cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solving the generalized eigenvalue problem with singular forms

Two methods are developed for computing the generalized eigenvalues and eigenvectors associated with the matrix pair {A, B}, where B is a singular Hermitian matrix and A is a matrix, not necessarily Hermitian, the range space of which is a subset of the range space of B. Conventional methods of solution break down for this case. An application is described based on the recently reported ESPRIT algorithm, a method of high-resolution direction-of-arrival estimation.
Zebrafish miR-214 modulates Hedgehog signaling to specify muscle cell fate

Numerous microRNAs (miRNAs) have been discovered in the genomes of higher eukaryotes, and functional studies indicate that they are important during development. However, little is known concerning the function of individual miRNAs. We approached this problem in zebrafish by combining identification of miRNA expression, functional analyses and experimental validation of potential targets. We show that miR-214 is expressed during early segmentation stages in somites and that varying its expression alters the expression of genes regulated by Hedgehog signaling. Inhibition of miR-214 results in a reduction or loss of slow-muscle cell types. We show that su(fu) mRNA, encoding a negative regulator of Hedgehog signaling, is targeted by miR-214. Through regulation of su(fu), miR-214 enables precise specification of muscle cell types by sharpening cellular responses to Hedgehog.
γ-Glutamyltranspeptidase in rat bronchoalveolar lavage fluid as a probe of 4-lpomeanol and α-naphthylthiourea-induced pneumotoxicity

Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis has gained popularity as a rapid in vivo screen to evaluate the toxicity of both systemic and inhaled pneumotoxicants and is used in addition to the more commonly evaluated pathologic changes. This study evaluated gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) along with the more commonly measured enzyme, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), as a useful indicator of acute lung injury from systematically administered pneumotoxicants. Adult male rats were injected ip with 2, 3, or 3.5 mg/kg body weight of alpha-naphthylthiourea (ANTU) or 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg of 4-ipomeanol, and measurements were made 8 or 24 hr postdose, respectively. ANTU, which selectively damages pulmonary endothelial cells, caused extensive pleural effusions with striking increases in BALF protein and white blood cell (WBC) content. 4-Ipomeanol, which selectively damages nonciliated bronchiolar Clara cells, caused dose dependent increases in both GGT and LDH activities in the BALF with GGT being increased at all doses tested. BALF protein content was also increased in the 4-ipomeanol-treated groups, but this change was not dose dependent. Analysis of GGT in BALF was a sensitive method to assess cytotoxicity associated with 4-ipomeanol-induced injury but was less useful in monitoring pulmonary endothelial cell damage induced by ANTU. Measurements of BALF protein and WBC content proved to be better in assessing injury by agents such as ANTU that primarily affect vascular permeability.
Adherent Endotoxin on Orthopedic Wear Particles Stimulates Cytokine Production and Osteoclast Differentiation

Aseptic loosening of orthopedic implants is thought to be caused primarily by osteoclast differentiation induced by bone resorptive cytokines produced in response to phagocytosis of implant-derived wear particles. This study examined whether adherent endotoxin on the wear particles is responsible for inducing osteoclast differentiation as well as production of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-alpha). Removal of adherent endotoxin almost completely inhibited the responses to titanium (Ti) particles by both murine marrow cells and human peripheral blood monocytes. In vivo experiments showed that endotoxin removal reduced particle-induced osteolysis by 50-70%. Addition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to the "endotoxin-free" particles restored their ability to induce cytokine production and osteoclast differentiation in vitro. Moreover, marrow cells from mice that are hyporesponsive to endotoxin because of mutation of Toll-like receptor 4 induced significantly less cytokine production and osteoclast differentiation in response to Ti particles with adherent endotoxin than did marrow cells from normoresponsive mice. This mutation also resulted in significantly less particle-induced osteolysis in vivo. Taken together, these results show that adherent endotoxin is involved in many of the biological responses induced by orthopedic wear particles and should stimulate development of new approaches designed to reduce the activity of adherent endotoxin in patients with orthopedic implants.
Virtual synthesis of artificial molecules of In, Ga, and As with predesigned electronic properties using a self-consistent field method

A Hartree-Fock based (HF), multiconfiguration self-consistent field (MCSCF) method has been used to configure computationally several nonstoichiometric model pyramidal molecules of In, Ga, and As atoms with a predesigned electronic energy level structure. The geometry, structure, and composition of the molecules have been derived from those of the corresponding bulk lattices. Formation of the molecules under conditions mimicking vacuum and quantum confinement has been studied. The results prove that formation conditions affect the molecular parameters (such as the structure and bond length), thus causing significant effects (up to an order of magnitude) on the electronic properties of the molecules, including their charge and spin density distributions (CDDs and SDDs, respectively). The virtual (i.e., fundamental theory based, computational) synthesis of atomic-scale objects with predesigned physicochemical properties is a powerful method that can be used to develop electronic templates of artificial molecules, atomic clusters, small quantum dots (QDs), QD-based nanoheterostructures (NHSs), and other nanosystems of practical interest to guide their experimental realization.
Plasma amino acids in a patient with Wilson's disease presenting with an acute haemolytic anaemia.

