cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Internationalization of the firm: A discourse-based view

While internationalization process theory has deepened our understanding of international expansion, it and many other international business (IB) theories have largely neglected the underlying managerial processes and decision-making contexts of internationalization. In response, we articulate a model that accounts for both the external context and the internal processes leading to internationalization decisions. We argue that internationalization decisions are grounded in contestation and struggle for control, eventually leading to a dominant discourse, consensus, and performativity. We illustrate our model through two contrasting cases of internationalization, and we show how contemporary IB theories can be enhanced by adding a discourse approach.
Reconsidering the uplift history and peneplanation of the northern Lhasa terrane, Tibet

The elevation history of the Tibetan Plateau promises insight into the mechanisms and dynamics that develop and sustain high topography over tens of millions of years, as well as the contribution of uplift-related erosive flux to Cenozoic global cooling. The elevation history of the center and northern margin of the plateau have been historically less well-constrained than the southern margin. A diverse suite of techniques, each with their own biases and uncertainties, yield discrepant mid-Cenozoic elevation estimates (0–5 km). We reconstruct Paleogene to Miocene elevations of the Lunpola basin on the northern Lhasa terrane, the southernmost crustal block of the Tibetan Plateau, using stable isotope paleoaltimetry and clumped-isotope paleothermometry on lacustrine and pedogenic carbonates, integrated with previously published compound-specific n-alkane-derived hydrogen isotopes. Paleo-elevation estimates for the Lunpola basin (∼3.1–4.7 km) demonstrate that the northern edge of the Lhasa Block attained high elevation prior to ∼24 Ma and potentially by the Early Eocene (
Toward Understanding the Value of Missing Social Determinants of Health Data in Care Transition Planning.

Background Social determinants of health play an important role in the likelihood of readmission and therefore should be considered in care transition planning. Unfortunately, some social determinants that can be of value to care transition planners are missing in the electronic health record. Rather than trying to understand the value of data that are missing, decision makers often exclude these data. This exclusion can lead to failure to design appropriate care transition programs, leading to readmissions. Objectives This article examines the value of missing social determinants data to emergency department (ED) revisits, and subsequent readmissions. Methods A deidentified data set of 123,697 people (18+ years), with at least one ED visit in 2017 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center was used. The dependent variable was all-cause 30-day revisits (yes/no), while the independent variables were missing/nonmissing status of the social determinants of health measures. Logistic regression was used to test the relationship between likelihood of revisits and social determinants of health variables. Moreover, relative weight analysis was used to identify relative importance of the independent variables. Results Twelve social determinants were found to be most often missing. Of those 12, only “lives with” (alone or with family/friends) had higher odds of ED revisits. However, relative logistic weight analysis suggested that “pain score” and “activities of daily living” (ADL) accounted for almost 50% of the relevance for ED revisits when compared among all 12 variables. Conclusion In the process of care transition planning, data that are documented are factored into the care transition plan. One of the most common challenges in health services practice is to understand the value of missing data in effective program planning. This study suggests that the data that are not documented (i.e., missing) could play an important role in care transition planning as a mechanism to reduce ED revisits and eventual readmission rates.
Trends in precipitation chemistry across the U.S. 1985–2017: Quantifying the benefits from 30 years of Clean Air Act amendment regulation

Abstract Acid rain was first recognized in the 1970s in North America and Europe as an atmospheric pollutant that was causing harm to ecosystems. In response, the U.S. Congress enacted Title IV of the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAA) in 1990 to reduce sulfur and nitrogen emissions from fossil fuel burning power plants. This study reports trends in wet-precipitation chemistry in response to emissions reductions implemented as part of the CAA. Trends were calculated for sulfate (SO4), nitrate (NO3) and ammonium (NH4) from 1985 to 2017 at 168 stations operated by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP); stations were divided into 9 regions across the United States. Trend analyses were conducted for three time periods: Period 1 (1985–1999), Period 2 (2000–2017), and the entire study period (1985–2017). Seasonal and regional Kendall trend analyses reveal significant decreasing trends in mean wet-precipitation SO4 concentrations in all 9 regions during the entire study period. The largest decreasing trends in monthly mean SO4 precipitation-weighted concentrations were measured in the Mid-Atlantic (−1.29 μeq/l/yr), Midwest (−1.15 μeq/l/yr), and Northeast regions (−1.10 μeq/l/yr). The trends in monthly mean NO3 concentrations were not as strong as those for SO4, but all of the regions had significant decreasing trends in NO3 and again the Mid-Atlantic (−0.53 μeq/l/yr), Midwest (−0.44 μeq/l/yr), and Northeast regions (−0.50 μeq/l/yr) had the strongest trends. Trends were steepest during Period 2 for SO4 and NO3, in fact for NO3 86% of the stations had significant decreasing trends during Period 2 while only 8% of the stations had significant decreasing trends during Period 1. The stations with the highest concentrations of SO4 and NO3 at the beginning of the study had the strongest decreasing trends and the relations were stronger during Period 2 than Period 1. For NH4, 22% of the stations had statistically significant increasing trends in concentration during Period 1. The largest increasing trends in wet-precipitation NH4 concentration occurred in the North-Central region during Period 1, Period 2 and throughout the entire study. By comparison, NH4 trends in the Rocky-North and Rocky-South regions were about half as steep and trends in the South-Central and Midwest regions were about one-third as steep. We compared trends in SO4 and NO3 concentrations from NADP stations to emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, respectively to determine whether there was a relation between emissions and wet-precipitation concentration trends within proximity to NADP stations. There was a statistically significant relation (r2 = 0.62–0.69, p
Measures of ventilation heterogeneity mapped with hyperpolarized helium-3 MRI demonstrate a T2-high phenotype in asthma.

