cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
QUANTITATIVE NON-DESTRUCTIVE NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS OF SILVER IN COINS

INTRODUCTION Historians concerned with the ancient and medieval' worlds have tended to rely solely on written evidence, neglecting the most abundant historical artifacts available4oins. When turning to numismatic evidence, the historian generally concerns himself only with the enscribed dates and names of rulers. However, the sheer quantity of coins available provides an opportunity for the historian, and particularly the economic historian, to study the coins for what they are-a money. In many cases coins are the most important, if not the only source of information about significant monetary and economic changes. Thus. the historian must go beyond the mere surface details of the coins, as valuable as these may be to him, and concern himselE with the composition of the coins. Although the quantity of gold in gold coins can be approximated by determining the specific gravity, silver coins may be debased with varying amounts of lead so that the specific gravity measurements can be totally meaningless. The elemental composition OF probably no more than 1500 ancient and medieval coins have been reported in the literature. The reason is obvious; the analysis of the composition of a coin meant the destruction of an irreplaceable object. Even the use of small scrapings for spectroscopic studies has been limited because of the reluctance of curators and collectors to allow any permanent damage to the coins. Neutron activation analysis, however, offers the possibility of making available to historians fundamental information about changes in the composition of coins without resorting to destructive analysis methods. Yet very little research on coins has been done using this technique. One of the mos,t extensive studies using neutron activation analysis was performed at Oxford University where 500 5th century B.C. Greek silver coins were analysed for their copper and gold impurities (Emeleus 1958, Kraay 1959, Thompson 1960, Aitken et. al. 1962). Wyttenbach and Herman (1966) reported on the determination of the Cu and Ag contents of 400 15th century Swiss coins. Other studies include Norman and Suebic gold coins (Meloni and Maxia 1962). 3rd-8th century B.C. electrum coins from Lydia and Carthage (Das and Zonderhuis 1964, 1965). ancient Roman copper coins (Zuber 1966, Ravetz, 1963), 4th-6th century B.C. Greek silver coins (Bluyssen and Smith 1962). and recent Japanese silver coins (Kusaka 1959). In the present study we have been concerned with the development of a rapid non-destructive method OF analysis of the silver content of coins. We wished to base the analysis method on the short half-life isotopes of silver (lo8Ag-2.4 min.
An effect of multiple scattering in a gas on the solid angle subtended by a circular aperture

Abstract With a gas-filled space between a circular aperture and an alpha-emitting point source on its axis, the effective geometry may differ from the subtended solid angle because of multiple scattering in the gas. This is an effect which may be of some importance in certain precision absolute alpha counters such as the Argonne IGAC. Using the known theory of multiple scattering, the effect was calculated generally. As applied to IGAC, the effect is not important for the usual operating conditions, although it could be significant under other conditions or in other counters having gas absorption between source and defining apertures.
Solution of large configuration mixing matrices arising in partitioning technique and applications to the generalized eigenvalue problem

Abstract A method is presented that can be used (a) to determine the several lowest eigenvalues and eigenvectors of large symmetric matrices, (b) to solve the generalized eigenvalue problem associated with energy-dependent operators, that arises in computations involving energy-dependent many-body Green's functions and in the evaluation of the true parameters of the effective valence shell hamiltonian, and (c) to directly evaluate the matrices associated with resolvent operators. The applicability to large configuration mixing calculations arises when the N -electron basis functions can be easily broken down to a few dominant configurations (the primary block) and their complement. Using the partitioning technique, the effective hamiltonian within the primary block is directly evaluated. The method is extended to evaluation of the dynamical polarizability tensor, which effectively contains the contributions from all of the eigenstates of a hamiltonian matrix, without the necessity of explicitly calculating its eigenvalues and eigenvectors.
Optimal Experimental Design to Estimate Statistically Significant Periods of Oscillations in Time Course Data

We investigated commonly used methods (Autocorrelation, Enright, and Discrete Fourier Transform) to estimate the periodicity of oscillatory data and determine which method most accurately estimated periods while being least vulnerable to the presence of noise. Both simulated and experimental data were used in the analysis performed. We determined the significance of calculated periods by applying these methods to several random permutations of the data and then calculating the probability of obtaining the period's peak in the corresponding periodograms. Our analysis suggests that the Enright method is the most accurate for estimating the period of oscillatory data. We further show that to accurately estimate the period of oscillatory data, it is necessary that at least five cycles of data are sampled, using at least four data points per cycle. These results suggest that the Enright method should be more widely applied in order to improve the analysis of oscillatory data.
The Post-UV Colony-Forming Ability of Normal Fibroblast Strains and of the Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group G Strain

