cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Victimization prevention programs: a national survey of children's exposure and reactions

The National Youth Victimization Prevention Study interviewed a representative sample of 2,000 U.S. children and their caretakers about the children's experience with child abuse and victimization prevention programs. Two-thirds of the children reported being exposed to at least one program at some time, 37% within the last year. Programs that gave children a chance to practice, that prompted discussions with parents, and that included information on dealing with bullies were more likely to result in utilization of the program skills. Although satisfaction levels were generally high for all groups, girls, black children, and children from lower socioeconomic status families, as well as their parents, had more positive reactions and reported more skill utilization. Some children did report, and their parents confirmed, more worry about abuse and fear of adults. However, the children with increased worry and fear were also the children who themselves and their parents reported the most positive feelings about the programs and the most skill utilization. This suggests that the level of worry and fear induced by the programs was appropriate to the subject.
Molecular Resistance Mechanisms of Macrolide-Resistant Invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae Isolates from Alaska, 1986 to 2010

The rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant pneumococcal strains has reduced treatment options. The aim of this study was to determine antimicrobial susceptibilities, serotype distributions, and molecular resistance mechanisms among macrolide-resistant invasive pneumococcal isolates in Alaska from 1986 to 2010. We identified cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in Alaska from 1986 to 2010 through statewide population-based laboratory surveillance. All invasive pneumococcal isolates submitted to the Arctic Investigations Program laboratory were confirmed by standard microbiological methods and serotyped by slide agglutination and the Quellung reaction. MICs were determined by the broth microdilution method, and macrolide-resistant genotypes were determined by multiplex PCR. Among 2,923 invasive pneumococcal isolates recovered from 1986 to 2010, 270 (9.2%) were nonsusceptible to erythromycin; 177 (66%) erythromycin-nonsusceptible isolates demonstrated coresistance to penicillin, and 167 (62%) were multidrug resistant. The most frequent serotypes among the macrolide-resistant isolates were serotypes 6B (23.3%), 14 (20.7%), 19A (16.7%), 9V (8.9%), 19F (6.3%), 6A (5.6%), and 23F (4.8%). mef and erm(B) genes were detected in 207 (77%) and 32 (12%) of the isolates, respectively. Nineteen (7%) of the erythromycin-nonsusceptible isolates contained both mef and erm(B) genotypes; 15 were of serotype 19A. There was significant year-to-year variation in the proportion of isolates that were nonsusceptible to erythromycin (P < 0.001). Macrolide resistance among pneumococcal isolates from Alaska is mediated predominantly by mef genes, and this has not changed significantly over time. However, there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of isolates that possess both erm(B) and mef, primarily due to serotype 19A isolates.
Dye-Enhanced Confocal Microscopy as an Optical Pathology Tool

Dye-enhanced multi-modal confocal microscopy provides an efficient real-time optical pathology tool. Reflectance and fluorescence confocal images are remarkably similar to histology. Fluorescence polarization registered from cancer is higher than that of other structures.
The isotope effect for superconductivity in high-Tcβ∗-(ET)2I3 with 13C isotopic substitution in the ring and central C=C atoms of bis (ethylenedithio) tetrathiafulvalence (ET)

Abstract This article describes the first study of the superconducting isotope effect on T c for β ∗ -(ET) 2 I 3 (also denoted as β H -(ET) 2 I 3 ), the crystallographically ordered form of β-(ET) 2 I 3 produced by application of a mild pressure, for 13 C substitution in both the ring and central double-bonded C = C atoms of the ET electron-donor molecule. A previous determination by others of this isotope effect for 13 C substitution only in the central C = C atoms gives ΔT c =-0.2±0.1 K, suggesting that the C = C stretching motions are of major importance as mediators of the superconducting pairing of charge carriers. This value of the isotope effect, if correct, would be expected to increase to -0.4 K with 13 C substitution in both the ring and central C = C atoms, giving a more decisive measure of the isotope effect. The present experiments, however, yield a zero isotope effect within an uncertainty of ±0.1 K. This result indicates that the vibrational modes associated with the three C = C stretching motions do not provide a dominant exchange mechanism for Cooper pairing.
Crop diversification as a smallholder livelihood strategy within semi-arid agricultural systems near Mount Kenya

