cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The valuation of contingent claims markets

This article studies an agent's valuation of the right to trade in a complete contingent claims market. The proposed measure generalizes the Pratt (1964) risk premium, which captures the willingness to pay to replace a given risky wealth prospect with an actuarially equivalent, nonrisky wealth. Specifically, we define ageneralized risk premium to be the willingness to pay to trade at going market prices. If state prices are actuarially fair, the Pratt premium is obtained as a special case. We derive several properties of this generalized premium and note its relationship to the option price of a public project under uncertainty.
Adjoint-based optimization of flapping plates hinged with a trailing-edge flap

Abstract It is important to understand the impact of wing-morphing on aerodynamic performance in the study of flapping-wing flight of birds and insects. We use a flapping plate hinged with a trailing-edge flap as a simplified model for flexible/morphing wings in hovering. The trailing-edge flapping motion is optimized by an adjoint-based approach. The optimized configuration suggests that the trailing-edge flap can substantially enhance the overall lift. Further analysis indicates that the lift enhancement by the trailing-edge flapping is from the change of circulation in two ways: the local circulation change by the rotational motion of the flap, and the modification of vortex shedding process by the relative location between the trailing-edge flap and leading-edge main plate.
PI/PID controller design based on direct synthesis and disturbance rejection

A design method for PID controllers based on the direct synthesis approach and specification of the desired closed-loop transfer function for disturbances is proposed. Analytical expressions for PID controllers are derived for several common types of process models, including first-order and second-order plus time delay models and an integrator plus time delay model. Although the controllers are designed for disturbance rejection, the set-point responses are usually satisfactory and can be tuned independently via a set-point weighting factor. Nine simulation examples demonstrate that the proposed design method results in very good control for a wide variety of processes including those with integrating and/or nonminimum phase characteristics. The simulations show that the proposed design method provides better disturbance rejection than the standard direct synthesis and internal model control methods when the controllers are tuned to have the same degree of robustness.
Identification of distinct fatigue trajectories in patients with breast cancer undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy.

Purpose The goal of this study was to characterize changes in daily fatigue in women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. We examined whether there are subgroups of patients with distinct fatigue trajectories and explored potential psychosocial and biomedical predictors of these subgroups.
Variation in the chilling requirement and budburst rate of wild Vitis species

Cultivated grapevine (Vitis vinifera) is one of the most important agricultural fruit crops in the world and grapevines are often grown in environments very different than the Mediterranean climate from where they were domesticated. To meet the environmental demands of varied climate, grapevine breeders often utilize wild grapevine species for adaptive traits, particularly in regard to abiotic stress resistance. In this study, we characterized both the chilling requirement and days to budburst phenotypes in wild grapevine species. Using survival analysis, we examined the effect of varied lengths of low temperature on budburst in 27 different genotypes of grapevine, including seven wild grapevine species, three cultivated grape varieties, and four hybrid varieties. Results of our two-year study demonstrate a wide range in both intraspecific and interspecific variation in these traits. Trends within the data allow us to categorize low and high chill species. Correlated with these categories are fast and slow maximal budburst phenotypes. When compared with geographic distribution of species and genotypes, patterns between northern and southern populations suggest that chilling requirement and budburst rate are adaptive traits.
A minimal model of the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability: its genesis and predictability

Through a box model of the subpolar North Atlantic, we examine the genesis and predictability of the Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV), posited as a linear perturbation sustained by the stochastic atmosphere. Postulating a density-dependent thermohaline circulation (THC), the latter would strongly differentiate the thermal and saline damping, and facilitate a negative feedback between the two fields. This negative feedback preferentially suppresses the low-frequency thermal variance to render a broad multidecadal peak bounded by the thermal and saline damping time. We offer this “differential variance suppression” as an alternative paradigm of the AMV in place of the “damped oscillation”—the latter generally not allowed by the deterministic dynamics and in any event bears no relation to the thermal peak. With the validated dynamics, we then assess the AMV predictability based on the relative entropy—a difference of the forecast and climatological probability distributions, which decays through both error growth and dynamical damping. Since the stochastic forcing is mainly in the surface heat flux, the thermal noise grows rapidly and together with its climatological variance limited by the THC-aided thermal damping, they strongly curtail the thermal predictability. The latter may be prolonged if the initial thermal and saline anomalies are of the same sign, but even rare events of less than 1% chance of occurrence yield a predictable time that is well short of a decade; we contend therefore that the AMV is in effect unpredictable.
Metabolism of gossypol in the chick

14C labeled gossypol was administered to young chickens and the deposition of gossypol plus gossypol decomposition products in the various tissues was evaluated by determination of14C activity in a scintillation spectrometer. Most of the gossypol activity was recovered in the feces with relatively smaller amounts retained by the tissues. Most of the labeled compound retained was found in the liver, muscle, blood and kidneys, with the highest concentration in the liver. Increasing the protein content of the diet by the addition of fish meal reduced the amount of gossypol plus gossypol decomposition products found in the tissues.
Estimating aboveground carbon stocks of a forest affected by mountain pine beetle in Idaho using lidar and multispectral imagery

