cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Explaining Electoral Volatility in Latin America: Evidence at the Party Level

Many existing explanations of electoral volatility have been tested at the country level, but they are largely untested at the individual party level. This study reexamines theories of electoral volatility through the use of multilevel models on party-level data in the lower house elections of 18 Latin American countries from 1978 to 2012. Testing hypotheses at different levels, it finds that irregular institutional alteration increases electoral volatility for all the parties in a country, but the effect is more significant for the presidential party. At the party level, the results show that while a party that is more ideologically distinctive than other parties tends to experience lower electoral volatility, party age is not a statistically significant factor for explaining party volatility.
Context Matters for Size: Why External Validity Claims and Development Practice Don't Mix

In this paper we examine how policymakers and practitioners should interpret the impact evaluation literature when presented with conflicting experimental and non-experimental estimates of the same intervention across varying contexts. We show three things. First, as is well known, non-experimental estimates of a treatment effect comprise a causal treatment effect and a bias term due to endogenous selection into treatment. When non-experimental estimates vary across contexts any claim for external validity of an experimental result must make the assumption that (a) treatment effects are constant across contexts, while (b) selection processes vary across contexts. This assumption is rarely stated or defended in systematic reviews of evidence. Second, as an illustration of these issues, we examine two thoroughly researched literatures in the economics of education — class size effects and gains from private schooling — which provide experimental and non-experimental estimates of causal effects from the same context and across multiple contexts.We show that the range of “true” causal effects in these literatures implies OLS estimates from the right context are, at present, a better guide to policy than experimental estimates from a different context. Third, we show that in important cases in economics, parameter heterogeneity is driven by economy- or institution-wide contextual factors, rather than personal characteristics, making it difficult to overcome external validity concerns through estimation of heterogeneous treatment effects within a single localized sample. We conclude with recommendations for research and policy, including the need to evaluate programs in context, and avoid simple analogies to clinical medicine in which “systematic reviews” attempt to identify best-practices by putting most (or all) weight on the most “rigorous” evidence with no allowance for context.
Solar Photovoltaics R&D at the Tipping Point: A 2005 Technology Overview

Abstract The status of current and coming solar photovoltaic technologies and their future development are presented. The emphasis is on R&D advances and cell and module performances, with indications of the limitations and strengths of crystalline (Si and GaAs) and thin film (a-Si:H, Si, Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2, CdTe). The contributions and technological pathways for now and near-term technologies (silicon, III–Vs, and thin films) and status and forecasts for next-next generation photovoltaics (organics, nanotechnologies, multi-multiple junctions) are evaluated. Recent advances in concentrators, new directions for thin films, and materials/device technology issues are discussed in terms of technology evolution and progress. Insights to technical and other investments needed to tip photovoltaics to its next level of contribution as a significant clean-energy partner in the world energy portfolio.
Tunable two-mirror interference lithography system for wafer-scale nanopatterning.

We have designed and analyzed a novel (to the best of our knowledge) two-beam interference lithography system for large-area (wafer-level) nanopatterning with enhanced tunability of pattern periodicities. The tunable feature has been achieved by placing two rotational mirrors in the expanded beam paths at regulated angles for a desired period. Theoretical analyses show that the effective pattern coverage area greater than a 4 in. (10 cm) wafer scale is attainable with a 325 nm (30 cm coherence length) HeCd laser and 4 in. (10 cm) mirrors, while the pattern coverage area is restrained by the overruling effects between the optical coherence and mirror size. The experimental results also demonstrate uniform nanopatterns at varying periods (250–750 nm) on 4 in. (10 cm) substrates, validating the theoretical analyses. The tunable two-mirror interferometer will offer a convenient and robust way to prepare large-area nanostructures on a wafer scale with superior tunability in their pattern periodicities.
RECOMBFLOW: a scientific workflow environment for Intragenomic Gene Conversion analysis in bacterial genomes, including the pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes

Intragenomic Gene Conversion (IGC) is important in the evolution of bacteria but has only been analysed computationally in a few strains of Escherichia coli. This paper describes a scientific workflow system, called RECOMBFLOW, that automates this complex procedure for the analysis of more than 400 bacterial genomes, with a median analysis time per genome of less than 5 minutes. Results show that IGC varies greatly, both between different species and among multiple genomes of the same species. We analyse for the first time the large variation of IGC in the pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes, and also in non-pathogenic bacteria.
Ecological studies of the nemertean fauna in an estuarine system of the northwestern Gulf of Mexico

The distribution and abundance of nemerteans in the brackish-water lakes of Sea Rim State Park, Texas, near the Louisiana border, were studied and compared with other macrobenthos during one year. Six of 93 macrobenthic species collected were nemerteans (0.9% of the total number of specimens). Only one species of nemertean, Carinoma sp., was consistently present. This species is the most ubiquitous and, probably, the most abundant nemertean in the estuarine systems of the Texas coast. Carinoma sp. was collected at Sea Rim from a salinity range of 0–21 ppt and at other Texas estuaries from 2–26 ppt. Preliminary experiments with Carinoma sp. as predator and as prey indicated that it feeds on polychaete worms and in turn is fed upon by white (Penaeus setiferus) and brown (P. aztecus) shrimp.
Extracellular adenosine triphosphate activates calcium mobilization in human phagocytic leukocytes and neutrophil/monocyte progenitor cells.

