cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proliferative alloresponse of T-cytotoxic cells identifies rejection-prone children with steroid-free liver transplantation

Donor-induced and third-party–induced proliferation of T-helper and T-cytotoxic (Tc) cells and their naive and memory subsets was evaluated simultaneously in single blood samples from 77 children who received steroid-free liver transplantation (LTx) after induction with rabbit anti-human thymocyte globulin. Proliferation was measured by dilution of the intravital dye carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) in a 3- to 4-day mixed lymphocyte response coculture. The ratio of donor/third-party–induced proliferated (CFSElow) T-cells was reported as the immunoreactivity index (IR) for each subset. Rejectors were defined as those who experienced biopsy-proven acute cellular rejection within 60 days of the assay. IR > 1 signified increased risk of rejection, and IR 75%, specificity > 88%). Sensitivity and specificity were replicated in the remaining 44 children who composed the validation cohort. IR of CFSElow Tc cells correlated significantly with IR of proinflammatory, allospecific CD154+ Tc cells (r = 0.664, P = 0.0005) and inversely with IR of allospecific, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4–positive Tc cells (r = −0.630, P = 0.007). In conclusion, proliferative alloresponses of Tc cells can identify rejection-prone children receiving LTx. Liver Transpl 15:978–985, 2009. © 2009 AASLD.
Seismicity and stress-drop in the eastern Transverse ranges, Southern California

Stress‐drops for small to moderately sized earthquakes in Southern California are found to vary systematically with source‐depth and location (tectonic environment). We determine high‐quality fault‐plane solutions, plus depth and source duration, for 17 significant (M >3.9) aftershocks associated with the June 28, 1992 Big Bear sequence, including the more recent April 4, 1994 19:04 GMT M_w 4.6 Lake Arrowhead aftershock, and a M_w 4.2 Banning Pass event which occurred on May 31, 1993 at 08:55 GMT. Given source durations and moments obtained from long‐period source estimations, and assuming a circular fault model, we estimate stress‐drop for each event. Big Bear aftershocks are moderate to high (>100 bars) stress‐drop. Events deeper than 12 km are generally high stress‐drop (>100 bars), while shallower events exhibit moderate to high stress‐drops. These results are compared with a similar analysis of Landers aftershocks in the Mojave block. For the Big Bear region, stress drops appear to correlate with depth, with the deepest events yielding the highest stress‐drops. In general, events in this region yield higher stress‐drops than events occuring in the Mojave block and those associated with the Landers and Joshua Tree sequences. Comparisons of M_L to M_O are consistent with the stress‐drop results: deep, high stress‐drop events show elevated M_L to M_O ratios.
Cardiac levels of fibronectin, laminin, isomyosins, and cytochrome c oxidase of weanling rats are more vulnerable to copper deficiency than those of postweanling rats.

Abstract The relative quantities of cardiac laminin, fibronectin, cytochrome c oxidase (CCO), and isomyosin types were studied by gel electrophoresis in male rats fed copper-deficient diets beginning either from the time of weaning for 5 weeks or from 5 weeks postweaning for 6 weeks with one group of copper-repleted rats. Increased levels of fibronectin and V 3 isomyosin but decreased levels of CCO subunit IV and laminin were found in weanling copper-depleted rats. In contrast, postweanling copper-depleted rats exhibited only increased levels of fibronectin and decreased levels of cardiac CCO subunit IV. Repletion of copper-deficient rats for 6 weeks was not sufficient to restore CCO subunit IV to the same level as controls. These results confirm that biochemical lesions in the basal laminae are a result of copper restriction. The decreased nuclear encoded subunits of CCO may help explain some of the mitochondrial pathology observed in dietary copper restriction. Increased V 3 isomyosin levels with low ATPase activity may help to conserve to a limited extent the ATP levels in copper-deficient cardiac tissue. These protein changes are consistent with the known morphological alterations of hearts from copper-restricted rats.
Nanoscale characterization of the equilibrium and kinetic response of hydrogel structures.

The use of hydrogel nanostructured patterns and films in biomedical micro- and nanodevices requires the ability to analyze and understand their response properties at the nanoscale. Herein, the thermoresponse behavior of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) grown poly(ethylene glycol) n dimethacrylate (PEGnDMA) cross-linked poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogel thin films over gold was studied. By controlling the mesh size of the hydrogel matrix through tuning the cross-linking density (i.e., using different molecular weight cross-linker and/or various amounts of cross-linker), the hydrogel volume swelling ratio was tailored for response applications. Thermoresponsive patterns exhibited a broad lower critical solution temperature (LCST) swelling transition, while rms roughness analysis of the hydrogel surface showed a sharp LCST transition. Mass and viscoelastic property changes were monitored using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), and the rapid response behavior of t...
High-precision measurement of internuclear distances using solid-state NMR

