cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Delta Modulation Systems for Video Encoding

This paper describes several adaptive delta modulators designed to encode video signals. One- and two-dimensional ADM algorithms are discussed and compared. Results are shown for bit rates of 2 bits/pixel, 1 bit/pixel and 0.5 bits/pixel. Pictures showing the difference between the encodeddecoded pictures and the original pictures are presented. Results are also presented to illustrate the effect of channel errors on the reconstructed picture. A two-dimensional ADM using interframe encoding is also presented. This system operates at the rate of 2 bits/pixel and produces excellant quality pictures when there is little motion. We also describe and illustrate the effect of large amounts of motion on the reconstructed picture.
An immunoblotting assay to facilitate the molecular diagnosis of Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome

Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) comprises a constellation of human autosomal recessive disorders characterized by albinism and platelet storage pool deficiency. At least eight types of HPS have been defined based on the identity of the mutated gene. These genes encode components of four ubiquitously expressed protein complexes, named Adaptor Protein (AP)-3 and Biogenesis of Lysosome-related Organelles Complex (BLOC)-1 through -3. In patients of Puerto Rican origin, the molecular diagnosis can be based on analysis of two founder mutations. On the other hand, identification of the HPS type in other patients relies on the sequencing of all candidate genes. In this work, we have developed a biochemical assay to minimize the number of candidate genes to be sequenced per patient. The assay consists of immunoblotting analysis of extracts prepared from skin fibroblasts, using antibodies to one subunit per protein complex. The assay allowed us to determine which complex was defective in each of a group of HPS patients with unknown genetic lesions, thus subsequent sequencing was limited to genes encoding the corresponding subunits. Because no mutations within the two genes encoding BLOC-3 subunits could be found in two patients displaying reduced BLOC-3 levels, the possible existence of additional subunits was considered. Through size-exclusion chromatography and sedimentation velocity analysis, the native molecular mass of BLOC-3 was estimated to be 140+/-30 kDa, a value most consistent with the idea that BLOC-3 is a HPS1HPS4 heterodimer (approximately 156 kDa) albeit not inconsistent with the putative existence of a relatively small third subunit.
Enhancement of On-Orbit Modal Identification of Large Space Structures Through Sensor Placement

Abstract An iterative method, called effective independence, is used to place a small number of sensors on a large space structure for identification of a set of dynamically important mode shapes. The work is important in the area of on-orbit modal identification where a very limited number of sensors will be available. The method ranks sensor locations based upon their contribution to the linear independence of the target modal partitions. Linear independence must be maintained to perform test-analysis correlation to determine the accuracy of the analytical model with respect to the test data. The derived sensor configuration maintains the spatial independence of the target modes and maximizes the determinant of the corresponding Fisher information matrix. The proposed sensor placement strategy also minimizes the size of the test data matrix used by a popular modal identification technique called the eigensystem realization algorithm. A simple numerical example demonstrates the theory. The eigensystem realization algorithm is used to extract mode shapes, frequencies, and damping from simulated response data for varying levels of noise and damping. In all cases considered, the effective independence sensor configuration accurately identified more target modes than sensor sets derived using other sensor placement techniques.
An Ecological Approach to Father Involvement in Biological and Stepfather Families

Using an ecological perspective and data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care, correlates of father involvement were examined for 68 stepfathers and 68 biological fathers of first-grade children to determine whether contextual factors associated with involvement differed between the two groups. Stepfathers and biological fathers did not differ in their relative amount of involvement in childrearing activities or in the quality of their engagement with their children, but family processes were different in stepfamilies compared with biological families. For stepfathers, but not biological fathers, marital satisfaction was positively related to the relative amount of involvement in childrearing activities, and for biological fathers, but not stepfathers, higher hours of maternal work were associated with a lower quality of father engagement.
Stimulation of serum-free cell proliferation by coenzyme Q.

Abstract Coenzyme Q added to culture media stimulates the growth of HeLa and Balb/3T3 cells in serum free conditions. The stimulation by coenzyme Q is additive to the stimulation by ferricyanide, an impermeable electron acceptor for the transplasma membrane electron transport. αTocopherylquinone can also stimulate cell growth, but vitamin K1 is inactive or inhibitory. The response to coenzyme Q and ferricyanide is enhanced with insulin. A contribution to plasma membrane NADH oxidation or modification of the membrane quinone redox balance can be a basis for the growth stimulation.
Substructure characteristics of titanium alloy weldments

The morphological characteristics of prior beta grain and subgrain boundaries in Ti-6 Al-6 V-2 Sn and Ti-6 Al-2 Sn-4 Zr-6 Mo fusion weldments have been studied using a unique decoration technique. Subgrain boundary characteristics were often found to differ from those of the more commonly observed microsegregation-revealed solidification substructure. Differences resulted both from alterations in the true cell boundary morphology and from the creation of secondary subgrain boundaries during weldment cooling. Decorated subgrain structures created during weldment cooling were often observed to be stable in weldments which had undergone super-transus post-weld heat treatment, and consequently which had experienced several allotropic transformations. Although a complete understanding of the decoration technique remains elusive, conclusions obtained concerning the validity of the subgrain decoration technique and weldment substructure characteristics were found to be complementary.
Effects of Parental Interaction on Infant Vocalization Rate, Variability and Vocal Type.

