cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Raising cane: Hedging calamity in Australian sugar

Abstract This paper evaluates an instance of large-scale hedging misfortune in the Australian sugar industry. A single corporation, known as Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL), was responsible for selling the entire volume of sugar exported from Australia. In 2010, QSL incurred over $100 million (2010 AUD) in hedging losses when harvest volumes were below expectations due to heavy La Nina rainfall. Sugar prices rose, and QSL was over-hedged. We quantify the price and production risks faced by Queensland sugar millers, using data that was available at the time. Based on these estimates, we calibrate a mean-variance hedging model to determine QSL's optimal pre-harvest commitment of sugar. We find that QSL should have pre-committed no more than 51% of its expected supply prior to harvest. Under this strategy, QSL would have incurred zero hedging losses in 2010. Speculation by QSL came at the great peril of the Australian sugar growers.
Design and Key Features of the PIAAC Survey of Adults

This chapter gives an overview of the most important features of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) survey as it pertains to two main goals. First, only a well-designed survey will lead to accurate and comparable test scores across different countries and languages both within and across assessment cycles. Second, only an understanding of its complex survey design will lead to proper use of the PIAAC data in secondary analyses and meaningful interpretation of results by psychometricians, data analysts, scientists, and policymakers. The chapter begins with a brief introduction to the PIAAC survey followed by an overview of the background questionnaire and the cognitive measures. The cognitive measures are then compared to what was assessed in previous international adult surveys. Key features of the assessment design are discussed followed by a section describing what could be done to improve future PIAAC cycles.
Development and Application of Multi-functional Intelligent Robot Motion Chassis

Motion mechanism of mobile robot was studied and analyzed deeply in this paper. Based on this, two general chassis for omnidirectional mobile robot were designed, including a wheeled chassis and a crawler chassis. These two kinds of chassis can meet the functional requirements of all kinds of mobile robots because of the design idea of modularization and serialization. Then, dynamic vibration characteristics of the chassis were proposed. Afterward, the dynamic performance was analyzed after the robot which was impacted and vibrated by various uncertain factors, which could provide the basis for the arrangement of sensors and the damping. Finally, these two kinds of chassis were applied to the indoor live-working robot and the substation fire-fighting robot. The application results show that there was a good application effect on these two kinds of chassis, which can meet the actual needs.
PColorSeg_Net: investigating the impact of different color spaces for pathological image segmentation

Deep Learning (DL) shows the state-of-art performance in detection, classification and segmentation tasks compared to existing methods. As computational pathology becomes a very promising area of research, it is important to determine which color space provides better results for pathological image segmentation tasks. In this paper, we have considered six different color spaces, namely RGB, LAB, CIE, YCrCb, HSV and HSL for nuclei segmentation tasks where the Recurrent Residual based U-Net (R2U-Net) model is applied. The ISMI-2017 publicly available dataset is used for evaluating the model in this implementation. The Lab color space shows an F1-score of 0.9365, which is the highest segmentation performance when compared to the other color spaces. The Lab color space model shows around 0.38% better performance compared to the RGB color space for nuclei segmentation tasks. This investigation will provide a clear guidance in advance of pathological image segmentation and analysis tasks.
Prediction of multiphase flow rate for artificially flowing wells using rigorous artificial neural network technique

Abstract This main aim of this study is to generate an intensive artificial neural network model (ANN) based on FORTRAN language to develop a physical equation for oil rate prediction in wells lifted by ESP pumps. The backpropagation algorithm (BP) is selected in this study as a learning algorithm with its sigmoid curve based on the comparison performed against scaled conjugate gradient (SCG) and one-step secant (OSS) algorithms. 300 data points are collected from 2 fields in Gulf of Suez Egypt used in the ANN model. The results show that the optimum distribution for the collected data is of 70% and 30% for training and testing processes, respectively. This distribution yields the highest R2 of 0.988 and lowest mean square error of 0.025. Furthermore, based on the statistical analysis presented in this study, it has been found that the optimum number of hidden layers and neuron are one layer and two neuros, respectively. The newly ANN and correlation can predict the oil rate at the surface with accuracy exceeding 96% and that is extremely efficient. A comparison is conducted between the presented correlation in this study and other published correlations (Gilbert and Ros correlations) based on R2 value and mean square error. The results show that the new correlation has the highest R2 value with the lowest mean square error.
Thermal management of solar PV module by using hollow rectangular aluminum fins

