cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Utilization and costs of medical services and prescription medications for rheumatoid arthritis among recipients covered by a state Medicaid program: a retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive, database analysis

Abstract Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by inflammation of synovial tissues that leads to joint swelling, stiffness and pain, and progressive joint destruction. There is currently limited information about demographic differences in the prevalence of RA and the utilization and costs of RA-related prescription medications and medical services among low-income populations. Objectives: This study assessed the prevalence of RA and the utilization and costs of RA-related medical services and prescription medications among recipients enrolled in a state Medicaid program. Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive analysis of West Virginia (WV) Medicaid fee-for-service administrative claims data was conducted. Medical services claims for recipients aged between 15 and 64 years with a primary diagnosis code for RA during the calendar year 2003 were extracted. Unique recipient numbers obtained from these claims were used to extract the corresponding prescription claims. Prevalence and health care use rates were calculated by demographic categories. Costs were reported from the perspective of WV Medicaid. Results: A total of 143,211 recipients aged between 15 and 64 years received WV Medicaid benefits. Among these, 1157 recipients (0.81%) had ≥ 1 medical service claim (hospitalization, emergency department visit, or office visit) with a primary diagnosis of RA. The mean (SD) age of the sample was 47 (11.1) years. The highest rates of RA by age, sex, and race occurred among recipients aged 45 to 64 years (16.4:1000), females (10.1:1000), and whites (8.2:1000). Office visits accounted for the majority of medical services visits and costs. Among the sample, 67.8% had ≥1 prescription claim for a narcotic analgesic, 58.8% for an NSAID, 48.3% for an oral steroid, 40.1% for a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, and 12.4% for a biologic agent. Medicaid paid a mean of $2379 per recipient for RA-related health care services. Prescription claims accounted for 74.6% of the total cost of RA care. Biologic agents accounted for the largest proportion (54.1% ) of prescription costs. Conclusions: The prevalence of RA and rates of health care services utilization for RA among recipients of WV Medicaid differed with regard to demographic characteristics. Utilization of RA-related prescription medication among recipients varied by pharmacotherapy class. This study presents baseline information that might be used as a model for future surveillance RA studies using payer administrative datasets.
La Opinión and its contribution to the Mexican community's adaptation to life in the US

Based on textual analysis of selected editorials in the Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion, which started publication in Los Angeles, California in 1926, this article examines the tensions and tendencies in the Mexican population in the United States related to the experience of adapting to life in a new environment. A close reading of editorials in early issues of the newspaper highlights how La Opinion provided Mexican immigrants with information that promoted Mexican nationalism as well as adaptation to life in the United States. In doing so La Opinion served as a bridge between the two cultures and both articulated and contributed to the construction of a Mexican American identity.
LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTING OF C14 USING A BALANCED QUENCHING TECHNIQUE.

Abstract A new method has been developed for liquid scintillation counting of C 14 at a constant, known efficiency in quenched samples. This technique eliminates the manipulation and calculation problem of other methods of yield correction and avoids the radiochemical contamination inherent in the internal standard method. Once initial counting conditions have been established for a given sample type, count rate can be read directly from the instrument at a predetermined counting efficiency. This “balanced quenching” technique is insensitive to differences in activity levels from sample to sample and small shifts in instrument operating parameters. The proposed method does not require the use of counting instruments with dual scalers or coincidence circuitry but backgrounds are reduced significantly with coincidence operation. The method is ideally suited for routine counting of similar types of samples in any activity range.
Inorganic nanosystems for therapeutic delivery: Status and prospects☆

Inorganic nanomaterials have an array of structural and physical properties that can be used in therapeutic delivery systems. The sizes, shapes, and surfaces of inorganic nanomaterials can be tailored to produce distinct interactions with biological systems both in vitro and in vivo. Nanoparticle cores can likewise be engineered to possess unique opticophysical properties, including upconversion, size-dependent absorbance/emission as well as magnetic properties such as superparamagnetism. These properties make inorganic nanomaterials as useful imaging agents for noninvasive diagnostics and remotely activated theragnostics. Taken together, these unique properties of inorganic nanomaterials make them promising delivery systems.
Aortico-Left Ventricular Tunnel

To be distinguished from aneurysm of an aortic sinus (Valsalva) is the rare condition in which an abnormal channel begins in the ascending aorta (above the right coronary artery), bypasses the aortic valve, and leads through the ventricular septum into the left ventricular cavity. This entity, which has not previously been diagnosed during life, to our knowledge, is herein named aortico-left ventricular tunnel. The cases of three patients (aged 3, 5, and 10 years) with this rare condition are described. The clinical, electrocardiographic, and radiological features were similar in each case and resembled those in aortic valvular insufficiency. The diagnosis may be established clinically through selective aortography. This reveals that the origin of the abnormal communication lies in the anterior wall of the ascending aorta above the levels of the coronary arterial origins. The abnormal communication leads to the left ventricle. The condition is distinguished from aortic sinus aneurysm by its origin above t...
Littlest Higgs boson at a photon collider

