cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From Galactorrhea to Osteopenia: Rethinking Serotonin–Prolactin Interactions

The widespread use of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has been accompanied by numerous reports describing a potential association with hyperprolactinemia. Antipsychotics are commonly known to elevate serum prolactin (PRL) through blockade of dopamine receptors in the pituitary. However, there is little awareness of the mechanisms by which SSRIs stimulate PRL release. Hyperprolactinemia may result in overt symptoms such as galactorrhea, which may be accompanied by impaired fertility. Long-term clinical sequelae include decreased bone density and the possibility of an increased risk of breast cancer. Through literature review, we explore the possible pathways involved in serotonin-induced PRL release. While the classic mechanism of antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia directly involves dopamine cells in the tuberoinfundibular pathway, SSRIs may act on this system indirectly through GABAergic neurons. Alternate pathways involve serotonin stimulation of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and oxytocin (OT) release. We conclude with a comprehensive review of clinical sequelae associated with hyperprolactinemia, and the potential role of SSRIs in this phenomenon.
Impact of SENTAR on Prevention Campaign Policy and Practice.

Our development of the now widely applied SENTAR model for the prevention of risk-related behaviors, especially drug use and risky sex, began three decades ago with a theory of communication proces...
Persistent vascular defects in lung allografts attributed to defective endogenous endothelial progenitors

Background A major pathological finding in human newborns with pulmonary hypoplasia and congenital diaphragmatic hernia is the presence of vascular abnormalities in lungs. Vasculogenesis/angiogenesis are crucial to lung development. To study lung alveolar development, including microvascular formation in fetal lung implants, Schwarz et al. [ 1 ] developed a subcutaneous allograft model. We adopted their model to assess the influence of neovascularization or the “host-graft vascular development” on hypoplastic lung structure and growth. Materials and methods Normal and hypoplastic lungs at pseudoglandular stage were implanted subcutaneously under the dorsolateral fold of immunocompromised nude mice (athymic, nu/nu). Lung allografts were removed and assessed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks postimplantation. Results Neovascularization of implanted lungs from subcutaneous vasculature of nude mice resulted in varying degrees of maturation of implanted normal and hypoplastic lungs. By 4 weeks, implanted normal lungs contained Type 2-like cells and by 7 to 8 weeks, Type 2 and Type 1-like cells, air spaces had enlarged, and surfactant secretion was observed. Despite some differentiation and maturation of hypoplastic lungs, there was more mesenchymal tissue, no secondary septa, and smaller air spaces compared to normal lungs. Conclusions (a) Neovascularization or host-graft vascular development occurs in both normal and hypoplastic lung allografts. (b) Development and maturation of implanted normal and hypoplastic lungs follow the establishment of the vascular connections between the host and grafts. (c) The host-graft vascular connections do not improve the growth of normal or hypoplastic lungs. (d) Neovascularization failed to overcome the embryonic defects in vascular formation and the pulmonary vasculogenesis remained defective in hypoplastic lung allografts, which may be attributed to the defective endogenous endothelial progenitor cells.
The bottom line: African caricature in Georgian England

(1984). The bottom line: African caricature in Georgian England. World Literature Written in English: Vol. 24, “Commonwealth” Literatures in Germany, pp. 43-51.
Modeling and simulation of thermal chlorine etching of gallium arsenide with application to real-time feedback control

A dynamic model for the simulation of thermal chlorine etching of gallium arsenide is developed. The primary motivation for the development of the simulation is the design and testing of real time adaptive feedback controllers which rely upon in-situ optical measurements of etch depth obtained via spectroscopic ellipsometry. The basis for the model is an empirically derived relationship between etch rate, chlorine pressure, and substrate temperature. The chlorine pressure in the chamber is regulated by a throttle valve which determines the effective pumping rate of a turbo-molecular pump which is used to evacuate chlorine pressure dynamics and a second-order damped harmonic oscillator with zero-order hold valve position command inputs is used to model the dynamics of the throttle valve. An output equation is used to model the fact that ellipsometry based etch depth and chamber pressure can be observed at discrete time intervals. Unmeasurable parameters which appear in the model are identified, and the model is validated using experimental data. An adaptive linear-quadratic Gaussian based controller based on our model which forces etching to precede at a desired rate while estimating the often difficult to measure substrate temperature is designed and then tested using our simulation.
Students as ‘Producers’: using videodisc technology to create stories

Abstract The use of videodisc technology to teach a variety of subject matter across many disciplines is an area of interest to many educators. This paper discusses an interactive videodisc program that was implemented in a classroom setting with fifth and sixth grade children. The program, called Producer, was introduced to children and then used as part of a six‐week summer enrichment classroom. A discussion of how children interacted with the Producer program to create stories is discussed based on videotapes of the teaching sessions. The implications of using videodisc technology to teach children are reviewed.
Pricing dynamics in US fresh produce channels: new empirical evidence

