cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Environmental Justice Reparations for Jeju Island

Jeju Island provides a unique context for exploring remedies to mass harm. As a site of horrific historical human rights abuses and also ongoing present environmental degradation, Jeju offers a setting for exploring environmental justice as reparations. This Article argues for democratic, community-led environmental justice reparations prioritizing sustainable economic development and capacity building, aimed at benefiting Jeju residents rather than outside military, tourist, or other colonial interests.
The -251 A/T Polymorphism in the IL8 Promoter is a Risk Factor for Acute Pancreatitis.

Objectives Inflammation in the setting of acute pancreatitis (AP) is partially driven by pathogen recognition receptors that recognize damage-associated molecular patterns. Interleukin (IL)-8 is a chemotactic factor produced by pathogen recognition receptor-expressing cells. A single-nucleotide polymorphism in IL8 promoter region (-251 A/T) has been implicated in inflammatory diseases. We examined whether this IL8 polymorphism confers susceptibility to AP. Methods Patients with AP (n = 357) were prospectively recruited. Clinical data and blood were collected in subjects and controls (n = 347). Severity was defined following the Revised Atlanta Classification. Genotypes were assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction using TaqMan probes. Results Patients and controls had similar demographics and had no difference in Hardy-Weinberg (patients, P = 0.29; controls, P = 0.66). Twenty-five percent of patients developed severe AP. Compared with controls, the A/A genotype was more common in AP (P = 0.041; odds ratio, 1.42; 95% confidence interval, 1-1.99). Obese patients with the A/A genotype were more likely to develop mild AP (P = 0.047). Conclusions The -251 polymorphism confers susceptibility to AP and disease severity in obese patients. However, its effect is moderate. One potential mechanism for this susceptibility is via increased IL8 production by innate cells, with subsequent enhanced neutrophil influx and pancreatic injury.
Why Alpha Does Not Work

Author investigates inconsistent, or noisy, relationship between alpha and Sharpe ratio employing Taylor series expansion. The analysis confirms that buying alpha stocks improves Sharpe ratio but it discovers that beta together with other factors hinders alpha from improving Sharpe ratio. Suggested modified alpha and modified beta have clearer relationship with Sharpe ratio compared with conventional alpha, and thus they provide better stock selection guideline than conventional alpha. They are extremely helpful if an alpha stock does not have enough return data to compute standard deviation or co-variance.
Group Psychotherapy in the Context of Cultural Diversity

The authors review the salient issues involved in therapy with culturally diverse populations. They present a framework where group therapy addresses those issues. Clinical vignettes from each of the authors serve to illustrate the power of group therapy with ethnocultural populations.
Psychiatric Symptoms and Diagnoses Among U.S. College Students: A Comparison by Race and Ethnicity

Objective:The mental health challenges of college students are a critical public health concern, and they may be exacerbated among racial and ethnic minority groups. Unfortunately, there is a lack ...
The glutamate release inhibitor riluzole increases DNA damage and enhances cytotoxicity in human glioma cells, in vitro and in vivo.

// Atif J. Khan 1 , 2 , Stephanie LaCava 2 , 3 , Monal Mehta 2 , Devora Schiff 2 , Aditya Thandoni 2 , Sachin Jhawar 2 , Shabbar Danish 4 , Bruce G. Haffty 2 and Suzie Chen 3 1 Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA 2 Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA 3 Susan Lehman Cullman Laboratory for Cancer Research, Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA 4 Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA Correspondence to: Atif J. Khan, email: khana7@mskcc.org Keywords: glutamate; glioma; riluzole; radiation therapy Received: December 29, 2018 Accepted: March 23, 2019 Published: April 19, 2019 ABSTRACT Purpose: High-grade gliomas are lethal malignancies that cause morbidity and mortality due to local progression rather than metastatic spread. Our group has previously demonstrated that human GRM1 (hGRM1) is ectopically expressed in melanocytes leading to a transformed phenotype. Riluzole, a glutamate release inhibitor, leads to apoptotic cell death via DNA damage. Recent work has demonstrated the pathological significance of the related mGluR3/GRM3 (protein or gene: hGRM3) in gliomas. We evaluated the effect of riluzole on glioma cells. Experimental Design: Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence was performed to assess for GRM3 expression in commercially available and patient-derived glioma cells and for functional analysis of GRM3 using receptor agonist/antagonists and downstream effectors, ERK and AKT phosphorylation, as the read-out. Glutamate secretion by glioma cells was measured using ELISA. Flank and intracranial mouse xenograft models were used to assess growth delay with the glutamate release inhibitor, riluzole (RIL). Immunofluorescence was used to evaluate 53BP1 or γ-H2AX foci after RIL. Results: GRM3 was expressed in most tested glioma samples, and strongly expressed in some. Glioma cells were found to secrete glutamate in the extracellular space and to respond to receptor stimulation by activating downstream ERK. This signaling was abrogated by pretreatment with RIL. Treatment with RIL caused an increase in DNA damage markers, and an increase in cellular cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo . Conclusions: We have demonstrated that pretreatment with the glutamate-release inhibitor riluzole sensitizes glioma cells to radiation and leads to greater cytotoxicity; these results have clinical implications for patients with glioblastoma.
Risk for suicide attempts among United States Air Force active duty members with suicide ideation: An ecological perspective

