cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crop choice, trade costs, and agricultural productivity

Abstract I argue that the agricultural productivity puzzle is in large part a staple productivity puzzle. Using detailed data from Mexican farms, I show that most farmers grow staple crops, despite the fact that labor productivity in cash crops is substantially higher. To explain this pattern I develop a quantitative general equilibrium framework with multiple regions and crop types, subsistence requirements of staple food, and interregional trade costs. In equilibrium, most farming production is in staple crops because subsistence constraints and high trade costs prevent most farmers from specializing in cash crops. Reducing trade costs in Mexico to the U.S. level would raise the ratio of employment in cash crops to staples by 15 percent and generate a 13 percent increase in agricultural labor productivity.
Transient Effects of Cyclophosphamide on Basal Cell Proliferation of Olfactory Epithelia.

Cancer is often treated with broad-spectrum cytotoxic drugs that not only eradicate cancerous cells, but also have detrimental side effects. One of these side-effects, disruption of the olfactory system, impedes a patient's ability to smell, perceive flavor, and ultimately may interfere with their nutritional intake and recovery from cancer. Recent studies reported that the chemotherapy drug, cyclophosphamide (CYP), can damage gustatory epithelia and disrupt cell proliferation in olfactory epithelia. In this study, we asked if CYP altered globose and horizontal basal cell proliferation in the murine main olfactory epithelium (MOE) and vomeronasal organ (VNO). We used antibodies for Ki67, a marker strictly associated with cell proliferation, and Keratin 5, a marker for the cytoskeleton of horizontal basal cells. Our results revealed a significant CYP-induced decrease in the number of proliferative cells in both epithelia, especially globose basal cells in the MOE, within the first 1-2 days post injection. Recovery of cell renewal was apparent 6 days after injection. The immunohistochemical markers showed significantly higher levels of globose and horizontal basal cell proliferation in CYP-injected mice at 14- and 30-days post-injection compared to control mice. The prolonged proliferative activation of globose and horizontal basal cells suggests that, besides altering proliferation of olfactory epithelia, the epithelial substrate needed for successful cell renewal may be adversely affected by CYP.
Experimental analysis of effect of slitted rectangular fins on heat sink under natural convection heat transfer

Heat transfer augmentation from the heat sink is an ever-lasting topic in thermal engineering applications. In this work, a detailed experimental study is carried out to see the effect of the addit...
A joint bottom-up solution methodology for system-level pavement rehabilitation and reconstruction

We present a methodology for the joint optimization of rehabilitation and reconstruction activities for heterogeneous pavement systems under multiple budget constraints. The proposed bottom-up approach adopts an augmented condition state to account for the history-dependent properties of pavement deterioration, and solves for steady-state policies for an infinite horizon. Genetic algorithms (GAs) are implemented in the system-level optimization based on segment-specific optimization results. The complexity of the proposed algorithm is polynomial in the size of the system and the policy-related parameters. We provide graphical presentations of the optimal solutions for various budget situations. As a case study, a subset of California’s highway system is analyzed. The case study results demonstrate the economic benefit of a combined rehabilitation and reconstruction budget compared to separate budgets.
Correction to: Commodity Consistent Meta-Analysis of Wetland Values: An Illustration for Coastal Marsh Habitat

In the original article, the code used to estimate the meta-regression models (of WTP for coastal marsh habitat changes) erroneously included the natural log of nominal rather than real income as an independent variable.
Damning the Mekong: Project Finance's Inability to Cure the Steep Costs of Hydropower Development in the Mekong River Basin

Project finance is a system of financing employed to fund large infrastructure facilities, and it has been a driving force of investment in undeveloped countries. While project finance’s capacity to facilitate high levels of investment is facially appealing, its implementation and management illustrate an alarming accountability problem. Project finance’s dispersal of risk has created a glaring accountability gap that allows project participants to systematically force environmental and social harms upon local communities. Moreover, because infrastructure development often occurs in undeveloped countries, host governments and third parties are often disinterested or incapable of stepping in to mitigate those harms. Nowhere are these flaws more plainly illustrated than in the Mekong River Basin, where hydropower development has sharply risen since the 1990s. This rapid and widely criticized development has caused both acute and cumulative harms throughout the Basin. Nearly one hundred dams are causing irreversible damage to the Basin’s ecosystems, and the region’s 60 million inhabitants are bearing the brunt of that harm through flooding, destruction of farms and fisheries, and forced resettlement. Although project finance’s principal actors have taken steps to mitigate these harms, their efforts have largely fallen short. There is thus a critical need for a new mechanism that addresses project finance’s accountability gap and holds project participants accountable for the harms inflicted upon project-affected communities.
Rodent Brain Tumor Models for Neuro-Oncology Research

