cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Primary peripheral neuroepithelioma of the orbit with intracranial extension

A 7-year-old girl with clinical signs limited to moderate unilateral proptosis of 2 weeks duration and ipsilateral disc edema was found to have a contiguous orbital and subfrontal intracranial tumor best characterized as a peripheral neuroepithelioma by recent studies. Previously this tumor would have been called an extraosseous Ewing's sarcoma. The tumor had a significant lobular component on either side of the orbital roof. The patient is still alive 24 months posttreatment with multimodal excisional surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Longitudinal evaluation of a patient with arteriovenous fistulas. Use of FRC-TLC shunt technique.

A patient with a brain abscess was found to have multiple pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas. Differences in arterial blood gas levels at low and high lung volumes were used to quantify shunting. Using this technique one can objectively follow progression, remission, or stabilization of pulmonary arteriovenous fistulas.
CENTRAL EFFERENT PROCESSES AND AUTONOMIC‐BEHAVIORAL INTEGRATION

Neurophysiological and psychophysiological studies have provided a substantial amount of data concerning the integration of autonomic and somatic responses. It is clear that this integration is primarily achieved within the central nervous system and that coordinated autonomic-behavioral activity is reflected, at the periphery, in the anticipatory and preparatory phases of movement. It is suggested that the central efferent organization of these preparatory responses is directly responsible for emotional experience. The demonstration that autonomic events are highly correlated with behavioral responses is regarded as providing further support for the view that the primary concern of the central nervous system is the production of adaptive behavior.
Quantitative Analysis of Low-Abundance mRNA: Application to Adrenergic Receptors

Abstract The adrenergic receptors belong to a family of receptors that is postulated to span the plasma membrane seven times and is linked to regulatory GTP-binding proteins. These receptors mediate a wide variety of physiological responses through activation of several distinct second-messenger systems. Belying the importance of the adrenergic receptors in regulating physiological responses in target cells is their paucity. These receptors are present in very low numbers, in some cases only a thousand copies per cell. In addition, the adrenergic receptors are relatively stable proteins. Thus, cells have no need to synthesize large amounts of these proteins and, in consequence, the level of mRNA coding for these receptors is very low. In this paper, I examine some of the ways in which quantitation of these scarce mRNA species has been approached, with particular emphasis on the use of polymerase chain reaction.
Cell–cell contact viral transfer contributes to HIV infection and persistence in astrocytes

Astrocytes are the most abundant cells in the central nervous system and play important roles in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/neuro-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Detection of HIV proviral DNA, RNA, and early gene products but not late structural gene products in astrocytes in vivo and in vitro indicates that astrocytes are susceptible to HIV infection albeit in a restricted manner. We as well as others have shown that cell-free HIV is capable of entering CD4− astrocytes through human mannose receptor-mediated endocytosis. In this study, we took advantage of several newly developed fluorescence protein-based HIV reporter viruses and further characterized HIV interaction with astrocytes. First, we found that HIV was successfully transferred to astrocytes from HIV-infected CD4+ T cells in a cell–cell contact- and gp120-dependent manner. In addition, we demonstrated that, compared to endocytosis-mediated cell-free HIV entry and subsequent degradation of endocytosed virions, the cell–cell contact between astrocytes and HIV-infected CD4+ T cells led to robust HIV infection of astrocytes but retained the restricted nature of viral gene expression. Furthermore, we showed that HIV latency was established in astrocytes. Lastly, we demonstrated that infectious progeny HIV was readily recovered from HIV latent astrocytes in a cell–cell contact-mediated manner. Taken together, our studies point to the importance of the cell–cell contact-mediated HIV interaction with astrocytes and provide direct evidence to support the notion that astrocytes are HIV latent reservoirs in the central nervous system.
Estrogen Actions in the Male Reproductive System Involve Estrogen Response Element-Independent Pathways

The estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) acts through multiple pathways, including estrogen response element (ERE)-dependent (classical) and ERE-independent (nonclassical) mechanisms. We previously created a mouse model harboring a two-amino-acid mutation of the DNA-binding domain (E207A, G208A) that precludes direct binding of ERalpha to an ERE. After crossing heterozygous mutant mice with an ERalpha knockout (ERKO) line, it was possible to assess the degree of physiological rescue by the isolated ERalpha nonclassical allele (-/AA; AA) when compared with ERKO mice (-/-) and to wild type (+/+; WT). In male ERKO mice up to 8 months of age, testosterone levels were high, although LH levels were similar to WT. Testosterone was normal in the AA mice, indicating that the AA allele rescues the enhanced testosterone biosynthesis in ERKO mice. Male ERKO mice exhibited distention of the seminiferous tubules as early as 2-3 months of age as a consequence of decreased water resorption in the efferent ducts. By 3-4 months of age, ERKO mice had impaired spermatogenesis in approximately 40% of their tubules, and sperm counts and motility declined in association with the histological changes. In the AA mice, histological defects were greatly reduced or absent, and sperm counts and motility were rescued. Levels of aquaporins 1 and 9, which contribute to water uptake in the efferent ducts, were reduced in ERKO mice and partially or fully rescued in AA mice, whereas another water transporter, sodium-hydrogen exchanger-3, was decreased in both ERKO and AA mice. We conclude that non-ERE-dependent estrogen pathways are sufficient to rescue the defective spermatogenesis observed in ERKO mice and play a prominent role in ERalpha action in the testis, including pathways that regulate water resorption and androgen biosynthesis.
Experimental studies of oil pollution on the rocky intertidal community of a Norwegian fjord

