cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Schema Theory, Linguistic Theory, and Representations of Reading Comprehension

AbstractThis review evaluates Schank’s, Frederiksen’s, and Kintsch’s models for representing language comprehension according to their relevance to educators. First, two areas of research that have contributed to theories of comprehension are described: schema theory and linguistic theory. Second, the three models of comprehension are discussed in view of these theories. In conclusion, the value of these theories to reading educators is remarked.
Motion detection and object tracking with discrete leaky integrate-and-fire neurons

A biologically inspired visual system capable of motion detection and pursuit motion is implemented using a Discrete Leaky Integrate-and-Fire (DLIF) neuron model. The system consists of a visual world, a virtual retina, the neural network circuitry (DLIF) to process the information, and a set of virtual eye muscles that serve to move the input area (visual field) of the retina within the visual world. Temporal aspects of the DLIF model are heavily exploited including: spike propagation latency, relative spike timing, and leaky potential integration. A novel technique for motion detection is employed utilizing coincidence detection aspects of the DLIF and relative spike timing. The system as a whole encodes information using relative spike timing of individual action potentials as well as rate coded spike trains. Experimental results are presented in which the motion of objects is detected and tracked in real and animated video. Pursuit motion is successful using linear and also sinusoidal paths which include object velocity changes. The visual system exhibits dynamic overshoot correction heavily exploiting neural network characteristics. System performance is within the bounds of real-time applications.
The bryophyte collections of Wabash College Herbarium (WAB) now at the New York Botanical Garden (NY)

The bryophyte portion of the Wabash College Herbarium (WAB) consists of the personal herbaria of two faculty members: Drs. R. L. Laubengayer and A. R. Bechtel. Together, there were 1483 packets of bryophyte specimens. Most of the collections are from New York, Indiana, and Puerto Rico. Among them, ten represent new county records for New York mosses.Pseudocrossidium aureum is reported as new to California.Orthotrichum sordidum andPylaisiella selwynii are newly identified from a Puerto Rican collection by Laubengayer. The West Indian records of these two species, however, are only doubtfully accepted. In addition, a short biographical sketch is presented for R. L. Laubengayer.
Bacteria, mucosal-associated invariant T cells and MR1.

Certain subpopulations of T lymphoctyes show innate-like properties that distinguish them from conventional T cells and thus have been collectively termed innate T cells. Two extensively studied subsets of innate T cells implicated in pathogen detection are invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells and γδ T cells. Conventional T cells detect pathogens in a manner that is exquisitely antigen specific, based on discrimination of peptides bound to classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. By contrast, innate T cells have only limited antigen discrimination and when antigen presentation has been implicated the antigen is not an unmodified peptide. For example, iNKT cells are activated by lipids presented by CD1d molecules,1 whereas certain γδ T cells are directly activated by ‘danger signals’ such as the small microbial product isopentenyl pyrophosphate.2 Their limited ligand discrimination and relatively larger clonal size allow innate T cells to mount earlier responses than conventional T cells. In comparison with conventional T cells, innate T-cell populations develop by a distinct ontogenic pathway and preferentially home to specific tissues. On the basis of these combined properties of innate T cells and the fact that their receptors and ligands have been highly conserved in evolution, it is attractive to propose that they represent ancient innate pathways of pathogen protection. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells were previously shown to have several properties in common with innate T cells, yet their physiological function remained unknown. Two new articles, Le Bourhis et al. published in Nature Immunology3 (reviewed here) and Gold et al. published in PLoS Biology4 implicate MAIT cells in the detection of bacterial infection in a manner restricted by the novel MHC class I-related molecule, MR1.
Armenian Migration to North America, State Power, and Local Politics in the Late Ottoman Empire

Gutman’s article examines the attempts by the Ottoman state under Sultan Abdulhamid II to prevent large-scale Armenian migration to North America. It reveals how these efforts were hampered in practice by contradictions inherent within the state’s attempts to control and surveil the mobility of its subjects, internecine feuding within its provincial bureaucracy, and numerous and often conflicting social and political dynamics on the ground. This article contributes to our understanding of issues of state making, social control, and labor discipline in the last decades of the Ottoman Empire and the various social forces that both shaped and resisted these processes. What emerges is a nuanced view of the post-Tanzimat Ottoman state’s ability to exercise its will on the ground. Finally, it provides crucial and much needed insight into the relationship between the central Ottoman state and its Armenian population in the years prior to the 1915 Armenian genocide.
Human EJ bladder carcinoma oncogene is homologue of Harvey sarcoma virus ras gene

Examination of homologies between retroviral oncogenes and transforming sequences defined by transfection reveals that the human bladder carcinoma (EJ) oncogene is homologous to the Harvey sarcoma virus oncogene (ras). Structural analysis limits the region of homology to a 3.0-kilobase SacI fragment of the EJ oncogene. Both EJ and ras DNA probes detect similar transcripts in transfectants derived from bladder carcinoma cell lines.
1 H, 15 N, and 13 C chemical shift assignments of the calflagin Tb24 flagellar calcium binding protein of Trypanosoma brucei

