cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Can Prosecutors Help To End Mass Incarceration

Emily Bazelon argues in her excellent book, Charged, that “[t]he movement to elect a new kind of prosecutor is the most promising means of reform . . . on the political landscape.” While I share Bazelon’s enthusiasm for prosecutors committed to using empirical evidence to guide their policymaking, instead of reflexively supporting the most punitive policies because those measures traditionally played well with voters, I am less optimistic this new breed of so-called progressive prosecutors will make a significant dent in mass incarceration. In this review, I explain why. Bazelon is right that prosecutors have enormous discretion to decide how criminal law will be applied, but the deference they have received in the past corresponded to their decisions to use that discretion to seek severe punishments. In this review, I document the resistance to prosecutors seeking to decarcerate. The forces pushing back come from outside and inside the office. We have seen opposition efforts from police departments, judges, other prosecutors, elected officials, the media, and line prosecutors within these offices. For this movement to be truly transformative, these prosecutors will need to do more than seek to exercise the vast discretion of their offices more wisely than their predecessors. They will need spearhead institutional changes, including changes that limit the leverage prosecutors have over defendants. This review provides a summary of what some of those checks should look like. In addition to providing a list of needed reforms, this can serve as a checklist to evaluate prosecutors who claim to be progressive. If they are not putting their full support behind these institutional changes, one should question just how progressive they are. But even if prosecutors pursue all these changes, we should recognize that they cannot dismantle mass incarceration their own. Real change is going to require shifts in police departments, the judiciary, the legislature, and governor’s offices. Most fundamentally, transforming punishment in America will require the public to change its understanding about what policies are most effective for crime control. Prosecutors have long lobbied for the get-tough approach as the way to address crime, so this new breed of prosecutor needs to take the lead in explaining why punishment is not the answer to deeper social problems that lead to crime and violence.
The Crystalline Nephropathies

Crystalline nephropathies are a unique form of kidney disease characterized by the histologic finding of intrarenal crystal deposition. The intrinsic nature of some molecules and ions combined with a favorable tubular fluid physiology leads to crystal precipitation and deposition within the tubular lumens. Crystal deposition promotes kidney injury through tubular obstruction and both direct and indirect cytotoxicities. Further kidney injury develops from inflammation triggered by these crystals. From a clinical standpoint, the crystalline nephropathies are associated with abnormal urinalysis and urinary sediment findings, tubulopathies, acute kidney injury (AKI), and/or chronic kidney disease (CKD). Urine sediment examination is often helpful in alerting clinicians to the possibility of crystal-related kidney injury. The identification of crystals within the kidneys on biopsy by pathologists prompts clinicians to evaluate patients for medication-related kidney injury, dysproteinemia-related malignancies, and certain inherited disorders. This review will focus on the clinical and pathologic aspects of these 3 categories of crystalline nephropathies.
Pharmacodynamic Effects of Ticagrelor Dosing Regimens in Patients on Maintenance Ticagrelor Therapy: Results From a Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind Investigation.

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the impact of ticagrelor dosing regimens on pharmacodynamic (PD) profiles in patients on maintenance ticagrelor therapy. Background Many patients on maintenance P2Y12-inhibiting therapies may require coronary revascularization procedures, raising a common clinical question with regard to the dosing regimen of the P2Y12-inhibiting agent to be used. To date, investigations assessing dosing regimens of P2Y12 receptor inhibitors in patients on maintenance therapy have been only assessed with thienopyridines, but not with ticagrelor. Methods This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study assessing the PD effects of 2 dosing regimens of ticagrelor in patients on standard aspirin and ticagrelor maintenance therapy. A total of 60 patients were randomized to either 90 mg (maintenance dose [MD] group) or 180 mg (loading dose [LD] group) dose of ticagrelor. PD assessments were conducted at 3 time points (baseline, 1 h and 4 h). PD assessments were defined according to the platelet reactivity index (PRI) (vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein phosphorylation assay), P2Y12 reaction unit (VerifyNow P2Y12 assay) and adenosine diphosphate–induced platelet aggregation by light transmittance aggregometry. Results There were no differences in baseline levels of platelet reactivity with all assays. Intergroup comparisons by means of repeated-measures analysis adjusted for baseline PRI values showed that the LD group had significantly lower PRI levels compared with the MD group during the overall study time course (p = 0.031). Consistent findings were found for P2Y12 reaction unit (p = 0.026) and light transmittance aggregometry (p = 0.004). Intragroup comparisons showed that a more prompt and sustained platelet inhibitory effect was achieved more consistently with an LD regimen compared with a MD regimen. Conclusions In patients on maintenance ticagrelor therapy, a 180-mg LD regimen of ticagrelor is associated with more potent and prompt platelet inhibition compared with a 90-mg MD. (Impact of Ticagrelor Re-Load Pharmacodynamic Profiles; NCT01731041 ).
Chapter 16 – More Mathematical Projects

