cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A TEST OF THE FORM-RESISTANT CORRELATION HYPOTHESIS RATINGS, RANKINGS, AND THE MEASUREMENT OF VALUES

A number of researchers have argued that ranking techniques are more appropriate than rating methods for the mea- surement of values in surveys. The form-resistant correlation hy- pothesis proposes that observed associations among values and between values and other variables should remain invariant across measurement methods. However, some recent research on parental values for child qualities suggests that ratings and rankings produce different correlational results. The present study tests the hypothesis that discrepancies between rating and ranking results are due to the fact that, when responding to rating questions, some respondents avoid making difficult choices be- tween valued qualities by rating all the qualities as highly and equally desirable. Consistent with this hypothesis, when nondif- ferentiating respondents are removed from the analyzed sample, the substantive results of analyses of rating data resemble the results typically obtained using ranking data. This suggests that ranking may be the superior method for measuring values.
Development of Fertility in Young Barred Plymouth Rock Males

Abstract IT HAS been observed on the Purdue Poultry Farm that a larger number of infertile hatching eggs are obtained during the late summer and early fall months when the mature males are molting. Upp and Thompson (1927) in their study of seasonal hatchability made similar observations and found that during the period from October 20 to November 3 the fertility was only 63.5 percent. Jaap (1933) reports that during the late winter and early spring the primary reproductive organs of the Mallard drake normally increase in size and spermatogenic activity. He found that the testes decreased in size at the end of the laying season and that molt follows. Microscopic studies of the gonads of thyroid-fed drakes showed that the largest testes had a large number of mature sperms in the lumen of each tubule, while the smaller testes showed only mitotic division. Since some poultrymen are now setting eggs . . .
Concealed object contrast enhancement using radar methods in a submillimeter-wave active imager

A single-pixel, active, heterodyne submillimeter-wave imager has been developed to detect concealed weapons on persons at standoff ranges of many meters. A major imaging challenge is that a targetpsilas reflected power often yields poor contrast of concealed objects because of specular scattering. To address this problem we have adapted high-resolution radar techniques to a 600 GHz active imager and generated three-dimensional through-clothes images of concealed objects with cm-scale resolution.
Critical moments in hinge-connected beams subjected to transverse impact loading

The dynamic system consists of two uniform, vertical beams, one above the other, with a hinge between them and an achor hinge at the base. For a transverse load suddenly applied anywhere along the upper beam, the critical or peak moment in the lower beam of length l occurs at a distance yc = l/√3 from its base. When this impact load is applied to the lower beam in the neighborhood of the hinge, a primary critical moment always occurs at the impact point; but a secondary critical moment may also occur at a predictable distance yc<l/√3 which depends on the relative masses of the two beams. Experimental data support these predicted results. The solutions, presented in closed form, are applicable to the design of impact resistant articulated buoys subject to the collision of ships and floating ice.
Dynamics of redox processes in ionic liquids and their interplay for discriminative electrochemical sensing.

Motivated by the use of ionic liquids (ILs) as green replacers of traditional electrolytes, a mechanistic study has been systematically conducted to comprehend various design principles responsible for electrochemical profiling of redox-active species in ILs. The full spectrum of properties associated with ILs is exploited to assess the viability of this platform, thus revealing the correlation between the redox properties and the physiochemical parameters of the species involved. This includes the evaluation of (1) the variation of redox responses toward analytes with similar molecular structures or functionalities of ILs, (2) the influence in terms of physical criteria of the system such as viscosity and conductivity as well as chemical structure of ILs, and (3) the sustainability in harsh conditions (high temperature or humidity) and interferences. The principle is exemplified via trinitrotoluene (TNT) and dinitrotoluene (DNT) with inherent redox activity as analytes and IL membranes as solvents and el...
Mapping surface energy balance components by combining Landsat thematic mapper and ground-based meteorological data.

Surface energy balance components were evaluated by combining satellite-based spectral data with on-site measurements of solar irradiance, air temperature, wind speed, and vapor pressure. Maps of latent heat flux density and net radiant flux density were produced using Landsat TM data for three dates. The TM-based estimates differed from Bowen-ratio and aircraft-based estimates by less than 12 percent over mature fields of cotton, wheat, and alfalfa.
Hedonic adaptation and the role of decision and experience utility in public policy

Abstract Many economists are becoming supportive of ‘soft’ paternalistic interventions that help people to avoid common decision errors without curtailing individual autonomy. To identify when such interventions could be beneficial, and to assess their success, requires a welfare criterion. However, traditional preference or choice-based criteria cannot serve this function because they assume that whatever people choose makes them better off. An alternative criterion that bases welfare on happiness rather than choice avoids this problem but has several of its own drawbacks. Most notably, people often adapt to serious chronic health conditions, and exhibit high levels of happiness, even though both those with and those without the condition agree that it is much preferable to be healthy. After reviewing different lines of research that shed light on the pros and cons of these alternative welfare criteria, we argue that no simple criterion based on either concept can surmount these problems. Instead, evaluations of welfare will inevitably have to be informed by a combination of both approaches, patched together in a fashion that depends on the specific context.
Molecular density functional theory for multiscale modeling of hydration free energy

