cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Skill Improvement During Emergency Response to Terrorism Training

Objectives. To assess the individual andteam skills acquired from an interactive training program to prepare emergency personnel to respond to terrorist acts. Methods. We developed a 16-hour, two-day, multimedia- andsimulation-enhanced course that places learners in realistic situations using the equipment required to respond to various chemical, biologic, radiologic, andexplosive acts of terrorism. Small-group sessions anddrills were conducted. Errors in skill performance were corrected immediately, andthen skills were repeated to achieve mastery. Participants included emergency medical technicians, paramedics, nurses, andphysicians. Team performance was assessed over four successive scenarios using a 100-mm visual analog scale. Individual learner skill acquisition was assessed with precourse andpostcourse evaluation of selected skills in a randomized sampling of consenting learners. Results. Nearly all teams achieved mastery of the required skills by the second assessment rotation. Individual learners d...
Student Awareness of the Use of Social Media Screening by Prospective Employers.

Hiring professionals are increasingly using social media sites as screening tools. The primary purpose of this study was to determine what students thought employers considered important information when researching profiles. A survey was given to students enrolled in College of Business classes at a university in the Southeast. Students were cognizant that employers consider posts about drugs, alcohol, sex, profanity, and negative comments. Students did not consider posts and photo tags by friends to be important to employers, nor did they consider grammar and spelling to be important. This is in stark contrast to what recent research indicates employers consider important.
Sensitivity of Periodontal Pathogens to the Bactericidal Activity of Synthetic Protegrins, Antibiotic Peptides Derived from Porcine Leukocytes:

Protegrins, small peptides (1900 to 2160 daltons) isolated from porcine leukocytes, are bactericidal against a broad range of medical pathogens in vitro under conditions which reflect the extracellular milieu. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Gram-negative, facultative periodontal pathogens were sensitive to the protegrins. Synthetic L- and D-enantiomers of protegrin 1 (PG-1 and D-PG-1, respectively), and L-enantiomers of protegrins 2, 3, and 5 (PG-2, PG-3, and PG-5) were tested against Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (three strains) and Capnocytophaga spp. (three strains). Strains of both A. actinomycetemcomitans and Capnocytophaga spp. were sensitive to PG-1, and exhibited ED99 (dose at which 99% killing was observed after 1 hr at 37°C) of 0.5 to 3 ug/mL and 4 to 19 ug/mL, respectively. The D-form and the L-form were equally effective. Serum (above 5% v/v) inhibited the bactericidal effects of 10 ug/mL PG-1, but the inhibitory effect was overcome by concentrations of PG-1 at 100 u...
The influence of atmospheric humidity on leaf expansion in Beta vulgaris L.

Humidity effects on leaf expansion in sugar beets (Beta vulgaris L.) were explored using linear variable differential transducers. In continuous light, an increase in relative humidity (RH) from 35 to 61 or 75% resulted in a rapid increase in leaf extension which was maintained for 10–15 min before slowing down. Increasing RH from 35 to 85% increased leaf-extension rate (LER) in light and in dark and substantially diminished the ratio of dark LER to light LER, showing that high humidity can offset the reduction in LER which occurs on illumination. Episodes of irradiance with visible or infrared radiation resulted in diminished LER, indicating that increases in transpiration may reduce the flux of water available for leaf cell expansion. The hypothesis that leaf area expansion in sugarbeet may be controlled by the expansion of the leaf epidermis is discussed.
A gene-environment interaction between inferred kallikrein genotype and potassium.

Urinary kallikrein excretion has been shown statistically to be partially determined by a major gene in large Utah pedigrees with the use of segregation analysis. A previous twin analysis of environmental factors influencing urinary kallikrein level showed that urinary potassium twin differences were strongly related to differences in urinary kallikrein. The present study uses 769 individuals in 58 Utah pedigrees to analyze the association of urinary potassium with urinary kallikrein within statistically inferred kallikrein genotypes. Fitting genotype-specific curves relating urinary kallikrein level to 12-hour urinary potassium amount within a major gene, polygene, and common environment model, we showed a significant statistical urinary potassium interaction with the inferred major gene for kallikrein (P = .0002). The heterozygotes (with a frequency of 50%) had a significant association between urinary kallikrein and potassium (slope, 0.51 +/- 0.04 SD), whereas there was no association with potassium in the low homozygotes, suggesting a genetic defect involving the kallikrein response to potassium. The model predicted that an increase in urinary potassium excretion of 0.8 SD above the mean in these pedigrees would be associated with high kallikrein levels in the heterozygotes similar to the high homozygotes. A decrease of 1.3 SD in urinary potassium excretion in heterozygous individuals was associated with kallikrein levels similar to the homozygous individuals with low kallikrein. Because in the steady state urinary potassium represents dietary potassium intake, this study suggests that an increase in dietary potassium intake in 50% of these pedigree members, estimated to be heterozygous at the kallikrein locus, would be associated with an increase in an underlying genetically determined low kallikrein level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Maternal beliefs concerning young children's private speech

