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R ESPONSE TO WEATHER WARNINGS. The National Weather Service (NWS) is responsible for issuing public warnings for all hazardous weather events across the United States. Advances in technology and basic scientific research over the years have allowed for significant improvements in this assignment. But while the NWS continues to focus much of its strategic planning toward improved warnings, most of those associated with the process are aware that there are a number of steps beyond increased accuracy to make their warnings effective. These include assuring that the target audience hears their message, understands it, believes it, and responds to it properly. One useful means of addressing these issues involves working directly with community response organizations, whose job it is to direct and allocate emergency services during catastrophic events. Often, the primary responsibility for identifying risks and managing vulnerabilities within a community is entrusted to a local emergency manager. With an emergency management system in place, disaster response can be more coordinated, flexible, and professional. However, one crucial factor in effectively managing emergencies is collaboration with organizational partners, and breakdowns in collaboration can adversely impact outcomes. In recent weather-related incidents, communications between the NWS and emergency managers have become confused. For example, in the case of the 2008 Windsor, Colorado, tornado, NWS forecasters tried to convey the urgency of a developing situation, while emergency managers awaited confirmation that a damaging event was actually underway. In that situation, it appears that emergency managers didn’t entirely understand how strongly forecasters felt about the potential threat, and NWS forecasters didn’t understand why emergency managers were not implementing emergency response immediately. The premise of the present study is that NWS forecasters can benefit from knowing more about their emergency management counterparts, including a general overview of the nature of that community, along with characteristics that might influence collaboration. To this end, a nationwide survey was conducted to learn more about the diversity of individual emergency managers and of the communities they serve.

Though largely ignored by the scholarship on 1960s German film, Zur Sache, Schatzchen (May Spils, 1967/68) offers remarkable insights into the early years of the Young German Cinema. By bringing Spils’s film into dialogue with several key film-theoretical texts of the 1960s and 70s, this essay suggests that Zur Sache, Schatzchen engages in revealing ways with the central questions of modernist film. At the same time, Zur Sache, Schatzchen avoids challenging the affective machinery of cinematic pleasure, especially that of scopic desire. It thus registers, as one contemporary critic wrote, “resolute indecision” about the future of modernist German film.

Students often hold on to algorithms that are inappropriate for the problem at hand, despite being presented with evidence of their inappropriateness during testing. Past research has tended to focus on the rejection and replacement of an algorithm in its entirety, rather than small refinements to an otherwise intact algorithm. In this study, we take a fine-grained view, focusing on the iterative refinement and augmentation of an algorithm, rather than its wholesale replacement. We ask: how do students decide what to change and what to keep when revising their algorithm upon testing? We analyze the collaborative work of three students on a graph theory task which invited the students to develop an algorithm for a contextualized problem. Two terms, localized considerations and patching, are introduced to describe how the group revised and validated their algorithms while retaining one specified attribute of their initial algorithm throughout.

This article investigates tropes of sovereignty and revolution in Das Leben der Hochgrafin Gritta von Rattenzuhausbeiuns, a novel-length Kunstmarchen written in 1840 by Gisela von Arnim with her mother Bettine. In its renditions of authority and resistance, the Gritta tale contains both an archive of the political frictions of the Vormarz period and an object-lesson in the ambiguous status of female authorship at the time. This reading calls attention to the proliferation of sites of precarious authority in the tale, from the eccentric Count's gimcrack Rettungsmachine (rescue machine)—a throne with an ejector seat that flings off anyone who sits in it—to the not-quite-satisfying fairy-tale ending, which raises Gritta herself to the role of sovereign even as it excludes her from the story's true locus amoenus: a “nature convent” in line with Schillerian ideals. I am grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their very helpful comments. I would also like to thank the students in my Reed College seminar, “Law ...

Decentralized partially observable Markov decision processes (Dec-POMDPs) provide a general framework for multiagent sequential decision-making under uncertainty. Although Dec-POMDPs are typically intractable to solve for real-world problems, recent research on macro-actions (i.e., temporally-extended actions) has significantly increased the size of problems that can be solved. However, current methods assume the underlying Dec-POMDP model is known a priori or a full simulator is available during planning time. To accommodate more realistic scenarios, when such information is not available, this paper presents a policy-based reinforcement learning approach, which learns the agent policies based solely on trajectories generated by previous interaction with the environment (e.g., demonstrations). We show that our approach is able to generate valid macro-action controllers and develop an expectationmaximization (EM) algorithm (called Policy-based EM or PoEM), which has convergence guarantees for batch learning. Our experiments show PoEM is a scalable learning method that can learn optimal policies and improve upon hand-coded “expert” solutions.

