cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Life of Schubert

Franz Schubert's tragically short life was spent in one of Europe's most richly musical cities: a Vienna that worshipped Beethoven, adored Rossini, and thrilled to Paganini. Schubert, with the help of supportive friends who were themselves immersed in the arts, won fame for himself through songs and dances while aspiring to succeed with larger operas and symphonies. Christopher Gibbs considers how and what Schubert composed, taking a fresh look at this misunderstood figure, particularly the unfolding of his professional career, his relationship to Beethoven, the growth of his reputation and public image and the darker side of drinking, depression and sexual ambiguity. This searching and sympathetic biography questions the customary sentimental cliches and the recent revisionist views concerning this elusive genius.
Maternal Health and Fertility : An International Perspective

This paper examines the impact of the decline in maternal mortality on fertility and women's human capital. Fertility theory suggests that a permanent decline in maternal mortality initially increases fertility and generates a permanent rise in women's human capital, relative to men. The resulting rise in the opportunity cost of children leads to a subsequent decline in desired fertility, generating a boom-bust response. We assess these predictions using newly digitized data on maternal mortality for 25 advanced and emerging economies for the time period 1900-2000. The empirical estimates suggest that the decline in maternal mortality contributed significantly to the baby booms and subsequent baby busts experienced by these economies in the twentieth century, and that the female-male differential in education attainment grew more in those countries that experience a sizable maternal mortality decline.
Velocity Control of a Manipulator Joint Driven Through a Worm Gear Transmission

The design of an individual joint of a robot manipulator typically includes some form of transmission between the prime mover and the joint itself. From a geometric point of view, employing a worm gearset can, in many situations, be a desirable way to realize this function. However, for some robot configurations, the manipulator and the worm gearset give rise to unstable behavior characterized by a growing oscillatory motion. A stabilizing controller for this type of system is necessary. Presented here is a synopsis of such a feedback control design which achieves stabilization. The system differential equations are linearized about a desired trajectory and averaged to obtain a set of linear time invariant equations. These linearized equations are then used as the plant-model for controller synthesis. The design synthesis is accomplished by classical lead-lag compensation. In a physical experiment, velocity feedback from the motor tachometer and digital control are used to implement and verify the control schemes.
A Revised Tangible Employment Action Analysis: Just What is an Undesirable Reassignment?

Introduction 386 I. Background 388 A. The Emergence of Sexual Harassment in Employment Discrimination 388 B. Developing the Law of Sexual Harassment 389 C. Reviewing the Inconsistencies in Employer Liability for Supervisor Sexual Harassment 390 D. Ellerth, Faragher and Suders, and the Tangible Employment Action Distinction 391 II. Defining “Tangible Employment Action”: Looking at Courts’ Mistaken Interpretation of “Undesirable Reassignment” 393 A. Courts Mistakenly Search for an “Adverse” Employment Action and Rely on Misleading Cases When Determining Whether an Employee Has Suffered a Tangible Employment Action 394 B. Though the Supreme Court Has Directed Otherwise, Courts Still Concentrate on Finding an Economic Harm..399 III. Changing the Way Courts Interpret “Undesirable Reassignment” in Determining Employer Liability 401 A. The Supreme Court’s Main Objective: Finding an Official Act of the Enterprise 401 B. Employing an Objective Standard: What Would the Reasonable Person Do? 404
Predictors of family functioning one year following traumatic brain injury in children.

This study examined changes in family functioning and predictors of family outcome during the year following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The families of 94 children with TBI (mild = 50, moderate = 25, severe = 19), ages six to 15, were consecutively enrolled from two regional medical centers. Family interview ratings and standard measures of family and child functioning were completed three weeks after injury (measuring preinjury status), as well as three and 12 months. Two-thirds of families had moderate to good preinjury global functioning and coping resources, but more than half exhibited high levels of stress and at-risk family relationships. No significant preinjury differences by injury severity were seen on any measure. Whereas few changes in family functioning were observed over the year in the mild or moderate groups, greater deterioration occurred in the severe group. From one third to one half noted moderate to severe strain in 13 problem areas often seen in individuals with TBI. Preinjury family global functioning, however, was more strongly predictive of 12-month family functioning (R2 = .38 to .68) than was injury severity (R2 = .05 to .09). In four out of five outcome areas assessed at 12 months, preinjury status in each area was the strongest single predictor. Preinjury coping was the best predictor of stress. Families at risk can be identified and need ongoing support for optimal functioning.
Entropy-based method for extreme rainfall analysis in Texas

