cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving intestinal absorption of water-insoluble compounds: a membrane metabolism strategy.

A strategy for improving the intestinal absorption of water-insoluble drugs was developed and tested. The strategy is based on making a soluble derivative of an insoluble compound which, in turn, is a substrate for enzymes in the surface coat of the brush border region of the microvillous membrane. Consequently, just prior to reaching the membrane, the physical properties of the diffusing species are changed from polar to nonpolar. The experimental test used two drug–drug derivative pairs, estrone–lysine estrone ester and p-nitroaniline–lysine p-nitroanilide. Wall permeabilities were determined using an external perfusion technique in the rat intestine and a laminar flow convective diffusion model for transport in the lumen. Analysis of the permeability results indicates that the derivatives have higher wall permeabilities than the parent compounds and that the microvillous surface coat may be a significant contributor to the intestinal wall resistance. Comparison of the absorption rates for estrone and the lysine estrone ester indicates that the absorption rate of the derivative could be up to five orders of magnitude greater than that for the parent compound.
Oral side‐effects of the most frequently prescribed drugs

Oral side-effects and their respective prevalence rates for the 200 most frequently prescribed drugs for 1992, as measured by IMS America's National Prescription Audit is reviewed. Accounting for duplication due to brand and generic name listings, the actual number of different medications covered was 131. The results of this review are presented in a table and include the oral side-effects and prevalences as reported in the literature. The three most frequent side-effects encountered with these medications were xerostomia (80.5%), dysgeusia (47.5%), and stomatitis (33.9%). The included table should fill the need for a ready reference for dentists in monitoring and counseling patients regarding the potential oral side-effects of the medications.
A real-time 3D scanning system for pavement rutting and pothole detections

Rutting and pothole are the common pavement distress problems that need to be timely inspected and repaired to ensure ride quality and safe traffic. This paper introduces a real-time, automated inspection system devoted for detecting these distress features using high-speed transverse scanning. The detection principle is based on the dynamic generation and characterization of 3D pavement profiles obtained from structured light measurements. The system implementation mainly involves three tasks: multi-view coplanar calibration, sub-pixel laser stripe location, and pavement distress recognition. The multi-view coplanar scheme was employed in the calibration procedure to increase the feature points and to make the points distributed across the field of view of the camera, which greatly improves the calibration precision. The laser stripe locating method was implemented in four steps: median filtering, coarse edge detection, fine edge adjusting, stripe curve mending and interpolation by cubic splines. The pavement distress recognition algorithms include line segment approximation of the profile, searching for the feature points, and parameters calculations. The parameter data of a curve segment between two feature points, such as width, depth and length, were used to differentiate rutting, pothole, and pothole under different constraints. The preliminary experiment results show that the system is capable of locating these pavement distresses, and meets the needs for real-time and accurate pavement inspection.
Output-to-state stability and detectability of nonlinear systems

The notion of input-to-state stability (ISS) has proved to be useful in nonlinear systems analysis. This paper discusses a dual notion, output-to-state stability (OSS). A characterization is provided in terms of a dissipation inequality involving storage (Lyapunov) functions. Combining ISS and OSS there results the notion of input/output-to-state stability (IOSS), which is also studied and related to the notion of detectability, the existence of observers, and output injection.
For Whom Does Language Death Toll? Cautionary Notes from the Basque Case.

Abstract In this article, I show that despite a seemingly inclusive, language-based identity promoted in schools and pedagogical materials, Basque identity and language are embedded with social histories that exclude large swaths of the would-be Basque nation: women and second language learners of Basque. To the extent that these processes continue to operate in society and are ignored in the curriculum-in-use, it bodes ill for the future of Euskera as a language of everyday use. Specifically, I examine elements of Basque identity, culture and language featured in classrooms or pedagogical materials used to teach Basque language and culture in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC) of Spain and the diaspora, and show how they are socially constructed to position some kinds of Basques as “more Basque” than others. These social constructions are problematic, in that efforts to revitalize threatened languages like Euskera need to welcome speakers rather than marginalize them.
An inverse problem for an elliptic partial differential equation

Abstract We demonstrate uniqueness and local existence of the unknown coefficient a = a ( x ) in the elliptic equation Δu − a ( x ) u = 0 in the quarter plane x > 0, y > 0 which is subject to the boundary conditions u(0, y) = ƒ(y), u x (0, y) = g(y), and u(x, 0) = h(x) . The proof consists of the derivation of an integral equation for a ( x ) utilizing transformations of Gelfand-Levitan type.
The puzzle of attention, the importance of metaphors

Abstract I have two goals in this paper. First, I want to show by example that inferences about theoretical entities are relatively contingent affairs. Previously accepted conceptual metaphors in science set both the general form of new theories and our acceptance of the theories as plausible. In addition, they determine how we define the relevant parameters in investigating phenomena in the first place. These items then determine how we conceptualize things in the world. Second, and maybe more importantly, I want to solve a puzzle that falls out of our current explication of attention, namely why we have it. Given the now widely accepted view that our brains are massively parallel, it is difficult to see why we should have evolved attentional mechanisms at all. Why gate when we can already process what we transduce in parallel? Here I answer that puzzle and suggest a perspective on attention that makes it a bit easier to understand, although this perspective also entails that we have to revise how we ind...
State per capita income convergence since 1950: sharecropping’s demise and other influences.

