cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interpreting State Fiscal Constitutions: A Modest Proposal

The fiscal constitutions of many states limit the ability of governments to raise taxes. These same constitutions typically do not impose similar limits on the ability of governments to impose a fee, say a building permit fee. But what if a locality chose to levy a gigantic building permit fee and used the proceeds to fund general services? Such a fee would – and should – be considered a “hidden tax” and thus subject to the same limitations as ordinary taxes. But how high is too high when it comes to fees? In many cases – say fees for water use – the fees must be set high enough to fund major capital expenditures or there will not be a water system to provide water. And should higher fees for excessive use of water be a problem – after all the marginal cost of the additional water is no higher for an excessive user? If tiered pricing is a problem, then there might not be any water left in the water system. What about basic service for poorer users at a discount; does not the provision of such a service mean that other ratepayers are paying too much? But if poorer users would not use the service at all if charged market rates, why might it not be perfectly rational to charge them less if the marginal cost of the additional services was very low? Do we think that airplane passengers who pay full price are subsidizing a customer who pays less for an empty seat on a plane about to leave? Courts are not well situated to answer these questions, but in some states the courts seem to have taken the position that the constitutional distinction between taxes and fees leaves them no choice but to undertake searching substantive review of the fees set by state and local governments. In this Article I argue that there is another – better – way, namely for courts to engage in procedural review of the ratemaking process. Such review has real teeth and is well within judicial competence. Most importantly, as I demonstrate, requiring such review is actually a better interpretation of these fiscal provisions.
Knowledge systems and the colonial legacies in African science education

This review surveys Femi Otulaja and Meshach Ogunniyi’s, Handbook of research in science education in sub-Saharan Africa, Sense, Rotterdam, 2017, noting the significance of the theoretically rich content and how this book contributes to the field of education as well as to the humanities more broadly. The volume usefully outlines the ways in which science education and scholarship in sub-Saharan Africa continue to be impacted by the region’s colonial history. Several of the chapters also enumerate proposals for teaching and learning science and strengthening academic exchange. Concerns that recur across many of the chapters include inadequate implementation of reforms; a lack of resources, such as for classroom materials and teacher training; and the continued and detrimental linguistic, financial, and ideological domination of African science education by the West. After a brief overview of the work and its central issues, this review closely examines two salient chapters that focus on scholarly communications and culturally responsive pedagogy. The scholarly communication section addresses the ways in which African science education research may in fact be too closely mirroring Western knowledge constructions without fully integrating indigenous knowledge systems in the research process. The chapter on pedagogy makes a similar argument for integrating Western and indigenous knowledge systems into teaching approaches.
Geobiological Feedbacks and the Evolution of Thermoacidophiles

Oxygen-dependent microbial oxidation of sulfur compounds leads to the acidification of natural waters. How acidophiles and their acidic habitats evolved, however, is largely unknown. Using 16S rRNA gene abundance and composition data from 72 hot springs in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, we show that hyperacidic (pH<3.0) hydrothermal ecosystems are dominated by a limited number of archaeal lineages with an inferred ability to respire O2. Phylogenomic analyses of 584 existing archaeal genomes revealed that hyperacidophiles evolved independently multiple times within the Archaea, each coincident with the emergence of the ability to respire O2, and that these events likely occurred in the recent evolutionary past. Comparative genomic analyses indicated that archaeal thermoacidophiles from independent lineages are enriched in similar protein-coding genes, consistent with convergent evolution aided by horizontal gene transfer. Because the generation of acidic environments and their successful habitation characteristically require O2, these results suggest that thermoacidophilic Archaea and the acidity of their habitats co-evolved after the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis. Moreover, it is likely that dissolved O2 concentrations in thermal waters likely did not reach levels capable of sustaining aerobic thermoacidophiles and their acidifying activity until ~0.8 Ga, when present day atmospheric levels were reached, a time period that is supported by our estimation of divergence times for archaeal thermoacidophilic clades.
Factors predicting sustainability of the schoolwide positive behavior intervention support model

ABSTRACTThe Schoolwide Positive Behavior Intervention Support model (SWPBIS) continues to gain widespread use across schools in the United States and abroad. Despite its widespread implementation, little research has examined factors that influence its sustainability. Informed by Rogers's diffusion theory, this study examined school personnel's perceptions of the attributes of SWPBIS that predict its sustainability. These attributes include relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. Participants were school personnel employed in schools implementing SWPBIS. Results indicated that the relative advantage and observability of SWPBIS may predict its sustainability. These results led to some important implications for practitioners involved in the implementation of the SWPBIS. Limitations and recommendations for future research are also provided.
Adhesion Force Measurements: Graphite Cluster Interacting with VHTR Steel