Background Hyperpolarized gas with helium (HHe-3) MR (magnetic resonance) is a noninvasive imaging method which maps and quantifies regions of ventilation heterogeneity (VH) in the lung. VH is an important feature of asthma, but little is known as to how VH informs patient phenotypes. Purpose To determine if VH indicators quantified by HHe-3 MR imaging (MRI) predict phenotypic characteristics and map to regions of inflammation in children with problematic wheeze or asthma. Methods Sixty children with poorly-controlled wheeze or asthma underwent HHe-3 MRI, including 22 with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). The HHe-3 signal intensity defined four ventilation compartments. The non-ventilated and hypoventilated compartments divided by the total lung volume defined a VH index (VHI %). Results Children with VHI % in the upper quartile had significantly greater airflow limitation, bronchodilator responsiveness, blood eosinophils, expired nitric oxide (FeNO), and BAL eosinophilic or neutrophilic granulocyte patterns compared to children with VHI % in the lower quartile. Lavage return from hypoventilated bronchial segments had greater eosinophil % than from ventilated segments. Conclusion In children with asthma, greater VHI % as measured by HHe-3 MRI identifies a severe phenotype with higher type 2 inflammatory markers, and maps to regions of lung eosinophilia. Listed on ClinicalTrials. gov (NCT02577497).
Effects of Laws Expanding Civilian Rights to Use Deadly Force in Self-Defense on Violence and Crime: A Systematic Review.

Background. Since 2005, most US states have expanded civilian rights to use deadly force in self-defense outside the home. In most cases, legislation has included removing the duty to retreat anywh...
Reconceiving Coercion-Based Defenses

Coercing someone is sometimes wrong, and sometimes a crime. People subject to coercion are sometimes eligible for criminal defenses, such as duress. How, exactly, does coercion operate in such contexts? Among legal scholars the predominant understanding of coercion is the “wrongful pressure” model, which states that coercion exists when the coercer wrongfully threatens the target and, as a result of this threat, the target is pressured to act in accordance with the coercer’s threat. Some tokens of coercion do not fit neatly within existing legal categories or the wrongful pressure model of coercion. For example, coercive control is a psychological phenomenon of interpersonal abuse in which one person pervasively regulates the choices of another. Coercive control is sometimes carried out through violence or threats of violence, but often through ostensibly non-violent forms of degradation (such as humiliation and isolation). Coercive control is often evinced in abusive intimate relationships, including in human trafficking. People subject to coercive control are undeniably coerced. Yet the wrongful pressure model cannot adequately explain why. Those subject to coercive control are ineligible for coercion-based criminal defenses, such as duress and affirmative defenses for victims of human trafficking, in part because of the inadequacy of the wrongful pressure model. This Article articulates and defends an alternative understanding of coercion that, after philosopher Scott Anderson, we call the “enforcement approach” to coercion. According to the enforcement approach, coercion involves the coercer’s using power to determine what the target will or will not do. The enforcement approach is superior to the wrongful pressure approach as an explanation for what makes coercion wrong and why being subject to coercion should provide a defense to criminal liability. Furthermore, the enforcement approach better explains how coercion operates pervasively, such as in coercive control contexts. The enforcement approach also invites a broader rethinking of coercion-based criminal defenses. We utilize the enforcement approach to propose a model criminal defense for those subject to coercive control that would supplement existing defenses.
Underdeveloped Civility and Overdeveloped Stress: Bully Scenario #2: Tyrant Technical College (Presentation Slides)

As student enrollment increases nationwide, so has the number of students entering today's institutions in need of developmental education. In some institutions these increases has led to strained demands on curriculum implementation, student services and instructional coverage. The following examines a scenario that highlights how a tenured instructor has reacted to being mandated to teach developmental courses.
College Enrollment and STEM Major Choice in a Rural State: A Statewide Examination of Recent High School Cohorts

