cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Was Dred Scott Correctly Decided? An 'Expert Report' for the Defendant

This Article offers an "expert report" for the defendant in Dred Scott, and argues that "given the history of the writing of the Constitution, the importance of slavery to the American economy, the specific protections for slavery found in the Constitution, and the politics of the era," the "decision upholding Dred Scott's status as a slave was surely inevitable." However, from "the perspective of modern scholarship . . . it is not unreasonable to ask if the case was in fact correctly decided. To ask this question is not to defend [Chief Justice] Taney's racism" or to argue "in favor of slavery." Instead, this Article suggests "how the Court might have reached the same result that Chief Jusitce Taney reached - and why perhaps the result was constitutionally correct - without relying on racism or aggressively proslavery thought."
Ivy Day in the Empty Room

ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO, at a time when the issues clustered around race still simmered on the back burners of national consciousness, I had a fierce argument with one of my oldest black friends. He had called me from his home in Lansing, Michigan, to report about a conflict between members of his group, people devoted to the memory of Malcolm X, and a group of black ministers who were partisans of the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. At issue between the two groups was the naming of a street in Lansing, one of the early homes of Malcolm Little, now known as Malcolm X. My friend's group wanted a certain street in Lansing named for Malcolm X. The black ministers wanted the same street named for Martin Luther King. I responded to the conflict by pointing out what I considered a bizarre contradiction. At a time when drugs, drive-by shootings, teenage pregnan cies, unemployment, self-hatred and racism were decimating whole seg ments of the group, it seemed of little practical consequence whether a street in Lansing, Michigan, bore the name of either man. I said that it seemed of greater importance for the two opposing groups to unite their energies to advance the causes for which both men stood and for which they gave their lives. I went further, and enraged my friend, by saying that the worship of the images of these two martyrs, during such a bleak and deadly time, was in reality a substitute for meaningful actions, if not the institutionalization of a death wish. My friend and I broke off our communication after this exchange, and I fell to brooding over whether my response to him had grown out of my own insensitivity to the basic needs, of unsophisticated people, for positive images or role models. Still, the ease with which images were used to obscure substance continued to bother me. Now, a few years later, the generation of men whose work in early life made the Civil Rights Movement is re-surfacing, though they are radically transformed in terms of public image. Vernon Jordan seems to be a Washington insider. Andrew Young seems to be an elder statesman. James Farmer was on television recently, speaking professorily as a repository of
Complex oxide ferroelectrics: Electrostatic doping by domain walls

Charged domain walls in ferroelectric thin films can be manipulated at the nanoscale and used to induce charges in the surrounding insulating material.
Two-dimensional, transform-domain, least-square techniques for accurate representation of dominant transform components and noise cancellation

Accurate and efficient representation of 2D signals in the transform domain is very useful for image processing and coding. The authors present a least-square transform domain technique to accurately represent the dominant complex transform components of 2D signals and 2D systems. The algorithm derived here is based on the equationary model (recursive-like structure) which can accurately match the location, magnitude, and phase of complex transform components in the least square sense for the unknown signal. The technique is applied successfully in noise cancellation for image restoration. Examples are given to illustrate the performance of this method in both spectral representation and noise cancellation applications. >
An improved RF and gradient coil system for high resolution in vivo guinea pig cochlea imaging on a 3T clinical magnet

Purpose The purpose of this work was to develop and evaluate a system consisting of an insertable gradient, RF coils, and animal positioning hardware to enable imaging of the internal structure of the cochlea and other inner ear structures of a guinea pig model at 3T. Methods Transmit and receive RF coils, and an animal positioning system, were developed and integrated with an insertable gradient and animal monitoring system for improved guinea pig cochlea imaging when compared to a standard clinical 3T MRI system. A resolution phantom with 120 μm line separations was used to assess the contrast improvements with the insertable gradient. A homogeneous phantom was used to assess the SNR and homogeneity of the RF coils. FLASH imaging was used to observe the temporal passage of gadolinium contrast through the guinea pig cochlea. Results The insertable gradient enabled increased resolution imaging with nearly twice the contrast-to-noise ratio. The small animal array had better SNR for imaging the guinea pig cochlea (about 14 mm deep) than the commercial Siemens wrist coil (2.2×) and the small birdcage coil (1.6×). The positioning device kept the animal secure and stationary. Injected gadolinium contrast allowed visualization of the internal cochlear structures with FLASH image acquisition, which achieved 100 μm isotropic resolution images in 33 min. Conclusion The specialized RF coils and animal holding equipment designed to operate within the composite gradient enabled higher resolution images than could be obtained from the available RF coils operating in the conventional gradients on the clinical MRI system. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part B (Magn Reson Engineering) 44B: 89–101, 2015
Terfenadine and risk of acute liver disease

