cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Satchmo's Shadow: An Excerpt from Satchmo at the Waldorf

TERRY TEACHOUT, drama critic for The Wall Street Journal, is the au thor of Satchmo at the Waldorf (2011), which premiered in Orlando, Fla., and was produced in 2012 at Shake speare & Company of Lenox, Mass., Long Wharf Theatre of New Ha ven, Conn., and Philadelphia’s Wil ma Theater. He received a Gug gen heim Fellowship to support the completion of his latest book, Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington (2013). His other books include All in the Dances: A Brief Life of George Balanchine (2004), Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong (2009), and The Skeptic: A Life of H. L. Mencken (2002). He has also written the libretti for three operas by Paul Moravec: The Letter (2009), Danse Russe (2011), and The King’s Man (2013). Author’s Note: Writing the biography of a performing artist is like standing in the wings to watch a play. You see what the public sees, only from a different perspective. Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong, my 2009 biography of the greatest jazz musician of the twentieth century, is about the much-loved genius-entertainer who made millions of people feel warm inside–but it’s also about the private Armstrong, who swore like a trooper and knew how to hold a grudge. The fact that Satchmo (as he liked to call himself ) had two sides to his personality doesn’t mean that the public man was somehow less “real” than the private one. Like all geniuses, Armstrong was complicated, and that complexity was part of what made his music so beautiful and profound. Biography is about telling, theater about showing. Having written a book that told the story of Armstrong’s life, it occurred to me that it might be a worthwhile challenge to try to show an audience what he was like offstage. This was the seed from which Satchmo at the Waldorf grew. What turned it into a full-fledged play was the idea of having the same actor double as Armstrong and Joe Glaser, Armstrong’s mob-connected white manager. (At a later stage in the writing of Satchmo at the Waldorf, I decided to have the actor play a third “character,” Miles Davis, who appears in two short scenes.) You can’t have a play without conflict, and the trick to making a one-man play dramatic is 1⁄2nding a way to make that conflict palpable, even visible. When I wrote Glaser into Satchmo at the Waldorf, it was as
Absorption of novatropine in the presence of colloidal aluminum hydroxide

The absorption of Novatropine from the gastro-in-testinal tract of normal human subjects as measured by its action on the mucous membranes of the mouth and visual acuity and accommodation is uninfluenced by the simultaneous administration of large amounts of colloidal aluminum hydroxide.
The DNA Deaminase Activity of Human APOBEC3G Is Required for Ty1, MusD, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Restriction

Human APOBEC3G and several other APOBEC3 proteins have been shown to inhibit the replication of a variety of retrotransposons and retroviruses. All of these enzymes can deaminate cytosines within single-strand DNA, but the overall importance of this conserved activity in retroelement restriction has been questioned by reports of deaminase-independent mechanisms. Here, three distinct retroelements, a yeast retrotransposon, Ty1, a murine endogenous retrovirus, MusD, and a lentivirus, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), were used to evaluate the relative contributions of deaminase-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Although human APOBEC3G can restrict the replication of all three of these retroelements, APOBEC3G lacking the catalytic glutamate (E259Q) was clearly defective. This phenotype was particularly clear in experiments with low levels of APOBEC3G expression. In contrast, purposeful overexpression of APOBEC3G-E259Q was able to cause modest to severe reductions in the replication of Ty1, MusD, and HIV-1(ΔVif). The importance of these observations was highlighted by data showing that CEM-SS T-cell lines expressing near-physiologic levels of APOBEC3G-E259Q failed to inhibit the replication of HIV-1(ΔVif), whereas similar levels of wild-type APOBEC3G fully suppressed virus infectivity. Despite the requirement for DNA deamination, uracil DNA glycosylase did not modulate APOBEC3G-dependent restriction of Ty1 or HIV-1(ΔVif), further supporting prior studies indicating that the major uracil excision repair system of cells is not involved. In conclusion, the absolute requirement for the catalytic glutamate of APOBEC3G in Ty1, MusD, and HIV-1 restriction strongly indicates that DNA cytosine deamination is an essential part of the mechanism.
Vortex lattice autocorrelation function studied by an atomic beam technique

Abstract We have developed an atomic beam technique for studying the Abrikosov vortex lattice. Atoms skimming the surface of a superconductor in the intermediate state experience a temporally fluctuating magnetic field due to the spatial variation of the local magnetic induction. This field may drive transitions in the atoms. By measuring the transition probability as a function of atom velocity, we study the vortex lattice autocorrelation function along the direction of travel. We also determine the penetration depth. We demonstrate the technique by studying the vortex lattice of a niobium film.
Partial Dopamine Agonists and Dopaminergic Stabilizers, in the Treatment of Psychosis.

