cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship of moleculated radical anion abundance and calculated lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energies for polychlorinated dibenzofurans and dibenzodioxins in electron capture negative ion mass spectrometry: Evidence for negative metastable ions

Relationships were found between experimentally measured molecular radical anion abundances and calculated lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energies (epsilon LUMO) for polychlorodibenzofurans and polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins. Anion abundances were measured using standard mass spectrometric techniques, while epsilon LUMO were calculated by the 'Complete Neglect of Differential Overlap' method. Polychlorodibenzofurans with calculated epsilon LUMO greater than or equal to 1.6 eV show 0% molecular radical anion and those with epsilon LUMO less than or equal to 1.4 eV show greater than or equal to 80% molecular radical anion abundance. Similarly, the molecular radical anion is absent for polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins with calculated epsilon LUMO greater than or equal to 2.0 eV. A trend towards greater molecular radical ion relative abundance appears for 2.0 eV greater than or equal to epsilon LUMO greater than or equal to 1.0 eV and a maximum is reached around 1 eV, whereupon the molecular ion abundance diminishes with lower epsilon LUMO. B/E linked scan analysis indicates that chlorodioxins with epsilon LUMO less than 1 eV give increasing amounts of metastable anions.
Ab initio quantum chemical studies of fullerene molecules with substitutes C59X [XSi, Ge, Sn], C59X− [XB, Al, Ga, In], and C59X [XN, P, As, Sb]

This article presents the results of systematic ab initio quantum chemical study of charged and neutral analogues of fullerene molecules: C59X[XSi, Ge, Sn], C59X− [XB, Al, Ga, In], and C59X+ [XN, P, As, Sb]. Hartree–Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) levels of theory with Stuttgart–Dresden basis set were used to investigate the structure and properties of substituted fullerene molecules. A replacement of fullerene carbon atom with a heteroatom results in a unique chemical site on the fullerene surface, which may be used as a reactive center or to modify the electronic properties. We show the possibility of utilization of substituted fullerenes as atom-like building units. Heteroatom substitution allows the tuning of the physical and chemical properties of original molecule for different material science and nanotechnology applications. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005
Use of the Boltzmann Equation to Simulate Lattice-Gas Automata

We discuss an alternative technique to the lattice-gas automata for the study of hydrodynamic properties, namely, we propose to model the lattice gas with a Boltzmann equation. This approach completely eliminates the statistical noise that plagues the usual lattice-gas simulations and therefore permits simulations that demand much less computer time. It is estimated to be more efficient than the lattice-gas automata for intermediate to low Reynolds number $R\ensuremath{\lesssim}100$.
Origins of very shallow photoconduction in Ge:Sb

Three new effects in the very shallow photoconduction spectrum (hω < 5 meV, T ∼ 0.4K) of Ge:Sb have been observed: the spectrum is found to depend strongly on electric-field, background excitation spectrum, and on the spectrometer chopping frequency. These effects are interpreted as evidence that the spectra are the consequence of two distinct trapping centers whose spectra overlap; they thus do not support the interpretation of this photoconduction as due entirely to a D− band.
Real and nominal effective exchange rates for 22 LDCs: 1971:1–1990:4

The International Monetary Fund constructs and publishes the real and nominal effective exchange rates, mostly for developed but not less developed countries. This paper employs a method of constructing real and nominal effective exchange rate from the literature to produce quarterly data over the 1971–1990 period for 22 developing nations. As an application, the stationarity of real effective exchange rates are determined to establish the empirical validity of the Purchasing Power Parity Theory (PPP). The results reveal that PPP fails to hold for most countries.
Measurement of residual stress distributions near the toe of an attachment welded on a plate using the crack compliance method

Abstract Using solutions based on fracture mechanics, the authors have developed a technique referred to as the “crack-compliance method” to measure residual stresses. In the present paper the method is applied to the measurement of residual stresses either at the toe of a weld joining a bracket to a plate or at the toe of a fillet weld between two plates. It is shown that the crack compliance functions for a wide range of configurations may be obtained by combining the solutions for an edged-cracked plate with a simple finite element computation. Experimental results are presented for a specimen which simulates the attachment of a bracket to the wall of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel.
Role of the ectonucleotidase NTPDase2 in taste bud function