Abstract Despite many valuable contributions, prior research has not completely explained retail pricing behavior. This study employs scanner data for 36 fresh produce items analyzing the relationship between costs of goods sold and retail prices to provide further insight into retail pricing behavior. Implications include: (1) where ‘natural’ variation in produce prices do not already exist from the supplier, retailers appear to introduce the variation themselves, independent from shipping point price; and (2) to the extent that supplier-retailer contracts for fresh produce develop, the resulting stabilizing influence on costs may have the preserve effect of increasing retail price variability to consumers.
Magnetoresistance of chiral surface states in the integer quantum Hall effect

We study the conductance of the edge state sheath that forms in the integer quantum Hall effect from the coupled edge states of a GaAs/Al0.1Ga0.9As multilayer, as the magnetic field is tilted away from the direction perpendicular to the layers. As the tilt angle, and hence the total magnetic field, increases, the conductance perpendicular to the layers decreases. The effect is not strongly dependent on whether the sample surface is perpendicular or parallel to the in-plane component of the magnetic field. This result is inconsistent with theoretical predictions for a smooth surface and suggests that the edge state sheath may be rough.
Atrazine does not induce pica behavior at doses that increase hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation and cause conditioned taste avoidance.

Abstract Previous work has shown that a single oral administration of atrazine (ATR), a chlorotriazine herbicide, causes rapid increases in plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), serum corticosterone (CORT) and progesterone. The mechanism for these effects is unknown. To test whether administration of ATR causes hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis activation through the production of a generalized stress response resulting from gastrointestinal distress, we conducted both conditioned taste avoidance (CTA) and pica behavior experiments. Body temperature data were also collected to detect the presence of stress-induced hyperthermia. Adult male Wistar rats were given a single oral dose of ATR (0, 5, 25, 50, 100, or 200 mg/kg) or the primary ATR metabolite diamino-s-chlorotriazine (DACT; 135 mg/kg). Increases were observed in ACTH (LOEL, 12.5 mg/kg), CORT (LOEL, 5 mg/kg) and progesterone (LOEL, 5 mg/kg) 15 min following a single dose of ATR. DACT (135 mg/kg) increased ACTH (1.3-fold), CORT (2.9-fold) and progesterone (1.9-fold) above vehicle control concentrations, but the magnitude of the responses was much lower than that observed for an equal molar dose of ATR (200 mg/kg; 7.0, 9.0 and 11.0-fold above ACTH, CORT, progesterone controls, respectively). CTA results demonstrated conditioned taste avoidance to ATR, with a NOEL of 5 mg/kg. Animals dosed with DACT developed avoidance responses comparable to the highest dose of ATR. In the pica experiment, lower doses (5–50 mg/kg) of ATR had no effect on pica behavior, as measured 6 and 24 h post-dosing, nor did DACT. However, the highest dose of ATR (200 mg/kg) did induce pica behavior at both time points. No differences in body temperature were observed. Overall, results indicate that increases in ACTH and CORT secretion following administration of ATR occur at doses that are without effect on the display of pica behavior, indicating that the HPA-axis activation caused by ATR is not likely the result of gastrointestinal distress.
Project Safe Neighborhoods and Violent Crime Trends in US Cities: Assessing Violent Crime Impact

Since the mid-1990s, a number of initiatives intended to address gang, gun and drug-related violence have arisen and demonstrated promise in reducing levels of violent crime. These initiatives have employed some combination of focused deterrence and problem-solving processes. These strategies formed the basis for Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a national program implemented by the Department of Justice and coordinated by US Attorneys’ Offices. This paper is an initial attempt to assess the potential impact of the nationally implemented PSN initiative through an analysis of violent crime trends in all US cities with a population of 100,000 or above. While a number of site specific studies exist examining the potential impact of locally implemented PSN programs, to date no national-level study has examined whether PSN may have had an impact on violent crime trends. Cities included in the current study are distinguished on the basis of whether they were considered a treatment city by the PSN task force and by the level of implementation dosage of the PSN program. This allowed a comparison of 82 treatment cities and 170 non-treatment cities as well as a variable of dosage level. Hierarchical Generalized Linear Models (HGLM) were developed that controlled for other factors that may have affected the level of violent crime across the sample of cities. The results suggested that PSN treatment cities in higher dosage contexts experienced statistically significant, though modest, declines in violent crime whereas non-target cities and low dosage contexts experienced no significant changes in violent crime during the same period. The limitations of this initial analysis are noted but the evidence seems to suggest that the multi-agency, focused deterrence, problem solving approach holds promise for reducing levels of violent crime. At a minimum, these findings call for continued programmatic experimentation with data-driven, highly focused, deterrence-based violence reduction strategies.
IMMUNOGLOBULIN SYNTHESIS IN BURKITT'S LYMPHOMA

