cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
QUANTITATIVE DIFFUSIVE WAVE SPECTROSCOPY IN TISSUES

High frequency, intensity-modulated light waves are attenuated and phase-shifted by the absorption and scattering properties of highly scattering media, such as tissue. The simultaneous measurement of the average light intensity, modulation amplitude, and phase- shift at a fixed distance from a sinusoidally modulated light source, permits a quantitative determination of the absolute values of the absorption and scattering coefficients from a frequency-domain scan. Our studies have established the range of modulation frequencies that give the highest sensitivity to changes of the optical parameters in model systems. We have measured the optical absorption spectra of dyes suspended in highly scattering media. These spectra match those found in non-scattering media. This frequency-domain approach provides a simple method to perform quantitative spectroscopy in highly scattering media.
Implications of nitrogen management strategies for nitrate leaching potential: roles of nitrogen source and fertilizer recommendation system

Using the soil-based pre-sidedress nitrate test (PSNT) rather than the yield-goal-based cropping and manure history (CMH) to recommend N for corn (Zea mays L.) frequently results in less N applied. Our objectives were (i) to determine if this reduction in N application substantially reduces the potential for N leaching and (ii) to compare dairy manure and commercial fertilizer as N sources, both within PSNT-based systems. The 4-yr field study included (i) a control (no manure or N fertilizer), and three N fertilizer rates based on (ii) PSNT, no manure added (PSNT-M) ; (iii) cropping and manure history (CMH), no manure added ; and (iv) dairy manure application with additional side-dress N if recommended by the PSNT (PSNT + M). The PSNT - M treatment received 112 kg N ha -1 in 1990 and 123 kg N ha -1 in subsequent years, while the CMH treatment received 168 kg N ha -1 in all 4 yr. Corn yield, N uptake (defined as net aboveground N accumulation), spring and fall soil NO 3 - levels, and overwinter NO 3 -N losses were measured. Silage yields of PSNT+M generally were greatest (average of 16.5 Mg ha -1 ), followed by PSNT-M and CMH treatments, which were similar (14.8 Mg ha -1 ). The CMH system resulted in the highest soil NO 3 -N levels (to 120 cm) at harvest and greatest overwinter net profile NO 3 -N loss (average 66 kg ha -1 ). The results indicate (i) a reduced residual N after harvest and therefore reduced potential for N leaching when using the PSNT for N recommendations and (ii) similar or higher yields using manure compared with commercial fertilizer.
A Factor Analysis of Direct and Indirect Measures of English as a Second Language Writing Ability

This paper reports the results of a study to determine whether an analysis of objective test measures and holistically scored composition data would support a single or a multifactor theory of writing assessment and to determine which category of measure-direct or indirect-was the more reliable. Four experimental objective tests of writing ability based on an information-processing approach were administered to one hundred foreign university students for whom English was not their native language. The subjects also wrote descriptive essays which were holistically graded. The results indicated that the holistic and objective assessments were relatively independent measures of writing ability, indicating support for a two-factor theory of ability assessment. The holistic assessment was found to be more reliable than the objective assessment.
Block Copolymer Lithography of Rhodium Nanoparticles for High Temperature Electrocatalysis

We present a method for forming ordered rhodium nanostructures on a solid support. The approach makes use of a block copolymer to create and assemble rhodium chloride nanoparticles from solution onto a surface; subsequent plasma and thermal processing are employed to remove the polymer and fully convert the nanostructures to metallic rhodium. Films cast from a solution of the triblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-2-vinyl pyridine-b-ethylene oxide) dissolved in toluene with rhodium(III) chloride hydrate were capable of producing a monolayer of rhodium nanoparticles of uniform size and interparticle spacing. The nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The electrocatalytic performance of the nanoparticles was investigated with AC impedance spectroscopy. We observed that the addition of the particles to a model solid oxide fuel cell anode provided up to a 14-fold improvement in the anode activity as evidenced by a decrease in the AC impedance resistance. Examination of the anode after electrochemical measurement revealed that the basic morphology and distribution of the particles were preserved.
Extensions of the Duncan's Multiple Range Test for unbalanced data

Extensions of the Duncan's Multiple Range Test to group means with unequal numbers of replications are proposed. These extensions and the extensions due to Kramer (1956) and Bancroft (1968) are evaluated with the Least Significant Difference and the Scheffe (1959) test for observed Type 1 error and correct decision rates by computer simulation techniques. The performance of these procedures to varying degrees of sample-size imbalance and variance heterogeneity under normal and skewed distributions is also examined.
Simulated comparisons of breeding plans for beef production: Part 3—systems for producing feeder-calves involving intensive culling and additional breeds of sire

