cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
REGRESSION IN THE SERVICE OF THE EGO: A CASE STUDY.

Abstract A study was made of a 41 year old woman who was given psychological tests at the beginning of a five-year period of psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy. From extensive material gathered from her therapist it was clear that: (a) Her pathology did not extend beyond the neurotic range; (b) she was a highly creative individual. Thus, it was of interest to note that her Rorschach contained many responses involving blatant primary process thinking. While such responses would be taken ordinarily as indicating a thinking disorder and consequently severe pathology, in this case they were seen as reflecting “regression in the service of the ego.” This led to a discussion of how this adaptive regression can be differentiated from pathological regression in psycho-diagnostic testing and to a consideration of some theoretical issues relating to primary process thinking.
Arctic hazes in summer over Greenland and the North American Arctic. I: Incidence and origins

Airborne observations during August 1985 over Greenland and the North American Arctic revealed that dense, discrete haze layers were common above 850 mb. No such hazes were found near the surface in areas remote from local sources of particles. The haze layers aloft were characterized by large light-scattering coefficients due to dry particles (maximum value 1.24 × 10−4m−1) and relatively high total particle concentrations (maximum value 3100 cm−3). Sulfate was the dominant ionic component of the aerosol (0.06 – 1.9 μg m−3); carbon soot was also present. Evidence for relatively fresh aerosols, accompanied by NO2 and O3 depletion, was found near, but not within, the haze layers. The hazes probably derived from anthropogenic sources and/or biomass burning at midlatitudes.
Improving information extraction by modeling errors in speech recognizer output

In this paper we describe a technique for improving the performance of an information extraction system for speech data by explicitly modeling the errors in the recognizer output. The approach combines a statistical model of named entity states with a lattice representation of hypothesized words and errors annotated with recognition confidence scores. Additional refinements include the use of multiple error types, improved confidence estimation, and multipass processing. In combination, these techniques improve named entity recognition performance over a text-based baseline by 28%.
Functional regeneration in liver of old rats after partial hepatectomy

Abstract This study suggests that changes in liver protein metabolism occurring with age are not due to changes in the genome. Regenerating rat liver in old animals has regained functional properties of young rat liver. Specifically albumin synthesis, which is elevated in old animals, returns to young rat levels in old rats for several weeks after partial hepatectomy. Both in vivo and in vitro studies support this evidence. Old rat liver ferritin also undergoes changes in regenerating liver. The amount of ferritin iron/g liver falls to one half, the amount of iron/mg ferritin protein drops, but the amount of ferritin protein/g liver remains constant in regenerated old rat liver. The half-life of ferritin in regenerated old rat liver (2·3 days) is much shorter than in old rat liver controls (3·9 days) and approaches that of young rat liver ferritin (2·1 days). Determinations were done at a time when liver weight had been fully restored following removal of 67 per cent of the liver. Functional properties of old rat liver are restored by 12 weeks after partial hepatectomy.
On the problem of sorting burnt pancakes

The “pancake problem” is a well-known open combinatorial problem that recently has been shown to have applications to parallel processing. Given a stack of n pancakes in arbitrary order, all of different sizes, the goal is to sort them into the size-ordered configuration having the largest pancake on the bottom and the smallest on top. The allowed sorting operation is a “spatula flip”, in which a spatula is inserted beneath any pancake, and all pancakes above the spatula are lifted and replaced in reverse order. The problem is to bound f(n), the minimum number of flips required in the worst case to sort a stack of n pancakes. Equivalently, we seek bounds on the number of prefix reversals necessary to sort a list of n elements. Bounds of 17n16 and (5n + 5)3 were shown by Gates and Papadimitriou in 1979. In this paper, we consider a traditional variation of the problem in which the pancakes are two sided (one side is “burnt”), and must be sorted to the size-ordered configuration in which every pancake has its burnt side down. Let g(n) be the number of flips required to sort n “burnt pancakes”. We find that 3n2 ⩽ g(n) ⩽ 2n − 2, where the upper bound holds for n ⩾ 10. We consider the conjecture that the most difficult case for sorting n burnt pancakes is −In, the configuration having the pancakes in proper size order, but in which each individual pancake is upside down. We present an algorithm for sorting −In in 23n14 + c flips, where c is a small constant, thereby establishing a bound of g(n) ⩽ 23n14 + c under the conjecture. Furthermore, the longstanding upper bound of f(n) is also improved to 23n14 + c under the conjecture.
Application of an acoustic backscatter technique for characterizing the roughness of porous soil.

