cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monetary policy under misspecified expectations

Abstract This paper examines policy rule choices for a central bank that faces uncertainty about the process of expectation formations by economic agents. The economy contains both ‘rule-of-thumb’ agents who base their expectations on recent observations and agents who have rational expectations. The central bank is uncertain about the fraction of the rule-of-thumb agents. I find that when the economy is more forward-looking, the central bank responds more aggressively to inflation and output. But the uncertainty-averse central bank evaluates policies by the performance in the worst case. In my economy the worst case is when a large fraction of agents are backward-looking. Therefore the best policy for the uncertainty-averse central bank involves moderate responses. This minimax rule agrees more closely with empirically estimated less responsive Taylor rules. The paper also uncovers the importance of expectation formations on optimal policy choices.
Near-infrared spectroscopy: Continuous measurement of cytochrome oxidation during hemorrhagic shock

Objective Mitochondrial cytochrome a,a3 redox shifts can be determined by near-infrared wavelength reflection. Since near-infrared wavelengths penetrate skin and bone, a potential exists to noninvasively measure mitochondrial oxidation using this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to compare
Graduate medical education in the changing environment of medicine.

THE US graduate medical education system has been strongly criticized by policymakers and by private and public agencies for not being responsive to the population's health needs. Comments usually focus on the unwillingness of the accreditation and education systems to generate the proper mix of specialties and to influence a more equitable geographical distribution of physicians. No one disputes the inadequacy of the distribution of medical specialties, particularly in the medical care of underserved populations, but to blame solely the graduate medical education and accreditation systems is to ignore the absence of population-based planning for health services—a governmental responsibility—and the important, though lesser, contributions of other medical education components. Education, accreditation, licensure, certification, and practice, although interrelated, are all directed by different organizations. Changes in only one or two of these components will never be sufficient to solve the health manpower problems of the health care delivery system, which would
Electrophysiologic evaluation and follow-up characteristics of patients with recurrent unexplained syncope and presyncope

Abstract One hundred nineteen patients with unexplained syncope (82%) or presyncope (18%) underwent complete electrophysiologic study (EPS). Symptoms were recurrent in 72% of the patients. Fifty-two percent of the patients had structural heart disease. Forty-one patients had normal EPS results and 78 had electrophysiologic abnormalities (ventricular tachycardia in 31, induced atrial flutter/ fibrillation in 17, vasovagal syncope in 8, hypersensitive carotid sinus syndrome in 7, supraventricular tachycardia in 6, heart block in 5 and sick sinus syndrome in 4). The presence of structural heart disease (p = 0.0033) and previous myocardial infarction (p = 0.05) were the only clinical or electrocardiographic predictors of a positive EPS response. Therapy was guided by EPS and patients were followed for 27 ± 20 months (mean ± standard deviation). In the patients with negative EPS results, 76 ± 11% (mean ± standard error) were symptom-free at follow-up, compared to 68 ± 10% in the group with positive EPS responses. No clinical variables helped to predict remission in the absence of therapy. One patient in the negative EPS response group and 2 patients in the EPS positive group died suddenly (cumulative survival 94 ± 4%). Total cardiovascular mortality was 13% in the positive EPS response group, and 4% in the negative EPS response group. Thus, certain clinical characteristics are helpful in selecting patients for study. Electrophysiologically guided therapy is associated with a recurrence and sudden death rate similar to an untreated control group. EPS can identify a subgroup of patients at low risk of recurrence of symptoms and sudden death in the absence of therapy.
Some comments on inclusion relationships

Evaluation of two commonly used microstructural criteria for determining the origin of inclusions, namely the existence of a host–inclusion orientation relationship and continuity between inclusions and matrix, using two specific examples of inclusions of tschermakite in actinolitic hornblende, shows that these criteria can be difficult to implement and if not applied carefully will give contradictory results. Consequently, it may be difficult to establish the origins of inclusions; petrographic studies should therefore clearly state the criteria used for interpretation of host–inclusion relationships and how these criteria were implemented.
Periodicity of Mortality of Brook Trout during First Summer of Life

Abstract Little is known about the periodicity of mortality of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) between the egg stage at midwinter and the fingerling stage the following fall. In a 300-yard (0.77-acre) section of the Pigeon River, Otsego County, Michigan, the average instantaneous mortality rate of young brook trout was computed to be 0.02419 per day from emergence in March to June 26, 0.00691 per day from June 26 to July 24, and 0.00519 per day from July 24 to September 19, 1961.
Cholera toxin and membrane gangliosides: binding and adenylate cyclase activation in normal and transformed cells.

