cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimation of true efficient frontier of organisational performance using data envelopment analysis and support vector machine learning

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) and stochastic frontier functions (SFF) are two well-known tools for performance and efficiency analysis of profit and non-profit organisations, referred to as decision making units (DMUs). The challenge to traditional DEA is how to account for both managerial and observational errors if present in the analysis, so as to determine true efficient frontiers. This paper proposes a novel methodology to determine true frontiers in a non-parametric environment. Specifically, traditional DEA is integrated with SFF through support vector machine (SVM) learning to provide an adaptive way to estimate true frontiers considering managerial and observational errors. A statistical ratio is utilised to find the true frontiers, and the proposed methodology is applied to a real data set where frontiers are compared to ones obtained by other existing methods. The work in this paper can help organisations to plan a more realistic investment by providing reasonable sense of benchmarking.
Variational perturbation treatment of the confined hydrogen atom

The Schrodinger equation for the ground state of a hydrogen atom confined at the centre of an impenetrable cavity is treated using variational perturbation theory. Energies calculated from variational perturbation theory are comparable in accuracy to the results from a direct numerical solution. The goal of this exercise is to introduce the student to the effects of confinement on atomic systems using a tractable problem from which insight into variational perturbation theory may be gained.
Bradykinin Metabolism in Rat and Sheep Nasal Secretions

The nasal secretions are the first barrier that nasally administered drugs encounter. Therefore, the characterization of peptide metabolism in the nasal secretions is essential to predict nasal peptide bioavailability. Metabolism of bradykinin was measured in rat and sheep nasal secretions to estimate the extent of degradation of nasally administered peptide compounds. A single-pass, in situ nasal perfusion technique was employed to collect secretions for the investigation of peptide metabolism in rat nasal secretions. The protein content, mucin concentration, and degree of bradykinin metabolism in perfusate aliquots collected over a 2-h period showed that the early perfusate fractions contained most of the active secretory materials. Evidence of continuous mucus secretion and plasma extravasation was found in the nasal perfusate throughout the entire collection period. Sheep nasal secretions were collected with a cotton pledget inserted into the nasal cavity. Bradykinin and its fragments were degraded by carboxypeptidases and endopeptidases present in both rat and sheep nasal secretions. Hydrolysis of Phe5-Ser6 was the major metabolism pathway of bradykinin in the rat nasal perfusate, whereas in sheep nasal secretions, hydrolysis of the Pro7-Phe8 and Phe8-Arg9 bonds also occurred. Evidence of angiotensin converting enzyme, carboxypeptide N, and aminopeptidase activity was identified in the rat nasal perfusate with specific substrates and inhibitors. The activity of these and other enzymes in the nasal secretions may significantly limit the bioavailability of nasally administered peptide drugs prior to their exposure to the nasal mucosal tissues.
THE RELATIONSHIP OF SODIUM UPTAKE, POTASSIUM REJECTION, AND SKIN POTENTIAL IN ISOLATED FROG SKIN

1. Isolated surviving frog skin, when bathed with the same kind of diluted Ringer9s solution on both sides, shows a negative correlation between net active salt uptake by the epithelium and spontaneous skin potential. Average values of 0.15 to 0.86 µeq. x hr. –1 x cm. –2 were measured and correlated with average skin potentials ranging from 107 to 25 mv. 2. Sodium uptake exceeded chloride uptake by about the same amount, irrespective of the height of the skin potential. 3. The same skins which exhibited a negative correlation between net uptake of sodium chloride and skin potential showed a positive correlation between net potassium rejection from the epithelium and skin potential, for voltages above 30 to 40 mv. In skins of voltages lower than this, potassium ions were taken up rather than rejected. Average values for rejection of +11.8 to –0.8 centi-µeq. x hr. –1 x cm. –2 were measured. 4. Net fluid uptake, associated with active uptake of sodium chloride, was small and occurred in the direction of the salt uptake. No dependence of net fluid uptake upon skin potential was observed. 5. Skins of winter frogs, pretreated with a commercial purified ACTH preparation, were less active than their respective controls with regard to uptake of sodium chloride. Rejection of potassium was the same in treated and untreated skins. Posterior pituitary factors, as possible contaminants, did not account for the effect of the ACTH preparation. 6. DOCA, DOC, and cortisone did not alter the normal correlation referred to under (1) and (3). 7. In interpreting the experimental results on theoretical grounds, it is suggested ( a ) that in normal skin, it is the variation in the electric conductance in skin of chloride ions which essentially, although not exclusively, determines the rate of net uptake of sodium chloride, ( b ) that a factor in the ACTH preparation used, possibly ACTH itself, may have lowered the electric conductance in skin of sodium ions either truly or apparently, ( c ) that potassium ions are treated by the skin primarily as passive ions. There is some indication that potassium ions are also actively taken up by the epithelium of skin.
Reuse of pacemakers and defibrillators in developing countries: Logistical, legal, and ethical barriers and solutions

