cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Availability Allocation for Distributed Clusters of the Cloud Infrastructure

The cloud environment capitalizes on the built-in redundancy of the large number of servers that make them up by enabling high levels of availability and reliability for applications. In this paper, we address the availability problem of the heterogeneous distributed clusters in the cloud and propose an availability allocation model with the goal of maximizing the system reliability. The allocation model involves three kinds of services according to the coupling classification. And the availability analysis scheme is designed for each coupling type. Besides, the prior knowledge of all the server availability value is imported to simplify the service disposal and achieve an optimal solution in a short time. The experiments show that this algorithm finds a good initial solution for availability allocation problem.
Risk factors among handgun retailers for frequent and disproportionate sales of guns used in violent and firearm related crimes

Objective: To determine the retailer and community level factors associated with frequent and disproportionate sales of handguns that are later used in violent and firearm related crimes (VFC handguns). Design: Cross sectional. The authors used California records to identify all handguns sold by study subjects during 1996–2000 and federal gun tracing records to determine which of these guns had been recovered by a police agency in the US or elsewhere and traced by 30 September 2003. Subjects and setting: The 421 licensed gun retailers in California selling at least 100 handguns annually during 1996–2000. Main outcome measure: The number of VFC handguns per 1000 gun years of exposure. Differences are expressed as incidence rate ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Subjects accounted for 11.7% of California retailers with handgun sales, 81.5% of handgun sales, and 85.5% of VFC handguns. Among subjects, the 3426 VFC handguns accounted for 48.0% of all traced handguns and 65.0% of those linked to a specified crime. The median VFC handgun trace rate was 0.5/1000 gun years (range 0–8.8). In multivariate analysis, this rate increased substantially for each single-point increase in the percentage of proposed sales that were denied because the purchasers were prohibited from owning guns (RR 1.43; 95% CI 1.32 to 1.56), and was increased for pawnbrokers (RR 1.26; 95% CI 1.02 to 1.55). Community level crime rates and sociodemographics had little predictive value. Conclusions: Risk factors, largely determined at the retailer level, exist for frequent and disproportionate sales of handguns that are later used in violent and firearm related crimes. Screening to identify high risk retailers could be undertaken with data that are already available.
A Case Study in Software Reengineering

Software reengineering results from several needs including fixing defects (corrective reengineering), modifying the software to address weaknesses or to mitigate potential malfunctions (preventive reengineering), and extending the software to accommodate changes in its external environment (adaptive reengineering). This paper describes a case study in perfective and adaptive reengineering. The rationale for the reengineering decisions, the results of the project, lessons learned and the current state of the system are described.
Interaction of Stress-Activated Protein Kinase-Interacting Protein-1 with the Interferon Receptor Subunit IFNAR2 in Uterine Endometrium

During early pregnancy in ruminants, a type I interferon (IFN-τ) signals from the conceptus to the mother to ensure the functional survival of the corpus luteum. IFN-τ operates through binding to the type I IFN receptor (IFNR). Here we have explored the possibility that IFNAR2, one of the two subunits of the receptor, might interact with hitherto unknown signal transduction factors in the uterus that link IFN action to pathways other than the well established Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription pathways. A yeast two-hybrid screen of an ovine (ov) endometrial cDNA library with the carboxyl-terminal 185 amino acids of ovIFNAR2 as bait identified stress-activated protein kinase-interacting protein 1 (ovSin1) as a protein that bound constitutively through its own carboxyl terminus to the receptor. ovSin1 is a little studied, 522-amino acid-long polypeptide (molecular weight, 59,200) that is highly conserved across vertebrates, but has identifiable orthologs in Drosophila and yeast. I...
Expression of Reg Family Proteins in Embryonic Stem Cells and Its Modulation by Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

Regenerating islet (Reg) proteins are involved in the proliferation and differentiation of diverse cell types. However, whether embryonic stem cells (ESCs) express Reg genes and their corresponding proteins remains unknown. In this study, we probed the expression of Reg family members by mouse ESCs (mESCs). Mouse Reg1 and Reg3gamma were detected in undifferentiated stem cells. Furthermore, we tested if gastrin--an inducer of Reg1 expression in committed cells--up-regulates the Reg1 gene in mESCs. Gastrin did not affect the expression of Reg1 either in self-renewing mESCs or under conditions permitting their differentiation. Moreover, overexpression of Reg genes found in various forms of cancer has been linked to dysregulated activation of the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin cascade. Given the important roles of Wnt signaling in stem cells, we investigated if activation of Wnt alters the expression of Reg genes in mESCs. Wnt activation led to an increase in Reg1 gene expression with a concomitant increase in the amount of secreted Reg1 protein. Finally, the expression pattern of genes indicative of differentiation was examined in mESCs that were either exposed to soluble Reg1 or overexpressed the Reg1 gene. This is the first account of expression of Reg family members by ESCs. Our results show that the canonical Wnt cascade affects Reg expression and warrants further studies into the potential roles of Reg proteins in stem cell physiology.
Neurofibrillary changes in human brain. An immunocytochemical study with a neurofilament antiserum.