American Burkitt's lymphoma has been identified as a monoclonal IgM (Kappa or Lamba chain) lymphoprolipherative disorder. The nature of immunoglobulin synthesis in culture of tumor derived from 3 such patients (ages 5, 6, and 15 years) was investigated. Tissue with cytologic and morophilogic Burkitt's criteria included mediastinal node, abdominal node and marrow. Cells were cultured as 1 × 106 cells/ml in leucine-difficient Eagle's media containing 10% fetal calf serum and 5 uC 3H-leucine in 5% CO2 at 37°C for 72 hours. Ig's were measured by solid phase radioimmunoassay. Specific anti-Fab and anti-IgG, M, and A, following elution from insoluable immunoabsorhants, were convalently linked to bromacetyl cellulose (BAC) and specificity was established on acrylamide gels. Synthesis was determined as degradation (DPM)/106 cells: total protein - 1800 (640-2570), Ig-120 (20-280). Molecular weight of the Ig was consistant with IgM and verified with BAC-anti-IgM. Neither IgG nor IgA were synthesized. The % of newly synthesized protein as IgM ranged from 2.5-12.5%. Total protein (TP) and total Ig synthesized from normal lymphocytes in culture averaged 3100 and 290 DPM/106 cells, respectively (%TP as Ig-9%: IgG-5.5%. IgM-3%. IgA-1.5%). With this method, Ig quantitation clearly identified IgM as the sole Ig synthesized by this tumor. The patients were treated alike (prednisone, cyclophosphamide and vincristine initially). The longest survival to date has occurred in the patient with the highest level of IgM synthesis.
Ex vivo expansion, maturation, and activation of umbilical cord blood–derived T lymphocytes with IL-2, IL-12, anti-CD3, and IL-7: Potential for adoptive cellular immunotherapy post–umbilical cord blood transplantation

Abstract Objectives We investigated whether umbilical cord blood (UCB) T cells could be ex vivo expanded and activated in short-term culture for potential utilization as adoptive cellular immunotherapy post–umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). Methods Fresh UCB mononuclear cells (MNCs) were isolated by Ficoll density centrifugation. Cryopreserved UCB mononuclear cells were thawed and washed with 2.5% human serum albumin and 5% dextrose in isotonic saline. The nonadherent MNC fraction were then plated in a serum-free cocktail of IL-2, IL-12, and anti-CD3 with and without IL-7 for 48 hours. Proliferation, cytotoxicity, TH1 (IFN-γ), CD25, and CD45RO assays were performed. Results Proliferation studies demonstrated a significant increase in the proliferative ability of the UCB MNCs incubated in anti-CD3, IL-2, IL-12, and IL-7 (fresh— p p p p + and CD8 + T cells expressing CD25 (fresh UCB— p p p p p p p p Conclusion These data suggest that the ex vivo combination of IL-2, IL-12, anti-CD3, and IL-7 significantly enhances the proliferation, activation, maturation, and cytotoxic potential of UCB T cells of both fresh and thawed UCB MNC. Further studies, however, are required to determine whether these ex vivo–expanded MNC could also potentially exacerbate acute or chronic graft-vs-host disease and/or other toxicities if utilized post-UCBT.
Elastic Deformation Analysis of Adhesively Bonded Composite Butt Joints in Tension

differential equations used were provided, and two strategies were proposed to explore the complete closed-form adhesive stress solutions in a general composite butt joint configuration. Two butt joint cases are presented. The case1joint wasfabricated using identicallaminatedcompositepanelsfor boththeadherends andthe doubler, while the thickness of the doubler of the case 2 joint was 50% thicker. Three-dimensional finite element models were created for analysis of the unit-width joints under a plane-strain condition. Good agreement for the predicted joint deformation (deflection, elongation, and strain) was achieved between the three methods. Finite element results showed that high peak adhesive stresses were developed at the inner overlap edge area, and they suggested that appropriate reinforcement should be made in this region to ensure structural integrity.
The solo performer and drama

This essay discusses the relationship between theatrical spectacle and solo performance, and examines the function of the solo performance of drama. It concludes that cognitive experience is available for interpreter, audience, and text.
THE TELECANIHUS-HYPOSPADIAS SYNDROME

The telecanthus-hypospadias syndrome is an X-linked dominant disorder in which affected males have a wide medial canthus (telecanthus) and hypospadias. Other malformations, such as cleft lip and palate, heart anomalies, imperforate or ectopic anus, may also be present. Many affected males are mentally retarded. Carrier females show only telecanthus. We have evaluated two families in which the affected males have a severe expression of the disorder. In Family N. the affected infant had telecanthus, coronal hypospadias, cleft lip and palate, laryngotracheoesophageal cleft and ectopic anus. His mother had marked telecanthus and anosmia. This infant died at six months of age. In Family S. the affected infant had telecanthus bilateral cleft lip and palate and perineal hypospadias. He has normal development at six months of age. His mother has telecanthus, but does not have anosmia. As these two patients demonstrate, the telecanthus hypospadias syndrome can present as a severe multiple malformation syndrome. Fortunately many males are more mildly affected. Since the female carrier has a 25% chance in each pregnancy of having an affected son, early recognition and counselling is very important.
Wearable brain computer interface are we there yet

