cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What are they made up of today? A look at engineering education in developing nations with Nigeria as a case study

The huge amounts of demolition debris (DD) in Gaza Strip cause environmental, social and economical problems. The socio-economic development in Gaza Strip is also threatened by the depletion of natural aggregates. Such conditions necessitate the use of demolition debris waste (DDW) as aggregates in new concrete mixes. Concrete cylindrical specimens of 250 kg/cm2 characteristic strength made of DD were tested to determine the creep behavior of that concrete. The main variables were the type and percent of replacement of demolition debris aggregates in its saturated surface dry conditions. The study concluded that concrete with natural sand and RA1 (recycled coarse aggregate from crushed concrete fragments only) provided 32.8% higher creep strain than that of natural aggregate concrete while concrete with recycled fine aggregate and RA1 provided 79% higher strain than that of natural aggregate concrete. In addition, concrete with recycled fine aggregates and RA2 (recycled coarse aggregate from all crushed demolition fragments) provided 118% higher creep strain compared to natural aggregate concrete.
The Nature and Extent of Post-Reward Crowding-Out: The ‘Effort-Balancing’ Account

Although incentives can be a powerful motivator of behavior, research on intrinsic motivation has suggested that rewards can crowd-out task interest, reducing engagement when rewards end. This research has resulted in widespread skepticism among practitioners and academics alike about using incentives in interventions. However, recent field studies examining the long-term effects of temporary incentives have not found such effects. We propose a new Effort-Balancing account, which suggests that post-reward crowding-out often represents the need for a ‘break’ after investing effort, rather than a change in interpretation of the task or beliefs about own preferences. As a result, post-reward crowding-out is relatively momentary and consistent with longer-term neutral or positive spillover effects of temporary incentives. We test a series of novel predictions, including that momentary crowding-out will be reduced when efforts are more balanced by rewards (e.g., higher reward magnitude or a less effortful activity) or when people are given a break. The implications of momentary crowding-out for long-term behavior and design of incentive programs are discussed.
A Field Study of Growth in Microtus pennsylvanicus

The genus Microtus is of great and widespread importance to agriculturalists and students of animal ecology because of its periodic fluctuations in numbers. That the often cited, extremely high reproductive potential indicated by Bailey (1924) for M. pennsylvanicus is seldom attained in nature and that deviations from the potential vary in different stages of population development was indicated by Hamilton (1937 a ). A detailed knowledge of the factors influencing reproductive rate, therefore, is essential to an understanding of population dynamics. One of these factors is growth rate. Growth rate not only affects the ontogeny of the individual, but its effects are transmitted directly to the population. Laboratory studies of growth and development have been conducted by Ranson (1934) and others for M. agrestis , by Selle (1928) and Hatfield (1935) for M. californicus , by Bodenheimer (1941) for M. guentheri , by Morrison, et al. (1954) for M. oeconomus , by Cowan and Arsenault (1954) for M. oregoni , and by Hamilton (1937b, 1941) for M. pennsylvanicus . In general, these studies have indicated a rapid early growth averaging between 0.6 grams per day for the small M. oregoni to 1.0 grams per day for the large M. californicus . Female Microtus may begin to breed at an age of 3 to 4 weeks, and the male a week or two later. A period of relative sterility following puberty is recognized by Bodenheimer and by Cowan and Arsenault and is suggested for the male by Leslie and Ranson (1940). The young of M. oregoni born after late July do not attain puberty during the same season, and mice born late in the season grow slower than earlier captive litters. Field studies on M. pennsylvanicus have been conducted by Hamilton (1937 b , 1941) who indicates agreement …
Discrimination with variable interval and continuous reinforcement schedules

Pigeons learned a three-stimulus size discrimination with either CRF and discrete trials or a VI schedule and free operant conditions. They were then given transposition tests with other sets of three stimuli. While the procedures maintained different levels of accuracy in the discrimination of the training stimuli, both showed that behavior was controlled by the specific sizes of the stimuli
Reconstitution of Potassium-Coupled Substrate Transport in an Archaeal Homologue of Glutamate Transporters

Excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate is packaged into vesicles in presynaptic neurons and is released into the synaptic cleft via exocytosis upon arrival of the action potential. Following activation of the receptors on postsynaptic neurons, glutamate is rapidly removed from the cleft to prevent excitotoxicity. Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) uptake glutamate into the cytoplasm of glial cells and neurons via a process coupled to symport of three Na+ ions and a proton and antiport of one K+ ion. Studies on an archaeal homologue GltPh elucidated key mechanistic aspects of Na+ symport, including the location of Na+ binding sites and the mechanisms of Na+-mediated transporter gating and coupled binding of the substrate. In contrast, the mechanism of coupling to K+ antiport remains largely unknown. Previous studies on K+ coupling were largely based on ‘loss-of-function’ mutations of EAATs and appeared inconclusive because a surprising number of mutations disrupted coupling. To elucidate K+ coupling mechanism, we pursued a ‘gain-of-function’ approach where we aimed to reconstitute coupling in K+-independent GltPh. Toward this end, we engineered “humanized” GltPh variants bearing several modifications to closer resemble EAATs. One of the variants showed substrate uptake in proteoliposomes that was strongly dependent on the presence of internal K+. Using isothermal titration calorimetry, we further show that K+ ions inhibit substrate binding to this variant but not to the wild type GltPh. Taken together with our previous structural studies, these data allow us to propose a mechanism of K+ coupling in mammalian glutamate transporters.
Protective effect of memantine hydrochloride on optic nerve damage in rabbits

Objective To study the protective effects of memantine hydrochloride on damaged optic nerve in rabbits.Methods Sixty-six healthy rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups which were control group(group A,18 rabbits),injured NS group(group B,24 rabbits) and injury treatment group(group C,24 rabbits).Group B and C were randomly divided into two groups of only injuries(group B1,18 rabbits),injury treatment group(group B2,6 rabbits),group C1(18 rabbits),group C2(6 rabbits).Rabbits in group B and C were made optic nerve injury model.Each rabit in group C received memantine hydrochloride drug treatment with daily dose of 10 mg and once daily morning to all drugs.Each rabit in group B received normal saline.Respectively,three rabbits in group A,group B1 and group C1 were randomly killed at 1,3,7,14,21,28 day after optic nerve injuried to detect changes in retinal concentrations of glutamate.In group B2 and group C2,1 rabbit was killed to detect the retina pathological changes.Results After optic nerve injury(group B and group C) glutamate concentration increased rapidly in rabbits retina,compared with the control group A,all P0.05.Glutamate concentration was significantly lower in C group than group B(P0.05).Conclusion Glutamate receptor antagonist memantine hydrochloride can reduce retinal glutamate concentration and optic nerve cell apoptosis.
The mec-8 gene of C. elegans encodes a protein with two RNA recognition motifs and regulates alternative splicing of unc-52 transcripts

Mutations in the mec-8 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans were previously shown to affect the functions of body wall muscle and mechanosensory and chemosensory neurons. Mutations in mec-8 also strongly enhance the mutant phenotype of specific mutations in unc-52, a gene that encodes, via alternative splicing of pre-mRNA, a set of basement membrane proteins, homologs of perlecan, that are important for body wall muscle assembly and attachment to basement membrane, hypodermis and cuticle. We have cloned mec-8 and found that it encodes a protein with two RNA recognition motifs, characteristic of RNA binding proteins. We have used reverse transcription-PCR and RNase protection experiments to show that mec-8 regulates the accumulation of a specific subset of alternatively spliced unc-52 transcripts. We have also shown with antibodies to UNC-52 that mec-8 affects the abundance of a subset of UNC-52 isoforms. We propose that mec-8 encodes a trans-acting factor that regulates the alternative splicing of the pre-mRNA of unc-52 and one or more additional genes that affect mechanosensory and chemosensory neuron function.
Critical P O 2 of skeletal muscle in vivo

The main purpose of this study was to determine the interstitial oxygen tension at which aerobic metabolism becomes limited (critical P O 2 ) in vivo in resting skeletal muscle. Using an intravital...
Web server: side programming assignments

In this paper, we describe the experience of assigning various web server-side programming projects. Most of these projects were developed for two undergraduate computer science courses: Design of Database Systems and Software Tools. Web server-side technologies used in these projects include CGI using Perl, Microsoft's Active Server Pages and Allaire's Cold Fusion. The merits and suitability of using these technologies on programming assignments are discussed together with support issues and recommendations.
A call for more diverse sources of data: Variationist approaches in non-English contexts

Over the past 50 years, variationist sociolinguists have taken the influential ideas and pioneering methods of Labov (1966) to many locations around the world. But the majority of variationist research still focuses on English and other European languages, rather than lesser-studied language communities. Like other subfields of linguistics, the variationist paradigm needs to continually explore new data from a range of languages. The present article examines how the principles and methods of Labov (1966) have been applied to non-English language communities, testing the impact and relevance of those half-century-old notions in new and sociolinguistically diverse settings, and calling for more research in new field sites.
The Benefits and Costs of Employee Interactions with the Public: An Integrative Model

Two areas of research approach employee interactions with the public in different ways; research on emotional labor and burnout describes it as solely harmful, while research on job design consider...
Political ecology of movement: trekking and territoriality among the Kayapó

