cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Political Democracy and Economic Growth: Pooled Cross-Sectional and Time-Series Evidence

Interest in the relationship between political democracy and economic growth has been long-standing.See, for example, S. M. Lipset, ‘Some Social Requisites of Democracy: Economic Development and Political Legitimacy’, American Political Science Review, 53 (1959), 69–105. Recently this work has been reanalysed b y J. Helliwell, ‘Empirical Linkages between Democracy and Economic Growth’, British Journal of Political Science, 24 (1994), 225–48; and by R. Burkhart and M. Lewis Beck, ‘Comparative Democracy: The Economic Development Th esis,’ American Political Science Review, 88 (1994), 903–10. Recently, there has been an explosion of empirical research emanating from political science and economics that once again attempts to understand the relationship between democracy and economic growth. The goal in much of this research has been to explain the variation in per capita growth rates that exists across nations. This goal has translated into a straightforward empirical mod elling strategy: regress a country's growth rate on a democracy variable and a number of control variables and see whether the partial correlation between democracy and economic growth is statistically significant. The last few years has seen the publicat ion of over twenty empirical studies; however, the results are far from conclusive. In their recent review of twenty-one statistical findings investigating this relationship, Przeworski and Limongi explain that ‘eight found in favor of democracy, eight in favor of authoritarianism, and five discovered no difference.’ Of the thirteen studies surveyed by Sirowy and Inkeles, three find a negative effect of democracy on economic growth, four find this negative effect in some situations, and six find no relationship whatsoever.See A. Przeworski and F. Limongi, ‘Political Regimes and Economic Growth’, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 7 (1993), 1002–37; and L. Sirowy and A. Inkeles, ‘The Effects of Democracy on Economic Growth and Inequality: A Review,’ Studies in Comparative International Development, 25 (1990), 126–57. See also R. Levine and D. Renelt, ‘Cross-Country Studies of Growth and Policy: Methodological, Conceptual, and Statistical Problems’ (World Bank Working Paper, No. 608, Washington, DC, 1991). These conclusions are far from reassuring or instructive.
Physical and Enzymological Interaction of Bacillus subtilis Proteins Required for De Novo Pyridoxal 5′-Phosphate Biosynthesis

Bacillus subtilis synthesizes pyridoxal 5′-phosphate, the active form of vitamin B6, by a poorly characterized pathway involving the yaaD and yaaE genes. The pdxS (yaaD) mutant was confirmed to be a strict B6 auxotroph, but the pdxT (yaaE) mutant turned out to be a conditional auxotroph depending on the availability of ammonium in the growth medium. The PdxS and PdxT proteins copurified during affinity chromatography and apparently form a complex that has glutaminase activity. PdxS and PdxT appear to encode the synthase and glutaminase subunits, respectively, of a glutamine amidotransferase of as-yet-unknown specificity essential for B6 biosynthesis.
Beyond A.A.

Alcoholic patients who sought professional psychotherapy after leaving A.A. are presented. Discussion concerning clinical issues is tendered.
African Slavery in Latin America and the Caribbean

This is an original survey of the economic and social history of slavery of the Afro-American experience in Latin America and the Caribbean. The focus of the book is on the Portuguese, Spanish, and French-speaking regions of continental America and the Caribbean. It analyzes the latest research on urban and rural slavery and on the African and Afro-American experience under these regimes. It approaches these themes both historically and structurally. The historical section provides a detailed analysis of the evolution of slavery and forced labor systems in Europe, Africa, and America. The second half of the book looks at the type of life and culture which the salves experienced in these American regimes. The first part of the book describes the growth of the plantation and mining economies that absorbed African slave labor, how that labor was used, and how the changing international economic conditions affected the local use and distribution of the slave labor force. Particular emphasis is given to the evolution of the sugar plantation economy, which was the single largest user of African slave labor and which was established in almost all of the Latin American colonies. Once establishing the economic context in which slave labor was applied, the book shifts focus to the Africans and Afro-Americans themselves as they passed through this slave regime. The first part deals with the demographic history of the slaves, including their experience in the Atlantic slave trade and their expectations of life in the New World. The next part deals with the attempts of the African and American born slaves to create a viable and autonomous culture. This includes their adaptation of European languages, religions, and even kinship systems to their own needs. It also examines systems of cooptation and accommodation to the slave regime, as well as the type and intensity of slave resistances and rebellions. A separate chapter is devoted to the important and different role of the free colored under slavery in the various colonies. The unique importance of the Brazilian free labor class is stressed, just as is the very unusual mobility experienced by the free colored in the French West Indies. The final chapter deals with the differing history of total emancipation and how ex-slaves adjusted to free conditions in the post-abolition periods of their respective societies. The patterns of post-emancipation integration are studied along with the questions of the relative success of the ex-slaves in obtaining control over land and escape from the old plantation regimes.
Performances of Articulatory Defective, Minimal Brain Dysfunctioning, and Normal Children on Dichotic Ear Preference, Laterality, and Fine-Motor Skills Tasks:

A dichotic word task, a measure of fine-motor skills, and a test of laterality were administered to 60 children aged 5 years-7 months to 10 years-6 months. Fifteen subjects had normal articulation, 15 mild articulatory defectiveness, 15 severe articulatory defectiveness, and 15 were diagnosed as having minimal brain dysfunction (MBD). When the results of the dichotic word test were analyzed, all Ss were found to have the expected left cerebral dominance for speech except those having severe articulation disorders. A high linear relationship was found between articulation errors and ear choices on the dichotic word task. Some relationships of moderate importance linked Ss' performances on the tests of motor skills to their dichotic ear choices. Relationships were found between ear choices and numbers of articulation errors. Traditional measures of laterality were found not to be related to cerebral processing of speech as assessed using dichotic tasks.
Capability-Performance Relationship and Technology Evolution: Evidence from CT Scanner Industry

We examine, as the industry moves through the technology life cycle and the industryi¯s technology frontier advances, how the relationship between firmsi¯ technological capability and the firms' pe...
The significance of atypical apocrine cells in fine-needle aspirates of the breast.

Apocrine metaplastic cells are frequently present in fine-needle aspirates (FNAs) of breast lesions, especially fibrocystic disease. Occasionally, apocrine cells may be atypical and present diagnostic difficulties. The morphologic features of six breast FNAs that contained atypical apocrine cells were analyzed and compared with benign apocrine cells in breast aspirates. In the six abnormal cases, the large, pleomorphic, atypical apocrine cells were the predominant cell type and occurred singly and in syncytial tissue fragments. The cells had large, eccentric, vesicular nuclei and usually multiple macronucleoli. The histologic diagnoses in the cases were apocrine carcinoma (five cases) and atypical apocrine metaplasia (one case). In comparison, benign apocrine cells are relatively small and uniform and arranged in cohesive, orderly sheets. It is concluded that, in breast FNAs. the predominance of atypical apocrine cells, occurring singly and in syncytia, should raise the suspicion of carcinoma.
The high growth rate of epitaxial silicon?carbon alloys by using chemical vapour deposition and neopentasilane

The growth of epitaxy of silicon–carbon (Si1−yCy) alloy layers on (1 0 0) silicon substrates by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) with a novel precursor, neopentasilane, as the silicon source gas and methylsilane as the carbon source is reported. High quality Si1−yCy alloy layers at growth rates of 18 nm min −1 and 13 nm min −1 for fully substitutional carbon levels of 1.8% and 2.1%, respectively, were achieved. The highest substitutional carbon level achieved was 2.6% (strained perpendicular lattice constant of 5.347 u A) as determined by x-ray diffraction. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)
Glucose detection with surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy and molecularly imprinted hydrogel coatings

Molecularly imprinted hydrogel membranes were developed and evaluated for detection of small analytes via surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Imprinting of glucose phosphate barium salt into a poly(allylamine hydrochloride) network covalently bound to gold surfaces yielded a selective sensor for glucose. Optimization of relative amounts of chemicals used for preparation of the hydrogel was performed to obtain highest sensitivity. Addition of gold nanoparticles into the hydrogel matrix significantly amplified its response and sensitivity due to the impact of gold nanoparticles on the refractive index of the sensing layer. Evaluation of its selectivity showed that the sensor displayed preferential recognition to glucose compared to structurally related sugars in addition to being unaffected by phosphate as well as compounds containing amine groups, like creatinine. The detection limit of glucose in deionized water was calculated to be 0.02 mg/mL. The developed sensor was finally exposed to human urine spiked with glucose illustrating the coating's ability to re-bind the analyte in complex matrices. While the working concentration range in water was determined to be suitable for glucose monitoring in diabetic individuals at physiological levels, the detection in urine was determined to be 0.12 mg/mL. The decreased performance in urine provided an initial perspective on the difficulties associated with measurements in complex media.
Mefisto: a functional model for statistical entities

There have been numerous proposals aimed at correcting the deficiency in existing database models in order to manipulate statistical data. The manipulation of these data, such as statistical tables that are widely used in many statistical database application areas, is examined. A functional model Mefisto, which is based on a data structure called statistical entity and on a set of operations capable of manipulating this data structure, is proposed. The characteristics that an aggregate data model has are discussed and a brief survey of the main proposals in literature is made. The operators that allow statistical entities to be manipulated both from the descriptive and from the summary data point of view are discussed, and some examples are given. Each operator can be seen as a family of operators, and each is able to automatically compute the summary values of the statistical entity obtained by its application. A brief discussion regarding the limitations of the relational model for this type of data and a comparison with other proposals are presented. The advantages of the Mefisto model over those proposals are illustrated. It is shown that it is possible to define user friendly query languages based on the Mefisto model. >
Quantifying an iterative clipping and filtering technique for reducing PAR in OFDM

In Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, a simple clipping method is widely used in order to reduce the peak-to-average power ratio since it is easy to implement. The performance analysis of the clipping approach has been previously introduced in the literature. Clipping, however, is a nonlinear process and may cause two major undesirable effects: (i) spectral regrowth, which causes unacceptable out-of-band radiation; and (ii) distortion of the desired signal, which increases bit-error-rate (BER). The out-of-band radiation can and often is suppressed by filtering, which leads to peak regrowth. Therefore, iterative clipping and filtering is required until the desired clipping level is achieved. However, this iterative process makes BER estimation difficult. This letter provides expressions and analytical techniques for estimating the attenuation factor, error vector magnitude, and BER, using a noise enhancement factor that is obtained by simulation. Simulation results show strong agreement with our semi-analytical results for 1024 subcarriers.
Active document layout synthesis

Document layout analysis has been researched for many years. However, there is little work on the reverse of document layout analysis: document layout synthesis, whose goal is to generate logically correct and aesthetically appealing layout given the text/image contents and the flexible layout template. This paper introduces a new automatic document layout synthesis method, which can actively pursue the optimal text block height-width tradeoff simultaneously with the block position adjustment. The key idea is to use a cluster of linear functions to approximate the nonlinear height-width curve. Then two-pass simplex algorithm is used to solve the layout synthesis problem. This method has a wide range of applications, such as variable data printing (VDP), automatic table formatting, and automating document layout ground truth generation.
Test Formulas for Reclaimed Rubber

Abstract The maximum variation from test to test obtained when testing a sample of reclaimed rubber in compounded test formulas is approximately half that experienced when the reclaim-sulfur test is used. When tested with sulfur alone, reclaimed rubber may show a widely varying tensile strength and elongation from lot to lot, whereas much less variation in results is observed if the reclaimed rubber is tested in a compounded formula. For this reason, and also because the results obtained are more indicative of final performance, test formulas of a general nature are preferable to the reclaim-sulfur test. When test formulas are used in preference to the reclaim-sulfur mix, there is no increase in the work of testing. A combination of dibenzothiazyldimethylthiolurea and diphenylguanidine gives very satisfactory results for most types of reclaim.
Measuring the Accuracy of CT Bone Geometry for Orthopedic Implants

High resolution Computed Tomography imaged a cylindrical bone/soft tissue phantom on three different CT scanners at two different techniques (low kVp/mAs and high kVp/mAs). Simulated bone annuli in the images were subjected to image processing and edge detection based on radial image intensity profiles. The measured bone diameters and thicknesses were compared with the known dimensions of the bone rings in the cylindrical phantom. Bone measurement error decreased with increasing radius of the bone step and increased as the bone thickened. Analysis of Variance failed to show any significant differences in the errors across three scanners and two x-ray techniques suggesting that CT for bone 3-D can safely use lower dose techniques. The error in measuring the diameter of the bone showed a significant decrease as the diameter of the bone increased, however, bone thickness failed to show a similar trend and the measurements remained relatively accurate. Overall the accuracy of the CT bone diameter measurements ranged from −11.0% to −1.0% and thickness error from −3.7% to 5.7%.
Paid sick leave is associated with fewer ED visits among US private sector working adults

Abstract Context The United States (US) is the only developed country that does not guarantee short-term or longer-term paid sick leave. Objective This study used a multiyear nationally representative database to examine the association between availability of paid sick leave and frequency of emergency department (ED) use among US private sector employees. Study sample We used the National Health Interview Survey data (2012-2014). The final study sample consists of 42,460 US adults between 18 and 64 years of age and working in nongovernmental private sector. Results Our results suggest that availability of paid sick leave is significantly associated with lower likelihood of ED use, for both moderate (1-3 times/year) and repeated users (4 or more times/year). After controlling for confounding factors, respondents with paid sick leave are 14% less likely to be moderate ED users (adjusted odds ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.79-0.93) and 32% less likely to be repeated ED users (adjusted odds ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.50-0.91). Discussion Although expansion of health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act has not been shown to reduce utilization of high cost health care services such as the ED, our study suggests other factors such as the availability of paid sick leave may do so, by allowing patients to seek care through other more cost-effective mechanisms (eg, primary care providers). To reduce ED utilization, health policymakers should consider alternative reforms including paid sick leave.
Absence of antibodies to ethinyl estradiol in users of oral contraceptive steroids