Taste buds are unusual in requiring ATP as a transmitter to activate sensory nerve fibers. In response to taste stimuli, taste cells release ATP, activating purinergic receptors containing the P2X2 and P2X3 subunits on taste nerves. In turn, the released ATP is hydrolyzed to ADP by a plasma membrane nucleoside triphosphate previously identified as nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase-2 (NTPDase2). In this paper we investigate the role of this ectonucleotidase in the function of taste buds by examining gene-targeted Entpd2-null mice globally lacking NTPDase2. RT-PCR confirmed the absence of NTPDase2, and ATPase enzyme histochemistry reveals no reaction product in taste buds of knockout mice, suggesting that NTPDase2 is the dominant form in taste buds. RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry demonstrated that in knockout mice all cell types are present in taste buds, even those cells normally expressing NTPDase2. In addition, the overall number and size of taste buds are normal in Entpd2-null mice. Luciferin/luciferase assays of circumvallate tissue of knockout mice detected elevated levels of extracellular ATP. Electrophysiological recordings from two taste nerves, the chorda tympani and glossopharyngeal, revealed depressed responses to all taste stimuli in Entpd2-null mice. Responses were more depressed in the glossopharyngeal nerve than in the chorda tympani nerve and involved all taste qualities; responses in the chorda tympani were more depressed to sweet and umami stimuli than to other qualities. We suggest that the excessive levels of extracellular ATP in the Entpd2-knockout animals desensitize the P2X receptors associated with nerve fibers, thereby depressing taste responses.
A general and computationally fast method for investigating incompressible flow

Abstract In earlier papers [1–4] a simple, general, and computationally fast method for investigating heat conduction in heterogeneous and complex materials was presented. In this paper, we show that the method, in principle, can be extended to study the fluid flow around arbitrarily shaped bodies. Initial results are presented for two-dimensional incompressible inviscid flow around a circle and a Rankine oval. Calculated velocity and pressure distributions are compared against those obtained analytically and by other numerical methods.
Risk of Gleason Grade Inaccuracies in Prostate Cancer Patients Eligible for Active Surveillance

Objective To evaluate increases in Gleason grade because of sample bias after immediate rebiopsy or prostatectomy for patients considered active surveillance candidates by institutional protocol. Methods A contemporary medical literature search was performed using PubMed. Series were included if the patients had no more than Gleason 6 prostate cancer score on initial biopsy and underwent a prostatectomy or rebiopsy within 6 months. Patient sets using neoadjuvant hormonal therapy or focal prostate treatment were excluded. Results In patients who would have fallen into the D'Amico low-risk prostate cancer group, 42% were found to have an increase in the Gleason score: 32% resulting in grade ≥7 disease and 3% grade ≥8. For series that limited patients to the Epstein criteria, Gleason upgrades were 34%, 29%, and 2%, respectively. Of the 139 patients whose second tissue specimens were from a rebiopsy, 17% were found to have grade ≥7 disease, whereas only 1 patient had grade ≥8. There were no consistent multivariate analysis variables among the series to predict for an increase in Gleason score. Conclusion More than one third of the patients were found to have been undergraded based on their initial prostate biopsy. Therefore, 1 biopsy alone may not be sufficient to offer active surveillance as an option. Further exploration is necessary to better ensure low-risk disease before active surveillance.
Variable-temperature, variable-field magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopic study of NifEN-bound precursor and “FeMoco”

NifEN plays a key role in the biosynthesis of the iron–molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) of nitrogenase. A scaffold protein that hosts the conversion of a FeMoco precursor to a mature cofactor, NifEN can assume three conformations during the process of FeMoco maturation. One, designated ΔnifB NifEN, contains only two permanent [Fe4S4]-like clusters. The second, designated NifENPrecursor, contains the permanent clusters and a precursor form of FeMoco. The third, designated NifEN“FeMoco”, contains the permanent [Fe4S4]-like clusters and a fully complemented, “FeMoco”-like structure. Here, we report a variable-temperature, variable-field magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopic investigation of the electronic structure of the metal clusters in the three forms of dithionite-reduced NifEN. Our data indicate that the permanent [Fe4S4]-like clusters are structurally and electronically conserved in all three NifEN species and exhibit spectral features of classic [Fe4S4]+ clusters; however, they are present in a mixed spin state with a small contribution from the S > ½ spin state. Our results also suggest that both the precursor and “FeMoco” have a conserved Fe/S electronic structure that is similar to the electronic structure of FeMoco in the MoFe protein, and that the “FeMoco” in NifEN“FeMoco” exists, predominantly, in an S = 3/2 spin state with spectral parameters identical to those of FeMoco in the MoFe protein. These observations provide strong support to the outcome of our previous EPR and X-ray absorption spectroscopy/extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis of the three NifEN species while providing significant new insights into the unique electronic properties of the precursor and “FeMoco” in NifEN.
Comparative Study of the Productive and Unrpoductive Allocation of Entrepreneurial Efforts

Entrepreneurs drive economic prosperity in a country when they produce value through innovation. But, not all entrepreneurship is productive - entrepreneurs can channel their energies towards unpro...
Differences between inbred strains of mice in Morris water maze performance.

