cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tolerance of salinized floodplain conditions in a naturally occurring Eucalyptus hybrid related to lowered plant water potential.

Rising saline groundwater and reduced flooding frequency are causing dieback of Eucalyptus largiflorens F. Muell. along the Murray River in Australia. A green-leaved variant of E. largiflorens, which is probably a hybrid with a local mallee species (E. gracilis F. Muell.), tolerates saline conditions better than the more common grey-leaved variant. The green variant exhibited more negative water potentials than the grey variant, and comparison with soil water potential profiles indicated that the green variant extracted water from slightly higher up the soil profile where the salt content was lower but the soil was drier. However, the stable isotopes of water ( 2 H and 18 O) in the xylem did not differ significantly between paired green and grey trees, suggesting that both variants used the same water source. The green variant may be able to extract water for a longer period from a given point in the soil profile and tolerate a higher salt concentration around its roots than the grey variant. Predawn leaf water potentials of both variants decreased with increasing salinity of groundwater and decreasing depth to the groundwater, probably because the roots were being progressively confined to soil with lower matric potential as groundwater discharge through transpiration progressively salinized soil up the profile. The green variant had a lower assimilation rate and stomatal conductance than the grey variant, although the differences were not statistically significant during most of the year. Discrimination of 13 C indicated that the green variant had a higher leaf internal CO 2 concentration than the grey variant, indicative of a greater biochemical limitation on photosynthesis, perhaps resulting from the effects of operating at lower water potentials. The green variant had significantly lower stem hydraulic conductivity than the grey variant, probably because of its smaller xylem vessel diameter and higher degree of embolism. The more conservative water use of the green variant and its ability to operate at lower water potential than the grey variant appear to underlie its ability to tolerate conditions of reduced useable water above the saline groundwater. This advantage appears to outweigh the costs of increased xylem embolism and reduced assimilation.
Thromboembolic Phenomena in Patients with Prosthetic Aortic Valves Who Did Not Receive Anticoagulants

Seventy-two patients with Starr-Edwards aortic prostheses of the 2300 series were followed for 1 to 73 months (average, 22 months) without receiving anticoagulants. Nine patients had clinical evidence of an embolic episode (12.5%). One of these patients died, and 5 were left with a significant residual neurological deficit. Two other patients had hemiparesis but recovered fully. Only 1 episode could be considered minor. The reported lower incidence of thromboembolism in patients receiving this prosthesis with adequate anticoagulation has now led us to reverse our previous position and recommend anticoagulation for patients receiving Starr-Edwards aortic prostheses.
Automated wind load characterization of wind turbine structures by embedded model updating

The continued development of renewable energy resources is for the nation to limit its carbon footprint and to enjoy independence in energy production. Key to that effort are reliable generators of renewable energy sources that are economically competitive with legacy sources. In the area of wind energy, a major contributor to the cost of implementation is large uncertainty regarding the condition of wind turbines in the field due to lack of information about loading, dynamic response, and fatigue life of the structure expended. Under favorable circumstances, this uncertainty leads to overly conservative designs and maintenance schedules. Under unfavorable circumstances, it leads to inadequate maintenance schedules, damage to electrical systems, or even structural failure. Low-cost wireless sensors can provide more certainty for stakeholders by measuring the dynamic response of the structure to loading, estimating the fatigue state of the structure, and extracting loading information from the structural response without the need of an upwind instrumentation tower. This study presents a method for using wireless sensor networks to estimate the spectral properties of a wind turbine tower loading based on its measured response and some rudimentary knowledge of its structure. Structural parameters are estimated via model-updating in the frequency domain to produce an identification of the system. The updated structural model and the measured output spectra are then used to estimate the input spectra. Laboratory results are presented indicating accurate load characterization.
Making more sense of retributivism: Desert as responsibility and proportionality

This paper is an elaboration of my previous paper published in Philosophy, ‘Making Sense of retributivism,’ which was a criticism of John Rawls' attempt in ‘Two Concepts of Rules’ to develop a rule utilitarian theory of punishment wherein utilitarianism is best construed as a justificatory basis for the institution of punishment and retributivism is best construed as serving as a justificatory basis for particular forms of punishment. I challenge this claim, arguing that retributivism must and can provide a justification both for the institution of punishment and for particular forms of punishment. In the end, I develop an analysis of the nature of desert as responsibility and proportionality. This notion of desert makes the best sense of retributivism.
The effect of chromatic adaptation on achromaticity.

The tristimulus values of a small (foveal) spot which appears achromatic to an eye which is adapted to a uniform chromatic background have been found experimentally. Various colors have been used for the background, and a considerable range of luminances has been employed for both the background and the spot. It is found that the chromaticity coordinates of the achromatic spot can be predicted by interpolation between the coordinates of a “white point,” which is independent of the state of adaptation, and those of the background. An empirical interpolation formula, which expresses the effect of adaptation as a function of the tristimulus values of the background and the achromatic spot, is presented.
Amphibian defenses against ultraviolet-B radiation.

