cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Do Incumbent Campaign Expenditures Matter

Previous research reached the puzzling conclusion that an incumbent cannot increase his vote by increasing his campaign expenditures. This paper reexamines the finding by developing a theory of campaign expenditures. The theory is then used to specify an econometric model; previous studies did not develop a theory prior to specifying their econometric models. The new empirical results demonstrate that, in most races, incumbent expenditures do matter.
Signals and Cells Involved in Regulating Liver Regeneration

Liver regeneration is a complex phenomenon aimed at maintaining a constant liver mass in the event of injury resulting in loss of hepatic parenchyma. Partial hepatectomy is followed by a series of events involving multiple signaling pathways controlled by mitogenic growth factors (HGF, EGF) and their receptors (MET and EGFR). In addition multiple cytokines and other signaling molecules contribute to the orchestration of a signal which drives hepatocytes into DNA synthesis. The other cell types of the liver receive and transmit to hepatocytes complex signals so that, in the end of the regenerative process, complete hepatic tissue is assembled and regeneration is terminated at the proper time and at the right liver size. If hepatocytes fail to participate in this process, the biliary compartment is mobilized to generate populations of progenitor cells which transdifferentiate into hepatocytes and restore liver size.
Imitating Sounds: A Cognitive Approach to Understanding Vocal Imitation

Vocal imitation is often described as a specialized form of learning that facilitates social communication and that involves less cognitively sophisticated mechanisms than more “perceptually opaque” types of imitation. Here, we present an alternative perspective. Considering current evidence from adult mammals, we note that vocal imitation often does not lead to learning and can involve a wide range of cognitive processes. We further suggest that sound imitation capacities may have evolved in certain mammals, such as cetaceans and humans, to enhance both the perception of ongoing actions and the prediction of future events, rather than to facilitate mate attraction or the formation of social bonds. The ability of adults to voluntarily imitate sounds is better described as a cognitive skill than as a communicative learning mechanism. Sound imitation abilities are gradually acquired through practice and require the coordination of multiple perceptual-motor and cognitive mechanisms for representing and generating sounds. Understanding these mechanisms is critical to explaining why relatively few mammals are capable of flexibly imitating sounds, and why individuals vary in their ability to imitate sounds.
Bimaterial Composites via Colloidal Rolling Techniques: I, Microstructure Evolution during Rolling

Laminate composites of Al2O3 and ZrO2 fabricated by repeated rolling and folding are demonstrated using aqueous slurries of ceramic powders without any plasticizers or binders. Crack-free composites with a layer thickness of 4‐60 µm have been obtained. A novel interface instability during the rolling of bimaterial slurries, which leads to the entrapment of the rheologically harder phase in the softer phase, also has been discovered. This discovery has been exploited to obtain layered materials, by matching the yield stress of the slurries, or cellular materials with the desired included phase, by mismatching the yield stress of the slurries. Adjustment of the yield stress can be realized by varying only the NH4NO3 salt concentration while keeping the pH and the solids loading (64 vol%) constant.
Will credit rating agency reforms be effective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential effectiveness of government reforms aimed at improving the accuracy of ratings issued by credit ratings agencies in US financial markets.Design/methodology/approach – The paper identifies unconscious bias as a source of inaccuracy in the credit ratings process. It examines prior behavioral research on unconscious bias, and uses this research to identify structural issues within the credit ratings industry that give rise to biased judgments. Finally, it examines whether government reforms will be effective in improving the accuracy of credit ratings, and offers additional reforms aimed at combating unconscious bias.Findings – Recent government reforms will be most effective in curbing intentional decisions to compromise the ratings process. However, the reforms will be less effective at mitigating unconscious biases in judgments underlying credit ratings, because they do not adequately address relevant structural issues. To combat unconscious ...
Schiff base derivatives of peptide esters: Relative abundance of N-terminal, C-terminal and ‘internal’ fragments as a function of the blocking group

