cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inflation illusion or no illusion: what did pre- and post-war data say?

Campbell and Vuolteenaho (CV, 2004) empirically decompose the S&P 500's dividend yield from 1927 to 2002 to derive a measure of residual mispricing attributed to inflation illusion. They argue that the strong positive correlation between the mispricing component and inflation is strong evidence for the inflation illusion hypothesis. We find evidence for structural instability in their prediction equation for the excess return. We apply the same decomposition approach to the data before and after 1952, and find that the correlation between inflation and the mispricing component is close to zero in the post-war period, when inflation and the dividend yield are strongly positively correlated. The post-war data do not support the inflation illusion hypothesis as the explanation for the positive correlation between inflation and dividend yields.
Marxist/feminist Models in the New Guinea Highlands

The widespread existence of men's houses in Highland New Guinea raises the question as to the existence of the nuclear family in this area. We know that in some cases (e.g. the ‘Sambiah’) a married couple co-reside, despite the fear of the woman's alleged pollution. In others there may be symbolic isolation of the nuclear family, e.g. by subclassification in kin terminology. The matter is especially important in current kinship studies, wherein Marxist and ‘radical’ feminist models of sociality, which tend to see the nuclear family as a sort of Western aberration, abound.
Volitional degrees of gambling behaviors

Abstract Predictors of gambling behavior were examined in an application of Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned/planned action. The study focuses on explaining the volitional and nonvolitional aspects of gambling behavior. Based on an empirical data set, this study found that the theory of reasoned/planned action could be a useful study tool. Results indicated that decisions to gamble are largely a volitional process for casual participants. The level of previous gambling activity was also found to share variance with future gambling behavior, which pointed to a nonvolitional aspect. This article includes discussions on the implications of the findings and develops suggestions for future research.
Seed lipids of the lythraceae

Abstract Fatty acid composition of seed lipids for 20 of the 26 genera in the Lythraceae and seed oil and protein content for nine genera are reported. The percent oil ranges from 2.7 to 34% of total weight and protein from 11.3 to 24.9%. Linoleic acid is the dominant fatty acid in seed lipids of all genera surveyed. Variations in pattern emphasize palmitic or oleic acid or both as second most abundant lipid component. There are three exceptions: in Diplusodon capric acid ranks second in abundance; in Adenaria lauric acid and oleic acid occur in approximately equal amounts as second most abundant fatty acid; in Decodon an unusual trienoic acid, previously reported only from the Compositae, is the main secondary component. Fatty acid composition of seeds in the genera is compared to that of the previously studied lythraceous genus Cuphea . Among all the genera, only Cuphea seed produces large quantities of lauric, capric, or caprylic acids, as well as a diversity of fatty acid patterns. No relationship between oil content or seed weight and habit is apparent in any genus studied, nor are differences in seed morphology reflected in composition of the seed lipids. The fatty acid patterns are judged evolutionarily conservative, with the strong exception of Cuphea , which remains unique in the Lythraceae and among all angiosperms for the diversity of patterns displayed.
Kinetics of mating in Physarum polycephalum.

Plasmodium formation by mating was studied in cultures containing equal numbers of mating-compatible amoebae. A period of amoebal multiplication always preceded plasmodium formation. When the inoculum varied from a total of 3 X 103 to 1.6 X 10° cells per culture, plasmodium formation commenced when the total number of cells reached about 5 X 105 per culture. When the inoculum included an excess of a third strain of amoebae that is unable to mate with the first two, mating commenced when the total number of matable cells reached only 1 x 10' per culture. This effect of the third strain of amoebae was not brought about by their consumption of the bacteria used as food, since directly limiting the number of food bacteria did not cause earlier mating. When amoebae of the third strain were separated from the mating cells by paired 0.2 gm Nuclepore filters, premature mating still occurred. Thus, as is the case with asexual plasmodium formation, one or more extracellular factors appear to influence the time of onset of mating.
What Have You Learned from Your Homeless Experience? A Phenomenological Approach for Counseling Unsheltered Homeless Men

Field notes were obtained from 145 unsheltered homeless men regarding what they had learned from an experience of homelessness. Responses represented an aspect of each person's internal frame of reference. Statements about trust in self and an efficacy to survive were common themes. Findings were placed in a humanistic-existential model useful for counseling.
A survey of cognitive beamforming techniques

Digital beamforming is a spatial-filtering technique in multi-antenna communication systems. A signal processor controls the excitation of antenna array elements to synthesize a desired radiation pattern with the general objective to increase gain in the direction of intended receivers or wanted signal sources and reduce gain in the direction of known or potential sources of interference. In the context of a cognitive radio network, where interference mitigation is a paramount concern, beamforming and precoding techniques offer significant advantages in terms of spectral efficiency, power control, link capacity, transmission security, and improved signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR). Cognitive beamforming approaches the selection of array coefficients as a convex optimization problem in a machine-learning algorithm. A cognitive engine stores previously derived solutions in a knowledge base and autonomously applies beamforming decisions toward the ultimate goal of predicting channel conditions and proactively adjusting antenna array patterns to maintain network connectivity and performance. This informed decision-making ability distinguishes cognitive beamformers as an evolution of traditional adaptive arrays and smart antenna systems.
Reflexes and somatic responses as predictors of ejaculation by penile vibratory stimulation in men with spinal cord injury.

