cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychiatric effects of anabolic steroids after burn injuries.

Received March 24, 1999; revised May 28, 1999; accepted August 20, 1999. From the Department of Psychiatry, University of OklahomaHealth Sciences Center, Tulsa Campus. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Morton, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Tulsa Campus, 2808 South Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74137. Copyright 2000 The Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine. Burns are the fourth leading cause of injury death in the United States each year, and over 60,000 people are hospitalized annually for burn treatment. There has been a suggestion in the literature that the incidence of Axis I and Axis II disorders was higher in burn-unit patients than in the normal population. Fauerbach et al., in a prospective study, confirmed a high pre-burn prevalence (64%) of DSM-III-R Axis I psychopathology. This population also displayed higher levels of neuroticism, as measured by the NEO Personality Inventory, that was negatively correlated with their adjustment at discharge, as measured by the Burn Specific Health Scale (BSHS). To minimize catabolic complications and shorten disability time, anabolic agents with nutrient support have been recently recommended to be used in populations of critically ill and severely injured patients. A recent randomized and prospective study showed an increase in weight gain and presumed muscle mass during the recovery phase when oxandrolone, an anabolic steroid, and a high-protein diet were administered to burn patients suffering deep burns of 30%–50% of total body surface. Despite the fact that no behavioral changes were noted in that study population, recent reviews of anabolic–androgenic steroid use in various populations suggest that steroid use can cause significant psychiatric symptoms. The excellent review by Rubinow and Schmidt suggests that these varied responses to anabolic steroids may be context-dependent, with the context influenced by genetic, environmental, and historical circumstances. We are reporting one such circumstance that illustrates the potential complications of indiscriminant steroid use in burn patients who have underlying premorbid psychopathology. Case Report
Vertical Empire: The General Resettlement of Indians in the Colonial Andes. By Jeremy Ravi Mumford. (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2012. Pp. x, 293. $24.95.)

This ethnohistorical study is an addition to a growing literature on “daily politics on the ground” at an interesting and challenging moment: the decades after conquistador Francisco Pizarro and hi...
Axial Gouty Arthropathy

Gouty involvement of the spinal column is not as rare as generally perceived. Tophaceous gout involving the spinal column is a well-documented cause of myelopathy and frank cord compression. It takes several years of gout before bony destruction is radiologically apparent. If erosive or tophaceous gout is present, magnetic resonance imaging signal enhancement offers diagnostic guidance. Non-tophaceous gout of the spine may also show signal enhancement consistent with inflammation. The sequelae of cord compression can be reversed with timely surgical intervention and maintenance of uric acid-lowering therapy; in some cases, medical therapy alone can reverse the findings of radiculopathy. Growing evidence suggests that the tangled web of hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerotic disease are risk factors for gout and hyperuricemia and may, in fact, be the result of higher than physiologically tolerable levels of uric acid in humans. Here, 52 additional cases to the 73 collated by Hou et al (Surg Neurol. 2007;67:65-73), reinforce that gout is a major contender on the differential diagnosis of back-related presentations in patients at high risk for gout. The pervasiveness of cardiovascular disease and chronic back pain warrants a closer look into a possible occult contributor to the prevalence of chronic back pain: gout.
Simultaneous estimation of negative binomial dispersion parameters

Abstract Simultaneous estimators of the dispersion parameters in m negative binomial distributions with known success probabilities are shown to dominate the usual estimator under squared error loss by shrinking it toward either a fixed or a data-driven point.
Pleural fluid and peripheral blood lymphocyte function in tuberculosis.

Excerpt The anergy to tuberculin skin testing, sometimes noted in patients with tuberculous pleurisy, usually has been attributed to preferential sequestration of antigen reactive lymphocytes in th...
Premarketing Adverse Drug Experiences: Data Management Procedures: Unexpected Death Occurring Early in Clinical Trials

Reporting of adverse events occurring during clinical trials of investigational drugs is a complex and controversial issue. Even the interpretation of the term, "adverse event," cannot be agreed upon by researchers. The ultimate adverse event, death, presents even a greater challenge. This paper presents an actual case of death during a clinical trial to illustrate a methodological approach to deal with such an event.
Nonresponse and Delayed Response to Competitive Moves: The Roles of Competitor Dependence and Action Irreversibility

Competitive moves that are unchallenged or to which response is delayed are important weapons in a strategist's arsenal, so variables that discourage or delay response are of great interest. Using ...
Gradual wage-price adjustments, labor market frictions and monetary policy rules

Abstract In this paper the role of different types of labor market frictions in the dynamics of output and inflation is investigated. For this purpose, the Keynes–Goodwin model discussed in Chen et al. (2006) and Franke et al. (2006) is extended by a labor search and matching module along the lines of Mortensen et al. (1994) . After estimating the resulting model with U.S. aggregate time series and comparing its dynamics with those of a VAR model, the performance of different types of monetary policy rules for inflation, and more generally, for macroeconomic stability is analyzed.
Long-term corticosteroid treatment but not chronic stress affects 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type I activity in rat brain and peripheral tissues

