cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Government Land Preservation and Communication Policies in Fast-Growing Counties of the United States of America

Most US counties undergoing rapid population increases rely on traditional land-preservation techniques (zoning, direct purchase, development regulations) to control land use and on public meetings to communicate with the public. Yet some of these rapidly growing counties also use tax incentives, conservation easements, and other innovative preservation methods; they also use the mass media to communicate. These innovative counties tend to be more populous, affluent, and located in states with stronger environmental protection programs than counties that rely on traditional techniques.
Women’s Work: Using U.S. History to Explain Mexican Women’s Differential Work Strategies in Mexico and the United States:

Mexican women, particularly married women, living in the United States appear to allocate far more of their time to waged work than do women in Mexico. The fierce debate among social scientists over the sources of American women’s steadily rising labor force participation rates during the twentieth century provides hypotheses that all plausibly explain a part of this phenomenon, including a misapprehension of the phenomenon due to the failure of official sources to recognize nonwaged work, the importance of higher wages for pulling women into employment, the growth of work perceived as “women’s work,” the desire of women to provide for their families new goods that they cannot produce at home, the increasing competition of commodity production with home production, and the impact of different social norms.
On the reversibility of tumor cells

Abstract A review is given of several cases in which a neoplastic cell becomes a normal one. Emphasis is placedon the Lucke adenocarcinoma in the frog and on the case of terminal differentiation. The mysteries of cell fusion studies are discussed as well as the experiments of Mintz et al on teratocarcinoma of the mouse. In the case of the Lucke adenocarcinoma, a cytoplasmic protein probably causes the reversal of the neoplastic state. In the case of terminal differentiation, both controls for the S and M period of the cell cycle are such that these events are shut off.
Anthocyanins in Purple-Orange Carrots (Daucus carota L.) Do Not Influence the Bioavailability of β-Carotene in Young Women

Purple carrots contain anthocyanins in addition to the provitamin A carotenoids in typical orange carrots. Simultaneous consumption of these phytochemicals in carrots may affect the bioavailability of carotenoids. The bioavailability of β-carotene in humans was assessed from an acute feeding of orange (OC) and purple (PC) carrots with white (WC) as a control. Carrot smoothies were served to female subjects (n = 5, aged 21−26 years) for breakfast after 1 week on a low carotenoid diet and overnight fast. OC and PC smoothies were equalized to 10.3 mg of all-trans β-carotene. Plasma β-carotene was measured for 144 h following treatments. Peak plasma concentrations of OC and PC treatments did not differ. The PC treatment 0−144 h area-under-the-curve for β-carotene was 76% of the OC treatment (P < 0.05). However, when the first 24 h were compared, OC and PC treatments did not differ, suggesting that anthocyanins in purple carrots do not affect the absorption of β-carotene postprandially.
Atomistic modelling of cavitation of glassy polymers

Abstract A detailed atomistic approach has been used to investigate the molecular segment kinematics as a glassy, atactic polypropylene system was dilated by 30%. The microstructural stress-dilatation response consisted of smooth, reversible portions bounded by sudden, irreversible stress jumps, but when compared to the microstructural stress-strain curve of the shear simulation, the overall trend more closely resembled macroscopic stress-strain curves. The peak negative pressure was in the neighbourhood of 12% dilatation, with a corresponding secondary maximum in the von Mises shear stress. The peak negative pressure was relieved by a stress jump that signalled cavitation, which was most pronounced in the large system. The cavities were found to be flat and irregular; for the large system that had been dilated by 20%, the cavities extended 0.5 to 0.8 nm with a characteristic thickness of 0.080 nm, and the total cavity volume fraction was 0.02. The surface energy of the cavities was estimated to be 53.4mJ...
THE COST OF INSTRUCTIONAL RADIO AND TELEVISION FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Budgets constrain choices. They are not the only constraints; law, custom, tradition, political alignments, and inertia all serve to limit further a deci sion-maker's options. Nevertheless, budgets remain a central constraint. With his budget a Minister of Education can buy teachers, books, schoolhouses, radio sets, and the other inputs he needs to run his school system. The amount of each input that it is feasible for him to buy depends on the costs of the inputs and the level of his budget; his feasible alternatives constitute the set of all possible combinations of inputs whose total cost falls within the budget. In order to know which potential alternatives are feasible and which are not, the minister must assemble information on input costs. Our purpose in this paper is to assist in that task by bringing together available information on the cost of instructional radio and television and by devel oping a methodology for analyzing that information. To a lesser extent we discuss the costs of other new media. Obtaining costs in order to determine the set of economically feasible alternatives is the first step in educational planning, but it is only a first step. The Minister of Education must also obtain available information concerning the linkage between educational inputs and educational outputs and the linkage between educational outputs and economic and social outcomes. Cost—effectiveness analysis uses knowledge concerning the first linkage, between educational inputs and outputs, to help ascertain which of the feasible alternatives will result in the "maximum" educational output. (As
Biometrical problems in the study of early mammalian embryos in vitro

