cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two aspects of experience in ontogeny: development and learning.

Publisher Summary This chapter uses some of Piaget's theoretical concepts of human development in relation to questions that have been repeatedly raised by investigators of animal behavior and development. Two works by Lorenz and a recent article of Lehrman are analyzed as they relate to the controversial nature-nurture problem. Differing underlying epistemological perspectives are noted: for the empiricism of experimentalists, knowledge derives primarily from the ontogenetic environment. Piaget's theory is interpreted as postulating two aspects of individual ontogenetic experience, a species experience (an interaction of species–specific structures with the common normal environment) and a particular experience (the application of available structures to particular environmental contingencies).
Justice Thomas and Indian Law

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is an exceptional jurist in a variety of ways. With the exception of his late colleague Antonin Scalia, perhaps no other figure is more associated with originalism than Justice Thomas. Today, Thomas is the Court’s most senior justice, its only African-American member, as well as its only southerner. His separate opinions often present provocative critiques of existing law and suggest reconsideration of long-settled precedent. Justice Thomas’s jurisprudence in the area of Indian Law has been no less bold. He has repeatedly expressed doubts about the constitutional validity of the plenary-power doctrine, the rule of law holding that Congress has plenary legislative authority over in all matters related to the Indian tribes. Justice Thomas also vigorously takes the position that Indian tribal sovereign immunity from private or state lawsuits is baseless and deserves no federal judicial recognition. By contrast, Thomas has long been a steadfast believer in state sovereign immunity, even joining opinions in two landmark state-sovereign-immunity cases that invoked the doctrine as basis for prohibiting an Indian tribe from suing a state. In addition, Justice Thomas has indicated strong support for the Court’s jurisprudence holding that Indian tribes have been implicitly divested of some of their sovereign power over non-tribal-members. Here, I intend to evaluate Justice Thomas’s jurisprudence in the area of Indian law. Like Thomas, I adhere to the originalist method of interpretation. I aim to offer the most comprehensive possible overview of relevant historical evidence — including some sources that, so far as I am aware, have been overlooked in prior scholarship. First, when it comes to the plenary power doctrine, I agree with Thomas that this rule of law is at odds with constitutional original meaning, although I think that Thomas has argued for what seems to be an overcorrection in the direction of constraining federal power over tribes. I contribute to existing literature by more fully responding to the argument that plenary power is defensible as an exercise of Congress’s authority over federal territory or property; and by delving into the events surrounding the Court’s 1886 decision establishing the plenary-power doctrine, bringing attention to heretofore overlooked facts that further undercut the legitimacy of that holding. Next, I argue that Justice Thomas is mistaken in his belief that tribal immunity lacks legal foundation, though I agree with him that tribal immunity at least has an “immovable-property” exception. In addition, I argue that Thomas has extended the principle of implicit divestiture of tribal sovereignty beyond what is warranted under an originalist reading of the Constitution. I then call attention to an arguably underexplored justification for narrowing state sovereign immunity to allow suits against states by Indian tribes, a theory that may call into question Justice Thomas’s past votes to disallow such suits. Finally, I conclude by briefly discussing some of my arguments’ implications for public policy and stare decisis.
Regularity of canonical operators and Nebenhülle: Hartogs domains

Abstract We relate the regularity of the Bergman projection operator and the canonical solution operator to the Nebenhulle of complete Hartogs domains.
Recurrent Hypertriglyceridemic Pancreatitis (HTGP); and the Use of Insulin Drip as Treatment.

Introduction Chronic pancreatitis by definition is a recurrent episode of acute pancreatitis and is commonly associated with alcoholism in the US. Another cause of chronic pancreatitis is hypertriglyceridemia (HTGP);, occurring in 1-5 percent of cases. The incidence of HTGP is higher in patients with diabetes and HIV, usually requiring triglyceride levels > 1000 mg/dL. Case A 33 year old man with uncontrolled type 1 diabetes and recurrent pancreatitis, first diagnosed 5 years prior, presented as a transfer from an outside hospital for a recurrent episode of HTGP. He reported recurrent pain episodes, requiring 6-9 hospitalizations within the last year for pancreatitis. He reported poor compliance with his insulin regiment at home. Other home medications included gemfibrozil, lisinopril, niacin, and omega-3 fatty acid. On transfer, his glucose was 296, triglyceride level was >3600, and A1C of 12.4. Transfer report lab work showed a triglyceride level >7000 and a lipase of 600. The patient had severe, diffuse abdominal tenderness on examination. He was diagnosed with pancreatitis secondary to hypertriglyceridemia due to a lipoprotein metabolism disorder and long-standing uncontrolled DM1. An intensive insulin drip was started on this patient, with goals of correcting his TG to less than 500 along with lowering his glucose. After 13 days, mostly on insulin drip, his TG decreased to 995 and pain was controlled, eventually tolerating a diabetic diet. He was encouraged to modify his diet and take his medications as directed at discharge. Discussion The relationship between hypertriglyceridemia and pancreatitis is poorly understood. In HTGP, a decrease in triglyceride concentration is a management priority. Rapid triglyceride concentration lowering is managed by insulin or plasmapheresis. As HTGP often presents in patient with uncontrolled diabetes, insulin is frequently used as treatment to lower both blood glucose and triglycerides; insulin decreases serum triglyceride levels by enhancing lipoprotein lipase activity and inhibiting hormone sensitive lipase, accelerating metabolism and decreasing adipocyte breakdown. Patients should be educated on the importance of compliance with drug therapy and lifestyle modifications.
Advances in Financial Machine Learning: Lecture 10/10 (seminar slides)

