cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oil-based and water-based Ciodrin sprays for fly control on dairy cattle.

Tests were conducted during the summer of 1964 to compare the effectiveness of oil-based and water-based sprays containing 2% Ciodrin® ( alpha -methylbenzyl 3-hydroxycrotonate dimethyl phosphate) against flies on dairy cows. Major species infesting the animals were the face fly, Musca autumnalis DeGeer; the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.); and the horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.). Forty lactating and 10 dry Holstein cows on the Pennsylvania State University Farm were employed as treated animals and untreated controls. The sprays were applied by a newly developed “pushbutton“ spraying device, manually operated and especially designed to give thorough coverage of the faces of the cows. The major parts of the device included an inverted U-shaped pipe system plus an extension in front, 4 nozzles each connected to a solenoid valve, a pump and motor assembly, and an extension wire terminating in a push-button switch. Counts of flies were made daily. Effectiveness of treatments was evaluated on the basis of average reduction percentages in fly populations on treated animals calculated by comparing numbers of flies on treated and control groups. Eight applications were made during 6 weeks in July and August. Results of the tests show that both the oil-based and water-based sprays provided good control against face flies and stable flies for 28 hours and significant reductions of fly populations for 52 or 76 hours following spray application. Both sprays gave near-perfect control of horn flies for 124 hours or longer. The oil-based spray showed greater initial toxic effect than the water-based spray against the face fly but the latter demonstrated a more lasting residual effect. Significant reductions in fly populations were noted on the untreated control group that was milked in the same barn as the treated cows, but in a separate section. The groups were grazed in separate pastures.
Experimental Study of Treatment of Heavy Metal Wastewater by Adsorption of Alkalized Active Sludge

Treating wastewater containing copper ion(Ⅱ),zinc ion(Ⅱ),Cadmium ion(Ⅱ) and lead(Ⅱ) by adsorption of alkalized active sludge,the effects on heavy metal ion by adsorption of alkalized active sludge have been studied under different conditions of the value of pH,sludge amounts,adsorptive time,concentration of heavy metals.The results show that adsorptive capacity of alkalized active sludge increases,addition reduces relatively and adsorptive saturation time shortens.In optimum experimental condition,alkalized active sludge has the better removal rate for treating copper ion(Ⅱ),zinc ion(Ⅱ),Cadmium ion(Ⅱ) and lead(Ⅱ),the size order of removal rates is Cu2+Pb2+Cd2+Zn2+,alkalized active sludge has best removal rate which is up to about 90% and stability for treating copper ion(Ⅱ).
Freedom and Desire: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Kate Chopin

Two books appeared in the last two years of the nineteenth century, Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899) and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Women and Economics (1898), that were destined to become classics of modern feminist thought and sensibility. Both books, one an exquisitely written novel about woman’s sexual and psychological ‘awakening’ and the other an important economic and sociological treatise on the status of women, are major intellectual sources of modern feminism. Landmarks in the drive toward the liberation of women, the books describe the exclusion of women from the rhetoric and ideology of consensus. However, while Chopin and Gilman are revolutionary in their examinations of women, they are also interesting for their differences. They evince radically contrasting perspectives on how women can achieve freedom in the modern era. For Gilman women’s liberation can be gained only through major reform of the social and economic structures that influence behavior. Even in her classic psychological story, ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’, she maintains that individual psychology and internal emotional states are reflections of the external social environment and of oppressive ideological systems of belief. Basically she sees desire as an enemy of women on the road to freedom.
In search of an optimal kernel for a bias correction method for density estimators

Abstract We consider a bias correction method for kernel density estimators based on a generalized jack-knifing with different bandwidths. We compare it with a standard kernel density estimation method with fourth order kernels, since both methods have the same rate of convergence. The bias corrected method has a tuning parameter. We investigate how to optimize the constant in the asymptotical mean integrated squared error of the bias corrected estimator with respect to the tuning parameter. We also explore whether an optimal kernel exists. This paper answers on the questions posed in section 3.2 of Jones and Foster (1993) where only numerical investigation was given.
Wide-field optical mapping of neural activity in awake mice and the importance of hemodynamic correction

Wide-field optical mapping (WFOM) of cortical neural activity and hemodynamics can be achieved in awake, behaving GCaMP animals. Here, we demonstrate the importance of correcting for the effects of hemoglobin absorption for this modality.
Pressure Injuries in Medically Complex Children: A Review

Pressure injuries are a challenging problem in the care of medically complex children. Available evidence is limited, and there are theoretical reasons to use caution before extrapolating adult data, including key differences in body composition, common locations of pressure injury, and association with medical devices. The focus of this article will be to review the definition of a pressure injury and what is known about pathophysiology, prevention, recognition, staging, and treatment of pressure injuries in children with medical complexity.
Role of Non-Statins, LDL-C Thresholds, and Special Population Considerations: A Look at the Updated 2016 ACC Consensus Committee Recommendations.