Abstract Long-term treatment (21 days) of male rats with corticosterone in the drinking water caused a significant increase in the activity of the NADP-dependent form of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11-HSD1) in the pituitary, thymus, and spleen, (marginally in the hippocampus, amygdala and lymph nodes), without having any effect in a number of other central and peripheral tissues. In contrast, repeated restraint stress, although increasing plasma corticosterone to the same level as that observed after its administration, failed to change the activity of this key regulatory enzyme, which allows aldosterone to exert its specific effects in the presence of a large excess of corticosterone. This resistance to elevation in 11-HSD activity was also observed in the thymuses of subordinate rats during social stratification in a visible burrow system. In both cases, the circulating levels of corticosterone were much higher in stressed rats than in control animals. Factors which might account for these differences in response are discussed and compared with the situation in intact cells where, unlike in tissue homogenates, the reduction of 11-dehydrocorticosterone to corticosterone (reductase activity) appears to predominate.
2D-3D Migration of Large Chemical Inventories with Conformational Multiplication. Application of the Genetic Algorithm

Mathematical chemistry has afforded a variety of research areas with important tools to understand and predict the behavior of chemicals without having to consider the complexities of three-dimensional conformations of molecules. Predictive toxicology, an area of increasing importance to toxicity assessments critical to molecular design and risk management, must be based on more explicit descriptions of structure, however. Minimum energy conformations are often used for convenience due, in part, to the difficulty of computing a representative population of conformers in all but rigid structures. Such simplifying assumptions fail to reveal the variance of the stereoelectronic nature of molecules as well as the misclassification of chemicals which initiate receptor-based toxicity pathways. Because these errors impact both the success in discovering new lead and the identification of possible hazards, it is important that mathematical chemistry develop additional tools for conformational analysis. This paper...
Media Review: 2012–2013 National Survey of First-Year Seminars: Exploring High-Impact Practices in the First College Year

(2014). Media Review: 2012–2013 National Survey of First-Year Seminars: Exploring High-Impact Practices in the First College Year. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice: Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 478-479.
The Optimal Product Transition In Glass Furnaces

Product change in glass furnaces is a common and challenging industrial problem generally associated with long transition times and possible ream defects. A reduction in the product turnover time implies a higher product yield and a reduced energy consumption. This turnover time relies to a large extent on the understanding of furnace dynamics. In this work, the disadvantages of the current transition practice (based on the concepts of minimum residence time and perfect mixing) are discussed. An optimization approach that is based on the residence time distribution of the glass furnace is tailored to accommodate practical implementation issues in the product transition control. Comparisons of the current transition practice and the proposed approach are made through computer simulations, which demonstrate that significant savings in the product turnover time are expected if the latter is used.
DNA as a marker of cell death in systemic lupus erythematosus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease characterized by multisystem inflammation in association with immunologic disturbances [1]. These disturbances affect all of the major elements of the immune system and likely arise from the interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Of these disturbances, the production of antibodies to components of the cell nucleus (antinuclear antibodies [ANAs]) is the most characteristic disturbance and occurs almost invariably among patients. ANAs target a wide array of nuclear macromolecules, with the nucleosome and its DNA and histone components representing prominent autoantigens in SLE. In addition to their significance as markers of diagnosis and prognosis, these ANAs can play a direct role in tissue injury through deposition of immune complexes (ICs) that incite inflammation [2–4]. As shown in many studies, ANAs have features of self-antigen drive as shown by their specificity and patterns of variable-region gene expression, including clonality and somatic mutations. To the extent that ANA responses resemble conventional immune responses, these findings suggest that the availability of nuclear antigen in an immunologically relevant form is an important step in pathogenesis. In SLE, DNA and other nuclear antigens may perturb the immune system, serving as effectors to stimulate nonspecific immune activation, inflammation, and autoreactivity [5–7]. Furthermore, DNA, following binding to antibodies and internalization into cells, may serve as an endogenous adjuvant that, by way of the TLR9 receptor, sets the poise of the immune system [8,9].
A note on the measurement of drooling in free-ranging young children☆

Abstract A method for measuring drooling in young children, and data concerning the reliability of the method are reported. An attempt to study the control of drooling which used this measurement device is also described.
Transition from a spectrum filter to a polarizer in a metallic nano-slit array

