot.
Response of simulated propellant and explosives to projectile impact. II: Fragmentation

Summary This paper is the second of a series concerned with the penetration and perforation phenomena in two types of propellant and explosive simulant, named Propergol, due to the impact at normal incidence of both blunt and conically-tipped steel strikers. The collision results in fragmentation, plug formation and generation of a cloud of debris that includes particles of measurable dimensions traveling with significant velocities. Both the fragment size and area as well as the ejecta mass are determined experimentally as a function of Propergol specimen thickness and impact velocity or energy. The cumulative number of fragments as a function of size for the Propergol is uniformly found to be a bi-linear semi-logarithmic relationship with the bifurcation occurring at the mean crystal radius. Individual crystals and the crater generated are examined by means of a scanning electron microscope. A phenomenological model of the fragmentation process is constructed, based on an assumed spherical shape of the fragments and the bi-linear fragment distribution, using energy methods. This is combined with a perforation analysis that considers the process to be sequentially composed of initial indentation, fragmentation, and sliding and deflection of the Propergol disks. An evaluation of this model providing fragment volumes as a function of impact velocity is compared with experimental results and found to be in good agreement.
Relative Intensity Tables for Spectrum Lines

Relative intensities for a large number of multiplets have been calculated from well-known theoretical formulas. These intensities have been tabulated for future reference in making analyses of spectra. The tables are grouped under each resultant spin, from singlets $S=0$, to octets $S=\frac{7}{2}$ and include all probable values of $L$ and $J$. It is shown how the same tables apply to $\mathrm{jj}$-coupling, to hyperfine structure, and to related multiplets.
Transmit power estimation with a single monitor in multi-band networks

Transmit power estimation is widely used in network monitoring, power-aware design of MANETs, primary user detection in cognitive radio networks and many other areas. Traditional methods for transmit power estimation are trilateration-based, which require an underlying infrastructure with at least three monitors. In this paper, we propose a novel transmit power estimation method which utilizes the nuance of the received signal strength at different frequencies. Our method only needs one monitor, thus has less hardware requirement and is much easier to carry around. We use a support vector machine to facilitate the estimation, and conduct real-world experiments to validate our method. The experimental results demonstrate that our method is able to achieve the accuracy as high as 90%, which in practice outperforms the trilateration method using multiple monitors.
Religion and State Formation in Postrevolutionary Mexico. By Ben Fallaw. (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2013. Pp. xx, 330. $25.95.)

A number of rich regional studies of Mexican politics, studying the tumultuous but ultimately defining decade of the 1930s, have peppered the historiography of the field in recent decades. By analy...
Reversed phase liquid chromatographic separation of linear alkylbenzenesulfonates effect of mobile phase ionic strength

Abstract Linear alkylbenzenesulfonate (LAS) homologues and positional isomers are separated on C 18 and polystyrenedivinylbenzene reversed stationary phases using an acetonitrile-water + sodium chloride mobile phase. Retention of the LAS surfactants and separation selectivity, efficiency, and resolution are enhanced according to the mobile phase ionic strength and the ionic strength electrolyte cation. The enhanced column performance is due to Stern-Gouy-Chapman double layer interactions at the reversed stationary phase surface. The optimum mobile phase cations of those studied are Na + , Mg 2+ and Ba 2+ . Isocratic or gradient elution can be used with detection by either UV absorbance (2.5 pmol detection limit at signal-to-noise ratio of 3) or by conductance following postcolumn anionic micromembrane suppression (130 pmol detection limit at signal-to-noise ratio of 3). Resolution of the LAS positional isomers is most favorable by using a gradient where acetonitrile increases and sodium chloride decreases simultaneously in an acetonitrile-water + sodium chloride mobile phase.
Religion/Spirituality and Change in Meaning after Bereavement: Qualitative Evidence for the Meaning Making Model

Making meaning appears to be an important pathway through which religion/spirituality influences adjustment following bereavement (Wortmann & Park, 2008). Few studies, however, have provided a detailed account of the ways in which meaning changes as part of the meaning making process (Park & Ai, 2006). We review the qualitative research regarding religion/spirituality and bereavement to examine meaning from the phenomenological perspective of the bereaved. We use the meaning making model (Park, 2005b) to organize findings regarding the interplay of religion/spirituality and meaning, including the nature of meaning discrepancy and processes of assimilation and accommodation. We conclude with suggestions for future research.
Song divergence and male dispersal among bird populations: a spatially explicit model testing the role of vocal learning

