cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Value, Valuation, and the Long-Run Performance of Merged Firms

We propose an alternative measure of the long-term economic impact of mergers on firm value: post-acquisition changes in intrinsic value. Consistent with the literature on post-acquisition returns, acquirers tend to lose industry-adjusted intrinsic values in the three years following merger completion. Further analysis indicates that managers of firms that have both a high price-to-value ratio and a low price-to-book ratio tend to make acquisitions that increase intrinsic value. Managers of firms that have low price-to-value ratios and high price-to-book ratios tend to make intrinsic value-destroying acquisitions. Finally, using a simple return decomposition, we show that changes in intrinsic value and changes in valuation levels contribute to post-acquisition stock returns.
Ethical issues in stem cell research and treatment

The incredible promise of stem cell research to at minimum advance scientific understanding and perhaps ultimately to treat persons with devastating diseases gives moral force to efforts to conduct this research. However, stem cell research has been riddled with ethical questions, in part because the predominant methods being used to derive or attempt to derive human embryonic stem cells require destruction of the embryo. Nevertheless, the ethical debates surrounding human embryonic stem cell research have not been solely related to those associated with the embryo. For instance, the creation of chimeras in some stem cell research has elicited concerns. Oocyte harvesting, which is essential to the creation of human embryonic stem cells raises concerns related to safety of the donor. Other important ethical issues relate to informed consent of both donors of gametes and embryos as well as recipients of stem cells and stem cell products. Further, there has been some concern related to the commercialization of the process, justice, and the responsible conduct of research. In addressing the ethical issues associated with human embryonic stem cell research, it is important to note that they are being deliberated in a setting where scientific excitement is high, there are extraordinarily powerful arguments for access to investigational treatments, and the financial, moral and political stakes are great. In an attempt to minimize the ethical issues associated with human embryonic stem cell research so important research can proceed, professional groups have issued guidelines for the ethical conduct of this research and its oversight. Systematic data regarding these efforts should be collected in order to enhance the likelihood that they meet their ethical goals.
Unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of dopamine neurons produce bilateral self-stimulation deficits.

Abstract Sixteen rats, which had electrode implants in each hemisphere which generated comparable self-stimulation rate-intensity functions, were used in this study. Eight of the rats received unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine injections into the substantia nigra pars compacta, which produced severe unilateral losses of dopamine and were effective in generating apomorphine-induced turning away from the injected hemisphere. Of the remaining 8 rats, 5 received unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions aimed at the ventral tegmental area and 3 were given vehicle injections. The vehicle injections were without effect on self-stimulation and the ventral tegmental injections had an overall transient facilitative effect on self-stimulation. The 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the pars compacta, however, had variable effects. In some rats there was a marked bilateral reduction in self-stimulation over 8 weeks; whereas, there was little, if any, effect in other rats. The rats which sustained the bilateral deficits also sustained the greatest unilateral loss of dopamine. The unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the pars compacta consistently blocked the facilitative influence of 0.5 mg/kg of d -amphetamine on self-stimulation bilaterally, and this effect persisted over 8 weeks of postoperative testing. These results were considered supportive of a response rather than reinforcement role for dopamine in the mediation of self-stimulation behavior.
Eosinophil and neutrophil degranulation in ophthalmic lesions of Wegener's granulomatosis.

• Although eosinophils and neutrophils have been identified in orbital and corneoscleral tissues in some patients with Wegener's granulomatosis, their role in the pathogenesis of the disorder is not completely understood. Nine specimens from six patients with Wegener's granulomatosis and autopsy controls from patients without ophthalmic disease were evaluated with indirect immunofluorescence for eosinophil granule major basic protein and neutrophil elastase. Extracellular deposition of both major basic protein and elastase was identified in orbital tissues from all the patients with Wegener's granulomatosis. Two of the specimens were from enucleated eyes with corneoscleral disease; extracellular deposition of eosinophil major basic protein was identified in one eye, and extracellular neutrophil elastase was deposited in both eyes in lesional areas. None of the control tissues showed major basic protein or elastase deposition. These findings suggest that both eosinophils and neutrophils participate in the pathogenesis of the orbital and corneoscleral manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis.
Effects of Heat Treatment and Posttreatment Holding Time on Rennet Clotting of Milk

Abstract Samples of raw whole milk were heated at 25, 50, and 75°C for 0, 30, 60, 120, and 240 min. After heating, each sample was subdivided into portions that were maintained at 0°C for 0, 30, 60, and 120 min. In a second experiment samples of milk were heated at 25 and 50°C for the same intervals as before but at 75°C for only 5, 10, 15, and 20 min. Samples heated at all three temperatures were kept at 0°C for 30 min after heat treatments. Following heating, pH of each sample was measured, and rennet clotting properties of milk at a constant rennet concentration were determined by the Formagraph instrument. Cold storage at 0°C for up to 2 h did not have a significant effect on pH or on rennet-clotting properties of milk. Increase from 25 to 50°C and prolonged heating reduced pH and clotting time. Curd firming rate and cutting time were affected by the time milk was heated. When milk was heated at 75°C, clotting time, curd firming rate, and cutting time of curd were reduced markedly. Milk heated at 75°C for 30 min or longer did not clot.
Disturbance Rejection through Model Dependent Control

