cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lipid oxidation in dry corn masa flour and strategies to improve shelf-life

A retail marketplace survey showed that the oil of dry corn masa flour is typically quite oxidized (PV from 14.2 to 65.9 meq/kg). Rancidity of dry corn masa flours was greatest during summer and least during winter. The shelf-lives of two Mexican dry corn masa flours were studied, in which these flours were stored at 15, 25, 35, 45, and 55°C in two 23-wk storage periods. Lipid oxidation was evaluated by using peroxide value (PV), conjugated dienoic acids (CD), and sensory analyses of both flours and tortillas. Increased storage time significantly increased lipid oxidation (P 3) at P<1 %. Shelf-life of dry corn masa flour was 5.8 mo when stored at 25°C. A 10°C increase in temperature reduced the shelf-life of the flour by about one-half. Generally, CD and PV were poorly correlated with sensory scores of flours and tortillas. Thus, PV and CD were not good predictors of sensory detection of rancidity and consumer acceptability of dry corn masa flour.
Vlogging and reflexive applications

This practical, practice-based article sets out to define and describe vlogging based on the author’s experiences while teaching a blended learning course. Vlogging is a short duration video record...
Pension Privatization and Country Risk1

This paper explores how privatizing a pension system can affect sovereign credit risk. For this purpose, it analyzes the importance that rating agencies give to implicit pension debt (IPD) in their assessments of sovereign creditworthiness. We find that rating agencies generally do not seem to give much weight to IPD, focusing instead on explicit public debt. However, by channeling pension contributions away from the government and creating a deficit of resources to cover the current pension liabilities during the reform’s transition period, a pension privatization reform may transform IPD into explicit public debt, adversely affecting a sovereign’s perceived creditworthiness, thus increasing its risk premium. In this light, accompanying pension reform with efforts to offset its transition costs through fiscal adjustment would help preserve a country’s credit rating.
Characterization of protein unable to bind von Willebrand factor in recombinant factor VIII products.

Background Therapeutic products with coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) have a wide range of specific activities, implying presence of protein with altered structure. Previous studies showed that recombinant FVIII products (rFVIII) contain a fraction (FVIIIFT ) unable to bind von Willebrand factor (VWF) and reported to lack activity. Because of loss of function(s), FVIIIFT can be defined as a product-related impurity, whose properties and levels in rFVIII products should be investigated. Objective To isolate and characterize the FVIIIFT fraction in rFVIII products. Methods Protein fractions unable (FVIIIFT ) and able (FVIIIEL ) to bind VWF were isolated from rFVIII products using immobilized VWF affinity chromatography (IVAC) and characterized by gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting, FVIII activity test, surface plasmon resonance, mass spectrometry, and for plasma clearance in mice. Results and conclusions A robust IVAC methodology was developed and applied for analysis of 10 rFVIII products marketed in the United States. FVIIIFT was found at various contents (0.4%-21.5%) in all products. Compared with FVIIIEL , FVIIIFT had similar patterns of polypeptide bands by gel electrophoresis, but lower functional activity. In several representative products, FVIIIFT was found to have reduced sulfation at Tyr1680, important for VWF binding, decreased interaction with a low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 fragment, and faster plasma clearance in mice. These findings provide basic characterization of FVIIIFT and demonstrate a potential for IVAC to control this impurity in rFVIII products to improve their efficacy in therapy of hemophilia A.
"Gays Have Taken the Paulista!": Queer Protest and Placemaking in São Paulo

Focusing on queer protest cultures in downtown Sao Paulo, this article investigates how urban spaces function as a “national stage” for the public dramas of political crises that took place between 2010 and 2018. In the culture war debates over sexual minority and gender identity rights that pervaded national politics in this period, protest served as a key venue to articulate not only queer visibility but queer political affect. The key to these protests is their site-specificity. The street is not just the site where protest takes place—ratherit is an important ideological construct within Brazilian society and political imagination. Drawing on performance studies with an emphasis on the choreography and design of protest, this article examines how protest as a genre of street occupation frames queer lifeworlds as it presents them to the national public. LGBT people’s struggle over and attachments to distinct locations in Sao Paulo, such as Paulista Avenue, become operationalized as part of the message of protest. Because of Sao Paulo’s concentration of news media, the streets of Sao Paulo’s downtown district play a distinct role in transmitting nationalized sentiment.
Collaborative care for depression yields similar improvement among older and younger rural adults.

