cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of alternative accounting measurement bases on investors’ assessments of managers’ stewardship

We conduct a laboratory experiment to examine investors’ assessments of managers’ stewardship. We provide evidence that investors tend to attribute external (i.e., non-manager-related) causes of firm performance to managers’ performance. We predict and find that fair value information enables investors to overcome this tendency and make better stewardship decisions than investors with amortized cost information. We also find that investors presented with amortized-cost-based financial statements perform better to the extent they access fair-value-based footnote information, while investors presented with fair-value-based financial statements perform worse to the extent they access amortized-cost-based footnote information. Collectively, our results suggest that investors’ stewardship decisions are improved because fair value information more transparently provides the information required to properly consider the opportunity costs associated with managers’ actions and disentangle endogenous actions by managers from exogenous market forces that are outside of managers’ control.
Limb Development in the Absence of Ectodermal Ridge

THIS communication is designed to indicate the current status of research concerned with the importance of ectoderm in limb morphogenesis in the chick embryo. Previous studies1,2,3 indicate that the apical ectodermal ridge serves as an inductor of limb outgrowth, and that elaboration of distal structures ceases when it is removed. The experiments which provide the evidence for the importance of the apical ectodermal ridge are based on surgical procedures1 and on techniques which involve the use of a chelating compound for preparing ectoderm-free mesoderm and trypsin for preparing mesoderm-free ectoderm2. Recently Bell4 has postulated that the ectoderm may not be necessary for limb elaboration, a view which has also been taken by Amprino and Camosso5. In Bell's experiments, 19 per cent of limb bud stripped of ectoderm by means of focused ultrasound and grafted to the flank or cœlom formed skeletal parts representative of all proximo-distal levels of the limb.
Suppression of experimental glomerulonephritis by antiserum against transforming growth factor β1

GLOMERULONEPHRITIS is an inflammation of the kidney characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix within the damaged glomeruli1–4, impaired filtration and proteinuria. In its progressive form, the disease destroys kidney function leading to uraemia and death, unless dialysis therapy or kidney transplantation is available. The pathogenesis of glomerulonephritis is incompletely understood, but the eliciting factor is thought often to be an immunological injury to mesangial and/or other resident cells in the glomeruli5,6. We have used an animal model of acute mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis7,8 to show that this disease is associated with increased production and activity of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-βl)9, an inducer of extracellular matrix production10–17. Here we report that administration of anti-TGF-βl at the time of induction of the glomerular disease suppresses the increased production of extracellular matrix and dramatically attenuates histological manifestations of the disease. These results provide direct evidence for a causal role of TGF-βl in the pathogenesis of the experimental disease and suggest a new approach to the therapy of glomerulonephritis.
A Simple Efficient Engineering Data Input System

An input system is presented which has been tailored for engineering data. The system makes use of a problem-oriented language organized as a tree structure. Input data is parsed line by line and placed in appropriate queues. The application program then extracts this queued data using logical functions. A sample finite element problem is included to demonstrate the use of the input system. The input system requires only 17 Kb of memory and operates very efficiently. The system is ideal for microcomputer applications and provides input methods that were once only available in extremely large applications programs.
Witches, multiple personalities, and other psychiatric artifacts.

Contemporary psychiatric misdirections derived primarily from standard medical errors of oversimplification, misplaced emphasis, and invention are reviewed. These particular errors, however, were in part prompted and sustained by the sociocultural fads and fashions of the day. The results have been disastrous for everyone — patients, families, the public and psychiatry itself.
The Disqualification of Positive Social Outcomes Scale: A novel assessment of a long-recognized cognitive tendency in social anxiety disorder

Socially anxious individuals frequently tend to disqualify positive social experiences and outcomes. However, no formal measure of Disqualificationof Positive Social Outcome (DPSO)-related tendencies has yet been reported. The purpose of the present series of studies was to develop the Disqualification ofPositive Social Outcomes Scale (DPSOS) and examine its psychometric profile across several independent samples, including a large (n=585) undergraduate sample; a clinical sample of individuals diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (n=14), and a demographically-equivalent sample of non-socially anxious control participants (n=14). The factorial validity, internal consistency, and construct validity of the DPSOS subscales were examined. Results provide preliminary support for the psychometric properties of the DPSOS. Implications of DPSO as to assessment and treatment of social anxiety disorder are discussed.
An Upper Limit on the Reflected Light from the Planet Orbiting the Star τ Bootis

The planet orbiting ??Boo at a separation of 0.046 AU could produce a reflected light flux as bright as 1 × 10-4 relative to that of the star. A spectrum of the system will contain a reflected light component which varies in amplitude and Doppler shift as the planet orbits the star. Assuming the secondary spectrum is primarily the reflected stellar spectrum, we can limit the relative reflected light flux to be less than 5 × 10-5. This implies an upper limit of 0.3 for the planetary geometric albedo near 480?nm, assuming a planetary radius of 1.2 RJup. This albedo is significantly less than that of any of the giant planets of the solar system and is not consistent with certain published theoretical predictions.
USDA's trade adjustment assistance for farmers: The raspberry industry

The Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, created in the Trade Act of 2002, authorizes temporary payments to farmers hurt by import competition. The Act requires petitioning farmers to demonstrate that prices have fallen by at least the statutory minimum proportion, and importantly, as a result of rising foreign competition. With the raspberry industry as an example, we show that credible demonstration of import harm requires an econometric model distinguishing domestic from foreign impacts on U.S. prices. We construct such a model and use it to argue that raspberry producers—and specialty crops in general—will infrequently qualify for program assistance, despite recent apparent evidence of import-induced price damage. [EconLit citations: F140, Q170, Q180]. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 23: 101–115, 2007.
Characterization of infiltrated (La0.75Sr0.25)0.95MnO3 as oxygen electrode for solid oxide electrolysis cells

Abstract Porous strontium doped lanthanum manganite (LSM)-yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) composite has been made by an impregnation method as oxygen electrodes for solid oxide electrolysis cells. X-ray diffraction and SEM results showed that LSM powders with well-crystallized perovskite phase uniformly distributed in the porous YSZ matrix. Impedance spectra and voltage-current density curves were measured as a function of absolute humidity at different temperatures to characterize the cell performance. The LSM infiltrated cell has an area specific resistance (ASR) of 0.20 Ω cm 2 at 900 °C at open circuit voltage with 50% absolute humidity (AH), which is relatively lower than that of the cell with LSM-YSZ oxygen electrode made by a conventionally mixing method. Electrolysis cell with LSM infiltrated oxygen electrode has demonstrated stable performance under electrolysis operation with 0.33 A/cm 2 and 50 vol.% AH at 800 °C.
CJ-21, 164, a New D-Glucose-6-phosphate Phosphohydrolase Inhibitor Produced by a Fungus Chloridium sp.

A new D-glucose-6-phosphate phosphohydrolase (G6Pase) inhibitor, CJ-21, 164 (I) was isolated from the fermentation broth of the fungus Chloridium sp. CL48903. The structure was elucidated to be a novel tetramer of the salicylic acid derivatives by spectroscopic analyses. Compound I inhibited G6Pase in rat liver microsomes with an IC50 of 1.6mM. Glucose output from hepatocytes isolated from rat liver was inhibited when I was present in the incubation medium, consistent with the role of I as a G6Pase inhibitor.
Prognosis in systemic lupus erythematosus

To assess the impact of demographic and clinical factors on prognosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we examined survivorship by life-table analysis in 389 patients. There were approximately equal numbers of Caucasian patients and American black patients in this study group. On both univariate and multivariate analyses, we found that both American black race and increasing age at SLE onset independently worsened the probability of survival. Of all the clinical factors we analyzed, thrombocytopenia emerged as the only independent risk factor for a worse prognosis in SLE. In all clinical and demographic groups considered, the leading cause of death was infection.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Grain Growth in Nanocrystalline Ni

Grain growth in nanocrystalline Ni has been simulated by molecular dynamics. The simulations show the creation of a high density of twin boundaries during the growth as well as the formation of vacancies consistent with recent experimental observations. The growth follows parabolic kinetics with the diameter increasing with the square root of time consistent with behavior of conventional scale metals but in disagreement with prior simulation results.
Entangled biphoton virtual-state spectroscopy of the A2Σ+–X2Π system of OH

Abstract This Letter describes the first application of entanglement-induced virtual-state spectroscopy to a molecular system. Non-classical, non-monotonic behavior in the two-photon absorption cross-section of the OH A–X system, induced by entangled photon pairs is theoretically demonstrated. A Fourier transform analysis of the biphoton cross-section permits access to the energy eigenvalues of intermediate rovibronic states with a fixed excitation energy. Our analysis reveals that the implementation of virtual-state spectroscopy of the OH A–X system requires tuning of the relative path delay τ e over a picosecond range with femtosecond resolution for a certain entanglement time T e .
Dietary fat and reduced prostate cancer mortality: does the type of fat matter?

There are 3 well-established risk factors for prostate cancer: race (specifically, African American race), family history, and age. Unfortunately, we cannot change our race or our parents nor can we stop time. Given this reality, there is much interest in identifying modifiable risk factors for prostate cancer. In a landmark study, Calle and colleagues followed up more than 900 000 persons for more than 16 years and found that obesity was linked with death from 17 different cancer types.1 Although prostate cancer was one of the cancers identified, its association with obesity was modest, with mildly obese (body mass index [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 30-34.9) and moderately obese (body mass index, 35-39.9) men being 20% and 34% more likely, respectively, to die of prostate cancer. Even so, given the large number of men who die annually of prostate cancer (258 100 worldwide and 32 600 in North America in 2008)2 and the high prevalence of obesity (35% in the United States in 2012),3 the association means that tens of thousands of men die annually of obesity-related prostate cancer. While the exact links between obesity and prostate cancer are complex, diet and lifestyle invariably play a role.
The 11.4 T hyperon bubble chamber, HYBUC