Model dependent control (MDC) is a combination of internal model control (IMC) and pole placement which, while preserving the advantages of IMC, gives improved disturbance rejection and allows operation at open-loop unstable steady states. Like IMC, it can handle time delays and inverse response. Usually only one parameter needs to be tuned and this directly controls the tradeoff between robustness and speed of response. In this paper it is shown how MDC can give excellent disturbance rejection without sacrificing the quality of response to set point changes, even when the disturbance poles differ from the plant poles. An example demonstrates this feature.
Involvement of arginine decarboxylase in the response of Arabidopsis thaliana to osmotic stress

Summary The polyamines putrescine, spermidine and spermine have roles in the growth and development of nearly all organisms studied. Elevated levels of polyamines are correlated with increased rates of cell division, embryo development and stress responses of plants. Activities of the enzymes leading to the biosynthesis of putrescine, arginine decarboxylase (ADC) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), were both detectable in Arabidopsis . Specific inhibitors of ADC and ODC were used to confirm the identity of the enzymes. Leaves from Arabidopsis plants were osmotically stressed by incubation in buffers containing sorbitol. The efficacy of the stress treatment was confirmed by measuring water loss from the leaves. This osmotic stress led to dramatic elevations of ADC activity, and elevated levels of the putrescine accompanied the rise in ADC activity. This stress-related ADC response was blocked by cycloheximide. Elevated ADC levels in stressed leaves returned to control levels upon removal of leaves from the stress condition, verifying the correlation between ADC activity and osmotic stress. This report demonstrates that the dicot species Arabidopsis , a widely used model organism, responds to osmotic stress in a fashion similar to monocot species.
Prototype Compton imager for special nuclear material

Compton imagers offer a method for passive detection of nuclear material over background radiation. A prototype Compton imager has been constructed using 8 layers of silicon detectors. Each layer consists of a 2×2 array of 2 mm thick cross-strip double-sided silicon detectors with active areas of 5.7 × 5.7 cm2 and 64 strips per side. The detectors are daisy-chained together in the array so that only 256 channels of electronics are needed to read-out each layer of the instrument. This imager is a prototype for a large, high-efficiency Compton imager that will meet operational requirements of Homeland Security for detection of shielded uranium. The instrument can differentiate between different radioisotopes using the reconstructed gamma-ray energy and can also show the location of the emissions with respect to the detector location. Results from the current instrument as well as simulations of the next generation instrument are presented.© (2006) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Improving software project decision-making process

There are studies that provide empirical data on how communication affects team productivity and decision-making but they do not provide practical approach to quantification of the communicated information. We need more specific and detailed guidance as to what information to communicate and when and how to communicate it.With this paper we initiate our work on developing more detailed communication model by taking into consideration the specifics of the human thinking process.
Analysis of Internal Wave Signatures in Marine Radar Data

Satellite images have long been used to study surface manifestations of internal waves (IWs). More recently, marine X-band radar data have been employed to retrieve IW packet parameters. Marine radars have the advantage over satellite systems that their high temporal resolution enables the study of the IW evolution. Until today, no method to automatically detect IW surface signatures in marine radar data has been suggested. In this paper, we present a new fully automated tool to retrieve IW signatures from marine radar image sequences. First, after various preprocessing steps, the IW packet velocity is determined using a combination of localized Radon transform and cross-correlation techniques. Temporal averaging of the marine radar data significantly enhances the IW signatures. The knowledge of the IW packet velocity is used to correct for the IW motion, enabling us to extend the averaging period, which further enhances the IW signal. An IW-motion correction is necessary because, otherwise, the IW signal would become smeared if the averaging period were much longer than the time it takes the IW to propagate between radar resolution cells. The IW-enhanced images are then utilized for the IW signature analysis. Here, we identify local backscatter peaks and exploit the marine radar's high temporal resolution to distinguish signal from noise. The resulting series of IW soliton maps provides information on changes in soliton wavelength, velocity, and backscatter intensity. Our marine radar IW signature analysis tool therefore offers a great opportunity of studying the spatiotemporal evolution of IWs as they grow and decay.
Polarographic wave shape of the dimer-monomer reduction with strong adsorption

Summary The theory for the polarographic current-voltage curve for the reversible dimer-to-monomer electrochemical reaction is developed for the case of strong Henry's Law adsorption of both monomer and dimer. The treatment is restricted to partial surface coverage. The limitations of the treatment are evaluated and the results indicate that the plot of log {(i/id)2/[I-(i/id)]} (where i is the instantaneous current) vs. E is not strictly linear. A least-square working equation is developed.
Allergy (asthma) to monkey protein in poliomyelitis vaccine.

