cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Women's Land Tenure Security and Household Human Capital: Evidence from Ethiopia's Land Certification.

Summary This article examines the impact of Ethiopia’s gendered land certification programs on household consumption of healthcare, food, education, and clothing. Ethiopia embarked on a land tenure reform program in 1998, after years of communism during which all land was nationalized. The reform began in Tigray region where land certificates were issued to household heads, who were primarily male. In a second phase carried out in 2003–2005, three other regions issued land certificates jointly to household heads and spouses, presenting variation in land tenure security by gender. Results using household panel data show that joint land certification to spouses was accompanied by increased household consumption of healthcare and homegrown food and decreased education expenditure, compared to household-head land certification. Joint land certification was also accompanied by increased consumption of women’s and girls’ clothing, and decreased men’s clothing expenditures indicating results may be explained by a shift in the gender balance of power within households. Analysis on the incidence and duration of illness indicates that increased healthcare expenditures after joint land certification may be due to joint certification households seeking more effective treatment than head-only certification households for household members who fell ill or suffered injuries.
Patient-reported quality of life recovery curves after robotic prostatectomy are similar across body mass index categories.

PURPOSE To assess the impact of body mass index (BMI) on postoperative recovery curve of urinary and sexual function after robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP). We hypothesized that overweight and obese men have different recovery curves than normal weight men. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed preoperative and postoperative surveys from 691 men who underwent RALP from 2004-2014 in an integrated healthcare delivery system. Survey instruments included: sexual health inventory for men (SHIM), urinary behavior, leakage, and incontinence impact questionnaire (IIQ). A repeated measures analysis with autoregressive covariance structure was employed with linear splines with 2 knots for the time factor. We fit unadjusted and adjusted models and stratified by BMI (under/normal weight, overweight, and obese). Adjusted models included age, race/ethnicity, smoking status, diabetes, operation length, prostate-specific antigen, pathologic stage, nerve-sparing status, and surgery year. RESULTS Mean age was 59 years. Most men were overweight (43%) and obese (42%). There were no significant differences in mean baseline SHIM, urinary behavior, leakage, and IIQ scores by BMI category. All groups had initial steep declines in urinary and sexual function in the first 3 months after RALP. There were no significant differences in postoperative urinary and sexual function score curves by BMI category. CONCLUSIONS The pattern of urinary and sexual function recovery was similar across all BMI categories. Overweight and obese men may be counseled that urinary and sexual function recovery curves after surgery is similar to that of normal weight men.
A multivariate statistical approach for anomaly detection and condition based maintenance in complex systems

This paper will describe recent developments in the practical application of multivariate Statistical Process Control (SPC) techniques to improve and automate anomaly detection in complex systems as part of a comprehensive Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) system. The CBM implementation process will be broken down into phases from planning to operation. The operational CBM system includes data acquisition, preprocessing, detection, and diagnosis. The multivariate statistical methods for establishing baseline operation and analyzing operational data are covered. A comprehensive discussion of the technical need, complexities of implementation, and some best practices based upon novel applications of the technology are included. This technology is applicable to complex mechanical systems exhibiting degradation or wear prior to system failure and where failure leads to significant financial losses or loss of mission capability. Examples of the implementation of the methodology will be drawn from jet engine trending, facility infrastructure, utility-scale wind turbines, and projects where the techniques have been successfully employed in real world applications. CBM has been shown to be an effective approach to reducing the Life Cycle Cost of a system and improving system availability. Univariate SPC techniques are widely used in industry but are sometimes insufficient for monitoring complex systems which function over a wide range of operating conditions and environments. Multivariate SPC techniques provide high sensitivity and low false alarm rate monitoring opportunities. Simplifying the system health assessment of a complex system into a single control chart reduces the burden of interpreting complex interactions and reduces the training and education level of the maintenance personnel. Multivariate SPC techniques can also be implemented to improve anomaly detection in environments where it is impossible or impractical for cost or performance reasons to employ additional sensors for fault detection. Significant cost savings and cost avoidance can be realized by utilizing the full life of equipment but also having early detection of impending problems when there is still time for failure mitigation or scheduling of preventative maintenance. The statistical techniques are also useful for forensic analysis of failed systems where multivariate SPC have not been implemented. The authors introduced this technique at the 2016 International Symposium on Systems Engineering in Edinburgh, Scotland [1]. This paper will expand and build upon the previous work by adding the results of recent applications and elaborating on the approach as it pertains to the current state-of-the-art based on these results.
Phytotoxicity and Nutsedge Control in Woody and Herbaceous Landscape Plants with Manage (MON12037)

