cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MCDM: In Search of New Paradigms …

The field of MCDM has come of age. It is not sufficient to continue improving or refining old concepts and paradigms: we are now facing diminishing marginal returns. It is time for change. In order to assure MCDM future we cannot continue doing the old things better; we have to start doing things differently and, more importantly, doing different things.
Prediction of net-length distribution for global interconnects in a heterogeneous system-on-a-chip

A system-on-a-chip (SoC) contains several pre-designed heterogeneous megacells that have been designed and routed optimally. In this paper a new stochastic net-length distribution for global interconnects in a nonhomogeneous SoC is derived using novel models for netlist, placement, and routing information. The netlist information is rigorously derived based on heterogeneous Rent's rule, the placement information is modeled by assuming a random placement of terminals for a given net in a bounding area, and the routing information is constructed based on a new model for minimum rectilinear Steiner tree construction (MRST). The combination of the three models gives a priori estimation of global net-length distribution in a heterogeneous SoC. Unlike previous models that empirically relate the average length of the global wires to the chip area, the new distribution provides a complete and accurate distribution of net-length for global interconnects. Through comparison with actual product data, it is shown that the new stochastic model successfully predicts the global net-length distribution of a heterogeneous system.
Neural Mechanisms for Evaluating Environmental Variability in Caenorhabditis elegans

SUMMARY The ability to evaluate variability in the environment is vital for making optimal behavioral decisions. Here we show that Caenorhabditis elegans evaluates variability in its food environment and modifies its future behavior accordingly. We derive a behavioral model that reveals a critical period over which information about the food environment is acquired and predicts future search behavior. We also identify a pair of high-threshold sensory neurons that encode variability in food concentration and the downstream dopamine-dependent circuit that generates appropriate search behavior upon removal from food. Further, we show that CREB is required in a subset of interneurons and determines the timescale over which the variability is integrated. Interestingly, the variability circuit is a subset of a larger circuit driving search behavior, showing that learning directly modifies the very same neurons driving behavior. Our study reveals how a neural circuit decodes environmental variability to generate contextually appropriate decisions.
Systems of Parent Care within Sibling Networks

This article examines factors related to the participation of adult children in their elderly parents' helping networks. A three-stage decision model was tested which predicts the likelihood that: ...
The Education of Perception

Although the field of perceptual learning has mostly been concerned with low- to middle-level changes to perceptual systems due to experience, we consider high-level perceptual changes that accompany learning in science and mathematics. In science, we explore the transfer of a scientific principle (competitive specialization) across superficially dissimilar pedagogical simulations. We argue that transfer occurs when students develop perceptual interpretations of an initial simulation and simply continue to use the same interpretational bias when interacting with a second simulation. In arithmetic and algebraic reasoning, we find that proficiency in mathematics involves executing spatially explicit transformations to notational elements. People learn to attend mathematical operations in the order in which they should be executed, and the extent to which students employ their perceptual attention in this manner is positively correlated with their mathematical experience. For both science and mathematics, relatively sophisticated performance is achieved not by ignoring perceptual features in favor of deep conceptual features, but rather by adapting perceptual processing so as to conform with and support formally sanctioned responses. These ‘‘rigged-up perceptual systems’’ offer a promising approach to educational reform.
Are local food and the local food movement taking us where we want to go? Or are we hitching our wagons to the wrong stars?

Much is being made of local food. It is at once a social movement, a diet, and an economic strategy—a popular solution—to a global food system in great distress. Yet, despite its popularity or perhaps because of it, local food (especially in the US) is also something of a chimera if not a tool of the status quo. This paper reflects on and contrasts aspects of current local food rhetoric with Dalhberg’s notion of a regenerative food system. It identifies three problematic emphases—the locavore emphasis, the Wal-Mart emphasis, and the Pollan emphasis—and argues that they are shifting local food (as a concept and a social movement) away from the deeper concerns of equity, citizenship, place-building, and sustainability. It is suggested that local food activists and advocates might consider the use of multiple methodologies and forms of expression to explore the integration and reintegration of local food into diverse and redundant place-based practice. A short case study of a low-income, urban neighborhood in Lansing, Michigan, illustrates the value of contextual analysis for more fully enabling the local food movement and a regenerative food system.
Thoracoscopic Management of Descending Necrotizing Mediastinitis

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a lethal process originating from odontogenic, pharyngeal, or cervical infectious sources that descends along fascial planes into the mediastinum. Despite earlier use of antibiotics and surgical drainage, the mortality (>50%) has changed little since the first large series reported in the preantibiotic era. The surgical management remains controversial, with support ranging from cervical drainage alone to cervical drainage and routine thoracotomy. We report a case of thoracoscopic drainage and debridement of a mediastinal abscess resulting from descending necrotizing mediastinitis. The decreased morbidity of this approach compared with posterolateral thoracotomy and the improved drainage of the mediastinum compared with cervical drainage support this method as an attractive management of patients with DNM.
Estimated Rate Constants for CO Poisoning of High-Performance Pt/Ru–C Anodes

