cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A sharing economy? Unpacking demand and living conditions in the urban housing market in Kenya

Abstract With Africa’s urban transition underway, housing is a formidable challenge. Housing shortfalls and continued slum growth are consistently forecast. But what kinds of housing do current residents occupy? Do owners have better quality housing than tenants? How much do tenants pay and what features do they value? This study builds a demand-side understanding of housing using survey data from over 14,000 households in 15 Kenyan cities. Kenya’s urban housing market is characterized by renting and sharing. Approximately 86 percent of residents are tenants; they outnumber owners in 14 of 15 cities. Sharing is ubiquitous—households share houses, rooms, and/or facilities such as toilets and taps. In contrast to standard notions of an “acceptable” housing unit, only 18 percent of urban Kenyans live in a self-contained unit with a toilet, kitchen, electricity, and private water connection. The market is delivering two under-studied housing categories—compounds and dormitories—explicitly designed for sharing. These house 40 percent of urban households in individual rooms, but require sharing of toilets and water connections. Rents represent a significant share of household income, but indicate low ability to achieve ownership, if viewed as monthly mortgage payments. Hedonic regression analyses reveal the relative value of house features with electricity, kitchens and number of rooms emerging as important drivers of rent. Neighborhood conditions, such as lack of flooding and perceived safety, and neighborhood level infrastructure and services, such as garbage collection and access to transport, also have positive impacts upon rents. Our analysis urges a rethinking of housing policies, including reevaluation of what type of housing is deemed acceptable and affordable for very low income urban residents. It underscores the need to develop more and better-quality rental housing and calls for a reassessment of housing and infrastructure investment programs, as well as more creative approaches for expanding home ownership.
UNT Accounting Change Program Evaluation: Empirical Examination of Baseline Competencies

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the University of North Texas' (UNT) accounting change program evaluation and examination of baseline competencies. The UNT has received an Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC) grant to implement an experimental professional accounting program designed to develop several of the nonknowledge-based competencies defined by the accounting profession. An important component of the UNT program is an explicit commitment to measure the success of the program in graduating students with enhanced professional skills. The COMP instrument was developed by the American College Testing Program. It assists colleges in assessing their effectiveness at promoting skills deemed necessary for graduation, and functioning in society after graduation. The test is designed to measure growth in achieving these skills from the freshman to senior years. Six outcome constructs are identified in the COMP. The constructs are solving problems, clarifying values, communicating, functioning within social institutions, using science, and technology, and using the arts. The COMP constructs are not identical to the experimental program competencies nor do they measure all the competencies envisioned in the UNT program.
Removing Defects in WSe2 via Surface Oxidation and Etching to Improve Solar Conversion Performance

Layered metal dichalcogenide materials (MX2) have great potential for solar energy conversion. However, as-grown MX2 materials often contain edge and terrace defects that degrade semiconducting pro...
The Repugnant Effect of Reckless Conduct and Domestic Violence: Voisine v. United States and the Restriction of Firearms

In the United States, domestic violence can be violent, physical attacks that may include firearms, and psychological, economic, and sexual abuse. With domestic violence being a continuous issue in this country, millions of citizens each year have been victims of domestic violence with an estimated death toll of 1,300. Moreover, this is a major concern that this is country is faced with that has required much advancement in laws being implemented for the safety of law abiding citizens. In 1968, Congress enacted the Federal Gun Control Act (GCA) in an effort to prohibit the possession of firearms from individuals previously convicted of a felony. This act was implemented to protect citizens of the United States from individuals who used guns to harm others. However, deviations in society such as the increase of domestic violence disclosed that there was a loopholes in the GCA. The loopholes included individuals who committed misdemeanor assaults of domestic violence being allowed to possess guns. The loopholes led to 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9) (The Lautenberg Amendment) being enacted by Congress. The sole purpose of this amendment was to restrict individuals who were convicted of misdemeanor assaults of domestic violence from possessing fire arms and to provide regulations for this offense that the GCA did not provide. Subsequently, cases such as United States v. Castleman decided by the United States Supreme Court held that individuals convicted of knowingly and intentional conduct of domestic violence are prohibited from gun possession. In the case at hand, Voisine v. United States, the Court held that the conviction of domestic violence led by reckless conduct is also a prohibition of gun possession by individuals who commit this crime. However, there has been opposition that implicated that the Court’s decision is a violation and infringement upon the Second Amendment right of citizens being able to bear arms because of domestic violence offenses. Additionally, in my research, I specified that the prohibition of individuals possessing guns who committed the crime of domestic violence protects law abiding citizens in the United States. When individuals violate the laws that are implemented for the safety of individuals, this suggests that there is a deficiency in abiding by the laws and a lack of carefulness in the lives of others. Further, reckless conduct is when a person consciously disregards a particular risk that can take place because of his or her actions to another individual. With this notion, reckless conduct should be equivalent to knowingly and intentional conduct because it suffices in the same way and it can result in the endangerment of citizens as knowingly and intentional conduct can.
Abstract 236: Investigation of the Effects of the Affordable Care Act within the BRIDGE Population

