cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LOS DETERMINANTES AMBIENTALES Y SU INCLUSIÓN EN EL ORDENAMIENTO DE MUNICIPIOS COSTEROS EN COLOMBIA (The Environmental Determinants and Their Inclusion in the Territorial Ordination of the Coastal Municipalities in Columbia)

Spanish Abstract: Este articulo deriva del proyecto de investigacion "Analisis legal de las costas Colombianas" desarrollado por la linea de investigacion marino costera y Portuaria de la Escuela de Derecho de la Universidad Sergio Arboleda, seccional Santa Marta (Colombia). Tal proyecto tenia dentro de sus objetivos investigar las causas legales de problemas de uso del suelo en areas costeras y uno de sus hallazgos indico que una de las causas es la baja inclusion de los determinantes ambientales en los instrumentos de planificacion de los municipios costeros, lo cual afecta la aplicacion de las estrategias de politicas basadas en la gestion integrada de las costas. En este marco tematico, el documento muestra los principales instrumentos de politica de los determinantes ambientales en Colombia, sus objetivos y alcance en relacion con las zonas costeras, y proporciona observaciones sobre su contexto regulatorio. // English Abstract: This paper is part of the research project "Legal analysis of the Colombian Coasts" developed by the line of Research coastal, marine and port, of the Law school, Universidad Sergio Arboleda (Colombia). This project had within its objectives establish the legal causes of problems of land use in coastal zones. The principal conclusion pointed out that one of cause is the low inclusion of coastal environmental determinants in the municipal planifications instruments, and this factor affect the implementation of the strategies of policies based in the integrated coastal management. In this thematic frame, the paper shows the principal instruments of policy of the environmental determinants in Colombia, its objectives and scope relative to the coastal zones, and provides observations on its regulatory context.
Reactions to Nepotism in the Hiring Process: The Role of Family Member Qualifications

This study examined whether applicant qualifications influences the reactions of others to the practice of nepotism. Business students reviewed materials describing three job applicants and then completed a questionnaire assessing their reactions to the hiring process. Results showed that, regardless of how qualified the hired applicant was, those who observed nepotism expected to have lower job satisfaction, organizational commitment and motivation than those who did not, and that the nepotism applicant was perceived as being less competent and likeable than the non-nepotism applicant. Additionally, results showed that perceptions of fairness mediate the relationship between hiring method and reactions of nonbeneficiaries.
Short interval pregnancy is associated with pathology severity in placenta accreta spectrum (PAS).

Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is a continuum of invasive pathologies associated with significant maternal morbidity and mortality. Pregnancies with short intervals present additional complication...
Simple Sampler Activation and Recording System

A simple sampler activating device that resulted in automated sample procurement and simultaneous hydrograph time-stage notation was developed as part of a project to assess the impact of rural nonpoint sources on an average basis. The total instrumentation for continuous gaging and automated smapling was battery operated because sampling sites were in rural areas.
Impact of Pharmacotherapy on Interstage Mortality and Weight Gain in Children with Single Ventricle

Objective. Infants with single ventricle physiology have a high mortality and poor somatic growth during the interstage period. We retrospectively assessed the impact of pharmacotherapy in this population using a multicenter database. Design and Results. Records for 395 patients (63.5% boys) with single ventricle were obtained from the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative registry. Median of five medications were prescribed per patient at discharge after stage 1 palliation (interquartile range 3 to 6); the most common medications being aspirin (95.7%), diuretics (90.4%), angiotensin convertase enzyme inhibitors (37.7%), proton pump inhibitors (33.4%), H2 receptor blockers (30.6%), and digoxin (27.6%). Interstage mortality was 9.4%. Digoxin use was associated with lower risk of death (P =.03) on univariable analysis, however no single medication was an independent predictor on regression analysis. Change in weight-for-age z-score was studied as outcome of somatic growth with 36.3% patients showing a decrease during the interstage period. Total number of medications prescribed to a patient showed a negative correlation with the interstage change in z-score (r = −0.19, P =.002). On univariable comparisons, use of metoclopramide and lansoprazole were associated with decreased z-score (P =.004 and.041, respectively) although linear regression failed to identify any agent as independent predictor. Conclusions. Children with single ventricle have high mortality and a profound medication burden. No individual medication is independently associated with better survival or weight gain during interstage period. Despite widespread use, proton pump inhibitors and prokinetic agents are not associated with better outcomes and may be associated with poor growth.
Capacity and signal design for L-out-of-K CDMA Gaussian channels

We consider the symbol-synchronous Gaussian L-out-of-K CDMA channel, and obtain the capacity region and an upper and a lower bound to the symmetric capacity. The capacity region is found to be the same with or without frame synchronism. The lower bound depends on the signature waveforms through the eigenvalues of the product of the crosscorrelation matrix and the diagonal power matrix. We find a sufficient condition for the signature waveform set to maximize this lower bound. We also compare the performance of CDMA with that of FDMA.
Rapid genotyping assays for the identification and differentiation of Yersinia ruckeri biotype 2 strains