Abstract The Hyperon Bubble Chamber, HYBUC, was a 50 Hz rapid cycling 30 cm. high precision hydrogen chamber. HYBUC was the only successful high field chamber and its superconducting magnet was operated at fields over 11 T for more than 5000 hours at CERN. The current world averages for the sigma magnetic moment, lifetime and Σ decay parameters make extensive use of the HYBUC data. This lifetimes data also showed that elementary particle clocks are invariant to intense longitudinal acceleration.
Adrenal steroidogenesis in very low birth weight preterm infants

Adrenal steroidogenesis was evaluated in 25 sick premature infants with a gestational age of less than 30 weeks. ACTH stimulation tests were performed on the fourth day of life using synthetic ACTH (36 micrograms/kg). Considering the stress and degree of illness, preterm newborns had low basal cortisol levels (mean +/- SEM, 207.4 +/- 23.5 nmol/L), and their levels were similar to basal levels reported for healthy full-term newborns (170.7 +/- 26.8 nmol/L; P = 0.31; reference data from Endocrine Sciences, Inc., Calabasas Hills, CA). However, compared to term neonates, preterm infants had markedly elevated basal levels of 17-hydroxypregnenolone (54.3 +/- 11.2 nmol/L), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (19.7 +/- 4.0 nmol/L), and 11-deoxycortisol (19.1 +/- 3.3 nmol/L), which were 7-, 18-, and 8-fold higher, respectively, than values for term infants. The activity of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase was not significantly reduced in extremely premature neonates (mean basal ratio of 17-hydroxypregnenolone/17-hydroxyprogesterone, 2.9 +/- 0.2; ACTH-stimulated ratio, 6.5 +/- 0.4). In contrast, the mean basal substrate/product ratio of 11-deoxycortisol was markedly elevated in the preterm infants (11.9 +/- 2.2, ratio x 10(-2) compared to that in the full-term infants (2.1 +/- 0.4, ratio x 10(-2); P < 0.001). These findings are consistent with decreased activity of 11 beta-hydroxylase (11 beta OH) in preterm infants born at less than 30 weeks gestation. Decreased 11 beta OH activity appears to be more prominent than the deficiency of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase that has been found in infants with lesser degrees of prematurity, suggesting that 11 beta OH activity may be regulated during fetal development to increase during the latter part of gestation.
NMR-based metabolomics profile comparisons to distinguish between embryogenic and non-embryogenic callus tissue of sugarcane at the biochemical level

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics profile comparisons of embryogenic and non-embryogenic calli of sugarcane were performed using principal component analysis (PCA) to determine a possible relationship between certain metabolites and somatic embryogenesis. Mahalanobis distance (DM) analysis showed significant metabolic profile differences between the embryogenic and non-embryogenic callus groups. Significantly different spectral buckets and their corresponding metabolites have been identified using volcano- and loading-plot analyses, where glucose, fructose, sucrose, and alanine were observed at higher concentrations and asparagine, glutamine, lysine, 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, and choline were observed at lower concentrations in embryogenic calli than in non-embryogenic calli. The results of this research indicate possible roles of different sugars, amino acids, and aliphatic compounds during sugarcane somatic embryogenesis.
Effects of day of estrous cycle, time of day, luteolysis, and embryo on uterine contractility in mares

Abstract One-minute continuous ultrasonic scans of longitudinal sections of the uterine body were videotaped, and contractility scores (1 to 5, minimal to maximal contractility) were assigned without knowledge of mare identity, day of the estrous cycle or pregnancy status. Contractility was assessed, and plasma progesterone concentrations were determined for each of 3 daily examinations (at 0800, 1600 and 2400 hours) from Day 9 to Day 19 (Day 0 = day of ovulation). For both the nonbred (n=11) and pregnant (n=11) mares, there was no effect of hour of scan on the extent of uterine contractility. When data for the nonbred mares were normalized to the onset of luteolysis (defined for each mare as the first ≥25% decrease in plasma progesterone concentrations between successive samples), there was an abrupt increase (P 2 =0.77; P
On the Set of Umbilical Points of a Twistor‐Holomorphic Immersion Into R4

In [2] Th. Friedrich described a twistor-holomorphic immersion of a surface M2 into R4 by an explicit formula. Using this formula we prove a criterion for the property of a point of M2 to be umbilical. In the first section of this paper we explain the notion of a twistor-holomorphic immersion. In section two the explicit formula for a twistor-holomorphic immersion into R4 is described. The main result of this paper is formulated and proved in section three. In the last section two examples are studied with the help of the criterion of section three.
Pigment organization in the photosynthetic apparatus of Roseiflexus castenholzii.