AbstractGraphite dust is generated in the reactor core during normal operation of very high temperature reactors (VHTRs). This dust is transported throughout the reactor circuit and plates-out at different locations. The resuspension of graphite dust is believed to be a major contributor to the nuclear source term. The adhesion force is an important parameter governing the resuspension of the dust. The present study employed an atomic force microscope to measure the adhesive force between a reactor-grade graphite cluster “particle” and VHTR structural materials including Inconel 617 and Hastelloy X in an air glove box. Results for a reactor-grade graphite (MLRF-1 from SGL Carbon Ltd.) cluster particle interacting with Inconel 617 and Hastelloy X samples are reported under four different surface conditions including as received, and after 5, 10, and 15 min of oxidation. These forces were also predicted using the Johnson-Kendall-Roberts theoretical model with the estimate of the work of adhesion. The measur...
Health Insurance Coverage and Access to Care Among US-Born and Foreign-Born Sexual Minorities

Sexual minorities and immigrants face unique challenges to accessing health care in the United States. This study used data on nonelderly adults (n = 100,667) from the 2013–2016 National Health Interview Survey. Unadjusted prevalence estimates and multivariable logistic regression models (with and without interactions between immigration and sexual minority status) were used to compare health insurance coverage and access to care by immigration and sexual minority status. We did not find any differences in uninsurance, having a usual source of care, and a recent office visit by sexual orientation for US-born and foreign-born adults. However, compared to their heterosexual counterparts, US-born and foreign-born sexual minorities were more likely to have an emergency room visit in the prior year and report financial-related barriers to medical care, dental care, prescription medications, and mental health care. Foreign-born sexual minorities were more likely to have an emergency room visit and unmet mental health care needs due to cost compared to other subpopulations after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Broadening the knowledge and scope of research on sexual minority immigrants can inform targeted health policy approaches with the goal of achieving health equity for sexual minority immigrants.
Modified Nodal Integral Method for the Three-Dimensional, Time-Dependent, Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations

A modified nodal integral method (MNIM) for two-dimensional, time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations is extended to three dimensions. The nodal integral method is based on local transverse integrations over finite size cells that reduce each partial differential equation to a set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Solutions of these ODEs in each cell for the transverse-averaged dependent variables are then utilized to develop the difference schemes. The discrete variables are scalar velocities and pressure, averaged over the faces of bricklike cells. The development of the MNIM is different from the conventional nodal method in two ways: (a) it is Poisson-type pressure equation based and (b) the convection terms are retained on the left side of the transverse-integrated equations and thus contribute to the homogeneous part of the solution. The first feature leads to a set of symmetric transverse-integrated equations for all the velocities, and the second feature yields distributions of constant + linear + exponential form for the transverse-averaged velocities. The scheme is tested on three-dimensional lid-driven cavity problems in cube- and prism-shaped cavities. Results obtained using the MNIM on fairly coarse meshes are comparable with reference solutions obtained using much finer meshes.
Combatting gender discrimination: A lack of fit framework:

Gender inequalities in the workplace persist, and scholars point to gender discrimination as a significant contributor. As organizations attempt to address this problem, we argue that theory can he...
Moving toward a principle-based approach to U.S. accounting standard setting: A demand for procedural justice and accounting reform

Abstract In the wake of numerous accounting scandals in the early 2000s, the U.S. began considering a move away from a more rule-based approach to accounting standard setting and toward a more principle-based approach to accounting standard setting. Although it is often assumed that this move toward a more principle-based approach is driven by stakeholder preferences, we examine whether this move is driven by demands for procedural justice. Specifically, we analyze one hundred and two comment letters submitted in response to the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB) proposal for principle-based standards. We find respondents from different stakeholder groups (preparers, accounting professionals, regulators, users, and academia) do not express a unified preference for rule-based or principle-based standards. We do, however, find that respondents identify benefits and costs of principle-based standards that map into the six elements of fair procedures (representativeness, accuracy, bias suppression, consistency ethicality, correctability). These elements are significantly associated with both the respondent's degree of support for the FASB proposal and the perceived quality of principle-based standards.
Optical sampling depth in the spatial frequency domain

We present a Monte Carlo (MC) method to determine depth-dependent probability distributions of photon visitation and detection for optical reflectance measurements performed in the spatial frequency domain (SFD). These distributions are formed using an MC simulation for radiative transport that utilizes a photon packet weighting procedure consistent with the two-dimensional spatial Fourier transform of the radiative transport equation. This method enables the development of quantitative metrics for SFD optical sampling depth in layered tissue and its dependence on both tissue optical properties and spatial frequency. We validate the computed depth-dependent probability distributions using SFD measurements in a layered phantom system with a highly scattering top layer of variable thickness supported by a highly absorbing base layer. We utilize our method to establish the spatial frequency-dependent optical sampling depth for a number of tissue types and also provide a general tool to determine such depths for tissues of arbitrary optical properties.
Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks on Race Consciousness