Some of the recent challenges encountered in research and development of the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry include the decrease in electrical output efficiency of a conventional solar PV module due to the rise in its surface temperature. The main objective of this research work is to enhance and improve the electrical output efficiency of a common silicon-based solar PV module by lowering the operating temperature of the PV module, which was accomplished by attaching hollow rectangular aluminum tubes as a fin to the rear surface of the solar PV panel. The proposed geometrical configuration of tubes helped to increase the PV module heat transfer rate to the surrounding air by increasing the effective heat transfer area without increasing the overall weight of the PV module. In this experimental study, a comparative analysis has been presented for PV modules with fins and without fins. The results obtained from experiments demonstrated that the attached fins reduced the average temperature of the front and rear surfaces up to 8.97% and 8.41%, respectively. The cooling effect produced due to fins improved the open circuit voltage up to 12.97% and the electrical output efficiency up to 2.08%. Furthermore, the results are thoroughly compared with other published studies, which revealed that the proposed configuration is cost effective and structurally sound.
A Kinetic Model for Spray-Freezing of Pharmaceuticals

Abstract Spray freeze-drying (SFD), which includes spray-freezing into droplets and dynamic vacuum drying, presents a promising alternative approach to manufacture dried pharmaceuticals more efficiently than conventional vial freeze-drying. Without reliable predictive models for the SFD conditions of interest, any respective process development still relies on empirical approaches. In this work, we propose an improved modeling framework to describe the fast freezing (
Melatonin in Wine and Beer: Beneficial Effects.

Melatonin is a hormone secreted in the pineal gland with several functions, especially regulation of circadian sleep cycle and the biological processes related to it. This review evaluates the bioavailability of melatonin and resulting metabolites, the presence of melatonin in wine and beer and factors that influence it, and finally the different benefits related to treatment with melatonin. When administered orally, melatonin is mainly absorbed in the rectum and the ileum; it has a half-life of about 0.45–1 h and is extensively inactivated in the liver by phase 2 enzymes. Melatonin (MEL) concentration varies from picograms to ng/mL in fermented beverages such as wine and beer, depending on the fermentation process. These low quantities, within a dietary intake, are enough to reach significant plasma concentrations of melatonin, and are thus able to exert beneficial effects. Melatonin has demonstrated antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, immunomodulatory and neuroprotective actions. These benefits are related to its free radical scavenging properties as well and the direct interaction with melatonin receptors, which are involved in complex intracellular signaling pathways, including inhibition of angiogenesis and cell proliferation, among others. In the present review, the current evidence on the effects of melatonin on different pathophysiological conditions is also discussed.
A single-cell view of biliary atresia.

A new study elevates our understanding of how the immune system regulates the pathogenesis of biliary atresia through a powerful single-cell approach. Cell-specific transcriptome analyses indicate key roles for macrophages, T cells and B cells in hepatobiliary injury of affected infants.
Time to Diagnosis and Factors Affecting Diagnostic Delay in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

ABSTRACT At present, disease-modifying treatments for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) remain limited, with early intervention crucial for maximum potential benefit. A majority of patients will develop dysphagia during the course of their disease, and most will die within three years of the first symptom onset due to respiratory complications. Therefore, early diagnosis is vital to ensure the patient receives appropriate multidisciplinary care and resultant improved longevity as well as quality of life. However, a recent literature review found that ALS patients experience a diagnostic delay of 10–16 months from symptom onset. This chapter examines the factors that contribute to diagnostic delay and potential interventions to decrease time to diagnosis.
Transudative pleural effusion as an initial presentation of a disseminated cryptococcosis infection in a HIV-negative patient with cirrhosis.

Abstract To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a transudative pleural effusion with positive Cryptococcal antigen and culture. We describe a 32-year-old male with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) who presented to an outside hospital with dyspnea and a large pleural effusion. An initial pleural fluid analysis was positive for Cryptococcal Ag. However, the infection was eventually found to be widespread as he had positive Cryptococcal Ag and cultures in his pleural fluid, serum, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). His antimicrobial regiment was escalated from fluconazole to amphotericin B and flucytosine. His medical condition deteriorated, and the patient passed away. Due to its rarity and range of clinical severity, diagnosis of disseminated Cryptococcosis can be delayed. We present this case to bring awareness of this diagnosis as a differential in immunocompromised patients regardless of a transudative pleural effusion.
Training fellows in neonatal tele-resuscitation using a simulation-based mastery learning model.