Abstract The light-harvesting–reaction center (LHRC) complex from the chlorosome-lacking filamentous anoxygenic phototroph (FAP), Roseiflexus castenholzii ( R. castenholzii ) was purified and characterized for overall pigment organization. The LHRC is a single complex that is comprised of light harvesting (LH) and reaction center (RC) polypeptides as well as an attached c -type cytochrome. The dominant carotenoid found in the LHRC is keto-γ-carotene, which transfers excitation to the long wavelength antenna band with 35% efficiency. Linear dichroism and fluorescence polarization measurements indicate that the long wavelength antenna pigments absorbing around 880 nm are perpendicular to the membrane plane, with the corresponding Q y transition dipoles in the plane of the membrane. The antenna pigments absorbing around 800 nm, as well as the bound carotenoid, are oriented at a large angle with respect to the membrane. The antenna pigments spectroscopically resemble the well-studied LH2 complex from purple bacteria, however the close association with the RC makes the light harvesting component of this complex functionally more like LH1.
The effects of isotropic multiple scattering and surface albedo on the photochemistry of the troposphere

The present study is believed to be the first investigation which combines a detailed tropospheric photochemical model with a radiative code that realistically considers the important physical processes in the cloudless troposphere which control the transfer of incoming solar radiation. It is found in most cases that the inclusion of the multiple scattering code significantly alters the photolytic reaction frequencies. This in turn alters the vertical distribution of some key tropospheric species. In the case of ozone a decrease was found, while O(1D) and OH showed increased concentrations. The increases are especially evident for the species which are highly dependent on photolysis processes that occur shortward of about 320 nm. The photolysis frequencies for ozone photolysis calculated with the Anderson-Meier model are in general in excellent agreement with recent measurements
Trigeminal Inflammatory Compression (TIC) Injury Induces Chronic Facial Pain and Susceptibility to Anxiety-Related Behaviors

Our laboratory previously developed a novel neuropathic and inflammatory facial pain model for mice referred to as the Trigeminal Inflammatory Compression (TIC) model. Rather than inducing whole nerve ischemia and neuronal loss, this injury induces only slight peripheral nerve demyelination triggering long-term mechanical allodynia and cold hypersensitivity on the ipsilateral whisker pad. The aim of the present study is to further characterize the phenotype of the TIC injury model using specific behavioral assays (i.e. light-dark box, open field exploratory activity, and elevated plus maze) to explore pain- and anxiety-like behaviors associated with this model. Our findings determined that the TIC injury produces hypersensitivity 100% of the time after surgery that persists at least 21 weeks post injury (until the animals are euthanized). Three receptive field sensitivity pattern variations in mice with TIC injury are specified. Animals with TIC injury begin displaying anxiety-like behavior in the light-dark box preference and open field exploratory tests at week eight post injury as compared to sham and naive animals. Panic anxiety-like behavior was shown in the elevated plus maze in mice with TIC injury if the test was preceded with acoustic startle. Thus, in addition to mechanical and cold hypersensitivity, the present study identified significant anxiety-like behaviors in mice with TIC injury resembling the clinical symptomatology and psychosocial impairments of patients with chronic facial pain. Overall, the TIC injury model's chronicity, reproducibility, and reliability in producing pain- and anxiety-like behaviors demonstrate its usefulness as a chronic neuropathic facial pain model.
Evolving Era of Multidimensional Medical Imaging

Currently, computer-assisted imaging can visualize very fast or very slow nonvisible motion events. We can create measurable geometric representations of physiology, including transformation, blood flow velocity, perfusion, pressure, contractility, image features, electricity, metabolism, and a vast number of other constantly changing parameters. The greatest attribute is the ability to present physiologic phenomena as easily understood geometric images more suited to the human's four-dimensional comprehension of reality. The key research challenges are to discover new visual metaphors for representing information, understand the analysis tasks that they support, and associate relevant information to create new information.
Between a rock and a slippery slope: negotiating the intersections of religion and sexuality on network television's The Book of Daniel.

This article analyzes the television series The Book of Daniel, a program that shows in full relief the ways that current discourses of religion and sexuality converge to produce a particular type of gay subject. This subject, primarily male, might be understood as bound through an innate identity and commitment to the sanctity and reproduction of heteronormative institutions such as the church and state, which renders him assimilable into the social order. As homosexuality, per se, is no longer “outside” the normative order, the program constructs an unstable, nonbinary, and nonheteronormative other who is best understood as queer.
Oestradiol, sexual receptivity and cytosol progestin receptors in rat hypothalamus.