Crop diversification is one strategy that smallholder farmers may employ to reduce their vulnerability in the face of global environmental change. Diversification not only expands the number of potential crop types for market, it also improves agroecosystem functioning by building redundancy into the agricultural system and allowing for innovation in areas exhibiting impacts of climate variability. While the driving forces behind and impacts of crop diversification have been extensively investigated, there are particular issues for the prospects of crop diversification to reduce household vulnerability within semi-arid agricultural systems. The decision to diversify crops is a particularly challenging one for farmers in semi-arid systems. Semi-arid systems can exhibit greater variability in annual precipitation in areas that are marginal for agricultural production. Changes to the timing of the growing season (onset of rains) and mid-season dry periods in particular pose significant challenges to farmers in semi-arid ecosystems. This paper examines the spatial diversification of crop types across an upland-lowland gradient on Mount Kenya's northwestern slopes. We perform regression analyses using household-level survey data collected during the summer of 2012 to investigate the factors contributing to varying levels of crop diversification and implications for crop production in a semi-arid irrigated agricultural system. We hypothesize that the study area locations at higher elevations will be able to grow a greater variety of crops due to climate suitability. Our analysis demonstrates that household-level income, field size, exposure to agricultural extension officers, and suitability of environmental conditions are related to the likelihood of smallholder crop diversification. More favorable growing conditions appear to outweigh limitations posed by inaccessibility and financial constraints, which has implications for adaptation to climate change in semi-arid ecosystems. We discuss the results in the context of challenges posed by global environmental change.
A Rehabilomics framework for personalized and translational rehabilitation research and care for individuals with disabilities: Perspectives and considerations for spinal cord injury.

Despite many people having similar clinical presentation, demographic factors, and clinical care, outcome can differ for those sustaining significant injury such as spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). In addition to traditional demographic, social, and clinical factors, variability also may be attributable to innate (including genetic, transcriptomic proteomic, epigenetic) biological variation that individuals bring to recovery and their unique response to their care and environment. Technologies collectively called “-omics” enable simultaneous measurement of an enormous number of biomolecules that can capture many potential biological contributors to heterogeneity of injury/disease course and outcome. Due to the nature of injury and complex disease, and its associations with impairment, disability, and recovery, rehabilitation does not lend itself to a singular “protocolized” plan of therapy. Yet, by nature and by necessity, rehabilitation medicine operates as a functional model of “Personalized Care”. Thus, the challenge for successful programs of translational rehabilitation care and research is to identify viable approaches to examine broad populations, with varied impairments and functional limitations, and to identify effective treatment responses that incorporate personalized protocols to optimize functional recovery. The Rehabilomics framework is a translational model that provides an “-omics” overlay to the scientific study of rehabilitation processes and multidimensional outcomes. Rehabilomics research provides novel opportunities to evaluate the neurobiology of complex injury or chronic disease and can be used to examine methods and treatments for person-centered care among populations with disabilities. Exemplars for application in SCI and other neurorehabilitation populations are discussed.
Planning a longitudinal study. II. Frequency of measurement and study duration.

Two IMPORTANT issues in planning and executing a longitudinal study are the frequency of repeated measurements on the subjects and the study duration. The scientific goals of a study, physical resources, available staff and funds will contribute to an investigator’s intuition regarding the proper balance of these two factors. Statistical techniques can aid in planning and in evaluating choices of frequency of measurement and study duration. They assume that characterizing individual change in function with age (time) is an important component of a longitudinal study.
Professional Autonomy and Social Work Supervision

Abstract With the growing emphasis on professionalism and autonomy in social work practice, the importance of supervision is receiving new attention in the literature. In this paper the “functional” nature of supervision is analyzed through exploration of the emphasis in practice on the administrative and teaching aspects of supervision, and how these concepts appear to have become measures of exercising authority and control rather than promoting independence, while independence is epitomized as the essence of practice. Merton's views on the sociological perspective of functionalism are applied to the debate on authority in supervision versus autonomy in practice.
Homogeneity Score Test for the Intraclass Version of the Kappa Statistics and Sample‐Size Determination in Multiple or Stratified Studies

Quand le coefficient de correlation intra-classe ou sa version equivalente du coefficient d'agrement kappa ont ete estimes a partir de plusieurs etudes independantes ou d'une etude avec stratification,nous nous trouvons devant le probleme de la comparaison de statistiques kappa et de la combinaison d'information sur ces statistiques en un kappa commun quand leur supposition d'homogeneite est satisfaite. Dans cet article, en utilisant la theorie de vraisemblance du score etendue aux parametres de nuisance (Tarone, 1988) nous presentons un test d'homogeneite efficace pour comparer plusieurs statistiques kappa independantes et, de surcroit, nous donnons une methode du score d'homogeneite modifiee en employant comme alternative un estimateur non-iteratif et consistant. Nous fournissons la taille d'echantillon en employant la methode du score d'homogeneite modifiee et nous la comparons a celle de la qualite d'ajustement (GOF) (Donner, Eliasziw et Klar, 1996). Une etude de simulation pour des tailles d'echantillon faibles et moderes a montre que le niveau actuel du test du score d'homogeneite employant les estimateurs du maximum de vraisemblance (MLEs) des parametres est, de maniere satisfaisante, proche du nominal et qu'il est plus faible que ceux du score d'homogeneite mortifiee et des tests de la qualite d'ajustement. Nous etudions les proprietes statistiques de plusieurs estimateurs non iteratifs d'un kappa commun. L'estimateur (Donner, Eliasziw et Klar, 1996) est essentiellement efficace et peut etre employe comme une alternative au MLE iteratif. Nous presentons une estimation par intervalle efficace d'un kappa commun en employant la methode de vraisemblance du score.
Reviewing and Benchmarking Adventure Therapy Outcomes: Applications of Meta-Analysis:

This article summarizes evidence from meta-analyses of outdoor education, psychotherapy, and education which can he used to help determine the relative efficacy of adventure therapy programs. The major outdoor education meta-analysis by Hattie, Marsh, Neill, and Richards (1997) cites an effect size of .34 for immediate program effectiveness. Meta-analytic studies of innovative education programs in school settings report similar effects (Hattie et al., Hattie, 1992, 1993), while psychological training meta-analyses report slightly higher effects (Lipsey & Wilson, 1993), and meta-analyses of psychotherapy effectiveness find stronger effects (Casey St Berman, 1985; Smith, Glass, & Miller, 1980). This article derives outcome benchmarks for adventure therapy program outcomes taken from existing outdoor education, psychological, and educational meta-analyses, and recommends that the benchmarks be used in adventure therapy research and evaluation to allow for more accurate assessments of program's effectiveness...
Extended Total Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Puppies

Abstract A servo-controlled perfusion system with a low priming volume intended for total cardiopulmonary bypass has been developed and was tested in puppies. The automaticity of the system is provided by two feedback circuits which depend on the negative pressure in the venous return line and the perfusion flow. The system was tested by using closed-chest total cardiopulmonary bypass in puppies for periods of 12 to 24 hours. Ten puppies were perfused for 24 hours, and 4 survived. Once it was ascertained that almost all the deaths resulted from fluid overload and pulmonary edema, the overload was avoided by continuous monitoring of the pulmonary artery pressure, which was kept below 4 mm. Hg. Thereafter, 5 consecutive puppies undergoing total bypass for a 12-hour period survived with an actual reduction in body weight.
Flowering patterns of long-lived Heliconia inflorescences: implications for visiting and resident nectarivores

Flowering patterns of four Heliconia (Heliconiaceae) species in Trinidad, West Indies were examined for their predictability and availability to the nectarivores that rely on Heliconia floral nectar. Principal flower visitors are trapling hermit hummingbirds; inflorescences are inhabited by nectarivorous hummingbird flower mites that move between inflorescences by riding in the hummingbirds' nares. Heliconia inflorescences flower for 40–200 days, providing long-term sources of copious nectar (30–60 μl per flower), but each Heliconia flower lasts only a single day. As an inflorescence ages the interval increases between open flowers within a bract; wet-season inflorescences produce open flowers more slowly than dry-season conspecifics. Estimated daily energy expenditures for hermit hummingbirds demonstrate that slow production of short-lived open flowers plus low inflorescence density preclude territorial defense of Heliconia by the hermits. Heliconia flowering patterns are viewed as a means of (i) regulating reproductive investment by the plants through staggered flower production over long periods of time, and (ii) maintaining outcrossing by necessitating a traplining visitation pattern by its hummingbird pollinators. I suggest that Heliconia exhibit a two-tiered pollination system by using hermit hummingbirds primarily for outcrossing and using hummingbird flower mites primarily for self-pollination.
A longitudinal analysis of citizens' attitudes about police

Purpose – Prior research has established the importance of citizens' perceptions of procedural justice in determining their assessments of and satisfaction with police. The present study seeks to contribute to this literature in three ways. First, it aims to test for a link between perceived procedural justice and performance‐based assessments of police officers' ability to control serious crime. Second, it aims to test this link using longitudinal data and controls for existing attitudes to ensure directional validity of the results. Finally, it aims to advance the literature by extending the study of personal experiences and process‐based judgments to non‐urban areas.Design/methodology/approach – The data were gathered using a panel design consisting of two surveys administered three years apart. The data are analyzed using ordinary least squares regression.Findings – The results support the hypothesis that citizens' perceived procedural justice during their personal contact with officers significantly ...
Estimating multispecies abundance using automated detection systems: ice-associated seals in the Bering Sea

