cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Smallholders, The Amazon's New Conservationists

Parks, biological reserves, and other protected areas located in the middle of expanding agricultural frontiers are the most important elements in strategies to conserve nature (Brandon et al. 1998; Terborgh & van Schaik 2002). The borders of these frontier protected areas are the battle line between economic activities that are replacing the forest with agriculture and cattle pasture, and the environmental movements that defend public interests in native ecosystems (Nepstad et al. 2006). Yet economic considerations (i.e., low land prices) and risk aversion (Peres & Terborgh 1995) have led to the unusual situation in which most protected areas (with the important exception of indigenous lands) are located far from the most destructive human activities, where their effect on human activities may be minimal for decades to come (Nepstad et al. 2006). Indeed, it appears that the world’s great tropical rainforests are destined for the same fate as the temperate forests felled over the last 4 centuries: they will persist in remote, rocky, hilly landscapes, where the opportunity costs of excluding agricultural expansion and logging are low (Cronon 1983). There are important exceptions to this trend of creating reserves in remote tropical rainforests that provide a crucial lesson for conservation science. In one of the most important conservation achievements of the last decade, 5 million ha of forest reserves were created from November 2004 to March 2005 in the hotly contested landscape of central Para state, in the Brazilian Amazon. With the creation of these reserves, Para and the adjoining state of Mato Grosso to the south now contain the world’s largest mosaic of tropical rainforest protected areas, encompassing 23 million ha (four times the size of Costa Rica) of indigenous lands, extractive reserves, national forests, and biological reserves (Fig. 1).
Transform your data.

Transforming your data means applying a non-linear unction to your data—usually a log, square-root, or recipocal function—and analyzing the results rather than the aw data. You may decide not to transform your data—if the aw data are symmetrically distributed, for example—but hat should be a conscious choice. Transforming your data efore analysis is like focusing a camera before taking a icture. It is almost always worthwhile and makes everyhing clearer. Many measurements used in nutrition reearch, including counts, blood and liver concentrations, nzyme activity, and areas under curve [1], are likely to ield better results if transformed. Most statistics textbooks say little about transformation. ost scientific papers do not mention it. I first encountered the dea that transformation was very important in John Tukey’s xploratory Data Analysis [2], which devoted an early chapter o it and returned to the topic several times in later chapters. ukey believed that a set of data rarely comes to us in the best orm (scale) for analyzing it—for discovering the regularities it ontains. We can usually find a better form. I decided that Tukey was right, and 1000 textbooks rong, when I found, again and again, that transforming my ata made it much easier to work with. It was like sharpning a knife. Choosing a good transformation really was as mportant as Tukey said. It improved my analyses in three ays. First, graphs were more informative. The data were pread out across the page instead of clumped near the edge for an example, see the section on visual clarity). Second, utliers were less worrisome. When data contain outliers, nd I made graphs of means or similar averages, I constantly orried that two points that appeared different—for examle, the value for Tuesday looked significantly higher than he value for Monday—were not actually different accordng to a statistical test, that they appeared different because
Product placement in entertainment media

Product placement within entertainment media has gained increasing attention from both the industry and scholars. This study uses Social Exchange Theory to explore the process through which product...
Attenuation by naloxone of the pressor effects of angiotensin II in conscious cynomolgus monkeys.

The effects of naloxone and morphine on mean arterial blood pressure (MBP) and heart rate (HR) responses to angiotensin II (AII) were studied in conscious cynomolgus monkeys. Graded doses of AII (0.3, 1 and 3 micrograms/min for 8-10 min) were infused i.v. 20 min apart, preceded by an i.v. injection of either naloxone (1, 3 or 10 mg/kg), morphine (0.3, 1 or 3 mg/kg) or saline. Pretreatment with naloxone (10 mg/kg) attenuated the pressor response to AII (0.3 or 1 microgram/min) by 25-50% but did not alter similar pressor responses to phenylephrine. Pretreatment with morphine had little or no effect on MBP or HR responses to AII.
Nitrogen cycle: Solution to a marine mystery.

The anammox reaction, a microbial process that was first observed in waste-water treatment plants, looks as if it may be a key player in the nitrogen cycle in certain parts of the oceans.
Conduction delays in switching NbSe3: Sensitive dependence on the initial configuration.

In switching charge-density-wave (CDW) conductors, a voltage pulse greater than threshold causes the CDW to slide only after a delay \ensuremath{\tau}. For identical experimental conditions, we have found a class of delays as long as 5 s with fluctuations as large as 5 orders of magnitude. For large \ensuremath{\tau}, the distribution of delays N(\ensuremath{\tau})\ensuremath{\propto}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma}}$, with 0.81.3. We argue that \ensuremath{\tau} measures the time at which the internal strain somewhere in the CDW exceeds the threshold for phase slippage. The electronic history of the sample, and hence the distribution of initial configurations of the CDW, determines N(\ensuremath{\tau}).
Quantitative studies of the interaction of 3H-dsDNA/anti-DNA immune complexes with complement: comparison and evaluation of the Raji cell, the solution phase C1Q, and the red blood cell linked complement fixation radioimmunoassays.