Four inbred strains of mice, BALB/cByJ, C3H/2Ibg, C57BL/6Ibg, and DBA/2Ibg, were tested for their learning ability in the Morris water maze. Two forms of learning were examined: cue learning, in which the mice were required to swim toward a submerged platform marked by a proximal visual cue; and place learning, in which the animals were required to use distal visual cues to find a submerged platform. C3H and BALB mice, which lack good visual acuity, were incapable of either form of learning. Both C57 and DBA mice were capable of cue learning, but DBA mice performed poorly at the place learning task. A selective impairment in place learning is typical of rats with disrupted hippocampal function. A similar impairment in DBA mice may indicate that abnormal hippocampal function exists under baseline conditions in this strain.
CO Emission from Disks around AB Aurigae and HD 141569: Implications for Disk Structure and Planet Formation Timescales

We present a comparison of CO fundamental rovibrational lines (observed in the M band near 4.7 μm) from the inner circumstellar disks around the Herbig AeBe stars AB Aur and HD 141569. The CO spatial profiles and temperatures constrain the location of the gas for both stars to a distance of less than 50 AU. The CO emission from the disk of the ~4 Myr star AB Aur shows at least two temperature components, the inner disk at a rotational temperature of 1540 ± 80 K and the outer disk at 70 ± 10 K. The hot gas is located near the hot bright inner rim of the disk and the cold gas is located in the outer disk from 8-50 AU. The relative intensities of low-J lines suggest that the cold gas is optically thick. The excitation of CO in both temperature regimes is dominated by infrared fluorescence (resonant scattering). In the more evolved disk around HD 141569, the CO is excited by UV fluorescence. The relative intensity of the CO emission lines implies a rotational temperature of 190 ± 30 K. The resulting column density is ~ 1011 cm-2, indicating approximately 1019 g of CO. The observed line profiles indicate that the inner disk has been cleared of CO gas by stellar radiation out to a minimum of 17 AU. The residual mass of CO suggests that the inner disk of HD 141569 is not in an active phase of planet building but it does not rule out the possibility that giant planet building has previously occurred.
Immunopathology of pemphigus

The term pemphigus refers to a group of cutaneous diseases that are characterized by the development of intra-epidermal blisters and, sometimes, mucosal erosions [l] (Table 1). All forms of pemphigus are characterized by epidermal cell-cell detachment (acantholysis) which leads to (intra-epidermal) vesicle formation, and by the presence of IgG autoantibodies directed against antigenic determinants present on the cell surfaces of differentiating keratinocytes [2]. The most severe form of pemphigus is pemphigus vulgaris (PV) (Figure l), which may occur at any age, although its most common onset is in the fourth, fifth and sixth decades. PV is characterized by the presence of flaccid, exceedingly fragiIe noninflammatory bullae which usually arise on normal appearing skin. These bullae have a tendency to coalesce and rupture easily resulting in large denuded areas which are, in fact, the predominant clinical feature of this type of pemphigus. PV involves both the skin and mucous membranes and, in virtually all cases, the initial lesion affects the oral mucosa. Prior to the introduction of corticosteroids in the 195Os, PV was considered almost uniformly fatal mainly due to protein, fluid and electrolyte losses and/ or uncontrollable sepsis. Acantholysis, the histological hallmark of PV, starts with the development of epidermal intercellular edema leading to dissolution of intercellular ‘bridges’ and widening of intercellular spaces (ICS), finally ending in cell to cell detachment. These microscopic changes occur in the suprabasilar area, i.e. between the basal and spinous cell layers. Basal cells remain attached to the dermis, but are laterally detached, resembling a ‘row of tombstones’ [ 11. Endemic pemphigus foliaceus (PF) or fogo selvagem (FS) (Figure 2) is clinically and immunopathologically similar to the non-endemic form seen in other parts of the world. Clinically, PF is characterized by superficial blistering and erosive lesions that affect the skin and rarely involve mucosal surfaces [3-61. Histologically, PF is characterized by acantholysis involving the subcorneal layers of the epidermis. In
The Influence of Cell Temperature on the Entropic Coefficient of a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Pouch Cell

The lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell chemistry is gaining wide acceptance in battery electric vehicle (BEV) applications. Its inherent ability to tolerate abusive conditions and resist thermal runaway is especially attractive to battery pack designers. Battery manufacturers have responded by offering high capacity cells in a pouch format. This format provides excellent packaging efficiency and offers a very favorable area-to-volume ratio to facilitate thermal management. As a cell increases in its capacity, this ratio tends to decrease. Coupled with the higher current flows inherent with larger cells, a greater amount of heat generation (both reversible and irreversible) results. 1 A unique characteristic of lithium batteries, as compared to other cell chemistries, is the thermal behavior exhibited during low rates (<1C) of charge or discharge. The contribution of the entropic (reversible) heat source is dominantly endothermic in nature during the chargecycle.However,ithasalsobeenfoundtobeasourceofexothermicheatifthestate-of-charge(SOC)ofthebatteryisataspecificlevel. Past researchers have attributed this to a phase change of the active material. 1 For either mode of behavior, the strength of the heat source itself is directly proportional to a factor called the entropic coefficient. The entropic coefficient quantifies the reversible change in the OCV that occurs in response to a temperature change of the cell. The entropic coefficient is not a constant factor and its value varies with different SOC levels and temperature. The entropy change in the electrochemical reaction is also an important thermodynamic factor in cell thermal design and heat management. 2 The reversible heat generation rate has been found to be a significant portion of the total heat generation rate. Published research has found that the entropy change (� S) can contribute a majority of the total generated heat at a 1C-rate discharge rate. 3 This is especially true in some cells with impedance values that are a fraction of a milliohm leading to suppressed levels of Joule heating. The appropriate combinations of cathode and anode materials have been investigated by some researchers to minimize reversible heat generation rate across the full SOC range. 4 However, it will be difficult to quantify the contributions of each electrode to measure entropy change. Data is usually not available on the exact composition and crystallographic phase transitions of the electrodes for commercially available test cells. There are two main techniques used to determine the reversible heat generated in a cell. The first method is called potentiometric method where the entropy change can be estimated by calculating the relationship between the changes in open circuit voltage (OCV) of a cell versus the change in its temperature. The preferred approach
Ultrashort pulse laser for high density plasma experiments

Abstract The use of high intensity ultrashort laser pulses in the study of hot, high density plasmas requires pulses of extreme temporal fidelity. We have developed a system that provides continuously variable independent tuning of the higher order frequency dependent phase of ultrashort laser pulses. Numerical results are presented indicating that higher order phase terms that lead to temporal wings can be compensated by a properly adjusted air spaced doublet lens within the pulse stretcher.
Egg yolk serositis in an American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).

An adult female American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) had diffuse, yellow, granular serosal thickening at necropsy. Light microscopic examination of affected stomach, small intestine and spleen revealed a chronic proliferative serositis associated with 3 to 15 μm eosinophilic extracellular globules identified histochemically and morphologically as egg yolk. The intracoelomic egg yolk was considered to be the cause of the serosal reaction.
Public Support for Preventive/Corrective Remedies Against Miscarriages of Justice in Capital Cases

The present study examines public beliefs of Florida citizens about the prevalence of miscarriages of justice in their state and their level of support for various proposed remedies. The study also...
Adolescents’ Aesthetic and Functional View of Hearing Aids or Cochlear Implants and Their Relationship to Self-Esteem Levels

AbstractThis study's aim was to determine how adolescents view their hearing devices. Through a lack of understanding by mainstream society, stigmatization has resulted in hard-of-hearing (HOH) adolescents having low self-esteem. HOH adolescents’ self-esteem is related to their way of dress including the aesthetic qualities of their hearing devices. Thus, fashionability is important in the lives of people with disabilities, just as it is in the lives of those without disabilities. Focus groups, individual interviews, and a Demographic and Device Design (DDD) questionnaire were used to collect data and to give participants the opportunity to design their ideal hearing device. Eight HOH participants between the ages of twelve and nineteen were involved in the study. The data revealed that others’ perceptions of the participants influenced positive or negative perceptions of hearing loss and/or their hearing device. Four participants reported having a high level of self-esteem, while the other four reported ...
Global warming and state-corporate crime: the politicalization of global warming under the Bush administration

Global warming is one of the most significant and difficult issues facing the world today. As result, researchers in a number of disciplines have directed their attention to addressing issues relevant to the study of and responses to global warming. This has been less true in the social sciences, and especially within specific social sciences such as criminology, in comparison to the physical sciences. Global warming does, however, have criminological and sociological relevance on several levels. This article examines one of those levels by exploring the politicalization of global warming under the Bush Administration, and addresses this issue as an example of state-corporate crime.
Dendron segregation in model dendrimers

Abstract Monte Carlo calculations on model dendrimers demonstrate that individual branches (‘dendrons’) of an isolated dendrimer spontaneously demix and are well segregated at equilibrium even when they are chemically identical. This is a result of the particular architecture of this class of macromolecules. It is conjectured that this segregation effect will disappear under high density conditions, e.g. in poor solvents, or at the highest attainable generation number, or in neat fluids of dendrimers. The dendrimers possess fractal self-similarity over a rather narrow scale of lengths with fractal dimensions of the order of 2.4 to 2.8.
Relation of citrus leaf nutrients to internal fruit quality in Sierra Leone

Abstract In a mineral nutrient survey, fruits from grapefruit, sweet orange and tangerine trees whose leaves were sampled were analysed for internal quality and then correlated with the respective leaf analysis values. Correlations amongst leaf nutrients were also studied. Statistically significant simple correlations were found between some internal quality parameters and certain leaf nutrients. Due to sampling limitations, a multi‐element consideration in the nature of multiple regression studies was not considered thus limiting the utility of the results in evaluating interionic effects on internal quality of citrus in Sierra Leone.
Selective field potential changes induced by L-DOPA.

