cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Classical Limit of the Number of Quantum States

A heuristic principle in quantum mechanics says that the number of quantum states supported by a subset S of classical phase space (of dimension 2d) is given by h−d|S|, where h is Planck’s constant. One precise version of this is that as h ➛ 0, hd times the number of energy eigenvalues ≤ E approaches the volume of the set in phase space with energy less than E. We generalize this to apply to continuous spectrum as well, showing that hd times the number of states with energy below E and position in B ≡ hdtr(χB(Q)χ(-−∞,E) (H)) approaches the volume of the corresponding subset of phase space, for H = −h2Δ + V(Q), with mild regularity conditions on V. (Q = multiplication by position.) The quantity we study has a statistical interpretation, and it exhibits the resonances of H.
Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for the Detection and Identification of Mycobacterium leprae in Patients in the United States

The differentiation of leprosy from other cutaneous granulomatous diseases is routinely based on characteristic histopathologic features and the demonstration of Mycobacterium leprae by acid-fast staining. Increased ascertainment of other mycobacterial infections in the skin has made this task more difficult, but the distinction remains fundamental for the selection of appropriate treatment. Experience with formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded tissues, frozen tissues, and tissue lysates referred for detection of M leprae DNA by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay during the past 4 years was reviewed. This assay was done by using primers and probes previously developed in our laboratory to amplify a 360-base-pair fragment of the gene for an 18-kD protein of M leprae . Among biopsy samples obtained from 37 patients, PCR results were positive for 10 of 20 samples diagnosed as leprosy by histopathologic criteria and in 0 of 17 not diagnosed as leprosy. The specificity of the assay was 100% in this clinical referral material; sensitivity ranged from 50% to 83%. The PCR assay also identified M leprae in one third of samples in which acid-fast organisms were seen and the histopathologic features were consistent with but not definitive of leprosy. In a nonendemic population, the sensitivity and specificity of PCR assay recommend its use primarily to identify M leprae when acid-fast organisms are discernible but atypical clinical or histopathologic features obscure the diagnosis. The assay is not highly informative when acid-fast bacilli are not detectable by light microscopy.
The Effect of Small Structural Changes on Optimized Active Control Systems

The structural model used for designing an active control system is rarely accurate. Even if the model is accurate when the structure is originally built, small changes during the lifetime of the structure can destroy that accuracy. Because of this problem one major concern in the design of such a system is to minimize its sensitivity to variations in the structural model (e.g. [1]). Design for insensitivity will usually compromise the performance of the control system. Therefore, it is important to find the structural parameters that the control system is most sensitive to. Once these parameters are identified the designer of the control system has three options at his disposal. He can try to obtain more accurate values of the most troublesome parameters, he can redesign the control system to reduce the sensitivity or he can seek minor changes in the structure to reduce the sensitivity.
Stiff person syndrome with Anti-GAD65 antibodies within the national veterans affairs health administration.

Introduction Stiff person syndrome (SPS) is a neurological disorder characterized by muscle rigidity primarily in the truncal muscles, commonly associated with autoantibodies to the glutamic acid-decarboxylase 65 kD receptor (GAD65). There is limited epidemiological information on patients with SPS. Methods We performed a retrospective case review using the National United States Veterans Affairs Health Administration electronic medical record system. We analyzed prevalence, demographics, disease characteristics, and treatment outcomes in SPS patients who were anti-GAD65 antibody positive. Results Fifteen patients met our criteria. Point prevalence was 2.06 per million, and period prevalence was 2.71 per million. Men to women ratio was 14:1. All patients benefitted from treatment with symptomatic antispasmodic agents. Ten of 15 patients received intravenous immunoglobulin, with a majority demonstrating stable or improved modified Rankin scores. Discussion This investigation was a large North American epidemiological study of SPS with predominantly male patients. Symptomatic therapy was beneficial for most patients, with less clear sustained benefit of immunotherapy. Muscle Nerve 58:801-804, 2018.
Super materials and robots making robots: Challenges and opportunities in robotic building at the microstructural level

Abstract Below relevant defect densities, many materials at the microstructural level have properties 10–100 times better than their bulk counterparts. Parameters such as strength, piezoelectricity, fatigue strength, and many others exhibit this behavior. Outside the microworld, however, efforts to exploit these properties directly have been stymied by the challenges of identifying defect-free particles and then combining them in sufficient numbers to be useful. Recently, progress has been made in microrobotics that may change the practicality of addressing these large-number problems. Multiple systems of more than 1000 small robots have been demonstrated, and processes for testing, microassembly, and joining have been developed. This chapter discusses challenges and opportunities in the exciting new field of microrobotic additive manufacturing. In addition to building below defect densities, we also discuss closely related heterogeneous microassembly, potentially enabling complex systems, including other robots, to be built with optimized geometric and material performance.
DeepAuth: A Framework for Continuous User Re-authentication in Mobile Apps

