cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A review of tef physiology for developing a tef crop model

Abstract Tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) is important for Ethiopian food security and a significant source of income for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. In industrialized nations, tef is becoming a popular health food due to its lack of gluten and high nutritional value. Though tef is an important crop within Ethiopia, research on the crop has been limited. Crop models are an important tool for assessing food security, the effectiveness of management practices, and the impacts of climate change on crop production. The only existing crop models for tef are the FAO-AEZ crop growth simulation model, and the FAO AquaCrop model, which focuses on water limited crop production. The FAO AEZ model only produces final yields, which limits its applicability. The AquaCrop model has been validated using data from northern Ethiopia under current climate conditions without nitrogen limitations. As tef production spreads across the world, and Ethiopia suffers from soil fertility depletion and climate change, there is a need for a more comprehensive tef model. Tef, a short-day C4 crop, shows a high level of genetic diversity, resulting in large variation in water use, water use efficiency, growing season length, and even photosynthetic rate across cultivars. Tef quickly reaches a closed canopy, resulting in a higher early-season water use efficiency than wheat (C3 crop) or sorghum (C4 crop). Lodging is a significant yield limitation in tef, and is often exacerbated by fertilizer applications. There are several areas of tef research that have limited, or no, published data, especially on a field level, which will hinder future tef model development. These areas include the effects of temperature on photosynthesis and phenology, the effects of heat stress on senescence, the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on photosynthesis and transpiration, and a field level lodging model. By combining relevant information from other crops with the available tef literature, however, it should be possible to create a tef crop model prototype.
Effect of proficiency on Vietnamese EFL learners’ engagement in peer interaction

Abstract To expand previous interaction research that investigated only the impact of proficiency on occurrence of language related episodes or pair dynamics, this study explored the effect of proficiency on a range of cognitive, social and emotional features of interaction through the lens of engagement. Fifteen core EFL learners interacted with peers of higher and lower proficiency to complete picture sequencing tasks. The core learners’ degree of engagement when interacting with the lower and the higher proficiency partners was compared. Results revealed that the core learners showed greater cognitive and social engagement and reported higher emotional engagement when interacting with higher proficiency partners. The results are discussed in terms of the role of proficiency pairing in fostering learner engagement in interaction.
Mutuality in Exploring the Past: Ethno-Experimental and Community Archaeology

Throughout most of its history the discipline of Egyptology has incorporated some form of anthropology, ranging from physical anthropology and cultural anthropology to anthropological archaeology. In the last few decades Egyptologists have become much more aware of the critical discourses that take place in sociology, anthropology and anthropological archaeology worldwide. The debates around poststructuralist, postcolonial, and gender theory are important for the development of the epistemology of the discipline, and should result in adaptations of how we do, think and teach Egyptology. The attitude of European and Euro-American Egyptologists towards Egyptian colleagues and the communities living in the vicinity of archaeological sites has changed, but in many cases it is unclear how the theoretical underpinnings of Egyptological interpretations relate to the every-day scholarly and archaeological practice. This paper explores how we can use ethnoarchaeology and experimental archaeology to move from doing lip service to community archaeology, to integrating local communities fully in our work. Being serious about community archaeology requires mutual understanding, mutual benefit and a mutual effort.
Evaluation of Methods for Processing a Decision Matrix and Some Cases of Ranking Abnormalities

The MCDM methods presented in the second chapter are among the most widely used ones. As it will be seen in the following sections, however, the part of the methods that processes a decision matrix (i.e., step 3 in Section 2.2) may give different answers to the same problem. Because only the WPM, the AHP, the revised AHP, and the TOPSIS method are applicable both in single- and multi- dimensional decision making, these are the methods that are examined in this chapter (i.e., the WSM will not be tested). The ELECTRE method (as described in Chapter 2) was not tested because it is already known that this method presents a different ranking philosophy and it does not assume that a unique ranking always exists in practice. The main part of this chapter is based on the research results presented in [Triantaphyllou and Mann, 1989] plus some additional investigations.
A Review of “Engineers at War (U.S. Army in Vietnam Series)”

More than fifty years have elapsed since the United States began its involvement in Vietnam and almost forty since its involvement with combat troops ended. Since that time, the government institut...
Associations of Neighborhood-Level Social Determinants of Health with Bacterial Infections in Young, Febrile Infants

