cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Condicionamiento del modelo logístico para la evaluación informatizada de competencias matemáticas

Preocupados por el mejoramiento de la calidad educativa en la ensenanza de Matema- ticas en la universidad, se desarrollo una propuesta de reparametrizacion del modelo logistico basado en la Teoria de la Respuesta al Item. Dicho trabajo tiene como base teorica el procesamiento de los saberes matematicos, incorporando el tiempo de respuesta, parametro estimado a traves de la rendicion de test virtuales; constituye un proceso de precision en la determinacion del nivel de competencias matematicas y fue probado en experiencias de simulacion
A protocol for treatment of unstable ankle fractures using transarticular fixation in patients with diabetes mellitus and loss of protective sensibility.

Background: Surgical treatment of ankle fractures in patients with diabetes mellitus is associated with a high complication rate. Diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy are a particularly difficult group to treat because of their inability to sense deep infection, repeat trauma, and wound complications. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a protocol that included transarticular fixation and prolonged, protected weightbearing in the treatment of unstable ankle fractures in diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy and loss of protective sensibility. Methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed the records of 15 patients with diabetes mellitus, unstable ankle fractures (AO classification 44B), and loss of protective sensibility confirmed via testing with a 5.07 Semmes-Weinstein monofilament. Retrograde trans-calcaneal-talar-tibial fixation using large Steinmann pins or screws in conjunction with standard techniques of open reduction and internal fixation was used. The postoperative treatment...
Classification oriented embedded image coding

This paper discusses the efficient compression of images to improve the classification associated with the decoded imagery. The set partitioning in hierarchical trees (SPIHT) algorithm, an efficient wavelet-based progressive image-compression scheme, was originally designed to minimize the mean-squared error (MSE) between the original and decoded imagery. The image is first segmented at the encoder by an unsupervised method using a hidden Markov tree (HMT) mixture model in the wavelet domain. By using the kernel matching pursuits (KMP) method the recognition importance of each wavelet subband is estimated. By comparison using synthesized data, the compression and classification performance of the modified SPIHT algorithm is comparable to Bayes TSVQ, along with the advantages of fast speed and no requirement of codebook design and possibly transmission.
Effect of Film Thickness on Fracture Toughness of Amorphous Diamond-Like Carbon

Fracture toughness, KIC , measurements were conducted for the first time on hydrogen-free tetrahedral amorphous Diamond-like Carbon (ta-C) MEMS-scale specimens of different thicknesses. Uniform gage microscale specimens with mathematically sharp edge pre-cracks were prepared by microindentation on the SiO2 sacrificial layer. The radial-median crack from the indent propagated into the specimen generating a sharp pre-crack. The crack length was measured by an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). Freestanding fracture specimens were then obtained by wet etching the SiO2 sacrificial layer. Microtensile tests were performed on the pre-cracked specimens under mode-I loading in fixed grip configuration. In order to investigate the specimen thickness dependence of KIC , fracture tests were conducted on specimens with thicknesses in the range of 0.5-3 μm. KIC was 4.25 ± 0.7 MPa m for 0.5 μm specimens, 4.4 ± 0.4 MPa m for 1 μm specimens, and 3.06 ± 0.17 MPa m for 3 μm thick specimens. The 25% lower fracture toughness of the 3 μm films points to a film thickness dependence of fracture toughness that was attributed to different through-the-thickness stresses in considerably thick ta-C films and compositional changes occurring during post-deposition processing.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Appalachia and the Construction of Whiteness in the United States

The field of critical whiteness studies has made significant progress in the deconstruction of ideologies of white supremacy. In part, this has been accomplished by analyzing whiteness as a racial identity. Another step in this deconstruction has been a focus on groups of marginalized whites, ‘white trash’ or ‘hillbillies’. Since the mid-19th Century, Appalachia has been considered the paradigmatic place for these marginalized whites in the United States. Hillbillies are simultaneously stigmatized and idealized in the national culture. Accounting for both the negative and positive representations makes visible how marginalized white identity is a space where white hegemony is both challenged and reaffirmed.
Momentum-shell recursion relations, anisotropic spins, and liquid crystals in 2 + ε dimensions

We describe in detail how to construct momentum-shell recursion relations for classical fixed-length spins in $d=2+\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ dimensions. The theory is then applied to anisotropic spin systems and to a model of nematic liquid crystals. We also develop a trajectory-integral formalism, which is used to produce the free energy, magnetization, and susceptibilities of isotropic spin systems to first order in $\ensuremath{\epsilon}=d\ensuremath{-}2$.
Transfer distance effect on reperfusion: timeline of ST-elevation patients transferred for primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