With the increasing volume of transactions taking place online, mobile fraud has also increased. Mobile applications often authenticate the user only at install time. The user may then remain logged in for hours or weeks. Any unauthorized access may lead to financial, criminal or privacy losses. In this work, we leverage currently available built-in motion sensors in smartphones to learn users' behavioral characteristics while interacting with the mobile device to provide an implicit re-authentication mechanism that enables a frictionless and secure user experience in the application. This approach improves the generality as well as power efficiency of the authentication mechanism compared to using the camera feed which involves (a) specific hardware, (b) higher battery usage and (c) privacy concerns. We present DeepAuth as a generic framework for re-authenticating users in a mobile app. In our approach, we use time and frequency domain features extracted from motion sensors and a long short-term memory (LSTM) model with negative sampling to build a re-authentication framework. The framework is able to re-authenticate a user with 96.70% accuracy in 20 seconds from a set of data collected from 47 volunteers.
SELF-NEGLECT OLDER ADULTS’ OUTCOMES AFTER ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES INTERVENTIONS

Adult Protective Services (APS) is the most widely used intervention in response to elder abuse, exploitation, neglect, and self-neglect. In California, once an alleged abuse is substantiated, caseworkers design and implement a service plan for older adults to reduce future risk of abuse. However, APS intervention outcomes have not been extensively investigated, partly because the varied ability of states to develop and adopt assessment tools to track intervention outcomes. In 2017, the City and County of San Francisco established a specialized unit within APS that aims to provide effective intervention and eviction prevention services with high-risk cases of self-neglect. To assess intervention effectiveness, an Identification, Services, and Outcomes (ISO) Matrix was adopted by the unit’s six APS caseworkers to measure self-neglect outcomes for older adults. The ISO Matrix includes the older adult’s level of harm when a case is substantiated, available interventions, older adult’s level of engagement with proposed interventions, and intervention outcomes. Approximately 300 cases were assigned to the unit between July 2017 to January 2018. Preliminary findings suggested that interventions reduced harm for 65% of older adults. For older adults who remained vulnerable or in-crisis at case closure, 53% declined all interventions and 42% accepted only partial interventions. These are higher percentages than those who were considered safe (p<.001). In-depth analyses including older adults’ risk factors will be reported. San Francisco APS will expand the use of ISO Matrix for all caseworkers to adopt starting in 2018.
Building AHP Models Using Super Decisions v3

Super Decisions v3 is the latest version of the software package developed for the analysis, synthesis, and justification of complex decisions based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) methodology.
Migratory life cycle of Ephemerella maculata (Traver, 1934) (Ephemerellidae)

In this paper, I describe for the first time the migratory life cycle of an univoltine mayfly, Ephemerella maculata (Traver, 1934), between mainstems and tributaries of stream networks in Californi...
Social Media, Privacy, and the Academic Classroom

The ease of posting to social media has greatly increased the sharing of information but this can also pose a threat to classroom privacy and academic freedom. Examples from across the world illustrate how the expectation of classroom privacy has been eroded and the potential consequences are discussed. Additionally, this paper discusses how academic policies could potentially protect free speech in the classroom.
Training a Convolutional Neural Network with Terminology Summarization Data Improves SNOMED CT Enrichment

As a step toward learning to automatically insert new concepts into a large biomedical ontology, we are studying the easier problem of automatically verifying that an IS-A link should exist between a new child concept and an existing parent concept. We are using a Convolutional Neural Network, a powerful machine learning method. However, results depend on the quality of the training data. We use SNOMED CT (July 2017) for training and the subsequent release for testing. The main problem is to find a good set of negative training data. We experiment with two approaches, based on uncle-nephew (not connected) pairs of concepts. We contrast using the complete Clinical Finding hierarchy of SNOMED CT with using the powerful Area Taxonomy ontology summarization mechanism to constrain the training data. The results for the task of verifying IS-A links are improved by 8.6% when going from the complete hierarchy to the Area Taxonomy.
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Acute Pancreatitis and Colitis.

