cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Mode-Based Poverty Decomposition into the Growth and Distribution Effects

This study proposes the mode-based decomposition approach to better examine the change of the more impoverished population's wealth into growth and distribution effects. Given Gibrat’s law, the decomposition first approximates the income distribution to lognormal distribution using the maximum likelihood estimation and household sample surveys. Then, it performs the residual-free and the time-reversion consistent poverty decomposition into growth and distribution effects. The case study uses the post-Doi Moi Vietnam, 1993-2014, where significant poverty reduction has taken place. The results indicate the distribution effect adversely affects the bottom 10 and 20 percent of the population, unlike the growth effect that mostly induced the poverty decrease. Growth enhancing policies targeting the mean or per-capita increase of income is generally good for the poor, but it could fail to capture the sensitive welfare change of the poorest of the poor, which is particularly vulnerable to shocks.
How Short-Termism Invites Corruption—And What to Do About It

Researchers and business leaders have long decried short-termism: the excessive focus of executives of publicly traded companies - along with fund managers and other investors - on short-term results. The central concern is that short-termism discourages long-term investments, threatening the performance of both individual firms and the U.S. economy.I argue that short-termism also invites institutional corruption. I define that as institutionally supported behavior that - while not necessarily unlawful - undermines a company’s legitimate processes and core values, weakening its capacity to achieve espoused goals and eroding public trust. In the private sector, institutional corruption typically entails gaming society’s laws and regulations, tolerating conflicts of interest, persistently violating accepted norms of fairness, and pursuing various forms of cronyism. The gaming of Securities and Exchange Commission rules by Citigroup’s mortgage-banking desk in 2007 is an illuminating example of institutional corruption in the finance industry. After exploring that case, I provide a more complete definition of gaming, and explain how short-termism invites the kind of gaming and institutional corruption that occurred at Citigroup. I then examine the key drivers of short-termism in contemporary business, and their potential effects on the behavior of both executives and their organizations. I conclude by proposing mechanisms to deter the corrupting effects of short-termism, including changes in both business and public policy. While business leaders and policymakers have been cautious in implementing many of these countermeasures, we must seriously consider them if want to rein in the public and private costs of institutional corruption in the private sector.
Route update and repair in wireless sensor networks

In wireless sensor networks, the multihop routes between sensors and sinks (data collectors) suffer breakage or damage because of the movement of targets and sinks, or the power exhaustion of some sensors. An efficient route maintenance and update protocol should give attention to both route rediscovery overhead and route optimization. In most flooding based routing protocols, route discovery/rediscovery packets are broadcast omni-directionally, which causes significant communication overhead as well as wireless channel contention. Query localization (QL) protocol (Castenada, R. et al., ACM/Kluwer Wireless Networks Journal, vol.8, no.2, p.137-51, 2002) limits the broadcast of route rediscovery packets within the local region of the old routes. However, as new routes formed under QL have to share most parts with old routes, route optimization is penalized. We propose to update the route by using the information of the old route, but at the same time, select a new route not necessarily overlapping the old one. This virtue is especially important to route-wide update cases, such as continuous movement of targets and sinks, and renovation of worn-out routes. Simulations show that, our new protocol always builds a fresher and better route with a very low control overhead.
Variational principles for non-Lagrangian field equations

It is shown that one can formulate a bona fide variational principle for any system of field equations of the first-order time derivative form ∂f i/∂t=δM[f]/δf i(x), whereM is a functional off=(f 1,…,f n) with no explicit dependence ont. Directly related to the associated second-order time derivative equations, the functional\(\Lambda \left[ f \right] = \sum\limits_{j = 1}^n {\int\limits_{t_0 }^{t_1 } {\int\limits_K {((\partial f_j /\partial t)^2 } } } + (\delta M/\delta f_j (x))^2 d^3 xdt\) is an extremum forf that satisfies the first-order equation at the initial instant of timet 0, as well as (possibly) prescribed boundary conditions over ∂R×[t 0,t 1] and a prescribed initial value att=t 0. By adapting the standard Rayleigh-Ritz procedure, this generic variational principle can be employed to obtain approximate analytical solutions to certain transport and other non-Lagrangian (i.e. phenomenological) field equations.
Shape Control of Distributed Parameter Systems: Modeling and Performance Analysis

A new method of analyzing self-adjoint linear distributed parameter shape control systems is presented, based upon their input/output representation in a spatially- and temporally-transformed frequency space. The analysis is specialized to the shape control problem by expanding the plant spatial response in orthogonal functions, e.g. a generalized Fourier spatial transform; for example, a Zernike polynomial basis can be introduced for deformable mirror optical wavefront correction tasks. The spatially-transformed plant models are amenable to extant control analysis and design techniques and software. Design measures are presented over both temporal and spatial bandwidths. A modelling correction is introduced to accomodate modal truncation, while maintaining static and band-limited dynamic shape fidelity.
SHORT ESSAY TOPICS FOR CALCULUS

