cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Getting a handle on virtual tools: An examination of the neuronal activity associated with virtual tool use

Tool use is associated with three visual streams-dorso-dorsal, ventro-dorsal, and ventral visual streams. These streams are involved in processing online motor planning, action semantics, and tool semantics features, respectively. Little is known about the way in which the brain represents virtual tools. To directly assess this question, a virtual tool paradigm was created that provided the ability to manipulate tool components in isolation of one another. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), adult participants performed a series of virtual tool manipulation tasks in which vision and movement kinematics of the tool were manipulated. Reaction time and hand movement direction were monitored while the tasks were performed. Functional imaging revealed that activity within all three visual streams was present, in a similar pattern to what would be expected with physical tool use. However, a previously unreported network of right-hemisphere activity was found including right inferior parietal lobule, middle and superior temporal gyri and supramarginal gyrus - regions well known to be associated with tool processing within the left hemisphere. These results provide evidence that both virtual and physical tools are processed within the same brain regions, though virtual tools recruit bilateral tool processing regions to a greater extent than physical tools.
Management of Abdominal Wall Hernias, Sports Hernias, and Athletic Pubalgia

Groin injuries are a common occurrence in sport, especially in elite-level athletes. Most of these injuries are muscular strains that resolve completely with standard conservative management measures. However, some groin injuries result in a significant loss of playing time and can be a source of persistent pain that limits performance. Over the last 20 years, a subset of athletes with chronic, unremitting groin pain known commonly as “sports hernia” has become increasingly recognized. These injuries present challenging diagnostic and therapeutic management problems for athletic trainers and physicians because of the broad range of diagnostic possibilities, the subtle physical exam findings, and the anatomic complexity of the lower abdominal and groin region. In this chapter, the clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment options for athletes with a possible sports hernia will be reviewed. The differential diagnosis of athletic groin pain will also be discussed since surgeons who treat these athletes must understand the spectrum of injuries in order to make an accurate diagnosis.
Relationship of Ki67 to tumor size and lymph node metastasis in breast cancer.

e21076 Background: Ki67, a tumor proliferation marker, has demonstrated usefulness in breast cancer prognosis. Prior work with BrdU labeling for cell proliferation in breast cancer has not settled ...
Deep Neck Space Infections

Deep neck space infections are medical and surgical emergencies. Failure to diagnose and treat these infections promptly may lead to complications such as carotid artery rupture, airway obstruction, systemic sepsis, and descending mediastinitis. This chapter reviews the deep fascial spaces of the neck, describes the clinical signs and symptoms of various deep neck space infections, and discusses the diagnostic workup, typical microbiology, initial empiric antibiotic choices, and optimal surgical management of these infections. With early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, most patients recover from these potentially life-threatening infections.
External biomechanical constraints impair maximal voluntary grip force stability post-stroke.

Abstract Background Grip strength is frequently measured as a global indicator of motor function. In clinical populations, such as hemiparesis post-stroke, grip strength is associated with upper-extremity motor impairment, function, and ability to execute activities of daily living. However, biomechanical configuration of the distal arm and hand may influence the magnitude and stability of maximal voluntary grip force and varies across studies. The influence of distal arm/hand biomechanical configuration on grip force remains unclear. Here we investigated how biomechanical configuration of the distal arm/hand influence the magnitude and trial-to-trial variability of maximal grip force performed in similar positions with variations in external constraint. Methods We studied three groups of 20 individuals: healthy young, healthy older, and individuals post-stroke. We tested maximal voluntary grip force in 4 conditions: 1: self-determined/“free”; 2: standard; 3: fixed arm-rest; 4: gripper fixed to arm-rest, using an instrumented grip dynamometer in both dominant/non-dominant and non-paretic/paretic hands. Findings Regardless of hand or group, maximal voluntary grip force was highest when the distal limb was most constrained (i.e., Condition 4), followed by the least constrained (i.e., Condition 1) (Cohen's f = 0.52, P's Interpretation These findings have important implications for design of rehabilitation interventions and devices. Particularly in individuals post-stroke, external biomechanical constraints increase maximal voluntary grip force variability while fewer biomechanical constraints yield more stable performance.
Do Bilingual Children Have an Executive Function Advantage? Results From Inhibition, Shifting, and Updating Tasks.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine differences in performance between monolingual and Spanish–English bilingual second graders (aged 7–9 years old) on executive function tasks assessi...
Reverse osmosis technology for wastewater reuse