Abstract Objectives This study aims to establish if transfer distance impacts the outcome of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients transferred to a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background Regional emergency care systems were designed to decrease delays in reperfusion of patients but the effect of transfer distance on outcome is less established. Methods We compare the characteristics and outcomes of STEMI patients transferred from a distance > 25 miles (GT25) to those transferred from distances ≤ 25 miles (LT25) by utilizing data from a regional STEMI care network in the greater Washington DC area. Results Within the transferred patients (n = 1065), 609 patients (57%) were transferred from GT25 (median distance 36 miles), while 456 (43%) were transferred from LT25 (median distance 13 miles). Most of the baseline characteristics between the groups were similar. Door-to-balloon (DTB) was defined as the time elapsed from the presentation to the center without PCI capability to flow restoration in the culprit artery. No differences were noted in the median DTB (GT25: 158 min [122–213] vs. 149 [118–219]; p = 0.5) or in in-hospital mortality (8% vs. 7.2%; p = 0.617). By implementing the regional STEMI care network, a constant decrease in DTB was noted throughout its years of operation. Conclusions For STEMI patients presenting to a non-PCI capable center, a network care system for PCI mitigates the distance factor on DTB time. This is turn translates into comparable outcomes.
Microbiological production of omeprazole metabolites by Cunninghamella elegans

Incubation of Cunninghamella elegans ATCC 9245 and the anti ulcer drug omeprazole allowed putative fungal metabolites to be isolated in sufficient quantities for structural elucidation. Three metabolites produced by the fungi were isolated using semi-preparative HPLC and their structures identified by a combination of LC/MS(n) and NMR experiments. These isolates will be used as reference standards in the confirmatory analysis of mammalian metabolites of this drug.
Cost‐effectiveness of the Boston keratoprosthesis

Purpose Blindness due to corneal disease accounts for approximately 8 million of the 37 million blind in the world. A 2007 study confirmed the global cost-effectiveness (CE) of cataract surgery and penetrating keratoplasty (PK). We sought to determine the CE of the Boston Keratoprosthesis. Methods In a retrospective chart review, patients who underwent KPro type I surgery in the United States over the last 5 years were identified. Patients had to have a minimum of 2 years of visual acuity follow-up data. Patients with autoimmune diseases and chemical burns were excluded. Eighty-three patients were included. CE was determined by cost-utility analysis (CUA). Complications and additional procedures were incorporated into a weighted cost decision tree. A conservative retention estimate of 85% was assumed at 5 years. Visual acuity values were converted to utilities and determined to be normally distributed per Shapiro-Wilk testing. Results The mean preoperative utility value was 0.449 increasing to 0.630 postoperatively. The mean incremental utility was 0.182. Amongst our cohort, 65 patients experienced improvement in their BSCVA at 2 years, 13 experienced no improvement, and 5 deteriorated. A total discounted incremental QALY gain of 0.763 was obtained. The total discounted cost associated with this utility equaled $11250 (USD). The cost-utility of the KPro was $13106 per QALY. The model was assessed using both univariate and multivariate sensitivity analyses. Conclusion The KPro is becoming an established procedure in the US for complex ophthalmic patients, often with numerous comorbidities. The cost effectiveness of KPro was determined in this study to be $13106 USD per QALY. This is comparable to PK, which has been reported in the range of $12000-16000 USD per QALY.
Optimal foraging, the marginal value theorem.

There has been much recent work on foraging that derives hypotheses from the assumption that animals are in some way optimizing in their foraging activities. Useful reviews may be found in Krebs (1973) or Schoener (1971). The problems considered usually relate to breadth of diet (Schoener, 1969, 1971; Emlen 1966; MacArthur, 1972; MacArthur and Painka, 1966; Marten, 1973; Pulliam, 1974; Werner, 1974; Werner and Hall, 1974; Timmins, 1973; Pearson, 1974; Rapport, 1971; Charnov, 1973,1976; Eggers, 1975), strategies of movement (Cody, 1971; Pyke, 1974; Smith, 1974a, b; Ware, 1975), or use of a patchy environment (Royama, 1970; MacArthur and Pianka, 1966; Pulliam, 1974; Smith and Dawkins, 1971; Tullock, 1970; Emlen, 1973; Krebs, 1973; Krebs, Ryan, and Charnov, 1974; Charnov, Orians, and Hyatt, 1976). The above list of references is provided as a beginning to this fast expanding literature and is far from exhaustive. This paper will develop a model for the use of a “patchy habitat” by an optimal predator. The general problem may be stated as fohows. Food is found in clumps or patches. The predator encounters food items within a patch but spends time in traveling between patches. This is schematically shown in Fig. 1. The predator must make decisions as to which patch types it will visit and when it will leave the patch it is presently in. This paper will focus on the second question. An important assumption of the model is that while the predator is in a patch, its food intake rate for that patch decreases with time spent there. The predator depresses (Charnov, Orians, and Hyatt, 1976) the availability of food to itself so that the amount of food gained for T time spent in a patch of type i is hi(T), where the function rises to an asymptote. A hypothetical example is shown in Fig. 2. While it is not necessary that the first derivative of hi(T) be decreasing for all T (it might be increasing at first if the predator scares up prey upon arrival in a new patch), I will limit discussion to this case since more
Dynamic light scattering study of poly(di-n-butyl itaconate) in the glass transition region