Background Neonatal tele-resuscitation uses real-time, audio-video telemedicine to connect neonatologists with community hospital care teams during advanced neonatal resuscitations. While telemedicine continues to expand, best practices for training fellows in tele-resuscitation are not known. Objective We aimed to develop a neonatal tele-resuscitation curriculum using a simulation-based mastery learning model that provides neonatal-perinatal medicine (NPM) fellows with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to lead tele-resuscitations. Methods Using technology-enhanced simulation education and a mastery learning model, we developed a longitudinal pilot tele-resuscitation curriculum. From 07/2018 to 03/2021, NPM fellows participated in the curriculum, which included individualized telemedicine learning, observing and leading simulated tele-resuscitations, and finally, performing clinical (non-simulated) tele-resuscitations. A performance assessment tool was developed to assess competency through eight questions mapped to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies, with responses on a 1 to 5 scale (1 = critical deficiencies; 5 = competence of an expert). Results Four NPM fellows participated in the curriculum, progressing through the curriculum at an individualized pace. Median scores on the three learning modules were 96-100%. Fellows participated in variable number of simulated tele-resuscitations based on when mastery was achieved (2-3 supervised simulations per fellow, 1-4 unsupervised simulations per fellow). In total, eighteen simulated tele-resuscitations (eight unsupervised, 10 supervised) and one clinical tele-resuscitation were conducted. Twenty-five performance assessments were completed. Assessment scores across the ACGME competencies were consistently high, with mean scores ranging from 4.2-4.6, with 4 equating to 'ready for unsupervised practice' and 5 equating to 'competence of an expert'. Conclusions As telemedicine use continues to expand, curricula that improve learners' comfort with and proficiency in tele-resuscitation are essential. A simulation-based mastery learning model may be one approach that affords learners gradual exposure to and mastery of complex tele-resuscitation skills and behaviors.
Cellular and systemic energy metabolic dysregulation in asthma development-a hypothesis-generating approach.

Background The roles of systemic and airway-specific epithelial energy metabolism in altering the developmental programming of airway epithelial cells (AECs) in early life are poorly understood. Objective Our aim was to assess carbohydrate metabolism in developing AECs among children with and without wheeze and test the association of infant plasma energy biomarkers with subsequent recurrent wheeze and asthma outcomes. Methods We measured cellular carbohydrate metabolism in live nasal AECs collected at age 2 years from 15 male subjects with and without a history of wheeze and performed a principal component analysis to visually assess clustering of data on AEC metabolism of glycolitic metabolites and simple sugars. Among 237 children with available year 1 plasma samples, we tested the associations of year 1 plasma energy biomarkers and recurrent wheeze and asthma by using generalized estimating equations and logistic regression. Results Children with a history of wheeze had lower utilization of glucose in their nasal AECs than did children with no wheeze. Systemically, a higher plasma glucose concentration at year 1 (within the normal range) was associated with decreased odds of asthma at age 5 years (adjusted odds ratio = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.35-0.90). Insulin concentration, glucose-to-insulin ratio, C-peptide concentration, and leptin concentration at year 1 were associated with recurrent wheeze from age 2 years to age 5 years. Conclusion These results suggest that there is significant energy metabolism dysregulation in early life, which likely affects AEC development. These pertubations of epithelial cell metabolism in infancy may have lasting effects on lung development that could render the airway more susceptible to allergic sensitization.
Alkaline pH regulates the epithelial sodium channel (1181.8)

The extracellular domain of the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) is exposed to highly varied environments, and has been postulated to function as a sensor that modulates channel activity in response t...
Fair Pay for Chief Executive Officers

This article links the growing income disparity in America to a possible metric that can be used to better assess the appropriate level of executive compensation. The article reviews the intellectual, commercial, cultural, and judicial forces that have each contributed toward the significant rise in executive compensation. Of particular note is the unqualified failure of courts and outside directors to provide meaningful supervision of executive compensation. This failure in part reflects the failure of society to develop guidance regarding what is the appropriate level of compensation for executives of public companies. The article concludes by reviewing evidence that income disparity within the firm, particularly the gap between executives and other employees within the organization are associated with firms that have high employee turnover, poor morale, and lower productivity levels than in firms where disparities are not as great. Herein lies the suggested standard that can be used for determining what is fair pay for CEOs and others.
A Preschool Laboratory Gym

(1979). A Preschool Laboratory Gym. Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 39-41.
Modeling Electrocatalytic Reaction Systems from First Principles

Electrocatalytic reaction systems demonstrate markedly different behavior than those carried out in the vapor phase or under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The differences in reactivity can be attributed to the significant difference between the reaction environment o fht electrocatalytic system which includes the presence of solution, electrolyte, and intrinsic as well as extrinsic potentials, in addition to the vapor phase system. The solution environment and the applied potential can stabilize or destabilize charge transfer events, thus influencing many of the physiochemical processes that occur at the surface of a working electrode and strongly impacting the activity, as well as the selectivity of the active catalyst.
Methods for Evaluating the Protective Activity of Intravenous Immunoglobulins for Neonatal Pathogens: Entanglement or Encouragement?