A 10-year-old girl with Wilson's disease presented with an acute haemolytic anaemia. Plasma amino acids, studied during two haemolytic episodes, were abnormal, especially cystine, which was increased approximately tenfold.
362: Effect of lung allocation score (LAS) on actual post-transplant survival: Early 1-year results

calculated. Actual transplant benefit was calculated by subtracting predicted waiting list siurvival from actual post-transplant survival The predicted values of post-transplant survival and transplant benefit were compared with the actual values for our group of patients. Results: Thirty-one transplants were performed with actual 1-year survival of 87.1%. Predicted and actual results can be seen on the Table. Actual results for post-transplant survival and transplant benefit showed higher variability than predicted results. The actual benefit was better than the predicted benefit (17.7 99.2; median 47.5; IR: 36.5, 57.9; range: -308, 106; p 0.008). There were no statistical differences in LAS and other variables between survivors and nonsurvivors. Conclusions: Patients transplanted under LAS experience significant transplant benefit as a group, although precise predictions for individual patients are difficult. Larger studies will assess whether LAS is associated with post-transplant outcomes.
Functional analysis of the BIN2 genes of cotton

Brassinosteroids (BR) promote the elongation of cotton fibers and may be a factor in determining their final length. To begin to understand the role of BR-mediated responses in the development of cotton fibers we have characterized the BIN2 genes of cotton. BIN2 is a member of the shaggy-like protein kinase family that has been identified as a negative regulator of BR signaling in Arabidopsis. Sequence analyses indicate that the tetraploid cotton genome includes four genes with strong sequence similarity to BIN2. These genes fall into two distinct subclasses based on sequence and expression patterns. Sequence comparisons with corresponding genes from cotton species that have the diploid A and D genomes, respectively, shows that each pair of genes comprises homeologs derived from the A and D sub-genomes. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants that express these cotton BIN2 cDNAs show reduced growth and similar phenotypes to the semi-dominant bin2 mutant plants. These results indicate that the cotton BIN2 genes encode functional BIN2 isoforms that can inhibit BR signaling. Further analyses of the function of BIN2 genes and their possible roles in determining fiber yield and quality are underway.
Preparation and properties of some pentamethyl-digermanyl compounds☆

Abstract Compounds of the type (CH 3 ) 3 GeGe(CH 3 ) 2 X have been prepared and investigated. They resemble their silicon analogs in many respects. The stability of the germaniumgermanium bond does not seem to vary markedly with substituent.
High-speed AMB machining spindle model updating and model validation

High-Speed Machining (HSM) spindles equipped with Active Magnetic Bearings (AMBs) have been envisioned to be capable of automated self-identification and self-optimization in efforts to accurately calculate parameters for stable high-speed machining operation. With this in mind, this work presents rotor model development accompanied by automated model-updating methodology followed by updated model validation. The model updating methodology is developed to address the dynamic inaccuracies of the nominal open-loop plant model when compared with experimental open-loop transfer function data obtained by the built in AMB sensors. The nominal open-loop model is altered by utilizing an unconstrained optimization algorithm to adjust only parameters that are a result of engineering assumptions and simplifications, in this case Young's modulus of selected finite elements. Minimizing the error of both resonance and anti-resonance frequencies simultaneously (between model and experimental data) takes into account rotor natural frequencies and mode shape information. To verify the predictive ability of the updated rotor model, its performance is assessed at the tool location which is independent of the experimental transfer function data used in model updating procedures. Verification of the updated model is carried out with complementary temporal and spatial response comparisons substantiating that the updating methodology is effective for derivation of open-loop models for predictive use.
Effect of phosphate ion on ovalbumin-antiovalbumin kinetics, as measured by fluorescence polarization and quenching techniques.

Abstract The initial steps of the antigen-antibody reaction involve combinations between macromolecular ions, and therefore should be affected by changes in the surrounding ionic medium. Accordingly, for the reaction between ovalbumin (AG) and antiovalbumin (AB), at neutral pH and 1·5±0·5°, initial rate and half-time methods utilizing fluorescence labeling techniques have shown the rat law to be different in buffers containing phosphate, compared to those containing tris. In the presence of phosphate, the empirical rate law is − d(AG) dt = k ″ (AB) 0·6 (AG) whereas in tris, the rate law is − d(AG) dt = k ′ (AB)(AG). Immunospecific purification of the antibody of the use of a dansyl label instead of fluorescein (on the antigen) did not alter the fractional rate law. One mechanism compatible with the observed fractional order involves formation of a macromolecular encounter pair between the antibody and antigen, which rearranges prior to formation of the primary bonds of the antigen-antibody complex. A further necessary assumption for this mechanism is that the sites are non-uniform, and that a distribution of binding free energies is involved in the encounter pair formation. An alternative mechanism is proposed which involves at least a two-step process in the combination of antigen and antibody. Prior to a slow rate-determining step between the antigen and the active monomeric antibody, there would be a rapid, reversible dimerization of antibody.
Solvent Texturing of Polyester Yarn Part II: Continuous Texturing