Examination of infant vocalization patterns across interactive and noninteractive contexts may facilitate better understanding of early communication development. In the current study, with 24 infant-parent dyads, infant volubility increased significantly when parent interaction ceased (presenting a “still face,” or SF) after a period of normal interaction (“face-to-face,” or FF). Infant volubility continued at the higher rate than in FF when the parent re-engaged (“reunion,” or RE). Additionally, during SF, the variability in volubility across infants decreased, suggesting the infants adopted relatively similar rates of vocalization to re-engage the parent. The pattern of increasing volubility in SF was seen across all of the most common speech-like vocal types of the first half-year of life (e.g., full vowels, quasivowels, squeals, growls). Parent and infant volubility levels were not significantly correlated. The findings suggest that by six months of age infants have learned that their vocalizations have social value and that changes in volubility can affect parental engagement.
Erik J. Dahl, Intelligence and Surprise Attack: Failure and Success from Pearl Harbor to 9/11 and Beyond

In Intelligence and Surprise Attack: Failure and Success from Pearl Harbor to 9/11 and Beyond, Eric J. Dahl discusses what remains one of the most important and pressing US domestic and internation...
Sensitivity Studies of the Models of Radar-Rainfall Uncertainties

Abstract It is well acknowledged that there are large uncertainties associated with the operational quantitative precipitation estimates produced by the U.S. national network of the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D). These errors result from the measurement principles, parameter estimation, and the not fully understood physical processes. Even though comprehensive quantitative evaluation of the total radar-rainfall uncertainties has been the object of earlier studies, an open question remains concerning how the error model results are affected by parameter values and correction setups in the radar-rainfall algorithms. This study focuses on the effects of different exponents in the reflectivity–rainfall (Z–R) relation [Marshall–Palmer, default Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD), and tropical] and the impact of an anomalous propagation removal algorithm. To address this issue, the authors apply an empirically based model in which the relation between true rainfall and radar rainfall coul...
Structure-Zone Models Of Thin Films

Structure zone models based on examinations of thin films using optical and scanning microcopy have provided useful guide-lines in categorizing general regimes of film growth behavior. However, many observations have been made since the original zone model for evaporated coatings was proposed by Movchan and Demichishin in 1962 and extended to magnetron sputtering in 1974. The purpose of this paper is to revisit the structure zone models and their physical interpretation in the light of recent experimental and computer simulation observations.
The Expansion of the New York Securities Market at the Turn of the Century

Since the landmark article of Thomas Navin and Marian Sears on the rise of the market for industrial securities in the Business History Review (XXIX, June 1955), there has been an active interest in the causal relationship between the remarkable upsurge in corporate mergers of industrial companies early in this century, and the greater activity of the securities markets. Professor Smiley adds to this literature with a study of interest rates and the growth of activity in what contemporaries called “financial banking” (lending money for transactions in securities) as opposed to commercial banking. There are limits to the inference of cause and effect relations from financial activity, however, and historians must continue to study these phenomena merger by merger in order to draw conclusions as to the reasons for them.
Timing high-speed microprocessor circuits using picosecond imaging circuit analysis

IBM Research has developed a time resolved imaging technique, Picosecond Imaging Circuit Analysis (PICA), which uses single photon events to analyze signals in modern microprocessors on a picosecond time scale. This paper will describe the experimental setup as well as the data management software. A case study of a particularly hard debug problem on a state of the art microprocessor will demonstrate the application of the PICA method.
FACTORS INFLUENCING CUSTOMER PURCHASING IN A WORKSITE CAFETERIA1

Employees at the Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) were surveyed to determine reasons for use or nonuse of the employee cafeteria, and for factors influencing entree selection. This study was part of a larger study that involved modifying hot entrees to contain less than 30% of calories from fat and less than 1000 mg of sodium. Hot entrees were then marketed as such on the menu board and serving line and were evaluated by cafeteria customers. In the current study, employees were asked to rate the importance of 13 factors that could be involved in their entree selection and to rate the degree of influence the same factors had on their decision to purchase a hot entree. Following the marketing of hot entrees, a similar survey again was sent to all KFB employees. Analysis of variance was used to compare responses before and after marketing using responses from individuals completing both surveys. Employees responding to the premarketing survey rated food quality and price as the factors most important in the purchase decision to purchase a hot entree. When pre and postmarketing surveys were compared there were few changes. Price appeared to be more influential than health value issues in the purchase decision of KFB employees. The only nutrient information that customers appeared interested in obtaining was calories per serving and grams of fat per serving. Foodservice operators who emphasize food quality and high value may encourage customers to purchase entrees modified to be more healthful.
The rise and fall of IQ in special ed: Historical trends and their implications