Brain samples from cases of Alzheimer's disease, postencephalitic Parkinson's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Pick's disease, as well as from a case of Alzheimer's disease with a large number of Hirano bodies, were stained with the peroxidase-anti-peroxidase method using an antiserum previously shown to immunoreact with normal neurofilaments and neurofilament polypeptides, The specificity of this serum was confirmed by absorption and purified neurofilament proteins. Neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's disease, postencephalitic Parkinson's disease, and progressive supranuclear palsy, Pick's bodies, and the fibrillary inclusions of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis were all immunostained. Hirano bodies showed no immunostaining. Thus, with the exception of the Hirano bodies, all the neuronal fibrillary inclusions examined appeared to share common antigenic characteristics. The origin of all these structures from normal neurofilaments is postulated.
The Effects of Transient Adaptation on Cockpit Operations

Two experiments examined visibility loss as a function of sudden changes in luminance level such as those that might be experienced by a pilot in a high- performance aircraft. Luminance levels chosen were similar to those found at dawn and dusk or under nighttime conditions. In the first experiment, the observer was required to recognize test letters varying in spectral composition similar to what might be seen on a HUD. The large background field changed upwards or downwards a 1– or 2–log unit increment. Results indicated losses for both directions of change. No differences were found between the different test-letter colors. In the second experiment, the observer was exposed to changing background fields (2–log unit upward and downward changes) which were presented from 0 to 5 degrees from foveal fixation. In general, results indicated greater effects for background stimuli closest to central fixation (in the region of target location) and decreasing to zero with increasing eccentricity.
Precluding Nonviolence, Propelling Violence: The Effect of Internal Fragmentation on Movement Protest

Scholars often overlook that an adequate explanation of why a movement uses violent means of protest requires an account of why it does not instead use nonviolent means. This essay argues that while paths to violence are multiple, there is one prevailing path to nonviolent protest—that which opens when a movement is politically cohesive. Cohesion approximates a necessary condition for nonviolent protest because such protest requires coordination and collective restraint. Conversely, fragmentation generates incentives and opportunities that increase the likelihood that protest will become violent. This argument, specified in terms of composite mechanisms and demonstrated by overtime variation in the Palestinian case, critiques the assumption that movements can be treated as unitary actors. It also shifts attention from movements’ motivations to their organizational configurations.
FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF THE HORNED SHRIMP, PARACRANGON ECHINATA (CARIDEA: CRANGONIDAE)

Abstract Stomach content analysis and behavioral observations reveal that the horned shrimp Paracrangon echinata is a lie-in-wait predator on smaller organisms, especially amphipods, polychaetes, and caridean shrimp. Prey is detected using the extremely thin third pair of pereiopods, captured with the subchelate first pereiopods, and ingested whole.
Attitudes and Interests Toward Research Among Students at Two Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Background Collaborative input from clinicians of acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) is required for sound AOM research, and AOM training institutions have begun to include research education into their curriculum. However, few attempts have been made to systematically evaluate AOM practitioners' perspectives on the value of research to their profession. Methods We conducted surveys of AOM students at two institutions that have begun to integrate research training into their curriculum, the New England School of Acupuncture and the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. Surveys were conducted to assess current attitudes regarding the value of research and to serve as a reference point for documenting the impact of ongoing research training programs on these attitudes. Surveys at both institutions were independently developed and administered but shared seven questions that were phrased very similarly. This paper summarizes responses to these questions. Results Surveys at both institutions suggest interest in research among AOM students is high in first-year students; students in later years showed a lower level of interest, but the cross-sectional design of this survey does not allow any temporal effects to be inferred. Results also indicate that AOM students believe research is highly relevant to how both the public and the health insurance industry view their system of healthcare but not highly relevant to their own clinical practice of AOM. The belief that research is of limited relevance to clinical practice was associated with widespread belief that scientific methods may not be consistent with the principles of AOM. Conclusions Results of these surveys provide important preliminary information about attitudes of AOM students toward research, and thus the value and future specific needs of research training programs targeting this population. Repeated implementation of validated versions of our surveys are needed to confirm the trends we report and to evaluate the impact of research training programs already in place on AOM students' attitudes toward research.
Congenital contractural arachnodactyly, keratoconus, and probable Marfan syndrome in the same pedigree

