cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Image comparisons of snow and ice crystals photographed by light (video) microscopy and low-temperature scanning electron microscopy

Light (video) microscopy and low-temperature scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to examine and record images of identical precipitated and metamorphosed snow crystals as well as glacial ice grains. Collection procedures enabled numerous samples from distant locations to be shipped to a laboratory for storage and/or observation. The frozen samples could be imaged with a video microscope in the laboratory at ambient temperatures or with the low-temperature SEM. Stereo images obtained by video microscopy or low-temperature SEM greatly increased the ease of structural interpretations. The preparation procedures that were used for low-temperature SEM did not result in sublimation or melting. However, this technique did provide far greater resolution and depth of focus over that of the video microscope. The advantage of resolution was especially evident when examining the small particles associated with rime and graupel (snow crystals encumbered with frozen water droplets), whereas the greater depth of focus provided clearer photographs of large crystals such as depth hoar, and ice. Because the SEM images contained only surface information while the video images were frequently confounded by surface and internal information, the SEM images also clarified the structural features of depth hoar crystals and ice grains. Low-temperature SEM appears to have considerable promise for future investigations of snow and ice.
Spatial data streaming or streaming spatial data: just stream it the way you like

Have you ever counted the number of times the word "streaming" has occurred in a geospatial oriented conference proceedings over the past few years? Have you ever monitored the growth of the geospatial research and industrial community? Have you ever noticed that geospatial researchers are living the luxury of an era where real-time data is streamed at the convenience of their fingertips? Thanks to advances in the "geosensing" technologies, the geospatial community is "almost" ready for their next revolutionary jump. But not quite ready yet! Until we understand how we can process, mine, and analyze the massive amount of data being streamed from geo-sensors every second, the challenge is still there.However, the horizon looks bright. There have been several success stories to continuously monitor and manage spatiotemporal stream data, each of which has its own position and promise. They ranged from leveraging a geographic information system with streaming capabilities (call it, spatial-data streaming) to leveraging a full-fledged data streaming system with spatial libraries (streaming spatial data, with the emphasis on the word streaming coming first). The spectrum in between these two extremes has been investigated as well.This talk covers the "Today of Geospatial" and introduces to the audience several geospatial directions at Microsoft, e.g., SQL Server Spatial, Bing Maps, SQL Server BI, SQL Spatial Library, and then, goes into the "Future of Geospatial": geostreaming and, more specifically, geostreaming in the cloud. The talk is divided into two parts: The first part provides a 10,000 foot view of various geospatial efforts at Microsoft and, then, zooms-in through selected angles to highlight key milestones that have advanced the geostreaming state of the art. The second part of the talk introduces the Microsoft SQL Server StreamInsight approach to geostreaming and highlights its impact on the future of the geo-world. This talk provides the unique lessons that have been taken over the last few years, an industrial perspective of the problem, and definitely a vision of how the ".geo" term will be one of the hottest terms over the coming decades (if not over the coming years).
The Influence of Test Characteristics on the Detection of Aberrant Response Patterns

Statistical methods to assess the congruence between an item response pattern and a specified item response theory model have recently proliferated. This "person fit" research has focused on the question: To what extent can person-fit indices identify well-defined forms of aberrant item response? This study extended previous person-fit research in two ways. First, an unexplored model for generating aberrant response patterns was explicated. The data-generation model is based on the theory that aberrant item responses result in less psychometric information for the individual than predicated by the parameters of a specified response model. Second, the proposed response aberrancy generation model was implemented to investigate how the aberrancy detection power of a person-fit statistic is influenced by test properties (e.g., the spread of item difficulties). Results indicated that detecting aberrant response patterns was especially problematic for tests with less than 20 items, and for tests with limited ra...
Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy with autobipolar and argon plasma coagulation

Abstract We review a modified electrocautery for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy using an autobipolar coagulation (AB) and argon plasma coagulation (APC). As electrocauteric techniques, AB and APC have many benefits because of their accurate and effective hemostasis. A significant difference in operating time and in intraoperative blood loss occurred regardless of the ages of the operators. Postoperative pain is a well-known problem of electrocautery, however, AB and APC can easily reduce it in combination with the conventional method. In conclusion, AB and APC offer new possibilities for electrocautery with significant reduced blood loss and surgical time, good cost performance and relatively less postoperative pain.
Age-related changes in the fine structure of the flight muscle in the house fly

Summary The average life span of the male house fly at 25°C is approximately 18 days, but some survive for one month or longer. Towards the end of their normal life house flies lose their wings. Age-related alterations in the fine structure of the flight muscle and male house flies were studied. In 1–3 day old flies the myofibrils are surrounded by elongated mitochondria which are densely packed with fenestrated cristae. The nuclei occur in the subsarcolemmal region and their chromatin is mainly diffused. Fusion of mitochondria into larger and irregularly shaped structures occurs in 7–11 day old flies suggesting that the “giant” mitochondria of the insect flight muscle may arise by an age-related mitochondrial fusion. In 15–18 day old flies some of the mitochondria undergo degenerative changes. The nuclear chromatin becomes increasingly condensed. In 25–30 day old flies there is focal degeneration of myofibrils. The striation pattern, as well as myofibrillar arrangement, is lost. In severely degenerative areas the myofilaments undergo complete dissolution. Mitochondria in such regions are extremely swollen, and their cristae are disoriented and fragmented.
Pressure on the horse's withers with three styles of blanket.

