cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Provide Technical Assistance on Safe Routes to School in Rural Communities in Florida

Background Rural areas tend to receive less funding and lower priority, which results in their having much more limited resources for a variety of infrastructure needs to support active living. They also face many more challenges when developing proposals for grant assistance to support active living initiatives. To qualify for grants, counties are required to prepare proposals containing information gathered from many sources. In other cases, obtaining technical assistance in gathering and producing the data using different methodologies is a critical part of the proposal process. Coordination among these stakeholders can be a challenging task. The University of Florida (UF) Center for Health and the Built Environment has received a grant to provide technical assistance for rural areas to develop proposals for state funding for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program. The UF team is also coordinating across maintaining agencies, and other constituencies, and conducting public outreach and site analysis to develop the grant applications. Our proposal includes funding for the continued development of technical assistance, methodologies and coordination. Methods The UF team has developed a GIS methodology to more efficiently identify schools of highest priority to receive grant funding throughout the state of Florida. The GIS analysis focused on three areas throughout the State of Florida: Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Counties, Small Towns & Rural Areas in Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCA), in FDOT districts 1, 2 and 3, and lastly unclassified areas which exclude REDI, RUCA, urbanized areas, and conservation lands. Results So far, our analysis has pinpointed 873 schools - 390 of the schools were in REDI counties, 94 in RUCA areas, and 389 in unclassified areas. The team's analysis uses an estimate of the affected student population, which was determined by a student generation rate (SGR), as well as the number of dwelling units that lie within the school buffer and school buffer clusters. The statewide analysis also took into consideration annual daily traffic data, existing sidewalk coverage, and crash data that involved pedestrians and bicyclists. Conclusions Increasing the amount and availability of technical assistance to rural communities is an initiative that needs continual development. Continuing efforts, such as using the statewide GIS analysis to establish county-wide priorities are vital to establishing investment in active transportation for rural communities throughout the country. By creating a model to highlight the rural areas that require the most need, we can efficiently move forward offering aid and assistance.
12 – Eating Disorders

Publisher Summary This chapter provides reference for assessment of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), Binge Eating Disorder (BED), and Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS), in a multidimensional fashion. There are a vast number of assessment measures that have been developed for the purpose of the assessment of eating disorder pathology. A significant percentage of these measures have been shown to be valid and reliable. It is believed that it is important that eating disorders be assessed as thoroughly as possible, capturing all important domains that are mentioned in this chapter including proper diagnosis, adequate assessment of multiple symptom domains, adequate assessment of pathological eating habits, including self-monitoring, proper assessment of the multiple dimensions of body image, valid assessment of BMI and body composition, assessment of physical/medical abnormalities, assessment of comorbid psychiatric disorders, and assessment of special problems that the individual cases may present.
Activation of surface-bound Hageman factor: pre-eminent role of high molecular weight kininogen and evidence for a new factor.

Hageman factor (factor XII) is present in plasma as an inactive precursor and is thought to be activated by contact with negatively charged surfaces of particles or macromolecules (1). The activated factor XII then acts directly on its three substrates, factor XI (PTA)(2), prekallikrein (3,4) and plasminogen proactivator (5), thus initiating the plasma proteolytic systems responsible for coagulation, kinin formation and fibrinolysis (Fig. 1).
Maximum Likelihood Statistics

In this chapter we use maximum likelihood estimates of p ij , p i+ , p +j, and pj|i, to estimate the certainty and uncertainty for a system of rules. In actual fact we never know the probability function for any given probabilistic rule. Instead, we can only observe frequencies of occurrence: frequency of outcome $$ \mathop \omega \nolimits_j $$ and rule R i : n ij frequency of rule $$ \mathop R\nolimits_i :\mathop n\nolimits_{i + } = \sum\nolimits_j {\mathop n\nolimits_{ij} }$$ frequency of outcome $$\mathop \omega \nolimits_j :\mathop n\nolimits_{ + j} = \sum\nolimits_i {\mathop n\nolimits_{ij} }$$ frequency of the system $$S:n = \sum\nolimits_i {\sum\nolimits_j {\mathop n\nolimits_{ij} } }$$ Since n is finite, there is always a finite number of actually occurring rules (I) and outcomes (J).
Approximability of manipulating elections

In this paper, we set up a framework to study approximation of manipulation, control, and bribery in elections. We show existence of approximation algorithms (even fully polynomial time approximation schemes) as well as obtain inapproximability results.
Automatic Nucleus Segmentation with Mask-RCNN

Mask-RCNN is a recently proposed state-of-the-art algorithm for object detection, object localization, and object instance segmentation of natural images. In this paper, it is demonstrated that Mask-RCNN can be used to perform highly effective and efficient automatic segmentations of a wide range of microscopy images of cell nuclei, for a variety of cells acquired under a variety of conditions. In addition, it is shown that a cyclic learning rate regime allows effective training of a Mask-RCNN model without any need to finetune the learning rate, thereby eliminating a manual and time-consuming aspect of the training procedure. The results presented here will be of interest to those in the medical imaging field and to computer vision researchers more generally.
Novel therapeutic avenues for cholangiocarcinoma treatment: A meta-analysis.

584Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare cancer of the bile ducts but has been increasing in incidence. The mainstay of treatment of CCA is resection or chemoradiation for more advanced di...
A Typology of Rebel Political Institutional Arrangements

What are the different political institutions rebels create to engage captive civilian populations, and how do they arrive at distinct political arrangements? Rebel-controlled territories host a di...
Resiliency-Aware Deployment of SDN in Smart Grid SCADA: A Formal Synthesis Model

The supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) network in a smart grid requires to be reliable and efficient to transmit real-time data to the controller, especially when the system is under contingencies or cyberattacks. Introducing the features of software-defined networks (SDN) into a SCADA network helps in better management of communication and deployment of novel grid control operations. Unfortunately, it is impossible to transform the overall smart grid network to have only SDN-enabled devices overnight because of budget and logistics constraints, which raises the requirement of a systematic deployment methodology. In this article, we present a framework, named SDNSynth, that can design a hybrid network consisting of both legacy forwarding devices and programmable SDN-enabled switches. The design satisfies the resiliency requirements of the SCADA network, which are determined with respect to a set of pre-identified threat vectors. The resiliency-aware SDN deployment plan primarily includes the best placements of the SDN-enabled switches (replacing the legacy switches). The plan may include one or more links to be installed newly to provide flexible or alternate routing paths. We design and implement the SDNSynth framework that includes the modeling of the SCADA topology, SDN-based resiliency measures, resiliency threats, mitigation requirements, the deployment budget, and other constraints. It uses satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) for encoding the synthesis model and solving it. We demonstrate SDNSynth on a case study of an example small-scale network. We also evaluate SDNSynth on different synthetic SCADA systems and analyze how different parameters impact each other. We simulate the SDNSynth suggested networks in a Mininet environment, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the deployment strategy over traditional networks and randomly deployed SDN switches in terms of packet loss and recovery time during network congestions.
Life Course Stressors and Functional Limitations in Later Life among White, Black, and Hispanic Adults: Deleterious, Hardening, or Benign?

OBJECTIVES Although striking racial and ethnic disparities in health are manifest during later life, they may be rooted in early-life exposures. Drawing from cumulative inequality theory, we investigate whether life course stressors are associated with risk of later life functional limitations and whether this relationship differs by race and ethnicity. METHODS We utilize longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study to test whether child and adult stressors predict trajectories of the occurrence and severity of functional limitations among a diverse sample of older adults. RESULTS Child and adult stressors are associated with greater occurrence and severity of functional limitations during later life. Mediation analyses reveal the indirect influence of child stressors via adult stressors on occurrence and severity of functional limitations; however, the indirect effects are slightly stronger for Black and Hispanic adults than their White counterparts. DISCUSSION Child stressors, in and of themselves, do not increase functional limitations among Black and Hispanic people but are associated with greater adult stress exposure, predisposing them to more functional limitations. Results suggest that childhood stressors are associated with distinct social pathways to functional limitations among Black, White, and Hispanic older adults.
The Surprising Virtues of Data Loyalty

Duties of data loyalty implementing ideas from privacy law scholarship are now under serious consideration by lawmakers in the US and Europe, but critics charge that such duties are unnecessary, unworkable, overly individualistic, and indeterminately vague. This paper takes those criticisms seriously, and its analysis of them reveals that duties of data loyalty have surprising virtues. Loyalty, it turns out, can support collective wellbeing by embracing privacy’s relational turn; it can be a powerful state of mind for reenergizing privacy reform; it prioritizes human values rather than potentially empty formalism; and it offers solutions that are flexible and clear, rather than vague and indeterminate. We conclude this paper by proposing four contexts where specific rules should supplement a general duty of data loyalty: personalization, gatekeeping, influencing, and mediation. Loyalty can be a key policy tool with which to take on the related problems information capitalism, platform power, and the use of personal data to manufacture consent to objectional data practices. In fact, it may well be the critical piece of the regulatory toolkit for privacy.
Drinking Water Chemistry: A Laboratory Manual

