cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Single-shot 3D flame diagnostic based on volumetric laser induced fluorescence (VLIF)

Abstract We demonstrate single-shot three-dimensional (3D) flame measurements based on volumetric laser-induced fluorescence (VLIF). For this effort, the excitation laser beam was expanded into a “slab” with a height of 40 mm and thickness of 10 mm to excite the CH radicals in the target flames. The volumetric LIF signals were then simultaneously captured by five intensified cameras, and the images were fed into a tomographic algorithm as inputs to obtain the 3D distribution of CH. The results show that single-shot 3D measurements with sufficient accuracy can be obtained in a volume of 9.3 × 9.3 × 32.7 mm 3 with an excitation pulse energy of ∼10 mJ. With a total of five intensified cameras, 3D measurements were obtained with a voxel size of 0.15 mm over a total of 64 × 64 × 224≈10 6 voxels, which can be further improved by the use of additional cameras or advanced tomographic inversion techniques. Comparison with PLIF measurements suggested that the spatial resolution of the CH-based VLIF technique to characterize the flame surface was about 0.4 mm. Measurements were first performed on stable laminar flames, for comparison and validation against PLIF, and then on turbulent jet flames, to illustrate the feasibility and accuracy of VLIF for instantaneous 3D flame measurements and motivate further investigation.
Alterations in neonatal neutrophil function attributable to increased immature forms

Abstract At birth neonatal neutrophil composition differs from that of adults due to a higher number of circulating immature forms. To date only a single study has evaluated neutrophil performance based on cell maturity. For this study, we examined functional differences in chemotaxis and phagocytosis between neonatal and adult neutrophils based on cell development and labor exposure. Methods: Neutrophils were obtained by venipuncture from adults and cord blood from healthy term neonates delivered vaginally or by cesarean section. Transwells and the chemoattractant fMLP were used to evaluate chemotaxis. Phagocytosis assays were performed using GFP-labeled E.coli (RS218) and whole blood. Neutrophil maturation was measured by an accurate and verified flow cytometry technique using the markers CD45, CD11b, and CD16. QuantiGene Plex and Procarta immunoassays were used to determine cytokine and chemokine gene expression and protein concentration, respectively. Results: Labor exposure did not alter neonatal neutrophil function in this study. Neonatal and adult mature neutrophils performed chemotaxis and phagocytosis equally well, while immature forms showed marked impairments. Neonatal immature granulocytes, though, completed chemotaxis more proficiently than those of adults. Although cytokine and chemokine levels varied between neonatal and adult groups, no differences were detected in neonates based upon labor exposure. Conclusion: Historically documented functional impairments of neonatal neutrophils may be due to the increased number of developmentally immature forms at birth rather than absolute global deficiencies.
Nutrition, Immunology and Cancer: An Overview

With the decline in death from infectious diseases in the Western world, cancer has become a leading cause of death, second only to cardiovascular diseases. Projections by the American Cancer Society (1993) are that cancer will develop in one person in three in the United States and that one out of five deaths will be due to cancer. Estimates by the National Cancer Institute that 35% of all cancer deaths may be linked to improper diet points to the belief that nutrition may either help cause or help prevent cancer in humans (Wattenberg, 1985; Kline, 1986; Henderson et al., 1991).
Directionally selective regularization for sliding preserving medical image registration

Medical image registration aims to recover the physical deformations between source and target images. As an ill-posed optimizatio problem, regularization energies are often used to guide the registration towards physically desirable resolutions. One challenge in registering volumetric images deformed by respiration-induced motion is to produce motion fields that are globally smooth, yet to allow for sparing physical sliding. In this study, we propose to utilize available partial prior knowledge about the sliding sites as well as their directions. We provide a general recipe for relaxed regularization that incorporates such prior knowledge. The proposed relaxation is both simple and flexible enough to be combined with robust penalty designs that would further improve the registration performance. In a preliminary test, two thoracic CT volumes at end inhale and end exhale were registered under extremely limited partial prior conditions, and the proposed method demonstrated its promise even in this pessimistic scenario.
Ethnic reforms and the puzzle of public framing: the case of Kurds in Turkey

Will pro-Kurdish reforms decrease ethnic violence in Turkey? Conventional wisdom would suggest that elimination of the root causes will heal past wounds. In bitter ethno-political conflicts, however, the issue becomes much larger than its components: deep mistrust between parties overshadow specific issue reforms. Turkey’s Kurdish issue is a case in point where ethnic reforms would not bring stability unless they are coupled with steps to eliminate mistrust. This article pays a specific attention to public framing of reforms. We argue that the actual content of reforms is not so significant; what really matters, instead, is the public perception of reforms on both sides, Turkish and Kurdish. The AKP’s claim of “democratic opening” loses credibility in recent years as the PKK’s alternative narrative gains prominence.
The Impact and Implications of Craft Beer Research: An Interdisciplinary Literature Review

