cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identifying the effect of parenthood on labor force participation: A gender comparison

Abstract. Identifying the factors that influence labor force participation could elucidate how individuals arrive at their labor supply decisions, whose understanding is, in turn, of crucial importance in analyzing how the supply side of the labor market functions. This paper investigates the effect of parenthood status on Labor Force Participation (LFP) decisions using an individual-level fixed-effects identification strategy. The differences across individuals and over time in having or not having children as well as being or not being in the labor force provide the variation needed to assess the association between individuals’ LFP behavior and parenthood. Parenthood could have different impacts on mothers than it would on fathers. In order to look at the causal effect of maternity and paternity on LFP separately, the data is disaggregated by gender. To this end, the effect of a change in the parenthood status can be measured using individual-level fixed-effects to account for time-invariant characteristics of individuals becoming a parent. The primary data source used is the National Longitudinal Surveys (NLS). Considering the nature of LFP variable, this paper employs Binary Response Models (BRMs) to estimate LFP equations using individual-level micro data. The findings of the study show that parenthood has a negative overall effect on LFP. However, paternity has a significant positive effect on the likelihood of being in the labor force, whilst maternity has a significant negative impact of LFP. In addition, the results imply that the effect of parenthood on LFP has been fading away over time, regardless of the gender of parents. These two pieces of evidence precisely map onto the theoretical predictions made by the related mainstream economic theories (the traditional neoclassical theory of labor supply as well as Becker’s household production model). These results are robust across different models specified and various estimation methods employed. These findings can contribute to the existing knowledge about the effect of parenthood on LFP decisions made in the US at an individual and behavioral level, and also aid in the shaping of economic policies and interventions to enhance the status of labor force participation in the economy. In the end, some potential threats to the identification of this causal effect, such as endogeneity of fertility, and some possible strategies to deal with those threats are discussed. Keywords. Labor force participation, Parenthood, Individual-level fixed-effects identification strategy, Difference-in-differences, Binary response Models, Gender Comparison. JEL. J10, J12, J13, J16, J21, J22.
Black hole cannibalism

In this paper, we consider a version of the Hayden–Preskill thought experiment in which the message thrown into the black hole is itself a smaller black hole. We then discuss the implications of th...
Power Systems Performance under 5G Radio Access Network in a Co-Simulation Environment

Communication can improve control of important system parameters by allowing different grid components to communicate their states with each other. This information exchange requires a reliable and fast communication infrastructure. 5G communication can be a viable means to achieve this objective. This paper investigates the performance of several smart grid applications under a 5G radio access network. Different scenarios including set point changes and transients are evaluated, and the results indicate that the system maintains stability when a 5G network is used to communicate system states.
Phase-field modelling of transformation pathways and microstructural evolution in multi-principal element alloys

The recently developed refractory multi-principle element alloy, AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr, shows an interesting microstructure with cuboidal precipitates of a disordered phase (β, bcc) coherently embedded in an ordered phase (β′, B2) matrix, unlike the conventional Ni-based superalloys where the ordered phase (γ′, L12) is the precipitate phase and the disordered phase (γ, fcc) is the matrix phase. It becomes critical to understand the phase transformation pathway (PTP) leading to this microstructure in order to tailor the microstructure for specific engineering applications. In this study, we first propose a possible PTP leading to the microstructure and employ the phase-field method to simulate microstructural evolution along the PTP. We then explore possible PTPs and materials parameters that lead to an inverted microstructure with the ordered phase being the precipitate phase and the disordered phase being the matrix phase, a microstructure similar to those observed in Ni-based superalloys. We find that in order to maintain the precipitates as highly discrete particles along these PTPs, the volume fraction of the precipitate phase needs to be smaller than that of the matrix phase and the elastic stiffness of the precipitate phase should be higher than that of the matrix phase.
Does rigidity matter? Constitutional entrenchment and growth

Should procedural barriers to constitutional amendment be more onerous than those to the policy changes of ordinary politics? – i.e., should constitutions be entrenched? One criterion by which to evaluate these questions is economic performance. Using data on countries worldwide and constitutional adoptions from 1973 to 2017, we estimate the effect of constitutional entrenchment (rigidity) on economic growth. We employ matching methods to make causal inferences. The adoption of a constitution that is meaningfully more rigid than its predecessor defines a treatment. In our benchmark estimations (based on 19 treatments), post-treatment effects on growth are generally small and statistically insignificant. However, when we examine a subsample that excludes autocracies (13 treatments), post-treatment effects are always negative and sometimes statistically significant. The same is true when we exclude treatments associated with coups (12 treatments). Contrary to many scholars’ priors, the evidence suggests that, if anything (and based on the limited number of available treatments), greater entrenchment causes less economic growth.
Regular, unit-regular, and idempotent elements of semigroups of transformations that preserve a partition