Given the promising response of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs) in treating advanced malignancies, their use in clinical practice is on the rise. ICPIs are associated with a wide spectrum of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). The reported side effects of therapy can be severe enough to require interruption or withdrawal. We are presenting a case of a checkpoint inhibitor-induced acute pancreatitis and colitis, treated with high-dose steroids. This case highlights the need for all physicians to be aware of the different presentations of irAEs from checkpoint inhibitors to provide the correct diagnosis and management.
How Good Are Polarizable and Flexible Models for Water: Insights from a Many-Body Perspective

We present a systematic analysis of state-of-the-art polarizable and flexible water models from a many-body perspective, with a specific focus on their ability to represent the Born–Oppenheimer potential energy surface of water from the gas to the liquid phase. Using coupled cluster data in the completed basis set limit as a reference, we examine the accuracy of the polarizable models in reproducing individual many-body contributions to interaction energies and harmonic frequencies of water clusters and compare their performance with that of MB-pol, an explicit many-body model that has been shown to correctly predict the properties of water across the entire phase diagram. Based on these comparisons, we use MB-pol as a reference to analyze the ability of the polarizable models to reproduce the energy landscape of liquid water under ambient conditions. We find that, while correctly reproducing the energetics of minimum-energy structures, the polarizable models examined in this study suffer from inadequate representations of many-body effects for distorted configurations. To investigate the role played by geometry-dependent representations of 1-body charge distributions in reproducing coupled cluster data for both interaction and many-body energies, we introduce a simplified version of MB-pol that adopts fixed atomic charges and demonstrate that the new model retains the same accuracy as the original MB-pol model. Based on the analyses presented in this study, we believe that future developments of both polarizable and explicit many-body models should continue in parallel and would benefit from synergistic efforts aimed at integrating the best aspects of the two theoretical/computational frameworks.
Comparison of renal function after open radical cystectomy, extracorporeal robot assisted radical cystectomy, and intracorporeal robot assisted radical cystectomy.

Abstract Purpose Renal function outcomes following robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) have not been well established. We sought to compare long-term renal function outcomes between open radical cystectomy, RARC with extracorporeal urinary diversion and intracorporeal urinary diversion at a high volume institution. Materials and Methods We retrospectively reviewed our institutional bladder cancer database for patients who underwent RC from 2010 to 2019 with pre-operative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) > 45 ml/min/1.73m2. Changes in renal function were assessed through locally weighted scatter plot smoothing and comparison of median eGFR between surgical groups. Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 3B was defined as eGFR Results Six hundred and forty four patients were included with median follow-up of 32 months (IQR 12–56). Preoperative characteristics were similar among the groups with no differences in median pre-operative eGFR (ORC: 74.6, extracorporeal urinary diversion: 74.3, intracorporeal urinary diversion: 71.6 ml/min/1.73m2, P = 0.15). Median postoperative eGFR on follow up was not different between groups (P = 0.56). 33% of patients developed CKD 3B. There were no differences in CKD 3B-free survival by surgical approach (P = 0.23) or urinary diversion (P = 0.09). 64% of patients experienced renal function decline with a median time of 2.4 years (P 0.23). Predictors of CKD were pathologic T3 disease or greater (HR: 1.77, P = 0.01), ureteroenteric anastomotic stricture (HR: 2.80, P Conclusion Renal function decline is common after RC. Tumor stage, pre-operative eGFR, and ureteral stricture development, not surgical approach, influence renal function decline.
Ligation of CD24 on T cells and B cells modulates the cytokine production profile of activated tumor-draining lymph node cells

4627 CD24 is a heat-stable antigen (HSA) expressed on the surface of a variety of cell types. AlthoughCD24 expression onT cells is required for optimal homeostatic T cell proliferation, the role of CD24 on tumor-primed T cells and B cellsis largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated the regulation of CD24 expression on activated tumor-draining lymph node (TDLN) cells and examined the cytokine production by these activated TDLN cells after CD24 ligation using an anti-CD24 mAb. Freshly harvested TDLNs from MCA205 tumor-bearing mice are comprised of 50-60% T cells and 20-30% B cells. By FACS analysis, approximately 5% of the TDLN cells are T cells expressing CD24 (CD3+CD24+), whereas almost all of the B cells express CD24 (CD19+CD24+). TDLN cells activated in vitro with anti-CD24 alone did not result in proliferation. Activation of TDLN cells with anti-CD3 or anti-CD3/anti-CD28 increased the percentage of CD3+CD24+ cells to approximately 15% and 25% respectively, while all the B cells remained CD24 positive. Culture supernatants of antibody-activated TDLN cells, with or without CD24 engagement, were collected for cytokine production assay. While CD3/CD28 co-stimulation significantly increased IFNγ and GM-CSF production compared with CD3 activation alone, CD3/CD24 co-stimulation failed to do so. However, CD24 ligation in addition to CD3/CD28 co-stimulation resulted in significantly enhanced IFNγ and GM-CSF production compared with CD3/CD28 activation. In these experiments, the IL-10 levels were not drastically changed. Furthermore, CD24 engagement with simultaneous T cell activation with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 and B cell activation with LPS plus anti-CD40 further significantly enhanced IFNγ and GM-CSF production. However, under these culture conditions, IL-10 secretion was also markedly up-regulated. These results indicated that CD24 expression on TDLN T cells can be up-regulated by CD3 or CD3/CD28 activation. While CD24 was unable to provide a co-stimulation signal to T cells activated via the primary TCR pathway, ligation of CD24 was found to act as a third signal to boost CD3/CD28-activated T cells. In addition, simultaneous ligation of CD24 on anti-CD3/anti-CD28-activated T cells and LPS/anti-CD40-activated B cells could further modulate the cytokine profile of these TDLN cells. Our results suggest that the in vitro ligation of CD24 on tumor-primed T and B cells may have utility in generating tumor reactive effector cells for cancer immunotherapy.
When the Blood Hits Your Brain: The Neurotoxicity of Extravasated Blood