Abstract Experimental oilings with weathered Ekofisk crude oil were carried out in the rocky intertidal zone of a Norwegian fjord. The flora and fauna of the intertidal were sampled to determine the impact of the experimental oilings and to determine whether the impact was affected by the following variables: 1. (1) differing exposure levels of oil, 2. (2) varied temporal duration of the experimental oil spills, 3. (3) differences in wave action at the spill sites, and 4. (4) the seasonality of the spill. Negative impacts of oil on the adult flora and fauna were minimal for the concentrations and durations used, nor was there any apparent influence on the degree of impact by the variables tested. Juvenile stages appeared to be somewhat more sensitive to oil. It is suggested that in Norwegian rocky intertidal communities the most serious potential impact of spillages of Ekofisk oil is the disruption of settlement and growth among juvenile organisms.
Impact Force Prediction Using Measured Frequency Response Functions

A method is presented for predicting impact forces using measured frequency response functions when an ideal mass elastically impacts a stationary structure. It is shown that a frequency response function measured at the point of impact on the structure together with the impactor’s mass and velocity can be used to form a function which, after inverse Fourier transformation yields the predicted force. After the basic equation is developed, predicted and measured force pulses are compared for a steel missile impacting an aluminum casting. The limitations of the method due to hardware and experimental technique are also discussed.
Effect of Molecular Properties of Block Copolymers and Nanoparticles on the Morphology of Self-Assembled Bulk Nanocomposites

Self-assembly of thiol-terminated polystyrene-tethered Au nanoparticles in microphase-separated diblock copolymers composed of poly(styrene-b-2vinylpyridine) (PS−PVP) as a function of particle concentration and composition of block copolymers was investigated using anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering (ASAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results reveal that the self-assembly of nanoparticles in the PS domain causes swelling and increases the interfacial curvature that, in turn, induces order−order transitions. At intermediate loading, the presence of nanoparticles amplifies the local compositional fluctuations, hence the roughness at the PS and PVP interface, which creates conditions to induce disorder in the polymer morphology. The system thus undergoes an order−disorder transition. At high particle loading, packing constraints prevent all particles from assembling in the PS domain, and the excess nanoparticles undergo macrophase separation. The present systematic study augments experime...
Carbonyl compounds and growth restoration of l-penicillamine-treated rats

Abstract The ability of dietary supplements to reverse growth inhibition in the white rat due to l -penicillamine in the diet has been investigated. The most effective compounds have been found to contain a carbonyl group in their structure. The significance of this finding is discussed in relation to the known reactions of penicillamine.
The 2.8-micron bands of CO2☆

Abstract The spectrum of CO2 has been measured at 2.8 microns using an echelle grating-prism spectrometer. Ten bands of C12O216, one band of C13O216, and two bands of C12O16O18 were measured with an accuracy of ±0.005 cm−1 for individual lines. The measurements, when combined with those at 15 microns, allowed a complete vibrational analysis to be carried out to second order for C12O216. It has been verified that the unperturbed 0200 level is above the 1000 level and a value of δ = 2.5 ± 0.1 × 10−4 cm−1 has been determined.
Antibodies to porcine thyrocalcitonin: effects on the hypocalcemic activity of calf, rat and monkey thyroid extracts.

Two rabbits were repeatedly injected with partially purified thyrocalcitonin, a hypocalcemic principle extracted from porcine thyroid glands. The hypocalcemic activity of porcine thyrocalcitonin in the intact rat was neutralized completely by incubation with serum obtained from the injected rabbits. No loss of hypocalcemic activity occurred during incubation of thyrocalcitonin with control rabbit sera. It is tentatively concluded, on the basis of the following evidence, that the factor in the serum of the injected rabbits that neutralized the hypocalcemic activity of thyrocalcitonin is antibody to thyrocalcitonin. 1) The titer of the neutralizing factor in rabbit serum was shown to rise with repeated injections of thyrocalcitonin. 2) Hypocalcemic activity was recovered from the precipitate which formed during incubation of thyrocalcitonin with immune rabbit serum. 3) The factor did not indiscriminately neutralize the hypocalcemic activity present in extracts of thyroid glands obtained from all species. 4)...
On tissue argyrophilia.