[1] Annual rainfall maxima are commonly used for rainfall analysis, which entails the use of a distribution for modeling extreme values. Analysis of rainfall data from different regions of Texas, USA, shows that the form of the frequency distribution of annual rainfall maxima changes with different time durations, climate zones, and distances from the Gulf of Mexico. Employing the entropy theory, an entropy-based distribution for modeling annual rainfall maxima is derived, which is expected to apply across different time durations, climate zones, and distances from the Gulf. The performance of the proposed distribution is assessed with synthetic data from known distributions, and results show that the performance of the proposed entropy-based distribution is generally comparable with the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution and is preferable for highly skewed data. Comparison based on observed rainfall data also shows this attractive property of the proposed distribution. Thus, the entropy-based distribution provides a promising alternative for frequency analysis of extreme rainfall values. The proposed distribution is then applied to the annual rainfall maxima, and results show that the entropy-based distribution fits the empirical probability distribution well and also performs well in modeling extreme rainfall values for different time durations, climate zones, and distances from the Gulf.
The Financial Wellness Industry and a Crowded Legal‐Employment Market: Market Failure Summons Synergy

A mismatch between meager job openings for attorneys and a years-long eruption of law school graduates is a concern. By contrast, in 2014, the personal financial planning occupation appeared among the more rapidly growing fields for the timeframe ending in 2020. The law degree marks an asset within the financial planning industry. Personal financial planning overlaps with law in estate planning and income taxation. The purpose of this paper is to suggest for underemployed Juris Doctors that (1) the financial wellness industry possibly affords an opening into the broader arena of financial services; and that (2) the Certified Personal and Family Finance Educator credential awarded by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences provides a potential bridge from the law school campus into the financial wellness industry. Research into the feasibility of this pair of propositions is suggested, while potential sources of relevant information are identified.
Sphaerotilus Growing in a Continuous-Flow Apparatus Calcium Nutrition of

Sphaerotilus natans required calcium for the production of sheaths and probably requires calcium for growth as well, though at a lower concentration. Neither strontium nor barium substituted for calcium. S. natans grew attached to the culture vessels of the continuous-flow apparatus even when no sheaths were produced. Tentative evidence showed that the requirement for calcium is shared by the manganese-oxidizing species S. discophorus.
Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome: a case series and review of previous reports.

Background Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit substance worldwide. Cannabinoids or cannabinoid receptor agonists are often used to treat nausea, vomiting, and anorexia. However, in recent years, several medical journals have published reports of patients with nausea and vomiting thought to be induced by chronic cannabis use. Objective The authors seek to inform readers about Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS). Method The authors describe four patients with chronic cannabis abuse, episodic, intractable nausea and vomiting, and compulsive hot water bathing. Previous cases of CHS are reviewed, pathophysiology is hypothesized, and difficulties with making the diagnosis are discussed. Conclusion CHS should be strongly considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with intractable vomiting and/or compulsive hot water bathing.
A Fresh Perspective on Staling: The Significance of Starch Recrystallization on the Firming of Bread

: Storage stability of standard white bread (SWB) and Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) breads were studied in terms of texture firming, amylopectin recrystallization, and water relations. SWB showed a more rapid increase in firmness during storage mainly due to the loss of moisture to the crust and surrounding environment. The MRE, a long shelf-life military bread, firmed much slower due to the moisture loss inhibition (hermetic pouch) and plasticization (by formulation). This work confirmed previous findings that in some cases, firming of a bread can be strongly influenced by factors other than amylopectin crystallization. This is possible through controlling changes in the amorphous domains earlier described from thermomechanical studies.
Magnetic resonance imaging of calvarial eosinophilic granuloma.

A small calvarial eosinophilic granuloma is demonstrated with T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging.
Modeling Intercellular MAPK Signaling in an Epithelial Wound Healing Assay

Recent experiments in epithelial wound healing have demonstrated the necessity of MAPK activation for coordinated cell movement after damage. This MAPK activity is characterized by two wave-like phenomena. One MAPK “rebounding wave” that originates immediately after injury, propagates deep into the cell layer, and then regresses back to the wound interface. The second MAPK wave is a slow developing, sustained wave that propagates from the wound interface. Experimentalists have suggested that the first wave is originated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated at the time of injury. We develop a mechanistic diffusion-convection model that produces the observed behavior by taking advantage of the coupling between ligand (e.g. EGF) and ROS species in the activation of the MAPK cascade. In our model, the second wave is initiated, and sustained by the stresses induced by the slow cell movement toward the injury. We explore the bi-stability of the model in connection with the bi-stability of the MAPK cascade. In particular, we look for traveling wave solutions of the model and their properties under various regimes.
Changes in visual acuity in a population. The Beaver Dam Eye Study.