Reducing neonatal mortality is a goal common among health care workers. However, the means by which to achieve this goal may engender debate and cause confusion. It is inherently attractive to consider human immunoglobulin prepared for intravenous use as an adjunct to therapy for neonatal sepsis, especially in those preterm infants who have the highest incidence and mortality. Before we embark on difficult and costly clinical trials to determine the efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) as adjunctive therapy, however, two hurdles must be surmounted. Commercial preparations of IVIG must be proved to be safe in neonates and there must be the promise that their benefit will outweigh both risk and cost.
Atmospheric chemistry: Breathing easier in the Amazon

Fires related to Amazonian deforestation are a large source of particulate matter emissions. Satellite measurements and models reveal that reductions in deforestation and fire emissions since 2001 have prevented hundreds of premature deaths each year.
Genes Unite Executive Functions in Childhood

Individual differences in children's executive functions (EFs) are relevant for a wide range of normal and atypical psychological outcomes across the life span, but the origins of variation in children's EFs are not well understood. We used data from a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of 505 third- through eighth-grade twins and triplets from the Texas Twin Project to estimate genetic and environmental influences on a Common EF factor and on variance unique to four core EF domains: inhibition, switching, working memory, and updating. As has been previously demonstrated in young adults, the Common EF factor was 100% heritable, which indicates that correlations among the four EF domains are entirely attributable to shared genetic etiology. Nonshared environmental influences were evident for variance unique to individual domains. General EF may thus serve as an early life marker of genetic propensity for a range of functions and pathologies later in life.
An operation on topological spaces

A (binary) product operation on a topological space X is considered. The only restrictions are that some element e of X is a left and a right identity with respect to this multiplication, and that certain natural continuity requirements are satisfied. The operation is called diagonalization (of X). Two problems are considered: 1. When a topological space X admits such an operation, that is, when X is diagonalizable? 2. What are necessary conditions for diagonalizablity of a space (at a given point)? A progress is made in the article on both questions. In particular, it is shown that certain deep results about the topological structure of compact topological groups can be extended to diagonalizable compact spaces. The notion of a Moscow space is instrumental in our study.
The Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Cascade Couples PKA and PKC to cAMP Response Element Binding Protein Phosphorylation in Area CA1 of Hippocampus

Activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade recently was discovered to play an important role in synaptic plasticity in area CA1 of rat hippocampus. However, the upstream mechanisms regulating MAPK activity and the downstream effectors of MAPK in the hippocampus are uncharacterized. In the present studies we observed that hippocampal MAPK activation is regulated by both the PKA and PKC systems; moreover, we found that a wide variety of neuromodulatory neurotransmitter receptors (metabotropic glutamate receptors, muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, dopamine receptors, and beta-adrenergic receptors) couple to MAPK activation via these two cascades. In additional studies we observed that PKC is a powerful regulator of CREB phosphorylation in area CA1. MAPK plays a critical role in transcriptional regulation by PKC, because MAPK activation is a necessary component for increased CREB phosphorylation in response to the activation of this kinase. Surprisingly, we also observed that MAPK activation is necessary for PKA coupling to CREB phosphorylation in area CA1. Overall, these studies indicate an unexpected richness of diversity in the regulation of MAPK in the hippocampus and suggest the possibility of a broad role for the MAPK cascade in regulating gene expression in long-term forms of hippocampal synaptic plasticity.
MUFOLD-DB: a processed protein structure database for protein structure prediction and analysis

Protein structure data in Protein Data Bank (PDB) are widely used in studies of protein function and evolution and in protein structure prediction. However, there are two main barriers in large-scale usage of PDB data: 1) PDB data are highly redundant in terms of sequence and structure similarity; and 2) many PDB files have issues due to inconsistency of data and standards as well as missing residues, so that automated retrieval and analysis are often difficult. To address these issues, we have created MUFOLD-DB http://mufold.org/mufolddb.php , a web-based database, to collect and process the weekly PDB files thereby providing users with non-redundant, cleaned and partially-predicted structure data. For each of the non-redundant sequences, we annotate the SCOP domain classification and predict structures of missing regions by loop modelling. In addition, evolutional information, secondary structure, disorder region, and processed three-dimensional structure are computed and visualized to help users better understand the protein. MUFOLD-DB integrates processed PDB sequence and structure data and multiple computational results, provides a friendly interface for users to retrieve, browse and download these data, and offers several useful functionalities to facilitate users' data operation.
Dynamic cerebral autoregulation and tissue oxygenation in amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Background Vascular disease and dysfunction are associated with the higher risk of Alzheimer's disease hypothetically due to cerebral hypoperfusion. Brain perfusion is protected by cerebral autoregulation, which, under normal conditions, maintains a constant cerebral blood flow and brain tissue oxygenation. Objective To determine whether dynamic regulation of cerebral blood flow and tissue oxygenation is impaired in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). Methods Twenty-seven patients with aMCI and 15 control subjects with normal cognitive function underwent the measurements of cerebral hemodynamics, brain MR imaging, and neurocognitive assessment. Dynamic regulation of cerebral blood flow and tissue oxygenation were assessed by transfer function analysis of changes in mean blood pressure (MBP), normalized cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV%), and cerebral tissue oxygenation index (TOI) at baseline and during a sit-stand maneuver. Results Patients with aMCI demonstrated lower cognitive performance in memory and executive function, accompanied by smaller entorhinal cortex volumes. At baseline, cerebral TOI was lower in patients with aMCI than in control subjects. Lower cerebral TOI was also correlated with lower cognitive performance in memory and executive function in all subjects. Transfer function gain and phase between MBP and CBFV% and between CBFV% and cerebral TOI were not different between the groups. Within aMCI patients, greater oscillations of cerebral TOI and higher transfer function gain between cerebral TOI and CBFV% were associated with the lower scores on delayed recall. Conclusion Dynamic regulation of cerebral tissue oxygenation is associated with neurocognitive dysfunction in aMCI patients.
Conflicts of Interest: Conceptual and Normative Issues.

