cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A spatial method for integrating data of different types

Systematically recording archaeological, historical, ethnographic, and other information in a geographical-temporal frame has great advantages. The method allows the logical ordering of disparate facts, error checking, making connections that might otherwise go undetected, better comparison, manipulating temporal and spatial scales, and specifying the fields within which causal processes do and do not operate. The application of this spatial method in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico, generated new hypotheses about the late prehispanic-earlies colonial transition; it brings us closer to a single history, as opposed to segregated prehistory and history.
The Old English Canon of Byrhtferth of Ramsey

Analyse tendant a etablir les oeuvres que l'on peut, avec des raisons critiques, attribuer a Byrhtferth, moine de l'abbaye de Ramsey, dans l'est de l'Angleterre, au XIsiecle: Vita S. Oswaldi, Vita S. Ecgwini, une compilation de melanges concernant le comput conservee a Oxford, saint John's College Ms17, et le Manuel. Ces quatre oeuvres, et il y en a d'autres encore inconnues, donnent une place importante a Byrhtferth dans l'histoire de la litterature anglaise.
A new algorithm for estimating association parameters in molecular-based equations of state by quantum chemistry

Abstract This note presents a new algorithm for estimating association parameters within molecular-based equations of state that allows the user to incorporate results from quantum chemistry. Using the simplified SAFT equation as an example, we show that the traditional parameter estimation approach (i.e., fitting parameters to vapor pressure and liquid density data) provides results that run counter to quantum chemistry findings on association strengths. Numerical results show that the parameter estimation approach proposed in this work provides a much more appropriate match to quantum chemistry results and gives markedly different amounts of site–site bonding.
Long-term therapy with bevacizumab in hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

To the Editor: Management of severe epistaxis resulting from hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) can be invasive, and its effect is not durable in reducing the frequency and severity of bleeding events. Several reports have shown the efficacy of bevacizumab in treating patients with HHT.1–3 We describe the long-term outcome of a patient who received multiple repeat courses of intravenous bevacizumab for severe HHT. The patient, a 62-year-old man with severe HHT-related epistaxis, required blood transfusions and intravenous iron therapy to maintain a baseline hemoglobin level ranging from 5 to 7 g per deciliter. He received four intravenous infusions of . . .
The Role of Sleep and Attention in the Etiology and Maintenance of Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a prevalent, debilitating condition characterized by widespread, intense pain experienced as emanating from in the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Other symptoms include disabling fatigue, poor sleep quality, gastrointestinal complaints, cognitive difficulties and often depression. Lack of apparent muscle pathology or other obvious physiological causes of FM pain make the etiology of FM unclear. This manuscript reviews extant FM literature and integrates research on sleep and the burgeoning literature from the domain of cognitive neuroscience to formulate the Sleep and Pain Diatheses (SAPD) model of FM. This model proposes that a wide range of biopsychosocial stressors can set the stage for FM by activating diatheses for sleep disruption and pain sensitivity. Sleep disruption in those most sensitive to pain initiates a cascade of symptoms that are codified as FM. Once this process is initiated, the symptoms of FM are perpetuated and aggravated by increased vigilance to a broad range of threat-related biopsychosocial stimuli. Thus, it is proposed that sleep is integral to the etiology of FM and also energizes a cognitive feedback loop that maintains or amplifies symptom severity over time.
Contrasting Systemic Functional Linguistic and Situated Literacies Approaches to Multimodality in Literacy and Writing Studies

Against the backdrop of proliferating research on multimodality in the fields of literacy and writing studies, this article considers the contributions of two prominent theoretical perspectives—Sys...
The Dimensions of Politics Perceptions and Their Organizational and Individual Predictors1

This study addresses limitations of prior research on politics by first addressing the multidimensionality of politics perceptions through assessing the confirmatory fit of 1-, 3-, and 5-factor models. Secondly, the study examines the relative effects of organizational and personal characteristics on politics perceptions, as well as their interactions. Results indicate that 5 underlying dimensions of polities perceptions demonstrate the best fit to the data, and that these dimensions are differentially influenced by organizational and individual-level factors and their interactions. Implications of the results are discussed.
A Controlled Comparison of Continuous Ranitidine and Intermittent Famotidine Infusions on Gastric pH

Continuous infusions of any given H2-blocking drug have uniformly been found to be superior to intermittent infusions of the same H2-blocking drug in sustaining elevations in gastric pH. Comparisons of intermittent and continuous infusions among different H2-blocking drugs have heretofore not been made. Owing to its greater potency and longer half-life, the authors were interested in determining whether intermittent infusions of famotidine might be as effective as continuous infusions of ranitidine in sustaining elevations of gastric pH. The effectiveness of a continuous intravenous infusion of ranitidine (6.25 mg/hr) was compared with the effectiveness of intermittent intravenous infusions of famotidine (20 mg every 12 hours) in sustaining gastric pH above 4.0 in 18 young, healthy adult male subjects using a randomized two-way cross-over design. Gastric pH was continuously monitored for 24 hours. The intermittent famotidine regimen was determined to be as effective as the continuous ranitidine regimen with respect to the following parameters: (1) the percentage of the 24-hour dosing period during which gastric pH exceeded 4.0; (2) the area under the pH > or = 4 versus time curve; and (3) median gastric pH.
Hepatitis D virus infection in Illinois state facilities for the developmentally disabled. Epidemiology and clinical manifestations.