Background Depressive disorders are among the most prevalent mental health conditions; however, significant barriers to treatment access persist. This study examined differences in depression outcomes between younger and older adults in a large-scale implementation demonstration of the collaborative care model (CoCM). Methods Secondary data analysis of a longitudinal, observational implementation demonstration at eight primary care clinics across low-resourced rural or frontier areas of the Western United States. Seven of these clinics were federally qualified health centers. The sample consisted of 3722 younger (18-64 years) and older (65+ years) adult primary care patients diagnosed with unipolar depression. All participants received depression treatment via CoCM, which enhances usual primary care and makes efficient use of specialists by using a behavioral healthcare manager and a psychiatric consultant to support primary care providers. Clinics were followed for up to 27 months. Patients were followed until they completed treatment or dropped out. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) assessed depressive symptoms at baseline (enrollment) and at most follow-up contacts. The primary treatment outcome was a change between a patient's first and last recorded PHQ-9 scores. Results Across both age groups, there was an average overall reduction of 6.9 points on the PHQ-9. Older adults demonstrated a greater decrease in depression scores of 2.06 points (95% CI -2.98 to -1.14, p Conclusions CoCM resulted in meaningful improvement in depressive symptoms across age groups.
Hybrid Theory of Classical Conditioning

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the substance of a reductive theory of behavior incorporating both S-S (stimulus–stimulus) and S-R (stimulus–respone) conceptualizations along with related notions developed by a variety of theorists. This theory draws most heavily on the ideas of Hull and Spence on the S-R side. The chapter discusses some of the basic phenomena of classical conditioning, which is viewed as not necessarily the simplest form of learning, but perhaps the only procedure for establishing learned associations de novo . The only real parsimony of proposing that S-S associations are mediated by some response mechanism arises if the laws governing such hypothetical responses are the same as those governing instrumental responses. The chapter explores that S-S laws are equally deterministic and mechanistic.
Stereoscopic View Synthesis by View Morphing

We propose a novel approach to generate an arbitrary in-between stereoscopic view from a wide-baseline stereo camera using view morphing. Conventionally, a stereoscopic view for a real scene has been generated by a stereo camera which simulats the human eye configuration with approximately 65mm horizontal separation. Such a configuration, however, provides a fixed viewpoint and a depth feeling wholly depending on the camera pose. In this work, we use a wider-baseline stereo camera than that of conventional one to increase flexibility both for viewpoints and the degree of depth feeling. View morphing is a shape-preserving transition method from a source to a destination view. We can adapte this method to choose locations of two virtual cameras yielding an in-between stereoscopic view. We can control the degree of depth feeling by choosing a different distance between two virtual cameras to provide customized depth feeling. Experimental results show a series of synthesized in-between stereoscopic views generated from Middlebury stereo data set. We also show interlaced stereo composition results using a pair of synthesized views having a 65mm- and 130mm-baseline from input views acquired by a 160mm-baseline stereo camera.
A Test of Four Models to Predict the Risk of Naturalization of Non-native Woody Plants in the Chicago Region

Abstract Accurate methods to predict the naturalization of non-native woody plants are key components of risk-management programs being considered by nursery and landscape professionals. The objective of this study was to evaluate four decision-tree models to predict naturalization (first tested in Iowa) on two new sets of data for non-native woody plants cultivated in the Chicago region. We identified life-history traits and native ranges for 193 species (52 known to naturalize and 141 not known to naturalize) in two study areas within the Chicago region. We used these datasets to test four models (one continental-scale and three regional-scale) as a form of external validation. Application of the continental-scale model resulted in classification rates of 72–76%, horticulturally limiting (false positive) error rates of 20–24%, and biologically significant (false negative) error rates of 5–6%. Two regional modifications to the continental model gave increased classification rates (85–93%) and generally l...
Adb'ilu: an Arab Babylon (BM 78912)

An unpublished tablet from the archive of Sumā descendant of Nappahu contains a possible Arabic personal name. The treatment of non-Babylonian personal names in this tablet and CTMMA 3 6 from the same archive differs from the treatment of Babylonian names suggesting that the scribe distinguished between the kin-groupaffiliated Babylonians and the non-Babylonians who lacked such affiliations.
Depressive symptoms as a risk factor for disabling back pain in community-dwelling older persons.

Objectives: To determine whether the presence of depressive symptoms is an independent risk factor for disabling back pain in community-dwelling older persons. Design: Prospective cohort study with a 12-month follow-up period. Setting: General community. Participants: Seven hundred forty-four members of a large health plan who were aged 70 and older and independent in bathing, walking, dressing, and transferring at baseline. Measurements: The presence of depressive symptoms, defined as a score of 16 or greater on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies—Depression Scale, was documented during a comprehensive baseline assessment that also included information regarding participants' demographic, medical, and physical/cognitive status. The occurrence of disabling back pain was ascertained during monthly telephone interviews. Results: Depressive symptoms were present in 153 (20.6%) participants at baseline. Over the 12-month follow-up period, 186 participants (25.0%) reported disabling back pain during 1 to 2 months and 91 (12.2%) during 3 or more months. After adjustment for potential confounders, the presence of depressive symptoms was independently associated with the occurrence of disabling back pain (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.3 (95% confidence interval (CI)=1.2–4.4) for 1 to 2 months with disabling back pain; AOR=7.8 (95% CI=3.7–16.4) for 3 or more months with disabling back pain). Conclusion: The presence of depressive symptoms is a strong, independent, and highly prevalent risk factor for the occurrence of disabling back pain in community-dwelling older persons.
Characterizing information technology through faculty research

