cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bariatric surgery-induced weight loss changes immune markers in the endometrium of morbidly obese women.

Abstract Background Obesity has been linked to abnormal estrogen regulation, endometrial hyperplasia, and endometrial cancer (EC). Our group has shown that hormone receptor expression profiles in the endometria of morbidly obese women change with weight loss, in some cases concordantly with resolving hyperplasia; however other potential drivers of neoplasia, including altered immunologic tolerance exist. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of bariatric surgery induced weight loss on the expression patterns of nonhormone receptor biomarkers associated with cancer and immunity. Methods Endometrial biopsies were obtained from 59 asymptomatic, morbidly obese women at the time of bariatric surgery and again 1 year postsurgery. Tissue microarrays were created and immunohistochemical stains for CD3, CD20, and PTEN were performed on all samples and evaluated by 2 blinded pathologists independently. Approximately 50% of participants had sufficient tissue for analysis at both visits. McNemar/Bowker tests of symmetry were performed to compare proportions between categories for matched pairs (pre- and post-treatment). Results Endometrial hyperplasia was identified in 4 women despite negative clinical histories and resolution of hyperplasia after weight loss occurred in 3 women. While overall no significant differences were observed between matched pre and postsurgery levels of CD20 and CD3 positive cells, a tendency toward decreased expression levels from baseline status was observed for CD20. No differences were observed for PTEN. Conclusion Our data demonstrate that the prevalence of endometrial pathology appears to be partially mitigated by weight loss. Weight loss is associated with alterations in the hormone receptor profiles, but these data suggest that changes in the immune response, as measure be expression of CD20+, may be relevant targets for EC prevention research.
An analysis of connectivity and function in hippocampal associative memory

Abstract We discuss effects of realistically dilute connectivity on a neural network previously proposed as a model of hippocampal associative memory. Several criteria for setting neuronal activation thresholds are studied. Even with optimal thresholding, dilution induces a substantial information loss in stored patterns compared to presented patterns. Consequently, a stricter constraint than previous ones arises on the model's storage capacity. Furthermore, we argue that such constraints depend sensitively on the specific, subjective criteria chosen for storage quality. We thus propose that additional performance measures be considered. In particular, the relationship between firing rates of original and attractor patterns is discussed.
The baker-hughes gastrointestinal biopsy tube

A total of 236 gastric and small-intestine specimens have been obtained from 68 patients on 85 occasions with the Baker-Hughes multiple-retrieving gastro-intestinal biopsy tube. The biopsy technic was the same as that originally described with only a few modifications which are presented. Thirty-five gastric specimens were obtained from 19 patients. In each case, the amount of tissue was adequate. Two hundred and one small-intestine specimens were obtained from 62 patients, and tissue for histologic examination was adequate in 193. Although functioning on hydraulic principles, the Baker-Hughes biopsy tube requires no specialized pumping apparatus for delivery of the tissue and, therefore, has the advantages of economy and simplicity of operation. On 5 of the 85 occasions we have used the Baker-Hughes multiple-retrieving biopsy tube, there have been complications: 2 patients had bleeding and 3 had a “postbiopsy syndrome.”
Influence of excess adiposity on exercise fitness and performance in overweight children and adolescents.

Objective. Relatively little is known about how excess body mass affects adolescents9 capacity to perform sustained exercise. We hypothesized that most of the difficulty that severely overweight adolescents have with sustained exercise occurs because the metabolic costs of moving excess mass result in use of a high proportion of their total oxygen reserve. Methods. We compared results from a maximal cycle ergometry fitness test in 129 severely overweight adolescents who had BMIs of 41.5 ± 9.7 kg/m 2 and ages of 14.5 ± 1.8 years (range: 12.1–17.8 years) and 34 nonoverweight adolescents who had BMIs of 20.1 ± 2.9 kg/m 2 and ages of 14.5 ± 1.5 years (range: 12.0–18.1 years). Oxygen uptake (Vo 2 ) was compared at 3 times: during a 4-minute period of unloaded cycling (ULVo 2 ), at the lactate threshold estimated by gas exchange (LTVo 2 ), and at maximal exertion (Vo 2 max). Heart rate was obtained at rest and at Vo 2 max. Participants also completed a 12-minute walk/run performance test to obtain distance traveled (D12) and heart rate. Results. Absolute LTVo 2 and Vo 2 max and LTVo 2 as a percentage of Vo 2 max were not different in overweight and nonoverweight adolescents during the cycle test. However, absolute ULVo 2 was significantly greater in overweight adolescents: ULVo 2 accounted for 35 ± 8% of Vo 2 max (and 63 ± 15% of LTVo 2 ) in overweight adolescents but only 20 ± 5% of Vo 2 max (and 39 ± 12% of LTVo 2 ) in nonoverweight adolescents. Resting heart rate before initiating the cycle test was significantly greater in overweight than nonoverweight adolescents (94 ± 14 vs 82 ± 15 beats per minute). However, maximal heart rate during the cycle test was significantly lower in overweight adolescents (186 ± 13 vs 196 ± 11 beats per minute). During the walk/run test, mean D12 was significantly shorter for overweight than for nonoverweight adolescents (1983 ± 323 vs 1159 ± 194 m). D12 was negatively related to BMI SDS ( r = −0.81) and to ULVo 2 ( r = −0.98). Discussion. Overweight and nonoverweight adolescents had similar absolute Vo 2 at the lactate threshold and at maximal exertion, suggesting that overweight adolescents are more limited by the increased cardiorespiratory effort required to move their larger body mass through space than by cardiorespiratory deconditioning. The higher percentage of oxygen consumed during submaximal exercise indicates that overweight adolescents are burdened by the metabolic cost of their excess mass. Their greater oxygen demand during an unloaded task predicted poorer performance during sustained exercise. Exercise prescriptions for overweight adolescents should account for the limited exercise tolerance imposed by excess body mass, focusing on activities that keep demands below lactate threshold so that exercise can be sustained.
Renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with acute renal failure: does a greater dose improve survival?

Renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with acute renal failure: does a greater dose improve survival?
Extending augmented reality with natural feature tracking

In traditional vision-based Augmented Reality tracking system, artificially-designed fiducials have been used as camera tracking primitives. The 3D positions of these fiducials should be pre-calibrated, which imposes limitations in ranges of tracking view. Fortunately, the advance of computer vision technologies combined with new point position estimation technology enable natural features to be detected, and calibrated to be used as camera tracking primitives. This paper describes how these technologies are used to track in an unprepared environment for Augmented Reality.
Patterns of suicide among Mexican Americans and Anglos, 1960-1980.

Little is known about suicidal behavior among Mexican Americans, the second largest and most rapidly growing ethnic group in the United States. This paper reports trends in suicide rates for Mexican Americans and Anglos in Bexar County (San Antonio), Texas, over a 20-year period of time. Results show that suicide rates for Mexican Americans of both sexes are substantially lower than those for Anglos from 1960 to 1980. Suicide rates for both ethnic groups increased over time, but rates for Ang los increased more than rates for Mexican Americans. Unique aspects of Mexican American culture are offered to explain the findings.
Analysis of single-unit firing patterns in multi-unit intrafascicular recordings

A system for extracting single-unit activity patterns from multi-unit neural recordings was tested using real and simulated neural data. The system provided reliable estimates of firing frequency for individual units in simulated multi-unit data and allowed reliable determinations of the responses of individual cutaneous mechanoreceptor units to ‘natural’ stimuli such as brushing or pressing on the skin. An implementation of the system, which operated online and in real time, was used to obtain estimates of multiple, single-unit responses from multi-unit intrafascicular electrode recordings. The pattern of activity across the population of units in a given recording gave a reliable indication of the type of stimulus that had evoked the activity. It was concluded that this system, used in combination with intrafascicular peripheral nerve recordings, could be used to provide online, real-time information about peripheral stimuli.
A tree-based statistical language model for natural language speech recognition

The problem of predicting the next word a speaker will say, given the words already spoken; is discussed. Specifically, the problem is to estimate the probability that a given word will be the next word uttered. Algorithms are presented for automatically constructing a binary decision tree designed to estimate these probabilities. At each node of the tree there is a yes/no question relating to the words already spoken, and at each leaf there is a probability distribution over the allowable vocabulary. Ideally, these nodal questions can take the form of arbitrarily complex Boolean expressions, but computationally cheaper alternatives are also discussed. Some results obtained on a 5000-word vocabulary with a tree designed to predict the next word spoken from the preceding 20 words are included. The tree is compared to an equivalent trigram model and shown to be superior. >
Range correlation and I/Q performance benefits in single-chip silicon Doppler radars for noncontact cardiopulmonary monitoring

Direct-conversion microwave Doppler-radar transceivers have been fully integrated in 0.25-/spl mu/m silicon CMOS and BiCMOS technologies. These chips, operating at 1.6 and 2.4 GHz, have detected movement due to heartbeat and respiration 50 cm from the subject, which may be useful in infant and adult apnea monitoring. The range-correlation effect on residual phase noise is a critical factor when detecting small phase fluctuations with a high-phase-noise on-chip oscillator. Phase-noise reduction due to range correlation was experimentally evaluated, and the measured residual phase noise was within 5 dB of predicted values on average. In a direct-conversion receiver, the phase relationship between the received signal and the local oscillator has a significant effect on the demodulation sensitivity, and the null points can be avoided with a quadrature (I/Q) receiver. In this paper, measurements that highlight the performance benefits of an I/Q receiver are presented. While the accuracy of the heart rate measured with the single-channel chip ranges from 40% to 100%, depending on positioning, the quadrature chip accuracy is always better than 80%.
Doppler-Bearing Tracking in the Presence of Observer Location Error