Flagellar calcium binding proteins are expressed in a variety of trypanosomes and are potential drug targets for Chagas disease and African sleeping sickness. We report complete NMR chemical shift assignments of the flagellar calcium binding protein calflagin Tb24 of Trypanosoma brucei. (BMRB no. 18011).
Thermal and Optical Characterization of Photonic Integrated Circuits by Thermoreflectance Microscopy

We report high resolution, non-invasive, thermal and optical characterization of semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) and SOA-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs) using thermoreflectance microscopy. Chip-scale temperature imaging of SOAs and PICs, along with an energy balance model, are used to calculate the optical power distribution within and between SOAs to determine optical gain, fiber coupling loss, and passive component loss under normal device operating conditions. This technique is demonstrated to map optical power in SOA-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer (SOA-MZI) PICs, with close agreement with photocurrent and fiber-coupled measurements. The use of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) for fiber-free characterization of the PICs is also shown, enabling non-invasive, wafer-scale testing prior to packaging.
EFFECTIVENESS OF NAVAL ACADEMY DEPARTMENTAL STANDINGS FOR PREDICTING ACADEMIC SUCCESS AT THE U.S. NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL

Five Naval Academy course standings have been evaluated for their effectiveness in adding to the prediction of quality-point ratios at the Naval Postgraduate School obtainable from the experimental tests developed for the School by the Educational Testing Service. Five groups of students were included in the study: first-year students tested in 1948, second-year students tested in 1948, first-year students tested in 1949, second-year students tested in 1949, and first-year students tested in 1950. For every one of the groups, the course standings added to the effectiveness of the tests alone, raising the multiple correlation by at least several points. In four out of five groups, the course standing found to be the one to make this added contribution to validity was that in Marine Engineering. It was recommended that in choosing students for admission to the School, the course standing in Marine Engineering be given equal relative weight to that given to the score on the selection test.
Modification of electrodes with catalytic, size-exclusion films

The application of electroanalytical methodology to the study of liquid-phase samples can be complicated by the adsorption of sample components on the electrode surface. Macromolecules are particularly problematic in this regard. An early means of addressing this problem was to use a membrane permeable to the analyte as a barrier between the sample phase and the electrochemical cell. Amperometric determination of oxygen in biological fluids is a historically important example. This approach was refined by modifying electrodes with semi-permeable, conducting films applied directly to the surface of the working electrode. Cellulose acetate is an example of a conductive material that blocked adsorption of compounds in biological samples but was permeable to analytes such as hydrogen peroxide. Modification of electrodes with ion-exchange films and, more recently, porous sol–gel films was an expansion of this methodology. A complicating factor was that oxidation or reduction of most analytes requires a catalyst. The development of films that are size-exclusion barriers to interferents and incorporate an electron-transfer catalyst is described.
Detection of Cytomegalovirus in Urine from Newborns by Using Polymerase Chain Reaction DNA Amplification

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was used to detect cytomegalovirus (CMV) in tissue culture and in urine specimens from newborns. Synthetic oligonucleotide primer pairs were used to amplify DNA from the major immediate-early and the late antigen genes of CMV. Amplified products were detected by gel electrophoresis and by dot-blot hybridization with oligonucleotide probes. Using one or both of the primer pairs and associated probes, we found 46 different tissue culture isolates of CMV that were positive; no reaction products were detected when the same primers and probes were used to amplify other herpes family viruses or human genomic DNA. Urine samples from 44 congenitally infected infants were positive when tested with one or both primer pairs and probes. When compared with tissue culture, detection by gel electrophoresis provided a sensitivity of 93%, a specificity of 100%, and a predictive value of a positive result of 100%. Dot-blot analysis raised the sensitivity to 100%. We conclude that PCR amplification may be a valuable tool for diagnosing congenital CMV infection.
Selectivity of the bulky proton-containing reagent N-methyl-N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)hydroxylamine in the formation of nitrones.

