cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Worst of Both Worlds: Biases Compound in Pre-trained Vision-and-Language Models.

Numerous works have analyzed biases in vision and pre-trained language models individually - however, less attention has been paid to how these biases interact in multimodal settings. This work extends text-based bias analysis methods to investigate multimodal language models, and analyzes intra- and inter-modality associations and biases learned by these models. Specifically, we demonstrate that VL-BERT (Su et al., 2020) exhibits gender biases, often preferring to reinforce a stereotype over faithfully describing the visual scene. We demonstrate these findings on a controlled case-study and extend them for a larger set of stereotypically gendered entities.
Cache Networks of Counting Queues

We consider a cache network in which intermediate nodes equipped with caches can serve content requests. We model this network as a universally stable queuing system, in which packets carrying identical responses are consolidated before being forwarded downstream. We refer to resulting queues as M/M/1c or counting queues, as consolidated packets carry a counter indicating the packet's multiplicity. Cache networks comprising such queues are hard to analyze; we propose two approximations: one via M/M/∞ queues, and one based on M/M/1c queues under the assumption of Poisson arrivals. We show that, in both cases, the problem of jointly determining (a) content placements and (b) service rates admits a poly-time, 1-1/e approximation algorithm. We also show that our analysis, with respect to both algorithms and associated guarantees, extends to (a) counting queues over items, rather than responses, as well as to (b) queuing at nodes and edges, as opposed to just edges. Numerical evaluations indicate that our proposed approximation algorithms yield good solutions in practice, significantly outperforming competitors.
Optical Sensor Developments for Measuring the Surface Strains in Prestressed Concrete Members

: Conventionally, transfer-length strain measurements are performed using mechanical gauges such as the Whittemore gauge, or demountable mechanical (DEMEC) strain gauges, and others devices using ‘contact’ measuring principles. These methods involve tedious surface preparation, and are also prone to significant human errors and inaccuracies. Furthermore, these mechanical sensors can only detect lateral displacements. This paper presents a new optical sensor of measuring prestress concrete surface strains. It makes use of the laser-speckle displacement that is detected by cross correlating the associated optical signals from a Charged-Coupled Device (CCD) sensor. The sensor was designed to be able to measure the surface displacement components without being affected by other surface motions that are generally present during the concrete detensioning process. Experiments were conducted on a compressed concrete beam and a real prestressed concrete member during the manufacturing process. The results from the optical strain sensor showed good consistency with contact measurements made by using both a foil strain gauge and a Whittemore gauge.
Evidence‐Based Practice to Improve Outcomes for Late Preterm Infants

Infants born between 34 weeks 0 days to 36 weeks 6 days gestation have been identified as late preterm infants (LPIs) and account for 70% of preterm births and 9% of all births. The rise in elective deliveries in the past decade is believed to have contributed to the number of late preterm births. An interprofessional team including labor and delivery, neonatal intensive care, and postpartum care providers collaborated to address this issue at an urban academic medical center.
f Measurements with Black Absorbers

The Mossbauer fraction f of emitted or absorbed gamma radiation intensity is simply related to the localization of the atom in its host material, and it can in principle be analyzed in terms of the atomic force constants and lattice vibration spectra. As is often the case with measurements of radiation intensities, f is difficult to measure with precision. The measurement requires that one compare the intensity in a very narrow energy interval with the total in a much more diffuse part of a characteristic gamma ray. In the case of Fe57, the sharp fraction has energy within a range of about 10−6 eV at 14 keV, while the intensity of the recoil radiation has a spread of 0.1 eV; this comparison must be made in the presence of other direct and indirect gamma rays and X rays. The situation with respect to the 14-keV Fe57 gamma ray is illustrated in Fig. 1. Insert A shows a very simple example of a possible Mossbauer spectrum: two lines of unequal intensities, well resolved by a spacing greater than their natural widths. We must compare the intensity in these two lines with the more diffuse recoil radiation, as shown in Fig. 1B. Both components of the primary 14-keV gamma ray are only a portion of the total primary spectrum of other gamma rays and X rays, shown in C.
Geographic distribution of an open access e-journal

Spatial analysis of usage data for a new open-access library and information science e-journal indicates that within the US the geographic distribution of page views is similar to the geographic distribution of the sponsoring program's alumni locations. Outside the US, the geographic distribution of page views was greatest in Europe, followed by Asia, Africa and South America. The top two most frequently downloaded articles are both related to classic children's literature, a content analysis of Cinderella storybooks in the de Grummond Collection and a collection analysis of Little Red Riding Hood in the de Grummond Collection.
A Review of “The Metropolitan Revolution: How Cities and Metros Are Fixing Our Broken Politics and Fragile Economy”

Having long incorporated what Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley call “metropolitan thinking” into their -professional practice, planners who encounter this book may initially think it has little to o...
Lethal Police Response as a Crime Deterrent