During recent years techniques have been evolved which permit the development of embryonic mouse cleavage stages in vitro. These methods are now sufficiently reliable for use in quantitative experiments such as the mapping of concentration-response surfaces to discover the interaction of effects produced by various components of the medium. In studies on the development of mouse embryos in vitro conducted in our laboratory, a series of specialized biometrical problems has arisen. In the present paper, the theoretical basis for analyzing the responses of two-cell mouse ova in vitro is discussed. The responses are quantal in nature and are transformed before statistical treatment. The application of the angular and probit transformation to this data is illustrated. In certain cases, allowances must be made for a control portion of embryos failing to develop. The analyses are illustrated by two examples, one concerned with the determination of optimum conditions, and the other with the estimation of the median effective dose of a metabolic inhibitor.
A construction and appraisal of pooled trimmed-t statistics

Yuen and Dixon (1973) proposed a two sample homoscedastic extension of the trimmed-t statistic given by Tukey and McLaughlin (1963). In this paper, their problem is reconsidered and an alternative statistic together with an approximation to its distribution is proposed. By developing a scheme for pooling the estimated variances of the trimmed means, a pooled two sample t statistic is constructed, and the asymptotic theory and empirical evidence from a Monte Carlo experiment are used to obtain and approximation to its null distribution. The power properties of the resulting test are studied.
Bayesian analysis of multimodal data and brain imaging

It is often the case that information about a process can be obtained using a variety of methods. Each method is employed because of specific advantages over the competing alternatives. An example in medical neuro-imaging is the choice between fMRI and MEG modes where fMRI can provide high spatial resolution in comparison to the superior temporal resolution of MEG. The combination of data from varying modes provides the opportunity to infer results that may not be possible by means of any one mode alone. We discuss a Bayesian and learning theoretic framework for enhanced feature extraction that is particularly suited to multi-modal investigations of massive data sets from multiple experiments. In the following Bayesian approach, acquired knowledge (information) regarding various aspects of the process are all directly incorporated into the formulation. This information can come from a variety of sources. In our case, it represents statistical information obtained from other modes of data collection. The information is used to train a learning machine to estimate a probability distribution, which is used in turn by a second machine as a prior, in order to produce a more refined estimation of the distribution of events. The computational demand of the algorithm is handled by proposing a distributed parallel implementation on a cluster of workstations that can be scaled to address real-time needs if required. We provide a simulation of these methods on a set of synthetically generated MEG and EEG data. We show how spatial and temporal resolutions improve by using prior distributions. The method on fMRI signals permits one to construct the probability distribution of the non-linear hemodynamics of the human brain (real data). These computational results are in agreement with biologically based measurements of other labs, as reported to us by researchers from UK. We also provide preliminary analysis involving multi-electrode cortical recording that accompanies behavioral data in pain experiments on freely moving mice subjected to moderate heat delivered by an electric bulb. Summary of new or breakthrough ideas: (1) A new method to estimate probability distribution for measurement of nonlinear hemodynamics of brain from a multi- modal neuronal data. This is the first time that such an idea is tried, to our knowledge. (2) Breakthrough in improvement of time resolution of fMRI signals using (1) above.
Morphological Evidence of Vestibular Pathology in Long-term Experimental Diabetes Mellitus: II. Connective Tissue and Neuroepithelial Pathology

The influence of long-term experimental diabetes on the saccule and utricle was investigated with light and electron microscopy. Pathological changes involving the connective tissue cells of the subneuro-epithelial connective tissue suggest that these cells may play a potentially important role in diabetic pathology of the inner ear. In diabetic animals there was an increased incidence of secondary lysosomes within the connective tissue cells as well as an accumulation of intracellular lipid droplets that increased with the level of hyperglycemia. Five animals with relatively more severe diabetes also had an extensive accumulation of extracellular matrix. Two of these rats with longer diabetes duration had a small number of degenerating type I hair cells scattered through the saccular neuro-epithelium, possibly due to chronic stresses from impaired diffusion of oxygen, nutrients and waste material through the dense extracellular matrix. Utricles of these same animals did not have any degenerating hair cells.
Follicle microenvironment-associated alterations in gene expression in the mouse oocyte and its polar body

Objective To determine whether the follicle environment modulates oocyte-specific gene transcript levels in cultured oocytes and polar bodies (PBs). Design Animal study. Setting Large academic research center. Animal(s) CD1 mice. Intervention(s) In vitro growth of secondary mouse follicles in 0.25% or 1.5% alginate (ALG) in a three-dimensional culture system. Main Outcome Measure(s) Relative transcript levels of Gdf9, Bmp15, Nlrp5, Tcl1, and Zp3 were measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction in oocytes during in vitro follicle development and oocyte maturation and in their first PBs after removal from metaphase II (MII) eggs. Result(s) All transcripts decreased earlier in oocytes cultured in 1.5% ALG compared with 0.25% ALG. Transcript levels were lower in MII eggs cultured in 1.5% ALG compared with in 0.25% ALG. All genes were expressed in PBs, and transcript levels were lower in PBs cultured in 1.5% ALG compared with in 0.25% ALG. Abundance of all transcripts was lower in PBs than in their sibling oocytes. Conclusion(s) Local follicle environment modulates oocyte-specific gene expression in the oocyte and first PB. There is a significant difference in the transcript levels of oocyte-specific genes in PBs of 1.5% versus 0.25% ALG that correlates with ovarian environment-related decreases in oocyte competence.
Ultraviolet Photodetection Properties of ZnO Microtubes