Abstract Recent developments in physical and computer sciences enable quantitative predictions the kinetics of chemical reactions and thermodynamic data from first principles by multiscale modeling. The hierarchical approach integrates different theoretical frameworks ranging from those describing physical phenomena at the electronic length and time scales to those pertinent to complex biomolecular systems and macroscopic phase transitions, promising broad applications to problems of practical concern. Whereas multiscale modeling has been emerging as a popular computational tool, the connection between calculations at different scales is far from being coherent, and the multiple choices of quantum/classical methods at each scale renders numerous combinations that have been rarely calibrated against extensive experimental data. In this work, we have examined a multiscale procedure for predicting the solvation free energies of a large set of small molecules in liquid water at ambient conditions. Using the experimental data for the hydration free energies as a benchmark, we find that the theoretical results are sensitive to selection of quantum-mechanical methods for determining atomic charges and solute configurations, assignment of the force-field parameters in particular the atomic partial charges, and approximations in the statistical–mechanical calculations. Because of significant uncertainties in quantum-mechanical calculations and the semi-empirical nature of force-field models, computational efficiency makes the classical density functional theory a valuable alternative to molecular simulations for future development and application of multiscale modeling methods.
Development of Conceptually Focused Early Numeracy Skill Indicators

This research was conducted to evaluate the technical properties of a set of early numeracy CBM tests that were designed to operationalize early numeric concepts. Data were collected over the course of a school year from 113 kindergarten and first-grade children using nine separate tests with three alternative forms. In addition, test–retest reliability was examined. Correlational design methods were used to examine the consistency of the tests as well as their relation to criterion measures. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were also generated and inspected to examine diagnostic accuracy. Results indicated that two tests demonstrated strong technical properties across all three analyses, and an additional two demonstrated promise. Methodological improvements to test procedures should be addressed in future research, and linking assessment to intervention can be facilitated using tests developed in the current study.
Cloning and characterization of a gene encoding an antigenic membrane protein from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae with homology to ABC transporters

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a pathogenic bacterium responsible for a highly contagious and often fatal form of bronchopneumonia in swine. Survival from a natural infection generally results in immunity from further infection by all 12 common serotypes, suggesting the presence of common protective antigens. We have identified one of the antigenic membrane proteins from A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 5, and cloned the gene which encodes it. This gene is found in all 12 serotypes, and encodes a protein with a predicted molecular mass of 30 kDa. Sequence analysis revealed that this antigen has a typical signal sequence characteristic of lipoproteins, and is likely to be secreted and inserted into the periplasmic side of the inner membrane. The gene shows high homology to the surface antigen CjaA of Campylobacter jejuni and to solute binding proteins of the ABC transporter family. The probable role of this protein in substrate binding and transport was supported by the presence of an upstream gene with significant homology to ATP binding proteins of the same family. In Escherichia coli, the cloned gene produced a protein which reacted strongly with convalescent sera from swine infected with A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 5, and weakly with sera from swine infected with serotype 1A or from swine vaccinated with a killed bacterin of serotype 1A or 5. It thus appears that this antigen displays some crossreactivity between serotypes, and may be less exposed in bacterins than in live cells. This protein, designated ApaA, may have an important role in nutrient acquisition and in the pathogenesis of infections caused by A. pleuropneumoniae.
An estimation of the residual volume of blood in the right ventricle of normal and diseased human hearts in vivo.

Abstract A method has been described which attempts the estimation of the residual and diastolic blood volumes of the right ventricle of normal and diseased human hearts. The procedure consisted of catheterization of the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery with a double lumen catheter and the injection of Evans blue into the right ventricle. The residual volumes were then estimated from the slope of the photographically recorded dye dilution curve. Two artificial circulation models were used to test the accuracy of the method and to establish the relationship between the various factors which influence the downward slope of the dye dilution curve. The theoretical implications and the accuracy of the method were discussed. Data on the residual volume of normal right ventricles showed large scatter which was reduced when the volumes were expressed per square meter of body surface. The average right ventricular residual volume was found to be 50 c.c. per square meter. The ratio residual volume stroke volume in the normal right ventricle was 1.7. Large residual volumes were found in patients with right ventricular failure, and the ratio residual volume stroke volume was significantly elevated (average 350 c.c. and 13.6, respectively). Considerable variations in the right ventricular residual volume were present in patients with mitral stenosis, even if the data were expressed per square meter of body surface. Correlation with clinical data revealed that, in patients with mitral stenosis and large residual volumes, right heart failure was usually present. In one patient with constrictive pericarditis, the residual volume was normal, but the ratio stroke volume residual volume was increased. Larger residual volume were found in two patients suffering from adhesive pericarditis. The physiological implications of the results obtained were discussed.
Physical principles of microbubble ultrasound contrast agents

