cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Ages of Adulthood: a Question of Numbers

To examine the number of subjective age categories in the post-high school portion of the American lifecycle, adult respondents, selected on a probability basis in Lafayette-West Lafayette, Indiana, sorted cards describing people in terms of major life events and classified them according to age. A nonlinear decrease in the number of age distinctions occurred in the late portion of middle age (46-65 years). The decrease was explained in terms of the developmental cycle of domestic units and age homogeneity of the kinship network.
Lateral Control of A Tailless Micro Aerial Vehicle

A feedback controller is analyzed for a tailless Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) which is to be used for in-situ sensing of toxic plumes. The vehicle will be tube-launched for rapid deployment. The stability derivatives for the lateral dynamics of the aircraft are determined using a combination of Computational Fluid Dynamics and lifting line theory. The state-space model is found to be both completely reachable and completely observable. A standard feedback controller and state observer are implemented. Results show that the aircraft, which is initially unstable, can be controlled with the techniques proposed.
The effect of victim offender mediation on juvenile offender recidivism: A meta‐analysis

This article reports the results of a meta-analysis of the effects of victim offender mediation (VOM) on juvenile recidivism. Analyses were conducted on fifteen studies consisting of 9,172 juveniles in twenty-one service sites in the United States. Participation in VOM accounted for a 34 percent reduction in juvenile recidivism. Recommendations for methodological improvements in future research are discussed.
A new reducing agent to prepare single-layer, high-quality reduced graphene oxide for device applications

We report on a novel, efficient, and one-step approach to prepare single-layer reduced graphene oxide (RGO) suspensions and films using hydroxylamine hydrochloride. The effective chemical reduction of GO was evidenced by a significant increase in the C/O ratio and five orders of magnitude decrease in the GO resistance. Field-effect transistor gas sensors were fabricated using as-produced RGO sheets and the resulting sensor exhibited a fast response and a high sensitivity to low-concentration target gases at room temperature.
Low energy scattering by a compound system: positrons on hydrogen

The formalism, developed by Kato, which gives upper and lower bounds on the phase shift for the scattering of a particle by a center of force has been generalized to apply to scattering by a compound system. Particularly simple and useful results are obtained for the case of zero energy scattering where no composite bound state exists. As a first example, because of its relative simplicity, the problem of low-energy positron scattering from atomic hydrogen, with zero total orbital angular momentum, is studied. It is shown that at zero energy the ordinary Kohn variational calculation, which ignores second order contributions, provides an upper bound on the scattering length, from which a bound on the cross section is deduced. For nonzero energies a bound on the phase shift may similarly be obtained, but for a fictitious problem with cutoff potentials. If the energy is sufficiently small (less than 3 ev, say) the error thus incurred is expected to be negligibly small. Numerical calculations performed at $k=0$ and $k{a}_{0}=0.2$ lead to the result that at these energies the effects of polarization are large enough to cause the positron to be on the whole attracted to the hydrogen atom.
Experiencing Presence in Video Games: The Role of Presence Tendencies, Game Experience, Gender, and Time Spent in Play

Some research on presence has suggested that one's ability to adapt to a virtual video environment may largely depend on individual level differences in adaptability, whereas other research has suggested that men—and those with previous experience with the environment—may feel stronger levels of presence. Little research has examined how the amount of time spent in the environment influences the degree of presence experienced. Participants were asked to play a highly interactive video game for 10, 15, 20, or 30 min. Results support past research, but fail to reveal differences in presence over short-term time differences.
Long-term behavior at foraging sites of adult female loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from three Florida rookeries

We used satellite telemetry to study behavior at foraging sites of 40 adult female loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from three Florida (USA) rookeries. Foraging sites were located in four countries (USA, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Cuba). We were able to determine home range for 32 of the loggerheads. One turtle moved through several temporary residence areas, but the rest had a primary residence area in which they spent all or most of their time (usually >11 months per year). Twenty-four had a primary residence area that was 4 h) for the first time in the GOM. Characterizing behaviors at foraging sites helps inform and assess loggerhead recovery efforts.
Debate: Goods, Games, and Institutions—Part 1 The Provision of Public Goods in International Relations: a Comment on “Goods, Games, and Institutions”

“Goods, Games, and Institutions” (Aggarwal and Dupont, 1999) models the provision of a public good in a static, simultaneous-move game. The authors allow for strategies where each player's action depends on what the rival does, which by the simultaneous-moves assumption it cannot know. Thus, the strategies are invalid, and this analytical flaw renders all main claims in the article invalid. Considering the appropriate strategies shows that if provision of the good is socially desirable and feasible, there are always cost-sharing Nash equilibria in which the good is provided. If the players can vary their levels of contribution, there exists a large number of cost-sharing equilibria with differing welfare characteristics. Within the model, the main role of institutions is not to ensure provision of the good, but to determine the individual cost burden. Lastly, the static normal form game framework is ill suited to capture the salient features of public goods provision in international relations.
Zero-order interfacial enzymatic degradation of phospholipid tubules