Abstract We have examined the ability of extracellular ATP to elicit intracellular Ca2+ mobilization in a broad range of human leukocytes at particular stages of hematopoietic differentiation. The average cytosolic [Ca2+] in various leukocyte populations was measured in Fura 2-loaded cell suspensions while the cytosolic [Ca2+] in individual, Indo 1-loaded leukocytes was assayed by flow cytometric methods. Utilizing normal blood- and marrow-derived cells, human leukemic cell lines, and mononuclear cell fractions derived from the blood of patients with various leukemias, we have found that ATP-induced Ca2+ mobilization appears restricted to leukocytes of neutrophil/monocyte ontogeny. Significant ATP-induced increases in cytosolic [Ca2+] were observed in neutrophils, monocytes, and myeloid progenitor cells as immature as myeloblasts, but not in lymphocytes. Extensive characterization of the ATP-induced changes in [Ca2+] observed in the HL-60 promyelocytic cell line have indicated these Ca2+-mobilizing effects of ATP can be correlated with an activation of inositol phospholipid breakdown via the occupation of P2-purinergic receptors Significantly, of the various agonists (FMLP, platelet-activating factor, LTB4, and ATP) which elicit equivalent and maximal Ca2+ mobilization in mature neutrophils and monocytes, ATP was the most efficacious stimulant of Ca2+ mobilization in immature neutrophil/monocyte precursors. Thus, expression of putative P2-purinergic receptors for ATP appears to precede expression of other receptor types known to activate the inositol phospholipid signaling cascades in terminally differentiated phagocytes.
Seasonal change in the extent of inundation on floodplains detected by JERS-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar data

Two sets of JERS-1 (Japanese Earth Resource Satellite–1) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, coupled with ancillary datasets, were analysed in an effort to find a single algorithm to study the extent of inundation and its variation on floodplains at a regional scale. The SAR data were acquired on 14 January, 1993 and 9 August, 1994. The study area was ca 14 212 km2, covering the lower portions of the Cape Fear, Lumber, Little Pee Dee and Waccamaw river basins within the states of North Carolina and South Carolina, USA. The analysis was based on the decision tree classification that classifies the study area into three aquatic categories, water, marsh and flooded forest, and two upland classes, field and non-flooded forest. From January 1993 to August 1994, the aquatic extent varied from 4872 km2 to 3496 km2, and upland 9340 km2 to 10 717 km2. The decrease of the water, marsh and flooded forest categories and the increase of the field and non-flooded forest classes were mainly caused by falls in water sur...
Conservation Organizations and Wilderness Use—a Time for Policy Appraisal?

Conservation organizations have been primary forces in the establishment of wilderness areas throughout the United States. They have also been actual participants in wilderness recreation, particularly through sponsored trips. Preliminary results indicate that these trips have a tremendous impact on the wilderness resource because of the large-size parties, sedentary camping habits, and the large amount of bulky tentage and equipment employed. Basic policy changes are suggested as a means of protecting the wilderness landscape.
Endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidases from Infant Gut-associated Bifidobacteria Release Complex N-glycans from Human Milk Glycoproteins

Breastfeeding is one of the main factors guiding the composition of the infant gut microbiota in the first months of life. This process is shaped in part by the high amounts of human milk oligosaccharides that serve as a carbon source for saccharolytic bacteria such as Bifidobacterium species. Infant-borne bifidobacteria have developed various molecular strategies for utilizing these oligosaccharides as a carbon source. We hypothesized that these species also interact with N-glycans found in host glycoproteins that are structurally similar to free oligosaccharides in human milk. Endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidases were identified in certain isolates of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum, B. longum subsp. infantis, and Bifidobacterium breve, and their presence correlated with the ability of these strains to deglycosylate glycoproteins. An endoglycosidase from B. infantis ATCC 15697, EndoBI-1, was active toward all major types of N-linked glycans found in glycosylated proteins. Its activity was not affected by core fucosylation or extensive fucosylation, antenna number, or sialylation, releasing several N-glycans from human lactoferrin and immunoglobulins A and G. Extensive N-deglycosylation of whole breast milk was also observed after coincubation with this enzyme. Mutation of the active site of EndoBI-1 did not abolish binding to N-glycosylated proteins, and this mutant specifically recognized Man3GlcNAc2(α1–6Fuc), the core structure of human N-glycans. EndoBI-1 is constitutively expressed in B. infantis, and incubation of the bacterium with human or bovine lactoferrin led to the induction of genes associated to import and consumption of human milk oligosaccharides, suggesting linked regulatory mechanisms among these glycans. This work reveals an unprecedented interaction of bifidobacteria with host N-glycans and describes a novel endoglycosidase with broad specificity on diverse N-glycan types, potentially a useful tool for glycoproteomics studies.
Multiple test analyzer (MTA): a microcomputer program for determining preferred strategies with two diagnostic tests.