Abstract The early demonstration of chlorpromazine efficacy in schizophrenia and its subsequent identification as a dopamine receptor antagonist, established the only known mechanism for antipsychotic development to date. By extension, it is easy to hypothesize that any mechanism shown to reduce dopamine-mediated transmission in brain will have antipsychotic properties. The evaluation of partial dopamine agonists for antipsychotic efficacy and their application in the treatment of psychosis has derived from this background. Partial dopamine agonists at the D2 dopamine receptor, have high affinity for that receptor, but reduced intrinsic activity. These agonists have higher affinity for the presynaptic autoreceptor than for the postsynaptic receptor. Hence, these compounds reduce dopamine synthesis and release through an agonist action at the dopamine autoreceptor. Moreover, the agonists have lower intrinsic activity at the postsynaptic receptor than its natural ligand dopamine. Therefore, they diminish the dopaminergic signal at postsynaptic sites as well through delivering a reduced message; this component of drug action becomes more prominent the lower the intrinsic activity of the drug. Several partial dopamine agonists have been evaluated in schizophrenia. One of them, aripiprazole, is nearing approval for marketing. With partial dopamine agonist treatment, advantages should accrue to schizophrenia treatment in the areas of affect control and cognitive performance.
Reference functions and possibility theorems for cardinal social choice problems

In this paper, we provide axiomatic foundations for social choice rules on a domain of convex and comprehensive social choice problems when agents have cardinal utility functions. We translate the axioms of three well known approaches in bargaining theory (Nash 1950; Kalai and Smorodinsky 1975; Kalai 1977) to the domain of social choice problems and provide an impossibility result for each. We then introduce the concept of a reference function which, for each social choice set, selects a point from which relative gains are measured. By restricting the invariance and comparison axioms so that they only apply to sets with the same reference point, we obtain characterizations of social choice rules that are natural analogues of the bargaining theory solutions.
N-acetyl-l-cysteine sensitizes pancreatic cancers to gemcitabine by targeting the NFκB pathway

First-line therapy for pancreatic cancer is gemcitabine. Although tumors may initially respond to the gemcitabine treatment, soon tumor resistance develops leading to treatment failure. Previously, we demonstrated in human MIA PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells that N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), a glutathione (GSH) precursor, prevents NFκB activation via S-glutathionylation of p65-NFκB, thereby blunting expression of survival genes. In this study, we documented the molecular sites of S-glutathionylation of p65, and we investigated whether NAC can suppress NFκB signaling and augment a therapeutic response to gemcitabine in vivo. Mass spectrometric analysis of S-glutathionylated p65-NFκB protein in vitro showed post-translational modifications of cysteines 38, 105, 120, 160 and 216 following oxidative and nitrosative stress. Circular dichroism revealed that S-glutathionylation of p65-NFκB did not change secondary structure of the protein, but increased tryptophan fluorescence revealed altered tertiary structure. Gemcitabine and NAC individually were not effective in decreasing MIA PaCa-2 tumor growth in vivo. However, combination treatment with NAC and gemcitabine decreased tumor growth by approximately 50%. NAC treatment also markedly enhanced tumor apoptosis in gemcitabine-treated mice. Compared to untreated tumors, gemcitabine treatment alone increased p65-NFκB nuclear translocation (3.7-fold) and DNA binding (2.5-fold), and these effects were blunted by NAC. In addition, NAC plus gemcitabine treatment decreased anti-apoptotic XIAP protein expression compared to gemcitabine alone. None of the treatments, however, affected extent of tumor hypoxia, as assessed by EF5 staining. Together, these results indicate that adjunct therapy with NAC prevents NFκB activation and improves gemcitabine chemotherapeutic efficacy.
Narcissism and mothering: The 1950s reconsidered

Abstract This article attempts to set forth a model for understanding the social causes of narcissistic personality development. After an examination of psychoanalytic theory and original historical material on family life in the United States, it is suggested that narcissism is ultimately rooted in a family situation which isolates mothers from adult companionship, denies their needs for meaningful work, and enforces their exclusive responsibility for child rearing. Because narcissistic personalities are threatened by intimacy and lack the ability to maintain long-term, loving relationships with others, it is asserted that they will be reluctant to or incapable of forming families of their own. Therefore, the current resurgence of an ideology and social policy that enforces and celebrates women's exclusive and isolated mothering within the home, indirectly assists in the production of narcissistic personalities, and thereby undermines the future of the nuclear family, something which such policy and ideology explicitly attempts to prevent.
Use of microswitch technology to facilitate social contingency awareness as a basis for early communication skills

Individuals with vision and hearing impairments in combination with severe orthopaedic impairments often fail to demonstrate any clear awareness of contingent relationships between their own behaviors and environmental outcomes. Without contingency awareness, it is not possible to engage in intentional communicative behavior. A single case design is presented involving a deaf-blind child with severe orthopaedic impairments who demonstrated no contingency awareness. The study was designed to examine the use of microswitch manipulanda to facilitate the awareness of social contingencies as a potential foundation for the development of intentional communicative behavior. Results indicated that the child increased the targeted motor behavior (activating a microswitch) under conditions involving the delivery of social contingencies, but not under conditions involving the delivery of nonsocial contingencies. Subsequent clinical applications are described to illustrate the direct impact of these findings on proce...
A Formal Analysis of Substantive Law: Kapauku Papuan Laws of Land Tenure1