The first study of enzymatic hydrolysis of phospholipid tubules is reported. Phosphatidylcholines with acyl chains containing diacetylene groups are known to form tubular microstructures in which the lipids are tightly packed and crystalline. These tubules can be used to probe the role of microstructural form in the mechanics of interfacial enzymatic degradation by such enzymes as phospholipase A2 (PLA2). Hydrolysis by PLA2 may occur most rapidly in regions having the greatest number of bilayer packing defects, such as those that must be found at tubule ends. A microstructure that degrades primarily from its ends should exhibit zero-order kinetics, because the area of the degrading tubule and remains constant as the length of the microstructure decreases. Free fatty acid concentration was measured to follow the generation of PLA2 hydrolysis products in suspensions of diacetylenic phospholipid tubules. The kinetics of tubule hydrolysis were essentially zero-order until conversion was complete, as predicted. However, microscopy of partially hydrolyzed tubules revealed the formation of multiple discrete anionic product domains along the length of degrading tubules as well as in insoluble reaction product microstructures. Furthermore, the rate of tubule hydrolysis was only moderately enhanced by increasing the number of tubule ends, which is consistent with the conclusion that tubule ends are not the only sites of hydrolysis. A model that reconciles the overall kinetics with the morphological evidence is proposed.
Cellular and serum immune response to dinitrophenol in adult Rana pipiens

A rabbit anti-Rana anti-DNP antiserum was used in order to estimate changes in frequency of bone marrow (BM) cells containing cytoplasmic anti-DNP antibodies (cId+) for eight weeks following a single injection. We found that (i) cId+ cells increased from 0.2 to 4.3 percent of total mononuclear cells (MNC's) during the first 8 weeks, (ii) BM granulocytes increased in frequency up to week 2, then gradually decreased to week 8, and (iii) serum anti-DNP antibody levels, evaluated by ELISA, increased to week 8. Our observations (i) support those which suggest that Rana BM resembles mammaliam BM as a source of antibody-producing cells, (ii) indicate that specific immune responses in BM may result in a 20-fold increase in the frequency of antigen-related plasma cells among total MNC's, and (iii) suggest that BM B cell clonal expansion, maturation and secretion may result in an increase in specific antibody levels in serum.
Microstructural changes induced in Zr3Al and U3Si during irradiation of the crystalline state

Microstructural changes produced in both Zr3Al and U3Si during irradiation with 1.5 MeV Kr ions have been followed by in situ transmission electron microcopy. When irradiated at sufficiently low temperatures, Zr3Al and U3Si become amorphous. During irradiation of the crystalline state at higher temperatures, the crystal structures are first disordered at doses comparable to those required for amorphization at low temperatures, and the pre-existing twin structure disappears from view in TEM. Continued irradiation of the disordered, large crystal grains results in the formation of new grains on the scale of 10 nm. During additional irradiation, the new grains increase in number and grow in size. Electron diffraction shows that new crystalline grains initially exhibit a preferred orientation to the original crystal lattice that decreases with continued irradiation until development of a powder-like diffraction pattern. The fine grain materials are resistant to amorphization during irradiation at lower temperatures and require up to a twenty-fold increase in the ion dose required for amorphization compared to that of initially unirradiated material.
Pressure electrical contact improved by carbon black paste

Pressure and pressureless electrical contacts were evaluated by measuring the contact electrical resistivity between copper mating surfaces. Pressure electrical contacts with a contact resistivity of 2×10−5 Ω·cm2 have been attained using a carbon black paste of a thickness of less than 25 μm as the interface material. In contrast, a pressureless contact with silver paint as the interface material exhibits a higher resistivity of 3×10−5 Ω·cm2 or above. A pressureless contact with colloidal graphite as the interface material exhibits the same high contact resistivity (1×10−4 Ω·cm2) as a pressure contact without any interface material. On the other hand, pressureless contacts involving solder and silver epoxy exhibit lower contact resistivity than carbon black pressure contacts.
Scaling of density fluctuations in PDX

The scaling of turbulent density fluctuations with drift-wave characteristics has been examined in the PDX tokamak using scattering of 2 mm microwaves. The authors have measured how the frequency spectra, the k⊥ spectra and the magnitude of the fluctuations vary with toroidal field, neutral beam heating power, plasma current, position and confinement regime in PDX. Since turbulence is a possible cause of anomalous heat loss in PDX and other tokamaks, the scaling of the turbulence is compared with energy confinement scalings. In many cases, an increased fluctuation level is correlated with decreased energy confinement. In one case, the fluctuation level does not change as the confinement properties of the plasma change. The scaling of the experimental fluctuation levels is compared with various drift-wave parameters. It is found that the fluctuation level scales as the mixing-length limit, n/n ~ l/k⊥Ln, in some sets of data, but not in other sets.
Child Neurology Residency Training in Neuromuscular Disorders