Abstract Average acoustic evoked responses following paired stimuli were recorded simultaneously from the caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, ventromedial hypothalamus, arcuate nucleus, anterior hypothalamus, and medial geniculate body in freely moving rats implanted with permanent electrodes (50 μm in diameter). Click stimuli evoked large-amplitude responses in all the structures under the present study. The neuronal recovery function measured by consecutive paired click stimuli separated by varying time intervals was found to differ among structures. Low doses (10 mg/kg) of pentobarbital increased the average acoustic evoked response and shortened the neuronal recovery function, and higher dose of pentobarbital (40 mg/kg) attenuated the average acoustic evoked responses in all seven structures. Differences in sensitivity to pentobarbital were observed between structures. l -DOPA administration increased the average acoustic evoked responses recorded from caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, substantia nigra, ventromedial hypothalamus, and arcuate nucleus, but did not affect the average acoustic evoked responses recorded from anterior hypothalamus and medial geniculate body. The neuronal recovery functions obtained from substantia nigra, anterior hypothalamus, and medial geniculate body were unaffected by l -DOPA or reserpine while in the other structures (caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, ventromedial hypothalamus, and arcuate nucleus), l -DOPA shortened the recovery time of the second response, and reserpine reversed this phenomena only in caudate nucleus without modifying the l -DOPA effects in the other structures. The present observation indicates that there are marked differences in the physiological properties of the structures under investigation, and that there are direct relationships to the effects of l -DOPA and reserpine. The findings suggest two hypotheses: dopamine is not exclusively an inhibitory neurotransmitter; or the action of dopamine is to remove the inhibitory properties of the inhibitory interneurons.
Automated registration of laser Doppler perfusion images by an adaptive correlation approach: application to focal cerebral ischemia in the rat.

Abstract Hemodynamic changes are extremely important in analyzing responses from a brain subjected to a stimulus or treatment. The Laser Doppler technique has emerged as an important tool in neuroscience research. This non-invasive method scans a low-power laser beam in a raster pattern over a tissue surface to generate the time course of images in unit of relative flux changes. Laser Doppler imager (LDI) records cerebral perfusion not only in the temporal but also in the spatial domain. The traditional analysis of LD images has been focused on the region-of-interest (ROI) approach, in which the analytical accuracy in an experiment that necessitates a relative repositioning between the LDI and the scanned tissue area will be weakened due to the operator's subjective decision in data collecting. This report describes a robust image registration method designed to obviate this problem, which is based on the adaptive correlation approach. The assumption in mapping corresponding pixels in two images is to correlate the regions in which these pixels are centered. Based on this assumption, correlation coefficients are calculated between two regions by a method in which one region is moved around over the other in all possible combinations. To avoid ambiguity in distinguishing maximum correlation coefficients, an adaptive algorithm is adopted. Correspondences are then used to estimate the transformation by linear regression. We used a pair of phantom LD images to test this algorithm. A reliability test was also performed on each of the 15 sequential LD images derived from an actual experiment by imposing rotation and translation. The result shows that the calculated transformation parameters (rotation: θ =7.7±0.5°; translation: Δ x =2.8±0.3, Δ y =4.7±0.4) are very close to the prior-set parameters (rotation: θ =8°; translation: Δ x =3, Δ y =5). This result indicates that this approach is a valuable adjunct to LD perfusion monitoring. An original sequence of LD images that recorded cerebral perfusion through a cranial window before, during and after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) is presented, together with the registered image sequence. Cerebral perfusion data acquired in a pixel-based manner from different anatomic locations of the registered LD image sequence are also presented over the whole time-course of the experiment.
Low temperature properties of incommensurate barium sodium niobate

Abstract We have performed dielectric and Brillouin spectroscopic measurements on incommensurate Ba 2 NaNb 5 O 15 from ca. 15 K to room temperature and have related our measurements to earlier studies of birefringence, x-ray and neutron crystallography, with special emphasis upon the structural phase transitions near 105 K and 40 K. The 105 K transition is from Ccm 21 to a modulated structure, which appears to be a reentrant phase also found at atmospheric pressure from 565 K to 582 K. Preliminary neutron diffraction results will be presented showing the 2q IC nature of BSN below ∼ 100 K. Finally, the role of pressure in stabilizing the different phases in BSN will be discussed.
Projection-based decoding of low bit-rate MPEG data

