cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Taking stock of the political economy of power sector reforms in developing countries : a literature review

The power sector reform experiences of developing countries vary greatly. To help explain this from a political economy perspective, this paper reviews several dozen statistical analyses, multi-country case studies, and development practice publications. The frame of reference is the model of market-oriented reforms that became a global norm in the 1990s. Findings are organized in terms of the history, theory, motives, processes and outcomes of reforms. Market orientation emerged around the 1980s as part of a shift in economic theory and policy away from state control, and was expected to improve efficiency and investments. Reform advocates never took political economy issues into full consideration. Yet, policy makers have had sociopolitical as well as technical motives for reform, such as crisis response. International norms and competition for foreign investment and trade pulled governments to model reforms, while development partners pushed them as a condition of aid. Reform implementation has been characterized by strong tensions among different public and private interests. Concretely, 1990s model reforms were based on a logic of depoliticizing pricing and investment decisions; often placing policy makers in a conflict of interest situation. Thus, the political costs and risks of reform have often exceeded the benefits perceived by local decision makers, especially as reforms did not generally result in immediate benefits for citizens. In practice, incremental, inclusive processes may be better than quick and stealthy reforms that sidestep stakeholders' concerns. While there was limited evidence of efficacy at the time the reforms were implemented, ex post the outcomes of reforms are ambiguous, as improvements in some areas have been offset by negative results elsewhere. For increasing access to electricity and clean energy, 1990s model reforms may help, but they are neither necessary nor sufficient, nor did they focus on these objectives. In conclusion, the success or failure of policy prescriptions such as 1990s model reforms are contingent on dynamic, context-specific institutions as well as factors beyond the sector. More work is needed on integrated, flexible approaches to think and work politically in the sector, and to account for new technology and diverse sector development objectives.
Harmonic Navigator: An Innovative, Gesture-Driven User Interface for Exploring Harmonic Spaces in Musical Corpora

We present Harmonic Navigator (HN), a system for navigating and exploring harmonic spaces extracted from large musical corpora, to be used in music composition and performance. A harmonic space is a set of harmonies (chords) and transitions between harmonies found in a music corpus. By navigating this space, the user can derive new harmonic progressions, which have correct voice leading. HN is controllable via a Kinect gesture interface. To aid the user, the system also incorporates stochastic and evolutionary techniques. HN offers for two primary modes of interaction: a harmonic transition selector, called harmonic palette, which utilizes a GUI to navigate harmonic transitions in a front-to-back manner; and a harmonic-flow scrubber, which presents a global overview of a harmonic flow and allows the user to perform common audio scrubbing and editing tasks. Both GUIs use colors to indicate harmonic density based on Legname’s density degree theory.
Some Significant Omissions: Ellipses in Flaubert's Un Coeur Simple

what is left out of a text can be as important as what is explicitly present. Readers interpret omissions according to principles of inference that are generally assumed by participants in communication. This essay discusses omissions, or ellipses, and their literary effects in Flaubert’s Un Coeur simple.
A Preoperative Workup of a "Hip-Spine" Total Hip Arthroplasty Patient: A Simplified Approach to a Complex Problem.

Abstract Background A large body of evidence has confirmed that patients with spinal deformity, lumbar fusion, and abnormal spinopelvic mobility are at significantly increased risk for instability, dislocation, and revision after total hip arthroplasty (THA). Methods Achieving a stable construct in patients with pre-existing spine disease requires an understanding of basic spinopelvic parameters and the compensatory mechanisms associated with abnormal spinopelvic motion. Indicated patients with concomitant hip-spine pathology should be assessed for (1) the presence of spinal deformity and (2) the presence of spinal stiffness before undergoing THA. Preoperative imaging should include a standing anteroposterior pelvis x-ray, as well as two lateral spinopelvic radiographs in the standing and seated position. Results Based on the presence of spinal deformity and/or spinal stiffness, patients may be categorized as one of the four groups of the “Hip-Spine Classification in THA.” A series of illustrative case examples is provided. Conclusion A simple three-step assessment with minimal measurements will effectively identify the complex “hip-spine” THA patient at high risk for postoperative instability. Adhering to group-specific recommendations for acetabular cup position can help to further reduce the burden of instability and related revisions in this challenging population.
Call a Spade a Spade

Racism can pray on any society in deep crisis that craves a powerful identity politics. The book focuses on discourses of race or racial thinking manifested in a self-claimed Chineseness that identifies the nation with a yellow race, and how such an essentialist mentality has been operative in many specific aspects of the nationalist politics, whether manipulated or spontaneous.
Correlation of Grain Boundary Character with Wetting Behavior

Wetting of grain boundaries (GB's) by liquid Cu in an Fe-30wt%Mn-10wt%Cu alloy has been studied as a function of the five macroscopic degrees of freedom (DoF's) of grain boundary character. These were chosen to consist of two grain boundary normals (or bounding planes) and a twist angle. The five DoF's of 975 GB's were determined by electron backscattering patterns and serial sectioning, after annealing at 1120°C, and each GB was categorized as being either wet, dry, or mixed (i.e. partly wet and partly dry). Interpretation of the wetting behavior by means of a model of GB energy, which includes consideration of the five macroscopic DoF's, led to correct predictions of wet and dry behavior in 80% of the GB's studied.
How Coaching Ability Moderates Player Incentives to Perform: A Hierarchical Bayesian Approach of the NFL

Do better coaches strengthen player incentives to perform? This research examines how coaching ability moderates extrinsic motivators (salary and contracts) on player performance. Building on motiv...
Sex differences in renal handling of inorganic mercury in aged rats.