The goal of this study was to understand maternal reports, beliefs, and attitudes about their young children's use of private speech. Mothers of 48 children between the ages of 3 and 5 participated in a semi-structured interview in which they reported on the frequency and context of their child's use of private speech, maternal responses toward such speech use in children, and beliefs about the utility of such speech for children. Interviews were transcribed and responses coded. Mothers also completed surveys on children's self control and parenting style. Results indicated that practically all parents reported that their child engaged in private speech and that such speech was more likely to appear during fantasy play than during problem-solving activities. Parents varied in their personal responses to children's self talk and, as a group, do not appear to actively discourage or encourage its use. Ignoring/allowing child private speech use was common and this response was positively associated with authoritative parenting. Parental reports of the frequency with which their child talks to himself were negatively associated with parental reports of children's self-control. Crib speech, or bedtime monologue, was reported to be very common and was negatively associated with children's self-control and positively associated with children's private speech use. Parents were uniformly positive in their belief that private speech serves important functions and that it helps young children during task activities. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Artificial eyelid dynamic aperture optical arrays for large scale coding elements with application in the visible to MWIR

The use of coded apertures in a large area MWIR system introduces a number of difficulties including the effects of diffraction and other distortions not observed in shorter wavelength systems. A new approach is being developed that addresses the effects of diffraction while gaining the benefits of coded apertures, thus providing the flexibility to vary resolution, possess sufficient light gathering power, and achieve a wide field of view (WFOV). The photonic MEMS artificial eyelid array technology is currently being applied as the coded aperture in this program for surveillance enabling technology development. Speed, lifetime, packaging and scalability are all critical factors for the MEMS eyelid technology to determine system efficacy as well as military and commercial usefulness. The electronic eyelid is the fundamental addressable unit for adaptive code generation and will allow the system to multiplex in time for increased resolution. The proposed system consists of four subsystems in parallel with each subsystem consisting of four subapertures. Each sub-aperture contains an artificial eyelid array capable of 36 different, independent patterns of open 500µm eyelids corresponding to 36 different look directions. Dynamic aperture arrays were fabricated on both quartz and sapphire substrates for operation in the visible to MWIR. Both 8x8 and 40x40 element arrays were designed, fabricated, and tested with the capability of 4, 8, and 16 unique pattern combinations. Process and device improvements have been implemented to improve the yield of the MEMS arrays. In addition to mechanical evaluations, the eyelid arrays were tested optically to demonstrate the capability of multiple look directions.
GaAs switched geometry oscillator for X and Ku bands

A single oscillator circuit using an FET pair with RF coupled, dc isolated gates, which is capable of operating at two widely separated but selectable frequencies, will be presented. Unswitched, the oscillations are at 200GHz, and when the second FET is pinched off, the output frequency changes to 12.5GHz.
Self-organizing feature maps for dynamic control of radio resources in CDMA microcellular networks

The application of artificial neural networks to the channel assignment problem for cellular code-division multiple access (CDMA) cellular networks has previously been investigated. CDMA takes advantage of voice activity and spatial isolation because its capacity is only interference limited, unlike time-division multiple access (TDMA) and frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) where capacities are bandwidth-limited. Any reduction in interference in CDMA translates linearly into increased capacity. To satisfy the high demands for new services and improved connectivity for mobile communications, microcellular and picocellular systems are being introduced. For these systems, there is a need to develop robust and efficient management procedures for the allocation of power and spectrum to maximize radio capacity. Topology-conserving mappings play an important role in the biological processing of sensory inputs. The same principles underlying Kohonen's self-organizing feature maps (SOFMs) are applied to the adaptive control of radio resources to minimize interference, hence, maximize capacity in direct-sequence (DS) CDMA networks. The approach based on SOFMs is applied to some published examples of both theoretical and empirical models of DS/CDMA microcellular networks in metropolitan areas. The results of the approach for these examples are informally compared to the performance of algorithms, based on Hopfield- Tank neural networks and on genetic algorithms, for the channel assignment problem.
Present at the biotechnological revolution: transformation of technological identity for a large incumbent pharmaceutical firm

Abstract Management of successful incumbent firms experience difficulty in recognizing the need for, and effecting change in the firm's technological identity after an externally generated shift in the industry's technological trajectory. Nonetheless, some large pharmaceutical firms have transformed their technological identity in drug discovery from a chemical/random screening to biological/drug design model. We report how one of the world's most successful incumbents transformed. Technically sophisticated senior management championed the transformation. It was achieved primarily through hiring many new scientists embodying biotechnology; existing personnel acquired the expertise or left. Continual self-transformation is part of the corporate ethos. Some differences in incumbent and entrant technology remain: incumbents use a wider range of techniques consistent with their complementary assets. Publication and incentive compensation policies are driven by the need to attract and retain the best scientists. Professor-firm collaborations are ubiquitous, often non-public, and best identified in quantitative analyses by co-publishing. Collaborations with new biotechnology firms are used primarily to substitute for developing internal expertise judged of marginal value. No drug-discovery collaborations exist with other major incumbents. We identify another seven or eight incumbents similarly transforming as indicated by top scientific talent and patenting success.
Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor (NMDAR) Encephalitis in Children and Adolescents