Sera from current and past oral contraceptive users, never-users, and never-users with venous thrombosis were examined for immunoglobulin G (IgG) which was precipitable at 25% or 33% saturation with ammonium sulfate or which showed specific binding of ethinyl estradiol. No increase in "specific" IgG and no evidence of ethinyl estradiol binding was observed in oral contraceptive users. This provides no support for the claim that a significant percentage of oral contraceptive users develop a special IgG, precipitable at 25% ammonium sulfate saturation and showing high binding affinity to ethinyl estradiol, which may be causally linked to the development of thrombotic phenomena in oral contraceptive users.
A critical role for heat shock transcription factor in establishing a nucleosome-free region over the TATA-initiation site of the yeast HSP82 heat shock gene

Heat shock genes are poised for rapid transcriptional activation in response to environmental stress. A universal structural characteristic of such genes is the presence of a nucleosome-free, DNase I hypersensitive promoter region. Here we investigate the structural and functional effects of mutating HSE1, the preferred heat shock factor (HSF) binding site upstream of the yeast HSP82 gene. In situ deletion or substitution of this sequence reduces both basal and induced transcription by at least two orders of magnitude. Moreover, such mutations lead to a dramatic transition in chromatin structure: the DNase I hypersensitive region is replaced by two stable, sequence-positioned nucleosomes. One of these is centered over the mutated heat shock element, while the other--as revealed by DNase I genomic footprinting--is precisely positioned in a rotational sense over the TATA-initiation site. Overexpression of yeast HSF strongly suppresses the null phenotype of the induced hsp82-delta HSE1 gene and re-establishes DNase I hypersensitivity over its promoter. Such suppression is mediated through sequence disposed immediately upstream of HSE1 and containing two low affinity heat shock elements. These data imply a critical role for HSF in displacing stably positioned nucleosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and suggest that HSF transcriptionally activates HSP82 at least partly through its ability to alleviate nucleosome repression of the core promoter.
Fifteen-minute consultation: approach to management of respiratory problems in children with neurodisability

Children with neurodisability have an increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms and morbidity. Several underlying physiological impairments and coexistent problems, like aspiration, make these children vulnerable to respiratory difficulties. The management of these respiratory problems is aimed at improving the quality of life, reducing the risk of exacerbations and further lung damage. This is based on identifying and, where possible, modifying physiological impairments, managing any exacerbating factors and proactive treatment of any complications. Even though increased life expectancy is now possible, an ever-increasing dependence on technology can interfere with quality of life and decisions to escalate to these treatments should be individualised.
Revisiting non-progressive influence models: scalable influence maximization in social networks

While influence maximization in social networks has been studied extensively in computer science community for the last decade the focus has been on the progressive influence models, such as independent cascade (IC) and Linear threshold (LT) models, which cannot capture the reversibility of choices. In this paper, we present the Heat Conduction (HC) model which is a non-progressive influence model with real-world interpretations. We show that HC unifies, generalizes, and extends the existing nonprogressive models, such as the Voter model [1] and non-progressive LT [2]. We then prove that selecting the optimal seed set of influential nodes is NP-hard for HC but by establishing the submodularity of influence spread, we can tackle the influence maximization problem with a scalable and provably near-optimal greedy algorithm. We are the first to present a scalable solution for influence maximization under non-progressive LT model, as a special case of the HC model. In sharp contrast to the other greedy influence maximization methods, our fast and efficient C2GREEDY algorithm benefits from two analytically computable steps: closed-form computation for finding the influence spread as well as the greedy seed selection. Through extensive experiments on several large real and synthetic networks, we show that C2GREEDY outperforms the state-of-the-art methods, in terms of both influence spread and scalability.
A Compound Criticality

I sometimes feel as though I have lived several different lives, and I am not completely convinced that we can make sense of our mature identities on the basis of our past, or pasts. However, from a different perspective there are certainly crucial connections, which I will risk pursuing here—and it may be that the disjunctions reveal something as well.
Gadolinium (Gd) Oxide, Carbide, and Carbonyl Cation Bond Energies and Evaluation of the Gd + O → GdO+ + e- Chemi-Ionization Reaction Enthalpy.

Guided ion beam mass spectrometry (GIBMS) is used to measure the kinetic energy dependent product ion cross sections for reactions of the lanthanide metal gadolinium cation (Gd+) with O2, CO2, and CO and for reactions of GdO+ with CO, O2, and Xe. GdO+ is formed through barrierless and exothermic processes in the reactions of Gd+ with O2 and CO2. All other reactions observed are endothermic, and analyses of their kinetic energy dependent cross sections yield 0 K bond dissociation energies (BDEs) for GdO+, GdC+, and GdCO+. The 0 K BDE for GdO+ is determined from five different reactions to be 7.69 ± 0.10 eV, and this value is combined with literature data to derive the ionization energy (IE) of GdO as 5.82 ± 0.16 eV. Additionally, GdC+ and GdCO+ BDEs of 3.18 ± 0.18 eV and 0.65 ± 0.06 eV are obtained from analysis of the Gd+ reactions with CO and CO2, respectively. Theoretical GdO+, GdC+, and GdCO+ BDEs are calculated for comparison with experiment using various Gd basis sets with an effective core potential...
Appreciating the shades of gray: a case for Computer-Aided Nodule Assessment and Risk Yield (CANARY)-based risk stratification of lung adenocarcinomas