SUMMARY As part of an overall decline in biodiversity, amphibian populations throughout the world are disappearing. There are a number of potential causes for these declines, including those related to environmental changes such as increasing ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation due to stratospheric ozone depletion. UV-B radiation can kill amphibian embryos or can cause sublethal effects that can harm amphibians in later life stages. However, amphibians have defenses against UV-B damage that can limit damage or repair it after exposure to UV-B radiation. These include behavioral, physiological, and molecular defenses. These defenses differ interspecifically, with some species more able to cope with exposure to UV-B than others. Unfortunately, the defense mechanisms of many species may not be effective against increasing persistent levels of UV-B radiation that have only been present for the past several decades due to human-induced environmental damage. Moreover, we predict that persistent UV-B–induced mortality and sublethal damage in species without adequate defenses could lead to changes in community structure. In this article we review the effects of UV-B radiation on amphibians and the defenses they use to avoid solar radiation and make some predictions regarding community structure in light of interspecific differences in UV-B tolerance.
Experimental spatial sampling study of the real-time ultrasonic pulse-echo BAI-mode imaging technique

The ultrasonic pulse-echo backscattered amplitude integral (BAI)-mode imaging technique has been developed to inspect the seal integrity of hermetically sealed, flexible food packages. With a focused 17.3-MHz transducer acquiring radio frequency (RF) echo data in a static rectilinear stop-and-go pattern, this technique was able to reliably detect channel defects as small as 38 /spl mu/m in diameter and occasionally detect 6-/spl mu/m-diameter channels. This contribution presents our experimental spatial sampling study of the BAI-mode imaging technique with a continuous zigzag scanning protocol that simulates a real-time production line inspection method in continuous motion. Two transducers (f/2 17.3 MHz and f/3 20.3 MHz) were used to acquire RF echo data in a zigzag raster pattern from plastic film samples bearing rectilinear point reflector arrays of varying grid spacings. The average BAI-value difference (/spl Delta/BAI) between defective and intact regions and the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were used to assess image quality as a function of three spatial sampling variables: transducer spatial scanning step size, array sample grid spacing, and transducer -6-dB pulse-echo focal beam spot size. For a given grid size, the /spl Delta/BAI and CNR degraded as scanning step size in each spatial dimension increased. There is an engineering trade-off between the BAI-mode image quality and the transducer spatial sampling. The optimal spatial sampling step size has been identified to be between one and two times the -6-dB pulse-echo focal beam lateral diameter.
Socioeconomic Status and Health: What Is the Role of Reserve Capacity?

A robust, linear association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health has been identified across many populations and endpoints. This relationship is typically monotonic, so that each step down the SES hierarchy brings increased vulnerability to disease and premature mortality. Despite growing attention to health disparities, scientists and policy makers have made little progress toward confronting their causes and implementing effective solutions. Using the Reserve Capacity Model (Gallo & Matthews, 2003) as an organizing framework, the current article examines the contribution of resilient psychosocial resources to socioeconomic disparities in physical health. Findings suggest that deficient psychosocial resources, such as low perceptions of control and social support, may be one of many factors that connect low SES with poor health. Additional research is needed to test these relationships and their underlying mechanisms, to consider interventions to enhance reserve capacity, and to evaluate the efficacy of such efforts in fostering resilience to socioeconomic hardship.
Mechanisms of immunotherapy.

Specific allergen injection immunotherapy is highly effective in IgE-mediated diseases, such as allergic rhinitis and venom anaphylaxis. Immunotherapy inhibits both early and late responses to allergen exposure. Immunotherapy is accompanied by increases in allergen-specific IgG, particularly the IgG4 isotype, which blocks not only IgE-dependent histamine release from basophils but also IgE-mediated antigen presentation to T cells. Immunotherapy acts on T cells to modify peripheral and mucosal T H 2 responses to allergen in favor of T H 1 responses. Recent studies have identified increased IL-10 production in peripheral blood and mucosal surfaces after immunotherapy. IL-10 has numerous potential antiallergic properties, including suppression of mast cell, eosinophil, and T-cell responses, as well as acting on B cells to favor heavy chain class switching to IgG4. These IL-10–producing cells might be so-called regulatory T cells and appear to be identified by the CD4 + CD25 + phenotype. Studies in mice suggest that dendritic cells play a vital role in induction of regulatory T cells. Novel approaches to immunotherapy currently being explored include the use of adjuvants, such as monophosphoryl lipid A or nucleotide immunostimulatory sequences derived from bacteria that potentiate T H 1 responses. Alternative strategies include the use of allergen-derived peptides or modified recombinant allergen vaccines that act on T cells while minimizing the IgE-dependent mast cell activation that is dependent on the native allergen conformation.
Lifetime Earnings, Mortality, and Social Security Benefits: Implications for Reform?

