cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cytosine arabinoside effects on developing cerebellum in tissue culture

Abstract Cerebellar explants derived from neonatal mice were exposed to cytosine arabinoside, an inhibitor of DNA synthesis. Following such exposure, the cortical regions of the explants contained numerous closely packed large neurons with few intervening elements and without lamination. The surviving large cortical neurons included Golgi cells and Purkinje cells, the latter with persistent dendritic spines in the absence of granule cells. A marked increase in density of subcortical and intracortical neurites was evident in fiber stains. The neurites were identified as Purkinje cell axons and axon collaterals by fiber tracing. Myelin failed to form around the axonal elements. Both regular and phasic spontaneous discharges were recorded electrophysiologically. Trains of cortical stimuli elicited both excitatory and inhibitory responses in the absence of parallel fibers. Antidromic stimulation of Purkinje cell axon evoked inhibition of spontaneous cortical discharges. By contrast, antidromic activation of Purkinje cell axons in control cultures had no effect on spontaneous cortical discharges, or provoked a transient increase in discharge rate. These responses were interpreted as consistent with a cortical remodeling in granuloprival cerebellar cultures in which basket-stellate cell inhibition of Purkinje cells was preemted by Purkinje cell recurrent axon collateral inhibition.
Rotational State Analysis of AlH + by Two-Photon Dissociation

Abstract We perform ab initio calculations relevant to predict the cross-section of an experimentally accessible ( 1 + 1 ′ ) resonance-enhanced multiphoton dissociation (REMPD) pathway in AlH+. Experimenting on AlH+ ions held in a radiofrequency trap, we confirm dissociation via this channel with analysis performed using time-of-flight mass spectrometry, demonstrate the use of REMPD for rotational state analysis, and measure the rotational distribution of trapped AlH+ to be consistent with the expected thermal distribution. AlH+ is a particularly interesting species because its electronic level structure is compatible with proposals to perform rotational optical pumping, direct Doppler cooling, and single-molecule fluorescence detection. Potential applications of trapped AlH+ include searches for time-varying constants, quantum information processing, and ultracold chemistry studies.
Bedrock control of ice-marginal positions in central New York

Although ice-marginal features have commonly been held to mark a period of ice stillstand and stagnation, this is not always so. Bedrock topography controlled the position of proglacial meltwater channels, kame deltas, and till deposition in tributaries to the southward-flowing Chenango River during late Wisconsinan (Woodfordian) ice retreat. Bedrock divides in these eastward-flowing streams served as dams for melt-water and permitted deposition of kame deltas along valley walls between the retreating ice and the east-west divides. Drainage adjusted to lower elevations when ice retreated away from the valley walls, and meltwater then established a channel parallel to the ice margin, abandoning the outflow channel. The sedimentary structures of resultant kame terraces suggest braided-stream depositional environments. Continued ice recession permitted meltwater to flow near the present stream course, eroding and dissecting the kame deltas and kame terraces. A veneer of dead ice remained on the south-facing slopes as the active ice front retreated northward. This dead ice deposited till on bedrock or previously deposited (lodgement?) till. Stratified drift in places mantles the till downstream from bedrock outflow channels. Marginal positions are topographically controlled rather than climatically induced stillstands.
Bitter Compounds from Cheddar Cheese

Abstract Bitter peptides were isolated from Cheddar cheeses rendered bitter by milk coagulating agents and from nonbitter cheese. More than one bitter peptide apparently was produced by each coagulant. The peptides generally differed in such properties as elution volume from Sephadex gel, migration on silica gel, and relative amino acid composition. Bitter peptides contained relatively large amounts of aliphatic, acidic, and hydroxy amino acids but small amounts of basic and aromatic acids. The most consistent factors were relatively large amounts of glutamic acid, proline, leucine, and valine and the ratio of aliphatic to acidic amino acids (.8 to 1.3).
The dendritic growth of lead from gels

Abstract Lead dendrites were grown from gels, and their habit, morphology, and internal structure were studied. Growth was found to proceed in three stages. The first stage showed mainly single crystal dendrites growing in the 〈100〉 direction while the second and third stages gave dendrites growing in the 〈211〉 direction. All dendrites were faceted by {111} planes. The dendrites from the second and third stages were shown to grow by the twin plane re-entrant edge mechanism
Adolescent girls with negative pregnancy tests.