One key strand of political ecology inquiry draws attention to different scalar aspects of territorial control and environmental governance, especially as they relate to inequity, power, and marginality in the rural South. Simultaneously, in the past several decades scholars have argued for a more meaningful engagement with space and place, as global forces of capitalism and geographies of difference make and unmake places in surprising and often violent ways. In this article, I interweave political ecology and anthropology of space and place approaches to territorial practices in the Brazilian Amazon to demonstrate how multiscalar politics of territorial retention and use are layered alongside local, spatial practices. In the Brazilian Amazon, indigenous rights are closely linked to the territorial demarcation and protection of federally defined Indigenous Lands. To that end, a general pattern has been observed across Amazonia that colonization and state-making agendas regarding territorial control have coincided to an increased sedentism of indigenous peoples. This narrative elides the present and ongoing importance local ideas about territories and place have for indigenous communities. Ethnographic data from research with the Kayapo, an indigenous group in Brazil, is presented to draw attention to the complexities of the local responses to the past several decades of change that have resulted in a federally defined territorial homeland and shifting spatial practices within those lands. The Kayapo response is a particularly well-suited case study for this type of analysis, as the tribe is known ethnographically for their fissioning and trekking patterns. I show that movement, mobility, and travel still figure into everyday practices in meaningful ways. While far from homogenous, movement through the landscape is part of responding to current demands to their ways of life. I also argue that travel also affirms the Kayapo notions of knowing (kukradja), beauty (me), and strength (tycht). Keywords: political ecology, Amazonia, travel, territoriality, space and place
Christie Davies and substantive reality

The paper offers a substantive view of humor and claims that Davies' comparison of humor testifies to his interest in substance as well.
Regulation of de novo Purine Synthesis in the Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome

The deficiency of hypoxanthine guanine-phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) activity of patients with the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome is accompanied by an accelerated rate of purine biosynthesis de novo. This elevated rate of purine biosynthesis is reflected in fibroblasts cultured from the skin of these patients and is accompanied by elevated levels of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP).
A novel pyrazoloquinoline that interacts with brain benzodiazepine receptors: Characterization of some in vitro and in vivo properties of CGS 9896.

The novel pyrazoloquinoline, CGS, 9896, was a potent inhibitor of specific [3H]-flunitrazepam binding in several brain regions with subnanomolar KI values. The inhibition of [3H] propyl beta-carboline-3-carboxylate ([3H]-PCC-) binding by CGS 9896 was enhanced by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) but not by chloride ion. GABA enhancement of CGS 9896 inhibition of [3H]-PCC binding predicts this compound has benzodiazepine (BZD) agonist-type activity. Behavioral studies support this prediction. CGS 9896 was found to protect mice against bicuculline and metrazol induced seizure at doses that did not induce ataxia or sedation. CGS 9896 may represent a class of compounds with potential therapeutic value. The high affinity of this non-BZD compound suggests that CGS 9896 may also be of value as a high affinity ligand for the continued study of BZD receptors.
Free-piston Stirling engine-driven heat pump program plan

Stirling engine driven heat pumps are one of the most attractive potential products based on Stirling engines. Their many advantages in efficiency, fuel adaptability, quietness, compactness, controllability and potential for high reliability are well known. This paper briefly reviews these advantages, then turns to key technical concerns in Sterling engine driven heat pump development. These have been organized into an effective development program that will require about $4 million per year for 8 years to complete basic research, component development, and an estimated 3 generations of system hardware. The planning effort was directed by the Building Equipment Division of the DOE Office of Buildings and Communities Systems. 7 refs., 2 figs.
The Justice of Distributing Scarce and Abundant Resources

Questions as to the fairest way of allocating resources arise in all social activities, and the way these ubiquitious questions are answered can have critical, widereaching impact on the individuals concerned and on society in general. The profundity of such questions comes into clear focus when the supply of resources in question is inadequate to meet all claims. Examples range from seemingly ordinary matters of allocating journal pages to authors (Latane, 1979) or deciding which little leaguers will get to play baseball, through more far-reaching concerns of how gasoline will be rationed (Pauly & Walcott, 1979) or whether veterans should be given preferences for civil service hiring (Labich, LaBrecque, & Camper, 1979). Consider also the tragic choices of who will be drafted into the armed services (U.S. National Advisory Commission on Selective Service, 1967), which women should bear children (Berelson, 1974), or who will be given access to hemodialysis machines and other scarce medical resources (Katz, 1973; “Scarce Medical Resources,” 1969).
Assessing social and biophysical drivers of spontaneous plant diversity and structure in urban vacant lots