OBJECTIVE To define the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of hepatitis D virus infection in an institutionalized population. DESIGN A case-control study of hepatitis B carriers with and without serologic evidence of hepatitis D virus infection. Demographic, institutional, and medical data were obtained through questionnaires and chart review. Clinical status was assessed by liver function assays. SETTING Thirteen Illinois state facilities for the developmentally disabled. PARTICIPANTS Clients (238) who were hepatitis B carriers. RESULTS Antibody to hepatitis D virus (anti-HDV) was detected in 71 of 238 (30%) hepatitis B carriers. Nine of thirteen facilities housed positive clients. Previous residence at one facility, designated B, was the strongest correlate of anti-HDV positivity; 85% of positive persons had lived there compared with 16% of negative controls (odds ratio 28.3 [95% CI, 13.2 to 60.7], P less than 0.001). Past hepatitis episodes were more common among anti-HDV-positive clients (37% compared with 7%) (odds ratio, 7.5 [95% CI, 3.0 to 19.1], P less than 0.001) and occurred mainly at facility B from 1950 to 1975. Liver function tests were infrequently abnormal among anti-HDV-positive clients. CONCLUSIONS Results show widespread hepatitis D virus infection in our institutionalized population and suggest that transmission occurred mainly in the past at the overcrowded facility B. The low prevalence of laboratory evidence of chronic liver disease in the anti-HDV-positive clients may be explained by increased mortality among those originally infected from 1950 to 1975.
Long-term outcome of inferior vena cava filter placement in patients undergoing gastric bypass.

Background It has been well established that inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement at the time of open gastric bypass (OGB) surgery in patients with a body mass index of more than 55 kg/m 2 reduces both the pulmonary embolism rate and the perioperative mortality. However, little is known about the long-term effects of IVC filter placement in this particular group of patients. Methods Over an 8-year period, a total of 571 morbid obese patients underwent OGB procedures, and 58 (10%) of them required placement of an IVC filter before their procedure. All IVC filters were placed percutaneously through a femoral vein approach using a portable OEC fluoroscope. Types of IVC filters used in our study included the TrapEase ( n = 35), Simon-Nitinol ( n = 9), Greenfield ( n = 2), and Bard Recovery ( n = 12). Results Of the 58 patients who required an IVC placement, 56 remained free of any thromboembolic phenomena over the 8-year period (range, 1-8 years). The remaining two patients developed deep venous thrombosis. One patient was successfully treated with intravenous heparin and a 6-month course of Coumadin. She had complete resolution of her deep venous thrombosis and was incidentally noted to have a prothrombin 20210 gene mutation. The other patient, who had multiple gastric bypass complications, could not be successfully treated with intravenous heparin and thus progressed on to complete IVC thrombosis. She developed phlegmasia cerulea dolens and required bilateral above-the-knee amputations. She subsequently died 3 months after her procedures. Conclusion It appears that IVC filter placement at the time of OGB surgery is a relatively benign intervention with a maximal benefit. A note of caution should be exerted for those obese patients who have a hypercoagulable disorder and for those who have complications related to the gastric bypass. An aggressive posture, which may consist of immediate anticoagulation after their procedures (only when it is deemed safe), should be advocated in this small sub-group of morbid obese patients.
Observations on the dynamics of nonsolvent‐induced phase inversion

The diffusion and gelation dynamics of nonsolvent-induced phase inversion in several polyethersulfone (PES)/solvent/nonsolvent systems are observed using a dark-ground optical technique. The observed dynamics are correlated with the resultant morphologies of the solidified gels obtained via scanning electron microscopy. In situ dynamic measurements show that rapid precipitations result in finger formation and delayed precipitations result in sponge formation. Rapid precipitations for some systems also exhibit an initial region of high, anomalous diffusion front motion which correlates well with the appearance of finger-like macrovoids in the film sublayer. Micrographs of both thin (200–300 μm) and thick (3 mm) films formed by liquid-liquid demixing clearly show that the overall morphologies scale with initial film thickness. However, as observed for the cellulose acetate (CA)/dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)/H2O system, the possibility of crystallization can complicate the scaling analysis. A ternary diffusion model is also employed to describe the isothermal diffusion encountered during the formation of PES membranes. Binary thermodynamic and kinetic parameters needed for computations are determined from experimental data. Model results agree well with experimental observations. The model accurately predicts the transition from finger-to-sponge formation, as well as other observed trends in dynamics and morphology. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys, 35: 569–585, 1997
Cross-validation in Fuzzy ARTMAP for large databases