Using IQ records from 10 sites around the country, we examined longitudinal trends in IQ among mental retardation (MR) students during the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) to WISC-Revised (R) transition in the 1970s and learning disability (LD) students during the WISC-R to WISC-3rd Revision (III) transition in the 1990s. Based on the work by Flynn [American Journal of Mental Deficiency 90 (1985) 236; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law 6 (2000) 191], we predicted a rise in IQ followed by a fall each time a newly normed IQ test is introduced into the schools and used to diagnose children as MR or LD. As expected, we found that mean IQs of MR and LD students followed a nearly identical parabolic trajectory, and differed depending on what year they were tested. IQs from the older norms were higher than IQs from the newly introduced norms. This systematic shift had a significant impact on the likelihood of a MR diagnosis. The broader implications of this pattern are discussed.
An electron microscope study of spermiogenesis in the grasshopper with particular reference to the development of microtubular systems during differentiation

Early in spermiogenesis of the grasshopper, numerous microtubules (manchette) develop in association with a perinuclear and pericentriolar granular aggregate. Eventually the microtubules, in a helical configuration, form a layer investing the spermatid nucleus. As the nucleus elongates and the chromatin condenses, the layer of microtubules appears to straighten and form usually three concentric layers around the late spermatid nucleus. The microtubules appear to degenerate following the nuclear elongation process so that they are no longer present in the head region of the completely mature sperm. Microtubules do develop in the midpiece and tail during spermiogenesis and persist in the mature spermatozoa. In these regions they are associated with the nebenkern and flagellar filaments. Those microtubules associated with the peripheral flagellar filaments as well as the two central filaments of the flagellum usually contain a dense internal body about 75 A in diameter.
Constraints on the acquisition of semantic knowledge

In this article we explore the issue of domain-specificity in language learning. the point to be argued here is that although language acquisition requires substantial domainintensive knowledge, some of the mechanisms used in concept acquisition can be seen as special cases of more general learning strategies; that is, domain-independent strategies operating within domain-dependent constraints. We present a computational model of concept 2cquisition making use of these strategies, operating within a model of lexical organization, called Constraint Semantics. This is a rich lexical semantics embedded within a “markedness theory,” constraining how semantic functions relate to one another. Constraint semantics is a restrictive calculus limiting the search space of possible word meanings for the language leaner. This, in effect, acts as a set of wellformedness conditions, defining the constraints for what possible logical decompositions a word might contain. the general approach taken here is based on the supposition that predicates from the perceptual domain are the primitives for more abstract relations. We then describe an implementation of this model, TULLY, which mirrors the stages of lexical acquisition for children. Examples are given showing how hierarchical structure for concepts is acquired, as well as the development of polysemy relations for verbs.
Temperature dependence of the optical absorption below the band edge in thin films of a-Si:H

Abstract A new technique is described for measuring optical absorption within the band gap of a-Si:H and related alloys. This technique employs the photoluminescence (PL) as a convenient light source and allows measurement of absorption coefficients in the approximate range 0.1 ⩽ α ⩽ 100 cm−1. The possible use of PL absorption spectroscopy (PLAS) to study interface effects is also demonstrated.
Dynamic joint outage identification and state estimation in power systems

Joint outage identification and state estimation is studied in power systems in which cascading outages dynamically develop and network states dynamically evolve. A recursive algorithm is developed that computes in closed form the joint posterior of cascades and network states at every time step. A beam search technique is employed that prevents the number of cascades to compute from growing exponentially. Because the joint posterior is a sufficient statistic for jointly identifying the cascades and estimating the states, the derived closed forms can be applied to develop the optimal dynamic joint detector and estimator under any performance criterion. We simulate cascading line outages with uncertain network states in the IEEE 14-bus and 57-bus systems, and the proposed algorithm is evaluated for dynamically identifying outages and estimating states at every time step. It is observed that retaining just a few cascades in the beam search can achieve a joint identification and estimation performance close to that with all cascades retained.
Molecular Characterization of the β-N-Acetylglucosaminidase of Escherichia coli and Its Role in Cell Wall Recycling

The β-N-acetylglucosaminidase of Escherichia coli was found to have a novel specificity and to be encoded by a gene (nagZ) that maps at 25.1 min. It corresponds to an open reading frame, ycfO, whose predicted amino acid sequence is 57% identical to that of Vibrio furnissii ExoII. NagZ hydrolyzes the β-1,4 glycosidic bond between N-acetylglucosamine and anhydro-N-acetylmuramic acid in cell wall degradation products following their importation into the cell during the process for recycling cell wall muropeptides. From amino acid sequence comparisons, the novel β-N-acetylglucosaminidase appears to be conserved in all 12 gram-negative bacteria whose complete or partial genome sequence data are available.
Developmental Programming: Gestational Bisphenol-A Treatment Alters Trajectory of Fetal Ovarian Gene Expression