Machine learning (ML) is changing virtually every aspect of our lives. Today ML algorithms accomplish tasks that until recently only expert humans could perform. As it relates to finance, this is the most exciting time to adopt a disruptive technology that will transform how everyone invests for generations. In this course, we discuss scientifically sound ML tools that have been successfully applied to the management of large pools of funds. This material is part of Cornell University's ORIE 5256 graduate course at the School of Engineering.
Deep Learning Based High-Resolution Reconstruction of Trabecular Bone Microstructures from Low-Resolution CT Scans using GAN-CIRCLE.

Osteoporosis is a common age-related disease characterized by reduced bone density and increased fracture-risk. Microstructural quality of trabecular bone (Tb), commonly found at axial skeletal sites and at the end of long bones, is an important determinant of bone-strength and fracture-risk. High-resolution emerging CT scanners enable in vivo measurement of Tb microstructures at peripheral sites. However, resolution-dependence of microstructural measures and wide resolution-discrepancies among various CT scanners together with rapid upgrades in technology warrant data harmonization in CT-based cross-sectional and longitudinal bone studies. This paper presents a deep learning-based method for high-resolution reconstruction of Tb microstructures from low-resolution CT scans using GAN-CIRCLE. A network was developed and evaluated using post-registered ankle CT scans of nineteen volunteers on both low- and highresolution CT scanners. 9,000 matching pairs of low- and high-resolution patches of size 64×64 were randomly harvested from ten volunteers for training and validation. Another 5,000 matching pairs of patches from nine other volunteers were used for evaluation. Quantitative comparison shows that predicted high-resolution scans have significantly improved structural similarity index (p < 0.01) with true high-resolution scans as compared to the same metric for low-resolution data. Different Tb microstructural measures such as thickness, spacing, and network area density are also computed from low- and predicted high-resolution images, and compared with the values derived from true high-resolution scans. Thickness and network area measures from predicted images showed higher agreement with true high-resolution CT (CCC = [0.95, 0.91]) derived values than the same measures from low-resolution images (CCC = [0.72, 0.88]).
An e-Delphi Study on Software Virtualization in the Medical Diagnosis Process: The Experts' Perspective

The purpose of this qualitative e-Delphi study was to collect opinions and experiences from a group of expert panel members made up of physicians and virtualization experts. This e-Delphi research study provided information about the opinions and experiences from experts about the possible benefits for virtualization in medical facilities. The expert panel was comprised of 12 virtualization experts and physicians. Virtualization is a concept of technology where one physical hardware device, called a server, is configured with software that allows for multiple software servers to be installed or implemented. Virtualization may offer benefits to healthcare organizations including the ability to deliver patient data to physicians more quickly. Virtualization has demonstrated substantial benefits in many areas of information technology infrastructure in the medical informatics field. The expert panel members were chosen at random through existing professional relationships and previous employment. The expert panel members were provided three rounds of survey questions and were asked to complete all surveys in its entirety. The findings show that hospitals and medical facilities will benefit from virtualization and provide increased patient care by delivering faster data to the patient and physician. As leaders in hospitals and medical facilities continue to be well-informed, leaders will be better equipped to make more-informed decisions about virtualization and the positive relationship software virtualization has on patient care.
Twelve years of unconventional oil and gas development: production performance and economic analysis

Unconventional formations have been actively developed in the US since 2008. However, it is challenging to quantify the impact of technological advancement and geology on production. In addition, the economics of unconventionals is not well-understood. In this paper, we studied five major unconventional formations in the US: the Bakken, Eagleford, Haynesville, Marcellus, and Wolfcamp formations. We used historical data to quantify the impact of technological and geological variations on production. To accomplish this, we identified four phases of unconventional development over the past 12 years during which drilling and completion technology, initial investment, and commodity prices were similar: Phases 1–4. Using statistical analysis, we compared well performance of each phase. Then, we generated type curves for each phase for economic studies. Initial analysis shows that between January 2008 and December 2019, 60,611 horizontal wells were completed in these formations, producing about 8.185 billion barrels of oil, 90 trillion cubic feet of gas, and generating an estimated $816 billion in gross revenue. For the statistical analysis, the level of uncertainty ( $${P}_{10}/{P}_{90}$$ ratio) reduced from Phase 1 to Phase 4 across all formations, suggesting consistent improvements in well productivity over time while county-level analysis shows spatial disparity in well performance. We infer that technology drives temporal changes while geology drives spatial differences in well performance. From economic analysis, Phase 4 type wells had the best production performance, partly, due to improved drilling and completion efficiency. It was also because operators targeted their best acreage to maximize their asset’s potential.
Objective Resident Characteristics Associated with Performance on the Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program Examination