Abstract A dynamic model of a beef-cow herd producing feeder-calves was used to evaluate nine mating plans and an intensive culling policy in combination with management options of producing replacement heifers or purchasing them. The nine mating plans were: straightbred Angus, two-breed static crosses using Angus dams mated to Hereford, Charolais, Simmental, Jersey, Limousin and South Devon sires, a Hereford-Angus criss-cross and a three-breed static cross using Charolais sires mated to Hereford-Angus dams. All of these crosses were simulated under a culling policy of culling a cow as soon as she failed to produce a calf. Kilogrammes of calf weaned per cow was the criterion of herd productivity. The Hereford-Angus criss-cross and the Charolais Hereford-Angus three-breed static cross were the most productive crosses. The high productivity of the three-breed cross was due to the heavy calves weaned and the high productivity of the criss-cross was due to a high ranking for the number of calves weaned per cow bred. The intensity of culling which was practised on the cow herd had diverse effects on herd productivity. The heavy culling option increased the proportion of cows in the herd of three years of age or less by 72·6 to 86·4%, resulted in a higher incidence of calving difficulty and decreased the number of calves produced per cow by up to 17·5%. Structure and productivity were altered the most by a change in culling policy when large breeds of sire were used in the mating plans.
Finding the optimal quantum size: Sensitivity analysis of the M/G/1 round-robin queue

We consider the round robin (RR) scheduling policy where the server processes each job in its buffer for at most a fixed quantum, q, in a round-robin fashion. The processor sharing (PS) policy is an idealization of the quantum-based round-robin scheduling in the limit where the quantum size becomes infinitesimal, and has been the subject of many papers. It is well known that the mean response time in an M/G/1/PS queue depends on the job size distribution via only its mean. However, almost no explicit results are available for the round-robin policy. For example, how does the variability of job sizes affect the mean response time in an M/G/1/RR queue? How does one choose the optimal quantum size in the presence of switching overheads? In this paper we present some preliminary answers to these fundamental questions.
Pulmonary venous and arterial hypertension due to chronic fibrous mediastinitis. Hemodynamics and pulmonary function.

A patient with chronic fibrous mediastinitis presented with bronchial, superior vena caval, and pulmonary venous obstruction, pulmonary hypertension, and pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary venous obstruction was confirmed at surgery and explains the hemodynamic findings of elevated pulmonary artery and pulmonary wedge pressures despite low left atrial pressure. Pulmonary function studies showed marked alterations in ventilation-distribution, diffusion, work of breathing, and fixed airway resistance. It is concluded that the pulmonary arterial hypertension was due, in large part, to the pulmonary venous hypertension caused by pulmonary venous obstruction. Unsuccessful surgical intervention has been followed by 10 months of observation during which aldosterone inhibition together with use of chlorothiazide has prevented recurrence of heart failure and pleural effusion. The relationship between the physiological abnormalities and the patient9s symptoms is discussed along with the possible relationship between pulmonary venous obstruction and pulmonary fibrosis.
POLYNOMIAL EXPANSION IN CLASSICAL ABERRATIONS AND SPATIAL FREQUENCY FOR THE WAVE-ABERRATED OPTICAL TRANSFER FUNCTION OF AN AXIALLY ASYMMETRIC LENS SYSTEM.

For (i), sufficiently small aberrations or (ii), arbitrary aberrations but a sufficiently small spatial frequency, the modulation and phase transfer functions of a lens system may be expressed as polynomials of the second degree in frequency. In this paper the coefficients of these polynomials are related to the aberrations of a lens system which in general does not have an axis of symmetry. Hence, under assumption (ii) the derived expressions for the modulation and phase transfer functions are applicable to any fabricated lens system, over a limited range of spatial frequencies. In addition, the coefficient of the linear term in the phase function expansion is shown to be the first moment of the spread function, and to be linear in its dependence on aberrations. Advantage may be taken of this relation between a physical observable (the first moment) and the aberrations by using it to generate a set of linear equations having only aberrations as unknowns. By its solution some aberrations of (a), axial sym...
The relative biological effectiveness of 160 MeV protons--II. Biological data and their interpretation in terms of microdosimetry.

Abstract The radiobiological effectiveness of 160 MeV protons was measured relative to 60 Co γ-rays, using Chinese hamster cells cultured in vitro . Separate experiments were performed with cells irradiated in suspension, or attached to plastic tissue culture flasks. Proton irradiations were performed in the incident plateau of the depth dose profile and with the Bragg peak spread out to cover 10 cm. In all cases the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for protons relative to gamma rays was 1.2 for doses in excess of about 200 rad. The attached cell experiments indicate an increasing RBE at low doses, which is consistent with the microdosimetric measurements.
CoreTracking: an efficient approach to clustering moving targets and tracking clusters

