cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of passive dendritic tree properties on the firing dynamics of a leaky-integrate-and-fire neuron

We study the effects of dendritic tree topology and biophysical properties on the firing dynamics of a leaky-integrate-and-fire (LIF) neuron that explicitly includes spiking dynamics. We model the dendrites as a multi-compartment tree with passive dynamics. Owing to the simplicity of the system, we obtain the full analytical solution for the model which we use to derive a lower dimensional return map that captures the complete dynamics of the system. Using the map, we explore how biophysical properties and dendritic tree architecture affect firing dynamics. As was first reported in earlier work by one of the authors, we also find that the addition of the dendritic tree can induce bistability between periodic firing and quiescence. However, we go beyond their results by systematically examining how dendritic tree topology affects the appearance of this bistable behavior. We find that the structure of the dendritic tree can have significant quantitative effects on the bifurcation structure of the system, with branchier topologies tending to promote bistable behavior over unbranched chain topologies. We also show that this effect occurs even when the input conductance at the soma is held fixed, indicating that the topology of the dendritic tree is mainly responsible for this quantitative change in the bifurcation structure. Lastly, we demonstrate how our framework can be used to explore the effect of biophysical properties on the firing dynamics of a neuron with a more complex dendritic tree topology.
Performance of Nonseismic PTFE Sliding Bearings When Subjected to Seismic Demands

AbstractLaminated elastomeric bridge bearings incorporating a flat sliding layer of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) provide service-level thermal displacement capacity to accommodate movements of a bridge superstructure in regions of low to moderate seismicity. These components also provide a potential source of displacement capacity, which is frequently neglected in seismic design. An experimental program has been carried out to evaluate behavioral characteristics and performance of steel-reinforced, laminated elastomeric bearings with PTFE at a flat sliding layer (which had not been designed for seismic demands) as primary quasi-isolation components for earthquakes by permitting large sliding displacements at a stainless steel-on-PTFE interface. The PTFE surfaces tolerated stress concentrations associated with eccentric loading stress distributions at moderate top plate displacements, with up to approximately 25% of the PTFE exposed at peak displacements. Larger displacements resulted in delamination and...
Fault the Tax Code for Low Dividend Payouts

Reducing the marginal tax rate on dividend income was not the optimal modification of the tax code. The U.S. corporate tax code continues to favor debt over equity because corporate interest payments are tax deductible whereas dividend payments are not. The recommendation in this article is that dividend payments be deductible at the corporate level and fully taxable to investors at their marginal income tax rates. The benefits should be a decline in debt financing and bankruptcy risk, substantial increases in dividend payouts, fewer stock option grants to managers, a decline in the equity risk premium, and higher stock valuations.
A Call for Engaged Leadership

Another school year will begin soon. Children will be walking through classroom doors full of excitement and anticipation. The doors of knowledge will open wide and students will be ready to eagerly embrace all that their teachers are prepared to share. Teachers too will be excited about the start of the school year and will be looking forward to implementing the great teaching and learning strategies they have planned for their students. There is a wealth of positive energy and high expectations for student success from teachers, parents and the students themselves.
The Relative Efficiency of Clawback Provisions in Compensation Contracts

Clawbacks are retractions of previously-awarded bonuses. In our model, the manager takes a first-period effort that stochastically determines a first-period signal and a second-period cash flow. Both the cash flow and the signal are noisy indicators of effort. The agent can manipulate the signal, i.e., manage earnings. The no-clawback contract pays the agent in the first period for a good signal. The clawback contract also rewards the good signal, but the payment is in the second period and may be lower if the cash realization is low. The agent is impatient and prefers a first-period payment. We find that the no-clawback contract dominates the clawback contract if the cash realization is relatively noisy, earnings management is difficult, or the agent is very impatient. Earnings management may be optimal even though the actual cash realization is contractible. A contract involving restricted stock is always dominated by the clawback contract. The results demonstrate that the optimal ex ante alignment of manager and shareholder interests does not imply perfect ex post alignment of manager and shareholder payoffs.
General Synthesis of Tributary Switching Networks

A synthesis procedure is described which generates all tributary networks (TRIBs) realizing a given truth function when no a priori assignment of the variables to input terminals is specified. If the truth function is not known to be realizable by a TRIB structure, the synthesis procedure provides a convenient test for TRIB realizability. If the variables are preassigned to input terminals, the synthesis and test are still applicable and correspondingly shorter. A major tool of the procedure is the matrix of binary representations of the minterms of the truth function?the so called ``minterm matrix.'' The procedure is illustrated by a numerical example.
CENTRAL TOLERANCE MECHANISMS IN CONTROL OF SUSCEPTIBILITY TO AUTOIMMUNE UVEITIC DISEASE

(2002). CENTRAL TOLERANCE MECHANISMS IN CONTROL OF SUSCEPTIBILITY TO AUTOIMMUNE UVEITIC DISEASE. International Reviews of Immunology: Vol. 21, No. 2-3, pp. 89-100.
Roles of various organizations in internal medicine curriculum reform.