An acoustic backscatter technique proposed by Oelze et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 109, 1826-1832 (2001)] was used to characterize the roughness of porous soil surfaces. Roughness estimation errors are minimized when the effective flow resistivity of the porous soil is high, e.g., above 300,000 mks Rayls/m. Four soil plots were constructed by roughening soil with farming implements. Three plots were sealed using Saran powder dissolved in methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and then covered to prevent further weathering. A fourth plot was left in the open and exposed to rainfall, which also acted to seal the surface and further change the roughness. In sealing the surface the effective flow resistivity of the surface was increased above 300,000 mks Rayls/m, which is typical for weathered agricultural surfaces. The roughness power spectra of the soil surfaces were measured by acoustic backscatter and alternatively by a laser profiler. Regression analysis was used to approximate each roughness power spectrum versus roughness wave number with a best-fit line. The best-fit line was used to calculate the rms height and the correlation length of the rough surface by integrating the approximate roughness power spectrum over a range of roughness wave number values. The range of roughness wave number values defines the roughness length scales used in the statistical calculations. High-roughness wave numbers correspond to smaller length scales of roughness and low-roughness wave numbers correspond to larger length scales of roughness. Over certain ranges of roughness wave number values the statistics from the acoustic backscatter and laser profiler measurements is in good agreement. However, as the low-cutoff roughness wave number is decreased and the high-cutoff roughness wave number is increased, agreement between the laser and acoustic techniques diminishes.
Development of vaccination approaches for the treatment of neurological diseases

Several progressive neurodegenerative diseases share a common pathology: the accumulation of misfolded proteins within cells or neuropil of the brain. Characteristically, these misfolded proteins form organized beta-sheet-containing assemblies that have optical and biochemical properties of amyloid. Thus, the brain amyloidoses, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, and the prionoses or transmissible spongioform encelphalopathies (TSEs) all manifest putatively pathogenic misfolded proteins, suggesting that these proteins or their precursors may be targets for therapeutics development efforts. Two different biological approaches, both predicated on vaccination, are discussed in this monograph as preclinical approaches for the treatment of AD and a TSE. Herein, I first describe an active vaccination approach that exploits immune shaping to engender a prophylactic T(H)2 response to Abeta in AD mouse models. Second, I describe a passive vaccination strategy whereby recombinant adeno-associated virus vectored delivery of anti-prion single-chain fragment variable antibodies attenuates disease progression and promotes life extension in a mouse TSE model.
Qualified data flow problems

It is known that not all paths are possible in the run time control flow of many programs. It is also known that data flow analysis cannot restrict attention to exactly those paths that are possible. It is therefore usual for analytic methods to consider all paths. Sharper information can be obtained by considering a recursive set of paths that is large enough to include all possible paths but small enough to exclude many of the impossible ones. This paper presents a simple uniform methodology for sharpening data flow information by considering certain recursive path sets of practical importance. Associated with each control flow arc there is a relation on a finite set Q. The paths that qualify to be considered are (essentially) those for which the composition of the relations encountered is nonempty. For example, Q might be the set of all assignments of values to each of several bit variables used by a program to remember some facts about the past and branch accordingly in the future. Given any data flow problem together with qualifying relations on Q associated with the control flow arcs, we construct a new problem. Considering all paths in the new problem is equivalent to considering only qualifying paths in the old one. Preliminary experiments (with a small set of real programs) indicate that qualified analysis is feasible and substantially more informative than ordinary analysis. The methodology also has a beneficial feedback effect on the delicate task of passing from programs to meaningful data flow analysis problems. Even when all paths qualify, unusually sharp information can be obtained by passing from programs to problems in ways suggested by our theorems.
Just punishments: Guideline sentences and normative consensus

The federal sentencing guidelines prescribe ranges of sentences to be given to persons convicted of felonies in the federal criminal courts. The U.S. Sentencing Commission wrote the guidelines attempting to make sentences conform to community views of appropriate punishments, along with several other criteria. Employing data from a 1994 national sample of adult Americans, designed as a factorial survey, the degree of correspondence is shown between guidelines sentences and those desired by the American public. Although at the individual level only a modest degree of concordance was found, the central tendencies of public opinion (median sentences) were found to correspond quite closely to the guidelines sentences. The major points of disagreement centered around drug trafficking crimes: the guidelines prescribed very long sentences for those crimes and distinguished sharply among trafficking in heroin, powder cocaine, and crack, whereas median sentences desired by the public were much lower and did not distinguish sharply among trafficking in those drugs. We interpret the findings as indicating that the guidelines sentences conform reasonably closely to American normative consensus concerning the sentencing of federal felons.
MYCOPHAGOUS MITES AND FOLIAR PATHOGENS: LEAF DOMATIA MEDIATE TRITROPHIC INTERACTIONS IN GRAPES

