cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low-dose unenhanced CT for IV contrast bolus timing: is it reliable to assess hepatic steatosis?

Rationale and Objectives To determine whether an unenhanced low-dose image acquired during automated contrast bolus timing can be used to assess hepatic steatosis. Materials and Methods Fifty subjects (29 male, 21 female; 26–92 years; mean body mass index (BMI; 26.9) with abdominal multiphasic computed tomography were included. Abdominal diameters and circumferences were derived from anteroposterior and lateral scout radiographs. Hepatic attenuation (HA) was measured on unenhanced low-dose images (120 kV; 40 mA; 0.5 seconds' rotation time) and corresponding unenhanced standard-dose images (120 kV, z-axis automatic tube current modulation, noise index 11.5). Noise estimates were measured in surrounding air. Pearson correlation was calculated between abdominal circumference and BMI. Mean HA assessed on low-dose images and standard-dose images was compared using a paired Student's t-test and Bland Altman plots. Results Abdominal circumference (mean, 142.8cm) correlated well with BMI (r = 0.83). No significant difference was found for HA on low-dose images (mean +57.7 HU) compared to HA on standard-dose images (+56.0 HU) (P = .077). Image noise (+11.5 HU) was significantly higher on low-dose images compared to image noise (+8.1 HU) on standard-dose images (P Conclusion In all subjects, hepatic attenuation can be correctly assessed on unenhanced low-dose images.
The Pulsed High Density Experiment: Concept, Design, and Initial Results

An experimental program has been initiated that will explore the very compact, high energy density regime of fusion based on the magneto-kinetic compression of the FRC. Of all fusion reactor embodiments, only the FRC has the simply-connected closed field, linear confinement geometry, and intrinsic high β required for magnetic fusion at high energy density. PHD takes advantage of the linear confining geometry by incorporating a traveling, burning plasmoid, significantly reducing the wall loading as well as keeping the formation well separated from the burn chamber. Being small, compact, and at high β greatly improves the exposed surface to reacting volume ratio. Being pulsed eliminates the need for flux sustainment, and provides for regulation of the average wall loading. A wide range of reactor scenarios are compatible with PHD including liquid metal walls with the prospect of direct energy conversion through cyclical wall compression/expansion.
Sequence Variation in the 5′, Putative Promoter of Sry and Its Possible Relevance to the C57BL/6J-Y-DOM Sex Reversal

Abstract Sry is the testes determining factor gene located on the Y chromosome. We sought sequence variation in potential promoter regions that might explain the gradiation in sex reversal seen when different domesticus strains are bred to C57BL/6J females since sequence variation previously found in the coding region is not sufficient to explain it. Dideoxy sequencing identified a 10 bp deletion in the 5′ flanking region limited to YDOM chromosomes of weak effect. A PCR strategy to search for deletions in this region disclosed another deletion which was shown to be different by sequencing.
Ammonium and free amino acid uptake by a deep-sea mussel (Bathymodiolus sp., undescribed) containing methanotrophic bacterial symbionts

Mussels (Bathymodiolus sp., undescribed) that contain endosymbiotic methanotrophic bacteria were collected from the vicinity of hydrocarbon seeps on the Louisiana Slope of the Gulf of Mexico during September 1989 and 1991. In the presence of methane, these mussels took up ammonium and free amino acids (FAA) but not nitrate. Rates of ammonium uptake ranged from 0.11 to 0.78 μmolg-1 h-1 following initial concentrations of 3.7 to 140.0 μM. The relationship between uptake rate and ammonium concentration exhibited by these mussels appears to be non-linear, apparently differing from the linear kinetics exhibited by algal-invertebrate symbioses. Alanine and glycine were depleted from the medium by symbiotic mussels at rates of 0.10 and 0.07 μmolg-1 h-1 following initial concentrations of 1 μM. Given estimates of rates of carbon fixation and ammonium and FAA levels encountered by the mussels in situ, it is likely that ammonium uptake can meet the nitrogen needs of the association, and that acquisition of carbon and nitrogen from FAA uptake may be an important supplement.
Spectral pattern recognition using self-organizing MAPS.

A Kohonen neural network is an iterative technique used to map multivariate data. The network is able to learn and display the topology of the data. Self-organizing maps have advantages as well as drawbacks when compared to principal component plots. One advantage is that data preprocessing is usually minimal. Another is that an outlier will only affect one map unit and its neighborhood. However, outliers can have a drastic and disproportionate effect on principal component plots. Removing them does not always solve the problem for as soon as the worst outliers are deleted, other data points may appear in this role. The advantage of using self-organizing maps for spectral pattern recognition is demonstrated by way of two studies recently completed in our laboratory. In the first study, Raman spectroscopy and self-organizing maps were used to differentiate six common household plastics by type for recycling purposes. The second study involves the development of a potential method to differentiate acceptabl...
SIM Science Data Center prototype: an integral element of the SIM end-to-end testbed