. Prevailing theories wrongly attribute post-1950 convergence of state per capita incomes to (1) neoclassical adjustment mechanisms, (2) institutional sclerosis, and (3) southern industrialization. But convergence-essentially a weakening of southern poverty–resulted mainly from the South's overcoming its legacy of slavery: the sharecropper-tenant system, agricultural dependence, high black population percentages, poor education, and low wage rates. Sharecropping was the dominant feature; abject poverty among sharecroppers dragged southern income to its knees. Sharecropping's collapse and attendant South-to-North migration affected the legacy's other features in ways that raised income. Manufacturing growth and transport improvements caused relative income in the West to decline.
A comparison of two factors affecting the proliferation of non-neuronal (glial) cells in vitro

Abstract Earlier studies have shown that the proliferation of sympathetic non-neuronal cells in vitro can be stimulated either by direct contact with growing neurons or by addition of sonicated neurons of the same type to the culture medium. Several lines of evidence presented herein suggest that intact neurons and neuronal sonicate probably stimulate [3H] thymidine incorporation by disticctly different mechanisms. First, mitogenic factors are present in sonicates of cell types (fibroblasts and non-neuronal cells) which do not stimulate non-neuronal cell proliferation when added asintact cells. Second, neuronal sonicate and intact neurons differ in the types of cells which are responsive no their mitogenic influence. Third, intact neurons do not appear to stimulate non-neuronal cell proliferation by the same mechanism as that of neuronal sonicate. Further similarities between stimulation of non-neuronal cell proliferation in vitro and reactive gliosis in vivo are discussed.
Human DNA Polymerase ϵ Is Able to Efficiently Extend from Multiple Consecutive Ribonucleotides

Replicative DNA polymerases (Pols) help to maintain the high fidelity of replication in large part through their strong selectivity against mispaired deoxyribonucleotides. It has recently been demonstrated that several replicative Pols from yeast have surprisingly low selectivity for deoxyribonucleotides over their analogous ribonucleotides. In human cells, ribonucleotides are found in great abundance over deoxyribonucleotides, raising the possibility that ribonucleotides are incorporated in the human genome at significant levels during normal cellular functions. To address this possibility, the ability of human DNA polymerase ϵ to incorporate ribonucleotides was tested. At physiological concentrations of nucleotides, human Pol ϵ readily inserts and extends from incorporated ribonucleotides. Almost half of inserted ribonucleotides escape proofreading by 3′ → 5′ exonuclease-proficient Pol ϵ, indicating that ribonucleotide incorporation by Pol ϵ is likely a significant event in human cells. Human Pol ϵ is also efficient at extending from primers terminating in up to five consecutive ribonucleotides. This efficient extension appears to result from reduced exonuclease activity on primers containing consecutive 3′-terminal ribonucleotides. These biochemical properties suggest that Pol ϵ is a likely source of ribonucleotides in human genomic DNA.
Cytologic diagnosis of Ewing sarcoma/peripheral neuroectodermal tumor with paired prospective molecular genetic analysis

