cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A SURROGATIVE MEASURE OF BUSINESS CONFIDENCE AND ITS RELATION TO STOCK PRICES

A STATISTICAL METHOD for measuring business anticipations regarding future profit variables would give economic forecasters and fiscal-monetary policy agencies an important new tool. Much of the expenditure by business firms on gross national product follows by several quarters of a year the activating expenditure decisions. A measure of "business confidence" holding at the time decisions are made would provide, therefore, a clue as to the level of expenditure during a future period. The purposes of this paper are, first, to propose a statistical technique for measuring business confidence based on the use of the relationship between corporate dividends and earnings as a surrogate, and, second, to submit empirical evidence to support this proposal in the form of a statistical analysis of co-variation between business confidence, so measured, and stock market prices. These two objectives will be pursued in three major sections of the paper. In Section 1, we shall develop an argument supporting the proposition that variations in the relationship between dividends and earnings are highly associated with changes in business liquidity. We shall then show in Section II that the principal factor governing business liquidity is the degree of confidence held by management groups that future profit variables will turn out to be favorable. From this it follows that the dividend-earnings relationship may be used as a surrogate of confidence. Confirming statistical evidence dealing with stock market prices is presented in Section III. Sectlon IV provides a brief summary of findings and conclusions.
The relative restrictiveness of tariffs and quotas: A reinterpretation from a rent-seeking perspective

International trade theorists have conventionally argued that a tariff is a less inefficient method of restricting imports than quotas. As Peter Kenen writes, 'Tariffs are better instruments ... than most other trade controls.'1 The purpose of this short article is to develop two fundamental points: First, contrary to the common presumption, government limitations on imports will be more restrictive under a tariff system than a quota system. That is to say, fewer cars will be imported from Japan under a system of import tariffs than quotas (or, what amounts to the same thing, voluntary restraints). Second, the relative efficiency of quotas and tariffs cannot be fully settled by way of the apriori arguments used in the past. However, we might still reasonably conjecture that tariffs will be more inefficient at least as measured by the extent of the deadweight loss) than quotas. These conclusions unfold from a rent-seeking perspective.
Random-field effects in d = 2 and d = 3 ising systems

Abstract The critical behavior of the d = 3 random-field Ising model (RFIM) system Fe x Zn 1- x F 2 is reviewed and compared with recent theories. An equilibrium boundary is found at T eq ( H ) > T c ( H ), the sharp phase transition; hysteresis occurs for T T eq ( H ). In the d = 2 RFIM system Rb 2 Co 0.085 Mg 0.15 F 4 , freezing occurs at a boundary T F (H) c (H)” , the destroyed phase transition. Both T eq ( H ) and T F ( H ) follow RFIM crossover scaling.
Flk prevents premature secretion of the anti‐σ factor FlgM into the periplasm

Summary The flk locus of Salmonella typhimurium was identified as a regulator of flagellar gene expression in strains defective in P- and l-ring formation. Flk acts as a regulator of flagellar gene expression by modulating the protein levels of the anti-σ28 factor FlgM. Evidence is presented which suggests that Flk is a cytoplasmic-facing protein anchored to the inner membrane by a single, C-terminal transmembrane-spanning domain (TMS). The specific amino acid sequence of the TMS is not essential for Flk activity, but membrane anchoring is essential. Membrane fractionation and visualization of protein fusions of green fluorescent protein derivatives to Flk suggested that the Flk protein is present in the membrane as punctate spots in number that are much greater than the number of flagellar basal structures. The turnover of the anti-σ28 factor FlgM was increased in flk mutant strains. Using FlgM–β-lactamase fusions we show the increased turnover of FlgM in flk null mutations is due to FlgM secretion into the periplasm where it is degraded. Our data suggest that Flk inhibits FlgM secretion by acting as a braking system for the flagellar-associated type III secretion system. A model is presented to explain a role for Flk in flagellar assembly and gene regulatory processes.
Poly(ADP-ribose) Contributes to an Association between Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase-1 and Xeroderma Pigmentosum Complementation Group A in Nucleotide Excision Repair

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) promotes the formation of UVR-induced, DNA helix distorting photolesions such as (6-4) pyrimidine-pyrimidone photoproducts and cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. Effective repair of such lesions by the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway is required to prevent DNA mutations and chromosome aberrations. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a zinc finger protein with well documented involvement in base excision repair. PARP-1 is activated in response to DNA damage and catalyzes the formation of poly(ADP-ribose) subunits that assist in the assembly of DNA repair proteins at sites of damage. In this study, we present evidence for PARP-1 contributions to NER, extending the knowledge of PARP-1 function in DNA repair beyond the established role in base excision repair. Silencing the PARP-1 protein or inhibiting PARP activity leads to retention of UVR-induced photolesions. PARP activation following UVR exposure promotes association between PARP-1 and XPA, a central protein in NER. Administration of PARP inhibitors confirms that poly(ADP-ribose) facilitates PARP-1 association with XPA in whole cell extracts, in isolated chromatin complexes, and in vitro. Furthermore, inhibition of PARP activity decreases UVR-stimulated XPA chromatin association, illustrating that these relationships occur in a meaningful context for NER. These results provide a mechanistic link for PARP activity in the repair of UVR-induced photoproducts.
Improvement in Left Ventricular Systolic and Diastolic Performance During Ranolazine Treatment in Patients With Stable Angina

