cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The uncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonists ketamine and memantine preferentially increase the choice for a small, immediate reward in low-impulsive rats

Impulsive behavior is categorically differentiated between impulsive action, the inability to withhold from acting out a response, and impulsive choice, the greater preference for an immediate and smaller reward over a delayed but more advantageous reward. While the effects of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonists on impulsive action have been extensively characterized, there are very few and conflicting reports on the effects of this class of drugs on impulsive choice. Using a modified adjusting delay task, we investigated the effects of uncompetitive and competitive blockade of NMDA receptors on impulsive choice. Male Wistar rats were trained in a modified adjusting delay task, which involved repeated choice between a low reinforcing solution delivered immediately and a highly reinforcing solution delivered after a variable delay. Rats were then administered either the NMDA receptor uncompetitive antagonists ketamine or memantine, or the competitive antagonists D-AP-5 or CGS 19755. Ketamine treatment dose-dependently increased impulsive choice, and this effect was selective for low-impulsive but not high-impulsive rats. Similarly, memantine treatment dose-dependently increased impulsive choice with a preferential effect for low-impulsive rats. While D-AP-5 treatment did not affect impulsive choice, CGS 19755 increased impulsivity, however, at the same doses at which it caused a marked response inhibition. NMDA receptor uncompetitive, but not competitive, antagonists significantly increased impulsive choice, preferentially in low-impulsive rats. These findings demonstrate that the effects of NMDA receptor blockade on impulsive choice are not generalizable and depend on the specific mechanism of action of the antagonist used.
Comments on the Furedy/Shellenberger-Green debate.

In two recent papers, Furedy (1985) and Green and Shellenberger (1986) outlined their respective positions on issues surrounding the evaluation of the effectiveness of biofeedback in the clinic and laboratory. On behalf of the program committee of the 1986 annual meeting of the Biofeedback Society of America, it was my good fortune to be able to persuade these commentators to present their.views in a debate format such as was used to address other issues facing researchers and clinicians in earlier meetings of the society. The result was a spirited session with its share of misunderstandings, lack of mutual definitions, and unresolved p rob l ems in short, a resounding success, just as the program committee had hoped. Following the debate, since everyone involved felt that the issues were of broader interest than just to the attendees at the annual meeting, it was agreed that the participants would restate their positions in a publishable form and invite some additional written comments, such as the present one.
Change in health-related quality of life over the menopausal transition in a multiethnic cohort of middle-aged women: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation.

Objective The aim of this study was to examine changes in health-related quality of life (HRQL) during the menopausal transition, controlling for chronological aging, symptoms, and other covariates. Methods This was a prospective, longitudinal study of women aged 42 to 52 years at baseline recruited at seven US sites (N = 3,302) in the multiethnic Study of Women's Health Across the Nation. Women eligible for the cohort had an intact uterus, had at least one ovary, were not currently using exogenous hormones, were either premenopausal or early perimenopausal, and were self-identified as one of the study's designated racial/ethnic groups. Data from the baseline interview and six annual follow-up visits are reported. HRQL was assessed with five subscales from the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey, with reduced functioning defined as being in the lowest 25% on a subscale. Covariates included symptoms, medical conditions, sociodemographics variables, physical activity, and psychological factors. Results With adjustment for baseline age, chronological aging, and relevant covariates, the odds of reduced role-physical functioning were significantly greater at late perimenopause (odds ratio, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.08-1.99) and postmenopause (odds ratio, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.09-2.04) compared with premenopause. Menopause status was unrelated to bodily pain, vitality, role-emotional, or social functioning. Hormone therapy users were more likely to report reduced functioning. Other variables significantly related to HRQL across all domains included vasomotor symptoms, urine leakage, poor sleep, arthritis, depressed mood, perceived stress, and stressful life events. Conclusions The menopausal transition showed little impact on HRQL when adjusted for symptoms, medical conditions, and stress.
Causal effects of time-dependent treatments in older patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Background Treatment selection for elderly patients with lung cancer must balance the benefits of curative/life-prolonging therapy and the risks of increased mortality due to comorbidities. Lung cancer trials generally exclude patients with comorbidities and current treatment guidelines do not specifically consider comorbidities, so treatment decisions are usually made on subjective individual-case basis. Methods Impacts of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy mono-treatment as well as combined chemo/radiation on one-year overall survival (compared to no-treatment) are studied for stage-specific lung cancer in 65+ y.o. patients. Methods of causal inference such as propensity score with inverse probability weighting (IPW) for time-independent and marginal structural model (MSM) for time-dependent treatments are applied to SEER-Medicare data considering the presence of comorbid diseases. Results 122,822 patients with stage I (26.8%), II (4.5%), IIIa (11.5%), IIIb (19.9%), and IV (37.4%) lung cancer were selected. Younger age, smaller tumor size, and fewer baseline comorbidities predict better survival. Impacts of radio- and chemotherapy increased and impact of surgery decreased with more advanced cancer stages. The effects of all therapies became weaker after adjustment for selection bias, however, the changes in the effects were minor likely due to the weak selection bias or incompleteness of the list of predictors that impacted treatment choice. MSM provides more realistic estimates of treatment effects than the IPW approach for time-independent treatment. Conclusions Causal inference methods provide substantive results on treatment choice and survival of older lung cancer patients with realistic expectations of potential benefits of specific treatments. Applications of these models to specific subsets of patients can aid in the development of practical guidelines that help optimize lung cancer treatment based on individual patient characteristics.
Delay analysis of the FDDI synchronous data class