In low bit-rate applications, MPEG based compressed video exhibits annoying coding artifacts. In this paper, image recovery algorithms based on the theory of projections onto convex sets are proposed to decode video images from MPEG data without coding artifacts. According to this approach, each video frame is reconstructed using not only the transmitted data but also other prior knowledge which is available and not explicitly used by the conventional MPEG decoding algorithm. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm yield images superior to those from conventional MPEG decoders.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of Anomers of D-glucose on Alloxan Inhibition of Insulin Release in Isolated Perifused Pancreatic Islets

The in vitro inhibition of insulin released by alloxan (20 mg/100 ml) in collagenase isolated rat islets is preferentially prevented by alpha D-glucose at a concentration of 1.0 mg/ml, while at a higher anomer concentration (1.5 mg/ml) both alpha and beta D-glucose provide equal protection. The ability of alpha D-glucose compared with beta D-glucose to stimulate insulin release, in vitro, showed a similar dose-related response, as observed in the alloxan protective studies. Although, both alpha and beta D-glucose compete with mutorated D-glucose for transport into islet cells, neither anomer produced a significantly different degree of inhibition in the transport process. The shared alpha stereospecificity for D-glucose in protection against alloxan and in stimulating insulin secretion in these in vitro studies, suggest a common site of interaction which may involve the beta-cell membrane.
Resting-state connectivity of the amygdala is altered following Pavlovian fear conditioning

Neural plasticity in the amygdala is necessary for the acquisition and storage of memory in Pavlovian fear conditioning, but most neuroimaging studies have focused only on stimulus-evoked responses during the conditioning session. This study examined changes in the resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the amygdala before and after Pavlovian fear conditioning, an emotional learning task. Behavioral results from the conditioning session revealed that participants learned normally and FMRI data recorded during learning identified a number of stimulus-evoked changes that were consistent with previous work. A direct comparison between the pre and post-conditioning amygdala connectivity revealed a region of dorsal prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the superior frontal gyrus that showed a significant increase in connectivity following the conditioning session. A behavioral measure of explicit memory performance was positively correlated with the change in amygdala connectivity within a neighboring region in the superior frontal gyrus. Additionally, an implicit autonomic measure of conditioning was positively correlated with the change in connectivity between the amygdala and the anterior cingulate cortex. The resting-state data show that amygdala connectivity is altered following Pavlovian fear conditioning and that these changes are also related to behavioral outcomes. These alterations may reflect the operation of a consolidation process that strengthens neural connections to support memory after the learning event.
On determining the model structure of a nonlinear feedback control law for a model following nonlinear system

The authors present a methodology to determine the model structure of a nonlinear feedback control law so that when it is applied to a model following nonlinear system with predominant nonlinearities, such as industrial robots, it will cause the output of the model following system to follow the output of the referenced model accurately. The proposed algorithm starts with a control sequence for the nonlinear plant which is equal to the control sequence for the model. This control sequence is updated iteratively, taking into consideration a library of nonlinear vector-valued functions associated with the dynamic equations of the nonlinear plant. The essential feature of the technique is that it recursively generates a sequence of projection matrices to be used as mapping transformation operators so that the original vector-valued functions become conjugate directions. This leaves the original nonlinear dynamic equations intact and allows the n-term nonlinear control law to be assembled in n selections from the library. >
Curvilinear behavior of base layer moduli from deflection and seismic methods

The reality of curvilinear relationships of stiffness versus deformation is usually neglected when moduli values from seismic methods are compared with those of deflection methods. On the basis of extensive field testing, results showed that moduli values for the base layers from deflection methods did not conform to those of seismic methods. Deflection testing techniques were signified by the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) and the Dynaflect methods. Seismic testing was carried out by use of the seismic pavement analyzer (SPA) method. The SPA test results yielded moduli values higher than those obtained from the deflection methods. Utilizing pavement parameters obtained from the SPA data, researchers determined surface deflections by use of frequency response functions of signals from the two groups of sensors used in the testing setup. Because of the types of hammers in the SPA testing, two different deflection basins were obtained at each testing point. Comparison of surface deflections from these methods indicated that deflection amplitudes from the FWD method were about 100 times higher than those obtained from the high-frequency hammer of the SPA. At certain pavement sections, deflections from the Dynaflect method were comparable to those obtained with the SPA low-frequency hammer. Accordingly, curvilinear relationships between surface deformation versus stiffness values were derived. These relationships can be used to determine moduli values at all surface deflections, including those from service loads.
How do Halley's ices mase?