Objective Differentiating suicide attempters from suicide ideators has been named a critical suicidology frontier (Klonsky & May, 2013). Per Bronfenbrenner's (1977, 1994) ecological systems theory, risk/protective factors from four ecological levels (individual, family, workplace, and community) were used to predict last year suicide attempt status among active duty service members expressing suicide ideation. Method Active duty U.S. Air Force members (N = 52,780, 79.3% male, 79.2% non-Hispanic White, M age = 31.8 years) anonymously completed an online community assessment administered biennially at 82 bases worldwide. Last year suicide ideation and attempts were concurrently measured, as were an array of co-occurring risk and protective factors. Results Among the 1,927 (approximately 4%) service members self-reporting suicidal ideation, 152 also reported a last year suicide attempt (7.9% of the ideators, 8.7% of men vs. 6.1% of women). However, in multivariate models, military member sex was not a significant moderator. In bivariate models, numerous individual, family/spouse/parent, and community factors were associated with suicide attempt status. In the final multivariate model for the whole sample, risk for a last year attempt was associated with years in the military, social support, and alcohol use problems, but not depression. Among active duty military in relationships, attempt status risk was associated with years in the military, social support, and intimate partner violence victimization. However, the effect sizes for these models were small. Conclusions Beyond a focus on depression, addressing alcohol misuse, facilitating resilient and nonviolent couple/family relationships, and increasing social support may enhance suicide attempt prevention efforts among military members. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
A Systematic Literature Review of College and Career Readiness Frameworks for Students With Disabilities

A systematic review was conducted to understand the extent of empirical support for College and Career Readiness (CCR) frameworks and whether or not students with disabilities (SWD) are included in...
China's Social Credit System: Data, Algorithms and Implications

Data and algorithms for China's social credit system (SCS) are a topic of great current interest. Nonetheless, few details regarding China’s SCS have been officially released. What is clear, however, is that China's social credit system uses broader criteria than Western systems to rank and rate entities. The system is expected to operate through a wider range of mechanisms at the public and private spheres in order to assess the trustworthiness of individuals, businesses, and professional sectors with a goal to reward good behaviors and punish bad behaviors. A full implementation SCS is expected to have wide-ranging impacts on the lives of individuals and organizations than Western-style credit systems. The SCS can be considered an instrument of an overarching ideology that simply reflects the interests of the CCP leaders.
Chapter 10 – Chronic hepatitis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses pathology, clinical aspects, and diagnosis of chronic hepatitis. Chronic hepatitis is defined as a continuing inflammatory lesion of the liver with the potential to either progress to more severe disease, to continue unchanged or to subside spontaneously or with treatment. In chronic hepatitis, the inflammatory reaction is demonstrated by persistently abnormal laboratory tests for liver disease. Percutaneous liver biopsy is therefore essential in the initial assessment of patients with suspected chronic hepatitis. Unfortunately irreversible chronic liver damage can occur before any symptoms of liver disease develop and in the absence of clinical or laboratory features of chronic liver disease. Some patients with an apparent acute hepatitis have the features of chronic liver disease including alimentary bleeding from portal hypertension. In others, it is the laboratory investigation results that first suggest a chronic liver disorder. A detailed past and family history with particular emphasis on liver disease, inherited or autoimmune disorders is essential. A careful history should be taken with special attention given to exposure to drugs or possible hepatotoxins and/or opportunities of contracting chronic infections affecting the liver. This may include a variety of parasitic infections such as Schistosoma mansoni and liver flukes as well as the more familiar viral hepatitis types B, C, and D. Careful clinical examination should include a search for features of constrictive pericarditis.
Victims or competitors: Korean students’ competing understandings of migrants

This study investigates how South Korean students perceive migrants by interviewing 21 ethnic Korean adolescents. This study shows the parallel of popular discourse with Korean students’ discourse ...
Serotonin neurons modulate learning rate through uncertainty

