cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Public preferences for landscape features: The case of agricultural landscape in mountainous Mediterranean areas

Abstract Provision of landscape amenities produced by farmers, in addition to their economic function of producing food and fibre, has contributed to a reassessment of the role of agriculture in society. In this paper, we examine whether agricultural landscape provision really responds to a social demand as is argued by those in favour of multifunctionality. Thus, the aim of the present work is two-fold. First, we evaluate rural landscape preferences of citizens from a range of choices in the mountain area of the Alpujarras (south-eastern Spain), and second, we estimate their willingness to pay (WTP) to enjoy each of the landscape characteristics existing in the area. For the empirical analysis, based on a survey of public preferences due to the good public characteristics of landscape amenities, we applied two stated preference methods: Conjoint Analysis (CA) and Contingent Valuation (CV). Three landscape attributes were considered for this analysis: type of vegetation layer, density of rural buildings, and level of slope. Several levels were also considered for each attribute: abandoned fields, dryland farming, irrigated farming, and natural lands were included for the vegetation layer; three levels (low, intermediate and intense) were considered for the level of slope and three levels (none, little and intense) for rural buildings. The empirical findings from the CA and CV confirm that the agricultural-landscape component (first irrigated lands, followed by dryland farming, within the attribute “vegetation layer”), plays an important role in public preferences on the landscape and WTP. Maintaining local agricultural activities, preventing future migration from agricultural lands, recovering abandoned fields, and including elements of rural landscape observation and appreciation of existing recreational programmes for rural tourism in the area, were among the strategies to take full advantage of this aesthetic landscape potential, and to foster sustainable development of the region.
Distribution of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in human whole blood and its association with, and extractability from, lipoproteins

Little is known about the specific mechanism of human toxicity or the long term health effects of TCDD exposure. Acute effects such as chloracne may appear and disappear before more long-term effects manifest themselves, such as possible immune system suppression. The distribution of TCDD in the human body has not been documented. Due to its lipophilic nature, however, it has been quantitated from extracts of adipose tissue, breast milk, and, more recently, in serum. The transport and eventual equilibration of most xenobiotic substances proceeds from the blood into tissues. Investigators have studied the partitioning of TCDD among lipoprotein species, but the potential associations with other serum proteins and red blood cells have not been thoroughly documented. In developing and documenting a method for quantifying TCDD in serum samples, the authors needed to determine its distribution and availability for extraction in the blood. They sought to determine the partitioning of TCDD (when added in vitro to whole blood), among the cellular, serum protein, and lipoprotein components.
Propulsion safety and affordable readiness engine health management plan

A new initiative was started to address Department of Defense safety and affordable readiness for legacy turbine engines. By using the GOTChA/ApPRoVal methods, a baseline research plan was established that is based on prognostics and health management. This paper outlines the decision process, investment strategy, projected return on investment, validation, and transition strategies.
Different programming modes of human saccadic eye movements as a function of stimulus eccentricity: Indications of a functional subdivision of the visual field

1. Voluntary saccadic eye movements were made toward flashes of light on the horizontal meridian, whose duration and distance from the point of fixation were varied; eye movements were measured using d.c.-electrooculography.--2. Targets within 10°---15° eccentricity are usually reached by one saccadic eye movement. When the eyes turn toward targets of more than 10°---15° eccentricity, the first saccadic eye movement falls short of the target by an angle usually not exceeding 10°. The presence of the image of the target off the fovea (visual error signal) subsequent to such an undershoot elicits, after a short interval, corrective saccades (usually one) which place the image of the target on the fovea. In the absence of a visual error signal, the probability of occurrence of corrective saccades is low, but it increases with greater target eccentricities. These observations suggest that there are different, eccentricity-dependent modes of programming saccadic eye movements.--3. Saccadic eye movements appear to be programmed in retinal coordinates. This conclusion is based on the observations that, irrespective of the initial position of the eyes in the orbit, a) there are different programming modes for eye movements to targets within and beyond 10°---15° from the fixation point, and b_ the maximum velocity of saccadic eye movements is always reached at 25° to 30° target eccentricity. --4. Distributions of latency and intersaccadic interval (ISI) are frequently multimodal, with a separation between modes of 30 to 40 msec. These observations suggest that saccadic eye movements are produced by mechanisms which, at a frequency of 30 Hz, process visual information. --5. Corrective saccades may occur after extremely short intervals (30 to 60 msec) regardless of whether or not a visual error signal is present; the eyes may not even come to a complete stop during these very short intersaccadic intervals. It is suggested that these corrective saccades are triggered by errors in the programming of the initial saccadic eye movements, and not by a visual error signal. --6. The exitence of different, eccentricity-dependent programming modes of saccadic eye movements, is further supported by anatomical, physiological, psychophysical, and neuropathological observations that suggest a dissociation of visual functions dependent on retinal eccentricity. Saccadic eye movements to targets more eccentric than 10°---15° appear to be executed by a mechanism involving the superior colliculus (perhaps independent of the visual cortex), whereas saccadic eye movements to less eccentric targets appear to depend on a mechanism involving the geniculo-cortical pathway (perhaps in collaboration with the superior colliculus).
Utility of onsite interviews in the pediatric surgery match.