This paper investigates the Doppler-bearing tracking problem in the presence of random observer position error at one or two active observers. We first derive the CRLBs for the target and observer location parameters when the noise is Gaussian. The CRLB results indicate that the observer position uncertainty always leads to degradation in the target location estimation accuracy in both the two-observer and single-observer tracking scenarios. In the two-observer case, the Doppler-bearing measurements may be able to improve the observer positions while in the single-observer case, they cannot. This paper then studies the MSE of the target parameter estimate when the observer positions are assumed accurate but in fact have error. We show that for the two-observer case, the MSE is larger than the CRLB of the target parameter vector and thus, it is necessary for an algorithm to take the observer position error into account to achieve the optimum performance. On the other hand, for the single-observer case, the MSE is identical to the CRLB, indicating that the identification of the observer position can be eliminated without sacrificing the estimation accuracy of the target position. Simulations confirm the theoretical results.
Leadership style and role differentiation as determinants of group effectiveness.

Summary All-male and all-female groups discussed a case history and provided a statement of their analysis of the case The relationship between leadership style, as measured by Fiedler's Least Preferred Co-worker (LPC) instrument, and task effectiveness (quality of the statement) was investigated for both the top task contributor and the best-liked member of the group LPC of the top task contributor did not relate to task effectiveness. In the role-differentiated groups, LPC of the best-liked member related positively to task effectiveness in the male groups (p < .05) and negatively in the female groups (p < .01) For the male groups, questionnaire data were consistent with the interpretation that the relationship between LPC of the best-liked member and task effectiveness was mediated by the ability of the high-LPC best-liked member to reduce interpersonal tension that interfered with task effectiveness. LPC of die best-liked member of the female groups was related to intermember attraction LPC did not affect role recruitment.
Clinical implications of human population differences in genome-wide rates of functional genotypes

There have been a number of recent successes in the use of whole genome sequencing and sophisticated bioinformatics techniques to identify pathogenic DNA sequence variants responsible for individual idiopathic congenital conditions. However, the success of this identification process is heavily influenced by the ancestry or genetic background of a patient with an idiopathic condition. This is so because potential pathogenic variants in a patient’s genome must be contrasted with variants in a reference set of genomes made up of other individuals’ genomes of the same ancestry as the patient. We explored the effect of ignoring the ancestries of both an individual patient and the individuals used to construct reference genomes. We pursued this exploration in two major steps. We first considered variation in the per-genome number and rates likely functional derived (i.e., non-ancestral, based on the chimp genome) single nucleotide variants and small indels in 52 individual whole human genomes sampled from 10 different global populations. We took advantage of a suite of computational and bioinformatics techniques to predict the functional effect of over 24 million genomic variants, both coding and non-coding, across these genomes. We found that the typical human genome harbors ~5.5-6.1 million total derived variants, of which ~12,000 are likely to have a functional effect (~5000 coding and ~7000 non-coding). We also found that the rates of functional genotypes per the total number of genotypes in individual whole genomes differ dramatically between human populations. We then created tables showing how the use of comparator or reference genome panels comprised of genomes from individuals that do not have the same ancestral background as a patient can negatively impact pathogenic variant identification. Our results have important implications for clinical sequencing initiatives.
Cancer risks and Native Americans: The ‘Healthy Living In Two Worlds’ study

Objective:This project collected data on cancer risk factors among urban Native American youth in the northeast to inform development of a prevention initiative.Design:Face to face interviews were conducted.Setting:Interviews were conducted in homes, at a social service agency, and in a private space at a Native American cultural event in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New York.Methods:Forty-one youth (ages 9–13) and 17 caregivers were interviewed about their health behaviours.Results:Poor dietary choices and a sedentary lifestyle places these youth at risk for developing cancer later in life. Many of these youth’s family members and some of their peers smoke, thus exposing them to the temptation to initiate smoking and the effects of second hand smoke.Conclusion:This data informed development of a curriculum designed to reduce the cancer risk factors of poor diet, recreational tobacco use, and limited physical activity.
The hazardous multigrounded neutral distribution system and dangerous stray currents