Objective To examine the sociodemographic characteristics of one population of young, febrile infants and identify associations between neighborhood-level social determinants of health (SDHs) with bacterial infections. Study design This was a retrospective cross sectional study of all infants ≤90 days old with a temperature of ≥38°C who presented in 2014 to the emergency department of an urban children's hospital in a large east coast city. The primary outcome was the presence of a bacterial infection, defined as a positive urine, blood, or cerebrospinal fluid culture that was treated clinically as a pathogen. The home address of each infant was geocoded and linked to neighborhood data based on census tract. Neighborhood-level SDHs included deprivation index, median household income, poverty, childhood poverty, social capital, and crowded housing. Associations were estimated using generalized estimating equations and negative binomial regression analysis. Models were adjusted for age, prematurity, and race/ethnicity. Results Of 232 febrile infants, the median age was 54 days, 58% were male, 49% were Hispanic, and 88% had public health insurance; 31 infants (13.4%) had a bacterial infection. In the adjusted analyses, the risk of bacterial infection among infants from neighborhoods with high rates of childhood poverty was >3 times higher (relative risk, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.04-9.6) compared with infants from neighborhoods with low rates of childhood poverty. Conclusions Our findings suggest that SDHs may be associated with bacterial infections in young, febrile infants. If confirmed in subsequent studies, the inclusion of SDHs in predictive tools may improve accuracy in detecting bacterial infections among young, febrile infants.
A validated ultrasensitive hybridization-ELISA assay for synthetic microRNAs in mouse plasma and human leukemia cells and its mouse pharmacokinetics

4418 MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small non-coding RNAs that bind to target mRNAs and regulate their expression. Recent evidence has suggested the miRNAs involvement in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) transformation and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Aberrantly downregulated miRNAs in malignant cell may be replaced with synthetic miRNAs which may therefore represent novel anticancer therapeutics. Purpose: To develop a sensitive and specific assay to quantify synthetic O-methylated (O-Me) phosphorothioate (PS) miRNAs in biological matrices, to determine their plasma and intracellular concentrations and to conduct their preclinical pharmacological studies. Method: The assay is based on a two-step hybridization technique, with synthetic miRNAs binding to a biotin labeled 9-mer longer capture probe followed by ligation with a 9-mer digoxigenin (Dig) detection probe complementary to the 9-mer overhang of the capture probe. The Dig was detected by anti-Dig-alkaline phosphatase system using fluorescence. The assay was validated in mouse plasma and human leukemia cancer cell lysate using a synthetic O-Me PS miR-29b as a proof of principle. Pharmacokinetics (PK) of O-Me PS miR-29b was conducted in C57BI/6 mice, following its i.v bolus dose of 7.5 mg/kg. The blood samples were collected and peripheral blood cells (PBC) and plasma were separated according to the time schedule of 0.08, 0.17, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 7, 24 h after dosing. The bone marrow (BM) was collected at 2, 4, 7 and 24 h. O-Me PS miR-29b levels in plasma, PBC and BM were measured using this assay. The PK was analyzed using WinNonlin software. Results: Excellent linearity was observed in plasma and in K562 cell lysate at a concentration range between 5-5000 pM. The intra-day and inter-day (n=6) precisions at 10, 50, 500, and 5000 pM were below 20% and the accuracy was 100±20%. Plasma and intracellular levels of O-Me PS miR-29b in PBC and BM were detectable at 24 hr after dosing with no interference in blank samples. Plasma and PBC O-Me PS miR-29b levels reached ~1.9 and 1.67 μM at 5 min, declined biexponentially, and were detectable at ~0.0013 and ~0.0025 μM at 24 h, respectively. The terminal half life was 507.4 min, AUC 115.1 min*μM and the total body clearance (CL) 0.087 mL/min/kg and the volume of distribution 8.9 mL/kg. The higher plasma level as compared to the PBC level before 7 h suggests that there was a gradient in uptake of 2-MeO PS miR-29b by blood cells. Notably, a comparable intracellular level of O-Me PS miR-29b at 0.0032 μM in BM was also detected at 24 h. Conclusion: An ultrasensitive hybridization ELISA assay for miRNAs including miR-16 and antagomiR-155 in biological matrices was developed and validated. This assay was used to study the PK study of O-Me PS miR-29b. The assay provides a valuable tool for the PK-pharmacodynamics correlation of synthetic miRNAs for their potential therapeutics.
Piloted Liquid Spray Flames: A Numerical and Experimental Study

Liquid-fuel spray flames are the primary mode of energy conversion in many high-power-density practical combustion devices. As compared to gaseous fuels, the phase change in liquid-fuel spray flame...
Texture-based, automatic contour validation for online adaptive replanning: A feasibility study on abdominal organs.