Abstract Purpose: The value of onsite interviews for the pediatric surgery match remains undefined despite substantial cost to applicants. This study assesses the impact of onsite interviews on the rank order lists submitted to the match by pediatric surgery residency training program directors (PDs). Methods: PDs were asked prospectively to evaluate pediatric surgery residency candidates based solely on their ERAS application and generate a “pre-interview rank list.” Interviews were then held based on the usual practice of each program. PDs then submitted de-identified pre-interview and final rank lists. The impact of the interview process upon rank list movement of candidates was assessed. Results: Of 44 programs, 16 (36%) provided data for analysis. Onsite interviews resulted in candidates moving a mean of 5.2 ± 1.2 rank positions, whereas candidates ranked in the first 5 positions moved an average of 4 ± 2 places, 81% of the initial top-ranked candidates moved out of this position, and 36% of top 10 candidates moved out of the top 10. Conclusions: Onsite interviews are high-stakes events which substantially affect the final rank order list in the pediatric surgery match. Programs should take these data into account when determining the number of interview invitations.
Toxic effects of somatostatin in the cerebellum and vestibular nuclei: multiple sites of action

Abstract This study demonstrates that somatostatin (SRIF), an endogenous peptide in vestibular nuclei and cerebellum, can produce both a dose-dependent death of Purkinje cells in distinct sagittal regions of cerebellar cortex and vascular infarcts centered selectively in the inferior vestibular nucleus. Alert, adult male rats were given a 5 μl intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) bolus of either SRIF alone (20 or 40 μg) or a combined dose of SRIF plus either arginine-vasopressin (AVP, 1 μg) or an AVP V1 antagonist, (1-(β-mercapto-β,β-cyclo-pentamethylene propionic acid), 2-(O-methyl)-tyrosine)-arginine8-vasopressin (mcAVP, 1 μg), through an implanted cannula. After a 4–5 day survival, the brains were stained with the cupric-silver selective degeneration method. Two types of dose-dependent lesions were observed in the cerebellar and vestibular nuclei of these animals: degeneration of Purkinje cell responses in the cerebellar cortex and vascular infarcts in vestibular nuclei. These toxic responses were unaffected by application of AVP or mcAVP; hence, they can be attributed to actions of SRIF. The distribution of Purkinje cell degeneration varied with the SRIF dose in different cerebellar regions. Purkinje cell responses in lobules I–III were equivalent at both SRIF doses, and degeneration in the copula pyramis, paraflocculus and paramedian lobule emerged at the higher SRIF dose. Purkinje cells in the medial aspect of lobules IX–X had an intermediate sensitivity to SRIF intoxication. Degenerating Purkinje cells tended to be arranged in parasagittal bands in each region, suggesting parasagittal zonal variations in susceptibility to SRIF intoxication. By contrast, infarctions in the vestibular nuclei only appeared at the higher SRIF dose. These infarcts could be unilateral or bilateral and always involved the inferior vestibular nucleus at the level of the caudal margin of the acoustic tubercle; they often extended into the medial and lateral vestibular nuclei. The infarcts had a necrotic core that was infiltrated by non-neuronal elements. Thus, they appear to reflect a direct or neurally-mediated vascular response to the peptide.
Using The Josephson Effect For Millimeter And Submillimeter Wave Generation

Research is in progress to develop a local oscillator at 1 THz based on the Josephson effect in superconductors. In general, it is necessary to use arrays of Josephson junctions to obtain the required power, linewidth and impedance levels from such sources. The criteria for properly phase-locking the junctions in such an array, distributed over many wavelengths, are discussed along with the projected performance at 1 THz. A power level of 1μW at 300GHz has been demonstrated using these designs.
Sensitivity of Russian forest timber harvest and carbon storage to temperature increase

Russia is a leading exporter of industrial round wood and supplies many countries with a large share of their wood fibre. However, warming temperatures are likely to have an impact on the productivity of Russian forest stands and affect their production capacity and management. The forest gap model FAREAST was used to derive biological growth parameters of several forest types; these data were then used within an economic model to discern the response from both a timber harvest and carbon sequestration perspective. An incremental warming of 28C resulted in an increase in the timber harvest for most forest types. A 48C increase, however, caused nearly all projects to yield less timber and sequester less carbon than under current conditions. Only stands in northwestern Russia stocked with Pinus sylvestris, a fast growing heat-tolerant species, continuously increased timber harvest and carbon sequestration in parallel with extreme temperature changes; however, stands with greater species diversity were less sensitive to increased temperatures. Russian forest carbon sequestration, a process mentioned as a method to mitigate climate change, may become less effective by the same process it is hoped to assuage.
Publicity, privacy, and women’s political action

