cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
10 From Experiential-based to Relational-based Forms of Social Organization: A Major Transition in the Evolution of Homo sapiens

THE EVOLUTIONARY TRAJECTORY from non-human primate to human forms of social organization encompasses an extraordinary series of social and cultural changes that belie our close anatomical affinity with other primates. Through our capacity to transfer what is in the conscious mind of one individual to another, we have developed adaptations that incorporate collective and not just individual thinking and learning, and thereby have been able to integrate together into larger-scale social entities what would be, for our non-human primate ancestors, disparate, spatially and behaviourally differentiated social groupings such as a primate troops or communities. This trajectory is not simply one of elaboration on characteristics already present in non-human primates in nascent form, but one that initially reached a hiatus due to a cognitive constraint acting on the consequences of interaction between two trends in primate evolution. One trend has been the elaboration and intensification of social interactions, especially through alliance or coalition formation (de Waal 1992). The other is a phylogenetic trend towards increased individualization of behaviour, which places exponentially greater cognitive demands on individuals having to cope with a social unit composed of behaviourally individualized members (Read 2004, 2005). The difficulty that individualization poses for social coherence was graphically described almost a century ago by the sociologist F. H. Hankins:
More method in the mad-genius controversy: A historiometric study of 204 historic creators.

The so-called mad-genius controversy cannot be resolved without applying more sophisticated historiometric methods to the issue. It is especially important to recognize that (a) both eminence and psychopathology are quantitative rather than qualitative variables, (b) the two variables must be indepe
Optimal Planning for Tetrahedral Formations Near Elliptical Orbits

Methods for solving cluster-optimal problems are presented for both minimum time and minimum fuel tranfers near an elliptical reference orbit. The solutions rely on a linearized approximation of the relative orbital dynamics and use a spline approximation to determine the effects of thrust inputs. An extendable parameterization technique is also outlined for formations and formation transits. Examples of both centered and non-centered formations are solved, with focus on application to the tetrahedron specified for the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission.
Type I neurofibromatosis: a geno-oculo-dermatologic update.

Purpose of review This review will focus on the recent clinical insights into type I neurofibromatosis (NF1), the most common geno-oculo-dermatosis. Advances in the treatment will also be reviewed. Recent findings NF1 shares phenotypic features with disorders such as Legius syndrome, type 2 neurofibromatosis (NF2), and multiple lentigenes syndrome. Molecular diagnostic testing aids in diagnosing young children with still-evolving clinical signs and distinguishes NF1 from these other conditions. The management of optic pathway gliomas (OPGs) remains controversial. OPGs may enlarge in later childhood and beyond such that longer ocular surveillance may be appropriate. Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness inversely correlates with OPGs and decreased vision. There is suspected correlation of cerebral arteriopathy risk with the presence of OPGs. Ciliary body cysts and retinal pigmentary abnormalities may also be markers of NF1. Studies continue to confirm the utility of Lisch nodules as a diagnostic marker in older children and adults and seem to correlate with underlying iris pigmentation and sunlight exposure. Promising therapies are being developed based on NF1's central role in the RAS/RHEB/mTOR signal transduction pathway. Summary Continuing advances are enhancing the diagnosis and management of NF1. Current clinical trials use agents that target the RAS/mTOR signal transduction pathway and alter microenvironmental factors that contribute to tumor progression.
The Kinetic Effects of Layering Sequence of Al-Ge-Ni Ohmic Contact Components on (001) GaAs

Electrical characterization has demonstrated dramatic differences in the amount of heat treatment time required to convert the ohmic contact metallizations from Schottky to ohmic behavior, depending on the layering sequence of the Al, Ge, and Ni metals. Additional time differences were found to be dependent on the doping concentration of the contact layer of the GaAs and on the heat treatment temperature. For samples with Ge at the metal-semiconductor interface, the time required to convert from Schottky to ohmic behavior varies inversely with the doping concentration of the contact layer and directly with heat treatment temperature. Samples with Ni at the metal-semiconductor interface converted from Schottky to ohmic behavior much faster and had a much smaller dependence on the doping concentration and the heat treatment temperature. Models to explain these observations in terms of interdiffusion of the components and phases formed will be proposed.
Design Considerations for Web-Based Applications

The rapid growth of weblications—application-oriented software delivered as a service over the Web—has revealed a lack of effective guidelines for their design and implementation. Existing Web usability guidelines hinder weblication usability since they are primarily based on interactions within a browsing metaphor. Interface design guidelines for client applications, on the other hand, do not address the conventions of Web users, limitations of the Web environment, nor the new possibilities inherent in the Web. This paper outlines a set of guidelines for weblication interfaces, which fuse translated client-application guidelines and re-purposed Web usability guidelines together to form a solid foundation for weblication interface design. The goal of these recommendations is to address the issues associated with weblication interface design and to present an overall method for thinking about them, emphasizing an understanding of how and why this approach should be adopted.
Improved Diagnostic Accuracy of Renal Venous Renin Ratios with Stimulation of Renin Release