In xeroderma pigmentosum, an inherited disorder of defective DNA repair, post-UV colony-forming ability of fibroblasts from patients in complementation groups A through F correlates with the patients' neurological status. The first xeroderma pigmentosum patient assigned to the recently discovered group G had the neurological abnormalities of XP. We have determined the post-UV colony-forming ability of cultured fibroblasts from this patient and from 5 more control donors. Log-phase fibroblasts were irradiated with 254 nm UV light from a germicidal lamp, trypsinized, and replated at known densities. After 2 to 4 weeks' incubation the cells were fixed, stained and scored for colony formation. The strains' post-UV colony-forming ability curves were obtained by plotting the log of the percent remaining post-UV colony-forming ability as a function of the UV dose. The post-UV colony-forming ability of 2 of the 5 new normal strains was in the previously defined control donor zone, but that of the other 3 extended down to the level of the most resistant xeroderma pigmentosum strain. The post-UV colony-forming ability curve of the group G fibroblasts was not significantly different from the curves of the group D fibroblast strains from patients with clinical histories similar to that of the group G patient.
Trends in short-stay hospitalizations for older adults from 1990 to 2010: implications for geriatric emergency care

Abstract Introduction Geriatric patients are more likely than younger patients to be admitted to the hospital when they present to the emergency department (ED). Identifying trends in geriatric short-stay admission may inform the development of interventions designed to improve acute care for the elderly. Objective To evaluate trends in US geriatric short-stay hospitalizations from 1990 to 2010. Methods Retrospective study using the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS). Trends in short-stay hospitalizations were analyzed from 1990 to 2010 for age groups 22 to 64, 65 to 74, 75 to 84, and at least 85 years using linear regression. Results A total of 4.5 million survey visits representing 580 million adult hospitalizations were available for analysis; 250 million (43%) were among patients 65 years or older. Of these, 12%, 25%, and 40% were ≤ 1, ≤ 2 and ≤ 3 days' short-stay admissions, respectively. Between 1990 and 2010, short-stay admissions increased as a percentage of total hospitalizations for each geriatric age group but remained relatively constant for younger adults. Admissions from NHDS were similar to admissions from the ED for years where ED-specific data were available. The older a patient was (age > 65 years), the more likely their admission was to have started in the ED. Discussion For all elderly patients, short-stay admissions represented a growing proportion of total admissions, regardless of the definition of short stay. These trends were identified despite the NHDS exclusion of observation status hospitalizations. The increase in short-stay admissions was the most pronounced in the extreme elderly (age ≥ 85 years). Future research is needed to optimize treatment for geriatric patients presenting to the ED, some of whom, with brief observation and appropriate follow-up, may be better cared for without hospitalization.
Relative coarse-graining

The problem of statistical inference based on a partial measurement (“coarse-graining”) requires the specification of an a priori distribution. We reformulate the ordinary theory such as to encompass systematically a wide range of a priori distributions (“relative coarse-graining”). This is done in a mathematical setting which admits an interpretation in both classical probability and quantum mechanics. The formalism is illustrated in a few simple examples, such as the die whose geometrical shape is known, the spin in thermal equilibrium with an unknown reservoir, and the position measurement of a one-dimensional particle. It is shown that some of the limitations of the usual theory are a consequence of the fact that it is restricted to “equidistributed” (symmetric) a priori states.
Instability of the Gulf Stream Front in the South Atlantic Bight

Abstract To understand Gulf Stream meanders in the South Atlantic Bight, the growth of three-dimensional perturbations along two-dimensional frontal zones is examined by using linearized primitive equations. The Fourier–Galerkin method and the orthogonal collocation method are combined to formulate the spectral model. Emphasis is placed on the effects of cross-frontal topographic slope on the stability of the front, and on the characteristics of the most unstable modes. Attention is directed to the cross sections upstream and downstream of the Charleston Bump, which is a topographic feature near 31°N. The major results obtained from this linear study are that 1) the growth rate of the most unstable mode decreases and the associated phase speed increases after incorporating cross-front topographic gradients; 2) the most unstable solution found in the region downstream of the Charleston Bump has a slightly longer wavelength and slower phase speed than those found in the region upstream of the Bump.
Real-time fault monitoring for aircraft applications using quantitative simulation and expert systems

A fault monitoring concept called MONITAUR, which has been developed for aircraft applications at NASA-Langley, is described. MONITAUR was designed to provide a high-quality situational assessment of aircraft subsystems to other onboard software systems in abnormal situations. A nonreal-time implementation of MONITAUR was developed on a Symbolics 3650 Lisp Machine. Issues which must be addressed in the further development of MONITAUR are discussed.
Discriminant Validity of the Cognitive Assessment System for Students with Written Expression Disabilities

This study explored the PASS cognitive processing theory in junior high students (aged 11-15 years) with and without written expression disabilities. Ninety-six students with (n = 48) and without (...
In vivo confocal microscopy of Fuchs endothelial dystrophy before and after endothelial keratoplasty.

