cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling impacts of sea-level rise, oil price, and management strategy on the costs of sustaining Mississippi delta marshes with hydraulic dredging

Over 25% of Mississippi River delta plain (MRDP) wetlands were lost over the past century. There is currently a major effort to restore the MRDP focused on a 50-year time horizon, a period during which the energy system and climate will change dramatically. We used a calibrated MRDP marsh elevation model to assess the costs of hydraulic dredging to sustain wetlands from 2016 to 2066 and 2016 to 2100 under a range of scenarios for sea level rise, energy price, and management regimes. We developed a subroutine to simulate dredging costs based on the price of crude oil and a project efficiency factor. Crude oil prices were projected using forecasts from global energy models. The costs to sustain marsh between 2016 and 2100 changed from $128,000/ha in the no change scenario to ~$1,010,000/ha in the worst-case scenario for sea level rise and energy price, an ~8-fold increase. Increasing suspended sediment concentrations, which is possible using managed river diversions, raised created marsh lifespan and decreased long term dredging costs. Created marsh lifespan changed nonlinearly with dredging fill elevation and suspended sediment level. Cost effectiveness of marsh creation and nourishment can be optimized by adjusting dredging fill elevation to the local sediment regime. Regardless of management scenario, sustaining the MRDP with hydraulic dredging suffered declining returns on investment due to the convergence of energy and climate trends. Marsh creation will likely become unaffordable in the mid to late 21st century, especially if river sediment diversions are not constructed before 2030. We recommend that environmental managers take into consideration coupled energy and climate scenarios for long-term risk assessments and adjust restoration goals accordingly.
A Gift to Teachers

Reuben Hersh’s What Is Mathematics, Really? is a beautiful gift to math teachers. For many years, despite wave after wave of innovations, math teachers have been bogged down by the insistence that they teach a litany of facts, skills, and concepts that most students will never use. The widespread use of technology seems only to have increased this tendency. Teachers are told to state a carefully specified objective, provide instruction designed to accomplish it, and test, test, test!
Object interoperability for geospatial applications

In this paper, we analyze a geospatial application for visualizing U.S. election results in order to show the problems that need to be solved in the mapping between different XML representations and their conceptual models. We propose a framework that provides a number of core classes that allow applications to treat XML documents as graphs and to evaluate XPath expressions against such document graphs. We also propose a mechanism that allows information to be exchanged between document types. Our goal is to ultimately attain an overall framework for interoperation where maintenance problems are minimized. To achieve this, we anticipate the need for introducing metadata in the semantic layer that will guide the translation process between document types.
Postoperative chemotherapy in patients who are pN+ following neoadjuvant chemoradiation for locally advanced esophageal cancer.

97Background: Esophageal cancer survival rates have improved since the widespread adoption of neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT) followed by esophagectomy for patients who present with locall...
The Effects of Badges and Avatar Identification on Play and Making in Educational Games

In our study (N=2189), we divided participants into 6 badge conditions: 1) Role model badges (e.g., Einstein), 2) Personal interest badges (e.g., Movies), 3) Achievement badges (e.g., "Code King"), 4) Choice, 5) Choice with badges always visible, and 6) No badges. Participants played a CS programming game, then used an editor to create their own level. Badges promoted avatar identification (personal interest, role model), player experience (achievement, role model), intrinsic motivation (achievement, role model), and self-efficacy (role model) during both the game and the editor. Independent of badges, avatar identification promoted player experience, intrinsic motivation, and self-efficacy. Additionally, avatar identification promoted greater overall time spent in both the game and the editor, and led to significantly higher overall quality of the completed game levels (as rated by 3 independent externally trained QA testers). Our study has implications for the design of badge systems and sheds new light on the effects of avatar identification on play and making.
The use of chemogenetic approaches in alcohol use disorder research and treatment

Several novel techniques were developed recently to explore neural circuit mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders. These techniques include the Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADD)-based chemogenetic tools, which represent valuable platforms for selective and non-invasive control of neural activity with a high degree of spatial resolution. Among all variants, Gq- and Gi-DREADDs are widely used by neuroscientists to dissect out the circuitry and cellular signals. This review is focused on strategies to access a specific neuronal population or circuit using the DREADD technique and summarizes the current knowledge of the DREADDs' application in alcohol use disorder research and therapeutics.
Predialysis Kidney Function and Its Rate of Decline Predict Mortality and Hospitalizations After Starting Dialysis