Background: The U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) aimed to provide all United States citizens access to health care and reform the way healthcare was delivered. A key provision ...
Teacher-Student Relationships

The relationship between student and teacher should be one which fosters learning and the provision of skilled nursing care. Clinical teaching adds another dimension to this relationship in that the student and teacher become, in many ways, junior and senior partners in caring for patients. Both satisfactions and responsibilities are involved in this relationship. There is, for example, the rewarding opportunity for the teacher to share the student’s fresh insights, questions, and enthusiasm. The teacher must also, however, accept responsibility for accurately assessing the student’s requirements for instruction and supervision, and for dealing with embarrassing or sometimes hazardous situations resulting from the student’s uneven performance and inexperience. The instructor shares in the results of the student’s performance, sometimes with pride and sometimes with disappointment. A test of this relationship occurs when the student’s actions lead to an undesired outcome. The teacher must then assist the student to do what is necessary to rectify the consequences of her action and to prevent recurrence of similar incidents. This must be done in a way which provides support for the student without condoning her mistake, or de-emphasizing its seriousness, and without undermining the student’s confidence in her own ability. The teacher must convey to the staff her concern and her sense of responsibility about the incident, without implying a lack of confidence in the student’s over-all ability.
Spatiotemporal patterns of lithium mining and environmental degradation in the Atacama Salt Flat, Chile

Abstract Emerging electric-vehicle technologies and the global transition to renewable energy have driven the production of lithium batteries significantly in the past ten years. However, potential adverse impacts accompanying this transition require closer scrutiny. The purpose of this research is to assess the environmental impact and its possible correlation with lithium mining in the Atacama Salt Flat, the world’s largest lithium extraction site. Using both Landsat imagery and MODIS land products, we investigate the mining areas to (1) determine area and rate of change over time, (2) analyze spatiotemporal patterns of changes in key environmental parameters, and (3) perform regression analysis between lithium mining activities and environmental degradation between 1997 and 2017. We use five environmental parameters for our analysis: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Daytime Land Surface Temperature (Day-LST), Soil Moisture Index (SMI), Nighttime Land Surface Temperature (Night-LST), and Net Evapotranspiration (ET). Our analysis shows that lithium mining operations have expanded rapidly by 7.07% annually. Our pixel-based time-series trend analysis for each image stack, using the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope coefficient, shows some significant degradation over the past 20 years including (1) vegetation decline, (2) elevating daytime temperatures, (3) decreasing trend of soil moisture, and (4) increasing drought condition in national reserve areas. However, no substantial degradation in nighttime-LST and ET is observed in the study area. Our analyses of the relationship between mining activities and environmental degradation also indicate that the continuous expansion of lithium mining has strong negative correlations with the NDVI and SMI, and a strong positive correlation with LST. We identified lithium mining activities as one of the major stressors to the local environmental degradation. The results provide a baseline to evaluate future socio-environmental impacts of lithium mining in the region. We anticipate our analysis will help inform mining and environmental regulators, lithium industry decision-makers, and national park managers to provide better management of the world’s largest lithium production sites for a sustainable future.
We’ve Only Just Begun: The Impact of Remand & Orders from Higher to Lower Courts on American Jurisprudence

The American judicial system is hierarchical, consisting of trial and appellate courts. The doctrine of precedent is deeply ingrained in the fabric of judicial practice and its validity is seldom questioned. Nowhere should it be more embedded than with respect to adherence to remand orders issued by appellate courts. Yet any serious study of remand orders reveals systemic problems in our American jurisprudence. In many cases judicial discretion is virtually unlimited and different judges may respond differently to identical remand directions. When the appellate court reverses or vacates a lower court decision, it may under certain circumstances enter final judgment. Under those circumstances, there is nothing for the lower court to do other than to perform matters that may be properly considered ministerial. But if the appellate court's decision does not terminate the case, the court will ordinarily remand the matter to a lower court for appropriate consideration and action. This remand order, and the decision upon which it rests (sometimes loosely referred to as the "mandate"), forms the basis for further proceedings. This article provides an introduction to understanding remand orders. As this article illustrates, the law governing remands is fluid. One court may feel more constrained than not, depending not so much on the language of the remand order or abstract judicial philosophy regarding the role of the courts as on the particular predilections of the judge regarding the proper outcome of the case.
Abstract 389: Covalent Modifications of Apolipoproteins in High Density Lipoprotein by Oxidized Phospholipids Impair the Cholesterol Efflux Function of High Density Lipoprotein and are Detected in Hyperlipidemic Plasma

Oxidized phospholipids (oxPLs) accumulate at sites of oxidative stress and contribute significantly to atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Most oxPLs have electrophilic substituents and are highly like...
Decreasing Time to Initiation of Chemotherapy for Patients Electively Admitted to a Hematologic Malignancy Service.