An area of very lively discussion in the technology education community is the role that academic research should play in our curriculum and our careers. In the emerging academic discipline of information technology, the controversy is enlarged by the newness of the field. That is, definitions of academic information technology research may vary greatly between practitioners. At a recent conference of information technology educators, a survey was taken to determine the attitudes of these professionals and their institutions towards academic information technology research. In addition, the survey queries the research topics that information technology departments consider to be central to their goals. This paper provides a foundation for further discussions about the role and directions of information technology research.
Robust Linear Quadratic Designs with Respect to Parameter Uncertainty

We derive a linear quadratic regulator which is robust to parametric uncertainty, by using the overbounding method of Petersen and Hollot. The resulting controller is determined from the solution of a single modified Riccati equation. We show that when applied to a structural system, the controller gains add robustness by minimizing the potential energy of uncertain stiffness elements, and minimizing the rate of dissipation of energy through uncertain damping elements. We are also considering a worst-case disturbance in the direction of the uncertainty. Finally, we prove that we have increased performance robustness with the robust LQR when compared to a mismatched LQR design where we design the controller on the nominal system, but apply it to the actual uncertain system.
Optimal pricing in the presence of local network effects

We study the optimal pricing strategies of a monopolist selling a divisible good (service) to consumers that are embedded in a social network. A key feature of our model is that consumers experience a (positive) local network effect. In particular, each consumer's usage level depends directly on the usage of her neighbors in the social network structure. Thus, the monopolist's optimal pricing strategy may involve offering discounts to certain agents1, who have a central position in the underlying network. Our results can be summarized as follows. First, we consider a setting where the monopolist can offer individualized prices and derive an explicit characterization of the optimal price for each consumer as a function of her network position. In particular, we show that it is optimal for the monopolist to charge each agent a price that is proportional to her Bonacich centrality in the social network. In the second part of the paper, we discuss the optimal strategy of a monopolist that can only choose a single uniform price for the good and derive an algorithm polynomial in the number of agents to compute such a price. Thirdly, we assume that the monopolist can offer the good in two prices, full and discounted, and study the problem of determining which set of consumers should be given the discount. We show that the problem is NP-hard, however we provide an explicit characterization of the set of agents that should be offered the discounted price. Finally, we describe an approximation algorithm for finding the optimal set of agents. We show that if the profit is nonnegative under any feasible price allocation, the algorithm guarantees at least 88 % of the optimal profit.
Alternate Design Concept for the SSC Dipole Magnet Cryogenic Support Post

New materials and developments in the field of advanced composites have created the opportunity to take a fresh look into the design of the cryogenic supports for SSC collider dipole cryostats. Although the present reentrant post design meets the structural and thermal requirements, its assembly requires precision and proficiency. The objective of the proposed alternate concept is to reduce the overall cost of the support post by means of simplifying and optimizing its component design and assembly process. The present shrink fitted tube assembly may potentially be replaced by injection molded parts. New resin systems with lower thermal conductivity and high strength properties enable the utilization of automated production techniques such as injection molding and filament winding. This paper will provide analysis and design information for the alternate support post concept and compare its test performance and cost to the present support post.
Lessons for Asia?: European experiences—in American perspective—in legitimizing market integration

Abstract The European Union has reached a deeper level of market integration than any other region. In many ways its success parallels the integration of national-level markets, particularly in the broadly similar continental project of the United States. This paper asks whether the EU and US cases hold any lessons for the pursuit of market integration in East Asia, and reaches two positive conclusions. First, the two Atlantic continental markets display a common content of institutions and policies that helped generate broad legitimacy for market integration. Secondly, while there is wide debate over the historical mechanisms that produced successful “embedded” market integration in the EU and the US, several of these mechanisms may be reproducible in East Asia.
Recent Developments in the Study of the Polarization of Sky Light