Early contrast agents could not achieve left-sided cardiac opacification because these microbubbles could not traverse the pulmonary circulation and remain intact. The specific shell material and gas used determine the properties of individual microbubbles, including fragility, persistence, and resonance. Persistence, perhaps the most important property of a microbubble, has been achieved by second-generation agents through the use of shells or surfactants and by substituting high-density, high molecular weight gas for air. Today's agents readily achieve opacification, not only of the cardiac chambers but also of the myocardium. Refinements in contrast agents and in the instrumentation for their detection are primarily responsible for these improvements.
Characterization of Yb/sup 3+/:Sr/sub 5-x/Ba/sub x/(PO/sub 4/)/sub 3/F crystals for diode-pumped lasers

Ytterbium-doped Sr/sub 5/(PO/sub 4/)/sub 3/F (S-FAP) has been shown to be a useful material for diode pumping, since it displays high gain, low loss, and a long radiative lifetime. One of the issues with S-FAP is that it has a relatively narrow absorption bandwidth (/spl sim/5 nm) at 900 nm, the diode-pumping wavelength, while the diode's output bandwidth can be large (/spl sim/10 nm). By changing the host slightly, the absorption feature can be broadened to better match the pump bandwidth. Four mixed crystal boules of Yb/sup 3+/:Sr/sub 5-x/Ba/sub x/(PO/sub 4/)/sub 3/F were grown by the Czochralski method with x=0.25: 0.5, 1, and 2. The bandwidth of the 900-nm absorption feature was found to grow with increasing barium concentration from 4.7 nm to a maximum of 15.9 nm. Emission spectra showed a similar bandwidth increase with barium content from 4.9 nm to a maximum of 10 nm. Emission cross sections for these materials were deduced by the methods of reciprocity, the Einstein method, and small-signal gain. The absorption feature's homogeneity was probed using a tunable pump source which qualitatively showed that the barium broadened lines were at least partly inhomogeneous. Each of these materials lased with a variety of output couplers. This family of materials was found to provide suitable laser hosts where a broader absorption and/or emission bandwidth is desired.
A Finite Element Study of Blast Overpressure on the Skull With and Without Helmet

The use of advanced personal armor, especially the helmet, during combat has significantly reduced the incidence and severity of life threatening penetrating injuries from gunshot and blast shrapnel to the head and improved the overall survival rate of soldiers in combat [1]. On the other hand, the number of blast related injuries (68%) has increased to more than 4 times that of gunshot wounds (15%) and other injuries (17%), among which blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) has became the signature wound of the U.S. armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan due to increased use of improvised explosive devices (IED) and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) by the insurgents [2–4]. It is well known in detonation physics that the presence of a close proximity surface will increase the overpressure on the target due to blast wave reflection [5, 6]. The helmet, which has saved many lives from otherwise fatal penetration and blunt impact injuries, may unfortunately also serve as a reflecting surface and pose increased blast injury threat to the head. Consequently, the current study was designed to compare blast overpressures on the skull with and without helmet using a human head computational model.© 2010 ASME
Micromechanical regulation in cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts: implications for tissue remodeling

Cells of the myocardium are at home in one of the most mechanically dynamic environments in the body. At the cellular level, pulsatile stimuli of chamber filling and emptying are experienced as cyclic strains (relative deformation) and stresses (force per unit area). The intrinsic characteristics of tension-generating myocytes and fibroblasts thus have a continuous mechanical interplay with their extrinsic surroundings. This review explores the ways that the micromechanics at the scale of single cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts have been measured, modeled, and recapitulated in vitro in the context of adaptation. Both types of cardiac cells respond to externally applied strain, and many of the intracellular mechanosensing pathways have been identified with the careful manipulation of experimental variables. In addition to strain, the extent of loading in myocytes and fibroblasts is also regulated by cues from the microenvironment such as substrate surface chemistry, stiffness, and topography. Combinations of these structural cues in three dimensions are needed to mimic the micromechanical complexity derived from the extracellular matrix of the developing, healthy, or pathophysiologic heart. An understanding of cardiac cell micromechanics can therefore inform the design and composition of tissue engineering scaffolds or stem cell niches for future applications in regenerative medicine.
Abstract 3888: Therapeutically activating the RB pathway in breast cancer: Key mechanisms of response and failure