Photodetectors based on wide-bandgap semiconductors have demonstrated several advantages over traditional ultraviolet (UV) detectors (photomultiplier tubes and Si-based UV detectors) such as low power consumption, high stability, and no need of other optical filters. ZnO stands a good chance of being a candidate material for solar-blind UV detection because of its direct bandgap of 3.37eV and high photoresponse. In this work, single crystal ZnO microtubes synthesized using a microwave-heating growth method and their UV photodetection properties were studied. The ZnO microtubes exhibited relatively fast UV photoresponse with a cut-off wavelength ∼370 nm, indicating their potential applications as high efficient and low cost UV detectors.
Influence of germanium on thermal dewetting and agglomeration of the silicon template layer in thin silicon-on-insulator

We investigate the influence of heteroepitaxially grown Ge on the thermal dewetting and agglomeration of the Si(0 0 1) template layer in ultrathin silicon-on-insulator (SOI). We show that increasing Ge coverage gradually destroys the long-range ordering of 3D nanocrystals along the 1 3 0 directions and the 3D nanocrystal shape anisotropy that are observed in the dewetting and agglomeration of pure SOI(0 0 1). The results are qualitatively explained by Ge-induced bond weakening and decreased surface energy anisotropy. Ge lowers the dewetting and agglomeration temperature to as low as 700 °C.
Longitudinal Outcome Following Treatment of Hypertension among Patients with Ischemic Vascular Dementia

This longitudinal study was designed to measure local cerebral perfusion and volumes of leuko-araiosis among four groups of patients with multiple cerebral infarctions in order to: 1) compare results among those with and those without cognitive impairments and 2) compare results among IVD patients that stabilized and those whose cognitive test performance continued to deteriorate over a follow-up interval of two years. An important part of the study was designed to analyze the effects of control of hypertension among a group of 49 patients with IVD who have been followed prospectively for a mean interval of two years. Results indicate that cognitive impairments among IVD patients are regularly associated with leuko-araiosis. Leuko-araiosis is associated with both ischemia and hypoperfusion of white matter, the latter reflecting disconnections between cortico-thalamic projection systems. Significant improvements in cognitive test performance and neurologic status occurred in IVD patients when systolic blood pressure is controlled within the 135 to 150mmHg range. Progressive cerebral hypoperfusion contributes to cognitive declines in stroke patients with IVD so that early interventions should be instituted for controlling risk factors for stroke, especially hypertension, in order to prevent or improve cognitive deterioration. (Hypertens Res 1994; 17 Suppl. I: S89-S96)
Movement and retention of propanil N-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)propanamide in a paddy-riverine wetland system in Sri Lanka

Abstract Propanil N-(3,4,-dichlorophenyl)propanamide is commonly used as a post-emergent herbicide in paddy rice cultivation in Sri Lanka. This study examined propanil concentrations in paddy soil and water, in water and substrate of adjacent wetlands receiving runoff from the paddy and in tissues of two wetland macrophytes common in those wetlands. Field sampling was carried out during the wet season of 1993–1994 and the 1994 dry season. Propanil was detected in paddy soil and in paddy and wetland water samples as late as 14 days after treatment (DAT). It was not detected in the wetland substrate, but relatively high concentrations were found in leaf and stem tissues of the edible plants Ipomoea aquatica and Limnocharis flava 52 DAT in the wet season, but it was not detectable by 132 DAT. Tissue concentrations during the dry season were less consistent. This accumulation and retention by macrophytes may be important factors in reducing propanil concentrations in the wetland water below levels shown to be acutely toxic to other wetland biota. But, propanil so retained may pose a danger to humans who gather and eat these wetland plants regularly and who may, over several months, accumulate sufficient propanil to be harmful to their health.
A Syndromic Approach to Emergency Department Surveillance for Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

We sought to describe the epidemiology of emergency department (ED) visits for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) in an urban area with diverse neighborhood populations using syndromic surveillance system data for the time period from 2007-2011. Our aims were three-fold: to demonstrate a proof of concept using syndromic surveillance for SSTI surveillance in the absence of laboratory data, to estimate the burden of ED visits associated with SSTI, and to determine potential geographic ‚A∞√o√ehotspots‚A∞√oOoΩ for these infections.Using our SSTI syndrome definition, we estimated unique SSTI visits represented 3.29 % (n= 45,252) of all visits within Boston‚A∞√o¬™s ten EDs during the study period with a seasonal pattern peaking during the summer months.a disproportionate number of SSTI visits (43%) were among Black patients when compared to both the overall Boston population (22% Black) and to the racial distribution of all ED visits (39% Black). The geographic neighborhood distribution of SSTI visits ranged from a low of 2.69% to a high of 4.11% of all neighborhood-specific ED visits.A local syndromic surveillance system has the potential to provide public health authorities and ED clinicians near real-time monitoring of trends in severity and demographic risk factors, and may provide an alternative to tracking the severity of illness where no laboratory data are readily available.
Statistical method for comparing the level of intracellular organization between cells

