cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Minimum Data Length for Integer Period Estimation

Detecting periodicity in a short sequence is an important problem, with many applications across science and engineering. Several efficient algorithms have been proposed for this over the years. There is a wide choice available today in terms of the tradeoff between algorithmic complexity and estimation accuracy. In spite of such a rich history, one particular aspect of period estimation has received very little attention from a fundamental perspective. Namely, given a discrete time periodic signal and a list of candidate integer periods, what is the absolute minimum datalength required to estimate its integer period? Notice that the answer we seek must be a fundamental bound, i.e., independent of any particular period estimation technique. Common intuition suggests the minimum datalength as twice the largest expected period. However, this is true only under some special contexts. This paper derives the exact necessary and sufficient bounds to this problem. The above-mentioned question is also extended to the case of mixtures of periodic signals. First, a careful mathematical formulation discussing the unique identifiability of the component periods (hidden integer periods) is presented. Once again, a rigorous theoretical framework in this regard is missing in the existing literature but is a necessary platform to derive precise bounds on the minimum necessary datalength. The bounds given here are generic, that is, independent of the algorithms used. Specific algorithm-dependent bounds are also presented in the end for the case of dictionary-based integer period estimation reported in recent years.
EXTERNAL VALIDATION OF THE DIABETES EARLY RE-ADMISSION RISK INDICATOR (DERRI ™ ).

Objective: The Diabetes Early Re-admission Risk Indicator (DERRI™) was previously developed and internally validated as a tool to predict the risk of all-cause re-admission within 30 days of discharge (30-day re-admission) of hospitalized patients with diabetes. In this study, the predictive performance of the DERRI™ with and without additional predictors was assessed in an external sample. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with diabetes discharged from two academic medical centers between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2014. We applied the previously developed DERRI™, which includes admission laboratory results, sociodemographics, a diagnosis of certain comorbidities, and recent discharge information, and evaluated the effect of adding metabolic indicators on predictive performance using multivariable logistic regression. Total cholesterol and hemoglobin A1c (A1c) were selected based on clinical relevance and univariate association with 30-day re-admission. Results: A...
Time to treatment is an independent prognostic factor in aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

In aggressive lymphomas, discrepancies in survival reported from experimental and observational studies may reflect selective non-enrolment of high-risk patients in trials. We examined the association between time from diagnosis to chemotherapy and overall survival in diffuse large B-cell (DLBCL), Burkitt (BL), mantle cell (MCL) and peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), using National Cancer Data Base records of 130 549 patients treated in 2004-2014. Across the histologies, patients who started chemotherapy within 7 days of diagnosis had more often high International Prognostic Index (IPI) or advanced-stage disease. The discrepancy in 3-year survival between groups treated within 7 or >30 days from diagnosis ranged from 14% in BL to 30% in MCL. After adjusting for the IPI, time to treatment was significantly associated with shorter overall survival. Using the group treated >30 days from diagnosis as reference, patients treated within 7 days had a hazard ratio of 1·38 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1·28-1·48] in DLBCL, 1·42 (95% CI, 1·22-1·66) in BL, 2·23 (95% CI, 1·79-2·78) in MCL and 1·46 (95% CI, 1·18-1·81) in PTCL. Time from diagnosis to treatment may reflect high-risk features uncaptured by standard prognostic assessments. Clinical trials should accommodate patients who need urgent therapy to improve external validity and detect treatment effects in high-risk groups.
Preliminary evidence for differential trajectories of recovery for cognitive flexibility following sports-related concussion.

OBJECTIVE A critical barrier to the understanding of disruptions to cognitive flexibility following sports-related concussion is the use of assessments that conflate shifts of visuospatial attention and contextual rules. Because these dissociable forms of cognitive flexibility are subserved by distinct neural networks, the utility of a cognitive flexibility assessment following concussion may be reduced, depending upon the extent to which the task requires shifting visuospatial attention relative to shifting contextual rules. Accordingly, the current investigation examined the extent to which these aspects of cognitive flexibility exhibit differential trajectories of recovery following a sports-related concussion. METHOD Twenty-two athletes with sports-related concussions were assessed on a cognitive flexibility task with 2 switch conditions (i.e., perceptual-based and contextual rule-based) within 72 hr of injury, after return to play, and within 1 month following return to play. Thirty-three healthy control athletes were tested at the same intervals. RESULTS Findings revealed that concussed athletes demonstrated protracted disruptions in task performance on a visuospatial attention-based cognitive flexibility task relative to healthy controls, whereas disruptions in task performance on a contextual rule-based cognitive flexibility task resolved after the acute phase of injury. These findings suggest that dissociable forms of cognitive flexibility exhibit differential trajectories of recovery. CONCLUSIONS Therefore, evaluations detecting sports-related concussion disruptions in cognitive flexibility may be reduced depending on the extent to which they rely on contextual rule-based decisions. Test batteries focusing on visuospatial attention-based demands may be useful additions to aid in the objective assessment and follow-up management of athletes following the acute phase of injury. (PsycINFO Database Record
Production of cytokines by bone marrow cells obtained from patients with multiple myeloma