When the issue of race is approached one is either for retaining race consciousness or for working toward its abolition. There are various ways people choose to retain racial categories and various definitions and meanings of race. As well, abolitionists take on a range of stances on when and how to eliminate racial categories. Nonetheless, that one must take a stance and advocate either retention or abolition seems to be required when studying race theory or discussing racial identities in terms of questions of justice. These two positions are understood as contradictory as well as the only two options available. Using Fanon, and debates surrounding White Skin, Black Masks on this very question of race consciousness, this paper argues against expecting or requiring a clear stance on the issue or even posing it as a dilemma. Reading Fanon as employing an existential phenomenological methodology allows us to see how he exposes injustice by writing about experience and projecting a future shared community of hope and freedom without clear indication of the role our group identities might play. The paper will then show the importance of rethinking the question of perpetuating racial categories, particularly through Fanon, by analyzing three potentially liberatory projects, Critical Whiteness Studies, Indigenous Studies, and Development Studies , demonstrating how the endeavors of many practitioners who claim to already know what various identities will (should) or will not (should not) mean for us truncates these projects.
Short total syntheses of both the putative and actual structures of the clerodane diterpenoid (+/-)-sacacarin by double annulation.

The putative structure of the naturally occurring clerodane diterpenoid (±)-sacacarin has been prepared in only 10 steps, six of which are C−C bond-forming steps, in a chemo-, regio-, and diastereo...
A secret brotherhood? The question of black Freemasonry before and after the Haitian Revolution

ABSTRACTLate eighteenth-century Saint-Domingue produced both a thriving Masonic movement and the most successful slave uprising in modern world history. Scholars have suggested but never proven tha...
Reassessing 1970s Britain: Black, Lawrence, Hugh Pemberton, and Pat Thane, eds., Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 282 pp., $29.95, ISBN 978-0719099793 Publication Date: December 2015

Reassessing 1970s Britain was edited by Lawrence Black (professor of modern British history, University of York); Hugh Pemberton (reader in contemporary British history, University of Bristol); and...
Soil carbon management [Chapter 11]

Abstract Forest soil organic carbon (SOC) is one of the largest terrestrial C pools, and it is not static. Soils are inherently dynamic; furthermore, global change and management can alter how much C is stored in a forest soil and how it is distributed across depths or functionally distinct pools. Over management-relevant timescales, forest soil C varies more across space—due to fundamental factors such as parent material, climate, and vegetation—than it does over time, except in cases of abuse (which deplete SOC). In this review, we discuss the stocks and management of forest SOC through the lens of 13 Global Ecological Zones (UN FAO climate-vegetation units) and 17 major soil types (IUSS WRB Reference Soil Groups). We use these spatial units to constrain generalizations derived from a wide-ranging literature survey and qualitative synthesis aimed at four objectives. For each ecological zone, we: (1) identify key SOC vulnerabilities in the context of global change and management, (2) discuss management strategies for minimizing SOC losses associated with those vulnerabilities, and (3) suggest opportunities for increasing SOC through management. As our fourth objective, within each ecological zone, we contextualize SOC management considerations according to the unique properties possessed by its most widespread soils, in order to add meaningful detail to this global review, anticipate where exceptions will occur, and provide a tractable basis for management intended to affect SOC. Key generalizations are: (1) SOC pools at or near the surface are vulnerable to disturbances that alter the processes responsible for maintenance of those pools; management that restores or maintains those processes can often reverse SOC losses over decadal timescales. (2) SOC in subsoils is typically less vulnerable to short-term losses, but the factors that promote this stability are difficult to manipulate in a positive direction through management. (3) SOC is one integral component of forest ecosystems, and as such is often not managed directly but through its interactions with other parts, such as the vegetation, according to constraints imparted by fundamental bottom-up factors (parent material and soil characteristics).
Independent multistructures, flag structures, and sets of linearly independent polar elements

Abstract Let V be a finite dimensional complex vector space, and for each positive integer n let S n ( V ) denote the vector space whose elements are the complex-valued symmetric n-linear functions on V × V × ⋯ × V (n-copies). If f ∈ S 1 ( V ) , that is, f is a linear functional on V, then we define the symmetric n-linear function f n by f n ( x 1 , x 2 , … , x n ) = ∏ i = 1 n f ( x i ) for all x 1 , x 2 , … , x n ∈ V . It is well known that the elements f n , known as polar elements, span S n ( V ) . Our focus is the simple generation of sets of linearly independent polar elements of given order n. A basis for S n ( V ) consisting entirely of polar elements is a polar basis. We introduce several new structures that are closely connected to the problem of generating independent sets of polar elements. In particular, we introduce the notion of independent multistructure of order n, n ≥ 0 , and depth p, p ≥ 1 , and show how such structures generate sets of linearly independent polar elements of cardinality ( n + p p ) . When p = dim ⁡ ( V ) we obtain a basis for S n ( V ) consisting entirely of polar elements. We also introduce the dual concept of flag structure of order n and depth p. Both of these concepts evolved from a consideration of subspace filters which were defined previously in [6] .
Industry 4.0 and Procurement 4.0