Hemorrhage in the central nervous system (CNS), including intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), remains highly morbid. Trials of medical management for these conditions over recent decades have been largely unsuccessful in improving outcome and reducing mortality. Beyond its role in creating mass effect, the presence of extravasated blood in patients with CNS hemorrhage is generally overlooked. Since trials of surgical intervention to remove CNS hemorrhage have been generally unsuccessful, the potent neurotoxicity of blood is generally viewed as a basic scientific curiosity rather than a clinically meaningful factor. In this review, we evaluate the direct role of blood as a neurotoxin and its subsequent clinical relevance. We first describe the molecular mechanisms of blood neurotoxicity. We then evaluate the clinical literature that directly relates to the evacuation of CNS hemorrhage. We posit that the efficacy of clot removal is a critical factor in outcome following surgical intervention. Future interventions for CNS hemorrhage should be guided by the principle that blood is exquisitely toxic to the brain.
Improving Pairs Trading Strategies via Reinforcement Learning

There has been a growing interest in applying reinforcement learning (RL) to financial trading problems. One particular interesting problem is pairs trading, which is a market-neutral strategy that attempts to profit from temporary price divergences between a pair of historically correlated securities. Traditionally, predetermined thresholds are used to issue trading signals for opening and closing positions. However, it is well documented that the performance of such conventional pairs trading strategies has declined in the last two decades. In this study, we investigate the possibility of using deep reinforcement learning to enhance pairs trading performance. To accelerate and stabilize the learning process, we propose a simple yet effective reward shaping method that takes a baseline policy as input. We show that upon convergence, the learned policy is guaranteed to be at least as good as the baseline. Empirical experiments are conducted on NASDAQ Nordic markets for three training-testing periods using intraday data. The results demonstrate that (i) RL models can achieve higher return and Sharpe ratio than traditional strategies and (ii) the proposed reward shaping method can lead to more efficient and robust trading strategies compared with RL models without reward shaping.
Uncertainty Analysis in Distribution Networks Integrated with Renewables by Probabilistic Collocation Method

Increased penetration of distributed generation (DG) driven by Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) sources and integration of modern loads constituted by Electric Vehicles (EV) and behind-the-meter smart appliances pose operational challenges for traditional distribution systems. This paper introduces a framework based on probabilistic collocation method (PCM) to model and analyzes the effects of inherent uncertainties, both in generation, and load, on distribution systems. First, the uncertainties are modeled by statistical distributions that closely mimic their physical behavior and studied through Monte-Carlo (MC) simulations. Later, an analytical PCM based approach is formulated and designed on the modified IEEE 13-node test feeder including VRE. A comparative study demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed PCM based uncertainty modeling in distribution feeders with lesser computational burden and improved accuracy.
On Stock Trading: Can a Trend Follower Expect to Win?

Our answer to this question is a qualified “yes.” In an idealized market with perfect liquidity, continuous trading and no transaction costs, if a trend follower is a small enough player so as to be a price-taker with adequate resources to avoid margin calls, we rigorously prove that a positive expected value of the trading gain can be guaranteed. Surprisingly, the trend-following trading strategy which we describe, called Simultaneous Long-Short (SLS), is model-free. That is, the trader requires neither an “internal model” for the underlying stock prices nor a behavioral model for the actions of other players in the marketplace. While there are a number of papers in the literature which demonstrate the efficacy of such model-free strategies in an empirical data context via back-testing, to our knowledge, there is a little or no literature which includes a purely theoretical rationale to explain why such methods may work well in practice. The SLS strategy, motivated by ideas in feedback control theory, has the following salient feature: Rather than use of a model of any sort to adjust the amount invested over time, profits and losses are the only factor used for adaptation. More precisely, the number of dollars invested I(t) at time t is adapted as a function of the cumulative gains or losses g(t) on [0, t]. Subsequently, the “power” of our trading scheme is demonstrated using Geometric Brownian Motion for the prices. We include a rather arbitrary time-varying drift μ(t) and a time-varying volatility (t) as well. The class of admissible time variations negates the efficacy of many obvious trading strategies based on estimation of the direction in which the prices are drifting. Despite this lack predictability, we rigorously prove that the SLS trader “expects” to make money on every trade. That is, for any non-trivial price variation and any t > 0, the expected value of the trading gain satisfies E[g(t)] > 0. To our knowledge, such a remarkable property, attainment of performance robustness in a framework without any model to reveal the directional movement of prices, has never been uncovered. We believe that these results may be the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of new research directions aimed at revealing a theory which explains the empirically observed success of trend-following strategies beyond the one considered here.
Congenital Malformations of the Trachea