Abstract The objective of this study was to compare total force and localised pressure on horses’ withers with three blanket styles (straight cut, V-shaped insert, cutback withers). Three pressure recordings, each of 5 s duration, were taken in order to determine blanket pressure on the withers during standing and walking in 12 horses. Means ± SD were calculated for the following variables and compared across blankets: total force, mean pressure, maximal pressure, and area with pressure >4 kPa. For standing trials, the blanket with the V-shaped insert had the lowest total force and smallest area with pressure >4 kPa ( P 4 kPa ( P
The “trials” of a long-term clinical trial: The ticlopidine aspirin stroke study and the Canadian-American ticlopidine study

The Ticlopidine Aspirin Stroke Study (TASS) and the Canadian-American Ticlopidine Study (CATS) were established by the Syntex Corporation to evaluate the potential efficacy of the antiplatelet agent ticlopidine. TASS was designed to address the use of the drug in the prevention of stroke in patients who had been diagnosed as having had one or more transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), using aspirin as a positive control. CATS was designed as a placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the drug's usefulness in prevention of a second stroke in patients after an initial stroke. Both studies were established in a "triple-blind" fashion where the patients, investigators, and Syntex were unaware of the patient assignments as to ticlopidine or control. In order to monitor the studies for potential toxicity/efficacy, Syntex established a "Safety Committee." The presentation describes, from the viewpoint of the Safety Committee, some of the issues raised by the results as they developed, by the investigators, the company, and the regulatory authorities involved. The decisions reached are discussed along with the rationale for those decisions and the outcomes.
Moving forward by looking back: ‘Retrospective’ clinical studies

I have been asked to comment on ‘how to do a retrospective study.’ A truly authoritative response to this charge is perhaps best sought in one or more reputable epidemiology texts. The present comm...
Basic longitudinal texture and fracturing process in thermoset polymers

The “basic longitudinal texture”, which is present everywhere on the fracture surfaces of glassy thermosets and is the finest texture observed on such surfaces, consists of low ridges and shallow grooves that are aligned parallel with the direction of crack propagation. The periodicity of the basic longitudinal texture, i.e., the average lateral separation between the ridges (or grooves), has been found to be characteristic of materials. This and other properties were measured for a series of rigid epoxy specimens made from diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A and methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride. For the series of epoxies studied, the glass transition temperatures varied from 76 to 143 °C, the room temperature Young's modulus varied from 2.29 to 2.97 G Pa, the room temperature yield stress in compression varied from 99 to 128 M Pa, the room temperature Knoop hardness numbers varied from 133.5 to 163.5, the rubbery modulus at 200'C varied from 12.8 to 21.6 MPa, and the periodicity of the basic longitudinal texture varied from 205 to 368 nm. Only properties of the liquid state, namely glass transition temperature and the rubbery modulus, correlated well with periodicity of the basic longitudinal texture. This suggests that the basic longitudinal texture is the remnant left on the fracture surfaces of a liquid state that must have developed during fracture. This suggests in turn that liquefaction is an intrinsic part of the brittle fracture of polymer network glasses.
Hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls in the environment: sources, fate, and toxicities

Hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) are produced in the environment by the oxidation of PCBs through a variety of mechanisms, including metabolic transformation in living organisms and abiotic reactions with hydroxyl radicals. As a consequence, OH-PCBs have been detected in a wide range of environmental samples, including animal tissues, water, and sediments. OH-PCBs have recently raised serious environmental concerns because they exert a variety of toxic effects at lower doses than the parent PCBs and they are disruptors of the endocrine system. Although evidence about the widespread dispersion of OH-PCBs in various compartments of the ecosystem has accumulated, little is currently known about their biodegradation and behavior in the environment. OH-PCBs are, today, increasingly considered as a new class of environmental contaminants that possess specific chemical, physical, and biological properties not shared with the parent PCBs. This article reviews recent findings regarding the sources, fate, and toxicities of OH-PCBs in the environment.
Amygdala priming results in conditioned place avoidance