. Since Gary Becker's article on the economics of crime and punishment, economists have explored extensively the possible deterrence effect of standard enforcement variables, not only for their public policy implications but to test the hypothesis that illegitimate behavior is sensitive to measures of risk and reward (loss) as well as social, psychological and cultural forces. Research has been needed on the probability of death to the offender caused by official police action—“lethal response.” To measure the criminal reaction to intercity variations in the rate of civilian killings of police in the line of duty, a cross-sectional study of 57 cities was undertaken. Variations in non-homicide violent crime rate were found to be inversely related to variations in the intercity lethal response rate. this suggests the presence of a deterrence effect, a one Sixth of one percent decrease in the rate of non-homicide violent crime being associated with a one percent increase in the lethal response rate.
Spectacular Wickedness: Sex, Race, and Memory in Storyville, New Orleans Emily Epstein Landau. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2013.

Spectacular Wickedness: Sex, Race, and Memory in Storyville, New Orleans Emily Epstein Landau. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2013.Storyville, the red-light district in fin de siecle New Orleans, began as a zone of residential segregation but is often leveraged as evidence of the Crescent City's exceptional qualities: sensuality, libertinism, and porous social boundaries. For nearly twenty years, the district abided as a space where prostitution was neither explicitly legal nor illegal; ordinances penned by Councilman Sidney Storey simply strengthened legal penalties for commercial sex outside of the neighborhood, offering no protected legal status for people who sold sex within its boundaries. Though the district closed in 1917, it echoes in tourist literature that promises a taste of power-laden transactional pleasure in Mardi Gras bead exchanges.Contesting consensus memory of Storyville and hyper-agential accounts of prostitution, Emily Epstein Landau's Spectacular Wickedness reads the district as a performative space where enactments of racial fantasy ablated the "injustices and inequalities that characterized New Orleans at the turn of the last century" (10, 16). Released earlier this year, Emily Clark's The Strange History of the American Quadroon (2013) critiqued the assumptions of antebellum travelers, who imagined every light-skinned woman of color in New Orleans as a "quadroon bride" who preferred sexual entanglements with white men. Read together, Clark's and Landau's books, as well as Monique Guillory's unpublished dissertation, Some Enchanted Evening on the Auction Block (1999), reveal the trajectory through which the quadroon ball-where comparatively rare morganatic bonds between elite white men and lightskinned women of color were forged-began to be imagined as the dominant social formation of the city, deployed by its partisans to mask the violence of slavery. One catalyst for these myths was Storyville, where johns sought a taste of putatively consensual mastery in the "cribs" of marginalized women of color (Landau 116-119).Each of Landau's chapters offers important context for Storyville. The first chapter provides a pre-history of its raced and gendered dynamics, exploring the gender asymmetry of early (white) New Orleans, which led to the importation of "deportees from the prisons and brothels of Paris" (36). Despite its planned urbanity, the city was an archetypal frontier space. The second chapter not only draws careful, understated links between prostitution and slavery but also establishes the context of white supremacist violence in New Orleans. …
Old Democrats in New Clothing? An Ideological Analysis of a Democratic Party Faction

There has been little scholarly attention paid to the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) despite the fact that it represents an influential faction within the Democratic Party. As a result, questions remain about the institutional character of the DLC, particularly with respect to its ideological structure and coherence. This represents a missed opportunity to examine the formation, operation and success (or failure) of ideological factions. The present article begins to address this oversight by examining the ideology of members of the House New Democrat Coalition. After a brief conceptual and historical description of the DLC, I offer an explanation of the Third Way, the DLC's guiding philosophy. Having established a set of expectations about DLC members, I then examine the ideological make-up of New Democrats in the 106th House of Representatives. Using ADA, National Journal and DW-NOMINATE scores, I attempt to determine whether New Democrats are ideologically distinct from their more traditional (i.e...
Response stereotypy without automaticity in pigeons

Abstract Previous research has shown that when pigeons are required to peck each of two keys four times in any order for reinforcement, stereotyped response sequences develop though they are not demanded by the task. The present experiment explored whether the functional value of sequence stereotypy was that sequences became automatized, freeing cognitive resources for other activities. Pigeons were exposed to variants of the task requiring four pecks on each key that differed in the degree of task stringency. Concurrent with the sequence task, pigeons were required to process the color of the keys in order to complete successfully either a matching or a conditional discrimination task. The delay between sequence execution and matching or discrimination choice was varied between 0 and 10 sec. Matching and discrimination accuracy were decreasing functions of delay, but the stringency of the concurrent sequence task had no effect on choice accuracy, suggesting that stereotyped sequences were automatized. However, the matching and discrimination tasks produced substantial disruptions of sequence performance, suggesting that stereotyped sequences were not automatized. The data were taken to suggest that response stereotypy need not imply automaticity.
The analysis of two-way linearly tapered columns

Abstract Based on the analytical method and the algorithm which were presented in a previous paper [Comput. Struct. 27, 565–569 (1987)], this paper introduces the concept and the formulae to facilitate the design of built-up I-shaped steel columns where the web depth has a two-way linear taper. The formulae are expressed in terms of taper index ξ and are used in a computer program to study the effect of ξ on the axial load capacity and to indicate the optimal range of the taper index. Finally, an example is presented to demonstrate the method and to compare its results with an example from the literature.
Effect of ethanol on growth and liver components in mice.

