cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of kidney tumors in the male F344/N rat after treatment with dimethyl methylphosphonate

Dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP), a chemical that has been used as a flame retardant and as a nerve gas simulant to mimic the physical but not biologic properties of nerve gases, was administered by gavage in corn oil for up to 2 years at doses of 0, 500, or 1000 mg/kg/day to male and female F344/N rats and at doses of 0, 1000, or 2000 mg/kg/day to male and female B6C3F1 mice. Survival in dosed male rats was reduced, due in part to kidney toxicity, and lesions in the kidney included increased severity of spontaneous nephropathy, calcification, hyperplasia of the tubular and transitional epithelium, tubular cell adenocarcinomas, and transitional cell papillomas and carcinomas. Survival in female rats was similar among groups; survival in mice was reduced and this reduced survival decreased the sensitivity for detecting a carcinogenic response. There were no dose-related neoplastic responses in female rats or male or female mice. The spectrum of kidney lesions seen in the male rat given DMMP is similar to that seen after the long-term administration of a variety of other chemicals including unleaded gasoline, hydrocarbon solvents, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene.
Sidney's “Insertour”: Arcadia, Parenthesis, and the Formation of English Eloquence

AbstractThis essay reads Philip Sidney's Arcadia as a translation of the figure parenthesis, a rhetorical scheme that inserts allegedly unnecessary bits of text into an already complete sentence. This logic of insertion not only conditions the narrative structure of the Arcadia but also shapes Sidney's revisions to the romance, which insert vast amounts of new material before abruptly breaking off in mid‐parenthesis. The supplementary logic of parenthesis continues to operate after Sidney's death, organizing the various prose continuations inserted into the printed Arcadia in the seventeenth century. By explicating the rhetorical work done by a figure that is usually dismissed as a source of syntactical confusion, this essay attempts to make sense of Sidney's ubiquitous “half Moons.” (J.C.M.)
Axiomatic foundation and a structured process for developing firm-specific Intuitive Logics scenarios

This paper presents an axiomatic foundation for developing firm-specific scenarios in the tradition of the Intuitive Logics School (ILS), a structured scenario creation process built on that foundation, and its application to a case. The ILS outlines a high-level scenario-development process, but without a theoretical basis or prescriptions for executing different process steps. The lack of theoretical grounding has led to a proliferation of methods for developing scenarios, without any basis for comparing them. We fill this gap in the literature by articulating a set of axioms characterizing the nature of human knowledge about the business environment and scenarios as depictions of that environment. Using this theoretical foundation, we devise a structured process for developing scenarios. Finally, we demonstrate this process by applying it to develop four scenarios for a firm in the U.S. healthcare sector.
Identifying key juxtamembrane interactions in cell membranes using AraC-based transcriptional reporter assay (AraTM).

Dimerization is a key regulatory mechanism in activation of transmembrane (TM) receptors during signal transduction. This process involves a coordinated interplay between extracellular (EX), TM, and cytoplasmic (CYTO) regions to form a specific interface required for both ligand binding and intracellular signaling to occur. While several transcriptional activator-based methods exist for investigating TM interactions in bacterial membranes, expression of TM chimera in these methods occurs in a reverse orientation, and are limited to only TM domains for proper membrane trafficking and integration. We therefore developed a new, AraC-based transcriptional reporter assay (AraTM) that expresses EX-TM-CYTO chimera in their native orientation, thereby enabling membrane trafficking to occur independent of the TM chimera used as well as permitting analysis of EX-TM-CYTO interactions in biological membranes. Using integrin αIIb TM-CYTO as a model, we observe a large increase in homodimerization for the constitutively active TM mutant L980A relative to wild-type in the TM-CYTO construct (A963-E1008). We also characterized the receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE), whose homooligomeric state is critical in ligand recognition, and find the specific juxtamembrane region within the CYTO (A375-P394) mediates homodimerization, and is dominant over effects observed when the extracellular C2 domain is included. Furthermore, we find good agreement between our AraTM measurements in bacterial membranes and BRET measurements made on corresponding RAGE constructs expressed in transfected HEK293 cells. Overall, the AraTM assay provides a new approach to identify specific interactions between receptor EX-TM-CYTO domains in biological membranes that are important in regulation of signal transduction.
The Logistic-Exponential Survival Distribution

For various parameter combinations, the logistic-exponential survival distribution belongs to four common classes of survival distributions: increasing failure rate, decreasing failure rate, bathtub-shaped failure rate, and upside-down bathtub-shaped failure rate. Graphical comparison of this new distribution with other common survival distributions is seen in a plot of the skewness versus the coefficient of variation. The distribution can be used as a survival model or as a device to determine the distribution class from which a particular data set is drawn. As the three-parameter version is less mathematically tractable, our major results concern the two-parameter version. Boundaries for the maximum likelihood estimators of the parameters are derived in this article. Also, a fixed-point method to find the maximum likelihood estimators for complete and censored data sets has been developed. The two-parameter and the three-parameter versions of the logistic-exponential distribution are applied to two real-life data sets. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 55: 252-264, 2008
Specific, nonproductive cleavage of packaged bacteriophage T7 DNA in vivo.