Electron-impact (EI) mass spectrometry of peptide derivatives is usually interpreted in terms of fragmentation where the charge resides on the N-terminal fragments and to a lesser degree on the less common, charged C-terminal fragments. Substituted and unsubstituted benzylidene, cinnamylidene, α- and β-naphthylidene derivatives of a reference tripeptide, valileala, gave both N- and C-terminal fragments as well as molecular ions. The order of increasing ion current (normalized) in C-terminal fragments was: acetylacetonyl, 4-dimethylaminonaphthylidene, p-dimethyl-aminobenzylidene, 3-pyridylmethylidene, p-diethylaminocinnamylidene, benzylidene, 2-hydroxy-naphthylidene, 4-pyridylmethylidene, p-nitrobenzylidene, p-methoxybenzylidene, p-cyanobenzylidene, cinnamylidene, p-dimethylaminocinnamylidene, β-indolylmethylidene, β-naphthylidene, 2-pyridylmethylidene and α-naphthylidene. The order for this value among the N-terminal fragments is significantly different, however (Day, Falter, Lehman and Hamilton, J. Org. Chem. in press). In addition to N- and C-terminal fragments, many spectra contain internal fragments, arising from loss of fragments from both ends, which provide sequence information. These fragments are found in the mass spectra of Schiff bases formed from various aromatic aldehydes with peptide esters. The interpretation of the latter pattern is facilitate in some cases by deuterium labeling at the α-carbon of the N-terminal amino acid residue of peptides. Such a pattern provides sequence information supplemental to that available involving N- and C-terminal fragmentations. In derivatives of hexaglycine, tetraphenylalanine and tryptophylmethionylaspartyl (β-OEt) phenylalanine amide, for example, substantial sequence information was contained in the internal fragments; in some cases the sequence could be deduced only if the internal fragments were utilized. The 4-dimethylamino-naphthylidene derivatives have proven to be the most useful to date in terms of volatility, tendency to maximize cleavage into N-terminal fragments, intensity of molecular ions and generation of useful mass spectra of certain peptide esters refractory to mass spectrometry in the form of any other derivative investigated.
Role of regucalcin in brain calcium signaling: involvement in aging

Regucalcin was discovered in 1978 to be a calcium-binding protein that does not contain the EF-hand motif of the calcium-binding domain [M. Yamaguchi and T. Yamamoto, Chem. Pharm. Bull., 26, 1915–1918, 1978]. The regucalcin gene is localized on the X chromosome and its expression is enhanced through various transcription factors. Regucalcin is known to play a multifunctional role as a suppressor protein of cell signaling in many cell types. Regucalcin is expressed in rat brain neurons and it is decreased in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of the brain with aging. Neuronal Ca2+ signaling has been implicated in mechanisms of neuronal plasticity like long-term potentiation, which is likely to play an important role in learning and memory. The disturbance of brain Ca2+ homeostasis may play a pivotal role in the revelation of brain disease. The intracellular Ca2+ in brain tissues is increased with aging. Aging enhances the entry of Ca2+ into brain neuronal cells across the plasma membranes. An increase in the brain microsomal Ca2+-ATPase activity of rats with aging resulted in calcium accumulation in the microsomes of the Ca2+-sequestrating system that is partly related to the brain toxicity by calcium. Regucalcin had an inhibitory effect on rat brain microsomal Ca2+-ATPase activity. The suppressive effect of regucalcin on brain microsomal Ca2+-ATPase activity was weakened in aged rats. Regucalcin was found to inhibit brain cytosolic protein kinase C. Brain microsomal Ca2+-ATPase activity was enhanced by protein kinase C in aged rats. Regucalcin could also inhibit activity of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, protein phosphatase, and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent nitric oxide synthase, which is linked to Ca2+ signaling, in the cytosol of rat brain neurons. These inhibitory effects of regucalcin were weakened with aging. Regucalcin may play a pivotal role in the regulation of Ca2+ signaling which is stimulated through a neurotransmitter in the brain neurons with aging.
What is eliminative materialism

(1972). What is eliminative materialism? Australasian Journal of Philosophy: Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 149-159.
Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol is a full agonist at CB1 receptors on GABA neuron axon terminals in the hippocampus.

Abstract Marijuana impairs learning and memory through actions of its psychoactive constituent, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 -THC), in the hippocampus, through activation of cannabinoid CB1 receptors (CB1R). CB1Rs are found on glutamate and GABA neuron axon terminals in the hippocampus where they control neurotransmitter release. Previous studies suggest that Δ 9 -THC is a partial agonist of CB1Rs on glutamate axon terminals in the hippocampus, whereas its effects on GABA terminals have not been described. Using whole-cell electrophysiology in brain slices from C57BL6/J mice, we examined Δ 9 -THC effects on synaptic GABA IPSCs and postsynaptic GABA currents elicited by laser-induced photo-uncaging (photolysis) of α-carboxy-2-nitrobenzyl (CNB) caged GABA. Despite robust inhibition of synaptic IPSCs in wildtype mice by the full synthetic agonist WIN55,212-2, using a Tween-80 and DMSO vehicle, Δ 9 -THC had no effects on IPSCs in this, or in a low concentration of another vehicle, randomly-methylated β-cyclodextrin (RAMEB, 0.023%). However, IPSCs were inhibited by Δ 9 -THC in 0.1% RAMEB, but not in neurons from CB1R knockout mice. Whereas Δ 9 -THC did not affect photolysis-evoked GABA currents, these responses were prolonged by a GABA uptake inhibitor. Concentration-response curves revealed that the maximal effects of Δ 9 -THC and WIN55,212-2 were similar, indicating that Δ 9 -THC is a full agonist at CB1Rs on GABA axon terminals. These results suggest that Δ 9 -THC inhibits GABA release, but does not directly alter GABA A receptors or GABA uptake in the hippocampus. Furthermore, full agonist effects of Δ 9 -THC on IPSCs likely result from a much higher expression of CB1Rs on GABA versus glutamate axon terminals in the hippocampus.
Statistical probabilistic model checking with a focus on time-bounded properties