ABSTRACT Short essay questions have been introduced into the calculus course as one technique to involve students with their own learning. This paper presents some of the ways this has been done. * Based on a presentation given at the Conference on the Teaching of Calculus held at Harvard University on 12–13 June 1992.
Regulation of Staphylococcus aureus Lactate Dehydrogenase

The effect of growth conditions on the specific activity of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-linked lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in extracts of Staphylococcus aureus strain SG 511A was examined. Kinetic and electrophoretic experiments, with extracts prepared from aerobically and anaerobically grown cells, provided evidence for only one physiologically significant enzyme. The aerobic level of NAD-linked LDH of S. aureus remained constant and was independent of the carbon source. In contrast, the level of LDH produced in an anaerobic environment was variable and was dependent on the carbon source. Growth anaerobically on pyruvate, as the sole fermentable carbon source, resulted in a maximal level of LDH activity, a value about eightfold greater than the aerobic level. Anaerobic growth either on pyruvate plus glucose or on glucose alone, however, resulted in approximately a threefold decrease in this maximum. Experiments with a heme-requiring auxotroph derived from S. aureus demonstrated that the aerobic level of LDH activity was dependent on a functional respiratory chain.
The Future of Food Eco-Labeling: Organic, Carbon Footprint, and Environmental Life-Cycle Analysis

Food choices contribute to the climate crisis, cause species loss, impair water and air quality, and accelerate land use degradation. The causes of these environmental costs are many - the livestock industry, diet, agricultural practices like pesticides and fertilization, and large-scale food transportation, processing, packaging and distribution systems. This Article describes the environmental consequences of the modern food system, and discusses existing public and private eco-labeling regimes, including carbon footprint labeling, country of origin labeling, and organic labeling under the U.S. Organic Foods Production Act and within the European Union. It also recognizes ambitious efforts like Sweden’s dietary information program that gives equal weight to climate and health and labeling program that requires food to be both produced organically and using low-emission production to meet certification requirements.This Article considers the role of food eco-labeling in the United States in creating a sustainable food system. This Article discusses the merits of a creating a national eco-labeling program, replacing current federal organic food legislation; considers to what extent an American state could develop an food eco-labeling program that does not run afoul of existing government regulations about organic labeling; identifies the difficulties in developing an eco-label that considers a wider range of environmental assessment than existing organic and climate labeling programs, focusing in particular on the efforts of the European Food Sustainable Consumption and Production Round Table; and addresses the challenges to developing an environmental life-cycle eco-label that considers all phases of food production, processing and distribution. This Article concludes that a state with a strong reputation for environmental awareness should, within the confines of the national organic certification program, develop a new environmental life-cycle eco-label that embodies and conveys to consumers a wider array of environmental information.
Book Review: Michel Balinski and Rida Laraki: Majority Judgment: Measuring, Ranking, and Electing

I review the recent book by Michel Balinski and Rida Laraki that critiques the traditional model of social choice based on ranking and proposes to replace it with a new model, majority judgment, that is based on grading.
Removal of surface carbides from spark-machined molybdenum and tungsten

When reactive metals such as molybdenum and tungsten are shaped by electrical discharge machining in the kerosene-based electrolytes generally employed for the process, they become covered with a thin, multiply-melted surface layer which contains carbide phases of variable composition. This surface layer is sometimes undesirable because its chemical and mechanical properties are different from the base metals. It has been demonstrated that the carbide can be removed by a high-temperature anneal in a reducing atmosphere. The anneal also removes surface cracks on molybdenum introduced by the machining, but the heat treatments employed here did not remove surface cracks on tungsten. The high-temperature anneal had the unfortunate side effect of inducing a significant degree of grain coarsening in the metals.
Transcription of two classes of rat growth hormone gene-associated repetitive DNA: differences in activity and effects of tandem repeat structure

Abstract The rat growth hormone (rGH) gene contains two classes of repetitive DNA arranged as clusters within intron B and the 3' flanking region. The major family is equivalent to the CHO type 2 DNA. The second ("truncated repeat", TR) is a truncated version of the first and occurs in certain neural-specific transcripts and genes ("identifier" elements, ID). Here we report, using the HeLa cell-free transcription assay, that RNA polymerase III (Pol III) efficiently initiates at internal promoters within a tandem array of rGH gene repetitive DNA monomers and results in a novel organization of overlapping Class III transcription units. Transcription competition studies revealed that the rat type 2 structures share Pol III transcription factors with a tRNA gene, a human Alu repeat, and a mutant VA1 gene. Also, the rGH type 2 but not the TR DNA efficiently promotes Pol III initiation, yet other TR members, which differ only in flanking DNA, are transcribed. Thus, the rGH gene is strikingly enriched with 10 repetitive DNA monomers; multimeric type 2 elements are actively transcribed; rGH-TR sequences are expressed only as part of larger transcripts promoted by type 2 DNA; and, type 2 DNA uses tRNA gene transcription factors. These studies show that flanking sequences, promoter organization and factor competition may all affect rat repetitive DNA expression.
Induced release of Bacillus spores from sporangia by sodium sulphate

