cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHAPTER 5 – Practical Amplifier Circuits

The objective of this chapter is to master the components that compose a multistage, high-gain amplifier, as well as the characteristics of such an amplifier. The characteristics of ideal amplifiers such as infinite input resistance, zero output resistance, very large but constant gain are frequently used as design goals for practical amplifiers. When a numerical value for the gain of an amplifier is given, it is understood to be applicable only for a frequency range called the midband. In integrated circuits capacitors are avoided as they take up too much space. It is possible to design direct-coupled amplifiers in which the collector potential of one stage is equal to the base potential of the succeeding stage. After a signal is sufficiently amplified in voltage, which frequently is the end goal in some applications, power capabilities must be also added to the signal. This is achieved by feeding the amplified signal into a power amplifier, which typically is a current amplifier. A radio receiver presents a good example of applications of analog circuitry. High-power receivers are more modular, with the receiving section as one module, the power supply as another, and the audio section as one chip, usually mounted on a heat sink.
Ab Initio Study of Vibronic and Magnetic 5f-to-5f and Dipole-Allowed 5f-to-6d and Charge-Transfer Transitions in [UX6]n- (X = Cl, Br; n = 1, 2).

The absorption spectra of the octahedral [UX6]n- (X = Cl, Br; n = 1, 2) complexes in the near-infrared (NIR) and UV-vis spectral regions were studied theoretically, using a relativistic restricted active space second-order perturbation theory (RASPT2) wavefunction framework, with the spin-orbit (SO) coupling treated by state interaction, in conjunction with Kohn-Sham density functional theory calculations for determining the vibrational normal modes. The electric-dipole-allowed ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (LMCT) and 5f-to-6d transitions, and the electric-dipole-forbidden 5f-to-5f ligand field (LF) transitions, are thereby obtained within the same theoretical framework. For the 5f-to-5f LF transitions, the observed absorption intensity is mostly due to vibronic coupling with low-energy electric-dipole-allowed transitions, but in some cases, the magnetic dipole intensity of the purely electronic transition has comparable intensity to the vibronic transitions. Experimental LF spectra of 5f2 open-shell systems have been reported decades back, but ab initio calculations of their vibronic intensity have not yet been reported in the literature. Although the LF spectra for the 5f2 systems can be assigned in detail, based on the calculations, the spectra are very complex and the underlying electronic states are strongly multiconfigurational. Therefore, the usefulness of the LF spectra beyond serving as a "fingerprint" of the LF and the metal oxidation state appears to be limited.
Angular anisoplanatism in non-Kolmogorov turbulence over horizontal and slant paths

We present generalized expressions for the piston-removed and piston-and-tilt-removed anisoplanatic error in non-Kolmogorov turbulence with a finite outer scale. We use these expressions to investigate the behavior of the anisoplanatic error when imaging over long horizontal and slant-paths paths, through a Hufnagel-Valley turbulence profile, where the angular extent of the scene is often many times the isoplanatic angle. By evaluating these expressions we first found that the removal of piston and tilt contributions causes the isoplanatic angle to increase in all cases. Relatedly, when turbulence is weighted nearer to the aperture the anisoplanatic error is more likely to saturate to a value less than 1 rad2 for larger outer scales, regardless of piston and tilt removal.
Target templates in low target-distractor discriminability visual search have higher resolution, but the advantage they provide is short-lived

When you search repeatedly for a set of items among very similar distractors, does that make you more efficient in locating the targets? To address this, we had observers search for two categories of targets among the same set of distractors across trials. Visual and conceptual similarity of the stimuli were validated with a multidimensional scaling analysis, and separately using a deep neural network model. After a few blocks of visual search trials, the distractor set was replaced. In three experiments, we manipulated the level of discriminability between the targets and distractors before and after the distractors were replaced. Our results suggest that in the presence of repeated distractors, observers generally become more efficient. However, the difficulty of the search task does impact how efficient people are when the distractor set is replaced. Specifically, when the training is easy, people are more impaired in a difficult transfer test. We attribute this effect to the precision of the target template generated during training. In particular, a coarse target template is created when the target and distractors are easy to discriminate. These coarse target templates do not transfer well in a context with new distractors. This suggests that learning with more distinct targets and distractors can result in lower performance when context changes, but observers recover from this effect quickly (within a block of search trials).
Quality of end-of-life care for Vietnam-era Veterans: Implications for practice and policy.