We read with great interest the invited commentary by Drs. Wilson and Pu on our computed tomography (CT)-based quantitative imaging tool for the non-invasive risk stratification of lung adenocarcinomas: Computer-Aided Nodule Assessment and Risk Yield (CANARY) (1). While we are pleased to see the discussion on the scope and relevance of our research, we would like to use this opportunity to respond to the points made by our colleagues and attempt to clarify any misunderstanding about CANARY.
COFACTOR: improved protein function prediction by combining structure, sequence and protein–protein interaction information

The COFACTOR web server is a unified platform for structure-based multiple-level protein function predictions. By structurally threading low-resolution structural models through the BioLiP library, the COFACTOR server infers three categories of protein functions including gene ontology, enzyme commission and ligand-binding sites from various analogous and homologous function templates. Here, we report recent improvements of the COFACTOR server in the development of new pipelines to infer functional insights from sequence profile alignments and protein-protein interaction networks. Large-scale benchmark tests show that the new hybrid COFACTOR approach significantly improves the function annotation accuracy of the former structure-based pipeline and other state-of-the-art functional annotation methods, particularly for targets that have no close homology templates. The updated COFACTOR server and the template libraries are available at http://zhanglab.ccmb.med.umich.edu/COFACTOR/.
Quantitative characterization of soil micro-aggregates: New opportunities from sub-micron resolution synchrotron X-ray microtomography

Abstract Soil microaggregates are the fundamental building block, at the micron scale, of the highly hierarchical structure of soils, and can exert a significant control on the local biological metabolism and microbial community partitioning. In this study we propose an analysis protocol for the morphometric characterization of complete soil microaggregates based on sub-micron resolution synchrotron X-ray microtomography. A comprehensive characterization of the aggregate morphology is the first step towards a complete characterization of the soil microaggregates, when trying to correlate morphometric parameters with physical and/or biological properties, or when building models (e.g., effective diffusivity, microbial distribution, etc.). We demonstrate our characterization approach on two single microaggregate samples from dramatically different soil environments: one from Kansas, primarily composed by inorganic particles, and one from Barrow (Alaska) dominated by plant fragments. A series of state-of-the-art morphometric analysis techniques have been employed providing quantitative results highlighting specific differences of the two samples. The role of the microstructure in a scenario microbial population development has been discussed and it has been found that the Barrow microaggregate seems to be more favorable, from a purely geometrical point of view, as also confirmed by a simple model presented in this work. The potential of this approach, when coupled with chemical and biological analysis for a fully comprehensive characterization of soil aggregates in the larger picture of enhanced biological activity, is evident.
Monteggia and Galeazzi Fractures

The radius and ulna are only in direct bony contact at the proximal and distal radioulnar joints; however, they are interconnected along their entire length by the interosseous membrane. Given this sophisticated anatomical relationship, any disruption of one bone can affect the other. Therefore, a high index of suspicion is required when evaluating forearm fractures to rule out fracture-dislocations, e.g., Galeazzi and Monteggia fractures. The Bado classification is used to stratify Monteggia fractures. Treatment principles of Galeazzi and Monteggia fracture-dislocations include anatomic reduction and fixation of all fractures, preservation of radiocapitellar contact, and managing the soft tissue injury either via direct repair or immobilization in a reduced position [1, 2, 3, 4].
The Road to Maturity: Process Management and Integration of Strategic Human Resources Processes∗

This study develops the concept of integration in the context of strategic human resource processes.
A Tree Induction Analysis of Exclusivity in Technology Licensing

While prior research has significantly advanced our understanding about exclusivity in licensing, there are still significant gaps in our knowledge about how licensing exclusivity is impacted by th...
Stereotyping and Prejudice

The last chapter presented important and productive work on the multiple-knowing-processes model, but its focus on internal processes, like that of the information-processing tradition (Chapter 4) more generally, may lose sight of the social context of knowing. Here, we widen the view to take it in, secure in our knowledge from the last chapter that breadth can be achieved without sacrificing depth of understanding. Research in the last two chapters typically provided written information about an unaffiliated individual’s behaviors and traits. Here, we cover research including information about a target’s group membership, thus activating emotions associated with his or her being “one of us” or “one of them.” In Chapter 11, we further widen the view and cover research on social judgments made during interpersonal communication, such as while conversing with or about targets. Stereotyping and prejudice, the involvement of culturally shared schemas in affectively charged intergroup knowing, are socially significant social cognitive phenomena long discussed in the constructivist tradition (Chapter 3). Contemporary work advances understanding with articulated theories and well-developed research paradigms, in which these phenomena are activated under controlled conditions so that their complexity can be penetrated.
The Ties That Bind