Incubation of sporulating cultures of Bacillus anthracis, B. cereus, B. subtilis and B. thuringiensis in 1.0 mol/l sodium sulphate markedly increased the release of free spores from sporangia. It is postulated that the release of spores is due to activation of latent autolysins which hydrolyse sporangial cell walls. Sodium sulphate-induced lysis of sporangia represents a novel and highly effective method for the recovery of spores from cultures of Bacillus species.
Characterization of Y 2 BaCuO 5 nanoparticles synthesized by nano-emulsion method

Nanoscale yttrium–barium–copper oxide (Y2BaCuO5, Y211) particles were synthesized using the emulsion method and the solution method. The basic water-in-oil (w/o) emulsion system consisted of n-octane (continuous oil phase), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (cationic surfactant), butanol (cosurfactant) and water. The composition of the emulsion system was varied and characterized by measuring the conductivity of the solutions and droplet size. The droplet size of emulsion was determined by using the dynamic light scattering method. The water content, cosurfactant content, and surfactant/n-octane ratio affected the droplet size which was in the range of 3–8 nm, and hence the w/o emulsion system was referred to as a nano-emulsion system. A model was used to verify the droplet size. The influence of salt (Y2(NO3)3) content on the droplet size was investigated and the addition of salt reduced the droplet size. The effects of reaction time and temperature on the Y211 particle sizes were also investigated. The particles were characterized using the TEM, SEM, and XRD. Nanoparticles produced by the nano-emulsion method were calcined at 850°C to form the Y211 phase as compared to solid state processing temperature of 1050°C. Based on the TEM analysis, the average diameter of the Y211 particles produced using the nano-emulsion method was in the range of 30–100 nm. The effect of adding 15% Y211 nanoparticles to the superconductor YBCO-123 as flux pinning centers, was investigated, and the transition temperature was reduced by 3 K.
A local polynomial jump-detection algorithm in nonparametric regression

We suggest a one-dimensional jump-detection algorithm based on local polynomial fitting for jumps in regression functions (zero-order jumps) or jumps in derivatives (first-order or higherorder jumps). If jumps exist in the mth-order derivative of the underlying regression function, then an (m + 1). Order polynomial is fitted in a neighborhood of each design point. We then characterize the jump information in the coefficients of the highest-order terms of the fitted polynomials and suggest an algorithm for jump detection. This method is introduced briefly for the general setup and then presented in detail for zero-order and first-order jumps. Several simulation examples are discussed. We apply this method to the Bombay (India) sea-level pressure data.
The Cholecystokin Provocation HIDA Test: Recreation of Symptoms is Superior to Ejection Fraction in Predicting Medium-Term Outcomes

The 99m technetium labelled hepato imino diacetic acid (HIDA) scan is widely used in the investigation of patients with typical biliary pain but whose trans-abdominal ultrasound scan (US) is normal. Although the standard measure by which the HIDA scan is deemed positive is the presence of an ejection fraction (EF) of <35% following provocation with cholecystokinin (CCK), there still remains debate as to the usefulness of this measure. The aim of this study was to compare the roles of EF and symptom provocation following CCK infusion in relation to the outcome following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). More specifically, we aimed to review the resolution of symptoms for our significant population of patients with normal HIDA scan EFs for whom surgery has traditionally been deemed inappropriate. All patients undergoing LC for a presumed diagnosis of biliary dyskinesia were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Data were collected regarding pre-operative symptoms, EF and symptom provocation during the CCK HIDA scan, histological findings, early symptomatic outcome, and medium-term follow-up. During the period from March 2006 to October 2009, 42 patients with biliary symptoms but a negative US were referred for assessment by a single surgeon. There were 31 women and 11 men with a mean age of 39.0 ± 12.6 years. All underwent a CCK HIDA scan of which 17 were positive with an EF <35% and the remaining 25 were negative. All patients reported recreation of symptoms following administration of CCK. All gallbladders were delivered intact for histological assessment and all but one showed evidence of chronic cholecystitis. At each postoperative visit, approximately 2 weeks following the procedure, all patients reported resolution of symptoms. After a mean of 18.7 ± 12.1 months symptom recurrence had been noted in only one of 42 (2.4%). The CCK HIDA scan is a useful study in the investigation of acalcalous cholecystitis; however, we would suggest that recreation of symptoms following CCK provocation is superior to EF for the identification of underlying chronic cholecystitis. Indeed, a normal gallbladder ejection fraction does not necessarily rule out a biliary aetiology of symptoms for this patient population.
Estimation of electricity consumption in commercial buildings