Purpose Evaluation of contour accuracy in radiation therapy planning requires manual interaction and is one of the most limiting bottlenecks for online replanning. This study aims to develop an automatic approach to rapidly evaluate contour quality based on image texture features to facilitate the routine practice of online adaptive replanning (OLAR). Method Fifty-five pancreas cancer patients were selected from a clinical database of patients treated at our institution from 2011 to 2018. For each patient, the pancreas head and duodenum were contoured in five images (one fraction per week) resulting in a total of 275 CT image sets with corresponding ground-truth contours. A second set of inaccurate contours was generated using deformable-image-registration-based contour propagation. Three subregions, core, inner shell and outer shell, were generated from the contour of each organ. Texture features were extracted from each subregion and descriptive features of each subregion were identified using the image set with corresponding ground-truth contours. A three-level decision tree model was constructed based on texture constraints empirically determined for the three subregions. The two datasets containing ground truth and inaccurate contours were merged. Randomized threefold cross-validation was performed and repeated three times. Results The first level of the decision tree utilizes textures derived from principal component analysis of a subset of extracted features from the core subregion (five PCs for pancreas head, seven PCs for duodenum). The second and third levels of the decision tree use gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM)-based cluster prominence to reject inaccurate contours. The trained model identifies accurate and inaccurate contours with an average sensitivity/specificity of 85%/91% for the pancreas head and 92%/92% for the duodenum contours. The false-positive rate is 9% and 8% for pancreas head and duodenum, respectively. The execution time is less than 15 s using a standard desktop computer. Conclusion Quantitative image features can be used to develop a model to rapidly validate the quality of an organ contour. Our model accurately classifies unseen contours as accurate or inaccurate with high sensitivity and specificity. As auto-segmentation continues to improve in quality and accuracy, this method may be integrated into a fully automatic pipeline for auto-segmentation, contour-quality evaluation and contour correction, which would replace the time-consuming manual review process, thereby facilitating the more routine practice of OLAR.
Reduction of ablated surface expansion in pulsed-power-driven experiments using an aerosol dielectric coating

The quality of warm dense matter samples created by magnetic compression can be largely affected by material ablation. When the ablated material carries currents, local instabilities can grow, which can lead to nonuniformities in the final magnetic pressure. Extending the previous work by Peterson et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 135002 (2014)], Awe et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 065001 (2016)], and Hutchison et al. [Phys. Rev. E 97, 053208 (2018)], the experiments reported here demonstrate that the expansion of the ablated material can be significantly reduced by using a simple aerosol spray technique. Coating the current-carrying surfaces with a 30–60-μm layer of polyurethane reduced the expansion of the ablated material by a factor of 2 and eliminated material ejections from sharp corners. This technique, tested at the Michigan Accelerator for Inductive Z-Pinch Experiments pulsed power facility at the University of Michigan with currents up to 400 kA, could allow the production of homogeneous warm dense matter samples on pulsed-power drivers. Because of the simplicity of this method, this work brings forth an important contribution to pulsed-power-driven experiments designed to study nuclear fusion, material properties, and radiation science.
Interventional Vascular EUS

EUS-guided interventions are a rapidly growing field within advanced endoscopy. Advanced endoscopists with specialized training can perform procedures traditionally performed by interventional radiologists. EUS offers high-resolution imaging of mediastinal and intra-abdominal vasculature, which can be targeted for various interventions. The current chapter will discuss the current evidence base for EUS-guided vascular techniques as well as a look at novel procedures just beyond the horizon.
A closer look at attachment, sexuality, and couple relationships:

In this study, the relationships between attachment patterns and relationship outcomes were explored through the mechanism of sexuality with two large samples from the U.S. In the first sample (N =...
Overcoming the Effect of Racial Disparities in Multiple Myeloma (MM) with Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT)

Introduction MM is the 2nd most common hematological malignancy in the USA. The treatment landscape has drastically evolved over the last few years. While clinical trials have been pivotal in this endeavor, the under-representation of racial/ethnic minorities has been a constant issue. Population studies (Smith, Ambs et al. 2018) have demonstrated poorer outcomes in non-white (pts) across many malignancies including MM. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 806 pts with newly diagnosed MM who underwent ASCT at our institution. Pts were stratified as high risk in the presence of t(4;14), t(14;16), gain 1q or del17p. Correlation with PFS and OS was conducted by univariable and multivariable analyses. Log-rank test was used to compare PFS and OS. Results 16% of pts were non-white. High risk comprise 30.4% of total pts with 23.2% non-white . PFS was similar in both non-white and white pts with a HR=1.02 (0.82-1.28; p=0.86). There was no statistically significant different in OS from time of transplant (HR=1.09 (0.81-1.47) p value = 0.57)). Upon further stratification by standard risk v/s high risk, outcomes in non-whites and whites remain similar (HR=1.05 (0.64-1.71; p value 0.86) for PFS and HR=1.06 (0.55-2.05), p=0.86 for OS) Discussion Inferior outcomes in racial minorities is a concern in all malignancies, including MM despite advances in therapeutics. Under-representation in clinical trials and lack of access to care have been touted as potential causes. Our experience suggests that non-white pts do as well as white pts if they have equal access to treatment, and this is seen even in patients with high risk cytogenetics. There is a compelling need to identify obstacles to appropriate care for these minorities and further bridge these gaps in outcomes. Further efforts are also needed to evaluate genomic differences in different ethnicities to further personalize induction/maintenance regimens.
Virtual Maps for Autonomous Exploration with Pose SLAM