Growing university-industry ties, particularly in biomedical areas, naturally raise concerns about conflicts of interest. Such conflicts are essentially problems in business and professional ethics. As of the fall of 1995, all institutions seeking funding from either the Public Health Service or the National Science Foundation have been required to maintain and enforce a written policy on conflicts of interest. The PHS and the NSF also require the disclosure of "significant" financial interests that might affect the research. Although the PHS and NSF requirements may prove helpful, they are not sufficient for monitoring the full range of serious conflicts of interest that can arise in university-industry relations. The PHS and the NSF are basically concerned with potential bias in the design, conduct, and reporting of research. Their disclosure requirements are restricted to financial considerations of $10,000 or more. However, bias in research can result from conflicts of interest when much less is at stake financially. Furthermore, it can arise at both individual and institutional levels. This article attempts to provide a conceptual and normative analysis of conflicts of interest that better enables us to understand the subtleties that can be involved. This article is one of three in this issue of Academic Medicine that deal with issues of conflict of interest in university-industry research relationships. These articles are discussed in an overview that precedes them.
An efficient coarse-grained parallel algorithm for global–local multiscale computations on massively parallel systems

The existing global–local multiscale computational methods, using finite element discretization at both the macro-scale and micro-scale, are intensive both in terms of computational time and memory requirements and their parallelization using domain decomposition methods incur substantial communication overhead, limiting their application. We are interested in a class of explicit global–local multiscale methods whose architecture significantly reduces this communication overhead on massively parallel machines. However, a naive task decomposition based on distributing individual macro-scale integration points to a single group of processors is not optimal and leads to communication overheads and idling of processors. To overcome this problem, we have developed a novel coarse-grained parallel algorithm in which groups of macro-scale integration points are distributed to a layer of processors. Each processor in this layer communicates locally with a group of processors that are responsible for the micro-scale computations. The overlapping groups of processors are shown to achieve optimal concurrency at significantly reduced communication overhead. Several example problems are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Identification of a point mutation in the adenosine deaminase gene responsible for immunodeficiency.

Abstract Deficiency of adenosine deaminase (ADA) is the cause of an autosomal recessive form of immunodeficiency. We sought to define, at a molecular level, the mutations responsible for ADA deficiency in the cell line GM-1715, derived from an immunodeficient patient. Full-length complementary DNA (cDNA) for ADA was synthesized and cloned from the cell line. Sequence analysis of the clones revealed a point mutation in codon 101 (CGG to CAG) that predicts an amino acid change from arginine to glutamine. Southern blot analysis, based on silent polymorphisms in the cDNA sequence, indicated that only one of the defective alleles of the GM-1715 line had been sequenced. The mutation that was identified appears to be responsible for the loss of function in this allele, since the predicted primary structure of the enzyme is otherwise entirely normal.
Comparison of Wafer-Level With Package-Level CDM Stress Facilitated by Real-Time Probing

Using real-time voltage probing and circuit simulation, the stress induced by wafer-level charged-device-model (CDM) electrostatic discharge test methods is compared to that of package-level field-induced CDM testers. It is shown that, while wafer-level testers can replicate I/O failures, they may not replicate core failures because of differences in the induced current stress.
A response to Abbott on presupposition and common ground

Barbara Abbott's paper raises some interesting general questions about the model of discourse that I have developed and used, but I am not persuaded that the data she presents cast any doubt on the assumptions of that model. The examples she presents show that there are informative presuppositions, and appropriate but uninformative assertions, but that was never in question. Let me sketch the general Gricean motivation for my picture of assertion and common ground, and then look at her examples and arguments. The concept of speaker meaning was the fundamental concept of Paul Grice's account of speech, and it was his central thesis that this concept can and should be analyzed independently of any institutional linguistic practice. He differed in this respect both from some of the original * 'ordinary language" philosophers such as J. L. Austin and Peter Strawson, and from some later philosophers of language such as John Searle. The reason he insisted on this was that he wanted to give a basis for understanding the institution of language as a device that has the function of meaning things, and to separate an account of the functions that language was designed to serve from an account of the means that language provides for serving those functions. The hope was that separating means from ends would help to clarify the specific conventional mechanisms that language provides, and the way they interact with general principles of instrumental rationality in explaining why people say what they say in trying to achieve their communicative ends. One important upshot of Grice's development of this program was the recognition that, while language was a device to facilitate meaning things (for language users, the simplest and most straightforward way to mean something is to say it), once the device is in place, it becomes possible to use it to mean something different from what one says. In fact, given the general features of the concept of speaker meaning (to mean something is to act with a manifest intention to affect the attitudes of one's
Kaluza-Klein cosmologies