Summary Automated detection systems employing advanced technology (e.g. infrared imagery, auditory recording systems, pattern recognition software) are compelling tools for gathering animal abundance and distribution data since investigators can often collect data more efficiently and reduce animal disturbance relative to surveys using human observers. Even with these improvements, analysing animal abundance with advanced technology can be challenging because of potential for incomplete detection, false positives and species misidentification. We argue that double sampling with an independent sampling method can provide the critical information needed to account for such errors. We present a hierarchical modelling framework for jointly analysing automated detection and double sampling data obtained during animal population surveys. Under our framework, observed counts in different sampling units are conceptualized as having arisen from a thinned log-Gaussian Cox process subject to spatial autocorrelation (where thinning accounts for incomplete detection). For multispecies surveys, our approach handles incomplete species observations owing to (i) structural uncertainties (e.g. in cases where the automatic detection data do not provide species observations) and (ii) species misclassification; the latter requires auxiliary information on the misclassification process. As an example of combining an automated detection system and a double sampling procedure, we consider the problem of estimating animal abundance from aerial surveys that use infrared imagery to detect animals, and independent, high-resolution digital photography to provide information on species composition and thermal detection accuracy. We illustrate our approach by analysing simulated data and data from a survey of four ice-associated seal species in the eastern Bering Sea. Our analysis indicated reasonable performance of our hierarchical modelling approach, but suggested a need to balance model complexity with the richness of the data set. For example, highly parameterized models can lead to spuriously high predictions of abundance in areas that are not sampled, especially when there are large gaps in spatial coverage. We recommend that ecologists employ double sampling when enumerating animal populations with automated detection systems to estimate and correct for detection errors. Combining multiple data sets within a hierarchical modelling framework provides a powerful approach for analysing animal abundance over large spatial domains.
Dynamical downscaling: Assessment of value retained and added using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS)

[1] The value restored and added by dynamical downscaling is quantitatively evaluated by considering the spectral behavior of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) in relation to its domain size and grid spacing. A regional climate model (RCM) simulation is compared with NCEP Reanalysis data regridded to the RAMS grid at each model analysis time for a set of six basic experiments. At large scales, RAMS underestimates atmospheric variability as determined by the column integrated kinetic energy and integrated moisture flux convergence. As the grid spacing increases or domain size increases, the underestimation of atmospheric variability at large scales worsens. The model simulated evolution of the kinetic energy relative to the reanalysis regridded kinetic energy exhibits a decrease with time, which is more pronounced with larger grid spacing. Additional follow-on experiments confirm that the surface boundary forcing is the dominant factor in generating atmospheric variability for small-scale features and that it exerts greater control on the RCM solution as the influence of lateral boundary conditions diminish. The sensitivity to surface forcing is also influenced by the model parameterizations, as demonstrated by using a different convection scheme. For the particular case considered, dynamical downscaling with RAMS in RCM mode does not retain value of the large scale which exists in the larger global reanalysis. The utility of the RCM, or value added, is to resolve the smaller-scale features which have a greater dependence on the surface boundary. This conclusion regarding RAMS is expected to be true for other RCMs as well.
On a summer maximum in the occurrence frequency of 150 km (F1) radar echoes over Pohnpei

[1] Using three and a half years of 50 MHz radar data collected from Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (6.96°N, 158.19°E geographic, 0.3° magnetic dip latitude), we show for the first time that the occurrence frequency of 150 km (or F1) echoes has a broad but conspicuous maximum during northern summer in this longitude sector with minimal activity in other months. Given a seasonal similarity to sporadic E (Es), we suggest that an Es-layer instability [Cosgrove and Tsunoda, 2002] generates a polarization electric field (), which maps along geomagnetic field lines to the F1 region. There, forms thin plasma sheets that provide gradients to excite 3-m-scale plasma waves via an interchange process.
The effect of heparin on fibronectin and thrombospondin synthesis by human smooth muscle cells.

Summary Heparin causes increased synthesis of fibronectin and thrombospondin by human vascular smooth muscle cells as assessed by immunoprecipitation and ELISA techniques. More fibronectin and thrombospondin were immunoprecipitated from the medium of cells treated with 180 μ g/ml heparin than from that of control cells. Heparin did not effect levels of fibronectin and thrombospondin immunoprecipitated from the cell-matrix fractions. By ELISA, heparin was found to cause a 1.7 fold increase in medium fibronectin levels/cell and a 10 fold increase in medium thrombospondin levels/cell. Concomitantly, smooth muscle cells treated with 180 g/ml heparin for 48 h exhibited 55% decrease in proliferation relative to controls.
ANTITUMORAL ACTIVITY OF PANAX GINSENG EXTRACTS

Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer (Araliacea) has been known for thousands of years in the Far East as a remedy effective against a multitude of ailments. Recently ginseng preparations have been tested for antineoplastic properties by Soviet and American investigators. Lazarev (1) reported that an extract of ginseng roots inhibited the growth of the murine Ehrlich carcinoma by 15 to 48%, while Yaremenko (2) obtained variable results in tests with Ehrlich cells, and no effect against the Walker tumor of rats. Abbott and co-workers (3) tested water and ethanol extracts of Panax quinquefolius L. (American ginseng) against murine tumors sarcoma 180 (S 180), adenocarcinoma 755 (Ca 755), and leukemia 1210 (L 1210) with negative results. A sample of Formosan Panax ginseng was ineffective in various test system (J. Hartwell, personal communication). The source of ginseng roots may be related to their pharmacologic effectiveness, as slight differences have been reported (4) in the composition of ginseng root varieties from different localities.
Transport of Fluorescein in MDCKII-MRP1 Transfected Cells and mrp1-Knockout Mice