Importance This study reveals significant changes of the anterior cornea in Fuchs endothelial dystrophy that probably affect the visual outcomes of endothelial keratoplasty for the disease. Objective To determine whether abnormalities of corneal stromal and subepithelial cells in Fuchs endothelial dystrophy resolve after Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK). Design Prospective observational study of 49 corneas of 42 patients with Fuchs dystrophy before DSEK and during 3 years of postoperative follow-up. None of the preoperative corneas were vascularized or had pronounced subepithelial fibrosis on results of slitlamp examination. Corneas were examined using in vivo confocal microscopy to determine stromal cell density and the presence of abnormal subepithelial cells (presumed fibroblasts). Setting The cornea service at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Participants Forty-nine corneas of 42 patients. Intervention Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty. Main Outcome Measures Stromal cell density and presence of subepithelial cells. Results Subnormal cell density in the most anterior 10% of the host stroma in Fuchs dystrophy before DSEK (mean [SD], 22 030 [6479] cells/mm 3 [n = 41]) remained unchanged at 2 (20 433 [4993] cells/mm 3 [n = 35]; P = .36) and 3 years (20 925 [5433] cells/mm 3 [n = 23]; P = .99) after DSEK. Abnormal subepithelial cells, which formed reticular networks deep to the basal epithelial cells, were visible in 33 eyes (67%) and remained present at 3 years after DSEK. Mean preoperative central corneal thicknesses when these subepithelial cells were and were not visible were 652 (45) and 668 (56) μm, respectively (P = .75). Conclusions and Relevance The reduced cellularity of the anterior stroma in Fuchs dystrophy does not recover 3 years after restoring endothelial function. Abnormal subepithelial cells, presumably fibroblasts, are present in most corneas with Fuchs dystrophy requiring DSEK, even in cases with mild edema and in the absence of clinically obvious preoperative subepithelial fibrosis. Anterior corneal structural abnormalities might be related to visual outcomes after DSEK.
Visual Prognosis in Giant Cell Arteritis

Purpose: The visual prognosis in giant cell arteritis (GCA) was evaluated over a 5year period. Methods: The authors reviewed the records of all patients with a diagnosis of GCA established at the Mayo Clinic over a 5-year period regarding visual status. Follow-up data for these patients were obtained 5 years later. Results: Of the 245 patients studied, 34 (14%) permanently lost vision because of GCA. In 32 of these patients, the visual deficit developed before glucocorticoid therapy for GCA was begun; in the 2 other patients, the visual loss occurred after the diagnosis was made and therapy was started. Visual loss progressed in three patients after initiation of oral glucocorticoids, and in five other patients vision improved. After 5 years, the probability of loss of vision developing after initiating oral glucocorticoid treatment was determined to be 1 % (Kaplan-Meier technique), and the probability of additional loss was 13% in patients with GCA who had a visual deficit at the time therapy was begun. Conclusion: The development or progression of visual loss was rare after the initiation of glucocorticoid therapy.
Glycoproteins of the plasma membrane of dictyostelium discoideum during development

Abstract Differential binding of 125 I-Con A to whole cells throughout the life cycle of Dictyostelium discoideum indicates that the appearance of Con A binding proteins on the plasma membrane is under developmental regulation. Con A-Sepharose affinity chromatography of radio-iodinated plasma membrane preparations, followed by analysis with SDS-PAGE, revealed that there are at least 15 Con A binding proteins associated with the surface of 0 hr cells. Between 6 and 18 hr of development, the relative intensity of one of the bands, which corresponds to a protein of molecular weight of 150,000 daltons, increases dramatically.
Characterization of 6FDA-APBP polyimide films through impulsive stimulated thermal scattering

The elastic and thermal properties of 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)-bis (phthalic anhydride)-4,4′-bis (4-aminophenoxy) biphenyl (6FDA-APBP) free-standing polyimide films (2–10 μm) were investigated using impulsive stimulated thermal scattering (ISTS), a non-contact optical method for thin film characterization. Shear and longitudinal velocities, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio and the in-plane thermal diffusivity are reported.
Biomimetic Fenton‐Catalyzed Lignin Depolymerization to High‐Value Aromatics and Dicarboxylic Acids

By mimicking natural lignin degradation systems, the Fenton catalyst (Fe(3+), H2O2) can effectively facilitate lignin depolymerization in supercritical ethanol (7 MPa, 250 °C) to give organic oils that consist of mono- and oligomeric aromatics, phenols, dicarboxylic acids, and their derivatives in yields up to (66.0±8.5) %. The thermal properties, functional groups, and surface chemistry of lignin before and after Fenton treatment were examined by thermogravimetric analysis, pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, (31)P NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results suggest that the Fenton catalyst facilitates lignin depolymerization through cleavage of β-ether bonds between lignin residues. The formation of a lignin-iron chelating complex effectively depresses lignin recondensation; thus minimizing charcoal formation and enhancing the yield of liquid products.
Long-chain Ceramide Is a Potent Inhibitor of the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition Pore