The field of pediatric neuromuscular disorders provides rich training experiences in child neurology residency programs. Specific learning objectives include skills in examination and assessment, familiarity with muscle and nerve studies, and indications for biopsies. This review also specifies which neuromuscular disorders are most important to cover within the resident's scope of knowledge, as well as the relationship of this field to the core competencies of residency training. Appropriate settings for inclusion of these skills in child neurology residency programs are suggested.
A comparison of iron redox ratios in silicate glasses determined by wet-chemical and 57Fe Mössbauer resonant absorption methods

The Fe3+/Σ Fe of twenty-nine experimentally formed, iron-bearing silicate glasses has been determined by wet-chemical and Mossbauer spectroscopic methods from 5–10 mg individual splits of 20–40 mg experimental run products. The wet-chemical and Mossbauer analyses were conducted in two separate laboratories (University of California, Berkeley, and the Geophysical Laboratory, respectively). The Fe3+/Σ Fe ranges from less than 0.2 to 0.96, and the total iron oxide content of the samples, from 2.2 to 34.7 wt %, added as Fe2O3. The interlaboratory comparison shows 70% of the Fe3+/ΣFe analyses from the two methods within the quoted uncertainties (±1 σ) of each other and 83% of the analyses within ±2 σ of each other. Replicate analyses in the current data set result in variations within ±1 σ. These uncertainties are similar to those obtained from several hundred Fe3+/Σ Fe analyses of reequilibrated natural rock and simple system compositions carried out with identical analytical methods in the two laboratories. There is no systematic bias in the results from either of the two techniques. The Fe3+/Σ Fe of silicate glasses can be analyzed, therefore, with equal confidence by either the wet-chemical or the Mossbauer spectroscopic method.
In the Beginning Was the Deed: Realism and Moralism in Political Argument

In the Beginning Was the Deed: Realism and Moralism in Political Argument. Collected essays by Bernard Williams, edited by Geoffrey Hawthorn. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005. 196p. $29.95. As the editor reminds us, until the early eighties Bernard Williams's very strong reputation was primarily as a moral philosopher (albeit he also contributed valuable work in epistemology). It was clear, however, that his views had important implications for politics and political theory (no more so than in the superb essay “The Idea of Equality,” the one earlier essay reprinted in this collection). And beginning in the eighties, perhaps influenced by his friendship with Isaiah Berlin and the influence of the latter upon his thinking, Williams focused his thinking increasingly both on quite practical politics and on major issues in political theory. His interest in moral questions never waned, but his reflections concerning them almost always made connections to political and/or political theoretical issues.
Clinical aspects of the Loney draw-a-car test: enuresis and encopresis.

Summary This paper is a clinical introduction to the Loney Draw-A-Car Test (LDACT), illustrating its usefulness with a small sample of enuretic and encopretic boys seen diagnostically in an outpatient child psychiatry service. The development and format of the LDACT are described, and its primary advantages as a projective technique are presented. Similarities and differences among LDACT protocols for the enuretic and encopretic cases areoutlined; it is noted that enuretics show phallic defensiveness, vulnerability, and loss of control in their LDACT responses, and the encopretics show anal-compulsive defensiveness, vulnerability, and loss of control, along with analretentive pride. Psychiatric literature bearing upon the dynamics of enuresis and encopresis is cited in connection with the LDACT findings.
Influence of water temperature on interactions between juvenile Colorado river cutthroat trout and brook trout in a laboratory stream

Abstract We compared microhabitat selection by and behavioral interactions between juvenile Colorado River cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki and brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis at two water temperatures in the laboratory. At 10°C, both species occupied similar depths but cutthroat trout used slightly faster current velocities. At 20°C, depth and current velocity use were similar for both species. The species were nearly equal competitors at 10°C, but brook trout showed a clear competitive dominance over cutthroat trout at 20°C. At the warmer temperature, brook trout were more aggressive, consumed more food, and occupied the lead position in a dominance hierarchy more often than cutthroat trout. Brook trout also maintained equilibrium longer during a thermal challenge test, suggesting they are more tolerant of heat stress than Colorado River cutthroat trout. Our results provide an example of condition-specific competition that may influence fish distribution patterns in streams.
Interpreting Conjugated Bilirubin Levels in Newborns