Whether you are a new employee or seasoned professional you need easy access to the latest test methods, updated quality control procedures, and calculations at your fingertips. You need to perform analyses quickly and easily and troubleshoot problems as they arise. You need a resource that is not only informative, but also practical and easy to use. Drinking Water Chemistry: A Laboratory Manual fills this need.The book gives you a thorough overview of the most basic, and therefore important, laboratory topics such as:Laboratory Safety - dos and don'ts based on real experienceSampling - preservation techniques, online sampling, and record keepingLaboratory Instruments - practical use ranges, principles of operation, calibration, conditioning, useful life and replacement, common quality control issuesChemical Use - reagents, standards, indicators, purpose and use, chemical quality and properties, avoidance of contamination, molecular weight calculationsQuality Control - replicate analyses, spiked, split, and reference samples, percent recovery of standard, standard deviation, control charts, and everyday quality control measuresWeights and Concentrations - care and analytical balances, mathematical conversions among concentration units, dilutions and concentration changesThe remaining chapters cover test analysis including: reason for the test, type of sample taken, treatment plant control significance, expected range of results, appropriate quality control procedures, apparatus used, reagents, including function, concentration and instructions for preparation, procedural steps, calculations and notes on possible problems, and references. This is a working manual, meant to be kept by your side in the lab, not on the shelf in an office or library. You can bend it, you can lay it flat, you can take it anywhere you do your job. Useful and practical Drinking Water Chemistry: A Laboratory Manual provides the information you need to perform tests, understand the results, apply them to the determination of water quality before and after treatment, and troubleshoot any problems.
R&D Policy Models and Data Needs

From a policy perspective, the “S” portion of Science and Technology (S&T) is relatively easy to deal with. Basic science is widely recognized as close to a pure public good, which means that massive under investment occurs without government support. This premise has been understood and incorporated into policy since the end of World War II.
Constructing Literature in the Roman Republic

1. The Muse arrives 2. Becoming literature 3. Comedy at work 4. Dido's furies 5. Enter satire 6. Roman helicon.
The Fourier Transform

The idea behind this definition is that, for each value of ω, the value of \(\,\mathcal{F}f(\omega )\,\) captures the component of f that has the frequency ω∕(2π) (and period 2π∕ω ).
Genes encoding the phycobilisome rod substructure are clustered on the Anabaena chromosome: characterization of the phycoerythrocyanin operon.

The phycoerythrocyanin (pec) operon, cloned from Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120, encodes four genes, pecBACE, located upstream of the C-phycocyanin (cpc) operon. This pec-cpc cluster includes all the genes for the structural components of the phycobilisome rod. Oligonucleotide probes based on the amino-terminal sequence of the phycoerythrocyanin beta subunit were used to clone an 8.0-kbp EcoRI fragment which was determined, by sequencing, to partially overlap the previously cloned cpc operon. A 5.0-kbp EcoRI-ClaI fragment corresponding to the region upstream of the cpc operon was subsequently subcloned and sequenced. Five open reading frames whose polarity of transcription is parallel to that of the cpc genes were identified. pecB and pecA encode the beta and alpha subunits of phycoerythrocyanin, respectively. pecC encodes the phycoerythrocyanin-associated linker polypeptide LR34.5,PEC. The identities of these genes are confirmed by agreement with amino-terminal sequences determined from purified phycobilisome components. A gene homologous to cpcE, found downstream of pecC, has been designated pecE. The cpcE gene product is involved in the attachment of the phycocyanobilin chromophore to the alpha subunit of phycocyanin. Three transcripts were observed by Northern (RNA) analyses. The most abundant of these transcripts, 1.35 kbp, corresponds to the beta and alpha subunit genes, whereas the less-abundant transcripts, 2.3 and 3.1 kbp, correspond to pecBAC and pecBACE, respectively. Phycoerythrocyanin is strongly induced in cells cultured under low light. In parallel, all three transcripts were present at much higher levels in cells cultured under low light. Images
Mutagenicity of the fractionated organic emissions from diesel, cigarette smoke condensate, coke oven, and roofing tar in the ames assay

Mobile and stationary combustion sources emit particle-bound organics that, after extraction, are mutagenic to Salmonella typhimurium. In this study, the organic emissions from diesel, cigarette smoke condensate (CSC), coke oven, and roofing tar were fractionated and compared for mutagenicity in the Ames assay. This study demonstrated major differences in the distribution of mutagenicity among the four emission sources. Within each source, the relative mutagenicity of each fraction was significantly different in the presence and absence of an exogenous metabolic activation. In the diesel sample, over 90% of the mutagenic activity is located in the aromatic and polar neutral (PN) fractions; nitrated polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (NO2-PNAs) can account for a significant portion of this activity. Most of the mutagenicity of the coke oven main sample was found in the organic base (BASE) and PN fractions, which contained aromatic amines and nitrogen heterocycles. The CSC sample also had a high percentage of the mutagenic activity in the BASE fraction. Chemical analysis, however, indicates that the components in the CSC differed from those of the coke oven main sample. The roofing tar sample, which was not mutagenic in the absence of metabolic activation, contained several components that were very mutagenic after fractionation. This may be due to the separation of toxic components from the mutagenic components. The roofing tar emissions contained aromatic and polar mutagenic constituents. Although the specific mutagens in these different sources are not identical, they all cause frameshift mutations and appear to be compounds that could be classified as polycyclic organic matter.
Prostate carcinoma: transrectal US after cryosurgical ablation.