Tracheal malformations consist of a variety of anomalies related to abnormal development of the tracheobronchial tree. The most common clinical findings associated with tracheal narrowing include biphasic stridor with a prolonged expiratory component and cough that can be wet or bronchial in nature (from retained secretions). This chapter focuses on tracheomalacia, tracheal stenosis, tracheoesophageal fistula, tracheal bronchus, and bronchogenic cysts.
Comte after Positivism

Introduction: Comte for a post-positivist world Part I. Comte Then: 1. Mill versus Comte on 'interior observation' 2. Mill versus Comte as positivist philosophers of science 3. Comte's three-stage law Part II. Comte Now: 4. Comte's ambiguous legacy: science defended or already justified? 5. Cartesian ahistoricism and later epistemic analysis 6. Comte and the very idea of a post-positivist philosophy 7. Comte for tomorrow?
Interrater reliability and agreement.

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the critical distinction between interrater reliability and agreement. It reviews design issues such as the type of replication and the level of measurement that researchers must consider in determining how to collect and analyze ratings data. However, the primary purpose of this chapter is to provide guidelines for selecting the appropriate statistical procedure for analyzing ratings data. Determining the proper procedure for calculating interrater reliability and interrater agreement requires a consideration of the level of measurement achieved by the rating scale and the intended use of the ratings. The chapter considers briefly the desirability of using weighting schemes for transforming nominal scale ratings to ordinal scale ratings. Furthermore, four variations that have the greatest applicability in applied research are discussed. Generalizability theory provides a structured framework within which investigators can compare the alternative forms of the intraclass correlation in terms of the type of error assessed and conceptual meaning of the reliability index, assumptions underlying the index, relevance of the index to their research objectives, and costs of the index.
Workplace domestic violence leave laws: implementation, use, implications

Purpose – Intimate partner violence (IPV), affecting 30 percent of women worldwide, may affect employment and workplace safety. In all, 16 US states adopted laws providing leave for employed survivors. These qualitative findings are from an evaluation of Oregon’s state leave law. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors interviewed Oregon government employees (n=17) with past year IPV and Oregon supervisors (n=10) of past year IPV survivors. Interviews were transcribed, analyzed and coded. Findings – Participants agreed that IPV has an effect on work. They reported positive workplace reactions to IPV disclosure (93 percent positive, 52 percent negative), but also negative reactions (lack of information, confidentiality, supervisor support). Several implications for supervisors were named (workload, being untrained, being a mandatory reporter, workplace safety and confidentiality). Three years after implementation, 74 percent of participants did not know the leave e...
The Fourth Factor: A Historical Perspective on Architecture and Medicine by John Michael Currie

Hippocrates of Kos identified three factors in the art of medicine: the disease, the patient, and the physician. The author of The Fourth Factor: A Historical Perspective on Architecture and Medici...
Detecting the DNA kinks in a DNA-CRP complex in solution with iodine-125 radioprobing.

Auger-electron-emitting radioisotopes such as 125I produce DNA strand breaks within nanometer range of the decay site. Here we analyze these breaks in order to study changes in DNA conformation upon binding with cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) in solution. The clear difference we found in break frequency in the CRP–DNA complex, as compared to the naked DNA duplex, correlates with the increased distances between the deoxyriboses and the radioiodine atom caused by the CRP-induced kink observed in the cocrystal. Thus, we demonstrate that 125I radioprobing can be used to study fine conformational changes of DNA within DNA–protein complexes.
The Beckmann Rearrangement

The rearrangement of a ketoxime to the corresponding amide was discovered in 1886 by E. Beckmann and is known as the Beckmann rearrangement. The rearrangement is brought about by acids, including Lewis acids. The more common rearranging agents are concentrated sulfuric acid, phosphorus pentachloride in ether, and Beckmann's mixture, hydrogen chloride in a mixture of acetic acid and acetic anhydride. The Beckmann rearrangement is used frequently to determine the structure of ketones, by identification of the acid and amine obtained by hydrolysis of the amide formed by the rearrangement. There is no uniform convention for the designation of the stereochemistry of oximes in the literature. The conventions used in this chapter for the configurations of ketoximes and aldoximes are explained. Keywords: Beckmann rearrangement; ketoximes; aldoximes; cleavage; carbon-nitrogen rearrangements; oximes; diketones; nitrones; stereochemistry; mechanisms; experimental procedures
Site-specific Recombination: Uses in Biotechnology