Abstract The growth rate and body weight of male mice of the C 57 Bl/1OJ strain maintained on 15 per cent ethanol solution for periods of one to 12 months was comparable to that of the controls. There was no difference in the liver nitrogen content. However, the liver ADH content of the ethanol groups was significantly higher and the liver glycogen content was significantly lower than that of the controls. Mice paired-fed with the ethanol groups and provided with an additional 300 mg. of sucrose daily grew at a subnormal rate and attained subnormal body and liver weights. The liver nitrogen and liver ADH level was significantly lower than that of the ethanol groups. However, the liver glycogen content of the paired-fed mice was significantly higher than that of the ethanol groups and comparable to that of the control groups. Ethanol calories can be utilized for growth, maintenance of body weight and maintenance of the nitrogen integrity of the liver. The increase in liver ADH content and the pronounced decrease in liver glycogen content are a result of ethanol, per se, rather than a result of reduction in food intake.
Critical Thinking Skills and Dispositions of Baccalaureate Nursing Students--A Conceptual Model for Evaluation.

To date, little has been written on specifically what critical thinking is and what the scores reported on critical thinking instruments actually represent. This lack of specificity provided the impetus to examine critical thinking skills and dispositions of baccalaureate nursing students, to ascertain whether or not a significant difference exists between academic levels, and to ascertain, using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI), whether a relationship exists between nursing students' critical thinking skills and their critical thinking dispositions. The conceptualization of critical thinking consisting of two dimensions, cognitive skills and affective dispositions, developed by a panel of experts comprised the conceptual framework for this study. A cross-sectional, descriptive, comparative, and correlational study was undertaken in which two instruments, CCTST, Form A, and the CCTDI were administered to a convenience sample of nursing students representing five academic levels. The sample in the statistical analyses comprised 328 students. Results indicated that the total critical thinking mean score for students at each level reflected percentile ranking ranging between 48 and 65 per cent. The mean score for the critical thinking subscale, inference, had the lowest percentile rankings, ranging between 37 and 55 per cent. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical analysis indicated that students at the junior I level had the highest critical thinking mean scores, and students at the sophomore II level attained the lowest scores, reflecting a significant difference (P < or = .05). ANOVA also indicated a significant difference in the total critical thinking disposition mean scores between students at the junior I and senior I and II levels and those at the sophomore II level (P < or = .0000). Results indicated weak truth-seeking disposition scores among students at all levels. Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient yielded a significant positive relationship between critical thinking skills and critical thinking dispositions (P < or = .01). The conceptual model, as well as its relevancy to the professional standards of Essentials for College and University Education for Professional Nursing (AACN, 1986), is presented. Recommendations are discussed in regard to nursing education, curriculum, and research.
Potassium-argon dating of fine-grained basalts with massive Ar loss: Application of the 40Ar39Ar technique to plagioclase and glass from the Kirkpatrick Basalt, Antarctica

40Ar39Ar incremental-heating measurements are reported for separated plagioclase and matrix fractions and a glass sample of the Kirkpatrick Basalt from Victoria Land, Antarctica. These results are used to address: the limitations of whole-rock analyses of glassy or very fine-grained basalts; the use of plagioclase for determining ages of such rocks; the Ar behavior of matrix, glass and feldspar components; the use of K/Cl ratios in interpretation of step-heating results; and the age of the Kirkpatrick Basalt. The precise age of the Kirkpatrick Basalt has been a long standing problem; the wide range of reported K-Ar dates has been attributed to loss of Ar. Despite massive Ar loss from the matrix, plagioclase is shown to yield good 40Ar39Ar plateaus. Plateaus are observed for increments above 700°C and are defined not only by consistent apparent ages but also appropriately low K/Ca and high K/Cl ratios. Cl relations help identify Ar released from small amounts of matrix which can seriously contaminate a plagioclase separate. An age of 176.8 ± 1.8 Ma defines the time of formation of the youngest lava at Mt. Frustum in north Victoria Land. A glass sample from south Victoria Land gives the same age, indicating that terrestrial basaltic glasses as old as Jurassic do not inherently lose Ar. The step-heating profile of glass with very fine crystals shows discordance which is an artifact of Ar recoil during irradiation.
Triangulating regional economies: Realizing the promise of digital data