The multigrounded neutral system is the predominant electrical distribution system used in the United States. It permits an uncontrolled amount of electric current to flow over the earth unrestrained, posing the potential of harm to the public and to animals causing electric shocks and is presumed responsible for undetected electrocutions. To compound the problem of uncontrolled current over the earth, utility practices places harmful current from lightning strokes directly into customers homes. As today's electrical loads continue to escalate, more current is forced into and over the earth. The question electrical engineers and the public must answer is what is the acceptable safe level, if any, of the passage of uncontrolled flow of electrical current over the earth and into our homes, office buildings and industrial facilities. The decisions to "save money" by the adoption of the multigrounded neutral electrical distribution system outweighed the public's safety are disclosed in this paper and the electrical distributions systems that are safe are presented. The history of the development of the multigrounded neutral distribution system is covered. Examples of the dangers associated with the multigrounded neutral distribution system and the ungrounded distribution system are disclosed. The methods of converting these dangerous and hazardous distribution systems into safer systems are presented.
The SNAP45 subunit of the small nuclear RNA (snRNA) activating protein complex is required for RNA polymerase II and III snRNA gene transcription and interacts with the TATA box binding protein

The RNA polymerase II and III small nuclear RNA (snRNA) promoters contain a common basal promoter element, the proximal sequence element (PSE). The PSE binds a multisubunit complex we refer to as the snRNA activating protein complex (SNAPc). At least four polypeptides are visible in purified SNAPc preparations, which migrate with apparent molecular masses of 43, 45, 50, and 190 kDa on SDS/polyacrylamide gels. In addition, purified preparations of SNAPc contain variable amounts of TATA box binding protein (TBP). An important question is whether the PSEs of RNA polymerase II and III snRNA promoters recruit the exact same SNAP complex or slightly different versions of SNAPc, differing, for example, by the presence or absence of a subunit. To address this question, we are isolating cDNAs encoding different subunits of SNAPc. We have previously isolated the cDNA encoding the 43-kDa subunit SNAP43. We now report the isolation of the cDNA that encodes the p45 polypeptide. Antibodies directed against p45 retard the mobility of the SNAPc-PSE complex in an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, indicating that p45 is indeed part of SNAPc. We therefore refer to this protein as SNAP45. SNAP45 is exceptionally proline-rich, interacts strongly with TBP, and, like SNAP43, is required for both RNA polymerase II and III transcription of snRNA genes.
IMPORTANCE OF SPATIAL SCALE AND PREY MOVEMENTS IN PREDATOR CAGING EXPERIMENTS

Field experiments involving local manipulations of predator densities are an important tool for studying the role of predation in natural communities. I use mathematical models to investigate how treatment effects should vary with the size of the area manipulated in open predation experiments, i.e., in studies that allow prey to migrate in and out from experimental units. The most general result is that the influence of prey movements on prey densities decreases with increasing spatial scale of an experiment, while the effect of predation rate is independent of scale. Thus, the results seen in small-scale experiments tend to reflect prey movements, while the effects seen in large-scale experiments are due mainly to predator-related mortality. If predation rates are spatially variable (e.g., the habitat consists of refuge patches and predator-rich patches) the problem becomes more complex, because movement rates influ- ence predation rates. Movements that are independent of predator density can swamp the effects of predation mortality in small-scale experiments. However, in larger scale exper- iments, the effect of movements is to increase the predation rate. This is because a larger proportion of the prey is exposed to predators at high movement rates. Predators can also affect local densities through effects on prey behavior. If prey increase movement rates out from predator patches, this will lead to increased treatment effects in small-scale experiments. In contrast, the result of such behaviors is to decrease treatment effects in large-scale experiments, because most prey will be in refuge patches and predation rates will be low. Alternatively, sometimes predators cause prey to decrease activity when close to a predator. This kind of behavioral response leads to decreased treatment effects in small-scale experiments. If the response is strong, the result can even be a reversed effect, i.e., reduced movements out from predator cages lead to increased prey densities in such cages. I argue that the effect of this type of behavior in large-scale experiments should also be to decrease treatment effects. This is because predation rates are usually low on inactive prey. However, freezing behaviors cannot lead to reversed predator effects on a large scale.
Naloxone in cardiac arrest with suspected opioid overdoses.

