cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analyzing the Effects of Insuring Health Risks

This paper quantitatively evaluates the trade-off between the provision of social insurance and the incentives to maintain good health through costly investments of labor market and health insurance policies. Our study is motivated by recent US legislation that has tightened regulations on wage discrimination against workers with poorer health status (such as the 2008 amendment of the Americans with Disability Act from 1990, the ADAAA) and that prohibits health insurance companies from charging different premiums for workers of different health (a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, PPACA, that went in effect in 2014). To do so we construct and estimate (using PSID and MEPS data) a dynamic model of health investments and health insurance in which the cross-sectional health distribution evolves endogenously and is shaped by labor market and health insurance policies.The static gains from better insurance against poor health induced by these policies are traded off against their adverse dynamic incentive effects on household efforts to lead a healthy life. In our quantitative analysis we find that although the competitive equilibrium features too little consumption insurance and a combination of both policies is effective in providing such insurance period by period, it is suboptimal (from an ex-ante welfare perspective) to introduce both policies jointly since such a policy innovation severely undermines the incentives to lead healthier lives and thus induces a more rapid deterioration of the cohort health distribution over time. This effect more than offsets the static gains from better consumption insurance so that expected discounted lifetime utility is lower under both policies, relative to implementing one policy in isolation.
Rhodesian Censorship: The Role of the Media in the Making of a One-Party State

CENSORSHIP, IN ONE FORM or another, has prevailed in Rhodesia since the Rhodesian Front came to power in 1963. As a result, white Rhodesians read in their local newspapers only what the press is allowed to reveal and they see and hear on their state-controlled radio and television only what is 'slanted in the interests of Rhodesia'. Under these circumstances, it is hardly surprising that a people who are not generally given to intellectual enquiry or dissent should have become, as the Johannesburg Sunday Times put it, 'the most brain-washed national group in modern times'. The achievement of this result was an unqualified success for Rhodesian Front propagandists; and it was also an essential prerequisite for the making of a one-party state. Although full censorship was not enacted until the proclamation of the emergency powers accompanying the unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) on 11 November 1965, the groundwork for this coup was carefully laid during the first two years of Rhodesian Front rule. Initially the attack was a two-pronged one, aimed at securing complete control of radio and television while waging a campaign of intimidation to destroy the credibility of the press: in particular, the daily newspapers, the Rhodesia Herald and the Bulawayo Chronicle (with their Sunday equivalents) controlled by the Rhodesian Printing and Publishing Company, a subsidiary of the Argus Press of South Africa. The strategy of the attack was to justify state control of the broadcasting service on the basis of restoring a balance with the 'monopoly' press. Although no previous government had found it necessary to take such a measure, the Rhodesian Front's case was that theirs was the first Rhodesian government not to have the support of the local press. While it was undeniably true that the Argus Press had always given loyal support to the old Establishment-the Huggins, Welensky, Whitehead parties that had ruled the country over the previous generation-there was less substance to the charge of it being a monopoly press; at least not until the Smith regime brought about this situation themselves by forcing the closure of most of the alternatives, including the African Daily News, the liberal Central African Examiner, a number of churchbased papers, African nationalist publications and a right-wing journal, Property and Finance, critical of the regime's 'Mafia tactics' against their opposition. The Rhodesian Front's competing venture, Newsfront, a propaganda sheet
Characterization of Microcrystalline Transition from Amorphous Silicon as a Function of Hydrogen Dilution and Substrate Temperature of Hot-wire CVD

a-Si:H films were prepared by hot wire chemical vapor deposition. One group was deposited at a substrate temperature of Ts=250°C with varied hydrogen-dilution ratio, 0<R<10; the other group was deposited with fixed R=3 but a varied Ts from 150 to 550°C. IR, Raman and PL spectra were studied. The Raman results indicate that there is a threshold value for the microstructure transition from a- to μc-Si. The threshold is found to be R ≈ 2 at Ts = 250°C and Ts ≈ 200°C at R=3. The IR absorption of Si-H at 640 cm-1 was used to calculate the hydrogen content, CH. CH decreased monotonically when either R or Ts increased. The Si-H stretching mode contains two peaks at 2000 and 2090 cm-1. The ratio of the integral absorption peaks I2090/(I2090+I2090) showed a sudden increase at the threshold of microcrystallinity. At the same threshold, the PL features also indicate a sudden change from a- to μc-Si., i.e. the low energy PL band becomes dominant and the PL total intensity decreases. We attribute the above IR and PL changes to the contribution of microcrystallinity, especially the c-Si gain-boundaries.
Direct Imaging of Compressive Failure Zones in Rigid-Rod Polymer Fibers