In this paper we are examining the issue of overtraining in Fuzzy ARTMAP. Over-training in Fuzzy ARTMAP manifests itself in two different ways: (a) it degrades the generalization performance of Fuzzy ARTMAP as training progresses; and (b) it creates unnecessarily large Fuzzy ARTMAP neural network architectures. In this work, we are demonstrating that overtraining happens in Fuzzy ARTMAP and we propose an old remedy for its cure: cross-validation. In our experiments, we compare the performance of Fuzzy ARTMAP that is trained (i) until the completion of training, (ii) for one epoch, and (iii) until its performance on a validation set is maximized. The experiments were performed on artificial and real databases. The conclusion derived from those experiments is that cross-validation is a useful procedure in Fuzzy ARTMAP, because it produces smaller Fuzzy ARTMAP architectures with improved generalization performance. The trade-off is that cross-validation introduces additional computational complexity in the training phase of Fuzzy ARTMAP.
Comparison of metabolic rates, language, and memory in subcortical aphasias ☆

Four patients with subcortical lesions and either aphasia or amnesia were compared to four patients with cortical lesions and aphasia. Each patient had [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission computed tomography, language, and memory evaluations. Marked metabolic depression was found in the thalamus and caudate in all patients. The subcortical patients had only mild left-cortical changes, while the cortical patients showed marked cortical metabolic changes in the left hemisphere. Language changes were mild in the subcortical patients, while moderate to severe in the cortical patients. All patients showed severe verbal memory dysfunction. The only common abnormalities in the two groups were metabolic changes in the thalamus and severity of verbal memory dysfunction. These findings suggest a relationship between verbal memory and thalamic function.
Does a simultaneous memory load affect older and younger adults' implicit associative learning?

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the effects of a simultaneous memory load on implicit associative sequence learning using the Triplets Learning Task (TLT). Participants in the Simultaneous condition held a secondary task memory load during the TLT, while those in the Sequential condition also performed both tasks, but successively, rather than simultaneously. Thus, the Simultaneous condition had a memory load during the TLT, while the Sequential condition did not. Probe blocks without the secondary task allowed separation of effects on learning from effects on its expression. Results revealed that the simultaneous memory load affected older, but not younger adults, by suppressing the expression of learning, not learning itself. Thus, older and younger adults can learn probabilistic associations while holding a simultaneous memory load, but the load can limit the extent to which older adults adapt their performance to environmental structure. Results are consistent with theories which propose that implicit...
Pastoralism: Governance and Development Issues

Pastoralist societies face more threats to their way of life now than at any previous time. Population growth; loss of herding lands to private farms, ranches, game parks, and urban areas; increased commoditization of the livestock economy; out-migration by poor pastoralists; and periodic dislocations brought about by drought, famine, and civil war are increasing in pastoralist regions of the world. Mongolia and China, however, have seen a revitalization of pastoral production with decollectivization. This review examines problems of pastoral governance and development including the “tragedy of the commons” debate, threats to common property rights, the effects of commercial ranching on pastoral economies, decollectivization in the former socialist countries, and the current state of development policies of Western donor countries. Case examples from the Maasai and Barabaig of East Africa and pastoralists of Mongolia and China illustrate these changes.
Longitudinal Invariance of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition in a Referral Sample

Measurement invariance of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fourth Edition (WISCIV) was investigated with a group of 352 students eligible for psychoeducational evaluations tested, on average, 2.8 years apart. Configural, metric, and scalar invariance were found. However, the error variance of the Coding subtest was not constant across time, allowing only partial strict invariance. This indicates that the WISC-IV (a) was measuring similar constructs at both test occasions, (b) constructs had the same meaning across time, (c) scores that changed across time can be attributed to change in the constructs being measured and not to changes in the structure of the test itself, and (d) measures the same constructs equally well across time with the possible exception of Processing Speed due to the noninvariance of the Coding subtest’s residual variance. This investigation provided support for intelligence as an enduring trait and for the validity of the WISC-IV.
Tensile deformation of nylon 6 fibers

Nylon 6 fibers which had been relaxed to different extents by annealing were examined at fixed strains by small angle and wide angle X-ray techniques. It was found that the strain of the long period of the semicrystalline microfibrils is identical to the macroscopic fiber strain. Approximately 1/3 of the tensile deformation results from molecular shear of imperfectly oriented crystalline chains. Virtually no evidence for intercrystalline slip is found; the orientation of the intercrystalline amorphous regions results in a low compliance for the shear of crystals past one another. The majority of the microfibril deformation occurs by stretching these intercrystalline amorphous regions, accompanied by the flow of extrafibrillar amorphous material to maintain constant volume. In highly annealed fibers this “filling” mechanism is less efficient, as the amount of extrafibrillar material has been reduced during shrinkage. This effect leads to a decrease in Poisson's ratio after increasingly severe annealing. A related result of annealing is the dehomogenization of the microstructure, leading to the presence of more stress-induced “microcracks” during the stretching of annealed fibers.
Progress in four-beam nulling: results from the terrestrial planet finder planet detection testbed