Study design: Retrospective chart review. Objective: To identify factors in addition to level of injury (LOI) that may predict ejaculation by penile vibratory stimulation (PVS) in spinal cord injured males. Setting: Major urban medical school and teaching hospital. Materials and methods: Presence of a bulbocavernosus response (BCR) and a hip flexor response (HR) before PVS (n=123 patients), and somatic responses during PVS (n=204 trials performed on a subset of 44 patients) were evaluated for their frequency of occurrence on trials with and without ejaculation. Results: Overall ejaculation success rates for cervical, T1‐T6, and T7‐T12 LOI were 71%, 73%, and 35%, respectively. Eighty per cent of patients who were positive for both BCR and HR ejaculated with PVS, while only 8% of patients who were negative for both BCR and HR ejaculated with PVS. For cervical injuries, BCR and HR were no more predictive of ejaculation by PVS than LOI alone. T1‐T6 patients were more likely to ejaculate when at least one reflex was present. T7‐T12 patients with no BCR were unlikely to ejaculate by PVS. Except for abdominal contractions, somatic responses were not present in the majority of PVS trials. When they were present, however, they occurred in a high percentage of ejaculation trials: withdrawal response (hip flexion, knee flexion and thigh adduction) (90%), piloerection (84%), extremity spasms (83%), thigh abduction (80%), and thigh adduction (72%). Conclusion: We recommend that patients with cervical injuries initially undergo PVS. Patients with T1‐T6 LOI with at least one reflex present, and patients with T7‐T12 LOI with both reflexes, or only BCR present, may undergo PVS. Certain somatic/autonomic responses, when seen, may help in deciding whether to continue with a given trial, or give a repeat trial, of PVS. Sponsorship: The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the State of Florida Specific Appropriations. Spinal Cord (2001) 39, 514‐519
MAGOH interacts with a novel RNA-binding protein.

MAGOH is the human homologue of Drosophila mago nashi, a protein that is required for normal germ plasm development in the Drosophila embryo. Using human MAGOH as a bait protein in a yeast two-hybrid screen, we recovered four independent cDNA clones that encode different lengths of a novel protein containing a conserved RNA-binding region. This gene, designated RBM8, encodes a 173-aa protein that was shown to have an apparent molecular mass of 26 kDa, as demonstrated by in vitro translation assay. The interaction between MAGOH and RBM8 was demonstrated by both yeast two-hybrid and GST fusion protein pull-down assays. Like MAGOH, RBM8 gene is expressed ubiquitously in human tissues; three species of RBM8 mRNA were detected. Also similar to MAGOH, RBM8 expression is serum inducible in quiescent NIH3T3 fibroblast cells.
Olfaction as a model system for the neurobiology of mammalian short-term habituation

Olfaction represents an ideal model system for the study of mammalian habituation given that it is an anatomically relatively simple system with strong reciprocal connections to the limbic system, driving both reflexive and non-reflexive (motivated) behaviors that are easily quantifiable. Data are reviewed here demonstrating short-term habituation of the odor-evoked heart-rate orienting reflex described according to the criteria for habituation outlined by Thompson and Spencer [Thompson, R. F., & Spencer, W. A. (1966). Habituation: A model phenomenon for the study of neuronal substrates of behavior. Psychological Reviews, 73(1), 16-43]. A necessary and sufficient mechanism of short-term habituation is then described, which involves a metabotropic glutamate receptor mediated depression of afferent input to the piriform (primary olfactory) cortex. Finally, evidence for, and a mechanisms of, dishabituation of the orienting reflex and cortical adaptation are described.
Structural and metamorphic relations in the southwest Seward Peninsula, Alaska: Crustal extension and the unroofing of blueschists

An oblique crustal section on the southwestern Seward Peninsula, Alaska, exposes polydeformed, polymetamorphosed rocks thatrecordextensionalthinningofthecrust in the Late Cretaceous. The rocks experienced an early (M1a) high-pressure/lowtemperature metamorphism (pumpellyiteactinolite facies in the upper part of the section; blueschist facies at deeper structurallevels)followedbyagreenschist-facies overprint(M1b)andaccompaniedbyD1deformation. A second deformational event, D2, is responsible for the prominent, gently dipping foliation, northwest-southeast‐ trending stretching lineations, and abundant recumbent isoclinal folds throughout the section. Metamorphism during D2(M2) variedfromextremelylow-gradeattheshallowest structural levels to upper amphibolite- to granulite-facies within the Kigluaik gneissdome.Apatitefission-trackagesfrom the shallowest structural levels indicate thatcoolingbelow ;120 &Ctookplaceatca. 70‐100 Ma, during the same time span as high-grade metamorphism and pluton intrusion at depth. Significant vertical attenuationofthecrustalsectionapparentlytook place during D2 deformation, resulting in close spacing of both M1aand M2isograds and overall thinning of the crust. This extensional deformation played an important role in the exhumation of the blueschist-facies rocks but may have followed an earlier period of partial erosional unroofing of these rocks.
An alternative method for intrathymic injections in mice