A consistent set of rate constants describing simultaneous H 2 and CO adsorption and electro-oxidation in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell with high-performance membrane electrode assemblies is reported. The parameters were estimated from regression of a first-principles model to anode overpotential data collected at 70 and 90°C at 101 and 202 kPa. A Langmuir isotherm was found to be sufficient for the CO adsorption equilibrium for this catalyst when the Heyrowski-Volmer mechanism for H 2 oxidation on a Pt/Ru-C catalyst is used. These parameters and the ability to predict performance loss that are critical as standards for hydrogen quality are established.
NOVEL INFLAMMATORY MARKERS OF CORONARY RISK : THEORY VERSUS PRACTICE

For practitioners committed to coronary risk reduction, recent clinical trial data pose a considerable challenge. Specifically, in the Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (AFCAPS/TexCAPS), a primary prevention trial,1 treatment with lovastatin among an apparently healthy group of individuals without traditional coronary risk factors resulted in significant reductions in future cardiovascular events. Application of the results of that trial and of the West of Scotland primary prevention trial of pravastatin2 suggests that tens of millions of Americans without manifest atherosclerosis could benefit from lipid-lowering therapy. Such a blanket approach, however, may be unwise from medical as well as economic perspectives. Unnecessary exposure to pharmacological agents, even those as safe as the statins, will ultimately subject some asymptomatic and low-risk individuals to unwanted side effects. Furthermore, economic constraints dictate that primary prevention strategies with even modest cost must be limited to those individuals who are likely to gain the greatest benefit. Even when an inexpensive preventive therapy such as low-dose aspirin is proven effective,3 behavioral barriers on the parts of both physicians and patients must be overcome if long-term compliance is to be achieved. All of these considerations highlight the need for better methods to stratify risk of atherosclerotic events in apparently healthy populations. Clinical strategies designed to improve risk prediction have taken several forms. Imaging techniques including carotid ultrasound, MRI, and electron beam computed tomography (EBCT) all hold promise for identifying “vulnerable plaques” and detecting silent atheroma. However, prospective studies demonstrating the clinical utility of these approaches are limited. For example, a recent study4 of coronary calcification detected by EBCT has shown that this method does not accurately predict future coronary events, even in high-risk patients. The cost of these noninvasive imaging modalities may also prohibit their application for widespread screening application. Provocative testing of endothelium-dependent …
An open expanding economy model

Abstract : The authors extend the generalized von Neumann model to an open model by assuming that there are exogeneously determined export and import prices and that any amount can be exported or imported at these prices. The open model is characterized by means of seven axioms. It is shown, by applying the theory of linear programming, that if four economically reasonable assumptions hold, the open model has at least one solution in which at least one good with positive export price is exported and at least one good with positive import price is imported. It is also shown that, in general, a continuum of expansion rates can be achieved by varying certain control variables. The choice of these expansion rates gives indirectly the choice of a suitable sub-economy and also determined the exports and imports of the economy. (Author)
A major outer-membrane protein functions as a porin in Haemophilus influenzae.

SUMMARY: Porins are pore-forming outer-membrane proteins which serve as a non-specific pathway for the entry of hydrophilic molecules into Gram-negative bacteria. We studied four strains of Haemophilus influenzae that had decreased permeability to chloramphenicol associated with diminished quantities of a 40 kDa major outer-membrane protein. Isogenic pairs of organisms containing and lacking this protein were compared. The latter strains grew more slowly and were less permeable to sucrose and raffinose. They were also more resistant to multiple hydrophilic antibiotics than an isogenic strain containing the 40 kDa protein and were less permeable to penicillin G and chloramphenicol. We conclude that the 40 kDa outer-membrane protein functions as a porin in H. influenzae.
Cross-Linking Density Alters Early Metabolic Activities in Chondrocytes Encapsulated in Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Hydrogels and Cultured in the Rotating Wall Vessel