4. Lowry OH, and Passonneau JV: A flexible system of enzymatic analysis, New York, 1972, Academic Press, Inc, pp 194-218. 5. Sedvall G, Fyro B, Nyback H, Wiesel F-A, and WadeHelgodt B: Mass fragmentometric determination of homovanillic acid in lumbar cerebrospinal fluid in schizophrenic patients during treatment with antipsychotic drugs, J Psychiat Res 11:75, 1974. 6. Grover WD, Johnson WC, and Henkin RI: Clinical and biochemical aspects of trichopoliodystrophy, Ann Neurol 5:65, 1979. 7. Friedman S, and Kaufman S: 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylethylamine/3-hydroxylase, J Biol Chem 240:4763, 1965. 8. Maynert EW, Manczynski TJ, and Brownring RA: The role of the neurotransmitters in the epilepsies, Adv Neurol 13:79, 1975. 9. Libet B, Gleason CA, Wright CW, and Feinsteia B: Suppression of an epileptiform type of e|ectrocortical activity in the rat by stimulation in the vicinity of locus coeruleus, Epilepsia 18:451, 1977. 10. Freedman R, Taylor DA, Seiger A, Olson L, and Hoffer BJ: Seizures and related epileptiform activity in hippocampus transplanted to the anterior chamber of the eye: modulation by cholinergic and adrenergic input, Ann Neurol 6:281, 1979. 11. Laxer KD, Sourkes TL, Fang TY, Young SN, Gauthier SG, and Missala K: Monoamine metabolites in the CSF of epileptic patients, Neurology 29:1157, 1979.
Substrate-cytoskeletal coupling as a mechanism for the regulation of growth cone motility and guidance.

Growth cones are highly motile structures at the end of neuronal processes, capable of receiving multiple types of guidance cues and transducing them into directed axonal growth. Thus, to guide the axon toward the appropriate target cell, the growth cone carries out different functions: it acts as a sensor, signal transducer, and motility device. An increasing number of molecular components that mediate axon guidance have been characterized over the past years. The vast majority of these molecules include proteins that act as guidance cues and their respective receptors. In addition, more and more signaling and cytoskeleton-associated proteins have been localized to the growth cone. Furthermore, it has become evident that growth cone motility and guidance depends on a dynamic cytoskeleton that is regulated by incoming guidance information. Current and future research in the growth cone field will be focussed on how different guidance cues transmit their signals to the cytoskeleton and change its dynamic properties to affect the rate and direction of growth cone movement. In this review, we discuss recent evidence that cell adhesion molecules can regulate growth cone motility and guidance by a mechanism of substrate-cytoskeletal coupling.
Anodizing Steel in KOH and NaOH Solutions

The authors demonstrate that it is possible to anodize steel in either KOH or NaOH solutions and grow an adherent oxide on the steel surface. By varying the temperature, voltage, and electrolyte composition, one may electrochemically grow either an adherent blue-black magnetite layer, a light brown oxide, or a semiadherent dichroic magnetite layer on many different types of steel. The dichroic oxide layers exhibit the different colors of the rainbow depending on the thickness of the layer and the viewing angle. The color is a function of the optical interference for the thin coatings. By selecting a narrow range of temperature, voltage, and electrode spacing, the adherent, blue-black magnetite layer can be grown several microns thick on some carbon steels. These anodized oxides provide corrosion protection and they are also a suitable substrate for bonding organic coatings.
Nuclear factors and the control of suppressiveness in petite mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Suppressive petite mutants isolated from a strain possessing a nuclear gene which controls the transmission of mitochondria are highly suppressive in all crosses to grande strains. Suppressive petite mutants derived from other strains are also highly suppressive in all crosses except when crossed to strains carrying the nuclear control gene; in these crosses the suppressiveness of the mutants is modified to levels approaching that of neutral petite mutants. Genetic analysis of the control gene and the suppressive character of the suppressive petites have indicated that they are not manifestations of a common mechanism.
Revolution and Reform in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Fiction:

This article provides a reading of Elizabeth Gaskell’s social novel North and South and later historical fiction in the context of nineteenth-century debates about individual liberty and the authority of the state. Focused on the novel’s depiction of modes of dissent and the significance of Gaskell’s turn from contemporary to historical subjects, the article concludes with a reflection on the encounter with history and literature as imaginative and transformative experiences.
lunatic fringe regulates Delta-Notch induction of hypochord in zebrafish.

Cells that occupy the midline of vertebrate embryos arise from a common population of precursors. Several lines of evidence indicate that Delta-Notch signaling regulates specification of midline precursors for different fates. We show that zebrafish midline precursors transiently express lunatic fringe, which encodes a glycosyltransferase that modifies Notch activity in response to its ligands, and that lunatic fringe function is required for Delta-Notch-mediated induction of hypochord cells at the lateral borders of the midline precursor domain.
Visual Search Strategies of Older Drivers at Rural Expressway Intersections

