cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Platformic Management, Boundary Resources for Gig Work, and Worker Autonomy

We advance the concept of platformic management, and the ways in which platforms help to structure project-based or “gig” work. We do so knowing that the popular press and a substantial number of the scholarly publications characterize the “rise of the gig economy” as advancing worker autonomy and flexibility, focusing attention to online digital labor platforms such as Uber and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Scholars have conceptualized the procedures of control exercised by these platforms as exerting “algorithmic management,” reflecting the use of extensive data collection to feed algorithms that structure work. In this paper, we broaden the attention to algorithmic management and gig-working control in two ways. First, we characterize the managerial functions of Upwork, an online platform that facilitates knowledge-intensive freelance labor - to advance discourse beyond ride-sharing and room-renting labor. Second, we advance the concept of platformic management as a means to convey a broader and sociotechnical premise of these platforms’ functions in structuring work. We draw on data collected from Upwork forum discussions, interviews with gig workers who use Upwork, and a walkthrough analysis of the Upwork platform to develop our analysis. Our findings lead us to articulate platformic management -- extending beyond algorithms -- and to present the platform as a “boundary resource” to illustrate the paradoxical affordances of Upwork and similar labor platforms. That is, the platform (1) enables the autonomy desired by gig workers, while (2) also serving as a means of control that helps maintain the viability of transactions and protects the platform from disintermediation.
Multinational country risk: Exposure to asset holding risk and operating risk in international business

Abstract We address the phenomenon of country total risk, confounded by the risk of holding assets abroad and operating them in the foreign market. The findings point to deep differences in risk patterns as ownership of intangible assets exposes the holders to a higher risk. Indeed, the asset-specific risk is the dominant component of advance market volatility, explaining more than 80 percent of the cross-sectional variance. The model in the study accounts for the deficiencies in the related research streams and attempt to alleviate the typical problems in popular estimation methods.
Capturing People on the Move: Spatial Analysis and Remote Sensing in the Bantu Mobility Project, Basanga, Zambia

From its inception in 2014, the interdisciplinary Bantu Mobility Project has sought to refocus research on the Bantu Expansions away from the macroscale towards a “writ small” approach within a well-defined region with well-understood episodes of language expansion, namely, the middle Kafue and middle Zambezi catchments of southern Zambia. This tighter focus enables the project to capture the human agency shaping movements of people, animals, material goods, and languages, and to consider the productive tension between mobility and rootedness as Bantu-speaking populations became settled in particular regions between the sixth and sixteenth centuries AD. From an archaeological standpoint, careful study of the spatial contexts of recovered artifacts—and of the various human activities that left them behind—captures different forms and scales of mobility that existed alongside the rootedness of mounded settlements occupied over generations. This paper shows how a better understanding of those spatial contexts, and the settlement patterns and land use they encode, is being achieved around Basanga, Zambia, by combining systematic archaeological survey with data derived from satellite imagery using analytical techniques available through GIS, such as spatial interpolation and linear regression modeling. Ultimately, the project will aim to integrate the insights of that geospatial analysis with other archaeological, linguistic, historical, and environmental datasets to capture the stories of the people whose ideas, practices, and forms of mobility and rootedness constituted the local experience of the Bantu Expansions.
Multiview Automatic Target Recognition for Infrared Imagery Using Collaborative Sparse Priors

The low resolution of infrared (IR) images makes feature extraction for classification of a challenging work. Learning-based methods, therefore, are preferred to be used on such raw imagery. In this article, in order to avoid difficulties in feature extraction, a novel multitask extension of the widely used sparse-representation-classification (SRC) method is proposed in both single and multiview set-ups. That is, the test sample could be a single IR image or images from different views. In both single-view and multiview scenarios, we try to employ collaborative spike and slab priors. This is because the traditional sparsity-inducing measures such as the $l_{0}$ -row pseudonorm makes it hard to capture the sparse structure of the coefficient matrix when expanded in terms of a training dictionary, and the priors are proved to be able to capture fairly general sparse structures. Furthermore, a joint prior and sparse coefficient estimation method (JPCEM) is proposed for the first time in this article in order to alleviate the need to handpick prior parameters required before classification. Multiple experiments are conducted on a synthetic Comanche Forward Looking IR (FLIR) Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) database collected by Army Research Lab and a challenging mid-wave IR (MWIR) image ATR database made available by the U.S. Army Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate. The final results substantiate the merits of the proposed JPCEM through comparisons with other state-of-the-art methods, including both the ones based on SRC and the ones constructed using deep learning frameworks.
V – Genetic algorithms

