cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiproxy paleoaltimetry of the Late Oligocene-Pliocene Oiyug Basin, southern Tibet

The stable isotope compositions of carbonate and organic samples from the Oiyug basin in southern Tibet allows for model calculations of the Oligocene to Pliocene paleoelevation of the south central Tibetan Plateau. We measured the oxygen isotope composition of pedogenic and lacustrine calcite, dolomite, and siderite, and the hydrogen isotope composition of n-alkanes from plant waxes to reconstruct the δ18O and δD values of Oiyug basin paleometeoric water. Calculated water isotope values from Oiyug basin carbonate and organic samples, respectively, are in close agreement, suggesting the preservation of an unaltered paleometeoric water isotopic signal in these archives. Late Oligocene-middle Miocene paleoelevation estimates from groundwater/pedogenic calcite and lacustrine dolomite indicate basin elevations of 4.1 km +1.2/−1.6 km. Plant-wax n-alkanes δD and lacustrine-siderite δ18O compositions of middle Miocene (∼15 Ma) samples indicate paleoelevations of 5.1 km +1.3/−1.9 km. This estimated elevation is similar to the 5.4 km paleoelevation estimate based on fossil-floral physiognomy from the same stratigraphic interval. Calculated late Miocene-Pliocene paleoelevation estimates derived from the δ18O composition of lacustrine marls and carbonate/siderite concretions, as well as the δD from plant wax n-alkanes indicate a mean elevation of 5.5 km +1.4/−2.0 km at ∼5 Ma. Although calculated mean paleoelevations for the Oiyug basin all fall within the errors associated with the model calculations, the close agreement of the different paleoelevation proxies provides an additional degree of confidence in the fidelity of the calculated paleoelevations. Calculated paleoelevations indicate a possible increase in Oiyug basin elevations of ∼1.4 km between the early and late Miocene. Given the modern Oiyug basin elevation of ∼4.3 km, study results allow for a possible >1 km decrease in elevation since the early Pliocene. These findings, in conjunction with other Tibetan paleoaltimetry studies, are consistent with tectonic models supporting high elevations of the Tibetan Plateau since the initiation of India-Asia collision during the Eocene, and subsequent late Cenozoic extensional collapse.
The Role of Vitamin D in the Development, Exacerbation, and Severity of Asthma and Allergic Diseases

The prevalence of asthma and allergic disease continues to increase throughout the world, but particularly in westernized countries and countries that are rapidly transitioning to a westernized way of living. Since vitamin D deficiency has become prevalent, vitamin D likely has a role to play in the rise in prevalence of these disorders. However, there are two countervailing hypotheses regarding this role. The first hypothesis is that introduction of fortification of foods with vitamin D contributed to the allergy epidemic, due to the timing of this widespread fortification relative to the recognition of the asthma and allergy epidemic. However, given the documented deficiency in circulating vitamin D in various populations despite the fortification of foods, and the development of technologies that have made it more attractive for humans to spend more time indoors, the other hypothesis takes the opposite view that it is vitamin D deficiency that has made populations susceptible to the development of these disorders. This chapter will review the epidemiology of asthma and allergies, the epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency, the potential mechanisms by which vitamin D affects asthma and allergy risk, and the studies that have been performed to investigate the role of vitamin D. Finally, the chapter concludes with some recommendations for future studies.
Paroxysmal Ocular Downward Deviation

Paroxysmal ocular downward deviation in 13 children with spastic quadriplegia, mental retardation and cortical visual impairment is reported from the Department of Pediatric Neurology, Seirei-Mikatabara General Hospital, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.
Effects of Team Personality Composition on Member Performance: A Multilevel Perspective:

Personality traits are often theorized to affect team performance by predisposing members to perform individual-level behaviors. Yet, member personality traits may also affect team performance by creating contextual influences on member behaviors. As such, the purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of team personality composition on individual-level performance using hierarchical linear modeling. A range of effects for team-level elevation were observed, but few effects emerged for team-level heterogeneity. Main effects from elevation in Extraversion and Openness to Experience were consistently observed across analyses. The main effects from team elevation in Conscientiousness and Agreeableness, however, were only observed prior to controlling for individual-level trait scores or when using a group-mean centering method for individual-level trait scores. In addition, elevation in Conscientiousness and heterogeneity in Emotional Stability moderated the relationships between individual trait...
Evaluation of the Pooled Cohort Equations for Prediction of Cardiovascular Risk in a Contemporary Prospective Cohort