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC A hallmark of cancer is the deregulation of cell cycle machinery, ultimately providing aberrant proliferation that fuels tumorigenesis and disease progression. Particularly, in breast cancers, cyclin D1 plays a crucial role in the development of disease. Recently, a highly-specific inhibitor of CDK4/6 activity (PD-0332991) has been developed that may have efficacy in the treatment of breast and additional cancers. To interrogate the utility of PD-0332991 in treating breast cancers, therapeutic response was evaluated in panel of breast cancer cell lines. These analyses demonstrated that the chronic loss of Rb is specifically associated with evolution to a CDK4/6-independent state and, thus, resistance to PD-0332991. However, to interrogate the functional consequence of Rb directly, knockdown experiments were performed in models that represent immortalized mammary epithelia and multiple subtypes of breast cancer. These studies demonstrated a highly-specific role for Rb in mediating the response to CDK4/6 inhibition that was dependent on transcriptional repression manifest through E2F and the ability to attenuate CDK2 activity. In spite of these caveats, in specific models, PD-0332991 was a particularly effective therapy, which induced Rb-dependent cytostasis. Combined, these findings indicate the critical importance of fully understanding cell cycle regulatory pathways in directing the utilization of CDK inhibitors in the clinic. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3888.
Generation of liquid water on Mars through the melting of a dusty snowpack

An optical/thermal model for dusty snowpacks at temperate Martian latitudes is used to investigate the possibility of valley network formation by liquid water that was provided by snowmelts, assuming insolation absorption under clear-sky conditions. The mean-annual surface temperatures for snow and the atmospheric exchange terms of the surface energy balance are constrained by global climate model results. Under favorable conditions, liquid water is generated at atmospheric pressures as low as 30-100 mbar, provided that the substrate is composed of regolith; this condition is in keeping with the cratered terrain expected in an ancient Martian surface.
CRYSTALLINE PEPSIN : V. ISOLATION OF CRYSTALLINE PEPSIN FROM BOVINE GASTRIC JUICE.

1. A method has been described for isolating a crystalline protein with high proteolytic activity from bovine gastric juice by means of precipitation with magnesium sulfate and fractionation of the precipitate with acetone and magnesium sulfate. 2. The crystalline protein obtained in this way has the same crystalline form, optical activity, and specific activity, as determined by a number of methods, as does the crystalline protein previously isolated from swine gastric mucosa. 3. The solubility of the two preparations, however, is additive so that they are different although very closely related proteins.
Radiation leakage from linac electron applicator assembly

The electron beam applicator system currently in use on the linear accelerator is constructed of light-weight fiberglass and aluminum. With an applicator in place on the accelerator, the photon collimator jaws are automatically set several centimeters greater than the electron field size projected at the patient's surface. To ensure that no regions of high dose levels exist outside the useful beam, ionization and film measurements were made to quantitate the amount of leakage radiation through the 10 cm X 10 cm and 25 cm X 25 cm applicators. In most regions, the ionization levels at the patient's surface were below 5% of the central axis dose. In one area for the 25 cm applicator, the percentage ionization was 8.5%, which could be reduced by the addition of a small piece of 1/8 inch thick lead. However, ionization levels on the outside surface of the applicator were found to be considerably higher at certain locations for the 25 cm applicator. Results for 6, 9, 12 and 20 MeV electrons are reported here.
A Bx-interconnected magnetosphere model for Mercury

Abstract The access of solar wind plasma to the surface of Mercury depends on the magnetic fields in the vicinity of the planet. We present the structure of the Hermean magnetosphere obtained by the Toffoletto–Hill (J. Geophys. Res. 98 (1993)) model of a magnetically interconnected (“open”) magnetosphere modified for the size of Mercury and the strength of its magnetic field. We calculate open regions for the access of incident particles to the surface as a function of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) direction and magnitude. These results are compared with existing sodium data obtained during a week-long period of observations in November 1997. Although quantitatively crude, the model gives a qualitative approach on how to interpret a good part of the sodium emissions. We conclude that increased ion-sputtering due to solar wind–magnetosphere interactions may explain the temporal and spatial variations of the sodium exosphere seen at Mercury. We predict that emissions should be stronger in the southern hemisphere for a positive Bx component, and in the northern hemisphere for a negative Bx. The Bz component regulates the size and position of the open field line region. More negative IMF Bz corresponds to more equatorial open flux regions.
Graphs in cultures: A study in ethnomathematics

Abstract Western culture is but one of several with an interest in continuous figure-tracing. This paper elaborates evidence of that interest in Oceania with emphasis on the dieas of the Malekula. Included are the figures, with cultural context, and with associated geometric and topological ideas. For many Malekula figures there is a record of actual order and direction of the tracing of each edge. This enables us to analyze their procedures and to show that basic procedures were transformed and combined into larger systematic procedures.
Of Suture and Signifier in Michael Haneke's Caché (2005)