Aims To estimate the risk of idiopathic acute liver disease among users of terfenadine. Methods We conducted a population-based cohort study based on the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) in the U.K. All persons who received at least one prescription for terfenadine during the period 1991 through 1995 were eligible for the study. Among these patients we identified all those with a diagnosis of a liver disorder requiring hospitalization or referral to a consultant within 60 days of a prior prescription for terfenadine. We obtained clinical records, including hospital discharge summaries, consultant reports and relevant laboratory results in order to identify a potentially drug-inducible liver illness. Results From a cohort of 210 683 recipients of terfenadine, we found only three cases of acute liver disease where a causal connection to terfenadine could not be ruled out, yielding a risk estimate of 1.4/100 000 users (95% CI 0.5, 4.2) and 0.5/100 000 prescriptions (95% CI 0.2, 1.4). All cases were receiving a concomitant hepatotoxic drug and all had a full recovery. Conclusion The use of terfenadine is rarely associated with idiopathic acute liver disease.
The mechanism of cavity formation during high temperature oxidation of nickel

Abstract Three mechanisms have been advanced to account for the grain boundary voids observed in nickel following high temperature oxidation: vacancy injection, oxide growth stresses, and internal oxidation of carbon. A critical test to distinguish between the two former and the latter is developed by comparing the cavitation response of three grades of nickel to exposure at 1000°C in air and in a controlled, low oxygen partial pressure. The observation of similar cavitation at oxygen partial pressures below those required to form an external oxide discounts both vacancy injection and creep voiding in response to oxide growth stresses as possible mechanisms. However, this result supports the third possibility, that involving gas-bubble formation due to the internal oxidation of carbon. This is proved in three ways: firstly, by demonstrating the crucial role of carbon in promoting cavitation by systematically removing and then replacing this element before oxidation; secondly by producing cavitation when carbon was diffused into oxygen-containing nickel; and thirdly, by using mass spectrometry to identify the carbon dioxide, and possibly carbon monoxide, contained within the grain boundary pores. Consideration of these results leads to the conclusion that the reported cases of grain boundary voiding on oxidation are explained by gas forming reactions and are not evidence for vacancy injection or the existence of oxide growth stresses.
Site-specific phosphorylation of protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 12A stimulated or suppressed by insulin

Abstract Protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is one of the major phosphatases responsible for protein dephosphorylation in eukaryotes. So far, only few specific phosphorylation sites of PP1 regulatory subunit 12A (PPP1R12A) have been shown to regulate the PP1 activity. The effect of insulin on PPP1R12A phosphorylation is largely unknown. Utilizing a mass spectrometry based phosphorylation identification and quantification approach, we identified 21 PPP1R12A phosphorylation sites (7 novel sites, including Ser20, Thr22, Thr453, Ser478, Thr671, Ser678, and Ser680) and quantified 16 of them under basal and insulin stimulated conditions in hamster ovary cells overexpressing the insulin receptor (CHO/IR), an insulin sensitive cell model. Insulin stimulated the phosphorylation of PPP1R12A significantly at Ser477, Ser478, Ser507, Ser668, and Ser695, while simultaneously suppressing the phosphorylation of PPP1R12A at Ser509 (more than 2-fold increase or decrease compared to basal). Our data demonstrate that PPP1R12A undergoes insulin stimulated/suppressed phosphorylation, suggesting that PPP1R12A phosphorylation may play a role in insulin signal transduction. The novel PPP1R12A phosphorylation sites as well as the new insulin-responsive phosphorylation sites of PPP1R12A in CHO/IR cells provide targets for investigation of the regulation of PPP1R12A and the PPP1R12A–PP1cδ complex in insulin action and other signaling pathways in other cell models, animal models, and humans.
Does life history mediate changing disease risk when communities disassemble

Biodiversity loss sometimes increases disease risk or parasite transmission in humans, wildlife and plants. Some have suggested that this pattern can emerge when host species that persist throughout community disassembly show high host competence – the ability to acquire and transmit infections. Here, we briefly assess the current empirical evidence for covariance between host competence and extirpation risk, and evaluate the consequences for disease dynamics in host communities undergoing disassembly. We find evidence for such covariance, but the mechanisms for and variability around this relationship have received limited consideration. This deficit could lead to spurious assumptions about how and why disease dynamics respond to community disassembly. Using a stochastic simulation model, we demonstrate that weak covariance between competence and extirpation risk may account for inconsistent effects of host diversity on disease risk that have been observed empirically. This model highlights the predictive utility of understanding the degree to which host competence relates to extirpation risk, and the need for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying such relationships.
Linear and nonlinear estimators for one- and two-dimensional Fourier transforms

Previously presented estimators for one-dimensional Fourier transforms are modified to provide two-dimensional analogs which are computationally feasible for large systems of equations. Near-optimal, two-dimensional estimators are obtained by an iterative approximation method which involves the inversion of block lower triangular matrices.
Say's Law and Walras' Law Once More: Comment