The thymus is a bi-lobed lymphatic organ located in the anterior portion of the ventral thoracic cavity, just behind the sternum. Because the thymus is the site of development of T lymphocytes (T cells), it is frequently targeted in research studies that involve the immune system. Furthermore, the rapid expansion of transgenic and gene-targeted mouse models of immune disorders has enabled a concomitant increase in the number of studies of T-cell development. Such studies may require the administration of intrathymic injections, which have traditionally been done using a surgical approach. Surgical manipulation can result in pain or distress to the animal, which may affect the immune system, potentially confounding experimental results. Here, the authors describe a nonsurgical, ultrasound-guided approach for intrathymic injection in the mouse that results in negligible distress to the animal.
An alternate description of two crystal structures of phospholipase A2 from Bungarus caeruleus.

Reinterpretations of the space-group symmetry are reported for two crystal structures of phospholipase A2 isoforms (PDB codes 1u4j and 1g2x). The two structures reported in space groups R3 and C2 are isomorphous with a third isoform with space group R32 (PDB code 1fe5). The original structure reports were interpreted in terms of different oligomeric forms of the isoforms, but these conclusions are not supported by the isomorphous structures.
Polyglutamine induced misfolding of huntingtin exon1 is modulated by the flanking sequences.

Polyglutamine (polyQ) expansion in exon1 (XN1) of the huntingtin protein is linked to Huntington's disease. When the number of glutamines exceeds a threshold of approximately 36–40 repeats, XN1 can readily form amyloid aggregates similar to those associated with disease. Many experiments suggest that misfolding of monomeric XN1 plays an important role in the length-dependent aggregation. Elucidating the misfolding of a XN1 monomer can help determine the molecular mechanism of XN1 aggregation and potentially help develop strategies to inhibit XN1 aggregation. The flanking sequences surrounding the polyQ region can play a critical role in determining the structural rearrangement and aggregation mechanism of XN1. Few experiments have studied XN1 in its entirety, with all flanking regions. To obtain structural insights into the misfolding of XN1 toward amyloid aggregation, we perform molecular dynamics simulations on monomeric XN1 with full flanking regions, a variant missing the polyproline regions, which are hypothesized to prevent aggregation, and an isolated polyQ peptide (Qn). For each of these three constructs, we study glutamine repeat lengths of 23, 36, 40 and 47. We find that polyQ peptides have a positive correlation between their probability to form a β-rich misfolded state and their expansion length. We also find that the flanking regions of XN1 affect its probability to^x_page_count=28 form a β-rich state compared to the isolated polyQ. Particularly, the polyproline regions form polyproline type II helices and decrease the probability of the polyQ region to form a β-rich state. Additionally, by lengthening polyQ, the first N-terminal 17 residues are more likely to adopt a β-sheet conformation rather than an α-helix conformation. Therefore, our molecular dynamics study provides a structural insight of XN1 misfolding and elucidates the possible role of the flanking sequences in XN1 aggregation.
Safety and efficiency of an accelerated method for venom skin testing

1. Lavaud F, Prevost A, Cossart C, Guerin L, Bernard J, Kochman S. Allergy to latex, avocado pear, and banana: evidence for a 30 kd antigen in immunoblotting. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1995;95:557-64. 2. Ahlroth M, Alenius H, Turjanmaa K, Mfikinen-Kiljunen S, Reunala T, Palosuo T. Cross-reacting allergens in natural rubber latex and avocado. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1995;96:167-73. 3. Tarlo SM, Shaikh W, Bell B, et al. Papain-induced allergic reactions. Clin Allergy 1978;8:207-15. 4. Bernstein DI, Gallagher JS, Ulmer A, Bernstein IL. Prospective evaluation of chymopapain sensitivity in patients undergoing chemonucleolysis. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1985;76: 458-65. 5. Moneret-Vautrin D, Feldmann L, Kanny G, et al. Incidence and risk factors for latent sensitization to chymopapain: predictive skin-prick tests in 700 candidates for chemonucleolysis. Clin Exp Allergy 1994;24:471-6. 6. Paul C, Vincentelli J, Brygier J, et al. Preparation and characterization of a S-monomethoxypoly(ethylene glycol) derivative of papaiu. Phytochemistry 1994;35:1413-7. 7. Quarre JP, Lecomte J, Lauwers D, Gilbert P, Thiriaux J. Allergy to latex and papain [Letter]. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1995;95:922. 8. Vandenplas O, Delwiche JP, Evrard G, et al. Prevalence of occupational asthma due to latex among hospital personnel. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1995;151:54-60. 9. Vandenplas O, Delwiche JP, Depelchin S, Sibille Y, Vande Weyer R, Delaunois L. Latex gloves with a lower protein content reduce bronchial reactions in subjects with occupational asthma due to latex. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1995;151:887-91.
Critical fictive temperature for plasticity in metallic glasses