BACKGROUND. Ewing sarcoma/peripheral neuroectodermal tumor (EWS/PNET), since its characterization immunophenotypically and cytogenetically, has emerged as one of most common sarcomas of childhood. Currently, it is recognized that EWS/PNET can occur in any number of extraosseous sites and is one of several distinctive tumor types with an EWS translocation. In the past, the pathologic diagnosis of EWS/PNET relied on an open biopsy with the application of various ancillary studies, ranging from periodic acid-Schiff stain to molecular testing, but the tumor increasingly is diagnosed on the basis of cytologic specimens alone. METHODS. The authors report 3 cases of EWS/PNET in patients aged 11 years to 53 years. These 3 patients had tumors that involved the parotid gland, cervical soft tissue, and pelvis, and were diagnosed by cytologic evaluation of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy material alone. The FNA materials also were evaluated prospectively by fluorescence in situ hybridization and/or reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS. The results emphasized the diagnostic utility of FNA biopsy material for morphologic and molecular analysis without compromising conventional cytologic and immunocytochemical analysis, and that prospective molecular testing of FNA specimens has utility in routine practice although it is subject to many of the same limitations that impact molecular analysis when applied to conventional tissue biopsy specimens. CONCLUSIONS. The current results demonstrated that molecular genetic techniques can provide clinically useful ancillary information for FNA specimens when cytologic features and/or immunophenotype are equivocal on the basis of limited sampling or secondary changes, such as hemorrhage and/or necrosis. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2007. © 2007 by the American Cancer Society.
Fetal ultrasound markers of severity predict resolution of pulmonary hypertension in congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Objective Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) results in morbidity and death from lung hypoplasia and persistent pulmonary hypertension (PH). We sought to define the relationship between fetal ultrasound markers of severity in CDH and the time to resolution of neonatal PH. Study Design We conducted a retrospective study of fetuses with an antenatal ultrasound scan and left-sided CDH cared for at the University of California San Francisco (2002-2012). Fetal liver position was classified on ultrasound scan as abdominal (entire liver within the abdomen) or thoracic (any portion of the liver within the thorax). Fetal stomach position was classified from least to most aberrant: abdominal, anterior left chest, mid-posterior left chest, or retrocardiac (right chest). Lung-to-head ratio (LHR) was determined from available scans at 20-29 weeks of gestational age (GA). Routine neonatal echocardiograms were performed weekly for up to 6 weeks or until PH resolved or until discharge. PH was assessed by echocardiogram with the use of a hierarchy of ductus arteriosus level shunt, interventricular septal position, and tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity. Days to PH-free survival was defined as the age at which pulmonary artery pressure was estimated to be Results Of 118 patients, the following fetal markers were available: LHR (n = 53), liver position (n = 112), and stomach position (n = 80). Fewer infants experienced resolved PH if they had LHR P = .006), thoracic liver position ( P = .001), or more aberrant stomach position ( P P = .007), thoracic liver position (hazard ratio, 0.38; P P = .002]; 0.1 [ P P Conclusion Fetal ultrasound markers of CDH severity are predictive not only of death but also of significant morbidity. LHR
New low-bleed implant—Silastic II

A new low-bleed breast implant has been tested both clinically and experimentally. In the guinea pig, two-thirds of the capsules are thin; there is less inflammation and less foreign body reaction than we have seen in previous implants. Evaluations by various investigators show good patient and surgeon acceptance of the new low-bleed implants.
Antihyperglycemic effects of total ginsenosides from leaves and stem of Panax ginseng

The antihyperglycemic effects of the total ginsenosides in Chinese ginseng (TGCG), extracted from leaves and the stem, were evaluated in diabetic C57BL/6J ob/ob mice. Animals received daily intraperitoneal injections of TGCG (100 and 200 mg/kg) or oral administration (150 and 300 mg/kg) for 12 d. Fasting blood glucose levels and body weight were measured after fasting the animals for 4 h. Peripheral glucose use was also measured using an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test. In the injection group, a high dose of TGCG (200 mg/kg) significantly lowered the fasting blood glucose levels in ob/ob mice on d 12 (153 ± 16 mg/dL vs 203±9.8 mg/dL, P<0.01, compared to vehicle-treated group). In the oral group, blood glucose decreased notably with a dose of TGCG (300 mg/kg) on d 12 (169.1±12.6 mg/dL vs 211.6±13.8 mg/dL, P<0.05, compared to the vehicle-treated group). Glucose tolerance was also improved markedly in ob/ob mice. Furthermore, a significant reduction in bodyweight (P<0.05) was observed after 12 d of TGCG (300 mg/kg) treatment in mice from the oral group. The results indicated that in a diabetic ob/ob mouse model TGCG was endowed with significant anti-hyperglycemic and anti-obesity properties. Therefore, the total ginsenosides extracted from Chinese ginseng leaves and the stem may have some potential for treating diabetes.
The customary norm process and the deep seabed

Abstract The process by which the disputed ownership of deep seabed minerals is resolved is critical to the future credibility of the international legal system as such. Recently, several publicists and LDC spokesmen have contended that seabed mineral recovery must be specifically authorized by international customary norms in order to be legal. This approach would violate the most basic notions of sovereignty long adhered to by the world community, and adopted by the Permanent Court of International Justice in the Case of the S.S. Lotus. Furthermore, any attempt to abrogate the “protest”; principle or to nullify the concomitant res inter alios acta rule would likely undermine the general credibility of the norm‐creating process itself, thereby endangering the political and consensual foundations of an international legal system whose enforcement mechanisms are incomplete. So as to preclude such an unacceptable result, the recognized norm‐creating process is carefully presented and meticulously applied. A...
Teaching Seminary Students About Faith Inclusion for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: The Role of Family Mentorships

We present a rationale for the inclusion of a Family Mentorship experience as a vehicle for enabling seminary students to appreciate the challenges to faith inclusion for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. We describe the development of one such mentorship program as a collaborative between a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and a local seminary. We present effectiveness data for the Mentorship experience, and provide recommendations for other seminaries and university centers on disability that would seek to establish similar family mentorship programs.
DYNAMICS OF COUPLED BUBBLE OSCILLATORS WITH DELAY

