cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Unresolved Factual Disputes in the News on Epistemic Political Efficacy

This experiment tests effects of passive, neutral reporting of contradictory factual claims on audiences. Exposure to such reporting is found to affect a new self-efficacy construct developed in this study called epistemic political efficacy (EPE), which taps confidence in one’s own ability to determine truth in politics. Measurement of EPE is found to be reliable and valid, and effects of neutral reporting on it are found to be conditional on prior interest in the issues under dispute. Implications of this effect and of EPE are discussed. Self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1982) suggests these short-term effects may accumulate over time. EPE mayaffectoutcomesrelatedtopoliticalunderstanding,opinionformation,andinformation seeking.
Ethnic versus organizational cultures: The bureaucratic alternative

It has been suggested that the common values and beliefs of an organization's culture can be used to control employee behavior. However, the use of organizational culture to control behavior assumes that employees either already have, or can be inculcated with common values and beliefs. The flow of immigrants across national borders increases the diversity of organization workforces. This diversity may include employees who hold values and beliefs associated with their membership in different ethnic cultures. It may be difficult or impossible to infuse common values and beliefs in such a diverse workforce. A more bureaucratic form of organizational governance, in which rules and expectations are made explicit, may be more appropriate when an organizations′ employees are members of diverse ethnic cultures.
Sexual Competition in Scatophaga Stercoraria: Size- and Density-Related Changes in Male Ability To Capture Females

The behavior of males near the oviposition site of Scatophaga stercoraria is highly variable, being dependent on male size and on male density conditions. At low density males are often territorial with dominance relationships, the largest male often initiating high intensity attacks. At high densities attacks are much less intense, with more symmetrical interactions among males. Large males are most active under all density conditions. Absence of small males from high density pats, even though there is no apparent attempt to exclude these males, appears to occur for two reasons: Small males may suffer proportionately more harm in interactions than larger males, and success of these males in retaining captured females is extremely low, as shown by extreme differences in takeover rates relative to male size. My finding (BORGIA, 1980a, 1981) that large males are relatively more successful in capturing females under conditions where there are few pats can be explained in terms of these results. However, unlike predictions from avian mating system models, lower variants in male reproductive success occurs not because more powerful males actively exclude others from a more restricted resource base, but as an indirect effect of large males searching for mates. Differences in male behavior under varying density conditions, and by males of different size, show the extreme adaptability of male behavior in Scatophaga. These findings agree with ALCOCx's (1979) suggestion that insect behavior is much less stereotyped than is commonly believed.
Thermodynamic control of hurricane intensity

To establish useful warning systems for hurricanes, it is necessary to accurately predict both hurricane intensity and track. But although the forecasting of hurricane tracks has improved over the past 30 years, the factors that control the intensity of hurricanes are still poorly understood, leading to almost no reliability in forecasts of hurricane intensity evolution. Efforts to improve intensity forecasts have focused almost exclusively on characterizing the dynamical interactions between hurricanes and their atmospheric environment. Here I use a simple numerical model to demonstrate that, in most cases, the evolution of hurricane intensity depends mainly on three factors: the storm's initial intensity, the thermodynamic state of the atmosphere through which it moves, and the heat exchange with the upper layer of the ocean under the core of the hurricane. Such a limited number of controlling factors offers hope that, given an accurate forecast of a hurricane's track, its intensity can be reliably forecast using very simple models.
Patients' perceptions of psychiatric consultations.

Abstract 108 patients seen in psychiatric consultation while hospitalized for a medical illness were surveyed to ascertain their attitudes about the intervention. 78.2% accepted the consultation favorably and the majority believed that the experience was beneficial to themselves and helpful to their attending physicians. Individuals who were told beforehand that a consultation was requested were more likely to positively accept the consultation. Reaction to the consultation did not relate to psychiatric diagnosis or severity of medical illness.
Climate-induced formation of a closed basin: Great Divide Basin, Wyoming

Large closed basins are often associated with regions of active tectonics. In contrast, we provide the example of the Great Divide Basin, in southern Wyoming, where climate change, through its impact on erosion and fl exure, provides the primary mechanism of basin closure. Two- and three-dimensional fl exural models that incorporate the effects of local basin abandonment due to aridity as well as minor extrabasinal extension demon- strate that basin closure with 40 m of base- ment relief (tilt) could have been achieved in the Great Divide Basin under reasonable assumptions of sediment rock density and fl exural rigidity. The primary drive for ba- sin abandonment was insuffi cient discharge that retarded river downcutting. Continued erosion in the surrounding drainage led to fl exural rebound, against which erosion by the outlet from the Great Divide Basin was unable to compete. Eventually, the basin became detached and isolated from the sur- rounding drainage, and a few tens of meters of differential tilt developed between the ba- sin fl oor and spillover point. An extra amount of tilt, up to a few meters, could have been at- tained by rift shoulder effects associated with minor nearby extension outside of the basin to the north. Hence, closure of the Great Di- vide Basin took place with no internal fault- ing, nor did it require any extrabasinal tec- tonic activity to force basin closure. Hence, basin closure and/or drainage reorganization need not record tectonic activity in all cases. Differential erosion provides an alternative hypothesis that does not refl ect local tectonic timing. Our model of the evolution of the Great Divide Basin illustrates a mechanism by which basins can become closed by cli- matic effects alone.
Association between Cognitive Decline in Older Adults and Use of Primary Care Physician Services in Pennsylvania.