Fifty patients who underwent renal angiography and bilateral renal venous determinations had reconstructive or ablative surgery. The importance of stimulating renin release was underlined in 11 patients who attained a renal venous ratio greater than 1.5 to 1 only after being in an upright posture and in 5 who were studied with and without salt depletion. A protocol designed to suppress or stimulate peripheral plasma renin activity was followed in 19 patients. Stimulated peripheral plasma renin activity was not useful in identifying hypertension of renovascular origin but 10 of 12 patients whose plasma renin activity was not suppressed normally were improved by an operation. Satisfactory surgical responses were obtained in 81 per cent of the patients with unilateral and 91 per cent with bilateral atherosclerosis, and 88 per cent with unilateral and 60 per cent with bilateral fibromuscular hyperplasia. Our observations indicate that renal artery stenosis can be identified consistently only by angiography. A stimulated renal venous renin rate of 1.5 to 1 appears to have the best predictive value in surgical control of renovascular hypertension.
Aphasia: Sudden and progressive

An acquired disorder of language is known as aphasia (or dysphasia). Symptoms can include impairments of object naming, word finding, syntax, and comprehension. Some patients have a sparse, labored output; others have unusually voluminous but uninformative speech. The nature of the aphasia varies from patient to patient and reflects the principal lesion site within a distributed left-hemisphere language network. Aphasia can start suddenly when caused by cerebrovascular accidents or progresses relentlessly when caused by neurodegeneration. A neurodegenerative disease that selectively impairs language is known as primary progressive aphasia.
Autologous stem cell transplantation for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the only curative option for many patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. ASCT achieves long-term survival in up to 50% of patients with chemotherapy-sensitive relapsed diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL), and prospective randomized studies have documented the superiority of ASCT over salvage chemotherapy in patients with relapsed DLCL However, the role of ASCT as an upfront therapy for patients with high-risk DLCL remains unclear, and prospective randomized studies have yielded mixed results. In addition, ASCT may not be curative in follicle center or mantle cell lymphoma, although longer follow-up may identify a subset of patients with prolonged survival. Ongoing clinical trials are studying the use of monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab and iodine 131I-tositumomab, in ASCT regimens to purge tumor cells in vivo and improve long-term outcome in follicle center and mantle cell lymphoma.
Information processing and memory

This chapter presents several information-processing models of memory and discusses three aspects of memory: (1) encoding, (2) storage, and (3) retrieval. The distinctions among these three elements, or components of the overall memory process, seem to permeate most models of memory. The distinctions among encoding, storage, and retrieval do not belong to, or characterize, a single theoretical orientation or model. The distinctions among these components have been enormously helpful in stimulating and clarifying our thinking about some very complicated mental events. However, whether these three components truly represent distinct, independent components of the overall information-processing sequence remains to be seen. It is characteristic of separate-store models to propose two or more separate and distinct memory stores. According to the Waugh–Norman model, perceived items enter a limited capacity primary memory (PM). Rehearsal will maintain items in PM and may contribute to their transfer to a more permanent secondary memory. The Atkinson–Shiffrin buffer model is a three-component model: (1) sensory register, (2) short-term store, and (3) long-term store.
MANAGED CARE OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS: Implications for Generalist Physicians

More substance abuse service delivery is being shifted into comprehensive managed health plans (i.e., health maintenance organizations [HMOs] and other prepaid health plans) or into specialized contracts with managed behavioral health vendors. These shifts move decision making about substance abuse treatment either directly under the influence of generalist physicians or away from primary care physicians to for-profit companies. Even vulnerable patients (i.e., Medicaid beneficiaries) formerly exempt from managed care are increasingly joining managed care organizations (MCOs) either voluntarily or through mandated programs. Private and public purchasers frequently rely on specialty substance abuse and mental health managed care programs, or managed behavioral health care (MBHC) vendors. Increasingly, HMOs are also contracting out for specialty behavioral health care (carved-out) rather than relying on in-house (carved-in) health plan resources for mental health care. 49 The MBHC markets are a rapidly growing segment of the managed care industry, growing in enrollment from more than 61 million in 1992 to 105 million in 1996 among the 12 largest vendors alone. 40 Most MBHC contracts are payment agreements with large, for-profit, managed care firms specializing in the management, organization, and delivery of mental health and substance abuse care. These firms have various owners, including insurance companies, integrated delivery systems, and private psychiatric/substance abuse companies. MBHC firms typically assume some financial risk for service delivery. Other types of managed care arrangements for substance abuse care are still common. This confusing array of financial and clinical arrangements is discussed in this article(Fig. 1) and involves its own specialized terminology(Table 1).
Recovery of Salmonella from High-Moisture Foods by Abbreviated Selective Enrichment.