In designing a tissue engineering strategy for cartilage repair, selection of both the bioreactor, and scaffold is important to the development of a mechanically functional tissue. The hydrodynamic environment associated with many bioreactors enhances nutrient transport, but also introduces fluid shear stress, which may influence cellular response. This study examined the combined effects of hydrogel cross-linking and the hydrodynamic environment on early chondrocyte response. Specifically, chondrocytes were encapsulated in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels having two different cross-linked structures, corresponding to a low and high cross-linking density. Both cross-linked gels yielded high water contents (92% and 79%, respectively) and mesh sizes of 150 and 60 A respectively. Cell-laden PEG hydrogels were cultured in rotating wall vessels (RWV) or under static cultures for up to 5 days. Rotating cultures yielded low fluid shear stresses (≤0.11 Pa) at the hydrogel periphery indicating a laminar hydrodynamic environment. Chondrocyte response was measured through total DNA content, total nitric oxide (NO) production, and matrix deposition for glycosaminoglycans (GAG). In static cultures, gel cross-linking had no effect on DNA content, NO production, or GAG production; although GAG production increased with culture time for both cross-linked gels. In rotating cultures, DNA content increased, NO production decreased, and overall GAG production decreased when compared to static controls for the low cross-linked gels. For the high cross-linked gels, the hydrodynamic environment had no effect on DNA content, but exhibited similar results to the low cross-linked gel for NO production, and matrix production. Our findings demonstrated that at early culture times, when there is limited matrix production, the hydrodynamic environment dramatically influences cell response in a manner dependent on the gel cross-linking, which may impact long-term tissue development. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 1242–1250. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Regulation and administered contracts revisited: Lessons from transaction-cost economics for public utility regulation

This article reexamines the administered contracts approach to regulation in light of recent empirical research that establishes the importance of transaction-costs in the organizational choice and design decisions. After reviewing the fundamentals of transaction cost reasoning and the franchise bidding-versus-regulation debate, the study surveys the empirical literature on franchise bidding, contracting, and vertical integration. The implications of transaction-cost theories for current policies toward pubic utility regulation and deregulation are also addressed.
Improving reliability and performance of dense-AP network using DAPnet

A network with densely deployed access points can perform better and more reliably by adapting the transmission parameters like transmission power, minimum size of contention window (cwmin), maximum size of contention window (cwmax) and transmission rate. To understand the impact of these parameters on performance of CSMA-based protocol in a multi-AP network, we are building a testbed called DAPnet. DAPnet lets us change cwmin, cwmax, transmission rate, transmission power and operating channel of the nodes in the network remotely. The testbed is partially deployed and soon will be completely deployed at the Coordinate Science Lab (CSL) which is a research center at the University of Illinois. This testbed consists of 40 devices equipped with USB wireless cards. In this paper we discuss the challenges, design and implementation of DAPnet and how it can be used to improve reliability and performance of Dense-AP network.
A review of current upper-limb prostheses for resource constrained settings

In lower-middle income countries (LMICs), untapped land mines, war, and diseases such as diabetes and polio have left many residents in need of a prosthetic device. For many whose primary source of income is derived from manual labor, lack of an appropriate prosthetic device often results in decreased productivity and lower quality of life. Across the world, the primary purpose of prostheses is to restore functional capacity in a manner that is both natural and aesthetically pleasing to the user. Some practices from the Western world, such as manufacturing methods, are transferrable to these contexts. However, the availability of materials, resources, and skilled personnel pose particular challenges for LMICs. In general, prostheses designed for LMICs exhibit simplified designs, as well as limited materials and electronic components. This article reviews current upper-limb prosthetic devices developed specifically for resource-constrained environments. An overview of the materials and design for each device as well as a discussion of their limitations are provided.
Energy use, behavioral change, and business organizations: Reviewing recent findings and proposing a future research agenda

Abstract A sizable literature has begun to emerge on individual energy behavior, but research on energy behavior in business organizations has been far more limited, despite businesses' responsibility for a far larger fraction of energy use, global warming and other impacts. This article reviews studies of energy behavior in businesses, and suggests areas for additional social science research. We conducted a systematic review of bibliographies on energy and behavior, papers presented at recent conferences on behavior and energy, and reference lists of publications thus identified, and keyword searches on energy behavior and business and related topics. From these sources we identified research articles addressing energy behavior in businesses, and categorized them by qualitative content analysis into three levels of analysis: individuals within organizations, organizations, and institutional forces influencing organizations' behavior. Using this method, we found several well-developed research areas but also significant gaps on other important topics. Under-developed topics include factors influencing businesses' adoption of renewable energy; sector-specific studies on barriers to energy innovation; integrated studies of influences on businesses' energy behavior at the individual, organizational and institutional levels; and cross- cultural comparisons. Such studies offer opportunities both for scholarly contributions and for improving business decision-making and public policy.
Monitoring/Imaging and Regenerative Agents for Enhancing Tissue Engineering Characterization and Therapies