In the wealthy nations of the world, access to implantable cardiac rhythm management devices is widespread. In many underserved low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), where cardiovascular disease is fast becoming a major public health problem, access is often limited. Reuse of pulse generators was practiced regularly in some European nations in the 1990s with good results. It is performed in LMIC, although the rates of device reuse are unknown. The available literature suggests there is no increased risk of morbidity or mortality with the reuse of devices. Donations of pacemaker and defibrillator pulse generators from developed nations constitute an important source of devices for the poor in LMIC. There are opportunities to increase this supply, but logistical barriers and legal and ethical concerns must be addressed. With proper sterilization, meticulous chains of custody, and advance directives for device handling (pacemaker/defibrillator living wills), patients in LMIC who would otherwise lack access to these devices could benefit from their reuse.
EIN: A Signal Processing Scratchpad

Computer systems designed for music synthesis usually encapsulate signal-processing algorithms as macros or functions, and thus provide a modular interface which facilitates the development of complex structures. This is the thinking behind Mathews’ original concept of the ‘‘unit generator’’ (Mathews 1969) and most subsequent software synthesis languages use this approach. While it has proven to be an effective method it has not generally provided a means by which the users of these systems, often more musically prepared than wise in the ways of digital signal processing, can gain an intuitive understanding of the mechanisms used to modify and create digital signals. Indeed, there is little conceptual difference between patching a signal through a bank of two-pole resonating filters/unit generators and tweaking the sliders on a graphic equalizer. EIN is an attempt to provide an interface in which the user has direct control over every add, multiply and store applied to each sample, and can gain a more direct understanding of the machinery of digital signal processing. While its main use has been instructional, it also provides a way to experiment with digital filters and design more complex instruments and algorithms. It is, in effect, a kind of low-level circuit design kit for signal processing. EIN Syntax EIN provides the routine machinery for calling the user’s code, executing it, writing the resulting output sound samples to a file, playing the file, and displaying and analyzing it in the time and frequency domains. The user provides a script in a language that is a superset of C. The EIN system then compiles it and provides a wrapper that calls the script for each time sample from t = 0 up to the specifiednumber of samples, nsamps; computes the next output sample y (for the mono case), or the variables left and right (for the stereo case); and writes the output samples to an output sound file,formated for the sampling rate of sr samples/sec. The int variables t and nsamps, and the float variables y, left, right, and sr, are reserved by EIN, and should not be used for other purposes. The mono/stereo option, and the values of sr and nsamps are selected with radio buttons on the interface. The remaining reserved names are described in Appendix 3. As an example, here is a one-line EIN script that produces a sine wave at 440 Hz:
The Voice of the Forest: A Conception of Music for Music Therapy

An adequate conception of music therapy demands a view of music specific to the clinical milieu. The view of music promoted herein has implications for training, research, and clinical prac­ tice in music therapy as it contributes to a conceptual worldview for music therapists. Because contemporary philosophy of science suggests that such a worldview is a necessary component of a progressive research tradition, its importance for music therapy is made apparent. Discussing issues of definition and function, the present author argues that exploring the original functions of music can shed light on the mechanisms of clinical music therapy process. This original function is seen in shamanic and other ritual uses of music that contain analogues to the clinical milieu. A personal vision of music is offered that connects these thoughts on shamanism and its relevance for therapy to current psychological and ecological crises. A unique role for music therapy is proposed in regards to these contemporary ills. Once, flying over the American midwest, I was struck by the contrast between the straight and direct lines of the plowed fields, and the curved, indirect meanderings of the rivers crossing these fields. My initial reaction was to denigrate the linear, “shortest distance between two points,” logically produced lines, and to elevate the “natural,” curved lines that seemed to follow the whims of the river, unguided by any utilitarian purpose. Yet, as I recalled that geologists have actually devised formulae for describing the various curves and paths of rivers, I realized that the lines
Adaptive automation and cue invocation: the effect of cue timing on operator error

Adaptive automation (AA) can improve performance while addressing the problems associated with a fully automated system. The best way to invoke AA is unclear, but two ways include critical events and the operator's state. A hybrid model of AA invocation, the dynamic model of operator overload (DMOO), that takes into account critical events and the operator's state was recently shown to improve performance. The DMOO initiates AA using critical events and attention allocation, informed by eye movements. We compared the DMOO with an inaccurate automation invocation system and a system that invoked AA based only on critical events. Fewer errors were made with DMOO than with the inaccurate system. In the critical event condition, where automation was invoked at an earlier point in time, there were more memory and planning errors, while for the DMOO condition, which invocated automation at a later point in time, there were more perceptual errors. These findings provide a framework for reducing specific types of errors through different automation invocation.
Functional Outcome of Upper Limb Tendon Transfers Performed in Children with Spastic Hemiplegia

