cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Behavior and obesity in women across the life span: a report by the Society for Women's Health Research.

In October 2006, the Society for Women9s Health Research convened a workshop that focused on the behavioral and social influences on obesity in women across the life span with an emphasis on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and mental health. The purposes of the workshop were to examine the current state of the science related to behavioral influences on obesity in women across the life span; to determine the mechanisms, methods, and technical advances required for research progress in this area; and to develop an agenda for future research on behavioral influences on obesity in women. The workshop participants included psychologists, social scientists, clinicians, health educators, health services researchers, nutrition specialists, and epidemiologists, among others, who have expertise in obesity at critical life stages in women (childhood, adolescence, pregnancy, menopause, and older age). Discussions during the workshop focused on 4 specific topics: (1) the relationship between mental or emotional health and obesity in women; (2) the impact of social, cultural, and environmental factors on obesity in women; (3) the improvement of obesity research methodology; and (4) the development of obesity prevention and intervention strategies. Based on these discussions, participants proposed recommendations for future research.
Exit During Crisis: How Migration and Economic Crisis Affect Democratization

Does economic crisis lead to authoritarian regime breakdown and democratization? In this paper, I argue that the availability of exit options for citizens conditions the relationship between economic crisis and democratization. Where citizens have more viable exit alternatives, economic crisis causes citizens to exit rather than protest, making democratization less likely. I measure exit mobility in two ways: neighboring country GDP per capita and past net migration. I use time series, cross-section data on up to 122 authoritarian regimes in 114 countries from 1946-2002 to test this argument and find evidence consistent with the hypothesis that higher exit mobility insulate dictators from the liberalizing effects of economic crisis.
Determining Regional Weather Patterns from a Historical Diary

AbstractPrior to the twentieth century, there was a dearth of official local weather and climate observations for much of the United States outside of major cities. Useful information can be gleaned, however, from primary accounts, such as historical diaries kept by farmers and others whose interests were tied to the land. Herman Smith, a farmer in west-central New York State, kept a detailed record of daily life, including weather characteristics such as temperature, precipitation, and wind, for his farm near Covert. Two full years of his diary, 1884 and 1886, were recently published and selected for study. Although typically not numeric data, the lexicon used in the diary to describe relative heat and cold allow Smith’s observations to be analyzed semiquantitatively in order to determine the weather experienced that year including factors affecting the growing season, as well as significant weather and climatic events. The analysis demonstrates that for Covert—located in an area of topographic variabili...
Global Regime Divergence: Why the World Trade Regime Has Become More Legalized While the Financial Regime Has Become Less Legalized

The international trade and finance regimes exhibit different levels of legalization. The trade regime is made up of treaties, whereas the financial regime, in contrast, is ruled by agreements that are informal. This difference reflects the different institutional strategies that were successfully pursued by each group of globalists in their respective area over the last fifty years: exporters worked in close relation with their government to build a regime able to contain protectionist opposition at home and provide access to markets abroad; bankers, in contrast, accessed world markets by pressing for the repeal of government regulation at home and intergovernmental regulation abroad. Beyond offering an explanation for the institutional differences between the trade and financial regimes, the study makes three general contributions to the governance literature. First, the formal-informal dimension is shown to be part of a larger list of divergent traits between two broad ideal types of governance, labeled law-based and market-mediated. Second, the factors that account for the divergence between trade and finance also generalize to other regimes in the areas of economics, the environment, human rights, and security. Third, the study offers a typology of informal governance that cuts through the current distinction between trans-governmental networks and private governance.
Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of hydrogen bonded complexes of oligonucleotides in aqueous solution. I. pdG-dC and pdG-dT.

The self-interaction of two deoxydinucleotides, pdG-dC and pdG-dT, was studied (in aqueous solution) by 100 MHz FT NMR spectroscopy. Concentration studies show that the self-complementary pdG-dC forms hydrogen bonded complexes. An analysis based on the concentration dependence of the chemical shift of the guanine amino protons strongly suggests that hydrogen bonded dimer formation occurs with a K for the dimerization equilibrium of 7.8 ± 0.7 M−1. On the other hand, the non-self-complementary pdG-dT does not give evidence of similar complex formation in the same concentration range which thus illustrates the importance of complementarity in the formation of hydrogen bonded complexes of deoxydinucleotides. Further impetus is therefore provided for the use of dinucleotides in modeling interactions common to nucleic acids.
Attenuation compensation for cardiac single-photon emission computed tomographic imaging: Part 1. Impact of attenuation and methods of estimating attenuation maps

Attenuation is believed to be one of the major causes of false-positive cardiac single-photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) perfusion images. This article reviews the physics of attenuation, the artifacts produced by attenuation, and the need for scatter correction in combination with attenuation correction. The review continues with a comparison of the various configurations for transmission imaging that could be used to estimate patient specific attenuation maps, and an overview of how these are being developed for use on multiheaded SPECT systems, including discussions of truncation, noise, and spatial resolution of the estimated attenuation maps. Ways of estimating patient specific attenuation maps besides transmission imaging are also discussed.
The re-making of love: Louise Labé's Débat de Folie et d'Amour