Abstract Mountain pine beetle outbreaks have caused widespread tree mortality in North American forests in recent decades, yet few studies have documented impacts on carbon cycling. In particular, landscape scales intermediate between stands and regions have not been well studied. Remote sensing is an effective tool for quantifying impacts of insect outbreaks on forest ecosystems at landscape scales. In this study, we developed and evaluated methodologies for quantifying aboveground carbon (AGC) stocks affected by mountain pine beetle using field observations, lidar data, and multispectral imagery. We evaluated methods at two scales, the plot level and the tree level, to ascertain the capability of each for mapping AGC impacts of bark beetle infestation across a forested landscape. In 27 plots across our 5054-ha study area in central Idaho, we measured tree locations, health, diameter, height, and other relevant attributes. We used allometric equations to estimate AGC content of individual trees and, in turn, summed tree AGC estimates to the plot level. Tree-level and plot-level AGC were then predicted from lidar metrics using separate statistical models. At the tree level, cross-validated additive models explained 50–54% of the variation in tree AGC (root mean square error (RMSE) values of 26–42 kg AGC, or 32–48%). At the plot level, a cross-validated linear model explained 84% of the variation in plot AGC (RMSE of 9.2 Mg AGC/ha, or 12%). To map beetle-caused tree mortality, we classified high-resolution digital aerial photography into green, red, and gray tree classes with an overall accuracy of 87% (kappa = 0.79) compared with our field observations. We then combined the multispectral classification with lidar-derived AGC estimates to quantify the amount of AGC within beetle-killed trees at the field plots. Errors in classification, apparent tree lean caused by off-nadir aerial imagery, and a bias between percent cover and percent AGC reduced accuracy when combining multispectral and lidar products. Plot-level models estimated total plot AGC more accurately than tree-level models summed for plots as determined by RMSE (9.2 versus 21 Mg AGC/ha, respectively) and mean bias error (0.52 versus − 6.7 Mg AGC/ha, respectively). When considering individual tree classes (green, red, gray) summed for plots, comparisons of plot-level and tree-level methods exhibited mixed results, with some accuracy measures higher for plot-level models. Despite a lack of clear improvement in tree-level models, we suggest that tree-level models should be considered for assessing situations with high spatial variability such as beetle outbreaks, especially if apparent tree lean effects can be minimized such as through the use of satellite imagery. Our methods illustrate the utility of combining lidar and multispectral imagery and can guide decisions about spatial resolution of analysis for understanding and documenting impacts of these forest disturbances.
EARLY ANGIOGRAPHY DURING INFARCTION: A SEARCH FOR SPASM

The predominant cause of continuing injury during transmural myocardial infarction is intracoronary thrombosis linked to plaque rupture or plaque hemorrhage. The initiating events, however, remain unknown primarily because angiography is performed late. Postmortem analysis of patients dying suddenly may not be relevant since it is not known whether a transmural myocardial infarction would have followed. Therefore, we must make conclusions from early therapeutic responses and from angiography performed always with some delay. Sixty patients were studied. Twenty-five showed anterior transmural infarction and were evaluated by systemic nitroglycerin response, followed by coronary angiography after six hours to seven days. Only three of twenty-five showed greater than 50 % reduction in precordial ST segment elevation during the thirty-minute postnitroglycerin observation period. Angiography showed left anterior descending occlusion in thirteen and high grade stenosis in twelve. Nitroglycerin response was seen only in patients with left anterior descending stenosis. The mechanism of nitroglycerin response, however, was not observed. Thirty-five patients with either anterior or inferior transmural infarction received sublingual and intravenous nitroglycerin on admission and coronary angiography within six hours, during which intracoronary nitroglycerin was infused into the obstructed coronary artery. Only two patients responded to systemic nitroglycerin with a greater than 50 % fall in ST segment elevation. At angiography the offending vessel was stenotic and not further dilatable with intracoronary nitroglycerin. Thirty-two patients receiving intracoronary nitroglycerin showed no reduction in coronary stenosis and no reversal of obstruction. Three patients with coronary occlusion (two with inferior infarction, one with anterior infarction) responded to intracoronary nitroglycerin with slow antegrade flow. This restored flow was adequate to outline intracoronary filling defects but inadequate to reduce injury or to induce ventricular irritability. In these patients streptokinase infusions cleared the defects and augmented antegrade flow. In conclusion, neither responsivity to nitroglycerin nor early coronary angiography demonstrate that coronary spasm is pronounced after onset of transmural myocardial infarction.
Late Wisconsin and Neoglacial History of the Martin River Glacier, Alaska