We consider the problem of autonomous mobile robot exploration in an unknown environment taking into account the robot’s mapping rate, map uncertainty, and state estimation uncertainty. This paper presents an exploration framework built upon segment-aided pose SLAM adapted for better active localization. We build on our previous work on expectation maximization (EM) exploration, which explicitly models unknown landmarks as latent variables and predicts their expected uncertainty, to resolve the lack of landmark state in denser instances of SLAM. The proposed system comprises path generation, place recognition forecasting, belief propagation and utility evaluation using a virtual map. We analyze the performance in simulated experiments, showing that our algorithm maintains higher coverage speed in exploration as well as lower mapping and localization error. The real-time applicability is demonstrated on an unmanned ground vehicle.
Perception of Quality in a Philippine Private Academic Institution

The purpose of this research is to obtain information and measure the service quality experience in a Philippine Private Academic Institution. This study used quantitative descriptive research method utilizing individual level data through adapted research instrument from Pamatmat et. al. (2018) utilizing the Service Quality Dimension. Percentage, Mean Score, Frequency Distribution, T-test and ANOVA were used for data analysis. The study sought the participation of 290 parents from a private academic institution in North Metro Manila. Using snowball sampling method, the 290 parents’ respondents were derived using the Slovin’sformula based form the total student population of 1,061 admitted during school year 2018-2019 from the private institution. The Service Quality Experience Instrument was found to be highly reliable (38 items; α = .873). The result highlights the five dimensions of service quality experience where Place of resident and civil status was significant with the five dimension of service quality. Sex was significant to responsiveness. Educational Attainment was significant to assurance. Monthly Income was significant to assurance, empathy, reliability, and responsiveness. Sex was significant to assurance, reliability and responsiveness. Tangible scored lowest possibly due to the concern on parking space availability which might have impact the totality of the raw score for the tangible service quality dimension. Assurance scored the highest wherein the item that got the highest score was pertaining to the community involvement of the private academic institution.
Defining the Expanding Clinical Spectrum of Pediatric-Onset Stiff Person Syndrome.

Abstract Background We aimed to characterize the spectrum of clinical features and examination findings in pediatric-onset stiff person syndrome. Methods Medical records were reviewed for all patients treated for stiff person syndrome with symptom onset in childhood at a tertiary medical center between March 2001 and February 2019. Results Of the 15 individuals who met inclusion criteria, 11 (73%) were female and 13 (87%) were Caucasian. Median age at symptom onset was 14.8 years (range 8.4 to 16.9), and median latency from symptom onset to diagnosis was 6.2 years (range 0.4 to 15.0). Nine individuals (60%) were not diagnosed until adulthood. The most common presenting features were painful spasms (n = 12, 80%), hyper-reflexia (n = 11, 73%), axial rigidity (n = =9, 60%), lower extremity rigidity or spasticity (n = 8, 53%), gait abnormalities (n = 6, 40%), and hyperlordosis (n = 6, 40%). Other noted features included anxiety (n = 5, 33%), dysautonomia (n = 3, 20%), and cranial neuropathies (n = 3, 20%). Personal (n = 9, 60%) and family history (n = 9, 60%) of autoimmune conditions was common. Serum antiglutamate decarboxylase 65 antibodies were found in 13 individuals (87%). Nearly all individuals received immunotherapy (n = 14, 93%), symptomatic medications (n = 15, 100%), and nonpharmacologic therapies (n = 14, 93%). However, most had persistent physical limitations, particularly impaired walking (n = 7, 47%) and inability to carry out previous activities (n = 14, 93%). Conclusions There is a wide spectrum of typical and less common features seen in individuals with pediatric-onset stiff person syndrome. Despite symptom onset in childhood, diagnosis is often delayed until adulthood, at which point disability accrual is frequently seen. Early recognition is vital to address symptoms and may potentially limit future disability.
Studying the Effectiveness of Changing Parameters in Pavement Management Systems on Optimum Maintenance Strategies of Low-Volume Paved Roads

AbstractPavement maintenance policies are being adapted for different road classes in the decision-making process of the pavement management system (PMS). Optimization analysis is a promising appro...
Tacc3 modulates microtubule network dynamicity and focal adhesion remodeling to affect cranial neural crest cell migration in Xenopus laevis

Coordinated cell migration is critical during embryogenesis, as cells must leave their point of origin, navigate a complex barrage of signals, and accurately position themselves to facilitate correct tissue and organ formation. The cell motility process relies on dynamic interactions of the F-actin and microtubule (MT) cytoskeletons. Our work focuses on how one MT plus-end regulator, Transforming Acidic Coiled-Coil 3 (Tacc3), can impact migration of cranial neural crest cells in Xenopus laevis. We previously demonstrated that tacc3 expression is expressed in cranial neural crest cells, and that Tacc3 can function as a MT plus-end tracking protein to regulate MT growth velocities. Here, we demonstrate that manipulation of Tacc3 protein levels is sufficient to alter cranial neural crest cell velocity in vitro. Tacc3 overexpression drives increased single-cell migration velocities, while Tacc3 KD results in reduced cell velocity and defective explant dispersion. We also show that Tacc3 can have spatially-enhanced effects on MT plus-end growth velocities as well as effects on focal adhesion remodeling. Together, we demonstrate that Tacc3 can facilitate neural crest cell motility through spatially-enhanced cytoskeletal remodeling, which may underlie the enhanced metastatic potential of Tacc3-overexpressing tumor cells.
Implicit Integration of Superpixel Segmentation into Fully Convolutional Networks.