As Halley's comet returns to the interior of the solar system in 1986, efforts will be made to measure its properties as a maser (Microwave amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation) , i.e., is it characterized by the natural microwave emission process from which the concept of the laser was developed? The very core of the comet is composed of a mixture of planetary ices, made mostly of water but also of frozen methane and ammonia. Ions of these ices will emit radiowaves of 18-cm wavelength. Synchronized emission can form a maser.
Psychology and the Financial Crisis of 2007-2008

I discuss some ways in which ideas from psychology may be helpful for thinking about the financial crisis of 2007-2008. I focus on three aspects of the crisis: the surge in house prices in the years leading up to 2006; the large positions in subprime-linked securities that many banks had accumulated by 2007; and the dramatic decline in value of many risky asset classes during the crisis period. I review a number of psychology-based mechanisms, but emphasize two, both of which have already been extensively studied in behavioral finance and behavioral economics: over-extrapolation of past price changes; and belief manipulation.
A method for colocating satellite X CO 2 data to ground-based data and its application to ACOS-GOSAT and TCCON

Abstract. Satellite measurements are often compared with higher-precision ground-based measurements as part of validation efforts. The satellite soundings are rarely perfectly coincident in space and time with the ground-based measurements, so a colocation methodology is needed to aggregate "nearby" soundings into what the instrument would have seen at the location and time of interest. We are particularly interested in validation efforts for satellite-retrieved total column carbon dioxide (XCO2), where XCO2 data from Greenhouse Gas Observing Satellite (GOSAT) retrievals (ACOS, NIES, RemoteC, PPDF, etc.) or SCanning Imaging Absorption SpectroMeter for Atmospheric CHartographY (SCIAMACHY) are often colocated and compared to ground-based column XCO2 measurement from Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON). Current colocation methodologies for comparing satellite measurements of total column dry-air mole fractions of CO2 (XCO2) with ground-based measurements typically involve locating and averaging the satellite measurements within a latitudinal, longitudinal, and temporal window. We examine a geostatistical colocation methodology that takes a weighted average of satellite observations depending on the "distance" of each observation from a ground-based location of interest. The "distance" function that we use is a modified Euclidian distance with respect to latitude, longitude, time, and midtropospheric temperature at 700 hPa. We apply this methodology to XCO2 retrieved from GOSAT spectra by the ACOS team, cross-validate the results to TCCON XCO2 ground-based data, and present some comparisons between our methodology and standard existing colocation methods showing that, in general, geostatistical colocation produces smaller mean-squared error.
Predicting gray wolf landscape recolonization: logistic regression models vs. new field data

Recovery of populations of wolves (Canis lupus) and other large, wide-ranging carnivores challenges conservation biologists and resource managers because these species are not highly habitat specific, move long distances, and require large home ranges to establish populations successfully. Often, it will be necessary to maintain viable populations of these species within mixed-use landscapes; even the largest parks and reserves are inadequate in area. Spatially delineating suitable habitat for large carnivores within mixed, managed landscapes is beneficial to assessing recovery potentials and managing animals to minimize human conflicts. Here, we test a predictive spatial model of gray wolf habitat suitability. The model is based on logistic regression analysis of regional landscape variables in the upper Midwest, United States, using radiotelemetry data collected on recolonizing wolves in northern Wisconsin since 1979. The model was originally derived from wolf packs radio-collared from 1979 to 1992 and ...
The dynamics of choice among multiple alternatives

Abstract We consider neurally based models for decision-making in the presence of noisy incoming data. The two-alternative forced-choice task has been extensively studied, and in that case it is known that mutually inhibited leaky integrators in which leakage and inhibition balance can closely approximate a drift–diffusion process that is the continuum limit of the optimal sequential probability ratio test (SPRT). Here we study the performance of neural integrators in n ⩾ 2 alternative choice tasks and relate them to a multihypothesis sequential probability ratio test (MSPRT) that is asymptotically optimal in the limit of vanishing error rates. While a simple race model can implement this ‘max-vs-next’ MSPRT, it requires an additional computational layer, while absolute threshold crossing tests do not require such a layer. Race models with absolute thresholds perform relatively poorly, but we show that a balanced leaky accumulator model with an absolute crossing criterion can approximate a ‘max-vs-ave’ test that is intermediate in performance between the absolute and max-vs-next tests. We consider free and fixed time response protocols, and show that the resulting mean reaction times under the former and decision times for fixed accuracy under the latter obey versions of Hick's law in the low error rate range, and we interpret this in terms of information gained. Specifically, we derive relationships of the forms log ( n - 1 ) , log ( n ) , or log ( n + 1 ) depending on error rates, signal-to-noise ratio, and the test itself. We focus on linearized models, but also consider nonlinear effects of neural activities (firing rates) that are bounded below and show how they modify Hick's law.
L2-Topology and Lagrangians in the Space of Connections Over a Riemann Surface

We examine the L2-topology of the gauge orbits over a closed Riemann surface. We prove a subtle local slice theorem based on the div-curl lemma of harmonic analysis, and deduce local pathwise connectedness of the gauge orbits. Based on a quantitative version of the connectivity, we generalize compactness results for anti-self-dual instantons with Lagrangian boundary conditions to general gauge-invariant Lagrangian submanifolds. This provides the foundation for the construction of instanton Floer homology for pairs of a 3-manifold with boundary and a Lagrangian in the configuration space over the boundary.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Face Challenge Problem