Abstract The sex of an individual/animal has been shown to play an important role in many biological processes. Furthermore, sex may also be a factor in the way environmental toxicants, such as heavy metals, are handled by organisms. However, the effect of sex on the handling and disposition of heavy metals, such as mercury (Hg), has not been shown. Aging has also been shown to be a factor in the accumulation of heavy metals in that older individuals tend to have higher burdens of these metals. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of sex on the accumulation of mercury in aged animals. Aged male and female rats were injected intravenously with 0.5 μmol or 2.0 μmol • kg−1 HgCl2 (containing radioactive Hg) and organs were harvested after 24 h. In general, the renal accumulation of Hg was significantly greater in males than in females. Similarly, urinary excretion of Hg was greater in males than in females. There were no significant differences between males and females in the burden of Hg in other organs. Sex differences in the renal accumulation of Hg may be related to differences in the expression of membrane transporters involved in the uptake of mercuric species into tubular epithelial cells. The results of the current study illustrate the need to evaluate both sexes when assessing the renal effects of environmental toxicants.
Preoperative C-Peptide Predicts Weight Gain After Pancreas Transplantation:

Background:Transplant recipients are susceptible to cardiovascular complications, obesity, and increased insulin resistance after transplant. Here we assess weight gain in diabetic recipients after...
Indications for LVAD Explant and Predictors of Mortality after Explant in IMACS

Purpose As support durations increase, patients’ risk for requiring LVAD device explant (Exp) to address complications also increases. The aims of this analysis were to better understand indications and outcomes associated with LVAD explant. Methods Patients enrolled into IMACS requiring continuous flow LVAD explant (Exp) for nontransplant indications were identified. Survival in those with and without device Exp and by Exp indication were estimated with Kaplan-Meier methods, and correlates of mortality within the combined Exp dysfunction+other cohort were examined with Cox Regression. Results Of 16,842 patients on CF-LVAD in IMACS, 1,579 patients underwent LVAD Exp. Indications for Exp included non-urgent (83.1%) and urgent (1.5%) device malfunction; LV recovery (12.0%); elective (0.25%) and urgent (0.32%) pump thrombosis; and “other” (3.1%). Median time to explant for “other” causes was shortest at 1.2 [0.0, 14.5] months compared with 8 [2.6,17] months for device dysfunction-Exp and 10.9 [7.5,16.3] months for recovery-Exp (p Conclusion Survival was similar for those with device Exp due to malfunction and other indications in IMACS. Older patients and those with a history of multiple sternotomies do poorly after Exp. In the elderly, shared decision-making and engagement of palliative care should be undertaken prior to Exp.
Military Resistance to the Brazilian Coup: The Fight of Officers and Soldiers against Authoritarian Rule, 1964–67

This article traces resistance among members of the armed forces who opposed the military dictatorship in Brazil during the first four years of the regime, 1964–67. I show that despite scholars’ efforts to depict the 1964 coup as a project supported by the armed forces as a strategic and ideological unit, there were battle lines within those forces along which hard-liners and moderate interventionists battled for government control. There were, in fact, hundreds of officers and soldiers who opposed the coup and organized against it. To contain resistance efforts inside the armed forces, the generals who orchestrated the coup labeled opponents to intervention as communists and expelled them from the institution, in many cases under considerable duress. This article discusses the first opposition efforts of officers and soldiers, particularly the Nationalist Armed Resistance (RAN) and the Caparao Guerrilla Movement. Members of the military who were opposed to the coup shared an anti-interventionism and nationalism that united them against the regime. After 1964, their efforts to oppose military interventionism, previously carried out inside the military barracks, became the fight of all its opponents, members of the armed forces and civilians alike.
Remind Me You are Real: Creating a Self-Introductory Video for Online Courses

Abstract With the absence of traditional face-to-face interaction in virtual classrooms, student satisfaction and retention may be at risk. Teacher presence in online education is an essential strategy for increasing student engagement and satisfaction. One approach to improve teacher presence is use of a faculty self-introductory video. The video serves as a welcome mat and opens online doors to student engagement and connectedness.
Uptake, accumulation and metabolism of PFASs in plants and health perspectives: A critical review

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are man-made persistent organic compounds of significant health and environmental concern because of their resistance to degradation, tendency for global...
A Fast and Accurate Transfer Function Validation Strategy Using Optimized Rotation-Invariant Lead Trajectories