IN ANY society the legal rules concerned with land tenure are the most important, after laws of inheritance, with respect to social structure. Despite this importance, and in spite of several outstanding accounts of land tenure in particular societies, the contributions to a legal theory of land tenure have not been entirely satisfactory. It seems to me, for the present at least, and contrary to the opinion of Herskovits (1960:350), that the problem lies more in the lack of a precise, formal, and cross-culturally applicable comparative method than it does in any absence of philosophical considerations. In this article this methodological problem is investigated through an application of various methods of formal analysis drawn from the fields of ethnoscience and linguistics, and there is proposed a type of analysis, with cross-cultural applicability and comparative significance, that is expected to permit an exact inquiry. To demonstrate the use and merits of the various methods I shall apply them to the Kapauku Papuan laws of land tenure. This West New Guinea Highlands society was selected because I possess a firsthand and reasonably full account of their law, and because the laws of land tenure of these Papuans are sufficiently complex and conceptualized to serve the purpose. It must be emphasized that this analysis pertains only to the Kapauku ideal land tenure, the abstract rules which are the mental property of most adult males. A few general remarks concerning these rules follow. First, the actual behavior of the Kapauku is generally consonant with their ideal abstract rules, and those decisions over disputed cases which I have collected show a remarkable conformity to the ideal. Second, Kapauku rules of land tenure contradict Herskovits' generalization about Melanesian communities that they "admit the ownership of produce rather than of the garden where it is grown" (1960:358). Kapauku rules clearly refer to land which is owned individually and may be sold, leased for shell money, or loaned by the owner. Consequently, contrary to Herskovits (1949:283), the title to Kapauku land does not rest on its use. Third, since Kapauku legal rules against trespass apply not only to gardens but also to fallow land (grass land and secondary forest) as well as to partly exploited virgin forest, brooks, and small lakes, they contradict Herskovits' generalization that "the recognition of trespass as an offense thereupon merely becomes evidence of a recognition of the right to own crops" (1960:358). Fourth, Kapauku rules of land tenure cannot be classified easily as belong-
High-resolution electron microscopic investigation of crystalline cholesterol monohydrate in human atheroma at the atomic level

High-resolution electron microscopic investigation of cholesterol monohydrate crystals obtained from human atheroma was carried out for the purpose of characterization of the crystal lattice, demonstration of crystallization processes and identification of crystal disorders. By high-resolution electron microscopy the crystal structures of perfect cholesterol monohydrate crystals were characterized as regular lattice arrays which consisted of stacks of repetitive rod-shaped substructures ca 1.58 nm long and 0.16 nm wide, with the total thickness of bilayered substructures ca 3.36 nm. These substructures were in an end-to-end arrangement of approximately side-to-side parallel packing, with a centre-to-centre spacing ca 0.32 nm. At the atomic level the lattice arrays were made up of regularly spaced rows of dots ca 0.28 nm × 0.16 nm in size. These dots possessed a six-fold ring-like shape, and were arranged in a hexagonal structure with an additional dot in the centre. High-resolution electron microscopic observations of the partially crystallized particles of cholesterol monohydrate showed various stages of cholesterol crystallization, from very small short-ordered segment of lattice arrays to different sized nano- and microcrystallites in the amorphous matrix of the crystals. Furthermore, crystal growth was also demonstrated from detailed examination of the crystal surfaces, the interfaces between the crystals and the boundary structures between the amorphous and crystalline phases. In addition, high-resolution electron microscopy could clearly identify various kinds of crystal defect in the cholesterol monohydrate crystals, including considerable variations of lattice spacings with focal fragmentation of lattice fringes, derangement of atom-sized dots along the lattice fringes and marked alterations of the morphology of atom-sized dots with the vacancies along the lattice arrays. It is hoped that such information obtained from high-resolution electron microscopic observations of the crystalline cholesterol in human atheroma at the atomic or near-atomic level may be helpful by providing a more complete understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for the formation, progression and regression of the acellular lipid-rich cores of advanced atherosclerotic plaques.
Echocardiography in the diagnosis of neonatal congenital heart disease