Purpose: Ranolazine is a novel antianginal medication that acts by ameliorating disturbed sodium and calcium homeostasis. By preventing myocyte sodium and calcium overload, ranolazine also have potential beneficial effects on myocardial function. Experimental models support this concept, as do 2 small studies in human participants receiving ranolazine intravenously. We evaluated changes in parameters of left ventricular function in stable angina patients treated with oral ranolazine. Methods: Twenty-two participants were enrolled with Doppler echocardiography performed at baseline and a mean of 2 months after initiation of treatment. Results: Global left ventricular function, as assessed by the myocardial performance index, was significantly improved on drug therapy (P < .0001). This was due to improvement in both diastolic and systolic parameters. Of 21 patients, 17 reported less angina and 8 patients reported an increase in activity level. Conclusions: We report improved parameters of left ventricular f...
Bridging paradigm gaps between biology and engineering

Computing and communications are well understood topics in engineering. However, we are very much at the beginning of the road to understanding those mechanisms in biological systems. I'll argue that progress in biology will require better understanding of biologically inspired paradigms for computing and communications. In particular, I'll discuss some initial results related to asynchronous circuits with feedback and to delay insensitive communications.
Laboratory transmission studies of QPX disease in the hard clam : Interactions between different host strains and pathogen isolates

Quahog Parasite Unknown (QPX) disease is attributed with hard clam mortalities from Atlantic Canada down to Virginia. Prior field investigations discovered that resiliency to QPX infection varied considerably among different clam stocks. QPX descriptions and pathologic severity have also varied among field surveys and diagnostic reports, raising the question of whether there is more than one strain of the parasite throughout its known geographic range. In this study we used a recently developed experimental transmission methodology to test the hypothesis that genotypic variability in the host and/or in the pathogen was responsible for differences in the severity of QPX infections. Inoculation methods were applied in a trial that utilized three QPX isolates, geographically or morphologically distinct, and naive juvenile clams obtained from culture facilities in Massachusetts (MA), New York (NY), Virginia (VA), and Florida (FL). Trends in prevalence and disease severity were significantly associated with seed origin and QPX isolate. Results show clams from FL and VA to be noticeably more susceptible toward QPX infection than clams from MA or NY. QPX isolated from infected NY clams appeared more virulent than the QPX isolated from infected MA clams. Hard clam stock susceptibility differences are important considerations for aquaculture applications in the field, it is also important to be aware that different QPX strains represent different potential threats of disease.
Direct Measures of Discriminations Among Individuals Performed by Psychological Tests

(1950). Direct Measures of Discriminations Among Individuals Performed by Psychological Tests. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 281-314.
Five intermediate complexes in transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II

A native gel electrophoresis DNA binding assay was used to resolve complexes formed on the adenovirus Major Late Promoter by general transcription factors and RNA polymerase II. Five sets of complexes containing distinct components were identified. These complexes were generated by sequential binding of TFIID, TFIIA, TFIIB, RNA polymerase II, and TFIIE. The relative positions of each of the factors in the complexes were determined by DNAase I footprint analysis. TFIIA, derived from yeast or mammalian cells, formed a complex with yeast TFIID and the TATA element. TFIIB bound to this complex and probably acts as a "bridge" to the polymerase and the initiation site. The addition of ATP or dATP, necessary for "activation" of transcription, resulted in an alteration of the footprint in the +20 to +30 region, the same area protected upon addition of TFIIE to the initiation complex. Addition of ribonucleotide triphosphates generated new complexes that contained accurately initiated transcripts associated with the transcription machinery and the template DNA. A model for the interactions of components in initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II is proposed.
Effect of multiple heatings on the blood flow in RIF-1 tumours, skin and muscle of C3H mice.

The effect of one to five multiple heatings on blood flow in the RIF-1 tumour, skin and muscle of C3H mice was studied. When heated for 1 h at 43.5°C the tumour blood flow increased 1.8 times, and rapidly decreased after the heating to less than half the control value. The 2nd-5th heatings at 43.5°C, applied at 1- or 3-day intervals, caused no further significant change in the tumour blood flow. In the skin and muscle the blood flow increased 5 times when heated for 1 h at 43.5°C, and remained at 1.5–2.0 times of control for 1–3 days after the heating. The blood flow in the skin and muscle, particularly in the skin, was further increased by the 2nd-5th heatings applied at 3-day intervals, but not at 1-day intervals, albeit the additional increase was very small. Consequently, whereas the tumour blood flow was 5–6 times greater than that in the skin and muscle before heating, it was only about 1.5–2.0 times greater than that in the skin and muscle during the 1st heating. The tumour blood flow became more o...
Processes of successful intentional forgetting.