Purpose: To describe the change in visual acuity over a 5-year period in persons participating in a large population-based study. Methods: Best-corrected visual acuity was measured, after refraction, with IogMAR charts using a modification of the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study protocol in 3684 persons living in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, who ranged in age from 43 to 86 years at the time of a baseline examination from 1988 to 1990, and at a follow-up examination from 1993 to 1995. Results: The change in the number of letters read correctly over the 5-year period varied from 0.4 ± 4.9 (mean ± standard deviation) in people between 43 and 54 years of age to −5.2 ± 15.4 in people 75 years of age or older at baseline. Over the 5-year period, vision became impaired (20/40 or worse in the better eye) in 2.9% of the population and severely impaired (20/200 or worse in the better eye) in 0.3%. The visual angle doubled in 1.7% of the population, and 2.4% had improved vision. People 75 years of age or older at baseline were 12.5 times (95% confidence interval [Cl], 8.618.2; P P P Conclusion: These data provide precise population-based estimates of incidence of visual loss over a wide spectrum of ages and show that decreased visual acuity in people 75 years of age is a common finding, especially in those who are in nursing homes or group homes.
A Synopsis of Chromosome Number Variation in the Cyperaceae

The Cyperaceae are well known for having a large amount of variation in chromosome numbers both within and among genera. Most of this variation has been previously attributed to agmatoploid or qualitative aneuploid chromosome number change. To date there have been 4,231 reported chromosome number counts in the family. Despite the large number of counts made, they only represent approximately 16% of the species currently recognized. These counts are here presented in an indexed list with standardized nomenclature following a draft copy of the World Checklist of Cyperaceae. Additionally, I explore variation within genera where a significant number of counts have been made. Given the distributions of counts within genera there is evidence for both agmatoploid and polyploid chromosome number changes.
Diffusion models of the flanker task: Discrete versus gradual attentional selection

The present study tested diffusion models of processing in the flanker task, in which participants identify a target that is flanked by items that indicate the same (congruent) or opposite response (incongruent). Single- and dual-process flanker models were implemented in a diffusion-model framework and tested against data from experiments that manipulated response bias, speed/accuracy tradeoffs, attentional focus, and stimulus configuration. There was strong mimcry among the models, and each captured the main trends in the data for the standard conditions. However, when more complex conditions were used, a single-process spotlight model captured qualitative and quantitative patterns that the dual-process models could not. Since the single-process model provided the best balance of fit quality and parsimony, the results indicate that processing in the simple versions of the flanker task is better described by gradual rather than discrete narrowing of attention.
Stochastic Analysis of Cold Spells

Abstract The deterministic and stochastic structures of daily minimum air temperature time series are investigated in four historic records of at least 60 yr in southern Saskatchewan, Canada. Identification and removal of deterministic trends and periodicities is performed by linear regression and Fourier analysis. The residual series contains the stochastic structure of deviations from expected daily minimum temperatures and is analyzed in terms of abnormally cold periods below some temperature of interest—a partial duration series. The partial series defines a number of variables describing each spell: their number, timing and magnitude. These are modeled by probability distributions which provides good agreement with the observed data. The capability of the model to predict the risks of cold spells of particular characteristics is demonstrated and the use of a flexible definition of cold spells is illustrated.
Preparation of a low-phytate feed mixture and bioavailability of its phosphorus to chicks☆

Phytate phosphorus in a 4:4:1 (by weight) mixture of ground maize, soya-bean meal and wheat bran was decreased by 81% when treated with native phytase in wheat bran and ground maize by a 2-step process. The first step consisted of two successive 2-h conditioning periods at 55°C for maize and soya-bean meal; one at pH 3.5 with citric acid followed by another at pH 5.1. In the second, or hydrolysis step, wheat bran (0.25 parts), a rich source of phytase, was mixed with the wet, citric acid-conditioned maize and soya-bean meal, and the mixture was held for 8 h at 45 C and pH 5.1. After the enzymatic reaction, the increase in orthophosphate accounted for 78% of the phytate phosphorus released and the mixture contained 0.42% inorganic phosphorus in dry matter. A 17-day chick feeding trial showed that tibia bone ash weights tended to be higher (P < 0.1) for chicks eating the low-phytate feed than for those fed on the control feed.
Theory of surface deposition from a unary dilute vapor-containing stream allowing for condensation within the laminar boundary layer☆

Abstract Deposition rates on targets cooled far below the dew point of undersaturated mainstreams have often been found to be surprisingly low and surface temperature dependent. A rational yet tractable theory to account for these observations is formulated and exploited in particular cases of current practical interest—e.g. the deposition of trace alkali sulfate vapors present in combustion products. The present physico-chemical model is based on the formation of a condensate aerosol near the deposition surface, with the resulting droplets (or particles) collected by the mechanism of thermophoresis [shown to be dominant, but previously neglected in related two-phase boundary layer (BL) analyses]. The vapor, assumed here to be in local equilibrium with the aerosol phase, is collected by the familiar mechanism of Fick (concentration) diffusion across the prevailing laminar BL(LBL), but the overly restrictive assumption D v ≌ α n (unity Lewis number) is not made. As by-products of the calculation of the total (aerosol + vapor) deposition rate the position of nucleation onset, as well as the structure of the LBL on either side of this “fog-locus”, are obtained. Encouraging agreement with limited available data on Na 2 SO 4 deposition is obtained by assuming that the thermophoretic diffusivity of the resulting aerosol phase is about one decade smaller than the momentum diffusivity of the host combustion products.
Comparison of water-based physical separation processes for U.S. tar sands

