cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assembly and analysis of the mouse immunoglobulin kappa gene sequence

The mechanisms regulating V gene usage leading to the immunoglobulin (Ig) repertoire have been of interest for many years but are only partially defined. To gain insight into these processes, we have assembled the nucleotide sequence of the Mus musculus Igκ locus using data recently made available from genome-wide sequencing efforts. We found the locus to be 3.21 Mb in length and mapped all known functional, pseudo- and relic V gene segments onto the sequence, along with known regulatory elements. We corrected errors in former gene assignments, positions and orientations and identified a novel V κ4 gene segment. This assembly allowed the establishment of a unified nomenclature for the V genes based on their relative positions similar to the nomenclature system adopted for the human Ig loci. The 5′ boundary of the locus is defined by the presence of the tumor-associated calcium-signal transducer-2 gene located 19 kb upstream of V κ24-140 , the most distal V gene. No non-V κ genes were found in the sequence of the locus. Detailed analysis of the sequences 0.5 kb upstream, within, and 0.5 kb downstream of each potentially functional V gene revealed interesting patterns of statistically significant clustering of transcription factor consensus binding sites, generally specific to a particular family. We found E boxes were clustered not only in promoter regions, but also nearby recombination signal sequences. Family members of V κ4/5 genes exhibit a conserved pattern of octamer sites in their downstream regions, as well as Ebf sites in their introns, and Lef-1 sites in their upstream regions. We discuss potential functional implications of these findings in the context of possible combinatorial mechanisms for targeting V genes for rearrangement. The assembled sequence and its analyses are available as a resource to the scientific community.
Concealed and manifest 1:2 tachycardia and atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia: Manifestations of dual atrioventricular nodal physiology

ual atrioventricular (AV) nodal physiology is a comon finding, occurring in 10% of patients undergoing lectrophysiology study. A 1:2 or dual ventricular reponse is a well-described phenomenon that occurs in ome patients with dual AV nodal pathways. Two QRS omplexes may not be present if 1:2 AV nodal conducion is associated with infranodal block of conduction roceeding over either pathway. This may be termed a oncealed 1:2 response, in contrast to a manifest 1:2 esponse where two QRS complexes are present. Rarely, dual ventricular response can be sustained producing a :2 tachycardia, otherwise known as a nonreentrant suraventricular tachycardia (SVT). AV nodal reentrant achycardia (AVNRT) is the most common SVT associted with dual AV nodal physiology. The presence of VNRT and a 1:2 tachycardia in the same patient has nly been reported once. A concealed 1:2 response has lso only been reported in one patient. We report the rst case of a patient demonstrating dual AV nodal physology with sustained concealed and manifest 1:2 conuction as well as AVNRT.
A re-assessment of minocycline as a neuroprotective agent in a rat spinal cord contusion model.

Abstract This study was initiated due to an NIH “Facilities of Research—Spinal Cord Injury” contract to support independent replication of published studies that could be considered for a clinical trial in time. Minocycline has been shown to have neuroprotective effects in models of central nervous system injury, including in a contusive spinal cord injury (SCI) model at the thoracic level. Beneficial effects of minocycline treatment included a significant improvement in locomotor behavior and reduced histopathological changes [Lee, S.M., Yune, T.Y., Kim, S.J., Park, D.O.W., Lee, Y.K., Kim, Y.C., Oh, Y.J., Markelonis, G.J., Oh, T.H., 2003. Minocycline reduces cell death and improves functional recovery after traumatic spinal cord injury in the rat. J Neurotrauma. 20, 1017–1027.] To verify these important observations, we repeated this study in our laboratory. The NYU (MASCIS) Impactor was used to produce a moderate cord lesion at the vertebral level T9–T10 (height 12.5 mm, weight 10 g), (n = 45), followed by administration of minocycline, 90 mg/kg (group 1: minocycline IP, n = 15; group 2: minocycline IV, n = 15; group 3: vehicle IP, n = 8; group 4: vehicle IV, n = 7) immediately after surgery and followed by two more doses of 45 mg/kg/IP at 12 h and 24 h. Open field locomotion (BBB) and subscores were examined up to 6 weeks after SCI and cords were processed for quantitative histopathological analysis. Administration of minocycline after SCI did not lead to significant behavioral or histopathological improvement. Although positive effects with minocycline have been reported in several animal models of injury with different drug administration schemes, the use of minocycline following contusive SCI requires further investigation before clinical trials are implemented.
Sliding Mode Control With Sliding Perturbation Observer