Abstract Manage applied foliarly at 9 and 18 g/ha(0.13 and 0.26 oz/A) provided 87 to 91% purple nutsedge and 79 to 84% yellow nutsedge control. Regrowth measurements taken 5 WAT showed an 88 to 90% reduction in purple nutsedge resprouting and a 75 to 83% reduction in yellow nutsedge resprouting of Manage applied at 9 g/ha and 18 g/ha (0.13 and 0.26 oz/A), respectively. Azalea, redtip photinia, green liriope, white petunias, red petunias, lavender petunias, celosia, vinca, African marigolds, bronze-leaved begonias, and purple salvia tolerated both rates of Manage. Shore juniper, French marigolds, red salvia, geranium, and green-leaved begonias exhibited >10% injury 4 WAT with Manage.
Naphthalene-1-carbaldehyde oxime

The title compound, C11H9NO, crystallizes with two mol­ecules, A and B, with similar conformations (r.m.s. overlay fit = 0.030 A) in the asymmetric unit: the C—C=N⋯O torsion angles are −177.8 (3) and −179.1 (3)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by alternating O—H⋯N (A → B) and O—H⋯O (B → A) hydrogen bonds to generate [100] chains. A weak C—H⋯O inter­action is also observed.
On the Density and Subsequent Utility of Attack Graphs in Realistic Environments

Advanced Persistent Threats(APT) are a serious concern to secure an organization. The sophistication of APT attacks is much discussed, and the recent compromising of Google, RSA and Sony using APTs has gained lots of attentions. Successful protection against APTs should complement traditional perimeter and infrastructure security measures and policies. In this paper, we show that adding APTs in our threat landscape, conventional attack graphs for realistic environments are quite dense meaning that their utility is quite limited. This density is a consequence of common, inherent vulnerabilities in conventional computing systems and network environments. Our approach is to formally define a set of vulnerabilities that we call privilege expansion vulnerabilities. A superset of privilege escalation vulnerabilities, privilege expansion refers to cases where an attacker can either earn greater privilege on the current host or use his current privilege to earn privileges on other hosts. Based on our formal definitions, we define a set of rules for adding edges to attack graphs and develop a tool that computes a closure of these rules in the graph. For two example environments, we compute new attack graphs incorporating these new edges and demonstrate the use of the tool by evaluating addressing 4 different privilege expansion vulnerabilities.
The ecology of flows and drift wave turbulence in CSDX: A model

This paper describes the ecology of drift wave turbulence and mean flows in the coupled drift-ion acoustic wave plasma of a CSDX linear device. A 1D reduced model that studies the spatiotemporal evolution of plasma mean density n¯, and mean flows v¯y and v¯z, in addition to fluctuation intensity e, is presented. Here, e=〈n2+(∇⊥ϕ)2+vz2〉 is the conserved energy field. The model uses a mixing length lmix inversely proportional to both axial and azimuthal flow shear. This form of lmix closes the loop on total energy. The model self-consistently describes variations in plasma profiles, including mean flows and turbulent stresses. It investigates the energy exchange between the fluctuation intensity and mean profiles via particle flux 〈nvx〉 and Reynolds stresses 〈vxvy〉 and 〈vxvz〉. Acoustic coupling breaks parallel symmetry and generates a parallel residual stress Πxzres. The model uses a set of equations to explain the acceleration of v¯y and v¯z via Πxyres∝∇n¯ and Πxyres∝∇n¯. Flow dynamics in the para...
Formulation Stabilization and Disaggregation of Bevacizumab, Ranibizumab and Aflibercept in Dilute Solutions

Studies were conducted to investigate dilute solutions of the monoclonal antibody (mAb) bevacizumab, mAb fragment ranibizumab and fusion protein aflibercept, develop common procedures for formulation of low concentration mAbs and identify a stabilizing formulation for anti-VEGF mAbs for use in in vitro permeation studies. Excipient substitutions were screened. The most stabilizing formulation was chosen. Standard dilutions of bevacizumab, ranibizumab and aflibercept were prepared in PBS, manufacturer’s formulation, and the new formulation. Analysis was by SE-HPLC and ELISA. Stability, disaggregation and pre-exposure tests were studied. When Avastin, Lucentis and Eylea are diluted in PBS or manufacturer’s formulation, there is a 40–50% loss of monomer concentration and drug activity. A formulation containing 0.3% NaCl, 7.5% trehalose, 10 mM arginine and 0.04% Tween 80 at a pH of 6.78 stabilized the mAbs and minimized the drug loss. The formulation also disaggregates mAb aggregation while preserving the activity. Degassing the formulation increases recovery. We developed a novel formulation that significantly stabilizes mAbs under unfavorable conditions such as low concentration or body temperature. The formulation allows for tissue permeation experimentation. The formulation also exhibits a disaggregating effect on mAbs, which can be applied to the manufacture/packaging of mAbs and bioassay reagents.
Excess Cost of Cervical Cancer Screening beyond Recommended Screening Ages or after Hysterectomy in a Single Institution

