cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurement of in vivo protein synthesis in rats during an exercise bout

Abstract The purpose of the present investigation was twofold: (i) to develop a simple and reliable method for measuring muscle protein synthesis in vivo and (ii) to use the method to study the effect of exercise on muscle protein synthesis. The method that has been developed is based on the principle that [ 3 H]tyrosine is released at a fairly constant rate from a subcutaneously injected emulsion of water and sesame oil. Incorporation of label into muscle protein and [ 3 H]tyrosine specific activity are linear for at least 60 min. Thus, removing muscle samples at two time periods (30 and 60 min) allows the rate of muscle protein synthesis to be determined. In a previous study, we found that swimming rats for 1 hr resulted in an 18% reduction in the rate of protein synthesis. In the present study, 1 hr or running resulted in a 30% depression while running to exhaustion caused a 71% depression in muscle protein synthesis. These results indicate that muscle protein synthesis changes in response to the intensity and the duration of an exercise bout.
Comparative impact of paraclinical studies in establishing the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

We prospectively examined 58 patients with suspected or confirmed multiple sclerosis (MS) to evaluate the impact of paraclinical studies (evoked potentials (EPs) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI] in the diagnostic evaluation of these patients. All patients had cranial MRI studies, brain-stem auditory (BAEP), visual (VEP), posterior tibial (PTN-SSEP) and median somatosensory (MN-SSEP) EPs. Patients were categorized according to criteria of Poser et al. initially without knowledge of paraclinical studies. On the basis of clinical history, neurological examination and CSF chemical analysis, there were 18 (31%) clinically definite (CD). 10 (17%) laboratory supported definite (LSD), 13 (22%) clinically probable (CP) MS cases; 17 (29%) cases could not be classified. By providing electrophysiological and/or anatomical evidence for a 'second lesion,' paraclinical studies permitted 25 patients to move from one diagnostic category to another, reflecting an increased certitude of the diagnosis. Twelve moved to CDMS by either MRI or one EP study. Four moved to CDMS on the basis of MRI only, and four moved to CDMS by VEP only. Five moved from an unclassified status to either LSDMS or CPMS by PTN-SSEP (2), by PTN-SSEP or MRI (1), by MRI or VEP (1) and by VEP only (1). Thus, the diagnosis of MS was refined in 28% of the patients (7/25) by incorporation of EPs alone whereas cranial MRI by itself increased the diagnostic certainty in only 16% (4/25). In the remaining 56%, the diagnosis was refined by use of either EPs or MRI. Overall, EP provided evidence for a 'second lesion' in 36% of the patients (21/58) and MRI 31% (18/58). While MRI may ultimately prove the single most useful paraclinical study in the diagnosis of MS. VEPs, and PTN-SSEPs by assessing areas currently not imaged by MRI, remain essential in patient evaluation. Changes in EPs and MRI technology will undoubtedly redefine the role of these diagnostic techniques.
Expression of HGF, its receptor c-met, c-myc, and albumin in cirrhotic and neoplastic human liver tissue.

SUMMARY Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common type of cancer, with approximately 260,000 new cases each year, and liver cirrhosis is generally considered a major predisposing factor for HCC. However, specific changes of gene expression in liver cirrhosis and HCC remain obscure. The expression of genes for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), its receptor c-met proto-oncogene, c-myc proto-oncogene, and albumin was analyzed. Gene expression was studied by PCR in seven normal human livers, nine cases of hepatitis C cirrhosis, 12 cases of alcoholic cirrhosis, two cases of liver adenoma, and 12 cases of HCC. HGF and c-met protein were revealed by immunofluorescent staining. HGF mRNA was not expressed in normal livers but was detected in adenomas, in 80% of HCC, and in some cirrhoses. Paraffin-embedded and fresh-frozen tissue samples yielded similar results. Immunohistochemical data correlated with PCR results regarding the overexpression of the HGF/ c-met system in HCC. Albumin gene expression was decreased in HCC vs normal livers, consistent with altered function of tumor hepatocytes. The elevated expression of the HGF/ c-met system in HCC may play a role in tumor development and/or progression. Tissue localization studies of HGF and its receptor c-met protein support the existence of both autocrine and paracrine mechanisms of action of HGF in HCC vs only a paracrine mechanism in normal liver. (J Histochem Cytochem 45:79‐87, 1997)
Elevation in body temperature to fever range enhances and prolongs subsequent responsiveness of macrophages to endotoxin challenge.