This article demonstrates a novel strategy to effectively and efficiently validate the lead transfer function model, which is used to predict the radiofrequency induced heating near the distal end of active implantable medical devices under magnetic resonance imaging exposure. The strategy uses the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to generate optimized rotation-invariant lead trajectories for arbitrary lead lengths in a rectangular phantom. The validation trajectories are generated by rotating a PSO optimized trajectory on a circular plate. The incident electric fields along these trajectories are minimally correlated resulting in very accurate validation. Compared with other validation trajectories used in the literature and recommended by ISO/TS 10974, the new method is significantly more robust, effective, accurate, and time efficient; and therefore, an ideal candidate for standardization.
The Value of Multi-Dimensional Rating Systems: Evidence from a Natural Experiment and Randomized Experiments

Online product ratings offer information on product quality. Scholars have recently proposed the potential of designing multi-dimensional rating systems to better convey information on multiple dimensions of products. This study investigates whether and how multi-dimensional rating systems affect consumer satisfaction (measured by product ratings), based on both observational data and two randomized experiments. Our identification strategy of the observational study hinges on a natural experiment on TripAdvisor when the website started to allow consumers to rate multiple dimensions of the restaurants as opposed to only provide an overall rating in January 2009. We further obtain rating data on the same set of restaurants from Yelp, which controls for the unobserved restaurant quality over time and allows us to identify the causal effect using a difference-in-difference approach. Results from the econometric analyses show that ratings in a single-dimensional rating system have a downward trend and a higher dispersion, whereas ratings in a multi-dimensional rating system are significantly higher and convergent. Findings from two randomized experiments suggest that the multi-dimensional rating system helps consumers find products that better fit their preferences and increases the confidence of their choices. We also show that the observed results cannot be explained by the priming effect due to rating system interface or a list of other alternative explanations. The combined evidence from the natural experiment and randomized experiments support the view that the multi-dimensional rating system enhances rating informativeness and provide implications for designing online rating systems that help consumers match their preferences with product attributes.
An Improved Algorithm of Grounding Grids Corrosion Diagnosis Based on Total Least Square Method

A new model considering corrosion property for grounding grids diagnosis is proposed,which provides reference solutions of ambiguous branches.The constraint total least square method based on singular value decomposition is adopted to improve the effectiveness of grounding grids' diagnosis algorithm.The improvement can weaken the influence of the model's error,which results from the differences between design paper and actual grid.Its influence on touch and step voltages caused by the interior resistance of conductors is taken into account.Simulation results show the validity of this approach.
Bayesian Nonparametric Modelling for Model-Free Reinforcement Learning in LTE-LAA and Wi-Fi Coexistence.

With the arrival of next generation wireless communication, a growing number of new applications like internet of things, autonomous driving systems, and drone are crowding the unlicensed spectrum. Licensed network such as the long-term evolution (LTE) also comes to the unlicensed spectrum for better providing high-capacity contents with low cost. However, LTE was not designed to share resources with others. Previous solutions usually work on fixed scenarios. This work features a Nonparametric Bayesian reinforcement learning algorithm to cope with the coexistence between Wi-Fi and LTE licensed assisted access (LTE-LAA) agents in 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum. The coexistence problem is modeled as a decentralized partially-observable Markov decision process (Dec-POMDP) and Bayesian inference is adopted for policy learning with nonparametric prior to accommodate the uncertainty of policy for different agents. A fairness measure is introduced in the reward function to encourage fair sharing between agents. Variational inference for posterior model approximation is considered to make the algorithm computationally efficient. Simulation results demonstrate that this algorithm can reach high value with compact policy representations in few learning iterations.
Home-Use Evaluation of a Wearable Collision Warning Device for Individuals With Severe Vision Impairments: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance There is scant rigorous evidence about the real-world mobility benefit of electronic mobility aids. Objective To evaluate the effect of a collision warning device on the number of contacts experienced by blind and visually impaired people in their daily mobility. Design, Setting, and Participants In this double-masked randomized clinical trial, participants used a collision warning device during their daily mobility over a period of 4 weeks. A volunteer sample of 31 independently mobile individuals with severe visual impairments, including total blindness and peripheral visual field restrictions, who used a long cane or guide dog as their habitual mobility aid completed the study. The study was conducted from January 2018 to December 2019. Interventions The device automatically detected collision hazards using a chest-mounted video camera. It randomly switched between 2 modes: active mode (intervention condition), where it provided alerts for detected collision threats via 2 vibrotactile wristbands, and silent mode (control condition), where the device still detected collisions but did not provide any warnings to the user. Scene videos along with the collision warning information were recorded by the device. Potential collisions detected by the device were reviewed and scored, including contacts with the hazards, by 2 independent reviewers. Participants and reviewers were masked to the device operation mode. Main Outcomes and Measures Rate of contacts per 100 hazards per hour, compared between the 2 device modes within each participant. Modified intention-to-treat analysis was used. Results Of the 31 included participants, 18 (58%) were male, and the median (range) age was 61 (25-73) years. A total of 19 participants (61%) had a visual acuity (VA) of light perception or worse, and 28 (90%) reported a long cane as their habitual mobility aid. The median (interquartile range) number of contacts was lower in the active mode compared with silent mode (9.3 [6.6-14.9] vs 13.8 [6.9-24.3]; difference, 4.5; 95% CI, 1.5-10.7; P < .001). Controlling for demographic characteristics, presence of VA better than light perception, and fall history, the rate of contacts significantly reduced in the active mode compared with the silent mode (β = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.54-0.73; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance In this study involving 31 visually impaired participants, the collision warnings were associated with a reduced rate of contacts with obstacles in daily mobility, indicating the potential of the device to augment habitual mobility aids. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03057496.
Computational study of the thermochemistry of N₂O₅ and the kinetics of the reaction N₂O₅ + H₂O → 2 HNO₃