Abstract Priming involves daily stimulation of the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) for 5 days using a dose of the GABA A receptor antagonist, bicuculline methiodide (BMI), that is subthreshold to generate anxiogenic-like responses. The coordinated physiological and behavioral response of the primed rat is similar to the symptoms of human panic disorder and has been used as a model to study panic attacks. If the priming procedure is indeed similar to human panic disorder, then the context in which priming occurs should become associated with aversive conditioning and avoidance as seen in secondary agoraphobia following panic attacks in humans. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to further characterize the behavioral response of priming using the conditioned place avoidance (CPA) task that utilizes distinct tactile cues of a grid floor (Grid+) or hole floor (Grid−). Male Wistar rats (275–300 g) were implanted bilaterally with guide cannulae positioned 1 mm above the BLA. Grid+ animals were placed in the conditioning chamber containing grid floors immediately after a 6-pmol (in 250 nl) BMI injection into the BLA and on hole floors following a sham (250 nl vehicle) injection. Grid animals were placed in the chamber containing hole floors after the BMI injection and on grid floors following the sham injection. Animals were placed in the chamber for 20 min following each injection and injections were separated by 4 h. After 5 days of this treatment, the animals were primed. Two days later, during avoidance testing, each animal was placed in the chamber containing both floors for 30 min. Priming with daily 6-pmol BMI injections into the BLA results in CPA or an aversion to the floor paired with the BMI injection. These results suggest that priming may result in phobic-like responses, similar to the avoidance behavior exhibited by panic disorder patients.
Nonlinear optic polymer core conductive-polymer-clad optoelectronic device

A scheme for a five volt V(pi) ) nonlinear optical (NLO) polymer optoelectronic (OE) device is presented with the potential to realize an interaction length that is about an order of magnitude shorter than conventional five volt V(pi) ) NLO polymer OE devices. It utilizes available NLO polymer materials for the core layer and a conductive polymer material for the cladding layers. Since the cladding layer material is more conductive than the core material, most of the applied poling and modulation voltages is dropped across the core layer, rendering a more efficient device. Using an NLO polymer material with electrooptic (EO) coefficients of say 22 pm/V, it is feasible to demonstrate < 2 mm OE devices operating at TTL voltage levels. These small device sizes could lead to use within electronic multichip modules. In addition, since the majority of the poling voltage is dropped across the core layer, less voltage is required so that in-situ poling becomes possible.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Massively parallel solution of quantum transport problems

A numerically intensive program for the simulation of quantum transport in small structures has been implemented on a MasPar MP-1. The high degree of parallelism inherent in numerically intensive sections of the problem has been exploited, and devices with realistic dimensions and operating conditions have been investigated. >
San Francisco's Family-Focused Probation: A Conversation with Chief Adult Probation Officer Wendy Still

The strengths of family and the impact of incarceration on family members are often ignored in the sentencing decision. Similarly, despite decades of research demonstrating that families play an important role in the successful reentry of individuals, they are often overlooked as a reentry resource. A family-focused approach to sentencing and supervision would ensure that family involvement is considered at each decision point in the criminal justice system. Believed to be the only U.S. jurisdiction that is using family impact statements at sentencing, the Adult Probation Department in San Francisco is committed to a family-focused approach. To discuss the department9s innovative practices, the author interviewed Wendy Still, the chief adult probation officer of the city and county of San Francisco.
Walter P. Zenner. A Global Community: The Jews from Aleppo, Syria. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 2000. 233 pp.

The author of this review was once invited to give a historical lecture at a venerable New York City Jewish institution. The subject of antisemitism figured prominently in the talk. “Why do they hate us so?” wailed one member of the audience among the crowd that gathered afterward. “Can you tell me?” As she walked with me to my subway stop, pouring out her despair, I patiently tried to explain to her why perceptions of Jews might have developed as they had.
Reinforcement-Learning-Based Output-Feedback Control of Nonstrict Nonlinear Discrete-Time Systems With Application to Engine Emission Control