Macrophages are often considered the sentries in innate immunity, sounding early immunological alarms, a function which speeds the response to infection. Compared to the large volume of studies on regulation of macrophage function by pathogens or cytokines, relatively little attention has been devoted to the role of physical parameters such as temperature. Given that temperature is elevated during fever, a long-recognized cardinal feature of inflammation, it is possible that macrophage function is responsive to thermal signals. To explore this idea, we used LPS to model an aseptic endotoxin-induced inflammatory response in BALB/c mice and found that raising mouse body temperature by mild external heat treatment significantly enhances subsequent LPS-induced release of TNF-α into the peritoneal fluid. It also reprograms macrophages, resulting in sustained subsequent responsiveness to LPS, i.e., this treatment reduces “endotoxin tolerance” in vitro and in vivo. At the molecular level, elevating body temperature of mice results in a increase in LPS-induced downstream signaling including enhanced phosphorylation of IKK and IκB, NF-κB nuclear translocation and binding to the TNF-α promoter in macrophages upon secondary stimulation. Mild heat treatment also induces expression of HSP70 and use of HSP70 inhibitors (KNK437 or Pifithrin-µ) largely abrogates the ability of the thermal treatment to enhance TNF-α, suggesting that the induction of HSP70 is important for mediation of thermal effects on macrophage function. Collectively, these results support the idea that there has been integration between the evolution of body temperature regulation and macrophage function that could help to explain the known survival benefits of fever in organisms following infection.
The syntactic basis of referential hierarchy phenomena: clues from languages with and without morphological case

An attempt is made to gain a general understanding of how referential hierarchy phenomena work morphosyntactically. Languages with and without morphological case turn out to adopt rather different strategies for dealing with the demands that referential hierarchies place on their clause structure. An investigation of Kashmiri (with morphological case) and Northern Tiwa (without case) indicates that at least two factors influence the morphosyntactic manifestation of hierarchy phenomena: a structural association that appears to exist between referential features of clitics and agreement and inflectional structure on the one hand, and the competing demands on inflectional structure from Nominative agreement vs. high ranking referential features on the other. A consideration of these two factors contributes to an understanding of why certain hierarchy phenomena take the form they do, why different strategies are used in different types of languages to avoid violations of the hierarchy, and the role that morphological case marking can play in hierarchy phenomena.
Doppler study of precordial musical murmurs.

Abstract Using phonocardiography, continuous- and pulsed-wave Doppler, 51 patients with precordial “musical” murmurs (49 with cardiac abnormalities) and 21 patients with noisy murmurs were examined. With M-mode echocardiography, fine fluttering of the structure generating the murmur was evident in 23 patients with musical murmurs and in 5 with noisy murmurs. A continuous-wave Doppler spectral signal characterized by parallel harmonics (Doppler musical signal) was evident in all patients with musical murmurs and in none with a noisy murmur. With pulsed-wave Doppler, the musical signal had less defined spectral features because of range ambiguity. Such a signal was experimentally reproduced by activating a diapason bathed in saline solution. The source of the musical murmur was established in all 51 patients by Doppler. The musical signal was associated with a valvular regurgitation signal was associated with a valvular regurgitation signal in 36 patients and with a ventricular septal defect in 1 patient. The musical signal always disappeared when the pulsed-wave Doppler sample volume was placed 2 cm away from the generating structure. In 11 patients with musical murmur examined by color Doppler, no abnormal bidirectional flow signal was observed in the structures generating the signal. In 6 of the patients without valvular regurgitation, no flow disturbance was found. In conclusion, Doppler is valuable in determining the source of musical murmurs, and musical murmurs are caused by a vibrating structure even in the absence of flow turbulence.
ROLE OF HYDROXYL‐BEARING AMINO ACIDS IN DIFFERENTIALLY TUNING THE ABSORPTION SPECTRA OF THE HUMAN RED AND GREEN CONE PIGMENTS