The multistructural method for torsional anharmonicity (MS-T) is employed to compute anharmonic conformationally averaged partition functions which then serve as the basis for the calculation of thermochemical parameters for N2O5 over the temperature range 0-3000 K, and thermal rate constants for the hydrolysis reaction N2O5 + H2O → 2 HNO3 over the temperature range 180-1800 K. The M06-2X hybrid meta-GGA density functional paired with the MG3S basis set is used to compute the properties of all stationary points and the energies, gradients, and Hessians of nonstationary points along the reaction path, with further energy refinement at stationary points obtained via single-point CCSD(T)-F12a/cc-pVTZ-F12 calculations including corrections for core-valence and scalar relativistic effects. The internal rotations in dinitrogen pentoxide are found to generate three structures (conformations) whose contributions are included in the partition function via the MS-T formalism, leading to a computed value for S°(298.15)(N2O5) of 353.45 J mol(-1) K(-1).This new estimate for S°(298.15)(N2O5) is used to reanalyze the equilibrium constants for the reaction NO3 + NO2 = N2O5 measured by Osthoff et al. [Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2007, 9, 5785-5793] to arrive at ΔfH °(298.15) (N2O5) = 14.31 ± 0.53 kJ mol(-1)via the third law method, which compares well with our computed ab initio value of 13.53 ± 0.56 kJ mol(-1). Finally, multistructural canonical variational-transition-state theory with multidimensional tunneling (MS-CVT/MT) is used to study the kinetics for hydrolysis of N2O5 by a single water molecule, whose rate constant can be summarized by the Arrhenius expression 9.51 × 10(-17) (T/298 K)(3.354) e(-7900K/T) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1) over the temperature range 180-1800 K.
Non-blocking Asynchronous Byzantine Quorum Systems

Quorum systems have been used to implement many coordination problems in distributed systems. In this paper, we propose a reformulation of the definition of Byzantine quorum systems. Our reformulation captures the requirement for non-blocking access to quorums in asynchronous systems. We formally define the asynchronous access cost of quorum systems and we show that the asynchronous access cost and not the size of a quorum is the right measure of message complexity of protocols using quorums in asynchronous systems. We also show that previous quorum systems proposed in the literature have a very high asynchronous access cost. We present new quorum systems with low asynchronous access cost and whose other performance parameters match those of the best Byzantine quorum systems proposed in the literature. In particular, we present a construction for the disjoint failure pattern that outperforms previously proposed systems for that pattern.
Procainamide and survival in ventricular fibrillation out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Objectives: Procainamide is an antiarrhythmic drug of unproven efficacy in cardiac arrest. The association between procainamide and survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was investigated to better determine the drug’s potential role in resuscitation. Methods: The authors conducted a 10-year study of all witnessed, out-of-hospital, ventricular fibrillation (VF) or pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VT) cardiac arrests treated by emergency medical services (EMS) in King County, Washington. Patients were considered eligible for procainamide if they received more than three defibrillation shocks and intravenous (IV) bolus lidocaine. Four logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) describing the relationship between procainamide and survival. Results: Of the 665 eligible patients, 176 received procainamide, and 489 did not. On average, procainamide recipients received more shocks and pharmacologic interventions and had lengthier resuscitations. Adjusted for their clinical and resuscitation characteristics, procainamide recipients had a lower likelihood of survival to hospital discharge (OR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.36 to 0.75). Further adjustment for receipt of other cardiac medications during resuscitation negated this apparent adverse association (OR = 1.02; 95% CI = 0.66 to 1.57). Conclusions: In this observational study of out-of-hospital VF and pulseless VT arrest, procainamide as second-line antiarrhythmic treatment was not associated with survival in models attempting to best account for confounding. The results suggest that procainamide, as administered in this investigation, does not have a large impact on outcome, but cannot eliminate the possibility of a smaller, clinically relevant effect on survival. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:617–623 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
N‐Benzyl‐N‐methoxymethyl‐N‐(trimethylsilyl)methylamine as an Azomethine Ylide Equivalent: 2,6‐dioxo‐1‐phenyl‐4‐benzyl‐1,4‐diazabicyclo[3.3.0]octane