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the basics of genetic algorithms (GAs), briefly describes the schema theorem and the building block hypothesis, and explains feature selection based on GAs, as one of the most important applications of GAs. GAs differ from classical optimization and search procedures: (1) direct manipulation of a coding, (2) search from a population of points and not a single solution, (3) search via sampling, a so-called blind search, and (4) search using stochastic operators, not deterministic rules. The chapter applies the most important basic operations of a GA to an example of function optimization. A GA represents a general optimization method that searches a large space of candidates, looking for a candidate that performs best according to the fitness function. It is not always guaranteed that an optimal candidate will be found. However, in most cases GAs succeed in finding a candidate with high fitness. Their most important application area is machine learning where they have been successfully applied both to choosing the network topology for neural networks and to function-approximation.
Covariates of Computerized Neurobehavioral Test Performance in Epidemiologic Investigations1

Computerized neurobehavioral tests are being used increasingly in occupational and environmental health to measure potential effects of exposure to neurotoxicants. Many factors affect performance on these tests. Data sets from application of a computerized neurobehavioral evaluation system in epidemiologic investigations of two occupational groups, printing pressmen and construction painters, were analyzed. Age and education were the major covariates of performance in these groups. The reliability of these computerized tests was also reviewed. Computerized neurobehavioral tests are similar to conventional tests in terms of reliability and relationships to known covariates. © 1993 Academic Press, Inc.
Frugivoria de Peixes em Áreas Úmidas Neotropicais: Passado, Presente e Futuro de uma Interação Única

La frugivoria es un habito de alimentacion comun entre los peces, especialmente en los humedales tropicales de America del Sur. Esta interaccion antigua evoluciono hace casi 70 Ma y probablemente contribuyo a definir la configuracion de las comunidades de plantas en los humedales Neotropicales. Despues de casi cuatro decadas de investigacion, apenas estamos empezando a comprender los mecanismos que influencian la frugivoria y la dispersion de semillas por peces. Hoy en dia, la persistencia de la interaccion unica entre los peces y los bosques se ve amenazada por los cambios en el uso de la tierra y el cambio climatico global. En este articulo, resalto algunas de las principales brechas de conocimiento en nuestra comprension acerca de la frugivoria en peces, resumo las amenazas actuales a las interacciones entre peces y bosques, y discuto estrategias de manejo para los bosques de llanuras inundables y la pesca, incluida la adopcion del Enfoque de Ecosistemas en la Pesca (EEP), propuesta por La Organizacion de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentacion (FAO). Especificamente, resumo cada componente de la EEP y ofrezco perpectivas sobre su implementacion en el contexto de las pesquerias en planos de inundacion de America del Sur.
Economic evaluation of the specialized donor care facility for thoracic organ donor management

Background Over the last decade two alternative models of donor care have emerged in the United States: the conventional model, whereby donors are managed at the hospital where brain death occurs, and the specialized donor care facility (SDCF), in which brain dead donors are transferred to a SDCF for medical optimization and organ procurement. Despite increasing use of the SDCF model, its cost-effectiveness in comparison to the conventional model remains unknown. Methods We performed an economic evaluation of the SDCF and conventional model of donor care from the perspective of U.S. transplant centers over a 2-year study period. In this analysis, we utilized nationwide data from the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients and controlled for donor characteristics and patterns of organ sharing across the nation's organ procurement organizations (OPOs). Subgroup analysis was performed to determine the impact of the SDCF model on thoracic organ transplants. Results A total of 38,944 organ transplants were performed in the U.S. during the study period from 13,539 donors with an observed total organ cost of $1.36 billion. If every OPO assumed the cost and effectiveness of the SDCF model, a predicted 39,155 organ transplants (+211) would have been performed with a predicted total organ cost of $1.26 billion (-$100 million). Subgroup analysis of thoracic organs revealed that the SDCF model would lead to a predicted 156 additional transplants with a cost saving of $24.6 million. Conclusions The U.S. SDCF model may be a less costly and more effective means of multi-organ donor management, particularly for thoracic organ donors, compared to the conventional hospital-based model.
Echocardiographic evaluation of ventricular septal defects

Ventricular septal defects (VSDs) are the most common forms of acyanotic congenital heart disease accounting for 37% of congenital heart disease in children. A VSD is defined by parts of the ventricular septum involved. There are four major types of VSDs: perimembranous, muscular, outlet, and inlet VSDs. Echocardiography is the most important clinical tool to help diagnose and characterize a VSD. Although most VSDs are clinically nonsignificant or close on their own, echocardiography with Doppler and color flow mapping can be used to provide accurate anatomic and hemodynamic evaluation of VSDs in order to determine if surgical or transcatheter-based intervention is needed. Hence, understanding how to use echocardiography to characterize VSDs is of crucial importance when caring for patients with adult congenital heart disease.
Heart Rate Characteristics in Infants with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy: Effects of Dexmedetomidine and Gestational Age

Purpose: Therapeutic hypothermia is used in neonates with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) to mitigate neurologic damage due to asphyxia. Prior studies have shown that infants with more severe encephalopathy have lower heart rate variability, reflecting autonomic nervous system dysfunction. If heart rate characteristics (HRC) are to be useful as an early biomarker for severity of encephalopathy, it is important to consider how other clinical variables impact HRC. Two variables of interest are gestational age (GA), since cooling practices have expanded to include late preterm infants, and the effect of sedation medications. Our institution changed …
Characterization of inpatient care for patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital with a home opioid prescription.