Superpixels are a useful representation to reduce the complexity of image data. However, to combine superpixels with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in an end-to-end fashion, one requires extra models to generate superpixels and special operations such as graph convolution. In this paper, we propose a way to implicitly integrate a superpixel scheme into CNNs, which makes it easy to use superpixels with CNNs in an end-to-end fashion. Our proposed method hierarchically groups pixels at downsampling layers and generates superpixels. Our method can be plugged into many existing architectures without a change in their feed-forward path because our method does not use superpixels in the feed-forward path but use them to recover the lost resolution instead of bilinear upsampling. As a result, our method preserves detailed information such as object boundaries in the form of superpixels even when the model contains downsampling layers. We evaluate our method on several tasks such as semantic segmentation, superpixel segmentation, and monocular depth estimation, and confirm that it speeds up modern architectures and/or improves their prediction accuracy in these tasks.
Long-slit cross-dispersion spectroscopy for Hyperion UV space telescope

Molecular clouds are a crucial stage in the lifecycle of a star, and the far ultraviolet (FUV) spectral range is a prime observation band. Hyperion is an FUV space telescope that investigates the birth clouds of stars using a high-resolution spectrometer. To meet the scientific requirements, we developed and evaluated a spectrometer that covers the 140.5 to 164.5 nm wavelength range with a spectral resolution higher than 30,000. We employed on-axis and on-plane dispersive optic layouts to control the aberration from a large aspect ratio slit (10 arcmin × 2.5 arcsec, aspect ratio R = 240). The cross-dispersion isolates three orders from the echelle grating (n = − 19, −18, and −17), and the subsequent two-mirror freeform imaging optics form a two-dimensional spectral distribution on a 50 mm × 50 mm detector array. The geometrical and spectral performances of this innovative design are evaluated.
Association of Age-Specific 2020 Florida COVID-19 Rates With Population Age Distribution and Presidential Preference.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether county age distribution is associated with age-specific COVID-19 infection, emergency department, hospitalization, and mortality rates. DESIGN: Florida's 2020 COVID-19 cases are summarized into age-specific county rates and supplemented with socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and 2020 presidential voting results to assess the association of population age structure and political choices with age-specific COVID-19 infection, emergency, hospitalization, and mortality rates. RESULTS: Younger counties experienced higher under-25 infection rates, as well as higher over-64 infection, emergency, and hospitalization rates. Older counties experienced reduced infection rates for all ages and decreased over-64 emergency and hospitalization rates. Trump's vote share was associated with higher infection rates for all and higher over-64 emergency, hospitalization, and mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS: Younger counties experience higher COVID-19 infection rates for all residents, with elevated morbidity risks among seniors. Older counties had lower COVID-19 infection, emergency, and hospitalization rates. Age-specific messaging may help slow pandemic spread.
Outcomes after a Digital Behavior Change Intervention to Improve Trauma Triage: An Analysis of Medicare Claims.

ABSTRACT Background Under-triage in trauma remains prevalent, in part because of decisions made by physicians at non-trauma centers. We developed two digital behavior change interventions to recalibrate physician heuristics (pattern recognition), and randomized 688 emergency medicine physicians to use the interventions or to a control. In this observational follow-up, we evaluated whether exposure to the interventions changed physician performance in practice. Methods We obtained 2016 – 2018 Medicare claims for severely injured patients, linked the names of trial participants to National Provider Identifiers (NPIs), and identified claims filed by trial participants for injured patients presenting to non-trauma centers in the year before and after their trial. The primary outcome measure was the triage status of severely injured patients. Results We linked 670 (97%) participants to NPIs, identified claims filed for severely injured patients by 520 (76%) participants, and claims filed at non-trauma centers by 228 (33%). Most participants were white (64%), male (67%), and had more than three years of experience (91%). Patients had a median Injury Severity Score of 16 (IQR 16 – 17), and primarily sustained neuro-trauma. After adjustment, patients treated by physicians randomized to the interventions experienced less under-triage in the year after the trial than before (41% versus 58% [-17%], P = 0.015); patients treated by physicians randomized to the control experienced no difference in under-triage (49% versus 56% [-7%], P = 0.35). The difference-in-the-difference was non-significant (10%, P = 0.18). Conclusions It was feasible to track trial participants’ performance in national claims. Sample size limitations constrained causal inference about the effect of the interventions.
Indigenous Use of Mopane (Colophospermum mopane) in Northwestern Namibia