This chapter discusses mathematical projects, such as rearrangement of conditionality convergent series. Dirichlet's theorem 13.4 from the Mathematical Background book provides the convergent expression. Dirichlet's theorem for Fourier series is very powerful, because it gives us results where great care is needed for direct convergence proofs. Absolute uniform convergence in the main text because that kind of convergence allows treating series the most like very long sums is emphasized in the chapter.
High-performance caching with the Lava hit-server

With the development of new client-server computing models, such as thin clients and network computers, the performance of servers becomes a bottleneck. In these models, servers support a large number of clients. They download significant amounts of data to their clients in the form of graphics, executables (e.g., applets), and video. We present an architecture for building high-performance server systems that can efficiently serve large local clusters of NCs or other clients. The key component in our architecture is a generic cache module that is designed to fully utilize available bus bandwidth. Our experiments show that such a server system can achieve throughput rates of up to 36,000 transactions per second. We detail the design and implementation of the generic cache component, describe its use in the implementation of a sample server system, and show how the architecture can be scaled.
Ladino in Print: Toward A Comprehensive Bibliography

Ladino literature, encompassing some 3,000 titles from the 1540s to the present day, and including genres as varied as translated biblical texts, rabbinical commentaries, prayer books, novels, dictionaries, plays, and newspapers, has rarely been used as a historical source. Nor has any scholar attempted a history of this literature, its producers and its consumers. This article argues that the lack of historically-oriented bibliographies largely accounts for this scholarly neglect. Surveying major Ladino collections worldwide, the mostly enumerative bibliographies that have been produced since the late 19th century, and historical insights from three annotated Ladino bibliographies, this study argues that the crafting of annotated bibliographies constitutes in itself a form of historical research. Suggesting new directions for cataloguing Judeo-Spanish items, especially the incorporation of detailed content analysis and what the late D. F. McKenzie called, “the sociology of texts,” this study concludes in addressing the feasibility of Abraham Yaari's hope for a comprehensive bibliography of predominantly Hebrew-scripted Judeo-Spanish literature.
Social Skills Instruction for Adolescents with Emotional Disabilities: A Technology-Based Intervention

This study explored the use of multimedia, student-generated social skills lessons coupled with teacher facilitation to improve the social skills of middle-school students with emotional disabiliti...
Nanoparticle positron emission tomography/computed tomography imaging of chemokine receptor CCR5 in atherosclerosis

1236 Objectives We have demonstrated the specific PET imaging of CCR5 important to atherosclerosis with 64Cu-DAPTA peptide tracer in a vascular injury model. Herein, we aim to demonstrate improved CCR5 detection specificity and sensitivity with DAPTA peptides conjugated nanoparticles in a clinically relevant model of atherosclerosis. Methods The DAPTA-Comb nanoparticles were prepared with controlled conjugation of DAPTA peptides and DOTA. Biodistribution of 64Cu-DAPTA-Comb was performed in C57 mice. Aortic artery (AA) CCR5 detection efficiency and specificity was assessed in ApoE-/- mice on western diet and age-matched C57 mice on normal chow with PET/CT, respectively. Histopathological characterization of CCR5 was performed on the AA after scan. PET blocking studies were performed to evaluate CCR5 targeting specificity. Results Biodistribution showed extended blood circulation and reduced hepatic and splenic accumulation of 64Cu-DAPTA-Comb relative to 64Cu-Comb and 64Cu-DAPTA peptide. 64Cu-DAPTA-Comb showed significantly higher AA uptake (7.5 ± 1.0 %ID/g, p Conclusions The 64Cu-DAPTA-Comb affords sensitive and specific imaging of CCR5 that is superior to 64Cu-DAPTA peptide in atherosclerotic lesion. Its superior pharmacokinetics and targeting efficiency make it a promising candidate tracer for further evaluation. Research Support This work is supported by the NHLBI Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology (HHSN268201000046C).
Studies on the mechanism of oxidative phosphorylation. II. Role of bound pyridine nucleotide in phosphorylation.