This chapter is an interdisciplinary literature review of academic works that explore the social, economic, and cultural dynamics of craft beer. The goal is to provide the reader with a broad overview of recent scholarship on craft beer, which may serve as a roadmap and inform future work on the subject. The driving questions of this chapter are: What are some of the main themes that have emerged from the recent scholarship on craft beer? And, how has craft beer been used as a vehicle in which to explore some of the ways that people navigate their social worlds through consumer products? It is found that much of this literature can be organized into four themes: space, place, and identity; production, markets, and consumer culture; tourism; and sustainability. It is then concluded that there is room for more work on craft beer that takes a critical angle, and explores the racial, gendered, and class-based elements of the culture.
SEMANTIC RELATIONS IN TOPICAL SEQUENCES OF ENGLISH BUSINESS DISCOURSE

The article presents the analysis of the content organisation of English business discourse, which can be hierarchical and linear. The overview of scientific papers demonstrates that only hierarchical organisation of discourse has been thoroughly studied, while the linear one is still the subject of investigation. The focus of this paper is the analysis of the linear-hierarchical organisation of the realised themes and topics in it and existing semantic relations between them. The linear-hierarchical organisation of the content in English business discourse is considered as a set of models: a monotopical one, which displays the realisation of the same theme and/or topic within the exchange, and a polytopical one, i.e. a content model that presents the unfolding of various themes and/or topics within the same exchange. The types of a polytopical model are identified as follows: first type demonstrates topical sequence, in which various topics belonging to one theme are combined; second type shows topical sequence, in which various topics belonging to different themes are combined. The types of semantic relations between the elements of the model are examined. The author has identified that in the monotopical model relations of generalisation, specification, modification, support and closing are realised, and in polytopical model – relations of digression and change. Topic change in its turn can be sharp/incohesive or gradual/coherent.
“I’m Not Spanish, I’m from Spain”: Spaniards’ Bifurcated Ethnicity and the Boundaries of Whiteness and Hispanic Panethnic Identity:

This study counters potentially premature demographic and sociological claims of a large-scale Hispanic transition into mainstream whiteness. Via in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations o...
Innovation and Urban Planning

The coming twenty-first century will be one of great challenge and also of danger for humanity. The population of the world may more than double its present level of over five billion. The pressure of population on resources will greatly increase the danger of starvation and pestilence. Such dangers will interact with social unrest and political instability, and all of these together will add to the dangers of war and of environmental catastrophe.
Business as Usual: The Roots of the Global Financial Meltdown

Series Acknowledgments Series Introduction: From the Current Crisis to Possible Futures Craig Calhoun Introduction Craig Calhoun and Georgi Derluguian1 The End of the Long Twentieth Century Beverly J. Silver and Giovanni Arrighi2 Dynamics of (Unresolved) Global Crisis Immanuel Wallerstein3 The Enigma of Capital and the Crisis This Time David Harvey4 A Turning Point or Business as Usual? Daniel Chirot5 Marketization, Social Protection, Emancipation: Toward a Neo-Polanyian Conception of Capitalist Crisis Nancy Fraser6 Crisis, Underconsumption, and Social Policy Caglar Keyder7 The Crisis of Global Capitalism: Toward a New Economic Culture? Manuel Castells 8 The Convolution of Capitalism Gopal Balakrishnan9 The Future in Question: History and Utopia in Latin America (1989-2010) Fernando Coronil Notes About the Contributors Index
Incompressibilis Ergo Sum: Skyrmions and Edge States in the Quantum Hall Effect

When the chemical potential of an electron system has a discontinuity at a density n*, the system is said to be incompressible and a finite energy is required to create mobile charges in the bulk of the system. The quantum Hall effect is associated with incompressibilities in a two-dimensional electron system that occur at magnetic-field dependent densities, n*(B). In these notes we discuss two aspects of the physics of quantum Hall systems that follow directly from this association.
Certain series involving products of laguerre polynomials

The author discusses here certain infinite sums of products of generalized Laguerre polynomials.
Democritus – scientific wizard of the 5th century bc

Roughly 2400 years ago, during an era largely characterized by unscientific thought, a school of natural philosophers led by Democritus of Abdera developed a remarkably accurate understanding of our physical world. How could this small group have discovered so much at a time when technology and mathematics were at such a rudimentary level? What if their methods and ideas had caught on immediately, instead of being virtually ignored for 2000 years?
How Did Korean Get -l for Middle Chinese Words Ending in - t?

The Sino-Korean versions of the final labial and velar finalsof the Middle Chinese "entering" tone are -p and -k, but theapical -t of Middle Chinese is borrowed as -l and wasprescriptively treated as -LQ by the 15th-century Koreanorthographers. This is best explained by assuming that a liquidarticulation was used in the northern Chinese dialect thatKoreans used as a model. That articulation was probably a flap[r], and it was part of the general erosion of the final stopsthat led to their gradual loss in northern Chinese. Sino-Koreanoffers no evidence for weakening of the labial stop, but a fewaberrant loans may point to a weakened form of the velar.
Teaching Reaction Time using Applied Technology in High School Students

This project was designed to educate High School students on the importance of understanding neuro muscular physiology. Forty-seven students from 2 upper anatomy/biology classes at South Vermillion...
Assessing bird avoidance of high-contrast lights using a choice test approach: implications for reducing human-induced avian mortality.