The terrestrial planet finder interferometer (TPF-I) is a large space telescope consisting of four 4 meter diameter telescopes flying in formation in space together with a fifth beam combiner spacecraft. The planet detection testbed has been developed to study the combination of the four beams of light from the telescopes in a twin nulling beam combiner which emulates the functionality of the TPF-I beam combiner. Recent results from the testbed include nulling of 4 input beams simultaneously at null depths of 250,000 to one and planet detection at a contrast ratio of one 2 millionth of the intensity of the star. For successful detection of exoplanets, the space interferometer will need to reach null depths of one million to one and demonstrate high stability during long observing periods. Testbed program goals include the same one million to one null depths and stability of the null comparable to the levels required in space (2 /spl times/ 10/sup -7/).
A Near-Uniform Basin-Wide Sea Level Fluctuation of the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract A new basin-wide oscillation of the Mediterranean Sea is identified and analyzed using sea level observations from the Ocean Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/Poseidon satellite altimeter and a numerical ocean circulation model. More than 50% of the large-scale, nontidal, and non-pressure-driven variance of sea level can be attributed to this oscillation, which is nearly uniform in phase and amplitude across the entire basin. The oscillation has periods ranging from 10 days to several years and has a magnitude as large as 10 cm. The model suggests that the fluctuations are driven by winds at the Strait of Gibraltar and its neighboring region, including the Alboran Sea and a part of the Atlantic Ocean immediately to the west of the strait. Winds in this region force a net mass flux through the Strait of Gibraltar to which the Mediterranean Sea adjusts almost uniformly across its entire basin with depth-independent pressure perturbations. The wind-driven response can be explained in part by wind setup;...
Hazards of hospitalization for Ambulatory Care Sensitive conditions among older women: Evidence of greater risks for African Americans and Hispanics

Hospitalization for Ambulatory Care Sensitive conditions (ACSH) has been widely accepted as an indicator of the accessibility and overall performance of primary health care. Previous studies have found conflicting evidence about ACSH disparities associated with race or ethnicity for older persons. This study estimates discrete-time ACSH hazards for women aged 69 or older, using longitudinal data with multivariate controls. Data are from the 1984 to 1990 Longitudinal Study of Aging, linked with Medicare claims. The multivariate results are adjusted for age, education, insurance and marital status, and other factors associated with health status and primary care access, and also for important indicators of need that include self-rated health, comorbidities, physical impairments, and previous hospitalizations. Many of these factors are permitted to vary across time for each individual, thus limiting measurement error. Results suggest that older African American and Hispanic women have markedly higher ACSH risks than older non-Hispanic white women.
Long-term outcome of treatment for Ann Arbor Stage I Hodgkin's disease: prognostic factors for survival and freedom from progression.

Purpose: The earliest stages of Hodgkin's disease are associated with excellent short-term survival with radiation therapy. This has led to controversies regarding pretreatment evaluation, the extent of irradiation, the role of chemotherapy, and the relative importance of prognostic factors. Long-term results were sought to address these controversies. Methods and Materials: A retrospective study was conducted of patients with Stage I Hodgkin's disease treated at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1967 through 1987. The median age at presentation of 145 patients was 31 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.8. Pretreatment evaluation included lymphangiography and bone marrow aspiration and biopsy in all patients. Laparotomy was performed in 101 of the 145 patients (70%). There were 133 patients with supradiaphragmatic presentations; 12 patients had infradiaphragmatic adenopathy. Only five patients had B symptoms (3.5%). Histologic subtypes of the disease included lymphocyte predominance 17.9%, nodular sclerosis 40.7%, mixed cellularity 40.7%, and one unclassified Hodgkin's disease with primary splenic involvement. All patients were treated with radiotherapy, and 16 (11%) also received combination chemotherapy as part of their initial treatment. Radiotherapy techniques included involved/regional field in 49%, extended field in 42.7% (mantle or inverted Y), and subtotal nodal irradiation in 8.3%. Follow-up extended from a minimum of 30-339 months, with a median period of observation of 16.5 years. Results: The median survival was 13.7 years. The 10- and 20-year survival rates were 83% and 66%, respectively. The only factor important for decreased survival was age >40 years at diagnosis (p < 0.0001). Out of 43 deaths, 11 were the result of Hodgkin's disease and the remaining 32 resulted from intercurrent disease, including treatment-related causes. Median freedom from progression was 10.5 years, and the 10- and 20-year freedom from progression were 76% and 69%, respectively. Out of 39 relapses, 5 (13%) occurred beyond 10 years. Women had higher freedom from progression (p = 0.0534) than men. Age, histology, bulk of disease, site of involvement including the mediastinal presentations, and the addition of chemotherapy did not influence the freedom of progression. Although very few patients (12 of 145) received subtotal nodal irradiation, the freedom from progression at 10 years was 91.7% for this group versus 64.7% for the group of patients who were treated with more limited techniques. Conclusion: Treatment with radiation therapy for patients with Stage I Hodgkin's disease leads to an excellent outcome, but patients require long-term surveillance as late relapses are not rare. Age is the only factor that affects survival, and gender marginally affects freedom from progression. Subtotal nodal irradiation may improve freedom from progression; further investigation of this treatment is justified.
Application of neural networks for sea ice classification in polarimetric SAR images