Let X be a nonempty set and $${{\mathcal {T}}}_X$$ the full transformation semigroup on X. For a partition $${{\mathcal {P}}}$$ of X, we study semigroups $$T(X, {{\mathcal {P}}}) = \{f\in {{\mathcal {T}}}_X\mid (\forall X_i\in {{\mathcal {P}}}) (\exists X_j \in {{\mathcal {P}}})\;X_i f \subseteq X_j\}$$ , $$\Sigma (X, {{\mathcal {P}}}) = \{f\in T(X, {{\mathcal {P}}})\mid (\forall X_i \in {{\mathcal {P}}})\; Xf \cap X_i \ne \emptyset \}$$ , and $$\Gamma (X, {{\mathcal {P}}}) = \{f\in {{\mathcal {T}}}_X\mid (\forall X_i\in {{\mathcal {P}}})(\exists X_j\in {{\mathcal {P}}})\; X_i f = X_j\}$$ under composition. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for $$\Gamma (X,{{\mathcal {P}}})$$ to be the semigroup of all closed selfmaps on X endowed with the topology having $${{\mathcal {P}}}$$ as a basis. For finite X, we characterize unit-regular elements of $$T(X, {{\mathcal {P}}})$$ and $$\Sigma (X, {{\mathcal {P}}})$$ . We discuss set inclusions between $$\Gamma (X, {{\mathcal {P}}})$$ and certain semigroups of selfmaps that preserve $${{\mathcal {P}}}$$ . We characterize idempotents and regular elements of $$\Gamma (X, {{\mathcal {P}}})$$ . For finite X, we also prove that all regular elements of $$\Gamma (X, {{\mathcal {P}}})$$ are unit-regular. We finally count the number of elements, idempotents, and regular elements of $$\Gamma (X, {{\mathcal {P}}})$$ for finite X.
The Limitations of Large Width in Neural Networks: A Deep Gaussian Process Perspective

Large width limits have been a recent focus of deep learning research: modulo computational practicalities, do wider networks outperform narrower ones? Answering this question has been challenging, as conventional networks gain representational power with width, potentially masking any negative effects. Our analysis in this paper decouples capacity and width via the generalization of neural networks to Deep Gaussian Processes (Deep GP), a class of hierarchical models that subsume neural nets. In doing so, we aim to understand how width affects standard neural networks once they have sufficient capacity for a given modeling task. Our theoretical and empirical results on Deep GP suggest that large width is generally detrimental to hierarchical models. Surprisingly, we prove that even nonparametric Deep GP converge to Gaussian processes, effectively becoming shallower without any increase in representational power. The posterior, which corresponds to a mixture of data-adaptable basis functions, becomes less data-dependent with width. Our tail analysis demonstrates that width and depth have opposite effects: depth accentuates a model's non-Gaussianity, while width makes models increasingly Gaussian. We find there is a "sweet spot" that maximizes test set performance before the limiting GP behavior prevents adaptability, occurring at width = 1 or width = 2 for nonparametric Deep GP. These results make strong predictions about the same phenomenon in conventional neural networks: we show empirically that many neural network architectures need 10 - 500 hidden units for sufficient capacity - depending on the dataset - but further width degrades test performance.
Range-GAN: Range-Constrained Generative Adversarial Network for Conditioned Design Synthesis

Typical engineering design tasks require the effort to modify designs iteratively until they meet certain constraints, i.e., performance or attribute requirements. Past work has proposed ways to solve the inverse design problem, where desired designs are directly generated from specified requirements, thus avoid the trial and error process. Among those approaches, the conditional deep generative model shows great potential since 1) it works for complex high-dimensional designs and 2) it can generate multiple alternative designs given any condition. In this work, we propose a conditional deep generative model, Range-GAN, to achieve automatic design synthesis subject to range constraints. The proposed model addresses the sparse conditioning issue in data-driven inverse design problems by introducing a label-aware self-augmentation approach. We also propose a new uniformity loss to ensure generated designs evenly cover the given requirement range. Through a real-world example of constrained 3D shape generation, we show that the label-aware self-augmentation leads to an average improvement of 14% on the constraint satisfaction for generated 3D shapes, and the uniformity loss leads to a 125% average increase on the uniformity of generated shapes' attributes. This work laid the foundation for data-driven inverse design problems where we consider range constraints and there are sparse regions in the condition space.
Epidemic dynamics on metapopulation networks with node2vec mobility.