The human red and green cone pigments differ at either 15 or 16 amino acids, depending upon which polymorphic variants are compared. Seven of these amino acid differences involve the introduction or removal of a hydroxyl group. One of these differences, a substitution of alanine for serine at position 180, was found previously to produce a 5 nm blue shift. To determine the role of the remaining six hydroxyl group differences in tuning the absorption spectra of the human red and green pigments, we have studied six site-directed mutants in which single amino acids from the green pigment have been substituted for the corresponding residues in the red pigment. Blue shifts of 7 and 14 nm were observed upon substitution of phenylalanine for tyrosine at position 277 and alanine for threonine at position 285, respectively. Single substitutions at positions 65, 230, 233, and 309 produced spectral shifts of 1 nm or less. These data are in good agreement with a model based upon sequence comparisons among primate pigments and with the properties of site-directed mutants of bovine rhodopsin. Nonadditive effects observed in comparing the absorption spectra of red-green hybrid pigments remain to be explained.
Training chemistry students to ask research questions

In previous studies, science students have been trained to ask more and better questions through intensive instruction apart from the ongoing academic program. Cognitive strategies (such as questioning) are developed best, however, within the framework of an academic subject. In the current study, questioning skills were taught to high school chemistry students in the context of their laboratory experiments. Since both intellectual development and questioning skills are causally related to problem solving, the effect of intellectual development on the learning of questioning skills also was investigated. The Piagetian model of intellectual development was chosen for its demonstrated effects on many important aspects of science instruction. The number and quality of student research questions was measured by the Science Inquiry Assessment Instrument. The student's level of intellectual development was measured by the Classroom Test of Formal Operations. The twelve-week experimental treatment involved printed lessons which taught students to ask research questions in response to unanticipated observations in their regularly scheduled laboratory experiments. The pretest exaggerated the effect of this treatment. This effect, however, was significant among unpretested students, accounting for 14% of the post-test score variance. The level of intellectual development has no effect on these post-test scores. These important questioning skills can be acquired within the framework of the regularly scheduled classroom activities by high school chemistry students, irrespective of their level of Piagetian intellectual development.
Sulfur Dioxide as a Preservative for High Moisture Legume Silage

Summary Legume silage harvested by the direct cut method was used to measure the value of SO 2 as a preservative. Comparisons were made between SO 2 -treated and untreated silages on the basis of a feeding trial and chemical analysis. Both silages were palatable, and the cows consumed an average of 65lb. per day during the trial. There were no differences between the two silages on the basis of milk production or body weight during the 60-day feeding trial. The analyses showed the SO 2 -treated silage was lower in pH, moisture, and fiber, and higher in protein, than the untreated silage. These differences were statistically significant. No significant difference was shown for ether extract, ash, and carotene.
Advertising images among Hong Kong Chinese: Use of individual modernity and western orientation clusters in determining market segmentation∗

Advertising is a highly visible force in Hong Kong society. Within this diverse environment, media organizations and marketers attempt to define target markets (market segmentation) composed of persons who are most likely to be influenced by their marketing and advertising efforts. This research, based on a 1,019 sample face‐to‐face intercept survey, segments the market based on measures of self‐ascribed individual modernity and individual traditionalism and Chinese and Western value orientation. The scales are statistically analysed by cluster analysis, to place each respondent into clusters. The segmentation scheme viability is analysed in relation to media consumption and attitudes about specific advertising issues in six areas: 1. consumer benefits and economic force; 2. credibility; 3. entertainment value; 4. social force; 5. manipulation and motivation; and 6. repetition. The segmentation of individual modernity/traditionalism and Chinese/Western orientation provides greater differentiation than age...
Work design and patient safety

This paper describes the linkages between work design and patient safety. The focus is on nursing work; however, many of the concepts and methods are equally applicable to other healthcare professions. Work design relies on a large body of knowledge, including ergonomics, job stress and job/organizational design. First, a general framework of work design and patient safety is proposed. The proposed framework assumes that when designing or redesigning work one needs to examine different elements of a work system, i.e. the individual, the tasks, tools and technologies, the physical environment and organizational conditions. The second part of the report discusses the work design process, i.e. what it consists of, the ‘toolbox’ of tools and methods used to evaluate the work system and design and implement solutions, and principles for successful work (re)design projects. Finally, a number of recommendations to healthcare decision makers are proposed. §An extended version of this paper was written for the US ...
Carbon nanotube Schottky diodes using Ti-Schottky and Pt-ohmic contacts for high frequency applications