Five high-moisture foods were used to evaluate both the effect of a 6 h, rather than the standard 24 h, selective enrichment incubation period, and the efficiency of Rappaport-Vassiliadis (RV) medium relative to the use of selenite cystine (SC) and tetrathionate (TT) broths for the recovery of Salmonella . Cheese and lettuce were artificially inoculated with a pool of two serotypes, whereas the other foods were naturally contaminated. Significantly higher numbers of Salmonella -positive test portions were obtained at 24 h with the following food and media combinations: cheese (TT and RV media), lettuce (SC, TT, and RV media), raw chicken (RV medium), and pork sausage (SC, TT, and RV media). There were no significant differences between the two incubation periods in recovery of Salmonella from turkey. Overall, more Salmonella -positive test portions were obtained from samples of lettuce, chicken, and pork sausage selectively enriched in RV medium than in SC or TT broths. The results of this study indicate that not all high-moisture foods can be selectively enriched for 6 h without a significant loss in recovery of Salmonella . RV medium was superior to SC and TT broths for recovery of Salmonella from some meats and was at least as productive in its recovery from the other high-moisture foods tested.
A mortality study of beryllium workers

We aimed at investigating mortality among beryllium-exposed workers, according to solubility of beryllium and beryllium compounds. We conducted an historical cohort study of 16,115 workers employed during 1925–2008 in 15 facilities, including eight entailing exposure to insoluble beryllium and seven entailing exposure to soluble/mixed beryllium compounds, who were followed up for mortality until 2011. Data were analyzed using indirect standardization and Cox regression modeling. Lung cancer standardized mortality ratio (SMR, national reference rates) was 1.02 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.94–1.10) in the whole cohort, 0.88 (95% CI: 0.75–1.03) in the insoluble beryllium subcohort, and 1.09 (95% CI: 0.99–1.09) in the soluble/mixed beryllium subcohort. For lung cancer, there was an association with period of hire in soluble/mixed beryllium plants but not in insoluble plants, and, conversely, employment in soluble/mixed plants was associated with increased mortality only among workers hired before 1955. There was no trend with duration of employment. Mortality from chronic beryllium disease increased, in particular, among workers hired before 1955 in soluble/mixed beryllium facilities. There was no increase in lung cancer mortality in the entire cohort and lung cancer mortality was not increased among beryllium workers hired in 1955 or later in soluble/mixed beryllium facilities, or at any time among those employed in insoluble beryllium facilities.
Stratospheric solar geoengineering without ozone loss

Injecting sulfate aerosol into the stratosphere, the most frequently analyzed proposal for solar geoengineering, may reduce some climate risks, but it would also entail new risks, including ozone loss and heating of the lower tropical stratosphere, which, in turn, would increase water vapor concentration causing additional ozone loss and surface warming. We propose a method for stratospheric aerosol climate modification that uses a solid aerosol composed of alkaline metal salts that will convert hydrogen halides and nitric and sulfuric acids into stable salts to enable stratospheric geoengineering while reducing or reversing ozone depletion. Rather than minimizing reactive effects by reducing surface area using high refractive index materials, this method tailors the chemical reactivity. Specifically, we calculate that injection of calcite (CaCO3) aerosol particles might reduce net radiative forcing while simultaneously increasing column ozone toward its preanthropogenic baseline. A radiative forcing of −1 W⋅m−2, for example, might be achieved with a simultaneous 3.8% increase in column ozone using 2.1 Tg⋅y−1 of 275-nm radius calcite aerosol. Moreover, the radiative heating of the lower stratosphere would be roughly 10-fold less than if that same radiative forcing had been produced using sulfate aerosol. Although solar geoengineering cannot substitute for emissions cuts, it may supplement them by reducing some of the risks of climate change. Further research on this and similar methods could lead to reductions in risks and improved efficacy of solar geoengineering methods.
The Doctor Is In! Diagnostic Analysis

To make meaningful inferences based on our regression models, we must ensure that we have met the necessary assumptions of these tests. In this commentary, we review these assumptions and those for the t-test and analysis of variance, and introduce a variety of methods, formal and informal, numeric and visual, for assessing conformity with the assumptions.
Constrained Optimization and Equilibria

This chapter is devoted to applications of the basic tools of variational analysis and generalized differential calculus developed above to the study of constrained optimization and equilibrium problems with possibly nonsmooth data. Actually it is a two-sided process, since optimization ideas lie at the very heart of variational analysis as clearly follows from the previous material. Let us particularly mention variational descriptions of the normals and subgradients under consideration in both finite and infinite dimensions; see Theorem 1.6, Subsect. 1.1.4, and Theorem 1.88 for more details. Moreover, the main instrument of our analysis—the extremal principle—itself gives necessary conditions for set extremality, which are at the core of the basic results on generalized differential calculus and related characterizations of Lipschitzian stability and metric regularity developed in Chaps. 2–4.
The Personality of Policy Preferences: Analyzing the Relationship between Meyers-Briggs Personality Types and Political Views

