cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contracting for Software Development

Software contracting is a multi-faceted issue that involves legal, economic, managerial and technological considerations. To better understand the economic aspect of software contracting, this paper provides a summary review of software development contracts, followed by a gametheoretic model developed to incorporate incentive and information issues associated with software contracting. In the model an outside contractor is hired to develop a software system over multiple periods. Due to the uncertainties about costs or technology, the developer faces the risk of having to abandon the project at an intermediate phase. The user is better informed of the benefit of the system, while the developer privately discovers the development costs as the project advances. Given the limited information, the contracting parties make decisions in their own interest, leaving each party vulnerable to the other's opportunistic behavior. In this setting, we construct a viable contract that aligns the incentives of the contracting parties and produces the same equilibrium outcome as in in-house development. We also relate the implications of the model to the actual contract cases.
The Roles of the New Negative T Cell Costimulatory Pathways in Regulating Autoimmunity

The B7 family of T cell costimulatory molecules has recently acquired several new members. Some of these are activating while others are inhibitory. In this review, we will focus on the novel inhibitory pathways with particular emphasis on the PD-1:PD-L pathway. Understanding the mechanisms of these pathways has implications for development of novel treatment strategies for autoimmune disease, transplantation, tumor immunotherapy, and vaccine development.
Comparison of benzodiazepines and the non-benzodiazepine agents zolpidem and zaleplon with respect to anxiolytic action as measured by increases in hypertonic NaCl-solution drinking in rats

Rationale: In previous studies, water-deprived rats offered hypertonic 1.5% NaCl solutions to drink showed increased intakes when treated with agents known to have anxiolytic action in humans. This study explored two non-benzodiazepine (non-BZ) sedative-hypnotic agents, zolpidem and zaleplon, and compared them with three traditional BZs. Objectives: Although many studies confirm that treatment with BZs possessing sedative-hypnotic and anxiolytic actions also produces acute increases in food and fluid ingestion in animals, zolpidem has yielded conflicting results. To help resolve this question, we compared three BZs with zolpidem and zaleplon with respect to their actions in increasing the ingestion of 1.5% NaCl solution in water-deprived rats. Methods: Rats were adapted to a water-deprivation schedule permitting drinking for 1 h daily. Once or twice each week, 1.5% NaCl solution was substituted for water during the drinking session and, 15 min pre-session, rats were given a drug or vehicle dose by gavage (p.o.) to delineate the dose–effect relationships for zolpidem, zaleplon, alprazolam, clonazepam, and chlordiazepoxide. Then, the dose–effect relationship for zolpidem was re-determined. A second study with two groups, using both zolpidem and clonazepam, explored whether following the dose–effect determination of a drug by a second determination affected the second relationship, and whether dose–effect determinations of either agent affected the results of the second agent investigated. Results: All agents yielded dose-related increases in 1.5% NaCl solution ingestion, except the first zolpidem determination in the first study. In the second study, all determinations yielded dose-related increases, with no indication that the set of determinations for the first agent affected those for the second agent. Conclusions: The BZ and non-BZ agents explored yielded significant dose–effect relationships using this procedure, confirming their classification among the anxiolytic agents. The initial negative result for zolpidem in the first study may indicate a less reliable anxiolytic action for this agent, although this could not be resolved as attributable to drug history.
Determining the Phase of a Strong Scattering Amplitude from Its Momentum Dependence to Better Than 1°: The Example of Kaon Regeneration

We quantitatively study dispersion relations giving the phase of a strong scattering amplitude from its momentum dependence. We consider $C$-odd contributions to neutral kaon scattering (regeneration) where accurate measurements of both amplitudes and phases are available. We find, somewhat surprisingly, that, even including many possibly corrupting effects, the uncertainty is well below 1\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. This allows an accurate determination of the phase ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{+\ensuremath{-}}$ in kaon decay to test $\mathrm{CPT}$; conversely, assuming $\mathrm{CPT}$ symmetry, new phenomena can be limited.
Control of modeling error in calibration and validation processes for predictive stochastic models

The idea of adaptive control of modeling error is expanded to include ideas of statistical calibration, validation, and uncertainty quantification. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A prospective randomized pilot study on intermittent post-dialysis dosing of cinacalcet

Treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is important in management of patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis (HD). Calcimimetic agent, cinacalcet provides an option for control of SHPT in patients who fail traditional therapy. It may not have optimal results in non-compliant patients. To enhance compliance, we evaluated effectiveness of post-dialysis dosing of cinacalcet (group AD) as compared to daily home administration (group D) in a prospective randomized trial of HD patients with refractory SHPT. After 2-week run-in phase, patients were randomly assigned to two treatment groups. In group AD (N = 12), patients were administered cinacalcet on the day of dialysis (3 times/week) by dialysis staff, while in control group D (N = 11), cinacalcet was prescribed daily to be taken by patients at home. Intact parathyroid hormone (i-PTH), serum calcium, phosphorus, and alkaline phosphatase were followed for 16 weeks and compared to baseline in both groups. Data were analyzed using between-groups linear regression for repeated measures. No significant decline in i-PTH occurred in group AD at 16 weeks as compared to a significant drop in group D (p = 0.006). However, subgroup analysis showed effectiveness of post-dialysis dosing in patients with less severe SHPT (p = 0.04). Although daily dosing overall was more effective for treatment of SHPT, dialysis dosing was effective in patients with less severe SHPT. This warrants a larger study considering the limitations of this pilot trial. In the meantime, dialysis dosing can be considered in non-compliant patients with less severe SHPT.
Modeling Low Flows on the Cosumnes River