A virally transformed, ganglioside GM1-deficient cell line binds 2% of the cholera toxin (choleragen) bound by the parent, line and is less responsive to choleragen with respect to adenylate cyclase stimulation. This biological response is maximal when 10% of choleragen-binding sites in the transformed line, or 0.5% in the parent line, are occupied. In contrast, in isolated fat cells saturation of binding and adenylate cyclase stimulation are seen at very similar concentrations. Incubation of ganglioside GM1 with intact cells increases choleragen binding (defined here as ganglioside incorporation) in the transformed cell line but does not enhance the biological response to choleragen. Stimulation of adenylate cyclase is enhanced in isolated fat cells, however, by exogenous ganglioside GM1. The binding and cyclase response in fat cells can be reduced by the addition of the inactive analog and competitive antagonist, choleragenoid, and there is recovery of the enzyme response and binding upon subsequent addition of exogenous GM1. Failure of enhancement in the transformed cell line is explained by the presence of a five- to tenfold excess of binding sites over the number required for the full biological effect of choleragen. Cells with a large excess of toxin receptors are relatively refractory to the blocking effects of choleragenoid on biological responses. Notably, untransformed cells, which contain large quantities of toxin receptor, cannot incorporate exogenously added ganglioside GM1. These findings suggest the possible existence in the cytoplasmic membrane of specific molecular structures, present in finite and limited number, for recognizing and accepting ganglioside molecules exposed to the external medium.
Effect of therapy on serum thyroglobulin levels in patients with Graves' disease.

Forty-one patients with hyperthyroidism secondary to Graves’ disease (n=34), toxic adenoma (n=5), or multinodular toxic goiter (n=2) were studied. The 34 patients with Graves 's disease were followed for an extended period of time before, during, and after various forms of therapy. All hyperthyroid patients had elevated serum thyroglobulin (HTg) levels before therapy, regardless of cause. Ten patients with euthyroid Graves' disease had normal serum HTg levels ranging from 2.7-13.5 ng/ml. Patients with hyperthyroidism due to Graves’ disease who underwent a subtotal thyroidectomy (n=8) had immediate postoperative increases in serum HTg levels, followed by a rapid fall towards the normal range. Patients who were treated with 131I (n=3) had a rise in serum HTg levels reaching a peak between 24 h to 30 days after radioisotope administration. All patients who underwent successful ablative herapy had significantly lower serum HTg levels after therapy. Of the 24 patients treated with long termantithyroid medicati...
Regulation of Uric Acid Excretion by the Kidney

It has been known for many years that the kidney plays a major role in uric acid homeostasis, as more than 70% of urate excretion is renal. Furthermore, hyperuricemia in gout is most commonly the result of relative urate underexcretion, as the kidney has enormous capacity for urate reabsorption. A clear understanding of the mechanisms of renal handling of urate has been hampered by the differences between humans and animal models. The power of human genetics and genome-wide association studies has now provided new insight into the molecular mechanisms of urate transport by identifying the transporters that have critical roles in urate transport. This review surveys the new evidence for a molecular model of urate transport in the renal proximal tubule and uses these data to refute the popular four-component model for urate transport that has long been in vogue. It also discusses data that help us understand the relation of diuretics to hyperuricemia, losartan-induced uricosuria, variations in uric acid levels in hyperglycemia, and the effects of dairy diets on serum urate levels. In the end, several of these clinical findings are explained, and the remaining gaps in our knowledge will become evident.
Inhibition of the binding of low-density lipoprotein to its cell surface receptor in human fibroblasts by positively charged proteins

A group of proteins and polyamino acids with positively charged domains were shown to inhibit the binding of 125I-LDL to its receptor on the surface of human fibroblasts. The list of inhibitory proteins included platelet factor 4 (which has a cluster of lysine residues at its carboxyl terminus), two lysine-rich histones, poly-L-lysines of chain length greater than 4, and protamine. These proteins were effective in the concentration range of 5--10 microgram/ml. Two other positively charged proteins, lysozyme and avidin, did not inhibit 125I-LDL binding. Kinetic studies suggested that protamine was not acting simply as a competitive inhibitor with regard to the LDL receptor. In light of previous data showing that polyanions such as heparin and polyphosphates also inhibit 125-I-LDL binding to its cell surface receptor, the current findings suggest that charge interactions are important in this binding reaction. In a related series of studies, a number of glycoproteins and their asialo derivatives as well as a number of sugar phosphates failed to inhibit 125I-LDL binding to its receptor in fibroblasts.
Degas's “Misogyny”

In response to a series of nudes at their toilette, pastels exhibited by Degas at the Eighth Impressionist Exhibition in 1886, the contemporary novelist and critic J.-K. Huysmans initiated what has since become an established convention in the Degas literature: that of seeing personal malevolence as the unavoidable implication of Degas's rejection of feminine stereotypes. Although Huysmans was not unsympathetic to the iconoclasm that had impelled Degas to substitute “real, living, denuded flesh” for “the smooth and slippery flesh of ever nude goddesses,” he could see no other motivation for this iconoclasm than a personal desire on the artist's part to “humiliate” and “debase” his subjects. Degas, he maintained, had “brought an attentive cruelty and a patient hatred to bear upon his studies of nudes.”1
J. S. Mill's Political Thought: A Bicentennial Reassessment