Abstract Background In federal response to the aging population of Vietnam-era Veterans, Congress directed the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to create a pilot program to identify and develop best practices for improving hospice care for this population. A first step in VA's response was to identify whether the end-of-life (EOL) care needs and outcomes of Vietnam-era Veterans differed from previous generations. Methods Using medical records and bereaved family surveys, we examined clinical characteristics, healthcare utilization, and EOL quality indicators for Vietnam-era Veterans who died in VA inpatient settings between fiscal year 2013-2017. Contemporaneous comparisons were made with World War II/Korean War-era Veterans. Results Compared to prior generations, higher percentages of Vietnam-era Veterans had mental health/substance use diagnoses and disability. Similar percentages of family members in both groups reported that overall EOL care was excellent; however, post-traumatic stress disorder management ratings by families of Vietnam-era Veterans were significantly lower. Conclusions Although current VA EOL practices are largely meeting the needs of Vietnam-era Veterans, greater focus on mental health comorbidity, including post-traumatic stress disorder, Agent Orange-related conditions, and ensuring access to quality EOL care in the community is warranted. Implications Policymakers and healthcare professionals should anticipate more physical and mental health comorbidities among Veterans at EOL as Vietnam-era Veterans continue to age. Findings are being used to inform the development of standardized EOL care protocols and training programs for non-VA healthcare providers that are tailored to the needs of this population.
Persistent CAD activity in memory CD8+ T cells supports rRNA synthesis and ribosomal biogenesis required at rechallenge

Memory CD8+ T cells are characterized by their ability to persist long after the initial antigen encounter and their ability to generate a rapid recall response. Recent studies have identified a role for metabolic reprogramming and mitochondrial function in promoting the longevity of memory T cells. However, detailed mechanisms involved in promoting the rapid recall response are incompletely understood. Here we identify a novel role for the initial and continued activation of the trifunctional rate-limiting enzyme of the de novo pyrimidine synthesis pathway CAD (carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase 2, aspartate transcarbamylase, and dihydroorotase) as critical in promoting the rapid recall response of previously-activated CD8+ T cells. CAD is rapidly phosphorylated upon T cell activation in an mTORC1-dependent manner yet remains phosphorylated long after initial activation. Previously-activated CD8+ T cells display continued de novo pyrimidine synthesis in the absence of mitogenic signals and interfering with this pathway diminishes the speed and magnitude of cytokine production upon rechallenge. Inhibition of CAD does not affect cytokine transcript levels, but diminishes available pre-rRNA, the polycistronic rRNA precursor whose synthesis is the rate-limiting step in ribosomal biogenesis. CAD inhibition additionally decreases levels of detectable ribosomal proteins in previously-activated CD8+ T cells. Overexpression of CAD improves both the cytokine response and proliferation of memory T cells. Overall, our studies reveal a novel and critical role for CAD-induced pyrimidine synthesis and ribosomal biogenesis in promoting the rapid recall response characteristic of memory T cells. One Sentence SummaryPyrimidine synthesis fuels ribosomal biogenesis to facilitate rapid recall responses in CD8+ T cells
Effect of HD-23, a potent long acting cocaine-analog, on cocaine self-administration in rats

"Agonist" therapy for drug addiction proposes that a long acting analog, with similar properties to the abused substance might serve as a useful therapeutic agent. HD-23 is a very long acting tropane analog that displays a neurochemical profile similar to cocaine. To determine, using self-administration procedures and three different schedules of reinforcement, the effect of HD-23 on rate of cocaine intake (fixed ratio), the effect of HD-23 on the motivation to respond (progressive ratio) and the time course of HD-23 pretreatment (discrete trials). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with chronically indwelling intravenous cannulae and trained to self-administer cocaine (1.5 mg/kg per infusion) on a fixed ratio schedule. After a stable baseline was established, separate groups of rats (n=6–8) were given access to various doses of cocaine (0.37, 0.75, 1.5 or 3.0 mg/kg per injection) on a fixed ratio schedule during daily 3-h sessions, or to various doses of cocaine (0.18, 0.37, 0.75, 1.5 mg/kg per injection) on a progressive ratio schedule during daily 5-h sessions. A separate group of rats (n=10) was tested using a discrete trials procedure; animals were given the opportunity to self-administer cocaine (1.5 mg/kg per injection) during 10-min trials which were initiated every 20 min throughout the day/night cycle. On the FR schedule, pretreatment with HD-23 (1.0 mg/kg) decreased the rate of cocaine intake. HD-23 shifted the dose-response curve on the PR schedule to the left. On the discrete trials schedule, animals displayed a circadian pattern of drug intake; pretreatment with HD-23 significantly increased cocaine intake for about 8 h during the light phase when the probability of responding would otherwise have been very low. Animals pretreated with HD-23 displayed a high probability of cocaine self-administration for about 14 h. The results are consistent with the idea that an acute pretreatment with the long-acting agonist, HD-23, augmented rather than diminished the motivation to self-administer cocaine.
H/sup /spl infin// filtering for noise reduction using a total least squares estimation approach

A noise reduction algorithm for signals corrupted by additive unknown L/sub 2/ white noise is proposed using an H/sup /spl infin// filtering framework. The proposed algorithm consists of two steps: a signal enhancement step and a parameter estimation step, which are iterated at each instant. To weaken the dependence between the signal enhancement step and the parameter estimation step, a total least squares estimation step for the dynamical model parameters needed in the H/sup /spl infin// filtering is introduced. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm under low signal-to-noise ratio environments is demonstrated by simulation.
Non-Perturbative Quantal Methods for Electron–Atom Scattering Processes