Abstract The citric cycle oxidations of PETP which are induced by external DPN are not coupled to phosphorylation whereas the oxidation involving bound pyridine nucleotide is coupled. The residue particles differ from PETP in that a proportion of the DPN-induced oxidation is still coupled. With extensive washing of the residue particles the capacity to catalyze oxidation in absence of added cofactors is sharply reduced. This capacity can be restored by incubating the particles with cofactors and substrate at o° and then washing them exhaustively. Such treated particles regain both their original oxidative and phosphorylative capacity (in absence of added cofactors). DPNH oxidation is not accompanied by phosphorylation. External DPN is not reducible by the substrates of tightly coupled pyridinoprotein dehydrogenase systems.
Computerized decision support to reduce potentially inappropriate prescribing to older emergency department patients: a randomized, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of computer-assisted decision support in reducing potentially inappropriate prescribing to older adults. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: An academic emergency department (ED) in Indianapolis, Indiana, where computerized physican order entry was used to write all medication prescriptions. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-three emergency physicians were randomized to the intervention (32 physicians) or control (31 physicians) group. INTERVENTION: Decision support that advised against use of nine potentially inappropriate medications and recommended safer substitute therapies. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was the proportion of ED visits by seniors that resulted in one or more prescriptions for an inappropriate medication. The main secondary outcomes were the proportions of medications prescribed that were inappropriate and intervention physicians' reasons for rejecting the decision support. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 74, two-thirds were female, and just over half were African American. Decision support was provided 114 times to intervention physicians, who accepted 49 (43%) of the recommendations. Intervention physicians prescribed one or more inappropriate medications during 2.6% of ED visits by seniors, compared with 3.9% of visits managed by control physicians (P=.02; odds ratio=0.55, 95% confidence interval=0.34–0.89). The proportion of all prescribed medications that were inappropriate significantly decreased from 5.4% to 3.4%. The most common reason for rejecting decision support was that the patient had no prior problems with the medication. CONCLUSION: Computerized physican order entry with decision support significantly reduced prescribing of potentially inappropriate medications for seniors. This approach might be used in other efforts to improve ED care.Trial Registration: Clinical trials.gov Identifier: NCT00297869.
Consensus-Based evaluation for fault isolation and on-line evolutionary regeneration

While the fault repair capability of Evolvable Hardware (EH) approaches have been previously demonstrated, further improvements to fault handling capability can be achieved by exploiting population diversity during all phases of the fault handling process. A new paradigm for online EH regeneration using Genetic Algorithms (GAs) called Consensus Based Evaluation (CBE) is developed where the performance of individuals is assessed based on broad consensus of the population instead of a conventional fitness function. Adoption of CBE enables information contained in the population to not only enrich the evolutionary process, but also support fault detection and isolation. On-line regeneration of functionality is achieved without additional test vectors by using the results of competitions between individuals in the population. Relative fitness measures support adaptation of the fitness evaluation procedure to support graceful degredation even in the presence of unpredictable changes in the operational environment, inputs, or the FPGA application. Application of CBE to FPGA-based multipliers demonstrates 100% isolation of randomly injected stuckat faults and evolution of a complete regeneration within 135 repair iterations while precluding the propagation of any discrepant output. The throughput of the system is maintained at 85.35% throughout the repair process.
Testing for a time-varying risk premium in the returns to U.S. farmland

Abstract This paper reports empirical evidence on two alternative theories of time-varying risk premia in the returns to U.S. farmland. In the first model the risk premium depends on the conditional variance of excess returns to farmland. The second model is based on a CAPM formulation in which the risk premium depends on the conditional covariance between excess returns to farmland and a market portfolio of stocks. Time-variation in the conditional covariance matrix of excess returns is modeled using an ARCH framework. Results from an analysis of U.S. farmland data reveal time variation in the conditional variance of excess returns, suggesting the risk from investing in farmland has varied significantly over time. However, changes in the conditional variance of excess returns to farmland have little power to explain movements in mean farmland returns. This may be explained by a zero covariance between the excess returns to farmland and a market portfolio of stocks, suggesting farmland has no systematic risk and therefore no risk premium. Nevertheless, excess returns to farmland are found to be strongly autocorrelated, which is inconsistent with present value models of farmland pricing.
A versatile Ge(Li)-NaI(Tl) coincidence-anticoincidence gamma-ray spectrometer for environmental and biological problems

Abstract A high-sensitivity gamma-ray spectrometer incorporating a high-performance Ge(Li) detector and a NaI(Tl) well detector has been developed which provides improved sensitivities for both coincident and noncoincident gamma-ray emitting radionuclides. It provides about a 10-fold reduction in the smooth portion of the natural background interference while Compton interferences have been reduced by as much as 85 times in the anticoincidence spectrum and 400 times in some coincidence spectra. The Compton edge of 137 Cs is reduced by a factor of 18 in the anticoincidence spectrum to yield the highest reported peak to Compton edge ratio of 790:1 and a 915:1 peak to Compton minimum. Its sensitivity for measuring most radionuclides in many environmental and biological samples is about 1 dpm including such coincident gamma-ray emitting radionuclides as 22 Na, 46 Sc and 60 Co. Examples of its radioanalytical applications are illustrated and discussed.
The effects of non-periodic microstructure on the elastic properties of two-dimensional cellular solids

Abstract Models of two-dimensional cellular solids are based on idealized unit cells intended to represent the microstructural features of an average cell from a real material. A significant limitation of the unit cell modelling approach is that it does not account for the natural variations in microstructure which are typical of most cellular materials. Our objective was to model one type of microstructural variability—the non-periodic arrangement of cell walls—and to investigate how this variability affected the relations between microstructure and elastic properties in two-dimensional cellular materials (honeycombs). Specifically, we asked: (1) How much variance in the elastic properties does variability in the arrangement of cells walls introduce? (2) Are the relations between microstructural and elastic properties for non-periodic honeycombs the same, on average, as those for periodic honeycombs? (3) Can anisotropy of elastic properties for non-periodic honeycombs be directly related to microstructural anisotropy, as characterized by stereological parameters? We generated models of non-periodic arrays of Voronoi cells with uniform cell wall thickness, and performed finite element analysis (FEA) to determine effective elastic moduli for low density honeycombs (relative densities
Selex: An expert system for evaluating published data on selenium in foods