Background Avian collisions with man-made objects and vehicles (e.g., buildings, cars, airplanes, power lines) have increased recently. Lights have been proposed to alert birds and minimize the chances of collisions, but it is challenging to choose lights that are tuned to the avian eye and can also lead to avoidance given the differences between human and avian vision. We propose a choice test to address this problem by first identifying wavelengths of light that would over-stimulate the retina using species-specific perceptual models and by then assessing the avoidance/attraction responses of brown-headed cowbirds to these lights during daytime using a behavioral assay. Methods We used perceptual models to estimate wavelength-specific light emitting diode (LED) lights with high chromatic contrast. The behavioral assay consisted of an arena where the bird moved in a single direction and was forced to make a choice (right/left) using a single-choice design (one side with the light on, the other with the light off) under diurnal light conditions. Results First, we identified lights with high saliency from the cowbird visual perspective: LED lights with peaks at 380 nm (ultraviolet), 470 nm (blue), 525 nm (green), 630 nm (red), and broad-spectrum (white) LED lights. Second, we found that cowbirds significantly avoided LED lights with peaks at 470 and 630 nm, but did not avoid or prefer LED lights with peaks at 380 and 525 nm or white lights. Discussion The two lights avoided had the highest chromatic contrast but relatively lower levels of achromatic contrast. Our approach can optimize limited resources to narrow down wavelengths of light with high visual saliency for a target species leading to avoidance. These lights can be used as candidates for visual deterrents to reduce collisions with man-made objects and vehicles.
Facilitators and barriers to optimizing eating performance among cognitively impaired older adults: A qualitative study of nursing assistants’ perspectives:

Background and ObjectivesCognitively impaired individuals are at increased risk for functional and behavioral difficulties at mealtimes, leading to compromised eating performance, low food and flui...
Response-Surface-Based Bayesian Inference for Power System Dynamic Parameter Estimation

This paper develops a new response-surface-based Bayesian inference approach for power system dynamic parameter estimation of a decentralized generator using phasor-measurement-unit measurement. The response surface for the decentralized generator model is formulated through a polynomial-chaos-based surrogate. This surrogate allows us to efficiently evaluate the time-consuming dynamic solver at parameter values through a polynomial-based reduced-order representation. In addition, a polynomial-chaos-based analysis of variance is performed to screen out model parameters while ensuring system observability. In dealing with sampling the non-Gaussian posterior distribution for the parameters, the Metropolis-Hastings sampler is adopted. The simulations conducted in the New England system under different system events show that the proposed method can achieve a speedup factor of two orders or magnitude compared with the traditional method while providing full probabilistic distribution of model parameters and achieving the same level of accuracy.
The Transnational African Writer

This paper examines a new generation of African writers of multinational heritage whose works display strong transnational affiliations: born of parents from different countries, grew up and educated in several African countries and now live in the West. The result of this unique background is the emergence of what one could truly define as transnational literature. The focus of this paper will be a Kenyan writer, Binyavanga Wainaina whose autobiographical narrative perfectly illustrates a sensibility that is not rooted in one place and by not so doing secures itself in a broader cross-cultural humanism.
Feasibility Experiment of Whitebox Packet Transponder Switch with TAI

We experiment with multi-vendor capability in the field fiber and demonstrate video transmission capability in the lab. The usefulness is improved with the help of TAI implemented in a whitebox packet transponder switch.
Emerging Adulthoods: A Microcultural Approach to Viewing the Parent-Child Relationship

Because the cultural nature of emerging adulthood (EA) is often neglected, there is a lack of understanding of the sociocultural variations – the many emerging adulthoods – that exist. In this chapter, the authors draw upon Velez-Agosto et al. (Perspect Psychol Sci 12:900–910, 2017) theory to argue the necessity of viewing emerging adulthood(s) from a micro-cultural lens. Using such a lens posits that parent-emerging adult child relationships and parenting practices during EA are cultural in nature. After providing support for their argument, the authors then present two initial applications of how to empirically apply a micro-cultural lens to parent-EA child relationships. The first application is a study that uses structural equation modeling to understand the relation between filial responsibility and well-being and how this relation varies across US ethnic-racial groups, in EA college students. The second application examines emerging adulthood(s) in urban, middle-class India by using concept mapping to understand the range of important life choices EAs in India make and the role their parents play in making such choices. The chapter then concludes with suggestions for researchers on how to implement a micro-cultural approach in their work.
The translational sciences clinic: From bench to bedside

The mission of the National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS) is to speed the development of drugs from discovery to approval to dissemination and implementation. The Medical University of South Carolina and the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute host a NCATS funded predoctoral T32 training grant (TL1) with a focus on translational research. Doctoral (PhD) trainees working at the bench usually have limited opportunity for clinical interactions to gain a clinical perspective on the diseases that are the focus of their dissertation research. To provide TL1 trainees with an opportunity to see how their research could be translated into improved patient care, we developed a mentored clinical exposure experience named the Translational Sciences Clinic. Trainees spend one-half day a week in a clinic related to their basic science research for one semester interacting with patients and clinical mentors and discuss the most recent literature related to the patient’s clinical problem with their clinical mentor. Trainees deemed the rotation to be one of the most rewarding experiences that they had as a part of their predoctoral training. Participating clinical mentors were also very enthusiastic and agreed that they would be willing to mentor similar trainees again.
Association between pelvic floor disorders and hernias.