Abstract Objective To determine whether kidney function level and its rate of decline in the immediate predialysis period among veterans transitioning to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) predict postdialysis mortality and hospitalization. Patients and Methods In 19,985 veterans transitioning to ESRD during the period October 1, 2007, to March 30, 2014, we examined kidney function and its slope over the final year of the pre-ESRD(prelude) period. Two categories of low vs high estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR, dichotomized at 10 mL/min/1.73 m2) and slow vs fast slope (dichotomized at −10 mL/min/1.73 m2/y) were combined into 4 groups. Their associations with 12-month post-ESRD all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality and hospitalization rates were examined in adjusted models accounting for clinical characteristics and laboratory measurements at transition. Results Patients, 66±11 years old, and 34% blacks, had a median (interquartile range) eGFR at transition and slope of 9.7 (7.1-13.3) mL/min/1.73 m2 and −10.5 (−18.8 to −5.9) mL/min/1.73 m2/y, respectively. Patients with a low eGFR and slow slope had the lowest 12-month all-cause and CV mortality risks and hospitalization rate. Conversely, patients with high eGFR and fast slope had the highest risk of all-cause and CV mortality and hospitalization rate compared with patients with a low eGFR and slow slope. This relationship persisted in sensitivity analyses, including propensity scoring. Conclusion A kidney profile of a low eGFR and slow slope in the prelude period is associated with favorable early dialysis outcomes in veteran patients. Trials to examine a more conservative approach to dialysis are warranted.
Political Challenges to Mounting and Sustaining a Public Health Response to HIV/AIDS in Developing Countries

In June 2001, at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session onHIV/AIDS (known as “UNGASS”), 189Member States signed a Declarationof Commitment on HIV/AIDS. By all accounts, this was a turning point inthe global response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The Declaration speciﬁed na-tional, regional, and global goals and targets related to preventing new HIVinfections, expanding HIV/AIDS care and treatment, and mitigating the socialand economic impacts of the pandemic. In subsequent years, reports by theJoint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), as well as by otherglobal health, research, and advocacy organizations, documented progress, orlack thereof, in meeting the 2001 UNGASS goals and targets.Five years later, in early-June 2006, at the U.N. General Assembly 2006High Level Meeting on AIDS, Member States unanimously adopted a new Po-litical Declaration on HIV/AIDS reafﬁrming and strengthening commitmentsmade in 2001. These declarations were not adopted without signiﬁcant strug-gle. Member States fought with each other and with a signiﬁcant representationof civil society organizations over everything from speciﬁc terminology [e.g.,whether to include and identify speciﬁc “vulnerable groups” such as gay andother men who have sex with men (MSM), injecting drug users (IDUs), andcommercial sex workers] to the kinds of HIV prevention interventions to en-dorse and promote (e.g., abstinence-only versus comprehensive sex education),to the quantitative targets for anti-retroviral treatment (ART) scale-up. Thesestruggles reﬂected many of the political challenges developing countries andregions face in attempting an appropriate, effective, and sustained public healthresponse to HIV/AIDS.
Physiological Anatomy of Nonsucculent Leaves

Many long-standing explanations for anatomical adaptations of desert plants and xerophytes can be traced to a classic analysis of Egyptian desert plants (Volkens 1887). This work proposed principles for desert botany and set the tone for explaining each anatomical feature of a desert photosynthetic organ as an adaptation primarily designed for water conservation. Volkens was correct to emphasize the gas diffusion pathway in his analysis, but overlooked the potential value of these anatomical features for determining rates of CO2 diffusion. The modern approach, which must challenge many often-cited explanations in the literature, attempts to interpret the relative significance of each parameter affecting water vapor and CO2 as independent fluxes with over-lapping, but not identical, diffusion pathways (Nobel 1991a; Jones 1992).
A project approach to the theory of programming languages

Most of our current Computer Science students have grown up with the Object Oriented paradigm for writing their programs. Moreover, since the introduction of Java as the course for AP credit, many of our students, even upper level majors, have had much programming experience in only one language. This presents a challenge for those who teach a Theory of Programming Languages course, since one objective is to compare various programming paradigms and different approaches to syntax and semantics and to be able to discuss knowledgably the pros and cons of how various languages address programming issues. Here we see one approach to teaching this course in the context of a student body who are intelligent and capable, but limited in background with respect to language experience.
SPIN-POLARIZED HYDROGEN IN A HIGH FIELD TRAP : TOWARDS A TWO-COMPONENT BOSE GAS

We have loaded spin-polarized hydrogen (SPH) into a magnetostatic Ioffe trap with central fields as high as 1 T and at two different temperatures, 0.25 and 0.4 K, on the way to create a gas of SPH with two distinguishable Bose component. We have measured the magnetic dipole decay rate constant of SPH at these high fields and found good agreement with theory. A measurement technique that allows determination of the absolute number of atoms was developed.
Identification of infectious organisms in cytopathology: A review of ancillary diagnostic techniques