Objective The aim of the study was to estimate the excess cost of guideline nonadherent cervical cancer screening in women beyond the recommended screening ages or posthysterectomy in a single healthcare system. Materials and methods All Pap tests performed between September 1, 2012, and August 31, 2014, in women younger than 21 years, older than 65 years, or after hysterectomy, were coded as guideline adherent or nonadherent per the 2012 America Society of Colposcopy and Clinical Pathology guidelines. We assumed management of abnormal results per the 2013 America Society of Colposcopy and Clinical Pathology management guidelines. Costs were obtained from a literature review and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services data and applied to nonadherent screening and subsequent diagnostic tests. Results During this period, 1,398 guideline nonadherent Pap tests were performed (257 in women 65 years, and 605 after hysterectomy), with 88 abnormal results: 35 (13.5%) in women younger than 21 years, 14 (2.6%) in women older than 65 years, and 39 (6.5%) in women after hysterectomy. The excess cost for initial screening, diagnostic tests, and follow-up was US $35,337 for 2 years in women younger than 21 years, US $54,378 for 5 years in women older than 65 years, and US $77,340 for 5 years in women after hysterectomy, resulting in a total excess cost of US $166,100 for 5 years. Of the 1,398 women who underwent guideline nonadherent screening, there were only 2 (0.1%) diagnoses of high-grade dysplasia (VaIN3). Conclusions Guideline nonadherent cervical cancer screening in women beyond the recommended screening ages and posthysterectomy resulted in costs exceeding US $160,000 for screening, diagnostic tests, and follow-up with minimal improvement in detection of high-grade dysplasia.
PANCREATIC GLUCAGON SECRETION

SUMMARY The recent discovery of a relatively specific antiserum to glucagon has made possible studies of α-cell function in humans. In healthy volunteers fasting glucagon averaged 136 μμg/ml (SEM ±20), in genetic diabetics glucagon averaged 150 μμg/ml (±26), while in pancreatogenous diabetes it averaged 103 μμg/ml. In all normal subjects and genetic diabetics arginine infusion elicited significant hyperglucagonemia within 5 min, with a peak at 40 min. The mean maximal increment of glucagon was in normals 270 μμg/ml (±30), in diabetics 340 μμg/ml (±60), and in diabetes secondary to chronic pancreatitis only 185 μμg/ml. In one severe pancreatitic diabetic glucagon was zero throughout the entire experiment, and in another glucagon rose only 30 μμg/ml. In normals and in pancreatic diabetics the mean maximal glucose rise was 16 mg%, while in genetic diabetics it was 48 mg%. It is concluded that (1) arginine induces hyperglucagonemia in normals and in presumably genetic diabetics, and that in diabetics hyperglucagonemia, unaccompanied by proportional hyperinsulinemia, may contribute to the greater hyperglycemia; (2) in genetic diabetes hyperglycemia fails to reduce either the fasting glucagon concentration or the glucagon response to arginine, suggesting hyposuppressibility of the α-cell; (3) the α-cell's capacity to synthesize hormone remains intact long after that of the β-cell's is lost, suggesting an isolated β-cell lesion, rather than diffuse islet involvement, in genetic diabetes, in contrast to pancreatic diabetes.
Relationships Between Myers-Briggs Type Indicators and NAPLEX Performances

Objective. To examine the relationships between pharmacy students' Myers-Briggs Type Indicators (MBTIs) and their first-attempt NAPLEX scores within an accelerated, dual campus curriculum. Methods. Data from the MBTIs and NAPLEX findings were retrieved from a single cohort of the Columbia, SC and Savannah, GA campuses of South University School of Pharmacy. A multiple linear regression technique was performed to assess the degree of variability in first-attempt NAPLEX scores that could be accounted for by MBTIs, campus of enrollment, and gender. Results. Of the 134 student data samples collected, 119 (86%) were included for study analysis. Campus of enrollment and MBTIs were predictive of first-attempt NAPLEX scores. Introversion personality types scored 9.5 points higher on the NAPLEX than extroversion types; feeling personality types scored 6.0 points higher than thinking types; students enrolled at the Savannah, GA campus scored 5.7 points higher than their Columbia, SC campus counterparts. Conclusion. Certain personality types were shown to have predictive value with regard to first-attempt NAPLEX score achievements. These results offer plausible insights into pharmacy student tendencies that can affect success on high-stakes standardized examinations. Additional research into sociological aspects of pharmacy students' composition may assist with optimizing performances on licensure examinations as prerequisites to proficient careers within the pharmacy profession.
Neither Victims Nor Heroes: Reflections from a Polio Person

Polio is suddenly a hot topic. This should not surprise us, given our shared cultural urgency to tell our stories. As the World War II generation began to fade from cultural and living memory, those recognizing this fact rushed to generate hundreds of films, articles, books, television productions and monuments to “the greatest generation.” Now that we “polios” have entered “mature” age and have experienced the onset (for tens of thousands of us) of a “post-polio syndrome” that has thrown us for a loop physically and taken us aback psychologically, this creates a “perfect storm” of the sort that inspires; jogs often-painful and unpleasant memories; and compels people to “go public.” Nearly all the polio books published over the last decade have been written by polio people themselves or by others who have a friend, family member, or acquaintance whose polio had a direct effect on them.
Geodesic Spanners on Polyhedral Surfaces