Probabilistic verification of continuous-time stochastic processes has received increasing attention in the model-checking community in the past 5 years, with a clear focus on developing numerical solution methods for model checking of continuous-time Markov chains. Numerical techniques tend to scale poorly with an increase in the size of the model (the "state space explosion problem"), however, and are feasible only for restricted classes of stochastic discrete-event systems. We present a statistical approach to probabilistic model checking, employing hypothesis testing and discrete-event simulation. Since we rely on statistical hypothesis testing, we cannot guarantee that the verification result is correct, but we can at least bound the probability of generating an incorrect answer to a verification problem.
Status of automated nap-of-the-earth rotorcraft guidance

The status of automated nap-of-the-earth (NOE) flight guidance is discussed by examining two current research efforts that approach the problem of performing obstacle avoidance along a pre-planned course from different perspectives. The first, a real-time guidance system developed by Systems Technology Inc., focuses on the issue of pilot acceptable maneuvers, under the assumption of an ideal, but nonrealizable, obstacle detection system. The second, a system created at NASA Ames, concentrates on the utilization of realistic on-board sensor data for obstacle detection and avoidance-maneuver decisions. This paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of these two approaches, and how they might complement each other. The goal is an automatic NOE system that is both acceptable to pilots and capable of making intelligent use of realistic sensor information and path-selection logic.
Tunable laser fluorescence spectroscopy of the molecular nitrogen cation at 390 nm

Abstract Excitation by tunable laser radiation permits observation of ions by subsequent fluorescence. Monitoring this fluorescence versus excitation wavelength locates absorptions of the ground state ion. Excitation of the N2+B 2Σu+ state is shown.
Silica-Immobilized Zinc β-Diiminate Catalysts for the Copolymerization of Epoxides and Carbon Dioxide

A synthetic protocol has been developed to prepare silica-supported Zn−β-diiminate catalysts for the copolymerization of cyclohexene oxide (CHO) and CO2. Multiple strategies have been developed for...
Civic Engagement Capacity Building: An Assessment of the Citizen Planning Academy Model of Public Outreach and Education

Planning organizations have recently initiated planning academies to increase citizens’ capacity to effectively engage in city and local planning activities. Yet, the success of these programs is largely unknown. This article seeks to address this gap in knowledge by proposing an assessment framework to identify increased civic engagement capacity using three tiers of outcomes. The results of a multicase study suggest that this model of public outreach and education programming is successful at realizing improvements in individual human and social capitals that translate into effective citizen engagement measured as actions taken by participants to improve community conditions.
Multicultural education in the little red schoolhouse: A rhetorical exploration of ideological justification and mythic repair

The “Little Red Schoolhouse” is a powerful cultural tale of American education. This myth brings together the often paradoxical themes of democracy, morality, and community that define the nation's public education legacy. Yet, modern intellectual developments have repudiated the epistemotogical and pedagogical assumptions of the story. Nonetheless, the various themes of the Little Red Schoolhouse continue to influence the debate over multicultural education and what it means to be an American. This essay analyzes the general rhetorical relationship among myth, ideology, and discourse and the particular ideological perplexity wrought by contemporary multiculturalism in the mythic Little Red Schoolhouse.
Ultrafast aggregate-to-aggregate energy transfer within self-assembled light-harvesting columns of zinc phthalocyanine tetrakis(perylenediimide).

Light harvesting in photosynthetic antenna proteins involves a series of highly efficient ultrafast energy transfers between spectroscopically different populations of chlorophylls. Several strategies have recently been employed to mimic this natural energy transfer process, including polymers, dendrimers, and oligomeric porphyrin arrays linked by covalent bonds or by self-assembly. In all of these systems, excitation energy transfer occurs from one molecule to another, while very few of them involve energy transfer from one very strongly interacting chromophore aggregate to another such aggregate. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of a covalent zinc phthalocyanine-2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octacarboxytetraimide in which all four imide nitrogen atoms are substituted with N-octyl-N‘-(4-aminophenyl)-1,7(3‘,5‘di-tert-butylphenoxy)perylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (ZnPcIm4−PDI4). The individual molecules self-assemble into stacked heptamers in solution as evidenced by small-angle X-ray scatterin...
Cystic fibrosis serum promotes [45Ca] uptake by normal human leukocytes

Abstract A two-fold increase in [ 45 Ca] labeling was observed when normal human leukocytes were incubated in the presence of serum obtained from patients with cystic fibrosis. The degree of [ 45 Ca] labeling of leukocytes isolated from patients with cystic fibrosis was also significantly greater than that observed for leukocytes that had been isolated from normal individuals.
Descriptive dimensions of US occupations with data from the O*NET