There are ten distinct management strategies in clinical situations that involve two diagnostic tests with dichotomous outcomes. The authors describe a microcomputer program, based on a previously described model, that can be used to identify test and test-treatment thresh olds and to compute preferred strategies. The program provides tables and graphs of the results, which can be viewed or printed, and there is an optimization routine that facilitates comprehensive analysis. It can be used by decision-analytic researchers and policy analysts, medical educators who teach decision analysis, and clinicians who use decision analysis in their practices. Key words: multiple test analyzer; microcomputer program; tests with di chotomous outcomes. (Med Decis Making 6:79-84, 1986)
Fetal Neurobehavioral Development

The ontogeny of fetal autonomic, motoric, state, and interactive functioning was investigated longitudinally in a sample of 31 healthy fetuses from 20 weeks through term. Fetal heart rate and movement data were collected during 50 min of Doppler-based fetal monitoring at 6 gestational ages. Measures of fetal heart rate and variability, activity level and vigor, behavioral state, and reactivity were derived from these digitized data. Weighted least squares analyses were conducted to model the developmental patterns and to examine the role of maternal and fetal covariates. With advancing gestation, fetuses displayed slower heart rate, increased heart rate variability, reduced but more vigorous motor behavior, coalescence of heart rate and movement patterns into distinct behavioral states, and increasing cardiac responsivity to stimulation. Male fetuses were more active than female fetuses, and greater maternal stress appraisal was associated with reduced fetal heart rate variability. An apparent period of neurobehavioral transition exists between 28 and 32 weeks. Fetal research methods are evaluated.
Applications of exponential box schemes for viscous flows with combustion and blowing

A two-point second-order uniform box scheme and effective regularization algorithm have been developed for numerical analysis of the gas flow in the boundary layer (BL) and thin viscous shock layers (TVSL) under conditions of intensive blowing on the body surface and chemical reactions. Flowfield parameters in the boundary layer near the stagnation point of a blunt body were calculated for various blowing factors. Non-equilibrium parameters in the multicomponent TVSL were evaluated for slot and uniform hydrogen injections. Numerical results indicate that the most effective cooling of the probe surface occurs at moderate uniform injections and moderate Reynolds numbers.
Polymorphisms and Haplotypes of the Estrogen Receptor-β Gene (ESR2) and Cardiovascular Disease in Men and Women

Background: Cohort studies suggest an association between variation in the estrogen receptor-α gene ( ESR1 ) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but data are lacking for the effect of variation in the estrogen receptor-β gene ( ESR2 ). Methods: Three polymorphisms of the ESR2 gene, and their associated haplotypes, were evaluated in 296 white women from the Women’s Health Study and 566 white men from the Physicians’ Health Study who developed CVD [myocardial infarction (MI) or ischemic stroke], each matched 1:1 to a member of the cohort study who remained free from CVD. Blood samples and cardiovascular risk information were collected at baseline. Results: Women, but not men, who developed CVD or MI, but not ischemic stroke, were more likely to have the rs1271572 polymorphism variant T allele ( P = 0.05 and 0.02) and less likely to have the rs1256049 polymorphism variant A allele ( P = 0.003 and 0.004). No associations were observed for rs4986938. In conditional logistic multivariate regression, the rs1271572 variant was associated with increased odds of CVD [odds ratio (OR) = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.10–2.01] and MI (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 0.96–2.23), whereas the rs1256049 variant was associated with decreased odds of CVD (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.17–0.79) and MI (OR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.09–0.73) in women. A common haplotype that included the rs1271572 variant was associated with a 7-fold increased risk of MI in women. Conclusions: Two tightly linked polymorphisms of ESR2 were associated with risk of CVD, particularly MI, in women but not men. Additional studies of ESR2 genetic variation and risk of CVD are warranted.
The Characterization of Low Renin Hypertension by Plasma Renin Activity and Plasma Aldosterone Concentration

Low renin hypertension (LRH) is characterized by suppression of plasma reninactivity (PRA) in the absence of demonstrable hypersecretion of aldosterone. We have investigated the dynamics of PRA and plasma aldosterone (PA) in 10 normal subjects and 12 LRHpatients during 6 h of upright posture on both normal and low sodium diets. Angiotensin Irecovery experiments excluded an inhibitor of either angiotensin I generation or binding to specific antibody which could account for low PRA. LRH patients could be divided into two groups on the basis of their PRA response to sodium depletion and upright posture. Those patients whose PRA never exceeded 3.0 ng/ml/h were assigned to group I. Those whose PRA achieved this level at any time were assigned togroup II. Whereas PRA and PA levels were lower in both group I and group II patients thanin the normal subjects, the ratio ofPA to PRA was consistently higher in LRH group I patients than in normal subjects; this ratio was not significantly different from normal in grou...
Engineering Design Thinking: High School Students' Performance and Knowledge