In his recent re-evaluation of the role of identities in economic models and his specific interpretations of Walras’s and Say’s Laws, E. J. Mishan has raised some points which warrant further discussion.1 My comments will follow the sequence of arguments Mishan employed.
Estimation of crustal Poisson's ratio from broad band teleseismic data

Knowledge of Poisson's ratio constitutes an important constraint on the physical properties of the continental crust. To date there are only a few locations in the world where direct measurements of this parameter have been made. In this paper we describe a single station technique for measuring crustal Poisson's ratio from the boundary interaction phases in broad band teleseismic waveforms. In principle we can derive an estimate from one seismogram, although in practice using several seismograms helps overcome the low signal to noise ratio of the boundary interaction phases. We apply our method to 6 North American stations using 9 deep focus earthquakes in various locations. By performing a nonlinear search for the optimum Poisson's ratio and Moho depth, we are able to make a stable estimate of Poisson's ratio in each case. The estimates range from 0.22 to 0.315, representing the extremes that are usually found on the North American continent. The low value at station COL (Fairbanks, AL), is corroborated by a refraction survey in the same region. Because of the small number of seismograms needed, this technique is especially well suited for portable teleseismic experiments. In addition, we will be able to obtain estimates at each of the 100+ permanent broad band stations that are to be shortly deployed, ensuring that the number of measurements of this important parameter can quickly increase by an order of magnitude.
Responding to sentence-level errors in writing

Abstract The debate between Truscott, 1996 , Truscott, 1999 and Ferris (1999) on responding to student errors in writing underscores how difficult this issue is for writing teachers. Conventionally, pedagogies have looked at errors separately from principles of text construction. From an interlanguage perspective, we argue that many perplexing errors are the result of the interaction between developing linguistic competence and basic principles of ordering information in texts which learners already know. We show how this interaction results in errors at the sentence-level. These insights are applied to published comments and corrections of sentence-level errors in student writing. Based on the interlanguage perspective we propose, our analysis of these comments and corrections shows how teachers may misinterpret a learner’s text. The framework we propose situates students’ sentence-level errors within their developing skill in constructing target-like texts and provides teachers with another perspective on such errors.
Sieve bootstrap for time series

We study a bootstrap method which is based on the method of sieves. A linear process is approximated by a sequence of autoregressive processes of order p p(n), where p(n) , p ( n ) o ( n) as the sample size n . For given data, we then estimate such an AR( p(n)) model and generate a bootstrap sample by resampling from the residuals. This sieve bootstrap enjoys a nice nonparametric property, being model-free within a class of linear processes. We show its consistency for a class of nonlinear estimators and compare the procedure with the
Interfacial modification to improve inverted polymer solar cells

We report improved device performance of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]phenyl C61butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)-based inverted bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells through the modified interface of the TiO2/BHJ with a series of carboxylic acid functionalized self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The SAMs reduce the series resistance and improve the shunt resistance of the cell leading to increased fill factor and photocurrent density. Different aspects of device improvement can be affected depending on the nature of the SAMs. Modification with a C60-SAM shows the largest enhancement leading to a 35% improvement (η = 3.78%) over unmodified inverted devices (η = 2.80%). This SAM serves multiple functions to affect the photoinduced charge transfer at the interface to reduce the recombination of charges, passivation of inorganic surface trap states, improve the exciton dissociation efficiency at the polymer/TiO2 interface as well as a template to influence the overlayer BHJ distribution of phases, morphology and crystallinity leading to better charge selectivity and improved solar cell performance.
A rapid non-destructive assay to quantify soybean nodule gas permeability

The low gas permeability of a diffusion barrier in the cortex of soybean nodules plays a significant role in the protection of nitrogenase from oxygen inactivation. It may also set an upper limit on nodule respiration and nitrogen fixation rates. Two methods which have been used to quantify the gas permeability of leguminous nodules are reviewed and found to be unreliable. A new assay technique for determining both the nodule activity and gas permeability is developed and tested. This ‘lag-phase’ assay is based on the time nodules require to reach steady-state ethylene production after being exposed to acetylene. The technique is rapid, insensitive to errors in biochemical parameters associated with nitrogenase, and is non-destructive. The method was tested with intact aeroponically grown soybean plants for which the mean nodule gas permeability was found to be 13.3×10−3 mms−1. This corresponds to a layer of cells approximately 35 um thick and is consistent with previously reported values.
Dynamic Stackelberg equilibrium congestion pricing

Abstract This paper considers the problem of dynamic congestion pricing that determines optimal time-varying tolls for a pre-specified subset of arcs with bottleneck on a congested general traffic network. A two-person nonzero-sum dynamic Stackelberg game model is formulated with the assumption that the underlying information structure is open loop. Characteristics of the Stackelberg equilibrium solution are analyzed. The Hooke–Jeeves algorithm that obviates an evaluation of the gradient vector of the objective function is presented with a numerical example. The paper concludes with its future extensions.
Phytolith evidence for the extent and nature of prehistoric Californian grasslands