The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) will be the first flight of an optical interferometer where the scientific return is co-equal with technology development objectives. The SIM Science Data Center will be designed to monitor, process and archive the instrument engineering the science data collected over the five year operational life of the mission. Furthermore, it will host the postprocessing to be carried out for three years after the end of mission operations. Since the instrument is a complex technological and operations challenge, and due to SIM's ambitious astrometry and imaging goals, a prototype Science Data Center will be built and operated in parallel with the development of the instrument. In particular, this prototype system will be tested with SIM System Testbed-3 (STB-3) to command and monitor that instrument. After launch the SIM Science Data Center will continue to have access to STB-3 for testing of sequences and instrument operations modes.
Ethnicity in the urban high school: A naturalistic study of student experiences

This research was conducted to provide a description of the salience of ethnicity at an urban high school from the students' perspective. Data for this naturalistic study were derived from extensive observations of students by a participant-observer whose fieldwork extended over the course of one academic year and included interviews of about 50 students. The relevancy of ethnicity tends to be variable, depending on the social situation and the individual's interpretation of the event. The judgment resulting from this interpretation is linked to structural factors in the society. For the students at this multiethnic school, the articulation of ethnicity stemmed around issues of ritual, conflict, interest, and values. The denial of one's ethnic identity centered around prejudice and internalized oppression.
Extension of the Taste-Test Analogue as an Unobtrusive Measure of Preference for Alcohol

Abstract The utility of the taste-test analogue for obtaining an unobtrusive measure of preference for alcohol was examined. Thirty-two male undergraduates participated in each of two taste-rating tasks. In each task. subjects were presented with two beakers containing beverages they were to rate. Although one container was labeled “Alcohol”, and the other was labeled “Orange Juice”, both actually contained only orange juice. Subjects rated the beverages differently on 52% of the dimensions for which ratings were completed. Furthermore, subjects estimated that they had consumed an average of over three ounces of alcohol in the combined taste tests. Wider use of the analogue preference test may have significant value in the study of the determinants of human alcohol drinking behavior.
Zur Mycelcharakterisierung holzzerstörender Pilze auf der Basis von unterschiedlichen Pilzproteinen

Abstact Abstract Characterization of Wood Destroying Fungi on the Basis of different Fungus-Proteins Isoelectric focusing proved as reliable separating method in the investigation of culture filtrate proteins of fungi. On a 5 cm separation distance can be discerned 159 protein bands within 3.75 pH units (from pH 2.15 to 5.90). In the case of Basidiomycetes focused plants of nine genera and species show characteristic band-patterns. As identify-typical characteristics can be considered distribution of major and minor protein-bands, the number of bands and the pH-range, in which the major protein focuse. There are to state genus- and species-specific distinctions based on characteristic protein-patterns. Zusammenfassung Die isoelektrische Fokisseirung hat sich bei Pilzkulturfiltratproteinen als zuverlassiges Trennverfahren erwiesen. In 3,75 pH-Einheiten (von pH 2,15–5,90) konnen 159 Proteombanden bei jeweils 5 cm Trennstrecke unterschieden werden. Die fokussierten Platten zeigen bei neun Basidiomycetengattungen und -arten charakteristische Bandenmuster der Kulturfiltrate. Als identifizierungstypisches Merkmal kann die Verteilung der Haupt- und Nebenproteinbanden, die Bandenanzahl und der pH-bereich, in dem die Hauptproteine fodussieren, betrachtet werden. Gattugns- und artspezifische Unterschiede aufgrund charakteristischer Proteinbanden sind festzustellen.
Temperament-based Learning Styles and School-based Applications

Four temperament qualities and their origins are described together with the influence of temperament styles on teaching and learning styles. Teachers are encouraged to provide opportunities for students to utilize their strengths, to overcome weaknesses, to encourage positive behaviors, to promote an understanding of themselves and others, and to identify vocational interests. A method to assess temperament-based learning styles in students is described.
Gastric band removal and conversion to sleeve gastrectomy for vasovagal syncopal episodes associated with adjustable gastric banding placed using pars flaccida technique

The morbidity and complications seen with laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding can be associated with the surgical technique used, with fewer complications noted with the pars flaccida technique than with the perigastric approach [1]. In patients who underwent gastric banding using he perigastic technique, vasovagal presyncope was not an ncommon occurrence during band adjustments owing to rritation and stimulation of the anterior vagus during adjustents. However, this phenomenon is not common in patients ho undergo gastric banding using the pars flaccida approach. e present the case of 1 patient who underwent laparoscopic djustable gastric banding placed using the pars flaccida techique who experienced vasovagal syncopal episodes when the and was inflated, requiring removal of the gastric band and onversion to laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.
The Siren's Song: The Political Logic of Power-Sharing in South Africa

