cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thymus-dependent in vivo suppression of IgE synthesis in a murine IgE-secreting hybridoma

In previous studies we demonstrated that BALB/c mice bearing ascitic tumors of the IgE-secreting hybridoma B53 (epsilon, kappa, anti-dinitrophenyl) developed large numbers of Lyt-1-2+ Fc epsilon R(+) T lymphocytes (T cells with membrane Fc receptors) in response to the elevated serum IgE concentration. The development of Fc epsilon R(+) T lymphocytes was followed by a progressive decrease in the levels of serum IgE in spite of continued proliferation of the hybridoma cells. This sequence of events suggested that the IgE-secreting hybridoma triggered a suppressive immunoregulatory circuit of the host that inhibited IgE expression by the hybridoma cells. The present studies were undertaken to investigate the basis for the subsequent decline in serum IgE levels in mice with B53 tumors and to identify host factors that might be involved in this process. We observed that ascitic B53 cells recovered at increasing time points from BALB/c mice exhibited a selective decline in steady state levels and rates of synthesis of epsilon-heavy chain protein and mRNA. The expression of kappa-light chain protein and mRNA appeared relatively unchanged. The decrease in epsilon-heavy chain gene expression did not occur when B53 tumors were passaged in nu+/nu+ mice or in BALB/c mice depleted of Lyt-2+ cells (suppressor/cytotoxic cell lineage), but did occur in nu+/nu+ mice reconstituted with neonatal BALB/c thymus and in BALB/c mice depleted of L3T4+ cells (helper/inducer cell lineage). That Fc epsilon R(+) T lymphocytes were directly involved in the inhibition of IgE expression was supported by the earlier and more pronounced inhibition of B53 IgE in mice infused with Fc epsilon R(+) T lymphocytes. We conclude from these findings that: 1) the decline in serum IgE levels that occurs toward the end of each generation of in vivo passage of the B53 hybridoma is due to decreased production of IgE by the hybridoma cells, 2) the decreased production of IgE is due to a selective loss of epsilon mRNA expression, 3) the decrease production of IgE by B53 cells is dependent on the presence of Lyt-2+ cells, and 4) Fc epsilon R(+) T lymphocytes participate in the mechanism by which IgE production is suppressed.
Wired for Speech: How Voice Activates and Advances the Human-Computer Relationship

Interfaces that talk and listen are populating computers, cars, call centers, and even home appliances and toys, but voice interfaces invariably frustrate rather than help. In Wired for Speech, Clifford Nass and Scott Brave reveal how interactive voice technologies can readily and effectively tap into the automatic responses all speech -- whether from human or machine -- evokes. Wired for Speech demonstrates that people are "voice-activated": we respond to voice technologies as we respond to actual people and behave as we would in any social situation. By leveraging this powerful finding, voice interfaces can truly emerge as the next frontier for efficient, user-friendly technology.Wired for Speech presents new theories and experiments and applies them to critical issues concerning how people interact with technology-based voices. It considers how people respond to a female voice in e-commerce (does stereotyping matter?), how a car's voice can promote safer driving (are "happy" cars better cars?), whether synthetic voices have personality and emotion (is sounding like a person always good?), whether an automated call center should apologize when it cannot understand a spoken request ("To Err is Interface; To Blame, Complex"), and much more. Nass and Brave's deep understanding of both social science and design, drawn from ten years of research at Nass's Stanford laboratory, produces results that often challenge conventional wisdom and common design practices. These insights will help designers and marketers build better interfaces, scientists construct better theories, and everyone gain better understandings of the future of the machines that speak with us.
Specification issues in measurement of quality of medical care using risk adjusted outcomes

Governments and private organizations have recently begun publishing “report cards” that compare quality of hospitals, physicians and health care plans. Often these reports include quality measures based on risk adjusted health outcomes of the patients treated by each health care provider. The use of these measures is, however, controversial due to concerns about their accuracy. To-date, concerns focused on the risk adjustment methodology and small sample sizes. We raise an additional issue related to the definition of quality measures as either the difference between observed and predicted outcome rates or the ratio between these rates. A theoretical analysis of the properties of the two measures is presented. Monte Carlo simulations quantify the effects identified in the theoretical analysis. We show that the two risk adjusted outcome measures of quality may lead to different conclusions about relative quality among providers. Which measure should be used depends on the underlying relationship between patient risks and quality of care in determining health outcomes. For the case replicating the HCFA hospital mortality statistics, the percent of true outliers identified by the incorrect measure ranges from 64% to 78%. The issue raised in this manuscript is relevant to areas other than health care, where performance is measured based on outcomes.
Depression and Functional Recovery After a Disabling Hospitalization in Older Persons

