cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The profit efficiency of small US commercial banks

Abstract This study investigates the profit efficiency (PROFEFF) of small banks (those under $500 million in total assets) for 1990–96. Assuming that small banks and large banks use the same production technology, we find, consistent with Berger and Mester [J. Bank. Finance 21 (1997) 875], that small banks are more profit efficient than large banks. Small banks in non-metropolitan statistical areas (non-MSA) areas are consistently more profit efficient than small banks in MSAs. Cross-sectional analysis of the correlates of the PROFEFF estimates suggests that structure–performance factors, relationship–development factors, and expense-preference behavior play an important role in explaining the PROFEFF of small US commercial banks.
Diversification and Industry Evolution

The two papers by Acs and Audretsch are, broadly taken, concerned with innovation. The first paper, 'Firm Profitability, Growth, and Innovation', is quite directly focused on innovation; the model looks for explanations of the innovative activity of firms. The second paper, 'Who Exits and Why?', explores innovation as well; technology and its evolution play the central role in the paper's explanation of exit. The papers develop important new information about the evolution of industry, and their findings suggest new research questions to those of us with strong interests in the topic. To introduce a different perspective on the findings and to suggest an agenda for future research that builds on the findings, I shall consider the two papers in the context of knowledge about diversified firms. The Business Week 'R & D Scoreboard' firms that are studied in the first paper are as a group quite diversified across four-digit Standard Industrial Classification industries, especially during the period sampled. The Acs and Audretsch Business Week sample has substantial overlap with the Federal Trade Commission's Line of Business sample of the same period that I used for my study of product-line diversification (Scott, 1993). Some of the firms diversified purposively to pursue economies of multimarket operation or market power, others diversified more or less randomly, and still others did not diversify their operations across product lines. After controlling for effects on innovation of R & D intensity and firm size, 'Firm Profitability, Growth, and Innovation' focuses on complex relationships among company profitability, company growth, and technological opportunity. Profitability stimulates innovation when technological opportunity is strong, but it does not do s'o when such opportunity is weak. In those industries with poor technological opportunity, however, company growth is correlated with more innovation subsequently, while growth does not affect innovations for the companies in the industries with great technological opportunities. These results are nicely consistent with Scherer's seminal analyses of the opportunities for innovation and R & D investment. Those analyses are gathered and revisited in Scherer (1984); dia* Editor's note: These two papers were the earlier versions of the two published here by Audretsch; Scott's comments apply to the published revision as welt as to the earlier manuscripts. Invited comments on 'Firm Profitability, Growth, and Innovation' and 'Who Exits and Why?' by Zoltan J.
Buying an Activist Identity: Reproducing Class through Social Movement Philanthropy

Those who lack the financial means to organize for social change may turn to elite funders, yet in doing so risk having their goals co-opted. Activist philanthropy minimizes this threat because its grant decisions are made by movement insiders. This structure leaves donors occupying a precarious position. Their money is essential, yet their class position is discrediting. The Crossroads Fund raises its money by integrating donors as activists alongside community organizers. Even though community organizers have greater power inside the foundation, integrating donors requires that community organizers defer to donors' wider class and racial privilege. By showing that securing funding from donors hinges on legitimating their identity claims, this study bridges social movement theories about resource mobilization and collective identity formation.
Cooling antiprotons in an ion trap

The measurement of the inertial mass of the antiproton and proposed antihydrogen formation experiments require antiprotons stored in ion traps, cooled to very low (4K) temperatures. Techniques to cool the trapped antiprotons from energies around 1 keV are discussed. Coupling to an external circuit produces cooling times of order 103 s, which may be reduced somewhat with negative feedback. Adiabatic reduction of the trapping potential produces significant cooling when the particle energies are substantially less than the well depth. Most promising is cooling via energy-transferring collisions to a cooled cloud of electrons simultaneously trapped with the antiprotons. Electron cooling times are of order 1 s, and strongly depend on electron number and density.
Classification of orbits with regard to collision hazard in space

The presence of some 5000 tracked objects in orbit and the presumed existence of a significantly greater population of smaller objects constitute a real and increasing collision hazard for present and future missions in space. The study considers the distribution of the tracked population as function of altitude and orbital inclination. Sample encounter parameters (number, miss distance, and relative velocity) are generated by simulation and used to classify low-altitude and geostationary orbits in accordance with the degree of collision hazard presented. Application of the technique is made to representative Space Shuttle and geosynchronous orbit missions. It is found that the collision hazard is generally a nonuniform function of orbital inclination and longitudinal location in geosynchronous orbit.
Training toddlers seated on mobile robots to drive indoors amidst obstacles