Anti–N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis is a recently described disorder with a well defined set of clinical features.1 The associated syndrome has been characterized in adults, frequently young women with teratomas of the ovary who develop changes of mood, behavior, and personality, resembling acute psychosis. The clinical picture usually progresses to include seizures, decreased level of consciousness, dyskinesias, autonomic instability, and hypoventilation.2–5 Despite the severity of the disorder, patients often improve with immunotherapy and removal of the teratoma.1,3,6 These findings and the discovery that all patients have serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antibodies that react with the cell surface of neurons suggested an immune-mediated pathogenesis.1,7,8 Further studies demonstrated that the target antigen of patients’ antibodies was the NR1 subunit of the NMDAR. Additionally, application of antibodies into cultures of hippocampal neurons resulted in a significant decrease of postsynaptic NMDAR clusters that was reversed after antibody removal.9 A recent series of 100 patients showed that the disorder also occurs in patients without teratoma, and that men and children can be affected. Since then the number of pediatric cases diagnosed at our institution or whose serum and CSF were referred for immunological studies has steadily increased.9 Although this may suggest that in children the phenotype is as characteristic as that of the adults, there are in fact differences in tumor association, neurological presentation, and frequency of symptoms. To facilitate the recognition of this disorder in children, we report eight patients diagnosed over an 8-month period at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and review the general clinical features of 24 pediatric cases from other institutions.
Effect of temperature on virulence of Rhizoctonia solani on soybean leaves and seedlings

Isolates representing 11 anastomosis groups (AGs) of Rhizoctonia solani from various geographic locations and host plants were tested for virulence on soybean leaves at 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35°C, and on soybean seedlings at 20, 25, and 30°C. Numbers of infection cushions formed on soybean leaves were determined using light microscopy. Isolates of AG-1 IA, AG-1 IB and AG-5 were more virulent on soybean leaves at 20, 25, and 30°C than isolates of AG-1 IC and AG-4. Maximum numbers of infection cushions were formed on soybean leaves by AG-1 (IA, IB, and IC), AG-4, and AG-5 at 25 and 30°C. The other AGs tested did not form infection cushions on soybean leaves although some caused minimal disease severity. Isolates of AG-1 IA formed significantly more infection cushions and caused greater disease severity than AG-1 IB and other isolates at 35°C. Maximum seedling infection, based on per cent area of hypocotyl region covered by lesions occurred at 25 C for AG-1 (IA, IB, and IC) and AG-4. Isolates of AG-5 caused greater seedling infection at 20°C than at 25 and 30°C. The other AGs tested caused only minimal damage to the seedlings. Isolates of AG-4 and AG-5 are not known to cause Rhizoctonia foliar blights of soybean in Louisiana, but their potential to be destructive foliar pathogens is confirmed.
Motherland in Danger: Soviet Propaganda During World War II. By Karel C. Berkhoff. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012. Pp. 407. $35.00.)

On June 22, 1941, the German army invaded the Soviet Union. In six months, 4.5 million Soviet soldiers were dead, large parts of the country were in German hands, and the Soviet capital had been ev...
Single‐Dose Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, Tolerability, and Safety of the Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Stimulator BAY 63‐2521: An Ascending‐Dose Study in Healthy Male Volunteers

The aim of the study was to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of BAY 63-2521, a new drug in development for pulmonary hypertension. Fifty-eight healthy male volunteers received a single oral dose of BAY 63-2521 (0.25-5 mg) or placebo. No serious adverse events were reported; there were no life-threatening events. Heart rate over 1 minute, an indicator of the effect of a vasodilating agent on the cardiovascular system in healthy subjects, was increased dose dependently versus placebo at BAY 63-2521 doses of 1 to 5 mg (P < .01). Mean arterial and diastolic pressures were decreased versus placebo at doses of 1 mg (P < .05) and 5 mg (P < .01). Systolic pressure was not significantly affected. BAY 63-2521 was readily absorbed and exhibited dose-proportional pharmacokinetics. The pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of BAY 63-2521 suggest that it can offer a unique mode of action in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.
Guest Editor's Introduction: The Across Nations Project and Cross-National Studies