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) structure and morphology were modified and set during a continuous false twist solvent texturing process. Three yam types were included in this study: partially oriented yam (POY), high speed spun yarn (HSSY), and an experimentally extruded yarn known as quenched high speed spun yarn (QHSSY). A prototype continuous false twist solvent texturing machine was used to produce textured samples (thermally as well as with solvents). Excessive extensibility of POY was virtually eliminated by drawing on the machine, in the same zone as the solvent treatment, but this action reduced solvent diffusion into the filaments. HSSY crystallinity increased slightly, about 8% during solvent texturing, the main reason being a large amount of initial crystallinity for the feed yam. QHSSY was most suitable for solvent texturing, since it initially contains a large amount of oriented noncrystalline material that is crystallized during texturing. Textured QHSSY set by solvent plus heat, in comp...
Party Loyalty and the Likelihood of Deviating Elections

IN VOTING RESEARCH, as any branch of inquiry, knowledge is moved ahead as much by seeing new problems as by solving old ones. The contemporary voting studies have disposed of many questions whose answers could only be guessed a few years ago. Yet any such cumulation of findings brings to the fore a number of "second-generation" problems that could hardly be stated except in terms of the theoretical ideas evolving out of current work. This has especially been true in the voting studies as interest has extended from the population of voters to a population of elections; concepts that could explain a good deal about individual choice inevitably spawned additional questions about elections as total social or political events. This paper states such a "new" question or problem and draws from historical evidence a preliminary answer, although a sure answer waits for evidence that is not at hand. The problem can be described briefly as follows. By measuring a limited set of political orientations (among which party loyalty is preeminently important) we are able to say with increasing confidence what the behavior of the American electorate would be in any given election if the vote were to express only the influence of these basic dispositions. But the election returns reflect, too, the public's reaction to more recent and transitory influences (think for the moment of candidate personality) that deflect the vote from what it would have been had these short-term factors not intruded on the nation's decision. Therefore, any national election can be thought of as an interplay of basic dispositions and short-run influences. Yet the freedom of these "disturbing" influences to modify the effects of long-term dispositions is not well understood. Their capacity to do so is not of trivial importance; there have been few presidential elections in a hundred years that we could not imagine having gone to the loser, had the right combination of short-term factors appeared
New Drug Metabolism Inhibitor of Marine Origin

Dactylyne, an acetylenic dibromochloro ether, was isolated from the sea hare Aplysia dactylomela and characterized pharmacologically. It had no direct effect on the cardiovascular, respiratory, and central nervous systems of mice, rats, and guinea pigs. However, a 25-mg/kg ip dose of dactylyne prolonged pentobarbital sleep time in mice by more than 10 hr. This potentiation was subsequently determined to be due to the inhibition of pentobarbital metabolism by dactylyne since the elimination half-life of pentobarbital in the dactylyne-treated mice increased several folds. Dactylyne was nontoxic up to 200 mg/kg iv. The unique structure, high potency, and relatively nontoxic nature of dactylyne make it an interesting pharmacological substance of marine origin.
Is Friedreich ataxia an epigenetic disorder

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a debilitating and frequently fatal neurological disorder that is recessively inherited. It belongs to the group of genetic disorders known as the Repeat Expansion Diseases, in which pathology arises from the deleterious consequences of the inheritance of a tandem repeat array whose repeat number exceeds a critical threshold. In the case of FRDA, the repeat unit is the triplet GAA•TTC and the tandem array is located in the first intron of the frataxin (FXN) gene. Pathology arises because expanded alleles make lower than normal levels of mature FXN mRNA and thus reduced levels of frataxin, the FXN gene product. The repeats form a variety of unusual DNA structures that have the potential to affect gene expression in a number of ways. For example, triplex formation in vitro and in bacteria leads to the formation of persistent RNA:DNA hybrids that block transcription. In addition, these repeats have been shown to affect splicing in model systems. More recently, it has been shown that the region flanking the repeats in the FXN gene is enriched for epigenetic marks characteristic of transcriptionally repressed regions of the genome. However, exactly how repeats in an intron cause the FXN mRNA deficit in FRDA has been the subject of much debate. Identifying the mechanism or mechanisms responsible for the FXN mRNA deficit in FRDA is important for the development of treatments for this currently incurable disorder. This review discusses evidence for and against different models for the repeat-mediated mRNA deficit.
A Note on Auxiliary Verbs and Language Acquisition.