Rural students account for almost 20% of the US K-12 students, but rural context varies from state to state. This study uses a statewide longitudinal sample (N = 3,119) to analyze college enrollment and STEM major choice patterns of Montana’s public high school students in the academic years of 2013-2017. The binary logistic regressions showed that Montanan students are more likely to enroll into a 4-year institution than a 2-year institution. Also, students enrolled at a 4-year institution are more likely to consider STEM majors than students at a 2-year institution. Although high school GPA and ACT STEM scores are strong predictors for both college enrollment and STEM major choice, findings for race/ethnicity, gender, and free or reduced-price lunch status varied across the two outcomes. Specifically, race/ethnicity contributes to variation in college enrollment, but not STEM major choice. Similarly, free or reduced-price lunch status in high school is predictive of college enrollment, but not for STEM major choice. Although there was no difference in college enrollment type for gender, male students are more likely to select a STEM major, and this trend occurs at a rate of three times higher at a 4-year institution versus a 2-year institution. Our findings provide additional nuances of rural students, contributing to the understanding of their college enrollment and STEM major choices in the context of Montana - a large geographic, low populous state - which has received less attention than urban and high-density states.
The state of programs for educating youth about sex trafficking in the United States: A nationwide scoping scan survey

Growing interest in preventing and addressing sex trafficking has led to an increase in the development and implementation of sex trafficking educational programing for youth. We conducted a nation...
Ages And Metallicities For Stars In The Galactic Bulge

Observations of the stellar content of the Milky Way's bulge helps to understand the stellar content and evolution of distant galaxies. In this brief overview I will first highlight some recent work directed towards measuring the history of star formation and the chemical composition of the central few parsecs of the Galaxy. High resolution spectroscopic observations by Ramrez et al. (1998) of luminous M stars in this region yield a near solar value for [Fe/H] from direct measurements of iron lines. Then I will present some results from an ongoing program by my colleagues and myself which has the objective of delineating the star formation and chemical enrichment histories of the central 100 parsecs of the Galaxy, the ``inner bulge''. We have found a small increase in mean [Fe/H] from Baade's Window to the Galactic Center and deduce a near solar value for stars at the center. For radial distances greater than one degree we fail to find a measurable population of stars that are significantly younger than those in Baade's Window. Within one degree of the Galactic Center we find a number of luminous M giants that most likely are the result of a star formation episode not more than one or two Gyr ago.
Approximate Signal Processing

It is increasingly important to structure signal processing algorithms and systems to allow for trading off between the accuracy of results and the utilization of resources in their implementation. In any particular context, there are typically a variety of heuristic approaches to managing these tradeoffs. One of the objectives of this paper is to suggest that there is the potential for developing a more formal approach, including utilizing current research in Computer Science on Approximate Processing and one of its central concepts, Incremental Refinement. Toward this end, we first summarize a number of ideas and approaches to approximate processing as currently being formulated in the computer science community. We then present four examples of signal processing algorithms/systems that are structured with these goals in mind. These examples may be viewed as partial inroads toward the ultimate objective of developing, within the context of signal processing design and implementation, a more general and rigorous framework for utilizing and expanding upon approximate processing concepts and methodologies.
Toward an Understanding of the Quality and Efficiency of Model Building for Genetic Algorithms

This paper investigates the linkage model building for genetic algorithms. By assuming a given quality of the linkage model, an analytical model of time to convergence is derived. Given the computational cost of building the linkage model, an estimated total computational time is obtained by using the derived time-to-convergence model. The models are empirically verified. The results can be potentially used to decide whether applying a linkage-identification technique is worthwhile and give a guideline to speed up the linkage model building.
Oxidation of Alkanes to Internal Monoalkenes by a Nocardia

A suspension of glucose-grown resting cells of Nocardia salmonicolor PSU-N-18 oxidized hexadecane to a mixture of internal monohexadecenes. The latter exhibited a cis configuration, and the mixture consisted of the following: 7-hexadecene, 80%; 8-hexadecene, 18%; and 6-hexadecene, 2%. Alkanes other than hexadecane also were unsaturated by the resting cells, and the composition of the monoalkenes resulting from octadecane dehydrogenation was 9-octadecene, 91%; 8-octadecene, 2 to 3%; 7-octadecene, 1 to 2%; and 6- and 5-octadecenes, trace amounts. Only minute quantities of unsaturated hydrocarbons accumulated during growth on hexadecane and during resting-cell incubation of hexadecane-grown cells with hexadecane. The dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons did not appear to be related to the formation of unsaturated fatty acids. It is postulated that double bond insertion may represent an early step in a new pathway of aliphatic hydrocarbon degradation.
Matched and mismatched cognitive appraisals in patients with breast cancer and their partners: implications for psychological distress.