Aims: To establish PCR-based assays for the rapid identification and differentiation of each of four known biotype 2 (BT2) phenotype-causing alleles in Yersinia ruckeri strains currently circulating in Europe and the United States. Methods and Results: Novel assays were developed relying on detection of mutant allele-specific changes in restriction enzyme cleavage sites within targeted PCR products. The developed assays were validated against isolates previously genotyped by DNA sequencing. Conclusions: The described methods were specific, rapid and simple to perform and interpret. Significance and Impact of the Study: The developed genotyping assays provide a valuable tool for identification and differentiation of specific BT2 strains of Y. ruckeri. These assays will be critical for the design and validation of new vaccines or other measures meant to control BT2 strains.
DSM-IV to DSM-5: The impact of proposed revisions on diagnosis of alcohol use disorders

Aims To determine the prevalence of past 12‐month DSM‐5 alcohol use disorders (AUDs), to quantify and characterize individuals who remain stably unaffected or affected and those who 'switch' diagnostically between DSM‐IV and DSM‐5 classifications. Design Data from the nationally representative wave 2 of the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) collected in 2004-05. Setting General population survey. Participants All surveyed participants (n = 34 653, aged 21 years and older) and 29 993 individuals reporting life‐time alcohol use across both waves of NESARC. Measurements DSM‐IV and DSM‐5 criteria were coded using proposed guidelines. Findings The prevalence of DSM‐5 AUDs was 10.8% with the corresponding prevalence of DSM‐IV abuse/dependence being 9.7%, implying a modest 11.3% increase. Those who switched diagnostically from affected to unaffected (19.6% of DSM‐IV affected) were most likely to have endorsed hazardous use, due particularly to drinking and driving, while those who transitioned from unaffected to affected (3.3% of DSM‐IV unaffected) were primarily DSM‐IV diagnostic orphans reporting larger/longer and quit/cut‐back. Dropping the legal criterion did not affect the prevalence significantly, while the addition of craving also had a relatively modest impact on prevalence. Conclusion The proposed DSM‐5 revisions eliminate successfully individuals diagnosed previously with DSM‐IV alcohol abuse due primarily to hazardous use alone and incorporate diagnostic orphans into the diagnostic realm. Definitions of craving and importantly, hazardous use require considerable attention as it is likely that they will contribute to variations in reports of increased prevalence of alcohol use disorders between DSM‐IV to DSM‐5.
Differentiation and transdifferentiation of the retinal pigment epithelium.

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) lies between the retina and the choroid of the eye and plays a vital role in ocular metabolism. The RPE develops from the same sheet of neuroepithelium as the retina and the two derivatives become distinguished by different expression patterns of a number of transcription factors during embryonic development. As the RPE layer differentiates it expresses a set of unique molecules, many of which are restricted to certain regions of the cell. RPE cells undergo both a loss of polarity and a loss of expression of many of these cell type-specific molecules when placed in monolayer culture. The RPE of many species, including mammals, can be induced to transdifferentiate by growth factors such as basic fibroblast growth factor. Under the influence of such factors the RPE is triggered to alter expression of a wide array of molecules and to take on a retinal epithelium fate, from which differentiated retinal cell types including rod photoreceptors can be produced.
Gamma Ray Bursts and CETI

Gamma ray burst sources are isotropically distributed. They could be located at distances $\sim 1000$ AU. (Katz \cite{JK92}) GRB signals have many narrow peaks that are unresolved at the millisecond time resolution of existing observations. \cite{JK87} CETI could use stars as gravitational lenses for interstellar gamma ray laser beam communication. Much better time resolution of GRB signals could rule out (or confirm?) the speculative hypothesis that GRB = CETI.
Event-based fuzzy logic control system

The integration of event-based control with fuzzy logic to build real-time autonomous controller is discussed. In the hard real-time applications, event-based control is used to meet time requirements, whereas a flexible control scheme can be accomplished by fuzzy logic. This hierarchical control scheme is applied to a Martian Oxygen Production Plant to demonstrate its performance. >
Detection and Modeling of High-Dimensional Thresholds for Fault Detection and Diagnosis

Many Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) systems use discrete models for detection and reasoning. To obtain categorical values like oil pressure too high, analog sensor values need to be discretized using a suitablethreshold. Time series of analog and discrete sensor readings are processed and discretized as they come in. This task isusually performed by the wrapper code'' of the FDD system, together with signal preprocessing and filtering. In practice,selecting the right threshold is very difficult, because it heavily influences the quality of diagnosis. If a threshold causesthe alarm trigger even in nominal situations, false alarms will be the consequence. On the other hand, if threshold settingdoes not trigger in case of an off-nominal condition, important alarms might be missed, potentially causing hazardoussituations. In this paper, we will in detail describe the underlying statistical modeling techniques and algorithm as well as the Bayesian method for selecting the most likely shape and its parameters. Our approach will be illustrated by several examples from the Aerospace domain.
Magic-wavelength optical traps for Rydberg atoms