Abstract A rather unusual case of allergy (asthma), presumably caused by minute amounts of monkey protein contained in Salk vaccine, is presented. This situation will probably be seen only rarely, but the possibility of similar reactions, particularly with repeated injections of the vaccine, must be borne in mind.
Book Chambers in Central Asia

Beginning with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and continuing into the present, it has been notoriously difficult to find reliable data on the bibliographic output of the Central Asian republics. The period of transition that ensued understandably created challenges for publishing and bibliographic control. It also brought new questions about the role of the book chambers in relation to the national libraries. The republics vary in their responses to these matters, but overall there is a strong need for more concrete information and for greater cooperation not only among these republics, but also in the international community.
A comparison of water-column macroinvertebrate communities in beds of differing submersed aquatic vegetation in the tidal freshwater Potomac River

Macroinvertebrates are a major food source for fish species and macrophyte beds are hypothesized to harbor a rich community of these organisms. Macroinvertebrates inhabiting the water column in two macrophyte beds and an adjacent open area were sampled in a small embayment of the tidal freshwater Potomac River. One macrophyte bed consisted of an almost complete monoculture ofHydrilla verticillata, while the second community was a more diverse mixture of plant species. In samples with substantial amounts of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV), macroinvertebrate density was two orders of magnitude higher than and substantially more taxa were found than at the open water site. Total macroinvertebrate abundance was significantly greater at theH. verticillata site than at the mixed site in July, but no significant difference was observed in August. Taxa richness did not vary between the two vegetated sites in July but was higher in the mixed bed in August. While the two vegetated sites shared similar taxa, they differed in their abundance. TheH. verticillata site harbored more hydrobiid snails, and the mixed site was characterized by more chironomids and hydroptilid caddisflies. Differences between July and August collections were even greater than between sites. Numbers of hydroptilid caddisflies, baetid mayflies, and coenagrionid damselflies were substantially higher in August, while oligochaetes, hydrobiids, and chironomids were reduced. Results support the hypothesis that water-column macroinvertebrates are greatly enhanced in the presence of macrophytes. The ecological significance of the less substantial differences in macroinvertebrates between macrophyte beds requires further study.
Construct validation of behavioral indices of isolation stress and inflammatory nociception in young domestic fowl.

Abstract Isolation from conspecifics can elicit a variety of behavioral responses in young domestic fowl that include increased vocalizations (VOC), ventral recumbency posturing (VRP), hypoalgesia, and hyperthemia. During tests of acute inflammatory nociception, chicks not only display several pain-related behaviors (i.e., footpecks and lifts), but also VOC and VRP. However, systematic evaluation of whether these behaviors reflect converging indices of stress and nociception remains to be conducted. In two separate experiments, 7-day-old chicks received intraplantar formalin (0.05%) or saline (0.05 ml) and were placed in sound-attenuating chambers with or without two conspecifics for a 3 min observation period. The following measures were recorded: VOC, footlift frequency (LFT), and duration (DUR, Experiment 2 only), pecks (PKS), ventral recumbency latency (VRL), body temperature (BTMP), and body weight (WGT). Principal component analyses revealed the presence of two oblique and nonmonotonically related components, one consisting of pain-related measures (i.e., LFT, DUR, and PKS) and the other consisting of stress-related measures (VOC, VRL, and BTMP). A third component, consisting of BTMP and WGT ostensibly reflects maturational variability in thermoregulatory capability. These findings support the construct validity of these behavioral indices of isolation stress and inflammatory nociception and are consistent with the notion of stress effects on nociceptive processing.
Lepus californicus melanotis Record from Southeastern South Dakota

Specimens of the black-tailed jack rabbit, Lepus californicus melanotis , have previously been recorded only from west of the Missouri River, in Lyman …
Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Children and Adolescents on Chronic Renal Replacement Therapy

Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Children and Adolescents on Chronic Renal Replacement Therapy
Evaluation of Critical Interfacial Friction in Cross Wedge Rolling

For the purpose of characterizing excess initial slip, the critical value of interfacial friction in the cross wedge rolling (CWR) process is investigated. After describing CWR and its failure mechanisms, an analytical method is presented for determining the critical friction condition in a cross wedge rolling process. Using specialized pin-on-disk experiments, a technique is then introduced for determining the actual friction coefficient in a CWR operation. By comparing the critical and experimental friction coefficient values, a procedure for predicting the likelihood of excess interfacial slip failure in cross wedge rolling is established. The validity of such a procedure is subsequently ascertained for a specific set of operating conditions using the finite element method and CWR prototype experiments.
The paradox of the renin-angiotensin system in chronic renal disease.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a pathophysiologic role in the progression of chronic renal disease. Inhibition of angiotensin II (Ang II) in experimental and human renal diseases decreases proteinuria, reduces histologic evidence of renal injury, and slows progression to end-stage renal failure. However, available measurements of components of the RAS in most experimental models and clinical types of chronic renal disease do not suggest extraordinary systemic activation of this system. In this article we will examine this apparent paradox and offer several explanations for why this paradox might exist.
Acoustic validation of phonological knowledge and its relationship to treatment.