Californian grasslands have been radically transformed by cultivation and exotic species invasions that began with European settlement in 1769. Because native species contribute only a small percen...
Potential Solutions to Common Barriers Experienced during the Delivery of Building Renovations for Improved Energy Performance: Literature Review and Case Study

AbstractTo reduce the energy use and carbon emissions from buildings, there is a need to efficiently renovate existing buildings for improved energy performance. In response to this need, this study compares barriers and solutions for sustainable building renovation from the literature to a case study of barriers and solutions from a building renovation for improved energy performance. For example, the barrier of unforeseen conditions, affecting both cost and schedule performance, was addressed through a comprehensive building inspection guide to evaluate existing conditions and reduce risk. This barrier and solution appeared in both the literature and in the case study. Widespread adoption of the solutions presented in this study could provide more affordable renovations for improving building energy performance, and in doing so, help develop the market for building renovations to improve energy performance.
Immobilized enzymes as catalytically-active tools for nanofabrication.

One efficient strategy for creating nanostructures on surfaces is to use the catalytic properties of a surface molecule. This strategy benefits from the amplification and chemical specificity inherent in catalysis. We describe a demonstration of the key step of such a strategy: the surface trapping of a product generated by a nanometer-scale patch of surface-bound enzyme. Nanografting was used to create a ∼70-nm patch of carboxylic acid groups surrounded by antibiofouling oligio(ethyleneoxide) groups on the surface of a gold ball. A catalytic site was prepared by immobilization of acetylcholine esterase to the carboxylic acid patch, and a product trap was prepared by scratching a small hole in the antibiofouling surface to reveal the gold surface. Two hours after addition of acetylthiocholine, the trap was filled. This demonstrated that the enzyme had catalyzed a reaction and that the product had been used to modify the surface film.
Expert support systems design issues

Expert support systems (ESSs) promise valuable support to decision-makers in business settings where a number of complex and interacting decisions must be accommodated. Even though the proliferation of ESSs in business has been limited, the issues involved in designing such systems need to be addressed so that development resources are well utilized and the end product is successful. This paper addresses the following questions: What are the factors that affect the successful design of an ESS? And how do these factors affect the design process? These factors are identified by considering factors that are relevant to MIS development and how they relate to the new technology of expert systems. A prototype ESS is used to illustrate the issues addressed in this paper.
Linguistically Privileged and Cursed? American University Students and the Global Hegemony of English.

: This paper analyzes written discourse generated in response to an open-ended questionnaire administered to 136 students at two different universities in the southwestern United States and to 15 non-American students at a large Danish university. The questionnaire aimed to inspire reflection about the impact of the global rise of English on American mother-tongue speakers of English as well as on those who do not have English as a mother tongue, especially with respect to the question of mono vs. multilingual practice. Most American and non-American respondents represented the learning of a foreign language as something American mother-tongue speakers should do but as something which is not necessary. There was widespread, though not unanimous, agreement that English is necessary for non-mother-tongue speakers. Responses are also grouped, discussed, and analyzed in terms of the instrumental, multicultural, or mix of multicultural and instrumental logic used. The author is especially concerned with the intersections between the global hegemony of English and the learning of foreign languages. The study and analysis conducted here offer insight into these intersections. Given that so much is at stake in terms of the relationship between the global expansion of English and foreign language learning, the author concludes that further research into this relationship is needed.
Efficacy of an adeno-associated virus 8-pseudotyped vector in glycogen storage disease type II.

Glycogen storage disease type II (GSD-II; Pompe disease) causes death in infancy from cardiorespiratory failure. The underlying deficiency of acid α-glucosidase (GAA; acid maltase) can be corrected by liver-targeted gene therapy in GSD-II, if secretion of GAA is accompanied by receptor-mediated uptake in cardiac and skeletal muscle. An adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector encoding human (h) GAA was pseudotyped as AAV8 (AAV2/8) and injected intravenously into immunodeficient GSD-II mice. High levels of hGAA were maintained in plasma for 24 weeks following AAV2/8 vector administration. A marked increase in vector copy number in the liver was demonstrated for the AAV2/8 vector compared to the analogous AAV2/2 vector. GAA deficiency in the heart and skeletal muscle was corrected with the AAV2/8 vector in male GSD-II mice, consistent with receptor-mediated uptake of hGAA. Male GSD-II mice demonstrated complete correction of glycogen storage in heart and diaphragm with the AAV2/8 vector, while female GSD-II mice had correction only in the heart. A biomarker for GSD-II was reduced in both sexes following AAV2/8 vector administration. Therefore, GAA production with an AAV2/8 vector in a depot organ, the liver, generated evidence for efficacious gene therapy in a mouse model for GSD-II.
Effects of BDNF Infusion on the Regulation of TrkB Protein and Message in Adult Rat Brain