Abstract Dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies of several polymers were carried out in the bulk state at temperatures just above the glass transition using a multi-tau correlator. The principal focus was to characterize the viscoelastic relaxation spectrum of poly(di-n-butyl itaconate) (PdnBI), a thermorheologically complex polymer with a pronounced secondary relaxation process due to motions of the alkyl side chains. These data were compared with corresponding observations of two thermorheologically simple polymers, polystyrene (PS), and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) whose DLS properties have been previously investigated. The complete DLS spectra of PS and PVAc can be obtained in a single multi-tau record and are reasonably consistent with earlier literature data, provided appropriate scaling to the glass transition temperature is made. The DLS spectrum of PdnBI requires splicing of two multi-tau records and thus exhibits a wider distribution of relaxation times than those of PS and PVAc. The shape of the PdnBI spectrum appears to be independent of temperature suggesting that there is a strong coupling of the side- and main-chain motions in the glass transition region.
Government periodicals: Seven years later

Abstract The status of indexing and abstracting for federal periodicals is described. Current indexing information is listed for 704 federal periodicals. The indexing policies for 54 services which index federal periodicals are also provided.
Process Robustness of Hot Embossing Microfluidic Devices

Polymeric substrates have significant advantages over silicon and glass for use in microfluidics. However, before polymer microfluidic devices can be mass produced, it must be shown that the manufacturing method used to create these devices is robust and repeatable. For this paper, a polymer manufacturing process, hot embossing, was used to produce microsized features in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) chips. A design of experiments that varied two factors during the hot embossing process (temperature and pressure), was conducted to determine the robustness of hot embossing microsized channels in PMMA. The channel height and width were measured at three sites on each chip, and the results were analyzed in two ways: response surface modeling (RSM) and nested variance analysis. For the RSM analysis, two separate ANOVA tests and regressions were performed on both channel width and channel height to obtain the response surface models between temperature, pressure and the channel width and height. Furthermore, the variance of channel width and height at each design point was determined and then two ANOVA tests and two separate regressions were performed to obtain the response surface models between temperature, pressure and the variance of channel height and channel width. This analysis was used to determine if hot embossing microfluidic devices is a robust process capable of producing quality parts at different operating conditions. The nested variance analysis was used to determine the primary source of the variation in channel height and width. For the nested variance analysis, two separate calculations were performed in order to determine whether the variance of channel width and height is mostly caused by within-chip variance or chip-to-chip variance. The analysis showed that the channel widths and heights were statistically equal across the four different operating points used (the low-temperature, low-pressure point was omitted). The variance of channel width and the variance of channel height remained constant in the desired operating region. Based on this analysis, it was concluded that hot embossing is a robust process for features on the order of 50 μm. Furthermore, the nested variance analysis showed that the variance of channel width and height is mostly caused by site-to-site measurements on a chip rather than between-chip variance. Therefore, it was determined that hot embossing microfluidic devices are repeatable and consistent from chip-to-chip.
Waveguide integrated plasmonic devices

We theoretically study the properties of the waveguide integrated plasmonic nano-antennas. The device consists of a plasmonic nano-antenna coupled to a slot waveguide. We show that the proposed device can be used to enhance the spontaneous emission rate from an emitter by three orders of magnitude. Moreover, we demonstrate that the plasmonic nano-antenna efficiently couples to the dielectric waveguide. Finally, it is possible to efficiently deliver the excitation by use of the proposed device.
The Economic Grotesque and the Critique of Capitalism in Toni Morrison's Tar Baby