Children with spastic hemiplegia often present with upper limb muscle imbalance. The purpose of this paper was to determine whether reconstructive surgery improved their functional ability. 17 children under the age of 16 years with spastic hemiplegia underwent reconstruction that included tendon transfers, tendon lengthenings and thumb metacarpophalangeal fusion. They were assessed pre-operatively and at an average follow-up period of 2.6 years. Children's abilities were classified according to House's functional rating scale. Tendon transfers improved functional grading by two grades, from good passive assist to fair active assist. Improvement in the arc of wrist motion and forearm rotation was also seen. Parental satisfaction was high. Reconstructive surgery improved the functional abilities in this group of children with spastic hemiplegia.
Equilibrium in competitive insurance markets with ex ante adverse selection and ex post moral hazard

Abstract Existence of pure strategy equilibria is studied in health insurance markets that exhibit both ex ante adverse selection of the Rothschild–Stiglitz–Wilson type, and ex post hidden information moral hazard. It is found that ex post moral hazard has two offsetting effects on the existence of equilibrium, and that in general it is difficult to say whether an equilibrium is more or less likely to exist. Numerical simulations, and an analytical example, confirm that moral hazard may increase the likelihood of equilibrium. These results are interpreted as evidence that Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) markets could be less likely to exhibit stable equilibria than are fee-for-service insurance markets.
Expanding Your Coverage of Neuroscience: An Interview with Michael Gazzaniga.

Erin Rasmussen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Idaho State University where she teaches learning, behavioral pharmacology, senior seminar, and introductory psychology. She received her MS and PhD in experimental psychology (with a minor in behavioral pharmacology and toxicology) from Auburn University. She taught at the College of Charleston for 3 years before joining the faculty at Idaho State. Her past research involved examination of how prenatal exposure to heavy metals affects the behavior of offspring and the role of environmental enrichment in attenuating those effects. Currently, she is examining how prenatal food restriction affects food choices that lead to obesity. Michael Gazzaniga, the David T. McLaughlin Distinguished University Professor at Dartmouth College, is a pioneer in the field of cognitive neuroscience. He received his PhD from California Institute of Technology in psychobiology, where he conducted his famous work with Roger Sperry on the split-brain phe...
Effects of technology-based support for explanation construction on learners' discourse during design-based learning in science

We examine the effects of a software-based approach to scaffolding explanation construction on learners' discussion in a design-based learning environment. The approach consists of having learners collaboratively work around a software-based explanation-construction tool in the context of addressing their design needs during design investigations. We conducted a study where three sets of participants completed a one-week hovercraft unit with the same teacher. We have analyzed the data collected from two sets of participants where one set was facilitated by only the teacher in their explanation efforts and the other set was facilitated by both the teacher and our software called SHADE. Results indicate that participants who used the software engaged in higher quality explanatory discourse by the end of the unit. This research supports the usefulness of a contextualized explanation-construction tool in promoting explanatory discourse.
On the real-time control of flexible manufacturing systems

Additional results in the analysis of scheduling flexible manufacturing systems using the model proposed by J.R. Perkins and P.R. Kumar (IEEE Trans. on Autom. Control, vol.34, no.2, p.139-48, Feb. 1989) are presented. The concept of idling is used to derive a new lower bound on the performance of any bounded single machine scheduling policy. A discrete-time linear system is used to compute the backlog trajectories for a class of clearing policies. An example of unbounded backlog in a network is presented, using a clear-a-fraction policy. >
The Division of Household Labor Suggestions for Future Empirical Consideration and Theoretical Development

Although the question of division of household labor between wives and their husbands has been of interest to social scientists for quite some time, in general we do not know much beyond how much time each spends in such activity. While lack of detail and datedness hamper studies based on most large scale data sets, it is possible to glean some initial impressions from the existing work. Those data suggest that there are important qualitative differences between the work that men and women do within the household. This article reviews those findings and presents a gender stratification theoretical framework that appears promising for the examination of the qualitative differences in household and child care division of labor. Three general hypotheses focusing on the concept of the wife's “net economic power” are derived from this framework. Furthermore, the differential impacts of the earnings ratio between husband and wife, stability of that ratio, and presence of surplus income on household division of ...
p21(Cip1) and p27(Kip1) regulate cell cycle reentry after hypoxic stress but are not necessary for hypoxia-induced arrest.