The paper studies Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke's most recent film, Cache (2005), as a narrative exploration of cultural tension, anxiety, and social psychology in the post-9/11 world. The paper focuses specifically on this psychological text/context and argues that, in the film, Haneke develops a critique of Western middle-class liberal subject positions through an examination of the crisis that emerges due to the intrusion of the Other and the Other's gaze. In studying the negotiations of a Parisian family with this sudden intrusion of the Other's gaze, I have relied on Lacan's theory of suture as constructing an imaginary defense against the Real of colonial guilt.
State Systems of Settlement: Response to Crumley

I thoroughly enjoyed the satirical piece by William Harmon in the December American Anthropologist (AA 78:797-811, 1977) and I look forward with considerable anticipation to the rest of the series (". .. the uses of social sciences by such related writers as W. B. Yeats, Archibald MacLeish, Ezra Pound, and William Carlos Williams" (p. 806). However, in this instance I am afraid the joke is on Harmon, who seems not to be aware that the great Anglican Dean of American ethnology actually was in his university days a poet of sorts. The following, I have it on good authority, was composed by Eliot in the spring of 1914 on the way back to his rooms after one of those Russell seminars in which he, Eliot, laid the groundwork for his middle years essays in mathematical anthropology. It is of particular interest to me as a biological anthropologist for its apparent focus on my subdiscipline (the contributions to ethnological theory which stimulated Harmon's risible fancy are of course well known; T. S. E.'s interests in physical anthropology remain so far uncelebrated). Ludwig Wittgenstein has suggested (personal communication cited by Siegfried Sassoon in Over the Parapets, Christmas 1916, or Swapping Yarns with the Foemen, an unpublished reminiscence) that what follows was originally part of a much longer work which Eliot intended to be read as a critique in depth of sociobiology. While I tend to agree with Harmon that "Some poems remain incoherent no matter how you read them" (p. 807), Wittgenstein's assertion is worth noting in view of the fact that the lines in question first appeared in 1915 (in He Wore Anthropologist Shoes, the Unsung Literary Side of T. S. Eliot, subsequently withdrawn from publication at Eliot's request). It is claimed by some that these lines contain Eliot's first reference to himself by that nickname he later employed to signal ethological loading of imagery. Whether the claim is valid or, indeed, whether the reference here is to himself, I cannot say. There seems no doubt that "Burnt Norton" is deliberately foreshadowed in the fifth line.
Conversion of ES cells to columnar epithelia by hensin and to squamous epithelia by laminin

Single-layered epithelia are the first differentiated cell types to develop in the embryo, with columnar and squamous types appearing immediately after blastocyst implantation. Here, we show that mouse embryonic stem cells seeded on hensin or laminin, but not fibronectin or collagen type IV, formed hemispheric epithelial structures whose outermost layer terminally differentiated to an epithelium that resembled the visceral endoderm. Hensin induced columnar epithelia, whereas laminin formed squamous epithelia. At the egg cylinder stage, the distal visceral endoderm is columnar, and these cells begin to migrate anteriorly to create the anterior visceral endoderm, which assumes a squamous shape. Hensin expression coincided with the dynamic appearance and disappearance of columnar cells at the egg cylinder stage of the embryo. These expression patterns, and the fact that hensin null embryos (and those already reported for laminin) die at the onset of egg cylinder formation, support the view that hensin and laminin are required for terminal differentiation of columnar and squamous epithelial phenotypes during early embryogenesis.
Gd-loaded plastic scintillator

Abstract A commercially available plastic scintillator has been loaded with sufficient Gd to permit detection of 1 MeV neutrons with greater than 90% efficiency.
Acute inflammatory biomarker profiles predict depression risk following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury

OBJECTIVE:: To examine whether acute inflammation profiles predict posttraumatic depression (PTD) risk 6 and 12 months after traumatic brain injury. SETTING:: University-affiliated level 1 trauma center and community. PARTICIPANTS:: Adults with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (acute serum levels: n = 50; acute cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels: n = 41). DESIGN:: Prospective cohort study. MAIN MEASURES:: Patient Health Questionnaire; inflammatory biomarkers (interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, tumor necrosis factor α, soluble vascular adhesion molecule [sVCAM-1], soluble intracellular adhesion molecule [sICAM-1], soluble Fas [sFAS]). RESULTS:: Higher levels of acute CSF cytokine surface markers (sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, and sFAS) in an inflammatory biomarker risk (IBR) score were associated with a 3.920-fold increase in the odds of developing PTD at 6 months (95% confidence interval: 1.163-8.672). Having sICAM-1, sVCAM-1, or sFAS above the 75th percentile had a positive predictive value of 85.7% for PTD risk at 6 months. An IBR score including inflammatory biomarkers IL-7 and IL-8 showed a trending association with 12-month PTD risk (odds ratio = 3.166, 95% confidence interval: 0.936-10.708). CONCLUSION:: Acute CSF IBR scores show promise for identifying individuals at risk for PTD. Further research should assess acute CSF inflammatory biomarkers' relationships to chronic inflammation as a mechanism of PTD and should explore anti-inflammatory treatments for PTD, as well as prevention and screening protocols, and link inflammatory biomarkers to symptom tracking. Language: en
Knowledge, relevant alternatives and missed clues