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the recent developments in the area of polarization of sky light. The method of solving the problem of radiative transfer is outlined. The theoretical values and distribution of skylight polarization in the molecular atmosphere are discussed, and the extension of the theory to a turbid atmosphere is indicated. The new developments in the measurements of sky-light polarization are presented, and the results of recent measurements, performed by a newly constructed photoelectric polarimeter, are summarized. The contribution of the study of sky-light polarization to the solution of several problems of atmospheric optics is discussed in the chapter. The study of the sky-light polarization is useful for the problems of atmospheric optics for the simple reason that the polarization of scattered light is a very sensitive indicator of the scattering processes. Thus the polarization of sky light provides significant information of the scattering in the atmosphere, compared with other phenomena. The total intensity of the sky light, for different wavelengths and from different directions appears in the polarization problems as one of the parameters used for computing the degree of polarization. A correct knowledge of the scattering processes in the atmosphere is a necessary condition for the study of the real absorption in the atmosphere, and the indirect optical methods of the ozone determination.
The influence of variable mixing ratio and temperature on the radiation flux

A rapidly convergent solution is obtained for the equations of radiative transfer. An absorbing atmosphere having an arbitrary variation of mixing ratio, temperature and pressure with height is considered. The Lorentz shape of the spectral lines together with the dependence of their line strengths and half-widths on pressure and temperature are taken into account in the calculations. It is assumed that the lines do not overlap and the range of validity of this approximation is stated. It is shown that the expression for the absorption of radiation over a path between any two heights can be written in a tractable form even after three-fold integration over the variable conditions along the path, over frequency and over all angles in the hemisphere. When the mass per unit area, along the path, is small or the line intensity is small or both, thus causing the absorption of radiation to be small even at the centre of the line, the integrated absorption is proportional to the dimensionless constant gamma that occurs in atmospheric radiation problems; when these quantities are large, thus causing the absorption to be complete for several half-widths from the centre of the line, the integrated absorption is proportional to the square-root of gamma. This is the generalization to variable path conditions of the linear and square-root relations of infra-red spectroscopy. Some examples of the method developed here are given when the variable conditions along the atmospheric path can be represented with sufficient accuracy as polynomials. An approximation to the H2O and CO2 distributions shows that the absorption of radiation from the ground at a given height depends greatly on the variation of the mixing ratio with height.
Failure of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to alter thyroid function in the Sprague-Dawley rat.

Abstract Male Sprague-Dawley rats 60 days and 1 year of age were injected with 63% or 85% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and several phases of thyroid function examined. Iodide transport was not affected by injection of either 63% or 85% DMSO. There was no significant difference between the saline-injected and DMSO-injected groups in the thyroid: serum radioiodide concentration ratios (T:S). The response of the thyroid gland to the injection of an acute substantial iodide load was unaltered by prior injection of 85% DMSO. The inhibition in glandular binding of iodide was similar in both saline-injected and DMSO-injected groups as evidenced by the thyroidal accumulation of newly formed organic iodine and thyroidal concentration of iodide. Chromatographic analyses of thyroid pronase hydrolyzates in saline-injected and DMSO-injected rats revealed a similar reduction in labeling of iodothyronines, an increase in the fraction of labeled iodide, an increase in thyroidal labeling of MIT with consequent elevation in ratio of [131I] MIT:DIT. The radioiodine release rate was also not affected by injection of DMSO or dermal application of DMSO. Present results indicate that DMSO was not effective in influencing thyroid function in the rat.
From Anthropometrics to Exercise Science: Confronting the Pygmalion Complex in American Physical Education

(1997). From Anthropometrics to Exercise Science: Confronting the Pygmalion Complex in American Physical Education. Quest: Vol. 49, No. 4, pp. 431-441.
Regulation of C. elegans Neuronal Differentiation by the ZEB-Family Factor ZAG-1 and the NK-2 Homeodomain Factor CEH-28

The C. elegans pharyngeal neuron M4 is a multi-functional cell that acts as a cholinergic motor neuron to stimulate peristaltic pharyngeal muscle contraction and as a neuroendocrine cell secreting neuropeptides and growth factors to affect other cells both inside and outside the pharynx. The conserved transcription factors ZAG-1 and CEH-28 are co-expressed in M4 through most of development, and here we examine how these factors contribute to M4 differentiation. We find ZAG-1 functions upstream of CEH-28 in a branched pathway to activate expression of different sets of M4 differentiation markers. CEH-28 activates expression of the growth factor genes dbl-1 and egl-17, and the neuropeptide genes flp-5 and flp-2, while ZAG-1 activates expression of the serotonin receptor ser-7, as well as expression of ceh-28 and its downstream targets. Other markers of M4 differentiation are expressed normally in both zag-1 and ceh-28 mutants, including the neuropeptide gene flp-21 and the acetylcholine biosynthetic gene unc-17. Unlike ceh-28 mutants, zag-1 mutants completely lack peristaltic muscle contractions resulting from broader defects in M4 differentiation. Despite these defects, neither ZAG-1 nor CEH-28 are terminal selectors of the M4 phenotype, and we suggest they function in a hierarchy to regulate different aspects of M4 differentiation.
A low-cost technology for increasing the Earth's albedo to mitigate temperature rises

Abstract We discuss a low-cost approach, first suggested in 1984, for possible mitigation of global warming through planetary albedo modification. Research problems that require study are emphasized in this discussion.
Postpartum mood and anxiety disorders: a guide for the nonpsychiatric clinician with an aside on thyroid associations with postpartum mood.