Oestradiol and progesterone regulate feminine reproductive behaviour in rodents. Their administration induces changes of biosynthetic activity in the hypothalamus1, one of which—the induction of progestin receptors—is correlated with the induction of sexual receptivity2–4, conveniently indicated (in the rat) by the lordosis reflex of the mounted female. We have attempted to define what might be considered as a minimal regime of oestradiol administration—one which is just ‘sufficient’ for activating the lordosis reflex—and have used this paradigm to measure associated changes in nuclear oestrogen (NOER) and cytosol progestin (CPRs) receptors in the mediobasal hypothalamus–preoptic area (MBH-POA) of the rat brain. We find that two 1-h exposures to oestradiol are sufficient to induce the lordosis reflex and to increase significantly CPRs in the MBH-POA. An essentially discontinuous pattern of NOERs in MBH-POA can promote these changes.
Rabbinic Theology and the Unconscious

Among the contributions of psychology to our understanding of religion, the concept of the unconscious has most significantly led us to recognize the profundity of man's nature. Perhaps that is why Carl Jung describes the unconscious in almost mystical terms in speaking of dreams as having the character of revelations and in writing of the human dread of the unconscious.1 Jung, in effect, echoes the ancient view of dreams as being divine revelations. The sphere of dreams also encompasses that almost mysterious realm which Freud has labeled the unconscious. Rabbinic literature deals with dreams in a remarkably contemporary way, recognizing both the manifest and the latent meanings of dreams, which include the differential between conscious and unconscious.2 A possible mode of compre hending the unconscious in rabbinic thought is through the myths created by the rabbis as they endeavored to fathom the paradox that was man. The rabbis attempted to comprehend the ambivalent nature of the psyche, which they characterized as being composed of both an "evil inclination" and a "good inclination" or impulse. Man was at once intensely personal and sensual as well as social and ascetic. In effect, man embraced equally the divine and the demonic. The perception of the unconscious as being awesome is strikingly close to the powerful rabbinic myths about the presence of God in man's life. The rabbis spoke of the Shekinah as God's power indwelling among men (literally, the term Shekinah comes from the word "to dwell"). Through an examination of the way the rabbis used the term Shekinah to denote God's presence in the world, we can come to understand the rabbinic view of the unconscious as one manifestation of God's being in the world. Before we can proceed with this investigation, however, we must clarify some salient points about the function and value of myth. Henry A. Murray, a psychoanalyst and student of mythology, offers a definition of myth which appears relevant to our study of the Shekinah. Murray's definitions are arranged according to the aspects of myth, under each of which one or more
Social responsibility, individualism, and redistributive policies

Previous research supports the “consensus on individualism” hypothesis, which holds that most Americans value hard work and self-reliance, perceive an open opportunity structure, and as a result, oppose redistributive policies, whether targeted by race or designed to help the poor in general. In contrast, this paper shows that one form of egalitarianism, a sense of social responsibility, remains a potent American value. Factor analysis of 18 stratification belief items from the 1984 General Social Survey results in two dimensions—one involving social responsibility and the other economic individualism. Social responsibility is the more powerful predictor of redistributive policy attitudes. Individuals who place a higher priority on social responsibility than on individualism are more likely than those with the opposite priorities to support redistributive policies, but are also disproportionately low income, black, and less politically active. These results suggest that economic individualism appears a hegemonic value in the United States partly because of the lack of political influence and low socioeconomic status of those most committed to social responsibility beliefs.
Modulation of drug use in southern farming communities: social origins of poly-use.

Popular images of users who are overly fond of a "drug of choice" are belied by the experience of those who seek or become aware of varied effects from multiple forms of use. Based on fieldwork and ethnographic interviews, this article discusses poly-use by men and women who sequentially use new lifetime drugs; temporarily replace drugs over seasonal agricultural cycles that inhibit a schedule of regular use; pace use by days of the week; and/or mix drugs prior to and/or during a drug session. User narratives from farming communities of the southern United States highlight a poly-use discourse that accentuates knowledge of bodily effects that move beyond that of a mono-drug high. This individualization of self-experience is compelled by seasonal cycles of irregular and uncertain employment, residential dislocation, and strenuous physical labor, which often result in voluntary discontinuation, adjusted practices, and new routes of administration. For some, periodic incarceration results in forced cessation...
17O and 14N NMR studies of the Co(II), Cu(II) and Mn(II) complexes of l-proline in aqueous solution

Abstract The 17 O and 14 N paramagnetic transverse relaxation time and chemical shift of proline as well as of water, in aqueous solutions of Co(II), Cu(II) and Mn(II) were measured as a function of pH, temperature, and metal ion concentration. The relaxation results were fitted to a theoretical equation linking the Swift-Connick equation to the stability constants of the major complexes in equilibrium. Stability constants for the major complexes of the three ions in this work were determined, along with thermodynamic parameters for some of the complexes. Two complexes of Co(II) were detected directly by 17 O NMR at basic pH, and were assigned to CoPrO 2 and CoPro 3 − . The hyperfine coupling constant for these two complexes, A / h , was determined directly from the isotropic shift and was found to be −0.63 and −0.31 MHz, respectively. CoPrO 2 could be detected in the pH range 6–12, for Co(II) concentrations greater than 0.04 M, and its chemical shift was around 700 ppm downfield from free proline, at 300 K. CoPro 3 − was detected only at pH 11, in the temperature range 275–284 K, with a chemical shift of 390 ppm downfield from free proline.
The Consequences of Campaign Agendas