Brain computer interfaces are still restricted to the domains of health and research, but we understand what needs to be done and are getting closer to making a commercial wearable EEG system.
Ulcerative Colitis: Update on Medical Management

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease whose pathogenesis is multifactorial and includes influences from genes, the environment, and the gut microbiome. Recent advances in diagnosis and treatment have led to significant improvement in managing the disease. Disease monitoring with the use of therapeutic drug monitoring, stool markers, and assessment of mucosal healing have garnered much attention. The recent approval of vedolizumab for treatment of moderate to severe UC has been a welcome addition. Newer biologics, including those targeting the Janus tyrosine kinase (JAK) pathway, are on the horizon to add to the current armamentarium of anti-TNF alpha and anti-integrin therapies. The recent publication of the SCENIC consensus statement on surveillance and management of dysplasia in UC patients supports the use of chromoendoscopy over random biopsies in detecting dysplasia. This review highlights these recent advances along with others that have been made with ulcerative colitis.
Exceptional Segregation of a Selectable Marker (KanR) in Arabidopsis Identifies Genes Important for Gametophytic Growth and Development

Genes transformed into plants are usually inherited in a regular Mendelian manner. There are, however, transformants in which the selectable trait fails to segregate as expected. Genetic analysis of the kanamycin-resistance (KanR) trait in >900 independent transformants of Arabidopsis revealed that 9% produced progeny families with an enormous deficiency of KanR individuals. Self-pollination of individual KanR plants from these families revealed lines that continued to segregate for a deficiency of KanR seedlings. In subsequent generations, the segregation ratio in these families stabilized at approximately 1 KanR:3 KanS. Molecular analyses showed that the deficiency of KanR individuals reflected the complete absence of the introduced DNA. Reciprocal backcrosses to untransformed plants showed unequal transmission of the KanR trait through the gametes in these exceptional lines. In five cases, this was primarily a failure of transmission through the microgametophyte (pollen) and in the other two cases, primarily a failure of transmission through the megagametophyte (embryo sac or egg). The number of seeds per silique was reduced by 50% in the latter two lines. We conclude that our exceptional transformants contain T-DNA insertions that delete or disrupt genes essential for gametophytic growth and development.
Interaction of Mycobacterium avium Complex with Human Respiratory Epithelial Cells

Adherence of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) to human respiratory epithelial cells (HEp-2) induced 2 distinct modes of internalization. In the first, MAC induced ruffling of HEp-2 cell membrane and formation of surface projections securing the bacilli on the surface, and concurrent membrane depressions, beneath the sites of attachment of bacilli, resulted in internalization of the organisms. The second mode involved formation of membrane folds wrapping around the bacilli, followed by internalization. Two MAC proteins of approximately 31 kD and approximately 25 kD, respectively, were identified that mediated these interactions specific for HEp-2 cells. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the 31-kD MAC protein displayed homology with the 21-kD hypothetical protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and the 25-kD MAC protein showed homology with Mn-superoxide dismutase of MAC and Mycobacterium leprae. These 2 HEp-2 cell-specific MAC proteins may be involved in the interaction of MAC with epithelial cells.
Adaptive eigenvalue decomposition with applications to frequency or direction estimation and tracking

Summary form only given. Computation of the eigensystem of the updated matrix based on the knowledge of the eigensystem of the original covariance matrix was studied for the case of additive rank-k modification. This corresponds to adding blocks of data to and deleting them from the data matrix. Note that k is usually small compared to the dimensions of the Hermitian covariance matrix. An efficient parallel algorithm was developed for the rank-k modification problem. It makes use of a generalized spectrum slicing theorem relating the location of the modified eigenvalues to the location of the eigenvalues of the original matrix. At each time update, the set of eigenvalues can be solved in parallel by using efficient nonlinear search procedures. The eigenvector can be computed explicitly in terms of an intermediate vector that is a solution of a Hermitian homogeneous system much reduced in size (k*k). Further reduction in computational efficiency can be achieved in signal processing applications by making use of the multiplicities of the noise eigenvalues. These ideas were applied to eigenbased techniques for frequency or angle-of-arrival estimation. >
Evaluating Information Visualizations with Working Memory Metrics

Information visualization tools are being promoted to aid decision support. These tools assist in the analysis and comprehension of ambiguous and conflicting data sets. Formal evaluations are necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of visualization tools, yet conducting these studies is difficult. Objective metrics that allow designers to compare the amount of work required for users to operate a particular interface are lacking. This in turn makes it difficult to compare workload across different interfaces, which is problematic for complicated information visualization and visual analytics packages. We believe that measures of working memory load can provide a more objective and consistent way of assessing visualizations and user interfaces across a range of applications. We present initial findings from a study using measures of working memory load to compare the usability of two graph representations.
Utilization of MeV Van de Graaff Electrons to Produce Characteristic X-Rays for Precision Measurements