We have prepared antibody/3H-dsDNA immune complexes and have used three independent radio-immunoassays to quantitate their interaction with complement; the solution phase C1q assay, the Raji cell assay, and a complement-based red blood cell adherence assay (RBC-CF). Our results indicate that although there is reasonable qualitative agreement between the Raji cell assay and the RBC-CF assay, there are some differences in the quantitative range of sensitivities of the two assays. On the other hand, we find that most of the complement-fixing antibody/3H-dsDNA complexes are not detected in the solution phase C1q assay. The results suggest this is because the absolute concentrations of the immune complexes were too low to achieve significant precipitation under the standard conditions used in the C1q assay. The implication of these findings with respect to the potential detection and analysis of antibody/dsDNA immune complexes is discussed.
Aromatic hydroxylation—a new biosynthetic mechanism

Abstract A new hypothesis is proposed to account for the biological hydroxylation of aromatic systems. By this mechanism the need for oxygen and a reducing cofactor may be readily explained, as well as the products isolated from such biological oxidations.
Intersecting Goppa codes

Bounds on the rates of intersecting Goppa codes are derived and compared with previous bounds on intersecting codes. Intersecting, self-intersecting, and highly intersecting Goppa codes are discussed in detail. It is shown that asymptotically good intersecting Goppa codes exist and lower bounds are given on their rates. Six theorems for Goppa codes are also presented. >
Association Between Adherence and Glycemic Control in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes: A Meta-analysis

CONTEXT: Although adherence has been identified in practice guidelines for youth with type 1 diabetes to promote optimal glycemic control, there has been no systematic integration of studies investigating the adherence-glycemic control link. This recommendation partly stemmed from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT); however, this trial did not comprehensively measure adherence and had only 195 adolescents. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to determine the magnitude of the adherence-glycemic control link in pediatric type 1 diabetes and evaluate its correlates. METHODS: Our data sources were PubMed (1950–2008), Scopus (1950–2008), and references from reviews in pediatric type 1 diabetes. Studies that included youth under age 19 with type 1 diabetes and a reported association between adherence and glycemic control were eligible for inclusion. Articles were not included if they contained youth with type 2 diabetes, had study samples that overlapped with other studies, or the results came from intervention studies. Of the eligible 26 studies, 21 had sufficient statistical data. Two authors independently extracted information by using a standardized protocol. Agreement between coders was high. RESULTS: The mean effect size across 21 studies, including 2492 youth with type 1 diabetes, was −0.28 (95% confidence interval: −0.32 to −0.24). As adherence increases, A1c values decrease. No sample or disease characteristics were correlates of the adherence-glycemic control link. Pre-DCCT studies had a mean effect size of −0.32 (8 studies; 1169 participants) compared with −0.25 in post-DCCT studies (13 studies; 1323 participants). CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis supports the adherence-glycemic control link in pediatric type 1 diabetes. The weaker post-DCCT association suggests that the approach to intensive diabetes management has shortcomings. We conclude that this is because of a mismatch between what scientists and clinicians know is the best way to manage pediatric type 1 diabetes and the capabilities of youth and their families.
The War Against Public Sector Collective Bargaining in the US

The 2008–2009 recession created major budgetary problems in US cities and states. Conservative Republicans who had triumphed in many state elections in 2010 introduced laws to weaken or eliminate public sector bargaining on the grounds that it contributed to the deficits and hampered government responses to the crisis. Unions and their allies fought back in an effort to preserve collective bargaining and unionism in its last stronghold in the country. This article finds that states with public sector bargaining laws have higher debt-to-state gross domestic product (GDP) ratios and slightly higher deficits than states without such laws, but that the dominant cause of the budgetary problem was the recession, and that unions gave sizable wage and benefit concessions to deal with the crisis. The main motivations for the attack appear to be political opportunism and ideological opposition to governments bargaining with their employees. The majority of citizens favored maintaining public sector bargaining. The ...
Effects of 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin (TCDD) or Aroclor 1254 on the resistance of rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, to infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus

. Sublethal exposure of rainbow trout fry, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) did not significantly affect mortality or mean time to death following challenge with infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). Rainbow trout fry were fed experimental diets containing 0, 5. 50 or 500 μg/g of the technical polychlorinated biphenyl mixture, Aroclor 1254, for 30 days or were injected intraperitoneally with graded single doses of TCDD. Fish from each treatment group were challenged by immersion exposure to IHNV. At early time points following virus challenge, histopathologic lesions due to virus disease were more severe and occurred more frequently in virus-challenged fish which received either toxicant than in virus-challenged control fish. Taken together, these findings suggest that rainbow trout are less sensitive than mammalian species to the sublethal effects of these structurally related toxicants on resistance to viral disease. However, a subtle effect of these chemicals on the pathogenesis of the virus disease is suggested by the histopathologic data.
Quantum-Confined Stark Effect in Ge/SiGe Quantum Wells on Si Substrate for Modulators