We calculate the corrections to the partial widths of the light Higgs boson in the Littlest Higgs model due to effects of the TeV-scale physics. We focus on the loop-induced Higgs coupling to photon pairs, which is especially sensitive to the effects of new particles running in the loop. This coupling can be probed with high precision at a photon collider in the process {gamma}{gamma}{yields}H{yields}bb for a light Higgs boson with mass 115 GeV{<=}M{sub H} < or approx. 140 GeV. Using future LHC measurements of the parameters of the Littlest Higgs model, one can calculate a prediction for this process, which will serve as a test of the model and as a probe for a strongly coupled UV completion at the 10 TeV scale. We outline the prospects for measuring these parameters with sufficient precision to match the expected experimental uncertainty on {gamma}{gamma}{yields}H{yields}bb.
PROGNOSTIC IMPLICATIONS OF LOW-LEVEL CARDIAC TROPONIN ELEVATION USING THE HIGH-SENSITIVITY ASSAY FOR CARDIAC TROPONIN T: RESULTS FROM EARLY ACS & SEPIA-TIMI 42

A high-sensitivity assay for cardiac troponin T (hsTnT) that reliably detects very low concentrations is widely used in many countries worldwide and is under regulatory consideration in the US. It is uncertain whether low levels detected with hsTnT are prognostically meaningful compared with the
Perturbed log-normal distribution of irradiance fluctuations*

In this paper, we try to clarify some of the issues involved in the log-normal paradox for irradiance scintillations of an optical wave propagating through the turbulent atmosphere. Quite arbitrarily, a perturbation has been introduced in the log-normal distribution of the irradiance fluctuations. The results show that the log-irradiance variance and covariance functions are extremely sensitive to the log-normal assumption. We find that the deviation from the log-normal distribution, in the saturation region, may be detectable experimentally. This appears to be confirmed by recent Russian experimental results. We also show that our results lend insight into other distributions as well. In particular, there are certain regions where the Rice–Nakagami probability distribution cannot exist.
Measuring patients’ self-efficacy in understanding and using prescription medication

Objective To create a brief assessment tool, the Medication Understanding and Use Self-Efficacy Scale (MUSE).
Osteosarcoma metastatic to the ovary: a case report and review of the literature.

SummaryA 23-year-old black woman presented with abdominal pain of sudden onset, high fever, chills, and an elevated serum alkaline phosphatase level. Examination revealed a tender abdominopelvic mass consistent with an ovarian mass. Her medical history was significant for an osteosarcoma of the left
Development of high-responsivity Ge:Ga photoconductors

Czochralski-grown gallium-doped germanium (Ge:Ga) single crystal samples with a compensation of 10/sup -4/ have been modified by the indiffusion of Cu to produce photoconductors which provide NEPs comparable to current optimum Ge:Ga detectors, but exhibit responsivities a factor of 5 to 6 times higher when tested at a background photon flux of 10/sup 8/ photons/sec at lambda=93 ..mu..m. The introduction of Cu, a triple acceptor in Ge which acts as a neutral scattering center, reduces carrier mobility and extends the breakdown field significantly in this ultra-low compensation material.
Adaptive control in the presence of saturation non-linearity

Saturation non-linearities are perhaps the most commonly present type of non-linearities in dynamic systems. It is therefore important for the controller present to function satisfactorily in the presence of input saturation. In this paper we present an adaptive controller which leads to satisfactory performance in the presence of magnitude saturation of the control input. For both continuous time and discrete time plants, the adaptive controller is shown to result in global stability if the plant is open loop stable and minimum phase, and local stability otherwise. Robustness properties of the resulting adaptive controller are established. The performance is verified through experimental results obtained from adaptive control of a precision machine tool axis. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Isolation of oestradiol "receptors" from bovine hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland.

A ROLE of the hypothalamus in regulating the activity of the pituitary–gonadal axis has been inferred from various investigations reviewed recently1.
Concurrent atomistic–continuum simulations of dislocation–void interactions in fcc crystals

Abstract Dislocation interactions with distributed condensed vacancy clusters in fcc metals were simulated via a concurrent atomistic–continuum method. Due to void strengthening, the dislocation lines are found to bow as a result of pinning on the original glide plane and undergo depinning through drawing out screw dipoles and forming prismatic loops on the secondary slip plane. We discovered an inertia-induced transition between Hirsch looping and void shearing mechanisms as the void spacing ranges from the scale of nm to hundreds of nm. Contrary to prior understanding, simulations suggest that large voids (∼5 nm in diameter) can behave as weak barriers to dislocation motions under high strain-rate dynamic conditions.
The unnatural racial naturalism.