Regulating how fast to learn is critical for flexible behavior. Learning about the consequences of actions should be slow in stable environments, but accelerate when that environment changes. Recognizing stability and detecting change is difficult in environments with noisy relationships between actions and outcomes. Under these conditions, theories propose that uncertainty can be used to modulate learning rates ("meta-learning"). We show that mice behaving in a dynamic foraging task exhibit choice behavior that varied as a function of two forms of uncertainty estimated from a meta-learning model. The activity of dorsal raphe serotonin neurons tracked both types of uncertainty in the foraging task, as well as in a dynamic Pavlovian task. Reversible inhibition of serotonin neurons in the foraging task reproduced changes in learning predicted by a simulated lesion of meta-learning in the model. We thus provide a quantitative link between serotonin neuron activity, learning, and decision making.
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Inverse Reinforcement Learning of Bayesian Stopping Time Problems

This paper presents an inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) framework for Bayesian stopping time problems. By observing the actions of a Bayesian decision maker, we provide a necessary and sufficient condition to identify if these actions are consistent with optimizing a cost function; then we construct set valued estimates of the cost function. To achieve this IRL objective, we use novel ideas from Bayesian revealed preferences stemming from microeconomics. To illustrate our IRL scheme,we consider two important examples of stopping time problems, namely, sequential hypothesis testing and Bayesian search. Finally, for finite datasets, we propose an IRL detection algorithm and give finite sample bounds on its error probabilities. Also we discuss how to identify $\epsilon$-optimal Bayesian decision makers and perform IRL.
Latency to cannabis dependence mediates the relationship between age at cannabis use initiation and cannabis use outcomes during treatment in men but not women.

Abstract Background Time from first cannabis use to cannabis dependence (latency) may be an important prognostic indicator of cannabis-related problems and treatment outcomes. Gender differences in latency have been found; however, research in this general area is limited. As cannabis use increases and perceived risk declines, a better understanding of how these factors interact in predicting treatment outcomes is critical. Methods A secondary data analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pharmacotherapy trial for cannabis dependence (N = 302) examined the associations between age of cannabis use onset, time to cannabis dependence (latency), and gender on cannabis use during the trial. Mediation analysis tested whether the association between age of onset and cannabis use during the trial was mediated by latency to cannabis dependence differentially for men and women. Results Age of use initiation was inversely correlated with latency to dependence prior to treatment [HR(95% CI) = 1.18 (1.06, 1.30); p = .002] and cannabis use during treatment (β=-1.27; SE = 0.37; p Conclusion Findings support existing evidence that early cannabis use onset is associated with worse outcomes and add new knowledge on the differential associations between age of onset, latency to cannabis dependence, and treatment outcomes for men and women.
“A Truly Exquisite Little Phrase:” Global Colonialist Visions vs. The “Drang nach Osten”

During the 1890s, Carl Peters, Germany’s most famous, or infamous, colonialist, published tirelessly on the state of his country’s current and future colonial expansion. In these writings, he made fun of expansionists who imagined a different geographical direction for the German Empire’s impending colonial enlargement than the one preferred by him. Peters dreamt of more German colonies across the Atlantic Ocean, in Africa, or elsewhere outside of Europe, while those that he ridiculed advocated for Germany’s contiguous enlargement eastward.
Mitochondrial metabolism as a target for acute myeloid leukemia treatment

Acute myeloid leukemias (AML) are a group of aggressive hematologic malignancies resulting from acquired genetic mutations in hematopoietic stem cells that affect patients of all ages. Despite decades of research, standard chemotherapy still remains ineffective for some AML subtypes and is often inappropriate for older patients or those with comorbidities. Recently, a number of studies have identified unique mitochondrial alterations that lead to metabolic vulnerabilities in AML cells that may present viable treatment targets. These include mtDNA, dependency on oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial metabolism, and pro-survival signaling, as well as reactive oxygen species generation and mitochondrial dynamics. Moreover, some mitochondria-targeting chemotherapeutics and their combinations with other compounds have been FDA-approved for AML treatment. Here, we review recent studies that illuminate the effects of drugs and synergistic drug combinations that target diverse biomolecules and metabolic pathways related to mitochondria and their promise in experimental studies, clinical trials, and existing chemotherapeutic regimens.
Willingness to Vaccinate Against SARS-CoV-2: The Role of Reasoning Biases and Conspiracist Ideation (preprint)