Interpretations of women's activism depend on the ways in which analysts conceptualize the relations between privacy, publicity, and politics, in this paper the relationship between women's standin...
Site-Blocking Effects on Hopping Conduction

Etablissmeent d'une expression de la conductivite, avec prise en consideration explicite des effets de blocage de site et application a un systeme modele 1D infini, a deux types de sites et desordre par longueur de liaison
Novel Near-Field Millimeter-Wave Differential Probe Using a Loaded Modulated Aperture

Near-field millimeter-wave techniques have effectively been used for nondestructive testing (NDT) and imaging applications for over a decade. The interaction of the fields and a structure under test (SUT) in the near field of a probe is more complex than that of the far-field interaction. In the near field, the distance between the probe and the SUT, which is referred to as the standoff distance, is an important measurement parameter, and when optimally chosen, it can significantly improve detection sensitivity. However, undesired changes in this parameter can adversely influence the detection outcome to the extent that a target may be totally masked. Consequently, in the past, several different methods and remedies have been proposed to eliminate or drastically reduce this adverse influence, each with its own limitations. In this paper, a novel method involving a probing waveguide aperture loaded with two small modulated antennas is introduced, which operates in a differential mode and is capable of automatically eliminating undesired changes in the standoff distance during testing. In addition, this differential probe efficiently overcomes the limitations of the previously developed methods. The proposed probe is based on electronic modulation of the dominant aperture field of the rectangular waveguide using p-i-n diode-loaded dipoles symmetrically placed in the aperture. This paper presents the design of this unique probe, and the results show that the adverse effect of the standoff distance variation can be eliminated or otherwise significantly reduced by noncoherently subtracting the signals measured at two different aperture modulation states.
Incidence and documentation of cesarean delivery on maternal request

REQUEST MARILYN HUANG, SHARI GELBER, FRANK A. CHERVENAK, AMOS GRUNEBAUM, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Obstetrics and Gynecology, New York, New York, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York OBJECTIVE: The recent NIH consensus statements on cesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR) concluded among other suggestions that the current extent of CDMR should be assessed and mechanisms should be created to identify CDMRs. This was the objective of this study. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective chart review of all patients who had a term singleton primary cesarean delivery (PCD) in 2004 at a single academic institution. RESULTS: There were 5,126 deliveries of which 751 were term singleton primary cesarean deliveries (16.7%). 86.2% (646/749) of term PCD were done for one of three indications: arrest of labor, nonreassuring fetal status, or malpresentation, and 6.3% (47/751) of term PCD were CDMRs. CDMR patients had an average maternal age of 35 years and all but one were private patients. Of the 47 CDMR women, 40 were white, two Indian, two Asian, two Hispanic, and one African-American. About one in 4 CDMR patients (13 of 47) were IVF pregnancies. There were no significant operative complications and no NICU admissions. 51% (24/47) of CDMR patients had attending physician documentation of the indication for cesarean delivery and only 26% (12/47) of charts included documented discussions of risks and benefits of the procedure, but none included the mention of any specific risks or benefits. CONCLUSION: A larger than expected percentage (6.3%; 47/751) of all primary cesarean deliveries were cesarean deliveries on maternal request. Physician documentation of CDMR indications, specific risks and benefits were clearly lacking. Criteria should be established to provide guidance on documentation of CDMRs.
Global chemokine expression in systemic sclerosis (SSc): CCL19 expression correlates with vascular inflammation in SSc skin

Objective To characterise global chemokine expression in systemic sclerosis (SSc) skin in order to better understand the relationship between chemokine expression and vascular inflammation in this disease. Methods We investigated chemokine mRNA expression in the skin through quantitative PCR analysis comparing patients with diffuse cutaneous (dcSSc) or limited cutaneous (lcSSc) disease with healthy controls. We tested correlations between the most regulated chemokines and vascular inflammation and macrophage recruitment. CCL19 expression was examined in human primary immune cells treated with innate immune activators. Results The chemokines, CCL18, CCL19 and CXCL13, were upregulated in dcSSc skin, and CCL18 in lcSSc skin. Expression of CCL19 in dcSSc skin correlated with markers of vascular inflammation and macrophage recruitment. Immunofluorescence data showed CCL19 colocalisation with CD163 macrophages in dcSSc skin. In vitro studies on human primary cells demonstrated that CCL19 expression was induced after toll-like receptor activation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and separated populations of CD14 monocytes. Conclusions CCL18, CCL19 and CXCL13—chemoattractants for macrophage and T cell recruitment—were three of six chemokines with the highest expression in dcSSc skin. Increased CCL19 expression in the skin suggests a role for CCL19 in the recruitment of immune cells to the peripheral tissue. Induction of CCL19 in macrophages but not structural cells indicates a role for skin-resident or recruited immune cells in perivascular inflammation. This study demonstrates that CCL19 is a sensitive marker for the perivascular inflammation and immune cell recruitment seen in dcSSc skin disease.
FORMING THE CHIVALRIC SUBJECT: FELICIA HEMANS AND THE CULTURAL USES OF HISTORY, MEMORY, AND NOSTALGIA

