cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is Development Intrinsically Dehumanizing? A View from South Africa's Limpopo Province

In my two-years of ethnographic research focusing on the daily encounters between "Western" development workers from Ireland, Australia and the U.S. and Tsonga- and Pedi-speakers from South Africa's Limpopo Province, I found development workers and their institutions to unwittingly dehumanize those they meant to help. This dehumanization took the form of what I call "half-connecting"-- a way of interacting and helping that assumes an abrupt division between and an "us" who helps and a "them" in need of being helped. For their half-connecting, Tsonga- and Pedi-speakers accused development workers of having "apartheid in their hearts" and undermined aid projects as a form of protest. In this paper, I will detail how the half-connecting process worked and how Limpopo residents resisted it, with the ultimate purpose of highlighting how centering African perceptions helps to clarify contradictions intrinsic to Euro-American approaches to interfacing and representing Africa today.
Theoretical Development of a Closed-Loop System for Blood Pressure Control

Blood pressure management of patients in hospitals and operating rooms is currently done manually. Improvements in patient care are possible and probable with the development of a physiological closed-loop control system for blood pressure management. Previous work attempts this, but falls short in incorporating knowledge of mechanistic modeling of the cardiovascular system. We present a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model describing how blood pressure responds to vasoactive drugs, emphasizing the incorporation of mechanistic physiological models. We also present a simulation experiment to assess control feasibility with this system model. We choose phenylephrine and nicardipine as our actuators and use a pharmacokinetic model of said drugs for our state-space equation. From the two-element Windkessel model, we derive explicit expressions for systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, and mean arterial pressure, which we use for output equations. These modeling choices lead to interpretability of the drug-induced blood pressure dynamics in prospective experiments in terms of physiological mechanisms underlying the phenomena. We implement model predictive control with this system model. Our simulation results indicate feasibility of our model-based control design in future experimental studies.
Sexual victimization and disordered eating among community individuals: The influence of negative and positive emotion dysregulation.

Abstract Objective Individuals with a history of sexual victimization are at increased odds of developing an eating disorder in their lifetime. Emotion dysregulation has been identified as an outcome of sexual victimization and a vulnerability factor in the emergence and maintenance of disordered eating. However, research in this area has been limited by its narrow focus on dysregulation stemming from negative emotions. The aim of the current study was to explore the potential moderating roles of negative and positive emotion dysregulation in the relations between sexual victimization and disordered eating. Method Study participants included 473 community individuals who endorsed a history of sexual assault (Mage = 34.66; 44.8% male; 78.4% White). Participants completed measures assessing sexual victimization, negative and positive emotion dysregulation, and disordered eating. Data was collected from January to April of 2020 via Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Results Results indicated significant positive relations among sexual victimization, negative and positive emotion dysregulation, and disordered eating. Sexual victimization was found to be more strongly associated with disordered eating at high (vs. low) levels of negative and positive emotion dysregulation. Discussion This study provides evidence for the strengthening roles of both high negative and positive emotion dysregulation in the relation between sexual victimization and disordered eating, suggesting the potential utility of targeting both negative and positive emotion dysregulation in disordered eating interventions among individuals with a history of sexual victimization.
Barriers and strategies to integrate medical genetics and primary care in underserved populations: a scoping review

Despite clinical and technological advances, serious gaps remain in delivering genetic services due to disparities in workforce distribution and lack of coverage for genetic testing and counseling. Genetic services delivery, particularly in medically underserved populations, may rely heavily on primary care providers (PCPs). This study aims to identify barriers to integrating genetic services and primary care, and strategies to support integration, by conducting a scoping review. Literature synthesis found barriers most frequently cited by PCPs including insufficient knowledge about genetics and risk assessment, lack of access to geneticists, and insufficient time to address these challenges. Telegenetics, patient-centered care, and learning communities are strategies to overcome these barriers. Telegenetics supplements face-to-face clinics by providing remote access to genetic services. It may also be used for physician consultations and education. Patient-centered care allows providers, families, and patients to coordinate services and resources. Access to expert information provides a critical resource for PCPs. Learning communities may represent a mechanism that facilitates information exchange and knowledge sharing among different providers. As PCPs often play a crucial role caring for patients with genetic disorders in underserved areas, barriers to primary care-medical genetics integration must be addressed to improve access. Strategies, such as telegenetics, promotion of evidence-based guidelines, point-of-care risk assessment tools, tailored education in genetics-related topics, and other system-level strategies, will facilitate better genetics and primary care integration, which in turn, may improve genetic service delivery to patients residing in underserved communities.
Japanese Multinationals: An Evolutionary Theory