Bisphenol-A (BPA), a ubiquitous environmental endocrine disrupting chemical, is a component of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Because of its estrogenic properties, there is increasing concern relative to risks from exposures during critical periods of early organ differentiation. Prenatal BPA treatment in sheep results in low birth weight, hypergonadotropism, and ovarian cycle disruptions. This study tested the hypothesis that gestational exposure to bisphenol A, at an environmentally relevant dose, induces early perturbations in the ovarian transcriptome (mRNA and microRNA). Pregnant Suffolk ewes were treated with bisphenol A (0.5 mg/kg, sc, daily, produced ∼2.6 ng/mL of unconjugated BPA in umbilical arterial samples of BPA treated fetuses approaching median levels of BPA measured in maternal circulation) from days 30 to 90 of gestation. Expression of steroidogenic enzymes, steroid/gonadotropin receptors, key ovarian regulators, and microRNA biogenesis components were measured by RT-PCR using RNA derived from fetal ovaries collected on gestational days 65 and 90. An age-dependent effect was evident in most steroidogenic enzymes, steroid receptors, and key ovarian regulators. Prenatal BPA increased Cyp19 and 5α-reductase expression in day 65, but not day 90, ovaries. Fetal ovarian microRNA expression was altered by prenatal BPA with 45 down-regulated (>1.5-fold) at day 65 and 11 down-regulated at day 90 of gestation. These included microRNAs targeting Sry-related high-mobility-group box (SOX) family genes, kit ligand, and insulin-related genes. The results of this study demonstrate that exposure to BPA at an environmentally relevant dose alters fetal ovarian steroidogenic gene and microRNA expression of relevance to gonadal differentiation, folliculogenesis, and insulin homeostasis.
School-based drug abuse prevention with inner-city minority youth.

SUMMARY This study tested the effectiveness of a drag abuse prevention intervention with a predominantly minority sample of seventh-grade students (N = 721) in 7 urban schools in New York City. The drag abuse prevention curriculum teaches social resistance skills within the context of a broader intervention promoting general personal and social competence and implemented by regular classroom teachers. Results indicated that this approach was effective on several behavioral measures of current drug use including measures of polydrag use and on intention measures relevant to future drag use. Furthermore, there was some evidence for factors presumed to mediate the effects of this type of intervention (normative expectations and refusal skills). The significance of these findings is that they provide farther support for the generalizability to a minority inner-city adolescent population of an approach previously found to be effective with white middle-class adolescent populations. In addition, this is the fir...
Identifying microorganisms which fill a niche similar to that of the pathogen: a new investigative approach for discovering biological control organisms

Understanding the mechanisms of suppressive soils should lead to the development of new strategies to manage pests and diseases. For suppressive soils that have a biological nature, one of the first steps in understanding them is to identify the organisms contributing to this phenomenon. Here we present a new approach for identifying microorganisms involved in soil suppressiveness. This strategy identifies microorganisms that fill a niche similar to that of the pathogen by utilizing substrate utilization assays in soil. To demonstrate this approach, we examined an avocado grove where a Phytophthora cinnamomi epidemic created soils in which the pathogen could not be detected with baiting techniques, a characteristic common to many soils with suppressiveness against P. cinnamomi. Substrate utilization assays were used to identify rRNA genes (rDNA) from bacteria that rapidly grew in response to amino acids known to attract P. cinnamomi zoospores. Six bacterial rDNA intergenic sequences were prevalent in the epidemic soils but uncommon in the non-epidemic soils. These sequences belonged to bacteria related to Bacillus mycoides, Renibacterium salmoninarum, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. We hypothesize that bacteria such as these, which respond to the same environmental cues that trigger root infection by the pathogen, will occupy a niche similar to that of the pathogen and contribute to suppressiveness through mechanisms such as nutrient competition and antibiosis.
Two-stage planar approximation of non-planar crack growth

Abstract Mechanical components subject to multiaxial variable amplitude loading may experience non-planar crack growth, which usually requires three dimensional finite element analyses for high fidelity simulation of non-planar fatigue crack growth. This is computationally expensive and prohibits recurrent use of high fidelity models in further probabilistic life prediction analysis. This paper presents an efficient and accurate two-stage approach for planar approximation of non-planar crack growth that reduces the computational effort. In this method, the non-planar crack is first approximated using an equivalent planar crack. Then, using the equivalent representation, planar crack growth analyses designed to account for uncertainty in crack growth are conducted. The proposed methodology employs two surrogate models: the first surrogate model is trained using 3-D simulations of non-planar fatigue crack growth to capture the relationship between the applied load history and equivalent planar crack orientation. The second surrogate model is trained using planar crack growth simulation to calculate the stress intensity factor as a function of crack size, crack orientation, and load magnitude for use in planar crack growth analysis. Individual predictions of the two surrogate models, as well as their combined predictions are verified for accuracy using full 3-D finite element simulations. The verified two-stage approach is then demonstrated in an illustrative example of uncertainty quantification in 3-D crack growth prediction in a mechanical component similar to a rotorcraft mast.
Contrast-enhanced microwave imaging of breast tumors using sparsity regularization