Today, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is among the most efficient tools in structural studies. Measurement of interatomic distances is the most common way of determining high-resolution structures of molecules using NMR techniques. In this article, we describe NMR techniques for static powder samples, based on a two-dimensional single-echo scheme, enhanced with adiabatic cross-polarization. They can significantly increase the accuracy of measuring internuclear distances and turn NMR into a high-precision crystallographic technique, complementing the X-ray, and neutron-scattering methods. Experimental examples are presented for intramolecular CN and CC distances in α-crystalline form of glycine. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 32A: 56–67, 2008.
Automatic Cluster Stopping with Criterion Functions and the Gap Statistic

SenseClusters is a freely available system that clusters similar contexts. It can be applied to a wide range of problems, although here we focus on word sense and name discrimination. It supports several different measures for automatically determining the number of clusters in which a collection of contexts should be grouped. These can be used to discover the number of senses in which a word is used in a large corpus of text, or the number of entities that share the same name. There are three measures based on clustering criterion functions, and another on the Gap Statistic.
Interprocedural control dependence

Program-dependence information is useful for a variety of applications, such as software testing and maintenance tasks, and code optimization. Properly defined, control and data dependences can be used to identify semantic dependences. To function effectively on whole programs, tools that utilize dependence information require information about interprocedural dependences: dependences that are identified by analyzing the interactions among procedures. Many techniques for computing interprocedural data dependences exist; however, virtually no attention has been paid to interprocedural control dependence. Analysis techniques that fail to account for interprocedural control dependences can suffer unnecessary imprecision and loss of safety. This article presents a definition of interprocedural control dependence that supports the relationship of control and data dependence to semantic dependence. The article presents two approaches for computing interprocedural control dependences, and empirical results pertaining to teh use of those approaches.
The early development of child psychopharmacogenetics.

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry - Vol. 38 - N° 12 - p. 1478-1481
The acute action of adrenocorticotropic hormone on adrenal steroidogenesis.

Abstract Using a soluble cholesterol-lecithin emulsion, some of the catalytic properties of the cholesterol side-chain cleaving system in rat adrenal mitochondria have been investigated to determine at which point this system is stimulated in vivo by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). A re-evaluation of cholesterol side-chain cleavage, 20α-hydroxycholesterol side-chain cleavage, and deoxycorticosterone 11β-hydroxylation in mitochondria isolated from normal rats, hypophysectomized rats, and hypophysectomized rats stimulated with ACTH shows that the V of cholesterol side-chain cleavage (1131 nmoles products/min per mg N) and 20α-hydroxycholesterol side-chain cleavage (938 nmoles products/min per mg N) are not affected by ACTH and are approx. 4 times greater than the V of deoxycorticosterone 11β-hydroxylation (250 nmoles corticosterone/min per mg N). Experiments testing the in vivo effects of ACTH on the levels of cytochrome P450-bound deoxycorticosterone and cholesterol in rat mitochondria indicate that the concentrations of both of these intermediates are increased in response to ACTH stimulation, and that cholesterol accumulates at its enzyme site only when hydroxylation is inhibited by anaerobiasis. We conclude from these data that ACTH may stimulate steroidogenesis by transporting cholesterol to the side-chain cleavage cytochrome P450 enzyme and that the transported cholesterol is rapidly metabolized.
Early Pliocene Temperature Changes in the Antarctic Seas

Micropaleontological analyses have been completed on six piston and drill cores of early Pliocene age (Gilbert magnetic epoch; 4.30 to 3.32 m.y. B.P.) recovered from the Southern Ocean between 110° E. and 160° W. long. All cores are dated by radiolarians, diatoms, and in part by paleomagnetic methods. Stratigraphic correlations are based on paleomagnetic data and recently developed Southern Ocean diatom and silicoflagellate zonations. Silicoflagellate temperature curves constructed from the generic ratios of Dictyocha / Distephanus define seven temperature oscillations and suggest that a dramatic change in the thermal structure of the Southern Ocean occurred during the Gilbert magnetic epoch, with a fluctuating drop in surface-water temperatures from >10°C (present-day northernmost subantarctic) to
Scaling and singularities in the entrainment of globally coupled oscillators.

The onset of collective behavior among oscillators with random frequencies is studied for globally coupled phase dynamical models. A Fokker-Planck equation for the phase distribution describes the dynamics including diffusion due to the noise in the frequencies. We analyze instabilities of the phase-incoherent state using amplitude equations for the unstable modes. In terms of the diffusion coefficient $D$, the linear growth rate \ensuremath{\gamma}, and the mode number $l$, the nonlinearly saturated mode amplitude typically scales like $|{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\ensuremath{\infty}}|\ensuremath{\sim}\sqrt{\ensuremath{\gamma}(\ensuremath{\gamma}{+l}^{2}D)}$. The unusual $\ensuremath{\gamma}{+l}^{2}D$ factor arises from a singularity in the cubic term of the amplitude equation.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CAMERA CALIBRATION TECHNIQUE FOR STEREO IMAGING VELOCIMETRY EXPERIMENTS