OBJECTIVES: To determine the association between depression and functional recovery in community-living older persons who had a decline in function after an acute hospital admission. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: General community in greater New Haven, Connecticut, from March 1998 to December 2008. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred fifty-four persons aged 70 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Hospitalization and disability in essential activities of daily living (ADLs) and mobility were assessed each month for up to 129 months, and depressive symptoms were assessed every 18 months using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). Functional recovery was defined as returning to the community within 6 months at or above the prehospital level of ADL function and mobility. RESULTS: A decline in ADL function and mobility was observed after 42% and 41% of the hospitalizations, respectively. After controlling for several potential confounders, clinically significant depressive symptoms (CES-D score ?20) was associated with a lower likelihood of recovering mobility function (hazard ratio (HR)=0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.63�0.98) but not ADL function (HR=0.91, 95% CI=0.75�1.10) within 6 months of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: After a disabling hospitalization, community-living older persons with preexisting depression may be less likely to recover their prehospitalization level of mobility function but not ADL function, although the reasons remain to be elucidated.
Thirty-Day Readmissions After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis in New York State

Background— Several studies have compared short-term and medium-term mortality rates for patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), but no studies have compared short-term readmission rates for the 2 procedures. Methods and Results— New York’s Cardiac Surgery Reporting System was used to propensity match 617 TAVI and 1981 SAVR patients using numerous patient risk factors contained in the registry. The 389 propensity-matched pairs were then used to analyze differences in readmission rates between the 2 groups. TAVI and SAVR readmission rates were also compared for patients with a history of congestive heart failure and for patients aged ≥80. Also, reasons for readmission for TAVI and SAVR patients were examined and compared. Readmission rates were not statistically different for all propensity-matched TAVI and SAVR patients (respective rates, 18.8% and 19.3%; P =0.86). After further adjustment using a logistic regression model, there was still no significant difference (adjusted odds ratio, 0.97; 95% confidence interval [0.68–1.39]). For patients aged ≥80, the 30-day readmission rates were 19.9% and 22.0% ( P =0.59), and when further adjusted using the logistic regression model, adjusted odds ratio=0.89 (0.55–1.45). For patients with a history of congestive heart failure, the respective rates were 22.8% and 20.4% ( P =0.56), and with further adjustment, adjusted odds ratio became 1.15 (0.72–1.82). Conclusions— There are no statistically significant differences between TAVI and SAVR patients in short-term readmission rates.
Noise temperature data on low pressure argon discharges

Measured noise temperatures for argon discharges at pressures from 1 to 40 mmHg in tubes with 0.63-cm inner radius are presented. In general, the results agree with theoretical electron temperatures, but disagree with previously published data for similar pressure-radius products. It is suggested that similarity rules should be applied with caution. Large audio-frequency disturbances were found to originate in the anode region at all pressures; variations in the plasma impedance were synchronized with these disturbances.
Correlations of follicular fluid oxidative stress biomarkers and enzyme activities with embryo morphology parameters during in vitro fertilization

Objective To measure antioxidant enzyme activities and lipid peroxidation levels within follicular fluid (FF) and evaluate correlations with early embryo quality. Design Individual FF samples were obtained prospectively on the day of oocyte collection and assessed for lipid peroxidation as specific positional isomers of hydroperoxy and hydroxy fatty acids by high-performance liquid chromatography and antioxidant enzyme activities by automated kinetic enzyme assays. Spearman rank correlation coefficients, adjusted for age and day of transfer, were used to assess associations between antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation products and embryo quality using a 1 follicle-1 oocyte/embryo approach. Post hoc power analysis was conducted to help interpret null results. Setting A university clinic. Patient(s) Thirty-nine women undergoing IVF. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Embryo cell number and embryo fragmentation score (EFS) at transfer. Result(s) No significant correlations between lipid peroxidation derivatives or antioxidant enzyme activities and embryo quality were obtained. Post hoc power analysis indicated possible undetected associations between EFS and 13-hydroxy octadecatrienoic acid and 13-hydroperoxy octadecadieneoic acid. Conclusion(s) Our preliminary dataset suggests that most lipid peroxidation products and antioxidant enzyme activities within FF are not associated with the quality of embryos, using EFS and embryo cell number as end points. However, further consideration of associations between EFS and 13-hydroxy octadecatrienoic acid and 13-hydroperoxy octadecadieneoic acid is warranted.
Ruptured nontraumatic fusiform aneurysm of the cavernous carotid presenting with multiple episodes of epistaxis

Epistaxis from rupture of a non-traumatic, cavernous carotid aneurysm is a rare and life threatening event. The evaluation and management of a patient with such a lesion is described. Direct surgical reconstruction of this fusiform aneurysm using an extradural/intradural approach to the cavernous sinus resulted in a satisfactory outcome.
A micro/macro model for fluid flow evolution and microstructure formation in solidification processes