Aldehyde producing oxidations and aldehyde blocking reactions will respectively enhance and diminish subsequent reticular silver staining but neither seems to have any appreciable effect on neurofibrillar silver staining. This difference in response to aldehyde reactions suggests that two histologically similar but histochemically different mechanisms exist in the tissue argyrophilic response.
Lack of prion transmission by sexual or parental routes in experimentally infected hamsters

Prion diseases are a group of neurodegenerative disorders affecting humans as well as captive and wild animals. The mechanisms and routes governing the natural spread of prions are not completely understood and several hypotheses have been proposed. In this study, we analyzed the effect of gender in prion incubation period, as well as the possibility of prion transmission by sexual and parental contact using 263K infected hamsters as a model. Our results show that males have significantly longer incubation periods compared with females when exposed to the same quantity of infectious material. Importantly, no evidence of sexual or parental prion transmission was found, even 500 d after sexual contact or birth, respectively. Western blotting and PMCA were unable to detect sub-clinical levels of PrPSc in experimental subjects, suggesting a complete absence of prion transmission by these routes. Our results show that sexual and parental transmission of prions does not occur in this model. It remains to be stu...
Neural network approach to control system identification with variable activation functions

Human beings epitomize the concept of "intelligent control." Despite its apparent computational advantage over humans, no machine or computer has come close to achieving the level of sensor-based control which humans are capable of. Thus, there is a clear need to develop computational methods which can abstract human decision-making processes based on sensory feedback. Neural networks offer one such method with their ability to map complex nonlinear functions. In this paper, we examine the potential of an efficient neural network learning architecture to the problems of system identification and control. The cascade two learning architecture dynamically adjusts the size of the network as part of the learning process. As such, it allows different units to have different activation functions, resulting in faster learning, smoother approximations, and fewer required hidden units. We use the methods discussed here towards identifying human control strategy. >
The Problem of Democratic Anchorage for Interlocal Agreements

More attention must be given to the performance of interlocal agreements (ILAs) as they continue to grow in popularity as a mode of service provision in U.S. cities. This study scrutinizes the demo...
Automatic feature selection in the markov random field model for information retrieval

Previous applications of the Markov random field model for information retrieval have used manually chosen features. However, it is often difficult or impossible to know, a priori, the best set of features to use for a given task or data set. Therefore, there is a need to develop automatic feature selection techniques. In this paper we describe a greedy procedure for automatically selecting features to use within the Markov random field model for information retrieval. We also propose a novel, robust method for describing classes of textual information retrieval features. Experimental results, evaluated on standard TREC test collections, show that our feature selection algorithm produces models that are either significantly more effective than, or equally effective as, models with manually selected features, such as those used in the past.
Relaxed Neighbor Joining: A Fast Distance-Based Phylogenetic Tree Construction Method

Our ability to construct very large phylogenetic trees is becoming more important as vast amounts of sequence data are becoming readily available. Neighbor joining (NJ) is a widely used distance-based phylogenetic tree construction method that has historically been considered fast, but it is prohibitively slow for building trees from increasingly large datasets. We developed a fast variant of NJ called relaxed neighbor joining (RNJ) and performed experiments to measure the speed improvement over NJ. Since repeated runs of the RNJ algorithm generate a superset of the trees that repeated NJ runs generate, we also assessed tree quality. RNJ is dramatically faster than NJ, and the quality of resulting trees is very similar for the two algorithms. The results indicate that RNJ is a reasonable alternative to NJ and that it is especially well suited for uses that involve large numbers of taxa or highly repetitive procedures such as bootstrapping.
Forces between Aluminum Oxide Grains in a Silicate Melt and Their Effect on Grain Boundary Wetting

Experiments in which the disperson and flocculation behavior of aluminum oxide grains in a Ca-Al-Si-O silicate liquid are examined have been used to determine the nature of the forces between oxide grains in a silicate melt. From observations of the way in which the melt penetrates grain boundaries in a high-purity polycrystalline aluminum oxide, it is concluded that at short ranges the interaction between most grains is strongly repulsive. The formation of aggregated groups of grains in settling experiments, however, indicates that at larger separations the forces between grains become attractive and hence that there is an energetic minimum in the interaction between grains. The results are discussed in relation to models for the stability of intergranular films in liquid-phase-sintered ceramics. Microstructural observations made on the melt-penetrated aluminas are used to make a quantitative estimate of the fraction of grain boundaries that are wetted by the melt. The observations indicate that large clusters of grains connected by unwetted grain boundaries exist in liquid-phase-sintered aluminas.
Profiling RE1/REST-mediated histone modifications in the human genome