Backround The present study sought to identify couples' cognitive appraisals of breast cancer and the extent to which matched or mismatched appraisals within a couple contribute to distress. Methods Women with breast cancer (n = 57) and their partners completed the Cognitive Appraisals of Health Scale along with two self-report measures of distress, the Profile of Mood States and the Impact of Events Scale. Four groups were created based on their cognitive appraisals. Couples where both patient and partner scored highest on challenge or benign appraisals formed the positive outlook group (P+S+); when both scored highest on threat or harm/loss, they formed the negative outlook group (P−S−). In the mismatched groups, the patient had a positive outlook, and their partner had a negative outlook (P+S−), or vice versa (P−S+). Results In general, lower distress was related to participants' own positive outlook. Higher distress for patients was found in the matched group P−S−; for partners, it was found in the mismatched group P+S−. Conclusions These findings suggest partner effects for both patients and partners. When the patient had a negative outlook, a partner negative outlook was associated with the highest psychological distress. When the partner had a negative outlook, a patient positive outlook was associated with the highest psychological distress. There are several possible explanations for these findings, each with different implications for clinical practice. Future research with different groups of cancer patients and longitudinal, mixed methods designs may clarify their meaning. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CMOS voltage interface circuit for low power systems

A bi-directional CMOS voltage interface circuit is proposed for applications that require signal transfer between two circuits operating at different voltage levels. The circuit can also be used as a level converter at the driver and receiver ends of long interconnect lines for low swing applications. The operation of the voltage interface circuit is verified by both simulation and experimental test circuits. The proposed voltage interface circuit operates at high speed while offering significant power savings of up to 95% as compared to existing schemes.
Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other

Consider Facebookits human contact, only easier to engage with and easier to avoid. Developing technology promises closeness. Sometimes it delivers, but much of our modern life leaves us less connected with people and more connected to simulations of them. In Alone Together, MIT technology and society professor Sherry Turkle explores the power of our new tools and toys to dramatically alter our social lives. Its a nuanced exploration of what we are looking forand sacrificingin a world of electronic companions and social networking tools, and an argument that, despite the hand-waving of todays self-described prophets of the future, it will be the next generation who will chart the path between isolation and connectivity.
Moral Perception and Responsiveness

A good moral theory should provide useful norms for our day-to-day moral perceptions, deliberations, choices, and practices. It should accommodate human cognitiveconstraintsandrespondtothecomplexitiesofactualexperiencedlives.In other words, our moral theories should be psychologically and socially realistic.A number of contemporary moral philosophers agree. They have taken an empirical turn by drawing on research from cognitive science, neuroscience, and the social sciences and by conducting their own experiments. We now have edited volumes with such titles as The Neuroscience of Morality (Sinnott-Armstrong 2008b), The Cognitive Science of Morality (Sinnott-Armstrong 2008a), and Experimental Philosophy (Knobe and Nichols 2008). Much of this work centers on folk intuitions about moral dilemmas and the brain processes underlying the making of moral judgments. In order to control these neurological and psychological experiments, subjects are usually presented with a paragraph of text and then asked to reason about and make judgments on the situation described in the text. Rather than have subjects read and respond to paragraphs of text, social scientists such as Lee Ross and John Nisbett (1991) have placed subjects in actual, real-life situations. Their research has shown how much our social situations can influence our perceptions and behaviors. Moral philosopher John Doris (2002) has used Nisbett’s and similar social science research to argue that supposed moral character traits are not so trait-like after all. So far, however, moral philosophers have had little to say about how an agent should (1) decide that a situation is one of ethical import to begin with, (2) determine what is relevant to the moral reasoning process, and (3) compensate for implicit biases. It is impossible for an agent to be morally responsive if she fails to identify the morally salient aspects of her experience. A handful of moral philosophers have noticed this oversight, but they fail to engage with recent work in cognitive science. Barbara Herman (1993), for example, who describes her project as a “normative reconstruction of Kant,” argues that the Kantian account of moral judgment can and should be supplemented with an account of moral perception. She provides such an account but concedes that Kant himself did not (73‐93). In what follows I first describe a morally responsive agent and the role that moral perception plays in moral responsiveness. I then discuss problems tied to rule-based norms for moral perception. Next, I examine in more detail the thought processes that comprise moral perception and the built-in constraints on these processes by drawing on recent advances in cognitive science. I focus primarily on bs_bs_banner
Experimental evaluation of differential thermal errors in magnetoelastic stress sensors for Re<180