The transition from a spectrum filter (resonant transmission) to a polarizer (broadband transmission) for TM polarized light is observed in a metallic nano-slit array as period is decreased. A theoretical model is developed and shows that the spectrum filter behavior is caused by the coupled slit/grating resonance. With decreasing period, the slit resonance is decoupled from the grating resonance, which then dominates the transmission spectrum and broadens the transmission peak. With further reducing period, the slit resonance diminishes and the peak spectrum transforms to a broadband transmission. This effect is the basis for the operation of wire grid polarizers. The transition is explained by the change of the impedance to the incoming wave.
RealTime Physics: active learning labs transforming the introductory laboratory

Computer-based tools that enable students to collect, display and analyse data in real time have catalysed the design of a laboratory curriculum that allows students to master a coherent body of physics concepts while acquiring traditional laboratory skills. This paper describes RealTime Physics, a sequenced introductory laboratory curriculum that is based on the results of physics education research, and uses computer-based tools to facilitate student learning.
Oral sex as mate retention behavior

Abstract Men perform “mate retention” behaviors to reduce the likelihood of their partner’s infidelity. One mate retention strategy men use is to increase their partner’s relationship satisfaction by provisioning her with benefits. We recruited 351 men to investigate whether men perform oral sex on their partner as part of a broader benefit-provisioning mate retention strategy. In support of the predictions, men who reported performing more mate retention behaviors, in general, and more benefit-provisioning mate retention behaviors, in particular, also reported greater interest in and spent more time performing oral sex on their partner. We present limitations of the research and discuss the benefits of an evolutionary perspective for investigating oral sex as a mate retention behavior.
Universalist Ethics in Extraterrestrial Encounter

If humanity encounters an extraterrestrial civilization, or if two extraterrestrial civilizations encounter each other, then the outcome may depend not only on the civilizations’ relative strength to destroy each other but also on what ethics are held by one or both civilizations. This paper explores outcomes of encounter scenarios in which one or both civilizations hold a universalist ethical framework. Several outcomes are possible in such scenarios, ranging from one civilization destroying the other to both civilizations racing to be the first to commit suicide. Thus, attention to the ethics of both humanity and extraterrestrials is warranted in human planning for such an encounter. Additionally, the possibility of such an encounter raises profound questions for contemporary human ethics, even if such an encounter never occurs.
Adaptive hp-finite element for transient analysis

Abstract Even though a tremendous effort has been devoted to the area of transient analysis, many of these models fall short of achieving the overall desired objective due to oversights and rigid simplifying assumptions. Some of those shortfalls are summarized as follows: 1. (i) The grid used is too fine or too coarse and is usually fixed in size; 2. (ii) No error estimates are being used to trigger a grid size change; 3. (iii) A fixed polynomial degree is being used to interpolate the approximate solution of the differential equation at hand (finite element approach); 4. (iv) An approximate differential equation is used to model the physical phenomena rather than the exact one (finite difference approach). In our study, a self-adaptive grid refinement technique coupled with the p -version of the finite element method is investigated. This type of approach is called the hp -version of the finite element. In the modeling process, the approximate solution to the exact differential equation achieves convergence by applying two distinct solution enrichment strategies. One strategy is to solve the problem using a very coarse grid and to enrich the quality of the approximation by increasing the degree p of the interpolating polynomial shape functions for those elements where it is needed. The other strategy involves local grid h refinements for those elements where it is needed. Both strategies would interact synergistically to produce an optimal computational model that produces an accurate simulation of the transient phenomena addressed with minimal computational effort. The triggering for the increase or decrease in polynomial degree p and placement or removal of local mesh h refinements is based on the calculation of a reliable a posteriori error estimate over each element at the end of each time-step. Acase study of particular interest is the simulation of wave propagation in a semi-infinite media.
The effect of colchicine on plasma unesterified fatty acids

Die Verabereichung einer letalen Dosis Colchicin verursacht u. a. eine Zunahme der unveresterten Fettsauren und eine Abnahme des Korpergewichts. Der Gehalt an veresterten Fettsauren, freiem und verestertem Cholesterin und Plasmaeiweissen bleibt unverandert, ebenso Hamatokrit-und Hamoglobinwerte.
Effect of calcium ionophores on early development in fucoid algae

SUMMARY Although much studied, the role of Ca2+ in early fucoid development remains unclear. One technique to investigate Ca2+ function that has not been fully exploited is the use of ionophores to drastically increase cytosolic Ca2+ activity. We have therefore conducted an analysis of the effects of uniform application of the Ca2+ ionophores, A23187 and ionomycin, on early development of fucoid algae. Both ionophores had substantially the same effects. Cell adhesive secretion, rhizoid growth and negative phototropism were reduced but not abolished by ionophore treatment, and germination was delayed. One plausible interpretation of these data is that secretion is partially compromised in the treated zygotes. Surprisingly, photopolarization and cytokinesis were unaffected, indicating that Ca2+ homeostasis may not be required for these processes.
Synergistic induction of apoptosis in human leukemia cells (U937) exposed to bryostatin 1 and the proteasome inhibitor lactacystin involves dysregulation of the PKC/MAPK cascade