Fibers of rigid-rod polymers are comparatively weak in compression with deformation occurring by strain localization into kink bands. Here, we present an ultrastructural study of the deformation processes accompanying kink formation in fibers of poly(paraphenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBZT) and poly(paraphenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBZO). Lateral packing between chains is maintained after shear deformation. The local strain is heterogeneous and has been analyzed in detail. Observation of sharp, high angle tilt boundaries confirms a deformation mechanism which involves kinking of individual polymer chains. A model of the micromechanisms involved in kinking is proposed.
Low-Reynolds Number Wing Response to an Oscillating Freestream with and without Feed Forward Control

The unsteady lift of a low Reynolds number wing in an oscillating freestream is documented in terms of its amplitude and phase. The phase variation of the lift relative to the freestream velocity shows a larger phase difference than predicted by classical unsteady flow theory. A constant time delay between the lift and the actuator was observed to be τ + =tdelayU/c = 5.3 when normalized by the freestream speed and chord. Feed forward control of pulsed-jet actuators is used to modulate the lift coefficient of the wing, in an attempt to suppress the lift oscillations. Suppression of the fluctuating lift at the fundamental frequency was partially successful, but additional “noise” was added to harmonics of the lift signal by the controller.
Nanodiamond Nanofluids for Enhanced Thermal Conductivity

Deaggregation of oxidized ultradispersed diamond (UDD) in dimethylsulfoxide followed by reaction with glycidol monomer, purification via aqueous dialysis, and dispersion in ethylene glycol (EG) base fluid affords nanodiamond (ND)–poly(glycidol) polymer brush:EG nanofluids exhibiting 12% thermal conductivity enhancement at a ND loading of 0.9 vol %. Deaggregation of UDD in the presence of oleic acid/octane followed by dispersion in light mineral oil and evaporative removal of octane gives ND·oleic acid:mineral oil dispersions exhibiting 11% thermal conductivity enhancement at a ND loading of 1.9 vol %. Average particle sizes of ND additives, determined by dynamic light scattering, are, respectively, ca. 11 nm (in H2O) and 18 nm (in toluene). Observed thermal conductivity enhancements outperform enhancement effects calculated using Maxwell’s effective medium approximation by 2- to 4-fold. Covalent ND surface modification gives 2-fold greater thermal conductivity enhancement than ND surface modification via ...
The Risk Factors of Nursing Home Entry Among Residents of Six Continuingcommunities

We identified client characteristics related to nursing home entry for 3,316 residents of six continuing care retirement communities with a longitudinal dataset that follows an initially healthy entry cohort for up to 15 years. The Cox Proportional Hazards Model was used for the analysis of survival data that includes censored data. We calculated hazard indices for residents with different characteristics to show the independent effect of these variables on the probability of nursing home entry. Seven variables emerged as statistically significant covariates: sex, marital status, roommate status, entry year into the community, entry age into the community, number of hospitalizations, and community of residence. The community of residence, which in large part reflects system effects on nursing home entry, was found to be the single most important variable explaining variance in the data. Tobit analysis was used to examine the factors associated with multiple nursing home entries and total days per year spent in a nursing home. With a few exceptions, most of the variables listed above were also significant correlates of multiple entries and total days per year spent in a nursing home.
COMBINING COASTAL DESIGN-FLOOD ELEVATIONS AND SEA LEVEL RISE PROJECTIONS

Design-flood elevations with associated exceedance probabilities are often determined for coastal projects. Rising sea level introduces another design consideration that needs to be combined with the design-flood level. However, most sea level projections do not have exceedance probabilities that can be used in conjunction with the design flood to obtain total flood elevations with exceedance probabilities. This paper shows how to combine design-flood elevations with sea level rise projections that have exceedance probabilities, such as those of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (Bindoff et al 2007) or Houston (2012a), to obtain total elevations at desired exceedance probabilities over particular intervals.
Intracellular signal transduction in four dimensions: from molecular design to physiology.

Designed fluorescent indicators are the basis for a major new technique in cell physiology, the quantitative measurement and dynamic imaging of intracellular concentrations of important ions and me...
Regulation of the T-box transcription factor Tbx3 by the tumour suppressor microRNA-206 in breast cancer.

The Tbx3 transcription factor is over-expressed in breast cancer, where it has been implicated in proliferation, migration and regulation of the cancer stem cell population. The mechanisms that regulate Tbx3 expression in cancer have not been fully explored. In this study, we demonstrate that Tbx3 is repressed by the tumour suppressor miR-206 in breast cancer cells. Bioinformatics prediction programmes and luciferase reporter assays were used to demonstrate that miR-206 negatively regulates Tbx3. We examined the impact of miR-206 on Tbx3 expression in breast cancer cells using miR-206 mimic and inhibitor. Gene/protein expression was examined by quantitative reverse-transcription–PCR and immunoblotting. The effects of miR-206 and Tbx3 on apoptosis, proliferation, invasion and cancer stem cell population was investigated by cell-death detection, colony formation, 3D-Matrigel and tumorsphere assays. In this study, we examined the regulation of Tbx3 by miR-206. We demonstrate that Tbx3 is directly repressed by miR-206, and that this repression of Tbx3 is necessary for miR-206 to inhibit breast tumour cell proliferation and invasion, and decrease the cancer stem cell population. Moreover, Tbx3 and miR-206 expression are inversely correlated in human breast cancer. Kaplan–Meier analysis indicates that patients exhibiting a combination of high Tbx3 and low miR-206 expression have a lower probability of survival when compared with patients with low Tbx3 and high miR-206 expression. These studies uncover a novel mechanism of Tbx3 regulation and identify a new target of the tumour suppressor miR-206. The present study identified Tbx3 as a novel target of tumour suppressor miR-206 and characterised the miR-206/Tbx3 signalling pathway, which is involved in proliferation, invasion and maintenance of the cancer stem cell population in breast cancer cells. Our results suggest that restoration of miR-206 in Tbx3-positive breast cancer could be exploited for therapeutic benefit.
A model of sliding wear of ceramics