Abstract Providing consistent and objective evaluation of published data on nutrient composition is critical for planning future analytical studies and for effective use of data. Based on a commercial expert system shell, a computer system of approximately 200 rules has been created to evaluate and ratre quantitatively published data on selenium in foods. The evaluation scheme uses five general categories for its rule-making process: number of samples, analytical method, sample handling, sampling plan, and analytical quality control. For each selenium value to be evaluted, rating ar assigned in each category by the expert system based on input which is derived from the information reportedin a given paper. A quality index, which is derived from the ratings, is a measure of the reliability of a given selenium value over all categories for a given study. The concepts used in developing SELEX have the potential of establishing criteria for evaluation of proposed analytical methods prior to their publication.
San Duanmu (2000). The phonology of Standard Chinese. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Pp. xv+300

This new addition to the series on the phonology of the world's languages edited by Jacques Durand is the most comprehensive study of the synchronic phonology of Standard Chinese (or Standard Mandarin) since the publication of Cheng's (1973) monograph. Duanmu provides a detailed description of the phonological facts in Standard Chinese (henceforth SC), some of which are new or little studied before, offers new perspectives on old problems and proposes a theoretical analysis of these facts in current frameworks such as feature geometry, metrical phonology and Optimality Theory. The main innovation and, in my opinion, the most significant contribution of this book is the extensive coverage of stress (or metrical structure) and its influence on the order and length of compound words. The role of metrical structure is also extended to the analysis of some long-standing problems of the well-known tone 3 sandhi process. Claiming the existence of stress and its importance to understanding the interaction of phonology and morphosyntax in SC may come as a surprise to some readers since SC is not a stress language and its phonetic stress is notoriously difficult to detect. The proposed metrical analysis, nonetheless, is innovative and convincingly argued, and has clearly established the phonological relevance of metrical structure for SC.
Avoidance of natural enemies by adult whiteflies, Bemisia argentifolii, and effects on host plant choice

Abstract In this study we asked whether, in the context of a trap crop system, differential predation risks among plants influence host choice patterns of adult whiteflies, Bemisia argentifolii . We investigated whether adult whiteflies avoid natural enemies inhabiting poinsettia (a cash crop) and whether this behavior can be used to increase the movement of whiteflies to cucumber (a trap crop). The potential of cucumber as a trap crop was first evaluated and we found that significantly more whiteflies were attracted to cucumber when the whiteflies were released between the two plants. However, the accumulation of whiteflies on cucumber substantially diminished if the insects had first settled on poinsettia. Under such circumstances, we investigated whether movement of adult whiteflies to cucumber could be increased by creating conditions that would cause the whiteflies that had settled on poinsettia to leave the plant. A mechanical disturbance, consisting of shaking the plant, was first used to test this hypothesis. The shaking caused more whiteflies to leave poinsettia and move onto the trap crop, compared to undisturbed whiteflies. We then asked whether the presence of natural enemies on the cash crop could induce whiteflies to leave the cash crop and move onto the trap crop. Three natural enemies were tested: two predators, Amblyseius swirskii and Delphastus catalinae , and a parasitoid Encarsia formosa . The presence of D. catalinae on poinsettia induced significantly more whiteflies to disperse to cucumber compared to poinsettia with no natural enemies, whereas A. swirskii and E. formosa did not result in a significant increase. Predator avoidance behavior by adult whiteflies should be investigated further in the context of trap cropping and other crop-habitat alterations designed to help manage whitefly abundance.
Ethics and Economics: Towards a New Humanistic Synthesis for Business

The Encyclical-Letter "Caritas in Veritate" by Pope Benedict XVI suggests to advance towards a new conceptualization of the tenuous relationship between economics and ethics, proposing a “new humanistic synthesis”. Where social encyclicals have traditionally justified policy proposals by natural law and theological reasoning, "Caritas in Veritate" gives great relevance to economic arguments. The encyclical defines the framework for a new business ethics which appreciates allocative and distributive efficiency, and thus both markets and institutions as improving the human condition, but locates their source and reason outside the economic sphere. It places a clear accent on the ontological connectedness of the economic and ethical dimensions of human action. It is the proper ordering of means towards the end of integral human development that allows mankind to leave a vicious circle of consumerism and enter a virtuous circle that applies the creativity fostered by markets. This vision implies a new model of business management that integrates considerations of vocation, purpose, and values at a theological level.
Expression and function of CCAAT/enhancer binding proteinbeta (C/EBPbeta) LAP and LIP isoforms in mouse mammary gland, tumors and cultured mammary epithelial cells.