ion from his material environment. The foods that baffle Margaret in this passage are the tropical fruits of the island and are thus aligned with the island’s flora and fauna closed out by Valerian’s greenhouse isolation. Eating is arguably the activity that puts us most intimately and elementally in touch with the concrete material world, as we take in and transmute into our own substance the fruits of nature. Eating is what Margaret cannot do. By the end of the breakfast, some ten pages later, she has managed to consume only one bite. In Tar Baby, the grotesque is thus associated most strongly with the abstraction of the capitalist characters. Their bizarre habits—Valerian’s self-incarceration in the greenhouse, Margaret’s inability to eat, and, I would add, Jadine’s insistence on wearing a fur coat in the heat of the tropics—enact maladjustment to the basic material conditions of life, expressing the depth of their alienation. From Colonial to Capitalist Exploitation Capitalism, Immanuel Wallerstein tells us, “is built on the drive for the endless accumulation of capital”; as a result of “its [own] internal logic,” a capitalist system “expand[s] its boundaries” (xiv). Morrison’s critique encompasses this expansionary drive, in particular the historical reach of capitalism into the Caribbean through the entwined trades of sugar and slavery; historical allusions to the European colonization of the islands cluster around the characters’ doings in the present, suggesting a continuity of exploitation from the colonial past to the capitalist present. Carruth’s astute essay on the geopolitics of food expresses this continuity in economic terms: Tar Baby, she says, mirrors the change “from a colonial to late capitalist economy—an economy in which an American-led paradigm of free trade carries on the imperial trade in cocoa, sugarcane, and other Caribbean commodities” (606). The candy millionaire Valerian represents the contemporary permutation of this trade in sugar and cocoa, as well as the expansionary reach of capital into the Caribbean. In a scene that exemplifies Morrison’s technique of superimposing shapes drawn from history onto the figures of her characters, Valerian and Son confront each other after their Christmas dinner dispute. Each finds support for his standpoint in the legendary horsemen who ride the island’s hills, ex-slaves who, as both the native islanders (8) and the omniscient narrator (152) tell us, swam ashore along with some horses when a slave ship foundered off the Isle des Chevaliers some three hundred years ago: Somewhere in the back of Valerian’s mind one hundred French chevaliers were roaming the hills on horses. Their swords were in their scabbards and their epaulets glittered in the sun. Backs straight, shoulders high—alert but restful in the security of the Napoleonic Code. W y a t t
Enantioselective route to a key intermediate in the total synthesis of forskolin

Abstract An enantioselective route for the total synthesis of forskolin, a potent activator of adenylate cyclase, has been developed which is based on reduction of dienone 3 to the (S)-alcohol 4 and conversion in two steps to tricyclic lactone 9 , obtained in optically pure form simply by recrystallization.
A skeptic's view of the future for combined acquisitions and document delivery

Reflexion critique sur l'assimilation de surface entre acquisition et fourniture de documents en bibliotheques articulee autour de deux elements cles de cette problematique en perspective: l'information et les utilisateurs
Early Prediction of Mortality in Isolated Head Injury Patients: A New Predictive Model

Background:To construct a predictive model of survival in isolated head injury patients, on the basis of easily available parameters that are independent risk factors for survival outcome.Methods:Trauma registry-based study of head injury patients who had no other major extracranial injuries and wer
Enhancing the Job Performance of Youth with Moderate to Severe Cognitive Disabilities Using the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction

This study investigated the effects of the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction on student-selected work skills for 4 students with moderate to severe disabilities. The students learned to set their own goals, develop an action plan, implement the plan, and adjust their goals and plans as needed. Three of the 4 participants achieved their self-selected goals, and 1 student did not meet the mastery criterion, but performed at a higher level during the training condition than in baseline. The results provide support for self-determination instruction for transition-age youth with moderate to severe disabilities.
Systemic Complement Depletion Diminishes Perihematomal Brain Edema in Rats

Background and Purpose —The complement cascade is activated after experimental intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). It remains unclear, however, whether depleting the complement system will improve injury resulting from ICH. This study investigated the effects of systemic complement depletion on brain edema formation after ICH. Methods —Fifty-six pentobarbital-anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Treatment animals were complement-depleted with cobra venom factor (CVF) (intraperitoneally). Control rats received an equal volume of saline injection (intraperitoneally). In both treatment and control rats, autologous blood (100 μL) was infused stereotaxically into the right basal ganglia. Rats were killed 2, 24, or 72 hours later for brain water, ion, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) measurements, for Western blot analysis, and for immunohistochemical studies. Brain edema was quantitated by wet/dry weight. TNF-α levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Western blot analysis was applied for C9 semiquantification. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect complement C3d, C5a, C9, and myeloperoxidase. Results —Perihematomal brain edema was reduced by systemic complement depletion at 24 hours (78.8±0.6% versus 81.5±0.8% in control, P <0.01) and 72 hours (81.5±1.5% versus 83.6±0.9% in control, P <0.05), while cerebellar water content was unaffected (78.2±0.3% versus 78.0±0.1%). Complement depletion reduced TNF-α production 2 hours after ICH. Immunocytochemistry showed that complement depletion significantly reduced perihematomal C9 deposition, C3d production, and the number of C5a- and myeloperoxidase-positive cells. Conclusions —Complement depletion by CVF attenuates brain edema in ICH, indicating that complement activation plays an important role in ICH-induced brain edema. Preventing complement activation may be effective in the treatment of ICH.
METHODS FOR THE DETERMINATION OF PNEUMOCOCCUS TYPES