Several automatic methods have been developed to classify sea ice types from fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, and these techniques are generally grouped into supervised and unsupervised approaches. In previous work, supervised methods have been shown to yield higher accuracy than unsupervised techniques, but suffer from the need for human interaction to determine classes and training regions. In contrast, unsupervised methods determine classes automatically, but generally show limited ability to accurately divide terrain into natural classes. In this paper, a new classification technique is applied to determine sea ice types in polarimetric and multifrequency SAR images, utilizing an unsupervised neural network to provide automatic classification, and employing an iterative algorithm to improve the performance. The learning vector quantization (LVQ) is first applied to the unsupervised classification of SAR images, and the results are compared with those of a conventional technique, the migrating means method. Results show that LVQ outperforms the migrating means method, but performance is still poor. An iterative algorithm is then applied where the SAR image is reclassified using the maximum likelihood (ML) classifier. It is shown that this algorithm converges, and significantly improves classification accuracy. The new algorithm successfully identifies first-year and multiyear sea ice regions in the images at three frequencies. The results show that L- and P-band images have similar characteristics, while the C-band image is substantially different. Classification based on single features is also carried out using LVQ and the iterative ML method. It is found that the fully polarimetric classification provides a higher accuracy than those based on a single feature. The significance of multilook classification is demonstrated by comparing the results obtained using four-look and single-look classifications. >
Analysis and design of fuzzy control systems with random delays using invariant cones

In this paper, a class of fuzzy stochastic control systems with random delays is examined. The fuzzy rule base used consists of a collection of r fuzzy IF-THEN rules defined as a function of the conditional variable. The method of theory of invariant cones is used to design a class of local fuzzy control law. A verifiable sufficient condition for stochastic stability of the fuzzy stochastic delay differential equation is given.
Urine Protein Electrophoresis and Immunofixation Electrophoresis Supplement One Another in Characterizing Proteinuria

Urine protein electrophoresis (UPE) is often considered to have limited usefulness in evaluating proteinuria that is not associated with gammopathies. Unusual protein bands that are detected by UPE are commonly characterized by immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE). In this paper, electrophoretic gel patterns are shown to illustrate the greater sensitivity of IFE, compared to UPE. However, UPE remains useful for three applications: (1) UPE provides distinctive patterns that can indicate the source of proteinuria and is useful in assessing renal diseases that are independent of gammopathy; (2) combined use of UPE and IFE can avoid misinterpretations and repeated analyses of urine proteins, and (3) UPE can be used in conjunction with IFE to improve the quantitation of Bence-Jones proteinuria (BJP).
Chronic kidney disease and dipstick proteinuria are risk factors for stent thrombosis in patients with myocardial infarction.

Background Kidney failure (stage 5 chronic kidney disease [CKD]) is an independent risk factor for stent thrombosis (ST). Moderate (stage 3-4) CKD and proteinuria are both associated with adverse cardiovascular events, including worse outcomes after myocardial infarction (MI). Whether moderate CKD and proteinuria increase the risk of ST after MI is not known. This study evaluated the risk of ST associated with moderate CKD and dipstick proteinuria. Methods We retrospectively analyzed clinical and laboratory data from 956 non–stage 5 CKD patients who were admitted with MI and received intracoronary stenting. Clinical follow-up was collected at 1 year for definite or probable ST, as well as for all-cause mortality, nonfatal MI or death, and target vessel revascularization or coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Results After adjustment for multiple clinical and biochemical covariates, patients with both estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 15 to 59 mL min −1 1.73 m −2 and ≥30 mg/dL dipstick proteinuria had increased cumulative incidence of ST (hazard rate [HR] 3.69, 95% CI 1.54-8.89), all-cause mortality (HR 2.68, 95% CI 1.34-5.37), and nonfatal MI or death (HR 3.20, 95% CI 1.77-5.81) at 1 year. In addition, estimated GFR of 15 to 59 mL min −1 1.73 m −2 was a significant independent predictor of ST (HR 2.61, 95% CI 1.33-5.10). Dipstick proteinuria ≥30 mg/dL was associated with a trend toward increased risk for all outcomes. Conclusions In an acute MI population, moderate CKD was identified as a novel prognostic marker for ST. In addition, patients with both decreased GFR and proteinuria had higher incidences of all-cause mortality and nonfatal MI or death than patients with either condition alone.
Inflation and Investment Controls in China: The Political Economy of Central-Local Relations during the Reform Era