As a part of a study examining alternatives for flow augmentation for fall run Chinook salmon migration on the Cosumnes River, California, two models were constructed to simulate channel flow combined with seepage losses. The first model is a numerical, one-dimensional diffusion wave approximation of the St. Venant equations coupled to a seepage routine that uses either a Green and Ampt infiltration routine or a head-based seepage routine that can handle seepage to or from the channel. The second model uses an analytical solution to the diffusion wave approximation of the St. Venant equations and also incorporates the Green and Ampt method to represent losses due to seepage for the simulation of flow over a dry riverbed. The two models are used to simulate low flow periods in the Michigan Bar to McConnell reach of the Cosumnes River in order to determine flows associated with a minimum depth necessary for fall run Chinook salmon migration. These computed flows were compared against historical data in order to determine volumes of flow augmentation for the time period October through December which corresponds to the spawning period of fall run Chinook salmon. Computed flow augmentation volumes were compared with available reservoir storage in the watershed in order to determine if such flow augmentation would be possible. Both models proved capable of simulating low flow periods on the Cosumnes River. During dry years, the computed flow augmentation volumes represent a significant percentage of the available reservoir storage, indicating that augmentation flows may not always be possible for the entire time period from this source alone.
Optimal Diagnostic Procedures

In recent papers,1,2 optimal diagnostic procedures are presented for some special cases. In this paper, we present an optimal diagnostic procedure under a different restriction, i.e., we consider equipment in which elements can only be tested one at a time, or all at once. Optimality is in the sense of minimum expected cost.
Modulation Domain Template Tracking

For the first time, we perform normalized correlation template tracking in the modulation domain. For each frame of the video sequence, we compute a multi-component AM-FM image model that characterizes the local texture structure of objects and backgrounds. Tracking is carried out by formulating a modulation domain correlation function in the derived feature space. Using visible and longwave infrared sequences as illustrative examples, we study the performance of this new approach relative to two basic pixel domain correlation template trackers. We also present preliminary results from a new dual domain tracker that operates simultaneously in both the pixel and modulation domains.
Activation of olefins with low-valent gallium compounds under ambient conditions

The reactions of Ar′GaGaAr′ (Ar′ = C6H3-2,6-(C6H3-2,6-iPr2)2) with alkenes revealed the addition of two olefins per Ar′GaGaAr′ under ambient conditions for ethylene, propene, 1-hexene and styrene but no reactions with more hindered or cyclic olefins.
Closed-form connectivity-preserving solutions for motion compensation using 2-D meshes

Motion compensation using two-dimensional (2-D) mesh models requires computation of the parameters of a spatial transformation for each mesh element (patch). It is well known that the parameters of an affine (bilinear or perspective) mapping can be uniquely estimated from three (four) point correspondences (at the vertices of a triangular or quadrilateral mesh element). On the other hand, overdetermined solutions using more than the required minimum number of point correspondences provide increased robustness against correspondence-estimation errors, however, this necessitates special consideration to preserve mesh-connectivity. This paper presents closed-form, overdetermined solutions for least squares estimation of affine motion parameters for a triangular mesh, which preserve mesh-connectivity using patch-based or node-based connectivity constraints. In particular, four new algorithms are presented: patch-constrained methods using point correspondences or spatio-temporal intensity gradients, and node-constrained methods using point correspondences or spatio-temporal intensity gradients. The methods using point correspondences can be viewed as postprocessing of a dense motion field for best representation in terms of a set of irregularly spaced samples. The methods that are based on spatio-temporal intensity gradients offer closed-form solutions for direct estimation of the best node-point motion vectors (equivalently the best transformation parameters). We show that the performance of the proposed closed-form solutions are comparable to those of the alternative search-based solutions at a fraction of the computational cost.
At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965–68 – By Taylor Branch

This reviewer is hardly alone in envying the author's rare skills as a narrative historian. These days few of us historians get the chance to publish big books (much less trilogies), and fewer stil...
TAC a trading agent competition