Cytology samples obtained from exfoliative sources and fine-needle aspiration (FNA) procedures can all be used to detect microorganisms and/or the associated cytopathologic effects (CPE) caused by an infection. There are many advantages to utilizing cytology samples as an adjunct to routine microbiology laboratory methods. For example, cytology samples can be obtained by non-invasive and minimally invasive techniques, and interpretation is affordable, accurate, and fast. Furthermore, routine cytology stains, including the Papanicolaou (Pap) and the Diff-Quik (DQ) stains, can adequately identify a number of microorganisms. Finally, material obtained by these procedures can also be used for cytologic ancillary testing, microbiology culture, and molecular studies. Currently, there are a variety of ancillary diagnostic techniques that are routinely utilized in the cytopathology laboratory. Additionally, the increasing utilization of molecular-based, diagnostic techniques on fluid specimens, as well as FFPE material, is expanding the role of cytopathology for infectious disease diagnostics. In this review, we provide an overview of the most practical ancillary techniques commonly used to identify microorganisms on cytology specimens.
Sleep, hippocampal volume, and cognition in adults over 90 years old.

Several lines of research support associations between sleep and cognition in older adults. However, there is a paucity of data regarding sleep and cognition in nonagenarians and centenarians. The current study examined self-reported sleep quantity and sleep quality in relation to hippocampal volume and cognition in adults aged 90 and older. A total of 144 participants of The 90+ Study completed The Medical Outcomes Study sleep questionnaire. Participants reported subjective sleep duration in hours and three sleep quality factors: sleep problems, adequacy, and somnolence. Neuropsychological assessments of memory, global cognition, language, and executive function were completed, on average, 61 days from the questionnaire. Hippocampal volume on 3 T MRI, adjusted for intracranial volume, was obtained in 82 participants. We performed multiple linear regressions, controlling for age, sex, education, sleep medication, and depression, to examine sleep characteristics in relation to hippocampal volume and cognitive performance in all the subjects and then stratified by cognition. Sleep duration > 8 h was associated with lower scores in tests of global cognition, memory, and executive function compared to sleep duration of 7–8 h when collapsing across cognitive status, but only with memory in cognitively impaired subjects, and not in cognitively normal subjects. Long-sleep duration is associated with poorer global cognition, memory, and executive function in the oldest-old, and is only associated with memory in cognitively impaired oldest-old. Additional research is necessary to determine if sleep duration is a risk factor or a result of poor cognition in advanced age.
Disparities in death rates in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy between advanced and developing countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Summary There is limited information about differences in maternal deaths from peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) between advanced and developing countries. To review the literature to define the global prevalence of death from PPCM, and to determine the differences in PPCM mortality rates and risk factors between advanced and developing countries. Studies in the English language reporting mortality data on patients with PPCM were included from searches of MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus from 01 January 2000 to 11 May 2016. Of the 4294 articles identified, 1.07% were included. The primary outcome was death; rates of heart transplant, acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, arrhythmia, cerebrovascular events, embolism and cardiac arrest were recorded. Studies were categorized as having been conducted in advanced or developing countries. Data from 46 studies, 4925 patients and 13 countries were included. There were 22 studies from advanced countries (n = 3417) and 24 from developing countries (n = 1508); mean follow-up was 2.6 (range 0–8.6) years. Overall mortality prevalence was 9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6–11%). The mortality rate in developing countries (14%, 95% CI 10–18%) was significantly higher than that in advanced countries (4%, 95% CI 2–7%). There was no difference in the prevalence of risk factors (chronic hypertension, African descent, multiple gestation and multiparity) between advanced and developing countries. Studies with a higher prevalence of women of African descent had higher death rates (correlation coefficient 0.29, 95% CI 0.13–0.52). The risk of death in women with PPCM was higher in developing countries than in advanced countries. Women of African descent had an increased risk of death.
Nicotine and Alpha3beta2 Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors

Abstract The α3β2 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is only a partial nicotine agonist yet is highly upregulated with chronic nicotine exposure in cultured cells. Additionally, postmortem human brains show increases among almost all nAChR subtypes. Unique to the α3β2 neuronal nAChR is that nicotine does not easily desensitize the receptor leaving the α3β2 neuronal nAChR one of the likely candidates for cholinergic signaling in nicotine users. The α3 subunit is the dominant subunit in the autonomic ganglia and likely dictates much of the physiological autonomic nicotine response. The α3 subunit is found at relatively low levels in the central nervous system, yet several α3 variants are associated with increased smoking and worse disease outcomes in nicotine-related diseases. The location and function of the α3 and β2 subunits in the central nervous system should be further explored considering the high upregulation and lack of nicotine desensitization of the α3β2 nAChR following chronic nicotine exposure.
Zeolite Adsorption of Chloride from a Synthetic Alkali-Activated Cement Pore Solution