Neuro-Oncology research has dictated the need for animal models and since early 1970s rodent glioma models have been the choice model for investigators. These initial models were developed by exposing adult rodents to carcinogens to induce brain tumors. A panel of rodent tumor derived cells which form tumors upon reimplantation were then used to study tumor biology and response to therapeutics. The advent of immune compromised mouse models led to the expansion of these efforts to include human patient derived tumor cells. While these tumors captured the molecular background of GBM, they were poor models to understand immune micro-environment of brain tumors. Molecular biology advances further led to the development of murine models that generated spontaneous tumors. These models exquisitely recapitulate GBM molecular alterations in an immune competent environment. However the murine origin of these models often limits their utility for investigations of biological therapeutics that are inherently species specific. The advent of humanized mouse models heralds a new phase providing mice repopulated with human immune cells that bear human tumors. While these models are rarely isogenic, they are now considered the gold standard for research. However these models are cumbersome to use, and extremely expensive. Here we summarize the utility and challenges of the different rodent models frequently used in Neuro-Oncology research.
Chronic Stress and Energy Balance: Role of the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

The sections in this article are: 1 Regulation of Function in the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis 1.1 Corticosteroid Receptors: Feedback Control of the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis by Exogenous Corticosteroid Treatment 1.2 Stressor-Induced Endogenous Corticosteroid Secretion and Feedback Control 1.3 Chronic or Repeated Stressors Induce Facilitated Responses 1.4 Diurnal Rhythms and Responsivity 2 Acute Versus Chronic Stressors: Effects on Activity in the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis 2.1 Acute Responses to Stress 2.2 Adaptations to Intermittent Stimuli 2.3 Adaption to Chronic, Sustained Stimuli 3 Corticosteroids, Stress, and Energy Balance 3.1 Energy Acquisition 3.2 Energy Disposition 4 Chronic Stress in Humans
Global Modeling of Disturbances in the Corona / Interplanetary Space

In the past few years, numerical studies of corona-interplanetar y dynamics have been undertaken by many investigators. The results, as summarized by Wu et al. (1977), indicate that this approach seems very promising and worthy of further pursuit. So far, the calculations have been performed on two-dimensional codes, to simulate magnetohydrodynamic flow in a meridional plane or in the equatorial plane. In order to fully account for the global features of the corona-interplanetary phenomenon, it is necessary to do three-dimensional calculations. Here we discuss some groundwork for the formulation of a time-dependent three-dimensional code.
Computer security: the good, the bad and the ugly

We discuss and characterize different types of solutions to computer security problems in terms of bad (theoretically sound, but expensive and impractical), ugly (practical, but messy and of doubtful assurance), and good (theoretically sound and practical). We also attempt to characterize the different approaches and problems in computer security that would lead to these different types of solutions.
Microcomputers and Related Technologies: Enlargement of Software Size, Algorithms, Architectures, Hierarchy Design, Functional Decomposition, and Standardization

Automotive electronics have been advancing rapidly in the successful pursuit of environmental friendliness, safety, comfort, and convenience. These advancements have been achieved through the adoption of microcomputers, which now total to approximately 100 in each luxury car. This chapter describes the histories and future directions of automotive microcomputers, software, algorithms, architectures, hierarchy design, functional decomposition, and international standardization [OSEK (open systems and the corresponding interfaces for automotive electronics) and AUTOSAR (automotive open system architecture)], while considering semiconductor technologies and their applications in automotive electronics. These issues will continue to become increasingly important in the realization of further green and dependable automotive systems. The chapter describes the histories and future directions with regard to both microcomputers and software in automotive electronics, while considering semiconductor technologies and their applications. Keywords: microcomputer; microprocessor; Moore's law; software; algorithm; hierarchical design; functional decomposition; OS ; OSEK ; AUTOSAR
Automatic Segmentation of Neonatal Brain MRI

This paper describes an automatic tissue segmentation method for neonatal MRI. The analysis and study of neonatal brain MRI is of great interest due to its potential for studying early growth patterns and morphologic change in neurodevelopmental disorders. Automatic segmentation of these images is a challenging task mainly due to the low intensity contrast and the non-uniformity of white matter intensities, where white matter can be divided into early myelination regions and non-myelinated regions. The degree of myelination is a fractional voxel property that represents regional changes of white matter as a function of age. Our method makes use of a registered probabilistic brain atlas to select training samples and to be used as a spatial prior. The method first uses graph clustering and robust estimation to estimate the initial intensity distributions. The estimates are then used together with the spatial priors to perform bias correction. Finally, the method refines the segmentation using sample pruning and non-parametric density estimation. Preliminary results show that the method is able to segment the major brain structures, identifying early myelination regions and non-myelinated regions.
MiniBooNE First Results on a Search for νe Appearance at the Δm2 ∼ 1 eV2 Scale

Solar and atmospheric neutrino oscillations, recently confirmed by reactor and accelerator-based experiments, are now well established. On the other hand, the interpretation of the LSND \( \bar v_e \) excess [1] as \( \bar v_\mu \to \bar v_e \) oscillations at the Δm 2 ∼ 1 eV2 scale lacked for many years experimental confirmation or refutation. The primary goal of the MiniBooNE experiment [2] is to address this anomaly in an unambiguous and independent way.
Screen Time, How Much Is Too Much? The Social and Emotional Costs of Technology on the Adolescent Brain.