Studies show that older drivers are at a greater risk for crashes at unsignalized intersections. The objective of this study is to examine the visual search pattern of older drivers as they begin one of three drive maneuvers (i.e., left turn, right turn, and straight across) at two different rural expressway intersections (i.e., high and low crash areas). Twenty drivers participated in this study with 10 older drivers (65–80 years old) and 10 middle-aged drivers (35–55 years old) used as a comparison group. Results show that older drivers used significantly less search time to get ready for all maneuvers when compared to middle-aged drivers. There was also an interaction effect with older drivers taking significantly less search time during higher traffic volumes. Middle-aged drivers would search for potential hazards and wait for an appropriate gap distance before entering into the intersection.
SURVIVE THEN THRIVE: DETERMINANTS OF SUCCESS IN THE ECONOMICS PH.D. PROGRAM

This study investigates the completion of the Ph.D. in economics. We use ex ante information, based upon reviewing individual applications from former doctoral students. Students need different skills to succeed at each distinct stage of the doctoral program. Significant determinants for passing the comprehensive exams include Graduate Record Exam (GRE) verbal and quantitative scores, a Masters degree, and prior focus on economics. By contrast, research motivation and math preparation play significant roles in completing the dissertation. GRE scores become insignificant for completion in the generalized ordered logit estimates, which emphasize the sequential nature of the Economics Ph.D. program .( JEL I210) I. INTRODUCTION Every spring, admission committees review a pile of applications to select candidates for their Ph.D. programs. Beyond normal attrition, Economics departments clearly have a stake in seeing a significant proportion of students finish the program. Aside from whatever resources may accrue todepartmentswith high completion rates, they receive prestige from the placement and success of their completed Ph.D. students in academic institutions or private sector jobs. Obtaining a Ph.D. in economics requires clearing a series of distinct hurdles and constitutes a riskier venture than attending medical school, an MBA program,
Planning Note: Public Housing as Preparation for Public Life

Planning practitioners, policymakers, and scholars often explain the history and impact of public housing in the United States in terms of budgets, expenditures, units produced, social composition,...
A novel incrementally-deployable multi-granularity multihoming framework for the future internet

Multihoming practice in the current Internet is limited to hosts and autonomous systems (ASs). It is “connectivity-oriented” without support for user or data multihoming. However, the swift migration of Internet from “connectivity-oriented” to “content-oriented” pattern urges to incorporate user and data level multihoming support in architecture designs instead of just through ad-hoc patches. In this paper, based on our previous research experience, we expand the multihoming concepts to both user and data levels based on the “multiple points of attachment” in a way similar to host multihoming. We propose a new incrementally-deployable multihoming framework by introducing a “realm” concept. The high-level user and data multihoming support can be built on top of the host and AS level multihoming in an incrementally-deployable and flexibly-assembled manner. Realms form a hierarchy of functionally dependable blocks. We define a new dimension of building block—slice which is an incrementally implementable functional unit for multihoming. Besides the long-term support for user and data multihoming, the first step deployment of the new framework is also able to address the short-term routing scalability challenge by reducing the total inter-domain routing table size gradually.
Radiation Effects Modeling and Experimental Data on I2L Devices

This paper reports on an Integrated Injection Logic (I2L) radiation effects model which includes radiation effects phenomena. Twenty-five individual current components were identified for an 12L logic gate by assuming wholly vertical or wholly horizontal current flow. Equations were developed for each component in terms of basic parameters such as doping profiles, distances, and diffusion lengths, and set up on a computer for specific logic cell configurations. For neutron damage, the model shows excellent agreement with experimental data. Reactor test results on GE I2L samples showed a neutron hardness level in the range of 6 x 1012 to 3 x 1013 n/cm2 (1 MeV Eq), and Cobalt-60 tests showed a total dose hardness of 6 x 104 to greater than 1 x 106 Rads(Si) (all device types at an injection current of 50 microamps per gate). It was found that significant hardness improvements could be achieved by: a) diffusion profile variation, b) utilizing a tight N+ collar around the cell, and c) locating the collector close to the injector. Flash X-ray tests showed a transient logic upset threshold of 1 x 109 Rads(Si)/sec for a 28 ns pulse, and a survival level greater than 2 x 1012 Rads(Si)/sec.
Association of traumatic brain injuries with vomiting in children with blunt head trauma.

Study objective We aimed to determine the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries in children who vomit after minor blunt head trauma, particularly when the vomiting occurs without other findings suggestive of traumatic brain injury (ie, isolated vomiting). We also aimed to determine the relationship between the timing and degree of vomiting and traumatic brain injury prevalence. Methods This was a secondary analysis of children younger than 18 years with minor blunt head trauma. Clinicians assessed for history and characteristics of vomiting at the initial evaluation. We assessed for the prevalence of clinically important traumatic brain injury and traumatic brain injury on computed tomography (CT). Results Of 42,112 children enrolled, 5,557 (13.2%) had a history of vomiting, of whom 815 of 5,392 (15.1%) with complete data had isolated vomiting. Clinically important traumatic brain injury occurred in 2 of 815 patients (0.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0% to 0.9%) with isolated vomiting compared with 114 of 4,577 (2.5%; 95% CI 2.1% to 3.0%) with nonisolated vomiting (difference –2.3%, 95% CI –2.8% to –1.5%). Of patients with isolated vomiting for whom CT was performed, traumatic brain injury on CT occurred in 5 of 298 (1.7%; 95% CI 0.5% to 3.9%) compared with 211 of 3,284 (6.4%; 95% CI 5.6% to 7.3%) with nonisolated vomiting (difference –4.7%; 95% CI –6.0% to –2.4%). We found no significant independent associations between prevalence of clinically important traumatic brain injury and traumatic brain injury on CT with either the timing of onset or time since the last episode of vomiting. Conclusion Traumatic brain injury on CT is uncommon and clinically important traumatic brain injury is very uncommon in children with minor blunt head trauma when vomiting is their only sign or symptom. Observation in the emergency department before determining the need for CT appears appropriate for many of these children.
Evaluation of the global aerosol microphysical ModelE2-TOMAS model against satellite and ground-based observations