The determination of pneumococcus types in lobar pneumonia is of value in the field of prognosis and as a prerequisite for specific serum therapy. The method for the determination of types should be as rapid as possible and a standard technique should be employed. The most satisfactory method is by the intraperitoneal inoculation of a mouse with the patient's sputum, by which means a rapid and abundant growth of the pneumococcus is obtained and secondary organisms are rapidly eliminated in most instances. The diagnosis of type is made directly on the peritoneal exudate. Certain factors in the method commonly used have interfered with the rapid determination of types in an appreciable number of cases, notably the growth of other organisms in the peritoneal exudate together with the pneumococcus, and some confusion has arisen because occasional strains of pneumococci have been encountered that show cross agglutination reactions when undiluted immune serum is used. Such reactions have been shown to be due to a limited zone of non-specific immunity and they in no way invalidate the classification of the pneumococci into sharply defined immunological groups. The optimum dilutions of serum have been determined that will agglutinate all type strains of pneumococci and fail to cause any cross agglutination reactions when mixed with equal amounts of pneumococcus cultures and incubated for I hour at 37°C. They are a 1:20 dilution of Serum I, a 1:20 dilution of Seruifa II, and a 1:5 dilution of Serum III. For the diagnosis of Subgroup II pneumococci undiluted Type II serum is required. To obviate the other difficulties of the method commonly used a new method for the determination of types has been devised. It depends upon the fact that there is produced by the growth of the pneumococcus a soluble substance which is present in the peritoneal exudate of the mouse in sufficient quantity to give a specific precipitin reaction with the homologous immune serum. The precipitin method can be used in all instances in which the determination of types by the agglutination method is possible, and it possesses certain distinct advantages which make it available when the agglutination method is impracticable. It is of particular value as a time-saving device in those instances where the presence of other organisms together with the pneumococcus in the peritoneal exudate causes a delay of 18 hours or more before the type of pneumococcus can be definitely established. It is therefore recommended as the method of choice in all cases. If desired, both the agglutination and precipitin methods may be applied to the same specimen of peritoneal washings.
Thyroid Follicular Cell Carcinogenesis

Ample information in experimental animals indicates a relationship between inhibition of thyroid-pituitary homeostasis and the developmental thyroid follicular cell neoplasms. This is generally the case when there are long-term reductions in circulating thyroid hormones which have triggered increases in circulating thyroid stimulating hormone. Such hormonal derangements leading to neoplasms have been produced by different regimens, including dietary iodide deficiency, subtotal thyroidectomy, and administration of natural and xenobiotic chemical substances. The carcinogenic process proceeds through a number of stages, including follicular cell hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and benign and sometimes malignant neoplasms. Given the interrelationship between the thyroid and pituitary glands, conditions that result in stimulation of the thyroid can also result in stimulation of the pituitary, with the development of hyperplastic and neoplastic changes. The progression of events leading to thyroid (and pituitary) neoplasms can be reversed under certain circumstances be reestablishing thyroid-pituitary homeostasis. Most chemicals that have induced follicular cell tumors seem to operate through inhibition of the synthesis of thyroid hormone or an increase in their degradation and removal. For some of these compounds, it appears that genotoxic reactions may not be playing a dominant role in the carcinogenic process. A seemingly small group of thyroid carcinogens seems to lack influence on thyroid-pituitary status and may in part be operating via their genotoxic potential. In contrast with the well-established relationship between thyroid-pituitary derangement and follicular cell neoplasms in animals, the state of information in humans is much less certain. At this time, ionizing radiation is the only acknowledged human thyroid carcinogen, a finding well established in experimental systems as well. Although humans respond to goitrogenic stimuli as do animals, with the development of cellular hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and under certain circumstances nodular lesions, disagreement exists as to whether malignant transformation occurs in any predictable manner. It would seem that if humans develop thyroid tumors following long-term derangement in thyroid-pituitary status, they may be less sensitive than the commonly used animal models.
Prospective Evaluation of Amiodarone Pulmonary Toxicity

Reports of pulmonary infiltrates in patients taking amiodarone, initiated the study of 69 patients for pulmonary toxicity using serial chest roentgenograms (CXRs), pulmonary function tests (PFTs), and symptoms before and during therapy. Mean PFTs did not significantly change from their baseline normal values, but 10 percent of patients had a ≤15 percent fall in total lung capacity, and 28 percent a ≤15 percent fall in diffusion capacity (Dco) following treatment. Initial abnormalities in pulmonary function or CXR were predictive of risk of developing pulmonary toxicity. Degree of exposure to amiodarone (dose plus duration) correlated only weakly with development of pulmonary toxicity, which could occur in patients taking relatively small doses of the drug. Pulmonary complications of amiodarone are common, in most cases reversible, and often confused with congestive heart failure or pneumonia. Patients should be evaluated before treatment by assessing symptoms, CXRs, and Dco. Patients with initial abnormalities in these parameters, particularly both CXR and Dco abnormalities, should be considered for alternative therapy.
Political, Religious, and Psychological Characteristics of Muslim Protest Marchers in Eight European Cities: Jerusalem Day 2002

A questionnaire was completed by 650 Muslim men marching on Jerusalem Day 2002 to protest the loss of Jerusalem to the Israelis. These respondents were selected for religiosity and support for terrorism from among 2,619 marchers in eight European cities who completed a brief screening survey. Results indicate that marchers differ on four independent dimensions of religion and politics: charismatic leadership, religiosity, separate nationalism, and family commitment to the Islamic Revolution. Marchers also differed on two independent dimensions of personality: neuroticism and extraversion-impulsiveness. Respondents with a charismatic religious leader were more willing to use chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons (CBN). None of the six dimensions was related to interest in martyrdom. Notably, neither religion (Sunni vs. Shia) nor religiosity was related to willingness to use CBN or interest in martyrdom. Most generally, results suggest that violence in support of Islamic causes cannot be understood as t...
Properties of adaptive hexokinase isozymes of the rat.