Abstract Introduction Naloxone's use in cardiac arrest has been of recent interest, stimulated by conflicting results in both human case reports and animal studies demonstrating antiarrhythmic and positive ionotropic effects. We hypothesized that naloxone administration during cardiac arrest, in suspected opioid overdosed patients, is associated with a change in cardiac rhythm. Methods From a database of 32,544 advanced life support (ALS) emergency medical dispatches between January 2003 and December 2007, a retrospective chart review was completed of patients receiving naloxone in cardiac arrest. Forty-two patients in non-traumatic cardiac arrest were identified. Each patient received naloxone because of suspicion by a paramedic of acute opioid use. Results Fifteen of the 36 (42%) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 26–58) patients in cardiac arrest who received naloxone in the pre-hospital setting had an improvement in electrocardiogram (EKG) rhythm. Of the participants who responded to naloxone, 47% (95% CI: 21–72) (19% [95% CI: 7–32] of all study subjects) demonstrated EKG rhythm changes immediately following the administration of naloxone. Discussion Although we cannot support the routine use of naloxone during cardiac arrest, we recommend its administration with any suspicion of opioid use. Due to low rates of return of spontaneous circulation and survival during cardiac arrest, any potential intervention leading to rhythm improvement is a reasonable treatment modality.
Automated 3D Face authentication & recognition

This paper presents a fully automated 3D face authentication (verification) and recognition (identification) method and recent results from our work in this area. The major contributions of our paper are: (a) the method can handle data with different facial expressions including hair, upper body, clothing, etc. and (b) development of weighted features for discrimination. The input to our system is a triangular mesh and it outputs a matching % against a gallery. Our method includes both surface and curve based features that are automatically extracted from a given face data. The test set for authentication consisted of 117 different people with 421 scans including different facial expressions. Our study shows equal error rate (EER) at 0.065% for normal faces and 1.13% in faces with expressions. We report verification rates of 100% in normal faces and 93.12% in faces with expressions at 0.1% FAR. For identification, our experiment shows 100% rate in normal faces and 95.6% in faces with expressions. From our experiment we conclude that combining feature points, profile curve, and partial face surface matching gives better authentication and recognition rate than any single matching method.
New Technologies, New Possibilities for the Arts and Multimodality in English Language Arts

This article discusses the arts, multimodality, and new technologies in English language arts. It then turns to the example of the illuminated text—a multimodal book report consisting of animated text, music, and images—to consider how art, multimodality, and technology can work together to support students’ reading of literature and inspire their creativity. Illuminated texts are also discussed in terms of teaching considerations and alignment to Common Core State Standards. This project demonstrates that with new technologies come new possibilities for the arts and multimodality in English language arts.
Coagulation studies in the newborn infant. II. Erythroblastosis fetalis.

Determinations of the whole blood clotting time, prothrombin concentration, protamine titration, platelet count, and clot lysis were done on 10 infants with erythroblastosis fetalis on the first, third and fifth days of life. On the first day of life the average whole blood clotting time was 27 minutes as compared to an average of 14 minutes in the normal infant. The protamine titration was increased beyond normal adult values in 60% of the infants as compared with 23% of normal infants. The prothrombin concentration was comparable to that of the normal infant. Eight of these infants received replacement transfusions and repeat determinations of the above factors immediately after transfusion showed a return to normal of the protamine titration. Heparin sensitivity tests done on three of the treated infants before and after transfusion were essentially normal. On the third day of life the average whole blood clotting time was 10½ minutes in the treated infants as contrasted with 25 minutes in the normal infant. Protamine titrations were normal in all infants. The average prothrombin concentration was 77% as compared with 65% in the normal three day infant. On the fifth day of life all determinations were normal except for those from three infants who had increased protamine titrations.
Diffusion of new technology in health care: the case of aorto-iliac occlusive disease.

Background The objective of the current study was to characterize temporal trends in the treatment of aorto-iliac occlusive disease (AIOD) and the impact of the introduction of less invasive therapy on overall intervention rates. Methods Patients with diagnostic codes for AIOD, and procedure codes for aortofemoral bypass (AFB) or iliac artery angioplasty and stenting were selected from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for 1996 to 2000. Utilization rates of both intervention types were determined. Outcome variables including in-hospital mortality and duration of stay were assessed. Results The rate of iliac artery angioplasty and stenting increased 850%, from 0.4 to 3.4 cases per 100,000 adults (P Conclusions Iliac artery angioplasty and stenting has rapidly gained a large market share in the treatment of AIOD. Acceptable clinical outcomes have likely lowered the threshold for treatment and contributed to the rapid diffusion of this technology for the treatment of AIOD.
Statistical genetics of normal variation in family data for oligogenic diseases

A quadrivariate quantitative genetic analysis detected significant heritabilities for four simulated quantitative traits (Q1-Q4) with additive genetic pleiotropy between traits Q1, Q2, and Q3. Using univariate segregation analysis, we tentatively detected five major loci: one each for Q2, Q3, and Q4 and two, at different maxima, for Q1. Bivariate one-locus segregation analysis identified significant major locus pleiotropy for Q1, Q2, and Q3 only; and suggested identity between one of Q1's major genes and that for Q2, and between the second Q1 major gene and that for Q3. Patterns of linkage, supportive of inferences from the bivariate segregation analyses, were detected between three candidate genes and the major genes for Q1, Q2 and Q4. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Gastric Electrical Stimulation for Gastroparesis