Introduction Patients with mental illness are particularly at risk for OUD, and due to this higher risk, providers may be more inclined to withhold their home opioids when they are admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Patients whose home opioids are continued or withheld during admission may be treated differently with respect to pain control, orders for nonopioid adjunctive pain agents, orders for intramuscular as-needed medications, orders for seclusion and/or restraints, and outpatient referrals for OUD treatment. The objective of this retrospective pilot study was to characterize inpatient care for these 2 patient populations. Methods Thirty-one inpatient encounters were reviewed for patients who had opioid prescriptions before admission and were discharged from the medical center's psychiatric service from June 1 through August 31, 2019. Results Orders for nonopioid adjunctive pain agents and intramuscular as-needed medications trended higher for the opioid-withheld group, suggesting greater polypharmacy and patient dissatisfaction compared with the opioid-continued group. Additionally, what became evident was the lack of consistent and clear documentation regarding the discharge plans for the patients' home opioid and OUD treatment. Discussion These findings may prompt inpatient interdisciplinary teams to develop a better process of documentation to facilitate continuity of care.
Comprehensive at-arrival transcriptomic analysis of post-weaned beef cattle uncovers type I interferon and antiviral mechanisms associated with bovine respiratory disease mortality.

Background Despite decades of extensive research, bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains the most devastating disease in beef cattle production. Establishing a clinical diagnosis often relies upon visual detection of non-specific signs, leading to low diagnostic accuracy. Thus, post-weaned beef cattle are often metaphylactically administered antimicrobials at facility arrival, which poses concerns regarding antimicrobial stewardship and resistance. Additionally, there is a lack of high-quality research that addresses the gene-by-environment interactions that underlie why some cattle that develop BRD die while others survive. Therefore, it is necessary to decipher the underlying host genomic factors associated with BRD mortality versus survival to help determine BRD risk and severity. Using transcriptomic analysis of at-arrival whole blood samples from cattle that died of BRD, as compared to those that developed signs of BRD but lived (n = 3 DEAD, n = 3 ALIVE), we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and associated pathways in cattle that died of BRD. Additionally, we evaluated unmapped reads, which are often overlooked within transcriptomic experiments. Results 69 DEGs (FDR<0.10) were identified between ALIVE and DEAD cohorts. Several DEGs possess immunological and proinflammatory function and associations with TLR4 and IL6. Biological processes, pathways, and disease phenotype associations related to type-I interferon production and antiviral defense were enriched in DEAD cattle at arrival. Unmapped reads aligned primarily to various ungulate assemblies, but failed to align to viral assemblies. Conclusion This study further revealed increased proinflammatory immunological mechanisms in cattle that develop BRD. DEGs upregulated in DEAD cattle were predominantly involved in innate immune pathways typically associated with antiviral defense, although no viral genes were identified within unmapped reads. Our findings provide genomic targets for further analysis in cattle at highest risk of BRD, suggesting that mechanisms related to type I interferons and antiviral defense may be indicative of viral respiratory disease at arrival and contribute to eventual BRD mortality.
Dialogues of Authenticity

Abstract Artists operating under a studio model, such as Andy Warhol, have frequently been described as reducing their work to statements of authorship, indicated by the signature finally affixed to the work. By contrast, luxury goods manufacturers decry as inauthentic and counterfeit the handbags produced during off-shift hours using the same materials and craftsmanship as the authorized goods produced hours earlier. The distinction between authentic and inauthentic often turns on nothing more than a statement of authorship. Intellectual property law purports to value such statements of authenticity, but no statement has value unless it is accepted as valid by its audience, a determination that depends on shared notions of what authenticity means as well as a common understanding of what authenticity designates.
Relating requirements to a user interface architecture for a rich enterprise web application

Over the past few years, the demand for richer user interfaces and fast performance for web applications has also had its effect on enterprise web UI development. Solutions such as rich thin client frameworks and rich internet application (RIA) frameworks have emerged, alongside technologies like AJAX and Adobe Flex. At Siemens Corporate Research, our recent experience in developing a scalable enterprise web application with an agile methodology, however, has indicated that implementation decisions are often made without fully understanding the implications that the desired UI concept and look and feel have on the implementation. This paper presents a conceptual UI architecture and, for each aspect of the architecture, examines the types of requirements that should be gleaned from the various UI requirements documents. We make recommendations to help bridge the gap between user interface design specifications and user interface architectural specifications, including impacts on implementation-level architecture.
Response of the resident macrophage to concanavalin A: Alterations of surface morphology and anionic site distribution