This work presents experimental evidence that confirms the potential for two specific zeolites, namely chabazite and faujasite (with a cage size ~2–13 A), to adsorb small amounts of chloride from a synthetic alkali-activated cement (AAC) pore solution. Four synthetic zeolites were first exposed to a chlorinated AAC pore solution, two faujasite zeolites (i.e., FAU, X-13), chabazite (i.e., SSZ-13), and sodium-stabilized mordenite (i.e., Na-Mordenite). The mineralogy and chemical composition were subsequently investigated via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and both energy- and wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS), respectively. Upon exposure to a chlorinated AAC pore solution, FAU and SSZ-13 displayed changes to their diffraction patterns (i.e., peak shifting and broadening), characteristic of ion entrapment within zeolitic aluminosilicate frameworks. Elemental mapping with WDS confirmed the presence of small amounts of elemental chlorine. Results indicate that the chloride-bearing capacity of zeolites is likely dependent on both microstructural features (e.g., cage sizes) and chemical composition.
A Rent Seeking Experiment with Leakage from the Contest Success Function

Abstract We contribute to the growing experimental literature on rent seeking contests that examines the effect of the prize structure on expenditures. We test the predictive power of a model (Godwin et al., 2006) that includes realistic features of actual political rent seeking contests that alter the contest success function. In this paper, we focus on a shift parameter in the contest success function, which Godwin et al. (2006) describe in a political context as policymaker costs. In practice, an increase in this shift parameter results in a decrease in the probability of a player winning the prize, ceteris paribus. The inclusion of this parameter makes it possible for no prize to be awarded in the contest. The model also allows for multiple prizes to be awarded, as well as the possibility of a single prize. Consistent with the existing literature on rent seeking, we find significant overspending relative to the Nash prediction. However, the inclusion of the probability shift parameter significantly reduces the amount of this overspending. Thus, the “policymaker cost” is associated with a reduction in the amount of inefficient rent dissipation; this result holds even after controlling for the level of competition and subject characteristics.
A Timely Retrospective on the Need and Potential for Change

This review examines Hans Toch’s “Organizational change through individual empowerment: Applying social psychology in prisons and policing” and discusses important lessons for today’s change-makers...
Strategic Humanism: Lessons on Leadership from the Ancient Greeks, by Claudia Hauer

This small volume from Claudia Hauer results from an interesting and important intersection of her professional experiences. Trained in Classics, Hauer has spent most of her career at St. John’s Co...
HIV Testing Among Muslim Women in the United States: Results of a National Sample Study

Purpose: More than one million Americans are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and less than half of Americans have ever accepted an HIV test. There are no national HIV testing estimates for Muslim Americans, an underserved and often stigmatized population. Considering the lack of HIV testing estimates for this population, we conducted an exploratory study on HIV testing and potential associates in American Muslim women from across the United States. Methods: We applied logistic regression models to examine the Muslim Women's Health Project data, collected in 2015 (N=218). Results: Health care engagement and intimate partner violence were significantly associated with having been tested for HIV. Respondents using contraceptives received an influenza vaccination, and received an abnormal pap test had more than two times higher odds of having been tested for HIV (odds ratio [OR]=2.56, OR=2.43, OR=2.93, respectively; p<0.05 all). Having been sexually abused was associated with more than two times higher odds of having been tested for HIV (OR=2.49; p<0.05). Conclusion: Respondents reported higher rates of HIV testing as compared with the general public, signaling HIV knowledge, engagement in preventative health care, and possibly HIV risk. Scholars and practitioners should not assume that Muslim patients are at low risk for HIV and do not engage in HIV-risk behaviors. Thus, assumptions about Muslims women's willingness to accept HIV testing should be further examined to elucidate HIV risk among this population.
Speeding up OPC by leveraging existing designs with machine learning

We propose a machine-learning-based mechanism to perform OPC, which is much more efficient than traditional OPC processes in terms of compute resources. Building a physical model for OPC takes a lot of labor and computational time, for example, model calibration requires thousands of cores for up to ten hours , and , OPC data prepare needs thousands of cores for a couple of days. We present a way to use learning to produce OPC mask designs from a large amount of lithography target data with a computationally cheap approach. Our technique uses learning based on pairs of lithography target data and OPCed mask. The impact of different learning algorithm on the quality and performance of mask prediction has been studied. We have tested multiple learning algorithm, such as PyTorch, Multilayer perceptron on IBM cloud. Preliminary evaluation of our technique on a standard contact EUV testsite shows accuracy similar to the standard processes using much less compute power.
Mappings and Vector Fields

If we associate each point z of some domain 𝔇 of the z-plane with a certain complex value w according to a given law then w is called a function of z. Two geometrical interpretations of the functional relation are particularly useful. One uses one plane, the other two planes. The value w belonging to the point z (or, if more expedient, \(\bar w\) ) can be thought of as a vector acting on the point z ; in this way a vector field is defined in the domain 𝔇. In the other interpretation, the value w associated with the point z in the z-plane is conceived as a point in another complex plane (w-plane). In this way the domain 𝔇 is mapped onto a certain point set of the w-plane.
Adaptive Optimization of Microbial Growth Processes