Citizen event reporting (CER) attempts to leverage the eyes and ears of a large population of “citizen sensors” to increase the amount of information available to decision makers. When deployed in an environment that includes hostile elements, foes can exploit the system to exert indirect control over the response infrastructure. We use an agent-based model to relate the utility of responses to population composition, citizen behavior, and decision strategy, and measure the result in terms of a force multiplier. We show that CER can lead to positive force multipliers even with a majority of hostile elements in the population. When reporter identity is known, a reputation system that keeps track of trustworthy reporters can further increase the force multipliers.

of the objects in endoscopic surgery, there has been no study on the relationship between the skills of robot-assisted surgery and spatial cognitive ability. The aim of our study is to assess the impact of spatial cognitive ability in improving the robot-assisted surgical skills of urological surgeons. METHODS: The participants of this study were 20 students and 24 urological surgeons who had no previous experience either with the Mimic da Vinci Trainer (MdVT) or the main surgeon of robot-assisted surgery. Their robot-assisted surgical skills were assessed by using a program consisting of four different tasks. Their performances were recorded using a built-in scoring algorithm. Theiir spatial cognitive ability was also assessed using a mental rotation test (MRT). The correlation between the MRT scores and those of MdVT were assessed. RESULTS: There were significant correlations between the MRT scores of the students and their MdVT scores for two of the tasks that were more difficult than the others (Task 1; R1⁄40.531, p1⁄40.0148, and Task 2; R1⁄40.459, p1⁄40.0408, Task 3; 0.0245, p1⁄40.3021, and Task 4; R1⁄40.339, p1⁄40.1459). On the other hand, there was no significant correlation between them in all tasks performed by the urological surgeons (Task 1: R1⁄4-0.0690, p1⁄40.7499, Task 2; R1⁄40.080, p1⁄40.7137, Task 3; R1⁄40.0189, p1⁄40.3812, and Task 4; R1⁄4-0.0350, p1⁄40.8710). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study indicate that differences in spatial cognitive ability in urologic surgeons have no impact at their acquiring the fundamental skills of robot-assisted surgery, while there were significant correlations between them in students.

OBJECTIVE. Diagnosis of child abuse is difficult and may reflect patient, practitioner, and system factors. Previous studies have demonstrated potential lethal consequences if cases of abuse are missed and suggested a role for continuing medical education in improving the accuracy of diagnosis of suspected abuse. Although the majority of injured American children are treated at general hospitals, most published studies of severe injury resulting from child abuse have been conducted at children’s hospitals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of hospital type in observed variations in the frequency of diagnosis of child physical abuse among children with high-risk injuries.METHODS. Hospital discharge data were evaluated, and adjusted rates of abuse diagnosis were reported according to hospital type. A regression model estimated the number of cases of abuse that would have been diagnosed if all hospitals identified abuse as frequently as observed at pediatric specialty hospitals. This study consisted of children who were RESULTS. The proportion of patients with a medical diagnosis of child abuse varied widely between hospital types: 29% of the cases were diagnosed as abuse at children’s hospitals compared with 13% at general hospitals. An estimated 178 infants (39% of total) with these specific injuries would have been identified as abused had they been treated at children’s rather than general hospitals.CONCLUSIONS. Hospital type was associated with large variations in the frequency of diagnosis of child abuse. This variation was not related to observed differences in the patients or their injuries and may result from systematic underdiagnosis in general hospitals. This result has implications for quality-improvement programs at general hospitals, where the majority of injured children in the United States receive emergent medical care.

Current DoD enterprise networks routinely face tar-geted cyber attacks, and even though attack-related information is recorded in various places, this information is often left unex-amined until after attacker objectives have been achieved. This is especially true for large networks consisting of continuously changing networked devices, including laptops, servers, printers, IP phones, and more. This paper describes the design of Gestalt, a next-generation cyber information management platform that simplifies access to cyber event data stored in the nooks and crannies of a distributed enterprise. The ready and secure access to cyber information provided by Gestalt is a key enabler for a new set of techniques that can detect and mitigate targeted cyber attacks within hours instead of months. Current state-of-the-art approaches to automated and operator assisted cyber defense are ill-suited to counter targeted cyber attacks because these technol-ogies (1) focus only on aggregated one-dimensional features across multiple devices, (2) do not provide the required coverage over all networked devices and observables accessible on those devices, and (3) lack the expressiveness and deeper semantic backing required to detect targeted attacks across a sea of low-level observables. Gestalt provides innovations in (1) automati-cally discovering devices and useful data sources in the enterprise (beyond simple IP connectivity), (2) maintaining a metadata in-dex of devices and observable information (even of devices with-out schemas and connectors), and (3) transparently decomposing and federating semantic graph queries to devices (rather than extracting and aggregating information in a central store), and integrating the results back into a well-defined ontology.