The classic version of the relevant alternatives theory (RAT) identifies knowledge with the elimination of relevant alternatives (Dretske 1981, Stine 1976, Lewis 1996, inter alia). I argue that the RAT is trapped by the problem of the missed clue, in which the subject sees but does not appreciate decisive information.
SessionMagnifier: a simple approach to secure and convenient kiosk browsing

Many people use public computers to browse the Web and perform important online activities. However, public computers are usually far less trustworthy than peoples' own computers because they are more vulnerable to various security attacks. In this paper, we propose SessionMagnifier, a simple approach to secure and convenient kiosk browsing. The key idea of SessionMagnifier is to enable an extended browser on a mobile device and a regular browser on a public computer to collaboratively support a Web session. This approach simply requires a SessionMagnifier browser extension to be installed on a trusted mobile device. A user can securely perform sensitive interactions on the mobile device and conveniently perform other browsing interactions on the public computer. We implemented SessionMagnifier for Mozilla's Fennec browser and evaluated it on a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. Our evaluation and analysis demonstrate that SessionMagnifier is simple, secure, and usable.
A Note About the Stability of a String of LTI Systems

This note concerns the stability of a string of LTI systems; it is shown here that, if the weak interaction condition among systems in the string is satisfied (i.e., the sum of the ∞-norms of the interaction/error propagation transfer functions is less than unity), then the string is L p stable for every p ≥ 1. Since the ∞-norm of a transfer function is the smallest of all its induced L p norms, the result presented here enables one to obtain a tighter estimate of the geometric rate of attenuation of the states of systems in the string.
Comparative efficiency of informal (subjective, impressionistic) and formal (mechanical, algorithmic) prediction procedures: The clinical–statistical controversy.

Given a data set about an individual or a group (e.g., interviewer ratings, life history or demographic facts, test results, self-descriptions), there are two modes of data combination for a predictive or diagnostic purpose. The clinical method relies on human judgment that is based on informal contemplation and, sometimes, discussion with others (e.g., case conferences). The mechanical method involves a formal, algorithmic, objective procedure (e.g., equation) to reach the decision. Empirical comparisons of the accuracy of the two methods (136 studies over a wide range of predictands) show that the mechanical method is almost invariably equal to or superior to the clinical method: Common antiactuarial arguments are rebutted, possible causes of widespread resistance to the comparative research are offered, and policy implications of the statistical method's superiority are discussed. In 1928, the Illinois State Board of Parole published a study by sociologist Burgess of the parole outcome for 3,000 criminal offenders, an exhaustive sample of parolees in a period of years preceding. (In Meehl, 1954/1996, this number is erroneously reported as 1,000, a slip probably arising from the fact that 1,000 cases came from each of three Illinois prisons.) Burgess combined 21 objective factors (e.g., nature of crime, nature of sentence, chronological age, number of previous offenses) in unweighted fashion by simply counting for each case the number of factors present that expert opinion considered favorable or unfavorable to successful parole outcome. Given such a large sample, the predetermination of a list of relevant factors (rather than elimination and selection of factors), and the absence of any attempt at optimizing weights, the usual problem of crossvalidation shrinkage is of negligible importance. Subjective, impressionistic, "clinical" judgments were also made by three prison psychiatrists about probable parole success. The psychiatrists were slightly more accurate than the actuarial tally of favorable factors in predicting parole success, but they were markedly inferior in predicting failure. Furthermore, the actuarial tally made predictions for every case, whereas the psychiatrists left a sizable fraction of cases undecided. The conclusion was clear that even a crude actuarial method such as this was superior to clinical judgment in accuracy of prediction. Of course, we do not know how many of the 21 factors the psychiatrists took into account, but all were available to
Waste treatability tests of spent solvent and other organic wastewaters

Some commercial and industrial facilities treat RCRA spent solvent wastewaters by steam stripping, carbon adsorption, and/or biological processes. Thirteen facilities were visited by EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) from June 1985 to September 1986, to conduct sampling and analysis episodes and to determine the levels of performance achievable by these and other treatment processes. This paper summarizes the results of five of the tests: two steam strippers, two carbon adsorption systems, and one activated sludge biological system.
RF MEMS Metal-Contact Switches With mN-Contact and Restoring Forces and Low Process Sensitivity