A fracture mechanics analysis shows that a subsurface crack, acted upon by the stress field associated with an asperity contact, will extend out of its plane in a direction towards the surface of the wear piece. It is suggested that this effect is the first stage of debris formation in sliding wear of ceramics.
Introduction: The Great Debate — Free or Managed Markets?

What is the government’s proper role in the economy? Do free or managed markets best promote economic development? Who can best pick industrial winners and losers, the government or the private sector?
Caught in the Gap Between Status and No-Status: Lawful Presence Then and Now

Where the line is drawn between noncitizens who are incorporated into American society and those who are not has changed greatly over time, resulting in the creation of a gray area where certain immigrants fall between those with lawful immigration status and those with no status at all. These individuals are granted “lawful presence” which permits them to remain and work in the United States, but does not provide them with a path to citizenship. The number of people in this ambiguous category continues to grow and may dramatically expand again soon as President Obama recently exerted broad scale executive action in response to Congress’ refusal to reform immigration laws. This article looks at the ways immigration law grants lawful presence and the changing responses of the legal system in dealing with this “gap” between status and no-status. The recent exclusion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals from the Affordable Care Act and other essential health insurance programs serves as a case study to demonstrate how inconsistently laws handle this middle category of people today. The consequences of such a narrow division between who receives benefits and who does not is that the gap between status and no-status widens, encouraging state lawmakers to further discriminate against this group. I argue that the struggle over where the line should be drawn to decide which noncitizens should and should not have access to essential rights and benefits is exacerbated by the tension between a progressive President and a conservative Congress. In a system where the Executive branch may confer lawful presence but only Congress can confer lawful status, hundreds of thousands of people are caught in the gap. I conclude by arguing that as the number of people in this gray area continues to grow, courts should lean toward inclusion rather than exclusion of lawfully present noncitizens in resolving this tension in the law.
Feasibility analysis of the Power-to-Gas concept in the future Swiss power system

This paper presents a qualitative and quantitative feasibility analysis of the Power-to-Gas (PtG) technology in the future Swiss power grid which will be characterized by a significant share of intermittent renewable energy sources. The focus is placed on establishing a resolution to effectively integrate renewable energy sources (RES) into Swiss power grid through energy storage systems including pumped hydro storage (PHS) and PtG, which is commonly known to offer the advantage of a long-term storage over other storage options. The resolution will be presented through the analysis of designed scenarios that reflect the current and future energy profile of Switzerland, and will utilize the strength of a model predictive controller (MPC) with respect to the optimized dispatch of storage capacity including the existing PHS and the proposed PtG plants in addition thereto.
Characterization of the strength of support structures used in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V

Abstract Support structures are required in powder bed fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing of metallic components with overhanging structures in order to reinforce and anchor the part, preventing warping during fabrication. In this study, we tested the tensile structural strength of support structures with four different 2-dimensional lattice geometries by fabricating samples composed of solid material on the bottom, followed by support material in the middle, followed by solid material on the top. The support structure regions were fabricated with a lower linear heat input than the solid material, providing deliberate geometrical stress concentrations to enable the removal of support material after processing. These samples were subjected to tension in the vertical direction to measure the strengths of the support structure-solid material interfaces. Two strengths were computed: an effective structural strength defined as the total force that the structure withstood normalized by the full cross-sectional area, and a ligament structural strength, defined as the effective structural strength normalized by the density of the solid material, thereby ignoring the volume of the surrounding powder and voids that do not contribute to the strength of the lattice. The effective structural strength was 14–32% of the strength of fully dense Ti-6Al-4V made by PBF and the ligament structural strength was 34–49% of the strength of fully dense material. These interface strengths are lower than that of fully-dense material due to the stress concentrations at the support structure-solid material interfaces, not any intrinsic difference in the intrinsic strength of support structure versus solid material. These results can be used to tailor the support structure geometry to balance sufficient anchoring strength during fabrication and ease of part removal and subsequent machining during post-processing.
Comparison of specific blue and green fluorescence in cataractous versus normal human lens fractions.