Electrons from a 4 MeV Van de Graaff accelerator are used to produce intense sources of characteristic X-rays from a sampling of mid-to-high Z elements. Thick solid targets and high pressure gas samples are bombarded by up to 50 microamperes of 2.5 MeV electrons. The X-rays are viewed in the backward direction to reduce the background resulting from bremsstrahlung radiation. Wavelengths and widths of the X-rays are measured with a precision two-axis flat crystal spectrometer. The spectrometer is equipped with angle interferometers having an accuracy of a few tenths of a milliarc second. The lattice spacing of the crystals has been measured in terms of the wavelength of visible light by means of simultaneous X-ray and optical interferometry and is consistent with the scale used in theoretical calculations. The accuracy of the new wavelength measurements is limited to 3 to 5 ppm by the intrinsic line width of the X-rays. Comparison of the new more reliable wavelength values with relativistic theoretical calculations has resulted in revisions of the theoretical calculations. The large discrepancies (~ 10 eV) which existed in 1979 have been significantly reduced (~ 2 eV). Larger discrepancies for Z > 92 suggest that additional precision measurements need to be made in this region.
Administration of Military Government in Japan at the Prefectural Level.

Literature which has accumulated during three years since the surrender of Japan has not yet encompassed a consideration of the administrative process of military government at the local level. That the function of local military government units as the field service of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) has been overlooked is to be explained principally by the dramatic character and impressive scope of the functions of MacArthur's headquarters and the resulting eclipse of local activities necessarily of a more prosaic nature. Moreover, in neglecting the local levels of administration, analysts have reflected a prevalent American conception of central-field relationships, a conception which implies that the importance of administrative activity diminishes as it descends from level to level.The presence of nearly two thousand military government personnel in the 46 prefectures makes evident the inadequacy of a critique of the occupation based solely on the functions of SCAP. It is this group of field service administrators who, living close to the citizenry, have daily contact with native government officials and are in an unparalleled position to impress the Japanese with the quality of American administration. The close relationship which inheres at this level subjects American administration to careful scrutiny and will be of no little importance in judging the final success of the occupation. Poor official performance or disreputable personal conduct is not as easily concealed by small detachments in the field as by large headquarters in metropolitan areas. Neither the headquarters personnel living in large Americanized compounds and working in modern office buildings nor tactical forces isolated in cantonment areas have the same intimate responsibility and contact with Japanese officialdom.
The unique value of primate models in translational research

This special issue of AJP is focused on research using nonhuman primates as models to further the understanding of women's health. Nonhuman primates play a unique role in translational science by bridging the gap between basic and clinical investigations. The use of nonhuman primates in biomedical research challenges our resolve to treat all life as sacred. The scientific community has responded by developing ethical guidelines for the care and the use of primates and clarifying the responsibility of investigators to insure the physical and psychological well-being of nonhuman primates used in research. Preclinical investigations often involve the use of animal models. Rodent models have been the mainstay of biomedical science and have provided enormous insight into the workings of many mammalian systems that have proved applicable to human biological systems. Rodent models are dissimilar to primates in numerous ways, which may limit the generalizability to human biological systems. These limitations are much less likely in nonhuman primates and in Old World primates, in particular, Macaques are useful models for investigations involving the reproductive system, bioenergetics, obesity and diabetes, cardiovascular health, central nervous system function, cognitive and social behavior, the musculoskeletal system, and diseases of aging. This issue considers primate models of polycystic ovary syndrome; diet effects on glycemic control, breast and endometrium; estrogen, reproductive life stage and atherosclerosis; estrogen and diet effects on inflammation in atherogenesis; the neuroprotective effects of estrogen therapy; social stress and visceral obesity; and sex differences in the role of social status in atherogenesis. Unmet research needs in women's health include the use of diets in nonhuman primate studies that are similar to those consumed by human beings, primate models of natural menopause, dementia, hypertension, colon cancer, and frailty in old age, and dedicated colonies for the study of breast cancer.
Limitation of the AccuProbe Coccidioides immitis Culture Identification Test: False-Negative Results with Formaldehyde-Killed Cultures

The AccuProbe Coccidioides immitis culture identification test (CI test) yielded false-negative results with formaldehyde-killed C. immitis submitted to a reference laboratory. Further evaluation with pure or mixed cultures or stored, heat-killed cultures revealed the CI test to be highly sensitive and specific for C. immitis except when the cultures were pretreated with formaldehyde.
Performance measurement of some main memory database recovery algorithms

The performance of two main-memory database system (MDBS) algorithms is studied. M.H. Eich's (Proc. of the Fifth Int. Workshop on Database Machines., Oct. 1987) and T.J. Lehman's (Ph. D. Thesis, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, Aug 1986) algorithms are selected for this study. The investigation indicates that the shadow approach, as used by Eich, has some advantages over the update in-place strategy of Lehman. The shadow approach has faster response for normal transactions even though transaction commit is slower compared to update in-place approach. It is concluded that irrespective of the recovery algorithm an efficient load balancing plays an important part in the performance of the system. It is suggested that processors should be allocated to any kind of activity on a demand basis. It is discovered that individual recovery of lockable units as used in Lehman's algorithm is a better choice since it increases the system availability after a system failure. It also allows background recovery to go in parallel to normal transaction processing. >
Invited Commentary---Comment on Structural Modeling in Marketing: Review and Assessment