The Social Security system is facing significant financial challenges, but politicians, economists, and other experts cannot agree on appropriate solutions. Raising taxes and/or cutting benefits are never popular proposals, and competing groups want to protect the poor while at the same time maintain fairness for the more wealthy. Recent studies, such as Cristia (2007), Duggan et al. (2007), and Waldron (2007), have shown a strong correlation between lifetime earnings and mortality, suggesting that differences in life expectancy between the wealthy and the less wealthy may be getting larger, thus eroding the progressivity of the Social Security system. Our results show that for a mortality difference of one or two years, benefit reductions in the range of 2.5% to 16% would be needed to maintain the current level of progressivity for a male living to age 80. If the mortality difference grows to four or five years, the benefit reductions would need to be much greater, anywhere from approximately 14% to 31%. A reduction in benefits based on lifetime earnings can improve the long-run viability of the Social Security system while maintaining its current level of progressivity.
Children With Congenital Anomalies: The Preschool Period

To address a gap regarding the development of preschool children with physical congenital anomalies and the adaptational responses of their caretakers, 37 children with anomalies and 44 control children were assessed. Children were administered the Stanford-Binet and the Preschool Language Scale, and the children and their mothers were observed in a series of semi-structured situations. Performance on linguistic and intellectual tests was related to socioeconomic status, not to medical risk. Children with anomalies were more socially reticent and compliant than peers, and their mothers were more controlling and nonverbally active during a teaching task. Results are discussed in terms of Bell's lower-limit adaptational pattern.
Output buffer with self-adjusting slew rate and on-chip compensation

In this paper, two circuits are proposed to effectively control IC noise. The first circuit is a modified I/O circuit that monitors the local output switching condition, and intelligently adjusts its slew rate such that the I/O can switch as fast as it is allowed without jeopardizing noise performance. The second circuit is a PVT-compensation control circuit, which senses process, voltage, and temperature variations, and compensates the I/O circuit's current drive accordingly. This feature makes the I/O circuits more robust under a range of environmental stresses. From analyses and simulations, the proposed I/O and PVT-compensation control circuits demonstrate robustness in terms of IC noise control. They control IC noise to less than 10% variation between single and multiple output switchings as compared to a conventional I/O circuit with 56% variation.
Redefining Clinical Science Training Purpose and Products of the Delaware Project

The Delaware Project, initiated in a conference at the University of Delaware, aims to redefine psychological clinical science training in ways that emphasize continuity across a spectrum of intervention development activities ranging from basic research to implementation and dissemination. The project generated specific recommendations for elevating dissemination and implementation, both at different stages of clinical science training and in different training settings, and highlighted several experiential training innovations to foster this goal. The project also helped sharpen competing priorities of two broad approaches to intervention science: one emphasizing translation, or moving from basic research to systematic applications in practice, and the other privileging dissemination–implementation per se, where a priority is understanding and maximizing the accessibility, acceptability, adaptability, and sustainability of interventions in the contexts where practitioners deliver them. The training of f...
Family psychology and family therapy: Comparisons and contrasts

Abstract This paper distinguishes between family psychology as a still nonexistent academic discipline and family therapy as a profession and as a method of intervention. Family psychology is interested in the whole functionality-dysfunctionality continuum, while family therapy is mainly concerned with dysfunctionalities. While family psychology focuses reductionistically on the relationship of the individual within the family, family therapy focuses holistically on the family as a whole unit or system. While family psychology stresses objective evaluation and primary and secondary preventive approaches, family therapy stresses the subjective understanding of the family and sees therapy as one type of tertiary prevention.
Nonprofits and Public Administration Reconciling Performance Management and Citizen Engagement

Nonprofit organizations receiving government contracts are now central to the provision of a host of public services, including community care, workforce development, substance abuse treatment, and early childhood education. Government’s increased dependence on nonprofits has in turn prompted more intensive efforts to hold nonprofit service organizations accountable for the expenditure of public funds, especially through greater regulation such as performance-based contracting. Overall, these regulatory strategies do not directly address the governance of nonprofits or their engagement with the community and citizens; instead, the focus of performance management is on government programmatic priorities. The central argument of this article is that the inattention to governance and citizen engagement can undermine good performance and program sustainability. Consequently, this article offers a framework for government and nonprofit managers to integrate performance management and citizen engagement. This a...
Test Methods Used in ASTM Specifications for Liquid-Applied Elastomeric Membranes for Waterproofing Concrete