Screen time no longer means just the amount of time one spends in front of the television. Now it is an aggregate amount of time spent on smartphones, computers as well as multitasking with different devices. How much are the glowing rectangles taking away from adolescent social and emotional health? How is it changing how students learn and how they communicate with the world? How much is too much? The purpose of this study is to determine whether the 1-1 student-to-iPad pilot at an affluent public school in the greater San Francisco Bay Area is helping students succeed in their education and critical thinking skills or if it is hindering their progress and attention span. Whether adding technology at school is allowing students to be more connected, or if they feel forced to use technology. How is the additional technology affecting their brains? How is it affecting their social and emotional wellbeing? Students from a local high school in two small learning communities (SLC) were given iPads as part of a pilot program within the New Tech Network. Two general education art classes were given a survey to find the emotional and social factors of this added technology in their lives. Of the forty-one students surveyed, thirty-one were part of the iPad pilot programs. Nine teachers both within the SLCs and without were interviewed about their technology use in the classroom as well as their opinions on the effects of technology on adolescents outside of the classroom. One school counselor was also interviewed. The findings indicated that all students surveyed have access to the Internet and only one student of the forty-one students surveyed does not own a cell phone. All students who own a cell phone send and receive texts. Students are constantly using some form of technology in and
The Multidisciplinary Hemodialysis Patient Satisfaction Scale: Reliability, Validity, and scale development

Patient satisfaction is frequently used to evaluate service quality. Although this is a common construct, satisfaction scale development has often overlooked the importance of psychometric properties and the uniqueness of patient experiences. Although there is a substantial body of literature investigating satisfaction with general patient services and physicians, development in the areas of multidisciplinary team assessment, specific patient populations, and minority groups is needed. To date, only one hemodialysis patient satisfaction scale with attention to psychometric properties appears to be available. However, this instrument does not assess satisfaction with the roles of the full hemodialysis treatment team. The present study reports the development and preliminary reliability and validity studies of the Multidisciplinary Hemodialysis Patient Satisfaction Scale (MHPSS). This 110-item Likert scale assesses the degree of satisfaction with the health care services of a multidisciplinary hemodialysis ...
'All Substantial Rights': Towards Sensible Patent Licensee Standing

The accompanying Article provides the first sustained review of the confused and confusing “all-substantial-rights” standard, which the Federal Circuit applies to determine whether patent licensees have standing to sue. The standard is applied haphazardly and relatively incoherently, but as I will show in the Article, its application actually pushes forward a heretofore lightly recognized interest: the patent system’s interest in uniformity of decisions. Uncertainty as to patent validity creates transaction costs that can inhibit inventors from innovating effectively.The Article examines how the “all-substantial-rights” standard, properly applied, supports this interest in uniformity by ensuring that patent litigation is driven only by those with the most significant incentive to vigorously defend the patent-at-issue’s validity. By consolidating litigation in this way, the court seeks to maximize the preclusive effect of a single-shot invalidity finding (or a finding of validity, which carries great persuasive weight). But, as the Article points out, despite the standard’s steady move towards consolidating litigation, there remains an outlier: the Federal Circuit continues to allow licensees with exclusive territorial rights to sue alone. The Article identifies the problem and seeks to address it through several means, including class action practice.As patent licensing becomes more ubiquitous — and studies show that licensing activity has increased exponentially over the last decade — the confusion arising from the “all-substantial-rights” standard creates uncertainty that impedes, and can often destroy, otherwise effective licensing arrangements. This Article contributes a framework for resolving the various challenges the standard presents.
Use of the fast Hartley transform for efficient 3D convolution in calculation of radiation dose

In radionuclide therapy, absorbed dose is calculated by convolution of a three-dimensional activity matrix with a three-dimensional dose point kernel. A technique employing the fast Hartley Transform (FHT) has been developed to perform this calculation. An important part of that development was the indexing scheme for 3D data. The results of this new FHT convolution technique were compared to direct convolution. A cube was convolved with itself by these two techniques. The results differed by less than 2 percent. In an effort to show the practical applicability of 3D convolution, a three-dimensional activity matrix from a I-131-labeled 16.88 monoclonal antibody patient was convolved with beta and photon dose point kernels using direct convolution. Isodose contours were then generated from the calculated absorbed dose matrix and overlaid on a CT image of the patient. >
Head-to-head polymers 27: Thermal degradation of head-to-head polyisobutylene