This introduction serves as a preface to the four articles presented in this issue of the International Journal of Sociology, which is devoted to gender concerns in cross-national perspective. The articles ask the following questions: Do social policies regarding child care influence women's participation in the labor force? To what extent does the interaction of gender and social class influence pro-welfare-state stances? Do men and women express similar or different opinions about desired gender equity or preferred division of gender roles? Are countries that are experiencing colonial heritage or that have Muslim presence less supportive of gender equity than Western countries? The articles, supported by the Across Nations project, answer these questions in the cross-national context, using survey data. This introduction situates the four articles published here within the larger project, which addresses future prospects for cross-national research, focusing on quantitative methods.
Nurse faculty job satisfaction: A national survey

Faculty dissatisfaction and fewer qualified recruits choosing a career in academia threaten the integrity of the higher education system. Retention of highly qualified nurse faculty affects the reputation of the school of nursing, the faculty commitment to the organization, and the learning environment for students. Through use of a system's framework derived from Neuman and Kast and Rosenzweig, the purpose of this survey was to ascertain the relationship between job satisfaction among nurse faculty and selected demographic variables, organizational characteristics, and role orientation. Approximately 80 per cent of the schools of nursing in the target population of universities offering a doctorate in nursing participated in the study. The overall subject response rate was 60 per cent. Instruments used for data collection included three researcher-developed tools and two standardized instruments to measure job satisfaction (the Job Descriptive Index and the Job in General Scale). Significant correlations (P < .05) emerged between each of the demographic variables and at least one of the criterion measures of job satisfaction. In addition to descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, a stepwise linear regression-correlation analysis showed that salary, degree level of nursing students taught, and length of annual contract were significant indicators of nurse faculty job satisfaction.
Cerebral uric acid increases following experimental traumatic brain injury in rat

Following traumatic brain injury (TBI), cortical and thalamic areas were analyzed histologically and by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection for uric acid at various survival times. Following TBI, cortical uric acid was elevated by ten-fold at 24 and 48 h, but not at 1 h post-TBI. Histological evidence of neurodegeneration was found not only in cortex but also in the anteroventral thalamus. These data suggest that as in stroke, uric acid measurements may be a convenient and sensitive method for measuring peroxidative status in TBI.
Recreational drugs: relationship to AIDS.

Current data suggest that a transmissible agent causes AIDS but undefined cofactors may also play a role. This paper reviews published data on the relationship between recreational durgs and immune alterations with particular emphasis on nitrite inhalant (NI) use by homosexual men. In an original cohort of 15 homosexual men helper: suppressor (H:S) T-cell ratios are stable but persistently lower in the NI users. A recent analysis of 245 homosexual men shows that NI use is associated with low H:S ratios in homosexual men in Washington DC but not in New York. Although NI use could increase the risk of AIDS by direct or indirect effects it could also be a surrogate for a lifestyle practice that predisposes homosexual men to the putative AIDS agent. The current evidence concerning use of NI and the risk of AIDS is inconclusive as is true for 2 other recreational drugs heroin and cocaine. Future studies may not be able to dissect the complex interrelationships of drug use and other variables until precise laboratory tests are available for defining exposure to the putative AIDS agent and suspect cofactors. (authors)
Rapid thermal anneal of gate oxides for low thermal budget TFT's

The performance and reliability of deposited gate oxides for thin film transistors (TFT's) has been studied as a function of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) conditions. The effect of temperature ranging from 700 to 950/spl deg/C and the annealing ambients including oxygen (O/sub 2/), argon (Ar), and nitrous oxide (N/sub 2/O) is investigated. Improvement in charge to breakdown (Q/sub bd/) is seen starting from 700/spl deg/C, with marked increase at 900/spl deg/C temperature and above. The N/sub 2/O and Ar ambients result in higher Q/sub bd/ compared to O/sub 2/ ambient and we attribute this to reduced interfacial stress. Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) is used to qualitatively measure the stress. The bias temperature instability is decreased by RTA. The TFT characteristics are significantly improved with RTA gate oxide. The RTA-Ar anneal at 950/spl deg/C results in the lowest trap density in TFT's as measured from charge pumping technique.
Calculation of ocean environmental parameters from a Ka-Band scatterometer using the Longuet-Higgins approach

During the SAXON-FPN experiment in the North Sea off the coast of Germany, The University of Kansas operated a 35-GHz FM-CW Vector Slope Gauge (VSG) that simultaneously measured the range to three locations on the ocean surface. This enabled it to determine a time series of wave heights and time series of two orthogonal components of wave slopes. With this information, the wave-height spectrum, the directional spectrum, and the angular width spectrum can be determined. The authors calculate these parameters using the standard pitch-and-roll buoy technique and the VSG data [Longuet-Higgins et al., 1963]. They show simulations to illustrate inherent errors in the VSG measurements. The VSG measures the distance to a point along the radar beam, so the intersection with the surface does not move vertically. This introduces a phase shift in the time series of wave height and slope. Use of the average distance for the three beams to produce a single wave-height time series reduces the phase shift error. However, the slopes depend on differences in separate measurements of each range, so multibeam averages are impossible. In addition, the slope measurement is only a first-order approximation of the true slope, so errors result. Noiseless simulations of VSG performance for a simple ocean surface show that errors in the wave-height time series are relatively small. Similar simulations illustrate the errors in slope. Pitch-and-roll buoys also are subject to errors. The horizontal motion of the buoy must be accounted for, an effect similar to the slant-range errors of the VSG. The diameter of the buoy limits the length of ocean waves that can be accurately measured, a problem present with the VSG because of the finite size and spacing of the beams. >
The Incidences of Chondritis and Perichondritis Associated With the Surgical Manipulation of Auricular Cartilage