Reverse osmosis technology has a great potential in the field of wastewater reclamation. A reverse osmosis plant includes the following processes: (1) feed water microfiltration and chemical conditioning, (2) membrane treatment, (3) permeate aeration, neutralization and disinfection, and (4) concentrate (liquid residue) treatment and disposal. The performance of reverse osmosis membranes depends on operating conditions and water quality parameters. Permeate productivity and contaminant removals increase with applied hydraulic pressure. Water quality parameters such as concentration, composition and pH also affect contaminant removal efficiencies. For example, the treatment of a simulated wastewater containing 10 mg/L of nitrate with a commercial polyamide-type reverse osmosis membrane resulted in membrane permeates containing approximately 0.05 mg/L of nitrate (or 99.5 percent removal) when sodium chloride was the major dissolved solid present in the feed water, and 1 mg/L (or 90 percent removal) when sodium sulfate was the predominant component. The removals of weak electrolyte contaminants are affected by feed water pH. For example, the removal of boron by a cellulose acetate-type membrane was reported to be greater than 99 percent at a pH of approximately 11, and less than 30 percent at a pH of 7. The practice of pre-treatment processes such as microfiltration and chemical conditioning can minimize performance deterioration resulting from membrane fouling by inorganic precipitates, organic macromolecules and microorganisms (biofouling).
Product Market Advertising and Initial Public Offerings: Theory and Empirical Evidence

Practitioners have noted that firms tend to increase their product market advertising prior to an IPO or a seasoned equity issue. Further, recent empirical evidence indicates that firms with a greater level of product market advertising have lower bid-ask spreads and a larger number of both individual and institutional investors in their equity. We develop a theoretical model of the interaction between a firm's product market advertising and its corporate financing decisions in the above context. We consider a firm which faces asymmetric information in both the product and the financial market (about the quality of its products and the intrinsic value of its projects) and which needs to raise external financing to fund its growth opportunity (new project). Any product market advertising undertaken by the firm is visible in the financial market as well. We show that, in equilibrium, the firm uses a combination of product market advertising, IPO underpricing, and underfinancing (raising a smaller amount of external capital than the full information optimum) to convey its true product quality and the intrinsic value of its projects to consumers and investors. Our model has several implications for IPO underpricing and product market advertising. Two of these predictions are as follows. First, firms will choose a higher level of product market advertising when they are planning to issue new equity or other information-sensitive securities, compared to situations where they have no immediate plans to sell such securities. Second, product market advertising and IPO underpricing are substitutes for a firm going public. The empirical evidence supports these two predictions: First, firms indeed increase their product market advertising in their IPO year relative to a benchmark year two years before their IPO. Further, we find that, in the five-year span around the IPO year (i.e., the IPO year, and the two years before and after the IPO year), the peak advertising level is reached in the IPO year. Second, the extent of underpricing is smaller as the level of product market advertising is greater.
The minimum flow rate of electrosprays in the cone-jet mode

Stable electrospraying in the cone-jet mode is restricted to flow rates above a minimum, and understanding the physics of this constraint is important to improve this atomization technique. We study this problem by measuring the minimum flow rate of electrosprays of tributyl phosphate and propylene carbonate at varying electrical conductivity . The experimental dependency on the Reynolds number requires the viscous stress to be a factor in the determination of the minimum flow rate. However, the numerical solutions suggest that a balance of opposing forces including the fixing viscous stress, which at decreasing flow rates may lower the acceleration of the flow to the point of making it unstable, is unlikely to be the cause. An alternative mechanism is the significant viscous dissipation taking place in the transition from cone to jet, and which at low flow rates cannot be supplied by the work done by the tangential electric stress in the same area. Instead, mechanical energy injected into the system farther downstream must be transferred upstream where dissipation predominantly takes place. This mechanism is supported by the balance between the energy dissipated and the work done by the electric stress in the transition from cone to jet, which yields a relationship between the minimum flow rate, the Reynolds number and the dielectric constant that compares well with experiments.
A level-set based approach for the path planning of human evacuations in contaminated indoor environments

This work considers a level-set based method for path planning of human evacuation in a hazardous indoor environment. The algorithm developed examines the accumulated inhalation of carbon monoxide over a generated path and determines the evacuees survivability. The accumulated inhalation of a hazardous substance is calculated via the line integral of the substance concentration over the selected path. The candidate paths are generated by calculating the constant angle paths towards the exit if the critical level-set of the gas concentration has not been reached. Once the path overlaps with the selected level set, a new set of angles is calculated so that the path follows the level-set. Simulations of both spatially and spatiotemporally varying fields of the hazardous gas are examined.
Temporal Order and Auditory Perception