Background To determine objective resident characteristics that correlate with Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program (OKAP) performance, as well as to correlate OKAP performance with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) milestone assessments, written qualifying examination (WQE) scores, and oral board pass rates. Methods Review of administrative records at an ACGME-accredited ophthalmology residency training program at an urban, tertiary academic medical center. Results The study included data from a total of 50 resident physicians who completed training from 2012 to 2018. Mean (standard deviation) OKAP percentile performance was 60.90 (27.51), 60.46 (28.12), and 60.55 (27.43) for Years 1, 2, and 3 examinations, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences based on sex, marital status, having children, MD/PhD degree, other additional degree, number of publications, number of first author publications, or grades on medical school medicine and surgery rotations. OKAP percentile scores were significantly associated with United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores (linear regression coefficient 0.88 [0.54–1.18], p = 0.008). Finally, continuous OKAP scores were significantly correlated with WQE (r s = 0.292, p = 0.049) and oral board (r s = 0.49, p = 0.001) scores. Conclusion Higher OKAP performance is correlated with passage of both WQE and oral board examinations during the first attempt. USMLE Step 1 score is the preresidency academic factor with the strongest association with success on the OKAP examination. Programs can utilize this information to identify those who may benefit from additional OKAP, WQE, and oral board preparation assistance.
Great houses for whom?: Chacoan monumental architecture in cross-cultural, cognitive, and ethnohistorical perspective

This paper offers a new interpretation of Chacoan Great Houses, multistoried masonry structures of the 9th-12th century U.S. Southwest, using insights from animist ontologies, cognitive science, cr...
Bonsai Merkle Forests: Efficiently Achieving Crash Consistency in Secure Persistent Memory

Due to its durability, the security of persistent memory (PM) needs to be ensured. Recent works have identified the requirements for correctly architecting secure PM to achieve crash recoverability. A key performance bottleneck, however, lies in the integrity tree update, which needs to be consistent with the memory persistency model and incurs a very high performance overhead. In this paper, we aim to drastically reduce this performance overhead. First, we propose to leverage a small on-chip non-volatile metadata cache (nvMC) for keeping a small portion of the integrity tree. We show that nvMC cannot be managed like a regular cache due to violating crash recoverability, and hence derive a set of invariants to be satisfied for the nvMC to work properly. Then, we propose the idea of Bonsai Merkle Forests (BMF), which splits an integrity tree into multiple trees, leading to a forest, with the tree roots maintained in the nvMC. We propose and analyze different ways of BMF management. Our experimental results show that our proposed BMF schemes drastically reduce the performance overhead of BMT root updates, from 426% to just 3.5%.
Incorporating Real-World Service And Global Problem-Based Activities To Enhance Learning

Location: JC Room F Service and experiential learning activities help students understand the sociocultural context within course curriculum via a hands-on approach that gives course assignments individual meaning and engages the learner to want to discover, contribute to, and improve the world around them. Although the University offers numerous global and community-based learning through certain study abroad and alternative break courses, these opportunities may not always be reachable for some students or as frequent for others. By pairing these unique opportunities with those experiential activities offered in weekly courses, students are more often able to feel impactful within their community and in a global context. Understanding that their learning in tangibly connected to real-world problems that need further engagement and/or solutions, students may be feel more invested in their coursework, as they can see how it is connected to the world around them and perhaps additional purpose to their degree.
Fixed-Order H2-Conic Control.

H2-conic controller design seeks to minimize the closed-loop H2-norm for a nominal linear system while satisfying the Conic Sector Theorem for nonlinear stability. This problem has only been posed with limited design freedom, as opposed to fixed-order design where all controller parameters except the number of state estimates are free variables. Here, the fixed-order H2-conic design problem is reformulated as a convergent series of convex approximations using iterative convex overbounding. A synthesis algorithm and various initializations are proposed. The synthesis is applied to a passivity-violated system with uncertain parameters and compared to benchmark controller designs.
The Supreme Court in the American Legal System