Abstract ▪ The curriculum in internal medicine for medical students and residents is being driven increasingly by the service demands of our teaching hospitals and is badly in need of fundamental r...
Oxide dispersed copper alloys by surface oxidation

A series of Cu-Al and Cu-Ni-Al alloys, inert gas atomized, as -44 μ powders, were converted to submicron thick flakes covered by copper oxide and aluminum oxide in varying amounts, depending on the initial aluminum content. The flake powders were either hydrogen reduced to eliminate copper oxide, or were reacted in a hot inert gas to increase the Al2O3 content by internal oxidation. A range of alloy compositions were produced by subsequent hot extrusion, yielding excellent room temperature tension and 450°and 650°C stress rupture properties; the alloys are structurally stable from 900°to 1000° C and higher in certain cases. The process is attractive for its simplicity, reproducibility, and resultant excellent properties.
Three-dimensional imaging of biological specimens with standing wave fluorescence microscopy

Axial resolution in fluorescence microscopy can be improved significantly by using standing wave illumination to selectively excite planes within the depth of field of the microscope. When the specimen is thinner than 0.18 micrometers , an estimate of its 3D structure may be determined from three images within the same focal plane without re-focusing. Thicker objects require a combination of multi-focal-plane data and/or a priori knowledge.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Periosteal bone apposition in chondroblastoma.

Periosteal bone apposition in chondroblas- toma of long bones is more frequent than generally recognized. This should not cause confusion in differ- ential diagnosis. The finding does not seem to have prognostic significance.
Sequence organization of rat brain mitochrondrial DNA

The sequence organization of rat brain and liver mitochondrial (mt) DNA has been characterized using restriction endonucleases HindIII, BamHI, HhaI, and HaeIII. There is no evidence of heterogeneity on the base sequence of liver or brain mt DNA. The liver and brain mtDNAs were found to produce identical DNA fragments using these enzymes. Both the liver and brain mtDNA were analyzed by enzymatic digestions using HpaII/MspI. There was no evidence of the presence of methylated cytosine residues. Six different recombinant DNA molecules were analyzed by HindIII restriction digests and found to contain all of the 6 mtDNA fragments. Recombinant DNA molecules were analyzed for their molecular sizes by electron microscopy. The recombinant DNAs again showed the mtDNA fragments to have the right molecular weight. The molecular sizes of the recombinant DNA molecules were found to be 10.4, 7.4, 6.1, 5.7, 4.7 and 4.1 kilobase pairs (kbp). These molecular sizes reflect the insertion of 6.1, 3.8, 2.3, 1.9, 0.8 and 0.1 kbp HindIII mtDNA fragments in pBR322. The presence of mtDNA fragments in recombinant DNA molecules was also confirmed by hybridizing the nick translated brain mtDNA with Southern transfers of the recombinant DNA molecules.
Synthesis and Stability Analysis of Repetitive Controllers

A class of repetitive controllers for tracking control of dynamical systems subject to repetitive desired trajectories is presented. Within the framework of periodic functions, the necessary and sufficient conditions along with an explicit procedure for. stability inverting a linear time-invariant plant is formulated. Next, the stability of a repetitive control system, which is a distributed parameter system, is analysed and the necessary and sufficient conditions for its asymptotic convergence are postulated. An extended Nyquist criteria for the stability analysis and synthesis of this controller is subsequently proposed. Finally, a modified repetitive controller is introduced, which expands the domain of applicability of the original controller to a wider class of plants, including nonminimum phase system. The main stability results pertaining to the orignal controller are then extended to those of the modified controller. Several simulation and design examples are also presented.
Use of an air medical helicopter in a trauma prevention program.

Abstract Trauma is acknowledged as the leading cause of death in the United States in those under 45 years old, with the automobile being particularly lethal and costly. Preventive teaching is a component of any injury reduction program, and health care providers are becoming more actively involved in such efforts. The Mercy Air Ambulance medical team has developed a mock vehicle-collision demonstration, which is staged at area high schools shortly before graduation. The program is a joint effort of several agencies and services. It simulates the arrest of the responsible driver, the rescue and subsequent air medical transport of two injured students and the death of a fourth student. Not only does this program educate the students in an entertaining fashion, but it results in valuable training for the multiple agencies and individuals who participate in the actual response to motor-vehicle collisions.
Kondo disorder: a possible route towards non-Fermi-liquid behaviour

We present a general model of disorder in Kondo alloys that, under certain conditions, leads to non-Fermi-liquid behaviour. The central underlying idea is the presence of a distribution of local Kondo temperature scales. If this distribution is broad enough, such that there are sites with arbitrarily low Kondo temperatures, a non-Fermi-liquid phase is formed. We analyse thermodynamics and transport in this approach and show it is consistent with a number of Kondo alloys. We also compare the predictions of this model with the measured dynamical magnetic response of these systems.
Shtetl XXI: polevye issledovania

[The shtetl of the twenty‐first century: field research], edited by V.A. Dymshits, A.L. L’vov and A.V. Sokolova, St Petersburg, European University in St Petersburg, 2008, 292 pp., 190 rubles, ISBN...
Response of leaves of mimosa pudica to electrical and mechanical stimuli during their diurnal cycle in the presence of steroid cardenolides