The problem of maximizing the biomass productivity in continuous microbial processes is addressed. An adaptive steady-state optimization algorithm is developed. The algorithm is based on the on-line identification of a dynamic model, and its steady-state version is used to calculate the optimum value of the dilution rate at each step. The algorithm's ability to attain the optimum and handle disturbances is demonstrated, employing a continuous chemostat model as the "true plant". Both linear and bilinear identified models are shown to succeed, the success not influenced by the chosen model order.
Aggression in Personality Disorders and Perversions

In this important book, one of the world's foremost psychoanalysts explores the role of aggression in severe personality disorders and in normal and perverse sexuality, integrating new developments in psychoanalystic theory with findings from clinical work with severely regressed patients.
H/spl infin/ control design for a magnetostrictive transducer

Magnetostrictive transducers are becoming increasingly prevalent in industrial applications including high speed milling and hybrid motor design due to their broadband, large force capabilities. To achieve the level of performance required by such applications, however, these transducers must operate in nonlinear and hysteretic regimes. To accommodate this nonlinear behavior, models and control laws must incorporate known physics and be sufficiently robust to operate under realistic operating conditions. We develop here an H/sub /spl infin// robust control design for a prototypical magnetostrictive transducer but note that the design is sufficiently general to be utilized for several commonly used smart materials including piezoceramics and shape memory alloys. The performance of the control strategy is illustrated through a numerical example.
Intravascular lymphomatosis (malignant angioendotheliomatosis). A B-cell neoplasm expressing surface homing receptors.

Abstract We report the clinical and immunohistochemical features of six cases of intravascular lymphomatosis. All patients presented with symptoms referable to central nervous system (CNS) involvement. In two patients, the diagnosis was made on brain biopsy specimens. In the remaining four cases, diagnosis was made at autopsy. Three of the four autopsied patients had focal extravascular lymphoma, diffuse large cell type. In all five cases tested, immunohistochemical stains on paraffin-embedded sections confirmed the lymphoid nature of the malignant cells. Stains on frozen sections in one case, and on paraffin-embedded tissue in the other four cases, demonstrated B-lymphocyte lineage. In the remaining case, electron microscopy confirmed the lymphoid nature of the tumor cells. All three cases tested expressed the Hermes 3-defined homing receptor antigen and lacked peanut agglutinin receptors. Our results are consistent with other reports confirming the lymphoid nature of so-called malignant angioendotheliomatosis. Our limited analysis of surface receptor molecules suggests that the expression of the homing receptor for high endothelial venules is not in itself responsible for the unusual intravascular location of these cells.
Inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis by organosulfur compounds derived from garlic.

The study was undertaken to test the inhibitory potential on cholesterogenesis of organosulfur compounds derived from garlic. The primary rat hepatocytes maintained in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium were treated with [2-14C]-acetate as substrate for cholesterol synthesis in the presence or absence of test compounds at 0.05 to 4.0 mmol/L. Eleven watersoluble and six lipid-soluble compounds of garlic were tested. Among water-soluble compounds,S-allyl cysteine (SAC),S-ethyl cysteine (SEC), andS-propyl cysteine (SPC) inhibited [2-14C]acetate incorporation into cholesterol in a concentration-dependnet manner, achieving 42 to 55% maximal inhibition. γ-Glutamyl-S-allyl cysteine, γ-glutamyl-S-methyl cysteine, and γ-glutamyl-S-propyl cysteine were less potent, exerting only 16 to 29% maximal inhibitions. Alliin,S-allyl-N-acetyl cysteine,S-allylsulfonyl alanine, andS-methyl cysteine had no effect on cholesterol synthesis. Of the lipid-soluble compounds, diallyl disulfide (DADS), diallyl trisulfide (DATS), and dipropyl disulfide (DPDS) depressed cholesterol synthesis by 10 to 25% at low concentrations (0.5 mmol/L), and abolished the synthesis at high concentrations (1.0 mmol/L). Diallyl sulfide, dipropyl sulfide, and methyl allyl sulfide slightly inhibited [2-14C]acetate incorporation into cholesterol only at high concentrations. The complete depression of cholesterol synthesis by DADS, DATS, and DPDS was associated with cytotoxicity as indicated by marked increase in cellular LDH release. There was no apparent increase in LDH secretion by water-soluble compounds exceptS-allyl mercaptocysteine, which also abolished cholesterol synthesis. Judging from maximal inhibition and IC50 (concentration required for 50% of maximal inhibition), SAC, SEC, and SPC are equally potent in inhibiting cholesterol synthesis.
WHO SITS ON TEXAS CORPORATE BOARDS? TEXAS CORPORATE DIRECTORS: WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY DO