The sphingolipid ceramide has been implicated in mediating cell death that is accompanied by mitochondrial functional alterations. Moreover, ceramide has been shown to accumulate in mitochondria upon induction of apoptotic processes. In this study, we sought to evaluate the effects of natural, highly hydrophobic long-chain ceramides on mitochondrial function in vitro. Ceramide in a dodecane/ethanol delivery system inhibited the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) induced by either oxidative stress, SH group cross-linking, or high Ca2+ load, suggesting that the inhibitory point is at a level at which major PTP regulatory pathways converge. Moreover, ceramide had no effect on well known mitochondrial components that modulate PTP activity, such as cyclophilin D, voltage-dependent anion channel, adenine nucleotide transporter, and ATP synthase. The inhibitory effect of ceramide on PTP was not stereospecific, nor was there a preference for ceramide over dihydroceramide. However, the effect of ceramide on PTP was significantly influenced by the fatty acid moiety chain length. These studies are the first to show that long-chain ceramide can influence PTP at physiologically relevant concentrations, suggesting that it is the only known potent natural inhibitor of PTP. These results suggest a novel mechanism of ceramide regulation of mitochondrial function.
Reconsidering ‘regional’ political ecologies: toward a political ecology of the rural American West:

Political ecology has recently seen a long-overdue movement toward studies of environmental conflicts in advanced capitalist societies, far from the rural African, Latin American, and Asian societies that constitute the great majority of studies in the field. This shift has raised questions about the commonalities and differences between 'first-world' and 'third-world' political ecologies - questions that present broader challenges and opportunities for the field. The question of commonalities and difference in 'first-world' and 'third-world' political ecologies is hemispheric; recent research in political ecology consists primarily of local-scale studies, leaving the field poorly positioned to address such broad-scale comparative questions. Appropriately, local political ecology studies challenge the stability of the 'first-world' and 'third-world' as meaningful geographic frames posed in these questions; but in dismantling these frames without suggesting alternatives for broader-scale analysis there is danger of moving political ecology toward even greater emphasis on specificity and difference and pushing consideration of broader-scale processes farther into the background. This is a serious challenge in a field already criticized for sprawling incoherence. This article argues that one response to these challenges is to reconsider the concept of 'regional' political ecologies. Regional approaches can retain the greatest strengths of recent political ecology in revealing the importance of local-scale social dynamics while situating these dynamics within broader scales of regional (and global) processes - providing greater coherence while avoiding such problematic frames as the 'first' and 'third' world. To illustrate, a brief case study and discussion are presented that consider a regional political ecology of the rural American West.
Higher‐Order Vagueness and Borderline Nestings: A Persistent Confusion

This paper shows that authors who have recently argued that higher-order vagueness is incoherent, paradoxical, illusory or non-existent 1 invariably confound elements of higher-order vagueness (of the kind relevant to the Sorites paradox) with elements of a different paradigm of borderline borderline cases; and that, once the elements of that other paradigm are removed from the description of higher-order vagueness, the basis for the claims of paradoxicality, etc., disappears. 2 The paper sets out in detail the two paradigms (higher-order vagueness and borderline nestings) and their logics (iterated modalities vs. mixed-order non-empty predicates), illustrates how the prevalent notion of hierarchical higher-order vagueness gains its persuasiveness largely from a conflation of these paradigms, and shows how the alternative of columnar higher-order vagueness not only preserves coherence, but also is the sort of higher-order vagueness that is relevant to the Sorites paradox. As a corollary, the paper provides support for the increasing number of vagueness theorists who renounce clear borderline cases (such as Sainsbury, Wright, Williamson, Shapiro, Fara, Raffman, Cobreros and Smith). 3
Relationships between peer interactive play and social competence in at-risk preschool children

Relationships between peer interactive play and social competence in a sample of preschool children (N = 85) considered at risk for academic difficulties were examined. Ratings of peer interactive play and social emotional development were collected from parents and teachers on the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale and Vineland Social-Emotional Early Childhood Scale. Multivariate techniques revealed significant correlations between parent and teacher ratings on the measures. Results are discussed within the context of conducting multifaceted, ecological assessments of preschool children. Implications for school psychologists are noted with regard to the important associations between peer interactive play and social–emotional development. The psychometric integrity of the PIPPS is further validated and extended beyond the initial standardization sample to include a sample of primarily Caucasian children living in a more rural area.
Low bit-rate feature vector compression using transform coding and non-uniform bit allocation