We have demonstrated Schottky diodes using semiconducting single-walled nanotubes (s-SWNTs) with titanium Schottky and platinum Ohmic contacts for high-frequency applications. The diodes are fabricated using angled evaporation of dissimilar metal contacts over an s-SWNT. The devices demonstrate rectifying behavior with large reverse bias breakdown voltages of greater than 15 V. To decrease the series resistance, multiple SWNTs are grown in parallel in a single device, and the metallic tubes are burnt-out selectively. At low biases these diodes showed ideality factors in the range of 1.5 to 1.9. Modeling of these diodes as direct detectors at room temperature at 2.5 terahertz (THz) frequency indicates noise equivalent powers (NEP) potentially comparable to that of the state-of-the-art gallium arsenide solid-state Schottky diodes, in the range of 10-13 W(square root)xHz.
Biosensors for detection of pathogenic bacteria

Abstract This paper presents an overview of different physicochemical instrumental techniques for direct and indirect identification of bacteria such as: infrared and fluorescence spectroscopy, flow cytometry, chromatography and chemiluminescence techniques as a basis for biosensor construction. A discussion of publications dealing with emerging biosensors for bacterial detection is presented. The review presents recent advances in the development of alternative enzyme- and immunosensors for detection of pathogenic bacteria in a variety of fields (e.g. clinical diagnostics, food analysis and environmental monitoring). Depending on the biological element employed: enzyme; nucleic acid and antibody based biosensors are discussed. Depending on the basic transducer principles, recent advances in biosensing technologies that use electrochemical, piezoelectric, optical, acoustic and thermal biosensors for detection of pathogenic bacteria are overviewed. Special attention is paid to methods for improving the analytical parameters of biosensors including sensitivity and analysis time as well as automation of assay procedures. Recent developments in immunofiltration, flow-injection and flow-through biosensors for bacterial detection are overviewed from the system’s engineering point of view. Future directions for biosensor development and problems related to the commercialization of bacterial biosensors are discussed in the final part of this review.
LoadSense: Passively estimating cellular load

Mobile devices experience high fluctuations in data throughput over cellular networks such as 3G and LTE networks due to two key factors - link quality and cellular load. Communication during a low throughput period leads to increase in energy consumption for the data transfer. To address this problem, we designed LoadSense, a novel technique to passively estimate cellular load on a mobile device, and predict high and low throughput periods taking both link quality and cellular load into account. Mobile devices can leverage LoadSense to schedule communication during high throughput periods in order to reduce energy consumption. In this demo paper, we highlight the technical details of LoadSense and show how it works in real deployment settings.
A 2-GHz CMOS image-reject receiver with LMS calibration

This paper describes a sign-sign least-mean squares (LMS) technique to calibrate gain and phase errors in the signal path of a Weaver image-reject receiver. The calibration occurs at startup and the results are stored digitally, allowing continuous signal reception thereafter. Fabricated in a standard digital 0.25-/spl mu/m CMOS technology, the receiver achieves an image-rejection ratio of 57 dB after calibration, a noise figure of 5.2 dB, and a third-order input intercept point of -17 dBm. The circuit consumes 55 mW in calibration mode and 50 mW in normal receiver mode from a 2.5-V power supply. The prototype occupies an area of 1.23 /spl times/ 1.84 mm/sup 2/.
Reorienting metropolitan land use and transportation policies in the USA

Abstract Uncoordinated land use and transportation planning has promoted a sprawl pattern of development in many US metropolitan areas. This article examines why and how metropolitan land use and transportation policies in the USA should be reoriented and linked in the future in order to meet the new mandates of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 and the Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990. The findings of this article would be useful to local and metropolitan planners, transportation engineers and public policy makers engaged in metropolitan land use and transportation planning.
Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Liquid Slosh Behavior Using Ground-Based Platforms

Liquid-propellant slosh events occurring during orbital maneuvers of a rocket’s upper stage may adversely affect vehicle performance. Mission planners require accurate and validated simulation tools to understand and predict the effects of slosh on the intended trajectory of the vehicle, as well as for propellant and tank thermal management. A coupledrigid-bodyandfluid-dynamicsnumerical tool is presentedwhich canbeused topredict the effect of internalfluid slosh on a tank’s trajectory. To benchmark the numerical tool, a novel experimental framework is presented which examines the influence of liquid slosh on the trajectory of moving tanks with multiple degrees of freedom. The motion history of the tank is measured along with synchronized camera images of the liquid distribution within the tank. The acquiredexperimentaldataareused toassess the accuracyof thenumerical tool.Thepredictions fromthenumerical tool are in excellent agreement with the experimentally measured data over a wide range of tank motion profiles.
Developmental Potential of Somatic Nuclei Transplanted into Meiotic Oocytes of Rana pipiens

Somatic nuclei, when transplanted into oocytes at the stage of first meiotic metaphase, were induced to undergo chromosome condensation and alignment on spindles. When the oocytes completed maturity in vitro and were activated, the somatic nuclei transformed into "fertilization" nuclei and promoted development through embryogenesis. Thus somatic nuclei can reversibly respond to cytoplasms directing either meiotic or mitotic events, and somatic nuclei from differentiated cells may be reversed by conditioning in oocytes.
Presentation and management of major complications of midurethral slings: Are complications under‐reported?