Since its introduction in 1954, diagnostic ultrasound has been used to record the movement of atrio-ventricular valves, to measure atrial and ventricular dimensions, left venticular free wall thickness, left ventricular outflow dimension and to detect the presence of pericardial effusions. In this study echocardiograms were obtained in 50 normal neonates (age 5–96 hours) as part of a control study. In every instance distinct mitral and tricuspid valve echoes were easily recorded. Left ventricular end-diastolic diameters were 1.5·2.0 cm. and the diameter of the left ventricular outflow tract was 0.8–1.2 cm. Echocardiograms were obtained from 16 infants with a variety of cardiac malformations (age 2–16 weeks) in whom diagnoses were confirmed either by cardiac catheterization or autopsy. In 2 babies the diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome was made because of absence or gross distortion of reflected ultrasound from the mitral valves, and lef ventricular end-diastolic diameters whih were far below the values observed in our normal neonates. At autopsy the mitral and aortic valves were atretic and the left ventricles hypoplastic in both patients. In 3 babies the clinical diagnosis of hypoplastic left heart syndrome was untenable because of normal mitral valve reflection and left ventricular dimensions. Subsequent cardiac catheterizations confirmed the ultrasoni findings. In antoher baby the echocardiographic diagnosis of tricuspid atresia was confirmed at autopsy. This technique provides a non-invasive method of evaluating the hearts of neonates. Infants suspected of having the hypoplastic left heart syndrome may be diagnosed by ultrasound without the necessity of cardiac catheterization.
Hageman factor (factor XII) in an affected kindred and in normal adults.

Summary. Assays for Hageman-factor (Factor-XII) activity were performed on plasma obtained from 80 normal adults and from 39 members of an inbred kindred including a subject with severe Factor-XII deficiency. Two normal alleles of the gene governing Factor-XII production are postulated: Hh, associated with higher levels of Factor XII, and H1, associated with lower levels of Factor XII. In addition, the existence of two abnormal alleles is suggested: Ho, associated with almost no Factor-XII activity, and Hm, with moderate Factor-XII deficiency. Based on this hypothesis, the mother of the proposita (with 13 per cent Factor-XII activity) has a probable H1Ho genotype. The father (with 58 per cent Factor-XII activity) has a probable HhHo genotype. As well as a plasma Factor-XII activity of 13 per cent, the mother of the proposita had a prolonged partial thromboplastin time, but no other abnormalities were observed in non-specific coagulation tests. The results of all these tests, including the partial thromboplastin time, were normal in subjects with Factor-XII levels of 22 per cent or more.
Realization of Electrically Small Patch Antennas Loaded with Metamaterials

We have built and tested electrically small (∼γ/10) resonant patch antennas as proposed in recent literature [1, 2]. The metamaterial array loading the antennas formed a rough cylinder axially enclosed by a patch antenna and a ground plane. The fill ratio, or ratio of the metamaterial array’s radius to the patch radius, was less than one. Given a particular negative permeability metamaterial (copper spiral rings printed on circuit board in this case), the fill ratio dictates the lower of two resonant frequencies of the antenna. The higher frequency resonance is characteristic of the patch. We observed that each of the antennas radiated at two resonant frequencies, as predicted. The lower frequency resonance disappeared when the metamaterial was removed. We built two versions of this antenna, one (Design I) with a lower resonant frequency of 756 MHz and higher resonant frequency of 3.3 GHz, and a second antenna (Design II) with a lower resonant frequency of 385 MHz and higher resonant frequency of 1.8 GHz. Because we were interested in reducing the size of patch antennas, we focused on the lower frequency resonances in this work. The antennas’ return loss was measured at -23 dB and -28 dB, the gains were -11 dBi and -13 dBi, and the return loss was less than -10 dB over bandwidths of 4.7% and 1.8% for the lower frequency resonances of Design I and Design II, respectively. We also predicted the trend of increasing resonant frequency with decreased metamaterial fill ratio. We varied the fill ratio was by changing the patch size while maintaining the same metamaterial array. As predicted, resonant frequency increased with increasing patch size, an opposite trend to what one would expect without the loading metamaterial. Altering the patch size allows simple tuning during the assembly and test process.
National election studies and macro analysis

Abstract This paper discusses the contribution of the American National Election Studies (ANES) data to the understanding of macro-level election analysis. The paper reviews the theory of the micro–macro connection and presents two brief examples where ANES data are used to explain macro-level variation in election outcomes. It argues that the ANES — indeed, most election studies — as currently constituted are quite useful for the purposes of explaining election outcomes. However, with proper attention to the requirements of such explanations, they can be made more useful still.
Cultural Identity Restoration and Purposive Website Design: A Hermeneutic Study of the Chickasaw and Klamath Tribes

In this paper, we employ a hermeneutic approach to examine the question: How do cultural productions of websites enable enactments of power, change, and society in Native American groups? We collected longitudinal data from 15 redesigns of the Chickasaw Nation and Klamath Tribes websites. Text from each website redesign, as well as each redesign of the tribes' "History" pages, was analyzed using linguistic inquiry and word count software. These texts and other design elements were examined from an interpretive perspective. Our analyses depicts the role of website design in the production of culture. Furthermore, we find support for the notion that although technology adoption has traditionally occurred parallel to globalization and aided in assimilation, tribal organizations are now finding ways to use technology for constructive purposes such as cultural preservation, identity restoration and healing.
Empirical Relationship between the Magnetic Field and the Mass and Energy Flux in the Source Regions of the Solar Wind