For many engineering studies involving commercial buildings, quick but reliable estimates for building electrical load characteristics are helpful. Often, little information about the building electrical characteristics is known, so such estimates must be drawn from general engineering knowledge or historical data. In the United States, the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey and the Department of Energy Commercial Reference Buildings provide historical and simulation data, respectively, that may be used to predict the electricity consumption of commercial buildings. This paper develops a methodology for using these data sources to develop typical load characteristics, including building average power, electrical energy consumption, peak demand, load duration curves, and typical load profiles. Numerical results for office buildings are presented.
Classification of teachers’ interaction behaviors in early childhood classrooms☆

Abstract This study investigated patterns of teachers’ interaction behaviors in early childhood classrooms. Sixty-three child care teachers were rated on their use of eight interaction behaviors taken from the Teaching Styles Rating Scale (McWilliam, Scarborough, Bagby, & Sweeney, 1998) . Using cluster analysis techniques, we identified four homogenous interaction clusters. One cluster presented an average profile: The teachers in this group had average scores on all interaction behaviors compared to the other teachers in the study. The teachers in a second cluster were characterized by high ratings on elaborating and low ratings on redirecting behaviors. A third cluster consisted of teachers who where rated high on redirecting and low on all other behaviors, and the teachers in the fourth cluster received high ratings on nonelaborative behaviors. Cluster differences were found for teachers’ education; teachers’ sensitivity, as measured by the Caregiver Interaction Scale (Arnett, 1989) ; classroom quality, as measured by the Infant-Toddler Environment Rating Scale (Harms, Cryer, & Clifford, 1990) or the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (Harms, Clifford, & Cryer, 1998) ; group child engagement, as measured by the Engagement Check II (McWilliam, 1999) ; and center licensing level.
Structural polymorphism of intramolecular quadruplex of human telomeric DNA: effect of cations, quadruplex-binding drugs and flanking sequences

G-quadruplex structures formed in the telomeric DNA are thought to play a role in the telomere function. Drugs that stabilize the G-quadruplexes were shown to have anticancer effects. The structures formed by the basic telomeric quadruplex-forming unit G3(TTAG3)3 were the subject of multiple studies. Here, we employ 125I-radioprobing, a method based on analysis of the distribution of DNA breaks after decay of 125I incorporated into one of the nucleotides, to determine the fold of the telomeric DNA in the presence of TMPyP4 and telomestatin, G-quadruplex-binding ligands and putative anticancer drugs. We show that d[G3(TTAG3)3125I-CT] adopts basket conformation in the presence of NaCl and that addition of either of the drugs does not change this conformation of the quadruplex. In KCl, the d[G3(TTAG3)3125I-CT] is most likely present as a mixture of two or more conformations, but addition of the drugs stabilize the basket conformation. We also show that d[G3(TTAG3)3125I-CT] with a 5′-flanking sequence folds into (3+1) type 2 conformation in KCl, while in NaCl it adopts a novel (3+1) basket conformation with a diagonal central loop. The results demonstrate the structural flexibility of the human telomeric DNA; and show how cations, quadruplex-binding drugs and flanking sequences can affect the conformation of the telomeric quadruplex.
REVEL-research and education: volcanoes, exploration and life

REVEL is a professional development program sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for science teachers who are selected to participate in funded-seagoing research cruises, and to contribute to ongoing scientific research. During the first five years of the program, the research focused on scientific issues ranging from the origin of life to new aspects of biotechnology related to the study of mid-ocean ridges. The interdisciplinary research spanned from earth sciences to astrobiology, including oceanography, chemistry, physics, biology, computer sciences, mathematics, and engineering to cite a few of the scientific disciplines represented in the study of mid-ocean processes. REVEL is a collaborative partnership between researchers, teachers, students, schools, research institutions, and the community.
Burnout as Cheerleader: The Cultural Basis for Prestige and Privilege in Junior High School

The relationship between status categories and extracurricular activities is examined by considering an incident that produces a situation of status incon-gruity. In a suburban middle-class junior high school there is an important assumed congruence between the prestige of an individual's status category and the extracurricular activities in which she or he participates. When this tacit cultural assumption is violated in the selection of cheerleaders, students cast aspersions on their cheerleaders and thereby threaten the latter's social and personal identities. This article seeks to delineate the cultural meanings that provide the symbolic glue between status category and activity and make their incongruity so threatening. Put another way, the article examines the role that the assumed congruence between categories and activities plays in reproducing the basis for prestige and privilege in mainstream American society.
Single-sided inkjet functionalization of silicon photonic microcantilevers