Abstract Silicon reagent Me 3 SiN(ME)OSiMe 3 contains bulky protons (i.e. Me 3 Si + ). This reagent was found to possess regio- and chemoselectivities in the formation of nitrones from carbonyl compounds.
Mother-young relationships in captive ungulates: variability and clustering

Abstract We recorded four measures of mother-young association and the percentage of time the young spent lying during the first week after birth for 59 mother-young pairs belonging to 22 species and seven families of ungulates. The measures of mother-young association were positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with the percentage of time the young spent lying. Three cluster analyses, based on various combinations of measures, separated the bovids into two groups recognizable as ‘followers’ and ‘hiders’. When the data on all 22 species were considered, five consistent species groups occurred in the three cluster analyses. The traditional follower-hider dichotomy provides a rough characterization of mother-young relationships in many ungulates, but does not adequately describe the behavioural variation present. By using standardized quantitative measures, we were able to characterize this variation and to establish a framework for future study.
Approaches to continental scale runoff for integrated assessment models

Abstract The need to incorporate water resources into regional and global integrated assessment models for evaluating global change impacts has been identified as being important, but given the spatial and temporal variability of freshwater resources and limited data availability, the inclusion of water within these large scale models has proven to be difficult. A compromise between accurate representation of complex processes and simplistic parameterization is necessary for capturing regional and temporal variability and to minimize computational requirements. An analysis of Western Europe's and Africa's freshwater runoff, which spans a range of climate variability, was performed at varying levels of spatial aggregation and at both monthly and annual time steps. Model results showed that regional runoff characteristics were lost beyond a data aggregation of 1° × 1° resolution. A monthly soil moisture model proved to be adequate for assessing annual water availability, which is the scale often used in integrated assessment models. Simpler methods, such as an empirical annual model and a simple monthly model did not consistently replicate annual historic runoff.
Toxic interactions between carbon tetrachloride and chloroform in cultured rat hepatocytes

Primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes were incubated (1.5-16 hr) with various concentrations of CCl4 (less than or equal to 0.5 mM) and/or CHCl3 (less than or equal to 2.5 mM). Agent-dependent alterations in hepatocyte functions were assessed by measuring (1) [3H]choline incorporation into phosphatidylcholine (endoplasmic reticulum), (2) MTT (tetrazolium salt) reduction (mitochondria), and (3) AST release into medium (plasma membrane). Cultured hepatocytes incubated with 0.5 mM CCl4 displayed a significant (p less than or equal to 0.001) and rapid (1.5 hr) reduction (40%) in endoplasmic reticulum function that preceded significant (p less than or equal to 0.001) alterations in mitochondria (6-16 hr) and plasma membrane (6-16 hr) functions. CCl4-dependent alterations in liver cell functions are a result of CCl4 bioactivation since metyrapone inhibits the CCl4-mediated changes in cell functions. Response surface methods (RSM) were used to determine the influence of combinations of CCl4 and CHCl3 on liver cell MTT reduction and [3H]choline incorporation. Regression coefficients were determined for CCl4, CHCl3, and CCl4-CHCl3. All results were significant (p less than 0.0001) and implied that CCl4 was a more potent hepatotoxin in vitro than CHCl3. The RSM analysis also suggested that combinations of CHCl3 and CCl4 have greater than additive effects on MTT reduction and [3H]choline incorporation. These effects of CCl4 and/or CHCl3 on liver cell functions in vitro are consistent with liver alterations observed in vivo. Therefore, primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes may be an appropriate model in vitro to assess the hepatotoxic potential of agents alone or in combination.
The organization of the seminiferous epithelium in the mouse testis following ligation of the efferent ductules: a light microscopic study.

In order to more fully assess and determine the relationship between the developing germ cells and the Sertoli cell epithelium efferent ductules of Swiss albino mice testes were ligated and the effects observed. This method stretched the walls of the seminiferous tubules and thus reduced the stratification and complexity of the epithelium. At 48 hours postoperation the testes were removed in a manner to prevent the escape of accumulated fluid. A marked size difference between the ligated and sham-operated testes was noted. Tissues were fixed in 3% phosphate buffered glutaraldehyde solution and later prepared for sectioning and examination by the light microscope. The seminiferous tubules in the ligated testes had relatively large lumens which contained spermatozoa and the tubule epithelium was reduced in height. The various stages of cellular associations of the cycle of the epithelium were retained. Defined aggregations of germ cells grouped in specific association with the Sertoli cell elements were observed. The epithelium assumed the form of a series of parallel ridges at right angles to the tubules. Longitudinal sections of the tubules revealed pillarlike epithelial profiles. Each pillar consisted of Sertoli cell cytoplasm together with 2 generations of spermatids. The older generation of spermatids was embedded within the Sertoli cell and the younger generation along the sides. It is suggested that each generation within a ridge constitutes a single clone. The cytoplasmic bridges joining the spermatids and their attachments to the Sertoli cells are thought to determine the organization and structure of the rid ges. Several illustrations show the histological details of the structure.
The Non-Protein Nitrogen in Certain Dairy Rations and the Partition of Nitrogen in the Urine Produced Thereon