We propose blue-detuned optical traps that are suitable for trapping of both ground-state and Rydberg excited atoms. The addition of a background compensation field or a suitable choice of the trap geometry provides a magic trapping condition for ground-state and Rydberg atoms at the trap center. Deviations from the magic condition at finite temperature are calculated. Designs that achieve less than 200-kHz differential trap shift between Cs ground states and $125s$ Rydberg states for 10 $\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{K}$ Cs atoms are presented. Consideration of the trapping potential and photoionization rates suggests that these traps will be useful for quantum-information experiments with atomic qubits.
Relative importance of the antioxidant and anesthetic properties of propylene phenoxetol in its action as a “preservative” for living holothurians

Abstract The local name “sea pudding” for the Bermudan holothurian, Stichopus badionotus , might stem from a certain resemblance to a black pudding but it also now appropriately suggests the softening and degeneration of the body wall that occurs in response to local trauma. In mock cloacal dissections, an antioxidant, propylene phenoxetol, provided effective protection against local degeneration. This observation led to a series of experiments, with standardized local trauma, in which local degeneration of the body wall was retarded by the following antioxidants: ethyl gallate, propylene phenoxetol, propyl gallate, and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). Of eight local anesthetics tested, only ethyl ether retarded local degeneration. Nevertheless, it may be thought that the mechanism of local degeneration is susceptible both to antioxidants and to local anesthetics.
Inguinofemoral anatomy aspects significant for inguinal herniorrhaphy

Abstract Aspects of inguinofemoral anatomy are briefly reviewed. Relevant anatomical studies are described and attention called to details of fascial-aponeurotic function in that region. Their surgical application in the technic of inguinal herniorrhaphy is suggested. The anatomical studies from which the accompanying photographic figures are taken were made through the facilities graciously provided by Professor Karl Mason, of the Department of Anatomy, at the Rochester University School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Milton I. Schwalbe, urologist at the Veterans Administration Facility at Batavia, generously prepared and made the photographic reproduction of the dissections.
Immobilized thymine chromatography–mass spectrometry of oligonucleotides

Abstract New rapid, sensitive and specific methods are needed to determine the purity of synthetic oligonucleotides and their analogs, such as antisense and antigene oligonucleotide drugs. Synthetic oligonucleotides are typically separated using HPLC with UV absorbance detection at 260 nm. However, positive identification of oligonucleotides requires more specific detection, such as that offered by electrospray mass spectrometry. Size-exclusion, ion-exchange and reversed-phase HPLC columns are usually used for the analysis and purification of oligonucleotides. Among these, only reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography is suitable for LC–MS of oligonucleotides, but incomplete resolution of oligonucleotide mixtures sometimes limits this approach. Therefore, a mixed-mode stationary phase was developed for electrospray LC–MS of oligonucleotides incorporating reversed-phase, weak anion-exchange and possibly affinity properties in order to provide different selectivity than reversed-phase alone. The thymine derivative, 3-(1-thymidyl)propanoic acid, was synthesized, purified and then immobilized as a possible affinity ligand on an aminopropyl silica HPLC column using 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide, for activation. Unreacted amino groups on the column were end-capped by reaction with acetic anhydride. Next, mobile phase conditions were optimized for the separation of oligonucleotide mixtures up to 18-mers in length. The parameters investigated included gradients of temperature, pH, ionic strength, reversed-phase, normal-phase and combinations of these parameters for mixed-mode separations. Optimum column performance was achieved using gradients that utilized the potential affinity properties of the column. Finally, HPLC–electrospray mass spectrometric analyses of oligonucleotide mixtures were obtained using the immobilized thymine column and compared to reversed-phase LC–MS analyses.
A Retrospective Case Control Study of Alcohol Relapse and Spiritual Growth

In the context of an NIAAA/Fetzer Institute-funded study designed to look at the impact of spirituality in an inpatient alcohol treatment, this retrospective case control study investigated whether spiritual growth occurred during an inpatient phase of treatment for alcohol dependence, the degree to which spiritual gains (if noted) would be maintained at follow-up, and whether spiritual growth would be associated with follow-up sobriety. To accomplish this goal, thirty-six individuals who reported relapsing to alcohol at three-month follow-up were compared with thirty-six matched controls who reported abstinence at follow-up. Spiritual development and change was assessed via a set of six measures. Paired t-tests revealed that spiritual growth occurred across all measures during the treatment phase. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that this growth was maintained at three-month follow-up. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed that while non-relapsers maintained spiritual growth over the course of four weeks of treatment and in the three-month period following treatment, renewed alcohol use was associated with decreased spirituality.
Nitrogen, aldicarb, and cover crop effects on cotton yield and fiber properties