Most guidelines suggest a baseline risk assessment to guide atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) prevention strategies. The American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Pooled Cohort Equations (PCEs) is one tool to assess baseline risk; however, the accuracy of this tool has been called into question. We aimed to examine the calibration and discrimination of the PCEs in the BioImage study, a contemporary multiethnic cohort of asymptomatic adults enrolled from 2008 to 2009 in the Humana Health System in Chicago, Illinois, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Our primary end point was hard ASCVD, defined as cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke. A total of 3,635 adults who were not on lipid-lowering therapy at baseline were followed for a maximum of 4.6 years. The mean age was 68.6 years; 2000 (55%) participants were women and 935 patients reported being of non-white race (26%). Although 74 ASCVD events were observed over a median follow-up of 2.7 years, 198 events were predicted by the PCEs. The observed event rate was 7.9 per 1,000 participant-years (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.1 to 9.8), whereas the predicted rate by the PCEs was 21 per 1,000 participant-years (95% CI 20.7 to 21.8). This represents an overestimation of 167% (Hosmer–Lemeshow chi-square = 173; p
Re-appropriation for a New Symbolic Order: The Search for Identity in the Poetry of Armanda Guiducci, Maria Luisa Spaziani and Oliva Gualtieri Bernardi

Rosa Cuda explores how women poets re-appropriate conventional symbols to create authentic representations of the female self through their poetry. In her essay, “Re-appropriation for a New Symbolic Order: The Search for Identity in the Poetry of Armanda Guiducci, Maria Luisa Spaziani and Oliva Gualtieri Bernardi,” Cuda reveals how these poets reconstruct the symbolic, linking it not to an established male order, but to one that embraces and gives voice to the female subject. This essay demonstrates how these artists take back or re-appropriate womanhood in order to imbue it with their own vision and display a concreteness that speaks to female experiences.
Kant and the foundations of morality

Halla Kim’s Kant and the Foundations of Morality is an ambitious new exploration of the fundamental principles of Kant’s morality as articulated in his Groundwork for a Metaphysics of Morals. In wh...
NAD + loss, a new player in AhR biology: prevention of thymus atrophy and hepatosteatosis by NAD + repletion

Dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, TCDD) is a carcinogenic and highly toxic industrial byproduct that persists in the environment and produces a pleiotropic toxicity syndrome across vertebrate species that includes wasting, hepatosteatosis, and thymus atrophy. Dioxin toxicities require binding and activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand activated transcription factor. However, after nearly 50 years of study, it remains unknown how AhR activation by dioxin produces toxic effects. Here, using the chick embryo close to hatching, a well-accepted model for dioxin toxicity, we identify NAD+ loss through PARP activation as a novel unifying mechanism for diverse effects of dioxin in vivo. We show that NAD+ loss is attributable to increased PARP activity in thymus and liver, as cotreatment with dioxin and the PARP inhibitor PJ34 increased NAD+ levels and prevented both thymus atrophy and hepatosteatosis. Our findings additionally support a role for decreased NAD+ dependent Sirt6 activity in mediating dioxin toxicity following PARP activation. Strikingly, treatment in vivo with the NAD+ repleting agent nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, prevented thymus atrophy and hepatosteatosis by dioxin and increased sirtuin activity, providing a therapeutic approach for preventing dioxin toxicities in vivo.
In silico designing of power conversion efficient organic lead dyes for solar cells using todays innovative approaches to assure renewable energy for future

Advances in solar cell technology require designing of new organic dye sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells with high power conversion efficiency to circumvent the disadvantages of silicon-based solar cells. In silico studies including quantitative structure-property relationship analysis combined with quantum chemical analysis were employed to understand the primary electron transfer mechanism and photo-physical properties of 273 arylamine organic dyes from 11 diverse chemical families explicit to iodine electrolyte. The direct quantitative structure-property relationship models enable identification of the essential electronic and structural attributes necessary for quantifying the molecular prerequisites of 11 classes of arylamine organic dyes, responsible for high power conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells. Tetrahydroquinoline, N,N′-dialkylaniline and indoline have been least explored classes under arylamine organic dyes for dye-sensitized solar cells. Therefore, the identified properties from the corresponding quantitative structure-property relationship models of the mentioned classes were employed in designing of “lead dyes”. Followed by, a series of electrochemical and photo-physical parameters were computed for designed dyes to check the required variables for electron flow of dye-sensitized solar cells. The combined computational techniques yielded seven promising lead dyes each for all three chemical classes considered. Significant (130, 183, and 46%) increment in predicted %power conversion efficiency was observed comparing with the existing dye with highest experimental %power conversion efficiency value for tetrahydroquinoline, N,N′-dialkylaniline and indoline, respectively maintaining required electrochemical parameters. Twenty-one promising dyes for solar cells are designed numerically, avoiding lengthy screening experiments. A team led by Jerzy Leszczynski at the Jackson State University studied a collection of hundreds of organic dyes, in eleven chemical families, compared computational results to experimental data, and identified the most important molecular properties that lead to high solar cell efficiency. Using these important molecular properties as guidelines, a series of new dyes were designed. Simulations of their optical and electrochemical properties allowed narrowing down the selection. Finally, their performance in dye-sensitized solar cells was predicted. Using combined computational techniques, the researchers identified two dozen promising dyes for experimentalists to synthesize and to test solar cells more rapidly. The methodology may help design more molecules in other chemical families.
Convergence to Consensus — The Extended Model