Numerous discussions of language acquisition, starting with Chomsky 1965 and including many works by Chomsky and other authors, have given prominence to a diagram that is by now so familiar to linguists of all allegiances that there is no need to reproduce it here: in the centre there is a box labelled 'LAD' (language acquisition device), with an arrow leading from the label 'primary linguistic data' into the box and an arrow leading out of the box to the label 'a grammar'. As I have pointed out many times (for example, McCawley, I983), the claim about language acquisition that is embodied in this diagram is consistent not just with all of the many diverse conceptions of 'transformational grammar' that have been seriously entertained by linguists, but with any conception whatever of linguistic knowledge: proponents of any linguistic theory whatever can consistently claim that children's biological endowments equip them to acquire a grammar of the sort that that linguistic theory countenances, on the basis of 'linguistic data' of some sort.' Indeed, one feature of the scenario for language acquisition that is given in McCawley I983 that I regarded as particularly novel is that it is consistent with only a rather narrow range of syntactic theories: for example, since it relies on the child's acquisition of several factors that yield dimensions of syntactic categorization and on the child's learning through inspection an inventory of admissible surface constituent structure configurations, it is consistent only with a theory of syntax that involves constituent structure, categories defined by the given list of factors, .and an inventory of the phrase-structure configurations that the language allows in its surface structures. My modest claim that the 'arrow-and-box' account of language
Overview of the Characterization of Recombinant Proteins

This overview provides guidelines for the characterization of recombinantly expressed proteins (e.g., verifying primary structure and appropriate post-translational modifications), along with methodologies for characterizing the proteins according to size, X-ray structure, absorbance, biological activity, and subunit structure. A flow chart presents a suggested path for fully characterizing recombinant protein and involves equipment for HPLC, mass spectrometry, circular dichroism, NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy. Also covered are sources and consequences of contamination in protein solutions.
Human Patterning and Chronic Pain

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of chronic pain through Rogerian nursing science. A matched sample was drawn from persons within chronic pain management programs (N = 113) and community dwelling adults without chronic pain (N = 113). The Human Field Motion Tool and the Power as Knowing Participation in Change Tool were used as measures of pattern manifestation (alphas = .94). Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant differences between groups on patterning measures (p < .001). Although sociodemographic and pain variables were included in the analysis, they were not found to be related to patterning differences. The results of this study provide support for conceptualizing chronic pain as a pattern manifestation. Determining implications of this finding are among recommendations for knowledge development in explicating a nursing science perspective on pain.
Antennas and Electromagnetic Radiation

After discussing wave propagation, it is time we go back and discuss the sources of the waves. Recall that our whole discussion of waves was based on the solution to the source-free wave equation. Starting with Chapter 11, we assumed that a wave was generated in some fashion but did not concern ourselves too much with how the wave was generated. Occasionally, the term “source” or “antenna” was mentioned but only to indicate that the wave must have a source.
Medical Sociology and Technology: Critical Engagements

In this selective review of the literature on medical sociology's engagement with technology, we outline the concurrent developments of the American Sociological Association section on medicine and advances in medical treatment. We then describe theoretical and epistemological issues with scholars' treatment of technology in medicine. Using symbolic interactionist concepts, as well as work from the interdisciplinary field of science and technology studies, we review and synthesize critical connections in and across sociology's intellectual relationship with medical technology. Next, we discuss key findings in these literatures, noting a shift from a focus on the effects of technology on practice to a reconfiguration of human bodies. We also look toward the future, focusing on connections between technoscientific identities and embodied health movements. Finally, we call for greater engagement by medical sociologists in studying medical technology and the process of policy-making--two areas central to debates in health economics and public policy.
A Portable Anaerobic Microbioreactor Reveals Optimum Growth Conditions for the Methanogen Methanosaeta concilii

Conventional studies of the optimum growth conditions for methanogens (methane-producing, obligate anaerobic archaea) are typically conducted with serum bottles or bioreactors. The use of microfluidics to culture methanogens allows direct microscopic observations of the time-integrated response of growth. Here, we developed a microbioreactor (microBR) with approximately 1-microl microchannels to study some optimum growth conditions for the methanogen Methanosaeta concilii. The microBR is contained in an anaerobic chamber specifically designed to place it directly onto an inverted light microscope stage while maintaining a N2-CO2 environment. The methanogen was cultured for months inside microchannels of different widths. Channel width was manipulated to create various fluid velocities, allowing the direct study of the behavior and responses of M. concilii to various shear stresses and revealing an optimum shear level of approximately 20 to 35 microPa. Gradients in a single microchannel were then used to find an optimum pH level of 7.6 and an optimum total NH4-N concentration of less than 1,100 mg/liter (<47 mg/liter as free NH3-N) for M. concilii under conditions of the previously determined ideal shear stress and pH and at a temperature of 35 degrees C.
Children's frequency of eating, total sugar intake and weight/height stature