The past three decades have seen numerous advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) therapies. However, despite the successes there is still much to be done before TERM therapies become commonplace in clinic. One of the main obstacles is the lack of knowledge regarding complex tissue engineering processes. Imaging strategies, in conjunction with exogenous contrast agents, can aid in this endeavor by assessing in vivo therapeutic progress. The ability to uncover real-time treatment progress will help shed light on the complex tissue engineering processes and lead to development of improved, adaptive treatments. More importantly, the utilized exogenous contrast agents can double as therapeutic agents. Proper use of these Monitoring/Imaging and Regenerative Agents (MIRAs) can help increase TERM therapy successes and allow for clinical translation. While other fields have exploited similar particles for combining diagnostics and therapy, MIRA research is still in its beginning stages with much of the current research being focused on imaging or therapeutic applications, separately. Advancing MIRA research will have numerous impacts on achieving clinical translations of TERM therapies. Therefore, it is our goal to highlight current MIRA progress and suggest future research that can lead to effective TERM treatments.
Enhancing access to alcohol use disorder pharmacotherapy and treatment in primary care settings: ADaPT-PC

Only 7.8 % of individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD) receive treatment in a given year. Most individuals with AUDs are identified in primary care (PC) settings and referred to substance use disorders (SUD) clinics; however, only a minority of those referred attend treatment services. Safe and effective pharmacological treatments for AUD exist, but they are rarely prescribed by PC providers. The objective of this study is to refine, implement, and evaluate an intervention to integrate pharmacological AUD treatment options into PC settings. This paper provides a detailed description of the intervention design and the evaluation components. Three large Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities are participating in the intervention. The intervention targets stakeholder groups with tailored strategies based on implementation theory and prior research identifying barriers to implementation of AUD pharmacotherapy. Local SUD providers and primary care mental health integration (PCMHI) providers are trained to serve as local implementation/clinical champions and receive external facilitation. PC providers receive access to consultation from local and national clinical champions, educational materials, and a dashboard of patients with AUD on their caseloads for case identification. Veterans with AUD diagnoses receive educational information in the mail just prior to a scheduled PC visit. Effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated through an interrupted time series with matched controls to monitor change in facility level AUD pharmacotherapy prescribing rates. Following Stetler’s four-phase formative evaluation (FE) strategy, FE methods include (1) developmental FE (pre-implementation interviews with champions, PC providers, and Veterans), (2) implementation-focused FE (tracking attendance at facilitation meetings, academic detailing efforts by local champions, and patient dashboard utilization), (3) progress-focused FE (tracking rates of AUD pharmacotherapy prescribing and rates of referral to PCMHI and SUD specialty care), and (4) interpretive FE (post-implementation interviews with champions and PC providers). Analysis of FE data will be guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). If demonstrated to be successful, this implementation strategy will provide a replicable, feasible, and relative low-cost method for integrating AUD treatment services into PC settings, thereby increasing access to AUD treatment.
Relations between cabin's dynamic response,boundary conditions and excitations

With the use of Polyreference Least-Square-Complex- Exponent Technique(LSCE-LSFD),the cabin under different excitation and boundary condition was carried on Operational Modal Analysis(OMA),and the relations between cabin's vibrational characteristics and excitation boundary condition were studied.
A pattern-based definition of urban context using remote sensing and GIS

In Sub-Saharan Africa rapid urban growth combined with rising poverty is creating diverse urban environments, the nature of which are not adequately captured by a simple urban-rural dichotomy. This paper proposes an alternative classification scheme for urban mapping based on a gradient approach for the southern portion of the West African country of Ghana. Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and European Remote Sensing Satellite-2 (ERS-2) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery are used to generate a pattern based definition of the urban context. Spectral mixture analysis (SMA) is used to classify a Landsat scene into Built, Vegetation and Other land covers. Landscape metrics are estimated for Built and Vegetation land covers for a 450 meter uniform grid covering the study area. A measure of texture is extracted from the SAR imagery and classified as Built/Non-built. SMA based measures of Built and Vegetation fragmentation are combined with SAR texture based Built/Non-built maps through a decision tree classifier to generate a nine class urban context map capturing the transition from unsettled land at one end of the gradient to the compact urban core at the other end. Training and testing of the decision tree classifier was done using very high spatial resolution reference imagery from Google Earth. An overall classification agreement of 77% was determined for the nine-class urban context map, with user's accuracy (commission errors) being lower than producer's accuracy (omission errors). Nine urban contexts were classified and then compared with data from the 2000 Census of Ghana. Results suggest that the urban classes appropriately differentiate areas along the urban gradient.
State of South Dakota's child: 1999.

The Surgeon General's Year 2000 health goals for the nation are presented and data from South Dakota and the United States that measure progress toward achieving them are discussed. The percentage of low-birth weight babies (LBW) in South Dakota is lower than observed nationally, but, similar to the national trend, has increased in the past few years. Between 1996-1998, 1.1% of all newborns in the state weighed less than 1500 grams, and 5.7% weighed less than 2500 grams. There has been continuing progress observed in the survival rate of the very low birth weight infant. In 1996 the state experienced a precipitous drop in its infant mortality rate (IMR) that has not been sustained in the past two years. The state's 1998 IMR of 9.0 per 1000 live births, however, is less than the mean rate of 10 that persisted over the previous decade. The IMR for white babies (5.7) has achieved the Year 2000 Goal. The rate of Sudden Infant Death in South Dakota is significantly higher (p < .001) than that observed nationally and speaks to the importance of placing babies on their backs to sleep and education regarding the risks associated with exposing a fetus and baby to smoking. The special topic of this year's report is breast-feeding. The benefits of breast-feeding to babies and mothers are described, as well as the need for it to be advocated by the health care community. This advocacy must emphasize breast-feeding's importance, how women can be assisted as they begin to nurse, and how community efforts can be taken to enable breast-feeding continuation when women return to work following delivery.
Transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of primary progressive aphasia: An open-label pilot study.

