cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Responding to student affect and efficacy through empathetic companion agents in interactive learning environments

Because many students experience frustration during learning, it is important to develop affective strategies to support students' coping with frustration in interactive learning environments. First, we must devise affect recognition models to detect student affect. Second, we need to determine when to intervene; these conditions are likely to be different for each student. To determine how much frustration a student can persist through, we should utilize models of student self-efficacy to predict a student's frustration threshold. Third, we should devise techniques for responding empathetically before the student reaches her threshold of frustration. We propose an approach to support students' coping with frustration in intelligent tutoring systems that utilizes induced models of affect, self-efficacy and empathetic behavior to effectively reason about precisely when and how to intervene in frustration-ridden learning situations.
Perceptions of Academic Achievement and EducationalOpportunities Among Black and African American Youth

Research focusing on disparities in academic achievement among Black, African American, and other youth has largely examined differences in quantitative risk and protective factors associated with levels of achievement. Few interpretive studies of academic achievement by race or ethnicity have considered how the context of young people’s lives impact their perceptions of academic performance. Furthermore, the lived experiences of Black and African American youth have rarely been considered. This study examined perceptions of academic achievement among a sample of Black and African American elementary and middle school students living in four public housing neighborhoods in a Western US city. Twenty-five Black and African American youth participated in the study. Fourteen youth were in grades 4 and 5, and 11 youth were in grades 6, 7, or 8. Sixty-four percent of participants (n = 16) were male and 36% (n = 9) were female. Four themes emerged regarding participants’ perceptions of academic achievement: (1) (in)equity and the internalization of messages; (2) teachers as gatekeepers; (3) family and community factors promoting and inhibiting academic success; and (4) cultural considerations—language, stereotypes, and difference. Implications for improving academic outcomes and reducing the achievement gap among Black, African American, and other students are noted.
Ernest Sosa, knowledge, and understanding

This paper offers and analysis of Ernest Sosa's Virtue Perspectivism.Although Sosa has been credited with fathering the influentialcontemporary movement known as Virtue Epistemology, I argue that Sosaimprudently abandons the reliabilist-based insights of VirtueEpistemology in favor of a reflection-based, ``perspectival'' view.Sosa's mixed allegiance to reliabilist-based and reflection-based viewsof knowledge, in fact, leads to an unwelcome tension in his thoughtwhich can be relieved by recognizing that his reflection-based view isin fact an account of the cognitive state of understanding,rather than an account of knowledge. Sosa makes mattersdifficult for himself because he expects too much, as it were, from theconcept of knowledge, and in the process burdens his view with elementsof reflection it does not require. To solve the problem, I suggest thatSosa needs to develop a two-tiered epistemology whichrecognizes that knowledge, on the one hand, and understanding, on theother, both have necessary and sufficient conditions unique tothemselves.
Fracture of Sic Fiber/Glass-Ceramic Composites as a Function of Temperature

SiC fiber reinforced LAS and BMAS glass-ceramic matrix composites have been recently developed. They show a combination of high strength and exceptional toughness over a wide temperature range. However, they suffer from significant embrittlement over the temperature range of 800°-1100°C when tested in air. The objective of the work was to understand this embrittlement behavior.
Theories of Empiricists and Relationalists

Some analysts have concluded, on the basis of empirical studies, that business people often ignore contract law, which is largely irrelevant to the business world. In this chapter, I first consider this thesis. I then turn to the relational perspective, which helps explain the empirical findings. Relationalists posit that contract doctrine’s focus on specific or “discrete” promises makes it unsuitable to govern most modern business arrangements, which are characterized by cooperation, flexibility, and willingness to adjust terms, not adherence to precise promises. Although the theories of empiricists and relationalists of contract law are thus compatible, they also contrast in important ways. For one thing, many empiricists, whose studies suggest the irrelevancy of contract law, ultimately acknowledge its importance. For another, recent empirical findings cast doubt on the irrelevancy and unsuitability theses. Building on these findings, I conclude that contract law continues to be important and adaptable to the needs of a relational world.
The Washingtons: George and Martha, “Join'd by Friendship, Crown'd by Love.”By Flora Fraser. (New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2016. Pp. xviii, 440. $17.95.)

George Washington's life, accomplishments, and failures have been examined and reexamined by scholars, beginning before his death and continuing to this day. Martha Washington, when she appears in ...
Characterization of single microvesicles in plasma from glioblastoma patients.