Abstract We investigate inkjet deposition of protein-containing fluid to individually functionalize top surfaces of silicon photonic microcantilevers (PMCLs) in a microcantilever array. An array is first prepared with vapor-deposited epoxysilane (3-glycidoxypropyl) trimethoxysilane (GOPS), followed by inkjet deposition of functionalization fluid containing a model receptor molecule, biotinylated bovine serum albumin (bBSA). We find that a 61% (w/w) solution of glycerol achieves sufficient viscosity for reliable jetting, along with either Tween 20 or Triton X-100 as surfactant to prevent pooling of liquid on inkjet nozzles. We demonstrate that increasing relative humidity during incubation can be used to achieve uniform coverage of each PMCL surface with functionalization fluid through droplet swelling. Such swelling can also be designed to create a region off the base of each PMCL at which dissolved salts aggregate during droplet drying, thereby avoiding interference with or fouling of receptor molecule sites on PMCLs for significant improvement in active site density and uniformity. After functionalization, incubation, and droplet drying, a silicon PMCL die is integrated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidics such that a PMCL array forms the bottom surface of a flow channel. A solution containing Alexa Fluor 514 labeled streptavidin is introduced into the flow channel to bind to bBSA on PMCLs. Fluorescence imaging is used to comparatively evaluate the uniformity and density of active receptor molecule attachment to the PMCLs for functionalization fluids with different pH and buffer species. In each case uniformity is enhanced by formation of a bulb at the microcantilever base during droplet swelling.
Interhousehold grants in peninsular Malaysia: Impact of grantors' characteristics on amount of grants given

Grants of money, goods, and services are one-way transfers between households. Tobit analysis reveals that race, household structure, household income, transportation resources (viz., vehicles owned), goods and service grants received, husband's education, and stock of small animals owned (viz., a common commodity gift in Malaysia) are characteristics of granting households that are influential in determining the amount of grants given. The incidence of granting is substantially lower among Indian than among Chinese or Malay households, although Indian households give the highest mean amount of grants. Multivariate analysis reveals that, other factors held constant, Malay households are the most generous and Indian households the least so in giving interhousehold grants. When giving of grants is conceptualized as a consumption expenditure, granting is observed to have a relationship to income similar to that of necessities rather than luxury goods.
The Pixel Paradox and Transition-Metal Spectroscopy: One of Many Uses of the Handheld Digital Microscope in Chemical Demonstrations

A handheld digital microscope (HDM) interfaced to a computer with a presentation projector is used to project an out-of-focus yellow patch on the screen, then the patch is brought into focus to show that, paradoxically, there are red and green but no yellow pixels. Chromaticity diagrams are used to discuss this observation and spectroscopic examples of additive mixing. Types of HDMs and other uses of these devices are described.
The Effect of Polychlorinated Biphenyls on Chicks 3. Recovery

Abstract Symptoms of PCB toxicity in 1-day-old chicks fed dietary levels of 30 and 40 p.p.m. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) (Aroclor 1248) for 2½ weeks were reversed or eliminated when a non-contaminated basal diet was fed for 3½ weeks. Other 1-day-old chicks fed diets containing 40 and 50 p.p.m. PCBs for 5 weeks were unable to gain weight at a normal rate by the 13th week. The concentration of PCBs which accumulated in adipose tissue and liver when the latter diets were fed returned to normal levels when chicks were fed a non-contaminated ration for 8 weeks. Chicks appeared normal when the experiments were terminated.
Differentiation of axon-related Schwann cells in vitro. I. Ascorbic acid regulates basal lamina assembly and myelin formation

Rat Schwann cells cultured with dorsal root ganglion neurons in a serum-free defined medium fail to ensheathe or myelinate axons or assemble basal laminae. Replacement of defined medium with medium that contains human placental serum (HPS) and chick embryo extract (EE) results in both basal lamina and myelin formation. In the present study, the individual effects of HPS and EE on basal lamina assembly and on myelin formation by Schwann cells cultured with neurons have been examined. Some batches of HPS were unable to promote myelin formation in the absence of EE, as assessed by quantitative evaluation of cultures stained with Sudan black; such HPS also failed to promote basal lamina assembly, as assessed by immunofluorescence using antibodies against laminin, type IV collagen, and heparan sulfate proteoglycan. The addition of EE or L-ascorbic acid with such HPS led to the formation of large quantities of myelin and to the assembly of basal laminae. Pretreatment of EE with ascorbic acid oxidase abolished the EE activity, whereas trypsin did not. Other batches of HPS were found to promote both basal lamina and myelin formation in the absence of either EE or ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid oxidase treatment or dialysis of these batches of HPS abolished their ability to promote Schwann cell differentiation, whereas the subsequent addition of ascorbic acid restored that ability. Ascorbic acid in the absence of serum was relatively ineffective in promoting either basal lamina or myelin formation. Fetal bovine serum was as effective as HPS in allowing ascorbic acid (and several analogs but not other reducing agents) to manifest its ability to promote Schwann cell differentiation. We suggest that ascorbic acid promotes Schwann cell myelin formation by enabling the Schwann cell to assemble a basal lamina, which is required for complete differentiation.
A Cycle-Omnibus Intelligence Test for College Students