There are two types of waterproofing membranes, each designed to meet the special problems of concrete. The tests required by the two ASTM specifications for membranes-< 836 with a separate wearing course and C 957 with an integral wearing course-reflect the real life requirements of concrete surfaces. Because concrete shrinks when weak, it tends to crack. Both specifications have tests to measure the ability to bridge cracks that open after the floor is laid and coated. Because concrete is very alkaline, both tests require tests of adhesion to concrete after water immersion. These same tests reflect the ability to penetrate and strengthen the powdery surface of the concrete. A major application of waterproofings with an integral wearing course is the decks of parking garages. For this usage, tests of abrasion resistance, water and chemical resistance, and weather resistance are included in ASTM C 957. This paper describes and critiques the rationale for these tests.
Kidnapped Narratives: Mobility without Autonomy and the Nation/ Novel Analogy

What does it augur when kidnappings are part of the primal scene of postcolonial nation building and self-representation? In this chapter, I explore the emblematic nature of kidnapping in the African diasporan colonial encounter with the conditions of textual and print culture. As a point of departure, let us consider an episode from the new millennium in which this history of kidnapped narratives was evoked. The 2004 Bicentennial in Haiti was supposed to have inaugurated a year of celebration and commemoration of the 1804 Independence and its global legacies of African diasporan self-emancipation and nineteenth century decolonization. Instead, in the morning of February 29, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was reported to have resigned, and to have left the country under American military escort for an unknown destination. By March 1, the plane carrying Aristide and his American-born wife Mildred had landed in the former French colony of the Central African Republic. “I was forced to leave,” the Haitian leader said in a phone call to associates in the US (McLaughlin, 2004). In an address to the Haitian people broadcast on Telehaiti in Haiti, Aristide formulated a sort of descriptive maxim: his departure had been “a modern way to have a modern kidnapping” (Slevin and Wilson, 2004). Later he nuanced the description further as “a geo-political kidnapping, terrorism disguised as diplomacy” (Aristide, 2004). (A common witticism promptly emerged to describe the confluence of kidnapping and coup: a “coupnapping.”) Aristide then adapted to his own plight the memorable line pronounced by the famous Revolutionary leader Toussaint Louverture on the occasion of the latter’s kidnapping by the French government in June 1802. Toussaint had said, in Gonaives where he was embarked for his exile and imprisonment in France, “In overthrowing
Implementation of a Dexmedetomidine Stewardship Program at a Tertiary Academic Medical Center

Background: Brigham and Women’s Hospital implemented a dexmedetomidine stewardship program in October 2010 beginning with an institution-specific prescribing guideline. To ensure continued adherence to the prescribing guideline, a pharmacist-driven quality assurance program was implemented in November 2011. Objective: The primary objective of this study is to describe the role and impact of a dexmedetomidine stewardship program on dexmedetomidine use at a tertiary academic medical center. Methods: This is a prospective descriptive analysis of a dexmedetomidine stewardship program. Dexmedetomidine stewardship data were collected prospectively from January 2012 through June 2012, in all intensive care units (ICUs) at a single academic medical center. Adult patients (>18 years old) receiving dexmedetomidine therapy continuously for sedation and in the ICU were included in the analysis. Results: A total of 99 patients were identified during the study time frame, during which 71 (71.7%) were identified as comp...
A sensitized mutagenesis screen identifies Gli3 as a modifier of Sox10 neurocristopathy

Haploinsufficiency for the transcription factor SOX10 is associated with the pigmentary deficiencies of Waardenburg syndrome (WS) and is modeled in Sox10 haploinsufficient mice (Sox10(LacZ/+)). As genetic background affects WS severity in both humans and mice, we established an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis screen to identify modifiers that increase the phenotypic severity of Sox10(LacZ/+) mice. Analysis of 230 pedigrees identified three modifiers, named modifier of Sox10 neurocristopathies (Mos1, Mos2 and Mos3). Linkage analysis confirmed their locations on mouse chromosomes 13, 4 and 3, respectively, within regions distinct from previously identified WS loci. Positional candidate analysis of Mos1 identified a truncation mutation in a hedgehog(HH)-signaling mediator, GLI-Kruppel family member 3 (Gli3). Complementation tests using a second allele of Gli3 (Gli3(Xt-J)) confirmed that a null mutation of Gli3 causes the increased hypopigmentation in Sox10(LacZ/+);Gli3(Mos1/)(+) double heterozygotes. Early melanoblast markers (Mitf, Sox10, Dct, and Si) are reduced in Gli3(Mos1/)(Mos1) embryos, indicating that loss of GLI3 signaling disrupts melanoblast specification. In contrast, mice expressing only the GLI3 repressor have normal melanoblast specification, indicating that the full-length GLI3 activator is not required for specification of neural crest to the melanocyte lineage. This study demonstrates the feasibility of sensitized screens to identify disease modifier loci and implicates GLI3 and other HH signaling components as modifiers of human neurocristopathies.
Multiple-input multiple-output with predistortion and signal processing for multimode fiber links

We demonstrate a multiple-input multiple-input multimode fiber optical link, where signal processing for dispersion compensation achieves a rate of 11.38 Gb/s over a 3 km fiber, exceeding the rated fiber bandwidth-length product by 15 times.
High rates of HCO3- secretion and Cl- absorption against adverse gradients in the marine teleost intestine: the involvement of an electrogenic anion exchanger and H+-pump metabolon?