An analytical model is applied to predict the performance of the FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) network in satisfying the delay constraints on the synchronous-class data frames. An example which illustrates the application of the analytic work and provides insight into the relationships between network performance and the negotiated parameter values of the FDDI protocol is given. In particular, the example demonstrates that while the current FDDI priority scheme guarantees a station will receive the token within a specified time, it does not guarantee that all waiting synchronous packets will meet their deadlines. >
Murine B cell differentiation is accompanied by programmed expression of multiple novel β-galactoside α2,6-sialyltransferase mRNA forms

ST6Gal I (beta-galactoside alpha2,6-sialyltransferase, ST6N) elaborates the ubiquitously expressed alpha2,6-sialyl linkage. A number of ST6Gal I mRNA isoforms, differing only in their 5'-UT regions, is transcribed from a single mouse gene, Siat1. In B-lineage cells, alpha2,6-sialic acid serves as extracellular ligand for CD22, a participant in cell activation via an intracellular signaling network of tyrosine kinases and SHP phosphastase. Activation and terminal differentiation of mature B cells into plasma cells is accompanied by the appearance of at least four distinct ST6Gal I mRNA isoforms. Resting splenic B-lymphocytes isolated from 8-12 wk C56Bl/6 mice expressed almost exclusively the Exons Q+O-containing form, which is the likely homolog to the previously documented human Y+Z and rat -1+0 forms. In vitro activation using recombinant CD40-ligand and conditioned media from T-helper cells resulted in a 2- to 3-fold elevation of overall ST6Gal I mRNA abundance by Day 3. This coincided with repression of the Q+O form, and appearance of three new isoforms containing 5'-untranslated sequences X(1), X(2), or X(3). The X(1)form persisted through Day 10, when the transition of B cells to plasma cells was completed as evidence by disappearance of CD22 mRNA. In contrast, the X(2)form only transiently appeared at Day 3 and declined to barely detectable levels by Day 7. Expression of the X(3)form, a minor mRNA form, paralleled the X(2)form. The divergent 5'-UT exons are dispersed over 69 kb of linear genomic space of Siat1. Mutually exclusive utilization of these 5'-UT exons in transcripts predicts separate and distinct promoter regulatory regions for each mRNA isoform.
Fragments of Economic Accountability and Trade Policy

While there has been a prodigious amount of literature on trade policy written in the past two decades, very little of that literature has dealt with countries in economic transition or nondemocratic regimes. There has also been a lack of work dealing with state interests in trade policy beyond realpolitik discussions of national security. This article seeks to fill some of these gaps through a study of two samples: one of liberalization in 25 post-Communist countries between the years 1991 and 1999 and the other of 124 countries from around the world in 1997. The study concludes that a key element in the choice between free trade and protectionism is the level of “fragmentation of economic accountability.” Such fragmentation consists of two major components: (1) the existence of a strong capitalist class that is independent of the government; and (2) the dispersion of political power among actors both inside and outside the government. Where the government is more accountable to a wide range of interests, policies are more likely to be aligned with market mechanisms, encouraging the adoption of reforms, including the liberalization of trade policy. This article builds on the conclusions of Frye and Mansfield in several ways: (1) it embeds political fragmentation into a larger theoretical framework of economic accountability of government institutions; (2) it introduces the importance of state ownership in shaping government interests; (3) it introduces an idea of social, not just institutional, accountability; and (4) it proposes a statist view of trade policy that is lacking in the present literature.
Effects of Coriolis and Centrifugal Forces on the Melt during Directional Solidification of a Binary Alloy

Nonlinear solutal convection in a melt with a planar solidifying surface and subjected to rotational effects due to both Coriolis and centrifugal forces was investigated in the limit of small segregation. An evolution equation was derived governing the cellular structure of the flow of a binary alloy. The effects due to both Coriolis and centrifugal forces on the flow of the melt and on the onset of cellular structure were determined asymptotically.
On Agency and the Ethnographic Project