This paper does two things. First, it deals with the work of Arend Lijphart and Donald Horowitz on South African politics, and particularly the relationship of their ethnic models to the proposals Lijphart and the National Party are making for a new constitution for South Africa. The concern is less with the empirical accuracy of their research, however, than with the political logic implicit in their thinking. Thus, the paper considers how the National Party has used similar ideas about ethnic politics to justify its proposals for a power‐sharing constitution. Second, the analysis of Lijphart and Horowitz sets up a discussion of the power politics of the National Party's proposals for power‐sharing institutions, which is the target of the paper. The thesis is that power‐sharing is an aggressive as well as a defensive proposal on the part of the National Party, that the argument for its workability is suspect, and that the ends power‐sharing is said to promote — moderation and stability — might end up mod...
Verifying two commercial software implementations of impulse-response-based speech intelligibility measurements

A number of objective evaluation methods are currently used to quantify the speech intelligibility in a built environment, including the speech transmission index (STI), rapid speech transmission index (RASTI), articulation index (AI), and the percent articulation loss of consonants (%ALCons). Certain software programs can quickly evaluate STI, RASTI, and %ALCons from a measured room impulse response. In this project, two impulse-response-based software packages (WinMLS and SIA-Smaart Acoustic Tools) were evaluated for their ability to determine intelligibility accurately. In four different spaces with background noise levels less than NC 45, speech intelligibility was measured via three methods: (1) with WinMLS 2000; (2) with SIA-Smaart Acoustic Tools (v4.0.2); and (3) from listening tests with humans. The study found that WinMLS measurements of speech intelligibility based on STI, RASTI, and %ALCons corresponded well with performance on the listening tests. SIA-Smaart results were correlated to human responses, but tended to under-predict intelligibility based on STI and RASTI, and over-predict intelligibility based on %ALCons.
An improved method of isolating fetal human retinal pigment epithelium

The purpose of this study was to develop an improved method of isolating fetal human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) for tissue culture or transplantation. Fetal human eyes ranging from 8 to 20 wks of gestation were collected and stored in Optisol solution. Under a dissecting microscope, an incision was made behind the ora serrata and extended circumferentially to remove the anterior segment. The vitreous was withdrawn, and the neural retina was carefully detached from the RPE. The sclera then was teased away from the choroid-RPE. The choroid-RPE was treated with 2% dispase in DMEM + 20 mM HEPES at 37 degrees C for 25 min. While still in dispase, the RPE was separated from the choroid using a pair of fine tipped jeweler's forceps under dark-field. An intact sheet of RPE could be separated from the choroid after treatment with dispase. No choroidal contamination was present as determined by light microscopy or cell culture. In vitro, the isolated RPE cells demonstrated classic cobblestone phenotype and expressed cytokeratin. This technique provides an easy and reliable method for isolating pure sheets of fetal human RPE. It also allows utilization of the neural retina of the same eye for other purposes, as the neural retina is not exposed to the enzymatic digestion. These features make this method especially useful for RPE and retinal transplantation; such an application is already underway.
The Importance of gender Across Cultures in Ethical Decision-making

Business ethics attracts increasing attention from business practitioners and academic researchers. Concerns over fraudulent behavior keep attentionfocused on ethics in businesses. The accounting profession pays particularattention to matters of ethical judgment. The profession has adopted a strictcode of conduct and many states require the passage of an ethics exam to gaincertification. The more that is understood about the relationship of gender and ethics, the better chance of education and training programs will bedesigned to improve ethical awareness and sensitivity. Prior studies have found that personal characteristics are an important aspect of cultural norms.This study analyzes the responses of students from eight different countries toquestions on their probable actions to an ethical dilemma.
Site of hydrolysis of cellulodextrins and reduced cellulodextrins by purified cellulase components

Abstract The mode of action of four electrophoretically distinct β-(1,4)-glucan hydrolases from Cellvibrio gilvus was studied by analysis of the intermediates and products of the hydrolysis of cellohexaose, reduced cellohexaose, and reduced cellopentoase. An analytical-scale procedure was described for simultaneous analysis of mixtures of the cellulodextrin polymer series and the reduced cellulodextrin polymer series from the monomer through the hexamer. No evidence of cleavage of the non-reducing terminal glucosyl bond was seen. Each of the hydrolases cleaved the second and third bonds from the non-reducing end with characteristic frequencies. No cleavage was observed at the fourth or fifth glucosyl bonds. A highly purified β-glucosidase (linear β-(1,4)-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase) from Aspergillus niger appeared to remove successive glucosyl moieties from the non-reducing end of the substrate. Acid hydrolysis indicated no selectivity in the site of cleavage.
Prenatal care characteristics and African-American women's satisfaction with care in a managed care organization.