In this paper we consider the problem of efficiently constructing geodesic t-spanners. We consider finding sparse spanners on the surface of a 3 dimensional polyhedron allowing for steiner vertices. If Steiner vertices are not allowed, then we establish lower bounds on the maximum node degree, depending on the spanning ratio t and also the total number of vertices of the polyhedron surface. We also consider the case of the surface of a convex polytope $\mathcal P $ with V vertices. Using its vertex set P and Steiner points, we can construct a t-spanner with a constant degree and weight O(MST(U)), where MST(U) is the minimum spanning tree on the set U of vertices on convex polytope.
The Gas Chromatographic System

In the earlier chapters concerning the theory and practice of open tubular columns, the column was considered as a separate unit, independent of the other components of the gas chromatograph. But, of course, columns cannot be used alone, as an independent unit. One must rely on other components for proper sample introduction, adequate heating of the column, and sensitive detection and accurate recording of the separated peaks. In other words, the column has to be incorporated into a gas chromatographic system.
Measuring Performance and Isolation Tradeoffs for NFV

Network function virtualization (NFV) allows network services, such as firewalls and routing, to be deployed into a virtual environment and run on commodity hardware. Recently service providers and developers can deploy their network functions (NF) prototypes on a shared infrastructure, and all the NFs are being controlled by the manager of the platform. NFV platforms run these NFs together, and share the system resources to optimize the utilization. This means that limited resources such as CPU cores or memory have to be shared. Several recent NFV systems run network services with one shared memory region, so that they can achieve high performance with zero-copy I/O. This resource sharing brings security problems since it allows malicious NFs to easily modify data from other NFs. To enhance the security of NFV, we are designing a platform to provide stronger memory isolation between different NFs. Our approach is based on the architecture developed for our OpenNetVM platform, which supports lightweight NFs, flexible management, but assumes a single shared memory pool for all NFs.
A Case for Systematic Detection and Rigorous Location of SDN Control Conflicts

We take the position that the interaction of multiple software-defined networking (SDN) apps running in parallel must be thoroughly understood, and the potential conflict arising from it must be carefully prevented. We first motivate the problem with a concrete case study that shows that two SDN apps can cause a network to enter a permanent oscillation state. We then sketch a rigorous approach for systematically reasoning about the joint effect of multiple SDN apps, including whether conflicts may occur. The proposed approach models individual SDN apps as automata, and then uses standard automaton operations to compute their interactions. We further propose to apply sequence-based specification, a well-established rigorous method for software specification, to derive the automata. The key novelty and strength of our approach is its ability to reason about the joint effect of multiple SDN apps precisely (with the capability of identifying when and how conflicts may occur), proactively (prior to running the apps), and without the knowledge of the apps’ implementation details.
Calcium modulation of cardiac sodium channels

Modification of voltage-gated Na+ channel (NaV ) function by intracellular Ca2+ has been a topic of much controversy. Early studies relied on measuring NaV function in the absence or presence of intracellular Ca2+ , and generated seemingly disparate results. Subsequent investigations revealed the mechanism(s) of Ca2+ -driven NaV modulation are complex and involve multiple accessory proteins. The Ca2+ -sensing protein calmodulin (CaM) has a central role in tuning NaV function to [Ca2+ ]i , but the mechanism has been obscured by other proteins (such as fibroblast growth factors (FGF) or CaM-dependent kinase II (CaMKII)) that can also modify channel function or exert an influence in a Ca2+ -dependent manner. Significant progress has been made in understanding the architecture of full-length ion channels and the structural and biophysical details of NaV -accessory protein interactions. Interdisciplinary structure-function studies are beginning to resolve the effect each interaction has on NaV gating. Carefully designed structure-guided or strategically selected disease-associated mutations are able to impair NaV -accessory protein interactions without altering other properties of channel function. Recently CaM was found to engage part of NaV 1.5 that is required for channel inactivation with high affinity. Careful impairment of this interaction disrupted NaV 1.5's ability to recover from inactivation. Such results support a paradigm of CaM-facilitated recovery from inactivation (CFRI). How NaV -CaM, CaMKII and FGF/fibroblast growth factor homologous factor interactions affect the timing or function of CFRI in cardiomyocytes remain open questions that are discussed herein. Moreover whether CFRI dysfunction or premature activation underlie certain NaV channelopathies are important questions that will require further investigation.
Neuroinflammation and Schizophrenia

There are longstanding, intriguing findings of immune dysfunction in schizophrenia. These findings span peripheral immune markers, especially cytokine abnormalities. This review describes recent genetic and immune marker studies and emergent treatment studies. Collectively, this provides a synthesis and current appraisal of the neuroimmune hypothesis of schizophrenia.
Comparative evaluation of commercially available aflatoxin test methods.