A three-dimensional camera calibration technique is developed by combining two, 2-D camera calibrations for an orthogonal stereo viewing geometry. The left camera view (YZ view) and the right camera view (XZ view) are calibrated separately and then combined to produce an XYZ (3-D) calibration routine. Our technique employs three parallel calibration planes. One is placed along the main diagonal of the cubic experimental chamber, and the other two planes are placed known distances in front of it and behind it within the chamber. Both cameras view the calibration points on the planes simultaneously. Given the coordinates of a number of points, we use a physical model to determine the exact pixel locations of the calibration points. After inverting the model equations, we input the absolute coordinates and measured pixel locations into a least-squares fitting algorithm to obtain the experimental camera parameters for each camera individually. We then combine the two camera views via a ray-tracing method. We calibrated 3-in.3 (7.62-|mm3), 4-in.3 (10.16-|mm3), 5-in.3 (12.70-|mm3), and 6-in.3 (15.24-|mm3) chambers with accuracies between 1.66 and 2.01 pixels (0.60 and 0.77% of full field), 1.26 and 1.86 pixels (0.43 and 0.63% of full field), 1.16 and 1.34 pixels (0.33 and 0.39% of full field), and 1.91 and 2.49 pixels (0.59 and 0.77% of full field), respectively, using our 3-D camera calibration routine.
Rat brain folate identification.

— Endogenous rat brain folates were identified using column chromatography for folate separation, authentic folate standards, and microbiological assay. The total folate content of rat brain was 360 ng per gram brain (wet wt) and consisted of tetrahydropteroylpentaglutamate (H4 PteGlu5, 29%), H4 PteGlu6 (14%), H4PteGlu7 (7%), 5-CH3-H4PteGlu4 (7%), 5-CH3-H4PteGlu5 (13%), and small amounts of formyl-, methyl-, and H4PteGlu1-6 (~25%) and non-methylated folates having a glutamate chain over seven glutamates long (4%). Overall folate oxidation state and one carbon forms were H4PteGlun (58%), 5-CH3-H4PteGlun (18%), 5- and 10-CHO-H4PteGlun (16%), and H2 PteGlun (8%). No PteGlun was detected.
Interacting effects of temperature, pressure and cholesterol content upon the molecular order of dioleoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles

Abstract Dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) multilamellar vesicles containing varying amounts of cholesterol (0–50 mol%) were studied by measuring the polarisation of diphenylhexatriene fluorescence at 6, 23.5, and 35.5°C, and at hydrostatic pressures up to 1.5 kbar. Interactions between temperature and pressure were quantified as the temperature-pressure equivalence which was approximately 19–23 K · kbar-1 for all binary mixtures of cholesterol and DOPC. Polarisation was linearly related to cholesterol/DOPC ratio, except at low temperature. In all cases pressure caused an increase in polarisation (i.e., an increase in molecular order) but did not alter the slope of the graph relating polarisation to cholesterol/DOPC ratio. The relative ordering effect of cholesterol and pressure was quantified by calculating the cholesterol-pressure equivalence. An increase in cholesterol/DOPC ratio of approximately 0.35–0.50 increased polarisation by an amount equivalent to an increase in pressure of 1 kbar. Cholesterol-pressure equivalence tended to decrease as temperature decreased and pressure increased; that is, as membrane order increased.
I think, therefore I am? Examining conceptions of the self, soul, and mind.

In order to delineate among conceptions of the self, soul, and mind, participants reported where they believe these entities are located in the body and provided definitions of each entity. Results indicated that most people consider the self, soul, and mind localized in specific regions in the body. In contrast to previous research, however, some participants reported that the self is not centralized in one location. Participants tended to locate the self and mind in the head and the soul in the chest. The self and mind were commonly defined in mental terms and the soul as one’s essence. These results suggest that people tend to distinguish the soul from the mind, both in how they define each entity and where they locate them in the body. Although some people locate the soul in the same region as the self, most people more closely align the mind with the self.
Possibility of Skill Forecast Based on the Finite-Time Dominant Linear Solutions for a Primitive Equation Regional Forecast Model

Abstract The possibility of using forecast errors originating from the finite-time dominant linear modes for the prediction of forecast skill for a primitive equation regional forecast model is studied. This is similar to the method for skill prediction suggested by several other authors using simplified models. Two main problems associated with a sophisticated forecast model not considered in these other studies are investigated. 1) The number of degrees of freedom is typically too large for the evaluation of the spectrum of dominant modes associated with the linear error evolution equation, and 2) many different, physically meaningful, error measures may be used for this model and the dominant linear modes may be sensitive to the selection of the error measure. It is shown first that the finite-time dominant linear solutions can be computed with sufficient accuracy for the complex forecast model using standard “power” method with a small number of iterations for all error measures considered in this stu...
Central Auditory Function in Stutterers