This work introduces a new robust motion control algorithm using partial state feedback for a class of nonlinear systems in the presence of modelling uncertainties and external disturbances. The effects of these uncertainties are combined into a single quantity called perturbation. The major contribution of this work comes as the development and design of a robust observer for the state and the perturbation which is integrated into a Variable Structure Controller (VSC) structure. The proposed observer combines the procedures of Sliding Observers (Slotine et al, 1987) with the idea of Perturbation Estimation (Elmali and Olgac, 1992). The result is what is called Sliding Perturbation Observer (SPO). The VSC follows the philosophy of Sliding Mode Control (SMC) (Slotine and Sastry, 1983). This combination of controller/observer gives rise to the new routine called Sliding Mode Control with Sliding Perturbation Observer (SMCSPO). The stability analysis shows how the algorithm parameters are scheduled in order to assure the sliding modes of both controller and observer. A simplified form of the general design procedure is also presented in order to ease the practical applications of SMCSPO. Simulations are presented for a two-link manipulator to verify the proposed approach. Experimental validation of the methodology is also performed on a PUMA 560 robot. A superior control performance is obtained over some full state feedback techniques such as SMC and Computed Torque Method.
Inhibition of TNF-α Improves Indomethacin-Induced Enteropathy in Rats by Modulating iNOS Expression

TNF-α, including other proinflammatory cytokines alone or in combination, induces iNOS expression and upregulates inflammatory responses. We evaluated the relationship between TNF-α and iNOS expression in indomethacin-induced jejunoileitis in male Sprague–Dawley rats. Rats were fed a daily dose of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor—either theophylline or pentoxifylline—for 2 days. Jejunoileitis was induced with two subcutaneous injections of indomethacin (7.5 mg/kg) 24 hr apart and theophylline or pentoxifylline continued for 12 hr or 4 days. Other rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody (TNF-Ab) 30-min before indomethacin. At 4 days TNF-Ab, theophylline, or pentoxifylline treatment significantly decreased indomethacin-induced ulceration, myeloperoxidase activity, and disease activity index. Although indomethacin significantly increased serum TNF-α and nitrate/nitrite levels over the control value as early as 12 hr, iNOS expression was detected only after 4 days. Serum IL-1β level did not change at 12 hr but increased fourfold at 4 days. Treatment with TNF-Ab, theophylline, or pentoxifylline significantly reduced serum/tissue TNF-α, IL-1β, nitrate/nitrite, and iNOS expression. The downregulation of nitrate/nitrite by these inhibitors suggests that TNF-α modulates iNOS expression.
Dependence of the normalized radar cross section of water waves on Bragg wavelength-wind speed sensitivity

Measurements of the normalized radar cross section (/spl sigma//spl deg/) made by the YSCAT ultrawideband scatterometer during an extended deployment on the Canada Centre for Inland Waters (CCIW) Research Tower located at Lake Ontario are analyzed and compared with anemometer wind measurements to study the sensitivity of /spl sigma//spl deg/ to the wind speed as a function of the Bragg wavelength. This paper concentrates on upwind and downwind azimuth angles in the wind speed range of 4.5-12 m/s. While YSCAT collected measurements of /spl sigma//spl deg/ at a variety of frequencies and incidence angles, this paper focuses on frequencies of 2.0, 3.05, 5.30, 10.02, and 14.0 GHz and incidence angles within the Bragg regime, 30-50/spl deg/. Adopting a power law model to describe the relationship between /spl sigma//spl deg/ and wind speed, both wind speed exponents and upwind/downwind (u/d) ratios of /spl sigma//spl deg/ are found using least squares linear regression. The analysis of the wind speed exponents and u/d ratios show that shorter Bragg wavelengths (/spl Lambda/<4 cm) are the most sensitive to wind speed and direction. Additionally, vertical polarization (V-pol) /spl sigma//spl deg/ is shown to be more sensitive to wind speed than horizontal polarization (H-pol) /spl sigma/, while the H-pol u/d ratio is larger than the V-pol u/d ratio.
Comparison of respiratory responses to Metarhizium anisopliae extract using two different sensitization protocols.

Abstract Metarhizium anisopliae, an entomopathogenic fungus, is a prototypic microbial pesticide licensed for indoor control of cockroaches, a major source of allergens. We have previously demonstrated allergy and asthma-like responses in BALB/c mice intraperitoneally (IP) sensitized in the presence of adjuvant and intratracheally (IT) challenged with the soluble factors from M. anisopliae crude antigen (MACA) ( Ward et al., 1998 , Ward et al., 2000 ). This protocol has been used frequently to establish animal models of allergenicity. However, the sensitization protocol is artificial and not representative of an environmental exposure. Concern has been raised that this protocol might produce allergic responses that would not occur under normal environmental exposure conditions. The objective of this study was to compare responses in mice to MACA by two exposure protocols: (1) exclusive respiratory exposures without adjuvant (representative of environmental exposures) and (2) intraperitoneal sensitization in the presence of adjuvant followed by IT challenge (the traditional approach). The intratracheal protocol consisted of four IT exposures of 10 μg MACA in 50 μl HBSS each over a 4-week period. A vehicle control group of mice was exposed IT to HBSS. The intraperitoneal protocol consisted of IP sensitization with 25 μg MACA in 0.2 ml of 1.3% alhydrogel (aluminum hydroxide) followed 14 days later with an IT challenge (10 μg MACA/50 μl HBSS). Airway reactivity responsiveness to methacholine was assessed, serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were obtained, and the lungs were fixed for histopathology at 1, 3, and 8 days following the last MACA IT challenge. Both groups exhibited immune and pulmonary responses typical of allergic asthma. In general, local responses in the lung, including inflammatory responses (eosinophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages), BALF IgE, and functional responses to methacholine were greater in the IT sensitized group compared to the IP sensitized group, whereas the systemic IgE response was greater in the IP sensitized group. The BALF IL-5 cytokine levels were elevated before and throughout the eosinophil influx. IL-4 was detected in the BALF of IP sensitized, but not IT sensitized mice. Histopathologic changes in the two groups were similar in nature but more severe in the IT mice. The results suggest that the IP sensitization protocol does not induce the level of respiratory responsiveness that results from sensitization by a physiologically relevant route of exposure. Thus total serum IgE levels, which were greater following IP sensitization, may not be the best indicator of allergen potency, at least with respect to respiratory responses.
Tear secretion by lacrimal glands in transgenic mice lacking water channels AQP1, AQP3, AQP4 and AQP5