Objective: To assess the relationship between cognitive decline of older patients (≥ 65 y) and use of primary care physician (PCP) services over 24 months. Design: Retrospective analysis of prospec...
Development and Regulation of Calcium Metabolism in Healthy Girls

The major components of calcium metabolism, as evaluated by a dual-tracer stable isotope method, were determined in 100 studies of 68 healthy girls, aged 5-18 y and analyzed from a developmental and regulatory viewpoint. Bone calcium deposition and removal rates were closely correlated with the size of the exchangeable bone calcium compartment. All three quantities, as well as intestinal calcium absorption, peaked at or near menarche. Both bone calcium deposition and removal rates were positively and linearly correlated with calcium absorption. However, in this correlation, because bone calcium deposition increased 70% faster than calcium absorption, most of the increase in the bone calcium compartment and its turnover must have occurred in response to something other than intestinal calcium input; presumably this occurred in response to developmental signals. Nevertheless, the constancy of the serum calcium in the face of a large intestinal calcium input and the modest way in which excretion overcame the calcium load in this population point to the importance of the exchangeable bone calcium compartment, in dynamic equilibrium with the bone mineral, as the site at which most of the load is taken up. In this population of girls, as in older women, this increase in the skeletal calcium balance resulted from a decrease in the bone calcium removal rate that was greater than the corresponding increase in the bone calcium deposition rate.
Strong local observability and controllability of power systems

An attempt is made to address strong and weak controllability (observability) of power systems, determine strong controllability (observability) for a model that includes generator electrical and exciter dynamics along with the generator mechanical dynamics, and determine strong controllability (observability) for a model that includes both generator dynamics and network algebraic states. Definitions of strong system network disconnectivity, strong input and output connectivity, and strong local control area are given. The states of all generators and the network states belonging to a strong local control area are then proven to be strong locally observable and controllable based on these definitions. >
Environmentalism's relation to the history of Western Philosophy

Environmentalists have levelled severe criticism against the history of Western philosophy for failing to protect the environment and for aiding in its destruction. The paper reviews that criticism and its shortcomings. It is proposed here, on the other hand, that environmentalism is deeply indebted to several key ideas in the West's intellectual tradition and that environmentalism is itself the product of these ideas. The paper examines these constituitive notions and considers reasons why the derivation of environmentalism from them has not been more apparent.
Books and Media Received

This item is a listing of scholarly works submitted to the editorial office for possible review.
New Directions for High-School Career and Technical Education in the United States

New directions for high school career and technical education in the United States 21 Century are identified and briefly described. The work is based on a review and synthesis of contemporary creative thought, opinion, policyinfluencing documents, research, and reflective thinking from a plethora of stakeholder involved generally with high school education and more specifically with career and technical education. Four forces underpin reform of high school vocational education in the US: The new economy, public expectation for schools, new research on student learning and motivation, and high school reform. Six components are integral to reform: High school majors, contextual teaching and learning, work-based learning, authentic assessment, career academies, and tech prep.
When the Name Says it All: Preschoolers' Recognition and Use of the Gendered Nature of Common Proper Names

By the time they enter preschool children have acquired extensive knowledge of gender stereotypes. There has been little work on their use of this knowledge to make inferences about behavior; there is virtually no information as to how the explicitness of gender-category information influences the reliability of inferences. In two experiments we tested 3-112-year-old children's recognition and use of less-than-explicit, yet highly reliable, cues to gender-category membership: common proper names. In Experiment 1 children reliably associated feminine-stereotyped names with pictures of girls and masculine-stereotyped names with pictures of boys; they did not reliably associate gender-neutral names with pictures of girls and boys. In Experiment 2 children used their knowledge of same-gender-category names to make predictions about the preferences of otherwise sex-unspecified targets; they did not make reliable predictions when the targets were labeled with opposite-gender-category names. In contrast, when the targets were labeled with gendered common nouns (“girl” and “boy”) performance was reliable and was not affected by match or mismatch between the sex of the child and the gender category of the target. The findings indicate differential patterns of development and application of gender-category consistent versus gender-category inconsistent knowledge.
Chemoimmunotherapy of Canine Lymphoma with Adjuvant Canine Monoclonal Antibody 231

