cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Imaginary numbers for combining linear equation models via Dempster's rule

This paper proposes the concept of imaginary extreme numbers, which are like traditional imaginary number a+bi with i=-1 being replaced by e=1/0, along with the usual operations on these numbers including addition, subtraction, and division. It then applies the concept to representing linear equations in knowledge-based systems. It proves that the combination of linear equations via [email protected]?s rule is equivalent to solving a system of simultaneous equations or finding a least-squares estimate when they are overdetermined.
Structure of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Melts: Theory, Simulation, and Experiment

Molecular dynamics simulations, integral equation theory, and wide-angle X-ray scattering experiments are used to study the structure of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) melt. Two different chain models are employed for the molecular dynamics: a united-atom class I potential and an explicit-atom class II potential. The effects of partial charges and attractions on the intermolecular pair correlation functions are studied for the united atom model. Good qualitative agreement between the polymer reference interaction site model (PRISM theory) and the simulations is found for the united atom model with charges and attractive dispersion interactions turned off. Simulation results for both the united-atom and explicit-atom models for the structure factor are in excellent agreement with the X-ray scattering measurements for high wavevector. However, the explicit-atom model gives significantly better agreement for low wavevector, particularly in the vicinity of the first peak.
Who wins and who loses? Unpacking the "local people" concept in ecotourism: a longitudinal study of community equity in Ankarana, Madagascar.

Tourism in the Ankarana protected area, Madagascar, has increased since the early 1990s, linked to growing national and donor interest in conservation and ecotourism. Using a qualitative and longitudinal approach, this analysis focuses on the social impacts of tourist intensification, comparing and contrasting communities on either side of the protected area. As tourist numbers have increased, infrastructure to accommodate them has developed and tour guiding has professionalized. In this process, the locus of tourism shifted from the loosely organized, “grassroots” tourism of the western side of Ankarana to the organized, externally financed, easy-access tourism of the eastern side, with both environmental and social consequences. The paper argues that a concentration and professionalization of ecotourism services within a region can marginalize neighboring human communities even though not necessarily leading to increased overall environmental degradation. It contributes to tourism studies by engaging a ...
Evaluation of multistatic tree-search based tracking on the SEABAR dataset

The focus of this paper is the extension of tree-search based tracking to multistatic tracking problems and the evaluation of the proposed algorithm on the SEABAR'07 sonar dataset. The tree-search based tracker, originally introduced in [1], is built upon the stack algorithm for convolutional decoding. To perform track estimation, the tracker navigates a search tree in which each path represents a sequence of states visited by the target. By exploring only a subset of the search tree, the stack-based tracker computes only likely regions of the posterior distribution at each update, thereby approximating the Bayesian inference solution to the tracking problem. In this work, the monos-tatic stack-based tracker is extended to multistatic tracking. The structure of the tree-search approach facilitates the incorporation of information from multiple source-receiver pairs with minimal complexity increase. The performance of the multistatic stack-based tracker on the SEABAR'07 dataset shows that the tracker is able to maintain track through highly nonlinear target maneuvers and in the presence of heavy clutter.
Irradiation as an alternative to methyl bromide for quarantine treatment of stone fruits

Irradiation can be used with cherries, apricots, or peaches as a quarantine treatment at 300gy's or less with little quality loss. Either irradiation or methyl bromide (MeBr) can be used as a quarantine treatment for ‘Bing’‘and ‘Rainier’ sweet cherries with acceptable results and similar fruit quality. Difference in stem condition and bruising were more evident for irradiated ‘Rainier’ cherries than for MeBr treated ‘Rainier’ cherries, but these differences were small. Use of irradiation results in some firmness loss, for ‘Bing’ cherries when compared with MeBr, but irradiation treatment of cherries does not result in a loss of fruit and stem color, where the use of MeBr doses result in both fruit and stem color loss. Apricots (‘Perfection’ and ‘Rival’) and peaches (‘Regina’) are tolerant to irradiation at 300 gy with little quality loss. Loss of firmness, color changes and increased internal breakdown are evident in both apricots and peaches at irradiation dose above 600 gy. If irradiation dose above 600 gy is required to meet quarantine requirements unacceptable qualidy loss will occur in cherries, apricots and peaches.
Le changement de paradigme des perturbateurs endocriniens

Resume Le paradigme classique de la toxicologie formule par Paracelse peut etre resume dans la formule « c’est la dose qui fait le poison ». Le mode d’action des perturbateurs endocriniens (PE) s’inscrit dans un nouveau paradigme en raison des caracteristiques suivantes relatives a l’âge d’exposition, au temps ecoule entre l’exposition et ses effets, aux interactions entre les substances chimiques, a la dynamique de reponse a la dose et aux effets latents a long terme. Les reglementations concernant les PE devraient aujourd’hui etre fondees sur ce nouveau paradigme.
Is the Probability of Occurrence of Absorption Lines in QSOs a Function of Red-shift?