Abstract The multidrug resistant-associated protein 1 (MRP1) is a membrane-bound transport protein that is involved in the efflux of organic anions and has been implicated in multidrug resistance in cancer. MRP1 has also been reported to be ubiquitously expressed in normal tissues, including the brain. The presence of functional organic anion transporters in the blood–brain and blood–CSF barriers that influence the distribution of various compounds to the brain has long been known. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of MRP1 in the brain distribution of a model organic anion, fluorescein. The substrate specificity of MRP1 for fluorescein was initially determined by examining the accumulation of fluorescein in MDCKII MRP1-transfected cells. The distribution of fluorescein in the brain was then examined in wild-type and mrp 1 gene knockout mice. The results show that in MDCKII MRP1-transfected cells, the accumulation of fluorescein was significantly lower (about 40% lower) than that in wild-type MDCKII cells. MRP1 inhibitors such as probenecid, MK-571, and LY402913 enhanced fluorescein accumulation in MDCKII MRP1-transfected cells to a greater extent than in wild-type MDCKII cells. In an in vivo study, after intravenous injection of fluorescein, the fluorescein brain-to-plasma concentration ratio in mrp 1 knockout mice was not significantly different than that in wild-type mice. However, when probenecid was co-administered with fluorescein in wild-type mice, the fluorescein brain-to-plasma ratio was significantly increased (1.5-fold). These findings suggest that fluorescein is a substrate for MRP1. Furthermore, the in vivo study also suggests that MRP1 has a limited role in the transport and distribution of fluorescein in the brain. Therefore, other organic anion transport proteins, including the various isoforms of the MRP family, may be responsible for the accumulation and transport of organic anions in the brain.
Improved Sum Rule for Electron-Deuteron Scattering

A qualitative discussion of the approximations implicit in the present theoretical treatment of the deuteron is presented. An improved sum rule which relates the total elastic and inelastic scattering of electrons from the deuteron to the free electron-nucleon cross sections is derived. It has the property of reducing to the correct relativistic result upon neglect of binding. It is proved that the use of folded nucleon and nuclear form factors is correct. It is shown that the finite nucleon size does not affect any real photon process.
Determination of exact reconstruction regions in composite-circling cone-beam tomography

Image reconstruction of a short portion of a long object using longitudinally truncated cone-beam data is important for major medical computed tomography (CT) applications, especially cardiac CT. Cardiac CT is an essential imaging tool for the diagnosis and therapeutic assessment of heart defects, cardiovascular diseases, and lung diseases, but it is still limited by suboptimal image quality. Recently, saddle-curve and composite-circling scanning modes have been proposed to solve this problem using exact reconstruction formulas. However, saddle-curve scanning involves both circular and linear motions, while composite-circling scanning conveniently involves just circular motions. Because saddle-curve scanning is difficult to implement mechanically, composite-circling scanning provides another, hopefully easier, approach: An x-ray focal spot in an x-ray tube is rotated on a plane facing the heart, while the x-ray tube and possibly the detector are simultaneously rotated on the gantry plane. This article determines regions for chord-based exact reconstruction in the composite-circling scanning mode and compares them to those in the saddle-curve scanning mode. For different scanning parameter combinations, this article finds the largest sphere centered at the origin that can be embedded inside the exact reconstruction region. This article also shows that the embedded spheres become larger when the x-ray focal spot rotates at variable speeds, allowing the scanning curve to cover a larger object. In summary, this article derives guidelines for prototyping a new cardiac CT scanner to meet the goals of reducing radiation dose and increasing spatial and temporal resolution.
Labor parties in Japan

One of the results of the passage of the manhood suffrage law of 1925 in Japan has been the rise of proletarian parties and the election of eight of their candidates as members of the Diet. In the House of Representatives these new members find themselves in the company of half a dozen minor parties and a group of independents, alternately ignored and courted by the two major parties. Their appearance coincides with a time when liberal opinion in Japan favors the two-party rather than the multiple-party system. But the economic significance of the new parties has saved them from the aspersion of merely adding to the confusion of minor groups. Moreover, the failure of Japanese liberals to develop a great party of liberalism invites a new association to seize a vantage ground so long unoccupied. On the eve of the general election of 1928 the founders of the proletarian parties had reason to hope that careful strategy in the campaign would give the new parties a good start upon the same road that led the Labor party in Great Britain to the leadership of the parliamentary opposition and finally into office. The manhood suffrage act had increased the electorate from 3,341,000 to 12,534,360. Among the nine million new voters are included practically all the male factory toilers and agricultural workers. Here, indeed, is a rich field for proletarian vote-getting.
Labor–Management Relations: Understanding and Practicing Effective Negotiations