Abstract Metapopulation models have been a powerful tool for both theorizing and simulating epidemic dynamics. In a metapopulation model, one considers a network composed of subpopulations and their pairwise connections, and individuals are assumed to migrate from one subpopulation to another obeying a given mobility rule. While how different mobility rules affect epidemic dynamics in metapopulation models has been studied, there have been relatively few efforts on comparison of the effects of simple (i.e., unbiased) random walks and more complex mobility rules. Here we study a susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) dynamics in a metapopulation model, in which individuals obey a parametric second-order random-walk mobility rule called the node2vec. We map the second-order mobility rule of the node2vec to a first-order random walk in a network whose each node is a directed edge connecting a pair of subpopulations and then derive the epidemic threshold. For various networks, we find that the epidemic threshold is large (therefore, epidemic spreading tends to be suppressed) when the individuals infrequently backtrack or infrequently visit the common neighbors of the currently visited and the last visited subpopulations than when the individuals obey the simple random walk. The amount of change in the epidemic threshold induced by the node2vec mobility is in general not as large as, but is sometimes comparable with, the one induced by the change in the diffusion rate for individuals.
The biaxial mechanics of thermally denaturing skin - Part II: Modeling.

Abstract Understanding the response of skin to superphysiological temperatures is critical to the diagnosis and prognosis of thermal injuries, and to the development of temperature-based medical therapeutics. Unfortunately, this understanding has been hindered by our incomplete knowledge about the nonlinear coupling between skin temperature and its mechanics. In Part I of this study we experimentally demonstrated a complex interdependence of time, temperature, direction, and load in skin’s response to superphysiological temperatures. In Part II of our study, we test two different models of skin’s thermo-mechanics to explain our observations. In both models we assume that skin’s response to superphysiological temperatures is governed by the denaturation of its highly collageneous microstructure. Thus, we capture skin’s native mechanics via a microstructurally-motivated strain energy function which includes probability distributions for collagen fiber orientation and waviness. In the first model, we capture skin’s response to superphysiological temperatures as a transition between two states that link the kinetics of collagen fiber denaturation to fiber coiling and to the transformation of each fiber’s constitutive behavior from purely elastic to viscoelastic. In the second model, we capture skin’s response to superphysiological temperatures instead via three states in which a sequence of two reactions link the kinetics of collagen fiber denaturation to fiber coiling, followed by a state of fiber damage. Given the success of both models in qualitatively and quantitatively capturing our observations, we expect that our work will provide guidance for future experiments that could probe each model’s assumptions toward a better understanding of skin’s coupled thermo-mechanics and that our work will be used to guide the engineering design of heat treatment therapies.
Landing Probabilities of Random Walks for Seed-Set Expansion in Hypergraphs

We describe the first known mean-field study of landing probabilities for random walks on hypergraphs. In particular, we examine clique-expansion and tensor methods and evaluate their mean-field characteristics over a class of random hypergraph models for the purpose of seed-set community expansion. We describe parameter regimes in which the two methods outperform each other and propose a hybrid expansion method that uses partial clique-expansion to reduce the projection distortion and low-complexity tensor methods applied directly on the partially expanded hypergraphs.
Quantitative approaches to utilizing mutational analysis and disulfide crosslinking for modeling a transmembrane domain

The transmembrane domain of chemoreceptor Trg from Escherichia coli contains four transmembrane segments in its native homodimer, two from each subunit. We had previously used mutational analysis and sulfhydryl cross-linking between introduced cysteines to obtain data relevant to the three-dimensional organization of this domain. In the current study we used Fourier analysis to assess these data quantitatively for periodicity along the sequences of the segments. The analyses provided a strong indication of alpha-helical periodicity in the first transmembrane segment and a substantial indication of that periodicity for the second segment. On this basis, we considered both segments as idealized alpha-helices and proceeded to model the transmembrane domain as a unit of four helices. For this modeling, we calculated helical crosslinking moments, parameters analogous to helical hydrophobic moments, as a quantitative way of condensing and utilizing a large body of crosslinking data. Crosslinking moments were used to define the relative separation and orientation of helical pairs, thus creating a quantitatively derived model for the transmembrane domain of Trg. Utilization of Fourier transforms to provide a quantitative indication of periodicity in data from analyses of transmembrane segments, in combination with helical crosslinking moments to position helical pairs should be useful in modeling other transmembrane domains.
α[C-11]Methyl-L-tryptophan PET maps brain serotonin synthesis and kynurenine pathway metabolism

α[C-11]Methyl-l-tryptophan (AMT) is an analog of tryptophan used with positron emission tomography for the measurement of serotonin synthesis in humans. Several attempts have been made to estimate the serotonin synthesis rate from plasma and brain kinetic data of AMT using the same model as that applied for the measurement of the glucose metabolic rate with 2-deoxyglucose. However, although AMT is similar to 2-deoxyglucose with regard to an irreversible pool of tracer uptake, there are important differences between the two tracers and how the model can be applied. These differences include transport at the blood-brain barrier and the presence of a large unmetabolized pool of AMT, precluding the method from providing the absolute serotonin synthesis rate. Despite this limitation, the unidirectional uptake rate constant (K-complex) values have been found to be stable within an individual, and the rank order of regional brain values for K-complex are consistent with the rank order for serotonin content in hu...
Chemical composition, characterization, and differentiation of honey botanical and geographical origins.