We investigate the growth and optical characterization of Ge/SiGe quantum wells on silicon substrate to exploit its strong quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) for electroabsorption modulator in long wavelength regime. Further, we design and fabricate devices based on this approach and investigate the high-speed modulation performance of the device.
Event-triggered output feedback control for networked control systems using passivity: Achieving L2 stability in the presence of communication delays and signal quantization

When network induced delays are considered in the event-triggered control literature, they are typically delays from the plant to the network controller and a tight bound on the admissible delays is usually imposed based on the analysis of inter-event time to guarantee stability of the event-triggered control systems. In this paper, we introduce a framework for output feedback based event-triggered networked control systems (NCSs). The triggering condition is derived based on passivity theory which allows us to characterize a large class of output feedback stabilizing controllers. The proposed set-up enables us to consider network induced delays both from the plant to the network controller and from the network controller to the plant. We also take quantization of the transmitted signals in the communication network into consideration and we show that finite-gain L"2 stability can be achieved in the presence of time-varying (or constant) network induced delays with bounded jitters, without requiring that the network induced delays be upper bounded by the inter-event time.
Prevalence of haematozoa in migrating Northern Saw-Whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) of eastern North America

ABSTRACT We examined blood smears from 139 Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) to ascertain the prevalence of haematozoa in this species during fall migration in eastern North America. Owls were captured with mist nets on the Mohonk Preserve near New Paltz, New York from 1 October to 2 December 2011. We examined blood smears under an optical microscope at 200× and 1000× magnification, and observed four genera of haematozoa, Haemoproteus, Leucocytozoon, Plasmodium, and Trypanosoma, in addition to a genus or genera of microfilarial nematodes, unidentifiable by morphology. We found haematozoa in blood smears from both male and female Northern Saw-whet Owls and in both age groups sampled, i.e., hatching year and after hatching year. Leucocytozoon was the most common parasite, with an overall prevalence of 49.6%. Prevalence of Haemoproteus, microfilaria, Plasmodium, and Trypanosoma was 5.0%, 5.0%, 10.0%, and 2.9% respectively, and overall occurrence of infection was 64%. We found no difference in body c...
Is guanosine diphosphate-D-glucose a precursor of cellulose?

PARTICULATE enzyme preparations from bacteria1 and plants2,3 have been reported to catalyse the biosynthesis of high molecular weight β-1,4-linked glucan, chiefly cellulose, from either UDP-glucose or GDP-glucose. Partial hydrolysis of the polysaccharide formed from UDP-glucose, however, indicates the presence of β-1,3-linked glucose moieties4,5. Moreover, GDP-glucose is not found as a constituent of plant tissues that are actively forming cellulose6,7; and the enzyme system that utilizes GDP-glucose increases and decreases in catalytic activity as a function of the growth stage of the plant2,8, and these fluctuations do not coincide with the production of cellulose9. We now suggest that GDP-glucose is the in vivo precursor of a glucomannan rather than cellulose.
Blocking-Deblocking of the NH-Functionality of Uracil and its Derivatives

Abstract We have been interested in various 5,6-dihydrouracils and 5,6-dihydroorotic acid derivatives as possible inhibitors of dihydrouracil dehydrogenase, dihydroorotase, and dihydroorotate dehydrogenase.2 The known methods for the synthesis of 5,6-dihydrouracils and 5,6-dihydroorotic acid derivatives are either a low yield cyclization process3 or a catalytic hydrogenation4 procedure which frequently led to the elimination of desired functionality5. In order to obviate these difficulties, we have recently developed6 a mild non-catalytic method for the reduction of 5,6-double bond of uracil and orotic acid derivatives. By using lithium tri-sec-butyl borohydride7–8 we have been able to reduce N1, N3-dialkyl uracil and orotic acid derivatives to the corresponding 5,6-dihydrouracil and orotic acid derivatives as shown in scheme (1).
Presence of target cells for friend virus (fvp) in the liver and spleen of early postnatal mice.

Summary1 he growth dynamics ot hemo-poietically active liver and spleen of neonatal mice have been used to study the association between hemopoietic stem cells (CFUS) and a target cell for Friend virus, defined by its capacity, following transformation, for autonomous colonial growth in appropriate host mice (tumor colony forming units, tCFU). The kinetics of tCFU target cells and CFUS are sufficiently dissimilar to allow the conclusion-that they do not constitute identical populations.The technical assistance of A. Bulba, J. Jividen, B. Styles, and R. Reszka is gratefully acknowledged.
A spectral-domain method for the analysis of the fundamental-mode leakage effect in microstrip lines on uniaxial substrates