BACKGROUND Extracellular vesicles (EV) are shed by tumor cells but little is known about their individual molecular phenotypes and heterogeneity. While exosomes have received considerable attention, much less is known about larger microvesicles. Here we profile single microvesicles (MV) and exosomes from glioblastoma (GB) cells and MV from the plasma of patients. METHODS EV secreted from mouse glioma GL261 and human primary GBM8 cell lines as well as from the plasma of 8 patients with diagnoses of GB and 2 healthy controls were isolated and processed for single vesicle analysis. EV were immobilized on glass slides and the heterogeneity of vesicle and tumor markers were analyzed at the single vesicle level. RESULTS We show that (i) MV are abundant, (ii) only a minority of MV expresses putative MV markers, and (iii) MV share tetraspanin biomarkers previously thought to be diagnostic of exosomes. Using MV capture and staining techniques that allow differentiation of host cell and GB-derived MV we further demonstrate that (i) tumoral MV often present as <10% of all MV in GB patient plasma, and (ii) there is extensive heterogeneity in tumor marker expression in these tumor-derived MV. CONCLUSION These results indicate that single MV analysis is likely necessary to identify rare tumoral MV populations and the single vesicle analytical technique used here can be applied to both MV and exosome fractions without the need for their separation from each other. These studies form the basis for using single EV analyses for cancer diagnostics.
Deep-DFR: A Memristive Deep Delayed Feedback Reservoir Computing System with Hybrid Neural Network Topology

Deep neural networks (DNNs), the brain-like machine learning architecture, have gained immense success in data-extensive applications. In this work, a hybrid structured deep delayed feedback reservoir (Deep-DFR) computing model is proposed and fabricated. Our Deep-DFR employs memristive synapses working in a hierarchical information processing fashion with DFR modules as the readout layer, leading our proposed deep learning structure to be both depth-in-space and depth-in-time. Our fabricated prototype along with experimental results demonstrate its high energy efficiency with low hardware implementation cost. With applications on the image classification, MNIST and SVHN, our Deep-DFR yields a 1.26 $\sim$ 7.69X reduction on the testing error compared to state-of-the-art DNN designs.
Antibiotic and Sulfonamide Residues in Meat: Implications for Human Health.

The subtherapeutic use of antimicrobial drugs has played an important role in animal husbandry by the control of disease, the improvement of growth and efficiency of feed conversion. Livestock producers, industry, veterinary, and regulatory personnel share responsibility to ensure freedom from drug metabolites, residues, and other chemicals to which livestock and poultry may be exposed. The predominant concerns are for the potential adverse effects on human health. Data demonstrate that the feeding of subtherapeutic antimicrobials to livestock and poultry increases the prevalence of R+ enteric organisms. Some of these organisms may be pathogenic for humans.
The Benefits of Academically Oriented Peer Mentoring for At-Risk Student Populations

This article examines an academically oriented peer-mentoring program at St. John’s University. The program targeted at-risk first-year students who were having difficulty making the transition to college and matched them with trained student mentors within their major discipline. In addition to meeting with one another bi-weekly, all of the students came together for a series of organized events over the course of the academic year. The goals of the program were that mentees would (1) feel an increased sense of belonging at the university, (2) raise their GPAs, and (3) show improved retention to the second year. After examining how successful the program was relative to these goals, the authors recommend some best practices for peer-mentoring programs. These recommendations are based on both features of the program in the study that contributed to its success and areas where the program could have been improved based on the results.
Self-Reflection: Identifying the Leader in You

This book emphasizes that there is no “one right style of leadership” and there is no one best way to lead in every situation. That being said, research on leader-member exchange has identified a number of leadership traits that have often been associated with effective leaders. This chapter draws from trait theory exemplified through notable leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Martin Luther King Jr. Trait theory supports the idea that leaders are “born” and have certain qualities or traits that make them great leaders. However, a communicative lens argues that anyone can improve their leadership skills by working on their communication. Some traits covered in this chapter include energy level and stress tolerance, emotional maturity, and personal integrity. Additionally, this chapter explores various leadership styles—such as transformational and servant leaders—with descriptions and straightforward suggestions on how to encapsulate these leadership styles. Readers can also take a quiz to determine what type of leader they are and complete an activity in which readers can create vision statements for one’s leadership situated in individual, group, and organizational contexts.
Retrospective Cost Adaptive Harmonic Disturbance Rejection Using Dereverberated Target Models

The present paper focuses on adaptive feedback disturbance rejection for high-order, lightly damped systems using retrospective cost adaptive control (RCAC). RCAC requires a closed-loop target model, which captures key features of the plant dynamics. In the SISO case, this information includes knowledge of the sign of the leading numerator coefficient, relative degree, and non-minimum phase zeros. The present paper investigates the feasibility of using a deverberated transfer function (DTF) as the closed -loop target model. A dereverberated model of a lightly damped plant captures the magnitude and phase trend but ignores resonances and antiresonances, thus providing a simplified, low-order model of a lightly damped system. The present paper investigates the performance and robustness of RCAC using a dereverberated target model based on the nominal plant model.
The Retail Buying Process for Small Retailers: A Conceptual Model

Extensive research has been devoted to conceptualizing the organizational buying process. Four dominant models have been established (Johnston and Lewin 1996; Robinson et al. 1967; Sheth 1973; Webster and Wind 1972). Webster and Wind (1972) suggested that organizational models developed for industrial buying can or should be adapted to fit the needs of retail buyers. However, this approach is not always appropriate. Vast differences become apparent between industrial and retail buying when the retail buying process is examined—especially when the retailer is small. The purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual model that represents the buying process of small retailers.
Bending of Elastic Plates with Arbitrary Shapes