Corporate directors play an important role in governing American business, in the capital formation process, and are key to the stewardship of economic growth. Texas businesses play a disproportionately important role among the states in aggregate U.S. job creation, responsible for 37% of all net new American jobs since the post 2008-2009 recovery began. It is the job of the board of directors to govern the corporation. The duties and responsibilities of a corporate director include: the duty of care; duty of loyalty; and duty of good faith. This paper results from the author’s previously assembled biographical data for most of the approximately 20,000 for-profit corporate directors serving on the boards of Texas companies. Corporate directors are among the most influential and affluent individuals in our society. Many present or former chief executive officers are sought to serve on corporate boards due to their expertise and experience overseeing corporations. The average age of Texas directors of for-profit entities is fifty-seven years old; and only about six percent of corporate directors in Texas are women. Texas corporate directors are highly educated: over ninety-nine percent are college graduates: eighty percent hold advanced college degrees; twenty-eight percent have law degrees; and twenty percent of Texas corporate directors hold an MBA degree. Most Texas corporate directors serve the banking and finance sector (thirty-nine percent), next largest is the energy sector (at eighteen percent), and technology companies account for nine percent. Most boards look to recruit someone who understands their business and former CEOs are preferable. Every public company board of directors must now have an audit committee comprised of entirely independent directors, and each publicly-traded company is required to have at least one qualified “financial expert” on its audit committee. Therefore, public company auditing experience, along with a growing recognition that every board needs expertise to govern the enterprises’ information technology - have become “must have” skills represented on every board.
Cylical Fluctuations in Reflexive Oxytocin Release During the Estrous Cycle of the Goat

Elevations in the circulating level of oxytocin resulting from stimulation of the vagina were determined repeatedly in each of 23 estrous cycles. To delineate the course of each cycle, the day of behavioral estrus was determined and radioimmunoassayable serum progesterone was measured every 2 days. Vaginal stimulation induced greater elevations in the level of oxytocin near the time of estrus and during the early luteal phase than during periods characterized by maximal concentrations of progesterone. Elevations averaged 25.2 ± 8.8 MU/mI plasma in the early luteal phase and then declined progressively, reaching a minimum of 4.2 ± 1.7 MU/mI shortly before progesterone levels fell prior to estrus. This cyclic variation in the oxytocin-elevating effect of vaginal stimulation, viewed in the light of previous studies that have shown strong effects of exogenous ovarian steroids on oxytocin release, suggests that fluctuations in endogenous ovarian hormones during the estrous cycle may influence the oxyotocin secretory mechanism.
Fast Food, Fast Track: Immigrants, Big Business, And The American Dream

Hailing from China, the Caribbean, Latin America, and India, a colorful sea of faces has taken its place behind one of the most ubiquitous American business institutions -- the fast-food counter. They have become a vital link between the growing service sector in our cities' ethnic enclaves and the multi-billion dollar global fast-food industry. For four years, sociologist Jennifer Parker Talwar went behind the counter herself and listened to immigrant fast-food workers in New York City's ethnic communities. They talked about balancing their low-paying jobs and monotonous daily reality with keeping the faith that these very jobs could be the first step on the path to the American Dream. In this original and compelling work of ethnography, Talwar shows that contrary to those arguing that the fast-food industry only represents an increasing homogenization of the American workforce, fast-food chains in immigrant communities must and do adapt to their surroundings.
Language adaptations: Award-winning children’s literature in basal textbook readers

One frequent complaint about basal readers is that, when they adapt high-quality literature, they make pointless simplifications that significantly detract from the value of the original stories. This article reports a study of adaptations of award-winning stories for three grade levels. The results suggest strongly that, at least during the past fifteen years, these complaints are unjustified.
Rapid high-performance liquid chromatography method for the analysis of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate in foods

A rapid and reliable method is presented for the determination of the preservatives sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate in fruit juices, sodas, soy sauce, ketchup, peanut butter, cream cheese, and other foods. The procedure utilizes high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) followed by UV diode array detection for identification and quantitation of the two preservatives. Liquid samples were prepared by diluting 1 ml of the sample with 10 ml of an acetonitrile/ammonium acetate buffer solution. Samples of viscous or solid foods were prepared by blending the sample with the same buffer solution in a 1:5 ratio followed by a dilution identical to liquid samples. All samples were filtered to remove particulate matter prior to analysis. The HPLC determination of the preservatives was performed using a reversed-phase C18 column and UV detection at 225 nm for sodium benzoate and 255 nm potassium sorbate. The percentage of preservative in the sample was calculated by external standard using authentic sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. Apple juice, apple sauce, soy sauce, and peanut butter, spiked at 0.10 and 0.050% for both sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, yielded recoveries ranging from 82 to 96%. The method can detect 0.0010% (10 mg/l) of either preservative in a juice matrix.
Analysis of the effects of reformate (hydrogen/carbon monoxide) as an assistive fuel on the performance and emissions of used canola-oil biodiesel