Background The “RoPE Score” is a predictive model created to stratify patients by the likelihood that a patent foramen ovale (PFO) is incidental or pathogenic using clinical variables. We hypothesized that the predictors of recurrent stroke differ between patients with pathogenic and incidental PFOs. Methods Patients in the Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) database with cryptogenic stroke (CS) and PFO were classified as having a probable pathogenic PFO (RoPE Score of >6, estimated PFO attributable fraction 72-99%, n=646) and others (RoPE Score of Results Follow-up was available for 91%, 80%, and 58% at 1, 2, and 3 years. Overall, a higher recurrence risk was associated with an index TIA, not being on a statin at baseline, and having a prior radiological stroke. For the low RoPE score group, older age, male sex, high cholesterol and antiplatelet (vs warfarin) treatment predicted recurrence. For those with high RoPE scores, predictors were prior (clinical) stroke/TIA and 2 echo features: septal hypermobility and a small shunt ( Conclusions Predictors of recurrence differ when PFO relatedness is classified by the RoPE Score. The hypothesis that patients with CS and PFO form a heterogenous group with different stroke mechanisms is supported. Conventional stroke risk factors were strong predictors among patients with lower RoPE scores. Echocardiographic features - including a counterintuitive association between smaller shunts and increased recurrence risk - were uniquely predictive in the high RoPE score group (likely pathogenic PFO).

Background Stroke databanks have consistently found a high ratio of anterior circulation (AC) to posterior circulation (PC) strokes without significant differences when compared for vascular risk factors, stroke etiology, treatments and outcome. One study suggested that there was a deviation from this consistent observation when comparing men and women with cryptogenic stroke (CS) and patent foramen ovale (PFO). We tested these associations using the RoPE database. Methods The Risk of Paradoxical Embolism (RoPE) Study is an international collaboration of 12 merged cohort studies of patients with CS and known PFO status (n=3674). This analysis was restricted to those subjects in the RoPE database with index strokes in the AC or PC (excluding both or unknown) from the 7 databases that had data for CS with, and without, PFO. We compared the effect of sex on infarct location among patients with versus without PFO. We used generalized linear mixed models to examine whether PFO status modified the gender effect on infarct location adjusting for study cohort as a random effect. Results Among cryptogenic stroke patients both with and without PFO, AC strokes were more common (61%) than PC overall (n=1535). Among patients with PFO, PC stroke was higher in men than in women (50% vs. 33%, OR 2.23, 95% CI: 1.58-3.13). This gender effect was attenuated in those without PFO (38% vs. 31%; OR 1.32, 95% CI: 0.98-1.77). The gender-by-PFO-status interaction was significant (p= 0.0224) and was highly consistent across study cohorts. Conclusions These data confirm that males with CS and PFO contravene the otherwise consistent pattern that AC strokes are more commonly observed than PC strokes in stroke populations. The potential mechanisms underlying this interaction between gender and PFO-status remain to be elucidated.

Background Enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism include Carbohydrate esterases (CE), Glycoside hydrolases (GH), Glycosyl transferases (GT), and Polysaccharide lyases (PL), commonly referred to as carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). The CE, GH, and PL superfamilies are also known as cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDE) due to their role in the disintegration of the plant cell wall by bacterial and fungal pathogens. In Phytophthora infestans, penetration of the plant cells occurs through a specialized hyphal structure called appressorium; however, it is likely that members of the genus Phytophthora also use CWDE for invasive growth because hyphal forces are below the level of tensile strength exhibited by the plant cell wall. Because information regarding the frequency and distribution of CAZyme coding genes in Phytophthora is currently unknown, we have scanned the genomes of P. infestans, P. sojae, and P. ramorum for the presence of CAZyme-coding genes using a homology-based approach and compared the gene collinearity in the three genomes. In addition, we have tested the expression of several genes coding for CE in cultures grown in vitro. Results We have found that P. infestans, P. sojae and P. ramorum contain a total of 435, 379, and 310 CAZy homologs; in each genome, most homologs belong to the GH superfamily. Most GH and PL homologs code for enzymes that hydrolyze substances present in the pectin layer forming the middle lamella of the plant cells. In addition, a significant number of CE homologs catalyzing the deacetylation of compounds characteristic of the plant cell cuticle were found. In general, a high degree of gene location conservation was observed, as indicated by the presence of sequential orthologous pairs in the three genomes. Such collinearity was frequently observed among members of the GH superfamily. On the other hand, the CE and PL superfamilies showed less collinearity for some of their putative members. Quantitative PCR experiments revealed that all genes are expressed in P. infestans when this pathogen grown in vitro. However, the levels of expression vary considerably and are lower than the expression levels observed for the constitutive control. Conclusions In conclusion, we have identified a highly complex set of CAZy homologs in the genomes of P. infestans, P. sojae, and P. ramorum, a significant number of which could play roles critical for pathogenicity, by participating in the degradation of the plant cell wall.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD), anemia, and declining kidney function are recognized as risk factors for adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure. This analysis was conducted to evaluate whether anemia is a risk factor for kidney function decrease in patients with heart failure. Data from the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD), a randomized trial of enalapril versus placebo in patients with ejection fractionsor=35%, were analyzed. After randomization, creatinine measurements were taken at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 4 months, and every 4 months thereafter. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study (MDRD) equation, and GFR slope was calculated. "Rapid decrease" was defined as a decrease in the GFR ofor=6 ml/min/1.73 m(2)/year. Anemia was defined as baseline hematocrit36%. Multivariate logistic regression weighted by the number of GFR assessments was used to test the relation between anemia and rapid decrease. We also evaluated whether CKD (baseline GFR/=60 ml/min/1.73 m(2)) modified the relation between anemia and rapid decrease. In the 6,360 subjects, the mean age was 59 years, 31% had CKD, and 6% had anemia. Median follow-up was 2 years. In multivariate analysis, anemia was associated with a 1.30 increased odds (95% confidence interval 1.18 to 1.45) of rapid decrease in GFR. In subjects with CKD, anemia was associated with a 1.71 increased odds (95% confidence interval 1.43 to 2.05) of rapid decrease, while in subjects without CKD, anemia was associated with a 1.16 increased odds (95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.31) of rapid decrease (p for interaction0.001). In conclusion, anemia is associated with a rapid decrease in kidney function in patients with heart failure, particularly in those with underlying CKD.

