cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exploiting multiple classifier types with active learning

Many approaches to active learning involve training one classifier by periodically choosing new data points about which the classifier has the least confidence, but designing a confidence measure without bias is nontrivial. An alternative approach is to train an ensemble of classifiers by periodically choosing data points that cause maximal disagreement among them. Many classifiers with different underlying structures could fit this framework, but some classifiers are more suitable for different data sets than others. The question then arises as to how to find the most suitable classifier for a given data set. In this work, an evolutionary algorithm is proposed to address this problem. The algorithm starts with a combination of artificial neural networks and decision trees, and iteratively adapts the ratio of the classifier types according to a replacement strategy. Experiments with synthetic and real data sets show that when the algorithm considers both fitness and classifier type for replacement, the population becomes saturated with accurate instantiations of the more suitable classifier type. This allows the algorithm to perform consistently well across data sets, without having to determine a priori a suitable classifier type.
Theory of NMR multiple echoes in solid hydrogen

We have examined the theory of NMR multiple echoes developed for solid3He to determine whether multiple echoes could be observed in solid hydrogen. We were particularly interested in the possibility of testing for low frequency quantum tunneling motions in solid hydrogen by the observation of multiple echoes. We find that for easily accessible nuclear spin polarizations, P > 12%, multiple echoes would be observed for HD impurities in solid parahydrogen if motional narrowing is effective in increasing the HD nuclear spin-spin relaxation time T2 to the order of 1 msec. These values for T2, which have been observed for HD impurity concentrations of the order of 1%, are larger than the calculated rigid lattice values and can be attributed to quantum tunneling at frequencies of the order of 1kHz.
Serotonin, norepinephrine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine in rat brain parts following electroconvulsive shock.

Abstract A study was designed with the objective of determining the influence of either single or multiple convulsive electric shocks or the stress of the shock situation on the levels of serotonin, norepinephrine, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine in discrete rat brain parts. Elevations of all three amines were observed following single or multiple electroconvulsive shocks. The significant elevations were nearly brain part specific for the different amines as were the temporal patterns of elevation. The results suggest that the observed changes are related in part to the stress of the shock situation and they may be cautiously interpreted to be consonant with the speculation that the therapeutic effect of ECT may be in some manner related to an induced elevation of either serotonin, norepinephrine, or dopamine.
Case Study: AVO Analysis In a High Impedance Atoka Sandstone North Arkoma Basin, Mcintosh County, Oklahoma

Summary Amplitude-Variation with Offset (AVO) analysis can be used to detect and delineate gas bearing fluvial deltaic Atokan sand stratigraphic traps. These class I high impedance gas sand reservoirs are recognized by a characteristic phase change with increasing offset, a positive AVO intercept, and a negative AVO gradient.
Graves' IgG recognizes linear epitopes in the human thyrotropin receptor.

Abstract Twenty-nine peptides covering the full extracellular domain of the human thyrotropin receptor have been synthesized and tested for reactivity with Graves' patients' and normal sera in ELISA. Two peptides, amino acids 331–350 and the second extracellular loop of the transmembrane segment, bound IgG-s from 5 and 4 of 10 Graves' disease patients' sera, respectively. Neither of these two peptides showed enhanced binding to normal IgG. There were no apparent differences between the Graves' disease and normal group with respect to the other 27 peptides. We conclude that peptide 331–350 and the second extracellular loop carry important linear epitopes which may contribute to the disease process in selected Graves' patients.
Analysis of the Raman spectra of Ca2+-dipicolinic acid alone and in the bacterial spore core in both aqueous and dehydrated environments

The core of dormant bacterial spores suspended in water contains a large depot of dipicolinic acid (DPA) chelated with divalent cations, predominantly Ca2+ (CaDPA), and surrounded by water molecules. Since the intensities of the vibration bands of CaDPA molecules depend significantly on the water content in the CaDPA's environment, the Raman spectra of CaDPA in spores may allow the determination of the spore core's hydration state. We have measured Raman spectra of single spores of three Bacillus species in different hydration states including the spores suspended in water, air-dried and vacuum-dried. As a comparison, we also measured the Raman spectra of CaDPA and DPA in different forms including in aqueous solution, and as amorphous powder and crystalline form. We also monitored changes in Raman spectra of an individual spore during dehydration under vacuum. The results indicated that (1) the state of CaDPA in the core of a spore suspended in water is close to an amorphous solid or a glassy state, but still mixed with water molecules; (2) the ratio of intensities of Raman bands at 1575 and 1017 cm−1 (I1575/I1017) is sensitive to the water content in the CaDPA's environment; (3) variations in I1575/I1017 are small (∼4%) in a population of dormant Bacillus spores suspended in water; and (4) the I1575/I1017 ratio increases significantly during dehydration under vacuum. Consequently, measurement of the I1575/I1017 ratio of CaDPA in spores may allow a qualitative estimation of the degree of hydration of the bacterial spore's core.
War the School of Space: The Space of War and the War for Space