Abstract Several authors have successfully used the Dictionary of Occupational Titles to construct scales measuring occupational work environments. The Dictionary, however, has been replaced by the Occupation Information Network or O*NET, which offers expanded content and higher quality data. This paper reports an exploratory factor analysis of the O*NET (version 4.0). Four factors are identified. Three factors are comparable to the results of earlier analyses: substantive complexity , people versus things , and physical demands . A fourth factor, bureaucracy , is discovered that describes work in hierarchical organizations and oriented toward organizational policies and practices. O*NET variables and these factors can be linked to social studies via occupation codes and used as relatively objective and up to date assessments of work environments.
Complications in Gay Men's Intimacy

Abstract This study was designed to explore in depth the relational experiences of five gay men who identified themselves as having difficulty developing intimate relationships with other men. The premise of the study was that these men's early paternal object relations, represented in unconscious phantasy, influence their adult object relations, also represented in unconscious phantasy, as powerfully mediated by the internalization of a heterosexist interpersonal environment during boyhood. The chief hypothesis was that the experience of growing up within a heterosexist environment would have a strong and negative influence on these men's subsequent relationships. I found that, for these five men, the dominant factor in their adult relationships was their internalized childhood relationships with their fathers, as represented in their unique, unconscious phantasies. However, a further, unexpected cross-case finding was that these men's phantasies about the experience of a painful outcome to the Oedipus (...
The role of vitamin B12 and folate in carcinogenesis.

The roles of vitamin B12 and folate in carcinogenesis are largely extensions of and linked to their roles in normal metabolism, particularly 1-carbon unit metabolism. A possible key area may be hypomethylation to “switch on” genes and methylation to “switch them off.” Some vitamin analogues may act as antivitamins in these reactions, as may some vitamin-binding proteins. Others may act as specific delivery proteins. Using appropriate radioactive substrates and suspensions of vitamin-dependent normal and malignant cells, it may be possible to work out their positive and negative control of DNA synthesis.
Does the Political Environment Matter? Arab‐American Representation and September 11th

Objectives Studies of minority representation customarily focus on groups whose social position remains steady over the time period in question. We consider whether and how Arab-American representation shifted following September 11th as the group's social status changed rapidly. Methods We analyze the determinants of Senate voting alongside the Arab-American Institute from 2000 to 2008. We employ ordinary least square (OLS) regression models that account for the time series cross-sectional (TSCS) nature of our panel data. Results Our findings suggest that Arab-American representation significantly declined in the wake of September 11th, both among Democratic and Republican senators. As the political environment improved over time, representation slowly rose in subsequent years. Conclusions We show that the quality of Arab-American representation declined after September 11th despite no significant change in either their size or in electoral outcomes. We also show that broad theories of minority representation apply to even small ethnic groups, as the determinants of Arab-American representation parallel those of African Americans and Latinos.
Group Dominance and the Half-Blindness of Privilege

Two psychological reasons that powerful groups are socially privileged are (1) powerful groups are culturally and mentally normalized, which disguises their privilege as “normal” while highlighting inferiority and stereotypes about other groups, and (2) affiliating with own-groups and promoting their power are more psychologically compatible for dominant groups than for subordinated groups. Prior research concerning social categories defined by gender, sexual orientation, nationality, and race is summarized to illustrate how social category norms focus people's attention away from powerful groups and their privileges. The present research shows that, for race, gender, class, and sexual orientation in the U.S., own group membership is more salient, and works less well in promoting own group power and group dominance for members of subordinated than of dominant groups. Implications for why group privilege is not mutually recognized by dominant and subordinated groups, and for how this may translate into support for different social policies are discussed.
A method for evaluating consistency in diagnosis of gingivitis.

Abstract The problem of qualitative factors in diagnosis has been discussed, with particular reference to gingival conditions. A method was presented, based upon the use of colored photographic slides and a rating scale with the ratings entered upon a disposable card so as to eliminate the effect of a cumulative rating pattern. The method allows the same aspects of gingival disease to be presented in a reproducible standard way after any required time lapse. This, in turn, eliminates any possible memory of previous ratings. Thus, the consistency of diagnosis by a dentist or a group of dentists can be measured by comparison of their ratings on the same material in a sequence of tests. The possible value of the method in providing a means for the standardization of rating by epidemiological teams, as well as its use in evaluating the efficiency of diagnostic classification systems, was also discussed.
Melatonin: From Basic Research to Cancer Treatment Clinics

Melatonin, the chief secretory product of the pineal gland, is a direct free radical scavenger, an indirect antioxidant, as well as an important immunomodulatory agent. In both in vitro and in vivo investigations, melatonin protected healthy cells from radiation-induced and chemotherapeutic drug-induced toxicity. Furthermore, several clinical studies have demonstrated the potential of melatonin, either alone or in combination with traditional therapy, to yield a favorable efficacy to toxicity ratio in the treatment of human cancers. This study reviews the literature from laboratory investigations that document the antioxidant and oncostatic actions of melatonin and summarizes the evidence regarding the potential use of melatonin in cancer treatment. This study also provides rationale for the design of larger translational research-based clinical trials.
Defining psychological maltreatment: Research and policy perspectives