There is much that I appreciate in Susana Narotzky’s “The Project in the Model: Reciprocity, Social Capital, and the Politics of Ethnographic Realism” (CA 48:403–27). Drawing on her work in Spain, the author problematizes the concepts of reciprocity, embeddedness, and social capital in the recent anthropological literature and makes a number of valuable points regarding the politics of the production of scholarly knowledge, the tension between specificity and abstraction in the generation of anthropological concepts, and the need for historicity in ethnographic writing. Although I wholeheartedly agree with her argument for using “reflexive historical realism” in addressing the political projects that we promote through our writings and to enable scientific comparison, I am skeptical about her treatment of agency, an issue that in my opinion has not been addressed adequately in either the article or the commentaries accompanying its publication. Specifically, it seems to me that Narotzky questions critical engagement with the theoretical models produced by scholarly work. While she argues that the social reality that ethnographers construct is enmeshed in multiple conceptions of reality that are held by the subjects of fieldwork research, she maintains that the reality produced by scholars ultimately provides the structure that allows for social and political action favoring capitalist development. She suggests, for example, that the concepts of reciprocity, embeddedness, and social capital have become hegemonic and devoid of historical specificity in economic anthropology and that they promote neoliberal capitalism and the reduction of state control over economic activities. Despite or rather because of their abstractness, these concepts allegedly create a framework that prevents social actors from articulating a discourse on local specificities and constrains them to pursue the path of Western capitalist development instead. Her depiction of social reality rests on the proposition that when social scientists who work with economic development agencies such as the World Bank use the terms “reciprocity,” “embeddedness,” or “social capital,” they promote an understanding of social relations in market terms and, most importantly, negate the possibility of the existence of alternative social relations. Narotzky’s paradigm also presupposes that subjective action can be conditioned only by the social reality produced by theory.
CHEMICAL EXCHANGES BETWEEN SEDIMENTS AND WATER IN THE GREAT LAKES-SPECULATIONS ON PROBABLE REGULATORY MECHANISMS1

As long as the oxygen concentration at the sediment surface does not fall below 1 or 2 mg/liter, typical deep-water sediments in the Great Lakes will probably be found to exert a measurable but quantitatively unimportant influence oa the chemistry of the overlying waters. This conclusion is supported by the case of Windermere. The sequence of more conspicuous changes that take place when the oxygen does fall below 1 mg/liter at the interface is illustrated by the case of Esthwaite Water, representative of events in lakes where biological production or organic pollution is high, where the subthermocline volume is relatively small, or both. A progressive decline in oxygen comncentration from 2 mg/liter to analytical zero at the interface was accompanied by a fall in electrode potential in the upper few millimeters of sediment, co~rrclated with mobilization and transfer into the water first of manganese and later of iron. There is a concurrent transfer into the water of substantial quantities of phosphate, previously held in complex form, which may have important biological consequences. Other changes include libcration into the water of ammonia and silicate. Further reduction of the water-sediment system permits microbial reduction of sulfate. A third example of sediment-water exchange occurs during winter stratification under ice cover. In Tornetrask, in the course of 95 days of ice cover, a relatively thin layer of bottom water, initially at lC, gained heat and bicarbonate from and lost oxygen to the sediments. The density increase, arising from the heat gain, set density currents in motion that drained this contact water into the deepest parts of topographically isolated subbasins.
Family Issues in ASD

Parents of children with ASD face many struggles. They have a very short learning curve, and they must be consistent, provide an incredible amount of advocacy and support to their child with ASD, balance the needs of the child with ASD with the needs of their other children, manage their career and their home life, select evidence-based interventions, conduct research to find the most effective educational programs, finance therapeutic interventions, learn to deal with the everyday challenges of ASD, find time for their spouse, their friendships, and other familial ties, and somehow find time for respite. A diagnosis of ASD presents the family with a lifetime of challenges; life is never ordinary and routine occurrences (shopping, visiting friends, exploring a different route by car) can become very difficult. This chapter discusses some of the needs and issues of parents of children with ASD, describes ways technology provides assistance, and offers cautions for the use of technology in the home.
Expression of Connexin-26, -32, and -43 Gap Junction Proteins in the Porcine Cervix and Uterus During Pregnancy and Relaxin-Induced Growth