Five qualitative methods and 1 quantitative aflatoxin analytical method were compared with the Holaday-Velasco (HV) minicolumn and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) methods for corn in an evaluation involving 4 U.S. Department of Agriculture Federal Grain Inspection Service (USDA-FGIS) laboratories, 1 laboratory at the University of Georgia, and 1 laboratory at the University of Arizona. Samples analyzed included 1 set of artificially contaminated corn containing both aflatoxin B1 and B2 (ratio of B1:B2 of 92:8), 1 set of artificially contaminated corn containing only aflatoxin B1, and 1 set of naturally contaminated corn. Levels of total aflatoxin tested were 0, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 40 ppb. Results of analysis of these samples with each method evaluated are reported. Chi-square analyses indicated that performance of the Afla-20-Cup, Aflatest, EZ-Screen, OXOID, and SAM-A methods was not statistically different from that of the HV minicolumn. Agri-Screen results were not statistically different from those obtained with TLC.
Clearance of viscoelastic mucus simulant with airflow in a rectangular channel, an experimental study

Interaction of mucus simulant with airflow in a rectangular channel is investigated experimentally. Two different viscoelastic gel mucus simulants are prepared by cross linking Borax with Locust Bean Gum (LBG) solution; liquid-like (LM) with lower storage modulus and semi-solid (SM). The rheological difference between LM and SM represent the qualitative change from liquid-like healthy mucus to the one with higher storage modulus found in a person with lung disease. The study concentrates on the effect of viscoelastic layer thickness and rheology on the wave formation and clearance due to its interaction with airflow. The results indicate that the onset air velocity for wave initiation reduces by increasing layer thickness. This effect is more pronounced for SM. Slowly propagating waves initiate at a lower air velocity for LM compared to SM for thinner layer thickness and this behavior reverses for a thicker layer. Although SM clears at a critical air velocity, LM does not show clearance behavior, defined as separation of layer section from rest and movement in the downstream flow direction. This seems to suggest that thicker mucus with higher elastic modulus, similar to the mucus for a person with lung disease, may clear easier with a two-phase air-liquid flow, as in cough.
Human Mate Choice, Evolution of

Evolutionary perspectives on human mating have generated a substantial corpus of work that reveals important sex differences in mate choice and preferences. Both men and women engage in multiple mating strategies, from long-term committed relationships to short-term sexual liaisons. This article summarizes how sex-specific adaptive problems faced by our ancestors shaped men's mate choices, including preferences for cues to fertility, sexual availability, faithfulness, and numerous partners; and women's mate choices, including preferences for cues to ambition, dependability, and investment potential. We also examine how these preferences differ in long-term compared to short-term mating contexts. Understanding the evolved nature of these differences is crucial not only in expanding understanding of human mating behaviors, but also in understanding the sexual conflict that results from sex differences in mate choice.
The intrinsically disordered protein SPE-18 promotes localized assembly of MSP in Caenorhabditis elegans spermatocytes

Many specialized cells use unconventional strategies of cytoskeletal control. Nematode spermatocytes discard their actin and tubulin following meiosis, and instead employ the regulated assembly/disassembly of the Major Sperm Protein (MSP) to drive sperm motility. However, prior to the meiotic divisions, MSP is sequestered through its assembly into paracrystalline structures called fibrous bodies (FBs). The accessory proteins that direct this sequestration process have remained mysterious. This study reveals SPE-18 as an intrinsically disordered protein that is essential for MSP assembly within FBs. In spe-18 mutant spermatocytes, MSP forms unorganized cortical fibers, and the cells arrest in meiosis without forming haploid sperm. In wild-type spermatocytes, SPE-18 localizes to pre-FB complexes and functions with the kinase SPE-6 to localize MSP assembly. Changing patterns of SPE-18 localization uncover unappreciated complexities in FB maturation. Later, within newly individualized spermatids, SPE -18 is rapidly lost, yet SPE-18 loss alone is insufficient for MSP disassembly. Our findings reveal an alternative strategy for sequestering cytoskeletal elements, not as monomers but in localized, bundled polymers. Additionally, these studies provide an important example of disordered proteins promoting ordered cellular structures. Keywords: major sperm protein, intrinsically disordered protein, Caenorhabditis elegans, spermatogenesis, cytoskeletal assembly, spe-18.
Inflation Volatility Risk and the Cross-section of Corporate Bond Returns

As corporate bonds are primarily denominated in nominal terms, inflation uncertainty arises as a relevant source of risk. This paper analyzes the relevance of inflation volatility risk as an additional factor predicting the cross-section of corporate bond returns. I find a negative and significant inflation volatility risk premium (IVRP) obtained from the difference between high inflation and low inflation beta portfolios. Further, common risk factors in the equity and corporate bond markets do not explain the IVRP, it responds to ex-post inflation risk and is partially explained by market risk and monetary policy shocks. Lastly, I show that the IVRP is associated with firms incurring in debt maturity management to mitigate refinancing risks.
Prenatal origins of temperament: Fetal cardiac development & infant surgency, negative affectivity, and regulation/orienting.