This article presents a framework, based on directed forgetting and social judgment research, for understanding compliance with overt instructions to disregard particular information. The success of intentional forgetting depends on how one originally encoded the to-be-forgotten information, the scope of the forget instruction, and the type of retrieval task done later. Memory-based processes of segregation and retrieval inhibition can lead to successful forgetting when subjects may forget all of the prior information. However, they are insufficient when subjects must forget only part of it. In this case, one «forgets» (i.e., limits expression of forget-cued information) by altering one's decision processes later. Successful intentional forgetting occurs only when one intentionally retrieves information from a particular learning episode, not when the task does not expressly require this (e.g. implicit memory tasks)
Planning for provably reliable navigation using an unreliable, nearly sensorless robot

This paper addresses a navigation problem for a certain type of simple mobile robot modeled as a point moving in the plane. The only requirement on the robot is that it must be able to translate in a desired direction, with bounded angular error (measured in a global reference frame), until it reaches the nearest obstacle in its motion direction. One straightforward realization of this capability might use a noisy compass and a contact sensor. We present a planning algorithm that enables such a robot to navigate reliably through its environment. The algorithm constructs a directed graph in which each node is labeled with a subset of the environment boundary. Each edge of the graph is labeled with a sequence of actions that can move the robot from any location in one such set to some location in the other set. We use a variety of local planners to generate the edges, including a "corner-finding" technique that allows the robot to travel to and localize itself at a convex vertex of the environment boundary. The algorithm forms complete plans by searching the resulting graph. We have implemented this algorithm and present results from both simulation and a proof-of-concept physical realization.
Asymptotic critical transmission radius and critical neighbor number for k-connectivity in wireless ad hoc networks

A range assignment to the nodes in a wireless ad hoc network induces a topology in which there is an edge between two nodes if and only if both of them are within each other's transmission range. The critical transmission radius for k-connectivity is the smallest r such that if all nodes have the transmission radius r,the induce topology is k-connected. The critical neighbor number for k-connectivity is the smallest integer l such that if every node sets its transmission radius equal to the distance between itself an its l-th nearest neighbor, the induce topology is k-connecte. In this paper, we study the asymptotic critical transmission radius for k-connectivity an asymptotic critical neighbor number for k-connectivity in a wireless ad hoc network whose nodes are uniformly an independently distribute in a unit-area square or disk. We provide a precise asymptotic distribution of the critical transmission radius for k-connectivity and an improve asymptotic almost sure upper bound on the critical neighbor number for k-connectivity.
Anthropomorphism, Parsimony, and Common Ancestry

I consider three theses that are friendly to anthropomorphism. Each makes a claim about what can be inferred about the mental life of chimpanzees from the fact that humans and chimpanzees both have behavioral trait B and humans produce this behavior by having mental trait M. The first thesis asserts that this fact makes it probable that chimpanzees have M. The second says that this fact provides strong evidence that chimpanzees have M. The third claims that the fact is evidence that chimpanzees have M. The third thesis follows from a plausible Reichenbachian model of how a common ancestor is probabilistically related to its descendants. The first two theses do not, and they have no general evolutionary justification.
Release of Cellular Constituents During Heat Inactivation of Endospores of Aerobic Bacilli

SUMMARY Release of dipicolinic acid from spores of some species of Bacillus during heating at 100°C was determined. The total amount and rate of release of dipicolinic acid from these spores varied between species and strains, the most resistant spores releasing the least. Studies were made on Bacillus polymyxa and B. megaterium to determine the influence of buffers and pH on the liberation of dipicolinic acid, carbohydrate, and nitrogen. Release of these materials was usually least at pH 7.0 and greatest under conditions that favored thermal inactivation. Some of the amino acids and carbohydrates released were identified.
Detection of symmetry and anti-symmetry

To assess the role of second-order channels in symmetry perception we measured the effects of check size, spatial frequency content, eccentricity and grey scale range on the detection of symmetrical and anti-symmetrical patterns. Thresholds for symmetrical stimuli were only moderately affected by these manipulations. Anti-symmetrical stimuli composed of large black and white checks elicited low thresholds. However, anti-symmetry became essentially undetectable at small check sizes. Removing low frequencies from large-check-size, anti-symmetrical stimuli had little effect on thresholds whereas removing high frequencies had a pronounced effect. Moving the stimuli from fixation to 8� eccentricity caused a dramatic increase in thresholds for anti-symmetrical stimuli but not symmetrical stimuli. When the grey scale range was increased anti-symmetry was undetectable at any check size whereas symmetry was easily seen at all. We argue that these results and others in the literature suggest that anti-symmetry is only detected under conditions favourable to selective attention. � 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rapidly increasing promotional expenditures for e-cigarettes