Connective tissue disorders may contribute to pelvic floor disorders (PFDs). Like PFDs, abdominal wall hernias are more common in patients with systemic connective tissue disorders. We conducted this study to explore the possible association between PFDs and hernias in adult women. We obtained the data for this study from a study of PFDs among parous women. At enrollment, stress urinary incontinence (SUI), overactive bladder (OAB), and anal incontinence (AI) were assessed using the Epidemiology of Prolapse and Incontinence Questionnaire (EPIQ) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) was assessed through the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) examination. Participants were asked to report hernia surgery and list their hernia types. We compared the prevalence of PFDs in those with and without hernias using chi-square test. We used multiple regression analysis to adjust for obstetric and sociodemographic variables. Among 1529 women, 79 (5.2%) reported history of hernia surgery. The prevalence of POP was 7.6% (6 cases) vs. 7.4% (107 cases), the prevalence of SUI was 7.6% (6 cases) vs. 9.9% (144 cases), the prevalence of OAB was 7.6% (6 cases) vs. 5.7% (83 cases), and the prevalence of AI was 7.6% (6 cases) vs. 10.8% (156 cases) in those with hernias compared to those without hernias, respectively. None of these differences were statistically significant. There was no association between hernias and PFDs after adjustment for type of delivery, number of deliveries, age group, primary racial background, weight category, and smoking status. In this study, we could not find any association between hernias and PFDs.
Analysis of Opinions and Expectations of Farmers in Efeler District of Aydın Province on the Effects of Urbanization

The aim of this study is to determine the opinions and expectations of the farmers on the effects of urbanization on agriculture in in Efeler district of Aydin province. For this purpose, six of the villages that have gained the status of neighborhoods, which are around 10 km from the city center, have been selected for purpose. The data of the research was compiled by proportional sampling and survey method from 73 farmers. In the analysis of the research data, firstly the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers were examined and then the opinions and expectations of the farmers about the effects of urbanization on agriculture were revealed. Five-point Likert scale was used in the analysis of opinions and expectations. According to the results of the research, the average age of the farmers is 54.97 years and the average education period is 7.68 years. The average land size of the farmers is 73.01 decares and the average number of parcels is 3.42. When the farmers are asked about the changes and expectations of urbanization; 68.49% thought that their agricultural production was not affected at all, 91.78% thought that their agricultural income never changed, 80.82% thought that the agricultural land sales frequency increased, 95.89% thought that the agricultural land prices increased, 64.38% thought that urbanization could not prevent migration, 58.90% thought that urbanization may affect young farmers negatively .
Computers as Medical Management Tools: Computer-Assisted Diagnosis and Medical Decision Support

The potential of computers to assist veterinarians in medicalmanagement is reviewed. It is argued that computers will contribute to improved patient care by solving the information retrieval and processing problems in medicine. Strategies to accomplish this goal are discussed in detail, and criteria for evaluating diagnostic information systems are proposed.
CEO Compensation in the 1990s: Shareholder Alignment or Shareholder Expropriation?

CEO compensation has been much debated in the 1990s, both in academic circles and in the media. We contrast two views on CEO compensation. The first view is that there has been a very positive trend in CEO compensation - that compensation committees have become more responsive to shareholder requests to better link compensation and performance. This trend may have been, at least in part, responsible for the incredible stock returns of the last few years. The contrasting view states that the strong stock market of the last few years has allowed CEOs to obtain excessively high financial rewards at the expense of largely powerless shareholders. We discuss these views and provide evidence that corroborates both positions. While we are unable to side with one view or the other beyond a reasonable doubt, we speculate that a downturn in the economy will allow researchers to identify which position dominates.
A review on performance comparison of SOI MOSFET with STS-SOI MOSFET

The last few decades have seen considerable progress in development of techniques for growing single crystal silicon film on insulator (SOI) substrates suitable for the fabrication of high performance devices. The SOI substrates promise to extend the range of applications including VLSI, memory, analog and digital integrated circuits and mixed signal applications. In this paper, the performance of SOI technology based SOI MOSFETs and schottky tunneling source SOI MOSFETs is reviewed. The SOI technology along with metallic S/D offers several benefits that enable scaling to sub 22nm gate lengths including extremely low S/D parasitic resistances, superior control of leakage current and elimination of bipolar latch up action. STS-FETs also benefits from the use of high-k dielectrics along with S/D engineering and gate engineering.
Tubal pregnancy following homolateral salpingectomy; a review of 67 cases described in the literature and a report of 4 new ones.