In the recent article, "Against the New Racial Naturalism", Adam Hochman (2013, p. 332) argues that new racial naturalists have been too hasty in their racial interpretation of genetic clustering results of human populations. While Hochman makes a number of good points, the purpose of this paper is to show that Hochman's attack on new racial naturalists is misguided due to his definition of 'racial naturalism'. Thus, I will show that Hochman's critique is merely a consequence of an unnatural interpretation of racial naturalism.
Concept development of automatic guidance for rotorcraft obstacle avoidance

The automatic guidance of rotorcraft for obstacle avoidance in nap-of-the-earth flight is studied. The author considers a hierarchical breakdown of the guidance components to identify the functional requirements. These requirements and anticipated sensor capabilities lead to a preliminary guidance concept, which has been evaluated via computer simulations. >
There's Nothing Sweeter Than Mom's Own Milk

Newborn Care Poster Presentation Background The labor and delivery (LD a successful latch was noted. Current hospital guideline requires blood glucose to be performed between 1 and 2 hours of life on LGA and sick infants. Initial blood glucose results were 34, with immediate repeat of 28. Per hospital guideline, blood glucose levels less than 36 require physician notification, infant feeding of 10 ml/kg of formula, and administration of IV glucose. Upon notification, the pediatrician ordered formula supplementation; however, the mother stated her desire to continue giving breast milk to correct the hypoglycemia. I taught the mother how to hand‐express colostrum and spoon feed the infant, and 35 ml of colostrum was successfully expressed and spoon fed to the infant. The repeat blood glucose was 52. The pediatrician was notified of the results using the mother's expressed breast milk. The infant remained on the hypoglycemia management guideline, but did not require formula supplementation or IV glucose. Mother and infant were able to exclusively breastfeed for the duration of their hospital stay. This successful scenario of treating infant hypoglycemia with the mother's expressed milk was well received by my hospital's neonatology and lactation departments, as well as hospital management, thus generating new teaching projects surrounding hand expression and spoon feeding. Conclusion As nurses, we must strive for excellence in the care of the exclusively breastfeeding mother–infant dyad realizing that current practices and hospital guidelines must be updated to align with recent research and Joint Commission recommendations. By utilizing current evidence surrounding a mother's expressed breast milk, we can ensure successful breastfeeding for the long term as well as increase the mother's confidence that she can provide for her infant's needs.
Music Swims Back to Me – Poem

Wait Mister. Which way is home? They turned the light out and the dark is moving in the corner. There are no sign posts in this room, four ladies, over eighty, in diapers every one of them. La la la, Oh music swims back to me and I can feel the tune they played the night they left me in this private
Large-eddy simulation of wind effects on bluff bodies using the finite element method

Abstract In this paper, a finite element formulation of the large-eddy simulation (LES) is applied to calculate two-dimensional, turbulent flow part a square rib mounted on the floor of a channel at Reynolds number of 40000. The Adams-Bashforth and Crank-Nicholson schemes are employed for time integration. The Smagorinsky model for the subgrid scale and upwind scheme for the advection are used. The fully developed turbulent flow is imposed as inflow. No-slip condition is enforced on the surface of solid walls. The simulated results are compared with the numerical and experimental studies reported by other researchers.
Effect of specimen size and crack depth on 3D crack-front constraint for SENB specimens

Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) elastic–plastic finite element analyses (FEA) are performed to study constraint effect on the crack-front stress fields for single-edge notched bend (SENB) specimens. Both rectangular and square cross-section of the specimens with a deep crack of a / W =0.5 are considered to investigate the effect of specimen size. A square-cross-section specimen with a shallow crack of a / W =0.15 is also considered to examine the effect of crack depth. Stresses from FEA at the crack front on different planes of the specimen are compared with those determined by the J – A 2 three-term solution. Results show that in-plane stress fields can be characterized by the three-term solution throughout the thickness even in the region near the free surface. Cleavage fracture toughness data is compared to predict the effects of specimen size and crack depth on fracture behavior. It is found that the distributions of crack opening stress are nearly the same for the SENB specimens at the critical J which is consistent with the RKR model. Furthermore our results indicate that there is a distinct relationship between the crack-front constraint and the cleavage fracture toughness. By introducing the failure curves, the minimum fracture toughness and scatter band can be well captured using the J – A 2 approach.
Observation of Partial UA(1) Restoration from Two-Pion Bose-Einstein Correlations

The effective intercept parameter of the two-pion Bose-Einstein correlation function, ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{*}$, is found to be sensitive to the partial restoration of ${\mathrm{U}}_{A}(1)$ symmetry in ultra-relativistic nuclear collisions. An increase in the yield of the ${\ensuremath{\eta}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ meson, proposed earlier as a signal of partial ${\mathrm{U}}_{A}(1)$ restoration, is shown to create a ``hole'' in the low ${p}_{t}$ region of ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{*}$. A comparison with NA44 data and central $\mathrm{S}+\mathrm{Pb}$ collisions at $200A\mathrm{GeV}$ is made, and implications for future heavy ion experiments are discussed.
Let's Get Organized