Objective To examine the clinical significance of elevated conjugated bilirubin (CB) levels in newborns. Study design This retrospective study evaluated a birth cohort of 271 186 full-term newborns born within a Northern California hospital network from 1995 to 2004. All CB and direct bilirubin (DB) levels were available in a database and were correlated with the patients' inpatient and outpatient International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision diagnoses. Results The 99th percentile for CB is 0.5 mg/dL, and the 99th percentile for DB is 2.1 mg/dL. CB levels between 0.5 and 1.9 mg/dL can be associated with infection, but most often remain unexplained. Liver and biliary disease become increasingly likely as CB levels increase; for CB ≥5 mg/dL, 47% of newborns have biliary disease and 43% have liver disease. Conclusions CB and DB levels are not interchangeable. In newborns with CB levels ≥0.5 mg/dL and
Effects of sexual attitudes and physical attractiveness on person perception of men and women

A sample of 180 males and 180 females completed person perception measures for stimulus women who varied in physical attractiveness and permissiveness of sexual attitudes. The results indicated that both physical attractiveness and sexual attitudes had strong effects on peson perception. Physically attractive stimulus women were rated higher than the unattractive stimulus women on a physical appeal factor and an item measuring interpersonal attraction. The sexually conservative women were rated higher on an evaluative factor, lower on a personability factor, and higher on the interpersonal attraction item than the sexually permissive stimulus women. It was also found that the effects of physical attractiveness were greater for males than for females and that women rated the sexually permissive stimulus women less favorably than did men.
Feature selection for binary data: medical diagnosis with fuzzy sets

The notion of fuzzy sets---sets with imprecise boundaries---is a natural cornerstone upon which to build algorithms based on approximate reasoning. Since their inception in 1965 by Zadeh, fuzzy sets have led to first steps towards quantifying data analysis in many fields previously immune to mathematical examination. A fairly exhaustive introduction to the theory and applications of fuzzy sets lists 238 papers dealing with a great variety of recent investigations.
Inhibition of glutathione-related enzymes and cytotoxicity of ethacrynic acid and cyclosporine.

Abstract Glutathione (GSH) is an endogenous thiol that detoxifies active oxygen and reactive species formed during intermediary metabolism and drug detoxification. Compounds with a range of potential toxicities were; tested for their abilities to affect GSH reductase and GSH S -transferase activities, which are each components of the two principal detoxification pathways in which GSH participates. A high performance liquid chromatographic method for determining oxidized and reduced GSH was modified to assay GSH reductase activity. With this method it was possible to demonstrate that ethacrynic acid, which inhibits GSH S -transferase, also inhibits the activity of GSH reductase. Inhibition of GSH reductase by ethacrynic acid was similar to that seen with carmustine (BCNU). GSH reductase activity was not affected by cis- or transplatin, buthionine sulfoximine, other loop diuretics, cyclosporine A or aminoglycosides. Cyclosporine inhibited GSH S -transferase at 50 μM and higher concentrations. These results support a role for GSH-mediated detoxification mechanisms in ethacrynic acid- and cyclosporine-associated cytotoxicity, which may mediate their toxicities and their potential as adjunctive agents in antineoplastic therapy. A better understanding of the mechanism of their toxicity can greatly extend the clinical usefulness of these agents, as this toxicity is the basis of both their therapeutic and antitherapeutic actions.
The Brodhead Diaries 1846-1849

The article is based on the diaries of John Romeyn Brodhead (1814-1873), written 1846-1849, the period in which he acted as Secretary of the United States Legation to the Court of St.James under George Bancroft (1800 - 1891).Â They present an intimate glimpse of the personalities, politics, and culture of the period.
Creative climate: a critical success factor for 21st century organisations

Organisations often fail to recognise the internal factors that lead to better strategy development and facilitate implementation thereby increasing business performance. The critical success factors of creative culture, learning orientation (LRN), entrepreneurial orientation, market orientation (MKT) and organisational flexibility can be as important to performance as external factors such as the economy or competition. This paper takes a holistic perspective and examines the relationships between these factors and performance. All five of these factors are highly correlated with each other and with organisational performance. As a whole, the factors account for 30% of the variation of organisational performance. In addition, the study demonstrated the moderating effects of creative climate with LRN and its minimal moderating effects with MKT.
One good thing leads to another: Cascades of positive youth development among American adolescents

Developmental cascades are links across the life span among heterotypic (qualitatively distinct) variables associated with one or more levels of organization within the ecology of human development. Using data from the longitudinal, 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD), we illustrate a developmental systems theory predicated model of cascades in the relations between individuals and contexts that promote positive development among adolescents. Consistent with expectations about the bases of PYD and the role in such development on person and context, ecological resources associated with parenting are linked to individual self-regulatory behaviors that in turn impact PYD, which is then associated with youth community contributions. We discuss the limitations and future directions of this research and the implications of developmental cascades for applications to policies and programs.
The implementation of PC graphics in teaching linear programming