Acarodomatia are small structures found on the underside of the leaves of many woody plant species. Several taxa of nonphytophagous mites are frequently associated with these small tufts of hair or invaginations of the leaf surface. Botanists, and more recently ecologists, have hypothesized that these structures mediate a mutualistic association between the plants and predaceous and microbivorous (microbe-feeding) mites. We examined the influence of domatia on the abundance of a tydeid mite, Orthotydeus lambi, on the riverbank grape, Vitis riparia, and its impact on a key fungal pathogen, grape powdery mildew, Uncinula necator. In two field experiments, we manipulated domatia (by blocking them with glue or using clones that varied in domatia size) and O. lambi densities on V. riparia vines that we had inoculated with mildew. Mite densities were significantly higher on plants with intact domatia than on plants with blocked domatia (38% and 200% greater in experiments 1 and 2, respectively). In addition, clones with larger domatia had significantly more mites than clones with smaller domatia. In the first experiment, the greater number of mites on plants with domatia relative to plants without domatia did not translate into reduced incidence of mildew; mites reduced mildew to very low levels in both treatments. In the second experiment, plants with intact domatia had a significant 48% reduction in leaf area covered with mildew relative to plants with blocked domatia. In addition, clones with larger domatia (and thus more O. lambi) had less mildew than clones with smaller domatia. This study represents the first experimental evidence that acarodomatia benefit plants through increased abundance of a mycophagous mite, which resulted in decreased severity of a plant disease.
Information processing for observed jump processes

An equation is derived for the posterior statistics of a Markov process that modulates the transition rates of an observed jump process. This equation forms the basis of a nonlinear filtering theory for observed jump processes that is the counterpart of the Stratonovich\3-Kushner filtering theory for nonlinear observations in additive white Gaussian noise.
SRC-Inhibition delays VEGF-Induced vascular endothelial cadherin (VE Cadherin) phosphorylation in endothelial cells

Abstract Introduction. We previously demonstrated that VEGFR2 mediates VEGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of VE cadherin in endothelial cells. We hypothesize that VEGF-induced VE cadherin phosphorylation is regulated by Src tyrosine kinase. Methods. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells, HUVEC, were exposed to vehicle controls or VEGF (50 ng/ml) for 5–30 min, in the presence or absence of the Src inhibitor, PP2. KDR or VE cadherin were immunoprecipitated and probed with anti-phosphotyrosine or anti-VE cadherin using monoclonal antibodies to phosphotyrosine or VE cadherin. Experiments were performed in triplicate and data were analyzed by ANOVA. Results. VEGF caused early and transient tyrosine phosphorylation of VEGFR2 within 5 min of VEGF exposure (data not shown). In parallel, VEGF also caused early tyrosine phosphorylation of VE cadherin within 5 min, which decreased by 30 min (upper panel, figure below). Src inhibition using PP2 delayed the time course of VE cadherin phosphorylation, causing maximum VE cadherin phosphorylation at 30 min (upper panel). We also identified a KDR-VE cadherin complex in cells exposed to vehicle control. Conclusion. Endothelial signaling during VEGF exposure involves tyrosine phosphorylation of VE cadherin. Regulation of VEGF-induced VE cadherin phosphorylation appears to be Src-dependent. Download : Download full-size image
Regeneration of Rat Liver: Transfer of Humoral Agent by Cross Circulation

Carotid-to-jugular cross circulation between partially hepatectomized and normal rats, via polyethylene cannulas, stimulated incorporation of (14)C-thymidine into hepatic DNA in the normal partners when it was maintained for 19 hours at a flow rate of about 2 milliliters per minute. Cross circulation for 7 hours or less was ineffective.
Nucleic acid amplification and infectious disease

Infectious organisms that have long eluded detection may now be easily identified using nucleic acid amplification techniques. Because nucleic acids are relatively stable, a wide range of samples, including paraffin-embedded fixed tissues, may be amplified. Infections by both RNA and DNA viruses and a variety of other organisms may be detected in both a prospective and retrospective fashion. Amplification techniques also may be used to detect bacterial toxins or type organisms for epidemiological purposes. However, the current lack of standardization between laboratories makes the interpretation of a negative or positive result hazardous in some instances, a problem that should be resolved with the evolution of the procedure.
Quantitative realizations of philosophy of science: William Whewell and statistical methods

In this paper, I examine William Whewell’s (1794–1866) ‘Discoverer’s Induction’, and argue that it supplies a strikingly accurate characterization of the logic behind many statistical methods, exploratory data analysis (EDA) in particular. Such methods are additionally well-suited as a point of evaluation of Whewell’s philosophy since the central techniques of EDA were not invented until after Whewell’s death, and so couldn’t have influenced his views. The fact that the quantitative details of some very general methods designed to suggest hypotheses would so closely resemble Whewell’s views of how theories are formed is, I suggest, a strongly positive comment on his views.
Does underlining links help or hurt

Two types of link treatments, underlined or non-underlined, were investigated in the context of three web pages. Over 1,000 participants completed tasks for which the answers were found either on the pages or by clicking a link. Task accuracy, speed, and ratings were collected in an online study. Conflicting findings suggest that primarily navigational pages should use underlined links, while informational pages should not.
Synthesis of deuterio-l-amphetamine, d1 sulfate.