Exposure of embryonic CNS neurons to BDNF in vitro causes down-regulation of TrkB protein and mRNA, and an attenuation of functional responses to acute neurotrophin stimulation. In order to investigate ligand-mediated regulation of TrkB in vivo, we infused BDNF into the midbrain, near the periaquaductal grey-dorsal raphe (PAG-DR), or into the olfactory bulb of adult rats. Midbrain infusion of BDNF produced analgesia that was sustained for the duration of BDNF delivery. Analysis of TrkB receptor levels revealed that at the point when the maximal analgesic effect of BDNF was obtained, there was a concommitant 75% decrease in full-length TrkB protein at the infusion site. After discontinuation of infusion, levels of TrkB recovered toward base line. Interestingly, TrkB protein levels were not accompanied by decreased trkB mRNA levels. To determine if BDNF infusion decreased TrkB protein levels in other brain areas and whether trkB mRNA might be down-regulated in the cell bodies of neurons projecting to the infusion site, we infused BDNF into the olfactory bulb. Following a 12-day infusion of BDNF, TrkB protein levels decreased within the bulb to a similar extent as in the PAG-DR. This decrease in receptor protein, however, was not accompanied by decreased trkB mRNA levels in the olfactory cortex, which is afferent to the bulb. Taken together, our data suggest that decreases in TrkB receptor protein at the site of BDNF infusions in the adult brain represent receptor turnover, but this is not associated with altered expression of trkB mRNA or attenuation of the pharmacological effects of BDNF.
Investigating unsaturated fat, monensin, or bromoethanesulfonate in continuous cultures retaining ruminal protozoa. I. Fermentation, biohydrogenation, and microbial protein synthesis.

Abstract Methane is an end product of ruminal fermentation that is energetically wasteful and contributes to global climate change. Bromoethanesulfonate, animal-vegetable fat, and monensin were compared with a control treatment to suppress different functional groups of ruminal prokaryotes in the presence or absence of protozoa to evaluate changes in fermentation, digestibility, and microbial N outflow. Four dual-flow continuous culture fermenter systems were used in 4 periods in a 4×4 Latin square design split into 2 subperiods. In subperiod 1, a multistage filter system (50-μm smallest pore size) retained most protozoa. At the start of subperiod 2, conventional filters (300-μm pore size) were substituted to efflux protozoa via filtrate pumps over 3 d; after a further 7 d of adaptation, the fermenters were sampled for 3 d. Treatments were retained during both subperiods. Flow of total N and digestibilities of NDF and OM were 18, 16, and 9% higher, respectively, for the defaunated subperiod but were not different among treatments. Ammonia concentration was 33% higher in the faunated fermenters but was not affected by treatment. Defaunation increased the flow of nonammonia N and bacterial N from the fermenters. Protozoal counts were not different among treatments, but bromoethanesulfonate increased the generation time from 43.2 to 55.6h. Methanogenesis was unaffected by defaunation but tended to be increased by unsaturated fat. Defaunation did not affect total volatile fatty acid production but decreased the acetate:propionate ratio; monensin increased production of isovalerate and valerate. Biohydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids was impaired in the defaunated fermenters because effluent flows of oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids were 60, 77, and 69% higher, and the ratio of vaccenic acid:unsaturated FA ratio was decreased by 34% in the effluent. This ratio was increased in both subperiods with the added fat diet, indicating an accumulation of intermediates of biohydrogenation. However, the flow of 18:2 conjugated linoleic acid was unaffected by defaunation or by treatments other than added fat. The flows of trans -10, trans -11, and total trans -18:1 fatty acids were not affected by monensin or faunation status.
The modification of x-ray-induced chromosome changes with anoxia in different oocyte stages of Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract The effect of postirradiation treatment with anoxia on the detachment of attached-X chromosomes induced by X-rays in stage-7 and stage-1 4 oocytes was studied. Anoxia produced a highly significant increase ( P 4 oocytes indicate that anoxic posttreatments produce a significant increase ( P = 0.005) in the frequency of detachments. Thus anoxia has an effect on both stage-7 and stage-1 4 oocytes. It is suggested that anoxia keeps breaks open longher than air and also allows for enhanced movement of broken chromosome ends which leads to an increase in the rearrangement frequency. It is expected that this mechanism would be more effective in stge-7 cells, where any delay in rejoining and added movement will greatly increase the chance for rearrangement where normally a short time exists for chromosome movement prior to rejoining. Stage-1 4 oocytes, where broken chromosomes remain unrestituted until after fertilization and thus have a chance for normal chromosome movement over a period of time, would not be expected to show as great a response to additional movement.
Pituitary-Adrenal Influences on Fear Responding

In a passive avoidance situation, hypophysectomized male rats show less fear than normal rats, whereas adrenalectomized rats show greater fear than normals. These results probably occur because hypophysectomized rats lack adrenocorticotrophic hormone, which increases arousal or emotionality, whereas adrenalectomized animals lack certain adrenal steroids, which inhibit excitatory effects. The results indicate that adrenocorticotrophic hormone and certain adrenal steroids have opposite effects in regulating fear-motivated behavior.
In vitro characterisation of the novel positive allosteric modulators of the mGlu5 receptor, LSN2463359 and LSN2814617, and their effects on sleep architecture and operant responding in the rat