Systems level approaches to analyzing complex emergent behavior require quantitative characterization of alterations of behavior on both the microscale and macroscale. Here we consider the problem of cellular organization and describe a statistical methodology for quantitative comparison of the internal organization between different populations of similar physical objects, such as cells. This comparison is achieved with several steps of analysis. Starting with three-dimensional or two-dimensional images of cells, images are segmented to identify individual cells. Locations of internal points of interest, such as organelles or proteins, are recorded. To define the configuration of internal points in each cell, the individual cells are subjected to bounded Voronoi tessellation: subdividing the bounded volume or area of the cell into subvolumes determined by the locations of the internal points of interest. A statistical methodology is applied to yield a metric for similarity in degree of organization between populations. We applied this methodology to test whether centrioles play a role in global cellular organization, using mutants of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii with known alterations in centriole number, structure, and position as a model system. Comparing mutant populations and wild-type populations revealed a dramatic difference in the degree of organization in the mutant strains. These computational and experimental results provide statistical support for prior observational studies and support the idea that centrioles play a role in generating or maintaining global cellular organization. Our results confirm that this method can be used to sensitively compare the extent and type of organization within cells.
Sarcomere lengths in human extensor carpi radialis brevis measured by microendoscopy.

Introduction: Second-harmonic generation micro- endoscopy is a minimally invasive technique to image sarco- meres and measure their lengths in humans, but motion artifact and low signal have limited the use of this novel technique. Methods: We discovered that an excitation wavelength of 960 nm maximized image signal; this enabled an image acquisition rate of 3 frames/s, which decreased motion artifact. We then used microendoscopy to measure sarcomere lengths in the human extensor carpi radialis brevis with the wrist at 45 � exten- sion and 45 � flexion in 7 subjects. We also measured the variability in sarcomere lengths within single fibers. Results: Av- erage sarcomere lengths in 45 � extension were 2.9360.29 lm (6SD) and increased to 3.5860.19 l mi n 45 � flexion. Within single fibers the standard deviation of sarcomere lengths in se- ries was 0.20 lm.Conclusions: Microendoscopy can be used to measure sarcomere lengths at different body postures. Lengths of sarcomeres in series within a fiber vary substantially. Muscle Nerve 48: 286-292, 2013
MECHANICAL-ACOUSTIC AND SENSORY EVALUATIONS OF CORNSTARCH-WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE EXTRUDATES

The mechanism relating sensory perception of brittle food foams to their mechanical and acoustic properties during crushing was investigated. Cornstarch was extruded with four levels of whey protein isolate (0, 6, 12 and 18%) and two levels of in-barrel moisture (23 and 27%). Hardness, fracturability and roughness of mass were three main sensory attributes that varied substantially between products. High correlations (r = 0.841–0.998) were observed between sensory attributes and instrumentally determined mechanical properties, including crushing force (11.2–57.9 N) and crispness work (4.6–75.8 N·mm). Based on acoustic data obtained during instrumental crushing, time-domain signal processing and a novel voice recognition technique utilizing frequency spectrograms were successfully employed for understanding the differences in the sensory properties of various products. Microstructure features, including average cell diameter (1.00–2.94 mm), average wall thickness (0.04–0.27 mm) and cell number density (7–193 cell/cm 3 ), were characterized noninvasively using X-ray microtomography, and proved to be critical in relating sensory perception of the cellular extrudates to their mechanical–acoustic signatures.
Income, Value, and Returns in Socially Responsible Office Properties

"Responsible property investing" seeks to address social and environmental issues while achieving acceptable financial returns. It includes strategies such as investing in properties that are ENERG...
The fast initial threshold voltage shift: NBTI or high-field stress

Recent negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) studies have come to involve very high electric fields, yet these same studies are used to criticize the lower field ldquoNBTIrdquo models. This study examines both high- and low-field degradation phenomena by monitoring the initial threshold voltage shift (DeltaVTH) as a function of stress time and stress voltage. We demonstrate that the initial DeltaVTH is recoverable and decays rapidly as the stress voltage is reduced. We also monitor the transient transconductance (GM) degradation which surprisingly indicates the presence of an electron trapping/de-trapping component. We argue that the initial DeltaVTH and GM degradation behaviors are consistent with high-field stress degradation. The electron trapping component of the ldquorecoverablerdquo degradation is unexpected and must be addressed to insure accurate NBTI lifetime predictions.
A randomized controlled trial of dietary fiber intake on serum lipids.