Thrips, primarily Frankliniella spp., can damage cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) seedlings. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of winter cover crops on thrips populations in cotton and to assess the yield and fiber quality response to cover crops and N fertilizer rate with and without thrips protection. A field experiment was conducted on a Bonneau loamy sand soil (loamy, siliceous, thermic, Arenic Paleudult) from 1996 through 1998. Treat))[)) ments were cover crops, N fertilizer rate, and aldicarb rate. Cover crops were rye (Secale cereale L.), crimson clover (Trifolium incamatum L.), a clover + rye mixture, and winter fallow. Nitrogen levels were 0, 78, and 112 kg N ha -1 . Aldicarb levels were 0 and 1.18 kg a.i. ha -1 . Aldicarb reduced thrips populations. For plots without aldicarb, differences among winter covers occurred at one sampling time in 1998 when fallow had more thrips than the other three winter covers. Aldicarb increased yield by 9% in 1996, 48% in 1997, and 35% in 1998. In 1997 and 1998, yield increases with aldicarb were greater in the winter cover and N treatment combinations that provided higher total N to the crop. The 0 kg N ha -1 rate tended to have lower yield, fiber length, length uniformity, fiber strength, micronaire, and Hunter's +b than the other two N rates. Aldicarb generally increased the value of these fiber properties each year. Including agronomic practices in assessing control measures may improve integrated pest management strategies for thrips in conservation tillage systems.
Designing Subnational Institutions: Regional and Municipal Reforms in Postauthoritarian Chile

This article conceptualizes decentralization as a change in the institutional rules that divide political authority and governing capacity between levels of government. By emphasizing the institutional dimension, the author argues that different approaches to the study of institutions, namely, rational and historical institutionalism, can generate analytical leverage on the contemporary trend of decentralization. In the Chilean case, rationalist perspectives illuminate the country’s continued status as one of Latin America’s most centralized polities. Comparatively weak subnational institutions directly reflect the strategic design considerations of national politicians. However, concepts central to historical institutionalism, including critical junctures and unanticipated consequences, explain how and why decentralization gained steam in the postauthoritarian period. Specifically, Chile’s shift to more decentralized institutions is the legacy of Pinochet-era reforms of subnational government, sequencing...
Practical program verification: automatic program proving for real-time embedded software

Despite the attractiveness of the concept, attempts to date to use proof of correctness techniques on production software have been generally unsuccessful. The obstacles encountered are not fundamental. We have implemented a proof of correctness system to be used for improving the realiability of certain small, real-time programs. It appears that many of the problems of past systems can be avoided.This work is supported by the Long Range Research Program of the Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, Michigan.
Foraging specializations of individual seed-harvester ants

1. When presented with a patch of 3 differeng grass species' seeds, a Pogonomyrmex rugosus colony harvested a mix of all species available. Individually marked workers, however, specialized on a single species. These individual specializations hold for at least several days but can also be shifted rapidly. Workers of a similar species, Veromessor pergandei, also appear to specialize to seed species, taking larger than average seeds of one species from a mixed seed patch when seeds of a larger species were available and being collected by colony-mates in that same patch. 2. Seed choice in both ants is not a function of worker size; this variable explains <4% of the variance in seed size harvested by either ant species. Foraging specializations may enhance individual and colony-wide foraging efficiency in a manner similar to that of “majoring” in bumblebees.
On the Effects of an Antireflection Coating Impairment on the Sensitivity to Optical Feedback of AR/HR Semiconductor DFB Lasers

The sensitivity to optical feedback of 1.55- mum antireflection (AR)/high-reflection (HR) DFB semiconductor lasers is presented in this paper. The onset of the coherence collapse, which is the most critical feedback regime for optical transmissions, is theoretically investigated with a stress on its dependence with facet phase effects (FPEs). Taking into account FPEs on both facets, the sensitivity to optical feedback is evaluated with respect to both the coupling strength coefficient and the feedback level. The first part of the paper shows that due to the HR-facet, a distribution up to several decibels on the coherence collapse thresholds is predicted over the whole DFB laser population. The second part concentrates on the coherence collapse dependence with respect to the AR coating. Calculations show an enhancement of the coherent collapse threshold distribution up to 10 dB due to the AR coating impairment. These simulations are of first importance for optical transmissions since they show that for AR coatings beyond 10-4, the sensitivity to optical feedback of AR/HR DFB lasers is extremely difficult to evaluate from one laser to another. On the other hand, for AR coatings below 10-4, all feedback performances are directly connected to the laser wavelength, and DFB lasers can be easily selected for high bit rate isolator-free transmission.
Pushing Beyond Capitalism: Collaborative Relationships Embedded in Buyer-Seller Contexts

Scholarly literature supports the notion that businesses benefit from long term collaborative relationships with trading partners, yet arm’s length, adversarial relationships between buyers and sel...
Agency and research team co‐operation: an exploration of human territoriality