PURPOSE: To characterize the transrectal ultrasound (US) morphology of the prostate after cryosurgical ablation and correlate these findings with the detection of residual tumor at transrectal US-directed biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Findings from 24 transrectal US examinations in 15 patients (age range, 63-75 years) who had undergone cryosurgical ablation of the prostate were reviewed. Prospective identification of focal lesions with transrectal US and retrospective review of US prostate morphology were correlated with clinical data and transrectal US-directed biopsy results. RESULTS: Identification of a focal lesion with transrectal US yielded a sensitivity of 13%, specificity of 69%, positive predictive value of 17%, and negative predictive value of 61% for the detection of residual carcinoma. US prostate morphology was variable and distorted in the majority of cases. CONCLUSION: Identification of focal lesions with transrectal US is not a reliable criterion for the detection of residual tumor in the...
HETEROGENEITY OF FIRM CAPABILITIES AND COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: AN EMPIRICAL EXAMINATION OF MOTIVES

This article proposes capability heterogeneity of R&D consortia participants as a condition to distinguish two competing motives for cooperative R&D: cost-sharing vs. skill-sharing. An analysis of 398 questionnaire responses from participants in Japanese government-sponsored R&D consortia finds that the relative importance of the cost-sharing motive in R&D consortia increases when participants’ capabilities are homogeneous or projects are large, while the relative importance of the skill-sharing motive in R&D consortia increases with heterogeneous capabilities. The skill-sharing motive is likely to increase a firm’s R&D spending, implying an additional consideration for management’s evaluation of cooperative R&D participation, as well as adding a new public policy implication of cooperative R&D. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
β-Cyclodextrin solid-matrix luminescence characterization of stereoisomeric tetrols

Abstract β-Cyclodextrin-salt mixtures were investigated as solid matrices for the room-temperature luminescence of tetrols. Tetrols are degradation products from benzol[a]pyrene—DNA adducts and are stereoisomeric. The luminescence spectral properties of the four tetrols showed similar properties when adsorbed on β-cyclodextrin—salt mixtures. Several “heavy atom” salts were investigated for enhancing the room-temperature phosphorescence of the tetrols. However, there was only a moderate increase in their phosphorescence with a heavy atom present. In general, β-cyclodextrin—sodium chloride matrices were very effective in yielding phosphorescence from the tetrols. For example, femtomole limits of detection were obtained for the tetrols. The room-temperature phosphorescence lifetimes of the adsorbed tetrols showed a wide range of values which depended on the characteristics of the solid matrices, but they enabled a sensitive room-temperature time-resolved phosphorescence method to be developed for a mixture of two of the tetrols.
Review: multicomponent educational interventions improve some outcomes in predialysis and dialysis care.

J L Mason Ms J L Mason, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK; jo.l.mason@uhl-tr.nhs.uk Are multicomponent educational interventions that include both informational and psychological components effective in patients with kidney disease? Studies selected compared structured educational interventions (including both informational and psychological components) with usual care in patients >18 years of age who had kidney disease (early stage chronic kidney disease [CKD], predialysis, and dialysis care). Studies of patients with kidney transplants were excluded. Outcomes included time to dialysis (in predialysis care), survival, self-efficacy, diet and fluid concordance, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, PsycINFO, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, …
THE WAY TO ONE QUARTER MICROMETER PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY

To investigate the way to achieve 250nm photolithography, aerial image simulations are performed. Simulation results show that expected depth of focus will be very shallow even using KrF(248nm) wavelength with conventional illumination system. To enlarge the depth of focus, progress of resist performances, resolution enhancement technologies and mask biases are required. In this paper, we will outline the importance of resist performance and mask bias, and explain the influence of Resolution Enhencement Technologies.
The Expression of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ in Pig Fetal Tissue and Primary Stromal-Vascular Cultures