Chemoimmunotherapy with adjuvant CL/ MAb 231 offers an alternative treatment approach for canine lymphoma. Results of treatment and prognostic factors are discussed and compared with previously published chemotherapy results.
Pre-oxidized and nitrided stainless steel alloy foil for proton exchange membrane fuel cell bipolar plates: Part 1. Corrosion, interfacial contact resistance, and surface structure

Abstract Thermal (gas) nitridation of stainless steel alloys can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant nitride containing surface layers (Cr 2 N, CrN, TiN, V 2 N, VN, etc.) of interest for fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents results of scale-up studies to determine the feasibility of extending the nitridation approach to thin 0.1 mm stainless steel alloy foils for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) bipolar plates. Developmental Fe–20Cr–4V alloy and type 2205 stainless steel foils were treated by pre-oxidation and nitridation to form low-ICR, corrosion-resistant surfaces. As-treated Fe–20Cr–4V foil exhibited target (low) ICR values, whereas 2205 foil suffered from run-to-run variation in ICR values, ranging up to 2× the target value. Pre-oxidized and nitrided surface structure examination revealed surface-through-layer-thickness V-nitride particles for the treated Fe–20Cr–4V, but near continuous chromia for treated 2205 stainless steel, which was linked to the variation in ICR values. Promising corrosion resistance was observed under simulated aggressive PEMFC anode- and cathode-side bipolar plate conditions for both materials, although ICR values were observed to increase. The implications of these findings for stamped bipolar plate foils are discussed.
In Vivo Target Validation Using Biological Molecules in Drug Development

Drug development is a resource-intensive process requiring significant financial and time investment. Preclinical target validation studies and in vivo testing of the therapeutic molecules in clinically relevant disease models can accelerate and significantly de-risk later stage clinical development. In this chapter, we will focus on (1) in vivo animal models and (2) pharmacological tools for target validation.
Neuropsychological Functioning in Treated Phenylketonuria

Comprehensive neuropsychological assessment was performed on a series of patients with treated classical phenylketonuria. All patients showed a similar cluster of performance deficits in motor and visual-motor functions, spatial operations, academic skill areas, and select areas of higher level reasoning. The results are consistent with other neuropsychological studies of patients with early and late diet termination that have used differing assessment methods, thus allowing for greater confidence in the findings. Examination of underlying factors indicates that poor motor coordination, limits in the complexity of spatial problem solving, and limits in the amount of information that can be “processed” simultaneously may account for most or all of the performance deficits observed among these patients. Suggestions for future research and both clinical and theoretical implications of the findings are discussed.
A quantitative comparison of interval type-2 and type-1 fuzzy logic systems: First results

The question “When will an IT2 FLS outperform a T1 FLS?” has been asked by many, and is acknowledged by many experts to be arguably the most important unanswered question in the T2 field. As a research problem, this question turns into: Establish when and by how much a type-2 fuzzy logic system (T2 FLS) will outperform a type-1 (T1) FLS. This paper provides first results on solving this problem. Its approach is novel because it does not focus immediately on a specific application, but instead focuses on the common component to all performance analyses, thereby providing results that can be used by others in their application-based performance comparisons. The Wu-Mendel minimax uncertainty bounds [16], which in the past have been used to approximate the type-reduced set, and to also act as a starting point for designs of IT2 FLSs, play the key role in this paper. Although comparing an IT2 FLS to a T1 FLS seems like a daunting task, because of the complicated nature of the equations that describe them, this paper shows that when an IT2 FLS is expanded about a T1 FLS-itself a new concept-, surprisingly, very simple first results are obtained.
African Americans, U.S. Poverty, and International Law: An Afrocentric Cultural Revolution

Statistical rates of poverty among African Americans often hide the cultural and historical nature of their intended consequences. Unfavorable outcomes for social change can occur when viewing poverty among African Americans in isolation from their unique historical and cultural experiences and U.S. social, political, and capitalistic influences. While pressures to subordinate African Americans continue, African Americans also exert pressure (e.g., social movements) as human agents in their efforts toward self-determination. In order to understand and/or ameliorate poverty in the US, policy makers, researchers, and educators must first deal with the cultural hegemony undergirding it.
Selective gate-length biasing for cost-effective runtime leakage control

With process scaling, leakage power reduction has become one of the most important design concerns. Multi-threshold techniques have been used to reduce runtime leakage power without sacrificing performance. In this paper, we propose small biases of transistor gate-length to further minimize power in a manufacturable manner. Unlike multi-V th techniques, gate-length biasing requires no additional masks and may be performed at any stage in the design process.Our results show that gate-length biasing effectively reduces leakage power by up to 25% with less than 4% delay penalty. We show the feasibility of the technique in terms of manufacturability and pin-compatibility for post-layout power optimization. We also show up to 54% reduction in leakage uncertainty due to inter-die process variation in circuits when biased gate-lengths, versus only unbiased one, are used. Circuits selectively biased show much less sensitivity to both intra and inter die variations.
Electrocardiogram (ECG) Changes and Cardiac Biomarker Abnormalities Among Two Marathon Runners