(1977). Response of leaves of mimosa pudica to electrical and mechanical stimuli during their diurnal cycle in the presence of steroid cardenolides. Journal of Interdisciplinary Cycle Research: Vol. 8, No. 3-4, pp. 392-395.
NiTi thin films prepared by biased target ion beam deposition co-sputtering from elemental Ni and Ti targets

Abstract NiTi thin films are fabricated using biased target ion beam deposition technique. By design, the technique operates over a broad range of processing pressures; enables control of adatom energies; facilitates low energy bombardment; and promotes uniformity and repeatability. Thus, the technique is advantageous for preparing smooth and dense ultrathin films. Typically NiTi shape memory alloy thin films are deposited using the magnetron-sputtering technique and alloy targets. In this work films are co-sputtered from pure Ti and pure Ni targets and the technique is contrast with magnetron co-sputtering. Approximately 100 nm thick NiTi thin films are prepared with Ni-rich (> 50.5 at.% Ni), near equiatomic, and Ti-rich (
Sensory, hormonal, and neural control of maternal aggression in laboratory rodents

Parental animals of many rodent species display fierce and persistent aggression toward unfamiliar conspecifics that appears to protect their often altricial and defenseless young. We herein review studies of the sensory, hormonal, neuroanatomical, and neurochemical mechanisms underlying maternal aggression in laboratory rodents. The relationship between maternal aggression and fearfulness or anxiety is also discussed.
Transducible Peptide Therapy for Uveal Melanoma and Retinoblastoma

Objective To determine whether transducible peptides that inhibit the oncoproteins HDM2 and Bcl-2 may selectively kill uveal melanoma and retinoblastoma cells. Methods Peptides were tested by viability assay, flow cytometry, TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase–mediated fluorescein-dUTP nick-end labeling) assay, Western blot analysis, and reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction in cultured eye tumor cells and normal cells. Preclinical studies were performed in a rabbit xenograft model of retinoblastoma. Main Outcome Measures Cell survival, apoptosis, gene expression, and tumor regression. Results The anti–Bcl-2 peptide induced apoptosis in tumor cells, but it also caused apoptosis in normal cells in culture and induced retinal damage after intravitreal injection. In contrast, the anti-HDM2 peptide induced rapid accumulation of p53, activation of apoptotic genes, preferential killing of tumor cells, and minimal retinal damage after intravitreal injection. The anti-HDM2 peptide also induced regression of human retinoblastoma cells in rabbit eyes. Conclusions Peptide transduction is a promising new approach to molecular eye cancer therapy. Inhibition of HDM2 can selectively activate p53 in transformed cells and may be an effective strategy for inducing apoptosis in eye cancer cells with minimal damage to normal ocular tissues. Clinical Relevance Molecular characteristics of uveal melanoma and retinoblastoma may be used to design novel therapeutic agents that have greater specificity and fewer adverse effects than current therapies.
Effects of Space Charge on Frequency Characteristics of Magnetrons

Properties of the magnetron space-charge swarm which affect the propagation of electromagnetic waves are defined in terms of an effective dielectric constant. The space charge is found to be doubly refractive in nature, the velocity of propagation depending on the direction of propagation of the wave, polarization of the wave, and frequency. Effects of synchronism of the rotating space-charge swarm are discussed qualitatively. Experimental results which check parts of the theory are presented. The relationship of the space charge to the circuit is discussed in terms of the nonoscillating and the oscillating magnetron.
SEISMOS: An occasional column on the history and culture of geophysics and science in general

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists was founded in 1930. By 1940 comprehensive texts were appearing, like Heiland’s Geophysical Exploration, Jakosky’s Exploration Geophysics, and Nettleton’s Geophysical Prospecting for Oil. All of these books had a small section on theoretical seismology as a lead‐in to the seismic chapters.
White Bass Population Differences in Nebraska Reservoirs with Gizzard Shad or Alewife Prey Bases

Abstract White bass Morone chrysops are an important sport fish for Nebraska anglers. In a statewide mail survey of licensed anglers during 1994–1995, 38% reported seeking white bass. White bass have been found in at least 20 flood control and irrigation reservoirs, ranging from less than 40.5 ha to 12,146 ha. The fish communities in these reservoirs comprised walleyes Stizostedion vitreum, channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, crappies Pomoxis spp., and hybrids of white bass and striped bass M. saxatilis in addition to white bass. In reservoirs where gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum were the most abundant prey fish, white bass populations were characterized by stable, high recruitment, with a majority of the white bass being less than 300 mm in total length. In contrast, reservoirs with alewives Alosa pseudoharengus produced white bass populations with lower, less stable recruitment and a larger proportion of fish greater than 300 mm. Management efforts directed toward enhancing white bass populations hav...
Malignant rhabdoid tumor of the brain and kidney in a child: Clinical and pathologic features

Malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT) is most frequently found in the kidney, but can occur in other tissues including the brain. The simultaneous appearance of MRT in the brain and kidney has rarely been described. We report the first fully described case of simultaneous appearance of MRT in the kidney and cerebellum of an 8-month-old boy. Cytoplasmic inclusion-like masses, representing aggregates of intermediate filaments, positively stained by Vimentin and by epithelial membrane antigen, were abundant in the kidney tumor but rare in the cerebellar tumor, suggesting that this often-described characteristic of kidney MRT can be an infrequently observed feature of brain MRT, which consequently may be thought to represent another type of tumor.
An analysis of cognitive tool use patterns in a hypermedia learning environment

In this study, we examined the use of cognitive tools provided in a problem-based hypermedia learning environment for sixth graders. Purposes were to understand how the built-in tools were used, and if tool use was associated with different problem-solving stages. Results showed that tools supporting cognitive processing and sharing cognitive load played a more central role early in the problem-solving process, whereas tools supporting cognitive activities that would be out of students' reach otherwise, and hypothesis generation and testing were used more in the later stages of problem-solving. The findings also indicated that students increasingly used multiple tools in the later stages of their problem-solving process. The various tools, performing different functions, appeared to enable students to coordinate multiple cognitive skills in a seamless way and, therefore, facilitated their information processing. Results also suggested that students with higher performance scores made more productive use of tools than students with lower performance scores. Findings of the study, are discussed.
Molecular characterization of inverted pericentromeric heterochromatin of chromosome 3

Inversion of the pericentromeric region of human chromosome 3 [inv (3) (p11q11.2)] is a rare event. Initially, this inversion was identified with staining for Q-bands by fluorescence using quinacrine (QFQ) and later characterized with staining for C-bands by CBG technique. The molecular methods of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and AluI/Giemsa and TaqI/Giemsa techniques were utilized. The findings suggest that the variable band q11.2 on chromosome 3 contains alphoid DNA sequences, which appear to be similar to those identified by conventional methods in the centromeric region (band p11).
Migrating Foreign Body after a Dental Procedure

Conclusion: Once a broken needle is identified, it should be removed because of the potential for migration. The incidence of a broken needle is quite rare but because of the potential for major complications it is recommended to retrieve the broken needle immediately after discovery. A 46-year-old female was referred to Long Island College Hospital for delayed retrieval of a broken 27gauge needle. The patient presented two days after the a dental extraction procedure and local anesthesia in which it was known that a broken needle was lost during injection. She presented 48hrs after the dental procedure with progressively worsening right jaw pain and the sensation of the broken needle foreign body during mandibular movement. The patient had no significant medical problems and was not taking any medications. The patient had a 2cm trismus due to pain. The remainder of the physical examination was negative and no foreign body could be visualized or palpated.
Effects of X-irradiation of seed on X1 and X2 generations in Pinus banksiana Lambert

Abstract Pinus banksiana (jack pine) seed X-rayed at 1000 and 4000R was tested under commercial nursery and field planting conditions. At 4000R no seedlings survived beyond 1 yr of age. At the end of 2 yr, approximately 30 per cent of the seedlings from seed given 1000 R survived as compared to the control. A decrease in LD 50 exposure was noted as the seedlings aged; 2.25 R at 40 days, 1710 R at 130 days and 700 R at 14 months. The LD 50 determined from the survival response curves was found to be linear over the first two growing seasons permitting prediction of the dosage that would result in 50 percent plant survival at any point in the first 2 yr. Cone development and yield of X 2 seed/cone following self-pollination were reduced in the irradiated trees as compared to the controls. Seed germination, however, was higher in the seed from trees grown from the 1000 R irradiated seed than from the controls, suggesting an apparent stimulation of seed viability. Survival in the X 1 generation and the quantity and quality of X 2 seed produced on X 1 trees showed that the reproductive capacity was reduced by seed X-irradiation at 1000 R to slightly over 10 percent in cross-pollinated X 2 seed production, and to less than 5 percent after self-pollination. The results show that the effects of seed irradiation in jack pine, and probably other conifers, cannot be fully evaluated in a portion of the first generation, but that at least two generations are required.
Marriage and Mourning in Early-Qing Tributes to Wives

This paper examines a range of texts from the early Qing period in which husbands pay tribute to their wives, looking closely at three contrasting pairs of cases: works written by An Zhiyuan (1628-1701) and Pu Songling (1640-1715), who enjoyed long and happy marriages, by Chen Gongyin (1631-1700) and Xu Fang (1619-71), associated with the Ming loyalist cause, and by Chen Weisong (1626-82) and Chen Que (1604-77), stricken by guilt over their wives’ untimely deaths. Particular areas of attention include the relationship between an author’s choice of literary form and the effect achieved, and the implications of these texts for an understanding of gender relations in seventeenth-century China.
Comparative investigations of gluten proteins from different wheat species. III. N-terminal amino acid sequences of α-gliadins potentially toxic for coeliac patients