Procurement 4.0 can be seen as part of the industry 4.0 model. It also has value in itself as a way to innovate around the concept of procurement. This chapter presents an original and integrated model for procurement 4.0 and details its eight components. It is essential to understand and make better use of procurement 4.0 in order to achieve real transformation within an organization, while recognizing that all innovation has benefits and challenges. The chapter presents the factors that affect management of technology acceptance and sets out a roadmap for successful transition to procurement 4.0. The appendix includes the results of a survey on the digitization of procurement.
A combinatorial model predicts leaderless mRNA start codon selection in C. crescentus

Bacterial translation is thought to initiate by base-pairing of the 16S rRNA and the Shine-Dalgarno sequence in the mRNA9s 5′ UTR. However, transcriptomics has revealed that leaderless mRNAs, which completely lack any 5′ UTR, are broadly distributed across bacteria and can initiate translation in the absence of the Shine-Dalgarno sequence. To investigate the mechanism of leaderless mRNA translation initiation, synthetic in vivo translation reporters were designed that systematically tested the effects of start codon accessibility, leader length, and start codon identity on leaderless mRNA translation initiation. Using this data, a simple computational model was built based on the combinatorial relationship of these mRNA features which can accurately classify leaderless mRNAs and predict the translation initiation efficiency of leaderless mRNAs. Thus, start codon accessibility, leader length, and start codon identity combine to define leaderless mRNA translation initiation in bacteria.
Defining the signaling mechanism and relevance of H2 relaxin in prostate cancer progression

2658 Currently, androgen independent (AI) prostate cancer (CaP) remains incurable. The identification of novel pathways that promote androgen independent growth of prostate cancer cells is critical for the development of successful new therapies to treat CaP. Our group has identified H2 relaxin as a facilitator of androgen independent prostate cancer (AI CaP) (Vinall et al., 2006). In the current study, we demonstrate that the addition of recombinant human (rh) H2 relaxin to serum-starved LNCaP causes activation of both cAMP and PKA. cAMP activity peaked at 10 minutes following treatment with rh H2 relaxin, while PKA activity peaked at 15 minutes post-treatment. Treatment with H-89, a PKA-specific inhibitor, was able to decrease androgen-independent growth by ~20%. This result demonstrates that while the cAMP/PKA pathway partially facilitates H2 relaxin-induced androgen independent growth, other H2 relaxin stimulated signaling pathways must also play a role. ELISA and RT-PCR analysis determined that H2 relaxin was expressed in ~50% of the 60 prostate cancer patient samples analyzed to date. IHC revealed that H2 relaxin is present in both the cytoplasm and stroma of CaP patient tissue. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the cAMP/PKA pathway plays a role in H2 relaxin-mediated AI CaP, and that H2 relaxin expression has relevance for CaP patients.
Sustained Glycemic Control Observed in Diabetic Men Who Improve Hemoglobin A1c Values to Allow for Elective Penile Prosthesis Placement.

OBJECTIVES We hypothesize that men with diabetes mellitus whose inflatable penile prosthesis (IPP) implantation is delayed for unacceptably high hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) will have durable improvements in their glycemic control after achieving acceptable HbA1c levels for surgery. METHODS Per institutional protocol, an A1c <9% must be documented prior to IPP placement. After IRB approval, a single surgeon IPP database was retrospectively queried for data specific to diabetes mellitus management. Men without HbA1c values at ≥1-year follow-up were excluded. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to assess associations with sustained HbA1c control. RESULTS From January 2011 to March 2019, 138 diabetics undergoing IPP were identified. Thirty-seven were excluding for insufficient follow-up. Nineteen of the 101 analyzed men (18.8%) were delayed a median 4 months (range 2-17) for elevated HbA1c values (median 10.1, range 9.1-12.3). Following improvements, median preoperative HbA1c remained higher (8.2% vs 7.0%) in delayed men (P < .001). Among delayed recipients, 11 (58%) improved without medication changes while insulin was newly initiated (5) or dosage was increased (5) in 42%. At 32 months follow-up, a HbA1c <9% was similarly maintained in delayed and nondelayed men (74% vs 87%, P = .17). Delayed men more commonly required insulin therapy at follow-up (89.5% vs 54.9%, P = .008), but had a similar median change in BMI (+0.1 vs +0.1, P = .65). Device infection occurred in 1 nondelayed patient (0.7%). CONCLUSION Men who improve HbA1c for IPP surgery are likely to demonstrate persistent improvement. IPP implantation appears to be safe in diabetic men with HbA1c <9%.
Search for Long-Lived Parents of the Z0 Boson

We present the results of a search for new particles with long lifetime that decay to a Z0 boson. A long-lived parent of the Z0 is predicted by several models in addition to being an experimentally clean channel. We vertex dimuons with invariant mass near the Z0 peak and study the decay length distribution. No evidence of a long-lived component is found, and cross-section limits are presented on a fourth generation quark model.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation skill training and retention in teens (CPR START): A randomized control trial in high school students.