Large Japanese multinationals producing manufactured goods are the source of much of the political friction Japan has with other countries.1 Their continued successful claim on global markets and resources would, from past experience, seem to be a potential source of continuing political economic friction. Japan as a nation has global economic importance, but it is the success of its major multinationals that accounts for much of this, as well as for Japan’s ability to provide capital to other countries. Japanese firms, however, need access to world markets — especially the U.S. and European markets — to grow and prosper, particularly in higher value-added products.
Evaluation of Microalgae Biofuel Production Potential and Cultivation Sites Using Geographic Information Systems: A Review

Geographic Information System (GIS) tools have been used to strategically locate bioenergy facilities and optimize the relationship between biomass supply and demand, aiming to minimize overall fuel production costs. Microalgae, also termed third generation bioenergy feedstocks, are discussed for their potential to meet future energy demands. This study reviews literature on GIS applications to locate algae cultivation sites and estimate algae biofuel potential. To highlight the diversity of results, a quantitative comparison for the US studies is presented. We found two major assumptions that primarily limited the algae biofuel production potential estimates: (1) the production technology (open pond or photobioreactor), and (2) the number and type of resources considered, such as land type, CO2, water source, water quality, etc. All studies used binary (a location is either unsuitable or suitable) suitability models to determine areas for algae production. Most studies considered water, land, and CO2 resources, while some also accounted for infrastructure, soil properties, and work force requirements. We found that potential cultivation area in the USA is most sensitive to the constraints of CO2 availability and land cost. This review explains the wide range of algal biofuel potential estimates (from 0.09 to over 600 billion L yr−1) by identifying underlying assumptions, methodologies, and data. The highly variable outputs indicate the need for a comprehensive analysis of different criteria individually and in combination to estimate realistic biofuel potential. The results suggest that with models becoming increasingly detailed in considering resources and conversion/production technologies, further decrease in estimated theoretical production potential is expected under available technology.
An Examination of Convention Sales Training Programs: Implications for Industry and Academic Institutions

(1995). An Examination of Convention Sales Training Programs: Implications for Industry and Academic Institutions. Hospitality & Tourism Educator: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 15-19.
“Heroic” Asylum Seekers from Around the World: Creating a Future from a Traumatic Past

This paper describes a multi-national group of political asylum seekers, designated as “heroes” because they seem to have chosen to resist, when instead they might simply have moved elsewhere. Inspection reveals that they are also chosen by their families to continue a tradition of resistance, which has existed across generations. Once it is their turn, they endure repeated incidents of torture at the hands of oppressors, until finally they are threatened with death. Then, unlike their predecessors, they change course entirely and flee. This action is accomplished with considerable help from their families. Unlike two other resister groups, who tended to remain in the resistor role until they reached victory or death, “heroic” asylum seekers relinquish the thrill of the fight and take flight, seemingly because of a family mandate to do so, in order to move the family elsewhere. An attempt is made to understand the complex motivation behind these acts from a psychoanalytic perspective. What happens once they arrive here, however, is hard to predict. Brief follow-up data indicates that successful adjustment is not guaranteed and will depend on a set of strengths similar to those required of all immigrants. These include a solid early attachment history, past adult experiences which have been affirming, and considerable local group support. In addition, access to services for the survivors of torture can be useful, although referral to these is (shockingly) happenstance. Thus, despite the peaceful trend their arrival may represent, many forces must come together if its goal is to be achieved. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
6 weeks of antibiotics was noninferior to 12 weeks for clinical cure in pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis

Source Citation Bernard L, Dinh A, Ghout I, et al; Duration of Treatment for Spondylodiscitis (DTS) study group. Antibiotic treatment for 6 weeks versus 12 weeks in patients with pyogenic vertebral...
Which came first: the readiness or the change? Longitudinal relationships between readiness to change and drinking among college drinkers

Aims Although readiness to change (RTC) is cited as a key mechanism underlying drinking behavior change, empirical evidence supporting RTC as a predictor of college drinking has been mixed. Considering methodological limitations of previous studies, the current aim was to conduct a more comprehensive test of longitudinal relationships between readiness to change and college drinking. Design In this correlational, longitudinal study, we used a series of cross-lagged path analyses to test associations between RTC and college drinking outcomes over a 2-year period. Setting Data collection was conducted via online surveys on a university campus in the US Pacific Northwest. Participants Participants (n = 818; 58% women) were college students who reported at least one heavy-drinking episode in the past month and participated in a randomized controlled trial of personalized normative feedback interventions. Measurements Drinking quantity-frequency items and the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index assessed drinking outcomes. The Readiness to Change Questionnaire assessed RTC. Findings For drinking-related problems, the best-fitting model included cross-lagged paths between RTC and subsequent drinking-related problems. For drinking quantity-frequency, best-fitting models also included the cross-lagged paths between drinking quantity-frequency and subsequent RTC. Higher RTC almost uniformly predicted higher subsequent levels of drinking and greater experience of drinking-related problems, and drinking quantity-frequency variables were primarily positive predictors of subsequent RTC. Conclusions Contrary to previous assumptions, 'the Readiness to Change Questionnaire' does not appear to be predictive of lower levels of subsequent drinking. Language: en
A Virtual World Experiment on Emergent Behavior in Collective Action Problems