J. S. Mill's Political Thought: A Bicentennial Reassessment. Edited by Nadia Urbinati and Alex Zakaras. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 400p. 27.99 paper.John Stuart Mill is as famous for his celebrated contradictions as for the originality of his thinking. What else should we expect from a disciple of the likes of Bentham and Coleridge, Saint-Simon and Tocqueville, Wilhelm Von Humboldt and Auguste Comte? Much of the two centuries since Mill's birth has been spent trying to figure out how all of these diverse influences can be made to fit together into one tidy package, and this may explain why there are almost as many renditions of J. S. Mill as there are Mill interpreters. Simultaneously heralded as the poster child of libertarianism and of social control, defender of women's rights and whipping boy of contemporary feminists, aristocratic critic of democratic culture and defender of Athenian-style participatory democracy, a liberal reformer who condoned empire—the list of Mill's paradoxes goes on and on. What makes this volume such a breath of fresh air is the way these essays build upon, without duplicating, traditional interpretations. Original, illuminating, and suggestive of altogether new directions in Mill scholarship, this collection should carry us well into the third full century of engagement with his life and political thought.
Purification of components of the plasmin system.

Abstract Methods for the purification and isolation of plasminogen, plasmin and the SK-plasminogen activator are reviewed. In addition, a new method is presented for the isolation of highly purified plasmin, and preliminary data are presented concerning attempts to isolate the SK-plasminogen activator in purer form than has hitherto been possible.
Human T-cell stimulation, molecular characterization and in situ mRNA localization of a Brugia malayi recombinant antigen

Cellular immune responses play a major role in lymphatic filarial infections. To further our understanding of the host-parasite interaction, we investigated T-cell stimulation by purified filarial recombinant antigens in peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from filarial-infected individuals. One of a subset of cloned Brugia malayi antigens involved in the humoral immune response to filarial infection was found to be a T-cell-stimulating antigen. The fusion protein encoded by clone lambda Bm19 induced proliferation of human T cells in a parasite-specific, antigen dose-dependent manner. The deduced amino acid sequence from this cloned region revealed 4 predicted T-cell recognition sites. The lambda Bm19 DNA sequence hybridizes to a 3-kb transcript, and in situ mRNA hybridization analyses of the adult female worm demonstrated that this gene is expressed in developing uterine microfilariae. The native parasite protein is present in several developmental stages since clone lambda Bm19 was initially identified with antiserum directed against the infective larval stage; this protein is therefore a potential target for the host's immune system.
Membranelss micro fuel cell chip enabled by self-pumping of fuel-oxidant mixture

Despite the significant research in micro fuel cells, miniaturizing a whole fuel cell system to below a few millimeters did not appear feasible until very recently, because ancillary parts (e.g. external pump, gas separator) are needed to complete a self-standing system. Building on the recently discovered self-pumping fuel cell free of the ancillary parts, here we design and test new self-pumping fuel cell architecture free of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Benefiting from the selectivity of catalysts on each electrode under slow flow rates, we find that the device can be run in a mixed stream instead of the two streams of unmixed laminar flows of fuel and oxidant, greatly simplifying the design. Proof-of-concept device verifies the mechanism of embedded fuel pumping and CO 2 degassing, while producing 8 mW/cm2 of peak power density.
Finitary isomorphism of some renewal processes to Bernoulli schemes

Abstract Using the marker and filler methods of Keane and Smorodinsky, we prove that entropy is a complete finitary isomorphism invariant for r-processes. It is conjectured that entropy is a complete finitary isomorphism invariant for finitary factors of Bernoulli schemes. We present a weaker version of this conjecture with hope that its proof is more attainable with present methods. In doing so, we define a one-way finitary isomorphism and prove one-way finitary results for random walks. We will also extend the marker and filler methods of Keane and Smorodinsky to a class of countable state processes.
Tissue distribution and neurotoxic effects of domoic acid in a prominent vector species, the northern anchovy Engraulis mordax

The planktivorous northern anchovy is a prominent vector of the phycotoxin domoic acid (DA) to organisms at higher trophic levels, including fish-eating seabirds and mammals. Although there are abundant data reporting DA-induced excitotoxic symptoms in higher vertebrates, to date there has been no reported evidence of neurotoxic effects in lower vertebrate vectors such as fish. To explain this apparent lack of toxicity, it has been suggested that DA may not reach the brain in anchovies and/or that fish are not as sensitive neurologically to DA. In the present study, intracoelomic (IC) injection of DA, at doses ranging from 1 to 14 μg DA g−1 total fish weight, resulted in severe neurotoxic symptoms such as spinning, disorientation, inability to school, and mortality, indicating that anchovies are neurologically susceptible and that DA crosses the blood–brain barrier in fish. An ED50 of 3.2 μg DA g−1 total body weight was determined via IC injection of DA in 83 anchovies. Comparable intraperitoneal injection studies with mice, rats, and monkeys report similar DA-induced neurotoxic symptoms at doses near 3.2 μg DA g−1, suggesting a similar neurologic sensitivity and mechanism of toxicity between anchovies and mammals. DA tissue distribution measurements from freshly collected field-exposed anchovies and orally gavaged anchovies indicate that DA uptake from the gastrointestinal tract does occur. Levels as high as 1,175 μg DA g−1 were measured in anchovy viscera, while muscle and brain tissue DA levels were 3 orders of magnitude lower, indicating low but measurable DA uptake. Further evidence is needed to confirm that uptake is sufficient during field events to induce symptoms in anchovies. Our work provides the first reported evidence of neurotoxic symptoms in fish and suggests that anchovies may be affected by DA during toxic diatom blooms. If sufficient uptake occurs, DA-induced neurotoxic symptoms and mortality may make fish easier prey targets, thereby selecting for the highest toxin levels transferred, as well as providing a possible pathway for the transfer of DA to benthic communities.
Efficacy of the combination of carboplatin and cyclophosphamide in the treatment of metastatic insulinoma.