The 2013 ACC/AHA Cholesterol guidelines was a major paradigm shift in the management and treatment of dyslipidemia. The new guidelines outlined “statin benefit groups,” highlighted weighing the benefit versus risks of statin therapy (“net benefit”), and discussed the importance of shared decision making between patients and providers in primary prevention. While there was widespread agreement on the main groups benefiting from statin therapy, there was significant controversy regarding LDL-C goals and thresholds, the role of non-statin therapy, and the use of statins in specific populations. The goal of this review is to understand the rationale for the updated 2016 ACC Expert Consensus on Non-Statins and to contrast it with the 2015 NLA Recommendations on the Management of Dyslipidemia. The findings of the ACC Expert Consensus Panel were largely influenced by the results of several new clinical trials using non-statin therapy in combination with moderate to high intensity statin therapy. The IMPROVE-IT trial demonstrated that ezetimibe on top of statin therapy lowered ASCVD risk in patients with acute coronary syndromes whose LDL was driven below the previous LDL-C target of <70 mg/dL. In addition, preliminary data assessing the safety of evolocumab and alirocumab on top of statin therapy suggested possible large reductions in ASCVD risk in post hoc analysis. Both the 2016 ACC Consensus Recommendations and the 2015 NLA Recommendations emphasize the importance of maximally tolerated statin therapy, the use of adjunctive non-statin LDL lowering therapy, and the use of LDL-C goals and thresholds to guide intensification of LDL lowering therapy. Although there are some important differences between the ACC Consensus and NLA recommendations in terms of treatment of special populations (i.e., CHF) and on the use of non-HDL-C goals and thresholds, both guidelines support a role for ezetimibe, bile acid sequestrants, and PCSK-9 inhibitors in patients on maximum tolerated statin therapy. The recent positive results of the FOURIER trial gives additional support to the non-statin recommendations of both the ACC and NLA.
Physiological Systems Requiring Special Treatment

In this chapter we discuss the identification procedures to be followed when the system does not fall into any of the categories covered in the previous chapters; for example, systems whose characteristics change with time (nonstationary systems), or whose inputs are functions of more than one independent variable (e.g., spatiotemporal stimuli). Several alternative methods of treating systems with point process (discrete) inputs and outputs (e.g., neural systems) are also presented.
Carbon Nanotube-Based Orthopedic Implant Sensors

In this chapter, the use of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as sensors for healthy bone growth will be discussed. MWCNTs are cytocompatible with osteoblasts (bone-forming cells) and enhance osteoblast calcium deposition, and thus, bone formation. Moreover, here, MWCNTs have been grown out of nanopores of anodized titanium (MWCNT-Ti), which has a surface layer of titanium oxide (a popular chemistry for orthopedic implants), to serve as a novel in situ orthopedic implant sensor. The electrochemical responses of MWCNT-Ti have been investigated in an attempt to ascertain if MWCNT-Ti can serve as novel in situ sensors for bone formation. MWCNT-Ti have been subjected to a ferri/ferrocyanide redox couple and its electrochemical behaviors measured. Cyclic voltammograms (CV) have demonstrated enhanced redox potentials of the MWCNT-Ti compared to Ti alone. These redox signals have been superior to that obtained by bare Ti, which does not sense either oxidation or reduction peaks in CV. Moreover, the redox reactions of MWCNT-Ti have been tested in a solution of extracellular bone components synthesized by osteoblasts in vitro. It has been found that MWCNT-Ti also exhibited well-defined and persistent CV, similar to the ferri/ferrocyanide redox reaction. The observed higher electrodic performance and electrocatalytic activity the MWCNT-Ti senses compared to bare Ti, are likely because of the fact that MWCNTs enhance direct electron transfer and facilitate double layer effects, leading to a strong redox signal. These collective results may encourage the further study and modification of MWCNT-Ti to sense new bone growth in situ next to implants and perhaps to monitor other events (such as infection and/or scar tissue formation) to improve the current clinical diagnosis of orthopedic implant success or failure.
Standard setting and carrier differentiation at seaports