In this paper we discuss laboratory results from solenoidal magnetoelastic measurements performed on a sample of bridge suspension cable. The experiments were designed to answer basic questions regarding the potential effects of inhomogeneous temperature fields and differential thermal errors between sensor and sample on the accuracy of coercive force measurements. The experiments were conducted with a sample of suspension cable installed in a temperature-controlled thermal chamber. Internal cable temperatures were measured with fine thermocouples which did not breach the sheath, permitting knowledge of the temperature field to be obtained without altering heat transfer. Two sets of experiments were conducted. First, magnetic measurements were taken with the sensor/cable in thermal equilibrium at two different temperatures, and at intermediate points when the temperatures of different ferromagnetic components of the system varied. The magnitude of different heat transfer effects were quantified, and correlated with estimates of the coercive force. Secondly, in order to judge the absolute accuracy of the measurements and to obtain data for further optimizing computer simulations, reference magnetic data was measured using two techniques on a single wire sample of the cable steel. These results are an important step in quantifying the overall accuracy of these sensors.
The Complete Amino Acid Sequence of Bovine α-Lactalbumin

The complete amino acid sequence of bovine α-lactalbumin has been established. The unique sequence was deduced by characterization of the tryptic, chymotryptic, and peptic peptides isolated from enzymic hydrolysates of the two unique fragments obtained on cleavage of S-aminoethyl-α-lactalbumin with cyanogen bromide as described earlier. Important overlapping peptides were also obtained by sequence analysis of peptic and chymotryptic peptides isolated from unmodified or S-carboxymethyl-α-lactalbumin. Bovine α-lactalbumin contains 123 residues with NH2-terminal glutamic acid and COOH-terminal leucine. In accord with earlier reports, bovine α-lactalbumin has a considerable similarity in sequence to hen egg-white lysozyme. Alignment of the sequences of these two proteins shows that 49 of the residues are identical and an additional 23 residues are conservative replacements.
The inhibition of cytochrome oxidase by lysosomal cationic proteins of rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Abstract At 0.33 μM, a mixture of cationic proteins from PMN lysosomes decreased the velocity constant of rat liver cytochrome oxidase by 50%. Separation of the proteins into fractions of circa 8000 and 4000 M.W. reveals that the former is the more potent in its inhibition of cytochrome oxidase, causing 50% inhibition of activity at 0.1 μM.
Kinematic response functions and dynamic stiffnesses of bridge embankments

Recognizing that soil-structure interaction affects appreciably the earthquake response of highway overcrossings, this paper compares approximate analytical solutions and finite element results to conclude on a simple procedure that allows for the estimation of the kinematic response functions and dynamic stiffnesses of approach embankments. It is shown that the shear-wedge model yields realistic estimates for the amplification functions of typical embankments and reveals the appropriate levels of dynamic strains which are subsequently used to estimate the stiffness and damping coefficients of embankments. The shear-wedge model is extended to a two-dimensional model in order to calculate the transverse static stiffness of an approach embankment loaded at one end. The formulation leads to a sound closed-form expression for the critical length, , that is the ratio of the transverse static stiffness of an approach embankment and the transverse static stiffness of a unit-width wedge. It is shown through two case studies that the transverse dynamic stiffness (“spring” and “dashpot”) of the approach embankment can be estimated with confidence by multiplying the dynamic stiffness of the unit-width wedge with the critical length, . The paper concludes that the values obtained for the transverse kinematic response function and dynamic stiffness can also be used with confidence to represent the longitudinal kinematic response function and dynamic stiffness respectively.
Neural and metabolic regulation of macronutrient intake and selection.

There is considerable disagreement regarding what constitutes a healthy diet. Ever since the influential work of Cannon and Richter, it was debated whether the ‘wisdom of the body’ will automatically direct us to the foods we need for healthy lives or whether we must carefully learn to eat the right foods, particularly in an environment of plenty. Although it is clear that strong mechanisms have evolved to prevent consumption of foods that have previously made us sick, it is less clear whether reciprocal mechanisms exist that reinforce the consumption of healthy diets. Here, we review recent progress in providing behavioural evidence for the regulation of intake and selection of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. We examine new developments in sensory physiology enabling recognition of macronutrients both pre- and post-ingestively. Finally, we propose a general model for central neural processing of nutrient-specific appetites. We suggest that the same basic neural circuitry responsible for the homoeostatic regulation of total energy intake is also used to control consumption of specific macro- and micronutrients. Similar to salt appetite, specific appetites for other micro- and macronutrients may be encoded by unique molecular changes in the hypothalamus. Gratification of such specific appetites is then accomplished by engaging the brain motivational system to assign the highest reward prediction to exteroceptive cues previously associated with consuming the missing ingredient. A better understanding of these nutrient-specific neural processes could help design drugs and behavioural strategies that promote healthier eating.
A study of moral development and personality relationships in adolescents and young adult Catholic students.