In just over a decade, a number of non-perturbative close-coupling methods have been developed that are capable of very accurate calculations of electron–atom collisions. For electron collisions with hydrogen-like targets, one of the most important three-body Coulomb problems, they are limited only by the accuracy of the two-electron continuum and the completeness of the partial-wave expansion; for multielectron systems, the accuracy of the target description is normally the limiting factor. Here we consider two non-perturbative methods: the R-matrix with pseudo states (RMPS) method and the time-dependent close-coupling (TDCC) method. We present descriptions of both of these methods and consider their application to electron-impact excitation and ionization.
COURTS Juvenile Proceedings, Parental Rights: Provide Exclusive Jurisdiction over Juvenile Traffic Offenses in Juvenile Court and Provide for Records of Juvenile Offenses

These Acts revise a number of Code sections relating to juvenile law and proceedings. They define juvenile traffic offenses and delinquent offenses; define exclusive original jurisdiction over all juvenile traffic offenses to the juvenile court; require and official record be kept of juvenile traffic and delinquent offenses; strengthen the public policy that restraints on juveniles prior to adjudication are not preferred; and combine the Commission on Children and Youth with the Juvenile Justice Coordination Council.
Legal Process, Legal Realism and the Strategic Political Effects of Procedural Rules

While decisions on procedural requirements in litigation might be considered the most purely legal decisions made by courts, realists have contended that even procedures are tools of ideological decisionmaking. Realists argue that the apparently neutral procedural requirements are created or applied precisely for their ideological implications. There are several forms of realism, though, that have not been distinguished. In absolute realism, each judge can justify his or her preferred outcome in the case, while a more sophisticated realism accepts that lower court judges' decisions are restrained by legal doctrines created for the very purpose of manipulating their ideological outcomes. In this study, the effects of certain procedures are tested via a large database of circuit court decisions, using threshold requirements such as jurisdiction and standing. The direct effect of the threshold procedures by dismissing actions is a consistently conservative one, as projected by the realists, and the procedures serve as a legal doctrine that produces systematically conservative consequences. The quantitative empirical results demonstrate that procedural threshold requirements have a profoundly conservative effect on judicial outcomes, especially in federal statutory cases. A study of the precedential effect of these decisions shows that it is self-multiplying, such that decisions on procedural threshold issues have considerable precedential impact on later court rulings.
PROCESS STUDY OF NOMINAL 2 K REFRIGERATION RECOVERY

There is an increased interest in the nominal 2-K helium refrigeration systems (below lambda) for various test stands and applications at the present time. This paper presents the process parameter choices and their influence on the system performance of various noncold compressor configurations. This study is intended to facilitate the adoption of this process in conjunction with commercially-available small 4.5-K helium liquefaction systems. By way of an introduction, the efficiency of some commonly employed (but inefficient) 2-K process configurations are analyzed. Then the analyses of three nominal 2-K refrigeration-recovery process configurations are presented. The effect of the process parameters, such as flow imbalance, heat-exchanger size, supply pressure and 4.5-K plant interaction location(s) are investigated so that the optimum conditions yielding the required performance can be determined.
ω-Conotoxin increases sleep time following ethanol injection

Abstract ω-Conotoxin and ethanol produce similar actions on in vitro calcium channel functions. The present study was designed to determine their possible behavioral interaction. ω-Conotoxin injected ICV at either 0.1 μg or 0.3 μg, produced an increase in spontaneous and evoked tremor activity in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The tremor was present at 30 min and continued at least 4 h after injection. At 4 h post ICV injection, animals were given an IP injection of ethanol (3g/kg body weight). Although no blood alcohol differences were observed between groups, rats injected with ω-conotoxin showed a concentration-dependent increase in sleep times: Saline controls slept for an average of 84.7 ± 16.7 min, 0.1 and 0.3 μg conotoxin treated animals slept for 121.3 ± 16.2 and 211.1 ± 30.7 min, respectively. These results extend the class of calcium channel blockers capable of producing a behavioral interaction with ethanol.
A review of empirical research on blended learning in teacher education programs

Although blended learning has been considered as an important alternative approach that can overcome various limitations related to both face-to-face and online learning, there is relatively limited empirical studies on blended learning approach in teacher education programs. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to review empirical research studies on teacher education programs using activity theory. A review of empirical research on blended learning could help to stimulate reflections on effective strategies for design and implementation of blended learning teacher education programs.
Adsorption kinetics of small molecules on selenium foil

Abstract The adsorption kinetics of CO 2 , NO, H 2 , D 2 , and H 2 O on a selenium foil were characterized by thermal desorption spectroscopy. In addition, Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the surface. With the exception of H/D, rather strong interactions were present, including the formation of Se hydrate.
Stimulated rat mast cells generate histamine-releasing peptide from albumin