Abstract Background: Marathon running has surged in popularity in the last quarter century. A small percentage of marathon runners develop increases of myocardial-specific markers with exercise, sometimes in the diagnostic range for acute myocardial infarction. A spectrum of abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) patterns has also been described. Objective: ECG change specifically after marathon running has not been reported and may further the understanding of the interrelation of intense physical exertion and cardiac structure and function. Case Report: Two patients who presented to the Emergency Department on June 3, 2007 after participating in an inner-city full marathon (26.2 miles) with very similar abnormal ECGs that met criteria for acute myocardial infarction were included in this case report. Cardiac biomarker analysis and ECGs were recorded. Both runners were admitted to the hospital and underwent coronary catheterization. One runner (Runner 1) had no coronary artery disease on catheterization and his troponin I peaked at 0.3 ng/mL. The other runner (Runner 2) had 99% occlusion of his left anterior descending artery and his troponin I peaked at 13.4 ng/mL. Conclusion: Previously asymptomatic individuals under extreme physical exertion may be at risk for myocardial stress and myocyte injury. Abnormal ECG patterns in patients under these conditions may not correlate with structural cardiovascular disease.
Investigating the Effectiveness of Personal Respiratory Protective Equipment used in Healthcare Workers in Southern Taiwan

Project: In January 2008, the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) began collecting influenza vaccination data on HCWs for all licensed hospitals. Utah has approximately 56 licensed hospitals. Hospital types include acute care, critical access, long-term acute care, long term care, psychiatric, pediatric, and rehabilitation hospitals. Data is collected via an online reporting system. Hospitals report the number of employees in their facility, as well as the number of employees that have received an influenza vaccination. Employees that receive their influenza vaccination at a location other than the reporting facility are included in the denominator and numerator. In order to understand hospitals’ limitations or ease with immunizing their healthcare workers, UDOH’s Viral Disease Epidemiologist queried Infection Control and/or Employee Health nurses about their vaccination campaign experiences. Hospitals that met a state goal of immunizing 90% of healthcare workers were asked what policies or procedures worked to achieve such high rates. Hospitals with the lowest rates were asked what limitations or obstacles they faced when trying to immunize their healthcare workers.
CApRI: CAche-conscious data reordering for irregular codes

Caches play a critical role in today's computer systems and optimizing their performance has been a critical objective in the last couple of decades. Unfortunately, compared to a plethora of work in software and hardware directed code/data optimizations, much less effort has been spent in understanding the fundamental characteristics of data access patterns exhibited by application programs and their interaction with the underlying cache hardware. Therefore, in general it is hard to reason about cache behavior of a program running on a target system. Motivated by this observation, we first set up a "locality model" that can help us determine the theoretical bounds of the cache misses caused by irregular data accesses. We then explain how this locality model can be used for different data locality optimization purposes. After that, based on our model, we propose a data reordering (data layout reorganization) scheme that can be applied after any existing data reordering schemes for irregular applications to improve cache performance by further reducing the cache misses. We evaluate the effectiveness of our scheme using a set of 8 programs with irregular data accesses, and show that it brings significant improvements over the state-of-the-art on two commercial multicore machines.
Thinking carefully about outpatient commitment

We are witnessing an unprecedented wave of interest in outpatient commitment. In part, enthusiasm for outpatient commitment stems from concerns about highly publicized acts of violence by persons with mental disorders, although this is one of the weaker justifications for new laws. Provision of involuntary outpatient treatment may be an important component of a system of care for persons with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other serious mental illnesses for reasons entirely unrelated to the prevention of headline-grabbing acts of violence. The existing data, all imperfect, tend to favor the efficacy of outpatient commitment as a means of stabilizing patients in the community, and many clinicians who have been involved in the process share this view. Acknowledging limitations in the empirical evidence favoring outpatient commitment, the author reviews key issues for policy makers to address in considering or revising these statutes.
Ouabain-resistant hyperpolarization induced by insulin in aggregates of embryonic heart cells

Abstract Spheroidal aggregates formed from trypsin-dissociated 14-day embryonic chicken hearts after 48 hr of rotation on a gyratory shaker. Intracellularly recorded resting membrane potentials of aggregates bathed in 1.3 mM K+ balanced salt solution had a mean (+/- SD) of 64 +/- 4 mV. After a stable potential was achieved, addition of 1-100 nM sodium bovine insulin caused a slow hyperpolarization of up to 19 mV after 4-5 min, followed, in some cases, by a further, more rapid, shift to a potential near EK. Equivalent hyperpolarizations were observed when insulin was added in the presence of 10 mM ouabain, indicating that enhanced Na+,K+ pump activity was not responsible for the change in membrane potential. The concentration of insulin that produced half-maximal hyperpolarization (2 nM) corresponded to the association constant of a high-affinity insulin receptor, suggesting that binding to this class of receptors led to the change in membrane potential. Steady-state current-voltage curves from current clamp experiments suggested that insulin produced an increase in slope conductance at potentials near rest by inducing an outward current with an apparent potential negative to -90 mV.
Evaluation and Management of Left Ventricular Noncompaction Cardiomyopathy