CCAAT/Enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs) play important roles in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. This study investigated the expression and function of C/EBPbeta isoforms in the mouse mammary gland, mammary tumors, and a nontransformed mouse mammary epithelial cell line (HC11). C/EBPbeta mRNA levels are 2-5-fold higher in mouse mammary tumors derived from MMTV/c-neu transgenic mice compared with lactating and involuting mouse mammary gland. The "full-length" 38 kd C/EBPbeta LAP ("Liver-enriched Activator Protein") isoform is the predominant C/EBPbeta protein isoform in mammary tumor whole cell lysates, however, the truncated 20 kd C/EBPbeta LIP ("Liver-enriched Inhibitory Protein") isoform is also present at detectable levels (mean LAP:LIP ratio 5.3:1). The mammary tumor C/EBPbeta LAP:LIP ratio decreases 70% (from 5.3:1 to 1.6:1) when lysate preparation is switched from a rapid whole cell lysis protocol to a multistep nuclear/cytoplasmic fractionation protocol. In contrast to mammary tumors, only the C/EBPbeta LAP isoform is detectable in the mammary gland whole cell and nuclear lysates; the truncated "LIP" isoform is undetectable regardless of isolation protocol. Ectopic over expression of C/EBPbeta LIP or C/EBPbeta LAP did not alter HC11 growth rates. However, C/EBPbeta LIP over expressing HC11 cells (LAP:LIP ratio of approximately 1:1) exhibited a consistent 2-4 h delay in G(0)/S phase transition. C/EBPbeta LIP overexpressing HC11 cells did not express beta-casein mRNA (mammary epithelial cell differentiation marker) in response to lactogenic hormones. This defect in beta-casein expression was not corrected by carrying out the differentiation protocol in the presence of an artificial extracellular matrix. These results demonstrate that the "full-length" C/EBPbeta LAP isoform is the predominant C/EBPbeta protein isoform expressed in mouse mammary gland in vivo and mouse mammary epithelial cell cultures in vitro. C/EBPbeta LIP detected in mammary tumor lysates may result from in vivo production or ex vivo isolation-induced proteolysis of C/EBPbeta LAP. Ectopic overexpression of C/EBPbeta LIP (LAP:LIP ratio of approximately 1:1) inhibits mammary epithelial cell differentiation (beta-casein expression).
Rat thiopurine methyltransferase assay procedure, developmental changes and strain variation

Abstract Thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) is one of the enzymes involved in the catabolism of 6-mercaptopurine and azathioprine. An assay procedure was developed for rat TPMT, and the activity of the enzyme was measured in erythrocyte lysates and in homogenates of three solid tissues of Sprague-Dawley rats. Apparent Michaelis-Menten ( K m ) values for the two co-substrates of the reaction, 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) and S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM), were 2.4, 1.8, 1.4 and 1.5 × 10 −3 M for 6-MP and 5.3, 3.3, 4.3 and 4.3 × 10 −6 M for SAM in erythrocyte, intestine, kidney, and spleen respectively. The pH optima were 6.7 in all four tissues. Sprague-Dawley rat kidney TPMT activity increased 28-fold and spleen activity increased 2-fold from birth to adulthood when expressed per gram of tissue. The increases were 13- and 2.2-fold, respectively, when expressed per milligram of protein. Enzyme activity was measured in tissues of adult male animals of nine inbred and two outbred rat strains. The rank order of tissue TPMT activity in all strains was: kidney > intestine > spleen > blood. There was a significant correlation between relative erythrocyte and relative kidney enzyme activities. Two-fold variations among strains in renal TPMT activity were found.
The tyranny of the use of homologous series of chemical odorants in olfactory research: does the olfactory system recognize molecules or odors?

In some sense, the idea that the olfactory system is a chemical component analyzer can be traced to the hypothesis attributed to Titus Lucretius Carus in 50B.C. that human olfactory perception is directly linked to the general features of the shape of the molecules that “ penetrare putes primordial forma in naris hominum” (i.e. “work their way into the nostrils of men”). Consistent with this ancient hypothesis, for much of the last 200 years, the dominate experimental approach used to probe the functional organization of the olfactory system has involved the presentation of carefully selected homologous series of chemical compounds organized, for example, according to carbon chain length. In this presentation, data will be presented suggesting that, in fact, this may be entirely the wrong metric to use in understanding olfaction and olfactory perception. Based on an analysis of the organization of industry standard odor descriptors, we have proposed instead that the olfactory system might be organized to detect specific metabolic pathways, in effect already incorporating into its structure and circuitry a deep understanding of the metabolic world. As a test of this hypothesis, human psychophysical data will be presented suggesting that molecules derived from the same metabolic pathways are more likely to interfere perceptually than are molecules that are simply structurally similar. Preliminary data will also be presented suggesting that primary olfactory receptors themselves might be organized as metabolic pathway detectors, rather than as traditional detectors of molecular structure. Finally, evidence will be briefly presented that this “understanding” of the metabolic world might be built into the neural networks of the olfactory system itself. This proposal is based on the results of realistic model-based efforts initially intended to better understand dynamic patterns of oscillatory behavior in the olfactory system. These modeling results will be presented in more detail in several posters being presented at the meeting itself. Accordingly, this presentation will provide a more general context for this work as well as the historical context for work to be presented by several other workshop participants.
Expression of NMDAR2D glutamate receptor subunit mRNA in neurochemically identified interneurons in the rat neostriatum, neocortex and hippocampus