In the preceding chapter we examined an elementary model of group decisionmaking in which a single set of individuals evaluated both the initial decision variable at issue and each others’ expertise at this and higher order judgmental tasks. Our analysis was carried out under the assumption that individuals were perceived to have uniform, though perhaps individually differing, skills at all of the relevant levels of judgment. In this setting consensus, when it was implicit in the pattern of respect among members of the group, emerged as the limit of powers of a single square weight matrix.
Portugal: Political Economy Explanations for Centralized Reforms

In recent decades, Portugal has experienced a governance transition from authoritarian rule, under which education policies were planned by the state until 1976, to democratic governance. As a state with a unitary government and a population of approximately 10 million, the pace of higher education reforms has progressed steadily, resulting in Portugal being an EHEA Pathfinder country between 2012 and 2015. This chapter’s qualitative analysis focuses on three points of comparison between Portugal and Spain. These are (1) National Governance Historical Background, (2) Political Economy Context: Opportunities and Challenges, and (3) Higher Education Governance. Portugal’s participation in the EHEA is explained as an intergovernmental policy process, wherein domestic national objectives for higher education quality and attainment align with supranational objectives. The Bologna Process has supported increased autonomy for higher education institutions, which parallels the direction of policy in Portugal and Spain in recent decades.
Community Service and Social Justice at Research Universities

The purpose of this chapter is to discover whether various community service settings or different types of community service are differentially associated with students’ engagement in social justice. Utilizing data from the Multi-institutional Study of Leadership survey, the authors discovered that all forms of community service (i.e., in a course, as part of a work-study experience, as part of a community organization, in a campus organization, or on their own) are positively associated with students’ engagement in social justice.
Optimal Allocation of LDOs and Decoupling Capacitors within a Distributed On-Chip Power Grid

Parallel on-chip voltage regulation, where multiple regulators are connected to the same power grid, has recently attracted significant attention with the proliferation of small on-chip voltage regulators. In this article, the number, size, and location of parallel low-dropout (LDO) regulators and intentional decoupling capacitors are optimized using mixed integer non-linear programming formulation. The proposed optimization function concurrently considers multiple objectives such as area, power noise, and overall power consumption. Certain objectives are optimized by putting constraints on the other objectives with the proposed technique. Additional constraints have been added to avoid the overlap of LDOs and decoupling capacitors in the optimization process. The results of an optimized LDO allocation in the POWER8 chip is compared with the recent LDO allocation in the same IBM chip in a case study where a 20% reduction in the noise is achieved. The results of the proposed multi-criteria objective function under a different area, power, and noise constraints are also evaluated with a sample ISPD’11 benchmark circuits in another case study.
Physicochemical Stability of Papaverine Hydrochloride-Phentolamine Mesylate Mixtures Used for Intracavernous Injection: A Preliminary Evaluation

AbstractPhysicochemical stability of intracavernous injections of 30mg. per ml. papaverine hydrochloride with 0.5 or 1.0mg. per ml. phentolamine mesylate used to induce erection in patients with impotence was examined. The samples were stored at room temperature, in the refrigerator at 4C and in the freezer at −20C for 6 months. The examination consisted of visual observation for change in color or evidence of precipitation, measurement of pH and thin layer chromatography at different intervals. During the 6 months of storage no change had occurred in pH, color development, precipitation or formation of new moieties. Therefore, the aforementioned injection solutions of papaverine hydrochloride with phentolamine mesylate can be dispensed safely with instruction to patients for adequate storage and manipulation.
Energy-efficient broadcast and multicast routing in multihop ad hoc wireless networks: Research Articles

In this paper, we propose a general algorithm (based on an unified framework for both routing and geocasting problems), in which message is forwarded to exactly those neighbors which may be best choices for a possible position of destination (using the appropriate criterion). We then propose and discuss new VD-GREEDY and CH-MFR methods and define R-DIR, modified version of existing directional methods. In VD-GREEDY method, these neighbors are determined by intersecting the Voronoi diagram of neighbors with the circle (or rectangle) of possible positions of destination, while the portion of the convex hull of neighboring nodes is analogously used in the CH-MFR method. Routing and geocasting algorithms differ only inside the circle/rectangle. The proposed methods may be also used for the destination search phase allowing the application of different routing schemes after the exact position of destination is discovered. VD-GREEDY and CH-MFR algorithms are loop free, and have smaller flooding rate (with similar success rate) compared to directional method. We proposed to use dominating set concept to reduce flooding ratio significantly, with a marginal impact on success rate and hop count. Simulations, involving the proposed and some known algorithms, are performed for two basic scenarios, one for geocasting and reactive routing, and the other for proactive routing, and both showed that our methods have higher success rate and lower flooding rate compared to existing methods. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Generating Website Traffic