Aim High school students are currently the largest group of individuals in the US receiving CPR training every year. This study examines the effect of adding a real-time visual feedback device to a standard instructor-led CPR course on skill acquisition and retention in high school students. Methods All study participants underwent baseline CPR skill testing and received a standard instructor-led compression-only CPR course. We then randomized students to a 'Feedback Group', consisting of 2 min of CPR training using a real-time visual feedback device, or 'Standard Group' that continued to practice on the inflatable manikin. CPR skills for all students were tested afterwards using the feedback device and reported as a compression score (CS) derived from their chest compression depth, rate, hand position, and full chest recoil. We compared the CS at baseline, week-0 (immediately post-intervention), week-10, week-28, and week-52 between groups. Results A total of 220 students were included in the analyses (Feedback Group = 110, Standard Group = 110). Both groups showed similar CPR performance at baseline. At week-0, the Feedback Group had a significantly higher CS compared to the Standard Group (adjusted difference: 20% [95% CI: 11%-29%; p < 0.001]). This difference attenuated over time but remained significant at the week-10 and week-28 follow-up; however, by the week-52 follow-up, there was no significant difference between groups. Conclusions Using a real-time visual feedback device during CPR training significantly improves skill acquisition and retention in high school students and should be integrated into the high school CPR curriculum.
Fine-tuning latent fingerprint detection on paper using 1,2-indanedione bi-functional reagents

Abstract In order to address the need for consistency and generality in chemical methods developed for detection of latent fingerprints on paper substrates, a practical protocol was developed using 1,2-indanedione-based bi-functional reagents. A series of novel bi-functional reagents were designed and synthesized using a concise, five-step sequence. An optimized development condition that is tailored to the type of paper substrate that requires processing was discovered, allowing potential application in practical criminal work where evidence processing is an irreversible process. The study also provided an insight to the underlying mechanism of interaction between the bi-functional reagent and fingerprint residue.
New airfoil sections for general aviation aircraft

A program has been undertaken to develop new airfoil sections suitable for general aviation aircraft, utilizing theoretical and experimental advanced technology developed in recent years primarily for subsonic jet transport and military aircraft. The airfoil development program is one component of the Advanced Technology Light Twin program sponsored by NASA Langley Research Center. Two-dimensional tests of a new airfoil have demonstrated high cruising performance over a fairly wide C sub 1 range, and a C sub 1 max value of 3.69 with Fowler flap and no leading-edge devices. Experimental and theoretical development of additional configurations is under way.
Changing Hearts: The Future of the Environmental Movement

For many, the environmental movement is a consumer fad with very little intellectual or emotional investment. Generally, sustainability is deemed a “good thing” but given low priority at both the personal level and the public policy level. In this paper, I argue that environmentalism must be modified to meet the needs of the general populace in order to gain momentum as a contemporary political movement. In other words, I examine how the environmental movement can attract the massive number of active members necessary to change public policy and conclude that this movement will need to adapt to the public in two ways. First, I suggest that it should transition to an anthropocentric, or human-oriented, angle when introducing people to the merits of sustainability. While biocentric ethics, or the recognition of the intrinsic value of all life forms, is an essential component of sustainability, I maintain that a clear emphasis on human life will be more compelling for potential new members. In support of this claim, I emphasize that the human impact of the BP oil spill has roused recent public interest in environmentalism. Second, I explore the unique capacity of faith communities in the United States to change hearts and unite believers into political action. I demonstrate that Christian communities have changed public policy by relentlessly decrying human rights violations in the past, namely during the civil rights movement. Similarly, I hold that Christian communities should champion the cause of sustainability 1 and environmental justice as part of a larger concern for human rights.
Structural restoration of thrusts at the toe of the Nankai Trough accretionary prism off Shikoku Island, Japan: Implications for dewatering processes

A three-dimensional prestack depth-migrated seismic reflection data volume acquired off Shikoku Island, Japan covers the seaward portion of the Nankai Trough accretionary prism. We calculate and interpret total horizontal shortening lengths along three cross-sectional profiles through the volume, incorporating a technique addressing the significant amount of water volume sediments lose during accretion, constrained by porosity values derived from seismic interval velocities. The results reveal a total horizontal shortening of ∼40% within sediments of the first three thrust sheets in the wedge. This indicates that structural restorations applied to water-saturated young sediments, or other domains displaying large tectonic-induced porosity changes (e.g., accretionary prisms, subaerial and submarine fold and thrust belts), must account for the substantial amount of distributed compactive strain that affects the sediment during the initial stages of accretion. Our analysis of the porosity reduction also allows an estimate of dewatering rates across the outer accretionary wedge. We find that porosity loss and associated dewatering decrease with distance landward from the trench and correspond to a progressively decreasing contribution of diffuse compactive strain to the total shortening. We compute a dewatering rate of 10.5 km3/Ma (per km along strike) over the outer ∼7 km of the accretionary wedge. This relatively high rate of dewatering when compared to other well-studied subduction systems probably reflects the large thickness of accreted sediment and high sediment permeability that allows efficient consolidation. These results highlight the importance of considering distributed compactive strain in structural restorations for any setting where deformation occurs in sediments.
Performance indicators for the road sector