Site-specific recombination has become an important tool for manipulating DNA both in vitro and in vivo. It has found widespread use in controlling gene expression in transgenic plants and animals. Keywords: recombination; site-specific; phage display; transgenics; cre-lox
The Generator Coordinate Method Illustrated on the Hydrogen Molecule

The problem of correlation, as pointed out by P.O. Lowdin, /1/ is a central one in many body physics. It is realized that correlations in the particle motion are to be included in the mathematical description of many body systems in order to reach an agreement with experimental data. However, this is a nearly impossible task except for a few simple systems or for some simple kinds of correlation.
View Synthesis Using Stereo Vision

This thesis investigates the use of stereo vision for the application of view synthesis. View synthesis--the problem of creating images of a scene as it would appear from novel viewpoints--has traditionally been approached using methods from computer graphics. These methods, however, suffer from low rendering speed, limited achievable realism, and, most severely, their dependence on a global scene model, which typically needs to be constructed manually. In this thesis, we present a new approach to view synthesis that avoids the above problems by synthesizing new views from existing images of a scene. Using an image-based representation of scene geometry computed by stereo vision methods, a global model can be avoided, and realistic new views can be synthesized quickly using image warping. The new application of stereo for view synthesis makes it necessary to re-evaluate the requirements on stereo algorithms. We compare view synthesis to several traditional applications of stereo, and conclude that stereo vision is better suited for view synthesis than for applications requiring explicit 3D reconstruction. We also discuss ways of dealing with partially occluded regions of unknown depth and with completely occluded regions of unknown texture, and present experiments demonstrating that it is possible to efficiently synthesize realistic new views even from inaccurate and incomplete depth information. This thesis also contributes several novel stereo algorithms that are motivated by the specific requirements imposed by view synthesis. We introduce a new evidence measure based on intensity gradients for establishing correspondences between images. This measure combines the notions of similarity and confidence, and allows stable matching and easy assigning of canonical depth interpretations in image regions of insufficient information. We also present new diffusion-based stereo algorithms that are motivated by the need to correctly recover object boundaries. In particular, we develop a novel Bayesian estimation technique that significantly outperforms area-based algorithms using fixed-sized windows. We provide experimental results for all algorithms on both synthetic and real images.
Variable structure controller design for large-scale systems

In this paper, a new formulation for controlling large-scale linear, discrete time, and dynamically interconnected system is presented. The large-scale system is decomposed into N subsystems, each satisfying a required performance index criterion. A suboptimal variable structure controller was designed for each subsystem in a decentralized manner to compensate uncertain effects in the interconnection matrix. This controller was designed off-line based on a set of expected system failure modes and switched online when failure detected. This methodology has the advantage of achieving overall system stability robustness for large-scale systems.
A sediment suspension system for bioassays with small aquatic organisms

Exposure of aquatic organisms to suspended sediments can impair growth and survival and increase bioaccumulation of sediment-associated contaminants. However, evaluation of the effects of suspended sediments and their associated contaminants on aquatic organisms has been hampered by the lack of a practical and inexpensive exposure system for conducting bioassays. We present a cost-effective system for assessing the effects of suspended sediments and associated contaminants on small aquatic organisms. A 7-day suspension test was conducted with nominal sediment concentrations ranging from 0.0 to 5.0 g 1−1. The system maintained relatively constant suspended sediment concentrations, as measured by turbidity, and caused minimal mortality to test organisms.
Phoracantha semipunctata (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a Serious Pest of Eucalyptus in California: Biology and Laboratory-Rearing Procedures

Procedures are described for establishing a laboratory colony of the eucalyptus longhorned borer, Phoracantha semipunctata F., and rearing the adult beetles on a continual basis. Adult beetles reared from naturally infested Eucalyptus logs were caged and provided with oviposition substrates (folded sheets of plastic). Techniques for handling and caring for eggs and neonate larvae are discussed. Larvae were individually transferred into shallow incisions in the bark of fresh logs. Total survivorship from neonate larvae to adult was ≈35%. Our procedures yielded an average of 63 adult progeny for every adult female, with a generation time of ≈2 mo during the summer. Beetle colonies were protected from pyemotid mites by dusting rearing logs with sulfur and from ants with granular diazinon. An experiment on adult beetle diet showed that the provision of sucrose water greatly increased longevity and fecundity over a distilled water control, but increasing the concentration of sucrose >5% did not significantly improve beetle performance.
Implementation of a Viscoplastic Model for a Plasma Sprayed Ceramic Thermal Barrier Coating

This paper describes the implementation and modification of a previously proposed unified viscoplastic constitutive model to simulate the behavior of a Yttria Stabilized Zirconia plasma sprayed thermal barrier coating. The model was recast for use in finite strain situations and modified to have a more physically acceptable non-associated flow rule. Temperature dependent material constants were found for a specific material using a novel approach based on Genetic Algorithms.
Predicting birth outcomes: together, mother and health care provider know best.