The development of an interactive software package that provides a hands-on implementation of the Simplex method is presented. The goal is to supplement classroom instruction in linear programming. The user defines a linear programming problem and may attempt to find the solution using either a step-by-step approach or a direct approach. The step-by-step approach is an implementation of the Simplex method that examines the solution space after each pivoting operation. The direct approach follows the algorithm of the Simplex method until a termination condition is found. >
Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of Freestanding Mechanically Flexible Interconnects Using Curved Sacrificial Layer

Technologies that enable integration of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) (and sensor) chip with a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit (IC) are becoming increasingly more important as the semiconductor industry explores and tries to encompass “More-than-Moore” solutions for future electronic systems. 3-D integration, stacking of dissimilar chips that have been independently fabricated and optimized, is a promising method to integrate MEMS and its signal processing electronics into a single miniaturized package. Unlike conventional methods of integration, 3-D integration can simultaneously provide high density and high performance interconnections without the added process complexity resulting from the CMOS and MEMS process reconciliation. Vital to the success of such integration are many novel interconnect technologies such as through-silicon vias, mechanically flexible interconnect (MFI) technology is another vital interconnect technology providing low stress, area array interconnections between a MEMS chip and a CMOS IC. MFIs are batch fabricated freestanding interconnect structures fabricated using two photolithography steps. The stand-off height of MFIs are 20 μm and the dimension can be as small as 100 by 50 μm. In this paper, design, fabrication, and characterization of MFIs are presented, this paper also demonstrates SU-8 ring structures that allow fabrication and confinement of solder ball, so that MFIs can be assembled using a conventional flipchip bonder. Critical technology that enables fabrication of MFIs is the technology that uses reflowed photoresist as a sacrificial layer, development of such process is also discussed.
Adaptive algorithms for improving the throughput of CDMA packet radio networks

The authors present two adaptive techniques, involving route selection and channel access, which significantly improve the throughput and delay performance of a multihop, receiver-directed CDMA (code-division multiple-access) packet radio network. Routing is accomplished by choosing among potential next nodes in a distribution fashion, based on the simple metric of queue length. De facto preference is given to congested nodes by the channel access protocol, based on queue length ratios, in order to increase their (outbound) throughput without increasing the number of channel collisions. These algorithms have the effect of spreading network traffic more evenly across the network, thereby alleviating the congestion at bottleneck nodes, so that network throughput approaches that analytically predicted using a homogeneity assumption. Simulation results are presented which quantify the achieved improvement for networks with varying connectivity fractions. >
General Fourier solution and causality in attenuating media

It has been previously reported that a general electric field solution and its initial condition, E/sub g/(z,t) and E/sub g/(z,0), respectively, are not causal when formed by a superposition of time-harmonic waves in an attenuating medium. However, this is not the case. Further, the relationship between attenuation and phase velocity as well as their dependence on frequency arise simply from the form chosen for the time harmonic particular solutions. Even though causality is not introduced during the solution to the wave equation, the general solution can subsequently be shown to be a time convolution of a causal boundary condition (time history of the electric field as it crosses the z=0 plane, E/sub g/(0,t)), and the medium's impulse response g(z,t), which can be shown to be causal. Hence, the general solution is also causal. The initial condition occurs at the instant, t=0, when the electric field arrives at the z=0 plane, and it has been previously reported that the initial condition depends on the boundary condition for times after the initial time thereby violating causality. A re-examination shows that the initial condition does not depend on times after the initial time. Hence, the initial condition obeys causality, and it can also be shown to be properly determined (E/sub g/(z,0)=0 for z>0) even when the boundary condition is not zero. It has also been reported that limiting expressions for the boundary and initial conditions, E/sub g/(0,t/spl rarr/0) and E/sub g/(z/spl rarr/0,0), respectively, are not equal. However, a re-examination reveals that E/sub g/(0,t/spl rarr/0)=E/sub g/(z/spl rarr/0,0). >
Live long, live well: quantifying the health of heterogeneous populations

Various health, quality, utility and disability adjusted life years or life expectancy (HALY, QALY, DALY; HALE, QALE, DALE) measures have become gold standards for defining outcomes in technology evaluation, population health monitoring, and other evaluative efforts. As such, the analytical framework within which these measures are used for descriptive and evaluative purposes should be theoretically consistent and statistically rigorous. For instance, widely accepted definitions of cost-effectiveness ratios and other technology evaluation criteria that are based on expectations of the respective cost and outcome measures must, as such, be defined in terms of expected HALYs or QALYs. Similarly, measures like HALEs or QALEs used for population health monitoring are typically concerned with population expectations of such measures (or their corresponding totals). This paper demonstrates that estimation of such expectations necessitates consideration of the population variation in, and covariation between, quality and longevity. From the perspective of several different environments characterizing such heterogeneity, quantification or estimation of measures like QALYs is reconsidered. An empirical example of the central issues is provided by means of an analysis of the years of healthy life (YHL) measure drawn from the US National Health Interview Survey. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surface to subsurface freshwater connections: phylogeographic and habitat analyses of Cambarus tenebrosus, a facultative cave-dwelling crayfish