Vacant lots are typically viewed as urban blight but are also green spaces that provide wildlife habitat and ecosystem services in urban landscapes. Vacant lot vegetation results from interacting biophysical and social forces, and studying vacant lot ecology is an opportunity to examine urban socio-environmental intersections. Here, we assess vegetation patterns in vacant lots across Chicago, IL (USA), and ask two questions: 1) How does diversity and structure vary, and 2) how do social and biophysical drivers contribute to this variation? We conducted vegetation surveys in 35 vacant lots in the summer of 2015. In each lot, we identified all herbaceous plants (excluding turf grasses) and woody seedlings and measured species richness, evenness, vegetation height, and total vegetated area. We used field sampled data about human activities and land use in vacant lots (e.g., presence of a path, trash and turf), coupled with sociodemographic data (e.g., income, ethnicity), and fine-scale land cover to construct two models for each vegetation measure: a best-fit biophysical model and a best-fit social model. We then used variation partitioning to compare the relative strength of these models and any overlap between them. In total, we identified 109 plant species. Species evenness was high, suggesting that there are few rare species in this system. Species richness and vegetation height were better explained by social models, while vegetated area and evenness were better explained by biophysical models. We saw evidence of overlapping explanatory power between the social and biophysical domains. The amount of trash in a lot was the most significant variable, explaining three of our vegetation measures. Lots with higher amounts of trash had higher richness and evenness, and lower vegetated area. This assessment of patterns of vegetation in Chicago's vacant lots provides insight into how habitat differs across the city and informs urban conservation paradigms.
Drones: what everyone needs to know

By 2020, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expects to incorporate 30,000 drones in the United States (US) National airspace as the billion-dollar market for commercial drones increases in b...
Obstetric Violence as Reproductive Governance in the Dominican Republic

A human rights violation, obstetric violence encompasses numerous forms of mistreatment against women giving birth in health care facilities. Based on this framework, we conducted open-ended exit interviews with 43 women who had given birth at either one of the two largest public maternity hospitals in the Dominican Republic. Women's narratives revealed a contrast between scholarly definitions of obstetric violence and their own perceptions of receiving abusive care. Analyzing obstetric violence as a form of reproductive governance and the adaptive preference that ensues helps explain why most women accepted with endurance the poor quality of care that they received.
Enhanced room temperature stretch formability of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet by laser shock peening

Abstract Laser shock peening (LSP) experiments were conducted on an AZ31B Mg alloy sheet. The results show that the room-temperature stretch formability of Mg alloy sheet can be enhanced by LSP, particularly through an integrated texture weakening and grain refinement effect induced by the laser shock loading.
Understanding Multi-Axis SRS Testing Results

This paper presents a study done on a round resonant plate fixture used for Shock Response Spectrum (SRS) testing. The goal of this study was to understand the magnitude and character of both on axis and off-axis, with respect to shock input, response of the plate at various locations. The resonant plate was modeled using linear FEA as well as tested experimentally. Tools and approaches based on modal decomposition were developed to understand how the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the structure contribute to the SRS response at a given point and direction on the fixture and/or plate. It is seen that in some instances, the off-axis SRS response can have both a higher amplitude response as well as a different “knee” frequency which can make meeting a designated SRS target very difficult. It is shown that by understanding the modal properties of the plate/fixture assembly, the SRS results can be understood. These results will lead to the capability to predict both the on axis and off-axis SRS response for a given input/output set of locations and eventually the ability to choose the ideal locations to achieve a set of on and off-axis SRS responses to meet a given criteria.
Prospective Evaluation of the Posterior Tissue Envelope and Anterior Capsule After Anterior Total Hip Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background Femoral exposure for direct anterior approach (DAA) total hip arthroplasty (THA) invariably requires posterior soft tissue releases. Released posterior structures cannot be repaired. The purpose of this study is to describe the frequency and anatomic consequences of DAA THA posterior soft tissue releases and to compare the appearance of the anterior capsule between a group of patients who had capsulotomy and repair versus capsulectomy. Methods Thirty-two DAA THA patients underwent metal artifact reduction sequence magnetic resonance imaging at discharge and 1-year follow-up. Seventeen had underwent capsulotomy and repair and 15 capsulectomy. A radiologist blinded to intraoperative data scored each metal artifact reduction sequence magnetic resonance imaging. Anterior capsular integrity, status of the piriformis and conjoint tendons, and muscle atrophy were graded. Descriptive statistics were performed to analyze results. Results Immediately postoperatively, 75% of piriformis tendons were intact and 38% of conjoined tendons were intact. At 1 year, 97% had an intact piriformis and conjoined tendon, although many were in continuity through scar with the capsule. The posterior capsule directly contacted bone in all patients. At 1 year, none of the patients who underwent capsulotomy with repair had persistent anterior capsule defects, while 27% in the capsulectomy group had persistent defects. Conclusion Posterior capsule and conjoined tendon releases were commonly performed during DAA THA, yet continuity with bone was frequently achieved at 1 year. In this study, capsulotomy with repair resulted in no anterior capsular defects when compared with capsulectomy. These results may support improved THA stability observed after DAA with capsular repair despite posterior soft tissue releases. Level of Evidence Level III, prospective cohort study.
Analysis of Magnetoelectric Robot for Biological Cell Poration