The Martin River Glacier, in south-central Alaska, was studied only casually prior to the first expedition sent there in 1962 from the University of North Dakota. Subsequently, reports have been published on almost all aspects except the glacial history, which has been difficult to ascertain. The interpretation is now presented that the outermost terminal moraine of the Martin River Glacier, in south-central Alaska, is anomalously late Wisconsin in age; all lateral moraines converge at or upglacier from this moraine, indicating that if the glacier ever extended farther downvalley, the evidence is still missing. It is possible, however, that prior to that time, the glacier wasa tide-water glacier. The debris-veneered, dead-ice area near the present terminus of the glacier marks the maximum Neoglacial advance, which culminated about 1650 A. D. Although the main lobe has been thinning and retreating ever since, a small moraine formed during a 1910 advance is present in the valley of the Charlotte Lobe. Tree-ring measurements document the past 400 yrs of this glacier and permit the interpretation that the striking change in degree of soil development, at the 14th of the 21 successive lateral moraines of the Charlotte Lobe, separates the Neoglacial from the Late Wisconsin ice levels. The close proximity of the Neoglacial limit of the Martin River Glacier to the terminal moraine is most likely the result of tectonic uplift of the Chugach Mountains in Neoglacial time. The change effected in the accumulation area may have resulted in diversion of more ice from the Bagley Ice Field into the Martin River Glacier. It may also have initiated the surging flow that has occurred in this and the neighboring Bering Glacier. Neoglacial uplift has complicated the interpretation of the past history of the Martin River Glacier.
90Y labeled phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer for pretargeting radiotherapy.

While 188Re has been used successfully in mice for tumor radiotherapy by MORF/cMORF pretargeting, previous radiolabeling of the amine-derivatized cMORF with 90Y, a longer physical half-life nuclide, was not very successful. After developing a method involving a prepurification heating step during conjugation that increases labeling efficiency and label stability, the biodistribution of 90Y-DOTA-Bn-SCN-cMORF (90Y-DOTA-cMORF) was measured in normal mice and in MORF-CC49 pretargeted mice that bear LS174T tumors. Absorbed radiation doses were then estimated and compared to those estimated for 188Re. The pharmacokinetics of the 90Y-DOTA-cMORF in normal mice and in the pretargeted nude mice was similar to that observed previously with 99mTc- and 188Re-MAG3-cMORFs. While the 90Y-DOTA-cMORF cleared rapidly from normal tissues, tumor clearance was very slow and tumor radioactivity accumulation was constant for at least 7 days such that the tumor/blood (T/B) ratio increased linearly from 6 to 25 over this period. T...
Fault detection using Hough transforms

Faults can often be represented by straight lines on the seismic section or time slice. Image processors to enhance such alienators are the Hough transforms. We apply the Hough transform in a global and a small running window implementation. The running window implementation is efficient but more sensitive to noise. The conventional implementation is more expensive and results in long lines representing the faults. In this report, we applied the Hough transforms method on some real data. The first test was done on a time slice. The second test was done on a principle component coherence cube. Results are shown better on the figures.
Surface processes, deposits, and development of star dunes: Dumont dune field, California

The Dumont dune field in the northern Mojave Desert of California consists of a core of well-developed star dunes flanked by smaller barchan, crescentic-ridge, and linear dunes. Many of the small dunes on the margin of the dune field develop star-dune–like features, such as a central peak and multiple, radiating arms. These incipient star dunes develop in the complex wind regime at Dumont by the merging and modifying of small bed-forms during the seasonal changes in wind directions, but they typically lose their star-dune–like features a few weeks later. The larger, mature star dunes maintain their overall integrity throughout the seasons. Mapping of surface airflow and sedimentary processes on mature and incipient star dunes show that the arm trends correspond to directions of the primary winds over the seasons. For any given time and wind direction, however, each arm behaves as an active transverse, oblique, or longitudinal element. Secondary airflow over star dunes is complex, and the direction of the wind at the surface is markedly different over parts of the dune at a single time and at a high variance with the primary wind direction. Most of the depositional surface of star dunes is covered by wind ripples, with slipfaces commonly confined to the upper portions of the dunes. The strength, direction, and duration of the seasonal primary winds, the size of the dune and its arms, and the secondary airflow all play critical roles in the maintenance and growth of star dunes. A multidirectional primary wind favors star-dune formation, but the persistence of winds from any one direction for a period of time favors some arms over others and, hence, loss of the star-dune features. A “minimum survival size” is necessary for incipient star dunes to maintain their star-dune morphologies from season to season. Secondary airflow favors the maintenance of the arms as well as the accumulation of sand on the bedform, thus allowing for growth. The nature of star-dune surface processes (plus the internal structure revealed in shallow trenches) suggests that the most common deposits of star dunes are low- to moderate-angle wind-ripple laminae arranged in packages or sets separated by gently dipping truncational surfaces. This may explain the rarity with which star-dune deposits are identified in the rock record.
Metabolic abnormalities are present in adults with elevated serum cystatin C