Detecting the activities and predicting the tendencies of large groups of targets in wide battlefields are critical inputs to formulating sound military decisions. Modern airborne radar sensors can provide wide-area surveillance coverage of battlefield ground activities. When obscured by terrain or other factors, some objects may only be detectable at intervals, generating intermittent radar data and creating difficulties for tracking groups over time. We present an algorithm, termed CoreTracking, which dynamically groups individual targets into clusters and tracks the clusters over time. Most traditional clustering techniques are static-object-oriented. We propose a "core member" concept to support dynamic-object-oriented clustering and to mitigate the effects of data intermittence. Observing the movement of the core cluster members, we can track the clusters across frames and predict their future movements. The performance and results of applying the CoreTracking algorithm to CASTFOREM data sets is also presented.
EXPLORING THE SURVIVAL THRESHOLD: A STUDY OF SALINITY TOLERANCE OF THE NONNATIVE MUSSEL MYTELLA CHARRUANA

In this study, our objective was to understand life history attributes of Mytella charruana, a newly introduced species to the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States, that would enable its survival in the introduced range. We therefore addressed the following questions regarding the range of salinities in which M. charruana can survive: First, in what range of salinities is survival possible for M. charruana if slowly adjusted to test salinities? Second, in what range of salinities can these mussels survive when experiencing rapid changes of salinity? Third, in what range of salinities can M. charruana survive with temporary, rapid changes of salinity (6-h duration)? We tested survival in salinities ranging from freshwater to hypersaline conditions (0-45 ppt) and determined whether mussel size affected experimental results. All experiments examined survivorship of mussels by increasing or decreasing the salinity from the field value under laboratory conditions. Mortality in each tank was recorded daily for 43 days for the gradual adjustment trials, and 12 days for permanent and 6-h shock trials. Large M. charruana (20-54 mm) survived best in salinities from 2-23 ppt, with 100% mortality at 0 ppt and 45 ppt with gradual adjustment. Small M. charruana (3-19 mm) survived in a wider range of salinities (2-40 ppt) with gradual adjustment to new salinities. However, survival of both large and small mussels was significantly lower in permanent shock trials at salinity extremes. Six-hour shock trials had no effect on survival at any of the test salinities (0-45 ppt) for both large and small M. charruana. Overall, the data indicate that these mussels could invade a wide variety of saline environments with significant freshwater or saltwater input.
Constructing exact octagonal steiner minimal trees

Octagonal Steiner Minimal Trees (OSMTs) are used in the global routing phase of pervasive octagonal VLSI layout. The OSMT problem seeks a minimal length spanning structure using edges composed of line segments having one of four equally spaced orientations. The concept of a canonical form is introduced providing a strong framework for the structure and characteristics of OSMTs. An exact algorithm and a variety of pruning techniques are introduced. Random and OR Library instances are solved and compared against rectilinear and Euclidean SMTs. These experiments demonstrate the utility of pervasive octagonal routing, showing that octagonal SMTs are consistently 10% smaller than rectilinear SMTs.
Archaeological survey of settlement patterns in the Banda region, West-Central Ghana: exploring external influences and internal responses in the West African frontier

Archaeological survey of settlement patterns in the Banda region, West-Central Ghana: exploring external influences and internal responses in the West African frontier, Syracuse University, 2008. T...
Can We Save Her Without Giving Blood? An Incredible Case of Obstetric Hemorrhage

Paper Presentation Background A 22-year-old, gravida 3, para 0 at 39 0/7 weeks gestation, was admitted for a scheduled primary cesarean for breech presentation. External cephalic version was offered and declined. Her history was significant for molar pregnancy, which was treated in 2010. She was a Jehovah's Witness by religion and based on religious beliefs refused any treatment that involved donor blood transfusion, but autologous cell saver and albumin were authorized. Admission hemoglobin (Hg) was 10.4 and hematocrit (HCT) was 31.9. Case A primary low transverse cesarean was performed and the actual birth was uncomplicated. The placenta was difficult to extract, embedded into the myometrium, and suspicious for fundal placenta accreta. Uterine curettage was performed, however, hemostasis could not be achieved and bleeding continued. The woman became hypotensive, lost consciousness, and required endotracheal intubation. Her body mass index was 54 and intubation was difficult. After two failed attempts at endotracheal intubation, a fiberoptic bronchoscope was used and successful intubation was achieved. The surgeons placed a B-Lynch suture around the uterus and administered uterotonics. Vasopressor infusions were required to maintain vital signs, and 500 ml of cell saver blood were administered intraoperatively. The estimated blood loss (EBL) was 3 L. She was transferred to the intensive care unit, intubated, her vital signs continued to deteriorate, and she required increased pressor support. She was transferred to interventional radiology for bilateral uterine artery embolization. Lab values were significant for Hg of 5 and HCT of 15. She remained unconscious, in critical condition, with unstable vital signs. Her father consented to a total abdominal hysterectomy. Per the woman's request, she did not receive any blood products other than albumin. Total EBL was 3.65 L, nadir Hg 4.3, and nadir HCT 13.6. She survived and was discharged home. Conclusion This case study highlights numerous implications for nursing practice. A highly reliable perinatal department should plan and prepare for alternative management for women with critical anemia who hemorrhage and refuse blood transfusion. Utilization of cell saver for blood salvage and other alternative management strategies may mean the difference of life or death. Respect and honor of religious or cultural beliefs for all woman during childbirth is essential but may represent a heavy burden for the provider.
The formation of goethite, jarosite, and alunite during the weathering of sulfide-bearing felsic rocks