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Face Challenge Problem was created to encourage the development of algorithms that are robust to recognition across changes that occur in still frontal faces. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly consists of three partitions. The Good partition contains pairs of images that are considered easy to recognize. The base verification rate (VR) is 0.98 at a false accept rate (FAR) of 0.001. The Bad partition contains pairs of images of average difficulty to recognize. For the Bad partition, the VR is 0.80 at a FAR of 0.001. The Ugly partition contains pairs of images considered difficult to recognize, with a VR of 0.15 at a FAR of 0.001. The base performance is from fusing the output of three of the top performers in the FRVT 2006. The design of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly controls for posevariation, subject aging, and subject ''recognizability.'' Subject recognizability is controlled by having the same number of images of each subject in every partition. This implies that the differences in performance among the partitions are a result of how a face is presented in each image.
On the Authorship and Dating of ‘For the Understanding of the Exchange'

M J MARY DEWAR has done a great service in pointing out that Thomas Gresham was not the author of For the Understanding of the Exchange. In her eagerness to attribute the memorandum to Thomas Smith, however, she failed to present the most important argument against Gresham as author, and unfortunately did not find the one document which points to someone other than Smith. The most telling argument against attributing the memorandum to Gresham is that its whole line of thought runs counter to Gresham's point of view. The treatise argues that the only naturall exchaunge" is at mint par, making allowances for costs. It suggests that only at these exchange rates can trade take place on a basis fair to exporters and importers. Exchangers, on the other hand, have devised methods of dominating the exchange ("marchauntes exchaunge") for their own speculative gain ("the feates marchauntes devise by exchaunge"). This distinction between natural and merchants' exchange was the basis of the position taken by advocates of direct exchange control in the ensuing fifty years, including Thomas Milles and Gerard de Malynes, a position opposed by Gresham. In his known writings, Gresham described the rising and falling of the pound on the foreign exchanges as the most natural thing in the world, but subject to manipulation by experts like himself. In a position paper on finance written for Elizabeth I in I 558 he makes no mention of natural and merchants' exchange. The fall of the pound since the reign of Henry VIII is explained by debasement of the coinage, the Crown's debts in Flanders, and the "greatt Freadome off the Stillyarde" in importing and exporting. He then describes the success of his own policies, particularly counter-speculation on the exchanges, in raising the value of the pound, emphasizing the great benefits the realm would derive from a continuing policy of keeping its value high. The policies which would accomplish this goal are recoinage, refusing to restore the privileges of the Steelyard, granting of as few licences (for export ?) as possible, not to borrow overseas, and to keep up the Crown's credit with home merchants.' These are hardly the views of a man who looks upon mint par as the determinant of a "natural" rate of exchange. It is true, as de Roover2 points out, that the memorandum presents Gresham's stabilization fund proposal as one of the ways to solve the problem of the foreign exchanges. But it does so in a list of I4 measures which might be appropriate, most of which involve direct controls. The memorandum makes no special case for a stabilization fund.
Risk Factors in Distributed Projects

In this manuscript we develop a conceptual understanding of how key risk factors associated with Information Technology development projects are magnified or multiplied when dealing with distributed project teams as might be seen in global corporations or with the use of outsourced development resources. The analysis goes beyond the typical cultural or time zone view to include additional dimensions of project team distribution such as perceived distance (spatial and temporal), national culture, systems methodologies, task structure, and organizational distance. How these dimensions interact with key project risk factors is explored through the lens of agency theory and transaction cost theory and further developed providing useful insight on the challenge of managing distributed project teams. Data from several prior research studies by the authors and extant published data is presented in support of the key arguments presented.
Gender, firm size, industry, and estimates of the value-of-life

Two national probability samples are used to investigate four empirical questions associated with estimating the value-of-life using coefficients from wage regressions. The four questions pertain to whether wage regression coefficients on fatality rate variables are sensitive to (1) including or excluding women from the sample, (2) definitions of the fatality rate which include estimates of either male only or female only deaths, (3) removing the influence of firm size from the fatality rate or the wage rate, (4) respondents' inaccuracies in reporting their three-digit industry. Problems associated with (3) and (4) are found to be minimal. Problems associated with (1) and (2) also appear to be small if the goal is to estimate the value-of-life for men.
Pilot Balloon Malfunction Caused by Endotracheal Tube Bite Blocker

A patient's bite is a frequent cause of endotracheal tube (ETT) obstruction, which affects the volume and pressure delivered by the ventilator. Bite-related ETT obstruction is a frequent cause of ventilator alarm activation, and can cause respiratory failure, negative-pressure pulmonary edema, and