In order to investigate the isotope effect on the enzymatic deamination of amphetamine, deuterio-l-amphetamine, d1 sulfate was synthesized by the selective reduction of phenyl-2-propanone oxime with lithium aluminum deuteride, followed by resolution of the racemic product. The yield of racemic amphetamine was 46% when approximately equimolar quantities of the oxime and LiAlD4 were employed. The identity of the deuterated amphetamine base was confirmed by determination of the physical properties of the racemic mixture. From NMR data, deuterium was found exclusively in the methine hydrogen position at a purity of greater than 99 atom percent. The optical isomers of deuterio-amphetamine were resolved through repeated fractional crystallization of the d-amphetamine-d-bitartrate and l-amphetamine-l-bitartrate diastereomers. The isomers were found to possess 97 to 99% optical purity, based on values for pure isomers of protio-amphetamine. In vitro metabolism studies indicate that a significant deuterium isotope effect operates in the oxidative deamination of deuterio-l-amphetamine. Under specified conditions, the ratios of apparent rate constants (kH/kD) based on initial velocities, yield a value of 2.0 ± 0.3.
Nonlinear bending inertia of a vibrating beam

Die bei Querschwingungen schlanker Stabe mit zeitabhangiger Langsbelastung in der Bewegungsdifferentialgleichung auftretenden nichtlinearen Tragheitsterme, herruhrend von der Longitudinalbewegung, werden hier im Gegensatz zu fruheren Arbeiten mitberucksichtigt. Die sich daraus ergebenden nichtlinearen Korrekturen der Eigenfrequenzen des entsprechenden linearen Systems werden abgeschatzt.
It is Not What You Get But When You Get it: The Effect of Gift Sequence on Deposit Balances and Customer Sentiment in a Commercial Bank

The impact of gifts on deposit balances and customer sentiment was examined in a longitudinal field experiment conducted on depositors at a bank. Several factors were manipulated: gift type, the accompanying message, and the sequence of gift value, which was either increasing ($35 then $100 gift), decreasing ($100 then $35 gift), or a single gift. Gifts increased deposit balances, survey response rates, and measures of customer satisfaction, trust and loyalty compared to the no-gift control. Within gift conditions the sequence of gift value was the most important factor, with a highly detrimental effect of decreasing value on deposit balances. These results showed evidence of persistence in a long term follow-up analysis of deposit balances.
Future telecommunications policy: Implications for minorities

Abstract The fundamental questions concerning the application of communication technology to education and to society centers not around what we can do but what we should do. The stakes are high, especially for minorities. Minorities must not be left out, either by default or absence of malice, of the future national telecommunication policies.
Developing an environmental management system for a multiple-university consortium

Abstract South Carolina's three research universities — Clemson, Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina — have come together through the Sustainable Universities Initiative (SUI) to incorporate sustainability into their own institutions, and, by extension, other institutions in the state. Coordinating an effort by three such large and diverse institutions is a challenge. One tool we think will assist us in this endeavor is an environmental management system geared specifically toward the needs of higher education. This paper briefly describes SUI and offers an in-depth view of our plans for the development of a statewide higher education EMS.
Medication use practices and perceptions among patients in a U.S.-Mexico border community

Abstract Objective To identify themes surrounding medication use practices and perceptions among individuals from a U.S.–Mexico border community recruited to participate in focus groups. Methods This study was conducted in El Paso, TX. Adult participants considered to be at risk for medication therapy problems (i.e., older adults, pregnant orbreast-feeding women, parents of young children) were recruited for participation. Focus groups and a survey were used to evaluate perceptions, concerns, and patterns of use of U.S. medications, Mexican medications, and herbal products. Results A sample of 73 adults, most of whom were Hispanicwomen (n = 60[82%]), were recruited for participation in seven focus groups. Across groups, the majority participated in the older adult cohort (n = 42[58%]), reported having an annual household income of less than $15,000 (n = 57[78%]), and identified that they had less than a high school education (n = 40[55%]). Four dominant themes emerged from the participants who completed both the survey and focus groups: (1) a "comfort" level for using a combination of U.S. medications, Mexican medications, and herbal products; (2) customary use of different drug information sources including physicians, Mexican pharmacy staff, U.S. pharmacists, and family members; (3) inconsistent levels of confidence in interpreting, measuring, and using medications; and (4) a sense of frustration regarding medication costs, which led participants to seek alternative options. Conclusion These qualitative results provide an increased understanding of medication use practices and perceptions in this population. Findings such as these can provide guidance and insight into the development of interventions to improve safe and effective medication use.
Finite Element Modeling Predictions of Region-specific Cell-matrix Mechanics in the Meniscus