Periodic collective bargaining between employers and unions, combined with contract administration and workplace dispute resolution, has provided many core insights for the broad field of negotiations.Over the past twenty-five years, this arena has advanced knowledge regarding the interdependence of integrative and distributive bargaining, the concurrent shaping of attitudes, the management of internal relations (within a party), and the roles of elected and appointed agents. Public sector negotiations have provided new insights into the dynamics of multilateral bargaining as well as a broad array of mediation and arbitration models.While the number of labor agreements negotiated each year has declined over the past half century, at least 23,000 private sector agreements are still executed each year and fundamental changes in industrial relations systems make continued attention to labor‐management negotiations of increasing importance. In particular, this arena now features highly structured approaches applying interest-based bargaining principles and presents profound challenges as power relations shift in multiple ways.
Relational Exchange Strategies, Performance, Uncertainty, and Knowledge

This study tests both the purchasing and production performance benefits of relational exchange strategies under varying levels of environmental uncertainty. The results indicate that customers realize different performance benefits from relational exchanges in certain versus uncertain environments. In uncertain environments, all the customer performance benefits tested were enhanced through the use of relational exchanges, but in more certain environments, only the production performance benefits achieved through knowledge transfer were improved. The results suggest the need to develop exchange theory and conduct further research on the influences of both environmental and internal organization uncertainty on relational customer-supplier exchanges and the corresponding performance benefits.
Nonlinear phase correction for navigated diffusion imaging

Motion during diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) introduces phase errors that can cause significant artifacts in brain images. One method of correcting these errors uses additional navigator data to measure the phase corruptions. Standard navigator methods correct for rigid-body motion but cannot correct for nonrigid deformations of the brain related to the cardiac cycle. This work derives a generalized reconstruction that corrects for nonrigid motion based on a least-squares formulation. Since this reconstruction has the disadvantage of being computationally expensive, an approximation is presented, called a refocusing reconstruction. The refocusing reconstruction is both efficient and straightforward. Each readout is multiplied in image space by the phase conjugate of the navigator image, and these rephased readouts are then summed. The conditions under which the refocusing reconstruction is sufficient are considered and methods to improve the quality of refocused images are discussed. In particular, synchronization of the acquisition to the cardiac cycle can provide data that is well-conditioned to the refocusing reconstruction without incurring the large time penalty traditionally associated with cardiac gating. These methods are applied to steady-state DWI, a promising pulse sequence that is particularly sensitive to motion-induced phase artifacts. The refocusing reconstruction is shown to significantly improve SS-DWI over standard rigid-body corrections. Magn Reson Med 50: 343‐353, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Extinction and replacement in the Indo-West Pacific Ocean

Summary Aim To provide evidence suggesting the existence of a dynamic system of extinction and replacement. Location The Indo-West Pacific Ocean. Methods Utilization of species distribution patterns produced by detailed systematic works. Results The distribution patterns appear to suggest a sequence of events that is consistent with the centre of origin hypothesis. The East Indies centre is considered to operate according to the centrifugal speciation model. Main conclusions Disjunct patterns appear to have originated in the East Indies and spread out from there. In cases where the vacated area is occupied by a sibling species, competitive (sympatric) speciation may have occurred. Over time the extinction pattern will gradually extend outward until it is played out among small populations far from their centre of origin
Experimental protocol of a randomized controlled clinical trial investigating exercise, subclinical atherosclerosis, and walking mobility in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Abstract Background This randomized controlled trial (RCT) will investigate the effects of a home-based aerobic exercise training regimen (i.e., cycle ergometry) on subclinical atherosclerosis and walking mobility in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and minimal disability. Methods/design This RCT will recruit 54 men and women who have an Expanded Disability Status Scale characteristic of the 1st stage of MS (i.e., 0–4.0) to participate in a 3 month exercise or stretching intervention, with assessments of subclinical atherosclerosis and walking mobility conducted at baseline, week 6 (midpoint), and week 12 (conclusion) of the program. The exercise intervention will consist of 3 days/week of cycling, with a gradual increase of duration followed by an increase in intensity across the 3 month period. The attention-control condition will incorporate stretching activities and will require the same contact time commitment as the exercise condition. Both study groups will participate in weekly video chat sessions with study personnel in order to monitor and track program adherence. Primary outcomes will consist of assessments of vascular structure and function, as well as several walking tasks. Additional outcomes will include questionnaires, cardiorespiratory fitness assessment, and a 1-week free-living physical activity assessment. Discussion This investigation will increase understanding of the role of aerobic exercise as part of a treatment plan for managing subclinical atherosclerosis and improving walking mobility persons in the 1st stage of MS. Overall, this study design has the potential to lead to effective aerobic exercise intervention strategies for this population and improve program adherence.
Simultaneous noise reduction and SAR image data compression using best wavelet packet basis