A simplified spectral-domain integral-equation method is applied to analyze the recently discovered fundamental mode leakage effect in open microstrip transmission lines with uniaxial substrates.
Marital status and the progression of functional disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objective. To determine if marital status is associated with differences in rates of progression of functional disability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. A community cohort of 282 persons with RA was followed prospectively for up to 9.5 years. The progression of functional disability over time was determined using the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index, which was completed by study participants every 6 months. Results. At study entry, the Disability Index was 1.1 ± 0.8 (mean ± 1 SD) (possible range 0–3) among the 188 married participants and 1.3 ± 0.9 among the 94 unmarried participants. Over time, the rate of progression of functional disability was generally higher among unmarried participants. However, the extent of this difference varied somewhat over the disease course, with rates of progression higher among unmarried than among married participants during years 5–7 and years 17–29 of RA. Overall estimated rates of progression, adjusted for the effects of other sociodemographic factors, were 0.03 Disability Index units per year in unmarried participants and 0.01 Disability Index units per year in married participants (P < 0.0001). Conclusion. Marriage, possibly reflecting the influence of social support, is associated with a lower rate of progression of functional disability in persons with RA.
Carbon Monoxide and Methane Oxidation Properties of Oxide Solid Solution Catalysts

The CO and CH4 deep oxidation properties of the rare-earth-based perovskites, La1−xSrxM1−yByO3−δ (M = Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Y; B = Nb, Ti) and the superconducting systems with the K2NiF4 structure, La2−xSrxCuO4−δ and Nd2−xCexCuO4−δ were investigated. For CO oxidation p-type conducting materials were found to exhibit the highest catalytic activity. For CH4 oxidation, the activity appears to depend on small electronic conductivity both for p-type and n-type conductors combined with a good oxide ion conduction.
Determination of Turbofan Inlet Acoustics Using Finite Elements

This paper describes the application of the finite-element method in combination with Galerkin's method in the determination of the acoustic properties of turbofan inlets containing high subsonic Mach number steady flows. An approximate solution for the steady inviscid f Ion field is obtained using an integral method for calculating the potential flowfield in the inlet with a correction to account for compressibility effects. The accuracy of the finite element technique in predicting the acoustic properties of annular ducts has been checked by comparison with available analytical solutions for the problems of plane and spinning wave propagation through a hard-walled annular duct with a constant mean flow. Results are presented comparing low-frequency plane wave propagation through a hard-walled turbofan inlet containing a one-dimensional steady flow with the same inlet containing a fully two-dimensional axisymmetric steady flow. It is shown that when one-dimensional steady flow is assumed to exist in the duct, the plane wave propagates with relatively little distortion. However, propagation of a plane wave through the fully two-dimensional flowfield in the inlet produces severe distortion due to the excitation of higher order modes.
Emission reductions through precombustion chamber design in a natural gas, lean burn engine

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of various precombustion chamber design, operating and control parameters on the exhaust emissions of a natural gas engine. Analysis of the results showed that engine-out total hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen (NO[sub x]) can be reduced, relative to conventional methods, through prechamber design. More specifically, a novel staged prechamber yielded significant reductions in NO[sub x] and total hydrocarbon emissions by promoting stable prechamber and main chamber ignition under fuel-lean conditions. Precise fuel control was also critical when balancing low emissions and engine efficiency (i.e., fuel economy). The purpose of this paper is to identify and explain positive and deleterious effects of natural gas prechamber design on exhaust emissions.
The Self-Advocacy Strategy for Education and Transition Planning

Most educational professionals who deal with day-to-day aspects of providing special and remedial education are committed to developing the highest educational life potential they possibly can for the students they serve. An example of this type of commitment is found in the new Self-Advocacy Strategy for Education and Transition Planning (Van Reusen, Bos, Schumaker, & Deshler, 1994). This new manual is an updated version of the manual for the Education Planning Strategy (Van Reusen, Bos, Schumaker, & Deshler, 1987). The Self-Advocacy Strategy was created to more effectively address the complex educational and/or transition concerns of students and others exhibiting learning and performance problems, and the revision reflects recent developments in strategic instruction, motivation, and self-advocacy research. Many of the changes incorporated into this new manual also stem from invaluable feedback and suggestions provided by teachers, students, parents, and other professionals who used the original strategy.
Activation of platelets by eosinophil granule proteins

Two of the four principal cationic proteins of the eosinophil granule, major basic protein (MBP) and eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), were shown to be platelet agonists. Both MBP and EPO evoked a dose-dependent nonlytic secretion of platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine in unstirred platelet suspensions even in the presence of 10 microM indomethacin. MBP also evoked secretion of platelet alpha granule and lysosome components. Secretion by MBP and EPO was inhibited by 1 microM PGE1, but the nature of the inhibition differed from that observed with thrombin. Thus, MBP and EPO can be classified as strong platelet agonists with a distinct mechanism of activation.
The categorical representation of visual pattern information by young infants.