Previous work with continuously cultured multiple myeloma lines suggested that cytokine production by tumor cells may mediate some of the medical complications of this disease. To further investigate this issue, we assayed freshly obtained bone marrow (BM) cells from myeloma patients for the in vitro production of cytokines and the presence of cytokine RNA. Production of cytokine protein was assessed by bioassays with the aid of specific neutralizing anticytokine antibodies. These assays detected interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) secretion by myeloma BM cells, which was significantly greater than secretion from similarly processed BM cells of control individuals. In contrast, lymphotoxin and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production could not be detected. The levels of IL-1 and TNF produced in vitro peaked at 24 hours of culture and correlated with stage and the presence (or absence) of extensive osteolytic bone disease. Northern blot analysis demonstrated the presence of IL-1 beta and TNF RNA in uncultured myeloma BM cells but no detectable IL-1 alpha or lymphotoxin RNA. In addition, the amount of cytokine RNA correlated with protein production, being significantly greater in patients' BM cells than in control marrow. These data suggest a role for IL-1 beta and/or TNF in the pathophysiology of multiple myeloma and argue against a role for lymphotoxin or IL-2.
Neurologic Catastrophe in the CT ICU: A Neurosurgeon’s Dilemma

Neurosurgical emergencies in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) are primarily comprised of intracerebral hemorrhages occurring as a result of thromboembolic ischemic infarction with hemorrhage conversion, falls resulting in traumatic hemorrhages and spontaneous hemorrhagic complications, all of which are complicated by the antithrombotic medication (ATM) regimens required for implanted cardiac devices. Ischemic cerebral infarctions requiring decompressive craniotomy may also occur but are not a focus of this chapter, which will instead concentrate on hemorrhagic intracranial complications related to ventricular assist devices and valve surgery in the absence of bacterial endocarditis or mycotic aneurysms. Resumption of antithrombotic medications after intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in the face of thrombogenic cardiac devices is an oft-encountered clinical dilemma for which little data exist, and will also be discussed.
Revealing essential dynamics from high-dimensional fluid flow data and operators

We consider concepts centered around modal analysis, data science, network science, and machine learning to reveal the essential dynamics from high-dimensional fluid flow data and operators. The presentation of the material herein is example-based and follows the author's keynote talk at the 32nd Computational Fluid Dynamics Symposium (Japan Society of Fluid Mechanics, Tokyo, December 11-13, 2018). This talk was delivered as a compilation of some of the research activities undertaken by the author's research group.
Chapter 1 - Methodology Validation and Structure Correction by Total Synthesis: The Case of the Clerodane Diterpenoid, Sacacarin

This chapter discusses the development of a synthetic methodology, a suite of reactions called “double annulations.” The methodology has been applied to the synthesis of the naturally occurring compound saccharin. The achievement of the synthesis has resulted in a correction of the structure of the natural product showing that total synthesis is sometimes still the ultimate structural proof. Azadirachtin's very complex structure would make it a poor choice for first total synthesis effort. In fact, despite the efforts of some synthetic groups across the world, azadirachtin has yet to succumb to total synthesis. During the synthesis, it was preferred that target had biological activity. With a target chosen, the next task was a retrosynthetic analysis. The chapter discusses the concept of the first-generation approach—the synthesis of tethered diacid, diastereoselectivity problem in double Michael reaction; second-generation approach—the double Michael, Pinner, and Dieckmann reactions; and also methylation, reduction, and lactonization. The final stage of the synthesis required the attachment of the side chain to the core tricyclic portion of the molecule. Several strategies were conceived, which are summarized in the chapter. The synthesis of saccharin described in the chapter accomplished many of the objectives defined at the onset; it was stereoselective, establishing all four stereocenters with effective to excellent diastereoselectivity.
Baker's Yeast Clinical Isolates Provide a Model for How Pathogenic Yeasts Adapt to Stress.

Global outbreaks of drug-resistant fungi such as Candida auris are thought to be due at least in part to excessive use of antifungal drugs. Baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has gained importance as an emerging opportunistic fungal pathogen that can cause infections in immunocompromised patients. Analyses of over 1000 S. cerevisiae isolates are providing rich resources to better understand how fungi can grow in human environments. A large percentage of clinical S. cerevisiae isolates are heterozygous across many nucleotide sites, and a significant proportion are of mixed ancestry and/or are aneuploid or polyploid. Such features potentially facilitate adaptation to new environments. These observations provide strong impetus for expanding genomic and molecular studies on clinical and wild isolates to understand the prevalence of genetic diversity and instability-generating mechanisms, and how they are selected for and maintained. Such work can also lead to the identification of new targets for antifungal drugs.
Light at the end of the tunnel