Abstract The morphogenesis of bacteriophage T7 includes assembly of a procapsid that subsequently both packages DNA and changes in structure. The DNA packaged by T7 is concatemeric and is cleaved to mature length during packaging. In the present study, packaged DNA obtained from T7-infected cells was analyzed after release from DNase-treated capsids. After fractionation by agarose gel electrophoresis, in-gel probing with oligonucleotides reveals that some of this DNA is shorter than mature T7 DNA; most of this short DNA has the T7 right end, but not the left end. Some of this short, packaged DNA is the product of left-to-right injection of DNA at the beginning of a T7 infection. However, subsequently produced short, packaged DNA has characteristics of a DNA that was produced during DNA packaging (incompletely packaged DNA or ipDNA). In contrast to results previously obtained in vitro , the profile of right-end-containing ipDNA is sometimes dominated by discrete bands. Some of the band-forming right-end-containing ipDNA appears with the kinetics of an abortive end product of packaging; cleavage in vivo appears to have arrested DNA packaging in this case. Other band-forming right-end-containing ipDNA appears with kinetics that have some characteristics expected of a precursor to the mature DNA; cleavage appears to have occurred after arrest of packaging in this case. The finding here of both left-to-right injection and right-to-left packaging is the most direct demonstration of polarity for these events in vivo .
Genetic Trends in Milk Production in Florida Dairy Herd Improvement Association Herds

Abstract First-lactation records of 4,779 Holstein, Jersey, and Guernsey paternal halfsisters, representing 155 sires and 181 herds for 1958 to 1967, were subjected to a series of least-squares analyses. Average age at freshening was 27.4, 26.4, and 29.5 months for the three breeds. Average production was 4,712 kg milk, 3.70% fat, and 173 kg fat for Holsteins and average productions for Jerseys and Guernseys were 3,144 kg, 4.99%, 156 kg, and 3,227 kg, 4.57%, and 147 kg. Estimates of trends were from weighted regressions of least-squares year constants on years, with and without sire in the mathematical model. Annual genetic trends were for Holsteins: 33 kg milk, − .034% fat and − .7 kg fat; for Jerseys, 22 kg, .008% and 1.3 kg; for Guernseys, 92 kg, —.048% and 2.8 kg. Environmental trends for milk yield were positive for Holsteins (57 kg) but negative for Jerseys and Guernseys (10 kg and 23 kg).
Calcinosis cutis in dogs: histopathological and clinical analysis of 46 cases.

Background Calcinosis cutis is well recognized in dogs with endogenous hyperglucocorticism and iatrogenic hyperglucocorticism, but the pathogenesis is still unclear. Objectives The objectives of the study were to identify possible correlations between histopathological patterns of dermal mineralization in skin biopsies and underlying causes for calcinosis cutis in dogs, as well as to determine breed predilection and age of onset for dogs within a hospital population. In addition, mineral analysis was performed on four biopsy samples. Animals Forty-six dogs with histopathologically confirmed calcinosis cutis were evaluated. Methods Medical records and histological sections of dogs with calcinosis cutis diagnosed by histopathology over a 21 year period were reviewed. Infrared spectrometry was used to identify the mineral in the paraffin blocks. Exact chi-squared test was used to identify breed predispositions, while a Mann–Whitney U-test was used to identify age correlations. Results Labrador retrievers, Rottweilers, boxers and Staffordshire terriers were the breeds most commonly affected in this study. Most dogs had either an exogenous or an endogenous source of corticosteroids, with the exception of five dogs with renal insufficiency. In the majority of cases, mineralization was found throughout the entire dermis. The average age of onset of calcinosis cutis for dogs with endogenous hyperglucocorticism was older than that of dogs with iatrogenic hyperglucocorticism. Using infrared spectrometry, apatite crystals were found to be the source of mineral. Conclusions and clinical importance There was no observable difference in the histopathological pattern of calcinosis cutis from dogs with endogenous hyperglucocorticism versus iatrogenic hyperglucocorticism. While glucocorticoid therapy appears to predispose dogs to developing calcinosis cutis, it remains unclear whether there is a specific dose or combination of factors that initiates the mineral deposition. Furthermore, the mineral deposition in dogs with calcinosis cutis was found to be apatite.
The advocates of pre‐ciceronian Rome: Cicero's standard for forensic oratory

Despite the impact of Roman advocates on such individuals as Cicero, information on those speakers who shaped the focus and standards for Latin rhetoric is virtually unknown. This study investigates both the extant fragments of these early orators and the commentary of their only real contemporarv critic. Cicero. An examination of this evidence is designed to meet a twofold need of a period which is a dark age in the history of rhetoric: first, an analysis of information on the orators who preceded Cicero; and second, a synthesis of findings which will provide insight into Cicero's standard for forensic oratory.
Release of phenols by perennial plant roots and their potential importance in bioremediation