Abstract Evolving technology and a reoccurring energy crisis creates a continued investigation into the search for sustainable and clean-burning renewable fuels. One possibility is hydrogen that has many desirable qualities such as a low flammability limit promoting ultra-lean combustion, high laminar flame speed for increased thermal efficiency and low emissions. However, past research discovered certain limiting factors in its use such as pre-ignition in spark ignition engines and inability to work as a singular fuel in compression ignition engines. To offset these issues, this work documents manifold injection of a hydrogen/carbon monoxide mixture in a dual-fuel methodology with biodiesel. While carbon monoxide does degrade some of the desirable properties of hydrogen, it acts partially like a diluent to restrict pre-ignition. The result of this mixture addition allows the engine to maintain power while reducing biodiesel fuel consumption with a minimal NOx emissions increase.
Renewable alcohol biosensors based on alcohol‐dehydrogenase/nicotinamide‐adenine‐dinucleotide graphite epoxy electrodes

Alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) have been incorporated within rigid graphite epoxy matrices to yield renewable (by polishing) alcohol sensors. The enzyme and cofactor retain their bioactivity on confinement in the graphite epoxy, with the oxidation current of the NADH formed serving as the response. Because of the intimate contact between the biocatalytic and sensing sites, the reagentless sensor produces steady-state signals within 15–30s. The influence of various experimental variables is explored for optimum analytical performance. Common polishing procedures are used to regenerate fresh bioactive surfaces.
Clans and cooperation in the iterated prisoner's dilemma

In evolutionary algorithms that evolve populations of strategies for the Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma, higher levels of cooperation evolve when the strategies engage in longer contests. When IPD-playing organisms are segregated into clans, with different strategies for contests with members of the same and other clans, populations evolve higher levels of cooperation for contests within clans. Cooperation between members of different clans increases with the length of their contests, but decreases when there are more clans. When organisms use the same strategy for contests with friends and with strangers, the difference between cooperation within and between clans is smaller, but persists.
Correlation of steady-state creep and changing microstructure in polycrystalline SiC sintered with powder derived via gaseous reactants in an are plasma

The mechanisms of steady-slate creep in compression in a sintered SiC produced via sintering of β-SiC powders derived from gaseous reactants in a plasma are have been determined from (1) kinetic data within the ranges of temperature and constant stress of 1770–2020 K and 17–208 MPa, respectively, and (2) the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and other microbeam characterization techniques. The stress exponent was 2.06 ± 0.04; the values of activation energy were 913 ± 13 and 630 ± 14 kJ/mol above and below, respectively, a knee of ∼∼ 1920 K. Gliding dislocations and B4C precipitates, which developed within the grains during creep, and their interaction were the dominant microstructural features of the crept material. Apparent nonmechanical pinning of the dislocations at the precipitates indicated that the latter attracted the dislocations rather than acting as classical obstacles to dislocation movement. A synthesis of this information leads to the conclusion that the controlling creep mechanisms in this SiC were grain boundary sliding accommodated by grain boundary diffusion at T 1920 K. The parallel mechanism of dislocation glide also contributed to the total strain.
Gunn-effect diode EPR spectrometer

Abstract We have demonstrated that one can build a frequency swept EPR spectrometer utilizing the Gunn-effect diode. This spectrometer which uses a tunable reentrant cavity, may be used in a frequency swept mode or a magnetic field swept mode. The system possesses advantages in terms of cost and ease of construction.
Pressure loss modulus correlation for Delta-p across uniformly distributed-loss devices

A dimensionless group, called a pressure loss modulus (N(sub PL)), is introduced that, in conjunction with an appropriately defined Reynolds number, is of considerable engineering utility in correlating steady-state Delta p vs flow calibration data and subsequently as a predictor, using the same or a different fluid, in uniformly distributed pressure loss devices. It is particularly useful under operation in the transition regime. Applications of this simple bivariate correlation to three diverse devices of particular interest for small liquid rocket engine fluid systems are discussed: large L/D capillary tube restrictors, packed granular catalyst beds, and stacked vortex-loss disk restrictors.
On the coupling of interfacial charge transfer and bulk transport in ionic crystals

Abstract A mathematical model is presented for the coupled charge transport/electrode reaction processes recently proposed by Lanyi to explain apparent incomplete blocking at the interfaces of a NaCl crystal with nominally inert porous electrodes. Analysis of the model elucidates the conditions under which Lanyi's treatment of small-signal a.c. response may be valid and suggests a more general approach to the problem.
The contact method: A simple technique for electrical self-stimulation without external leads