Abstract A nationwide survey of 972 individuals ages 5 through 18 years was utilized to assess if a relationship existed between eating patterns, total sugar intake and weight/height ratios. Cross-tabulations and regression analysis were employed to test the hypothesized relations. Results indicated that there existed no general relationship between eating patterns and occurrence of obesity. The authors suggest additional analyses utilizing more homogeneous samples be undertaken before conclusions are formed concerning relationships of snack consumption and weight/height ratios.
Longitudinal Evidence of the Changing Socio‐Economic Profile of a State Lottery Market

This longitudinal study of Indiana lottery expenditures tracks that market from a time when all play was in games offered by other states until the state offered a full portfolio of games. Both the socio-economic characteristics of players and the nature of their play have changed. Participation doubled when the Indiana games began, and it continues to increase, albeit more slowly. Lottery play is regressive, and has become increasingly regressive over time. An increasing proportion of lottery revenues comes from low-income players and heavy bettors, although small bets are still the norm. While college graduates play the lottery less than do other individuals, the initial large gap in play rates for these two groups is diminishing as college graduates increase their participation in the lottery. Similarly, women and individuals between the ages of 44 and 65 are continuing to increase their participation in lotteries. Patterns associated with increased regressivity, with increased play among low-income players, and with higher reliance on heavy bettors, suggest a need for special policy vigilance as the games mature.
Lewis X-containing glycans are specific and potent competitive inhibitors of the binding of ZP3 to complementary sites on capacitated, acrosome-intact mouse sperm.

Abstract Mammalian fertilization requires a cascade of interactions between sperm and the egg's zona pellucida (ZP). O-linked glycans on mouse glycoprotein ZP3 have been implicated in mediating one step of the fertilization process, the firm adhesion of acrosome-intact sperm to the ZP. Experiments to identify structural requirements of a sperm-binding glycan have demonstrated that a Lewis X (Lex)-containing glycan (Galβ4[Fucα3]GlcNAc-R) was a potent, competitive inhibitor of in vitro sperm-ZP binding (Johnston et al. J Biol Chem 1998; 273: 1888–1895). However, those experiments did not define the particular step in the fertilization pathway that was blocked. The experiments described herein test the hypothesis that Lex-containing glycans are specific, competitive inhibitors of the binding of Alexa Fluor 568 fluorochrome (Alexa568)-labeled ZP3 to sperm and, thus, bind the same sperm surface sites as ZP3. Dose-response analyses demonstrated that these glycans are potent inhibitors (IC50 ∼180 nM), which at s...
Ultimatum decision-making: A test of reciprocal kindness

While fairness is often mentioned as a determinant of ultimatum bargaining behavior, few data sets are available that can test theories that incorporate fairness considerations. This paper tests the reciprocal kindness theory in Rabin (1993 Incorporating fairness into game theory and economics, The American Economic Review 83: 1281-1302) as an application to the one-period ultimatum bargaining game. We report on data from 100 ultimatum games that vary the financial stakes of the game from $1 to $15. Responder behavior is strongly in support of the kindness theory and proposer behavior weakly in support of it. Offer percentages and past offers influence behavior the most, whereas the size of the pie has a marginally significant effect on offer percentages. The data is more in support of reciprocal kindness than alternative theories of equal-split or learning behavior, although the data also weakly support a minimum percentage threshold hypothesis. As a whole, our results together with existing studies suggest that, for smaller stakes games, fairness considerations dominate monetary considerations. This has implications for more complicated naturally occurring bargaining environments in which the financial stakes can vary widely.
Extremal solutions to a class of multivalued integral equations in Banach space

space. We establish the existence of extremal integral solutions, and we show that they are dense in the solution set of the original equation. As an important application, we obtain a "bang-bang" theorem for a class of nonlinear, infinite dimensional control systems.
Katz A: Breaking the silence on cancer and sexuality: a handbook for healthcare providers