Abstract In generalized Kaluza-Klein theories the scale set by the size of the extra space-dimensions is close to the grand unification scale of supersymmetric GUT's with minimal number of Higgs supermultiplets. In view of this observation, we explore cosmologies in which the “effective” dimensionality of space depends on time. Such cosmologies are studied in higher-dimensional Jordan-Brans-Dicke theories, and in 10- and 11-dimensional supergravity. The preferential expansion of three space-like dimensions is noted in the latter theory. Cosmology in pure higher-dimensional Einstein theory, where there is no preferential expansion of three space-like dimensions, has been discussed by Chodos and Detweiler.
Design of a multicenter trial to evaluate long-term life-style intervention in adults with high-normal blood pressure levels

Phase II of the Trials of Hypertension Prevention (TOHP) is a multicenter, randomized trial sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute designed to test whether weight loss alone, sodium reduction alone, or the combination of weight loss and sodium reduction will decrease diastolic (DBP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) as well as the incidence of hypertension (DBP > or = 90 mm Hg, SBP > or = 140 mm Hg, and/or use of antihypertensive medications) in subjects with high-normal DBP (83 to 89 mm Hg) and SBP less than 140 mm Hg at entry. These interventions were chosen for longer-term testing with end points including hypertension prevention as well as blood pressure (BP) change based on their demonstrated short-term efficacy in reducing BP in phase I of TOHP. The phase II study population is comprised of 2382 participants (1566 men and 816 women) who are 110 to 165% of desirable body weight, allocated at random to the four treatment arms using a 2 x 2 factorial design. The trial has 80% power to detect an overall treatment effect on DBP of 1.2 mm Hg for weight loss or sodium reduction and a difference of 1.6 mm Hg between the combined intervention and placebo groups. BP observers are blinded to participant treatment assignments. Participants will be followed for 3 to 4 years. This trial may have important public policy implications concerning the ability of life-style modifications to reduce BP and prevent the development of hypertension over the long term, thereby avoiding the need for drug therapy which while effective is costly and may have side effects.
Antibody networks and imaging: Elicatation of anti-fluorescein antibodies in response to the metatypic state of fluorescein-specific monoclonal antibodies

Studies are described regarding generation of anti-hapten antibodies starting with a monoclonal Ig immunogen in the ligand-induced conformation or metatypic state. Liganded monoclonal Ab1 antibodies represent the unique feature of the study since previous reports investigating internal imaging in the original Idiotype Network Hypothesis [Jerne, 1974 (Ann. Immun. 125C, 373-389)] were based on the non-liganded or idiotypic state [as reviewed in: Rodkey, 1980 (Microbiol. Rev. 44, 631-659); Kohler et al., 1979 (In: Methods in Enzymology: Antibodies, Antigens and Molecular Mimicry, pp. 3-35); Greenspan and Bona, 1993 (FASEB J. 7,437-444)]. Affinity-labeled liganded murine monoclonal anti-fluorescein antibodies served as immunogens administered both in the syngenic and xenogenic modes to determine if the metatypic state elicited anti-hapten antibodies through imaging-like mechanisms. Polyclonal and monoclonal anti-Ab1 reagents in various hosts were assayed for anti-fluorescein and/or anti-metatype specificity. Significant anti-fluorescein responses were measured indicating that the metatypic state directly or indirectly stimulates an anti-hapten antibody population.
Minimal exposure (one or two cycles) of intra-arterial chemotherapy in the management of retinoblastoma.

Purpose To assess the efficacy of less than 3 cycles of intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) for retinoblastoma. Design Retrospective, nonrandomized, interventional case series. Participants Eight patients. Intervention Intra-arterial chemotherapy. Main Outcome Measures Tumor control and globe salvage. Results Eight patients received fewer than 3 cycles of IAC for retinoblastoma because there was complete tumor control with no residual viable tumor (n = 7) or poor response (n = 1) with little hope that further therapy would benefit the patient. In 3 cases, additional vascular compromise precluded further IAC. The treatment was primary in 6 cases and secondary after failure of other treatment in 2 cases. The 8 eyes were classified (International Classification of Retinoblastoma) as group C (n = 2), group D (n = 3), group E (n = 1), and secondary treatment (n = 2). At initial examination, the main tumor showed a mean basal diameter of 16 mm, a thickness of 8.6 mm, vitreous seeds (n = 2), subretinal seeds (n = 6), and iris neovascularization (n = 1). Three patients were treated with a single cycle of IAC, and 5 patients were treated with 2 cycles of IAC. After IAC, complete tumor response was found in 7 eyes (88%) and partial response was found in 1 eye (13%). Over a mean of 13 months follow-up, there was intraretinal tumor recurrence (n = 1), subretinal seed recurrence (n = 1), and no case of vitreous seed recurrence. Globe salvage was achieved in 2 of 2 group C eyes (100%), 3 of 3 group D eyes (100%), 0 of 1 group E eye (0%), and 1 of 2 secondary treatment eyes (50%). Globe salvage was achieved in 6 of 8 eyes (75%), and 2 of 8 eyes (25%) required enucleation. Conclusions One or 2 cycles of IAC can be sufficient for selected eyes with group C or D retinoblastoma, with remarkable tumor control. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Optical and ESR studies of hole centers in γ‐irradiated Al2O3