Figures and tables Acknowledgements Abbreviations Preface 1. Introduction Part I. The Economic and Political Roles of Local Government Officials: 2. Local government officials as economic agents 3. Local bureaucrats as investors: the investment roles of local governments 4. The local officials in the bureaucratic hierarchy Part II. Macroeconomic Policy Developments During the Reform Era: 5. Excess investment demand and austerity policies Part III. Analyzing Local Investment Behavior: 7. Strategic investment behavior during austerity 8. Bureaucratic investment behavior 9. Conclusion: Political institutions, inflation control, and economic reforms References Indexes.
Delayed Failure in Chemically Vapor Deposited ZnSe

Room-temperature delayed failure of C VD ZnSe was tested in 4-point flexure. Fracture surfaces of specimens exhibiting delayed failure, i.e. failing after some time under a fixed load, showed an intergranular region of fracture, surrounding a mechanically induced flaw. This intergranular region was attributed to slow crack growth and the remaining transgranular fracture to high-velocity crack propagation. This behavior contrasts with that of specimens failing during loading, i.e. with little or no slow crack growth, which typically exhibited only transgranular failure, as was also observed in bend tests of specimens loaded to failure. Actual times to failure fell between failure-time predictions based on single-crystal and polycrystal-line slow crack growth data, but were much closer to that for the single crystal.
Composition and origin of ore-forming fluids in a carbonate-hosted porphyry copper and skarn deposit; a fluid inclusion and stable isotope study of Mines Gaspe, Quebec

Skarn-type ore bodies formed at temperatures near 350 degrees C. Salinities suggest progressive dilution of an early high salinity magmatic fluid by less saline meteoric water. Salinities of the porphyry copper ore fluids reflect two distinct fluids of high and moderate salinity. Three distinct thermal fluids are associated with late-stage porphyry copper ore deposition. Maximum temperature isotherms. Localization of the largest ore concentrations was the result of rapid cooling of the ore-bearing fluids by convecting meteoric waters. For the skarn-type ore bodies, fluid flow was stratigraphically controlled within preferred stratigraphic units.--Modified journal abstract.
SafeGI: type checking to improve correctness in rendering system implementation

Historically, rendering system development has been mainly focused on improving the numerical accuracy of the rendering algorithms and their runtime efficiency. In this paper, we propose a method to improve the correctness not of the algorithms themselves, but of their implementation. Specifically, we show that by combining static type checking and generic programming, rendering system and shader development can take advantage of compile-time checking to perform dimensional analysis, i.e. to enforce the correctness of physical dimensions and units in light transport, and geometric space analysis, i.e. to ensure that geometric computations respect the spaces in which points, vectors and normals were defined. We demonstrate our methods by implementing a CPU path tracer and a GPU renderer which previews direct illumination. While we build on prior work to develop our implementations, the main contribution of our work is to show that dimensional analysis and geometric space checking can be successfully integrated into the development of rendering systems and shaders.
Optical switch configuration and lightpath assignment in wavelength routing multihop lightwave networks

A wide-area transparent optical network can be constructed by using wavelength routers and switches, each dealing with only a small number of wavelengths. In this work we consider the problem of configuring the wavelength routers based on the observed traffic. Various policies for wavelength routing, and the corresponding assignment of wavelengths along the routes have been studied before, which are based on minimizing congestion, average hop-distance, and call blocking probability or on maximizing carried traffic, and the number of clear channels. However these approaches often lead to scenarios where a significant number of available wavelengths at the input/output ports of the routers cannot be used due to potential wavelength conflict. The wavelength routing and assignment algorithms presented in this paper focus on maximizing the wavelength-utilization at the switching devices which also improve the overall network performance.
Secondary amenorrhea attributed to occlusion of microperforate transverse vaginal septum.

Objective To present a case of secondary amenorrhea after occlusion of microperforate transverse vaginal septum. Design Case report. Setting Academic teaching hospital. Patient(s) A 19-year-old woman with new onset of irregular menses and pelvic pain, with history of menarche at age 14. Intervention(s) Surgical evaluation and treatment, including laparoscopy, hysteroscopy, and excision of septum, followed by repeat surgery with lysis of adhesions due to agglutination of the area previously excised. Main Outcome Measure(s) Awareness of the possibility of secondary amenorrhea occurring due to septal scarring of a perforate transverse vaginal septum. Result(s) Imaging revealed a hematometra and hematocolpos. Examination revealed a transverse vaginal septum. Ultrasound scans and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an enlarged uterus and an endometrial cavity and cervix distended with fluid and debris. Examination under anesthesia revealed a septum approximately 5 mm thick, which was revealed to be benign fibromuscular tissue with chronic nonspecific inflammation. Conclusion(s) This case demonstrates the evolution from a microperforate transverse vaginal septum with regular menses for over 4 years to an occluded septum. Although transverse vaginal septa causing amenorrhea are usually diagnosed at menarche, perforate septa have been shown to lead to hypomenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, infertility, and issues with vaginal childbirth. We present a case in which a perforate transverse vaginal septum led to secondary amenorrhea.
Effects of an invasive forest pathogen on abundance of ticks and their vertebrate hosts in a California Lyme disease focus