The goal of this research is to train children seated on mobile robots to purposefully and safely drive indoors. Our previous studies show that in about six weeks of training, infants can learn to drive directly to a goal using conventional joysticks. However, they are unable to acquire the advanced skill to avoid obstacles while driving. This limits mobility impaired children from exploring their home environment safely, which in turn impacts their cognitive and social developments in the important early years. In this paper, we describe results where toddlers are trained to drive a robot within an obstacle course. Using algorithms based on artificial potential fields to avoid obstacles, we create force field on the joystick that trains them to navigate while avoiding obstacles. In this ‘assist-as-needed’ approach, if the child steers the mobile robot outside a force tunnel centered around the desired direction, the driver experiences a bias force on the hand. The results suggest that force-feedback joystick results in faster learning than with a conventional joystick.
Variation in receipt of opioids by pediatric oncology patients who died in children's hospitals

Background Opioids are a cornerstone of palliation of pain. We sought to assess variation in opioid prescription during the last week of life among a cohort of pediatric oncology patients who died while hospitalized. Procedure We used detailed hospital administrative data from the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) regarding 1,466 subjects 0–24 years of age who were treated at 33 hospitals between 2001 and 2005. Results Among the 1,466 subjects hospitalized at the time of their death, 56% received opioids every day during the hospitalized portion of their last week of life, while 44% did not. This proportion varied substantially across hospitals (range 0–90.5%). After multivariate adjustment for individual-level characteristics, the hospital-level effect on the odds of continuous prescription of opioids during the hospitalized portion of the last 7 days of life continued to vary significantly among hospitals, accounting for 10.5% of the variance in the receipt of daily opioid (P < 0.001). Conclusion Opioid prescription during the hospitalized portion of the last week of life varies substantially among hospitals, even after adjustment for clinical characteristics of the patients. The reasons for this significant variation, especially the component explained by hospital-level and not patient-level factors, warrant more scrutiny. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009;52:761–766. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Comparison of renal function of bull and water snakes (Pituophis melanoleucus and Natrix sipedon).

Abstract 1. 1. Hematologic values of Pituophis melanoleucus are presented. 2. 2. Control clearance studies on bull snakes showed GFR to be low as compared to water snakes. 3. 3. Date on other urinary variables are presented and discussed. 4. 4. In contrast to water snakes, administration of hypertonic saline to bull snakes results in a prompt increase in GFR and sodium excretion. The implications of these observations to problems of water and electrolyte regulation in different environments are considered. 5. 5. In three snakes given hypertonic saline, wherin control Uosms was greater than 200 mosm/l., a paradoxical decrease in Uosms was observed following hypertonic saline administration.
Bonding in trimethylphosphinoallylnickel (II) chloride

Abstract Semiempirical molecular orbital calculations for π allylnickel(II), triethylphospinoallylnickel(II) and related systems suggest changes in electronic structure and bonding in agreement with available NMR data. A marked trans effect is found and other chemical predictions can be inferred from variations in overlap populations.
A preliminary study on the development of La2O3-bearing nanostructured ferritic steels via high energy ball milling

Abstract Elemental powder mixture of Fe–Cr–Ti–Mo and La 2 O 3 were ball milled for different milling times in a high energy shaker mill. Effects of ball milling time on crystallite size, particle size and hardness were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microhardness tester. After 10 h of ball milling, the smallest crystallite size and highest hardness were ∼24 nm and ∼970 HV, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies have revealed nanoscale features 2–5 nm in diameter present in the milled powder. Local atom probe tomography studies have shown that these nanoscale features were possibly nanoclusters enriched in La, TiO and O.
Safety in college electrical laboratories

It has been the unanimous opinion of the AIEE Committee on Safety that if the colleges are operating in a manner which does not bring the students' attention to the importance of safety, then those students are not being prepared properly for their work in industry. This is how one college is handling this important part of the curriculum.
Social Competence: Development of an Indicator for Children and Adolescents

We describe a new measure based on eight parent-reported items designed for use in large nationally representative surveys to assess social competence among children and adolescents 6 to 17 years of age. The measure’s psychometric characteristics were evaluated using data (N = 67,405) from the 2003 (U.S.) National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH), a broad cross-sectional random-digit-dial telephone survey sponsored by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau and conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. The examination of the dimensional structure suggested that two correlated factors (social skills, behavior problems) best explained the variability in the responses. The fit of a Rasch-family Graded Response Model with constrained discrimination parameters was confirmed for both factors, and no differential item functioning was noted for age or sex of the child. The NSCH Social Competence Scale is an internally valid and reliable survey measure for identifying and discriminating among children with below average social skills and/or above average frequency of behavior problems.
Laser fluorimetry: subpicogram detection of aflatoxins using high-pressure liquid chromatography