Abstract Innovative data sources offer new ways of studying spatial and temporal industrial and regional development. Our approach is to study the development of an entrepreneurial regional economy through a comprehensive analysis of its constituent firms and institutions over time. Our study region is defined by the location of large multinationals recruited to North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park and the adjacent area. We have built a database of 4200 technology-intensive entrepreneurial firms that draws on over 30 distinct data sources and includes details on company founders, annual firm employment and engagement with the entrepreneurial ecosystem. By outlining our approach in this paper, our primary objective is to create a transferable framework for analyzing regional dynamics in other locations.
On stability and the worst imperfection shape in solids with nearly simultaneous eigenmodes

Abstract Of interest here is the influence of imperfections on the stability of elastic systems, discrete or continuous, with nearly simultaneous modes. The majority of such structures show an extreme sensitivity of their first instability load to the shape of these small amplitude but unavoidable imperfections. The determination of the worst such possible shape is thus a very important issue from the design standpoint. Following a general analysis of the stability of arbitrary elastic systems with nearly simultaneous bifurcation eigenmodes in the presence of imperfections, conditions are given for the determination of the worst imperfection shape which minimizes the first local load maximum. For the case of coincident eigenmodes the answer to the worst shape problem is considerably simplified, for it is determined from the equilibrium branch of the perfect structure on which the load drops more rapidly.
Increased resistance to free radical damage induced by low-level sound conditioning

Conditioning is the phenomenon where exposure to moderate-level acoustic stimuli can increase the ear's resistance to subsequent more intense sound exposures. In recent years, research has shown that conditioning increases the availability of antioxidant enzymes which presumably protects the ear from oxidative stress induced by a traumatic noise exposure [Jacono, A.A., Hu, B., Kopke, R.D., Henderson, D., Van De Water, T.R., Steinman, H.M., 1998. Changes in cochlear antioxidant enzyme activity after sound conditioning and noise exposure in the chinchilla. Hear Res 117, 31-8]. The current study was designed to assess whether the increase in endogenous antioxidants seen following conditioning could provide protection from oxidative stress induced by Paraquat, a potent generator of superoxide. Chinchillas were exposed to a conditioning noise, 500 Hz OBN at 95 dB for 6 h/day for 10 days, followed 5 days later with Paraquat application to the round window. Controls underwent the Paraquat application surgery, without prior conditioning. Evoked potential thresholds were determined prior to conditioning, at day 1, 5 and 10 during conditioning, at day 15 (5 days after conditioning), and at day 17, 19, 23, and 35 (1, 3, 7, and 20 days post-Paraquat). The conditioned animals showed reductions in permanent threshold shift and reduced inner hair cell loss relative to controls. These results reinforce the hypothesis that antioxidants are primary mediators of the conditioning effect.
Experiences in measuring a human contact network for epidemiology research

This paper discusses our experience in designing and deploying a 994-node sensor network to measure the social contact network of a high school over one typical day. The system aims to capture interactions of human subjects for the study of infectious disease spread. We describe unique challenges posed by a large-scale network that is heavily affected by humans. We present techniques to address challenges such as frequent node reboots and global timestamps. The end result of the deployment is a dataset of 792 traces which can be used to calculate the school population's contact network and the rough location where interactions occurred.
Distribution of domain sizes during overlayer growth

Abstract The distribution of antiphase boundaries created in an overlayer after quenching from a two-dimensional lattice gas phase is described by Markovian disorder. We show that many types of antiphase boundaries with different widths are possible. This one-dimensional distribution is used to describe the growth of oxygen p(2×1) antiphase domains along the doubly-spaced direction on a W(112) surface after quenching from a disordered, lattice gas state.
Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Placement in Infants and Children

The most common venous access procedure performed in children and infants is the peripherally inserted central catheter, or "PICC." Placement of a PICC affords patients stable long-term venous access for medication administration and blood draws. The Interventional Radiology team faces particular challenges in the placement and management of these catheters in a pediatric population. This article discusses our institution's step-by-step approach to operating a hospital-wide PICC service.
Scattering of polarized laser light by an atomic gas in free space: A quantum stochastic differential equation approach

We propose a model, based on a quantum stochastic differential equation (QSDE), to describe the scattering of polarized laser light by an atomic gas. The gauge terms in the QSDE account for the direct scattering of the laser light into different field channels. Once the model has been set, we can rigorously derive quantum filtering equations for balanced polarimetry and homodyne detection experiments, study the statistics of output processes, and investigate a strong driving, weak coupling limit.
Measuring Intradialytic Hypotension to Improve Quality of Care

A significant fall in BP during dialysis, so-called intradialytic hypotension (IDH), is an important clinical problem. IDH is common, occurring in 15%–20% of treatments.[1][1] IDH is often associated with distressing symptoms such as lightheadedness, weakness, muscle cramps, and nausea and
European Materia Medica in Historical Texts: Longevity of a Tradition and Implications for Future Use