Rat liver hexokinase IV splits into 2 bands, designated IVf (fast) and IVa (slow) when EDTA is omitted from the starch gel electrophoresis system. The IVf disappears in diabetes whereas IVa is still present. The fast form also decreases in fasting and reappears after refeeding. Rat epididymal adipose tissue contains 2 hexokinases corresponding to I and II of rat liver. Both hexokinases of adipose tissue drop after 48 hr of fasting and return to normal after 24 hr of refeeding; this recovery does not occur in rats given puromycin or cycloheximide, 2 inhibitors of protein synthesis. The restoration of hexokinase activity produced by addition of insulin in vitro to adipose tissue from fasting rats is likewise blocked by cycloheximide, and by actinomycin D, an inhibitor of some types of RNA synthesis. Total adipose hexokinase activity fell more than 50% 3 days after induction of alloxan diabetes, recovered to normal 24 hr after insulin administration, and was 50% greater than normal after 48 hr. The changes i...
Doubly periodic volume–surface integral equation formulation for modelling metamaterials

A generalised volume-surface integral equation is extended by way of the periodic Green's function to model arbitrarily complex designs of metamaterials consisting of high-contrast inhomogeneous anisotropic material regions as well as metallic inclusions. The unique aspect of the formulation is the integration of boundary and volume integral equations to increase modelling efficiency and capability. Specifically, the boundary integral approach with equivalent surface currents is adopted over regions consisting of piecewise homogeneous materials as well as metallic perfect electric/magnetic conductor inclusions, whereas the volume integral equation is employed only in inhomogeneous and/or anisotropic material regions. Because the periodic Green's function only needs to be evaluated for the equivalent surface currents enclosing an inhomogeneous and/or anisotropic region, matrix fill time is much less as compared to using a volume formulation. Furthermore, the incorporation of curvilinear finite elements allows for greater geometrical modelling flexibility for arbitrarily shaped high-contrast regions found in typical designs of engineered metamaterials
Architectonics of the heart

Abstract With the advent of newer diagnostic and therapeutic techniques in cardiology it has become more and more important that the clinician understand the functioning or three-dimensional architecture of the heart and the changes in this architecture which take place with one or another form of heart disease. A method was devised for studying at autopsy the three-dimensional structure of the heart. Approximately sixty selected normal and abnormal hearts were studied by this method, and those findings which are of clinical interest are presented. In the normal heart, the left ventricle has a relatively horizontal position in the body with its mitral and aortic orifices facing the right side of the body. The aorta makes a nearly 90 degree angle with the direction of the outflow tract of the left ventricle before it emerges from the pericardium. The right ventricle lies altogether anteriorly to the left ventricle; and the septum, which is parallel with the frontal plane of the body, is intrinsically a part of the left ventricle rather than an independent muscular partition between the two ventricles. The sequences of change in the course of development of right ventricular hypertrophy and dilatation are described. An anatomic explanation for the nearly invariable occurrence of right ventricular hypertrophy whenever left ventricular hypertrophy is marked is offered. An aspect of the pathology of mitral stenosis which has not been widely appreciated is the shortening of the posterior wall of the left ventricle. The implications of this shortening for the development of mitral insufficiency are discussed, and a striking example is presented in detail. The shortening of the posterior wall is believed to represent atrophy of this region of the left ventricle due to the immobilizing effect of the rigid mitral valve elements. It is pointed out that the shortening of the chordae tendinae of mitral stenosis is more apparent than real. The architectural changes in left ventricular hypertrophy are described. It was found that the hypertrophy tends to be circumferentially symmetric, with the septum participating equally with other regions in the hypertrophy. When the hypertrophy is marked the distal part of the outflow tract of the left ventricle is converted into a narrow conus aorticum, and evidence is offered that occasionally this narrowing may produce turbulence and obstruction to outflow from the left ventricle. The pathologic basis for the Bernheim syndrome is examined, and it is shown that the method of dissection used by Bernheim and his followers was inadequate for demonstrating obstruction of the right ventricular outflow tract. No instance of right ventricular outflow obstruction due to left ventricular hypertrophy was encountered among the hearts examined, and the existence of this syndrome is questioned. The three-dimensional changes which take place with left ventricular dilatation are described, and the role of elongation of the mitral valve e'ements in left ventricular hypertrophy and in dilatation is discussed.
Polymer pyrolysis over a wide range of heating rates