Abstract Study Objectives and Design This descriptive study assessed background characteristics and attitudes about pregnancy held by adolescent girls presenting for pregnancy tests and receiving negative results. An additional aim was to determine types of health care services that would be of perceived benefit to them to reduce their risk of subsequent pregnancy. Setting Two health care sites in an urban community included a hospital-based adolescent clinic and a hospital-based women's health care clinic. Participants Sixty-five adolescent, low-income, single women with negative pregnancy test results in a consecutive sample were included in the study. Participants had a mean age of 16.9 (±1.3) years and described themselves as 64.1% African American, 26.6% Latina and 9.4% white, with 81.5% enrolled or recently graduated from high school. Main Outcome Measures The following variables were included: demographic characteristics, reproductive health history, personal and perceived partner attitude about the negative pregnancy test result, perceived parental influences, and teens' suggestions for health care services to prevent unintended pregnancy. Results Health history data revealed high risk status for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI); 28.5% of participants were ambivalent or disappointed with their negative result, 71.4% were pleased and the majority felt that their partners would be more disappointed with the negative result than they were. Health care services that teens felt would be most helpful were one-on-one contraceptive education and discussion sessions with their own health care provider. Conclusions Sexually active teen women with negative pregnancy test results are at high risk of subsequent pregnancy and STIs, and present important opportunities for preventive reproductive health care during visits with health care providers.
Privatizing Due Process: Issues in the Comparison of Assigned Counsel, Public Defender, and Contracted Indigent Defense Systems

As the costs of providing counsel to poor defendants in criminal cases takes an ncreasingly heavy toll on public resources, many communities have turned to contract systems to provide a service that has traditionally been offered by ad hoc assigned counsel and public defenders. While contracting, like other forms of privatization, is popularly associated with cost reductions, there have been few rigorous studies that demonstrate the superior efficiency of any particular indigent defense program type including contracting. Moreover, the results of studies of program effectiveness or quality are contradictory and inconclusive. This article draws upon theories of privatization, first, to provide a framework for comparing contract programs with assigned counsel and public defender systems, and, second, to begin to stipulate the conditions under which contracting might prove an acceptable means of providing counsel to the poor.
Comparisons of Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbine Wake Interaction Models

In this study, Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations are performed using the k-e and k-ω shear stress transport (SST) turbulence closure schemes to investigate the interactions of horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) models in the neutrally stratified atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). A comparative study of actuator disk, actuator line, and full rotor models of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5 MW reference turbine is presented. The open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code openfoam 2.1.0 and the commercial software ansysfluent 13.0 are used for simulations. Single turbine models are analyzed for turbulent structures and wake resolution in the downstream region. To investigate the influence of the incident wind field on very large turbine blades, a high-resolution full rotor simulation is carried out for a single turbine to determine blade pressure distributions. Finally, simulations are performed for two inline turbines spaced 5 diameters (5D) apart. The research presented in this study provides an intercomparison of three dominant HAWT models operating at rated conditions in a neutral ABL using an RANS framework. Furthermore, the pressure distributions of the highly resolved full rotor model (FRM) will be useful for future aeroelastic structural analysis of anisotropic composite blade materials.
Amine Accelerators for Methacrylate Resin Systems

Tertiary aromatic amines were synthesized with various nitrogen and ring substituents. They were compared with commercial homologues using composites based on dimethacrylate monomer formulations containing benzoyl peroxide. Equimolar amounts of the different amines were the only variables. Although accelerating ability was a function of both ring and nitrogen substitution, color stability was influenced more by the substituents on the ring than by the substituents on the nitrogen
FAILURE OF CONCRETE PAVEMENTS IN TEST TRACKS

Results of full‐scale accelerated traffic tests conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were studied. It was found for similar pavements that relationships between observed failure coverages for different loads and gear assemblies provided a better correlation for flexible pavements than for rigid pavements. The analyses suggest that there may be variables in the tests that could adversely affect either the performance in rigid pavements more than in flexible pavements, or only the performance of rigid pavements. It was inferred that inconsistent test track results can be expected in similar rigid pavements due to: (1) The presence of joint system itself and difference in the material and construction variabilities in the joint system; (2) the possible difference in the geometrical layout of the joint system relative to the applied traffic pattern in each test traffic lane; and (3) temperature and moisture differentials in the concrete slabs, which may not be repeatable from one test to another. The...
False-positive interpretations in respiratory cytopathology: exemplary cases and literature review.

Pulmonary cytology has progressed over the past decades because of advancement in imaging studies and increased confidence of pathologists in cytomorphologic diagnosis. It has an overall sensitivity and specificity ranging from ∼60 to 96%. However, even with the most conscientious laboratories, false-positive diagnoses of malignancy do occur in respiratory specimens, potentially resulting in unnecessary treatment and morbidity. Selected respiratory cytopathology cases with false-positive diagnoses are presented here, along with a review of pertinent literature and a discussion of possible steps to minimize the problem being considered. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2008;36:13–19. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Distribution of Radioiodine in Erythrocytes and Plasma of Man

SummaryThe ratio of chloride content of the erythrocytes to that of the plasma was found to be 0.59, and the corresponding ratio for radioiodide was 0.67.
Configuration Fuzzing for Software Vulnerability Detection