PURPOSE:Delays in initiating elective inpatient chemotherapy can decrease patient satisfaction and increase length of stay. At our institution, we observed that 86% of patients who were admitted fo...
Neoliberal Redistributive Policy: The US Net Social Wage in the Early Twenty-First Century:

This paper estimates the net social wage—the difference between labor benefits and labor taxation—from 1959 to 2012 in the United States using two different methodologies. During this period the av...
Shortest-Path Diversification through Network Penalization: A Washington DC Area Case Study

Traditional navigation systems compute the quantitatively shortest or fastest route between two locations in a spatial network. In practice, a problem resulting from all drivers using the shortest path is the congregation of individuals on routes having a high in-betweenness. To this end, several works have proposed methods for proposing alternative routes. In this work, we test solutions for traffic load-balancing by computing diversified routes proposing variants of the penalty method using the road network of the Washington DC metropolitan area as a case study. Our experimental evaluation shows that the tested Penalty-based approaches allow to significantly balance the load of a spatial network, compared to existing k-shortest path algorithms, and compared to a naive baseline that randomly changes the weights of the network at each shortest-path computation.
When the News Takes Sides: Automated Framing Analysis of News Coverage of the Rohingya Crisis by the Elite Press from Three Countries

Triangulating several methods including automated framing analysis and assessment of textual elements, this study examines how the elite press from three countries frames the Rohingya refugee crisi...
First principles modeling of nanoparticle–polymer surface functionalizations for improved capacitive energy storage

Low energy density is the principle obstacle for widespread adoption of dielectric capacitors for large-scale energy storage, and in polymer–ceramic nanocomposite systems the root cause is dielectric breakdown at the nanoscale interface. Interfacial effects in composites cannot be observed directly, due to the long-range effects of the surrounding media and the internal nature of the defects, so we need to relate quantities we can calculate to macroscale properties. We demonstrate in silico a novel approach to evaluate surface coatings for dielectric polymer nanocomposites to determine their effect on electrical breakdown a priori. We look at the electric field at the interface of barium titanate nanoparticles, in a general way, using first principles of density functional theory. The calculated induced electric field of several surface functionalized polymer–ceramic nanocomposites, chosen based on their wide range of different chemical features, shows that 7-octenyltrimethoxysilane will have the most increased ultimate breakdown voltage. We also compare two previously used metrics for quantifying breakdown in composite materials, polarizability and band gap and discuss their limitations. Experimental results should be used to further refine our model because functionalization position is critical to the induced electric field, but this position is difficult to definitively determine computationally because of steric and other effects present in real systems. Combined with experimental inputs, our new approach could be used to dramatically reduce the cost and the number of experiments needed to find new composite materials.
Future Implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on Education and Training

Innovators have been pursuing the development of learning technology solutions that could help society cope with the rapid pace of technological advancements and its implications for workforce and industry. Recently, there has been an increased volume of Education Technology (EdTech) solutions being released in the market because of the speed of the advancement of technology. The opportunity to leverage such models in learning systems, especially in online/distance education and MOOCs, is very promising.
Music Therapy and Social Trauma

Clinical experience and empirical evidence show, that music therapy can be beneficial to be included in the treatment of social trauma. The chapter that is based on a psychodynamic understanding demonstrates how suffered social trauma, be it obvious or nearly subliminal, can become sound in music. For the analysis of therapeutic scenes within two vignettes, one with a holocaust survivor and one with a former inhabitant of the GDR, the reflection of individual, social and societal functions of music is advised.
Identifying patterns of health care utilisation among physical elder abuse victims using Medicare data and legally adjudicated cases: protocol for case-control study using data linkage and machine learning.

Introduction Physical elder abuse is common and has serious health consequences but is under-recognised and under-reported. As assessment by healthcare providers may represent the only contact outside family for many older adults, clinicians have a unique opportunity to identify suspected abuse and initiate intervention. Preliminary research suggests elder abuse victims may have different patterns of healthcare utilisation than other older adults, with increased rates of emergency department use, hospitalisation and nursing home placement. Little is known, however, about the patterns of this increased utilisation and associated costs. To help fill this gap, we describe here the protocol for a study exploring patterns of healthcare utilisation and associated costs for known physical elder abuse victims compared with non-victims. Methods and analysis We hypothesise that various aspects of healthcare utilisation are differentially affected by physical elder abuse victimisation, increasing ED/hospital utilisation and reducing outpatient/primary care utilisation. We will obtain Medicare claims data for a series of well-characterised, legally adjudicated cases of physical elder abuse to examine victims’ healthcare utilisation before and after the date of abuse detection. We will also compare these physical elder abuse victims to a matched comparison group of non-victimised older adults using Medicare claims. We will use machine learning approaches to extend our ability to identify patterns suggestive of potential physical elder abuse exposure. Describing unique patterns and associated costs of healthcare utilisation among elder abuse victims may improve the ability of healthcare providers to identify and, ultimately, intervene and prevent victimisation. Ethics and dissemination This project has been reviewed and approved by the Weill Cornell Medicine Institutional Review Board, protocol #1807019417, with initial approval on 1 August 2018. We aim to disseminate our results in peer-reviewed journals at national and international conferences and among interested patient groups and the public.
Using aeration to probe the flow characteristics associated with long-term marine macrofouling growth and suppression.