Discussion on how the modulation of Rev-Erb-alpha and the circadian CLOCK proteins remain an interesting but elusive target for modulation of acute inflammatory response in critical illness.
The role of surfactant force field on the properties of liquid/liquid interfaces

Abstract Surfactant-laden liquid/liquid interfaces mediate numerous chemical processes, from commercial applications of microemulsions to chemical separations. Classical molecular dynamics simulation is a prevalent method for studying microscopic and thermodynamic properties of such interfaces. However the extent to which these features can be reliably predicted, and the variations in predicted behavior, depend upon the force field parameters employed. At present, the impact of force fields upon simulated properties is relatively understudied. Yet recent advances to sampling and analysis algorithms are increasing the interpretation of simulation data and therefore understanding force field dependence is increasingly relevant. In this study, the impact of the force field of the surfactant tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP), as well as that of water, is investigated at a water/(n-hexane + surfactant) interface. Empirical charge scaling was employed to modulate the hydrophilicity of the surfactant. As anticipated, the relative hydrophilicity of TBP influences a number of properties, including the adsorbed concentrations of TBP at the interface, and macroscopic properties that result from hydrogen bonding interactions, such as interfacial tension and width. The dynamic properties of solvents at the interface are strongly modulated by the variation in hydrogen bond strength caused by different charge scalings of the TBP model. This includes the residence times of water at the interface, where stronger water-TBP hydrogen bonding causes long-lived residences. Interestingly, there are a number of features that are relatively insensitive to the TBP hydrophilicity. In one important case, the concentration of water-bridged TBP dimers was only impacted by the least hydrophilic model. As these dimeric species are the building block of surface protrusions that lead to water transport across the interface, this implies that collective organizational patterns and surface structures that derive from multiple driving forces (e.g., TBP hydrophilicity and organic solvent free energies of solvation) are less sensitive to individual force field parameters. Further, we note that competitive interactions can “cancel” the effects of changing TBP charge on interfacial properties. One example is the orientation and hydrogen bonding structure of interfacial water, where the direct TBP-water hydrogen bonding competes against the indirect TBP-induced interfacial roughness. In combination, these observations may assist future simulation studies in calibrating surfactant models to, or interpreting results of, a broad range of dynamic, structural and thermodynamic properties.
Synthesis of a Variety of Bichromophoric “Ball-and-Chain” Systems Based on Buckminsterfullerene (C60) for the Study of Intramolecular Electron and Energy Transfer Processes

Diels−Alder reaction of C60 with the 1,3-dienes 7e−h, 8a, 8b, and 8d−h affords the “ball-and-chain” systems 2e−h, 3a, 3b, and 3d−h bearing two chromophores linked via a rigid, hybrid saturated polynorbornane−bicyclo[2.2.0]hexane (“norbornylogous”) hydrocarbon bridge. Analogous reaction with the bis(diene) 9 affords the soluble dumbbell system 4 bearing two C60 chromophores. The norbornylogous bridge is a strong mediator of electron and energy transfer via a through-bond coupling mechanism. The norbornylogous donor−bridge−diene units 7d−h, 8a, 8b, and 8d−h were prepared in a straightforward manner from bicyclo[2.2.2]octane precursors by extending the bridges with linearly fused norbornane−bicyclo[2.2.0]hexane moieties through execution of the tandem Mitsudo−Smith series of reactions. The X-ray structure of the dimethoxybenzene−bridge−C60 system 3a reveals favorable self-complementarity manifested by the unusual packing structure of 3a in the crystal. Molecular mechanics, semiempirical, and ab initio confor...
CHAPTER 15 – AN EXAMPLE

Publisher Summary This chapter describes statistical energy analysis (SEA) model for a welded plate structure. There are a number of other cases documented in the literature where the SEA method has been applied to large systems. These cases typically use an in-house or commercially available SEA computer code. Examples include the study of helicopter interior noise, marine structures, building systems, automobiles, and airplanes. The welded plate example illustrates the importance of inplane motion in the vibration transmission through such structures. Moreover, because of the finite size of the structure tested, the low frequency effect of low modal overlap in the system is seen. The coupling loss factors (CLFs) between subsystems in the SEA model are found for each welded line connection between plates. The number of CLFs to be evaluated is large but they fall into three categories represented by the types of coupled mode pairs—bending–bending, bending–inplane, and inplane–inplane.
Quantification of observable behaviors induced by typical and atypical kappa-opioid receptor agonists in male rhesus monkeys

Kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) agonists are antinociceptive but have side effects that limit their therapeutic utility. New KOR agonists have been developed that are fully efficacious at the KOR but may produce fewer or reduced side effects that are typical of KOR agonists. We determined behavioral profiles for typical and atypical KOR agonists purported to differ in intracellular-signaling profiles as well as a mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist, oxycodone, using a behavioral scoring system based on Novak et al. (Am J Primatol 28:124-138, 1992, Am J Primatol 46:213-227, 1998) and modified to quantify drug-induced effects (e.g., Duke et al. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 366:145-157, 2018). Six adult male rhesus monkeys were administered a range of doses of the typical KOR agonists, U50-488H (0.0032–0.1 mg/kg) and salvinorin A (0.00032–0.01 mg/kg); the atypical KOR agonists, nalfurafine (0.0001–0.001 mg/kg) and triazole 1.1 (0.01–0.32 mg/kg); the MOR agonist, oxycodone (0.0032–0.32 mg/kg); and as controls, cocaine (0.032–0.32 mg/kg) and ketamine (0.32–10 mg/kg). For time-course determinations, the largest dose of each KOR agonist or MOR agonist was administered across timepoints (10–320 min). In mixture conditions, oxycodone (0.1 mg/kg) was followed by KOR-agonist administration. Typical KOR agonists produced sedative-like and motor-impairing effects. Nalfurafine was similar to typical KOR agonists on most outcomes, and triazole 1.1 produced no effects on its own except for reducing scratch during time-course determinations. In the mixture, all KOR agonists reduced oxycodone-induced scratching, U50-488H and nalfurafine reduced species-typical activity, and U50-488H increased rest/sleep posture. Atypical “biased” KOR agonists produce side-effect profiles that are relatively benign (triazole 1.1) or reduced (nalfurafine) compared to typical KOR agonists.
Work-life balance and well-being of graduate students

This exploratory study examines issues related to work-life balance and well-being of a diverse population of graduate students, including master’s and doctoral students, full-time and part-time gr...
The XENON dark matter search experiment

The worldwide race towards direct dark matter detection in the form of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) has been dramatically accelerated by the remarkable progress and evolution of liquid xenon time projection chambers (LXeTPCs). With a realistic discovery potential, Xenon100 has already reached a sensitivity of 7 × 10−45 cm2, and continues to accrue data at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy towards its ultimate sensitivity reach at the σ SI ∼ 2 × 10−45 cm2 level for the spin-independent WIMP-nucleon cross-section. To fully explore the favoured parameter space for WIMP dark matter in search of a first robust and statistically significant discovery, or to confirm any hint of a signal from Xenon100, the next phase of the Xenon program will be a detector at the ton scale – Xenon1T. The Xenon1T detector, based on 2.2 ton of LXe viewed by low radioactivity photomultiplier tubes and housed in a water Cherenkov muon veto at LNGS, is presented. With an experimental aim of probing WIMP interaction cross-sections above of order σ SI ∼ 2 × 10−47 cm2 within 2 years of operation, Xenon1T will provide the sensitivity to probe a particularly favourable region of electroweak physics on a timescale compatible with complementary ground and satellite based indirect searches and with accelerator dark matter searches at the LHC. Indeed, for a σ SI ∼ 10−45 cm2 and 100 GeV/c2 WIMP mass, Xenon1T could detect of order 100 events in this exposure, providing statistics for placing significant constraints on the WIMP mass.
Decentralized optimal power pricing: The development of a parallel program

Many programming systems available on massively parallel processors (MPPs) today neglect the significance of time spent fixing an algorithm during development. Those systems which do address the fix time commonly demand drastic sacrifices in execution speed. Aiming for the middle ground between these two extremes, the authors have implemented a new algorithm to solve an optimization problem for an electrical power system, a problem large enough to require significant computational resources. To help abstract the communication and layout requirements of the problem away from the main algorithm, they have developed a small object system library. The results are an efficient and easily modifiable solution to the problem and a general approach to solving this class of problems.
Russian Industry in 2015-2017: Business Surveys

2017 has been marked as a year of slow recovery from the crisis of 2015–2016 in the Russian industry. The years of crisis were distinguished by three characteristics. First, there was no plunge in demand for industrial products and in output. Second, a moderate decline in these indicators was combined with a considerably long period of downturn. Third, enterprises were prepared for the crisis.
Employee Activism and Internal Communication

Recent years have seen a substantial rise in instances of employees raising their voices against organizational decisions and making their objections to organizational action public. Public relations nightmares resulting from poorly handled responses to employee activism remind us of the important role played by public relations functions in communicating and negotiating between organizational leaders and internal activists. The present chapter presents a review of the literature on activism and employee activism within public relations scholarship and beyond, followed by industry perspectives on employee activism. A theoretically driven and practically sound definition of employee activism is advanced, followed by recommendations for future research on employee activism and internal communication.
The five dimensional universal hypermultiplet and the cosmological constant problem

Abstract We model the universe as a 3-brane embedded in five dimensional spacetime with N = 2 supersymmetry. The presence of the scalar fields of the universal hypermultiplet in the bulk results in a positive pressure effectively reducing the value of the cosmological constant and thereby providing a possible answer as to why the measured value of the cosmological constant is many orders of magnitude smaller than predicted from the vacuum energy. The solution allows for any number of parallel branes to exist and relates their cosmological constants (as well as matter densities and radiation pressures) to the value of the dilaton in the extra dimension. The results we find can be thought of as first order approximations, satisfying supersymmetry breaking and the Bogomolʼnyi–Prasad–Sommerfield (BPS) conditions in the bulk only.
Rationale for systematic reviews.