Although metabolic anomalies are often seen in advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), their presence in more mild states is unknown. We studied 6722 participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, dividing them into three mutually exclusive groups consisting of those having a normal or mildly reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula), those with normal or elevated serum cystatin C, and those with clinically relevant moderate or severely reduced eGFR (stage 3 or 4 of CKD). The prevalence of several metabolic abnormalities associated with moderate to advanced CKD was determined after standardization for age, race–ethnicity, and gender. In the absence of stage 3 or 4 CKD, patients with elevated serum cystatin C had a higher prevalence of low hemoglobin and elevated uric acid, homocysteine, phosphorus, fibrinogen, and C-reactive protein than patients with a normal serum cystatin C. Our results show that in adults with normal or mildly reduced eGFR, elevated serum cystatin C is associated with an increased prevalence of metabolic abnormalities traditionally found in moderate or severe CKD. Elevated serum cystatin C may identify patients with ‘preclinical' kidney disease not detected by traditional serum creatinine measurements.
EVOKED CORTICAL RESPONSES TO AFFECTIVE VISUAL STIMULI

The influence of affective meaning on visual evoked responses was investigated in male college students. By utilization of conditioning procedures, previously meaningless figures (CS) acquired affective loadings, e.g., positive, negative, and neutral. The semantic differential scale and critical flicker interval (CFI) were used as indices of conditioning. Although conditioning occurred without awareness, both measures of conditioning yielded results in the same direction, and all three affective conditions differed significantly from one another. Averaged evoked responses were obtained for each affective stimulus. Amplitudes were found to differ significantly from one another in all three conditions, the unpleasant stimulus eliciting the lowest evoked response, and the neutral condition evoking the highest amplitude. Significantly shorter latencies were obtained for the unpleasant stimulus, whereas the latencies of the positive and neutral stimuli did not differ significantly from each other. The results suggest a direct influence of the emotional centers (limbic system) on the visual perception of affective stimuli. Further studies were suggested to clarify the role of awareness and the specific modalities involved in conditioning.
Black hole entropy is the Noether charge

We consider a general, classical theory of gravity in $n$ dimensions, arising from a diffeomorphism-invariant Lagrangian. In any such theory, to each vector field ${\ensuremath{\xi}}^{a}$ on spacetime one can associate a local symmetry and, hence, a Noether current ($n\ensuremath{-}1$)-form j and (for solutions to the field equations) a Noether charge ($n\ensuremath{-}2$)-form Q, both of which are locally constructed from ${\ensuremath{\xi}}^{a}$ and the fields appearing in the Lagrangian. Assuming only that the theory admits stationary black hole solutions with a bifurcate Killing horizon (with bifurcation surface $\ensuremath{\Sigma}$), and that the canonical mass and angular momentum of solutions are well defined at infinity, we show that the first law of black hole mechanics always holds for perturbations to nearby stationary black hole solutions. The quantity playing the role of black hole entropy in this formula is simply $2\ensuremath{\pi}$ times the integral over $\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ of the Noether charge ($n\ensuremath{-}2$)-form associated with the horizon Killing field. Furthermore, we show that this black hole entropy always is given by a local geometrical expression on the horizon of the black hole. We thereby obtain a natural candidate for the entropy of a dynamical black hole in a general theory of gravity. Our results show that the validity of the "second law" of black hole mechanics in dynamical evolution from an initially stationary black hole to a final stationary state is equivalent to the positivity of a total Noether flux, and thus may be intimately related to the positive energy properties of the theory. The relationship between the derivation of our formula for black hole entropy and the derivation via "Euclidean methods" also is explained.
The External Effects of Debt: A Back-to-Basics Evaluation of the Tax Penalty for Low Leverage

Arguably the most forceful government distortion of the capital market is the differential taxation of debt and equity. Effectively, the government penalizes shareholders when managers choose low leverage. This penalty is sufficiently harsh to be considered a major determinant of the value-maximizing capital structure. Penalizing shareholders for low leverage is efficient only if shareholders' desire for low leverage would otherwise be too strong. Shareholders' desire for low leverage will be "too strong" only if, due to some market failure, low leverage allows shareholders to expropriate the wealth of the firm's external stakeholders. This paper relates leverage to numerous potential wealth transfers between shareholders and external stakeholders, to see whether such transfers might justify penalizing shareholders for low leverage. I examine new data on the two polar extremes of wealth transfers, pollution and charity, and survey an extensive though scattered literature that empirically links leverage to several celebrated "externalities." As predicted by agency theory, in every case if low leverage has a perceptible effect it is to increase the wealth of external stakeholders, at shareholder expense. A similar result is derived from theoretical models of leverage's hypothesized role in preventing poor investments and in freeing up underutilized employees. All of these results have the wrong sign to justify penalizing shareholders for low leverage, suggesting that the tax treatment of debt and equity may be perverse.
Beamforming Through a Circular Pipe for Target Location