Objective: This study was designed to determine when peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is expressed in developing fetal adipose tissue and stromal-vascular adipose precursor cells derived from adipose tissue. In addition we examined developing tissue for CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) expression to see if it was correlated with PPARγ expression. Pituitary function and hormones involved with differentiation (dexamethasone and retinoic acid) were also tested for their effects on PPARγ expression to determine if hormones known to affect differentiation also effect PPARγ expression in vivo and in cell culture. Research Methods and Procedures: Developing subcutaneous adipose tissues from the dorsal region of the fetal pig were collected at different gestation times and assayed using Western blot analysis to determine levels of PPARγ and C/EBPβ. Hypophysectomy was performed on 75-day pig fetuses and tissue samples were then taken at 105 days for Western blot analysis. Adipose tissue was also taken from postnatal pigs to isolate stromal-vascular (S-V) cells. These adipose precursor cells were grown in culture and samples were taken for Western blot analysis to determine expression levels of PPARγ. Results: Our results indicate that PPARγ is expressed as early as 50 days of fetal development in adipose tissue and continues through 105 days. Expression of PPARγ was found to be significantly enhanced in adipose tissue from hypophysectomized fetuses at 105 days of fetal development (p < 0.05). C/EBPβ was not found in 50- or 75-day fetal tissues and was found only at low levels in 105-day tissues. C/EBPβ was not found in hypophysectomized (hypoxed) 105-day tissue where PPARγ was elevated. S-V cells freshly isolated from adipose tissue of 5- to 7-day postnatal pigs showed the expression of PPARγ1. When S-V cells were cultured, both PPARγ1 and 2 were expressed after the first day and continued as cells differentiated. High concentrations of retinoic acid decreased PPARγ expression in early S-V cultures (p < 0.05). Discussion: Our data indicate that PPARγ is expressed in fetal adipose tissue very early before distinct fat cells are observed and can be expressed without the expression of C/EBPβ. The increase in PPARγ expression after hypophysectomy may explain the increase in fat cell size under these conditions. Adipose precursor cells (S-V cells) from 5- to 7-day postnatal pigs also express PPARγ in the tissue before being induced to differentiate in culture. Thus S-V cells from newborn pig adipose tissue are probably more advanced in development than the 3T3-L1 cell model. S-V cells may be in a state where PPARγ and C/EBPα are expressed but new signals or vascularization are needed before cells are fully committed and lipid filling begins.
Access to oxetane-containing psico-nucleosides from 2-methyleneoxetanes: a role for neighboring group participation?

The first psico-oxetanocin analogue of the powerful antiviral natural product, oxetanocin A, has been readily synthesized from cis-2-butene-1,4-diol. Key 2-methyleneoxetane precursors were derived ...
Introduction: The changing life space of early adolescence.

The socialization of children and adolescents is shaped by how they spend their time. This special issue maps the daily experience of white American 5th–9th graders, describing both the quantities of time they spend in different contexts and the affective states associated with these contexts. Each paper examines a separate segment of daily activity (e.g., schoolwork, talking, sports), employing data from a common study in which 401 participants provided “experience sampling” reports at random times during their daily lives when cued by a pager. The findings show substantial age and sex differences, indicating significant changes in the daily “life space” of girls and boys between preadolescence and early adolescence. Implication for socialization to healthy adult adjustment in love, work, and play are discussed in each paper.
Tumor necrosis factor involvement in 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-mediated endotoxin hypersensitivity in C57BL/6J mice congenic at the Ah locus.

An experimental model of endotoxin-induced release of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) into the serum of C57BL6J mice congenic at the Ah locus was used to investigate the effects of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on TNF production. TCDD exposure of Ah-responsive mice (Ahbb) resulted in a dose-dependent increase in the concentration of TNF in the serum of endotoxin-exposed mice, with a significant increase observed at a dose of 10 μg/kg TCDD. At a dose of 500 μg/kg TCDD, Ahbb mice demonstrated a 46-fold increase in serum TNF levels compared to control. In contrast, congenic Ah-receptor deficient mice (Ahdd) did not show a significant increase in serum TNF levels until exposed to 150 μg/kg TCDD, and the maximum response was an 8-fold increase over control. These data suggest that increased TNF production may be responsible for endotoxin hypersensitivity in TCDD-treated mice and that the Ah locus mediates this response.
Root Canals and Crowns: An Analysis of the Spatial Distribution of Dental Offices in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, 1996-2011

Every city above a certain size has health services that are located, to a large extent, close to their patients. This study analyzes the spatial distribution of dental office and the change in the number of dental offices in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico over a 15-year time period. Research was conducted in 1996 and 2011. Maps showing the location of dental offices for these two years indicate a clustering of dental offices within one and one-half miles of the city’s two principal border-crossing points between the United States and Mexico. Provider-based surveys were also used to determine the mix of patients (US or Mexican citizens) at the dental offices found throughout the city. By 2011, nearly all of the dental offices clustered within one and one-half miles of the two principal US-Mexico border crossings had 100% of their patients from the United States.
Cooperative trial studies on the analysis of ethyl carbamate using capillary gas chromatography

A design for cooperative study of analytical methods is described which involves the analysis of spiked samples and evaluation of the results using a linear regression technique. Two examples are described involving the study of ethyl carbamate in whisky at levels from 40–170 μg/L and in beer at levels <1–20 μg/L. Most participating laboratories used capillary gas chromatography with variations in sample preparation and detection methods. Acceptability criteria were defined as: intercept ±2 standard deviations of the group mean, slope 0.9 to 1.1, individual analyses of duplicates within ±10% of the mean and correlation coefficient better than 0.99. In the whisky trial, four of the seven laboratories taking part met these criteria, while for the beer trial all of the laboratories taking part were sufficiently close to these standards to be considered satisfactory given that the analyses were being performed close to the detection limit of the methods.
A New Heuristic Measure of Fragility and Tail Risks: Application to Stress Testing 1