Head-to-head polyisobutylene degrades at a maximum rate at 320°C, a temperature about 65°C lower than head-to-tail polyisobutylene. Under our conditions, head-to-tail (the regular polyisobutylene) degrades (as do many other disubstituted vinyl monomers) to a high yield of the monomer isobutylene. Surprisingly, head-to-head polyisobutylene also degraded, primarily to isobutylene. Liquid, low-molecular compounds, probably dimers, were also obtained from head-to-tail and head-to-head polyisobutylene. A mechanism of this degradation is proposed.
Œdème pulmonaire deux jours après une césarienne réglée

Two days after an elective Caesarean section, a 30-year-old woman suffered a pulmonary oedema. The diagnosis of cardiomyopathy was obtained with echocardiography, right heart catheterization and a myocardial biopsy. Peripartum cardiomyopathy is defined as a heart failure occurring in the last trimester of pregnancy or up to the third postpartum month and the lack of another etiology. The cause of myocarditis resulting in peripartum cardiomyopathy remains yet unknown. An immunosuppressive therapy can be associated with the treatment of the congestive heart failure.
COMPARISON OF GALAXY CLUSTERS SELECTED BY WEAK-LENSING, OPTICAL SPECTROSCOPY, AND X-RAYS IN THE DEEP LENS SURVEY F2 FIELD

We compare galaxy clusters selected in Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations of the 4 deg2 Deep Lens Survey (DLS) F2 field to the cluster samples previously selected in the same field from a sensitive weak-lensing shear map derived from the DLS and from a detailed galaxy redshift survey—the Smithsonian Hectospec Lensing Survey (SHELS). Our Chandra and XMM-Newton observations cover 1.6 deg2 of the DLS F2 field, including all 12 weak-lensing peaks above a signal-to-noise ratio of 3.5, along with 16 of the 20 SHELS clusters with published velocity dispersions >500 km s–1. We detect 26 extended X-ray sources in this area and confirm 23 of them as galaxy clusters using the optical imaging. Approximately 75% of clusters detected in either X-ray or spectroscopic surveys are found in both; these follow the previously established scaling relations between velocity dispersion, L X, and T X. A lower percentage, 60%, of clusters are in common between X-ray and DLS samples. With the exception of a high false-positive rate in the DLS weak-lensing search (5 out of 12 DLS candidates appear to be false), differences between the three cluster detection methods can be attributed primarily to observational uncertainties and intrinsic scatter between different observables and cluster mass.
Tissue is issue: Not all masses are tumors

Summary Background: Tuberculosis can disguise itself in any form. Endobronchial tuberculosis usually presents in young adults. Endobronchial tumor-like presentation of tuberculosis (EBTB) is very rare and often mis-taken as a malignancy. Diagnosis is usually delayed, as clinical and radiological features are non-specific. Direct implantation of tubercle bacilli into the bronchus, or an contiguous spread, leads to EBTB. Bronchoscopic biopsy and culture are the best modality for diagnosis. Care Reports: Clinical and radiological presentations of all cases were similar and one of them had rib erosion on bone scan. All cases were proven to be tuberculosis by histopathology and culturing mycobac-terium tuberculosis. All of them are diagnosed as endobronchial tuberculosis, either histopathol-ogy or by culture that grew mycobacterium tuberculosis, and were successfully treated with anti-tuberculous treatment alone, without residual scarring. Conclusions: Tuberculosis should be consideredin the differential diagnosis of endobronchial mass lesions in the appropriateclinical setting since this is an uncommon presentation for which invasive proce-dures are needed to establish the diagnosis. Initially, it was mistaken as a malignancy and there was delay in diagnosis and initiation of treatment. Prompt treatment is crucial to avert residual bronchostenosis.
First Detection of Platinum, Osmium, and Lead in a Metal-Poor Halo Star: HD 126238

Using the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we have detected the very heavy elements osmium, platinum, and lead in the metal-poor ([Fe/H] = -1.7) giant HD 126238, the first such detections of these elements in a Galactic halo star. Os and Pt are synthesized predominantly via rapid neutron captures (i.e., the r-process), and this nuclear region defines one of the three major r-process peaks identified in solar system material. Within the error limits, the elemental abundances of Os and Pt are consistent with solar system abundances scaled to the metallicity of HD 126238. Element-by-element comparisons of the data from HST and from ground-based data demonstrate, for the first time, the operation of the r-process for all of the elements from Ba to Pt in the progenitor (or progenitors) of this halo star. The newly determined Pb abundance, predominantly produced in slow neutron captures (i.e., the s-process) for solar material, can best be explained as resulting from a combination of s- and r-process nucleosynthesis contributions, prior to the formation of HD 126238. The s-process fraction is likely to have been generated only from the most massive stellar sites of the s-process.
What does social welfare produce