Background: Widespread vaccine hesitancy and refusal complicate containment of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Extant research indicates that biased reasoning and conspiracist ideation discourage vaccination. However, causal pathways from these constructs to vaccine hesitancy and refusal remain underspecified, impeding efforts to intervene and increase vaccine uptake. Method: 554 participants who denied prior SARS-CoV-2 vaccination completed self-report measures of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine intentions, conspiracist ideation, and constructs from the Health Belief Model of medical decision-making (such as perceived vaccine dangerousness) along with tasks measuring reasoning biases (such as those concerning data gathering behavior). Cutting-edge machine learning algorithms (Greedy Fast Causal Inference) and psychometric network analysis were used to elucidate causal pathways to (and from) vaccine intentions. Results: Results indicated that a bias toward reduced data gathering during reasoning may cause paranoia, increasing the perceived dangerousness of vaccines and thereby reducing willingness to vaccinate. Existing interventions that target data gathering and paranoia therefore hold promise for encouraging vaccination. Additionally, reduced willingness to vaccinate was identified as a likely cause of belief in conspiracy theories, subverting the common assumption that the opposite causal relation exists. Finally, perceived severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection and perceived vaccine dangerousness (but not effectiveness) were potential direct causes of willingness to vaccinate, providing partial support for the Health Belief Model’s applicability to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine decisions. Conclusions: These insights significantly advance our understanding of the underpinnings of vaccine intentions and should scaffold efforts to prepare more effective interventions on hesitancy for deployment during future pandemics.
Charisma and agrarian crisis: Authority and legitimacy at multiple scales for rural development

Abstract Crisis provides opportunities for social and environmental reorganization. States claimed responsibility for much agrarian development during the first half of the 20th century through massive development projects in countries like India and the United States, but rural communities now encounter a plurality of legitimate responses to crisis. As Max Weber and his critics have shown, crises are opportunities for charismatic actors who may appear in the form of programs, tools, plants, and leaders – provided they assemble a passionate coalition of political supporters and offer a way to fulfill an aspiration derailed by the crisis. Plural models of alternative agrarian development reorganize political, social, and ecological relationships through commodities and didactic educational programs. In each case, charisma is tied to political relationships with potential for both collective action and violent Othering. Case studies from Indian agriculture at three scales show how such crises break from state and local programs, and how charismatic entities capitalize on that void to forge new alliances.
The Challenge of Providing Culturally and Linguistically Accessible Human Services in Rural and Increasingly Diverse Communities

Abstract This paper uses a case study of one small rural community in New England to educate social workers, other human service professionals on linguistic, cultural accessibility issues with clients who have Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The relevant civil rights law, case law, federal guidelines, which form a framework of protection for persons with LEP are presented, used as a mirror to which human service efforts to meet linguistic, cultural accessibility are held. Finally, strategies for small rural communities with multiple small populations of persons with LEP are presented.
Hinged polysilicon structures with integrated CMOS TFTs

The surface micromachining process described can produce a variety of microelectromechanical components, including CMOS thin film transistors and three dimensional polysilicon structures with large features and high detail in all three dimensions. Polysilicon structural elements are made with integrated hinges, which allow three dimensional structures to be erected out of the plane of the wafer. CMOS transistors are integrated directly in the structural thin films, and flexible polysilicon elements electrically connect the structures to the substrate. Some batch assembly of the structural elements has been demonstrated, and a first generation CAD system has been developed to model the structural half of the process. >
A Cluster-based Approach for Biological Hypothesis Testing and its Application

This interdisciplinary study investigated computational analytic methods used for biological hypothesis testing, and applied the methods for the validation of the effects of nutraceuticals on growth and immune response of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, in cool water. Farmers in cooler regions face problems with cultivating tilapia, one of the most popular cultivated fish species, due to poor survival rates at suboptimal temperatures. We hypothesized that two nutraceuticals, phosphatidylcholine and β-carotene, help tilapia adapt to cooler water temperatures, and benefit tilapia’s growth and immune response. This hypothesis testing problem was managed using an unsupervised learning technique in data mining and statistics called cluster analysis. The significance of clustering results are often computed using external indexes and internal indexes. We show, in particular, that the external index can be used for testing the biological hypothesis by formulating the level of agreement between two different partitions of samples: experimental groups and clusters based on the similarity of features. Contrary to the findings of previous studies which showed the beneficial effects of phosphatidylcholine and β-carotene supplementation in a range of fish including tilapias, our test result shows no significant difference among the fish reared in cool water and fed with either the basal diet or diets supplemented with the nutraceutical. This study also shows our computational approach is a promising analytic tool for similar hypothesis testing in biology domain including fish biology.
Criminal Coverage: News Media, Legal Commentary, and the Crucible of the Presumption of Innocence

The criminal defense bar has always had a complex relationship with the media. There are competing parts of the Constitution to consider, namely, the First and the Sixth Amendments. Generally speaking, publicity hurts a criminal defendant. There are already so many presumptions against anyone charged — particularly anyone charged with a violent offense. That said, without the media, abuses of power would never come to light. For example, even though it was a long time coming, former police commander Jon Burge would never have gone to jail for the torture of those he arrested without the intervention of the press and the assiduity of a few lawyers and reporters. This article article identifies practical intrusions of these tensions in today’s world — the obtrusiveness of the twenty-four hour news cycle, pervasive legal commentators (I use the word “legal” advisedly) and the ethical implications of treating crime news as entertainment.
Significant variability in 10-year cumulative radiation exposure incurred on different surveillance regimens after surgery for pT1 renal cancers: yet another reason to standardize protocols?