Summary Data are presented showing the distribution of non-protein nitrogen in dairy rations based upon clover and timothy hay, the digestibility of the non-protein nitrogen, and its utilization by cows in milk. The results of a study of the partition of the nitrogen in the urine collected while these rations were being fed are included. The following conclusions are based on these data: 1.The non-protein nitrogen in hay and silage varies greatly in different samples, presumably due to differences in stage of maturity, method of curing, and other factors. This large variation suggests that figures for true protein based on average analyses are of limited usefulness. 2.The albuminoid nitrogen method of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists is of doubtful accuracy for distinguishing between crude and true protein in feedingstuffs. 3.Dairy rations made up of hay, silage, and grain, contain a relatively large amount of non-protein nitrogen. This nitrogen is apparently useful in meeting a part of the protein requirement of a cow in milk. 4.There is no difference in the protein metabolism when timothy hay or clover hay is fed, as indicated by urine analysis.
The microwave spectrum, molecular structure and dipole moment of xenon oxytetrafluoride

Abstract Refined values of the structural parameters of xenon oxytetrafluoride have been obtained from the microwave spectrum: r( XeO ) = 1.703 ± 0.015 A , r( XeF ) = 1.900 ± 0.005 A , ∡ (OXeF) = 91.8 ± 0.5° . The dipole moment was measured by double resonance to be 0.65 ± .09 D. Lines from three vibrational satellites were seen and a partial assignment was made.
Input Effects Within a Constructionist Framework

Constructionist approaches to language hypothesize that grammar can be learned from the input using domain-general mechanisms. This emphasis has engendered a great deal of research—exemplified in the present issue—that seeks to illuminate the ways in which input-related factors can both drive and constrain constructional acquisition. In this commentary piece, we situate results reported by contributors to the present issue within the larger body of acquisition work in the constructionist framework. We address the importance of both type frequency and skewed input samples in the development of constructional categories and we compare different ways that the association between verbs and constructions can be measured, including through the use of conditional probabilities, lexical biases, and introspective judgments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Research highlights: digital assays on chip

The ability to break up a volume of fluid into smaller pieces that are confined or separated to prevent molecular communication/transport is a key capability intrinsic to microfluidic systems. This capability has been used to develop or implement digital versions of traditional molecular analysis assays, including digital PCR and digital immunoassays/ELISA. In these digital versions, the concentration of the target analyte is in a range such that, when sampled into smaller fluid volumes, either a single molecule or no molecule may be present. Subsequent amplification is sensitive enough to obtain a digital readout of the presence of these target molecules. Advantages of such approaches that are claimed include quantification without calibration and robustness to variations in reaction conditions or times because the digital readout is less sensitive to absolute signal intensity levels. Weaknesses of digital approaches include a lower dynamic range of concentrations over which the assay is sensitive, which depends on the total volume that can be analyzed. We highlight recent efforts to expand the dynamic range of digital assays based on exploiting reaction/diffusion phenomena. A side-by-side study that evaluates the strengths of digital assays reveals that the majority of these claims are supported, with specific caveats. Finally, we highlight approaches to apply digital assays to analyze new types of reactions, including the active transport of protons across membranes by ATPases at the single protein level – perhaps opening up new biophysical understanding and screening opportunities, similar to widely deployed single-molecule ion channel analysis.
Temporal and spatial analysis of hyaluronidase activity during development of the embryonic chick limb bud

The glycosaminoglycan hyaluronate (HA) appears to play an important role in limb cartilage differentiation. The large amount of extracellular HA accumulated by prechondrogenic mesenchymal cells may prevent the cell-cell and/or cell-matrix interactions necessary to trigger chondrogenesis, and the removal of extracellular HA may be essential to initiate the crucial cellular condensation process that triggers cartilage differentiation. It has generally been assumed that HA turnover during chondrogenesis is controlled by the activity of the enzyme hyaluronidase (HAase). In the present study we have performed a temporal and spatial analysis of HAase activity during the progression of limb development and cartilage differentiation in vivo. We have separated embryonic chick wing buds at several stages of development into well-defined regions along the proximodistal axis in which cells are in different phases of differentiation, and we have examined HAase activity in each region. We have found that HAase activity is clearly detectable in undifferentiated wing buds at stage 1819, which is shortly following the formation of a morphologically distinct limb bud rudiment, and remains relatively constant throughout subsequent stages of development through stage 2728, at which time well-differentiated cartilage rudiments are present. Moreover, HAase activity in the prechondrogenic distal subridge regions of the limb at stages 2223 and 25 is just as high as, or even slightly higher than, it is in proximal central core regions where condensation and cartilage differentiation are progressing. We have also found that limb bud HAase is active between pH 2.2 and 4.5 and is inactive above pH 5.0. This suggests that limb HAase is a lysosomal enzyme and that extracellular HA would have to be internalized to be degraded. These results indicate that the onset of chondrogenesis is not associated with the appearance or increase in activity of HAase. We suggest the possibility that HA turnover may be regulated by the binding and endocytosis of extracellular HA in preparation for its intracellular degradation by lysosomal HAase. Finally, we have found that the apical ectodermal ridge (AER)-containing distal limb bud ectoderm possesses a relatively high HAase activity. We suggest the possibility that a high HAase activity in the AER may ensure a rapid turnover and remodeling of the disorganized HA-rich basal lamina of the AER that might be essential for limb outgrowth.
Binding modes for the first coupled electron and proton addition to FeMoco of nitrogenase.