SUMMARY Anion exchange contributes significantly to intestinal Cl – absorption in marine teleost fish and is thus vital for successful osmoregulation. This anion exchange process leads to high luminal HCO 3 – concentrations (up to ∼100 mmol l –1 ) and high pH and results in the formation of CaCO 3 precipitates in the intestinal lumen. Recent advances in our understanding of the transport processes involved in intestinal anion exchange in marine teleost fish include the demonstration of a role for the H + -pump (V-ATPase) in apical H + extrusion and the presence of an electrogenic (nHCO 3 – /Cl – ) exchange protein (SLC26a6). The H + -V-ATPase defends against cellular acidification, which might otherwise occur as a consequence of the high rates of base secretion. In addition, apical H + extrusion probably maintains lower HCO 3 – concentrations in the unstirred layer at the apical surface than in the bulk luminal fluids and thus facilitates continued anion exchange. Furthermore, H + -V-ATPase activity hyperpolarizes the apical membrane potential that provides the driving force for apical electrogenic nHCO 3 – /Cl – exchange, which appears to occur against both Cl – and HCO 3 – electrochemical gradients. We propose that a similar coupling between apical H + extrusion and nHCO 3 – /Cl – exchange accounts for Cl – uptake in freshwater fish and amphibians against very steep Cl – gradients.
Reverse engineering requirements for process-control software

A method of reverse engineering requirements for process-control system software is presented, along with a domain-specific functional structure. Techniques are demonstrated on the executable pseudocode of a commercial avionics control system. Resulting requirements are expressed as a state-based model of externally visible behavior specified completely in the language of process control. >
Airway effects of marijuana, cocaine, and other inhaled illicit agents.

Several substances besides tobacco are inhaled for recreational purposes, including marijuana, crack cocaine, amyl and butyl nitrites, heroin, methamphetamine, and phencyclidine. Abuse of most of these inhaled substances has risen in recent years, thereby increasing concern about potential pulmonary
Multiple price breaks and alternative purchase lot-sizing procedures in material requirements planning systems

The paper reports the results of several simulation experiments that compare alternative procedures for determining purchase quantities in MRP systems when multiple discounts are available. The procedures are the modified least unit cost (LUCm), the modified MeLaren's order moment (MOMm) and a ‘traditional’ procedure (DOQ) that is commonly used when evaluating quantity discounts. For this work, three purchased parts with two levels of discount attractiveness, two price break offerings, requirement lumpiness and requirement uncertainty were used to evaluate each lot-sizing procedures. A simulation model was used to test 810 observations. This research indicates that the LUCm and MOMm procedures outperform the traditional procedure when multiple discounts are available. In addition, for high discount attractiveness between the price breaks, the LCCm and MOMm procedures are more than five per cent better than the traditional procedure. When the discount attractiveness between the price breaks is low, there i...
IFAO-SIMO: a spatial-simulation based facility network optimization framework

This paper describes an innovative framework, iFAO-Simo, which integrates optimization, simulation and GIS (geographic information system) techniques to handle complex spatial facility network optimization problems ever challenged from retailing, banking and logistics nowadays. At the top level of iFAO-Simo, an optimization engine serves to generate and test candidate solutions iteratively by use of optimization algorithms such as Tabu Search and Genetic Algorithms. For each scenario given by the candidate solutions, a discrete event simulation engine is triggered to simulate customer and facility behaviors based on a GIS platform to characterize and visualize the spatial, dynamic and indeterministic environments. As the result, the target measures can be easily calculated to evaluate the solution and feedback to the optimization engine. This paper studies a real case of banking branch network optimization problem, and the results show that iFAO-Simo provides a useful way to handle complex spatial optimization problems.
Smoking Behavior and Exposure to ' ' Dissonant' ' Information

In a study concerned with smokers’ receptivity to information on the health risk of smoking, we submitted a questionnaire to 514 young adults attending classes at a community college. The questionnaire included, in addition to questions on the smoking history of the respondents and their beliefs and attitudes toward smoking, a list of information items, several of which dealt with the health risk of cigarette smoking. In order to test whether smokers avoid exposing themselves to “dissonant” information, we instructed the respondents to go through the list a second time and to circle items important for smokers. The prediction that a larger percentage of smokers than of nonsmokers would fail to circle any of the items was verified. No difference was found between smokers who expressed a wish to stop smoking and smokers who did not.
A Speech Community Model of Bilingual Education: Educating Latino Newcomers in the USA.