Background Recently, gastric electrical stimulation (GES) has been used to treat gastroparesis. This study analyzes a cohort of gastroparetic patients after GES. Study Design All patients undergoing GES from October 2003 to July 2007 were included. Pre- and postoperative assessments were performed for frequency and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms and gastric retention. The values were compared using a paired t -test for patients at 6 and 12 months. Statistical significance was defined as p Results Fifty gastroparetic patients were enrolled (20 diabetic, 25 idiopathic, 2 postsurgical, and 3 connective tissue disorder patients). All patients underwent laparoscopic implantation with GES (Medtronic, Inc). Median followup was 28 months (range 3 to 51 months). Thirty-five patients were available for followup at 6 months, and 30 patients were available at 12 months. The total symptom severity score (19.05±8.04) decreased significantly at 6 months (12.92±7.41, p Conclusions Gastroparetic symptoms at 6 months were improved and sustained at 12 months after GES. Gastric emptying at 2 hours was reduced significantly after GES. Longterm followup of this cohort is required to confirm the short-term effects of GES.
Tracking of Human Body Joints using Anthropometry

We propose a novel approach for tracking of human joints based on anthropometric constraints. A human is modeled as a pictorial structure consisting of body landmarks (joints) and corresponding links between them. Anthropometric constraints relate the landmarks of two persons if they are in the same posture. Given a test video, where an actor performs the same action as in a model video, and joint locations in the model video, anthropometric constraints are used to determine the epipolar lines, where the potential joint locations are searched in the test video. The edge templates around joints and related links are used to locate joints in the test video. The performance of this method is demonstrated on several different human actions.
Quantifying Criticality of Dependability-Related IT Organization Processes in CobiT

With ever-growing complexity of computer and communication systems analytical methods do not scale, especially with respect to dependability assessment of information technology (IT) organization. Generic reference models can be used as an alternative to analytical approaches by focusing on transforming qualitative assessment into quantitative evaluation of IT organization. In this paper, we examine the reference models IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and the Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology (CobiT) to derive a quantifiable concept for estimating the criticality of dependability-related IT organization processes in CobiT. After systematically analyzing ITIL processes and deriving properties that are relevant to dependability, those processes are mapped onto CobiT processes. Furthermore, we propose a process criticality index (PCI) which reflects the significance of each dependability-related process within a particular reference model. The PCI is based on the graph theory concept of betweenness centrality and uses a directed graph where nodes represent dependability-related processes and edges relations among them. Finally, using cycle and sequence analysis we are able to identify for every process which processes have to be implemented a priori. This provides an efficient strategy for implementing most significant processes first, according to the ranking based on the PCI.
The B-meson andT-violation in radiative π decay

It is shown that Kim and Primakoff’s suggestion that second-class axial vector currents are present in the semi-leptonic weak Hamiltonian leads toT-violating effects in π+→l+vlγ. Using Maiani’s model for these currents and dominating them by the B-meson, we estimate the size of possibleT-violating effects. Theoretical predictions are compared with current experimental evidence.
Regulation of Luteinizing Hormone/Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Receptor Expression: A Perspective

The LH/hCG receptor, a member of the G protein coupled receptor family mediates the cellular actions of LH in the ovary. A considerable amount of information regarding its structure, mechanism of activation, and regulation of expression has emerged in recent years. Here we provide a brief overview of the current information on the structural organization of the receptor and the mechanism of receptor mediated signaling as well as an in-depth discussion on recent developments pertaining to the regulation of receptor expression. Specifically, we describe studies from our laboratory showing that the posttranscriptional regulation of the receptor involves an LH/hCG receptor mRNA-binding protein. We also propose a model to explain the loss of steady-state LH/hCG receptor mRNA levels during receptor down-regulation.
The International Law on Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution: Making It Live Up to its Potential

A wide array of international legal norms applies to the trafficking in women and children for prostitution. The subject cuts across several categories of rights. Trafficking implicates civil and political rights, including freedom of movement, the right to be free from cruel and degrading treatment, and the right to be free from slavery and slavery-like practices. Trafficking is also deeply connected to the deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights. Though a number of treaties and UN resolutions address trafficking, it is apparent that there is a wealth of words on paper but a glaring lack of enforcement. This situation is due in large part to substantive and structural weaknesses in the relevant instruments, as well as to powerful economic and social forces and a corresponding lack of political will. The anti-trafficking measures, after all, are aimed at protecting one of the most marginalized populations in the world, a population from which many individuals and even national economies profit. Both treaty law and UN Charter-based human rights mechanisms offer advocates opportunities to press for the implementation of the prohibition of trafficking in people for prostitution. This article provides an overview and analysis of these treaties and mechanisms. Though many of them are weak, some have the ability to generate pressure and help create the political will necessary for change. The article first discusses international treaties on trafficking and slavery, as well as the relevant ILO treaties. Next, the UN human rights treaties are addressed, followed by discussion of UN Charter-based mechanisms, and the "soft law" on trafficking. The article concludes by recommending which mechanisms would be of the most use in making the international law against trafficking for prostitution live up to its potential.
The Popular and Scientific Nomenclature of the Elm Spanworm, Ennomos subsignarius (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