Clinical trials have indicated that water-soluble fiber from oats reduces serum cholesterol among hypercholesterolemic patients on a low-fat diet. We examined the effect of dietary fiber intake on serum lipids among persons without hypercholesterolemia. Randomized controlled trial. We recruited 110 participants who were aged 30–65 years and had a serum cholesterol level <240 mg/dl from community. Study participants were randomly assigned to receive 8 g per day of water-soluble fiber from oat bran or a control intervention. At baseline, the mean levels of serum cholesterol and other measured variables were comparable between the high-fiber and control groups. Over the 3-month intervention, mean changes (95% confidence interval (CI)) in total, HDL-, and LDL-cholesterol were −2.42 mg/dl (−8.90 to 4.05 mg/dl; P=0.46), −0.24 mg/dl (−2.19 to 1.71 mg/dl; P=0.81), and −1.96 mg/dl (−7.32 to 3.40 mg/dl; P=0.47) in the fiber group and −0.02 mg/dl (−5.29 to 5.26 mg/dl; P=0.99), 1.42 mg/dl (−0.74 to 3.59 mg/dl; P=0.19), and −0.64 mg/dl (−5.30 to 4.03 mg/dl; P=0.79) in the control group, respectively. The net changes (95% confidence interval) in total, HDL-, and LDL-cholesterol were −2.40 mg/dl (−10.6 to 5.81 mg/dl; P=0.56), −1.66 mg/dl (−4.55 to 1.22 mg/dl; P=0.26) and −1.33 mg/dl (−8.33 to 5.68 mg/dl; P=0.71), respectively. Our study does not support the hypothesis that water-soluble fiber intake from oat bran reduces total and LDL-cholesterol in study participants with a normal serum cholesterol level.
Archaeosomes as novel antigen delivery systems

The humoral immune response mounted in BALB/c mice against bovine serum albumin or cholera toxin B subunit was compared when the antigens were associated with liposomes composed of either archaeal ether lipids or conventional lipids. Antibody titres in sera from mice immunised intraperitoneally were elevated to an extent comparable to those achieved with Freund's adjuvant by encapsulating bovine serum albumin in archaeal lipid vesicles (archaeosomes) of about 200 nm diameter. Comparison among six archaeosome and three conventional liposome compositions established that archaeosomes were generally much superior in potentiating an immune response. Further, only two immunisations, at the most, were needed to achieve close to the maximum antibody titre, as shown with archaeosomes composed of the polar lipids from Methanobrevibacter smithii, an inhabitant of the human colon. A similar positive response to presenting the more immunogenic cholera B subunit protein to the immune system of mice was shown for M. smithii archaeosomes. Encapsulation of the antigen in the archaeosome was necessary to achieve the full humoral response. This represents the first study to our knowledge where archaeosomes have been evaluated in vivo as possible antigen carriers.
A Case Study in Application I/O on Linux Clusters

A critical but often ignored component of system performance is the I/O system. Todays applications demand a great deal from underlying storage systems and software, and both high-performance distributed storage and high level interfaces have been developed to fill these needs. In this paper we discuss the I/O performance of a parallel scientific application on a Linux cluster, the FLASH astrophysics code. This application relies on three I/O software components to provide high-performance parallel I/O on Linux clusters: the Parallel Virtual File System, the ROMIO MPI-IO implementation, and the Hierarchical Data Format library. Through instrumentation of both the application and underlying system software code we discover the location of major software bottlenecks. We work around the most inhibiting of these bottlenecks, showing substantial performance improvement. We point out similarities between the inefficiencies found here and those found in message passing systems, indicating that research in the message passing field could be leveraged to solve similar problems in high-level I/O interfaces.
Sex differences in dendritic morphology of a song control nucleus in the canary: a quantitative Golgi study.

Singing in the canary is a learned male behavior controlled predominantly by nuclei in the left hemisphere (Nottebohm and Nottebohm, '76; Nottebohm et al., '76; Nottebohm, '77). These nuclei are several times larger in males than in females (Nottebohm and Arnold, '76). One of the telencephalic song control nuclei, robustus archistriatalis (RA), was examined in Golgi-stained tissue sections from the left and right hemispheres of male and female canaries. At least four cell classes were present in each sex. One of these cell classes was further studied with a variety of quantitative techniques. No hemispheric differences were seen in either sex. However, dendrites from male cells tend to branch and end further from the cell body than do dendrites from female cells. This differences is seen most clearly when serial sections are used to reconstruct the entire dendritic tree.
Literature and the Construction of Meaning: The Preschool Child's Developing Sense of Theme

Abstract This study focused on the four-year-old's ability to generate and identify themes. Ten four-year-old children were individually videotaped as they listened to stories and then were interviewed to assess their understanding of theme. Relating text to life experiences and identifying with the feelings of characters were two critical elements to the four-year-old's understanding of theme. The children were not able to generate theme statements when probed after the story, but talked about thematic elements, an early development of sense of theme. When given theme statements from which to choose, children were able to identify an appropriate theme statement, suggesting that four-year-old children construct meaning based on their perceptions of the characters and events in the book and the events in their own lives.
A New Time Stepping Method for the Solution of the Shallow Water Equations on a Rotating Sphere