This book examines the American legal system, including a comprehensive treatment of the U.S. Supreme Court. Despite this treatment, the 'in' from the title deserves emphasis, for it extensively examines lower courts, providing separate chapters on state courts, the US District Courts, and the US Courts of Appeals. The book analyzes these courts from a legal/extralegal framework, drawing different conclusions about the relative influence of each based on institutional structures and empirical evidence. The book is also tied together through its attention to the relationship between lower courts and the Supreme Court. Additionally, Election 2000 litigation provides a common substantive topic linking many of the chapters. Finally, it provides extended coverage to the legal process, with separate chapters on civil procedure, evidence, and criminal procedure.
The Natural Gas Revolution and Central Asia

This article examines the ongoing natural gas revolution and assesses its impact on the energy industry and societies of Central Asia, conceived as the five “Stans”: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The natural gas revolution consists of three related technological developments—hydraulic fracturing, horizontal drilling, and the increasing build-out of the world liquid natural gas (LNG) infrastructure.
Hybrid web recommender systems

Adaptive web sites may offer automated recommendations generated through any number of well-studied techniques including collaborative, content-based and knowledge-based recommendation. Each of these techniques has its own strengths and weaknesses. In search of better performance, researchers have combined recommendation techniques to build hybrid recommender systems. This chapter surveys the space of two-part hybrid recommender systems, comparing four different recommendation techniques and seven different hybridization strategies. Implementations of 41 hybrids including some novel combinations are examined and compared. The study finds that cascade and augmented hybrids work well, especially when combining two components of differing strengths.
Fitness among individuals with early childhood deafness: studies in alumni families from Gallaudet University

The genetic fitness of an individual is influenced by their phenotype, genotype and family and social structure of the population in which they live. It is likely that the fitness of deaf individuals was quite low in the Western European population during the Middle Ages. The establishment of residential schools for deaf individuals nearly 400 years ago resulted in relaxed genetic selection against deaf individuals which contributed to the improved fitness of deaf individuals in recent times. As part of a study of deaf probands from Gallaudet University, we collected pedigree data, including the mating type and the number and hearing status of the children of 686 deaf adults and 602 of their hearing siblings. Most of these individuals had an onset of severe to profound hearing loss by early childhood. Marital rates of deaf adults were similar to their hearing siblings (0.83 vs. 0.85). Among married individuals, the fertility of deaf individuals is lower than their hearing siblings (2.06 vs. 2.26, p = 0.005). The fitness of deaf individuals was reduced (p = 0.002). Analysis of fertility rates after stratification by mating type reveals that matings between two deaf individuals produced more children (2.11) than matings of a deaf and hearing individual (1.85), suggesting that fertility among deaf individuals is influenced by multiple factors.
Ethical Climates and the Ethical Dimension of Decision Making

Victor and Cullen (1987, 1988) developed a typology of ethical climates based upon the level of moral development of the work group (egoism, benevolence and principled a la Kohlberg, 1981) and the locus of analysis utilized in reaching decisions (individual, local, cosmopolitan). Building on this typology, data were obtained from a high technology company for the purpose of empirically extending the examination of the number of ethical climates that exist and portraying the relationship between ethical climates and the ethical dimension of decisions.
Taxonomic and functional homogenization of an endemic desert fish fauna

Aim The highly endemic fishes of the arid Southwest USA have been heavily impacted by human activities resulting in one of the most threatened fish faunas in the world. The aim of this study was to examine the patterns and drivers of taxonomic and functional beta diversity of freshwater fish in the Lower Colorado River Basin across the 20th century. Location Lower Colorado River Basin (LCRB). Methods The taxonomic and functional similarities of watersheds were quantified to identify patterns of biotic homogenization or differentiation over the period 1900–1999. Path analysis was used to identify the relative influence of dam density, urban land use, precipitation regimes and non-native species richness on observed changes in fish faunal composition. Results The fish fauna of the LCRB has become increasingly homogenized, both taxonomically (1.1% based on βsim index) and functionally (6.2% based on Bray–Curtis index), over the 20th century. The rate of homogenization varied substantially; range declines of native species initially caused taxonomic differentiation (−7.9% in the 1960s), followed by marginal homogenization (observed in the 1990s) in response to an influx of non-native species introductions. By contrast, functional homogenization of the basin was evident considerably earlier (in the 1950s) because of the widespread introduction of non-native species sharing similar suites of biological traits. Path analysis revealed that both taxonomic and functional homogenization were positively related to the direct and indirect (facilitation by dams and urbanization) effects of non-native species richness. Main conclusions Our study simultaneously examines rates of change in multiple dimensions of the homogenization process. For the endemic fish fauna of the LCRB, we found that the processes of taxonomic and functional homogenization are highly dynamic over time, varying both in terms of the magnitude and rate of change over the 20th century.
Down-regulation of P4501A1 and P4501A2 mRNA expression in isolated hepatocytes by oxidative stress.