La revision dans Le Debat de Folie et d'Amour touchant la tradition neo-platonicienne du conflit amoureux informe de facon prefacielle et allegorique la lecture des elegies et des sonnets de la poetesse
Parathyroid hormone-related protein varies with sex and androgen status in nonsmall cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND. In nonsmall cell lung cancer, tumor parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) expression predicts longer survival in women but not in men. To explain the sex-dependent survival effect, the authors proposed that hormonal influences decrease PTHrP in men versus women, that PTHrP inhibits tumor growth, and that the effect is greater in women than in men. The objectives of this study were to compare lung carcinoma PTHrP expression and carcinoma growth in male and female mice and to determine whether gonadal steroids regulate PTHrP in lung cancer cells. METHODS. Tumor PTHrP content was measured by immunoassay, and tumor burden was assessed with multiple measures in BEN squamous cell orthotopic lung carcinomas in athymic mice. In addition, lung adenocarcinoma PTHrP messenger RNA (mRNA) values determined by microarray analyses were compared between men and women. Cultured lung cancer cells were assayed for PTHrP after treatment with estradiol or R1881, a synthetic androgen. RESULTS. Lung carcinomas contained approximately 3 times more PTHrP in female mice than in male mice. Similarly, levels of PTHrP mRNA were significantly greater in adenocarcinomas from patients who were women than from patients who were men. Male mice had greater tumor burden than female mice. Androgen treatment reduced PTHrP in 3 lung cancer lines. Estradiol had no effect. Testosterone treatment also reduced lung carcinoma PTHrP in female mice. CONCLUSIONS. Lung carcinomas in females expressed more PTHrP than in males possibly because of negative regulation by androgens in males. Female mice with higher tumor PTHrP content had significantly less tumor burden than male mice, supporting the hypothesis that PTHrP inhibits tumor growth. Cancer 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Policy typology and performance measurement: Results from the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART)

This article examines the relationship between policy typology and Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) scores. Using the typology originally developed by Theodore Lowi, we analyze whether program...
Organic acid inhibition models for Listeria innocua, Listeria ivanovii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Oenococcus oeni

Abstract Separate mathematical models for each of six bacteria that relate organic acid minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to acid molecular properties were previously constructed and validated. MICs were determined for each of eight acids selected to have maximum modeling power for each of four additional bacteria (Listeria innocua, L. ivanovii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Oenococcus oeni). MIC models as a function of acid molecular properties were constructed for each organism using partial least-squares regression; these were very strong, with best prediction R2 values ranging from 0.905 to 0.947. The patterns of the MIC model coefficients were compared with those of the six bacteria models constructed previously. Together these represent one pattern of acid susceptibility and four different patterns of acid resistance (Lactobacillus-type, E. coli-type, Listeria-type and Pseudomonas-type).
On the theory for D.C. and fundamental harmonic A.C. polarography with the first-order consecutive ECE mechanism

Abstract A theoretical study of the d.c. and a.c. polarographic responses with the mechanism is presented. The rate law derivation encompasses the expanding sphere electrode model, systems where diffusion coefficients of the reacting species are unequal, and all possible combinations of the heterogeneous charge transfer and homogeneous chemical reaction rate and thermodynamic parameters. Calculations performed with a FORTRAN representation of the derived rate laws reveal significant and distinctive influences of the E C E mechanistic scheme on d.c. and a.c. polarographic responses. A survey of predicted behavior is given for a wide range of kinetic domains. Careful attention is accorded the problem of extracting rate and thermodynamic parameters from d.c. and a.c. data, and considerable utility is demonstrated in this regard for the a.c. polarographic experiment. Effects of electrode sphericity, chemical reaction reversibility, and rate influences of the heterogeneous charge transfer steps, which have been accorded little attention in previous studies of the E C E mechanism rate laws, are scrutinized in this report.
Hf-Nd-Sr isotope systematics of garnet pyroxenites from Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii: Evidence for a depleted component in Hawaiian volcanism