Social scientists are interested in how organizations manage group decisions to more efficiently solve collective action problems. In studying this question scientists have relied on a combination of empirical field work, game theoretic modeling, and experiments. What has emerged is a successful common practice for institutional design which can be characterized as follows: One, use field studies, to characterize the incentives and informational problems that exist, and to hypothesize how institutional rules work to efficiently organize collective action. Two, use non-cooperative game theory to formalize these hypotheses, and then study the comparative equilibrium properties of different institutional rules in theory and in the laboratory. Three, run randomized experiments in the field to study how policy changes can improve collective action outcomes. In this paper we investigate the potential for virtual worlds in taking intermediate steps between one and two, and between two and three. A key element of empirical field research (in one and three) is natural context and natural language. These two elements help to situate and discuss the problem and yet they are usually absent in the translation to theory and in laboratory experiments.In our experiments in Second Life™ we study a collective action problem of protecting capital from natural disasters. These experiments are motivated in large part by Elinor Ostrom’s analysis of self organized and self-governed solutions to common pool resource problems. To do this the participants must (1) supply the rules of the game, (2) commit to following the rules, (3) and monitor that the rules are indeed followed. Ostrom demonstrates that in the field enduring solutions to common pool resource problems satisfy design principles which can be implemented in our experiments. Besides the obvious questions of how successful are subjects at solving their collective action problem, we are also interested in the properties of these emergent solutions. We hypothesize that game theory will be useful in elucidating the issues that will emerge in finding congruent solutions between the local conditions (modifiable by experimental design) and the appropriate governance rules. We also hypothesize that Construal Level Theory, Liberman and Trope, can be used to analyze the psychological distance from objects and events and subjects mental construal. Psychological distance can be measured in the natural language message space of subjects and will have an impact on the solution to the collective action problem.
Regulation by a chaperone improves substrate selectivity during cotranslational protein targeting

The ribosome exit site is a crowded environment where numerous factors contact nascent polypeptides to influence their folding, localization, and quality control. Timely and accurate selection of nascent polypeptides into the correct pathway is essential for proper protein biogenesis. To understand how this is accomplished, we probe the mechanism by which nascent polypeptides are accurately sorted between the major cotranslational chaperone trigger factor (TF) and the essential cotranslational targeting machinery, signal recognition particle (SRP). We show that TF regulates SRP function at three distinct stages, including binding of the translating ribosome, membrane targeting via recruitment of the SRP receptor, and rejection of ribosome-bound nascent polypeptides beyond a critical length. Together, these mechanisms enhance the specificity of substrate selection into both pathways. Our results reveal a multilayered mechanism of molecular interplay at the ribosome exit site, and provide a conceptual framework to understand how proteins are selected among distinct biogenesis machineries in this crowded environment.
Validation of Maximal Heart Rate Prediction Equations Based on Sex and Physical Activity Status.

The purpose of the study was to determine if measured maximal heart rate (HRmax) was affected by sex or aerobic training status, and to determine the accuracy of three common clinical age-prediction maximal heart rate regression equations used to predict HRmax: HRmax = 220 – age, HRmax = 226 – age, and HRmax = 208 – (0.7 · age). Fifty-two participants in total, 30 of which were in the active group (15 M, 15 F) and 22 subjects in the sedentary group (9 M, 13 F), within the age range of 18–25 years and with a normal BMI (18.5–24.9 kg·m−2) underwent a Bruce maximal treadmill exercise protocol. The effect of sex and training status on HRmax was analyzed through a two-way ANOVA, and the effect of sex, aerobic training status, and regression equation on accuracy of the HRmax prediction was assessed with a three-way ANOVA (α=0.05). Overall, males had a higher HRmax than females (198.3 v. 190.4 beats • min−1, p<.001) and sedentary individuals had higher measured HRmax than active individuals (197.3 v. 191.4 beats • min−1, p=.002). Furthermore, HRmax = 208 – (0.7 · age)(equation 3) calculated the smallest signed and unsigned residuals from the difference between observed HRmax and predicted HRmax values for the significant main effects of equation (3), equation × sex (females × 3), and equation × activity level (active × 3). Therefore, based on our results, we conclude that HRmax = 208 – (0.7 · age) has greater accuracy than the other two equations studied for predicting observed values of HRmax in 18–25 year olds.
Large granularity cache coherence for intermittent connectivity