Quantities of goethite and jarosite produced by weathering correlate with abundance and composition of sulfide minerals originally in rocks. To characterize processes forming these minerals, chemical weathering of sulfide-bearing rocks was simulated using differential equations which describe mass transfer between aqueous solutions and minerals (Helgeson, 1968).Goethite begins precipitating during reaction between meteoric water (f (sub O 2 ) = 10 (super -06) atm) and sulfides after dissolution of 6.7 X 10 (super -9) g pyrite or 6.0 X 10 (super -9) g chalcopyrite per 1,000 g H 2 O. Reaction of the oxygen dissolved in 1,000 g water that is initially saturated with the atmospheric abundance of oxygen consumes 0.0085 g pyrite or 0.013 g chalcopyrite. Goethite is the only reaction product. The calculations predict that weathering produces jarosite or alunite after goethite when >0.04 moles of oxygen have been consumed per 1,000 g H 2 O and where rates of oxygen replenishment approximately equal or exceed consumption. Simultaneous reactions between K-feldspar, an aqueous solution, and pyrite or chalcopyrite produce alunite and goethite if the irreversible molar flux of Fe/Al is less than 0.5. Reactions with fluxes of Fe/Al between 0.5 and 1.0 produce alunite, goethite, and jarosite; those with Fe/Al fluxes greater than 1.0 generate only jarosite after goethite.Following saturation of the solution with jarosite, the mass ratio, goethite/(goethite + jarosite) decreases smoothly from 1.0 to 0.0 accompanying continuous dissolution of pyrite and chalcopyrite. The interval of reaction progress over which goethite and jarosite coexist increases, relative to pyrite and K-feldspar reactions, when weathering involves muscovite or chalcopyrite. In simulations whose sulfides have been totally oxidized, this ratio varies antithetically with the volume percent sulfide and/or ratio of pyrite/(pyrite + chalcopyrite) initially present, a prediction consistent with geologic observations.
Cheap, Fast and Good Enough: Automatic Speech Recognition with Non-Expert Transcription

Deploying an automatic speech recognition system with reasonable performance requires expensive and time-consuming in-domain transcription. Previous work demonstrated that non-professional annotation through Amazon's Mechanical Turk can match professional quality. We use Mechanical Turk to transcribe conversational speech for as little as one thirtieth the cost of professional transcription. The higher disagreement of non-professional transcribers does not have a significant effect on system performance. While previous work demonstrated that redundant transcription can improve data quality, we found that resources are better spent collecting more data. Finally, we describe a quality control method without needing professional transcription.
Decentralized Detection in Undirected Network Topologies

Consider the well-studied decentralized Bayesian detection problem with the twist of an undirected network topology, each edge representing a bidirectional (and perhaps unreliable) finite-rate communication link between two distributed sensor nodes. Every node operates in parallel, processing any particular local measurement in two (discrete) decision stages: the first selects the symbols (if any) transmitted to its immediate neighbors and the second, upon receiving the symbols (or lack thereof) from the same neighbors, decides the value of its local state. We adapt the team solution already known for directed acyclic networks and establish conditions such that the iterative numerical algorithm to collectively optimize the local decision rules admits an efficient message-passing interpretation, featuring an asynchronous distributed implementation in which total computation and communication overhead scales only linearly with the number of nodes. In sharp contrast to the directed case, this message-passing algorithm retains its global correctness and convergence guarantees without restrictions on the network topology.
women-centered kin networks in urban bilateral kinship

Previous explanations of female centrality and “matrilateral asymmetry” in urban bilateral kinship have tended to reduce women's roles in extrahousehold kinship relations to their roles as mothers, and they have failed to explicate the social and cultural processes through which this asymmetry has emerged. In contrast, the present analysis of kinship relationships in an urban Japanese-American community attributes the centrality of women in interhousehold networks to the creation of new normative expectations of the role of female kin. The failure of previous discussions of female centrality to differentiate analytically people's cultural constructs from the actual social consequences of their behaviors has obscured our understanding of kinship in urban industrial societies.
R(+)-8-OH-DPAT, a serotonin(1A) receptor agonist, potentiated S(-)-sulpiride-induced dopamine release in rat medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens but not striatum.