Cotreatment with a minimally toxic concentration of the protein kinase C (PKC) activator (and down-regulator) bryostatin 1 (BRY) induced a marked increase in mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in U937 monocytic leukemia cells exposed to the proteasome inhibitor lactacystin (LC). This effect was blocked by cycloheximide, but not by alpha-amanitin or actinomycin D. Qualitatively similar interactions were observed with other PKC activators (eg, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and mezerein), but not phospholipase C, which does not down-regulate the enzyme. These events were examined in relationship to functional alterations in stress (eg, SAPK, JNK) and survival (eg, MAPK, ERK) signaling pathways. The observations that LC/BRY treatment failed to trigger JNK activation and that cell death was unaffected by a dominant-interfering form of c-JUN (TAM67) or by pretreatment with either curcumin or the p38/RK inhibitor, SB203580, suggested that the SAPK pathway was not involved in potentiation of apoptosis. In marked contrast, perturbations in the PKC/Raf/MAPK pathway played an integral role in LC/BRY-mediated cell death based on evidence that pretreatment of cells with bisindolylmaleimide I, a selective PKC inhibitor, or geldanamycin, a benzoquinone ansamycin, which destabilizes and depletes Raf-1, markedly suppressed apoptosis. Furthermore, ERK phosphorylation was substantially prolonged in LC/BRY-treated cells compared to those exposed to BRY alone, and pretreatment with the highly specific MEK inhibitors, PD98059, U0126, and SL327, opposed ERK activation while protecting cells from LC/BRY-induced lethality. Together, these findings suggest a role for activation and/or dysregulation of the PKC/MAPK cascade in modulation of leukemic cell apoptosis following exposure to the proteasome inhibitor LC. (Blood. 2001;97:2105-2114)
Body Weights, Body Measurements, and Surface Area of Jersey and Sindhi-Jersey (F1) Crossbred Females

Summary Data are presented on comparative body weights, body dimensions, and the measured surface area of Jerseys and Sindhi-Jersey (F 1 ) crosses. The mean body weights of the crossbreds are greater than those of the Jersey dams at comparable ages and stages of lactation. This difference, which may be attributable to "hybrid vigor" in the crossbreds, is most evident from birth to 15 months of age. Body measurements made at 6, 12, and 18 months of age and during first lactation show that at the earlier ages the crossbreds are taller and have greater body width and depth, but that their body length is less. With the advance of age, the differences for most measurements, other than weight, between the two groups diminish to a nonsignificant value or actually become reversed. The crosses exceed the Jerseys, however, in angle of rump and length of head at all ages. The average coefficients of variation for body weight and body dimensions are substantially the same for both groups. The surface area was measured on 32 Jersey and 23 Sindhi-Jersey crossbred cows with a surface integrator. These areas were compared with body weights. Neither the ratio of surface area to body weight nor the ratio of surface area to the two-thirds power of body weight shows a significant difference between the two groups. In these animals a statistical analysis indicated that the surface area is related to the square root of body weight but to no appreciable extent to total body length.
SU‐FF‐T‐92: A Dosimetric Analysis of IMRT Used to Replace and Mimic HDR Brachytherapy in the Treatment of Gynecologic Malignancy

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) to mimic the dose distribution of high‐dose rate (HDR) intracavitary brachytherapy in the treatment of gynecologic malignancy, including regions of high dose in the target volume while limiting doses to organs at risk (OAR). Methods: The HDR treatment planningCT scans of 4 patients with gynecologic malignancy were used in creating 3 different types of IMRTtreatment plans. HDR dose levels were contoured and exported as volumes to the IMRTtreatment planning system. The IMRT300% and IMRT100% plans were designed to mimic V300%(HDR) and V100%(HDR), respectively. No attempt was made to spare the OAR. Results of IMRT300% and IMRT100% were used to determine the limitations of IMRT in order to create IMRTTx: a compromised plan, designed to replicate the V100%(HDR) and the highest isodose volume possible, while sufficiently sparing the OARs. Results: The IMRT300% and IMRT100% plans showed an increase in V50% by a factor of 10 and 2, respectively. The IMRTTx plan mimicked V200%(HDR) to within a mean of 16.4% while concurrently replicating V100%(HDR) to within a mean of 79.7%. An associated mean V 50%(IMRT) V 50%(HDR) of 510% and a mean D2cc increase of 61.7% and 102.7% for the bladder and rectum were realized. Moreover, for the patients who received supplementary conventional external‐beam radiation therapy (CXRT), nodal treatment was integrated with IMRTTx in order to replace CXRT. The nodal mean D90(IMRT) was within 3.9% of D90(CXRT). For all patients, IMRTTx OAR doses were below the regions of interest (ROI) constraints used clinically. Conclusion: The present study suggests that IMRT may be capable of mimicking HDR brachytherapy in the treatment of gynecologic malignancy. As V200%(HDR) and V100%(HDR) are mimicked, increased V50% and OAR doses must be accepted. Compliance to clinical ROI constraints can be achieved.
Regulation of the Caenorhabditis elegans posterior Hox gene egl-5 by microRNA and the polycomb-like gene sop-2.