This paper presents a simple heuristic measure of tail risk, which is applied to individual bank stress tests and to public debt. Stress testing can be seen as a first order test of the level of potential negative outcomes in response to tail shocks. However, the results of stress testing can be misleading in the presence of model error and the uncertainty attending parameters and their estimation. The heuristic can be seen as a second order stress test to detect nonlinearities in the tails that can lead to fragility, i.e., provide additional information on the robustness of stress tests. It also shows how the measure can be used to assess the robustness of public debt forecasts, an important issue in many countries. The heuristic measure outlined here can be used in a variety of situations to ascertain an ordinal ranking of fragility to tail risks.
Assessing the treatment of patron privacy in Library 2.0 literature

As libraries begin to embrace Web 2.0 technologies to serve patrons -- ushering in the era of Library 2.0 -- unique dilemmas arise in the realm of information ethics, especially regarding patron privacy. The norms of Web 2.0 promote the open sharing of information -- often personal information -- and the design of many Library 2.0 services capitalize on access to patron information and might require additional tracking, collection and aggregation of patron activities. Thus, embracing Library 2.0 potentially threatens the traditional ethics of librarianship, where protecting patron privacy and intellectual freedom has been held paramount. Anecdotal evidence suggests a policy vacuum exists in dealing with this potential ethical conflict. This project seeks to measure the extent to which the issue of patron privacy is addressed in literature discussing Library 2.0 services and solutions.
Analgesia and opiate addicts.

Drs. Collins and Streltzer present arguments for and against the use of opioid analgesics in the management of chronic pain in opiate addicts.l There is a much more fundamental problem, however, th...
Differential requirement of ZIC3 function in cardiac development and X-linked heterotaxy

Heterotaxy, contributing to ~5% of congenial heart defects (CHD), arises from abnormal left-right patterning. Mutations of ZIC3 gene (Zinc finger protein of cerebellum 3) are associated with human Xlinked heterotaxy. A mouse model with targeted disruption of Zic3 exhibited ~75% early lethality, and recapitulated the phenotype seen in human patients. However, it is not knownwhether ZIC3 is required in a single developmental field or whether it has pleiotropic roles in multiple developmental processes, and the detailed mechanism remains elusive. To address these questions, we generated a conditional allele of the Zic3 gene by flanking its 1st exon with loxP sites. Sox2-cre, Wnt1-cre and T-cre lines were used to delete Zic3 in epiblast, neural crest and mesoderm, respectively. Deletion of Zic3 in epiblast and mesoderm, but not in neural crest, led to ~50% early lethality. Examination of epiblast conditional embryos by microscopy revealed multiple CNS and neural tube defects similar to the null embryos. But these defects were not found in mesoderm or neural crest conditional embryos, suggesting that Zic3's function in CNS development likely remains intact in these mutants. MRI scanning of Zic3 epiblast and mesoderm conditional embryos also uncovered multiple heterotaxy related visceral abnormalities. Gene expression analysis by microarray in the hearts of embryos at 15.5 dpc revealed a similar expression pattern between Zic3 epiblast conditional and null males, which was significantly different from control males. Perturbed expression of several cardiac genes and direct targets of Zic3 suggested that Notch, BMP and TGF-β signaling might be affected, and requires further investigation.
Protein Half-Lives of Two Subunits of an NMDA Receptor-like Complex, the 71-kDa Glutamate-Binding and the 80-kDa CPP-Binding Protein

Abstract We determined the half-lives for two subunits of a complex that functions as a glutamate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-ion channel in synaptic membranes. These two proteins are a 71 kDa glutamate-binding protein (GBP) and an 80 kDa CPP-binding protein (CBP). Seven month-old Fischer 344 rats were injected with L-[14C] leucine. The radioactivity in the two proteins was determined in a crude synaptosomal membrane fraction obtained from the brains of rats sacrificed from 4 hours to 13 days after the injection. The previously reported data on time-dependent appearance and loss of L-[14C] leucine radioactivity in the serum (Ferrington et al., 1997,Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.237, 163-165) was used in the present study to estimate the half-lives of GBP and CBP. Theoretical curves best fit the experimental data obtained for the two proteins assuming apparent half-lives of 14 (± 2.4) and 18 (± 1.2) hours for CBP and GBP, respectively.
Radiative lifetime measurements using an argon ion beam

Abstract Using an Ar+ ion beam in the 30–35 keV energy range, we have measured the radiative lifetimes of the 4 p 4 D 0 7 2 , 4 p ' 2 D o 5 2 and 4 p 2 P o 3 2 levels of Ar II. The lifetimes in ns are 6.93 ± 0.33, 8.03 ± 0.17 and 9.8 ± 0.20, respectively. Uncertainties are standard deviations of the weighted means. All decay curves obtained were subjected to a systematic deletion-of-points curve-fitting routine to minimize the effects of cascades.
More on Merde.