The serotonin (5-HT) 2A/2C receptor antagonist ritanserin has been reported to potentiate the dopamine (DA) D 2/3 receptor antagonist raclopride-induced DA release in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAC) but not striatum (STR). Because of reciprocal interactions between 5-HT 2A and 5-HT 1A receptors, we tested the hypothesis that 5-HT 1A receptor agonism also potentiates D 2/3 receptor antagonist-induced DA release using a combination of the 5-HT 1A receptor agonist R (+)-8-hydroxy-2-(di- n -propylamino)-tetralin [ R (+)-8-OH-DPAT] and the D 2/3 receptor antagonist S (−)-sulpiride (SUL). R (+)-8-OH-DPAT (0.05 mg/kg s.c.) potentiated low but not high dose SUL (1, 3 but not 10 or 25 mg/kg s.c.)-induced DA release in NAC, but had no effect in STR at all doses tested (1, 3, 10, and 25 mg/kg s.c.). However, R (+)-8-OH-DPAT (0.05 mg/kg s.c.) alone had no effect on basal, potentiated SUL (10 and 25 mg/kg s.c.)-induced DA release in mPFC; the effect of low dose SUL (1 and 3 mg/kg s.c.) was not tested because it alone had no effect on DA release. This potentiation was abolished by pretreatment with the 5-HT 1A receptor antagonist WAY100635 (0.05 mg/kg s.c.), which alone had no effect on DA release. These results suggest that 5-HT 1A receptor agonism facilitates DA release in mPFC and NAC but not STR in combination with D 2 receptor antagonism.
Flow cytometric analysis of plasmid heterogeneity in Escherichia coli populations.

The differences in light-scattering properties of individual ampicilline-sensitive cells before and after incubation with ampicilline provide the key to flow cytometric assay of relative proportions of E. c. cells with and without plasmids
Quantitative measures and indices to assess rheumatoid arthritis in clinical trials and clinical care

Modern medical care has been advanced, in large part, by quantitative measures that provide single, easily-assessed end points for clinical trials, clinical research, or clinical care (eg, blood pressure, serum cholesterol). In rheumatoid arthritis, several types of quantitative measures are used to assess patient status, including formal joint counts; radiographic scores; laboratory tests; patient self-report questionnaire measures of physical function, pain, global status, morning stiffness, and fatigue; as well as physical measures of functional status. Each of these measures is effective to document changes of status with treatment in groups of patients; however, no single measure can serve as a "gold standard" to document changes in each individual patient. Therefore, the measures have been combined into pooled indices that can be applied to individual patients in clinical research and clinical care.
Development and evaluation of an integrated emergency response facility location model

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose and compare the performance of the “two” robust mathematical models, the Robust Integer Facility Location (RIFL) and the Robust Continuous Facility Location (RCFL) models, to solve the emergency response facility and transportation problems in terms of the total logistics cost and robustness. Design/methodology/approach: The emergency response facilities include distribution warehouses (DWH) where relief goods are stored, commodity distribution points (CDP), and neighborhood locations. Authors propose two robust models: the Robust Integer Facility Location (RIFL) model where the demand of a CDP is covered by a main DWH or a backup CDP; the Robust Continuous Facility Location (RCFL) model where that of a CDP is covered by multiple DWHs. The performance of these models is compared with each other and to the Regular Facility Location (RFL) model where a CDP is covered by one main DWH. The case studies with multiple scenarios are analyzed. Findings: The results illustrate that the RFL outperforms others under normal conditions while the RCFL outperforms others under the emergency conditions. Overall, the total logistics cost and robustness level of the RCFL outperforms those of other models while the performance of RFL and RIFL is mixed between the cost and robustness index. Originality/value: Two new emergency distribution approaches are modeled, and evaluated using case studies. In addition to the total logistics cost, the robustness index is uniquely presented and applied. The proposed models and robustness concept are hoped to shed light to the future works in the field of disaster logistics management.
The Role of Stress and Mood in Sickle Cell Disease Pain: An Analysis of Daily Diary Data

The role of stress and mood in the onset and course of sickle cell disease (SCD) pain was examined using a daily diary design. Fifteen adults with SCD completed daily diaries about their pain, stress, mood, and health care and medication use for an average of 94 days. Multilevel random effects models indicated that stress was significantly and positively related to same-day pain ratings. Stress remained a significant predictor of pain after omitting stressors related to SCD. Mood also showed significant associations with same-day pain in the expected directions. In addition, stress and mood were associated with health care and medication use during painful episodes. Finally, painful episodes were preceded by increases in stress 2 days previously, suggesting that stress may play a role in the onset of SCD pain.
Spatial-Frequency Response Of The Limb Infrared Monitor Of The Stratosphere (LIMS) Radiometer

The Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS), an experiment on the Nimbus-7 satellite, is designed to scan the earth's limb vertically and measure spectral emission profiles of trace atmospheric gases believed to be important in processes controlling the stratospheric ozone distribution. Experiment objectives are reviewed and several analyses and measurements are described which were performed to determine the adequacy of the system for satisfying these objectives. Adequate spatial-frequency response for all the spectral channels is required to provide, through inversion of the measured limb-radiance profiles, important information about the temperature, structure, and composition of the atmosphere. From the LIMS design-model data, the MTF was calculated for the optical system, the detector field mask, the electronics, and the overall system, for each channel. The signal output performance of the instrument was predicted from the system MTF data model input radiance data for each channel. MTF measurements made on the flight sensor confirmed the analytical results. The predictions indicate that the instrument can satisfy the basic measurement objectives of the experiment.
Improving Resources for Foster Care