IT has been noted1–3 that the occurrence of absorption lines in quasi-stellar objects appears to increase with increasing red-shift. This has suggested that QSOs with high red-shift have intrinsically different properties than those with low red-shift. McCrea2, for example, found that 53 per cent of the QSOs with emission red-shift zem > 1.8 have absorption lines; 17 per cent with 1.0 < zem < 1.8 have absorption lines, and only 8 per cent with zem < 1.0. This correlation, however, has been found, using all the observed absorption lines, and it is possible that the correlation is merely the result of stronger lines being brought into the observable spectrum as the red-shift increases. A proper test for such a correlation requires the use of a single line, or else the difference in strengths of lines in different parts of the spectrum should be allowed for.
Origin of the short circuit decay profile and maintenance of the cation transport capacity of the larval lepidopteran midgut in vitro and in vivo.

Abstract The larval midguts of Hyalophora cecropia and Manduca sexta contain two primary cell types: a columnar cell and a goblet cell. Employing scanning electron microscopy, goblet cells were found to contain within their cavities semi-viscous matrix plugs. Massive release or removal of goblet matrix plugs is noted following a variety of physiological insults to the tissues, including stretching, gaseous carbon dioxide anesthesia, gut evacuation, gut excision in the absence of cold anesthesia, and mounting the tissue in a chamber designed for the study of cation transport. A reduction in the capacity to actively transport cations in vitro or in vivo follows each of these treatments. When a current (short-circuit current = ISC) is imposed across the isolated larval midgut that is equal but opposite in direction to the natural electromotive force generated by the tissue, a characteristic irreversible ISC (and potential = P.D.) decay profile is obtained. This decay profile normally consists of three phases : a transient increase in ISC, a rapid decay in ISC and a slower but continuous decay in ISC. The transient increase in ISC is an artifact associated with anoxia. The duration of this transient increase in ISC is related to elapsed time between mounting the midgut in a chamber designed for measuring ISC and the time at which the hemolymph side of the tissue is bathed in oxygenated saline. The rapid decay is associated with massive release of matrix plugs, an increase in membrane K+ conductance and a reduced capacity to transport K+. The slower decay is associated with further loss of plugs coupled with cell death. Cell death is caused by inadequacies in the saline normally employed to bathe the midgut epithelium in vitro. These inadequacies promote tissue histolysis and disruption of the normal epithelial topology.
Preparation of composites from elemental powders by reactive co-synthesis

The intermetallic compound MoSi[sub 2] has potential for use as an elevated temperature structural material. Desirable properties include high melting temperature (2030[degree]C), low density (6.25 g/cm[sup 3]) and excellent oxidation resistance. However, the fracture toughness of MoSi[sub 2] is about 3 to 5 MPa[radical]m and the elevated temperature strength of MoSi[sub 2] is inadequate. The addition of SiC as particles or whiskers has improved the elevated temperature strength and creep resistance of MoSi[sub 2]. The fracture toughness of MoSi[sub 2] reinforced with SiC whiskers has been reported to be 8.2 MPa[radical]m. Thus, MoSi[sub 2]/SiC is emerging as a promising high temperature composite. It was first reported in the late 1940's and early 1950's that MoSi[sub 2] could be synthesized by the direct reaction of elemental Mo and Si powders (9). This technique involves intimately mixing elemental powders to stoichiometric proportions. The reaction is initiated between the powders by either externally heating the mixture (9) or by passing current through an electrode that was buried in the mixture (10). The reaction product is commonly milled into prealloyed powder. The reaction is exothermic in nature due to the high thermal stability of the forming intermetallic compound. As a consequence, heat is liberatedmore » and the reaction becomes self-sustaining and self-propagating. This type of materials synthesis approach has been described variously in the literature as self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS), combustion synthesis or reactive synthesis. SiC is among the many compounds, besides MoSi[sub 2], that have been produced by the SHS technique (13-15). This research effort was undertaken in an attempt to synthesize MoSi[sub 2]/Si[sub C] composites in situ from elemental Mo, Si and C powders using a SHS type reaction that the authors have named reactive co-synthesis.« less
Electron Spin−Spin Exchange Coupling Mediated by the Porphyrin π System

The syntheses and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectral characterizations of porphyrins (1-3) substituted with two radical groups bound to trans-meso positions are described. One of these compounds, 3, has been studied by variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility and has been structurally characterized. Biradical porphyrin 3 is monoclinic, space group P2(1)/n, with a = 12.239(2) A, b = 17.819(3) A, c = 34.445(7) A, alpha = 90 degrees , beta = 97.466(3) degrees , gamma = 90 degrees , and Z = 2. The bis(nitroxide) porphyrins 1 and 2 exhibit fluid solution EPR spectra consistent with |J| >> |a|. No evidence was observed for conformational modulation of J by rotation about single bonds as shown by the lack of change of the EPR spectra as a function of temperature. The bis(semiquinone) porphyrin 3 exhibits frozen-solution EPR spectra with zero-field splitting and a Deltam(s) = 2 transition characteristic of a triplet state. The intensity of the Deltam(s) = 2 transition of 3 was measured as a function of temperature, and the data fit according to a singlet-triplet model to yield J(3,solution) = -75 cm(-1) (H = - 2Jŝ1.ŝ2). Polycrystalline samples of porphryin 3 were examined by variable-temperature magnetometry. The paramagnetic susceptibility data were fit using a modified Bleaney-Bowers equation to give J(3,solid) = -29 cm(-1) (H = - 2Jŝ(1).ŝ(2)). The antiferromagnetic J values are consistent with the pi topology of the porphyrin ring.
Expression of Autoactivated Stromelysin-1 in Mammary Glands of Transgenic Mice Leads to a Reactive Stroma During Early Development