Abstract The shallow water equations on a rotating sphere form a system of great interest in geophysical fluid dynamics, from meteorology to atmospheric physics and climate studies. Williamson and his collaborators at the National Center for Atmospheric Research introduced a set of numerical experiments of increasing complexity to serve as a standard set for testing proposed numerical schemes. They also provided a software package that solved the equations by methods that are currently state of the art in the field. The authors recently introduced a new method (called “odd–even splitting”) for solving a wide variety of partial differential equations which has several advantages. In this paper a variation of this method, called the “dual-copy splitting” method of time stepping, is applied to several of the test cases of Williamson et al. using for the spatial discretization the same spectral transform model as they used. The method has the following features that are novel, so far as the authors know. Firs...
Modelling Reciprocal Altruism

Biologists rely extensively on the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma game to model reciprocal altruism. After examining the informal conditions necessary for reciprocal altruism, I argue that formal games besides the standard iterated Prisoner's Dilemma meet these conditions. One alternate representation, the modified Prisoner's Dilemma game, removes a standard but unnecessary condition; the other game is what I call a Cook's Dilemma. We should explore these new models of reciprocal altruism because they predict different stability characteristics for various strategies; for instance, I show that strategies such as Tit-for- Tat have different stability dynamics in these alternate models. 1 The altruism puzzle and the standard model 2 Informal conditions for reciprocal altruism 3 Criticism of Axelrod's justification of the anti-exploitation condition 4 A menu offormal models of reciprocal altruism 5 Modelling reciprocal altruism in guppies, baboons, and bats 5.1 Modelling simultaneous cooperation in guppies 5.2 Nonsimultaneous cooperation in baboons 5.3 Modelling reciprocal altruism with the Cook's Dilemma 6 Characteristics of the alternate models 7 Conclusions
Skills-based Laparoscopy Training Demonstrates Long-Term Transfer of Clinical Laparoscopic Practice : Additional Follow-up

Objectives The American Urological Association Hands on Laparoscopy course was designed to help practitioners without laparoscopic training advance their skills. We evaluated the long-term effect of this course on urologists' practice. Methods A total of 52 urologists, 37-61 years old (mean 50.7), participated in one of three courses given from August 2002 to October 2003. The 2-day course included performing standardized tasks with videotape analysis and participating in porcine and pelvic trainer laboratory sessions with intense mentoring from known experts. Surveys were sent by regular and electronic mail in February 2007 to assess the effect of the course. The mean follow-up was 48 months (range 41-55). Results Of the 52 surveys mailed, 32 were returned (61%). Most respondents were in private practice and had previous experience with extirpative urologic laparoscopy. Of the 32 respondents, 31 (97%) reported that their laparoscopic practice had expanded after taking the course. Also, 24 (75%) reported having sutured laparoscopically after taking the course, with 61% having sutured a bleeding vessel, and 80% reported that the video mentoring during the course was helpful. Of those who purchased a pelvic trainer, 90% reported practicing on it regularly. Conclusions The results of our study have shown that the Hands on Laparoscopy course has a significant long-term (mean 48 months) effect on the laparoscopic practice of course alumni. The experience gained from skills-based lectures, videotape analysis of pelvic trainer performance, and a mentored porcine laboratory session resulted in most participants expanding their practice (97%) and suturing laparoscopically (75%).
Kinesin-5–dependent Poleward Flux and Spindle Length Control in Drosophila Embryo Mitosis

We used antibody microinjection and genetic manipulations to dissect the various roles of the homotetrameric kinesin-5, KLP61F, in astral, centrosome-controlled Drosophila embryo spindles and to test the hypothesis that it slides apart interpolar (ip) microtubules (MT), thereby controlling poleward flux and spindle length. In wild-type and Ncd null mutant embryos, anti-KLP61F dissociated the motor from spindles, producing a spatial gradient in the KLP61F content of different spindles, which was visible in KLP61F-GFP transgenic embryos. The resulting mitotic defects, supported by gene dosage experiments and time-lapse microscopy of living klp61f mutants, reveal that, after NEB, KLP61F drives persistent MT bundling and the outward sliding of antiparallel MTs, thereby contributing to several processes that all appear insensitive to cortical disruption. KLP61F activity contributes to the poleward flux of both ipMTs and kinetochore MTs and to the length of the metaphase spindle. KLP61F activity maintains the prometaphase spindle by antagonizing Ncd and another unknown force-generator and drives anaphase B, although the rate of spindle elongation is relatively insensitive to the motor's concentration. Finally, KLP61F activity contributes to normal chromosome congression, kinetochore spacing, and anaphase A rates. Thus, a KLP61F-driven sliding filament mechanism contributes to multiple aspects of mitosis in this system.
Nonlinear Queuing Model for Dynamic Synapse with Multiple Transmitter Pools