Connexin (CX) proteins participate in growth, differentiation, and tissue remodeling. Relaxin-stimulated reproductive tissue growth and remodeling may be facilitated by enhanced intracellular communication. This study was an examination of the effects of relaxin in vivo on expression of CX-26, CX-32, and CX-43 in the cervix and uterus of prepubertal pigs. In addition, expression of these proteins was monitored in the sow uterus during pregnancy. Relaxin was administered to prepubertal gilts every 6 h for 54 h. CX expression was characterized by immunoblotting and localized by immunofluorescence. Significant increases in all three CXs were observed in the cervix following relaxin treatment (P < 0.05). Uterine CX proteins were also significantly higher (P < 0.05) in relaxin-treated animals compared to controls. The CX protein level in relaxin-treated animals was similar to that observed during the second half of pregnancy, but below levels found in mature, nonpregnant sows. This is the first evidence for specific CX expression in the porcine cervix, and the first study to show that relaxin increases the expression of CX proteins in the porcine uterus and cervix. The data show that CX proteins are differentially regulated in the uterus of the pig during pregnancy. These data support a role for CX-mediated communication during relaxin-induced reproductive tissue growth and remodeling.
Radiotracer and thermal desorption studies of dehydrogenation and atmospheric hydrogenation of organic fragments obtained from [14C]ethylene chemisorbed over Pt(111) surfaces

The energetics and reversibility of ethylene sequential dehydrogenation on the (111) platinum single crystal surface has been investigated at 300–600 K using thermal desorption spectroscopy and a carbon-14 radiotracer technique. Ethylidyne species produced by [14C]C2H4 chemisorption at 300–400 K were stable with respect to hydrogenation at room temperature. However, at atmospheric hydrogen pressure and temperatures above 350 K, ethylidyne species were easily eliminated from the platinum surface by hydrogenation. For [14C]C2H4 adsorption temperatures above 450 K, radiotracer studies revealed the presence of both “active” and “inactive” forms of partially dehydrogenated carbonaceous deposits on the platinum surface which differ greatly in their reactivity for hydrogenation and hydrogen transfer with unlabeled hydrocarbons. The inactive fraction increased with increasing adsorption temperature as the surface species became more hydrogen deficient. Removal of the active 14C-containing species by hydrogen transfer occurred readily.
An Integrative Review of Nurse-Led Community-Based Case Management Effectiveness.

Background Accountable, continuous and patient-centred care in community-based settings is increasingly needed to reduce fragmented care, especially to reduce patient readmission rates. Case management has been proven effective in reducing healthcare costs and in increasing continuity of care, but its effectiveness in community-based settings is not clear. Aim The aim of this integrative review is to examine the effectiveness of community-based case management programmes in improving patient outcomes. Methods An integrative review of articles from PubMed, CINAHL and PsycInfo databases was undertaken to synthesize and analyse research about community-based case management and its outcomes. Studies looking for patient outcomes and empirical studies published since 2000 were included. A total 18 articles were retrieved from 2000 to 2013. Results Most of the included studies were conducted in the USA, but international studies with quantitative approaches were reviewed (n = 6). The review revealed that community-based case management significantly reduced hospital access outcomes, especially readmissions and increased cost effectiveness, patient clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Limitations This study did not isolate studies of patients with diseases or demographic characteristics in common, resulting in large variations in disease and demographic factors. Conclusion There is a base of evidence that community-based case management is effective. Because it provides quality, patient-centred care, case management should be used for major care coordination. Implications for Nursing and Health Policy The benefits of community-based case management need to be announced to healthcare leaders and policymakers.
Antimicrobial effect of diallyl sulphide on Campylobacter jejuni biofilms

Received 27 January 2012; returned 28 February 2012; revised 9 March 2012; accepted 20 March 2012Objectives: Bacterial bioﬁlms pose signiﬁcant food safety risks because of theirattachment to fomites and foodsurfaces, including fresh produce surfaces. The purpose of this study was to systematically investigate theactivity of selected antimicrobials on Campylobacter jejuni bioﬁlms.Methods: C. jejuni bioﬁlms and planktonic cells were treated with ciproﬂoxacin, erythromycin and diallylsulphide and examined using infrared and Raman spectroscopies coupled with imaging analysis.Results: Diallyl sulphide eliminated planktonic cells and sessile cells in bioﬁlms at a concentration that was atleast 100-fold less than used for either ciproﬂoxacin or erythromycin on the basis of molarity. Distinct cell lysiswas observed in diallyl sulphide-treated planktonic cells using immunoblot analysis and was conﬁrmed by arapid decrease in cellular ATP. Two phases of C. jejuni bioﬁlm recalcitrance modes against ciproﬂoxacin anderythromycin were validated using vibrational spectroscopies: (i) an initial hindered adsorption into bioﬁlmextracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and delivery of antibiotics to sessile cells within bioﬁlms; and (ii) adifferent interaction between sessile cells in a bioﬁlm compared with their planktonic counterparts. Diallylsulphide destroyed the EPS structure of the C. jejuni bioﬁlm, after which the sessile cells were killed in asimilar manner as planktonic cells. Spectroscopic models can predict the survival of sessile cells within bioﬁlms.Conclusions: Diallyl sulphide elicits strong antimicrobial activity against planktonic and sessile C. jejuni and mayhave applications for reducing the prevalence of this microbe in foods, bioﬁlm reduction and, potentially, as analternative chemotherapeutic agent for multidrug-resistant bacterial strains.Keywords: antimicrobial mode, antibiotic, bioanalytical spectroscopy, Raman imaging
Olfactory learning in the rat neonate soon after birth.