The knee meniscus exhibits significant spatial variations in biochemical composition and cell morphology that reflect distinct phenotypes of cells located in the radial inner and outer regions. Associated with these cell phenotypes is a spatially heterogeneous microstructure and mechanical environment with the innermost regions experiencing higher fluid pressures and lower tensile strains than the outer regions. It is presently unknown, however, how meniscus tissue mechanics correlate with the local micromechanical environment of cells. In this study, theoretical models were developed to study mechanics of inner and outer meniscus cells with varying geometries. The results for an applied biaxial strain predict significant regional differences in the cellular mechanical environment with evidence of tensile strains along the collagen fiber direction of approximately 0.07 for the rounded inner cells, as compared to levels of 0.02-0.04 for the elongated outer meniscus cells. The results demonstrate an important mechanical role of extracellular matrix anisotropy and cell morphology in regulating the region-specific micromechanics of meniscus cells, that may further play a role in modulating cellular responses to mechanical stimuli.
Potent oxindole based human β3 adrenergic receptor agonists

The synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of oxindole beta(3) adrenergic receptor agonists is described. A modulation of rat atrial tachycardia was observed with substitution at the 3-position of the oxindole moiety.
Radiometric calibration of infrared imagers using an internal shutter as an equivalent external blackbody

Advances in microbolometer long-wave infrared (LWIR) detectors have led to the common use of infrared cameras that operate without active temperature stabilization, but the response of these cameras varies with their own temperature. Therefore, obtaining quantitative data requires a calibration that compensates for these errors. This paper describes a method for stabilizing the camera’s response through software processing of consecutive images of the scene and images of the camera’s internal shutter. An image of the shutter is processed so that it appears as if it were viewed through the lens. The differences between the scene and the image of the shutter treated as an external blackbody are then related to the radiance or temperature of the objects in the scene. This method has been applied to two commercial LWIR cameras over a focal plane array temperature range of ±7.2°C, changing at a rate of up to ±0.5°C/min. During these tests, the rms variability of the camera output was reduced from ±4.0°C to ±0.26°C.
Drug Therapy of Aggressive Behaviors Accompanying Dementia

Aggressive behaviors often accompany dementia in the elderly, institutionalized patient. These may include any number of verbal or physical acts, and range from swearing, threatening, to harming self, others, or property. Identifying specific target behaviors for treatment is important in selecting the appropriate therapeutic option. The major neurotransmitters involved in aggression include gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and serotonin, which inhibit aggression, and dopamine, norepinephrine and acetylcholine, which increase it. Drug therapy for control of aggressive behaviors has traditionally included the antipsychotics and EHAVIORAL PROBLEMS that are harmB ful to self, others, or property are common among the demented elderly patient, and often lead to long-term care placement. Currently, there are 27 million people older than the age 65, with dementing illness occurring in an estimated 5% of those patients. The incidence of dementia increases with age, occurring in approximately 20% of those older than age 80 years.’ Accompanying this common clinical condition are behavioral disturbances, which include verbal and physical agitation and aggressive features. This article will review the nature of aggression, factors associated with it, and the pharmacotherapy of aggressive behaviors, and will recommend an approach to evaluating and treating patients with these problems. DEFINITION AND PREVALENCE OF BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS
The value of water supply and sanitation in development: an assessment.

The attractiveness of oral rehydration therapy (ORT), a new and simple ministration that averts many child deaths from diarrhea among children, is diverting attention among donor agencies from the importance of water supply and sanitation (WS&S) in developing nations. The principal factor that led to the adoption of ORT is its apparent low cost per diarrheal death averted in children when compared with WS&S. However, WS&S provides many more benefits that are essential to sustaining the lives saved by ORT and vital to maintaining and enhancing the lives of adults and children. Among many other benefits WS&S prevents spread of the causes of diarrhea, controls many other water- and sanitation-related diseases, releases women from the heavy and time-consuming burden of carrying water from distant sources, and improves the quality of life in the community. Cost comparisons between WS&S and ORT are misleading. WS&S is a long-term investment in preventive health while ORT is a response to an immediate life-threa...
Lithium isotopic composition of marine sediments