Abstract We have characterized certain resident guinea-pig peritoneal macrophage surface alterations following treatment with concanavalin A (ConA) and succinyl-ConA (S-ConA). Studies employing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have demonstrated that ConA, a tetrameric lectin, decreases dramatically the number of macrophage surface folds and ruffles although S-ConA, a dimeric derivative, is apparently not active. However, incubation of S-ConA-treated cells with rabbit anti-ConA (anti-ConA) restored this effect. The decrease in surface folds could not be observed in the presence of α-methyl- d -mannoside (αMM), a hapten sugar of ConA. We have performed several receptor-labeling transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies employing ferritin-conjugated ConA (FT-ConA) and cationized ferritin (CF). These experiments indicate that the ConA receptor-FT-ConA complexes form (1) clusters on the plasmalemma and (2) adsorptive pinocytic vesicles lined with the ferritin label. At the same time scale, we have observed a redistribution of macrophage surface anionic sites following treatment with ConA or S-ConA plus anti-ConA but not S-ConA alone. The redistribution of anionic sites is abolished in the presence of αMM. The specificity of the CF label was checked by pre-incubating cells with poly- l -lysine (PLL) or neuraminidase and by employing normal ferritin. These studies provide evidence which support the concept of a directed movement of surface charges during adsorptive pinocytosis. We discuss the possible relevance of this concept with regard to regional alterations of pH at the plasmalemma and the contribution of these anions to the trans-pinosomal pH gradient through the Donnan potential.
Biochemical and pathogenic properties of Shewanella alga and Shewanella putrefaciens.

We characterized 49 strains of Shewanella spp. from clinical (n = 31) and nonhuman (n = 18) sources. Most Shewanella alga organisms (Gilardi biovar 2; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] biotype 2) originated from clinical material (92%), failed to produce acid from carbohydrates other than d-ribose, and were biochemically and enzymatically fairly homogeneous. In contrast, Shewanella putrefaciens organisms (Gilardi biovars 1 and 3; CDC biotype 1) were more often associated with nonhuman sources (70%), were able to utilize a number of sugars (sucrose, l-arabinose, and maltose), and were found to exhibit wider variations in biochemical characteristics; three biotypes within S. putrefaciens were detected. Notable differences between the two species in enzymatic activity, determined with the API-ZYM system (bioMerieux, Hazelwood, Mo.), and cellular fatty acid profiles, determined by the MIDI system (Microbial ID Inc., Newark, Del.), were also detected. Pathogenicity studies of mice indicate that S. alga appears to be the more virulent species, possibly due to the production of a hemolytic substance.
Is There a Doctor (and a lawyer) in the House? Why our Good Samaritans Laws Are Doing More Harm Than Good for a National Public Health Security Strategy: A Fifty State Survey

This article addresses problems with the Good Samaritan laws of the United States. Professor Sutton explains that Good Samaritan laws vary greatly from state to state, and at least partly because of this variance, Good Samaritan laws currently operate to discourage, rather than encourage rescues. Sutton argues that developing a model Good Samaritan law for adoption from state to state, or a federal law to preempt state law in a declared emergency, is a necessary reform to the United States national public health security strategy. Sutton proposes a federal statute that would relieve licensed health care givers, officially appointed public health workers, and other licensed individuals from liability when acting during a national public health emergency. Sutton also proposes changing the standard of care for individuals who are first responders to the scene of an emergency in order to encourage immediate rescue attempts at the scene of a disaster. The article discusses the theories and foundation of Good Samaritan Law, the various Good Samaritan laws of the fifty states, and standard of care issues within those fifty states. The article concludes by noting that the trend in America of reluctance to rescue is increasingly disturbing as America faces a war against bioterrorism, chemical warfare, and radiological threats. Sutton reiterates the need for legislative reform of the Good Samaritan laws of the United States.
Receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIP3) deficiency inhibits immune cell infiltration and attenuates organ injury in sepsis (INC6P.344)

Sepsis is defined as a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), leading to multiple organ dysfunction and lethality. RIP3-dependent necrosis is implicated in driving TNF-α- and sepsis-induced mortality in mice. However, it is unknown if RIP3 deficiency has any impact on immune cell trafficking, which attributes to organ damage in SIRS. To study this, male wild-type (WT) and RIP3-deficient (RIP3-KO) mice were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), a sepsis model. Blood and tissue samples were collected at 20 h after CLP for analysis. In our severe sepsis model, the mean survival time of septic RIP3-KO mice was significantly extended from 41 h to 68 h, and their plasma levels of TNF-α, IL-6, AST, ALT and LDH were significantly decreased, compared to septic WT mice. In the lungs, septic RIP3-KO mice preserved a better integrity of microscopic structure with reduced apoptosis, and decreased the levels of IL-6, MIP2 and KC, compared to WT. In the liver, the levels of MIP2 and KC were also decreased in septic RIP3-KO mice. Particularly, the total number of neutrophils in the lungs and liver of septic RIP3-KO mice decreased by 64.6% and 52.2%, respectively, compared to septic WT mice. In addition, the number of natural killer (NK) and CD8T cells in the liver decreased by 63.9% and 50.3%, respectively, in septic RIP3-KO mice. Thus, targeting RIP3 may provide a therapeutic strategy in attenuating organ injury caused by excessive immune cell infiltration during sepsis.
Comparison of the Global Statistical Test and Composite Outcome for Secondary Analyses of Multiple Coronary Heart Disease Outcomes