The ability of people to adapt to limited resources is particularly remarkable in areas dominated by only one plant species. In the case of one indigenous people of northwestern Namibia, the Himba, often the only readily available plant material is that of the mopane ( Colophospermum mopane) due to harsh soil and weather conditions. By interviewing various Himba in seven different compounds located around Epupa Falls, Namibia, I was able to grasp the wide usage and cultural importance of mopane. They use nearly every part of this tree for various purposes spanning from construction to pain relief clearly showing the Himba's ability to maximize its potential. From personal interaction, it was clear that not only is the mopane ingrained into their daily lifestyle, but also into the Himba culture, as the basis of religious communication with the afterlife. Additionally, based on observation of the area, the cultural importance of mopane for the Himba may unintentionally protect it, given the close relationship between the people and the tree. Based on its myriad of uses, mopane plays an important role in the preservation of a traditional culture that is at the brink of modernization. Introduction Northwestern Namibia, known as Kaokoland or the Kunene Region, is classified as a mopane savanna; low lying grasslands with a dominant tree population of mopane ( Colophospermum mopane) (Chidumayo & Gumbo 201 0). Mopane savanna covers a large area, extending from southwestern Angola and into Namibia as far south as Brandberg Mountain, the highest peak in Namibia (Hogan & McGinley 2008). Poor soil conditions and annual rainfall between 60mm and 200mm make mopane the dominant plant life in ~ 2Google Mopane Use 23 certain areas (Hogan & McGinley 2008). The highest biodiversity in the region occurs around water resources, of which the only permanent river is the Kunene along the Namibia-Angola border (Hogan & McGinley 2008). The most numerous native people of this area with a population of less than 30,000, the Himba, rely heavily on this tree as one of their few and valuable resources (Lesieur 2010). For the Himba, livestock is the primary and often sole source of income (Barnett & Hume 2012), but the domestic material used in many cases is mopane. Their traditional lifestyle is being threatened by some aspects of modernization, such as the potential damming of the Kunene River (Lang 2007). However, with a growing tourism industry, there is incentive to maintain traditional practices, including the use of mopane both for practical and religious reasons (Lesieur 2010). The mopane tree is integrated into most aspects of Himba life, from the base of every architectural structure to the medium for communication with their ancestors (Malan 1995). This strong relationship between Himba and mopane reflects an ancient culture that has survived civil war, unfavorable climate conditions, and now, modernization.
Functional/Dysfunctional Consumer Behavior: A Normative Framework for Public Policy

This paper develops a conceptual framework to (1) define functional/dysfunctional consumer behavior based on the medical concept of clinical adjustment and (2) classifies functional/dysfunctional consumer behaviors based on risk perception/risk reduction theory. A dvsfunctional consumer behavior is conceptualized as a significant and negative deviation from the norm along a specific behavior dimension involving risk reduction. The concept of dysfunctional consumer behavior is operationalized as a z-formula in which a particular consumer score along a risk dimension is compared with the norm. The norm of the risk dimension is obtained from a large sample of consumers, and specification of the directionality of the scores (functional versus dysfunctional) is obtained from a sample of "educated" consumers. Public policy implications are discussed in the context of minority consumers.
The role of procedural justice in the delivery of services

Abstract Two field studies examined the role of procedural justice in the delivery of services. Waiting time and waiting procedures, two dimensions of procedural justice, and their effects on customers' reactions, were studied. In Study 1, 135 customers of two fast-food restaurants were surveyed about their service experience and perceptions of justice. The restaurants used two different types of waiting procedures, single-line systems and multiple-line systems. Study 2 consisted of a field experiment in which 102 customers of a bookstore filled out a survey regarding their service experience. The line system was switched systematically between a single-line and a multiple-line system. Although no differences in actual wait time existed, results of both studies show that customers in a single-line system perceived wait time to be shorter. Furthermore, perceived wait time and perceptions of the waiting procedures predicted customers' reactions to the waiting experience. An interaction between the two procedural justice dimensions was observed in Study 2, indicating that customers' reactions to the wait were more positive when perceived wait time was short and the waiting procedures were perceived as adequate. Results are discussed from the perspectives of organizational justice and waiting expectations.
Transit-based smart parking in the San Francisco bay area, California : Assessment of user demand and behavioral effects

This paper presents early findings from an application of advanced parking technologies to increase effective parking capacity at a transit station during the first half of 2004 in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It begins with an extensive review of the literature related to transit-based smart parking management systems to illustrate the range of system configurations and their potential travel, economic, and environmental effects. Two important conclusions from this review are that the lack of parking spaces at transit stations may be a significant constraint to transit use and that pretrip information and perhaps en route information on parking availability at transit stations may increase transit use. A survey of commuters at the Rockridge Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station was implemented to gain insight into parking information needs, the travel effects of a new monthly paid parking program, and the potential travel effects of a smart parking service. First, it was found that a potential market existed for a daily paid parking information service among current and new riders with relatively high incomes, high automobile availability, and variable work locations and schedules. Second, the current monthly reserved paid parking service might have increased the frequency of BART use among subscribers, but it might not have reduced net auto travel for two reasons: subscribers appear to have switched to BART for their main commute mode from carpool, bus, and bike modes; and subscribers might have increased their use of the drive-alone mode to access the BART station.
Calcium deficiency and food deprivation improve the response of chickens to acute heat stress