To function in mobile computing environments, distributed file systems must cope with networks that are slow, intermittent, or both. Intermittence vitiates the effectiveness of callback-based cache coherence schemes in reducing client-server communication, because clients must validate files when connections are reestablished. In this paper we show how maintaining cache coherence at a large granularity alleviates this problem. We report on the implementation and performance of large granularity cache coherence for the Coda File System. Our measurements confirm the value of this technique. At 9.6 Kbps, this technique takes only 4-20% of the time required by two other strategies to validate the cache for a sample of Coda users. Even at this speed, the network is effectively eliminated as the bottleneck for cache validation.
Faculty trust in the principal: an essential ingredient in high-performing schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships among faculty trust in the principal, principal leadership behaviors, school climate, and student achievement. Design/methodology/approach – Data from 64 elementary, middle, and high schools in two school districts formed the basis of the study (n=3,215 teachers), allowing for correlational and regression analyses of the variables. Findings – The authors found that faculty trust in the principal was related to perceptions of both collegial and instructional leadership, as well as to factors of school climate such as teacher professionalism, academic press, and community engagement. Student achievement was also correlated with trust, principal leadership behaviors, and school climate. The authors found that both of the composite variables, principal behaviors and school climate, made significant independent contributions to explaining variance in student achievement and that together they explained 75 percent of the variance in achievement...
Reaction of 5'-p-fluorosulfonylbenzoyl-1,N6-ethenoadenosine with histidine and cysteine residues in the active site of rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase.

Abstract The inactivation of rabbit muscle pyruvate kinase by 0.3 mM 5′- p -fluorosulfonylbenzoyl-1, N 6 -ethenoadenosine at pH 7.8 is biphasic. The first phase proceeds rapidly to yield a partially active enzyme (46% residual activity) followed by a slower rate which leads to total inactivation. The inactivation of the first phase can be reversed by addition of 20 mM dithiothreitol, whereas the second phase is unaffected. These two phases have second-order rate constants of 250 M −1 ·min −1 (dithiothreitol-sensitive reaction) and 52 M −1 ·min −1 (dithiothreitol-insensitive reaction), respectively. Marked protection against inactivation is afforded by phospho enol pyruvate and by metal-nucleotide complexes in the presence of free metal, indicating that reaction occurs in the region of the active site. Loss of approximately two sulfhydryls per enzyme subunit correlates well with the dithiothreitol-sensitive inactivation, suggesting that this phase of the inactivation may be attributable to disulfide formation. Incorporation of about one mole of fluorescent reagent per enzyme subunit correlates closely with the dithiothreitol-insensitive phase of inactivation, yielding a modified histidine residue. The quantum yield of the fluorescent sulfonylbenzoyl-1, N 6 -ethenoadenosine-pyruvate kinase is only 0.007, as compared to 0.54 for the parent nucleoside 1, N 6 -ethenoadenosine. The quenched fluorescence is consistent with stacking of the sulfonylbenzoyl moiety on the purine ring in the modified enzyme, which suggests that the altered histidine may be located in the adenine region of the metal-nucleotide binding site.
Skeletal muscle neural progenitor cells exhibit properties of NG2-glia

Reversing brain degeneration and trauma lesions will depend on cell therapy. Our previous work identified neural precursor cells derived from the skeletal muscle of Nestin-GFP transgenic mice, but their identity, origin, and potential survival in the brain are only vaguely understood. In this work, we show that Nestin-GFP+ progenitor cells share morphological and molecular markers with NG2-glia, including NG2, PDGFRα, O4, NGF receptor (p75), glutamate receptor-1(AMPA), and A2B5 expression. Although these cells exhibit NG2, they do not express other pericyte markers, such as α-SMA or connexin-43, and do not differentiate into the muscle lineage. Patch-clamp studies displayed outward potassium currents, probably carried through Kir6.1 channels. Given their potential therapeutic application, we compared their abundance in tissues and concluded that skeletal muscle is the richest source of predifferentiated neural precursor cells. We found that these cells migrate toward the neurogenic subventricular zone displaying their typical morphology and nestin-GFP expression two weeks after brain injection. For translational purposes, we sought to identify these neural progenitor cells in wild-type species by developing a DsRed expression vector under Nestin-Intron II control. This approach revealed them in nonhuman primates and aging rodents throughout the lifespan.
Maternal alcohol use and risk of orofacial cleft birth defects