ABSTRACT In this paper, we attempt to empirically determine the factors that drive traffic and brand equity in the internet space. Even in 2002 with the internet bubble burst, many companies are still turning to the web to interact with current customers and reach new markets. These companies need to know if the traditional theories linking advertising, store visits, and sales are still supported a they move online, using the technology-based internet as a primary marketplace.
Flotation of Apatite and Dolomite Using Sodium Oleate as the Collector

Single and mixed mineral flotation behavior and the mechanisms for the loss of selectivity in 1:1 and 95:5 apatite:dolomite mineral mixtures are presented. Loss of selectivity in mixed mineral systems is attributed to depletion of oleate ions available for adsorption by bulk precipitation with calcium and magnesium ions dissolved from dolomite. Flotation after two-stage conditioning was found to be a potential technique to separate dolomite from apatite. This method involves conditioning at pH 10 followed by reconditioning at a lower pH. The results indicate that selective flotation of dolomite, a minor mineral in south Florida phosphate deposits, could be obtained by reconditioning at pH below 4.5. Higher selectivity was observed for mixed minerals as compared to that of single minerals.
Catering to the crowd: An HRM perspective on crowd worker engagement

Abstract Organizations are increasingly turning to crowd-based forms of employment to supplement their workforce. However, little is known of the factors that drive crowd workers to fully engage in work tasks. Moreover, we lack understanding of how traditional HRM practices may adapt to promote and capitalize on an engaged crowd workforce. To address these gaps, we draw upon engagement theory to identify and examine characteristics of both crowd work and crowd workers that have implications for worker engagement, offering propositions regarding the nature of these relationships. In addition, we build upon perspectives of human capital investment by examining the HRM practices of recruitment, selection, training and development, and retention, making specific prescriptions for HRM theory and practice regarding the promotion of an engaged and sustainable crowd workforce. We conclude with implications for theory, practice, and future research.
Proceedings of the 2015 Workshop on Mobile Big Data

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to the 2015 ACM Workshop on Mobile Big Data -- Mobidata'15. This workshop aims to foster the exchange of new ideas in the synergy of mobile computing and big data research. We have selected 13 papers to be presented at the workshop. We hope the workshop will facilitate the discussion of the future research directions in mobile big data.
Liquid-Crystal-Based Visible-Light Integrated Optical Phased Arrays

Liquid-crystal-based integrated optical phased arrays are proposed and experimentally demonstrated for the first time as a method for low-power and compact visible-light beam steering. Beam steering of $10.5^{\circ}$ within $\pm 3.5$ V at a 632.8 nm wavelength is shown. © 2019 The Author(s)
Structural studies of antiviral inhibitor with HIV-1 protease bearing drug resistant substitutions of V32I, I47V and V82I.

Abstract HIV-1 protease inhibitors are effective in HIV/AIDS therapy, although drug resistance is a severe problem. This study examines the effects of four investigational inhibitors against HIV-1 protease with drug resistant mutations of V32I, I47V and V82I (PRTri) that model the inhibitor-binding site of HIV-2 protease. These inhibitors contain diverse chemical modifications on the darunavir scaffold and form new interactions with wild type protease, however, the measured inhibition constants for PRTri mutant range from 17 to 40 nM or significantly worse than picomolar values reported for wild type enzyme. The X-ray crystal structure of PRTri mutant in complex with inhibitor 1 at 1.5 A resolution shows minor changes in interactions with inhibitor compared with the corresponding wild type PR complex. Instead, the basic amine at P2 of inhibitor together with mutation V82I induces two alternate conformations for the side chain of Arg8 with new interactions with inhibitor and Leu10. Hence, inhibition is influenced by small coordinated changes in hydrophobic interactions.
One-Shot Generative Adversarial Learning for MRI Segmentation of Craniomaxillofacial Bony Structures

Compared to computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) delineation of craniomaxillofacial (CMF) bony structures can avoid harmful radiation exposure. However, bony boundaries are blurry in MRI, and structural information needs to be borrowed from CT during the training. This is challenging since paired MRI-CT data are typically scarce. In this paper, we propose to make full use of unpaired data, which are typically abundant, along with a single paired MRI-CT data to construct a one-shot generative adversarial model for automated MRI segmentation of CMF bony structures. Our model consists of a cross-modality image synthesis sub-network , which learns the mapping between CT and MRI, and an MRI segmentation sub-network . These two sub-networks are trained jointly in an end-to-end manner. Moreover, in the training phase, a neighbor-based anchoring method is proposed to reduce the ambiguity problem inherent in cross-modality synthesis, and a feature-matching-based semantic consistency constraint is proposed to encourage segmentation-oriented MRI synthesis. Experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our method both qualitatively and quantitatively in comparison with the state-of-the-art MRI segmentation methods.
Percutaneous Transhepatic Embolization of Pseudoaneurysm Secondary to Pancreatitis