Many software security vulnerabilities only reveal themselves under certain conditions, i.e., particular configurations of the software together with its particular run-time environment. One approach to detecting these vulnerabilities is fuzz testing, which feeds a range of randomly modified inputs to a software application while monitoring it for failures. However, typical fuzz testing makes no guarantees regarding the syntactic and semantic validity of the input, or of how much of the input space will be explored. To address these problems, in this paper we present a new testing methodology called configuration fuzzing. Configuration fuzzing is a technique whereby the configuration of the running application is randomly modified at certain execution points, in order to check for vulnerabilities that only arise in certain conditions. As the application runs in the deployment environment, this testing technique continuously fuzzes the configuration and checks "security invariants" that, if violated, indicate a vulnerability; however, the fuzzing is performed in a duplicated copy of the original process, so that it does not affect the state of the running application. In addition to discussing the approach and describing a prototype framework for implementation, we also present the results of a case study to demonstrate the approach's efficiency.
Estimation of communication signal strength in robotic networks

In this paper we consider estimating the spatial variations of a wireless channel based on a small number of measurements in a robotic network. We use a multi-scale probabilistic model in order to characterize the channel and develop an estimator based on this model. We show that our model-based approach can estimate the channel well for several scenarios, with only a small number of gathered measurements. We furthermore consider a sparsity-based channel estimation approach, in which we utilize the compressibility of the channel in the frequency domain. Our results show that this approach can also be effective in several scenarios. We then discuss the underlying tradeoffs between the two approaches. For the model-based approach, we show the impact of the error in the underlying model as well as the error in the estimation of the parameters of the model on the overall performance. For the sparsity-based approach, we show the impact of channel compressibility on the performance. Overall, the proposed framework can be utilized for communication-aware motion planning in robotic networks, where a prediction of the link qualities is needed.
Evaluation of the clinical utility of platelet aggregation studies

To determine the diagnostic importance of platelet aggregation studies, we evaluated the clinical utility of these assays by a retrospective review of 188 adult patients initially studied for bleeding abnormalities with platelet aggregation tests at a tertiary care hospital from 1984 to 1987. The primary indications for requesting the tests in our patient population were for the evaluation of a positive bleeding history or abnormal bleeding time (68%), hypercoagulability (17%), thrombocytosis (9%), or a family history of a bleeding disorder (6%). There was a statistically higher incidence of platelet aggregation test abnormalities in patients with highly abnormal bleeding times (40%), in patients with thrombocytosis from myeloproliferative disorders (65%), and in patients with a family history of a bleeding disorder (58%), compared to the other groups studied (16-29%). Of the 64 platelet aggregation tests performed that were abnormal, the following abnormalities were identified: 19 aspirin-like defects (poor response to arachidonate and decreased second wave responses to weak agonists), which were presumably drug-induced, ten myeloproliferative-type disorder defects (abnormal response to epinephrine predominantly) in patients known to have myeloproliferative disease, 34 abnormal patterns not characterized as aspirin or myeloproliferative disorder related, four of which ultimately led to a diagnosis of storage pool disease, and one spontaneous aggregation defect. Our results suggest that platelet aggregation tests rarely lead to the diagnosis of a specific, previously undiagnosed platelet function disorder. Specific recommendations are given for efficient utilization of platelet aggregation tests.
Getting to the HAART of T cell dynamics.

Detailed analysis of the dramatic T cell changes accompanying HIV disease point to homeostatic dysregulation as a primary cause of immunodeficiency (pages 208–214 and 215–221).
Comparison of Solid-Phase and Pore-Water Approaches for Assessing the Quality of Marine and Estuarine Sediments

Abstract As part of our continuing evaluation of the pore-water approach for assessing sediment quality, we made a series of side-by-side comparisons between the standard 10-day amphipod whole sediment test with the corophiid Grandidierella japonica and a suite of tests using pore water extracted from the same sediments. the pore-water tests evaluated were the sea urchin (Arbacia punctulata) sperm cell test and morphological development assay, the life-cycle test with the polychaete Dinophilus gyrociliatus, and acute exposures of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) embryo-larval stages. Sediment and surface microlayer samples were collected from contaminated sites. Whole-sediment, pore-water, and surface microlayer toxicity tests were performed. Pore-water toxicity tests were considerably more sensitive than the whole-sediment amphipod test, which is currently the most sensitive toxicity test now recommended for determining the acceptability of dredged material for open ocean disposal.
Global seismicity of 1979: centroid-moment tensor solutions for 524 earthquakes

Abstract Centroid-moment tensor solutions are presented for 524 earthquakes that occurred during 1979.
Poster: Towards Robust Reprogramming for Wireless Sensors