Abstract Temperament, i.e. individual differences in reactivity and self-regulation, emerges early in infancy; might temperament originate during fetal development? Mixed findings and methodological issues in the literature examining this consideration limit our understanding of the continuity between these fetal indices and infant temperament. The primary aims of the current study were to improve on published studies by (a) using standardized and well-accepted fetal cardiac (actocardiograph) and infant temperament measures (the Infant Behavior Questionnaire—Revised; IBQ-R) (b) expanding fetal assessments to include coupling (the cross correlation of heart rate with movement), and (c) examining a diverse sample to determine if findings of associations between fetal neurobehavior and infant temperament generalize beyond cohorts that are demographically well-resourced and predominantly white. Building on theory and empirical findings, we hypothesized that (1) FHR would be positively associated with Surgency and Negative Affectivity, (2) FHRV would be positively associated with Surgency, and Regulation/Orienting and inversely associated with Negative Affectivity, and (3) fetal coupling would be positively associated with Regulation/Orienting and Surgency and inversely associated with Negative Affectivity. We collected 20 min of fetal data (m gestational age = 34.42 weeks) and mothers completed the IBQ-R (n = 90 women; 60 % non-Caucasian race; 63 % Latina ethnicity). We found that FHR was positively associated with Negative Affectivity but not associated with Surgency (or Regulation/Orienting). FHRV was inversely associated with Surgency but not associated with Negative Affectivity or Regulation/Orienting. Coupling was positively associated with Regulation/Orienting and Surgency but not associated with Negative Affectivity. Our findings, from a more diverse sample and with established measures, provide further evidence that individual differences in reactivity and regulation can be identified in the in-utero period and show theory-based continuity to specific infant temperament constructs.
Regulation and the Valuation Relevance of Book Vale and Earnings: Evidence from the United States

Electric utilities in the United States are subject to a cost-plus normal profits pricing that is designed to align the market value of equity with the balance sheet book value. Perfect alignment implies the equality of the market and book values. Extant empirical evidence suggests that, for these utilities, actual cost/profit recovery does not follow a pure cost-plus pricing, raising the prospect that income statement items contribute to the determination of market value. What is not obvious is the extent to which the noted departure from pure cost-plus pricing results in misalignment of the market and book values, or the relative contribution of income statement items to the valuation of electric utility shares. This study pursues this questions, using benchmark results for a sample of manufacturing firms to highlight the degree of market-to-book alignment for regulated and competitive firms. The results show a considerable alignment of the market and book values for utilities. In examining the relevance of book value and income statement items in the determination of market value, it is found that the contribution of earnings level to explaining market value diminishes markedly in the presence of book value for electric utilities, and the contribution of earnings change to explaining returns diminishes markedly in the presence of earnings levels. Earnings level complements book value in explaining market value for manufacturing firms, while earnings change complements earnings level in explaining returns. The results further show that the market and accounting value exhibit pronounced misalignments in returns-earnings models, especially for utilities.
Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data using CANOCO: Visualizing multivariate data

The primary device for presenting the results of an ordination model is the ordination diagram. The contents of an ordination diagram can be used to approximate the species data table, the matrix of distances between individual samples, or the matrix of correlations or dissimilarities between individual species. In ordination analysis including environmental variables, we can use the ordination diagram to approximate the contents of the environmental data table, the relationship between the species and the environmental variables, the correlations among environmental variables, etc. The following two sections summarize what we can deduce from ordination diagrams that result from linear and unimodal ordination methods. Before we discuss rules for interpreting ordination diagrams, we must stress that the absolute values of coordinates of objects (samples, species, explanatory variables) in ordination space do not have, in general, any meaning. When interpreting ordination diagrams, we use relative distances, relative directions, or relative ordering of projection points. What we can infer from ordination diagrams: linear methods An ordination diagram based on a linear ordination method (PCA or RDA) can display scores for samples (represented by symbols), species (represented by arrows), quantitative environmental variables (represented by arrows) and nominal dummy variables (represented by points – centroids – corresponding to the individual levels of a factor variable). Table 10–1 (after Ter Braak 1994) summarizes what can be deduced from ordination diagrams based on these scores. Additionally, the meaning of the length of species arrows in the two types of ordination scaling is discussed, and information about calculating the radius of the equilibrium contribution circle is given.
A method for automated cortical surface registration and labeling

Registration and delineation of anatomical features in MRI of the human brain play an important role in the investigation of brain development and disease. Accurate, automatic and computationally efficient cortical surface registration and delineation of surface-based landmarks, including regions of interest (ROIs) and sulcal curves (sulci), remain challenging problems due to substantial variation in the shapes of these features across populations. We present a method that performs a fast and accurate registration, labeling and sulcal delineation of brain images. The new method presented in this paper uses a multiresolution, curvature based approach to perform a registration of a subject brain surface model to a delineated atlas surface model; the atlas ROIs and sulcal curves are then mapped to the subject brain surface. A geodesic curvature flow on the cortical surface is then used to refine the locations of the sulcal curves sulci and label boundaries further, such that they follow the true sulcal fundi more closely. The flow is formulated using a level set based method on the cortical surface, which represents the curves as zero level sets. We also incorporate a curvature based weighting that drives the curves to the bottoms of the sulcal valleys in the cortical folds. Finally, we validate our new approach by comparing sets of automatically delineated sulcal curves it produced to corresponding sets of manually delineated sulcal curves. Our results indicate that the proposed method is able to find these landmarks accurately.
Dissecting the activating mutations in v-erbB of avian erythroblastosis virus strain R.