Seventeen different plant species grown in sand culture were screened for their ability to release phenolic compounds from their roots. The concentration of phenols in the rhizosphere of each species was compared to concentrations of phenols known to support the growth of PCB-degrading bacteria (Donnelly et al. 1994). It was concluded that the concentration throughout the rhizosphere was below substrate levels, but for some plant species (i.e. mulberry) there was evidence that portions of the rhizosphere possessed levels of phenols sufficiently high enough to support microbial growth.
Development of a methodology for the evaluation of “socially induced stress” among African American men

Preliminary findings indicate that the theoretical model of exploration presented here would provide considerable analytical insight into the various types of socially-induced stressors affecting the target population as well as the degree and nature of “multiplier effects” occurring with each incident.
Effective record linkage for mining campaign contribution data

Up to now, most campaign contribution data have been reported at the level of the donation. While these are interesting, one often needs to have information at the level of the donor. Obtaining information at that level is difficult as there is neither a unique repository of donations nor any standard across existing repositories. In order to more meaningfully mine campaign contribution data, political scientists need an accurate way of grouping, or linking, together donations made by the same donor. In this paper, we describe a record linkage technique that is applicable to various sources and across large geographical areas. We show how it may be effectively applied in the context of nationwide donation data and report on new, previously unattainable results about campaign contributors in the 2007---2008 US election cycle.
Sparse Covers for Planar Graphs and Graphs that Exclude a Fixed Minor

We consider the construction of sparse covers for planar graphs and other graphs that exclude a fixed minor. We present an algorithm that gives a cover for the γ-neighborhood of each node. For planar graphs, the cover has radius less than 16γ and degree no more than 18. For every n node graph that excludes a minor of a fixed size, we present an algorithm that yields a cover with radius no more than 4γ and degree O(logn).
Diophantine approximation on hyperbolic Riemann surfaces

Following the leads of H. Cohn and A. Schmidt we shall investigate geometric structures on hyperbolic Riemann surfaces for which Markoff-like theorems hold. The idea, which is similar to the approach taken by D. Sullivan in [21] is to look at the affinity of a geodesic for the noncompact end of a surface. More precisely, we consider the maximal depth a geodesic travels into a noncompact end. The spectrum of depths has the same structure as Markoff's spectrum with the correspondence given in terms of the geodesics length and topology. The upper discrete part of the spectrum is occupied by the simple closed geodesics and the lower limit value of the discrete spectrum is occupied by the geodesics that are limits of simple closed ones. The reason for this interaction between the geometry and the number theory becomes apparent when we transfer our attention to a Fuchsian group representing the hyperbolic surface. For example, consider the classical Modular group M6bz. The orbit of infinity under the action of M6bz is exactly the set of rational numbers. It is also the set of limit points which are fixed by parabolic transformations in the group. Each parabolic fixed point corresponds, in a sense, to the noncompact end on the quotient surface. As we shall see, the degree to which a number x is approximated by a rational number is directly related to the depth a geodesic with the endpoint x travels
Public address: A study in social and intellectual history

(1947). Public address: A study in social and intellectual history. Quarterly Journal of Speech: Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 451-457.
Nano-dimensions for the pyrogallol[4]arene cavity

The cup-like cavity of pyrogallol[4]arenes has been deepened by the addition of four hydrogen bonded bipyridine molecules to the upper-rim of the calixarene, enabling the extended cup-like molecules to stack inside one another and consequently trap and completely enshroud a single guest molecule within the 250 A3 cavitand formed between two of these stacked “nano-cups”.
SEARCHing for Solutions: Applying a Novel Person-Centered Analysis to the Problem of Dropping Out of Preventive Parent Education

Behavioral parent training is an effective intervention for many child behavior problems; however, low parent attendance and premature termination of intervention have been chronic barriers to successful implementation. Socioeconomic factors, demographic characteristics, social support, stressful life events, and parental depression have all been identified in prior research as risk factors for premature termination. The present study tested whether these risk factors were valid predictors in a targeted prevention sample using a novel methodology, a binary segmentation procedure (SEARCH), to identify meaningful subgroups within the sample. The SEARCH procedure, a person-centered approach to analysis, resulted in five mutually exclusive groups. These groups were classified based on social support and stressful life events, and group membership significantly predicted attendance at parent training. Other frequently studied predictors, such as income, were not significant predictors within this sample. The groups which were characterized by higher social support and fewer life events typically attended more sessions; however, the relationship between these risk factors was not linear and would not have been detected by many other methods of analysis. These findings both contribute to the overall literature on parent training preventions, and suggest that binary segmentation procedures, such as SEARCH, may have widespread utility in prevention research because such procedures allow for the detection of non-linear interactions between risk factors.
Illness without disease: Diagnosis and management of patients with psychogenic medical symptoms