Whereas food has always received much attention in conversation, commerce, and the literature, the subject of feces has been comparatively neglected. To fill this lacuna, a small book on comparative coprology was recently published (Lewin 1999). The present article aims to supplement this book with a review of overlooked or new items relating to biological and medical aspects of coprology, notably chemical and microbial components of human and animal feces, their uses as fertilizers, and a few other sociological impacts.
Prefrontal recruitment during social rejection predicts greater subsequent self-regulatory imbalance and impairment: neural and longitudinal evidence.

Social rejection impairs self-regulation, yet the neural mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unknown. The right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC) facilitates self-regulation and plays a robust role in regulating the distress of social rejection. However, recruiting this region’s inhibitory function during social rejection may come at a self-regulatory cost. As supported by prominent theories of self-regulation, we hypothesized that greater rVLPFC recruitment during rejection would predict a subsequent self-regulatory imbalance that favored reflexive impulses (i.e., cravings), which would then impair self-regulation. Supporting our hypotheses, rVLPFC activation during social rejection was associated with greater subsequent nucleus accumbens (NAcc) activation and lesser functional connectivity between the NAcc and rVLPFC to appetitive cues. Over seven days, the effect of daily felt rejection on daily self-regulatory impairment was exacerbated among participants who showed a stronger rVLPFC response to social rejection. This interactive effect was mirrored in the effect of daily felt rejection on heightened daily alcohol cravings. Our findings suggest that social rejection likely impairs self-regulation by recruiting the rVLPFC, which then tips the regulatory balance towards reward-based impulses.
Response selection in choice reaction time: Test of a buffer model

Two experiments were conducted to test a buffer model of response selection. Subjects reacted to the onset of one of six possible visual stimuli by pressing either a left- or a right-hand key. Two stimuli were assigned to one key Itwo-item set) and four stimuli were assigned to the other key flour-item set). An irrelevant monaural tone accompanied the visual stimulus in Experiment 1 but not in Experiment 2. Results of Experiment 1 showed that reactions were faster when the location of the tone corresponded with the response than when it did not, and the difference between these corresponding and noncorresponding conditions was greater for the two-item set than for the four-item set. Results supported the notion that the response selection process involved a serial self-terminating search of response buffers and that the tone determined the buffer searched first. In both experiments, reactions were faster to stimuli from the twoitem set than to stimuli from the four-item set
All Things in Moderation, Including Tests of Mediation (at Least Some of the Time)

Seeking to explain the processes by which one construct causes another is a staple of psychological research. This is typically done with statistical procedures using observations of the hypothesiz...
Applicability of high-Tc paradigms to magnetic relaxation and irreversibility in superconducting Nb.

Detailed measurements of the temperature and magnetic-field dependence of the magnetization and the magnetic relaxation of Nb films have been carried out. An irreversibility line, below which the remanent magnetization decayed logarithmically in time, was identified. The data were quantitatively compared to predictions of flux-creep, vortex-glass, and vortex-lattice-melting models. Only the melting model self-consistently explained the data.
High strain-rate shear deformation of a polyurethane elastomer subjected to impact loading

Mesures directes des modules de cisaillement et des donnees de contrainte-deformation dans un caoutchouc d'urethanne (Solithane 113) qui a subi des ondes de deformation et de compression. Mise en equation et analyse des donnees
TIME SERIES ANALYSIS OF BOD DATA USING THE GIBBS SAMPLER

In this paper, we analyse the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) data collected over 2 years from McDowell Creek, Charlotte, NC, by fitting a trigonometric time series model to the data via a Kalman filter and by using the Gibbs sampler. Some graphical di agnostic tools are applied to monitor the convergence of the algorithm. The adequacy of the model for one-step ahead prediction and simultaneous prediction problems using the extended Gibbs sampler is studied. The problem of detection of outliers is also discussed and the BOD data is analysed for outliers.
Dynamic properties of a two-dimensional Heisenberg antiferromagnet at low temperatures.

By using a combination of hydrodynamics, scaling, and renormalization-group analysis, and a fit to the simulations of a classical rotor model, we can predict the form of the dynamic structure factor $S(\mathrm{k}, \ensuremath{\omega})$ of a two-dimensional quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet at low temperatures, if the zero-temperature spin-stiffness constant ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{s}$ and magnetic susceptibility ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}^{0}$ are known. These results should be applicable to inelastic neutron scattering in stoichiometric ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ above its N\'eel temperature, with only ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{s}$ as an adjustable parameter.
Immunocytochemical Demonstration of Prealbumin in the Vitreous in Heredofamilial Amyloidosis