The number of foster children and their psychological and medical morbidity are growing. To gain insight into how to recruit and retain foster homes, characteristics of 64 foster families were determined by interview. Foster parents had low-to-moderate incomes, were approaching middle age, had underutilized home space, and wanted more children. Most enjoyed foster care and planned to continue. Twenty-three percent of the 64 had half of all foster children in the study in their homes at interview and had cared for seven times as many children in the past, including 66% of all the teens and 83% of all the handicapped children who had been in the 64 homes. These "high providers" functioned like group homes for mentally handicapped individuals. Adapting the group-home concept to foster homes could improve care, especially for children with special needs.
Luther's ‘Scholastic Phase’ Revisited: Grace, Works, and Merit in the Earliest Extant Sermons

By 1516 Luther charged that the Schoolmen had grotesquely inflated the significance of natural virtues. Thereafter, he increasingly was provoked by the suggestion that human effort—touched only lightly, if at all, by grace—could accomplish more healing than harm. But it is commonly supposed that opinions Luther then condemned were opinions he had condoned in his earliest works, in which he is said to have assumed God's willingness to accept the best efforts of sinful persons as virtuous preparation for grace. Certainly Luther's ambitious remarks about partial merit (mentum de congruo), which found their way into his marginal notes on Lombard's Sentences (1509–1510) and into his Dictata super Psalterium (1513–1515), contrast with his later repudiation of the “sufficiencies” of natural powers for moral achievement and of moral achievement for divine acceptance and reward. Luther himself conceded his schoolboy admiration for Ockham, who probably inspired the semipelagianism of much of the late medieval soteriology that Luther came to detest. Understandably, Luther's early apparent endorsements of semipelagian features of scholastic soteriology have attracted considerable scholarly attention. His passage from nominalism to Protestantism, choreographed variously with leaps and stumbles or as an orderly march, has been a topic for debate ever since new fragments of Luther's early theology surfaced and were pieced together in the nineteenth century. Yet two early sermons have generated comparatively little discussion. Copied together from a manuscript in Erfurt and published twice before 1900, they are clearly witnesses from Luther's early career and their contribution to the determination and evaluation of his early semipelagianism ought not to be undervalued.
The impact of tandem traffic in large scale communications networks

A mathematical procedure for computing the average number of tandem links per call is developed. An argument which relates the portion of offered traffic actually carried by the network to that portion of traffic which must traverse more than one link in order to reach its destination is presented. >
The statistical dynamics of programmed self-assembly

We describe how a graph grammar program for robotic self-assembly, together with measurements of kinetic rate data yield a Markov process model of the dynamics of programmed self-assembly. We demonstrate and validate the method by applying it to a physical testbed consisting of a number of "programmable parts", which are able to control their local interactions according to their on-board programs. We describe a technique for obtaining kinetic rate constants from simulation and a comparison of the behavior predicted by the Markov model with the behavior predicted by a high-fidelity simulation of the system
A Model-Driven Object Store

Many applications need to access a large amount of data objects maintained in secondary storage. The performance of such applications has a critical dependency on the efficiency of the underlying object store. Traditional object store systems do not allow for cache management in an application-sensitive manner and therefore provide sub-optimal performance only. In this paper, we propose a novel object store whose caching behavior is driven by an object persistence model. The object persistence model captures an applicationpsilas overall object access patterns, including those extracted from user-defined functions. A model transformer takes the object access patterns as input and creates appropriate caching policies and in-memory object indexes for the cache. We have implemented such an object store on top of a relational database system to utilize the persistence, concurrency control and data integrity mechanisms of the database system. We have further validated our design by deploying and measuring the object store in a business event processing application.
Software DSM protocols that adapt between single writer and multiple writer

We present two software DSM protocols that dynamically adapt between a single writer (SW) and a multiple writer (MW) protocol based on the application's sharing patterns. The first protocol (WFS) adapts based on write-write false sharing; the second (WFS+WG) based on a combination of write-write false sharing and write granularity. The adaptation is automatic. No user or compiler information is needed. The choice between SW and MW is made on a per-page basis. We measured the performance of our adaptive protocols on an 8-node SPARC cluster connected by a 155 Mbps ATM network. We used eight applications, covering a broad spectrum in terms of write-write false sharing and write granularity. We compare our adaptive protocols against the MW-only and the SW-only approach. Adaptation to write-write false sharing proves to be the critical performance factor, while adaptation to write granularity plays only a secondary role in our environment and for the applications considered. Each of the two adaptive protocols matches or exceeds the performance of the best of MW and SW in seven out of the eight applications.
Thermal physics, cloud geometry and the stellar initial mass function