Abstract The recurrence of an ectopic pregnancy following homolateral salpingectomy is unusual but may be dramatic in its manifestations. Because we have been confronted several times with this surgical emergency, we have reviewed the literature for such cases. A number of intriguing considerations were forthcoming. The condition, which was first described by Morfit 1 of St. Louis in 1900, is admittedly rare, yet ten of the authors reporting were able to add several cases of their own (Table I). Moreover, despite the fact that there is agreement on the critical nature of a pregnancy in a tubal remnant with the threat of precipitate shock, there are no recorded data on the mortality resulting from this condition. Then, too, despite the fact that various authors since Lesse 2 have suggested that this condition could be prevented by routinely performing a complete salpingectomy with cornual resection of the interstitial tube, nevertheless today, 50 years later, the therapy of this type of ectopic pregnancy is still debated. In this study, we have included 3 cases of ectopic pregnancy following homolateral salpingectomy treated surgically at Providence Hospital in Portland, Oregon, in the past 10 years, and, in addition, a case from the practice of one of the staff of that hospital, which emphasizes the dangerous, even fatal course which may follow.
Mechanism of Action of Sucrose Phosphorylase III. THE REACTION WITH WATER AND OTHER ALCOHOLS

Abstract Sucrose phosphorylase is active in various alcohol-water mixtures and can catalyze the transfer of the glucosyl moiety of sucrose to the alcohols forming the corresponding glucosides. The efficiency of the glucosyl acceptor (Vmax/Km) decreases in the order: trans-1,2-cyclohexanediol (0.057) ≈ ethylene glycol (0.061) g methanol (0.017) ≈ cis-1,2-cyclohexanediol (0.015) g ethanol (0.002) g water (0.001). The dependence of the rates on the concentration of each of the alcohols yields kinetics which shows saturation suggesting that each of the alcohols binds to the enzyme. The apparent Vmax for most of the alcohols is similar to the hydrolytic rate. trans-1,2-Cyclohexanediol and ethylene glycol react with the glucosyl enzyme without reducing the rate of hydrolysis although the water concentration is significantly reduced as the concentration of the alcohol is varied (e.g. 0 to 30% ethylene glycol by volume). trans-1,2-Cyclohexanediol is competitive with phosphate and noncompetitive with sucrose. Ethylene glycol is noncompetitive with both phosphate and sucrose. cis-1,2-Cyclohexanediol and methanol reduce the rate of hydrolysis. The reaction with methanol yields α-methylglucoside, and its rate of formation is apparently not reduced by phosphate. It was concluded that two separate, independent binding sites exist. These were designated water site, at which water and probably methanol react, and acceptor site, at which phosphate and the sugar acceptors as well as trans-1,2-cyclohexanediol and ethylene glycol react. The site of interaction of cis-1,2-cyclohexanediol is uncertain. Two adjacent hydroxyl groups on the glucosyl acceptor molecule seems to be a necessary, but possibly not a sufficient property for interaction at the acceptor site.
Through Thick and Thin--Interfilament Communication in Muscle.

Muscles contract via interaction between thick (myosin-containing) and thin (actin-containing) filaments in response to increased levels of calcium. During contraction, the myosin heads extend from the thick filament surface and attach to actin in the thin filaments, causing the filaments to slide past each other in a cyclic, ATP-driven process. Between contractions (the relaxed state), the myosin heads lie close to the thick filament surface, in an ordered arrangement, away from the thin filament (1).
Demonstration and evaluation strategies

Abstract After summarizing the papers in this volume, which were prepared for an American Enterprise Institute conference on “Child Welfare Experiments, ” the authors present 11 strategic principles for evaluation design. The principles address social context, treatment technology, systemwide reform, decision making, goal clarification, outcome measures, process evaluation, random assignment, case assignment, treatment variables, and client variables.
Effects of oral thyrotropin-releasing hormone, exogenous thyroid-stimulating hormone, and withdrawal of triiodothyronine on 131I uptake after subtotal thyroidectomy.

To characterize the effects of oral TRH, exogenous TSH, and length of time of T3 withdrawal on I3II uptake, 16 patients who had undergone subtotal thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer were administered T3 (75-100 μg/day) for 8–15 weeks before 131I remnant ablation. T3 was withdrawn for 10 days in 8 patients (group 1) and for 24 days in 8 patients (group 2) before a baseline 24-h 131I uptake (study day 2), with repeat uptakes (study days 5 and 7) after the sequential administration of oral TRH (80 mg 3 times a day for 3 days) and after bovine TSH (10 U im each day for 2 days). Baseline serum TSH values were 30 ± 8 μU/ml in group 1 and 73 ± 14 in group 2 (P < 0.02), and the values did not increase at the end of the study (day 7; 36 ± 9 and 77 ± 12, respectively). Four hours after doses 1 and 7 of oral TRH, changes in serum TSH values were 10 ± 4 and 9 ± 2 in group 1, respectively, and 17 ± 6 and 10 ± 3 in group 2, respectively. The 131I uptake increased 2.8 ± 0.7% after oral TRH in group 1 (an in...
Dynamic pricing with real-time demand learning