In many parts of the world unemployment and budget concerns militate against the humane goals of social welfare. International economic competition fosters increased reliance on the market. In this era, social welfare cannot be defended or advocated solely on the basis of social justice. Along with social welfare’s “fairness”, additional societal benefits are proposed: human capital; social and economic benefits; societal morale and cohesion; and civility and aesthetics.
Soil redox-pH stability of arsenic species and its influence on arsenic uptake by rice

Arsenic absorption by rice (Oryza sativa, L.) in relation to As chemical form present in soil solution was examined. Rice plants were grown in soil suspensions equilibrated under selected conditions of redox and pH, affecting arsenic solubility and speciation. A decrease in pH led to higher dissolved arsenic concentrations. When the soil redox potential dropped below 0 mV, most of the arsenic was present as As(III). Under more oxidizing conditions both As(III) and As(V) are present. Chemical speciation of As in the watersoluble fraction affected its phytoavailability. Most indigenous arsenic taken up by the plants remained in the root. Plant arsenic availability increased with increasing arsenic concentration in solution (lower soil pH) and with increasing amounts of soluble As(III) (lower soil redox). We also studied the uptake of monomethyl arsenic acid (MMAA), a widely used defoliant and herbicide, as affected by soil redox-pH condition. Amended MMAA was approximately two times more phytoavailable than the indigenous inorganic As forms and increased with decreasing pH and redox.
Chromatographic fingerprint analysis for evaluation of Ginkgo biloba products

The flavonoids and the terpene lactones are regarded as the two main active components of Ginkgo biloba that affect human health. In the work discussed in this paper, two analytical methods for the characterization of G. biloba authentic materials and commercial products, an LC–UV chromatographic fingerprinting method and a traditional flavonol quantification method, were compared. The traditional method was used to determine the total flavonol content (as glycosides) after acid hydrolysis. The fingerprinting method examined the chromatographic profiles of methanol–water extracts using chemometric methods. The traditional method showed that all the commercial products met the current voluntary standard of 24% flavonols by weight. The chromatographic fingerprinting method revealed significant variations in the commercial products with regard to the relative concentration of individual flavonols.
Molecular-dynamics study of structural-phase transitions. I. One-component displacement models

Molecular-dynamics results simulating a canonical ensemble are presented and discussed for a two-dimensional one-component displacement model for ferrodistortive and antiferrodistortive structural-phase transitions. Our results include: (i) There is strong evidence that the system undergoes a continuous phase transition, except at the displacive limit. (ii) For three different sets of model paramerters, the static critical exponents are found to be model parameters independent and consistent with those of the two-dimensional Ising model. (iii) The formation of clusters of locally ordered regions is demonstrated. (iv) Close to ${T}_{c}$ and at the wave vector ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}}}_{c}$ where the order-parameter susceptibility diverges, we observe a central peak around $\ensuremath{\omega}=0$ in the dynamic form factor of the density fluctuations. (v) For wave vectors slightly away from ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}}}_{c}$ the central peak splits into a double-peak structure, giving rise to a new excitation branch. (vi) The central peak and the new excitation branch are traced back to traveling cluster waves and their lifetime. (vii) The cluster dynamics is shown to dominate the critical slowing down.
Mathematical Theory of Reusability

This talk gives an introduction to my book A Generative Theory of Shape (Springer-Verlag, 550pages). The purpose of the book is to develop a generative theory that has two properties regarded as fundamental to intelligence - maximizing reusability of structure and maximizing recoverability of the generative operations. These two properties are particularly important in the representation of complex organization - which is the main concern of the book. The primary goal of the theory is the conversion of complexity into understandability. For this purpose, a mathematical theory is presented of how understandability is created in a structure. This is achieved by developing a group-theoretic approach to formalizing reusability and recoverability. To handle highly complex structure, a new class of groups is invented, called unfolding groups. These unfold structure from a maximally collapsed version of that structure. A principal aspect of the theory is that it develops a new algebraic formalization of major object-oriented concepts such as inheritance. The consequence that the book establishes a representational language for complex organizational structure, that is interoperable by virtue of the principles on which the theory is based: reusability and recoverability. The book gives extensive applications of the theory to CAD/CAM, human and machine vision, robotics, software engineering, and physics. For example, the theory is used to give new and detailed insights into the main stages of mechanical CAD/CAM: part-design, assembly and machining. And within part-design, an extensive analysis is given of sketching, alignment, dimensioning, resolution, editing, sweeping, feature-addition, and intent-management.
Metal-Free Catalyzed Ring-Opening Polymerization of β-Lactones: Synthesis of Amphiphilic Triblock Copolymers Based on Poly(dimethylmalic acid)