The thermal properties of star-forming clouds have an important influence on how they fragment into stars, and it is suggested in this paper that the low-mass stellar initial mass function (IMF), which appears to be almost universal, is determined largely by the thermal physics of these clouds. In particular, it is suggested that the characteristic stellar mass, a little below one solar mass, is determined by the transition from an initial cooling phase of collapse to a later phase of slowly rising temperature that occurs when the gas becomes thermally coupled to the dust. Numerical simulations support the hypothesis that the Jeans mass at this transition point plays an important role in determining the peak mass of the IMF. A filamentary geometry may also play a key role in the fragmentation process because the isothermal case is a critical one for the collapse of a cylinder: the collapse and fragmentation of a cylinder can continue freely as long as the temperature continues to decrease, but not if it begins to increase. The limited available results on the dependence of the thermal properties of clouds on metallicity do not suggest a strong dependence of the IMF on metallicity, but the far-infrared background radiation in starburst regions and in the early Universe may significantly shift the peak mass to higher masses in these situations. Ke yw ords: stars: formation ‐ stars: luminosity function, mass function.
The evolution of complexity without natural selection, a possible large-scale trend of the fourth kind

A simple principle predicts a tendency, or vector, toward increasing organismal com- plexity in the history of life: As the parts of an organism accumulate variations in evolution, they should tend to become more different from each other. In other words, the variance among the parts, or what I call the ''internal variance'' of the organism, will tend to increase spontaneously. Internal variance is complexity, I argue, albeit complexity in a purely structural sense, divorced from any notion of function. If the principle is correct, this tendency should exist in all lineages, and the resulting trend (if there is one) will be driven, or more precisely, driven by constraint (as opposed to selection). The existence of a trend is uncertain, because the internal-variance principle predicts only that the range of options offered up to selection will be increasingly complex, on average. And it is unclear whether selection will enhance this vector, act neutrally, or oppose it, perhaps negating it. The vector might also be negated if variations producing certain kinds of de- velopmental truncations are especially common in evolution. Constraint-driven trends—or what I call large-scale trends of the fourth kind—have been in bad odor in evolutionary studies since the Modern Synthesis. Indeed, one such trend, orthogenesis, is famous for having been discredited. In Stephen Jay Gould's last book, The Structure of Evolutionary Thought, he tried to rehabilitate this category (although not orthogenesis), showing how constraint- driven trends could be produced by processes well within the mainstream of contemporary evo- lutionary theory. The internal-variance principle contributes to Gould's project by adding another candidate trend to this category.
Habilitation of patients with clefts: parent and child ratings of satisfaction with appearance and speech.

Abstract This study examined ratings regarding satisfaction with facial appearance and speech performance from 495 parent–child pairs. Data were obtained from school-aged children (5–18 years old) and their parents using standardized independent interviews. Results revealed that 54 percent of the children with cleft lip (CL) or cleft lip and palate (CLP) were very pleased with their appearance, and 62 percent of the cleft palate or CLP subjects were very pleased with speech. Low, but statistically significant correlations exist between the female subjects and their parents in satisfaction with appearance. Although older cleft lip and/or palate patients reported increased satisfaction with speech, no age differences in patient satisfaction with appearance were observed in subjects with CL/CLP. Parents of females expressed more concern about their daughters' appearance than parents of males, while parents of males were more concerned about speech. Implications for craniofacial habilitation teams and researc...
Pathology of cardiac pacemakers and central catheters.

Cardiac pacing has become a major therapeutic tool in the treatment of a wide variety of conduction disturbances of the heart, many of which are life-threatening. The sophistication of modern designs, together with the introduction of the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator, has broadened the indications for the implantation of cardiac pacemakers, making them serious competitors to drug therapies for most of the aforementioned conditions. Both systems, alone or combined, are now widely used in various pathological heart conditions, and have also been adapted for use in infants and children.
Dipolar Organic/Ferroelectric Oxide Hybrids

Organic-inorganic hybrids in which both constituents exhibit electrical dipolar properties have been fabricated. The inorganic constituent was either LiNbO3 or BaTiO3, and the organic constituent was triethoxysilyl 2,4-dinitrophenylaminosilane (TDP) cross-linked with SiO2 Transparent films were made in a 1:1 organic:inorganic ratio. The films were characterized optically. Preliminary indication of interactions between organic and inorganic constituents, particularly in the case of BaTiO3-TDP-SiO2, has been observed.
Anesthesia for pulmonary stent insertion.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW To familiarize anesthesiologists with recent advances in endoscopic pulmonary stenting. These interventions have replaced surgical procedures for the relief of central airway obstructions. RECENT FINDINGS A pulmonary stent can provide immediate relief of symptoms and improvement in pulmonary function for both intrinsic and extrinsic airway lesions. The current indications for the use of both silicone-rubber stents and expandable metal stents are reviewed. Considerations for the anesthetic management of patients undergoing pulmonary stent placement are also discussed. SUMMARY Tracheo-bronchial stenting procedures are being employed with increasing frequency. The practicing anesthesiologist must be familiar with the management of patients undergoing airway stenting procedures.
Comparison of different speech processing strategies on patients receiving the same implant