Background. The cartilage and soft tissues of the ear are frequently employed as donor sites for tissue used in the repair of defects of the nose and external ear after Mohs surgery. Enthusiasm for using these auricular donor sites is occasionally tempered by surgeons' concerns for the development of Pseudomonal suppurative chondritis, a complication that has been described to follow cartilage manipulation. Objective. To quantify the incidence of postoperative perichondritis and chondritis after Mohs reconstructions involving auricular cartilage manipulations. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed 341 Mohs reconstructions that involved cartilage and soft-tissue donor sites located on the ear. Procedures included full-thickness skin grafts (295) harvested from the conchal bowl and flap repairs (46) incorporating cartilage batten grafts from conchal or anthelix donor sites. When the perichondrium was compromised, patients were routinely prescribed perioperative prophylactic antibiotics with Pseudomonal coverage. Postoperative examinations were performed at 1 week and 4 to 12 weeks. Patients not seen in clinic were interviewed by telephone regarding complications. Results. Complete follow-up information was obtained in 337 of 341 (98.8%) cases. Inflammatory perichondritis was observed in 19 (5.6%) patients. There were no cases of suppurative chondritis. Conclusion. The incidence of inflammatory perichondritis is low after Mohs reconstructions involving auricular cartilage manipulation. When prophylactic antibiotics and appropriate operative technique are used, the historic concern for suppurative chondritis associated with these procedures is unwarranted.
HTLV-III SEROCONVERSION ASSOCIATED WITH HEAT-TREATED FACTOR VIII CONCENTRATE

The prevalence of antibodies to human T-lymphotropic virus type III (HTLV-III) in hemophiliac patients suggests that clotting factor concentrates received by these patients have been contaminated with the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and the National Hemophilia Foundation in the US have recommended the preferential use of heat-treated factor VIII preparations rather than cryoprecipitate plasma or non-heat-treated materials. Preliminary studies have revealed an absence of HTLV-III seroconversion in previously untreated hemophiliacs who received heat-treated products. This letter reports a case of HTLV-III seroconversion in a mild hemophiliac after high doses of heat-treated factor VIII concentrate. The patient a 31-year old man had not received any blood products since 1975. He was admitted to the hospital with a large hematoma in his left leg and an acute compartment syndrome. An emergency 4-compartment fasciotomy was performed after administration of heat-treated factor VIII. Packed red blood cells from HTLV-III-negative female donors were administered. Over the 20-day hospitalization the patient received 99960 units of heat-treated concentrate from 5 different lots obtained from a single manufacturer. 25 days after the operation the patient experienced headache chills malaise photophobia myalgia and fever; cervical lymphadenopathy was noted. 2 weeks later western blot testing indicated HTLV-III seropositivity. It appears that heat treatment failed to inactivate virus and immunity occurred in response to infectious virus. If viral material is present in concontrates heat treatment might inactivate virus but viral antigen might still be present in sufficient amounts to elicit an immune response. Another possibility is passive transfer of HTLV-III antibody. This case illustrates the need for further studies of heat-treated concentrates.
The thermal reactions of CH3

The thermal reactions of CH 3 radicals have been investigated in reflected shock waves experiments at temperatures between 1224 and 2520 K. The fast dissociation of CH 3 I served as the source of CH 3 . Experiments were performed at three loading pressures with variations in [CH 3 I] 0 . H atoms, formed in the reaction, 2CH 3 →C 2 H 5 +H, were measured by the atomic resonance absorption spectrometric (ARAS) technique. The product ethyl radicals subsequently decompose to give a second H atom and ethylene. A reaction mechanism was used to fit the, data, and the resulting value for the rate constant was 5.25×10 −11 exp(-7384K/ T ) cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 . This value is compared to earlier determinations. At higher temperatures, 2150–2520 K, the H-atom formation rate was dominated by CH 3 thermal dissociation. With simulations, the rate constant for CH 3 +Kr→CH 2 +H+Kr could be determined. The rate constant for this process is k =4.68×10 −9 exp(-42506 K/ T ) cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 . This result is compared to earlier experimental determinations and also to theoretical calculations using the semiempirical Troe formalism.
Enabling technologies for self-aware adaptive systems