This paper is a report of the Trading Agent Competition (TAC) held during the Fourth International Conference on Multiagent System (ICMAS-00) in Boston on July, 8th of this year (2000).
Diagnosis of Enteritis and Enterotoxemia due to Clostridium Difficile in Captive Ostriches (Struthio Camelus)

petted normal ranges. Seven of the expired birds were necropsied immediately after death. Two live ostriches with clinical signs were euthanized, and tissues were obtained for histopathology, bacterial culture, and viral isolation. At necropsy, all of the ostriches examined had similar gross lesions that differed only in severity. The colon and cecum were markedly dilated and diffusely hemorrhagic and contained no formed feces. The lungs were variably congested, and the liver was frequently pale yellow in color. Two of the birds had hemorrhagic foci in the proventriculus. No other significant gross lesions were observed in any of the birds. Microscopic examination of the tissues revealed an acute, severe, necrotizing typhlitis and colitis in all birds, with massive numbers of large gram-positive bacilli present within glands and in the intestinal lumen (Figs. 1, 2). There was moderate, diffuse hepatocellular vacuolar change in 6 birds and multifocal lymphoid necrosis in the bursa of Fabricius of 2 of the ostriches. No viral inclusions were noted. Moderate to severe congestion was present in the lungs of 7 of 9 birds. Two of the birds had a mild necrotizing proventriculitis with mild hemorrhage. Sections of the intestine were submitted for aerobic and anaerobic culture. Enrichment for Salmonella in selenite broth for 12 hours yielded negative results, and no clinically significant aerobic pathogenic bacteria were found. Two different species of Clostridium were anaerobically cultured from the intestine. They were tentatively identified as C. hastiforme and C. clostridiiforme by API 20A biochemical assay. b After isolation and subculture of the original cultures in cycloserine-cefoxitin-fructose agar and additional biochemical analysis by An-IDENT biochemical assay, b the C. hastiforme culture was shown to be C. difficile. The API-20A biochemical assay was then repeated on the pure culture, and it too indicated the presence of C. difficile. The intestine was submitted for clostridial enterotoxin assay c by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Extracts of multiple sections
Student and Instructor Beliefs and Attitudes about Target Language Use, First Language Use, and Anxiety: Report of a Questionnaire Study

This article presents the results of an anonymous, Internet-based questionnaire study on target language (TL) and first language (L1) use in university-level foreign language (FL) classes. The participants were 600 FL students and 163 FL instructors. The goals of the study were to develop preliminary components of a descriptive model of TL and L1 use and explore the relationships between TL use and student anxiety about TL use. It was hypothesized that (a) amounts of TL use would vary according to constellation of interlocutors and communicative contexts, and (b) the amount of TL use overall would correlate positively with student anxiety about it. The results support the first hypothesis. The second hypothesis was not supported. Analysis of the data revealed a negative relationship between reported amounts of TL use and reported TL-use anxiety. Tenets are offered for maximizing TL use while at the same time granting to L1 pedagogically sound functions.
Involvement of microtubules and microfilalments in the action of vasopressin in canine renal medulla

Vasopressin-stimulated cyclic AMP content and the uptake of 3H2O and 22Na into canine renal medullary slices were measured. Cyclic AMP was increased threefold by 9 × 10−9M vasopressin in isotonic (290 mOsm/kg H2O) Krebs-Ringers bicarbonate. A significant increase in vasopressin-stimulated 3H2O uptake began at 2.75 min after hormone addition and lasted until 5.00 min. Colchicine (1 × 10−5 M) inhibited the vasopressin- stimulated 3H2O uptake. This effect required a minimum preincubation period of 30–40 min in colchicine-containing medium. Colchicine had no effect on basal or vasopressin-stimulated cyclic AMP (10 mM). Lumicolchicine (10−5M) had no effect on either vasopression- or dibutyryl cyclic AMP-stimulated 3H2O uptake. 14 C-colchicine bound predominantly to the cytosol fraction enriched in microtubules, while virtually no binding was observed on plasma membranes. Loght-microscopic examinations of cross sections of tissue slices showed that a majority of vasopressin-treated collecting tybulels and some control tubules had occluded lumens. Colchicine-treated cells, in the presence of vasopressin, had open lumens indicating a blockage of the vasopressin-induced water transport. Cells treated with cytochalasin B (1 μgm/ml) also had open lumens in the presence of vasopressin. Cytochalasin B also blocked vasopressin and dibutyryl cyclic AMP-stimulated 3H2O uptake into collecting duct cells but had no effect on vasopressin stimulated cyclic AMP levels. It was concluded that microtubules and possibley microfilaments are involved in the subcellular mechanism by which vasopresssin increases the permeability of the collecting duct to water.
Construction and evaluation of an inexpensive weighing lysimeter for studying contaminant transport

Abstract A description is provided of an above-ground, weighing lysimeter that minimizes the edge flow of water which can occur between the soil and the wall of the casing. The lysimeter was designed to study water flux and the movement of inorganic and/or organic pollutants as they pass through and beyond the root zone. The lysimeter is instrumented at selected depths with thermistors, soil solution extractors, time-domain reflectometry probes, gas extractors and tensiometers. These sensors provide temperature measurements, soil solution samples, water content measurements, soil atmosphere samples and water potential measurements. The horizontal insertion of these instruments from the side of the lysimeter reduces and channeling that might occur along the sides of the instruments, if they had been inserted vertically. Annular-ring baffles are located at selected depths to reduce edge flow between the lysimeter casing and the column of soil. The baffles redirect water flow away from the edge of the column. Data are presented that show a reduction in the hydraulic bypass of the lysimeter compared to a lysimeter without baffles. The total cost of a single lysimeter including materials and labor is under US $4000.
Nursing Home Evacuation Plans