Left ventricular (LV) noncompaction cardiomyopathy (LVNC) is a form of cardiomyopathy in which trabeculations fail to “compact” with the left ventricular endocardium during fetal cardiac development and is classically associated with subsequent impairment of LV function, significant mortality, ventricular dysrhythmias, and embolic phenomena. As awareness and medical imaging quality have improved, it is becoming easier to identify trabeculations that traverse the LV cavity and serve as a distinguishing feature of this disorder. Differentiating true noncompaction from mild increases in trabeculations requires prudent imaging and clinical correlation. This review seeks to discuss the potential methods of evaluating left ventricular trabeculations, the role of increased trabeculations in cardiovascular disease, and how their presence may affect clinical management.
Fabrication of Dispersed Permalloy Nanoparticles by Pulsed Laser Ablation in Aqua

Permalloy (Ni 81 Fe 19 ) nanoparticles with diameters of hundreds of nanometers have been successfully fabricated by pulsed laser ablation (PLA) in air, distilled water, pure ethanol and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) aqueous solutions. The permalloy nanoparticles made in SDS solutions are typically spherical in shape. Lower laser energy with lower frequency leads to the formation of smaller permalloy nanoparticles. Higher concentration of SDS results in smaller nanoparticles. Lastly, we found some unusual permalloy nanoparticles with interesting morphologies made by PLA in air, distilled water and ethanol.
Product innovation and start-up business market share performance

This empirical study estimates the impact of several product innovation attributes on initial market share. We find that the product's advantage relative to competing products has the strongest market share impact. Incompatibility with customers' existing way of doing things does not have a meaningful market share impact. By reducing market share, a new and proprietary product technology tends to act as a barrier to adoption, unless the effect is offset by a major product advantage.
Chylomicron apoprotein localization within rat intestinal epithelium: studies of normal and impaired lipid absorption.

Monospecific antisera were produced to two chy- lomicron apoproteins (apoB, apoA-I) and utilized for indi- rect immunofluorescent localization of these apoproteins within rat intestinal epithelium during normal and impaired lipid absorption. Isolated intestinal epithelial cells prepared after different periods of lipid absorption from in situ in- testinal segments revealed a rapid increase in fluorescence for both apoproteins that filled the entire apical portion of the cell. Prolonged lipid absorption for as long as 5 hr dem- onstrated sustained immunofluorescence and gave no indi- cation of a depletion of the intestinal mucosa for either apoprotein during normal lipid absorption. (3H)Leucine in- corporation into mesenteric lymph chylomicron apopro- teins showed a linear decrease in specific activity of total chylomicron protein as well as apoB over 4 hr of a continu- ous lipid infusion indicating sustained active apoprotein syn- thesis during prolonged lipid absorption. Acetoxyclohexi- mide, a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis, was employed to determine the dynamics of chylomicron apoproteins dur- ing an experimental condition of impaired lipid absorption. In animals with inhibited protein synthesis, fluorescence for both apoproteins was present early in the course of lipid absorption; however, at 60 min after the onset of lipid ab- sorption, fluorescence for both apoproteins was absent. Fluorescence for both apoproteins returned during the re- covery of protein synthesis. The present studies have con- firmed previous results that localized two chylomicron apo- proteins within intestinal epithelial cells. The present studies extend these observations and disclose a rapid and sustained synthesis of these apoproteins during prolonged chylomi- cron formation. During an experimental condition of im- paired protein synthesis there was a marked reduction in the mucosal content of both apoA-I and apoB. These results are the first demonstration of impaired mucosal apoprotein synthesis during an experimental model of impaired lipid absorption.
“Riding the rip”: an experiential and integrated human–physical geography curriculum in Costa Rica

Integrating research into short-term study abroad programs is challenging because of language, fieldwork logistics, and traditional learning models based on passive classroom experiences. Experiential learning often makes use of research as experience, but relatively few examples integrate human and physical geography. Here, we describe an experiential and integrated human–physical undergraduate geography curriculum in Costa Rica. We combine rip current morphodynamics, beach-user surveys, and cultural landscape in a 3-week program in Costa Rica. Emotions associated with the direct and indirect experience of “riding the rip” positively influenced the cognitive domain of student learning.
The indigenous achievement gap in Mexico: The role of teacher policy under intercultural bilingual education