For political scientists and politicians alike, much research has been devoted to understanding the American citizen. Comprehension is the key to capturing votes, pushing forward new ideas, and retaining support in the years to come. This project centers on the theory that people structure their political opinions around problem-solving tendencies that they apply to everyday situations and are particular to their personalities. To evaluate this idea, this study uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (1962) in addition to several questions regarding personal policy preferences to determine whether there is a significant correlation between certain elements of one's personality type and political ideas. Controlling for Intolerance of Ambiguity (Budner 1962), sociodemographic variables, and religiosity, it was found that an individual exhibits clear political preferences based on certain parts of personal characteristics. The results of this study imply a further fusion of psychology and politics for policymakers and voters. This article is available in Res Publica Journal of Undergraduate Research: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/respublica/vol17/iss1/ 11
Defective T-Cell Apoptosis and T-Regulatory Cell Dysfunction in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, progressive, systemic autoimmune disease that mostly affects small and large synovial joints. At the molecular level, RA is characterized by a profoundly defective innate and adaptive immune response that results in a chronic state of inflammation. Two of the most significant alterations in T-lymphocyte (T-cell) dysfunction in RA is the perpetual activation of T-cells that result in an abnormal proliferation state which also stimulate the proliferation of fibroblasts within the joint synovial tissue. This event results in what we have termed “apoptosis resistance”, which we believe is the leading cause of aberrant cell survival in RA. Finding therapies that will induce apoptosis under these conditions is one of the current goals of drug discovery. Over the past several years, a number of T-cell subsets have been identified. One of these T-cell subsets are the T-regulatory (Treg) cells. Under normal conditions Treg cells dictate the state of immune tolerance. However, in RA, the function of Treg cells become compromised resulting in Treg cell dysfunction. It has now been shown that several of the drugs employed in the medical therapy of RA can partially restore Treg cell function, which has also been associated with amelioration of the clinical symptoms of RA.
Correlation and Simple Linear Regression in Applied Linguistics

This chapter provides an applied description of two key methods to evaluate the association between two research variables. First, we provide a conceptual view of the notion of non-directional linear correlation. Using small datasets, we discuss the various behaviors of the correlation statistic, Pearson’s r, under different scenarios. Then, we turn our attention to a neighboring but practically different concept to evaluate the directional association between two research variables: the simple linear regression. Particularly, we shed light on one of the most useful purposes of simple linear regression and prediction. By end of the chapter, we present a conceptually overarching view that links the regression methods to all other methods that applied linguists often use to find important patterns in their data.
Update on the treatment and outcome of systemic lupus erythematous in children.

Purpose of reviewProvide an update of studies published in last 2 years on the outcomes and therapies in childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematous (cSLE).Recent findingsAdditional evidence has been provided about the benefits of universal hydroxychloroquine in SLE patients, although antimalarial m
Interrogating socio-ecological coalitions: environmentalist engagements with labor and immigrants’ rights in the United States

To confront the powerful forces of neoliberalism and hyper-nationalism, alliances between social and environmental activists are necessary. However, efforts to forge effective cross-movement allian...
Impression Management After Image-Threatening Events

E-cigarette use is a public interest issue and has received increasing attention over the years. JUUL, the biggest brand of e-cigarettes, has been singled out in what the FDA calls a youth e-cigarette epidemic. This study uses impression management theory to examine how JUUL engaged in positive impression management online in response to these image-threatening events. Employing a thematic analysis, this study examines changes in JUUL’s website between April 1, 2018, and October 9, 2019, and Twitter posts between April 28, 2018, and October 18, 2019. Results suggest that JUUL made both textual and visual changes in its messaging over time to engage in positive impression management, while using the impression management tactics of self-promotion, exemplification, and supplication. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Model Quality Aware RANSAC: A Robust Camera Motion Estimator

Robust estimation of camera motion under the presence of outlier noise is a fundamental problem in robotics and computer vision. Despite existing efforts that focus on detecting motion and scene degeneracies, the best existing approach that builds on Random Consensus Sampling (RANSAC) still has non-negligible failure rate. Since a single failure can lead to the failure of the entire visual simultaneous localization and mapping, it is important to further improve the robust estimation algorithm. We propose a new robust camera motion estimator (RCME) by incorporating two main changes: a model-sample consistency test at the model instantiation step and an inlier set quality test that verifies model-inlier consistency using differential entropy. We have implemented our RCME algorithm and tested it under many public datasets. The results have shown a consistent reduction in failure rate when comparing to the RANSAC-based Gold Standard approach and two recent variations of RANSAC methods.
Innate Immune Responses to West Nile Virus Infection