It is well-established that hydrodynamics affect the settlement of biofouling organisms. Laboratory studies have demonstrated a connection between larval attachment rates and the prevalence of time...
Designing high-powered OS/2 Warp applications: the anatomy of multithreaded programs

WHY OS/2? OS/2 as an End-User Platform Why Program for OS/2? OS/2 as a Development Platform OVERALL APPLICATION DESIGN Good Programs Have Good Up-Front Design OS/2 Kernel Architecture Presentation Manager, Graphics, and the User Interface OS/2 Warp for the PowerPC Features for Your Application Application Structure USING BUILDING BLOCKS OR YOUR APP WILL CRUMBLE Block Design and Architecture Designing the User Interface Where's the Beef? MAKING IT HAPPEN The Development Environment Prototyping the User Interface Building the Core Function Using Advanced Functions Non-English-Language Support PERFORMANCE Base Tuning Visual Tuning TESTING AND CODE CHANGE Testing Methodology Code Change INSTALLATION PROGRAMS Designing the Installation Program Summary and Conclusion Bibliography Index.
Finite Element Implementation

We present the methodology for the computer implementation of the finite elements that we will employ to discretize the Lagrange equations of motion. The presentation examines the criteria for choosing the appropriate elements for a given problem, gives various finite element tessellations of the parametric space of a deformable model, shows examples of finite elements, and finally presents the finite element-based approximation to the Lagrange equations of motion.
Nitroasparaginase SUBUNIT CROSS-LINKAGE AND ALTERED SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITY

Abstract Reaction of l-asparaginase from Escherichia coli with tetranitromethane converted up to 25% of the tyrosine residues to nitrotyrosine. In addition, however, acrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated aggregation of the nitroenzyme into multiple higher molecular weight species. Up to 60% of the monomers of this tetrameric enzyme were covalently cross-linked as a result of the tetranitromethane treatment. Although extensive inactivation of asparaginase activity occurred, glutaminase activity intrinsic in the native enzyme and the hydrolysis of β-cyano-l-alanine were relatively more inactivated. The rate of covalent binding of 5-diazo-4-oxo-l-norvaline to the active site of the enzyme was increased 2-fold in the nitroenzyme. These studies suggest caution in the treatment of oligomeric enzymes with tetranitromethane since extensive cross-linkage as well as alterations of substrate specificity can occur.
The Epstein-Barr Virus BZLF1 Protein Interacts Physically and Functionally with the Histone Acetylase CREB-Binding Protein

The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) immediate-early protein BZLF1 (Z) is a key regulator of the EBV latent-to-lytic switch. Z is a transcriptional activator which induces EBV early gene expression. We demonstrate here that Z interacts with CREB-binding protein (CBP), a histone acetylase and transcriptional coactivator. This interaction requires the amino-terminal region of CBP as well as the transactivation and leucine zipper domains of Z. We show that CBP enhances Z-mediated transactivation of EBV early promoters, in reporter gene assays and in the context of the endogenous genome. We also demonstrate that Z decreases CREB transactivation function and that this inhibitory effect is reversed by overexpression of CBP. We show that Z also interacts directly with CREB. However, mutational analysis indicates that Z inhibition of CREB activity requires the direct interaction between Z and CBP but not the direct interaction between Z and CREB. We propose that Z interacts with CBP to enhance viral early gene transcription. In addition, the Z-CBP interaction may control host cellular transcription factor activity through competition for limiting amounts of cellular CBP.
Advances in optically-based sampling for diagnostics of microwave digital and analog circuits

This paper describes how a micromachined, fiber-coupled, freestanding photoconductive probe is fabricated and then implemented to perform high temporal-, spatial-, and voltage-resolution measurements at the interior nodes of integrated circuits. This high-impedance, noninvasive probe has been utilized not only for temporal measurements of clocked microwave-digital ICs and nonlinear microwave circuits, but also to perform swept-frequency internal network measurements of MMICs. It has proven itself to be a valuable resource for isolating faults within circuits and for providing direct results that can be used for validating models and designs.
A proposal for an Inter-regional Transmission Organization (IRTO)