The deployment of mega container ships with a capacity for 18,000 + TEU on major trade lanes is a recent trend within the ocean shipping industry. Larger ships pose multiple challenges to ports and hinterland connections as well as to the beneficial cargo owners. To achieve maximum utilization of their larger vessels, carriers have entered cooperative global alliances on predetermined routes, resulting in new discharge patterns at U.S. ports. These multi-partner networks involve several competing firms which voluntarily and interactively engage in service delivery. Container carriage is increasingly competitive, and requires continuing cost reductions. There is increasing evidence, however, that cargo shippers are less satisfied with the service their supply chains are receiving. Standardizing process performance through supply chain integration and removing inefficiency will be needed to stabilize the international shipping market, but the question remains how ocean carriers will be able differentiate themselves and create improved supply chain performance. This paper suggests an answer through a simple standard performance measurement model. We will suggest that old systems of carrier competition could evolve to greater cooperation and coordination between business competitors, a state sometimes called “coopetition”, by development of standard setting processes for sharing information while retaining specific service delivery structures to provide differentiated value to customers.
Creating Image Histograms

In this chapter, we discuss the basics on how to create color histograms for images. A histogram is a graphical representation of the number of pixels in an image. As an example, assume a 10 × 6 pixel image shown in Fig. 4.1. The pixels are one-byte data, and their values are between 0 and 255. The histogram for this simple image is shown in Fig. 4.2.
Measuring Abnormality in High Dimensional Spaces with Applications in Biomechanical Gait Analysis.

Accurately measuring a subject’s abnormality using high dimensional data can empower better outcomes research. Utilizing applications in instrumented gait analysis, this article demonstrates how using data that is inherently non-independent to measure overall abnormality may bias results. A methodology is then introduced to address this bias and accurately measure abnormality in high dimensional spaces. While this methodology is in line with previous literature, it differs in two major ways. Advantageously, it can be applied to datasets in which the number of observations is less than the number of features/variables, and it can be abstracted to practically any number of domains or dimensions. Initial results of these methods show that they can detect known, real-world differences in abnormality between subject groups where established measures could not. This methodology is made freely available via the abnormality R package on CRAN.
Curiosity, responsibility, hospitality: Scenes of interreligious friendship:

Three themes in interreligious friendship are illustrated through stories from the author’s childhood and adulthood. Curiosity takes different forms across the life span but can continue to lead to...
Sleep duration and social jetlag are independently associated with anxious symptoms in adolescents

Although short total sleep time (TST) is associated with increased anxious symptoms in adolescents, it is unknown whether social jetlag, a misalignment between sleep timing on the weekend and schoo...
If it Rains, Ask Grandma to Disconnect the Nano: Maintenance & Care in Havana's StreetNet

In Cuba, where internet access is severely constrained, technology enthusiasts have built StreetNet (SNET), a community network (CN) that has grown organically, reaching tens of thousands of households across Havana. Through fieldwork conducted in 2016 and 2017, we investigate participants' strategies as they engage with a network where the material elements---cables, switches, nanos, and servers---are regularly breaking down. Drawing on maintenance and care (M&C) scholarship, we present an in-depth investigation of the management and anticipation of breakdowns in SNET, foregrounding the deeply relational nature of repair work, collective efforts required for SNET's M&C, and the values and motivations underpinning these practices. Our paper contributes a unique perspective on how CNs are run locally and organically, outlining considerations for how interventions along these lines might be more suitably designed. We also complicate perspectives of innovation through a discussion of cultural ideologies and tensions underpinning M&C practices.
A comparison of numerical methods for solving the advection equation

Abstract Six algorithms for solving the advection equation have been compared as to their accuracy, speed and storage requirements, the purpose being to determine the suitability of the algorithms for use in photochemical grid models. The algorithms tested are a flux-correction method, a multidimensional fluxcorrection method, an orthogonal-collocation method, a second-moment method, a pseudospectral method and a chapeau-function method. For some of these, more than one variant of the method has been examined. Also, some improvements are suggested in the second-moment method. The test problem was the rotation of a hill of concentration in a two-dimensional, circular velocity field, and the methods were tested at three or four time steps (Courant numbers). The flux-correction and orthogonal-collocation methods are the least accurate and would not be good choices for photochemical models. The pseudospectral method is the most accurate, but it and the second-moment method require the longest execution time. The chapeau-function and multidimensional flux-correction methods appear the most appropriate for photochemical grid models.
LatencySmasher: A Software-Defined Networking-Based Framework for End-to-End Latency Optimization

The centralized control capability of Software Defined Networking (SDN) presents a unique opportunity for enabling Quality of Service (QoS) routing. For delay sensitive traffic flows, a QoS mechanism requires efficiently computing path latency and minimizing controller’s response time. At the core of the challenges is how to handle short term network state fluctuations in terms of congestion and latency while guaranteeing the end-to-end latency performance of networking services. In this paper, we present LatencySmasher, a systematic framework that considers active link latency measurements, efficient statistic estimate of network states, and fast adaptive path computation. We first implement LatencySmasher as an SDN controller application and then conduct extensive experimental studies on the Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI), a real-world distributed network testbed. Our performance evaluation shows that the proposed framework can find optimal end-to-end paths with minimum latency and significantly reduce the control overhead.
Evaluation of specific immunoglobin isotype response to Leishmania in American tegumentary leishmaniasis