Objectives. I examined evacuation plans from 2134 nursing homes and analyzed national data to determine the types of nursing homes cited for deficiencies in their evacuation plans.Methods. Evacuation plans were assessed according to criteria developed by an expert panel funded by the Office of the Inspector General. Deficiency citations came from the Online Survey, Certification, and Recording database, collected from 1997 to 2005. Four specific citations, for written emergency plans, staff training, written evacuation plans, and fire drills, were examined with multivariate logistic regression.Results. Most plans had water supply provisions (96%). Only 31% specified an evacuation route. The rate of citations was relatively stable throughout the study period: each year approximately 0.6% of facilities were found to be deficient in written emergency plans, 2.1% in staff training, 1.2% in written evacuation plans, and 7.9% in fire drills.Conclusions. Some nursing homes need more specific evacuation plans. Wa...
Low molecular weight rheumatoid factors in rheumatoid arthritis sera.

Abstract Low mol. wt (7S IgG) anti IgG rheumatoid factors (RE) were isolated from the serum of two patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The interaction of these RF preparations with the Fc fragment of human IgG was studies in the ultracentrifuge and compared with 19S IgM RF isolated from the same sera. The measured binding constant or IgG RF was identical to that of the IgM RF in one patient, whereas in the other patient, the IgG RF exhibited a lower binding constant than did the IgM RF.
Identifying Spatial Gaps in Transit Accessibility to Maximize Market Potential

The focus of this paper is (1) to explore features available in commercial Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software and estimate accessibility index as a function of potential captive riders for each transit stop, and, (2) identify spatial gaps based on accessibility index to provide improved public transportation systems that maximizes market potential. Potential captive riders are identified within a pre-defined accessible walking distance or walking time (0.25 miles or 5 minutes) from each transit stop in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina. These riders comprise unemployed, household population with 0 or 1 automobiles, population by age group, low income population (< $25,000), and ethnicity. Results from statistical analysis conducted considering transit ridership and estimated accessibility index show that market potential can be maximized by selecting transit stop locations with high accessibility index or in locations with high accessibility index. Therefore, the methodology and estimated accessibility index to identify spatial gaps helps expand transit area coverage, identify new routes and transit stops.
An investigation of the mechanism of non-photochemical hole burning of resorufin in ethanol glass

Non-photochemical hole burning (NPHB) studies of resorufin in glasses composed of mixtures of ethanol/ethanol-d (hydroxyl hydrogen deuterated) are reported. The relative hole burning efficiencies, determined from hole area per photon absorbed, are found to show an essentially quadratic dependence on the concentration of ethanol. The mechanism of NPHB is discussed in terms of a model of photoinduced concerted rearrangement of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between two ethanol molecules and a resorufin molecule.
Advances in planar lightwave circuits

Advances in silica-on-silicon planar lightwave circuit (PLC) technology are enabling a higher level of integration for reconfigurable add/drop multiplexers. Newer integrated optics materials systems offer important advantages in cost and performance.
Idiosyncratic Drug Toxicity Affecting the Liver, Skin, and Bone Marrow in Dogs and Cats

Idiosyncratic drug toxicity reactions are, by definition, uncommon, but can lead to serious or even fatal organ toxicity. The liver, skin, and peripheral blood cells/bone marrow are common targets. Most of these reactions are the result of reactive metabolites, which may cause local cell or organelle damage, or may be amplified by a systemic immune response. Individual risk may depend on differences in drug biotransformation, levels of oxidative stress, or antigen presentation.
A Comparison of Two Distance Metrics Through Regression Diagnostics of a Model of Relative Candidate Evaluation

Regression analysis is widely used to estimate the effects of relative policy proximity on relative candidate evaluations. Using the 1984 NES data, we show that the functional form for specifying distance between voter and candidate can lead to different results concerning which policy variables significantly affect relative candidate evaluations. Simple statistics do not allow us to choose the distance specification most consistent with least-squares assumptions. A series of diagnostic tests are offered to make this determination.
Usefulness of computer-aided diagnosis schemes for vertebral fractures and lung nodules on chest radiographs.