The speech of 4 phonologically disordered children with place and voicing errors affecting initial stop consonants was described through phonological and acoustic analyses. Productions of target voiced and voiceless alveolar and velar stops were transcribed and acoustically analyzed before and after treatment that was administered on a predetermined contrast. Three of the children produced significant, although largely imperceptible, differences in VOT for a given stop when it represented different adult stops. The presence of productive phonological knowledge, as inferred from acoustic data, facilitated rapid generalization of correct production of the treated contrast. In the absence of acoustically determined productive knowledge, a longer treatment period was necessary to achieve a lower level of production accuracy on the same treated contrast. Sources of speech sound errors for the 4 children were hypothesized by comparing the children's underlying representations determined from both acoustic and d...
Perturbed projection methods for split equations of the first kind

The paper investigates the approximate solution of linear operator equations of type (J-K)u=v, with J assumed invertible, obtained by applying a linear projection on both sides of the equation, together with a linear perturbation operator on the left side and a perturbation element on the right side.
IL-10 Ameliorates Excessive Inflammation in Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection in Mice. ♦ 1940

IL-10 Ameliorates Excessive Inflammation in Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection in Mice. ♦ 1940
The Gender Gap in Earnings: A Two-Way Nested Multiple Regression Analysis with Random Effects

The gender income gap is a much debated subject both at an analytical and economic level. This article considers both, but emphasizes the different ways the data can be analyzed. The authors show that a hierarchical linear model is the best way to evaluate male-female wage differentials. Both interindustry and intraindustry wage disparities between men and women are measured by using a technique that assumes that observations within the same industry have correlated error terms. By simultaneously testing human capital factors and environmental factors, the analysis model serves as a link between theory and empirical analysis. The results show that the wage differences are larger in some industries than in others, so that it can be assumed that a gender income gap is not only a function of individual differences in qualification, but also differences between industries. The between-industry differences in gender income gaps contradict the hypothesis that gender income differential is largely due to female ...
Voluntary running activity is not sufficient for preventing the obesity of Koletsky (fak/fak) rats.

Recent data have demonstrated variability in the degree to which voluntary exercise prevents the hyperphagia and obesity in rodent obesity models. OLETF rats lacking CCK1 receptors and melanocortin-4 receptor knockout mice normalize food intake and body weight when given access to a running wheel, whereas exercise seems to have only minimal effects on the obesity of Zucker fatty (fa/fa) or Koletsky (fak/fak, SHROB) rats both congenitally lacking leptin receptors. To further characterize responses to voluntary exercise in the absence of leptin signaling, we determined food intake, body weight and hypothalamic gene expression in SHROB rats in response to running wheel access. We found that sedentary SHROB rats had increased food intake and body weight as compared to lean rats. SHROB rats did use the running wheel but to a less degree than that demonstrated in other models and this degree of activity did not significantly affect food intake or body weight. When we pair fed SHROB rats to the amounts consumed by lean controls, running activity was increased and overall resulted in body weight loss. This combination also resulted in a decrease in blood glucose levels, but did not significantly alter fat mass. Real-time RT PCR determination revealed that the combination of pair feeding and voluntary exercise resulted in further increased NPY and decreased POMC gene expression in the arcuate nucleus compared to sedentary SHROB rats. Together, these data demonstrated that voluntary exercise is not sufficient for preventing the obesity of SHROB rats. (Supported by DK074269).
Evidence for different mechanisms in the circadian and glucocorticoid control of rat liver ornithine aminotransferase synthesis.

Abstract In untreated rats fed a 60% casein diet ad libitum the rate of ornithine aminotransferase synthesis, measured immunochemically, decreased 50% between 9 AM and 9 PM. (Previous studies showed that this decrease represents the descending phase of a circadian cycle for ornithine aminotransferase synthesis.) This decrease was not affected by actinomycin D administration. When triamcinolone was given at 9 AM the rate of synthesis was reduced to 25% of the 9 AM value but this additional reduction was completely blocked by actinomycin D or α-amanitin treatment. These results suggest that the repression of ornithine aminotransferase synthesis by triamcinolone requires mRNA synthesis, and that the repression may occur at a post-transcriptional stage in the synthesis of the enzyme. However, the circadian decline in ornithine aminotransferase synthesis in untreated rats is apparently not dependent on the synthesis of a post-transcriptional repressor.
Resolution of tomographic models of the mantle beneath Iceland