We have previously shown that the inflammatory mediator interleukin-1 suppressed transcription of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNAs (Barker, C.W., Fagan, J.B., and Pasco, D.S. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 8050-8055). Since many of the actions of inflammatory mediators are mimicked by oxidative stress, we treated isolated hepatocytes with 0.25-1.0 mM H2O2 to determine whether expression of these genes is also modulated by oxidative stress. Inducer-dependent accumulation of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 mRNAs were maximally reduced approximately 50 and 70%, respectively, by 1.0 mM H2O2. Run-on transcription analysis suggested that the effect of H2O2 was mediated transcriptionally. The reduction in CYP1A mRNA levels was not due to a reduction in the levels of all mRNAs due to some general toxic effect since H2O2 did not reduce glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, alpha-tubulin, beta-fibrinogen, or albumin mRNA levels, and did not increase lactate dehydrogenase released into the medium. Insulin-mimicked H2O2 action, reducing the expression of both mRNAs, and N-acetylcysteine, which increases intracellular glutathione levels, completely reversed the insulin effect on both mRNAs and the H2O2 effect on CYP1A1 mRNA, but only partially reversed the H2O2 effect on CYP1A2 mRNA. This study indicates that the CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 genes are responsive to oxidative stress and that the majority of this responsiveness can be modified by cellular redox potential.
SHEAR MODULI AND DAMPING FACTORS OF EARTH DAM

In this study of an earth dam, a rational procedure is developed to estimate its dynamic soil properties, such as the shear moduli and damping factors, from its measured response to real earthquakes; the measured response includes strong-motion records from the crest and the base of the dam. The procedure permits study of nonlinear behavior by using the variation of stiffness and damping properties with strain levels. The Santa Felicia Dam, located in Southern California, was chosen for the analysis because it had been subjected to strong shaking during two earthquakes (with M_L=6.3 and 4.7), and was equipped with strong-motion instruments that yielded data on the structural response as well as the input ground motion at the site. The investigation is limited to the upstream-downstream response since existing analytical techniques for earth dams are restricted to horizontal shear deformation in that direction.
Wellness among US adolescents ages 12–17 years

Background Wellness is a multidimensional construct related to an individual's physical, emotional, intellectual and social well-being. We present estimates of wellness among US adolescents aged 12–17 years and explore how demographic characteristics are associated with wellness. Methods All respondents aged 12 to 17 years (n = 34 601) from the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children's Health were included in the sample. Survey items were coded to operationalize an overall wellness score, comprised of four subdimensions (physical, intellectual, emotional and social). Results The mean adjusted overall wellness score was 30.2 (out of 40). Mean raw subdimensions scores were: social = 3.14 (out of 4), emotional = 4.79 (out of 6), intellectual = 4.80 (out of 8) and physical = 6.57 (out of 8). Older adolescents, those with special health needs, those in lower income families and those whose mother or father report fair-poor mental health status had lower wellness scores. Conclusions US adolescents have wellness scores towards the upper or higher end of our scale. Several adolescent and family characteristics were associated with either lower overall wellness and/or lower wellness on multiple subdimensions. Assessing wellness during critical developmental periods of adolescence is a first step towards promoting behaviours that support increased wellness into adulthood.
Preparing Dental Graduates to Provide Care to Individuals with Special Needs

In 2004, the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) adopted a new standard that directs dental and dental hygiene programs to prepare dental professionals for the care of persons with special health care needs. This article reviews the demographics of individuals with special needs, documents that most dental schools provide their students with very limited educational opportunities related to the care of this population, describes the path that was followed to bring about change in the accrediting standard, and discusses the difficulties involved in developing the needed educational programs. Educational programs at two dental schools are presented as examples of how schools can provide students with learning experiences pertinent to the new CODA standard that states: "Graduates must be competent in assessing the treatment needs of patients with special needs."
Cryoballoon pressure waveform change during balloon inflation is not a reliable predictor of adequate pulmonary vein occlusion.

Background Cryoballoon ablation of pulmonary veins (PVs) is widely used to treat atrial fibrillation (AF). Successful ablation requires occluding the PVs by cryoballoon. Angiography is a standard method of assessing PV occlusion. To decrease contrast doses and overcome potential contraindications (e.g., allergy to contrast, renal disease), alternative methods have been tested, including intracardiac echocardiography, transesophageal echocardiography-color flow Doppler, and distal cryoballoon pressure monitoring. Objective We evaluated pressure monitoring's accuracy in detecting PV occlusion during cryoballoon ablation. Methods We studied 72 PVs in 18 nonconsecutive patients (mean age 68 ± 8 years; 13 male) who underwent cryoballoon ablation for paroxysmal AF. In 67 PVs, we documented the point at which the recorded pressure waveform at the distal tip of the inflated cryoballoon transformed from a left atrial into a pulmonary arterial pressure waveform. PV occlusion was confirmed by concurrent PV angiography through the distal balloon channel. Occlusion was rated on a I–IV scale in which I indicated poor occlusion with major leakage and IV indicated complete occlusion without leakage. Results In 43 of 67 PVs (64%), the change in the pressure waveform from left atrial to pulmonary arterial was associated with complete PV occlusion (grade IV), confirmed by angiography. In the other 24 PVs, complete occlusion was achieved by further movement of the cryoballoon under intracardiac echocardiographic guidance and angiographic confirmation. All 67 PVs were electrically isolated with cryoballoon. Conclusions The change in pressure waveforms at the distal tip of inflated cryoballoon is not a reliable predictor of complete PV occlusion during cryoballoon ablation.
Precision Spacecraft Pointing Using Single-Gimbal Control Moment Gyroscopes with Disturbance