The transcriptional repressor REST (RE1 silencing transcription factor, also called NRSF for neuron-restrictive silencing factor) binds to a conserved RE1 motif and represses many neuronal genes in non-neuronal cells. This transcriptional regulation is transacted by several nucleosome-modifying enzymes recruited by REST to RE1 sites, including histone deacetylases (for example, HDAC1/2), demethylases (for example, LSD1), and methyltransferases (for example, G9a). We have investigated a panel of 38 histone modifications by ChIP-Seq analysis for REST-mediated changes. Our study reveals a systematic decline of histone acetylations modulated by the association of RE1 with REST (RE1/REST). By contrast, alteration of histone methylations is more heterogeneous, with some methylations increased (for example, H3K27me3, and H3K9me2/3) and others decreased (for example, H3K4me, and H3K9me1). Furthermore, the observation of such trends of histone modifications in upregulated genes demonstrates convincingly that these changes are not determined by gene expression but are RE1/REST dependent. The outcomes of REST binding to canonical and non-canonical RE1 sites were nearly identical. Our analyses have also provided the first direct evidence that REST induces context-specific nucleosome repositioning, and furthermore demonstrate that REST-mediated histone modifications correlate with the affinity of RE1 motifs and the abundance of RE1-bound REST molecules. Our findings indicate that the landscape of REST-mediated chromatin remodeling is dynamic and complex, with novel histone modifying enzymes and mechanisms yet to be elucidated. Our results should provide valuable insights for selecting the most informative histone marks for investigating the mechanisms and the consequences of REST modulated nucleosome remodeling in both neural and non-neural systems.
A low-charge-state injector linac for ATLAS

The design of a low-charge-state linac which is capable of accelerating, for example, /sup 132/Sn/sup 1+/ for injection into the existing heavy-ion linac ATLAS is discussed. The injector linac is intended for radioactive beam applications, and will accelerate a low-charge-state beam to energies of 500 keV/nucleon, at which point the ions can be stripped to charge states sufficiently high to be injected into ATLAS. A primary design goal has been to extend the very good longitudinal beam quality typical of ATLAS to low charge state beams. The proposed injector linac consists of several elements. First is a gridded-gap four-harmonic buncher and a short (normally-conducting) 12 MHz RFQ structure, both operating on a 350 kV open-air variable-voltage platform. Then comes an array of 24 MHz and 48 MHz superconducting interdigital accelerating structures interspersed with superconducting quadrupole transverse focusing elements. Numerical ray-tracing studies indicate that a transverse acceptance greater than 0.25 /spl pi/ mm/spl middot/mrad can be obtained while simultaneously limiting longitudinal emittance growth to a very few keV-nsec.
Improved Field Stability in RFQ Structures with Vane Coupling Rings

The small apertures common in many RFQ linac designs lead to tuning difficulties, primarily because asymmetries in the quadrant fields can arise as a result of small non-uniformities in the vane to vane capacitances. Sensitivity to such capacitance or other tuning variation in the quadrants is greatly reduced by the introduction of pairs of vane coupling rings that provide periodic electrical connections between diametrically opposite vanes. Results of measurements on a cold model RFQ structure with and without vane coupling rings are presented. The number of rings required for field stabilization and the effect of rings on mode frequencies are discussed.
Information-Theoretic foundations of differential privacy

We examine the information-theoretic foundations of the increasingly popular notion of differential privacy. We establish a connection between differential private mechanisms and the rate-distortion framework. Additionally, we also show how differentially private distributions arise out of the application of the Maximum Entropy Principle. This helps us locate differential privacy within the wider framework of information-theory and helps formalize some intuitive aspects of our understanding of differential privacy.
A method for measuring mechanical work and work efficiency during human activities

A major limitation in understanding human energy balance is the ability to accurately quantify the amount of physical activity or work performed by human subjects. We describe the development and validation of a force platform (2.5 x 2.5 m) system for measuring external mechanical work performed by human subjects. The force platform system was constructed inside a whole-room indirect calorimeter, thus, allowing simultaneous measurement of the energy expenditure associated with physical activity. We demonstrated the accuracy of the system for measuring work performed using a solenoid (32 kg) to deliver controlled amounts of energy to the platform. In tests with human subjects we demonstrated that the system can accurately and reproducibly measure work performed, energy expenditure associated with work performed, and work efficiency (work performed divided by energy expenditure). Overall, we obtained high correlations (an average of 0.932 for 33 subjects), between mechanical work performed and energy expenditure. We believe this mechanical work-energy expenditure system will be useful in determining the importance of individual differences in amount and cost of physical activity in the regulation of body weight and in development of obesity.
On the complexity of bridging fault simulation techniques for CMOS integrated circuits