OBJECTIVE. We retrospectively evaluated the usefulness of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) schemes to radiologist performance in the simultaneous detection of vertebral fractures and lung nodules on chest radiographs.MATERIALS AND METHODS. We evaluated posteroanterior and lateral chest images of 21 patients with vertebral fractures, 31 patients with lung nodules, and 10 persons acting as controls. The total number of subjects was 60 because both lesions were present in four patients. Eighteen radiologists were asked to detect vertebral fractures and nodules simultaneously on posteroanterior and lateral images. The radiologists indicated their confidence level ratings regarding the presence or absence of lesions and the most likely location of each lesion on either posteroanterior or lateral images, first without and then with CAD output. The observers' performance was evaluated with use of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and jackknife free-response ROC curves.RESULTS. With the CAD scheme, the averag...
The Jesus of Orthodoxy and the Jesuses of the Gospels: a Critique of Luke Timothy Johnson's the Real Jesus

A central thesis of L.T. Johnson's The Real Jesus is that the gospels manifest a uniform pattern that discloses the meaning of Jesus' life and death and the paradigm of discipleship. This pattern, Johnson claims, is the same in all four gospels. This essay demonstrates that Johnson's thesis is wrong. I argue that the gospels have dis tinctive patterns that differ significantly from one another. Furthermore, no one gospel actually contains the pattern Johnson describes. Johnson's uniform pattern depends on a selectivity that suppresses contrary evidence and ignores the integrity and dis tinctiveness of the individual gospels.Johnson also contends that the historical Jesus is irrelevant to Christian faith, which must be directed toward the risen Christ. However, by asserting that the gospel pattern he proposes is 'embedded in the earliest Christian experience and memory', Johnson covertly appeals to the historical Jesus as the authoritative grounding for the object of Christian faith.
Factor Analysis of Auto-Associative Neural Networks With Application in Speaker Verification

Auto-associative neural network (AANN) is a fully connected feed-forward neural network, trained to reconstruct its input at its output through a hidden compression layer, which has fewer numbers of nodes than the dimensionality of input. AANNs are used to model speakers in speaker verification, where a speaker-specific AANN model is obtained by adapting (or retraining) the universal background model (UBM) AANN, an AANN trained on multiple held out speakers, using corresponding speaker data. When the amount of speaker data is limited, this adaptation procedure may lead to overfitting as all the parameters of UBM-AANN are adapted. In this paper, we introduce and develop the factor analysis theory of AANNs to alleviate this problem. We hypothesize that only the weight matrix connecting the last nonlinear hidden layer and the output layer is speaker-specific, and further restrict it to a common low-dimensional subspace during adaptation. The subspace is learned using large amounts of development data, and is held fixed during adaptation. Thus, only the coordinates in a subspace, also known as i-vector, need to be estimated using speaker-specific data. The update equations are derived for learning both the common low-dimensional subspace and the i-vectors corresponding to speakers in the subspace. The resultant i-vector representation is used as a feature for the probabilistic linear discriminant analysis model. The proposed system shows promising results on the NIST-08 speaker recognition evaluation (SRE), and yields a 23% relative improvement in equal error rate over the previously proposed weighted least squares-based subspace AANNs system. The experiments on NIST-10 SRE confirm that these improvements are consistent and generalize across datasets.
Developing and executing strategy: Using the balanced scorecard for alignment and accountability

The balanced scorecard is a strategic performance management system that charts the course and evaluates the strategic goals of an organization. Practitioners in the field of performance improvement are results focused, with efforts purposefully channeled toward achievement of successful outcomes for their clients. Using a systematic and systemic approach, performance improvement practitioners are uniquely qualified to guide their practice using a balanced scorecard as a tool toward achieving measurable and results-focused objectives.
Student satisfaction with graduate supervision in doctoral programs primarily delivered in distance education settings

There are no universal, precise, or explicit criteria for completing a doctoral degree successfully. Researchers and practitioners have pointed out how difficult and time consuming the supervision of graduate student research can be. When students in doctoral programs complete their degrees via distance delivery, supervision of graduate students becomes even more difficult for both students and supervisors. The goal of the research was to investigate doctoral students' perceptions of supervision and to understand doctoral student satisfaction with graduate supervision where programs were delivered utilizing a variety of distance systems. Statistically significant differences in student responses were found based on gender. While students whose programs were primarily delivered online were moderately satisfied, students who were in the blended programs were more satisfied. Other differences were detected between online and blended doctoral supervision environments. Certainly, these media for supervision wa...
IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: bibliographic analysis and policy considerations

A study was conducted to gain insight into and understanding of the IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC) Society through its journal, the IEEE Transactions on Systems Man, And Cybernetics (TSMC). The study focuses on publication-related data abstracted from the TSMC, as well as citation-related data on the TSMC and other comparable journals. Based on a detailed analysis of the bibliographic data, several critical policy issues are considered. While some of the policy recommendations seek to enhance the stature of the TSMC, it should be noted that the TSMC is in general doing quite well; it remains a healthy and relevant journal of recognized quality and international repute. Finally, it should be stated that the approach developed in this study contributes to establishing an effective methodology for understanding and revitalizing professional organizations through a careful analysis of their respective publications. >
Financial Services Shopping Preferences: A Comparison Of African American And White Households