We propose a technique for microwave imaging of breast tumors using contrast agents to influence the tumor dielectric properties. Scattered field data obtained before and after the agent alters the tumor properties are used to formulate a microwave inverse scattering problem whose solution is the change in dielectric properties introduced by contrast agent. A relatively small number of voxels are assumed to be influenced by the contrast agent, so the change in dielectric properties is obtained using a regularizer that encourages sparse solutions. A computational study using 2D numerical breast phantoms indicates tumors are accurately localized by this method and suggests this is a promising approach to tumor localization even in dense breast tissue.
Nursing Induces a Biphasic Release of Prolactin in Rhesus Monkeys

The effect of nursing on serum PRL levels was studied in four conscious unrestrained rhesus monkeys (20--46 days postpartum) fitted previously with exteriorized cardiac catheters. On the day of an experiment, the infant was transferred to a separate room for 9.5 h. Blood samples for PRL assay were collected from the mother at frequent intervals for 1 h before and 3 h after returning the infant. In all instances, vigorous suckling of the nipple was observed within 10 min of reuniting mother and infant and resulted in an elevation of serum PRL from an initial value of 7.4 +/- 0.5 ng/ml (mean +/- SEM) to a peak at 90 min of 339.7 +/- 56.1 ng/ml. Analysis of secretory patterns from individual animals revealed that PRL release was biphasic. During phase I, which began within 10--50 min of returning the infants and lasted for 20--50 min, serum PRL concentrations increased at an average rate of 0.47 ng/ml . min. This was followed by phase II, lasting 20--40 min, during which serum PRL rose at a 20-fold greater rate (10.57 ng/ml . min) to sustained maximum levels. Whether this unusual pattern of PRL secretion occurs as a consequence of neuroendocrine interactions unique to this species or simply reflects the prolongation and partitioning of a secretory process common to other mammals remains to be determined.
Early polyneuropharmacologic intervention in brain injury agitation.

Objective To evaluate clinical outcomes observed in the treatment of posttraumatic brain injury agitation with multiple medications. Design Longitudinal evaluation of effect of treatment intervention on patients admitted to a level 1 trauma center with traumatic brain injury. Eleven adult patients referred for physiatry consultation to manage posttraumatic brain injury agitation were treated with a combination of medications and other agents (antipsychotics and sedatives) were discontinued. The Rancho Los Amigos scale was rated on initial consultation and follow-up, ranging from 1 to 3 wk. Results All 11 patients demonstrated an average improvement of three Rancho Los Amigos levels within an average treatment duration of 10 days. Simultaneously, 9 of 11 patients were discontinued from treatment and prescribed antipsychotic and sedative agents. Conclusions The findings suggest that administration of multiple neuropharmacologic agents used early in the treatment of posttraumatic brain injury agitation may be an effective therapeutic intervention in which behavioral and, possibly, cognitive benefits occur. These results were noted as patients were discontinued from other agents more commonly employed in the acute care setting for the treatment of posttraumatic brain injury agitation. Further research is needed to determine the most effective medication combinations and the best time to initiate treatment.
Older age and elevated blood pressure are risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage after thrombolysis

Abstract Intracerebral hemorrhage is an important concern after thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction, but risk factors are controversial. Accordingly, we assessed risk factors in 107 treated patients of whom 4 had intracerebral hemorrhage. Intracerebral hemorrhage occurred at a mean of 25 hours (range 3.5 to 48) after therapy and was fatal in 2 patients. Significant differences were found between patients with and without intracerebral hemorrhage for age (77 ± 7 vs 62 ± 11 years, p ≤ 0.01), and initial (161 ± 23 vs 135 ± 23 mm Hg, p ≤ 0.03) and maximal (171 ± 30 vs 146 ± 20, p ≤ 0.02) systolic blood pressures. Initial and maximal diastolic blood pressures also tended to be higher (101 ± 25 vs 86 ± 16, p ≤ 0.07; 104 ± 24 vs 90 ± 13, p ≤ 0.06). Differences did not achieve significance for comparisons of gender, height, weight, site of infarction, time to therapy, specific thrombolytic agent used, concomitant therapy, interventions and partial thromboplastin time. It is concluded that age (≥70 years) and elevated blood pressure ( ≥ 150 95 mm Hg) are important risk factors for intracerebral hemorrhage. The overall balance of benefit and risk of thrombolysis should continue to be assessed by large mortality trials.
Growth response, endocrine profiles and reproductive performance of fine-wool ewe lambs treated with ovine prolactin before breeding