Awareness and use of e-cigarettes have increased rapidly, and the products now represent a billion-dollar industry in the USA.1 ,2 Public health concerns about e-cigarettes centre on their potential appeal to the youth market,3 limited scientific evidence regarding their impact on individual and population health,4 and inconsistent product standards, including variations in nicotine content within and across brands.5–7 While some US cities have extended public smoking bans to cover e-cigarettes or taken other restrictive measures,8 ,9 the products remain unregulated at the federal level. Globally, there is significant variation in how products are treated, with some countries including Canada and Australia taking a more restrictive approach.10 A recent proliferation of e-cigarette marketing—including ads in media where traditional tobacco advertising has long been prohibited, such as television1—likely plays a key role in the exponential growth of the products’ popularity. With some exceptions,11 ,12 reports of e-cigarette marketing to-date have been mainly anecdotal; surveillance and tracking of the quantity and content of such marketing is much needed. The goal of this Industry …
The Impact Of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Of 2002 On The Teaching Of Ethics In Core MBA Curriculums In Ohio

A decade of corporate scandals has highlighted a lack of ethical decision making skills among business leaders. Reasons for this deficiency vary from an absence of ethical teaching in the home to a failure of American corporate culture. In 2002, the situation reached a critical point with scandals such as Enron and Tyco forcing a Congressional response in the form of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Questions concerning corporate leaders’ ability to act ethically again resurfaced in the wake of the recent financial collapse of giants such as AIG and Citigroup, creating a debate over what lessons were learned from the Sarbanes- Oxley experience. MBA curriculums are major stakeholders in this debate. MBA programs are venues where the majority of our business leaders learn the critical skills needed to succeed. The purpose of this study was to assess the treatment of ethics in core MBA curriculums in Ohio in response to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The study determined that MBA programs in Ohio failed to adjust their core curriculums in response to the new demand for increased ethics instruction. Further, it determined that private and public institutions reacted to the legislation in a similar manner. It also revealed that private and public institutions traditionally approach ethics instruction differently.
Cellular mechanisms of insulin resistance

It is estimated that by the year 2020 there will be approximately 250 million people affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus worldwide (1). Although the primary factors causing this disease are unknown, it is clear that insulin resistance plays a major role in its development. Evidence for this comes from (a) the presence of insulin resistance 10–20 years before the onset of the disease (2, 3); (b) cross-sectional studies demonstrating that insulin resistance is a consistent finding in patients with type 2 diabetes (3–6); and (c) prospective studies demonstrating that insulin resistance is the best predictor of whether or not an individual will later become diabetic (2, 3). Here, I focus on some recent advances in our understanding of human insulin resistance that have been made using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). This technique takes advantage of the spin properties of the nuclei of certain isotopes, such as 1H, 13C, and 31P, which endow the isotopes with a magnetic component that can be used to measure the concentration of intracellular metabolites noninvasively and to assess biochemical differences between normal and diabetic subjects. Drawing on NMR studies from my laboratory and others, I first consider the control of glucose phosphorylation and transport in regulating muscle responses to insulin. I then turn to the effects of fatty acids on insulin responses, showing that commonly accepted models that attempt to explain the association of insulin resistance and obesity are incompatible with recent findings. Finally, I propose an alternative model that appears to fit these and other available data.
Isolation of Drosophila clones encoding maternally restricted RNAs

We have isolated molecular clones encoding RNAs which appear to be transcribed predominantly or exclusively during oogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. These clones were isolated by virtue of their homology to polyadenylated RNAs present in very early embryos and absent from older embryos. An analysis of the developmental expression of three cloned genes is presented. The genomic position of one of these clones coincides closely with the position of the maternal effect lethal gene swallow, providing strong evidence that we have cloned this locus.
Low order dynamics embedding for high dimensional time series

This paper considers the problem of finding low order nonlinear embeddings of dynamic data, that is, data characterized by a temporal ordering. Examples where this problem arises include, among others, appearance-based multi-frame tracking, activity recognition from video and dynamic texture analysis/synthesis. Our main result is a semi-definite programming based manifold embedding algorithm that exploits the dynamical information encapsulated in the temporal ordering of the sequence to obtain embeddings with lower complexity that those produced by existing algorithms, at a comparable computational cost. In addition, the use of spatio-temporal information allows for minimizing the effects of outliers on the manifold structure and for handling fragmented sequences, where some of the data is missing, for instance due to occlusion.
Nonlinear Annealing of Glass