Extracellular matrix and extracellular matrix-degrading matrix metalloproteinases play a key role in interactions between the epithelium and the mesenchyme during mammary gland development and disease. In patients with breast cancer, the mammary mesenchyme undergoes a stromal reaction, the etiology of which is unknown. We previously showed that targeting of an autoactivating mutant of the matrix metalloproteinase stromelysin-1 to mammary epithelia of transgenic mice resulted in reduced mammary function during pregnancy and development of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. Here we examine the cascade of alterations before breast tumor formation in the mammary gland stroma once the expression of the stromelysin-1 transgene commences. Beginning in postpubertal virgin animals, low levels of transgene expression in mammary epithelia led to increased expression of endogenous stromelysin-1 in stromal fibroblasts and up-regulation of other matrix metalloproteinases, without basement membrane disruption. These changes were accompanied by the progressive development of a compensatory reactive stroma, characterized by increased collagen content and vascularization in glands from virgin mice. This remodeling of the gland affected epithelial-mesenchymal communication as indicated by inappropriate expression of tenascin-C starting by day 6 of pregnancy. This, together with increased transgene expression, led to basement membrane disruption starting by day 15 of pregnancy. We propose that the highly reactive stroma provides a prelude to breast epithelial tumors observed in these animals.
Cloning and characterization of novel microsatellite DNA markers for the grass rockfish, Sebastes rastrelliger, and cross-species amplification in 10 related Sebastes spp

Here we report development and characterization of seven polymorphic loci derived from grass rockfish (Sebastes rastrelliger) genomic DNA phagemid libraries enriched for microsatellite motifs. Within grass rockfish, average allelic diversity was 11.3 alleles per locus and average heterozygosity was 0.73. The seven loci also were surveyed in 10 related species of Sebastes, where allelic diversity ranged from highly polymorphic to monomorphic. Deviations from Hardy–Weinberg were nonsignificant in all but one species/locus combination suggesting low occurrence of null alleles. Significant linkage disequilibrium was detected among three loci, but these events were limited to a single species in each case.
Gradient flows for organizing multi-agent system

In this paper, we consider a class of gradient flows that model rules by which a multi-agent system might approach to an equilibrium. The rules are quite simple to state, in fact they depend on a single attraction/repulsion function, but in the generality assumed here the analysis of the resulting flow presents several challenges. In part, these challenges arise from the natural invariance with respect to the Euclidean group of an equilibrium state, implying that it is just the shape of the configuration and not the Euclidean coordinates of the individual agents that matters. We establish, among other things, a metric property of the gradient flow and give conditions under which the paths of the individual agents remain bounded as the flow evolves. We give a parametrized definition of clustering which induces a partial order that reflects the granularity of the clustering and establish important properties of the lattice defined in this way. We also explain significant properties of the clusters related to the attraction/repulsion function. Finally, we note some generic properties of the class of attraction/repulsion functions considered here.
Aggregation and growth of submicron oxide particles in flames

Abstract Growth of aerosol particles in concentrated silica synthesis flames was measured by laser light scattering. Nitrogen adsorption was employed to characterize surface area. Throughout their detectible existence, the particles consist of flocs or aggregates which contain multitudes of smaller primary or protoparticles. Growth of these primary particles, controlled by fusion rate, is consistent with a classical coalescence model. The rate of aggregate growth is precisely described by a model based on Brownian collision frequencies. Experimental data corresponding to mean Knudsen numbers ranging from 0.3 to 6.0 reveal a shift from free-molecule to continuum behavior that is surprisingly sharp. Excellent agreement between theory and observations is, in fact, observed when the transition occurs at a point.
An efficient certificate revocation scheme for large-scale AMI networks