N-benzyl-N-methoxymethyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)methylamine as an azomethine ylide equivalent: 2,6-dioxo-1-phenyl-4-benzyl-1,4-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]octane intermediate: N-benzyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)methylamine intermediate: N-benzyl-N-methoxymethyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)methylamine product: 2,6-dioxo-1-phenyl-4-benzyl-1,4-diazabicyclo[3.3.0]octane Keywords: alkylation, N-alkylation; annulation, heterocyclic-[5]; cyclization, cycloaddition; acetonitrile; benzylamine; sonicator; ultrasound catalysis
Geochemical/Petrologic Constraints on the Origin of Cratonic Mantle

Cratons are underlain by thick, cold, and highly melt-depleted mantle roots, the latter imposing a chemical buoyancy that roughly offsets the craton's negative thermal buoyancy associated with its cooler thermal state. Petrologic/geochemical predictions of three endmember scenarios for the origin of cratonic mantle are discussed: (1) high-degree melting in a very hot plume head with a potential temperature >1650°C, (2) accretion of oceanic lithosphere, and (3) accretion of arc lithosphere. The hot plume scenario predicts that cratonic peridotites were formed by high degrees of melting at very high pressures (>7 GPa), whereas the two accretion scenarios predict an origin by melting on average at lower pressures (<∼4 GPa) followed by subsequent transport of these residual peridotites to the greater depths (3-7 GPa) from which they presently derive. Major-element and mildly incompatible trace-element compositions of cratonic peridotite xenoliths suggest a low pressure origin, favoring the two accretion scenarios. The two accretion scenarios are difficult to distinguish geochemically, but one difference is that garnet pyroxenite xenoliths might be more clinopyroxene- and Si-rich in arc environments than in oceanic environments, which would be more olivine-rich (and Si-poor) due to lower pressures of crystallization in oceanic settings compared to arc settings. High-MgO cratonic garnet pyroxenite xenoliths in fact have major-element systematics similar to high-MgO garnet pyroxenites from Phanerozoic continental arcs. Taken at face value, this suggests that at least some component of cratons may have formed by accretion of arc lithosphere. Low-MgO garnet pyroxenite xenoliths from cratons represent either subducted oceanic crust or arc basalts. Cratonic mantle may be formed by a combination of arc and oceanic lithospheric mantle accretion.
Regional Challenges for Development of Satellite Ocean Color Algorithms

ABSTRACT The planned launch of several ocean color sensors in the next few years will usher in a new era in oceanography in which a continuous time-series of global ocean color data will be available for 15-20 years. With appropriate effort on the part of oceanographers and Earth scientists in applying ocean color data, it is not unreasonable to expect that this could become a perpetual time-series applied to monitoring the status of the Earth's carbon cycle. To fulfill this objective, it is imperative to develop appropriate algorithms to retrieve not only surface phytoplankton pigments, but also primary production and the organic carbon exported from the surface photic zone to the ocean interior. Challenges to these objectives, and some consideration of methods are presented.
Co‐witness information influences whether a witness is likely to choose from a lineup

Purpose. Much crime is witnessed by more than one eyewitness, and witnesses may learn information about other witness's decisions throughout the identification and trial process. The objective of this paper was to investigate whether hearing about a co-witness's type of lineup decision and subsequent confidence level affects another witness's type of lineup choice. Methods. A total of 304 undergraduate students watched a crime video with a confederate co-witness. After the video, the witnesses completed an identification task. Prior to completing the task, the participant learned that the confederate co-witness either chose from or rejected the lineup and was subsequently confident or not confident in that decision (or heard no co-witness information). Participants completed the identification task using either a target present (TP) or target absent (TA) lineup. Results. Overall, those who heard the co-witness chose from the lineup were more likely to choose from the lineup than those who heard no co-witness information or who heard the co-witness rejected the lineup. In addition, witnesses who chose from the lineup and heard the co-witness chose from or rejected the lineup expressed more confidence in that choice if the co-witness was more confident versus if the co-witness was less confident. Conclusions. In cases of multiple witnesses, identification decisions may not be independent pieces of evidence. Therefore, it is important that police separate co-witnesses throughout the identification process.
More Like Hunting Than Farming?: Teaching Students Practical Research Skills

In the spring and fall semesters of 2009, state politics students at Charleston Southern University were required to write issue tracking papers comparing 12 states’ approach to a particular issue area. Successful completion of such a project requires a careful analysis of each state’s statutes (and potentially regulations as well), a superficial (but critical) assessment of whether the laws in each state are actually being implemented, and the generation of hypotheses to explain any interstate differences found.This project raises several questions. First, this kind of research is much closer to hunting than farming. Each research project is different, and may lead the researcher over uncharted terrain in search of an unknown (and perhaps nonexistent) quarry. Preparing students for one particular research project is not much easier than preparing students for any research project; how does one adequately prepare students for contingencies that may arise in their research without turning the course into a full-blown research methods class? Second, to what extent do traditional quantitative/qualitative methods courses address the needs of policy-focused students as well as discipline-focused ones? To the extent they do not, what additional skills are needed, and how should they be taught? Third, what does Athens have to learn from Washington (or Springfield, or Albany, or Sacramento)? To what extent can the practical skills of policy researchers inform – as well as be informed by – academic research methods?
Work on a highly distributed coordination control system