Summary form only given as follows. In this paper we briefly present a concept of a for-profit-based Inter-regional Transmission Organization for managing requests for transmission delivery in a multi-market energy environment. This would be one possible design, with specific implementation and clearing mechanisms critical for implementing transactions that take place in a truly open-access environment. The concept has sound technical foundation, and, at the same time, provides trading of transmission service in a demand/supply type manner. The IRTO is ultimately responsible for managing value-based reliable delivery. The concept is illustrated by a demo which: (1) provides examples of why current MOU-based approach may result in catastrophic operational problems; (2) provides examples of how an implementation of this sort enables system users to have "one stop shop" at the value; and (3) provide illustrations of how the envisioned IRTO could be used to ensure transmission investments in a multi-market environment.
Assessing the impact of changing a "Senior" design course from two to three semesters

A 2-semester capstone design course in which students individually plan and execute an electronic-related project is now preceded by a junior-year design course. The good effects of the resulting changes are discussed: better partitioning of project phases, less stress in the final semester, increased emphasis on testing, and a significantly higher success rate.
Globular Cluster Photometry with the Hubble Space Telescope. VII. Color Gradients and Blue Stragglers in the Central Region of M30 from Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 Observations

We present F555W (V), F439W (B), and F336W (U) photometry of 9507 stars in the central 2' of the dense, post–core-collapse cluster M30 (NGC 7099) derived from Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 images. These data are used to study the mix of stellar populations in the central region of the cluster. Forty-eight blue straggler stars are identified; they are found to be strongly concentrated toward the cluster center. The specific frequency of blue stragglers, FBSS ≡ N(BSS)/N(V < VHB + 2), is 0.25 ± 0.05 in the inner region of M30 (r < 20''), significantly higher than the frequency found in other clusters: FBSS = 0.05–0.15. The shape of M30's blue straggler luminosity function resembles the prediction of the collisional formation model, and is inconsistent with the binary merger model of Bailyn & Pinsonneault. An unusually blue star (B = 18.6, B-V = -0.97), possibly a cataclysmic variable based on its color, is found about 12 from the crowded cluster center; the photometric uncertainty for this star is large, however, because of the presence of a very close neighbor. Bright red giant stars (B < 16.6) appear to be depleted by a factor of 2–3 in the inner r < 10'' relative to fainter giants, subgiants, and main-sequence turnoff stars (95% significance). We confirm that there is a radial gradient in the color of the overall cluster light, going from B-V ~ 0.82 at r ~ 1' to B-V ~ 0.45 in the central 10''. The central depletion of the bright red giants is responsible for about half of the observed color gradient; the rest of the gradient is caused by the relative underabundance of faint red main-sequence stars near the cluster center (presumably a result of mass segregation). The luminosity function of M30's evolved stars does not match the luminosity function shape derived from standard stellar evolutionary models: the ratio of the number of bright giants to the number of turnoff stars in the cluster is 30% higher than predicted by the model (3.8 σ effect), roughly independent of red giant brightness over the range MV = -2 to +2.
Efficient adaptive transversal algorithms for least squares ARMA identification

Two efficient algorithmic families are developed for multichannel combiners characterized by unequal memory lengths for each of two input channels. The difference between the proposed methods lies in the way the Kalman gain vector is order-updated in each case. The first algorithm operates on both inputs simultaneously, utilizing block multichannel structured order recursions. The resulting scheme is called the diagonal update algorithm. The second approach updates the Kalman gain in a two-step procedure by reducing first the size of one input and then the size of the other input. The resulting method is called the stairwise update algorithm. Both algorithms are applicable to adaptive ARMA (autoregressive moving average) system identification, adaptive control, and the design of decision-feedback equalizers. Simulation results are included. >
Extremal functions for Moser’s inequality

Let Q be a bounded smooth domain in RI, and u(x) a C1 function with compact support in Q. Moser's inequality states that there is a constant co, depending only on the dimension n, such that 1 wn1 . n_ j ee n-U dx < co, where IQI is the Lebesgue measure of Q, and Wn-1 the surface area of the unit ball in Rn. We prove in this paper that there are extremal functions for this inequality. In other words, we show that the sup{ j nw U dx: u E WJ' , 11VuH1n < 1} is attained. Earlier results include Carleson-Chang (1986, Q is a ball in any dimension) and Flucher (1992, Q is any domain in 2-dimensions).
Homogeneous coordinates in motion correction

Purpose Prospective motion correction for MRI and other imaging modalities are commonly based on the assumption of affine motion, i.e., rotations, shearing, scaling and translations. In addition it often involves transformations between different reference frames, especially for applications with an external tracking device. The goal of this work is to develop a computational framework for motion correction based on homogeneous transforms. Theory and Methods The homogeneous representation of affine transformations uses 4 × 4 transformation matrices applied to four-dimensional augmented vectors. It is demonstrated how homogenous transforms can be used to describe the motion of slice objects during an MRI scan. Furthermore, we extend the concept of homogeneous transforms to gradient and k-space vectors, and show that the fourth dimension of an augmented k-space vector encodes the complex phase of the corresponding signal sample due to translations. Results The validity of describing motion tracking in real space and k-space using homogeneous transformations only is demonstrated on phantom experiments. Conclusion Homogeneous transformations allows for a conceptually simple, consistent and computationally efficient theoretical framework for motion correction applications. Magn Reson Med 75:274–279, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Effects of Tact Training on Stereotypic Vocalizations in Children With Autism