We investigate the stabilityof the in-phase mode in a system of two delay-coupled bubble oscillators. The bubble oscillator model is based on a 1956 paper by Keller and Kolodner. Delay coupling is due to the time it takes for a signal to travel from one bubble to another through the liquid medium that surrounds them. Using techniques from the theory of delay-differential equations as well as the method of averaging, we show that the equilibriumof the in-phase mode can be made unstable if the delay is long enough and if the coupling strength is large enough, resulting in a Hopf bifurcation. This work is motivated by medical applications involving noninvasive localized drug delivery via microbubbles.
Distributed simulation of VLSI systems via lookahead-free self-adaptive optimistic and conservative synchronization

The paper presents a novel protocol for parallel and distributed simulation of VLSI systems. It is novel in two aspects: first, it combines optimistic and conservative synchronization methods, allowing processes to self-adapt for maximal utilization of concurrency. Second, it does not require any application-dependent information like lookahead, which in many cases is unknown, zero, or difficult to automatically obtain from a design in a hardware description language. All these features make it very convenient and practical, extending the class of applications to at least all VHDL circuits, including delta cycle. The proposed protocol has been implemented and used for VHDL simulation. Experimental results on several large VHDL circuits (between 1411 and 14704 processes) have shown promising linear speedups. We also observed that the dynamic synchronization, in which processes automatically adapt to optimistic or conservative behavior, follows closely or finds a very good configuration. This protocol may have a strong impact for mixed-signal circuit simulation, where digital parts may be optimistic and heavy-state analog parts, conservative.
A criterion for the transition between flow regimes in turbulent cavity flow.

Pressure coefficient criterion for transition between two- and three-dimensional turbulent cavity flow
Preventing Ventilator‐Associated Pneumonia in the United States: A Multicenter Mixed‐Methods Study

objective. To determine what practices are used by hospitals to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and, through qualitative methods, to understand more fully why hospitals use certain practices and not others. design. Mixed-methods, sequential explanatory study. methods. We mailed a survey to the lead infection control professionals at 719 US hospitals (119 Department of Veterans Affairs [VA] hospitals and 600 non-VA hospitals), to determine what practices are used to prevent VAP. We then selected 14 hospitals for an in-depth qualitative investigation, to ascertain why certain infection control practices are used and others not, interviewing 86 staff members and visiting 6 hospitals. results. The survey response rate was 72%; 83% of hospitals reported using semirecumbent positioning, and only 21% reported using subglottic secretion drainage. Multivariable analyses indicated collaborative initiatives were associated with the use of semirecumbent positioning but provided little guidance regarding the use of subglottic secretion drainage. Qualitative analysis, however, revealed 3 themes: (1) collaboratives strongly influence the use of semirecumbent positioning but have little effect on the use of subglottic secretion drainage; (2) nurses play a major role in the use of semirecumbent positioning, but they are only minimally involved with the use of subglottic secretion drainage; and (3) there is considerable debate about the evidence supporting subglottic secretion drainage, despite a meta-analysis of 5 randomized trials of subglottic secretion drainage that generally supported this preventive practice, compared with only 2 published randomized trials of semirecumbent positioning, one of which concluded that it was ineffective at preventing the development of VAP. conclusion. Semirecumbent positioning is commonly used to prevent VAP, whereas subglottic secretion drainage is used far less often. We need to understand better how evidence related to prevention practices is identified, interpreted, and used to ensure that research findings are reliably translated into clinical practice.
“In Ways Unacademical”: The Reception of Carleton S. Coon's The Origin of Races

This paper examines the controversy surrounding anthropologist CarletonS. Coon's 1962 book, The Origin of Races. Coon maintained that thehuman sspecies was divided into five races before it had evolved into Homo sapiens and that the races evolved into sapiens at different times. Coon's thesis was used by segregationists in the United States as proof that African Americans were “junior” to white Americans and hence unfit for full participation in American society. The paper examines the interactions among Coon, segregationist Carleton Putnam, geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky, and anthropologist Sherwood Washburn. The paper concludes that Coon actively aided the segregationist cause in violation of his own standards for scientific objectivity.
Improving Prospects for Targeting RAS

RAS mutations are among the most common oncogenic drivers in human cancers, affecting nearly a third of all solid tumors and around a fifth of common myeloid malignancies, but they have evaded therapeutic interventions, despite being the focus of intense research over the last three decades. Recent discoveries lend new understanding about the structure, function, and signaling of RAS and have opened new avenues for development of much needed new therapies. We discuss the various approaches under investigation to target mutant RAS proteins. The recent development of direct RAS inhibitors specific to KRAS G12C mutations represents a landmark discovery that promises to change the perception about RAS's druggability. Multiple clinical trials targeting synthetically lethal partners and/or downstream signaling partners of RAS are underway. Novel inhibitors targeting various arms of RAS processing and signaling have yielded encouraging results in the laboratory, but refinement of the drug-like properties of thes...
Mechanism of Dorsoventral Axis Determination in the Ascidian Embryo