The demonstrated functional interaction of metabotropic glutamate 5 (mGlu₅) receptors with N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors has prompted speculation that their activation may offer a potential treatment for aspects of schizophrenia. Development of selective mGlu₅ agonists has been difficult, but several different positive allosteric modulator (PAM) molecules have now been identified. This study describes two novel mGlu₅ PAMs, LSN2463359 (N-(1-methylethyl)-5-(pyridin-4-ylethynyl)pyridine-2-carboxamide) and LSN2814617 [(7S)-3-tert-butyl-7-[3-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-yl]-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-A]pyridine], which are useful tools for this field of research. Both compounds are potent and selective potentiators of human and rat mGlu₅ receptors in vitro, displaying curve shift ratios of two to three fold in the concentration-response relationship to glutamate or the glutamate receptor agonist, DHPG, with no detectable intrinsic agonist properties. Both compounds displaced the mGlu₅ receptor antagonist radioligand, [³H]MPEP in vitro and, following oral administration reached brain concentrations sufficient to occupy hippocampal mGlu₅ receptors as measured in vivo by dose-dependent displacement from the hippocampus of intravenously administered MPEPy. In vivo EEG studies demonstrated that these mGlu₅ PAMs have marked wake-promoting properties but little in the way of rebound hypersomnolence. In contrast, the previously described mGlu₅ PAMs CDPPB and ADX47273 showed relatively poor evidence of in vivo target engagement in either receptor occupancy assays or EEG disturbance. Wake-promoting doses of LSN2463359 and LSN2814617 attenuated deficits in performance induced by the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist SDZ 220,581 in two tests of operant behaviour: the variable interval 30 s task and the DMTP task. These effects were lost if the dose of either compound extended into the range which disrupted performance in the baseline DMTP task. However, the improvements in response accuracy induced by the mGlu₅ potentiators in SDZ 220,581-treated rats were not delay-dependent and, therefore, perhaps more likely reflected optimization of general arousal than specific beneficial effects on discrete cognitive processes. The systematic profiling of LSN2463359 and LSN2814617 alongside other previously described molecules will help determine more precisely how mGlu₅ potentiator pharmacology might provide therapeutic benefit. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Cognitive Enhancers'.
Tropical waters in the western Pacific Ocean, August–September 1957

Charts of the distributions of depth, salinity, and dissolved oxygen on the surfaces where thermosteric anomaly equals 400 and 300 cl/t are presented for the western Pacific Ocean. These surfaces lie near the salinity maximum, with which the name Tropical Water is associated in the present paper. The charts are helpful in distinguishing different types of Tropical Water, particularly Northern Tropical Water and Southern Tropical Water, and their distributions in the western Pacific. The former is characterized by high salinity and relatively high concentration of dissolved oxygen and the latter by high salinity and relatively low oxygen. Deduced flow patterns on both surfaces correspond closely to the circulation at the sea surface. The study is based on data obtained in August–September 1957 during cruise 25 of the Soviet R.V. Vityaz.
SiC-Whisker-Reinforced Al2O3 Composites by Free Sintering of Coated Powders

SiC whiskers were coated with a thick cladding of finegrained Al2O3 powder by controlled heterogeneous precipitation in a concentrated suspension of whiskers. After calcination, the coated whiskers were compacted by cold isostatic pressing and sintered at a constant heating rate of 5°C/min in a helium atmosphere. The parameters which control the coating process and the sintering characteristics of the consolidated powders are reported. Starting with an initial matrix density of 40–45% of the theoretical, composites containing up to ≅20 vol% whiskers (aspect ratio ≅15) were sintered freely to nearly theoretical density below 1800°C. By comparison, a similar composite formed by mechanical mixing of the whiskers and the precipitated Al2O3 powder reached a density of only 68% of the theoretical after sintering under identical conditions. For a fixed whisker content, the sinterability of the composites formed from the coated whiskers shows a fairly strong dependence on the whisker aspect ratio.
Robust back-propagation: connectionist learning algorithms resistant to various types of noise

Summary form only given, as follows. The author explores the concept of influence functions and their application in backpropagation learning. One reason for backpropagation's popularity is the fact that it is capable of fitting functions involving high-order interactions. Most real problems not only require detecting nonlinear interactions, but in many cases involve fitting relationships which are contaminated by diverse noise conditions. Typically, backpropagation learning is achieved by minimizing the sum of squared errors. It is well known that least-squares estimators are maximally efficient when the noise is Gaussian but that their performance rapidly deteriorates under non-Gaussian noise. The author's objective is to make backpropagation resistant to various types of noise. This approach uses objective functions which, in other contexts, are known to be more robust than least squares. Simulations show that backpropagation with robust objective functions indeed learns well and generates solutions that are resistant to a wide variety of noise distributions. >
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON RICE PRODUCTION IN THAILAND.