The method of conformal mapping is extended to solve certain problems for plates with arbitrary shapes. The mapping function is found by interpolation between a finite number of points on the boundary of the given plate. It is shown that the computation involved in the presented approximate method is simple and straightforward. For plates which have smooth boundaries the method yields accurate solutions. Furthermore, the magnitude of the error in the final solution can be estimated as soon as the mapping function is obtained.
Studies in the Growth and Nutrition of Dairy Calves: X. Self-Feeding a grain Mixture to young Calves

Summary From the work reported here it would appear that dairy calves can be. fed economically until six months of age with a self-fed mixture of cracked corn, ground oats, wheat bran and linseed oil meal. The proportions of the feeds in the mixture can be adapted to ruling prices. Alfalfa hay can be self-fed and the milk hand fed according to the requirements of the individual calves.
Virtual Intermediaries: Consumption Tax Problems in Japan, Europe, and the United States - The Case of the Virtual Travel Agent

Marketplace technology is (inadvertently) chipping away at the effectiveness of consumption taxes – the Japanese Consumption Tax (CT), the European value added tax (VAT), and the American sales tax (ST) are all affected. Frequently a technology-patch or a law change can repair the tax-damage, but sometimes even though a patch or a change is known the design of the levy (or the politics behind the design) impedes application. This paper assesses these consumption taxes by considering the impact that virtual travel agents have had on revenue yields. The paper draws specific conclusions for the Japanese CT, because this consumption tax seems particularly vulnerable to these intermediaries. Based on the structure of the Japanese Consumption Tax and estimates drawn from the performance of virtual intermediaries in the other consumption taxes, this paper estimates that approximately ¥26,532 million in CT has not been collected in Japan each year for the past eight to ten years. This is the case even though guests may believe that they have paid a full measure of the CT to reservation agents when on-line reservations have been made through virtual travel agents.
THE INFLUENCE OF BARGAINING STRUCTURE AND POSITIVE AFFECT ON DECISION MAKING IN NEGOTIATIONS

While prior research showed that positive affect helped negotiators use more cooperative strategies and reach more integrative outcomes, this study found that there exists a boundary condition according to the bargaining structure of the negotiation (i.e. positive and negative bargaining zone). Results showed that negotiators in the positive affect condition were more likely to reach integrative solutions than the affect control condition only when they faced a negative bargaining zone. They also accurately guessed the important issues of the counterpart in the negative bargaining zone. In general, they arrived at an agreement significantly faster and perceived the counterpart more cooperative than the control condition. Negotiators with the positive affect were able to distinguish when the efforts to reach an integrative outcome is necessary, thus balance the benefit and the cost of the negotiation.
Truncated Newton Methods for Optimization with Inaccurate Functions and Gradients

We consider unconstrained minimization problems that have functions and gradients given by black box codes with error control. We discuss several modifications of the Steihaug truncated Newton method that can improve performance for such problems. We illustrate the ideas with two examples.
Comparing Energy, Area, Delay Tradeoffs in Going Vertical with CMOS and Asymmetric HTFETs

Vertical transistors are one of the promising alternatives to standard lateral device structures in future technologies due to benefits in terms of reduced footprint and feasibility of fabrication of hetero junction structures. While such device-level benefits have been widely explored, the circuit and layout-level implications of vertical transistors require further analysis. In this work, we carry out a systematic layout and circuit analysis for 20nm vertical transistors, namely symmetrical vertical MOSFET and asymmetrical hetero junction tunnel FET (HTFET), and present a detailed comparison with 20nm Fin FETs. Our analysis clearly outlines the differences from the perspective of layouts and the performance/power of standard cells. The absence of width quantization in vertical FETs and steep switching characteristics in HTFETs result in larger drive strengths compared to Fin FETs. However, for high fan-in cells, vertical transistors show area overheads due to infeasibility of contact sharing in parallel and series transistors. For each type of device, we synthesized a 32-bit carry look ahead adder and compared energy, delay and area, taking into account layout differences due to the device structures. Our analysis shows that in spite of area overhead for some cells, high drive-strength in HTFET cells brings advantages in both area and energy over both Fin FETs and vertical MOSFETs at VDD < 0.6V.
Du Bois as Social Activist: Why We Are Not Saved

W.E.B. Du Bois completed most of his 1898 agenda, and much of the remainder has been accomplished since. And yet we are not saved. We need to reclaim race relations studies about power and institutions. Agency is only part of the story. We should remember Du Bois's emphasis on the increasing importance of black, "brown, and yellow" men and women because of "sheer numbers and physical contact." As we enter the twenty-first century, we need more studies of other people of color replicating those Du Bois proposed concerning African Americans. If scholars have any interest in being like Du Bois, they must be devoted to research but not as onlookers in the struggle for social justice. They must act to "raise" not just themselves but the race. This is the work that must be done if we want one America in the twenty-first century to be more than just a cliche but a reality.
A Study of the Cascading Effects of Ambulance Diversion among Hospitals

This research effort is undertaken to determine the impact that one hospitalâ€™s diversion status has on other hospitals in a region and the strength of these interactions. The conditional probability of one hospital going on diversion given that another is already on diversion is evaluated. Based on this analysis, the strength of interactions among the hospitals is established. Through statistical analyses of historical data, the strength of the mutual effects of diversion among a collection of hospitals is determined. These effects are mutual if one hospitalâ€™s diversion status affected anotherâ€™s, then the reverse was also true. The intensity of these interactions between hospitals is varied, some being stronger than others. The model illustrates an approach to studying the cascading effects of diversion among hospitals in a region. This is important, because the status of any hospital in a region can signal the likelihood of impending diversion in every other hospital in the region. This allows actions that might prevent the occurrence of diversion or mitigate the cascading effects of Emergency Medical Systems diversion.
Acute effects of alloxan- and streptozotocin-induced insulin deficiency on somatostatin and glucagon secretion by the perfused isolated rat pancreatico-duodenal preparation.