PURPOSE The authors compared the specific green and blue fluorescence levels in soluble and insoluble fractions (cortical and nuclear) extracted from cataractous lenses with those corresponding to clear lenses and tried to establish the nature of the role of extrinsic fluorophores in cataractogenesis. METHODS Laser-induced fluorescence was measured with an optical-fiber sensor. The specific fluorescence was evaluated as the ratio of the fluorescence intensity to the protein concentration. Four brunescent, three pure nuclear, and four mixed nuclear-subcapsular cataractous lenses were investigated. RESULTS Specific blue fluorescence levels in cataractous fractions were similar to those in clear lens fractions, except for the insoluble nuclear fractions in which the levels were slightly lower. The specific green fluorescence in the soluble cataractous fractions showed marked increases compared with the clear lens fractions of similar ages. The insoluble cataractous fractions had similar (cortical fractions) or slightly lower (nuclear fractions) specific green fluorescence levels compared with the normal lens fractions. CONCLUSIONS The similarity in blue fluorescence levels suggests that the blue fluorophore(s), although increasing in concentration with age, are not indicators of cataractogenesis and may not play an active role in opacification. The levels of specific green fluorescence indicate either a dramatic increase in the fluorescence quantum efficiency and/or an increase in the number of fluorescent sites per protein unit. The green-to-blue ratios were greater by a factor of as much as six in all cataractous soluble fractions versus clear ones. This suggests an accelerated formation of the green fluorescent species in cataractous tissues.
Slack-based heuristics for constraint satisfaction scheduling

In this paper, we define and empirically evaluate new heuristics for solving the job shop scheduling problem with non-relaxable time windows. The hypothesis underlying our approach is that by approaching the problem as one of establishing sequencing constraints between pairs of operations requiring the same resource (as opposed to a problem of assigning start times to each operation) and by exploiting previously developed analysis techniques for limiting search through the space of possible sequencing decisions, simple, localized look-ahead techniques can yield problem solving performance comparable to currently dominating techniques that rely on more sophisticated analysis of resource contention. We define a series of attention focusing heuristics based on simple analysis of the temporal flexibility associated with different sequencing decisions, and a similarly motivated heuristic for determining how to sequence a given operation pair. Performance results are reported on a suite of benchmark problems previously investigated by two advanced approaches, and our simplified look-ahead analysis techniques are shown to provide comparable problem solving leverage at reduced computational cost.
Structured Abstracts for the IEEE Transactions on Education

As a journal for publication of significant and original scholarly contributions to education in fields within the scope of interest of IEEE, the goal of the IEEE Transactions on Education is to support advancement and improvement in the documentation and conduct of educational research. In 2013, the journal made significant progress in its continuing efforts to achieve its goal with the publication of review criteria in three areas of scholarship: application, discovery, and integration [1] , [2] . Now, in 2018, the journal takes another step with the requirement of structured abstracts for all manuscripts considered for peer review. Starting with the issue published in May 2018, the journal requires that the abstract for every manuscript be written within a structured form—an abstract divided into specified sections. The purpose of this editorial is to present the rationale and expectations for structured abstracts.
High-fidelity simulation increases pharmacy resident perceived competence during medical emergencies

Abstract Introduction Our objective was to assess postgraduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy resident perceived competence during medical emergencies before and after implementation of a longitudinal simulation training curriculum. Methods At the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center, PGY1 pharmacy residents serve as primary code team responders for code blue, code sepsis, and code stroke, among other medical emergencies. In 2015, the UCSF Residency Training Program implemented a longitudinal simulation curriculum for PGY1 pharmacy residents. Throughout the residency year, residents participated in four simulation lab sessions that addressed various medical emergencies. To assess the impact that the simulation curriculum had on resident perceived competence during medical emergencies, a 19-question survey (13 clinical questions and six control questions) was distributed to the residents at the end of the residency year. Resident responses from the 2015 to 2016 and 2016 to 2017 surveys were compared to a control residency class from 2014 to 2015 who did not undergo the simulation curriculum. Results Simulation-trained PGY1 pharmacy residents reported significantly greater perceived competence in five of the twelve medical emergency scenarios (acute coronary syndromes, symptomatic bradycardia, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, and cardiac arrest) as compared to non-simulation-trained controls. In addition, the PGY1 pharmacy residents felt that their performance as a clinical pharmacist would significantly improve as a result of the simulation curriculum. Conclusions Incorporation of a longitudinal simulation curriculum into PGY1 pharmacy resident training can positively impact resident self-reported competence when performing essential pharmacist functions during medical emergencies.
On the Role of Ontologies in Information Extraction