Systematic literature reviews including meta-analyses are invaluable scientific activities. The rationale for such reviews is well established. Health care providers, researchers, and policy makers are inundated with unmanageable amounts of information; they need systematic reviews to efficiently integrate existing information and provide data for rational decision making. Systematic reviews establish whether scientific findings are consistent and can be generalised across populations, settings, and treatment variations, or whether findings vary significantly by particular subsets. Meta-analyses in particular can increase power and precision of estimates of treatment effects and exposure risks. Finally explicit methods used in systematic reviews limit bias and, hopefully, will improve reliability and accuracy of conclusions. Systematic literature review is a fundamental scientific activity. Its rationale is grounded firmly in several premises. Firstly, large quantities of information must be reduced into palatable pieces for digestion. Over two million articles are published annually in the biomedical literature in over 20 000 journals1 - literally a small mountain of information. For example, about 4400 pages were devoted to approximately 1100 articles in the BMJ and New England Journal of Medicine, combined, in 1992. In a stack, two million such articles would rise 500 m. Clearly, systematic literature review is needed to refine these unmanageable amounts of information. Through critical exploration, evaluation, and synthesis the systematic review separates the insignificant, unsound, or redundant deadwood in the medical literature from the salient and critical studies that are worthy of reflection.2 Secondly, various decision makers need to integrate the critical pieces of available biomedical information. Systematic reviews are used by more specialised integrators, such as economic and decision analysts, to estimate the variables and outcomes that are included in their evaluations. Both systematic and more specialised integrations are used by clinicians to keep abreast of the primary literature in a given field …
Fairness and externalities

We study equitable allocation of indivisible goods and money among agents with other-regarding preferences. First, we argue that Foley’s ( 1967) equity test, i.e., the requirement that no agent prefers the allocation obtained by swapping her consumption with another agent, is suitable for our environment. Then we establish the existence of allocations passing this test for a general domain of preferences that accommodates prominent other-regarding preferences. Our results are relevant for equitable allocation among inequity-averse agents and in a domain with linear externalities that we introduce. Finally, we present conditions guaranteeing that these allocations are efficient.
The petunia restorer of fertility protein is part of a large mitochondrial complex that interacts with transcripts of the CMS‐associated locus

*Summary A class of nuclear genes termed ‘restorers of fertility’ (Rf) acts to suppress the expression of abnormal mitochondrial genes associated with cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). In petunia, both the nuclear Rf gene and mitochondrial CMS-associated gene have previously been identified. The CMS-associated gene is an aberrant chimera in which portions of several mitochondrially encoded genes are fused to an unknown reading frame. The dominant Rf allele reduces the CMS-associated protein to nearly undetectable levels and alters the RNA population derived from the CMS locus, but its mechanism of action has not been determined. The petunia Rf gene is a member of the pentatricopeptide repeat gene family (PPR), an unusually large gene family in Arabidopsis (approximately 450 genes) compared with yeast (five genes) and mammalian genomes (six genes). The PPR gene family has been implicated in the control of organelle gene expression. To gain insight into the mode of action of PPR genes, we generated transgenic petunia plants expressing a functional tagged version of Rf. Analysis of the restorer protein revealed that it is part of a soluble mitochondrial innermembrane-associated, RNase-sensitive high-molecular-weight protein complex. The complex is associated with mRNA derived from the CMS locus.
Negotiating Implementation of a Peace Agreement: Lessons Learned from Five Years at the Negotiating Table

For five years (1994-1999), I directly negotiated ‘on the ground’ implementation of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process in the Gaza Strip. In my capacity as the Israel Defense Forces Judge Advocate General’s Corps Legal Advisor to the IDF Commander, Gaza Strip (1994-1997) I had direct responsibility for both interpretation and negotiation, first for the Gaza-Jericho Agreement and subsequently for the Interim Agreement as it applied to the Gaza Strip. The article which addressees fundamental differences between agreement ‘architects’ and agreement ‘implementers’ is intended to facilitate future negotiations and implementations alike. Based on a ‘bird’s eye’ view I suggest ten core ‘lessons learned’ relevant to negotiating including cultural, linguistic, tactical, strategic and operational considerations.
A comparison of analog DFE architectures for disk-drive applications

Analog equalizers offer potentially higher speed, lower power and smaller die area than their digital counterparts. Assuming adequate analog forward equalizers are available, we present different integrated circuit (IC) architectures for analog-based decision feedback equalizers, and the strengths and weaknesses of each implementation are discussed. >
The Lisbon Treaty No-Vote: An Irish Problem or a EuropeanProblem?