Studies on the coeliac toxicity of wheat have been focused on common (bread) wheat. Other cultivated wheat species were tested in an inadequate manner or were tested not at all. Because in vivo testing by feeding to coeliac patients is out of the question for ethical reasons, the different species were compared by N-terminal sequences of α-gliadins including the potential toxic sequences. Flours of durum wheat, emmer, and einkorn were successively extracted with a salt solution and 60% ethanol. The alcoholic extracts (gliadins) were preparatively separated by reversed-phase HPLC using an elution system optimized for α-gliadins. Five to six different α-gliadin fractions were isolated from each species and were characterized by the determination of N-terminal amino acid sequences. The results for 30 steps of Edman degradation indicated a high degree of sequence homology within the N-terminal region and a close relationship with corresponding sequences of α-gliadin fractions from bread wheat and spelt wheat [12]. The α-gliadins from all wheat species investigated contained amino acid sequences potentially activating coeliac disease. For this reason, all cultivated wheat species are assumed to be coeliac toxic cereals and should be avoided by coeliac patients.
Performance of SSB-PM Suboptimum and Optimum Demodulators

Suboptimum SSB-PM envelope and phase detectors are considered and their performances above threshold are evaluated and compared. The results show a slight superiority of the phase SSB-PM over the envelope SSB-PM demodulator. Both detectors show poor performance for high index modulation. A lower bound on the MMSE of an optimum SSB-PM demodulator is computed and it is shown to be slightly higher than the corresponding bound for PM for small index modulation and that it deteriorates (becomes much larger) for high index modulation.
Bleomycin: female-specific dominant lethal effects in mice

Limited comparative data in mice indicate that chemical mutagens that induce dominant lethal mutations in males are not necessarily effective in females, but those which are effective in females are generally equally or more effective in males. Recently, however, a few chemicals have been identified that are female-specific with respect to induction of dominant lethal mutations. The antitumor antibiotic adriamycin is among them. Another antitumor antibiotic, bleomycin was examined for its ability to induce dominant lethal mutations in the reproductive cells of male and female mice. No dominant lethal or cytotoxic effects were observed in males treated with bleomycin, even at a maximum tolerated dose. In females, on the other hand, a dose nearly 1/4 of that used in males induced not only a high level of dominant lethal mutations but also killed oocytes in certain stages of follicular development. The effectiveness of bleomycin in inducing dominant lethal mutations in mouse oocytes makes it a valuable tool for investigating whether gonadal transport, inherent differences in the configuration of chromatin in the germ cells of the two sexes or other factors are responsible for the differential susceptibility to bleomycin, which implies potential gender-specific genetic risk in cancer chemotherapy.
Lethal(1)aberrant immune response mutations leading to melanotic tumor formation in Drosophila melanogaster

Using P element-mediated mutagenesis we have isolated 20 X-linked lethal mutations, representing at least 14 complementation groups, which exhibit melanotic tumor phenotypes. We present the systematic analysis of this interesting group of lethal mutations that were selected for their visible melanotic or immune response. The lethal and melanotic tumor phenotypes of each lethal(1) aberrant immune response (air) mutation are pleiotropic effects of single genetic lesions. Lethality occurs throughout the larval and early pupal periods of development and larval development is extended in some air mutants. The air mutant lethal syndromes include abnormalities associated with the brain, haematopoietic organs, gut, salivary glands, ring glands, and imaginal discs. Additional characterization of the melanotic tumor mutations Tuml and tu(1)Szts have indicated that the melanotic tumor phenotype is similar to that observed in the air mutants. These studies have led to the proposal that two distinct classes of melanotic tumor mutations exist. Class 1 includes mutants in which melanotic tumors result from "autoimmune responses" or the response of an apparently normal immune system to the presence of abnormal target tissues. The Class 2 mutants display obvious defects in the haematopoietic organs or haemocytes, manifested as overgrowth, and the resulting aberrant immune system behavior may contribute to melanotic tumor formation.
Identification of multiple-molecular-weight forms of thymocyte comitogenic activity from the monocyte macrophage cell line RAW 264.7

Abstract The cloned monocyte/macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 was investigated for interleukin 1 (IL-1) production. Of the inducers tested, bacterial lipopolysaccharide was found to be the most effective. The cyclic nucleotide analogs 8-BrcAMP and 8-BrcGMP were also tested, with only 8-BrcGMP being capable of inducing a small amount of IL-1 activity. Gel filtration studies revealed thymocyte mitogenic and comitogenic activity in three molecular-weight peaks: > 70,000, 30,000 to 40,000, and 12,000 to 18,000 Da. The multiple-molecular-weight forms were present when samples were prepared under serum-free conditions and also when samples were prepared and chromatographed in high ionic strength NaCl or under disulfide reducing conditions. Molecular charge heterogeneity was observed when proteins were chromatographed using column chromatofocusing (PBE 94). The intermediate-molecular-weight form eluted from the column over a pH range of 5.0 to 5.4; while the low-molecular-weight form eluted at three separate pH's: ⩾7.4 (unbound material), 5.2, and 4.8. The low-molecular-weight and intermediate-molecular-weight forms exhibited different dose-response curves when assayed under conditions used by other investigators (1 × 10 7 cells/ml; phytohemagglutinin, 1 μg/ml), but very similar dose-response curves when assayed under conditions used by our laboratory (2 × 10 6 cells/ml; concanavalin A, 0.25 μg/ml) in a thymocyte comitogen assay. The possible relationship of these multiple-molecular-weight species of thymocyte comitogenic activity from RAW 264.7 to other biological activities from cloned and noncloned cellular sources is discussed.
The Work of Self-Representation: Lyric Poetry in Colonial New England