The vast majority of Mexico's indigenous students attend intercultural bilingual education (IBE) schools. They consistently underperform relative to their non-indigenous peers. The paper uses new data from the state of Chiapas to estimate the determinants of the achievement gap. Results from regression analysis with and without school fixed effects find weak evidence to suggest that IBE is associated with higher test scores in Mathematics for indigenous students when the model is implemented as intended. A descriptive analysis of the data finds that a large proportion of IBE schools in Mexico do not deliver a “fully-implemented” model where teachers are indigenous and speak the same language as their students. Further, results from the national competition for new teaching posts suggests that the supply of new, qualified IBE teachers is small. Taken together these results highlight the difficulties of IBE in Mexico to recruit qualified teachers who meet language requirements. IBE has many virtues and could have the potential to narrow the achievement gap. However, if policymakers do not make substantial efforts to develop a suitable teacher pipeline to staff IBE schools, the model's potential will be limited.
Industry Shocks and Merger Activity: An Analysis of U.S. Public Utilities

We study the utility industry from 1980 to 2004 to discern the time series impact of industry shocks and their relation to mergers as modeled by Gort (1969) and Jensen (1993). Our sample period permits tests of the effect of utility deregulation in 1992 and related industry shocks on the rate of merger activity and the level and sources of the wealth changes from 384 utility mergers. We find the rate, size, geographic scope and operational focus of utility mergers all increase after deregulation and utility mergers create wealth for the combined firm. The announcement returns to the rivals of the merging firms decline between the pre- and post-deregulation periods and are larger for rivals that are future takeover targets. Announcement returns to rivals in the same geographic region as the target and bidder are no larger than returns to rivals not in the same region. In addition, the returns to rivals at the announcement of withdrawn deals are significantly positive. We also examine the relation of merger activity to electric utility pricing. Contrary to collusive or anti-consumer effects of mergers, we find that prices are significantly negatively related to industry concentration or merger activity. We interpret this evidence to be consistent with the synergy and anticipation hypotheses and inconsistent with the hypotheses that utility mergers are an outcome of bidder hubris or that mergers prompted by deregulation have enabled greater collusion in the utility industry.
Subsidence in the Parícutin lava field: Causes and implications for interpretation of deformation fields at volcanoes

Abstract Assessment of volcanic hazards includes interpretation of ground deformation signal, which, at polygenetic volcanoes often results from the superposition of deformation due to pressure changes in the magmatic system and due to surficial processes such as cooling of emplaced lava. The deformation signal associated with emplaced lava is sometimes considered negligible if fields are decades old, but if the lava thickness is great, deformation may still be occurring, possibly leading to misinterpretation of the observed deformation. Here I evaluate the 2007–2011 ground motion of the 1943–1952 lava field of the Paricutin monogenetic cinder cone, Mexico. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) time series reveal patchy subsidence restricted to the lava field and following linear rates up to 5.5 cm/year. There is a clear correlation between subsidence rates and topography suggesting a causal relationship with deposits or lava thickness. I estimate these thicknesses in the subsiding areas using pre- and post-eruption topographic maps and show that they reach up to 200 m. A numerical model for lava flow cooling was developed considering radiation and convection from the surface, conductive transfer inside the flow and to the ground, and vesiculation and latent heat generation at the top and bottom of the flow. The model shows that compaction induced by cooling of the thick deposits emplaced ~ 60 years ago explains the observed subsidence when conductive transfer to the ground is considered. These results demonstrate that thick deposits can keep deforming significantly even decades after their emplacement, emphasizing the importance of considering cooling processes when interpreting deformation fields at polygenetic volcanoes producing massive lava fields.
Genomics of Entomopathogenic Nematodes and Implications for Pest Control

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have been used in biological control but improvement is needed to realize their full potential for broader application in agriculture. Some improvements have been gained through selective breeding and the isolation of additional species and populations. Having genomic sequences for at least six EPNs opens the possibility of genetic improvement, either by facilitating the selection of candidate genes for hypothesis-driven studies of gene-trait relations or by genomics-assisted breeding for desirable traits. However, the genomic data will be of limited use without a more mechanistic understanding of the genes underlying traits that are important for biological control. Additionally, molecular tools are required to fully translate the genomic resources into further functional studies and better biological control.
Analysis of Lost Frames,Error Codes and Time Delay and Judgment of Event Alarm in the Digital Energy Metering Process

In view of the phenomena of lost frames,error codes and time delay in the digital energy metering process in the IEC 61850 protocol,this paper introduced a judgment method for such events as lost frames,error codes and time delay,which was based on the interpolation algorithm. The energy metering error rate caused by lost frames,error codes and time delay was first calculated through analytical calculation in order to have an accurate and clear awareness of it. And then this paper proposed using the interpolation algorithm to calculate the energy metering error.The results were used to judge the seriousness of package loss so as to judge the status of data transmission network,and thereby alert and event records should be generated. The Matlab simulation results showed that the interpolation algorithm could accurately calculate the energy metering error caused by lost frames,error codes and time delay and provide a basis for the event alert of lost frames,error codes and time delay in the digital energy metering process.
The impacts of enteral nutrition deficiency in patients with diversion colitis