To understand the role of subducted sediment in arc magmatism and the formation of the continental crust, we have determined the Li isotopic composition of marine sediments subducting at several trenches, as well as from nonconvergent margin settings. The bulk isotopic composition (δ7Li) of global sediments varies widely (from −4.3 to 14.5‰), reflecting sediment type, provenance, and diagenetic processes. Among detrital sediments (−1.5 to 5‰), clay-rich variants are generally isotopically lighter than sands owing to isotopic fractionation during continental weathering. Sediments derived from mature continental crust are especially light. Volcanogenic sediments can have either heavier or lighter isotopic compositions than the mantle depending on alteration effects. Biogenic carbonate and silica are susceptible to recrystallization, which results in heavier isotopic compositions (6 to 14.5‰). The lightest composition was observed in hydrothermally leached sediments (−4.3‰). Slowly accumulated metalliferous sediments display anomalously high δ7Li (6 to 10‰) values due to incorporation of seawater-derived Li. On the basis of this and previous studies, integrated δ7Li values for subducted sediment vary from arc to arc, ranging from −0.4 to 9‰. Calculated fluxes of subducted sediment-derived Li also vary, from 1.4 to 18.2 g/yr per cm arc length. Although Li isotopic compositions of marine sediments largely overlap with those of the upper mantle and altered oceanic crust, controls on Li isotope composition of arc lavas are complex and must be understood in terms of the primary compositions and relative contributions of subducted sediments and oceanic crust, fractionation during metamorphic dehydration, and equilibration of slab-derived fluids with the subarc mantle. Finally, although clay-rich sediments can contribute to the light isotopic composition of continental crustal rocks, our results suggest diverse compositions of sedimentary rocks. Incorporation of sedimentary components in the formation of granitic rocks may give rise to greater heterogeneity in the composition of the upper continental crust than is currently estimated.
Remote access to interactive media

Digital interactive media augments interactive computing with video, audio, computer graphics and text, allowing multimedia presentations to be individually and dynamically tailored to the user. Multimedia, and particularly continuous media pose interesting problems for system designers, including those of latency and synchronization. These problems are especially evident when multimedia data is remote and must be accessed via networks. Latency and synchronization issues are discussed, and an integrated system, Tactus, is described. Tactus facilitates the implementation of interactive multimedia computer programs by managing latency and synchronization in the framework of an object-oriented graphical user interface toolkit.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the effects of task demand context on facial affect appraisal in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia patients display impaired performance and brain activity during facial affect recognition. These impairments may reflect stimulus-driven perceptual decrements and evaluative processing abnormalities. We differentiated these two processes by contrasting responses to identical stimuli presented under different contexts. Seventeen healthy controls and 16 schizophrenia patients performed an fMRI facial affect detection task. Subjects identified an affective target presented amongst foils of differing emotions. We hypothesized that targeting affiliative emotions (happiness, sadness) would create a task demand context distinct from that generated when targeting threat emotions (anger, fear). We compared affiliative foil stimuli within a congruent affiliative context with identical stimuli presented in an incongruent threat context. Threat foils were analysed in the same manner. Controls activated right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)/ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) more to affiliative foils in threat contexts than to identical stimuli within affiliative contexts. Patients displayed reduced OFC/VLPFC activation to all foils, and no activation modulation by context. This lack of context modulation coincided with a 2-fold decrement in foil detection efficiency. Task demands produce contextual effects during facial affective processing in regions activated during affect evaluation. In schizophrenia, reduced modulation of OFC/VLPFC by context coupled with reduced behavioural efficiency suggests impaired ventral prefrontal control mechanisms that optimize affective appraisal.
Contextual Effects on Escalation Processes in Public Sector Decision Making

Abstract The present study examined escalation bias in the context of public sector decision making. Four factors were considered: responsibility (high or low), decision alternative (reserve fund or other sponsor), decision framing (positive or negative), and mood (positive or neutral). In contrast to previous research, it was demonstrated that following a setback, some decision alternatives elicited escalation among low-responsibility decision makers. Other decision alternatives elicited escalation among high-responsibility decision makers. This interaction between personal responsibility and decision alternative was also moderated by the manner in which decision feedback was framed. That is, when feedback was negatively framed, the effects of decision alternatives were negated—resulting in allocation patterns consistent with previous escalation research. The study also addressed the potential role of the individual's affective state on escalation. The importance of decision context, framing influences, and individual differences on escalation conflicts is discussed.
Learning and inference with constraints

Probabilistic modeling has been a dominant approach in Machine Learning research. As the field evolves, thc problems of interest become increasingly challenging and complex. Making complex decisions in real world problems often involves assigning values to sets of interdependent variables where the expressive dependency structure can influence, or even dictate, what assignments are possible. However, incorporating nonlocal depcndencies in a probabilistic model can lead to intractable training and inference. This paper presents Constraints Conditional Models (CCMs), a framework that augments probabilistic models with declarative constraints as a way to support decisions in an expressive output space while maintaining modularity and tractability of training. We further show that declarative constraints can be used to take advantage of unlabeled data when training the probabilistic model.
Classic Skin Findings of Scurvy