Beamforming through a circular pipe with two open ends is investigated. A formulation is presented for one-way beamforming through a pipe and demonstrated through simulation. One-way beamforming is then extended to two-way beamforming and applied to backscattering data from a target. Backscattering data are processed using beamforming to obtain target azimuth information. With the addition of frequency diversity, a two-dimensional image is obtained. Two-way beamforming is demonstrated through simulation and measurement.
Effect of Obesity Status on Heart Rate Peak in Female Youth

The purpose of this study was to compare heart rate peak in obese (n = 43) and normal weight (n = 45) female youth. Heart rate (HR) peak was significantly lower (p < or = 0.05) in the obese group as compared to the normal weight group (192.3 +/- 9.3, 203.4 +/- 7.6), and VO2 (L x min(-1)) peak similar between groups (1.77 +/- 0.53, 1.97 +/- 0.60). Bivariate correlations for heart rate peak with body weight, percent fat, and body mass index yielded the following: -0.53, -0.54, and -0.57. These findings agree with the adult data indicating low HR peak in obese individuals. Further research is needed to explore physiologic factors that may lead to reduced HR peak in obese female youth.
Unobservable Facial Actions and Emotion

Surface electromyographic recordings in humans were first made less than 70 years ago, and the electromyographic study of covert facial actions during affect and emotion has less than a 20-year history. Despite the relative youth of facial electromyography, its use in combination with autonomic measures and comprehensive overt facial action coding systems has provided a sensitive and effective armamentarium for investigating emotion and affect-laden information processing. Research over the past decade has demonstrated that facial electromyographic activity varies as a function of the intensity, valence, and sociality of emotional stimuli and shows that facial electromyographic activity is slightly different in deliberately manipulated and spontaneous expressions of emotion. The multiply determined nature of facial actions and expressions, however, has limited the inferences that can be made about the psychological significance of facial electromyographic responses. These limitations have begun to recede ...
The importance of shielding the eye in referrals of ocular injuries.

Ocular injuries are common in the northwest province of Cameroon. Here, the majority of the people are farmers. In 2004, 31 patients with ocular injuries were seen in Mbingo Baptist Hospital Eye Department. As of November 2005, 17 patients have been seen. Injuries to the lids are not included. Causes of these injuries include tree branches and leaves, lacerations from knives and cutlasses, pellets from locally made guns used during traditional ceremonies, stone fragments injuring the eye when cracking stones without wearing protective spectacles, sticks and stones when children play. The majority of people live far away from an eye hospital. Some villages require eight hours of trekking to reach a motorable road to the hospital. The visual prognosis after management of an ocular injury will not only depend on the extent and location of the injury, but also on what happens during transportation to the hospital. The majority of our roads are rough, untarred and dusty. These expose the eye, especially an open injury, to further trauma and foreign bodies. Further injury to the eye during referral could be reduced by the use of an eye shield. Making an eye shield is easy and inexpensive. It can be made from cardboard or firm paper. Health centres and health posts found in the villages readily have this, for example, from medication boxes. Where available, used x-ray film can also be used. Our community outreach programme is in partnership with the community-based rehabilitation programme of the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health board, sponsored by Christoffel-Blindenmission (CBM). Their field workers and volunteers see and refer eye patients in the community. Every year, refresher courses are organised, where they are taught, amongst other things, how to make an eye shield. Figure 1 How to make an eye shield
Spectral properties, magnetic fields, and dust transport at lunar swirls

Lunar swirls are albedo anomalies associated with strong crustal magnetic fields. Swirls exhibit distinctive spectral properties at both highland and mare locations that are plausibly explained by fine-grained dust sorting. The sorting may result from two processes that are fairly well established on the Moon, but have not been previously considered together. The first process is the vertical electrostatic lofting of charged fine dust. The second process is the development of electrostatic potentials at magnetic anomalies as solar wind protons penetrate more deeply into the magnetic field than electrons. The electrostatic potential can attract or repel charged fine-grained dust that has been lofted. Since the finest fraction of the lunar soil is bright and contributes significantly to the spectral properties of the lunar regolith, the horizontal accumulation or removal of fine dust can change a surface’s spectral properties. This mechanism can explain some of the spectral properties of swirls, accommodates their association with magnetic fields, and permits aspects of weathering by micrometeoroids and the solar wind.
Study on Auto-DR and pre-cooling of commercial buildings with thermal mass in California