This study examined the characteristics of prenatal care affecting women's satisfaction for two groups of African-American women, those with Medicaid insurance and those with commercial insurance, who sought care through a large managed care organization in the Midwest. African-American pregnant managed care patients (n = 400), regardless of payer status, were more satisfied when their providers spent more time with them and when their providers engaged them by explaining procedures, asking them questions, and answering their questions. Satisfaction was also higher for both Medicaid (n = 125) and commercially insured women (n = 275) when the waiting room was clean and comfortable. The care characteristics most important to an African-American woman's satisfaction with prenatal care do not appear to be dependent on her payer status, nor do they seem to be particularly dependent on the financial arrangements of her care provider. While improvements in health care delivery tend to focus on increasing technical proficiency to improve pregnant women's satisfaction with care, prenatal care providers should focus on improvements in patient-provider communication, as well as features of the prenatal care setting (e.g., cleanliness, waiting times, availability of ancillary services).
Electric field dependence of positronium formation in condensed matter

Electrostatic fields affect the lifetime spectra of positrons annihilating in normal paraffins and polyethylenes. The intensity of the longest lived of the three resolved lifetime components decreases by almost 50% at the highest fields (\ensuremath{\sim}200 kV/cm). The dependences of the data on density, temperature, and electric field are interlinked in a comprehensive manner by a theory which depends parametrically on the cross sections for the interaction of epithermal positrons with the molecular (-C${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$-) repeat units. Inferences are drawn for electronic subionization processes in insulators.
Mafic volcanism on the Puna Plateau, NW Argentina: Implications for lithospheric composition and evolution with an emphasis on lithospheric foundering

Lithospheric foundering has drawn increasing attention as an important contributor to continental plateau formation, especially as a driver for increased elevation, extension, and mafic magmatism. This contribution focuses on the mafic magmatism that led to the creation of monogenetic volcanoes throughout the Puna Plateau of NW Argentina. Lavas from these volcanoes provide a means to evaluate the recent petrotectonic development of the plateau and, in combination with basement intrusive rocks, determine the isotopic composition and long-term evolution of the lithosphere beneath the central Andean back-arc domain. Mafic samples have trace-element concentrations and isotopic values typical of an enriched magma source region. We propose that the mafic magmas originated from an aged, metasomatized subcontinental lithospheric mantle. The lavas have isotopic values nearly identical to those of Early Ordovician Famatinian gabbro and granodiorite. We suggest the most primitive Puna lavas and Famatinian magmas originated from the same subcontinental lithospheric mantle. This implies that at least a thin portion of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle has remained intact beneath NW Argentina for the past ~485 Ma. A comparison to coastal Jurassic igneous rocks and mantle xenoliths from the nearby Salta rift system suggests that the sub-continental lithospheric mantle is chemically decoupled from the depleted mantle to the west and east. This has been the case for hundreds of millions of years despite long-term tectonomagmatic activity along the proto-Andean and Andean margin and within the continental interior. Our data almost certainly rule out large delaminating bodies, suggesting instead partial or piecemeal removal of the lithosphere beneath the Puna Plateau.
EVIDENCE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF THYROCALCITONIN IN THE RAT.

Experiments were carried out to study calcium changes relative to the endogenous secretion of a thyroid principle which has hypocalcemic properties. Several protocols were followed: 1) The serum calcium of parathyroidectomized and thyroparathyroidectomized rats was measured after 10 days on Purina chow. 2) Rats were subjected to peritoneal lavage with a calciumfree rinse as well as one containing 12 mg calcium/ 100 ml, and the calcium transfer into this fluid was measured. 3) Animals were infused with calcium chloride and were bled subsequent to the infusion. Serum samples were analyzed for calcium. 4) Rats were subjected to a single intraperitoneal injection of calcium and changes in the serum calcium were recorded. The results showed that the thyroid gland releases a principle which has the ability to lower the serum calcium of rats. By using animals with functional parathyroid transplants, it was shown that the origin of the principle was not from the parathyroids. The experiments suggest that this hyp...
Fat-body and haemolymph lipids of the southwestern corn borer, Diatraea grandiosella, during metamorphosis

Abstract The total lipid content of the fat-body reached a maximum of about 4.5 mg. per insect in mature larvae and only changed slightly through the pharate pupal stage. The lipid content of the haemolymph (about 0.5 mg. per insect) also remained fairly constant at the onset of metamorphosis. During this period triglycerides formed about 90 per cent of the neutral fatbody lipids with 1,2-diglycerides and sterols comprising the other 10 per cent. In contrast, 1,2-diglycerides and sterols made up about 65 per cent of the haemolymph neutral lipids. Triglycerides, free fatty acids, sterol esters, and hydrocarbons were only minor components. The significance of these analytical results and the function of some of the lipid components are discussed.
Necessary conditions for optimization in multiparameter discrete systems