Transient as well as residual stresses were measured in laboratory experiments on annealing by nonlinear cooling schedules. The data on transient stresses, in particular, were incompatible with a classical view of annealing but they could be explained by a more recent model of annealing, in which account is taken of structural as well as stress relaxation. The potential utility of nonlinear annealing schedules is also discussed briefly.
Feasibility of Purchasing Screened Farmer Stock Peanuts: The Sheller's Perspective

Mechanical screening to separate foreign material, loose shelled kernels (LSK), and smaller, lower value pods (thrus) from larger, higher value pods (overs) increased the value of peanut lots compared to unscreened lots. The average value of overs was $29.15 per Mg higher than unscreened peanuts. Marketing overs translates into higher purchase cost to shellers. The percentage of LSK in unscreened peanuts was a key factor in whether shellers would prefer to purchase screened lots because, as LSK of unscreened lots increases, the value per Mg of farmer stock (FS) peanuts decrease. The value of unscreened lots with 1% LSK was $12.33 per Mg less (not significant) than the resulting value of lots after screening, while the value of unscreened lots with 10% LSK was $57.57 per Mg less (P = 0.01) than the resulting value of lots after screening. LSK in screened lots were generally reduced to less than 1% limiting the availability of LSK for shellers to recover and use in edible channels. However, removal of high risk components (LSK and small kernels) should reduce aflatoxin levels in overs lots compared to unscreened lots. Significant increases in jumbo and medium outturn and decreases in No. 1 outturn were associated with shelling screened lots. Gross shelled stock value increased $32.37 per Mg for screened lots with no LSK recovery and $10.82 per Mg for unscreened lots with total LSK recovery. The differences in dollar returns from purchasing and shelling screened lots were compared to unscreened lots for different levels of LSK in unscreened lots and varying LSK recovery levels into edible channels.
Short-Term Results of Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy in Combination with Hiatal Hernia Repair: Experience in a Single Accredited Center

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG), while generally safe and efficacious, may be complicated by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms as well as the need for hiatus hernia (HH) repair. Identification and management of HH during SG and the effect of HH repair on GERD-related symptoms following SG are controversial. This study aimed to evaluate HH repair during SG in morbidly obese patients and its short-term effect on GERD-related symptoms and other clinical outcomes. University Hospital, United States We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent primary SG and HH repair. Outcomes included operative time, blood loss, postoperative excess weight loss (%EWL), and self-reported GERD symptoms using a health-related quality of life (HRQL) questionnaire. For a total of 338 patients, 99 patients (29 %) underwent SG in combination with HH repair; 56 patients (16 %) underwent anterior repair of HH (SG + HH), and 43 patients (13 %) underwent posterior repair with or without mesh placement (SG + paraesophageal hernia (PEH)). We found no significant differences in operative time or blood loss, with significantly higher %EWL at 6 months in SG + HH (n = 43) and SG + PEH (n = 32) compared to SG alone (n = 190). There was also a statistically significant improvement in postoperative GERD symptoms. Finally, SG + HH and SG + PEH patients reported greater satisfaction compared to SG patients (>93 versus 87 %). SG patients undergoing HH repair experienced higher %EWL, improved GERD symptoms, and greater satisfaction compared to SG alone in the short term. Further studies are needed to clarify long-term outcomes among patients undergoing SG in combination with HH repair.
Rate-diversity tradeoff of space-time codes with fixed alphabet and optimal constructions for PSK modulation

We show that for any (Q/spl times/M) space-time code S having a fixed, finite signal constellation, there is a tradeoff between the transmission rate R and the transmit diversity gain /spl nu/ achieved by the code. The tradeoff is characterized by R/spl les/Q-/spl nu/+1, where Q is the number of transmit antennas. When either binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) or quaternary phase-shift keying (QPSK) is used as the signal constellation, a systematic construction is presented to achieve the maximum possible rate for every possible value of transmit diversity gain.
The Occurrence of Fingerprint Characteristics as a Two-Dimensional Process

Abstract Osterburg, Parthasarathy, Raghavan, and Sclove (1977) developed a model for assigning a probability to a fingerprint, including a partial print, based on the number of Galton characteristics (ridge endings, forks, etc.) present. A grid of 1-mm squares was placed over a fingerprint. A multinomial model for the cells of the grid was used, the categories being the individual characteristics and combinations of them. In the present article this model is extended to consider dependence among the cells of the grid. The occurrence of the characteristics is modeled as a two-dimensional Markov-type process.
Multiresolution sequential edge linking

We describe a multiresolution approach to edge detection using a sequential search algorithm. The use of a multiresolution image pyramid allows the integration of global edge information contained in lower resolutions to guide the sequential search at higher resolutions. As a consequence, the dependence on a priori knowledge of the image edges is greatly reduced. Estimating the sequential search parameters from lower resolution images provides for a more accurate and less costly search of edge paths in the image.
A New Measure of the Local Regulatory Environment for Housing Markets: The Wharton Residential Land Use Regulatory Index

A new survey of over 2000 jurisdictions across all major housing markets in the US documents how regulation of residential building varies across space. New evidence on what a `typical' degree of l...
Levels of inbreeding depression over seven generations of selfing in the androdioecious clam shrimp, Eulimnadia texana.