Chintagunta, Erdem, Rossi, and Wedel (CERW) discuss examples of structural research to motivate its value in the empirical marketing literature. They provide a balanced assessment in which they emphasize both advantages and disadvantages. Recognizing the importance of predictive validity in marketing, they describe that structure can reduce flexibility in estimation and potentially reduce fit, yet be more reliable when we are predicting the effects of strategies not observed in the existing data. This is an important contribution of structural research in marketing, and their paper will hopefully spread this message. They also suggest that structure can help us test theories and resolve endogeneity, but also restrict the types of decisions we can prescribe in our normative role as marketing researchers. Icomment on these latter three issues below. In §1, I explain how a structural model can begin to differentiate between theories, but also note its limitations. In §2, I argue that using structure to resolve endogeneity provides identification from assumptions that are highly subject to misspecification. In §3, I suggest that structure enables, rather than constrains, our abilities to prescribe improved policies.
Postbuckling Response of Piece-Wise Uniform Tailored Composite Plates in Compression

Tailoring, or precisely specifying, the types, amounts, orientations and locations of composite materials in a structure to satisfy specific performance require ments is inherent to the design of e...
Late-preterm birth and neonatal morbidities: population-level and within-family estimates

Abstract Purpose The objective of this study was to compare two salient neonatal outcomes—respiratory disorders and hyperbilirubinemia—between late-preterm (34–36 weeks) and full-term (37–41 weeks) singleton infants both at the population level and within families. Methods Analyses were based on natality data on all births in the state of New Jersey from 1996 to 2006 linked to newborn hospital discharge records. For population-level models, logistic regression analyses were conducted to estimate unadjusted and adjusted differences in outcomes by gestational age. For within-family analyses, unadjusted and adjusted logistic fixed-effects models were estimated with the latter including factors that differed across births to the same mother. Results Late-preterm birth increased the odds of a neonatal respiratory condition by more than fourfold (odds ratio, 4.08–4.53) and of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia by more than fivefold (odds ratio, 5.11–5.93) even when comparing births to the same mother and controlling for demographic and economic, behavioral, and obstetric factors that may have changed across pregnancies. Conclusions Based on population-level and within-family models, this study provides the strongest evidence to date that late-preterm birth is an important risk factor for adverse neonatal outcomes that other studies have found are associated with cognitive and behavioral disorders in childhood.
Decentralized solutions of the linear-exponential-Gaussian problem

The authors consider stochastic control problems with an exponential cost criterion. Necessary and sufficient conditions and the control law of the decentralized linear-exponential-Gaussian (LEG) team problem with a one-step delayed information sharing pattern are given. The one-step delayed information pattern is that only the past observations are available and the current observations are not available. It is shown that the optimal control law of the ith member is an affine function of its own observation at the current time and the state estimate based on a one-step delayed information pattern. >
Grand Challenges in Evolutionary and Population Genetics: The Importance of Integrating Epigenetics, Genomics, Modeling and Experimentation

This is a time of explosive growth in the fields of evolutionary and population genetics, with whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics driving a transformative paradigm shift (Morozova and Marra, 2008). At the same time, advances in epigenetics are thoroughly transforming our understanding of evolutionary processes and their implications for populations, species and communities (Callinan and Feinberg, 2006). These revolutionary changes present tremendous opportunities and challenges to our field (Table 1). In this essay, I will lay out my personal interpretation of what some of the biggest opportunities and challenges are for evolutionary and population genetics over the next decade. I believe that for our field to take full advantage of these tremendous opportunities, we must effectively combine genomics, epigenetics, bioinformatics, experiments and modeling (Figure 1). Genomic pipelines are rapidly producing intractably large volumes of data (e.g., Griffiths-Jones et al., 2008), often without sufficient forethought about what the data will be used for, or how it will be curated, archived, and analyzed. We would be well served by thinking carefully in advance about hypotheses, what data would be best suited to address them, what experiments could be designed to evaluate and validate results, and how powerful modeling approaches could be coupled with experimentation and data mining to generalize experimental results and explore their implications across scales of biological organization from nucleotides to ecosystems.
The Dialogic Turn in Educational Psychology

The increasing presence of and claim for dialogue in today's society has already had an impact on the theory and practice of learning. Whereas in the past individual and cognitive elements were seen as crucial to learning, since about two decades ago, scientific literature indicates that culture, interaction and dialogue are the key factors. In addition, the research project of highest scientific rank and with most resources dedicated to the study of school education in the Framework Program of the European Union: INCLUD-ED shows that the practices of successful schools around Europe are in line with the dialogic approach to learning. This article presents the dialogic turn in educational psychology, consisting of moving from symbolic conceptions of mind and internalist perspectives that focus on mental schemata of previous knowledge, to theories that see intersubjectivity and communication as the primary factors in learning. The paper deepens on the second approach.
Bolsa Família and the needy: is allocation contributing to equity in Brazil?