The ubiquity of unstructured/semi-structured data in business decision-making presents a unique challenge as data management methods developed for structured data are not directly applicable. While such non-traditional data have already become part of many organizations’ product/service offerings; most data managers admit that they lack the capability to leverage such data assets to elicit meaningful information. In this context, we discuss the use of Information Extraction (IE) methodologies to aid in the decision making process that utilizes un/semi-structured data. We focus on knowledge-based IE methodologies that are particularly suitable for business domains characterized by few subject matter experts’ tacit and uncodified domain knowledge. Ontologies that encapsulate and represent domain knowledge can play a key role in enabling knowledge-based IE. In this article we conduct a comprehensive review of the extant literature on Ontology-Based Information Extraction (OBIE) and articulate four different roles ontologies play in such knowledge-based IE systems. We discuss these various roles of ontologies in relation to the various IE phases and illustrate them with a case study involving IT service contracts, which is an example of a OBIE system. Finally, we discuss open research issues related to the use of ontologies, evaluation metrics, and applications of IE in decision-making.
Is a Hypertension Diagnosis Associated With Improved Dietary Outcomes Within 2 to 4 Years? A Fixed-Effects Analysis From the China Health and Nutrition Survey.

Background Evidence shows that dietary factors play an important role in blood pressure. However, there is no clear understanding of whether hypertension diagnosis is associated with dietary modifi...
Pulmonary Hypertension and Thoracic Surgery: Impact and Treatment Options

The purpose of this paper is to review updates to the definition of pulmonary hypertension (PH), its diagnosis, and management. New treatment options, the role of mechanical support, outcome studies, and intraoperative management will be emphasized. The definition of PH has been recently changed, with a decrease in the qualifying mean pulmonary artery pressure and the addition of pulmonary vascular resistance. There have been minor changes to PH classifications. Some new medications are available to treat PH, and new associations between drugs and PH have been discovered. Recommended intraoperative management strategies are included. Updated outcome studies are discussed, as well as the potential role of mechanical devices for managing PH patients during or after thoracic surgery. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) comprises a complex group of pathologies that can be difficult to identify and care for perioperatively. Caring for patients with PH requires cardiovascular management expertise, familiarity with medicines used to treat PH, and the ability to accurately interpret diagnostic data and hemodynamic monitors.
Establishment of a Replicon System for Bourbon Virus and Identification of Small Molecules that Efficiently Inhibit Virus Replication

ABSTRACT Bourbon virus (BRBV) was first isolated from a patient hospitalized at the University of Kansas Hospital in 2014. Since then, several deaths have been reported to be caused by BRBV infection in the Midwest and Southern United States. BRBV is a tick-borne virus that is widely carried by lone star ticks. It belongs to genus Thogotovirus of the Orthomyxoviridae family. Currently, there are no treatments or vaccines available for BRBV or thogotovirus infection caused diseases. In this study, we reconstituted a replicon reporter system, composed of plasmids expressing the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) complex (PA, PB1 and PB2), nucleocapsid (NP) protein, and a reporter gene flanked by the 3’ and 5’ UTR of the envelope glycoprotein (GP) genome segment. By using the luciferase reporter, we screened a few small molecule compounds of anti-endonuclease that inhibited the nicking activity by parvovirus B19 (B19V) NS1, as well as FDA-approved drugs targeting the RdRP of influenza virus. Our results demonstrated that myricetin, and an anti-B19V NS1 nicking inhibitor, efficiently inhibited the RdRP activity of BRBV and virus replication. The IC50 and EC50 of myricetin are 2.22 μM and 4.6 μM, respectively, in cells. Myricetin had minimal cytotoxicity in cells, and therefore the therapeutic index of the compound is high. In conclusion, the BRBV replicon system is a useful tool to study viral RNA replication and to develop antivirals, and myricetin may hold promise in treatment of BRBV infected patients.
Evaluating the Impact of Operating Energy Reduction Measures on Embodied Energy

Abstract Annually, 48% of the global energy is used by buildings in their construction, operation, and maintenance, causing significant damage to the environment due to the resulting greenhouse gas emissions. During their life cycles, buildings use energy in the form of embodied energy (EE) and operating energy (OE). In a conventional building, EE accounts for 10–20% of a building’s life cycle energy (LCE), while OE accounts for 80–90%. As a result, the building sector has taken several measures to reduce OE in buildings. These OE reducing measures fail to account for the subsequent increase in EE and might cause an increase in the building’s overall LCE. A systematic review of the literature shows limited research that comprehensively evaluates the impact of design measures aimed at OE reduction on EE for different construction assemblies. In this study, we quantify and compare trade-offs on EE demand, caused by OE reduction measures for eight different building wall assemblies across four climatic zones within the United States. The EE and OE demands of the ASHRAE 90.1–2016 benchmark model and its variations were computed using Tally™ and Autodesk® Green Building Studio® (GBS), respectively. The results helped us determine the EE factor (EE spent per unit of OE savings) for different OE reduction measures. Although the calculated EE factors vary across different climatic zones and construction assemblies, these factors show significant EE costs for different OE reduction measures. This knowledge could help inform the design of evolutionary and deep/machine learning-based algorithms to assess and optimize building energy use.
China and Africa: Opportunities, Challenges and Forging a Way Forward