This document contains briefing charts on the Accelerated Insertion of Materials - Composites (AIM-C) program. The objective of the AIM-C program is to provide concepts, and approach and tools that can accelerate the insertion of composite materials into DoD products. Goals will be accomplished in three ways. 1. Methodology - will evaluate the historical roadblocks to effective implementation of composites and offer a process or protocol to eliminate these roadblocks and a strategy to expand the use of the systems and processes developed. 2. Product development - develop a software tool, resident and accessible through the internet that will allow rapid evaluation of composite materials for various applications. 3. Demonstration/Validation - provide a mechanism for acceptance by primary users of the system and validation by those responsible for certification of the applications in which the new materials may be used.

There is a growing literature on the relationship between low serum B-vitamins, elevated homocysteine, and cognitive impairment; however, few studies have examined radiological markers of associated neuropathology in geropsychiatry inpatients. The authors examined the relationship of homocysteine, folate, and vitamin B12 with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) markers of neuropathology.In this archival study, authors reviewed the MRIs and medical records of 34 inpatients in a geriatric psychiatry unit. Patients were selected if folate, B12, and/or homocysteine levels had been assessed and if the appropriate clinical MRIs were performed (19 men; mean age, 75 years). Patients with schizophrenia or current substance dependence were excluded. The relationships between MRI volume measures, white-matter hyperintensity (WMH) grade, and serum concentrations of folate, B12, and homocysteine were analyzed, using age-adjusted Pearson correlations.Homocysteine was related to WMH grade, but not brain-volume measures. Folate was associated with hippocampus and amygdala, and negatively associated with WMH. B12 level was not statistically associated with any brain measure.Elevated homocysteine and low folate were associated with radiological markers of neuropathology. Since no patient had clinically deficient folate, it may be important to rethink what defines functionally significant micronutrient deficiency and explore what this means in different age- and health-status groups. Larger samples will be needed to assess interactions between homocysteine, micronutrients, and other neuropathology risk factors.

Culture-independent fecal source tracking methods have many potential advantages over library-dependent, isolate-culture methods, but they have been subjected to limited testing. The purpose of this study was to compare culture-independent, library-independent methods of fecal source tracking. Five laboratories analysed identical sets of aqueous samples that contained one or more of the following sources: sewage, human feces, dog feces, cattle feces and gull feces. Two investigators used methods based on PCR amplification of Bacteroidetes marker genes and both successfully discriminated between samples that did or did not contain human fecal material. One of these investigators was also able to identify the remaining sources, except for gull, with a low rate of false positives. A method based on E. coli toxin genes successfully identified samples containing sewage and cattle feces, but missed some samples with human feces because of low marker prevalence in individual human fecal samples. Researchers who used community terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) were limited by the amount of DNA recovered from samples, but they correctly identified human and cattle fecal contamination when sufficient DNA was obtained. Culture independent methods show considerable promise; further research is needed to develop markers for additional fecal sources and to understand the correlation of these source-tracking indicators to measures of human and environmental health.