Ennomos subsignarius (Hubner), the elm spanworm, appears to have been noticed first by Abbot in Georgia in the late 18th century. The adult stage was first described in 1823 by Hubner, although the date 1806 is universally cited in the literature. Harris described all stages of the insect in 1855 and proposed the name Geometra niveosericearia. Contemporary sources inaccurately credit Jones with the authorship of this synonym. Eudalimia, Erannis, and Eugonia have been used variously as generic names for subsignarius, in addition to Ennomos. The most frequently used common names for this lepidopteron are “measure worm,” “snow-white linden moth,” and “elm spanworm.” Their origin, stability, and significance are discussed.
Organometallic Chemical Vapor Deposition of Gaas Using Novel Organometallic Precursors

The goals of the research are the design and synthesis of a new class of precursor compounds for III/V compound semiconductor materials, growth of films with these precursors and developoment of an understanding of the relationships between precursor structure, film growth reactions and film properties. Conventional OMCVD of III/V compound materials has a number of inherent safety and processing problems associated with the group III alkyl and group V hydride sources. Our approach to these problems is the synthesis of a single precursor with a fixed III:V stoichiometry and a direct two center, two electron sigma III V bond., These, compounds have the general formula,[R2M(R 2 E)] 2 and R2M(R 2 E) 2M R2 (MM = Al, Ga, In; E=P, As; R, R = alkyl, aryl). The III V bond in these compounds is stronger than the other bonds and the minium deposition temperature can be controlled by employing subsituents that undergo facile hydrocarbon elimination. A typical example is the use of [Me 2Ga(µ t Bu 2 As)] 2 as the single source for GaAs films. The organometallic precursor is a solid crystalline powder which is maintained at 130°C to generate enough vapor for OMCVD. Typical film growth conditions involve the use of H2 or He as the carrier gas, substrate temperatures of 500 to 700°C, and a total system pressure of 0.0002 Torr. GaAs(100), Si(100) (As doped 30 off toward (011) and quartz have been used as substrates. Film composition has been established with XPS. The Ga 3d, As 3d, and C ls signals at 18.8, 40.9, and 284.6 eV, respectively, reveal the films to be 1:1 Ga:As and void of carbon. The carbon levels are less than 1000 ppm. X ray diffraction and SEM results suggest polycrystalline GaAs on quartz and epitaxial GaAs on GaAs(100) and Si(100). (2 K) photoluminescence measurements on GaAs, grown on semi insulating GaAs(100) and Si doped GaAs(0 100) at 570 C. produce PL signals indicating that crystalline domains are present, the measurements indicate degeneratively n doped material and show that good Ga:As ratios and low levels (ca. 1 ppm) of impurities are present. Growth rates:∼ 1.0 mm/hour.
Nanoscale Solvation Leads to Spontaneous Formation of a Bicarbonate Monolayer on Rutile (110) under Ambient Conditions: Implications for CO2 Photoreduction

The chemical state of a catalyst in operando is particularly important for catalysts that target minority species, such as atmospheric CO2 which has a concentration of only 400 ppm. A reaction can be promoted by the selective binding of reactants or hindered by molecules that block active sites. We show that adsorbed CO2, a very weakly bonded species on TiO2, is unlikely to play the key role in CO2 photoreduction under ambient conditions, at least on rutile (110), as the vast majority of unsaturated Ti sites are terminated by a different, much more strongly bound carbonaceous species: adsorbed bicarbonate (HCO3). Using a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and surface spectroscopies, we show that atmospheric CO2 readily and stably displaces adsorbed H2O on rutile (110), creating a self-assembled monolayer of HCO3 and H that is stable at room temperature even in vacuum. This reaction occurs on near-ideal, stoichiometric rutile (110) and does not require surface defects, such as O vacancies, ...
A schematic eye for virtual environments