Multiple outcomes (or multiple endpoints), such as mortality and recurrent myocardial infarction, are increasingly common in clinical trials and are often of interest in secondary analyses. Traditionally, a clinical trial protocol is built around a single event as its primary outcome, with several secondary outcomes specified, the analyses for which lack the same level of power. To accommodate all the relevant outcomes and to increase the power of the comparison in trials evaluating the efficacy of treatments for coronary heart disease, investigators often chose to construct a composite outcome. The more conventional composite outcome fails to account for the relative importance and the relationship (correlation) among its components. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate the usefulness of the Global Statistical Test, which considers the correlation between multiple outcomes, as an alternative strategy for these situations and to demonstrate its effect on hypothesis testing and power analysis issues in comparison with the traditional composite outcome analysis. Data from the cardiovascular clinical trial Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Population are used as an example.
Predictors of complications and outcomes of external hemipelvectomy wounds: account of 160 consecutive cases.

Background Hemipelvectomy has high wound complication rates. This study aimed to determine variables that may influence hemipelvectomy wound morbidity.
Hybrid Chromosome Design for Genetic Optimization of a Fragmented Patch Array Antenna

Chromosome design has been shown to be a crucial element in developing genetic algorithms which approach global solutions without premature convergence. The consecutive positioning of parameters with high-correlations and relevance enhances the creation of genetic building blocks which are likely to persist across recombination to provide genetic inheritance. Incorporating positional gene relevance is challenging, however, in multi-dimensional design problems. We present a hybrid chromosome designed for optimizing a fragmented patch antenna which combines linear and two-dimensional gene representations. We compare previous results obtained with a linear chromosome to solutions obtained with this new hybrid representation.
Gustatory responses during periods of controlled and ad lib cigarette smoking

Three psychophysical methods, differential sensitivity, perceived intensity, and degree of liking, were used to measure gustatory responses among nonsmokers and among smokers who were placed on 2-week schedules of increased and decreased cigarette consumption. Varying the smoking levels had little influence on the smokers’ sensitivity to the tastes of sucrose and sodium chloride. Throughout the experiments, nonsmokers were slightly more sensitive than smokers. Lower intensity ratings were ascribed to both compounds by smokers than by nonsmokers. Degree of liking of the test solutions was unrelated to smoking. A subsequent experiment showed that 45 nonsmokers were slightly, but not significantly, more sensitive than were 45 smokers to the tastes of sucrose, sodium chloride, citric acid, and quinine hydrochloride, with no differences in their sensitivity to the odor of 2-butanone and to the viscosity imparted by carrageenan gum. There was a slight inverse relationship between sensitivity and the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Smokers liked coffee significantly better and drank more cups per day than did nonsmokers. Few changes in body weight were observed, despite the smokers’ subjective assessment that their appetites and food intake were inversely related to the number of cigarettes smoked.
Influence of Host Genotype on Mortality from Lymphoid Leukosis and Marek’s Disease after Artificial and Natural Exposure

Abstract TWO independent-autosomal-recessive genes (tvar, tvbr) control resistance to subgroups A and B of the avian leukosis-sarcoma group of viruses, respectively (Crittenden et al., 1967). Resistance to subgroup A serves to exclude the viral genome from the host cell (Piraino, 1967; Crittenden, 1968), and resistance to subgroup B appears to operate by a similar mechanism (Vogt and Ishizaki, 1965). The excluded genome can induce neither viral replication nor neoplastic development in a host whose cells do not allow penetration. Therefore, breeding for resistance controlled by these genes should not only reduce disease but also reduce the prevalence of the causal virus. Payne et al. (1968) showed that resistance at the tva locus did, indeed, reduce the incidence of acute neoplasms and lymphoid leukosis after inoculation of embryos with subgroup A leukosis viruses, but had little or no effect on the response to mixtures of subgroups A and B. The results presented…
PIXE analysis of trace metals in aspirin-treated rats

Abstract Aspirin is known to complex metals, yet its effect on trace metals of the body remains poorly characterized. Chronic aspirin treatment of rats for one week produced significant alterations of serum iron, zinc, and selenium, and liver selenium and copper. Implications of metal complexation on the mechanism of action of aspirin and the association with Reye's Syndrome are discussed.
Parallel subtraction of Fourier power spectrum using nonlinear optical techniques