In many service industries, the firm adjusts the product price dynamically by taking into account the current product inventory and the future demand distribution. Because the firm can easily monitor the product inventory, the success of dynamic pricing relies on an accurate demand forecast. In this paper, we consider a situation where the firm does not have an accurate demand forecast, but can only roughly estimate the customer arrival rate before the sale begins. As the sale moves forward, the firm uses real-time sales data to fine-tune this arrival rate estimation. We show how the firm can first use this modified arrival rate estimation to forecast the future demand distribution with better precision, and then use the new information to dynamically adjust the product price in order to maximize the expected total revenue. Numerical study shows that this strategy not only is nearly optimal, but also is robust when the true customer arrival rate is much different from the original forecast. Finally, we extend the results to four situations commonly encountered in practice: unobservable lost customers, time dependent arrival rate, batch demand, and discrete set of allowable prices.
Innovations in the Struggle for Self-Reliance: The Hmong Experience in the United States.

Theory suggests that the process by which traditional societies become more self-reliant involves entrepreneurship in experimenting with different ways to move from known to unknown forms of economic activity. Innovative projects in the US indicate that Hmong refugees are in the midst of such a movement. Progress to date has been slow and difficult but the very fact that the projects exist and that participants in many of them are learning how to improve performance provides a basis for cautious optimism about self-reliance outcomes. The projects exist which demonstrates motivation and willingness to work hard. Almost without exception Hmong and American project designers launched themselves into undertakings that were new to them. The difficulties which projects encountered were far less important than the varied processes by which individuals learned from errors so that they did not repeat them. Many projects failed and disappeared others survived in stagnant form a few did better but were still too young to warrant ascriptions of success and a handful did surprisingly well; this is the norm in any entrepreneurial activity. Many participants became aware of their knowledge limitations and were making efforts to overcome them. An increasing proportion of projects especially the newer ones were orienting themselves to providing occupational training and experience to prepare refugees for wage employment. Hmong and Americans cannot predict the eventual outcomes but can find optimism in the fact that the refugees are following in the same path as their predecessors.
The preparation of γ-aminobutyric acid by enzymatic decarboxylation of l-glutamic acid☆

Abstract A method has been described for the preparation of γ-aminobutyric acid hydrochloride by isolating it from the reaction mixture obtained by the action of a specific l -glutamic acid decarboxylase on l -glutamic acid.
Traditional Production in Primitive African Economies

The absence of market dependence, 361. — Production and social organization, 364. — Allocation of factors of production, 365. — Work arrangement, 367. — Disposition of products, 369. — Reciprocity, 370. — Redistribution, 371. — Market exchange, 373. — Colonial impact and the new national economies, 374. —
Detection of caseinolytic and fibrinolytic activities of BHK-21 cell strains

Abstract A method employing casein and casein-fibrin clot overlays was used to detect extracellular caseinolytic and fibrinolytic activity of cloned populations of BHK-21/N cells. Extracellular caseinolytic activity was detected in a large proportion of the cells of most sublines. Plasminogen activator activity was found in the majority of all cloned cells tested and in supernatant fluids from growing cells. Two sublines, however, had decreased caseinolytic activity as compared to other clonal isolates. BHK-21/C13 cells were also tested for caseinolytic and fibrinolytic activity. Only a small proportion of the cell population produced plasminogen activator. Plasminogen activator activity was not detected in supernatant fluids from growing cells and the hydrolysis of casein did not occur in casein overlays.
Equivalence class universal cycles for permutations

We construct a universal cycle of n-permutations using n + 1 symbols and an equivalence relation based on differences. Moreover a complete family of universal cycles of this kind is constructed.
Amitriptyline administration transforms tumor necrosis factor-alpha regulation of norepinephrine release in the brain

The present study demonstrates that the mixed action antidepressant drug amitriptyline enhances norepinephrine (NE) release by transforming the nature of the response of neurons to both tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) as well as to an α2-adrenergic agonist in an area of the central nervous system (CNS) rich in adrenergic neurons. Administration of the antidepressant drug amitriptyline for 1 day or 14 days to rats significantly increases TNF bioactivity in total homogenates of the locus coeruleus (LC) and the hippocampus as assessed by the WEHI-13VAR bioassay. Superfusion and electrical field stimulation of rat hippocampal brain slices were used to study the regulation of NE release. Exposure to TNF, as well as activation of the α2-adrenergic autoreceptor inhibits stimulation-evoked norepinephrine (NE) release from adrenergic neurons of the CNS from naive rats. Superfusion of hippocampal slices isolated from rats chronically (14 days) administered amitriptyline demonstrates that TNF inhibition of NE release is transformed, such that TNF facilitates NE release, dependent upon α2-adrenergic activation. Furthermore, chronic administration of amitriptyline increases stimulation-evoked NE release and decreases α2-adrenergic autoreceptor inhibition of NE release, an effect not observed with acute drug administration. These data support the hypothesis that chronic antidepressant drug administration, through regulation of TNF expression, transforms α2-adrenergic receptors such that they function to facilitate NE release, suggesting a mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs.
Development of a new permeability assay using low-efflux MDCKII cells