The secretion of somatostatin and glucagon by the perfused rat pancreatico-duodenal preparation was examined in situ under control conditions and after the induction of acute insulin deficiency by alloxan or streptozotocin. A 10 min 0.625 mmol/l alloxan perfusion resulted in an immediate and transient increase in basal insulin and glucagon release and a slightly delayed and persistent increase in basal somatostatin secretion. The insulin responses to 16.7 mmol/l glucose, 1 mmol/l theophylline, and 19 mmol/l arginine alone or in combination were virtually eliminated by alloxan treatment, Somatostatin secretion in response to the stimuli was completely inhibited or markedly attenuated. The glucagon-suppressive effect of glucose was unaltered by alloxan and the stimulatory effect of arginine was enhanced. Addition of 1 μg/ml porcine insulin to the perfusion medium did not modify the alterations in somatostatin and glucagon responses to arginine. Streptozotocin treatment 90 min prior to the onset of perfusion resulted in changes in somatostatin, glucagon, and insulin responses to glucose and arginine similar to those of alloxan. The present results are consistent with an effect of alloxan and streptozotocin on the D cell similar to that on the B cell, namely, interference with a glucose-mediated effect on hormone secretion.
Insulin-like growth factor binding protein secretion by muscle cells: Effect of cellular differentiation and proliferation

Several cell types have been shown to secrete insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGF-BP) in vitro. Since IGF-BP influences cell responsiveness to IGF, three muscle cell types were investigated to determine if they produced IGF-BP and to identify factors that regulate IGF-BP secretion. Porcine smooth muscle cells (pSMC), rat L6 skeletal muscle cells, and mouse BC3H-1 myocytes were used. IGF-BP activity in serum-free conditioned media was quantitated with a polyethylene glycol precipitation method. All three cell types secreted IGF-BP activity into the medium. Insulin was a potent stimulant of IGF-BP secretion for each cell type. Specifically, 1 microgram/ml insulin increased the IGF-BP concentration in conditioned media from 10.5 +/- 1.3 to 15.0 +/- 1.5 ng/ml in confluent L6 myotubes, from 42.5 +/- 11.1 to 90.5 +/- 9.8 ng/ml in confluent BC3H-1 cells, and from 2.1 +/- 0.1 to 3.8 +/- 0.1 ng/ml in confluent pSMC. L6 myotubes required more insulin (8 micrograms/ml) to achieve a half-maximal stimulation of IGF-BP secretion than confluent pSMC, differentiation deficient L6.DD cells or BC3H-1 cells, where half-maximal stimulation occurred between 125 and 300 ng/ml. L6 myoblasts were 40-fold more sensitive to insulin stimulation of IGF-BP secretion than L6 myotubes. IGF-I, although it interferes with the assay and thereby lowers the amount of detectable IGF-BP, stimulated the secretion of IGF-BP from all three cell types. Dexamethasone, (10(-7) M) decreased IGF-BP secretion into the media by approximately 50% for all three cell types. Affinity cross-linking and ligand blotting of 125I-IGF-I to conditioned media from each cell type showed (IGF-BP)-(IGF-I) complexes with molecular weights ranging 32-40 kDa (24-32 kDa for IGF-BP and 7.5 kDa for IGF-I). Insulin stimulated cell proliferation for both L6 myoblasts and BC3H-1 myocytes. This cell proliferative response was associated with an increase in IGF-BP secretion/cell in response to insulin. In contrast dexamethasone decreased L6 myoblast proliferation and decreased IGF-BP secretion/cell. We conclude that IGF-BP is secreted by each muscle cell type and that the state of cellular differentiation or quiescence influences its basal and insulin-stimulated secretion. Insulin and IGF-I are stimulators of IGF-BP secretion, whereas dexamethasone inhibits IGF-BP secretion. Because these hormones control muscle cell growth and differentiation, the IGF-BP may play an important regulatory role in these processes.
Cyclic Amp-Dependent Protein Kinase Content of Murine Splenic T and B Lymphocytes and Non-Lymphoid Tissues

Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity has been measured in DEAE-cellulose elution profiles of highly enriched murine splenic T and B Lymphocytes. B Lymphocytes were found to contain about 10% of the amount of enzyme activity associated with T lymphocytes and several non-lymphoid tissues. Cyclic AMP-independent casein kinase activities were equivalent in T and B lymphocytes. Lymphocytes contained predominantly type I isozyme as opposed to several non-lymphoid tissues which all contained predominantly the type II form.
Genetic Variability Among Maize Inbred Lines for Resistance to the High Plains Virus-Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Complex