The locations of volcanic islands may be controlled by thin or extending parts of the lithosphere over a partially molten asthenosphere [Anderson and Bass, 1984; Favela and Anderson, 2000], by edge effects near the boundaries of thick cratonic lithosphere [Anderson, 1998], or by narrow jets of hot mantle rising from deep within the mantle [Campbell and Griffiths, 1992; Morgan, 1971; Wilson, 1986]. Many hotspots are found on or near ridges, at lithospheric discontinuities, or in extensional environments, so high resolution seismic images are required to determine whether it is lithospheric structure, stresses in the lithosphere, or the deep mantle that is the controlling factor for the location of these volcanoes. In this study, we perform a simple experiment in which we use basic geometrical arguments to better understand the resolution of tomographic images of the upper 400 km of the mantle under Iceland. Our results indicate that a narrow, deep seated mantle plume is not required in order to explain the observed travel time delays in this region. Results of tomographic inversions are often viewed as unique; however, recent seismic studies of the Icelandic Hotspot have illustrated the non‐unique nature of these models
Picophytoplankton: A major contributor to planktonic biomass and primary production in a eutrophic, river-dominated estuary

Abstract Biomass and primary productivity of picophytoplankton (PP; phytoplankton 3 μm) were determined during an annual cycle along the salinity gradient in North Carolina’s Neuse River Estuary (NRE), a eutrophic, microtidal estuary. The PP were a major component of total phytoplankton biomass and productivity, contributing ∼35–44% of the total chlorophyll a (Chl a ) and 42–55% of the total primary productivity. Chl a and productivity of PP decreased from the upper to lower estuary, although the PP contribution relative to larger phytoplankton remained nearly constant. Significant PP growth occurred in the spring, but PP productivity and biomass were maximal in summer. PP productivity and biomass were positively correlated with temperature and dissolved inorganic phosphorus concentrations, which were maximal in summer due to release from sediments. Biomass and productivity of PP and >3 μm phytoplankton were also positively correlated, suggesting that growth conditions favoring the onset of blooms of larger phytoplankton species will similarly affect PP. High PP productivity and biomass in the NRE support the notion that PP play an important role in the production and eutrophication potentials of this estuary. High PP productivity and biomass have been noted in several other temperate estuaries, all sharing a common feature with the NRE—long residence time. These findings challenge the assumption that PP relative importance should be minimal in eutrophic systems.
Validation of global and segmental left ventricular contractile function using gated planar technetium-99m sestamibi myocardial perfusion imaging

Abstract Objectives. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that segmental wall motion analysis determined from gated planar technetium-99m sestamibi myocardial imaging is reproducible and agrees well with echocardiographic data. Background. Teehnetium-99m sestamibi is a new radiopharmaceutical recently approved for myocardial perfusion imaging. Its advantages include a dosimetry that allows use of a dose 10 to 15 times higher than that of thallium-201. as a result, myocardial counts are markedly improved and images can be collected in a gated mode to potentially allow assessment of global and segmental ventricular function. However, the reprodecibility and accuracy of technetium-99m sestamibi imaging for measurement of global and segmental left ventricular function have not been evaluated or compared with those of a standard ventricular function technique, such as echocardiography. Methods. We studied 136 patients referred for clinical technetium-99m sestamibi imaging, One-day rest-stress planar technetium-99m sestamibi protocols were used, gating the stress images. After technetium-99m sestamibi imaging, all patients had standard rest two-dimensional echocardiography. Global and segmental technetium-99m sestamibi and echocardiographic left ventricular contraction was graded qualitatively as normal or abnormal a four-point grading system. Results. Interobserver and intraobserver agreement was extremely high for global and segmental technetium-99m sestemibi wall motion analysis, with absolute agreements ranging from 0.92 to 1.00 and corresponding kappa values of 0.74 to 1.00 (p Conclusions. Gated technetium-99m sestamibi cardiac imaging provides information with regard to rest global and segmental left ventricular systolic function that is highly reproducible and agrees very well with results of two-dimensional echocardiography.
Selection of temperature-sensitive mutants of tobacco mosaic virus by lesion morphology.

Abstract Two mutants of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) were isolated, based on their inability to produce “halos” around local lesions in plants that, 3 days after inoculation, had been placed at 35° for 1 day. The two mutants differed from wild type and from each other in the rate of lesion enlargement at 23°, in systemic production of virus at 35°, and in survival during a 12-hr period at 35° administered during the early stages of infection. Although the characteristic by which these mutants were isolated had been identified previously with non-coat-protein temperature-sensitive mutants of TMV, both of the mutants exhibited coat-protein alterations, and systemic growth of one of the mutants was detected at 35°.
Zaprinast accelerates recovery from established acute renal failure in the rat.