Androdioecy (mixtures of males and hermaphrodites) is a rare mating system in both plants and animals. Theory suggests that high levels of inbreeding depression can maintain males in androdioecious populations if hermaphrodites commonly self-fertilize. However, if inbreeding depression (δ) can be ‘purged’ from selfing populations, maintaining males is more difficult. In the androdioecious clam shrimp, Eulimnadia texana, δ is estimated to be as high as 0.7. Previous work suggests that this high level is maintained in the face of high levels of inbreeding due to an associative overdominance of fitness-related loci with the sex-determining locus. Such associative overdominance would make purging of inbreeding depression difficult to impossible. The current experiment was designed to determine if δ can be purged in these shrimp by tracking fitness across seven generations in selfing and outcrossing treatments. Evidence of purging was found in one of four populations, but the remaining populations demonstrated a consistent pattern of δ across generations. Although the experimental design allowed ample opportunity for purging, the majority of populations were unable to purge their genetic load. Therefore, δ in this species is likely due to associative overdominance caused by deleterious recessive alleles linked to the sex determining locus.
Cumulative Radiation Exposure and Cancer Risk Estimates in Emergency Department Patients Undergoing Repeat or Multiple CT

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to define a conservative estimate of the number of patients undergoing repeat or multiple emergency department CT studies and to quantify their cumulative CT radiation doses and lifetime attributable risk of developing cancer.MATERIALS AND METHODS. We identified all patients at a tertiary care adult academic medical center with at least three emergency department visits within a 1-year period that included CT of the neck, chest, abdomen, or pelvis. For this cohort, we identified all diagnostic CT studies over the previous 7.7 years. We calculated cumulative radiation doses by summing typical effective doses of the anatomic regions scanned, and we calculated lifetime attributable risk using the population-averaged dose-to-risk conversion factor of one cancer per 1,000 patients receiving a 10-mSv dose, in accordance with the seventh Biologic Effects of Ionizing Radiation (BEIR VII) report.RESULTS. One hundred thirty emergency department patients met the inclusion crit...
Extrinsic and Intrinsic Origins of Perceived Social Loafing in Organizations

It was hypothesized and found that task visibility and intrinsic task involvement would each be negatively associated with “social loafing” in an ongoing organization. Individuals engaged in social...
Exploring infrared wavelength matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization of proteins with delayed-extraction time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

We report a study of the application of delayed extraction (DE) to infrared-wavelength matrix-assisted time-of-flight mass spectrometry (IR-MALDI-TOF-MS) of proteins. The shapes of the spectral peaks obtained with DE-IR-MALDI-MS are compared with those obtained from the same samples and matrix using continuous extraction (CE) IR-MALDI-MS. Application of DE results in significant improvements in the peak resolution, revealing spectral features (in proteins with molecular masses <12 kDa) that were not resolved in the corresponding CE-IR-MALDI mass spectra. Particularly significant is a series of peaks on the high mass side of the protonated protein peaks that arise through replacement of protons by adventitious sodium ions in the sample. We deduced that these sodium replacement species are a significant contributer to the broad tails (and resulting peak asymmetries) that are a feature of the DE-IR-MALDI mass spectra of proteins with molecular masses ≥17 kDa. The peak width reduction observed in IR-MALDI by DE suggests that, as in UV-MALDI, the initial velocity distribution for ions produced in the MALDI process contributes to the peak broadness in the CE mass spectra. In a systematic comparison between DE UV-MALDI and DE IR-MALDI, we determined that photochemical matrix adduction is present in UV-MALDI but absent in IR-MALDI. In addition, we find that protein ions produced by IR irradiation are less internally excited (i.e., cooler), exhibiting less fragmentation, more Na+ replacement and/or unspecified noncovalent adduction, and more heme adduction with apomyoglobin. Thus, IR-MALDI appears to be a softer means for producing gas-phase protein ions than is UV-MALDI. It will be of considerable practical interest to determine whether large protein ions produced by IR-MALDI are sufficiently cool to survive transport through reflecting TOF mass spectrometers (without loss of small neutral species such as H2O, NH3, and CO2) and the extended time periods required for detection by quadrupole ion trap and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass analyzers.
Application of level crossing analysis to discrete state processes in queueing systems

In this paper we introduce a discrete state level crossing analysis and present some basic results and a key theorem of level crossings. We illustrate the fertility of the discrete state level crossing analysis by applying it to queueing systems with (i) bulk arrival, (ii) instantaneous feedback, (iii) limited waiting space, and (iv) to machine interference problems.
Mammal and insect predation of chemically and structurally defended Mucuna holtonii (Fabaceae) seeds in a Costa Rican rain forest.