Aims: Midurethralslingshavebecomethemainstayofstressurinary incontinence (SUI) treatmentdue to their e⁄cacy and low complication rates. The purpose of this study was to report thepresentation and treatment of major complications from these minimally invasive treatments pre-sented to a tertiary referral practice and to highlight a discrepancy in major complications betweenliterature and the food and drug administration (FDA) device failure database. Methods: From2001through 2005, we reviewed all cases of midurethral sling complications that presented to ourinstitution. A literature review of all complications due to midurethral slings during the same timeperiod was performed as was the FDA manufacturer and user facility device experience (MAUDE)database queried for self-reported complications. Results: A total of 26 patients referred toUCLAwith voiding dysfunction after sling placement was found to have mesh in the urethra or bladder.Treatmentsrequiredacombinationofurethrolysis with mesh removal,urethralreconstructionwithgraft, and bladder excision. These were compared to major complications reported in the worldliterature of <1%. The MAUDE database contained 161 major complications out of a total of928 complications reported for suburethral slings. There was signi¢cantly more major complicationsreported in MAUDE than in published literature. Conclusions: Although rare, major complica-tions of midurethral slings are more common than appear in literature. Devastating complicationsinvolving urethral and bladder perforations can present with mild urinary symptoms and thus arelikely under-diagnosed and under-reported. Most of these cases need tobe managed with additionalreconstructive surgery. Neurourol.Urodynam.26:46^52,2007. 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: sling; tension-free vaginal tape; transobturator; complications; FDA MAUDEdatabase
Determining the time before birth when ischemia and hypoxemia initiated cerebral palsy

Objective To test the hypothesis that lymphocyte and normoblast counts in neonatal blood can be used to identify the time that ischemia and hypoxemia produced cerebral palsy. Methods : Blood lymphocyte and normoblast counts were analyzed at intervals after birth in 16 neonates for whom we knew the time when antenatal ischemic and hypoxemic brain damage began. These counts were compared with counts from normal newborns, infants with low Apgar scores and no cerebral palsy, and infants with cerebral palsy caused by developmental and other early gestational disorders. Results Lymphocyte counts increased to more than 10,000/mm 3 and normoblast counts to 2000/mm 3 or more within 2 hours after the brain-damaging ischemia and hypoxemia began. Lymphocyte counts returned to normal levels 24 hours after the damaging event took place, and normoblast counts in 24–36 hours. Normal neonates had a mean ± one standard deviation lymphocyte count of 4430 ± 1418/mm 3 and a normoblast count of 560 ± 771/mm 3 . Conclusion : Following the changing counts of lymphocytes and normoblasts in neonates' blood may accurately identify the time before birth when brain-damaging ischemia and hypoxemia began.
Ionic conductivity of tantalum oxide films prepared by sol-gel process for electrochromic devices

Tantalum oxide films were prepared by sol-gel process using tantalum ethoxide Ta(OC2H5)5. The dependence of deposition conditions (i.e. composition of polymeric solutions and spinning rate) on ionic conductivities for tantalum oxide films were studied. The best results achieved for films fabricated by the spin coating technique from clear polymeric solutions. These films had low packing density (rho) equals 3.2 g/cm3 and good proton conductivity (about 10-6 (Omega) -1/cm-1). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used for studying the compositions of the tantalum oxide films. We report on the use of tantalum oxide films as ion conductors in devices consisting of WO3/Ta2O5/H+ ion storage polymer structure. We found tantalum oxide to have very good properties for proton device applications.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Design, fabrication, and testing of a new twist-active wing design