Over the past decade, China has actively sought to strengthen its economic and diplomatic relationships throughout the African continent and, in the process, has drawn much praise and incited equal criticism. China’s recent expansion into Africa marks one of the most significant developments in Africa, drawing international attention not only because of its extent but also because of its exponential growth in the areas of trade, investment, diplomatic ties and aid. China became Africa’s third largest trading partner in 2004, with trade volumes rapidly increasing each year. Total trade between Africa and China reached $55.5 billion in 2006, an increase of nearly 40 percent from the prior year. Based on Beijing’s political will, this number seems poised to grow. President Hu Jintao affirmed his commitment to increasing trade and anticipates that increased economic cooperation between China and Africa would lead trade volumes to double, reaching $100 billion by 2010. China’s direct investment in Africa has shown similar levels of growth, increasing from $280 million in 2005 to $370 million in 2006, according to official statistics.
Fire test method for graphite fiber reinforced plastics

A potential problem in the use of graphite fiber reinforced resin matrix composites is the dispersal of graphite fibers during accidental fires. Airborne, electrically conductive fibers originating from the burning composites could enter and cause shorting in electrical equipment located in surrounding areas. A test method for assessing the burning characteristics of graphite fiber reinforced composites and the effectiveness of the composites in retaining the graphite fibers has been developed. The method utilizes a modified Ohio State University Rate of Heat Release apparatus. The equipment and the testing procedure are described. The application of the test method to the assessment of composite materials is illustrated for two resin matrix/graphite composite systems.
Diversity and production in European grasslands

An ecosystem that contains many different plant species is more productive and successful than one containing only a few. There has been much debate about the mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon. In a Perspective, David Tilman discusses the evidence (including new findings by Hector et al .) favoring the niche complementarity model in which certain combinations of species are able to use resources in the ecosystem more efficiently than if each species grew on its own.
Doubling algorithms for Toeplitz and related equations

A new class of doubling or halving algorithms for solving Toeplitz and related equations is presented. For scalar n by n Toeplitz matrices, they require O(n \log^{2}n) computations, similarly to the HGCD (half-greatest-common-divisor) based algorithm of Gustavson and Yun. However, these new algorithms are based on the notions of "shift" or displacement rank 1 \leq \alpha \leq n , an index of how close a matrix is to being Toeplitz, requiring O(\alpha^{d} n \log^{2}n) operations, ( d \leq 2 ). A basic version of a doubling algorithm for such "α-Toeplitz matrices" is presented, and the applications of these results to related problems are mentioned, such as the inversion of banded-, block- and Hankel matrices.
The calcium-ion-sensing receptor

The recent cloning, functional, morphologic, and genetic studies have established the CaSR as a vital component of the calcium homeostatic system. The CaSR provides both the sensing mechanism responsible for the regulation of parathyroid hormone secretion from parathyroid cells and the steep relationship between Ca2+ 0 and urinary calcium excretion in the kidney. The renal CaSR appears to provide the crucial “sensing” mechanism in the thick ascending limb and papillary collecting duct for integrating and balancing salt, water, and divalent mineral loss. Direct interactions of extracellular Ca2+ with the renal CaSR could explain in large part the disordered water metabolism (ie, nephrogenic diabetes insipidus) observed under pathologic states of hypercalcemia (eg, with primary hyperparathyroidism or associated with certain malignancies). The promise of addition of new calcimimetic agents to our therapeutic arsenal is an exciting prospect. The CaSR story provides an nice example of going from bench to bedside.
Effect of diets containing linoleic acid- or oleic acid-rich oils on ruminal fermentation and nutrient digestibility, and performance and fatty acid composition of adipose and muscle tissues of finishing cattle

Two trials were conducted to determine the effect of linoleic acid- or oleic acid-rich safflower oil on ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestion, feedlot performance, carcass characteristics, and fatty acid composition of adipose and muscle tissues of beef cattle. In both trials, cattle were fed a finishing diet based on barley grain, wheat silage, and alfalfa hay. Oils were fed at 5% of dietary DM. In a metabolism trial, four ruminally and duodenally cannulated Angus crossbred steers were subjected to linoleic acid-rich oil or oleic acid-rich oil in a crossover design with covariate periods (no oil supplementation). In a finishing trial, 16 individually fed Angus crossbred steers and heifers (eight per diet) received linoleic acid- or oleic acid-rich oils during the last 86 d of a 116-d feeding period. Ruminal pH, ammonia concentration, protozoal counts, major VFA concentrations, acetate-to-propionate ratio, polysaccharide-degrading activities, microbial N flow to the duodenum, and the efficiency of microbial N synthesis in the rumen were not affected (P = 0.18 to 0.96) by type of oil. Type of oil had no effect on total-tract apparent digestion of nutrients (P = 0.46 to 0.98). Ruminal true nutrient digestibilities did not differ between oils (P = 0.15 to 0.99), except that the linoleic acid-rich oil decreased (P = 0.05) NDF digestibility. Dry matter intake, ADG, G:F, and carcass characteristics did not differ (P = 0.11 to 0.84) between the two oils. Overall, the difference in dietary fatty acids provided to the cattle produced few changes in tissue fatty acids. Weight percentages of c9t11 CLA were unaltered by the addition of linoleic acid to the diet compared with oleic acid, probably as a result of low vaccenic acid production in the rumen, as the pathway of biohydrogenation was apparently primarily through the t10 pathway.
Design of a distributed localization algorithm to process angle-of-arrival measurements