This paper proposes a novel queue model for a nonlinear dynamic synapse. It is composed of four serially connected neurotransmitter pools at the pre-synapse. Staticltime-varying transfer rates are used to describe the stationary, nonstationary neurotransmitter transmitting events among four neurotransmitter pools. Neurotransmitter is released from the immediate release pool, and then recycled into the used transmitter pool, forming a closed queue model. The neurotransmitter release event is affected by facilitation and depression in a third-order fashion between the pre-synapse and the post-synapse. Simulation results illustrate the comparisons among dynamic synapse (DS) model, facilitation-depression (FD) model, and our proposed high-order dvnamic svnapse (HODS) model, and show ihat the proposed & del fits well to the experimental data recorded st Schaffer collateral - CA1 synapses. Furthermore, an additive white Gaussian noise and noisy spikes are added in the output of the experimental data to identify the robustness of the HODS model.
The Quality of Accruals and Earnings: The Role of Accrual Estimation Errors

This paper suggests a new measure of one aspect of the quality of accruals and earnings. The major benefit of accruals is to reduce timing and mismatching problems in the underlying cash flows. However, accruals accomplish this benefit at the cost of making assumptions and estimates about future cash flows, which implies that accruals include errors of estimation or noise. Since estimation noise reduces the beneficial role of accruals, this study suggests that the quality of accruals and earnings is decreasing in the magnitude of estimation noise in accruals. More specifically, we develop a simple model of working capital accruals where accruals correct the timing problems in cash flows at the cost of including errors in estimation. Based on the model, we derive an empirical measure of accrual quality as the residual from firm-specific regressions of changes in working capital on past, present, and future operating cash flow realizations. The study concludes with two empirical applications that illustrate the usefulness of our measure of accrual quality. First, we explore the relation of accrual quality to economic fundamentals. We find that accrual quality is negatively related to the magnitude of total accruals, length of the operating cycle, and the standard deviation of sales, cash flows, and earnings, while it is positively related to firm size. Second, we show a strong positive relation between accrual quality and earnings persistence.
North American Miocene land mammals from Panama

Abstract Miocene land mammals are described from the Gaillard Cut Local Fauna based on a collection made by Stewart and Whitmore in the 1960s from Cucaracha Reach, former Canal Zone, Republic of Panama. In addition to the Order Rodentia described elsewhere, the land mammals represent three other orders (Carnivora [new record], Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla), including the canid Tomarctus brevirostris, indeterminant Amphicyonidae or Hemicyonidae, oreodont Merycochoerus matthewi, protoceratid Paratoceras wardi, horses Anchitherium clarencei and Archaeohippus sp., and rhinocerotids Menoceras barbouri and Floridaceras whitei. Despite its close proximity to South America, all of the taxa in the Gaillard Cut Local Fauna are of distinctly North American faunal affinities. Given their geological context in Panama and biochronology of the Cucaracha mammals as they are known from North America, the age of this assemblage is within an interval from latest Arikareean (Ar4) through early Barstovian (Ba2), between 19.5 ...
Comparison of the lethal effects of 32P and 33P decay in E. coli and in bacteriophages.

SummaryThe lethal effects of 32P and 33P have been compared for T1 and T4 bacteriophages and for radiation-sensitive and -resistant strains of E. coli. A 33P decay in either bacteriophage, stored at −196°c, is only about half as likely to be lethal as is a 32P decay, implying that about half of all 32P lethalities under these conditions are due to nuclear recoil. At a storage temperature of +4°c the lethal efficiency per decay due to nuclear recoil is about the same as at −196°c, although overall lethal efficiency per decay is considerably higher at +4°c for both isotopes. In the four strains of E. coli tested, Bs−1, K-12 AB2463, K-12 AB1157 and 15THU, all stored at −196°c during decay, there is no evidence for a greater lethal efficiency per decay from 32P than from 33P, implying that nuclear recoil is unimportant in 32P killing of E. coli. A model is proposed which explains the greater sensitivity of bacteriophage to lethality from nuclear recoil by the interruption of transfer of phage DNA into the hos...
Compressive Phase Retrieval

Sparsity priors improve the condition of ill-posed or undersampled inverse problems. I will discuss how this principle applies to phase retrieval and discuss examples from digital holography, transport of intensity, phase-space tomography, and ptychography. Article not available.
Physiochemical Properties and Cooking Qualities of Traditional Rice Cultivars

Present study was aimed to study the physicochemical and cooking quality of traditioal rice cultivars grown in the farmer’s field. Among the cultivars, Kichadi Sona and Salem Sanna recorded higher milling yield (66.0% and 65.0%) and head rice recovery (58.5% and 58.30%), respectively. The highest protein content (14.67%) was recorded in Nagabatha. The cultivars Moroda and D. Basumathi showed highest (26.09 ppm) zinc content. Kanadathumba (81.84 ppm) and Sannamallige (81.48ppm) recorded highest Iron content. Therefore, these cultivars could be utilized in the breeding programme is the need of the today towards the ‘hidden hunger’ free world.
Contagion versus Interdependence Across Regional U.S. Housing Markets and Implications for RMBS Geographic Diversification Strategy