A long-sought goal in metallic glasses is to impart ductility without conceding their strength and elastic limit. The rational design of tough metallic glasses, however, remains challenging because of the inability of existing theories to capture the correlation between plasticity, composition and processing for a wide range of glass-forming alloys. Here we propose a phenomenological criterion based on a critical fictive temperature, T(fc), which can rationalize the effect of composition, cooling rate and annealing on room-temperature plasticity of metallic glasses. Such criterion helps in understanding the widespread mechanical behaviour of metallic glasses and reveals alloy-specific preparation conditions to circumvent brittleness.
A diversified portfolio: Joint management of non-renewable and renewable resources offshore

Most resource models and resource policies address non-renewable and renewable resources separately for optimal management. A stochastic control model is developed that includes ecological and economic uncertainty for jointly managing both types of natural resources. The model is applied to analyze options for offshore oil platforms with data from California. Model components include fisheries benefits, maintenance and extraction costs, decommissioning costs, and the market value of oil. Numerical sensitivity analysis helps determine how these components affect the options of removing and salvaging the platform, continuing diversified resource production or delaying extraction activity.
Congressional allocation of federal funds: The Job Training Partnership Act of 1982

This paper examines the allocation of federal funds to the fifty states through the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982. Targeted at the economically disadvantaged, its allocation formula nevertheless places heavy weights on unemployment measures unrelated to the target group.
Invisible Lives: Women, Men and Obituaries:

Differences between the obituaries of men and women were examined in this study. All obituaries (n = 595) published between November 15, 1992 and January' 15, 1993 in two newspapers, The Boston Globe and The Sacramento Bee, were analyzed. The content and length of the obituaries were coded by gender, age, and occupation of the deceased. In addition to being awarded significantly fewer obituaries, women were found to have shorter obituaries than their male counterparts. Women received the longest obituaries if they were a relative of a famous man. These findings are discussed in a framework which maintains that obituaries are a measurement of life achievement suggesting that women's accomplishments are devalued, even after death.
Silicides for polysilicon TFT-LCD applications

Silicides are proposed for display applications in order to reduce the series and contact resistances of TFTs fabricated on thin polysilicon islands which would otherwise limit the on current of these transistors. The use of two likely candidates, nickel and cobalt silicide was investigates in order to determine their suitability for TFT-LCD applications. Cobalt silicide was formed at the boundary of the thermal budget by requiring annealing at 600 degrees C, but the silicide is stable and does not degrade with further anneals as would occur during an implant anneal after silicidation. Nickel silicide is formed at 400 degrees C but its sheet resistance was observed to degrade when subjected to a 600 degree C anneal after the silicidation. This problem was partially over come by depositing enough nickel to completely consume the polysilicon contact area during silicidation, though the nickel silicide was still observed to grow in volume during prolonged post silicidation anneals. Comparisons between the relative abilities of cobalt and nickel silicide to act as silicon dioxide etchant stops have been made, and while cobalt silicide films are destroyed during both dry etching in CF4 and wet etching in HF, nickel silicide films demonstrated only a slow degradation. Devices with silicides have been made and their results compared to non-silicided counterparts.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
An anti-interleukin 8 monoclonal antibody that interferes with the binding of interleukin 8 to cellular receptors and the activation of human blood neutrophils

Interleukin 8 (IL-8) is a proinflammatory cytokine produced by a wide variety of cells. Interleukin 8 acts as a neutrophil activator and chemotactic factor. In the current studies, we examined the properties of a monoclonal antibody against human IL-8. The estimated affinity of the antibody was 1.74 x 10(7) liters/mol. The antibody interfered with the binding of radiolabeled recombinant human IL-8 (rhIL-8) to human blood neutrophils (IC50 = 3 x 10(-7) M, at an IL-8 concentration of 2.4 nM). Neutrophil degranulation elicited by 5 x 10(-6)-4 x 10(-8) M rhIL-8 was blocked by the antibody at three-fold molar excess. However, a higher concentration of anti-IL-8 antibody was needed to suppress the chemotactic activity of rhIL-8. The inhibition of neutrophil chemotaxis triggered by 2 x 10(-7)-2 x 10(-9) M rhIL-8 required 6 x 10(-5) M antibody. Similarly, a 300-fold molar excess of anti-IL-8 antibody [10(-5) M] was necessary to abrogate the increase in cytosolic free calcium in neutrophils stimulated with 4 x 10(-8) M rhIL-8. In addition, epitope analysis using synthetic peptides corresponding to different regions of the IL-8 molecule showed that peptide consisting of residues 44-72 (corresponding to the C-terminal of the IL-8 molecule) competed with the antibody for binding to rhIL-8. Because IL-8 is an important inflammatory mediator in several human diseases, anti-IL-8 antibodies may have pharmacological potential.
Genetic and Pharmacologic Disruption of Interleukin-1β Signaling Inhibits Experimental Aortic Aneurysm Formation