Targeted drug delivery has been the focus of medical millimeter and nanometer sized-robots along with its other biomedical applications. Magneto-electric (ME) robots uses the coupling of the magnetostrictive and piezoelectric properties to generate electric pulses. A CFO-BTO (Cobalt Iron Oxide and Barium Titanate), ferromagnetic core and ferroelectric shell is modelled using COMSOL Multiphysics simulation of 2.5mm and 5mm spherical radius that produced an electric pulse of 0.625µV of 8.33ms time scale when exposed to an external magnetic field of intensity 50 Oe at 60Hz. The ME can be externally controlled via a magnetic navigation system (MNS) and the magnetic force accounts for the ME robot to align and propel in the direction of the Human Epithelial cell (HEP). The ME robot on reaching the HEP can generate electric pulses due to its magnetoelectric property and hence create nano-sized pores on the cell membrane. The focus of this paper is to understand the real time changes occurring in the conductivity and induced transmembrane potential of the cell when the CFO-BTO is brought in the vicinity of the HEP cell. The low magnitude of a single CFO-BTO that produced 0.625V of electric field can cause an induced transmembrane potential of approximately 7µV but the synchronized ME robot can produce a higher potential change that can allow for the pore creation. An estimation in the change in the conductivity of the cell is performed using an analytical -equivalent conductivity of a permeabilized cell approach and shown an increased conductivity due to the creation of nanopores and its correlation with the induced transmembrane potential. This real time theoretical analysis allows scope for future designing and understanding the application of the CFO-BTO robot in the drug delivery procedure in a cell.
Spinning strings in AdS5 × S5: one-loop correction to energy in SL(2) sector

We consider a circular string with spin S in AdS5 wrapped around big circle of S5 and carrying also momentum J. The corresponding N = 4 SYM operator belongs to the SL(2) sector, i.e. has tr(DSZJ)+... structure. The leading large J term in its 1-loop anomalous dimension can be computed using Bethe ansatz for the SL(2) spin chain and was previously found to match the leading term in the classical string energy. The string solution is stable at large J, and the Lagrangian for string fluctuations has constant coefficients, so that the 1-loop string correction to the energy E1 is given simply by the sum of characteristic frequencies. Curiously, we find that the leading term in the zero-mode part of E1 is the same as a 1/J correction to the one-loop anomalous dimension on the gauge theory (spin chain) side that was found in [1]. However, the contribution of non-zero string modes does not vanish. We also discuss the ``fast string'' expansion of the classical string action which coincides with the coherent state action of the SL(2) spin chain at the first order in λ, and extend this expansion to higher orders clarifying the role of the S5 winding number.
Measuring physician practice site characteristics: A comparison of data from SK&A and a practice site survey.

Objective To evaluate the comparability of commercially available practice site data from SK&A with survey data to understand the implications of using SK&A data for health services research. Data sources Responses to the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+) Practice Survey and SK&A data. Study design Comparison of CPC + Practice Survey responses to SK&A information for 2698 primary care practice sites. Data collection CPC + Practice Survey data collected through a web-only survey from April through September 2017, and SK&A data purchased in November 2016. Principal findings Information was similar across data sources, although some discrepancies were common. For example, 56% of practice sites had differences in the reported number of practitioners, and larger sites tended to have larger differences. Among practice sites with 1 practitioner in the survey, only 1.3% had a difference of 3 or more practitioners between the data sources, whereas 63% of practice sites with 11 or more practitioners had a difference of 3 or more practitioners. Conclusions Discrepancies between data sources could reflect differences of interpretation when defining practice site characteristics, changes over time in those characteristics, or data errors in either SK&A or the survey. Researchers using SK&A data should consider possible ramifications for their studies.
Teaching Development: Scientific Agriculture and Rural Reconstruction at Khalsa College

Teaching Development focuses on schemes and perceptions of agricultural and rural education in late colonial South Asia. It analyses the respective endeavours of Khalsa College, Amritsar, and sets the institution’s early efforts in the context of a persistent rural paternalism among the administrative cadre of Punjab province. It shows how the ‘uplift’ of the rural became an object of the college’s educational and practical efforts when ‘rural reconstruction’ was a nationally and globally debated issue. The chapter examines how the stereotype of the ‘rural Sikh’ structured visions of ‘developing’ Punjab (and India) through well-educated rural experts who were convinced of a ‘universal’ potential of science not in opposition to the ‘Indian’, ‘native’, or ‘traditional’, and who were oriented towards then-modern agricultural science and its global vanguards like the USA.
The Aerospace Corporation’s Compendium of Recent Radiation Effect Results