The first hours of a newborn rat’s life entail locating and attaching to the mother’s nipple not only for nutrition but also for protection and warmth. The present study sought to characterize olfactory learning in the rat neonate immediately after birth. Newborn rats were exposed to an odor at various time periods soon after birth and tested for behavioral activation and attachment to a surrogate nipple in the presence of this odor at 4–5 hours postpartum. Regardless of when pups were presented the odor (0, 1, or 2 hours after birth) motor activity was greater among pups previously exposed to the odor than pups with no odor experience. Similarly, latency to attach to the nipple in the presence of the odor was lower among odor-preexposed pups, especially when odor exposure began within an hour of cesarean delivery. Odor exposure immediately after birth for just 15 minutes was sufficient to increase motor activity and to decrease latency to attach to a similarly scented surrogate nipple. These results suggest that olfactory experience very soon after birth can shape subsequent olfactory responses. The relative importance of the dearth of postnatal experience or of elevated neurochemicals immediately after birth and possible associative mechanisms underlying this learning is discussed.
Polymer degradation during combustion

A novel driven-rod, radiant pyrolysis technique has been used to study the steady-state linear regression of vertically mounted poly(methyl methacrylate) and polypropylene rods degrading from the top under high-flux, nonflaming conditions that simulate those of combustion. With this technique reliable temperature-depth and oxygen-depth profiles have been obtained and used to calculate the observed mass loss rates and to elucidate the mode of polymer degradation during combustion, respectively. For poly(methyl methacrylate) burning in this rod configuration, condensed phase oxidation is unimportant and the degradation mechanism is similar to that under more conventional slow-heating conditions in the absence of air. In contrast, for burning polypropylene condensed phase oxidation occurs; the lack of oxygen incorporation suggests that the polymer degrades by oxygen-promoted pyrolysis.
Intensity Statistics and Normalization

The “fundamental theorem” of X-ray crystallography is (see, e.g., Coppens, 1996; Bricogne, 1996) the dual-space Fourier transform relationship $$F(h)\rho (r)$$ (1) between crystal structure factors in reciprocal space, $$F(h) = T[\rho (r)] = \int\limits_v {{d^3}r\rho (r)\exp + (2\pi ih \bullet r)} $$ (2) and the unit-cell electron density distribution in crystal space, $$\rho (r) = {T^{ - 1}}[F(h)] = {V^{ - 1}}\sum\nolimits_h {F(h)exp( - 2\pi ih \bullet r)} $$ (3) .
The Effect of Phonological Encoding on Word Duration: Selection Takes Time

In this chapter, we investigate whether the process of phonological encoding plays a role in determining the duration of a word. We explore whether points of complexity in word production as predicted by a simple recurrent network also predict points within a word at which speakers slow down. Simple recurrent networks were trained to produce two different words under two conditions: In the first condition, the two words in the sequence overlapped in their initial morphemes (e.g., layover layout) and in the second condition, the words overlapped in their final morpheme (e.g., overlay outlay). The network experienced the most error for words that overlapped initially and at points of word non-overlap. Participants who produced these same sequences in a repetition task exhibited lengthening at points of complexity predicted by the network. We propose that lengthening may be partly a result of the phonological encoding system needing processing time.
Measurement of jet pT spectra and RAA in pp and Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector

Abstract Hard-scattered partons provide an ideal probe for the study of the Quark–Gluon Plasma because they are produced prior to the formation of the QCD medium in heavy-ion collisions. Jet production is therefore susceptible to modifications induced by the presence of the medium (“jet quenching”). Both RHIC and LHC experiments have provided compelling evidence of jet quenching. Jets are reconstructed in ALICE utilizing the central tracking system for the charged constituents and the Electromagnetic Calorimeter for the neutral constituents. Jet spectra are reported for central (0–10%) and semi-central (10–30%) Pb–Pb events at s NN = 2.76 TeV . The nuclear modification factor, determined using a pp baseline measured at the same collisional energy, shows a strong suppression of jet production in central Pb–Pb collisions with the expected centrality ordering. Observations are in qualitative agreement with medium-induced energy loss models. Furthermore, indication of a path-length dependence of jet suppression is inferred from measurements of the yields relative to the orientation of the event plane.
The Role of Chain Size and Customer Type on Survival: Evidence from Multi-Unit Restaurants