This study was a systematic extension of Karmali, Greer, Nuzzulo-Gomez, Ross, and Rivera-Valdes (2005) and Ahearn, Clark, MacDonald, and Chung (2007). We investigated the effects of a tact correction procedure on stereotypic vocalizations in 4 children diagnosed with autism who ranged in age from 6 to 16 years. Participants had limited vocal verbal repertoires and were primarily dependent on prompts for the emission of appropriate vocalizations. A multiple-baseline design across participants was used. Data were collected on instances of stereotypic vocalizations and independent tacts during baseline conditions and on instances of stereotypic vocalizations, independent tacts, and echoic-tacts during intervention. Procedural integrity and social validity data were also obtained. The results indicated a decrease in stereotypic vocalizations for 3 of the 4 participants and a slight increase in appropriate vocal verbal behavior (i.e., tacting) for all participants. The study provides support for the use of tact correction procedures to decrease stereotypic vocalizations and increase appropriate vocalizations in children with autism.
Pro Forma Earnings: What's Wrong with GAAP?

Reliable financial reporting is essential to the proper functioning of capital markets. Investors rely on reported financials to make investment decisions and to evaluate the performance of management and the company over time.Recent years, however, have seen a proliferation of non-GAAP metrics to supplement official financial statements. Non-GAAP metrics exclude income and balance sheet items that are required under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Over half of all companies in the Dow Jones Index make such adjustments when reporting quarterly net income.What does it say about the quality of the system that so many companies report non-GAAP earnings?Are these adjustments being made for the benefit of shareholders, or to distort reported results?Topics, Issues and Controversies in Corporate Governance and Leadership: The Closer Look series is a collection of short case studies through which we explore topics, issues, and controversies in corporate governance. In each study, we take a targeted look at a specific issue that is relevant to the current debate on governance and explain why it is so important. Larcker and Tayan are co-authors of the book Corporate Governance Matters, and A Real Look at Real World Corporate Governance.
Spine surgery in geriatric patients: Sometimes unnecessary, too much, or too little.

Background Although the frequency of spinal surgical procedures has been increasing, particularly in patients of age 65 and over (geriatric), multiple overlapping comorbidities increase their risk/complication rates. Nevertheless, sometimes these high-risk geriatric patients are considered for "unnecessary", too much (instrumented fusions), or too little [minimally invasive surgery (MIS)] spine surgery. Methods In a review of the literature and reanalysis of data from prior studies, attention was focused on the increasing number of operations offered to geriatric patients, their increased comorbidities, and the offers for "unnecessary" spine fusions, including both major open and MIS procedures. Results In the literature, the frequency of spine operations, particularly instrumented fusions, has markedly increased in patients of age 65 and older. Specifically, in a 2010 report, a 28-fold increase in anterior discectomy and fusion was observed for geriatric patients. Geriatric patients with more comorbid factors, including diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease (prior procedures), depression, and obesity, experience higher postoperative complication rates and costs. Sometimes "unnecessary", too much (instrumented fusions), and too little (MIS spine) surgeries were offered to geriatric patients, which increased the morbidity. One study observed a 10% complication rate for decompression alone (average age 76.4), a 40% complication rate for decompression/limited fusion (average age 70.4), and a 56% complication rate for full curve fusions (average age 62.5). Conclusions Increasingly, spine operations in geriatric patients with multiple comorbidities are sometimes "unnecessary", offer too much surgery (instrumentation), or too little surgery (MIS).
Summer Circulation Climate of the American Southwest, 1945–1984

Abstract The dominant atmospheric circulation controls of summer climate in the U.S. Southwest are shown from classification of daily 500mb charts for the period 1945–84. I calculate seasonal synoptic circulation indices and test their relationships with Arizona summer rainfall variations using correlation analysis. Summer rainfall is related to anticyclonic activity aloft; on average, “wet” anticyclonic patterns dominate between about mid- to late July; “dry” anticyclonic patterns feature strongly in early July, early August, and early September; and cyclonic types increase in frequency from about mid-August onward. A statistically significant southward shift in the mean latitude of the subtropical ridge took place between the anomalously wet summers of the 1950s and the considerably drier summers of the 1970s. This shift was accompanied by important changes in the persistence of wet and dry anticyclonic patterns and the synoptic types that characteristically succeed such spells. There is, however, no ev...
Simultaneous observations of electrostatic oxygen cyclotron waves and ion conics