Maternal alcohol use during pregnancy is a known cause of birth defects associated with the fetal alcohol syndrome, but its role in more common, isolated, craniofacial birth defects is not well understood. A population-based, case-control study of orofacial clefts was conducted in Iowa using births during 1987–1991. Cases were identified by the Iowa Birth Defects Registry and classified as having a cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CLP) or cleft palate only (CP) and whether the cleft was isolated or occurred with other birth defects. Controls were selected from normal Iowa births. Maternal alcohol use during pregnancy was classified according to self-reported drinks consumed per month. Results are based on 302 controls and the following numbers in each case group: 118 isolated CLP, 56 isolated CP, 51 CLP with multiple defects, and 62 CP with multiple defects. Compared to women who did not drink alcohol during pregnancy, the relative odds of isolated CLP rose with increasing level of maternal drinking as follows: 1–3 drinks per months, 1.5; 4–10 drinks per month, 3.1; more than 10 drinks per month, 4.7 (chi-square test for trend, P = 0.003). Adjustment for maternal smoking, vitamin use, education, and household income did not substantially alter these results. No significant association was found between alcohol use and isolated cleft palate or clefts in children with multiple birth defects. Alcohol use during pregnancy may be a cause of isolated cleft lip with or without cleft palate. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Gramicidin forms multi-state rectifying channels.

Gramicidin A is a pentadecapeptide of alternating L and D amino acids1. In membranes it forms cation conductive channels2 of molecular dimensions3,4 that in many respects resemble2–7 the channels of excitable cells8,9. For this reason, and also because its structure is well established1,10,11, the gramicidin channel is regarded as a useful model of ion channels in cell membranes. Although the properties of the gramicidin channel have been studied extensively12, it has generally been described as having a single state associated with a sharply defined conductance that remains unaltered during the lifetime of the channel13. We report here that, in fact, gramicidin A can assume other, less conductive ‘miniature’ (mini) states evidenced by our observations of spontaneous transitions in the conductance of single open channels and the observation of a significant number of weakly conducting channels. Current–voltage (I–V) relationships for different channel states differ significantly and, for minis, are often asymmetrical. Our results indicate that the gramicidin channel has a wide variety of stable conf ormational states that give rise to channels with different electrical properties. Because transitions between states occur relatively infrequently, these conf ormational states must be separated by relatively large energies of interconversion. Similar transitions, poised by the electric field or an agonist molecule, may underlie the function of gated channels in cell membranes.
Effects of task difficulty on pilot workload

In this study, we develop a model of workload as a function of task difficulty. Experiments on compensatory tracking tasks are used to assess the task difficulties. First, second, and third order plants that are controlled under three damping frequencies, no oscillation, critically damped, and overdamped, are investigated. The task difficulty index is defined as the ratio of root means square of path error to the root means square control velocity.
Effects of distributed database modeling on evaluation of transaction rollbacks

The effect of the distributed database transaction models on the computational complexity and accuracy of the rollback statistics in a partitioned database is investigated. The author develops six probabilistic models and gives expressions for the number of rollbacks under each of these models. Essentially, the models differ in terms of the available system information. The analytical results are compared to results from simulation. It is concluded that most of the probabilistic models yield overly conservative estimates of the number of rollbacks. The effect of transaction commutativity on system throughput is also grossly undermined when such models are used. >
Molecular and SNP characterization of two genome specific transcription factor genes GhMyb8 and GhMyb10 in cotton species

Two R2R3-Myb cDNAs (GhMyb8 and GhMyb10) and their corresponding genes were isolated and characterized from allotetraploid cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. cv. DES119) fiber cells. Both GhMyb8 and GhMyb10 exhibit some conserved features shared in subgroup 4 of plant R2R3-MYB proteins, including the GIDxxH motif and a zinc-finger domain. Both genomic origin and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses reveal that GhMyb8 and 10 are alloallelic genes in the allotetraploid cotton (AD genome). GhMyb10 is derived from the A2 subgenome, whereas GhMyb8 is from the D5 subgenome. Possible chromosomal locations of these two genes were explored by SNP marker based deletion analyses. The results showed that the average rate of SNP per nucleotide among the selected genotypes in the two gene fragments was 3.75% (∼one SNP per 27 nucleotide), and 0.55% and 5.14% in coding regions and 3′-UTR (3′ untranslated regions), respectively. Northern blot analysis showed that GhMyb8 and GhMyb10 are expressed in all examined tissues, including leaves, flowers, roots, and fibers from different developmental stages; however, the transcript level of GhMyb8/10 is more abundant in flowers and roots. The ectopic expression of GhMyb10 in transgenic tobacco plants showed the abnormal cell shapes in leaf trichomes, suggesting that GhMyb8 and GhMyb10 might play a role in the process of trichome cell differentiation. The exact chromosomal location of the two myb genes couldn’t be determined using the SNP deletion method due to the incomplete coverage of cytogenetic stocks.
Assets and Employment in the Nonprofit Sector