Theories of candidate agendas suggest two potentially conflicting imperatives for candidates: focus on issues that their party “owns” or on issues that are salient to the public. The implication is that candidates may ultimately lose votes for ignoring either or both of these imperatives. However, no systematic test of either theory exists. This article provides a fuller test using candidate advertising data from the 1998, 2000, and 2002 House and Senate elections and finds that neither theory is supported. Candidates did not consistently emphasize owned or salient issues in any of these elections. Moreover, candidate agendas have little effect on electoral outcomes. These results highlight the need for more nuanced theories of candidate strategy.
Factors influencing financial performance of small hotels in Tanzania

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to investigate the factors influencing financial performance of small hotels, particularly in developing countries like Tanzania.Design/methodology/approach – This investigation used financial ratio analysis on business performance data collected from small hotels in Tanzania through face‐to‐face interviews. Currently there is no existing data on such aspects of the hotel industry in Tanzania. As a consequence, Arusha region was selected as the sample for this study due to a significant amount of hospitality industry activity in this area.Findings – Findings of this investigation suggest that operating factors in small hotels such as inefficiencies due to lack of employee training, low investments in fixed assets and technology may be equally responsible for low profitability as are government policies that ignore appropriate emphasis on ensuring safety and security, and quick processing of licenses and permits.Research limitations/implications – Even though this is...
An enhanced sparse representation strategy for signal classification

Sparse representation based classification (SRC) has achieved state-of-the-art results on face recognition. It is hence desired to extend its power to a broader range of classification tasks in pattern recognition. SRC first encodes a query sample as a linear combination of a few atoms from a predefined dictionary. It then identifies the label by evaluating which class results in the minimum reconstruction error. The effectiveness of SRC is limited by an important assumption that data points from different classes are not distributed along the same radius direction. Otherwise, this approach will lose their discrimination ability, even though data from different classes are actually well-separated in terms of Euclidean distance. This assumption is reasonable for face recognition as images of the same subject under different intensity levels are still considered to be of same-class. However, the assumption is not always satisfied when dealing with many other real-world data, e.g., the Iris dataset, where classes are stratified along the radius direction. In this paper, we propose a new coding strategy, called Nearest- Farthest Neighbors based SRC (NF-SRC), to effectively overcome the limitation within SRC. The dictionary is composed of both the Nearest Neighbors and the Farthest Neighbors. While the Nearest Neighbors are used to narrow the selection of candidate samples, the Farthest Neighbors are employed to make the dictionary more redundant. NF-SRC encodes each query signal in a greedy way similar to OMP. The proposed approach is evaluated over extensive experiments. The encouraging results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.
Psychological Factors and Pet Measured Glucose Metabolism in Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy

We compared 29 olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) patients on psychiatric rating scales, cognitive tests, and positron emission tomography to 12 normal volunteers with similar age and sex distributions. The patients were generally comparable to normals in cognitive function, but poorer on psychomotor tasks. They had significantly different scores on formal self-report scales than the normals, indicating a greater degree of self-complaint. Analyses of the components of self-complaint suggested that illness-related concerns accounted for most of the differences between the groups. The magnitude of self-complaint was significantly and specifically correlated with the level of glucose metabolism in the frontal cerebral cortex of OPCA patients. These results may be attributed to a combination of biological and experiential factors. The level of patient complaint may be influenced by organic brain dysfunction reflected in metabolism and emotional disturbance, whereas the content of complaint may be specific to...
European Lean Gasoline Direct Injection Vehicle Benchmark

Lean Gasoline Direct Injection (LGDI) combustion is a promising technical path for achieving significant improvements in fuel efficiency while meeting future emissions requirements. Though Stoichiometric Gasoline Direct Injection (SGDI) technology is commercially available in a few vehicles on the American market, LGDI vehicles are not, but can be found in Europe. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) obtained a European BMW 1-series fitted with a 2.0l LGDI engine. The vehicle was instrumented and commissioned on a chassis dynamometer. The engine and after-treatment performance and emissions were characterized over US drive cycles (Federal Test Procedure (FTP), the Highway Fuel Economy Test (HFET), and US06 Supplemental Federal Test Procedure (US06)) and steady state mappings. The vehicle micro hybrid features (engine stop-start and intelligent alternator) were benchmarked as well during the course of that study. The data was analyzed to quantify the benefits and drawbacks of the lean gasoline direct injection and micro hybrid technologies from a fuel economy and emissions perspectives with respect to the US market. Additionally that data will be formatted to develop, substantiate, and exercise vehicle simulations with conventional and advanced powertrains.
A Stochastic Technique that Computes Electrostatic Solvation and Binding Free Energies in the Generalized Born Model with Exact Born Radii