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized by gradual deterioration of language function. We investigated whether two weeks of daily transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) treatment would improve language abilities in six people with a non-fluent form of PPA. tDCS was applied in an unblinded trial at an intensity of 1.5 mA for 20 min/day over 10 days. At the time of stimulation, patients were engaged in narrating one of several children’s wordless picture stories. A battery of neuropsychological assessments was administered four times: at baseline, immediately following the 2-week stimulation period, and then 6-weeks and 12-weeks following the end of stimulation. We observed improvement in linguistic performance in the domains of speech production and grammatical comprehension. Our encouraging results indicate that larger, sham-controlled studies of tDCS as a potential intervention for PPA are warranted.
Elements of Access: The Effects of Food Outlet Proximity, Transportation, and Realized Access on Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Food Deserts

This study surveys 900 supplemental nutrition assistance program recipient or eligible households and 300 supplemental nutrition assistance program ineligible households in local food deserts to identify the effects of different dimensions of access on fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) consumption. While proximity and access to one's own car were not significant predictors of FFV consumption, realized access to nonsupermarket outlets did have a positive effect on fresh vegetable consumption. Among food insecure respondents, limited car access had a negative effect on FFV consumption. This research underlines the importance of focusing on dimensions of access other than proximity when considering interventions designed to improve nutrition and health outcomes in food deserts.
Non-carious cervical lesions imaged by focus variation microscopy.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study is to characterize the morphological and histological features of NCCLs in a group of extracted teeth using a focus variation optical microscopic technique that is capable of detecting minute variation in surface topography. Methods Twenty three extracted teeth containing NCCLs were collected. Histological features of the surface and longitudinal cross sections were examined using a focus variation microscope (FVM). Results The sample included 8 teeth with wedge-shaped lesions; the remaining 15 contained saucer-shaped lesions. Wedge-shaped lesions showed obliterated dentinal tubules, parallel furrows and micro-fractures in the surface; longitudinal cross sections revealed subsurface micro-fractures extending toward the pulp chamber. The surfaces of typical saucer-shaped lesions were smooth and relatively featureless. Conclusions FVM imaging shows microstructures that are consistent with simultaneous erosion and toothbrush abrasion. Saucer shaped lesions have a smooth featureless surface as well as craters and dimples that could be attributed to uneven acid attack. In wedge-shaped lesions, the presence of scratches and furrows could be attributed to mechanical forces such as tooth brush abrasion. The furrows and in-surface micro-factures of wedge shaped lesions suggest a possible role of tensile stresses but require further investigation. Clinical significance NCCLs present in two morphologies, either saucer-shaped or wedge-shaped. Erosion and toothbrush abrasion are important in both types of lesions. Tensile stresses due to occlusal loading may be important in some wedge-shaped lesions. Knowing the etiology of cervical lesions is the key for their prevention.
Effects of Higher and Lower Level Writing-To-Learn Assignments on Higher and Lower Level Examination Questions.

Our study examined whether brief writing-to-learn assignments linked to lower and higher levels in Bloom’s taxonomy affected performance differentially on examination performance in assessing these...
Antibiotic prophylaxis and infection prevention for endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery: Our protocol, results, and review of the literature

Abstract Endoscopic endonasal approaches to the skull base provide minimally invasive corridors to intracranial lesions; however, enthusiasm for this new approach is always tempered by the recognition that this route requires passage through a nonsterile sinonasal corridor. Despite an increasing number of patients undergoing these surgeries, there remains no consensus on the use of perioperative antibiotics. A retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery (EESBS) at Loyola University Medical Center by the same neurosurgeon and otolaryngologist team between February 2015 and October 2016 was performed. Antibiotic regimens, presence of an intraoperative or postoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, dural reconstruction method, and rates of sinusitis, meningitis, and/or intracranial abscess were analyzed. 39 patients who underwent a total of 41 EESBSs with a mean age of 46 years were identified. A vascularized nasoseptal flap was used for dural reconstruction when high flow CSF leaks were encountered intraoperatively (n = 17); otherwise, reconstruction mostly consisted of allografts and/or free mucosal grafts. There were zero postoperative cases of CSF leaks, meningitis, or intracranial infection. Our current antibiotic prophylaxis protocol coupled with the use of variable dural reconstruction techniques dictated by intraoperative findings has led to low rates of postoperative CSF leaks, intracranial infections, and meningitis. A survey was also distributed to Neurological Surgery Residency Programs to gain a better understanding of the EESBS protocols that are being used nationally. The practice of antibiotic prophylaxis for patients undergoing EESBS is quite variable and this study should provide the impetus for multi-institutional comparison studies.
J M Keynes's IS-LP(LM) Model Is the Central Message of the General Theory.the IS-LP(LM) Model Is Built and Rests on a Foundation of the Theory of Effective Demand's D-Z Model of Chapters 3,20 and 21 and Keynes's a Treatise on Probability's Concept of 'the Weight of the Evidence'