The purpose of this paper is to alert researchers and agency staff to potential conflicts that may arise during research projects conducted in busy community-based agencies. Within a framework of human territoriality, key factors in avoiding such conflicts are explored. Territoriality is the defence against intruders of an area of land which is considered to be owned. For humans, something owned includes space, objects, ideas, privileges or rights. Key territoriality concepts explored in the paper are: the private domain, encompassing a privacy retreat and personal space; and the public arena which includes psychological space and action territory. Examples of violation of the types of territory are examined and suggestions for prevention of conflicts are provided.
Multinationality-Performance Relationship: A Review and Reconceptualization

Numerous empirical investigations have attempted to study the relationship between multinationality and firm performance. Results from these studies have produced conflicting findings about this relationship. We argue that one of the causes of the conflicting findings may be an imprecise conceptualization of multinationality. We propose a multidimensional conceptualization based on a methodological review of previous research.
Diagnostics for binomial response models using power divergence statistics

Abstract The family of power divergence statistics (Cressie and Read, 1984) is used to construct diagnostics for dose—response models. Single case deletion diagnostics based on maximum likelihood, minimum chi-square, and minimum Hellinger distance estimates are included in this class. One-step approximations to outlier tests and influence measures are given. We also discuss method to evaluate the sensitivity of power divergence estimates and diagnostics to the choice of the power divergence parameter. The techniques are illustrated on a data set.
The robustness of output measures in property-liability insurance efficiency studies

Abstract We empirically examine two methods for measuring output in property-liability insurer efficiency studies: the value-added approach and the “flow” (or financial intermediation) approach. The approaches are not mutually consistent. The value-added approach is closely related to traditional measures of firm performance, but the flow approach is not. In addition, efficient value-added approach firms are less likely to go insolvent, while firms characterized as efficient by the flow approach are generally more likely to fail. We also find that the theoretical concern regarding the value-added approach’s use of losses as a measure of output is not validated empirically.
An Ethyl Aluminum Oxide (EAO) Complex with μ-η1:η2-Ethyl Coordination Derived from a Samarocene Carboxylate and Triethylaluminum

The samarocene carboxylate [(C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Sm[μ-O 2 CPh)] 2 reacts with AlEt 3 to form a mixture of metallocene-stabilized ethylaluminum compounds, including an ethyl aluminum oxide (EAO) complex, [(C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Sm] 2 -[(μ-Et) 4 Al 4 Et 6 O 2 ], that displays μ-η 1 :η 2 -Et coordination similar to that found in [(C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Sm(μ-Et)(μ-Cl)AlEt 2 ] 2 obtained from the reaction between [(C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Sm(μ-Cl)] 3 and AlEt 3 .
The C Terminus of Mitosin Is Essential for Its Nuclear Localization, Centromere/Kinetochore Targeting, and Dimerization

Mitosin is a novel 350-kDa nuclear phosphoprotein that dramatically relocates from the evenly nuclear distribution in S phase to the centromere/kinetochore and mitotic apparatus in M phase. The dynamic relocalization of mitosin is accompanied by the phosphorylation of itself, suggesting that mitosin plays a role in mitotic progression. The molecular basis of nuclear localization and targeting of mitosin to the centromere/kinetochore were characterized using a set of epitope-tagged deletion mutants. The data indicate that the extreme C terminus (amino acids 2,487-3,113) of mitosin has both an independent centromere/kinetochore targeting domain and an unusually spaced bipartite nuclear localization signal. Moreover, the same centromere/kinetochore targeting domain was shown to be essential for the ability of mitosin to bind to itself or other putative mitosin-associated proteins through use of the yeast two-hybrid system. These results suggest that the C terminus of the mitosin is essential for its role in influencing cell cycle progression.
Safety and Operational Assessment of Yield-to-Bus Electronic Warning Signs on Transit Buses

Transit buses generally experience difficulties merging into traffic after stopping at off-traffic stops; this situation generates potential hazards for both the bus moving back into traffic and the surrounding vehicles. Several states have implemented yield-to-bus (YTB) laws and programs to help alleviate these hazards. One of the challenges facing YTB initiatives is the lack of quantitative data to justify effectiveness. In this paper, flashing electronic YTB signs that use light-emitting diodes on the back of buses were evaluated as a major effort of the Florida Department of Transportation Transit Office to assess the effectiveness of the YTB program. YTB behavior, safety conflicts, and reentry time were proposed as three performance measures to evaluate the safety and operational impacts of electronic YTB signs. It was found that electronic YTB signs had the potential to improve YTB behavior of motorists behind the bus. In addition, with the electronic YTB signs, the number of safety conflicts was either reduced or was at least no greater than those of the baseline scenario, which consisted of a YTB decal. The reentry time from pullout bays was also improved. Additional recommendations about compliance, installation, and operation of electronic YTB signs are provided.
Suprathreshold intensity--area relationships: a spatial Broca-sulzer effect.