What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? The topic of radiation safety has been hotly debated not only in the mainstream media, but also in the urological literature. Radiation exposure has been examined in urological diseases such as testicular cancer and urinary stone disease, with resultant recommendations for modifying surveillance imaging. Radiation risk with respect to surveillance regimens after RCC surgery has yet to be examined. We consider this largely to be a result of RCC typically affecting older patients in whom cumulative radiation exposure may be less of a consideration. However, current population data emphasize that RCC diagnosis and therapy have an increasing impact upon younger patients with a longer life expectancy after treatment. Therefore, radiation considerations in this cohort of patients may be significant. Objective To determine the 10-year cumulative radiation exposure incurred on different surveillance imaging protocols after surgery for pT1 renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Materials and Methods The PubMed database was queried for surveillance protocols after surgery for RCC. There were two index lesions that were selected: (i) pT1a 3 cm, Fuhrman 2, clear cell and (ii) pT1b 5 cm, Fuhrman 3, clear cell. Exposure for single-phase chest computed tomography (CT), abdominal CT and chest X-ray were 7, 8 and 0.1 mSV, respectively. Calculations assumed biphasic CT scans, negative surgical margins and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group status of ≤1. Results In total, 12 published surveillance regimens were identified. For the first lesion (pT1a, clear cell, Fuhrman 2), we observed significant variability in the proposed regimens, ranging from no imaging to several CT scans of both chest and abdomen. Cumulative incurred radiation exposure for this index patient was in the range 0–102 mSv (mean, 34 mSv). When considering the second tumour (pT1b, clear cell, Fuhrman 3), all studies recommended some form of follow-up imaging, although regimens once again varied from annual chest X-ray to multiple CT scans of chest and abdomen. Cumulative incurred radiation exposure in this scenario was in the range 0.5–450 mSv (mean, 89 mSV). Conclusions Surveillance protocols after surgery for early-stage RCC result in widely divergent levels of radiation exposure. Such considerations are increasingly paramount given concerns of radiation-induced secondary malignancies and present another reason to standardize follow-up protocols.
Preliminary Observations and Comments on Syntopic Occurrence of Lizards in Iran

Relatively little is known about the ecology of lizards in Iran. This paper serves as a brief introduction to five representative biotopes and their associated lizard species living syntopically, based largely on my own observations. The selected localities are found in 1) Masjed Soleyman, foothills of the Zagros Mountains, Khuzestan; 2) Kupal dunes, on the Mesopotamian Plain, Khuzestan; 3) Shah ‘Abbas Caravanserai, Dasht-e Kavir, on the Central Plateau; 4) an abandoned village in Sistan, ruined buildings and loose loess substrate; 5) Hyrcanian Forest, northern slopes of lower Alborz Mountains and the Gorgan region. The biotopes are characterized briefly and the concept of syntopy is discussed.
A Review of “Japanese Foodways, Past and Present”: Rath, Eric C. and Stephanie Assmann Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press 304 pp., $28 paperback ISBN: 978-0-252-07752-4 Publication Date: November 8, 2010

Since food is essential to life, and agricultural policy is often formed in conjunction with national defense policy, it seems almost incredible that Japanese Foodways, according to its publisher, ...
Expanding contraceptive choices: lunelle monthly contraceptive injection.

Contraceptive options for women have expanded with the FDA approval of a monthly injectable contraceptive. Containing a progestin and estrogen (25 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate and 5 mg estradiol cypionate; Lunelle / Lunella ; Pharmacia and Upjohn), this novel once-a-month injection is characterized by the convenience and contraceptive efficacy of long-term reversible methods and the cycle control, return to fertility and side-effect profiles common to low-dose oral contraceptives. The association of these desirable attributes may increase the likelihood that a woman's chosen method will be used consistently and correctly to reduce the frequency of unintended pregnancy.
Precipitation Augmentation from Cumulus Clouds and Systems: Scientific and Technological Foundations, 1975

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an assessment of the current scientific and technological foundations of cumulus modification, pointing out the pertinent advances and the relevant gaps. It discusses the assessment of the scientific basis for the modification of cumulus clouds and systems. Under this, it focuses on aerosols, microphysics, and precipitation processes; cumulus dynamics and models; and cumulus interactions, groups, and patterns. The chapter also presents an assessment of the technological basis for the modification of cumulus clouds and systems. It focuses on modification agents, delivery systems, and targeting; measurement systems; computational tools; and statistical tools and approaches. The major advance in cumulus science has been the growing concept of an overall systems approach, with simulation, cloud physics-dynamics, measurements of all sorts, and several types of statistical tools, building interactively upon each other to develop, test, and improve modification hypotheses and to design and execute complex long-lasting experiments.
Bridging structural holes in global manufacturing equity based partnerships: A network analysis of domestic vs. international joint venture formations