Abstract Visceral artery pseudoaneurysms are a relatively uncommon complication of chronic pancreatitis. They arise secondary to compromise of the adjacent vasculature by enzymatic autodigestion. It is important to treat these lesions in a timely fashion, given the risk of rupture. Historically, these pseudoaneurysms were primarily treated with surgery, but most are now treated with endovascular embolization as there is less associated morbidity and mortality. However, pseudoaneurysms are not always amenable to endovascular treatment because of a variety of factors. A percutaneous transvisceral route offers an alternate approach to embolization. This case report describes the successful percutaneous treatment of a pancreatic pseudoaneurysm via a transhepatic approach. Important technical considerations, risks, and postprocedural care associated with a percutaneous transvisceral approach are discussed.
Pavlovian patterns in the amygdala.

Reitich-Stolero and Paz examined multineuron correlates of Pavlovian learning in the primate amygdala. They found repeating patterns of activity across neurons that may mediate synaptic-level plasticity mechanisms. This extends the notion of replay, often examined relative to navigation in the hippocampus, to aversive learning in the amygdala.
Co-curricular assessment plan for developing pharmacy professionals (RxPro) after the first professional year.

Abstract Introduction To measure changes in student professionalism from co-curricular activities. Methods A prospective cohort study followed first-year pharmacy students at The University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy. Students completed one co-curricular activity each semester. Learning was assessed using the RxPro VALUE rubric and Professionalism Assessment Tool (PAT) at the beginning and end of the first professional year. The RxPro VALUE rubric included six domains (connections to experience, lifelong learning, diversity of communities and cultures, civic identity and commitment, empathy, and reflection and self-assessment) and was rated from 0 (not yet applied) to 4 (exemplary). The PAT contained 33-items in five domains (reliability, responsibility, and accountability; lifelong learning and adaptability; relationships with others; upholding principles of integrity and respect; and citizenship and professional engagement) and was rated from 1 (knows) to 5 (teaches) (maximum score = 165). Results Mean scores on the RxPro VALUE rubric increased (p Conclusions The RxPro VALUE rubric detected growth in professional behaviors among first-year doctor of pharmacy students, while no significant change was observed in the PAT.
Distributed Control of Rigid Body Reduced Attitude: Synchronization and Balancing

This paper proposes distributed control algorithms for asymptotically stable synchronization and balancing of a multi-agent rigid body reduced attitude system using Lyapunov analysis. In the synchronization of the reduced attitudes and velocities of the rigid bodies, the feedback control design is conducted on the dynamic level in which inertias are not negligible. However, in the balancing problem, the feedback control scheme is designed on the kinematic level while the control objective is the maximization of the minimum relative angular distance between each pair of rigid body reduced attitudes. In both cases, the rigid bodies share their states according to a static communication topology. Asymptotic stability to the desired formation in the nonlinear state space is demonstrated both analytically and through numerical simulations.
An eco-friendly decontaminant to kill Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

Abstract Mycobacteria are difficult to kill due to the complexity of their cell wall. Further, Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) has one of the more elaborate cell wall compositions of all the mycobacteria. As a working pathogen within a research laboratory setting or as an environmental contaminant shed in the manure from infected animals, MAP is highly resistant to typical disinfectants. In the past, the most successful disinfectants to kill mycobacteria were based upon phenolics, harsh compounds that can break down the lipids within the cell wall. New disinfectants have been developed that are less toxic to the environment, however, it is unknown how well they perform compared to more traditional disinfectants. In the present study, we present comparative data on the utility of a commercial eco-friendly disinfectant, Benefect®, compared to Amphyl®, a phenolic-based disinfectant, and Lysol®, a quaternary ammonium-based disinfectant, to kill MAP in pure culture, tissues, and manure. Results demonstrated that Benefect was highly effective with up to 100% kill of MAP within 30 min in all experiments, paralleling results obtained with Amphyl. Lysol performed the most poorly, requiring longer contact times to kill MAP. These results suggest that natural, nontoxic ingredients can be used to disinfect even hearty pathogens such as MAP effectively, both within the laboratory and on-farm.
t he Big March: Migratory Flows after the partition of india