This paper outlines the design, fabrication and testing techniques used for a new class of active wings. In support of recent efforts to shrink high authority, high speed aircraft flight controls for Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs), a new wing design was conceived. Quasi-vortex lattice methods were used to determine roll control power of unswept wings with (1) conventional ailerons, (2) active twist, and (3) a new method which employs root twist only. It was shown that linear wing twist provides 3.9 times more roll control than conventional ailerons. Root twist manipulations are shown to provide 1.6 times more control than twist. A comparison of control authority per unit actuator weight also shows that root actuators are more than 20% lighter than the other two systems. To drive the new root pitch actuator, a directionally attached piezoelectric (DAP) torque-late actuator was built. A laminated plate theory analysis of the 4' span, 3' chord DAP torque-plate showed good correlation between theory and experiment. The DAP torque plate was integrated into a 30' span, 4' chord graphite-epoxy wing. Structural testing showed wing pitch deflections up to +/- 1.5 degree(s) at rates in excess of 70 Hz. Wind tunnel tests were conducted between 1 and 20 ft/s (typical MAV flight speeds) and showed rolling moment coefficients up to +/- 0.026 (equivalent to +/- 8.4 degree(s) of aileron deflection), indicating that the new wing is well suited to flight control of micro-sized aircraft.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Employing boosting to compare cues to verbal feedback in multi-lingual dialog

Verbal feedback provides important cues in establishing interactional rapport. The challenge of recognizing contexts for verbal feedback largely arises from relative sparseness and optionality. In addition, cross-language and inter-speaker variations can make recognition more difficult. In this paper, we show that boosting can improve accuracy in recognizing contexts for verbal feedback based on prosodic cues. In our experiments, we use dyads from three languages (English, Spanish and Arabic) to evaluate two boosting methods, generalized Adaboost and Gradient Boosting Trees, against Support Vector Machines (SVMs) and a naive baseline, with explicit oversampling on the minority verbal feedback instances. We find that both boosting methods outperform the baseline and SVM classifiers. Analysis of the feature weighting by the boosted classifiers highlights differences and similarities in the prosodic cues employed by members of these diverse language/cultural groups.
Systematically improving the quality of IT utilization data

Efforts to reduce the cost of ownership for enterprise IT environments are spurring the development and deployment of data-driven management tools. Yet, IT data is imperfect and these imperfections can lead to inappropriate decisions that have significant technical and business consequences. In this paper, we begin by raising awareness of this problem through examples of the imperfections that occur, and a discussion of their causes and implications on IT management tasks. We then introduce a systematic approach for addressing such imperfections. Our approach allows best practices to be readily shared, simplifies the construction of IT data assurance solutions, and allows context-specific corrections to be applied until the root cause(s) of the imperfections can be fixed. To demonstrate the value of our solution, we describe a capacity planning use case. Application of our solution to an ongoing capacity planning effort reduced the (human) planner's time requirements by ≈3x to ≈6 hours, while enabling him to evaluate the data quality of ≈5x more applications and for 9 imperfection types rather than 1.
On a sequential rule for estimating the location parameter of an exponential distribution

Let us assume that observations are obtained at random and sequentially from a population with density function In this paper we consider a sequential rule for estimating μ when σ is unknown corresponding to the following class of cost functions In this paper we consider a sequential rule for estimating μ when σ is unknown corresponding to the following class of cost functions Where δ(XI,…,XN) is a suitable estimator of μ based on the random sample (X1,…, XN), N is a stopping variable, and A and p are given constants. To study the performance of the rule it is compared with corresponding “optimum fixed sample procedures” with known σ by comparing expected sample sizes and expected costs. It is shown that the rule is “asymptotically efficient” when absolute loss (p=-1) is used whereas the one based on squared error (p = 2) is not. A table is provided to show that in small samples similar conclusions are also true.
ART AND RASHI: A PORTRAIT OF A BIBLE TEACHER

Abstract This article examines the practice of teaching content-based disciplines through visual art. Qualitative and ethnographic methods are used in researching the teaching practice of a Bible teacher in a Jewish day school. The teaching method under study provides for active learning of the biblical text and demonstrates sensitivity to students' diverse theological backgrounds, various levels of text knowledge, and different modalities of learning. Acknowledgment of the diversity of students' strengths helps students to cross the bridge between biblical time and the present and creates opportunities for creating connections between subjects that are not possible with more traditional teaching methods.
Three Puzzles in Search of an Answer from Political Scientists (with Apologies to Pirandello)

fare laggard compared with similar European nations because it spends relatively less on family support, employment assistance, health insurance, or public child care. But the U.S. has always been a welfare leader in the field of education; here public schooling started much earlier, has always included more people, has until very recently given students more years of education, and has absorbed a larger share of resources. In 2001, it cost about $390 billion to educate children in public schools (that does not include higher education or the more than 10% of K-12 students
Wireless channel allocation using an auction algorithm