Leishmania-specific immunoglobulin subclass response was evaluated in 133 patients infected with Leishmania braziliensis. The indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was employed with amastigotes of L. mexicana amazonensis as antigen. Among the 133 sera obtained at consultation for diagnosis of active lesions, IgM was detected in 54 following absorption with Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain I, and in 5 sera prior to absorption. IgM reactive with Leishmania antigen was only found in sera from patients whose lesions had evolved over the past two months or less. Leishmania-specific IgG was detected in all sera prior to absorption. Sera obtained at the time of recurrence or after complete healing of lesions presented only specific IgG. The combined use of the Montenegro skin test and specific IgM increased the sensitivity of immunodiagnostic methods in patients with lesions of less than 2 months duration. Normal control volunteers were negative for specific IgM and unreactive to Montenegro skin testing. Among 16 patients with non-leishmanial lesions, 3 with sporotrichosis showed IgG reactive with Leishmania; none, including 4 with lesions of less than two months duration, showed specific IgM. We conclude that in patients infected with L. braziliensis the presence of specific IgG and IgM is associated with the time of lesion evolution and the primary or recurrent nature of the lesions. In addition, the combined use of IgM titer and Montenegro reactivity is of potential utility in the diagnosis of early lesions.
Assessing the risk of whale entanglement with fishing gear debris

The loss and abandonment of fishing gear has resulted in one of the most visible signs of growing pollution in the marine environment. The entanglement of whales in fishing gear has been the subject of increasing documentation. The interpretation of the documented incidents to address the risk of whale entanglement is presented. An initial risk-based model is derived that reflects published information on multi-year fishing gear accumulation rates and entanglement data. A fault tree framework is adopted to organize the data, allowing for the continual improvement of the risk-based model predictions through the incorporation of new data and inclusion of additional sub-events. Analytic distribution functions are introduced to augment incomplete data and explore hypothetical scenarios. Data reported for the US Atlantic and Pacific coastlines are used in illustrative examples, that address both regional and multi-regional applications, and the sensitivity of the risk-based predictions to the reported field data.
Introduction to the RBPE Special Issue on Criminal Justice Reform titled “Criminal Justice Reform: 2020 and Beyond”:

This essay introduces the reader to the papers in this special volume about criminal justice reform.
Machine Learning-Assisted Directed Evolution Navigates a Combinatorial Epistatic Fitness Landscape with Minimal Screening Burden

Abstract Due to screening limitations, in directed evolution (DE) of proteins it is rarely feasible to fully evaluate combinatorial mutant libraries made by mutagenesis at multiple sites. Instead, DE often involves a single-step greedy optimization in which the mutation in the highest-fitness variant identified in each round of single-site mutagenesis is fixed. However, because the effects of a mutation can depend on the presence or absence of other mutations, the efficiency and effectiveness of a single-step greedy walk is influenced by both the starting variant and the order in which beneficial mutations are identified—the process is path-dependent. We recently demonstrated a path-independent machine learning-assisted approach to directed evolution (MLDE) that allows in silico screening of full combinatorial libraries made by simultaneous saturation mutagenesis, thus explicitly capturing the effects of cooperative mutations and bypassing the path-dependence that can limit greedy optimization. Here, we thoroughly investigate and optimize an MLDE workflow by testing a number of design considerations of the MLDE pipeline. Specifically, we (1) test the effects of different encoding strategies on MLDE efficiency, (2) integrate new models and a training procedure more amenable to protein engineering tasks, and (3) incorporate training set design strategies to avoid information-poor low-fitness protein variants (“holes”) in the training data. When applied to an epistatic, hole-filled, four-site combinatorial fitness landscape of protein G domain B1 (GB1), the resulting focused training MLDE (ftMLDE) protocol achieved the global fitness maximum up to 92% of the time at a total screening burden of 470 variants. In contrast, minimal-screening-burden single-step greedy optimization over the GB1 fitness landscape reached the global maximum just 1.2% of the time; ftMLDE matching this minimal screening burden (80 total variants) achieved the global optimum up to 9.6% of the time with a 49% higher expected maximum fitness achieved. To facilitate further development of MLDE, we present the MLDE software package (https://github.com/fhalab/MLDE), which is designed for use by protein engineers without computational or machine learning expertise.
Metabolic Changes in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Isolated From Patients With End Stage Renal Disease