Abstract Aim of the study This study uses historical texts in order to obtain information on the natural products used in traditional medicines in European/Mediterranean therapeutics over the last two millennia. The information obtained may lead to new directions in the area of drug discovery, as recent research has demonstrated the continued promise of looking to natural products for bioactive compounds. Researchers have increasingly turned to traditional medicines to provide clues as to which natural products to investigate, but the oral traditions on which much of this medical knowledge rests are often unstable. Thus researchers have been prompted to use historical medical texts, as this study does, to find potential sources of new drugs. Materials and methods This study uses twelve Mediterranean/European medical texts from the 5th century BC to the 19th century AD to compile a list of the most commonly used “simples” - or single action drugs substances - used in therapeutics in traditional European medicine. This list was then compared to present-day herbal pharmacopoeia as represented by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Results This study finds that traditional European materia medica was based on a Dioscoridean tradition that lasted through the 19th century with remarkably little variation, but is significantly different from the present-day herbal pharmacopoeia according to the NIH. Conclusions The most prominent simples in the European/Mediterranean medical tradition can provide clues to futher bioactive compounds that have not as of yet been fully exploited for their potential, but were clearly of great use in the past.
Improved HIV and substance abuse treatment outcomes for released HIV-infected prisoners: the impact of buprenorphine treatment.

HIV-infected prisoners fare poorly after release. Though rarely available, opioid agonist therapy (OAT) may be one way to improve HIV and substance abuse treatment outcomes after release. Of the 69 HIV-infected prisoners enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of directly administered antiretroviral therapy, 48 (70%) met DSM-IV criteria for opioid dependence. Of these, 30 (62.5%) selected OAT, either as methadone (N = 7, 14.5%) or buprenorphine/naloxone (BPN/NLX; N = 23, 48.0%). Twelve-week HIV and substance abuse treatment outcomes are reported as a sub-study for those selecting BPN/NLX. Retention was high: 21 (91%) completed BPN/NLX induction and 17 (74%) remained on BPN/NLX after 12 weeks. Compared with baseline, the proportion with a non-detectable viral load (61% vs 63% log10 copies/mL) and mean CD4 count (367 vs 344 cells/mL) was unchanged at 12 weeks. Opiate-negative urine testing remained 83% for the 21 who completed induction. Using means from 10-point Likert scales, opioid craving was reduced from 6.0 to 1.8 within 3 days of BPN/NLX induction and satisfaction remained high at 9.5 throughout the 12 weeks. Adverse events were few and mild. BPN/NLX therapy was acceptable, safe and effective for both HIV and opioid treatment outcomes among released HIV-infected prisoners. Future randomized controlled trials are needed to affirm its benefit in this highly vulnerable population.
Survivability of dual-core networks during rare events

Telecommunication networks are evolving to become more reliable, but many networks remain vulnerable to widespread systemic failures. Reliability of individual components has improved and some networks can achieve availabilities on the order of 0.99999. However, the routing technologies used by these networks, like Open Shortest Path First and Border Gateway Protocol can create system-wide vulnerabilities. Some of the vulnerabilities include widespread outages such as earthquakes and floods, unintentional device mis-configurations, and hacker attacks. One of the leading-edge architectures to address system-wide outages is the use of a dual-core backbone, which uses two independent long-haul cores to connect the network's sites. The network is designed to tolerate the failure of a single core and leave the network fully functional. This work presents an OPNET simulation model of a dual-core architecture. This model predicts the restoral time of various network outages for different device configuration options and different topology options.
CREATION AND STRUCTURE STUDY OF VACUUM ISOLATED CLUSTERS OF ARGON, KRYPTON, AND XENON

Abstract Homogeneous clusters of Ar, Kr, or Xe are formed in adiabatic, high Mach number expansions through very small, diverging Laval nozzle sources. A He carrier gas is employed and the mole fraction of condensable species varied from 1.0 to 0.06 in an effort to control the cluster size distribution and temperature. The nozzle source is part of a multistage molecular beam apparatus. Electron diffraction, using a 40 keV beam, is used to study cluster structure. Cluster sizes are varied from g = 50 to 1500 atoms per cluster and temperatures range from 20 to 60°K. The structure for g > 1000 is bulk fcc and transforms gradually into a noncrystalline structure as size decreases. The smallest structures, for all three noble gases, are consistent with the icosahedral structures which are theoretically favored energetically in this regime. For a fixed mole fraction of 0.06, the cluster temperatures, Tc, are systematically higher going from Ar to Xe with dimensionless temperatures, kTc/ϵ3, systematically lower. There is evidence that P 0 D o /(kT 0 ϵ3) is the unifying parameter for predicting the onset of massive clustering for rare gases in these nozzle-type sources.
Engineering of interstitial foreign chromosome segments containing the K+/Na+ selectivity gene Kna1 by sequential homoeologous recombination in durum wheat