Three experiments are reported in which a brightness-matching procedure was used to determine the form of the foveal intensity-area relationship at varying suprathreshold levels. With two exceptions, the results of these experiments were consistent with previous threshold-level investigations of the intensity-area relationship. First, the nominal degree of spatial summation at the smallest stimulus sizes (less than 2′–3′)consistently exceeded that predicted by Ricco's law at all visibility levels. However, further analysis indicated that this “supersummation” phenomenon is more than likely attributable to calibration errors introduced by diffraction. Second—and more important—at the higher suprathreshold levels, the coefficient ot spatial summation becomes negative between 3′–6′, indicating that brightness decreased with increasing stimulus size. This effect was termed the spatial Broca-Sulzer effect by analogy to its more familiar temporal counterpart. The third experiment indicated that the form of the suprathreshold intensity-area relationship is, to some extent, dependent upon the size of the standard stimulus used in the brightness-matching task.
Love and Romance in Revolutionary Mexico: Transnational Cinema Comes of Age

Abstract:Until the late 1980s, love in revolutionary epics followed distinctly national imperatives, comparative similarities existing at a superficial level. Not until Luis Puenzo's Old Gringo (1989) and Alfonso Arau's Como Agua Para Chocolate (1992) would films of the Revolution offer truly transnational stories, ones involving love in time of war.
School disconnectedness: identifying adolescents at risk.

Objective. School connectedness, or the feeling of closeness to school personnel and the school environment, decreases the likelihood of health risk behaviors during adolescence. The objective of this study was to identify factors differentiating youth who do and do not feel connected to their schools in an effort to target school-based interventions to those at highest health risk. Methods. The study population consisted of all students attending the 7th through 12th grades of 8 public schools. The students were asked to complete a modified version of the in-school survey designed for the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The school connectedness score (SCS) was the summation of 5 survey items. Bivariate analyses were used to evaluate the association between SCS and 13 self-reported variables. Stepwise linear regression was conducted to identify the set of factors best predicting connectedness, and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify students with SCS >1 standard deviation below the mean. Results. Of the 3491 students receiving surveys, 1959 (56%) submitted usable surveys. The sample was 47% white and 38% black. Median age was 15. Median grade was 9th. The SCS was normally distributed with a mean of 15.7 and a possible range of 5 to 25. Of the 12 variables associated with connectedness, 7 (gender, race, extracurricular involvement, cigarette use, health status, school nurse visits, and school area) entered the linear regression model. All but gender were significant in the logistic model predicting students with SCS >1 standard deviation below the mean. Conclusions. In our sample, decreasing school connectedness was associated with 4 potentially modifiable factors: declining health status, increasing school nurse visits, cigarette use, and lack of extracurricular involvement. Black race, female gender, and urban schools were also associated with lower SCS. Further work is needed to better understand the link between these variables and school connectedness. If these associations are found in other populations, school health providers could use these markers to target youth in need of assistance.
Protein-Specific Cervical Antibody Responses to Primary Genital Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infections

Antibodies to herpes simplex virus (HSV) have been demonstrated in cervicovaginal secretions but have not been analyzed for their viral protein targets, prevalence, isotype, or kinetics of development. A method was devised to collect cervical secretions from women with primary genital HSV-2. By Western blot, cervical IgG and IgA responses to HSV-2 proteins VP5, gB, and gD were detected in most patients within 2 weeks of onset and to gC/gE within 3 weeks. Cervical IgM and IgG responses to gG, VP16, and ICP35 developed later and were more variable. Cervical IgM to most proteins appeared within 6-10 days. Cervical IgA and IgG persisted for weeks, but cervical IgM waned. Western blot profiles of serum IgG and cervical IgG to individual HSV-2 proteins were similar; those of serum IgA and cervical IgA differed. These findings suggest a universal, complex immune response to HSV-2 infection in the female genital tract.
Protection of power transistors in electric vehicle drives

Presently, transistor choppers are being applied in electric vehicle tractive drives. However, during transistor turn-off, the energy stored in the inductance of battery and cables must be redistributed in order to avoid device overvoltage. In this paper, several transient energy suppression circuits are discussed and a novel, nondissapative, energy catch network is identified. Operating data from an experimental 240V, 400A, transistor chopper is also presented.
Analgesia for skin-breaking procedures in newborns and children: What works best?