The expression of three aquaporin (AQP)-type water channels has been reported in the lacrimal gland: AQP5 in the apical membranes of acinar and duct cells, AQP4 in the basolateral membranes of acinar cells, and AQP1 in microvascular endothelia. Recent experiments indicate that water movement through AQP5 in the salivary gland is important in saliva secretion. To investigate the role of aquaporins in lacrimal gland function, basal and pilocarpine-stimulated tear secretion was compared in wildtype mice and knockout mice lacking AQP1, AQP4 and AQP5, as well as AQP3, which was found here to be expressed in the basolateral membrane of acinar cells. Tear fluid was collected in anesthetized mice using microcapillary tubes before and at 4 min intervals after pilocarpine administration. Tear fluid volumes were (in microliter per 4 min, S.E.): 0.69 +/- 0.06 (wildtype mice), 0.70 +/- 0.07 (AQP1 -/-), 0.81 +/- 0.13 (AQP3 -/-), 0.62 +/- 0.14 (AQP4 -/-), and 0.78 +/- 0.09 (AQP5 -/-) (differences not significant). Chloride concentrations (average 155 +/- 13 mM) measured by a fluorescence assay were also not different in tear fluid collected from wildtype vs aquaporin null mice. These findings provide direct evidence against an essential role for aquaporins in lacrimal gland fluid secretion. The requirement for aquaporins in salivary but not lacrimal gland secretion, may involve the substantially slower fluid secretion rate across lacrimal gland acinar cells.
Performance characteristics for the series-parallel resonant converter

This paper presents a new circuit topology known as series-parallel resonant converter (SPRC), which is a combination of both the series resonant converter (SRC) and the parallel resonant converter (PRC) topologies. This topology has several advantages when compared to the individual SRC and PRC. For example, the SPRC can operate under open load conditions, and it allows for zero-current switching operation. Using the steepest descent algorithm, the state-plane equations are numerically solved to obtain the performance characteristic curves. Based on these curves, a converter design procedure can be devised. A specific design example is given.
Excess enthalpy and entropy of aqueous tetramethylguanidinium methanesulfonate and trifluoromethanesulfonate solutions

Abstract Relative apparent molal heat contents, φ L , are reported for the tetramethylguanidinium salts of methanesulfonic (MS) and trifluoromethanesulfonic (TFMS) acids. Relative partial molal heat contents, L 2 , are calculated and combined with previously reported activity coefficient data, to yield excess entropies. It is found that the values of L 2 make the principal contribution to the excess entropies of Me 4 GuMS solutions while the excess free energies, as calculated from activity coefficients, make the greatest contribution to the excess entropies of Me 4 GuTFMS solutions.
Chronic laryngitis associated with gastroesophageal reflux: prospective assessment of differences in practice patterns between gastroenterologists and ENT physicians.

Chronic Laryngitis Associated with Gastroesophageal Reflux: Prospective Assessment of Differences in Practice Patterns Between Gastroenterologists and ENT Physicians
Cysteine biosynthetic enzymes are the pieces of a metabolic energy pump.

Understanding the mechanisms of free energy transfer in metabolism is fundamental to understanding how the chemical forces that sustain the molecular organization of the cell are distributed. Recent studies of molecular motors (1-3) and ATP-driven proton transport (4-6) describe how chemical potential is transferred at the molecular level. These systems catalyze energy transfer through structural change and appear to be dedicated exclusively to their coupling tasks (7, 8). Here we report the discovery of a new class of energy-transfer system. It is a biosynthetic pump composed of cysteine biosynthesis enzymes, ATP sulfurylase and O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase, each with its own catalytic function and from whose interactions emerge ness function: the hydrolysis of ATP. The hydrolysis is kinetically and energetically linked to the chemistry catalyzed by ATP sulfurylase, the first enzyme in the cysteine biosynthetic pathway, in such a way that each molecule of ATP hydrolyzed, each stroke of the pump, produces 1 equivalent of that enzyme's product. These findings integrate cysteine metabolism and broaden our understanding of the ways in which higher order allostery is used to effect free energy transfer.
VALIDATION OF HIGH-FIDELITY TRAFFIC SIMULATION MODELS

