cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Towards Biologically Inspired Decentralized Platooning for Autonomous Vehicles

In this paper, we introduce a novel decentralized approach to automated vehicle platooning inspired by emergent-behavior commonly found in biological systems. The proposed emergent-behavior based platooning uses simple rules that the vehicles follow when they interact to carry out maneuvers. Platooning maneuvers such as join, exit, and lane change "emerge" as a result of vehicles following these "emergent rules". Preliminary complexity analysis as well as simulation experiments yield promising results that demonstrate emergent behavior platooning as a viable form of decentralized platooning.
Examining the interplay of emotion regulation strategies, social stress, and gender in predicting life satisfaction of emerging adults

Abstract Previous research has consistently shown the importance of emotion regulation in human development, but little work has investigated the synergistic effects of dispositional and situational factors on how emotion regulation works. Guided by a recent framework that proposes emotion regulation as a combination of person, situation, and strategy ( Dore, Silvers, & Ochsner, 2016 ), this study examined the three-way interaction effects of gender (male, female), social stress (low, moderate, high levels), and emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal, suppression) on life satisfaction in emerging adults. Using self-report survey data (n = 353), significant three-way interaction effects were found. Specifically, positive association between cognitive reappraisal and life satisfaction was significant for both genders across all stress levels, except at low stress level for males. As the stress level increased, the magnitude of such association decreased for females but increased for males. In contrast, the association between expressive suppression and life satisfaction was not significant for both genders across all stress levels, except at high stress level for males where suppression had a significant positive relation with life satisfaction. Findings demonstrated the differential effects of reappraisal and suppression on life satisfaction across gender and social stress levels.
Completing the View of Transcriptional Regulation

The lac repressor of Escherichia coli controls expression of enzymes involved in lactose metabolism by its interactions with inducer and with specific and nonspecific DNA. This has long been the model system for understanding transcriptional control. In his Perspective, [von Hippel][1] describes new work by [ Kalodimos et al .][2] that completes the structural picture of the lac repressor system by providing a structure of the complex with nonspecific DNA. Pleasingly, the structure validates previous predictions of how the repressor binds to nonspecific DNA and how it locates its operator target site. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/305/5682/350 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/305/5682/386
The Inflammatory Response

Inflammation is a critical component of the normal healing process. In the patient with extensive injury or infection, however, this same process may lead to organ dysfunction and failure as seen in adult respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ failure syndrome. In this article we review: (1) the evolution of current concepts of inflammation; (2) individual elements of the host response to inflammatory stimuli; and (3) current strategies for the prevention and treatment of adult respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ failure syndrome.From the Department of Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, WA.
Scarcity and Frontiers: The Golden Age of Resource-Based Development (from 1870 to 1914)

… we begin to understand why some tropical countries responded swiftly to the growth of world demand after 1880, while others did not. Response was swiftest where new land was available for cultivation, whether by large or small farmers, and where the government removed obstacles to access (ownership, transportation, irrigation) … The fastest growth would be found (just as in the temperate zones) in areas with new land plus immigrant labour (e.g. Malaya, Brazil, Ceylon) or areas with access to new land and surplus labour time (Thailand, Burma, Colombia, Gold Coast). The slowest growth would be in countries where little new land was cultivated, whether because the population was already dense (India, Java) or because the government did nothing to break the land monopoly (Venezuela, Philippines). (Lewis 1970, p. 28) Rapid export expansion in regions of recent European settlement and in important parts of the eight tropical countries had in common the geography of a moving frontier. In the New World migrant labour and foreign capital were drawn to this frontier as complements … But in the tropics migrants could be attracted to frontier areas for no more than a subsistence wage plus some mark up rather than a European standard of living as required in the New World. An important reason why foreign capital did not flow to the eight tropical areas to seek cheap migrant labour was that this labour was so cheap as effectively to substitute for capital so long as natural resources were highly abundant and used in large quantities. (Huff 2007, p. i146) Introduction On May 16, 1869 at Promontory Summit, Utah, a single golden spike was struck, joining the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railways. For the first time, the American western frontier was now linked by a single transcontinental railway line. Six months later, halfway across the world in Egypt, an official ceremony on November 17, 1869 opened the 101-mile Suez Canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The effect of the canal was to shorten major shipping routes between Europe and Asia by thousands of miles.
Combining geologic‐process models and geostatistics for conditional simulation of 3‐D subsurface heterogeneity