In Caenorhabditis elegans, the domains of Hox gene expression are controlled by the novel global regulatory gene sop-2. We identified a region located 3′ of the Hox gene egl-5 that promotes ectopic expression of an egl-5 reporter gene in a sop-2 mutant. SOP-2 could directly block positive regulatory factors acting in this region, or it could block their expression. We identified three possible miRNA binding sites within the egl-5 3′ untranslated region (UTR). Cognate microRNAs are expressed in relevant tissues and can block egl-5 expression when expressed from a transgene. Mutation of the putative binding sites in the egl-5 3′UTR resulted in a modest degree of misexpression of a minimal egl-5 reporter gene, suggesting that microRNAs may contribute to the tight restriction of egl-5 expression to particular cell lineages. Developmental Dynamics 238:595–603, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Exhibition Review: The Charms of Lincolnshire

In a gloomy warehouse sits a dilapidated Victorian hearse; nearby are a cast-iron grave marker, a hand-stitched memorial sampler, and some nineteenth-century coffin furniture. Nevertheless, this is...
Switchgear and Control for an Electronic Power Converter

The electronic power converter, controlled by the equipment described in this paper, consists of two units rated 10,000 kw installed and operating at the Edgar Thomson Works of the Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation. The power converters connect a 60-cycle 69-kv system and a 25-cycle 44-kv system with a permissible power transfer of 20,000 kw in either direction between the systems. Transfer of power by rectification and inversion and the design of the electronic power converter are discussed in companion papers.1,2 The switchgear and control devices are discussed in this paper and for convenience and clarity, the discussion is divided into three main headings: ``Switching,'' ``Control,'' and ``Protection.''
Flutter/Limit Cycle Oscillation Analysis and Experiment for Wing-Store Model

A delta wing experimental model with an external store has been designed and tested in the Duke University wind tunnel. The wing structure is modeled theoretically by using von Karman plate theory that allows for geometric strain-displacement nonlinearities in the plate wing structure. A component modal analysis is used to derive the full structural equations of motion for the wing/store combination system. A three-dimensional time domain vortex lattice aerodynamic model including a reduced-order model aerodynamic technique and a slender-body aerodynamic theory for the store are also used to investigate the nonlinear aeroelastic system. The effects of the store pitch stiffness (attachment stiffness), the span location of store, and the store aerodynamics on the critical flutter velocity and limit cycle oscillations (LCO) are discussed. The correlations between the theory and experiment are good for both the critical flutter velocity and frequency but not good for the LCO amplitude, especially when the store is located near the wing tip. The theoretical structural model needs to be improved to determine LCO response, and improved results are shown in the companion paper as obtained with a higher-order structural model.
Germinal development in Philophthalmus megalurus (Cort, 1914) (Trematoda: Digenea).

The life cycle of Philophthalmus megalurus includes a minimum of five polymorphic generations: the hermaphroditic adult in the conjunctival sacs of birds, a paedogenetic miracidium which develops in the egg, and the sporocyst, mother redia, and daughter redia which parasitize the snail host. Daughter rediae produce a few granddaughter rediae first and then cercariae. The diploid chromosome number is 20 and gametogenesis in the adult is typical with 10 bivalents appearing during the first maturation division of gametocytes. In all generations, an unequal first cleavage produces a smaller propagatory, and a larger somatic cell. Unequal division of the propagatory cell again results in a larger somatic and a smaller daughter propagatory cell from which the sporocyst develops within the miracidium before the egg hatches. In other generations, repeated unequal division of the daughter propagatory cell results in small, dark germinal cells which may multiply by mitosis. They are interpreted as oogonia which transform directly to oocytes in all generations except cercarial embryos. In that process, each undergoes meiotic prophase to diakinesis with the appearance of 10 bivalent chromosomes, then returns to interphase, grows, and becomes the large “germinal cell” typical of sporocysts and rediae of trematodes. Each oocyte cleaves without polar body formation to form an embryo of the next generation. Reproduction in the germinal sacs accordingly is diploid parthenogenesis and polyembryony is not involved. The term “larval trematodes” for generations reproducing in the molluscan host is inaccurate and should be restricted to miracidia and cercariae, the only stages that undergo metamorphosis.
Chagas' disease: Another cause of cerebral mass in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