Innate antiviral immunity is activated by the detection of conserved virus-associated molecular motifs by host-encoded pathogen-recognition receptors (PRRs). This phenomenon triggers the production of antiviral and proinflammatory cytokines as well as the expression of costimulatory molecules in immune cells, leading to the establishment of an antiviral state and the induction of adaptive immune responses. In this chapter we review our current understanding of the innate immune mechanisms that mediate the recognition of West Nile virus (WNV) infection. The role of innate immune cells and cytokines in WNV immunopathogenesis is also discussed. Paradoxically, although many of the innate responses induced by WNV infection are protective, others favor WNV neuroinvasion by their detrimental effect on blood–brain barrier permeability.
5-HT3 Receptor Signaling in a Rat Model of Sex Specific Visceral Hypersensitivity

Background. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional gastrointestinal motor and visceral sensation disorder that is more prominent in women compared to men. 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, seroton...
RACE AND PISTOL ACCESS: VARIATIONS AMONG POOR MALES

We examine factors related to pistol access among urban, low income, males. Because of the high usage of pistols in homicides, robbery and assaults within the African American population; one might suspect that this population has greater access to pistols than their white counterpart. By highlighting differences between poor urban African American and white male pistol owners, we hope to better understand racial variation in lethal violence. The data for this study were gathered by the National Opinion Research Center as part of their General Social Surveys. Several surveys conducted between 1973and 1987 were combined for this analysis. From these surveys 410 low income urban males who had access to a pistol were isolated for analysis. It is from the population this sample represents that the highest percentage of gun related violent aim is concentrated. Our findings show that low income, urban, African American males were more likely to have easier access to pistols than their white counterparts. This relationship persisted in all of the variables examined. African American males who used alcohol were twice as likely as whites to own pistols. Among those who frequently socialized in places where alcohol was served, African American pistol access, in their households, was eight times higher than it was for whites.
The impact of service-learning on student development : Students' reflections in a family diversity course

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the personal, professional, interpersonal, social, and academic development of students who complete a 15-hour service-learning assignment as part of the requirements for a family diversity course. A content analysis of 36 students' reflection papers revealed that service-learning was extremely beneficial, even when the experience was brief. Numerous valuable lessons were learned by the students about themselves and their future careers. Specifically, they became more accepting of others, and they realized the importance of service to one's community. In addition, they were able to process and synthesize the information they learned in the classroom by experiencing the course content in a real-world setting.
The Voluntary Forage Intake and Nutrition of Goats and Sheep in the Semi-Arid Tropics of Northeastern Brazil

The nutritive value of diets selected by free-ranging goats and sheep, and estimates of forage intake, were obtained during the wet (January to May, 1982) and the dry season (3une to December, 1981) in the Brazilian state of Ceara. Esophageally fistulated animals were used to collect dietary samples for nutritive evaluation. Organic matter intake (OMI) was estimated by total fecal collections. Goats selected diets higher in crude protein (CP) than did sheep (16.3 and 15.5 %, respectively; P = .03). Contrary to current hypotheses, goats did not generally select diets of higher nutritional quality than did sheep. Sheep diets had lower (P .l) levels of cell wall fiber compared with goats' diets. No difference in in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) was found between sheep and goats (P>.I), averaging 54%. However, major differences in IVOMD occurred during the wet season, as sheep diets were 4 to 10 digestibility units higher than were goats' diets. This may have been due to problems in using the in vitro procedure for dietary samples high in browse material. The OMI averaged 2.2 and 2.1% of body weight for sheep and goats, respectively (P = .08). Lowest levels of OMI (1.2% for sheep and goats) were noted during the latter portion of the wet season when forage biomass was high but nutrient quality was declining due to maturation. Daily digestible energy (DE) intake (kcal) differed (P = .04) between sheep (1,665.5 + 23.7) and goats (1,329.7 -+ 27.5). Animal weight responses more closely paralleled energy requirements determined for animals in developing countries, rather than National Research Council (NRC) standards.
Tolerance to the anticonvulsant action of benzodiazepines. Relationship to decreased receptor density.

Abstract Tolerance to the anticonvulsant action of benzodiazepines was studied in rats that had been treated for 4 weeks with 100–150 mg/kg per day of flurazepam. Previous studies had shown that this treatment produced tolerance to motor impairment induced by benzodiazepines and also down-regulation of benzodiazepine receptors in brain, which was seen as a reduced number of binding sites with no change in binding affinity. In the present study, seizures were produced using pentylenetetrazol (PTZ). In rats that had been chronically treated with flurazepam, pretreatment with diazepam was significantly less effective in blocking pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures, thus indicating tolerance. This tolerance could not be explained by a change in sensitivity to pentylenetetrazol resulting from chronic treatment, nor by any differences in levels of active drug in the brain following doses of diazepam. Residual amounts of flurazepam and its active metabolites may have artifactually reduced the apparent degree of tolerance measured 12hr after the end of chronic treatment, but not at later times. Tolerance to the antipentylenetetrazol action of diazepam was evident up to the fourth day following chronic treatment with flurazepam, but tolerance had largely disappeared a week after chronic treatment. The duration of tolerance was much longer than that reported for tolerance to motor impairment induced by benzodiazepines, and for down-regulation of receptors. These results suggest that different mechanisms or different neural systems must mediate tolerance to these different actions of benzodiazepines. Further-more, an adaptive reduction in the number of benzodiazepine receptors does not seem to be a likely mechanism for tolerance to the anticonvulsant action of these drugs.
Die Rezeption des Buches Die Macht der Computer und die Ohnmacht der Vernunft

Mir wurde die Aufgabe gegeben uber verschiedene Folgen der Veroffentlichung meines Buches „Die Macht der Computer“ zu berichten.
Dimeric dermorphin analogues as mu-receptor probes on rat brain membranes. Correlation between central mu-receptor potency and suppression of gastric acid secretion.