BY THE EARLY 1820S, medievalist representations of the British nation, such as those disseminated through Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, had increasingly displaced longstanding, Francophobie forms of nationalist imagery popular throughout Britain during the century of wars against France before 1815. The "medieval revival" of the early nineteenth century provided inspiration for a new strain of nationalist imagery and discourse that would evolve and help to shape British subjects for nearly a century preceding the Great War. Scholarship since Alice Chandler's A Dream of Order (1970) has widely explored the literary and artistic development of medievalism in the nineteenth century. What needs further discussion or theorization are the cultural uses of nineteenth-century medievalist representations of the British nation, its history, aristocracy, and chivalric ideology. What also needs further discussion are the subject-forming and nation-forming implications of texts by popular, recently revived medievalist writers such as Felicia Hemans (Figure 5). By 1825, the year Scott published his Tales of the Crusaders, Felicia Hemans had established herself as a popular poet by writing in part for an expanding market in medievalist literature, while also developing a feminine revisionist poetics. Drawing from a wide variety of historical tales, legends, and contemporary literary figures like Scott and Byron, Hemans's texts helped to fuel Britain's growing cultural appetite for the fantasy of the medieval past that included tales of chivalric heroism, refurbished castles, Gothic furniture, and tours of ruined abbeys. However, Hemans radically transformed the mate rial she absorbed into her poetry, reconfiguring it according to a new domesticated, gendered, orthodox religious, and bourgeois-aristocratic class perspective. "Coeur de Lion at the Bier of His Father," a poem from The Forest Sanctuary and Other Poems (1825), neatly displays the ideological revisionary efforts of her poetic project:
Is God Necessarily Good

Few propositions are so widely affirmed among Christian theists as (1) God is wholly good. We say of God that he is wholly good when we mean to say that God never does evil. One proposed explanation for why God is wholly good, of course, is that (2) God is necessarily good. Although (1) is (I suspect, wholly) uncontroversial among Christian theists, (2) clearly does not enjoy such universal favour. Whereas such prominent theists as St Anselm, St Thomas Aquinas, Alvin Plantinga (1974), and T. V. Morris (1987) have defended the truth of (2), other theists claim to have found good reason to doubt God's necessary goodness. In this paper I will attempt to show that God's goodness is accidental to him. My argument will proceed faithfully along Anselmian lines, i.e. a key premise will concern God conceived of as ‘ the being than which none greater can be conceived’. In addition to this, I will need to activate action-theoretic machinery which will be crucial to the derivation. Rather than detracting from God's greatness, the argument's conclusion, namely (3) God is contingently good, is seen as faithfully articulating one facet of Anselm's core intuition of God as the ‘greatest possible being’. Is God necessarily good? I shall shortly present an argument which gives one good reason to doubt God's necessary goodness. But before I begin, I shall need to develop a backdrop of philosophical theology and action-theoretic machinery from which to suspend the argument in question.
Comparison Of Individualized Education Programs (Ieps) Of Students With Behavioral Disorders And Learning Disabilities

A statistical comparison was conducted of 120 Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade male students with behavioral disorders and learning disabilities assigned to resource and self-contained programs from 11 districts/cooperatives. Federal mandated compliance, number of annual goals and completed short-term objectives, and congruency (i.e., the match between present level of performance and annual goals) were investigated. Significant mean differences were found among IEPs in all areas. Factors contributing to the mean differences are discussed along with implications and issues for classroom activities.
The Effects of Alcohol on Cigarette Craving in Heavy Smokers and Tobacco Chippers

The authors examined the effects of alcohol consumption on cigarette craving in heavy smokers and tobacco chippers (n = 138) who were instructed not to smoke for 12 hr. Participants were exposed to both smoking cues (a lit cigarette) and control cues. Half received a moderate dose of alcohol, adjusted for gender, and half received a placebo. Results indicated that alcohol consumption produced an increase in urge-to-smoke ratings before smoking cue exposure. Moreover, during cue exposure, alcohol consumption produced a sharper increase in urge ratings than did the placebo. In addition, during smoking cue exposure, alcohol increased the likelihood of displaying facial expressions associated with positive affect. These findings suggest that alcohol consumption influences both the magnitude and the emotional valence of cigarette cravings.
Violent offenders in a deaf prison population