Twenty-four 6-mo-old ewe lambs received one of two ovine prolactin (oPRL) treatments 28 d before fall breeding. Beginning on the first day of treatment (Day 0), 12 lambs received a subcutaneous injection (12 ml) of a carrier vehicle (0 mg oPRL) on alternate days for 28 d while 12 lambs received injections containing 5 mg oPRL. On Days 0 and 28, jugular blood was collected from six lambs in each group before treatment and at 30-min intervals for 6 h thereafter. Neither feed intake, efficiency of gain nor animal weights differed (P > 0.20) between groups. One hour after treatment on Day 0, ewe lambs receiving 5 mg oPRL had greater (P 0.20) in PRL concentrations between control (48.3 +/- 5.3 ng/ml) and oPRL-treated (55.7 +/- 5.3 ng/ml) ewes. Neither serum insulin nor growth hormone responded (P > 0.05) to exogenous oPRL on either Day 0 or 28. No difference (P > 0.30) in percentage of ewe lambs cycling during treatment or breeding was detected between groups. Subsequent lambing percentages were similar (P > 0.30), with 36.4% of control and 25.0% of oPRL-treated ewes producing offspring. Administering 5 mg oPRL on alternate days for 28 d before breeding did not enhance growth and(or) reproductive performance in virgin ewe lambs.
Effects of various parameters in differential scanning calorimetry of hydrogen-peroxide-treated lignocellulose

Differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analyses of mixtures of hydrogen peroxide and lignocellulosic materials have been performed. The influence of chamber atmosphere composition, heating rate, pinhole size, lignocellulose particle size, and hydrogen peroxide-to-lignocellulose ratio were examined. With the exception of particle size, the variables produced significant effects on the DSC curves. These effects were mainly connected with changes in the atmosphere surrounding the sample, sample density, heat capacity, and heat conductance.
Retrograde amnesia for old (reactivated) memory: some anomalous characteristics

Old memory, when reactivated by cue exposure, was disrupted by mild or deep hypothermia treatments. New memory was impaired only by deep cooling. Moreover, old but not new learning showed spontaneous recovery. Old reactivated memory may be qualitatively different from newly acquired memory.
Reduction of field of view for dynamic imaging.

This paper describes a simple technique that improves the temporal resolution for certain dynamic imaging applications. The technique is based on the assumption that the image to image intensity changes sought in dynamic imaging studies ire sometimes localized, and a smaller field of view can be used to reduce imaging time. Technical details and experimental results are presented. Experimental results show that this technique works reasonably well for in vivo applications.
Human C/EBP-ϵ activator and repressor isoforms differentially reprogram myeloid lineage commitment and differentiation

CCAAT enhancer-binding protein-epsilon (C/EBP-ϵ) is required for the terminal differentiation of neutrophils and eosinophils. Human C/EBP-ϵ is expressed as 4 isoforms (32, 30, 27, and 14 kDa) through differential RNA splicing, and alternative promoters and translational start sites. The C/EBP-ϵ32/30 isoforms are transcriptional activators, whereas C/EBP-ϵ27 interacts with and represses GATA-1 transactivation of eosinophil promoters. C/EBP-ϵ14 contains only DNA-binding and -dimerization domains and may function as a dominant-negative regulator. To define functional activities for these C/EBP-ϵ isoforms in myelopoiesis, human CD34+ progenitors were transduced with internal ribosomal entry site–enhanced green fluorescent protein retroviral vectors encoding the 32/30, 27, and 14-kDa isoforms, purified by fluorescence-activated cell sorter, and analyzed in colony-forming assays and suspension cultures. Progenitors transduced with C/EBP-ϵ32/30 default exclusively to eosinophil differentiation and gene expression, independent of interleukin-5, and regardless of inclusion of cytokines to induce other lineages. In contrast, the putative repressor C/EBP-ϵ27 isoform strongly inhibits eosinophil differentiation and gene expression, including GATA-1, promoting granulocyte (neutrophil)-macrophage differen-tiation. The C/EBP-ϵ14 repressor isoform strongly inhibits eosinophil development and gene expression, promoting erythroid differentiation, an effect enhanced by erythropoietin. Thus, C/EBP-ϵ isoforms can reprogram myeloid lineage commitment and differentiation consistent with their predicted activities based on activator and repressor domains and in vitro functional activities.
T-box proteins differentially activate the expression of the endogenous interferon γ gene versus transfected reporter genes in non-immune cells