With the rapid increase in immigration from Latin America to the USA, many US high schools are struggling with the thorny question of how best to educate newcomer immigrant youth with low levels of English proficiency. This paper examines what some might consider an anachronistic educational model – a segregated bilingual high school for Latino newcomers. Drawing on a qualitative case study of an unusually successful high school in Washington Heights, New York City, the paper argues that the school's vision of second language acquisition as a social process building on the speech community itself, and not just as the individual psycholinguistic process of students, is the key to its success. The paper specifies the factors characterising this speech community model of bilingual education. This school's anomalous success educating its immigrant Spanish-speaking population holds important lessons for the schooling of immigrant youth in an era of standards.
Salmonellosis in Mice Infected with Mycobacterium bovis BCG II. Resistance to Infection.

Mycobacterium bovis BCG-infected mice were found to be consistently more resistant than normal mice to superinfection with Salmonella typhimurium. This resistance was manifested by a decreased mortality and by a decrease in the number of viable Salmonella in the BCG mice 3 to 4 days after challenge. Antibody production, as determined in the serum by the complement-dependent bactericidal system or in the spleen by the Jerne plaque technique, was either equivalent to or less than that of normal mice. Therefore, the immunity to S. typhimurium possessed by BCG-infected mice cannot be the expression of a greater or more rapid antibody response. By exclusion, these findings appear to support the concept of “cellular immunity.”
Camera calibration and light source orientation from solar shadows

In this paper, we describe a method for recovering camera parameters from perspective views of daylight shadows in a scene, given only minimal geometric information determined from the images. This minimal information consists of two 3D stationary points and their cast shadows on the ground plane. We show that this information captured in two views is sufficient to determine the focal length, the aspect ratio, and the principal point of a pinhole camera with fixed intrinsic parameters. In addition, we are also able to compute the orientation of the light source. Our method is based on exploiting novel inter-image constraints on the image of the absolute conic and the physical properties of solar shadows. Compared to the traditional methods that require images of some precisely machined calibration patterns, our method uses cast shadows by the sun, which are common in natural environments, and requires no measurements of any distance or angle in the 3D world. To demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed algorithm and its utility, we present the results on both synthetic and real images, and apply the method to an image-based rendering problem.
Mexico's Once and Future Revolution: Social Upheaval and the Challenge of Rule since the Late Nineteenth Century. By Gilbert M. Joseph and Jürgen Buchenau. (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2013. Pp. 252. $23.95.)

Coauthored by two renowned historians of modern Mexico, this book is a well‐written analysis of how the Mexican Revolution began and why it should be maintained. Although somewhat short for such a ...
Normalization of Experimental Modal Vectors to Remove Modal Vector Contamination

When modal vectors are estimated from measured frequency response function (FRF) data, some amount of contamination in terms of random and bias errors is always present. The sources of these errors may be the experimental data acquisition process (calibration inconsistencies, averaging limitations, leakage errors, etc.) or due to limitations of the modal parameter estimation methods (mismatch between measured FRF data and the model form). These random and bias errors include uncertainty in complex magnitude about the central axis of the modal vector as well as rotation of the central axis. In a number of practical applications, particularly those involving close modal frequencies, the contamination of a modal vector will often have a significant influence from the modal vector that is near in frequency. In these situations, the numerical procedure for estimating the final, scaled modal vector, in terms of residue, generally involves a linear estimation method that, with MIMO FRF data, utilizes a weighted least squares solution procedure. This numerical solution process is reviewed and a real normalization of the weighting vectors used for estimating each modal vector in the MIMO FRF case is shown to reduce the contamination from nearby modal vectors. Theoretical evaluations for both proportional and non-proportional analytical cases are evaluated, as well as, results for a real application with pseudo-repeated modal frequencies and associated modal vectors that has historically demonstrated the problem.
Uncontrolled sarcomere shortening increases intracellular Ca2+ transient in rat cardiac trabeculae

Isolated cardiac muscle preparations suffer from damaged-end compliance that allows for substantial shortening of central sarcomeres during contractions in which the overall length of muscle is kept constant. The impact of uncontrolled sarcomere shortening during a twitch on the intracellular calcium transient in myocardium is unknown. Accordingly, in the present study we developed an iterative laser-diffraction feedback system that allowed for the accurate control of central-segment sarcomere length and simultaneous measurement of iontophoretically injected fura 2 fluorescence in isolated cardiac trabeculae. We compared fura 2 fluorescence signals recorded during regular twitches with twitches in which central sarcomere length (SL) was held constant by feedback control ("SL clamp" twitches). We found that uncontrolled sarcomere shortening was associated with a significant (P = 0.005) increase in the peak of the calcium transient and that the amount of this increase was directly correlated to the extent of central-segment sarcomere shortening (r2 = 0.92; P < 0.01). The time course of the calcium transient, however, was unaffected by the mode of contraction (P = 0.64). These findings have important implications for the interpretation of studies of myocardial calcium handling in which uncontrolled sarcomere shortening takes place during the twitch.
Wake Mixing Improvements in a Linear Compressor Cascade with Crenulated Trailing Edges