The dorsoventral (DV) axis of the ascidian embryo is determined during ooplasmic segregation, a series of cytoplasmic movements that occurs in two phases after fertilization. During the first phase of ooplasmic segregation (OS1), a regional cytoskeletal domain (the myoplasm) moves from the egg periphery to the vegetal pole of the zygote (Jeffery and Meier, 1983). Blastomeres inheriting the vegetal pole region have been shown to be the first to invaginate during gastrulation and may be instrumental in establishing the DV axis (Bates and Jeffery, 1987). During the second phase (OS2), the myoplasm shifts from the vegetal pole to the subequatorial region of the zygote where it forms a crescent which enters presumptive muscle cells during cleavage (Conklin, 1905). Both animal and vegetal fragments of unfertilized eggs develop normally, but after OS1 only vegetal fragments are able to gastrulate and form a DV axis (Ortolani, 1958; Reverberi and Ortolani, 1962; Bates and Jeffery, 1987). Bates and Jeffery (1987) showed that deletion of a small region including the vegetal pole of the zygote between OS 1 and OS2 prevents gastrulation and DV axis formation. It has been proposed that axial determinants localized at the vegetal pole cause the vegetal cells to invaginate during gastrulation and establish the DV axis (Bates and Jeffery, 1987).
The body image of a primigravida following cesarean delivery.

This descriptive, longitudinal case study was based on interactions with a 26‐year‐old primigravida during the 5 weeks following her cesarean delivery. Data were collected by means of unstructured interviews and observations. Retrospective analysis revealed that the subject's dominant focus was the change in her body image following cesarean delivery. Initially perceived as less than ideal, her body image appeared to be one of multiple boundary intrusions, hurting sensations, inadequacy of function, and unattractiveness. During the immediate postpartal period, the subject's behaviors demonstrated progress toward attainment of a positive body image of an intact boundary, comfort, adequate function, and beauty. Cesarean delivery was a simultaneous experience of surgery and childbirth, and the subject's behaviors revealed her efforts to cope with bodily changes associated with the operation and delivery of a child. As the subject's real and ideal body images became more congruent, she gradually shifted her a...
Interpolating scattering amplitudes between the instant form and the front form of relativistic dynamics

Among the three forms of relativistic Hamiltonian dynamics proposed by Dirac in 1949, the instant form and the front form can be interpolated by introducing an interpolation angle between the ordinary time $t$ and the light-front time $(t+z/c)/\sqrt{2}$. Using this method, we introduce the interpolating scattering amplitude that links the corresponding time-ordered amplitudes between the two forms of dynamics and provide the physical meaning of the kinematic transformations as they allow the invariance of each individual time-ordered amplitude for an arbitrary interpolation angle. In particular, it exhibits that the longitudinal boost is kinematical only in the front form dynamics, or the light-front dynamics (LFD), but not in any other interpolation angle dynamics. It also shows that the disappearance of the connected contributions to the current arising from the vacuum occurs when the interpolation angle is taken to yield the LFD. Since it doesn't require the infinite momentum frame (IMF) to show this disappearance and the proof is independent of reference frames, it resolves the confusion between the LFD and the IMF. The well-known utility of IMF usually discussed in the instant form dynamics is now also extended to any other interpolation angle dynamics using our interpolating scattering amplitudes.
Modeling of micro/nano particle separation in microchannels with field-flow fractionation

The cyclical electrical field-flow fractionation (CyElFFF) is a very promising separation technique for particles and biological molecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, viruses, bacteria, yeast cells, mammalian cells. But a clear understanding of the mechanism and performance prediction of this system under different operating parameters is far from completed. This research focuses on a computational investigation of particle behavior in a CyElFFF system by taking into account both electrokinetic effects and particle dynamics. The model was validated with both theory and experimental results. The effects of key parameters such as applied electric field strength and frequency, solution fluid flow rate, particle size, particle shape on separation process are addressed in a systematic way. The developed model can also be utilized in studying the behavior of spherical or non-spherical particles (such as nanowire, nanorod, and nanofiber) in other microfluidic systems.
Enhanced Oxidative Stress Resistance through Activation of a Zinc Deficiency Transcription Factor in Brachypodium distachyon