Broken bones, cigarette burns, and profound malnourishment are unambiguous signs of child maltreatment, but defining the causes and consequences of psychological maltreatment is a more challenging task. For child advocates who are concerned with optimizing the developmental potential of each youngster, defining psychological maltreatment is an essential first step, and McGee and Wolfe (1991) should be commended for undertaking such a challenging but necessary task.
Identification of Small Molecule Inhibitors of β–Amyloid Cytotoxicity through a Cell-based High-Throughput Screening Platform

Calpain activation is hypothesized to be an early occurrence in the sequence of events resulting in neurodegeneration, as well as in the signaling pathways linking extracellular accumulation of beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptides and intracellular formation of neurofibrillary tangles. In an effort to identify small molecules that prevent neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease by early intervention in the cell death cascade, a cell-based assay in differentiated Sh-SY5Y cells was developed using calpain activity as a read-out for the early stages of death in cells exposed to extracellular Abeta. This assay was optimized for high-throughput screening, and a library of approximately 120,000 compounds was tested. It was expected that the compounds identified as calpain inhibitors would include those that act directly on the enzyme and those that prevented calpain activation by blocking an upstream step in the pathway. In fact, of the compounds that inhibited calpain activation by Abeta with IC(50) values of <10 microM and showed little or no toxicity at concentrations up to 30 microM, none inhibit the calpain enzyme directly.
Theory and design of optimum FIR compaction filters

The problem of optimum FIR energy compaction filter design for a given number of channels M and a filter order N is considered. The special cases where N<M and N=/spl infin/ have analytical solutions that involve eigenvector decomposition of the autocorrelation matrix and the power spectrum matrix, respectively. We deal with the more difficult case of M<N</spl infin/. For the two-channel case and for a restricted but important class of random processes, we give an analytical solution for the compaction filter that is characterized by its zeros on the unit circle. This also corresponds to the optimal two-channel FIR filter bank that maximizes the coding gain under the traditional quantization noise assumptions. With a minor extension, this can also be used to generate optimal wavelets. For the arbitrary M-channel case, we provide a very efficient suboptimal design method called the window method. The method involves two stages that are associated with the above two special cases. As the order increases, the suboptimality becomes negligible, and the filter converges to the ideal optimal solution. We compare the window method with a previously introduced technique based on linear programming.
HIF‐1α induces cell cycle arrest by functionally counteracting Myc

Hypoxia induces angiogenesis and glycolysis for cell growth and survival, and also leads to growth arrest and apoptosis. HIF-1α, a basic helix–loop–helix PAS transcription factor, acts as a master regulator of oxygen homeostasis by upregulating various genes under low oxygen tension. Although genetic studies have indicated the requirement of HIF-1α for hypoxia-induced growth arrest and activation of p21cip1, a key cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor controlling cell cycle checkpoint, the mechanism underlying p21cip1 activation has been elusive. Here we demonstrate that HIF-1α, even in the absence of hypoxic signal, induces cell cycle arrest by functionally counteracting Myc, thereby derepressing p21cip1. The HIF-1α antagonism is mediated by displacing Myc binding from p21cip1 promoter. Neither HIF-1α transcriptional activity nor its DNA binding is essential for cell cycle arrest, indicating a divergent role for HIF-1α. In keeping with its antagonism of Myc, HIF-1α also downregulates Myc-activated genes such as hTERT and BRCA1. Hence, we propose that Myc is an integral part of a novel HIF-1α pathway, which regulates a distinct group of Myc target genes in response to hypoxia.
Flow of Incompressible Newtonian Fluids in Pipes

Newtonians are fluids in which the relative slip of fluid elements past each other is proportional to the shear on the fluid, as shown in Fig. 2.1. All gases, liquid water, and liquids of simple molecules (ammonia, alcohol, benzene, oil, chloroform, butane, etc.) are Newtonians. Pastes, emulsions, biological fluids, polymers, suspensions of solids, and other mixtures are likely to be non-Newtonian.* This chapter deals with Newtonians.
The Permeability of Causal Criteria of Identity for Universals

To analyze the concept of a human merely in terms of the concept of a primate is to let all kinds of monkeys and apes into a category reserved for humans. Criteria of identity for universal attributes formulated merely in terms of causal roles associated with universals involve a similar permeability, since they cannot distinguish universals from non-universal attributes. Without appealing to the existence of noncausal universals or resorting to charges of circularity, I will show that causal criteria of identity for universals are insufficiently informative because they cannot capture a distinctive feature of universals.
Assessing Play‐Based Activities, Child Talk, and Single Session Outcome in Family Therapy with Young Children