The paper presents a novel method for the low bit-rate compression of a feature vector stream with particular application to distributed speech recognition. The scheme operates by grouping feature vectors into non-overlapping blocks and applying a transformation to give a more compact matrix representation. Both Karhunen-Loeve and discrete cosine transforms are considered. Following transformation, higher-order columns of the matrix can be removed without loss in recognition performance. The number of bits allocated to the remaining elements in the matrix is determined automatically using a measure of their relative information content. Analysis of the amplitude distribution of the elements indicates that non-linear quantisation is more appropriate than linear quantisation. Comparative results, based on both spectral distortion and speech recognition accuracy, confirm this. Speech recognition tests using the ETSI Aurora database demonstrate that compression to bits rates of 2400 bps, 1200 bps and 800 bps has very little effect on recognition accuracy. For example at a bit rate of 1200 bps, recognition accuracy is 98.0% compared to 98.6% with no compression.
Age, Period, and Cohort Effects in Marijuana and Alcohol Incidence: United States Females and Males, 1961-1990

Using multiple classification models applied to self-report data on initiation of drug use from nine National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse conducted between 1982 and 1995, this paper shows that the directions of change in period and cohort effects were similar for marijuana and alcohol and for males and females. Period effects-indicative and societal tolerance or support for drug use during 5-year periods between 1961 and 1990-declined between the early 1970s and late 1980s, while cohort effects-indicative of early experiences of birth cohorts favoring drug use-increased. One interpretation is that trends in incidence were determined by two opposing vectors of social forces: Beginning in the 1970s, changes in social policies, values, and drug markets-as reflected in period effects-increasingly acted to reduce incidence, while changes in conditions of childhood socialization-as reflected in cohort effects-increasingly facilitated or encouraged incidence. Especially for marijuana, the increase in cohort ...
Blood group-related carbohydrate antigen expression in malignant and premalignant colonic neoplasms.

Cell surface glycoconjugates of colonic epithelial cells carry certain carbohydrate antigens related to blood group substances. During the progression to malignancy, these oligosaccharide immunodeterminants undergo specific type of alterations. In colon cancers, the blood group antigens A, B, H and Leb, which are normally expressed only in the proximal colon, can be re-expressed in distal colon cancers or deleted in proximal colon cancers. Also, an antigen which is incompatible with the individual's blood type can be expressed. Similar alterations occur in adenomatous polyps, but with reduced frequency. The simple form of blood group-related Lex and Ley antigens found in normal mucosa can undergo modification by oligosaccharide elongation, internal fucosylation, and sialylation into novel structures found in carcinomas as well as in adenomas with greatest malignant potential. Finally, antigens representing the first steps of glycosylation, Tn, T, sialosyl-Tn (STn), whiich are normally cryptic in the colon, can be unmasked due to incomplete glycosylation in adenomatous polyps and cancers. Several of these antigens, such as extended Lex, extended Ley, T, and sialosyl-Tn, are quite cancer-specific in that they are rarely expressed in normal mucosa or hyperplastic polyps, but preferentially occur in adenomas of greatest malignant potential. As such, these antigens might be useful as candidate intermidate endpoint biomarkers. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Bevacizumab Plus Irinotecan in Recurrent Glioblastoma Multiforme

Purpose The prognosis for patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme is poor, with a median survival of 3 to 6 months. We performed a phase II trial of bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody to vascular endothelial growth factor, in combination with irinotecan. Patients and Methods This phase II trial included two cohorts of patients. The initial cohort, comprising 23 patients, received bevacizumab at 10 mg/kg plus irinotecan every 2 weeks. The dose of irinotecan was based on the patient’s anticonvulsant: Patients taking enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs (EIAEDs) received 340 mg/m 2 , and patients not taking EIAEDs received 125 mg/m 2 . After this regimen was deemed safe and effective, the irinotecan schedule was changed to an accepted brain tumor regimen of four doses in 6 weeks, in anticipation of a phase III randomized trial of irinotecan versus irinotecan and bevacizumab. The second cohort, comprising 12 patients, received bevacizumab 15 mg/kg every 21 days and irinotecan on days 1, 8, 22, and 29. Each cycle was 6 weeks long and concluded with patient evaluations, including magnetic resonance imaging. Results The 6-month progression-free survival among all 35 patients was 46% (95% CI, 32% to 66%). The 6-month overall survival was 77% (95% CI, 64% to 92%). Twenty of the 35 patients (57%; 95% CI, 39% to 74%) had at least a partial response. One patient developed a CNS hemorrhage, which occurred in his 10th cycle. Four patients developed thromboembolic complications (deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary emboli). Conclusion Bevacizumab and irinotecan is an effective treatment for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme and has moderate toxicity. J Clin Oncol 25:4722-4729. © 2007 by American Society of Clinical Oncology
Young Children's Predictions of Illness: Failure to Recognize Probabilistic Causation

In this study preschool-age children made predictions for a set of salient probabilistic causes. Of interest was whether the children viewed outcomes of familiar causes of illness as definite or as probabilistic. In Experiment 1, children judged that a common cause would affect all members of a group in the same way. In Experiment 2, children believed they could definitely predict illness outcomes in a single case. These judgments contrasted with adults' variable and uncertain predictions. Children did recognize uncertainty in outcomes dependent on voluntary choices. Experiment 3 presented both high- and low-potency causes of illness. Children treated all causes of illness as nonprobabilistic. These results are discussed in the context of children's understanding of causal relations and the sources of variability.
Architecturally Significant Requirements, Reference Architecture, and Metamodel for Knowledge Management in Information Technology Services