A general first-order dynamic representation for discrete systems with several independent variables is proposed, based on the Dieudonne-Rashevsky form for partial differential equations. This representation does not restrict consideration to causal systems. A minimum principle for such systems is proved, thus extending results known for discrete-time systems to the case of several independent variables. The proof requires only the classical implicit function theorem.
Recurrence Relation for the Minimum Variance Unbiased Estimator of a Parameter of a Left-Truncated Poisson Distribution

Abstract A recurrence relation for the minimum variance unbiased estimator of the parameter of a Poisson distribution truncated on the left at ‘c,’ based on a sample size n and sample total t, is derived using a recurrence formula for the generalized Stirling numbers of the second kind.
Emotional Appeal and Incentive Offering in Banner Advertisements

This study proposes a contingency framework on the role of emotions and incentives in affecting banner ads effectiveness. More specifically, how emotional appeals affect banner ad click-through rat...
Overview of lupus erythematosus.

S ystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is often called the prototypic autoimmune disease because of its varied clinical presentations, the vast array of autoantibodies, the close relationship that this disease has to many other autoimmune disorders, and the unusual array of scientific facts that make it curious to study.’ There is also a great deal of interest in the wide variety of pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in SLE, from the ultraviolet sensitivity of some patients to the notable preference for the female gender. This volume is clearly too small to discuss each of these aspects of lupus in detail, and this introduction is too short to extend new hypotheses; rather, I would like to mention some broad concepts that are general to autoimmune disease and specific to SLE. The clinical presentation of lupus is as varied as any other disease that has to rest on selected criteria for uniformity. After all, the pathogenesis of this disease is based on supposed aberrations of immune function, which can be broad. Despite the results of specific immune tests, the patient with lupus might fit the profile of any debilitated patient with a whole host of illnesses that might resemble lupus. Although it is easy to measure immune complexes formed as a result of direct antibody interaction with molecules [ie, clotting factors or ribonucleoproteins (RNPs)] or large particles (lymphocytes, platelets, or oligodendrocytes), this is only one aspect of this complex illness and is not necessarily associated with observed pathology.2-4 These immune reactions can produce results that can be clinically catastrophic or remain a series of curious antibody specificities to various nuclear or cytoplasmic anti-
Social and cultural determinants of attitudes toward abortion: a test of Reiss’ hypotheses

Abstract This study attempts to test Reiss’ hypotheses of the effects of social and cultural variables on abortion attitudes using NORC General Social Survey data 1972–1998. The analysis was done in three steps. First, changes in public opinions on abortion were examined. Second, regression analysis was used to assess the effects of social-cultural variables. Third, we used path analysis to determine the direct and indirect effects of the social-cultural variables on abortion attitudes. Empirical findings indicate the importance of education, gender-role attitudes, fundamentalist beliefs, and childbearing motivation in predicting attitudes toward abortion. Policy implications and limitations of the study are discussed.
Angle-of-arrival anemometry by means of a large-aperture Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope equipped with a CCD camera

The frequency spectrum of angle-of-arrival (AOA) fluctuations of optical waves propagating through atmospheric turbulence carries information of wind speed transverse to the propagation path. We present the retrievals of the transverse wind speed, vb, from the AOA spectra measured with a Schmidt‐Cassegrain telescope equipped with a CCD camera by estimating the “knee frequency,” the intersection of two power laws of the AOA spectrum. The rms difference between 30 s estimates of vb retrieved from the measured AOA spectra and 30 s averages of the transverse horizontal wind speed measured with an ultrasonic anemometer was 11 cm s1 for a1hp eriod, during which the transverse horizontal wind speed varied between 0 and 80 cm s 1 . Potential and limitations of angle-of-arrival anemometry are discussed © 2007 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 010.1300, 010.1330, 010.7350.
The Relationship Between Physician Friendliness and Caring, and Patient Satisfaction: Findings from an Internet-Based Survey.

Background: This study examines patient satisfaction with physicians. Patient satisfaction is a quality measure that affects treatment outcomes. More specifically, it examines how a patient’s perception of physician friendliness and caring can affect patient satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted with a convenience sample of 20 901 patients who rated their recent visit to a physician via an internet-based survey. The survey included questions on aspects of overall satisfaction with physician care and office practice as well as more detailed items, including demographics, physician ‘friendliness and caring’ (collectively referred to as ‘empathy’ in this paper), time spent with the doctor, and areas that could be improved. Responses to the questions were on a scale from 0 (‘not at all satisfied’) to 10 (‘extremely satisfied’). These scales were then used to represent patient satisfaction. Results: Of the 20 901 patients who participated in the online survey, perceived empathy was the most predominant correlate associated with patient satisfaction with their physician, with a partial correlation of 0.87 (p < 0.001) and a Pearson correlation of 0.92 (p < 0.001). Patient satisfaction with the office setting was also highly correlated with empathy scores, with a partial correlation of 0.72 (p < 0.001) and a Pearson correlation of 0.83 (p < 0.001). Other factors, such as waiting time, and problems with appointments, staff, records, parking, doctor care, and ways of obtaining information, also played a role in patients’ overall satisfaction with the physician. Conclusions: Patient satisfaction ratings are strongly correlated with patient perceptions of physician friendliness and caring.
Ecological Predictors of Substance Use in Middle School Students