As numerous complex pathologies stem from cellular energy dysfunction, we aimed to elucidate mitochondrial function and associated stress pathologies in kidney disease in a cohort of hemodialysis patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). The bioenergetics study was conducted using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of ESKD patients (n = 29) and healthy controls (no ESKD, n = 10). PBMCs were isolated from whole blood and seeded into assay plates to detect changes in oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis. The bioenergetics analysis (i.e., mitochondrial stress test) was performed using Seahorse XFe24 flux analyzer. We observed significant reduction in mitochondrial respiration in patient PBMCs in terms of fundamental bioenergetics parameters such as basal respiration, ATP turnover, maximal respiration and spare respiratory capacity. These findings were correlated with the expression levels of proteins coordinating cellular energy status and regulating mitochondrial dynamics. Our data demonstrates an association between mitochondrial oxygen consumption of PBMCs and ESKD. AMPK activity, its downstream effector PGC-1α and mitochondrial fission/fusion proteins are partially responsible for the decrease in oxidative phosphorylation of PBMCs isolated from ESKD patients. We propose a link between mitochondrial dysfunction and ESKD and a role for mitochondria as a potential site for therapeutic interventions.
Deconstitutionalizing Personal Jurisdiction: A Separation of Powers Approach

The Roberts Court has sought to clarify the constitutional norms governing personal jurisdiction so as to give defendants greater certainty in arranging their business affairs. The Court’s effort has been guided by the implicit assumption that every personal jurisdiction case necessarily rises to the level of constitutional concern. But the only reason that most personal jurisdiction decisions raise constitutional concerns is because the vast majority of states maintain content-less long-arm statutes: in the complete absence of statutory norms, every instance of service of process poses a mini constitutional crisis. With no underlying statutory norms at issue, the Court’s constitutional decisions have long been legislating personal jurisdiction rules instead of adjudicating the constitutionality of legislatively enacted rules. The Court should fix this longstanding separation of powers problem by issuing a simple ruling: the Due Process Clause renders content-less long-arm statutes void for vagueness. That ruling would require state legislatures to enact laws specifying the situations in which service of process over non-residents was authorized. Personal jurisdiction litigation would then turn on statutory questions, with the Constitution held in reserve for particularly egregious power grabs. This approach would lead to differing outcomes in the two Ford Motor Company cases before the Court in the 2020-2021 Term: the Minnesota statute would fail for vagueness, while application of the Montana statute to Ford in the circumstances of that action would obviously not be so egregious as to rise to the level of a constitutional violation. One need not go so far as to say that the Due Process Clause has no role to play in the field of personal jurisdiction to appreciate that it should be cast in a supporting role far narrower than the leading part the Court has handed it for too long.
Regulation of Intermediary Metabolism, with Special Reference to the Control Mechanisms in Insect Flight Muscle

Publisher Summary This chapter analyzes the metabolic events that are fundamental to the transition of a muscle from a controlled resting state to one so active that energy transformations are taking place at a rate far in excess of that for any other biological process. The approach has been to identify the enzymatic reactions that are facilitated during the transition, to determine the mechanisms of activation at each locus of control, and then to formulate a working hypothesis that will unite the experimental findings into an overall scheme for the metabolic regulation of the tissue. Many of the experimental observations have been made with isolated enzymes and subcellular organelles. Thus, the in vivo environment can never be adequately reconstructed. Moreover, knowledge of the metabolite levels permitting simulation of in vivo conditions assumes uniform distribution of these substances and excludes compartmentation. These reservations made, the sites of regulation in fly flight muscle have been identified by measuring coincident and sequential changes in the concentrations of the metabolic intermediates.
Mining scalar representations in a non-tagged music database

In the continuing investigation of the relationship between music and emotions it is recognized that MPEG-7 based MIR systems are the state-of-the-art. Also, it is known that non-temporal systems are diametrically unconducive to pitch analysis, an imperative for key and scalar analysis which determine emotions in music. Furthermore, even in a temporal MIR system one can only find the key if the scale is known or vice-versa, one can only find the scale if the key is known.We introduce a new MIRAI-based decision-support system that, given a blind database of music files, can successfully search for both the scale and the key of an unknown song in a music database and accordingly link each song to its set of scales and possible emotional states.
DO SUNSPOTS REFLECT CONSUMER CONFIDENCE? AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