Given the large geographic deployment and scalability of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) networks, it is inefficient to create one large certificate revocation list (CRL) for all the networks. It is also inefficient to create a CRL for each meter having the certificates it needs because too many CRLs will be required. It is beneficial to balance the size of the CRLs and the overhead of forming and distributing them. In this paper, the certificate authority (CA) groups the AMI networks and composes one CRL for each group. We use Bloom filter to reduce the number of CRLs by increasing the groups size with acceptable overhead on the meters. However, Bloom filters suffer from false positives which is not acceptable in AMI networks because meters may miss important messages. We propose a novel scheme to identify and mitigate the false positives by making use of the fact that Bloom filters are free of false negatives. The meters should contact the gateway to resolve the false positives. We use Merkle tree to enable the gateway to provide efficient proof for certificate revocation without contacting the CA. We derive a mathematical formula to the probability of contacting the gateway as a function of the filter's parameters. We will show that this probability can be low by properly designing the Bloom filter. In order to assess the performance and the applicability of the proposed scheme, we use ns-3 network simulator to implement the scheme in a IEEE 802.11s-based mesh AMI networks. The results demonstrate that our scheme can be used efficiently for AMI networks.
Effects of DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate on metabolism of catecholamines in synaptosomes from rat brain.

: Incubation of synaptosomes from rat brain with dl-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (APV) stimulated an increased release of dopamine, and this effect was strictly dependent on the extrasynaptosomal calcium level. APV increased biosynthesis of dopamine from tyrosine by 30%, whereas monoamine oxidase activity was inhibited by 30%. When synaptosomes were incubated with radioactive dopamine, APV caused a large decrease in incorporation of label into 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid but greatly increased incorporation into norepinephrine and its N-methyl derivatives. Quantification of dopamine and its metabolites in synaptosomes, using electrochemical detection, indicated that the presence of APV resulted in changes in the absolute levels of the aforementioned dopamine metabolites similar to the changes in radiolabel incorporation. Omission of Ca2+ from the extrasynaptosomal medium greatly diminished the APV-induced changes in catecholamine metabolism. The metabolic changes appear to largely result from an increased intrasynaptosomal Ca2+ level due to the APV-induced increase in calcium permeability of the plasma membrane.
Determination of brain death by apnea test adapted to extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

d b WHEN CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR) has to be prolonged for more than 10 to 30 minutes, survival and neurologic outcomes are dismal.1 This has spurred the institution of rescue extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), known as extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). In this situation, ECMO provides both circulatory and oxygenation support via a system called venoarterial ECMO (VA-ECMO). Vascular access is achieved via the jugular and/or femoral route, and venous blood is drained into the ECMO device, oxygenated, warmed, and pumped back into the arterial system (Fig 1). An added benefit is that ECPR can facilitate therapeutic interventions that potentially could reverse the cause of the cardiac arrest or collapse (eg, emergent coronary revascularization or relief of cardiac tamponade). ECPR also allows the provision of therapeutic hypothermia by precise blood temperature control. There is some evidence, most of it from Taiwan, that ECPR in patients suffering from in-hospital cardiac arrest improves both shortand long-term survival when compared with conventional CPR,2,3 although this finding has not been consistent.1 The Extraorporeal Life Support Organization, a worldwide registry of more han 170 centers,4 has reported a steady increase in the number of atients receiving ECPR over the last 2 decades (Table 1).5 Although ECPR potentially may enhance survival and neurologic outcome, a substantial proportion of patients will nonetheless sustain severe neurologic complications, and there is a 1 in 5 hance of brain death.5 The 3 clinical findings necessary to confirm brain death include coma with a known cause, the absence of brainstem reflexes, and apnea (Table 2). The definitive diagnosis of brain death during ECPR is technically and logistically challenging. Conventional apnea testing is not feasible because oxygenation and carbon dioxide elimination are accomplished by ECMO. The transportation of a patient to the radiology suite for
A Note on Zeta Measures over Function Fields

Abstract Let r be a power of a prime number p, F r be the finite field of r elements, and F r[T] be the polynomial ring over F r. As an analogue to the Riemann zeta function over Z , Goss constructed the zeta function ζ F r[T](s) over F r[T]. In order to study this zeta function, Thakur calculated the divided power series associated to the zeta measure μx on F r[T]v, where v is a finite place of F r(T). This paper calculates the divided power series associated to the zeta measure on F r[T]∞= F r[[ 1 T ]] and expresses ζ F r[T](s) by an integral of some locally analytic function.
Intermittent Chaos in Josephson Junctions

The intermittent-type chaos occurring in rf- and dc-current-driven Josephson junctions is investigated. A simple physical model is proposed and is used for an analytic calculation of the power spectrum. The latter has a broadband part which decays algebraically at high frequencies. Comparison with numerical results shows good agreement. Further application and generalizations of this approach are outlined.
Viscous liquids and glasses under high pressure

Abstract The isomeric pentane system, as well as other systems, was studied as a function of pressure via Brillouin scattering. Room temperature experiments were carried out at different scattering angles in a Merrill-Bassett diamond anvil cell. The scattered light was analyzed using a nine-pass tandem Fabry-Perot interferometer. Isopentane and mixtures such as 1:1 pentane/isopentane vitrify at 7.4 GPa as determined by a change in the slope of the sound velocity vs. pressure curve, and in some cases by the onset of shear modes. From the sound velocity data and thermodynamic considerations, one can extend the equations of state for these systems to high pressure. When the acoustic shear mode is measureable, it is possible to calculate the high frequency shear modulus from the data. These calculations combined with the measured viscosity allow the determination of the shear relaxation time over a broad range of pressures.
348 Circulating PYY, Ghrelin, Leptin and Adiponectin Concentrations in Preterm Infants at Discharge from the Neonatal Unit