Our goal is to evaluate crop yield impacts from likely climate changes for Southeast Asia. To do so we link soil science crop modeling, weather simulators, and global climate change modeling into an integrated economic model of multi-stage rice production. The economic model is estimated with detailed monthly data on inputs, operations, and environmental data over a five year period. We then forecast impacts under two different future economic scenarios, one assuming high future global anthropogenic pollution emissions, and the other assuming low. We compare results of the integrated economic model with those of a biophysical model, inputting into both the stochastic realizations of a weather generator, calibrated against the present, no climate benchmark and against the two climate mild and severe climate change scenarios. The more realistic forecasts from socio economic model thus include important farmer behavioral/mitigation strategies. We discuss both aggregate/average impacts as well heterogeneity in response.
Rate of lesion growth around spherical and cylindrical cryoprobes

Abstract Approximate analytical solutions have been developed for predicting the rate of formation of the frozen regions around spherical and cylindrical cryoprobes. These solutions include the contribution of blood flow and metabolic heat generation and do not require the tissue to be initially at its phase change temperature. Heat capacity effects in both the frozen and unfrozen regions have been neglected in the development of these solutions. Comparison of an approximate solution with an exact numerical solution indicates that ice front locations can be predicted to within 5% using these solutions. Illustrative numerical examples are presented.
Improved object tracking from detailed shape estimation using object local grid maps with stereo

This paper presents a novel approach to environment perception providing detailed information for dynamic objects using occupancy grid maps. The shape representation of dynamic objects is derived from dedicated local grid maps. This allows for a precise contour estimation over time in terms of polylines. In addition to that, the local grid map is used to improve the object tracking by formulating measurements for the Kalman filter update overcoming partial occlusion and over-segmentation of raw data. The algorithm is tested on different data sets and initial results are presented and discussed.
Managing Residual Disposition: Achieving Economy, Environmental Responsibility, and Competitive Advantage Using the Supply Chain Framework

SUMMARY Regulations have limited the options and increased the cost of disposing of unwanted materials, products, and equipment. This has increased the pressure on purchasers to develop innovative approaches to managing residual disposition. Good management requires not only a clearer understanding of the origins of these items and the options available, but an understanding of how costs are incurred and how they may be reduced across the supply chain. Based on several in-depth case studies at firms in the furniture, commercial printing, electronics, and pharmaceutical industries, this research discovered that firms generate residuals at multiple functional points preceding manufacturing and that their disposition decisionmaking is affected by one or a combination of three drivers: intrinsic value, overwhelming volume of material, and regulatory compliance. Moreover, most organizations neither consider nor track disposal costs, thereby obscuring both the issue as well as potential solutions.
Rydberg series and the first ionization potential of platinum and yttrium atoms

Rydberg spectra of platinum and yttrium atoms have been studied by the atomic beam double-resonance pulsed-field ionization detection technique. Five Rydberg series of platinum, 5d9nd 5/2[½]1, 5d9nd 5/2[3/2]1,2, 5d9nd 5/2[5/2]2,3, 5d9nd 5/2[7/2]3 and 5d9ns 5/2[5/2]2,3, and three Rydberg series of yttrium, 5s2nd 2D3/2, 5s2nd 2D5/2 and 5s2ns 2S1/2, converging to the ground states of Pt+ (5d9 2D5/2) and Y+ (5s2 1S0), respectively, have been observed and analysed. The first ionization potentials of platinum and yttrium atoms have been determined to be IPPt = 72 257.8±0.8 cm-1 and IPY = 50 146.6±0.8 cm-1, respectively. Several unidentified lines in the spectrum of yttrium have also been observed.
Reaction of tributyl phosphate with oxidized iron: surface chemistry and tribological significance

The chemistry of tributyl phosphate on Fe3O4 was studied in ultrahigh vacuum using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and Auger spectroscopy. A portion of the tributyl phosphate desorbs intact with an activation energy of ~120 kJ/mol. The remainder decomposes either by P-O bond scission to deposit surface butoxy species or appears to dehydrogenate desorbing C2 or C3 compounds and depositing hydrogen and carbon on the surface. The resulting hydrogen reacts either with the oxide to desorb water or with butoxy species yielding 1-butanol. The remaining butoxy species are stable up to ~600 K where they decompose to desorb butanal via hydride elimination where again the hydrogen reacts with butoxy species to form 1-butanol or with the oxide to form water. The carbon deposited onto the surface further reduces the oxide to desorb as CO above ~750 K, although a small amount of carbon is detected on the surface using Auger spectroscopy. Substantially larger amounts of carbon are deposited onto the surface when Fe3O4 is exposed to tributyl phosphate at 300 K, where an Auger depth profile reveals that the carbon is located at the surface while the POx species formed by tributyl phosphate decomposition diffuse rapidly into the oxide layer, leading to a film structure in which graphitic carbon is deposited onto a phosphorus-containing oxide layer.
Wideband microstrip-fed printed bow-tie antenna for phased-array systems