Whereas previous work has shown that gain stabilization methods in the attitude control of spacecraft can mitigate external disturbances of a e xed frequency, recent work in cases where the frequency of the disturbance is time variant is summarized here.Specie cally, theapplication ofgain stabilization in the form of a variableperiodic disturbancerejection e lter is shown to bea viablemethod ofmitigating these disturbances. To usethis e lter forthe time-variant case, the character of the source of the disturbance needs to be known a priori with some accuracy. An implementation for a spacecraft steered by single-gimbal control moment gyroscopes where the disturbance is related to the gimbal rate is demonstrated. In addition, performance of the subject e lter is demonstrated in the presence of estimation error and phase shift.
Linear Asymmetric Classifier for cascade detectors

The detection of faces in images is fundamentally a rare event detection problem. Cascade classifiers provide an efficient computational solution, by leveraging the asymmetry in the distribution of faces vs. non-faces. Training a cascade classifier in turn requires a solution for the following subproblems: Design a classifier for each node in the cascade with very high detection rate but only moderate false positive rate. While there are a few strategies in the literature for indirectly addressing this asymmetric node learning goal, none of them are based on a satisfactory theoretical framework. We present a mathematical characterization of the node-learning problem and describe an effective closed form approximation to the optimal solution, which we call the Linear Asymmetric Classifier (LAC). We first use AdaBoost or AsymBoost to select features, and use LAC to learn a linear discriminant function to achieve the node learning goal. Experimental results on face detection show that LAC can improve the detection performance in comparison to standard methods. We also show that Fisher Discriminant Analysis on the features selected by AdaBoost yields better performance than AdaBoost itself.
Electrochemistry of Titanium in Molten 2AlCl3 ‐ NaCl

The electrochemistry of titanium has been examined in 2AlCl{sub 3}-NaCl electrolyte. Titanium may be oxidized to yield Ti(II), Ti(III), and Ti(IV) complexes. The divalent species may be used to electrodeposit al-Ti alloys, while the trivalent species is sparingly soluble. Cyclic voltammetry on a tungsten electrode in solutions with varying Ti(II) concentration has been used to examine the kinetics of the precipitation reaction associated with Ti(III). The induction time required for precipitation is dependent upon the bulk concentration of Ti(II), in a manner similar to that reported for homogeneous precipitation from aqueous solutions. At higher Ti(II) concentrations and slower sweep rats the electrode is passivated by the Ti(III) precipitation. Slow sweep rate voltammetry suggests that the i-E characteristics of the passivation reaction are dominated by the resistance associated with the precipitate film. The film blocks the electrode preventing oxidation of Ti(II) to Ti(IV). A parallel study of the dissolution kinetics of titanium metal reveals similar passivation phenomena due to Ti(III) precipitation. However, the passive film on titanium is somewhat conductive unlike that associated with the precipitated film formed on a tungsten electrode. This distinction presumably results from the formation of a compact passive film at the interface between the precipitated filmmore » and the titanium substrate. At more oxidizing potentials the protective nature of the passive film breaks down with the generation of Ti(IV). A comparison between the Ti(II) concentration determined by voltammetry and that anticipated from dissolution of titanium metal reveals a deviation from Faraday`s law at high Ti(II) concentrations. This discrepancy is resolved by adopting a previously postulated model involving the formation of oligomers of Ti(II). Potential applications ranging from battery technology to electroplating of aluminum-based alloys are being explored.« less
Previously unrecorded damage to oak, Quercus spp., in southern California by the goldspotted oak borer, Agrilus coxalis Waterhouse (Coleoptera: Buprestidae).