A novel reinforcement-learning-based output adaptive neural network (NN) controller, which is also referred to as the adaptive-critic NN controller, is developed to deliver the desired tracking performance for a class of nonlinear discrete-time systems expressed in nonstrict feedback form in the presence of bounded and unknown disturbances. The adaptive-critic NN controller consists of an observer, a critic, and two action NNs. The observer estimates the states and output, and the two action NNs provide virtual and actual control inputs to the nonlinear discrete-time system. The critic approximates a certain strategic utility function, and the action NNs minimize the strategic utility function and control inputs. All NN weights adapt online toward minimization of a performance index, utilizing the gradient-descent-based rule, in contrast with iteration-based adaptive-critic schemes. Lyapunov functions are used to show the stability of the closed-loop tracking error, weights, and observer estimates. Separation and certainty equivalence principles, persistency of excitation condition, and linearity in the unknown parameter assumption are not needed. Experimental results on a spark ignition (SI) engine operating lean at an equivalence ratio of 0.75 show a significant (25%) reduction in cyclic dispersion in heat release with control, while the average fuel input changes by less than 1% compared with the uncontrolled case. Consequently, oxides of nitrogen (NOx) drop by 30%, and unburned hydrocarbons drop by 16% with control. Overall, NOx's are reduced by over 80% compared with stoichiometric levels.
Saururus cernuus Lignans - Potent Small Molecule Inhibitors of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) represents an important tumor-selective therapeutic target for solid tumors. In search of novel small molecule HIF-1 inhibitors, 5400 natural product-rich extracts from plants, marine organisms, and microbes were examined for HIF-1 inhibitory activities using a cell-based reporter assay. Bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation, followed by structure elucidation, yielded three potent natural product-derived HIF-1 inhibitors and two structurally related inactive compounds. In a T47D cell-based reporter assay, manassantin B1, manassantin A, and 4-O-methylsaucerneol inhibited hypoxia-induced HIF-1 activation with IC50 values of 3, 3, and 20 nM, respectively. All three compounds are relatively hypoxia-specific inhibitors of HIF-1 activation, in comparison to other stimuli. The hypoxic induction of HIF-1 target genes CDKN1A, VEGF and GLUT-1 were also inhibited. These compounds inhibit HIF-1 by blocking hypoxia-induced nuclear HIF-1α protein accumulation without affecting HIF-1α mRNA levels. In addition, preliminary structure-activity studies suggest specific structural requirements for this class of HIF-1 inhibitors.
Anion Diffusion in α-Cr2O3

Oxygen-18 exchange between gaseous oxygen, held at a pressure of 125 mm Hg in a Pt10Rh chamber, and spheres of α-Cr2O3 containing three or less grains was determined from 1100° to 1450°C. Isotope equilibrium on crystal surfaces appears to be quickly established, and the rate-determining factor is self-diffusion conforming to the relation D = 15.9 exp(-101,000/ RT) cm2sec−1. Changing sphere diameters caused no detectable variation in diffusion coefficients. Anions are the much slower diffusing species in this oxide.
Profitability index for sires.

Abstract A profitability index for evaluation of sires on predicted lifetime production of daughters and their progeny was developed from sire evaluations for milk yield, fat yield, and stay ability. Indexes of milk and stayability for first lactations were used to calculate proofs for stayability in later lactations. Predicted milk yields were adjusted to the actual age when the records would be made. Breed averages, which are required for the procedure, were calculated from records of daughters of 1192 Holstein-Friesian sires in the Northeast Artificial Insemination Sire Comparison. Proofs for stayability through the first lactation and indexes for stayability in later lactations were used to describe opportunities for genes of the sire to be expressed in a specified year of first or later generations over 15 periods, 13-mo each. These opportunities, when discounted and summed, give the expected number of lactations from one conception. Multiplying the expected number of lactations by milk and fat proofs and net profits per kilogram estimates total economic returns from a single conception. Examples show that stayability may be important in evaluation of sires. The correlation between milk proof and economic evaluation was only .77.
Supercontinuum generation with self-healing Airy pulses

We report experiments and simulations of supercontinuum generation with Airy pulses in a microstructured fiber. The dominant peak of the pulse is continuously rebuilt after soliton formation events resulting in the generation of distinct spectral features.
Identification of Quenchers of Photoexcited States as Novel Agents for Skin Photoprotection

Photooxidative stress is a key mechanism in UVA-induced skin photodamage. Photoexcited states of endogenous UVA chromophores such as porphyrins, melanin precursors, and cross-link-fluorophores of skin collagen exert skin photodamage by direct reaction with substrate molecules (type I photosensitization) or molecular oxygen (type II), leading to formation of reactive oxygen species. Based on our previous research on the role of photoexcited states of endogenous skin chromophores as sensitizers of photooxidative stress, we describe here the identification of a novel class of chemopreventive agents for topical skin photoprotection: quenchers of photoexcited states (QPES). QPES compounds antagonize the harmful excited state chemistry of endogenous sensitizers by physical quenching, facilitating the harmless return of the sensitizer excited state to the electronic ground state by energy dissipation. To identify QPES compounds suitable for development, we designed a primary screening assay based on QPES suppression of photosensitized plasmid cleavage using conditions that exclude antioxidants. This screen is followed with a screen to test for nonsacrificial quenching of dye-sensitized singlet oxygen (1O2) formation by electron paramagnetic resonance detection of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl, a stable free radical indicative of 1O2 formation. These initial screens identified a pyrrolidine pharmacophore with pronounced QPES activity, and l-proline and other noncytotoxic proline derivatives containing this pharmacophore were then screened for efficacy in cellular models of sensitized photodamage. These compounds showed QPES protection against dye-sensitized and psoralen-UVA-induced apoptosis and suppression of proliferation in cultured human skin keratinocytes and fibroblasts. Furthermore, QPES photoprotection of reconstructed full thickness human skin exposed to solar simulated light has been demonstrated.
Reaching for words and nonwords: Interactive effects of word frequency and stimulus quality on the characteristics of reaching movements