This paper presents an electrostatic RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) metal contact switch based on a tethered cantilever topology. The use of tethers results in a design that has low sensitivity to stress gradients, biaxial stresses, and temperature. A switch with a footprint of 160 × 190 μm2 and based on a 8-μm-thick gold cantilever with an Au/Ru contact is implemented on a high-resistivity silicon substrate and results in a total contact force of 0.8-1.2 mN at 80-90 V, a restoring force of 0.5 mN, a pull-in voltage of 61 V, an up-state capacitance of 24 fF, and an actuation time of 6.4 μ s. The device achieves a switch resistance of 2.4±1.4 Ω to 1.8±0.6 Ω at 90-100 V in open laboratory environments (nonpackaged). This design has the potential to replace conventional electromagnetic relays in application areas such as automated testing equipment and high-performance switching networks.
STI stress-induced degradation of data retention time in DRAM and a new characterizing method for mechanical stress

The effect of mechanical stress induced by shallow trench isolation (STI) slope on the data retention characteristics of DRAM is investigated and a new electrical parameter for monitoring the mechanical stress is proposed. To maintain high and uniform retention time for the reliable operation of DRAM, the STI slope should not be vertical and should be kept below 86-degree. The new electrical parameter measures the current gain of the parasitic BJT in DRAM cell and shows a strong correlation with the retention time induced by the mechanical stress.
Growth characteristics of human Wilms' tumor in nude mice.

Ten Wilms′ tumors (WT) were heierotransplated into athymic (nude) mice. Eight of the tumors (80%) grew and were serially passaged as many as 20 times. The histology of the primary heterotransplants resembled that of the surgically excised tumors (seven classical and one anaplastic). Histological examination of serial passages of the classical WT demonstrated the tendency of the stromal and tubular components to disappear. The anaplastic tumor, however, maintained histological features identical to the primary tumor through all passages examined. One WT cell line that exhibited a prominent skeletal muscle component failed to grow beyond the third passage. Spontaneous glomerular differentiation was noted in several heterotransplants. The site of transplantation (subcutaneous, peritoneal, or renal capsule) had no effect on the differentiation of the tumors, and attempts to produce intravenous metastases were unsuccessful. Unilateral nephrectomy of WT-bearing mice gave a transient increase in pulse labeling o...
Fighting Systemic Corruption: Social Foundations for Institutional Reform

While institutional reforms enhancing transparency and accountability in state and economic institutions are indispensable parts of any anti-corruption strategy, they also need a long-term social foundation, particularly where corruption is systemic. Social empowerment – expanding and protecting the range of political and economic resources, and alternatives, open to ordinary citizens – is one way to address this task. Social empowerment entails strengthening civil society in order to enhance its political and economic vitality, providing more orderly paths of access and rules of interaction between state and society, and balancing economic and political opportunities. Development strategies aimed particularly at hitherto-excluded people and regions within a country are of particular importance. Social empowerment does not involve wholly new remedies, but rather the judicious coordination of a variety of familiar development and anti-corruption policies. Where it is successful, social empowerment will not totally eradicate corruption. It can, however, provide necessary support for institutional reforms, weaken the combinations of monopoly, discretion, and lack of accountability that make for systemic corruption, and help institutionalise reform for the long term by linking it to lasting interests contending in active political and social processes.
Image restoration using online photo collections

We present an image restoration method that leverages a large database of images gathered from the web. Given an input image, we execute an efficient visual search to find the closest images in the database; these images define the input's visual context. We use the visual context as an image-specific prior and show its value in a variety of image restoration operations, including white balance correction, exposure correction, and contrast enhancement. We evaluate our approach using a database of 1 million images downloaded from Flickr and demonstrate the effect of database size on performance. Our results show that priors based on the visual context consistently out-perform generic or even domain-specific priors for these operations.
Cultural diversity in health and illness

The purpose of this article is to describe the theoretical models that underlie the book Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness. The book's internal structure; functional structure; conceptual relationships; scope; knowledge antecedents; applications to theory, research, and practice; and areas for further development are discussed.
Ownership Structure, Corporate Governance, and Firm Value: Evidence from the East Asian Financial Crisis