Intelligence tests were until recently used primarily to deter mine the mental age of children by the comparison of the chron ological age with the mental age. When mental tests are given to adults, this type of analysis is no longer suitable since the intelligence of adults does not increase noticeably with age. The intelligence tests are used with adults in order to place a given person's intelligence with reference to the distribution of general adult intelligence. The scores are, therefore, more suit ably expressed in terms of ranks or percentile ranks or of the standard deviation of the distribution of adult intelligence. An intelligence test should be so adapted as to its difficulty that it will differentiate into significant and distinguishable groups the population for which it is intended. This cannot well be done if the test is either too difficult or too easy. In general, however, a fairly symmetrical distribution of test scores will be obtained for any given population with tests of considerable variation in difficulty. The test for which I am here submitting some norms was arranged in difficulty as nearly as possible to suit college freshmen. During the last five years I have been experimenting with over fifty different varieties of mental tests with college freshmen at Carnegie Institute of Technology in its various departments. My procedure was the general one of giving the tests as early as possible in the freshman year, filing the scores until scholarship records and instructors' estimates could be obtained, and then determining the predictive value of each test by the correlations between its scores and the objective criteria of the students' abilities. I have found that instructors' estimates, on account of their unreliability, are, in general, unsuitable as a criterion by which to judge the predictive value of a mental test. The several instructors' estimates for the same student vary considerably more than the corresponding scholarship grades. Lately I have used scholarship records almost exclusively as the general criterion to determine the predictive value of a mental test. The procedure is quite different, however, in work 265
WARM ELECTRONS IN DEGENERATE QUASI-TWO-DIMENSIONAL SEMICONDUCTORS.

Abstract The energy-diffusion equation for carrier flow in energy space is extended to the case of degenerate semiconductors and applied to warm electrons at low temperatures in quasi-two-dimensional semiconductors. A continuity equation for energy flow is also utilized to include the effects of large energy exchange collisions. The electron temperature is found to vary as T 0 (1 + βF 2 ), where the value of β falls generally in the range 10 −6 –10 −4 cm 2 V 2 for a silicon inversion layer and the value of β depends upon the relevant scattering mechanisms and surface mobility. The role of the large energy exchange collisions is primarily to skew the warm-electron distribution to the high energy tail.
Temporal variability of jun family transcription factor levels in peripherally or centrally transected adult rat dorsal root ganglia

Enhanced chemiluminescent (ECL) immunoblotting was used to quantitatively assess the initial changes in jun family transcription factor protein levels in adult rat lumbar dorsal root ganglia (DRG) after peripheral axotomy and dorsal root transection, and to study the effects of neurotrophic factor administration on these changes. Transection of central (dorsal root) or peripheral (spinal nerve) branches of DRG neurons resulted in rapid elevation of c-jun protein levels, which was transient after dorsal root transection but sustained, though slightly attenuated, after spinal nerve transection. These results suggest that injury-induced c-jun elevation is biphasic, consisting of an early, transient, injury-initiated phase and a more prolonged secondary phase specific to peripheral target disconnection. c-jun protein changes were not modulated by administration of NGF or BDNF. Immunohistochemistry was used to localize c-jun protein induction to DRG neurons. Using ECL immunoblotting, we also observed temporally regulated increases in junD protein levels after both injuries. A transient up-regulation of junB was detected by immunoblotting 5 days after peripheral axotomy, coincident with a slight decrease in c-jun protein levels.
Dynamic kanban system for disassembly line applied to an industrial voice recognition client unit

In this paper, we apply the Dynamic Kanban System for Disassembly Line (DKSDL) to an industrial setting. The product considered is a second-generation industrial voice recognition client unit. The company manufacturing this device has moved on to the next generation device, which has more memory, faster CPU and a standardized OS support. There are many of the older generation clients in the customer base, which are being upgraded to the new generation resulting in a large number of the older units at hand. These units are being returned to the manufacturing facility to be processed. The casing and some other components are being used in the new design and can be disassembled and stocked as refurbished items to be used in returned products processing. The resulting DKSDL for this disassembly process is modeled using simulation and the results are discussed.
NIXON AND THE FREE PRESS: GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE DOMESTIC ASSAULT

New data compiled on the number of free press countries in the world since 1948 show a steady upward trend except during the presidency of Richard M. Nixon. During Nixon's presidency, and only during Nixon's presidency, the number of free press countries around the globe declined steadily. The coincidence of Nixon's unprecedented attacks on the US news media and this decline in the number of free presses around the globe is difficult to ignore. Though no causal link is tested, several mechanisms that might explain how Nixon's policies might have had a global impact are suggested, along with outlines of what is needed for rigorous exploration and testing.
Effect of short term passive immunization of the cyclic ewe against estradiol-17β

Abstract Three groups of 4 ewes were passively immunised against estradiol 17β during days 2 through 7, 10 through 17 and 15 through 20 of the estrous cycle respectively. The effects of the neutralisation of estradiol 17β at these specific times, on corpus luteum function, plasma concentrations of luteinising hormone (LH), estrus, and ovulation were observed. Passive immunisation at any phase of the oestrous cycle did not appear to effect the appearance of large ovarian follicles (5–15 mm diameter) at the next time of expected estrus, or the lifespan of the corpus luteum of that cycle. Treatment from day 15 to 20 of the cycle appeared to inhibit estral activity, ovulation and the preovulatory LH surge. Treatment from day 10 to 17 was less disruptive although some extension of the length of the estrous cycle was indicated, and treatment from day 2 to 7 produced little interference with cyclic reproductive activity.
Antimalarial drugs influence the pH dependent solubility of heme via apparent nucleation phenomena.