This paper examines whether the Brazilian social programme Bolsa Familia is contributing to greater social equality within the country. As a measure of success, we rely on the programme's impact on public-school enrolment, which we consider an input for social equity. Our findings show that policy makers should continue with the same system of allocation used in 2006, which proved to be contributing to greater social equality. We suggest policy maker's direct attention to the 2006 residual map depicting municipalities that have extremely over- and under-predicted values, which may represent misallocation of public funds, and therefore may require some scrutiny. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
INTRASPECIFIC AND DIFFUSE COMPETITION: THE RESPONSE OF NASSELLA PULCHRA IN A CALIFORNIA GRASSLAND

In inland California grasslands, the high densities of alien annual species have altered the growing environment for native perennial grasses. Using variable-density plots, we measured the influence of intraspecific competition (conspecifics only) and diffuse competition (mixed-composition neighborhoods that include conspecifics) on growth and survival of Nassella pulchra, purple needlegrass. We assessed the effects of intraspecific and diffuse competition in weeded plots and unweeded plots, respectively, across a density gradient of N. pulchra plants (16-356 plants/M2). We used summer fire and spring sheep grazing to reduce diffuse competition in unweeded plots. The potential effect of rooting volume on competitive interactions was explored by establishing plots on two sites of different soil depth. Diffuse competition had an overriding influence on N. pulchra growth in all treatments. Intraspecific competitive effects were apparent only in the absence of diffuse competition. The effects of grazing and soil depth on growth were only short-lived interactions with the burning treatment. Burning was a longer-lived interaction, but only in weeded plots. Plant mortality was significantly increased by diffuse competition. Overall, N. pulchra survival was greatest in weeded plots, in grazed plots, and in deeper soil plots. The growth of N. pulchra individuals was negatively affected by alien annual species in all treatment combinations. Our data indicate that recruitment of N. pulchra within inland California grasslands is reduced by the adverse environment created by high densities of alien annual species. Successful attempts to increase populations of N. pulchra through management of the grassland community must involve significant modification of the biotic environment.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Use of and Outcomes with Home Dialysis in the United States

Home dialysis, which comprises peritoneal dialysis (PD) or home hemodialysis (home HD), offers patients with ESRD greater flexibility and independence. Although ESRD disproportionately affects racial/ethnic minorities, data on disparities in use and outcomes with home dialysis are sparse. We analyzed data of patients who initiated maintenance dialysis between 2007 and 2011 and were admitted to any of 2217 dialysis facilities in 43 states operated by a single large dialysis organization, with follow-up through December 31, 2011 (n =: 162,050, of which 17,791 underwent PD and 2536 underwent home HD for ≥91 days). Every racial/ethnic minority group was significantly less likely to be treated with home dialysis than whites. Among individuals treated with in-center HD or PD, racial/ethnic minorities had a lower risk for death than whites; among individuals undergoing home HD, only blacks had a significantly lower death risk than whites. Blacks undergoing PD or home HD had a higher risk for transfer to in-center HD than their white counterparts, whereas Asians or others undergoing PD had a lower risk than whites undergoing PD. Blacks irrespective of dialysis modality, Hispanics undergoing PD or in-center HD, and Asians and other racial groups undergoing in-center HD were significantly less likely than white counterparts to receive a kidney transplant. In conclusion, there are racial/ethnic disparities in use of and outcomes with home dialysis in the United States. Disparities in kidney transplantation evident for blacks and Hispanics undergoing home dialysis are similar to those with in-center HD. Future studies should identify modifiable causes for these disparities.
The Lateran Pacts and the Constituent Assembly

No discussion of the debate on the Lateran Pacts before the Constituent Assembly can be appreciated adequately, if some background, however condensed, is not presented. The Pacts were born of one of the longest and most difficult impasses that ever existed between Church and State in Italy — the questione romana. 1 Beginning with the coup de theâtre of September 20,1870,2 this question did not end until February II,1929, when Signor Mussolini and Cardinal Gasparri severally signed the three protocols constituting the Pacts of Lateran.3
Malapportionment and multilateral bargaining: An experiment

Abstract Members of collective decision-making bodies often represent communities that differ in population sizes. Malapportionment results when decision-making power is not allocated evenly across the population. Two well known institutions with malapportionment have emerged: bicameralism and weighted voting. This paper studies experimentally how agenda setting power affects the distribution of resources, comparing across those two institutions. Conventional wisdom suggests that malapportionment favors scarcely populated states. I find that this is the case under weighted voting, but not necessarily in a bicameral system. In the later case, the allocation of agenda setting power can be used to eliminate distortions stemming from malapportionment.
Faith, Praxis, and Practical Theology: At the Interface of Sociology and Theology