Abstract The present research studied 3- and 4-month-old infants' ability to acquire two categories simultaneously. A familiarization-novelty preference procedure and geometrical form categories were used in all experiments. In Experiments I and 3, infants were familiarized with either a single form category, two form categories, or a single form category plus a set of forms that did not define a category. The results showed that, despite increased attentional and memorial demands, presentation of an additional form category did not harm the efficiency of categorization (Experiment 1) and changed the representation of the form category information from exemplars to a prototype (Experiment 3). Contrasting form information that was not categorical in structure decreased the infant's ability to recognize new members of the single familiar category (Experiment 1) and hindered the infant's ability to form a categorical representation (Experiment 3). The categorization behavior observed in Experiment 1, as indexed by the generalization of habituation to novel forms from a familiar category, was shown not to be a consequence of the inability to discriminate between individual members from the familiar form category (Experiment 2). The implications of these results for cognitive development are discussed.
Development of Explanations and Repeated Judgments in An Audit

Prior research suggests that repeated exposure to a statement or the development of an explanation supporting it increases individuals' belief in the plausibility of that statement. This study extended this research by examining how repetition and development of an explanation jointly affect judgments of a statement's plausibility. In this study, subjects (33 men and 16 women) examined financial information about a company and evaluated the plausibility of a statement regarding the company's financial performance that had been made by the management of that company. Prior to evaluating the statement's plausibility, one-half of the subjects also developed an explanation supporting the statement. Fifteen days later, all subjects reevaluated the plausibility of the statement. 24 subjects who had developed a supporting explanation judged the statement to be more plausible than 25 subjects who had not developed an explanation. However, repeated exposure to the statement did not significantly affect subjects' j...
Magnetophonon effect in a nonparabolic band: n -type InSb

Measurements of the transverse Ohmic magnetophonon effect have been performed at 77 K in a set of samples of $n$-InSb having carrier concentrations in the range from $n=5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{13}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ to $n=7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{16}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. With increasing doping, the minima in the second derivative of the resistance with respect to the magnetic field are shifted to higher magnetic fields. Even in the purest samples the values of the resonant magnetic fields for harmonic numbers up to $N=12$ can only be explained if the contributions of spin-conserving transitions involving both $L=0$ spin levels and spin-split Landau levels with $Lg0$ are taken into account. These transitions occur at magnetic fields which are higher than the fields for the $L=0$ lower-spin-level transition because of the nonparabolicity of the InSb conduction band. A superposition of Lorentzian lines with an empiricall determined half-width $\ensuremath{\Delta}(N)$ proportional to the harmonic number $N$ and weighted with the value of the Fermi distribution function at the energy of the lower level is shown to give a good fit to the data yielding a bard-edge effective mass of ${{m}^{*}}_{0}=0.0138 {m}_{0}$. In more highly doped samples, the shift of the extrema to higher magnetic fields is partially caused by the larger value of the damping parameter $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ because of the lower mobility. After applying an appropriate correction to the extremal positions of the high-concentration samples, a shift remains which qualitatively can be explained by the increasing contribution of higher-order transitions because of the higher population of these levels. Finally, the shifts in extremal position as a consequence of an increased electron temperature, e.g., induced by application of electric fields or photoexcitation, are discussed within the framework of this model.
The prevalence of carotid artery stenosis varies significantly by race

Objective Certain races are known to be at increased risk for stroke, and the prevalence of carotid artery stenosis (CAS) is thought to vary by race. The goal of this report was to study the prevalence of CAS in different races by analyzing a population of subjects who underwent vascular screening examinations. Methods The study data were provided by Life Line Screening. The cohort consists of self-referred individuals who paid for vascular screening tests. Subjects 100 years of age and those who reported a prior stroke or carotid artery intervention were excluded. Of the remaining 3,291,382 subjects, 3.7% did not self-identify a race. CAS was defined as stenosis in either internal carotid artery ≥50% by duplex ultrasound velocity criteria. Results The 3,291,382 subjects available for analysis consisted of Caucasian (2,845,936 [90%]), African American (97,502 [3.1%]), Hispanic (75,240 [2.4%]), Asian (60,982 [1.9%]), and Native American (87,757 [2.8%]) individuals. The prevalence of CAS was 3.4% in females and 4.2% in males ( P ≤ .001). Controlling for gender and age, there was marked variation in the prevalence of CAS ( P Conclusions The prevalence of clinically significant CAS varies significantly by race. Native American and Caucasian individuals have the highest prevalence of CAS, whereas African American males and Asian females appear to have the lowest prevalence. This information adds evidence to the hypothesis that the increased stroke rate in African American subjects is likely not related to extracranial cerebrovascular disease. Furthermore, this is a novel report of an extremely high prevalence of CAS in the Native American population.
Eliminative deoxygenation: A facile synthesis of α-cyano and α-carboalkoxy substituted vinyl sulfides

Abstract The faciIe eliminative deoxygenation of α-cyano and carboalkoxy sulfoxides by trimethylsilyl triflate under mildly basic conditions results in the formation of α-thiophenyl substituted α,β-unsaturated nitriles and esters in high yields.
Commentary: Tourism plans and planning challenges in Ghana

Abstract Due to its multidisciplinary nature, tourism planning is a complex activity requiring an integrated approach, private and public sector partnership, and inter‐agency and inter‐sectoral coordination, as well as community involvement. For most developing countries, comprehensive and systematic tourism planning is a new or recent phenomenon. This paper describes the tourism planning experience of Ghana, examines the current 15‐year Tourism Development Plan for the period 1996–2010, and briefly discusses some of the challenges facing the successful implementation of the tourism plan.
Differential tissue targeting of autoimmunity manifestations by autoantigen-associated Y RNAs.