A parametric study of the feeding structure is conducted using FDTD code in order to assess the influence of the dimension of the slope-strip feed line on the antenna performance and to find the optimal impedance bandwidth. In the design process, a rectangular radiating patch with dimensions 25 25 mm is chosen. The dimensions of the slope-strip feeding structure are determined by the parameters H, h, and t. The parameter t is the horizontal offset of the free end of the slope-strip feed line from the center location of the patch. Here, h (the distance between the free end of the slope-strip feed line and the radiation patch) is selected to be 0.5 mm. The simulated results demonstrate that the parameters H and t are two important variables which affect the antenna’s impedance-bandwidth characteristics. Figure 2 illustrates the normalized impedance (normalized to 50) and return loss of the antenna for various heights H of the foam substrate with t 0.0 mm and for various values of t with H 8 mm. It is seen that, for the case with H 8 mm and t 0, the optimal bandwidth performances are achieved. Using the abovementioned design dimensions, a prototype of the proposed antenna was successfully implemented and measured. Figure 3 illustrates the experimental return loss of the constructed prototype with H 8 mm, h 0.5 mm, and t 0 mm, which shows that the simulated results in general agree with the measured data. The impedance bandwidth, determined from 10-dB return loss, reaches 2.26 GHz (3.10 –5.36 GHz) or about 53.4%, referenced to the center frequency of 4.23 GHz. The simulated and experimental results show that the proposed antenna structure has a similar radiation characteristic with that of the L-strip-fed microstrip patch antenna in [5]. 3. CONCLUSION A slope-strip line-feeding technique for a microstrip antenna has been introduced. An antenna fed by the shaped microstrip has been investigated, fabricated, and tested. Experimental data show that the antenna achieves optimal impedance characteristics with a bandwidth of 53.4% for less than 10-dB return loss. This new antenna may find potential applications in broadband antennaarray designs and corresponding wireless-communication systems. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Eustatic cyclicity in the paleocene and eocene: data from the brazos river valley, texas

Abstract Documentation of the geologic history of global sea-level change requires the analysis of numerous, geographically diverse sections. The Paleocene through Eocene section of the Brazos River Valley, eastern Texas, is an area suitable for such analysis which has yet to be studied. Analysis of the Brazos River Valley section for sea-level changes during the Paleocene and Eocene was accomplished by the application of sequence stratigraphie analysis using seismic, well log and outcrop data. The information obtained from this study was then used in evaluating the published sea-level record. A total of fifteen sequence boundaries and ten maximum flooding surfaces, indicating conditions of falling and rising sea level, respectively, were identified in the Paleocene and Eocene strata of the Brazos River Valley. Results of this study show an excellent correlation with the published record of sea-level change in the Paleocene. poor correlation in the Early Eocene, good correlation in the Middle Eocene and fair correlation in the Late Eocene. The excellent correlation between the results of this study and the published record during the Paleocene provide strong support for eustalic nature of these events. Poor to fair correlation during the Early and Late Eocene is attributed to the resolution of the data base and neither supports nor refutes the published record. Results of this study in the Middle Eocene provide strong support lor the published record with two important exceptions. Published records show a cycle of sea-level change in the earliest part of the Middle Eocene which was not observed in this study, and a rise in sea level near the end of the Middle Eocene (Bartonian) may have occurred earlier than that indicated by the published record.
The influence of sexual orientation on vowel production (L)

Vowel production in gay, lesbian, bisexual (GLB), and heterosexual speakers was examined. Differences in the acoustic characteristics of vowels were found as a function of sexual orientation. Lesbian and bisexual women produced less fronted /u/ and /ɑ/ than heterosexual women. Gay men produced a more expanded vowel space than heterosexual men. However, the vowels of GLB speakers were not generally shifted toward vowel patterns typical of the opposite sex. These results are inconsistent with the conjecture that innate biological factors have a broadly feminizing influence on the speech of gay men and a broadly masculinizing influence on the speech of lesbian/bisexual women. They are consistent with the idea that innate biological factors influence GLB speech patterns indirectly by causing selective adoption of certain speech patterns characteristic of the opposite sex.
Meeting reference responsibilities through library Web sites

Summary Among the many ways the World Wide Web has changed libraries are the additional tools gained by librarians and library users for answering reference questions. In addition to the growing number of licensed resources providing the full text of articles from newspapers, magazines, academic journals, and reference works are the millions of free Web sites offering an incredible variety of information about everything. Locating the most useful of these sites and organizing them into categories on library Web sites can be enormously beneficial both to patrons and libraries. After deciding to make their sites reference portals, librarians must make a number of important decisions.