Objective To investigate the influence of enteral nutrition deficiency on the development of diversion colitis in children,and the endoscopic characteristics of diversion colitis in children. Methods Clinical data and results of endoscopic examination of one hundred and twenty six patients with diversion colitis were collected from September 1999 to December 2008. The associated factors including pre-operative infection,different surgically-created enterostomies,symptoms after surgery,duration of diversion colitis,disappearance of inflammation after the closure of stoma were analyzed. Results All of the patients were grouped using the above factors,the incidences of endoscopic changes including exclusion of colonic mucosa erosion,ulcers,inflammatory polyps were compared. The occurrence of above changes was much higher in patients with clinical symptoms(P 0.05) ,and with diversion time more than 3 months(P 0.05) . Positive infection rate and different surgical enterostomies were not significantly associated with the occurrence of above changes(P 0.05) . Eighty-five patients received endoscopic examination 3 months after stoma closure operation,the results showed self-healing of diversion colitis. Conclusions Enteral nutrition deficiency was one of the main reasons for the development of diversion colitis in children. Endoscopy was a useful tool for early diagnosis and treatment of diversion colitis in children.
Drug-Induced Psychoses: II

Psychotic states due to deliberate or accidental overdosage or misuse of ordinarily useful agents are far more prevalent than is commonly recognized. Routine screening for drug intoxication of all disturbed patients when they are first seen, plus more careful history taking, might delineate the size of the problem and lead to more rational treatment.
Reversed Seromuscular Flaps in the Urinary Tract in Dogs

Reversed seromuscular flaps of ileum and standard bowel replacement procedures were performed in 16 dogs to evaluate their potential to decrease the likelihood of recognized complications in cases of standard bowel replacement. Of 12 dogs augmentation cystoplasty was done in 6 and ureteral replacement was done in 6. In each group 4 procedures were performed using reversed seromuscular flap, while the remaining 2 were done in the conventional manner (controls). All flap animals had partial to full re-epithelialization with transitional cells but they also had gross and microscopic evidence of flap contraction at the end of 6 months. In the flap augmentation group intravesical pressure measured preoperatively at bladder volumes of 30 cc and 60 cc averaged 25.8 and 45.8 mm. Hg compared to sacrifice pressures of 56.7 and 80.8 mm. Hg. Monthly serum blood urea nitrogen measurements were lower in reversed seromuscular flap animals compared to controls. An additional 4 dogs were studied to help elucidate the etiology of graft contraction, of which 2 underwent reversed seromuscular flap enterocystoplasty with no mucosal stripping while 2 had a procedure exposing intact intestinal serosa to the lumen of the bladder and urine. All of these animals demonstrated good re-epithelialization of the serosal surface with transitional cells as well as little or no evidence of flap fibrosis or contraction. Our results demonstrate that the use of reversed seromuscular flaps in the urinary tract in dogs results in good re-epithelialization of the serosal surface with transitional cells but also flap contraction. This fibrosis and scarring process is largely due to the trauma of mucosal stripping and not urine contact.
Deterioration of semen parameters over time in men with untreated varicocele: evidence of progressive testicular damage.

Objective To report observations of semen parameters in men with untreated varicocele over time. Design Semen parameters in 13 men with varicoceles were obtained at initial presentation, and re-evaluated at a 9 to 96-month interval because of persistent infertility. Setting Outpatient male fertility clinic. Patients, Participants Thirteen men who presented for fertility evaluation and who were found to have varicocele(s) and normal semen parameters. Re-evaluation was performed because of continued fertility problems. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measure Semen parameters, especially sperm density, sperm mobility, and total sperm. Results Statistically significant deterioration was noted from normal to abnormal. Conclusion In males with varicocele(s), normal semen parameters should not routinely be expected to remain normal over time.
Occupational diseases of the musculoskeletal system of the SUVA (Swiss Accident Insurance Institute)

First there is given a definition of occupation related diseases of the musculoskeletal system as a subject to the Swiss federal law of social insurance. As a relation to age and sex, the incidence, the following time of work incapacity and the financial consequences of disability are reported within a period from 1970 to 1983. Although the results are highly specific to Swiss legislation, the international comparison might be of interest.
Temporal and spatial dynamics of a bipolar pulsed plasma at audio frequency