This essay is an exercise in practical theology, the theological reflection arising out of and in response to the church's actual situation. Practical theology insists that it is not enough to analyze the church's actual situation with deductive, ahistorical theological principles, but that it is necessary, first, to uncover and, then, reflect critically on the actual situation to test it for the presence of the Spirit, relevance, and significance in light of the gospel. Practical theology grows out of the relationship between theoria and praxis which, for the church, is the relationship between faith and praxis. The essay argues that to recognize scientifically the church's actual situation and to perform the required theological reflection practical theology requires sociology.The essay explores, therefore, the relationship between practical theology and the data of sociological research. It also examines the theological realities, sensus fidei and reception, and explores their relationship to that data. The exploration is concretized theologically by a consideration of the sociological data and theology about two Catholic moral doctrines, divorce and remarriage without prior annulment and artificial contraception. A theological reflection on the actual situation of both doctrines and a sociological consideration of the data suggest the conclusion that a dramatic development and re-reception of both doctrines, in line with previous dramatic developments of doctrine in the church, is under way.
A Late Paleozoic climate window of opportunity.

The highest rates of global organic carbon burial (up to 6.5 × 1018 mol/Myr) over the past half billion years occurred during the Carboniferous–Permian (330–260 Myr), in large part because of the accumulation and burial of peat in broad tropical lowland basins (1). Atypical rates of organic carbon sequestration led to low atmospheric p CO2 and anomalously high p O2 (Fig. 1), which in turn triggered the longest-lived and perhaps most severe icehouse of the Phanerozoic (1, 2) and, possibly, unusual physiological innovations, such as insect flight and gigantism (3). This unique atmospheric composition arose with the radiation of the Earth’s most expansive wetland tropical forests (4), introducing into the terrestrial realm a vast supply of biodegradably resistant organic matter. A hypothesized temporal gap of ∼120 Myr between the emergence of lignin biosynthesis by plants and the evolution of lignin-degrading fungi has been argued to have created a window of opportunity for substantially increased organic carbon sequestration in the Carboniferous (4⇓–6). This long-standing evolutionary lag paradigm becomes even more compelling with a recent fungal genome study suggesting that Agaricomycetes fungi, with the enzymatic capacity to efficiently degrade lignin, did not evolve until the early Permian (7). In PNAS, Nelsen et al. (8) invoke multiple lines of evidence to refute this paradigm, documenting: ( i ) the low lignin content of some of the most important Carboniferous peat-forming plants, ( ii ) the lack of correspondence between peak coal accumulation rates in North America and anticipated periods of abundant lignin production in late Paleozoic tropical forests, ( iii ) that lignin resistance to decay was not limited to Agaricomycetes fungi, and ( iv ) phylogenomic data that close the hypothesized evolutionary gap. Fig. 1. Late … [↵][1]1Email: ipmontanez{at}ucdavis.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Susceptibility of brome grass to Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera : Aphididae)

Three annual Bromus species-cheat, B. secalinus L.; downy brome, B. tectorum L.; and Japanese brome, B. japonicus Thunberg-are associated with small-grain production and have life cycles similar to that of winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L. Objectives were to establish preferences of Russian wheat aphid for cheat, downy brome, Japanese brome, and wheat and to evaluate Bromus species indigenous to the central and western United States for their relative susceptibility to aphid feeding damage. Studies of nonpreference, aphid weight and fecundity, time to plant death, and plant damage were conducted in a greenhouse. The following order of decreasing acceptability was observed: wheat, downy brome, cheat, and Japanese brome. These data suggest that Russian wheat aphids prefer wheat in a wheat-annual brome mixture. Russian wheat aphid reared on wheat was on average 38% heavier and produced an average of 10.2 more nymphs per individual than when reared on annual brome species. Seedlings of wheat infested by Russian wheat aphid lived 6.7 d less than the brome species. B. inennis Leysser and B. pumpellianus Scribner suffered minor feeding damages. B. erectus Hudson and B. biebe-rsteinii Roemer & Schultes sustained moderate damage from feeding aphids, and 14 other species received high levels of damage. Field studies are needed to determine the relationships of native plant communities, cereal crops, and Russian wheat aphids.
Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor Plume Pressure and Heat Rate Measurements

The Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) Main Flame Deflector (MFD) at Launch Complex 39A was instrumented with sensors to measure heat rates, pressures, and temperatures on the last three Space Shuttle launches. Because the SRB plume is hot and erosive, a robust Tungsten Piston Calorimeter was developed to compliment the measurements made by off-the-shelf sensors. Witness materials were installed and their melting and erosion response to the Mach 2 / 4500 F / 4-second duration plume was observed. The data show that the specification document used for the design of the MFD thermal protection system over-predicted heat rates by a factor of 3 and under-predicted pressures by a factor of 2. These findings will be used to baseline NASA Computational Fluid Dynamics models and develop innovative MFD designs for the Space Launch System (SLS) before this vehicle becomes operational in 2017.