Abstract A new and potentially devastating pest of oaks, Quercus spp., has been discovered in southern California. The goldspotted oak borer, Agrilus coxalis Waterhouse (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), colonizes the sapwood surface and phloem of the main stem and larger branches of at least three species of Quercus in San Diego Co., California. Larval feeding kills patches and strips of the phloem and cambium resulting in crown die back followed by mortality. In a survey of forest stand conditions at three sites in this area, 67% of the Quercus trees were found with external or internal evidence of A. coxalis attack. The literature and known distribution of A. coxalis are reviewed, and similarities in the behavior and impact of this species with other tree-killing Agrilus spp. are discussed.
Now out of Never: The Element of Surprise in the East European Revolution of 1989

Like many major revolutions in history, the East European Revolution of 1989 caught its leaders, participants, victims, and observers by surprise. This paper offers an explanation whose crucial feature is a distinction between private and public preferences. By suppressing their antipathies to the political status quo, the East Europeans misled everyone, including themselves, as to the possibility of a successful uprising. In effect, they conferred on their privately despised governments an aura of invincibility. Under the circumstances, public opposition was poised to grow explosively if ever enough people lost their fear of exposing their private preferences. The currently popular theories of revolution do not make clear why uprisings easily explained in retrospect may not have been anticipated. The theory developed here fills this void. Among its predictions is that political revolutions will inevitably continue to catch the world by surprise.
Communicating over electric distribution lines

Problems of remote control and metering by carrier transmission over the distribution feeders are considered. The choice of carrier frequencies by the author's Company for compromise between characteristics of noise (harmonics) and electrical length (standing waves) is explained. Modulation, filtering, and integrate-and-dump detection methods of elimination of harmonic effects are described, with special reference to spikes from SCR-controlled variable-speed motors, and matched filtering of white noise. Propagation problems (and countermeasures) are related to power-factor-correction capacitor banks, critical electrical lengths between dwellings and substation, and distribution transformer leakage reactance. >
Relativistic effects and deuteron photodisintegration with polarized and unpolarized gamma rays

Angular distribution, asymmetry function, and polarization of the outgoing nucleons in deuteron photodisintegration are investigated employing the relativistic one-body charge density and two-body charge and current density effects with local and nonlocal contributions in pseudoscalar and pseudovector pion-nucleon couplings, and comparison is made with available experimental data. The angular distribution and polarization coefficients are reported for the super-soft core, Paris, Yale, and Hamada-Johnston potentials. The relativistic one-body and two-body corrections to the charge density increase the isotropic component of the angular distribution at lower energies but decrease it at higher energies. The changes in the polarization parameters are nearly the same for all the potentials, and all the potentials are found to reproduce the angular distribution, asymmetry function, and polarization of outgoing nucleons quite well at low and medium gamma ray energies.
Rationale for bladder‐sparing surgery in patients with locally advanced colorectal carcinoma

BACKGROUND Total pelvic exenteration (TPE) with urinary diversion is a standard surgical approach for patients with locally advanced rectal carcinoma. Because only approximately 50% of patients undergoing TPE have tumor involving the bladder, the authors evaluated the feasibility of bladder salvage in this setting. The current study presents the results of a retrospective study of patients with advanced colorectal carcinoma (classification of ≥ T3) to formulate criteria for selecting patients for bladder-sparing procedures. METHODS The charts of 81 patients with rectal carcinoma classified as ≥ T3 were reviewed for age, gender, computed tomography (CT) findings, results of intraoperative examination under anesthesia, final pathologic evaluation, urologic complications, local recurrence, and patient survival. RESULTS Among the 46 patients who underwent TPE, final pathologic evaluation demonstrated tumor involvement of the bladder in 58% of patients. Preoperative identification of a bladder mucosal abnormality accurately predicted bladder involvement in only 57% of the 30 patients who underwent cystoscopy. CT and intraoperative palpation of the bladder individually predicted the final pathologic findings in 69% and 70% of patients, respectively; of the 21 patients in whom both were positive, 90% had bladder involvement. Of the 35 patients (26 females and 9 males) who underwent bladder-sparing procedures, 22 had complete sparing of the bladder, 9 underwent partial cystectomy (5 with ureteroneocystostomy), 4 underwent ureteroneocystostomy alone, and 2 underwent prostatectomy alone. Ninety-four percent of these 35 patients had negative histologic margins. There was no difference in the incidence rate of urinary complications between patients who underwent TPE and those who underwent a bladder-sparing surgery (17% each). The incidence rates of local recurrence (14% vs. 17%) and the 3-year survival rates (49% vs. 39%) did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS Bladder-sparing surgery to treat patients with locally invasive colorectal carcinoma provides good local control without sacrificing survival. Women, whose reproductive organs act as a natural barrier, and selected men in whom CT and intraoperative evaluation identify only localized involvement of the prostate or bladder appear to be reasonable candidates for bladder-sparing procedures. Cancer 1999;86:2212–6. © 1999 American Cancer Society.
Mechanisms of calcium transport in human endothelial cells subjected to hyperthermia