Explored the relationship between personality and moral development. Using Kohlberg's stages of moral development, it was conceived as possible that some of the characteristics measured by the California Psychological Inventory would be related significantly to preference for principled levels of moral judgment (stages 5 and 6 of Kohlberg's schema) for three groups of Catholic students (N = 549) in attendance at Catholic high schools and universities. The results indicated that those who preferred principled levaels of moral reasoning were seen as being dependable, rational, creative, intelligent, and accepting of rules and constraints of society, but at the same time, able to think independently and aware of the need for change.
Modelling galaxy clustering by colour

We extend the mass-halo formalism for analytically generating power spectra to allow for the different clustering behaviour observed in galaxy subpopulations. Although applicable to other separations, we concentrate our methods on a simple separation by rest-frame colour into ‘red’ and ‘blue’ subpopulations through modifications to the 〈N〉(M) relations and halo distribution functions for each of the subpopulations. This sort of separation is within the capabilities of the current generations of simulations as well as galaxy surveys, suggesting a potentially powerful observational constraint for current and future simulations. In anticipation of this, we demonstrate the sensitivity of the resulting power spectra to the choice of model parameters.
Elevated extracellular K+ inhibits apoptosis of corneal epithelial cells exposed to UV-B radiation

Abstract The goal of this study was to determine if the high [K + ] in tears, 20–25 mM, serves to protect corneal epithelial cells from going into apoptosis after exposure to ambient UV-B radiation. Human corneal–limbal epithelial (HCLE) cells in culture were exposed to UV-B at doses of 50–200 mJ/cm 2 followed by measurement of K + channel activation and activity of apoptotic pathways. Patch-clamp recording showed activation of K + channels after UV-B exposure at 80 mJ/cm 2 or 150 mJ/cm 2 and a decrease in UV-induced K + efflux with increasing [K + ] o . The UV-activated current was partially blocked by the specific K + channel blocker, BDS-1. DNA fragmentation, as measured by the TUNEL assay, was induced after exposure to UV-B at 100–200 mJ/cm 2 . DNA fragmentation was significantly decreased when cells were incubated in 25, 50 or 100 mM K o + after exposure to UV-B. The effector caspase, caspase-3, was activated by exposure to UV-B at 50–200 mJ/cm 2 , but there was a significant decrease in activation when the cells were incubated in 25, 50 or 100 mM K o + following exposure to UV-B. A decrease in mitochondrial potential, a possible activator of caspase-3, occurred after exposure to UV-B at 100–200 mJ/cm 2 . This decrease in mitochondrial potential was prevented by 100 mM K o + ; however, 25 or 50 mM K o + provided minimal protection. Caspase-9, which is in the pathway from mitochondrial potential change to caspase-3 activation, showed little activation by UV-B radiation. Caspase-8, an initiator caspase that activates caspase-3, was activated by exposure to UV-B at 50–200 mJ/cm 2 , and this UV-activation was significantly reduced by 25–100 mM K o + . The data show that the physiologically relevant [K + ] o of 25 mM can inhibit UV-B induced activation of apoptotic pathways. This suggests that the relatively high [K + ] in tears reduces loss of K + from corneal epithelial cells in response to UV exposure, thereby contributing to the protection of the ocular surface from ambient UV radiation.
Seamless Boost Converter Control Under the Critical Boundary Condition for a Fuel Cell Power Conditioning System

The boost converter operates either in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) or in continuous conduction mode (CCM). The operation mode is determined by the duty ratio, load, and parameters of the boost converter. The plant models in DCM and CCM are different in the frequency domain. Therefore, it will be difficult to design a controller with stable operation and fast transient response for both modes. Moreover, if the boost converter operates in CCM with the DCM control gain or vice versa, it will be unstable. In this paper, the proposed control strategy can make mode transitions between DCM and CCM seamlessly by adding a mode tracker, and then the boost converter can autonomously operate by selecting the appropriate control loop in both operation modes. The proposed controller still has a voltage control loop in DCM and current/voltage control loops in CCM. The proposed mode tracker will be explained with a frequency-domain analysis. In the case of a portable fuel cell, the boost converter is required to operate from very light load (DCM) to regular load (CCM) con- ditions. Because of the wide range operation of the portable fuel cell, the strategy of the proposed smooth mode transition will be suitable. In addition, smooth operation of the converter will also be beneficial to the reliability of the fuel cell stack. Furthermore, the proposed principle will be applicable to other mode transient mechanisms such as grid mode transitions, master-and-slave mode transitions, and so on. A 20-W boost converter prototype will be used to verify the performance of the proposed control scheme.
A disaffected new democracy? Identities, institutions and civic engagement in post-communist Poland