This article summarizes the considerable progress that has been made in recent years in our understanding of the risks of pregnancy-associated mood and anxiety disorders, effective somatic and nons...
Innovation – an LO library: reuse of learning objects

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to share the types, uses, and students' recommendations about reusable digital learning objects at Northwest Missouri State University, which can be used or adapted by other libraries in both online and on‐ground information literacy instruction environments.Design/methodology/approach – The rationale for incorporation of learning objects, their application, and uses is discussed. Examples of successful applications of learning objects in online and on‐ground instructional classes are provided. Models for developing one's own learning objects are included. A survey and analysis for soliciting students' opinions about the reuse of learning objects is included.Findings – The paper provides suggestions for developing and evaluating learning objects. This includes successful applications of digital learning objects in traditional and online information literacy classes. It shares easy to incorporate learning objects that can be used in tutorials or on‐ground bibliographic...
Sight and Sound in the Poetic World of Ernest Dowson

This essay argues that Ernest Dowson9s poems are organized according to patterns of color, in which bright hues fade to gray, and of sound, in which superfluous, even erroneous, punctuation marks generate syntactic strain and precisely modulate the pauses between words and lines. These patterns are central to Dowson9s effort to estrange his literary language from everyday, communicative discourse and its reference to the meanings of the world, to make poetry a "pure" medium of art rather than a representation of life. As such, Dowson9s poetry differs from the impressionist and naturalist art of the fin de si�cle, with which his work is often incorrectly conflated, and it marks a cleavage between empiricist and anti-empiricist approaches to representation, especially in relation to matters of observation, objectivity, and particularity. Dowson9s aestheticism represents an extreme limit of anti-empiricist literary formalism, whose legacy for modernism consists not principally in its successes but in its failures.
Green chemistry, polymers of low concern, and animal testing and welfare

Regulatory agencies place some types of polymeric compounds (i.e. polymers of low concern, PLCs) in an exempt category for specific types of product registration testing. Though the time and cost b...
Endocytosis of a single mesoporous silica nanoparticle into a human lung cancer cell observed by differential interference contrast microscopy

The unique structural features of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) have made them very useful in biological applications, such as gene therapy and drug delivery. Flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, and electron microscopy have been used for observing the endocytosis of MSN. However, flow cytometry cannot directly observe the process of endocytosis. Confocal microscopy requires fluorescence labeling of the cells. Electron microscopy can only utilize fixed cells. In the present work, we demonstrate for the first time that differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy can be used to observe the entire endocytosis process of MSN into living human lung cancer cells (A549) without fluorescence staining. There are three physical observables that characterize the locations of MSN and the stages of the endocytosis process: motion, shape, and vertical position. When it was outside the cell, the MSN underwent significant Brownian motion in the cell growth medium. When it was trapped on the cell membrane, the motion of the MSN was greatly limited. After the MSN had entered the cell, it resumed motion at a much slower speed because the cytoplasm is more viscous than the cell growth medium and the cellular cytoskeleton networks act as obstacles. Moreover, there were shape changes around the MSN due to the formation of a vesicle after the MSN had been trapped on the cell membrane and prior to entry into the cell. Finally, by coupling a motorized vertical stage to the DIC microscope, we recorded the location of the MSN in three dimensions. Such accurate 3D particle tracking ability in living cells is essential for studies of selectively targeted drug delivery based on endocytosis.
Spontaneous line splitting in maximum entropy power spectrum analysis

Abstract The Burg maximum entropy power spectral estimate yields extremely sharp spectra with high resolution. If the noise level is low, the power spectrum closely resembles a line spectrum. We have discovered, however, that under certain conditions, spontaneous line splitting occurs; lines which should be single split into two or more components. A series of computer experiments using artificial times series was performed with the following results. If the signal length is any multiple of 0.5 cycle there is no splitting for any initial phase of the sine wave; in fact, the spectrum is extremely sharp and stable. The same result applies to a signal length which is an odd multiple of 0.25 cycle but only with an initial phase of 0° or 90°. The splitting is most severe if the signal length is an odd multiple of quarter cycles and the initial phase is an odd multiple of 45°. In this case splitting persists even for signals as long as 49.25 cycles.
Solar and lunar ionospheric electrodynamic effects during stratospheric sudden warmings