NMDA receptors are composed of proteins from two families: NMDAR1, which are required for channel activity, and NMDAR2, which modulate properties of the channels. The mRNA encoding the NMDAR2D subunit has a highly restricted pattern of expression: in the forebrain, it is found in only a small subset of cortical, neostriatal and hippocampal neurons. We have used a quantitative double-label in situ hybridization method to examine the expression of NMDAR2D mRNA in neurochemically defined populations of neurons. In the neostriatum, NMDAR2D was expressed by the interneuron populations marked by preprosomatostatin (SOM), the 67-kDa form of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67), parvalbumin (PARV), and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) mRNAs but not by the projection neurons expressing beta-preprotachykinin (SP) or preproenkephalin (ENK) mRNAs. In the neocortex, NMDAR2D expression was observed in only a small number of neurons, but these included almost all of the SOM-, GAD67-, and PARV-expressing interneurons. In the hippocampus, NMDAR2D was not present in pyramidal or granule cells, but was abundant in SOM-, GAD67-, and PARV-positive interneurons. NMDAR2D expression appears to be a property shared by interneurons in several regions of the brain. The unique electrophysiological characteristics conveyed by this subunit, which include resistance to blockade by magnesium ion and long channel offset latencies, may be important for the integrative functions of these neurons. NMDAR2D-containing receptor complexes may prove to be important therapeutic targets in human disorders of movement. In addition, the presence of NMDAR2D subunits may contribute to the differential vulnerability of interneurons to excitotoxic injury.
Deviation from Lorentzian shape in the wings of collision-broadened infrared absorption lines of NO

Abstract Measurements of the transmittances as a function of pressure in the ‘troughs’ between self-broadened vibration-rotation lines in the 5·3 μ fundamental band of NO indicate more absorption than expected for Lorentzian-shaped lines. At a displacement greater than 1 cm-1 from the line center, ν0, a better representation is provided by an absorption coefficient proportional to |ν−ν0|-1.6.
A response to “drunk driving and the ecological fallacy: Comments on a paper by Phillips, Ray, and Votey” by Michael D. Maltz

Abstract Michael Maltz bases his critique of our article, “Forecasting Highway Casualties: The British Road Safety Act and a Sense of Deja Vu,” primarily on W.S. Robinson's concept of the ecological fallacy. We feel Maltz's comments overreach any justification based on Robinson's theory and that they are a disservice. The following response reaffirms the validity of the variables we used.
Progesterone Regulates Proliferation of Endothelial Cells

The use of steroid hormones in postmenopausal replacement therapy has been associated with prevention of cardiovascular disease. Although the contribution of estradiol to endothelial cell function has been addressed, little information is available on the effect of progestins on this cell type. Here, we provide direct evidence for the presence of functional nuclear progesterone receptor in endothelial cells and demonstrate that physiological levels of progesterone inhibit proliferation through a nuclear receptor-mediated mechanism. The effects of progesterone were blocked by pretreatment with a progesterone receptor antagonist, and progesterone receptor-deficient endothelial cells failed to respond to the hormone. We evaluated the effect of progesterone by analysis of aorta re-endothelialization experiments in wild-type and progesterone receptor knockout mice. The rate of re-endothelialization was significantly decreased in wild-type mice when in the presence of progesterone, whereas there was no difference between control and progesterone-treated progesterone receptor knockout mice. FACS analysis showed that progestins arrest endothelial cell cycle in G1. The lag in cell cycle progression involved reduction in cyclin-dependent kinase activity, as shown by down-regulation in retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation. In addition, treatment of endothelial cells with progestins altered the expression of cyclin E and A in accordance with G1 arrest. These results have important implications to our current knowledge of the effect of steroids on endothelial cell function and to the overall contribution of progesterone to vascular repair.
NMR Studies of Hindered Rotation of Unsubstituted Bridgehead Phenyl Rings in the Phencyclone - Norbornadiene Adduct

Abstract NMR studies of the Diels-Alder adduct of phencyclone with norbornadiene have provided evidence for hindered rotation of the two unsubstituted bridgehead phenyl groups at ambient temperatures. In d6-DMSO solution, all 14 of the unique proton signals of this molecule are resolved at 200.1 MHz. 1H chemical shift assignments have been made using the COSY two-dimensional homonuclear shift correlation experiment.
Profile of Exercising Women

Responses to a questionnaire by 497 women on their exercise, nutrition, and health habits were studied. Analysis showed respondents were well educated and represented a wide age range. The majority exercised at least 3 times a week for at least half an hour per session. Slightly more than half had been engaging in exercise for more than 5 years, with about 1 in 4 beginning for health goals and 1 in 4 motivated by weight control. Health was ranked in the top three most important reasons for continuing to exercise by more than half the women, but so were weight control, pleasure, and tension reduction. Lack of time limited regularity.
Further studies of the Hartree-Fock approximation in finite nuclei