A combined broken-symmetry density functional and electrostatics approach has been used to model the one-electron reduced and protonated state of the iron−molybdenum cofactor active site of nitrogenase. The active site of the protein contains Fe, Mo, S, N, and O atoms, and many possible sites for protonation have been examined. A novel hydridic proton asymmetrically located in the central cavity created by six Fe sites is most favored from the calculations. Under physiological turnover conditions of low electron flux, the formation of this iron-hydride intermediate may represent a first step towards cofactor liberation of dihydrogen in the absence of dinitrogen.
Packet Delivery Ratio in k-Dimensional Broadcast Ad Hoc Networks

In this letter, we present a new analytic derivation of a reliability metric, Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR), in broadcast mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) where nodes are distributed according to a homogeneous k-dimensional (k-D) Poisson point process. Given a point-to-point node packet reception probability (NRP) as a function of distance, PDR of nodes on k-D area is derived by converting k-D Poisson Euclidean distance ordered node distribution to a type of one-dimensional (1-D) Poisson distribution so that the joint probability density function of nodes positions in the k-D area is transformed as the joint probability density function on a 1-D line. Then, PDR on a 1-D line is derived from the product of the un-ordered nodes reception probabilities. The PDR approach is applied to a broadcast MANET with Nakagami fading channel with path loss. The analytic derivation is verified by NS2 simulations.
Quantum confinements in highly asymmetric sub-micrometer device structures

Abstract With the ongoing miniaturization of MOSFET structures into the nanometer domain, experimental results suggest there are physical limits up to which one can reduce the gate lengths. Furthermore, it becomes progressively more difficult to overcome the short channel effects at small gate lengths. This has led the researchers in the industry to look for alternative device technologies. One solution to the problem are the asymmetric device structures. In this work, we have simulated a 50 nm asymmetric MOS device structure using a two-dimensional Monte Carlo Poisson particle-based solver, in which quantum effects have been taken into account via the effective potential scheme. The quantum effects in these small device structures lead to strong quantum confinement of the carriers at the semiconductor/oxide interface, thus affecting the device drive current and the threshold voltage. We also show that the Silvaco Atlas simulations performed on the same device structure using the energy balance model were strongly affected by the choice of the energy relaxation times.
Corn (Zea mays L.) growth, leaf pigment concentration, photosynthesis and leaf hyperspectral reflectance properties as affected by nitrogen supply

Plant nitrogen (N) deficiency often limits crop productivity. Early detection of plant N deficiency is important for improving fertilizer N-use efficiency and crop yield. An experiment was conducted in sunlit, controlled environment chambers in the 2001 growing season to determine responses of corn (Zea mays L. cv. 33A14) growth and leaf hyperspectral reflectance properties to varying N supply. Four N treatments were: (1) half-strength Hoagland’s nutrient solution applied throughout the experiment (control); (2) 20% of control N starting 15 days after emergence (DAE); (3) 0% N starting 15 DAE; and (4) 0% N starting 23 DAE (0% NL). Plant height, the number of leaves, and leaf lengths were examined for nine plants per treatment every 3–4 days. Leaf hyperspectral reflectance, concentrations of chlorophylla, chlorophyllb, and carotenoids, leaf and canopy photosynthesis, leaf area, and leaf N concentration were also determined during the experiment. The various N treatments led to a wide range of N concentrations (11 – 48 g kg −1 DW) in uppermost fully expanded leaves. Nitrogen deficiency suppressed plant growth rate and leaf photosynthesis. At final harvest (42 DAE), plant height, leaf area and shoot biomass were 64–66% of control values for the 20% N treatment, and 46-56% of control values for the 0% N treatment. Nitrogen deficit treatments of 20% N and 0% N (Treatment 3) could be distinguished by changes in leaf spectral reflectance in wavelengths of 552 and 710 nm 7 days after treatment. Leaf reflectance at these two wavebands was negatively correlated with either leaf N (r = –0.72 and –0.75 ∗∗ ) or chlorophyll (r = –0.60 and –0.72 ∗∗ ) concentrations. In addition, higher correlations were found between leaf N concentration and reflectance ratios. The identified Nspecific spectral algorithms may be used for image interpretation and diagnosis of corn N status for site-specific N management.
Biaxial flexural strength distribution of thin ceramic substrates with surface defects