The purpose of this study is to generate information for financial services marketers who are seeking to reach and provide more effective service to the growing African American segment. This information is needed because research has shown that the shopping behavior of African American consumers differs from that of their white counterparts in terms of information gathering and patronage patterns. Therefore, different marketing communications techniques may be needed to reach these people. Nevertheless, there has been a paucity of contemporary empirical studies of how shopping behaviors manifest themselves with regard to the purchase of financial services. This paper uses the Federal Reserve System's most recent Survey of Consumer Finances to analyze differences between black and white household financial services shoppers. Findings indicate that there are similarities and differences in the ways that blacks and whites seek to access the offerings of this industry. Suggestions are offered to financial services marketers based on these findings.
Ultrafast STM-tip localized responses from nanostructured surfaces

Spatially correlated reactivity and femtosecond time-scale responses from mesoscopic rough films are reported. The STM-tip spatially-localized transient SHG dynamics of nanometer scale metallic structures are used to establish localized surface plasmon dynamics.
Valuation of an Equity Interest

The equity cash flow approach to valuing an equity interest is intuitive, rigorous, and practical, and is easily implemented using historical and forecasted statements of cash flows. This method is compared with popular alternatives. The equity cash flow equation for valuing equity is derived taking into account employee compensation expense in the form of equity participation (stock options and stock grants). This is of particular interest in light of the importance of options and grants as a form of compensation.
Recruitment and Retention of Students From Minority Groups

Background and Purpose. Studies have identified strategies used in physical therapist education to recruit and retain students from minority groups. However, physical therapist education has evolved since these studies were published. The purpose of this study was to examine current practice in recruiting and retaining students from minority groups. Subjects. Seventy program directors of programs offering master’s or doctoral degrees in physical therapy responded to a survey. Methods. The survey questionnaire requested information on program demographics, numbers of applicants, students and graduates from minority groups, and recruitment and retention strategies utilized. The most frequently used strategies were identified. Wilcoxon rank sum tests were performed to determine which strategies were associated with better recruitment and retention of students from minority groups. Results. Fifty programs made a special effort to recruit and retain students from minority groups. Nine recruitment strategies and 3 retention activities were associated with programs having higher proportions of minority applicants, students, and graduates. Discussion and Conclusion. The most frequently used strategies were incongruent with the strategies used by programs with higher proportions of applicants, students, and graduates from minority groups. This study provides information to help physical therapist educators determine which strategies help recruit and retain students from minority groups. [Haskins AR, Kirk-Sanchez N. Recruitment and retention of students from minority groups.]
Scanning the H.L. Hunley: Employing a structured-light scanning system in the archaeological documentation of a unique maritime artifact

Abstract In 2008, the Warren Lasch Conservation Center acquired a Breuckmann Opto TOP -HE structured-light scanning system to begin the 3D documentation of the American Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley . The choice of this particular system was determined by the interests of the archaeological team and the particular research goals of the project. High resolution 3D surface topography and integrated photographic data were considered equally necessary, suggesting an optical-based scanning system. However, maritime artifacts, or artifacts from a marine environment, are necessarily stored in water or other aqueous solutions prior to completing the conservation process. Using structured-light technology on the H.L. Hunley submarine itself, as well as other artifacts kept in a wet condition, presented the team with some unique difficulties in terms of three-dimensional documentation. This paper will discuss the use of structured-light scanning on the H.L. Hunley , and highlight some of the specific problems and challenges encountered when employing this technology on maritime archaeological material. In particular, we would like to present a brief study of the effectiveness of optical scanning to record surface details, including issues of reflectivity, color, and surface darkness. Moreover, we intend to address the challenges of using the 3D data to reconstruct the submarine into an accurate, color 3D model. It is hoped that this study will both illustrate the problems associated with recording maritime artifacts and suggest further avenues for research and the development of strategies useful for better data collection.
Brain stem abscesses : cure with medical therapy, case report, and review

A patient with a brain stem abscess that was cured with medical therapy alone is described. The English-language literature on brain stem abscesses is reviewed. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have revolutionized the rapidity with which the diagnosis can be made and have markedly changed the prognosis for patients with brain stem abscesses. To my knowledge, all patients whose brain stem abscesses have been diagnosed by MRI or CT have survived although some have had neurological residuals. Patients are usually treated with surgical excision or aspiration along with antibiotics. Our patient was treated with medical therapy alone, and this case represents the fourth reported cure with this treatment modality. Medical therapy may be anticipated to cure patients with brain stem abscesses whose conditions are diagnosed expeditiously with CT or MRI techniques.
Functions ofApicotermes nests

Climatic and physical chemical data support the assumption that wall perforations function as gas diffusion systems.
Incorporation of Cu(2+) ions into nanotubular uranyl diphosphonates.