[1] The goal of simulation of aquifer heterogeneity is to produce a spatial model of the subsurface that represents a system such that it can be used to understand or predict flow and transport processes. Spatial simulation requires incorporation of data and geologic knowledge, as well as representation of uncertainty. Classical geostatistical techniques allow for the conditioning of data and uncertainty assessment, but models often lack geologic realism. Simulation of physical geologic processes of sedimentary deposition and erosion (process-based modeling) produces detailed, geologically realistic models, but conditioning to local data is limited at best. We present an aquifer modeling methodology that combines geologic-process models with object-based, multiple-point, and variogram-based geostatistics to produce geologically realistic realizations that incorporate geostatistical uncertainty and can be conditioned to data. First, the geologic features of grain size, or facies, distributions simulated by a process-based model are analyzed, and the statistics of feature geometry are extracted. Second, the statistics are used to generate multiple realizations of reduced-dimensional features using an object-based technique. Third, these realizations are used as multiple alternative training images in multiple-point geostatistical simulation, a step that can incorporate local data. Last, a variogram-based geostatistical technique is used to produce conditioned maps of depositional thickness and erosion. Successive realizations of individual strata are generated in depositional order, each dependent on previously simulated geometry, and stacked to produce a fully conditioned three-dimensional facies model that mimics the architecture of the process-based model. We demonstrate the approach for a typical subsea depositional complex.
The Water-Content of Nepheline

The water content of nephelines from various localities were studied through thermal weight loss and single-crystal infrared spectroscopy. Typical water contents in nepheline are on the order of 0.2 to 0.5 wt. %. The H_2O molecule exists in multiple crystallographic orientations, presumably in the potassium site. Two orientations of water are indicated in the spectrum of nepheline from Monte Somma. When the crystal is heated to 350 °C, a third orientation develops.
Inhibition of chloroplast coupling factor by naphthylglyoxal

Abstract The trypsin-activated Ca 2+ -ATPase of spinach chloroplast membranes was completely inhibited by treatment with naphthylglyoxal, a fluorescent compound that should bind covalently to arginine residues. The inhibition followed apparent first-order kinetics. The apparent order of reaction with respect to inhibitor concentration gave values near unity, suggesting that inactivation is a consequence of modifying one arginine residue per active site. Partial protection against naphthylglyoxal was afforded by ADP and ATP, with either less or no protection by other nucleotide bases. At inhibition levels less than complete, the K m for ATP was not affected but the V max of the enzyme was diminished. The light-dependent exchange of tightly bound nucleotides on the membrane-bound enzyme was not inhibited by naphthylglyoxal treatment, indicating significant retention of the conformational response of the enzyme to the membrane high-energy state. Using [ 3 H]naphthylglyoxal, the extent of inhibition was a linear function of the amount of naphthylglyoxal bound up to 60% inhibition. The curves extrapolated to 2 mol naphthylglyoxal bound, associated with complete inhibition of ATPase. The radioactive naphthylglyoxal was distributed equally between α- and β-subunits.
An evaluation of the VME architecture for use in embedded systems education

The VMEbus is an IEEE standard architecture upon which many embedded and real-time systems are built. It has existed for nearly 25 years and has been extensively used for military, industrial, and aerospace applications. This paper describes the general characteristics of the VMEbus architecture, specifically relating these characteristics to aspects of embedded systems education included as components of the IEEE/ACM CE2004 computer engineering model curriculum. Portions of this model curriculum are currently being implemented at universities across the country as part of an increasing effort to address the need for embedded systems education. This evaluation will help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of this architecture as a general-purpose embedded systems educational tool.
Use of Inappropriate and Inaccurate Conceptual Knowledge to Solve an Osmosis Problem

Two outstanding high school science students each generated a correct answer to an osmosis problem. The solution processes are noteworthy because the problem solvers did not blindly use algorithms. They relied, instead, on conceptual knowledge which was inaccurate and inappropriate to the problem. They thought the osmosis problem was about air pressure, and some of their knowledge about air pressure was inaccurate. Thus, even when students rely on conceptual knowledge to solve a problem, correct answers need not indicate adequate understanding. Characteristics of the problem solvers, salient properties of the problem that could contribute to the problem misrepresentation, and spurious correct answers are identified. Finally, some instructional recommendations and research questions are presented.
Identity of the Emitter in the Bacterial Luciferase Luminescence Reaction: Binding and Fluorescence Quantum Yield Studies of 5-Decyl-4a-hydroxy-4a,5-dihydroriboflavin-5‘-phosphate as a Model†

The excited state of 4a-hydroxy-4a,5-dihydroFMN has been postulated to be the emitter in the bacterial bioluminescence reaction. However, while the bioluminescence quantum yield of the luciferase emitter is about 0.16, chemiluminescence and fluorescence quantum yields of earlier flavin models mimicking the luciferase emitter were no more than 10(-5). To further examine the proposed chemical identity of the luciferase emitter, 5-decyl-4a-hydroxy-4a,5-dihydroFMN was prepared as a new flavin model. Both the wild-type Vibrio harveyi luciferase and a catalytically active alphaC106A mutant formed complexes with the flavin model at a 1:1 molar ratio with K(d) values at 2.4 and 1.2 microM, respectively. This flavin model inhibited the activity of both luciferases, suggesting that it was bound to the enzyme active center. While the free flavin model was itself only very weakly fluorescent, its binding to either luciferase species resulted in markedly enhanced fluorescence, peaking at 440 nm. The fluorescence quantum yields of 5-decyl-4a-hydroxy-4a,5-dihydroFMN bound to wild-type and alphaC106A luciferases were 0.08 and 0.05, respectively, which are about 50% of the respective emitter bioluminescence quantum yields of these two luciferases. The present findings clearly demonstrated that the luciferase active site was suitable for marked enhancement of fluorescence of 4a-hydroxyflavin and, hence, provides a strong support to the proposed identity of 4a-hydroxy-4a,5-dihydroFMN, in its exited state, as the luciferase emitter.
Social Presence and Children: Praise, Intrinsic Motivation, and Learning With Computers