We investigated the role of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 in cell cycle regulation during hypoxia and reoxygenation. While moderate hypoxia (1 or 0.1% oxygen) does not significantly impair bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, at very low oxygen tensions (0.01% oxygen) DNA replication is rapidly shut down in immortalized mouse embryo fibroblasts. This S-phase arrest is intact in fibroblasts lacking the cyclin kinase inhibitors p21Cip1 and p27Kip1, indicating that these molecules are not essential elements of the arrest pathway. Hypoxia-induced arrest is accompanied by dephosphorylation of pRb and inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 2, which results in part from inhibitory phosphorylation. Interestingly, cells lacking the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein also display arrest under hypoxia, suggesting that pRb is not an essential mediator of this response. Upon reoxygenation, DNA synthesis resumes by 3.5 h and reaches aerobic levels by 6 h. Cells lacking p21, however, resume DNA synthesis more rapidly upon reoxygenation than wild-type cells, suggesting that this inhibitor may play a role in preventing premature reentry into the cell cycle upon cessation of the hypoxic stress. While p27 null cells did not exhibit rapid reentry into the cell cycle, cells lacking both p21 and p27 entered S phase even more aggressively than those lacking p21 alone, revealing a possible secondary role for p27 in this response. Cdk2 activity is also restored more rapidly in the double-knockout cells when returned to normoxia. These studies reveal that restoration of DNA synthesis after hypoxic stress, but not the S phase arrest itself, is regulated by p21 and p27.
Sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus infection: Cause, effect, or both?☆

The infectiousness of the index case and the susceptibility of the exposed host mediate the sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Infectiousness of the index case is determined by the inoculum of HIV and viral factors that favor transmission. Persons with primary infection, late stage disease, or low CD4 counts appear to transmit HIV with greater efficiency, presumably through increased viral burden in genital secretions. Susceptibility to HIV infection is determined by hereditary resistance factors, acquired immunity, site of exposure to the virus, and integrity of local barriers (e.g., vaginal epithelium). Hereditary resistance factors, such as cell surface receptors required for transmission of some viral variants, have been identified in studies of exposed, but uninfected persons. Acquired immunity, including protective cytotoxic T lymphocyte or antibody responses, may be important in persons repeatedly exposed to HIV who do not become infected. Sexual practices also affect susceptibility, with receptive anal intercourse having the highest risk, followed by vaginal intercourse and fellatio. Similarly, women are more susceptible to infection than men, through vaginal intercourse. In general, any factor affecting excretion of HIV or the number of receptive cells can be expected to affect the efficiency of transmission.
Efficient Tagging of Remote Peers during Child Pornography Investigations

Measurements of the Internet for law enforcement purposes must be forensically valid. We examine the problems inherent in using various network- and application-level identifiers in the context of forensic measurement, as exemplified in the policing of peer-to-peer file sharing networks for sexually exploitative imagery of children. First, we present a one-year measurement performed in the law enforcement context. Our proposed tagging method offers remote machines application- or system-level data that is valid, but which covertly has meaning to investigators. This tagging allows investigators to link network observations with physical evidence in a legal, forensically strong, and valid manner. We present a detailed model and analysis of our method, show how tagging can be used in several specific applications, discuss the general applicability of our method, and detail why the tags are strong evidence of criminal intent and participation in a crime. We then describe the tagging mechanisms that have we implemented using the eMule file sharing client.
Determining all pairs edge connectivity of a 4-regular graph in O(|V|)

Summary form only given. The edge connectivity of a graph G = (V, E) is defined as the function, /spl lambda/: V /spl times/ V /spl rarr/ N, that associates to any pair of vertices (u, v) the maximum number of edge-disjoint paths connecting the two vertices, /spl lambda/(u, v). In this paper, we present a method for determining the function /spl lambda/(u,v) for all vertex pairs in a 4-regular graph which achieves O(|V|) running time (with a small constant factor) and O(|V|) space complexity. We show with our method that determination and traversal of an Eulerian tour of each component of the 4-regular graph along with appropriate bookkeeping is enough for determining /spl lambda/(u, v) for all pairs (u,v).
Cross-Lingual Information Retrieval System for Indian Languages

This paper describes our attempt to build a Cross-Lingual Information Retrieval (CLIR) system as a part of the Indian language sub-task of the main Adhoc monolingual and bilingual track in CLEF competition. In this track, the task required retrieval of relevant documents from an English corpus in response to a query expressed in different Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi. Groups participating in this track were required to submit a English to English monolingual run and a Hindi to English bilingual run with optional runs in rest of the languages. Our submission consisted of a monolingual English run and a Hindi to English cross-lingual run. We used a word alignment table that was learnt by a Statistical Machine Translation (SMT) system trained on aligned parallel sentences, to map a query in the source language into an equivalent query in the language of the document collection. The relevant documents are then retrieved using a Language Modeling based retrieval algorithm. On the CLEF 2007 data set, our official cross-lingual performance was 54.4% of the monolingual performance and in the post submission experiments we found that it can be significantly improved up to 76.3%.
Large blue isocurvature spectral index signals time-dependent mass