Objective To assess the Y RNAs, a family of homologous RNAs that bind to the Ro autoantigen, for the ability to contribute to autoimmune disease by activating RNA-responsive Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Methods Using cell lines expressing or stably transfected with TLR-3, TLR-7, or TLR-8, we determined the patterns of RNA-specific TLR activation by in vitro transcripts of all of the known murine and human Y RNAs. Next, 8–10-week-old female mice were exposed to a single 50-μg subcutaneous injection of mouse Y1 or mouse Y3 RNA, and the effects were observed. Results Y RNA family members differed in their TLR reactivities. Both human and mouse Y3 RNAs, but not other human or mouse Y RNAs, prominently induced TLR-3 activation. Although most human and mouse Y RNAs activated TLR-7 efficiently, mouse Y3 RNA and human Y5 RNA did not. Single subcutaneous injections of mice with either mouse Y1 RNA or mouse Y3 RNA induced or inhibited lymphoid infiltrates in different target organs based on the Y RNA and TLR status of the mouse used. Mouse Y1 RNA induced kidney lesions in TLR-3–intact mice but not in TLR-3–knockout mice. In contrast, mouse Y3 RNA treatment was associated with nephritis in TLR-3–knockout mice but not in TLR-3–intact mice. Sialoadenitis developed in untreated TLR-3−/− mice and in TLR-3−/− mice treated with mouse Y3 RNA, but sialoadenitis was not present in TLR-3−/− mice treated with mouse Y1 RNA. Conclusion Y RNAs can induce innate immune responses and influence clinical manifestations of autoimmunity, suggesting that they are relevant to syndromes of anti-Ro autoimmunity. Distinct patterns of tissue targeting can be seen after exposure to different Y RNAs, in a pattern that correlates with the innate immune signals they induce. Thus, the balance of innate immune signals induced by exposure to endogenous Y RNAs may help determine the nature of the clinical syndrome in anti-Ro autoimmunity.
What are business schools doing for business today

Abstract This article examines disparity between business school focus and business community needs. A content analysis of 200 corporate job descriptions collected in Fall 2009 revealed 140 specific license/certification/skills commonly cited as required for candidates applying for business jobs. A detailed matching of these post-graduation proficiencies with pre-graduation business major tracks is provided herein to assist schools in better aligning curricula with job requirements. This matching and aligning process is proposed as a key means for reducing disparity between post-graduation licenses/certification/skills required and the academic tracks that are feeders for such positions. Examination of 200 resumes of business students nearing graduation revealed low to no proficiency on the job description-derived skill sets. This finding suggests that disparity between school of business focus and practitioner needs is ongoing and potentially problematic, at least at the institutions sampled. A content analysis of 100 school of business course syllabi and 20 textbooks supported this conclusion. This article provides suggestions for closing the gap between business school curricula and corporate needs. The old business school is compared to our vision of the new business school, where close alignment of pre-graduation training with post-graduation job requirements serves both students and practitioners well.
Operating parameter based wirebond model for a power module

Lifetime estimation of power semiconductors for various applications has gained technical importance. The main failures in high power semiconductors are caused by thermo-mechanical fatigue, mainly in solder and wirebonds, due to different coefficients of thermal expansions of the various packaging materials. Most of the lifetime models do not take all the operating parameters into account. There is a need to develop a generalized lifetime model specific to failure mechanisms that account for all of the operating parameters in an application. This paper presents finite element based stress simulations for varying operating parameters (current, temperature, etc.) for a fixed dimension wire.
Rule-governed behavior in evolution and human society

I present a conceptual framework and analytical tools for generalizing existing theory in order to investigate imperfect choice that does not always make optimal decisions based on available information. The resulting analysis implies imperfect choice creates incentives forrule-governed behavior that is adapted only to recurrent situations (rather than adjusting optimally to all conditions), thereby producing a tendency to ignore relevant and even costlessly available information. These principles are applied to recent analysis on the foundations ofconstitutional economics. They are also applied to nonhuman evolution, and to human behavior within exchange environments in order to illustrate the pervasiveness of rule governed behavior, and to suggest a constitutional perspective about the importance of developing rules for governing peoples' ongoing economic and political decisions. I conclude by briefly discussing a basic tradeoff between reaching initial agreement over constitutional rules and the stability of future compliance to them once they are put into practical application.
Mood congruent memory in dysphoria: the roles of state affect and cognitive style.