Abstract We have probed the mechanisms by which severe heat alters cytosolic calcium ion concentrations (Cai) in individual cultured human endothelial cells (ATCC ♯1998). Cells adhering to glass coverslips were heated to as high as 50°C and Cai determined by means of a fluorescence laser imaging system using the calcium-sensitive dye, indo-1, in the presence of thapsigargin, and in Na-free and Ca-free media. Baseline Cai varied between 175–225 nM. When cells were heated to 50°C in a complete Ca-containing medium, there was first a transient fall in Cai, then a rapid rise of 50–100 nM in Cai, followed by a slower, secondary rise of 50–75 nM. Depleting the intracellular calcium stores with thapsigargin blocked both the transient fall and the secondary rise in Cai. Placement of the cells into a Ca-free medium blocked both the transient fall and the initial rapid rise, while use of a Na-free buffer prevented the initial rapid rise only. These data suggest that in human endothelial cells, extreme heat accelerates the CaATPase pumps of the intracellular Ca stores causing the transient fall in Cai which is soon followed by activation of the reverse mode of the Na/Ca exchanger to cause the initial rapid rise in Cai. The Ca-release channels of the intracellular stores become activated by heat to cause the secondary, slow rise in Cai. This preliminary work indicates that the application of heat to cultured cells can be a useful probe to examine the kinetics and unmask mechanisms of intracellular Ca fluctuations.
STUDIES ON PITUITARY LACTOGENIC HORMONE. XXVII. COMPARISON OF THE BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF FRACTIONS OF OVINE PROLACTIN WITH DIFFERENT DEGREES OF AGGREGATION.

Abstract The biological activities of two fractions of prolactin with different degrees of aggregation have been examined on the basis of three criteria: the response of the crop sacs of pigeons to local injections, deciduomal development in the traumatized uteri of hypophysectomized rats, and development of alveoli in the mammary glands of hypophysectomized, ovariectomized rats. There was no indication of differences in effectiveness between the two fractions.
The inner bremsstrahlung correction to the first forbidden unique correlation in 144P r

Abstract The inner bremsstrahlung contribution to the unique β - γ correlation in 144 Pr has been determined as function of beta ray energy. The corrected correlation agrees with the theoretical prediction for a first forbidden unique correlation to within 5%.
Isotope effect in electron-capture differential cross sections at intermediate energies

The isotope dependence in the angular distribution of electron-capture cross sections for protons and deuterons with equal velocity (E = 40 keV/u) colliding with atomic hydrogen or deuterium targets is predicted theoretically and observed experimentally. A projectile-dependent effect is observed at small scattering angles. No target dependence was detected in the differential cross sections. A scaling relationship is determined which permits the prediction of differential cross sections for hydrogen-isotope projectiles.
Physiologic significance of chronic coronary aneurysms in patients with Kawasaki disease

Abstract Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine whether persistent coronary aneurysms in patients with Kawasaki disease are associated with altered myocardial perfusion and function. Background. Some patients with Kawasaki disease have died suddenly because of severe coronary artery stenosis; others have chronic coronary aneurysms. Methods. Eleven patients with chronic coronary aneurysms were enrolled in the study. The size of the aneurysms and the degree of associated stenosis were determined by angiography in nine patients and by echocardiography in two. All patients underwent simultaneous function and myocardial perfusion assessment during symptom-limited exercise by echocardiography and technetium-99m sestamibi imaging, respectively. Results. Of 33 vascular territories, 18 contained coronary aneurysms measuring 3.5 to 10 mm. Three aneurysms were associated with significant stenosis as detected by angiography. Of the 18 vascular territories, 13 were normal, and 5 manifested stress-induced perfusion defects; of the latter 5 areas, 4 had associated wall motion abnormalities. The three territories supplied by stenotic coronary arteries had both abnormal regional function and perfusion demonstrated during exercise. Conclusions. Patients with chronic coronary aneurysms may have associated stenosis, as detected by angiography, with a subjacent myocardium that is subject to abnormal perfusion and function. However, the majority of coronary aneurysms are associated with normal regional coronary flow reserve, as assessed by myocardial perfusion imaging, and even giant coronary aneurysms may be associated with normal coronary flow reserve and preserved regional myocardial function during stress.
Development of hypothalamic opioid neurons: A combined immunocytochemical and [3H]thymidine autoradiographic study

Abstract Using a combined technique of immunocytochemistry and [ 3 H]thymidine autoradiography, we have determined the “birth-date” of opioid peptide containing neurons in three hypothalamic nuclei. These include proopiomelanocortin neurons (indicated by ACTH immunoreactivity) in the arcuate nucleus, dynorphin a neurons in the supraoptic nucleus, and [Leu]enkephalin neurons in the periventricular nucleus. Arcuate proopiomelanocortin neurons were born very early in embryonic development, with peak heavy [ 3 H]thymidine nuclear labelling occurring on embryonic day E12. Supraoptic dynorphin A neurons were also labelled relatively early (peak at E13). By contrast, [Leu]enkephalin neurons in the periventricular nucleus exhibited peak heavy nuclear labelling on day E14. The results indicate a differential genesis of these three opioid peptide containing neuronal groups in three different hypothalamic nuclei.