Word frequency and stimulus degradation produce large and additive effects in the onset latencies of lexical decision responses. The influence of these two variables was examined in a lexical decision task where continuous arm-reaching responses were required and movement trajectories were tracked. The results yielded the typical additive pattern of word frequency and stimulus degradation on reaction time and movement duration. Importantly, however, an examination of movement trajectories revealed interactive effects of word frequency and stimulus degradation that emerged for the early part of the movement. These findings suggest that factors thought to influence early stages of stimulus identification continue to influence the dynamics of the response after response initiation, motivating a need to reevaluate current models of lexical decision performance. Moreover, this work highlights how the dynamics of naturalistic multidimensional responses provide a richer source of information about decision-making processes than do discrete unidimensional measures.
Isobutyl cyanoacrylate: A clinical and histologic comparison with sutures in closing mucosal incisions in monkeys

Bilateral vertical incisions were made in the maxillary and mandibular labial mucosa of eight young green vervet monkeys. Incisions were closed with either interrupted 4-0 black silk sutures or by the application of isobutyl cyanoacrylate. Mucosal specimens containing the incisions were examined histologically and scored for degree of inflammation at 1, 3, 10, and 20 weeks. The results showed that cyanoacrylate and sutures did not produce similar inflammatory responses.
Street View Motion-from-Structure-from-Motion

We describe a structure-from-motion framework that handles "generalized" cameras, such as moving rolling-shutter cameras, and works at an unprecedented scale-billions of images covering millions of linear kilometers of roads-by exploiting a good relative pose prior along vehicle paths. We exhibit a planet-scale, appearance-augmented point cloud constructed with our framework and demonstrate its practical use in correcting the pose of a street-level image collection.
Essential oil yield and composition of Pistacia vera Kerman fruits, peduncles and leaves grown in California.

BACKGROUND: Pistacia vera ‘Kerman’ is the predominant pistachio nut cultivar in the United States (California), the world’s second largest producer. Despite several reports on the essential oil (EO) content in the genus Pistacia, data on ‘Kerman’ are limited. The EO content and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions of tree nut orchards are of current interest to researchers investigating insect pests and the potential role of EO and VOCs as semiochemicals. To establish a basis for the VOC output of pistachios, the EO content of fruits, peduncles, and leaves was analyzed. RESULTS: Evaluated plant parts contained limonene as the primary EO component, followed by α-terpinolene. Peduncles were unique in containing relatively high levels of α-thujene. The results were reproducible between two different geographical locations. Insitu solid phase microextraction (SPME) studies demonstrated the volatile emission was representative of the EO composition. CONCLUSION: This is the first report detailing the content and distribution of EO and the unique limonene-dominant profile for thisPistaciavera cultivar which may influence pistachio insect pest semiochemical research. c � 2010 Society of Chemical Industry
Lowered Diffusivity in TiO2 with a Nanophase Dispersion of SiO2

In materials that are subject to environmental reactions, one way to increase durability is to decrease the chemical interdiffusion rate. In metal systems, mass transport by diffusion is enhanced — if any change — with finer grained microstructures, because of the greater number of high diffusion interface and boundary paths. In non-metals, increased transport is not necessarily the case, as other mechanisms may control the overall diffusivity. C. Wagner [1] showed the theoretical basis of transport in certain nanocomposite cases based on space charge layers at interfaces. In an oxide-in-oxide nanocomposite, one can use the tools of bulk analysis to study the near-interface effects on transport. The immiscible pair, TiO2-SiO2, was used as a model system. Nanophase powders (50 and 200 m2/g, respectively) from flame hydrolysis were dispersed with high shear, then freeze-dried and hot-pressed to near theoretical density. Transmission electron microscopy was used to show < 10 nm particles in the composites produced at the time of diffusivity measurement. The rate of change of four-point electrical conductivity in response to a change in oxygen partial pressure was used to estimate chemical diffusivity. The re-equilibration differences between TiO2 diffusivity for bars of about 10 times different square cross-section areas confirmed the interpretation of the conductance rate changes to be the result of bulk interdiffusion. The interdiffusion rate in the nanoscale dispersoid composites was more than 5 times lower than for same SiO2-fraction composites after coarsening which were like TiO2 with no second-phase. Results are in qualitative agreement with models for impurity segregation to interfaces and for space charge layers near the dispersed nanoparticles.
Adhesively bonded lap joints with extreme interface geometry