The computers are social actors (CASA) paradigm asserts that human computer users interact socially with computers, and the paradigm has provided extensive evidence that this is the case for adults. This experiment examined whether or not children have similar reactions to computers by comparing children's predictable responses to praise from a teacher to their responses to praise from a computer. Eight- to 10-year-old participants (N = 42) received either praise or neutral feedback from a computer. Independent variables were the feedback (praise or neutral), and participants' age and gender. Dependent variables measured via a paper-and-pencil questionnaire were learning (recall and recognition memory), perceived ability, and intrinsic motivation. Results provide evidence that children do have social responses to computers and that such social responses can lead to increases in learning (recall and recognition) in young children
Conductivity, Hall Effect, and Magnetoresistance in n -Type Germanium, and Their Dependence on Pressure

Measurements of the electrical resistance, low-field Hall effect, and low-field longitudinal and transverse magnetoresistance in oriented samples of $n$-type germanium in which the carriers are all of one type have been carried out at 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C as a function of pressure in the range 1-10 000 kg/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ by using a nonmagnetic beryllium-copper high-pressure bomb. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of a low-field theory for $n$-type germanium in which the shape parameter $K=\frac{{m}_{1}}{{m}_{2}}$ of the energy ellipsoids and the dependence of the collision time $\ensuremath{\tau}$ on energy play a central role. The atmospheric-pressure data indicate that $K$ at 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C is probably different from the low-temperature cyclotron resonance value. Consideration of several possible forms of the energy dependence of $\ensuremath{\tau}$ leads to the adoption for lattice scattering of a phenomenological law of the form ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{L}=(\frac{a}{\mathrm{kT}}){\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{\ensuremath{-}p}$. It is found that the inclusion of the effects of even a small amount of impurity scattering plays a significant role in determining the magnitudes of the galvanomagnetic coefficients. By assuming a reasonable amount of impurity scattering in our samples it is possible to obtain an expression for $\ensuremath{\tau}(\ensuremath{\epsilon})$ which is capable of producing the magnitudes of the galvanomagnetic coefficients as well as their temperature dependence. The variation of the galvanomagnetic coefficients with pressure is interpreted in terms of changes in $K$ and the form of the dependence of $\ensuremath{\tau}$ on energy. In particular it is found that $K$ decreases with increasing pressure, indicating that the application of pressure causes the energy ellipsoids to become less prolate. The change in the energy dependence of $\ensuremath{\tau}$ is interpreted in terms of a change in the exponent of the energy in the lattice scattering law.
Inherited Disorders of Fatty Alcohol Metabolism

The importance of long-chain aliphatic alcohols to human biology has recently been emphasized by the discovery of several inborn errors of fatty alcohol metabolism. These inherited diseases include isolated defects in the oxidation of fatty alcohol to fatty acid (Sjogren-Larsson syndrome) and deficient incorporation of fatty alcohol into ether lipids (isolated alkyl dihydroxyacetone phosphate synthase deficiency). In addition, disorders of peroxisomal biogenesis (Zellweger syndrome, neonatal adrenoleukodystrophy, infantile Refsum disease) and peroxisomal protein import (rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata) have impaired ether lipid synthesis along with other associated defects in peroxisomal metabolism. All of the inherited disorders of fatty alcohol metabolism are associated with severe neurologic disease, but the contribution of tissue fatty alcohol accumulation to the pathogenesis is not clear. Molecular genetic studies have recently identified many of the disease-causing mutations in these disorders, which should lead to more accurate diagnosis and genetic counseling. Although prenatal diagnosis offers a method for preventing these genetic diseases, no effective therapy exists to alleviate the symptoms.
U(IV) chalcogenolates synthesized via oxidation of uranium metal by dichalcogenides.