The Irish No vote to the Lisbon Treaty has been presented by Europe's political leadership (including Ireland's political leadership) as essentially an Irish problem. In other words, the no vote was said to reflect concerns specific to the Irish population, and the solution proposed was for the Irish Government to suggest ways for the EU to respond to these concerns so that the Lisbon Treaty could be ratified. This paper examines the reasons why Ireland's no-vote to Lisbon in 2008 was treated so differently from the French and Dutch no-votes to the Constitutional Treaty in 2005. On that occasion, the no-votes were quickly recognized as a collective European problem rather than as a specifically Dutch or French problem, and it was not long before the Constitutional Treaty in its original form was declared to be dead. The paper argues that although there may have been many plausible reasons for distinguishing between the Constitutional Treaty no-votes and the Lisbon Treaty no-vote, the EU strategy of treating Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty as primarily an Irish problem is a short-sighted one. Ireland's no-vote is merely the latest manifestation of an ongoing crisis of popular legitimacy in the EU, and the European Council's strategy of treating it as essentially an Irish problem is part of the ongoing failure of Europe's political leaders to acknowledge the link between this crisis of popular legitimacy and the deliberately de-politicized nature of the European Union.
A method for analyzing properties of hierarchical predicate transition nets

Hierarchical high level Petri nets have been proposed in recent years as a powerful formal method for modeling large concurrent and distributed systems but they are even more difficult to analyze than flat high level Petri nets, which are also lacking effective analysis methods themselves. A method for analyzing properties of hierarchical predicate transition Petri nets is proposed. The method employs two temporal induction techniques, one for safety properties and the other for liveness properties, without using temporal logic formalism. Within each induction technique, a hybrid reasoning technique combining net structural and behavioral reasoning, and ordinary first order logic reasoning is used.
Tapasin−/− and TAP1−/− Macrophages Are Deficient in Vacuolar Alternate Class I MHC (MHC-I) Processing due to Decreased MHC-I Stability at Phagolysosomal pH

Alternate class I MHC (MHC-I) Ag processing via cytosolic or vacuolar pathways leads to cross-presentation of exogenous Ag to CD8 T cells. Vacuolar alternate MHC-I processing involves phagolysosomal Ag proteolysis and peptide binding to MHC-I in post-Golgi compartments. We report the first study of alternate MHC-I Ag processing in tapasin(-/-) cells and experiments with tapasin(-/-) and TAP1(-/-) macrophages that characterize alternate MHC-I processing. Tapasin promotes retention of MHC-I in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) for loading with high affinity peptides, whereas tapasin(-/-) cells allow poorly loaded MHC-I molecules to exit the ER. Hypothetically, we considered that a large proportion of post-Golgi MHC-I on tapasin(-/-) cells might be peptide-receptive, enhancing alternate MHC-I processing. In contrast, alternate MHC-I processing was diminished in both tapasin(-/-) and TAP1(-/-) macrophages. Nonetheless, these cells efficiently presented exogenous peptide, suggesting a loss of MHC-I stability or function specific to vacuolar processing compartments. Tapasin(-/-) and TAP1(-/-) macrophages had decreased MHC-I stability and increased susceptibility of MHC-I to inactivation by acidic conditions (correlating with vacuolar pH). Incubation of tapasin(-/-) or TAP1(-/-) cells at 26 degrees C decreased susceptibility of MHC-I to acid pH and reversed the deficiency in alternate MHC-I processing. Thus, tapasin and TAP are required for MHC-I to bind ER-derived stabilizing peptides to achieve the stability needed for alternate MHC-I processing via peptide exchange in acidic vacuolar processing compartments. Acidic pH destabilizes MHC-I, but also promotes peptide exchange, thereby enhancing alternate MHC-I Ag processing. These results are consistent with alternate MHC-I Ag processing mechanisms that involve binding of peptides to MHC-I within acidic vacuolar compartments.
Developmental Regulation of TREM2 and DAP12 Expression in the Murine CNS: Implications for Nasu-Hakola Disease

Trem2 is an orphan, DAP12 associated receptor constitutively expressed in vivo by subsets of microglia in the healthy adult murine CNS and in vitro by subsets of oligodendrocytes in neonatal mixed glial cultures. Loss of a functional Trem2 signaling pathway is the genetic cause of Nasu-Hakola disease. Whether the early onset cognitive dementia and myelin-pallor associated with this disorder are due to deficits in functional Trem2 signaling in microglia and/or oligodendrocytes is still being debated. Here, we find that Trem2/DAP12 expression is detected in embryonic day 14 CNS mRNA. Using dual immunohistochemistry/in situ hybridization, we find that both Trem2 and DAP12 expression always co-localized with markers of microglia/macrophages. However, Trem2/DAP12 positive microglia are found in very close apposition with CNP+ oligodendrocytes prior to myelination (post-natal day 1). In addition, CNS expression of TREM2 and DAP12 are not detected in PU.1KO which lack microglia and macrophages. Our data provide continuing support for Nasu-Hakola disease being identified as a cognitive disorder caused by a primary dysfunction of CNS microglia.
Stochastic models for an enzyme reaction in an open linear system.