A sounding rocket launched to 927 km apogee during an auroral substorm encountered regions of large quasi-static electric fields (not greater than 400 mV/m), ion conics (up to 700 eV maximum observed energy), and fluctuating electric fields near the oxygen cyclotron frequency. Since the fluctuating electric fields frequently exhibited spectral peaks just above the local oxygen cyclotron frequency, and since the fluctuating electric fields were linearly polarized, they are positively identified as electrostatic oxygen cyclotron waves (EOCW). The maximum amplitude of the EOCW was about 5 mV/m rms. The EOCW closely correlated with the presence of ion conics. Because of the relatively low amplitude of the EOCW and their relatively low coherence, it cannot be concluded that they are solely responsible for the production of the ion conics.
Anatomic relationship between the vaginal apex and the bony architecture of the pelvis: A magnetic resonance imaging evaluation

Objective This study was undertaken to define anatomic relationships between the vaginal apex and the ischial spines and sacrum for nulliparous women with normal support. Study design We retrospectively evaluated the magnetic resonance images of 11 consecutive women who underwent pelvic imaging at Johns Hopkins. Coordinates were recorded for the posterior fornix, sacrum, ischial spines, and cervical vaginal junctions. We calculated vector distances with means, SDs, and 95% CIs. Intraclass correlation coefficients tested interobserver reliability and the Wilcoxon signed rank test compared right- and left-sided measurements. Results Mean age was 30.4 ± 9.1 years. The cervical vaginal junction was 1.6 ± 0.5 cm superior, 1.1 ± 0.5 cm anterior, and 4.7 ± 0.4 cm medial to the ipsilateral ischial spine. The posterior fornix was 1.0 ± 1.0 cm anterior and 5.3 ± 0.8 cm inferior to the second sacral vertebra. There was excellent interobserver reliability (interclass correlation coefficients=0.997, P Conclusion Consistent relationships exist betweem the vaginal apex and ischial spines and sacrum, which may be useful in reconstructive pelvic surgery.
Continuous Intravenous Midazolam Infusion for Centruroides exilicauda Scorpion Envenomation

Abstract Study objective: We sought to describe the effects of continuous intravenous midazolam infusion as therapy for severe bark scorpion (Centruroides exilicauda) envenomation. Methods: A retrospective chart review from July 1, 1993, through January 1, 1998, identified all patients treated at a university hospital with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes 989.5 (toxic effect of venom) or E905.2 (scorpion sting causing poisoning). By using standardized collection forms, data were extracted from the medical record of every patient who had a grade III or IV envenomation and was treated with a continuous intravenous midazolam infusion. Results: Our search identified 104 patients; 34 had grade III or IV envenomation. Of these, 33 were treated in the ICU with continuous intravenous midazolam infusion. Median patient age was 4 years (range, 1 to 68 years). Midazolam dosage was adjusted to induce a light sleep state to control agitation and involuntary motor activity. The median amount of midazolam resulting in the first recorded decrease in agitation and involuntary motor activity was 0.30 mg/kg (range, 0.03 to 1.76 mg/kg). This first evidence of clinical improvement was recorded as 1.00 hour (median), with a range of 0.00 to 3.75 hours. The initial midazolam infusion rate was 0.10 mg·kg –1 ·h –1 (median), with a range of 0.01 to 0.31 mg·kg –1 ·h –1 . The maximal midazolam infusion rate was 0.30 mg·kg –1 ·h –1 (median), with a range of 0.06 to 1.29 mg·kg –1 ·h –1 . The median time until the maximal midazolam infusion rate was 2.5 hours (range, 0.00 to 8.50 hours). The median duration of infusion was 9.50 hours (range, 4.25 to 20.50 hours). The median length of stay in the ICU was 15.17 hours (range, 6.0 to 28.0 hours), and 85% of patients were discharged directly home. All patients had resolution of abnormal motor activity and agitation during their midazolam infusion. Transient hypoxemia without evidence of end-organ dysfunction was documented in 4 patients during midazolam therapy. Conclusion: A continuous intravenous midazolam infusion can be a safe, effective, and readily available treatment option for patients with grade III or IV C exilicauda envenomation. [Gibly R, Williams M, Walter FG, McNally J, Conroy C, Berg RA: Continuous intravenous midazolam infusion for Centruroides exilicauda scorpion envenomation. Ann Emerg Med November 1999;34:620-625.]
Relationships between thyroid hormone and glucocorticoid effects in GH3 pituitary cells