Seeing the trend for public accountability of road administrations and noting the many reform efforts undertaken in transport sectors around the world, the OECD established a Scientific Expert Group on Performance Indicators for the Road Sector in 1996 to provide its member countries a framework for assessing road administrations' performance. The results of the Expert Group's work is presented in this paper. Fifteen indispensable, forty primary, and thirty-five secondary indicators are proposed to portray the road sector from different perspectives. They are designed to be changed in response to human needs and technological development and supplemented by country specific indicators. In keeping with this approach and in support of one of the maxims of the Expert Group that 'useful performance indicators are those which are used', an application in the form of a Field Test is now in progress by an OECD task force. The Performance Indicators proposed are grounded in a mental model adopted by the Expert Group. This model is management by results model, and is useful as a theoretical tool in the many highly fluid contexts in which restructuring is moving forward. In the model, the products and services are judged by standards or criteria; outcomes – derivatives of products and services through user interface – are judged relative to objectives and user satisfaction. The achievement of objectives, however, is not proposed as the only or even primary basis of evaluation. The situation is more abstract and complex. Therefore, the various uses of Performance Indicators – including the opportunities to assist road administrations in becoming learning organizations – are given much emphasis in the paper. The views and conclusions in the paper are those of the author and should not be attributed to the World Bank or its affiliated organizations.
Discrete approximations of nonconvex differential inclusions

The author studies discrete approximations of a dynamic optimisation problem for differential inclusions-Bolza functional minimisation. The primary goal is to develop a finite difference method for the Bolza problem and construct a discrete approximation to the problem ensuring strong convergence of the optimal solutions. >
Assembling Spiral Galaxies

Nearby spiral galaxies offer vital clues to some of the most fundamental questions about galaxy formation and evolution: What is the star formation history of the universe, past and future? When did disks form, during the final stages of a single primeval collapse, or as a continuous or episodic process? What is the evolutionary nature of the Hubble sequence, and what are the physical mechanisms that dictate the present-day Hubble type of a galaxy? Was Hubble type imprinted at birth, or can it be deterined or at least modified by infall, mergers, or secular dynamical evolution within the galaxy? These issues are not specific to spirals, of course, and much of this conference will address just these questions in a broader context. However present-day spirals offer unique advantages for studying these problems; they exhibit a broad range of dynamical and evolutionary properties, and the dynamical fragility of disks makes them excellent seismometers of galaxy interaction and merger rates at recent epochs.
Weight status and body image perceptions in adolescents: current perspectives

Adolescence represents a pivotal stage in the development of positive or negative body image. Many influences exist during the teen years including transitions (eg, puberty) that affect one's body shape, weight status, and appearance. Weight status exists along a spectrum between being obese (ie, where one's body weight is in the 95th percentile for age and gender) to being underweight. Salient influences on body image include the media, which can target adolescents, and peers who help shape beliefs about the perceived body ideal. Internalization of and pressures to conform to these socially prescribed body ideals help to explain associations between weight status and body image. The concepts of fat talk and weight-related bullying during adolescence greatly contribute to an overemphasis on body weight and appearance as well as the development of negative body perceptions and dissatisfaction surrounding specific body parts. This article provides an overview of the significance of adolescent development in shaping body image, the relationship between body image and adolescent weight status, and the consequences of having a negative body image during adolescence (ie, disordered eating, eating disorders, and dysfunctional exercise). Practical implications for promoting a healthy weight status and positive body image among adolescents will be discussed.
Tuskegee Syphilis Study

The field of medicine has benefited tremendously from human research and experimentation. Yet, these advances have come at a cost. There have been many incidences in which individuals used in research studies were treated unfairly and harmed. One historically relevant incident was called the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. This federally funded study was initiated in 1932 in Macon County, Alabama by the US Public Health Service to address the epidemic of syphilis.
Irrational beliefs and self-reported affect in Russia and America