We review some earlier work on parallel image subtraction and present new experimental results on shift-invariant parallel subtraction of the Fourier power spectrum of two images. The subtraction is achieved by employing a real-time holographic Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a photorefractive crystal.
TOUGHREACT-A simulation program for non-isothermal multiphase reactive geochemical transport in variably saturated geologic media: Applications to geothermal injectivity and CO2 geological sequestration

TOUGHREACT is a numerical simulation program for chemically reactive non-isothermal flows of multiphase fluids in porous and fractured media. The program was written in Fortran 77 and developed by introducing reactive geochemistry into the multiphase fluid and heat flow simulator TOUGH2. A variety of subsurface thermo-physical-chemical processes are considered under a wide range of conditions of pressure, temperature, water saturation, ionic strength, and pH and Eh. Interactions between mineral assemblages and fluids can occur under local equilibrium or kinetic rates. The gas phase can be chemically active. Precipitation and dissolution reactions can change formation porosity and permeability. The program can be applied to many geologic systems and environmental problems, including geothermal systems, diagenetic, and weathering processes, subsurface waste disposal, acid mine drainage remediation, contaminant transport, and groundwater quality. Here we present two examples to illustrate applicability of the program. The first example deals with injectivity effects of mineral scaling in a fractured geothermal reservoir. A major concern in the development of hot dry rock and hot fractured rock reservoirs is achieving and maintaining adequate injectivity, while avoiding the development of preferential short-circuiting flow paths. Rock-fluid interactions and associated mineral dissolution and precipitation effects could have a major impact on the long-term performance of these reservoirs. We used recent European studies as a starting point to explore chemically induced effects of fluid circulation in the geothermal systems. We examine ways in which the chemical composition of reinjected waters can be modified to improve reservoir performance by maintaining or even enhancing injectivity. The second TOUGHREACT application example is related to CO"2 geologic sequestration in a saline aquifer. We performed numerical simulations for a commonly encountered Gulf Coast sediment under CO"2 injection conditions in order to analyze the impact of CO"2 immobilization through carbonate precipitation. Using the data presented in this paper, the CO"2 mineral-trapping capability after 10,000 years can reach 60kg/m^3 of sandstone by secondary carbonate mineral precipitation such as siderite, ankerite, and dawsonite. Most of the simulated mineral alteration pattern is consistent with the field observations of natural CO"2 reservoirs. s.
Subcooled boiling incipience on a highly smooth microheater

Abstract Subcooled boiling incipience on a highly smooth microscale heater (270 μm × 270 μm) submerged in FC-72 liquid is investigated. Using high-speed imaging and a transient heat flux measurement technique, the mechanics of homogeneous nucleation on the heater are elucidated. Bubble incipience on the microheater was observed to be an explosive process. It is found that the superheat limit of boiling liquid is required for bubble incipience. It is concluded that boiling incipience on the microheater is a homogeneous liquid–vapor phase change process. This is in contrast to recent observations of low-superheat heterogeneous nucleation on metallic surfaces of rms roughness ranging from 4 to 28 nm [T.G. Theofanous, J.P. Tu, A.T. Dinh, T.N. Dinh, The boiling crisis phenomenon part I: nucleation and nucleate boiling heat transfer, Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci. 26 (2002) 775–792; Y. Qi, J.F. Klausner, Comparison of gas nucleation and pool boiling site densities, J. Heat Transfer 128 (2005) 13–20; Y. Qi, J.F. Klausner, Heterogeneous nucleation with artificial cavities, J. Heat Transfer 127 (2005) 1189–1196]. Following the explosive bubble incipience, the boiling process on the microheater can be maintained at much lower superheats. This is mainly due to the necking during bubble departure that leaves an embryo from which the next-generation bubbles grow.
Leishmania enriettii: radiation effects and evaluation of radioattenuated organisms for vaccination.

Abstract The effects of gamma radiation and ultraviolet light on motility, morphology, reproduction, ability to transform from amastigote to promastigote, infectivity, and vaccine potential of Leishmania enriettii were studied. Over 800,000 roentgens (R) was necessary to immobilize immediately the organisms, whereas only 25,000 R rendered them noninfective and 50,000 R made amastigotes unable to transform to promastigotes. Increasing degrees of morphological abnormality were seen with increased radiation doses. Single, double, and triple vaccination with 25,000–100,000 R irradiated organisms had no protective value against L. enriettii.
Prefrontal cortex and executive functions in healthy adults: a meta-analysis of structural neuroimaging studies.