Abstract The role of adhesive–adherend interface morphology (through intentional deviation from a flat joint plane) on the mechanical behavior of adhesively bonded lap joints is studied. Two mirror-image types of joints with a zigzag interface containing ‘positive and negative’ interlocking teeth were fabricated and their tensile behavior was measured and compared to the response of a standard flat joint. Numerical simulations were used to explore the role of tooth height and width on the stress distribution in the adhesive, and on crack propagation and arrest after initial fracture. The data suggest that stress distribution along the bond line – and thus, the initial fracture load of the joint – is altered considerably by the positive and negative interlocking teeth. The tendency of a crack to either propagate along the bond or to arrest also depends strongly on morphological details. When crack arrests, the bonded joint can sustain a higher load and thus benefits from some of the intrinsic properties of the adherends (e.g. the plasticity of metal adherends) to enhance energy absorption and toughness. Our findings provide insight for the development of robust multi-material and multi-component structural systems with tailorable properties, and for understanding the role of interface morphology in some biological systems.
Citizens' Media in the Favelas: Finding a Place for Community-Based Digital Media Production in Social Change Processes

Though theories of citizens' media offer fruitful discussions on how to encourage marginalized communities to participate in media production, they often do not consider the role of material produced in larger social change projects. Drawing on the case of Viva Favela, a digital journalism project based in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, we can see a conflict between two views on how to orient material produced locally with larger social change agendas: one that seeks to make the site a network for collaborators in favelas across Brazil and another that seeks to use it as an advocacy tool for addressing problems facing Rio's favelas. Addressing this conflict entails reconsidering how citizens' media projects coordinate between opposing interests and goals.
The public private sphere: family narrative and democracy in Argentina and South Africa

This article explores the paradoxical prominence of seemingly private family stories and memories in the democratic public spheres emerging in the wake of the ‘Dirty War’ in Argentina and apartheid in South Africa. In part because the discourse of the family was used in these cases to both uphold and protest dictatorial regimes, individuals who lost family members to state violence became powerful moral agents in the post‐dictatorship and post‐apartheid periods. Narratives told by and about these individuals – ranging from personal testimony given in each country’s truth commission to representations in theatre, fiction and film – have worked to constitute what may be called a ‘public private sphere’. They not only express personal grief, but also (and especially in wider cultural circulation) have been emplotted and mobilised to construct democratic publics. These may or may not correspond to the nationwide publics envisioned in state discourses of reconciliation. Using genealogical fiction surrounding ‘...
The sense of community in a geographically dispersed organisation

This case study of Black Rock City, also known as Burning Man, examines the psychological sense of community (PSOC) within a geographically dispersed organisation, identifies communal aspects, and embarks upon an understanding of the intentional and fortuitous aspects of managing and developing a systemic community without physical boundaries. The methodology used is a qualitative case study with data collection procedures including in-depth exploratory interviews of self-defined Burners, a history, direct observations, an ethnographic study, and primary research using the sense of community index version 2 (N = 222), commonly referred to as the SCI-2 (Chavis et al., 2008). Findings of this study convey ‘shared emotional connection’ as the most important factor of this geo-dispersed community. Thematic analysis also suggests that acceptance, collaboration, and shared symbols and rituals can create a ‘sense of community’ despite ambiguous boundaries.
Executive Leadership Versus Budgetary Beha vior

Existing studies underestimate the barriers to using the budgetary process as a mechanism for "steering" public organizations. This analysis describes the apparently infinite adaptability of public administrators to changes in executive priori ties by examining budgeting under two successive, sharply contrasting chief executives in Delaware. The study also looks at how budget examiners respond to changing executive priorities and at how this may, in fact, undermine executive leadership. It also identifies alterations in legislative behavior which follow shifts in executive priorities and agency actions. Two very different patterns of budgetary behavior are identified and important limitations on "steering" and executive leadership are outlined.
Load management in distributed video servers

We define and formulate various policies for load management in distributed video servers. We propose a predictive placement policy that determines the degree of replication necessary for popular videos using a cost based optimization procedure based on a priori predictions of expected subscriber requests. For scheduling requests, we propose an adaptive scheduling policy that compares the relative utilization of resources in a video server to determine an assignment of requests to replicas. To optimize storage utilization, we also devise methods for dereplication of videos based on changes in their popularities and in server usage patterns. Performance evaluations indicate that a load management procedure which uses a judicious combination of the different policies performs best for most server configurations. Advances in storage technologies are making high performance video servers a reality. These video servers are being deployed over emerging broadband networks to deliver a variety of interactive, digital video services to thousands of residential subscribers. To meet the scalability requirements in such large deployments, distributed video server architectures are being considered (M. Buddhikot and G. Parulkar, 1995). We propose various methods for load management that are targeted at improving the cost effectiveness of distributed video servers.
Experiential learning: Exploring its long-term impact on socially responsible behavior