Accepted integrated circuit verification techniques involve stuck-at fault simulation. However, it has been shown that the majority of actual physical faults in the faulty integrated circuit are bridging faults. For this reason, the interest in bridging fault simulation techniques has increased. One characteristic with bridging faults is that the bridging fault may have electrical as well as logical behavior. This characteristic makes detection of bridging faults more difficult and this characteristic increases the complexity of bridging fault simulation. The three techniques most widely used for bridging fault simulation are current testing, stuck-at testing and delay testing. This paper compares the complexity and robustness of the three techniques and new developments in the three techniques. Results show the current testing technique to be the most robust and have the lowest complexity which approaches that of stuck-at fault simulation complexity.
Forging Distinct Paths Towards Authentic Identity Outsider Art, Public Interaction, and Identity Transition in an Informal Market Context

This article demonstrates how boardwalk artists who arrive at Venice Beach through various biographical channels adapt to an informal market context by learning economic skills that enable them to present themselves as “Venice Beach Artists.” Although the boardwalk market blurs original biographical distinctions between people who come to share the same market identity in the eyes of visitors, individuals also pursue different versions of authentic identity as Venice Beach Artists. Interlinking studies of outsider art, public interaction, and identity transition, I examine how artists forge distinct paths towards the achievement of authentic identity. Some artists create standards of local authenticity by prioritizing their attachment to the context of Venice Beach and immersing themselves into the neighborhood counter culture. Others manufacture cosmopolitan authenticity by prioritizing their attachment to their perceptions of a successful art career.
Illite from the Potsdam Sandstone of New York: A Probable Noncentrosymmetric Mica Structure

Illite from the Potsdam Sandstone (lower Ordovician) of Northwestern New York was studied by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and chemically analyzed and dated by the K/Ar method. The texture and ages of 360 and 392 Ma on two samples establish that the mineral is authigenie and relatively uncontaminated by Precambrian detritus. Random powder X-ray diffraction patterns show sharp and relatively intense 02l and 1 ll reflections, indicating an ordered structure. Com- parisons with calculated patterns demonstrated that the mineral is not the common 1Mor 2M~ polytype. Instead, the experimental pattern is very similar to that of a 3T polytype, but it agrees better with the calculated pattern of the octahedral cis-vacant, noncentrosymmetric (space group C2) structure found by M6ring and Oberlin (1967) and Tsipursky and Drits (1984) in smectites, proposed for mica by Drits et al. (1984) and found by Zvyagin et al. (1985).
Balancing load versus decreasing communication: exploring the tradeoffs

We propose a domain decomposition scheme that seeks to minimize total parallel execution time by considering the relative importance of two competing concerns-balancing the load and minimizing communication for a particular application and architecture. A simulated annealing approach is used to optimize an objective function with components that measure both load balance and communication requirements. We develop an analytical model of execution time based upon a finite element code executed on the Intel Paragon. This model is used to compare partitions with varying degrees of load imbalance. Most literature in the area of decomposition methods heavily emphasizes load balancing over the minimization of communication. Our results indicate that this restrictive approach to load balancing can be relaxed without performance degradation. Further, our results indicate that the degree of relaxation possible is dependent upon the target machine and the application; neither one can be neglected.
General considerations on the operational forecasts of severe convective events: from short range to nowcasting

In this lecture we deal with the general aspects of the convective severe weather forecast in the short range, that is from 24h ahead the occurrence of the event down to the threatening phenomena onset. When the forecast is very close to the event it relates to, lets say a few hours before, or it aims to track the event evolution in real time, the word nowcasting is used instead of forecast. The main elements relevant to issue a local severe weather forecast in the short range are here described, furthermore the information available for that purpose is analyzed with special attention to the limits and the constrains imposed by the operational forecasting activity. Some examples of environments prone to the severe weather onset and evolution are presented and discussed.
Epitaxial Variants and Grain Boundary Structures in Heteroepitaxial Lithium Tantalate on Basal Sapphire

Single crystal heteroepitaxial ferroelectric films are desired for non-linear optical applications to maximize the electro-optic coefficient and minimize waveguide losses. In this study, lithium tantalate films were deposited on (0001) sapphire from lithium hexaethoxytantalate by chemical beam epitaxy. Characterization showed that films had nearly stoichiometric composition, epitaxial orientation, and a high degree of crystalline perfection. However, the films exhibited high optical waveguide losses. Additional characterization by TEM revealed that the films had a two dimensional grain structure with epitaxial variants related by translation and a twin orientation to the substrate. To better understand the nature of the heteroepitaxial growth of lithium tantalate on (0001) sapphire, a model was developed to explain the observed epitaxial orientations, misfit dislocation networks, and grain boundary structures of lithium tantalate on (0001) sapphire.
Energy analysis of liquid whole egg pasteurized by pulsed electric fields