This essay seeks to show that military strategists have not only been acute philosophers of space but also philosophers of world history. The works of Albert Speer (Nazi Minister of Armaments), Friedrich Ratzel (father of geopolitics), A. T. Mahan (Admiral), Halford Mackinder (Geographer and Historian of England), Carl Schmitt (Nazi Jurist and military philosopher), Guilio Duohet (father of ‘strategic bombing’), and Harlan K. Ullman (father of ‘Shock and Awe’) are considered in terms of the ways in which space has been militarized, or rather how war spatializes world history. The geography of world history has been the topos of war.
Malthusian parameters in genetic populations part II. Random mating populations in infinite habitats

Abstract This paper gives a development of ideas presented in a previous paper on the dynamics of haploid genetic populations in an infinite habitat. A brief review of necessary ideas and a discussion of a concept of value for haploid populations are given. A general model for a diploid population, which incorporates life tables, mating of individuals, and fecundities is presented and general recursive relationships for frequencies of genetic types developed. Because of its intractability special cases are then considered in which there is equal fecundity of all matings in the population of matings that occurs. It is found that in some cases the numbers of the various types increase asymptotically at geometric rates, so that each type may be said to have a Malthusian parameter. It is then found that a version of Fisher's Fundamental Theorem holds in that the asymptotic rate of increase of the average Malthusian parameter is equal to the genotypic variance in this parameter. Additionally, the Malthusian parameters are found to be additive. It does not seem possible, however, to extend the concept of value to diploid mating populations.
Assessment of machine tool reliability using a proportional hazards model

In this article we present a proportional hazards model for describing machine tool failures. The model enables us to describe the effect of aging as well as the effect of the machining environment on tool life. We discuss inference for the model and show that computable results can be obtained in a fully Bayesian analysis by using approximation techniques. We illustrate the usefulness of our model by applying it to some actual data on machine tool failures.
A randomized comparison of the effects of gradual prolonged versus standard primary balloon inflation on early and late outcome. Results of a multicenter clinical trial. Perfusion Balloon Catheter Study Group.

BACKGROUND Observational studies have suggested that prolonged balloon inflation during coronary angioplasty is associated with a high clinical success rate. This randomized clinical trial sought to evaluate the impact of primary gradual and prolonged inflations versus standard short dilatations in patients undergoing elective angioplasty. METHODS AND RESULTS In phase 1 of the study, patients were randomized to receive two to four standard (1 minute) dilatations or one or two prolonged (15 minutes) dilatations after a perfusion balloon had been placed across a single target lesion. Patients with unsuccessful angiographic appearance after phase 1 dilatations had further dilatations in phase 2. Patients were followed for 6 to 12 months after the procedure. Of 478 patients, 242 received a median of one prolonged dilatation of 15 minutes9 duration, and 236 received three dilatations for a median of 1 minute. Patients assigned to prolonged dilatations had a higher success rate ( 50% residual visual stenosis) was 44% (95% confidence interval, 37% to 52%) in the prolonged dilatation group and 44% (36% to 52%) in the standard dilatation group. The primary angiographic end point of failure at the end of phase 1, abrupt closure, or restenosis throughout the study period was similar in both groups (prolonged, 51%; standard, 49%; P = .62). The secondary end point of absence of clinical events (death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, or repeat angioplasty in target vessel) also was similar (prolonged, 66%; standard, 74%; P = .15). CONCLUSIONS Primary gradual and prolonged dilatations caused less arterial trauma with a modestly larger arterial lumen compared with standard dilatations. This initial improvement in angiographic appearance did not lead to a significant reduction in restenosis or clinical adverse events during follow-up.
The Disappearance of the French Revolution in Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit

The French Revolution of 1789 is one of the central developments in the history of the concept and practice of political rights. Hegel recognized this, and so valued the Revolution that he claimed always to drink a toast to the storming of the Bastille on July 14th. Nonetheless, in both the Phenomenology of Spirit and the Philosophy of Right Hegel advances an enduring and influential attack upon the Revolution, one that, like that of Edmund Burke, links the Revolution’s accomplishments inextricably with the Reign of Terror of 1793 and 1794. In each Hegelian text, the Revolutionary conception of liberty is presented as being so one-sided and extreme as to be incompatible with a stable polity, and to produce, of necessity, only “a fury of destruction” (P 436/359 and PR §5A). The central line of thought here is relatively clear. The French Revolutionaries enacted a reductive, “abstract” conception of freedom as grasped by the Understanding or Verstand; this “negative freedom” (PR §5A) or “absolute freedom” (P 431/355ff) entails the absence of restriction. When made into a social policy, this can never produce a stable set of institutions, but instead only the destruction of any potential restriction - including, ultimately, those presented by the citizenry themselves. The Revolutionary government was thus destined to descend into the fury of the Terror. In the essay that follows, I do not wish to fundamentally challenge this picture of Hegel’s view. Instead, I will argue that Hegel’s elaboration of it in the Phenomenology in particular is more complicated and nuanced than it initially appears to be, and that attending to the textual details of the Phenomenology’s account allows one to see that Hegel is advancing a particular political diagnosis according which the first “victim” of the Revolution is the apparent agent of the Terror, the volonte generale or general will, a will that only “vanishes” in its own attempt to express itself in action, a vanishing that makes possible the factions, suspicion, guilt, and death of the Jacobins. In connection with this I will also propose that Hegel’s account of the Terror there needs to be read as a response to the immediately preceding account of Utility (die Nutzlichkeit), and that when it is so read it shows one of its sides to be a critique of the attempt to “master” a world in which everything is considered as an object of use, a critique that bears comparison with Heidegger’s more famous reflections on the dangers of die Technik.
Benzotriazole is thermally more stable than 1,2,3-triazole