A micro/macro model is developed to represent the evolution of fluid flow, temperature field and microstructure formation in solidification processes. The macro model for fluid flow and heat transfer is established using the finite element method coupled with an Eulerian-Lagrangian formulation, while the micro model for nucleation and grain growth is derived based on the principle of statistical physics. The macro and micro models are coupled through an iterative micro/macro time step scheme. The numerical treatment is given. As an example, the integrated micro/macro model is applied to describe the evolution of fluid flow, temperature and the formation of solidification microstructure during the start-up phase in continuous casting of aluminum alloy. Calculated results compare reasonably well with measurements obtained in a commercial scale ingot for both the temperature distribution and the grain size distribution. The results indicate that the fluid flow and temperature fields change drastically at the initial stage but evolve slowly afterwards, and also the average grain size increases with increasing distance from the ingot surface.
Possible role of pH gradient and membrane ATPase in the loading of sucrose into the sieve tubes

FOR plants to grow, sugars and other assimilates must constantly be transported from the leaves to the growing or storage regions. This essential transport function takes place in the highly specialised phloem tissue which consists of a network of interconnecting sieve tubes. In spite of its obvious agronomic importance, little is known about the first step of sugar entry (loading) into the sieve tubes. Here I propose a model which formulates several of the established, but difficult to reconcile, characteristics of the sieve tubes into a unifying model for sugar uptake. These characteristics include the alkaline sap1 (pH 8–8.5) with a high potassium ion and ATP2 concentration, the presence of electrical gradients3 and the considerable ATPase4 activity of the sieve tube plasmalemma. According to this model, sucrose leaves the site of synthesis in the mesophyll cells and enters the free space or apoplast which has a pH of 5 to 6. The sucrose is then accumulated into the alkaline sieve tubes by an active process involving membrane sulph-hydryl groups5. In this model the proton gradient of nearly 3 pH units across the sieve tube plasmalemma provides the driving force for sucrose uptake (Fig. 1). Based on non-electrolyte transport studies in bacteria6, algae7 and fungi8 it is proposed that protons are cotransported with sucrose into the sieve tubes.
Regioselective aldol condensations of a cholestanone-derived dialdehyde: new twists on a classic reaction

Methods have been developed for the regioselective formation of both aldol condensation products from a non-symmetrical dialdehyde derived from 5α-cholestan-3-one. The findings disclosed herein, as well as their mechanistic implications, should assist in achieving selective intramolecular aldol closures in other contexts.
Homing pigeon navigation: the effects of in-flight exposure to a varying magnetic field

Abstract 1. 1. As a test of the idea that under sunny conditions pigeons use magnetic cues as part of their navigation system, homing pigeons were released while carrying packs that generated a varying magnetic field across their heads. 2. 2. Neither of the two types of pack tried produced any consistent significant effects on the birds' initial orientation although one treatment reduced the birds' homing success. 3. 3. These results contrast with those obtained by flying pigeons at magnetic anomalies. The significance of this, and whether pigeons use magnetic cues in their position-finding is discussed.
RESPONSE-DEPENDENT PRECHOICE EFFECTS ON FORAGING-RELATED CHOICE

Three experiments explored the influence of prechoice events on pigeons' preference. In two of three studies, a fixed-interval 200-second prechoice period preceded the initial links of a concurrent chain in which outcomes differed either (a) in terms of the delay to food or (b) in terms of amount of food and delay to food. In Experiment 3, the prechoice period preceded the initial links that provided a choice between a small single food presentation and two identical, more delayed food presentations. In all three cases, obtained choice proportions did not vary as a function of prechoice duration. These results suggest that a local-contextual view adequately describes the foraging context; they also have implications for the appropriate formulation of the delay-reduction theory of conditioned reinforcement and rate-maximizing views of optimal foraging theory.
Rapid embedded system testing using verification patterns

Testing is often difficult, and testing real-time embedded systems for mission-critical applications is particularly difficult owing to embedded design complexities and frequent requirements changes. Embedded systems usually require a series of rigorous white-box (structural), black-box (functional), module, and integration testing before developers can release them to the market. In practice, functional testing is often more important than structural testing. Similarly, integration testing is more challenging than module testing. Furthermore, functional integration testing often requires individual test scripts based on the system requirements.
The Dynamics of Carbene Solvation: An Ultrafast Study of p-Biphenylyltrifluoromethylcarbene

Ultrafast photolysis (lambda(ex) = 308 nm) of p-biphenylyltrifluoromethyl diazomethane (BpCN2CF3) releases singlet p-biphenylyltrifluoromethylcarbene (BpCCF3) which absorbs strongly at 385 nm in cyclohexane, immediately after the 300 fs laser pulse. The initial absorption maximum shifts to longer wavelengths in coordinating solvents (nitrile, ether, and alcohol). In low viscosity coordinating solvents, the initial absorption maximum further red shifts between 2 and 10 ps after the laser pulse. Similar effects are observed upon ultrafast photolysis of 2-fluorenyltrifluoromethyl diazomethane (FlCN2CF3) and therefore cannot be associated with torsional motion around the two phenyl rings of the biphenyl compound. Instead, the effect is attributed to the dynamics of solvation of the singlet carbene. The time constant of solvation in normal alcohols lengthens with solvent viscosity in a linear manner. Furthermore, the time constants of the red shift in methanol-O-d (16 ps), ethanol-O-d (26 ps), 2-propanol-OD (40 ps), and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol-O-d (14 ps) are longer than those recorded in methanol (9.6 ps, KIE = 1.7), ethanol (14.3 ps, KIE = 1.8), 2-propanol (28 ps, KIE = 1.4), and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (4.4 ps, KIE = 3.2), which indicates that the solvent reorganization involves formation of hydrogen bonds. The kinetic data are consistent with motion of the solvent to achieve a specific interaction with the carbene, with the creation of a new hydrogen bond. The solvated carbene reacts with the solvent over tens, hundreds, and thousands of ps, depending upon the solvent.
Characterization of the Unimolecular Water Elimination Reaction from 1-Propanol, 3,3,3-Propan-1-ol-d3, 3,3,3-Trifluoropropan-1-ol, and 3-Chloropropan-1-ol