The Central Message of the General Theory is based on Keynes’s macroeconomic analysis and discussion of his IS-LP(LM) model. Keynes showed how the model determined the rate of interest in chapters 13,14, and 15. Keynes extended the range of assets considered from money and bonds to all assets in chapters 16 and 17. Keynes then brought all of the elements of his general theory together in chapter 21 of the General Theory. Keynes supported this overarching theory with a microeconomic foundation based on the theory of purely competitive firms that integrated expectations about future price and expected future profits. Keynes denoted this analysis as the D-Z Theory of Effective Demand. The D-Z model analysis in chapter 20 of the General Theory leads to Keynes’s construction of an Aggregate Supply Curve, which is a locus or set of all possible optimal, expected D-Z intersections that satisfy the necessary and sufficient first and second order conditions for a profit maximum. Only one of these D-Z intersections will be actually realized. This realized outcome Keynes called Y. Y is then combined with r, the rate of interest, to form (r,Y) space to show how the rate of interest is determined by BOTH the IS equation and the LP(LM) equation,both of which are functions of Y and r. Uncertainty is then incorporated into the IS-LP(LM) model by first defining uncertainty to be a function of the weight of the evidence ,as discussed in chapters 6 and 26 of the A Treatise on Probability, and then defining Liquidity Preference to be a function of uncertainty. Thus, an increase in uncertainty,or a decline in the weight of the evidence or confidence ,will shift both of the IS and LP(LM) equations. The economics profession has been very badly mislead by the oral claims ,which have been made with no factual backing, made by Joan Robinson about the General Theory. One of Robinson’s claims was that Keynes was a partial equilibrium, Marshallian, anti-formalist theorist, who would “burn” the mathematical analysis after it had been used by Keynes to verify his elegant prose.This claim, accepted by all Post Keynesians, Carabelli, Backhouse, Dimand, Rubin, Hoover, Laidlar,and many others, is directly contradicted by Keynes’s mathematical analysis in chapters 10, Section IV of chapter 15, the appendix to chapter 19, chapter 20 and chapter 21. We are left with the following truly bizarre conclusion - Keynes eliminated the formal, mathematical, simultaneous four equation structure of his IS-LP(LM) model, but kept the mathematics of his Theory of Effective Demand in the General Theory in chapter 20 that supported the macroscopic IS-LP(LM) model of chapter 15, section Four, that was used to demonstrate the special case nature of neoclassical economics when Liquidity Preference was removed.
Chapter 4 - Phonon Blocking Electron Transmitting Superlattice Structures as Advanced Thin Film Thermoelectric Materials

High figure-of-merit (ZT) thermoelectric materials enable efficient solid-state refrigeration and power conversion. A low-substrate-temperature variant to the conventional MOCVD has been developed for the epitaxy of Bi 2 Te 3 —Sb 2 Te 3 superlattices on GaAs substrates. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies indicate that the interface between GaAs substrate and Bi 2 Te 3 film is qualitatively defect-free and that periodic structures are formed in Bi 2 Te 3 —Sb 2 Te 3 superlattices, with one of the individual layers as small as 10A. These structures apparently have good interfaces, enabling the demonstration of enhanced carrier mobilities in monolayer-range superlattices through the elimination of alloy scattering and the absence of random interface scattering of carriers. The heat transport in superlattice structures offers a scope for understanding the potential effects related to phonon localization phenomena. However, the lattice thermal conductivity reduction offered by the superlattices is very useful to obtaining high performance thermoelectric materials. The chapter provides evidence that engineered superlattices can attain the desirable characteristics of phonon-blocking electron-transmitting properties for high-performance thermoelectric devices. Detailed evidence for enhanced performance of superlattices based on differential ZT measurements as well as using the novel idea of relating ZT values to the ratio of thermal conductivity at zero electric field to that at zero current has also been obtained. It appears that intrinsic ZT values in the range of 2.5 are achievable with such phonon blocking electron transmitting structures.
The Role of Metacognition in Students’ Understanding and Transfer of Explanatory Structures in Science