Sexuality is a natural part of life. Therefore, it deserves attention by clinicians in healthcare; in particular the cancer trajectory. This is a consistent theme in Breaking the Silence (2007, Oncology Nursing Society Publishing). Containing 280 pages, 444 references, 5 websites, 9 journals, 9 books, and 3 textbooks, Breaking the Silence proposes to change the knowledge of nurses and other healthcare providers related to sexuality and cancer. The book’s author, Anne Katz, RN, PhD, emphasizes that after reading this book, healthcare professionals will feel comfortable initiating the topic of sexuality with their patients and their significant others. The goal of this book is to help break the silence on this topic. The text imparts this information through the form of 24 chapters. The chapters are divided into five sections, with the various sections exploring the human sexuality in the context of cancer, how various types of cancer impact sexuality, the effect of cancer on the individual and family across the life span, how treatment modalities such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy affect sexual functioning, and tools and resources for healthcare providers. There are many positive aspects of this book. In the first section of Breaking the Silence, the author describes human sexuality by reviewing definitions of sexuality and includes the essentials related to sexual anatomy, hormonal influences, and the sexual response cycle which healthcare providers need to know in order to better educate their patients about sexuality. A brief overview of sexuality in the context of cancer is included and the fact that many individuals do survive cancer is reinforced. Overall, this book is written in a clear fashion. Chapter 3 (‘‘Health Assessment’’) is a particularly good chapter in this book and Chapters 17 (‘‘The Effect of the Cancer Experience on Couples’’) and 18 (‘‘Gay and Lesbian Patients’’) are important since clinicians should explore their own beliefs and attitudes related to couple functioning and the experience of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in the healthcare arena. Several figures with illustrations to help clarify and further explain information such as the Male Sexual Response Cycle and Female Sexual Response Cycle in Chapter 2
Supervised Neural Network Training using the Minimum Error Entropy Criterion with Variable-Size and Finite-Support Kernel Estimates

The insufficiency of mere second-order statistics in many application areas have been discovered and more advanced concepts including higher-order statistics, especially those stemming from information theory like error entropy minimization are now being studied and applied in many contexts by researchers in machine learning and signal processing. The main drawback of using minimization of output error entropy for adaptive system training is the computational load when fixed-size kernel estimates are employed. Entropy estimators based on sample spacing, on the other hand, have lower computational cost, however they are not differentiable, which makes them unsuitable for adaptive learning. In this paper, a nonparametric entropy estimator that blends the desirable properties of both techniques in a variable-size finite-support kernel estimation methodology is presented. This yields an estimator suitable for adaptation, yet has computational complexity similar to sample spacing techniques. The estimator is illustrated in supervised adaptive system training using the minimum error entropy criterion
Thermal Conductivity and Critical Boundary Resistance of Helium Near the Lambda Point

We report measurements of the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity of helium in the region just above the lambda point and the critical boundary resistance on both sides of the transition. The data were obtained using a cell with a gap that was varied from 0.12 to 0.73 mm. The range of the data was from about 2 mK below to 8 mK above the transition, with a maximum resolution of about 5×10−9 K, well within the gravity rounded region. We find good agreement with the expected behavior of the thermal conductivity based on the dynamic renormalization group theory. The boundary resistance results above the transition are in fair agreement with the theoretical prediction of Frank and Dohm. Below the transition the wide range results are in approximate agreement with additional predictions and other measurements at higher powers. Closer to the transition on the low temperature side phenomena are observed which appear to be apparatus-dependent.
Transgenic Animal Models of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are complex disorders involving neuropathological and psychiatric alterations. Transgenic mice expressing mutant human Alzheimer precursor protein (βAPP), α-synuclein, and mutant huntingtin genes have been developed for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease (AD, PD, and HD), respectively. However, none of the existing mouse models completely represents the pathology of these diseases, including neuronal loss, cerebral atrophy, widespread neurofibrillary tangles, and neuropil threads in AD, formation of Lewy bodies and the extensive loss of dopaminergic neurons in PD, and neuronal loss and aggregate formation in HD. Although rat models have been shown to be superior to mouse models because of the brain size and the availability of more sophisticated behavioral testing, a common disadvantage in rodent models is the lack of neurodegeneration. Furthermore, rodents have relatively smaller brains and thus provide a limited behavioral repertoire for assessing transgene-associated structural and cognitive deficits. Nonhuman primates are ideally suited for modeling the neuropathology of neurodegenerative diseases because of their biological proximity to humans, size, and age-related development of lesions. Thus the development of a transgenic nonhuman primate model of neurodegenerative diseases holds greater promise for success in the discovery of diagnoses, treatments, and cures than approaches using other animal species. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that rodent models contribute significantly to the understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and the development of cures. A transgenic nonhuman primate model will be able to mimic human conditions not only physiologically but also genetically. However, the development of transgenic rodent and nonhuman primate models of neurodegenerative diseases is equally important for unraveling the mystery of neurodegeneration and the development of early diagnosis and cures.
Chemical Hazardous Sites and Residential Prices: Determinants of Impact