The unimolecular reactions of 1-propanol, 3,3,3-propan-1-ol-d3, 3,3,3-trifluoropropan-1-ol, and 3-chloropropan-1-ol have been studied by the chemical activation technique. The recombination of CH3, CD3, CF3, and CH2Cl radicals with CH2CH2OH radicals at room temperature was used to generate vibrationally excited CH3CH2CH2OH, CD3CH2CH2OH, CF3CH2CH2OH, and CH2ClCH2CH2OH molecules. The principal unimolecular reaction for propanol and propanol-d3 with 90 kcal mol(-1) of vibrational energy is 1,2-H2O elimination with rate constants of 3.4 x 10(5) and 1.4 x 10(5) s(-1), respectively. For CH2ClCH2CH2OH also with 90 kcal mol(-1) of energy, 2,3-HCl elimination with a rate constant of 3.0 x 10(7) s(-1) is more important than 1,2-H2O elimination; the branching fractions are 0.95 and 0.05. For CF3CH2CH2OH with an energy of 102 kcal mol(-1), 1,2-H2O elimination has a rate constant of 7.9 x 10(5) and 2,3-HF elimination has a rate constant of 2.6 x 10(5) s(-1). Density functional theory was used to obtain models for the molecules and their transition states. The frequencies and moments of inertia from these models were used to calculate RRKM rate constants, which were used to assign threshold energies by comparing calculated and experimental rate constants. This comparison gives the threshold energy for H2O elimination from 1-propanol as 64 kcal mol(-1). The threshold energies for 1,2-H2O and 2,3-HCl elimination from CH2ClCH2CH2OH were 59 and 54 kcal mol(-1), respectively. The threshold energies for H2O and HF elimination from CF3CH2CH2OH are 62 and 70 kcal mol(-1), respectively. The structures of the transition states for elimination of HF, HCl, and H2O are compared.
Barriers to career progress for women in education: the perceptions of female headteachers

Summary The number of women who achieve senior posts in educational management is disproportionate to the number of women employed. This is particularly true for women in secondary education, where only about 20 per cent of headships are held by women. All the female headteachers of one English shire county were interviewed about their own experiences and views on barriers to women's progress. The interview schedule was based on the author's classification of the theories of Shakeshaft and Schmuck. The data are analysed under the headings of: overt and covert discrimination; constraints experienced within the work situation; and constraints experienced through roles outside the work situation and early career influences. The headteachers had experienced both overt discrimination and more subtle sexism and tended to meet both with pragmatism, rather than confrontation. They had avoided gender‐stereotyped roles within the work situation, and were generally free of the major responsibility for domestic affai...
A Graph Theoretic Approach to Switching Function Minimization

Abstract In this paper we pursue the graph theoretic approach to the switching function minimization problem which is still important in view of today's technological innovations such as programmable logic arrays. We use switching functions graphs (SFG) for studying the structure of switching functions and the minimization problem. The graph theoretic interpretation of the classical minimization problem leads to an alternative and powerful approach to logic design that is suitable for computer implementations. The approach is particularly useful in the analysis and design of suboptimum algorithms for minimization of arbitrarily complex switching functions arising in practice for which exact algorithms are known to be computationally intractable. A few graph theoretic algorithms leading to minimization of switching functions are presented and examples indicating the power of our approach, and algorithms are worked out. Further work needed in the area is indicated.
Afferents to prefrontal cortex from the thalamic mediodorsal nucleus in the rhesus monkey.

Abstract Thalamic afferents to Macaque prefrontal cortex from the mediodorsal nucleus were examined by techniques specific for anterograde degeneration and axoplasmic transport. The sampling procedure employed permits establishing the extent of topographic projections to cortex from subcortical foci for the same brain which was surveyed subsequently in tracing specific neuronal connections by electron microscopy. Topographic and general laminar distribution of thalamic terminals are presented in terms of 3 subareas of prefrontal cortex. The dorsolateral and ventral (orbital) surfaces of prefrontal cortex receive respectively projections from the lateral and medial subdivision of the mediodorsal nucleus. In addition, the medial wall of the frontal lobe, including the dorsomedial part of the lateral convexity, heretofore regarded as athalamic, receives input from the caudal-dorsomedial aspect of the mediodorsal nucleus. Preliminary evidence suggests that axons from the mediodorsal nucleus terminate in the head of caudate nucleus, as Sachs81 described 65 years ago in the first orthograde study of thalamo-prefrontal cortex connections.
The Te−Zn system