The tolerance of chickens to acute heat stress may be modified by diet. Broiler chickens fed calcium-adequate (0.90% Ca) or -deficient (0.45% or 0.15% Ca) diets were either fed or not fed for 24 h and exposed to increasing temperatures (from 24 to 41 degrees C). Diets were fed for 7 d before heat stress in Experiment 1 and for 14 d before heat stress in Experiment 2. Body temperature, blood ionized Ca, pH, pCO2, plasma inorganic phosphate and total Ca were determined. During heat stress, Ca+2 and inorganic phosphate were depressed in all treatments. Feeding the 0.45% Ca diet for 7 d reduced hyperthermic body temperature of fed chickens but had no effect on body temperature of unfed chickens relative to the groups fed 0.90% Ca. No further improvement in body temperature response to heat stress was obtained by lowering the dietary Ca level to 0.15% or extending the feeding period to 14 d. Food deprivation was more effective in counteracting the heat-induced rise in body temperature than a dietary Ca deficiency. Heat-induced changes in body temperature, Ca+2, inorganic phosphate and blood pH were highly correlated (P < 0.001). The change in Ca+2 followed a pattern similar to that of changes in body temperature, but changes in inorganic phosphate seemed to be more indicative of changes in pH. Control birds fed 0.90% Ca exhibited the highest changes in Ca+2 and body temperature values. Feeding Ca-deficient diets reduced changes in both Ca+2 and body temperature. Unfed birds, regardless of dietary Ca level, showed the lowest changes in Ca+2 and body temperature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Self-Image Congruence as a Model of Consumer Attitude Formation and Behavior: A Conceptual Review and Guide for Future Research

Over thirty consumer research studies have assessed the impact of a consumer’s image of a product relative to his or her own self-image. Self-congruence models of attitude formation and subsequent behavior are still sparsely used, however. This is somewhat surprising given the prevalence of the self-concept in psychological and behavioral research.1 This paper addresses some important conceptual issues of self-congruity research within consumer behavior and in light of the most recent empirical findings and suggests key areas of further research.
In situ evaluation of container corrosion in sodium- sulphur batteries

Recent improvements in container materials for Na/S cells (central sodium type) have led to greatly enhanced cell life and performance. Although problems with rapidly decreasing capacity are no longer observed, cells appear to exhibit a slowly increasing resistance with time. This paper describes anin situ technique for assessing the electrical stability of various container materials and determining the extent that corrosion processes influence cell resistance changes. Potentials within the sulphur electrodes of operating cells were measured over prolonged cycling times. Results indicate that chromized steel possesses excellent electrical stability compared to 347 stainless steel and that container corrosion accounts for only a fraction of the increase in total cell resistance.
Reshaping early childhood intervention to be a more effective weapon against poverty

Despite 30 years of anti-poverty programs in the United States, poverty in the United States has intensified. One such program, Head Start, demonstrated that it is possible to enhance the educational outcomes of poor children. Updated and improved, Head Start has the potential to become a more successful weapon against poverty. Inadequate funding, quality problems and lack of socioeconomic integration have plagued Head Start since its inception, sometimes reducing in practice the effectiveness of an otherwise sound concept. Head Start needs to be improved in numerous ways, through increased funding, year-round programs with longer hours, more parent participation, and, most of all, the extension of Head Start past the preschool years and into the elementary and middle grades. The most efficient and effective way to accomplish this last goal is to revamp and integrate the federal Chapter 1 Program, designed to improve academic achievement among economically and educationally deprived children from preschool to high school, into Head Start, focusing on preventive, comprehensive, parent-orientated services. (MDM) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** QO Po.nts of v.O. Or op.mon$ stated.n 00Cv. er mint 00 not nG1411,tly monment othc,II U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Once of Educanonal Resetwen and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Yjn.s document nos been neproduceo as reCompa from It* 011,10M Of ofganizahon oncsnenn9 4t Mmot chanes Sane been mad* to .mpove rProdUCI.O CM/My OERI Position or pact(
The Structure of Organizational Earnings Inequality

This article examines the organizational correlates of earnings inequality using data from the National Organizations Study. The authors conceptualize earnings inequality within organizations as comprising two distinct components: within- and between-occupations earnings dispersion. The authors test three sets of hypotheses about the determinants of organizational earnings inequality. These are related to (a) an organization's context, (b) the organization's structure, and (c) the composition of the organization's labor force. The authors find that larger and more differentiated organizations are associated with greater inequality, but only within managerial occupations. Organizations with firm internal labor markets have less inequality between occupations. And, gender heterogeneity enhances inequality between as well as within occupations.
Causal attributions for behaviors consistent or inconsistent with an actor's personality traits: Differences between those offered by actors and observers