Both solar and lunar atmospheric tides are believed to drive ionospheric electrodynamic effects during stratospheric sudden warmings (SSWs), but their relative importance is not well understood. In this study, long-term records (1958–2007) of the geomagnetic field are analyzed to determine the average solar (S) and lunar (L) ionospheric current systems for SSW and non-SSW periods. It is found that the L current intensity is enhanced during SSWs approximately by 75%, while the relative change in the S current intensity is much smaller (~10%). Nonetheless, absolute changes are comparable in the S and L current intensities. At the magnetic equator, semidiurnal perturbations produced by S and L currents reinforce or cancel each other depending on the phase of the moon, creating lunar-dependent recurrent onset in the total effect. These results indicate that both S and L contributions need to be considered to understand ionospheric variability during SSWs.
Volatile anesthetics bidirectionally and stereospecifically modulate ligand binding to GABA receptors

Pharmacologically relevant concentrations of volatile anesthetics can bidirectionally modulate radioligand binding to GABAA receptors. In mouse cerebral cortex, halothane (a prototypic volatile anesthetic) increased [3H]muscimol (a GABA receptor agonist) binding while inhibiting the binding of a GABA receptor antagonist ([3H]SR 95531). These bidirectional effects of inhalational anesthetics on ligand binding to GABA receptors are effected through changes in the Bmax with no significant alterations in the KD of these radioligands. Moreover, the concentration dependent, bidirectional modulation of radioligand binding to GABA receptors by volatile anesthetics exhibited stereoselectivity. Thus, (+)-isoflurance was about twice as potent as the (−)-enantiomer in enhancing [3H]muscimol binding and ∼50% more potent as an inhibitor of [3H]SR 95531 binding, respectively. The demonstration of a bidirectional, stereospecific modulation of radioligand binding to GABA receptors by inhalational agents is consistent with the presence of specific recognition sites for inhalational anesthetics on the GABAA receptor complex.
Correlation symmetries in sequential three-body final state reactions

The alpha-particle decay angular correlations for intermediate $^{15}\mathrm{N}^{\mathrm{*}}$ excited states in the reaction $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$${(}^{12}$C${,}^{15}$${\mathrm{N}}^{\mathrm{*}}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\alpha}${+}^{11}$B(g.s.))\ensuremath{\alpha} are found to exhibit symmetry about 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} relative to the beam axis in the reaction plane, in the barycentric coordinates of the decay. The limiting case necessary to produce this symmetry also yields azimuthal symmetry. It is therefore sometimes unnecessary to measure out-of-plane correlations in order to integrate over all angles for the purpose of determining particle decay branching ratios. We use the observed symmetry to establish ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}$/\ensuremath{\Gamma}=0.60\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04 for the 12.56 MeV excited state of $^{15}\mathrm{N}$ (absolute uncertainty is \ensuremath{\sim}15%).
Novel therapeutic approach for bladder cancer: Synergistic effects with combined radiation and suicide gene therapy using a chimeric adenovirus vector

Materials/Methods: Zebrafish were anesthetized by immersion in 0.08% tricaine (tricaine methanesulfonate). The anesthetized fish were then placed into wells cut in an agarose gel mold to immobilize the fish during irradiation. Standard shielding was utilized to protect the anterior internal organs from radiation damage. Fish were irradiated with doses ranging from 30 to 86 Gy and followed for the development of fibrosis. Fibrosis was diagnosed by a slowing of their swimming movements and alterations in their tail curvature. Once a fish demonstrated fibrosis by these criteria, they were sacrificed, fixed in formalin, sectioned, and stained for collagen deposition using both H&E and Maison Trichome stains.
Tools for predicting uncertainty and confidence intervals in radiometric data products

Space-based observations of atmospheric energetics, such as those provided by NASA's Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), produce data products intended to be shared with the larger scientific community and merged with other complementary data sets. Meaningful fusion of complementary data requires a well-founded common statistical basis for cited precision and accuracy. A high-level numerical model is available capable of predicting the dynamic opto- electrothermal behavior of CERES-like radiometric channels. The paper reports use of this model to explore the sensitivity of data products to variations in individual optical, thermal and electronic parameters. The optical/thermal radiative part of the model is based on the Monte-Carlo ray-trace (MCRT) method in which millions of rays are traced. Several hours of execution time on a large computer are required to simulate a single scan across the Earth's surface, thus making it impractical to run the simulation for every possible variation of each parameter. A key element of the research involves an effort to determine the minimum number of simulations required to produce statistically meaningful results.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Tracer diffusion in tungsten