This paper examines a distributed control system where a conveyor-like array of actuators cooperate to manipulate objects in a plane. Each manipulator has its own simple controller which communicates with the neighboring controllers, allowing coordinated motion over the entire array. The system is modeled as a continuous medium rather than a collection of discrete actuators. Physical analogies to nature, such as heat transfer and electric fields are used to generate useful behavior such as speed servoing of an object, passing of objects over manipulators, and collision avoidance between objects. Simulations of a single row of actuators are performed, and extensions to planar arrays are suggested.
Differential regulation of Aβ42-induced neuronal C1q synthesis and microglial activation

Expression of C1q, an early component of the classical complement pathway, has been shown to be induced in neurons in hippocampal slices, following accumulation of exogenous Aβ42. Microglial activation was also detected by surface marker expression and cytokine production. To determine whether C1q induction was correlated with intraneuronal Aβ and/or microglial activation, D-(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV, an NMDA receptor antagonist) and glycine-arginine-glycine-aspartic acid-serine-proline peptide (RGD, an integrin receptor antagonist), which blocks and enhances Aβ42 uptake, respectively, were assessed for their effect on neuronal C1q synthesis and microglial activation. APV inhibited, and RGD enhanced, microglial activation and neuronal C1q expression. However, addition of Aβ10–20 to slice cultures significantly reduced Aβ42 uptake and microglial activation, but did not alter the Aβ42-induced neuronal C1q expression. Furthermore, Aβ10–20 alone triggered C1q production in neurons, demonstrating that neither neuronal Aβ42 accumulation, nor microglial activation is required for neuronal C1q upregulation. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that multiple receptors are involved in Aβ injury and signaling in neurons. Some lead to neuronal C1q induction, whereas other(s) lead to intraneuronal accumulation of Aβ and/or stimulation of microglia.
Use of liver extract in place of yeast in low fat diets.

SummaryWhen our results are compared with those of other workers quoted above, it is evident that the use of liver extract instead of the usual yeast in studies on low fat diets results in an earlier and more acute deficiency and hence a greater growth response when fat is given. Possibly the liver extract is lower than ether-extracted yeast in the essential fatty acids. This fact may be useful in working out better methods for the assay of at least some of the essential fatty acids in fats. Furthermore, it is necessary to have fat in the diet to obtain maximum growth responses to the liver extract concentrates of the vitamin B complex.
Heuristics to accelerate the Dixon resultant

The Dixon resultant method solves a system of polynomial equations by computing its resultant. It constructs a square matrix whose determinant (det) is a multiple of the resultant (res). The naive way to proceed is to compute det, factor it, and identify res. But often det is too large to compute or factor, even though res is relatively small. In this paper we describe three heuristic methods that often overcome these problems. The first, although sometimes useful by itself, is often a subprocedure of the second two. The second may be used on any polynomial system to discover factors of det without producing the complete determinant. The third applies when res appears as a factor of det in a certain exponential pattern. This occurs in some symmetrical systems of equations. We show examples from computational chemistry, signal processing, dynamical systems, quantifier elimination, and pure mathematics.
Development of Journalism in Nigeria

All daily newspapers in Nigeria are published in English, and a few measure up to European or American standards. But technical difficulties and lack of trained personnel are serious handicaps. The...
Distributed Sensor Fault Diagnosis in a Class of Interconnected Nonlinear Uncertain Systems

Abstract In this paper, a distributed sensor fault detection and isolation (FDI) method is developed for a class of interconnected nonlinear uncertain systems. In the distributed FDI architecture, a FDI component is designed for each subsystem in the interconnected system. For each subsystem, its corresponding local FDI component is designed by utilizing local measurements and certain communicated information from neighboring FDI components associated with subsystems that are directly interconnected to the particular subsystem under consideration. Under certain assumptions, adaptive thresholds for distributed sensor fault detection and isolation in each subsystem are derived, ensuring robustness with respect to interactions among subsystems and system modeling uncertainty. Moreover, the fault detectability condition is rigorously investigated, characterizing the class of sensor faults in each subsystem that is detectable by the proposed distributed FDI method. Additionally, the stability and learning capability of the distributed adaptive fault isolation estimators is established. A simulation example of interconnected inverted pendulums mounted on carts is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the distributed FDI method.
Blood flow analysis of Prandtl fluid model in tapered stenosed arteries