Permeability is an important property of drug candidates. The Madin-Darby canine kidney cell line (MDCK) permeability assay is widely used and the primary concern of using MDCK cells is the presence of endogenous transporters of nonhuman origin. The canine P-glycoprotein (Pgp) can interfere with permeability and transporter studies, leading to less reliable data. A new cell line, MDCKII-LE (low efflux), has been developed by selecting a subpopulation of low-efflux cells from MDCKII-WT using an iterative fluorescence-activated cell sorting technique with calcein-AM as a Pgp and efflux substrate. MDCKII-LE cells are a subpopulation of MDCKII cells with over 200-fold lower canine Pgp mRNA level and fivefold lower protein level than MDCKII-WT. MDCKII-LE cells showed less functional efflux activity than MDCKII-WT based on efflux ratios. Notably, MDCKII-MDR1 showed about 1.5-fold decreased expression of endogenous canine Pgp, suggesting that using the net flux ratio might not completely cancel out the background endogenous transporter activities. MDCKII-LE cells offer clear advantages over the MDCKII-WT by providing less efflux transporter background signals and minimizing interference from canine Pgp. The MDCKII-LE apparent permeability values well differentiates compounds from high to medium/low human intestinal absorption and can be used for Biopharmaceutical Classification System. The MDCKII-LE permeability assay (4-in-1 cassette dosing) is high throughput with good precision, reproducibility, robustness, and cost-effective.
Biological control of calcium isotopic abundances in the global calcium cycle

Measurements of 44Ca/40Ca, expressed as δ44Ca, were made on igneous rocks and on shell and bone material from modern organisms to investigate the magnitude and origins of calcium isotopic fractionation in nature. The results document a span of 4‰ in δ44Ca, measured with the double spike technique to a precision of ±0.15‰. Volcanic rocks, including basalt and rhyolite, show little variability and cluster near δ44Ca = 0±0.2. Systematic analysis of biological samples indicates that biological processing of calcium discriminates against heavy isotopes, and that biological fractionation is the primary generator of calcium isotopic fractionation in nature. Preliminary data suggest that calcium becomes isotopically lighter as it moves through food chains. Calcium carbonate shells of marine microorganisms and deep-sea carbonate ooze have δ44Ca about 1.0ℵ. lower than seawater; this fractionation causes seawater to be enriched in heavy calcium (δ44Ca = +0.9) relative to igneous rocks. Marine organisms consequently are isotopically heavier than their terrestrial counterparts at similar trophic level. The calcium isotopic composition of living and fossil organisms may record information on diet and environment.
Leukotriene metabolism and action in amphibians: A model system

Sulfidopeptide leukotrienes (LTs) include LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4. They contract airway smooth muscle and reduce heart contractility in mammals. In this study, LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4 were compared for their effects on bullfrog heart and lung contractility in vitro. LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4 all stimulated lung contraction and increased heart contractility, but LTC4 was more potent than the other two leukotrienes. LY 171883, a mammalian LTD4 receptor antagonist, failed to block the heart and lung responses to LTC4 but did blunt the responses to LTD4 and LTE4. Metabolism studies carried out with 3H-LTC4 demonstrated conversion to LTD4 and small amounts of LTE4 by heart, but not by lung. Thus, bullfrogs respond to leukotrienes in ways which may be similar to (increase in lung contractility) or different from (increase in heart contractility) mammals. Leukotriene receptors appear to be highly conserved, despite the fact that tissue responsiveness to leukotrienes has changed over evolutionary time.
Central Cavity of Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and the Evolution of AMP/Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate Synergism in Eukaryotic Organisms

The effects of AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2,6-P2) on porcine fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (pFBPase) and Escherichia coli FBPase (eFBPase) differ in three respects. AMP/Fru-2,6-P2 synergism in pFBPase is absent in eFBPase. Fru-2,6-P2 induces a 13° subunit pair rotation in pFBPase but no rotation in eFBPase. Hydrophilic side chains in eFBPase occupy what otherwise would be a central aqueous cavity observed in pFBPase. Explored here is the linkage of AMP/Fru-2,6-P2 synergism to the central cavity and the evolution of synergism in FBPases. The single mutation Ser45 → His substantially fills the central cavity of pFBPase, and the triple mutation Ser45 → His, Thr46 → Arg, and Leu186 → Tyr replaces porcine with E. coli type side chains. Both single and triple mutations significantly reduce synergism while retaining other wild-type kinetic properties. Similar to the effect of Fru-2,6-P2 on eFBPase, the triple mutant of pFBPase with bound Fru-2,6-P2 exhibits only a 2° subunit pair rotation as opposed to the 13° rotation exhibited by the Fru-2,6-P2 complex of wild-type pFBPase. The side chain at position 45 is small in all available eukaryotic FBPases but large and hydrophilic in bacterial FBPases, similar to eFBPase. Sequence information indicates the likelihood of synergism in the FBPase from Leptospira interrogans (lFBPase), and indeed recombinant lFBPase exhibits AMP/Fru-2,6-P2 synergism. Unexpectedly, however, AMP also enhances Fru-6-P binding to lFBPase. Taken together, these observations suggest the evolution of AMP/Fru-2,6-P2 synergism in eukaryotic FBPases from an ancestral FBPase having a central aqueous cavity and exhibiting synergistic feedback inhibition by AMP and Fru-6-P.
Nonlinear transient analysis of coupled transmission lines