Abstract Biases in incidental memory for self-referent adjectives and intentional memory were compared across nondysphoric (ND; n = 4 8 ), experimentally induced dysphoric (EXP; n = 4 9 ), and naturally dysphoric (NAT; n = 4 8 ) individuals. Negative biases, “evenhandedness”, and positive biases were demonstrated among NAT, EXP and ND participants, respectively, in terms of incidental memory. Correlation analyses suggested that the effects of cognitive style (self-esteem, dysfunctional attitudes, and attributional style) are limited to negative stimuli. Memory for incidental positive stimuli was only predicted by state affect. Groups did not differ in performance on an intentional memory task. Implications for network and schema models of depression are explored.
Collagen injections for aging skin lines (wrinkles)

A survey questionnaire was sent to 223 subjects given collagen injections for wrinkles. Results of that survey are collated statistically and presented.
Grape Juice but Not Orange or Grapefruit Juice Inhibits Platelet Activity in Dogs and Monkeys (Macaca fasciularis)

Platelet aggregation (PA) contributes to both the development of atherosclerosis and acute platelet thrombus formation (APTF) followed by embolization producing cyclic flow reductions (CFR) in stenosed and damaged dog and human coronary arteries. In seven anesthetized dogs with coronary stenosis and medial damage, CFR occurred at 7 +/- 3/30 min and were abolished 127 +/- 18 min after gastric administration of 10 mL of purple grape juice/kg. Collagen-induced ex vivo whole blood PA decreased by 49 +/- 9% after the abolishment of CFR with grape juice. Ten mL of orange juice/kg (n = 5) and 10 mL of grapefruit juice/kg (n = 5) had no significant effect on the frequency of the CFR or on ex vivo PA. In vitro studies have suggested that flavonoids bind to platelet cell membranes and thus may have an accumulative or tissue-loading effect over time. To test this we fed 5 mL of grape juice/kg to 5 cynomologous monkeys for 7 d. Collagen-induced ex vivo PA decreased by 41 +/- 17% compared to control (pre-reatment) after 7 d of feeding. In the same 5 monkeys, neither 5 mL of orange juice/kg nor 5 mL of grapefruit juice/kg given orally for 7 d produced any significant change in PA. Grape juice contains the flavonoids quercetin, kaempferol and myricetin, which are known inhibitors of PA in vitro. Orange juice and grapefruit juice, while containing less quercetin than grape juice, primarily contain the flavonoids naringin, luteolin and apigenin glucoside. The flavonoids in grapes were shown in vitro to be good inhibitors of PA, whereas the flavonoids in oranges and grapefruit to be poor inhibitors of PA. The consumption of grape juice, containing these inhibitors of PA, may have some of the protection offered by red wine against the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) and acute occlusive thrombosis, whereas orange juice or grapefruit juice may be ineffective. Thus, grape juice may be a useful alternative dietary supplement to red wine without the concomitant alcohol intake.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO CONTINUOUS LEADER CHANNEL DEVELOPMENT

The continuous propagation of the developing spark channel, known as a “leader” has been studied in considerable depth. Several theories have been proposed to describe the transition region occurring at the leader tip and causing the corona cloud to leader transition. For an overall review and outstanding questions to be tackled see Jones and Waters (1978).
Bringing competency analysis into the 21st century

Current business and educational environments are mandating the identification, building, and assessment of specific critical competencies for the workforce. However, traditional approaches to competency analysis are often slow, expensive, and backward looking. This article presents several new computer-aided approaches to competency analysis and provides examples of their use, including a detailed case study analyzing curricula and skills for professionals who provide benefits and work incentives planning and assistance to persons with disabilities.
Self-reported alcohol and drug use six months after brief intervention: do changes in reported use vary by mental-health status?

Background Although brief intervention (BI) for alcohol and other drug problems has been associated with subsequent decreased levels of self-reported substance use, there is little information in the extant literature as to whether individuals with co-occurring hazardous substance use and mental illness would benefit from BI to the same extent as those without mental illness. This is an important question, as mental illness is estimated to co-occur in 37% of individuals with an alcohol use disorder and in more than 50% of individuals with a drug use disorder. The goal of this study was to explore differences in self-reported alcohol and/or drug use in patients with and without mental illness diagnoses six months after receiving BI in a hospital emergency department (ED).
RNAi Screen Reveals Host Cell Kinases Specifically Involved in Listeria monocytogenes Spread from Cell to Cell