Plasmas have been utilized extensively in various processing applications. Both radio-frequency (rf) and pulsed discharges have been employed by the community. We investigated the two methods of plasma generation and observed interesting differences. Optical emission spectroscopy shows higher-intensity emission in the UV/visible range for the pulsed plasma comparing to the rf plasma at comparable powers. Data suggest that the electron energy is higher for the pulsed plasma leading to higher ionization, resulting in increased ion density and flux. Motivated by this observation and preliminary modeling suggesting that the polarity reversal in the pulsed plasma plays a key role in supporting interesting transport phenomena, experiments were conducted to further investigate the plasma dynamics and temporal evolution during the pulses. Diode laser absorption and laser induced fluorescence (LIF) provide time- and space-resolved measurements of the argon 1S5 metastable concentration (correlated with the plasma E/N), while laser collision-induced fluorescence (LCIF) provides complementary information on the electron density. Plasma-induced emission provides information on the temporal and spatial evolution of the bulk plasma. The various optical data suggest highly asymmetric dynamics characterizing the positive and negative voltage phases of the discharge.
Placental maternal vascular malperfusion and adverse pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus

Abstract Introduction Maternal vascular malperfusion (MVM) lesions represent hypoxic-ischemic damage to the placenta, and they are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Women with gestational diabetes (GDM) are at increased risk for pregnancy complications, so we set out to characterize the prevalence and clinical correlates of MVM lesions in this cohort. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of 1187/1374 (86.4%) women with GDM delivered between 2009 and 2012 who had placental pathology available. Placental lesions of all types were tabulated and grouped into constructs of related entities. MVM lesions specifically included villous infarcts, decidual vasculopathy, increased syncytial knots, perivillous fibrin, and fibrin deposition. We compared maternal characteristics between women with and without MVM lesions, and we also assessed the impact of these lesions on birth weight, preterm birth, and pre-eclampsia using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results MVM lesions were the most common placental lesion type in women with GDM (n = 362, 30.5%). Excess gestational weight gain was independently associated with MVM lesions (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.06–1.91, p = 0.02) after adjusting for maternal characteristics. MVM lesions were associated with lower birth weight (−90.3 g, 95% CI -148.0 to −32.7, p = 0.002), as well as a 2-fold increased risk for delivery of a small for gestational age infant (10.8 vs 5.9%, p = 0.01) in overweight and obese women. MVM lesions were also associated with increased risk for preterm birth Discussion Placental maternal vascular malperfusion lesions may be one pathway linking excess gestational weight gain to adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with GDM, and future studies are needed to identify metabolic factors that may explain this association.
LabLinker: Finding Links of Laboratory Test Results between Structured Records and Clinical Notes

Laboratory test results can be stored as structured data in electronic health records (EHRs), or embedded in unstructured clinical notes. In this study, we built a system, LabLinker, to link the lab test result mentions in clinical notes to structured lab test records. We studied the data of 104 diabetes patients from 2001 to 2014, specifically, glucose and HbA1c, to demonstrate the effectiveness of LabLinker. Our results show 22% of glucose and 46% of HbA1c values in EHR are mentioned in clinical notes, and the usages of patient-owned medical devices and results from other institutions can lead to the absence of structured lab test records.
Profiling Radar Observations and Numerical Simulations of a Downslope Wind Storm and Rotor on the Lee of the Medicine Bow Mountains in Wyoming

This study describes a downslope wind storm event observed over the Medicine Bow range (Wyoming, USA) on 11 January 2013. The University of Wyoming King Air (UWKA) made four along-wind passes over a five-hour period over the mountain of interest. These passes were recognized as among the most turbulent ones encountered in many years by crew members. The MacCready turbulence meter aboard the UWKA measured moderate to severe turbulence conditions on each pass in the lee of the mountain range, with eddy dissipation rate values over 0.5 m2/3 s−1. Three rawinsondes were released from an upstream location at different times. This event is simulated using the non-hydrostatic Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model at an inner- domain resolution of 1 km. The model produces a downslope wind storm, notwithstanding some discrepancies between model and rawinsonde data in terms of upstream atmospheric conditions. Airborne Wyoming Cloud Radar (WCR) vertical-plane Doppler velocity data from two beams, one pointing to the nadir and one pointing slant forward, are synthesized to obtain a two-dimensional velocity field in the vertical plane below flight level. This synthesis reveals the fine-scale details of an orographic wave breaking event, including strong, persistent downslope acceleration, a strong leeside updraft (up to 10 m·s−1) flanked by counter-rotating vortices, and deep turbulence, extending well above flight level. The analysis of WCR-derived cross-mountain flow in 19 winter storms over the same mountain reveals that cross-mountain flow acceleration and downslope wind formation are difficult to predict from upstream wind and stability profiles.
Stronger Together? The USW-Mondragon Union Co-op Model:

In 2009, United Steelworkers (USW) and Mondragon signed an agreement to promote union co-ops: firms that combine democratic worker ownership and union membership. Eleven U.S. initiatives now seek t...