Abstract The development of water-based, physical separation processes for domestic tar sands has been useful in demonstrating the effectiveness of three different processing strategies: the hot-water process, the diluent assisted hot-water process, and the ambient-temperature process. The effectiveness of the process strategies is evaluated and compared at optimum operating conditions with regard to bitumen recovery, concentrate characteristics. Process limitations are described in terms of important tar sand properties: bitumen viscosity, bitumen/sand association, and sand composition/particle size distribution. It is shown that the hot-water process and ambient-temperature process are restricted in their range of application. Both of these processes require a tar sand that possesses a specific set of characteristics. However, the diluent assisted hot-water process has a wider range of application and fewer process limitations when compared to the original hot-water process.
Relative U.K./U.S. Output Reconsidered: A Reply to Professor Broadberry

In the September 2003 issue of this J OURNAL , we provided benchmark comparisons of U.K./U.S. income from 1870 to 1990. In contrast to long-span projections from Angus Maddison and others, our estimates show the United States leading from 1870 in terms of income per capita and output per worker. In a 12-page comment that accompanies our article, Professor Stephen Broadberry criticizes our work on three grounds. First, he charges our estimates are inconsistent with his U.K./U.S. sectoral productivity comparisons. Second, he chastises us on the grounds that our price benchmarks conflict with standard U.S. and U.K. price indices. Finally, he queries our nominal GDP estimates.
Reversible perfusion defects on exercise tomographic thallium imaging in patients with and without collateral flow

A consecutive series of patients underwent exercise thallium imaging and coronary angiography that identified single-vessel right coronary artery disease. Redistribution in the left anterior descending territory was significantly associated with the presence of left-to-right collaterals, whereas collaterals were significantly less frequent in individuals who did not exhibit redistribution.
Early life social isolation alters corticotropin-releasing factor responses in adult rats

Stress induced by early life social isolation leads to long-lasting alterations in stress responses and serotonergic activity. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a neurotransmitter that mediates stress responses and alters serotonergic activity. We tested the hypothesis that the stress of early life isolation enhances responses to CRF in adulthood by determining the effect of CRF infusions into the dorsal raphe nucleus (dRN) on 5-HT release in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of adult rats using in vivo microdialysis. Juvenile male rats were either isolated or housed in groups of three for a 3-week period beginning on postnatal day 21 after which, all rats were group-reared for an additional 2 weeks. Following the isolation/re-socialization procedure, infusion of 100 ng CRF into the dRN decreased 5-HT release in the NAc of group-reared rats. This treatment did not significantly affect 5-HT release in the NAc of isolation-reared animals. In contrast, infusion of 500 ng CRF into the dRN transiently increased 5-HT release in the NAc of both group-reared and isolated animals with isolated animals showing a more prolonged serotonergic response. Western blot and immunofluorescent staining for CRF receptors in the dRN showed that CRF(2) receptor levels were increased in the dRN of isolation-reared animals when compared with group-reared rats. Taken together, the results suggest that isolation during the early part of development causes alterations in both CRF receptor levels and CRF-mediated serotonergic activity. These effects may underlie the increased sensitivity to stress observed in isolates.
Effects of temperature and helium on void formation in self-ion irradiated aluminum

Abstract High-purity aluminum was irradiated with 9 MeV aluminum ions at several temperatures in the range 25–125°C, both with and without pre-injected helium. The aluminum ion irradiation doses ranged from 0.2 to 20 dpa. Void swelling in the temperature range studied was found to occur only when the aluminum contains helium gas, and as little as 0.1 appm helium is sufficient to nucleate a substantial void population. In the absence of helium, even doses of 20 dpa do not result in void formation. The void number density and size follow the general trends in conventional nucleation theories, and are similar to trends observed in nickel and stainless steels. The microstructure quite often contained heterogeneous distributions of void stringers, suggesting nucleation of voids on dislocations.
Glider control: a close look into the current glider controller structure and future developments

Simplicity of operation, extreme endurance and stealth are some of the principal advantages of autonomous underwater gliders. These advantages come at the expense of a minimalist approach in the sense of actuation and permissible power consumption. Also by nature the gliders are highly dependent on their operational environment, notably currents and density gradients. A control system that is able to cope with this challenging dynamic environment and the actuation and sensing constraints has to be robust with respect to environmental uncertainties and at the same time it has to be optimal in the sense of power consumption and accuracy. In this paper we look at the existing controller structure and show possibilities for improvements within the framework of the available sensor information. We summarize the existing controller structure and show results from recent field-tests of Slocum gliders in the Gulf of Mexico that demonstrate the potential for improvements in the sense of reduced power consumption associated with actuation and decreased response time enabling shallow water operations.
Effect of pH on the stability of rennin-porcine pepsin blends.