Abstract Electrical currents to reward areas of the brain were administered without the use of external leads by utilizing a method conceptually similar to that of the electronic drinkometer. A wire brush connected to the intracranial electrode protudes above the rat's head. By lifting its head the rat can make contact between the brush and a stimulation plate mounted horizontally overhead. The stimulation circuit is completed through the contact of the rat's feet with a grounded metal floor. Current thresholds and stimulation rates obtained by this method were identical to those obtained by the conventional method of stimulation.
Effects of personal causation and perceived control on responses to an aversive environment: The more control, the better

Abstract A laboratory experiment was conducted to investigate the effects on reactions to aversive noise of three types of personal control: control over the initiation of noise, control over its termination, and combined control over both initiation and termination. On an attention-to-detail measure which occurred concurrently with noise stimulation, subjects' error rates decreased linearly as degree of control increased. Likewise, on a post-noise measure of task persistence, subjects' performance rates increased linearly across the three conditions as degree of control increased. Results were discussed in terms of Seligman's theory of learned helplessness and deCharms' theory of personal causation, and the motivational effects of personal control were emphasized.
Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying sex- and maturation-related variation in pheromone responses in honey bees ( Apis mellifera )

In the honey bee (Apis mellifera), social organization is primarily mediated by pheromones. Queen-produced 9-oxo-2-decenoic acid (9-ODA) functions as both a social and sex pheromone, eliciting attraction in both female workers and male drones, but also affecting other critical aspects of worker physiology and behavior. These effects are also maturation related, as younger workers and sexually mature drones are most receptive to 9-ODA. While changes in the peripheral nervous system drive sex-related differences in sensitivity to 9-ODA, the mechanisms driving maturation-related shifts in receptivity to 9-ODA remain unknown. Here, we investigate the hypothesis that changes at the peripheral nervous system may be mediating plastic responses to 9-ODA by characterizing expression levels of AmOR11 (the olfactory receptor tuned to 9-ODA) and electrophysiological responses to 9-ODA. We find that receptor expression correlates significantly with behavioral receptivity to 9-ODA, with nurses and sexually mature drones exhibiting higher levels of expression than foragers and immature drones, respectively. Electrophysiological responses to 9-ODA were not found to correlate with behavioral receptivity or receptor expression, however. Thus, while receptor expression at the periphery exhibits a level of plasticity that correlates with behavior, the mechanisms driving maturation-dependent responsiveness to 9-ODA appear to function primarily in the central nervous system.
Adaptive transform coding of images using approximate trigonometric expansions

The objective behind transform coding is to transform a data array into a statistically uncorrelated set. The uneven distribution of energy in transform coefficients is exploited for compression purposes, with significant energies considered for further processing. Block transforms, particularly the discrete cosine transform, have been used in image-video coding. An approximate Fourier expansion (AFE) of non-periodic signals with theoretically uncorrelated coefficients has been previously proposed. Furthermore, the capabilities of an approximate cosine expansion (ACE) have been explored for purposes of image coding. In this paper, we apply an approximate trigonometric expansion to images and investigate the potential of adaptive coding using blocks of images. The variable length basis functions computed by varying a user-defined parameter of the expansion will be used for adaptive transform coding of images. For comparison purposes, the results are compared with discrete cosine transform (DCT). Computer simulation results also are presented.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Unified approach to feature extraction for model-based ATR

In many ATR implementations, the treatment of peaks, shadows, and regions are handled very differently in terms of the extraction process, and in terms of the attributes of those features that are used for discrimination. An alternative approach is to derive a generalized filter for each feature that transforms a SAR image into a likelihood image where the height of each pixel is image relational graph (IRG) is an efficient and useful method by which the image can be segmented and from which features can be extracted. In this paper, we will describe IRG construction and processing techniques for segmentation and feature extraction.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
THEMIS Science Objectives and Mission Phases

The five THEMIS spacecraft and a dedicated ground-based observatory array will pinpoint when and where substorms occur, thereby providing the observations needed to identify the processes that cause substorms to suddenly release solar wind energy stored within the Earth’s magnetotail. The primary science which drove the mission design enables unprecedented observations relevant to magnetospheric research areas ranging from the foreshock to the Earth’s radiation belts. This paper describes how THEMIS will reach closure on its baseline scientific objectives as a function of mission phase.
Effects of spiral electric gaps in superconducting cyclotrons

Abstract The K = 500 MeV superconducting cyclotron being built here has an RF system containing three dees with spiral electric gaps. These gaps produce a significant force component transverse to the ion orbits. An analysis is presented which shows nevertheless that the effect of such gaps does not alter the relevant orbit period, in accordance with an unpublished theorem due to McMillan. The structure of the “Spiral Gap” orbit program is then described. This program calculates ion orbits in a given magnetic field and provides a systematic treatment of the transverse as well as the longitudinal electric force resulting from spiral electric gaps. Sample results are presented which show that there is no significant difference in the phase-energy history of ion orbits accelerated with spiral or non-spiral electric gaps. A discussion of central ray orbits and accelerated equilibrium orbits is also presented together with analytical and computer results.