Abstract Recently, we measured a more acid digestive vacuolar pH for drug resistant Plasmodium falciparum [Dzekunov S, Ursos LMB, Roepe PD. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2000;in press; Ursos LMB, Dzekunov S, Roepe PD. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2000;in press]. We suggested this acidification contributes to drug resistance via the profound effects that pH has on the solubility of unpolymerized heme found in the vacuole (ferriprotoporphyrin IX μ oxo dimers). In this report, we measure how FPIX concentration, time, NaCl concentration, and several antimalarial drugs affect FPIX pH dependent solubility. Aggregation is essentially instantaneous below pH 5.3, but at vacuolar pH previously measured for HB3 parasites [Dzekunov S, Ursos LMB, Roepe PD. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2000;in press] can increase to several minutes as NaCl is lowered. As FPIX is decreased, the midpoint of the pH dependent solubility curve shifts to higher values. Addition of antimalarial drugs also increases the midpoint of the pH dependent FPIX solubility curve, with the net shift proportional to the relative affinity of the drug for FPIX. Surprisingly, however, for all drugs tested shifts of essentially identical magnitude are found at all drug: FPIX molar ratios inspected, spanning eight orders of magnitude (to as low as 0.0000001:1). This suggests that changes in pH dependent FPIX solubility by addition of antimalarial drugs is via previously unrecognized drug/FPIX nucleation phenomena. These data could have important implications for understanding the role of previously observed changes in pHvac [Dzekunov S, Ursos LMB, Roepe PD. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2000;in press; Ursos LMB, Dzekunov S, Roepe PD. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2000;in press] upon development of antimalarial drug resistance.
Frequency Domain Analysis of the Performance of a Valved Helmholtz Pulse Combustor

Abstract A theoretical study of the limit cycle characteristics of a gas fired, mechanically valved, Helmholtz pulse combustor is presented. The analysis is carried out in the frequency domain rather than the time domain in order to develop a performance prediction program that can be run on a personal computer. The pulse combustor is treated as a feedback system. The forward branch of the system consists of the acoustic resonator while the feedback loop consists of the combustion process and heat losses through the pulse combustor walls. The model is based upon an energy balance of the combustion chamber and an analysis of the acoustics of the tail pipe. A previously developed nonlinear model is used to describe the periodic inflow of reactants through the flapper valves and experimental data is used to develop a relationship between the reactants inflow and the magnitude of the oscillatory heat addition by the combustion process. The model predicts that the energy needed to drive the combustor oscillati...
Human schwann cells in vitro. II. Myelination of sensory axons following extensive purification and heregulin-induced expansion

Co-culture conditions are well established in which Schwann cells (SCs) derived from immature or adult rats proliferate and form myelin in response to contact with sensory axons. In a companion article, we report that populations of adult-derived human Schwann cells (HASCs) fail to function under these co-culture conditions. Furthermore, we report progressive atrophy of neurons in co-cultures containing populations of either human fibroblasts or HASCs (which contain both SCs and fibroblasts). Two factors that might account for the insufficiency of the co-culture system to support HASC differentiation are the failure of many HASCs to proliferate and the influence of contaminating fibroblasts. To minimize fibroblast contamination of neuron-HASC co-cultures, we used fluorescence-activated cell sorting to highly purify HASC populations (to more than 99.8%). To stimulate expansion of the HASC population, a mitogenic mixture of heregulin (HRG beta 1 amino acid residues 177-244; 10 nM), cholera toxin (100 ng/mL), and forskolin (1 microM) was used. When these purified and expanded HASCs were co-cultured with embryo-derived rat sensory neurons, neuronal shrinkage did not occur and after 4 to 6 weeks some myelin segments were seen in living co-cultures. This myelin was positively identified as human by immunostaining with a monoclonal antibody specific to the human peripheral myelin protein P0 (antibody 592). Although this is the first reported observation of myelination by HASCs in tissue culture, it should be noted that myelination occurred more slowly and in much less abundance than in comparable cultures containing adult rat-derived SCs. We anticipate that further refinements of the HASC co-culture system that enhance myelin formation will provide insights into important aspects of human SC biology and provide new opportunities for studies of human peripheral neuropathies.
Lipotoxicity and glucotoxicity in type 2 diabetes. Effects on development and progression.