Self-aware computer systems will be capable of adapting their behavior and resources thousands of times a second to automatically find the best way to accomplish a given goal despite changing environmental conditions and demands. Such a capability benefits a broad spectrum of computer systems from embedded systems to supercomputers and is particularly useful for meeting power, performance, and resource-metering challenges in mobile computing, cloud computing, multicore computing, adaptive and dynamic compilation environments, and parallel operating systems. Some of the challenges in implementing self-aware systems are a) knowing within the system what the goals of applications are and if they are meeting them, b) deciding what actions to take to help applications meet their goals, and c) developing standard techniques that generalize and can be applied to a broad range of self-aware systems. This work presents our vision for self-aware adaptive systems and proposes enabling technologies to address these three challenges. We describe a framework called Application Heartbeats that provides a general, standardized way for applications to monitor their performance and make that information available to external observers. Then, through a study of a self-optimizing synchronization library called Smartlocks, we demonstrate a powerful technique that systems can use to determine which optimization actions to take. We show that Heartbeats can be applied naturally in the context of reinforcement learning optimization strategies as a reward signal and that, using such a strategy, Smartlocks are able to significantly improve performance of applications on an important emerging class of multicore systems called asymmetric multicores.
Effect of gravity waves on turbulence decay in stratified fluids

A theoretical calculation is made of the decay of turbulence energy in the presence of coherent internal gravity waves of various intensities. The wave-turbulence interaction considered is energy production by wave shear. The production term (stress) is calculated by a second-order closure, with temperature fluctuations accounted for by buoyancy subrange theory. This formalism applies to large or small turbulence Froude number, both extremes of which are often encountered in experimental turbulence decay. The theoretical turbulence decay is shown to be a universal function of the wave shear (strain rate) and wave frequency provided that the energy is expressed in terms of the buoyancy wavenumber kB, and time is expressed in terms of N, the Brunt-Vaisala frequency. With the amplitude of wave shear characterized by a gradient Richardson number Ri0, the turbulence decay is found to undergo a sudden transition from rapid decay to a much slower oscillating decay when Ri0 is less than about 0.4. The transition time occurs at about t ≈ 2πN−1. If Ri0 exceeds 0.8 the rate of decay exceeds that of a neutral fluid. A transition in turbulence decay was observed in experiments by Dickey & Mellor (1980). It might explain the continued presence of turbulence in dynamically stable regions of oceans or atmosphere. The theory is compared in much detail with the Dickey & Mellor experiment. A briefer comparison is also made with other experiments, and with previous calculations of turbulence maintenance by steady mean shear. A simple explanation is proposed of why a transition is observed in a vertical grid experiment but not in horizontal grid experiments.
Gendered Geographies of Reproductive Tourism

This article explores the intersections of power within transnational surrogacy in India, using the lens of geography to examine surrogate women’s and commissioning parents’ experiences and perceptions of space and mobility. The author analyzes ethnographic data within a geographical framework to examine how actors embody and experience power relations through space and movement, revealing how power is not simply about who moves and who doesn’t. Rather, in recognizing the specificity of the Indian context, and how different actors inhabit and move through distinct spaces, a geographical lens reveals the shifting complexity of structures of agency and power. Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in India, the author traces how both surrogate mothers and commissioning parents experience moments of mobility and movement punctuated by intervals of immobility and stillness, in distinct ways that illuminate the power relations inherent in transnational reproduction.
Guugu Yimithirr Cardinal Directions

Speakers of Guugu Yimithirr (GY) make heavy use in discourse offour roots that mean north, south, east, and west. Describing location with cardinal directions involves principles strikingly different from systems based on the anatomies of ref- erence objects, including speakers and hearers themselves. Nonetheless, the relational and situated nature of cardinal term systems has been insufficiently appreciated. This article ex- plores the linguistic details of the GYcardinal term system, to ex- pose the internal logic of the elaborated set of directional terms, to analyze the conceptual and ethnographic underpinnings of their use, and to demonstrate the anchored and deictic nature of GY directional discourse generally. peakers of the Australian language Guugu Yimithirr (hereafter GY) at the Hopevale community near Cooktown, in far North Queensland, make heavy use in discourse about position and motion of inflected forms of four cardinal direction roots-similar in meaning to north, south, east, and west.2 The system of cardinal directions appears to involve principles for calculat- ing horizontal position and motion strikingly different from familiar sys- tems based on the anatomies of reference objects, including speakers and hearers themselves. Rather than calculating location relative to inherent asymmetries in local reference objects, or from the viewpoint of observers themselves characterized by such asymmetries, the GY system apparently takes as its primitives global geocentric coordinates, seemingly inde- pendent of specific local terrain and based instead on horizontal angles that are fixed, as it were, by the earth (and perhaps the sun) and not subject to the rotation of observers or reference objects.
Risk Assessment and Classification of Day Reporting Center Clients An Actuarial Approach