(1992). Efficacy of the Combination of Carboplatin and Cyclophosphamide in the Treatment of Metastatic Insulinoma. Cancer Investigation: Vol. 10, No. 6, pp. 523-524.
Ubiquitination of α-Synuclein Is Not Required for Formation of Pathological Inclusions in α-Synucleinopathies

α-Synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, are neurodegenerative disorders in which abnormal inclusions containing α-synuclein accumulate in selectively vulnerable neurons and glia. In this report, immunohistochemistry demonstrates ubiquitin in subsets of α-synuclein inclusions in dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy. Biochemistry demonstrates that α-synuclein in the sodium dodecyl sulfate-soluble fractions of diseased brains is ubiquitinated, with mono- and di-ubiquitinated species predominating over polyubiquitinated forms. Similar immunohistochemical and biochemical characteristics were observed in an A53T mutant human α-synuclein transgenic mouse model of neurodegenerative α-synucleinopathies. Furthermore, in vitro ubiquitination of α-synuclein fibrils recapitulated the pattern of α-synuclein ubiquitination observed in human disease and the A53T α-synuclein mouse model. These results suggest that ubiquitination of α-synuclein is not required for inclusion formation and follows the fibrillization of α-synuclein.
Additive representations over actions and acts

Abstract This paper develops axiomatic foundations of rational decision making involving a choice among action–acts pairs. In the context of the state-space formulation of agency theory, this paper clarifies the assumptions underlying the additive representations that are often used to depict agents' behavior in the analysis of principal–agent problems. The paper invokes the algebraic approach that renders the analysis general.
Mayer'S Hemalum-Methyl Salicylate: A Stain-Clearing Technique for Observations Within Whole Ovules

Nondissected ovaries of tuber-bearing Solatium sp. were stained with Mayer's hemalum, a positive stain for chromatin and nucleoli, and then optically cleared with methyl salicylate, a clearing agent. Clarity, resolution and contrast within the ovules dissected from ovaries were comparable to those of sectioned, paraffin embedded ovaries. Contrast within ovules greatly exceeded that of unstained and nonspecifically stained clearings, and eliminated the need of special optics, i.e, Nomarski interference-contrast optics, for optimal viewing and photography. Much less time and labor were required than for embedded specimens. Usefulness of the technique for cytogenetic and cytological research was verified by analyzing meiosis and other features of megasporogenesis and megagametogenesis in normal, and in two meiotic mutants, of Solatium. The results illustrate the usefulness of combined Mayer's hemalum staining and methyl salicylate clearing, and suggest additional stain-clearing agent combinations have potent...
Abiogenic methanogenesis during experimental komatiite serpentinization: Implications for the evolution of the early Precambrian atmosphere

Abstract Hydrothermal alteration of oceanic ultramafic rocks can produce significant abiotic methane as a byproduct; however, the abundance of peridotites is limited in the modern basaltic oceanic crust. Abiogenic methanogenesis was likely more productive in the early Precambrian when komatiitic volcanism delivered a much larger proportion of ultramafic material to the crust. It is therefore possible that hydrothermal alteration in the Hadean and Archean could have led to a higher methane flux to the atmosphere than today, potentially influencing the average surface temperature of the early Earth. This hypothesis was tested in a series of experiments in which natural and synthetic komatiite powders were reacted with an aqueous solution containing isotopically labeled formic acid at 300 °C and 350 bars. Over 2 months, experiments containing the natural powder generated labeled methane ( 13 CH 4 ) at a rate 5–8 × faster than concurrent experiments containing the synthetic komatiite. A similar difference was also observed between the natural komatiite and previous experiments on olivine serpentinization at the same conditions. Faster rates of methanogenesis in the natural komatiite experiments could be due to catalysis by magnesiochromite, which was present only in the natural komatiites. However, this was ruled out because parallel experiments containing additional magnesiochromite failed to increase methane yields. The most likely catalysts of the remaining candidate minerals were deduced to be Ni-sulfides, common accessory minerals in komatiites that have previously been shown to accelerate organic reactions. Because Ni-sulfides were particularly abundant in Archean komatiites, the experiments imply that methane yields during seafloor alteration were higher on the early Earth than today. This inference, in combination with the assumptions of faster crustal production rates and greater volumetric proportions of ultramafic lithologies, leads to the conclusion that methane flux from serpentinization of an Archean komatiite-bearing oceanic crust was likely higher than that from metamorphism of the modern oceanic crust. Incorporation of this result into existing geodynamic and atmospheric models suggests that alteration of the Archean seafloor may have contributed to the regulation of temperature of the paleoatmosphere. However, additional sources of greenhouse gases are required to solve the Faint Young Sun paradox for the early Archean.
The Age-Associated Alterations in Late Diastolic Function in Mice Are Improved by Caloric Restriction