Abstract Stabilities of pepsin-free rennin and porcine pepsin enzymes were studied when mixtures of the two were held up to 72 hr at 30C, at pH 3.0 to 6.5. Milk clotting activity of rennin in the mixtures was determined by differential assay based on the relative stability of each enzyme at pH 6.3 and 7.3. At pH 7.3 porcine was deactivated completely and rapidly whereas rennin was only slightly affected. Below pH 5.5, rennin stability was impaired by pepsin. Although rennin alone was not stable at pH 3.0, with 25% or more pepsin, rennin was rapidly and completely destroyed in 48 hours. Rennin activity losses also were accelerated by pepsin at pH 3.8 and 4.8, in proportion to amounts of pepsin. Rennin was most stable in rennin-pepsin blends between pH 5.5 and 6.5. Greatest stability of pepsin in rennin-pepsin blends was between pH 3.8 and 5.5. Substantial losses of pepsin activity occurred at pH 6.0, with greater losses at pH 6.5. This was attributed to instability of porcine pepsin, and not to any effect of rennin. If anything, rennin had a slight stabilizing effect on pepsin at pH 6.5.
SUBACUTE NEUROPATHIC EFFECTS OF DIISOPROPYLFLUOROPHOSPHATE AT THE CAT SOLEUS NEUROMUSCULAR JUNCTION

Subacute neuropathic effects of diisopropylfluorophosphate at the cat soleus neuromuscular junction Diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), an organophosphate cholinesterase inhibitor, causes a neuromuscular dysfunction 1–3 days after exposure (subacute) as well as a delayed (21 day post-drug) peripheral neuropathy. The effects of DFP were studied in cats given 2 mg/kg DFP into one femoral artery. The contractile strength of the soleus muscle evoked by indirect, single stimulation was reduced 4 h later and fell to 16% of normal after 3 days; by 7 days post-drug the contractile strength recovered to 76% of control values. A pre-junctional neuromuscular defect was investigated by assessing a motor nerve terminal function at 4 h and 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after DFP injection. In untreated control animals 83% of alpha soleus motor axons generated post-tetanic repetition (PTR) but after DFP the incidence of PTR was 40% at 4 h, 7% at 1 day, 8% at 3 days, 27% at 5 days and 72% at 7 days. Electron micrographs of neuromuscular junctions 3 days after DFP showed severe disruption of end-plates and a conspicuous reduction in the number of motor nerve terminals. The remaining nerve terminals were retracted from the end-plate region and were enveloped by Schwann cell processes. Internodal sprouting of soleus axons and post-junctional alterations were still present at 7 days. The time course of the pre-junctional defect coincided with, and contributed to, the reported post-functional necrosis.
Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Meperidine and Normeperidine: Determination in Blood after a Single Dose of Meperidine

A method is described for the determination of meperidine and its pharmacologically active metabolite, normeperidine, in blood, plasma, and urine using gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detection. Structural analogs of both meperidine and normeperidine were used as internal standards. Unlike previously reported assays, this procedure was sensitive and convenient enough for use in pharmacokinetic studies of both meperidine and normeperidine following single doses of meperidine. The assay was sensitive to 5 ng of meperidine/ml and 2.5 ng of normeperidine/ml extracted from a 1-ml biological sample. The between-assay coefficients of variation at these concentrations were 9.4 and 10.4%, respectively.
Single fiber electromyography in the differential diagnosis of myopathic limb girdle syndromes and chronic spinal muscular atrophy.

Single fiber electromyography ( SFEMG ) of the extensor digitorum communis muscle was performed on 20 patients with either myopathic limb girdle syndromes ( LGS ) or chronic spinal muscular atrophy ( CSMA ) to assess its value in the differential diagnosis of these disorders. Neurologic examinations (muscle biopsies, standard electromyography, or both) were reviewed in 16 patients and resulted in diagnosing LGS in 11 patients and CSMA in 5 patients. In four patients, discordance between EMG and biopsy, or mixed features of myopathy and neuropathy in either test, resulted in an indeterminate diagnosis. Two groups were discerned from SFEMG , one with higher fiber density, jitter, and percentage of abnormal pairs consistent with neuropathy and another with lower values consistent with myopathy. In all 16 patients, SFEMG confirmed the initial diagnosis, and in the four patients with indeterminate diagnoses, SFEMG suggested diagnoses of LGS in two patients and CSMA in two patients. Single fiber electromyography may be a useful diagnostic aid in the differential diagnosis of myopathic LGS and CSMA .
Cardiorespiratory measures before and after feeding challenge in term infants are related to birth weight.