Department of Medical Education, Gundersen Medical Foundation (D.D.F.), and Infectious Disease Section, Department of Internal Medicine, Gundersen Health System (T.J.K.), La Crosse, WI. A 43-year-old man with a long history of alcohol abuse presented with altered mental status, confabulation, and rash. He had perifollicular, hyperkeratotic papules and corkscrew hairs over his forearms, thighs, and upper abdomen (Figures 1 and 2), as well as gingival bleeding. A skin biopsy specimen revealed perifollicular fibrosis associated with perifollicular hemorrhage (Figure 3) consistent with a diagnosis of scurvy. The patient was treated with 500 mg of ascorbic acid daily, and the rash resolved after 1 week of treatment. His neurologic symptoms were subsequently determined to stem from Wernicke encephalopathy, which was caused by a coexistent thiamine deficiency.
Relationship of asthma to irritant gas exposures in pulp and paper mills

The potential of chronic or acute irritant gas exposures to cause asthma or a variant condition, reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS) was investigated by observing asthma incidence in a large working population, using person-years at risk (P-YR) to compute relative rates (RR). Health data came from employee examinations at 62 pulp and paper plants. The 39122 workers who denied asthma beginning before the observation period included: 19326 denying irritant exposures, with no gassing exposures; 19349 with self-reported irritant exposures, and no gassing; and 447 with documented gassings. Asthma was defined as self-reported asthma beginning after the start of observation. P-YR accrued from September 29, 1986, for the nonexposed and exposed workers, and from date of first gassing for gassed workers, and ended with disease onset in any who developed asthma. RR of asthma with 95% confidence intervals (CI95) were calculated for the exposed and gassed groups, relative to the nonexposed. Exposed (nongassed) workers had an elevated asthma rate, RR=1.48, CI95=1.17-1.86, after adjustment for effects of gender and number of examinations. The rate in gassed workers was not significantly elevated: RR=1.95, CI95=0.75-5.08. Of the five asthma cases occurring after gassings, none conformed to diagnostic criteria for RADS. Chronic exposures were associated with increased rate of asthma onset, which must be interpreted with caution because self-reported data defined both exposure category and disease. Documented gassings were not associated with significantly increased rate, and none of 447 gassed persons developed RADS.
A new class of aperture domain flow estimation algorithms

Current blood flow estimation algorithms operate on radio frequency (RF) or complex demodulated (IQ) data summed across a phased array, annular array, or single piston transducer. Typically either the phase delay or time delay between successively acquired signals is used to estimate the blood velocity. While this approach allows computational efficiency, velocity estimates are corrupted because different portions of the array lie at different angles with respect to the blood flow vector. While such effects can often be neglected for high f-number systems, they become increasingly important as aperture sizes increase. The angular dependence between the flow vector and the transducer elements broadens spectral flow estimates, increases estimator variance, and biases flow estimates. Flow estimates are further corrupted because different elements in the array receive slightly different speckle signals, as predicted by the Van Cittert-Zernike Theorem. Summation of these limited coherence signals causes a reduction in signal to noise ratio, further increasing estimator variance. This paper describes a new class of blood flow estimators which coherently process correlation or autocorrelation functions derived from data acquired by individual array elements. These aperture domain estimators can be formulated to process either IQ data or RF data. When operating on data acquired from one dimensional arrays these algorithms can yield two dimensional velocity estimates. Implementation on 1.5-D or 2-D arrays will allow estimation of the complete three dimensional blood velocity vector. Simulation results are presented which illustrate the limitations of current algorithms and potential of the narrow-band aperture domain velocity estimator (NAVE) and wideband aperture domain velocity estimator (WAVE). Simulation results are also presented which compare the bias and variance of WAVE to traditional blood flow estimators. Similarities between WAVE, NAVE, and other multidimensional velocity estimators, such as dual angle Doppler, are discussed. Tradeoffs between spatial resolution and performance are discussed. Finally, the implementation of wall filters for these algorithms is discussed.
Albuminuria, impaired kidney function and cardiovascular outcomes or mortality in the elderly

Background. Kidney disease is a risk factor for mortality and cardiovascular disease in older adults, but the separate and combined effects of albuminuria and cystatin C, a novel marker of glomerular filtration, are not known. Methods. We examined associations of these markers with mortality and cardiovascular outcomes during a median follow-up of 8.3 years in 3291 older adults in the Cardiovascular Health Study. Kidney disease was assessed using urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR), cystatin C and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). We defined subgroups based on presence of microalbuminuria (MA, ACR > 30 mg/g) and categories of normal kidney function (cystatin C 60 mL/min/1.73 m2); preclinical kidney disease (cystatin C level > 1.0 mg/l but eGFR > 60 mL/min/1.73 m2); and chronic kidney disease (CKD) (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2). Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine associations between these six subgroups and all-cause or cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction and heart failure. Results. One thousand one hundred fifty (34.9%) had normal kidney function (12.2% with MA), 1518 (46.1%) had preclinical kidney disease (17.9% with MA) and 622 (18.9%) had CKD (47% with MA). After adjustment, the presence of either preclinical kidney disease or MA was associated with an over 50% increase in mortality risk; the presence of both was associated with a 2.4-fold mortality risk. Those with CKD and MA were at highest risk, with a nearly 4-fold mortality risk. Conclusion. Elevated cystatin C and albuminuria are common, identify different subsets of the older population, and are independent, graded risk factors for cardiovascular disease and mortality.
Chronology of early Eocene marine and terrestrial strata, Baja California, Mexico