Background: Preterm infants are often in negative energy balance during the neonatal period. The aim of the present study was to determine the circulating concentrations of hormones involved in the regulation of metabolism, PYY, ghrelin, leptin and adiponectin, in preterm infants at discharge and to examine whether these hormones are interrelated with each other or correlated with the infants' anthropometric parameters, food intake and growth rates. Materials and Methods: Serum levels of PYY, ghrelin, leptin and adiponectin were measured by RIA in 62 preterm infants (gestational age 32.0±2.1 weeks, postnatal age 40.9±14.8 days) and 15 fullterm infants of a comparable postnatal age. All the infants were formula-fed on demand. Results: Preterm infants had higher PYY (1126.2±215.4 pg/ml, p<0.001) and ghrelin (721.7±98.0 pg/ml, p<0.001), and lower adiponectin levels (40.8±15.3 mcg/ml, p<0.01) than term infants (825.3±234.4, 602.4±93.7 and 53.1±16.0, respectively). Serum leptin concentrations did not differ significantly between preterm (0.1–15.6, median 1.2 mcg/L) and term infants (0.1–9.7, median 1.2 mcg/L). A correlation between the hormones studied was present only between serum PYY and ghrelin levels (r=0.50, p<0.001). In the entire study population, serum PYY concentrations were negatively correlated, whereas adiponectin concentrations were positively correlated, with gestational age, the infants' anthropometric measurements (birthweight, body weight, body length, BMI and head circumference) and the difference in body weight z-score. Ghrelin levels were negatively correlated with gestational age, the infants' anthropometric measurements and the difference in body length z-score. No correlation between serum leptin levels and any of the above variables was recorded. The concentrations of all the hormones studied were not correlated with the infants' caloric intake or weight gain. Conclusions: These findings indicate that PYY and ghrelin are increased in preterm infants, possibly to compensate for the negative energy balance. Adiponectin may have a role in the infants' growth.
Protocol considerations for thoracic positron emission tomography-computed tomography.

The rapid technological advances of positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET-CT) have introduced many new possibilities and questions as to how best to utilize and perform 2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) PET-CT for maximum clinical benefit. The focus of this discussion is the tailoring of PET-CT protocols, emphasizing the incorporation of optimized (diagnostic) CT techniques, for adult thoracic oncologic indications. Many of the protocol strategies described, particularly those involving breath-hold and contrast-enhanced CT, are based on the author's experience in a busy private practice PET-CT center, prior to a recent transition to an academic practice.
A constant radius of curvature model for the organization of DNA in toroidal condensates.

Abstract Toroidal DNA condensates have received considerable attention for their possible relationship to the packaging of DNA in viruses and in general as a model of ordered DNA condensation. A spool-like model has primarily been supported for DNA organization within toroids. However, our observations suggest that the actual organization may be considerably different. We present an alternate model in which DNA for a given toroid is organized within a series of equally sized contiguous loops that precess about the toroid axis. A related model for the toroid formation process is also presented. This kinetic model predicts a distribution of toroid sizes for DNA condensed from solution that is in good agreement with experimental data.
Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of Extraplanar Dust Structures in the Edge-On Spiral NGC 4217

We present high-resolution (~ 01) B, V, and I images of the edge-on Sb galaxy NGC 4217 obtained with the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) on-board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We make use of these images to study extraplanar (z > 0.4 kpc) dust structures visible in absorption against the background stellar light of the galaxy, similar to those observed previously in NGC 891 and other spiral galaxies by Howk & Savage. The HST images of NGC 4217 reveal extensive high-z dust to both sides of its midplane. The dust structures have a range of morphologies, and some of the more tenuous features are traceable to heights ~2 kpc from the midplane. We investigate the physical properties of 12 individual features. We measure the apparent optical extinctions of the features and use these to infer the hydrogen column densities and masses of the structures. The extraplanar dust structures in NGC 4217 typically have NH 4 × 1020 cm-2, with associated gas masses estimated to be 2 × 105 M⊙, assuming Milky Way gas-to-dust relationships apply to this spiral galaxy. The energy requirements for the expulsion of such massive structures into the lower halo are large; the gravitational potential energies of similar individual structures in NGC 891 (>1052 ergs) represent the energy input of at least tens of supernovae. The morphologies of some of the extraplanar dust structures in NGC 4217 suggest supernova-driven galactic fountain or chimney phenomena may be responsible for their production. Other features at high-z are not readily linked to energetic processes in the disk.
New approaches to synthetic receptors. Studies on the synthesis and properties of macrocyclic C-glycosyl compounds as chiral, water-soluble cyclophanes

In an approach for the preparation of macrocyclic C-glycosyl compounds, the C-glycosyl residue is synthesized by acid-assisted reduction of a cyclic hemiacetal with sodium cyanoborohydride. Macrocycle formation is effected by the reaction of a symmetrical bis(C-glycosyl)derived diamine with a dicarboxylic acid dichloride. The product macrocycles are presented as the first examples of a new type of chiral, water-soluble cyclophane. Molecules of this type are of interest as synthetic receptors for lipophilic substrates.
NGF stimulation increases JNK2 phosphorylation and reduces caspase-3 activity in the olfactory bulb of estrogen-replaced animals.