The v-erbB oncogene isolated from the R (or ES4) strain of avian erythroblastosis virus is capable of inducing erythroleukemia and fibrosarcomas. This oncogene differs from the proto-oncogene c-erbB, the avian homolog of the epidermal growth factor receptor, by its lack of an intact ligand-binding domain as well as additional alterations in its cytoplasmic coding sequences. By contrast, the insertionally activated c-erbB, a variant oncogene, which encodes a product that also lacks the ligand-binding domain but is otherwise unaltered in its cytoplasmic coding sequences, is capable of inducing leukemia but cannot induce sarcomas. In this report, we show that the critical changes for activating the sarcomagenic potential displayed by v-erbB R are two point mutations within the tyrosine kinase domain and an internal deletion of 21 amino acids in the carboxyl-terminal regulatory domain. The removal of the carboxyl-terminal autophosphorylation sites is not obligatory. These activating mutations (Arg-263 to His, Ile-384 to Ser, and the deletion of residues 494 to 514), when introduced singly into the insertionally activated c-erbB, all dramatically increase fibroblast-transforming potential. Arg-263 resides near the highly conserved HRD motif of the kinase domain, and its mutation to His increases the autophosphorylation activity. The other two mutations do not alter the intrinsic kinase activity and presumably affect other aspects of the receptor involved in growth signaling. Therefore, the high transforming potential of v-erbB R is a consequence of synergism among multiple activating mutations. Images
Response Bias in Recognition Memory

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the ways in which subjects’ response bias can influence conclusions drawn by memory researchers from their data. It shows that subjects can, in principle, minimize their memory errors and maximize their accuracy by choosing an unbiased criterion location, but that a host of factors influence their actual bias in generally sensible ways. Moreover, this chapter demonstrates that researchers’ interpretation of subjects’ biases across conditions is dependent on their choice of bias measure and that a failure to take account of response bias can lead to erroneous conclusions about memory performance. This chapter illustrates that, recognition studies are intended to learn something about memory sensitivity, and wish to avoid the possibly confounding effects of changes in bias toward one or another of the available responses. A full account of recognition performance, however, explains the presumed decision process that leads to a memory judgment, and finally, this chapter view an understanding of bias effects as a step in that direction.
A systems approach to identify skill needs for agrifood nanotechnology: a mixed methods study

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. May 2013. Major: Work and Human Resource Education. Advisor: Bradley G. Greiman. 1 computer file (PDF); x, 225 pages, appendices A-G.
Annie: a tutor that works in digital games

This paper describes Annie, a domain-independent intelligent tutor that can be “plugged-in” to digital games to guide learners using the core mechanics of the game.
Of Surplus Lands and Landfills: The Case of the Yankton Sioux

Using the case of the Yankton Sioux as a case study, this article explores the intersections of allotment, reservation diminishment, and environmental protection of tribal lands and resources. In late 1993, the Southern Missouri Recycling and Waste Management District of South Dakota obtained a state permit for a solid waste landfill on land acquired from a non-Indian within the boundaries of the 1858 Yankton Sioux Reservation. The Yankton Sioux Tribe objected to the landfill on environmental grounds. First, the district court held that the Tribe could not regulate the landfill, even though it was located within the Tribe's territory. Next, the Environmental Protection Agency granted the Waste District's request to waive the federal liner requirement for the landfill, and the EPA's action was upheld in federal court. Finally, the United States Supreme Court essentially mooted the Tribe's governmental concerns by holding that the property on which the landfill was located was no longer a part of the Tribe's reservation. In little more than four years after the state landfill permit was granted over the Tribe's objection, the Yankton Sioux Tribe had thus lost regulatory authority, federal protection, and the land itself. What the tribe got in return was a waste dump that it considers unsafe but cannot regulate, and a reservation that is comprised of checkerboarded parcels within the 1858 boundaries.
Anant Agarwal: Inside edX

edX CEO Anant Agarwal discusses what the online learning provider has achieved in its first three years and where it's heading. The first Web extra at https://youtu.be/tgluUdmQTXM is a video in which edX CEO Anant Agarwal talks with Charles Severance about what the online learning provider has achieved in its first three years and where it's heading. The second Web extra at https://youtu.be/4OTLAiv-5Ms is an audio recording in which author Charles Severance reads his Computing Conversations column that discusses his interview with edX CEO Anant Agarwal about what the online learning provider has achieved in its first three years and where it's heading. YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/4OTLAiv-5Ms
Juan de Fuca slab geometry and its relation to Wadati-Benioff zone seismicity