Abstract We investigated the levels of irrational thinking and self-reported negative and positive affects, and the relationships between these variables, in a sample of 382 college students in Russia and America. The Russian students were generally more rational than the American students, with some indication that American men score higher than American women on these measures. Results also showed that Americans reported greater frequencies of both self-reported negative and positive affect, and greater anxiety on the trait form of the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist-Revised (MAACL-R). In contrast, there were no country differences in depression, hostility, dysphoria or positive affect on the MAACL-R. Americans also reported more happiness on the Fordyce Happiness Measures. The overall relationship of rationality to self-reported affect was moderate. However, there was little support for Ellis' hypothesis that demandingness is the core of irrationality. Instead, it was recommended that investigators consider aspects of irrationality such as low frustration tolerance. Cautions about generalization from this sample, at this time in Russian history, were discussed.
Polygonal approximation for image segmentation

A new learning model for real-time, grey-level image segmentation is presented. The model gives excellent results for images with different shapes.
Environmental persistence of the nucleopolyhedrosis virus of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L

A bioassay technique was used to estimate the concentrations of infectious gypsy moth nucleopolyhedrosis virus (NPV) that occur naturaIly in leaf, bark, litter, and soil samples taken from woodland plots in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. These concentrations were then compared to those in samples taken sequentially after treatment of these plots with NPV. Results indicated that NPV is a natural component of the host's habitat, persisting in high concentrations in soil, litter, and on bark for at least one year after natural epizootics. Activity of NPV in spray deposits on foliage and bark was measurable for only 3-15 days after NPV treatment, whereas activity of NPV liberated from larval cadavers onto bark was measurable in high concentrations through May of the year foIlowing treatment. The application of NPV at the rate of 2.5 x 1012 polyhedral inclusion bodies (PIB)/ha to an area already containing high concentrations of naturally occurring NPV did not cause an increase in the environmental NPV load. Although the application of NPV at the rate of 5x 1012 PIB/ha to plots containing low natural concentrations of NPV resulted in measurable increases in the NPV load in these plots, these increases were not, overaIl significantly higher than those occurring in a control plot that was not treated with NPV.
Reduced cGMP signaling activates NF-κB in hypertrophied hearts of mice lacking natriuretic peptide receptor-A

Mice lacking natriuretic peptide receptor-A (NPRA) develop progressive cardiac hypertrophy and congestive heart failure. However, the mechanisms responsible for cardiac hypertrophic growth in the absence of NPRA signaling are not yet known. We sought to determine the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in Npr1 (coding for NPRA) gene-knockout (Npr1-/-) mice exhibiting cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. NF-kappaB binding activity was 4-fold greater in the nuclear extract of Npr1-/- mutant mice hearts as compared with wild-type (Npr1+/+) mice hearts. In parallel, inhibitory kappaB kinase-beta activity and IkappaB-alpha protein phosphorylation were also increased 3- and 4-fold, respectively, in hypertrophied hearts of mutant mice. cGMP levels were significantly reduced 5-fold in plasma and 10-fold in ventricular tissues of mutant mice hearts relative to wild-type controls. The present findings provide direct evidence that ablation of NPRA/cGMP signaling activates NF-kappaB binding activity associated with hypertrophic growth of mutant mice hearts.
The effects of temperature and eyestalk extracts on oxygen consumption of the crayfish Cambarus acuminatus (Faxon)

Abstract 1. 1. The pattern of VO 2 of 4 and 25°C acclimated Cambarus acuminatus was one of normal compensation with cold acclimation resulting in translation and clockwise rotation of the rate-temperature ( R - T ) curves. 2. 2. Acclimation patterns were significantly influenced by the sequence in which crayfish experienced experimental temperatures. 3. 3. Eyestalk extracts prepared from warm acclimated crayfish significantly decreased VO 2 in eyestalkless cold acclimated recipients.
Therapeutic reduction of ongoing carrageenin-induced inflammation by lipoxygenase, but not cyclooxygenase inhibitors

A variety of steroidal and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents (NSAs) were compared for their effectiveness against a developing acute inflammatory reaction. Only BW 755C [3-amino-1-(m-trifluoromethyl)-phenyl-2-pyrazole] was immediately effective when administered 2 h after carrageenin, as the 3-h swelling was significantly reduced. Dexamethasone, a steroidal antiinflammatory agent, produced a delayed reduction. When administered at 2 h postcarrageenin, there was no effect at 3 h; but at 6 h, dexamethasone significantly reduced the swelling. In contrast, neither of the classic NSAs, aspirin or indomethacin, were effective when administered after the carrageenin. The results demonstrating a postcarrageenin effectiveness by BW 755C and dexamethasone are discussed as a possible reflection of an action on the lipoxygenase pathways of the arachidonic cascade that is not shared by the classic NSA.
Interior chains of glucuronomannan from extracellular polysaccharides of suspension-cultured tobacco cells.