Healthy newborns routinely experience acute pain during blood sampling for metabolic screening, injection of vitamin K or hepatitis vaccine, or circumcision. Children are similarly exposed to acute pain due to vaccination, invasive procedures or trauma. Acute pain caused by skin-breaking procedures
Governance and the Common Good

The importance of corporate governance in ensuring reliable financial reporting is examined in this article, and the roles of individuals involved in the governance process are examined from the perspective of ensuring the common good. Initially, adopting the positivist tradition that dominates the academic literature in accounting, the relations between financial reporting quality and the activities of senior management, the board of directors and its audit committee, and external auditors are examined. Unlike much of the academic literature, this article also adopts a normative perspective and offers suggestions as to the proper roles of these parties. Finally, suggestions for future research are offered.
Decoupling storage and computation in Hadoop with SuperDataNodes

The rise of ad-hoc data-intensive computing has led to the development of data-parallel programming systems such as Map/Reduce and Hadoop, which achieve scalability by tightly coupling storage and computation. This can be limiting when the ratio of computation to storage is not known in advance, or changes over time. In this work, we examine decoupling storage and computation in Hadoop through SuperDataNodes, which are servers that contain an order of magnitude more disks than traditional Hadoop nodes. We found that SuperDataNodes are not only capable of supporting workloads with high storage-to-processing workloads, but in some cases can outperform traditional Hadoop deployments through better management of a large centralized pool of disks.
Traffic law knowledge disparity between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in California.

Abstract Background: The Hispanic population is one group that is involved in a disproportionately high percentage of fatal motor vehicle collisions in the United States. Study Objectives: This study investigated demographic factors contributing to a lack of knowledge and awareness of traffic laws among Hispanic drivers involved in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) in southern California. Methods: The cross-sectional study enrolled adults (n = 190) involved in MVCs presenting to a Level I trauma center in southern California over a 7-month period. Subjects completed a survey about California traffic law knowledge (TLK) consisting of eight multiple-choice questions. The mean number of questions answered correctly was compared between groups defined by demographic data. Results: The mean number of TLK questions answered correctly by Hispanic and non-Hispanic white groups were significantly different at 4.13 and 4.62, respectively ( p = 0.005; 95% confidence interval −0.83 to −0.15). Scores were significantly lower in subjects who were not fluent in English, had less than a high school education, did not possess a current driver's license, and received their TLK from sources other than a driver's education class or Department of Motor Vehicle materials. Analysis of variance showed that the source of knowledge was the strongest predictor of accurate TLK. Conclusion: Source of TLK is a major contributing factor to poor TLK in Hispanics. An emphasis on culturally specific traffic law education is needed.
Video increases the perception of naturalness during remote interactions with latency

Visual telecommunication systems support natural interaction by allowing users to remotely interact with one another using natural speech and movement. Network connections and computation cause delays that may result in interactions that feel unnatural or belabored. In an experiment using an audiovisual telecommunications device, synchronized audio and video delays were added to participants' conversations to determine how delay would affect conversation. To examine the effects of visual information on conversation, we also compared the audiovisual trials to trials in which participants were presented only the audio information. We present self-report data indicating that delay had a weaker impact when both audio and video channels were available, for delays up to 500 ms, than when only the audio channel was available.
Applications of photonic crystals in optoelectronics

In this paper, I describe realistic applications of photonic band gap (PBG) materials in optoelectronics at the mm-wave, IR and optical wavelength regimes. Examples are highly dispersive PBG-prisms and PBG-lasers. I will also describe our recent breakthrough at Sandia in the successful fabrication of 3D silicon photonic crystal operating at IR wavelengths.
EFFECTS OF HARMALA ALKALOIDS ON TRANSMEMBRANE POTENTIALS OF GUINEA-PIG PAPILLARY MUSCLES

1 The significance of the presence of a methoxy group in the 7 position of the indole nucleus of harmala alkaloids in terms of their effects on the action potential of cardiac muscle was analysed. Guinea-pig papillary muscles were superfused with Tyrode solution at 30 degrees C and exposed to harmine or its analogue harmane, in which the methoxy group has been removed from the molecule. 2 Harmine 2 x 10(-5) M enhanced the amplitude of the action potential (AAP) of normal fibres and of slow responses elicited by noradrenaline in fibres depolarized by 21.6 mM K+-Tyrode. The effect of harmine on AAP occurred in the absence of any change in membrane resting potential or maximum velocity of the upstroke and it was abolished by propranolol. Harmane 2 x 10(-5) M did not have any effect on normal action potentials and slow responses. 3 Higher concentrations of the two analogues depressed both AAP and the maximum velocity of the upstroke of the action potential, without affecting the duration of the action potential. 4 It is concluded that: (a) removal of the methoxy group from harmine (1) abolishes the catechol-mediated stimulatory effect of a low concentration of the drug on the slow component of the upstroke of the action potential, and (2) does not modify the depressant effect of a high concentration of the drug. (b) The two analogues, harmine and harmane, do not affect the duration of the action potential of ventricular muscle.
Disorders in executive control functions among aphasic and other brain-damaged patients.