Theorizing Feminist Policy. By Amy G. Mazur. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. 290 pp., $49.95 cloth (ISBN: 0-19-829393-3), $21.95 paper (ISBN: 0-19-924672-6). “By 2001 … over 80 researchers in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand[,] shar[ing] a common comparative approach to the study of gender, policy, and the state … had produced a significant body of literature … and created permanent research and teaching infrastructures on three continents” (p. 1). Theorizing Feminist Policy by Amy Mazur is a progress report on this work. Mazur catalogues it and synthesizes its major findings. In the process, she provides a useful framework for recognizing and categorizing feminist policies, and she describes how this particular research community has studied them. She summarizes substantive findings through her detailed analysis of twenty-seven individual policies, which she follows from genesis to implementation, each within its distinctive ecological context. She evaluates how well each policy was conceived and carried through in states with identifiably different political cultures. Thus, she also contributes to our theoretical understanding of democracy and the state, particularly with regard to how different kinds of developed Western states and societies do or do not make and implement effective policies to protect women and families. Throughout the book, Mazur seeks to cumulate the knowledge gained from two decades of systematic empirical research and then to use that cumulative knowledge to test a set of hypotheses, including several that reflect what “everybody knows” about feminist politics and policies. She ends with suggestions for next steps in this ongoing effort. Mazur's definition of “feminist policy” is rigorous without being rigid. She sets out five criteria that collectively address both intentions and outcomes, and she is willing to accept as “feminist” any policy that meets at least three of …
Diversification and specialization of the bacterial cytoskeleton

The past decade has witnessed the identification and characterization of bacterial homologs of the three major eukaryotic cytoskeletal families: actin, tubulin and intermediate filaments. These proteins play essential roles in organizing bacterial subcellular environments. Recently, the ParA/MinD superfamily has emerged as a new bacterial cytoskeletal class, and imaging studies hint at the existence of even more, as yet unidentified, cytoskeletal systems. Much as the cytoskeleton is used for different purposes in different eukaryotic cells, the specific identities, functions and regulatory mechanisms of cytoskeletal proteins can vary between different bacterial species. In addition, extensive cross-talk between bacterial cytoskeletal systems may represent an important mode of cytoskeletal regulation. These themes of diversity, species-specificity and crosstalk are emerging as central properties of cytoskeletal biology.
Sleep Disturbance as a Universal Risk Factor for Relapse in Addictions to Psychoactive Substances

Relapse to uncontrolled use of a psychoactive substance is arguably the single most defining characteristic of an addiction. Relapse following addiction treatment is very common with serious consequences to individuals, families, and the public system of care, making predictors of relapse a highly significant area of study. Before the turn of the century, most of the addiction treatment outcome literature focused on psychosocial predictors of relapse. More recently, investigating biological predictors of relapse specifically and treatment outcome broadly has gained momentum. This line of research has linked sleep disturbances to the risk of relapse among persons who are recovering from an alcohol addiction. Given common neurobiological and psychosocial processes in sleep and addictive behaviors, we hypothesize that the link between sleep disturbance and relapse risk observed among alcohol addiction generalizes to all other types of psychoactive substances. This hypothesis has the potential for helping develop more effective and targeted treatment approaches for persons with addiction. As initial support for the hypothesis, this paper reviews evidence on common neurobiological processes among various types of psychoactive substances that suggests sleep is a universal risk factor for relapse. A conceptual framework is also presented to articulate causal mechanisms. The paper concludes with implications for research and practice.
Maintenance of a balanced, shifting boundary between the seagrass Phyllospadix and algal turf

Abstract A dense mat of algal turf covers much of the rocky mid-intertidal substrate on beaches in southern California. Beds of Phyllospadix dominate the lower part of the intertidal zone. The study was designed to identify processes that result in this distribution pattern. to evaluate the role of direct plant/plant interactions, changes in the position of the border were measured in undisturbed vegetation and in clearings between two dominant taxa, P. torreyi S. Watson and Corallina pinnatifolia (Manza) Daws. Recovery of the substrate in clearings within the bed was monitored. Growth rates for prostrate and erect portions of each of the taxa were determined. To assess the effect of environmental factors on each of the two vegetation forms intact clumps were reciprocally transplanted, leaves were removed experimentally under several conditions, and leaf length and density, seasonally and in different habitats, were compared. Analysis of biomass data showed that longer leaves are restricted to wetter habitats. Leaves turned brown when exposed to air, indicating that shoreward extension of the Phyllospadix beds is constrained by physical factors. When the rhizome mat was removed from rocks, Carallina regenerated and within several months its turf covered the area. Rhizomes slowly regrew into turf, unimpeded by algal thalli or the layer of sand that often buries rhizomes and basal portions of thalli. Corallina and Phyllospadix share certain morphological and life history properties that are adaptive to seasonal weather patterns and the effects of sand movement on these intertidal platform beaches; each has distinct advantages on short or longer time scales within the boundary zone where one form replaces the other at a discrete border.
Aperture guiding in quasi-three-level lasers