Abstract In the present article we have discussed the blood flow analysis of Prandtl fluid model in tapered stenosed arteries. The governing equations for considered model are presented in cylindrical coordinates. Perturbation solutions are constructed for the velocity, impedance resistance, wall shear stress and shearing stress at the stenosis throat. Attention has been mainly focused to the analysis of embedded parameters in converging, diverging and non-tapered situations. Streamlines have been plotted at the end of the article for considered arteries. It is observed that due to increase in Prandtl fluid parameters, the stenosis shape and maximum height of the stenosis the velocity profile decreases.
Paternal Behavior in Humans

malian species. The authors describe several studies designed to determine how much time fathers spend with their children and how this compares with the extent of involvement by mothers. On average, fathers spend 25 to 35% as much time as mothers do in direct interaction with their children. Factors affecting the degree of paternal involvement are then described. These factors include: Motivation, skills, support, and institutional practices. Researchers have demonstrated that human fathers can be as competent as mothers, although lack of practice leads over time to lower levels of competence than evinced by mothers. Mothers and fathers behave differently in interaction with their children, with maternal-child interaction dominated by caretaking and father-child inter? action characterized by play.
The regulation of lymphotoxin release from stimulated human lymphocyte cultures: The requirement for continual mitogen stimulation

Abstract Concanavalin A (Con A) activates nonimmune human lymphocytes in vitro to undergo transformation, DNA synthesis, and lymphotoxin (LT) secretion. LT secretion is inhibited (within minutes) when free and membrane-bound Con A are removed by washing or incubation with the competitive inhibitor, α-methyl mannoside. LT secretion can be reinitiated by addition of fresh Con A. While LT can be rapidly regulated, blast transformation and cellular DNA synthesis are under less restrictive control. Although they appear to be related, LT secretion and lymphocyte transformation seem to be regulated by independent control mechanisms. These studies indicate that recognition and contact of lymphocyte membrane sites initiate as well as regulate the efferent or destructive phase of cell-mediated immune (CMI) reactions. A model of how lymphocytes could employ LT in specific and nonspecific cytodestructive CMI reactions is presented.
Telepathy and dreams: a failure to replicate.

An attempt was made to replicate the procedures and findings of a previous dream-telepathy study conducted at the Maimonides Dream Laboratory. In that study S had, on each of 8 laboratory sessions,...
Determinants of sustained slow pathway conduction and relation to reentrant tachycardia in patients with dual atrioventricular nodal transmission.

Abstract In 24 patients with dual atrioventricular (AV) nodal pathways, multiple incremental atrial pacing studies were performed to obtain atrial (A) to His (H) basic driven (A 1 and H 1 ) and extrastimulus (A 2 and H 2 ) intervals. Discontinuous A 1 -A 2 and H 1 -H 2 intervals were analyzed for relations between initial coupling times and subsequent A-H responses, and to examine curves of sequential paced cycle lengths (A-A intervals) versus A-H intervals. Seventeen patients showed sustained slow pathway (SP) conduction with demonstration of discontinuous A-A and A-H curves. Sustained SP conduction occurred at critical atrial paced rates when the first paced beat was blocked in the fast pathway (FP) with conduction via the SP. Eleven of these 17 patients had inducible sustained supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). A-H interval during SVT in these 11 patients was closely related to SP A-H interval during atrial pacing at the paced rate comparable to SVT rate ( r = +0.89, p 1 -A 2 and H 1 -H 2 curves during sinus rhythm so that the first atrial paced beat could not be blocked in the FP for subsequent SP conduction. In the other four of the remaining seven patients, despite block of the first atrial paced beat in the FP with SP conduction, the second paced beat was blocked in the SP so that all subsequent beats resumed FP conduction. In conclusion, sustalned SP conduction in patients with dual AV nodal pathways requires (1) an initiating beat being blocked in the FP, (2) a critical rate cycle length, and (3) the ability of SP for repetitive conduction at critical rates.
Lactose synthesis and secretion by mammary epithelial cells in vitro, a comparative study

Abstract 1. 1. A method is reported for studying lactose metabolism using dispersed mammary epithelial cells (MEC) in vitro . 2. 2. Lactose synthesis in the mouse was apparent during late pregnancy and continued throughout lactation. Rates of lactose synthesis and secretion and cell lactose contents were proportional to each other and were dependent upon the stage of lactation. 3. 3. Comparative analysis of dispersed MEC of other lactating animals revealed the following ranking of relative rates of lactose synthesis and secretion and of cell lactose contents: guinea pig, early lactation (EL) > rat, mid-lactation (ML) > rabbit (ML) = mouse (ML) > hamster (ML) > mouse (EL). 4. 4. Rates of lactose synthesis and secretion and cell lactose levels were proportional to the lactose concentration of each species' milk. In EL and ML mice, calculated Golgi secretory vacuole lactose concentrations closely approximated milk lactose levels. 5. 5. It is proposed that milk lactose levels are established by and are equivalent to the lactose concentrations of the primary fluid secretion of MEC, i.e. the fluid contents of the Golgi vacuole.
Structural Analysis of Dynamin Reveals Power Stroke