Capturing and sharing design knowledge such as architectural decisions is becoming increasingly important in professional Information Technology (IT) services firms. Methods, models, and tools supporting explicit knowledge management strategies have been proposed in recent years. In this paper, we extend previous work in the architectural knowledge management community to satisfy the requirements of an additional user group: the designers of IT infrastructure solutions that are outsourced from one company to another. Such strategic outsourcing solutions require complex, contractually relevant design decisions concerning many different resources such as IT infrastructures, people, and real estate. In this paper, we present a reference architecture and a decision process-oriented knowledge metamodel that we synthesized from the domain-specific functional requirements and quality attributes. We also present a tool implementation of these decision modeling concepts and discuss user feedback.
Prediction of complex systems' behavior described by fuzzy relational equations

This paper deals with prediction of complex systems' behavior described by fuzzy relational equations. A recursive prediction algorithm is proposed and the procedure to update the fuzzy relation of the model as new measurements are collected is discussed. The algorithm is applied to the prediction of chaotic time-series. >
Entrepreneurship in Public Enterprise: General Enrique Mosconi and the Argentine Petroleum Industry

The economic history of Latin America offers an unusual paradox. For much of the twentieth century, nationalist governments have fostered the growth of state enterprise, but for the most part the proponents of such policies have received little attention. The Argentine petroleum industry is a case in point. While the state oil company Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales (or YPF) grew from relatively modest origins into the largest firm in the country, its most important architect, General Enrique Mosconi, has remained a little-known figure. In this article, however, Dr. Solberg takes note of Mosconi's career. He examines the forces that shaped it and that shaped his policies as the Director General of YPF. Mosconi's story, however, is not that of just another nationalist-turned-public servant, for his ideas and policies had far-reaching ramifications not only in the political economy of Argentina but also in that of other nations of Latin America.
Cys294 is essential for the function of the human sodium-dependent multivitamin transporter

Abstract The sodium-dependent multivitamin transporter (SMVT) plays an important role in biotin uptake in the intestine and other cell types. While significant knowledge has been gained with regard to regulation and cell biology of the SMVT system, there is little known about its structure-function relationships. Here we examined the role of each of the ten conserved (among species) cysteine residues in the function of the human SMVT (hSMVT) using site-directed mutagenesis. Our results showed a significant impairment in biotin uptake only in cells transfected with hSMVT mutated at Cys 294 , but not at the other conserved cysteine residues; the impairment in biotin uptake caused by mutating Cys 294 was not related to the polar status of substituting amino acid. The inhibition in hSMVT function upon mutating Cys 294 was mediated via a significant reduction in the V max , but not the apparent K m , of the biotin uptake process, suggesting a decrease in the number (and/or activity) of hSMVT but not affinity. Biotinylation assay confirmed this suggestion by showing a marked reduction in the level of expression of the mutated protein at the cell membrane, without affecting total cellular level of induced hSMVT. These results show an important role for Cys 294 in the function and cell biology of hSMVT.
Transcriptome analysis of murine thymocytes reveals age-associated changes in thymic gene expression

The decline in adaptive immunity, naive T-cell output and a contraction in the peripheral T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire with age are largely attributable to thymic involution and the loss of critical cytokines and hormones within the thymic microenvironment. To assess the molecular changes associated with this loss of thymic function, we used cDNA microarray analyses to examine the transcriptomes of thymocytes from mice of various ages ranging from very young (1 month) to very old (24 months). Genes associated with various biological and molecular processes including oxidative phosphorylation, T- and B- cell receptor signaling and antigen presentation were observed to significantly change with thymocyte age. These include several immunoglobulin chains, chemokine and ribosomal proteins, annexin A2, vav 1 and several S100 signaling proteins. The increased expression of immunoglobulin genes in aged thymocytes could be attributed to the thymic B cells which were found to be actively producing IgG and IgM antibodies. Upon further examination, we found that purified thymic T cells derived from aged but not young thymi also exhibited IgM on their cell surface suggesting the possible presence of auto-antibodies on the surface thymocytes with advancing age. These studies provide valuable insight into the cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with thymic aging.
Effect of Intrusion Detection on Reliability of Mission-Oriented Mobile Group Systems in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