Abstract New developments in spherical Hartree-Fock techniques make possible very fast calculations of heavy nuclei like 208 Pb and the superheavy elements. With these methods, studies can be made using harmonic oscillator wave functions with a large number of radial nodes and including the physically important relative l -values. Some sample Hartree-Fock results are presented for a velocity-dependent effective interaction recently developed. Single-particle energies and wave functions, rms charge and mass radii, total binding energies, densities and overlaps of single-particle wave functions with pure harmonic oscillator wave functions have been calculated for the nuclei 16 O, 40 Ca, 48 Ca, 56 Ni, 88 Sr, 90 Zr and 208 Pb. Studies of the 208 Pb densities and overlaps strongly suggest that it is necessary to use a dimensionality somewhat greater than pure oscillator functions in calculating heavy nuclei. The origin of spin-orbit splitting in light and heavy nuclei is also discussed. In heavy nuclei, it is shown that the incomplete filling of a j = l± 1 2 doublet has an important effect on the splittings of the single-particle levels.
The effect of abscisic acid on the uptake of potassium and chloride into Avena coleoptile sections

The effect of abscisic acid (ABA) on uptake of potassium (86Bb+ or 42K+) by Avena sativa L. coleoptile sections was investigated. ABA lowered the potassium uptake rate within 30 min after its application and inhibition reached a maximum (ca. 75%) after 2 h. The inhibition of K+ uptake increased with ABA concentration over a range of 0.03 to 10 μg/ml ABA. At a higher K+ concentration (20 mM) the percentage inhibition decreased. The percentage inhibition of K+ uptake by ABA remained constant with external K+ varied from 0.04 to 1.0 mM. After a loading period in 20 mM K+ (86Rb+), apparent efflux of potassium was only slightly increased by ABA. Experiments in which growth was greatly reduced by mannitol or by omission of indole-3-acetic acid from the medium indicated there was no simple quantitative correspondence between ABA inhibition of coleoptile elongation and ABA inhibition of K+ uptake. Chloride uptake was also inhibited by ABA but to a smaller degree than was K+ uptake. No specificity for counterions was observed for K+ uptake. Uptake of 3,0-methylglucose and proline were inhibited by ABA to a much smaller extent (14 and 11%) than that of K+, a result which suggests that ABA acts on specific ion uptake mechanisms.
MIC Power Combiners for FET Amplifiers

A matched six-way MIC radial waveguide combiner operating in a half-wave mode is described. A second configuration is matched by high impedance quarter-wavelength lines with bandwidth increased through the use of shunting half-wavelength lines.
A Design Study of a Reaction Control System for a V/STOL Fighter/Attack Aircraft

Attention is given to a short takeoff vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft reaction control system (RCS) design study. The STOVL fighter/attack aircraft employs an existing turbofan engine, and its hover requirement places a premium on weight reduction, which eliminates prospective nonairbreathing RCSs. A simple engine compressor bleed RCS degrades overall performance to an unacceptable degree, and the supersonic requirement precludes the large volume alternatives of thermal or ejector thrust augmentation systems as well as the ducting of engine exhaust gases and the use of a dedicated turbojet. The only system which addressed performance criteria without requiring major engine modifications was a dedicated load compressor driven by an auxilliary power unit.
An application of variance ratio test to the Korean securities market

Abstract The efficient market hypothesis (EMH) has recently been under attack as a result of the methodology employed in the early tests of the theory. More recent evidence has shown that the traditional tests of random walks are susceptible to errors because of spurious autocorrelation induced by non-synchronous trading which is characteristic of stock markets in developing countries This is the first study to apply the recently introduced Lo-MacKinlay variance ratio test to the Korean Stock Exchange (KSE). The KSE is chosen because it represents a typical emerging stock market. The results show that under the assumption of homoscedastic error term, the random walk hypothesis is rejected. However, with heteroscedastic stochastic disturbance term, we could not reject the hypothesis of random walk for daily data. When the test is applied to longer horizons such as weekly, monthly, 60-day and 90-day interval data, we could not reject the random walk hypothesis. There is also evidence that suggests the presence of spurious autocorrelation and heteroscedasticity in the market. These could be due to official intervention and nonsynchronous trading in the market.
Host competence and helicase activity differences exhibited by West Nile viral variants expressing NS3-249 amino acid polymorphisms