Caloric restriction reduces the magnitude of many age-related changes in rodents. Cardiac function is altered with senescence in mice, rats, and healthy humans. We examined the effects of life-long caloric restriction on diastolic and systolic cardiac function in situ using Doppler techniques in ad libitum-fed 30- to 32-month-old (AL) and calorically restricted (CR) 32- to 35-month-old female B6D2-F1 hybrid mice. The heart weight to body weight ratio was similar in AL (5.74 +/- .24 mg/g) and CR (5.68 +/- .20 mg/g) mice. Two systolic functional parameters known to decrease with age in both humans and mice, peak aortic velocity and aortic acceleration, were unchanged by CR compared to AL. In contrast, diastolic function was altered by caloric restriction. Although left ventricular peak early filling velocity (E) was not different between CR and AL, peak atrial filling velocity (A) was 50% lower in CR compared to AL (p < .001). The ratio of early diastolic filling to atrial filling (E/A ratio) was 64% higher in the CR (2.74 +/- .31) than the AL (1.55 +/- .07; p = .004). The fraction of ventricular filling due to atrial systole, the atrial filling fraction, was also reduced in CR (.21 +/- .04) compared to AL (.36 +/- .02; p = .007). These changes occurred in CR without alteration in E deceleration time, which is consistent with improved diastolic function in CR. Through mechanisms that remain unknown, lifelong caloric restriction may prevent the age-related impairments in late diastolic function but does not alter the impairments in systolic or early diastolic cardiac function.
"Money, Power, and Up or Out Decisions:Utilizing Theory to Predict Commercial Banking Determinations"

This paper examines power and resource dependence in the context of commercial banking retention or exit decisions. Power and dependence are shown as relationship attractors when balanced. Imbalance is shown as a disenchantment intermediary. Economic conditions, bank structure according to size, client relationship complexity, and regulatory pressure form proposed boundaries to exit decisions. A form of opportunism is proposed that influences exit decisions in economic severity. A prescription is developed for the commercial banking client to help mitigate adverse bank decisions.
An economic model for the machining of cast parts

Abstract A procedure for selecting a casting/machining strategy is presented. The procedure emphasizes the casting/machining process sequence rather than the mathematics of optimization that generally characterizes research in this class of problems. By using information readily available in most machine shops, the technique is practical, easy to implement, and requires a minimal amount of computational effort to arrive at a good solution strategy.
Immunization of patients with sjögren's syndrome with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine

Thirty-two patients with Sjogren's syndrome were randomly selected to receive either multivalent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine or saline placebo in a double-blind study. Among placebo treated patients, levels of antipneumococcal antibodies remained constant. Immunized patients developed significant elevations of antibody concentrations against all 12 capsular serotypes measured. Levels fell, but persisted above baseline, for 8 of the serotypes 6 months after immunization. During the 6-month study no clinical or serologic evidence of disease exacerbation occurred in either group. We conclude that pneumococcal vaccine can be safely and successfully administered to patients with Sjogren's syndrome.
Transmission of phonons through grain boundaries in diamond films

With the advent of new growth techniques, research on the properties of diamond has undergone a rebirth in recent years. The capability of producing very high quality polycrystalline films has greatly enhanced the prospects of exploiting the extreme physical properties of this substance. One area of great interest has been the thermal conductivity K of synthetically produced diamond. Vapordeposited material is now made routinely with room temperature thermal conductivities up to 85% that of bulk single crystals. It is not yet clear, however, what processes limit the conductivity to values below that of single crystal material. Some time ago, it was recognized”2 that the polycrystalline nature of the film morphology could provide some limitation to the thermal conductivity at and even above room temperature. More recently, detailed studies of the anisotropy of the thermal conductivity3 as well as a through-the-thickness gradient in K’,~ have provided some indirect evidence of the influence of grain boundary scattering. On the other hand, it has also been shown6 that very low levels of defects within the grains, most likely associated with small concentrations of nondiamond carbon, are capable of strongly degrading the thermal conductivity over the temperature range 20-300 K. Separation of the influence of grain boundaries and other defects is complicated by the fact that samples with smaller grains usually have more defects since the latter tend to be concentrated at grain boundaries7 One can, in principle, differentiate to some extent between the effects of intragrain defects and grain boundaries on the heat conduction by measuring K
Modelling the isotopic evolution of the Earth.