D Dynamin family members are large GTPases involved in membrane fission and fusion events throughout the cell. The founding member, dynamin, plays a major role in vesiculation events during endocytosis, synaptic membrane recycling, and membrane trafficking. The current model predicts dynamin wraps around the necks of coated pits and upon GTP hydrolysis dynamin constricts and disassociates from the lipid, which then leads to membrane fission. In support of this model, purified dynamin self-assembles into spirals around lipid, generating dynamin-lipid tubes that constrict, twist and fall off upon GTP addition. To determine the conformational changes that occur during GTP hydrolysis, we calculated 3D maps of dynamin by cryo-electron microscopy methods. Here we present our latest 3D map of ΔPRD-dynamin (resolution of 12 A) with three crystal structures docked into our map, the GMP-PCP GG domain (GTPase domain-GED fragment), the stalk domain from another dynamin family member, MxA, and the PH domain from dynamin. Based on the docking results, we predict the location and interactions between the domains. In addition, comparison between the GTP-bound state (GMP-PCP) and transition state (GDP.AlF4-) within the GG construct suggests that the conformational change induced by GTP hydrolysis drives a large swing of the BSE (bundle signaling element). We predict that the BSE movement is dynamin's power stroke that results in a significant twist and constriction of the underlying lipid bilayer leading to membrane fission. Recently, we have calculated a 3D map of full-length dynamin in a further constricted state, with a resolution of ∼15A. The inner lumenal diameter of this structure is ∼2-4 nm, a range that is compatible with spontaneous lipid fusion. Currently we are docking the crystal structures into our K44A-dyn map to identify changes within dynamin domains that leads to maximum constriction and ultimately membrane fission.
Isolation and characterization of polygalacturonase and invertase from a yeast Endomycopsis fibuligera (3812) bioconversion of date wastes.

Properties of polygalacturonase [E.C. 3.2.1.15] (E 1 ) and invertase (E.C. 3.2.1.26] (E 2 ) isolated and purified in powdered form from Endomycopsis fibuligera grown on date wastes were measured. The molecular weights were estimated to be about 32 000 and 69 500, and they were highly specific for hydrolysing (1-4) and (1-2) glycosidic links respectively. The K m value of E 1 was 7.1×10 -2 M for soluble-pectic acid and that for E 2 was 6.7×10 -2 M for sucrose at pH4.5, and optimal pHs were 3.5 for E 1 and 4.0 for E 2 . The purified enzymes are stable on storage for more than one year at -20 o C
Role of endoscopy in evaluation and management of persistent gastrojejunostomy leaks after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

Anastomotic leaks at the gastrojejunostomy are a lifethreatening complication of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) [1]. The incidence of gastrogastric and gastrocutaneous fistulas subsequent to anastomotic leaks has been 1–5% [2]. The management of anastomotic leaks includes intravenous fluids or parenteral nutrition, antibiotics, adequate drainage of the intra-abdominal fluid collection, and control of the leak. Drainage of the leaking anastomosis and abscess can be accomplished through a percutaneous approach or by operative intervention and placement of closed suction drains. A number of novel endoscopic approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of anastomotic leaks, such as argon plasma coagulation, hemoclips, fibrin glue, and stent placement, have been reported, with varying success rates [3]. We report 2 cases of persistent anastomotic leaks in which we used endoscopy to guide pulling back drains from the anastomotic ring under direct visualization, thereby allowing spontaneous healing of the anastomosis.
Silver-coated zeolite crystal films as surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates.

Silver-coated zeolite A and zeolite NaX crystal films prepared by vacuum deposition were investigated as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. The substrates were active for the enhancement of Raman scattering from uranyl ions. A detection limit of 10-5 M for uranyl was obtained using silver-coated zeolite A films. One advantage of these zeolite-based substrates is that the negatively charged microporous framework provides the selectivity for adsorption based on static electric charges. The SERS effects of positively charged uranyl ions and neutrally charged benzoic acid were compared. For the zeolite A substrate, there was a 100-times-greater sensitivity.
The Influence of Potentially Fraudulent Reports on Audit Risk Assessment and Planning

We consider how auditors assess the risk of fraudulent financial reporting and plan their audit where a possibly fraudulent auditee anticipates the assessment and planning process. The auditor uses the auditee's (possibly fraudulent) earnings report to revise his beliefs about the likelihood of fraud when formulating an audit plan. We find that as underlying earnings increase, a fraudulent auditee increases reported earnings. In turn, as the auditee's reported earnings increase, the auditor increases audit effort. We also find that the auditee (who knows the auditor will use the report for audit planning) selects reports that increase his own expected payoff, relative to reports he would select if the auditor did not observe the report before finalizing the audit plan. By contrast, the auditor is no better off using the auditee's report for audit planning. Inherent risk, detection risk, and overall audit risk can increase when the auditor uses the auditee's report. Thus, because of the dynamic interaction...