Central auditory function was assessed in 10 stutterers and 10 nonstutterers. Performance of the two groups was compared for seven audiometric procedures including acoustic reflex threshold, acoust...
A bookkeeping strategy for multiple objective linear programs

This paper discusses the bookkeeping strategies for solving large multiple objective linear programs (MOLPs) on ADBASE, a well developed sequential software package, and on a parallel ADBASE algorithm. Three representative list creation schemes were first analyzed and tested. The best of them, Binary Search with Insertion Sort (BSIS), was selected to be incorporated into ADBASE and the parallel ADBASE algorithm. The resulting new bookkeeping strategy was then tested in ADBASE as well as implemented in the parallel ADBASE algorithm. The parallel implementations were carried out on an Intel Paragon multiprocessor. Computational results show that the new bookkeeping strategy for maintaining a list of efficient solutions significantly speeds up the process of solving MOLPs, especially on parallel computers.
cis-Acting elements within CFTR 5'-flanking DNA are not sufficient to decrease gene expression in response to phorbol ester.

Abstract The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene ( CFTR ) is regulated in a tissue-specific and developmental fashion. Although it has been known for some time that phorbol esters decrease CFTR expression in cell lines that have high CFTR mRNA levels, the cis -acting elements that control this down-regulation remain ill-defined. The role of cis -acting elements within the CFTR minimal promoter in modulating responses to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and forskolin was assessed using luciferase reporter gene ( luc )-containing plasmids transfected into Calu-3 and HT-29 cells. PMA treatment had no effect on luciferase activity in Calu-3 cells transiently transfected with plasmids containing luc driven by up to 2.3 kb of CFTR 5′-flanking DNA. PMA increased luciferase activity in transfected HT-29 cells. A more extensive region of DNA was evaluated using a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) containing luc driven by ∼335 of CFTR 5′-flanking DNA (y5′luc) stably introduced into HT-29 cells. Clonal cell lines containing y5′luc were created and assessed for luciferase activity at baseline and in response to forskolin and PMA. There was a wide range of baseline luciferase activities among the clones (42–1038 units/μg protein) that was not entirely due to the number of luc copies present within the cells. Treatment with both PMA and forskolin led to increased luciferase activity in six randomly selected clonal cell lines. As expected, endogenous CFTR expression increased in response to forskolin and decreased in response to PMA. These studies demonstrate that luc -containing YAC vectors can be used to study CFTR expression in human cells. In addition, these data suggest that important regulatory elements responsible for decreased CFTR expression in response to PMA are not located upstream of CFTR in the ∼335 kb 5′-flanking sequence included in this YAC construct.
X-ray microbeam measurements of individual dislocation cell elastic strains in deformed single-crystal copper

The distribution of elastic strains (and thus stresses) at the submicrometre length scale within deformed metal single crystals has remarkably broad implications for our understanding of important physical phenomena. These include the evolution of the complex dislocation structures that govern mechanical behaviour within individual grains1,2,3, the transport of dislocations through such structures4,5,6, changes in mechanical properties that occur during reverse loading7,8,9 (for example, sheet-metal forming and fatigue), and the analyses of diffraction line profiles for microstructural studies of these phenomena10,11,12,13,14,15. We present the first direct, spatially resolved measurements of the elastic strains within individual dislocation cells in copper single crystals deformed in tension and compression along 〈001〉 axes. Broad distributions of elastic strains are found, with important implications for theories of dislocation structure evolution3,16,17,18,19,20, dislocation transport4,5,6, and the extraction of dislocation parameters from X-ray line profiles10,11,12,13,14,15,21,22,23,24.
Large-scale hierarchical organization of nanowire arrays for integrated nanosystems

The assembly of nanowires and nanotubes into arrays patterned on multiple length scales is critical to the realization of integrated electronic and photonic nanotechnologies. A general and efficient solution-based method for controlling organization and hierarchy of nanowire structures over large areas has been developed. Nanowires were aligned with controlled nanometer to micrometer scale pitch using the Langmuir−Blodgett technique and transferred to planar substrates in a layer-by-layer process to form parallel and crossed nanowire structures. The parallel and crossed nanowire structures were efficiently patterned into repeating arrays of controlled dimensions and pitch using photolithography to yield hierarchical structures with order defined from the nanometer through centimeter length scales. In addition, electrical transport studies show that reliable electrical contacts can be made to the hierarchical nanowire arrays prepared by this method. This solution-based process offers a flexible pathway for...
Transaction management in a distributed database system for local area networks

The design and implementation of an experimental fault-tolerant distributed database management system is described. The system provides a logically integrated view of data with distribution transparency and a controlled data replication. A commitment protocol used to guarantee atomicity of update operations is discussed. Efficient algorithms used to recover a site from a failure and restore data consistency are described. Recovery can be interleaved with the processing of regular database transactions and does not seriously limit the availability of data. The proposed solutions to the problems of fault recovery are designed to take advantage of the properties of a high-bandwidth local area network. >
Democratization's Mysterious Ways

Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, John W. Dower (New York: W. W. Norton, 1999). 676 pp., cloth (ISBN: 0-393-04686-9). $29.95. Book reviewed: Dower, John Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II
Adaptive approach to functional electrical stimulation

The authors develop a simple, linear (in the parameters) human muscle action model for large-amplitude forearm movement to target. The inputs to the model are approximately the biceps and triceps electromyogram signal envelopes over a single movement. The model's output gives the corresponding displacement angle of the forearm about a fixed elbow position as a function of time. Based on this model, an adaptive control algorithm is designed to adjust the stimulation pattern so that the desired movement of the paralyzed arm can be achieved. >
Analysis of Owner’s Design and Construction Quality Management Approaches in Design/Build Projects

This article explores and classifies current approaches to evaluating quality in design/build (DB) proposals. The authors complete a thorough content analysis of 78 requests for proposal (RFPs) for public DB projects with an aggregate contract value of over $3.0 billion advertised between 1997 and 2002. In most DB projects, the owner requires the DB contractor to establish a firm-fixed price on a project that has not yet been designed. Usually, the owner also fixes the project delivery period. In the traditional design/bid/build (DBB) system, quality is fixed through the plans and specifications. Thus, in DBB, with schedule and quality fixed, the cost of construction is the factor in which the owner seeks competition. Conversely, in DB, with cost and schedule fixed, the scope and hence the level of quality is the main element of competition. This article identifies the six owner approaches to articulating DB quality requirements in their RFPs. The six approaches are quality by qualifications, evaluated program, specified program, performance criteria, specification, and warranty. These are important for DB contractors to understand so that they can craft their proposal in a manner that is both responsive to the owners' requirements and consistent with the owner's system to make the best value contract award decision.
Salvage Therapy in Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Hodgkin's disease is a rare malignancy that affects approximately 7,500 patients per year in the U.S., leading to an estimated 1,400 deaths. The relapse rate for this disease varies from around 5% for early-stage disease to 35% for patients with advanced disease. Patients who relapse after chemotherapy have about a 20% cure rate with conventional salvage chemotherapy. Two randomized phase III studies have shown an improved failure-free survival rate with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell support compared with conventional chemotherapy in relapsed patients. They failed to show any improvement in overall survival. For patients who experience failure with autologous transplant, the options of single-agent chemotherapy with gemcitabine, vinblastine, or vinorelbine can be used for palliation. Standard myeloablative allogeneic bone marrow transplant has a high mortality rate in this population. Allogeneic transplant regimens with reduced intensity are currently being studied in clinical trials. Further studies on the use of monoclonal antibodies and radiolabeled antibodies need to be conducted to define their role in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease.
Biogeo-optics: particle optical properties and the partitioning of the spectral scattering coefficient of ocean waters

We propose a direct method of partitioning the particulate spectral scattering coefficient of the marine hydrosol based on the concurrent determination of the concentrations of particulate mineral and organic matter (the total mass of optically active scattering material exclusive of water) with the particulate spectral scattering coefficient. For this we derive a Model II multiple linear regression model. The multiple linear regression of the particulate spectral scattering coefficient against the independent variables, the concentrations of particulate inorganic matter and particulate organic matter, yields their mass-specific spectral scattering cross sections. The mass-specific spectral scattering cross section is simply the particle scattering cross section normalized to the particle mass, a fundamental optical efficiency parameter for the attenuation of electromagnetic radiation [Absorption and Scattering of Light by Small Particles, (Wiley-Interscience, 1983), pp. 80-81, 289]. It is possible to infer the optical properties of the suspended matter from the mass-specific spectral scattering cross sections. From these cross sections we partition the particulate spectral scattering coefficient into its major components.
Annual Research Review: Resilience and child well-being – public policy implications

Background: There has been an 8-fold increase in use of the term resilience within scientific and scholar literature over the last twenty years. The arena of public policy has also seen increasing use made of the concept, both with respect to child well-being and development and wider issues. Method: A focal sample of literature comprising 108 papers addressing public policy implications of work on child resilience was identified by a structured bibliographic search. Results: This literature suggests that current work: is characterized by a breadth of sectoral engagement across the fields of education, social work, and health; demonstrates diversity with regard to the systemic levels ‐ individual (biological and psychological), communal (including systems of faith and cultural identity), institutional and societal ‐ with which it engages; but is based more upon conceptual rather than empirical analysis. Major themes of policy recommendation target strengthened family dynamics, increased capacity for counseling and mental health services, supportive school environments, development of community programs, promotion of socioeconomic improvement and adoption of a more comprehensive conception of resilience. Evaluations of resiliency-informed policy initiatives are limited in number, with greatest rigor in design associated with more discrete programmatic interventions. Conclusion: A number of strategies to strengthen research-policy linkages are identified. These include greater commitment to operationalize indicators of resilience at all levels of analysis; more coherent engagement with the policy making process through explicit knowledge translation initiatives; and developing complex adaptive systems models amenable to exploring policy scenarios. Keywords: Resilience, recommendations, policy, (complex adaptive) systems, knowledge transfer.
Modern racism and the images of blacks in local television news