Executive Summary Home prices in the United States often exhibit little (and sometimes even negative) correlation across different regions. This reflects segmentation in the national housing market and also provides an apparent opportunity for investors to diversify their exposure to regional downturns by creating residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBSs) out of geographically dispersed home loans. Unfortunately, in a crisis, correlations may rise, and the benefits from geographical diversification may disappear just when investors most desire them. Using a flexible generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) technique, I find that regional correlations indeed rose dramatically during the latest downturn, in some cases to unprecedented levels. Moreover, this increase in co-movement was clearly financial contagion, and not merely interdependence. Investors in mortgage-backed and other housing securities should thus not rely on house price correlations calculated during “normal” t...
Intramuscular corpora amylacea adjacent to ileal low-grade neuroendocrine tumours (typical carcinoids): a light microscopic, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study

Aims The purposes of this study are to (1) document the prevalence of intracytoplasmic inclusions adjacent to ileal well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumours (WNETs), (2) examine whether and how tumour and patient characteristics are associated with inclusions and (3) investigate their properties on special stains and electron microscopy in comparison with corpora amylacea (CA). Methods We examined the resection slides from 26 ileal, 5 gastric and 5 rectal cases of WNET. Inclusions were readily identified with H&E staining. Histochemical, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural evaluations were performed on the block with the highest number of inclusions. Results Intracytoplasmic inclusions occurred adjacent ( 1 mm from ileal NETs. CA stained strongly for ubiquitin, DPAS and Alcian blue; faintly and peripherally for desmin and smooth muscle actin and negatively for calcium. Ultrastructurally, their appearance was consistent with filaments, some with cores of particle matter. Conclusions Our results suggest that these inclusions are virtually identical to CA and present adjacent to the majority of ileal WNET. They may be the result of a degenerative process, possibly due to chronic myocyte stress from an infiltrating slow growing tumour mass or local hormonal effects.
Internal structure visualization of polymer - clay flocculants using fluorescence

Abstract Polymer flocculation is commonly used to remove colloidal material from solution, improving separation performance. The structure of the mesoscale formation (floc) affects process performance, as well as the amount of polymer required. By visualizing polymer in flocs using fluorescently-tagged polymers and laser confocal microscopy, we directly observe effects of ionic strength on polymer–clay floc internal structure. At low ionic strength, I
The cytoskeleton in Chediak-Higashi syndrome fibroblasts

The Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS) trait is expressed in cultured human skin fibroblasts as an abnormal perinuclear concentration of moderately enlarged lysosomes. The cytoskeleton of CHS fibroblasts appears intact. Microtubules are normal in number and morphology, as assessed by colchicine binding studies, antitubulin immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy. Deformability by shear force is unaltered and microfilaments are abundant. However, CHS lysosomes appear to interact abnormally with the cytoskeleton, since the perinculear aggregation partially disperses after depolymerization of cell microtubules with colchicine. These results suggest that CHS is associated with a defect of either the lysosomal membrane itself or of lysosomal membrane- microtubule interaction.
The Bodelschwingh Initiative: A Transcontinental Examination of German Protestant Welfare, 1880–1933

In 1882, the renowned Protestant pastor Friedrich von Bodelschwingh, head of the Bethel institutions for people with epilepsy, opened his first worker colony, Wilhelmsdorf, near the city of Bielefeld. He envisioned the colony as an environment where Protestant social workers could help rehabilitate disaffected, impoverished and unemployed men. Like many Protestant social reformers, he was concerned about the grow- ing wave of ‘vagabonds’ and ‘work-shy’ beggars who flooded urban areas in search of food and shelter. He believed these ‘vagrants’, if left unattended, would have disastrous effects on German society. The key to reintegrating the poor into society successfully, Bodelschwingh contended, was to reform their inner character. To this end, his worker colonies emphasized responsibility, the work ethic (Arbeitserziehung) and religion as tools to transform this threatening mass of people into productive and non-threatening members of society.
The effect of information technology on IT-facilitated coordination, IT-facilitated autonomy, and decision-makings at the individual level

ABSTRACTThe effect of information technology (IT) has been a central concern to economics of IT ever since it has been viewed as an important resource to improve firm productivity. Although significant research progress has been made on the impacts of IT use at the individual level, the mechanism of how IT use increases individual performance at work has not been fully explored. In an attempt to examine the IT effects on performance, we focus on individual work productivity gained from IT use. Following the discussion of previous works, we develop a research model, describing that the ubiquitous IT transforms the way individual employers’ work in organizations, and facilitates working processes and practices that may affect the decision-making of individual performance.As a result of testing the research model, we found not only that IT use does have a direct effect on the quality of decision-making in organizations, but that this effect is partially mediated by the extent of IT-facilitated autonomy and o...
Nudge This: It is a Rational Fact That Donors Can Save the 22 People Who Die Daily Awaiting Organ Transplantation

Increased organ donation is a public health need. In the United States, 22 people die daily awaiting organ transplantation (Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network [OPTN] 2016). Arguably, thi...