Embedded systems that are wirelessly reprogrammed can be rendered useless by certain programming errors, excessive power consumption, or misconfigurations in the hardware. These types of situations can leave a device in a state that compromises its programmability, often rendering the device useless. Existing attempts to address the problem of robust wireless reprogramming have all been software-based solutions, that are vulnerable to certain errors, such as memory corruption, can corrupt the recovery programs. We propose a hardware-based solution to wireless reprogramming, physically separating the programmer and target device. This separation limits the propagation of errors, and ensures the device will always be recoverable. In this poster we will present the design and an early prototype of our approach -- an ultra-low-power, low-cost hardware solution to ensure recovery from fatal errors and reprogrammability in wireless systems. This poster discusses the current system design, initial results, and system analysis from our current prototype. We also present future and ongoing directions, as well as key research questions. This work was funded by National Science Foundation grants CNS-1314342 and CNS-1453607. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Serious Complications Within 30 Days of Screening and Surveillance Colonoscopy Are Uncommon

Background & Aims The risk of serious complications after colonoscopy has important implications for the overall benefits of colorectal cancer screening programs. We evaluated the incidence of serious complications within 30 days after screening or surveillance colonoscopies in diverse clinical settings and sought to identify potential risk factors for complications. Methods Patients age 40 and over undergoing colonoscopy for screening, surveillance, or evaluation based an abnormal result from another screening test were enrolled through the National Endoscopic Database (CORI). Patients completed a standardized telephone interview approximately 7 and 30 days after their colonoscopy. We estimated the incidence of serious complications within 30 days of colonoscopy and identified risk factors associated with complications using logistic regression analyses. Results We enrolled 21,375 patients. Gastrointestinal bleeding requiring hospitalization occurred in 34 patients (incidence 1.59/1000 exams; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10–2.22). Perforations occurred in 4 patients (0.19/1000 exams; 95% CI, 0.05–0.48), diverticulitis requiring hospitalization in 5 patients (0.23/1000 exams; 95% CI, 0.08–0.54), and postpolypectomy syndrome in 2 patients (0.09/1000 exams; 95% CI, 0.02–0.30). The overall incidence of complications directly related to colonoscopy was 2.01 per 1000 exams (95% CI, 1.46–2.71). Two of the 4 perforations occurred without biopsy or polypectomy. The risk of complications increased with preprocedure warfarin use and performance of polypectomy with cautery. Conclusions Complications after screening or surveillance colonoscopy are uncommon. Risk factors for complications include warfarin use and polypectomy with cautery.
Pore constriction in ultrafiltration: A discrete multilayer deposition model with steric exclusion of solutes at the pore inlet

A discrete multilayer model for the deposition of solutes inside membrane pores during ultrafiltration is proposed. The model takes into account the time-dependent steric exclusion of solutes at the pore inlet and the difference between the deposition coefficients for the first and higher layers caused by the action of the double-layer electrostatic repulsion forces between suspended and deposited solutes. The governing differential equations are solved numerically for 2- and 3-layer deposition on the pore wall. Also, a much simpler approximate solution with an error less than 10% is obtained for the main practical scenario by the generalized variable-parameter averaging method. Permeability, rejection, and selectivity-permeability tradeoff curves are calculated and compared for the monolayer coverage (Langmuir adsorption), 2-layer, and 3- layer cases at different values of higher-to-first layer deposition coefficient and initial pore radius. It is shown that the value of the deposition coefficient for the higher deposited layers of solutes can dramatically affect the performance of the membrane. For the monolayer coverage case, simple algebraic equations for finding the rejection coefficient and its minimum are derived. They imply that the rejection coefficient can follow three scenarios: monotonically decreasing, monotonically increasing, or having a minimum. A set of derived equations for determining the initial, minimum, and steady-state values of the rejection coefficient and permeate flux is suggested to use along with an experimental selectivity-permeability tradeoff curve to find the unknown physicochemical and geometrical parameters needed to describe the ultrafiltration process of interest, optimize its process parameters, and change the process of membrane manufacturing in order to obtain a more efficient membrane.
Chain heterogeneity in the methemoglobin-azide equilibrium.

Abstract The absorption spectra of solutions of methemoglobin partially saturated with azide were resolved into the best fitting components of two reference spectra (methemoglobin and methemoglobin azide) by a least-squares curve fitting operation. While good fits of sample spectra in terms of reference spectra were obtained as the extreme values of saturation were approached, poor fits were obtained in the middle region of fractional saturation. The distribution of residuals was markedly wavelength dependent, the greatest excursions being obtained at the isoabsorption point in the 0–100% azide difference spectrum of methemoglobin. The results are attributed to chain differences in an uncooperative tetramer.
Evidence for a defect in insulin metabolism in hyperandrogenic women with polycystic ovarian syndrome