Using daily averages of the solar wind speed and mass density measured at Earth together with an improved method for extrapolating the observed photospheric field to 1 AU, we construct scatter plots relating the coronal field strength B0 to the mass flux density ρ0v0 and the total energy flux density Fw0 at the coronal base. On average, both ρ0v0 and Fw0 increase roughly linearly with B0; they also show a monotonic increase with the coronal flux-tube expansion factor. However, the wind speed at Earth, determined by the ratio Fw0/(ρ0v0), is essentially independent of B0, while tending to decrease with increasing expansion factor (as found in earlier studies).
Cross sections for 170.5° backscattering of 4He by the isotopes of boron for 4He energies between 1.0 and 3.3 MeV

Elastic scattering cross sections for 4He on both isotopes of boron have been measured at a laboratory angle of 170.5° in the energy range 1–3.3 MeV to an accuracy of about 7%. Self-supporting targets of natural boron (18μgcm2) and 99% enriched 10B (6μgcm2) were used. The scattering was observed to be Rutherford between 1 and 1.3 MeV for both isotopes. Previously unreported elastic scattering anomalies were observed in 10B near 1.5 and 1.65 MeV and in 11B near 1.5 and 2.05 MeV. Results above 2.1 MeV are compared to previous measurements; discrepancies of up to 50% are noted. The major features in the cross sections above 2.1 MeV are broad resonances near 2.4 MeV in 10B and near 2.6 MeV in 11B. The cross section is found to be smooth and approximately Rutherford for 11B in the energy range 2.2 to 2.5 MeV.
The Impact of Familial Autism Diagnoses on Autism Symptomatology in Infants and Toddlers.

Abstract Debate regarding the etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is on the rise with numerous theories being put forth. Currently, the theory with the most empirical support is the interaction of multiple genes. Many studies have provided evidence that as the incidence of ASD increases so do genetic similarities. However, very little research has focused on the presentation of ASD symptomatology in those individuals with or without ASD diagnoses who have biological relatives with or without ASD diagnoses. The aim of the current study was to first examine the percentage of toddlers with and without ASD who had biological relatives with ASD. Next, the impact familial ASD had on ASD symptomatology within infants and toddlers with and without diagnoses of ASD was investigated. In the first study, 438 toddlers with an ASD diagnosis and 1,071 who were atypically developing without an ASD diagnosis were examined. A greater percentage of toddlers with ASD were noted to have a biological relative with an identified ASD in comparison to atypically developing toddlers. In the second study, no significant differences emerged between groups dependent on familial ASD of symptoms of autism as measured by the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits ( BISCUIT ). As such, despite previous research indicating a strong genetic link to ASD, this link is undoubtedly complex and not necessarily related to ASD symptomatology. Suggestions for further research are provided.
The known, the unknown and the unknowable: weaning times from archaeological bones using nitrogen isotope ratios

Abstract Empirical observations of δ 15 N of bone collagen by age at death from 56 archaeological sites ( n = 1560) document an increase over the adult mean at ages ∼0–2 years. These observations are generally consistent with a hypothesis that posits a difference in trophic level between the nursing infant and the mother; however, using these data to reconstruct weaning ages is problematic. The assumptions used to determine age of weaning are reviewed; uncertainty in the isotopic trophic offsets, high scatter due to low sample numbers, errors in the age determination of infants, and how representative the samples are for the whole population are possible contributors to uncertainty in determining weaning times from archaeological bones. Other possible explanations for these age-related isotopic differences have generally not been considered in the archaeological literature. Factors bearing further investigation are the possibility of developmental (nondietary) differences in tissue isotopic composition, incorporation of non-protein nitrogen in milk and the effects of the gut microbiome.
An experimental study of equilibrium with granitic rocks at 10 kb

An investigation of rates of reaction in granite-water systems was undertaken at 10 kb pressure using five chemically-analyzed calc-alkaline rocks and two haplogranitic compositions in the system KAlSi3O8-NaAlSi3O8-SiO2. Production of melt in the Sierra Nevada granite, granodiorite, and tonalite was determined at 665° C as a function of time. At least three hours seem necessary to develop a constant amount of melt in the granite and granodiorite; the tonalite requires at least 24 hours. In reversal runs from 665° C (hypersolidus) to 620° C (subsolidus), between 7 and 18 days are required to completely crystallize the granitic glasses. Composition and structural state of coexisting alkali feldspars from reversal runs on the hypersolvus granite further suggest that 18 days are insufficient to attain a tentative equilibrium state.
Instrumentation: Carbon nanotubes on the brain

The performance of metal electrodes used for studying brain function and relieving the symptoms of medical conditions can be significantly improved by coating them with carbon nanotubes.
Image smoothing and edge detection CMOS sensor array with improved signal output range

This paper consists of design, simulation, layout, and test of a CMOS image sensor array. It is an analog nonlinear circuitry with on-board photoreceptors that acquire and process the image on a single, compact VLSI chip. Spatial image processing chips implementing resistive grid have been broadly explored. One of the main drawbacks of one group of these sensors is the large percentage of analog output signal loss due to the known low CMOS sensors sensitivity and the relative large offset of the readout amplifier caused by run-to-run and in chip process variations. In our design, we modified the pixel circuit and the read out transresistance amplifier gaining back close to fifty percent of the photo signal. The motivation of the overall chip is derived from its neurobiological counterpart. It models the first stage of retinal processing at the first synapse.
Biphasic luteinizing hormone secretion in response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone during continuous perifusion of dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells: changes in total release and the phasic components during the estrous cycle.