We show that if a spectator linear isocurvature dark matter field degree of freedom has a constant mass through its entire evolution history, the maximum measurable isocurvature spectral index that is consistent with the current tensor-to-scalar ratio bound is about 2.4, even if experiments can be sensitive to a $10^{-6}$ contamination of the predominantly adiabatic power spectrum with an isocurvature power spectrum at the shortest observable length scales. Hence, any foreseeable future measurement of a blue isocurvature spectral index larger than about 2.4 may provide nontrivial evidence for dynamical degrees of freedom with time-dependent masses during inflation. The bound is not sensitive to the details of the reheating scenario and can be made mildly smaller if the tensor-to-scalar ratio is better constrained in the future.
Revolutions in Science, Occasional or Permanent?

There are three views in the literature on science concerning the nature of scientific revolutions, and a few variants and combinations of them. The most important view is the radicalist view which was expressed by Sir Francis Bacon very forcefully, which was traditional since the foundation of the Royal Society and until the Einsteinian revolution in physics, and which is still believed by many philosophers and historians of science, as well as by many scientists, natural and social. It claims that science is born out of a revolution against prejudice and superstitiion but that within science itself every part is so securely founded that it cannot be shaken. The most important alternative to Bacon’s view is Pierre Duhem’s theory of continuity; it was born out of the crisis in physics, and it is becoming increasingly popular amongst the sophisticated. It claims that every achievement of science is capable of modification, but not of overthrow. For instance, we may believe in determinism and then overthrow it, thereby exhibiting its unscientific (metaphysical) character; but we may only modify, not overthrow, Maxwell’s theory — say, by viewing its equations not as precise to the last point but as mere averages. The third view was developed by Sir Karl Popper after the Einsteinian revolution and under its impact; though Einstein and a few others have accepted it, at least in part, those who have heard of it usually consider it rather eccentric. It claims that unless a theory can be overthrown by empirical evidence it is unscientific, and vice versa. For example, determinism cannot be overthrown, but a scientific theory which may be deterministic or indeterministic such as Newton’s theory and Heisenberg’s theory respectively, can be overthrown. Bacon’s theory is of one revolution, Duhem’s theory is of no revolution but merely reforms, and Popper’s theory is of revolution in permanence.
The War on Terrorism and the Extraterritorial Application of the Constitution in Immigration Law

For quite some time, the prevailing judicial view has been that it is constitutional for the government to indefinitely (even permanently) detain within the United States aliens who have been stopped at our borders. The justification for these decisions is that even though these aliens are located within the United States they are deemed, under a doctrine known as the "entry fiction," to be outside the territory of the U.S., and thus beyond the reach of the Constitution. Recently, however, courts have struggled with issues involving the definition and scope of the entry fiction. Courts have faced similar issues involving the extraterritorial application of the Constitution in cases involving the current Guantanamo "enemy combatant" detainees. In this Article, Professor Slocum argues that a recognition by the Supreme Court that the current Guantanamo detainees possess at least some constitutional rights should compel courts to conclude that aliens stopped at our borders and detained within the United States also possess constitutional rights, including the right to be free from indefinite detention. Even if the Court declines to recognize that the Guantanamo detainees possess constitutional rights, lower courts should continue to reevaluate the definition and scope of the outdated and unnecessarily harsh entry fiction.
Understanding the Business Case for Telemental Health in Rural Communities

Telemental health has been promoted to address long-standing access barriers to rural mental health care, including low supply and long travel distances. Examples of rural telemental health programs are common; there is a less clear picture of how widely implemented these programs are, their organization, staffing, and services. There is also a need to understand the business case for these programs and assess whether and how they might realize their promise. To address these gaps, a national study was conducted of rural telemental health programs including an online survey of 53 programs and follow-up interviews with 23 programs. This article describes the current landscape and characteristics of these programs and then examines their business case. Can rural telemental health programs be sustained within current delivery systems and reimbursement structures? This question is explored in four areas: need and demand, infrastructure and workforce, funding and reimbursement, and organizational fit and alignment.
Early psychological intervention: a word of caution.