In The Work of Self-Representation Ivy Schweitzer examines early American poetry through the critical lens of gender. Her concern is not the inclusion of female writers into the canon; rather, she analyzes how the metaphors of ""woman"" and ""feminine"" function in Puritan religious and literary discourse to represent both the ""otherness"" of spiritual experience and the ways in which race and class function to keep the ""other"" in marginalized positions. Schwetizer argues that gender was for seventeenth-century new England -- and still is today -- a basic and most politically charged metaphor for the differences that shape identity and determine cultural position. To glimpse the struggle between gender ideology and experience, Schweitzer provides close readings of the poetry of four New Englanders writing between the Great Migration and the first wave of the Great Awakening: John Fiske, Edward Taylor, Anne Bradstreet, and Roger Williams. Schweitzer focuses exclusively on lyric poetry, she says, because a first-person speaker wrestling with the intricacies of individual consciousness provides fruitful ground for exploring the politics of voice and identity and especially problems of authority, intertextuality, and positionality. Fiske and Taylor define the orthodox tradition, and Bradstreet and Williams in different ways challenge it. Her treatment of the familiar poetry of Bradstreet and Taylor is solidly grounded in historical and literary scholarship yet suggestive of the new insights gained from a gender analysis, while discussions of Fiske and Williams bring their little-known lyric work to light. Taken together, these poets' texts illustrate the cultural construction of a troubled masculinity and an idealized, effaced femininity implicit in the Puritan notion of redeemed subjectivity, and constitute a profoundly disturbing and resilient part of our Puritan legacy.
Microwave curing of CNFs/EPON-862 nanocomposites and their thermal and mechanical properties

Abstract A high temperature cure behavior of epoxy resin system with microwave and regular oven heating in the presence and absence of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) has been studied. The EPON-862/EPIKURE W resin was reinforced with 0.1 wt%, 0.2 wt%, 0.3 wt%, and 0.4 wt% of CNFs and cured for 10 min using a 2.45 GHz microwave processing oven. Thermal, mechanical, and microscopic analyses were performed for all sample including 8 h thermally cured and 10 min microwave cured epoxy samples. Microwave cured samples of EPON-862/EPIKURE W/0.3 wt% CNFs, showed an increase of 27.51%, 25.98%, 28.93% and 6.45% in flexural & compression modulus, and strength respectively as compared to the neat EPON-862/EPIKURE W regular oven heating. DSC results were also indicated ∼10–20 °C increase in T g s for EPON-862/EPIKURE W/0.3 wt% CNFs compared to their neat EPON-862/EPIKURE W counter parts. SEM analyses were indicated an optimum dispersion at 0.3 wt% CNFs in EPON-862/EPIKURE W.
Electrocardiographic diagnosis of dual AV nodal pathways complicating the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

he diagnosis of dual AV nodal pathways compliTcating concealed or manifest preexcitation, is usually made at the time of electrophysiologic study in pa tien ts with recurrent paroxysmal supraventriculax tachycardia. In these patients, electrophysiologic studies demonstrate discontinuous antegrade AV nodal conduction curves (dual AV nodal pathways, fast and slow), as well as a unior bidirectionally conducting anomalous pathway. In some of these patients, one or more tachycardias are induced.14 The tachycardias induced can include a fast AV reentrant tachycardia (antegrade fast pathway and retrograde anomalous pathway), a slow AV reentrant tachycardia (antegrade slow and retrograde anomalous pathway ) , and sometimes the usual variety of AV nodal reentrant paroxysmal tachycardia ( antegrade slow pathway and retrograde fast pathway).' In these cases, one then has to retrospectively examine electrocardiograms in an attempt to correlate induced and clinical tachycardias. In the present study, we report a patient with known Wolff -Parkinson-White syndrome, in whom dual pathways were diagnosed from electrocardiographic findings prior to electmphysiologic study. In this patient, the presence of dual pathways was clinically relevant, in that the patient suffered from two different spontaneous paroxysmal tachycardias.
Overview of integrative analysis methods for heterogeneous data

In the big data era, data are not only generated in massive quantity but also in diversity. The heterogeneous characteristics of the diverse data sources on a subject provide complimentary information. However, they pose challenges in data analysis process. Then, what are the existing methods for utilizing theses heterogeneous data to improve data analysis and how can we choose amongst these methods? We categorize integrative methods for heterogeneous data analysis to Bayesian network based methods and multiple kernel based methods and describe them in detail with examples of successful applications in the bioinformatics field.
Feature-based image comparison for semantic neighbor selection in resource-constrained visual sensor networks