Today’s students are exposed to world events that require considerable cross cultural understanding and recognition that education is far more than learning facts about specific disciplines and diverse groups while sitting in a classroom. For the past several decades, research in education has repeatedly demonstrated that adults learn effectively through experience. However, does experiential learning, when designed specifically to heighten awareness of a significant social problem, evoke socially responsible behavior specific to that problem in the long run? Employing a qualitative longitudinal research design involving 25 graduate students as participants, this study explored that question. Findings indicated that 94.7% of participants who reported a high impact learning experience when participating in experiential learning while enrolled in a graduate class also reported engaging in socially responsible behavior because of that learning experience. In some instances, the socially responsible behavior continued for as long as three years after the class had ended.
Preventing combinatorial explosion in a localist, neural network architecture using temporal synchrony

I evaluate the pros and cons of a cognitive modelling approach based strictly on localist representations by examining a sequential decision-making architecture developed to model the neural basis of problem-solving. This architecture, comprising layers of graded-activation processing units interleaved with layers of approximately binary units, seems not only amenable to distributed representations in its graded layers, but actively in need of them in order to support levels of model complexity on the scale of symbolic systems. The architecture employs a key connectionist principle: that the semantics of a representation is defined by what is connected to what. Because of this choice, however, the architecture requires a combinatorially explosive number of localist units as problem complexity increases. I discuss the possibility of preventing combinatorial explosion by binding low-level representations into high-level representations through temporal synchrony, using the same dynamics that underlie decision-making in the architecture.
MATERNAL RATINGS OF BULLYING AND VICTIMIZATION: DIFFERENCES IN FREQUENCIES BETWEEN PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSES IN A LARGE SAMPLE OF CHILDREN (.).

Little is known about psychiatric diagnoses that place children at risk for bullying and victimization. Mothers of 1,707 children 6-18 yr. rated their child as a bully and a victim (not at all, to very often a problem) on the Pediatric Behavior Scale. Children with psychiatric diagnoses were evaluated in an outpatient psychiatry clinic (M age = 9.2 yr., 68.4% male). Control children were community children not on psychotropic medication and with no neurodevelopmental disorder (M age = 8.7 yr., 43.5% male). Children with autism, intellectual disability, and ADHD-Combined type had higher victim and bully maternal ratings than children in the ADHD-Inattentive, depression, anxiety, eating disorder, and control groups. Eating disorder and controls were the only groups in which most children were not rated a victim or a bully. Comorbid oppositional defiant disorder accounted for the higher bully ratings for ADHD-Combined, autism, and intellectual disability. Victimization ratings did not differ between psychiatric groups. Except for eating disorders, victimization ratings were greater in all groups than in control children, suggesting that most psychiatric disorders place children at risk for victimization, as perceived by their mothers. Language: en
Altered edaphic parameters couple to shifts in terrestrial bacterial community structure associated with insect-induced tree mortality

Abstract Unprecedented insect-induced tree mortality has been observed globally and while hydrologic and biogeochemical changes have been recorded, alterations to terrestrial microbial communities, which influence as well as respond to these shifts, are not well understood. The objective of this work was to better understand how bacterial communities are coupled to perturbations in biogeochemically-relevant soil physicochemical parameters resulting from beetle-induced tree death. To this end, soils beneath trees across a beetle-kill spectrum were contrasted in the central Rocky Mountains at both heavily impacted (Chimney, 85% mortality) and moderately impacted (Niwot, 18% mortality) field sites. Soil organic matter (OM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic nitrogen were all significantly altered when contrasting soils under healthy versus beetle-attacked trees at Chimney. Bacterial alpha diversity measurements were found to increase with tree death and beta diversity measures showed significant clustering with relation to tree phase. The site was characterized by a significantly higher relative abundance of bacterial clades under healthy trees that were correlated to OM and DOC concentrations. In contrast, compositional changes in soil bacterial communities and edaphic parameters associated with tree phase were not observed at the less impacted Niwot site. Our findings reveal a coupled response between shifts in organic carbon cycling and the bacterial assemblage as a result of large-scale, beetle-induced tree mortality with implications for heterotrophic respiration in near-surface soils and suggests a possible dependence on the level of forest mortality before manifestation.
Data Skills and Value of Social Media: Evidence from Large-Sample Firm Value Analysis