Abstract Firms operating in a global environment face increasing uncertainties when designing the composition of their supply chain networks. In addition, the complexity of the structure of these networks is ever growing. Thus, when firms look to engage in global partnership formations, access to information about the network structure becomes a vital asset in mitigating the uncertainties associated with the partnership formation dynamics; particularly when bridging structural holes in the network. Accordingly, the aim of this research is to demonstrate that firms can leverage network analysis when designing their global sourcing strategies to assuage the difficulties associated with the lack of information in the JV formation process thus rendering them in a more fortuitous position. Thus, we investigate which characteristics of the firm's network structure can be used to gain structural network information associated with new JV formations; both domestic and internationally. Specifically, we examine JV network brokerage, JV network reach centrality and JV network remoteness. Our results suggest that these network characteristics play a vitally important role in bridging the structural holes associated with domestic and cross boarder JV formations.
The Effect of R&D Investment on Future Earnings Uncertainty: New Evidence

The effect of R&D on firms’ future earnings uncertainty is an important factor in the decision of accounting treatment of the investment (expensing vs. capitalization). This study provides new evidence on the effect of R&D investment on future earnings uncertainty. We posit that R&D investment and future earnings uncertainty are simultaneously associated. On the one hand, high earnings uncertainty increases firms’ incentive to invest in R&D because R&D strengthens firms’ innovative capability and competitiveness in an uncertain environment. On the other hand, the outcome of R&D project is subject to uncertainty, but the advantage of R&D can also lead to durable and persistent future benefits, rendering the effect of R&D on future earnings variability an empirical question. Our examination of the simultaneous relation between R&D investment and future earnings uncertainty indicates that like capital expenditure, R&D does not increase the variability of future earnings. We also find that for firms with relatively high R&D investment intensity, R&D has a stronger effect on decreasing firms’ future earnings variability than capital expenditure. This result is in contrast to earlier evidence that R&D and capital investment increase future earnings uncertainty and that R&D has greater association with future earnings uncertainty than capital investment.
Six Insights about Science Fiction Prototyping

Students share their impressions of and experiences working with science fiction prototyping at the California College of the Arts. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/c4uYbiH72sI is an audio interview in which Science Fiction Prototyping editor Brian David Johnson talks with California College of the Arts student Gregory Stock about his experience with science fiction prototyping and how it's like exploring dark caves. The second Web extra at http://youtu.be/6XudNL3Cqwo is an audio interview in which editor Brian David Johnson speaks with Leticia Murray, Alida Draudt, and Julia Rose West about their personal experiences working with science fiction prototyping at California College of the Arts. The third Web extra at http://youtu.be/VoJLDiCzH-o is an audio interview in which Science Fiction Prototyping editor Brian David Johnson speaks with California College of the Arts student Jonjozuf Hadley about how science fiction prototyping can give you the space and permission to explore possible futures. The final Web extra at http://youtu.be/xB3RBNT20LM is an audio interview in which Science Fiction Prototyping editor Brian David Johnson speaks with California College of the Arts student Ryan Hogan about one of the most important parts of science fiction prototyping the science fiction.
Evolution of an organic-rich lake basin – stratigraphy, climate and tectonics: Piceance Creek basin, Eocene Green River Formation

The Piceance Creek basin formed as a continental foreland basin ca 53 to 48 Ma in the early to middle Eocene. On a global basis, the basin contains one of the richest oil shale resources known, where the profundal oil shale deposits, kerogen-rich mudstones (clay and carbonate), exist over most of the basin. Despite its economic importance, the evolution of the Piceance Creek basin is still somewhat unclear. Based on facies association analysis, depositional trends, and gamma ray and Fischer assay data, six evolutionary lake stages are recognized: (i) fresh lake; (ii) transitional lake; (iii) highly fluctuating lake; (iv) rising lake; (v) high lake; and (vi) closing lake. Lake stages are composed of depositional units and characterize large-scale changes in sedimentological patterns, depositional trends and fluctuations in the oil shale richness related to changes in climate and tectonics. Lake stage evolution is also consistent with the global Eocene climate trend. Stage 1 formed prior to the Eocene climate optimum. At the beginning of the Eocene climate optimum, a saline-restricted lake formed (Stage 2) and evolved into the highly fluctuating lake (Stage 3) indicating rapid climate changes during the peak of the Eocene climate optimum. This stage was followed by the rising and high lakes (Stages 4 and 5) after the climate optimum and during a change to a more humid climate. The closing of the lake (Stage 6) was caused by increased sand input from the north, indicating the influence of both tectonics and climate. Based on depositional trends and climate evolution, it is suggested that, during the arid climate, laterally heterogeneous highly cyclic depositional units dominate, whereas, during the humid climate, depositional units form laterally continuous sediments that can be traced over long distances.
Computer-aided classification of melanocytic lesions using dermoscopic images.