In Vol 8 No. 1, page 17, Table 6, ω13 = 3037.5/T should be replaced with ω13 = 0.01 + 3037.5/T and υ13 = υ31 = 1956.0/T should be replaced with υ13 = υ31 = 978.0/T.
Interventional electrophysiology—State-of-the-art 1993

The field of clinical electrophysiology has broadened significantly in the last several years, spawning a new discipline known as Interventional or Therapeutic Electrophysiology. In the United States, Electrophysiology has its own training path and accreditation requirements. One of the reasons for the growth of interest in electrophysiology is the exciting introduction of nonpharmacologic methods of arrhythmia therapy, including curative radiofrequency catheter ablation and implanted devices for antitachycardia pacing/defibrillation. The arrhythmia specialist now has at his/her disposal a wide range of options for patients with symptomatic or life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.
Clonidine treatment of Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome

• The safety and effectiveness of clonidine hydrochloride (3 to 5 μg/kg per day) were evaluated in 47 subjects with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, aged 7 to 48 years. Twenty-four subjects were randomly assigned to clonidine treatment and 23 to placebo. Forty subjects (21 given clonidine and 19 placebo) successfully completed the 12-week, double-blind clinical trial. Clinical ratings of tic severity improved for both groups. The magnitude of response was greater in the group receiving clonidine. Clinician-rated measures of motor tic severity, the degree to which the tics are "noticeable to others," motor tic counts from videotaped interviews, and parent-rated measures of impulsivity and hyperactivity were the most responsive to clonidine treatment. These results indicate that clonidine is more effective than placebo in reducing some of the tic and other behavioral symptoms associated with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome.
Changes in the need for social approval, 1958–2001☆

Abstract American college students’ and children’s scores on two measures of the need for social approval closely follow changes in the state of the larger society, decreasing significantly from 1958 to 1980 and leveling off between 1980 and 2001 (total n = 36,004 across 203 samples of college students responding to the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability scale; total n = 4741 across 38 samples of children responding to the Children’s Social Desirability Questionnaire). Need for social approval correlates with positive social trends such as a low divorce rate, low crime rate, and low unemployment rate. However, need for social approval does not correlate over time with changes in anxiety and self-esteem, suggesting that these birth cohort trends are not due to shifts in response styles.
Influence of absorbed hydrogen on the magnetic behavior of RCo3 (R = Gd, Dy and Ho) compounds

Abstract The pressure-composition isotherm for the RCo3-H2 system (R = heavy rare earth) shows two plateau pressures. For GdCo3 the first plateau extends to the approximate composition GdCo3H2.2 (designated as β-hydride) and the second to the composition GdCo3H4.6 (γ-hydride). Magnetization measurements have been carried out on GdCo3, GdCo3H2, GdCo3H4.6, DyCo3, DyCo3H4.3, HoCo3 and HoCo3H4.2 in the temperature range 4.2 K to 300 K. The results show that hydrogen absorption produces a reduction both in the magnetic moment per cobalt and the Curie temperature; the reduction is slight in going from GdCo3 to GdCo3H2.2, but is drastic in going to GdCo3H4.6. In contrast, in isostructural GdFe3 compound, the magnetic moment per iron increases on hydrogen absorption. Measurements on DyCo3H4.3 and HoCo3H4.2 suggest the possibility that the rare earth moments are not magnetically ordered even at 4.2 K.
Trends in End-of-Life ICU Use Among Older Adults With Advanced Lung Cancer

Background There is increasing concern about the appropriateness of intensive medical care near the end of life in ICUs throughout the United States. As a result of hospice expansion in the 1990s, we hypothesized that ICU use decreased over time in older adults with advanced lung cancer. Methods Retrospective analysis using the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Medicare database. There were 45,627 Medicare beneficiaries ≥ 66 years of age with confirmed stage IIIB or IV lung cancer between January 1, 1992, and December 31, 2002, who died within a year of their cancer diagnosis from 1993 through 2002. Results ICU use in the last 6 months of life increased from 17.5% in 1993 to 24.7% in 2002 (p Conclusion Despite increasing hospice use, ICU utilization among older adults dying with advanced lung cancer continued to rise in the United States during the 1990s.
Ghurid monuments and Muslim identities Epigraphy and exegesis in twelfth–century Afghanistan