A stochastic model is developed for an enzyme reaction in an open linear system. The proposed model assumes that the open system maintains the concentration of substrate and inhibitor at constant levels and that the product molecules are removed from the system by a first order reaction. Stochastic models for several enzyme reactions occurring in this open system are shown to correspond to special cases of theGI/M/∞ queue. Takacs’ (1958) results for this queueing system are used to obtain the stochastic properties of the enzyme systems. A specific model we studied assumed completely competitive inhibition in an open system. The stationary distribution for the number of product molecules in the system is obtained. The enzyme reaction which incorporated the “intermediate chain hypothesis” can also be investigated by the queueing theory approach. It is shown that for this open system, if the model which incorporated the intermediate chain hypothesis has the same deterministic properties as the Michaelis-Menten model, then the latter has greater stochastic variation than the former.
Electronic transport in semiconductors at high energy

Abstract We briefly review the hot-electron effects which have necessitated the development of accurate solutions of the Boltzmann transport equation. The Monte Carlo particle method of simulating electronic transport in semiconductors is described, with emphasis on the importance of the bandstructure and scattering rates. Three active areas of research then reviewed: (1) simulation of femtosecond spectroscopy experiments, (2) precise calculation of the band-to-band impact ionization rates, and (3) calculation of the electron-phonon interaction based on pseudopotentials. With these three examples we indicate the direction Monte Carlo simulation of electronic transport in semiconductors is taking, i.e., the inclusion of more precise physics and the elimination of phenomenological, adjustable parameters.
On the magnetic properties of substitutional disordered ferromagnets

Abstract A generalization of the Curie-Weiss law for a model of substitutional disordered magnetic insulator material is derived in the effective field theory by treating the disorder in a virtual crystal approximation. An expression for the Curie temperature vs. concentration curve is obtained and compared with the few experimental data available.
Aging: changes in a passive-avoidance response with brain levels of temazepam.

Abstract Acute intravenous (IV) injections of temazepam were examined for the ability to impair the performance of young (3–4-month-old), mature (12–15-month-old) and old (28–30-month-old) male Fischer 344 rats in the step-down task relative to vehicle-injected controls. The effect of temazepam on the passive-avoidance response could be characterized as a U-shaped function of age. The performance of the mature rat was not significantly impaired by an IV injection of temazepam between 18 and 320 μg/kg. Temazepam was more effective in impairing the performance of the young and old rat. The brain levels of temazepam after a single IV injection of 18 μg/kg in mature and senescent rats, and 32 μg/kg in young rats were measured over a 2-hour time period. The brain of the mature rat was exposed to less temazepam between 0 and 120 minutes than the brain of the old rat. Therefore, the increased sensitivity of the senescent rat relative to the mature rat may in part be due to changes in the pharmacokinetics of temazepam. However, the inability of temazepam (between 18 and 320 μg/kg) to impair the performance of mature rats in the passive-avoidance task suggests that pharmacodynamic changes may be involved in the decreased sensitivity of mature rats relative to young and senescent rats.
Can a print publication be equally effective online? Testing the effect of medium type on marketing communications

Faced with budgetary pressures, many marketing communication managers are canceling the print distribution of their flagship magazine in favor of an online version. However, if the online publication is less effective in achieving the organization's goals, this move may be ill advised. In a field experiment, subscribers of a promotional magazine received either a print version of the magazine or an e-mail invitation that linked to the online version. The print version had a higher open rate than did the online version. In addition, print readers had higher recall memory and engaged in more browsing. Ironically, although younger readers indicated a preference for receiving an online version, the effect of medium on memory performance was strongest among the younger readers. Therefore, ceasing a print publication in favor of an online-only publication might hurt the effectiveness of an organization's marketing communications, and managers should not make the decision based on cost alone.
Media framing and policy change after columbine

The 1999 Columbine school shooting incident in Colorado gained far more media attention across a broader range of issues than any school violence episode before or since. One might expect that Columbine would have had an influence on public opinion, public policy, and scholarship commensurate with the attention it gained. We find that the event did contribute in a limited but interesting way to scholarship on media framing. But the effect of Columbine on public opinion and the nature and substance of public policy was limited. Attention to school shootings peaked with Columbine, and the attention surrounding that event mostly spurred more rapid implementation of existing policies and tools that were already available to schools. In this article, the authors review first the media and public opinion research generated by Columbine; they then review the public policy research referencing Columbine and evaluate the “lessons” scholars have drawn from that event.
No confirmation of Geschwind's hypothesis of associations between reading disability, immune disorders, and motor preference in ADHD

Geschwind and colleagues have proposed an association among reading disability, immune disorder, and motor preference. Although reading disability commonly overlaps with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ADHD has not been previously examined in studies evaluating Geschwind's hypothesis. In this paper we evaluate whether ADHD is associated with either asthma or left motor preference and whether asthma and left motor preference are associated with each other. Subjects were 6- to 17-year-old boys with DSM-III-R ADHD (n= 140) and normal controls (n= 120). Information on reading disability, asthma, and motor preference was obtained in a standardized manner blind to the proband's clinical status. Neither ADHD nor reading disability was associated with either asthma or left motor preference nor was asthma and left motor preference associated with one another. Our results are not consistent with Geschwind's hypothesis linking reading disability, immune disorder, and left motor preference.
Grating-assisted phase matching in extreme nonlinear optics.