High plains virus (HPV) is a pathogen that causes a severe disease, especially in susceptible corn genotypes. The virus is transmitted by the eriophyid mite Aceria tosichella, which also transmits wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV). This often results in a mixed infection by these two viruses. Genetic variability for resistance to the HPV exists among maize inbred lines but has not been characterized. The disease reaction of 30 maize inbred lines to the mixed infection and to WSMV alone was characterized in this study. Evaluation was based on symptom expression and virus titer (HPV and WSMV), as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All lines showed some HPV symptoms, which ranged from a few visible spots to rapid plant death. HPV-resistant inbreds include B73 and B14. Susceptible inbreds include W64A, Wf9, H100, N213, N215, and N194. Five of the six inbreds most severely affected by HPV also had a high WSMV titer, although they displayed few symptoms when inoculated with WSMV alone. Inbred N194 was one of the genotypes most susceptible to HPV, but it showed no detectable WSMV titer. Seedlings of highly susceptible genotypes often died within 2 weeks of infection.
Isopiestic studies on (mannitol + sorbitol+D-glucose)(aq) and two of the subsystems at the temperature 298.15 K

Abstract Isopiestic measurements have been made on the quaternary system (mannitol+sorbitol+ D -glucose)(aq) and its two ternary subsystems (mannitol+ D -glucose)(aq) and (sorbitol+ D -glucose)(aq) at T =298.15 K. The results are in excellent agreement with the semi-ideal hydration model and the partial-ideal solution model. Activity coefficients have been calculated for each solute in the mixed systems from the isopiestic results.
ASTROCYTE-ASTROCYTOMA CELL LINE INTERACTIONS IN CULTURE

Astrocytomas are the most common brain tumors arising in the CNS and account for 65% of all primary brain tumors. Astrocytes have been shown to have the highest predisposition to malignant transformation compared to any other CNS cell type. The majority of astrocytomas are histologically malignant neoplasm. Previous studies have shown that resident astrocytes are the first cell type to react to tumors and surround them. However, the role of these astrocytes in tumor formation and progression has not been determined. In the present study, we have co-cultured astrocytes with a permanent cell line S635c15 (derived from anaplastic astrocytoma) in order to understand the cellular interactions between astrocytes and astrocytoma cells. Our studies demonstrate that astrocytes in contact with the tumor cells become reactive and fibrous with an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunoreactivity as early as 4 days in culture. By 8 days, astrocytes formed glial boundaries around the tumor cells which grew as round colonies. The astrocytic processes surrounding the tumor cells were also intensely GFAP positive. Since the behavior of these cells observed in culture is very similar to their interaction seen in vivo, this co-culture system may serve as an in vitro model for astrocyte and astrocytoma cell line interaction and aid in our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms during early stages of tumor formation and cell interactions.
Simulation of miscible displacement in porous media by a modified Uzawa's algorithm combined with a characteristic method

Abstract Miscible displacement in porous media is modeled by a nonlinear coupled system of two partial differential equations: the pressure equation, which is elliptic, and the concentration equation, which is parabolic but usually convection-dominated. In this paper, we focus on some computational difficulties in the simulation of this problem. In order to obtain accurate approximation for velocity, we implement a modified Uzawa's algorithm for the pressure equation with a full permeability tensor including strong heterogeneity and anisotropy. For handling the convection dominance over diffusion, we employ a modified method of characteristics for the concentration equation. Numerical simulation results show that the combination of the modified method of characteristics and the modified Uzawa's algorithm is a good choice for the problem. In particular, the modified method of characteristics dramatically reduces numerical diffusion and non-physical oscillation in the approximate concentration, and the modified Uzawa's algorithm leads to positive definite linear systems with velocity unknowns only and exhibits the accuracy of mixed finite element methods.
Factors associated with participation in a mitral valve prolapse support group.

Abstract Purpose: The goal of this study was to explore factors that may influence attendance at a mitral valve prolapse (MVP) support group. Design: The study design was nonexperimental and descriptive. Method: The MVP Support Group Questionnaire was mailed to 18 MVP support group leaders and to 700 persons in whom MVP had been diagnosed. Findings: Three hundred seventy-six questionnaires were analyzed. Data demonstrate that persons more likely to participate in an MVP support group are those who are older (>50 years of age) and those who belong to other self-help groups. The most important reason for attending these support groups was to obtain more information about MVP. Conclusions: Data suggest that MVP support groups are needed to provide support and information to people with MVP syndrome—information that is not normally available from family, friends, and physicians. (Heart Lung ® 2001;30:128-37.)
ESTIMATION OF ASSYMETRIC LONGRUN SUPPLY FUNCTIONS: THE CASE OF COFFEE