This paper discusses how to optimize pre-cooling strategies for buildings in a hot California climate zone with the Demand Response Quick Assessment Tool (DRQAT), a building energy simulation tool. This paper outlines the procedure used to develop and calibrate DRQAT simulation models, and applies this procedure to eleven field test buildings. The results of a comparison between the measured demand savings during the peak period and the savings predicted by the simulation model indicate that the predicted demand shed match well with measured data for the corresponding auto-demand response (Auto-DR) days. The study shows that the accuracy of the simulation models is greatly improved after calibrating the initial models with measured data. These improved models can be used to predict load reductions for automated demand response events. The simulation results were compared with field test data to confirm the actual effect of demand response strategies. Results indicate that the optimal demand response strategies worked well for most of the buildings tested in this hot climate zone. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Where in the world of English is Carmen Sandiego

Computer games designed for use by native speakers of English can serve as apowerful source of motivation; provide exposure to the target language, and be an impetus for meaningful interaction among students of English as a Second Language (ESL). A particularly attractive package for this purpose, WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO., is described here in the context of ESL instruction.
The Empowerment Zone in Boston, Massachusetts 2000–2009: Lessons Learned for Neighborhood Revitalization

First adopted in 1993 at the federal level, the original purpose of Empowerment Zones was to encourage economic development strategies aimed at revitalizing distressed US urban neighborhoods. Such strategies across the country would include four broad goals: to generate economic opportunities for residents living in the empowerment zones; to create sustainable community development; to build broad participation among community-based partners; and to generate a strategic vision for change in the community. This paper examines Boston’s Empowerment Zone between 1999 and 2009. The author concludes that this initiative was successful in that it helped to revitalize some of the poorest neighborhood areas in this city. While the rate of poverty was not reduced between 2000 and 2009 inside Boston’s Empowerment Zone, there were some notable successes. These include the initiation and completion of major capital projects, including the first Black-owned hotel in New England over several decades; assisting small and neighborhood-based businesses, and helping to expand the capacity of local nonprofits in Boston’s distressed areas. These accomplishments increased the level and quality of economic activity in a part of Boston that was essentially overlooked before the initiation of the Empowerment Zone.
The effect of cosurfactants on sodium dodecyl sulfate micellar structures at a graphite surface

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) self assembles at hydrophobic graphite surfaces forming linear parallel hemicylinders with approximately 5 nm spacing between adjacent hemicylinders. In this paper, we report the effect of cosurfactants on the SDS surface micelle structures. It is known from the literature that cosurfactants influence the relaxation times of bulk phase micelles. Specifically, the relaxation times of SDS micelles increase dramatically when cosurfactants, such as non-ionic 1-dodecanol (C 12OH) or cationic dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (C12TAB) are added, resulting in the formation of stable micelles. Soft contact AFM imaging was used to determine if these increased relaxation times in bulk solution influence the formation of surface micelle structures at the graphite surface. Surface micelles formed by adsorption from SDS only solutions were significantly different from those surface micelles formed from mixed surfactant solutions. The addition of cosurfactants produced kinks and disrupted the otherwise highly ordered linear hemicylindrical SDS structures observed at graphite surfaces. In one case (SDS/C12OH) swollen surface micelles with a spacing of more than 8 nm were observed. Finally, whereas surface micelles form instantaneously from SDS only solutions, the time taken for the equilibrium surface state to be established in the presence of the C 12OH cosurfactant was found to be more than 4 h. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Fiber mat deformation in liquid composite molding. II: Modeling

Mathematical models are proposed to simulate the flow induced fiber mat deformation during liquid composite molding. The fiber bed is treated as an elastic beam and the load acting on the bed causes its deformation. The lubrication approximation is used to simplify the resin flow equation in the fiber free region, while Darcy's law is used to calculate the pressure and velocity fields in the deformed fiber bed. The governing equations are solved using the control volume/finite element method. The numerical results show reasonable agreement with the experimental results from Part I.
Rumination reconsidered: A psychometric analysis.

In an attempt to eliminate similar item content as an alternative explanation for the relation between depression and rumination, a secondary analysis was conducted using the data from S. Nolen-Hoeksema, J. Larson, and C. Grayson (1999). After constructing a measure of rumination unconfounded with depression content, support for a two factor model of rumination was found. These analyses indicate that the 2 components, reflective pondering and brooding, differentially relate to depression in terms of predictive ability and gender difference mediation. The results presented here support the general premise of Nolen-Hoeksema’s Response Styles Theory (S. Nolen-Hoeksema 1987) that rumination can contribute to more depressive symptoms and to the gender difference in depression, but suggest important refinements of the theory. Such refinements include the need to differentiate between the reflective pondering component of rumination and the brooding component in rumination research.
Involvement of mechanical stress in androgenetic alopecia