Assessing the role of television in mediating cultural change, this paper hypothesizes that local television news simultaneously depresses the legitimacy of old‐fashioned racism (beliefs that blacks are inferior and should be segregated) and stimulates the production of modern racism (anti‐black affect combined with resentment at the continuing claims of blacks on white resources and sympathies). The effects are not intentional; rather, the paper suggests, it is partly because they seek to overcome old‐fashioned racism and respond to the viewing tastes of black audiences that local TV news programs reinforce modern racism.
Roles for Children’s Hospitals in Pediatric Collaborative Improvement Networks

Children’s hospitals represent a significant opportunity to reduce morbidity, mortality, and costs, particularly for children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) who comprise a disproportionate and growing share of admissions, readmissions, and resource use. Most children with CCCs are in some way associated with a children’s hospital, and the subspecialists who care for them are primarily concentrated in the ∼200 children’s hospitals in the United States. Children’s hospitals and their associated subspecialty clinics are uniquely positioned to achieve significant outcomes and cost savings through coordinated quality-improvement efforts. However, even the largest children’s hospital has relatively small volumes of patients with any given condition. Only by linking children’s hospitals in networks can a sufficient “N” be achieved to build the evidence for what works for children. Large-scale pediatric collaborative network exemplars have demonstrated the ability to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and spread changes found to be effective. Substantial opportunities exist for networks to expand to additional conditions, improvement topics, and sites, but financial barriers exist. Although much of their participation has been funded as “pay to participate” efforts by the hospitals themselves, most financial benefits accrue to payers. As health care reform becomes a reality and financial pressures intensify, it will become increasingly difficult for children’s hospitals to serve as the primary source of support for networks. Partnerships between children’s hospitals and national payers to support collaborative networks are needed, and these partnerships have the potential to significantly improve pediatric care and outcomes, particularly for children with CCCs.
Detection of Compromised Sensor Nodes in Heterogeneous Sensor Networks

An attacker can capture sensor nodes operating in an unattended environment, load malicious code in the nodes, and then redeploy the compromised nodes into the network. These nodes can launch various kinds of insider attacks and cause severe damage to the network. Thus, fast and efficient detection of compromised nodes in wireless sensor networks is a critical security issue. In this paper, we adopt a Heterogeneous Sensor Network (HSN) model to achieve better security and performance. We present an effective and efficient scheme for detecting compromised nodes by utilizing powerful high-end sensors in HSNs. We compare our scheme with an existing detection scheme. The performance evaluation shows that our scheme is more efficient and has much higher detection rate than the existing one.
Online-offline laser ultrasonic quality inspection tool for multi-layer chip capacitors

The advent of surface mounted devices has allowed continued size decreases in electronic packages. However, the decrease in device size has led to other manufacturing problems. Therefore, as devices decrease in size, inspection technology must be developed to maintain consistent levels of quality without increasing manufacturing process time. The focus of most inspection technology is on finding defects with solder joint interconnects, but some devices, such as multi- layer chip capacitors (MLCCs), have failures not relating to the solder connection. Defects in MLCCs, known as flex cracks, are commonly caused by manufacturing processes, and no current means of detection exists, unless the cracks cause a device to fail a functional test. A laser ultrasonic and interferometric system, providing a non-contact, nondestructive and online approach for microelectronic package quality inspection, is designed and presented. A pulsed infrared laser excites a specimen into vibration through laser-generated ultrasound, and the vibration displacement is measured using an interferometer. Differentiation between acceptable and unacceptable devices is achieved using signal-processing techniques that compare waveforms between two devices. Results are presented or a case study involving MLCCs that have intentionally induced flex cracks, causing the devices to fail. The system has the capability of detecting open connections and flex cracks in the MLCC packages.
Tougher jobs, tougher instruments: More complex measurement problems are being solved by microprocessors, bussed systems, and software

More complex electronic test and measurement instruments which are being solved by microprocessors, bussed systems, and software.
The Interaction of Carbon Dioxide with Single Crystal CaO(100) Surfaces

We have carried out synchrotron-based photoemission spectroscopy (O 1s, C 1s, Ca 2p, Ca 3p/O 2s/VB) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy (C K-edge) study of the interaction of CO2 with UHV-cleaved synthetic single crystal CaO(100) surfaces. Our data are compared with data collected from a high quality natural sample of (calcite). The CaO (100) surface readily undergoes hydroxylation with the ambient pH2O associated with most UHV systems. Carbon coverages were observed to be lower for the most hydroxylated sample. Comparison of our C K-edge data for CO2/CaO(100) and calcite indicates that there is formation of a surface carbonate species at CO2 pressures above 10-6 Torr. The reaction of CaO(100) with CO2 occurs at far lower CO2 pressures than for MgO(100), which is consistent with equilibrium thermodynamic predictions.
DIFFUSION IN NON-STOICHIOMETRIC COMPOUNDS