Based on the studies of the thermal stability and the oxidizing annealing at 1350 °C, it is concluded that the one-hole center observed in a 300 K γ-irradiated Al2O3 crystal is predominantly the VOH- center. The OH− ions can be removed from the Al2O3 crystal by prolonged annealing in air at 1350 °C. The emission spectra show that the γ-ray induced thermoluminescence peaks at 390, 420, 440, 500, and 550 K peaks observed in oxidized and non-oxidized Al2O3 crystal are all related to the R-lines emission from Cr3+ in Al2O3. The 390, 420, and 500 K peaks result from thermal destruction of the hole centers by hole release. The 550 K peak is caused by the restoration of unperturbed, substitutional Cr3+ ions. Auf Grund von Untersuchungen der thermischen Stabilitat und von Oxydationstempern bei 1350 °C wird gefolgert, das das Loch-Zentrum, welches in einem bei 300 K γ-bestrahlten Al2O3-Kristall beobachtet wird, vorwiegend das VOH−-Zentrum ist. Die OH--Ionen konnen durch ausreichend langes Tempern in Luft bei 1350 °C aus dem Al2O3-Kristall entfernt werden. Die Emissionsspektren zeigen, das die durch Gammastrahlen erzeugten Thermolumineszenzmaxima bei 390, 420, 440, 500, und 550 K, die im oxydierten und nicht-oxydierten Al2O3-Kristall beobachtet werden, alle mit den R-Emissionslinien von Cr3+ in Al2O3 in Zusammenhang stehen. Die 390-, 420- und 500 K-Maxima resultieren aus der thermischen Zerstorung der Loch-Zentren durch Abgabe der Locher. Das 550 K-Maximum wird durch die Wiederherstellung ungestorter, substitutioneller Cr3+-Ionen erzeugt.
Structural analyses define an additional H-2D region class I antigen that is expressed by a variant mouse strain.

The genetic complexity of the H-2D region includes haplotype disparities in apparent gene and product number. To probe the genetic basis of this complexity, the products of two independently derived mouse strains (STU and B10.SAA48) that express Dw3 antigens were compared. Serologic, fluorometric and peptide map comparisons were made using monoclonal antibodies. Although both STU and B10.SAA48 mice were found to express indistinguishable Dw3 molecules, only B10.SAA48 mice were found to express an additional antigen designated Lw3. Several lines of evidence are presented that suggest the gene encoding Lw3 maps to the D region. Furthermore peptide map comparisons of Dw3 with Lw3 molecules implied that they are products of separate genes; but Dw3 and Lw3 molecules were found to be more homologous to each other than Dd and Ld molecules are to each other. Inter-haplotype comparisons of Dw3 and Lw3 molecules with other D region molecules showed no striking homologies to Dd, Ld or eight other molecules compared. However, both Dw3 and Lw3 molecules were found to be unexpectedly homologous to the Ddx and Dw25 molecules, thus defining another family of structurally related D region antigens. This so called Dw3-family was found to be quite distinct from the previously defined Ld-family of molecules, since no joint members were found. The results of these studies of Dw3 encoded antigens are discussed as evidence for intra-D region recombination or mutation.
Introduction: Moving Beyond the 'Rational Actor' in Environmental Governance and Conservation

In this brief introduction, we examine the themes and issues that link the three papers in this special section. In each case, neoliberal conservation practices appear to be predicated on a certain kind of individual subject with certain kinds of motives and behaviours-the rational actor. Taken together, these three papers challenge three assumptions of rational actor models, including that individuals are self-interested and attempt to maximise their own benefits, that they only respond to economic incentives, and that economic markets are free, mutual, and rational. Together these articles promote greater attention to how individuals are conceptualised in conservation efforts, and suggest alternative ways to think through conservation projects.
Disseminated candidiasis and hepatic malarial infection in mannose-binding-lectin-A-deficient mice