This exploratory, observational study was designed to reveal descriptive information regarding therapists' actual practices with preschool- and school-aged children in a single session of family therapy and to investigate change mechanisms in family play therapy that have been proposed to make this approach effective. A purposive sample of 30 families receiving family therapy was recruited and video-taped during a family session where at least one child between the ages of 4 and 12 was present. Following the session, the therapist and parent(s) completed questionnaires while one of the children (aged 4-12) was interviewed. Session recordings were coded, minute-by-minute, for participant talk time, visual aids or props used, and therapy technique type (e.g., play-based/activity vs. talk-only techniques). Hierarchical regression and canonical correlational analyses revealed evidence supporting the theory that play-based techniques promote young children's participation, enhance the quality of the child-therapist relationship, and build positive emotional experiences in family therapy.
Response bias modulates the speech motor system during syllable discrimination

Recent evidence suggests that the speech motor system may play a significant role in speech perception. Repetitive TMS applied to a speech region of premotor cortex impaired syllable identification, while stimulation of motor areas for different articulators selectively facilitated identification of phonemes relying on those articulators. However, in these experiments performance was not corrected for response bias. It is not currently known how response bias modulates activity in these networks. The present fMRI experiment was designed to produce specific, measureable changes in response bias in a speech perception task. Minimal consonant-vowel stimulus pairs were presented between volume acquisitions for same-different discrimination. Speech stimuli were embedded in Gaussian noise at the psychophysically determined threshold level. We manipulated bias by changing the ratio of same-to-different trials: 1:3, 1:2, 1:1, 2:1, 3:1. Ratios were blocked by run and subjects were cued to the upcoming ratio at the beginning of each run. The stimuli were physically identical across runs. Response bias (criterion, C) was measured in individual subjects for each ratio condition. Group mean bias varied in the expected direction. We predicted that activation in frontal but not temporal brain regions would co-vary with bias. Group level regression of bias scores on percent signal change revealed a fronto-parietal network of motor and sensory-motor brain regions that were sensitive to changes in response bias. We identified several pre- and post-central clusters in the left hemisphere that overlap well with TMS targets from the aforementioned studies. Importantly, activity in these regions covaried with response bias even while the perceptual targets remained constant. Thus, previous results suggesting that speech motor cortex participates directly in the perceptual analysis of speech should be called into question.
A new congestion control algorithm for layered multicast in heterogeneous multimedia dissemination

Layered multicast is a promising technique for disseminating adaptive-quality audio/video to multiple heterogeneous receivers. Congestion control in a layered multicast scheme is very important to support heterogeneity and scalability. Previous works on congestion control use packet loss, delay, and receiving rate to infer whether there is spare capacity along the path, which suffers from slow convergence, lack of inter-session fairness or TCP-fairness, layer oscillations, and loss induced by the join experiments. In this paper, we propose a layered multicast bandwidth inference congestion (BlC) control, which use delay increasing trend detection to infer the spare capacity. The major contribution of this paper is introducing the source probe organization and effective spare capacity inference by delay trend detection algorithm. We evaluate BIC for a large variety of scenarios and show that it converges fast to the optimal link utilization and can adapt to network dynamics effectively. We also show that BIC is stable, inter-session fair and fair to competing TCP traffics.
A Comparative Analysis of Brittle Fracture in Amorphous and Polycrystalline Materials

The fracture results of an amorphous epoxy resin and polycrystalline silicon nitride tested under monotonically increasing crack mouth opening displacements were compared. A conventional compact tension specimen was used for the epoxy. A new loading system and specimen was designed for the ceramic to permit stable crack growth. Tests conducted on both materials revealed multiple events of subcritical crack growth, dynamic initiation, dynamic growth, and subsequent arrest. The elastic energy release rate at initiation, G 11 , and arrest, G 1a , was evaluated for each event. The value of G 11 was found to be higher than G 1a for both materials. Also common was the systematic existence of slow growth prior to dynamic initiation. Additionally, both materials showed differences between the fracture surface morphology for slow, 10 -6 m/s, and fast, 10 3 m/s, growth. Although a constant G 1a was recorded for the epoxy, large scatter and a possible trend was recorded for G 1a in the ceramic.
Assessment of the vitamin A status in lactating and nonlactating, nonpregnant Indonesian women by use of the modified-relative-dose-response (MRDR) test

The vitamin A statuses of two groups of Indonesian women were compared by using the modified-relative-dose-response (MRDR) test: 1) lactating, nonpregnant women of lower socioeconomic status (n = 64) and 2) better-educated, premenopausal, nonpregnant, nonlactating women (n = 14). At times from 3 to 6 h after dosing, the mean ratio of dehydroretinol to retinol (DR/R) in the serum was approximately threefold higher in the lactating women than in the control group, eg, 0.109 +/- 0.073 and 0.034 +/- 0.015, respectively, at 5 h. At a provisional DR/R cutoff of 0.06, the vitamin A statuses of 70% of the lactating women and of 7% of the control women were judged to be inadequate. Only 7% of the variability in abnormal MRDR ratios could be attributed to body weight. Both abnormal and normal responses were highly reproducible when performed 0.5-3.25 mo after the first test.
Uranium association with corroding carbon steel surfaces