Far a number of years it has been recognized that there are problems involved in estimating supply functions for commodities whose production employs long-lived inputs. These problems embrace all agricultural production, since equipment durable assets are used in the production of all farm commodities. Nevertheless, and recognition of these problems is perhaps most important for tree based commodities. This paper demonstrates a method for incorporating decisions about adding or removing durable capital, and applies the technique to the analysis of Brazilian coffee production. The model suggested has wide application to tree fruit production as well, and with modifications to supply analysis for many other commodities. WE ANALYSE DE LA PRODUCTION DU CAFE - L'on constate, depuis longtemps, qu'u est tres difficile de calculer avec assez de precision les appro visionnements requis dans les secteurs de production qui exigent des investissements a long terme dans des biens mobiliers et immobiliers et de l'outillage. Cela est particulierement vrai en agriculture ou l'outillage qui doit servir longtemps absorbe d'importantes sommes d'argent. Le probleme envisage ici est celui des denrees provenant d'arbres et d'arbustes. Nous proposons une methode de calcul des sommes qu'il faut investir dans l'equipement durable et, a titre d'exemple, nous appliquons cette methode a la production du cafe brezilien. A partir de la, l'on peut comprendre que ce mode de calcul peut etre utilise dans un grand nombre d'exploitations d'arbre fruitiers et meme d'autres denrees.
Purification and characterization of the proteolipid of rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum.

Summary The proteolipid of rabbit sarcoplasmic reticulum was isolated and characterized. Tyrosine was identified as the C-terminal amino acid by hydrazinolysis and carboxypeptidase A digestion. The N-terminal sequence of proteolipid is: Met-Glx-Arg-Ser-Thr-Arg-Glx-Leu-Cys-Leu-Asp-Phe-. The hydrophilic character of the N-terminal portion suggests that it is exposed on the membrane surface.
A NOTE ON THE SHORT‐RUN “PRODUCTIVENESS” OF LABOR SERVICES

Since the time of Adam Smith, classical and Marxist economists have made a distinction between productive and unproductive labor. According to Smith, productive is that “labour which adds to the value of the subject upon which it is bestowed” (Smith, 1937, 314).
Nonlinear Phase Noise in DPSK Systems: BER Calculation

We evaluate the impact of nonlinear phase noise on the performance of DPSK modulated systems, using a novel generalization of the Eigenfunction Expansion Method.
The Racial and Economic Theories of James Cone and Martin Luther King Jr., Illuminated by "The Sermon on the Mount"

Civil rights leaders James Cone and Martin Luther King Jr. stand out for their articulation on the injury that has been done to their "race" by White people, in the form of discrimination and poverty. These two issues of racial and economic justice were chief among the concerns for the equality of all humans. This article will trace the struggle for human rights through the rise of Black theology. The response of the White racists to this uprising was one of meager offerings, if not outright refusal: gradual integration and tokenism. The concept of struggle against these evil forces rises to prominence, as the civil rights movement seeks to integrate sympathetic Whites into their plight. This leads to a union of races, especially as those in the lower class—both Black and White—mobilized their numbers to protest against the prevalent unemployment and the source of the economic injustice—namely, discrimination. Finally, the solutions of both Cone and King will be put forth.
Development of Small in-Vivo Imaging Probes for Tumor Detection

We have developed coded-aperature ?-ray imaging devices which are small enough to be incorporated in medical probes that are inserted into the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract to image concentrations of tumor-seeking radiotracers. We have designed two different types of imaging probes, rotating and nonrotating, and have constructed and tested prototypes of each.
Non-trade concerns: reconciling domestic policy objectives with trade liberalisation

In seeking appropriate economic policies to address non-trade concerns (NTC), a distinction must be made between those concerns that relate to market failure and the misallocation of resources, and those that relate to distributional issues. To deal with both types of NTC, domestic policies are required that correct for missing institutions or address institutional failure. We identify the NTC that fall into the two categories of NTC and the types of domestic policies that can be used for each type. International policies and agreements, such as those concluded through the World Trade Organisation (WTO), while potentially significant for the liberalisation of international trade, play a secondary and supporting role to domestic policies in addressing NTC. In particular, they are not an efficient means of addressing domestic market failure.
Proteolysis of Aβ Peptide from Alzheimer Disease Brain by Gelatinase A

It has been recently reported that the 72 kDa proteolytic enzyme gelatinase A/type IV collagenase/matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) hydrolyzed the Lys 16-Leu 17 peptide bond of a synthetic decapeptide (YEVHHQKLVFF) representing the soluble A beta sequence of amino acid residues 10-20. Our aim was to test if this enzyme could also degrade the insoluble 40-42 residues long A beta peptides purified from Alzheimer Disease brain. Our results indicate that MMP2 hydrolyzes A beta 1-40 and A beta 1-42 peptides at Lys 16-Leu 17, at Leu 34-Met 35, and Met 35-Val 36 peptide bonds. These results suggest that MMP2 has the ability of degrading A beta of AD in vitro. If this hydrolysis also occurs in the brain's extracellular matrix, the enzymatic action of gelatinase a could prevent the generation of amyloidogenic A beta 1-40(42).
Bacterial subretinal abscess: a case report and review of the literature.