The use of high-pressure liquid chromatographic separation in conjunction with laser-induced fluorescence detection permits the analysis of trace fluorescent species at new limits of sensitivity. This technique was applied to the carcinogens aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2, which were linearly quantitated to 7.5 x 10(-13) gram. The procedure consists of forming more fluorescent aflatoxin derivatives, eluting the aflatoxins from a reverse-phase column, focusing the 325-nanometer output of a helium-cadmium ion laser into a suspended droplet of the eluent, and measuring the resulting fluorescence using phase-sensitive detection.
Measuring the stability of partly folded proteins using TMAO

Standard methods for measuring free energy of protein unfolding by chemical denaturation require complete folding at low concentrations of denaturant so that a native baseline can be observed. Alternatively, proteins that are completely unfolded in the absence of denaturant can be folded by addition of the osmolyte trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), and the unfolding free energy can then be calculated through analysis of the refolding transition. However, neither chemical denaturation nor osmolyte-induced refolding alone is sufficient to yield accurate thermodynamic unfolding parameters for partly folded proteins, because neither method produces both native and denatured baselines in a single transition. Here we combine urea denaturation and TMAO stabilization as a means to bring about baseline-resolved structural transitions in partly folded proteins. For Barnase and the Notch ankyrin domain, which both show two-state equilibrium unfolding, we found that DeltaG degrees for unfolding depends linearly on TMAO concentration, and that the sensitivity of DeltaG degrees to urea (the m-value) is TMAO independent. This second observation confirms that urea and TMAO exert independent effects on stability over the range of cosolvent concentrations required to bring about baseline-resolved structural transitions. Thermodynamic parameters calculated using a global fit that assumes additive, linear dependence of DeltaG degrees on each cosolvent are similar to those obtained by standard urea-induced unfolding in the absence of TMAO. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of this method to measurement of the free energy of unfolding of a partly folded protein, a fragment of the full-length Notch ankyrin domain.
A method for hormonal induction of sperm release in anurans (eight species) and in vitro fertilization in Lepidobatrachus species

Injections of synthetic human gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) into the dorsal pelvic area were used in an attempt to stimulate sperm release in isolated males of eight anuran species including Xenopus laevis, Rana pipiens and Lepidobatrachus laevis. Sperm were obtained within 1–5 h post injection either by mechanical stimulation or by cloacal lavage. Sperm suspensions varied from 8 μL to 7 mL and the cell densities ranged from 4 × 105 to 4 × 107 sperm/mL. The sperm obtained from seven species using GnRH-induced release were viable based on light microscopic observations of motility. In addition, sperm preparations fertilized eggs in vitro and produced normal tadpoles in the case of L. laevis and L. llanensis. This hormonal method of anuran sperm collection will provide a convenient non-injurious way to obtain anuran sperm for basic studies of reproduction and development.
Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis: a comprehensive review of treatment options.

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF), also known as Ofuji disease, is a disease that manifests with follicular papules or pustules. Its variants include a classic type that occurs most commonly in Japan, an HIV-associated type, an infantile type, a type that occurs on the palms and soles, a rare medication-associated variant, and a rare neoplasia-associated variant.
Surfing to Cross‐Cultural Awareness: Using Internet‐Mediated Projects to Explore Cultural Stereotypes

Abstract: The Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century stress that learning about culure is an integral part of learning a foreign language (L2); such exploration is a necessary bridge to gaining valuable insights about one's own culture as well as the culture(s) of the target language. Long-term projects, for example, extended interviews with native speakers, enable learners to develop an understanding of another culture from an “emic” point of view (Barro et al., 1993; Robinson-Stuart & Nocon, 1996; Wright, 2000). For many U.S. students, however, neither native speaker informants in U.S. cities nor study abroad programs are available or accessible. This study explores Internet-based culture portfolios that bring insider's views of other cultures into the 12. classroom. In this study, learners enrolled in third-semester German language courses conducted semester-long culture projects, in which they explored their stereotypical views of the cultures of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Learners investigated the extent to which these stereotypes might apply, using media from these countries and from their own cultural contexts, library, Internet resources, and online interviews with members of the cultures in Germany. The results of this study indicate that the Internet-based culture project promoted learners' acquisition of new cultures from an emic perspective.
Towards a unified neurobiological theory of creative problem solving

Very little work in psychology has tried to simultaneously tackle the representational problem and the search problem in creative problem solving. Unifying these two fields is critical, because building and searching the problem space may be highly interactive activities that cannot be decoupled and studied in isolation. In addition. neuroscientific explanations of creative problem solving have been elusive. In this article, we propose an integrative biological theory called Neuro-EII to address these problems. Neuro-EII is based on the Explicit-Implicit Interaction (EII) theory of creative problem solving. Like EII, Neuro-EII is implemented using the CLARION cognitive architecture and can be used to simulate behavioral data. We present simulation results of a lexical decision task and use Neuro-EII to generate testable neuroscientific predictions. We conclude by discussing how the Neuro-EII theory can contribute to solving the seemingly intractable problem of identifying the brain circuit(s) supporting creative problem solving.
Sediment transport on the Washington continental shelf: Estimates of dispersal rates from Mount St. Helens ash