A single helicase amino acid substitution, NS3-T249P, has been shown to increase viremia magnitude/mortality in American crows (AMCRs) following West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Lineage/intra-lineage geographic variants exhibit consistent amino acid polymorphisms at this locus; however, the majority of WNV isolates associated with recent outbreaks reported worldwide have a proline at the NS3-249 residue. In order to evaluate the impact of NS3-249 variants on avian and mammalian virulence, multiple amino acid substitutions were engineered into a WNV infectious cDNA (NY99; NS3-249P) and the resulting viruses inoculated into AMCRs, house sparrows (HOSPs) and mice. Differential viremia profiles were observed between mutant viruses in the two bird species; however, the NS3-249P virus produced the highest mean peak viral loads in both avian models. In contrast, this avian modulating virulence determinant had no effect on LD50 or the neurovirulence phenotype in the murine model. Recombinant helicase proteins demonstrated variable helicase and ATPase activities; however, differences did not correlate with avian or murine viremia phenotypes. These in vitro and in vivo data indicate that avian-specific phenotypes are modulated by critical viral-host protein interactions involving the NS3-249 residue that directly influence transmission efficiency and therefore the magnitude of WNV epizootics in nature.
Vibrational broad bandwidth and scanning sum frequency generation spectroscopy of air-solid and air-liquid interfaces

The adsorption of organics from the gas phase to solid and liquid surfaces is of great interest in the environment. In this study, the surface vibrational spectra of piperidine at the air/liquid interface, air/alumina (a-Al2O3, corundum) (0001) interface and air/a-alumina powder interface were obtained by using vibrational broad bandwidth sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy. The interfacial vibrational signatures in the C-H stretching region of piperidine at the air/liquid and air/solid interfaces are shown to be sensitive spectroscopic-probes revealing the dominating interfacial species. Results indicated that the interfacial species at the air/water interface is mainly hydrogen-bonded piperidine, the interfacial species at the air/alumina (0001) interface is mainly protonated piperidine (piperidium) and the interfacial species at the air/alumina powder interface is mainly liquid-like piperidine.
Self-Monitoring as a Moderator Between Descriptive Norms and Drinking: Findings Among Korean and American University Students

Guided by the theory of normative social behavior (TNSB), this research examined whether a self-monitoring individual difference variable moderates the link between descriptive norms and drinking as well as drinking intentions such that the relations become stronger as self-monitoring becomes stronger. Contrary to our prediction, Study 1 showed that low self-monitoring Korean undergraduates were more likely to be guided by normative information when drinking and intending to drink when compared to those with high self-monitors. Study 2 was conducted using an American university sample, and results of the second study were identical to those of the first study. The relationship between descriptive norms and drinking was stronger among university students who are low self-monitors as compared to those who are high self-monitors. Implications for interventions are discussed.
Nature and the Environment in Nineteenth‐Century Life – By Brian Black

This author's examination of environmental practice in nineteenth‐century America is the latest in a long and reputable series of books recording “Daily Life Through History.” There is no subtitle ...
A comparison of commercially-available automated and manual extraction kits for the isolation of total RNA from small tissue samples

This study compared the performance of five commercially available kits in extracting total RNA from small eukaryotic tissue samples (<15 mg). Total RNA was isolated from fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) tissues (spleen, blood, kidney, embryo, and larvae) using the Qiagen RNeasy® Plus Mini, Qiagen RNeasy® Plus Universal, Promega Maxwell® 16 LEV simplyRNA, Ambion MagMAX™-96 and Promega SimplyRNA HT kits. Kit performance was evaluated via measures of RNA quantity (e.g., total RNA amount) and quality (e.g., ratio of absorbance at 260 and 280 nm, RNA integrity number (RIN), presence of gDNA). With the exception of embryos, each kit generally extracted ≥5 μg of total RNA from each sample. With regard to RNA quality, the RINs of RNA samples isolated via the Plus Mini and Maxwell® 16 kits were consistently higher than those of samples extracted via the remaining three kits and for all tissues, these kits produced intact RNA with average RIN values ≥7. The Plus Universal and SimplyRNA HT kits produced moderately degraded (RIN values <7, but ≥5), while the RNA recovered via the MagMAX™ kit tended to exhibit a high degree of degradation (RIN values <5). Each kit was generally capable of extracting the amount of RNA required for most downstream gene expression applications suggesting that RNA yield is unlikely to be a limiting factor for any of the kits evaluated. However, differences in the quality of RNA extracted via each of the kits indicate that these kits may differ in their ability to yield RNA acceptable for some applications. Overall, the findings of this study demonstrate that there are practical differences between commercially available RNA extraction kits that should be taken into account when selecting extraction methods to be used for isolating RNA designated for gene expression analysis.
Feasibility and efficacy of an intervention to reduce secondhand smoke exposure among infants discharged from a neonatal intensive care unit

Feasibility and efficacy of an intervention to reduce secondhand smoke exposure among infants discharged from a neonatal intensive care unit
Interaction of CO2, CO, and NiO studied by infrared spectroscopy

Abstract By means of infrared spectroscopy for unsupported NiO catalyst, the rate of the reaction of CO(g) with CO3(ads) on the catalyst as well as that of the desorption of CO2 was observed at various temperatures as a function of CO3(ads) surface coverage. Activation energies for these processes are ~14 and ~7 kcal/mole, respectively, for all surface coverages of CO3(ads) studied. Infrared spectra also show that the amount of CO2 adsorbed and its surface structure are sensitive to the oxidation state of the catalyst.