Abstract The importance of bird song in sexual selection and the widespread existence of geographical variation in song has raised the question of whether dialects can promote the evolution of new, reproductively isolated, subgroups. However, the effect of song learning on the relation between song divergence and gene flow is still poorly understood. We explored the origin and maintenance of song divergence and its consequences for male dispersal between populations. To do this, we used a spatially explicit model to study the effect of vocal learning mode (predispersal and postdispersal) and the role of intrasexual selection among males. The majority of scenarios simulated in the model led to significant genetic and phenotypic song divergence, consistent with the widespread occurrence of dialects in natural populations. Intrasexual selection in the form of male exclusion, dependent on song matching between neighbours, was an efficient mechanism driving song divergence. Most importantly, song learning was decisive in causing an incongruence of genetic divergence and song divergence between populations. As a consequence, song learning often prevented the expected negative relation between the degree of song divergence and dispersal. These findings may help to interpret empirical data on song divergence and gene flow and provide qualitative and testable predictions for conditions under which intraspecific song variation may promote reproductive divergence and speciation. Copyright 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Stability of a class of directionally sensitive asymmetric nonlinear neural networks

Abstract Asymmetrically connected inhibitory shunting networks are believed to occur in many areas of the brain. One such area is the visual system; these networks are found useful in explaining many peripheral visual phenomena. This paper examines a class of asymmetrically connected networks for stability and uniqueness of outputs; both time-invariant and moving inputs are considered. Under different sets of constaints upon the network characteristics and operating region, it is possible to obtain: • • bounded-input-bounded-output stability of the solutions; • • stability and uniqueness of the output to any input for a network of finite extent, with time-invariant inputs giving time-invariant outputs; • • localization of edge effects on a finite network, and stability and uniqueness of the output to any input for a network of infinite extent, with time-invariant or traveling-wave inputs giving time-invariant or traveling-wave outputs respectively. The constraints required for these three sets of characteristics are successively more stringent. The most interesting constraints are those required for localization of edge effects on a finite network; they are not satisfied by a network in which the output from each node is obtained by sharply thresholding the node potential. However, they can be satisfied if the network operates in a relatively low signal region, below saturation of the outputs. An example of a network which does satisfy the constraints is given by certain field effect transistor (FET) implementations.
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in the Emergency Department

This article provides an overview of health promotion and disease and injury prevention concepts. It provides an emergency medicine perspective and reviews approaches that can be used in the emergency department. It discusses examples of innovative emergency medicine-based preventive activities including prevention in the prehospital setting. This article ends with a discussion of the importance of a system approach to prevention and suggests a role for a preventionist as a new member of the emergency medicine team.
The measurement of optimism and pessimism

Procedures employed in the development and validation of a new Optimism & Pessimism Scale are described, and information about test-retest reliability is reported. Internal consistency analyses and other data suggest that optimism and pessimism are not polar opposites and bring up questions about the intrerelatedness of the cognitive and affective realms. The magnitude of the correlation between pessimism and measures of anxiety suggests a link between this measure and the Negative Affectivity construct, and the potential relationships among optimism, pessimism, the Pollyanna Principle, and Positive and Negative Affect are discussed. Conceptually, it appears that optimism and pessimism may aid in psychological defense by helping to bind anxiety.
Self-assembled monolayer-assisted chemical transfer of in situ functionalized carbon nanotubes.

A low-temperature flexible process, named “chemical transfer”, was developed to assemble well-aligned carbon nanotube (ACNT) structures onto various substrates. The technology was featured by (1) in situ functionalization of ACNTs with reactive functional groups during the CVD process and (2) covalently bonded interface with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of conjugated thiol molecules as the bridging ligand and conduction path at the ACNT/gold interface. The effectiveness of the in situ functionalization was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). I−V response and the interfacial strength of the chemically transferred structure were studied. Results showed an Ohmic contact, low electrical resistivity, and improved CNT−substrate adhesion. This novel technique shows promising applications for positioning ACNTs as electrical interconnects or thermal interface materials on temperature-sensitive substrates.
SPATIOTEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF CONTROLS ON SHRUBLAND FIRE REGIMES: AGE DEPENDENCY AND FIRE HAZARD