Background Because design is recognized as a critical element of engineering thinking, it is crucial for educators to utilize the most effective methods to teach engineering problem solving. Results from this study of students' thinking process may shape future teaching methods. Purpose This article explores the differences in design processes between high school engineering students and expert engineers. It also examines the differences between high school freshmen who have taken one engineering course and seniors who have taken a series of engineering courses. Design/Method Fifty-nine high school students from four states were asked to think aloud in a three-hour design task that was audio and video recorded. Verbal reports from the audio and video became source data for protocol analysis. Results from previous studies provided expert design performance data for comparisons. Results Students and experts alike spent a large portion of their time modeling. Students spent significantly less time in the process of information gathering than experts. Freshmen spent significantly less time in the idea generation process than seniors and experts. Freshmen and seniors spent significantly less time determining the feasibility of their ideas, evaluating alternative ideas, and decision making than experts. Conclusions High school students engage in design thinking with little understanding of the problem from the client's perspective. Students tend to become fixated on a single solution rather than comparing alternatives. By encouraging development of alternative solutions, K-12 engineering education could foster opportunities to critically evaluate students' design solutions.
Feasibility of propionic acid production by extractive fermentation

La production d'acide propionique par fermentation rencontre deux obstacles : la faible productivite et l'inhibition par le produit, L'immobilisation de cellule pour augmenter la productivite et la fermentation extractive pour reduire l'inhibition par le produit ont ete etudiees. La concentration en acide propionique et fermentation extractive etait maintenue a 13 g.L -1 par extraction en co-courant avec un liquide d'extraction compose a 40 % (v/v) d'Alamine® 304-1 (trilaurylamine) dans du Witcohol® 85NF (oleyl alcool). Une concentration finale de 71 g.L -1 en acide propionique etait obtenue en mode non-extractif. Les rendements en acides propionique et acetique etaient doubles et une productivite globale superieure etait obtenue en fermentation extractive. Le liquide d'extraction montrait de plus une selectivite en faveur de l'acide propionique par rapport a l'acide acetique, conduisant a une purification partielle. Dans les deux modes de fermentation, la productivite etait augmentee par l'immobilisation des cellules dans des billes d'alginate de calcium. Une analyse economique de la version modifiee de la fermentation basee sur ces hypotheses les plus favorables a montre que la fermentation extractive peut, au mieux, approcher la faisabilite economique pour une production annuelle de 4,7 x 10 7 kg. Dans les conditions envisagees, le cout de production de l'acide propionique etait de 1,16$.kg -1 ; ce cout etait reduit a 0,94 $.kg -1 lorsque l'on incluait la valeur du coproduit acide acetique.
Test-driven learning: intrinsic integration of testing into the CS/SE curriculum

Test-driven learning (TDL) is an approach to teaching computer programming that involves introducing and exploring new concepts through automated unit tests. TDL offers the potential of teaching testing for free, of improving programmer comprehension and ability, and of improving software quality both in terms of design quality and reduced defect density.This paper introduces test-driven learning as a pedagogical tool. It will provide examples of how TDL can be incorporated at multiple levels in computer science and software engineering curriculum for beginning through professional programmers. In addition, the relationships between TDL and test-driven development will be explored.Initial evidence indicates that TDL can improve student comprehension of new concepts while improving their testing skills with no additional instruction time. In addition, by learning to construct programs in a test-driven manner, students are expected to be more likely to develop their own code with a test-driven approach, likely resulting in improved software designs and quality.
Genetic diversity in India and the inference of Eurasian population expansion

Genetic studies of populations from the Indian subcontinent are of great interest because of India's large population size, complex demographic history, and unique social structure. Despite recent large-scale efforts in discovering human genetic variation, India's vast reservoir of genetic diversity remains largely unexplored. To analyze an unbiased sample of genetic diversity in India and to investigate human migration history in Eurasia, we resequenced one 100-kb ENCODE region in 92 samples collected from three castes and one tribal group from the state of Andhra Pradesh in south India. Analyses of the four Indian populations, along with eight HapMap populations (692 samples), showed that 30% of all SNPs in the south Indian populations are not seen in HapMap populations. Several Indian populations, such as the Yadava, Mala/Madiga, and Irula, have nucleotide diversity levels as high as those of HapMap African populations. Using unbiased allele-frequency spectra, we investigated the expansion of human populations into Eurasia. The divergence time estimates among the major population groups suggest that Eurasian populations in this study diverged from Africans during the same time frame (approximately 90 to 110 thousand years ago). The divergence among different Eurasian populations occurred more than 40,000 years after their divergence with Africans. Our results show that Indian populations harbor large amounts of genetic variation that have not been surveyed adequately by public SNP discovery efforts. Our data also support a delayed expansion hypothesis in which an ancestral Eurasian founding population remained isolated long after the out-of-Africa diaspora, before expanding throughout Eurasia.
Projection of U.S. forest sector carbon sequestration under U.S. and global timber market and wood energy consumption scenarios, 2010-2060.