Targeted homoeologous recombination mediated by the absence of the Ph1 locus is currently the most efficient technique by which foreign genes can be introgressed into polyploid wheat species. Because intra-arm homoeologous double cross-overs are rare, introgressed foreign genes are usually on terminal foreign chromosome segments. Since the minimum length of such a segment is determined by the position of a gene in the chromosome, large chromosome segments with undesirable genetic effects are often introgressed. Introgression of foreign genes on short interstitial segments based on two cycles of homoeologous recombination is described here. The utility of the technique is demonstrated by the introgression of the Kna1 locus, which controls K+/Na+ selectivity in T. aesivum L., on short interstitial segments of chromosome 4D into chromosome 4B of Triticum turgidum L. The level of recombination in a homoeologous segment is not significantly affected by a juxtaposed proximal homologous segment in the absence of the Ph1 locus.
The Role of Data Repositories in Humanitarian Information Management and Crisis Mapping

In this paper we provide an overview of the current state of data repositories designed to manage spatial data holdings for the humanitarian sector, paying particular attention to the role of repositories in crisis mapping. We discuss how geospatial data repositories function in the larger humanitarian information management community and how repository architecture choices affect these functions. We close by noting current trends in portal design and management.
A prototype instrument for single pinhole small animal adaptive SPECT imaging

The authors have designed and constructed a small-animal adaptive SPECT imaging system as a prototype for quantifying the potential benefit of adaptive SPECT imaging over the traditional fixed geometry approach. The optical design of the system is based on filling the detector with the region of interest for each viewing angle, maximizing the sensitivity, and optimizing the resolution in the projection images. Additional feedback rules for determining the optimal geometry of the system can be easily added to the existing control software. Preliminary data have been taken of a phantom with a small, hot, offset lesion in a flat background in both adaptive and fixed geometry modes. Comparison of the predicted system behavior with the actual system behavior is presented, along with recommendations for system improvements.
Optical constants of Titan tholins at mid-infrared wavelengths (2.5–25 μm) and the possible chemical nature of Titan’s haze particles

Abstract Complex organic materials may exist as haze layers in the atmosphere of Titan and as dark coloring agents on icy satellite surfaces. Laboratory measurements of optical constants of plausible complex organic materials are necessary for quantitative evaluation from remote sensing observations, and to document the existence of complex organic materials in the extraterrestrial environments. The recent Cassini VIMS and CIRS observations provide new constraints on Titan’s haze properties in the mid-infrared wavelength region. Here, we present the optical constants (2.5–25 μm) of Titan tholins generated with cold plasma irradiation of a N 2 /CH 4 (90/10) gas mixture at pressures of 0.26 mbar, 1.6 mbar, and 23 mbar. Our new optical constants of three types of Titan tholins suggest that no single Titan tholin in this study fulfills all the observational constraints of the Titan haze material. The discrepancy remains a challenge for future modeling and laboratory efforts that aim toward a better understanding of Titan’s haze material.
Another hazard of ear syringing: malignant external otitis.

A case of malignant external otitis is presented. This occurred in a healthy 72-year-old non-diabetic, non-immunocompromised man after ear syringing. The infection was treated with oral ciprofloxacin for eight weeks with complete resolution.
Input-output relationships of central neural circuits involved in respiration in cats.

1. Inspiratory output responses, measured as integrated phrenic activity, to hypercapnia, to unilateral and bilateral carotid sinus nerve stimulation and to combinations of these stimuli were determined in paralysed, vagotomized and glomectomized cats whose end-tidal P(CO2) was kept constant by means of a servo-controlled ventilator. In addition, the effect on these responses of the mechanism that causes the respiratory after-discharge was determined.2. Above the threshold for rhythmic activity, the inspiratory response to hypercapnic stimulation of the central chemoreceptor was curvilinear, showing progressively smaller increments of output for equal increments of P(CO2) as the latter became higher.3. The combining of stimuli from right and left carotid sinus nerves failed to show an algebraically additive effect; the response was approximately 70% of that predicted from a summing of the separate stimuli given alone.4. The response to a constant carotid sinus nerve test stimulus was progressively decreased in magnitude as the pre-stimulus level of respiratory activity was increased by conditioning stimulation of the central chemoreceptors by hypercapnia, by stimulation of the opposite carotid sinus nerve or by the mechanism that generates an after-discharge.5. From a descriptive standpoint, our findings show that there is a negative or hypoadditive interaction between the peripheral and central inputs at the level of the central respiratory controller. However, we present evidence that, rather than being a specific interaction between peripheral and central inputs, the response is due to the properties of a neural component of the central pathway. This component is common to both inputs and develops progressive saturation of its neural elements as its activity increases.6. In addition, the neural mechanism which generates a respiratory after-discharge appears to saturate completely at a lower level of inspiratory activity than that at which the common pathway develops complete saturation. This finding supports the idea that this mechanism represents an independent input to the respiratory controller.7. Because the described a-linear response characteristics of the central respiratory controller are due to its inherent neuronal properties rather than to specific interactions between inputs, we suggest that studies of such ;interactions' must be interpreted with this consideration in mind.
Practical retention index models of OV-101, DB-1, DB-5, and DB-Wax for flavor and fragrance compounds