We study the effect of ownership structure on firm value during the East Asian financial crisis that began in July 1997. The crisis represents a negative shock to the investment opportunities of firms in these markets that raises the incentives of controlling shareholders to expropriate minority shareholders. Moreover, the large separation between cash flow and control rights that often arise from the use of pyramidal ownership structures and cross-holdings in these markets suggests that insiders have both the incentive and the ability to engage in expropriation. Using data from over 800 firms in eight East Asian countries, we find evidence consistent with this view. Tobin's Q ratios of those firms in which minority shareholders are potentially most subject to expropriation decline twelve percent more than Q ratios in other firms during the crisis period. A similar result holds for stock returns - firms in which minority shareholders are most likely to experience expropriation underperform other firms by about nine percent per year during the crisis period. Further, during the pre-crisis period we find no evidence that firms with a separation between cash flow rights and control rights exhibit performance changes different from firms with no such separation. All of these results are robust to controls for country and industry effects, as well as proxies for differences in risk across firms and the strength of the country's legal institutions. The evidence indicates that corporate ownership structure plays an important role in determining the incentives of insiders to expropriate minority shareholders during the times of declining investment opportunities. Our results add to the literature that examines the link between ownership structure and firm performance and provide additional guidance to policymakers engaged in the ongoing debate about the proper role and design of corporate governance features and legal institutions in developing economies.
Detrital-zircon geochronology of the metasedimentary rocks of north-western Graham Land

Metasedimentary rocks constitute an important but comparatively poorly understood part of the Antarctic Peninsula. Herein we report single-grain U-Pb detrital-zircon ages from samples of the Trinity Peninsula and Botany Bay Groups of north-western Graham Land. All studied samples are dominated by a large and narrowly defined population of late Palaeozoic zircons. Significant early-middle Palaeozoic and minor Neoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic sub-populations constitute the majority of pre-Carboniferous grains. These detrital-zircon age populations are consistent with sediment derivation entirely from western Gondwana sources. Despite the clear Gondwana signatures, our data suggest that the Trinity Peninsula Group province was either a parautochthonous peri-Gondwanan terrane later accreted to the Antarctic Peninsula, or a significant topographic barrier precluded voluminous sediment contributions from the interior of Gondwana. Statistical comparisons with similar metasedimentary complexes of southern South America, the South Shetland Islands and eastern New Zealand indicate a diversity of sediment provenance not previously recognized, but may provide a means to better determine the pre-break-up configuration of western Gondwana. Although insufficient to definitively restore Antarctic Peninsula components adjacent to South American complexes, some Trinity Peninsula Group samples exhibit robust affinities to the Miers Bluff Formation in the South Shetland Islands and the Duque de York and Main Range Metamorphic Complexes of the Patagonian Andes.
Delivering High-Quality and Affordable Care Throughout the Cancer Care Continuum

The national cost of cancer care is projected to reach $173 billion by 2020, increasing from $125 billion in 2010. This steep upward cost trajectory has placed enormous an financial burden on patients, their families, and society as a whole and raised major concern about the ability of the health care system to provide and sustain high-quality cancer care. To better understand the cost drivers of cancer care and explore approaches that will mitigate the problem, the National Cancer Policy Forum of the Institute of Medicine held a workshop entitled “Delivering Affordable Cancer Care in the 21st Century” in October 2012. Workshop participants included bioethicists, health economists, primary care physicians, and medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists, from both academic and community settings. All speakers expressed a sense of urgency about the affordability of cancer care resulting from the future demographic trend as well as the high cost of emerging cancer therapies and rapid diffusion of new technologies in the absence to evidence indicating improved outcomes for patients. This article is our summary of presentations at the workshop that highlighted the overuse and underuse of screening, treatments, and technologies throughout the cancer care continuum in oncology practice in the United States. J Clin Oncol 31:4151-4157. © 2013 by American Society of Clinical Oncology
ALFA: a language for programming reactive robotic control systems

The author introduces ALFA, a language for programming reactive control mechanisms for autonomous mobile robots. ALFA programs consist of networks of computational modules connected by communications channels. These channels are themselves computational entities which perform mediation tasks. This makes it possible to design modular behaviors which may be inserted and removed without having to restructure the interconnections among modules and allows the system to interface cleanly with higher-level reasoning processes. ALFA supports a dataflow computation model as well as a state-machine model. The results of two experiments using ALFA to control real robots are briefly discussed. >
How Do You Know That? The Epistemology of Consumer Health Decision Making under Conditions of Risk–Benefit Conflict

Consumers are confronted with conflicting health information in the form of risks and benefits on a regular basis. One way to understand how different consumers handle the challenge of this conflicting information is by considering consumers’ epistemic beliefs, that is, their beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing. In two studies, it is shown that both measured and manipulated epistemic beliefs similarly influence consumer assessments of conflicting risk–benefit health information through two epistemic dimensions—texture (simple or complex) and variability (stable or dynamic). Moderated mediation findings indicate that those who were presented risk–benefit information about health-related products and diets that were perceived as being less (more) familiar had a lower (greater) likelihood of using the product or following the diet through the mediators of thinking about both the risks and the benefits involved, for several of the moderating variability and texture epistemic beliefs. The contribution of this research is to show how epistemic beliefs can differentially frame and inform consumer perceptions and evaluations of conflicted health information.