Botanical and biographical origins of honey are an important issue in food quality and safety. This chapter focuses on use of chemical components to determine botanical and geographical origins of honey. The botanical and geographical origins of the nectar are related with the chemical composition of honey. Honeys can originate from single and multiplant species. In general, the prices of honeys from single plant species are much higher than those of common polyfloral honeys because of consumer preferences. Single and multiple chemicals and components can well indicate the botanical and geographical origins of the honey. Marker chemicals and components include flavonoids, pollen, aroma compounds, oligosaccharides, trace elements, amino acids, and proteins. If multiple chemicals are used as markers, patterns of the chemicals are often used to detect the botanical and geographical origins of honey. Modern statistical software in combination with advanced analytical instrumentation provides high potential for the differentiation of the botanical and geographical origins of the honey.
Anaerobic Degradation of Carrageenan from the Red Macroalga Eucheuma cottonii

Anaerobic degradation of the sulfated polysaccharide carrageenan was investigated by batch digestion of the red macroalga Eucheuma cottonii. During a 10-week incubation, ca. 60% of the starting E. cottonii biomass was fermented to CO2, methane, and volatile fatty acids (predominantly acetate). Carrageenan degradation paralleled the loss of total biomass, suggesting no preferential degradation or preservation. After 10 weeks of incubation, the carrageenan content of the remaining biomass was 51%, as opposed to 61% of the original E. cottonii biomass. Carrageenan recovered after 10 weeks of digestion had a lower average molecular weight (319,000 versus 510,000) and formed solutions with considerably lower viscosities than did intact carrageenan. The percent C and percent N content of the particulate material in the digestors increased over time, probably as a result of microbial growth. In contrast, the percent S content decreased continuously; the loss of sulfur was most likely a result of the hydrolysis of carrageenan. Results from this study indicate that it is not economically viable to process E. cottonii simultaneously for hydrocolloids and methane.
Design-space exploration of power-aware on/off interconnection networks

With power a major limiting factor in the design of scalable interconnected systems, power-aware networks become inherent components of single-chip and multi-chip systems. As communication links consume significant power regardless of utilization, we propose and investigate power-aware networks whose links are turned on and off in response to bursts and dips in traffic. We explore the design space of such on/off networks, outlining a 5-step design methodology along with solutions at each step that can form the building blocks of numerous designs. Two specific designs targeting links with substantially different on/off times are then presented and evaluated. Our simulations show that up to 54.4% power savings can be achieved along with at most 7.5% increase in latency.
Full-wave hydrodynamic model for predicting THz emission from grating-gate RTD-gated plasma wave HEMTs

We provide an initial perturbation to the channel, by applying a small E-field pulse of amplitude E x =10−3 V/cm at the center. Power emitted due to positive feedback is then recorded at the measurement planes, depicted in Fig. 1b. Shown in Fig. 6a is the simulated emitted spectrum for two devices. Sharp self-sustained oscillations are observed at the plasmonic resonance frequencies. As expected, these resonance frequencies are functions of grating period (L), and the electron density (n). The simulations predict stronger resonances for higher orders at low temperatures, thus higher carrier mobilities (see Fig 6b). Our simulations are able to predict for the first time the terahertz power-emission levels of RTD-gated plasma wave HEMTs.
A High Performance Implementation of the Data Space Transfer Protocol (DSTP)

With the emergence of high performance networks, clusters of workstations can now be connected by commodity networks (meta-clusters) or high speed networks (super-clusters) such as the very high speed Backbone Network Service (vBNS) or Internet2's Abilene. Distributed clusters are enabling a new class of data mining applications in which large amounts of data can be transferred using high performance networks and statistically and numerically intensive computations can be done using clusters of workstations. In this paper, we briefly describe a protocol called the Data Space Transfer Protocol (DSTP) for distributed data mining. With high performance networks, it becomes possible to move large amounts of data for certain queries when necessary. This paper describes the design of a high performance DSTP data server called Osiris which is designed to efficiently satisfy data requests for distributed data mining queries. In particular, we describe 1) Osiris's ability to lay out data by row or by column, 2) a scheduler intended to handle requests using standard network links and requests using network links enjoying some type of premium service, and 3) a mechanism designed to hide latency.
Auroral Excitation and Energy Dissipation