Abstract High-quality regression models of gas chromatographic retention indices were generated for OV-101 (R=0.997), DB-1 (R=0.998), DB-5 (R=0.997), and DB-Wax (R=0.982) using 91, 57, 94, and 102 compounds, respectively. The models were generated using a second-order equation including the cross product utilizing two easily obtained variables, boiling point and the log octanol-water coefficient. Additionally, a method for determining outlier data (the GOodner Outlier Determination (GOOD) method) is presented, which is a combination of several outlier tests and is less prone to discarding legitimate data.
A note on almost-everywhere-complex sets and separating deterministic-time-complexity classes

Abstract For each time bound T: {input strings} → {natural numbers} that is some machine's exact running time, there is a {0, 1}-valued function fT that can be computed within time proportional to T, but that cannot be computed within any time bound T′ that is infinitely often significantly smaller than T ( T′ ≠ Ω(T) , typically). Equivalently, every algorithm to compute fT requires time T′ on almost every input if T′ is almost everywhere significantly smaller than T (T′ = o(T), typically).
Functional Derivatives of Phosphorus: Preparation of OP(CH2COOH)3 and C6H5P(O) (CH2COOH)2 and their Amides

Abstract The preparation of OP(CH2COOH)3 and C6H5P(O) (CH2COOH)2 and their corresponding N,N-dimethylamides is described.
Enhancement of methylmercury toxicity by l-cystine in cultured mouse blastocysts

Abstract Expanded mouse blastocysts incubated with 1 to 2 μM methylmercury (MeHg) in modified Eagle's basal medium (BME + AA), which contains amino acids, collapsed and degenerated within 24 h. In contrast, blastocysts incubated with the same concentration of MeHg in egg culture medium (ECM), which does not contain amino acids, survived and remained expanded as control embryos did. By systematically omitting each BME amino acid from BME + AA and adding each BME amino acid to egg culture medium, we determined that l -cystine (0.5 mM in BME + AA) was the component of BME + AA that was responsible for the enhancement of the toxicity of MeHg. The shortest incubation time during which the cystine-enhanced MeHg toxicity became irreversible was 2 h, and the addition of any of the neutral BME amino acids (except threonine) or non-BME neutral amino acids (alanine, glycine, or serine) during the 2 h incubation eliminated or reduced the cystine-enhanced MeHg toxicity. Basic amino acids (except histidine) were less effective in protecting embryos: Glutamine and lysine reduced the toxic effect only slightly, and arginine had no effect. dl -buthionine sulfoximine (7.5 mM), a specific inhibitor of glutathione, also reduced cystine-enhanced MeHg toxicity. It therefore appears that cystine enhances MeHg toxicity indirectly, at least in part, by stimulating the synthesis of cellular glutathione, which may in turn enhance MeHg transport. In the absence of cystine, 10 μM MeHg (2 h incubation) was necessary to cause the collapse and degeneration of all blastocysts treated. The inorganic mercury compound HgCl2 was less toxic to blastocysts: 50 μM was needed to cause the collapse and degeneration of all the blastocysts, and its toxicity was not enhanced by the addition of cystine.
Bayesian analysis in the diagnostic process.

A diagnosis is made by a process in which the physician gathers evidence. The physician uses this evidence to put the patient in a class of patients with a disease. Bayes' theorem quantifies the effects of the evidence in increasing the probability that the patient has the disease. This article will discuss the potential of Bayesian analysis for medical diagnosis. Applica tions of Bayesian analysis to the diagnostic process could improve the efficiency of this process.
Diffusion of an Empirically Supported Treatment for Substance Abuse: An Organizational Autopsy of Technology Transfer Success and Failure

Gotham (2004, this issue) provides a thoughtful analysis of the primary issues and complexities involved in the transfer of efficacious treatments for substance abuse and other mental health problems from well-controlled research settings to community-based programs. Although the review thoroughly explores potential barriers encountered when moving an empirically supported treatment (EST) to “real world” settings, it does so mostly in the abstract. This commentary supplements Gotham's review by providing a qualitative description of our groups’ experiences transferring an EST for substance abuse, Behavioral Couples Therapy (BCT), into five different community-based clinics. Comments by patients, counselors, supervisors, and administrators from these programs are provided to illustrate the nature of practical barriers to technology transfer we encountered in this process.
Global Franchising and Development in Emerging and Transitioning Markets

The conventional wisdom that prevails in theWest is that franchising provides a net benefit to the host market. In addition to the obvious economic benefits of employment, output, and tax, franchis...
Effect of Ischemia on the In Vivo Release of Striatal Dopamine, Glutamate, and γ-Aminobutyric Acid Studied by Intracerebral Microdialysis