We propose a novel method for simultaneous noise reduction and data compression based on shrinking, quantizing and coding the wavelet packet (WP) coefficients. A dynamic programming and fast pruning algorithm is used to efficiently choose the best basis from the entire library of admissible WP bases, and jointly optimize the bit allocation strategy and the quantization scheme in the rate-distortion framework. Soft-thresholding in the wavelet domain can significantly suppress noise, e.g., the speckles of the synthetic aperture radar images, while maintaining bright reflections for subsequent detection and recognition. Optimal bit allocation, quantization and entropy coding achieve the goal of compression while maintaining the fidelity of the image.
The Trouble with Painting, the Image (less) Text

This article argues that painting and its theory founds and subtends the discipline and practices of the history of art. It proposes this epistemological situation as a problem for visual culture. The article begins by locating the centrality of painting as intellection in the person and work of Leonardo da Vinci and in the writing on him by Paul Valery and Walter Benjamin. An investigation of the inheritance of Leonardo da Vinci in the 17th century follows, in order to historicize his exemplarity both in early 20th-century art theory and in the dissipating aura associated with painting. The emergence of the ‘art book’ in the 17th century in Italy and France, particularly the first edition of Leonardo’s Treatise on Painting, is seen as significant in the transformation of the image and its power to represent through the materiality and characteristics of the book. This transformation, the basis of ‘the trouble with painting’, occurred amongst an elite group of connoisseurs, prelates, and aristocrats. Usin...
Raccoon Removal on Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches

Abstract Predator removal can be an effective strategy for reducing mortality rates of prey species. Because removal programs must continue indefinitely to remain effective, trapping creates a source–sink dynamic that can alter predator spatial distribution and demography. We investigated the intraspecific effects of predator removal by comparing 2 Florida, USA, raccoon (Procyon lotor) populations that are managed to decrease sea turtle egg mortality. Long-term removal created an extremely male-biased population (>10:1), but the proportion of juveniles did not differ between sites. Stable isotope analyses indicate that raccoons on the removal beach originated from inland habitats. Our results suggest that adult males dominate the recolonization of removal areas and the presence of juveniles on the beach is due to predispersal behavior. Because raccoons are highly omnivorous and mobile, intensive management at a small scale may have broader impacts across the landscape that predator-removal programs should...
See-saw signal processing in pinealocytes involves reciprocal changes in the α1-adrenergic component of the cyclic GMP response and the β-adrenergic component of the cyclic AMP response

Pineal cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP are regulated by norepinephrine (NE) acting through alpha 1- and beta-adrenoceptors. beta-Adrenergic stimulation appears to be an absolute requirement and alpha 1-adrenergic activation amplifies beta-adrenergic stimulation of the cyclic AMP response 10-fold and the cyclic GMP response 100-fold, respectively. Chronic deprivation of adrenergic stimulation, due to exposure to constant light (LL) or by surgical denervation, enhances the cyclic AMP response and diminishes the cyclic GMP response as compared to control animals in a 10:14 light/dark (LD) cycle. This phenomenon is termed see-saw signal processing. In the current study we find these changes do not reflect shifts in the time course or Ka of these responses. Dose-response studies indicate the beta-adrenergic component of cyclic AMP stimulation is enhanced and the alpha 1-adrenergic component of cyclic GMP stimulation is diminished in LL pinealocytes. Several observations indicate these changes may reflect alterations in Ca2+-sensitive postreceptor mechanisms.
Effects of urban development in the Puget Lowland, Washington, on interannual streamflow patterns: Consequences for channel form and streambed disturbance

fraction of time that streamflow exceeds the 0.5-year flood (T0.5). Urban streams had low interannual variability in annual maximum streamflow and brief duration of frequent high flows, as indicated by significant correlations between road density and both CVAMF and T0.5. The broader distribution of streamflow indicated by TQmean may be affected by urban development, but differences in TQmean between streams are also likely a result of other physiographic factors. The increase in the magnitude of frequent high flows due to urban development but not their cumulative duration has important consequences for channel form and bed stability in gravel bed streams because geomorphic equilibrium depends on moderate duration streamflow (e.g., exceeded 10% of the time). Streams with low values of TQmean and T0.5 are narrower than expected from hydraulic geometry. Dimensionless boundary shear stress (t*) for the 0.5-year flood was inversely related to T0.5 among the streams, indicating frequent and extensive bed disturbance in streams with low values of T0.5. Although stream channels expand and the size of bed material increases in response to urban streamflow patterns, these adjustments may be insufficient to reestablish the disturbance regime in urban streams because of the differential increase in the magnitude of frequent high flows causing disturbance relative to any changes in longer duration, moderate flows that establish a stable channel.
A technique for designing bidirectional error-free combinational logic circuits