To examine the physiological functions of mannose-binding lectin A (MBL-A), we generated mice that were deficient in MBL-A and examined their susceptibilities to the microbial pathogens Candida albicans and Plasmodium yoelii, an accepted experimental malaria model in mouse. We found no differences in the survival rates and fungal burdens of wild-type and MBL-A−/− mice with disseminated C. albicans infection. The two mouse strains were also similar in their abilities to resist hepatic accumulation of P. yoelii parasites. We conclude that MBL-A deficiency does not alter resistance to disseminated candidiasis or initial hepatic invasion by P. yoelii.
Active stereo vision routines using PRISM-3

This paper describes work in progress on a set of visual routines and supporting capabilities implemented on the PRISM-3 real-time vision system. The routines are used in an outdoor robot retrieval task. The task requires the robot to locate a donor agent -- a Hero2000 -- which holds the object to be retrieved, to navigate to the donor, to accept the object from the donor, and return to its original location. The routines described here will form an integral part of the navigation and wide-area search tasks. Active perception is exploited to locate the donor using real-time stereo ranging directed by a pan/tilt/verge mechanism. A framework for orchestrating visual search has been implemented and is briefly described.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
PREDATOR-INDUCED MORPHOLOGICAL DEFENSES IN MARINE ZOOPLANKTON: A LARVAL CASE STUDY

While there are numerous reports of predator-induced morphological defenses for freshwater zooplankton, freshwater larvae, and benthic marine animals, a literature search revealed no reports of predator-induced morphological defenses for marine zooplankton. Rarity of predator-induced morphological defenses in marine zooplankton would imply a difference in predation risks compared to those experienced by freshwater organisms and benthic marine adults, whereas the presence of such plasticity in defenses would imply that risks are modified by developmental responses. This study reports a predator-induced change in defenses and vulnerability of a marine planktonic larva. Specifically, when reared in the presence of zoea larvae of Cancer spp., veliger larvae of the intertidal snail Littorina scutulata developed significantly smaller shell apertures and rounder shells than did cohort veligers reared in the absence of predator cues. Pairwise predation trials demonstrated that veligers reared with caged zoeas throughout development had greater survival than predator-naive veligers during short-term exposure to zoeas. The development of predator-induced morphological defenses by some marine larvae introduces a range of testable hypotheses on developmental plasticity that reduces vulnerability of planktonic larvae and other marine zooplankton to predators.
Size reduction ascending aortoplasty: is it dead or alive?

Abstract Objective Reduction ascending aortoplasty is a controversial procedure. Some believe that it can be appropriately applied when the anatomic features are favorable. Others suggest that it should be restricted to those patients who are at unacceptably high risk for more radical procedures, and there are also those who believe that reduction ascending aortoplasty should not be applied at all. The purpose of the article is to draw conclusions on the applicability of reduction ascending aortoplasty in modern cardiovascular surgery. Methods The issue was examined in the mirror of the authors' own experiences, by review and scrutiny of the literature available on the subject, and by conducting an extensive survey of the profession. Results We found that given proper indications (ie, poststenotic dilatations of Conclusions We conclude that reduction ascending aortoplasty is certainly alive. Although it does not appear to be an extremely popular operation, about half of the surgeons who responded believe it to be justified. Regardless of which modality is used, lifetime monitoring of ascending aortic size is essential and so advised. Because of recent sporadic reports of "under-the-wrap" aortic wall atrophy and rupture, the issue of reinforcement of reduction ascending aortoplasty requires continued re-evaluation.
Ionized magnesium levels and the ratio of ionized calcium to magnesium in asthma patients before and after treatment with magnesium.

Objective. Prior studies have been equivocal about the efficacy of magnesium therapy in acute asthma exacerbations. We hypothesize that pretreatment ionized magnesium (Mg2+) levels and/or the ratio of ionized calcium to ionized magnesium (Ca2+/Mg2+) may have been confounding variables in these previous studies. Here, we report on the incidence of abnormal divalent ion levels in our asthma population. Material and methods. The study was designed as a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial of intravenous magnesium. Inclusion criteria were: age >18 years, percentage predicted forced expiratory volume (FEV1) <75 % after an initial beta‐agonist. African–American patients (AA) at an urban university hospital were randomized to 2 g IV Mg or placebo. Mg2+ and Ca2+/Mg2+ levels were measured pre‐ and post‐infusion. Data were reported as means±SD. Student's t‐test and Fisher's exact test were used where appropriate (α = 0.05, two tailed) Results. Fifty‐five AA patients (mean age of 42.7 years±15.6 years,...
Do Gains in Test Scores Explain Labor Market Outcomes

Abstract Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this article investigates whether students who made relatively large test score gains during high school had larger earnings 7 years after high school compared to students whose scores improved little. In models that control for pre-high school test scores, family background, and demographic characteristics, employed women who gain one standard deviation more than average are predicted to earn 9 percent more than average. These effects are even larger unconditional on employment status, indicating that test score gains influence both the employment status and earnings once employed. For men, however, test score gains are not significantly related to employment status or earnings, except for those men who have low initial test scores.