Aperture guiding, as opposed to thermal waveguiding, is shown to be the dominant mechanism for cavity mode stabilization in a quasi-three-level Yb:YAG laser in a flat-flat resonator. Excellent agreement is obtained between the experimental and modeled spot sizes in this laser when aperture guiding is included in the model. The models show that the spot size is insensitive to the exact form of the dependence of the transmission of the aperture on the transverse dimension. This finding is expected to affect other quasi-three-level lasers.
Noninvariance Groups in Molecular Quantum Mechanics. I

The problem of one electron moving in the field of many stationary nuclei is formulated in terms of the operations of the Lie algebras of E4, R5, and O4,1, all noninvariance groups of quantal electrostatics. This makes it possible to carry through and completely analyze one‐electron molecular calculations using only concepts and operations of the theory of continuous groups. The approach is designed for the study of general laws of behavior of simple molecular systems. To exemplify it, it is used in its simplest form to uncover a suggestive approximate dynamical symmetry. This is related to a known angular momentum invariant that is instrumental in determining the properties of small molecules.
On the inadequacy of the customary orthogonal arrays in quality control and general scientific experimentation, and the need of probing designs of higher revealing power ∗

This paper breaks new ground concerning the general problem of factorial experimentation, namely, the identification and estimation of nonnegligible factorial effects (with minimal number of runs), without making the usual unrealistic and artificial assumptions concerning the negligibility of higher order interactions. (In other words, we consider the general factor screening problem when interactions may be present.) Through an example, it is shown that the customary orthogonal arrays fall short of the need. New principles for sieving the set of factorial effects to determine the large ones, are introduced. The concept of ‘revealing power’of designs, i.e. of their ability to help identify nonnegligible parameters is developed, and the usefulness in this direction of balanced arrays of full strength is studied.
The cell cycle and development: Lessons from C. elegans

The invariant developmental cell lineage of Caenorhabditis elegans (and other similar nematodes) provides one of the best examples of how cell division patterns can be precisely coordinated with cell fates. Although the field has made substantial progress towards elucidating the many factors that control the acquisition of individual cell or tissue-specific identities, the interplay between these determinants and core regulators of the cell cycle is just beginning to be understood. This review provides an overview of the known mechanisms that govern somatic cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation in C. elegans. In particular, I will focus on those studies that have uncovered novel genes or mechanisms, and which may enhance our understanding of corresponding processes in other organisms.
Point counting on reductions of CM elliptic curves

Abstract We give explicit formulas for the number of points on reductions of elliptic curves with complex multiplication by any imaginary quadratic field. We also find models for CM Q -curves in certain cases. This generalizes earlier results of Gross, Stark, and others.
Pluto and Charon: A Case of Precession-Orbit Resonance

Pluto may be the only known case of precession-orbit resonance in the solar system. The Pluto-Charon system orbits the Sun with a period of 1 Plutonian year, which is 250.8 Earth years. The observed parameters of the system are such that Charon may cause Pluto to precess with a period near 250.8 Earth years. This gives rise to two possible resonances, heretofore unrecognized. The first is due to Pluto's orbit being highly eccentric, giving solar torques on Charon with a period of 1 Plutonian year. Charon in turn drives Pluto near its precession period. Volatiles, which are expected to shuttle across Pluto's surface between equator and pole as Pluto's obliquity oscillates, might change the planet's dynamical flattening enough so that Pluto crosses the nearby resonance, forcing the planet's equatorial plane to depart from Charon's orbital plane. The mutual tilt can reach as much as 2 deg after integrating over 5.6 x 10(exp 6) years, depending upon how close Pluto is to the resonance and the supply of volatiles. The second resonance is due to the Sun's traveling above and below Charon's orbital plane; it has a period half that of the eccentricity resonance. Reaching this half-Plutonian year resonance requires a much larger but still theoretically possible amount of volatiles. In this case the departure of Charon from an equatorial orbit is about 1 deg after integrating for 5.6 x 10(exp 6) years. The calculations ignore libration and tidal friction. It is not presently known how large the mutual tilt can grow over the age of the solar system, but if it remains only a few degrees, then observing such small angles from a Pluto flyby mission would be difficult. It is not clear why the parameters of the Pluto-Charon system are so close to the eccentricity resonance.
Artery-to-Artery cerebral emboli detection with transcranial doppler: Analysis of eight cases