The eastward expansion of the Shansabanid sultanate of Ghur in the late twelfth century has usually been depicted as a confrontation between a unitary Muslim self and its Hindu ‘other’. The reification of heterogeneous and protean categories of belief implicit in this paradigm is particularly ill suited to represent the dynamic religious life of mediaeval Ghur. This was characterised by shifting patterns of royal patronage that reflect intense competition between the Karramiya, a popular pietistic sect, and the orthodox Sunni madhhabs. Drawing on Ghurid architectural and numismatic inscriptions, this article examines the ways in which contem–porary doctrinal disputes inflected elite cultural production during the period. Based on the content and context of Qur'anic citations, it suggests that a rhetorical emphasis on idolatry and unbelief in Ghurid epigraphy was part of a contemporary intra–Sunni polemic, and not primarily an address to those who were literally outside the fold of I...
Tunable diode laser measurements of air-broadened linewidths in the nu6 band of H2O2

Air-broadened half-widths of 18 transitions in the nu6 band of H2O2 between 1252/cm and 1291/cm have been determined from spectra recorded at room temperature using a tunable diode laser spectrometer. The preparation of the H2O2 gas samples for the measurements is described, and the data analysis is discussed, including the derivation of Lorentz broadening coefficients and the contribution of molecular collisions to the measured Lorentz half-widths. For the 18 transitions, the half-widths varied from 0.0923/cm/atm to 0.1155/cm/atm at 296 K, with a mean value of 0.1020/cm/atm. An error of less than 10 percent is estimated for these results.
Clio, Columbia, And The Cosmopolitans: Beyond American Exceptionalism And The Nation–State

Books reviewed in this article: Thomas Bender, Rethinking American History In A Global Age
Analysis of a first order complex recursive LMS adaptive predictor

The statistical behaviour of a first order complex LMS adaptive predictor for recovering or cancelling a complex narrowband sine wave in additive white noise is studied. The properties of the optimum complex scalar predictor weights are investigated. A coupled set of dynamical nonlinear difference equations is derived for the mean values of the two complex weights, one pole and one zero, the MSE and the correlation between the error and the desired signal for the recursive LMS adaptive predictor. The derivation is based on the assumption of ‘slow adaptation’ and uses weightdata expectation splitting arguments. The nonlinear difference equations are numerically evaluated and converge to the optimal weights for a wide range of parameter values. Monte-Carlo simulations and the theory are shown to be in good agreement, supporting the assumptions used to derive the mathematical model. To determine the increase in steady-state MSE caused by the adaptation process, the misadjustment error, the weight covariance matrix is studied in the neighbourhood of convergence. A matrix difference equation for the weight covariance matrix is derived and solved in steady-state. The misadjustment error is evaluated to be (1/2)ξ0{μ1 σ2+μ2ξ0where ξ0is the Wiener MSE, σ2 is the input power and μ1 and μ2 are the feed-forward and feed-back algorithm step-sizes, respectively.
Chinese Women Entering New England: Chinese Exclusion Act Case Files, Boston, 1911–1925

Chinese women who sought entry to the United States during the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882–1943) faced unique challenges. As case files (1911–25) from the Boston Immigration Office reveal, however, they became adept transnational migrants, overcoming great obstacles and adopting innovative strategies to reach their destinations in the Northeast.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Political Violence

The cover photo for this special issue on political violence depicts a peaceful street demonstration, perhaps the most studied tactic in the modern “repertoire of contention” (Tilly 1978, 1986, 1995a, b). The scene is non-violent, but as Julie Stewart explains in her article in this issue “A Measure of Justice: The Rabinal Human Rights Movement in Postwar Guatemala,” the demonstration was staged in response to a 30-year-long campaign of state-sponsored political violence that took the lives of more than a thousand members of the Rabinal Mayan community in the 1980s. This peaceful demonstration is thus embedded in a complex, decades-long cycle of political violence. Political violence is a broad term for deeply contested actions, events, and situations that have political aims and involve some degree of physical force. The same events may be called by many other names: terrorism, insurgency, guerrilla warfare, counter-insurgency, self-defense, retribution, security policing, national defense, national liberation, statesponsored terrorism, or even genocide, depending on the circumstances and who is doing the naming. Using the neutral term “political violence” allows us to take a sociological approach that focuses on the socio-political sequences of action and contexts in which violence is embedded, and makes the naming of acts and the interpretation of their meaning an essential part of the analysis. The methodological tools of qualitative sociology are particularly well-suited to study of the unfolding of dynamic social processes and interactive meaning-making that occurs in messy, contested real-world contexts. The five articles we have selected for this special issue reflect the breadth of research that this approach invites. We begin with an essay by Donatella della Porta, “Research on Social Movements and Terrorism: Some Reflections” that provides an overview of the study of political violence by social scientists since the 1960s and helps to locate the other four articles in relation to Qual Sociol (2008) 31:213–220 DOI 10.1007/s11133-008-9111-3
Xylanase effects on pulp delignification