Abstract The statistical models of the strength of thin ceramic substrates with surface defects under piston-on-3-ball loading conditions are formulated using Batdorf’s statistical theory and Kirstein and Woolley’s moment equations. These models possess the form of a Weibull distribution function, making it possible to process the piston-on-3-ball biaxial flexural strength data using a Weibull treatment. During this study, it was noted that the thickness of the specimen had no effect on the failure distribution. Therefore, it was deemed that a reasonable thickness of the specimen disk could be selected for the piston-on-3-ball test in the case where the thickness is so small that the deflection of the center of the specimen exceeds half of the thickness (this thickness would invalidate the strength evaluation equation specified in ASTM F 394-78). The strengths of seven different compositions of 8YSZ with dopants were tested using the piston-on-3-ball method. The results were then processed using the derived models. The failure distributions of the different thickness groups of 8YSZ specimens were similar, verifying that the thickness, indeed, has no effect on the failure distribution.
Implementation of a police organizational model for crime reduction

Purpose – This paper aims to present the evaluation results of a practice‐based research partnership to develop and implement a new police organizational model for crime reduction into one police agency which was implemented based on the best practices of problem‐oriented policing, hot spots policing, and Compstat.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative process evaluation of organizational changes and an impact evaluation examining specific crime types was conducted over seven years to determine increased efficiency, collaboration, and effectiveness of the police department's crime reduction strategies.Findings – The process evaluation found that the agency improved its crime analysis capabilities as well as its coordination and communication, expanded its problem solving activities, and made a significant cultural shift towards incorporating problem solving and accountability throughout the organization. The impact evaluation found that the crimes addressed in the implementation – theft from vehicle ...
Implementation of H.264 encoder on general-purpose processors with hyper-threading technology

H.264 is the emerging video coding standard, which aims at compressing high-quality video contents at low bit-rates. While its new encoding and decoding processes are similar to many previous standards, the new standard includes a number of new features and thus requires much more computation than most existing standards do. The complexity of H.264 standard poses a large amount of challenges to implementing the encoder/decoder in real-time via software on personal computers. Even after 2~3x performance improvement with media instruction on modern general-purpose processors and another 2~4x improvement from algorithmic optimization, the H.264 encoder is still too complicated to be implemented in real-time on a single processor. Based on the detailed analysis of the possibilities of parallelism in H.264 encoder, we proposed an efficient multithreading implementation of the H.264 video encoder. In order to guarantee enough concurrency of the whole system, an elaborate macroblock and inter-frame parallel scheduling scheme is presented. In addition, our macroblock-based multithreading scheme achieves almost no video quality losses in contrast to other parallelization schemes. Our results show that the multithreaded encoder can obtain another 3.96x speed-up on a four-processor system or 4.6x speed-up on a four-processor system with Hyper-Treading Technology. The techniques demonstrated in this work can be applied not only to H.264, but also to other video/image coding/decoding applications on personal computers.
Pathology of the Kidney in Childhood Immunodeficiency: Aids-Related Nephropathy is Not Unique

Clinical and nephropathologic findings in autopsy material from 7 children with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), 13 with severe combined immune deficiency (SCID), and 6 with a variety of other congenital immune deficiencies were reviewed in an effort to understand better the pathophysiology of the AIDS-related nephropathy. Non-HIV viral infection seemed to be associated with the development of the pathologic changes considered to be components of the AIDS-related nephropathy, and these changes, including focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and tubular epithelial cell injury and ectasia, were not limited to the kidneys of children with AIDS but were present in many of the congenital immune deficiencies. Of the 5 children with congenital AIDS, only the 3 who survived longer than a year developed AIDS-related nephropathy, whereas the two children with transfusion-acquired AIDS did not develop renal disease despite surviving for several years after initial infection.
High capacity embedding with indexed data recovery using adjunctive numerical relations in multimedia signal covers

We introduce a technique for covertly embedding data throughout an audio file using redundant number system decomposition across non-standard digital bit-lines. This bit-line implementation integrates an index recoverable embedded algorithm with an extended bit level representation that achieves a high capacity data channel within an audio multimedia file. It will be shown this new steganography method has minimal aural distortive affects while preserving both first and second order cover statistics, making it less susceptible to most steganalysis attacks. Our research approach involves reviewing the common numerical methods used in common binary-based algorithms. We then describe basic concepts and challenges when attempting to implement complex embedding algorithms that are based on redundant number systems. Finally, we introduce a novel class of numerical based multiple bit-line decomposition systems, which we define as Adjunctive Numerical Representations. The system is primarily described using basic PCM techniques in uncompressed audio files however extended applications for alternate multimedia is addressed. This new embedding system will not only provide the statistical stability required for effective steganography but will also give us an improvement in the embedding capacity in this class of multimedia carrier files. This novelty of our approach is demonstrated by an ability to embed high capacity covert data while simultaneously providing a means for rapid, indexed data recovery.
Solution of large eigenvalue problems in electronic structure calculations