TGA, DTA and DSC analyses indicate that benzotriazole is significantly more stable thermally than 1,2,3-triazole.
Functional deficits and anatomical alterations after high cervical spinal hemisection in the rat.

Abstract A recent report by Matinian and Andreasian (1976. Enzyme Therapy in Organic Lesions of the Spinal Cord. Brain Information Service, University of California, Los Angeles) concluded that regeneration of the spinal cord sufficient to restore walking occurred in spinal rats (T5 transection) that had been treated by repeated injections of trypsin and hyaluronidase at the site of the lesion. These enzymes were believed to decrease the intense connective tissue and neuroglial scar which otherwise acts as a mechanical barrier to nerve fiber outgrowth. The present experiment tested whether or not these enzymes might similarly facilitate regeneration and functional restitution of the spinal respiratory pathway. The spinal cord of rats was hemisected at C2 (i.e., rostral to the phrenic nucleus), thereby paralyzing the ipsilateral hemidiaphragm. Hyaluronidase and trypsin were injected at the time of operation, and for 15 days thereafter each enzyme was administered on alternate days. Control animals received injection of vehicle. All injections were given subcutaneously at the site of injury. After 5 to 6 months, diaphragmatic function was assessed by electromyography. The spinal cord was then fixed by perfusion with Bouin's solution and embedded in paraffin, and sections were prepared and stained for connective tissue fibers, glial fibers, and nerve fibers. None of the treated or control animals showed any evidence of diaphragmatic activity on the operated side. In every animal the site of injury was composed of a dense connective tissue scar surrounded by an encapsulating neuroglial scar. Well-oriented nerve fibers grew to the margin of the lesion where they became deflected. A small number of fibers entered the lesion, but none grew across the injured region. These observations do not support the contention that enzyme treatment facilitates regeneration of the injured spinal cord.
CONSERVING THE RACE: NATURAL ARISTOCRACIES, EUGENICS, AND THE U.S. CONSERVATION MOVEMENT

Proposing that much was deleted from the historical record when the death camps were opened in 1945, the article begins by examining the ties between the U.S. and German eugenics movements prior to the Second World War. Eugenics in the United States was closely linked with the fledgling conservation movement, particularly through the writings and activities of Henry Fairfield Osborn at the American Museum of Natural History and his close friend Madison Grant. In America, as in Germany, both movements were sponsored by the elite and served to justify aristocracy, and both derived much of their legitimacy from a social construction of Nature which increasingly replaced Divine Law.
A report of intracranial Rosai-Dorfman disease with literature review

Rosai-Dorfman disease (sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy), is a rare benign histiocytic proliferative disorder. Over 650 cases have been reported since 1969. To the best of our knowledge, there have been only 31 cases with central nervous system involvement reported in the literature. Intracranial disease usually presents clinically and radiologically as a "meningioma". It can be misdiagnosed as a nonspecific inflammatory process because of the atypical histologic features of Rosai-Dorfman disease occurring in a non-nodal location. Familiarity with such atypical histologic features and appropriate use of immunohistochemical stains is required for a definitive diagnosis of central nervous system Rosai-Dorfman disease. We report such an intracranial lesion with other extranodal sites of involvement with a 5-year follow up and a review of previously reported cases. Ann Diagn Pathol 5:96-102, 2001.
Physiological effects of the presence and absence of gas vacuoles in the blue-green alga, Microcystis aeruginosa Kuetz. emend. Elenkin.

Physiological evidence was obtained for a light shielding role for gas vacuoles inMicrocystis aeruginosa Kuetz. emend. Elenkin, by comparing photosynthetic oxygen evolution, growth behaviour and pigment composition of cells with intact or collapsed gas vacuoles. The oxygen evolution rates were strongly dependent on cell concentration, a maximum rate for cells with intact gas vacuoles occurring at about 1.4×109 cells/ml and for cells with collapsed gas vacuoles at about 2.5×109 cells/ml. By using light saturation curves for oxygen evolution, it was estimated that at low light intensities up to 30% of the photosynthetically useable light was shielded at a cell concentration of 6×108 cells/ml. Collapsing the gas vacuoles twice daily did not alter the initial growth rate of the cultures, but enabled them to reach a higher final cell density. Collapsing of gas vacuoles during growth for about four generations resulted in a lower level of all acetone soluble pigments with a greater relative reduction in carotenoids than in chlorophyll a. Collapse of the gas vacuoles does not alter the cell volume. Various optical interactions which could account for light shielding are discussed.
The old-new distinction and naturalization: 1900.