Identification of viable strategies to increase stress resistance of crops will become increasingly important for the goal of global food security as our population increases and our climate changes. Considering that resistance to oxidative stress is oftentimes an indicator of health and longevity in animal systems, characterizing conserved pathways known to increase oxidative stress resistance could prove fruitful for crop improvement strategies. This report argues for the usefulness and practicality of the model organism Brachypodium distachyon for identifying and validating stress resistance factors. Specifically, we focus on a zinc deficiency B. distachyon basic leucine zipper transcription factor, BdbZIP10, and its role in oxidative stress in the model organism B. distachyon. When overexpressed, BdbZIP10 protects plants and callus tissue from oxidative stress insults, most likely through distinct and direct activation of protective oxidative stress genes. Increased oxidative stress resistance and cell viability through the overexpression of BdbZIP10 highlight the utility of investigating conserved stress responses between plant and animal systems.
Objective Measurement of Tactile Sensitivity Related to a Feeling of Softness and Warmth

This study evaluates the possibility of using the mechanical properties of fabric measured by FAST instruments integrated with the thermal absorption measured by a Zweigle T675 Alambeta to predict the combination of primary handles connected to the feeling of softness and warmth. To achieve this objective, thermal and mechanical characteristics were correlated with the feeling of softness and warmth felt when touching pure wool and fabrics of wool/animal hair blends. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the correlation between the subjective judgement and the physical and thermal characteristics of the fabrics measured by FAST instruments and the Alambeta. Three mathematical models were used for the prediction of hand values and compared: a linear model, the WeberFechner law and Stevens’s power law. The results showed that there is a close relationship between the calculated and subjective values; better correspondence was obtained with the Weber-Fechner law. Furthermore, using the multiple linear regression step-up enabled us to determine which independent variables contribute little or nothing to the accuracy of the prediction. Finally, the study highlights which physical and thermal characteristics measured by FAST and Alambeta instruments can be used for the evaluation of primary hand values.
Highly efficient counter-propagation-beamsnarrow-band ultraviolet frequency conversion in a quantum gas

We show that highly efficient ultraviolet frequency up conversion can be established in a single-component quantum gas in the counter-propagating weak pump beam geometry where no frequency up conversion can occur in a normal gas. We also show that all light-wave mixing and scattering processes in quantum gases originating from elementary excitations characterized by efficient collective atomic recoil motion are stimulated Raman/hyper-Raman in nature.
Maximum likelihood estimation for nonlinear structural equation models with normal latent variables

Structural equation analysis has been widely used in behavioral and social sciences. In practice, for continuous observed variables, linear structural equation models have been used nearly exclusively. The use of models that are nonlinear in latent variables has been limited to simple situations with a linear measurement model and with a single polynomial structural relationship, usually containing only one quadratic or cross-product term. This paper introduces a general structural equation model with a nonlinear measurement model and a simultaneous system of nonlinear and non-polynomial structural relationships. For such a model, a parameterization useful for identification and interpretation is presented. For model fitting and parameter inferences, the maximum likelihood approach is considered. A method for obtaining parameter estimates and their asymptotic covariance matrix estimate is developed based on a new version of the Monte Carlo EM algorithm. The performance of the algorithm is examined using simulation studies.
Synchronization induced by signal propagation delays in inhibitory networks

It is generally accepted that inhibitory neurons play an important role in the generation of synchronous brain rhythms. A number of theoretical studies have been conducted over last decade to determine the properties of the inhibitory neuronal networks that can result in stable network synchrony and much work has focused on synaptic properties of GABA inhibition (the decay time of the synapse and the reversal potential), the heterogeneity in the intrinsic neuron firing rates and the architecture of the underlying networks. Very few studies, however, have focused on the role for explicit signal propagation delays in modulating synchrony in inhibitory networks. One reason for the paucity of work in this area stems for the fact that mathematical studies of a general network of coupled nonlinear delaydifferential equations resulting from the presence of signal propagation delays is a formidable task. Here our goal is to systematically investigate, in the setting of computer simulations, the role of signal propagation delays in the synchronization of inhibitory networks. We consider a random network G of N=10 interacting inhibitory neurons (Type-1 parvalbumin positive interneurons) with the following network constraints: (1) Unidirectional neuronal interaction (2) Mean in-degree for each node of the network is k=3. In order to systematically investigate how neuronal synchrony in this random network changes as a function of signal propagation delay τs, 1000 instances of G were generated and each network was simulated 100 times with random initial conditions. All simulations were performed for fixed
Influence of Myosin Isoforms on Contractile Properties of Intact Muscle Fibers From Rana Pipiens

The myosin heavy chain (MHC) and myosin light chain (MLC) isoforms in skeletal muscle of Rana pipiens have been well characterized. We measured the force-velocity (F-V) properties of single intact ...
Noninvasive Imaging of Herpes Virus Thymidine Kinase Gene Transfer and Expression: A Potential Method for Monitoring Clinical Gene Therapy