Estrogen receptors are extensively colocalized with neurotrophins and their receptors in the rodent forebrain. We have shown previously that estrogen increases mRNA and protein expression of the nerve growth factor (NGF)-specific tyrosine kinase receptor, trkA, while decreasing expression of the universal neurotrophin receptor p75. In view of the pro-survival roles described for trks and the context-dependent stimulation of survival and cell death pathways activated by p75, differential regulation of these receptors by estrogen is likely to alter neurotrophin-dependent cell signaling. This hypothesis was tested in vivo, using the rodent olfactory bulb as a model. We found that NGF activated the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) equally in estrogen replaced and hormone-deprived animals. However in the case of c-jun-kinase (JNK), a related MAP kinase, pretreatment with estrogen altered NGF activation of a specific isoform of this protein. Specifically, NGF stimulation did not alter JNK1 or...
The macroeconomics of counterpart funds revisited

Abstract Use of aid-generated counterpart funds has become an important issue again, especially in Africa. This paper explains why the monetary impact of counterpart funds is not inherently inflationary. When the import of aid-funded commodities, and the monetary balance-of-payments impact, are incorporated into the analysis, however, the expenditure of counterpart funds has a strong tendency to cause inflation, even though the monetary authorities counteract any increases in the money supply. But if aid-funded commodities permit output to grow, then the joint effect of additional imports and counterpart outlays can be deflationary. Further, the drawdown of counterpart accounts does not reduce government deficits, but merely finances them. Donors and recipient governments need to recognize that counterpart accounts do not represent real resources and have extremely limited use in development financing. The paper is written in nontechnical language with a technical appendix supporting its arguments.
Theoretical explanation of mouse satellite DNA renaturation kinetics.

DNA base sequence complexity is commonly calculated from k′2, the observed second order rate constant of renaturation corrected to constant molecular weight and defined renaturation conditions1–4. Several investigators have cautioned that k′2 is influenced by base pair mismatching in the reacting DNA sequences5–7, but no other serious difficulties have been noticed in using k′2 values to measure base sequence complexity except for the case of mouse satellite DNA. Waring et al.3 and Flamm et al.8 calculated a repeat length of 350 nucleotides from k′2 measurements, but Southern9 found a repeating unit of approximately twelve nucleotides by analysis of pyrimidine tracts. Hutton and Wetmur10 have recently shown that the kinetic complexity of mouse satellite DNA defies conventional analysis: the apparent repeat size calculated from k′2 depends upon the DNA fragment size. I shall show that for a particular kind of DNA structure, of which mouse satellite DNA is an example, the usual method of calculating base sequence complexity from k′2 cannot be used. The difficulty stems from an altered molecular weight dependence of k2 for DNA repeated sequences which are shorter than the length of the reacting DNA strands.
The State Strikes Back: Immigration Policy in the European Union

Scholars have argued that the dynamics of immigration control have changed. Unlike previ- ous waves of immigration which were controlled by national law and administration, this wave would be more diffi cult to control. Because of the constraints imposed by international agreements, international institutions, and national judicial authorities, controls would be embedded in international institutions and law that were assumed to be inclined to be less restrictive than national institutions and law. Looking at these patterns over the past 20 years, it now appears that international constraints on immigration control have been highly exaggerated. Indeed, international relations have become an important context for understanding the enhanced ability of states to control immigration, and to develop more muscular policies for integration. For this reason, international constraints may be less important for understanding the development of immigration policy than neo-nationalism, enhanced through intergovernmental relations in the international system. Therefore, what began as a scholarly discussion of the limits on restrictionist policies because of international constraints has developed into a discussion of the use of international relations to strengthen the effectiveness of restrictionist policies.
The Other Woman: Irreducible Alterity in Feminist Thealogies

Les ouvrages thealogiques du mouvement spirituel feministe contiennent un projet ethique qui commence par la critique de la centralite masculine dans les theologies traditionnelles. De nombreuses theories feministes occidentales reproduisent des exclusions, notamment de ceux qui vivent au-dela des frontieres des differences autres que le sexe. Les thealogies feministes doivent etre situees dans ce contexte de subjectivite individualiste. Les conceptions thealogiques feministes de la situation des femmes ont reproduit l'alterite a travers des tentatives de reformulation d'une totalite coherente opposee a l'oppression patriarcale
Galapagos: model-driven discovery of end-to-end application-storage relationships in distributed systems