Trailing edge crenulations offer one possible way of energizing the trailing edge wakes from a gas turbine engine compressor blade by creating small vortices as a result of the pressure differential between the suction surface and pressure surface. The effect of crenulated trailing edges on wake dissipation and mixed-out total pressure loss in a linear, subsonic, compressor cascade was investigated for three low aspect ratio blade configurations: one with no crenulations and two others with large and small crenulation patterns, respectively. The effect of crenulations was to improve the wake mixing and reduce the velocity deficit. larger crenulations dissipated the wake most rapidly, and both crenulation configurations offered an improvement in total pressure loss and some improvement in flow turning.© 1990 ASME
Electrophoretic Distribution of Hexosamine in Plasma Proteins of the Rat Following Thyroidectomy.

SummaryFollowing thyroidectomy the rat develops a relative increase in gamma globulin. The increase in total plasma hexosamine levels following thyroidectomy can be almost entirely accounted for by the increase in the hexosamine content of the beta and gamma globulin fractions. The normal distribution of hexosamine in rat plasma is as follows: Albumin 5%, alpha globulins 67%, beta globulins 19%, and gamma globulin 9%. The richest fraction is alpha-1 globulin which contains approximately 4.4% hexosamine. The other globulins contain less and albumin contains only 0.30%.
Effect of early intervention on the growth and development of low birth weight infants

Objective To investigate the effect of early intervention on the growth and development of low birth weigth infants (LBWI). Methods The parameters of growth development Mental Developmental Index (MDI) and Psychomoter Developmental Index in thirty survived LBWI were evaluated during the follow-up of 1 - 2. 5 years after birth by early inervention. Results the Mental and Psychomoter Developmental Index were better than the control group by early intervention. Conclusion It is very important to start education and intervention for LBWI before 3 years of age.
The Supreme Court, 2014 Term — Foreword: Does the Constitution Mean What it Says?

The conventional view is that constitutional law begins with the text of the Constitution and proceeds from there. But that misdescribes U.S. constitutional law. Controversies in constitutional law are, almost always, about the meaning and effect of precedents, not about the text. Many important principles of constitutional law are inconsistent with the most natural reading of the text. The precedents govern the text, rather than the other way around; the text becomes important only when there are few precedents. Constitutional law, in a word, is not a text-based system, but a mixed system in which provisions of the text are treated roughly like precedents: they are expanded, limited, qualified, reconceived, or all-but-ignored, depending on how the law develops, and on judgments about how the law should develop.
Non-linear fluid-coupled computational model of the mitral valve.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY The dynamics of the mitral valve result from the synergy of left heart geometry, local blood flow and tissue integrity. Herein is presented the first coupled fluid-structure computational model of the mitral valve in which valvular kinematics result from the interaction of local blood flow and a continuum representation of valvular microstructure. METHODS The diastolic geometry of the mitral valve was assembled from previously published experimental data. Anterior and posterior leaflets were modeled as networks of entangled collagen fibers, embedded in an isotropic matrix. The resulting non-linear continuum description of mitral tissue was implemented in a three-dimensional membrane formulation. Chordal tension-only behavior was defined from experimental tensile tests. The computational model considered the valve immersed in a domain of Newtonian blood, with an experimentally determined viscosity corresponding to a shear rate of 180 s(-1) at 37 degrees C. Ventricular and atrial pressure curves were applied to ventricular and atrial surfaces of the blood domain. RESULTS Peak closing flow and volume were 51 ml/s and 1.17 ml, respectively. Papillary muscle force ranged dynamically between 0.0 and 2.6 N. Acoustic pressure (RMS) was found to be 3.3 Pa, with a peak frequency of 72 Hz at 0.064 s from the onset of systole. Model predictions showed excellent agreement with available transmitral flow, papillary force and first heart sound (S1) acoustic data. CONCLUSION The addition of blood flow and an experimentally driven microstructural description of mitral tissue represent a significant advance in computational studies of the mitral valve. This model will be the foundation for future computational studies on the effect of pathophysiological tissue alterations on mitral valve competence.
Prediction and Planning Methods of Bipedal Dynamic Locomotion Over Very Rough Terrains