The literature on American immigration frequently distinguishes between the assimilation of the old groups, primarily from Northern and Western Europe, and the new groups, primarily from Southern a...
Etiology and Surgical Interventions for Stiff Total Knee Replacements

Stiffness is the most prevalent early local complication of primary total knee replacement, affecting approximately 6 to 7% of patients undergoing surgery. The definition of stiffness after total knee replacement in terms of restriction of the arc of motion has evolved in the last 2 decades as patients and physicians expect better postoperative functional outcomes. Gentle manipulation under anesthesia within 3 to 4 months of surgery improves the range of motion in most patients. However, approximately 1% of patients, including those in which the window for manipulation has passed, will require further surgical interventions, which may include arthroscopy with lysis of adhesions, open debridement with exchange of the polyethylene insert, or revision of one or more components. This review will focus on describing the etiology of the problem and the results of the different surgical interventions for stiffness after total knee replacement.
Quality Deterioration of Gaussian and Super-Gaussian Beams Due to Self-Phase Modulation

Beam quality parameter Mx2 for Gaussian and super-Gaussian beams distorted by self-phase modulation is calculated analytically. Super-Gaussian beam demonstrates more stable behavior with propagation through Kerr media in comparison with Gaussian one.
Coating thin mirror segments for lightweight x-ray optics

Next generations lightweight, high resolution, high throughput optics for x-ray astronomy requires integration of very thin mirror segments into a lightweight telescope housing without distortion. Thin glass substrates with linear dimension of 200 mm and thickness as small as 0.4 mm can now be fabricated to a precision of a few arc-seconds for grazing incidence optics. Subsequent implementation requires a distortion-free deposition of metals such as iridium or platinum. These depositions, however, generally have high coating stresses that cause mirror distortion. In this paper, we discuss the coating stress on these thin glass mirrors and the effort to eliminate their induced distortion. It is shown that balancing the coating distortion either by coating films with tensile and compressive stresses, or on both sides of the mirrors is not sufficient. Heating the mirror in a moderately high temperature turns out to relax the coated films reasonably well to a precision of about a second of arc and therefore provide a practical solution to the coating problem.
Trimodality therapy (drug/hyperthermia/radiation) with BCNU or mitomycin C.

Abstract To develop multimodality treatment combinations with high curative potential in advanced local disease, BCNU (N,N′- bis (2-chloroethyl)-N-nitro-sourea) And mitomycin C were tested with hyperthermia And radiation in the FSaIIC fibrosarcoma system. Growth delay experiments demonstrated that, while neither BCNU nor mitomycin C produced dose modification of the radiation response, And hyperthermia (43°C, 30 min) produced only a moderate dose modification (1.4 ± 0.2), the combination of BCNU plus hyperthermia resulted in A radiation dose modifying factor (DMF) of 1.9 ± 0.3, And mitomycin C plus hyperthermia A dose modifying factor of 2.1 ± 0.4. Tumor cell survival over A range of BCNU doses Administered i.p. immediately before hyperthermia resulted in A dose modifying factor of 1.8 ± 0.2 versus drug Alone. With mitomycin C however, giving the drug immediately prior to heating produced A dose modifying factor due to hyperthermia of only 1.2 ± 0.10. Hoechst 33342 diffusion was used to separate tumor cells into predominately oxic And hypoxic subpopulations. Administration of the single, double And trimodality therapies showed that BCNU was 3.1-fold more toxic to the oxic versus the hypoxic cells whereas mitomycin C was 3.5-fold more toxic to the hypoxic compared to the oxic cells. Hyperthermia was 1.4-fold more toxic to the hypoxic versus the oxic cells whereas 10 Gy of radiation was 2.0-fold more toxic to the oxic compared to the hypoxic cells. The combination of hyperthermia plus radiation increased killing in both Hoechst dye defined subpopulations but relatively more in the hypoxic cells in which killing was 1.8-fold greater than in the oxic cells. When heat was delivered immediately After i.p. administration of the anticancer drugs, hyperthermia increased BCNU killing in the oxic cells by 17.2-fold versus 4.4-fold in the hypoxic cells And increased mitomycin-killing by 2.6-fold in the oxic cells versus 17-fold in the hypoxic cells. Use of the full trimodality treatment, given in the sequence drug (BCNU, 50 mg/kg or mitomycin-C 5 mg/kg) → heat (43°C, 30 min) → radiation (10 Gy) produced a 3 log kill in the oxic cells versus A 2 log kill in the hypoxic cells with BCNU And A 2 log kill in the oxic cells versus A 3 log kill in the hypoxic cells with mitomycin C. These results indicate that the use of selected anticancer drugs with hyperthermia And radiation can produce highly cytotoxic interactions which markedly modify the effect of radiation. Proper choice of the anticancer drug can shift the maximum cytotoxicity to either the oxic, presumably oxic or to the hypoxic, presumably hypoxic, cell populations.
Discrete Droplet Manipulation on Liquid Platforms using Thermal Gradients