Abstract Following the 18 May, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, samples from 10 stations on the Washington continental shelf were collected during cruises in October 1980, January 1981, October 1981, and January 1982, in an attempt to trace the movement of ash which was introduced to the Pacific Ocean by the Columbia River. Prior to October 1980, marine ash dispersal was restricted to points west and southwest of the Columbia River mouth due to summer circulation patterns. Five winter storms were probably responsible for most of the north-northwesterly transport of ash from October 1980 to October 1981. The size of this ash ranged from 7 to 22 μm (equivalent spherical diameter; reference density = 2.65 Mg m −3 ) at distances as far as 84 km from the river mouth. Only fine ash (7–12 μm) was recovered 84–125 km from the river mouth. The calculated suspensate transport rate for 16–22 μm ash is 80 km y −1 (16 km storm −1 ). Finer ash (7–12 μm) was transported at estimated rates of 73–190 km y −1 (14–38 km storm −1 ). These calculated transport rates are similar to rates previously estimated by Smith and Hopkins (1972 ; 80 km y −1 ) and Sternberg and McManus (1972 ; 220 km y −1 ), but are less than those predicted by Kachel (1980 ; 25–330 km storm −1 ), even though the ash was finer than the average sediment upon which these previous estimates were based.
Recategorized WISC-R Scores of Mexican-American Learning-Disabled and Regular Classroom Students:

Using Bannatyne's (1974) categories, cognitive abilities were measured for two groups of students. They included bilingual learning-disabled Mexican-American students and bilingual Mexican-American students functioning adequately on grade level. Contrary to previous findings, results indicated that the LD students, as a group, demonstrated the Spatial > Conceptual > Sequential profile. The discrepancy between the present findings and the results of previous studies is interpreted in terms of IQ levels of samples chosen and the method for selecting nonimpaired control groups. The application of the Bannatyne profile is viewed as characterizing a subgroup of learning disabilities with Verbal and Performance IQ scores within low average to average ranges.
Relaxation anisotropy in cartilage by NMR microscopy (μMRI) at 14-μm resolution

To study the structural anisotropy and the magic-angle effect in articular cartilage, T 1 and T 2 images were constructed at a series of orientations of cartilage specimens in the magnetic field by using NMR microscopy (μMRI). An isotropic T 1 and a strong anisotropic T 2 were observed across the cartilage tissue thickness. Three distinct regions in the microscopic MR images corresponded approximately to the superficial, transitional, and radial histological zones in the cartilage. The percentage decrease of T 2 follows the pattern of the curve of (3cos 2 θ - 1) 2 at the radial zone, where the collagen fibrils are perpendicular to the articular surface. In contrast, little orientational dependence of T 2 was observed at the transitional zone, where the collagen fibrils are more randomly oriented. The result suggests that the interactions between water molecules and proteoglycans have a directional nature, which is somehow influenced by collagen fibril orientation. Hence, T 2 anisotropy could serve as a sensitive and noninvasive marker for molecular-level orientations in articular cartilage.
Requirement for cell proliferation for the effects of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine on cultures of chick chondrocytes.

Abstract Replication was inhibited in cultures of chick chondrocytes either by growing the cells at high density in ‘pellets’, or by use of inhibitors of DNA synthesis. Exposure to BUdR in either condition did not result in the fibroblast-like morphology and marked inhibition of chondroitin sulfate synthesis which is obtained if replicating cells are exposed to the analog. Growth of chondrocytes for 3 days in media containing embryo extract resulted in a switch from predominantly chondroitin sulfate synthesis to the exclusive synthesis of a hyaluronic acid-like molecule.
Reger's Historicist Modernism