Intracellular bacterial pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes and Rickettsia conorii display actin-based motility in the cytosol of infected cells and spread from cell to cell through the formation of membrane protrusions at the cell cortex. Whereas the mechanisms supporting cytosolic actin-based motility are fairly well understood, it is unclear whether specific host factors may be required for supporting the formation and resolution of membrane protrusions. To address this gap in knowledge, we have developed high-throughput fluorescence microscopy and computer-assisted image analysis procedures to quantify pathogen spread in human epithelial cells. We used the approach to screen a siRNA library covering the human kinome and identified 7 candidate kinases whose depletion led to severe spreading defects in cells infected with L. monocytogenes. We conducted systematic validation procedures with redundant silencing reagents and confirmed the involvement of the serine/threonine kinases, CSNK1A1 and CSNK2B. We conducted secondary assays showing that, in contrast with the situation observed in CSNK2B-depleted cells, L. monocytogenes formed wild-type cytosolic tails and displayed wild-type actin-based motility in the cytosol of CSNK1A1-depleted cells. Furthermore, we developed a protrusion formation assay and showed that the spreading defect observed in CSNK1A1-depleted cells correlated with the formation of protrusion that did not resolve into double-membrane vacuoles. Moreover, we developed sending and receiving cell-specific RNAi procedures and showed that CSNK1A was required in the sending cells, but was dispensable in the receiving cells, for protrusion resolution. Finally, we showed that the observed defects were specific to Listeria monocytogenes, as Rickettsia conorii displayed wild-type cell-to-cell spread in CSNK1A1- and CSNK2B-depleted cells. We conclude that, in addition to the specific host factors supporting cytosolic actin-based motility, such as CSNK2B, Listeria monocytogenes requires specific host factors, such as CSNK1A1 in order to form productive membrane protrusions and spread from cell to cell.
General relativity in the large

in the ea:ly years of general relativity, the most pressing questions ~vcre local in character, e.g., the suitability of de~'ribing the gra~ itational ticld by a metric, the structure and consequences of Einstein's eqttalions, etc. It was presumably felt that global questions, while possibly of some physical interest, could safely be deferred until a litter stage. We are now involved in this later stage. Perhaps the most important reason for the rcceilt emphitsis on global properties was tile realization that to establish certain results ~ i n particular, the theorems on singularities ~it is neces,;ary at the outset to exercise some control over the admissible global bchavi()r of the spacetime. The .scope of global work his gradually I~'en extended beyond attempts to control misbehavior until t t~ay global m,:thods comprise a small but vigorous brat.oh of relativity. "What have we gained from these efforts ? We h:|ve becolne nlorc sensitive to glob:d possibilities and pitfalls. (When will a global condition be needed? Which intuitive ideas have been formulalcd precisely? What i, re the consequences of imposing various conditions ? Ilow restrictive are the conditions ?j We hitve reached a lx.ttcr understanding of the various levels of structure of a space-time and their interaction. (Which properties of a .~pacetintc involve only the c:.tusal .,,|ructurc, which only the toi~t~logy, etc. ? Do the causal relations determine the topology?) We have becll led to deeper and more r trealments of kno~.~, n result.,;. (]'lie IIOlit)ll Ol,"l 'generic' property of space-times, for example, offers a potentially v;,luablc approach to singularities.) Finally. ~e h:,ve come to appreciate that the structure of a space-time in tile large may have tme,~pectcd physical signiticante. (I)o the homoh)gy or homot,~py groups, the Siicfcl Whitney cL,sscs, or the spinor structure have implic:ttions for clcmclltary particle physics ?) This pap~;r con,,ists of a collecti,m r162 ;tl~otit the present status of glob;,I work plus ;l fi:w remarks about ~hcre t~c might go from here. (]'he usual caution is in force: many of the impt~rt;mt ildvallccs ill physics have been a result of asking new tlue.~tions which did not appear on ii~ts of
Self‐organizing fault systems and self‐organizing elastodynamic events on them: Geometry and the distribution of sizes of events

[1] We introduce a new model which both generates a self-organizing complex segmented fault system which then accommodates finite strain, and generates sequences of elastodynamic events on that complex fault system. This opens up a new realm of study of populations of cascading elastodynamic ruptures on complex fault systems. We examine the distribution of sizes of events in the model, and its dependence on fault geometry. We see an evolution from a more Gutenberg-Richter like distribution of events at smaller strains to a more characteristic like distribution at larger strains. We see relative insensitivity of the distribution of sizes of events to the friction used. Examining the distributions of sizes of events on fault segments of different lengths, we find support for a modified segmentation hypothesis whereby segments both break in power law small events and occasionally participate in cascading multisegment larger ruptures, but also predominantly break as a unit.
Effects of maternal nutrition on hatchability

The effects of dietary factors on the development and viability of avian embryos have been extensively documented. A good nutritional status of the parent birds is crucial to the transfer to the egg of an adequate, balanced supply of nutrients required for normal development of the embryo. The consequences to the embryo may be lethal if the egg contains either inadequate, excessive, or imbalanced levels of nutrients. As nutritional deficiencies or excesses occur, it is common for the effects on the embryo to also become more severe and to occur at earlier stages of development. The type of nutritional stress signs visible in the embryo often depend upon the severity of the maternal nutritional stress. Diseases, parasitic infections, toxins, poisons, or drugs may also cause nutritional or pseudonutritional problems with hatchability.