In this paper, I define a psychoanalytic object broadly, as an object that “matters” to an individual. My focus is on how someone becomes a psychoanalytic object and how our ideas about this proces...
Institutional legacies explain the comparative efficacy of protected areas: Evidence from the Calakmul and Maya Biosphere Reserves of Mexico and Guatemala

Abstract The effectiveness of protected areas at achieving nature conservation goals varies widely, but the reasons for this variation are understudied. We argue that an important, but often neglected, factor is the history of institutional development that pre-dates protected area establishment. Through a comparative analysis of pathways of institutional development in Calakmul and Maya Biosphere Reserves, internationally adjoining protected areas in Mexico and Guatemala, we demonstrate that differences in farmer and community-level conservation behavior between the two reserves are the result of differences in land tenure systems that pre-date reserve establishment. Differences in land tenure systems resulted in a lower population density, greater tenure security, and greater economic and political equality in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. All of these factors influenced farmers and communities in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve to have more favorable attitudes towards conservation, conserve more forest on both individual and community managed land, and to create more conservation reserves on both land types. These differences are rooted in the system of land distribution and political organization during the 1970s and 1980s, before protected area establishment, when both areas were agricultural frontiers. As a result of these political processes that pre-date reserve creation, farmers and communities in Calakmul hold more land and hold it more equitably, have less access to surplus labor for expanding commercial production, and have a political system that shares benefits from forest conservation more equitably when compared to Maya. Our work highlights the value of understanding historical political and institutional conditions in the design and development of effective protected areas. Protected areas located in areas with greater economic and political equality may be more effective at conserving nature.
Change in drawing placement: A measure of change in mood state reflective of hemispheric lateralization of emotion.

Abstract The Valence Hypothesis of cerebral lateralization of emotion suggests greater right hemisphere activation during negative mood and greater left hemisphere activation during positive mood. This can manifest as visual field attentional bias. Here, study participants completed an assessment of current mood state (PANAS) and made a drawing (Drawing 1). To induce positive or negative mood, participants played a game; then, the winner read a script depicting a positive interpersonal interaction and the loser read a script depicting a negative interpersonal interaction. Participants then drew a second picture (Drawing 2) and completed the PANAS. We hypothesized that the game outcome would change current mood state and hemispheric activation, which would be reflected in drawing placement. The placement of Drawing 2 moved right for winners and left for losers. Winners experienced a greater increase in positive affect from Time 1 to Time 2 than losers and had decreased negative affect from Time 1. Losers had decreased positive affect from Time 1 and had a greater increase in negative affect from Time 1 to Time 2 than winners. Our results suggest that change in current mood state may be objectively observed by evaluating hemispatial bias reflective of brain hemispheric activation with drawings.
COMMUNITY UNITY? PATTERNS IN MOLLUSCS AND FORAMINIFERA

: Organisms living together at the same time and place are often referred to as a “community.” Few studies, however, have questioned whether changes in abundance by different-size members coincide. Here densities of molluscs and foraminifera in a tropical and a subtropical environment are compared. Densities of bivalves and foraminifera were sampled monthly over a one-year period in Jamaica at a back-reef flat (less than 1 m depth), and at Discovery Bay (3 m depth). A significant difference in densities existed between the habitats for all species of bivalves. Two species also show periodicity with time. The total number of bivalve species found in the back-reef flat was six, and at Discovery Bay, 23. Of the 19 species of foraminifera analyzed, only six had density differences between habitats and seven had periodicity. The total number of foraminiferal species at the back-reef flat was 115 and at Discovery Bay, 117. Molluscs were sampled inside and outside of a cage with 12-mm openings in December, 1975, and in February, April, June, 1976 at Linkport, Florida in the Indian River Estuary. Foraminifera were sampled inside and outside of the same cage during January, February, March, April, May, and June, 1976. In the same area, foraminifera were sampled inside and outside a cage with 1-mm openings during March, April, May, and June, 1976. Of five species of gastropods analyzed, only one had a significant difference inside vs outside the cage, with higher densities inside. Densities of four gastropod species had significant differences with time. The densities of total gastropods had no significant differences inside vs outside or with time. Densities of total bivalves were significantly higher inside the cage and differed significantly with time. The densities of three taxa of foraminifera tested and total foraminifera had no significant differences between inside and outside the 12-mm cage, but differed with time. The densities of all three taxa of foraminifera and total foraminifera were significantly higher inside the cage with 1-mm openings than outside, and differed with time. These results suggest only the cage with 1-mm openings provided an effective exclosure from foraminiferal predators. Foraminiferal densities were much greater inside vs outside the 1-mm cage than those for molluscs which had differences inside vs outside the 12-mm cage. Differences in foraminiferal densities were synchronous inside and outside of both cages. Molluscan densities differed with time among taxa. The results suggest little integration in the response of these dominant members of the macro- and meiofauna to abiotic and biotic variables.
The contradictions and consequences of religious beliefs