Despite the rapid adoption and increased spending on social media in the recent years, there is little existing research on the economic value of social media investment or the factors that affect this value. In this study, we first provide empirical evidence using a large sample of firm across industries to show firm market value is increasing in social media use, not just adoption. In addition, the value of social media investments are higher in firms that have a larger number of employees with data analytic skills (rather than just IT skills), and that this complementarity is increased when employees with data analytic skills are dispersed throughout the firm. Overall, these results suggest that value of social media for firms lies in its ability to facilitate the gathering and use of external data, and can be extracted more fully when a firm adjusts its human resource and organizational structure to facilitate data analysis and decision making.
Allele frequencies in a cat population in Budapest

Allelic frequencies were determined for the domestic cat population of Budapest, Hungary. Most of the frequencies are in the range of those of western European populations, but there are two unusual features. The first is the apparent absence of blotched tabby and a relatively high frequency of Abyssinian tabby. The second is in the distribution of frequencies of white spotting phenotypes. There is an approximately normal distribution around the most common pattern, which is 50 percent white fur, contrasted to western populations in which frequency is maximal between approximately 10-30 percent white fur and declines with increasing white fur.
Home health services research.

This chapter reviews 69 published research reports of home health care from a health services perspective by nurse researchers and researchers from other disciplines. Reports were identified through searches of the National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE), and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and Social Sciences Citation Index using the following search terms: home health care, health services research, and elders. Within the major areas identified, the following additional terms were specified: resource use and outcomes. Reports were included if published between 1995 and 2001, used samples age 65 and older, performed in the U.S., and published in English. Studies of all types were included. The key findings follow: (a) Most studies were a theoretical. If a theoretical model was used, it was most often the Andersen Behavioral Model. (b) Few conclusions can be drawn about resource use--increasing age and higher severity of health related problems are associated with higher numbers of home visits. The variety of measures of resource use and the study approaches (large national data sets versus single or several agency samples) limits the ability to draw conclusions on resource use. (c) There is a growing body of evidence on rehospitalization of home health care patients which indicates rehospitalization is prevalent but largely not predictable. (d) Patient outcomes research is inconclusive at this point, primarily because there are few studies that examine patient outcomes using a consistent set of measures. The main recommendations are: to study rehospitalization using a more profile-based approach to determine visit patterns that may be effective, to further specify the kinds of outcomes that may be achieved as a result of home health care and which patients might be expected to achieve positive outcomes, and to examine the integration of home health care with the broader community-based services.
The Need for Controlled Heterogeneous Nucleation in Ceramic Processing

The principles underlying controlled heterogeneous nucleation are reviewed. The application of these principles for the preparation of ceramic powders with equiaxed morphology and narrow size distribution is illustrated with examples from the literature and our recent work on alumina. It is concluded that controlled heterogeneous nucleation will be an important factor in fully realizing the benefits of chemically derived polycrystalline ceramics.
Modeling the Determinants of College Readiness for Historically Underrepresented Students at 4-Year Colleges and Universities A National Investigation

College readiness is a national policy priority in the United States, yet relatively little is known from large national samples about the factors and experiences that determine college readiness f...
Evolution of an Intelligent Deductive Logic Tutor Using Data-Driven Elements

Deductive logic is essential to a complete understanding of computer science concepts, and is thus fundamental to computer science education. Intelligent tutoring systems with individualized instruction have been shown to increase learning gains. We seek to improve the way deductive logic is taught in computer science by developing an intelligent, data-driven logic tutor. We have augmented Deep Thought, an existing computer-based logic tutor, by adding data-driven methods, specifically; intelligent problem selection based on the student’s current proficiency, automatically generated on-demand hints, and determination of student problem solving strategies based on clustering previous students. As a result, student tutor completion (the amount of the tutor the students completed) steadily improved as data-driven methods were added to Deep Thought, allowing students to be exposed to more logic concepts. We also gained additional insights into the effects of different course work and teaching methods on tutor effectiveness.
Discussion on Characteristic of Rare Earth Elements and Mineralization of Gold Deposits,Eastern Hebei-Western Liaoning,China

According to the differences of metallogenic geological characteristics of gold deposits in Eastern Hebei and Western Liaoning,trace elements and rare earth elements(REE) of 20 gold ores samples from Jinchangyu,Yuerya,Erdaogou and Paishanlou gold deposits have been determined in order to discuss REE characteristics and mineralization.The close correlation between Au and Bi indicates that they formed in a medium-high hydrothermal environment.On the whole,the right deviation and light REE enrichment of chondrite-normalized REE(REEN) patterns imply that they have similar ore-forming material sources.However,the REEN patterns of some samples exhibit hump and leap style,which suggest that they are polygenetic compound gold deposits.The gradual reduction of total REE content with the increase of gold mineralization can act as a new evaluation index of ore potentiality.