Varying the onset times of two or more acoustic events, which comprise temporal sequences, results in a variety of perceptual phenomena, depending in part on the range of time intervals used. Onset-time differences from 1 to 20 msec give rise to qualities that are interpretable on relatively peripheral physiological grounds, and may be associated with unitary or fused, non-successive perceptions. Time differences between 20 and 100 msec encompass a range of phenomena that are best interpreted by invoking figure properties of sequences. These need not involve separate verbal reports of “order,” as is more typical of a third range, well beyond 100 msec. While various filter models may be applied to the shortest range and its discrimination responses, and while decision models may be applied to the longest range and its judgments of successive, separated events, the intermediate range requires Gestalt-like rules for adequate interpretation.
Revealing the synergistic effects of sequential and simultaneous dual beam irradiations in tungsten via in-situ TEM

Abstract Elucidating the synergistic effects of different energetic beams on the radiation response of nuclear materials is critical for developing an improved methodology for their evaluation when exposed to extreme environments. This article describes in-situ sequential (He implantation followed by Kr irradiation and vice-versa) and simultaneous (heavy ion Kr irradiation and He implantation) dual beam irradiations performed on tungsten at 1223 K. Dislocation loop density, average area, and total loop damage as a function of irradiation history and dose/fluence are quantified. The loop Burgers vectors and cavity damage (cavity density, size and total change in volume) are also determined at the final maximum dose for each condition. The loop damage evolution was different in all cases, with the smallest loop damage observed in the simultaneous experiment. Annihilation of Kr generated dislocation loops during He implantation in the Kr + He experiment was an unanticipated observation that may be explained by the dynamic evolution of dislocation loop sink strengths and time-dependent defect fluxes. Dislocation loop raft formation, denuded zones near extended defects, and cavity damage are compared across the different conditions. The phenomena observed and discussed in this work will stimulate further experimental and computational modeling activities leading to improved fundamental understanding of the irradiation response of nuclear materials under reactor-similar environments.
Messenger RNA-Based Vaccines Against Infectious Diseases

In vitro-transcribed, messenger RNA-based infectious disease vaccines have the potential to successfully address many of the weaknesses of traditional vaccine platforms, such as the lack of potency and/or durability of vaccine protection, time-consuming, and expensive manufacturing, and, in some cases, safety issues. This optimism is fueled by a great deal of impressive recent data demonstrating that mRNA vaccines have many of the attributes that are necessary for a viable new vaccine class for human use. This review briefly describes mRNA vaccine types, discusses the most relevant and recent publications on infectious disease mRNA vaccines, and highlights the hurdles that need to be overcome to bring this promising novel vaccine modality to the clinic.
Maximum Information Gain Measurements for Single Molecule Discrimination.

The Kullback-Leible (KL) divergence measure between apriori and expected posteriori probability distribution was utilized in single molecule discrimination simulation to find optimal excitation wavelength. Significant improvement in discrimination efficiency is demonstrated.
Secondary and Acquired Cataracts

Cataract is the most common cause of treatable visual disability in children worldwide and affects approximately 500 children annually in the United States. The prevalence has been reported to range between 1 and 15 per 10,000 children (Foster et al. J Cataract Refract Surg 23(Suppl 1):601–4, 1997). Pediatric cataracts can be classified as congenital or acquired depending on their etiology and age of onset. Congenital cataracts are those that are present at birth, though may be undetected until later in life. Acquired (infantile or juvenile) cataracts are defined as those that develop between 6 months and 2 years or after 2 years, respectively. Acquired cataracts can be classified based on their etiology, morphology, and the presence or absence of associated anterior segment abnormalities. This chapter will focus on evaluation and initial management of secondary and acquired cataracts.
Radiolabeled PEGylated Exosomes for In Vivo PET Imaging and Enhanced Tumor Retention