Humans have assumed for thousands of years that they have a spirit or soul that will survive the body after death. These beliefs gave rise to countless religions that developed in different directions and led eventually to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and many minor religions. Hinduism and Buddhism, however, could be better described as a mixture of philosophy and religion. All religions are based on faith, so not surprisingly they evolve in different directions and originate countless branches and subdivisions. It should be noted that these contradict not only each other, but also scientific knowledge. Faith is a primitive form of irrational knowledge in which the truth or falsity of the beliefs cannot be tested. But faith is an essential component of all religions.
Computer Offerings for Statistical Graphics -- An Overview

CRT display devices, special plotters and other graphics output devices which communicate with small or large host computers provide analysts an opportunity to obtain automatically high quality graphical displays of data and results of statistical evaluations. This paper gives an overview of programs and subroutine libraries for statistical graphics. Different offerings are identified and their technical features compared. The purpose is to provide a working guide to those who wish to use statistical graphics.
An Ensemble Optimization Framework for Coupled Design of Hydropower Contracts and Real-Time Reservoir Operating Rules

Author(s): Sahu, RK; McLaughlin, DB | Abstract: Revenues from hydropower generation often depend on the operator's ability to provide firm power in the presence of uncertain inflows. The primary options available for optimizing revenue are negotiation of a firm power contract before operations begin and adjustment of the reservoir release during operations. Contract and release strategy optimization are closely coupled and most appropriately analyzed with stochastic real-time control methods. Here we use an ensemble-based approach to stochastic optimization that provides a convenient way to construct nonparametric revenue probability distributions to explore the implications of uncertainty. The firm power contract is a simplified bilateral fixed price agreement that partially insulates operator and buyer from price fluctuations. The release control laws and firm energy target are jointly optimized to maximize the operator's expected revenue. Revenue probability distributions and related spill performance statistics indicate that predictive operating strategies such as stochastic dynamic programming and model predictive control can give significantly better performance than standard deterministic operating rules. The performance obtained from batch optimization with perfect inflow information establishes a convenient upper bound on potential revenue and provides a baseline for assessing the significance of differences between real-time operating strategies. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the benefits of predictive operational strategies are greatest for reservoirs with medium nondimensional residence times and less important for reservoirs with large residence times. Overall, probabilistic analysis of the coupled hydropower contract-operations problem provides a realistic way to assess revenue and risk for reservoirs that must provide firm power when inflows are uncertain.
Madden–Julian oscillation changes under anthropogenic warming

The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) produces a region of enhanced precipitation that travels eastwards along the Equator in a 40–50 day cycle, perturbing tropical and high-latitude winds, and thereby modulating extreme weather events such as flooding, hurricanes and heat waves. Here, we synthesize current understanding on projected changes in the MJO under anthropogenic warming, demonstrating that MJO-related precipitation variations are likely to increase in intensity, whereas wind variations are likely to increase at a slower rate or even decrease. Nevertheless, future work should address uncertainties in the amplitude of precipitation and wind changes and the impacts of projected SST patterns, with the aim of improving predictions of the MJO and its associated extreme weather. The Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) is the leading mode of intraseasonal variability in the tropical atmosphere. This Perspective examines how the MJO may change with anthropogenic warming, revealing a projected increase in MJO-related precipitation.
Role of simulation models in understanding the generation of behavior in C. elegans

Abstract There has been a proliferation of studies using simulation models to achieve a system-level understanding of behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here I discuss the different aims of these modeling approaches and review examples of each in the context of locomotion and spatial navigation in the worm. I argue that as the focus shifts from understanding sensorimotor transformations to understanding neuromechanical instantiations for how behaviors are generated, simulation models will become a more integral part of the experiment–theory cycle. I discuss the insights that simulation modeling provides that complement information obtained from experimental discovery methods.
Distributed operation of collaborating unmanned aerial vehicles for time-sensitive oil spill mapping

Abstract Multiple simple agents working together to achieve a common complex goal embodies the underlying theme of swarm concepts, with decentralized decision-making serving as the new frontier for tackling challenges associated with scalability, fault tolerance, and communication constraints. This paper builds on this emerging paradigm to develop a distributed approach (called PSOil) for off-shore oil spill mapping using a team of unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs. In-flight waypoint planning is achieved via a new particle swarm mechanics-inspired technique, employing a novel combination of anomaly detection for knowledge extraction, and a stochastic occupancy grid approach for timely processing and frugal sharing of knowledge (with net communications
The Commons: Separating Tragedy and Triumph at a City Park