Aim: This study tested the hypothesis that, within a few hours of delivery, cardiorespiratory measure taken during feeding provides markers of group differences related to birth weight. A secondary hypothesis was that high-frequency heart period variability would be related to underlying differences in autonomic control associated with birth weight. Methods and Subjects: One hundred four term infants in the lowest, middle, and highest birth weight quintiles were enrolled. Exclusion criteria were evidence of drug abuse, congenital anomalies, Apgar scores less than 7 or admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. Within 96 h of delivery, heart and respiratory rates, blood pressures and heart period variability were measured before, during and after feeding. Results: Term babies in the lowest quintile of birth weights have lower heart rates prior to feeding but greater increases in heart rate during the early postprandial period. Assessments of high-frequency heart period variability suggest that small term infants have greater parasympathetic tone before feeding and more sustained parasympathetic withdrawal following feeding. Conclusion: Measurements of cardiorespiratory functions before and after feeding are related to birth weight and may provide markers that can help identify the most vulnerable of infants with small size at birth.
Quantitative analysis of gene expression in organotypic slice-explant cultures by particle-mediated gene transfer

Biolistics, also known as particle-mediated gene transfer, has been used as an effective, method to transfect primary neurons in cultured slices when all other methods have proven unsuccessful. Most of these uses have provided qualitative or semi-quantitative data based on visual assays such as immunohistochemistry. In this paper, we describe a quantitative method of biolistics to analyze gene expression in organotypic cultures of hippocampus and hypothalamus. The method involves co-transfection of the experimental promoters and standard (cytomegalovirus or Rous sarcoma virus) promoters coupled to different reporters (luciferase or beta-galactosidase), with the standard promoter-reporter construct used to 'normalize' the experimental data. Examples and validations of this technique with various cell specific promoters are given: for example, astrocyte-specific and neuron-specific (alpha-tubulin and N-type calcium channel alpha-1B gene) promoters and various tissues (Neuro 2A cells and hippocampal and hypothalamic organotypic slice-explants). An analysis of deletion constructs of the alpha 1B calcium channel subunit gene is described. This method should provide a new opportunity for the analysis of gene expression in diverse neuronal phenotypes.
Persian compound verbs

Abstract This paper deals with the traditional compound verbs in Persian from a semantic/ syntactic point of view. The central thesis is that the distinction between simple and compound verbs is unfounded. It is shown that the verbs traditionally called compound are derived from three fundamentally different structures. One group is made up of a prefix plus a verbal root and functions as a simple verb. Another group consists of a complement and a simple verb. The third and final group contains a nonverbal predicate which requires an auxiliary in the surface structure. Selection of the auxiliary is predictable from the feature specifications of the verb.
Dos Passos: A Life

An intimate biography of a great American writer; He rose from a childhood as the illegitimate son of a financial titan to become the man Sartre called "the greatest writer of our time." A progressive writer who turned his passions into the groundbreaking U.S.A. trilogy, John Dos Passos later embraced conservative causes. At the height of his career he was considered a peer of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, yet he died in obscurity in 1970. Award-winning biographer Virginia Spencer Carr examines the contradictions of Dos Passos's life with an indepth study of the man. Using the writer's letters and journals, and with assistance from the Dos Passos family, Carr reconstructs an epic life, one of literary acclaim and bitter obscurity, restless wandering and happy marriage, friendship with Edmund Wilson and feuds with Hemingway. First published to acclaim in 1984, Dos Passos remains the definitive personal portrait of the author.
Model Selection and Averaging in Financial Risk Management

Simulated asset returns are used in many areas of actuarial science. For example, life insurers use them to price annuities, life insurance, and investment guarantees. The quality of those simulations has come under increased scrutiny during the current financial crisis. When simulating the asset price process, properly choosing which model or models to use, and accounting for the uncertainty in that choice, is essential. We investigate how best to choose a model from a flexible set of models. In our regime-switching models the individual regimes are not constrained to be from the same distributional family. Even with larger sample sizes, the standard model-selection methods (AIC, BIC, and DIC) incorrectly identify the models far too often. Rather than trying to identify the best model and limiting the simulation to a single distribution, we show that the simulations can be made more realistic by explicitly modeling the uncertainty in the model-selection process. Specifically, we consider a parallel model...
Single- and double-electron-capture collision of C q + ( q = 3 , 4 ) with CO at keV energies

Absolute total single- and double-electron-capture cross sections for C{sup q+} (q=3,4) with CO have been measured at {approx}0.5 keV/amu using a reflection-time-of-flight mass spectrometer with a laser ablation ion source. The single- and double-electron-capture cross sections for C{sup 3+} with CO at 423{+-}48 eV/amu are found to be (0.96{+-}0.12)x10{sup -15} cm{sup 2} and (0.99{+-}0.13)x10{sup -15} cm{sup 2}, respectively. The single- and double-electron-capture cross sections for C{sup 4+} with CO at 565{+-}65 eV/amu are measured to be (3.16{+-}0.42)x10{sup -15} cm{sup 2} and (1.05{+-}0.21)x10{sup -15} cm{sup 2}, respectively. This suggests that double capture should not be ignored in modeling the emission from cascading processes in comet atmosphere.
Interconnect opportunities for gigascale integration