Predicting the structural and electronic properties of complex systems is one of the outstanding problems in condensed matter physics. Central to most methods used in molecular dynamics is the repeated solution of large eigenvalue problems. This paper reviews the source of these eigenvalue problems, describes some techniques for solving them, and addresses the difficulties and challenges which are faced. Parallel implementations are also discussed.
Levels of Empowerment: Marketers and Microenterprise-Lending NGOs in Apopa and Nejapa, El Salvador

High population density, an extensive informal economy, and diminishing foreign aid have made El Salvador an attractive site for microenterpriselending programs. My research in urban El Salvador observing microcredit nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)' and the microentrepreneurs they serve between 1994 and 1997 led me to conclude that I had to broaden my understanding of empowerment to include other actors in the development process. I have discovered that measuring the impact of NGO-implemented programs has to be analyzed across a number of fields of power (Binford, 1998; Roseberry, 1994). Loan clients2 are not the only groups to benefit from these programs. Indeed, my research shows that the NGOs themselves and local municipalities can gain greater autonomy and increased access to resources, contacts, and power from this kind of programming. Small loans are important for Salvadoran urban marketers struggling to make ends meet in the face of structural adjustment policies, cuts in statesponsored subsidies, decreasing development aid, and continued social unrest, especially in urban areas. For many marketers, microcredit means the chance to break out of the vicious circle of debt that borrowing from loan sharks entails.3 In the case of El Salvador's urban poor, it is not a question of which microenterprise-lending model best serves marketers; different models will be appropriate depending on the circumstances and the needs of marketers. Rather, the multiple and often competing agendas of local development stakeholders must be analyzed, and empowerment has to be unpacked to reveal the different levels on which it has been facilitated.
Mother's attributions for their children's cognitive abilities

Abstract This study explored mothers' beliefs about factors influencing their own children's successful or failed performance on specific cognitive tasks. A structured interview procedure was used to elicit maternal attributions unconstrained by experimenter-derived. Attributions were initially sorted into categories proposed in Weiner's Attribution Model (Weiner, 1980). However, the majority of mothers' attributions could not be categorized using this system. Five additional categories were derived through content analysis. These included child state or trait characteristics, interest, developmental level, specific processes, and familiarity. No differences for child gendeer or parity were found with respect to types of maternal attributions made. Differences were noted for children's successful versus failed performance and for maternal work status. Mothers made more internal attributions for failed performances than successful ones, and mothers who were unemployed or worked part-time were more likely than mothers who worked full-time to attribute their children's failures to internal factors.
Nitrogenase from Bacillus polymyxa. Purification and properties of the component proteins.

Abstract A purification procedure is described for the components of Bacillus polymyxa nitrogenase. The procedure requires the removal of interfering mucopolysaccharides before the two nitrogenase proteins can be purified by the methods used with other nitrogenase components. The highest specific activities obtained were 2750 nmol C 2 H 4 formed · min −1 · mg −1 MoFe protein and 2521 nmol C 2 H 4 formed · min −1 · mg −1 Fe protein. The MoFe protein has a molecular weight of 215 000 and contains 2 molybdenum atoms, 33 iron atoms and 21 atoms of acid-labile sulfur per protein molecule. The Fe protein contains 3.2 iron atoms and 3.6 acid-labile sulfur atoms per molecule of 55 500 molecular weight. Each Fe protein binds two ATP molecules. The EPR spectra are similar to those of other nitrogenase proteins. MgATP changes the EPR of the Fe protein from a rhombic to an axial-type signal.
Solder-bonded carbon nanotube thermal interface materials

Vertically-aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) films offer an attractive combination of properties for thermal interface applications, specifically high thermal conductance and mechanical compliance. In this work, we examine the use of a solder bonding layer to attach and transfer CNT films from the silicon growth substrate onto metalized surfaces. Indium foil is considered as a bonding layer for low-temperature (&#60;150°C) applications while a tin-plated aluminum/nickel foil is used for high temperature applications (&#60;1000°C). The intrinsic thermal conductivity of the CNT film and the thermal boundary resistances between the CNT film and the surrounding materials are measured with comparative infrared microscopy before and after solder bonding. The thermal properties are measured over a range of applied compressive stress. In general, compressive stress reduces the thermal boundary resistance and improves the thermal conductivity of the CNT films. Solder bonding of the exposed (non-growth) interface reduces the thermal boundary resistance by up to a factor of 30 over a dry unbonded contact.
kdetrees: Non-parametric estimation of phylogenetic tree distributions.