We develop a novel auction-based algorithm to allow users to fairly compete for a wireless fading channel. We use the second-price auction mechanism whereby user bids for the channel, during each time slot, based on the fade state of the channel, and the user that makes the highest bid wins use of the channel by paying the second highest bid. Under the assumption that each user has a limited budget for bidding, we show the existence of a Nash equilibrium strategy, and the Nash equilibrium leads to a unique allocation for certain channel state distribution, such as the exponential distribution and the uniform distribution over [0, 1]. For uniformly distributed channel state, we establish that the aggregate throughput received by the users using the Nash equilibrium strategy is at least 3/4 of what can be obtained using an optimal centralized allocation that does not take fairness into account. We also show that the Nash equilibrium strategy leads to an allocation that is Pareto optimal (i.e., it is impossible to make some users better off without making some other users worse off). Based on the Nash equilibrium strategies of the second-price auction with money constraint, we further propose a centralized opportunistic scheduler that does not suffer the shortcomings associated with the proportional fair scheduler.
Towards direct marketing of produce by farmers in India: Lessons from the United States of America

With supermarkets sourcing produce from around the world, small farmers in the United States have learned not only to survive but to thrive by employing direct marketing strategies aimed at consumers interested in obtaining locally-grown produce. In India today, small and marginal farmers are burdened by global price fluctuations, mounting debt, and unsustainable agricultural practices. Rather than give up farming, we argue that India's farmers could successfully adopt low-input farming methods as well as direct marketing models used in the US, such as farmers' markets and community-supported agriculture. With appropriate public, private, and community support, these models could hold great promise for Indian farmers. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
HABITAT SELECTION AND CURRENT DISTRIBUTION OF THE PYGMY RABBIT IN NEVADA AND CALIFORNIA, USA

We surveyed the historic range of pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) in Nevada and California using infrared-triggered cameras to determine the species’ current distribution and habitat selection. Areas with potential habitat were mapped using geographical information system coverages for elevation, big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) vegetation, and loamy soils. Within this region random sites and field-selected sites with sagebrush islands (prominent clusters of sagebrush higher than the surrounding sagebrush) were surveyed for the presence of pygmy rabbits. Sites were measured for sagebrush height, surrounding sagebrush height, sagebrush cover, and soil composition. Likelihood of pygmy rabbit occupancy at a site increased with the presence of sagebrush islands, increasing sagebrush cover, and decreasing surrounding sagebrush height. Additionally, we surveyed 1,394 other sites across the species’ historic range and found current activity of pygmy rabbits at 258 of these sites. We measured sagebrush cover, sagebrush height, understory stem density, and presence or absence of cottontail rabbits, jackrabbits, red soils, cheatgrass, and rodent burrows at 454 sites. We used 80% of the data to create a logistic regression model. The top-ranked Akaike’s information criterion–selected model suggested that likelihood of pygmy rabbit occupancy at a site increased with increasing sagebrush cover, decreasing understory stem density, absence of cottontails, absence of reddish soils, absence of cheatgrass, and absence of rodent burrows. This model showed a 79% accuracy rate in predicting occupancy within the remaining data. Current populations of pygmy rabbits were found throughout all of the species’ historic range in Nevada and the southern portion of its range in California.
Synergistic effects of combined Landsat-TM and SIR-B data for forest resources assessment

Abstract Three different incidence angle data sets, obtained by the Shuttle Imaging Radar-B in October 1984 over a forested area in northern Florida, were combined with Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper data, to create a digitally registered 10 channel optical/microwave data set. The work discussed in this paper involved the analysis of the data obtained by the two sensors separately and in combination, to determine if there are synergistic effects obtained through the simultaneous use of data obtained from both the optical and microwave portion of the spectrum. The radar data were filtered with a low-pass filter to eliminate the speckle noise. Classifications of the TM, SIR-B and combined TM +SIR-B data sets were performed with both per-point and contextual classifiers. The results showed that filtered radar data can be used to classify accurately major cover types (i.e., pine forest, swamplands and radar smooth targets) and that the contextual classifier provided better classification performance. The combined ...
How Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-A (VEGF) Regulates Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF), a key factor in angiogenesis, plays an essential role in skeletal development and postnatal homeostasis. VEGF serves as a survival factor for chondrocytes and couples the resorption of cartilage with bone formation during endochondral ossification. Recently, it has also been found to regulate the balance between osteoblast and adipocyte differentiation in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Surprisingly, this regulatory function of VEGF is not based on paracrine signaling involving cell surface receptor activation. Instead, the mechanism appears to utilize intracellular VEGF, which is functionally linked to the nuclear envelope protein lamin A. Lamin A and VEGF control osteoblast and adipocyte differentiation by regulating the levels of the osteoblast and adipocyte transcription factors Runx2 and PPARγ, respectively. These data raise the intriguing possibility that loss of bone mass during aging may be manipulated by controlling the levels and activity of intracellular VEGF in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.
Drain Read Disturb Assessment of NOR Flash Memory