349 Objectives: Exosomes, the naturally secreted lipid vesicles carrying myriad cellular proteins and genetic information, have recently attracted tremendous attention. Due to its extremely high biocompatibility and role in in cancer progression, exosomes have been considered as a promising natural nanoplatform for drug delivery and immunotherapy of cancer. However, a majority of the exosomes injected systemically are cleared by the liver with suboptimal tumor retention, impeding their potential application and clinical translation in cancer treatment. The goal of this study is to design radiolabeled PEGylated exosomes to improve tumor retention and systematically delineate their biodistribution via PET imaging. Methods: Exosomes were generated from 4T1 murine triple negative breast cancer cells by centrifuging conditioned cell culture medium at different velocities. As-prepared exosome was then reacted with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to form exosome-PEG, and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and UV-VIS spectrometry. Exosome and exosome-PEG were radiolabeled and their radiolabeling efficiency and stability were measured by thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Radiolabeled exosome and exosome-PEG were injected into 4T1 tumor-bearing mice for in vivo PET imaging and biodistribution studies. The imaging results were validated by histological analysis with fluorescence-labeled exosomes. Results: 4T1-derived exosome and exosome-PEG were generated with size ~70 nm in diameter. After radiolabeling, 95.6 ± 0.3 % and 97.7 ± 0.2 % of the nuclides were successfully labeled on exosome and exosome-PEG, respectively, suggesting excellent labeling efficiency. After incubation in serum for 24 h, greater than 80% and 90% of the nuclides remained stable on exosome or exosome-PEG, indicating their excellent stability in physiological environment. Serial PET imaging and biodistribution studies revealed a significantly higher tumor uptake and decreased liver sequestration of exosome-PEG, in comparison with exosome without PEG decoration, demonstrating enhanced tumor retention and reduced hepatic clearance after appropriate surface modification. Histological images of fluorescence-labeled exosome-PEG displayed that exosomes was able to extravasate from the vessels. Conclusion: Radiolabeled PEGylated exosomes were successfully prepared, which exhibited significantly enhanced tumor uptake and capacity for in vivo PET imaging of tumor. Surface modification with PEG reduced hepatic clearance of exosomes, which promises potential applications of exosomes in drug delivery and immunotherapy of cancer. The important insights provided by in vivo PET imaging of PEGylated exosomes are expected to guide future development of exosome-based drug delivery system. Acknowledgment: Supported in part by John S. Dunn Foundation.
NeuroKube: An Automated and Autoscaling Neuroimaging Reconstruction Framework using Cloud Native Computing and A.I.

The Neuroscience domain stands out from the field of sciences for its dependence on the study and characterization of complex, intertwining structures. Understanding the complexity of the brain has led to widespread advances in the structure of large-scale computing resources and the design of artificially intelligent analysis systems. However, the scale of problems and data generated continues to grow and outpace the standards and practices of neuroscience. In this paper, we present an automated neuroscience reconstruction framework, called NeuroKube, for large-scale processing and labeling of neuroimage volumes. Automated labels are generated through a machine-learning (ML) workflow, with data-intensive steps feeding through multiple GPU stages and distributed data locations leveraging autoscalable cloud-native deployments on a multi-institution Kubernetes system. Leading-edge hardware and storage empower multiple stages of machine-learning, GPU-accelerated solutions. This demonstrates an abstract approach to allocating the resources and algorithms needed to elucidate the highly complex structures of the brain. We summarize an integrated gateway architecture, and a scalable workflow-driven segmentation and reconstruction environment that brings together image big data with state-of-the-art, extensible machine learning methods.
A weak COPI binding motif in the cytoplasmic tail of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein is necessary for its cleavage, glycosylation, and localization.

The SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein (spike) mediates viral entry by binding ACE2 receptors on host cell surfaces. Spike glycan processing and cleavage, which occur in the Golgi network, are important for fusion at the plasma membrane, promoting both virion infectivity and cell-to-cell viral spreading. We show that a KxHxx motif in the cytosolic tail of spike weakly binds the COPs' subunit of COPI coatomer, which facilitates some recycling of spike within the Golgi, while releasing the remainder to the cell surface. Although histidine (KxHxx) has been proposed to be equivalent to lysine within di-lysine endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retrieval sequences, we show that histidine-to-lysine substitution (KxKxx) retains spike at the ER and prevents glycan processing, protease cleavage, and transport to the plasma membrane.
Step-size Optimization of New Straight Line approximation-based MPPT Algorithm for Photovoltaic Systems

This research paper proposes a straight-line approximation-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm using open circuit voltage of Photovoltaic (PV) module and then employs an iterative based optimization technique for determining the optimum step-size to extract maximum energy from PV-module. The proposed algorithm is compared with the conventional P&O method in terms of maximum energy extraction at different step sizes. The results obtained show that the proposed algorithm extracts more energy at optimized step size and at other different step sizes during fast and slow varying global horizontal irradiance (GHI) parameter. The simulation results also show that the proposed method is much faster than the conventional P&O algorithm in finding the MPP for same step size. The fast-finding maximum power point (MPP) by the proposed algorithm not only allows increasing the overall system efficiency but also helps by extracting more energy from PV module especially for rapid changing weather parameters.
Evaluating the estimation of genetic correlation and heritability using summary statistics