We investigated the association of uranium with clean and corroded surfaces of 1010 carbon steel. Studying steel contaminated by uranium species will have an important effect on the development of methods used to clean radioactively contaminated metal waste. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy and laboratory-based Fourier transform infrared analysis of steel surfaces exposed to uranyl nitrate showed the presence of crystallized hydrated uranyl oxides, uranyl hydroxides, iron oxyhydroxides and iron oxides. In general, heavily corroded areas physically shield the uranium species, which tended to associate spatially with hydroxyl groups and lepidocrocite. Lightly corroded areas contained uranium species with stronger axial U–O bonding. Infrared spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy mapping analysis revealed that the uranium species are well distributed within the upper micron of the thick corrosion layer and associated more with areas of high hydroxide content. Parameters such as the concentration of uranyl nitrate solution used to expose the carbon steel coupons, the method of contamination (dipped or sprayed with dilute uranyl nitrate solution) and the degree of corrosion (accelerated corrosion before and/or after contamination) played significant roles in the distribution and nature of the uranyl hydroxide/iron oxyhydroxide corrosion products found on the surface of all coupons. These factors must be considered in the development and optimization of decontamination processes for metal waste. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Trends in Prescription Drug Spending Leading Up to Health Reform

Over the past decade, prescription drug expenditures grew faster than any other service category and comprised an increasing share of per capita health spending. Using the 2005 and 2009 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys, this analysis identifies the sources of spending growth for prescription drugs among the nonelderly population. We find that prescription drug expenditures among the nonelderly increased by $14.9 billion (9.2%) from 2005 to 2009 and expenditures increased in 12 out of the 16 therapeutic classes. Changes in the number of users and expenditures per fill were the drivers of spending fluctuations in these categories. The main results also provide insight into generic entry, the price gap between brand and generic drugs, and from a health reform evaluation perspective, the importance of separating pre-policy secular trends in expenditures from changes attributable to specific forces, such as shifts toward generic versions of blockbuster drugs.
Cell death during development of testis and cerebellum in the mutant mouse weaver.

Abstract The murine mutationweaverconfers early death during development on cells in testes, cerebellum, and midbrain. The results reported here support the hypothesis that the action ofweaveris intrinsic to testes and independent of Sertoli cells: germ cells are the only testicular cell type seen to die in weaver homozygotes, while Sertoli cell-dependent development of the blood testis barrier is normal. This report includes characterization of patterns of germ cell death and cerebellar granule cell death in homozygous weavers with respect to that seen during normal development byin situend-labeling of DNA and high-magnification light microscopy. Comparison of the spatial distribution of dying cells in the weaver's cerebellum with that of dividing cells revealed disarray in the external germinal zone. The results show that cells vulnerable toweaverdie by apoptotic and nonapoptotic mechanisms and indicate thatweaver-induced cell death is not the consequence of extended naturally occurring developmental cell death, although their timing overlaps. Thus, although the death of cells in each region is likely to be caused by the same mutation, a base pair substitution in the G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channel 2 gene, the cell death program activated differs depending on cell type.
Caspase-mediated loss of mitochondrial function and generation of reactive oxygen species during apoptosis

During apoptosis, the permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane allows the release of cytochrome c, which induces caspase activation to orchestrate the death of the cell. Mitochondria rapidly lose their transmembrane potential (ΔΨm) and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), both of which are likely to contribute to the dismantling of the cell. Here we show that both the rapid loss of ΔΨm and the generation of ROS are due to the effects of activated caspases on mitochondrial electron transport complexes I and II. Caspase-3 disrupts oxygen consumption induced by complex I and II substrates but not that induced by electron transfer to complex IV. Similarly, ΔΨm generated in the presence of complex I or II substrates is disrupted by caspase-3, and ROS are produced. Complex III activity measured by cytochrome c reduction remains intact after caspase-3 treatment. In apoptotic cells, electron transport and oxygen consumption that depends on complex I or II was disrupted in a caspase-dependent manner. Our results indicate that after cytochrome c release the activation of caspases feeds back on the permeabilized mitochondria to damage mitochondrial function (loss of ΔΨm) and generate ROS through effects of caspases on complex I and II in the electron transport chain.
Industry roles in the Tokamak physics experiment