We report the first case of Chagas' disease causing a brain mass in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The illness occurred in a patient living outside a traditional chagasic endemic area and represented reactivation of long dormant Trypanosoma cruzi infection. A Salvadoran-born resident of the United States with diagnosed AIDS developed hemiparesis due to a brain mass. Histopathologic examination and culture of a brain biopsy specimen established that T. cruzi infection produced the lesion. The patient's epidemiologic history excluded newly acquired trypanosomal infection. Thus, cerebral Chagas' disease must now be considered another potential opportunistic infection in AIDS. This is of particular concern as the pandemic spreads to large Latino populations previously exposed to infection with the parasite.
Localization of A hepatitis B surface antigen determinant deduced from results of chemical modifications

The effect on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) of reagents considered specific for each of the amino acid residues, lysine, methionine, cysteine, arginine, tyrosine, tryptophan, and glutamic (aspartic) acid, was studied. Based on the observed alterations of HBsAg antigenicity and the known amino acid sequence of the HBsAg polypeptide, a major antigenic determinant was localized within the sequence: Pro-Ser-Cys-Cys-Cys-Thr-Lys-Pro-Thr(Ser)-Asp-Gly-Asn-Cys-Thr-Cys-Ile-Pro-Ile-Pr o-Ser-Ser, corresponding to residues 135-155. The asparagine-linked saccharide chains are not essential for HBsAg antigenicity.
Casting light on the ejecta

Discussion autour des consequences de l'observation de l'emission de lumiere par la matiere ejectee lors de l'explosion de SN 1987A; en particulier on s'interesse a la facon de trier l'information concernant l'explosion elle-meme de celle de l'etoile progenitrice
Demonstration of spectral calibration for stellar interferometry

A breadboard is under development to demonstrate the calibration of spectral errors in microarcsecond stellar interferometers. Analysis shows that thermally and mechanically stable hardware in addition to careful optical design can reduce the wavelength dependent error to tens of nanometers. Calibration of the hardware can further reduce the error to the level of picometers. The results of thermal, mechanical and optical analysis supporting the breadboard design will be shown.
Dopamine transporter binding in rat striatum and nucleus accumbens is unaltered following chronic changes in dopamine levels

The effects of chronic treatment with the tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor alpha-methyltyrosine or the dopamine precursor 1-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine on radioligand binding to the dopamine transporter in homogenates of rat striatum and nucleus accumbens were assessed. Chronic alpha-methyltyrosine administration decreased dopamine levels in both the striatum and nucleus accumbens without a resulting change in [3H]mazindol binding to the dopamine transporter in either brain region. In a second experiment, chronic administration of alpha-methyltyrosine or L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine produced significant decreases and increases, respectively, in striatal dopamine levels without altering the binding of [3H]WIN 35,428, a chemically distinct dopamine transporter radioligand. These data suggest that even dramatic fluctuations in brain dopamine levels do not modulate the abundance of the dopamine transporter.
An efficient atomic norm minimization approach to identification of low order models

Many practical situations involve synthesizing controllers for systems where a priori models are not available and thus must be identified from experimental data. In these cases, it is of interest to identify the simplest model compatible with the available information, since the order of the model is usually reflected in the order of the resulting controllers. The main result of this paper is a computationally efficient algorithm to identify low order models from mixed time/frequency domain data. We propose two algorithms: one deterministic, based on semi-algebraic optimization, and the second based on a randomized approach. As shown here, both algorithms are guaranteed to converge to the optimum. A salient feature of the proposed approach is its ability to accommodate mixed time/frequency domain data without the need to resort to finite truncations or enforcing interpolation type constraints.
Diversity: quantification and ecological evaluation in freshwater marshes

Abstract The primary objective of this study was to test the usefulness of two indices—edge diversity and cover type diversity—in assessing bird species diversity for breeding avian communities in freshwater coastal marshes. Bird species diversity was used in this study as an indicator of ecological quality. Permanent transects in three marshes on the bay of Green Bay, Lake Michigan, provided the basis for vegetation assessments and breeding bird censuses. Four years of field data were subjected to regression analysis. The best equation was found to be a multiple regression of bird species diversity on cover type diversity and edge diversity, showing a significant linear relationship with cover type diversity and a significant curvilinear relationship with edge diversity. Cover type diversity and edge diversity can be readily assessed from aerial imagery. The results are most applicable to ecological evaluation where objectives stress species diversity rather than single-species management.
ESR study of intramolecular energy transfer in the radiolysis of cellulose thenoates