Abstract This study provides a modeling framework to examine change over time in U.S. forest sector carbon inventory (in U.S. timberland tree biomass and harvested wood products) for alternative projections of U.S. and global timber markets, including wood energy consumption, based on established IPCC/RPA scenarios. Results indicated that the U.S. forest sector's projected capacities for carbon sequestration could be notably altered by use of forest resources for energy. A scenario with large expansion in U.S. wood energy consumption (16-fold increase by 2060) coupled with high global growth in gross domestic product would convert U.S. timberlands to a substantial carbon emission source by 2050, as timber growing stock inventories would be depleted because of increased biomass energy production. In contrast, the same high growth in the economy coupled with much smaller expansion of U.S. wood biomass energy consumption (less than two-fold increase by 2060) would result in a projected increase in average annual additions to U.S. forest sector carbon by up to four-fold by 2060. Results also indicated that higher cumulative carbon emissions from increased use of wood for energy could be partially offset—over time—by increased forest plantations and more intensive forest management that could be stimulated by the increased use of wood for energy. The modeling framework will enable future use of the USFPM/GFPM market modeling system to evaluate the impacts of forest carbon offset policies on forest carbon and forest products markets, by allowing carbon offset payments to compete in the model with forest products or wood energy for the control and use of available timber resources.
Fatigue behavior of Ilizarov frame versus tibial interlocking nail in a comminuted tibial fracture model: a biomechanical study

Background Treatment options for comminuted tibial shaft fractures include plating, intramedullary nailing, and external fixation. No biomechanical comparison between an interlocking tibia nail with external fixation by an Ilizarov frame has been reported to date. In the present study, we compared the fatigue behaviour of Ilizarov frames to interlocking intramedullary nails in a comminuted tibial fracture model under a combined loading of axial compression, bending and torsion. Our goal was to determine the biomechanical characteristics, stability and durability for each device over a clinically relevant three month testing period. The study hypothesis was that differences in the mechanical properties may account for differing clinical results and provide information applicable to clinical decision making for comminuted tibia shaft fractures.
The Molecular Ecophysiology of Programmed Cell Death in Marine Phytoplankton

Planktonic, prokaryotic, and eukaryotic photoautotrophs (phytoplankton) share a diverse and ancient evolutionary history, during which time they have played key roles in regulating marine food webs, biogeochemical cycles, and Earth's climate. Because phytoplankton represent the basis of marine ecosystems, the manner in which they die critically determines the flow and fate of photosynthetically fixed organic matter (and associated elements), ultimately constraining upper-ocean biogeochemistry. Programmed cell death (PCD) and associated pathway genes, which are triggered by a variety of nutrient stressors and are employed by parasitic viruses, play an integral role in determining the cell fate of diverse photoautotrophs in the modern ocean. Indeed, these multifaceted death pathways continue to shape the success and evolutionary trajectory of diverse phytoplankton lineages at sea. Research over the past two decades has employed physiological, biochemical, and genetic techniques to provide a novel, comprehen...
Differential Regulation of Brain and Pituitary Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Receptors by Corticosterone*

The regulatory actions of CRF during the neuroendocrine response to stress are mediated by specific receptors within the nervous system and the anterior pituitary gland. Glucocorticoids exert negative feedback inhibition on ACTH secretion by interacting at the pituitary corticotrophs and the central nervous system. To determine whether glucocorticoids influence ACTH secretion by regulating the concentration of CRF receptor sites, binding of [125I]Tyr-oCRF to pituitary and brain membrane-rich particles was studied after glucocorticoid treatment. Corticosterone administration (0.5-150 mg/day) for 1-4 days in adult male rats caused a dose-dependent decrease in the number of CRF receptors in the anterior pituitary in parallel with the reduction in ACTH secretion. In the brain, binding studies in membrane-rich fractions or by autoradiography in slide-mounted frozen sections revealed no changes in CRF receptors in the cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, septal area, and olfactory bulb, although circulating corticosterone levels were higher than during stress. The selective down-regulation of anterior pituitary CRF receptors after corticosterone administration, without alterations in brain CRF receptors, is similar to the change in CRF receptors previously reported after adrenalectomy and indicates that receptor regulatory mechanisms in secretory cells differ from those in neural tissue. Furthermore, the decrease in pituitary CRF receptors after physiological increases in circulating glucocorticoids may contribute to the inhibitory effects of adrenal steroids on ACTH secretion.
Assisted living facilities as a site for NP practice.