Involuntary migrations continue to play an important role in today’s world, with wars and political strife forcing hundreds of thousands to leave their country. Whether it is Rwanda, Bosnia-Yugoslavia, or Israel, people are constantly faced with situations where they have no choice but to flee. The US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants estimates a total of 12 million refugees and an additional 21 million internally displaced people in the world [World Refugee Survey 2006]. Yet despite the largescale and costly ramifications of these flows, our empirical under standing of even the very basic questions – such as the size and variability of these flows – remains limited. How many people moved? From where and to where? How did the flows differ across regions? Too many of these questions often remain unanswered.
Efficient and Explainable Risk Assessments for Imminent Dementia in an Aging Cohort Study

As the aging US population grows, scalable approaches are needed to identify individuals at risk for dementia. Common prediction tools have limited predictive value, involve expensive neuroimaging, or require extensive and repeated cognitive testing. None of these approaches scale to the sizable aging population who do not receive routine clinical assessments. Our study seeks a tractable and widely administrable set of metrics that can accurately predict imminent (i.e., within three years) dementia onset. To this end, we develop and apply a machine learning (ML) model to an aging cohort study with an extensive set of longitudinal clinical variables to highlight at-risk individuals with better accuracy than standard rudimentary approaches. Next, we reduce the burden needed to achieve accurate risk assessments for those deemed at risk by (1) predicting when consecutive clinical visits may be unnecessary, and (2) selecting a subset of highly predictive cognitive tests. Finally, we demonstrate that our method successfully provides individualized prediction explanations that retain non-linear feature effects present in the data. Our final model, which uses only four cognitive tests (less than 20 minutes to administer) collected in a single visit, affords predictive performance comparable to a standard 100-minute neuropsychological battery and personalized risk explanations. Our approach shows the potential for an efficient tool for screening and explaining dementia risk in the general aging population.
Gravity Estimations with FDI Bilateral Data: Potential FDI Effects of Deep Preferential Trade Agreements

This study employs a structural gravity approach to analyse the impact of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) on bilateral FDI. We use the UNCTAD global database on bilateral FDI stocks and flows. To control for the heterogeneous nature of PTAs we employ three different indicators of PTA depth. We find that ’deeper’ or comprehensive PTAs (e.g. including provisions on investment, public procurement and intellectual property rights provisions) have a significant positive impact on bilateral FDI between partners. For instance, we estimate that the deepest PTA (with an index of seven in the DESTA database) is expected to increase bilateral FDI stocks between signatory countries by around 54%. We also show the importance and policy-relevant information contained in the structurally estimated inward multilateral resistance terms (IMR). We find that strictly domestic policies have a significant impact on the IMR, thus explaining the variation in the national barriers to FDI. As an example, we analyse the potential impact on foreign direct investment of the economic co-operation agreement signed by the Pacific Alliance countries (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru) in 2012.
Forgiveness as a Workplace Intervention: The Literature and a Proposed Framework

The purpose of this review is to explore the literature related to interpersonal forgiveness in organizations and its possible implications for management and HRD theory and practice. It defines forgiveness and provides a theoretical framework for its consideration within the workplace environment. It also reviews and discusses the benefits and risks of forgiveness, the role of leadership in a forgiving culture, and the literature regarding related business interventions.
Scale dependence in functional equivalence and difference in the soil microbiome

Abstract Climatic history can shape the functioning of soil microbial communities and thus rates of ecosystem processes such as organic matter decomposition. For example, broad spatial scale differences in climatic history, such as contrasting precipitation regimes, have been shown to generate unique microbial functional responses to contemporary moisture conditions. Yet it is an open question as to whether local differences in soil microclimate similarly influence the functional potential of decomposer communities. Here, we use a multi-scale approach within and among two temperate forest field sites to investigate this question. Soils from fifty-four microsites, that vary in their soil moisture climate-regimes, were used as inocula for a common leaf litter (Quercus rubra L.) in a controlled, laboratory microcosm study. Microcosms were placed under dry, mesic and wet lab-moisture conditions and the rate of carbon (C) mineralization of the litter was measured over 202 days. Our results reveal differences in decomposition rates under controlled conditions that highlight broad-scale functional differences between the soil communities at each site. Specifically, we found that C mineralization differed by as much as two-fold for soil communities when compared between the sites. Our results also show that functional differences of soil communities are observable within one site but not the other. In the site where local-scale functional legacies were apparent, the historical soil moisture microclimate-regimes generated as much as an 89% change in C mineralization rates of the leaf litter under the same contemporary, lab-imposed moisture conditions. A similar pattern was not observable in the other site; instead, laboratory moisture conditions explained almost all variation in C mineralization. Notably, for the site with pronounced local-scale functional legacies, there was much greater within-site variation in field-soil microsite moisture than at the site which did not exhibit functional legacies, suggesting that the extent of local-scale variation in microclimate may act as control on whether local-scale functional legacies are observed. Regardless of whether this mechanism does explain our findings, our observations do confirm those from prior studies where regional-scale moisture-regime differences shape microbial function, and extend this prior work by providing evidence that pronounced local-scale differences in soil moisture microclimate-regimes are associated with microbial functional legacies.
Population Viability Analysis of a Sharp-Tailed Grouse Metapopulation in Wisconsin

The sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) is an area-sensitive, habitat specialist whose future in Wisconsin is threatened by severe fragmentation of its brush-prairie habitat and a scarcity of habitat patches large enough and close enough to one another to accommodate viable populations. I address the following issues in this paper: (1) How large must an isolated subpopulation of sharp-tailed grouse be to achieve long-term viability? (2) How large an area is required to accommodate such a viable subpopulation? and (3) How many subpopulations (areas) should be maintained within a regional metapopulation? A population viability analysis suggests that spring breeding populations of at least 280 birds in each of five separate subpopulations occupying habitat patches of at least 4000 hectares will be required to achieve a 95% probability of persistence for 50 years. Empirical evidence of the persistence of isolated grouse populations over the past 50 years lends support to these conclusions.
Eine linguistische Wende in der Logik

Reporting on the 7th International Congress of Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science, first the main topics and some organisational aspects of the congress are presented; the main part of the report focuses on recent developments in Philosophical Logic (Section 5), in particular the theory of so-called generalized quantifiers as presented at the congress. In addition, some background information on logical language analysis, its possible applications and consequences is provided.
Overview of: “Translating Causal Claims: Principles and Strategies for Policy‐Relevant Criminology”

Research Summary This article reviews the causal turn in the social sciences and accompanying efforts by criminologists to make policy claims more credible. Although there has been much progress in techniques for the estimation of causal effects, we find that the link between evidence and valid policy implications remains elusive. Drawing on criminological theory and research insights from disciplines such as sociology, economics, and statistics, we assess principles and strategies for informing policy in a causally uncertain world. We identify three distinct domains of inquiry that form a part of the translational process from evidence to policy and that complicate the straightforward exportation of causal effects to policy recommendations: (a) mechanisms and causal pathways, (b) effect heterogeneity, and (c) contextualization. We elaborate these three concepts by examining research on broken windows theory, policing, video games and violence, the Moving to Opportunity voucher experiment, incarceration, and especially the rich set of experimental studies on domestic violence that originated in Minneapolis, MN in the early 1980s. We also articulate a set of conceptual tools for advancing the goal of policy translation and offer recommendations for how what we call "policy graphs"--causal graphs used to analyze the policy implications of a system of causal relations--can potentially integrate the theoretical and policy arms of criminology. Policy Implications Evidence, even if causal, does not necessarily inform policy. In fact, the question of "what works," the focus of the growing evidence-based movement in criminology, turns out to be a different question than, "what will work?" Evidence-based policy research must therefore be concerned with much more than providing policy makers with research on causal effects, however precisely measured. The implication is that we must separate criminology's increasing focus on causality from its policy turn and formally recognize that the latter requires a different standard of theory and evidence than does the former. In particular, criminologists interested in making policy claims must ask hard questions about the potential mechanisms through which a treatment influences an outcome, heterogeneous effects across people and time, contextual variations, and all of the real-world phenomena to which these challenges give rise--such as unintended consequences, policies that change incentive and opportunity structures, and the scale at which policies change in meaning. Theoretically guided causal graphs enhance this goal and help inform policy in a causally uncertain world. Translational criminology is ultimately a process that entails the constant interplay of theory, research, and practice. KEYWORDS: Juvenile justice Language: en
The Use of Fuel Chemistry and Property Variations to Evaluate the Robustness of Variable Compression Ratio as a Control Method for Gasoline HCCI

On a gasoline engine platform, homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) holds the promise of improved fuel economy and greatly reduced engine-out NOx emissions, without an increase in particulate matter emissions. In this investigation, a variable compression ratio (CR) engine equipped with a throttle and intake air heating was used to test the robustness of these control parameters to accommodate a series of fuels blended from reference gasoline, straight run refinery naptha, and ethanol. Higher compression ratios allowed for operation with higher octane fuels, but operation could not be achieved with the reference gasoline, even at the highest compression ratio. Compression ratio and intake heat could be used separately or together to modulate combustion. A lambda of 2 provided optimum fuel efficiency, even though some throttling was necessary to achieve this condition. Ethanol did not appear to assist combustion, although only two ethanol-containing fuels were evaluated. The increased pumping work from throttling was minimal compared to the efficiency increases that were the result of lower unburned hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. Low temperature heat release was present for all the fuels, but could be suppressed with a higher intake air temperature. Results will be used to design future fuelsmore » and combustion studies with this research platform.« less
SW ⇒ Gr: From the Seiberg-Witten equations to pseudo-holomorphic curves