Large fires in chaparral-dominated shrublands of southern and central California are widely attributed to decades of fire suppression. Prehistoric shrubland landscapes are hypothesized to have exhibited fine-grained age-patch mosaics in which fire spread was limited by the age and spatial pattern of fuels. In contrast, I hypothesize that fires during extreme weather conditions have been capable of burning through all age classes of the vegetation mosaic. Using the mapped fire history (1911–1995) of Los Padres National Forest, I analyzed burning patterns for hundreds of fires using a geographic information system (GIS). To estimate the degree of age dependency exhibited by the fire regime at different spatial scales, I employed methods of fire frequency analysis (i.e., fitting a generalized Weibull function to fire interval distributions). Statistics were also calculated using a temporal breakpoint of 1950 to assess possible effects of suppression. Results indicated that shrubland fires have frequently bur...
3 GHz Superconducting Accelerator Cavity for Use in an Electron Synchrotron

Experience has shown that superconducting accelerator cavity performance improves as the operating frequency rises. To use this effect to advantage in an electron synchrotron one must develop cavities of aperture large enough to provide the necessary phase space admittance and of such a configuration as to avoid problems with lost particles and synchrotron radiation in the orbit plane. The development of such a cavity, open in the mid-plane, is described and test results given.
Reductive Defluorination of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is under increased scrutiny as an environmental pollutant due to recent reports of its worldwide distribution, environmental persistence, and bioaccumulation potential. The susceptibility of technical PFOS and PFOS branched isomers to chemical reductive dehalogenation with vitamin B12 (260 µM) as catalyst and Ti(III)-citrate (36 mM) as bulk reductant in anoxic aqueous solution at 70 °C and pH 9 was evaluated in this study. Defluorination was confirmed by fluoride release measurements of 18% in technical PFOS, equivalent to the removal 3 mol F−/mol PFOS, and 71% in PFOS branched isomers equivalent to the removal of 12 mol F−/mol PFOS. Degradation of PFOS was further confirmed by monitoring the disappearance of PFOS compounds with reaction time by suppressed conductivity ion chromatography, LC-MS/MS, and 19F NMR studies. The PFOS compounds differed in their susceptibility to reductive degradation by vitamin B12/Ti(III) citrate. Chromatographic peaks corresponding to branched...
Marsupialization as a definitive treatment for the odontogenic keratocyst

Abstract Purpose We sought to show that marsupialization can be a definitive treatment for the odontogenic keratocyst (OKC). Materials and methods Ten patients (10 males and 4 females) between the ages of 11 and 64 with biopsy-proven OKC (8 mandibular and 2 maxillary) measuring between 2 and 8 cm were treated by marsupialization consisting of excision of the overlying mucosa and the opening of a 1-cm window into the cystic cavity and, where possible, suturing of the cyst lining to the oral mucosa. Immunohistologic determination of bcl-2 was done for all samples of cyst lining. The cavities were kept open either by vigorous use of a home syringe by the patient or by suturing into place the flange and short length of a nasopharyngeal airway. Once the cyst had largely filled in, histologic material was taken from the base of the residual depression and studied by light microscopy and bcl-2 expression. Results In the 10 patients, the OKCs completely resolved both clinically and radiographically. The time taken for resolution varied from 7 to 19 months. In all cases, the histologic material obtained after marsupialization showed normal epithelium only, with no signs of cystic remnants, daughter cysts, or budding of the basal layer of the epithelium. At initial biopsy, bcl-2 was expressed in the keratocyst lining, but not in the histologic material obtained after marsupialization. Follow-up time ranged from a minimum of 1.8 years to a maximum of 4.8 years. Teeth at the periphery of the cysts were observed to upright and erupt. Conclusions All 10 OKCs resolved completely after marsupialization. Teeth within the cyst were found to be upright and erupt. Marsupialization requires a cooperative patient who will irrigate the cavity and keep it open. It appears that the cyst lining is replaced by normal epithelium during this treatment.
Alcohol stimulation of lipid peroxidation and esophageal tumor growth in mice immunocompromised by retrovirus infection