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) requires reporting of potential chemical hazardous sites to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA discloses some sites on the Internet while others are not. I investigate whether Internet disclosure makes a difference on the impact a hazardous site has on nearby housing prices. I also investigate the relevance of EPA-hazard classifications to understand the residential market reaction to nearby chemical hazardous sites. Data from Lubbock, Texas confirm that housing values near registered chemical hazards are lower, ceteris paribus; however, Internet-listed hazardous sites do not have a bigger impact on housing prices than do hazards not listed on the Internet. But more importantly, hazard classifications other than EPA classification better define house price behavior.
Next Generation Science Standards: A National Mixed-Methods Study on Teacher Readiness.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) science and engineering practices are ways of eliciting the reasoning and applying foundational ideas in science. As research has revealed barriers to states and schools adopting the NGSS, this mixed-methods study attempts to identify characteristics of professional development (PD) that will support NGSS adoption and to improve teacher readiness. In-service science teachers from across the nation were targeted for the survey and responses represented 38 states. Research questions included: How motivated and prepared are in-service 7–12 teachers to use NGSS science and engineering practices? What is the profile of 7–12 in-service teachers who are motivated and feel prepared to use NGSS science and engineering practices? The study revealed that teachers identified engineering most frequently as a PD need to improve their NGSS readiness. High school teachers rated themselves as more prepared than middle school and all teachers who use Modeling Instruction expressed higher NGSS readiness. These findings and their specificity contribute to current knowledge, and can be utilized by districts in selecting PD to support teachers in preparing to implement the NGSS successfully.
Solar Energy Applications of Plasmonics

Plasmonics has provided optics researchers new means to control dispersion and light localization at nanoscale dimensions. Now plasmonic design approaches are yielding light trapping structures for improved efficiency in thin solar cells and structures for solar fuel generation. 150-word Biography: Harry Atwater is currently Howard Hughes Professor and Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science at the California Institute of Technology. His research interests center around two interwoven research themes: photovoltaics and solar energy; and plasmonics and optical metamaterials. Atwater and his group have been active in photovoltaics research for more than 20 years. Recently they have created new photovoltaic devices, including the silicon wire array solar cell, and layer-transferred fabrication approaches to III-V semiconductor III-V and multijunction cells, as well as making advances in plasmonic light absorber structures for III-V compound and silicon thin films. He is an early pioneer in surface plasmon photonics; he gave the name to the field of plasmonics in 2001. He has authored or co-authored over 200 publications, and his group’s developments in the solar and plasmonics field have been featured in Scientific American and in research papers in Science, Nature Materials, Nature Photonics and Advanced Materials. Atwater received his S.B. (1981), S.M. (1983), and Ph.D. (1987) in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He currently serves as as Director of the DOE Energy Frontier Research Center on Light-Matter Interactions in Solar Energy Conversion (http://lmi.caltech.edu) and was recently named Director of the Resnick Institute for Science, Energy and Sustainability, http://resnick.caltech.edu/, Caltech’s largest endowed research program focused on energy. Atwater is founder and chief technical advisor for Alta Devices, a venture-backed company in Santa Clara, CA developing a transformational high efficiency/low cost photovoltaics technology, and Aonex Corporation, a compound semiconductor materials company. He has also served an editorial board member for Surface Review and Letters. Professor Atwater has consulted extensively for industry and government, and has actively served the materials community in various capacities, including Material Research Society Meeting Chair (1997), Materials Research Society President (2000), AVS Electronic Materials and Processing Division Chair (1999), and Board of Trustees of the Gordon Research Conferences. In 2008, he served as Chair for the Gordon Research Conference on Plasmonics. Atwater has been honored by awards including the MRS Kavli Lecturer in Nanoscience in 2010; Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award, 2010; Joop Los Fellowship from the Dutch Society for Fundamental Research on Matter in 2005, A.T. & T. Foundation Award, 1990; NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award, 1989; IBM Faculty Development Award, 1989-1990; Member, Bohmische Physical Society, 1990; IBM Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1987. Article not available.
Effects of Hypothalamic Stimulation, Hormones, and Drugs on Ovarian Function in Old Female Rats

SummaryOld female rats in constant estrus were given different treatments in an attempt to induce ovulation. Subcutaneous injections of progesterone for 3 days or epinephrine for 10 days, induced ovulation in 6 out of 10 and 11 out of 22 rats respectively, with normal appearing estrous cycles observed in many epinephrine-treated rats. Electrical stimulation of the preoptic area of the hypothalamus produced ovulation in 3 out of 5 old rats. Injections of reserpine, thyroxine or cyproterone acetate, and cervical stimulation, failed to induce ovulation, whereas ovariectomy resulted in anestrus. These observations suggest that changes in hypothalamic function account for constant estrus in old female rats.
Longitudinal Health Interviewing by Embodied Conversational Agents: Directions for Future Research

Long-term health monitoring is becoming increasingly important with the rising prevalence of chronic disease in the U.S. While many researchers are investigating the use of remote biological monitoring and telemedicine technologies, the use of frequent self-report in long-term health monitoring remains a relatively unstudied area. We discuss some of the many cognitive, affective and contextual issues that must be addressed in maintaining a long-term stream of quality data from patients at home or in the field, and how many of these issues can be addressed through the use of conversational agents.
Conclusion: Colonial Encounter and Island History