For mission-oriented mobile group systems designed to continue mission execution in hostile environments in the presence of security attacks, it is critical to properly deploy intrusion detection techniques to cope with insider attacks to enhance the system reliability. In this paper, we analyze the effect of intrusion detection system (IDS) techniques on the reliability of a mission-oriented group communication system consisting of mobile groups set out for mission execution in mobile ad hoc networks. Unlike the common belief that IDS should be executed as often as possible to cope with insider attacks to prolong the system lifetime, we discover that IDS should be executed at an optimal rate to maximize the mean time to failure of the system. Further, the optimal rate at which IDS is executed depends on the operational conditions, system failure definitions, attacker behaviors, and IDS techniques used. We develop mathematical models based on Stochastic Petri nets to identify the optimal rate for IDS execution to maximize the mean time to failure of the system, when given a set of parameter values characterizing the operational conditions, and attacker behaviors.
Peripheral Arterial Disease: Morbidity and Mortality Implications

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has been estimated to reduce quality of life in approximately 2 million symptomatic Americans,1 and millions more Americans without claudication are likely to suffer PAD-associated impairment.2 PAD is a strongly age-dependent condition that contributes significantly to morbidity and healthcare expenditures in the elderly: There are 413 000 discharges per year with chronic PAD, 88 000 hospitalizations involving lower-extremity arteriography, and 28 000 discharges citing embolectomy or thrombectomy of lower-limb arteries.3 Figures for prevalence of asymptomatic PAD are several-fold higher. These figures were based on National Hospital Discharge Survey and National Vital Statistics System 1985 to 1987 US data; numbers of procedures had increased in the prior decade3 and are likely to have increased in the intervening years as the population continues to age. Even though few deaths were directly attributed to PAD, PAD has potent mortality implications. Although symptomatic disease directly affects functional capacity and quality of life by restricting ambulation, asymptomatic disease is also important, not only because it may augur risk of future compromised ambulation, lower-extremity ulcers, or need for vascular surgery or amputation, but perhaps most importantly because asymptomatic and symptomatic PAD are consistent and powerful independent predictors of coronary artery disease (CAD) and cerebrovascular disease (CBVD) events and mortality. The evidence relating PAD to prevalent and incident cardiac and cerebrovascular disease (CCVD) forms the focus of the present report. A PubMed search (updated June 2005) covering years 1966 to 2005 yielded all abstracts with title words “peripheral artery disease,” “peripheral arterial disease,” or “peripheral vascular disease.” These were reviewed for content pertaining to co-occurrence with or prediction by PAD of atherosclerotic disease and total mortality. Additional citations were identified from bibliographies of culled articles and consultation with experts. Identified citations with original epidemiological data pertaining to the relation …
Distribution and accumulation of 10 nm silver nanoparticles in maternal tissues and visceral yolk sac of pregnant mice, and a potential effect on embryo growth.

AbstractWe examined the distribution of silver in pregnant mice and embryos/fetuses following intravenous injections of 10 nm silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) or soluble silver nitrate (AgNO3) at dose levels of 0 (citrate buffer control) or 66 µg Ag/mouse to pregnant mice on gestation days (GDs) 7, 8 and 9. Selected maternal tissues and all embryos/fetuses from control, AgNP- and AgNO3-treated groups on GD10 and control and AgNP-treated groups on GD16 were processed for the measurement of silver concentrations, intracellular AgNP localization, histopathology and gross examination of tissue morphology. Inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry revealed silver in all examined tissues following either AgNP or AgNO3 treatment, with highest concentrations of silver in maternal liver, spleen and visceral yolk sac (VYS), and lowest concentrations in embryos/fetuses. For VYS, mean silver concentration following AgNO3 treatment (4.87 ng Ag/mg tissue) was approximately two-fold that following AgNP treatment (2.31 ng...
Systematic characterization of gastrointestinal clinical trials

Abstract Background Clinical guidelines are commonly based on inadequate evidence, suggesting deficiencies in the present portfolio of clinical research. Aims To investigate characteristics of clinical trials examining gastrointestinal (GI) diseases registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of 13,647 GI trials and 111,535 non-GI trials initiated between January 1997 and September 2013 was performed. Entries were sorted by operational status, purpose, interventions, trial design, and epochs to identify trends and interactions in trial properties. Results The global production of GI trials has remained static in recent years and a majority of research efforts are focused on a few diseases. While GI trials are generally produced by highly populated US states and countries, they are also seldom larger than 500 patients. The likelihood of using data monitoring committees, randomization, and double blinding in GI trials has increased over time, though a substantial fraction of GI trials still do not employ rigorous trial designs. While levels of GI trials correlate with disease burden, the explained variance of GI trials by disease burden worldwide is poor. Conclusion GI trials are chiefly concentrated in few diseases and highly populated regions, exhibit heterogeneous trends and methodologies, and are sensitive to disease burdens, though more so within North America than worldwide.
Controlling a Financial Jurassic Park: Obtaining Jurisdiction Over Derivatives by Regulating Illegal Foreign Currency Boiler Rooms