Psychiatric nosology has abandoned the old terms hysteria and psychosomatic. New categories may lead to clearer thinking about patients who somatize their psychological stress.
Thermogravimetric analysis of human femur bone

Thermal decomposition analysis of human femur bone has been carried out in the temperature range between 25°C and about 1000°C. In this temperature range, the differential primary weight loss curve yielded four distinct peaks for the femur bone. Each minimum inflexion point was arbitrarily chosen as the temperature at which the thermal decomposition of the component responsible for the peak had been completed. Aided by the thermogravimetric data on tendon collagen, the observed four peaks have been identified as follows: First: dissociation of water from the collagen; second: decomposition of collagen molecule itself; third: residual organic components associated with the collagen; fourth: water loss accompanied with the transformation of inorganic apatite and residual protein that were not decomposed at lower temperature. The fourth peak identified with the crystal transformation has been linked to the transformation ofα-tricalcium phosphate, which is known to have a hexagonal structure, toβ-tricalcium phosphate, which has a rhombohedral structure. This transformation has been observed between 700°C and 780°C which is in accord with the range observed in the transformation of synthetic apatite crystals. The experiments were performed under two different conditions: in normal pressure (in air) and in a reduced pressure of about 30μ Hg. In the average, the total weight loss up to the temperature of about 1000°C was about 35.64% for the heating in air and 36.45% for the heating in the reduced pressure. The weight loss has been carefully analyzed in the different temperature intervals and has been compared with an expected weight loss predicted by three most quoted formulas advanced for the apatite in bone. In addition to this, the conventional thermogravimetric analysis has been carried out in order to retrieve the thermal kinetic decomposition parameters corresponding to each peak. The activation energies corresponding to the first, second, and third peaks have been found to be slightly higher than those of tendon collagen. A detailed analysis showed that the bone contains about 28% protein and about 8% water (apatite crystalline water included).
Resonance Raman Results: Retraction

We wish to alert readers that the resonance Raman spectra reported in two papers (Reports, D. Qiu et al., 6 May 1994, p. 817; M. Kumar et al., 27 Oct. 1995, [p. 628][1]) ([1][2], [2][3]) have been found to be unreliable and to consist of artifacts. However, the non-Raman data in both reports are
Adhesive contact between a rigid sticky sphere and an elastic half space

The adhesive contact between a solid sphere and an elastic half space has been treated by Johnson, Kendall, and Roberts (JKR)1 for zero interfacial friction (slip boundary condition). The result is...
Crystalline retinopathy in primary hyperoxaluria

We present the case of a 2.5-month-old boy with type 1 primary hyperoxaluria and severe systemic oxalosis resulting in massive retinal crystalline deposition. Maculopathy was demonstrated by optical coherence tomography, and nystagmus was present. Electroretinography demonstrated retinal dysfunction, unusual in oxalosis.
Nuclear magnetic resonance and calorimetric study of the structure, dynamics, and phase behavior of uranyl ion/dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine complexes

The interaction of UO2(2+) with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) has been studied as a function of temperature and composition using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and monolayer studies. Computer simulations of the 31P-NMR powder spectra of DPPC dispersions in the presence of various concentrations of UO2(2+) are consistent with the binding stoichiometry of [UO2(2+)]/[DPPC] = 1:4 at [UO2(2+)]/[DPPC] less than 0.3. This complex undergoes a phase transition to the liquid crystalline phase at T'm = 50 +/- 3 degrees C with a breadth delta T'm = 7 +/- 3 degrees C. This broad transition gradually disappears at higher UO2(2+) concentrations, suggesting the presence of yet another UO2(2+)/DPPC complex (or complexes) whose NMR spectra are indistinguishable from those of the 1:4 UO2(2+)/DPPC species. The temperature-dependent 13C powder spectra of 2(1–13C) DPPC dispersions in the presence of 1.2 mol ratio of UO2(2+) show that this higher order complex (complexes) also undergoes a phase transition to the liquid crystalline state at T'm +/- = 58 +/- 3 degrees C with a breadth delta T"m = 15 +/- 5 degrees C. The NMR spectra indicate that exchange among these various UO2(2+)/DPPC complexes is slow. In addition, computer simulations of the 31P-, 13C-, and 2H-NMR powder spectra show that axial diffusion of the DPPC molecules about their long axes is quenched by addition of UO2(2+) and acyl chain isomerization is the dominant motional mode. The isomerization is best described as two-site hopping of the greater than C-D bond at a rate of approximately 10(6) s-1, a motional mode which is expected for a kink diffusion.
Lignin and lipid impact on sorption and diffusion of trichloroethylene in tree branches for determining contaminant fate during plant sampling and phytoremediation.