A polylactide-block-(dimethyl β-malic acid-co-β-butyrolactone)-block-polylactide (PLA-b-P(dMMLA-co-BL)-b-PLA) triblock copolymer has been synthesized according to a totally original three-step strategy. In a first step, the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of dimethyl benzyl β-malolactonate (dMMLABz) and β-butyrolactone (BL) has been carried out in a toluene/t-BuOH solvent mixture at 80 °C by using ethylene glycol as initiator and the commercially available 1,3,4-triphenyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene carbene 1 as catalyst. The ROP mechanism selectively involves O-acyl cleavage of both dMMLABz and BL cyclic comonomers with a preferential incorporation of dMMLABz units in the growing polyester chains as attested by 1H NMR spectroscopy. In a second step, the so-produced α,ω-dihydroxy P(dMMLABz-co-BL) copolyester have been further considered as difunctional macroinitiatior in l,l-lactide (LA) monomer ROP at 90 °C. In the third and last step, the benzylic ester functions pending along the recovered...
Performance analysis of rotating machinery using enhanced cerebellar model articulation controller (E-CMAC) neural networks

For today's sophisticated machinery systems, on-line predictive maintenance has become a most reliable and cost effective method for machinery maintenance. An effective fault monitoring and diagnosis tool is able to recognize the characteristics, conditions, and developing trends of an operating machinery system, and is able to estimate fault severity of the system quantitatively. In order to meet the requirements, a new approach combining cerebellar model articulation controller (CMAC) neural networks and advanced vibration monitoring methods has been presented. A test rig consisting of two rotating hubs driven by a d.c. motor was used to produce different machine imbalance levels. A two-stage experiment is proposed. First, a CMAC network is trained with pre-defined imbalance conditions and a test data set is given to check the trained CMAC for imbalance severity prediction. Second, a CMAC network is trained by using a set of different imbalance levels and is then given an untrained condition to test the CMACs ability of imbalance severity interpolation. In addition, several potential capabilities of CMAC networks will be discussed and shown. The properties of the CMAC are notable. If implemented properly, CMAC can be used as an effective machinery condition monitor and fault severity estimation tool.
Effect of Pioglitazone on Adrenocorticotropic Hormone and Cortisol Secretion in Cushing’s Disease

The lack of an effective medical therapy for patients with Cushing’s disease (CD) requires the search for new modalities of treatment. Peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR)-γ are abundantly expressed in ACTH-secreting pituitary tumors. Treatment with PPARγ agonists inhibits ACTH-secreting pituitary tumor growth, proliferation, and ACTH secretion in vitro in human and murine models and in vivo in murine corticotroph tumors. It was hypothesized that treatment with the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone would normalize the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of patients with CD. We evaluated the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis in five patients with CD in whom we measured: 1) the 24-h urine concentration of free cortisol; 2) the 24-h profile of serum cortisol and plasma ACTH; and 3) the ACTH and cortisol response to CRH stimulation. All measurements were taken at baseline and after low-dose dexamethasone treatment (0.5 mg dexamethasone every 6 h). The entire protocol was done before and after 30 d o...
DEVELOPING READING FLUENCY THROUGH A SYSTEMATIC PRACTICE PROCEDURE

ABSTRACT Research has shown fluency plays a vital role in learning. Precision Teaching, a method for measuring behavior and facilitating decision-making, has demonstrated it can benefit teachers interested in fostering fluency. Through the use of a systematic practice routine derived from Precision Training, teachers can apply a method that efficiently leads to fluent behavior. This article offers a general outline describing a systematic practice routine in the context of reading.
An integrated assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Isle Royale National Park

Abstract Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of persistent organic pollutants that are known carcinogens and mutagens. This research used the sediment quality triad, an integrated weight-of-evidence approach, to evaluate sediment PAH concentrations, sediment toxicity, and benthic community structure at marina and reference sites in Isle Royale National Park, USA. The highest PAH concentrations were measured at marina locations and exceeded threshold effect concentrations (161 μg PAH/g TOC) at one site. Marina locations were dominated by pyrogenic PAHs, indicating anthropogenic sources of these compounds. Survival of the amphipod Hyalella azteca was significantly reduced (p = 0.0320) when exposed to sediments from marinas. Although macroinvertebrate abundance and species richness were similar at marina and reference sites, results of multivariate analyses showed that composition of benthic communities varied among sites. In particular, abundance of the PAH-sensitive amphipod, Diporeia spp. was significantly lower at marina sites compared to reference sites. In contrast to patterns observed for organochlorines (e.g., PCBS, dioxins), biota-sediment accumulation factors for PAHs measured in the burrowing mayfly Hexagenia limbata decreased with increasing K ow values, suggesting that the more lipophilic compounds were being metabolized. Increased PAH concentrations, shifts in community composition, low survival of H. azteca , and reduced abundances of Diporeia spp. at marina sites were consistent with the hypothesis that PAHs impacted these areas; however, across all sites these effects were relatively subtle. These results emphasize the need to use a weight-of-evidence approach when investigating effects of environmental contaminants that occur at relatively low concentrations.
Determination of polynuclear aromatic hydro-carbons and mononitrated derivatives in air and diesel particulates