The spectroscopic aurora is the result of excitation of atomic and molecular constituents in the thermosphere. While the primary source of the aurora is the precipitation of energetic electrons and ions there are several processes that contribute to excitation. Electron impact excitation is a part (or a consequence) of the energy degradation suffered by the electron stream as it penetrates into the atmosphere. Many ionic and chemical reactions initiated by auroral ionization and dissociation lead to the production of excited states. The theoretical concepts and mathematical description relevant to these mechanisms are described in this chapter. A discussion of excitation processes in aurora cannot be divorced from the larger problem of various energy dissipation channels, and the resulting effects on the ionosphere and the neutral atmosphere. The coupling or interrelationship between various auroral processes is important. Theoretical concepts and models may be validated using various observable geophysical parameters. Several equations used in auroral modeling have already been given in preceding chapters on The Thermosphere by Richmond and on The Terrestrial Ionosphere by Schunk, because of similarities in the physical processes that are described. The derivation and general discussion of these equations will not be repeated here but the application to auroral problems is presented.
Subwavelength acoustic metamaterial panels for underwater noise isolation

Acoustically thin metamaterial underwater noise isolation panels have been developed that provide as much as 16 dB of noise isolation for a panel with a thickness just 160th of the wavelength in the host medium (fresh water) at 2.5 kHz. The panels are composed of thin layers of neoprene rubber and polyoxymethylene containing air-filled voids. The level of isolation provided by the panels is shown to correlate positively with the volume fraction of air voids within the panel.
Tree-Series-to-Tree-Series Transformations

We investigate the tree-series-to-tree-series (ts-ts) transformation computed by tree series transducers. Unless the used semiring is complete, this transformation is, in general, not well-defined. In practice, many used semirings are not complete (like the probability semiring). We establish a syntactical condition that guarantees well-definedness of the ts-ts transformation in arbitrary commutative semirings. For positive (ie, zero-sum and zero-divisor free) semirings the condition actually characterizes the well-definedness, so that well-definedness is decidable in this scenario.
Hepatic estrogen receptor in human liver disease

Human liver contains estrogen receptors which render it sensitive to estrogen. Specific hormone binding to cytosol and nuclei from normal liver containing such receptors is of high affinity, low capacity, saturable, and specific for steroidal and nonsteroidal estrogens. Although estrogens alter metabolism and may produce disease, little data is available concerning estrogen receptor levels found in diseased liver. Herein we report estrogen receptor levels in human female liver containing diseases associated with oral contraceptives. Binding studies demonstrated cytosolic and nuclear estrogen receptors in human hepatic adenoma and focal nodular hyperplasia. Nuclear estrogen receptor levels in neoplastic tissue were greater than those in normal tissue. In addition, one hepatic adenoma resected from a patient taking tamoxifen contained no cytosolic estrogen receptor, and nuclear estrogen receptor levels were significantly lower than those found in normal tissue. These differences in binding capacity suggest a potential for greater hormone responsiveness in neoplastic liver tissue.
Patients’ Perceptions of Radiation Exposure Associated With Mammography

OBJECTIVE. Radiation associated with breast imaging is a sensitive issue, particularly for women who undergo mammography as a screening measure to detect breast cancer. Misinformation and misunderstanding regarding the risks associated with ionizing radiation have created heightened public concern and fear, which may result in avoidance of diagnostic procedures. The objectives of this study were to ascertain patients’ knowledge and opinion of ionizing radiation as a whole and specifically in mammography, as well as to determine common misunderstandings and points of view that may affect women's decisions about whether to have a mammogram. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Over a 9-month period, a total of 1725 patients presenting for a mammogram completed a 25-point questionnaire focused on the following: general knowledge of radiation dose in common imaging modalities, the amount of radiation associated with a mammogram relative to five radiation benchmarks, and patients’ opinions of the involvement of radiation in...
Steric and Solvent Effects in Ionic Reactions

Solvents and steric effects play important roles in chemical reactions, but separating and quantifying these effects has challenged chemists for more than a century. In his Perspective, [Farrar][1] highlights the report by [ Regan et al .][2], who provide quantitative estimates of solvation and steric contributions to the free energy of activation in the organic S2 reaction. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/295/5563/2222 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/295/5563/2245
Rental Real Estate Ownership Prior to the Great Recession