Plants draw all they need from their surrounding environment and in doing so also draw anthropogenic contaminants from their surroundings. Several natural processes (e.g., active transport, diffusion, sorption, and degradation) occur within trees and affect chemical concentrations in tree samples. This study elucidates tree contaminant chemical interactions on equilibrium sorption and diffusion into branch tissue (i.e., wood core and bark), specifically the impacts of lipid and lignin content. Five tree species were selected to span a range of lignin and lipid contents. Linear isotherms were obtained for all sampled species over a limited concentration range (2 microg/ mL 0.83) but not lignin (R2 0.96) and sorption coefficients (R2 > 0.83). Data from this study and previous research were used to develop the following correlation between the diffusion coefficient and relevant plant and chemical parameters for branch samples: D = (-7 x 10(-11)) x [f(lipid) x 10 (l.48 x logKow+0.54)] + 4 x 10(-8).
Harderian gland pheromone in the Mongolian gerbilMeriones unguiculatus

The Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus) secretes an attractant pheromone from the Harderian gland during a facial groom. The material exits at the external nares and is spread over select areas of the face. Its presence stimulates investigation by conspecifics, as seen by video observations. The half-life of the fluorescence of the material on the face following a groom parallels the half-life of attraction. Shock-avoidance and taste-aversion conditioning indicate that animals can both smell and taste a chloroform extract of Harderian glands. They will also seek out and investigate the extract when presented alone. It is suggested that thermoregulatory grooming, social needs, and chemosignaling are intimately linked.
IMIRSEL: A secure music retrieval testing environment

The Music Information Retrieval (MIR) and Music Digital Library (MDL) research communities have long noted the need for formal evaluation mechanisms. Issues concerning the unavailability of freely-available music materials have greatly hindered the creation of standardized test collections with which these communities could scientifically assess the strengths and weaknesses of their various music retrieval techniques. The International Music Information Retrieval Systems Evaluation Laboratory (IMIRSEL) is being developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) specifically to overcome this hindrance to the scientific evaluation of MIR/MDL systems. Together with its subsidiary Human Use of Music Information Retrieval Systems (HUMIRS) project, IMIRSEL will allow MIR/MDL researchers access to the standardized large-scale collection of copyright-sensitive music materials and standardized test queries being housed at UIUC's National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). Virtual Research Labs (VRL), based upon NCSA's Data-to-Knowledge (D2K) tool set, are being developed through which MIR/MDL researchers will interact with the music materials under a "trusted code" security model.© (2004) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Beneath the Surface: Teacher Subjectivities and the Appropriation of Critical Pedagogies

Little has been written about the complexity of educators' appropriation of critical pedagogies in the context of everyday life in schools. In this article, based on analyses of two teachers' practice drawn from a larger ethnographic study of an urban public middle school, I explore the emergence of classroom practice that on the surface seemed to reflect critical educational theory. Two social justice projects are introduced, and teacher networks are explored as discursive resources for these projects. In this discussion I focus on how the teachers' subjectivities provided important contexts for the appropriation of critical educational discourses. Following Gore (1998), I argue that although classroom practice may resemble critical pedagogy, the extent to which it is accompanied by practitioners' social critique is another empirical question altogether.
Programming Time-Multiplexed Reconfigurable Hardware Using a Scalable Neuromorphic Compiler

Scalability and connectivity are two key challenges in designing neuromorphic hardware that can match biological levels. In this paper, we describe a neuromorphic system architecture design that addresses an approach to meet these challenges using traditional complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) hardware. A key requirement in realizing such neural architectures in hardware is the ability to automatically configure the hardware to emulate any neural architecture or model. The focus for this paper is to describe the details of such a programmable front-end. This programmable front-end is composed of a neuromorphic compiler and a digital memory, and is designed based on the concept of synaptic time-multiplexing (STM). The neuromorphic compiler automatically translates any given neural architecture to hardware switch states and these states are stored in digital memory to enable desired neural architectures. STM enables our proposed architecture to address scalability and connectivity using traditional CMOS hardware. We describe the details of the proposed design and the programmable front-end, and provide examples to illustrate its capabilities. We also provide perspectives for future extensions and potential applications.
Microstructural Characterization of Abnormal Grain Growth Development in Al2O3

Two major factors contribute to the difficulty of understanding the abnormal grain growth process in Al2O3. First, there are many possible causes for abnormal grain growth and second, there is a lack of detailed microstructural evidence. In the present work these problems have been minimized by studying the sequence of microstructural changes leading to the onset of abnormal grain growth in a very pure, monosized, Al2O3 powder. The data are analyzed in terms of a model based on inhomogeneous densification and solute breakaway.
Transmembrane helix dimerization: beyond the search for sequence motifs