In vivo studies in the human and both in vivo and in vitro studies in animals have shown that GnRH-stimulated LH release is a function of the gonadal steroid environment. Furthermore, when GnRH is given in a sustained manner, the pattern of LH release is biphasic. Using an in vitro technique in which rat anterior pituitary cells were dispersed and perifusion was begun within 2 h after removal of the gland from the donor animal, we tested the hypothesis that both the overall secretion and the relative sizes of the two phases of GnRH-stimulated LH release would vary in a reproducible manner during the estrous cycle. Sprague-Dawley rats (aged 60–70 days) were killed at 0800 h on diestrus day 1, diestrus day 2, proestrus, and estrus and at 1400 h on proestrus. After 4 h of perifusion, during which a stable baseline of LH release was established, the cells were challenged for 5 h with 10 nM GnRH, and secretory rates of LH release were calculated. Basal LH release did not vary among the experimental groups. LH ...
Tumor aneuploidy in young patients with colorectal cancer.

Background. Colorectal cancer in young patients (40 years of age or younger) often is considered to have a worse prognosis than in older patients. The authors studied tumor DNA status and stage of disease to determine whether tumors in younger patients behaved differently from tumors in older patients. Methods. This retrospective study identified 33 young patients with colorectal cancer treated surgically between 1979 and 1989. The DNA content of the tumors was analyzed by DNA flow cytometry. Results were compared with 75 cases of colon cancer in patients older than 40 years of age. Results. Six of the 33 young patients had inadequate tissue for study. Four patients with ulcerative colitis were excluded. Tumor aneuploidy was present in 14 of 23 young patients (61%; mean age, 35 years) and 46 of 75 older patients (61%; mean age, 71 years). When Dukes staging was performed for the young patients, one had Stage A (4%), nine had Stage B (39%), eight had Stage C (%YO), and five had Stage D (22O/’) disease. The control group had similar staging. The distribution of aneuploid tumors within each Dukes stage was also similar. Twenty-one young patients were available for follow-up. Four (31%) of 13 patients with aneuploid tumors died, whereas none of 8 patients with diploid tumors died. This trend was not statistically significant (P < 0.10). The frequency of tumor aneuploidy, stage of disease at presentation, and distribution of tumor aneuploidy within each stage was similar when young and old patients with colorectal cancer were compared. There is a trend toward tumor aneuploidy being associated with a poorer prognosis in young patients. Cancer Conclusions.
Kinetics and Limiting Current Densities of Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Electrocatalysts

This Perspective compares the theoretical performance of model homogeneous and heterogeneous electrocatalytic EC′ systems for freely diffusing and surface–attached systems, respectively. Electrochemical conversions such as water or carbon dioxide splitting are fields of tremendous interest and recent growth. These areas are significant as they are related to solar-based fuels and energy storage. At present, it is not clear whether homogeneous catalysis, heterogeneous catalysis, or a combination of both will provide the best solution for solar energy applications. In the power range of the air mass 1.5 global solar flux, homogeneous and heterogeneous systems with overall turnover frequencies (TOFs) of 10–1000 s–1 are found to be competitive with each other. The surface and solution concentrations of catalysts determine the required rate and other relevant system constraints. At higher current densities, the modeled heterogeneous system requires a lower TOF than the corresponding homogeneous system. The dev...
Measurements of Gas Temperature in a HCCI Engine Using a Fourier Domain Mode Locking Laser

Initial measurements of water vapor temperature by use of a Fourier-domain mode-locking laser were performed in a homogenous charge compression ignition engine. We assessed the potential of this FDML laser in combustion applications.
SEPARATION OF PHENOL AND RIBONUCLEIC ACID BY DEXTRAN GEL FILTRATION. (SEPHADEX G-25).

Abstract Sephadex G-25 columns were employed for quantitative separation of phenol from two different kinds of RNA. This mild method of separation seems to be very useful for purification of RNA preparations isolated by phenol extraction methods.
Radiative lifetime of nitrogen dioxide using a tunable organic dye laser

Abstract The observation of time-resolved fluorescence from NO 2 molecules excited by a tunable organic dye laser (4400A–4900A) has allowed a determination of the radiative lifetime as a function of excitatin wavelength. Observed lifetimes are in the range 70–82 μsec.
Optimal frequency response shaping by appendant structures

Abstract Two frequency response optimization methods for vibrating systems are developed by appending absorbers to the original structure. The methods are suitable for discrete models with a large number of degrees of freedom and are applied to obtain optimal broadband response. Reanalysis and modal techniques are used in the structural dynamic analysis phase of the design algorithm and optimization is carried out by a feasible directions approach. The optimal design algorithm is illustrated by several numerical examples for a 39 DOF helicopter model with discrete conventional absorbers and beam absorbers.
An Overview of Logic Synthesis Systems