Single Event Effect and Total Ionizing Dose testing was performed on several commercial components to determine the response of these components to the space radiation environment. Testing used heavy ions, protons, and gamma rays.
Attributions for Atheism: Perceptions that Atheism is a Choice are Associated with Prejudice against Atheists among Christians, but Not Jews or Nonbelievers

Is believing that atheism is a choice related to prejudice against atheists? The present research draws on attributional models of prejudice to examine the relationship between perceptions that ath...
Injection drug use, depression, and HIV screening in rural primary care settings: A retrospective cross-sectional study:

IntroductionAntiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced HIV viral replication and transmission of disease. However, continuing incidence of new HIV infections has been attributed to undiagnosed HIV in...
Living in the Borderlands: A story about Liminality and Identity in Mental Healthcare

This short narrative details a defining moment during my mental healthcare experience and borderline personality (BPD) diagnosis. Through the lens of liminality, I detail my experience of both resi...
Antecedents and consequences of customer flexibility: Establishing the link to firm competitive advantage

Abstract Flexibility has been recognized as a critical source of competitive advantage for firms operating in uncertain markets. Although various studies have examined the antecedents and consequences of this desirable attribute, limited studies have addressed the interplay between supplier and customer flexibility. This is a significant limitation in the flexibility literature considering the abundance of evidence indicating that supplier flexibility (SF) impacts customer-related phenomena, and customer flexibility (CF) impacts supplier-related phenomena. Considering the research indicating that suppliers' benevolence toward customers enhances CF toward the suppliers, we argue that SF has a positive impact on CF. In other words, we posit that when suppliers show flexibility toward their customers, those customers will reciprocate by showing flexibility toward those suppliers. This logic is grounded in the tenets of reciprocity theory. Moreover, using the resource-based view theory, we link these concepts to firm competitive advantage (FCA). Our findings allow us to derive noteworthy theoretical and practical implications, which we detail in the manuscript.
Advance Care Planning Protocols and Hospitalization Rates in Home Health Value-Based Purchasing:

Advance care planning is a conversation about personal values, future treatment choices, and designation of a surrogate decision-maker, that someone has in advance of a health crisis. Most existing...
The Role of Spirituality in Cultural Adjustment of Asian International Students

Many Asian international students face adjustment challenges as they live and study in the United States (US). While it is largely unrecognized in the West, collectivist spirituality is an essential part of Asian cultures and functions as a potent source of resilience. This article, therefore, explores spirituality and describes how it functions as a coping mechanism for Asian international during their cross-cultural adjustment. Additionally, implications are made for university-based counselors, educators, and administrators to better support this student population.
An examination of the role of collective efficacy and structural equivalence in the formation of vigilante groups in Mexico

This article builds on the dearth of academic literature explaining the emergence of vigilante groups by incorporating two different theoretical perspectives: collective efficacy and structural equivalence. Through the use of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), this research sampled municipalities in the Mexican states of Guerrero and Michoacan and operationalized a set of conditions based on previous research and the aforementioned theoretical perspectives. The results of the QCA demonstrate that collective efficacy was associated with the most unique explanatory pathway and provided the greatest coverage of vigilante group formations. Equally important, the conditions operationalized in this analysis provided for a total of four explanatory pathways that explained each vigilante formation without any contradictory outcomes (non-formations).
Мониторинг «Стратегий Выхода» Зарубежных Стран Из Режима Антикризисных Мер и Рекомендации Для Российской Федерации (Monitoring the 'Exit Strategy' from a Foreign Country Regime Crisis Measures and Recommendations For the Russian Federation)

В данном материале представлен анализ работ, посвященных различным аспектам стратегии выхода из мер антикризисной экономической политики. В литературе в настоящее время присутствует четкое разделение всего комплекса мер на две составляющие, относящиеся к денежной и фискальной сферам. Следуя этому разделению, в обзоре представлены две соответствующие части. В каждой части дается краткое описание текущей ситуации, очерчивается контур проблем, формулируются главные компоненты стратегии выхода, после чего обсуждаются и оцениваются предложенные правительствами программы.This article presents an analysis of papers on various aspects of exit strategies from the crisis measures of economic policy. In the literature, there is currently a clear separation of all the measures into two components related to monetary and fiscal areas. Following this separation, the survey presents two parts. Each part consists of a brief description of the current situation, outline of the problems, description of the main components of an exit strategy, and the discussion and evaluation of proposed government programs.
How the West was Lost: Why Federal Land Policy Disrespects our Constitution and Children