In an article in 19th-Century Music published in 2002, I began to explore what I called historicist modernism in music.1 This concept encompasses works composed in the Austro-German sphere in the years around 1900, which were intended and received as "modern," but which derived their compositional energy primarily from techniques of a more remote past. Historicist modernism should be distinguished from neoclassicism, a somewhat later practice that crystallized around 1920. Exemplary neoclassical works, such as those by Stravinsky and Hindemith written in the decades between the world wars, tend to distance the musical past through a cosmopolitan lens. Works of historicist modernism have a more urgent, elemental, and intense connection with the past, as in those of Max Reger that probe his psychic and musical relationships to Bach. We should briefly unpack the components of the term "historicist modernism." Modernism as a phenomenon has been treated in a vast number of critical and historical writings. Die Modeme, as it was often called in German, refers to a set of beliefs and principles that in the broadest sense were shared by many creative artists in Europe from about the 1850s on. Many commentators point to Baudelaire's conception of"modem," articulated in 1859, as foundational for this phase of modernism. For Baudelaire, modernity (not yet an -ism) connoted not merely the presentness of an era, but rather a special quality of"le transitoire, le fugitif, le contingent" that could be found in any period.2 The modem was thus set against not the "old," but the "eternal." The adjective "modern" and the substantive "die Moderne" appear frequently in German writings both from within and about the period 1880 to 1920. The nominal form can have the connotation of either or both of the English words "modernity" and "modernism." In English, however, these words can have different meanings. I tend to understand "modernity" more as the condition or state of being modern; in this sense, modernity comprises a situation that is almost passive, inevitable. Modernism is a more ideologically charged and "voluntary" phenomenon. It is in many cases an actual movement, propelled by a group of like-minded thinkers, artists, or critics. But modernism can also suggest a broader tent: in the years around 1900, among composers, critics, and the general public, it could encompass figures as different as Arnold Schoenberg, Richard Strauss, Max Reger, Hans Pfitzner, Max von Schillings, Alexander Zemlinsky, Ferruccio Busoni, and Gustav Mahler.3
Local Gas Holdup Variation in a Fiber Slurry

Air-water-fiber flows are found in the pulp and paper industry in a variety of unit operations. Understanding the complex hydrodynamics found in such flows is beneficial to flotation deinking (i.e., a separation process found in paper recycling) and fiber bleaching. This paper experimentally investigates the effects of superficial gas velocity, fiber type, fiber length, and fiber weight percent on the gas flow regime and the overall and local gas holdup in a 32.1-cm-diameter semibatch bubble column. Experiments are performed using three different rayon fiber lengths (3, 6, and 12 mm) and three different cellulose (natural) fiber types over a range of superficial gas velocities (Ug ≤ 20 cm/s) and fiber weight percents (0 < C ≤ 1.8%). The local gas holdup is determined by pressure drop measurements at several axial locations spanning a height of 10 column diameters (H = 3.21 m), while the overall gas holdup is determined from the overall pressure drop. Results show local gas holdup maxima at two different axial locations, which suggest the existence of recirculation cells. The location of the upper local gas holdup maximum, and thus the size of the recirculation cells, depends on the fiber type.
Lindane and cancer in humans: a false alarm?

In up to 21 years of follow-up in a study to periodically screen pharmaceuticals for possible carcinogenic effects, 1146 persons who received lindane, an established carcinogen in animal experiments, showed for the first time a statistically significant increase in incidence of cancer (43 cases observed, 30.2 expected, standardized morbidity ratio 1.42, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.92). The computer-stored data on drug dispensing and cancer occurrence also showed some evidence of a dose–response relationship. Review of the complete medical records suggested that at least part of the association was due to confounding by indication. Four of the cancer patients had Kaposi's sarcoma due to AIDS and the acquisition of pediculosis pubis or scabies, commonly treated with lindane, is associated with behaviour that also predisposes to AIDS. Four other patients also had strong risk factors that could readily be blamed for their cancer and one had not used the drug. Also, the location of the skin lesions or infestations treated with lindane seemed to bear no relation to the cancer sites. It is concluded that this study provides no convincing evidence of carcinogenicity of lindane; nor does it rule it out. In pharmacoepidemiology, it is advisable to supplement analyses of routinely collected data on drugs and clinical events with review of medical records when interesting associations are noted. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Delay to formalin fixation 'cold ischemia time': effect on ERBB2 detection by in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry.

Delay to formalin fixation ‘cold ischemia time’: effect on ERBB2 detection by in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry
Empirical bayes analysis of quantitative proteomics experiments

Background: Advances in mass spectrometry-based proteomics have enabled the incorporation of proteomic data into systems approaches to biology. However, development of analytical methods has lagged behind. Here we describe an empirical Bayes framework for quantitative proteomics data analysis. The method provides a statistical description of each experiment, including the number of proteins that differ in abundance between 2 samples, the experiment’s statistical power to detect them, and the false-positive probability of each protein. Methodology/Principal Findings: We analyzed 2 types of mass spectrometric experiments. First, we showed that the method identified the protein targets of small-molecules in affinity purification experiments with high precision. Second, we re-analyzed a mass spectrometric data set designed to identify proteins regulated by microRNAs. Our results were supported by sequence analysis of the 39 UTR regions of predicted target genes, and we found that the previously reported conclusion that a large fraction of the proteome is regulated by microRNAs was not supported by our statistical analysis of the data. Conclusions/Significance: Our results highlight the importance of rigorous statistical analysis of proteomic data, and the method described here provides a statistical framework to robustly and reliably interpret such data.
Dissociation in middle childhood among foster children with early maltreatment experiences