Abstract The opioid receptor preference for dermorphin and several dimerized structural analogues was investigated using rat brain synaptosomes and correlated with the potencies of intracerebroventricularly administered dimeric dermorphin peptides to inhibit gastric acid secretion. The carboxyl terminus of dermorphin or amino-terminal dermorphin analogues was bridged by dihydrazide or (poly)ethylenediamine structures. Synaptosomal membranes were prepared for radioligand binding assay in the presence of soybean trypsin inhibitor and preincubated to remove endogenously bound opioid peptides before storage at -70 degrees C. Specific radiolabeled agonists used in the radioligand binding assays were [D-Ala2,N-methyl-Phe4,Gly-ol5] [3H] enkephalin for mu-receptors and [D-Ala2,D-Leu5] [3H]enkephalin for delta-receptors. delta-Receptor binding assays were conducted in the presence of 2.6 microM [N-Me-Phe3,D-Pro4]morphiceptin to suppress peptide binding to mu-receptors. [D-Ala2,N-methyl-Phe4,Gly-ol5]enkephalin and dermorphin had affinities of 1.39 and 1.22 nM for mu-receptors and 355.8 and 178.6 nM for delta-receptors, respectively. Affinities of dimeric-dermorphin0 for mu- and delta-receptors, and the mu-selectivity ratio, exceeded values characteristic of dermorphin. The dimerized amino-terminal dermorphin analogues are peptides whose receptor binding differed from the parent molecule; e.g. the affinity of dimeric tetrapeptides toward mu-receptors was reduced but was increased for delta-receptors relative to monomeric dermorphin-(1-4)-amide. Dimeric tetradermorphin linked by a bridge containing 12 methylene units (di-tetra-dermorphin12), exhibited a dramatic loss in the mu-selectivity ratio as a result of diminished mu-affinity. On the other hand, substitution of Gly4 by Sar in di-tetra-dermorphin2 enhanced binding to mu-receptors: substitution of D-Arg2 for D-Ala resulted in an increased binding to mu-receptors while decreasing binding to delta-receptors, yielding a peptide with the highest mu-selectivity ratio. These substitutions of D-Arg2 and Sar4 in dimeric amino-terminal dermorphin pentapeptides enhanced binding to both mu- and delta-receptors relative to dermorphin-(1-5)-amide, but led to a decrease in its mu-selectivity ratio. Several dimeric dermorphin analogues exhibited an enhanced mu-selectivity ratio relative to their monomeric analogues. Dimeric peptides, which had a relatively high affinity for mu-receptors, were effective in the suppression of gastric acid secretion.
Historical Conditions or Transcendental Conditions: Response to Kevin Thompson’s Response

In his response to my essay “Historical Critique or Transcendental Critique in Foucault: Two Kantian Lineages” Kevin Thompson ably mounts a number of important challenges to the exegetical and philosophical project I have proposed visa-vis the writings of Michel Foucault. I find Thompson’s response illuminating on a number of points. The most important of these concerns the underlying philosophical issues which myself and others (including Thompson, Beatrice Han-Pile, and Andrew Cutrofello) have taken as valuable materials for reflection in relation to Foucault’s important work.1 In what follows, my response is partly directed at the textual and philosophical themes at play between Thompson and myself, but is also partly directed at certain metaphilosophical questions of how we ought to direct ourselves to the relevant textual and philosophical matters of concern to us both. From this second metaphilosophical perspective, my aim here is not to definitively resolve the philosophical issues placed under scrutiny by Thompson and myself. Rather, my aim is to feature the depth and difficulty of some of these issues as they appear throughout the history of modern philosophy, from Kant (and certain of his predecessors) to Foucault (and certain of his successors). I have chosen to take this approach insofar as I find Thompson’s response to my essay generously productive in that it effectively works to open up a set of timely philosophical issues so as to
Adult neurogenesis in mammals: an identity crisis.

The study of neurogenesis in the adult brain is among the most exciting and fastest moving areas of neuroscience today. In contrast to the high rate of neurogenesis in some vertebrates ([Nottebohm, 2002][1]), unambiguous evidence for new neurons in normal adult mammals ranging from rodents to
Practical significance of serum triglycerides and radioactive fat tolerance. Their relation to current therapy for hypercholesterolemia.