This paper presents ANIM, a novel algorithm that uses angle-of-arrival (or bearing) measurements for relative positioning of networked, collaborating robots. The algorithm targets shortcomings of existing sensors (e.g., vulnerability of GPS to jamming) by providing a cheap, low-power alternative that can exploit existing, readily available communication equipment. The method is decentralized and iterative, with subgroups of three robots alternately estimating (i) orientation of the plane containing the robots and (ii) the direction of each edge between robots. Simulations demonstrate that ANIM converges reliably and provides accuracy sufficient for practical applications involving coordinated flying robots.
Kinetic waves in systems containing cobalt(II) and cysteine-like compounds

Summary Well-defined prewaves of cobalt are observed in its complex with borate in the presence of cysteine. The characteristics of the prewaves have been studied in the pH range 6.1–9.2. Below about pH 8, the prewave is caused by a complex of cobalt involving both the carboxylate and thiolate groups of cysteine. At higher pH, the complex with thiolate and uncharged amine becomes effective. No indication has been obtained that the complex is adsorbed at the potentials of the prewaves. The equilibria in systems containing cysteine, cobalt and borate are complex and a rate constant cannot be calculated. The situation is simpler with the ethyl ester of cysteine, in which the carboxylate is blocked. A rate constant, k, for the sequence: C o ( I I ) − E t − e s t e r → + 2 e C o ( O ) + E t − e s t e r → k + C o ( I I ) → from bulk C o ( I I ) − E t − e s t e r has been calculated and a value of 4.0·103 mole−1I sec−1 has been found at 25°. Cysteamine, like the ethyl ester, also forms a cobalt complex only with -S and NH2-groups, and gives prewaves. On the other hand, β-mercaptopronic and thioglycolic acid, which give prewaves of cobalt of complex appearance, can only form complexes with carboxylate and thiolate groups. Cobalt(III) hexammine chloride behaves like cobalt(II), taking into account the reduction of Co(III) to Co(II). The overvoltage of cobalt complexed to oxalate is very large and is greatly decreased by cysteine. However, no well-developed prewaves are observed.
NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL ANALYSIS OF THIN LASER-DRIVEN FLYER PLATES

When a short high-intensity laser pulse is transmitted through a small diameter optical fiber onto a thin metallic foil placed on the fiber end, the inner surface of the foil is explosively vaporized and the bulk of the flyer material is driven off at high velocities. Experiments have been performed, in which the foil velocity has been monitored with time, for a variety of energies, pulse lengths, and fiber diameters. We have compared the data with results of both analytical and computational investigations. The two-dimensional radiation hydrodynamics code, LASNEX, has been used to provide detailed predictions of the acceleration histories, taking into account the reflection, deposition, and re-radiation processes in the driving plasma. Careful comparison with data has increased our understanding of the governing processes. The late-time velocity of the flyer has been studied using a simple model employing global conservation of mass, momentum and energy in conjunction with the well-known Gurney theory for explosively driven flyer plates. Together, these techniques have allowed quite complete understanding of the phenomena, and it has been possible to match most of the features seen in the expanding body of experimental data.
Is right hemisphere decline in the perception of emotion a function of aging

The hypothesis that the right cerebral hemisphere declines more quickly than the left cerebral hemisphere in the normal aging process was tested using accuracy and intensity measures in a facial recognition test and using response time and response bias measures in a tachistoscopic paradigm. Elderly and younger men and women (N = 60) participated in both experiments. Experiment I required facial affect identification and intensity ratings of 50 standardized photographs of 5 affective categories: Happy, Neutral, Sad, Angry, and Fearful. The elderly were significantly less accurate in identifying facial affective valence. This effect was found using negative and neutral expressions. Results for happy expressions, however, were consistent with the younger group. In Experiment 2, age differences in hemispheric asymmetry were evaluated using presentation of affective faces in each visual field. Following prolonged experience with the affective stimuli during Experiment 1, the elderly showed heightened cerebral...
Retrograde influence of muscle fibers on their innervation revealed by a novel marker for slow motoneurons