We present eight cases in which intracranial arterial emboli were detected with transcranial Doppler (TCD). In all patients, the putative arterial source of emboli was demonstrated by angiography. The presumed lesion representing the source of emboli was atherosclerosis (three), radiation-induced atherosclerosis/dissection (one), fibromuscular dysplasia (one), and traumatic dissection (three). TCD was effective in detecting microemboli, localizing the potential source of emboli, and monitoring the effectiveness of treatment.
Multiple fuzzy object modeling improves sensitivity in automatic anatomy recognition

Computerized automatic anatomy recognition (AAR) is an essential step for implementing body-wide quantitative radiology (QR). Our strategy to automatically identify and delineate various organs in a given body region is based on fuzzy models and an organ hierarchy. In previous years, the basic algorithms of our AAR approach - model building, recognition, and delineation - and their evaluation were presented. In the present paper, we propose to replace the single fuzzy model built for each organ by a set of fuzzy models built for the same organ. Based on a dataset composed of CT images of the Thorax region of 50 subjects, our experiments indicate that recognition performance improves when using multiple models instead of a single model for each organ. It is interesting to point out that the improvement is not uniform for all organs, leading us to conclude that some organs will benefit from the multiple model approach more than others.
Learning to Detect Small Impact Craters

Machine learning techniques have shown considerable promise for visual inspection tasks such as locating human faces in cluttered scenes. In this paper, we examine the utility of such techniques for the scientifically-important problem of detecting and cataloging impact craters in planetary images gathered by spacecraft. Various supervised learning algorithms, including ensemble methods (bagging and AdaBoost with feed-forward neural networks as base learners), support vector machines (SVM), and continuously-scalable template models (CSTM), are employed to derive crater detectors from ground-truthed images. The resulting detectors are evaluated on a challenging set of Viking Orbiter images of Mars containing roughly one thousand craters. The SVM approach with normalized image patches provides detection and localization performance closest to that of human labelers and is shown to be substantially superior to boundary-based approaches such as the Hough transform.
Complex effects of scale on the relationships of landscape pattern versus avian species richness and community structure in a woodland savanna mosaic

Landscape pattern metrics are widely used for predicting habitat and species diversity. However, the relationship between landscape pattern and species diversity is typically measured at a single spatial scale, even though both landscape pattern, and species occurrence and community composition are scale-dependent. While the effects of scale on landscape pattern are well documented, the effects of scale on the relationships between spatial pattern and species richness and composition are not well known. Here, our main goal was to quantify the effects of cartographic scale (spatial resolution and extent) on the relationships between spatial pattern and avian richness and community structure in a mosaic of grassland, woodland, and savanna in central Wisconsin. Our secondary goal was to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly developed tool for spatial pattern analysis, multiscale contextual spatial pattern analysis (MCSPA), compared to existing landscape metrics. Landscape metrics and avian species richness had quadratic, exponential, or logarithmic relationships, and these patterns were generally consistent across two spatial resolutions and six spatial extents. However, the magnitude of the relationships was affected by both resolution and extent. At the finer resolution (10-m), edge density was consistently the best predictor of species richness, followed by an MCSPA metric that measures the standard deviation of woody cover across extents. At the coarser resolution (30-m), NDVI was the best predictor of species richness by far, regardless of spatial extent. Another MCSPA metric that denotes the average woody cover across extents, together with percent of woody cover, were always the best predictors of variation in avian community structure. Spatial resolution and extent had varying effects on the relationships between spatial pattern and avian community structure. We therefore conclude that cartographic scale not only affects measures of landscape pattern per se, but also the relationships among spatial pattern, species richness, and community structure, often in complex ways, which reduces the efficacy of landscape metrics for predicting the richness and diversity of organisms.
Microgrid Ramp Rates and the Inertial Stability Margin

Variable power sources are becoming increasingly common in low-inertia microgrids. Inadequate amounts, however, can disrupt electric service if ramped events occur too quickly. The authors introduce an approach to predict how long microgrids can withstand ramped events as a function of local inertia. Although microgrids can ride through disturbances using local inertia and other technologies, it is not clear for how long disturbances can be tolerated—particularly when in progress. The estimated reaction times are presented, first, as stability margins to illustrate how ramp-rate magnitudes relate to local inertia. Then, use of the reaction times is demonstrated as a forward-looking capability to anticipate frequency deviation times as a microgrid model undergoes large solar ramp rates. It is shown that the available remaining times can be estimated even as disturbances and remedial actions take place.
The Changing Fortunes of Early Medieval Bavaria to 907 ad