Three new multidimensional polymetallic uranyl diphosphonates were crystallized under mild hydrothermal conditions: [Cu(H2O)]2{(UO2)4F2[(PO3C6H4)(C6H4PO3H)3]2(bipym)}·6H2O (1), [Cu(H2O)]2{(UO2)4[(C6H4PO3)(C6H4PO3H)]4(bipym)} (2), and Cu{(UO2)(C6H4PO3)2(bipym)}·H2O (3). Compound 1 consists of UO6F pentagonal bipyramids connected by diphosphonate moieties into a tubular channel. The Cu2+ cations are stabilized between the nanotubular subunits by 2,2′-bipyrimidine (bipym). The structure of 2 is similar to 1, except that it consists of relatively rare UO6 tetragonal bipyramids bridged by diphosphonate groups. Compound 3 also contains UO6 tetragonal bipyramids. Unlike compounds 1 and 2, only two of the tetradentate N atoms of the binucleating bipym group are coordinated. All three compounds show luminescent properties under ambient conditions, with evidence of the characteristic vibronically coupled charge-transfer based uranyl cation emissions.
The Characteristics of the Dry-type Transformers and the Selection Applying

This article introduces the characteristics of the dry -type transformer and lists some noticeable points in the selection of the dry type transformer and foresee its prospect.
Osteomyelitis of the Calcaneus

Osteomyelitis of the calcaneus most commonly results from contiguous spread of infection from an adjacent decubitus heel ulcer or complicated surgical wound. Other routes of infection include hematogenous spread or direct inoculation from a puncture wound. The optimal treatment plan for an individual patient with calcaneal osteomyelitis is dependent on the extent of bone involvement, size, and location of the soft tissue deficit, local circulation, viability of the surrounding soft tissues, patient age, and anticipated future activity level. Medical management is needed for nearly all cases of calcaneal osteomyelitis regardless of surgical intervention unless the leg is amputated. This chapter will primarily focus on surgical decision making including various approaches for debridement of the calcaneus and wound coverage options. Surgical treatment generally entails one of three different approaches depending on the clinical circumstances including cortical windowing with internal medullary debridement, wound excision with cortical debridement, or partial calcanectomy with flap closure. Clinical examples are presented to highlight our surgical treatment protocols including patient selection criteria, surgical technique tips, staging guidelines, flap design, and typical postoperative care plans including postoperative bracing options.
General Toxicology, Safety Pharmacology, Reproductive Toxicology, and Juvenile Toxicology Studies

This chapter provides a survey of key nonclinical safety assays. For each study type, we discuss the typical study designs employed, including a summary of the type of endpoints collected. We then provide an overview of common statistical approaches in each setting. There are some general themes that are common across the study types (e.g., trend testing). At the same time, the different study types may have features that require special consideration (e.g., cross-over designs for safety pharmacology studies, intra-litter correlation in reproductive toxicology studies). While some of the design aspects of these studies are to some extent “fixed” by precedent across the industry, we do address sample size and power considerations, as this information can be valuable to understanding how statistical results can contribute to the overall interpretation of these studies. Finally, for any discussion of statistical approaches, there are likely to be multiple reasonable approaches. We’ve attempted to cover some of the more common approaches in detail, but we recognize that our treatment is not exhaustive. Where possible, we have provided references for further reading.
Progesterone attenuates impulsive action in a Go/No-Go task for sucrose pellets in female and male rats.

Abstract Impulsivity, or a tendency to act without anticipation of future consequences, is associated with drug abuse. Impulsivity is typically separated into two main measures, impulsive action and impulsive choice. Given the association of impulsivity and drug abuse, treatments that reduce impulsivity have been proposed as an effective method for countering drug addiction. Progesterone has emerged as a promising treatment, as it is associated with decreased addiction-related behaviors and impulsive action. The goal of the present study was to determine the effects of progesterone (PRO) on impulsive action for food: a Go/No-Go task. Female and male rats responded for sucrose pellets during a Go component when lever pressing was reinforced on a variable-interval 30-s schedule. During the alternate No-Go component, withholding a lever press was reinforced on a differential reinforcement of other (DRO) behavior 30-s schedule, where a lever press reset the DRO timer. Impulsive action was operationally defined as the inability to withhold a response during the No-Go component (i.e. the number of DRO resets). Once Go/No-Go behavior was stable, responding between rats treated with PRO (0.5 mg/kg) or vehicle was examined. Progesterone significantly decreased the total number of DRO resets in both males and females, but it did not affect VI responding for sucrose pellets. This suggests that PRO decreases motor impulsivity for sucrose pellets without affecting motivation for food. Thus, PRO may reduce motor impulsivity, a behavior underlying drug addiction.
The BSM Model and European Option Pricing

The Black-Scholes-Merton (BSM) model, also known as the Black-Scholes model, is one of the pillars of finance, providing a powerful theoretical framework that is widely applicable in financial engineering and corporate finance. This chapter covers: the BSM model; derivation of the BSM p.d.e. using a self-financing, replicating portfolio; applications to pricing European calls and puts; application to pricing warrants; risk-neutral pricing and the fundamental theorems of asset pricing; binomial-tree pricing of European calls; delta hedging; option Greeks and managing portfolio risk; the BSM model versus market data, including jumps, skewness, kurtosis, and volatility skews; and the Merton jump-diffusion model and market incompleteness.
Association of Mechanism of Injury With Risk for Venous Thromboembolism After Trauma.