Although the problem of dynamic locomotion in very rough terrain is critical to the advancement of various areas in robotics and health devices, little progress has been made on generalizing gait behavior with arbitrary paths. Here, we report that perturbation theory, a set of approximation schemes that has roots in celestial mechanics and non-linear dynamical systems, can be adapted to predict the behavior of non closed-form integrable state-space trajectories of a robot’s center of mass, given its arbitrary contact state and center of mass (CoM) geometric path. Given an arbitrary geometric path of the CoM and known step locations, we use perturbation theory to determine phase curves of CoM behavior. We determine step transitions as the points of intersection between adjacent phase curves. To discover intersection points, we fit polynomials to the phase curves of neighboring steps and solve their differential roots. The resulting multi-step phase diagram is the locomotion plan suited to drive the behavior of a robot or device maneuvering in the rough terrain. We provide two main contributions to legged locomotion: (1) predicting CoM state-space behavior for arbitrary paths by means of numerical integration, and (2) finding step transitions by locating common intersection points between neighboring phase curves. Because these points are continuous in phase they correspond to the desired contact switching policy. We validate our results on a human-size avatar navigating in a very rough environment and compare its behavior to a human subject maneuvering through the same terrain.
The Basiliconthaumaturgist: Neologism, Magic, and Mormonism

In the mid- to late nineteenth-century United States, popular theater acts included an array of performance artists, from singers and dancers to comic lecturers and “basiliconthaumaturgists.” This ...
A note on V. I. Arnold's chord conjecture

Let (S, fλ) be the three sphere endowed with a contact form fλ, where λ is the standard tight contact form on S and f : S → R\{0} is a smooth function. Moreover let L ⊂ S be a Legendrian knot. Then V.I. Arnold raised the conjecture in 1986 that there is a characteristic chord, i.e. an orbit x of the Reeb vectorfield that intersects the knot L at two different times. Characteristic chords are important in the theory of contact homology, see [6], [5]. Very little is known about their existence or non-existence . Using a deep result by H. Hofer, K. Wysocki and E. Zehnder about the existence of a global surface of section in strictly convex hypersurfaces in R, we observe that characteristic chords exist for certain Legendrian knots in strictly convex hypersurfaces in R.
Performing the Backstage

In this chapter I will demonstrate that, not unlike listening to recorded music, the shared experience of belonging to a community through sound is what makes Nashville a popular destination for music lovers. Nashville has embraced its musical identity as “Music City, USA” and, more than any other musical city, has created spaces where fans can interact with sound and each other through backstage engagements with places of performance, production, and preservation. Sites throughout the city have been preserved and opened to fans, allowing them insight into the history and an active role in the continuation of the country-music genre. The opportunity to interact with and perform in backstage spaces of both historical and present-day importance validates the fan experience while authenticating the tradition and the city from which it developed. This past/present and backstage/frontstage relationship in the presentation and perception of Nashville gives fans the illusion of authentic experiences and the sense of heighted eminence within the Nashville and country-music community. Fans are not mere observers of the cultural production; they become active performers of the country-music tradition and important actors in the production of Nashville’s musical identity.
Reclaiming Interiority as Place and Practice

A brief review of contemporary educational theories is not only a historical representation of modern educational reform but also a conceptualization of the learner as an experiencing, thinking, and feeling human being. The recognition of the learner as one with an exterior and interior self is imagined in most major theories of learning produced in the last four decades. Paradoxically, today’s innovative pedagogies are often inattentive to introspective practices, located in interiority, that are integral to and undergird these pedagogies. This chapter imagines a space whereby teaching practices might legitimize the interactions of student minds, bodies, and spirits, deepen learning in substantive ways, and rescue them from master systems and narratives that marginalize and dismiss wisdom, compassion, self-care and, importantly, interiority as place.
Rich Foods: The Cross-National Effects of Healthy Eating on Health Outcomes

Abstract Purpose Improving the nutritious quality of diets for individuals and populations is a central goal of many public health advocates and intergovernmental organizations. Yet the outcome of healthy eating has been shown to systematically vary across individual-level socioeconomic lines, and across countries in different locations of the food system. We therefore assess variation in the association between eating nutritionally dense fresh fruits and vegetables and both self-rated health (SRH) and body mass index (BMI) across individual income and country locations in the food system. Methodology/approach We use nationally representative survey data from 31 countries drawn from the International Social Survey Programme’s 2011 Health module. We estimate the effect of the frequency of eating fresh fruits and vegetables using random-intercept, random-coefficient multilevel mixed-effects regression models. Findings We confirm that eating nutritionally dense fresh fruits and vegetables frequently associates with more positive health outcomes. However, this general conclusion masks substantial individual- and country-level heterogeneity. For both SRH and BMI, the largest beneficial associations are concentrated among the most affluent individuals in the most affluent countries. Moving away from either reduces the positive association of healthy eating. Social and practical implications Our results provide an important wrinkle for policies aimed at changing the nutritional quality of diets. Adjustments to diets without taking into account fundamental causes of socioeconomic status will likely be met with attenuated results. Originality/value We compare two important health outcomes across a wide variety of types of countries. We demonstrate that our main conclusions are only detectable when employing a flexible multilevel methodological design.