A novel approach for the analysis of transients in coupled transmission lines is presented. The method uses a modal scattering parameter formulation and is applicable to the case of lossy lines and nonlinear terminations. The advantage of this method over other techniques resides in the computational stability, in its flexibility in the choice of a reference system, and in the simplicity of the solutions in the case where losses are neglected. An analysis of different types of coupled-line problems is presented, and the scattering parameter approach is developed to lead to the solutions for various special cases. Experimental and computer simulations are analyzed in order to evaluate the efficiency, accuracy, and computational speed of the developed scheme. >
Energy and macronutrient consumption of elementary school children served modified lower fat and sodium lunches or standard higher fat and sodium lunches.

To determine the energy and macronutrient consumption of elementary school children served modified lower fat and sodium or typical higher fat and sodium school lunches.The intervention school received lunches with 1000 mg sodium. Served lunches were analyzed from menus and consumed lunches were analyzed using USDA plate waste methodology.Eighty intervention and 80 control subjects matched for ethnicity and economic status.Intervention school menus were significantly lower for energy, sodium, and fat compared to the control school. From analysis of plate waste, children from both schools consumed approximately 25% less energy than served (p < 0.05). Consumption of fat as a percentage of total energy and consumption of sodium was significantly less for the intervention compared to the control school. Compensation for the lower fat meals by the intervention school children (eating gre...
An Empirical Examination of a Technology Adoption Model for the Context of China

Abstract As multinational corporations engage in technology adoption internationally, it is becoming increasingly important for managers to pursue a process that will ultimately lead to the adoption and effective use of new technology in divergent markets. In this study, the authors explore a technology adoption model (TAM) that is appropriate for the context of China. Employing a sample of 506 Chinese business professionals, they develop and test a modified TAM within the Chinese business culture. The results indicate that the modified TAM works well. The authors discuss implications for international marketing academics and practitioners.
Decision processes in discrimination: fundamental misrepresentations of signal detection theory.

In the first part of this article, I describe a new approach to studying decision making in discrimination tasks that does not depend on the technical assumptions of signal detection theory (e.g., normality of the encoding distributions). Applying these new distribution-free tests to data from three experiments, I show that base rate and payoff manipulations had substantial effects on the participants' encoding distributions but no effect on their decision rules, which were uniformly unbiased in equal and unequal base rate conditions and in symmetric and asymmetric payoff conditions. In the second part of the article, I show that this seemingly paradoxical result is readily explained by the sequential sampling models of discrimination. I then propose a new, "model-free" test for response bias that seems to more properly identify both the nature and direction of the biases induced by the classical bias manipulations.
Multipli-entangled photon spontaneous parametric down-conversion source

In this work, we discuss a novel compact source that generates six pairs of entangled photons via spontaneous parametric down-conversion from a single pass of a pump beam through a crystal assembly. The experimental demonstrations reported are at 810 nm so as to utilize high quantum efficiency Si-APD detectors, but the design can be readily implemented in other wavelength regimes including the telecom bands near 1550 nm. An immediate application of this source enables particular multi-qubit cluster states to be generated in a highly compact unidirectional configuration. This can significantly simplify the interferometric stability, as well as feed-forward methods required in photon-based quantum logic circuitry.
Suggested applications of the density matrix

It is suggested that the limited success which has been the fate of density matrix techniques is a feature not of their inherent limitations but of the restricted class of problems which have been approached. Alternative theoretical techniques in atomic, molecular, and solid-state studies are proposed, which are grounded in the density matrix formalism, and suggestions are made for new fields in which density matrix methods may expand.
The role of top management networks for market knowledge creation and sharing in China

Abstract Despite the paramount influence of top managers within a firm, extant literature has under-researched the specific role of top management in market knowledge development. Drawing on social networks theory, the authors conceptualize a linkage between top management networks (TMNs) and market knowledge management. Based on a sample of Chinese firms, the results show that networking embeddedness of TMNs promotes new knowledge creation, but too much networking embeddedness leads to diminished returns. In addition, networking disparity of TMNs has a negative influence on existing knowledge sharing, and technological turbulence seems to weaken this negative impact. The findings have some important implications for marketing research and for managers on how to obtain superior learning in Chinese Economy.