Purpose To describe what an assisted living facility (ALF) is, who resides in ALFs, and the benefits of nurse practitioner (NP) practice in an ALF for the client, facility, NP, and practice. Data Sources Selected scientific literature, legal and regulatory guidelines, consumer information and guidelines, Internet sites, and the authors'experiences. Conclusions Assisted living facilities are nonmedical residential settings grounded in a philosophy of providing residents with choice, autonomy, privacy, independence, dignity, and respect in a housing environment as homelike as possible. Nationally, ALFs vary considerably by size, services provided, and regulations imposed by states. Implications for Practice Assisted living facilities are now a popular choice for individuals who desire assistance with selected activities of daily living (ADL) while maintaining maximum independence. They are becoming an excellent site for the provision of in-home primary care in order to facilitate aging in place.
Emerging gallium nitride based devices

Wide bandgap GaN has long been sought for its applications to blue and UV emitters and high temperature/high power electronic devices. Recent introduction of commercial blue and blue-green LED's have led to a plethora of activity in all three continents into the heterostructures based on GaN and its alloys with AlN and InN. In this review, the status and future prospects of emerging wide bandgap gallium nitride semiconductor devices are discussed. Recent successes in p-doping of GaN and its alloys with InN and AlN, and in n-doping with much reduced background concentrations have paved the way for the design, fabrication, and characterization of devices such as MESFET's, MISFET's, HBT's, LED's, and optically pumped lasers. We discuss the electrical properties of these devices and their drawbacks followed by future prospects. After a short elucidation of materials characteristics of the nitrides, we explore their electrical transport properties in detail. Recent progress in processing such as formation of low-resistance ohmic contacts and etching is also presented. The promising features of quarternaries and double heterostructures in relation to possible current injection lasers, LED's, and photodetectors are also elaborated on. >
Clinical evaluation of glutaraldehyde-treated canine erythrocytes in normal dogs.

Carrier erythrocytes have been used for encapsulation of a variety of drugs.1 However, a problem with many drugs is their rapid diffusion from the carrier cell while in circulation. To circumvent this problem, carrier erythrocytes have been treated with membrane cross-linking reagents such as glutaraldehyde.2–9 Treatment of erythrocytes with glutaraldehyde prevents the rapid efflux of drugs like doxorubicin. However, such erythrocytes are rapidly removed from circulation by the liver and spleen, thus a degree of drug targeting to these organs is achieved.3,4,5
Neuronal Responses in Visual Area V2 (V2) of Macaque Monkeys with Strabismic Amblyopia

Amblyopia, a developmental disorder of spatial vision, is thought to result from a cascade of cortical deficits over several processing stages beginning at the primary visual cortex (V1). However, beyond V1, little is known about how cortical development limits the visual performance of amblyopic primates. We quantitatively analyzed the monocular and binocular responses of V1 and V2 neurons in a group of strabismic monkeys exhibiting varying depths of amblyopia. Unlike in V1, the relative effectiveness of the affected eye to drive V2 neurons was drastically reduced in the amblyopic monkeys. The spatial resolution and the orientation bias of V2, but not V1, neurons were subnormal for the affected eyes. Binocular suppression was robust in both cortical areas, and the magnitude of suppression in individual monkeys was correlated with the depth of their amblyopia. These results suggest that the reduced functional connections beyond V1 and the subnormal spatial filter properties of V2 neurons might have substantially limited the sensitivity of the amblyopic eyes and that interocular suppression was likely to have played a key role in the observed alterations of V2 responses and the emergence of amblyopia.
“Girls on the Move” intervention protocol for increasing physical activity among low-active underserved urban girls: a group randomized trial

Background: Increasing moderate to vigorous physical activity among urban girls of low socioeconomic status is both a challenge and a public health priority. Physical activity interventions targeting exclusively girls remain limited, and maintenance of moderate to vigorous physical activity during the post-intervention period has been difficult to maintain. The main aim of the 5-year “Girls on the Move” group randomized trial is to evaluate the efficacy of a comprehensive school-based intervention in increasing girls’ minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity and improving cardiovascular fitness, body mass index, and percent body fat immediately post-intervention (after 17 weeks) and at 9-month post-intervention follow-up (9 months after end of intervention). Methods/Design: A total of 24 urban middle schools in the Midwestern U.S. will be randomized to either receive the intervention or serve as a control (N = 1200 girls). The intervention, based on the Health Promotion Model and Self-Determination Theory, will include: (1) two face-to-face motivational, individually tailored counseling sessions with a registered nurse, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the intervention period; (2) an interactive Internet-based session during which each girl receives individually tailored motivational and feedback messages via iPad at 11 weeks (shortly after midpoint of intervention); and (3) a 90-minute after-school physical activity club. Racially diverse, low-active, 10- to 14-year-old 5 th to 8 th -grade girls will complete questionnaires and physical measures at baseline and post-intervention (n = 50 per school). Minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity will be assessed with accelerometers. Cardiovascular fitness will be assessed by estimating VO2 max with PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run) scores. Height and weight will be assessed to calculate body mass index. Percent body fat will be estimated with a foot-to-foot bioelectric impedance scale. Linear mixed effects regression analyses will be performed to assess intervention effects. Discussion: This multi-component approach is expected to improve girls’ moderate to vigorous physical activity and related physical outcomes. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01503333
Vagal modulation of RR intervals during head-up tilt and the infusion of isoproterenol.