Abstract Manipulation of droplet motion on the free surface of an liquid platform using thermal gradient has been studied. Two distinct motion mechanisms were observed. Droplets that remain spherical are propelled from cold to warm region and those which break up into a sessile lens move in the opposite direction. Driving forces acting on the droplet due to interfacial-tension gradients arising from induced thermal gradients were analyzed using theoretical models. By adopting a liquid platform, limitations associated with previously-reported capillary-based mechanisms, which used chemical/thermally-patterned solid substrates, are overcome to make the proposed scheme suitable for droplet-based bio-chemical lab on chips: minimal droplet temperature fluctuation (
Self-esteem, belongingness, and worldview validation: Does belongingness exert a unique influence upon self-esteem?

The current work examined whether belongingness influences self-esteem independently from worldview validation (the extent to which one lives to beliefs that are shared by others). Questionnaire measures demonstrated that people with stronger social ties had higher self-esteem, and that worldview validation did not account for this relationship. Further, belongingness and worldview validation were manipulated such that they pulled self-esteem in opposing directions, yet belongingness still influenced self-esteem. Participants had higher self-esteem after writing about social acceptance than rejection even though acceptance was accompanied by either failing to live up to an important value or having one’s worldviews rejected. This latter effect was most pronounced among participants with high social anxiety. Results indicate that belongingness makes a unique contribution to self-esteem.
Collapse of the 4f orbital for Xe-like ions

The effect of $4f$ orbital collapse on the spectra of Xe-like ions in the region of $4d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}nf,\ensuremath{\epsilon}f$ excitations is studied with the use of a term-dependent Hartree-Fock technique. We find that the collapse of the $4f$ orbital is strongly term dependent, and that the appearance of intense absorption lines in the observed ${\mathrm{Ba}}^{2+}$ spectrum is due to the partial collapse of the $4f$ orbital in the $4d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}f^{1}P$ channel. We also show that after the $4f$ orbital is completely collapsed for high degrees of ionization along the isoelectronic sequence, the bulk of absorption oscillator strengths is concentrated at the $4{d}^{9}4f^{1}P$ level so that the only strong line in the spectrum is again the $4d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}4f^{1}P$ transition.
Localization for wireless sensor networks by combining TFDA and FMCW

Localization, the determination of geographical location of sensors is a fundamental problem in wireless sensor networks. In this paper we consider a static wireless network in which the nodes are static-non moving. We propose a positioning method which combines linear frequency modulation continuous wave (FMCW) technique and time frequency difference of arrival (TFDA) method. We conduct simulation experiments to evaluate the performance of these methods. The relationships among measurement resolution, the sweep bandwidth and the sampling frequency are investigated. Results show that the proposed method achieves good performance on position accuracy.
Calcium phosphate nanoparticles: a future therapeutic platform for the treatment of osteomyelitis?

“‘It is hard to be brave’, said Piglet, sniffing slightly, ‘when you’re only a very small animal’. Rabbit, who had begun to write very busily, looked up and said: ‘It is because you are a very small animal that you will be useful in the adventure before us’.” Alan Alexander Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh and All, All, All Osteomyelitis, one of the oldest documented diseases, the descriptions of which date back to times of Hippocrates [1], is an illness particularly prevalent among elderly, diabetics, children and indigenes of Third World countries. Although morbidity due to chronic bone infection has drastically dropped from the pre-penicillin era, down to approximately 3% in the last 20 years [2], it is still high on the global scale and the disease continues to be challenging to treat [3]. Furthermore, the number of hip and knee replacement procedures performed in the USA has doubled in the past decade, while the number of the reported cases of bone infection accompanying those has been increasing in proportion with the number of surgeries performed [4], signifying the anticipated increase in the incidence rate of this illness in the future. The standard therapy for osteomyelitis has been based on the combination of repetitive intravenous or oral delivery of antibiotics over the period of a few weeks to a few months, depending of the severity of the infection, and surgical debridement of necrotic bone [5]. This clinical approach has had its obvious disadvantages, predominantly in terms of:
A discrete-time model for the spread of periodic diseases without immunity

We investigate the properties of a discrete-time model for the spread of an infectious disease that does not confer permanent immunity. The contact rate is assumed to be constant. Our major result is that oscillations occur in the levels of the diseased population. The consequences of vaccination are also studied.
Treating Chronically Ill People with Diabetes Mellitus with Limited Life Expectancy: Implications for Performance Measurement