Invasive species, including pathogens, can have important effects on local ecosystems, including indirect consequences on native species. This study focuses on the effects of an invasive plant pathogen on a vertebrate community and Ixodes pacificus, the vector of the Lyme disease pathogen (Borrelia burgdorferi) in California. Phytophthora ramorum, the causative agent of sudden oak death, is a non-native pathogen killing trees in California and Oregon. We conducted a multi-year study using a gradient of SOD-caused disturbance to assess the impact on the dusky-footed woodrat (Neotoma fuscipes) and the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), two reservoir hosts of B. burgdorferi, as well as the impact on the Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) and the western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), both of which are important hosts for I. pacificus but are not pathogen reservoirs. Abundances of P. maniculatus and S. occidentalis were positively correlated with greater SOD disturbance, whereas N. fuscipes abundance was negatively correlated. We did not find a change in space use by O. hemionus. Our data show that SOD has a positive impact on the density of nymphal ticks, which is expected to increase the risk of human exposure to Lyme disease all else being equal. A positive correlation between SOD disturbance and the density of nymphal ticks was expected given increased abundances of two important hosts: deer mice and western fence lizards. However, further research is needed to integrate the direct effects of SOD on ticks, for example via altered abiotic conditions with host-mediated indirect effects.
Subsetting Kernel Regression Models Using Genetic Algorithm and the Information Measure of Complexity

Recently in statistical data mining and knowledge discovery, kernel-based methods have attracted attention by many researchers. As a result, many kernel-based methods have been developed, particularly, a family of regularized least squares regression models in a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS) have been developed (Aronszajn, 1950). The RKHS family includes kernel principal component regression K-PCR (Rosipal et al. 2000, 2001), kernel ridge regression K-RR (Saunders et al., 1998, Cristianini and Shawe-Taylor, 2000) and most recently kernel partial least squares K-PLSR (Rosipal and Trejo 2001, Bennett and Emrechts 2003). Rosipal et al. (2001) compared the K-PLSR, K-PCR and K-RR techniques using conventional statistical procedures and demonstrated that “K-PLSR achieves the same results as K-PCR, but uses significantly fewer and qualitatively different components” through computational experiments.
Relevance of ANCA positivity at the time of renal transplantation in ANCA associated vasculitis

Renal transplantation (RTx) is the modality of choice for ESRD due to ANCA associated vasculitis (AAV). The significance of ANCA positivity (ANCA+) at the time of RTx on recurrent disease is controversial. We evaluated clinical outcomes and predictors of vasculitis relapse in sixteen transplanted AAV patients who were ANCA+ at RTx at a single University Medical Center. Allograft function, vasculitis relapse, and predictors of vasculitis relapse were assessed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. Our cohort had a median age of 64 years, 88 % Caucasians, 63 % males, 50 % PR3+. All patients were in remission at the time of RTx. Twelve received induction therapy and all were on mycophenolate mofetil, prednisone and tacrolimus. The mean (SD) serum creatinine was 1.2 (0.3) mg/dl at 1 year and 1.8 (1.7) mg/dl at last follow up. Six developed vasculitis relapse at post-transplant. All relapses were treated with escalation in immunosuppression. One non-compliant patient suffered graft loss while the remaining patients achieved remission. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, PR3 ANCA+ patients were two times (OR 2.19, p = 0.71) more likely to experience a relapse compared to MPO ANCA+ patients. This study demonstrates that PR3 ANCA+ patients may be more likely to experience relapse post-transplant. Further investigation of the predictors of vasculitis relapse among AAV patients who are ANCA+ at the time of RTx needs to be pursued.
A statistical model of electrostatic isopotential variation in serine protease binding cavities

This paper presents EPAC (Electrostatic isoPotential Analytical Comparative model), the first statistical model for evaluating the geometric similarity of electrostatic fields. Beginning with aligned binding cavities, EPAC measures similarity based on the overlapping volume of isopotentials inside ligand binding cavities. We tested the accuracy of our model on two subfamilies of the serine protease superfamily, demonstrating that EPAC effectively identifies binding sites that prefer differently charged substrates. For example, EPAC identified subtle electrostatic variations in proteins that might be expected to be more similar, such as the difference between typical trypsins and a trypsin with a phosphorylated tyrosine nearby the binding site. These results point to applications in the unsupervised comparison of many binding sites from a purely electrostatic perspective, in the search of subtle electrostatic variations that could influence binding specificity.
Stagnation Point of a Blunt Body in Hypersonic Flow