We present a flexible multi-reservoir (primitive lower mantle, depleted upper mantle, upper continental crust, lower continental crust and atmosphere) forward-transport model of the Earth, incorporating the Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, U-Th-Pb-He and K-Ar isotope-decay systematics. Mathematically, the model consists of a series of differential equations, describing the changing abundance of each nuclide in each reservoir, which are solved repeatedly over the history of the Earth. Fluxes between reservoirs are keyed to heat production and further constrained by estimates of present-day fluxes (e.g. subduction, plume flux) and current sizes of reservoirs. Elemental transport is tied to these fluxes through 'enrichment factors', which allow for fractionation between species. A principal goal of the model is to reproduce the Pb-isotope systematics of the depleted upper mantle, which has not been done in earlier models. At present, the depleted upper mantle has low (238)U/(204)Pb (mu) and (232)Th/(238)U (kappa) ratios, but Pb-isotope ratios reflect high time-integrated values of these ratios. These features are reproduced in the model and are a consequence of preferential subduction of U and of radiogenic Pb from the upper continental crust into the depleted upper mantle. At the same time, the model reproduces the observed Sr-, Nd-, Ar- and He-isotope ratios of the atmosphere, continental crust and mantle. We show that both steady-state and time-variant concentrations of incompatible-element concentrations and ratios in the continental crust and upper mantle are possible. Indeed, in some cases, incompatible-element concentrations and ratios increase with time in the depleted mantle. Hence, assumptions of a progressively depleting or steady-state upper mantle are not justified. A ubiquitous feature of this model, as well as other evolutionary models, is early rapid depletion of the upper mantle in highly incompatible elements; hence, a near-chondritic Th/U ratio in the upper mantle throughout the Archean is unlikely. The model also suggests that the optimal value of the bulk silicate Earth's K/U ratio is close to 10000; lower values suggested recently seem unlikely.
Narrowband pulsed polarization-entangled photon source for free-space quantum key distribution

We demonstrate a narrowband pulsed source of polarization-entangled photons based on parametric downconversion in a phase-stable Sagnac interferometer that is suitable for free-space quantum key distribution with high key generation rates.
Effects of photochemical smog and mineral nutrition on Ponderosa pine seedlings

Abstract Two-year-old seedlings of ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws) were exposed to ambient concentrations of photochemical smog (AA) and clean air (CA) during a single field season at Tanbark Flat of the San Gabriel Mountains in the Los Angeles Basin. The seedlings were grown in a perlite-vermiculite medium with full supply of nutrients (based on modified Hoagland solution); reduced to 50% supply of N; reduced to 50% supply of Mg; and reduced to 50% supply of N + Mg. No significant effects of air pollution exposures on injury development, stem growth and concentrations of plant pigments were determined. The seedlings in the AA treatment had decreased N concentration in current year needles compared with CA seedlings; however, the needle concentrations of other elements did not change. Reduction of N supply in the growing medium caused decreased N, P, Ca, K and chlorophyll a concentrations in needles. Stem growth of the seedlings with reduced N supply was significantly decreased as well. No changes in stem growth or chemical composition of plants with reduced Mg supply were noted. Reduction of supply of nutrients did not change responses of trees to the air pollution exposures.
Using a resource allocation model to guide better local sexually transmitted disease control and prevention programs

Abstract Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) are two common sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States. Annual screening for CT for all sexually active women aged 25 years and younger, all pregnant women, women with history of STDs, or women older than 25 years who are at increased risk of infection (e.g., women who have a new or more than one sex partner) is recommended by several medical professional organizations. Publicly-funded programs usually do not have enough funding to screen and treat all patients. Therefore, we propose a resource allocation model to assist clinic decisionmakers under a given budget in selecting a CT and GC screening and treatment strategy for clinic patients. This model is designed to maximize the number of cured cases. Our study demonstrates that a resource allocation model can be used to identify an optimal strategy among many potential strategies to guide decisions about effective use of limited resources for CT and GC control and prevention. The results of the model also helped to identify key variables in the model and to understand how each key variable affects the determination of the optimal strategy.
Resistance to maribavir is associated with the exclusion of pUL27 from nucleoli during human cytomegalovirus infection.

Select mutations in the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) gene UL27 confer low-grade resistance to the HCMV UL97 kinase inhibitor maribavir (MBV). It has been reported that the 608-amino acid UL27 gene product (pUL27) normally localizes to cell nuclei and nucleoli, whereas its truncation at codon 415, as found in a MBV-resistant mutant, results in cytoplasmic localization. We now show that in the context of full-length pUL27, diverse single amino acid substitutions associated with MBV resistance result in loss of its nucleolar localization when visualized after transient transfection, whereas substitutions representing normal interstrain polymorphism had no such effect. The same differences in localization were observed during a complete infection cycle with recombinant HCMV strains over-expressing full-length fluorescent pUL27 variants. Nested UL27 C-terminal truncation expression plasmids showed that amino acids 596–599 were required for the nucleolar localization of pUL27. These results indicate that the loss of a nucleolar function of pUL27 may contribute to MBV resistance, and that the nucleolar localization of pUL27 during HCMV infection depends not only on a carboxy-terminal domain but also on a property of pUL27 that is affected by MBV-resistant mutations, such as an interaction with component(s) of the nucleolus.
A novel RDS/peripherin gene mutation associated with diverse macular phenotypes