The second Gulf War and liberation of Iraq have spawned new fears of domestic terrorism. There have been numerous calls for the integration of disaster mental health services into extant public health and national defense policies (Holloway, Norwood, Fullerton, Engel & Ursano, 1997; DiGiovanni, 1999; Susser, Herman, & Aaron, 2002, August). While most agree that such a strategy is warranted, questions abound as to how the tactical components should be implemented. Furthermore, concern has been raised regarding the importance of "doing no harm" (NIMH, 2002), i.e., the risk of iatrogenic harm. This article, while acknowledging the potential value of early psychological intervention, acknowledges the potential risks associated with the form of emergency mental health intervention, often referred to as crisis intervention. The article also provides suggestions for reducing the risks for iatrogenic harm associated with crisis intervention. Language: en
Statistical Evaluation of Shoreline Change: A Case Study from Seabrook Island, SC

Seabrook Island is a barrier island located approximately 28 km south of Charleston, South Carolina. As a residential and resort area, Seabrook Island is important to the economic health of the Charleston, SC, region. Portions of Seabrook Island are impacted by accelerated erosion, which has been combated with engineered stabilization methods, inlet relocation, and beach nourishment. Despite stabilization attempts, localized shoreline erosion is continuing, leading to potential economic and ecological loss. We used the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) to determine long- and short-term erosion rates on the island, focusing on natural and anthropogenic changes to the beach. Our results assessed beach change by comparing historical aerial photographs and satellite imagery. The use of digital imagery allows for rapid assessment of the shoreline to highlight areas experiencing shoreline change, to monitor the impacts of structural controls, and to focus site-specific field investigations. Our results show that since 1939, Seabrook has experienced erosion up to 52.4 m/yr at the northern end of the island near Captain Sams Inlet that is likely related to relocations of the inlet, accretion of up to 9.0 m/yr on Seabrook Beach due to nourishment of the beach, and relatively stable conditions near the southern end of the island as a result of structural control and nourishments. This method of analysis is useful to support urban planning consistent with preservation of natural resources; and thus may be suitable for application and testing elsewhere.
The Wealth of Nature Is the Wealth of Nations: Ecosystem Services and Their Value to Society

Everyone is aware of nature. It is all around us. Nature is the weather, sunshine, winds, rain, flowing rivers, and the tides on the coast. It is also the living world, including forests, grasslands, wetlands, and farm fields. There is also much that we don’t see, from microscopic organisms such as protozoans, bacteria, and fungi to the many chemical reactions that take place in nature. If we live in the country, we may experience much of nature very directly. Even in the middle of cities, there are parks, trees along streets, weeds in the cracks in sidewalks, and for many the green spaces around homes. But for most people, especially in a developed country like the U.S., nature is out there. It is something we enjoy, or not, as our mood dictates. Unless we work in one of the occupations where people interact intimately with nature, such as farming, forestry, field biology (the authors of this book), or fishing (Alice Monro’s drowned fisherman), our contact with nature is casual and somewhat intermittent. For most people living in cities, jobs have little directly to do with nature. This is important since the majority of the world’s people now live in cities and reaching more than 80 % for the U.S. Weather is a factor in our lives, but it is generally externalized as a potential source of pleasure or inconvenience, not the matter of economic survival that it is for a farmer. Nature is something we can choose to experience or not, often with—at best—a vague realization that others working in primary economic production such as farming, fishing, logging, and mining are dependent on nature for their direct economic well-being, which in turn assures access for office workers, doctors, teachers and carpenters to the essential products of these activities.
Mystery and Secrecy in the Egyptian Desert: Esotericism and Evagrius of Pontus

Evagrius of Pontus often said less than he knew. Evagrius may have written more about the ascetic life than any monk of the Egyptian desert before 400 C.E., This chapter emphasizes the gnostic's duty to teach about the essentials of "virtues, doctrines, and faith," but one may keep silent because of the inappropriate condition either of the teacher, who may be preoccupied with other matters and unable to concentrate, or of the student, whose question may be too advanced for his level of progress, or of others present, who may misunderstand what the teacher says because they lack the suitable competence. The interest in the limits of human knowledge takes us beyond good pedagogy as the background to Evagrius's esotericism and invites us to consider how his esotericism reflects views about how and what human beings can know about God and higher realities. Keywords:Egyptian desert; Esotericism; Evagrius; Pontus
Advances in Bayesian Modeling in Educational Research

In this article, I provide a conceptually oriented overview of Bayesian approaches to statistical inference and contrast them with frequentist approaches that currently dominate conventional practice in educational research. The features and advantages of Bayesian approaches are illustrated with examples spanning several statistical modeling traditions and contexts in educational research.
MODELING THE MICROWAVE IMPEDANCE OF HIGH-TC LONG JOSEPHSON JUNCTIONS

A circuit model is presented for Josephson junctions (JJs) that solves the nonlinear long-junction equation, driven by a nonuniform current distribution. This extended resistively shunted junction (ERSJ) model consists of a parallel array of ideal resistively shunted JJs coupled by inductors. The junction array is connected to an array of current sources that simulate the time- and space-dependent current distribution in a stripline. The rf-current dependent complex impedance of a long JJ calculated using this model agrees with measured data on a YBCO grain-boundary JJ and provides an explanation of the measured steps in the resistance resulting from the creation, annihilation, and motion of Josephson vortices under the influence of rf currents. This model contributes to a better understanding of the power-handling characteristics of high-Tc microwave devices, in which the power losses are believed to result from JJ effects associated with imperfections in the films. The model also predicts second-harmonic generation with a highly nonlinear and nonmonotonic power dependence. Details of the dynamics of Josephson vortices are presented and discussed.
Assessing Hedonic Bias in Emotional Scene Memory