The day reporting center (DRC) has become an increasingly popular sentencing option in many states that are using more community-based alternatives to jail and prison sentences. To protect the community and improve the likelihood of rehabilitation, improving the quality of risk assessment and classification at the DRC is an essential task. In this regard, with data collected in Nebraska, the study sought to identify significant variables influencing both termination from a DRC program and recidivism. This study found that a number of significant risk and need variables (e.g., education, employment, and relapse prevention) had been overlooked by the current risk assessment. The authors provide an alternative risk assessment and classification scheme by calculating predictive probabilities of a client's termination and recidivism through the use of logistic regression models.
Chemotaxis Plays Multiple Roles during Helicobacter pylori Animal Infection

Helicobacter pylori is a human gastric pathogen associated with gastric and duodenal ulcers as well as specific gastric cancers. H. pylori infects approximately 50% of the world's population, and infections can persist throughout the lifetime of the host. Motility and chemotaxis have been shown to be important in the infection process of H. pylori. We sought to address the specific roles of chemotaxis in infection of a mouse model system. We found that mutants lacking cheW, cheA, or cheY are all nonchemotactic and infect FVB/N mice with an attenuated phenotype after 2 weeks of infection. If infections proceeded for 6 months, however, this attenuation disappeared. Histological and culture analysis revealed that nonchemotactic mutants were found only in the corpus of the stomach, while the wild type occupied both the corpus and the antrum. Further analysis showed that nonchemotactic H. pylori isolates had an increased 50% infectious dose and were greatly outcompeted when coinfected with the wild type. If nonchemotactic mutants were allowed to establish an infection, subsequent infection with the wild type partially displaced the nonchemotactic mutants, indicating a role for chemotaxis in maintenance of infection. The data presented here support four roles for chemotaxis in H. pylori mouse infections: (i) establishing infection, (ii) achieving high-level infection, (iii) maintaining an infection when there are competing H. pylori present, and (iv) colonizing all regions of the stomach.
Afterglows of gamma-ray bursts

Gamma-ray burst astronomy has undergone a revolution in the last three years, spurred by the discover of fading long- wavelength counterparts. We now know that at least the long duration GRBs lie at cosmological distances with estimated electromagnetic energy release of 10^(51)-10^(53) erg, making these the brightest explosions in the Universe. In this article we review the current observational state of the long-lived 'afterglow' emission that accompanies GRBs at X-ray, optical, and radio afterglow wavelengths. We then discuss the insights these observations have given to the progenitor population, the energetics of the GRB events, and the physics of the afterglow emission. We focus particular attention on the evidence linking GRBs to the explosion of massive stars. Throughout, we identify remaining puzzles and uncertainties, and emphasize promising observations tools for addressing them. The imminent launch of HETE-2, the increasingly sophisticated and coordinated ground-based and space-based observations, and the increasing availability of 10-m class optical telescopes have primed this field for fantastic growth.
Projective reconstruction from line correspondences

The paper gives a practical rapid algorithm for doing projective reconstruction of a scene consisting of a set of lines seen in three or more images with uncalibrated cameras. The algorithm is evaluated on real and ideal data to determine its performance in the presence of varying degrees of noise. By carefully consideration of sources of error, it is possible to get accurate reconstruction with realistic levels of noise. The algorithm can be applied to images from different cameras or the same camera. For images with the same camera with unknown calibration, it is possible to do a complete Euclidean reconstruction of the image. This extends to the case of uncalibrated cameras previous results on scene reconstruction from lines,. >
Vasopressin and Pair-Bond Formation: Genes to Brain to Behavior

Microtine rodents provide an excellent model for the study of the neurobiology of social bonds. In this review, we discuss how the presence of a microsatellite sequence in the prairie vole vasopressin receptor gene may determine vasopressin receptor binding patterns in the brain and how these patterns may in turn affect social behavior.
High Performance InP-Based Photonic ICs—A Tutorial

The performance of relatively complex photonic integrated circuits (PICs) is now reaching such high levels that the long sought goal of realizing low-cost, -size, -weight, and -power chips to replace hybrid solutions seems to have been achieved for some applications. This tutorial traces some of the evolution of this technology that has led to an array of high-functionality InP-based PICs useful in optical sensing and communication applications. Examples of recent high-performance PICs that have arisen out of these developments are presented. Fundamental to much of this work was the development of integration strategies to compatibly combine a variety of components in a relatively simple fabrication process. For the UCSB work, this was initially based upon the creation of a single-chip widely tunable semiconductor laser that required the integration of gain, reflector, phase-tuning and absorber sections. As it provided most of the elements needed for many more complex PICs, their creation followed somewhat naturally by adding more of these same elements outside of the laser cavity using the same processing steps. Of course, additional elements were needed for some of the PICs to be discussed, but in most cases, these have been added without adding significant processing complexity. Generally, the integration philosophy has been to avoid patterned epitaxial growths, to use post-growth processing, such as quantum-well intermixing to provide multiple bandgaps, rather than multiple epitaxial regrowths, and to focus on processes that could be performed with vendor growth and implant facilities so that only basic clean room processing facilities are required.
Universal Owners: challenges and opportunities