The substitution of 2-thenoyl, 5-methyl-2-thenoyl, 2-thiopheneacryloyl, 5-bromo-2-thenoyl, and 5-bromo-2-thiopheneacryloyl groups on fibrous cotton cellulose increased the radiation resistance of cellulose, as indicated by the retention of the breaking strengths of the modified fibrous celluloses at high dosages of γ-radiation, as compared with that of irradiated, unmodified fibrous cellulose. The presence of electropositive or electronegative substituents on the thiophene groups did not reduce the radioprotective effects of these groups for cellulose. Crosslinking of the cellulose thenoates in 1,3-di(4-pyridyl)-propane did not significantly reduce the radiation resistance of the thenoates. Examination of the ESR spectra of irradiated cellulose and cellulose thenoates indicated that the site of the long-lived free radicals on the irradiated cellulose molecules was not changed by the chemical modification. However, the concentration of long-lived free radicals in irradiated cellulose thenoates, at a given radiation dosage, was less than that in irradiated cellulose. The localization of energy on carbon C1 or C4 of the cellulose molecule, which leads to depolymerization and loss in breaking strength of fibrous cellulose, was decreased. The radioprotective effects of thiophene groups for cellulose were similar to those of furan and benzenoid groups.
Plant- and Soil-Parameter-Caused Uncertainty of Predicted Surface Fluxes

Abstract Simulated surface fluxes depend on one or more empirical plant or soil parameters that have a standard deviation (std dev). Thus, simulated fluxes will have a stochastic error (or std dev) resulting from the parameters’ std dev. Gaussian error propagation (GEP) principles are used to calculate the std dev for fluxes predicted by the hydro–thermodynamic soil–vegetation scheme to identify prediction limitations due to stochastic errors, parameterization weaknesses, and critical parameters, and to prioritize which parameters to measure with higher accuracy. Relative errors of net radiation, sensible, latent, and ground heat flux, on average, are 7%, 10%, 6%, and 26%, respectively. The analysis identified the parameterization of thermal conductivity as the dominant influence on the std dev of ground heat flux. For net radiation, critical parameters are vegetation fraction and ground emissivity; for sensible and latent heat fluxes, vegetation fraction. Minimum stomatal resistance and leaf area index d...
Integration of the Gene Ontology into an object-oriented architecture

To standardize gene product descriptions, a formal vocabulary defined as the Gene Ontology (GO) has been developed. GO terms have been categorized into biological processes, molecular functions, and cellular components. However, there is no single representation that integrates all the terms into one cohesive model. Furthermore, GO definitions have little information explaining the underlying architecture that forms these terms, such as the dynamic and static events occurring in a process. In contrast, object-oriented models have been developed to show dynamic and static events. A portion of the TGF-beta signaling pathway, which is involved in numerous cellular events including cancer, differentiation and development, was used to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating the Gene Ontology into an object-oriented model.
Clustered Channel Estimation for UWB Multiple Antenna Systems

Due to their extremely large transmission bandwidth, ultrawideband (UWB) communications systems have the potential for significant multipath capture. However, such capture can be dependent on the accuracy of channel estimation, which is the problem considered herein. Strategies that exploit properties of the UWB channel can offer performance improvement over schemes which are less parametric. To this end, recent UWB propagation studies and associated channel modelling suggest that clustering occurs in both space and time for indoor wireless office/laboratory environments. Motivated by this study, a two-stage channel estimation scheme is proposed. First, coarse channel estimation is conducted which estimates the location and dispersion of a cluster around this location. Then, channel estimation efforts are localized around the nominal location to reduce the dimensionality of the estimation of the parameters associated with the different multipath components. For cluster estimation, methods based on maximum-likelihood and correlation matrix fitting are considered. Different strategies are presented for multipath estimation, based on the expectation maximization algorithm and correlator output maximization. The bit error rate of a Rake type receiver is simulated with the estimated channel parameters for a multipath scenario based on clusters. Simulation results indicate that the clustered approach offers solid performance gains over conventional methods
An initial comparison of implicit and explicit programming styles for distributed memory multiprocessors

Management of parallel tasks and distributed data are the essence of parallel programming on distributed memory multiprocessors, and can be expressed explicitly in the programming language, or provided implicitly through some combination of language and run-time support. Functional languages are designed to provide implicit support for both task and data management, but are often less efficient than explicit approaches. This is the classical tension between performance and ease of programming. This paper provides an initial study which attempts to quantify this trade-off. While our quantitative results are accurate at capturing the scales for programming effort and efficiency of these programming methods, our results are based on two small parallel programs, and should be weighed accordingly. >
Applying differential privacy to search queries in a policy based interactive framework