Employment in the public sector cannot be understood apart from employment in the part of the private nonprofit sector that provides collective-type goods. The nonprofit sector exists in signifticant part because of governmental decisions that encourage this alternative to increased direct governmental provision. Estimates developed in this article suggest that employment in the nonprofit sector in the United States is between 8 and 10 million, compared with some 15 million for tatal federal, state, and local employment, and less than 3 million for the federal government alone. In other countries the forms of institutions may differ and the term nonprofit may not be used, but private nonmarket organizations do exist, and they are more important than is commonly realized In any country, recognition of the relationship between the government and nonprofit sectors highlights the choice that exists for consumer citizens; they are not limited to government as the only institutional mechanism through which to o...
Fabrication of Free-Standing Metallic Pyramidal Shells

This paper describes a technique for fabricating three-dimensional, metallic, pyramidal microstructures with base dimensions of 1−2 μm, wall thicknesses of ∼100−200 nm, and tip-curvature radius of ∼50 nm. The procedure begins with the fabrication of pyramidal pits in the surface of an n-doped silicon substrate. An electrically insulating surface layer of SiO2 covers the regions outside the pits. These pits are patterned using either conventional photolithography or soft lithography and formed by selective anisotropic etching. The resulting topographically patterned silicon serves as the cathode for the selective electrodeposition of metal in the pyramidal pits. Removing the silicon template by etching generates free-standing, pyramidal, metallic microstructures.
On the circuit analysis of the Schmitt trigger

A general circuit analysis of the trigger circuit originally due to O. Schmitt (1938), namely a differential pair containing positive feedback, is presented. The analysis technique is illustrated by applying it to the well-known case of a bipolar Schmitt trigger. The result is a simplified and thus more transparent analysis. The same technique also gives an exact analysis of the MOS version of the same circuit. >
Atomic vibration amplitudes in fcc and hcp 4 He through x-ray diffraction measurements

Atomic vibration amplitudes in dense fcc and hcp ${}^{4}\mathrm{He}$ crystals have been measured using synchrotron x rays from the dependence of integrated Bragg intensities up to wave vectors of $91{\mathrm{nm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}.$ Observed raw Bragg x-ray integrated intensities cover an extraordinary range, greater than ${10}^{5},$ due to the combined effect of the Debye-Waller factor and electronic form factor. From analysis of these intensities mean-square atomic vibration amplitudes $〈{u}_{Q}^{2}〉$ and Lindemann ratios are determined. Path-integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) computations of Draeger and Ceperley, extrapolated to the thermodynamic limit, provide excellent agreement with these experimental results. For both present measurements and the PIMC results, one finds both a predominantly Gaussian distribution in $〈{u}_{Q}^{2}〉$ and an extraordinarily large Lindemann ratio. In contrast, these directly measured x-ray values are significantly larger than published values inferred from Born-von K\'arm\'an fitting to phonon dispersion measured by neutron scattering. Mildly anharmonic neon, which is fairly well described by self-consistent phonon theories, is contrasted with present results on fcc ${}^{4}\mathrm{He}$ at corresponding densities.
Managing Equity and Gender in an Agricultural Programme in Malawi

The challenge of introducing greater equity into a society as unequal and as poor as Malawi's has become is a daunting one. It involves nothing less than attempting to commence the reversal of a historic process that originates in the colonial system of production and has continued, even intensified, during three decades of political independence. In that process a very small elite arrogated all of the major components of political power and economic privilege. Attempting to restore, even to a limited degree, fairness in the distribution of assets and opportunities to such a society involves numerous, complex, and sometimes contradictory, sets of questions and responses. It also requires an unpackaging of the notion of ‘equity’ and the category of‘women’. This article sets out to explore some of those questions from a management perspective. First, in order to demonstrate the complexity and scale of the problem, as well as the limits of this particular experiment with reform, it will provide a brief historic background to the present structure and dynamic of Malawian agriculture. Second, it will, even more briefly, explain US AID's Agricultural Sector Assistance Programme (ASAP), which sought to alter in a modest way some of the major elements of agricultural inequity in Malawi. Third, it will analyse some of the procedural and management dilemmas confronting the programme. And, finally, it will set out some principles for responding to these management problems.
The effect of chronic manganese administration on some neurochemical and physiological variables in neonatal rats

Abstract 1. 1. The effects of chronic manganese administration on serotonin levels and acetylcholinesterase activity in the hypothalamus and corpus striatum in neonatal rats was examined. 2. 2. Rats exposed to manganese (20 μg/g) exhibited a significant increase in the concentration of serotonin in the hypothalamus, while levels in the corpus striatum were unaffected by the treatment. 3. 3. A similar dose of manganese caused a reduction in striatal acetylcholinesterase activity. 4. 4. These results suggest a serotonergic system involvement in manganism and stresses the importance of the interaction between the catecholaminergic-serotonergic-cholinergic systems.
Trade agreements and international comovements: The case of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)