Abstract Measurements of the lattice diffusion coefficients for Nb, Ta, and W isotopes in tungsten were made over the temperature range 1300–2400°C using standard tracer methods in combination with anodic-film sectioning techniques. The data indicated that the Arrhenius relation was obeyed over the entire temperature range, and the following analytical expressions were obtained: D(Nb) = 3.01 exp (−137,600/RT) cm2/secD(Ta) = 3.05 exp (−139,900/RT) cm2/secD(W) = 1.88 exp (−140,300/RT) cm2/sec. The characteristics exhibited by the penetration profiles of both single- and polycrystalline specimens emphasized the need for sensitivity and completeness in the data used for the determination of both lattice and short-circuit diffusion parameters. When measuring lattice diffusion coefficients, even in single crystals, it was found that the section thickness must be kept smaller than √(Dt) to minimize the effects of short-circuit paths. Conversely, in the region of the profile governed by short-circuit effects, extensive sets of data could not be described in terms of a simple model leading to a unique diffusion coefficient.
Structural Variations of Agriculture in the Pacific

Abstract Agricultural shares of output and employment in thirteen Pacific basin countries are analyzed with reference to a global baseline for 1980. Per-capita output parity ratios are lower in the ASEAN, ANICs, and Japan as compared to their trading partners in North America and Oceania. Wide differences in land-labor ratios influence the directions of technological change, economies of scale, and dynamic comparative advantage. Differential changes in the partial productivities of land and labor between the high and middle income economies suggest that there has been a narrowing of the gap in land productivities and a widening of the gap in labor productivities across the Pacific. The implication is that there has been a regressive international impact on wages for farm labor. Further, since agriculture's share of land resources does not tend to fall as fast as its share of output and labor, increasing structural imbalance in terms of differential land rents to agriculture vis-a-vis non-agriculture results in greater adjustment pressures on the property and derived institutional systems that control natural resource allocation decisions. The results are consistent with the heavy adjustment burdens that agriculture and developing economies have been bearing as a result of expanding trade and capital flows, and the need to focus more attention on the structure, functioning, and performance of the different institutional systems that control resource allocation decisions in these countries.
Efficacy of Gastric Electrical Stimulation in Improving Functional Vomiting in Patients with Normal Gastric Emptying

The objective of this study is to evaluate the utility of gastric electrical stimulation (GES) in the subgroup of patients with refractory nausea and vomiting in the presence of normal gastric emptying. Eighteen patients (15 females) underwent GES implantation for dyspeptic symptoms in the presence of normal gastric emptying. Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) symptom score, health-related quality of life (HR-QOL), nutritional status and weight, and medication use (prokinetics and antiemetics) were assessed at baseline and at 1 year after GES placement. Twelve patients (two males) were included in the final analysis. All patients had normal gastric emptying scintigraphy at baseline. After 1 year of GES, there was a significant reduction in the UGI symptom score from 18 to 10 (P = 0.001). The physical component score (PCS) of the HR-QOL was also significantly increased from 25 to 42 (P = 0.04). Gastric emptying actually became slower in 29% of those who repeated the test after 1 year. No adverse events related to GES placement were recorded. Results of our study suggest that GES improves dyspeptic symptoms in patients with medically refractory nausea and vomiting independent of its effect on gastric emptying and could be considered as a potential therapy in this clinical setting.
No effect of genetic deletion of contactin-associated protein (CASPR) on axonal orientation and synaptic plasticity

Myelinated axons are endowed with a specialized domain structure that is essential for saltatory action potential conduction. The paranodal domain contains the axoglial junctions and displays a unique ultrastructure that resembles the invertebrate septate junctions (SJs). Biochemical characterizations of the paranodal axoglial SJs have identified several molecular components that include Caspr and contactin (Cont) on the axonal side and neurofascin 155 kDa (NF155) isoform on the glial side. All these proteins are essential for the formation of the axoglial SJs. Based on the interactions between Caspr and Cont and their colocalization in the CA1 synaptic areas, it was proposed that the synaptic function of Cont requires Caspr. Here we have extended the phenotypic analysis of CASPR mutants to address further the role of Caspr at the axoglial SJs and also in axonal orientation and synaptic plasticity. We report that, in CASPR mutants, the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) forms elongated membranous complexes that accumulate at the nodal/ paranodal region and stretch into the juxtaparanodal region, a defect that is consistent with the paranodal disorganization. We show that the cerebellar microorganization is unaffected in CASPR mutants. We also demonstrate that Caspr function is not essential for normal CA1 synaptic transmission and plasticity. Taken together with previous findings, our results highlight that the Caspr/ Cont complex is essential for the formation of axoglial SJs, whereas Cont may regulate axonal orientation and synaptic plasticity independent of its association with Caspr.
Radio-frequency spectra of long-cavity diode lasers under CW pumping