Context: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a frequent disorder characterized by progressive hair miniaturization in a very similar pattern among all affected men. The pathogenesis is related to androgen-inducible overexpression of transforming growth factor β-1 from balding dermal papilla cells, which is involved in epithelial inhibition and perifollicular fibrosis. Recent research shows that hair follicle androgen sensitivity is regulated by Hic-5, an androgen receptor co-activator which may be activated by the mechanical stimulation. Moreover, the dermis of scalp susceptible to be affected by AGA is firmly bounded to the galea aponeurotica, so the physical force exerted by the occipitofrontalis muscle is transmitted to the scalp skin.Aims: To know whether mechanical stress supported by hair follicles is involved in AGA phenomenon.Materials and Methods: It is performed with a finite element analysis of a galea model and a schematic representation of AGA progression according to Hamilton–Norwood scale in order to establish the correlation between elastic deformation in scalp and clinical progression of male pattern baldness.Results: The result was a highly significant correlation (r: −0.885, P
The aged nonhematopoietic environment impairs natural killer cell maturation and function

Natural killer (NK) cells are critical in eliminating tumors and viral infections, both of which occur at a high incidence in the elderly. Previous studies showed that aged NK cells are less cytotoxic and exhibit impaired maturation compared to young NK cells. We evaluated whether extrinsic or intrinsic factors were responsible for the impaired maturation and function of NK cells in aging and whether impaired maturation correlated with functional hyporesponsiveness. We confirmed that aged mice have a significant decrease in the frequency of mature NK cells in all lymphoid organs. Impaired NK cell maturation in aged mice correlated with a reduced capacity to eliminate allogeneic and B16 tumor targets in vivo. This could be explained by impaired degranulation, particularly by mature NK cells of aged mice. Consistent with impaired aged NK cell maturation, expression of T-bet and Eomes, which regulate NK cell functional maturation, was significantly decreased in aged bone marrow (BM) NK cells. Mixed BM chimeras revealed that the nonhematopoietic environment was a key determinant of NK cell maturation and T-bet and Eomes expression. In mixed BM chimeras, NK cells derived from both young or aged BM cells adopted an ‘aged’ phenotype in an aged host, that is, were hyporesponsive to stimuli in vitro, while adopting a ‘young’ phenotype following transfer in young hosts. Overall, our data suggest that the aged nonhematopoietic environment is responsible for the impaired maturation and function of NK cells. Defining these nonhematopoietic factors could have important implications for improving NK cell function in the elderly.
Heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation, and spatial correlation robust inference in linear panel models with fixed-effects

Abstract This paper develops an asymptotic theory for test statistics in linear panel models that are robust to heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation and/or spatial correlation. Two classes of standard errors are analyzed. Both are based on nonparametric heteroskedasticity autocorrelation (HAC) covariance matrix estimators. The first class is based on averages of HAC estimators across individuals in the cross-section, i.e. “averages of HACs”. This class includes the well known cluster standard errors analyzed by Arellano (1987) as a special case. The second class is based on the HAC of cross-section averages and was proposed by Driscoll and Kraay (1998) . The ”HAC of averages” standard errors are robust to heteroskedasticity, serial correlation and spatial correlation but weak dependence in the time dimension is required. The “averages of HACs” standard errors are robust to heteroskedasticity and serial correlation including the nonstationary case but they are not valid in the presence of spatial correlation. The main contribution of the paper is to develop a fixed- b asymptotic theory for statistics based on both classes of standard errors in models with individual and possibly time fixed-effects dummy variables. The asymptotics is carried out for large time sample sizes for both fixed and large cross-section sample sizes. Extensive simulations show that the fixed- b approximation is usually much better than the traditional normal or chi-square approximation especially for the Driscoll–Kraay standard errors. The use of fixed- b critical values will lead to more reliable inference in practice especially for tests of joint hypotheses.
Simulation of information flow in organizations

The Icarus simulation system is the result of an experiment in embedding small rule-based expert systems into a discrete event simulation environment. The goal of this work is to allow the use of expert systems to model the intelligent behavior of people that are included in the system being simulated. The major problems we have encountered in building the Icarus system have resulted from unexpected and fundamental interactions between expert systems and our discrete event simulation framework. These interactions are the focus of this paper.
Fabrication of nano-structural arrays by channeling pulsed atomic beams through an intensity-modulated optical standing wave with a time-varying atom focal length

Abstract We show that it is feasible to produce one- and two-dimensional nano-structure arrays by passing a pulsed atomic beam through an intensity-modulated continuous-wave (cw) laser standing wave that has a time-varying atom focal length and thus achieves the effect of “cooling” along the longitudinal direction. This enables fabrication of vertically heterogeneous nano-structures with single-wavelength laser standing wave(s).
Anomalous Cloud-to-Ground Lightning in an F5-Tornado-producing Supercell Thunderstorm on 28 August 1990