While novel statistical methods quantifying the shared heritability of traits and diseases between ancestral distinct populations have been recently proposed, a thorough evaluation of these approaches under differing circumstances remain elusive. Brown et al.2016 proposed the method Popcorn to estimate the shared heritability, i.e. genetic correlation, using only summary statistics. Here, we evaluate Popcorn under several parameters and circumstances: sample size, number of SNPs, sample size of external reference panel, various population pairs, inappropriate external reference panel, and admixed population involved. Our results determined the minimum sample size of the external reference panel, summary statistics, and number of SNPs required to accurately estimate both the genetic correlation and heritability. Moreover, the number of individuals and SNPs required to produce accurate and stable estimates was directly proportional with heritability in Popcorn. Misrepresentation of the reference panel overestimated the genetic correlation by 20% and heritability by 60%. Lastly, applying Popcorn to homogeneous (EUR) and admixed (ASW) populations underestimated the genetic correlation by 15%. Although statistical approaches estimating the shared heritability between ancestral populations will provide novel etiologic insight, caution is required ensuring results are based on the appropriate sample size, number of SNPs, and the generalizability of the reference panel to the discovery populations.
Rational biomarker development for the early and minimally invasive monitoring of AML

Recurrent disease remains the principal cause for treatment failure in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) across age groups. Reliable biomarkers of AML relapse risk and disease burden have been problematic, as symptoms appear late and current monitoring relies on invasive and cost-ineffective serial bone marrow (BM) surveillance. In this report, we discover a set of unique microRNA (miRNA) that circulates in AML-derived vesicles in the peripheral blood ahead of the general dissemination of leukemic blasts and symptomatic BM failure. Next-generation sequencing of extracellular vesicle-contained small RNA in 12 AML patients and 12 controls allowed us to identify a panel of differentially incorporated miRNA. Proof-of-concept studies using a murine model and patient-derived xenografts demonstrate the feasibility of developing miR-1246, as a potential minimally invasive AML biomarker.
Using Deep Speech Recognition to Evaluate Speech Enhancement Methods

Progress in speech-related tasks is dependent on the quality of the speech signal being processed. While much progress has been made in various aspects of speech processing (including but not limited to, speech recognition, language detection, and speaker diarization), enhancing a noise-corrupted speech signal as it relates to those tasks has not been rigorously evaluated. Speech enhancement aims to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of a noise-corrupted signal to boost the speech elements (signal) and reduce the non-speech ones (noise). Speech enhancement techniques are evaluated using metrics that are either subjective (asking people their opinion of the enhanced signal) or objective (attempt to calculate metrics based on the signal itself). The subjective measures are better indicators of improved quality but do not scale well to large datasets. The objective metrics have mostly been constructed to attempt to model the subjective results. Our goal in this work is to establish a benchmark to assess the improvement of speech enhancement as it relates to the downstream task of automated speech recognition. In doing so, we retain the qualities of subjective measures while ensuring that evaluation can be done at a large scale in an automated fashion. We explore the impact of various noise types, including stationary, non-stationary, and a shift in noise distribution. We found that existing objective metrics are not a strong indicator of performance as it relates to an improvement in a downstream task. As such, we believe that Word Error Rate should be used when the downstream task is automated speech recognition.
A simple microradioisotopic assay for 5′-nucleotidase activity: Application to central nervous tissues

Abstract A radiochemical method for measurement of 5′-nucleotidase is described in which the product, [ 14 C]adenosine passes through a small alumina column and is separated from substrate 5′-AMP, which is completely retained. Optimal conditions for measurement of 5′-nucleotidase in particulate preparations of brain and spinal cord are described.
Observing Obedience: How Sophisticated are Social Perceivers?

How does the general public understand the behavior of Milgram's teachers—those participants who ostensibly tortured an innocent stranger? In our social perception analysis, we contrast two research traditions that attempt to answer this question. On one hand, lay dispositionism argues that people make harsh, person-focused judgments of Milgram's teachers. On the other hand, a mental state account suggests that perceivers integrate information about social situations and agents’ behavior to infer the mental states of others. Mental state inferences then, in turn, drive social judgments of others. We review the theory of lay dispositionism, its application to the Milgram experiments, and several limitations of the theory. We then offer an alternative mental state account and support this view with recent studies on the Milgram experiments, and extensions to everyday behavior explanation. A final section considers the research and policy implications of our analysis.
Chymotrypsin Inhibitor I from Potatoes LARGE SCALE PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ITS SUBUNIT COMPONENTS