Visual Sensor Networks (VSNs), formed by large number of low-cost, small-size visual sensor nodes, represent a new trend in surveillance and monitoring practices. Sensor collaboration is essential to VSNs and normally performed among sensors having similar measurements. The directional sensing characteristics of imagers and the presence of visual occlusion present unique challenges to neighborhood formation, as geographically-close neighbors might not monitor similar scenes. In this paper, we propose the concept of forming semantic neighbors, where collaboration is only performed among geographically-close nodes that capture similar images, thus requiring image comparison as a necessary step. To avoid large amount of data transfer, we propose feature-based image comparison as features provide more compact representation of the image. The paper studies several representative feature detectors and descriptors, in order to identify a suitable feature-based image comparison system for the resource-constrained VSN. We consider two sets of metrics from both the resource consumption and accuracy perspectives to evaluate various combinations of feature detectors and descriptors. Based on experimental results obtained from the Oxford dataset and the MSP dataset, we conclude that the combination of Harris detector and moment invariants presents the best balance between resource consumption and accuracy for semantic neighbor formation in VSNs.
STATISTICAL DIAGNOSIS AND ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES: A MULTIVARIATE STATISTICAL STUDY FOR AN AUTOMOTIVE DOOR ASSEMBLY PROCESS

Multivariate statistical methods are used to analyze process data in order to discover the patterns of relationship among manufacturing variables and product characteristics. Combined with engineering judgment, these methods can serve as valuable tools ..
Selection and Characterization of Tobacco Plants with Novel O2-Resistant Photosynthesis

Plants were obtained with novel O2-resistant photosynthetic characteristics. At low CO2 (250-350 μL CO2 L−1) and 30°C when O2 was increased from 1% to 21% to 42%, the ratio of net CO2 uptake in O2-resistant whole plants or leaf discs compared to wild type increased progressively, and this was not related to stomatal opening. Dihaploid plantlets regenerated from anther culture were initially screened and selected for O2-resistant growth in 42% O2/160 μL CO2 L−1 and 0.18% of the plantlets showed O2-resistant photosynthesis. About 30% of the progeny (6 of 19 plants) of the first selfing of a fertile plant derived from a resistant dihaploid plant had O2-resistant photosynthesis, and after a second selfing this increased to 50% (6 of 12 plants). In 21% O2 and low CO2, net photosynthesis of the resistant plants was about 15% greater on a leaf area basis than wild type. Net photosynthesis was compared in leaf discs at 30 and 38°C in 21% O2, and at the higher temperature O2-resistant plants showed still greater photosynthesis than wild type. The results suggest that the O2-resistant photosynthesis described here is associated with a decreased stoichiometry of CO2 release under conditions of rapid photorespiration. This view was supported by the finding that leaves of O2-resistant plants averaged 40% greater catalase activity than wild type.
Maternal use of acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and muscular ventricular septal defects.

BACKGROUND Muscular ventricular septal defects (mVSDs) are the most common congenital heart defects. Previous studies have suggested maternal use of acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and/or fever as risk factors. We evaluated the association between mVSDs and maternal use of acetaminophen or NSAIDs adjusting for fever. METHODS Infants with nonsyndromic mVSDs (cases) and without birth defects (controls), with gestational age ≥37 weeks and their mothers were enrolled in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Two exposure periods were defined: the first trimester of pregnancy, and one month before pregnancy through delivery. Mothers reporting fever or medication use at least once during either period were considered exposed. Adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated independently for each exposure period. RESULTS The analysis included 168 cases and 692 controls. Two case groups were evaluated: all mVSD infants (n = 168) (including those with associated minor cardiac defects or noncardiac defects), and infants with isolated mVSDs (n = 133). Mothers of cases were less likely to be African-American than Caucasian (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.18, 0.73). Approximately equal numbers of case mothers and control mothers (10.4 versus 9.7%, respectively) reported at least one febrile episode during the first trimester. Neither acetaminophen nor NSAID exposure was significantly associated with mVSDs. This was true for both case groups and both exposure periods. CONCLUSIONS Significant associations were not detected between the occurrence of mVSDs and maternal use of NSAIDs or acetaminophen adjusting for maternal fever, nor were they detected between maternal fever and mVSDs. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2004. Published 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Pathologic changes following acute methyl isocyanate inhalation and recovery in B6C3F1 mice.

Abstract Male and female mice were exposed by inhalation to 0, 3, 10, and 30 ppm methyl isocyanate for 2 hr followed by a 91-day recovery period. Sixteen of 80 (20%) male mice in the 30-ppm group died following exposure with seven deaths occurring in the first 24 hr. Two female mice died, one each in the 30- and 10-ppm concentration groups. Five mice/sex/group were examined at 2 hr and at 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, 49, and 91 days following exposure. Treatment-related changes were restricted to the respiratory system. At 30 ppm there was extensive necrosis and erosion of the respiratory and olfactory epithelia in the nasal cavity. Severe necrosis and epithelial erosion were also found in the trachea and main bronchi. Epithelization occurred rapidly and most of the denuded turbinates were covered by flattened epithelium by Day 3. On the turbinates, recovery was essentially complete with the exception of small areas in the olfactory epithelia where lesions were present in the male mice through Day 91. In the trachea and major bronchi, fibrin and cellular debris were present in the airways, which in some cases had organized and formed intraluminal fibrotic projections. These projections became covered by respiratory epithelium. The intraluminal projections and bronchial fibrosis persisted to Day 91. In the males, where the fibrosis was more severe, chronic alveolitis and atelectasis were found. In mice exposed to 3 or 10 ppm, there appeared to be complete recovery. These inhalation studies indicate that methyl isocyanate exposure of mice at or near lethal concentrations causes reversible lesions in the nose and persistent intraluminal and mural fibrosis of the major bronchi.
THEOLOGY AS THE QUEEN (BEE) OF THE DISCIPLINES