Previous research suggested an unexplained difference in the patterns of offending behaviors among deaf people when compared to hearing people. This study, conducted in Texas, compares the incidence and types of violent offenses of a deaf prison population in comparison to the hearing prison population. Sixty-four percent of deaf prisoners were incarcerated for violent offenses in comparison to 49% of the overall state prison offender population. This finding is consistent with previous research. The most significant difference between the populations was found in the category of sexual assault, which represented 32.3% of deaf offenders in contrast to 12.3% of hearing state prison inmates overall. Factors potentially impacting violent offending by deaf persons are their vulnerability to child sexual abuse, use of chemicals, educational histories, and development of language and communication skills. Additionally, there is a widespread lack of accessible intervention and treatment services available to deaf sex offenders across the nation.
Semantic Modeling for Cloud Computing, Part 2

This article discusses the areas in which semantic models can support cloud computing. Semantic models are helpful in three aspects of cloud computing. The first is functional and nonfunctional definitions. The ability to define application functionality and quality-of-service details in a platform-agnostic manner can immensely benefit the cloud community. The second aspect is data modeling. Semantic modeling of data to provide a platform-independent data representation would be a major advantage in the cloud space. The third aspect is service description enhancement.
A Life in Language Testing: An Interview with Charles Stansfield

Dr. Charles W. Stansfield is widely recognized as one of the most important figures in contemporary language testing. He is respected and relied upon by leading language professionals in education,...
Algal nitrogen fixation in Californian streams: seasonal cycles

Summary Using the acetylene reduction technique, nitrogen fixation was measured in Rocky Creek, a small seasonally dry Californian stream. In the 3 years since 1970 nitrogen fixation varied seasonally and spatially, being highest in the early stages of colony growth in shallow, clear regions where there was little shade. The annual rate of N2-fixation was similar to that found recently for Arctic tundra, but was greater than rates for Antarctic rivulets and less than rates for temperate rocky shores. A hetero-cystous Nostoc appeared to be the sole organism responsible for this fixation. Nostoc occurred in variously sized gelatinous clumps on the stable boulders on which the co-dominant alga, Ulothrix zonata, also grew. Maximum nitrogenase activity yielded 70 nmoles C2H4 mg-1 drywt day-1 and 123 nmoles C2H4cm-2 day-1. Estimated annual amounts of nitrogen fixed in 1971 ranged from 42 in shade to 360 mg N fixed m-2y-1 in the most favourable areas. Nostoc biomass reached 33 g dry wt m-2 and peeled off each year in June-July. Because Nostoc was confined to stable rocks the biomass per unit area of the stream as a whole was much less, ranging from 0.054 to 1.26 g dry wt m-2 in the most favourable site. Nostoc was common throughout the length of Rocky Creek and also plentiful in eight out of ten adjacent streams but not in the main river (Eel River South Fork), probably due to high turbulence and turbidity. N2-fixation in these streams makes a significant, but probably small contribution to the nitrogen income of the nitrogen-deficient Eel River system. Nostoc colony establishment appears to be controlled by a combination of reduced turbulence and firmer attachment of the colonies to the substrate. Nostoc colony disappearance in June is probably due to nutrient depletion.
Performance bounds for the estimation of the degree of polarization from various sensing modalities.

Performance bounds (Cramer–Rao bounds on root-mean-square errors) are computed for the estimation of the degree of polarization for reflected fields with active laser illumination [Proc. SPIE 5888, 58880N (2005)]. The bounds are computed from various sensing modalities, which involves the measurement and processing of (1) the four intensities outputs of a four-channel polarimeter, (2) the intensities of two orthogonal field components, and (3) the total intensity of the field. Each modality includes detector noise models and utilizes realistic data-collection models.
Embedded stereoscopic 3D camera system for mobile platforms

In this paper, we describe an embedded programmable stereoscopic 3D camera system for mobile platforms. With the proliferation of stereoscopic televisions, computer monitors, and even auto-stereoscopic LCDs, as well as a growing inventory of stereoscopic games and movies, there is a growing demand for stereoscopic 3D content creation. We present each of the key components that enable the stereoscopic 3D video capture and playback on the embedded platform, including imaging, codec, graphics, and display subsystems. We describe several unique and new 3D image processing algorithms and explain how they are integrated into the stereo 3D system.
Barriers to Timely Care of Acute Infections in Nursing Homes: A Preliminary Qualitative Study