Most small investors are unfamiliar with the foreign currency ('Forex') market and the Commodities Futures and Trading Commission ('CFTC'), in part, because the securities or equities markets are regularly marketed to the general public, and reported upon in the financial news. Beginning in the early 1990s, with the proliferation of discount brokers and self-directed on-line securities trading brokerage firms, small investors began to enter their own trades, often with limited understanding of the stock and financial markets, which nonetheless resulted in fabulous returns. The Forex market never received this type of combustible trading synergy that occurred in late 1990s, and early 2000, in part, because the Forex market is a market viewed as the inner sanctum of more sophisticated investors such as banks, institutional and sophisticated investors, in part, because Forex investment fraud is a relatively new investment fraud that appears to be gaining momentum since the mid-1990s. Complicating and, at times, frustrating the efforts of the CFTC to commence enforcement actions against illegal Forex boiler-rooms are jurisdictional disputes between Congress, the Treasury Department and the courts in reaching uniformity as to the definition of certain investment terms such as “transactions in foreign currency, board of trade, and (3) futures contract. As Congress, the Treasury Department and the courts continue to struggle to resolve these jurisdictional disputes, Forex investment fraud will undoubtedly continue to increase exponentially. As more and more members of the general public continue to be defrauded, unsuspecting small investors will remain vulnerable to the high pressure manipulative sales techniques of unscrupulous Forex brokers who operate within illegal Forex boiler-rooms. This article examines the Seventh Circuit’s fairly recent decision in CFTC v. Zelener, in which the Court rejected the CFTC’s ability to commence enforcement actions against illegal Forex boiler-rooms. It also provides an examination of the Congressional modifications to the Treasury Amendment, in particular, its repeal, and the creation of the CFMA, which provides the CFTC and Securities & Exchange Commission ('SEC') with dual enforcement authority to commence enforcement actions against illegal Forex-boiler rooms that defraud the general public. The article concludes with the necessity to develop a flexible regulatory framework that will not hinder existing legitimate Forex transactions, but will allow the CFTC and SEC to take swift and decisive action against illegal Forex boiler-rooms that defraud the general public.
Effects of a behavioral and health literacy intervention to reduce sugar-sweetened beverages: a randomized-controlled trial

Despite excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), little is known about behavioral interventions to reduce SSB intake among adults, particularly in medically-underserved rural communities. This type 1 effectiveness-implementation hybrid RCT, conducted in 2012–2014, applied the RE-AIM framework and was designed to assess the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention targeting SSB consumption (SIPsmartER) when compared to an intervention targeting physical activity (MoveMore) and to determine if health literacy influenced retention, engagement or outcomes. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior and health literacy strategies, the 6 month multi-component intervention for both conditions included three small-group classes, one live teach-back call, and 11 interactive voice response calls. Validated measures were used to assess SSB consumption (primary outcome) and all secondary outcomes including physical activity behaviors, theory-based constructs, quality of life, media literacy, anthropometric, and biological outcomes. Targeting a medically-underserved rural region in southwest Virginia, 1056 adult participants were screened, 620 (59 %) eligible, 301 (49 %) enrolled and randomized, and 296 included in these 2015 analyses. Participants were 93 % Caucasian, 81 % female, 31 % ≤ high-school educated, 43 % < $14,999 household income, and 33 % low health literate. Retention rates (74 %) and program engagement was not statistically different between conditions. Compared to MoveMore, SIPsmartER participants significantly decreased SSB kcals and BMI at 6 months. SIPsmartER participants significantly decreased SSB intake by 227 (95 % CI = −326,−127, p < 0.001) kcals/day from baseline to 6 months when compared to the decrease of 53 (95 % CI = −88,−17, p < 0.01) kcals/day among MoveMore participants (p < 0.001). SIPsmartER participants decreased BMI by 0.21 (95 % CI = −0.35,−0.06; p < 0.01) kg/m2 from baseline to 6 months when compared to the non-significant 0.10 (95 % CI = −0.23, 0.43; NS) kg/m2 gain among MoveMore participants (p < 0.05). Significant 0–6 month effects were observed for about half of the theory-based constructs, but for no biological outcomes. Health literacy status did not influence retention rates, engagement or outcomes. SIPsmartER is an effective intervention to decrease SSB consumption among adults and is promising for translation into practice settings. SIPsmartER also yielded small, yet significant, improvements in BMI. By using health literacy-focused strategies, the intervention was robust in achieving reductions for participants of varying health literacy status. Clinicaltrials.gov; ID: NCT02193009 .
Archaeology, History, and Anthropology in the Mixteca-Puebla Region of Mexico

Cultural change from the prehistoric to the protohistoric period is seen as a subject of anthropological study in which archaeological and ethnohistorical data are complementary sources. It is suggested that an interpretation of the effect of the postconquest economic and political innovations in Tepexi, a Mixteca-Puebla community in Mexico, can be made only after an examination of the condition of the preconquest economic and political systems. Tepexi was economically overburdened in preconquest times as a result of Aztec tribute demands, and the introduction of the silk industry by the Spaniards may have been responsible for sustaining the failing community.