Studies of the dimerization of transmembrane (TM) helices have been ongoing for many years now, and have provided clues to the fundamental principles behind membrane protein (MP) folding. Our understanding of TM helix dimerization has been dominated by the idea that sequence motifs, simple recognizable amino acid sequences that drive lateral interaction, can be used to explain and predict the lateral interactions between TM helices in membrane proteins. But as more and more unique interacting helices are characterized, it is becoming clear that the sequence motif paradigm is incomplete. Experimental evidence suggests that the search for sequence motifs, as mediators of TM helix dimerization, cannot solve the membrane protein folding problem alone. Here we review the current understanding in the field, as it has evolved from the paradigm of sequence motifs into a view in which the interactions between TM helices are much more complex. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Membrane protein structure and function.
Network Security: Synchronization in Chaotic Communication Systems

As the number of communication security violations and the sophistication of intruders and bad actors increases, complex processes such as chaos and quantum theory become applicable to cryptographic systems and to network security. In this paper we demystify chaos and chaotic processes with simple examples; we provide examples of using chaos in cryptographic systems, and we identify synchronization issues in modern communication networks. We then describe a pragmatic method that resolves the transmitter-receiver synchronization issue and also enhances chaotic cryptography.
The relationship between insulin sensitivity and maximal oxygen uptake is confounded by method of adjustment for body composition.

Background:The use of ratios for analyzing physiologic variables often creates spurious associations.Methods:Results of a euglycaemic clamp, a graded exercise test to measure maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and underwater weighing in 358 nondiabetic adults (166 women and 192 men) were used to compare the effects of weight standardization by division or by partial Spearman correlations on the association between VO2max and insulin sensitivity.Results:VO2max and insulin sensitivity were negatively correlated when VO2max was divided by weight. When partial Spearman correlations were used to adjust VO2max for body composition, the correlation between VO2max and insulin sensitivity was greatly diminished.Conclusions:Division of VO2max by weight does not adjust for weight, but it creates spurious associations between VO2max and insulin sensitivity.
Government Policy and Agricultural Productivity in Indonesia

We focus on the agricultural productivity implications of the complex of investment, price, and research policies the Indonesian government has employed since the end of the Green Revolution. In particular, we employ a new 1985--2005 provincial panel dataset together with a stochastic output distance frontier framework to examine how government policies have affected the nation's agricultural productivity, decomposing it into its technical progress and efficiency components. Government's primary contributions to technology growth have come through price and trade policies rather than public research. Most technology growth, however, appears to be due to informal technology diffusion. Copyright 2010, Oxford University Press.
Parenting and Well-Being The Importance of Context

This article briefly reviews the history of research on parenthood and psychological well-being, provides an overview of the articles included in this special issue, and identifies important directions for future research on parenthood and parents' well-being.
Disclosure of medical errors: what factors influence how patients respond

BACKGROUND: Disclosure of medical errors is encouraged, but research on how patients respond to specific practices is limited.
The Symbiotic Sustainability Model: Conceptualizing NGO–Corporate Alliance Communication

We introduce the Symbiotic Sustainability Model (SSM) as a macrolevel explanation of nongovernmental organization (NGO)–corporate alliances. The SSM presents NGO–corporate alliances as distinct interorganizational communication relationships, symbolized to stakeholders to influence the mobilization of capital. We contend that alliance partners communicatively co-construct the alliance with stakeholders in order to mobilize economic, social, cultural, and political capital. By focusing on the communication of alliances' existence and character, new propositions emerge concerning the role of communication, capital mobilization resulting from NGO–corporate alliances, NGOs and corporations' choice(s) of alliance partner(s), the number of partners with whom organizations are likely to communicate, and potential risks and rewards. The model is illustrated using the Rainforest Alliance and Chiquita Better Banana program as an abbreviated case study. Le modele de la durabilite symbiotique : une conceptualisation de la communication d’alliance entre ONG et entreprises Nous presentons le modele de la durabilite symbiotique (MDS) pour expliquer d’un niveau macro les alliances entre ONG et entreprises privees. Le MDS presente ces alliances comme etant des relations de communication interorganisationnelle distinctes, montrees aux parties concernees pour influencer la mobilisation de capital. Nous soutenons que les partenaires de telles alliance co-construisent communicationnellement l’alliance avec les parties concernees de maniere a mobiliser du capital economique, social, culturel et politique. En insistant sur la communication de l’existence et du caractere des alliances, de nouvelles propositions sont avancees a propos du role de la communication, de la mobilisation de capital resultant des alliances entre ONG et entreprises privees, du ou des choix de partenaires que font les ONG et les entreprises, du nombre de partenaires avec lesquels les organisations sont susceptibles de communiquer et des risques et recompenses potentiels. Le modele est illustre par une courte etude de cas basee sur Rainforest Alliance et le Chiquita Better Banana Program.
The Global Child Labor Problem