This chapter explores the power of metacognition in helping students to reflect upon and revise their underlying causal assumptions in service of deeper science learning and to transfer the concepts that they learn. In six eighth grade science classrooms, we introduced “metacognitive moves” into instruction about the nature of the causal patterns implicit in density and pressure-related concepts. Classes participated in a density unit followed by an air pressure unit making it possible to assess transfer, cognitive, and metacognitive statements, using pre- and post-assessment, interview data, writing samples, and key classroom conversations. Four categories of cognitive and metacognitive strategies emerged in students’ statements increasing in sophistication from explicit knowledge claims to engaging in reflective reasoning and examining the applicability and plausibility of concepts. There was a strong correlation between the number of metacognitive statements students made during their interviews and higher post-assessment scores. Students who made more metacognitive statements gave more relational causal responses on their posttests—reflecting greater ability to incorporate the complex causal concepts. Those students who made more metacognitive statements on their density posttest showed more transfer of understanding to air pressure. The notion of metacognition applied in this study consists of knowledge of persons (both interpersonal and intrapersonal), monitoring, and evaluation. Knowledge of persons invites awareness of students’ sense-making process. Monitoring and evaluation also occur in the context of students’ ideas, as students test their faith in a particular idea, assessing whether they really believe that idea and whether they should keep on doing so.
Intestinal Absorption of Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphate and Oxalate: Deviation from Normal in Idiopathic Urolithiasis

There is increasing evidence that intestinal absorption of stone-forming substances may be disturbed in many patients with calcium nephrolithiasis. This disturbance in intestinal absorption in such patients is usually metabolic in origin, although it may be modified by dietary aberrations. The resulting aberration in urinary composition may lead or contribute to stone formation.
Identifying and improving AGU collaborations using network analysis and scientometrics

Abstract. The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is an Earth and space science professional society based in the United States. Research conducted by AGU members ranges from the Earth's deep interior to the outer planets of our solar system. However, little research exists on the AGU meeting itself. In this work, we apply network analysis and scientometrics to 17 years of AGU Fall Meetings. We are interested in the AGU network structure and what its properties can tell us about how the procedures of the AGU Fall Meeting can be enhanced to facilitate better scientific communication and collaboration. We quantify several network properties and illustrate how this type of analysis can enhance meeting planning and layout. We conclude with practical strategies for the AGU Program Committee.
RISK STRATIFICATION USING THE HEART RATE RESPONSE TO REGADENOSON DURING MYCOARDIAL PERFUSION IMAGING IN TYPE 2 MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION

Patients with type 2 myocardial infarction (T2MI) are at high risk of mortality and cardiovascular events. We have previously demonstrated that a blunted heart rate response (HRR) to regadenoson is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events in patients undergoing myocardial perfusion
Scale-dependent errors in the estimation of land-cover proportions. Implications for global land-cover datasets

Aggregation of fine-resolution land-cover maps to coarser scales indicates that estimates of the proportions of land-cover types vary as a function of spatial resolution. The magnitude of these proportional errors in a forested area in northern California increase significantly as resolution exceeds a 90-m threshold. These errors could pose difficulties for the use of land-cover products generated from coarse-resolution sensors such as the NOAA-AVHRR and the MODIS sensor planned for the EOS program. The magnitude of the errors appears to be a function of the spatial resolution of the map, the original size of the land-cover classes, and the spatial patterns of the classes.
Developing a consequence management assessment framework

This research developed an assessment process framework and tool to assess national consequence management capacity. The research applied a value focused thinking and the Systems Design Process (SD...
Integrating measures of viral prevalence and seroprevalence: a mechanistic modelling approach to explaining cohort patterns of human papillomavirus in women in the USA.

Incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) related cancers is increasing, generating substantial interest in understanding how trends in population prevalence of HPV infection are changing. However, t...
Helical structures in layered magnetic superconductors due to indirect exchange interactions mediated by interlayer tunneling

Motivated by the recent discovery of helical magnetic structure in ${\mathrm{RbEuFe}}_{4}{\mathrm{As}}_{4}$, we investigate interlayer ordering of magnetic moments in materials composed of spatially separated superconducting and ferromagnetically aligned layers. We consider the interplay between the normal and superconducting indirect exchange interactions mediated by tunneling between the conducting layers. We elaborate a recipe to evaluate the normal interlayer interaction via two-dimensional density of states of an isolated layer and demonstrate that for bands with small fillings, such interaction is typically ferromagnetic and short range. The nearest-layer interaction is proportional to the ratio of the interlayer hopping and in-plane bandwidth squared. On the other hand, the superconducting contribution always gives antiferromagnetic interaction and may extend over several layers when the interlayer hopping energy exceeds the superconducting gap. The frustration caused by the interplay between the normal and superconducting parts may lead to spiral ground-state magnetic configuration. The fourfold in-plane anisotropy may lock the rotation angle between the moments in the neighboring layers to ${90}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$, as it was observed in ${\mathrm{RbEuFe}}_{4}{\mathrm{As}}_{4}$.
DIFFERENCES IN THE INTERACTIONS OF R AND S WARFARIN WITH HEPATIC MICROSOMAL CYTOCHROME P-450