Abstract Objective To examine contributors to perceived risk in pregnancy and its utility in predicting lower birth weight and earlier delivery in conjunction with health care providers' assessment of obstetric risk. Methods 165 pregnant women at high ( n = 34) or low ( n = 131) obstetric risk completed assessments of perceived risk, stress, optimism, and health behaviors using well-validated instruments and measures designed for this study. Medical charts were abstracted for gestational age at delivery and birth weight. Results 40% of the sample perceived their risk status differently than their health care provider. Stress, poor reproductive history, provider assigned risk, and unhealthful behaviors were significant, independent predictors of perceived risk ( R 2 = .37). The greatest difference in birth weight ( p = .003) and gestational age ( p = .05) was between women considered at low risk by both self and provider and women considered at high risk by both. Perceived risk improved prediction of adverse birth outcomes, especially lower birth weight, in women considered by providers to be at low risk. Conclusion Women's perceptions of risk are an important contributor to prediction of birth outcomes, but the combination of information from both a woman and her health care provider is superior. Incorporating women's perceptions into obstetric risk determination may help to reduce the number of women identified as high risk who subsequently have a normal birth outcome (false positives), and more importantly, the number of women considered to be at low risk who ultimately experience an adverse outcome (false negatives).
Understudied Older Populations and Settings in Environmental Gerontology: Candidates for Future Research

Environmental gerontologists from several disciplines focus on an overarching primary goal: to discover and apply information about person–environment transactions to produce more sanguine relationships between older adults and the environments they inhabit. As we move into the second decade of the 21st century, it is appropriate to conduct a roll-call of populations of older individuals who deserve but have not yet received adequate empirical attention. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, we contrast benefits derived from an environmental gerontology of the usual with those associated from conducting research on understudied populations and their environmental contexts. We also offer reasons that may explain why environmental gerontology has not placed the study of these older individuals and settings more prominently on the empirical radar screen. Second, we present two understudied subpopulations of elders living in voluntarily and involuntarily selected environments—older male and female pri...
‘You Get More Respect,’ Reasons for Sex Among African American High School Youth: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT African American adolescents continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unanticipated pregnancies. In-depth, face-to-face interviews among a convenience sample of 32 African American adolescents (16 male and 16 female) were used to explore the reasons why some adolescents decided to engage in sex while others chose to delay sexual debut. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Among the overall sample, psychological motivations, external pressure, physical pleasure seeking, and relationship-related motivations were the major themes cited for engaging in sex by participants and their friends. External support, motivation to avoid negative consequences, not feeling ready or lacking interest in sex, and having negative views about sex were among the major reasons for delaying sex. Several of the emergent themes showed gender differences. Suggestions for future research include the need for sexual education, and STI/HIV prevention programs tha...
The effect of CPTA analogs and other nitrogenous compounds on the biosynthesis of carotenoids in Phycomyces blakesleeanus mutants

Abstract The inhibitory effect of a series of analogs of CPTA, 2-(4-chlorophenylthio)-triethylamine-HCl, and ammonia derivatives on carotenoid biosynthesis in Phycomyces blakesleeanus mutants was studied. The types of inhibition exhibited allowed no firm conclusions about the biosynthetic route to β-carotene from either β-zeacarotene or lycopene. However, the evidence suggests at present that both pathways are operative. It was found that a slight change in structure of inhibitor resulted in a different type of action. Conclusions based on a single inhibitor could be cited as “evidence” for a certain pathway.
Toward the superconductivity of rhodium

Abstract Superconducting transition temperatures of Rh-Ir and Rh-Os alloys indicate that the critical temperature of rhodium will be at 0.2 m°K.
Limit on the Speed of Quantum Computation in Determining Parity

Consider a function f which is defined on the integers from 1 to N and takes the values {minus}1 and +1 . The parity of f is the product over all x from 1 to N of f(x) . With no further information about f , to classically determine the parity of f requires N calls of the function f . We show that any quantum algorithm capable of determining the parity of f contains at least N/2 applications of the unitary operator which evaluates f . Thus, for this problem, quantum computers cannot outperform classical computers. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Convergent and concurrent validity of two measures of phonological processing

The purposes of this study were to determine the degree to which two measures of phonological awareness/ability (Test of Phonological Awareness; Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing) correlate with each other and with a measure of reading (Letter-Word Identification), and to determine which of the individual measures of phonological ability best predict early reading skill in kindergarten children. With one exception, all correlations among measures of phonological awareness/ability were significant. In addition, all correlations among the phonological awareness measures and the reading measure were significant. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the combination of all predictor variables accounted for approximately 51% of the variability in scores on the Woodcock Letter-Word Identification subtest. The Phonological Awareness and the Rapid Naming composites of the CTOPP were the best predictors of performance on the measures of word identification. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Circumferential Involvement of an Acute Type B Aortic Dissection: A Unique Case