A stochastic generalized Born (GB) solver is presented whose predictions converge to those given by exact GB radii to arbitrary precision. By solving for the Born radii stochastically, the exact Born radii can be computed without the need for multiple expensive deterministic calculations. In addition, although the proposed method strictly works only on a van der Waals surface, it can be modified to closely match the predictions of the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation on a solvent-excluded (SE) surface by determining prior to the calculation which spheres are not solvent exposed in the SE surface and inflating these spheres by the probe radius. Additionally, because the predictions of this method can be made arbitrarily close to those given by exact Born radii, this method can be used to evaluate the ability of the Born approximation to reproduce the electrostatic binding free energy given by the Poisson-Boltzmann equation independently of the approximations usually made to derive the Born radii. This study presents the results of such an investigation for a broad range of biomolecular complexes.
Hypotensive and Other Cardiovascular Effects of Arachidonic Acid in Rabbits

Intravenous administration of arachidonic acid lowers systemic arterial pressure in conscious and anesthetized rabbits. This hypotensive response does not show tachyphylaxis and is blocked by aspirin. The hypotension on i.v. administration is due to both a decrease in cardiac output and a decrease in systemic vascular resistance. The decrease in cardiac output is accompanied by a severe pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure. Upon i.a. arachidonic acid administration, the hypotension is due to a decrease in systemic vascular resistance. It is proposed that arachidonic acid is transformed predominantly into a vasoconstrictor metabolite in the pulmonary vascular bed and vasodilator metabolite in the systemic vascular bed. The nature of the metabolite remains to be established.
Prospects for gravitational-wave observations of neutron-star tidal disruption in neutron-star-black-hole binaries.

For an inspiraling neutron-star--black-hole (NS-BH) binary, we estimate the gravity-wave frequency ${f}_{\mathrm{td}}$ at the onset of NS tidal disruption. We model the NS as a tidally distorted, homogeneous, Newtonian ellipsoid on a circular, equatorial geodesic around a Kerr BH. We find that ${f}_{\mathrm{td}}$ depends strongly on the NS radius $R$, and estimate that LIGO-II (ca. 2006--2008) might measure $R$ to $15%$ precision at 140 Mpc ( $\ensuremath{\sim}1\mathrm{event}/\mathrm{yr}$ under current estimates). This suggests that LIGO-II might extract valuable information about the NS equation of state from tidal-disruption waves.
D-BIND: an accurate traffic model for providing QoS guarantees to VBR traffic

Variable bit-rate traffic that requires a bounded-delay network service is one of the most important types of traffic in future integrated services networks. We introduce a new deterministic traffic model called deterministic bounding interval-length dependent (D-BIND) to capture the important multiplexing properties of bursty streams. With the D-BIND model, clients specify their traffic to the network via multiple rate-interval pairs (R/sub k/, I/sub k/), where a rate R/sub k/ is a bounding or worst case rate over every interval of length I/sub k/. The model captures the intuitive property that, over longer interval lengths, a source may be bounded by a rate lower than its peak rate and closer to its long-term average rate. We analyze the new model in the context of a deterministic service, and we quantify its performance benefits using a set of experiments with traces of MPEG-compressed video. We show that D-BIND's more accurate characterization of traffic streams leads to substantial improvements in network utilization as compared to previous traffic models.
Predicted highly expressed genes in the genomes of Streptomyces coelicolor and Streptomyces avermitilis and the implications for their metabolism

Highly expressed genes in bacteria often have a stronger codon bias than genes expressed at lower levels, due to translational selection. In this study, a comparative analysis of predicted highly expressed (PHX) genes in the Streptomyces coelicolor and Streptomyces avermitilis genomes was performed using the codon adaptation index (CAI) as a numerical estimator of gene expression level. Although it has been suggested that there is little heterogeneity in codon usage in G+C-rich bacteria, considerable heterogeneity was found among genes in these two G+C-rich Streptomyces genomes. Using ribosomal protein genes as references, approximately 10% of the genes were predicted to be PHX genes using a CAI cutoff value of greater than 0.78 and 0.75 in S. coelicolor and S. avermitilis, respectively. The PHX genes showed good agreement with the experimental data on expression levels obtained from proteomic analysis by previous workers. Among 724 and 730 PHX genes identified from S. coelicolor and S. avermitilis, 368 are orthologue genes present in both genomes, which were mostly 'housekeeping' genes involved in cell growth. In addition, 61 orthologous gene pairs with unknown functions were identified as PHX. Only one polyketide synthase gene from each Streptomyces genome was predicted as PHX. Nevertheless, several key genes responsible for producing precursors for secondary metabolites, such as crotonyl-CoA reductase and propionyl-CoA carboxylase, and genes necessary for initiation of secondary metabolism, such as adenosylmethionine synthetase, were among the PHX genes in the two Streptomyces species. The PHX genes exclusive to each genome, and what they imply regarding cellular metabolism, are also discussed.
Enhancing PCR amplification of DNA from recalcitrant plant specimens using a trehalose-based additive.