Abstract Lesion studies link the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to executive functions. However, the evidence from in vivo investigations in healthy people is mixed, and there are no quantitative estimates of the association strength. To examine the relationship between PFC volume and cortical thickness with executive cognition in healthy adults, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies that assessed executive functions and PFC volume (31 samples,) and PFC thickness (10 samples) in vivo , N = 3272 participants. We found that larger PFC volume and greater PFC thickness were associated with better executive performance. Stronger associations between executive functions and PFC volume were linked to greater variance in the sample age but was unrelated to the mean age of a sample. Strength of association between cognitive and neuroanatomical indices depended on the executive task used in the study. PFC volume correlated stronger with Wisconsin Card Sorting Test than with digit backwards span, Trail Making Test and verbal fluency. Significant effect size was observed in lateral and medial but not orbital PFC. The results support the “ bigger is better ” hypothesis of brain-behavior relation in healthy adults and suggest different neural correlates across the neuropsychological tests used to assess executive functions.
Opportunity, Involvement, and Student Exposure to School Violence

Exposure to violence, beyond more obvious physical injuries, has long-term emotional and psychological consequences for youth. It should thus come as no surprise that much research has focused on the correlates of youth exposure to violence and victimization. Less attention, however, has been paid to research examining the relationship between school involvement (i.e., extracurricular activities), opportunity, and youth exposure to school violence and victimization. Analyses that draw from the restricted-use Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 and that use logistic regression analyses suggest some important results. Most notably, involvement in classroom-related extracurricular activities is linked to an increase in victimization, whereas interscholastic sports involvement is related to a decrease in victimization for youth who participate. Besides discussing the findings of this study, this article also underscores the importance of understanding youth exposure to school violence in greater depth.
Bowen-Ratio Comparisons with Lysimeter Evapotranspiration

Water use in agriculture by different cropping systems is of interest in determining crop water use efficiency of different tillage practices that will lead to reduced crop production risk. Lysimeters are considered the standard for evapotranspiration (ET) measurements; however, these units are often not replicated and are few in number at any given location. Our objective was to determine if a simple Bowen-ratio system with nonexchanging psychrometers could provide accurate measurements of ET from lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) in a semiarid climate. The study was conducted in 1993 and 1994 on two adjacent 180- by 180-m fields with weighing lysimeters (1.68 by 1.68 by 1.83 m) located in the center of each field, on a Williams loam (fine-loamy, mixed Typic Argiboroll) soil near Sidney, MT. A Bowen-ratio system comprised of two nonexchanging psychrometers and anemometers at 0.25 and 1.25 m above the plant canopy surface was placed in the lentil field along with a net radiometer and soil heat flux plate. Precipitation during the growing season from planting to swathing was 367 mm in 1993 and 227 mm in 1994. In 1993, soil water content of the lysimeter was greater than the field after large precipitation events around Day of Year (DOY) 210, even though the lysimeter was drained. After this time, the lysimeter ET exceeded that measured by the Bowen-ratio system. Agreement was closer in 1994, when precipitation was near normal and there was no excess soil water in the lysimeter. Cumulative ET totals from the lysimeter were reflective of the seasonal precipitation patterns. Differences between the lysimeter and Bowen-ratio occurred when there was excess precipitation and inadequate drainage from the lysimeter. Half-hourly ET fluxes from lysimeter and Bowen-ratio values agreed to within 10% throughout the season. Bowen-ratio systems with nonexchanging psychrometers can provide satisfactory estimates of daily and seasonal ET and can be used to estimate ET in semiarid climates.
Dilemmas of Agrarian reform in the Soviet Union

AGRICULTURAL POLICY is not solely a matter of economics or production. At its core agricultural policy is made up of 'those decisions by governments which alter the prices farmers confront in the markets which determine their income'.1 In order to understand the politics of agricultural policy one must explain the patterns of intervention engaged in by governments. These patterns of intervention reflect leadership values vis-a-vis the peasantry, elite considerations of political stability, and the ability to build bases of support for a set of given policies. These factors in turn affect the regime's social policies in the countryside. Although social policy is multifaceted, for the purposes of this article we are interested in those policies which specifically impinge upon peasant incomes. The purposes of this article are twofold. On the one hand we are interested in explaining the patterns of state intervention in the USSR which have affected food prices and peasant incomes. A general consensus has emerged among Soviet policy makers and agricultural experts that past social rural policies were detrimental to the long-term ability of the agricultural sector to meet rising expectations. Gorbachev and others have displayed an awareness of the social and political ramifications of these frustrated expectations and have attempted to change policy in a way that would address shortcomings. However, in large part these reform efforts have not been successful. Thus, the second task of this article is to examine the reasons why agricultural reform has proceeded so slowly and unevenly in the Soviet Union.2 Towards this end we analyse the political dilemmas faced by Gorbachev in his attempt to reform the agrarian sector. I argue that one major shortcoming in Gorbachev's reform design is that, as presently configured, no one really wants it. That is, a critical deficiency of agricultural reform is the lack of political and social bases of support for the elements contained in the reform package. If we are to understand Gorbachev's political dilemmas in agrarian reform, we must see that, while Soviet rural policy promoted political stability for many years, in the long run it actually engendered political instability as Soviet society was modernised, bringing with it increased consumer expectations. The postStalin amelioration of the regime's 'urban bias' improved the well-being of rural dwellers and for a time led to increased agricultural production, but during that time the urban population was changing rapidly in size, education and sophistication.3 As the expectations of urban dwellers changed they wanted better quality and selection of food, as found in Western stores, but these expectations were
There goes the neighborhood: Lipreading and the structure of the mental lexicon