The T-box transcription factor T-bet is expressed in a number of hematopoetic cell types and plays an essential role in the lineage determination of Th1 T-helper cells. In the absence of T-bet, CD4(+) T-cells fail to induce IFNgamma, the cytokine whose expression characterizes Th1 cells. Here we show that, surprisingly, T-bet induces the expression of endogenous IFNgamma in non-immune human cells, including 293 and other cell lines. Thus T-bet can induce IFNgamma expression independently of its role in T-cell lineage determination. In addition, mutations in T-bet, and chimeras of T-bet with other transcription factors including the T-box transcription factor, TBX2, differentially affect the ability of T-bet to activate expression of endogenous IFNgamma versus a T-site regulated reporter gene. A truncated T-betVp16 fusion protein strongly activates the T-site reporter but fails to activate endogenous IFNgamma. Conversely, native T-bet strongly activates endogenous IFNgamma expression but only weakly activates the reporter gene. Fusion of the Vp16 activation domain to full-length T-bet greatly increases its activation of both endogenous IFNgamma and transfected T-site reporter gene expression. In contrast, TBX2Vp16 potently activates the T-site reporter but has a negligible effect on endogenous IFNgamma expression. Butyrate treatment of T-bet expressing cells potentiates the expression of endogenous IFNgamma but weakly represses expression of the T-site reporter gene. These data indicate that induction of endogenous IFNgamma can be uncoupled from differentiation into the Th1 lineage and that the expression of endogenous IFNgamma versus a T-site reporter gene is differentially regulated by T-bet and other T-box proteins.
Eating patterns and obesity.

This report deals with certain theoretical and clinical aspects of the problem of overeating and obesity. It considers the advantages, especially in psychiatric research, if obesity were found to represent, not one disease, but the end stage of a variety of different conditions with differing etiologies. Experimentally-induced obesity in animals serves as a model of such a contingency since it can be produced by different methods, which result in different types of obesity. Some of the most striking differences have been found in the field of behavior, a recent study having demonstrated characteristic differences between the feeding patterns of obese and non-obese mice, and even between the feeding patterns of mice afflicted with different forms of obesity. The eating behavior of obese human subjects is considered from this point of view, and three distinctive eating patterns are described. The first of these patterns is that of the night-eating syndrome, characterized by morning anorexia, evening hyperphagia, and insomnia. The second pattern is that of the eating binge, in which large amounts of food are consumed in an orgiastic manner at irregular intervals. The third pattern is that of eating-without-satiation which has been observed in persons suffering from damage to the central nervous system.
Hamiltonian dynamics of the double sine-Gordon kink

We present a complete Hamiltonian treatment of a kink with an internal degree of freedom, namely the double sine-Gordon (DSG) kink. In this formalism we assign two canonical coordinates and their associated momenta to describe the motion of the center of mass of the DSG kink and the relative motion of its two subkinks. We show that the canonical coordinate representing the separation of the two subkinks describes a nonlinear oscillatory degree of freedom. Consequently, the DSG kink behaves like a ''molecule'' (4..pi.. kink) comprised of two ''atoms'' (each of a single 2..pi.. kink) held together by a nonlinear potential. As an application of our formalism, we obtain the solutions for the nonlinear internal motion of the DSG in the absence of the radiation field.
Friction Anisotropy with Respect to Topographic Orientation

Friction characteristics with respect to surface topographic orientation were investigated using surfaces of different materials and fabricated with grooves of different scales. Scratching friction tests were conducted using a nano-indentation-scratching system with the tip motion parallel or perpendicular to the groove orientation. Similar friction anisotropy trends were observed for all the surfaces studied, which are (1) under a light load and for surfaces with narrow grooves, the tip motion parallel to the grooves offers higher friction coefficients than does that perpendicular to them, (2) otherwise, equal or lower friction coefficients are found under this motion. The influences of groove size relative to the diameter of the mating tip (as a representative asperity), surface contact stiffness, contact area, and the characteristic stiction length are discussed. The appearance of this friction anisotropy is independent of material; however, the boundary and the point of trend transition depend on material properties.
Distribution Pattern and Reduction of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB) in Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus) Fillets through Adipose Tissue Removal

Bluefish, Pomatomus saltatrix, a migratory pelagic species of fish usually travel in large groups of like size along the Atlantic coast. Bluefish of all sizes are caught both commercially and recreationally for human consumption. Owing to its predacious nature, bluefish feed throughout the water column on a large variety of smaller fish and invertebrates. Bluefish bioaccumulate contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) into various adipose tissues from the water column and through the marine food chain. Two recent reports concluded that PCB concentrations for all except some of the large bluefish caught along the Atlantic coast fell below the limit of 2 ..mu..g/g set by FDA. The purpose of this study was to observe the distribution pattern of PCB in the various edible tissues. Further, it was to determine if the removal of adipose tissues would result in reduced PCB level and therefore decrease PCB exposure to the consumer.
United States policy and the transition to democracy in Kenya, 1990-1992