Noninvasive imaging of herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase ( HSV1-tk ) gene expression is possible with a clinical gamma camera and by single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) using 131I-labeled 2′-fluoro-2′-deoxy-1-β-d-arabinofuranosyl-5-iodo-uracil (FIAU). Studies were performed in rats bearing s.c. tumors. Tumors were produced by injection of wild-type RG2 glioma or W256 mammary carcinoma cells into one flank and RG2TK+ glioma or W256TK+ mammary carcinoma cells (that had been transduced in vitro with the HSV1-tk gene) into the opposite flank. In some animals, HSV1-tk gene transduction of the pre-established wild-type tumors was accomplished in vivo by direct intratumoral injection of retroviral vector-producer cells. Imaging studies were performed 2 weeks after tumor transduction to allow time for production and spread of the retroviruses through the tumor and for sufficient growth and increase in size of the tumors to facilitate imaging. The gamma camera and SPECT images revealed highly specific localization of [131I]FIAU-derived radioactivity to areas of HSV1-tk gene expression at 24, 36, and 48 h after i.v. administration of 1.6–2.8 mCi of [131I]FIAU. Comparative analysis of quantitative autoradiographic images obtained from the same tumors confirmed that the high levels of [131I]FIAU-derived radioactivity (>1% dose) were localized to areas of HSV1-tk gene expression demonstrated by immunohistochemical staining for HSV1-tk protein. In contrast, significantly lower levels of [131I]FIAU-derived radioactivity (<0.01%) were observed in the surrounding nontransduced tumor tissue, contralateral wild-type tumors, and other tissues that showed no immunohistochemical staining for the HSV1-tk protein. The magnitude of FIAU accumulation in RG2TK+, W256TK+, and wild-type tumors corresponded to the in vitro ganciclovir sensitivity of the cell lines used to produce these tumors, which indicates that the magnitude of FIAU accumulation reflects the level of HSV1-tk gene expression. We suggest that “clinically relevant” levels of HSV1-tk gene expression in transfected tissue can be imaged with [131I]FIAU and a gamma camera or SPECT, and that a significant improvement in imaging sensitivity and resolution is expected with [124I]FIAU and PET.
Computer-aided testing of pilot response to critical in-flight events

This research on pilot response to critical in-flight events employs a unique methodology including an interactive computer-aided scenario-testing system. Navigation displays, instrument-panel displays, and assorted textual material are presented on a touch-sensitive CRT screen. Problem diagnosis scenarios, destination-diversion scenarios and combined destination/diagnostic tests are available. A complete time history of all data inquiries and responses is maintained. Sample results of diagnosis scenarios obtained from testing 38 licensed pilots are presented and discussed.
Determining Crystal Habits from Observations of Planar Sections

A method is described for reconstructing the habits of crystals embedded in a second phase from observations of random planar sections of known orientation. We have generated simulated observations based on five assumed crystal habits and found that it is possible to reconstruct the shape from 100-1000 planar sections, depending on the relative area of each facet. Habit planes comprising as little as 3% of the crystal's area have been detected and axial ratios accurately determined.
Digital baseband predistortion of nonlinear power amplifiers using orthogonal polynomials

The polynomial model is commonly used in predistorter design. However, the conventional polynomial model exhibits numerical instabilities when high-order terms are included. We introduce a novel set of orthogonal polynomial basis functions for predistorter modeling. Theoretically, the conventional and the orthogonal polynomial models are "equivalent", and thus should have the same performance. In practice, however, the two approaches can perform quite differently in the presence of quantization noise and with finite precision processing. Simulation results show that the orthogonal polynomials can alleviate the numerical instability problem associated with the conventional polynomials and generally yield better predistortion linearization performance.
Dynamics of falling raindrops