nation is that it is driven by changes in confidence. In this paper, I assess the empirical plausibility of this idea in a particular model by examining the extent to which the measure of confidence implied by the model reflects that in the U.S. data. The model I study is the same as that in Guo and Harrison [2001]. The evolution of the model can be traced as follows. In the one-sector Benhabib-Farmer-Guo model, indeterminacy results due to the presence of increasing returns to scale in production. This is because, for example, upon the expectation of an increased return on capital, agents invest more. The expectation will be fulfilled if the increase in the capital stock does in fact lead to an increase in its rate of return. However, in this model, the level of returns to scale for which this is the case is implausibly high, as evidenced by the empirical work of Basu and Fernald [1997] and Burnside [1996]. More recent work has addressed this issue and added features to the original model. Of particular note are Benhabib and Farmer [1996], Harrison [2001], and Weder [2000], who work with two-sector models and find that the level of returns to scale needed for indeterminacy is drastically reduced to one that is within the empirically plausible range. Here, the shifting of resources between sectors has dramatic effects on the return to capital, reducing the reliance on high returns to scale. Also, Wen [1998] adds variable capital utilization to the one-sector model and finds that this raises the elasticity of output with respect to labor, also reducing the necessity for high returns to scale. Guo and Harrison [2001] combine these features and study a two-sector model in which capital is utilized at a variable rate. In this class of models, self-fulfilling changes in beliefs are often referred to as sunspots. These sunspots are assumed to be mean zero, serially uncorrelated, nonfundamental shocks. That is, they occur because of something orthogonal to the
The Event Construct in Active Information Systems

The Event Construct in Active Information Systems Salvatore T. March Vanderbilt University Gove N. Allen Tulane University Abstract Organizations and the information systems that support them are artificial and intentionally designed artifacts. Policies and procedures created by an organization define how specific events affect the states of things about which the organization is concerned. Active information systems are designed to participate in the operation and management of organizational processes. They calculate and ascribe state to material and artificial things according to rules designed by the organization and activated when identified events occur. The ontological definition of an event as a state-transition proscribes the representation of events as entities. The resultant conceptualization of an information system as a state-tracking mechanism obscures the critical role that events play in active information systems. Effective analysis and design of such systems requires a more substantive ontological definition of an event as an entity having both identity and properties. Included in an event's properties are the rules that govern state transitions caused by the event. The resultant conceptualization of an information system is an event-processing mechanism, actively interpreting and re-interpreting events with respect to extant and posed rules. This ontological definition treats things and events uniformly as entities enabling them to have appropriate representations at the conceptual level. It provides a context in which learning can be represented through the definition, identification, and classification of critical events and the evaluation and evolution of rules governing their effects. Additional research is needed to develop and evaluate conceptual modeling grammars and methods that implement this event conceptualization within an information system development methodology. March 22, 2006
On directional modulation: An analysis of transmission scheme with multiple directions

Increasing the spectral efficiency was always the motivation behind the evolution of wireless communication systems. Also, due to the widespread usage of wireless systems, securing the transmitted data rises as a main concern nowadays. Hereby, we introduce a scheme that increases the capacity of wireless systems by transmitting multiple independent data streams, while using the space domain as a source of separation. The scheme also utilizes the space domain, in order to provide a secure communication link for each of the transmitted streams. The analysis is performed by using different orders of QAM constellations, and also baseband orthogonal-frequency-division-multiplexing signal structure. The scheme shows a high randomization for the received signal along the directions out of the desired transmission beams, and fits to the standard bit-error-rate curves for all desired transmission directions. Besides, the scheme can be easily synthesized, using low complexity algorithms.
Thermographic Detection of Buried Debonds

The purpose of this study was to test the sensitivity of thermographic imaging for detection of deeply buried flaws in a structure. The flaws of interest are adhesive debonds underneath 3/8″ of steel and 1/4″ of rubber insulation. This study was stimulated by the necessity of increasing the reliability of solid rocket motors. Consequently, the specimen and techniques described were chosen with this task in mind.
Efficient Focusing and Face Detection

We present an algorithm for shape detection and apply it to frontal views of faces in still grey level images with arbitrary backgrounds. Detection is done in two stages: (i) “focusing,” during which a relatively small number of regions-of-interest are identified, minimizing computation and false negatives at the (temporary) expense of false positives; and (ii) “intensive classification,” during which a selected region-of-interest is labeled face or background based on multiple decision trees and normalized data. In contrast to most detection algorithms, the processing is then very highly concentrated in the regions near faces and near false positives.
What Place for Conflict-of-Law Rules in the Construction of European Community Law? (La Place Du Droit International Privé Dans La Construction Européenne)