Abstract. The TwO-Moment Aerosol Sectional (TOMAS) microphysics model has been integrated into the state-of-the-art general circulation model, GISS ModelE2. This paper provides a detailed description of the ModelE2-TOMAS model and evaluates the model against various observations including aerosol precursor gas concentrations, aerosol mass and number concentrations, and aerosol optical depths. Additionally, global budgets in ModelE2-TOMAS are compared with those of other global aerosol models, and the ModelE2-TOMAS model is compared to the default aerosol model in ModelE2, which is a one-moment aerosol (OMA) model (i.e. no aerosol microphysics). Overall, the ModelE2-TOMAS predictions are within the range of other global aerosol model predictions, and the model has a reasonable agreement (mostly within a factor of 2) with observations of sulfur species and other aerosol components as well as aerosol optical depth. However, ModelE2-TOMAS (as well as ModelE2-OMA) cannot capture the observed vertical distribution of sulfur dioxide over the Pacific Ocean, possibly due to overly strong convective transport and overpredicted precipitation. The ModelE2-TOMAS model simulates observed aerosol number concentrations and cloud condensation nuclei concentrations roughly within a factor of 2. Anthropogenic aerosol burdens in ModelE2-OMA differ from ModelE2-TOMAS by a few percent to a factor of 2 regionally, mainly due to differences in aerosol processes including deposition, cloud processing, and emission parameterizations. We observed larger differences for naturally emitted aerosols such as sea salt and mineral dust, as those emission rates are quite different due to different upper size cutoff assumptions.
Effect of dietary zinc deficiency of chicken hepatic cells.

SummaryHepatic cells of chicks fed a purified basal diet consisting of isolated soybean protein (Drackett Assay Protein C-1) with no supplemental zinc, exhibited nucleoli 78% larger than nucleoli of hepatic cells in equal number of chicks fed the same diet supplemented with 40 ppm of zinc. No other histopathologic changes were observed in sections of heart, spleen, kidney and small intestine.
Grain boundary sliding revisited: Developments in sliding over four decades

It is now recognized that grain boundary sliding (GBS) is often an important mode of deformation in polycrystalline materials. This paper reviews the developments in GBS over the last four decades including the procedures available for estimating the strain contributed by sliding to the total strain, ξ, and the division into Rachinger GBS in conventional creep and Lifshitz GBS in diffusion creep. It is shown that Rachinger GBS occurs under two distinct conditions in conventional creep depending upon whether the grain size, d, is larger or smaller than the equilibrium subgrain size, λ. A unified model is presented leading to separate rate equations for Rachinger GBS in power-law creep and superplasticity. It is demonstrated that these two equations are in excellent agreement with experimental observations. There are additional recent predictions, not fully resolved at the present time, concerning the role of GBS in nanostructured materials.
Taste Thresholds and Hedonic Responses of Panels Representing Three Nationalities

Taste thresholds for sodium chloride, sucrose, citric acid and caffeine in aqueous solutions did not differ among panels from Nigeria, Korea, and the United States. The Nigerians and Koreans liked tomato juice more than the Americans, and preferred it sweetened. The Koreans liked applesauce better than the other two nationalities, but did not differentiate among the sweetened applesauce, that containing sodium chloride and the control. Americans liked the control, and Nigerians liked the sweetened applesauce best. Frequency of consuming groups of foods by panelists was related to the trend toward liking tomato juice with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, and applesauce with sweet and salty taste substances added, but there was no significant relationship between hedonic responses and thresholds.
Strongly τ-pseudocompact spaces

Abstract A new notion of a strongly τ-pseudocompact space is introduced, and its relation to the notion of initially τ-compact space is studied. A theorem of J.F. Kennison (Kennison, 1962) is generalized to this case, which leads to new interesting questions. In particular, it is proved that every strongly 2 ω -pseudocompact space of countable tightness is compact, and that every strongly 2 ω -pseudocompact space is initially τ + -compact. It is also established that every ω 1 -pseudocompact topological group of countable tightness is metrizable and, therefore, compact. Several open problems are formulated.
Reflectance sharing: predicting appearance from a sparse set of images of a known shape