During the past decade, interconnects have replaced transistors as the dominant determiner of chip performance. To sustain the historical rate of advance in performance, monolithic interconnect technology has rapidly evolved to keep pace with advances in transistor density and performance. New and radically different interconnect technologies will become increasingly important to future gigascale microsystems.
Some computational studies in molecular physics

Abstract In this paper we will discuss some results of our recent studies of molecular photoionization. An important objective of these studies has been to provide much-needed insight into the underlying dynamics of these processes and a robust analysis and prediction of key features of the photoionization spectra of molecules. A significant requirement in such studies is that they be carried out using accurate molecular orbitals to describe the quantum mechanical motion of the photoelectron as it moves in the field of the molecular ion. Complexities arising from the nonspherical character of molecular ion potentials in the solution of the equations for these photoelectron orbitals have been a major hurdle and computational challenge. Modern high-speed computing has been a critical factor in our ability to solve these equations and to study features in photoionization spectra where the use of such orbitals is essential and not just cosmetic. Examples which we will use to illustrate this point have to do with the way photoelectron angular distributions for diatomic molecules, either fixed in space or with preferred directions in space, depend on the left- and right-handedness of the circularly polarized radiation producing the ionization, i.e. exhibit a dichroic asymmetry. Furthermore, we will show that a credible determination of the magnitude of this asymmetry in such photoelectron angular distributions was essential in establishing that measurements of this type were both feasible and useful.
Flattening and parallelizing irregular, recurrent loop nests

Irregular loop nests in which the loop bounds are determined dynamically by indexed arrays are difficult to compile into expressive parallel constructs, such as segmented scans and reductions. In this paper, we describe a suite of transformations to automatically parallelize such irregular loop nests, even in the presence of recurrences. We describe a simple, general loop flattening transformation, along with new optimizations which make it a viable compiler transformation. A robust recurrence parallelization technique is coupled to the loop flattening transformation, allowing parallelization of segmented reductions, scans, and combining-sends over arbitrary associative operators. We discuss the implementation and performance results of the transformations in a parallelizing Fortran 77 compiler for the Cray C90 supercomputer. In particular, we focus on important sparse matrix-vector multiplication kernels, for one of which we are able to automatically derive an algorithm used by one of the fastest library routines available.
Molecular Recognition of Alkylammonium Contact Ion-Pairs Using a Ditopic Receptor

A ditopic, macrobicyclic receptor with adjacent anion and cation binding sites is able to distinguish between various monoalkylammonium salts by binding them as contact ion-pairs. The affinity for linear n-propylammonium chloride is at least 2 orders of magnitude greater than that for n-propylammonium acetate, n-propylammonium p-toluenesulfonate, and branched isopropylammonium chloride. An X-ray structure of the receptor complexed with methylammonium chloride illuminates the basis of the molecular recognition.
A new approach to image compression using vector quantization of wavelet coefficients

Traditional image coding methods, such as vector quantization (VQ), discrete cosine transform (DCT) based coding, and entropy coding of subband, have been designed to eliminate statistical redundancy within still images. In this paper, a combined approach utilizing both transform coding and vector quantization techniques is used, hoping to achieve the best result in terms of compression ratio with acceptable recovery quality. The transform coding used is 2-D wavelet transform and the key is to tap the correlation between wavelet coefficients of different subbands in the same spatial location rather than only in the same orientation. Performance comparisons are made with three other VQ-based compression models. The result shows the strength of this novel approach in that it has the best reconstructed image quality in terms of its signal to noise ratio for a fixed compression ratio.
Mosaic dup (9p) diagnosed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

We describe a girl with some manifestations of the dup (9p) syndrome. High-resolution Giemsa-banded karyotype of her lymphocytes documented that she was mosaic with 80% of cells being 46,XX, and 20% 46,XX,-20, + der(20;?) (p13;?). The additional material on 20p could not be defined clearly by high-resolution Giemsa banding, as the banding pattern appeared consistent with either distal 9p or distal 13q. In order to make a definitive cytogenetic diagnosis, we used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a chromosome 9 specific DNA library to establish that the origin of the additional chromosomal material on chromosome 20 was from 9p. FISH used in this situation enabled us to counsel the family specifically regarding the prognosis and manifestations of distal 9p duplication. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Genoprotective pathways. Part I. Extracellular signaling through G(s) protein-coupled adenosine receptors prevents oxidative DNA damage.