Modern business information systems are typically multitiered distributed systems comprising Web services, application services, databases, enterprise information systems, file systems, storage controllers, and other storage systems. In such environments, data is stored in different forms at multiple tiers, with each tier associated with some level of data abstraction. An information entity owned by an application generally maps to several data entities, logically associated across tiers and related to the application. Discovery of such relationships in a distributed system is a challenging problem, complicated by the widespread adoption of virtualization technologies and by the traditional tendency to manage each tier as an independent domain. In this paper, we present a system and methodology for model-driven discovery of end-to-end application-data relationships spanning multiple tiers, from the applications to the lowest levels of the storage hierarchy. The key to our methodology involves modeling how data is used and transformed by distributed software components. An important benefit of our system, which we call Galapagos, is the ability to reflect business decisions expressed at the application level to the level of storage.
NMR-based metabonomic evaluation of livers from rats chronically treated with tamoxifen, mestranol, and phenobarbital

In this study, we look at the metabolic effects of long-term dosing with tamoxifen, mestranol or phenobarbital on the liver. Tamoxifen, mestranol and phenobarbital have all been reported to act as promoters of hepatic tumors. While tamoxifen and mestranol are known to have estrogenic activity, in the liver phenobarbital is a non-estrogenic compound. Aqueous and lipophilic liver extracts from control and chronically treated Fisher 344 rats were evaluated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). In both the aqueous and lipophilic sample sets, the estrogenic action of mestranol appears to be responsible for the clustering of these samples with those animals treated with tamoxifen. Phenobarbital does not have estrogenic activity and, therefore, clusters away from the estrogenic and control groups. In the lipophilic samples, the fatty acid peak (CH2) n was higher in tamoxifen-treated rats than in control, phenobarbital- or mestranol-treated rats. In the aqueous samples, serine and choline levels were higher in phenobarbital-treated rats than controls, which may be an indication that the folate–homocysteine metabolic pathways were altered.
Virtual reality in psychotherapy training

Virtual reality (VR) has myriad applications to psychotherapy training and has manifold adjunctive or primary applications to psychotherapeutic treatments. Unfortunately, VR technology has not yet advanced to a point where many of these applications are readily available or even affordable; however, alternatives are available, and the creative investigator may build upon existing, available, and affordable technology to develop simple VR systems. Eventually, more sophisticated equipment and design features that increasingly approximate the VR three-dimensional emersion environments may be added in a stepwise fashion to create more realistic iterations of the VR psychotherapeutic environment. In our initial VR training endeavor, elements of the empirically supported and multifaceted Systematic Treatment Selection model (STS, Beutler & Clarkin, 1990; Beutler, Clarkin, & Bongar, 2000; Beutler & Harwood, 2000) were chosen as training criteria and incorporated into our VR training system to demonstrate both its feasibility and practicality. This article outlines our initial endeavor in the development of a VR system for training in psychotherapy and summarizes STS training-relevant research findings. Future directions for the applications of VR technology to both training and treatment are provided.
The design and implementation of a network-based telephone recording system

With the growth of the demand for voice recording in the fields of railway and electric power, many kinds of digital voice recorders have appeared. General voice recorders can only record voice produced at one place, when voice appeared in many different places need to be recorded centrally, these kinds of recorders become helpless. The problem can be solved with a kind of network-based voice recording system. It uses microcontroller, voice encoder and Ethernet controller as the core components, and is programmed with the TCP/IP protocol stack. It can be used to transmit the voice data to a remote server for storage. Compared with the traditional recorder, it is cheaper, more flexible, and easier to update.
Binding of prostacyclin by plasma glycoproteins.

Abstract The binding of prostacyclin (PGI2) to plasma proteins and the resulting increase in PGI2 stability was investigated. Using gel filtration to separate bound and free PGI2, we have found that Cohn Fraction VI can bind PGI2, and retard its hydrolysis to 6-keto-PGF1α (6KPGF1α). The biological activity of the bound PGI2 correlated well with the quantity of bound PGI2, measured as 6KPGF1α by RIA. Fraction VI bound a greater percentage of PGI2 than the other eicosanoids tested (i.e., PGI2 > TXB2 > LTB4 > PGE1 > PGF2α). The PGI2 binding activity of Fraction VI was lost after neuraminidase treatment. Our data suggest that Fraction VI glycoproteins may play an important role in the binding and stabilization of PGI2 by plasma proteins.
Properties and Structure of Sodium-iron Phosphate Glasses