There are several distinguishing features of the Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX) to be found in the TPX program and in the organizations for constructing and operating the machine. Programmatically, TPX addresses several issues critical to the viability of magnetic fusion power plants. Organizationally, it is a multi-institutional partnership to construct and operate the machine and carry out its program mission. An important part of the construction partnership is the integrated industrial responsibility for design, R&D, and construction. The TPX physics design takes advantage of recent research on advanced tokamak operating modes achieved for time scales of the order of seconds that are consistent with continuous operation. This synergism of high performance (higher power density) modes with plasma current driven mostly by internal pressure (boot-strap effect) points toward tokamak power plants that will be cost-competitive and operate continuously. A large fraction of the project is subcontracted to industry. By policy, these contracts are at a high level in the project breakdown of work, giving contractors much of the overall responsibility for a given major system. That responsibility often includes design and R&D in addition to the fabrication of the system in question. Each contract is managed through one of three nationalmore » laboratories: PPPL, LLNL, and ORNL. Separate contracts for system integration and construction management round out the industry involvement in the project. This integrated, major responsibility attracts high-level corporate attention within each company, which are major corporations with long-standing interest in fusion. Through the contracts already established on the TPX project, a new standard for industry involvement in fusion has been set, and these industries will be well prepared for future fusion projects.« less
Hydrogen sulfide mitigates transition from compensatory hypertrophy to heart failure

We reported previously that although there is disruption of coordinated cardiac hypertrophy and angiogenesis in transition to heart failure, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 induced antiangiogenic ...
Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization of the Zernike polynomials on apertures of arbitrary shape

An orthonormal hexagonal Zernike basis set is generated from circular Zernike polynomials apodized by a hexagonal mask by use of the Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization technique. Results for the first 15 hexagonal Zernike polynomials are shown. The Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization technique presented can be extended to both apertures of arbitrary shape and other basis functions.
Thermochemical and flammability properties of some thermoplastic and thermoset polymers - A review

The thermochemical and flammability properties of thermoplastic and thermoset polymers are discussed. The results of a thermogravimetric analysis of the polymers conducted on a DuPont 950 thermogravimetric analyzer using both nitrogen and air atmospheres are presented. Experimental data on smoke evolution are given, and the methodology for assessing the relative toxicity of the pyrolysis effluents is described. The values obtained from the flammability tests are compared with the stoichiometric char yield, and it is shown that the ignition tendency of the polymers is a linear function of the resin char yield
Marketing in the C-Suite: A Study of Chief Marketing Officer Power in Firms' Top Management Teams

Abstract Some chief marketing officers (CMOs) are more powerful than others. The authors investigate the drivers and outcomes of this phenomenon using a hierarchical measure of power for the CMO in the top management team (TMT), or corporate executive suite (C-suite). Theory suggests that CMO power in the TMT should increase with (1) the CMO's control over resources required by other executives in the C-suite, (2) the criticality and (3) effective provision of these resources, and (4) the nonsubstitutability and (5) centrality of the CMO. The authors use these rationales to identify factors that affect CMO power in public U.S. firms with the CMO position for at least two of the five observed years. The findings show that CMO power increases when the CMO has the additional responsibility of sales, as TMT marketing experience decreases, and as firms with low levels of TMT marketing experience pursue innovation. Furthermore, CMO power in highly divisionalized TMTs and the CMO's additional responsibility of s...
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSTRUMENTAL AND SENSORY PARAMETERS OF COOKED SWEETPOTATO TEXTURE

This study compared two instrumental methods, namely uniaxial compression and texture profile analysis (TPA), with sensory evaluation in describing the textural properties of cooked sweetpotatoes. The steamed cooked samples (1.35 × 2.2 cm cylinder) of four cultivars and six selections were subjected to a trained texture profile panel for sensory ratings and the two instrumental methods for determination of the mechanical properties. Factor analysis indicated that the 15 sensory variables were grouped into 3 main factors, namely moistness-firmness (factor 1), particles (factor 2), and fiber (factor 3). Among the instrumental parameters, shear stress of compression and fracturability, hardness, and gumminess of TPA correlated highly (R = 0.73–0.95) with both the mouthfeel and mechanical-type sensory notes. These parameters of the two instrumental methods were linearly related (R2≥ 0.95) and could be converted from one to another with a high degree of reliability. Regression equations based on shear stress significantly explained (R2= 0.71–0.91) eight of the sensory notes. These instrumental parameters can be good predictors of cooked sweetpotato texture.
Miniature ridge-waveguide filter module employing moldable dielectric material

The experimental 6-8.6-GHz five-pole bandpass filter being presented is composed of ridge-waveguide resonator segments, evanescent-mode inter-resonator coupling sections, and planar-circuit impedance-matching port networks. To reduce overall filter size, cavities are filled with a low-loss moldable dielectric material that does not shrink during curing. Good agreement is observed between measured and predicted filter response characteristics. Two additional bandpass filter designs with different fractional bandwidths further highlight the versatility of the design methodology that relies entirely on the use of commercially available general-purpose design software.
Rate-distortion optimization for the SPIHT encoder

We study the rate-distortion performance of the set partitioning in hierarchical trees (SPIHT) image compression algorithm and present an optimization method that produces the bit stream with minimum Lagrangian cost J=D+/spl lambda/R for a given stopping criterion. Although there are only three applicable stop points at each bit plane, experiments show that substantial improvements can be obtained over a wide range of bit rates.