Objective This study examined levels of dissociation in school-aged foster children who had been maltreated before age 5.
Maternal depressed mood and stress as related to vigilance, self-efficacy and mother-child interactions

Parenting self-efficacy, maternal vigilance, competence and child behaviour were studied in a community sample of mothers of 18-36-month-old children. Thirty dysphoric mothers had elevated Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores (12–16) and 30 nondysphoric mothers had BDIs <5. Dysphoric mothers were more stressed, less happily married, less effective as parents and described their children as less competent and responsive than did non-dysphoric mothers. When completing a distracting questionnaire task, all mothers were less vigilant and their children less well behaved than during free play. Stressed, dysphoric mothers were observed to be less sensitive, responsive, warm, vigilant and effective in controlling their children, and their children were more destructive, and less happy, responsive and compliant. Combined maternal stress and dysphoria were associated with generally negative perceptions of self and child, and negative mother-child interactions.
On ecological reflections: the tensions of cultivating ecojustice and youth environmentalism

I respond to Zeyer and Roth’s (2009) “A Mirror of Society” by elaborating on how the idea of interpretive repertoires is grounded by education philosophy and sociology. Vernacular languages are carried forward collectively from individuals who lived during a particular period of time, inculcated as root metaphors, which frame our relationships with others. It follows that metaphors (or interpretive repertoires) frame Swiss relationships with others, and what serves as Swiss goals for the environment and environmental protection are deeply embedded in some past conceptualizations of how a society should develop in the world. Indeed these youth’s repertoires are “a mirror of society.” But how do we know whether Swiss ideals are cultivating good, right, or just relationships, and embody a morally defensible environmentalism? Zeyer and Roth emphasize that teaching is a cultural process, which I agree with, but there is a contradiction in the idea that curriculum should be designed in a way that allows students to expand their existing repertoires without culturally mediated changes. Clearly students in Zeyer and Roth’s study feel limited as to what they can do about the environment and environmental protection, in relation to outside influences such as US consumerism. Ecojustice, environmentalism, and sustainability should begin to dissolve this feeling of powerlessness. The purpose of this response is to show why cultural mediation is needed for defensible youth action.
Complications of Prostate Cancer Treatment: Spectrum of Imaging Findings

The imaging appearances of prostate cancer are well described in the radiology literature, but little has been written about the detection and appearance of the complications of therapy for this disease. The most frequently used treatments for prostate cancer are surgical therapy (eg, radical retropubic prostatectomy, radical perineal prostatectomy), radiation therapy (eg, brachytherapy, external-beam radiation therapy, three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy), and cryoablative therapy, each of which may lead to complications with characteristic imaging appearances. Possible complications include lymphocele formation; injuries to the ureter, rectum, and urethra; prostatic necrosis; vesicourethral anastomotic leak and stricture; urethral stricture, necrosis, and fistula; radiation proctitis; transient bladder outlet obstruction; radiation-induced urethritis; urinary incontinence; and erectile dysfunction. With improvements in surgical techniques and advances in technology, complications of therapy for prostate cancer are decreasing but still occur with sufficient frequency to warrant familiarity on the part of radiologists. Knowledge of the diverse spectrum of these complications and their characteristic radiologic features facilitates prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Validation of habitual energy intake.

Objective To provide a framework for use of the doubly labelled water method to measure energy expenditure in order to validate dietary instruments for the assessment of energy. Design Review and description of the use of doubly labelled water method for use as a biomarker for habitual energy intake. Results The doubly labelled water method has a relative accuracy of 1% and within-subject precision of 5 to 8%. Comparison of self-reported energy intake with energy expenditure demonstrated that over one-third of individuals may underreport energy intake by more than 25%. Conclusions The doubly labelled water method, although expensive and dependent on non-routine laboratory instrumentation, is an excellent biomarker of energy intake.
Gastric cancer incidence among Hispanics in California: patterns by time, nativity, and neighborhood characteristics

Background: Better understanding about gastric cancer incidence patterns among Hispanics by birthplace, socioeconomic status (SES), and acculturation can improve preventive strategies and disease models. Methods: Incidence rates, rate ratios, and estimated annual percent change (EAPC) in rates of anatomic and histologic subtype-specific gastric cancer were calculated by age, sex, and nativity among Hispanics using California Cancer Registry data from 1988 through 2004. Incidence rates in 1998 to 2002 were compared by neighborhood SES and Hispanic enclave status according to 2000 US Census data. Results: Incidence rates of diffuse gastric cancer increased from 1988 through 2004 among foreign-born Hispanic men (EAPC: 3.5%, 95% CI: 1.5%–5.5%) and U.S.-born Hispanic women (EAPC: 3.0%, 95% CI: 0.7%–5.3%). During the same time period, incidence rates of intestinal gastric cancer declined significantly and both cardia and noncardia gastric cancer were steady or declined among foreign-born and U.S.-born Hispanic men and women. Noncardia and both intestinal and diffuse gastric cancer were more common in foreign-born than U.S.-born Hispanic men and women, and in those from lower SES, higher enclave neighborhoods. By contrast, among younger and middle-aged Hispanic men, cardia tumors were more common in the U.S.-born than the foreign-born, and in higher SES, lower enclave neighborhoods. Conclusions: Varying gastric cancer risk factors among Hispanic subgroups and increasing rates of diffuse gastric cancer in foreign-born Hispanic men and U.S.-born Hispanic women merit further investigation to identify separate disease etiologies. Impact: Age, sex, birthplace, SES, and acculturation modify gastric cancer incidence in Hispanics and should be considered when examining disease risk and prevention. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 21(00); 1–11. ©2012 AACR.
Transport AC Loss Reduction in Striated YBCO Coated Conductors by Magnetic Screening