. Once Queen of the Medieval court of sciences, dethroned theology may be able in our time to play a strategic servant role in rightly humiliating, elevating, and ordering the disciplines, in gadflying like a mutant honeybee, generating surprise and serendipity through the intermediacy of social science, and in offering ethical homing direction to the disciplines in their applied endeavors.
Quantitative, three-dimensional imaging of aluminum drop combustion in solid propellant plumes via digital in-line holography

Burning aluminized propellants eject reacting molten aluminum drops with a broad size distribution. Prior to this work, in situ measurement of the drop size statistics and other quantitative flow properties was complicated by the narrow depth-of-focus of microscopic videography. Here, digital in-line holography (DIH) is demonstrated for quantitative volumetric imaging of the propellant plume. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, in-focus features, including burning surfaces, drop morphologies, and reaction zones, are automatically measured through a depth spanning many millimeters. By quantifying all drops within the line of sight, DIH provides an order of magnitude increase in the effective data rate compared to traditional imaging. This enables rapid quantification of the drop size distribution with limited experimental repetition.
Role of Frustration and Anger in the Imitation of Filmed Aggression against a Human Victim

A factorial experiment involving 48 boys investigated the effects of frustration and an aggressive content film with a peer model on (a) aggression against a human clown and (b) a measure of anger. As predicted, exposure to the film increased imitative aggression, and anger was correlated with aggression. Neither independent variable affected anger nor did frustration influence aggression.
Deoxyribonucleic acid-protein interactions and expression of the human testis-specific lactate dehydrogenase promoter: transcription factor Sp1 plays a major role.

The human testis-specific lactate dehydrogenase c gene (Idh-c) shows an exceptionally large window of expression throughout pre- and postmeiotic stages of the male germ cell lineage. In order to characterize the multiple stage-specific transcription factors necessary for Idh-c expression, we previously characterized the human Idh-c core promoter. Here, we used a combination of gel retardation assays and an in vitro transcription system derived from human tissues to better define the elements that govern Idh-c transcription. Three classes of transcriptional regulators were defined by these experiments. 1) The Sp1 transcription factor is a testis-enriched protein that is absent from most somatic tissues and that appears to play a major role in determining Idh-c expression in the testis. Highest levels of Sp1 during spermatogenesis correlate with maxima of Idh-c expression. 2) The testis-specific cAMP response element modulator (CREM t ) transcription factor binds a cAMP response element (CRE)-like sequence located at position -433. This transcriptional activator might contribute to postmeiotic transcription of Idh-c. 3) Factors present in tissues negative for Idh-c expression appear to bind both the CRE-like sequence and an adjacent hormone response element. The presence of this element could be involved in regulating Idh-c through the glucocorticoid/androgen pathways at the early stages of Idh-c expression.
Correction of kyphoscoliosis.

This patient was presented to us with a severe deformity, following massive irradiation because of a Morbus Hodgkin in the years 1981 and 1982. This is an exceptional case of a patient, which is walking mainly flexed and looking down at the floor because the scar formation of the abdominal wall basically pulls the patient forward in a flexed position between trunk and pelvis. This patient has significant risk factors, locally due to osteoporosis and generally due to a status after thromboembolic disease and lung embolism in 1986 and 1988 and therefore anticoagulation since then. This case should demonstrate the careful preparation to avoid any possibly unforeseen complications during surgery.
Foreign Language Teaching Style and Personality

Abstract: Every foreign language teacher develops a teaching style of pedagogical activities and techniques that especially matches his or her personality In this study, the author administered a Teaching Activity Preference (TAP)Questionnaire to ascertain how well teaching preferences fit personality type as determined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The principal findings of the study were: (1)the type distribution among pre-service foreign language students in the sample confirmed the pattern found by other studies of foreign language teachers, a group of individuals with a high proportion of feeling types; (2) the TAP Questionnaire distinguished the personality types from one another; and (3)the TAP Questionnaire indicated that preferred teaching activities usually matched the personality dimensions of the participant. Some of the pedagogical implications for foreign language teachers are discussed.
The Genetic Development of the Associational Structures of Abstract Thinking

(1940). The Genetic Development of the Associational Structures of Abstract Thinking. The Pedagogical Seminary and Journal of Genetic Psychology: Vol. 56, No. 1, pp. 175-206.