We present a multidisciplinary study of the marine and terrestrial biostratigraphy, and paleomagnetism of early Eocene, intertonguing marine and continental strata from the Punta Prieta area, central Baja California, Mexico. The mammalian fauna is assigned to the Wasatchian North American Land Mammal Age, rather than the Clarkforkian assignment of earlier studies. Extensive molluscan assemblages from intertonguing marine strata are correlated to the restricted "Capay" Stage and therefore are middle Ypresian (middle early Eocene) in age. This correlation is supported by a benthic foraminiferal assemblage assigned to the Penutian/Ulatisian Stage, and the ostracode Buntonia (early Eocene first appearance). This study is only the second that provides direct correlation of early Paleogene marine and terrestrial biochronologies in North America. Our correlation indicates that part of the Wasatchian mammal age is correlative with the Ypresian age, as had been suggested previously from indirect evidence. All of the paleomagnetic sites from three sections are reversely magnetized; the associated middle early Eocene biochronologic information permits correlation of this reversed polarity interval to Chron C23R or the reversed polarity interval within Chron C24N. Wasatchian mammal assemblages now are known from northern Canada (Ellesmere Island) to central Baja; all available geochronologic information indicates that these assemblages are synchronous across broad, intracontinental areas. Our early Eocene paleomagnetic study provides the first early Cenozoic results from the Baja peninsula and the first direct constraint on the early Cenozoic plate-tectonic motion of the peninsula. Our results indicate that Baja California was in its pre-Gulf of California position, sutured adjacent to the northern Mexican mainland, prior to the middle early Eocene. These results conflict with some previous interpretations of the motion of Baja; discrepancies may be caused by failure to treat small terranes as discrete, potentially independent, mobile land masses.
The genomic origins of asthma

Lung function tracks from the earliest age that it can be reliably measured. Genome wide association studies suggest that most variants identified for common complex traits are regulatory in function and active during fetal development. Fetal programming of gene expression during development is critical to the formation of a normal lung. An understanding of how fetal developmental genes related to diseases of the lungs and airways is a critical area for research. This review article considers the developmental origins hypothesis, the stages of normal lung development and a variety of environmental exposures that might influence the developmental process: in utero cigarette smoke exposure, vitamin D and folate. We conclude with some information on developmental genes and asthma.
Universal sex differences in the desire for sexual variety: Tests from 52 nations, 6 continents, and 13 islands

Evolutionary psychologists have hypothesized that men and women possess both long-term and short-term mating strategies, with men's short-term strategy differentially rooted in the desire for sexual variety. In this article, findings from a cross-cultural survey of 16,288 people across 10 major world regions (including North America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, Middle East, Africa, Oceania, South/Southeast Asia, and East Asia) demonstrate that sex differences in the desire for sexual variety are culturally universal throughout these world regions. Sex differences were evident regardless of whether mean, median, distributional, or categorical indexes of sexual differentiation were evaluated. Sex differences were evident regardless of the measures used to evaluate them. Among contemporary theories of human mating, pluralistic approaches that hypothesize sex differences in the evolved design of short-term mating provide the most compelling account of these robust empirical findings.
Drosophila PI4KIIIalpha is required in follicle cells for oocyte polarization and Hippo signaling

In a genetic screen we isolated mutations in CG10260, which encodes a phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PI4KIIIalpha), and found that PI4KIIIalpha is required for Hippo signaling in Drosophila ovarian follicle cells. PI4KIIIalpha mutations in the posterior follicle cells lead to oocyte polarization defects similar to those caused by mutations in the Hippo signaling pathway. PI4KIIIalpha mutations also cause misexpression of well-established Hippo signaling targets. The Merlin-Expanded-Kibra complex is required at the apical membrane for Hippo activity. In PI4KIIIalpha mutant follicle cells, Merlin fails to localize to the apical domain. Our analysis of PI4KIIIalpha mutants provides a new link in Hippo signal transduction from the cell membrane to its core kinase cascade.
The Changing World of Teachers

What can one possibly learn that is new about teachers and teaching? Surely, nearly everyone has sat as a student in classrooms, thus most of us have had at least some personal contact with teaching and the professional conduct of at least a few teachers. And for this reason, teachers and teaching may not seem as mysterious to us as the lives and activities of surgeons, psychiatrists, nuclear physicists, or other professionals whom we have never observed.