A central question in spoken word recognition research is whether words are recognized relationally, in the context of other words in the mental lexicon (McClelland and Elman, 1986; Luce and Pisoni, 1998). The current research evaluated metrics for measuring the influence of the mental lexicon on visually perceived (lipread) spoken word recognition. Lexical competition (the extent to which perceptually similar words influence recognition of a stimulus word) was quantified using metrics that are well-established in the literature, as well as a novel statistical method for calculating perceptual confusability, based on the Phi-square statistic. The Phi-square statistic proved an effective measure for assessing lexical competition and explained significant variance in visual spoken word recognition beyond that accounted for by traditional metrics. Because these values include the influence of a large subset of the lexicon (rather than only perceptually similar words), it suggests that even perceptually distant words may receive some activation, and therefore provide competition, during spoken word recognition. This work supports and extends earlier research (Auer, 2002; Mattys et al., 2002) that proposed a common recognition system underlying auditory and visual spoken word recognition and provides support for the use of the Phi-square statistic for quantifying lexical competition.
Allocating health care resources. The vexing case of rehabilitation

The allocation of resources to rehabilitation is beset with many difficulties. Among them are the general crisis in the American health care system and the problem of how to make a case for the role of rehabilitation. Rehabilitation must be prepared to show how and why it is a good medical and social investment in relation to other needs. Rehabilitation has played a secondary role in the American health care system because of overemphasis on curative and life-extending medicine. Rehabilitation must work to show that money invested in caring is as well spent as money aiming at the extension of life. It must also establish a fresh new vision of health care in general as well as illustrate where rehabilitation stands in a more integrated and coherent health care system. Improved quality of life, which rehabilitation can provide, is as important as saving and extending life.
Optimum Sensor Placement For Source Monitoring Under Log-Normal Shadowing

Abstract In source localization one estimates the location of a source using a variety of relative position information. Such relative position information is often provided by the received signal strength (RSS) which is in turn affected by log normal shadowing. A related issue is to place sensors around a localized source in a manner in which they can optimally monitor it. This paper considers optimal sensor placement in two dimensions so that a source can be monitored optimally from the RSS at various sensors. The mathematical problem becomes one of maximizing the smallest eigenvalue or the determinant of an underlying Fisher Information matrix, subject to the constraint that no sensor be closer than a specified distance from the source. We show that optimality is achieved if and only if the underlying Fisher Information Matrix is a scaled diagonal, and provide methods for achieving this condition.
Sciatic nerve palsy caused by haematoma from iliac bone graft donor site

A 27-year-old woman developed a haematoma-related compressive neuropathy of the right sciatic nerve following the harvesting of a bone graft from the posterior aspect of the right iliac crest. The nerve was compressed in an enclosed compartment between the sciatic notch and the piriformis muscle, which is thought to be involved in the piriformis syndrome. The symptoms improved once the haematoma was evacuated, and this complication stresses the importance of adequate haemostasis of the area from which the bone graft is taken.
SU-E-T-202: Evaluation and Commissioning of KODAK RT2000 CR System for Its Application in Routine Portal Imaging

Purpose: Evaluation of KODAK RT2000 CR System for its practical use in replacing portal localization films. Methods: Patient setup verification is critical to accurately deliver a prescribed dose to a patient. We use portal film imaging on some of our old machines. KODAK RT2000 CR System was recently evaluated to replace the conventional portal films with digital imaging. Rando phantom was used to test the functionality and accuracy of the Kodak CR system. A treatment plan was generated using the CTimages of the Rando phantom; the plan was then exported to Siemens PRIMUS via ARIA. Portalimages were taken using KODAK photostimulable phosphor (PSP) system. The PSP system was read by scanning the phosphor using KODAK CR System. These digitized images were exported to Varian ARIA RT Chart and evaluated in Offline Review for registration of DRRs with the digital portalimage. DRRs from the treatment planning system and digital portalimages from KODAK CR System were matched and differences between the planned set‐up and the in‐room set‐up of phantom were measured with tools in Offline Review. Shifts in lateral, longitudinal and vertical directions along with tilt angle were obtained to finally register the DRRs with the digital portalimages. Results: We converted our old film‐based portalimaging system into a digital portalimaging system. These digital images can be shared across a network. A digital imaging system provides easy access through ARIA network for physician's approval of portalimages. Conclusions: We successfully integrated four different multi‐vendor modalities (Odyssey TPS from Optivus, Siemen's Primus, Varian ARIA and KODAK CR System) to develop a portal digital imaging system. The system increases accuracy of treatment, offers flexibility of offline review by a physician, and thus makes the whole process more efficient.