Objective— Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are common, but their exact pathogenesis remains unknown and no specific medical therapies are available. We sought to evaluate interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) in an experimental AAA model to identify novel therapeutic targets for AAA treatment. Methods and Results— IL-1β mRNA and protein levels were significantly elevated in abdominal aortas of 8- to 12-week-old male C57Bl/6 mice after elastase aortic perfusion (wild-type [WT]) compared with saline perfusion. Mice with genetic deletion of IL-1β (IL-1β knockout [KO]) or IL-1R (IL-1R KO) that underwent elastase perfusion demonstrated significant protection against AAA formation, with maximal aortic dilations of 38.0±5.5% for IL-1β KO and 52.5±4.6% for IL-1R KO, compared with 89.4±4.0% for WT mice ( P R =–0.676; P Conclusion— IL-1β is critical for AAA initiation and progression, and IL-1β neutralization through genetic deletion or receptor antagonism attenuates experimental AAA formation. Disrupting IL-1β signaling offers a novel pathway for AAA treatment.
A practical demodulator for continuous phase modulation

A simple method to coherently demodulate continuous phase modulation (CPM) is described, assuming carrier and symbol synchronisation. Maximum likelihood CPM receivers typically employ a metric acquisition stage followed by a maximum likelihood sequence estimator, e.g., a Viterbi decoder. For optimal demodulation, the receiver must estimate the signal component along each possible transmitted waveform, which may require a large number of matched filters. In general, 2M/sup L/ filters are necessary, where L is the length of the frequency pulses in symbol periods, and M is the number of symbols transmitted per interval. An alternative to reduce the number of matched filters is to exploit the linear dependence among signals. The proposed method is illustrated with an example of continuous phase frequency shift keying (CPFSK). >
Iron Kinetics in Man: New Studies with Mouse Hemoglobin

Excerpt In the complete cycle of iron metabolism, iron flows from transferrin in plasma to the maturing normoblast in the bone marrow and thence into hemoglobin, in which form it circulates in the ...
The Development of the Quaestorship, 267–81 b.c.

In 267 the number of quaestors was increased from the established total of four (two consular and two urbani). But how many were added, and what were their functions? The standard works agree that the new quaestors numbered four, and that they were stationed in four Italian towns, where they are usually supposed tohave performed administrative functions necessary to the Roman navy, and, in the case of the quaestor stationed at Ostia, functions necessary to Rome's grainsupply. These were the quaestores classici, or according to others the quaestores Italici. A few historians have very reasonably gone on to interpret this event as an important stage in the tightening of Roman control in Italy, or as a deliberate step towards a large-scale navy and war against Carthage.
Characterization of neutral and cationic amino acid transport in Xenopus oocytes.

Amino acid transport was characterized in stage 6 Xenopus laevis oocytes. Most amino acids were taken up by the oocytes by way of both Na+-dependent and saturable Na+-independent processes. Na+-dependent transport of 2-aminoisobutyric acid (AIB) was insensitive to cis- or trans-inhibition by the System A-defining substrate 2-(methylamino)-isobutyric acid (MeAIB), although threonine, leucine, and histidine were found to be effective inhibitors, eliminating greater than 80% of Na+-dependent AIB uptake. Lack of inhibition by arginine eliminates possible mediation by System Bo,+ and suggests uptake by System ASC. The Na+-dependent transport of characteristic System ASC substrates such as alanine, serine, cysteine, and threonine was also insensitive to excess MeAIB. Evidence to support the presence of System Bo, + was obtained through inhibition analysis of Na+-dependent arginine transport as well arginine inhibition of Na+-dependent threonine uptake. The Na+-independent transport of leucine was subject to trans-stimulation and was inhibited by the presence of excess phenylalanine, histidine, and, to a lesser extent, 2-amino-(2,2,1)-bicycloheptane-2-carboxylic acid (BCH). These observations are consistent with mediation by System L. The characteristics of Na+-independent uptake of threonine are not consistent with assignment to System L, and appear to be reflective of Systems asc and bo,+. In its charged state, histidine appears to be transported by a carrier similar in its specificity to System y+, but is taken up by System L when present as a zwitterion.
Regret Minimizing Audits: A Learning-Theoretic Basis for Privacy Protection

Audit mechanisms are essential for privacy protection in permissive access control regimes, such as in hospitals where denying legitimate access requests can adversely affect patient care. Recognizing this need, we develop the first principled learning-theoretic foundation for audits. Our first contribution is a game-theoretic model that captures the interaction between the defender (e.g., hospital auditors) and the adversary (e.g., hospital employees). The model takes pragmatic considerations into account, in particular, the periodic nature of audits, a budget that constrains the number of actions that the defender can inspect, and a loss function that captures the economic impact of detected and missed violations on the organization. We assume that the adversary is worst-case as is standard in other areas of computer security. We also formulate a desirable property of the audit mechanism in this model based on the concept of regret in learning theory. Our second contribution is an efficient audit mechanism that provably minimizes regret for the defender. This mechanism learns from experience to guide the defender's auditing efforts. The regret bound is significantly better than prior results in the learning literature. The stronger bound is important from a practical standpoint because it implies that the recommendations from the mechanism will converge faster to the best fixed auditing strategy for the defender.
Regulation of thrombospondin1 by extracellular proteases.