Abstract Media conditioned by compound 48 80 - stimulated rat mast cells generated immunoreactive histamine-releasing peptide (HRP) when incubated at physiological pH with bovine serum albumin and the carboxypeptidase inhibitor, O -phenanthroline. The generation of immunoreactive HRP (IR-HRP) was time (after 3 h the concentration of IR-HRP was 20 n M ), temperature, and pH dependent and was prevented by omitting albumin, by using media conditioned by nonstimulated mast cells, or by pretreatment of the mast cells with disodium cromoglycate, an inhibitor of mast cell secretion. The amount of IR-HRP generated increased linearly with the number of mast cells stimulated and varied directly with the concentration of conditioned media. After removal of the media from stimulated mast cells, the remaining cell pellet retained its ability to generate IR-HRP for up to 8 h. Stimulation of mast cells by either neurotensin or substance P, or of sensitized cells by anti-IgE serum, also produced conditioned media that generated IR-HRP. The amount of IR-HRP formed by various conditioned media or by stimulated cell pellets was dependent upon the concentration of O -phenanthroline used. Including the chymase inhibitor, chymostatin, prevented the formation of IR-HRP in a dose-dependent manner. HPLC analysis showed four peaks of IR-HRP. The major one coeluted with synthetic HRP. These results indicate that the peptide, HRP, can be generated by stimulated mast cells incubated in the presence of albumin. They suggest that a chymase-like enzyme secreted by the mast cell is able to cleave albumin to yield HRP. It is suggested that proteases secreted by stimulated mast cells play an active role in regulating the inflammatory response by generating, as well as degrading, biologically active peptides such as HRP.
Materials science: Colour without colourants

Creating coloured polymer films without the use of pigments might seem impossible. But using miniature polymer spheres, and a novel assembly process, this feat has been accomplished over large film areas.
Fidelity of micromanometer pressure transduction in closed-end angiographic catheters

Abstract Clinical high fidelity pressure recording has been greatly facilitated by the recent introduction of 2Fr micromanometer-tipped catheters. They can potentially be placed in any structure reached by an open-end catheter of ≥0.03-inch internal diameter. Because open-end catheters often are not routinely necessary in pediatric heart catheterization, we sought to determine whether accurate pressure recordings could be obtained from 2Fr micromanometer-tipped catheters inserted into the lumina of closed-end angiographic catheters.
α-Adrenergic agonists stimulate neonatal glucose production less than β-adrenergic agonists in the lamb

Epinephrine, a catecholamine with both alpha (α)- and beta (β)-adrenergic agonist effects, may produce clinical hyperglycemia in the adult by increasing glucose production and decreasing glucose clearance. However, the relative contribution of α v β adrenergic agonists in control of neonatal glucose kinetics has not been defined. Twenty-three term lambs (weighing 4.4 ± 0.2 kg, mean ± SEM, and aged 3.8 ± 0.4 days) were infused with 0.9% NaCl at 0.6 mL · kg−1min−1 + 100 μC1/kg d[6-3H]-glucose by prime plus constant infusion for 210 minutes. Ra (rate of production) was measured during infusion of variable doses of epinephrine with or without variable doses of propranolol, a competitive β-adrenergic antagonist to isolate the α-adrenergic agonist effects. All basal kinetic data were comparable. Under conditions of epinephrine infusion, the plasma glucose concentration increased from 95 ± 10 mg/dL to 129 ± 18 mg/dL (50 ng · kg−1min−1 epinephrine; P < .0001) and from 85 ± 6 mg/dL to 253 ± 8 mg/dL (500 ng · kg−1min−1 epinephrine; P < .0001) compared with controls (96 ± 7 mg/dL to 95 ± 8 mg/dL). When epinephrine and propranolol were infused simultaneously, plasma glucose concentration increased from 95 ± 10 mg/dL to 122 ± 12 mg/dL (50 ng · kg−1min−1 epinephrine + 1.1 μg · kg−1min−1; P < .0001) and from 78 ± 9 mg/dL to 134 ± 12 mg/dL (500 ng · kg−1min−1 epinephrine + 11 μg · kg−1min−1; P < .0001) compared with controls (no epinephrine, no propranolol). Under conditions of epinephrine infusion, Ra increased from 5.0 ± 0.8 mg · kg−1min−1 to 6.5 ± 1.6 mg · kg−1min−1 (50 ng · kg−1min−1 epinephrine; P = NS) and from 7.8 ± 0.9 mg · kg−1min−1 to 18.5 ± 3.0 mg · kg−1min−1 (500 ng · kg−1min−1 epinephrine; P < .0001 compared with controls (4.6 ± 0.7 mg · kg−1min−1 to 5.5 ± 0.3 mg · kg−1min−1). Comparable values for Ra were 4.6 ± 0.7 mg · kg−1min−1 to 4.8 ± 1.0 mg · kg−1min−1 (50 ng · kg−1min−1 epinephrine + 1.1 μg · kg−1min−1 propranolol; P = NS) and 6.0 ± 1.2 mg · kg−1min−1 to 6.7 ± 0.5 mg · kg−1min−1 (500 ng · kg−1min−1 epinephrine + 11 μg · kg−1min−1 propranolol; P = NS compared with controls. Comparison of the α-adrenergic agonist effects relative to combined α- and β-adrenergic agonist effects suggests that α-adrenergic agonists do not influence neonatal glucose kinetics to the same degree as β-adrenergic agonists under normal physiological conditions.
Carinaplasty Airway Closure: A Technique for Right Pneumonectomy