Abstract The objective of this study was to characterize the autonomic effects of 2 interventions, head-up tilt and isoproterenol infusion, which alter autonomic balance by different mechanisms but produce the same RR intervals. We compared the effect of head-up tilt with the effect of isoproterenol on autonomic balance as measured by power spectral analysis of RR variability. Fifteen normal subjects had baseline measurements and then underwent head-up tilt. After return to baseline supine values, isoproterenol was infused at a rate of 1 μg/min (low-dose isoproterenol), which was then increased to 2.1 ± 0.5 μg/min (high-dose isoproterenol). All subjects underwent a second tilt during high-dose isoproterenol, and 9 subjects completed this second tilt study. During the experiment, normal RR intervals were recorded and 5-minute segments were used to calculate power spectra. High-frequency (HF) power (0.15 to 0.40 Hz) was used as a measure of vagal activity. The effects of head-up tilt were compared with the effects of low-dose isoproterenol. Despite nearly identical mean RR intervals (784 ms with tilt vs 792 ms with low-dose isoproterenol, p = NS), there was significantly (p 2 ) than during low-dose isoproterenol in the supine position (307 ms 2 ). A second head-up tilt was performed during the infusion of high-dose isoproterenol. During high-dose isoproterenol, tilt caused a decrease in RR intervals (from 573 to 491 ms; p 2 ; p
Schaffner’s Model of Theory Reduction: Critique and Reconstruction*

Schaffner’s model of theory reduction has played an important role in philosophy of science and philosophy of biology. Here, the model is found to be problematic because of an internal tension. Indeed, standard antireductionist external criticisms concerning reduction functions and laws in biology do not provide a full picture of the limits of Schaffner’s model. However, despite the internal tension, his model usefully highlights the importance of regulative ideals associated with the search for derivational, and embedding, deductive relations among mathematical structures in theoretical biology. A reconstructed Schaffnerian model could therefore shed light on mathematical theory development in the biological sciences and on the epistemology of mathematical practices more generally.
Practice variation in the management of pharyngitis: the importance of variability in patients' clinical characteristics and in physicians' responses to them

The objective of this study was to assess whether geographic differences in antibiotic-prescribing rates for patients with pharyngitis could be explained by intersite differences in patients' clinical characteristics and in how physicians responded to these clinical cues when making decisions. As part of the initial phase of a prospective controlled trial to improve physicians' diagnostic ability, the authors enrolled cohorts of consecutive patients seen at staff-model--HMO student health services in Pennsylvania and Nebraska. Physicians' decisions whether to prescribe antibiotics for 310 consecutive patients presenting with pharyngitis to the former and 214 such patients presenting to the latter at the time of the initial visit were examined. There was a large discrepancy between the antibiotic-prescribing rates at the student health services in Pennsylvania, 106/310, 32.4%, and Nebraska, 156/214, 72.9%. The clinical variables significantly independently associated with treatment at both sites in a logistic regression model were fever, adjusted odds ratio = 2.1 (95% CI = 1.1, 3.8); exudates, 5.4 (2.8, 10); palatine petechiae, 6.5 (1.5, 28); rhinorrhea, 0.46, (0.25, 0.85); and high risk of complications, 3.8 (1.04, 14). There was a significant interaction between site and anterior cervical adenopathy, 5.5 (1.6, 19); and a borderline interaction between site and rhinorrhea, 2.4 (0.89, 6.7). Site was not a significant independent predictor of treatment, 1.8 (0.45, 6.6.). Practice variation was related to geographic differences in patients' clinical characteristics and in how physicians responded to these factors when prescribing antibiotics. How physicians weight patients' clinical characteristics when making decisions may be an important element of their "practice styles."
Reflex Apnea, Bradycardla, and Hypotension Produced by Serotonin and Phenyldiguanidecting on the Nodose Ganglia of the Cat

Five to 20 µg of phenyldiguanide or serotonin (5-HT) injected into the common carotid arteries of cats (anesthetized with chloralose and urethan) elicited an immediate apnea, usually accompanied by bradycardia and hypotension. The response persisted after ligation of the external carotid and lingual arteries. Since the internal carotid is occluded in the cat, the receptors must be in the distribution of the occipital or ascending pharyngeal arteries. Denervation of the carotid sinus and carotid body, removal of the superior cervical ganglion, section of the vagosympathetic trunk below the nodose ganglion, and extracranial section of cranial nerves IX, XI, and XII did not diminish the response. Section or procaine block of the extracranial supranodose vagus or removal of the nodose ganglion usually abolished the apnea and bradycardia; hypotension still occurred in many cats. Examination of the nodose ganglion by fluorescence microscopy revealed nests of intensely fluorescent cells similar to type 1 carotid body cells. Although previous investigators have reported that veratrnm alkaloids or acetylstrophanthidin causes vomiting or bradycardia by an action on the nodose ganglion, this is the first demonstration that a naturally occurring substance (5-HT) stimulates receptors in the nodose ganglion, causing reflex apnea and hypotension in addition to bradycardia.
Collagen arthritis in T cell receptor congenic mice. A unique approach to study the role of T cell receptor genotypes in autoimmune arthritis.