Objectives To develop an algorithm to identify individuals with limited life expectancy and examine the effect of limited life expectancy on glycemic control and treatment intensification in individuals with diabetes mellitus. Design Individuals with diabetes mellitus and coexisting congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, end-stage liver disease, and/or primary or metastatic cancer with limited life expectancy were identified. To validate the algorithm, 5-year mortality was assessed in individuals identified as having limited life expectancy. Rates of meeting performance measures for glycemic control between individuals with and without limited life expectancy were compared. In individuals with uncontrolled glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, the effect of limited life expectancy on treatment intensification within 90 days was examined. Setting One hundred ten Department of Veterans Affairs facilities; October 2006 to September 2007. Participants Eight hundred eighty-eight thousand six hundred twenty-eight individuals with diabetes mellitus. Measurements HbA1c; treatment intensification within 90 days of index HbA1c reading. Results Twenty-nine thousand sixteen (3%) participants had limited life expectancy. Adjusting for age, 5-year mortality was five times as high in participants with limited life expectancy than in those without. Participants with limited life expectancy had poorer glycemic control than those without (glycemic control: 77.1% vs 78.1%; odds ratio (OR) = 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.81–0.86) and less-frequent treatment intensification (treatment intensification: 20.9% vs 28.6%; OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.67–0.76), even after controlling for patient-level characteristics. Conclusion Participants with limited life expectancy were less likely than those without to have controlled HbA1c levels and to receive treatment intensification, suggesting that providers treat these individuals less aggressively. Quality measurement and performance-based reimbursement systems should acknowledge the different needs of this population.
Transgender women of color: discrimination and depression symptoms

Purpose – Trans women of color contend with multiple marginalizations; the purpose of this study is to examine associations between experiencing discriminatory (racist/transphobic) events and depression symptoms. It uses a categorical measure of combined discrimination, and examines a protective association of transgender identity on depression symptoms. Design/methodology/approach – Data from a subset of trans women of color participants in the Sheroes study were analyzed with linear and logistic regression. Associations of depression symptoms with racist and transphobic events, combined discrimination, coping self-efficacy, and transgender identity were assessed with odds ratios. Findings – Exposure to discriminatory events and combined discrimination positively associated with depression symptom odds. Increased transgender identity associated with increased coping self-efficacy, which negatively associated with depression symptom odds. Research limitations/implications – Cross-sectional study data proh...
Quantitative OCT image correction using Fermat's principle and mapping arrays

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a relatively new developed technique to image tissue microstructure in vivo with a resolution of about 10 micrometers . So far, the research has focused on increasing the resolution, increasing the acquisition rate, developing new sample arm scanning techniques, or functional imaging like color Doppler OCT. But one of the main advantages of OCT compared to ultrasound, non-contact imaging, also results in a mayor image distortion: refraction at the air-tissue interface. Also, applied scanning configurations can lead to deformed images. Both errors prevent accurate distance and angle measurements on OCT images, necessary e.g. for Glaucoma diagnosis in the anterior segment of the eye. We describe a methodology for quantitative image correction in OCT which includes procedures for correction of arbitrary spatial warping caused by non-uniform axial reference and lateral sample scan patterns, as well as a novel approach for refraction correction in layered media based on Fermat's principle. The de-warping corrections are implemented in real-time by use of pointer (mapping) arrays, while the refraction correction algorithm is more computationally intensive and is performed off-line.
A non--compactifiable polyhedron whose product with the Hilbert cube is -compactifiable

We construct a locally compact 2-dimensional polyhedron X which does not admit a Z-compacti...cation, but which becomes Z-compacti...able upon crossing with the Hilbert cube. This answers a long-standing question posed by Chapman and Siebenmann in 1976 and repeated in the 1976, 1979 and 1990 versions of Open Problems in In...nite Dimensional Topology. Our solution corrects an error in the 1990 problem list.
The misuse of vancomycin.

1. Catherine C. Skae, MD 1. Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, Bronx, NY 1. Staphylococcus aureus Resistant to Vancomycin—United States, 2002. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2002;51:565–567 2. Vancomycin Resistance in the Enterococcus. Relevance in Pediatrics. Rice LB, Shlaes DM. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1995;42:601–618 3. Reducing the Spread of Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms. Control of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci. Shay DK, Goldman DA, Jarvis WR. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1995;42:703–716 The first cases of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) were reported in the late 1980s. Prior to that, clinicians took comfort in the virtually universal activity of vancomycin against enterococci and staphylococci. Enterococci are gram-positive, catalase-negative, facultative anaerobic bacteria that are a major component of the normal gastrointestinal microflora. At least 12 species of enterococci have been described, although most clinical infections are caused by two species: E faecalis (85% to 90%) and E faecium (5% to 10%). These nosocomial pathogens are intrinsically resistant to a variety of commonly used antibiotics. In addition, enterococci have the impressive ability to acquire resistant determinants to most antimicrobial agents. Microorganisms that are resistant to multiple antibiotics pose a public health threat and, thus, are of utmost concern to clinicians, microbiologists, and epidemiologists. In pediatric patients, the most resistant organisms typically are found in tertiary care hospitals where children who have severe underlying diseases are hospitalized for prolonged periods of time. Immunosuppression, invasive diagnostic and therapeutic devices, aggressive surgery (including organ transplantation), and intensive therapy with broad-spectrum …
Larval and adult visual pigments of the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio

Photoreceptors of adult and larval zebrafish were assayed by microspectrophotometry to characterize their visual pigments, and to determine when the visual pigments first appear during development. Short single cone outer segments contained a pigment with a lambdamax near 417 nm. Long single cones and long members of double cone outer segments contained a pigment with a lambdamax near 480 nm. Short members of double cone outer segments contained a pigment with a lambdamax near 556 nm. Rod outer segments contained a rhodopsin with a lambdamax near 501 nm. All four visual pigment types found in adult photoreceptors were present in the earliest measurable larval photoreceptors.
In defense of a principal theorem

In many confirmation calculi, the 'Principal Theorem of Confirmation', as G. H. von Wright has labelled it, plays a central role. This variant of Bayes's theorem, speaking roughly, is often taken as the primary formula concerning the increase in the probability of an hypothesis afforded by the addition of new confirming evidence. The purpose of this essay is to present an interpretation of the mathematical formulae of this theorem and a related one derivable in von Wright's probability calculus and to elucidate certain unusual and important aspects of this interpretation. The interpretation is embedded in an essentially eliminative approach to confirmation, but one which applies this approach to hypotheses instead of characteristics. It is a defense of the 'Principal Theorem' in that the principal features of this interpretation are ones which resolve a series of problems recently posed by F. L. Will. In 'Consequences and Confirmation' Will, recognizing the importance of the 'Principal Theorem' for confirmation calculi, poses a series of difficulties for the usual versions of this theorem. As Will indicates, what is at issue is not the theorem as an uninterpreted formula in a probability calculus but rather the possibility of providing a satisfactory interpretation in terms of confirmation. Will's difficulties come under three headings. One is whether or not it is possible to provide a viable interpretation of the theorem if universal hypotheses and individual instances are indis criminately combined, as they are in the usual interpretations. The second is whether or not it is possible to provide a viable interpretation of the theorem such that the introduction of new evidence negatively affecting the degree of confirmation of the hypothesis at issue is possible. The third is whether or not it is possible to provide an interpretation which success fully permits the determination of which consequences of an hypothesis do, and which do not, contribute to its confirmation. Will's conclusion on all three counts is that none of the usual interpretations is satisfactory; he comprehensibly takes this to suggest that no such interpretation can be given.1
Further study of the linear regulator with disturbances--The case of vector disturbances satisfying a linear differential equation

In a previous paper [1], the conventional optimal linear regulator theory was extended to accommodate the case of external input disturbances \omega(t) which are not directly measurable but which can be assumed to satisfy d^{m+1}\omega(t)/dt^{m+1} = 0 , i.e., represented as m th-degree polynomials in time t with unknown coefficients. In this way, the optimal controller u^{0}(t) was obtained as the sum of: 1) a linear combination of the state variables x_{i}, i = 1,2,...,n , plus 2) a linear combination of the first (m + 1) time integrals of certain other linear combinations of the state variables. In the present paper, the results obtained in [1] are generalized to accommodate the case of unmeasurable disturbances \omega(t) which are known only to satisfy a given \rho th-degree linear differential equation D: d^{\rho}\omega(t)/dt^{\rho} + \beta_{\rho}d^{\rho-1}\omega(t)/dt^{\rho-1}+...+\beta_{2}d\omega/dt + \beta_{1}\omega=0 where the coefficients \beta_{i}, i = 1,...,\rho , are known. By this means, a dynamical feedback controller is derived which will consistently maintain state regulation x(t) \approx 0 in the face of any and every external disturbance function \omega(t) which satisfies the given differential equation D -even steady-state periodic or unstable functions \omega(t) . An essentially different method of deriving this result, based on stabilization theory, is also described, In each cases the results are extended to the case of vector control and vector disturbance.
Stress intensity factor and crack velocity relationship for polyester/TiO2 nanocomposites

The dynamic fracture behavior of polyester/TiO2 nanocomposites has been characterized and compared with that of the matrix material. A relationship between the dynamic stress intensity factor,KI and the crack tip velocity,a, has been established. Dynamic photoelasticity coupled with high-speed photography has been used to obtain crack tip velocities and dynamic stress fields around the propagating cracks. Birefringent coatings were used to conduct the photoelastic study due to the opaqueness of the nanocomposites. Single-edge notch tension and modified compact tension specimens were used to obtain a broad range of crack velocities. Fractographic analysis was conducted to understand the fracture process. The results showed that crack arrest toughness in nanocomposites was 60% greater than in the matrix material. Crack propagation velocities prior to branching in nanocomposites were found to be 50% greater than those in polyester.
The partial purification of 17α- and 17β-estradiaol dehydrogenase activities from chicken liver