The problem of child labor has moved from a matter of regional and national concern to one of international debate and possible global persuasion and policy intervention. In crafting policy for mitigating this enormous problem of our times, it is important to start with a proper theoretical and empirical understanding of the phenomenon. What gives rise to child labor, and what are its consequences? What interventions might end child labor without hurting children? A well-meaning but poorly designed policy can exacerbate the poverty in which these laboring children live, even leading to starvation. The article surveys the large and rapidly growing literature on this subject, focusing mainly on the new literature based on modern economic theory and econometrics. It also looks at some of the broad policy implications of these new findings, with the objective of contributing to better informed discussion and policy design.
The Effect of BCG on Angiogenesis and Cellular Proliferation in Recurrent Superficial TCC of the Bladder

Purpose: Tumor-associated angiogenesis and increased cellular proliferation in superficial transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder represent promising new therapeutic targets, and have emerged as important prognostic indicators for cancer treatment. To our knowledge, these factors have not been studied in recurrent superficial TCC specimens treated with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). The purpose of our study was to investigate the clinicopathologic response of BCG instillation on microvessel density (MVD) and cellular proliferation in recurrent superficial TCC of the bladder. Materials and methods: A total of 20 specimens from 10 patients were analyzed: 10 before (control group) and 10 after (treatment group) a 6 week instillation of BCG. In all specimens, tumor grade, MVD and cellular proliferation were analyzed in a blinded fashion. MVD was calculated by counting the number of blood vessels in the superficial lamina propria per high-power field. Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the expr...
HIV and SIV Nef modulate signal transduction and protein sorting in T cells.

One striking aspect of immunodeficiency viruses istheir ability to replicate and maintain persistent infectionin the face of the host immune response and to eventuallyovercome this response (Desrosiers 1999). The progressive loss of CD4+ T lymphocytes, the hallmark of AIDSinfection, reflects the host's inability to regenerate thesecells as immunodeficiency viruses disrupt the normalfunction of the lymphoid organs. The ensuing havocwrought on the immune system results, perhaps directly,from viral gene expression in the infected cells. Unlikesimple retroviruses, the genomes of human and simianimmunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV) encode severalauxiliary proteins that modulate the normal function ofthe infected cells to maximize viral replication in the infected host, and these factors are important determinantsof the clinical outcome of immunodeficiency virus infection (Cullen 1998; Desrosiers et al. 1998; Emerman andMalim 1998). Some of these proteins, such as Nef andVpu, interact with the protein sorting and general signaltransduction machineries in T cells and macrophages (Peter 1998). Other auxiliary proteins, such as Vpr and Vpx,interact with the cell cycle and nuclear transport machineries.
Parameter adaptive identification and control

A new parameter adaptive control scheme is outlined which essentially allows one to arbitrarily position all of the poles of an unknown, linear, scalar system of known dynamical order. The technique is based on identifying the parameters which characterize the dynamical behavior of the system in differential operator form and simultaneously implementing an adaptive observer which generates a feedback control signal which converges to the equivalent of an appropriate pole placing linear state variable control law. It is shown that the overall control configuration, consisting of a system identifier and a complementary adaptive observer, is globally stable provided only that the control input is "sufficiently rich" in frequency content. A study employing an unstable, nonminimum phase plant is presented to illustrate the technique.
Population fluctuations and causes of mortality for the forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), on three different sites in southern Louisiana.

Population fluctuations of forest tent caterpillar, Malacosoma disstria Hubner, were investigated at two permanently flooded plots and one plot that was dry during summers of 1980–83 in southern Louisiana. Tupelo gum, Nyssa aquatica L., and swamp tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora (Walt.) Sarg., made up 63% of the dry plot forest stand and 93.8 and 87% of the two wet plots. Egg parasitism ranged from 8.8 to 29.7%, and egg infertility varied from 1.2 to 6.7%. An analysis of egg mortality factors demonstrated no density-dependent relationships or significant plot differences. Pupal parasitism by Sarcophaga houghi Aldrich varied from 18 to 78% during 1981–82. Lower rates of parasitism were found on wet plots due, presumably, to drowning of parasite puparia. Populations of forest tent caterpillar at the dry plot were reduced by apparent density-dependent parasitism by S. houghi . We found that a generation survival rate of 0.1% resulted in population decline and that survival ≥0.7% resulted in a population increase the following season. Starvation may have been a major factor in population fluctuation at wet plots.
Relating environmental attitudes and contingent values: how robust are methods for identifying preference heterogeneity?