Experimental weight loss data are presented for the pyrolysis of three reinforced polymeric materials that were heated in nitrogen to temperatures as high as 700°C at constant heating rates from 10°C/min to 4200°C/min. Tests at low heating rates were conducted with a Mettler Thermoanalyzer. A thin-film technique was used to obtain high heating rate data. Extrapolation of low heating rate results to high heating rate conditions is not reliable. However, data for each material over a wide range of heating rates are correlated quite satisfactorily by a single kinetic equation, wherein the kinetic parameters are determined by the quasilinearization technique.
Reliable measurement design against loss of PMUs with variable number of channels

Phasor measurement units (PMU) are rapidly populating the substations and enabling improvements for various network applications, one of which is the state estimator. Installation of large numbers of PMUs which may be required for network observability must be preceeded by a detailed analysis of optimal location and type of these devices. Since PMUs may have different number of channels depending on the manufacturer and model type, this information should be taken into account in formulating their placement problem. Furthermore, despite the advances in related technologies, it is almost impossible to guarantee occasional device or communication failure that will lead to loss of data to be received from a given PMU. This paper illustrates how the measurement design can be made reliable against such events while maintaining the cost of PMU installations at a minimum by using strategically placed PMUs with the proper number of channels. Numerical results are given for small to large size power systems to illustrate the typical numbers of PMUs and their channel capacities that are required for optimal performance.
Transcriptional and Epigenetic Regulation of KIAA1199 Gene Expression in Human Breast Cancer

Emerging evidence has demonstrated that upregulated expression of KIAA1199 in human cancer bodes for poor survival. The regulatory mechanism controlling KIAA1199 expression in cancer remains to be characterized. In the present study, we have isolated and characterized the human KIAA1199 promoter in terms of regulation of KIAA1199 gene expression. A 3.3 kb fragment of human genomic DNA containing the 5′-flanking sequence of the KIAA1199 gene possesses both suppressive and activating elements. Employing a deletion mutagenesis approach, a 1.4 kb proximal region was defined as the basic KIAA1199 promoter containing a TATA-box close to the transcription start site. A combination of 5′-primer extension study with 5′RACE DNA sequencing analysis revealed one major transcription start site that is utilized in the human KIAA1199 gene. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that the 1.4 kb KIAA1199 promoter contains putative activating regulatory elements, including activator protein-1(AP-1), Twist-1, and NF-κB sites. Sequential deletion and site-direct mutagenesis analysis demonstrated that the AP-1 and distal NF-κB sites are required for KIAA1199 gene expression. Further analyses using an electrophoretic mobility-shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation confirmed the requirement of these cis- and trans-acting elements in controlling KIAA1199 gene expression. Finally, we found that upregulated KIAA1199 expression in human breast cancer specimens correlated with hypomethylation of the regulatory region. Involvement of DNA methylation in regulation of KIAA1199 expression was recapitulated in human breast cancer cell lines. Taken together, our study unraveled the regulatory mechanisms controlling KIAA1199 gene expression in human cancer.
Contribution of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) Polymorphisms to Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia

Background Folate deficiency may contribute to negative symptoms in schizophrenia, but the underlying mechanism remains uncertain. We examined whether the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase ( MTHFR ) C677T and A1298C functional polymorphisms contribute to negative symptoms. Methods Outpatients with schizophrenia ( n = 200) were evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Subjects also provided a blood sample for MTHFR genotype and serum chemistries. Comparisons of PANSS symptoms, folate, and homocysteine status were conducted based on genotype. Results The 677T allele load was associated with negative symptom severity. Contrary to our expectations, the T allele was also found to be protective against positive symptoms. The A1298C polymorphism did not contribute to negative symptoms, and only weakly to positive symptoms. The specific effects of the C677T polymorphism were confirmed with haplotype analysis. Among patients homozygous for the 667T allele, serum folate levels correlated with negative symptom severity. Conclusions Increased MTHFR 677T allele load confers risk for negative symptoms in schizophrenia, while reducing severity of positive symptoms. Further, the biochemical interaction of low serum folate with 677T-variant MTHFR may induce downstream effects salient to the expression of negative symptoms.
Diabetes: A Risk Factor for Poor Functional Outcome after Total Knee Arthroplasty