Tumor appearance can be accelerated in the immunodeficient and immunosuppressed animal. The role of lipid peroxidation and immune dysfunction induced by retrovirus and ethanol treatments on cancer promotion were investigated. Following the initiation of esophageal cancer by methylbenzylnitrosamine, ethanol consumption and retrovirus infection individually and concomitantly increased growth of esophageal tumors. Dietary supplementation with vitamin E reduced the size and frequency of the developed tumors. Tumor growth modifications in the vitamin E supplemented animals may be due to changes in T-cell numbers and functions stimulated by vitamin E. In addition, increased production of free radicals following ethanol treatment and retrovirus infection, and the suppression of these formations lipid peroxide by vitamin E is accompanied by lower incidence and size of tumors. Thus, the mechanisms of tumor enhancement observed in immunocompromised animals may include a combination of immunomodulation and modification of oxidant production by ethanol consumption and retrovirus infection.
IRB Member Judgments of Decisional Capacity, Coercion, and Risk in Medical and Psychiatric Studies.

While individuals with psychiatric illnesses are widely considered a special class of research subjects regarding decisional capacity and coercion vulnerability, those with physical illnesses often are not. IRB members (N = 127) read vignettes that described clinical research targeting one of two levels of disease severity (high/low) for psychiatric or medical diagnoses. They then rated decisional capacity, coercion, and risks for hypothetical research subjects. IRB members viewed psychiatric subjects as having greater vulnerability to coercion and less decisional capacity than medical subjects, even when medical illness was of a severity likely to engender psychiatric comorbidities. These results suggest that IRB members may inflate the vulnerability and decisional incapacity of psychiatric subjects, while discounting vulnerability and incapacity in medical subjects.
Cape Town, South Africa, 2003

An account of the author's six-month sojourn at the University of the Western Cape, (UWC), Cape Town, in the spring of 2003.
A supplemented soft agar chemotaxis assay demonstrates the Helicobacter pylori chemotactic response to zinc and nickel

Directed motility, or chemotaxis, is required for Helicobacter pylori to establish infection in the stomach, although the full repertoire of this bacterium’s chemotactic responses is not yet known. Here we report that H. pylori responds to zinc as an attractant and nickel as a repellent. To reach this conclusion, we employed both a temporal chemotaxis assay based on bacterial reversals and a supplemented soft agar spatial assay. We refined the temporal assay using a previously described chemorepellent, acid, and found that H. pylori requires rich media with serum to maintain optimal swimming motility. Surprisingly, we found that some strains respond to acid as an attractant, and that the TlpC chemoreceptor correlated with whether acid was sensed as an attractant or repellent. Using this same assay, we detected weak repellent responses to nickel and copper, and a varied response to zinc. We thus developed an alternative spatial chemotactic assay called the supplemented soft agar assay, which utilizes soft agar medium supplemented with the test compound. With Escherichia coli, the attractant serine slowed overall bacterial migration, while the repellent nickel increased the speed of overall migration. In H. pylori we detected slowed migration with doubled tryptone media, as well as zinc, consistent with an attractant response. In contrast, nickel increased migration, consistent with repulsion.
Poly(pyrazolyl)hydroborato and poly(pyrazolyl)methane aluminium alkyl derivatives