Are islands natural prisons? The answer to this question is encrypted in the history of modern colonial encounters, that is, the European discovery and characterization of tropical islands and their inhabitants, as the colonial history of the Andamans illustrates. The spatial history of the Andamans began much before their colonization as a leaf in the fantastic tales of ancient and medieval travellers. The Andamans entered history through these accounts and ‘transformed into a place, that is, a space with a history’. The British stepped into the historical trajectory of the Andamans as their empire was shifting away from the Atlantic and starting to focus on the Indian Ocean. With this a new era of ‘modern globalization’, with linkages between the Indian Ocean and the European-Atlantic economy, was emerging. The events as they unfolded in the Andamans were reminiscent of the Columbian encounters in the late fifteenth century, the sixteenth century colonial encounter between Indians and English in the New World, and the Tupinamba and Europeans in Brazil.1 The violence in each case accompanied misanthropic characterization of the environments and peoples which the colonizers encountered. British surveyors and administrators brought colonial experiences and characterizations from European encounters with the non-European world to the Andamans. This is amply exemplified in the way disgust with the physical surroundings of the tropical islands was projected on to the natives in the Andamans.
The effect of charged centers in thermally stimulated currents: Application to poly(N-vinylcarbazole)

In measuring the field dependence of DC conductivity in amorphous dielectrics one often finds, that the logarithm of current plotted vs. square root of electric field yields a straight line. This effect may be due to decrease of occupation probability of a trap, charged when empty, under the influence of the external field. Frenkel and Poole (1) discussed this phenomenon in terms of the Coulomb interactions with the charged center. The electrode injection (Schottky effect (2)) can, however, yield the same type of field dependence, and it is often very difficult to distinguish both phenomena. More recently, the same type of field dependence was found in the time-of-flight measurements of mobility. This effect is now seen to be so widespread that doubts have been raised whether the presence of charged traps in amorphous dielectrics solely accounts for the observed field dependence of various electrical properties in these materials.
Exportin 7 (RanBP16) Plays An Essential Role In Terminal Erythroid Differentiation

Abstract Abstract 3877 Members of the nuclear transport receptor family of importins and exportins regulate the passage of proteins between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Although evolutionarily conserved across several species, Exportin 7 (Xpo7 or RanBP16) and its cargo are not well understood. In our study, we find that Xpo7 is highly erythroid-specific, as all other exportins are downregulated during terminal erythroid differentiation, a process including the induction of a highly specialized erythroid expression program, a set number of 3–5 terminal cell divisions, and chromatin condensation and eventual enucleation. Xpo7, in contrast, is highly induced during terminal erythropoiesis. Using retroviral shRNA knockdown of Xpo7 in in vitro fetal liver erythroid cell cultures, we demonstrate that exportin 7 is necessary for normal cellular proliferation and terminal erythroid differentiation, specifically for normal enucleation. Through microarray and biocomputational analysis of mRNA isolated from the knockdown cultures, we have found that the promoters of genes that are dysregulated after Xpo7 knockdown are enriched for binding sites for the activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). Given that the erythroid phenotype of the ATF4 knockout mouse is very similar to the specific erythroid defects we observe in our in vitro knockdown analysis, our data suggests that either ATF4 or its binding protein may be Xpo7's cargo during terminal erythroid differentiation. Ongoing studies aimed at confirming this mechanism, the interaction between ATF4 and Xpo7, and the role and cargo of Xpo7 in terminal erythroid differentiation, are underway. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Diet and Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms: Survey Results From a Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry.

Objective Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often ask whether specific foods, popularized as inflammatory or antiinflammatory, can improve or worsen their RA. Patients with RA took a survey on diet and RA symptoms, and the survey data were collected and analyzed. Methods A dietary survey was mailed to 300 subjects in a single-center RA registry at a large academic center. Subjects were asked about their consumption of 20 foods and whether these foods make their RA symptoms better, worse, or unchanged. Semiannual registry data include demographics, medications, comorbidities, and disease activity scores. Fisher's exact test and Wilcoxon's rank sum tests evaluated associations between subject characteristics from the most recent registry assessment and changes in RA symptoms from specific foods. Results Of the 217 subjects (72% response rate), 83% were female; the median RA duration was 17 years (interquartile range 9–27 years), and 58% were taking a biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug. Twenty-four percent of subjects reported that foods affect their RA symptoms, with 15% reporting improvement and 19% reporting worsening. Blueberries and spinach were the foods most often reported to improve RA symptoms, while soda with sugar and desserts were those most often reported to worsen RA symptoms. Younger age and noting that sleep, warm room temperature, and vitamin/mineral supplements improve RA were each associated with reporting that foods affect RA symptoms. Medication use, sex, body mass index, smoking, disease duration, disease activity scores, and self-reported RA flares were not associated with reporting that foods affect RA. Conclusion Nearly one-quarter of RA subjects with longstanding disease reported that diet had an effect on their RA symptoms.