Abstract PURPOSE: To report a case of Klebsiella subretinal abscess with a successful visual outcome with treatment and to review the literature pertaining to focal intraocular infection in bacterial endophthalmitis. METHODS: Clinical data including medical history, findings on physical examination, blood cultures, and an abdominal computed tomographic scan were collected in a 32-year-old man with Klebsiella sepsis, liver abscesses, and a focal subretinal abscess. Ocular data including visual acuity, fundus photographs, fluorescein angiography, and ultrasound were evaluated, as were results of culture and histopathologic studies. RESULTS: Despite immediate intervention, including vitreous tap and intravitreal antibiotics, the eye deteriorated, with enlargement of the abscess. A pars plana vitrectomy was performed in which the subretinal abscess material was removed after an extensive retinectomy of the involved area in association with an endophotocoagulative barrier and intravitreal amikacin without gas or oil tamponade. Culture confirmed Klebsiella subretinal infection. A retinal detachment occurred 1 month postoperatively and was successfully repaired. Visual acuity was 20/30 and has remained stable for 14 months. CONCLUSION: Klebsiella endophthalmitis with subretinal abscess formation is a rare but devastating ocular condition. In the present case, prompt intervention with extensive retinectomy, complete abscess excision, and intravitreal antibiotic therapy resulted in unprecedented visual recovery.
Influence of genetic factors on the susceptibility of cattle to bovine leukemia virus infection.

Abstract An epidemiological study of a dairy herd in Florida was undertaken to investigate the factors that influence infection with bovine leukemia virus (BLV). Using the glycoprotein antigen immunodiffusion test, 75.8–82.7% of the cows were found to have antibodies to BLV between 1975 and 1977 . Prevalence of BLV antibodies increased until 5 yr of age after which it remained at a steady level. The data were examined by least squares analysis of variance to determine heritability of susceptibility to BLV infection. A heritability estimate of 0.48 ± 0.22 was determined, suggesting considerable genetic influence on susceptibility to BLV infection.
Targeted ablation of the vitamin D 1α-hydroxylase gene: getting to the heart of the matter

Targeted gene ablation technology has uncovered biological mechanisms that have led to important therapeutics in humans. In a study by Zhou et al. , ablation of the 1α-hydroxylase gene led to hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, and systolic dysfunction, and this cardiac phenotype was rescued with exogenous 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D administration.
Ḥadīth in the Christian Arabic Kalām of Būluṣ Ibn Rajāʾ (c. 1000)

‭The Coptic saint and theologian Būluṣ b. Rajāʾ (b. c. 955; d. c. 1010) wrote a work entitled Kitāb al-Wāḍiḥ in which he employed kalām-style interrogation to defend Christianity and critique Islamic truth claims. As a Muslim convert to the Coptic Church in Fatimid Egypt, Ibn Rajāʾ was familiar with the Islamic ḥadīth tradition and made use of them in his religious arguments. This article examines the biography of Ibn Rajāʾ, the contents of Kitāb al-Wāḍiḥ in Ms. Paris BNF Syriac 203, and its audience. The article investigates how Ibn Rajāʾ employed oral traditions in his work, concluding that he was attracted to ḥadīths as supporting evidence for his polemics while he was also disenchanted with their lack of reliability in his apologetics.‬
How Safe Is Russia? Public Risk Perception and Nuclear Security

An ill-informed Russian population can impede international cooperation and better nuclear security.
The Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction

From the time of Hippocrates until the 1920s, massaging "hysterical" female patients to orgasm was a staple of medical practice among Western physicians. Hysteria, an ailment considered common and chronic in women, was thought to be the consequence of sexual deprivation. Doctors performed the "routine chore" of relieving hysterical patient's symptoms with manual genital massage until the women reached orgasm, or, as it was known under clinical conditions, the "hysterical paroxysm". The vibrator first emerges as an electromechanical medical instrument in direct reponse to demand from physicians who, far from enjoying the implementation of pelvic massage, sought every opportunity to substitute the services of midwives and, later, the efficiency of mechanical devices. In this volume, the author offers a candid account of why such treatments were socially and ethically permissible for doctors and why women were believed to require them. She explores the diagnosis of hysteria in Western medicine thorughout the ages and examines the characterization of female sexuality as a disease requiring treatment. Medical authorities, she writes, were able to defend and justify the clinical production of orgasm in women as necessary to maintain the dominant view of sexuality, which defined sex as penetration to male orgasm - a practice that consistently fails to produce orgasm in a majority of the female population. This male-centred definition of satisfying and healthy coitus shaped not only the development of concepts of female sexual pathology but also the instrumentation designed to cope with them. Invented in the late 1880s by a British physician, the vibrator was popular with turn-of-the-century doctors as a quick, efficient cure for hysteria that neither fatigued the therapist nor demanded skills which were difficult to acquire. Some entrepreneurs even opened vibratory "operating theatres". Maines describes in detail the wide range of vibratory apparatus available to physicians by 1900, from low-priced foot-powered models to the Chattanooga, which cost $200 plus freight in 1904. She shows how hysterical women presented a large and lucrative clientele for doctors, and vibrators reduced, from about one hour to ten minutes, the time required for a physician to produce results, significantly increasing the number of patients he could treat in the course of a working day. These women were ideal patients in that they neither recovered nor died from their condition but continued to require regular medical "treatment". Maine traces the vibrator from its beginning as a sanctioned therapeutic instrument to its fall from respectability and disappearance from medical offices - after appearing in stage films in the 1920s - to its re-emergence in the 1960s as a sex aid.
The life-cycle and biology of Hemiurus communis Odhner, 1905 (Digenea, Hemiuridae)