Littering in a city park is often considered a capricious act of neglect associated with simple carelessness. Using Ostrom's model, Governing the Commons, this research finds that littering is corr...
Tuning Y–Ba–Cu–O Focused Helium Ion Beam Josephson Junctions for Use as THz Mixers

We present Josephson junctions fabricated from high transition temperature superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 coupled to spiral THz antennas. The fabrication process involves creating a Josephson junction at the center of a superconducting bridge embedded into a THz spiral antenna using irradiation from a focused helium ion beam. For low doses of helium irradiation, the junctions have metallic barriers and operate at temperatures as high as 67 K. For higher doses of irradiation, insulator barriers are created. These devices have higher resistance but require cooling to lower temperatures (~10 K) due to smaller critical currents. Through optimization of the dose and by trimming the width of the junctions, we have created high resistance devices to improve the impedance match to a spiral antenna. Under 90-GHz radiation, we observe up to 17 Shapiro steps in the I-V curve out to approximately 3 mV at a temperature of 10 K.
Causal Automata I: Confluence ≡ {AND, OR} Causality

In this paper we introduce causal automata, a formalism for reasoning about reactive systems. In contrast to other formalisms in common use, causal automata permit complex causal relationships to be specified in a straightforward manner while having at the same time a simple and intuitive operational behaviour. Our main result, which follows on from earlier work in [4,5], uses causal automata to give a characterisation of Milner’s notion of confluence.
The Synthesis of Novel Polycyclic Heterocyclic Ring Systems via Photocyclization. 12. Benzo[h]naphtho‐[2′,1′:4,5]thieno[2,3‐c]quinoline and benzo[f]‐naphtho[2′,1′:4,5]thieno[2,3‐c]quinoline

The synthesis of two previously unknown heterocyclic ring systems, namely benzo[h]naphtho[2',1':4,5]thieno[2,3-c]quinoline (1) and benzo[f]naphtho[2',1':4,5]thieno[2,3-c]quinoline (2) was accomplished via photocyclization of the appropriate amides followed by chlorination and catalytic dechlorination. The total assignment of 1 H and 13 C nmr spectra of 2 was determined utilizing two-dimensional nmr methods, providing unequivocal structural proof of the two novel polycyclic ring systems
A fast and scalable method for quality assurance of deformable image registration on lung CT scans using convolutional neural networks.

PURPOSE To develop and evaluate a method to automatically identify and quantify deformable image registration (DIR) errors between lung computed tomography (CT) scans for quality assurance (QA) purposes. METHODS We propose a deep learning method to flag registration errors. The method involves preparation of a dataset for machine learning model training and testing, design of a three-dimensional (3D) convolutional neural network architecture that classifies registrations into good or poor classes, and evaluation of a metric called registration error index (REI) which provides a quantitative measure of registration error. RESULTS Our study shows that, despite having limited number of training images available (10 CT scan pairs for training and 17 CT scan pairs for testing), the method achieves 0.882 AUC-ROC on the test dataset. Furthermore, the combined standard uncertainty of the estimated REI by our model lies within ± 0.11 (± 11% of true REI value), with a confidence level of approximately 68%. CONCLUSIONS We have developed and evaluated our method using original clinical registrations without generating any synthetic/simulated data. Moreover, test data were acquired from a different environment than that of training data, so that the method was validated robustly. The results of this study showed that our algorithm performs reasonably well in challenging scenarios.
Time varying connectivity across the brain changes as a function of nicotine abstinence state

ABSTRACT Background The Nicotine Withdrawal Syndrome (NWS) includes affective and cognitive disruptions whose incidence and severity vary across time during acute abstinence. However, most network-level neuroimaging employs static measures of resting state functional connectivity (rsFC), assuming time-invariance, and unable to capture dynamic brain-behavior relationships. Recent advances in rsFC signal processing allow characterization of “time varying connectivity” (TVC), which characterizes network communication between sub-networks that reconfigure over the course of data collection. As such, TVC may more fully describe network dysfunction related to the NWS. Methods To isolate alterations in the frequency and diversity of communication across network boundaries as a function of acute nicotine abstinence we scanned cigarette smokers in the nicotine sated and abstinent states and applied a previously-validated method to characterize TVC at a network and nodal level within the brain. Results During abstinence, we found brain wide decreases in the frequency of interactions between network nodes in different modular communities (i.e. temporal flexibility; TF). In addition, within a subset of the networks examined the variability of these interactions across community boundaries (i.e. spatiotemporal diversity; STD) also decreased. Finally, within two of these networks the decrease in STD was significantly related to NWS clinical symptoms. Conclusions Employing multiple measures of TVC in a within subjects’ design, we characterized a novel set of changes in network communication and link these changes to specific behavioral symptoms of the NWS. These reductions in TVC provide a meso-scale network description of the relative inflexibility of specific large-scale brain networks as a result of acute abstinence.