The purpose of this study was twofold: To provide an updated profile of rental real estate investors and to investigate household characteristics associated with investment in rental real estate prior to the Great Recession. Based on the Life Cycle Hypothesis of Savings, analyses were conducted using data from the 2004 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Multivariate results indicated that household net worth was the most significant correlate of rental real estate ownership. Controlling for demographic and economic factors, Black householders were more likely to own rental property than White householders, and householders aged 55–64 years were more likely to own rental property than householders aged 25–34 years Homeowners and those who were housing-cost burdened on their primary homes were more likely to own rental property. The result showing that housing-cost burdened homeowners were more likely to own rental real estate compared with those who were not housing-cost burdened raises questions about overreliance on real estate as an investment prior to the Great Recession.
Finite Element Predictions of Joint Contact Mechanics and Acetabular Curvature in Dysplastic Human Hips

Acetabular dysplasia is characterized by a shallow acetabulum and is believed to cause accelerated hip osteoarthritis (OA) via altered mechanics (Fig. 1 A, B) [1]. Dysplastic acetabula are also described as more flat and less congruent than normal acetabula [2]. However, the relative contributions of altered labrum and cartilage contact mechanics, as well as quantitative differences in curvature are poorly understood in the dysplastic hip compared to the normal hip. Clinical observations of hypertrophied and damaged labra indicate altered labrum mechanics in dysplastic hips [3]. Finite element (FE) studies demonstrate abnormal cartilage mechanics in dysplastic hips, but are limited to models that omit the labrum or utilize idealized joint geometry (e.g., [4]). Therefore, the objectives of this study were to compare contact mechanics and curvature between normal and dysplastic hips using subject-specific FE models.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
The Lessons of Climatic History

Studies of past climates show unequivocally what can happen to our atmospheric environment. From climatic history we can learn several very specific lessons.The climate can change rapidly. Major climatic changes, such as the change from glacial to non-glacial conditions, can occur in a few centuries, even though the adjustment of biota and the wasting of continental ice-sheets may take longer. Smaller changes may take only decades.Changed climatic states may persist for centuries or millennia. While the climatic excursion of this century appears to have lasted half-a-century or so, the ‘little ice-age’ was at least three centuries long (roughly 1550–1850 A.D.), a North American drought period lasted two centuries, and there was a monsoon failure of seven centuries. These have all been recorded in the evidence of Nature.Climatic changes may occur in different senses in different parts of the world. This paper has outlined several cases where cooling in the sub-Arctic was associated with reduced rainfall or increased frequency of failure of the monsoon, and a case in which drought in North America was concomitant with wet weather in western Europe.The climate we think of as normal is quite abnormal by the standards of the past few centuries, and the magnitude of the change since 1945 is significant by comparison with similar changes in the past.Combining the nature of the recent climatic change with the present narrow margin of world food-grain reserves, an urgent need to consider and react to the possibility of continued climatic variation is indicated.
A Critique of Methods for Operationalizing the Concept of Fakeability

Past practice of operationalizing the concept of fakeability is reviewed. The strengths and weaknesses of these indices (mean difference, percent overlap, percent agreement, correlation, and variance of difference scores) are discussed in the light of a proposed new definition of fakeability based upon Naylor's (1967) model of measurement accuracy.
Enhancing instructional design efficiency: Methodologies employed by instructional designers

Instructional systems design (ISD) has been frequently criticised as taking too long to implement, calling for a reduction in cycle time--the time that elapses between project initiation and delivery. While instructional design research has historically focused on increasing learner efficiencies, the study of what instructional designers do to increase efficiency during the design of instruction, including web-based training, has not yet been fully examined. The purpose of this qualitative developmental study was to identify and understand the methodologies used by experienced instructional designers to increase the efficiency of the instructional design process. Data were gathered from 11 instructional designers working within two business and industry consulting firms that provide learning solutions to global clients. Results revealed 47 efficiency methodologies found within the four categories of design model, instructional design team member roles, instructional design processes and instructional design tools. Additionally, 14 supporting instructional designer competencies were found within the category of instructional designer knowledge, skills and attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Theology is ethics: how Karl Barth sees the good life

Since Immanuel Kant, moral reasoning has been divorced from classical theology and reinscribed onto self-contained individuals. Shorn of theological particularities, modern ethics tries to identify behaviours to which every right-thinking person can assent. A basic premise of classical moral philosophy, however, was that if we know who we are and what our telos is, then we can have a good idea of how we ought to act. In his christology, Barth reappropriates this classical view of ethics and situates it christologically. Because Jesus’ human nature finds its being and telos in his divinity, Barth found an ethical pattern in the anhypostasis-enhypostasis doctrine. Restoring people to their proper place as creatures rather than Kantian demi-gods, Jesus shows us what it means to be truly human by being obedient to the Father. We cannot divinise individuals or the church, but the church exists enhypostatically. This anhypostatic-enhypostatic christological pattern orders our activities, making worship the first task of ethics. In prayer and in Sabbath keeping, Jesus shows us his utter dependence on God through supplication and rest. In these acts of worship, Christians act as they were created to act. We respond obediently to our Creator. But we also find an orientation towards other people in christology. Love of enemies has everything to do with the content and shape of God's command. It is involved in the telos of human life in being Christ-like.
How do we know we have global environmental problems? Science and the globalization of environmental discourse