Economies of scale in branding, operation, and learning seemingly foster large chains’ competitive dominance. Anecdotal evidence and a few studies, however, find that large chains do not necessarily outgrow and outperform small ones. We reconcile these anomalies by applying the notion of external fit to chain organizations of different sizes. Specifically, we posit that relative to small chains, large chains perform better in markets where customer preferences are similar but perform worse in idiosyncratic, local markets since large chains are less able to adapt operations across geography. Using a sample of restaurant chains in the San Francisco Bay Area, we find that establishments affiliated with larger chains survive better in markets frequented by transient customers, whereas establishments in smaller restaurant chains endure longer in markets where local customers are the more likely patrons. Our results thus demonstrate the importance of optimizing the external fit between organizational strategy and environmental resources.
Understanding Nonprofit Transparency: The Limits of Formal Regulation in the American Nonprofit Sector

This article describes and analyzes the regulation of transparency in American nonprofit organizations in comparison to similar regulation of American public sector agencies. Transparency is a symbol for accountability and a critically important dimension of nonprofit organizations, which are private and voluntary but chartered by government for public purposes. Federal policy aimed at nonprofit transparency relies on formal regulation, and some guidance can be drawn from examining nonprofit regulation in comparison to the formal regulatory schemes designed to ensure transparency of public sector government agencies. However, formal transparency regulation of nonprofits is not as extensive as that of the public sector, and current illustrations from the nonprofit arena indicate that formal regulation does not address typical public concerns about nonprofit transparency. Instead, nonprofits may need to turn to normative sector values, including trust and collaboration, in order to be considered transparent...
Structural Disadvantage and Latino Violent Offending Assessing the Latino Paradox in Context of Established Versus Emerging Latino Destinations

A long-standing finding in criminology is that structural disadvantage is a robust predictor of violence. Aligned with this finding is the racial invariance thesis, which states that the causes of ...
Sparing of riboflavin in rats by 6,7-dimethyl-9-(omega-hydroxyalkyl)isoalloxazines.

SummaryA series of ω-hydroxyalkylfla-vins with 2 to 6 carbon chain lengths are shown to markedly enhance the utilization of normally suboptimal amounts of riboflavin given to growing rats. These analogs cannot function in place of the vitamin, but may decrease its metabolic destruction.
Exploiting Electrocorticographic Spectral Characteristics for Optimized Signal Chain Design: A 1.08 Analog Front End With Reduced ADC Resolution Requirements

Electrocorticography (ECoG) is an important area of research for Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) development. ECoG, along with some other biopotentials, has spectral characteristics that can be exploited for more optimal front-end performance than is achievable with conventional techniques. This paper optimizes noise performance of such a system and discusses an equalization technique that reduces the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) dynamic range requirements and eliminates the need for a variable gain amplifier (VGA). We demonstrate a fabricated prototype in 1p9m 65 nm CMOS that takes advantage of the presented findings to achieve high-fidelity, full-spectrum ECoG recording. It requires 1.08 $\mu{\rm W}$ over a 150 Hz bandwidth for the entire analog front end and only 7 bits of ADC resolution.
Economic Effects of Commodity-Price Stabilisation

Several underdeveloped countries complain that their developmental efforts are severely hampered by persistent and violent fluctuations in international prices of their export products and that this phenomenon causes instability in export earnings, and hence, in the availability of foreign exchange, which is so vital for growth. There is a plethora of economic literature, which deals with whether or not the export earnings of the underdeveloped nations are substantially more unstable than those of the developed nations, whether this instability is the result of oscillations in prices or in export supplies of primary products, whether countries facing higher fluctuations in export earnings grow at a slower rate than countries with relatively steady export earnings, and a whole host of related questions.†
Elevated CO 2 increases energetic cost and ion movement in the marine fish intestine

Energetic costs associated with ion and acid-base regulation in response to ocean acidification have been predicted to decrease the energy available to fish for basic life processes. However, the low cost of ion regulation (6–15% of standard metabolic rate) and inherent variation associated with whole-animal metabolic rate measurements have made it difficult to consistently demonstrate such a cost. Here we aimed to gain resolution in assessing the energetic demand associated with acid-base regulation by examining ion movement and O2 consumption rates of isolated intestinal tissue from Gulf toadfish acclimated to control or 1900 μatm CO2 (projected for year 2300). The active marine fish intestine absorbs ions from ingested seawater in exchange for HCO3− to maintain water balance. We demonstrate that CO2 exposure causes a 13% increase of intestinal HCO3− secretion that the animal does not appear to regulate. Isolated tissue from CO2-exposed toadfish also exhibited an 8% higher O2 consumption rate than tissue from controls. These findings show that compensation for CO2 leads to a seemingly maladaptive persistent base (HCO3−) loss that incurs an energetic expense at the tissue level. Sustained increases to baseline metabolic rate could lead to energetic reallocations away from other life processes at the whole-animal level.
Against African Communalism