Background To assess the association of diabetes with postoperative limitation of activities of daily living (ADLs) after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methodology/Principal Findings We used the prospectively collected data from the Mayo Clinic Total Joint Registry to assess the association of diabetes and diabetes with complications with moderate-severe ADL limitation 2- and 5-years after primary TKA. Multivariable logistic regression with general estimating equations adjusted for preoperative ADL limitation, comorbidity and demographic and clinical covariates. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) are presented. 7,139 primary TKAs at 2-years and 4,234 at 5-years constituted the cohorts. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, diabetes was associated with higher odds of moderate-severe limitation at 2- and 5-years, 1.71 (95% CI: 1.26, 2.32; P = 0.001) and 1.66 (95% CI: 1.13, 2.46; P = 0.01). Respective ORs for patients with diabetes with complications were 2.73 (95% CI: 1.47, 5.07; P = 0.001) and 2.73 (95% CI: 1.21, 6.15; P = 0.016). Sensitivity analyses that adjusted for anxiety and depression or anxiety, depression and ipsilateral hip involvement showed minimal attenuation of magnitude of the association. Conclusions/Significance In this large study of patients who underwent primary TKA, diabetes as well as its severity were independently associated with poorer functional outcome. Given the increasing rates of both diabetes as well as arthroplasty, more insight is needed into disease-related and treatment-related factors that underlie this higher risk of ADL limitation in patients with diabetes. Poor functional outcomes may be preventable by modifying the control of diabetes and associated comorbidity in pre- and post-arthroplasty periods.
City of physics—analogies to increase cognitive coherence in physics learning

Physics educators and researchers can be concerned with how students attain cognitive coherence: specifically, how students understand and intra-connect the whole of their knowledge of the 'field of physics'. Starting instead with the metaphor 'city of physics', the implication of applying architectural concepts for the human acquisition of mental maps of physics subject material is considered. The seminal urban planning research by the architectural urban planner Lynch identified five elements of imageability that assist in forming the image of a city in a person's mind: landmarks, nodes, paths, edges, and districts. These elements are applied to physics learning as an analogy and as a tangible theoretical framework to increase cognitive coherence in students' physics learning and encourage students not to rely on route-knowledge (step-by-step instructions) but to seek survey-knowledge (including creating a mental map) as defined here, so as to aid in navigational recall and wayfinding. We suggest that teacher awareness and utilization of these elements can assist inherent student learning strategies.
Variation of The Photoelectric Effect with Temperature and Determination of the Long Wave-length Limit for Tungsten

The photoelectric characteristics of a tungsten surface have been studied from room temperature to 1140°K. It has been found necessary to use a tube of glass and quartz, and to seal it off the pumps after a thorough outgassing. The surface is rendered insensitive at room temperature by traces of gas, but regains its sensitivity between 800 and 900°K. The long wave-limit was found to be 2570±50A, and was independent of temperature.
Two-layer broadband antireflective coating prepared from methyl silicone and porous silica

Single layer quarterwave antireflective (AR) coatings are widely used on many of the transmissive optics in high power fusion lasers. With these coatings maximum efficiency is only obtained at one wavelength. In those applications involving harmonic converter crystals, however, broader band performance would be advantageous because light of two wavelengths is involved. A simple two layer broadband coating has been developed which consists of a layer of a methyl silicone polymer overcoated with porous silica. This is prepared from methyltriethoxysilane and tetraethyl silicate, respectively. Both reagents are distilled to the highest purity so that the coatings are non-absorptive and have the highest laser damage threshold. Less than 0.5% reflection over a broad wavelength range can be obtained on substrates in the 1.46 to 1.51 index range.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of cement types in accelerated compressive strength testing of concrete

Abstract Four types of cements, including a shrinkage compensating cement, were used in an investigation to determine their influence on the accelerated compressive strength and modified cube strength. It was concluded that a 24-hour modified boiling water method can be used for estimating the normal 28-day cylinder compressive strength and modified cube strength with a high degree of correlation. It is shown that the type of cement must be considered in order to obtain a higher correlation coefficient and a lower error of estimate. The effect of the w/c ratio on the accelerated strength is also discussed.
Characterization of 3-D Volumetric Probabilistic Scenes for Object Recognition

This paper presents a new volumetric representation for categorizing objects in large-scale 3-D scenes reconstructed from image sequences. This work uses a probabilistic volumetric model (PVM) that combines the ideas of background modeling and volumetric multi-view reconstruction to handle the uncertainty inherent in the problem of reconstructing 3-D structures from 2-D images. The advantages of probabilistic modeling have been demonstrated by recent application of the PVM representation to video image registration, change detection and classification of changes based on PVM context. The applications just mentioned, operate on 2-D projections of the PVM. This paper presents the first work to characterize and use the local 3-D information in the scenes. Two approaches to local feature description are proposed and compared: 1) features derived from a PCA analysis of model neighborhoods; and 2) features derived from the coefficients of a 3-D Taylor series expansion within each neighborhood. The resulting description is used in a bag-of-features approach to classify buildings, houses, cars, planes, and parking lots learned from aerial imagery collected over Providence, RI. It is shown that both feature descriptions explain the data with similar accuracy and their effectiveness for dense-feature categorization is compared for the different classes. Finally, 3-D extensions of the Harris corner detector and a Hessian-based detector are used to detect salient features. Both types of salient features are evaluated through object categorization experiments, where only features with maximal response are retained. For most saliency criteria tested, features based on the determinant of the Hessian achieved higher classification accuracy than Harris-based features.