Background and Objectives During a large prospective study of lower respiratory infections in nursing home residents, project staff observed that in some facilities there was consistent difficulty in obtaining timely identification of potential subjects. Starting with this motivation, we conducted a preliminary qualitative study to investigate the process of illness identification and initiating management in episodes of acute infection. We sought factors promoting timely or delayed identification and treatment of acute infections among nursing home residents. Design Qualitative study using focus groups and in-depth semi-structured interviews of residents, nurses, and physicians involved in episodes of acute-illness care in nursing home residents. Setting Four nursing homes participating in a longitudinal study of the course and outcomes of lower respiratory infection. Participants Focus groups included nurses and physicians with experience in nursing home care. Interviews were conducted with those involved in six episodes of acute illness. Interviewees included four nursing home residents (two others were not cognitively intact), seven nurses, and six physicians or their staff. Data Analysis Identifying themes from focus group contributions and content analyses of interviews. Results We identified a four-stage model describing illness identification and management. Content analysis of interview transcripts revealed 22 factors that influenced timeliness of effective care with communication problems commanding the central focus. Barriers included: (1) failure of the communication medium; (2) evening or weekend illness onset with concomitant difficulty in contacting an on-call physician; (3) clinical decision-makers who interact through intermediaries; (4) the communication of inappropriate or inaccurate information; (5) inadequate information transfer at shift changes; and (6) prior relationship between staff nurse and physician. Conclusion Effective identification and management of acute infections requires successful communication at multiple levels; however, breakdowns are common. Our model provides a framework for improving acute illness care in nursing homes, which offers important insights potentially useful in quality improvement activities in nursing homes and may facilitate further research.
The Coevolution of Trust, Control, and Learning in Joint Ventures

This article examines the evolution of trust, control, and learning in a joint venture relationship. Using a coevolutionary approach, we develop a framework that shows how initial joint venture conditions give way to evolved conditions as joint venture partners develop an understanding of each other and adjust the collaborative process. We explore the relationship between trust and control in joint ventures and identify how these two critical concepts impact joint venture processes. We argue that trust, along with partner collaborative objectives, creates the initial climate that shapes partner interactions. In turn, these interactions lead to subsequent decisions about the nature of controls. We then examine linkages between alliance learning and the trust and control concepts, and argue that learning processes are central to evolving joint venture dynamics. Once the joint venture is formed, and if the initial conditions support continued collaboration, then learning processes will be central to evolving alliance dynamics. As initial conditions give way to evolved conditions, learning and trust will coevolve and impact decisions about control. Propositions linking the concepts are provided as guides for future empirical research.
Changes in Expression Induced by Epstein-Barr Virus LMP1-CTAR1: Potential Role of bcl3

ABSTRACT The Epstein-Barr virus protein latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) has two NF-κB activating domains within its intracellular carboxy terminus (carboxy-terminal activating region 1 [CTAR1] and CTAR2). LMP1-CTAR1 is required for B-lymphocyte transformation, is capable of transforming rodent fibroblasts, and uniquely activates phosphoinositol (PI3) kinase, the noncanonical NF-κB pathway, and expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). In this study, the effects of LMP1-CTAR1 on cellular gene expression were determined by high-throughput sequencing. Additionally, the binding of bcl3 was determined using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and sequencing. LMP1-CTAR1 induced few changes in transcription with more genes showing decreased expression. Ingenuity pathway analysis indicated significant enrichment for genes involved in cancer and cellular movement, survival, growth, and proliferation pathways. ChIP in combination with high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-Seq) identified bcl3 binding for more than 2,000 genes in LMP1-CTAR1-expressing cells with more than 90% of the peaks at genes detected within the probable promoter region. Only a small subset of the genes with significant changes in expression had corresponding peaks in the bcl3 ChIP. However, both NFKB2 and PI3 kinase were identified in the bcl3 ChIP. Additionally, many of the predicted upstream regulators for the changes in expression were identified in the bcl3 ChIP. Analysis of the proteins in the NF-κB pathway revealed many changes identified by the high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and bcl3 ChIP that would likely activate noncanonical NF-κB signaling and possibly inhibit canonical NF-κB signaling. These findings suggest that the two LMP1 signaling domains modulate their combined activity and that the bcl3 transcription factor is likely responsible for some of the unique effects of CTAR1 on cellular expression. IMPORTANCE The Epstein-Barr virus protein latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) has potent effects on cell growth. LMP1 has two regions, carboxy-terminal activating region 1 (CTAR1) and CTAR2, that distinctly activate NF-κB, a transcription factor complex involved in activation of important host genes. In this study, analysis of the effects on cellular gene expression revealed that CTAR1 significantly affected cellular expression in part through effects on a specific form of NF-κB. The data suggest that LMP1 can activate a distinct subset of host gene expression through its CTAR1 domain which in combination with other signaling effects induced by the CTAR2 domain likely affects cell movement, survival, and growth.
UTDrive: Driver Behavior and Speech Interactive Systems for In-Vehicle Environments

This paper describes an overview of the UTDrive project. UTDrive is part of an on-going international collaboration to collect and research rich multi-modal data recorded for modeling driver behavior for in-vehicle environments. The objective of the UTDrive project is to analyze behavior while the driver is interacting with speech-activated systems or performing common secondary tasks, as well as to better understand speech characteristics of the driver undergoing additional cognitive load. The corpus consists of audio, video, gas/brake pedal pressure, forward distance, GPS information, and CAN-Bus information. The resulting corpus, analysis, and modeling will contribute to more effective speech interactive systems with are less distractive and adjustable to the driver's cognitive capacity and driving situations.
An Analog VLSI Model of Central Pattern Generation in the Leech