Xylanase effects on softwood pulp delignification were investigated experimentally and using mathematical models. The effect of xylanase molecular size on pulp delignification was investigated. As xylanase molecular weight decreased from 67 kDaltons to 20 kDaltons, lignin removal from pulp increased from 30 wt% to 48 wt%, respectively. The rate of xylanase-aided pulp delignification was studied using a batch system. The rate-data was fitted to a mathematical model of the batch system that enabled estimation of process parameters including xylanase and lignin effective diffusivities, lignin mass transport coefficient, and effective particle diameter for mass transport. Parameter values thus obtained were used to simulate the semi-batch delignification process, which predicted 84.6% of lignin available to UGA xylanase (MW=39,000 Daltons) would be removed in 2.5 h.
Attraction of female oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, to volatile semiochemicals from leaves and extracts of a nonhost plant, panax (Polyscias guilfoylei) in laboratory and olfactometer assays

Fresh whole leaves and solvent–water leaf extracts of the hedgerow plant panax, Polyscias guilfoylei (Bull), were tested for their attractiveness to male and female Oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis, in laboratory flight tunnel and cage olfactometer bioassays. Fresh mature whole panax leaves were found to be attractive to mated female oriental fruit flies in the flight tunnel. Response of males and virgin females was low and in most instances not significantly different from controls. Attraction of mated female flies to the layers resulting from a methylene chloride–water partition or a hexane–water partition of freshly ground leaves using small McPhail traps was greatest in the methylene chloride fraction. When methylene chloride and water layers were tested competitively in a multiple-choice rotating olfactometer, the methylene chloride fraction was more attractive. Tests involving the methylene chloride–water interface (an emulsion of the two partitioned layers) with and without a standard attractant NuLure, showed the emulsion layer to be significantly more attractive than the other fractions or NuLure. In outdoor cage olfactometer assays of methylene chloride and water fractions, activity was greatest in the methylene chloride fraction. The results suggests that volatile semiochemicals from this nonhost plant are attractive to mated female Oriental fruit flies. The results are discussed in relation to the chemical ecology of B. dorsalis and the potential use of this nonhost plant for detection and control of female Oriental fruit flies in the field.
Assessment of fc (igg) receptor function in adherent murine peritoneal macrophages using soluble model immune complexes.

Abstract Fc (IgG) receptor function on thioglycolate-elicited adherent peritoneal macrophages from normal mice (C3H/HeN) and mice with abnormal activation of macrophages (C3H/HeJ) was studied. For this, soluble model immune complexes composed of five to six mouse anti-dinitrophenyl (DNP) IgG antibodies (heavy oligomers) were incubated with adherent macrophages cultured for either 2 or 48 hr. Cells from both strains bound similar amounts of oligomers at both 2 and 48 hr of culture (about 106 IgG protomers/cell). Uptake of oligomers measured at 37 °C was also similar at 2 and 48 hr of culture. Endocytosis of oligomers occurred rapidly with about 50% of surface-bound complexes being internalized within 30 min, but there was no evidence for catabolism of the endocytosed material. There was a 50% decrease in the ability of macrophages to bind oligomers following a prior exposure to soluble complexes. Return to maximal binding after the preincubation with soluble complexes was incomplete for cells of both strains at both 2 and 48 hr of culture even after 2 hr at 37 °C.
Frequency variation of the MOS-transistor VD = 0 admittance

Abstract A lateral flow transmission line model is used to calculate the small signal equivalent capacitance and conductance of the MOS-transistor when operated in a mode in which the drain and source are grounded. The resulting theory is then compared in detail against experimental results to check its validity and, in particular, to confirm its predicted frequency dependence. It is found that the major features of the equivalent capacitance are predicted by the theory for frequencies greater than 10 kHz. The experimental conductance in the inversion region is also found to agree in both shape and size with theory. Finally, it is demonstrated that the theoretically predicted frequency variation of conductance from ω2 at low frequencies to ω ; at high frequencies, peculiar to a transmission line solution, is indeed realized experimentally.
Cellular localization of estradiol in the harderian gland of the female armadillo.

Adult female armadillos were injected with tritiated estradiol. The Harderian gland was removed and processed for autoradiography. Nuclear uptake and retention of the steroid were observed in the duct of the gland, the periductal mucous cells of the mucus-secreting lobules, and the fibroblasts in the interstitial connective tissue.
Bijective proofs of some classical partition identities

Abstract A bijective proof of a general partition theorem is given which has as direct corollaries many classical partition theorems due to Euler, Glaisher, Schur, Andrews, Subbarao, and others. It is shown that the bijective proof specializes to give bijective proofs of these classical results and moreover the bijections which result often coincide with bijections which have occurred in the literature. Also given are some sufficient conditions for when two classes of words omitting certain sequences of words are in bijection.
Drug Addiction as a Deviant Career

“Career” evokes symbols of a society's work order. Males are processed in accordance with social production rules to assume roles at work. When these roles are associated with high dignity, much ceremony, severe training, and a long and presumably regular life, they are frequently called professions. Slight reductions in dignity, ceremony, training, and patterned regularity entitle work roles to be called occupations. In either case, adult socialization has succeeded. The men have gone to work. The adjustment they make to institutions, formal organizations, informal relations, the sequence of roles they follow, the identities they assume and shed—all this constitutes having a career.
The Influence of Role Models on Negotiation Ethics of College Students