Abstract Selected properties of phosphate glasses, containing from 14 to 43 mol% Fe2O3 and up to 13 mol% Na2O, have been measured. With increasing Fe2O3 and Na2O content, the density and dilatometric softening temperature increased, whereas, the thermal expansion coefficient and dissolution rate in water or saline at 90°C decreased. Glasses containing more than 25 mol% Fe2O3 had an exceedingly good chemical durability. Their dissolution rate at 90°C in distilled water or in saline solution was up to 100 times lower than that of window glass. Mossbauer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate that iron(II) and iron(III) were both present in the glasses and the chemical durability improved with increasing iron(III) concentration. The outstanding chemical durability of these glasses was attributed to the replacement of POP bonds by more chemically resistant POFe(II) and POFe(III) bonds.
Nonisothermal Vulcanization of Devulcanized GRT with Reversion Type Behavior

Ground rubber tire (GRT) is devulcanized using a coaxial ultrasonic devulcanization reactor at different ultrasonic amplitudes. The devulcanized samples are revulcanized isothermally using a sulfur-based recipe at various temperatures utilizing an advanced polymer analyzer (APA 2000). The curves obtained showed a reversion in the cure that is more pronounced at higher temperatures. A simple vulcanization model is used to fit these cure curves and the corresponding kinetic model parameters are determined. Devulcanized samples are cured nonisothermally in the APA at various constant heating rates and multiple heating steps to verify the ability of this model to predict nonisothermal curing behavior, including reversion. In addition, the cross-link density and gel fraction of the samples cured in the APA are measured and correlated to the state of cure at different times during the curing reaction. Using this information along with the cure kinetics the cross-link density distribution of compression-molded d...
Connectivity in the yeast cell cycle transcription network: inferences from neural networks.

A current challenge is to develop computational approaches to infer gene network regulatory relationships based on multiple types of large-scale functional genomic data. We find that single-layer feed-forward artificial neural network (ANN) models can effectively discover gene network structure by integrating global in vivo protein:DNA interaction data (ChIP/Array) with genome-wide microarray RNA data. We test this on the yeast cell cycle transcription network, which is composed of several hundred genes with phase-specific RNA outputs. These ANNs were robust to noise in data and to a variety of perturbations. They reliably identified and ranked 10 of 12 known major cell cycle factors at the top of a set of 204, based on a sum-of-squared weights metric. Comparative analysis of motif occurrences among multiple yeast species independently confirmed relationships inferred from ANN weights analysis. ANN models can capitalize on properties of biological gene networks that other kinds of models do not. ANNs naturally take advantage of patterns of absence, as well as presence, of factor binding associated with specific expression output; they are easily subjected to in silico ‘‘mutation’’ to uncover biological redundancies; and they can use the full range of factor binding values. A prominent feature of cell cycle ANNs suggested an analogous property might exist in the biological network. This postulated that ‘‘network-local discrimination’’ occurs when regulatory connections (here between MBF and target genes) are explicitly disfavored in one network module (G2), relative to others and to the class of genes outside the mitotic network. If correct, this predicts that MBF motifs will be significantly depleted from the discriminated class and that the discrimination will persist through evolution. Analysis of distantly related Schizosaccharomyces pombe confirmed this, suggesting that network-local discrimination is real and complements well-known enrichment of MBF sites in G1 class genes.
Redundant features of design in blackboard (LMS) and user error

Assessment has become a ubiquitous and iterative activity of education. Instructional computing in its simplest terms involves the creation of integrated toolkits (resources) for use in the learning process. The increasing prevalence of Learning/Course Management Systems in higher education is providing some new opportunities to explore and assess the design of such systems in reaching their purpose as integrated platforms that create online learning environments. Certain web-based design features have some likeliness to result in user errors. Blackboard is such a case study.
Endometriosis and Mechanisms of Pelvic Pain

Endometriosis remains an enigmatic disorder in that the cause, the natural history, and the precise mechanisms by which it causes pain are not completely understood. The pain symptoms most commonly attributed to endometriosis are dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain. Pain may be due to nociceptive, inflammatory, or neuropathic mechanisms, and there is evidence that all 3 of these mechanisms are relevant to endometriosis-associated pelvic pain. It is proposed that the clinically observed inconsistencies of the relationships of endometriosis severity and the presence or severity of pain are likely due to variable roles of different pain mechanisms in endometriosis. A better understanding of the roles of nociceptive, inflammatory, and neuropathic pain in endometriosis is likely to improve the treatment of women with endometriosis-associated pelvic pain.
Contextualizing State Housing Programs in Latin America: Evidence from Leading Housing Agencies in Brazil, Ecuador, and Jamaica:

The policy literature offers many valid criticisms of government housing programs, but does not adequately trace housing-agency failures to their causes in the broader political and economic contexts of peripheral capitalist countries. The literature especially lacks an understanding of the role of interests within the state which benefit from housing programs in their current distorted form. In response to these analytical shortcomings, the author of this paper adapts a geographically hierarchical and comparative framework from locality studies that is capable of revealing both structural commonalities and contextual particularities of housing-agency behavior. The research is an examination and comparison of the performance of the major housing agencies in Brazil, Ecuador, and Jamaica. The diversity of economic resources and political regimes in these countries during the last three decades provides a spectrum of regional experiences. The investigation unfolds with the setting of the context of dependent...