A multistage validation framework that accounts for the realistic nature of traffic simulation output data is proposed. The framework consists of conceptual validation and operational validation. The operational validation comprises a qualitative approach, which involves static and animated Turing tests, and a quantitative approach, which involves three levels of statistical tests. Particularly in the third-level statistical test, the autocorrelation and nonstationary nature of traffic simulation output data is emphasized, its implications on validation methods are explored, and a univariate nonseasonal autoregressive-integrated-moving-average (ARIMA) modeling approach is proposed. Finally, numerical results for an actual freeway network are presented. The validation results illustrate that the proposed multistage validation procedure can account for the complexity of the validation task and its conclusions.
Multi-speaker/speaker-independent architectures for the multi-state time delay neural network

The authors present an improved multistate time delay neural network (MS-TDNN) for speaker-independent, connected letter recognition which outperforms an HMM (hidden Markov model) based system (SPHINX) and previous MS-TDNNs. They also explore new network architectures with internal speaker models. Four different architectures characterized by an increasing number of speaker-specific parameters are introduced. The speaker-specific parameters can be adjusted by automatic speaker identification or by speaker adaptation, allowing for tuning-in to a new speaker. Both methods lead to significant improvements over the straightforward speaker-independent architecture. Even unsupervised tuning-in (speech is unlabeled) works well. >
THE DYNAMICALLY INFORMED CHOICE OF A NEW LEADER

The authors analyze and discuss the processes and dynamics involved in the choice of a new leader. Considerations include the organizational climate, the search committee, and leader being replaced, organizational leanings, requisite organizational work, desirable candidate characteristics, and factors affecting integration of the new leader.
Grief, depression, and the DSM-5.

Though bereaved persons often have depressive symptoms, grief typically runs its course within 2 to 6 months and requires no treatment. But the new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders may define bereavement as a depressive disorder.
From serendipity to design - making agrochemicals to order

Magnus Walter who worked for several years at Jealott's Hill Research Station (formerly Zeneca Agrochemicals, now Syngenta Crop Protection) describes recent advances in the structure-based design of agrochemicals.
HBL-1 patterns synaptic remodeling in C. elegans

During development, circuits are refined by the dynamic addition and removal of synapses; however, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that dictate where and when synaptic refinement occurs. Here we describe transcriptional mechanisms that pattern remodeling of C. elegans neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). The embryonic GABAergic DD motor neurons remodel their synapses, whereas the later born VD neurons do not. This specificity is mediated by differential expression of a transcription factor (HBL-1), which is expressed in DD neurons but is repressed in VDs by UNC-55/COUP-TF. DD remodeling is delayed in hbl-1 mutants whereas precocious remodeling is observed in mutants lacking the microRNA mir-84, which inhibits hbl-1 expression. Mutations increasing and decreasing circuit activity cause corresponding changes in hbl-1 expression, and corresponding shifts in the timing of DD plasticity. Thus, convergent regulation of hbl-1 expression defines a genetic mechanism that patterns activity-dependent synaptic remodeling across cell types and across developmental time.
Transport-chemistry coupling in the reduced description of reactive flows

The reduced description of inhomogeneous reactive flows by chemistry-based low-dimensional manifolds is complicated by the transport processes present and the consequent transport-chemistry coupling. In this study, we focus on the use of intrinsic low-dimensional manifolds (ILDMs) to describe inhomogeneous reactive flows. In particular we investigate three different approaches which can be used with ILDMs to incorporate the transport-chemistry coupling in the reduced description, namely, the Maas–Pope approach, the ‘close-parallel’ approach, and the approximate slow invariant manifold (ASIM) approach. For the Maas–Pope approach, we validate its fundamental assumption: that there is a balance between the transport processes and chemical reactions in the fast subspace. We show that even though the Maas–Pope approach makes no attempt to represent the departure of composition from the ILDM, it does adequately incorporate the transport-chemistry coupling in the dynamics of the reduced system. For the ‘close-pa...
CONFORMATIONAL INFORMATION FROM VIBRATIONAL SPECTRA OF STYRENE, TRANS-STILBENE, AND CIS-STILBENE

Two electron correlation theories, second-order Moller−Plesset perturbation (MP2), and density functional (DFT) methods have been adopted to obtain fully optimized structures of styrene, trans-stil...
Role of the preprobe delay in memory-scanning tasks

In a variation of Sternberg’s (1966,1969) memory-scanning task not requiring an explicit negative response, Diener (1988) found that a preprobe delay was necessary to produce the usual setsize effect. In Experiment 1 of the present study, the effect of the preprobe delay was investigated in the typical two-response task. In the absence of a preprobe delay, the function relating response latency to set size was virtually flat for negative responses, but was described by a slope of about 18 msec/item for positive responses. Further research suggested that the reduced set-size effect in the absence of a preprobe delay is the result of expectancy effects usually controlled by the preprobe delay. Informing the subject of the size of the memory set before it was presented (Experiment 2) produced a set-size effect of the usual magnitude in the absence of a preprobe delay. Experiment 3 was designed to assess the effects of expectancy in the absence of a memory search. A task similar in stimulus arrangement to the memory-scanning task but requiring the subject to indicate whether the last digit in the set was odd or even produced a decrease in response latency with set size of 29 msec/item in the absence of a preprobe delay.
Gender differences in internalizing problems among sexually abused early adolescents