Treatment of uranium metal with dichalcogenides in the presence of a catalytic amount of iodine in pyridine affords molecular U(IV) chalcogenolates that do not require stabilizing ancillary ligands. Oxidation of U0 by PhEEPh yields monomeric seven-coordinate U(EPh)4(py)3 (E = S(1), Se(2)). The dimeric eight-coordinate complexes [U(EPh)2(μ2-EPh)2(CH3CN)2]2 (E = S(3), Se(4)) are obtained by crystallization from solutions of 1 and 2 dissolved in acetonitrile. Oxidation of U0 by pySSpy and crystallization from thf yields nine-coordinate U(Spy)4(thf) (5). Incorporation of elemental selenium into the oxidation of U0 by PhSeSePh results in the isolation of [U(py)2(SePh)(μ3-Se)(μ2-SePh)]4·4py (6), a tetrameric cluster in which each U(IV) ion is eight-coordinate and the U4Se4 core forms a distorted cube. The compounds were analyzed spectroscopically and the single-crystal X-ray structures of 1 and 3−6 were determined. The isolation of 1−6 represents six new examples of actinide chalcogenolates and allows insight i...
Diamide exposure, thermal resistance, and synthesis of stress (heat shock) proteins

Abstract Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were treated with the thiol oxidant diamide for 1 hr at 37°, incubated in diamide-free medium for 4 hr at 37°, and then exposed to hyperthermic treatment (43°) or assayed for the presence of 110, 90 and 66 kilodalton (kD) stress (heat shock) proteins. Cellular inactivation produced by the hyperthermic treatment was measured using colony formation as the end point. Low concentrations of diamide, which did not result in depletion of intracellular GSH, induced a moderate degree of protection against thermal toxicity but did not affect the pattern of protein synthesis. Exposure to 0.4 mM diamide, which reduced intracellular GSH concentrations by 50–60%, significantly reduced the rate of hyperthermic cellular inactivation. This occurred coincidentally with the synthesis of stress proteins of approximate molecular weights of 110, 90 and 66 kD. Furthermore, this concentration of diamide protected cells from thermal inhibition of protein synthesis. These results indicate that thiol oxidation by diamide can induce both the development of thermal resistance to cellular inactivation and the synthesis of stress proteins.
Using OpenSSH to secure mobile LAN network traffic

Mobile Internet Protocol (IP) Local Area Network (LAN) is a technique, developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, which allows a LAN to be IP mobile when attaching to a foreign IP-based network and using this network as a means to retain connectivity to its home network. In this paper, we describe a technique that uses Open Secure Shell (OpenSSH) software to ensure secure, encrypted transmission of a mobile LAN's network traffic. Whenever a mobile LAN, implemented with Mobile IP LAN, moves to a foreign network, its gateway (router) obtains an IP address from the new network. IP tunnels, using IP encapsulation, are then established from the gateway through the foreign network to a home agent on its home network. These tunnels provide a virtual two-way connection to the home network for the mobile LAN as if the LAN were connected directly to its home network. Hence, when IP mobile, a mobile LAN's tunneled network traffic must traverse one or more foreign networks that may not be trusted. This traffic could be subject to eavesdropping, interception, modification, or redirection by malicious nodes in these foreign networks. To protect network traffic passing through the tunnels, OpenSSH is used as a means of encryption because it prevents surveillance, modification, and redirection of mobile LAN traffic passing across foreign networks. Since the software is found in the public domain, is available for most current operating systems, and is commonly used to provide secure network communications, OpenSSH is the software of choice.
Intracavitary "fountains" in left ventricular noncompaction.

![Figure][1] [![Graphic][3] ][3][![Graphic][4] ][4] A 34-year-old woman with failure symptoms was referred for magnetic resonance imaging. Cine images revealed a thick trabeculated endocardial wall and a thin solid epicardial wall at the left ventricular apex, consistent with
Transcriptome Analysis of Synaptoneurosomes Identifies Neuroplasticity Genes Overexpressed in Incipient Alzheimer's Disease

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), early deficits in learning and memory are a consequence of synaptic modification induced by toxic beta-amyloid oligomers (oAβ). To identify immediate molecular targets downstream of oAβ binding, we prepared synaptoneurosomes from prefrontal cortex of control and incipient AD (IAD) patients, and isolated mRNAs for comparison of gene expression. This novel approach concentrates synaptic mRNA, thereby increasing the ratio of synaptic to somal mRNA and allowing discrimination of expression changes in synaptically localized genes. In IAD patients, global measures of cognition declined with increasing levels of dimeric Aβ (dAβ). These patients also showed increased expression of neuroplasticity related genes, many encoding 3′UTR consensus sequences that regulate translation in the synapse. An increase in mRNA encoding the GluR2 subunit of the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) was paralleled by elevated expression of the corresponding protein in IAD. These results imply a functional impact on synaptic transmission as GluR2, if inserted, maintains the receptors in a low conductance state. Some overexpressed genes may induce early deficits in cognition and others compensatory mechanisms, providing targets for intervention to moderate the response to dAβ.
Adjustment for heterogeneity of variances by herd production level in dairy cow and sire evaluation