The current study examined important predictors of substance use during early adolescence. The authors hypothesized that adolescents’ relationships with key adults (i.e., teachers and parents) influence their choices to use substances indirectly through links with their decisions regarding peer groups. A total of 461 middle school students from an affluent suburban community completed self-report measures of authoritative parenting, perceived social support from teachers, affiliation with rule-breaking and substance-using peers, and frequency of alcohol, cigarette, and drug use. Results of structural equation modeling supported the hypothesized model. Authoritative parenting and teacher support accounted for 31% of the variance in affiliation with deviant peers which, in turn, accounted for 27% of the variance in adolescent substance use; direct paths from parenting and teacher support to substance use were not indicated. Implications for school psychologists’ involvement in substance use prevention and intervention are discussed.
Review: Mehler, Sharoff and Santini (eds, 2011) Genres on the Web: Computational Models and Empirical Studies. New York: Springer

Genres on the Web is an edited volume consisting of fifteen studies which delve into a wide range of topics. These include the design and construction of web corpora, user-based and automatic genre identification, and the quantitative and qualitative analysis of web genres based on a variety of structural and linguistic features. This book is an invaluable resource for corpus and computational linguists, as well as those who specialise in areas such as natural language processing, information retrieval and web data mining. Although the book contains studies from several disciplines and dozens of sub-disciplines, this diverse body of scholarly research unites to: (a) recount major accomplishments in web genre identification and description; (b) report on the methods and results of state-of-the-art web genre research; and (c) give explicit direction for future inquiry in this burgeoning field of study. The first part of this book, written by the three volume editors, Mehler, Sharoff and Santini, situates the study of web genres historically and contextually. Major challenges for web genre researchers are introduced in this section, and questions regarding the feasibility of solving specific problems are discussed. After outlining many prominent approaches to web genres, the editors give an overview of the book, which is divided into the following six parts: Introduction, Identifying the Sources of Web Genres, Automatic Web Genre Identification, Structure-oriented Models of Web Genres, Case Studies of Web Genres and Prospect. The second part of the book deals primarily with the issues of identifying the defining characteristics of web genres and classifying those genres according to quantitative and qualitative user-based research. Karlgren begins by proposing that a genre is made up of texts which share a two-way flow of expectations between author and reader (p. 34). He supports this claim by introducing user-based research as a challenging, yet fruitful starting point for genre identification and classification. Next, the results of four consecutive user-based studies are reported. In addition to identifying
Real-Time Freeway Travel-Time Prediction

This article develops a framework that includes three major categories of methodologies for real-time freeway travel-time prediction. The proposed methodologies include traffic modelling, pattern recognition and recursive probabilistic algorithms. Each developed method attempts to predict travel times for different prediction horizons. Some of the predictors are summarised and the case studies demonstrate the superiority of the proposed prediction models compared to other state-of-practice and state-of-art approaches. In total, the developed multi-tool framework produces traffic state prediction algorithms ranging from short (0–5 min) to medium-term (1–4 h) considering departure times up to an hour into the future.
Non-intrusive human fatigue monitoring in command centers

An inexpensive, non-intrusive, vision-based, active fatigue monitoring system is presented. The system employs a single consumer webcam that is modified to operate in the near-IR range. An active IR LED system is developed to facilitate the quick localization of the eye pupils. Imaging software tracks the eye features by analyzing intensity areas and their changes in the vicinity of localization. To quantify the level of fatigue the algorithm measures the opening of the eyelid, PERCLOS. The software developed runs on the workstation and is designed to draw limited computational power, so as to not interfere with the user task. To overcome low-frame rate and improve real-time monitoring, a two-phase detection and tacking algorithm is implemented. The results presented show that the system successfully monitors the level of fatigue at a low rate of 8 fps. The system is well suited to monitor users in command centers, flight control centers, airport traffic dispatchers, military operation and command centers, etc., but the work can be extended to wearable devices and other environments.
Improving Damage Assessment Efficacy in Case of Frequent Attacks on Databases

A database log is the primary resource for damage assessment and recovery after an electronic attack. The log is a sequential file stored in the secondary storage and it can grow to humongous proportions in course of time. Disk I/O speed dictates how fast damage assessment and recovery can be done. To make the process of damage assessment and recovery more efficient, segmenting the log based on different criteria has been proposed before. But the trade off is that, either segmenting the log involves a lot of computation or damage assessment is a complicated process. In this research we propose to strike a balance. We propose a hybrid log segmentation method that will reduce the time taken to perform damage assessment while still segmenting the log fast enough so that no intricate computation is necessary. While performing damage assessment, we re-segment the log based on transaction dependency. Thus during repeated damage assessment procedures, we create new segments with dependent transactions in them so that the process of damage assessment becomes faster when there are repeated attacks on the system.
The role of protein breakdown in growth, quiescence, and starvation of vascular smooth muscle cells.