Abstract A method for the large scale preparation of chymotrypsin Inhibitor I from potato tubers is described. The method utilizes the inhibitor's stability to acid at elevated temperatures and its dissociation in 4 m guanidine hydrochloride into subunits (protomers) to produce the pure protein with a 47% recovery and a 40-fold purification. Ion exchange chromatography on sulfoethylcellulose in the presence of 0.1 m formic acid in 8 m urea resolves Inhibitor I protomers into two major and two minor types. After reassociation to the tetramer form by dilution, one of the two major rechromatographed protomers was shown to be a powerful inhibitor of both chymotrypsin and trypsin, whereas the other strongly inhibits chymotrypsin but only weakly inhibits trypsin. All four purified protomers resolved from Inhibitor I can be reassociated either individually or hybridized with each other to form tetrameric isoinhibitors. Tetrameric Inhibitor I species prepared from each of the four protomeric types all have an NH2-terminal glutamic acid. However, they differ quantitatively from each other in amino acid composition, reactivity with chymotrypsin and trypsin, digestibility by pepsin, and electrophoretic mobility. Tetrameric Inhibitor I in potatoes is therefore a heterogeneous mixture of isoinhibitors whose properties reflect those of its individual protomers. The molecular weights of tetrameric Inhibitor I and its complex with chymotrypsin were re-evaluated. The molecular weight of Inhibitor I was found to be 39,000 ± 2,000, and that of its complex saturated with chymotrypsin, 140,000 ± 4,600.
Plating Medium for Differentiating Salmonella arizonae from Other Salmonellae

A differential plating medium developed for isolation of Salmonella arizonae produces a uniform reaction for both lactose-negative and -positive S. arizonae and differentiates S. arizonae from other salmonellae.
The great equalizer?: consumer choice behavior at Internet shopbots

Our research empirically analyzes consumer behavior at Internet shopbots- sites that allow consumers to make "one-click" price comparisons for product offerings from multiple retailers. By allowing researchers to observe exactly what information the consumer is shown and their search behavior in response to this information, shopbot data has unique strengths for analyzing consumer behavior. Furthermore, the method in which the data is displayed to consumers lends itself to a utility-based evaluation process, consistent with econometric analysis techniques. While price is an important determinant of customer choice, we find that, even among shopbot consumers, branded retailers and retailers a consumer visited previously hold significant price advantages in head-to-head price comparisons. Further, customers are very sensitive to how the total price is allocated among the item price, the shipping cost, and tax, and are also quite sensitive to the ordinal ranking of retailer offerings with respect to price. We also find that consumers use brand as a proxy for a retailer's credibility with regard to non-contractible aspects of the product bundle such as shipping time. In each case our models accurately predict consumer behavior out of sample, suggesting that our analyses effectively capture relevant aspects of consumer choice processes.
NGOs and the Legitimacy of International Development

The influence of NGOs in international development policy and practice has grown exponentially since the end of the Cold War. These NGOs’ agendas now compete with donor states’ in setting the priorities for international development assistance. Indeed, many NGOs now claim that the legitimacy of international development institutions depends on their inclusion in institutional governance. Several prominent policymakers have expressed a similar view. This article challenges that position. I maintain that legitimacy is the wrong basis on which to stake out a claim for greater NGO involvement in international development institutions. I show that the legitimacy of an international development institution, like the legitimacy of a government bureaucracy, derives from the legitimacy of the states that created it and depends on its due and efficacious discharge of the mandate such states confer on it. Therefore, if the member states of a development institution mandate that NGOs be included in governance, NGO inclusion is critical to that institution’s legitimacy. Absent such a mandate, however, an international development institution’s legitimacy depends on its carrying out the pre-determined tasks and goals of the states that create it. As international bureaucracies, development institutions’ legitimacy equates with efficacy. NGO participation independent of, and unrelated to efficacy, has no bearing on an international development institution’s legitimacy.Whether NGO participation in governances contributes to a development institution’s efficacy is a matter for empirical research. General principles suggest that NGO participation contributes to a development institution’s credibility both within developing and developed countries. Lessons gleaned from the recent experience of development institutions further support that view. If efficacy depends on credibility and credibility depends on NGO involvement, several conclusions follow; the design of new development institutions should include a space for NGOs, existing institutions that exclude NGOs should change. Paradoxically, NGO participation as a contributor to increased institutional credibility could also contribute to an institution’s legitimacy. How and why we get to that result, however, matters.
Environmental Science: the interdisciplinary STEM field

The recognition of Environmental Science (ES) academic programs as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is important to the role ES will play in scholarship and in socio-economic development. The National Science Foundation, other federal agencies, and many academic leaders recognize ES as a STEM discipline. However, some state agencies and academic colleagues do not. This article builds the case that ES is a STEM discipline, is a “rigorous science,” and provides in-depth treatments of science disciplines. In general, ES qualifies as STEM education for four reasons: ES is grounded in the scientific method and the process of discovery, ES is empirical and predictive, ES is rigorous in its provision of specific skills for analytical analysis, and ES provides students with critical thinking skills. We develop viewpoints that the interdisciplinary field of ES is a mature science that appeals to students and prepares them for meaningful careers. Recognition and classification of ES as a STEM discipline provides a crucial link for their funding, provides career opportunities and research initiatives for students and faculty members, and gives those from ES academic programs standing in the science-based discussions for advancing sustainability in a rapidly changing world.
Development of Multisensory Neurons and Multisensory Integration in Cat Superior Colliculus