I detail the design and construction of an analog VLSI model of the neural system responsible for swimming behaviors of the leech. Why the leech? The biological network is small and relatively well understood, and the silicon model can therefore span three levels of organization in the leech nervous system (neuron, ganglion, system); it represents one of the first comprehensive models of leech swimming operating in real-time. The circuit employs biophysically motivated analog neurons networked to form multiple biologically inspired silicon ganglia. These ganglia are coupled using known interganglionic connections. Thus the model retains the flavor of its biological counterpart, and though simplified, the output of the silicon circuit is similar to the output of the leech swim central pattern generator. The model operates on the same time- and spatial-scale as the leech nervous system and will provide an excellent platform with which to explore real-time adaptive locomotion in the leech and other "simple" invertebrate nervous systems.
Cosmic web reconstruction through density ridges: method and algorithm

The detection and characterization of filamentary structures in the cosmic web allows cosmologists to constrain parameters that dictates the evolution of the Universe. While many filament estimators have been proposed, they generally lack estimates of uncertainty, reducing their inferential power. In this paper, we demonstrate how one may apply the Subspace Constrained Mean Shift (SCMS) algorithm (Ozertem and Erdogmus (2011); Genovese et al. (2012)) to uncover filamentary structure in galaxy data. The SCMS algorithm is a gradient ascent method that models filaments as density ridges, one-dimensional smooth curves that trace high-density regions within the point cloud. We also demonstrate how augmenting the SCMS algorithm with bootstrap-based methods of uncertainty estimation allows one to place uncertainty bands around putative filaments. We apply the SCMS method to datasets sampled from the P3M N-body simulation, with galaxy number densities consistent with SDSS and WFIRST-AFTA and to LOWZ and CMASS data from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). To further assess the efficacy of SCMS, we compare the relative locations of BOSS filaments with galaxy clusters in the redMaPPer catalog, and find that redMaPPer clusters are significantly closer (with p-values $< 10^{-9}$) to SCMS-detected filaments than to randomly selected galaxies.
Cardiomyopathy confers susceptibility to particulate matter-induced oxidative stress, vagal dominance, arrhythmia and pulmonary inflammation in heart failure-prone rats

AbstractAcute exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is tied to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, especially among those with prior cardiac injury. The mechanisms and pathophysiological events precipitating these outcomes remain poorly understood but may involve inflammation, oxidative stress, arrhythmia and autonomic nervous system imbalance. Cardiomyopathy results from cardiac injury, is the leading cause of heart failure, and can be induced in heart failure-prone rats through sub-chronic infusion of isoproterenol (ISO). To test whether cardiomyopathy confers susceptibility to inhaled PM2.5 and can elucidate potential mechanisms, we investigated the cardiophysiologic, ventilatory, inflammatory and oxidative effects of a single nose-only inhalation of a metal-rich PM2.5 (580 µg/m3, 4 h) in ISO-pretreated (35 days × 1.0 mg/kg/day sc) rats. During the 5 days post-treatment, ISO-treated rats had decreased HR and BP and increased pre-ejection period (PEP, an inverse correlate of contractil...
À l'ombre des grands groupes pharmaceutiques?

Resume Consequence des multiples obstacles auxquels elles sont confrontees, les societes de biotech recherchent des partenariats avec les grands groupes aux reins solides. Justement, ces derniers ont besoin de leur creativite.
Teledermatology: Key factors associated with reducing face-to-face dermatology visits

Teledermatology makes 3 promises: better, cheaper, and faster dermatologic care. It is "better" because, although it cannot offer as much to the patient as a traditional visit, it extends the dermatologist's reach to places and in ways not previously possible as a result of time and place limitations; it is "cheaper and faster" because it has the potential to reduce costs and increase efficiency for both patients and providers. For teledermatology to fulfill these promises, it must enable dermatologists to improve access by increasing the number of patients evaluated and treated. Increased patient access depends on maximizing a scarce resource–dermatologists' time–in part by avoiding unnecessary and time-consuming face-to-face appointments. We examined the literature to date to determine which teledermatology programs have greater or lesser success in reducing face-to-face visits. Our review highlights 4 factors that are associated with a higher number of face-to-face appointments avoided by teledermatology programs: (1) effective preselection of patients for teleconsultation, (2) high-quality photographic images, (3) dermoscopy if pigmented lesions are evaluated, and (4) effective infrastructure and culture in place to implement teleconsultation recommendations.
Familial Tetralogy of Fallot caused by mutation in the jagged1 gene

Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) is the most common form of complex congenital heart disease, occurring in approximately 1 in 3000 live births. Evaluation of candidate loci in a large kindred segregating autosomal dominant ToF with reduced penetrance culminated in identification of a missense mutation (G274D) in JAG1, the gene encoding jagged1, a Notch ligand expressed in the developing right heart. Nine of eleven mutation carriers manifested cardiac disease, including classic ToF, ventricular septal defect with aortic dextroposition and isolated peripheral pulmonic stenosis (PPS). All forms of ToF were represented, including variants with pulmonic stenosis, pulmonic atresia and absent pulmonary valve. No individual within this family met diagnostic criteria for any previously described clinical syndrome, including Alagille syndrome (AGS), caused by haploinsufficiency for jagged1. All mutation carriers had characteristic but variable facial features, including long, narrow and upslanting palpebral fissures, prominent nasal bridge, square dental arch and broad, prominent chin. This appearance was distinct from that of unaffected family members and typical AGS patients. The glycine corresponding to position 274 is highly conserved in other epidermal growth factor-like domains of jagged1 and in those of other proteins. Its substitution in other proteins has been associated with mild or atypical variants of disease. These data support either a relative loss-of-function or a gain-of-function pathogenetic mechanism in this family and suggest that JAG1 mutations may contribute significantly to common variants of right heart obstructive disease.
Impact of Gender Disparities in Family Carework on Women's Life Chances in Chiapas, Mexico*

Significant changes in Mexican urbanization and industrialization during the 20th century are an important background for understanding recent increases in womens participation in the paid labor force. In 1930 one-third of Mexicans were living in urban areas but by 1997 that proportion had increased to three-quarters (INEGI 2000a). During the past seven decades there has also been a shift from agrarian to non-agrarian work a rise and then slight fall in employment in the manufacturing sector between the 1980s and early 1990s and a steep increase in service sector employment. In 1930 three-quarters of the economically active population were working in the agrarian sector compared to only one-quarter in 1995. The manufacturing sector occupied 15 percent of workers in 1930 29 percent in 1980 and had declined to 25 percent by 1995. In 1995 the service sector accounted for over half of workers whereas it accounted for only 12 percent of workers in 1930 (INEGI 2000a). (excerpt)
Training physicians for the future US Health Care System

ABSTRACT Changes in US medical education have not yet paralleled the extraordinary recent advances in biomedical science. This is about to change with recent innovations in undergraduate medical education (UME) pedagogy. These changes include the ‘flipped classroom,’ new Liaison Committee on Medical Education requirements for learners to function collaboratively on health care teams that include other health professionals, the comprehensive development of professional identity in learning communities and adoption of measurable outcomes, termed ‘entrustable professional activities’. These innovations offer the opportunity for a consistent longitudinal educational continuum in the US from UME to Graduate Medical Education (GME) and continuing medical education (CME). Such innovation addresses both individual patient and population health, with the potential for increasing shared decision-making and patient satisfaction. These innovations in US medical education have the potential to address the Institute for Healthcare Improvement9s triple aim of improving patient care, improving the health of populations and reducing the per capita cost of health care.
CFD Simulation of a HUMVEE strapped to a standard US Army airdrop platform

The overall goal for this study is to use the Navier-Stokes finite volume flow solver to simulate the aerodynamics about a simplified 3D virtual Humvee strapped to an airdrop platform. Here CFD is used to investigate the aerodynamic coefficent CD, CL, and CM that would describe the payload right after clearing the aircraft ramp and during descent under parachute. This study is performed at a Reynolds number of 3.0710 and at an airspeed of 9.144m/s (30ft/s). The first part of the study analyzes the aerodynamic coefficients over a 360 range of pitch angle (or -180 to +180) for the Humvee configured for extraction. The second part considers pitch angles of −40 to +40 with the platform and vehicle configured for descent under parachute. The overall trend of the CD, CL curves from Part 1 match quite well again with this part’s angles of selection.
Neuraminidase inhibitor resistance among influenza A(H1N1) viruses isolated from the mainland of Ningxia

Objective To investigate the resistance to neuraminidase inhibitor( NAI) of influenza pandemic A( H1N1) 2009 viruses in Ningxia province,and to provide valuable information for antiviral therapeutics. Methods Totally 40 A( H1N1) pdm09 strains were selected from Ningxia influenza surveillance network during 2011- 2012,and all strains were performed neuraminidase( NA) genetic sequencing for analyzing the amino acid mutations related to NAI resistance,and 9 strains were performed chemiluminesce- based testing for detecting the sensibility of oseltamivir and zanamivir. Results The mutation sites of NA gene included M19 I,T60N /T,V106 I,V241I,N248 D,N369K,N386 S and D451 G among Ningxia A( H1N1) pdm09 strains,and no mutation sites related to resistance was found. Oseltamivir and zanamivir were sensitive to selected 9 strains. Conclusion Although oseltamivir and zanamivir are sensitive to influenza pandemic A( H1N1),2009 viruses in Ningxia province,we need to strengthen surveillance because of growing antiviral therapy patients and virus mutation.
Student evaluations of physics teachers: On the stability and persistence of gender bias

The relationship between student gender and physics identity in evaluating high school physics teachers, finding that students who identify strongly with physics show a stronger bias in favor of male high school physics teachers.