A technique is presented for designing arbitrary combinational circuits so that any single stuck-at fault will result in either single bit error or unidirectional multibit errors at the output. Once the outputs of a circuit are encoded, unconstrained multilevel optimization can be applied to the circuit. An algorithm that detects whether a fault at an input line might result in bidirectional errors at the output is given. An algorithm for building circuits such that any stuck-at fault at an input line will result in unidirectional errors at the outputs is also proposed. >
The Plot Thickens—or Not: Protonarratives of Emotions and the Chinese Principle of Savoring

What are emotions good for? This article makes the radical claim that the primary function of emotion is not merely to serve the purpose of coping and adaptation, but to foster an expansion of experience and consciousness that contribute importantly to a subjective self, without which biological survival would be meaningless. This argument is inspired by the Chinese notion of aesthetic savoring, which is explicated by a phenomenological account of “protonarratives” of emotions. Protonarratives are “small stories” that are more creative than full fledged narratives, partly because of their successful resistance against the latter's telos. By keeping the narrative impulses to the minimum, and by resisting the temptation of the plot to “thicken,” protonarratives reduce our risk of submitting to compulsory outcomes—such as action and problem solving—of the emotion narrative. This phenomenological analysis of savoring concludes with a discussion of its implications for the psychology of emotion.
The coding-spreading tradeoff in CDMA systems

General definitions of spreading and coding are given based on the notion of Shannon bandwidth introduced by Massey (1994), with the goal of distinguishing these operations for signaling with bandwidth redundancy. These definitions are shown to lead to a separation result: every bandwidth redundancy scheme can be expressed as a concatenation of coding followed by spreading. The coding-spreading tradeoff problem is then studied for a code division multiple access (CDMA) system in which the receiver processes the received signal by using a user-separating front-end, which feeds into autonomous single-user decoders. Under the single-user decoding setting, it is established that the linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) front-end multiuser detector is optimum among all front-ends that are constrained to use only spreading information. Also, conditions are given for the single-user decoders to ignore spreading information without losing optimality. An example illustrating the coding-spreading tradeoff optimization for a direct sequence CDMA system with random spreading is given. Single-cell and multicell scenarios are considered in the optimization, and a comparison is made of the spectral efficiencies that can be achieved with the conventional matched filter and LMMSE front-ends.
Injuries and illnesses of big game hunters in western Colorado: a 9-year analysis.

Abstract Category 1 Continuing Medical Education credit for physicians is available to Wilderness Medical Society members for this article. Go to http://wms.org/cme/cme.asp?whatarticle=1811 to access the instructions and test questions. Objective.—The purpose of this study was to characterize big game hunter visits to a rural hospital's emergency department (ED). Using data collected on fatalities, injuries, and illnesses over a 9-year period, trends were noted and comparisons made to ED visits of alpine skiers, swimmers, and bicyclists. Out-of-hospital hunter fatalities reported by the county coroner's office were also reviewed. Cautionary advice is offered for potential big game hunters and their health care providers. Methods.—Self-identified hunters were noted in the ED log of a rural Colorado hospital from 1997 to 2005, and injury or illness and outcome were recorded. Additional out-of-hospital mortality data were obtained from the county coroner's office. The estimated total number of big game hunte...
Enhancing the Resilience of Young Single Mothers of Color: A Review of Programs and Services.

Within the last decade, births to unmarried women in the United States have risen dramatically, presenting challenges for young women to complete high school and attend college. This article presents a review of programs and services designed to support single mothers in completing high school and accessing postsecondary education. We highlight both problematic and effective aspects of these programs with particular attention to whether they support the educational access of Latinas and African American single mothers.
The operator algebra of almost Toeplitz matrices and the optimal control of large-scale systems

We propose a definition of almost Toeplitz matrices as matrices with off-diagonal decay that are close to begin Toeplitz in their center columns and decrease in Toeplitzness toward their first and last columns. We prove that such matrices form an operator algebra under matrix addition and multiplication. We use this framework to show that algebraic Riccati equations with almost Toeplitz coefficient matrices have almost Toeplitz solutions.
Mathematical Analysis for Pneumatic Tire Hydroplaning

Hydroplaning in its pure sense occurs infrequently. Thus, many feel that this fact implies that the study of hydroplaning can be of little practical importance. The error in this argument is revealed by demonstrating the applicability of results gained in the study of hydroplaning to the understanding of the general problem of wet traction. A description is given of the mathematical techniques that have recently been developed to assist in the study of hydroplaning (and wet traction). It is shown that these allow a unified theory to be presented for the major forms of hydroplaning - viscous and dynamic. A review of current research techniques including the use of moire fringes to measure the fluid film thickness distribution under a hydroplaning tire is given, and directions are indicated for needed future research.