This study examined the phylogeography and population demographics of Cambarus tenebrosus, which has an unusually large distribution for a freshwater crayfish species, encompassing the Interior Lowlands and Cumberland Plateau of the eastern United States. This facultative cave-dweller provides a unique perspective on the biologic connections between surface and subsurface freshwater ecosystems, which are considered to be highly imperiled due to pollution and habitat degradation. The 16S mitochondrial gene was sequenced for 233 individuals from 84 cave and 20 surface locations throughout the range, with most sampling concentrated around the Cumberland Plateau of the southern Appalachians, to assess conservation status of this species and examine the extent of gene flow between the two habitat types. Cave and surface populations formed a single monophyletic group relative to Cambarus striatus, and clades showed strong geographical associations, but lacked habitat structuring. Occupation of subterranean environments does not appear to be a recent event in the evolutionary history of the species. The large amount of genetic diversity within the species, coupled with its ability to inhabit surface and subsurface environments, suggests that this species may pose a threat as a possible invasive species in other karst-dominated landscapes.
Symmetry energies, pairing energies, and mass equations

Symmetry and pairing energies of atomic nuclei are related to the differences between the excitation energies of isobaric analog states in the same nucleus. Numerous such excitation energies are known experimentally. In addition, a comprehensive global set can be deduced from the available experimental masses by applying Coulomb energy corrections. Replacing the experimental mass data by available theoretical mass predictions as basis for this procedure to extract symmetry and pairing energies makes it possible to directly compare theoretical and experimental quantities. These comparisons reflect upon the goodness or possible shortcomings of the respective mass equation since symmetry energies are related to the curvature of the nuclear mass surface. A discussion of eleven selected mass equations or procedures for reproducing experimental masses and extrapolating into regions of unknown nuclei is presented.
Instrumentation integrated system

This paper describes a project to design, implement, and test an instrumentation integrated system. The system is a type of interface based on an IBM PC/AT or a PC/AT compatible computer system. The system will be able to function as an 8-channel logic analyzer, a single-input digital oscilloscope, a 100 kHz function generator, and +/-5 V and +/-12 V DC power supply. The hardware of the system is implemented using TTLs, PLD, and SRAMs logic families. The system is programmed with assembly and C++ languages and is implemented on a plug-in interface card. >
Past, present, and future of ASCE: equal opportunity programs

ASCE has played a major role in developing programs to enhance opportunities in engineering for under-represented segments of our society. This paper begins by describing the conditions leading to the creation of the first Committee on Minority Programs by the Board of Direction. The original goals of the programs, as stated in ASCE literature by the first members of the committee, are reviewed and a summary of the current activities is given. The paper concludes with the proposed future courses of action by the Committee on Equal Opportunity Programs. The committee welcomes suggestions from the membership on ways in which the efforts of the Society in this area can be enhanced. A complete list of all papers published by the society on minority programs is also included.
A Tale of Two Democratic Peace Critiques

Of approximately 100 empirical democratic peace articles published in journals and papers presented at conferences over the last 10 years, none identifies a positive and statistically significant relationship between democratic dyads and militarized conflict. Therefore, many international relations researchers have reached the conclusion that widespread democratization will lead to a more peaceful world. Nevertheless, two different attacks on these fundamental premises have been advanced recently. One argues that the pacificity of democratic dyads is restricted to the post-World War II era. The other argues that democratizing states, as opposed to states experiencing regime changes, have a greater propensity to engage in war. The present authors find that neither the arguments nor the evidence hold up well to closer scrutiny. First, when controlling for changes in specific predominant rivalry structures, pre-1914 democratic dyads are less likely to engage in militarized conflict. Second, democratic transi...
The Impact of Public Opinion on Public Policy: A Review and an Agenda:

This article considers the impact of public opinion on public policy, asking: (1) how much impact it has; (2) how much the impact increases as the salience of issues increases; (3) to what extent t...
Reactions to Trauma: The 1976 Earthquake in Guatemala