ABSTRACT High-frequency spectra of free-running 5-mm-long triple-quantum-well graded-index separate-confinement heterostructure broad-area diode lasers emitting at ~1 µm are investigated in the range of 1-20 GHz using RF spectrum analyzer. The spectra reveal stable beat lines at ~8 and ~16 GHz, corresponding to single and double mode spacings between adjacent longitudinal modes. A current-dependent peak, varying from 0.6 to 2 GHz, is associated with the relaxation resonance. Measurements of mode beating spectra provide additional characterization of diode laser emission for coherent light applications. Key words: Semiconductor lasers, quantum wells, mode beating 1. INTRODUCTION High-frequency characterization of semiconductor lasers is an important topic in studies of high-speed modulation, mode locking, Q-switching, mode selection and tuning, etc . Beating between longitudinal modes in typical diode lasers occurs at frequencies too high to be measur ed directly, in the THz frequency range
The McMullen domain: Rings around the boundary

In this paper we show that there are infinitely many rings S k , k > 1, around the McMullen domain in the parameter plane for the family of complex rational maps of the form z" + λ/z n where λ ∈C and n ≥ 3. These rings converge to the boundary of the McMullen domain as k → oo. The rings S k contain (n - 2)n k-1 + 1 parameter values that lie at the center of Sierpinski holes. That is, these parameters lie at the center of an open set in the parameter plane in which all of the corresponding maps have Julia sets that are Sierpinski curves. The rings also contain the same number of superstable parameter values, i.e., parameter values for which one of the critical points is periodic of period either k or 2k.
Differentiation of microsomal from lysosomal triacylglycerol lipase activities in rat liver

Abstract Non-Iysosomal triacylglycerol lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) and cholesteryl esterase (EC 3.1.1.13) activities from rat liver were distinguished from lysosomal activities using assays based on the release of oleic acid from glycerol-[3H]oleate or cholesteryl-[1-14C]oleate. Dispersion of the lipid substrates in acetone and the addition of a 1:1 (w/w) mixture of sonicated phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine to the incubation mixture permitted the development of sensitive assays that allowed comparison under identical conditions. MnCl2 stimulated the non-lysosomal triacylglycerol lipase and cholesteryl esterase activities 2-fold but inhibited the lysosomal activities 85%. The lysosomal activities could be solubilized by osmotic disruption with water, whereas the non-lysosomal activities repelleted after centrifugation at 100 000 × g for 1 h. pH optima of the lysosomal and non-lysosomal activities were 5.5 and 6.0, respectively, under the conditions employed. Cobalt acetate, CaCl2 and MgCl2 inhibited the lysosomal triacylglycerol lipase and cholesteryl esterase activities greater than 60% but had no effect on the non-lysosomal activities. Upon subcellular fractionation, the Mn2+-stimulated triacylglycerol lipase and cholesteryl esterase activities partitioned with microsomal marker enzymes. Pronase inactivated the Mn2+-stimulated activities 75–82% under conditions in which mannose-6-phosphatase latency and activity remained unchanged, suggesting that the Mn2+-stimulated activities contain protease-sensitive sites exposed on the cytoplasmic surface of microsomal vesicles. The triacylglycerol lipase and cholesteryl esterase activities in fibroblasts from patients with Wolman's disease and cholesteryl ester storage disease were stimulated by MnCl2, had pH optima of 6.0–6.5, and were not solubilized by osmotic disruption, suggesting that human fibroblasts may also contain both the microsomal and the lysosomal activities. Microsomal triacylglycerol lipase and cholesteryl esterase activities may function to hydrolyze endogenously synthesized triacylglycerol and cholesteryl esters.
Modal-based and wave-type vibration energy transmission for active control of structures

In order to develop effective controllers for active vibration control of complex flexible structural systems, it is imperative to be thorough with vibratory transmission analysis in such systems. This paper addresses the interpretation of vibration behavior in active structures in the form of modal synthesis and waveform propagation, from which control architectures for vibration reduction are developed and specialized. Multi-input multi-output robust control methods for actively controlling vibration transmission of narrow-band disturbances, based on modal vibration characteristics in a typical beam structure bonded with piezoelectric sensors and actuators are presented. The development of compensators based on wave-propagation techniques for active control of stationary and propagating wave- forms in an active beam structure is also discussed. Vibration transmission in the structure in the form of intensity and energy density is investigated for effective vibration minimization. A LMS-based adaptive feedforward algorithm, and nonlinear feedback gain scheduling of wave parameters targeting transient and steady state vibration isolation is presented. Numerical and experimental results obtained from the implementation of the active control techniques from analysis of the modal based, and wave-type vibration transmission characteristics for an aluminum and a composite active structure is presented.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Identification of Some Barbiturates in Blood by Use of Thin-Layer Chromatography

A simple, rapid method for the identification of mixtures of barbiturates when present in blood is described. This procedure is especially useful in differentiating between amobarbital and pentobarbital.
Prevention of Plaque Rupture: A New Paradigm of Therapy

The author describes the steps in plaque destabilization and links them to a set of clinical strategies that may substantially decrease the incidence of acute coronary syndromes.