The development of multisensory neurons and multisensory integration was examined in the deep layers of the superior colliculus of kittens ranging in age from 3 to 135 d postnatal (dpn). Despite the high proportion of multisensory neurons in adult animals, no such neurons were found during the first 10 d of postnatal life. Rather, all sensory-responsive neurons were unimodal. The first multisensory neurons (somatosensory–auditory) were found at 12 dpn, and visually responsive multisensory neurons were not found until 20 dpn. Early multisensory neurons responded weakly to sensory stimuli, had long latencies, large receptive fields, and poorly developed response selectivities. Most surprising, however, was their inability to integrate combinations of sensory cues to produce significant response enhancement (or depression), a characteristic feature of the adult. Responses to combinations of sensory cues differed little from responses to their modality-specific components. At 28 dpn an abrupt physiological change was noted. Some multisensory neurons now integrated combinations of cross-modality cues and exhibited significant response enhancements when these cues were spatially coincident and response depressions when the cues were spatially disparate. During the next 2 months the incidence of multisensory neurons, and the proportion of these neurons capable of adult-like multisensory integration, gradually increased. Once multisensory integration appeared in a given neuron, its properties changed little with development. Even the youngest integrating neurons showed superadditive enhancements and spatial characteristics of multisensory integration that were indistinguishable from the adult. Nevertheless, neonatal and adult multisensory neurons differed in the manner in which they integrated temporally asynchronous stimuli, a distribution that may reflect the very different behavioral requirements at different ages. The possible maturational role of corticotectal projections in the abrupt gating of multisensory integration is discussed.
A Diagnostician's Primer on Functional Behavioral Assessment

Developing effective interventions for students with challenging behaviors may require functional behavioral assessment (FBA), now mandated by IDEA '97. While the assistance of students, parents, and teachers is crucial, it is the educational diagnostician who likely will be responsible for orchestrating the tasks involved in conducting a proper FBA. It stands to reason that diagnosticians, as assessment professionals, must be thoroughly knowledgeable about FBA. This article synthesizes available information from the special education literature about FBAs, including the law and FBA, working definitions, basic assumptions underlying FBA, the role of the diagnostician, the role of special educators, the steps to conducting an FBA, the methods of FBA, and tools for the diagnostician.
Specific heat of halocarbon 25-5s grease (polychlorotrifluoroethylene in silica gel) below 4.5K

Abstract The specific heat for halocarbon 25-5s grease is reported for the temperature range 1.8 to 4.5 K. The grease is a commercially prepared mixture of polychlorotrifluorethylene in silica gel (PCTFE-SG). It can be used to protect samples which are reactive to the atmosphere. Its suitability for such use when making specific heat measurements was investigated. The specific heat at low temperatures was well described by the expression, C = 0.283 T3 mJ gm−1 K−4. It was found to be suitable for samples with relatively large low temperature specific heats.
Determination of Atmospherically Induced Phase Fluctuations by Long–Distance Interferometry at 6328 Å*

Experimental values of atmospherically induced phase fluctuations have been obtained for various path lengths, using a near-ground horizontal Mach–Zehnder setup at 6328 A. Independent determination of the structure–function constant of the refractive index Cn and other relevant parameters permitted a clear definition of prevailing meteorological conditions. For low turbulence, or strong turbulence and short path length, Tatarski’s theory generally underestimates the values of the observed rms phase fluctuations. For higher turbulence, no continuous phase information is directly obtainable, and the concept of phase structure function becomes experimentally undefined.
Normal Roles for Dietary Fructose in Carbohydrate Metabolism