Protein accumulation in growing cells may be due in part to a reduction in the rate of protein breakdown. Previous studies of the relation of cell proliferation to protein degradation often produced growth arrest by conditions that may involve nutritional deprivation. However, nutrient lack can itself accelerate proteolysis and produce negative protein balance. We therefore reexamined the relation between growth and protein breakdown using a more selective method for limiting cell growth. We produced quiescent cell cultures using a chemically defined, serum-free medium supplemented with hormones and nutrients. Such media can maintain viability and near neutral protein balance in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells, in part because of reduced breakdown of cellular protein. We then compared rates of protein degradation in these quiescent but not starving cells, to those of cultures stimulated to grow by addition of mitogenic substances. Platelet-derived growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, or fetuin added to insulin-containing medium stimulated growth of smooth muscle cells, but further reduced protein breakdown only slightly. Contrary to the implications of certain previous studies, our results show that proliferating cells can accumulate protein without an appieciable reduction in the rates of protein breakdown. Thus, while accelerated proteolysis appears to be an important adaptation to adverse nutritional conditions, growth of smooth muscle cells does, not require changes in overall protein breakdown, but occurs primarily through an increase in protein synthesis.
Run-time allocation of buffer resources for maximizing video clip quality in a wireless last-hop system

The transmission of digital video over wireless channels faces many problems common Io both wired and wireless networks such as bandwidth and buffer restrictions and low energy constraints, together with problems unique to wireless technologies such as extreme and rapidly varying channel noise. In this paper, we focus on enabling (he wireless communication of video clips despite the noisy and dynamic nature of wireless channels. Many efforts have been made in the past to increase the error resiliency of compressed video, but these approaches have not considered the effects of buffering on the received video quality. Traditional buffering (where a "sliding window" of the next few frames is kept in the buffer at all times), while useful for overcoming latency jitter, cannot be used Io guarantee against poor video quality and stalls due to wireless channel fluctuations. To help overcome the weaknesses of traditional buffering, we introduced out-of-order buffering (ORBit), a method for selecting important frames from throughout a video clip and buffering them before playback begins. ORBit can lead to significant gains in video quality despite variations in the wireless channel during the communication of a video clip, but requires the judicious selection of ORBit frames, with their corresponding quantization and channel coding levels. To enable run-time selection of ORBit frames, we introduce a fast video distortion estimation technique. Using our estimation technique, we present an ORBiI decision algorithm that selects ORBit frames depending on the wireless technology and end-user appliance constraints. Using the ORBit has to wait for a few seconds before the video display begins. During decision algorithm, significant gains of up to 9 dB in video quality are obtained.
Freehand MRI-guided preoperative needle localization of breast lesions after MRI-guided vacuum-assisted core needle biopsy without marker placement.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided preoperative needle localization (PNL) of breast lesions previously sampled by MRI-guided vacuum-assisted core needle biopsy (VACNB) without marker placement. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 15 women with 16 breast lesions undergoing MRI-guided VACNB without marker placement who subsequently underwent MRI-guided PNL, both on an open 0.5T magnet using freehand techniques. Mammograms and specimen radiographs were rated for lesion visibility; MRI images were rated for lesion visibility and hematoma formation. Imaging findings were correlated with pathology. Results: The average prebiopsy lesion size was 16 mm (range 4–50 mm) with 13/16 lesions located in mammographically dense breasts. Eight hematomas formed during VACNB (average size 13 mm, range 8–19 mm). PNL was performed for VACNB pathologies of cancer (5), high-risk lesions (5), or benign but discordant findings (6) at 2–78 days following VACNB. PNL targeted the lesion (2), hematoma (4), or surrounding breast architecture (10). Wire placement was successful in all 16 lesions. Final pathology showed six cancers, five high-risk lesions, and five benign findings. Conclusion: MRI-guided PNL is successful in removing lesions that have previously undergone VACNB without marker placement by targeting the residual lesion, hematoma, or surrounding breast architecture, even in mammographically dense breasts. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effectiveness of Mechanical Endovascular Thrombectomy in a Model System of Cerebrovascular Occlusion