Abstract Non-thermal preservation of liquid whole egg (LWE) with pulsed electric fields (PEF) is an attractive alternative to thermal processing where protein coagulation is of concern. The objective of this study was to evaluate the energy applied under different PEF processing conditions and its effect on the microbial quality of LWE during refrigerated storage. The LWE was stabilized with citric acid (CA) at 0.15% and 0.5% to prevent color darkening. Inside a pilot plant-size PEF chamber, the peak values of the electric field traces at the high-voltage electrode, middle gap, and low-voltage electrode were 37, 30, and 25 kV/cm, respectively. The pulse width was 1.84 μs, with energy density at 11.9 J/ml per pulse. The total treatment time varied from 54 to 478 μs (corresponding with 30–266 slightly underdamped pulses). The microbiological quality of the LWE was monitored weekly while under refrigerated storage at 4 °C. The CA not only acted as a color stabilizer but also increased the effectiveness of PEF treatment. The maximum shelf-life sustained at 4 °C of LWE with 0.15% CA was 20 days, with PEF treatments up to 489 μs (266 pulses) at an average electric field of 30 kV/cm. The total processing energy delivered to this product was 6331 J/ml. LWE with 0.5% CA had a shelf-life of almost 30 days at 4 °C, using a maximum PEF energy expenditure of 357 J/ml (30 pulses or 55 μs of 30 kV/cm).
A Survey Analysis Of Free Trade Attitudes In Mexico: Implications For Global Strategic Investment Decisions

Transnational investment decision making depends on business receptivity and willingness to provide long-term guarantees of stability by the host country. One measure of such receptivity involves awareness related to free trade provisions. This article investigates Mexican support and resistance towards free trade in terms of demographic differences, perceived economic opportunities, connectedness to the U.S., and political attitudes about the Mexican and U.S. governments. Results indicate that the leading predictor for receptivity of foreign investment is the belief that free trade will lead to more job creation. This study also reveals endorsement from Mexicans who think free trade will bring access to higher quality goods and services to Mexico. Contrary to expectations, age and gender are not significant in this analysis.
No-Dig Techniques and Challenges

Trenchless technologies have undergone rapid development in the past 40 years and provide cost effective, low disturbance solutions for many problems in underground utility installation and renewal. The main technologies that have been developed are briefly summarized under three groupings of: (1) New installation techniques; (2) Inspection, location, condition assessment and asset management techniques; and (3) Renewal - including repair, rehabilitation and replacement technologies. The remaining challenges in each area are introduced and some of the key current research efforts to address these challenges are referenced. Following this, cross cutting research issues such as the need for more comprehensive design approaches, and better quality assurance procedures are addressed. While perhaps the rate of introduction of substantially new methods in trenchless technology has slowed over recent years, there remain many challenges and hence many potential areas of advancement in the technologies and their applications.
H-Spaces and Co-H-Spaces

From this chapter on, most of the spaces that we consider will be based and path-connected and have the based homotopy type of based CW complexes. Some notable exceptions to path-connectedness are the 0-sphere S 0 and the 0-skeleton of a CW complex. Unless otherwise stated, all functions under con- sideration will be continuous and based and all homotopies will preserve the base point. These restrictions are sometimes asserted explicitly for empha- sis. We discuss unbased spaces, functions and homotopies from time to time. However, whenever doing so, we explicitly make note of the fact.
'Our International Spaza Shop' - The Societal Impact of International Retail Businesses in Rural South Africa

Spaza shops - Zulu for ‘hidden’- arose during the apartheid era when restrictions on retail businesses in South Africa’s township prohibited any informal shop keeping. Ever since these restrictions, Spazas have affirmed their position in the country’s informal economy. Operating from small residential stands or homes, these retail enterprises constitute 2,7 percent of the country’s retail market. Found on nearly every street corner, Spazas are integral to township life. Additionally to supplying township dwellers with their daily essentials, Spazas are spaces of communal interaction. Here people meet, exchange ideas and converse over recent happenings. Traditionally, South Africans were the main Spaza owners, but recently there has been a drastic increase in international shopkeepers. In rural as in urban areas, Spazas are becoming trans-African entities. How has this change in ownership influenced Spaza shop culture? Various studies have focused on the impact of Spazas on South Africa’s informal economy, but ethnographic depictions are limited. Especially those focused on internationally owned Spazas. This paper will take an ethnographic look at the receptions of these shops in rural South Africa, including an analysis of both South African and internationally own shops and their respective communal roles.
The Role of Brain Glucocorticoid Systems in Alcohol Dependence

Abstract Alcohol misuse is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Repeated episodes of alcohol intoxication and withdrawal activate the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, the primary neuroendocrine stress system, to release glucocorticoids, which in turn leads to an excessive activation of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). Increased activation of GRs has been shown to play a functional role in alcohol dependence, as the blockade of GRs with mifepristone significantly reduces compulsive alcohol drinking, withdrawal symptoms, and alcohol-induced neurotoxicity in rodents. Importantly, in addition to interacting with several important signal transduction pathways, GRs are transcription factors that modulate the expression of multiple stress-associated genes potentially responsible for driving compulsive drinking and relapse. Thus, the GR system represents an attractive target for drug development for the treatment of alcoholism and other stress-related disorders.
Quantitative Assessment Of Chronic Exposure To Cigarette Smoke In Mouse Lungs By Hyperpolarized Gas MRI

INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and is projected to become the third leading cause of death worldwide by the year 2020. While several factors contribute to the development of COPD, such as occupational exposure and air pollution, tobacco smoking is the major contributing factor to the development and progression of this group of respiratory diseases. Hyperpolarized (HP) He diffusion MRI as a non-invasive imaging technique has demonstrated sensitivity to airway and acinar remodeling. In this study, we utilized a murine model of chronic exposure to cigarette smoke to acquire both apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and ventilation of HP He in the mouse lungs. The goal of this work was to assess the sensitivity of these HP gas MRI techniques to cigarette smoke-induced changes in lung function and structure as a method of early and effective diagnosis of COPD. METHODS: Male BALB/c mice (3~4 month old; 26±2g) were randomized into three 10-animal cohorts: 1) naive, 2) control (housed in a sealed box ventilated with forced room air), and 3) smoked (housed in an identically sealed box ventilated with forced smoked air for 6 months). Prior to imaging, animals were anesthetized, intubated with a 1.5-mm endotracheal tube and mechanically ventilated using a custom small-animal MR-compatible ventilator with a delivery accuracy of ±100μL/breath. Blood oxygenation, heart rate, and temperature were continuously monitored. The mice received a mixture of He:O2 (4:1), VT = 1 ml/100g body weight; 110 BPM; I:E=1:2; FIO2=20%. Imaging was performed with centric phaseencoding in a 50-cm bore 4.7-T MRI scanner (Varian Inc) equipped with a 12-cm, 25G/cm gradients and a 1.5”-ID quadrature 8-leg birdcage body coil (Stark Contrast). Three coronal slices were acquired with the following imaging parameters: FOV=3×3cm, ST=5mm, MS=64×64, α=4~5°, TR=6.6ms, and TE=4ms. For ADC imaging, a diffusionweighted gradient echo imaging pulse sequence was used with diffusion-sensitizing gradients along the phase-encoding (L–R) direction with the following timing parameters: Δ=1ms, δ=200μs, and τ=180μs according to the naming convention of [1]. Mice were ventilated with ten identical breaths of HP He:O2 (4:1) at the designated tidal volume followed by a 1.5-sec breath-hold during which three coronal slices (covering the entire lung) were acquired with one of following b-values = 0.00, 3.73, 0, −3.73 s/cm. After 30 He:O2 breaths, the procedure was repeated with another b-value from the series. These diffusion-weighted images were then combined to yield the ADC map of the imaged slice according to a double-acquisition analysis scheme described earlier [2]. For fractional ventilation imaging, images were acquired with the same positioning using a standard gradient-echo sequence with TR/TE=5.8/3.6ms. Analysis was performed according to the procedure described earlier [3].
Performance of Broilers in Cages

Abstract Four tiers of cages were built with two cages per tier. Each cage measured 0.61×0.91 m. The top three tiers of cages were floored with rubber-covered nylon with holes of 0.95 cm. punched into the fabric every 0.64 cm. The bottom tier of cages was floored with 1.27×12.7 cm. plastic mesh. The droppings were allowed to fall through each cage tier and were collected under the bottom cages. Broilers were placed in the cages at a density of 3.7 dm.2 per broiler, and in two floor pens with rice hull litter at a density of 9.3 dm.2 per broiler. No significant differences were found for 8-week live body weights among the floor and cage reared broilers although the cage reared broilers were heavier than those grown on the floor. At 9 weeks of age, the caged broilers were heavier (P After the broilers were processed, there was a greater (P
Are There Differences in Dissonance Reduction Behavior Between Students and Housewives

"Are There Differences in Dissonance Reduction Behavior Between Students and Housewives?" Jagdish Sheth "Incomplete Paired Comparisons Using Balanced Lattice Designs" Udolpho van de Sandt "Interviewer Bias Once More Revisited" Harper W. Boyd, Jr. and Ralph Westfall "The Influence of Instructions on Respondent Error" Edward M. Smith and Joseph Barry Mason "Self-Confidence and Persuasibility: One More Time" Raymond A. Bauer "Personality Correlates of Innovative Buying Behavior" Grady D. Bruce and Robert E. Witt "Personality Correlates of Innovative Buying Behavior: A Reply" Thomas S. Robertson and James H. Myers "Computational Limitations of Dynamic Programming for Warehouse Location" Leonard M. Lodish "Computational Limitations of Dynamic Programming for Warehouse Location: A Comment" Ronald H. Ballou
Wafer bonding for III–V on insulator structures