Abstract Focusing on the case of Poland and utilizing mass opinion survey data, this paper examines the phenomenon of widespread popular disengagement from civic and political life by testing the relative explanatory power of cultural and institutional hypotheses. The former see disengagement as the consequence of values and patterns of behavior that are in some ways incompatible with pluralist politics, whereas the latter see disengagement as the result of a mismatch between the realm of politically relevant individual interests and identities on the one hand, and the realm of available institutions of state–society intermediation on the other.
A Comparison of Skyline Harvesting Costs for Alternative Commercial Thinning Prescriptions

Abstract Harvesting production and costs were examined for three alternative silvicultural prescriptions at two sites in the Coast Range of Oregon. Thirty-three-year-old Douglas fir stands were commercially thinned to residual densities of 247, 148, and 74 trees per hectare (tph) [100, 60, and 30 trees per acre (tpa), respectively]. Detailed time studies were conducted on manual felling and uphill skyline yarding with small yarders. Separate regression equations were developed to predict delay-free felling cycle time and delay-free yarding cycle time. The 74 tph [30 tpa] treatment had the highest production rate and was the least costly to harvest. Total harvesting costs of the other two treatments averaged from 6.0% (148 tph [60 tpa]) to 12.3% (247 tph [100 tpa]) more than the 74 tph [30 tpa] treatment.
Investigation of hollow cathode performance for 30-cm thrusters

A parametric investigation of 6.35 mm diameter mercury hollow cathodes was carried out in a bell jar. The parameters that were varied were the amount of initial emissive mix, the insert position, the emission current, the cathode temperature, the orifice diameter, and the mercury flow rate. Flow characteristic curves and performance as a function of time were obtained for the various cathodes of interest. Also presented are the results of a 3880 hr life test of a main cathode run at 15 amps emission current with no noticeable changes in keeper and collector voltages.
ElVis: A System for the Accurate and Interactive Visualization of High-Order Finite Element Solutions

This paper presents the Element Visualizer (ElVis), a new, open-source scientific visualization system for use with high-order finite element solutions to PDEs in three dimensions. This system is designed to minimize visualization errors of these types of fields by querying the underlying finite element basis functions (e.g., high-order polynomials) directly, leading to pixel-exact representations of solutions and geometry. The system interacts with simulation data through runtime plugins, which only require users to implement a handful of operations fundamental to finite element solvers. The data in turn can be visualized through the use of cut surfaces, contours, isosurfaces, and volume rendering. These visualization algorithms are implemented using NVIDIA's OptiX GPU-based ray-tracing engine, which provides accelerated ray traversal of the high-order geometry, and CUDA, which allows for effective parallel evaluation of the visualization algorithms. The direct interface between ElVis and the underlying data differentiates it from existing visualization tools. Current tools assume the underlying data is composed of linear primitives; high-order data must be interpolated with linear functions as a result. In this work, examples drawn from aerodynamic simulations-high-order discontinuous Galerkin finite element solutions of aerodynamic flows in particular-will demonstrate the superiority of ElVis' pixel-exact approach when compared with traditional linear-interpolation methods. Such methods can introduce a number of inaccuracies in the resulting visualization, making it unclear if visual artifacts are genuine to the solution data or if these artifacts are the result of interpolation errors. Linear methods additionally cannot properly visualize curved geometries (elements or boundaries) which can greatly inhibit developers' debugging efforts. As we will show, pixel-exact visualization exhibits none of these issues, removing the visualization scheme as a source of uncertainty for engineers using ElVis.
Comparison of wetland structural characteristics between created and natural salt marshes in southwest Louisiana, USA

The use of dredge material is a well-known technique for creating or restoring salt marshes that is expected to become more common along the Gulf of Mexico coast in the future. However, the effectiveness of this restoration method is still questioned. Wetland structural characteristics were compared between four created and three natural salt marshes in southwest Louisiana, USA. The created marshes, formed by the pumping of dredge material into formerly open water areas, represent a chronosequence, ranging in age from 3 to 19 years. Vegetation and soil structural factors were compared to determine whether the created marshes become more similar over time to the natural salt marshes. Vegetation surveys were conducted in 1997, 2000, and 2002 using the line-intercept technique. Site elevations were measured in 2000. Organic matter (OM) was measured in 1996 and 2002, while bulk density and soil particle-size distribution were determined in 2002 only. The natural marshes were dominated by Spartina alterniflora, as were the oldest created marshes; these marshes had the lowest mean site elevations ( 35 cm NGVD) and became dominated by high marsh (S. patens, Distichlis spicata) and shrub (Baccharis halimifolia, Iva frutescens) species. The higher elevation marsh seems to be following a different plant successional trajectory than the other marshes, indicating a relationship between marsh elevation and species composition. The soils in both the created and natural marshes contain high levels of clays (30–65 %), with sand comprising < 1 % of the soil distribution. OM was significantly greater and bulk density significantly lower in two of the natural marshes when compared to the created marshes. The oldest created marsh had significantly greater OM than the younger created marshes, but it may still take several decades before equivalency is reached with the natural marshes. Vegetation structural characteristics in the created marshes take only a few years to become similar to those in the natural marshes, just so long as the marshes are formed at a proper elevation. This agrees with other studies from North Carolina and Texas. However, it will take several decades for the soil characteristics to reach equivalency with the natural marshes, if they ever will.
Characterization of outgassing for EUV technology