Methylation analyses and partial acid hydrolysis have indicated the similarity of the interior chains of the glucuronomannan, obtained from extracellular polysaccharides of tobacco cells to those of plant gums such as leiocarpan A and ghatti which contain contiguous 2-O-linked d-mannopyranose and 4-O-linked D-glucopyranosyluronic acid residues. Evidence also suggests that about 56 % of 2-Iinked d-mannopyranose residues are substituted at position-3 with l-arabinofuranose residues as a single side chain.
Corrosion and stress-corrosion resistance of deposited metals in hydrogen-sulfide solutions

We study the corrosion, electrochemical, and corrosion–mechanical properties of deposited KKh30N6VSR cobalt-based, NKh15SR3 nickel-based, and Kh16N8S5 iron-based alloys in a standard NACE hydrogen-sulfide solution. It is shown that the deposited Kh16N8S5 iron-based alloy is unsuitable for these conditions due to its low corrosion resistance and susceptibility to hydrogen-induced cracking. The cobalt- and nickel-based alloys are suitable for the surfacing of the components of shutoff fittings of the oil-and-gas extraction equipment. However, as far as the “operating characteristics–cost” ratio is concerned, the nickel-based alloy outweighs the cobalt- based alloy.
Inhibition of parathyroid hormone-stimulated bone resorption by monovalent cation ionophores.

The actions of divalent cation ionophores on bone resorption in vitro are complex; both enhancement of resorption and inhibition of stimulated resorption have been observed with the ionophore A23187. We have found in neonatal mouse calvaria, in which divalent ionophores were only inhibitory, that monovalent cation ionophores were even more potent inhibitors of stimulated bone resorption. Nigericin, monensin, and X206 each inhibited the release of calcium (Ca) from calvaria that were stimulated to resorb by 0.1 U/ml parathyroid hormone (PTH). Actions of the three ionophores were dose dependent and were maximal at 10−7M, 3×10−7M, and 1.2×10−7M, respectively, compared to A23187, which was maximally inhibitory at 2×10−6M. After pretreatment with nigericin alone or together with PTH for 24 h, inhibition of stimulated resorption was partially reversible. Prolonged (48 h) treatment, either with ionophore alone or together with PTH, caused irreversible inhibition of stimulated Ca release. However, the ionophore was only partially inhibitory if it was added to calvaria stimulated by pretreatment with PTH alone for 24 or 48 h. Resorption stimulated by prostaglandin E2, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and epidermal growth factor was also inhibited by monovalent ionophores, indicating that the inhibition was not at the level of the PTH receptor. In addition, ionophores did not lower basal or PTH-stimulated production of cyclic AMP by calvaria. Submaximal doses of nigericin were synergistic with calcitonin or ouabain in inhibiting PTH-stimulated resorption. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that stimulated release of Ca from bone occurs by a Na/Ca exchange mechanism. Thus monovalent cation ionophores would increase intracellular Na+, thereby decreasing the Na gradient across bone cell membranes, leading to conditions unfavorable for Ca efflux coupled to further Na influx.
Anaerobic Microbial Biogeochemistry in Sediments from Two Basins in the Gulf of Maine: Evidence for Iron and Manganese Reduction

Abstract Rates of sulphate reduction, denitrification and glucose turnover were determined in surface sediments collected from Jeffreys and Wilkinson Basins in the Gulf of Maine. These data were compared to porewater profiles of iron and manganese. Three distinct anaerobic biogeochemical situations were evident: (1) sulphate reduction was dominant and active near the sediment-water interface (deeper portions of Jeffreys Basin); (2) denitrification was active in the upper few centimetres and was underlain by rapid sulphate reduction (slope of Jeffreys Basin); (3) denitrification was dominant (Wilkinson Basin). An apparent iron and manganese reduction region was evident in all cores. Since glucose turnover was active and both denitrification and sulphate reduction were low within this metal reduction zone it is possible that microbial metal reduction is a significant process within the basin sediments. High concentrations of dissolved iron occurred within sediments deeper than those supporting active sulphate reduction. Sufficient iron was remobilized during iron reduction to not only precipitate all of the sulphide generated during sulphate reduction but to also allow for dissolved iron to diffuse into deeper sediments. Therefore, large vertical regions containing dissolved iron are not necessarily regions of iron reduction and iron reduction is restricted to a narrow sediment layer.
Reliability parameters for process applications

Abstract The KITT (Kinetic Tree Theory) computer program for calculating system reliability parameters was modified to include time delays (storage tanks) and component (standby) redundancy. The modified program was applied to the material handling subsection of an oil shale process to obtain system availability.
Post-deposition island growth with long-range interactions

Abstract The effects of long-range interactions on the scaling of the average island-size, island-size distribution, and saturation time are investigated for a simple model of post-deposition island growth. While long-range interactions are found to have little effect on the scaled island-size distribution, the average island-size is strongly affected. Excellent agreement is found with the proposed scaling form S(θ,t)=θzg(θtβ) for the average island size S(θ,t) at time t and coverage θ. The exponents z and β and the scaling function g(u) depend on the range and sign of the interaction. Long-range interactions are also found to strongly affect the saturation time as well as the exponent describing its dependence on coverage. This leads to a simple experimental method to detect the presence of long-range interactions.