The interrelationships between thyroid hormone and cortisol actions were investigated in GH3 pituitary tumor cells. When GH3 cells were grown in thyroid hormone-deficient medium, cortisol did not affect the concentration of TRH receptors. Both thyroid hormones and TRH normally decrease the number of TRH receptors, and cortisol inhibited down-regulation by both hormones. TRH caused a greater increase in PRL synthesis when TRH receptors were high in the presence of cortisol and T3 than when TRH receptors were low (T3 alone). In the presence of cortisol, higher concentrations of T3 were required to decrease TRH receptors, while lower concentrations were necessary to stimulate GH synthesis. Cortisol and T3 alone stimulated GH synthesis 6- and 10-fold, respectively, while together they caused an 830-fold increase. In contrast, T3 did not alter the inhibition of PRL synthesis by the glucocorticoid. Cortisol did not significantly affect the amount of [125I]T3 bound to nuclei from cells incubated in thyroid hormone-deficient or T3-supplemented medium (approximately 100 and approximately 25 fmol/mg cell protein). The data suggest that cortisol modifies thyroid hormone action at a step subsequent to T3 receptor binding.
High School Substituting: Task Demands and Adaptations in Educational Work.

The substitute teacher is the subject of many fables but little research. He is described by a sociologist, and experienced substitute, as an order maintainer, assignment executor- and survivor.
Short polyadenylic acid sequences in insect chorion messenger RNA

Abstract mRNAs for silkmoth chorion proteins contain polyadenylic acid sequences that comprise approximately 11–14% of the adenines and 3.5–5.2% of the phosphates. The poly(A) fragments recovered from these mRNAs have an average length of 28–39 (weight average) or 19–34 (number average) residues, after an in vivo labeling period of 24 hr. Short poly(A) fragments, of only slightly larger size, were observed even with labeling periods as brief as 3 hr.
Paracrystalline inclusions in optic nerve terminals following intraocular injection of vinblastine

Abstract Intraocular injection of vinblastine sulfate (VLB) at a dose of 10–500 μg disrupts microtubules and blocks rapid axoplasmic transport in the rabbit retinal ganglion cells (GCs). A dose of 500 μg VLB produces characteristics Vinca alkaloid paracrystals in the GCs by 24 h, and unusual paracrystals are noted within optic nerve terminals in the contralateral superior colliculus at survival times of 3, 7 and 14 days. These paracrystals are composed of hexagonally arranged unit structures measuring approximately 55 nm in diameter, and each unit is resolved as a central 25 nm tubule circled by five 15 nm subunits. The paracrystals are surrounded by spherical 50 nm synaptic vesicles, and usually lie adjacent and parallel to the large, pale mitochondria which characterize the optic terminals. The possible significance of the paracrystals is discussed; they may represent an unusual form of neuronal degeneration, an atypical VLB product, or an accumulation of virus particles. Degenerative changes, including enlarged synaptic vesicles and slightly increased background density, were noted in some optic terminals at 7 days following injection of 10–250 μg of VLB. These changes were reversible, and the terminals appeared normal after resumption of rapid axoplasmic transport. These morphologic alterations in the optic terminals may reflect the lack of materials synthesized in the GC perikarya and conveyed to the terminals by rapid axoplasmic transport.
Effect of Breast Volume on Treatment Reproducibility on a Tomotherapy Unit in the Treatment of Breast Cancer

Purpose To determine whether the volume of a patient's breast is correlated with reliable daily setup in treatment of breast cancer with a helical tomotherapy treatment unit. Methods and Materials Thirty-six consecutive patients with breast cancer were treated on a helical tomotherapy unit. During simulation, kilovoltage CT images were obtained for treatment planning. These were fused with daily megavoltage CT scans, and after setup based on skin marks and laser alignment the necessary shifts were carried out. The magnitude of daily shifts (in millimeters) was retrospectively obtained from the daily image fusions, and the breast volume was obtained from the treatment plan. A total of 873 fusion scans were reviewed. Random error for absolute and directional daily shifts was evaluated for correlation to volume. Variation over time was also evaluated. Results Mean (SD) random shift for all patients in the lateral, longitudinal, and vertical directions was 2.7 (2.0), 3.1 (1.5), and 3.2 (2.6) mm, respectively. Mean (SD) absolute distance shifted was 6.0 (3.5) mm. There was no significant correlation between mean absolute or mean directional daily shift and breast volume (0.08, 0.08, 0.22, and 0.07, respectively). There was no correlation between setup variation and time. Conclusions In this cohort, there was no correlation between breast volume and degree of daily shift. There was no correlation between time course and setup variation. Therefore, setup variation does not improve or degrade with repeated treatment setups.
Ultracapacitor's in Automotive

As ultracapacitors are being used for many years in applications in the fields of transportation, regenerative energy and industry recently they become more and more an important component for automotive engineers. Global pressure on car manufacturers to build low or zero emission vehicles forces designers to review energy storage systems. Therefore an ultracapacitor is used because of significant advantages compared to traditional storage systems as batteries. Besides enabling to size the primary energy system only for average power needs ultracapacitors fascinate by their robustness under challenging thermal, mechanical and electrical conditions. With these characteristics they can form a highly efficient system in combination with other energy storage systems. Maxwell Technologies offers a wide range of components which match to many applications in automotive and other engineering sectors.