Background Computer-assisted diagnosis of dermoscopic images of skin lesions has the potential to improve melanoma early detection. Objective We sought to evaluate the performance of a novel classifier that uses decision forest classification of dermoscopic images to generate a lesion severity score. Methods Severity scores were calculated for 173 dermoscopic images of skin lesions with known histologic diagnosis (39 melanomas, 14 nonmelanoma skin cancers, and 120 benign lesions). A threshold score was used to measure classifier sensitivity and specificity. A reader study was conducted to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the classifier with those of 30 dermatology clinicians. Results The classifier sensitivity for melanoma was 97.4%; specificity was 44.2% in a test set of images. In the reader study, the classifier's sensitivity to melanoma was higher ( P P Limitations This is a retrospective study using existing images primarily chosen for biopsy by a dermatologist. The size of the test set is small. Conclusions Our classifier may aid clinicians in deciding if a skin lesion should be biopsied and can easily be incorporated into a portable tool (that uses no proprietary equipment) that could aid clinicians in noninvasively evaluating cutaneous lesions.
Policymakers, institutions, and central bank decisions

Abstract We estimate monetary policy reaction functions which describe how individual FOMC members' monetary policy preferences vary according to their professional and career backgrounds, their appointment status (as a Governor or Bank President), and their partisan or district Reserve Bank affiliations. Based on our results, we present examples illustrating how proposed changes in the composition of the FOMC might be evaluated.
Emerging mechanisms of the behavioral effects of steroids

Abstract Within two models of steroid-modulated behavior, sodium appetite and sexual receptivity, novel mechanisms of steroid action have emerged. These include interactions between different types of steroid receptors, plasticity of synapses, activation of unliganded steroid receptors, and rapid effects of steroids. These mechanisms highlight the diversity of steroid action in the central nervous system.
Field validation of laboratory-predicted low-temperature performance of hot-poured crack sealants

When properly installed, hot-poured crack sealants are widely accepted as a cost-effective, routine preventive maintenance practice that extends pavement service life by 3 to 5 years. However, current ASTM specifications for selection of crack sealants correlate poorly with field performance. Therefore, an improved sealant specification and selection system is urgently needed. Recently, performance-based guidelines were developed by the pooled-fund North American Consortium expert group for selecting hot-poured bituminous crack sealants. The work proposed a sealant grade system for selecting hot-poured crack sealant on the basis of environmental conditions. A special effort was made to use the equipment originally developed by SHRP, which was used to measure binder rheological behavior as part of the performance grade system. The equipment and testing procedures used for performance grading of binders were modified in accordance with crack sealant behavior. The main objective of this study was to validate...
Structural and Magnetic Studies of Bi2Fe4-xAlxO9

Abstract The solid solution Bi 2 Fe 4- x Al x O 9 (0 ≤ x ≤ 4) was synthesized and investigated by powder X ray diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The structure of the x = 2 member was refined using the Rietveld method. The structure is orthorhombic with space group Pbam (No. 55), a = 7.8611(3) A, b = 8.2753(3) A, c = 5.8535(3) A. The aluminum in the structure substitutes in both available coordination geometries, octahedral and tetrahedral, with equal probability. Magnetic susceptibility and Mossbauer measurements of the materials with x ≤ 1 display antiferromagnetic behavior. The Neel temperature, T N , exhibits a strong dependence on x , decreasing rapidly with aluminum doping. Spin-glass-like behavior is also observed for values of x ≥ 0.6.
Dynamics of myosin heavy chain gene regulation in slow skeletal muscle : Role of natural antisense RNA

The evolutionarily conserved order of the skeletal muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) genes and their close tandem proximity on the same chromosome are intriguing and may be important for their coordinated regulation. We investigated type II MHC gene regulation in slow-type muscle fibers undergoing a slow to fast MHC transformation in response to inactivity, 7 days after spinal cord isolation (SI) in rats. We examined the transcriptional products of both the sense and antisense strands across the IIa-IIx-IIb MHC gene locus. A strand-specific reverse transcription (RT)-PCR approach was utilized to study the expression of the mRNA, the primary transcript (pre-mRNA), the antisense RNA overlapping the MHC genes, and both the intergenic sense and antisense RNAs. Results showed that the mRNA and pre-mRNA of each MHC had a similar response to SI, suggesting regulation of these genes at the transcriptional level. In addition, we detected previously unknown antisense strand transcription that produced natural antisense transcripts (NATs). RT-PCR mapping of the RNA products revealed that the antisense activity resulted in the formation of three major products: aII, xII, and bII NATs (antisense products of the IIa, IIx, and IIb genes, respectively). The aII NAT begins in the IIa-IIx intergenic region in close proximity to the IIx promoter, extends across the 27-kb IIa MHC gene, and continues to the IIa MHC gene promoter. The expression of the aII NAT was significantly up-regulated in muscles after SI, was negatively correlated with IIa MHC gene expression, and was positively correlated with IIx MHC gene expression. The exact role of the aII NAT is not clear; however, it is consistent with the inhibition of IIa MHC gene transcription. In conclusion, NATs may mediate cross-talk between adjacent genes, which may be essential to the coordinated regulation of the skeletal muscle MHC genes during dynamic phenotype shifts.
Structure, energetics, and dissociation of Si-H bonds at dangling bonds in silicon.