This essay surveys the political historiography of the early medieval principality of Bavaria, particularly in three periods; that of the Bavarians’ emergence in the sixth century, the time of a complex interrelationship between Bavarians and Franks and their Agilolfing and Carolingian ruling houses in the eighth century, and the transitions of power from Charlemagne’s takeover of Bavaria in 788 and the transfer to a new Luitpolding duchy in 907. The Bavarian case serves as a useful counternarrative to those of larger peoples like the Franks or Lombards, and illustrates that the inheritance of Roman tradition, the relationship between rulers and ruled, and the creation and maintenance of ethnic identities could be flexible and complex in the early Middle Ages.
Slow roll reconstruction: constraints on inflation from the 3 year WMAP data set

We study the constraints on the inflationary parameter space derived from the 3 year WMAP data set using 'slow roll reconstruction', using the SDSS galaxy power spectrum to gain further leverage where appropriate. This approach inserts the inflationary slow roll parameters directly into a Monte Carlo Markov chain estimate of the cosmological parameters, and uses the inflationary flow hierarchy to compute the parameters' scale dependence. We work with the first three parameters (, η and ξ) and pay close attention to the possibility that the 3 year WMAP data set contains evidence for a 'running' spectral index, which is dominated by the ξ term. Mirroring the WMAP team's analysis we find that the permitted distribution of ξ is broad, and centred away from zero. However, when we require that inflationary parameters yield at least 30 additional e-folds of inflation after the largest observable scales leave the horizon, the bounds on ξ tighten dramatically. We make use of the absence of an explicit pivot scale in the slow roll reconstruction formalism to determine the dependence of the computed parameter distributions on the pivot. We show that the choice of pivot has a significant effect on the inferred constraints on the inflationary variables, and the spectral index and running derived from them. Finally, we argue that the next round of cosmological data can be expected to place very stringent constraints on the region of parameter space open to single field models of slow roll inflation.
Relationship between verbal reinforcers, source and task difficulty for youthful felons and non-felons.

Ss from reformatory, vocational school, and college settings were presented with a rating task to determine how they would react to positive, negative and neutral reinforcers (good, mmm-hmm, or poor) in relation to the source of reinforcement (boss, friend, and stranger), and the difficulty of the task (changing a tire, adjusting brakes, and grinding valves). As compared with the vocational and college Ss, convicted felons (both psychopathic and non-psychopathic) consistently assigned more neutral values to both positive and negative verbal reinforcers. In addition, felons also showed an inability to differentiate various sources of reinforcement.
Sequential Monte Carlo Filtering Using Nested Particles with Local Gaussian Assumptions

Abstract Sequential Monte Carlo methods are used for numerically solving the optimal state estimation problem. The methodology is based on the evolution of random particles of the state probability density function according to dynamic models and noisy measurements. A key requirement in particle filters is to propose an importance density that approximates the optimal importance density as close as possible. Local linearization particle filters use banks of independent variants of Kalman filters to propose importance densities that are mindful of the latest measurement. The proposed nested particles filter with local Gaussian assumptions is a general framework that can incorporate many nonlinear filters to generate appropriate importance densities. In this approach, it is shown that local linearization can be avoided by performing local filtering with only a Gaussian prior assumption. Local filtering is naturally integrated into the nested particles filter by correcting the filters from the results of the particle filter. Two simulation examples are included to illustrate the validity of the nested particles filter in cases where very accurate measurements are given and where the filter is poorly initialized by the a priori information.
Understanding the physical and material dynamics of multipulse femtosecond laser interactions with surfaces

We describe the evolution of laser damage spots on bulk nickel generated by multipulse femtosecond laser irradiation with a 100 μm x 100 μm square flat-top beam profile as a function of the laser fluence and the number of pulses incident on the target. This large-area irradiation simulates conditions associated with the interaction of femtosecond laser pulses on a remote target. The larger area laser damage sites are characterized either by a series of self-organized surface structures with micro- and nanoscale features or a deep circular pit rather than a crater that mirrors the beam profile. Furthermore, the ablation rate of the deepest feature sharply increases above a laser fluence of 2 J/cm2; this increase is associated with the creation of a deep circular ablation pit generated during ablation with the first few pulses on the sample that continuously grows upon multipulse irradiation due to the focusing of incident laser energy into the pit by the sloped pit surfaces.
An introduction to the DARPA program in advanced thermoelectric materials and devices

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated its program in advanced thermoelectric materials and devices in 1995 in response to a belief that these materials could play a significant role in the development of new and enhanced military capabilities. The current and future use of these all-solid-state devices for both cooling and power generation is driven by their inherent advantages: high reliability with no maintenance, silent operation with no moving parts or vibrations, and environmental compatibility (no compressed gases or chemicals).
Localization and regulation of mouse pantothenate kinase 2

Coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis is initiated by pantothenate kinase (PanK) and CoA levels are controlled through differential expression and feedback regulation of PanK isoforms. PanK2 is a mitochondrial protein in humans, but comparative genomics revealed that acquisition of a mitochondrial targeting signal was limited to primates. Human and mouse PanK2 possessed similar biochemical properties, with inhibition by acetyl-CoA and activation by palmitoylcarnitine. Mouse PanK2 localized in the cytosol, and the expression of PanK2 was higher in human brain compared to mouse brain. Differences in expression and subcellular localization should be considered in developing a mouse model for human PanK2 deficiency.
Heterogeneity of Astrocytic Form and Function

Astrocytes participate in all essential CNS functions, including blood flow regulation, energy metabolism, ion and water homeostasis, immune defence, neurotransmission, and adult neurogenesis. It is thus not surprising that astrocytic morphology and function differ between regions, and that different subclasses of astrocytes exist within the same brain region. Recent lines of work also show that the complexity of protoplasmic astrocytes increases during evolution. Human astrocytes are structurally more complex, larger, and propagate calcium signals significantly faster than rodent astrocytes. In this chapter, we review the diversity of astrocytic form and function, while considering the markedly expanded roles of astrocytes with phylogenetic evolution. We also define major challenges for the future, which include determining how astrocytic functions are locally specified, defining the molecular controls upon astrocytic fate and physiology and establishing how evolutionary changes in astrocytes contribute to higher cognitive functions.
Comparison of Laser-Based and Sand Patch Measurements of Pavement Surface Macrotexture

This study compares the results of two measurement methods for pavement surface macrotexture: the ASTM E965 sand patch volumetric method and the Digital Surface Roughness Meter (DSRM, laser technique) conducted at a total of 13 different paved road sites in metropolitan Clark County, Nevada. Least-squares regression of DSRM-measured mean profile depth (MPD) on sand patch mean texture depth (MTD) was statistically significant (r2=0.95, p<0.05), with DSRM estimates within 0.1 mm of sand patch in 58 of 61 cases. The magnitude of the DSRM coefficient of determination was similar to that reported by previous writers for the laser Circular Track Meter.
An Internal Cure for Damaged Polymers

Design strategies for structural polymers and polymer matrix composites that opt for damage management in lieu of damage prevention may greatly improve materials longevity and reduce repair costs. Nature has evolved many elegant examples of self-healing. Bone continuously remodels via the resorption and replacement of damaged tissue, latex “gasket” excretion in plants self-seals wounds ( 1 ), and dynamic, sacrificial metal-loprotein complexes form the adhesive of the mussel byssus ( 2 ). Scientists have drawn inspiration from nature to develop self-healing strategies in structural polymeric systems. On page 620 of this issue, White et al. ( 3 ) show how to heal a large volumetric loss in a synthetic polymer autonomously. Their innovative approach enables restoration of mechanical integrity to a damage volume that is roughly 100 times the largest defect previously healed in this manner ( 4 ).
An Internet Voting System Supporting User Privacy

This work introduces the ADDER system1 , an Internet-based, free and open source electronic voting system which employs strong cryptography. Our system is a fully functional e-voting platform and enjoys a number of security properties, such as robustness, trust distribution, ballot privacy, auditability and verifiability. It can readily implement and carry out various voting procedures in parallel and can be used for small scale boardroom/department-wide voting as well as largescale elections. In addition, ADDER employs a flexible voting scheme which allows the system to carry out procedures such as surveys or other data collection activities. ADDER offers a unique opportunity to study cryptographic voting protocols from a systems perspective and to explore the security and usability of electronic voting systems.
Development of a biomimetic position sensor for robotic kinaesthesia

This paper presents a biomimetic sensor for transducing displacements. Our sensor is a robotic analog of the biological muscle spindle, an actuated position sensor which transduces muscle displacement for kinaesthetic awareness. The mechanical filter exhibits the desired step response. The transducer possesses the desired linear response with a sensitivity of 34nm/Hz. Finally, the encoder circuitry successfully maps the millivolt output to a pulse frequency range of 1150 Hz to 12.5 kHz. Results from an integrated system test show that the sensor can successfully detect errors in trajectory tracking introduced by both phase lag and perturbations. By physically realizing the hypothesized core features of a biological muscle spindle in engineering hardware, we evoked the type of actuated sensor output seen in the biological muscle spindle, a widely utilized tool of biological motor control.
Adult Attachment and Help-Seeking Intent: The Mediating Roles of Psychological Distress and Perceived Social Support.

This study examined the mediating roles of perceived social support and psychological distress on the relationship between adult attachment and help-seeking intentions. Participants were 355 college students at a large Midwestern university. The structural equation model results indicated that attachment anxiety in individuals was positively related to acknowledging distress and to seeking help. Conversely, individuals with attachment avoidance denied their distress and were reluctant to seek help. However, both individuals with attachment anxiety and individuals with avoidance also perceived less social support, which negatively contributed to their experience of distress, and their distress then positively contributed to their help-seeking intention. Furthermore, attachment anxiety and avoidance, social support, and distress explained 17% of the variance in intent to seek help.