How a government deals with property has been the window to the soul of that government. Property may have been a tangible item and liberty may have been an intangible value, but the preservation of both was the historic purpose of American government; and the preservation of one was the precondition to the preservation of the other. Sir Henry Sumner Maine (1889) found that the history of property and civilization “cannot be disentangled” (p. 230). The desire and use of property raised mankind from political slavery. The Founding Fathers knew that property in a state of nature was controlled only until a bigger force took it. All knew the Thomas Hobbes (1651) idea that life in nature was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Almost a half century after Hobbes, John Locke (1690) wrote “every man has a property in his own person...the labor of his body and work of his hands we may say are properly his.” Fidelity to the philosophy of property protection became the standard by which a government was judged. Property rights were, if not greater, at least co-equal with every other right—speech, religion, press, and the others. At the time the Constitution was written, a few believed everyone ought to have a limit on the amount of property owned—most clearly did not— but they all believed that if a small minority, like a royal elite, controlled all property or the wealth that came from property then a republic would be impossible. Property equaled liberty. If a government was to become the propertied elite, wouldn’t this also threaten liberty?
Thermal detectors for X-ray astronomy

The characteristics of an 'ideal' spectrometer for X-ray astronomy are discussed. Special attention is given to the development of new thermal detectors (calorimeters) for the AXAF, which are based on the conversion of the energy of a single X-ray photon entirely into heat. The results obtained so far yielded the FWHM value of 17 eV at 100 mK, but the values for each of the contributing noise components measured separately were less than 10 eV, suggesting that the limiting value for AXAF will be better than 10 eV. A summary of the expected parameters for an AXAF calorimeter is presented.
Real-time hybrid ocular artifact detection and removal for single channel EEG

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a promising technique to record brain activities in natural settings. However, EEG signals are usually contaminated by Ocular Artifacts (OA) such as eye blink activities. Removal of OA is critical to obtain clean EEG signals required for the feature extraction and classification. With the increasing interest in wearable technologies, single channel EEG systems are becoming more prevalent. Such ambulatory devices require real-time signal processing for immediate feedback. This paper presents a hybrid algorithm to detect and remove OA from single channel EEG signal using NeuroMonitor hardware platform. The algorithm first detects the eye blinks (OA zone) using Algebraic approach, and then removes artifact from OA zone using Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) decomposition method. De-noising technique is applied only to the OA zone to keep the critical neural information intact. The OA removal algorithm is applied to the online data for 0.5 sec epoch length. The performance evaluation is carried out qualitatively and quantitatively using time-frequency analysis, mean square coherence and other statistical parameters, i.e. Correlation Coefficient and Mutual Information. Processing time for DWT was significantly lower (x25) to that of SWT. This proposed hybrid OA removal algorithm demonstrates real-time execution with sufficient accuracy.
The Life and Death of Stars

In this well-illustrated text, Kenneth R. Lang explains the life cycle of stars, from the dense molecular clouds that are stellar nurseries to the enigmatic nebulae some stars leave behind in their violent ends. Free of mathematical equations and technical jargon, Lang's lively and accessible text provides physical insights into how stars such as our Sun are born, what fuels them and keeps them bright, how they evolve and the processes by which they eventually die. The book demonstrates the sheer scope and variety of stellar phenomena in the context of the universe as a whole. Boxed focus elements enhance and amplify the discussion for readers looking for more depth. Featuring more than 150 figures, including color plates, The Life and Death of Stars is a modern and up-to-date account of stars written for a broad audience, from armchair astronomers and popular science readers to students and teachers of science.
Effects of Radiation and Thermal Cycling on Teflon ® FEP

Surfaces of the aluminized Teflon® FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) multilayer thermal insulation on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) were found to be cracked and curled in some areas at the time of the second servicing mission (SM2) in February 1997, 6.8 years after HST was deployed in low Earth orbit (LEO). In an effort to understand what elements of the space environment might cause such damage, pristine second-surface aluminized Teflon® FEP was tested for durability to various types of radiation, to thermal cycling and to radiation followed by thermal cycling. Types of radiation included synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet and soft x-ray radiation, simulated solar flare x-ray radiation, electrons and protons. Thermal cycling was conducted in various temperature ranges to simulate HST orbital conditions for Teflon® FEP. Resultsoftensiletestingoftheexposedspecimensshowedthatexposuretohighfluencesofradiation caused degradation in tensile properties of FEP. However, exposure to radiation alone in exposures...
Beyond Crime and Commitment: Justifying Liberty Deprivations of the Dangerous and Responsible

The traditional approaches to dangerous persons have been crime and commitment. The criminal law punishes responsible actors, and the civil law confines the mentally ill. These approaches leave a gap: The state cannot substantially restrict the liberty of responsible actors until they have committed a crime. In response to this gap, the criminal law’s boundaries have expanded to include preparatory offenses and early inchoate conduct that are deserving of only minimal, if any, punishment in attempt to incarcerate the dangerous. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court’s effort to articulate a test of mental disease warranting involuntary confinement of sexual predators has failed to draw a principled distinction between the ordinary criminal and the mentally ill. This Article argues that rather than contorting the criminal or commitment models, there is a theoretical justification for substantial liberty deprivations of responsible, but dangerous, actors. Drawing on the concept of “liability to defensive force” from the self-defense literature, this Article argues that just as a culpable attacker’s own conduct grounds a defender’s right to response, a dangerous actor who begins a course of criminal conduct grounds the state’s right to stop him. This Article articulates what conduct is sufficient for “liability to preventive interference” as well as what the forms of preventive interference could be. In addition, this new form of liability is assessed in terms of constitutional implications, the civil-criminal divide, and practical considerations.
Maternal Flu, Fever, and the Risk of Neural Tube Defects: A Population-based Case-Control Study