A standard undergraduate mechanics problem involves a raindrop which grows in size as it falls through a mist of suspended water droplets. Ignoring air drag, the asymptotic drop acceleration is g/7, independent of the mist density and the drop radius. Here we show that air drag overwhelms mist drag, producing drop accelerations of order 10 −3 g. Analytical solutions are facilitated by a new empirical form of the air drag coefficient C = 12R −1/2 , which agrees with experimental data on liquid drops in the Reynolds-number range 10 <R< 1000 relevant to precipitating spherical drops. Solutions including air drag are within reach of students of intermediate mechanics and nonlinear dynamics. Even without air drag, the dynamics of a raindrop falling through a stationary mist serves as an important and non-trivial application of Newton’s second law because the mass of the drop changes with time. Undergraduate mechanics students are sometimes able to solve the nonlinear dynamical equations of motion to find the deceptively simple acceleration g/ 7o f an infinitesimal-radius drop released from rest, assuming that the drop accretes all of the mist that it encounters. Dick [1] showed that drops of arbitrary initial radius and velocity approach this acceleration asymptotically. Krane [2] confirmed that inelastic collisions account for the lost mechanical energy of the falling drop. Partovi and Aston [3] included air drag in the problem, assuming a constant drag coefficient for pedagogical simplicity. The objective of this paper is to include the variations in the air drag coefficient for growing raindrops. As raindrops grow in radius from r = 0. 1m m tor = 1 mm within a cloud, their drag coefficients decrease from about C = 5 to about C = 0.5. To account for this decrease, we employ a simple but accurate empirical relationship for the dependence of the drag coefficient on the Reynolds number, which allows us to obtain simple exponential solutions for the asymptotic drop radius, speed, acceleration, and distance travelled. Because of their accuracy, these solutions closely mimic the behaviour of real raindrops, and predict the actual time required for a raindrop to fall through a cloud. Because of their simplicity, these solutions are accessible to students of intermediate mechanics and nonlinear dynamics, who benefit by this soluble yet realistic example. Our approach to the problem is couched in the language and formalism of modern nonlinear dynamics. Since air densities ρa ≈ 10 −3 gc m −3 greatly exceed the mist densities [4, 5] ρm ≈ 10 −6 gc m −3 typical of terrestrial rain clouds, air drag might be expected to play an important role in raindrop dynamics. Air drag indeed overwhelms the force of the accreting mist
Latent factor regression models for grouped outcomes.

Summary We consider regression models for multiple correlated outcomes, where the outcomes are nested in domains. We show that random effect models for this nested situation fit into a standard factor model framework, which leads us to view the modeling options as a spectrum between parsimonious random effect multiple outcomes models and more general continuous latent factor models. We introduce a set of identifiable models along this spectrum that extend an existing random effect model for multiple outcomes nested in domains. We characterize the tradeoffs between parsimony and flexibility in this set of models, applying them to both simulated data and data relating sexually dimorphic traits in male infants to explanatory variables. Supplementary material is available in an online appendix.
HERE COME THE ANTHROS (AGAIN): The Strange Marriage of Anthropology and Native America

This article charts and tries to reckon with the relationship between anthropology and Native America. In an older time, most American anthropologists made their living studying Indians, this almost parasitic disciplinary dependence lasting well into the 20th century. Then came the turmoil of the 1960s and 1970s, the Red Power movement, and a period of estrangement between anthropologists and Native America. And now, quite unexpectedly, a tentative rapprochement has been taking place, albeit on very different terms with native anthropologists often at the forefront. This article focuses mostly on the United States, although also reflecting on new work about native peoples Canada and Latin America.
Positive versus normative economics: what’s the connection? Evidence from the Survey of Americans and Economists on the Economy and the General Social Survey

Previous research suggests that positive and normative beliefs about economics are largely unrelated. Using questions from two national surveys, this study finds that: (a) the underlying determinants of positive and normative beliefs are strikingly similar; (b) education is by far the strongest overall determinant of both positive and normative beliefs; and (c) the variables known to push positive beliefs in the same direction as formal economic training—education, male gender, income growth, and job security—also push normative beliefs in the same direction. These results strongly suggest that the positive-normative connection has been underestimated.
The electrical and material characterization of hafnium oxynitride gate dielectrics with TaN-gate electrode

Electrical and material characteristics of hafnium oxynitride (HfON) gate dielectrics have been studied in comparison with HfO/sub 2/. HfON was prepared by a deposition of HfN followed by post-deposition-anneal (PDA). By secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), incorporated nitrogen in the HfON was found to pile up at the dielectric/Si interface layer. Based on the SIMS profile, the interfacial layer (IL) composition of the HfON films appeared to be like hafnium-silicon-oxynitride (HfSiON) while the IL of the HfO/sub 2/ films seemed to be hafnium-silicate (HfSiO). HfON showed an increase of 300/spl deg/C in crystallization temperature compared to HfO/sub 2/. Dielectric constants of bulk and interface layer of HfON were 21 and 14, respectively. The dielectric constant of interfacial layer in HfON (/spl sim/14) is larger than that of HfO/sub 2/ (/spl sim/7.8). HfON dielectrics exhibit /spl sim/10/spl times/ lower leakage current (J) than HfO/sub 2/ for the same EOTs before post-metal anneal (PMA), while /spl sim/40/spl times/ lower J after PMA. The improved electrical properties of HfON over HfO/sub 2/ can be explained by the thicker physical thickness of HfON for the same equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) due to its higher dielectric constant as well as a more stable interface layer. Capacitance hysteresis (/spl Delta/V) of HfON capacitor was found to be slightly larger than that of HfO/sub 2/. Without high temperature forming gas anneal, nMOSFET with HfON gate dielectric showed a peak mobility of 71 cm/sup 2//Vsec. By high temperature forming gas anneal at 600/spl deg/C, mobility improved up to 256 cm/sup 2//Vsec.