Abstract We present the first comprehensive major, trace element and Hf, Nd and Sr isotope investigation of clinopyroxene and garnet mineral separates from a set of garnet clinopyroxenite xenoliths from the Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii. These xenoliths occur in the posterosional Honolulu Volcanics Series lavas and represent some of the deepest samples from the oceanic mantle lithosphere. Our study shows that the Salt Lake Crater pyroxenites represent high pressure (>20 kb) accumulates from melts similar (but not identical) to the erupted Honolulu Volcanics, and unlike MORB or E-MORB-type melts. All clinopyroxene-garnet mineral pairs in these xenoliths show, within error, zero-age Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd isotope systematics. These pyroxenites have relatively radiogenic Hf isotope compositions (for a given Nd) and define a distinct steep slope (3.3) in eHf-eNd isotope space, similar to the Honolulu Volcanics but unlike other ocean island basalts (OIB). These compositions require an end-member component that falls above the OIB array in Nd-Hf space. This component is different than present-day MORB-mantle and it is best explained by an old depleted oceanic lithosphere. We suggest that this depleted component most likely represents a recycled depleted lithosphere that is intrinsic to the Hawaiian plume. In this respect, the Hawaiian plume is sampling both the enriched portion of a subducted oceanic crust (basalt and sediments) as well as the depleted lithospheric portion of it. This suggests that, at least for Hawaii, the whole subducted oceanic slab package has retained its integrity during subduction and subsequent mixing and storage in the mantle, probably in the order of a billion years, and that the plume is sampling the full range of these compositions.
Rational Herding in Microloan Markets

Microloan markets allow individual borrowers to raise funding from multiple individual lenders. We use a unique panel data set that tracks the funding dynamics of borrower listings on Prosper.com, the largest microloan market in the United States. We find evidence of rational herding among lenders. Well-funded borrower listings tend to attract more funding after we control for unobserved listing heterogeneity and payoff externalities. Moreover, instead of passively mimicking their peers (irrational herding), lenders engage in active observational learning (rational herding); they infer the creditworthiness of borrowers by observing peer lending decisions and use publicly observable borrower characteristics to moderate their inferences. Counterintuitively, obvious defects (e.g., poor credit grades) amplify a listing's herding momentum, as lenders infer superior creditworthiness to justify the herd. Similarly, favorable borrower characteristics (e.g., friend endorsements) weaken the herding effect, as lenders attribute herding to these observable merits. Follow-up analysis shows that rational herding beats irrational herding in predicting loan performance. This paper was accepted by Pradeep Chintagunta, marketing.
The electron–electron repulsion energy as a functional of the Hartree–Fock one-electron density matrix

Abstract The recently proposed expression that yields approximate electron–electron repulsion energy as a functional V ee [ Γ HF ] of the Hartree–Fock one-electron reduced density matrix Γ HF is studied in detail. A scaling property of the screening function that enters V ee [ Γ HF ] is deduced from the long-range electron correlation effects incorporated in the functional. The resulting dependence of V ee [ Γ HF ] on the HOMO–LUMO gap is shown to give rise to two distinct asymptotics of the correlation energy of atoms and monoatomic ions at the limit of a large nuclear charge that are not reproduced by the presently known functionals of electron density.
POTENTIAL ANTI-AIDS DRUGS. LIPOPHILIC, ADENOSINE DEAMINASE-ACTIVATED PRODRUGS

Selected acid-stable (2'-fluoro-2',3'-dideoxyarabinofuranosyl)adenine nucleosides containing methyl groups and other lipophilic functions at various positions in the adenine ring were prepared and evaluated as anti-HIV agents. The N6-methyl (1f), N6-benzoyl (1g), and 6-chloro (1i) analogues had modest activity, giving 30-50% protection to ATH8 cells infected with HIV. 2-Methyl (1d), 8-methyl (1h), and 2,N6-dimethyl (1e) substitution, as well as N1-oxide (21) formation, abolished the activity of the parent compound (1a). Several of these compounds, originally designed as agents for treating HIV in the central nervous system, were further investigated as substrates for adenosine deaminase (ADA). Kinetic experiments showed that ADA catalyzed the formation of the anti-HIV active inosine compound 1b from the N6-methyl analogue 1f in a quantitative manner. The anti-HIV activity of 1f and 1i was abolished when the ADA inhibitor, 2'-deoxycoformycin, was added to the test mixture. In contrast, the activity of 1f was significantly enhanced when ADA was added to the test system. These data indicate that 1f and 1i are prodrug forms of 1b in systems containing ADA.
Structural analysis of metal hydride-based hybrid hydrogen storage systems

Abstract Hybrid hydrogen storage systems, which see the adoption of metal hydride materials charged at high pressure, can be a viable method to reach good gravimetric and volumetric capacities under selected conditions, since hydrogen is stored both as element bound to the hydride and as high pressure gas. A general structural model, which can simulate high pressure hybrid storage tanks, has been developed, with the aim of describing the performance of the system under various operating conditions. A baseline case has been simulated, comparing tanks composed of SS316 and IM6 graphite fiber reinforced epoxy composite that contain metal hydride materials that can store weight fractions of bound hydrogen ranging from 2% to 8%. Sensitivity analyses were performed for the baseline studies with the aim of determining the operating conditions that maximize gravimetric and volumetric capacities. Results show that high pressure systems are optimal (in terms of gravimetric and volumetric capacity) for tank materials having low density and a high allowable stress, while a low operating pressure is preferable for high density tank materials, especially when coupled with metal hydrides capable of storing a high weight fraction of bound hydrogen.
Phylogenetic relationships and classification in Marantaceae: insights from plastid DNA sequence data