Abstract A method is described for the determination of three- to six-ring polynuclear aromatic hydro-carbons (PAHs) and mononitrated PAHs (nitro-PAHs) in particulate matter. The procedure includes Soxhlet extraction followed by fractionation using gel filtration chromatography and normal-phase liquid chromatography with an aminosilane stationary phase. The resulting fractions were separated by capillary gas chromatography (GC) into individual PAHs and nitro-PAHs which were detected by a flame-ionization detector and a thermal energy analyzer, respectively. Commercially available standards were used for quantification. Individual peak assignments were confirmed by using both mass spectral and retention index data obtained through computerized capillary GC-mass spectrometry. Several samples were processed, including a certified diesel particulate reference material supplied by the National Bureau of Standards for the purpose of evaluating analytical methods. This method may also be applicable in the determination of certain carbonyl PAHs.
Phase-Shift Analysis of the Fermi Surface of Copper

In an earlier paper a method was described whereby the partial-wave phase shifts that characterize the interaction between the conduction electrons and the lattice in a metal may be derived from experimental Fermi-surface data. In the present paper we apply the method of phase-shift analysis to study the shape of the Fermi surface of copper, which is known to be strongly perturbed by the $d$-like energy bands that lie almost 2 eV below the Fermi level. By adjusting the values of the $s$, $p$, $d$, and $f$ phase shifts, and the Fermi-energy parameter, we construct a model Fermi surface on which the areas of the $〈100〉$ belly and the $〈111〉$ neck and belly orbits, the dog's bone, the four-cornered rosette, and the lemon orbit, are in good agreement with the results of precision measurements of the corresponding de Haas-van Alphen frequencies. The belly anisotropy of the model surface is also in good agreement with the experimental data, and the volume enclosed by the surface does not differ significantly from 1 electron/atom. The radii of the Fermi surface of copper in the (100) and (110) symmetry zones are determined to an accuracy of \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1%, and the results are in good agreement with the radii recently deduced by Halse by an independent technique. It is shown that the numerical values of the phase shifts are consistent with the position of copper in the Periodic Table. The local potential of Chodorow for ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{+}$ produces phase shifts that are in substantial agreement with the results of the present work. A simple nonlocal correction to the Chodorow potential is proposed, such that the Fermi surface derived from the modified potential is entirely consistent with the experimental data. The energies associated with certain optical transitions in metallic copper are computed from the modified potential, and are found to agree with the results of recent piezo-optical experiments to better than 0.2 eV. It is concluded that the method of phase-shift analysis is capable of representing accurately the form of the $d$-like electronic energy bands in metals, and that the modified Chodorow potential may well prove to be the best starting point for a full calculation of the band structure of copper in the vicinity of the Fermi level.
Psychological conflict in Negro American language behavior: a case study.

Programs instituted to help Negro Americans rid themselves of “unacceptable” dialect language behavior may involve assumptions of white superiority that foster conflicts of identity and self-esteem. Programs designed to teach standard English to Negro Americans should do so without inherent assumptions of the inferiority or pathology of the dialect.
Possible implications of global climate change on global lightning distributions and frequencies

The Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) general circulation model (GCM) is used to study the possible implications of past and future climate change on global lightning frequencies. Two climate change experiments were conducted: one for a 2 x CO2 climate (representing a 4.2 degs C global warming) and one for a 2% decrease in the solar constant (representing a 5.9 degs C global cooling). The results suggest at 30% increase in global lightning activity for the warmer climate and a 24% decrease in global lightning activity for the colder climate. This implies an approximate 5-6% change in global lightning frequencies for every 1 degs C global warming/cooling. Both intracloud and cloud-to-ground frequencies are modeled, with cloud-to-ground lightning frequencies showing larger sensitivity to climate change than intracloud frequencies. The magnitude of the modeled lightning changes depends on season, location, and even time of day.
Electrical measurements of bandgap shrinkage in heavily doped p -type GaAs

Electron currents injected intop+-GaAs were measured by analyzing the collector current versus base-emitter voltage characteristics ofn-p+-n GaAs homojunction transistors. This technique facilitates accurate determination of electron injection currents forp-type GaAs doped greater than 1020 cm−3. Previous experiments used a diode-based, sequential etch technique to demonstrate that so-called bandgap shrinkage effects substantially increase the electron current injected into p+-GaAs. However, the diode-based technique was limited to dopant concentrations ≤1019 cm−3. Using the homojunction transistor-based technique described in this paper, we report a similar enhancement of the electron current injected intop-type GaAs doped as heavily as 8 × 1019 cm−3.
Does the choice of material influence early morbidity in patients undergoing carotid patch angioplasty