We investigate the interaction of hydrogen with dangling bonds in bulk silicon, using first-principles pseudopotential-density-functional calculations. Two geometries are employed: the first is that of a hydrogenated vacancy; the second geometry allows investigation of an isolated dangling bond and minimizes any H-H interactions. The effect of H-H repulsion is quantified. We find that the energy required to remove the hydrogen from the dangling bond and place it in an interstitial position is 2.5 eV. We also investigate the effect of strain in the back bonds on the energy of the Si-H bond. Finally, we propose a low-energy path for the dissociation of the Si-H bond, and discuss the effect of carriers on the dissociation process.
Considerations in the grouping of plant and fungal taxa for an epidemiologic study

Although exposure to airborne pollen grains and fungal spores has been implicated as a causative factor for acute exacerbation of asthma, the few epidemiologic studies that have attempted to evaluate the relationship between these bioaerosols and asthma have used only total counts (ignoring the relative importance of different taxa) or a few predominant pollen or spore types (ignoring less abundant but potentially relevant groups). This paper reports the development of hypothesis‐driven exposure metrics (based on known aeroallergen associations with allergic asthma and other hypersensitivity diseases, pollen allergen cross‐reactivity, and the presence of local sources in the city of Fresno, California, USA) for a 3.5 year epidemiologic study of childhood asthma. Outdoor regional and neighborhood concentrations of pollen and spores were measured using Hirst‐type, 7‐day samplers. Indoor and outdoor residential concentrations were measured at 84 selected homes with similar 24‐hour slit impactors. All pollen ...
Rootkits on smart phones: attacks, implications and opportunities

Smart phones are increasingly being equipped with operating systems that compare in complexity with those on desktop computers. This trend makes smart phone operating systems vulnerable to many of the same threats as desktop operating systems.In this paper, we focus on the threat posed by smart phone rootkits. Rootkits are malware that stealthily modify operating system code and data to achieve malicious goals, and have long been a problem for desktops. We use three example rootkits to show that smart phones are just as vulnerable to rootkits as desktop operating systems. However, the ubiquity of smart phones and the unique interfaces that they expose, such as voice, GPS and battery, make the social consequences of rootkits particularly devastating. We conclude the paper by identifying the challenges that need to be addressed to effectively detect rootkits on smart phones.
Bandwidth degradation QoS provisioning for adaptive multimedia in wireless/mobile networks

Adaptive multimedia is promising in wireless/mobile networks since it mitigates the fluctuation of resources caused by mobility in these networks. However, bandwidth adaptation entails the bandwidth degradation for some applications. In order to effectively characterize the bandwidth degradation and to provide better quality of service (QoS) to users, we propose two new QoS parameters for adaptive multimedia: the degradation ratio (DR) and the degradation degree (DD), which characterize the frequency of bandwidth degradation and the degree of bandwidth degradation, respectively. Based on DD and DR, a measurement-based call admission control framework and a K-level bandwidth adaptation algorithm are proposed to satisfy the application QoS requirements in terms of the proposed parameters, and to utilize the network resources efficiently. Simulations reveal that DD and DR outperform other QoS parameters in terms of effectively characterizing bandwidth adaptation. Simulations also indicate that the adaptive multimedia framework outperforms the non-adaptive multimedia services.
Heat shock proteins and Drosophila aging

Since their discovery in Drosophila, the heat shock proteins (Hsps) have been shown to regulate both stress resistance and life-span. Aging is characterized by increased oxidative stress and the accumulation of abnormal (malfolded) proteins, and these stresses induce Hsp gene expression through the transcription factor HSF. In addition, a subset of Hsps is induced by oxidative stress through the JNK signaling pathway and the transcription factor Foxo. The Hsps counteract the toxicity of abnormal proteins by facilitating protein refolding and turnover, and through other mechanisms including inhibition of apoptosis. The Hsps are up-regulated in tissue-specific patterns during aging, and their expression correlates with, and sometimes predicts, life span, making them ideal biomarkers of aging. The tools available for experimentally manipulating gene function and assaying healthspan in Drosophila provides an unparalleled opportunity to further study the role of Hsps in aging.