Science has a central role in shaping what count as environmental problems. This has been evident most recently in the success of planetary science and environmental activism in stimulating awareness and discussion of global environmental problems. We advance three propositions about the special relationship between environmental science and politics: (1) in the formulation of science, not just in its application, certain courses of action are facilitated over others; (2) in global environmental discourse, moral and technocratic views of social action have been privileged; and (3) global environmental change, as science and movement ideology, is vulnerable to deconstructive pressures. These stem from different nations and differentiated social groups within nations having different interests in causing and alleviating environmental problems. We develop these propositions through a reconstruction of The Limits to Growth study of the early 1970s, make extensions to current studies of the human/social impacts of climate change, and review current sources of opposition to global and political formulations of environmental issues.
Early clinical and angiographic outcomes after robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass surgery.

Objective Robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting has emerged as an alternative to traditional coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous intervention for patients with coronary artery disease. However, the safety and efficacy of this minimally invasive procedure have not been established in large series. Methods From October 2009 to September 2012, 307 consecutive robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting procedures were performed at a single US institution by 2 surgeons. Isolated, off-pump, left internal thoracic artery to left anterior descending coronary artery grafting was planned via a 3- to 4-cm non–rib-spreading minithoracotomy after robotic left internal thoracic artery harvest in all patients. Hybrid coronary revascularization was planned in 159 patients (51.8%). Of the 199 angiograms (64.8%) performed before discharge, 63 were performed as completion angiograms in a hybrid suite immediately after left internal thoracic artery–left anterior descending artery grafting. Results Thirty-day mortality occurred in 4 patients (1.3%), conversion to sternotomy occurred in 16 patients (5.2%), postoperative myocardial infarction occurred in 5 patients (1.6%), and reexploration for bleeding occurred in 7 patients (2.3%). There was 1 (0.3%) postoperative stroke. For the 199 patients with follow-up angiography before discharge, the left internal thoracic artery was confirmed to be patent ( Conclusions Robotic-assisted coronary artery bypass grafting is an effective alternative to traditional coronary artery bypass grafting for patients with single or multivessel coronary artery disease, with comparable short-term clinical and angiographic results.
Enhancement of the drinking response to phenobarbital after a previous course of barbiturates

Abstract Previous findings had indicated increased water consumption over control levels when animals were treated with phenobarbital and had had a previous course of phenobarbital medication. Two variables might be responsible: (1) the previous medication, or (2) the vast increase in water ingestion originally elicited by phenobarbital. Rats prevented from drinking greater than control amounts of water during daily course of phenobarbital treatment still demonstrated the enhanced drinking response when later challenged with the drug. It was also found that duration, dose and drug (pentobarbital vs. phenobarbital, for example) all had some effect upon later dose-response curves. Further investigation demonstrated that the rats treated with ad libitum water and tested under water deprivation, or treated under conditions of water deprivation but tested when drinking was induced by hypertonic saline, failed to show any increased drinking when later tested with phenobarbital as compared with controls. It was concluded that barbiturate sensitization of the drinking response occurs. However, this sensitization is quite limited to the stimulation under which it is initially produced.
A simple two-dimensional PPAC

Abstract A two-dimensional position sensitive parallel-plate avalanche (PPAC) detector developed for routine use in the MSU/NSCL fragment separator is described. Each 2D-PPAC provides reasonably accurate position measurements over its 10 × 10 cm2 aperture for a very large range of energetic ions. The detectors are relatively low cost and can be easily rebuilt if the pressure windows fail. Numerous complete devices have been constructed and have been used routinely at the NSCL and other laboratories. Typical results for the time and position resolution of the detectors are reported.
Robust control design for SISO systems based on constrained optimization

An analytical method is described for the design of linear time-invariant SISO feedback systems to meet specified performance criteria in the presence of structured and unstructured uncertainty. The design framework also provides for control over the degree of the compensator.
Need satisfactions and employee turnover.