The purpose of this paper is to review some of the techniques and results of studies of diffusion in non-stoichiometric compounds with special reference to the migration mechanisms of mass transport. Consider first the use of radiotracers as a tool to study the defect structure of a non-stoichiometric compound. As examples we cite the lead salts, PbS, PbSe and PbTe. Electrical conductivity measurements and Hall effect measurements have shown that these lead chalcogenides can exist with an excess of either chalcogen or an excess of lead. See Fig. 1. The excess of chalcogen gives rise to a crystal which exhibits p-type or electron hole conductivity while the crystals with an excess of metal yield n-type or electron conductivity. Using lead sulfide as an example, sulfur might enter the lattice as $${1 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {1 2}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} 2}S_2 \left( {gas} \right) = S_S + V'_{pb} + \oplus$$ (1) Here the notation of Kroger and Vink is used (1). For the present example we exclude the possibility of interstitial sulfur as $${1 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {1 2}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} 2}S_2 \left( {gas} \right) = S''_i + 2 \oplus$$ (2) although Seltzer and Wagner (2) and Ban and Wagner (3) report that minority concentrations of interstitial chalcogen can exist in the lead salts as did Tannhauser for anion vacancies in AgBr (4).
Adhemar of Puy: The Bishop and his Critics

ADHEMAR of Monteil, bishop of Puy and papal legate on the First Crusade, has intrigued historians for eight hundred years and more. Placed in a highly influential position at a critical time, his premature death robbed him of the chance to fulfill the promise which his career plainly showed. As the personal and official representative of Pope Urban II with the armies of the First Crusade, Bishop Adhemar's policies, the attitude he took toward the feudal princes who headed the several armies which participated in the Crusade, the extent to which he was able to impose upon the princes obedience to the wishes of the pope, the attitude he took toward the churches and churchmen of the East all were highly significant in determining the relative success of the expedition. Yet, it is exceedingly difficult to reconstruct the historical Adhemar of Monteil; difficult to say just how he did handle the princes on the Crusade or to what extent he was able to impose upon them obedience to papal wishes. The historians of the First Crusade agree, however, that Adhemar was important, that he was genuinely influential, and that his influence on the Crusaders was beneficial. The testimony of historians on these points is all but unanimous from the twelfth to the twentieth centuries. Adhemar, we are told, gave sustenance to the poor and counsel to the rich,' he ruled God's army wisely and thoughtfully,2 he was a man "of revered character and immortal memory,"3 "a respectable prelate, alike qualified for this world and the next,"4 whose firm, conciliatory attitude held the Crusaders together,' and whose death was "one of the greatest tragedies of the Crusade."6 The praises of Bishop Adhemar, as leader, as cleric, and as soldier, have been recounted by a dozen chroniclers of the First Crusade and by a score of historians, from William of Tyre to Sir Steven Runciman. Despite all this, in Runciman's words, Adhemar remains "a rather shadowy figure."
Direct screening for acid phosphatase production on bcip-agar plates

SUMMARY A direct screening procedure for detection of acid phosphatase activity was established using medium containing 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate. Production of acid phosphatase could be suppressed by adding phosphate. This technique will be useful for screening cell populations for acid phosphatase activity as well as studying its regulation.
Persistence of Different-sized Populations: An Empirical Assessment of Rapid Extinctions in Bighorn Sheep

Abstract: Theory and simulation models suggest that small populations are more susceptible to extinction than large populations, yet assessment of this idea has been hampered by lack of an empirical base. I address the problem by asking how long different-sized populations persist and present demographic and weather data spanning up to 70 years for 122 bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations in southwestern North America Analyses reveal that: (1) 100 percent of the populations with fewer than 50 individuals went extinct within 50 years; (2) populations with greater than 100 individuals persisted for up to 70 years; and (3) the rapid loss of populations was not likely to be caused by food shortages, severe weather, predation, or interspecific competition These data suggest that population size is a marker of persistence trajectories and they indicate that local extinction cannot be overcome because 50 individuals, even in the short term, are not a minimum viable population size for bighorn sheep.
Identifiability, Exchangeability, and Epidemiological Confounding

Non-identifiability of parameters is a well-recognized problem in classical statistics, and Bayesian statisticians have long recognized the importance of exchangeability assumptions in making statistical inferences. A seemingly unrelated problem in epidemiology is that of confounding: bias in estimation of the effects of an exposure on disease risk, due to inherent differences in risk between exposed and unexposed individuals. Using a simple deterministic model for exposure effects, a logical connection is drawn between the concepts of identifiability, exchangeability, and confounding. This connection allows one to view the problem of confounding as arising from problems of identifiability, and reveals the exchangeability assumptions that are implicit in confounder control methods. It also provides further justification for confounder definitions based on comparability of exposure groups, as opposed to collapsibility-based definitions.
A partial introduction to financial asset pricing theory