Background. This study was undertaken to determine whether the choice of material influences the early morbidity of patients undergoing carotid patch angioplasty. Method. Before undergoing carotid endarterectomy, 190 patients were randomized to receive 207 patch closures with either Dacron (USCI Sauvage knitted velour) or saphenous vein harvested from the thigh. Results. One hundred seven Dacron and 100 vein patch angioplasties were performed. No significant difference was seen between the two groups in patient age, sex, preoperative risk factors, or indication for operation (p>0.25 for each variable). Among the patients undergoing Dacron patch angioplasty three strokes (two temporary and one permanent), seven episodes of bleeding requiring reoperation, and two neck wound infections requiring rehospitalization occurred. The final 32 patients with Dacron patch closures had their anticoagulation reversed and had no bleeding complications. Complications in patients undergoing vein patch closure included one fatal perioperative stroke, two episodes of bleeding requiring reoperation including one patch rupture, and three groin infections requiring hospitalization. No significant difference was seen between the two groups in the rate of perioperative stroke (p=0.62), episodes of bleeding (p=0.17), or infection (p=>0.67). Conclusions. Carotid patch angioplasty can be performed with an acceptably low complication rate with either Dacron or vein, and the choice of patch material does not clinically affect patient morbidity. However, reversal of anticoagulation is recommended to minimize bleeding complications in patients undergoing Dacron patch angioplasty.
Concurrent change in alcohol and drug problems among treated adolescents over three years.

Objective: Many adolescents engage in polydrug use; however, little is known about whether alcohol and other drug problems show similar posttreatment trajectories of change. We examined concurrent patterns of change for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, symptoms related to the use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs and identified predictors of the most common cross-drug patterns of change. Method: Adolescents (N = 542) recruited from addictions treatment were assessed at baseline and at 1-and 3-year follow-up. Latent class mixture modeling identified trajectories for alcohol, marijuana, and other-drug symptoms. Latent class analysis identified cross-drug patterns of change and was used to examine conduct disorder and depression as predictors of cross-drug patterns of change. Results: For alcohol users, three improving groups (72%), stable-low (19%) and stable-high (6%) groups, and groups with increasing trajectories (3%) were identified. For marijuana users, an asy...
Material girls and Material love: Consuming femininity and the contradictions of post-girl power among Kenyan schoolgirls

In this paper, I use qualitative data to explore the practices engaged in by Kenyan schoolgirls to participate in modern consuming womanhood, as well as the contradictory implications of these practices for thinking about globalized mediated femininities and their enactment in resource-poor settings. The paper examines the centrality of consumption to valued modern femininity among young women around the world, as well as the structural reality of gendered access to income. I show how the cooptation of the materiality of romantic love and normative expectations of male provision in romantic relationships bridge the gap between consumption desires and economic realities among Kenyan schoolgirls in both powerful and problematic ways. The paper ends with a reflection of the implications of these findings for post-girl power, the post-feminist age and the re-inscription of patriarchy.
Taiwan's Security in the Changing International System

This text examines Taiwan's security concerns, the structure and composition of its armed forces and its defensive strategy. In addition, there is an exploration of the opportunities and challenges for Taipei generated by the recent transformation in the international system.
Calculated in vivo free bilirubin levels in the central nervous system of Gunn rat pups.

In vitro studies suggest a free bilirubin (BF) concentration in the range of 71–770 nmol/L can induce neurotoxicity. In vivo data regarding central nervous system (CNS) BF levels have not been determined. We calculated in vivo CNS BF levels in Gunn rat pups (15–19 d old; heterozygous nonjaundiced Gunn rats (J/j) and homozygous jaundiced Gunn rats (j/j); saline or sulfadimethoxine treated) based on 1) total brain bilirubin (TBB) content, 2) brain albumin level, 3) CNS bilirubin binding capacity attributable to brain albumin determined using an ultrafiltration technique, and 4) published Gunn rat albumin-bilirubin binding constants (k). Gunn rat brain bilirubin binding capacity was ∼22 × 10−3 μmol/g, of which two thirds was accounted for by brain albumin. Using a Gunn rat pup in vivo, k of 9.2 L/μmol, calculated CNS BF levels ranged from 72 to 112 nmol/L [95% confidence interval (CI)] in saline and from 59 to 156 nmol/L (95% CI) in sulfadimethoxine-treated J/j pups. These animals demonstrated no neurobehavioral abnormalities and normal cerebellar weight. Calculated CNS BF levels were severalfold higher (p < 0.001) in saline (95% CI: 556–1110 nmol/L) and sulfadimethoxine-treated (95% CI: 3461–8985 nmol/L) j/j pups; the former evidenced reduced cerebellar weight; the latter both reduced cerebellar weight and acute neurobehavioral abnormalities. We conclude that calculated CNS BF values in j/j pups are substantially higher than those in J/j animals. Given the absence of CNS abnormalities in J/j pups, the presence of such in j/j animals, and the CNS BF levels in these groups, we speculate that the CNS BF neurotoxicity threshold in vivo is subsumed within the range (71–770 nmol/L) reported in vitro.