The evolutionary distinctiveness and phylogeneticposition of Marantaceae within Zingiberales is stronglysupported by morphological and molecular data analyses(Kress, 1990, 1995; Kress & al., 2001). Cannaceae, amonogeneric family with about 10 species (Kubitzki,1998; but see Tanaka, 2001), are the closest relative ofMarantaceae. These two families are sister to the familypair Zingiberaceae and Costaceae. Marantaceae includes31 genera and ~535 species distributed throughout warmtemperate and tropical parts of the world (Andersson,1998) with 14 genera in the New World, 11 genera inAfrica (including Madagascar), and eight genera in Asia.Only the genera Thalia and Halopegia occur on morethan one continent. The current geographic distributionof the family is likely due to secondary intercontinentaldispersal events (Kress & Specht, in press; Prince K Watt, 1892; van denBerg, 1984; W. J. Kress, pers. obs.).Andersson (1998) described Marantaceae as prima-rily jungle weeds, taking advantage of light gaps tocomplete their life cycle. He noted two genera, Thaliaand Halopegia , that are confined to open marshesalthough the latter often occurs in shady habitats as wellin tropical Asia. The growth habits of some African andAsian Marantaceae are somewhat different from thosefound in the Americas. Marantaceae forests, which arelarge expanses of herbaceous vegetation dominated by
Resistance in Corn to the Corn Earworm and the Fall Armyworm. IV. Earworm Injury to Corn Inbreds Related to Climatic Conditions and Plant Characteristics

Correlations obtained between the means for 36 inbred Lines over 2 years indicated that only husk characters and feeding stimulation (among 14 characters measured) prodded reliable enough information to use in identifying plant genotypes resistant to injury by the corn car-worm. Heliothis zea (Boddie). Lines with husk length in excess of that required to cover the car tended to have more injury, but the mechanical protection of tight husks reduced damage considerably. Identification of genotypes with resistance unrelated to husk characters appears possible through laboratory evaluations of the feeding stimulation caused by extracts of kernels. These results suggest that resistance is conditioned by both physical and chemical factors. Relationships between other characters and corn earworm injury fluctuated widely from year to year.
Chronic toxicity of a copper, cadmium and zinc mixture to the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas rafinesque)

Abstract Fathead minnows were exposed to a series or concentrations of a copper, cadmium and zinc mixture during a 12.5 month chronic test in water of 200 mg 1−1 total hardness. The metal concentrations in the mixture were selected on the basis of results obtained during previous chronic exposures to each of the metals individually in the same water. Strict summation of the chronic toxicities of the metals was not indicated when they were tested in combination. Toxic effects of the mixture attributable to copper appeared to be increased, but that attributable to cadmium was reduced. The effects thought to be due to zinc were similar in degree to those observed in the single chronic exposure. Summation of effects resulting from a mixture containing about the same proportions of copper, cadmium and zinc occurred at a much higher, acutely lethal concentration. A lethal threshold was attained in the mixture when each metal was present at a concentration of 0.4 or less of its individual lethal threshold.
The Museum of the Institute of Jamaica

IN connection with your items regarding the possible return of Dr. J. E. Duerden, curator of the Jamaica Institute Museum, to England, may one who has spent two summers in Jamaica engaged in zoological research, and who has enjoyed the hospitality of Dr. Duerden and other men of science there, be permitted to say a word as to the causes which have led to the present unfortunate situation? There are two such principal causes, I believe, not closely related, but in this case working together toward a common end. The most important of these is local jealousy, against which Dr. Duerden has had to contend constantly ever since his arrival at the island. At the time he was appointed, a large and influential element among the supporters of the Institute desired the appointment of a young Jamaican, who had received some training in England, and who was doubtless well qualified for the duties of the position. His failure to secure the office was a bitter disappointment, not only to himself, but to his friends, and Dr. Duerden entered on his duties with an unfortunately large number of hostile critics, watching for opportunities to find fault. It is very possible—in fact, since Dr. Duerden is human, it is highly probable—that opportunities for criticism arose, and possibly the criticisms have not always been met in the wisest possible spirit. But it is clear to me, and I think I can speak for all the Johns Hopkins men who were in Jamaica, that if Dr. Duerden's local critics had been as anxious to help him and build up the museum as they were to find fault, there would be no trouble at the present time. I do not mean to say that Dr. Duerden has been entirely blameless, but I feel sure that his responsibility for the trouble is very much less than that which rests on his critics. The fact that Dr. Duerden is a trained investigator, and has given a large share of his time to research work, has given opportunity for criticism from those who believe the curator ought to devote his time to adding new specimens to the exhibition collection and labelling them all properly.
Toward Reform of Defamation Law in the British Caribbean: Efforts at Reform in the United Kingdom and Jamaica