Abstract Additive genetic and environmental variances for all lactation milk yield and natural log of yield were estimated at three herd production levels by REML in a sire and nested-cow model. Data consisted of 121,136 first and later lactations for 91,206 Holstein cows from 526 sires. Each herd-year-season group was assigned to one of three production levels by mean yield of all cows freshening in the same herd-year. Variance components for untransformed yields increased with production level. Heritability was .18, .22, and .24 for untransformed yield in low, medium, and high producing herds. Log transformation did not stabilize variances. Environmental variances for transformed yields decreased as production level increased. Heritability estimates were not significantly changed by log transformation of yields. Cows and sires were evaluated by three models. Models 1 and 2 used variances from the medium level and either untransformed or logtransformed yields. Model 3 used untransformed yields and the specific variances at the three production levels. Rank correlations of sire and cow evaluations from the three models were close to unity. Ranks of top sires were similar, but differences among ranks of top cows were large across models. If heterogeneity of variances is ignored, untransformed yields should be used.
Sewing Empowerment: Examining Multiple Identity Shifts as a Mexican Immigrant Woman Develops Expertise in a Sewing Cooperative Community of Practice.

This article demonstrates how one woman's identity changed as she was empowered through her participation in a sewing cooperative community of practice. A community of practice framework allows examination of participation in ongoing negotiated interactions in which people construct expert and novice identities as they work together. Identity, as we define it here, is not static, but a constantly shifting set of identities, or aspects of identity, that are constructed in ongoing interaction. What this study adds to such an understanding of identity is that particular aspects of identity are also not static but show shifts over time as people negotiate place and gain the social capital associated with skills, expertise, and competencies. In the case of the woman, Diana, considered here, the multiple aspects of identity under negotiation shift as she becomes a more experienced, expert member of the sewing cooperative, and these shifts are illuminated in discourse.
Interval Coverage in Multiclass Queues Using Batch Mean Estimates

We investigate the fixed, sample-size, batch-mean procedure for creating confidence intervals from simulated data obtained from a stochastic queueing system with multiple customer classes. We show that, for a multiclass M/M/1 queue, serial correlation between customers of the same class decreases to zero as the number of customer classes increases. We also derive a closed-form expression for the asymptotic variance of waiting time by customer type. We then empirically examine batch-mean estimator coverage for a simple queue with multiple customer classes. We find that batch-mean estimators perform better in terms of coverage and interval half width in multiclass queues, with a fixed number of observations per class, than in the traditionally studied single-class systems. We also examine the effect of multiple classes where the total computational effort remains fixed.
Human large granular lymphocytes are potent producers of interleukin-1

Natural killer (NK) activity1 against tumour and virus-infected target cells is shown by a subpopulation of peripheral blood mononuclear leukocytes with the morphological features of large granular lymphocytes (LGL)2. The lineage of human LGL is still controversial, as they display surface markers of both T lymphocytes and myelomonocytic cells3. LGL have recently been reported to produce lymphokines such as interleukin-2 (IL-2)4,5 and α- as well as γ-interferons6, functions associated mainly with T cells. To determine whether cytokines associated with other cell lineages are also produced by LGL, we examined whether they might produce a myelomonocyte-associated cytokine such as interleukin-1 (IL-1). IL-1 is a 12–18,000 molecular weight (MW) lymphokine produced by a variety of cell types such as monocytes7, keratinocytes8 and a human dendritic cell line9, which plays a crucial role in immunoregulation and inflammation10,11. Moreover, IL-1 has recently been reported to act synergistically with IL-2 and interferons in boosting LGL-mediated NK activity12. We now show that a subset of highly purified human LGL with NK activity can be stimulated to secrete a soluble factor with the biochemical and biological characteristics of human IL-1.
Sp1 Increases Expression of Cyclooxygenase-2 in Hypoxic Vascular Endothelium IMPLICATIONS FOR THE MECHANISMS OF AORTIC ANEURYSM AND HEART FAILURE

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) catalyzes prostaglandin synthesis from arachidonic acid and is expressed locally in aortic aneurysm and heart failure. Cellular hypoxia is also found in these conditions. We have previously shown that cox-2 is transcriptionally regulated by hypoxia in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in culture via the transactivation factor NF-κB p65, leading to increased production of prostaglandin E2, an inhibitor of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. Sp1 is a transactivation factor known to be important in the regulation of cytokine expression in association with NF-κB. We hypothesized that Sp1 is involved in the induction of cox-2in hypoxic HUVEC. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays with hypoxic HUVEC nuclear protein showed that both Sp1 and the related protein Sp3 specifically bound to the cox-2 promoter. Immunoblotting demonstrated that hypoxia increased the nuclear localization of Sp1 but did not change the Sp3 content in HUVEC. Overexpression of Sp1 through transfection of HUVEC enhancedcox-2 promoter activity as measured by reporter gene expression and by the production of COX-2. The specificity of the results was confirmed by mutation of the Sp1-binding site in thecox-2 promoter construct and by reproducibility in an Sp-deficient Drosophila SL2 cell line. The regulatory role of Sp1 discovered in this work supports the concept that a mechanistic link exists between vascular cellular hypoxia and mediators of inflammation associated with aortic aneurysm and heart failure.
The Transmission of Foreign Interest Rate Shocks to a Small-Open Economy: The Role of External Debt and Financial Integration