Zaprinast accelerates recovery from established acute renal failure in the rat. Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of acute renal failure (ARF) in both rat and humans. The biological effects of ANF are presumed to be mediated by the generation of intracellular 3′,5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). Therefore, the current investigation examined whether zaprinast (M&B 22948), a guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor, would be effective in the treatment of established acute renal failure in the rat. Acute renal failure was induced by 60 minutes of bilateral renal artery clamping. Twenty-four hours after the ischemic insult, rats received either vehicle (5% Dextrose), zaprinast (0.03 or 0.3 mg/kg/min) or ANF24 (0.2 µg/kg/min) intravenously for four hours. Renal function, as measured by daily serum creatinine (days 1 to 7) and day 2 inulin clearances, was dramatically improved by zaprinast but not ANF treatment. Forty-eight hours post-renal ischemia, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was 0.14 ± 0.04 (ml/min/100 g body wt) in the vehicle and 0.94 ± 0.29 in the zaprinast treated animals. To evaluate the mechanism by which zaprinast accelerated renal recovery, we measured regional blood flow in the postischemic rat kidneys during drug treatment with a laser doppler flowmeter. Both high and low dose zaprinast significantly increased cortical (17%) and outer medullary blood flow (40% and 60%), an effect not seen with ANF. In summary, zaprinast is effective in the treatment of established ischemic ARF. The mechanism by which zaprinast accelerates renal recovery is due to its unique ability to stimulate regional renal blood flow and increase intracellular cGMP in the setting of tissue ischemia.
Perceived structure of abstract paintings as a function of structure of music listened to on initial viewing

Marks (1978) described a sensory unity theory that postulated that common dimensions of experience exist across sensory modalities, allowing each modality to affect the others. We examined whether structural judgments of visual stimuli made by male and female subjects would be influenced by exposure to auditory stimuli. Twenty-eight subjects saw a sequence of identical slides of abstract paintings. One group listened to avant-garde music while viewing the slides; the other group listened to minimalistic music. Afterward, subjects rated each of the paintings on semantic-differential scales. We hypothesized that the subjects would rate the paintings according to the structural qualities of the music they had heard. Significant effects of music condition supported hypotheses for the evaluation and activity dimensions only. Also, a significant interaction between sex and music condition was found for the potency dimension, with females rating the paintings more like the music they had listened to and males showing the opposite tendency. We interpreted the interaction in terms of emotional differences between the sexes. It was postulated that cross-modal diffusion may affect both cognitive and emotional processes.
The role of psychosocial factors in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Abstract The number of deaths per year from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) exceeds 250,000, placing it sixth as the cause of death from cancer worldwide. The primary etiology of most cases of HCC in the US is hepatitis B and/or C. Extensive research has demonstrated that the relationship between hepatitis B infection and the progression to HCC is mediated by the immune system. A substantial, but unrelated literature, describes the relationship between psychosocial factors (e.g., stress, psychiatric morbidity), immune system reactivity, and disease progression in patients with cancer. However, the role of these factors in the progression of HBV–HCC has not been explored. An understanding of the relationship among virology, immunology, and behavior in the development and recurrence of HCC may provide alternative methods for secondary prevention of HCC (e.g., behavioral) until a vaccine and/or pharmacological treatments are developed, feasible, and affordable.
Low-power radio-frequency ICs for portable communications

The contributions of integrated circuits to the RF front-end of wireless receivers and transmitters operating in broadcast and personal communications bands are surveyed. It is seen from this that when ICs enable a rethinking of the RF architecture, the wireless device can sometimes become significantly smaller, and consume much less power. Examples are taken from FM broadcast receivers, pagers, and cellular telephone handsets. Many semiconductor technologies are competing today to supply RF-ICs to cellular telephones. The various design styles and levels of integration are compared, with the conclusion that single-chip silicon transceivers, combined with architectures which substantially reduce off-chip passive components, will likely dominate digital cellular telephones in the near future. The survey also projects future trends for ICs for miniature spread-spectrum transceivers offering robust operation in the crowded spectrum. With sophistication in baseband digital signal processing, its increasing interaction with the RF sections, and with increasing experience in simplified radio architectures, all-CMOS radios appear promising in the 900 MHz to 2 GHz bands. A specific CMOS spread-spectrum transceiver project underway at the author's institution is discussed by way of example. >
A revision of the genus Arenivaga (Rehn) (Blattodea, Corydiidae), with descriptions of new species and key to the males of the genus