Background Bronchopleural fistula remains a significant source of morbidity and mortality after right pneumonectomy. We reviewed our initial experience with a novel "carinaplasty" airway closure technique aimed at reducing the risks of bronchopleural fistula. Methods Since 2003, 51 consecutive patients who required right pneumonectomy at our institution underwent carinaplasty airway closure. Malignancy was the indication for pneumonectomy in all but 2 patients. Eighteen patients received preoperative radiation therapy, including 5 patients who received 6000 cGy or more. Postoperatively, 17 patients required mechanical ventilation for an average of 13 days (range, 3 to 42 days). Results Six operative deaths occurred, four (8.6%) of which were in the 46 patients who did not receive preoperative bleomycin. All deaths were secondary to respiratory failure. None of these patients demonstrated bronchopleural fistula despite mechanical ventilation for up to 30 days. In 2 patients, a small (≤2 mm) bronchopleural fistula developed at 3 and 4 months after operation, respectively. Both patients presented with minor symptoms and spontaneously healed within 1 month after open drainage. Conclusions These data suggest that the carinaplasty airway closure may reduce the morbidity and mortality of bronchopleural fistula after right pneumonectomy. We speculate mechanisms include elimination of the bronchial stump diverticulum in combination with more submucosal blood supply at the suture line compared with the standard bronchial closures. We currently consider carinaplasty airway closure the technique of choice at our institution and plan continued evaluation.
The Evaluation of Median-Rank Regression and Maximum Likelihood Estimation Techniques for a Two-Parameter Weibull Distribution

ABSTRACT Practitioners frequently model failure times in reliability analysis via the Weibull distribution. Often risk managers must make decisions after only a few failures. Thus, an important question is how to estimate the parameters of this distribution for extremely small sample sizes and/or highly censored data. This study evaluates two methods: maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) and median-rank regression (MRR). Asymptotically, we know that MLE has superior properties; however, this study seeks to evaluate these two methods for small numbers of failures and high degrees of censoring, where one cannot depend on the asymptotic properties of maximum likelihood estimation. This research is the direct result of a practitioners question at Pratt & Whitney, where they use both methods of estimation. We evaluate the two estimation methods for extremely high censoring cases, focusing on censoring greater than 99%. Such extreme levels of censoring present certain difficulties. For example, the estimated par...
Histone synthesis is not coupled to the replication of adenovirus DNA

Abstract Histone synthesis decreases approximately in parallel with the decrease in cellular DNA synthesis when KB cell monolayers are productively infected with adenovirus type 2 and does not occur in coordination with the later surge of viral DNA synthesis. The synthesis of histones is not, therefore, required for all replicative DNA synthesis in the nuclei of mammalian cells.
Theory of two-photon Doppler-broadened probe absorption.

We generalize the two-photon probe-absorption coefficient to include any amount of Doppler broadening and an arbitrarily intense saturator wave. By analytically performing integrals over a Lorentzian velocity distribution we are able to examine the transition from homogeneous broadening to extreme Doppler broadening for both zero and nonzero Stark shifts. For Doppler widths much larger than the saturator Rabi flopping frequency, the probe-absorption spectrum approaches a Doppler-free Lorentzian with width equal to the homogeneous linewidth and center displaced by the dynamic Stark shift.
Localization of a novel pathway for the liberation of GABA in the human CNS

Serum carnosinase is a dipeptidase, which is synthesized in human brain, where it hydrolyzes homocarnosine to release free GABA. Immunohistochemical procedures were used to demonstrate the presence of this enzyme in several layers of the retina and in certain neuronal tracts of the cerebral cortex, cerebellar cortex, olfactory bulb, hippocampus, and in disseminated tracts presumably from the internal capsule, interspersed among the basal ganglia. The enzyme was also present in the epithelial cells of the choroid plexus and in corpora amylacea, which were seen in many regions of the CNS. Homocarnosine was localized either in the same tracts or in nearby neurons. For example, the Purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex contained homocarnosine, whereas serum carnosinase was localized in adjacent neuronal projections apparently originating from outside the cerebellar cortex and having probable synaptic contact with the Purkinje cells. These findings suggest that in addition to glutamate decarboxylation, a second metabolic reaction for the formation of free GABA exists in specific neuronal tracts of the human CNS where GABA is released from homocarnosine by the action of serum carnosinase.
Early diagenesis of organic matter in sediments off the coast of Peru

United States Department of Energy . Contract No. DE-AC02-76CH00016 and National Science Foundation Grant OCE 82-14641. A contribution supported by CUEA (NSF) from the Division of Oceanographic Scineces att he Brookhave National Laboraty and the Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Reappraisal and expected value modulate risk taking