Three-dimensional appearance models consisting of spatially varying reflectance functions defined on a known shape can be used in analysis-by-synthesis approaches to a number of visual tasks. The construction of these models requires the measurement of reflectance, and the problem of recovering spatially varying reflectance from images of known shape has drawn considerable interest. To date, existing methods rely on either: 1) low-dimensional (e.g., parametric) reflectance models, or 2) large data sets involving thousands of images (or more) per object. Appearance models based on the former have limited accuracy and generality since they require the selection of a specific reflectance model a priori, and while approaches based on the latter may be suitable for certain applications, they are generally too costly and cumbersome to be used for image analysis. We present an alternative approach that seeks to combine the benefits of existing methods by enabling the estimation of a nonparametric spatially varying reflectance function from a small number of images. We frame the problem as scattered-data interpolation in a mixed spatial and angular domain, and we present a theory demonstrating that the angular accuracy of a recovered reflectance function can be increased in exchange for a decrease in its spatial resolution. We also present a practical solution to this interpolation problem using a new representation of reflectance based on radial basis functions. This representation is evaluated experimentally by testing its ability to predict appearance under novel view and lighting conditions. Our results suggest that since reflectance typically varies slowly from point to point over much of an object's surface, we can often obtain a nonparametric reflectance function from a sparse set of images. In fact, in some cases, we can obtain reasonable results in the limiting case of only a single input image
Acoustic chiasm. IV: Eight midbrain decussations of the auditory system in the cat.

Conventional retrograde and orthograde axonal transport tract-tracing techniques were used in cats to explore the auditory decussations and commissures in the upper pons and midbrain. In all, 8 decussations differing either in origin or in contralateral termination were found. Three of the 8 decussations (from the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus to the contralateral dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus, from the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus to the contralateral inferior colliculus, from the sagulum to the contralateral sagulum) reach their targets via the commissure of Probst. The remaining 5 decussations (from the inferior colliculus to the contralateral inferior colliculus or medial geniculate, from the intermediate nucleus of the lateral lemniscus to the contralateral medial geniculate, from the sagulum to the contralateral inferior colliculus or medial geniculate) reach their targets via the commissure of the inferior colliculus. The results also suggest that the commissure of Probst is not a general avenue for decussating auditory fibers of the lateral lemniscus but is instead a specific avenue only for fibers from the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus and sagulum. The results also show that, in the cat at least, the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus does not project beyond the inferior colliculus to either the superior colliculus or medial geniculate-the cells previously reported as doing so are probably those of the immediate neighbors of the dorsal nucleus, the intermediate nucleus of the lateral lemniscus and sagulum.
Health Indicators of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders in the United States

This study aimed to describe health indicators and behaviors of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) adults and to compare findings to previous reports on US NHPI and the US population. A sample of N = 100 (56 M, 44 F) NHPI adults aged 40–59 years completed an anonymous questionnaire addressing education and household income, tobacco use, physical activity, fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption, cancer screening and health status. Objective measures of height and weight were taken to calculate body mass index (BMI). The study sample consisted of 49% current smokers and the majority was not meeting guidelines for physical activity (80%) or F&V consumption (99%). Cancer screening rates ranged from 0 to 57% and were higher among females. Mean BMI was 33.9 ± 7.5 kg/m2 and 95% were overweight or obese. While 36.7% were hypertensive, only 11.1% were taking prescribed medication. Compared to both the general US population and available data for US NHPI, study participants reported higher prevalence of obesity and chronic conditions (hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and angina/CHD) and lower levels of physical activity, F&V consumption and cancer screening rates. Study findings contribute to the limited knowledge regarding health behaviors of US NHPI. Comparisons to US data increase evidence of NHPI health disparities, while comparisons to previous NHPI studies emphasize the magnitude of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and subsequent adverse health conditions for this particular sample. Further improvements to community outreach and recruitment strategies could successfully encourage high-risk individuals to participate in health promotion and behavior intervention studies to improve NHPI health behaviors.
Health Services Use and Health Care Expenditures for Children With Disabilities