Abstract Bis- and tris(pyrazolyl)hydroborato aluminium methyl derivatives, {η 3 -HB(3,5- Me 2 pyz) 3 }Al(CH 3 ) 2 , {η 2 -HB(3-Bu t pyz) 3 }Al(CH 3 ) 2 and {η 2 -H 2 B(3-Bu t pyz) 2 }Al(CH 3 ) 2 have been prepared by metathesis of Al(CH 3 ) 3 with either K{HB(3,5-Me 2 pyz) 3 }, Tl{HB(3- Bu t pyz) 3 } or K{H 2 B(3-Bu t pyz) 2 }, respectively. In contrast to the formation of these 1 : 1 complexes, the isostructural but neutral ligand HC(pyz) 3 readily coordinates three equivalents of (CH 3 ) 3 Al giving {HC(pyz) 3 }[Al(CH 3 ) 3 ] 3 . 1 H NMR studies provide evidence for the formation of the mono- and bis-complexes {HC(pyz) 3 }[Al(CH 3 ) 3 ] and {HC(pyz) 3 } [Al(CH 3 ) 3 ] 2 as products of the reaction of HC(pyz) 3 with less than three equivalents of Al(CH 3 ) 3 . The aluminium-carbon bonds of {η 3 -HB(3,5-Me 2 pyz) 3 }Al(CH 3 ) 2 are readily cleaved by H 2 O to give {η 3 -HB(3,5-Me 2 pyz) 3 }Al(OH) 2 and CH 4 . However, the reaction of {η 3 -HB(3,5-Me 2 pyz) 3 }Al(CH 3 ) 2 with D 2 O gives CH 4 in addition to CH 3 D and thus demonstrates that a secondary process involving coupling of the aluminium-methyl ligand with one of the hydrogen atoms of the pyrazolyl methyl group must be competitive with the direct reaction of the aluminium-carbon bond with D 2 O. The complex {η 2 -H 2 B(3- Bu t pyz) 2 }Al(CH 3 ) 2 undergoes a unimolecular rearrangement of the bis(3-t-butylpyrazolyl)hydroborato ligand to give the more stable isomer, {η 2 -H 2 B(3-Bu t pyz)(5-Bu t pyz)} Al(CH 3 ) 2 . The kinetics of this rearrangement are first-order with the activation parameters Δ h ‡ = 34.5(8) kcal mol −1 and Δ s ‡ = 6(2) e.u. and the proposed mechanism consists of steps involving a 1,2-shift of the t-butylpyrazolyl group.
Phenotypic Diversity, Population Growth, and Information in Fluctuating Environments

Organisms in fluctuating environments must constantly adapt their behavior to survive. In clonal populations, this may be achieved through sensing followed by response or through the generation of diversity by stochastic phenotype switching. Here we show that stochastic switching can be favored over sensing when the environment changes infrequently. The optimal switching rates then mimic the statistics of environmental changes. We derive a relation between the long-term growth rate of the organism and the information available about its fluctuating environment.
Small‐angle light scattering from polymer films with rod‐like superstructure—effects of volume fraction and orientation

The light scattering patterns from anisotropic rods have been calculated as a function of the degree of volume filling by these rods, and also as functions of their orientation distribution and the resulting birefringence effect in biaxially oriented polymer films. The resultant theoretical calculations compare well with available experimental results and, thus, demonstrate their applicability to the study of the course of crystallization and the structural characterization of biaxially oriented polymer films.
A New Wavelet Transform Approach to Discriminate Magnetizing Inrush Current and Fault Current

A new approach for transformer protection based on Wavelet Transformation is proposed in this paper. In the proposed approach, transient current signals at both sides of a transformer are firstly captured and then analyzed by wavelet transform, from which the modular maxima (MM) are derived and subsequently used to discriminate between magnetizing inrush current and fault currents. Various types of internal faults and magnetizing inrush are modelled using Real-time Digital Simulator (RTDS). Extensive RTDS simulations were carried out to cover various transformer operational conditions such as magnetizing inrush with various closing angles of circuit breaker, various fault types on either side of transformer, fault currents under CT's saturation during server fault conditions. The sampled current signals of both sides of a transformer are then analyzed by Wavelet transform. A series of obvious characteristics are observed by decomposing the transient current signals into scale 5 (j=5) using Daubechies4 wavelet function. The multiplication of the MM on either side of transformer is then utilized to distinguish between inrush current, internal fault current and external fault current. Extensive simulation results proved that the new algorithm is simple, reliable, accurate, immune to CT's saturation, and is able to perform correctly for the worst cases where an internal fault occurs when a transformer is energized without load.
Chemical Studies of Behavior: VI. Placebo and Dramamine as Methodological Controls, and Effects on Moods, Emotions and Motivations

(1962). Chemical Studies of Behavior: VI. Placebo and Dramamine as Methodological Controls, and Effects on Moods, Emotions and Motivations. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 53, No. 2, pp. 257-279.
Utilization of Cation-Selective Membranes in the Study of Caries Formation

A caries mechanism was tested in a model experiment in which cation-permselective membranes were used to simulate the outer enamel-plaque layer. According to this theory, preferential diffusion of Ca2+ and H+ accelerates caries formation. The results support the theory and confirm that activity of Ca(OH)2 is of fundamental importance.