We present an introduction to mathematical Finance Theory for mathematicians. The approach is to start with an abstract setting and then introduce hypotheses as needed to develop the theory. We present the basics of European call and put options, and we show the connection between American put options and backwards stochastic differential equations.
THE COUNTBACK METHOD FOR ANALYZING SENSITIVITY DATA

Abstract : Sensitivity data are defined as involving two response categories, with responses observed at different levels of some variable of interest. The responses are taken to indicate sensitivity to the variable, and, in this regard, may be labeled 'positive' and 'negative.' Of particular interest in analyzing sensitivity data is the estimation of the 50% point, the level of the variable for which the two responses are equally likely. (Author)
The Paradox of Equipoise: The Principle That Drives and Limits Therapeutic Discoveries in Clinical Research

Background:Progress in clinical medicine relies on the willingness of patients to take part in experimental clinical trials, particularly randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Before agreeing to enr...
Characterization of in Vitro Proliferative Responses of Human Lymphocytes to Leishmanial Antigens

Leishmaniasis is an intracellular protozoal infection for which host defense is believed to depend on cellular immune mechanisms. The in vitro proliferative responses of lymphocytes from patients with leishmaniasis and from control subjects to leishmanial antigens were examined. Only lymphocytes from patients responded to 1 microgram of leishmanial antigen/ml, whereas both patient and control lymphocytes responded to 10 micrograms/ml. The nonspecific responses were most likely not due to a mitogenic component in the antigen preparation because cord blood lymphocytes failed to respond at all concentrations of antigen tested. Both specific and nonspecific responses to leishmanial antigens were elicited in purified populations of thymus-derived (T) cells. This lymphocyte proliferation assay can be applied to the assessment of antigen-specific responsiveness of T cells from patients who represent the spectrum of host defense against leishmaniasis.
Factors Determining Corporate Political Activities in the U.S. Food and Tobacco Industries

The role and importance of special interest groups in the policy process in the United States is well documented. Activities of such groups include putting political pressure on the government through lobbying and political campaign contributions to repeal certain regulations that cut into firm or industry profits or to impose regulatory protections that raise firm or industry profits. Food and tobacco manufacturing firms in the United States actively participate in political activities to influence public policy formulation and implementation. This study empirically examines the conditions that must be met if food and tobacco firms are to organize and participate in corporate political activities to influence government. According to empirical findings, such conditions require that the industry is highly concentrated, has a large number of employees, has high average sales per firm, and has a high profit rate. Corporate political activities, however, decline beyond a critical level of concentration.
Selected topics in video coding and computer vision

Video applications ranging from multimedia communication to computer vision have been extensively studied in the past decades. However, the emergence of new applications continues to raise questions that are only partially answered by existing techniques. This thesis studies three selected topics related to video: intra prediction in block-based video coding, pedestrian detection and tracking in infrared imagery, and multi-view video alignment. In the state-of-art video coding standard H.264/AVC, intra prediction is defined on the hierarchical quad-tree based block partitioning structure which fails to exploit the geometric constraint of edges. We propose a geometry-adaptive block partitioning structure and a new intra prediction algorithm named geometry-adaptive intra prediction (GAIP). A new texture prediction algorithm named geometry-adaptive intra displacement prediction (GAIDP) is also developed by extending the original intra displacement prediction (IDP) algorithm with the geometry-adaptive block partitions. Simulations on various test sequences demonstrate that intra coding performance of H.264/AVC can be significantly improved by incorporating the proposed geometry adaptive algorithms. In recent years, due to the decreasing cost of thermal sensors, pedestrian detection and tracking in infrared imagery has become a topic of interest for night vision and all weather surveillance applications. We propose a novel approach for detecting and tracking pedestrians in infrared imagery based on a layered representation of infrared images. Pedestrians are detected from the foreground layer by a Principle Component Analysis (PCA) based scheme using the appearance cue. To facilitate the task of pedestrian tracking, we formulate the problem of shot segmentation and present a graph matching-based tracking algorithm. Simulations with both OSU Infrared Image Database and WVU Infrared Video Database are reported to demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of our algorithms. Multi-view video alignment is a process to facilitate the fusion of non-synchronized multi-view video sequences for various applications including automatic video based surveillance and video metrology. In this thesis, we propose an accurate multi-view video alignment algorithm that iteratively aligns two sequences in space and time. To achieve an accurate sub-frame temporal alignment, we generalize the existing phase-correlation algorithm to 3-D case. We also present a novel method to obtain the ground-truth of the temporal alignment by using supplementary audio signals sampled at a much higher rate. The accuracy of our algorithm is verified by simulations using real-world sequences.