Two subjects with transcutaneously connected 8-electrode scala tympani implants were given subsets of the Minimal Auditory Capabilities test during stimulation with five speech processing strategies — two single channel and three multichannel. While there were significant (p = 0.05%) scores on some items with all types of stimulation, one subject did as well with single channel analog as with multichannel stimulation. She is an enthusiastic full-time user of single channel stimulation. The other, a nonuser of the same device, preferred (and performed better with) one of multichannel stimulation. This is an interim report because neither subject has yet had the opportunity of nonlaboratory use of the multichannel schemes.
Adaptive Function of Gastropod Larval Shell Features

Similarities in features that occur commonly on the shells of many planktotrophic gastropod larvae may be interpreted primarily in terms of (a) shared ancestry, (b) shared adaptive solutions to problems of planktonic existence, or (c) shared artifacts of a basic pattern of early biomineralization. The Paradigm Method of functional inference, developed by paleontologists to analyze structures of fossil organisms, is used to analyze recurring features of unknown function on gastropod larval shells. Four recurring features are shown to fit paradigmatic adaptive solutions to preventing or retarding mechanical breakage at the growing apertural margin of the larval shell. These features are apertural beaks, velar notches, peripheral angulations, and continuous spiral elements of shell sculpture. A fifth common feature on larval shells, discrete crystalline microprotuberances, is inferred to be primarily a non-functional artifact of remote biomineralization and self-organized growth, although secondary functional advantage cannot be discounted. Protective functional interpretations are supported by patterns of shell breakage and repair on larvae from the plankton and by patterns of shell failure in trials subjecting larval shells to artificial mechanical attacks. The ability to withstand mechanical onslaughts of zooplankton predators and to repair damage to the larval shell may be a highly significant means of reducing natural larval mortality. Additional key words: Paradigm Method, analysis of form, biomineralization, predation,
Radar Observations of the Free Atmosphere: Structure and Dynamics

In the past decade rapid progress has been made in the development of Doppler radar suited to probing the clear atmosphere for research and operational applications. To the meteorologist these developments are embodied in the concept of the wind profiler, which is simply a Doppler radar system designed to monitor the atmospheric wind field. Along with NEXRAD the wind profiler has the potential for making an enormous contribution to the way in which we observe and forecast the daily weather, especially for regional nowcasting and short-range forecasting. In terms of atmospheric research the wind profiler is widely recognized as an important research tool in any mesoscale field program.
Geomorphology as a first order control on the connectivity of riparian ecohydrology

Abstract Geomorphic controls on ecohydrological connections, while implicit in processes such as the derivation of transpired water from alluvial aquifers, have not been systematically investigated. In this article we test the hypothesis that geomorphic setting is an important control on groundwater-sourced riparian evapotranspiration (ET) through a statistical investigation of 30 years of daily flow data, monthly precipitation data, and semimonthly satellite images at fourteen 1-km-long river reaches representing a range of geomorphic settings in the semiarid landscape of New Mexico, USA. We focus on correlations between vegetation greenness (as a surrogate for vigor and transpiration rates), interannual variability in flow and rainfall characteristics, and valley metrics such as width, slope, and concavity. Sites were considered individually and in groups based on classification as perennial or intermittent. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to distill related metrics into significant, uncorrelated, interpretable, underlying variables. Components were interpreted in the same manner as a factor analysis and were found to include overall magnitude of greenness, within-summer variability of greenness, overall wetness, rain vs. flow dominance, snowmelt vs. monsoon dominance, and mountain vs. basin geomorphic setting, among others. To broadly test the hypothesis that geomorphology affects the relationship between wetness and greenness, best subset regressions were constructed for the full range of sites and groups using all wetness and geomorphic components as potential predictor variables and greenness metrics as response variables. From our analysis we draw two main conclusions: (1) including geomorphic parameters provides new information that is nonredundant with precipitation and flow parameters in predicting vegetation extent and vigor. The parameters, especially curvature, may indicate causal processes, such as increased soil moisture availability on concave surfaces with convergent flow paths, or they may provide correlative information on the groundwater setting (gaining vs. losing). (2) When considering groups of sites, the dominance of precipitation over stream flow in delivering moisture was a predictor of high greenness; but this was not the case for any individual sites. This indicates that while greener communities developed in sites with greater average precipitation, at any single site the vegetation was able to adapt to either local precipitation or streamflow delivery of moisture in a given year and only the magnitude of the moisture delivered affected vegetation vigor. These findings emphasize the versatility of riparian vegetation to utilize soil moisture in convergent geomorphic settings or wet time periods, moisture that may otherwise tend to evaporate.