This paper investigates the implications of external indebtedness and international financial integration on the effects of foreign interest rate shocks in a small-open economy. The empirical component of the analysis quantifies the effects of U.S. interest rate shocks on the Turkish economy. The theoretical component constructs a business cycle model that can successfully match the empirical impulse response functions. The model is estimated on quarterly Turkish data. It is found that the relationship between financial integration and macroeconomic volatility due to foreign interest rate shocks depends on the level of outstanding external debt. Financial integration mitigates the economy's responses to foreign rate shocks for higher levels of external debt and it magnifies the responses for lower levels of external debt.
Optical correlation techniques applied to spacecraft docking

Established optical correlation techniques will be applied to the problem of pose estimation of spacecraft for autonomous rendezvous and docking. The problem is substantially similar to the recognition and tracking of hostile targets in military applications. The historically deep knowledge base in this area will be exploited for the current investigation so that important discoveries will not have to be reinvented. It is expected that this problem should be somewhat better behaved since the "target" is cooperative and not actively in opposition to being found or recognized. The goal of this investigation is to determine the parameters of interest and to construct somewhat meaningful demonstrations of techniques that could be used for this optical approach to a computationally intense digital problem.
Delayed detection of ventricular tachycardia due to intradevice interactions by implantable atrio-ventricular pacer/cardioverter defibrillator

Current generations of implantable cardioverter defibrillators are capable of providing sophisticated dual chamber atrioventricular and rate-responsive pacing therapies, and even cardiac resynchronization therapy. Appropriate programming of the devices is necessary for them to perform all such sophisticated tasks. In this report, we describe a case where detection of ventricular tachycardia was delayed due to intradevice interactions between the pacemaker and defibrillator components of the device.
Military youth and the deployment cycle: Emotional health consequences and recommendations for intervention.

The United States military force includes over 2.2 million volunteer service members. Three out of five service members who are deployed or are preparing for deployment have spouses and/or children. Stressors associated with the deployment cycle can lead to depression, anxiety, and behavior problems in children, as well as psychological distress in the military spouse. Further, the emotional and behavioral health of family members can affect the psychological functioning of the military service member during the deployment and reintegration periods. Despite widespread acknowledgment of the need for emotional and behavioral health services for youth from military families, many professionals in a position to serve them struggle with how to best respond and select appropriate interventions. The purpose of this paper is to provide an empirically based and theoretically informed review to guide service provision and the development of evidence based treatments for military youth in particular. This review includes an overview of stressors associated with the deployment cycle, emotional and behavioral health consequences of deployment on youth and their caretaking parent, and existing preventative and treatment services for youth from military families. It concludes with treatment recommendations for older children and adolescents experiencing emotional and behavioral health symptoms associated with the deployment cycle.
Sustained expression of genes delivered directly into liver and muscle by lentiviral vectors

Successful gene therapy approaches will require efficient gene delivery and sustained expression of the transgene in recipients. A variety of methods, ranging from direct DNA delivery to infection with recombinant viruses containing foreign genes, have been developed, but they all have some major limitations that restrict their utility. We have described a human lentiviral (HIV)-based vector that can transduce non-dividing cells in vitro and deliver genes in vivo. With this vector, expression of transgenes in the brain has been detected for more than six months--the longest period tested so far. Because lentiviral vectors are pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein (VSVG; ref. 8), they can transduce a broad range of tissues and cell types. We now describe the ability of lentiviral vectors to introduce genes directly into liver and muscle. Sustained expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP), used as a surrogate for therapeutic protein, can be observed for more than 22 weeks in the liver. Similar long-term expression (more than eight weeks) was observed in transduced muscle. In contrast, little or no GFP could be detected in liver or muscle transduced with the Moloney murine leukaemia virus (M-MLV), a prototypic retroviral based vector. At a minimum, 3-4% of the total liver tissue was transduced by a single injection of 1-3 x 10(7) infectious units (I.U.) of recombinant HIV vector. Furthermore, no inflammation of recruitment of lymphocytes could be detected at the site of injection. Animals previously transduced with a lentiviral vector can be efficiently re-infected with lentiviral vectors. Additionally, we show that the requirement for lentiviral accessory proteins to establish efficient transduction in vivo is tissue dependent.
Effectiveness of military laboratories as a function of contract activity

As a part of a larger study, a method was developed for arriving at a rank order of competence for a selected group of government laboratories. This paper describes the methodology for achieving the ranking and examines the relationship between rank and the amount of time expended supervising contractors.
Investigation of emission contamination in the transmission image of a dual modality computed mammotomography system