Abstract Four experimental procedures for assessing disorders of executive control (Nonverbal Continuous Performance, Graphic Pattern Generation, Sequence Generation Test, and Tower of Hanoi) were administered to 22 left-brain-damaged aphasic patients, 19 right-brain-damaged nonaphasic patients, and 49 healthy controls. Aphasic patients with frontal-lobe lesions were significantly more impaired on these tasks than aphasics with retrorolandic or mixed lesions in the left hemisphere. Patients with right-hemisphere lesions, especially those with frontal-lobe lesions, showed even greater impairments on these visual/spatial tasks. The results suggest that aphasics' impairments in executive control are independent of their linguistic and visuospatial deficits and are specific to lesions in left frontal and prefrontal regions. The clinical utility of the experimental procedures is discussed.
A microRNA Mediates EGF Receptor Signaling and Promotes Photoreceptor Differentiation in the Drosophila Eye

A critical question about signal transduction is how weak or transient activation of signaling pathways achieves a robust and long-term switch in gene expression. We report that a microRNA is part of a mechanism that makes cells sensitive to signals in the Drosophila eye. Expression of miR-7 is activated in cells as they begin differentiating into photoreceptors. This is dependent on EGF receptor (EGFR) signaling that triggers ERK-mediated degradation of the transcription factor Yan. In nonstimulated cells, Yan represses miR-7 transcription, whereas miR-7 RNA represses Yan protein expression in photoreceptors, by binding to sequences within its mRNA 3'UTR. We propose that reciprocal negative feedback between Yan and miR-7 ensures mutually exclusive expression, with Yan in progenitor cells and miR-7 in photoreceptor cells. Expression is switched when EGFR signaling transiently triggers Yan degradation. This two-tiered mechanism explains how signal transduction activity can robustly generate a stable change in gene-expression patterns.
Correcting for Range Restriction When the Population Variance is Unknown

Correction of correlations diminished by range re striction is a commonly suggested psychometric tech nique. Such corrections may be appropriate in applied settings, such as educational or personnel selection, or in more theoretical applications, such as meta-analy sis. However, an important limitation on the practice of range restriction corrections exists—an estimate of the unrestricted population variance is required. This article outlines and examines the accuracy of a method for estimating the unrestricted variance of a variable from the restricted sample itself. This method is based on the observation that it is possible to table a func tion of the truncated normal distribution that will al low the extent or point of truncation to be estimated (Cohen, 1959). The correlation of the truncated varia ble with other variables may then be corrected by standard restriction of range formulas. The method also allows for correction of the mean of the restricted variable.
Dimensional Structure of the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children (ABIC): Analyses and Implications

The Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children (ABIC) was intended to be a multidimensional measure of children's adaptive behavior. Using the original ABIC standardization data, a variety of statistical analyses portray the ABIC as a unidimensional index of overall adaptive function ing. Implications of this portrayal are presented for the measurement and classification of adaptive behavior.
Promoter characteristics of two cyp19 genes differentially expressed in the brain and ovary of teleost fish

Teleost fish are characterized by exceptionally high levels of neural estrogen biosynthesis when compared with the brains of other vertebrates or to the ovaries of the same fish. Two P450arom mRNAs which derive from separate gene loci (cyp19a and cyp19b) are differentially expressed in brain (b>>a) and ovary (a>>b) and have a different developmental program (b>>a) and estrogen upregulation (b only). A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based genomic walking strategy was used to isolate the 5'-flanking regions of the goldfish (Carassius auratus) cyp19 genes. Sequence analysis of the cyp19b gene approximately 1.8 kb upstream of the transcription start site revealed a TATA box at nucleotide (nt) -30, two estrogen responsive elements (EREs; nt -351 and -211) and a consensus binding site (NBRE) for nerve growth factor inducible-B protein (NGFI-B/Nur77) at -286, which includes another ERE half-site. Also present were a sequence at nt -399 (CCCTCCT) required for neural specificity of the zebrafish GATA-2 gene, and 16 copies of an SRY/SOX binding motif. The 5'-flanking region ( approximately 1.0 kb) of the cyp19a gene had TATA (nt -48) and CAAT (nt -71) boxes, a steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) binding site (nt -265), eight copies of the SRY/SOX motif, and two copies of a recognition site for binding the arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR)/AhR nuclear translocator factor (ARNT) heterodimer. Both genes had elements previously identified in the brain specific exon I promoter of the mouse aromatase gene. Cyp19a- and -b/luciferase constructs showed basal promoter activity in aromatase-expressing rodent pituitary (GH3) cells, but differences (a>>b) did not reflect expression in fish pituitary in vivo (b>>a), implying a lack of appropriate cell factors. Consistent with the onset of cyp19b expression in zebrafish embryos, microinjection of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter plasmid into fertilized eggs revealed labeling in neural tissues at 30-48 h post-fertilization (hpf), most prominently in retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and axon-like projections to the optic tectum. Expression of a cyp19a/GFP reporter was not detectable up to 72 hpf. Tandem analysis of cyp19a and cyp19b promoters in living zebrafish embryos can be a useful approach for identifying cis-elements and cellular factors involved in the correct tissue-specific, spatial, temporal and estrogen regulated expression of aromatase genes during CNS and gonadal development.