We assess the importance and robustness of cluster analysis and latent class analysis as methods to account for unobserved heterogeneity. We provide a critique and comparison of both methods in the context of measuring environmental attitudes and a contingent valuation study involving endangered species. We find strong evidence of robustness for these methods: group characterization and assignment of individuals to groups are similar between methods, and willingness-to-pay estimates are consistent. In addition, there are significant differences in willingness-to-pay across environmental attitudinal groups, and we find that accounting for unobservable heterogeneity provides a significantly better fitting model.
Students’ proof schemes for mathematical proving and disproving of propositions

Abstract Classification of students’ proof schemes offers insights into students’ mathematical proving. However, previous studies revealed little about finer progressions in students’ proving and barely examined their proof schemes involving counterexamples. This study examined students’ proof schemes through their considerations of examples and counterexamples and reasoning in Proof Constructions. From 480 proofs constructed by 60 Singapore secondary three (14–15 years old) students, classifications of schemes for Deductive-proof Construction and Proof-by-counterexample Construction were established as a progression through four phases. The former consisted of seven levels, spanning from irrelevant inferences to deductive proofs using formal representations. The latter consisted of six levels, spanning from irrelevant inferences to construction of a general set of counterexamples. The refined classifications revealed students’ progression through their sophisticated use of examples, counterexamples, and deductive inferences and that Proof Construction was knowledge-driven. Comparisons to previous classifications and the role of counterexamples in Proof Construction were discussed.
La radical apostura de Valle-Inclán

El primer centenario de Valle-Inclan (1966) dio ocasion para numerosos estudios sobre multiples aspectos de su vida y obra. Muchos de esos trabajos han quedado recogidos, y hasta cierto punto sepultados, -en numeros especiales de revistas y otras publicaciones en homenaje al famoso escritor. Han aparecido, y siguen apareciendo, ensayos y extensas monografias sobre el terna, de modo que la bibliografia acumulada es ingente. Verdad que no todo es oregano en ese monte critico-erudito pero si reserva valiosos hallazgos.
Can Human Beings Forgive? Ethics and Agonism in the Face of Divine Violence

Here, Martel engages with the philosophy of Walter Benjamin in order to consider the question of the possibility of human forgiveness in the aftermath of 'divine violence.' At first glance, writes Martel, "Benjamin's notion of divine violence may seem to suggest that judgment and forgiveness are exclusively the province of a God that it utterly unknowable." Martel asks, "In the face of such an awesome and irrefutable power, what can we make of the ability of human beings to make their own judgments? How are human beings able to forgive when they cannot know the bases for justice that underpin such decisions?" Provocatively, Martel suggests that, for Benjamin, we are able to forgive not despite but because of divine violence: "Divine violence cleanses, not only the idolators themselves but also all our phantasms of authority and power that take on universal, and idolatrous, pretensions. When such idolatrous forms of judgment are removed or subverted by the notion of a cleansing deity, we are returned to our own contingent and agonistic forms of justice and forgiveness." From such a perspective, Martel writes, we can think further about what we can and cannot forgive.
High-Performance Directional Metallopolyamides. II. Optical Spectroscopic Studies of Metal Chelation

The chelating interaction between metal ions and 4,4′-disubstituted-2,2′-bipyridyl-containing high-performance polymeric ligands prepared from 2,2′-bipyridyl-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid and a series of primary aromatic diamines was investigated by optical spectroscopy. Optical spectroscopic studies of the chelation of ruthenium ions by the 2,2′-bipyridyl-containing polyamides revealed the formation of distinct ruthenium(II) complexes [RuII(poly)L4] (λmax=530 nm), [RuII(poly)2L2] (λmax=584 nm), and [RuII(poly)3]2+ (λmax=476 nm), while iron(II) ions formed only one complex (λmax=569 nm). The diverse functional features of the polymer repeat unit directly influences the chelation of metal ions.
Adaptive immune function in critical illness.

Purpose of review This review is being published to update the literature on the function of the adaptive immune system in critical illness, specifically sepsis and acute lung injury. We have focused on the role of T cells in these syndromes. Recent findings The adaptive immune response becomes dysfunctional during sepsis and acute lung injury in very similar ways. Many of the abnormalities contribute to morbidity and mortality. Immunoparalysis captures the breadth of the dysfunction in that T-cell functions are broadly suppressed after the early proinflammatory stages of illness. Lymphocyte apoptosis, decreased antigen responsiveness, decreased and altered cytokine expression, upregulation of inhibitory molecules, and expansion of the suppressive regulatory T-cell population are mechanisms involved. Each of these abnormalities can be reversed with improvement in experimental outcomes. Summary Immunoparalysis of the adaptive immune system occurs in sepsis and acute lung injury, and is critical to the outcome. Blocking the inhibited pathways and immunostimulant cytokines improved lymphocyte function and outcome. Many such blocking agents are already effective for other diseases and could be used for immunoparalysis. Unfortunately, there is no diagnostic marker yet. In order to provide the right therapy at the right time, advancements in immunomonitoring are necessary.
Pauperizing the pastoral periphery: the marginalization of herding communities in the world's dry lands

Environmental degradation and other socio-economic problems are too often discerned in contemporary pastoral systems in the wake of global economic change. This paper identifies cases where pastoral people respond to external pressures and opportunities in positive ways and adapt to changes. We hope that by doing this a framework of pastoral adaptations can be developed. The first part of this paper focuses on impacts of global economic change, which are mostly negative in nature. Through an extensive literature search in geography, anthropology, range management, and development field, the second part introduces cases that we categorize as positive adaptations.