The term logic synthesis is used to describe systems that range from relatively simple mapping schemes to tools with sophisticated logic optimizations. In this tutorial, the requirements on logic synthesis systems will be discussed aand the advantages and disadvantages of different approaches to logic synthesis will be presented.
Fellows' Forum in Dialysis edited by Mark A.Perazella: Blood Flow Surveillance of Hemodialysis Grafts: Insights from Two Case Reports

It is widely recommended that all hemodialysis grafts undergo blood flow (Qa) surveillance, and that stenosis be corrected when accompanied by a low Qa or decrease in Qa (deltaQa). This recommendation has, however, become increasingly controversial. Studies have shown that although there is an association between Qa and thrombosis, the accuracy of Qa in predicting thrombosis within individual patients is poor. We describe two cases that demonstrate common causes of poor predictive accuracy. These cases also show that application of Qa surveillance algorithms is often complex and ambiguous. Most studies reporting that surveillance with intervention reduces thrombosis or prolongs graft life have used historical or sequential control groups, or have been retrospective. Accurate assessment of the benefit of graft surveillance must await studies that are fully prospective and randomized with concurrent control groups. Until such studies have demonstrated sufficient benefit, we do not recommend periodic Qa surveillance with intervention of all hemodialysis grafts.
Technique of fabricating inhomogeneous mediums and the behaviour of a dipole in such a medium.

Abstract : It is shown that an inhomogeneous medium to be used for antenna experiments can be fabricated using the diffusion profile of NaCl into agar agar. Various problems relating to the construction of a 380 Gallon agar agar tank are described. The production of a desired profile of the electrical properties of the medium is discussed together with the experimentally determined driving-point admittance and current distribution of a dipole antenna when immersed in the inhomogeneous conducting medium. The measured electrical properties of the agar agar when dissolved in tap water are epsilon sub r = 78, tan delta = 0. 13 at 114 Mc/s and a conductivity of 0.8 millimhos /cm at 1000 c/s; the diffusion constant D of NaCl into 1.3% agar agar is 0.000008 to 0.00002 sq cm / sec at 25C. The range of change in the loss tangent is large; one profile varied from tan delta = 0.13 to tan delta = 3.3 which corresponds to a factor of twenty six in the distance of a wavelength. The periods of diffusion were one to three weeks. The properties of a dipole antenna measured in an inhomogeneous conducting medium are compared with those in a homogeneous conducting medium. (Author)
Visual and Auditory Integration

spatial correspondence A systematic relationship falling short of registry between the unimodal receptive field locations in individual multimodal neurons. Correspondence can also occur between the receptive fields of neighboring unimodal neurons that respond to different modalities. linear function A function f(x)1⁄4mx, wherem is a constant. Linear functions have the property of superimposibility: f(a+b)1⁄4 f(a)+f(b)
Dividends, maturity, and acquisitions: Evidence from a sample of bank IPOs

Abstract Post-IPO banks are far more likely to initiate dividends than nonfinancial IPO firms. Moreover, dividend initiation has a significant impact on the ultimate disposition of a newly public bank, increasing its likelihood of subsequent acquisition by around 40% and reducing the expected time until acquisition by 83%. Conditional on being acquired, dividend initiation increases the average takeover premium by about 55% of the market value of the bank in the month prior to the takeover announcement. Dividend initiating banks are also more mature, as indicated by asset growth rates, profitability, risk measures, and corporate governance measures. The initiation of the dividends and the ultimate sale of the firm may be consequences of the same underlying driver—maturity—but the dividend initiation appears to expedite the process by confirming the status of the firm and by drawing attention to the bank's readiness and willingness to be acquired. Dividend initiation thus seems to speed up and amplify the rewards to owners that may be reaped through an ultimate sale of the institution.
On Feature Relevance in Image-Based Prediction Models: An Empirical Study

Determining disease-related variations of the anatomy and function is an important step in better understanding diseases and developing early diagnostic systems. In particular, image-based multivariate prediction models and the "relevant features" they produce are attracting attention from the community. In this article, we present an empirical study on the relevant features produced by two recently developed discriminative learning algorithms: neighborhood approximation forests (NAF) and the relevance voxel machine (RVoxM). Specifically, we examine whether the sets of features these methods produce are exhaustive; that is whether the features that are not marked as relevant carry disease-related information. We perform experiments on three different problems: image-based regression on a synthetic dataset for which the set of relevant features is known, regression of subject age as well as binary classification of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) from brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data. Our experiments demonstrate that aging-related and AD-related variations are widespread and the initial sets of relevant features discovered by the methods are not exhaustive. Our findings show that by knocking-out features and re-training models, a much larger set of disease-related features can be identified.
Activation-Dependent Properties of Pregnenolone Sulfate Inhibition of GABAA Receptor-Mediated Current