Identifying the genes responsible for susceptibility to human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been an area of intense investigation. Evidence showing that genetic factors play a role in RA susceptibility is certainly irrefutable (1) and the association between particular HLA class II alleles of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and RA is widely accepted (2). However, genetic analysis of RA patients and multiplex families indicates that MHC genes alone account for approximately 50% of RA heritability (3). Thus, additional non-MHC genes appear to play an important role in RA. Given the intimate association between the T cell receptor (TCR), antigenic peptide and MHC, a logical candidate which may also influence RA are the V alpha (VA) and V beta (VB) genes of the TCR. Analysis of the TCR repertoire from lymphocytes infiltrating RA synovium suggest, in some cases, biased VB gene utilization (4). Also, population studies indicate that certain VB polymorphisms may be more common in RA patients. Most recently, analysis of multiplex RA families suggested that a gene within or near the TCRB locus may confer RA susceptibility (5). Unfortunately, these findings, albeit compelling, cannot address the functional consequences of possessing such genetic markers. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms underlying a particular genetic association in RA may lead to the development of a highly specific therapy to treat this disease.
The case for using Bridge Certificate Authorities for Grid computing: Research Articles

As Grid deployments increase, the challenge remains to create a scalable, multi-organizational authentication infrastructure. Public key infrastructures (PKIs) are widely used for authentication in Grids, due in large part to the success of the Globus toolkit, despite the challenges and difficulties both for PKI administrators and users. The Bridge Certificate Authority (CA) is a compromise between a strictly hierarchical PKI and a mesh PKI and achieves many of the benefits of the hierarchical PKI and mesh PKI but has been untested for use with Grid software. This paper reports on the use of a Bridge CA with two representative Grid software packages: the Globus Toolkit v2 and WSRF.NET. We find that both packages support Bridge CAs sufficiently today to be usable in Grid software architectures, although not without limitations. In this paper, and through these experiments, we build the case for using Bridge CAs for Grid computing. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ADP: An adaptive feedback approach for energy-efficient wireless sensor networks

A broad range of applications has led to various wireless sensor networks (WSNs) with different design considerations. Limited battery power is one of the most challenging aspects of WSN protocol design, and, therefore, energy efficiency has long been the focus of research. One of the most common approaches for energy conservation is to alternate each sensor node between sleep and wake-up states. In this paper, we propose ADP, an adaptive energy efficient approach that meets the requirement of low energy consumption and, at the same time, considers the underlying dynamic traffic load. ADP enhances energy efficiency by dynamically adjusting sensor nodes' sleep and wake-up cycles. ADP utilizes a cost function intended to strike a balance between the conflicting goals of conserving energy (waking up as rarely as possible) and at the same time minimizing sensed events' reporting latency (waking up as frequently as possible). It also incorporates a feedback mechanism that constantly monitors residual energy level and the importance of the event to be reported, as well as predicts the next sensing event occurrence time. Simulation experiments with different traffic loads have shown that ADP improves energy efficiency while keeping latency low.
Customer Impulse Purchasing Behavior: Some Research Notes and a Reply:

As a sequel to our study of unplanned purchasing in food supermarkets [2], Richard W. Pollay ("Customer Impulse Purchasing Behavior-A Reexamination") has questioned whether the study's techniques could have produced the observations and relationships reported. The experimental effects were admittedly treated briefly because any comprehensive discussion of this methodological issue would have appreciably lengthened the article. We tried to present all relevant findings and only summarize conclusions about effects of the techniques used. However, as Pollay points out, the meaningfulness of the conclusions depends on demonstrating that the methodology was not responsible for the empirical findings. The following observations and data are presented to substantiate the original conclusions.
Mesoscopic Simulation of Slip Motion for Gas Flow in Nanochannels

In this paper the Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) was used to investigate gas flow in nano-channels, the critical region beyond which indefinite slip motion occurs in this channel and its effect on the deduced permeability. We defined a parallel-bounded planar two-dimensional domain for our simulation and calculated the system velocity profile.Numerical conformity was achieved when compared with the Hagen-Poiseuille’s equation. Good agreement was also established between the simulation and existing models reported in literature. A closer look at the region of full slip motion was also done and we observed that above a critical slip coefficient, a sudden significant increase in slip motion sets-in indefinitely with respect to the system time scale.The results indicate that when the LBM is used in gas flow simulation in nano-channels, if the slip effect is increased there is an effective increase in the fluid velocity and this affects the deduced permeability.Copyright © 2015 by ASME