The contribution of proteases to developmental, physiological and pathological processes has been well accepted. Cleavage of matrix proteins is a key requirement for cell migration and remodeling of the extracellular environment. The constant process of matrix turnover is dependent on the delicate balance between degradation and synthesis. In addition, regulated proteolysis also allows for the release and activation of growth factors and cytokines. Similarly to other extracellular matrix proteins, thrombospondins are also targets of proteolysis. While in some cases enzymatic activity is associated with degradation of the protein; in other situations, targeted and selective cleavage offers the means to release polypeptides with either alternative or enhanced function. Here we provide a summary of the published information related to thrombospondin proteolysis within the context of how proteolysis of extracellular matrix proteins impact diversification of protein function. We also discuss its biological relevance and potential therapeutic value of thrombospondin proteolysis with particular emphasis on angiogenesis.
Millisecond-scale molecular dynamics simulations on Anton

Anton is a recently completed special-purpose supercomputer designed for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of biomolecular systems. The machine's specialized hardware dramatically increases the speed of MD calculations, making possible for the first time the simulation of biological molecules at an atomic level of detail for periods on the order of a millisecond---about two orders of magnitude beyond the previous state of the art. Anton is now running simulations on a timescale at which many critically important, but poorly understood phenomena are known to occur, allowing the observation of aspects of protein dynamics that were previously inaccessible to both computational and experimental study. Here, we report Anton's performance when executing actual MD simulations whose accuracy has been validated against both existing MD software and experimental observations. We also discuss the manner in which novel algorithms have been coordinated with Anton's co-designed, application-specific hardware to achieve these results.
Comparison of Home Monitoring Methods for Feline Urine pH Measurement

Background — Monitoring of urine pH, often done in the patient's home, is essential for proper clinical treatment and management of conditions such as urolithiasis. Objective — The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement in pH readings between a standard laboratory method and methods readily available for home monitoring. The influence of refrigerated storage on urine pH was also examined. Methods — Urine samples were obtained by cystocentesis from 40 clinically healthy cats, and pH was measured within 2 hours of collection. Each sample was evaluated using pH paper, urinalysis reagent strip, 2 brands of portable pH meters (Chek-Mite, Corning, Corning, NY, USA; and Checker 1, Hanna Instruments, Woonsocket, RI, USA), and a standard laboratory benchtop pH meter. Urine samples were refrigerated, and a second pH reading was obtained with the laboratory benchtop meter after 24 hours. The degree of agreement was assessed among the different methods, with the laboratory benchtop pH meter as the reference method. Results — The closest agreement was obtained with the Chek-Mite portable pH meter and least agreement with the Checker 1 portable pH meter, which had a constant negative bias of 0.31 units due to expiration of the electrode. As expected, pH paper and reagent strips had poor and intermediate agreement, respectively. The reagent strip method had a negative bias of 0.12 units when compared with the benchtop pH meter and wide disagreement at the low pH end. The reagent strip did not agree strongly with the reference method; only 50% of values were within 0.25 pH units of each other. The difference in pH between 0 hours (6.57 ± 0.54) and 24 hours of refrigeration (6.61 ± 0.53) was not considered clinically significant. Conclusion — Portable pH meters are excellent for monitoring urine pH at home as long as attention is given to electrode maintenance. Urine can be collected at home and kept refrigerated, and pH may be measured reliably within 24 hours using the reference method or a portable pH meter.
Use of Recommended Search Strategies in Systematic Reviews and the Impact of Librarian Involvement: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Recent Authors

Background Previous research looking at published systematic reviews has shown that their search strategies are often suboptimal and that librarian involvement, though recommended, is low. Confidence in the results, however, is limited due to poor reporting of search strategies the published articles.
Integrated Micropower Circuits

A study program was conducted to provide guidelines for the design of integrated micropower logic circuits. Constraints of maximum resistance, propagation time, and minimum power at frequencies below 150 kcps were imposed. Complementary Resistor-Diode-Transistor Logic offered the best trade-off performance within these constraints and state-of-the-art fabrication technology. Compatible "NAND and NOR" gates and flip-flops are feasible at frequencies ranging from 1 kcps to 150 kcps at power drains of 10 to 350 microwatts.
RNA synthesis and storage during insect oogenesis.