An F5 tornado that devastated Plainfield, Illinois, and environs on 28 August 1990, killing 29 people, is shown to be produced by a thunderstorm characterized by highly anomalous cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning activity. Unlike typical summertime convection in which the majority of CG flashes lower negative charge to ground, the Plainfield storm produced predominantly positive-polarity CG flashes during development. Changes in storm structure revealed by radar imagery appear tied to distinct patterns in the CG flash parameters of polarity, flash frequency, first stroke peak current, flash multiplicity, and flash location relative to the parent cumulonimbus. The primary findings are 1) the anomalous predominance (91%) of positive-polarity CG flashes during development; 2) positive CG flashes anomalously occurring mainly within the region of the storm's radar reflectivity core; 3) the onset of a major downburst coinciding with a sudden increase in CG flash rate, from 4 to 17 flashes min-1, and positive perce...
Sequences of Random Variables

This chapter is concerned with the behavior of sequences X1,X2,…,Xn of random variables and the ways in which such sequences can converge. Some of the most important laws governing this convergence will be treated, and, in the process, it will be shown why the normal (Gaussian) distribution plays such an important role in probability theory and its applications.
Gazing the Diversity Stance in North America: Bringing Practitioner Inquiry into the LIS Classroom

This article is an exploration of ways in which LIS educators can consider culture, heritage, and identity as a framework for becoming participatory agents of their teaching practices in the LIS classroom. To support this framework, this discussion introduces the research methodology, practitioner inquiry, as a meaningful approach to studying pedagogical practice and identity in the LIS classroom as a means to LIS educators becoming more self-reflective and aware of the impacts of their own identity construction in their teaching. In this article I am affirming the case for a diversity stance within the North American LIS curriculum. I am also posing additional questions and challenges about LIS identity construction and professional practice as we teach and learn in the classroom.
SPECIES AND VARIETIES IN THE RHIZOPUS ARRHIZUS-RHIZOPUS ORYZAE GROUP AS INDICATED BY THEIR DNA COMPLEMENTARITY

DNA renaturation experiments gave evidence to conclude that Rhizopus arrhizus, R. OIyzae, R. delemar, Amylomycesrou.xii, R. delemar var. minimus, R. delemar var. multiplici­ sporus, R. arrhizus var. delemar, R. chungkuoensis var. isqfermentarius, and R. javanicus var. kawasakiensis can be accommodated in three taxa, namely, R. arrhizus var. arrhizus, R. arrhizus var. rozedi, and R. arrhizus var. delemar.
Analysis of monitoring results food metal contaminants in food in Mianyang from 2009 to 2011

Objective:To understand the pollution status of lead,cadmium,mercury,chromium,aluminum,inorganic arsenic and pesticide residues in food and provide scientific bases for instituting effective measures to ensure the safety of public.Methods: Food samples were collected or purchased from supermarket and farm′s markets in Mianyang,Jiangyou,Santai,Zitong,Yanting,Anxian,Beichuan and Pingwu.All the samples were detected according to the methods of food hygienic inspection.Results: 566 food samples were detected,460 samples were qualified with the qualification rate of 81.3%.The unqualified items were lead,cadmium,mercury and aluminum in 18 kinds of food samples.Conclusion: The pollution levels of lead and aluminum were high in food of Mianyang city.The departments concerned should take measures to intensify the monitoring for improving the food security.
An Examination of Abnormal Grain Growth in Low Strain Nickel-200

This study offers experimental observation of the effect of low strain conditions (e < 10%) on abnormal grain growth (AGG) in Nickel-200. At such conditions, stored mechanical energy is low within the microstructure enabling one to observe the impact of increasing mechanical deformation on the early onset of AGG compared to a control, or nondeformed, equivalent sample. The onset of AGG was observed to occur at specific pairings of compressive strain and annealing temperature and an empirical relation describing the influence of thermal exposure and strain content was developed. The evolution of low-Σ coincident site lattice (CSL) boundaries and overall grain size distributions are quantified using electron backscatter diffraction preceding, at onset and during ensuing AGG, whereby possible mechanisms for AGG in the low strain regime are offered and discussed.
Rawls on Inequality, Social Segregation and Democracy

Latent in John Rawls’s discussion of envy, resentment and voluntary social segregation is a plausible (partial) explanation of two striking features of contemporary American life: (1) widespread complacency about inequality and (2) decreased political participation, especially by the least advantaged members of society.
The soft power strategy of soccer sponsorships

States have developed a new means of building soft power by sponsoring elite soccer clubs. Through a qualitative analysis of the experiences of Azerbaijan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, this study explains why jersey sponsorship is appealing to states, and theorizes the conditions under which sponsorship is most likely to be successful. Specifically, sponsoring more teams and teams with stronger brands results in greater soft power gains. Additionally, states that use a state-owned corporation for the sponsorship are more successful than states that do not. More importantly, using the concept of branding, the study gives insight into the mechanics of soft power building. The finding suggests that if states learn from each others’ behaviour, the future may bring differentiation in their sport-as-soft-power strategies. Unbranded states will invest a greater share of resources in elite soccer kit sponsorships and avoid the high-risk proposition of hosting mega-events like the World Cup.