Role models can be highly influential in conveying ethical standards. This study investigates the influence various categories of role models have had on a population of over 1,600 undergraduate students in Texas, Oregon and Michigan. Those identifying clergy, boy scout leaders, friends and college advisors as role models exhibited less willingness to adopt questionable ethical behavior in negotation situations. Journalist and spouse role models tended to cause students to be more accepting of questionable behavior. Individuals with strong end-result and social contract ethical philosophies, as well as males and those who served in the military exhibited strong tendencies toward less than ethical behavior. Individuals with strong rule ethical philosophy, high levels of religiousity, and those with a cooperative attitude in negotiations tended to adopt higher ethical standards in negotiations.
Light Field Sampling

Abstract Light field is one of the most representative image-based rendering techniques that generate novel virtual views from images instead of 3D models. The light field capture and rendering process can be considered as a procedure of sampling the light rays in the space and interpolating those in novel views. As a result, light field can be studied as a high-dimensional signal sampling problem, which has attracted a lot of research interest and become a convergence point between computer graphics and signal processing, and even computer vision. This lecture focuses on answering two questions regarding light field sampling, namely how many images are needed for a light field, and if such number is limited, where we should capture them. The book can be divided into three parts. First, we give a complete analysis on uniform sampling of IBR data. By introducing the surface plenoptic function, we are able to analyze the Fourier spectrum of non-Lambertian and occluded scenes. Given the spectrum, we also app...
Reduction kinetics of thin and thick cupric oxide films at room temperature by hydrazine

Reduction of cupric oxide films by hydrazine has been monitored using in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and microgravimetry to discern how the idiosyncrasies of this system can be used to prepare copper films with unique properties. Results from in situ XPS studies, in the topmost 5.0 nm at 0.8 Pa of hydrazine from 295–381 K, follow pseudo-first-order kinetics during the removal of CuO with an activation energy of 35 ± 4 kJ mol−1 and a pre-exponential factor of 103.3±0.7s−1. The measured pre-exponential factor is close to the collision frequency of hydrazine with the surface (i.e. 2100s−1) and is in a regime suggestive of adsorption control. Results from microgravimetric studies, of films 18.5–69.5 nm thick at hydrazine pressures of 80–1462 Pa and temperatures of 273–373 K, provide evidence for three different reduction mechanisms. These three regimes involve (i) an induction period during the first 0%–5% of the oxygen removal, (ii) a deceleratory regime from 5%–85% of the total weight loss and (iii) a period of much slower reduction during the final 80%–95% of the oxygen removal. Reduction kinetics in regime (ii) are well fitted by a parabolic rate law and are insensitive to the hydrazine partial pressure, indicative of counter current diffusion control within the porous network being formed. The activation energy measured in regime (ii) is ca. 32±2 kJ mol−1 with a pre-exponential factor of ca. 32±4 s−1, also suggestive of diffusion control. Since all films are observed to be reduced during nearly equivalent time periods, regardless of initial thickness, intragrain diffusion control has been postulated to limit the overall rate of reduction.
SURFACE MORPHOLOGY OF TUMBLED CURED BEEF

Samples from bovine semimembranosus were injected to contain (1) 2.5% salt, 0.5% sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), 156ppm sodium nitrite and 550 ppm ascorbic acid or (2) 156 ppm sodium nitrite and 550 ppm ascorbic acid. The product was then subjected to tumbling and heat processing. Treatment (1) produced a layer of coagulated protein on the surface of the meat and a layer of flattened fibers under the protein layer. Treatment (2) had a layer of protein, but exhibited less fiber flattening. Samples of treatment (1), but which were not tumbled, had neither a layer of protein nor flattened fibers. Measurement of water vapor loss from the meat surface revealed that there was no difference between tumbled and nontumbled treatments.
Turbo-coded modulation as an alternative to space-time codes: the case of a large number of transmit-and-receive antennas

In a recent paper we have shown that a simple turbo coded modulation scheme provides significant performance improvement with respect to the properly interleaved space- time trellis codes for block Rayleigh fading channels. The turbo coded modulation scheme for the multiple antenna system is based on a simple encoding procedure which uses the encoder for a binary turbo code and maps the encoded bits to a certain constellation, and a simple decoding procedure which is based on a log-likelihood computation of the transmitted bits and the use of these log-likelihoods in a sub-optimal iterative decoding algorithm. Although the computation of log-likelihoods is not a problem for small number of transmit antennas, the computational complexity at the receiver is too high for the case of large number of transmit antennas. In this paper we present a practical method for handling this problem. In particular, we present a new decoding algorithm which does not suffer from the same computational complexity. Our method is similar to the array processing/group interference suppression scheme developed for space-time trellis coding. We present examples for the case of four transmit-four receive antennas and for the case of eight transmit-eight receiver antennas over block fading channels. We observe gains of around 3 dB at a bit error rate of 10-5 over the multi-layered space-time trellis coding with symbol interleaving. We also observe that although the current approach is computationally efficient, it results in a considerable performance degradation compared to the original (more complex) approach.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.