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A number of thrombectomy devices are currently undergoing clinical evaluation; meanwhile, various novel devices are under investigation. The aims of this study were to quantify flow restoration and the particle size distribution of the effluent pursuant to MET in an in vitro occlusion model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The model system was composed of 3 elements: an ICA/MCA replica, a clot model with mechanical properties similar to those of thrombi found in patients at risk of stroke, and a pulsatile flow loop. Different thrombectomy mechanisms including mechanical retrieval, aspiration, and waveguide induced cavitation were used. The efficacy end points were recanalization rate and amount of flow restoration. The risk of the embolic shower was assessed to evaluate device safety. RESULTS: The recanalization rates were the following: Merci, 67%; Solitaire, 100%; Penumbra, 83%; Enterprise, 17%; and the waveguide, 0%. In experiments in which recanalization was achieved, the amount of flow restoration for the Merci, Solitaire, and Enterprise devices was 100%, 92%, and 86%, respectively. The mean sizes of generated small and large clot fragments were between 23 and 37 and 215 and 285 μm, respectively, depending on the device used. The Merci device generated the fewest number of large fragments compared with the Penumbra system ( P CONCLUSIONS: The risk of embolic shower was influenced by the mechanism of action for the thrombectomy device. Clinically reported recanalization rates for the Solitaire, Penumbra, and Merci devices were nearly identical in this model system, suggesting that this model may provide a predictive tool for preclinical evaluation of MET.
SU(3) Symmetry Scheme, A Review

This review is intended for non-experts (experimentalists, students, etc.) as an introduction to the applications of group theory to strong interactions. It contains no new results nor is it a complete survey of the field. The analogy, both formal and philosophical, with isospin invariance and charge independence is emphasized. The paper briefly reviews the elements of group theory and then, as an example, discusses the isospin group. Rank two groups in general, SU (3) in particular, are then discussed. The connection to physics is made through the identification of the basis vectors of the different group representations with physical states. i.e. particles. The concept of U-spin is introduced to derive some dynamic predictions of the model. The violation of SU (3) invariance is then discussed. The mass formulae, relating the medium-strong and electromagnetic splittings within a multiplet, are derived to first order. The extension of SU (3) symmetry to weak interactions is briefly discussed.
Reflections on Leading and Learning for Change An Introduction

This essay summarizes the key themes of each article in this special issue of Education and Urban Society and addresses complimentary issues raised within the articles. Each article addresses an important issue facing school leaders—perennially low-performing schools, enacting instructional leadership in the face of accountability, the district's role in school improvement, and effective practices of instruction and assessment. Together they suggest that leading school improvement is more than the process of leading pedagogical adoptions, professional development, or making sound decisions. They also suggest that leading in low-performing schools requires sustained attention to both the people within the system and the context in which the system operates.
The Variation of a Midwest Catholic University's Drug Use Pattern from Other Catholic University Findings: Why?

For over a decade, survey studies concerning drug use and college students have portrayed a significantly lower pattern of drug use by students attending Catholic controlled universities than other university types. In the spring of 1972 the author conducted a study of the undergraduates of a large Midwest Catholic University to assess various aspects of its drug scene. The involvement with drugs, especially marijuana, on this campus departed substantially from the usual Catholic control-low drug use nexus. The discussion presents a description of this departure and suggests that certain demographic and social characteristics of this Midwest Catholic University, when interacting, suffice to offset the religious control and religiosity influences that usually effect the low drug use-religious control nexus.
Smoothly approximated support vector domain description

Support vector domain description (SVDD) is a well-known tool for pattern analysis when only positive examples are reliable. The SVDD model is often fitted by solving a quadratic programming problem, which is time consuming. This paper attempts to fit SVDD in the primal form directly. However, the primal objective function of SVDD is not differentiable which prevents the well-behaved gradient based optimization methods from being applicable. As such, we propose to approximate the primal objective function of SVDD by a differentiable function, and a conjugate gradient method is applied to minimize the smoothly approximated objective function. Extensive experiments on pattern classification were conducted, and compared to the quadratic programming based SVDD, the proposed approach is much more computationally efficient and yields similar classification performance on these problems. HighlightsSmoothly approximates the objective function of support vector domain description.Gradient based optimization method could be applied to the smoothed model.The proposed algorithms have asymptotic training complexity ( n 2 ) .The algorithm is easy to implement, without requiring any optimization package.
Aging of the Immune System Across Different Species

Aging of the immune system, called immunosenescence, has been linked to reduced ability to resist infection, and increased mortality and morbidity from infectious diseases, which consistently rank in the top five causes of death in the old age, even in industrial societies. This review summarizes our knowledge about the evolution of the innate and adaptive immune systems in light of the longevity of the organism, as well as the current state of our understanding of age-related changes in each of the arms of the immune system in various model organisms. It is clear that adaptive immunity, which we propose evolved as an essential function that provides longevity, eventually erodes in the old age. The jury is still out as to whether innate immunity undergoes a similar decay, whether it stays the same, or whether, perhaps, it is able to compensate for the loss of adaptive immune function.