The ongoing review of defamation laws by the Jamaican government has sharpened the focus on the need to identify appropriate standards for public officials in libel actions in light of the growing recognition of a need for transparency. Conventional wisdom speaks to the indispensable role of the media to inform the public of government activities to facilitate the democratic process. Jamaica's unique history of colonialism, underdevelopment and poverty has led to a political system based on pork barrel economics – inimical to government transparency so necessary in a democracy. This article explores how British, Caribbean and U.S. jurisdictions have sought to manage the paradigm shift between the right to reputation and the need to ensure responsible and accountable governance. The aim is to identify a path of reform for Caribbean defamation law that ensures greater public official accountability and better incorporates twenty-first century notions of democracy.
A new clustering approach based on Glowworm Swarm Optimization

High-quality clustering techniques are required for the effective analysis of the growing data. Clustering is a common data mining technique used to analyze homogeneous data instance groups based on their specifications. The clustering based nature-inspired optimization algorithms have received much attention as they have the ability to find better solutions for clustering analysis problems. Glowworm Swarm Optimization (GSO) is a recent nature-inspired optimization algorithm that simulates the behavior of the lighting worms. GSO algorithm is useful for a simultaneous search of multiple solutions, having different or equal objective function values. In this paper, a clustering based GSO is proposed (CGSO), where the GSO is adjusted to solve the data clustering problem to locate multiple optimal centroids based on the multimodal search capability of the GSO. The CGSO process ensures that the similarity between the cluster members is maximized and the similarity among members from different clusters is minimized. Furthermore, three special fitness functions are proposed to evaluate the goodness of the GSO individuals in achieving high quality clusters. The proposed algorithm is tested by artificial and real-world data sets. The better performance of our proposed algorithm over four popular clustering algorithms is demonstrated on most data sets. The results reveal that CGSO can efficiently be used for data clustering.
Ulysses cosmic-ray investigations extending from the south to the north polar regions of the Sun and heliosphere

The recent rapid transit of Ulysses from the solar south polar to the north polar region has confirmed the earlier findings by the COsmic-ray and Solar-Particle Investigations (COSPIN) international consortium and has yielded additional discoveries that are important for understanding heliospheric modulation. High-resolution isotopic measurements of Fe and Ni on Ulysses show that the source composition of these cosmic-ray nuclei is not neutron rich for these elements and is close to solar-system composition.
Labor market equilibrium under nonsequential search

Abstract This study presents a full model of the labor market under imperfect information. Workers bear the burden of search and are assumed to use a stochastic variant of an optimal sample size search strategy. The existence and uniqueness of a nondegenerate equilibrium distribution of wage offers is established. Infficiencies which lead to underinvestment in search are uncovered and analyzed.
Nanoscale mapping of the Met receptor on hippocampal neurons by AFM and confocal microscopy

Abstract Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a neurotrophic protein, acting through its tyrosine kinase receptor, Met, facilitates learning and synaptic plasticity. In concert with the role of the HGF/Met system in synaptic plasticity, we demonstrate that Met is localized to brain regions which undergo extensive synaptic remodeling. We demonstrate that Met activation results in an increase in dendritic spine density and functional synapses. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that Met should be associated with post-synaptic elements found on dendritic spines. Thus, the goal of this study was to determine the sub-cellular localization of Met on hippocampal neurons. Using an atomic force microscopy tip decorated with a specific Met antibody, the location of Met was mapped to different cellular compartments of hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Our results indicated that multimeric activated Met was found to be concentrated in the dendritic compartment while the inactivated monomeric form of Met was prominent on the soma. From the Clinical Editor The goal of this study was to determine the sub-cellular localization of Met on hippocampal neurons using nanotechnology-based techniques, using an atomic force microscopy tip decorated with a specific Met antibody. The authors demonstrate that multimeric activated Met was found to be concentrated in the dendritic compartment while the inactivated monomeric form of Met was prominent in the soma of hippocampal pyramidal neurons.
Acute promyelocytic leukemia: report of a variant translocation, t(1;17)

Abstract A 4-year-old female with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was found to have a variant form of the 15;17 translocation, which is diagnostic of APL. The karyotype of the malignant cells was 47,XX,t(1;11)(q25;q21),t(1;17)(p36;q21),+8. This case is additional evidence that the breakpoint of #17 at q21 is the characteristic chromosomal aberration of APL. The present case is also unusual because of the young age of the patient.
The state representation of polynomic maps

Let f be an arbitrary strictly causal polynomic map between Hilbert resolution spaces. Then f has the form f=T\tau where τ is a predetermined causal map and T is linear and strictly causal. The maps f and T have state representations. The present paper develops the interrelationship between these.
"On the combination of drive and incentive motivation:" a critical comment.