Mammalian limb and trunk skeletal muscles are composed of muscle fibers that differ in contractile and molecular properties. They are commonly divided into four categories according to the myosin heavy chain that they express: I, IIA, IIX and IIB, ranging from slowest to fastest. Individual motor axons innervate tens of muscle fibers, nearly all of which are of the same type. The mechanisms accounting for this striking specificity, termed motor unit homogeneity, remain incompletely understood, in part because there have been no markers for motoneuron types. Here we show in mice that the synaptic vesicle protein SV2A is selectively localized in motor nerve terminals on slow (type I and small type IIA) muscle fibers; its close relatives, SV2B and SV2C, are present in all motor nerve terminals. SV2A is broadly expressed at birth; fast motoneurons downregulate its expression during the first postnatal week. An inducible transgene incorporating regulatory elements from the Sv2a gene permits selective labeling of slow motor units and reveals their composition. Overexpression of the transcriptional co-regulator PGC1α in muscle fibers, which converts them to a slow phenotype, leads to an increased frequency of SV2A-positive motor nerve terminals, indicating a fiber type-specific retrograde influence of muscle fibers on their innervation. This retrograde influence must be integrated with known anterograde influences in order to understand how motor units become homogeneous.
THE ATYPICAL COLITIDES

Collangenous colitis is a clinicopathologic syndrome characterized by (1) chronic watery diarrhea and crampy abdominal pain and (2) distinctive colorectal histopathology that includes a subepithelial collagen band, prominent chronic inflammation in the lamina propria, and increased intraepithelial lymphocytes. Lymphocytic colitis has similar clinical features to collangenous colitis, the main symptom being chronic watery diarrhea. Diversion colitis is an inflammatory process that arises in segments of the large intestine that are excluded from the fecal stream. This condition usually occurs in patients with ileostomy or colostomy when a mucous fistula or Hartmann's pouch has been left.
POLARIZATION MEASUREMENTS ON NUCLEAR GAMMA RAYS

A review of polarization-sensitive processes and different methods for measurements of polarization of nuclear gamma rays is given. Experimental results are presented in tabular form, the various processes being classified according to the type of orientation which is produced, either alignment or polarization. The possible polarization correlation for each case is listed. (C.J. G.)
The Relationships Between Food Service Wait Staff Skills, Satisfaction, Commitment and Their Levels of Customer Orientation

Abstract Restaurants are in an industry that seems to be one of the most competitivein the nation. The challenges of operating in this particular industry are exacerbated bythe relative similarities that exist between many food service providers. One means that may be used to achieve a degree of differentiation may be through the restaurant's customer contact personnel, i.e., its wait staff. The restaurant's wait staff is an important factor in determining customer satisfaction and customer satisfaction in turn is an important determinant of the restaurant's profitability and longevity. The purpose of this research is to assess the relationships that exist between the wait staff's levels of customer orientation and their sales skills, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The results indicate that the positive relationships exist between the wait staff's customer orientation and their skills, job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
Interpreting the Arts and Crafts Movement in America through Content Analysis

This article explains the use of content analysis as a methodological tool for analyzing art movements, styles, or trends. It describes how the method was used to identify key themes and presentation modes of the American Arts and Crafts movement as disseminated by two mass-circulation journals between 1901 and 1910. Findings indicate that the thematic content of House Beautiful and The Craftsman centered on the architectural expression of desired national characteristics and the moral and aesthetic aspects of architecture, and that they differed significantly in their publication of design and decorative themes. An instructional case study example shows how content analysis, in conjunction with traditional research methods, can be used by design historians, social historians, and material culturalists to derive quantitative data capable of providing a “cultural contour” of the past.
Comparison of Sprouted Versus Normal Wheat When Fed to White Leghorn Cockerel Chicks

Abstract Current U. S. grade standards discount wheat in a lot showing more than two percent sprouting. The grade is lowered with increased sprouting until, at 15 percent, the grain is classified sample grade. Recent data (Murray and Huber, 1968) indicate that the chemical composition of sprouted wheat may not be different from normal grains. In this experiment sprouted wheat was compared to normal wheat using metabolizable energy determinations and gain in body weight of White Leghorn cockerel chicks as the basis of comparison. EXPERIMENTAL Gaines wheat which contained approximately 60% sprouted kernels was compared to normal wheat. Sprouted wheat was evaluated at 25, 50, 75 and 100 percent replacement of normal wheat in a high-energy starter ration. The composition of the basal diet is shown in Table 1. Two hundred day-old White Leghorn cockerel chicks were housed in a Jamesway Universal battery and fed the control wheat diet for two…
Determining distance to a surface represented in piecewise fashion with surface patches

Abstract A previously reported method for finding the points of intersection of a vector and a parametric surface patch is examined. However, before the point of intersection of a vector and a patch can be determined, it is necessary to find the patch (or patches) on a multipatch surface intersected by the vector. A technique is described for determining the patch or patches intersected by a vector, given the patches intersected by a single plane containing the intersecting vector. Once these have been found, the point of intersection can be determined and the distance to the multipatch surface obtained.