Although there are many well-documented metabolic effects linked to the fructose component of a very high sugar diet, a healthy diet is also likely to contain appreciable fructose, even if confined to that found in fruits and vegetables. These normal levels of fructose are metabolized in specialized pathways that synergize with glucose at several metabolic steps. Glucose potentiates fructose absorption from the gut, while fructose catalyzes glucose uptake and storage in the liver. Fructose accelerates carbohydrate oxidation after a meal. In addition, emerging evidence suggests that fructose may also play a role in the secretion of insulin and GLP-1, and in the maturation of preadipocytes to increase fat storage capacity. Therefore, fructose undergoing its normal metabolism has the interesting property of potentiating the disposal of a dietary carbohydrate load through several routes.
Determinants of physical activity among Taiwanese adolescents: an application of the health promotion model.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among interpersonal influences (i.e., social support, norms, modeling), behavior-specific cognitions (i.e., self-efficacy, perceived benefits/barriers), competing demands, and physical activity among Taiwanese adolescents (N = 832). The results from structural equation modeling indicated that perceived self-efficacy was the most important predictor of physical activity. Interpersonal influences, when considered in total, had a weak and nonsignificant direct effect on physical activity but had indirect effects on physical activity thorough perceived benefits and perceived self-efficacy. When sources of interpersonal influences were considered separately, parental influences did not have direct effects on physical activity. In contrast, peers did have a significant direct effect on physical activity and also indirect influences on physical activity through perceived self-efficacy. All variables accounted for 30% of the variance in physical activity. Results of this study identify important influences useful to health professionals for promoting physical activity in this population.
Acute Changes in Systemic Hemodynamics and Serum Vasopressin After Complete Cervical Spinal Cord Injury in Piglets

Spinal cord injury (SCI) produces acute hemodynamic alterations through disruption of sympathetic output of the autonomic nervous system and places individuals with SCI at high risk of secondary ischemic insult to the spinal cord as well as to other organs. The purpose of this study was to examine hemodynamics and serum vasopressin concentration in the acute period following complete cervical SCI in piglets. We developed a new model of traumatic complete cervical SCI in piglets and measured acute hemodynamic variables and serum arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations at baseline and for 4 h after SCI under fentanyl anesthesia. Complete cervical SCI caused an immediate tachycardia which lasted for approximately 1 h, immediate hypotension which was sustained for the 4-h duration of the study, decreases in both systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance, and a compensatory increase in cardiac output, which resulted initially from an increase in heart rate (HR) but was later sustained after resolution of tachycardia by an increase in cardiac stroke volume. Serum AVP concentration increased significantly after SCI and did not change in the control group. Neurogenic shock did not occur due to the robust increase in cardiac output and cardiac stroke volume. Complete cervical SCI produces hemodynamic alterations consistent with the withdrawal of sympathetic tone. Although mean arterial pressure (MAP) decreased significantly after SCI, the increase in serum vasopressin may have played a role in maintaining blood pressure and preventing circulatory collapse, a complication which is encountered frequently in patients with cervical and upper thoracic SCI.
The limits of postmodernism in accounting history: The Decatur experience

Abstract This paper presents a response to Miller and O'Leary's (1994) study of the factory modernization at Caterpillar's Decatur plant and the role of accounting and other expertises in constituting subjectivities. The research draws extensively from interviews with workers in Caterpillar's Decatur plant to develop a defense of historical materialism against postmodern interpretations of managerial accounting practices that abandon the concepts of class, ideology, and social structure.
Experimental demonstration of a broadband adaptive processor for phased-array antennas

This paper presents experimental results demonstrating adaptive beam forming and jammer nulling for phased-array antenna applications using the Broadband Efficient Adaptive Method for True-time-delay Array Processing (BEAMTAP) algorithm. The BEAMTAP algorithm has the advantage of mapping efficiently into an opto-electronic architecture that minimizes the required number of tapped-delay lines and simultaneously allows for the signals to be processed coherently, assuming that phase stabilization has been achieved. The architecture also utilizes a unique polarization-angle, read-write multiplexing system that allows for 45 dB of total jammer suppression at the output. Successful narrowband and broadband adaptive beam forming and jammer nulling results are provided in the worst-case scenario of co-site interference where both the jamming signal's angle of incidence and spectral content overlap with that of the signal of interest.
Design considerations in field‐portable GC‐based hyphenated instrumentation

The use of hyphenated GC-based methods in the development of portable chemical-monitoring instruments can offer considerable advantages to the instrument maker. Foremost among these advantages are specificity, speed, and lower costs. In this article, the authors describe the basis for achieving these advantages using examples of three prototype and breadboard instruments developed in their laboratories and give an extended theoretical discussion of the basis for what has been called “transfer-line GC” or TLGC. This TLGC approach to fixed pressure drop chromatography can be used to illustrate overall theoretical limitations of various approaches to high-speed GC for real-time monitoring applications. The three example instruments are a “roving” automated vapor sampling (AVS) TLGC/MS instrument, a breadboard AVS-TLGC/IMS (ion mobility spectrometry) instrument, and a breadboard AVS-TLGC/GC instrument. Discussion will include the application of TLGC theory to instrument design and will use example analyses that focus on the eventual application of this technology to the near real-time detection of highly toxic chemical vapors. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Field Analyt Chem Technol 4: 219–238, 2000