Il est demontre que des cercaires cystophores non encore decrites qui se developpent dons les sacs germinaux du Mollusque opisto-branche retusa truncatula (Bruguiere) sont celles de Hemiurus communis Odhner, 1905 (Hemiuridae), parasite stomacal de Poissons des cotes nord-occidentales d'Europe. La cercaire nageante est ingeree par des Copepodes calanoides. Le corps cercarien est injecte dans l'hemocoele du Copepode par le tube inoculoteur. La cercaire cystophore et le cycle biologique de H. communis sont compares avec ceux des autres Hemiurides de l'Atlantique nord-oriental et la biologie des especes connues est passee en revue.
Comorbid anxiety disorders in late-life depression

We examined the prevalence and correlates of comorbid anxiety disorders in two groups of older depressed patients assessed at the University of Pittsburgh. A total of 336 older outpatients and inpatients with major depression were comprehensively evaluated with several instruments including the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and either the SADS-L or the SCID for DSM-III-R. These patients presented with major depression, associated with a wide range of functional, cognitive, and medical impairment. One-third to one-half of them also presented with severe symptomatic anxiety. However, only a small proportion (less than 5%) met diagnostic criteria for lifetime or current panic, obsessive-compulsive, or phobic disorders. At baseline, lifetime comorbid anxiety disorders were associated with a higher rate of alcoholism and higher symptomatic anxiety. Lifetime comorbid anxiety disorders did not affect the rate of response of depression, but they were associated with a higher use of benzodiazepines and a 50% increase in the time outpatients needed to respond. These findings suggest that, even in psychiatric patients with major depression, the lifetime prevalence of anxiety disorders is lower in late life, but that it has important clinical and therapeutic implications.
A Linear Generator Powered from Bridge Vibrations for Wireless Sensors

A linear generator harvests which bridge vibration energy is used as the power source for a 3.3 V supply for the wireless sensor. Because of its ironless structure, the generator must be designed using the finite element method (FEM). The prime mover's mass and spring stiffness are analyzed with the vibration energy of the bridge. The linear generator's model is built in FEM package. The dynamic voltage with time produced by the generator is obtained with a transient electromagnetic field analysis. Finally, the experimental results of the linear generator are shown at different frequencies and displacements.
Scaling with Respect to a Parameter for the Gibbs Potential and Pair Correlation Function of the S = 1 2 Ising Model with Lattice Anisotropy

Series for the reduced susceptibility $\overline{\ensuremath{\chi}}$, the reduced specific heat ${\overline{C}}_{H}$, and second moment ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{2}$ of the static correlation function for the three-dimensional $S=\frac{1}{2}$ Ising model on both the simple cubic (sc) and face-centered cubic (fcc) lattices with different coupling strengths in different lattice directions have been analyzed to determine the crossover exponent $\ensuremath{\phi}$ describing the behavior of the critical temperature as a function of the anisotropy parameter $R$ in the Hamiltonian $\mathcal{H}=\ensuremath{-}{J}_{\mathrm{xy}}\ensuremath{\Sigma}{〈\mathrm{ij}〉}^{\mathrm{xy}}{s}_{i}{s}_{j}\ensuremath{-}{J}_{z}\ensuremath{\Sigma}{〈\mathrm{ij}〉}^{z}{s}_{i}{s}_{j}\ensuremath{\equiv}\ensuremath{-}{J}_{\mathrm{xy}}(\ensuremath{\Sigma}{〈\mathrm{ij}〉}^{\mathrm{xy}}{s}_{i}{s}_{j}+R\ensuremath{\Sigma}{〈\mathrm{ij}〉}^{z}{s}_{i}{s}_{j})$. Here ${s}_{i}=+1$, the first sum is over all nearest-neighbor pairs in the $\mathrm{xy}$ plane, and the second sum is over all pairs coupled in the $z$ direction. The constant gap exponent we obtain for successive derivatives of $\overline{\ensuremath{\chi}}$ and ${\overline{C}}_{H}$ with respect to $R$ confirms the exponent predictions of scaling in the parameter $R$ for thermodynamic functions, while the results of the ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{2}$ series confirm the exponent predictions of scaling with respect to $R$ for the two-spin correlation function. Our results agree with the predictions for $\ensuremath{\phi}$ of Abe and Suzuki, and also with rigorous relations satisfied by the exponents describing the derivatives of the various functions. Our results do not agree with previously published results, which are based on an analysis of only the susceptibility on only the sc lattice.
What does dead mean? A book for young children to help explain death and dying

Deciding what to say to a child when someone they know or have heard about has died is a complicated process for most adults. Anxiety about saying too much, particularly to young children, and frig...