Abstract Business cycles correlation between Mexico and the US changed from being on a downward sloping path before 1992 to an upward sloping path after that. This paper suggests that the North American Free Trade Agreement could be the explanation. NAFTA generated not only an increase in the volume of trade but also a change in the elasticity of substitution between imports and exports. The paper tests this hypothesis using the neoclassical business cycles model. Although there are still some discrepancies between the theory and data in the degree of correlation, the direction of change in the model corresponds to the one in the data.
Sensitivity of nanotube chemical sensors at the onset of Poole–Frenkel conduction

We find that the applied electric field has an unexpectedly large effect on the sensitivity of a sensor consisting of a network array of carbon nanotubes. The sensors are insensitive to gas adsorption at low applied voltages and remains low until a critical potential is reached. The sensor response then rapidly increases over a small range of voltage. The critical voltage roughly corresponds to the barrier for electron hopping between defect sites. These results show that there is a correlation between the conduction mechanism in the nanotube and the sensitivity of the nanotube. Such a correlation has not been observed previously.
Hyperaspis paludicola Schwarz (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): Association with Miscanthus Mealybug, Miscanthicoccus miscanthi (Takahashi) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), with a Review of its Distribution

ABSTRACT: Hyperaspis paludicola Schwarz is a rarely collected scymnine coccinellid of the tribe Hyperaspidini. Knowledge of its habits has been limited to an association with the adventive mealybug Miscanthicoccus miscanthi (Takahashi) on Chinese silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis; Poaceae) in Washington, DC. A second association of H. paludicola with M. miscanthi was observed in Clemson, South Carolina; adults were present on ornamental Chinese silvergrass from August 2010 to June 2012. The potential use of H. paludicola in the biocontrol of M. miscanthi and mealybugs of other bunchgrasses is proposed. I also review the coccinellid's previous distribution, including an over looked record from Massachusetts.
Reduced Benzo(a)pyrene and Phenolic Content of Smoke from Experimental Cigarettes

THE properties of tobacco and non-tobacco leaves can be modified by subjecting these leaves to a series of chemical extractions which strip the whole leaf, or shredded leaf, to almost pure cellulose. This extraction process removes unhealthy substances and improves the flavour and aroma of such leaves when they are used as a smoking product. The extracted leaf is reconstituted, preferably to its original weight, by adding back non-toxic chemical agents which enhance the burning qualities, flavour and aroma.
The oxygram: an unappreciated technique for assessing hypoventilation in paediatric anaesthesia

Summary This study assessed the use of the oxygram, specifically the difference between inspired and end tidal oxygen concentrations, F1-eto2, to detect hypoventilation in a paediatric population. Ten healthy unpremedicated children, aged 1-5 years, scheduled for elective minor urologic surgery were studied. A Modulus® II Plus Anesthesia System was used, with Rascal® II Anesthesia Gas Monitor for analysis of anaesthetic and respiratory gases with a Wright spirometer to monitor minute ventilation. Following inhalational induction, intubation, and caudal anaesthetic administration, the children breathed end-tidal halothane concentrations of 0.5%, 2%, 1.5%, 1.0%, and again 0.5% with measurements of inspired and end-tidal oxygen and halothane concentrations, end tidal CO2 (Petco2), minute ventilation (VE), respiratory rate (f), pulse oximetry saturations (Spo2), heart rate (HR), and mean blood pressure (BP). FI-ETO2 increased proportionately with hypoventilation at 2%, 1.5%, and 1% halothane concentrations compared to the 0.5% halothane group (P < 0.0001, 0.0008, and 0.0013 respectively), associated with corresponding increases of Petco2 and decreases of minute ventilation (VE). We conclude the oxygram was effective in monitoring hypoventilation in paediatric patients within the format of the protocol studied
Photonic Integrated Circuits for microwave photonics

InP-based Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) have found applications in the telecommunication and sensing arena because they have offered improvements in cost and function as well as size, weight and power. For microwave photonics applications, it has been found that some analog functions such as optical-phase locked loops (OPLLs) can be greatly improved and enabled with PIC technology. Primary reasons are significantly reduced path lengths that enable much higher loop bandwidths and very stable optical paths enabling low noise coherent summing of optical signals. In this paper significant advances in PIC technology will be summarized. Integrated PIC coherent receivers and phase-locked transmitter arrays using OPLLs will be reviewed. Progammable PIC microwave photonic filters will also be briefly discussed.
Theoretical studies of conjugation effects on excited state intramolecular hydrogen-atom transfer reactions in model systems.

Intramolecular hydrogen-atom transfer dependence on electronic conjugation of curcumin and related molecular models in the ground state and 1ππ* excited state are computationally studied at the first-principles electronic structure level. The larger, more conjugated, systems exhibit a lower reaction barrier in the ground state but a higher barrier in the excited state. This is associated with a smaller increase in the conjugation upon excitation in the larger systems. Our studies provide a detailed description and analysis of these energy trends as well as an insight into the physical nature of the intramolecular hydrogen-atom transfer reactions.
The quantitative electrokymograph.