This study examines U.S. policy on the transition to democracy in Kenya from the beginning of 1990 to the end of 1992. It uses the case study method and relies on data from official policy documents and oral interviews to understand why, how and with what results the U.S. intervened in Kenya's democratic transition. It focuses on the pressure by the U.S. government on the government of President Daniel arap Moi to accede to growing demands for democratic reforms, especially to allow multipartyism, to generally review the country's laws and constitution, to release political prisoners, and to hold free and fair multiparty elections. The central thesis is that U.S. pressure was instrumental in nudging the recalcitrant Moi regime to repeal the one-party clause in the constitution in December 1991, thus allowing for multipartyism, and to take other measures to open up the political system. The U.S. used both its hegemonic position as the sole superpower and influence in the donor community to rally international pressure for democratic reform in Kenya. It also deployed its diplomatic and economic leverage it had accumulated over the years as one of Kenya's major donors and diplomatic patrons to apply pressure independently on the Moi regime. U.S. unilateral and multilateral initiatives played a great role in the inauguration of the transition to democracy which saw the government legalize the opposition, release political prisoners, amend some of the laws and to ultimately organize the first multi-party elections in twenty-six years Its contribution to the inauguration of the transition notwithstanding, U.S. policy was, however, fraught with contradictions, ambivalence, equivocation and conflicts between the major actors (Congress, the Administration in Washington and the embassy in Nairobi). These problems arose mainly because of the perennial conflict between promotion of democracy and other goals of U.S. foreign policy. The need to address other urgent issues of national interest sometimes led to policy actions that either slowed pressure for reform or contradicted stated policy all together. This only goes a long way in underlining the limitations of external actors as agents of democratic reform in countries where they intervene.
Immunopathology of Pyelonephritis: Studies on the Pathogenesis and Diagnosis of the Renal Lesion

According to data from the Human Transplant Registry [1], chronic pyelonephritis (CPN) accounted for 14.1% of about 12000 patients requiring transplantation; it was second only to chronic glomerulonephritis as the cause of chronic renal failure. It is not certain how the diagnoses of CPN in this large series were made, but the figure is remarkably close to that we found with 100 consecutive bilateral nephrectomy specimens removed before transplantation at the Boston City Hospital and Boston University School of Medicine, in which complete gross and microscopic pathological examination was performed [2, 3]. The data from the transplant material are skewed towards a greater percentage of patients with chronic glomerulonephritis, since anatomic malformations often preclude transplantation for CPN. The term chronic pyelonephritis has come to signify a chronic renal disease caused by bacterial infection; however, the renal parenchymal lesions in this condition are largely nonspecific and can be produced by various types of injury. A number of studies [4] have emphasized that many patients with the pathologic lesions of CPN give no clinical evidence of infection, either recent of remote, and in our own series [2] about 50% of patients with clearcut CPN had no evidence of infection nor any of the conditions normally associated with CPN (i. e., obstruction or vesico-ureteral reflux). The terms abacterial CPN or nonbacterial CPN have thus emerged [5]. Heptinstall [6] cautions that the diagnosis of CPN should be restricted to cases in which there in inflammation and scarring of the pelvis or calyces. If this is done, the overall frequency of CPN diagnosed at autopsy and surgery diminished, but one is left with a number of cases of focal or diffuse chronic interstitial nephritis without pelvis scarring, in which no etiology is apparent. In addition, there is no a priori reason to attribute all cases with pelvis scarring to bacterial infection, since some patients with scarred pelves have no evidence of infection despite clinical progression [2, 5]. Other conditions such as vesico-ureteral reflux without infection [7] and analgesic nephropathy may result in calyceal deformities that are difficult to distinguish from those seen in chronic pyelonephritis.
Membrane Localization of Membrane Type 1 Matrix Metalloproteinase by CD44 Regulates the Activation of Pro-Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 in Osteoclasts

CD44, MT1-MMP, and MMP9 are implicated in the migration of osteoclast and bone resorption. This study was designed to determine the functional relationship between CD44 and MT1-MMP in the activation of pro-MMP9. We used osteoclasts isolated from wild-type and CD44-null mice. Results showed that MT1-MMP is present in multiple forms with a molecular mass ~63, 55, and 45 kDa in the membrane of wild-type osteoclasts. CD44-null osteoclasts demonstrated a 55 kDa active MT1-MMP form in the membrane and conditioned medium. It failed to activate pro-MMP9 because TIMP2 binds and inhibits this MT1-MMP (~55 kDa) in CD44-null osteoclasts. The role of MT1-MMP in the activation of pro-MMP9, CD44 expression, and migration was confirmed by knockdown of MT1-MMP in wild-type osteoclasts. Although knockdown of MMP9 suppressed osteoclast migration, it had no effects on MT1-MMP activity or CD44 expression. These results suggest that CD44 and MT1-MMP are directly or indirectly involved in the regulation of pro-MMP9 activation. Surface expression of CD44, membrane localization of MT1-MMP, and activation of pro-MMP9 are the necessary sequence of events in osteoclast migration.