A dual modality SPECT/CT computed mammotomography (CmT) system for dedicated functional/structural breast imaging is under development. In simultaneous, dual-modality imaging, contamination of the transmission (x-ray) image by emission photons from the uncompressed, pendant breast and torso is an important consideration in the design of hybrid imaging hardware. The lack of a collimator on the transmission image detector implies increased geometric efficiency of primary and scattered emission photons from the breast and neighboring torso region that potentially increase transmission image noise. This study investigates the nature and extent of this cross contamination. Projection and tomographic x-ray images are obtained with and without emission activity in a realistic anthropomorphic torso and various breast phantoms, and also with and without lead shielding on the torso for a variety of x-ray exposure times. Results for emission-source contamination of transmission images are quantified in terms of a mean and standard deviation of regions of interest. There was an observed trend of increased contamination with increasing emission radioactivity in the projection images when the x-ray detector was located immediately beneath the torso phantom, but no discernible effect when the detector was lateral to (and beneath) the torso. Torso shielding mitigated this contamination somewhat. Indeed, in reconstructed CmT data, there was both a decrease in SNR and concomitant decrease in mean attenuation coefficient with increasing emission radioactivity contamination. These results are consistent with the expected increased noise due to a uniform emission irradiation of the detector and hence the resulting apparent increase in detected x-ray transmission events (which yield a lower reconstructed attenuation coefficient value). Despite the emission contamination in both projection and reconstructed images, the contamination is uncorrelated, and indeed no reconstruction artifacts were observed under the various measured conditions. This indicates that a simple contamination correction may be possible to the projection data prior to reconstruction.
Note: Radio frequency inductance-capacitance band-stop filter circuit to perform contactless conductivity measurements in pulsed magnetic fields

We present a new technique to perform radio frequency (rf) contactless conductivity measurements in pulsed magnetic fields to probe different ground states in condensed matter physics. The new method utilizes a simple analog band-stop filter circuit implemented in a radio frequency transmission setup to perform contactless conductivity measurements. The new method is more sensitive than the other methods (e.g., the tunnel diode oscillator and the proximity detector oscillator) due to more sensitive dependence of the circuit resonance frequency on the tank circuit inductance (not the transmission line). More important, the new method is more robust than other methods when used to perform measurements in very high magnetic fields, works for a wide range of temperatures (i.e., 300 K–1.4 K) and is less sensitive to noise and mechanical vibrations during pulse magnet operation. The new technique was successfully applied to measure the Shubnikov-de Haas effect in Bi2Se3 in pulsed magnetic fields of up to 60 T.
Dual photon absorptiometry of the proximal tibia.

Bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal tibia were determined by dual photon absorptiometry on 44 women, aged 23–87 years. The area of the tibia measured was a 2.01 cm region immediately distal to the medial and lateral tuberosities. Values of BMC ranged between 5.09 and 14.57 g and BMD between 0.380 and 1.180 g/cm2. Both tibial BMC and BMD declined with age and tibial BMD was significantly correlated with lumbar spine (r=0.70), femoral neck (r=0.73), and femoral trochanter (r=0.74). However, the large standard errors of estimate (SEE) (0.08–0.14 g/cm2) do not allow for reliable prediction in an individual of other skeletal sites by the tibia. Repeated measurements demonstrated that dual photon absorptiometry of the proximal tibia is a reliable measurement and may be a useful tool in the monitoring of therapeutic or intervention modalities in those individuals with skeletal diseases in whom measurement of the lumbar spine or proximal femur may not be possible.
The disturbance decoupling problem for controlled finite state systems

This paper presents a necessary and sufficient condition for the solvability of the distrubance decoupling problem for controlled finite state systems. The main result asserts the necessity of applying a dynamic extension of the state set.
A Simple Protocol for Identification of Helical and Mobile Residues in Membrane Proteins

A simple molecular dynamics (MD) simulations is shown to predict protocol whether a residue is in a structured α-helical segment or in a mobile loop or terminal segment of a membrane protein. The results are verified by comparisons with experimental NMR data. The protocol consists of performing several independent MD simulations on a polypeptide sequence of interest in a dielectric continuum with a relative permittivity ϵ = 2. The time histories of the individual angles between NH bond vectors at time 0 and timetlater are calculated, and then Gaussian smoothing of typically 50 ps is applied.The smoothed data are subtracted from the original data to yield the short time fluctuations of the NH bond vectors, and then the rms deviations of the angles are calculated and compared to experimental NMR results. Pf1 coat protein and the c subunit of theE. coliF1F0ATP synthase are used as examples of membrane proteins. The calculated NH bond rms fluctuations are in qualitative agreement with experimental NMR data in showing that each of these proteins has a mobile segment connecting two helices, as well as mobile N and C-terminal regions. This MD simulations protocol can demonstrate the presence of both the amphipathic and hydrophobic helices while hydropathy plots are able to detect only the hydrophobic helices present in membrane proteins.
P01-590 - Hormones in the immediate postpartum period as a risk factor for postnatal depression, at two months postpartum