Outgassing of photoresists needs to be minimized to avoid contamination of optics. A new challenge for EUV photoresists - that was not encountered for previous lithography technologies - is that exposures will occur in a vacuum environment. In order to design resists that meet the outgassing requirements for EUV lithography, current EUV photoresists need to be tested to determine if there are any performance gaps. In this paper we will describe the outgassing set-up for the outgassing chamber at the University of Wisconsin, and document Intel’s best known method for collecting and analyzing EUV outgassing data. In addition we will present preliminary outgassing results to benchmark the performance of Intel’s outgassing procedure.
UN sanctions burden sharing: Article 50 of the UN charter and assistance to third states

abstract This article proposes the establishment by the UN Security Council of a system of mutual support for third states whose economies have been adversely affected as a result of UN non‐military sanctions. This system consists of several components: (1) creating new markets for the sale of goods and services of third states; (2) crafting of a logical UN sanctions costs methodology; (3) bringing into UN Security Council for a those bilateral and regional efforts involving cases of UN sanctions compensation; (4) devising norms and procedures for acquiring and pooling of the requisite funds out of which states’ claims for damages attributable to UN sanctions might be satisfied; and (5) establishing a mechanism for the adjudication of such claims. While many obstacles admittedly exist to creating such a system of mutual support, the article argues that effective UN sanctions burden sharing is nevertheless important to international relations theory and practice, since UN sanctions appear to be increasing ...
EXPLORING INFIDELITY: DEVELOPING THE RELATIONSHIP ISSUES SCALE

Infidelity can be a traumatic occurrence in a relationship. People tend to believe that sexual behavior should be exclusive to a romantic relationship but are less certain about which types of nonsexual behaviors are acceptable in other relationships. The Relationship Issues Scale (RIS) was developed to explore attitudes/values and expectations/behaviors regarding relationship exclusivity and nonexclusivity (which may or may not include infidelity). Three studies resulted in a final 37-item scale that measures eight dimensions of relationship exclusivity/nonexclusivity. Validity for the RIS was assessed through correlations with permissive sexuality, idealistic sexuality, and relationship satisfaction. Analyses also showed that men were more likely than women to favor nonexclusivity. Three additional sets of items examined participants' frequency of communication about and participation in various nonexclusive activities. Results suggest that relationship exclusivity/nonexclusivity is a significant and co...
Crime, neighborhood perceptions, and the underclass: the relationship between fear of crime and class position

Fear of crime and the underclass represent two of the more prominent topics of discussion within the realms of criminology and sociology over the past several decades. There is little research, however, tying these topics together. Recently, a call has been reissued for the further understanding of the relationship between crime and class. Such an examination is essential to the understanding of fear of crime as well. In this article, an attempt is made to meld the two seemingly divergent areas of fear of crime and the underclass in order to develop a more thorough understanding of neighborhood fear. With the use of secondary data, the extent to which this underclass offers a useful model for analysis of neighborhood issues is investigated. In particular crime, fear, and perceptions of victimization among members of the underclass are examined.
Anaerobic bacteria grow within Candida albicans biofilms and induce biofilm formation in suspension cultures.

The human microbiome contains diverse microorganisms, which share and compete for the same environmental niches. A major microbial growth form in the human body is the biofilm state, where tightly packed bacterial, archaeal, and fungal cells must cooperate and/or compete for resources in order to survive. We examined mixed biofilms composed of the major fungal species of the gut microbiome, Candida albicans, and each of five prevalent bacterial gastrointestinal inhabitants: Bacteroides fragilis, Clostridium perfringens, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecalis. We observed that biofilms formed by C. albicans provide a hypoxic microenvironment that supports the growth of two anaerobic bacteria, even when cultured in ambient oxic conditions that are normally toxic to the bacteria. We also found that coculture with bacteria in biofilms induces massive gene expression changes in C. albicans, including upregulation of WOR1, which encodes a transcription regulator that controls a phenotypic switch in C. albicans, from the “white” cell type to the “opaque” cell type. Finally, we observed that in suspension cultures, C. perfringens induces aggregation of C. albicans into “mini-biofilms,” which allow C. perfringens cells to survive in a normally toxic environment. This work indicates that bacteria and C. albicans interactions modulate the local chemistry of their environment in multiple ways to create niches favorable to their growth and survival.