This special issue of Corporate Governance is devoted to the concept of “universal ownership” (UO) and grows out of a conference of universal owners, institutional investors, investment professionals and academics held in April 2006 at Saint Mary’s College of California, under the sponsorship of the Center for the Study of Fiduciary Capitalism (A report of the conference is available at http://www.fidcap.org). Four of the seven articles in this issue are based on papers presented at the conference, while an additional three (by Lydenberg, Syse and Gjessing, and Lippman et al.) were written specifically for this issue. The conference purposefully developed a practitioners’ perspective on universal ownership and these articles reflect this orientation, although each article in its own way breaks new ground which academics, policy researchers and practitioners can and should develop.
Interaction of NahR, a LysR-type transcriptional regulator, with the α subunit of RNA polymerase in the naphthalene degrading bacterium, Pseudomonas putida NCIB 9816-4

NahR, a LysR-type transcriptional regulator, is required for expression of naphthalene catabolic operons. However, detailed mechanisms of transcriptional activation by NahR are poorly understood. Many transcriptional activators make direct contact with RNA polymerase (RNAP) to initiate transcription. We investigated the hypothesis that direct contact between NahR and the α subunit of RNAP (αRNAP) may be involved in expression of the naphthalene catabolic operons in Pseudomonas putida NCIB 9816-4. Interactions between the NahR and αRNAP in P. putida NCIB 9816–4 were analyzed using the yeast two-hybrid system. The results obtained indicate that protein–protein interactions occur between αRNAP and the NahR. Gene activation by NahR is consistent with the general transcriptional mechanism of class I transcription factors, which function by contacting αRNAP.
JigDFS: A secure distributed file system

Ubiquitous connectivity and availability of P2P resources creates opportunities for building new services. This paper describes Jigsaw Distributed File System (JigDFS) which can be used to securely store and retrieve files on a P2P network anonymously. JigDFS is designed to provide strong encryption and a certain level of plausible deniability. Files in JigDFS are sliced into small segments using an Information Dispersal Algorithm (IDA) and distributed onto different nodes recursively to increase fault tolerance against node failures. Moreover, layered encryption is applied to each file with keys produced by a hashed-key chain algorithm, so that data (file segments) and keys reside on different hosts. In such a scheme, if an attacker compromises a host and retrieves the data, the attacker will still need the correct key to decipher the data. Furthermore, recursive IDA and layered encryption ensure users' anonymity. It is difficult for an adversary to identify who owns a file, even who has retrieved a file in JigDFS. Often, a strong adversary may have the power to monitor the network or even force a user to give up the password. Design of JigDFS provides users with plausible deniability which enhances privacy. When being questioned, a JigDFS user can simply argue that he/she is merely a relaying node, rather than the file owner. Moreover, a user, when forced, can give up a valid, however, incorrect encryption key. There is no way for an adversary to verify either correctness of a key or the identity of file owner. JigDFS is developed using platform independent Java technologies and is envisioned to utilize mobile computing elements such as PDAs and smart phones.
Treatment of Dyslipidemia in Elderly Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: There Are Miles to Go Before We Sleep∗

The treatment of dyslipidemia with statin therapy is a cornerstone in the management of patients in both the primary and secondary prevention settings. Dyslipidemia is widely prevalent in its various forms [(1)][1]. The lowering of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with a statin in
Is flow in subpleural region typical of the rest of the lung? A study using laser-Doppler flowmetry

The microcirculation in the subpleural region of the lung is thought to be physiologically typical of the entire vasculature. To investigate this issue, an in situ blood-perfused dog lung lobe (500 ml/min) was prepared and the blood flow in the subpleural region (Qs) was monitored with laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF). The flow rates into and out of the lobe were monitored with in-line flow probes, and the arterial and venous pressures were recorded from side ports in the cannulas. The LDF signal measures flow in arbitrary units over a region less than 2 mm deep and 1 mm2. The LDF signal was independent of site of measurement and was linearly proportional to total flow rate (r2 greater than 0.9), suggesting that during baseline conditions Qs behaves similarly to, although not necessarily the same as, blood flow in the rest of the lung. However, if the vasculature is constricted by serotonin (arterial constriction) or by histamine (venous constriction), Qs decreases significantly relative to total flow. In fact, in some cases Qs approached zero during vasoconstriction, despite the fact that total flow was maintained constant and the pulmonary arterial pressure became elevated. Reduction in Qs most likely reflects a redistribution from the subpleural to the central regions of the lung. The results of this study suggest that LDF is a useful tool for monitoring flow in the subpleural region of the lung.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)