Decision making is informed by appraisals of appetitive cues and their associated opportunities for rewards. Such appraisals can be modulated by cognitive regulation strategies in order to promote goal-directed choices. Little is known about how cognitive regulation strategies, especially reappraisal, alter risk taking during decision making. To characterise the effect of reappraisal on risk taking, we systematically varied both the goal of regulation and the value of the decision options. Participants engaged in two reappraisal strategies with opposite goals, to increase (“emphasise”) or decrease (“de-emphasise”) the importance of an upcoming decision, during the presentation of cues signalling monetary decisions. The expected value of taking a risk was systematically varied across decisions such that a risky choice could be beneficial or disadvantageous. Reappraisal strategies increased or decreased risk taking in accordance both with regulation goals and expected value information. These results sugges...
Theory of the Refraction and the Diffraction of Neutrons by Crystals

The equations for the elastic scattering of neutrons by a single crystal, governing simple refraction, reflection, and Laue-Bragg scattering, are derived under the assumption that the scattering and absorption cross sections are independent of spin. A brief summary of the results is given in the final section of the paper.
Low-Income Children's Participation in a Public Health Insurance Program in Georgia

To expand health care coverage to uninsured, low-income children, the Congress created the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) in 1997. Given ample evidence that state Medicaid programs have failed to enroll many eligible children, experts questioned whether SCHIP could successfully enroll low-income children. Using Georgia state SCHIP data, we analyzed enrollment patterns and identified factors contributing to program enrollment. This study found that the children's enrollment is explained by perceived costs and benefits of joining the program as well as the underlying family structure, demographic factors, and health status. We discuss implications of these findings on the participation of low-income families in public sector programs.
Rhetorical distance: A critical dimension

(1973). Rhetorical distance: A critical dimension. Western Speech: Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 241-252.
Entropy of groups and subfactors

We show that the classical notion of entropy of a finitely generated group G as introduced by A. Avez (C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 275A, 1972, 1363–1366) is related by an explicit formula to the entropy of A. Connes and E. Stormer (Acta Math. 134, 1975, 288–306) and the index of V. F. R. Jones (Invent. Math. 72, 1983, 1–25) of the associated pair of finite von Neumann algebras as considered by S. Popa (C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris Ser. I Math. 309, 1989, 771–776). This construction is discussed in detail. We prove that the entropy of G is maximal if and only if G is the free group and compute its value. Then we show how the entropy of groups is connected to random walks on groups and information theory. Finally we give a brief discussion of the group entropy as a growth invariant and compare it to the Grigorchuk-Cohen cogrowth and Kesten's invariant λ(G).
Stages in human mental growth.

McCall's 1988 article criticizing some of Epstein's studies of brain and mind growth is shown to suffer from two main flaws. First, he was not aware of the need for analysis in terms of concurrences among studies rather than standard statistical analyses of individual studies. Second, he did not use increment spans appropriate for the data. He also wrongly claimed that Epstein advocated changes in educational policies and practices without caveats that carefully labeled these as suggestions for working hypotheses to be tested in the schools. Finally, his criticisms of the brain growth stages had already been invalidated in a 1986 article by Epstein which he did not cite
Characterization of polycrystalline layers by channelling measurements

From intenational conference on ion beam surface layer analysis; Yorktown Heights, NY (18 Jun 1973). Properties of polycrystalline Pd2Si layers formed on Si single-crystal substrates have been investigated by channeling measurements. Previous x-ray pole figure analysis indicated that the Pd2Si layers have a preferential orientation of the c-axis parallel to that of the axis of the substrate. The spread in crystallite orientations was found to depend strongly on heat treatment. The present measurements indicate that channeling minimum yields in these layers depend on this spread in orientation, and they show that channeling techniques can be used to obtain information on the orientation of polycrystalline films when the spread is of the order of the critical angle for channeling (~1 deg ). Minimum yields have been measured for protons and for 4He+ ions incident at energies from 0.2 to 2 MeV. Contrary to what is ordinarily observed for disordered single crystals, it was found that the minimum yields for the polycrystalline layers decrease markedly with decreasing beam energy. Assuming a gaussian distribution of crystallite orientations, calculations of the energy dependence of the minimum yield are consistent with the experimental findings.
Rotator-particle p -wave neutron resonances in the compound nucleus 29 Si

An attempt is made to interpret /sup 28/Si neutron resonances within the framework of the Nilsson model employing the Feshback formalism. The target /sup 28/Si is described as a deformed rotator and the compound nucleus is treated in a rotator-particle coupling scheme. The model predicts only one strong resonance for both 1/2/sup -/ and 3/2/sup -/ spins and no s-wave resonance above neutron threshold. A comparison of experimental and predicted reduced-width sum for spins 3/2/sup -/ and 1/2/sup -/ up to 2 MeV neutron energy shows satisfactory agreement. (LBS)
The Forbidden Fork, the Cell Phone Holocaust, and Other Haredi Encounters with Technology

Haredi Jews valorize tradition and explicitly reject the idea of progress on ideological grounds. Concomitantly, they are opposed to many innovations and are highly critical of the destructive potential of modern communication technologies such as cell phones with Internet capability that serve as pocket-sized portals between their insular communities and the wider world. In response to this perceived threat, Haredi authorities have issued bans on the use of certain technologies and have endorsed the development of acceptable alternatives, such as the so-called kosher cell phone. And yet, many Haredim, both in the United States and Israel, are highly sophisticated users and purveyors of these same technologies. This tension indicates that Haredim have a much more complicated relationship to technology and to modernity, itself, than their “official” stance would suggest.
Using temporal hierarchies to efficiently maintain large temporal databases