Communalism and its cognates continue to exercise a vise grip on the African intellectual imaginary. Whether the discussion is in ethics or social philosophy, in metaphysics or even, on occasion, epistemology, the play of communalism, a concept expounded in the next section, is so strong that it is difficult to escape its ubiquity. In spite of this, there is little serious analysis of the concept and its implications in the contemporary context. Yet, at no other time than now can a long-suffering continent use some robust debates on its multiple inheritances regarding how to organize life and thought in order to deliver a better future for its population. Given the continual resort to communalism as, among others, the standard of ethical behavior, the blueprint for restoring Africans to wholeness and organizing our social life, as well as a template for political reorganization across the continent, one cannot overemphasize the importance of contributing some illumination to the discourse surrounding the idea. This essay seeks to offer a little illumination in this respect. Additionally, it offers a criticism of what all—proponents and antagonists alike—take to be a defensible version of communalism: moderate communalism. I shall be arguing that communalism, generally, has a problem with the individual. And the African variant of it, mostly subscribed to by the African scholars discussed below and defended by them as something either peculiar to or special in Africa, has an even harder time accommodating the individual. Yet, as history shows , until the modern age in which individualism is the principle of social ordering and mode of social living, a situation that privileges the individual, above all, various forms of communalism never really accorded the individual the recognition and forbearances that we now commonly associate with the idea. T he strongest variants of moderate communalism discuss ed here have a difficult time taking the individual seriously. I am not aware of anyone else ever having made such a case. These arguments are offer ed to show that (1) Africa and Africans need to take individualism seriously and (2) such have been the historical transformation that our diverse societies have undergone in the course of the last half a millennium that the types of communalism that are on offer do not appear to take this fact of radical change with the necessary urgency.
Distribution, Abundance, and Habitat Associations of Franklin’s Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus franklinii Sabine 1822)

To better inform conservation and management strategies directed at Franklin’s ground squirrel, Spermophilus franklinii, I reviewed published and unpublished accounts of the squirrel’s distribution, abundance, and principally, habitat associations. I present the body of literature on S. franklinii and include portions of original accounts to avoid potential bias from paraphrasing. A consensus of the literature indicates that S. franklinii is most frequently associated with habitat characterized by a mixture of grassy and woody vegetation, referred to as savanna-like or parkland habitat. Moreover, S. franklinii has had an affinity for this type of habitat throughout its geographic range in recent, historic, and even prehistoric times. This is in contrast to a view of the species as primarily associated with tallgrass prairie habitat. As indicated in the literature, populations of S. franklinii are subject to marked fluctuations, which probably are influenced by local disturbances in addition to regular dispersal events. In the southern part of its geographic range, S. franklinii is currently limited in its occurrence principally to roadside and railroad right-of-ways. In these southern regions S. franklinii is justifiably of conservation concern. I suggest that more detailed surveys for the species (such as those that have recently occurred in Illinois and Missouri) take place in Iowa and Kansas.
Bayes m -truncated sampling allocations for selecting the best Bernoulli population

Let Р1,…,Рk be k ≥ 2 independent Bernoulli populations with success probabilities θ1,…,θk, respectively. Suppose we want to find the population with the largest success probability, using a Bayes selection procedure based on a prior density π(θ), which is the product of k known Beta densities, and a linear loss L(θ,i), θ= (θ1,…,θk), i = 1,…, k. Assume that k independent samples of sizes n 1,…,n k , respectively, have been observed already at a first stage, and that m more observations are planned to be taken at a future second stage. The problem considered is how to allocate these m observations in a suitable manner among the k populations, given the information gathered so far. Several allocation schemes, which have been considered previously, are compared analytically as well as numerically with the optimum allocation rule which is based on backward optimization. The numerical results indicate that there exists a good approximation to the optimum allocation rule which is easier to implement.
Broadband ESR Spectroscopy With a Tunable Interferometer

This paper presents a broadband and quantitative electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy technique that is tunable over a wide frequency range. Different from the detection approaches in conventional ESR instrumentation, an interferometer-based method is used to remove radio frequency probing signals at the vector network analyzer (VNA) detector. As a result, high-resolution tuning enables highly sensitive ESR detection. A planar microwave resonator is designed at ~7.6 GHz and incorporated into the interferometer to measure $0.2~\mu \text{g}$ ( $2.8 \times 10^{14}$ spins) 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) sample at a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ~121 at room temperature. The broadband ESR operation capability is investigated with a broadband meander microstrip line (MML) by measuring $6~\mu \text{g}$ ( $8.4 \times 10^{15}$ ) DPPH between 8 and 13 GHz at a ~194 SNR with 10 kHz VNA intermediate frequency. The obtained sensitivity is significantly higher than that of current broadband ESR methods. In both MR and MML cases, dispersion and absorption ESR signals at room temperature are simultaneously obtained. With MML structures, the quantification of permeability $\mu (\omega )=\mu ' (\omega ) -j\mu ''(\omega )$ is possible. Thus, the ESR techniques are also a highly sensitive ferromagnetic resonance method. More work is needed to further improve ESR sensitivity and quantification accuracy.
Helcococcus kunzii prosthetic valve endocarditis secondary to lower extremity cellulitis.