Web search logs are of growing importance to researchers as they help understanding search behavior and search engine performance. However, search logs typically contain sensitive information about users and therefore considerable caution must be exercised when considering releasing the logs to the research community. Current approaches to releasing search logs focus on either protecting the privacy of users or enhancing the utility of data to researchers. In this work, we address the privacy-utility tradeoff by providing safe access to search logs, instead of releasing them. We propose a policy based safe interactive framework built on semantic policies and differential privacy to allow researchers access to search logs, while maintaining the privacy of the users. Semantic policies are used to infer the higher levels of information that can be mined from a dataset based on the fields accessed by a researcher. The accessed fields are then used to build research profile(s) that guide the amount of privacy to be enforced using differential privacy. We show the additional utility that can be obtained in our framework by two demonstrative experiments that involve access to user level information. Our results indicate that valid research can be conducted in our framework without forgoing the privacy of individuals.
Computing Phylogenetic Diversity for Split Systems

In conservation biology it is a central problem to measure, predict, and preserve biodiversity as species face extinction. In 1992 Faith proposed measuring the diversity of a collection of species in terms of their relationships on a phylogenetic tree, and to use this information to identify collections of species with high diversity. Here we are interested in some variants of the resulting optimization problem that arise when considering species whose evolution is better represented by a network rather than a tree. More specifically, we consider the problem of computing phylogenetic diversity relative to a split system on a collection of species of size $n$. We show that for general split systems this problem is NP-hard. In addition we provide some efficient algorithms for some special classes of split systems, in particular presenting an optimal $O(n)$ time algorithm for phylogenetic trees and an $O(n\log n + n k)$ time algorithm for choosing an optimal subset of size $k$ relative to a circular split system.
A new performance metric for search and track missions

The joint optimization of conflicting objectives is usually challenging because there is no clear-cut way to do so. When planning for search and track missions, one must choose between the conflicting objectives of detecting new targets and tracking previously detected targets. This paper proposes a novel metric that integrates the objectives of target detection, target tracking, and vehicle survivability nicely into an integrated single scalar index that can be used to optimize paths for joint detection and tracking. The cornerstone is the introduction of a new performance index, that is, information gain, which permits joint optimization of the objectives for search and track missions. Several examples are provided to illustrate how to use our proposed metric.
Contextual Influences on Reproductive Wellness in Northern India

Objectives. There has been a growing recognition of the importance of contextual influences on health outcomes. This article examines community-level influences on 5 reproductive wellness outcomes in Uttar Pradesh, India. Methods. Multilevel modeling is used to estimate household and community-level effects on wellness, with hierarchically organized data from a statewide survey of villages, urban blocks, households, women, health providers, and staff. Results. The household and community have a strong contextual influence on wellness, although the models explain more of the variation in outcomes between households than between communities. Conclusions. Communities influence wellness outcomes through the socioeconomic environment and the characteristics of the health infrastructure. The specific dimensions of the community and health infrastructure varied between the outcomes.
E-mail research: targeting the enterprise

The research program at IBM's® Collaborative User Experience (CUE) group supports an e-mail system used by millions of people. We present three lessons learned from working with real-world enterprise e-mail solutions. First, a pragmatic, system-level approach reveals that e-mail programs are generally used idiosyncratically, often for many different goals at once. This fact has strong implications for both the design and assessment of new features. Second, we discuss how viewing e-mail as an element of corporate collaboration--not just communication--provides insights into problems with current systems as well as potential solutions. Third, we describe constraints imposed by the realities of software development and how they shape the space of feasible new designs. Finally, we illustrate these lessons with an overview of CUE research strategies in the context of an extended case study of one specific new technology: Thread Arcs. Although not all researchers work with an enterprise-level product team, we believe the experiences described here will be useful to anyone wishing to see their ideas ultimately implemented on a broad scale.
Predicting Intentions and Condom Use Among Latino College Students

To understand the factors that predict Latinos'risk-associated behavior, this study examined whether favorable beliefs about condoms and select moderator variables are related to stronger intentions to use condoms and more reported condom use at most recent vaginal and anal intercourse among Latino college students. Latino students who attended a public university in the northeast United States were mailed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Results from completed questionnaires (n = 199) indicated that students who perceived greater partner approval of condom use, perceived greater peer approval of condom use, and expressed confidence in their ability to control themselves reported stronger intentions to used condoms. Perceived partner approval and impulse control was related to self-reported condom use at most recent vaginal intercourse, impulse control was related to self-reported condom use at most recent vaginal intercourse, and impulse control was related to self-reported condom use at most recent anal intercourse. These relations did not significantly differ by Hispanic ethnicity, religiosity, gender, or age. Results suggest that normative beliefs and control beliefs regarding impulse control may be especially salient in both predicting and changing condom use behavior and should be incorporated into nursing assessments and tailored interventions.
Model structure and load balancing in optimistic parallel discrete event simulation

The concept of strong groups is introduced to describe the structure of simulation models. It is shown that logical processes within strong groups process at approximately the same rate and that different strong groups can progress at different rates. An algorithm based on the rates of the strong groups is presented to balance the load among the physical processors and for flow control.