Lipotoxicity and glucotoxicity may both be implicated in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Excess circulating fat, glucose, or both act on diverse cells and tissues to counteract insulin-mediate...
Forest dependency and its implications for protected areas management: A case study from the Nyungwe Forest Reserve, Rwanda

Conservation of biodiversity in protected forest areas will be more challenging if local communities are heavily dependent on them for energy, nutritional, medicinal and other subsistence needs. This study estimated forest dependency and identified factors influencing dependency for households living around the Nyungwe Forest Reserve (NFR), Rwanda. Data from a household survey conducted in 2001 were analysed using logistic regression analysis. Results suggest that agricultural income, household age and size, and access to towns and outside markets are the key determinants of forest dependency. Based on these results and discussions with various stakeholders in the study area, it was concluded that protected areas management must be consistent with overall socioeconomic development plans. Towards this end, pine plantations in the NFR buffer zone could be replaced with an agroforestry system producing tea, as a potential solution to ensure biodiversity and address subsistence needs of local communities.
Major groove recognition by three-stranded beta-sheets: affinity determinants and conserved structural features.

We present the results of a rational mutagenesis and binding-affinity study of the three-stranded beta-sheet-DNA interface in the complex formed by the amino-terminal DNA-binding domain of the Tn916 integrase protein and its cognate binding site. The relative importance of interfacial contacts present in its NMR-derived solution structure have been tested through mutagenesis, fluorescence anisotropy, and intrinsic quenching DNA-binding assays. We find that seven protein-DNA hydrogen bonds (two base-specific and five to phosphate groups) significantly contribute to the level of affinity. These interactions span the entire DNA-binding surface on the protein, but primarily originate from residues in only two strands of the sheet and loop L2. Interestingly, we show that highly populated, precisely defined intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the ensemble of conformers are invariably important for DNA-binding, implying that NMR-derived solution structures provide direct insight into the energetics of recognition. Unusual three-stranded beta-sheet-DNA interfaces have recently been discovered in three unrelated protein-DNA complexes. A comparative analysis of these structures reveals similar sheet positioning, the presence of two invariant interfacial contacts to the phosphodiester backbone, and two semi-conserved base-specific hydrogen bonds. Two of these conserved contacts significantly contribute to the affinity of the integrase-DNA complex, suggesting that the three-stranded beta-sheet DNA-binding motif exhibits conserved principles of recognition.
A note on cause-specific residual life

In medical research, investigators often wish to characterize the distributions of remaining lifetimes. While nonparametric analyses of residual life distributions have been widely studied with independently right-censored data, residual life analysis has not been examined in the competing risks setting, with multiple, potentially dependent, failure types. We define the cause-specific residual life distribution as the residual cumulative incidence function conditionally on survival to a given time. Because of the improper form of the cause-specific distribution, the mean cause-specific residual lifetime does not exist, theoretically. We develop nonparametric inferences for the cause-specific residual life function and its corresponding quantiles, which may exist. Theoretical justification, including uniform consistency and weak convergence, is established. Simulation studies and a breast cancer data analysis demonstrate the practical utility of the methods.
Effect of Carbon Nanofibers on Mold Filling in a Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding System

In this article, a new manufacturing method was used to prepare the hybrid composite, wherein carbon nanofibers were sprayed and bonded onto continuous fiber mats instead of pre-mixing them in the polymer resin. The effect of carbon nanofibers on the mold filling characteristics in a vacuum assisted resin transfer molding system was investigated. A simple one-dimensional flow model was used to correlate the permeability and porosity to the mold filling time. It was found that the dispersion and loading of the carbon nanofibers affected the permeability and porosity of the reinforcement system, and hence the mold filling time.
Effect of Substrate Properties on the Topology, Lateral Diffusion and Phase Behavior of Supported Lipid Bilayers

Lipid bilayers supported by planar solid substrates have been extensively used as model systems for cell membrane. Recently, use of corrugated surfaces as substrates has received attention not only to overcome the basic problems related with the planar supported lipid bilayers such as the inaccessibility of the proximal leaflet and lack of appropriate protein insertions but also to understand the bilayer-nanoparticle interactions. Here, we demonstrate the formation of multiphase lipid bilayers on nanoporous silica xerogels and compare it with mica supported bilayers. It was observed that the lipid bilayer follows the surface contours by AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy). This was also confirmed by the quantitative fluorescence analysis. The lateral diffusion coefficient of the lipids on silica xerogel was found to be lower than on mica by both FRAP (Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching) and FCS (Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy) experiments. The basic reason for this reduction was the bilayer following the surface contours. The domains on silica xerogel were observed to be symmetric and larger than the domains on mica. This reflects the possible effect of the support on the phase behavior of the lipid mixture. Ternary mixtures containing cholesterol were also prepared and the substrate effect on phase behavior was investigated.
DC septum magnets for the damping rings of the SLC SLAC Linear Collider

The injection/extraction system of the 1.21-GeV SLC damping rings consists of four pairs of water-cooled septum magnets. Each pair consists of a thin-septum (3 mm), 3-kG magnet and a thick-septum (12 mm), 8-kG magnet. The septum magnets are identically built mirror image pairs. The magnet assembly consists of two magnets in tandem contained in a vacuum enclosure and located in a 2 m straight section of the ring. The authors report the design and manufacture of the magnets' coils, cooling system and conductor electrical insulation used. Results of magnetic-field measurements made with two separate setups are discussed. >