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was twofold. First, we determined whether sexually abused adolescent boys or girls were more likely to have internalizing behavior scores in the clinical range. Second, after determining boys were more likely than girls to have an internalizing behavior problem, we tested whether this relationship would persist after several other variables were accounted for: characteristics of the sexual abuse, exposure to domestic violence, self-efficacy, and their peer and caregiver relationships. METHODS: A national probability sample of children investigated by child protective services for child maltreatment was used. The sample consisted of 127 girls and 31 boys, ages 11-14. RESULTS: Sexually abused boys were more likely than girls to have an internalizing behavior problem in the clinical range even after controlling for several variables. Exposure to domestic violence, more severe sexual abuse, sexual abuse by a non-relative, and the amount of autonomy support provided by caregivers also increased the likelihood internalizing problem. CONCLUSIONS: During early adolescence, sexually abused boys may be more likely than sexually abused girls to have a clinically significant internalizing behavior problem. Researchers need to continue to investigate whether sexually abused boys are as likely as girls or more likely than girls to have an internalizing behavior problem in later adolescence. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Internalizing symptoms warrant careful screening and assessment with sexually abused boys and girls who experience more intrusive sexual abuse, who are sexually abused by a non-relative, who are exposed to domestic violence, and who receive lower autonomy support from their caregivers. Language: en
The Politics of Numbers: Is Majority Rule Always Fair?

Is the electorate always right? Mathematician George Szpiro shows how majority voting can throw up some unexpected results. The electorate is always right, isn't it? Not necessarily. As George Szpiro shows, majority decisions can result in unintended cycles, a dunce may upset a sure thing, and dishonest electors are able to manipulate elections.
Hermite interpolation and A-stable methods for stiff ordinary differential equations

Hermite interpolation in the form of Newton's divided difference expressions is employed to give a generating function for A-stable difference methods of order 2n. These methods can be used to solve the initial value ordinary differential equation y'=g(y,t), y(a)=@h. The extension to higher dimensions is considered, and practical suggestions are given for step size changes and order changes.
Compiling for niceness: mitigating contention for QoS in warehouse scale computers

As the class of datacenters recently coined as warehouse scale computers (WSCs) continues to leverage commodity multicore processors with increasing core counts, there is a growing need to consolidate various workloads on these machines to fully utilize their computation power. However, it is well known that when multiple applications are co-located on a multicore machine, contention for shared memory resources can cause severe cross-core performance interference. To ensure that the quality of service (QoS) of user-facing applications does not suffer from performance interference, WSC operators resort to disallowing co-location of latency-sensitive applications with other applications. This policy translates to low machine utilization and millions of dollars wasted in WSCs.This paper presents QoS-Compile, the first compilation approach that statically manipulates application contentiousness to enable the co-location of applications with varying QoS requirements, and as a result, can greatly improve machine utilization. Our technique first pinpoints an application's code regions that tend to cause contention and performance interference. QoS-Compile then transforms those regions to reduce their contentious nature. In essence, to co-locate applications of different QoS priorities, our compilation technique uses pessimizing transformations to throttle down the memory access rate of the contentious regions in low priority applications to reduce their interference to high priority applications. Our evaluation using synthetic benchmarks, SPEC benchmarks and large-scale Google applications show that QoS-Compile can greatly reduce contention, improve QoS of applications, and improve machine utilization. Our experiments show that our technique improves applications' QoS performance by 21% and machine utilization by 36% on average.
Internal impingement of the shoulder: a clinical and arthroscopic analysis.

Internal impingement was first described by Walch in 1992 and defined as contact between the supraspinatus tendon and posterior-superior glenoid rim with the shoulder in the cocked, throwing position of 90 degrees of abduction and maximum external rotation. The hypothesis of the study was that this contact may be seen in patients who are not throwing athletes nor in those who have instability. One hundred five consecutive patients who underwent shoulder arthroscopy were prospectively studied with preoperative history and physical examination. All patients underwent general anesthesia and arthroscopy with a standard posterior portal. With the patient under arthroscopy the arm was placed in abduction and external rotation until contact was made or until full elevation was reached. Eighty-five percent (N = 90) of the patients made contact between the rotator cuff and glenoid rim at an average of 95 degrees of abduction and 74 degrees of external rotation. No statistically significant relationship was seen (P > .05) between the position of contact at internal impingement and mechanism of injury, throwing versus nonthrowing, instability, rotator cuff tear, preoperative external rotation, or preoperative impingement signs. The intraoperative finding of contact of the rotator cuff to the posterosuperior glenoid with the arm in abduction and external rotation can occur in a wide spectrum of shoulder disease and is not limited to the throwing athlete. Not all patients with increased laxity and instability demonstrate this contact, suggesting that these factors may not be essential for internal impingement.
Addiction becomes a brain disease.