This paper presents a schematic eye model designed for use by virtual environments researchers and practitioners. This model, based on a combination of several ophthalmic models, attempts to very closely approximate a user's optical centers and intraocular separation using as little as a single measurement of pupillary distance (PD). Typically, these parameters are loosely approximated based on the PD of the user while converged to some known distance. However, this may not be sufficient for users to accurately perform spatially sensitive tasks in the near field. We investigate this possibility by comparing the impact of several common PD-based models and our schematic eye model on users' ability to accurately match real and virtual targets in depth. This was done using a specially designed display and robotic positioning apparatus that allowed sub-millimeter measurement of target positions and user responses. We found that the schematic eye model resulted in significantly improved real to virtual matches with average accuracy, in some cases, well under 1mm. We also present a novel, low-cost method of accurately measuring PD using an off-the-shelf trial frame and pinhole filters. We validated this method by comparing its measurements against those taken using an ophthalmic autorefractor. Significant differences were not found between the two methods.
Understanding Factors Affecting Polymer Demand for Conditioning and Dewatering

Polymer demand varies considerably for different digestion processes as well as the same digestion processes at different locations and the reasons for these differences are not known. The objectives of this research were to develop a mechanistic understanding for these differences. The differences were hypothesized to depend on both the amount of charge in a sludge sample and the characteristics of the polymer. The first phase of the research was aimed at establishing the component of the sludge that creates the polymer demand and the second phase was aimed at understanding the interactions of polymers with the components of sludge. This title belongs to WERF Research Report Series ISBN: 9781843397267 (Print) ISBN: 9781780404462 (eBook)
Gonadotropin alpha-subunit glycoprotein from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and its expression during hormone-induced ovulation.

Abstract Complementary DNA (cDNA) encoding the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) gonadotropin (GTH) alpha-subunit glycoprotein was cloned by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from a plasmid library made from pituitary RNA. Complete cDNA cloning was achieved by carrying out two PCR reactions: one with an upstream sense primer plus the universal sequencing primer, located downstream of the poly(A) sequence of the cDNA in the plasmid vector, to amplify the downstream portion of the cDNA; the other with a downstream antisense primer plus the reverse-sequencing primer, located upstream of the very 5' end of the cDNA sense strand in the plasmid vector, to amplify the upstream portion of the cDNA. The two amplified fragments overlapping about 70 bp. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the catfish GTH alpha-subunit was 658 bp encoding 116 amino acids and harboring a 5' nontranslated region (NTR) of 42 bp and a 3' NTR of 265 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence of the catfish GTH alpha-subunit is highly conserved with those from other cloned teleost GTH alpha-subunits. The GTH alpha-subunit was highly expressed even before induction for ovulation in females during spawning season. Administration of carp pituitary extract (a spawning-inducing reagent) induced only 1.4-fold higher expression of the GTH alpha-subunit RNA, but included very rapid egg maturation and ovulation. This unexpected result indicated that the GTH alpha-subunit may not be the limiting factor for ovulation and spawning, which may be regulated by the change of proportional coupling of the GTH alpha-subunit with specific beta-subunit during hormone-induced ovulation.
Slave Narratives and Slave Revolts

Scholars have posited the Gothic as the natural mode for American discourses, with numerous texts illustrating Gothic slips. Discussions over slavery and slave rebellion are particularly given to such slips, and are wrought with images of the dark Other as the site of transgression and contagion. Indeed the Haitian Revolution and Nat Turner’s insurrection were narrated through a Gothic frame, inspiring nearly supernatural terror. Yet slavery constituted a greater, inherent horror for its subjugated bodies. This chapter examines how discourses about slave rebellions use Gothic tropes to argue the terrors of black liberation before examining black appropriation of the Gothic in slave narratives such as Charles Ball’s Fifty Years a Slave to write back to a genre and national discourse that masked them as monstrous.
Implementation Management of an E-Commerce-Enabled Enterprise Information Systems: A Case Study at Texas Instruments

This chapter presents a case study of an overview of the efforts of Texas Instrument’s (TI’s) internal and external ERP implementation, with a focus on linking its ERP system in a global e-commerce setting. This linkage is especially important since it had been stated in TI’s strategic plan as an objective of this project to provide visibility of the ERP system to external constituents via Web linkages along with the objective of standardizing internal processes and important information technology systems to support market needs. Thus, its ERP system is central to managing its supply chain and B2B e-commerce linkages from both a customer and supplier perspective. Issues faced by TI are clearly outlined with future questions also posed in the final section. 1331 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey PA 17033-1117, USA Tel: 717/533-8845; Fax 717/533-8661; URL-http://www.idea-group.com
Simulation Summarization: (Extended Abstract)

As increasingly large-scale multiagent simulations are being implemented, new methods are becoming necessary for concisely summarizing the results of a simulation run. Here we pose this as the problem of simulation summarization: how to extract the causally-relevant states from the trajectories of the agents. We present a simple algorithm to compress agent trajectories through state space by identifying the state transitions which have significant impact on the final outcome of interest. We apply it to a complex simulation of a major disaster in an urban area and present results.