Abstract. Across studies, memory for emotional events has shown a positivity bias, a negativity bias, and/or an arousal bias, and different types of memory biases have been reported in patients diagnosed with anxiety and mood disorders. Here, we investigated hedonic bias in memory for emotionally evocative scenes in a large sample (n = 625) of healthy young adults, in order to provide normative data on effects of pleasure, arousal, and content on immediate free recall that could facilitate future clinical investigations. Participants first viewed and rated a set of 60 pictures, followed by an unexpected memory test. Across participants, memory data was obtained for 360 different pictures, which served as the unit of analysis. There was neither a systematic positivity nor negativity bias in free recall of emotionally arousing scenes. Rather, memory was enhanced for scenes rated as highly arousing, whether pleasant or unpleasant, with those depicting romantic/sexual love and death/violence remembered equall...
Delimiting Coalescence Genes (C-Genes) in Phylogenomic Data Sets.

Summary coalescence methods have emerged as a popular alternative for inferring species trees with large genomic datasets, because these methods explicitly account for incomplete lineage sorting. However, statistical consistency of summary coalescence methods is not guaranteed unless several model assumptions are true, including the critical assumption that recombination occurs freely among but not within coalescence genes (c-genes), which are the fundamental units of analysis for these methods. Each c-gene has a single branching history, and large sets of these independent gene histories should be the input for genome-scale coalescence estimates of phylogeny. By contrast, numerous studies have reported the results of coalescence analyses in which complete protein-coding sequences are treated as c-genes even though exons for these loci can span more than a megabase of DNA. Empirical estimates of recombination breakpoints suggest that c-genes may be much shorter, especially when large clades with many species are the focus of analysis. Although this idea has been challenged recently in the literature, the inverse relationship between c-gene size and increased taxon sampling in a dataset—the ‘recombination ratchet’—is a fundamental property of c-genes. For taxonomic groups characterized by genes with long intron sequences, complete protein-coding sequences are likely not valid c-genes and are inappropriate units of analysis for summary coalescence methods unless they occur in recombination deserts that are devoid of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). Finally, it has been argued that coalescence methods are robust when the no-recombination within loci assumption is violated, but recombination must matter at some scale because ILS, a by-product of recombination, is the raison d’etre for coalescence methods. That is, extensive recombination is required to yield the large number of independently segregating c-genes used to infer a species tree. If coalescent methods are powerful enough to infer the correct species tree for difficult phylogenetic problems in the anomaly zone, where concatenation is expected to fail because of ILS, then there should be a decreasing probability of inferring the correct species tree using longer loci with many intralocus recombination breakpoints (i.e., increased levels of concatenation).
Lorentz Covariance and the Canonical Quantization of Non-Abelian Gauge Theories

One means of establishing the equivalence of the canonical and covariant quantization schemes for the massless, spin-1 non-Abelian gauge field is to demonstrate that these formalisms yield identical $S$-matrix elements. In this paper it is explicitly demonstrated that to second order in the coupling constant the canonical formalism yields a Lorentz-covariant $S$-matrix element for the Compton scattering of a nucleon and a quantum of this gauge field. The need to modify the canonical formalism in order to obtain a consistent description of higher-order processes is then briefly discussed.
Engraftment of bone marrow-derived epithelial cells.

The long-held concept that transplanted bone marrow (BM)-derived cells contribute only to cells of the hematopoietic system was challenged by data from our laboratory showing that a single male BM-derived cell could not only reconstitute the hematopoietic system of an irradiated female recipient, but could also lead to the generation of mature BM-derived epithelial cells in the liver, lung, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. Careful costaining and single-cell analyses have been used to rule out false positive cells due to inadequate detection techniques in microscopy or cell overlay. Since this initial discovery, we have sought to understand the mechanisms underlying the formation of BM-derived epithelial cells, and to evaluate their therapeutic use for gene therapy and/or tissue regeneration. Several reports have shown that donor BM-derived cells, possibly macrophages, can fuse with existing host epithelial cells to form heterokaryons that express both donor and tissue-specific markers. While this is certainly true for murine tyrosinemia models, we have used a Cre-lox system to demonstrate that fusion is not a requirement for the generation of BM-derived epithelial cells and is likely not responsible for the BM-derived epithelial cells generated after standard BM transplantation. In a proof of principal experiment for potential gene therapy applications, we have shown that autologous BM-derived cells transfected with a transgene prior to BM transplantation are able to develop into mature type-II pneumocytes that express the trans-gene. We also discuss future research directions in the field and the therapeutic potential of BM-derived epithelia, including ongoing work to test whether combined cell and gene therapy can be used therapeutically in preclinical mouse models of human disease.
CMR myocardial tissue characterization in a mouse model of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity

Background Cardiotoxicity is a major limiting factor preventing dose-effective use of multiple cytotoxic agents in cancer treatment. Current cardiotoxicity diagnosis is based on functional changes that occur late in the course of the disease. In this pre-clinical pilot study, we hypothesize myocardial T1 and T2 mapping will identify mice at risk of death secondary to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity prior to cardiac function deterioration. Methods Eleven healthy, 10-week-old C57BL/6 female mice were included in the study. All procedures are in accordance with an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approved protocol. Doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity was generated by giving 8 mg/kg of doxorubicin via intraperitoneal (IP) injection weekly for 4 weeks in n = 8 randomly selected mice. A control group of n = 3 mice was given a weekly volume equivalent dose of IP normal saline. Each mouse underwent ECG-gated CMR on a 7T small animal scanner (ClinScan, Bruker, Billerica, MA) prior to treatment, at 2 weeks, and post-treatment. Steady-state free precession images were acquired at the left ventricular base, mid-ventricle, and apex and ejection fraction (EF) was calculated (Figure 1). Gadopentetate Dimeglumine contrast was injected via the tail vein at a dose of 1 mL/kg. Myocardial T1 and T2 maps were generated using dedicated offline software to calculate the pixel-wise relaxation
NOTCH and the patterning of ommatidial founder cells in the developing Drosophila eye

Each Drosophila compound eye is composed of hundreds of similar ommatidia, or unit eyes. Ommatidial differentiation begins at the posterior margin of the eye imaginal disc and extends more anteriorly as a “morphogenetic furrow” sweeps across the eye disc. Anterior to the position reached by the morphogenetic furrow, cells are proliferative and undifferentiated. Posterior to the morphogenetic furrow, ommatidia differentiate in dorso-ventral columns (Fig. 1; Wolff and Ready 1993).
Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging provide complementary composition and structural information compared to other process analytical technologies (PATs). Magnetic resonance-based systems provide noninvasive and nondestructive information on composition, structure, texture, and rheology at a speed compatible with use as an in-line process control sensor. Recent advances in magnet technology and electronics have made return on investment much more favorable, increased the applicability of the technology, and enabled incorporation into a production environment practical. Fundamentals of the technology and equipment are presented along with recent applications to food production.
Decision Analysis in Management: Methods and Models

Decision analysis refers to the various operational methods used by management for the efficient running of an enterprise. Very broadly viewed it may involve considerations of long range corporate planning and the suitability of alternative organization structures; very narrowly it may specify a linear programming model to determine an optimal output-mix which maximizes company profits. From a practical standpoint the decision analysis in management science and operations research deal with three broad groups of methods or models: A. Optimization models usually under constraints e.g. linear programming (LP) model. B. Stochastic systems usually with no explicit optimizing objective e.g., queing models. C. Stochastic optimization in a dynamic system e.g., production-inventory control problem over time.
Cancer diagnoses among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults: results from the 2013-2016 National Health Interview Survey.

The objective of this study was to compare cancer diagnoses by age, gender, and sexual orientation. This study used data on 129,431 heterosexual adults and 3,357 lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults in the 2013–2016 National Health Interview Survey. Logistic regression models compared the prevalence of cancer diagnoses by sexual orientation while controlling for demographics, socioeconomic status, and health profiles. Then, using coefficients from fully adjusted models, we estimated average marginal effects to compare the probability of a cancer diagnosis by sexual orientation across five age categories. After controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, gay men (odds ratio [OR] 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10–2.18) were more likely to have been diagnosed with cancer compared to heterosexual men, and bisexual women (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.16–2.48) were more likely to have been diagnosed with cancer compared to heterosexual women. Gay men aged 65 years and older were 6.0% points (p < 0.05) more likely to be diagnosed with cancer compared to heterosexual men of the same age. Bisexual women aged 65 years and older were 7.6% points (p < 0.05) more likely to be diagnosed with cancer compared to women of the same age. Some sexual minorities may be at greater risk for cancer (or having a personal history of cancer) compared to heterosexuals. More research on cancer detection, treatment, and survivorship in sexual minorities is critically needed. Health care providers and public health practitioners should be aware of the unique health care needs in LGB adults, including their elevated cancer risks.
Mean Flow and Turbulence of a Heated Supersonic Jet with Temperature Nonuniformity

An experimental investigation of the mean flow and turbulence characteristics of two Mach 1.5 heated jets (one with a uniform temperature profile and another with an offset nonuniform temperature p...