Many real-world applications involve the management of large amounts of time-dependent information. Temporal database systems maintain this information in order to support various sorts of inference (e.g., answering questions involving propositions that are true over some intervals and false over others). For any given proposition, there are typically many different occasions on which that proposition becomes true and persists for some length of time. In this paper, these occasions are referred to as time tokens. Many routine database operations must search through the database for time tokens satisfying certain temporal constraints. To expedite these operations, this paper describes a set of techniques for organizing temporal information by exploiting the local and global structure inherent in a wide class of temporal reasoning problems. The global structure of time is exemplified in conventions for partitioning time according to the calendar and the clock. This global structure is used to partition the set of time tokens to facilitate retrieval. The local structure of time is exemplified in the causal relationships between events and the dependencies between planned activities. This local structure is used as part of a strategy for reducing the computation required during constraint propagation. The organizational techniques described in this paper are quite general, and have been used to support a variety of powerful inference mechanisms. Integrating these techniques into an existing temporal database system has increased, by an order of magnitude or more in most applications, the number of time tokens that can be efficiently handled. —Author's Abstract
Effects of Constant Delay of Reinforcement on Wheel Running

Summasy.-3 groups of 4 rats completed run-to-lick contingencies with delay of reward intervals of 0, 3, and 10 sec. imposed berween the FR 10 running requirement and delivery of a 4% sucrose solution. Following acquisition sessions, Ss received extinction sessions which continued until instrumental responding stabilized. The experimental design continued over 4 replications. There were no differential effects of delay of reward conditions on either total acquisition or extinction responding. A review of delayed reinforcement by Renner (1964) indicated: (1) acquisition performance is a monotonic decreasing function of delay interval length; (2) constant delay of reinforcement retards resistance to extinction when acquisition and extinction delay condirions are similar. Recent runway studies suggest that decreases in duration of delay from acq~~isition to extinction facilitate resistance to extinction (Tombaugh, 1966; Wike, Mellgren, & Wike, 1968; Wike & McWilliams, 1967a, 1967b). The present study-inserting a delay during acquisition but not during extinctiondecreased the duration of delay becween acquisition and extinction but employed a wheel as rnanipulandum rather than an alleyway. METHOD subject^ Ss were 12 adult female Sprague-Dawley albino rats, divided into 3 groups of 4 each. Ss were housed individually under constant lighting conditions, with Purina Chow available ad lib. in the home cage throughout the experiment During acquisition sessions, a 4% sucrose solution, weight by volume, was available in the test chamber; no fluids were given in the home cage during these sessions. Tap water was available in the home cage on an ad lib. basis for 30 min., post-session, during extinction phases of the experiment, when no fluids were available in the test chamber.
The pharmacologic control of adrenal steroidogenesis.

Abstract The control of cortisol secretion by ACTH and of aldosterone secretion by angiotensin is exerted upon separate cell populations in the adrenal cortex. Cells of the zona faciculata and the zona glomerulosa, while sharing common steroidogenic pathways, are affected differently by hormones and drugs. Fasciculata cells demonstrate increased cAMP formation and cortisol output primarily in response to ACTH. ACTH receptors, when occupied by hormone, transmit an activating signal to membrane-bound adenylate cyclase by a mechanism that may require the translocation of Ca2+. Although the precise way in which increased intracellular cAMP leads to increased steroidogenesis is unknown, protein phosphorylation and new protein synthesis are probably involved. Glomerulosa cells also respond to ACTH, but are uniquely responsive to physiological concentrations of angiotensin II and K+. The responsiveness of these cells to angiotensin may be governed by alterations in receptor number. Whether occupied angiotensin receptors activate steroidogenesis via cAMP is uncertain, but alterations in Ca2+ distribution within the cell may again be involved. Dopamine probably exerts a tonic inhibitory effect on glomerulosa cell function. Competitive inhibitory analogs for both ACTH and angiotensin II are available, but thus far all inhibitors have retained weak agonist properties. Because the regulatory processes for both cortisol and aldosterone are complex, a wide variety of drugs can affect rates of steroidogenesis in vivo .
Origin of contractile dysfunction in heart failure: calcium cycling versus myofilaments.