Abstract It has been well established that the hypertestosteronemia of patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCO) is associated with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. We have recently noted a disparity between serum levels of insulin and C-peptide in certain hypertestosteronemic women with PCO and hypothesized a possible association between testosterone and insulin metabolism. Therefore, we have studied insulin clearance (baseline steady-state ratios of C-peptide to insulin) in 15 obese PCO women, 12 weight-matched controls (OC), and nine lean controls (LC), and examined the interactions of testosterone and insulin metabolism by examining the correlations between testosterone and insulin clearance and by studying the direct in vitro actions of testosterone on T-lymphocyte insulin binding and degradation. We found that the C-peptide to insulin ratio at baseline and T-lymphocyte insulin degradation of the PCO group were twofold below the LC and OC values. Basal C-peptide to insulin ratios and insulin-degradative activities were significantly and negatively interrelated ( r = .56, P P r = .49 for basal C-peptide to insulin and r = −.61 for insulin degradation). In experiments where testosterone was added to cell cultures, insulin degradation was impaired in a biphasic fashion. We conclude that (1) elevated testosterone levels may contribute to impairments in insulin metabolism, and (2) the hyperinsulinemia of hyperandrogenic women may occur in part from defects in insulin clearance and peripheral tissue insulin degradation.
Network Information and Connected Correlations

Entropy and information provide natural measures of correlation among elements in a network. We construct here the information theoretic analog of connected correlation functions: irreducible N-point correlation is measured by a decrease in entropy for the joint distribution of N variables relative to the maximum entropy allowed by all the observed N � 1 variable distributions. We calculate the ‘‘connected information’’ terms for several examples and show that it also enables the decomposition of the information that is carried by a population of elements about an outside source.
Volatiles from Hawaiian submarine basalts determined by dynamic high temperature mass spectrometry

Abstract Quantitative measurements of volatiles from Hawaiian submarine basalts have been made using a Knudsen cell dynamic-mass spectrometer system. The principal advantage of the technique is the ability to determine simultaneously the absolute amounts of more than one volatile released from the same sample. From mass pyrograms it was observed that the release of water was bimodal, with the major release occurring above 600°C. Water released below this temperature is believed not to have been present in the magma at the time of extrusion. Sulfur dioxide was evolved only after the bulk of the water was released and coincided with the general expansion and melting of the sample. Sulfur and carbon- containing gases which were released in surges (above 1000°C) correspond to the bursting of bubbles from the softened basalt. The molar amounts of vesicle gases were plotted as a function of extrusion depth. A change in the slope of the resulting linear curve indicates saturation of the basalt with respect to water.
PET/CT of hemangiopericytoma of the sacrum

Abstract Hemangiopericytoma (HPC) is a tumor of the somatic soft tissues thought to be derived from pericytes. Hemagiopericytoma arising from bone is rare. We present a case of primary osseous HPC arising from the sacrum with characteristic imaging findings on CT and MR, as well as histopathologic findings. We also present findings on PET/CT imaging, which have not been previously published in the literature.
Erythropoietin activity in anephric humans given prolonged androgen treatment.

Anephric male and female patients maintained on chronic hemodialysis programs have significant levels of extrarenal erythropoietin (ESF) activity. This extrarenal ESF activity is responsive to sustained high-dose androgen treatment. However, the response cannot be maintained, and this is also reflected in the hematocrit and hemoglobin levels. A rebound or ESF overshoot was observed after androgen therapy in renoprival patients as well as in a uremic patient with intact and diseased kidneys. Extrarenal ESF is not only detectable in plasma but also in thoracic lymph fluid from anephric patients subjected to androgen therapy.
On local w-uniqueness of solutions to linear complementarity problem

We introduce the classes of column (row) competent matrices and prove that the local w-uniqueness of solutions to linear complementarity problem can be completely characterized by column competent matrices.
Materials for an analysis of a just universe

Abstract There is one assumption that is shared by practically all popular religious and philosophic systems, ancient and modern, Eastern and Western. In truth it may well be that it is this single assumption which makes such ‘systems’ possible. That shared assumption is the belief in a ‘just universe’, i.e. ‘just’ in the sense of morally ordered, morally predictable and morally explainable. This assumption rests, as most assumptions must, on pragmatic grounds; that is to say, the assumption is retained or used because it gets the users where they want to go, i.e. the assumption works. But if it could be shown that this assumption, aside from being useful, leads to insuperable logical or empirical problems, then this might be prima facie grounds for rejecting the assumption. Part I examines the historical roots of the assumption of a just universe. Part II, examines three implications that would seem to follow from the assumption that the universe, the world, is a just place in which to live. Part III exp...
The prevalence of lateral lead early repolarization in otherwise normal electrocardiograms as a function of age.