It is known from our previous work that magnetic screening is an effective way of decoupling the strands in striated YBCO coated conductors. Different configurations of multifilament geometry with filaments embedded in ferromagnetic materials of different thickness and different magnetic permeability have been modeled in the past and a reduction of transport ac loss predicted by FEM calculations. In the present work we propose a much simpler and more practical method for magnetic decoupling of the strands in YBCO coated conductors. This method consists in filling just the inter-filamentary space between the filaments by a ferromagnetic material, rather than embedding the filaments completely. Calculations of transport ac loss reduction were performed using a finite element method. A comparison of the loss reduction of this new geometry with previous results (assuming filaments completely surrounded by ferromagnetic material) as well as the case of perfect screening were made. Due to the "flat" (nearly 2D) geometry of striated YBCO coated conductors the present method gives almost the same transport ac loss reduction as completely embedding the filaments in a ferromagnetic material.
Plasma Membrane Localization of Ras Requires Class C Vps Proteins and Functional Mitochondria in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Ras proteins are synthesized as cytosolic precursors, but then undergo posttranslational lipid addition, membrane association, and subcellular targeting to the plasma membrane. Although the enzymes responsible for farnesyl and palmitoyl lipid addition have been described, the mechanism by which these modifications contribute to the subcellular localization of Ras is not known. Following addition of the farnesyl group, Ras associates with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where palmitoylation occurs in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The subsequent translocation of Ras from the ER to the plasma membrane does not require the classical secretory pathway or a functional Golgi apparatus. Vesicular and nonvesicular transport pathways for Ras proteins have been proposed, but the pathway is not known. Here we describe a genetic screen designed to identify mutants defective in Ras trafficking in S. cerevisiae. The screen implicates, for the first time, the class C VPS complex in Ras trafficking. Vps proteins are best characterized for their role in endosome and vacuole membrane fusion. However, the role of the class C Vps complex in Ras trafficking is distinct from its role in endosome and vacuole vesicle fusion, as a mitochondrial involvement was uncovered. Disruption of class C VPS genes results in mitochondrial defects and an accumulation of Ras proteins on mitochondrial membranes. Ras also fractionates with mitochondria in wild-type cells, where it is detected on the outer mitochondrial membrane by virtue of its sensitivity to protease treatment. These results point to a previously uncharacterized role of mitochondria in the subcellular trafficking of Ras proteins.
An algorithm and architecture for the parallel solution of systems of linear equations

The paper evaluates a paradigm for the efficient utilization of commercially available processors to implement serial algorithms on a parallel architecture. We present an architecture based on this paradigm as well as an algorithm for the parallel solution of a nonhomogeneous system of linear equations with constant coefficients. Major advantages stem from its systolic-like array structure and the versatility of fully programmable processor elements. The method uses a Givens rotation implementation of the well known QR factorization. Unlike other direct methods of factorization followed by backsubstitution, this implementation of the algorithm avoids the backsubstitution bottleneck. The computational complexity of this feedforward direct method of solving nonsingular systems of linear equations is similar to that of QR matrix factorization. Due to the programmability of the processor in the array, the mapping of this algorithm extends to an entire family of algorithms. We map this family of algorithms onto the novel architecture and present a comprehensive performance analysis. Performance results identify the algorithm/architecture combination as a cost effective, efficient method which exhibits speedup that is directly proportional to the number of processors used.
Nonsaturating Drain Current Characteristic in Short-Channel Amorphous-Silicon Thin-Film Transistors