Abstract The present research was designed to investigate differences in the attributions offered from the actor's perspective and the observer's perspective. It was predicted that causal attributions for behaviors inconsistent with an actor's personality traits would be more situational when offered from the actor's perspective than when offered from the observer's perspective. In contrast, it was predicted that causal attributions for behaviors consistent with an actor's personality traits would be more dispositional when offered from the actor's perspective than when offered from the observer's perspective. Consistent with these hypotheses, extraverts explained introverted behaviors and introverts explained extraverted behaviors more situationally from the actor's perspective than from the observer's perspective. Furthermore, extraverts explained extraverted behaviors and introverts explained introverted behaviors more dispositionally from the actor's perspective than from the observer's perspective. These differences in the attributions offered by actors and observers were attenuated but not eliminated when attributors had access to useful situational information with which to apply the discounting principle.
Asymmetric dihydroxylation of squalene

Abstract The asymmetric dihydroxylation of squalene was studied using the new ligand (DHQD) 2 -PHAL. Moderate positional selectivity for the 2,3-olefin was observed with high % ee.
Integrating advance demand information in supply chain contracts

Advance demand information (ADI) obtained from customers could be extremely valuable in optimizing production and inventory decisions in supply chains. This research investigates how this information can be integrated into an options-futures contract to determine optimal production and inventory decisions in a supply chain. Using optimization models, we investigate the interaction between the quality of the ADI and decisions to exercise the options. Our results could be useful in designing optimal contract structures that promote sharing of ADI.
Computing cube roots when a fast square root is available

Abstract When a fast square root is available, it may be advantageous to use it to assist in the evaluation of cube roots. Several iteration methods are developed for computing cube roots, some of which should be superior to the conventional Newton's method in certain situations.
Universal LC-MS method for minimized carryover in a discovery bioanalytical setting.

Background: A frequent impediment to accurate quantitation in bioanalytical LC–MS arises from carryover. For many new chemical entities in drug discovery carryover is not limited to the autosampler, but instead arises from several different sources. Method: We tested several different columns, injector wash sequences and gradient compositions to understand and eliminate these sources. In many instances carryover was dictated by the elution gradient and column as much as the autosampler hardware and wash protocol. Conclusion: Several trends were observed. First, different columns resulted in significantly different amounts of carryover (even for nominally the same column chemistry). Second, a continuous high organic wash of the column was not as effective at removing carryover as cycling between high and low organic mobile phases during the column wash. Combining our observations (column, gradient and autosampler configuration) we devised a short 3-min method that is appropriate for a diverse set of new ch...
Nigrostriatal and nigrothalamic fibers in the rhesus monkey

Lesions in caudal parts of the substantia nigra (SN) produced in 11 monkeys were localized to lateral, medial and central regions. Resulting degeneration was studied by the Wiitanen technic in transverse and sagittal sections. Ascending nigral efferents project into Forel's field H where they divide into medial and lateral bundles. Fibers of the medial bundle terminate in portions of the ventral lateral (VLm) and ventral anterior (VAmc) thalamic nuclei. Quantitatively larger numbers of fibers project laterally dorsal to, and within, the subthalamic nucleus. These nigral efferents traverse the internal capsule and globus pallidus to enter the putamen (P) and parts of the caudate nucleus (CN). Nigral efferent fibers in the globus pallidus appeared entirely en passage. The location of degeneration in the putamen appeared related to the part of the SN destroyed. An apparent correspondence exists between: (1) lateral parts of SN and dorsal regions of P, and (2) medial parts of SN and ventral regions of P. The pars reticularis of SN gives rise to nigrothalamic fibers while nigrostriatal fibers arise from the pars compacta. Data suggest that reciprocal topographic relationships may exist between nigrostriatal and strionigral projections and that these fibers appear to form a closed feedback loop concerned with dopamine transport. Lesions in SN concomitantly interrupt large numbers of corticotegmental and corticothalamic fibers.
The Congressional Debates on the 19th Amendment: Jurisdictional Rhetoric and the Assemblage of the US Body Politic

Through its analysis of the rhetorical means by which the US Congress overcame jurisdictional objections to federal action on the issue of woman suffrage, this essay argues that the stasis of jurisdiction operates as a mode of assemblage of discourses, institutions, and populations. In Congress, the woman suffrage issue helped re-organize federal and state prerogatives over the management of racial and ethnic relations at home and US leadership abroad. Thus, from a governmental perspective women did not emerge as constituents but as tools of public policy. As a legislative precedent, the 19th Amendment debates prompt critical attention to the particular constraints that the discourses of state institutions pose for feminist political change.