Abstract 1. 1. The effects of triparanol, nicotinic acid, d-thyroxine, mytatrienediol and oxymetholone on the serum cholesterol, triglycerides and fat tolerance have been determined in a group of 90 patients with hypercholesterolemia. 2. 2. Triparanol and nicotinic acid produced a decrease in the serum cholesterol without any significant changes in the triglycerides and fat tolerance. The other agents were effective in lowering the cholesterol in over 50 per cent of the treated patients with a concomitant reduction in the triglycerides and improvement in the fat tolerance. 3. 3. It is postulated that normalization of the triglycerides and fat tolerance, in addition to the cholesterol, is a more rational pharmacologic objective to seek than one directed solely toward lowering the serum cholesterol.
A Parsimonious Multifractal Model for WWW Traffic

In this paper, we capture the main characteristics of WWW traffic in a stochastic model, which can be used to generate synthetic WWW traces and assess WWW cache designs. To capture temporal and spatial localities, we use a modified version of Riedi et al.'s multifractal model [18], where we reduce the complexity of the original model from O(N) to O(1); N being the length of the synthetic trace. Our model has the attractiveness of being parsimonious and that it avoids the need to apply a transformation to a self-similar model (as often done in previously proposed models [2]), thus retaining the temporal locality of the fitted traffic. Furthermore, because of the scale-dependent nature of multifractal processes, the proposed model is more flexible than monofractal models in describing irregularities in the traffic. Trace-driven simulations are used to demonstrate the goodness of the proposed model.
A script for a French revolution: the political consciousness of the abbé Mably

L'un des aspects du langage politique de la France prerevolutionnaire: celui de l'abbe Mably (1709-1785). L'A. etudie sa pensee politique d'apres Des droits et des devoirs du citoyen (1758).
Maternal diabetes triggers DNA damage and DNA damage response in neurulation stage embryos through oxidative stress

DNA damage and DNA damage response (DDR) in neurulation stage embryos under maternal diabetes conditions are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether maternal diabetes and high glucose in vitro induce DNA damage and DDR in the developing embryo through oxidative stress. In vivo experiments were conducted by mating superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) transgenic male mice with wild-type (WT) female mice with or without diabetes. Embryonic day 8.75 (E8.75) embryos were tested for the DNA damage markers, phosphorylated histone H2A.X (p-H2A.X) and DDR signaling intermediates, including phosphorylated checkpoint 1 (p-Chk1), phosphorylated checkpoint 2 (p-Chk2), and p53. Levels of the same DNA damage markers and DDR signaling intermediates were also determined in the mouse C17.2 neural stem cell line. Maternal diabetes and high glucose in vitro significantly increased the levels of p-H2A.X. Levels of p-Chk1, p-Chk2, and p53, were elevated under both maternal diabetic and high glucose conditions. SOD1 overexpression blocked maternal diabetes-induced DNA damage and DDR in vivo. Tempol, a SOD1 mimetic, diminished high glucose-induced DNA damage and DDR in vitro. In conclusion, maternal diabetes and high glucose in vitro induce DNA damage and activates DDR through oxidative stress, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetes-associated embryopathy.
Adaptive Control Design Technique for Nonlinear Flight Systems

This chapter proposes a new model-following adaptive control design technique for nonlinear systems that are nonaffine in control. This adaptive controller uses online neural networks that guarantee stability in the presence of unmodeled dynamics (neglected nonlinear terms in the mathematical model) and/or parameter uncertainties present in the system model. In order to ensure stable behavior, an online control adaptation procedure is proposed. The controller design is carried out in two steps: synthesis of a set of neural networks that capture the unmodeled (neglected) dynamics or model uncertainties due to parametric variations and synthesis of a controller that drives the state of the actual plant to that of a reference model. The neural network weight update rule is derived using Lyapunov theory, which guarantees both stability of the error dynamics and boundedness of the weights of the neural networks. This method is tested using a three-degree-of-freedom model of a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Numerical results that demonstrate these features and clearly bring out the potential of the proposed approach are presented in this chapter. Keywords: adaptive control; nonlinear control; neuroadaptive; UAV; model following; online neural networks
A note on the forces that move particles in a second-order fluid

In this note we show that the normal stresses on a solid body in plane flow of a second-order fluid are compressive and such as to turn long bodies into the stream and to cause circular particles to aggregate and chain.
β2-adrenergic receptor-coupled phosphoinositide 3-kinase constrains cAMP-dependent increases in cardiac inotropy through phosphodiesterase 4 activation