Introduction Postnatal depression is a serious disorder affecting 10–20% of postpartum women. It has a negative impact on the whole family system and on the child's development. Objectives It is important to identify possible risk factors for PND, due to its frequency and severity. It has been hypothesized that the hormonal fluctuatios of the immediate postpartum period could be a risk factor for the appearance of PND. Aims This study aimed at inquiring the possible correlation of hormonal parameters in the 1st week postpartum with the appearance of PND. Methods 95 postpartum women were recruited, in the process of validating the Greek EPDS. Of them, 40 consented to give blood on the second postpartum day, so that the plasma levels of TSH, T4, T3, FSH, LH, Progesterone, Estradiol, Prolactin and Cortisol were measured. 81/95 women consented to be reassessed at 8 weeks postpartum, and 10/81 were diagnosed with depression, major or minor. Plasma levels of the hormones were correlated with the diagnosis of PND and with the EPDS. Results Women who suffered from PND did not differ from the non-PND subjects in the levels of all measured hormones. There was a statistically significant negative correlation of the levels of prolactin with the EPDS on the second postpartum day (p Conclusions Our study failed to show a definite correlation of the hormonal levels in the immediate postpartum period with PND. In other studies the role of hormones in the appearance of PND remains as well questionable.
Mochizuki's indigenous bundles and Ehrhart polynomials

Mochizuki's work on torally indigenous bundles [1] yields combinatorial identities by degenerating to different curves of the same genus. We rephrase these identities in combinatorial language and strengthen them, giving relations between Ehrhart quasi-polynomials of different polytopes. We then apply the theory of Ehrhart quasi-polynomials to conclude that the number of dormant torally indigenous bundles on a general curve of a given type is expressed as a polynomial in the characteristic of the base field. In particular, we conclude the same for the number vector bundles of rank two and trivial determinant whose Frobenius-pullbacks are maximally unstable, as well as self-maps of the projective line with prescribed ramification.
Eigenvalue spectrum, density of states, and eigenfunctions in a two-dimensional quasicrystal.

In this Letter we report the experimental determination of the eigenvalue spectrum, density of states, and individual eigenfunctions in an acoustic system analogous to a two-dimensional Schr\"odinger equation with a quasiperiodic (Penrose tile) potential. The results show features unique to the quasiperiodic symmetry, such as the appearance of gaps and bands with widths which are in the ratio of the golden mean (\ensuremath{\surd}5 +1)/2.
Human flavin-containing monooxygenase form 2 S-oxygenation: sulfenic acid formation from thioureas and oxidation of glutathione.

Thioureas are oxygenated by flavin-containing monooxygenases (FMOs), forming reactive sulfenic and/or sulfinic acids. Sulfenic acids can reversibly react with GSH and drive oxidative stress through...
Hepatitis C prevalence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma without cirrhosis.

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurring in “noncirrhotic” hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients has been reported; but the exact prevalence or incidence has not been described before. Methods We conducted a systematic review of literature: Ovid was used to search the literature from January 1, 1990, to September 1, 2008. Articles containing “HCC” keywords (hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatoma, liver cancer) were combined with the word “cirrhosis” or “fibrosis” and with “absence” keywords [noncirrhotic, absence, without]. Two hundred articles were selected and screened according to predesigned exclusion and inclusion criteria. Results Nineteen articles met the inclusion criteria. The estimated prevalence of noncirrhotic HCC ranged from 6.7% to 50.1%. The pooled prevalence estimates for HCV in noncirrhotic HCC ranged from 0% and 68.4% according to the geographic location. Reports from Japan had the highest estimated pooled prevalence of HCV (55.01%) followed by Italy (29.95%). Conclusions HCV can occur in patients with HCC without cirrhosis, but the true incidence and prevalence are very difficult to ascertain. Further studies are needed to define this group of patients.
Diabetes in Homeless Persons: Barriers and Enablers to Health as Perceived by Patients, Medical, and Social Service Providers

The ways homelessness and diabetes affect each other is not well known. The authors sought to understand barriers and enablers to health for homeless people with diabetes as perceived by homeless persons and providers. The authors performed semistructured interviews with a sample of participants (seven homeless persons, six social service providers, and five medical providers) in an urban Midwest community. Data analysis was performed with the qualitative editing method. Participants described external factors (chaotic lifestyle, diet/food availability, access to care, and medications) and internal factors (competing demands, substance abuse, stress) that directly affect health. Social service providers were seen as peripheral to diabetes care, although all saw their primary functions as valuable. These factors and relationships are appropriately modeled in a complex adaptive chronic care model, where the framework is bottom up and stresses adaptability, self-organization, and empowerment. Adapting the care of homeless persons with diabetes to include involvement of patients and medical and social service providers must be emergent and responsive to changing needs.