Motivation: Although the majority of gene histories found in a clade of organisms are expected to be generated by a common process (e.g. the coalescent process), it is well known that numerous other coexisting processes (e.g. horizontal gene transfers, gene duplication and subsequent neofunctionalization) will cause some genes to exhibit a history distinct from those of the majority of genes. Such ‘outlying’ gene trees are considered to be biologically interesting, and identifying these genes has become an important problem in phylogenetics. Results: We propose and implement kdetrees, a non-parametric method for estimating distributions of phylogenetic trees, with the goal of identifying trees that are significantly different from the rest of the trees in the sample. Our method compares favorably with a similar recently published method, featuring an improvement of one polynomial order of computational complexity (to quadratic in the number of trees analyzed), with simulation studies suggesting only a small penalty to classification accuracy. Application of kdetrees to a set of Apicomplexa genes identified several unreliable sequence alignments that had escaped previous detection, as well as a gene independently reported as a possible case of horizontal gene transfer. We also analyze a set of Epichloe genes, fungi symbiotic with grasses, successfully identifying a contrived instance of paralogy. Availability and implementation: Our method for estimating tree distributions and identifying outlying trees is implemented as the R package kdetrees and is available for download from CRAN. Contact: ude.yku@adihsoy.okirur Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Shaping up nicely

Ischemic and damaged tissues both require new blood vessels for repair. In the field of regenerative medicine, one strategy is to implant biodegradable materials that slowly release angiogenic factors. This process is controlled by a diverse array of biomaterial properties, including chemical
Can the tropical conservatism hypothesis explain temperate species richness patterns? An inverse latitudinal biodiversity gradient in the New World snake tribe Lampropeltini

Aim A latitudinal gradient in species richness, defined as a decrease in biodiversity away from the equator, is one of the oldest known patterns in ecology and evolutionary biology. However, there are also many known cases of increasing poleward diversity, forming inverse latitudinal biodiversity gradients. As only three processes (speciation, extinction and dispersal) can directly affect species richness in areas, similar factors may be responsible for both classical (high tropical diversity) and inverse (high temperate diversity) gradients. Thus, a modified explanation for differential species richness which accounts for both patterns would be preferable to one which only explains high tropical biodiversity.
Duality symmetries for N = 2 supersymmetric QCD with vanishing β-functions

We construct the duality groups for N = 2 supersymmetric QCD with gauge group SU(2n + 1) and Nf = 4n + 2 hypermultiplets in the fundamental representation. The groups are generated by two elements S and T that satisfy a relation (STS−1T)2n+1 = 1. Thus, the groups are not subgroups of SL(2, Z) We also construct automorphic functions that map the fundamental region of the group generated by T and STS to the Riemann sphere. These automorphic functions faithfully represent the duality symmetry in the Seiberg-Witten curve.
Damage Nucleation in Si During Ion Irradiation

Damage nucleation in single crystals of silicon during ion irradiation is investigated. Experimental results and mechanisms for damage nucleation during both room and liquid nitrogen temperature irradiation with different mass ions are discussed. It is shown that the accumulation of damage during room temperature irradiation depends on the rate of implantation. These dose rate effects are found to decrease in magnitude as the mass of the ions is increased. The significance of dose rate effects and their mass dependence on nucleation mechanisms is discussed.
Disrupting the Networks of Cancer

Ecosystems are interactive systems involving communities of species and their abiotic environment. Tumors are ecosystems in which cancer cells act as invasive species interacting with native host cell species in an established microenvironment within the larger host biosphere. At its heart, to study ecology is to study interconnectedness. In ecologic science, an ecologic network is a representation of the biotic interactions in an ecosystem in which species (nodes) are connected by pairwise interactions (links). Ecologic networks and signaling network models have been used to describe and compare the structures of ecosystems. It has been shown that disruption of ecologic networks through the loss of species or disruption of interactions between them can lead to the destruction of the ecosystem. Often, the destruction of a single node or link is not enough to disrupt the entire ecosystem. The more complex the network and its interactions, the more difficult it is to cause the extinction of a species, especially without leveraging other aspects of the ecosystem. Similarly, successful treatment of cancer with a single agent is rarely enough to cure a patient without strategically modifying the support systems conducive to survival of cancer. Cancer cells and the ecologic systems they reside in can be viewed as a series of nested networks. The most effective new paradigms for treatment will be developed through application of scaled network disruption. Clin Cancer Res; 18(10); 2801–8. ©2012 AACR.
Improved Dissolution of Indomethacin in Coprecipitates with Phospholipids-II

AbstractIndomethacin powders were blended with phospholipids to prepare physical mixtures or made into solid dispersions by the solvent method and their comparative dissolution profiles were studied. Indomethacin exhibited significantly improved dissolution rates in phospholipid coprecipitates compared to either the physical mixtures or the pure indomethacin. The coprecipitates of lecithin-indomethacin 1:16 weight ratio had a 6.5 fold greater initial dissolution rate, and the total amount dissolved after 60 minutes was 140% greater compared to indomethacin alone. Increasing the lecithin content to 1:4 resulted in only a modest additional increase in the initial dissolution rate (40%) and the limiting concentration (14%)