With the increasing standardization of rules of substantive law of the member States of the European Union, there may also be an opportunity to standardize conflict-of-law rules in the European Union. In particular, it appears that the development of uniform conflict-of-law rules for the European Union, is needed at a minimum to compensate for limits in the standardization of substantive law rules. This development has been accomplished so far through regulations issued by institutions of the European Union. Paradoxically, such a development of conflict-of-law rules may also compete with the effort to standardize substantive law rules. This study appraises the place of conflict-of-law rules in European Community law. First, it explains the importance of conflict-of-law rules complying with fundamental principles of European Community law, especially because such principles may imply standards for conflict-of-law rules. Second, it argues that, European Community laws should be regarded as superior to conventional international agreements. This argument leads to the conclusion that, in the establishment of international conventions regarding conflict-of-law provisions, more consideration should be given to established and recognized European Community rules. Finally, the study contends that the European Union, as an entity, should therefore participate in the establishment and enforcement of international conventions. Dans un contexte de multiplication des regles materielles communes aux Etats membres de l’Union europeenne, la question s’est posee de l’opportunite d’un enrichissement du corpus europeen par l’integration, egalement, de regles de droit international prive communes. Un tel developpement du droit international prive communautaire semble necessaire, afin notamment de pallier les limites de l’harmonisation des regles materielles. Il s’est deja en partie effectue par la voie du reglement. Il reste qu’un tel deploiement des regles de coordination peut aussi venir en concurrence des efforts d’harmonisation manifeste par l’adoption de regles materielles communes. L’etude presente procede d’une confrontation du droit international prive, dans son principe et independamment de son origine, a l’ensemble des regles communautaires. Elle demontre, d’une part, la necessite d’une conformite des regles de droit international prive aux principes materiels du droit communautaire, qui renferment parfois eux-memes des regles de conflit « cachees ». D’autre part, elle conduit au constat d’une primaute de principe des instruments communautaires sur les regles conventionnelles, ce qui conduit naturellement a plaider pour une meilleure prise en compte de l’acquis communautaire dans le cadre du developpement du droit international prive conventionnel. Elle se prononce, en definitive, en faveur d’une adhesion communautaire aux conventions internationales.
Importance of vegetation for manganese cycling in temperate forested watersheds

Many surface soils are enriched in metals due to anthropogenic atmospheric inputs. To predict the persistence of these contaminants in soils, factors that impact rates of metal removal from soils into streams must be understood. Experiments at containerized seedling (mesocosm), pedon, and catchment scales were used to investigate the influence of vegetation on manganese (Mn) transport at the Susquehanna/Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHCZO) in Pennsylvania, USA, where past atmospheric inputs from industrial sources have enriched Mn in surface soils. Large quantities of Mn that were leached from soil components into solution were taken up by vegetation; as a result, only relatively small quantities of Mn were removed from soil into effluent and streams. Manganese uptake into vegetation exceeded Mn losses in soil leachate by 20–200X at all scales, and net Mn loss from soils decreased in the presence of vegetation due to uptake into plant tissues. The majority of Mn taken up by forest vegetation at SSHCZO each year was returned to the soil in leaf litter and consequently immobilized as Mn oxides that formed during litter decomposition. Thus, plant uptake of Mn combined with rapid oxidation of Mn during litter decomposition contribute to long-term retention. Current release rates of soluble Mn from SSHCZO soils were similar to release rates from the larger Susquehanna River Basin, indicating that the processes observed at SSHCZO may be widespread across the region. Indeed, although atmospheric deposition of Mn has declined, surface soils at SSHCZO and throughout the eastern United States remain enriched in Mn. If recycling through vegetation can attenuate the removal of Mn from soils, as observed in this study, then Mn concentrations in soils and river waters will likely decrease slowly over time following watershed contamination. Understanding the role of vegetation in regulating metal transport is important for evaluating the long-term effects of historical and ongoing metal loading to soils.
Time to sign: The relationship between health literacy and signature time

Abstract Objective To evaluate the relationship between amount of time taken to sign one's name and health literacy. Methods A prospective, one time assessment was conducted on a convenience sample of 98 patients recruited in an inner-city outpatient internal medicine clinic. The amount of time required to sign (i.e. initiation to completion of writing) was measured by stopwatch. Health literacy was measured with the REALM. Results The sample averaged 54.1 (SD 16.2) years of age. Twenty-seven percent had less than high school education and 33% had a terminal general equivalency diploma or high school degree. The time required to sign ranged from 0.91 to 21.3 s. Sixty-two percent of the sample had health literacy challenges. Signature time was longest for those with inadequate health literacy (mean 10.0 s), compared with marginal (7.3 s) and adequate (4.7 s, p ≤ 0.001). Signature time remained significant in a logistic regression model after controlling for education and age (AOR = 0.785, CI = 0.661–0.932). Conclusion Individuals with signatures completed in six seconds or less were highly likely to display adequate health literacy. Practice implications Signature time may offer a practical and quick approach to health literacy screening in the health care setting.
Stabilizing Classroom-Based Group Interventions: Guidelines for Special Services Providers and Consultants