Sulfated steroids like pregnenolone sulfate (PS) are found endogenously in the central nervous system where they may modulate GABAA receptors. Understanding the mechanism of steroid inhibition is important for understanding the conditions under which endogenous steroids modulate GABAA receptor function, assessing their potential clinical utility, and for evaluating sulfated steroids as probes of receptor behaviour. Some previous studies suggest that sulfated steroid inhibition exhibits activation dependence, whilst other studies suggest only slow, time-dependent inhibition, perhaps reflecting slow PS association with receptors. We tested activation dependence in several ways. Steroid potency increased 2- to 3-fold with ≈10-fold change in GABA concentration. PS inhibition of saturating partial agonist responses suggested that the level of channel activation, rather than receptor occupancy by agonist, is important for PS inhibition. Inhibition by sulfated steroids exhibited weak or no voltage dependence. Responses to rapid applications of exogenous GABA differed little whether PS was pre-applied or simply co-applied with GABA, consistent with the hypothesis that the actions of PS are facilitated by receptor activation. PS applied during steady-state GABA responses exhibited slow onset and offset rate constants. The offset, rather than onset, was significantly slowed by elevated GABA concentration. At hippocampal synapses, large, multiquantal IPSCs were inhibited more effectively by a fixed concentration of PS than small quantal content IPSCs, consistent with known ‘pooling’ of transmitter following multiquantal release. Picrotoxinin, although superficially similar to PS in its activation dependence, was dissimilar from PS in a number of details. In summary, PS inhibition exhibits activation dependence that may be explained by activation-dependent binding and altered desensitization.
Cooperating expert systems for the next generation of real-time monitoring applications

A distributed monitoring and diagnosis system has been developed and successfully applied to real-time monitoring of interplanetary spacecraft at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This system uses a combination of conventional processing and artificial intelligence. Knowledge-based diagnosis modules are embedded within an automated monitoring system that detects on-board spacecraft anomalies. The diagnostic modules are specialized to respond to anomalies in a single domain of expertise and to cooperate with one another when necessary to solve complex problems that extend beyond an individual domain. Details of the distributed architecture, real-time diagnosis, and system performance are described in the paper. A brief summary of lessons learned in transferring research prototypes into operational environments is also reported. >
Layer upon Layer: Public Authorities and Airport Ownership and Management in St. Louis, 1947-1980

Although the ownership and management of the nation's air carrier airports continues under a variety of models, the public authority became a popular option following World War II. Beginning in 1947, the St. Louis region witnessed repeated attempts to place the area's air carrier and general aviation airports under a single metropolitan airport authority, one that would operate not only in Missouri but Illinois as well. A number of potential models for action existed. After many attempts, however, the ownership and management of the airports in the St. Louis region remained fragmented, with many overlapping layers.
An ATP-Grasp Ligase Involved in the Last Biosynthetic Step of the Iminomycosporine Shinorine in Nostoc punctiforme ATCC 29133

We investigated the genetic basis for mycosporine sunscreen biosynthesis by the cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme ATCC 29133. Heterologous expression in Escherichia coli of three contiguous N. punctiforme genes (NpR5600, NpR5599, and NpR5598, here named mysA, mysB, and mysC, respectively) led to the production of mycosporine-glycine, an oxomycosporine. Additional expression of gene NpF5597 (mysD) led to the conversion of mycosporine-glycine into iminomycosporines (preferentially shinorine but also others like mycosporine-2-glycine and porphyra-334). This represents a new mode of enzymatic synthesis for iminomycosporines, one that differs in genetic origin, mechanism, and apparent substrate specificity from that known in Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413. These results add to the emerging profile of the protein family of ATP-dependent ligases, to which the mysC product belongs, as important condensation enzymes in microbial secondary metabolism.
Difference in occipital cortical synapses from environmentally enriched, impoverished, and standard colony rats

Initial and replication experiments were studied with littermate, S1, male rats 25-55 days of age placed in enriched (EC), standard colony (SC), and impoverished (IC) environments. Measurements of the length of postsynaptic thickenings were taken from asymmetrical axodendritic synapses in layer IV of the dorsal medial occipital cortex. This experiment differed from others of this nature, for animals from both experimental conditions were compared with the standard colony animals. The 8% (p less than 0.01) difference in postsynaptic thickening length between 675 synapses from EC and 680 synapses from IC was primarily due to the IC, as can be seen by comparing both with the SC. The number of synapses per unit area of neuropil was 15% (p less than 0.01) more in the IC than in the EC and this difference was primarily due to impoverishment. Both the original and the replication experiment verified this direction of change. Thus, environmental experience does significantly affect synaptic length and number, although the large magnitude previously reported by Mphillgaard et al. (1971) was not confirmed in the present experiments. The 7% cortical depth difference between the enriched and impoverished animals was seen to be attributed to both conditions when each was compared with the standard colony rats. The plasticity of synaptic dimensions is discussed in relation to our previous work and to work of others.