Black's (1965) evaluation of the literature on the combination of drive and incentive is criticized on two grounds. (1) In order to reconcile to the existing data his arguments for an additive relationship he must shift his theoretical assumptions from one argument to the next; unfortunately he never makes this shift explicit; (2) he ignores available data which are contrary to his view that D and K combine additively. An operational analysis of the available research reveals that the additive relationship holds unambiguously only when non-zero levels of food incentive are combined with the TD operation. When a liquid incentive is used and/or when other methods of manipulating drive are used, the evidence is unsystematic and the results are conflicting.
Zero frequency masking and a model of contrast sensitivity

Stimulating the visual system tends to desensitize it to certain stimulus properties. Such desensitization is usually called adaptation or masking, but the distinction between the two is unclear. Nonspecific desensitization by light is usually regarded as adaptation, whereas pattern-specific desensitization is typically considered masking. Here we unify the treatment of such desensitizing phenomena by handling both in the spatial frequency domain. The amount of adapting light in a stimulus is represented in the spatial frequency domain by the component at zero frequency. To determine whether such adapting light acts like other components in the spatial frequency domain, we compared the effect of masking by the zero frequency component with the effects of masking by components at other frequencies. We show that the zero frequency component acts like other masking components, decreasing sensitivity to nearby test frequencies and thereby producing the insensitivity to low spatial frequencies that gives the contrast sensitivity curve its band-pass shape at high light levels. Treating light adaptation as masking by the zero frequency component leads to a general model that describes visual sensitivity to test gratings of varying spatial frequency at varying mean luminance, in the presence (or absence) of masking gratings of varying spatial frequency. Individual components of the model provide insight into visual processing at the system level.
The Impact of Anthropogenic Climate Change on North Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Tracks

AbstractThe authors examine the change in tropical cyclone (TC) tracks that results from projected changes in the large-scale steering flow and genesis location from increasing greenhouse gases. Tracks are first simulated using a Beta and Advection Model (BAM) and NCEP–NCAR reanalysis winds for all TCs that formed in the North Atlantic Ocean’s Main Development Region (MDR) for the period 1950–2010. Changes in genesis location and large-scale steering flow are then estimated from an ensemble mean of 17 models from phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3) for the A1b emissions scenario. The BAM simulations are then repeated with these changes to estimate how the TC tracks would respond to increased greenhouse gases. As the climate warms, the models project a weakening of the subtropical easterlies as well as an eastward shift in genesis location. This results in a statistically significant decrease in straight-moving (westward) storm tracks of ~5.5% and an increase in recurving (open oce...
Quantitative analysis of viral persistence and transient viral load rebound from HIV clinical data

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) suppresses HIV RNA viral load below the limit of detection for many patients. However, clinical data demonstrates that the HIV virus is not eradicated by HAART, even in patients who have had no detectable virus for 7 years [1]. One possible reason is that a stable resting latent reservoir with a long half-life exists in resting memory CD4+T cells [2]. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model with a constant contribution of a stable latent reservoir and identified this constant by using one patient's data from AutoVac HAART interruption study [3]. Many patients also have transient rebounds of plasma viral RNA (viral blips) under otherwise successful control of the virus by HAART. Activation of latently infected cells can explain these transient rebounds of viral load. Little quantitative analysis about the activation of reservoir has been done based on any clinical experiment data. Here, we model the activation dynamics of the reservoir by a time-independent activation rate and estimate this rate by using the clinical data from the AutoVac HAART interruption study [3].
Kinematic analysis of serpentinite structures and the manifestation of transpression in southwestern Puerto Rico

Abstract Faults and shear zones recorded in the Monte del Estado and Rio Guanajibo serpentinite masses in southwestern Puerto Rico show previously unrecognized southwestward tectonic transport. The orientations of planar and linear structures and the sense of slip along faults and shear zones determined by offset rock layers, drag folds in foliations, and steps in slickensided surfaces and/or S–C fabrics from 1846 shear planes studied at more than 300 stations reveal two predominant groups of faults: 1) northwesterly-striking thrust faults and easterly-striking left-lateral faults and, 2) northwesterly-striking right-lateral faults and easterly-striking thrust faults. Shortening and extension (P and T) axes calculated for geographic domains within the serpentinite reveal early north-trending shortening followed by southwestward-directed movement during which older structures were re-activated. The SW-directed shortening is attributed to transpression that accompanied Late Eocene left-lateral shearing of the serpentinite. A third, younger, group comprising fewer faults consists of northwesterly-striking left-lateral faults and north-directed thrusts that also may be related to the latest transpressional deformation within Puerto Rico. Deformational events in Puerto Rico correlate to tectonic events along the Caribbean–North American plate boundary.
Purification by affinity chromatography and preliminary characterization of ornithine decarboxylase from simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 mouse fibroblasts