A case of a 35-year-old woman with acute circumferential type B aortic dissection is presented. A review of the literature demonstrated that circumferential aortic dissection is limited to a small number of case reports and a small case series of type A lesions. This is the first report of a circumferential type B dissection. The case highlights the need to fully evaluate patients with acute aortic dissection and illustrates the unique data provided by transesophageal echocardiography and helical computed tomographic angiography.
Chronic Venous Insufficiency and Venous Ulceration

OBJECTIVE To review and summarize the literature on the normal venous circulation of the leg, and the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).
Okadaic Acid Increases Nerve Growth Factor Secretion, mRNA Stability, and Gene Transcription in Primary Cultures of Cortical Astrocytes

Abstract Neonatal rat cortical astrocytes in primary culture synthesize and secrete nerve growth factor (NGF) in response to cytokines, growth factors, and activators of protein kinases. To further implicate a protein phosphorylation mechanism in the regulation of NGF expression, astrocytes were treated with okadaic acid and calyculin A, inhibitors of phosphoprotein phosphatases 1 and 2A. Okadaic acid dramatically increased both NGF mRNA content (50-fold) and NGF secretion (100-fold) in astrocytes, while calyculin A, which has a spectrum of phosphatase inhibitory activity different from okadaic acid, failed to augment NGF expression. The increased mRNA accumulation was due mainly to an increase (4-fold) in the half-life of the NGF mRNA following 9 or 24 h of treatment. Nuclear run-on assays indicated that okadaic acid also activated NGF gene transcription, which was preceded by an induction of c-fos and c-jun gene transcription. The induction of NGF expression by okadaic acid appeared independent from protein kinase C activity because down-regulating protein kinase C activity failed to decrease the okadaic acid stimulation. In contrast, interleukin-1β acted synergistically with okadaic acid to stimulate NGF secretion. The results indicate that okadaic acid profoundly stimulates NGF expression in astrocytes mainly by enhancing NGF mRNA stability and suggest important roles for phosphoprotein phosphatases in regulating NGF production.
The rank one mixed m problem and “Kharitonov-type” analysis

The general mixed μ problem has been shown to be NP hard, so that the exact solution of the general problem is computationally intractable, except for small problems. In this paper we consider not the general problem, but a particular special case of this problem, the rank one mixed μ problem. We show that for this case the mixed μ problem is equivalent to its upper bound (which is convex), and it can in fact be computed easily (and exactly). This special case is shown to be equivalent to the so called "affine parameter variation" problem (for a polynomial with perturbed coefficients) which has been examined in detail in the literature, and for which several celebrated "Kharitonov-type" results have been proven.
UML 2: a model-driven development tool

The Unified Modeling Language® (UML®) industry standard has recently undergone a major upgrade, resulting in a revision called UML 2. The primary motivation for this revision was to make UML better suited to model-driven developmentTM (MDDTM), an approach to software development in which software models play a vital role. This requires a modeling language that is not only highly expressive but also capable of specifying models that are precise and unambiguous. In this overview article, we describe the key developments in UML 2 and the rationale behind them, and we explain how they help meet the needs of MDD. These new capabilities can be grouped into two distinct categories: (1) internal and architectural changes required to support MDD and (2) new modeling features. This paper is a revised version of a Web article, "Unified Modeling Language Version 2.0," which was published on March 21, 2005, by developerWorks®, IBM Corporation.
The interactive influence of adolescent and maternal depression on adolescent social and cognitive functioning

The hypothesis examined in this study was that the interaction of maternal and adolescent depression would be a better predictor of adolescent social and cognitive functioning than either variable alone. A depression measure was completed by each of 89 young adolescents and their mothers. Social functioning was assessed by a teacher-completed measure and two ratings of videotaped mother-adolescent interactions, while cognitive functioning was assessed by a teacher-completed measure and academic grades. The results indicated that for four of the five criterion measures the interaction term was the only predictor which entered into the multiple regression equation. For two of these measures strong support was provided for the proposed hypothesis. The results were discussed in terms of maternal and adolescent resources available to facilitate adolescent functioning. Implications for clinicians and researchers were also noted.
Probability in the formalism of quantum mechanics on phase space

The methods of Born and Einstein are used to obtain the probability density in the formalism of quantum mechanics on phase space. The resulting probability leads to a contextual measurement scheme. The Wigner representation, the Husimi representation and the mass shell representation are discussed from the point of view of quantum mechanics on phase space. We also give ramifications for paradoxes in standard quantum mechanics.