Topreventseedlossesfrompredation,plantshavedevelopedprotectivestrategies.Seedsmayutilizechemical or structural defences to deter predators. Mucuna holtonii (Fabaceae) has large seeds containing a toxic amino acid, L-dopa,andcoveredwithahardseedcoat.Ourstudyassessedtheeffectivenessofchemicalandmechanicalseeddefences against vertebrate and invertebrate seed predators within Estaci´ on BiolLa Selva, Costa Rica. Pre-dispersal insect and fungus attack of M. holtonii seeds was low (95.7% of 1493 seeds were undamaged). Camera traps monitoring 90markedM.holtoniiseedsshowedthatthecollaredpeccary(Pecaritajacu)consumed98.6%of69removedseedsover 16 d. Field experiments involving 100 seeds with intact and 100 with opened seed coats found that only opened seeds hadendospermremovedbySericomyrmexamabilisants(0.5-100%ofendospermremoved).Shade-houseexperiments showed that seeds with high amounts of endosperm removed by ants resulted in low germination success and low seedlingbiomassproduction.AlthoughM.holtoniiseedsarerichinL-dopa,thiscompoundisnotaneffectivechemical defence against mammals that possess foregut fermentation. The seed coat of M. holtonii is an effective structural defence against invertebrate seed predators, preventing endosperm removal and enhancing seedling survival.
Transfer and transport: incorporating causal methods for improving predictive models.

Predicting patient outcome is an important task in medical decision making, as clinician expectations of outcome drive testing and treatment decisions. Accurate models can assist clinicians by capitalizing on information from a broad spectrum of features to predict outcome. In an article in this journal, ‘A study in transfer learning: leveraging data from multiple hospitals to enhance hospital-specific predictions,’ Wiens, Guttag, and Horvitz1 explore the use of transfer learning for improving a predictive model of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Their discussion focuses on the need to aggregate data for studying rare diseases but notes the failure of global models to predict accurately for specific institutions. Transfer learning attempts to rectify the generalizability problem by applying evidence from multiple sources on a related target task. Their work demonstrates how transfer learning can be utilized to create a ‘source+target’ model matching or outperforming models trained with source or target data alone. A number of important considerations when pooling data are raised by the authors. Here, we note the need for further discussion by revisiting two points raised in their paper affecting transfer: (1) feature similarity and (2) feature selection. We briefly discuss limitations of transfer learning tied to a lack of causal knowledge and posit that causal information can complement transfer learning to improve model generalization. Weins et al combined datasets by comparing the overlap of features in data collected across hospitals. However, it is important to note that overlapping features do not guarantee feature similarity. This issue was explored in the section, ‘Not all transfer is created equal’; hospital …
Opistognathus albicaudatus, a new species of jawfish (Teleostei: Opistognathidae) from the Andaman Islands

A new species of jawfish, Opistognathus albicaudatus, is described based on two specimens, 91.4–94.8 mm SL, from the Andaman Islands. The combination of an elongate upper jaw produced as thin flexible lamina, and a unique colour pattern consisting of an abruptly white caudal fin and gill arches with a series of 8–10 small dark spots, each near the base of a gill raker, distinguishes the new species from other congeners. Based on morphological similarity and general color pattern, the new species seems to be most closely related to Opistognathus variabilis.These two species appear to have allopatric distributions. A range extension for O. cyanospilotus is also reported.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Testing the Limits of Interdisciplinary and Multi-scale Science

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment was modeled on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It was carried out as a pilot of an assessment mechanism designed to meet decision makers’ needs for information on how human actions were changing biodiversity and ecosystems, how those changes were affecting ecosystem services and human well-being, and what actions could be taken to enhance environmental conservation and human well-being. Despite the considerable research that was available in 2000 on biodiversity and ecosystems and on various aspects of human well-being, it was surprisingly difficult to find research at the interface of natural and social sciences and economics. Yet the key questions being posed by decision-makers (e.g., ‘what will be the impact of biodiversity changes on local or national economies and human health’) required that interdisciplinary research. We encountered other key research gaps, including the need for better understanding of the cross-scale impacts of both environmental changes and policy interventions and the challenges of addressing questions of human well-being across different cultures and different understandings of science and epistemology. This paper identifies some of the most challenging elements of the assessment and the steps that were taken to address them. In addition to the knowledge assessed by the MA, one of the important outcomes was to stimulate greater interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research to address these issues that were not only fundamentally scientifically interesting, but also critically important for decision makers.
The archaeology of the Spanish contact period in the Caribbean