Pattern dystrophy is a heterogeneous group of retinal dystrophies of which butterfly-shaped pattern dystrophy (BPD) and adult-onset foveomacular dystrophy (AOFMD) are the two most common forms. BPD is characterized by a butterfly-shaped, irregular, depigmented lesion at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium. In contrast, AOFMD is characterized by the presence of slightly elevated, symmetric, solitary, round to oval, yellow lesions at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium. We identified three independent kindreds with pattern dystrophy, one with four patients affected with BPD and the other two with 14 affected patients with AOFMD. We performed complete ophthalmic examination, fluorescein angiography, linkage mapping, and mutational screening in the RDS/peripherin gene in the affected patients. Patients affected with BPD had a best-corrected vision of 20/20 to 20/25, whereas vision in the eyes of patients with AOFMD ranged from 20/20 to 20/400. In all three kindreds, sequence analysis identified an A-to-G change at nucleotide position 422 of the RDS/peripherin gene, predicting a novel Tyr-141-Cys substitution. A haplotype analysis revealed that these three kindreds shared an identical disease haplotype at the RDS/peripherin locus, indicating that the mutation reflects a founder effect. The sequence change that segregated with the disease phenotype was not observed in 200 control chromosomes. Our results identified a novel mutation in the RDS/ peripherin gene that can cause diverse macular phenotypes. Genetic and clinical investigation of pattern dystrophy may provide useful diagnostic tools and new treatment strategies for this disorder.
Earth Observing System (Eos) Requirements For A Polar Platform

This paper describes the requirements that the polar platform will have to meet if it is to satisfy the needs of the scientific earth observation communities in the early 1990s. The Eos is a prime mission for the polar platform. The polar platform will be a large satellite in a sun synchronous orbit that could be built up from the same components that are to be used to build the Space Station and its co-orbiting freeflying satellite. It will be serviced from the Shuttle so that it will be kept in operation and up-to-date for at least a decade. An initial set of scientific requirements has been documented by a Science and Missions Requirements Working Group (S&MRWG). These scientific requirements have been translated into derived technical requirements for the polar platform. These derived requirements are presented.
Hole-Pattern Seals: A Three Dimensional CFD Approach for Computing Rotordynamic Coefficient and Leakage Characteristics

Labyrinth and other annular seals are commonly used in the turbomachinery industry to limit the leakage between different pressure regions. The pressure driven flow these seals experience can produce significant forces on the rotor. These fluid-induced excitation forces can exert a strong influence on the dynamic characteristics of the machine. Such seal forces can cause the rotor to become unstable, or when properly designed, stabilize a troublesome machine. Thus, it is important to accurately quantify the fluid-induced forces exerted on the rotor to effectively predict the dynamic behavior. Traditional annular seal models are based on bulk flow theory. While these methods are computationally efficient, due to the assumptions made to simplify the flow equations, seal bulk flow models lack accuracy when dealing with more complex geometry seals, such as hole-pattern seals. Unlike the bulk flow model, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) makes no simplifying assumption on the seal geometry, shear stress at the wall, relationship between wall shear stress and mean fluid velocity, or characterization of interfaces between control volumes. This paper presents a method to calculate the linearized rotordynamic coefficients for a hole-pattern seal by means of a three dimensional CFD approach to estimate the fluid-induced forces acting on the rotor. The system is modeled as a rigid rotor, with rotational speed, ω, and whirl frequency, Ω, describing non-synchronous whirl orbits around a static operating point. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for fluid flow are solved by dividing the volume of fluid into a discrete number of points at which unknown variables (velocity, pressure, etc.) are computed. As a result, all the details of the flow field, including the fluid forces with potential destabilizing effects, are calculated. A 2nd order regression method is then utilized to express the fluid induced forces in terms of equivalent linearized stiffness, damping, and fluid inertia coefficients.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Postbifurcation behavior and imperfection sensitivity of elastic-plastic circular plates

Abstract Several aspects of the axisymmetric buckling of elastic-plastic circular plates are investigated. For plates that bifurcate in the plastic range, a comparison is made between the results of a numerical calculation of the postbuckling behavior and the predictions of an asymptotic analysis. Also, the imperfection sensitivity of elastic-plastic circular plates is investigated numerically when bifurcation of the perfect plate occurs in the elastic range and when bifurcation of the perfect plate occurs in the plastic range.
Benito Feijóo, medical disenchanter of Spain.