The purpose of this paper is to present a method of calculation devised to yield all the important information on the symmetric inviscid hypersonic flow in the stagnation point region of a blunt body. The problem is the same as that considered by Hayes3 who used a slightly different approach. I t is demonstrated that Hayes' results are valid in the stagnation point region and can hence be considered a basis for constructing less restricted solutions. Equations are presented giving velocity, pressure, detachment distance, and vorticity. The values of shock detachment distance and body pressure coefficient are compared with experimental data for spheres. The pressure comparison shows that the results of Hayes and the theory presented herein represent a better approximation than the Newtonian impact theory for hypersonic Mach Numbers. In conclusion, the possibility of refinements to this analysis is discussed.
Hopping conduction in a "superlattice"

We have used the formulation for the "Stark ladder," and a two-well model to describe hopping conduction via acoustical phonons in a "superlattice." Results show that negative differential conductance may occur when the "Stark-ladder" energy $\mathrm{eFd}$ is greater than the energy bandwidth. The mechanism is due to the fact that the transition probability at high fields decreases with the increase of $F$, because the electronic wave functions become more localized.
Evidence-based neuro-ophthalmology: advances in treatment

This review presents highlights and updates from of the most significant clinical trials in neuro-ophthalmology to date, the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial, the Controlled High-Risk Avonex Multiple Sclerosis Prevention Study, and the Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Decompression Trial. The quality of evidence for treatment efficacy from these trials and other recent investigations of giant cell arteritis and idiopathic intracranial hypertension is classified herein according to published criteria based on sample size and study design.
Systematic Exploration of Efficient Strategies to Manage Solid Waste in U.S. Municipalities: Perspectives from the Solid Waste Optimization Life-Cycle Framework (SWOLF)

Solid waste management (SWM) systems must proactively adapt to changing policy requirements, waste composition, and an evolving energy system to sustainably manage future solid waste. This study represents the first application of an optimizable dynamic life-cycle assessment framework capable of considering these future changes. The framework was used to draw insights by analyzing the SWM system of a hypothetical suburban U.S. city of 100 000 people over 30 years while considering changes to population, waste generation, and energy mix and costs. The SWM system included 3 waste generation sectors, 30 types of waste materials, and 9 processes for waste separation, treatment, and disposal. A business-as-usual scenario (BAU) was compared to three optimization scenarios that (1) minimized cost (Min Cost), (2) maximized diversion (Max Diversion), and (3) minimized greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Min GHG) from the system. The Min Cost scenario saved $7.2 million (12%) and reduced GHG emissions (3%) relative to ...
Selected Selection Theorems

(1956). Selected Selection Theorems. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 63, No. 4, pp. 233-238.
Muscle Quality in Older Adults What Are the Health Implications

The population of older adults in the United States is steadily growing and identifying factors that contribute to healthy aging is a public health priority. Changes in body composition are a hallmark of the aging process and have been implicated in the loss of physical function among older adults. In particular, age-related declines in muscle strength and power occur at a faster rate than the loss of muscle mass (sarcopenia), and this suggests a decrease in muscle quality of older adults. Muscle quality has traditionally been defined as muscle function (strength or power) per unit of muscle size (mass or cross-sectional area) and a growing body of literature suggests that lower body muscle quality may be critical for maintaining functional independence with age. However, the literature regarding the definition of muscle quality and its relationship with health outcomes in older adults has not been adequately reviewed. Thus, the aim of this report is to highlight the contemporary literature regarding age-...
Microstructure and mechanical property of 93W/Ni/QSn4-3 joint welded by diffusion bonding

The 93W/Ni/QSn4-3 joint was prepared by diffusion bonding at vacuum using pure nickel foil as interface layer. The microstructure and composition were characterized by SEM and EPMA. The tensile strength of joint was also measured. The test results show that Ni foil improves the tensile strength of 93W/Ni/QSn4-3 joint. The thickness of Ni interlayer becomes thiner obviously because of the diffusion layer between Ni element of Ni foil and W and additional elements of 93W alloy,as well as the gradient layer of Ni and Cu elements. Solution reactions between Ni element of Ni foil and Cu element of QSn4-3 alloy,W and additional elements of 93W alloy achieve the joint of 93W/Ni/QSn4-3,that is why tensile strength of 93W/Ni/QSn4-3 joint welded is improved.
Efficacy of Endodontic Infections Treated by Liushen Pill and Glass Fiber-Reinforced Composite Resin Posts for Repairing Large Part of Dental Coronal Defect

Objective:To investigate and evaluate the efficacy of endodontic infections treated by Liushen Pill and glass fiber-reinforced composite resin posts for repairing large part of dental coronal. Methods:Totally fifty-three teeth with large part of dental coronal defect from 43 patients were repaired by the glass fiber-rein forced composite resin posts and resincore. Those patients with endodontic infections were treated by traditional Chinese medicine Liushen Pill. Results:Patients with endodontic infections treated by Liushentrial were all valid. Through 0.5-2.0 years follow up,all the prosthesis worked very well without breaking or falling off,no gum cob ring except there posts fell off after the restoration. The patients were satisfied with the restoration. Conclusion:Using glass fiber-reinforced composite resin posts and ceramic crown can restore the teeth well,and before the treatment,Liushen Pill is an effective method in endodontic infections.