Group interventions are an important aspect of the roles of professionals in the schools. The literature on school based group interventions primarily provides a description of specific interventions and their component parts, with instructional steps for implementation. However, for a school based group intervention to be successful, the intervention must become institutionalized in the system within which it is being implemented, and planning for institutionalization must begin at the earliest stages of program or intervention design. This article provides guidelines for the professional working in the schools to follow to facilitate the long-term stabilization or institutionalization of an intervention. Structures that consultants and/or implementers can establish to help operadonalize the guidelines are described and illustrated through case examples with em-phasis on a special education setting serving an urban, multiethnic population. Caveats based on experiences with institutionalizing a social and...
Adapting Cooperative Learning Strategies to Facilitate Ethics Discus sions Using E-Mail:

This paper reports on a project in which students discussed an ethical dilemma using Internet e-mail as the medium of communication. The assignment requires both informal and formal document develo...
The wound healing process

A dramatic sequence of events accounts for the repair of cutaneous wounds, be they of a surgical or accidental nature. Although our understanding of this process is increasing at a rapid rate, unanswered questions remain. Undoubtedly, as time goes on and knowledge increases, we will gain further insight into the intricacies of the wound healing phenomenon. Physicians, particularly those who perform surgical procedures of the skin, should be familiar with the biologic precepts implicit in the wound healing process. The understanding of these principles will ultimately lead to a more rational approach to wound management, which does not run counter to a meticulously conceived script.
The search for a new-generation human anthrax vaccine

Abstract : Anthrax is a disease primarily of herbivores, but humans can become infected through contact with infected animals or animal products. The etiological agent, Bacillus anthracis, possesses two primary virulence factors: a poly-D-glumatic acid capsule and an exotoxic mixture of three proteins: protective antigen (PA), edema factor (EF), and lethal factor (LF). None of the three proteins individually possesses demonstrable toxic activity; however, intravenous injection of PA + LF kills mice, rats, and guinea pigs, whereas intradermal injection of PA + EF produces edematous lesions in the skin of guinea pigs and rabbits. The combination of PA + LF is termed lethal toxin, whereas PA + EF is referred to as edema-producing toxin. The conventional designation for mixtures of all three components is anthrax toxin. The genes encoding PA, EF, and LF are located on a 174-kilobase (kb) plasmid, pXO1; the genes responsible for capsule synthesis are on a 91 kb plasmid, pXO2. In the United States, the currently licensed human vaccine against anthrax (designated here as MDPH-PA) consists of aluminum hydroxide-absorbed, supernatant material, primarily PA (11), from fermenter cultures of another toxinogenic, nonencapsulated strain, V770-Np1-R. Immunization with MDPH-PA requires a series of six doses within 18 mo, followed by yearly boosters. Immunization occasionally results in local pain and inflammation, and there is some evidence indicating that MDPH-PA may have diminished efficacy against certain virulent strains of B. The need for an improved human vaccine against anthrax is apparent.
The Messiness of Language Socialization in Reading Groups: Participation in and Resistance to the Values of Essayist Literacy.

Abstract This paper focuses on the process of literacy socialization in several 5th grade reading groups. Through close analysis of spoken interaction, which centers on a heavily illustrated, non-fiction text, the paper proposes that these reading groups can be seen as complex sites of socialization to the values associated with essayist literacy (i.e., the type of written language often associated with school literacy and characterized by an impersonal, “de-contextualized” presentation of factual information). Through a qualitative focus on the interaction of novice, expert, and text, children in the data are shown to participate in spoken displays that highlight the impersonal, factual content of the written text. These displays of the sort of language associated with essayist literacy are achieved primarily through read-aloud episodes and follow-up question–answer sequences in which the teacher and student co-construct text-based propositions. However, a competing perspective emerges when interaction focuses on the illustrations. In such sequences, the children seem eager to engage in a more contextualized and personal use of language. In the illustration-oriented interaction, they not only employ more explicitly context-dependent linguistic forms; they also produce more full clauses, engage in more interaction outside of traditional tripartite (IRE) classroom interaction, and display higher levels of affective engagement. This interaction is also marked by a complex interplay of contextualized and decontextualized language, sometimes within the same utterance or turn, pointing to a multifaceted relationship between the two. The paper proposes that although the values associated with essayist literacy are dominant, the participants’ apparent interactional resistance to these values points to a complex socialization context of competing underlying orientations. It also argues for the need to clarify and reconsider the widespread emphasis on decontextualization in instructional contexts.
Essential hypertension: psychiatric aspects and use of psychotropics.

Patients with essential hypertension, like those with other chronic illnesses, may develop psychiatric effects from the disease itself, as well as from its treatment. Hypertensive patients may have concomitant but unrelated psychiatric illness requiring pharmacologic treatment, and the drugs used may affect their hypertension or interact with the antihypertensive drugs they are also taking. The authors review the treatment of essential hypertension and discuss clinically significant interactions of psychotropic drugs, medical drugs, and disease, along with their management.