The purpose of this article is to explain how pseudo-holomorphic curves in a symplectic 4-manifold can be constructed from solutions to the Seiberg-Witten equations. As such, the main theorem proved here (Theorem 1.3) is an existence theorem for pseudo-holomorphic curves. This article thus provides a proof of roughly half of the main theorem in the announcement [T1]. That theorem, Theorem 4.1, asserts an equivalence between the Seiberg-Witten invariants for a symplectic manifold and a certain Gromov invariant which counts (with signs) the number of pseudoholomorphic curves in a given homology class. The Seiberg-Witten invariants were introduced to mathematicians by Witten [W] based on his joint work with Nat Seiberg [SW1], [SW2]. A description of these invariants is given in Section 1. (See also [KM1], [T1].) Suffice it to say here that when X is a compact, oriented, 4-dimensional manifold with
Photocluster productivity improvement

This paper describes improvements being implemented in a multi-technology, multi-partnumber IBM semiconductor fabricator to increase photocluster output. The work of various teams is presented, which have generated a host of enhancements, including a customized logistics system, host computer control, continuous lot chaining, a work-in-process (WIP) and reticle tracking system, area alarms for tool stoppages, staffing based on activity analysis, operator coverage improvements guided by delays determined from host control data and alignment assist reductions guided by host control data. Photocluster productivity has increased 35% since these changes were begun and more improvement is anticipated.
Tissue Culture-Induced Variation and Crop Improvement

Publisher Summary The selection of regenerants with good agronomic performance depends on the relative effects of induced and introduced variation during the in vitro process. This variation can arise from any number of processes, but the key to successful selection of desirable regenerants with improved traits is the expression of a wide diversity for the traits, trait stability over generations, adequate population density to have a reasonable chance of visually selecting the desirable variants in the field, and the proper field environment that will foster trait expression. These criteria are identical to those required for all conventional and mutation breeding programs. The application of tissue culture regeneration in selection strategies must be advantageous to the breeder before it will be adopted. Only a synergistic and concerted effort by traditional breeders and plant biotechnologists can bring this technology to the potential level of efficiency and application that will result in enhanced breeding efforts and cultivars with improved value-added traits that can be grown profitably by producers. Finally, as with any breeding program, the variants must be evaluated in multiple environments to ensure that all desirable traits are stable over generations. Useful variants have been released, but compared to conventional breeding methodologies, the results thus far have been limited and disappointing. The reasons for the limited success are discussed in this chapter.
Erratum: Isadore Max Tarlov (1905-1977) and the controversial Tarlov cyst: historical perspective.

Isadore Max Tarlov, an early neurosurgeon, made several important contributions to the field of spine surgery. He described sacral perineural cysts, now known as Tarlov cysts. Dr. Tarlov also introduced the knee-chest patient position to facilitate exposure and hemostasis in lumbar surgery. In addition, he developed the use of fibrin glue in nerve repair. His book on mechanisms of spinal compression was published in 1957. He published a book of essays titled Principles of Parsimony in Medical Practice that remains highly relevant in today's medical world.
Growing an infrastructure: the role of gateway organizations in cultivating new communities of users

Issues of scaling are critical when an infrastructure is trying to grow. Systems that worked well with smaller numbers or particular types of users must change to meet the needs of an expanding and diversified user base. A first step toward growth is to cultivate new users. We present results from research that examines one approach to the challenge of attracting new users to a large-scale computing infrastructure. We describe gateway organizations and the important social and technical support they provide, which help potential users to conceptualize a use for the infrastructure and increase their willingness and ability to use it.
Effects of Some General Economic Development Policies on Agricultural Development

ECONOMIC policies directed to other sectors of the economy exert a very important influence on agricultural development. This is as true of fiscal and monetary policies, which attempt to influence the general level of economic activity, as it is of industry-specific programs which attempt to develop a particular sector such as the automobile industry. All too frequently, however, agricultural economists tend to ignore these policies in their research and analytical work.1 We tend to concentrate on those policies which are explicitly defined as "agricultural" policies and which bear directly on our sector of interest. The burden of this paper is that the set of economic policies which low-income countries have followed in attempting to speed up their rate of industrialization have had a very sizable and detrimental effect on agricultural development. These policies not only have resulted in direct discrimination against the agricultural sector but also have affected it indirectly by reducing the labor-absorptive capacity of the industrial sector and therefore damming up labor in the agricultural sector. My initial assignment was to discuss the effect of exchange rate policy on agricultural development. However, I have chosen to broaden the assignment and to discuss the broader set of policies which many developing countries have followed to accelerate their industrialization. I shall draw heavily on my experience in Brazil, but the set of policies I will consider is by no means unique to that country. The paper is in three parts. The first section presents some background comments that set the stage for the analysis which follows. The second part describes the specific set of policies which I have chosen to analyze.