Abstract The partial purification of two estradiol dehydrogenases from chicken liver is described. Fifty-fold concentration of an NADP+-requiring 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase have been achieved by ammonium sulfate fractionaton and ion-exchange chromatography. The stoichiometry of the reactions was established and the product identified as estrone.
Septic hip arthritis: diagnosis and arthrocentesis using bedside ultrasound

Abstract Background Septic arthritis of the hip is an infrequent disorder that is difficult to diagnose. Traditional methods of obtaining synovial fluid from the hip are not always available in most emergency departments. Objective To report a case of atypical septic arthritis with the diagnosis and management significantly aided by the use of bedside ultrasound. Case Report An 18-year-old pregnant woman presented with right hip pain, a normal temperature, and elevated inflammatory markers. She had no risk factors for septic arthritis. The differential diagnosis was broad, but the use of bedside ultrasound assisted in rapidly narrowing the differential, as well as guiding the diagnostic procedure. Conclusions Bedside ultrasound is a useful tool to evaluate inflammatory disorders of the hip and assists in hip arthrocentesis, a procedure that has not been traditionally performed by most emergency physicians.
The Structure of Adolescents' Attitudes towards Law and Crime

Abstract The study was designed to examine the factorial composition of adolescents' attitudes towards law and crime. A questionnaire was administered to 380 male and female high school students of mixed SES and ethnic background. Factor analysis of responses to 36 items concerning law and crime-related issues yielded 12 factors of which seven were interpreted. The interpreted factors (and the number of items comprising each) were as follows: retributive responses to criminals (9 items), self-attribution of social-legal responsibility (6 items), belief in effective vs ineffective law-enforcement (4 items), law abidance (3 items), government by authority vs government by law (2 items), shared responsibility for law and order (2 items), and adverse, exploitative orientation to the law (2 items). These factors were judged to reflect coherent relationships among adolescents' views of law and crime.
Deviant Behavior among Youths of an Immigrant Bangladeshi Community in New York City

Although there has been some effort to study delinquency among immigrant communities, no attempt has been made to understand the various aspects of delinquency among youths of the immigrant Bangladeshi communities. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the nature and contributing factors of deviant/delinquent behavior of youths in a Bangladeshi community in New York City. One central aim of this study is to construct an operational definition of juvenile deviant behavior in a Bangladeshi immigrant community. Delinquent/deviant behavior is explained within the premise of control theory, and cultural and generational gap perspectives.
Two-particle angular correlations in p+p and Cu+Cu collisions at PHOBOS

We present results on two-particle angular correlations in p+p and Cu+Cu collisions over a broad range of (η, ). The PHOBOS detector has a uniquely large angular coverage for inclusive charged particles. This allows for the study of correlations on both long- and short-range pseudorapidity scales. A complex two-dimensional correlation structure emerges which is interpreted in the context of a cluster model. The cluster size and its decay width are extracted from the two-particle pseudorapidity correlation function. Relative to p+p collisions, Cu+Cu reactions show a non-trivial decrease of cluster size with increasing centrality. These results may provide insight into the hadronization stage of the hot and dense medium created in heavy-ion collisions.
Manufacture of Thin-Film Solar Cells: Modeling and Control of Cu(InGa)Se2 Physical Vapor Deposition onto a Moving Substrate

Absorber layers for thin-film Cu(InGa)Se2 solar cells are produced by co-evaporation from elemental effusion sources. To meet the product specifications on thickness and composition, the vapor flow rates from the sources need to be controlled tightly. The thickness and composition of the final product are measured by X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Using the cinematic technique, a discrete dynamic model of the deposition process has been developed, and together with the XRF model, it can be cast into a Wiener model structure. The nonlinear map is globally invertible, which allows for linearization and complete decoupling of the individual control loops. Two types of controllers were tested in simulation studies: model predictive control (MPC) and internal model control (IMC). For MPC, both controllers with output bias and state estimation were developed; for IMC, both first-order plus time delay and state space models were used. Controller performance for reference tracking is compared under input, parametric,...
The interaction of stimulants on the function of isolated canine parietal cells.

With isolation, the parietal cell is removed from the effects of the many endogenous substances that may modulate its function in intact mucosa, even in the basal state. The isolated canine parietal cell responds to the major endogenous regulators of secretion: histamine, acetylcholine and gastrin. These agents act on specific receptors as evidenced by (1) the specificity of antagonists (H $\_2$ antagonists, atropine, and dibutyryl cyclic GMP respectively), (2) the binding of radiolabelled ligands, and (3) the existence of separate second messenger systems (cyclic AMP for histamine, calcium influx for acetylcholine, and an unidentified mechanism for gastrin). Potentiating interactions, which occur between histamine and acetylcholine or histamine and gastrin, do not involve extra production of second messenger. When histamine and acetylcholine are given together, the amounts of cyclic AMP generated and of calcium entering the cell are not greater than when each is acting alone. The apparent non-specific effects of inhibitors acting in vivo, such as the inhibition of all forms of stimulation by H $\_2$ antagonists, could reflect withdrawal of the potentiating action of the background histamine always present in the mucosa.