The cockroach genus Arenivaga is revised. Forty-eight Arenivaga species are recognized with nine previously known species and 39 described as new including the following: A. pagana sp. n., A. grandiscanyonensis sp. n., A. haringtoni sp. n., A. hopkinsorum sp. n., A. umbratilis sp. n., A. tenax sp. n., A. impensa sp. n., A. trypheros sp. n., A. darwini sp. n., A. nalepae sp. n., A. sequoia sp. n., A. mckittrickae sp. n., A. gaiophanes sp. n., A. belli sp. n., A. estelleae sp. n., A. delicata sp. n., A. mortisvallisensis sp. n., A. milleri sp. n., A. pratchetti sp. n., A. gumperzae sp. n., A. rothi sp. n., A. ricei sp. n., A. adamsi sp. n., A. nicklei sp. n., A. akanthikos sp. n., A. moctezuma sp. n., A. paradoxa sp. n., A. apaeninsula sp. n., A. hebardi sp. n., A. dnopheros sp. n., A. aquila sp. n., A. florilega sp. n., A. galeana sp. n., A. gurneyi sp. n., A. pumila sp. n., A. hypogaios sp. n., A. diaphana sp. n., A. nocturna sp. n., A. alichenas sp. n. All species are described or redescribed, major morphological features are illustrated, distributions are characterized, and the biology of the species is reviewed. A neotype series is designated for A. investigata Friauf & Edney.
Estimating variable structure and dependence in multitask learning via gradients

We consider the problem of hierarchical or multitask modeling where we simultaneously learn the regression function and the underlying geometry and dependence between variables. We demonstrate how the gradients of the multiple related regression functions over the tasks allow for dimension reduction and inference of dependencies across tasks jointly and for each task individually. We provide Tikhonov regularization algorithms for both classification and regression that are efficient and robust for high-dimensional data, and a mechanism for incorporating a priori knowledge of task (dis)similarity into this framework. The utility of this method is illustrated on simulated and real data.
Wavelet-Based Estimation of a Discriminant Function

In this paper, we consider wavelet-based binary linear classifiers. Both consistency results and implementational issues are addressed. We show that under mild assumptions on the design density wavelet discrimination rules are L2-consistent. The proposed method is illustrated on synthetic data sets in which the ‘truth’ is known and on an applied discrimination problem from the industrial field. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Towards a Systematic Analysis of Privacy Definitions

In statistical privacy, a privacy definition is regarded as a set of algorithms that are allowed to process sensitive data. It is often helpful to consider the complementary view that privacy definitions are also contracts that guide the behavior of algorithms that take in sensitive data and produce sanitized data. Historically, data privacy breaches have been the result of fundamental misunderstandings about what a particular privacy definition guarantees. Privacy definitions are often analyzed using a highly targeted approach: a specific attack strategy is evaluated to determine if a specific type of information can be inferred. If the attack works, one can conclude that the privacy definition is too weak. If it doesn't work, one often gains little information about its security (perhaps a slightly different attack would have worked?). Furthermore, these strategies will not identify cases where a privacy definition protects unnecessary pieces of information. On the other hand, technical results concerning generalizable and systematic analyses of privacy are few in number, but such results have significantly advanced our understanding of the design of privacy definitions. We add to this literature with a novel methodology for analyzing the Bayesian properties of a privacy definition. Its goal is to identify precisely the type of information being protected, hence making it easier to identify (and later remove) unnecessary data protections. Using privacy building blocks (which we refer to as axioms), we turn questions about semantics into mathematical problems -- the construction of a consistent normal form and the subsequent construction of the row cone (which is a geometric object that encapsulates Bayesian guarantees provided by a privacy definition). We apply these ideas to study randomized response, FRAPP/PRAM, and several algorithms that add integer-valued noise to their inputs; we show that their privacy properties can be stated in terms of the protection of various notions of parity of a dataset. Randomized response, in particular, provides unnecessarily strong protections for parity, and so we also show how our methodology can be used to relax privacy definitions.
Congenital Annular Erythema in Two Newborns: Similar Morphology, Divergent Etiologies

The inconsistent use of the term “erythema annulare centrifugum” has created confusion, in that it has been applied to a group of distinct diseases as if they were a single condition. The literature becomes more ambiguous when different names are given to annular eruptions that have a similar pathogenesis. We present two neonates who presented at birth with similar diffuse erythematous annular eruptions, but differed in their serologic and histopathologic findings. The first child was otherwise healthy and had normal laboratories findings that excluded both infectious and autoimmune diseases. His biopsy showed a perivascular and interstitial infiltrate throughout the entire dermis that was composed of lymphocytes, histiocytes and numerous eosinophils. The second neonate had elevated anti-Ro and anti-La antibodies, thrombocytopenia and a non-anion gap metabolic acidosis. His biopsy showed focal vacuolar degeneration of the basal layer. There was a perivascular and interstitial infiltrate that extended throughout the dermis which consisted primarily of nuclear debris. Within the cytoplasm of the few intact histiocytes and neutrophils, were hematoxylin bodies, giving these cells the appearance of LE cells. We discuss the clinical and histopathological findings in these two neonates and attempt to clarify the nomenclature pertaining to the annular erythemas.
The reticulocerebellar projection to the pyramis and copula pyramidis in the rat: An experimental study using retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase

The organization of the lateral reticulocerebellar projection to the pyramis and copula pyramidis in the rat was studied with the use of microinjections of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). These injections were made in different mediolateral positions along the width of this lobule. The objective was to determine whether reticulocerebellar parasagittal zones (Chan-Palay et al., '77) receive differential inputs from the lateral reticular nucleus (LRN). This material has previously been used to analyze the olivo and pontocerebellar projection to this same cortical region of the rat cerebellum (Eisenman, '81a,b). The results do not support a clear-cut topographic organization in this projection system to the pyramis and copula pyramidis in the rat. There is some suggestion, however, of a difference in emphasis in the region of the LRN projecting to different mediolateral positions in this lobule. Injections in medial and lateral parts of this lobule result in the labeling of cells in the subtrigeminal and ventral parts of the parvicellular and magnocellular divisions. Injections in intermediate parts of this lobule result in the labeling of cells primarily in the subtrigeminal division. However, cells in each of the divisions (primarily the subtrigeminal and parvicellular) are labeled in each experiment. These results are discussed with reference to electrophysiological and other anatomical studies of the topography of the reticulocerebellar projection in the cat.
Conjugates of ubiquitin cross-reactive protein distribute in a cytoskeletal pattern.

Ubiquitin cross-reactive protein (UCRP), a 15-kDa interferon-induced protein, is a sequence homolog of ubiquitin that is covalently ligated to intracellular proteins in a parallel enzymatic reaction and is found at low levels within cultured cell lines and human tissues not exposed to interferon. Ubiquitin and UCRP ligation reactions apparently target distinct subsets of intracellular proteins, as judged from differences in the distributions of the respective adducts revealed on immunoblots. In this study, successive passages of the human lung carcinoma line A549 in the presence of neutralizing antibodies against alpha and beta interferons had no effect on the levels of either free or conjugated UCRP, indicating that these UCRP pools are constitutively present within uninduced cells and are thus not a consequence of autoinduction by low levels of secreted alpha/beta interferon. In an effort to identify potential targets for UCRP conjugation, the immunocytochemical distribution of UCRP was examined by using affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies against recombinant polypeptide. UCRP distributes in a punctate cytoskeletal pattern that is resistant to extraction by nonionic detergents (e.g., Triton X-100) in both uninduced and interferon-treated A549 cells. The cytoskeletal pattern colocalizes with the intermediate filament network of epithelial and mesothelial cell lines. Immunoblots of parallel Triton X-100-insoluble cell extracts suggest that the cytoskeletal association largely results from the noncovalent association of UCRP conjugates with the intermediate filaments rather than direct ligation of the polypeptide to structural components of the filaments. A significant increase in the sequestration of UCRP adducts on intermediate filaments accompanies interferon induction. These results suggest that UCRP may serve as a trans-acting binding factor directing the association of ligated target proteins to intermediate filaments.
High Volume Manufacturing Ramp In 90nm Dual Stress Liner Technology

The ability to meet the demand for improved microprocessor performance is made difficult due to the simultaneous need not to increase power consumption. In order to meet these conflicting demands, IBM introduced a 90 nm dual stress liner CMOS technology to improve performance without increasing power consumption (Santiago et al., 2006). In IBM's 300 mm fab, this technology was introduced on multiple microprocessors, designed by different design groups with different architectures. These microprocessors, which were originally designed for a single liner technology, were optimized for systematic yield, power/performance; circuit limited yield (CLY), and random defect limited yield. The benefit of the dual stress liner technology is demonstrated in the power/performance characteristic of a dual core microprocessor and the successful technology ramp is demonstrated by yields of two microprocessors
Modelling the Performance of TCP/ARQ over MIMO Rayleigh Fading Channels

In this paper we describe a general framework for the modelling of the TCP performance over MIMO wireless systems including parameters such as fading, space-time transmission schemes, multiple antenna size, modulation schemes, channel coding and ARQ. We apply the framework to analyze the performance, the optimal channel coding rate and the effect of Doppler on the TCP throughput over the BLAST MIMO system and the orthogonal space-time block coded (STBC) system. We use the network simulator ns-2 to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed analytical framework in characterizing various parameters of the TCP performance. We apply our framework to study of the buffer occupancy for TCP over MIMO systems and to a system that does not follow the AIMD TCP principle: CBR video transmission over MIMO channels.
Obfuscating Document Stylometry to Preserve Author Anonymity

This paper explores techniques for reducing the effectiveness of standard authorship attribution techniques so that an author A can preserve anonymity for a particular document D. We discuss feature selection and adjustment and show how this information can be fed back to the author to create a new document D' for which the calculated attribution moves away from A. Since it can be labor intensive to adjust the document in this fashion, we attempt to quantify the amount of effort required to produce the anonymized document and introduce two levels of anonymization: shallow and deep. In our test set, we show that shallow anonymization can be achieved by making 14 changes per 1000 words to reduce the likelihood of identifying A as the author by an average of more than 83%. For deep anonymization, we adapt the unmasking work of Koppel and Schler to provide feedback that allows the author to choose the level of anonymization.