[1] A new model of the subducted Juan de Fuca plate beneath western North America allows first-order correlations between the occurrence of Wadati-Benioff zone earthquakes and slab geometry, temperature, and hydration state. The geo-referenced 3D model, constructed from weighted control points, integrates depth information from earthquake locations and regional seismic velocity studies. We use the model to separate earthquakes that occur in the Cascadia forearc from those that occur within the underlying Juan de Fuca plate and thereby reveal previously obscured details regarding the spatial distribution of earthquakes. Seismicity within the slab is most prevalent where the slab is warped beneath northwestern California and western Washington suggesting that slab flexure, in addition to expected metamorphic dehydration processes, promotes earthquake occurrence within the subducted oceanic plate. Earthquake patterns beneath western Vancouver Island are consistent with slab dehydration processes. Conversely, the lack of slab earthquakes beneath western Oregon is consistent with an anhydrous slab. Double-differenced relocated seismicity resolves a double seismic zone within the slab beneath northwestern California that strongly constrains the location of the plate interface and delineates a cluster of seismicity 10 km above the surface that includes the 1992 M7.1 Mendocino earthquake. We infer that this earthquake ruptured a surface within the Cascadia accretionary margin above the Juan de Fuca plate. We further speculate that this earthquake is associated with a detached fragment of former Farallon plate. Other subsurface tectonic elements within the forearc may have the potential to generate similar damaging earthquakes.
Influence of Flow on Community Structure and Production of Snag-Dwelling Macroinvertebrates in an Impaired Low-Gradient River

The natural flow regime of rivers has been altered throughout the world in a variety of ways, with many alterations resulting in reduced flows. While restoring impaired systems remains a societal imperative, a fundamental understanding of the effects of reduced flows on river ecosystem structure and function is needed to refine restoration goals and guide implementation. We quantified the effects of chronic low flows on snag-dwelling macroinvertebrate community structure and production in a low-gradient river. Macroinvertebrates commonly associated with flowing water (e.g. passive filter-feeders (PFF)) and higher quality habitats (e.g. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT)) had significantly higher abundance and biomass, and showed trends of higher production, in faster flowing reaches upstream of a hydrologic disconnection created by a drainage ditch. The presence of EPT and PFF groups resulted in a significantly more diverse community composed of larger-sized individuals compared with downstream, low-flow reaches, where smaller-bodied taxa (e.g. small crustaceans), and groups reflective of degraded conditions (e.g. Oligochaeta, Isopoda and Chironomidae) dominated production. Multivariate analyses suggested that differences between these two disparate communities were driven by water velocity and organic matter resources. Mean estimates of total community production did not differ significantly between the two reaches, however, there were areas in low-flow reaches that attained high secondary production because of patchily distributed and highly productive chironomids. Results demonstrate that long-term reductions in flows, even in a low-gradient river, can lead to significant shifts in macroinvertebrate communities, ultimately influencing energy flow pathways in stream food webs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Use of Hearsay Testimony on Behalf of an Elder Victim of Abuse: A Reasonable and Necessary Alternative Under Certain Circumstances

This commentary supports the use of hearsay testimony (secondhand testimony) exceptions in cases of elder abuse (EA). Given that EA victims are often unavailable for in-court testimony due to (1) a refusal to testify for personal reasons, (2) ethical concerns regarding the impact of in-court testimony on the well-being of the victim, or (3) age-related physical or cognitive impairments, hearsay testimony provides a viable means of protecting and relaying the victim's story to jurors. The benefits of hearsay testimony are discussed in terms of the necessity and reliability of utilizing hearsay as evidence as well as the implications of admitting hearsay testimony in EA cases.
Protein blotting: Principles and applications

Twenty-eight years ago, Smithies demonstrated that a starch gel could serve as a molecular sieve through which zone electrophoresis of proteins could be carried out (95). Since then, repeated innovations and improvements have brought the technique of protein separation by gel electrophoresis to the state we know today. The introduction of polyacrylamide gels (8 1) and of discontinuous buffer systems (20,75), the use of SDS’ to solubilize and disaggregate protein complexes prior to electrophoresis (102), and the addition of SDS to discontinuous buffer systems (59,69) have all been major contributions to the development of this procedure, now one of the most widely used analytical and preparative tools in cellular and molecular biology. Problems in gel electrophoresis. Initially, the main objective of these techniques was to monitor visually the homogeneity or heterogeneity of a protein preparation and to follow the appearance or disappearance of a particular “band” throughout a given experimental procedure. One-dimensional gels were found to be quite adequate when relatively simple protein samples, e.g., viruses ( 102), bacteriophages (59,100) erythrocyte ghost membranes (25), were analyzed. But, as more complex systems demanded greater resolving