Objective. To examine health care utilization and expenditure patterns for children with disabilities. Methods. Secondary data analysis was conducted of the 1999 and 2000 editions of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a nationally representative survey conducted in 5 rounds by household interview. Two years of MEPS data were combined in this analysis to improve the precision of estimates. Disability was defined by the presence of a limitation in age-appropriate social role activities, such as school or play, or receipt of specialized services through the early intervention or special education programs. The survey sample included 13 792 children younger than 18 years. The overall response rate was 65.5%. Results. Our findings demonstrate that the 7.3% of US children with disabilities used many more services than their counterparts without disabilities in 1999–2000. The largest differences in utilization were for hospital days (464 vs 55 days per 1000), nonphysician professional visits (3.0 vs 0.6), and home health provider days (3.8 vs 0.04). As a result of their greater use, children with disabilities also had much higher health care expenditures ($2669 vs $676) and higher out-of-pocket expenditures ($297 vs $189). We also found that the distributions of total and out-of-pocket expenses were highly skewed, with a small fraction of the disabled population accounting for a large proportion of expenditures: the upper decile accounted for 65% of total health care expenses and 85% of all out-of-pocket expenses for the population with disabilities. Health insurance was found to convey significant protection against financially burdensome expenses. However, even after controlling for insurance status, low-income families experienced greater financial burdens than higher income families. Conclusions. The skewed distribution of out-of-pocket expenses found in this and earlier studies indicates that the financial burden of childhood disability continues to be shared unevenly by families. Low-income families are especially vulnerable to burdensome out-of-pocket expenses. Additional efforts are needed to protect these high-risk families.
Dissociable Effects of Frontal Cortical Lesions on Measures of Visuospatial Attention and Spatial Working Memory in the Rat

Frontal cortex controls voluntary movement through projections to striatum that continue as parallel pallido-thalamic loops. In previous studies we found evidence of a double dissociation in rat striatum between visuospatial response time (RT) and radial maze delayed non-matching (DNM) tasks. Here we compare the effects of frontal cortical lesions on these tasks. We found that lesions involving sensorimotor areas in dorsolateral cortex affect RT for responding to visuospatial stimuli without affecting other measures of response speed or producing signs of attentional or sensory impairment. These deficits were equivalent to impairments observed with lesions in sensorimotor areas of dorsolateral striatum. Dorsal prefrontal lesions produced RT deficits indicative of attentional impairment that have not been observed with striatal or thalamic lesions. This suggests contributions of prefrontal cortex to attention independent of striatum and thalamus. Prefrontal lesions had significant but circumscribed effects on DNM consistent with effects of lesions in anatomically related areas of striatum or thalamus observed in earlier studies. These results are consistent with evidence implicating prefrontal cortex in aspects of spatial memory mediated by anatomically related pathways in the basal ganglia and thalamus.
Effect of Salting Cued for Blue Cheese

Summary In the making of blue cheese, addition of 2 per cent salt to the curd just before hooping sometimes resulted in better mold growth in the cheese, rather regularly gave a lighter color and tended to control certain flavor defects.
The Pentagon Building Performance Study

The special section contained in this issue archives the study of the Pentagon building performance conducted by ASCE following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. The five papers document the structure, the crash loading, and the damaged induced. Then, through basic analyses, plausible hypotheses of structural and thermal response are evaluated. The results provide the basis for important lessons that apply to all of the structures in which the public works and lives. The term “lessons learned” commonly conjures up an experience in which a lapse has been responsible for a failure. Indeed some of the case studies that have been chronicled in this journal and other publications describe such occurrences. It is important to make a note of these and gain experience from them. However, the forensic engineering profession can and should also learn from positive incidents in which superior practice has avoided or mitigated a serious problem. The structural response of the Pentagon to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack represents such a positive episode. While the loss of 184 lives in the event is a terrible tragedy, certain superior practices incorporated into the original design of the building prevented even worse damage. As described in the papers of this special section, the structural detailing of this building provided continuity, redundancy, energy-absorbing capacity, and reserve strength in the structural frame. We should make note of these superior practices as we engineer structures to resist general collapse following localized damage from whatever cause. It is further valuable to compare the response of the Pentagon described herein to that of the Murrah Federal Office Building in
Higher‐order harmonic transmission‐line RF coil design for MR applications

A novel concept based on the use of higher-order harmonic resonances in a transmission-line resonator is introduced for the design of high-frequency RF coils at high and ultrahigh fields, where conventional RF coil designs present difficulties and limitations. To demonstrate this concept, we successfully designed and fabricated a 400-MHz RF coil for rat imaging using a second-harmonic resonant microstrip transmission line. This coil has a high Q-factor, reduces coil-cable interactions without the use of a matching balun, and has a broad range for tuning the coil's resonant frequency at the loaded condition. This work demonstrates that the use of higher-order harmonics in a transmission-line resonator provides an alternative, efficient approach to the design of large and high-frequency RF coils.
Changes in cotyledon mRNA during floral induction of Pharbitis nil CV. Violet

Floral induction in seedlings of Pharbitis nil Choisy cv. Violet, with one cotyledon removed, was manipulated by applying various photoperiodic treatments to the remaining cotyledon. Populations of polyadenylated RNA from treated cotyledons were examined to identify messages specifically involved in floral induction. The RNA was translated in vitro using a wheat-germ system, and the resulting translation products were analysed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Substantial qualitative and quantitative differences were found between mRNA from cotyledons of seedlings kept in continuous light (non-induced) and of seedlings given a 16-h dark period (induced). In contrast, inhibition of flowering with a night-break resulted only in one detectable, quantitative difference in mRNA.
Canine lobular orbital adenoma: a report of 15 cases with distinctive features.