Beaucoup d'historiens au 20e siecle ont fait l'eloge de Benito Feijοo, savant, encyclopediste, moine benedictin et professeur a l'Universite d'Oviedo. On a souvent pretendu que sa collaboration aux progres de la medecine de son pays fut importante et meme determinante. L'auteur demontre ici que la realite etait toute autre
Purification and Characterization of a Rat Liver Enzyme That Hydrolyzes Valaciclovir, the L-Valyl Ester Prodrug of Acyclovir

Valaciclovir is an oral prodrug of the antiherpetic agent acyclovir. An enzyme that hydrolyzes valaciclovir to acyclovir, valaciclovir hydrolase (VACVase), was purified from rat liver and characterized. VACVase was a basic (pI 9.4) protein associated with mitochondria. It was monomeric and had a molecular mass of 29 kDa. Amino acid sequences of six VACVase peptides, including its NH2 terminus (13 amino acids) and accounting for approximately 20% of its complete sequence, were not found in the SwissProt protein data base. VACVase hydrolyzed other amino acid esters of acyclovir in addition to valaciclovir (kcat/Km = 58 mM-1 s-1), with a preference for the L-alanyl (kcat/Km = 226 mM-1 s-1) and L-methionyl (kcat/Km = 200 mM-1 s-1) esters. It did not hydrolyze other types of esters or numerous di- and tripeptides and aminoacyl-β-naphthylamides. Hydrolysis of valaciclovir by VACVase was not inhibited by amastatin, antipain, aprotinin, bestatin, chymostatin, E-64, EDTA, ebelactone A, ebelactone B, elastatinal, leupeptin, pepstatin, or phosphoramidon. It was neither inhibited nor activated by Ca2+, Co2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, or Zn2+. Therefore, this enzyme is not a typical esterase or peptidase and, to our knowledge, it has not been described previously. Its physiological function is not known; however, it may play a significant role in the biotransformation of valaciclovir to acyclovir.
Performance of a two-stage nonparametric conditional detector for Rician density

A two-stage four-level conditional detector is described. The detector is a constant-false-alarm-rate detector. Its performance is compared with that of a single-stage (fixed-sample-size) four-level conditional detector. In a finite-sample comparison the noise is assumed to have a Rician probability density function, which is the probability density function of the output of an envelope detector in a radar receiver when the background noise is white Gaussian noise. In an asymptotic comparison the asymptotic relative efficiency (ARE) is defined and expressions are given for calculating the ARE. Both finite and asymptotic results show significant reduction in the average sample size in the no-signal case. Therefore the proposed two-stage detector is suitable for signal detection in a situation where the no-signal hypothesis has a high a priori probability.
Vector combined preisach model with a biaxial switching operator for simulation of unoriented thin-film media

Abstract The elements of a vector Preisach model for unoriented thin-film media are described. The implementation consists of adding a biaxial anisotropy switching function to the classic Preisach algorithm. The model was developed to simulate high-squareness thin-film recording media. The utility of the model is demonstrated by the simulations of the usual VSM curves: the major loop, forward and reverse remanence loops, and the δM curve, as well as the response to rotating fields. These results are compared with experimental measurements made on an unoriented thin-film hard disk material.
Balloon-borne remote sensing of stratospheric constituents

Data on species of interest in the photochemistry of the ozone layer obtained from balloon flights are presented. The flights made use of remote-sensing instruments that took measurements in the wavelength region from the ultraviolet to millimeter wavelengths. Most of the data were obtained with instruments whose readings were in the midinfrared wavelengths. Descriptions are given of the two techniques generally used in this type of research, namely solar absorption and atmospheric emission. The promise that these techniques hold for providing data on the photochemistry of the ozone layer is discussed.
NGD cold-neutron prompt gamma-ray activation analysis spectrometer at NIST

A new instrument for cold neutron prompt gamma-ray activation analysis is being designed as part of the recent expansion of the cold neutron guide hall at the NIST Center for Neutron Research. This instrument has a 10-fold increase in neutron flux and lower gamma-ray and neutron background compared to the PGAA instrument it will replace at NG7. Monte Carlo based simulation sofware and experimental setups are used in the design phase to mitigate background while preserving high neutron fluence. The new instrument will also provide more space for samples and for experimental setup compared to the old facility.
Assessing durability of cathodes exposed to common air impurities

Abstract Data are presented to quantify how common air non-condensable impurities such as NO 2 , SO 2 , and H 2 S show a negative effect on the performance of PEMFCs. The severity of the effects of these impurities varies depending on the impurity, concentration, and dosage but in general the impurities containing sulfur showed a stronger effect than NO 2 . Complete recovery of the cell performance is obtained after applying neat air following exposure to a total NO 2 dosage of 61.8 μmol. However, to completely recover the cathode exposed to either 118.5 μmol SO 2 or 2160 μmol H 2 S, cyclic voltammetry is required to oxidize the sulfur adsorbed on the Pt. The sulfur species formed on the Pt cathode after exposure to these impurities appear to be the same and it appears as strongly and weakly adsorbed sulfur on the Pt. The data show that the rate of poisoning of PEMFCs by NO 2 does not strongly depend on NO 2 bulk concentration but the rate of SO 2 poisoning of the cathode appear to be strongly dependent on the concentration of SO 2 in the bulk. Relatively high concentrations of impurities were used and the data also show that the cell performance could be totally recovered from NO 2 in neat air after repetitive cycles of exposure/no exposure of 5 ppm NO 2 for 12 h for three cycles (185.4 μmol total dosage). On the other hand, only partial recovery from 5 ppm SO 2 was observed in each cycle and the performance continued to decrease in all the five poisoning cycles (592.5 μmol total dosage).