Importance To date, no study has assessed whether the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) varies with blunt or penetrating trauma. Objective To test whether the mechanism of injury alters risk of VTE after trauma. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective database review was conducted of adults admitted to the intensive care unit of an American College of Surgeons–verified level I trauma center between August 1, 2011, and January 1, 2015, with blunt or penetrating injuries. Univariate and multivariable analyses identified independent predictors of VTE. Main Outcomes and Measures Differences in risk factors for VTE with blunt vs penetrating trauma. Results In 813 patients with blunt trauma (mean [SD] age, 47 [19] years) and 324 patients with penetrating trauma (mean [SD] age, 35 [15] years), the rate of VTE was 9.1% overall (104 of 1137) and similar between groups (blunt trauma, 9% [n = 73] vs penetrating trauma, 9.6% [n = 31]; P = .76). In the blunt trauma group, more patients with VTE than without VTE had abnormal coagulation results (49.3% vs 35.7%; P = .02), femoral catheters (9.6% vs 3.9%; P = .03), repair and/or ligation of vascular injury (15.1% vs 5.4%; P = .001), complex leg fractures (34.2% vs 18.5%; P = .001), Glasgow Coma Scale score less than 8 (31.5% vs 10.7%; P P P P P ≤ .001). However, with multivariable analysis, only receiving 4 or more transfusions (odds ratio [OR], 3.47; 95% CI, 2.04-5.91), Glasgow Coma Scale score less than 8 (OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.53-4.94), and pelvic fracture (OR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.23-3.55) predicted VTE, with an area under the receiver operator curve of 0.730. In the penetrating trauma group, more patients with VTE than without VTE had abnormal coagulation results (64.5% vs 44.4%; P = .03), femoral catheters (16.1% vs 5.5%; P = .02), repair and/or ligation of vascular injury (54.8% vs 25.3%; P P P = .01), Abbreviated Injury Score for the abdomen greater than 2 (64.5% vs 42.3%; P = .02), and were aged 40 to 59 years (41.9% vs 23.2%; P = .02); patients with VTE also had higher mean (SD) Greenfield Risk Assessment Profile scores (12 [4] vs 7 [4]; P Conclusions and Relevance Although rates of VTE are the same in patients who experienced blunt and penetrating trauma, the independent risk factors for VTE are different based on mechanism of injury. This finding should be a consideration when contemplating prophylactic treatment protocols.
Cation Dependent Surface Charge Regulation in Gated Nanofluidic Devices.

Surface charge governs nanoscale aqueous electrolyte transport, both in engineered analytical systems and in biological entities such as ion channels and ion pumps as a function of ion type and concentration. Embedded electrodes in a nanofluidic channel, isolated from the fluid in the channel by a dielectric layer, act as active, tunable gates to systematically modify local surface charge density at the interface between the nanochannel surface and the aqueous electrolyte solution, causing significant changes in measured nanochannel conductance. A systematic comparison of transport of monovalent electrolytes [potassium chloride (KCl), sodium chloride (NaCl)], 2:1 electrolytes [magnesium chloride (MgCl2), calcium chloride (CaCl2)], and electrolyte mixtures (KCl + CaCl2) through a gated nanofluidic device was performed. Ion–surface interactions between divalent Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions and the nanochannel walls reduced the native surface charge density by up to ∼4–5 times compared to the monovalent cations. In el...
(Invited) A Diode-Like Antifuse Device Made of High-K Dielectric

Characteristics of a new type of antifuse device that has the MOS structure with a metal oxide high-k gate dielectric on a p-type Si have been investigated. Different from other antifuses, the on-set of the new device is determined by the breakdown voltage that is adjustable with the thickness or material properties of the high-k stack. A high current ratio of 105 between the "programed" and "unprogrammed" states was achieved. This device also behaves like a diode that allows the current to flow in one direction but not the opposite direction. The new device is fabricated from IC processes and materials. It is applicable to various products.
Metabolic Pathway Inhibition in Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is fundamentally physiologically different from the surrounding liver tissue. Despite multiple efforts to target the altered signaling pathways created by oncogenic mutations, not many have focused on targeting the altered metabolism that allows liver cancer to develop and grow. Still to be resolved is the question of whether the altered metabolic pathways in this cancer differ enough from the surrounding noncancerous cells to allow for the development of potent and specific compounds. Clinical studies of metabolic modulators would provide some more information with regard to the feasibility of this approach. Furthermore, as it appears that oncogenic signaling is essential to this cancer's altered metabolism, it stands to reason that targeting this altered signaling may allow the exploitation of specific metabolic vulnerabilities in combination with other drugs for enhanced efficacy. The identification of biomarkers of metabolic sensitivity will also be essential to determine whether these drugs will have the desired effect.