Results of clinical and epidemiologic studies have shown an increased risk for neural tube defects (NTD) in infants whose mothers were exposed to heat during pregnancy. However, the risk for NTD in infants whose mothers had influenza during pregnancy has not been well studied. This population-based case-control study of infants born in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, from 1968 through 1980 included 385 infants with NTD, 3,647 infants with other birth defects, and 2,676 infants without birth defects. Of the 385 mothers of case infants, 31 reported having a 2-day or longer episode of flu with fever from 1 month before through 3 months after conception (odds ratio (OR) = 3.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9-4.7). Infants of mothers who took medications for their episodes of flu with fever had an even higher risk for NTD (OR = 4.3, 95% CI 2.6-7.1). When mothers of infants with birth defects other than NTD were used as controls, an increased risk of NTD remained for flu with fever (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.5). There was no increased risk for NTD among the infants of mothers who reported fever from causes other than flu. Because of the heterogeneity of maternal flu, the individual contributions of infection, fever, and medications remain difficult to disentangle.
Bleken en het hooggerechtshof

Het gebeurt in de VS niet vaak dat een tandheelkundige zaak bij de hoogste federale rechtbank komt. Het gaat om het bleken van tanden door onder meer schoonheidsspecialisten. Maar de eventuele gevolgen reiken veel verder.
The regular representation of restricted direct product groups

Abstract The regular representation of a restricted direct product of locally compact groups is analyzed. Examples of such groups for which the regular representations generate various type III infinite tensor product factors are constructed. Other related phenomena are considered, with examples.
Association constants of cadmium ion with chloride in molten LiNO3 and in mixtures of LiNO3 with KNO3 from measurements of the solubility of silver chloride

Abstract The solvent effect on association of cadium ion with halide in molten alkali nitrates has been investigated extensively by emf methods, using silver-silver halide electrodes.1234. It has not been possible to measure the association constant directly in lithium nitrate or in mixtures containing more than about 75% liNO3 because of the failure to obtain reliable Nernst slopes with the silver-silver halide electrodes in these melts. In order, therefore, to determine the association constant as a function of solvent composition, a solubility method was developed for the the evaluation of the association constant of cadium ion with chloride in LiNO3 and in some LiNo3-KNO3 mixtures, including the equimolar mixture for which emf are available as a test of the new method.
A case study of PV installation for an urban building in downtown Montreal

In recent years, Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) systems have become more popular due to the increased attention that renewable energy resources have received as well as the decreasing trend of photovoltaic (PV) panel manufacturing costs. Many issues remain for researchers in terms of the proper design for different buildings and especially for urban cases. Considering the importance of these issues, this paper presents an accurate design of a PV system for the specific case of an urban commercial building located in the downtown Montreal. Insolation and shadow analysis have been done by means of novel techniques and investigation of different design scenarios has been performed. Furthermore, energy production levels of each scenario are obtained and for the best scenario, the load energy demand is compared with the PV energy production level.
Assessing Accountability in a Post-Citizens United Era The Effects of Attack Ad Sponsorship by Unknown Independent Groups

Greatly increased advertising spending by independent groups represents one of the most dramatic recent changes in U.S. elections. This article moves forward our theoretical and empirical understanding of how the public responds to ads sponsored by candidates as compared to ads sponsored by unknown Super PACs and similar independent groups. In the theoretical section of the article, we establish why it is necessary to measure both backlash and ad persuasiveness to understand overall ad effectiveness and then we develop a series of hypotheses about the likely influence of ad sponsorship. In the empirical section, we undertake the first analysis to date of how the public responds to attack television ads sponsored by unknown independent groups. Using a large-N, geographically representative sample of U.S. adults, we conduct an experiment to assess how sponsorship influences ad effectiveness. We find that attack ads sponsored by unknown independent groups are more effective, on net, than ads sponsored by can...
Nominal GDP targeting: Policy rule or discretionary splurge?☆

Abstract In a neo-canonical monetary policy model, targeting of nominal GDP in terms of growth rates (not growing levels) is analytically equivalent to adoption of a policy that is optimal from a “timeless perspective,” in the sense developed by Woodford and widely utilized in recent monetary policy analysis.