Abstract The prevalence of early repolarization in otherwise normal electrocardiograms as a function of age was evaluated in 2335 Veteran male patients. Thirty-one percent of the patients 65 years of age demonstrated this phenomenon. In addition, only 12% of female patients
Residual‐Stress Predictions in Polycrystalline Alumina

Microstructure-level residual stresses arise in polycrystalline ceramics during processing as a result of thermal expansion anisotropy and crystallographic disorientation across the grain boundaries. Depending upon the grain size, the magnitude of these stresses can be sufficiently high to cause spontaneous microcracking during the processing of these materials. They are also likely to affect where cracks initiate and propagate under macroscopic loading. The magnitudes of residual stresses in untextured and textured alumina samples were predicted using object oriented finite (OOF) element analysis and experimentally determined grain orientations. The crystallographic orientations were obtained by electron-backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The residual stresses were lower and the stress distributions were narrower in the textured samples compared to those in the untextured samples. Crack initiation and propagation were also simulated using the Griffith fracture criterion. The grain boundary to surface energy ratios required for computations were estimated using AFM groove measurements.
The Face of Society: Gender and Race in Introductory Sociology Books Revisited

We have updated Ferree and Hall’s (1990) study of the way gender and race are constructed through pictures in introductory sociology textbooks. Ferree and Hall looked at 33 textbooks published between 1982 and 1988. We replicated their study by examining 3,085 illustrations in a sample of 27 textbooks, most of which were published between 2002 and 2006. We found important areas of progress in the presentation of both gender and race as well as significant areas of stasis. The face of society we found depicted in contemporary textbooks was distinctly less likely to be that of a white man, very prominent in the 1980s texts, and much more likely to be that of a minority woman. Thus, while only 34 percent of the pictures of identifiable individuals in the textbooks examined by Ferree and Hall were of women, almost 50 percent of such pictures were of women in the recent texts. Moreover, while the percentage of white men portrayed dropped from about 45 percent to 30 percent, the percentage of portrayals of minority women rose from about 11 percent to 22 percent. Another sign of progress has been the decreasing likelihood of textbooks to depict race and gender as being nonoverlapping categories: while women of color apparently “had” only race in the sample examined by Ferree and Hall, they “had” both gender and race in the sample we studied. Still, our examination of pictures as a whole as a unit of analysis found that blacks continue to be more likely than any other racial group to be depicted in the presence of other racial groups and, thus, to idealize the degree of social integration in American society. We also still see nonwhite women enjoying very little (in fact, no) visibility in sections devoted to theory, despite developments in feminist theory, generally, and multicultural feminist, specifically. In general, though, our analysis suggests that the various criticisms of introductory texts that have appeared in this forum and others can have an impact on the content of those texts and, by extension, the sociology we teach.
Automation of hessian-based tubularity measure response function in 3D biomedical images

The blood vessels and nerve trees consist of tubular objects interconnected into a complex tree- or web-like structure that has a range of structural scale 5 µm diameter capillaries to 3 cm aorta. This large-scale range presents two major problems; one is just making the measurements, and the other is the exponential increase of component numbers with decreasing scale. With the remarkable increase in the volume imaged by, and resolution of, modern day 3D imagers, it is almost impossible to make manual tracking of the complex multiscale parameters from those large image data sets. In addition, the manual tracking is quite subjective and unreliable. We propose a solution for automation of an adaptive nonsupervised system for tracking tubular objects based on multiscale framework and use of Hessian-based object shape detector incorporating National Library ofMedicine Insight Segmentation and Registration Toolkit (ITK) image processing libraries.
ATP and chlorophyll a as estimators of phytoplankton carbon biomass1

Thalassiosira j&.a Chl a:C ratios were more variable. Under phosphate limitation bot’h ATP:C and Chl a:C ratios varied by about a factor of six. Under light limitation ATP:C ratios were insensitive to growth rate, as were Chl a:C ratios at low growth rates. Interspecific differences in both ATP:C and Chl a:C ratios were great enough to suggest that even a cursory examination of phytoplankton species composition could improve estimates of phytoplankton carbon based on ATP or Chl a measurements.
Object detection in industrial workstations using split-and-merge operation and parallel processing techniques

The authors describe the parallel implementation of the split-and-merge algorithm in a 16-node hypercube processor in order to reduce processing time to an acceptable level in the real-time applications. Three methods are proposed to parallelize the operation of the method using a mesh topology that can be mapped onto the hypercube architecture. Comparison of the described techniques is given, and the achievable speedups are provided. >
Doctors in the movies