At fertilization, insect embryos contain large amounts of RNA in the form of transfer RNA and ribosomes to support protein synthesis, in addition to the mRNA necessary to program this activity (see review by Berry, 1982, for specific examples). The exclusive transcription of these RNAs on the maternal—rather than the zygote—genome is evident from several diverse types of experiments. Inhibitors of nucleic acid synthesis have very little effect on pregastrulation development. The necessary role of protein synthesis during these same stages is apparent from the extreme sensitivity of embryos to inhibitors of protein synthesis (Lockshin, 1966). Incorporation of amino acids into proteins during cleavage can be demonstrated to be extensive, while little incorporation of nucleotides into RNA can be observed (Fig. 1).
In situ measurement of the second harmonic signal of adsorbing nonlinear optical ionically self-assembled monolayers

Ionically self-assembled monolayers (ISAMs) have recently been shown to spontaneously exhibit a polar ordering that gives rise to substantial second order nonlinear optical response. The deposition of ISAMs has been studied in situ via second harmonic generation. This is a particularly sensitive probe of the growth of nanometer-thick films since the centrosymmetry of the immersion solutions, the substrate, and the container yields no SHG contribution from these bulk components. Upon immersion in the NLO-active polyelectrolyte solution, the SHG rises sharply over the first minute. When a film is immersed into salt water, the SHG decreases significantly only to be restored when the salt solution is replaced with deionized water.
The Generalist Model: Where do the Micro and Macro Converge?

Although macro issues are integral to social work, students continue to struggle with the acquisition of knowledge and skills pertaining to larger systems. Educators have developed innovative methods to integrate learning across systems of various sizes however it appears an imbalance persists. This challenge is supported by baccalaureate student responses to a social work program evaluation. Four years of data from 295 undergraduate students revealed that they felt less prepared to practice with larger, macro systems. Changes in curriculum to reflect collaboration and holism, and more research are needed to adequately provide macro learning and macro practice opportunities within the generalist model and in the context of the current socio-economic-political environment.
The association between indwelling urinary catheter use in the elderly and urinary tract infection in acute care

The use of indwelling urinary catheters (IUCs) is thought to be the most significant risk factor for developing nosocomial urinary tract infections (UTIs). However, it is unclear how many elderly patients have preexisting bacteriuria prior to IUC placement. The purpose of this study was to determine 1) the frequency and appropriateness of IUC use in the Emergency Department (ED) in elderly patients admitted to our acute care hospital, 2) the percentage of elderly patients with an IUC who were discharged from the hospital with a diagnosis of UTI, 3) the percentage of patients with IUCs who were diagnosed and treated for UTI in the ED or who had admission bacteriuria ≥105 organisms/ml indicating preexisting UTI, and 4) the percentage of patients with no indication of UTI on admission who had inappropriately placed IUCs and subsequently were diagnosed with a UTI. Retrospective chart review. Chi square used to test significance of differences in proportions. Seventy three percent of patients who received an IUC in the ED were elderly (≥65 years old). During the study period, 277 elderly patients received an IUC prior to admission. Of these, 77 (28%) were diagnosed with UTI during their hospitalization. Fifty three (69%) of those diagnosed with a UTI by discharge either had the UTI diagnosed in the ED or had bacteriuria ≥105 organisms/ml prior to IUC placement. Of the 24 elderly patients who developed a catheter-associated UTI (i.e., 9% of the elderly population who received an IUC), 11 of the IUCs were placed inappropriately. Thus, 4% of elderly patients with no indication of UTI on admission who received an inappropriate IUC in the ED had a primary or secondary diagnosis of UTI by discharge. The overall rate of nosocomial UTI due to an inappropriately placed IUC was the same in males and females. This study indicates that the strong association between IUC use and UTI may be partly explained by the high prevalence of preexisting UTI prior to IUC placement. Further prospective studies are needed to clarify the true risk vs benefit ratio for IUC use in acutely ill elderly patients.
Annotating Spatial Containment Relations Between Events

A significant amount of spatial information in textual documents is hidden within the relationship between events. While humans have an intuitive understanding of these relationships that allow us to recover an object's or event's location, currently no annotated data exists to allow automatic discovery of spatial containment relations between events. We present our process for building such a corpus of manually annotated spatial relations between events. Events form complex predicate-argument structures that model the participants in the event, their roles, as well as the temporal and spatial grounding. In addition, events are not presented in isolation in text; there are explicit and implicit interactions between events that often participate in event structures. In this paper, we focus on five spatial containment relations that may exist between events: (1) SAME, (2) CONTAINS, (3) OVERLAPS, (4) NEAR, and (5) DIFFERENT. Using the transitive closure across these spatial relations, the implicit location of many events and their participants can be discovered. We discuss our annotation schema for spatial containment relations, placing it within the pre-existing theories of spatial representation. We also discuss our annotation guidelines for maintaining annotation quality as well as our process for augmenting SpatialML with spatial containment relations between events. Additionally, we outline some baseline experiments to evaluate the feasibility of developing supervised systems based on this corpus. These results indicate that although the task is challenging, automated methods are capable of discovering spatial containment relations between events.
Auditory risk of air rifles