Nonsaturating drain current characteristics are analyzed in terms of the channel length modulation (CLM) and the self-heating effect. According to this analysis, the nonsaturating drain current arises if the effective channel length is sufficiently reduced such that the CLM effect leads to a superlinear increase of the drain current beyond saturation. The extracted CLM parameter was around ?' = 1/15 ?m/V for the samples investigated, and a nonsaturating characteristic was observed in hydrogenated-amorphous-silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a channel length of 10 ?m or less. Furthermore, in a bias-temperature-stressed short-channel a-Si:H TFT, which has a laterally nonuniform threshold voltage, the experimental data showed a pronounced nonsaturating current in the reverse output characteristics and a much lower and flatter characteristic in the forwardId-Vds data. The nearly flat forward saturation characteristic is discussed in terms of the cancellation of the CLM effect by the effect from the rising threshold voltage at the pinchoff point as the drain bias increases. The pronounced nonsaturating reverse characteristic is explained in terms of the compounding effects of the rising CLM current and the rising current due to the falling threshold voltage of the pinchoff point. We also discuss a split-channel design to suppress the nonsaturating drain currents in a-Si:H TFTs.
Outcome of surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in Washington state workers’ compensation

To the Editor: We commend Franklin et al.1 for trying to define the outcome of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) treatment in patients on workers’ compensation. They reviewed one group of patients who underwent surgery and a second group who did not. Franklin et al.1 correctly point out that “the two groups are not completely comparable so that strong conclusions are not warranted.” In fact, this statement is not strong enough, because the two groups are not at all comparable and no conclusions should be drawn. Unfortunately, a comparison of the groups is exactly what the authors have made, and therefore the study is flawed and the comparison invalid. The selection criteria for surgery are not included, but it is reasonable to assume that surgery was offered to patients who had not responded to conservative therapy, and who were significantly disabled. The patients who did not undergo surgery were presumably those who had responded to conservative therapy and were not significantly disabled. This assumption is supported by the fact that the number of disability days in the 6 months prior to diagnosis was significantly higher in surgical versus nonsurgical patients (95 versus 65 days). The article tries to give a picture of the outcome of the surgery, which was a transaxillary first rib resection with or without scalenectomy, in over 90% of the patients. The complication rate was quoted as 31.7%; a list of the complications was included in the article. …
THE PROFIT MAXIMIZATION ASSUMPTION:COMMENT

IN a recent issue of this Journal Professor H. T. Koplin made an interesting contribution to the perennial discussion about the nature and the methodological locus of the Profit Maximization Assumption (PMA).1 The following brief remarks are meant to be an extension of Professor Koplin's argument. The chief objection which has been raised against the PMA is that it lacks realism. This may mean either one of two things: (1) that it is couched in terms to which nothing directly observable corresponds in the real world ;2 or (2) that it makes an assertion which apparently is contradicted by observations.3 In referring to the PMA 'lack of realism' seems to be used in its second meaning and will be so used in this paper. The term 'assumption' can be applied to a wide variety of sentences and unfortunately has been used with some abandon in the PMA discussion. However, in all these uses assumptions are meant to be high-level propositions which explain lower-level propositions. These lower-level propositions thus can be validly deduced from the assumptions. The lowest-level propositions at the end of this chain contain statements about directly observable phenomena and must be directly verifiable. Higher-level propositions can be verified only indirectly via the lowest-level propositions validly deduced from them.4 Now, in contexts where the lowest-level propositions can be directly disconfirmed by reference to observable events, the formulation of assumptions does not raise the difficulties of the kind and persistence that we encounter in economics. In these cases the highest-level propositions from which the other propositions in the theory are deducible do usually not contain terms referring directly to observable events but are couched in terms unrealistic in the first sense listed above. If difficulties do arise here, they arise from the fact that some observations are not consistent with previously accepted propositions. The changes in the theory required by 1 'The profit maximization assumption', Oxford Economnic Papers (New Series), July 1963, pp. 130-9. 2 For example the names of sub-atomic particles belong in this category. 3 The fact that theory abstracts, i.e. asserts regularities about a selected small number of attributes of complex real events, has nothing to do with the point at issue here. To the best of my knowledge the PMA has never been criticized for being a theory but rather for being an unsatisfactory theory. 4 The logical order of propositions is not unique. Propositions which in one context are used as basic assumptions may appear in another context as deduced hypotheses.
Producing Markets, Producing People: Local Food, Financial Prosperity and Health in Samoa

AbstractIn the context of rising rates of metabolic disorders and global attention to the “obesity epidemic” in Oceania, public health in Samoa tends to focus on multi-sectoral efforts to increase vegetable consumption and production. To understand better what non-health officials thought about food environments and health, we sought out a group of food actors (food trade and agricultural entrepreneurs, distributors, producers and food policy practitioners) who were actively creating a “healthier” food environment in Samoa. They posited that the market was both the problem with, and the solution to, the “obesity epidemic.” These food actors positioned themselves as social entrepreneurs or, more aptly, as altruistic capitalists, who aimed to transform the food environment by fixing the market, a practice they felt would in turn produce healthier and more prosperous Samoans. We argue that while alternative food movements in the global north tend to link local production with local consumption, Samoan food a...