Objective To describe a unique orbital neoplasm in dogs, of lacrimal or salivary gland origin. Animals studied Fifteen dogs with lesions consistent with a diagnosis of lobular adenomas involving the orbit were identified from the Comparative Ophthalmic Pathology Laboratory of Wisconsin from 1994 to 2001. Results The neoplasm occurred in nine females and six males. Affected dogs ranged in age from 7 to 17 years (mean = 9.7 years). Follow-up information was available for 13 of the 15 cases. The clinical presentation included swollen/hyperemic eyelids (4/15), third eyelid protrusion (3/15), conjunctival mass (6/15), exophthalmos (4/15), resistance to retropulsion (2/15), or strabismus (1/15). In 13 cases the masses were composed of nodular, friable tissue and they were solid in two cases. Histologically, the tissue was found in encapsulated lobules resembling well differentiated lacrimal or salivary glands but completely lacking ducts. Granular PAS-positive material was found within the cytoplasm. There was recurrence in 10 of the 13 cases available for follow-up. Of those cases in which enucleation or exenteration was performed (3/15), there was recurrence of disease in one case. In three cases the dogs were euthanized before recurrence at 3 months, 5 months and 3 years post surgery. None of the deaths was related to the tumor. Conclusion In the 15 cases reviewed, lobular adenomas of the orbit presented clinically and histologically as a benign neoplasm of lacrimal or salivary gland origin. Recurrence was likely unless the mass was completely excised, at times requiring orbital exenteration.
Regions of constrained maximum likelihood parameter identifiability

This paper considers the parameter identification problem of general discrete-time, nonlinear, multiple-input/multiple-output dynamic systems with Gaussian-white distributed measurement errors. Knowledge of the system parameterization is assumed to be known. Regions of constrained maximum likelihood (CML) parameter identifiability are established. A computation procedure employing interval arithmetic is proposed for finding explicit regions of parameter identifiability for the case of linear systems. It is shown that if the vector of true parameters is locally CML identifiable, then with probability one, the vector of true parameters is a unique maximal point of the maximum likelihood function in the region of parameter identifiability and the CML estimation sequence will converge to the true parameters.
Profiling of impurities in illicit methamphetamine by high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrochromatography.

Abstract High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with photodiode array (PDA) UV and fluorescence (FL) detection, and capillary electrochromatography (CEC) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection were investigated for the analysis of acidic extracts derived from illicit methamphetamine. These compounds include major impurities from the hydriodic acid/red phosphorous reduction method, i.e., 1,3-dimethyl-2-phenylnaphthalene and 1-benzyl-3-methylnaphthalene, and other trace-level, structurally related impurities. For certain of these solutes, HPLC with conventional FL detection gave at least a 60× increase in sensitivity over UV detection. In addition, other highly fluorescent impurities were detected in methamphetamine produced via four other synthetic routes. The use of a rapid scanning FL detector (with acquisition of “on the fly” excitation or emission) provided structural information and gave “optimum” excitation and emission detection wavelengths. CEC with LIF detection using UV laser excitation provided greatly improved chromatography over HPLC, with good detection limits in the low ng/ml range. Both methodologies provide good run-to-run repeatability, and have the capability to distinguish between samples.
A Cerebral Central Pattern Generator in Aplysia and Its Connections with Buccal Feeding Circuitry

Different feeding-related behaviors in Aplysia require substantial variations in the coordination of movements of two separate body parts, the lips and buccal mass. The central pattern generators (CPGs) and motoneurons that control buccal mass movements reside largely in the buccal ganglion. It was previously thought that control of the cerebral neuronal circuitry and motoneurons that generate lip movements was coordinated directly by feedback from buccal interneurons. Here, we describe cerebral lip motoneuron C15, which drives rhythmic activity in the isolated cerebral ganglion. Other lip motoneurons are active during this program, so we define it as a cerebral motor program (CMP). The C15 in each cerebral hemiganglion drives the CMP in ipsilateral neurons only, suggesting there are independent CPGs in each hemiganglion. The cerebral and buccal CPGs interact at several points. For example, cerebral-to-buccal interneurons (CBIs), which can drive the buccal CPG, receive excitatory input when the cerebral CPG is active. Likewise, C15, which can drive the cerebral CPG, is excited when the buccal CPG is active. This excitation is simultaneous in both C15s, coupling the activity in the two hemiganglionic cerebral CPGs. Therefore, there are independent cerebral and buccal CPGs, which can produce distinct rhythms, but which interact at several points. Furthermore, the connections between the cerebral and buccal CPGs alter during different forms of motor program. We suggest that such alterations in the interactions between these CPGs might contribute to the generation of the various forms of coordination of lip and buccal mass movements that are necessary during different feeding-related behaviors.