Abstract Adenosine has been previously shown to be a cytoprotective paracrine released by injured cells. However, it is presently unknown whether extracellular adenosine can prevent DNA damage. We show here that the adenosine analog, 2-chloroadenosine (2CA), has a potent (IC50=2.04×10−9 M) genoprotective effect in cells subsequently exposed to H2O2. The genoprotective signaling is transduced through adenosine receptors of the A2a and A2b subtypes. Increasing [cAMP]i by forskolin or by cell permeable 8-br-cAMP produced a similar effect, whereas inhibiting the cAMP-mediated pathway with H-89, or increasing [nitric oxide]i or [cGMP]i blocked 2CA effect. Proteasomal inhibitors had no impact on 2CA signaling, while lithium chloride, an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3β, completely blocked 2CA-induced genoprotective effect. These data indicate for the first time that extracellular adenosine protects cells against imminent oxidative DNA damage and suggest that prophylactic activation of this pathway prior to genotoxic challenges might reduce mutation rates.
NEC: Part 2: Toward improving mucosal barrier defenses: rhG-CSF plus IgG antibody

Epithelial cell functions ultimately define the ability of the extremely low birth weight human fetus to survive outside of the uterus. These specialized epithelial cell capacities manage all human interactions with theex utero world including: (i) lung mechanics, surface chemistry and gas exchange, (ii) renal tubular balance of fluid and electrolytes, (iii) barrier functions of the intestine and skin for keeping bacteria out and water in, plus enabling intestinal digestion, as well as (iv) maintaining an intact neuroepithelium lining of the ventricles of the brain and retina. In Part I of this two part review, the authors describe why the gut barrier is a clinically relevant model system for studying the complex interplay between innate and adaptive immunity, dendritic & epithelial cell interactions, intraepithelial lymphocytes, M-cells, as well as the gut associated lymphoid tissues where colonization after birth, clinician feeding practices, use of antibiotics as well as exposure to prebiotics, probiotics and maternal vaginal flora all program the neonate for a life-time of immune competence distinguishing “self” from foreign antigens. These barrier defense capacities become destructive during disease processes like necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) when an otherwise maturationally normal, yet dysregulated and immature, immune defense system is associated with high levels of certain inflammatory mediators like TNFα. In Part II the authors discuss the rationale for why rhG-CSF has theoretical advantages in managing NEC or sepsis by augmenting neonatal neutrophil number, neutrophil expression of Fcλ and complement receptors, as well as phagocytic function and oxidative burst. rhG-CSF also has potent anti-TNFα functions that may serve to limit extension of tissue destruction while not impairing bacterial killing capacity. Healthy, non-infected neutropenic and septic neonates differ in their ability to respond to rhG-CSF; however, no neonatal clinical trials to date have identified a clear clinical benefit of rhG-CSF therapy. This manuscript will review the literature and evidence available for identifying the ideal subject for cytokine treatment using NEC as the model disease target.
Error Analysis of Linear-Feedback Shift Registers

Based on a Walsh-function representation of shift registers, a method for analyzing the output errors due to random noise is presented. The transient and steady-state behavior at the output of a linear-feedback shift register with respect to stochastic noise inputs is examined. An example is included.
Computational Modeling of Fluid Flow through a Fracture in Permeable Rock

Laminar, single-phase, finite-volume solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations of fluid flow through a fracture within permeable media have been obtained. The fracture geometry was acquired from computed tomography scans of a fracture in Berea sandstone, capturing the small-scale roughness of these natural fluid conduits. First, the roughness of the two-dimensional fracture profiles was analyzed and shown to be similar to Brownian fractal structures. The permeability and tortuosity of each fracture profile was determined from simulations of fluid flow through these geometries with impermeable fracture walls. A surrounding permeable medium, assumed to obey Darcy’s Law with permeabilities from 0.2 to 2,000 millidarcies, was then included in the analysis. A series of simulations for flows in fractured permeable rocks was performed, and the results were used to develop a relationship between the flow rate and pressure loss for fractures in porous rocks. The resulting friction-factor, which accounts for the fracture geometric properties, is similar to the cubic law; it has the potential to be of use in discrete fracture reservoir-scale simulations of fluid flow through highly fractured geologic formations with appreciable matrix permeability. The observed fluid flow from the surrounding permeable medium to the fracture was significant when the resistance within the fracture and the medium were of the same order. An increase in the volumetric flow rate within the fracture profile increased by more than 5% was observed for flows within high permeability-fractured porous media.
Bicriterion Shortest Path Problem with a General Nonadditive Cost

Abstract A bicriterion shortest path problem with a general nonadditive cost seeks to optimize a combination of two path costs, one of which is evaluated by a nonlinear function. This paper first identifies a number of emerging transportation applications for which such a shortest path problem might be considered a core subproblem. We propose to first approximate the general nonlinear cost function with a piecewise linear counterpart, and then solve each linear subproblem sequentially. A specialized algorithm is developed to solve the subproblems, which makes use of the efficient path set (or the convex hull) to update upper and lower bounds of the original problem. Conditions under which the solution to a subproblem must belong to the efficient path set are specified. Accordingly, we show that the optimal path must be efficient if the nonlinear cost function is concave. If the optimal path to a subproblem is not efficient, partial path enumeration, implemented using a simple K-shortest path ranking procedure, is conducted to close the gap. The proposed algorithm includes strategies aiming to expedite path enumeration by using upper bounds derived from the efficient path set. Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate correctness and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.