The InP and GaAs wafers were bonded to GaAs substrates using a siliconnitride intermediate layer. Key process parameters include the silicon-nitride surface roughness and density as determined by atomic-force microscopy and x-ray reflectivity. We demonstrate that silicon nitride can be bonded without any chemical-mechanical polishing step. Silicon-nitride films produced by plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition (PECVD) and deposition by sputtering were compared for bonding compatibility. Smooth silicon-nitride layers (root-mean-square roughness <0.7 nm) were found to produce large areas of bonded material and an oxygen-plasma treatment (200 mtorr, 200 W, 60 s) produced strong nitride/nitride bonding. The strain in the InP layer after transfer to the GaAs substrate was determined using x-ray reciprocal-space mapping (RSM). The crystalline quality of the InP layer was examined with high-resolution x-ray scattering.
Performance of multi-layer feedforward neural networks to predict liver transplantation outcome

Performance of multi-layer feedforward neural networks to predict liver transplantation outcome. -
Flow Signals: Evidence from Patent and Alliance Portfolios in the US Biopharmaceutical Industry

Integrating signaling theory and the portfolio diversity literature, we theorize that diversity in a firm's patent and alliance portfolios sends contrasting flow signals impacting its market value in a nuanced way. Diversity in an alliance portfolio mediates the patent portfolio diversity – market value relationship by suppressing the negative effect of patent portfolio diversity creating an overall positive effect. We test our mediation model on a longitudinal set of 225 U.S. biopharmaceutical firms that were awarded 17,078 patents and participated in 37,744 alliances between 1990 and 2006. Our theory and findings contribute three novel insights. First, we demonstrate the value of a temporal lens in explaining why diversity in a firm's patent and alliance portfolios send flow signals that establish expectations among market observers and have performance implications. Second, establishing that patent and alliance portfolio diversity are temporally sequenced provides compelling evidence for the value of studying multiple types of portfolios, their temporal relationships and effects on firm outcomes. Third, since diversity in a firm's portfolios can send contrasting flow signals conditioned on the cognitive demands and proximity involved in interpreting the signals, firms that do not maintain a ‘signaling fit' with market observers increase the probability of unintentional negative signaling effects. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A fail-safe object handover controller

Humans rely on a multitude of senses to achieve a safe handover. The challenge for a robot-human handover is to both equip the robot with the appropriate sensors as well as devise handover controllers that effectively use them to prevent failures. In this paper we use object acceleration as an indicator of an impending handover failure and propose a handover controller that has re-grasping mechanism to prevent falling of the object in case of an imperfect handover. The work is motivated by our observation that humans primarily rely on vision to prevent handover failure. We also propose a novel acceleration sensing setup that can be integrated into a robot gripper. The handover controller is implemented on Baxter Research robot equipped with the proposed sensor and is shown to be effective in preventing object fall.
Shared labor and love

The study on job sharing couples and employers in academia found that, for the couples, the shared and flexible work schedule is conducive to increased cooperation and sharing of work and domestic-related activities, independent of gender, and to enhanced intimacy. Because of how the couples use their “surplus” time, they are working more, not less. Employers recognize the increased productivity, but tend to attribute it to their special couple(s) and not to the alternative work structure. Many employers resist job sharing because part-time work is not considered professional.
Partnerschaft von Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft — Ein Schlüssel zur Zukunftsbewältigung

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, im Namen der IBM Deutschland bedanke ich mich herzlich fur die Einladung, zur Eroffnung des 3. QP-Status-Kongresses zu Ihnen zu sprechen.
What's New in Pediatric and Adolescent Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries?

Background Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in children and adolescent patients are being diagnosed and treated at an ever-increasing rates. We performed a review of recent literature regarding care of children and adolescent athletes with an ACL injury. Methods PubMed database was searched for all papers related to treatment of children and adolescents with ACL injuries from October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2015, yielding 114 publications. Results A total of 59 papers were found to have contributed important new findings. Papers were selected based on new findings in the following categories: epidemiology, anatomy, risk factors, sex disparity, prevention, surgical outcomes, timing and associated pathologies, and rehabilitation and return to sport. Conclusions Pediatric ACL injuries continue to rise and there are multiple surgical procedures that restore clinical function with good outcomes. Early surgical treatment is favored to prevent concomitant articular injuries. Early return to play can increase risk of reinjury and should be met with caution in this age group. Prevention strategies should be further studied and implemented in hopes of decreasing the incidence of this injury and the long-term potential damage. Level of evidence Level 4-titerature review.
The unresolved problem of gratuitous credit in Austrian banking theory

Ludwig von Mises called gratuitous credit, the ability banks have to create new credit, the chief problem in a theory of banking. This paper traces how Mises and succeeding generations of Austrian-school economists have grappled with this problem, but have failed to find resolution. The result is that Austrian economists disagree on a variety of issues in banking and business cycle theory, such as whether there is an endogenous business cycle under free banking, or cycles only occur under central banking. Before a resolution can be attempted, current thinking must be clarified. This paper divides Austrian economists into five schools of thought. It points to a possible resolution in the economic development writings of Joseph Schumpeter.