Background—Chronic congestive heart failure is a common, often lethal disorder of cardiac contractility. The fundamental pathophysiology of the contractile failure remains unclear, the focus being on abnormal Ca2+ cycling despite emerging evidence for depressed myofilament function. Methods and Results—We measured intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and contractile force in intact ventricular muscle from SHHF rats with spontaneous heart failure and from age-matched controls. At physiological concentrations of extracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]o), [Ca2+]i transients were equal in amplitude in the 2 groups, but [Ca2+]i peaked later in SHHF muscles. Twitch force peaked slowly and was equivalent or modestly decreased in amplitude relative to controls. Steady-state analysis revealed a much greater (53%) depression of maximal Ca2+-activated force in SHHF muscles, which, had other factors been equal, would have produced an equivalent suppression of twitch force. Phase-plane analysis reveals that the slowing of Ca...
Tolerance to gas supersaturation in fresh water and sea water by steelhead trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson

The euryhaline status of steelhead trout, Salmo gairdneri, smolts was challenged in sea water for 2 weeks after which half of the total fish population was returned to fresh water. Acclimation continued and created two test populations in 29%osea water and fresh water. Subsequently these fish were exposed in fresh water or sea water to approximately equal hyperbaric dissolved total gas pressures (ΔP) of 190 mm Hg or about 125% of barometric pressure. Sea water was easier to supersaturate with air and required only about 10% of the entrained air which was required in fresh water at the same temperature and pressure. Mean time to first mortality was sooner in sea water. Mean times to mortality (10–50%) were not significantly different between fresh water and sea water, but there was a noticeable trend for longer survival in fresh water.
Catastrophizing and pain in arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other rheumatic diseases

Objective Pain is among the most frequently reported, bothersome, and disabling symptoms described by patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other musculoskeletal conditions. This review describes a growing body of literature relating catastrophizing, a set of cognitive and emotional processes encompassing magnification of pain-related stimuli, feelings of helplessness, and a generally pessimistic orientation, to the experience of pain and pain-related sequelae across several rheumatic diseases. Methods We reviewed published articles in which pain-related catastrophizing was assessed in the context of one or more rheumatic conditions. Because much of the available information on catastrophizing is derived from the more general chronic pain literature, seminal studies in other disease states were also considered. Results Catastrophizing is positively related, in both cross-sectional and prospective studies across different musculoskeletal conditions, to the reported severity of pain, affective distress, muscle and joint tenderness, pain-related disability, poor outcomes of pain treatment, and, potentially, to inflammatory disease activity. Moreover, these associations generally persist after controlling for symptoms of depression. There appear to be multiple mechanisms by which catastrophizing exerts its harmful effects, from maladaptive influences on the social environment to direct amplification of the central nervous system's processing of pain. Conclusion Catastrophizing is a critically important variable in understanding the experience of pain in rheumatologic disorders as well as other chronic pain conditions. Pain-related catastrophizing may be an important target for both psychosocial and pharmacologic treatment of pain.
Alcoholism and the ‘New Genetics’: a comment

Summary Mullen's Alcoholism and the ‘New Genetics’ presents a broad overview of issues relevant to studies of genetic factors in alcoholism. This piece is especially timely because investigations into hereditary factors in alcohol-related disorders are at an important crossroads. Family, twin, and adoption studies all point towards the importance of genetic influences, but the studies are not unanimous. Before further effort is expanded in this area, it is important to develop an accurate picture of what has been accomplished, and to form some opinions on how likely it is that the conclusions are valid. It is also time to begin to speculate on the next logical steps for this research. Mullen's piece has a striking cogency and I endorse much of what is said. Below are some further comments. All in all, this is a good time to take stock of the issues.
Simultaneous measurements of heart rate and oxygen consumption in black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus).

Abstract 1. 1. Studies were conducted to explore the potential for using telemetry of heart rates as an index of rates of energy expenditures in free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). 2. 2. For periods of 1 hr with activities varying spontaneously or by exciting the animal, heart rate and oxygen consumption were highly correlated with coefficients averaging >0.9. 3. 3. The relationships appeared stable for one to a few days but differed over weeks or longer. 4. 4. Relative comparisions of costs for behaviors over circadian cycles and a few days would seem feasible by the heart rate index method in prairie dogs.
Multivariate Statistical Analyses of Palynodebris from the Middle Miocene of the Niger Delta and their Environmental Significance

Fourteen types of palynodebris have been identified in Middle Miocene reservoir sediments from the Niger Delta. They include palynomorphs, cuticle, parenchyma, resins, black debris, woody fragments and degraded components. The palynodebris types were interpreted by Principal Components Analysis and Average Linkage Cluster Analysis. Four assemblages of samples emerged and they have been grouped into two palynofacies associations, A/C and B/D, because of their correlation with mudstone and muddy heterolithic lithofacies and sandstone lithofacies, respectively. The significant palynodebris components are black debris, parenchyma, resins and amorphous organic matter. The size, shape and texture of all the components were integrated with sedimentological features, palynomorph and foraminiferal assemblages to recognize seven, possibly eight, deltaic sub-environments of deposition in the reservoir. Mudstones and muddy heteroliths from low energy depositional environments are characterized by small-sized, lath-shaped woody debris, and high concentration of buoyant components such as palynomorphs, cuticles and degraded bundles. The sandstones contain larger and more equidimensional woody fragments. These sediments are also richer in black debris which are believed to be a function of exposure to oxidizing conditions for a longer period of time. Parenchyma and resins, though rare, are characteristic of distributary channel-fill sandstones. 59 refs., 7 figs., 3 tabs.