A question of major interest is whether the response and stimulus learning established by drugs of abuse differs in kind or merely differs in strength from the response and stimulus learning established by more natural reinforcers like food or sexual interaction. Gaetano Di Chiara (University of Cagliari) reported microdialysis comparisons of dopamine responses in nucleus accumbens and frontal cortex (sites at which drugs of abuse elevate extracellular dopamine levels) in animals receiving a highly palatable and novel food. While all three structures showed elevated dopamine in response to the food, this response habituates after a single feeding (and can remain habituated for 3 days) in the case of the shell of nucleus accumbens. There is no such habituation in the cases of medial prefrontal cortex or the core of nucleus accumbens; indeed, in these cases the first exposure to the food sensitizes the second. Microdialysis and electrophysiological studies of behaviors maintained by food reward on the one hand and drug reward on the other are directed to the question of what normal functions are accomplished by the brain circuitry that is sequestered by drugs of abuse.Perhaps the most important questions about the neuroadaptations underlying addiction remain difficult to approach experimentally. We have as yet no way to identify those synapses involved in drug-seeking habits; as a result, we have no way of differentiating them from synapses—in all likelihood neighbors of one another—involved in other habits and foraging behaviors. Thus, we have as yet no way to compare the memory traces of addiction habits with those of more natural and usually less compulsive habits. This remains as a major challenge for the next decade of addiction research.*E-mail: rwise@intra.nida.nih.gov.
The extent of single firm dominance in U.S. manufacturing industries: Comment

In a recent article in this journal, Eckard (1989) uses data on the Herfindahl index from the 1982 Census of Manufactures (henceforth the Census) in an attempt to calculate upper and lower bounds for the share of the largest firm ($1) in each of 437 four-digit S.I.C. industries. In this comment I demonstrate that (i) the results Eckard reports for the lower bound of S 1 are inconsistent with his algorithm and (ii) his algorithm for calculating the minimum value of the largest Farm's share contains several serious errors. I also suggest improvements for parts of his algorithm.
Aerodynamic Model for the Early Evolution of Feathers Provided by Propithecus (Primates, Lemuridae)

Abstract The initial selective context for the evolution of feathers has remained enigmatic, and recent research has focused inappropriately on the first known bird, the late Jurassic Archaeopteryx, which already had a fully developed, modern avian wing. Thus, speculative preadaptive scenarios have been envisioned to explain the initial evolution of feathers, with scarce attention paid to their primary role as aerodynamic structures. The lemurs known as sifakas, with their "gliding membranes" and rearward projecting brachial hair, provide a crucial, yet to date overlooked, analogy that illustrates parsimoniously how feathers could have evolved directly from brachial scales as aerodynamic features, with each successive minor evolutionary stage fully adaptive.
Progesterone and ovulation across stages of the transition to menopause.

Objective: Detailed characterization of progesterone and ovulation across the menopausal transition provides insight into conception risk and mechanisms of reproductive aging. Methods: Participants (n = 108, aged 25-58 y) collected daily urine specimens for 6-month intervals in each of 5 consecutive years. Specimens were assayed for pregnanediol glucuronide (PDG), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and estrone glucuronide (E1G). Reproductive stage was determined using cycle length variance. A hierarchical algorithm was used to identify ovulation. Linear mixed-effects models estimated (1) the frequency and day of ovulation by age and stage; (2) differences in FSH, LH, and E1G levels between ovulatory (O) and anovulatory (AO) cycles; and (3) total PDG levels and PDG levels in O cycles by age and stage. Results: The probability of AO cycles increased across the perimenopause (P 60%), but one quarter of cycles longer than 60 days were O. Average day of ovulation was later in the late perimenopause (mean [SD] cycle day, 27 [25] d) compared with the premenopause. FSH and LH levels were higher and E1G levels were lower in AO than O cycles (P < 0.0001 for each). Total PDG decreased in the late perimenopause, but 95th percentile PDG in O cycles declined steadily across the transition. Conclusions: Exposure to the risk of conception in women experiencing cycles long enough to classify them as late perimenopausal is far from negligible. Reproductive stage is more informative than age about PDG levels and the likelihood of anovulation.
Identification of myosin in isolated synaptic junctions.

Summary A monospecific antibody prepared against chicken gizzard myosin reacted with only one peptide corresponding to myosin heavy chain (Mr = 200,000) in gels of synaptic plasma membranes (SPM) and synaptic junctions (SJ) prepared from several species. Preadsorption of antisera with purified brain myosin eliminated antibody reactivity to SPMs and SJs. SJs were found to contain approximately 3 times the concentration of myosin found in SPMs when assayed by an indirect immunoradiometric assay. Postsynaptic density and myelin fractions contained no myosin detectable by immunoradiometric assay, antibody binding to gels, or Coomassie blue staining. The band identified as myosin in SJ fractions yielded peptide fingerprints indistinguishable from fingerprints of purified brain myosin but distinct from fingerprints of purified smooth and skeletal muscle myosins. The distribution of exogenous [ 125 I]myosin during subcellular fractionation indicated that myosin in isolated synaptic junctions could not have resulted from artifactual re-distribution of soluble myosin. Together these results show that a non-muscle myosin is an endogenous component of CNS asymmetric synapses.
The mechanisms of elevated temperature property losses in high performance structural epoxy resin matrix materials after exposures to high humidity environments