An 88-year-old man with history of bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement was hospitalised with fever, chills, malaise and right lower extremity cellulitis. Laboratory investigations revealed leucocytosis and blood cultures grew Helcococcus kunzii. Although transoesophageal echocardiography was negative for endocarditis, the patient was treated with 4 week of intravenous ceftriaxone. However, he was readmitted 6 weeks later with symptoms of fever, chills and hypoxia in setting of recurrent H. kunzii bacteraemia. A repeat transoesophageal echocardiogram revealed a mobile mass on bioprosthetic aortic valve, severe perivalvular insufficiency with pseudoaneurysm formation, and severe native mitral and tricuspid valve regurgitation. Cardiothoracic surgery was consulted and the patient underwent replacement of aortic valve and aortic root, and tricuspid and mitral valve repairs. Histological examination of excised bioprosthetic aortic valve revealed active endocarditis with cocci identified on silver stain. Patient was successfully treated with 4-week course of intravenous ceftriaxone and was doing well at 2-year follow-up.
RIE process time optimization from real time sensory data

Abstract This paper addresses the issue of end point detection and etch time control for a reactive ion etch process. Our approach involves the use of neural networks to model functional relationship between an end point detection signal as well as various in situ measurements, and the resulting film thickness remaining. An optimization algorithm is then employed to determine the optimal etch time based on the neural network model in order to achieve the desired level of film thickness remaining. This circumvents the need for monitoring and operating on noisy end point detection signal typically associated with conventional detection schemes. Furthermore, a self-organizing map is incorporated as a process classifier for identifying the current operating condition of the reactive ion etch process, which provides an alternative for tracking process variations and uncertainties, without the need tor the on-line adaptation of model or controller parameters. Tested on data from 77 randomly selected wafers, our controller yields a film thickness distribution with the standard deviation of 6.54, a 50% improvement over the scheme currently implemented in production.
Parent-Implemented versus Clinician-Directed Interventions for Late-Talking Toddlers: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

When providing clinical services for late talkers, determining an appropriate interventionist is a key early decision. Although researchers have noted the effectiveness of parent-implemented interventions for some populations, few have specifically addressed late talkers. Late talkers are of considerable interest to early service providers and parents due to limited evidence-based intervention components with this population and the notion that early language deficits are significant risk factors for many disorders. The present study purpose is to describe general features of current research and ascertain intervention providers’ effectiveness. A systematic literature review resulted in eight studies reporting on seven data sets (N = 175 participants). Findings indicate treatment provided by either parents or clinicians can improve late talkers’ communication skills. Parent-implemented intervention emerged as potentially more effective than clinician-directed service provision based on outcome measures of...
Bernard Fall and Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare in Indochina

This article assesses Bernard Fall’s concept of Vietnamese Revolutionary Warfare in Indochina between 1953 and 1958. It also investigates differences in the conceptualization of Revolutionary Warfa...
Students’ Misconceptions and Other Difficulties in Introductory Programming: A Literature Review

Efforts to improve computer science education are underway, and teachers of computer science are challenged in introductory programming courses to help learners develop their understanding of programming and computer science. Identifying and addressing students’ misconceptions is a key part of a computer science teacher's competence. However, relevant research on this topic is not as fully developed in the computer science education field as it is in mathematics and science education. In this article, we first review relevant literature on general definitions of misconceptions and studies about students’ misconceptions and other difficulties in introductory programming. Next, we investigate the factors that contribute to the difficulties. Finally, strategies and tools to address difficulties including misconceptions are discussed.Based on the review of literature, we found that students exhibit various misconceptions and other difficulties in syntactic knowledge, conceptual knowledge, and strategic knowledge. These difficulties experienced by students are related to many factors including unfamiliarity of syntax, natural language, math knowledge, inaccurate mental models, lack of strategies, programming environments, and teachers’ knowledge and instruction. However, many sources of students’ difficulties have connections with students’ prior knowledge. To better understand and address students’ misconceptions and other difficulties, various instructional approaches and tools have been developed. Nevertheless, the dissemination of these approaches and tools has been limited. Thus, first, we suggest enhancing the dissemination of existing tools and approaches and investigating their long-term effects. Second, we recommend that computing education research move beyond documenting misconceptions to address the development of students’ (mis)conceptions by integrating conceptual change theories. Third, we believe that developing and enhancing instructors’ pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), including their knowledge of students’ misconceptions and ability to apply effective instructional approaches and tools to address students’ difficulties, is vital to the success of teaching introductory programming.