Premise of the study: PCR amplification of DNA extracted from plants is sometimes difficult due to the presence of inhibitory compounds. An effective method to overcome the inhibitory effect of compounds that contaminate DNA from difficult plant specimens is needed. Methods and Results: The effectiveness of a PCR additive reagent containing trehalose, bovine serum albumin (BSA), and polysorbate-20 (Tween-20) (TBT-PAR) was tested. PCR of DNA extracted from fresh, silica-dried, and herbarium leaf material of species of Achariaceae, Asteraceae, Lacistemataceae, and Samydaceae that failed using standard techniques were successful with the addition of TBT-PAR. Conclusions: The addition of TBT-PAR during routine PCR is an effective method to improve amplification of DNA extracted from herbarium specimens or plants that are known to contain PCR inhibitors.
Ambient Ozone Primes Pulmonary Innate Immunity in Mice

Exposure to ozone in air pollution in urban environments is associated with increases in pulmonary-related hospitalizations and mortality. Because ozone also alters clearance of pulmonary bacterial pathogens, we hypothesized that inhalation of ozone modifies innate immunity in the lung. To address our hypothesis, we exposed C57BL/6J mice to either free air or ozone, and then subsequently challenged with an aerosol of Escherichia coli LPS. Pre-exposure to ozone resulted in enhanced airway hyperreactivity, higher concentrations of both total protein and proinflammatory cytokines in lung lavage fluid, enhanced LPS-mediated signaling in lung tissue, and higher concentrations of serum IL-6 following inhalation of LPS. However, pre-exposure to ozone dramatically reduced inflammatory cell accumulation to the lower airways in response to inhaled LPS. The reduced concentration of cells in the lower airways was associated with enhanced apoptosis of both lung macrophages and systemic circulating monocytes. Moreover, both flow cytometry and confocal microscopy indicate that inhaled ozone causes altered distribution of TLR4 on alveolar macrophages and enhanced functional response to endotoxin by macrophages. These observations indicate that ozone exposure increases both the pulmonary and the systemic biologic response to inhaled LPS by priming the innate immune system.
Social protection for migrants from the Pacific Islands in Australia and New Zealand

This report studies the social protection for migrants from the Pacific Islands in their host countries of Australia and New Zealand. The report focuses on the access for migrants to social services in the host countries and provisions for the portability of entitlements, particularly superannuation and health benefits, between host and home countries. It describes the current legal provisions for access to social services, portability of entitlements, and implementation of these provisions in the relevant countries, analyzes shortcomings, and draws policy conclusions.
Nanoengineered quantum dot medium for space optoelectronic devices

Resistance to temperature and ionizing radiation of space optoelectronic devices can be improved through control of carrier kinetics in nanoscale systems. Recent results in the science and technology of self-assembled heteroepitaxial InAs quantum dot (QD) medium related to photonic applications are discussed. Focus is placed on management of carrier kinetics via nanoengineering of electronic spectrum and potential profiles in the QD ensemble using modeling and controlled fabrication of QDs with molecular beam epitaxy. Shape-engineered QD sheets embedded into GaAs quantum wells were found to withstand two orders of magnitude higher proton dose than QWs and to account for high luminescence efficiency and thermally stable laser diodes. Built-in charge in QDs is responsible for improvement of both near and mid-IR optical absorption, but also control photoelectron lifetime in the structures. The negatively charged QD medium was the first QD material that has recently shown credible improvement of solar cell efficiency. It has resulted from IR energy harvesting and suppressed fast electron capture processes. It is thus expected that QD InAs/GaAs photovoltaics will overcome the efficiency and lifespan of multi-junction solar cells. Potentials due to QD built-in charge are also responsible for improved photoelectron lifetime in QD infrared photodetectors. QD correlated clusters provide even higher collective potential barriers around clusters and constitute the novel approach to the optoelectronic materials combining manageable photoelectron lifetime, high mobility, and tunable localized and conducting states.
Amborella trichopoda (Amborellaceae) and the evolutionary developmental origins of the angiosperm progamic phase

A remarkable number of the defining features of flowering plants are expressed during the life history stage between pollination and fertilization. Hand pollinations of Amborella trichopoda (Amborellaceae) in New Caledonia show that when the stigma is first receptive, the female gametophyte is near maturity. Pollen germinates within 2 h, and pollen tubes with callose walls and plugs grow entirely within secretions from stigma to stylar canal and ovarian cavity. Pollen tubes enter the micropyle within 14 h, and double fertilization occurs within 24 h. Hundreds of pollen tubes grow to the base of the stigma, but few enter the open stylar canal. New data from Amborella, combined with a review of fertilization biology of other early-divergent angiosperms, show that an evolutionary transition from slow reproduction to rapid reproduction occurred early in angiosperm history. I identify increased pollen tube growth rates within novel secretory carpel tissues as the primary mechanism for such a shift. The opportunity for prezygotic selection through interactions with the stigma is also an important innovation. Pollen tube wall construction and substantial modifications of the ovule and its associated structures greatly facilitated a new kind of reproductive biology.