Abstract Ornithine decarboxylase ( l -ornithine carboxy-lyase, EC 4.1.1.17) has been purified from simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 mouse fibroblasts by a procedure utilizing affinity chromatography as the principal step. Selective elution of the enzyme from a pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate-agarose affinity matrix with the use of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate effected a single-step purification of approximately 500-fold, with a significantly higher overall recovery of activity (30 to 45%) than achieved with previous procedures. In the presence of optimal protein concentrations, the enzyme from transformed fibroblasts exhibited a significantly higher specific activity than reported previously for the decarboxylase purified from liver. The apparent affinities of the fibroblast enzyme for substrate and cofactor were similar to those reported for the decarboxylases purified from other tissues. With the use of sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis, the subunit molecular weight of the purified ornithine decarboxylase was demonstrated to be approximately 55,000, while the apparent molecular weight of the active enzyme in vitro as determined by gel filtration was approximately 110,000.
Low incidence of embolic strokes with atrial septal aneurysms: A prospective, long-term study.

Abstract Background Previous retrospective studies have suggested that atrial septal aneurysms (ASA) are associated with embolic strokes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate prospectively the embolic potential of ASA. Methods Of 846 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery from December 1990 to March 1993, we identified 42 patients who had ASA as an incidental finding on intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography. Patency was determined by color and/or contrast echocardiography. The majority of patients were given aspirin postoperatively. Patients were monitored by personal and/or telephone interviews, and their clinical conditions were confirmed by their personal physicians. Any patient with any question of a neurologic event had a detailed neurologic history, examination, and computed tomographic or magnetic resonance imaging scan. Results The incidence of ASA in our population was 4.9%; there were 22 men and 20 women with a mean age of 72 years. Oscillating ASA were present in 28 patients and fixed aneurysm in 10. The mean diameter of the ASA was 21 ± 4 mm. Eighteen (56%) of 32 patients had a patent ASA. Patients were monitored for a mean period of 69.5 months (56 to 85 months). No patient had a cerebrovascular event or systemic embolization. Conclusion The risk of cerebrovascular events or embolic strokes in our patient population with incidental ASA was low. If treatment is needed for this condition, aspirin appears to be effective therapy. (Am Heart J 2000;139:149-52.)
Adrenocortical effects of caffeine at rest and during mental stress in borderline hypertensive men.

We examined the effect of dietary doses of caffeine (3.3 mg/kg. equivalent to 2 to 3 cups of coffee) on adrenocortical responses to behavioral stress in borderline hypertensive (BH) men using a randomized, double-blind, caffeine-placebo crossover design. Cortisol levels were assessed in BH men and matched normotensive (NT) controls at rest and in response to 35 rnin of continuous work on a psychomotor task alternating with mental arithmetic. Caffeine at rest elevated Cortisol among BHs but not among NTs. Both groups showed significant Cortisol responses to caffeine combined with the tasks. These findings may have implications for the dietary use of caffeine in persons at risk for hypertension when faced with stressful situations.
Purification, Functional Reconstitution, and Characterization of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Isoprenylcysteine Carboxylmethyltransferase Ste14p

Abstract Numerous proteins, including Ras, contain a C-terminal CAAX motif that directs a series of three sequential post-translational modifications: isoprenylation of the cysteine residue, endoproteolysis of the three terminal amino acids and α-carboxyl methylesterification of the isoprenylated cysteine. This study focuses on the isoprenylcysteine carboxylmethyltransferase (Icmt) enzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ste14p, the founding member of a homologous family of endoplasmic reticulum membrane proteins present in all eukaryotes. Ste14p, like all Icmts, has multiple membrane spanning domains, presenting a significant challenge to its purification in an active form. Here, we have detergent-solubilized, purified, and reconstituted enzymatically active His-tagged Ste14p from S. cerevisiae, thus providing conclusive proof that Ste14p is the sole component necessary for the carboxylmethylation of isoprenylated substrates. Among the extensive panel of detergents that was screened, optimal solubilization and retention of Ste14p activity occurred with n-dodecyl-β-d-maltoside. The activity of Ste14p could be further optimized upon reconstitution into liposomes. Our expression and purification schemes generate milligram quantities of pure and active Ste14p, which is highly stable under many conditions. Using pure reconstituted Ste14p, we demonstrate quantitatively that Ste14p does not have a preference for the farnesyl or geranylgeranyl moieties in the model substrates N-acetyl-S-farnesyl-l-cysteine (AFC) and N-acetyl-S-geranylgeranyl-l-cysteine (AGGC) in vitro. In addition to catalyzing methylation of AFC, we also show that purified Ste14p methylates a known in vivo substrate, Ras2p. Evidence that metals ions are required for activity of Ste14p is also presented. These results pave the way for further characterization of pure Ste14p, as well as determination of its three-dimensional structure.
Ancillary Techniques to Refine Diagnosis of GTD

Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) consists of hyperplastic and neoplastic disorders of placental trophoblast; i.e., hydatidiform moles and gestational trophoblastic tumors, respectively. While the histological diagnosis of well-developed complete hydatidiform mole and gestational choriocarcinoma is generally accurate, significant diagnostic challenges persist in the routine evaluation of early complete hydatidiform mole, partial hydatidiform mole, placental site trophoblastic tumor, and epithelioid trophoblastic tumor. Recently, the applications of new immunohistochemical markers and molecular techniques have significantly enhanced the diagnostic accuracy of various GTDs. P57 immunohistochemistry is a highly useful marker in confirming complete hydatidiform mole, including its early forms. PCR-based short tandem repeat DNA genotyping has emerged as a powerful diagnostic measure to precisely classify both complete and partial hydatidiform moles. With highly desired sensitivity and specificity, these powerful ancillary studies should be advocated and integrated into the routine diagnostic algorithm of GTD.
Study of pressure and temperature developing profiles in crude oil pipe flows

Abstract Pressure and temperature developing profiles for crude oil transportation pipelines are simulated under a diversity of external boundary conditions. MOLCV is used in this research to convert a system of partial differential equations into a system of ordinary first order differential equations in cylindrical coordinates. Momentum and energy balance equations are coupled in crude oil flows because of thermal–physical property variations. Simulation solutions show the effect of boundary conditions in the pressure drop profile, which provide potential model predictive applications to account for weather forecast in crude oil transportation operations.
Achievement and Aspiration: Patterns among Male and Female Academic-Career Aspirants.

In contrast to previous work, our study considers both meaning and mediation factors in the achievement-aspiration relationship. In a sample of graduate students ("academic-career aspirants"), we examine sex differences in the achievement- aspiration relationship as they vary with type of academic achievement and professional aspirations, and as it is mediated by individuals' perceptions of their professional roles and their faculty's support. We find: (1) Women's achievement-aspiration conversion is different from, but not necessarily lower than, men's. Rather, the strength and direction of the relationship vary with aspiration type (traditional versus alternative) and, to some extent, with specific types of academic achievement (e.g., paper publication and GPA). (2) The mediators of the achievement-aspiration relationship also vary by sex and aspiration type. Notably, women's aspirations for traditional career rewards are largely a function of their perceptions of the structural availability of job oppo...
Interracial Friendship and African American Attitudes about Interracial Marriage

For a variety of reasons, there is little systematic evidence about African American attitudes about interracial marriage. National data are often sparse or not available, and they are often dated. Using a Year 2000 nationally representative poll from The New York Times, we analyze African American approval of interracial marriage. The sample comprised 934 African Americans. Eighty-five percent say they approve of interracial marriage. Education, sex, age, and region are significantly related to approval in the bivariate analyses. Analysis of the amount of contact or friendship African Americans have with Whites appears to be a critical variable affecting attitudes about intergroup marriage; the effects of most of the other variables become nonsignificant when friendship is included in the analysis.
AMERICAN JEWISH FICTION

American Jewish Fiction is both the product of and a reaction to American culture. For many years this duality resulted in concerns with alienation, marginality, and the lure of assimilation in the face of unyielding halakhic demands. The conflict between the demands of Jewish tradition and the expectations of American culture was frequently resolved in favor of the latter, although not without mixed feelings. The novels of Saul Bellow, Bernard Malamud, and Philip Roth amply illustrated this phenomenon during the sixties and early seventies. The seventies, however, inaugurated the appearance of an American Jewish fiction which advocated the norms of Jewish tradition, although not necessarily halakha, rather than Americanism as its standard. Writers such as Arthur A. Cohen, Hugh Nissenson, and Cynthia Ozick wrote novels which displayed a distinctively Jewish literary cadence, theological concern, and ritual awareness.' The change in emphasis was so pronounced that Ruth Wisse termed their works "Act two" of American Jewish Fiction.2 The decade of the eighties, for its part, constitutes nothing less than a third act. Writing shortly after the beginning of the decade, Arthur A. Cohen observed that:
Communication Role Specializations and Perceptions of Leadership

Researchl supports ani attributional theory of leadership: that people judge as leaders those who matchi an implicit set of valued leadership behaviors. This study explores whether such value bases or whether distor-ted perceptions of procedural, task or analytical, or socialemotioncal communication behaviors occur. Results indicated that 150 subjects chose a proceduiral specialist 85.33% as leader and selected a task or analytical specialist as most influenitial 63.33% in smnall group decision-making discussion. Chi-square analyses on the choices and an analysis of variance and t tests on ratings of specialists'behaviors indicated that no perceptUal distortion seemed to occur and suggested support for the value-based, or attributional, theory of leadership.