Summary In this study we establish the fact that the degree of satisfaction of certain personal needs supplied by a person's place of employment has a significant direct relationship to his continuing to work for that company. These personal needs are for recognition, for autonomy, for a feeling of doing work that is important, and for evaluation by fair standards. In addition, knowing important people in the organization is related to continued employment. There are some indications that anxiety develops in those employees who state that their needs for autonomy and fair evaluation are not satisfied. In addition to the degree of need satisfaction provided by the job, we examined the degree to which the employment situation limits satisfactions which the worker can receive from his family and from his community. We found that the extent to which the job interferes with family and community satisfactions is related to turnover as strongly as the failure to receive need satisfactions on the job. But interference with off-the-job sources of satisfaction is not related to experiencing dissatisfaction on the job. We interpret these results to mean that there are two essentially different kinds of reasons for leaving the employing organization. Some people resign for reasons of both kinds: the job itself does not satisfy needs, and it also keeps them from receiving satisfactions from other sources. Most of the people in this study who resigned, how- ever, felt only one or the other of these two forms of dissatisfaction. (The interference with off -the-job satisfactions is probably higher among the people studied than in the popula- tion at large since shift work is prevalent in the industry in which this study was conducted.)
Race and competence as determinants of acceptance of newcomers in success and failure work groups

Abstract Three-member groups worked on a judgmental task and received performance feedback about the groups' task success or failure (first independent variable). At the beginning of the second half of the experiment, Negro or white newcomers (second independent variable) were introduced under high- or low-task competency (third independent variable). A postexperimental questionnaire assessed group members' reactions to the newcomers (dependent variable). The findings showed that: High-competent newcomers were most preferred co-workers and preferences for high-competent newcomers were not affected by either race or performance feedback; and, success groups' preferences were made largely on the basis of the newcomer attribute of task competency (and not race) ; in contrast, nonsuccess groups' preferences were determined by both the newcomer's task competency and his race.
An allelic series for studying the mouse Thoc1 gene.

Thoc1 encodes an essential component of the mammalian TREX protein complex. TREX is an evolutionary conserved complex that couples elongating RNA polymerase II with RNA processing factors. Depletion of Thoc1 protein (pThoc1) compromises transcriptional elongation and nuclear export of some RNAs. Loss of Thoc1 causes periimplantation embryonic lethality in the mouse. Early embryonic lethality precludes analysis of the physiological requirements for Thoc1 in the developing embryo or adult. To circumvent this limitation, we have generated mice containing hypomorphic or conditional alleles of Thoc1. Mice homozygous for the conditional allele appear normal. Mice containing Cre recombined conditional alleles phenocopy the previously characterized Thoc1 null allele. Mice homozygous for the hypomorphic allele are viable and born at a frequency that is not significantly different from the expected Mendelian ratio. However, these mice express less pThoc1 than wild type mice and exhibit a dwarf phenotype. The dwarf phenotype can be detected in mid-gestation embryos, suggesting that Thoc1 is also required later in embryonic and postnatal development. genesis 44:32–37, 2007. Published 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Expression of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A in Escherichia coli

A synthetic gene for bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A) has been expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with beta-galactosidase linked by the tetrapeptide Ile-Glu-Gly-Arg. RNase A was cleaved from the fusion using factor Xa, and the resulting product purified and reconstituted. The isolated RNase A was chromatographically, catalytically, and immunologically identical with authentic RNase A. This work argues that the method suggested by Nagai and Thogersen [Nagai, K. & Thogersen, H. C. (1984) Nature (Lond.) 309, 810-812] for releasing fusion proteins is quite general, even when applied to particularly complicated expression problem. The procedure here makes RNase A available for the first time as a model for studying structure-function relationships in proteins using site-directed mutagenesis.
The role of antibodies in transplantation

For the past 40 years, T cells have been considered the primary threat to the survival of allografts. However, antibodies can induce severe vascular disease of organ transplants, and this disease, particularly “antibody-mediated” rejection, has become a major clinical challenge. Not only do antibodies cause rejection, the rejection caused by antibodies resists treatment by conventional drug regimens. On the other hand, antibodies can induce a condition in which grafts seemingly resist antibody-mediated injury, which is accommodation. In this communication, we discuss the role of antibodies in the diagnosis and pathogenesis of rejection and accommodation, and suggest what we considerd the major gaps in knowledge and directions research into this subject might productively take.
CORDIC algorithms in four dimensions

CORDIC algorithms offer an attractive alternative to multiply-and-add based algorithms for the implementation of two-dimensional rotations preserving either norm: (x2 + 2) or (x2 _ y2)/2 Indeed these norms whose computation is a significant part of the evaluation of the two-dimensional rotations are computed much more easily by the CORDIC algorithms. However the part played by norm computations in the evaluation of rotations becomes quickly small as the dimension of the space increases. Thus in spaces of dimension 5 or more there is no practical alternative to multiply-and-add based algorithms. In the intermediate region dimensions 3 and 4 extensions of the CORDIC algorithms are an interesting option. The four-dimensional extensions are particularly elegant and are the main object of this paper.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.