AbstractObjective: To characterize the impulse noise exposure and auditory risk for air rifle users for both youth and adults. Design: Acoustic characteristics were examined and the auditory risk estimates were evaluated using contemporary damage-risk criteria for unprotected adult listeners and the 120-dB peak limit and LAeq75 exposure limit suggested by the World Health Organization (1999) for children. Study sample: Impulses were generated by nine pellet air rifles and one BB air rifle. Results: None of the air rifles generated peak levels that exceeded the 140 dB peak limit for adults, and eight (80%) exceeded the 120 dB peak SPL limit for youth. In general, for both adults and youth, there is minimal auditory risk when shooting fewer than 100 unprotected shots with pellet air rifles. Air rifles with suppressors were less hazardous than those without suppressors, and the pellet air rifles with higher velocities were generally more hazardous than those with lower velocities. Conclusion: To minimize aud...
Overexpression of an ABA biosynthesis gene using a stress-inducible promoter enhances drought resistance in petunia

The response of plants to drought stress includes reduced transpiration as stomates close in response to increased abscisic acid (ABA) concentrations. Constitutive overexpression of 9-cis-epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase (NCED), a key enzyme in ABA biosynthesis, increases drought resistance, but causes negative pleiotropic effects on plant growth and development. We overexpressed the tomato NCED (LeNCED1) in petunia plants under the control of a stress-inducible promoter, rd29A. Under water stress, the transgenic plants had increased transcripts of NCED mRNA, elevated leaf ABA concentrations, increased concentrations of proline, and a significant increase in drought resistance. The transgenic plants also displayed the expected decreases in stomatal conductance, transpiration, and photosynthesis. After 14 days without water, the control plants were dead, but the transgenic plants, though wilted, recovered fully when re-watered. Well-watered transgenic plants grew like non-transformed control plants and there was no effect of the transgene on seed dormancy.
Pattern of Learning Disabilities in ELBW Children

The prevalence and pattern of specific learning disabilities (LD) in neurologically normal children with extremely low birth weight (ELBW) (<800 g) and average intelligence were compared with full-term children with normal birth weight in a study at the British Columbia Research Institute for Children’s and Women’s Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.
Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations to predict wind-induced damage to a steel building during Hurricane Katrina

A low-rise, sloped-roof, steel storage building located on a canal between downtown New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain experienced wall failures at two corners during Hurricane Katrina. At both locations the walls were blown outward. The insurance company asserted that the damage was caused by water, and not wind, and denied the claim. A modeling study was undertaken to investigate whether the strong winds could explain the damage. Because wind observations were not available at the height of the storm, the mesoscale meteorological model MM5 was used to estimate wind directions and peak wind speeds at the building. The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model FLUENT was applied to simulate wind fields and pressure forces on the storage building. The only two areas on the building walls with predicted strong outward pressures coincided exactly with the two areas of blowout damage. Calculations from structural engineers confirmed that these wind-induced pressure forces would have been sufficient to cause the observed damage. The study demonstrated the usefulness of CFD modeling in reproducing wind damage to structures during strong wind conditions.
LIGO and the Coming Dawn of Gravitational Wave Physics and Astronomy

LIGO brings together high energy astrophysics and many aspects of optical science and engineering in a unique way with the ambitious goal of detecting gravitational waves and opening a new window onto the universe.
Analysis of Models

This chapter explores the mathematical structure of models of the sleep-wake cycle. As in other chapters, we focus on the empirical phenomenon of spontaneous internal desynchron-ization between the sleep-wake and temperature cycles during free-run. Other important phenomena such as those occurring during sleep deprivation, continuous bedrest or entrainment to 24h or other schedules, will not be discussed. As we shall see, understanding and accounting for internal desynchronization alone is a difficult task.
The value of PEI combined with RFA in treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma located in the difficult position in RFA

Objective:To discuss the value of PEI combined by RFA in treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma located in the difficult position in RFA.Methods: To collect 31 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma closed up to the colon,gallbladder,large and medium blood vessels,diaphragm and other difficult position in RFA by PEI,then to analyse retrospectly the necrosis rate and complications.Results: The 31 patients treated by RFA 43 times,33 of 47 lesions difficult position in RFA were damaged by PEI,the tumor complete necrosis rate was 72.7%(24/33).No serious complications appeared about intra-abdominal bleeding,gallbladder perforation,colonic perforation.Conclusion: PEI works well in the difficult position in RFA.No serious complications appeared related to RFA and PEI.PEI combined with RFA can be widely applied in the treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma.
Methylmercury in astrocytes--what possible significance?

Methylmercury in Astrocytes - What Possible Significance? Neurotoxicology 17(1): 93-106, 1996. This manuscript starts with a brief review of recent research on the role of astrocytes in homeostatic mechanisms within the CNS. Astrocytes in primary culture have been found to contain the whole pantheon ofreceptors and also some of the uptake systems for CNS transmitters; properties which were formerly thought to be exclusively neuronal. The uptake of transmitters, usually by Na + -dependent mechanisms, and their subsequent inactivation by metabolism is then briefly described. The effects ofmethylmercury (MeHg) on astrocytic function are discussed, and the relatively small amount of information currently available of how MeHg may interfere with astrocytic functions is also reviewed. The potential role of astrocytes in MeHg sequestration is also discussed, particularly in terms of the ability of this heavy metal to induce the expression and synthesis of metallothionein (MT).