Guatemala was already a disaster when a 7.5 Richter scale earthquake hit the country on February 4, 1976. Economic development based on low-wage large-scale capitalist agriculture for export and low wage industrial growth had not improved life for the majority of Guatemalans, who were and are among the poorest people in Latin America. To make matters worse and to protect wealth from the growing protests of the poor, national political power rested on legal and extra-legal state violence. Between the time when the Unites States engineered a coup against the reformist government in Guatemala in 1954 and February 4, 1976, state violence had taken the lives of 25,000 Guatemalans, a figure slightly larger than the approximately 21,000 killed in the 39 seconds of the 3 AM earthquake.
Estimated and Actual Performance Scores on Computer Programming Tasks

This study examined estimated scores and actual scores on completed test problems obtained from the final exam questions in a computer programming course. The programming tasks involved ten multiple choice questions and three programming problems. The problems were designed within the framework of the skill-rule-knowledge model of human performance. Twenty five engineering and computer science students took the final exam. The analyses of data show significant differences in selfassessment of performance between the high-performing students and the low-performing students. The paper suggests that the student?s ability to assess his or her own performance on the practice problems is strongly related to the actual performance on tests and exams. The paper also suggests that the tutoring programs for SMET courses should address the learning skills of individual students and, specifically, the students? self-assessment skills.
Human basophils express amphiregulin in response to T cell-derived IL-3

Background Amphiregulin, a member of the epidermal growth factor family, is expressed by activated mouse T H 2 cells. Amphiregulin produced by mouse hematopoietic cells contributes to the elimination of a nematode infection by a type 2 effector response. Objective To identify the human peripheral blood cell population expressing amphiregulin. Methods Amphiregulin-expressing cells were identified by flow cytometry of cell surface markers and histologic staining. Histamine and amphiregulin in supernatants were measured by enzyme immunoassay. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure mRNA expression. Results Stimulation of human PBMCs by anti-CD3 + anti-CD28 antibodies induced expression of amphiregulin mRNA and protein by a non–T-cell population. The amphiregulin-producing cells were basophils, as judged by morphology and expression of CD203c and CD123 (IL-3 receptor α chain). Activated mouse basophils also produced amphiregulin. Amphiregulin expression by basophils in response to anti-TCR stimulation required IL-3 produced by T cells, and IL-3 alone induced high levels of amphiregulin expression by purified basophils. Amphiregulin was expressed at much higher levels when human basophils were stimulated by IL-3 than by IgE cross-linking, whereas the opposite was true for IL-4 expression and histamine release. Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor–like growth factor was also expressed by IL-3–stimulated human basophils. PBMCs from human subjects with asthma contained significantly higher numbers of basophils able to produce amphiregulin compared with controls with or without allergy. Conclusion IL-3 can induce basophils to express high levels of amphiregulin, which may contribute to tissue remodeling during type 2 immune responses such as asthma.
Estimation of Length Limits for Integral Bridges Built on Clay

In this paper, the maximum length limits for integral bridges built on clay are determined as a function of the ability of steel H-piles supporting the abutments to sustain thermal-induced cyclic displacements and the flexural capacity of the abutment. First, H-pile sections that can accommodate large plastic deformations are determined considering their local buckling instability. Then, a low-cycle fatigue damage model is used to determine the maximum cyclic deformations that such piles can sustain. Next, nonlinear static pushover analyses of two typical integral bridges are conducted to study the effect of various geometric, structural, and geotechnical parameters on the performance of integral bridges subjected to uniform temperature variations. Using the pushover analyses results, design guidelines are developed to enhance and determine the maximum length limits for integral bridges built on clay. It is recommended that the maximum length of concrete integral bridges be limited to 210 m (689 ft) in cold climates and 260 m (853 ft) in moderate climates and that of steel integral bridges be limited to 120 m (394 ft) in cold climates and 180 m (590 ft) in moderate climates.
Targeting pathological remodeling: concepts of cardioprotection and reparation.

The myocardium is composed of cardiac myocytes, which are tethered within an extracellular scaffolding of fibrillar collagen. Myocytes are large; they occupy a major portion of tissue space. However, they number only a third of all cells in the myocardium; noncardiomyocytes constitute the remaining two-thirds of cells and include endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells of the intramural coronary circulation and fibroblasts located in interstitial and perivascular spaces.1 2 Ventricular hypertrophy is based on the growth of cardiac myocytes, which may or may not be accompanied by other iterations in tissue structure. In athletes, the growth of muscular and nonmuscular compartments of the heart are proportionate; tissue homogeneity is preserved. Such adaptive hypertrophy contributes to enhanced cardiac performance. The myocardial mass that accompanies exercise training is comparable to the left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) seen in patients with essential hypertension of mild to marked severity.3 In hypertensive heart disease (HHD), however, tissue homogeneity gives way to heterogeneity because the disproportionate involvement of noncardiomyocyte cells accounts for the pathological remodeling of tissue structure.2 Fibroblasts, for example, contribute to a perivascular fibrosis of intramural arteries and arterioles, which over time extends into contiguous interstitial space. This perivascular/interstitial fibrosis is based neither on myocyte growth nor necrosis; it represents reactive fibrosis. Medial thickening of these vessels involves hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia of vascular smooth muscle cells.4 Microscopic scarring (a reparative fibrosis) replaces myocytes lost to necrosis (apoptosis is not followed by fibrosis). Together with the hypertrophy of left ventricular myocytes, these iterations in tissue structure in HHD create a pathological hypertrophy that predisposes to an enhanced risk of adverse cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction, diastolic and/or systolic ventricular dysfunction, symptomatic heart failure, and arrhythmias.5 6 It is not the quantity, but rather the quality, of myocardium that distinguishes HHD from …
How Families Are Doing Nine Years after Welfare Reform: 2005 Evidence from the Three-City Study