Healers, heels, and Hollywood The world continues to have a passion for movies. Moviegoers worldwide spent $20.3 billion and purchased 8.6 billion admission tickets to see films in 2003.1 2002 was a record breaking year at the UK box office, with 176 million cinema admissions, £755 million in total box office receipts, and 369 films released.2 In the USA in 2003, there were 1.6 billion cinema admissions, $9.5 billion in box office receipts, 473 films released, and home entertainment sales to dealers of 1.1 billion DVDs and 294 million video cassettes.3 Movies have a powerful influence on popular culture, due to their international popularity, easy accessibility, and profitability as an industry. Cinematic depictions of doctors thus have the potential to affect public expectations and the doctor-patient relationship. In a 2002 paper, I conducted an in-depth analysis of the portrayal of doctors in the movies, reviewing 131 films from nine countries spanning eight decades.4 Key findings from this research included: (1) compassion and idealism were common in early doctor movie portrayals but have become increasingly scarce in recent decades; (2) since the 1960s, positive doctor portrayals declined while negative portrayals increased; (3) doctors frequently are depicted as greedy, egotistical, uncaring, and unethical, especially in recent films; (4) a recurrent theme is the “mad scientist”, the doctor-researcher who values research more than patients’ welfare; (5) because negative portrayals of doctors are on the rise, patients’ expectation and the doctor-patient relationship may be adversely affected; and (6) films about doctors can serve as useful gauges of public opinion and tools for medical education. The aim of this paper is to use this extensive database, supplemented by several more recent films, to explore selected key themes about the portrayal of doctors in the movies. In contrast to the prior paper, …
A Contribution To The Clinical Knowledge Of Texas Fever

It has been observed that the disease produced in northern cattle by inoculation (injection of virulent blood) is less fatal than when it is acquired in the natural way, and that animals thus treated have a high degree of " immunity" after recovery.* Work along this line has largely been developed by Dr. J. W. Connaway of the Missouri Experiment Station and economic inoculation has been practiced by him with great success, the details of which may be found in the publications referred to. Dr. Conna-
Multi-exon deletions of the FBN1 gene in Marfan syndrome

Background: Mutations in the fibrillin -1 gene (FBN1) cause Marfan syndrome (MFS), an autosomal dominant multi-system connective tissue disorder. The 200 different mutations reported in the 235 kb, 65 exon-containing gene include only one family with a genomic multi-exon deletion. Methods: We used long-range RT-PCR for mutation detection and long-range genomic PCR and DNA sequencing for identification of deletion breakpoints, allele-specific transcript analyses to determine stability of the mutant RNA, and pulse-chase studies to quantitate fibrillin synthesis and extracellular matrix deposition in cultured fibroblasts. Southern blots of genomic DNA were probed with three overlapping fragments covering the FBN1 coding exons Results: Two novel multi-exon FBN1 deletions were discovered. Identical nucleotide pentamers were found at or near the intronic breakpoints. In a Case with classic MFS, an in-frame deletion of exons 42 and 43 removed the C-terminal 24 amino acids of the 5th LTBP (8-cysteine) domain and the adjacent 25 th calcium-binding EGF-like (6-cysteine) domain. The mutant mRNA was stable, but fibrillin synthesis and matrix deposition were significantly reduced. A Case with severe childhoodonset MFS has a de novo deletion of exons 44–46 that removed three EGF-like domains. Fibrillin protein synthesis was normal, but matrix deposition was strikingly reduced. No genomic rearrangements were detected by Southern analysis of 18 unrelated MFS samples negative for FBN1 mutation screening. Conclusions: Two novel deletion cases expand knowledge of mutational mechanisms and genotype/phenotype correlations of fibrillinopathies. Deletions or mutations affecting an LTBP domain may result in unstable mutant protein cleavage products that interfere with microfibril assembly.
The solution structure of type II antifreeze protein reveals a new member of the lectin family.

A recombinant form of the sea raven type II antifreeze protein (SRAFP) has been produced using the Pichia pastoris expression system. The antifreeze activity of recombinant SRAFP is indistinguishable from that of the wild-type protein. The global fold of SRAFP has been determined by two-dimensional 1H homonuclear and three-dimensional 1H-?15N? heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy using 785 NOE distance restraints and 47 angular restraints. The molecule folds into one globular domain that consists of two helices and nine beta-strands in two beta-sheets. The structure confirms the proposed existence of five disulfide bonds. The global fold of SRAFP is homologous to C-type lectins and pancreatic stone proteins, even though the sequence identity is only approximately 20%.
Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 mediates glomerular macrophage infiltration in anti-GBM Ab GN

Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 mediates glomerular macrophage infiltration in anti-GBM Ab GN. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) is a C-C chemokine with potent monocyte chemotactic and activating properties that may contribute to glomerular macrophage infiltration in anti-GBM Ab GN. We have previously reported increased glomerular steady state expression of MCP-1 mRNA relative to GAPDH mRNA in the heterologous phase of experimental anti-GBM Ab GN. In this report, we expand upon these data by demonstrating that the increase in MCP-1 mRNA correlated with MCP-1 protein expression at 24 hours that was determined with an ELISA (2069 ± 147 pg/mg glom lysate). This increase in MCP-1 expression was associated with glomerular monocyte/ macrophage infiltration which peaked at 24 hours (8.2 ± 1.0 ED-1 cells/glom). The site of MCP-1 mRNA production was localized by combining immunohistochemistry with in situ hybridization. The majority of cells which expressed MCP-1 mRNA at three hours were intrinsic glomerular cells, while 55% of the cells that expressed MCP-1 mRNA at 15 hours were monocytes/macrophages. To determine if MCP-1 affected glomerular macrophage infiltration, rats with α -GBM Ab GN were administered a polyclonal neutralizing Ab to rat MCP-1. This resulted in a 38% decline in glomerular macrophage infiltration (3.3 ± 0.3 vs. 1.8 ± 0.2 ED-1 cells/glom, P = 0.0001) that was associated with a 45% reduction in urinary protein excretion (260 ± 53 vs. 162 ± 46 mg/d, P = 0.0001). These data demonstrate an important role for MCP-1 in the pathogenesis of glomerular macrophage infiltration in anti-GBM Ab GN.
Security system for wireless local area networks

Security and privacy issues complicate wireless local area network deployment. For a wired network, certain levels of security are maintained since access to the physical medium is restricted to the devices physically connected to the network. Though wireless local area networks offer some built-in security features, security breaches are possible if appropriate precautions are not taken. This paper describes security issues related to wireless local area networks and presents a software approach for restricting and controlling wireless access. The system authenticates users on the basis of identity, privileges and access hardware by distributed software agents that implement the security policy and restrict unauthorized access.
Empirical study of application runtime performance using on-demand streaming virtual disks in the cloud

As enterprises migrate more and more mission critical workloads to the cloud, the performance of a cloud computing system becomes increasingly important. The traditional method of pre-copying virtual machine images to hypervisors before VMs are booted results in long provisioning delays. On-demand streaming of virtual disks is used to speed up the provisioning but it may result in application runtime performance penalty. This paper seeks to quantify the runtime performance when using on-demand streaming through an empirical study. We have studied three representative application workloads: I/O micro-benchmarks, transactional application and Big Data. Two streaming protocols, NFS and iSCSI, are used in conjunction with two Copy-on-Write schemes, qcow2 from QEMU and dm-snapshot from Linux Device Mapper. We have also investigated the impact of page caching at hypervisor level on application runtime performance. The results show that I/O micro-benchmarks and transactional workload perform equally well with on-demand streaming as with pre-copied local virtual disks, while Big Data workload such as Hadoop sees a performance degradation up to 16%. We hope this study can provide insights into the performance aspect of various streaming technologies and offer guidelines to cloud operators and end users in implementing them.
Elimination of velocity-space rings-and-spokes instabilities in magnetized electrostatic particle simulations of plasmas

Abstract Artificial velocity-space instabilities excited by the discreteness of particles are a nuisance in plasma particle simulations. The suppression of these instabilities is considered for the case of a uniformly magnetized electrostatic particle simulation using a combination of analytical and numerical techniques. It is found that, for a representative “rings-and-spokes” perpendicular velocity distribution modeling a Maxwellian, the instabilities are suppressed if the number of perpendicular velocity “rings” exceeds 1 3 (ω p /ω c ) 2 , and the number of gyrophase “spokes” exceeds 8kmaxνth/ωc.
Electrostatic force analysis, optical measurements, and structural characterization of zinc oxide colloidal quantum dots synthesized by sol-gel method

ZnO quantum dots (QDs) are used in a variety of applications due to several desirable characteristics, including a wide band gap, luminescence, and biocompatibility. Wurtzite ZnO QDs also exhibit a spontaneous polarization along the growth axis, leading to large electric fields. In this work, ZnO QDs around 7 nm in diameter are synthesized using the sol-gel method. Their size and structure are confirmed using photoluminescence, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) is used to measure the amplitude change in the probe which is associated with the electric field produced by ZnO immobilized by layer-by-layer synthesis technique. The measured electrostatic field of 108 V/m is comparable to theoretically predicted value. Additionally, the strength of the electrostatic field is shown to depend on the orientation of the QD's c-axis. These results demonstrate a unique technique of quantifying ZnO's electric force using...
Liquidity Planning Between Theory And Practice: An Overall Examination Of The GCC Banks During The Crisis Du Jour

After giving a rundown on banks liquidity risk and management, and suggesting a simple model aiming at improving the efficiency of banks liquidity management, this paper gauges the possible impact of the current crisis on the GCC economies, specifically the exposure of banks to asset write-downs, and rising costs of finance coupled with tight liquidity. The current outlook is exceptionally uncertain, with risks still weighing on the downside. The banking system appears adequately capitalized and highly profitable, but risks of a future deterioration of asset quality are still threatening the banks financial situation. Fundamental measures should be taken in order to strengthen the banking supervision to contain the fiscal risks related to the emergency liquidity facilities.