We propose a new technique for phase matching high harmonic generation that can be used for generating bright, tabletop, tunable, and coherent x-ray sources at keV photon energies. A weak quasi-cw counterpropagating field induces a sinusoidal modulation in the phase of the emitted harmonics that can be used for correcting the large plasma-induced phase mismatch. We develop an analytical model that describes this grating-assisted x-ray phase matching and predicts that very modest intensities ($l{10}^{10}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$) of quasi-cw counterpropagating fields are required for implementation.
Mechanisms of Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Bait Stick Activity Relative to Pheromone Traps

Mechanisms of bait stick activity against boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman, including attractiveness relative to traps, competition with traps, longevity of the pheromone lure, and behavior and mortality of responding weevils, were studied in the Lower Rio Grande and Brazos Valleys of Texas. Adhesive-coated bait sticks captured 2–4 times as many weevils as adhesive-coated trap bases, although the lateral surface area of the bait stick was only 1.5-fold that of the trap base. Overall, reductions in trap captures because of competitive interactions with bait sticks were not clearly demonstrated. However, temporal patterns of capture suggested that competition from bait sticks may have reduced trap captures initially when bait stick pheromone sources were fresh. Initial pheromone release rates by the bait stick lure were ≈8.1 times greater than for the trap lure and may have caused a temporary competitive effect. Responding weevils did not feed on or probe the bait stick surface, and when stationary assumed a departure posture with the tip of the abdomen held low and the head held high. Responding weevils contacted the bait stick for an average of 9.4 ± 1.7 min, but nearly half remained on the device for <5 min. Exposure to the bait stick in the field resulted in mortality similar to that of unexposed weevils, whereas forced-contact bioassays indicated high levels of mortality. These results indicate that forced-contact bioassays may be inappropriate for assessing the toxicity of the bait stick to boll weevils.
Information measures quantifying aperiodic stochastic resonance

Aperiodic stochastic resonance ~ASR! is a phenomenon in which the response of a nonlinear system to a subthreshold information-bearing signal is optimized by the presence of noise. We have previously characterized this effect by the use of cross-correlation-based measures. Here we apply a measure ~transinformation! that directly quantifies the rate of information transfer from stimulus to response and show that the presence of noise optimizes the information-transfer rate. By considering a nonlinear system ~the FitzHugh-Nagumo model! that captures the functional dynamics of neuronal firing, we demonstrate that sensory neurons could, in principle, harness ASR to optimize the detection and transmission of weak stimuli. @S1063-651X~96!51309-7#
Molecular heterostructure devices composed of Langmuir-Blodgett films of conducting polymers

Organic heterostructures have been fabricated by alternating the deposition of monoand multilayers of undoped poly(3-hexylthiophene) and doped polypyrrole prepared by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. The dopant profiles of the structures have been electrically characterized by incorporating the polymer layers as the active semiconductive material into metal-insulator-semiconductor and Schottky barrier device configurations. The dopant concentrations were evaluated by capacitance-voltage measurements. The results indicate modulated dopant profiles and a possible transfer of dopants. The dopant concentrations differ by about an order of magnitude between the undoped and doped layers. The Schottky barriers become thinner the closer the doped polypyrrole monolayer lies to the Schottky electrode.
Synthesis of Serum Albumin, Prealbumin, α -Foetoprotein, α 1 -Antitrypsin and Transferrin by the Human Yolk Sac

BOTH in the chick embryo and in the rat foetus, the yolk sac is an important, biologically active membrane throughout almost all of antenatal development. In the chick, the yolk sac envelops the great mass of yolk present in the egg and absorbs yolk material for embryo nutrition. The yolk sac in the rat forms one of the foetal membranes that encompass and protect the foetus, and during the last quarter of gestation it lies in direct apposition to the maternal endometriurn. In both these species, the yolk sac synthesizes serum proteins1,2: in both, a serum iron-binding globulin and a serum α-globulin specific for the embryo or foetus are produced. The yolk sac of the chick also synthesizes serum albumin2, a feat apparently not matched by the rat yolk sac1. The yolk sac of the human embryo, on the other hand, is a relatively small vesicle at the height of its development, and, it soon degenerates to become atretic by the end of the first trimester of gestation3. The observation that the chick and rat yolk sacs can synthesize serum proteins prompted the present investigation into the possibility that the human yolk sac, too, might do so during its relatively brief existence as a well developed structure.