Background Emerging evidence suggests that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) may modulate cardiac inotropy; however, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. We hypothesized that β(2)-adrenergic receptor (AR)-coupled PI3K constrains increases in cardiac inotropy through cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent phosphodiesterase (PDE) activation. Methods We tested the effects of PI3K and PDE4 inhibition on myocardial contractility by using isolated murine cardiac myocytes to study physiologic functions (sarcomere shortening [SS] and intracellular Ca(+) transients), as well as cAMP and PDE activity. Results PI3K inhibition with the reversible inhibitor LY294002 (LY) resulted in a significant increase in SS and Ca(2+) handling, indicating enhanced contractility. This response depended on G(iα) protein activity, because incubation with pertussis toxin (an irreversible G(iα) inhibitor) abolished the LY-induced hypercontractility. In addition, PI3K inhibition had no greater effect on SS than both a PDE3,4 inhibitor (milrinone) and LY combined. Furthermore, LY decreased PDE4 activity in a concentration-dependent manner (58.0% of PDE4 activity at LY concentrations of 10 μM). Notably, PI3K(γ) coimmunoprecipitated with PDE4D. The β(2)-AR inverse agonist, ICI 118,551 (ICI), abolished induced increases in contractility. Conclusions PI3K modulates myocardial contractility by a cAMP-dependent mechanism through the regulation of the catalytic activity of PDE4. Furthermore, basal agonist-independent activity of the β(2)-AR and its resultant cAMP production and enhancement of the catalytic activity of PDE4 through PI3K represents an example of integrative cellular signaling, which controls cAMP dynamics and thereby contractility in the cardiac myocyte. These results help to explain the mechanism by which milrinone is able to increase myocardial contractility in the absence of direct β-adrenergic stimulation and why it can further augment contractility in the presence of maximal β-adrenergic stimulation.
Slow-to-recover brain-injured patients: rationale for treatment.

Approximately 10–20% of head injury survivors sustain extensive neurological damage and remain minimally or inconsistently responsive to stimuli for 3–6 months postinjury. These patients, designate...
Education for Sustainable Human Development: Towards a Definition.

Three years into the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, there has been considerable discussion regarding education for sustainable development (ESD) at a policy level, yet very few countries and communities have moved to integrate ESD into their educational curriculum. In this article we argue that the conceptualization and implementation of ESD can be advanced by grounding it in the human capability approach.We define education for sustainable human development as educational practice that results in the enhancement of human well-being, conceived in terms of the expansion of individuals' agency, capabilities and participation in democratic dialogue, both for now and for future generations.We conclude that incorporating Amartya Sen's human capability approach as the basis of ESD will provide the clarity of direction and purpose needed for the transformation of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment.
An Agenda for Research on the Sustainability of Public Health Programs

Funders of programs in public health and community health are increasingly concerned about the sustainability of changes they initiate. Despite a recent increase in sustainability research and evaluation, this literature has not developed a widely used paradigm for conducting research that can accumulate into generalizable findings. We provide guidance for research and evaluation of health program sustainability, including definitions and types of sustainability, specifications and measurements of dependent variables, definitions of independent variables or factors that influence sustainability, and suggestions for designs for research and data collection. We suggest viewing sustainability research as a further stage in the translation or dissemination of research-based interventions into practice. This perspective emphasizes ongoing relationships with earlier stages of a broader diffusion framework, including adoption and implementation processes.
Nitrogen release during coal combustion

Experiments in entrained flow reactors at combustion temperatures are performed to resolve the rank dependence of nitrogen release on an elemental basis for a suite of 15 U.S. coals ranging from lignite to low-volatile bituminous. Data were obtained as a function of particle conversion, with overall mass loss up to 99 % on a dry, ash-free basis. Nitrogen release rates are presented relative to both carbon loss and overall mass loss. During devolatilization, fractional nitrogen release from low-rank coals is much slower than fractional mass release and noticeably slower than fractional carbon release. As coal rank increases, fractional nitrogen release rate relative to that of carbon and mass increases, with fractional nitrogen release rates exceeding fractional mass and fractional carbon release rates during devolatilization for high-rank (low-volatile bituminous) coals. At the onset of combustion, nitrogen release rates increase significantly. For all coals investigated, fractional nitrogen loss rates re...
Actively comparing clones inside the code editor

Tool support for code clones can improve software quality and maintainability. While significant research has been done in locating clones in existing source code, there has been less of a research focus on proactively tracking and supporting copy-paste-modify operations, even though copying and pasting is a major source of clone formation and the resulting clones are then often modified. We designed and implemented a programming editor, based on the Eclipse integrated development environment, named CSeR (Code Segment Reuse), which keeps a record of copy-and-paste-induced clones and then tracks and visualizes the changes made to a clone with distinct colors. The core of CSeR is an algorithm that actively compares two clones for detailed differences as a programmer edits either one of them. This edit-based comparison algorithm is unique to CSeR and produces more immediate, accurate, and natural results than other differencing tools.
Characterization of exponential and Weibull distributions through truncated statistics

Abstract Let Y 1(a 1) be the result of truncating at a 1 the ±th power of each of n real random variables X 1 .... , X n. Suppose for some 1 ≤ s ≤ n − 1. (Y 1, ..., Y 1) and (Y a+l ..., Y n) are independent. Then all X 1 are mutually independent and follow the Weibull distribution it and only if EΠn j-1 Y(aj) depends on the aj only through their sum.