The quantitative electrokymograph has been developed in an effort to provide an instrument which will be easier to operate than the electrokymographic equipment currently available. In addition, provision has been made for the recording of both border-motion phenomena and densitometric changes within the heart and great vessels. In the design of the instrument, considerable attention has been directed toward the development of a means whereby electrokymographic tracings may be calibrated. Care has also been exercised in the instrument's design in order to provide a frequency response that is essentially flat from 0 to 40 cycles per second.
FGF signaling restricts the primary blood islands to ventral mesoderm.

According to the three-signal model of mesoderm patterning in Xenopus, all mesoderm, with the exception of the Spemann organizer, is originally specified as ventral type, such as lateral plate and primary blood islands. It is proposed that the blood islands become restricted to the ventralmost mesoderm because they are not exposed to the BMP-inhibiting activity of the Spemann organizer. We present evidence here that, contrary to predictions of this model, the blood islands remain ventrally restricted even in the absence of Spemann organizer signaling. We further observed that inhibition of FGF signaling with a dominant negative receptor resulted in the expansion of the blood island-forming territory with a concomitant loss of somite. The requirement for FGF signaling in specifying somite versus blood island territories was observed as early as midgastrulation. The nonoverlapping expression domains of Xnr-2 and Xbra in the gastrula marginal zone appear to mark presumptive blood island and somite, respectively. Inhibition of FGF signaling with dominant negative receptor leads to an expansion of Xnr-2 expression and to a corresponding reduction in Xbra expression. On the other hand, we found no evidence that manipulation of BMP signaling, either positively or negatively, altered the expression domains of Xnr-2 and Xbra. These results suggest that FGF signaling, rather than BMP-inhibiting activity, is essential for restriction of the ventral blood islands to ventral mesoderm.
Ion transport in the microporous titanosilicate ETS-10

Impedance spectroscopy was used to investigate ion transport in the microporous crystalline framework titanosilicate ETS-10 in the frequency range from 1 Hz to 10 MHz. These data were compared to measured data from the microporous aluminosilicate zeolite X. Na-ETS-10 was found to have a lower activation energy for ion conduction than that of NaX, 58.5 kJ/mol compared to 66.8 kJ/mol. However, the dc conductivity and ion hopping rate for Na-ETS-10 were also lower than NaX. This was found to be due to the smaller entropy contribution in Na-ETS-10 because of its high cation site occupancy. This was verified by ion exchanging Na(+) with Cu(2+) in both microporous frameworks. This exchange decreases the cation site occupancy and reduces correlation effects. The exchanged Cu-ETS-10 was found to have both lower activation energy and higher ionic conductivity than CuX. Zeolite X has the highest ion conductivity among the zeolites, and thus the data shown here indicate that ETS-10 has more facile transport of higher valence cations which may be important for ion-exchange, environmental remediation of radionucleotides, and nanofabrication.
Malaria control in Africa: a mirage à trois.

The WHO, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the President’s Malaria Initiative, among many other charitable organizations, have lately demonstrated a deep commitment to combating the rising malaria-related death toll in Africa. While one may wonder whether malaria eradication is possible, at present there is hope of providing an extended period of relief from the disease for large regions of Africa, similar to that which occurred in India as the result of an earlier eradication program. Extended relief from the disease would not only save many lives but would also help provide a window of opportunity for economic development as it has in India. It is an issue of concern, however, that participants do not agree on either a common goal or the necessary duration of commitment. Furthermore, we are moving forward with neither a detailed plan of attack nor the epidemiologic information necessary to establish one.
Crossing constraints for hyperon reactions.

The importance and usefulness of crossing is emphasized for both kaon scattering and kaon production reactions. It is argued, and numerically demonstrated for a chiral Lagrangian, that crossing provides powerful, comprehensive constraints which are often neglected in the evaluation of dynamical models. Cross section calculations are presented for two distinct sets of crossing related reactions: (1) K/sup -/p..-->..K/sup -/p, K/sup +/p..-->..K/sup +/p and p-barp..-->..K/sup -/K/sup +/; (2) K/sup -/p..--> gamma lambda..and ..gamma..p..-->..K/sup +/..lambda.. The crossing relations require that the same hadronic Lagrangian, including coupling constants, govern all of these reactions, and results show that different reactions exhibit different sensitivity to coupling constant uncertainty. Because crossed reactions always entail different kinematic regions of the S matrix, it is expected that such sensitivity is not just representative of the current model but rather a general feature that should be exploited when investigating all relativistic theories.