The arrival of Spanish conquistadors and colonists to the Caribbean in the late fifteenth century set in motion the processes that produced the post-1500 “New World.” The sixteenth-century cultural and ecological exchanges among Europe, Africa, and the Americas that took place during the early contact period greatly affected the social and economic patterns of life in both the Old and the New Worlds. Nowhere was this change manifest as profoundly and dramatically as in the sixteenth-century Caribbean. This essay explores the archaeological insights into the processes of encounter between the Amerindian peoples of the Caribbean region and the first permanent Europeans in the Americas and the responses of each to contact with the other. Archaeological research has informed our understanding of this seminal era in New World cultural development in important ways. It had also allowed the documentation of both the cultural and demographic disintegration of the Caribbean Indians and the formation of Euro-American culture.
FITNESS CONSEQUENCES OF MATING SYSTEM, SEED WEIGHT, AND EMERGENCE DATE IN A WINTER ANNUAL, COLLINSIA VERNA.

Selfed and outcrossed progeny of 60 maternal parents were produced to investigate the joint and individual effects of mating system, seed weight, and emergence date on the expression of characters related to fitness and adult fecundity. A series of analyses of variance investigated these effects through time and indicated that 1) mating system explained 56% of the variance in seed weight, 2) seed weight explained 51% and mating system explained 38% of the variance in emergence date, and 3) mating system explained 71% and seed weight explained 15% of the variance in fecundity. Outcrossed-seed means differed significantly from selfed-seed means for all traits measured. On average, outcrossed seeds were larger, germinated earlier, had higher percentage emergence, and produced plants that were more fecund than selfed seeds. The coefficient of inbreeding depression increased through time in this study, from 0.05 for seed weight to 0.23 for fecundity. Seed weight and emergence date were positively correlated, both phenotypically and genetically, for both mating systems. Genetically, this indicates that genes that increase the value of seed weight also increase the value of emergence date and vice versa. Phenotypically, the positive correlation indicates that larger seeds germinate later. Outcrossed seeds were significantly larger but germinated earlier than selfed seeds, suggesting that mating system has an overriding effect in influencing fitness. In light of the selection on emergence date quantified in a previous study, seed weight, emergence date, and mating system may be functioning as a cluster of characters on which selection acts jointly in this species.
Survival in a Gypsy Moth Population Exposed to Low Winter Temperatures

A population of Porthetria dispar (L.) exposed to low winter temperatures in Maine was examined to determine the amount of egg mortality and to determine the fate of the surviving population through one generation. Eggs protected by snow survived temperatures that reached −32.2°C (−26°F). The height above ground that egg masses were deposited was critical. A high percentage of egg masses (81%) was deposited below a height of 5 feet, but most hatch occurred in egg masses found below 1 foot. Egg mortality due to low temperature was 85%. An epizootic of nuclear-polyhedrosis virus further reduced the size of the subsequent population.
Leveraging dialog systems research to assist biomedical researchers' interrogation of Big Clinical Data

The worldwide adoption of electronic health records (EHR) promises to accelerate clinical research, which lies at the heart of medical advances. However, the interrogation of such Big Data by clinical researchers can be laborious and error-prone, involving iterative and ineffective communication of data requests to data analysts. Research on this communication process is rare. There also exists no contemporary system that offers intelligent solutions to assist clinical researchers in their quest for clinical data. In this article, we first provide a detailed characterization of the challenges encountered in this communication space. Second, we identify promising synergies between fields studying human-to-human and human-machine communication that can shed light on biomedical data query mediation. We propose a mixed-initiative dialog-based approach to support autonomous clinical data access and recommend needed technology development and communication study for accelerating clinical research.
A travel-time optimizing edge weighting scheme for dynamic re-planning

The success of autonomous vehicles has made path planning in real, physically grounded environments an increasingly important problem. In environments where speed matters and vehicles must maneuver around obstructions, such as autonomous car navigation in hostile environments, the speed with which real vehicles can traverse a path is often dependent on the sharpness of the corners on the path as well as the length of path edges. We present an algorithm that incorporates the use of the turn angle through path nodes as a limiting factor for vehicle speed. Vehicle speed is then used in a time-weighting calculation for each edge. This allows the path planning algorithm to choose potentially longer paths, with less turns in order to minimize path traversal time. Results simulated in the Breve environment show that travel time can be reduced over the solution obtained using the Anytime D* Algorithm by approximately 10% for a vehicle that is speed limited based on turn rate.
[Study on risk factors and serologic status among brucellosis inapparent infection farmers in Tianjin, 2007].

天津市每年对健康的职业暴露人群进行布鲁氏菌病(布病)血清学筛查,近两年发现部分地区奶牛养殖人员布病血清抗体阳性率达20%以上,尤其是地处远郊的宁河县,阳性率更高.为了解该人群感染原因及其危险因素,开展此次针对性调查。
Treatment of Convulsive Status Epilepticus

Definition, etiology, treatment, and outcome of convulsive status epilepticus in children and adults are outlined by a group of experts and sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation of America.