Abstract : The objective of this research program was the determination of the mechanisms by which epoxy resins utilized in high performance composites and adhesives exhibit losses in their elevated temperature properties as a result of exposure to a humid environment. The study specifically considered an epoxy resin formulation that is characteristic of a variety of composite and adhesive systems. The moisture absorption and diffusion characteristics of this resin system were first investigated as a function of simple humidity environments and simulated real-life environments which included therm spikes. In addition, the effect of absorbed moisture on the resin system's glass transition temperature, T(g), was determined as a function of both simple humidity and real-life exposures. This was followed by a study into the tensile and creep behavior of the epoxy resin as a function of absorbed moisture. A variety of experimental techniques were utilized to accomplish these studies: constant strain rate and dynamic tensile measurements, infrared spectroscopy, heat distortion tests, bomb creep tests, scanning electron microscopy, polarized-light photomicroscopy, and ESCA. The results established that moisture plasticized this particular epoxy resin, causing a lowering of the Tg which in turn affected mechanical response, such as by shifting the relaxation moduli to shorter times. This phenomenon is described and quantified in terms of an existing free volume theory relationship.
A mammalian homologue of SLY1, a yeast gene required for transport from endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi.

Abstract We characterized rat cDNAs that predict a protein, r-Slyl, which is similar to SLY1, a yeast protein that plays a critical role in endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi apparatus vesicle trafficking. The r-Slyl gene is expressed in all tissues examined
Increased plasma DNA integrity index in head and neck cancer patients

Analysis of the length of circulating DNA in plasma has been reported as a marker for solid tumor detection. We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of increased plasma DNA length to identify patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and monitor posttreatment disease status. Fifty-eight HNSCC patients with paired pre- and postoperative plasma and 47 plasma samples from control subjects were analyzed using quantitative PCR to determine plasma DNA integrity index. We found that the mean DNA integrity index was significantly greater in the plasma from HNSCC patients, 0.24 (95% CI: 0.11, 0.38), when compared to plasma from the control subjects, -2.24 (95% CI: -2.92, -1.56), p < 0.0001 using multivariate analysis. The optimal sensitivity (the value for which sensitivity equals specificity) was found at a plasma DNA integrity index of 0.82: sensitivity, 84.5%; specificity, 83%. However, there was no significant difference noted between pre- and postoperative DNA integrity index in plasma samples from HNSCC patients. This study shows that DNA integrity index in the plasma of the patients with HNSCC is increased in comparison with that in the plasma from non-HNSCC control subjects. Lack of normalization of plasma DNA integrity index after surgical resection implies the persistence of a population of cells with an altered pattern of DNA degradation despite removal of malignancy.
Bridging the Gap Between Negotiating Experience and Analysis

This article describes a teaching approach aimed at helping students to develop the skills needed to understand the negotiation research literature as well as make them more sensitive observers of negotiation processes. The approach consists of moving from the students' specific experiences to a general framework which is used to analyze cases of international negotiation. Students then attempt to reconceptualize their experiences in terms of the framework's analytical categories. This approach is recommended as an alternative to role-play exercises for integrating experience and analysis in graduate courses on negotiation.
The behavior of the NCAA: A question of ethics

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is commonly viewed as a safety net for individual athletes, for universities, and for inter-collegiate sports programs. They help reduce injury to athletes, they participate in the marketing of athletic events, and they continue to change the rules of college sport to make it more fun for the spectators. There is another view that argues the NCAA is a buyers' cartel or monopsonist that engages in price-fixing for colleges and universities. The prices they fix are the wages of student athletes and they accomplish this through regulations that prohibit the athlete from receiving any income other than in-kind scholarship payments. Students who receive other kinds of scholarships are not subject to these same restrictions. For example, students who receive scholarships in music can and do augment their income by performing for pay. It is the opinion of some that these price fixing scholarship agreements limiting the income of student athletes discriminates against a whole class of scholarship recipients. They also believe that this kind of behavior on the part of colleges and universities that make up the membership of the NCAA is highly unethical and may even be illegal.
Exhaust Particle Characterization for Lean and Stoichiometric DI Vehicles Operating on Ethanol-Gasoline Blends

Gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines can offer better fuel economy and higher performance over their port fuel-injected (PFI) counterparts, and are now appearing in increasingly more U.S. and European vehicles. Small displacement, turbocharged GDI engines are replacing large displacement engines, particularly in light-duty trucks and sport utility vehicles, in order for manufacturers to meet the U.S. fuel economy standards for 2016. Furthermore, lean-burn GDI engines can offer even higher fuel economy than stoichiometric GDI engines and have overcome challenges associated with cost-effective aftertreatment for NOx control. Along with changes in gasoline engine technology, fuel composition may increase in ethanol content beyond the current 10% due to the recent EPA waiver allowing 15% ethanol. In addition, the Renewable Fuels Standard passed as part of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) mandates the use of biofuels in upcoming years. GDI engines are of environmental concern due to their high particulate matter (PM) emissions relative to port-fuel injected (PFI) gasoline vehicles; widespread market penetration of GDI vehicles may result in additional PM from mobile sources at a time when the diesel contribution is declining. In this study, we characterized particulate emissions from a European certified lean-burn GDI vehicle operating on ethanol-gasolinemore » blends. Particle mass and particle number concentration emissions were measured for the Federal Test Procedure urban driving cycle (FTP 75) and the more aggressive US06 driving cycle. Particle number-size distributions and organic to elemental carbon ratios (OC/EC) were measured for 30 MPH and 80 MPH steady-state operation. In addition, particle number concentration was measured during wide open throttle accelerations (WOTs) and gradual accelerations representative of the FTP 75. Fuels included certification gasoline and 10% (E10) and 20% (E20) ethanol blends from the same supplier. The particle mass emissions were approximately 3 and 7 mg/mile for the FTP75 and US06, respectively, with lower emissions for the ethanol blends. The data are compared to a previous study on a U.S.-legal stoichiometric GDI vehicle operating on the same ethanol blends. The lean-burn GDI vehicle emitted a higher number of particles, but had an overall smaller average size. Particle number per mile decreased with increasing ethanol content for the transient tests. For the 30 and 80 mph tests, particle number concentration decreased with increasing ethanol content, although the shape of the particle size distribution remained the same. Engine-out OC/EC ratios were highest for the stoichiometric GDI vehicle with E20, but tailpipe OC/EC ratios were similar for all vehicles.« less
A Note on Roe's Characterization of the Sine Function

Let f (n)n = 0, ? 1, ?2, ... be a sequence of complex valued functions on the real line with (d/dx)f(n) = f(n+l) and satisfying inequalities If (n)(x) I 0. Then f(0)(x) = p(x)eix + q(x)e-ix where p and q are polynomials of degree at most k. In his paper [1] J. Roe proves Theorem (Roe [ 1]). Let {f (fl) _= be a two way infinite sequence of real valued functions defined on the real line R. Assume f (n+,) (x) = (d/dx)f (n) (x) and that there is a constant M so that If(n)(X)I 0, a E [0, 1), and a nonnegative integer k satisfying (2) Ifn(x)I ? M (1 + IxI)k+(t. If (3) lim M =0 all e>0 n(1 + e) Received by the editors July 28, 1986 and, in revised form, June 1, 1988. 1980 Mathematics Subject Classification (1985 Revision). Primary 33A10; Secondary 42A38. ? 1989 American Mathematical Society 0002-9939/89 $1.OO + $.25 per page
Search for weakly populated states in the decay of 51 Cr

A low level counting facility equipped with two large Na I(Tl) detectors was used to search for previously reported transitions of 470 and 640 keV in the decay of51Cr. Our results yield upper limits of 1.4× 10−6 and 0.95× 10−6 transitions/decay for these two transitions, respectively. These limits are now so low as to indicate these levels do not exist in51V.
Mixing quantification by visual imaging analysis

This paper reports on development of a method for quantifying two measures of mixing, the scale and intensity of segregation, through flow visualization, video recording, and software analysis. This non-intrusive method analyzes a planar cross section of a flowing system from an instantaneous data record, thereby eliminating the need for statistical analysis of a large number of point measurements at multiple locations throughout the system to characterize the mixing. The method is applied to a cold flow model of a high temperature, gas/solid reactor so that reactor design and operation can be optimized to promote reaction efficiency. This method may be useful for studying a variety of mixing systems in which multiphase components or tracers are visually distinguishable.
Workplace Exercise for Control of Occupational Neck/Shoulder Disorders: A Review of Prospective Studies

A review was conducted of prospective studies (1997–2014) examining the efficacy of exercise as a workplace intervention to control neck/shoulder pain, symptoms, and disability. The review identified 38 relevant studies – 20 were classified with positive effects, 13 with null effects, and 5 as inconclusive. Of the positive studies, 12 were consistent with Level I evidence, 3 with Level II evidence, and 5 with Level IV evidence. Specific resistance training (SRT) exercise appeared to be associated with more positive studies (eight Level I studies) than other exercise modalities such as general resistance training, general physical exercise, stretching, and movement awareness exercises. Studies of longer trial duration tended toward more null findings and lower program compliance. Evidence for a primary preventive effect of workplace exercise is minimal. The findings of this review suggest that workplace exercise can be effective as tertiary prevention and therapeutic relief of neck/shoulder symptoms, at least over the shorter term.
A hybrid hierarchical neural network—fuzzy expert system approach to chemical process fault diagnosis

Abstract Increasing complexity of the chemical process industries (CPI) requires more reliable and efficient real time diagnostic tools. Here, a hybrid diagnostic methodology is introduced for fault diagnosis based on a hierarchical multilayer perceptron-elliptical neural network structure and a fuzzy expert system. The introduced hybrid system is noise tolerant, easy to train and maintain and also reliable under changing process conditions.