We have previously described a marked attenuation of postischemic striatal neuronal death by prior substantia nigra (SN) lesioning. The present study was carried out to evaluate whether the protective effect of the lesion involves changes in the degree of local cerebral blood flow (ICBF) reduction, energy metabolite depletion, or alterations in the extracellular release of striatal dopamine (DA), glutamate (Glu), or gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Control and SN-lesioned rats were subjected to 20 min of forebrain ischemia by four-vessel occlusion combined with systemic hypotension. Levels of ICBF, as measured by the autoradiographic method, and energy metabolites were uniformly reduced in both the ipsi- and contralateral striata at the end of the ischemic period, a finding implying that the lesion did not affect the severity of the ischemic insult itself. Extracellular neurotransmitter levels were measured by microdialysis; the perfusate was collected before, during, and after ischemia. An approximately 500-fold increase in DA content, a 7-fold increase in Glu content, and a 5-fold increase in GABA content were observed during ischemia in nonlesioned animals. These levels gradually returned to baseline by 30 min of reperfusion. In SN-lesioned rats, the release of DA was completely prevented, the release of GABA was not affected, and the release of Glu was partially attenuated. However, excessive extracellular Glu concentrations were still attained, which are potentially toxic. This, taken together with the previous neuropathological findings, suggests that excessive release of DA is important for the development of ischemic cell damage in the striatum.
The physiologic concentration of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in the oocytes of Xenopus laevis.

Abstract To measure the concentration of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate ([IP3]) in small regions of single Xenopus oocytes, a biological detector cell was combined with capillary electrophoresis. This method is 10,000 times more sensitive than all existing assays enabling subcellular measurement of [IP3] in Xenopus oocytes. Upon addition of lysophosphatidic acid to an oocyte, [IP3] increased from 40 to 650 nm within 2 min. IP3concentrations as high as 1.8 μm were measured after activation with lysophosphatidic acid, suggesting that the physiologic concentration of IP3 ranges from the tens of nanomolar to a few micromolar in Xenopus oocytes. Since the IP3 receptor in Xenopus oocytes is nearly identical to the type I receptor of mammalian cells, the range of [IP3] in most mammalian cells is likely to be similar to that in the oocyte. By selecting or engineering the appropriate detector cell, this strategy should be applicable to cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate, and to the discovery of new Ca2+-releasing second messengers.
Murine macrophage cell lines contain μ3-opiate receptors

Opiate alkaloid-selective, opioid peptide-insensitive mu 3 receptors are present in three murine macrophage cell lines (J774.2; RAW 264.7; BAC1.2F5). The receptor binds morphine, its active metabolite morphine 6-glucuronide and certain other alkaloids, but not morphine 3-glucuronide or any of the opioid peptides tested. The cell lines thus provide valuable model systems for investigation of mu 3-opiate receptors, previously demonstrated to mediate inhibitory effects of morphine on activation of human peripheral blood macrophages (monocytes).
Analysis of scanning tunneling optical spectroscopy applied to narrow-gap semiconductors

Homogeneous II-VI narrow gap semiconducting alloys are of interest because of their use in infrared detectors. These compound semiconductor materials are inherently difficult to grow in bulk due to gravity induced convective flows. A microgravity growth environment has therefore been considered. In order to evaluate the quality of crystals grown in space compared to those grown on the ground, it is necessary to characterize both. One important aspect of this characterization is the study of stoichiometry, x. A characterization scheme using scanning tunneling optical spectroscopy (STOS) involves determining the spectral response of the photoexcited tunneling current for a semiconductor. By measuring the photoenhanced tunneling current versus photon energy, the band gap Eg of the semiconductor material can be determined. Such measurements determine Eg equals Eg(x) locally, and thus x can be determined as a function of position provided Eg(x) is known. We consider a one dimensional model, involving a simple analysis of absorption of photons, production of photoelectrons, diffusion of photoelectrons to the surface, and tunneling of these electrons to the STM probe. Our results of photoenhanced tunneling current versus photon energy are qualitatively similar to experiment. After our results are presented, we list questions that need to be considered for an improved version of our analysis which is planned.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Pharmacologic treatment options for non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is a major health concern for clinicians who are responsible for the care of an aging population. The relationship between hyperglycemia and the chronic complications of retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy has been established in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, and it is extremely likely that such a relationship exists in patients with NIDDM as well. Diet and exercise are the cornerstone for the management of NIDDM. The assessment of glycemic control should determine which patients with NIDDM need more aggressive intervention to control hyperglycemia. Pharmacologic treatment options include oral administration of the sulfonylureas, a biguanide, and an a-glucosidase inhibitor and subcutaneous administration of insulin. Extensive education about diabetes and self-monitoring of blood glucose levels are important components in maximizing glycemic control. Additional pharmacologic treatment options are necessary when adequate individualized treatment goals are not attained. The goal of therapy is to prevent the onset or progression of long-term microvascular and macrovascular complications. In this review, we present the therapeutic options and outline our approach to the pharmacologic treatment of NIDDM. Relevant medical literature on each treatment modality is reviewed, and the cost of therapy with use of each medication is provided.