Vitreous material obtained at pars plana vitrectomy from a patient with heredofamilial amyloidosis with vitreous involvement and control vitreous from a patient without amyloidosis were subjected to immunocytochemical studies. P component (AP), a minor constituent of all amyloid deposits, was found in trace amounts in the familial amyloid vitreous, but other amyloid proteins, which occur in secondary amyloidosis or in primary amyloidosis, were not found. The major amyloid protein in the vitreous in heredofamilial amyloidosis (but not control vitreous) was found to be prealbumin.
Signal Transduction through the β1 Integrin Family Surface Adhesion Molecules VLA-4 and VLA-5 of Human B-cell Precursors Activates CD19 Receptor-associated Protein-tyrosine Kinases

We demonstrate that the CD19 receptor associates with the β1 family integrin receptors on human B-cell precursors as well as mature B-lymphocytes, and engagement of the β1 family integrin receptors with monoclonal antibody homoconjugates leads to rapid activation of the CD19-associated protein-tyrosine kinases (PTK) and results in hyperphosphorylation of CD19 on tyrosine residues. Our findings prompt the hypothesis that homoconjugate-induced integrin clustering may effect the approximation and, by intermolecular cross-phosphorylation, activation of the CD19-associated PTK and subsequent tyrosine phosphorylation of the CD19 receptor. The ability of the β1 family integrin receptors to transmit a biochemical signal triggering the CD19-linked multifunctional PTK pathway provides a possible explanation for the pleiotropic biologic responses generated through adhesive VLA-4- and VLA-5-mediated contacts.
Control of transesterification in polyester blends

Polyester blends may undergo transesterification during processing, resulting in molecular rearrangements, transient properties, and eventually, degradation. To suppress transesterifcation, the use of organophosphites has been suggested in the patent and technical literature. The effectiveness of organophosphites, however, is variable and sometimes inconsistent. Our recent studies suggest a clue to the inconsistent behavior and provide a simple way to enhance the effectiveness of these stabilizers. Using solid state 31P NMR it was shown that for bis(2,4-di-t-butylphenyl)pentaerythritol diphosphite a conversion of the phosphite group to a phosphonate, via hydrolysis, is a prerequisite for an effective inhibition of transesterification. This conversion occurs readily during melt compounding if the polymers are not completely dry. However, if rigorous drying is employed and phosphite conversion does not occur, then transesterification is not arrested. It was also found that over a period of time the conversion of the phosphite to a phosphonate may take place at room temperature as well. After aging for about a year in the laboratory, the originally ineffective compound, has become a very effective inhibitor of transesterification in blends containing poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(butylene terephthalate), polycarbonate, and polyarylate. Thus, a simple way to enhance the phosphate effectiveness is to expose it to a humid environment prior to blending.
The Multi-Source Interference Task: validation study with fMRI in individual subjects.

Dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) plays critical roles in cognitive processing, but group-averaging techniques have generally been required to obtain significant dACC activation in functional neuroimaging studies. Development of a task that reliably and robustly activates dACC within individuals is needed to improve imaging studies of neuropsychiatric disorders and localization of dACC in normal volunteers. By combining sources of cognitive interference (Stroop, Eriksen and Simon) with factors known to increase dACC activity, the Multi-Source Interference Task (MSIT) maximally taxes dACC, making it possible to reliably activate dACC within individuals using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this study, eight normal adult volunteers performed the MSIT during fMRI. We compared fMRI responses and performance data between interference and control trials. Significant dACC activation (P<1.7×10−4) was observed in all eight individuals and in the group-averaged fMRI data. In addition to dACC activation, group data also showed activation of presumably networked regions including dorsolateral prefrontal, premotor, and parietal cortices. The MSIT's reaction time interference effect (overall mean 312±61 ms) was up to 10 times greater than that of its component predecessors and temporally stable over hundreds of trials. The robustness, reliability and stability of the neuroimaging and performance data should make the MSIT a useful task with which to study normal human cognition and psychiatric pathophysiology.
Isolation and Distribution of West Nile Virus in Embryonated Chicken Eggs

West Nile virus (WNV) was identified from domestic psittacine birds by inoculating embryonated chicken eggs. Most of the embryos died 5 days postinoculation; flavivirus was detected in some by negative-staining electron microscopy. Immunohistochemistry performed on the embryos and their supporting structures detected the WNV antigen mainly in the chorioallantoic membrane, regardless of the inoculation route or passage number. WNV antigen was also found in the embryonic muscle (both skeletal and smooth muscles) and in multifocal areas of the skin. WNV was not detected in the viscera of the embryo or yolk sac. This study provides evidence of isolation and identification of WNV via embryonated chicken eggs.
Duality in continuous-time homogeneous programming

Abstract A continuous-time version of the Kuhn-Tucker optimality conditions is used to establish some duality theorems for continuous-time nonlinear programming problems involving homogeneous functions with arbitrary degrees of homogeneity. The duality theorems of continuous-time linear and purely quadratic programming are obtained as special cases.