Introduction Much of what we understand about economic outcomes associated with welfare reform comes from studies of families who were initially on welfare and who left after welfare reform (“leaver” studies), from studies of lowincome families in the first few years after reform, and from randomized trial evaluations conducted at around the time of the reform. Blank (2002) reviewed numerous studies that indicated that employment and labor supply for disadvantaged families increased in the immediate aftermath of welfare reform. She also reported that the evidence regarding impacts on incomes and well-being was generally positive, although the leaver studies showed smaller gains. More recently, Grogger and Karoly (2005) and Blank (Chapter One, this volume) summarized evidence from experimental and observational studies that indicated that specific types of reforms, especially mandatory work activities, and welfare reform as a whole contributed to higher levels of employment, larger incomes, and less poverty among welfare households. However, as Moffitt (2002) has pointed out, the rise in incomes in the experimental studies was largely confined to studies without time limits; in the experiments with such limits, which most closely reflectactual welfare reform in the states, the rise in income was insignificant (Bloom and Michalopoulos 2001). Further, the income gains shown in observational cross-sectional datasets like the Current Population Survey (CPS) or the National Survey of America's Families were almost all a result of increases in income among families not on welfare; incomes for leavers per se rose very little (see the reviews by Blank and by Grogger and Karoly on this point as well).
Declarative and procedural memory abilities as individual differences in incidental language learning

Abstract This study investigated whether individual differences in declarative and procedural memory abilities predicted the learning and retention of second language (L2) syntactic structures under incidental conditions. Participants were exposed to novel syntactic structures in a semi-artificial language paradigm under incidental learning conditions. After exposure, they were given a surprise recognition task in which they were asked to discriminate old and new sentences, which only could be done on the basis of their syntactic structures. Participants were then given an identical surprise test after a period of no exposure. Declarative memory abilities predicted performance on the immediate, but not delayed, recognition task, whereas procedural memory abilities predicted performance on the delayed, but not immediate, recognition task. The results demonstrate that the previously-reported relationships between declarative and procedural memory abilities and L2 development under intentional learning conditions can also be found under incidental learning conditions.
Asking What the People Want: Using Mobile Phone Surveys to Identify Citizen Priorities

Using an experimental design, we assess the feasibility of interactive voice recognition (IVR) surveys for gauging citizens’ development priorities. Our project focuses on four low-income countries (Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe), which exhibit significant differences in mobile penetration rates and linguistic fractionalization. In this paper, we consider sensitivities of using a single mobile phone-based survey instrument to solicit citizens’ development priorities for a host of actors operating within the country. We analyze whether people’s stated priorities change based on the specified executing actor, timeframe, or question format. A separate Center for Global Development (CGD) working paper provides detailed analysis on a range of methodological issues, including: survey design, implementation, sample weighting, response incentives, and national representativeness. We find that mobile phone-based approaches may be an effective tool for gathering information about citizen priorities. In terms of the specific research questions, we find that people’s priorities rarely change based on the specified actor (e.g., national government or external partners). There also is only a modest timeframe effect on citizens’ revealed concerns, which is limited to less frequently cited development themes and priorities. Lastly, it appears that a closed-ended question format may adequately capture citizen’s priorities compared to open-ended formats. Although, this finding is preliminary and should be tested further due to several methodological challenges in this study. Overall, these findings suggest that a single survey may be an appropriate tool for multiple development actors’ usage – such as bilateral donors, multilateral agencies, and the national government – across multiple contexts.
Critical Store Visits

tional chiefs to discuss problems. When founded in 1928, the Association was modeled on the Retail Research Association, now a division of the Associated Merchandising Corporation. This included the technique of "Critical Store Visits." Whereas the RRA has practically abandoned the use of critical store visits, its European counterpart has developed it to the point where it is now one of the mainstays of the IADS program. The original plan for the Critical Store Visits of the IADS was laid out by Werner Kaufmann, a Swiss management engineer. Mr. Kaufmann had worked