ABSTRACT The enantiomers of the anticoagulant, warfarin, are metabolized to a series of monohydroxylated products by rat hepatic cytochrome P-450 (P-450). The patterns of products vary for R and S warfarin and following induction of P-450 by phenobarbital (PB) and cytochrome P-448 (P-448) by 3-methylcholanthrene (MC). We studied the binding of R and S warfarin to cytochrome P-450 by difference spectrophotometry to determine how the product patterns produced are influenced by the heterogeneity of P-450. Uninduced P-450 yielded modified type II difference spectra with R and S warfarin with binding constants, K s = 1.60 mM. PB induced microsomes also yielded modified type II spectra which produced biphasic plots with K s (S) = 0.25, 0.07 mM and K s (R) = 0.83, 0.11 mM. MC induction with R warfarin yielded type I spectra with K s = 0.23 mM. With S warfarin modified type II spectra were observed with K s = 0.12 mM. In all cases prior binding of R or S warfarin influenced the binding of the opposite enantiomer. We conclude that R and S warfarin bind to two separate forms of cytochrome P-450 and two separate forms of cytochrome P-448, all of which differ from uninduced cytochrome P-450. The variety of monohydroxylated metabolites of R and S warfarin are a consequence of the interactions with these different forms of cytochrome P-450.
Access-Based Beliefs: Do individuals experience sour grapes over unattainable alternatives?

Access-based beliefs are the notion that the probability of obtaining an alternative in a choice set may directly impact beliefs about its value. Individuals may make themselves feel better by lowering beliefs of alternatives to which they have limited access; conversely, individuals may find inaccessible alternatives more appealing and increase beliefs of their value. We interpret the first sensation as sour grapes and the second as the grass-is-greener. In a controlled lab experiment that precludes learning, we examine how the probability of obtaining a binary ambiguous prospect influences beliefs. We find that a 60 p.p. reduction in access decreases beliefs of the likelihood of a high contingent payout by 3 p.p. (.2 standard deviations) amongst subjects with coherent beliefs, thus showing that the sour grapes channel outweighs the grass-is-greener in a context that resembles real economic decisions, and demonstrating a novel violation of subjective expected utility. We use a Brunnermeier and Parker optimal beliefs model with an additional source of psychological utility, loss-aversion, to explain access-based beliefs and rule out prominent non-expected utility models as being able to explain our results. We discuss how sour grapes can lead to a belief-based poverty trap and present results of our experiment from India that show a stronger sour grapes effect.
Odor preferences in hybrid chickadees: implications for reproductive isolation and asymmetric introgression

Preferences for mating cues can have important effects on speciation in natural hybrid zones. While mating preferences of parental species are well studied, hybrid preferences for cues of parental species have received less attention. Nevertheless, hybrid preferences have potentially important consequences for reproductive isolation and patterns of introgression. Here, we test preferences in wild-caught hybrid chickadees for odor cues from the parental species, black-capped and Carolina chickadees. Olfaction has been historically understudied in avian species, especially passerines, but much recent work has begun to show how olfactory cues play important roles in songbird ecology. In contrast to the strong conspecific odor preferences we previously found in pure-species chickadees, male hybrids as a group show no preference for the odor of either parental species, while still exhibiting individual instances of preference. Female hybrids show preferences for black-capped odor, but this signature is driven by individuals with elevated proportions of black-capped ancestry while Carolina-like female hybrids show no preferences. We discuss the implications of a lack of some female hybrid preferences on reproductive isolation, and the potential for asymmetric preferences in male and black-capped-like female hybrids to contribute to directional introgression and northward movement of the hybrid zone. Mate preference has important implications for the fate of natural hybrid zones and the speciation process. Mating discrimination by pure species individuals against hybrids is commonly observed in hybrid zones. However, mate preferences of hybrid individuals for the parental species can be just as important. We previously found that hybrid zone black-capped and Carolina chickadees produce distinct odor profiles and show clear preferences for conspecific odor cues. Here, we assessed preferences of wild-caught hybrid chickadees for the odors of both parental species. In contrast to pure-species birds, hybrid males overall show no preference for either parental species odor as a group. Still, individual males do show clear preferences. Hybrid females show a preference for black-capped odor that is dependent on their own degree of black-capped ancestry. Carolina-like hybrid females show no preferences. Our results suggest the potential for hybrid preference to contribute to reproductive isolation and northward movement of the chickadee hybrid zone.