Drain read disturb (RD) is becoming an intrinsic reliability concern for NOR flash scaling and MLC operation. A drain RD time-to-error model has been generated which takes into consideration the voltage dependence, read cycling, and Poisson random statistics. This model can be used to optimize the circuit read timing design and to assess process improvement to ensure that products meet the customer spec and lifetime usage.
Functional conservation of the wingless-engrailed interaction as shown by a widely applicable baculovirus misexpression system.

Abstract Background: The expression patterns of the segment polarity genes wingless and engrailed are conserved during segmentation in a variety of arthropods, suggesting that the regulatory interactions between these two genes are also evolutionarily conserved. Hypotheses derived from such comparisons of gene expression patterns are difficult to test experimentally as genetic manipulation is currently possible for only a few model organisms. Results: We have developed a system, using recombinant baculoviruses, that can be applied to a wide variety of organisms to study the effects of ectopic expression of genes. As a first step, we studied the range and type of infection of several reporter viruses in the embryos of two arthropod and one vertebrate species. Using this system to express wingless , we were able to induce expression of engrailed in the anterior half of each parasegment in embryos of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster . Virus-mediated wingless expression also caused ectopic naked ventral cuticle formation in wild-type Drosophila larvae. In the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum , ectopic wingless also induced engrailed expression. As in Drosophila , this expression was only detectable in the anterior half of the parasegment. Conclusions: The functional interaction between wingless and engrailed , and the establishment of cells competent to express engrailed , appears to be conserved between Drosophila and Tribolium . The data on the establishment of an engrailed -competent domain also support the idea that prepatterning by pair-rule genes is conserved between these two insects. The recombinant baculovirus technology reported here may help answer other long-standing comparative evolutionary questions.
Cube Eine dreidimensionale visuelle Programmiersprache

Cube ist eine dreidimensionale visuelle Programmiersprache, die fur eine Virtual-Rcality-Programmicr-umgebung entworfen wurde. Sie ist statisch typisiert und basiert auf einer hoherordrigen Form von Horn-Logik. Wir stellen Cube informell anhand einer Reihe von Beispielprogrammen vor und beschreiben die ersten beiden Prototyp-Implementierungen der Sprache.
Many-to-One Trapdoor Functions and Their Ralation to Public-Key Cryptosystems

The heart of the task of building public key cryptosystems is viewed as that of“making trapdoors;” in fact, public key cryptosystems and trapdoor functions are often discussed as synonymous. How accurate is this view? In this paper we endeavor to get a better understanding of the nature of“trapdoorness” and its relation to public key cryptosystems, by broadening the scope of the investigation: we look at general trapdoor functions; that is, functions that are not necessarily injective (ie., one-to-one). Our first result is somewhat surprising: we show that non-injective trapdoor functions (with super-polynomial pre-image size) can be constructed from any one-way function (and hence it is unlikely that they suffice for public key encryption). On the other hand, we show that trapdoor functions with polynomial pre-image size are sufficient for public key encryption. Together, these two results indicate that the pre-image size is a fundamental parameter of trapdoor functions. We then turn our attention to the converse, asking what kinds of trapdoor functions can be constructed from public key cryptosystems. We take a first step by showing that in the random-oracle model one can construct injective trapdoor functions from any public key cryptosystem.
Improving Elementary Classroom Management: A School-Based Training Program for Beginning the Year.

AbstractIn this article I discuss data from a randomized field experiment conducted in 29 classrooms, Grades 1-6. Treatment group teachers were provided with classroom management workshops prior to the beginning of school and again in mid-October. Control group teachers received workshops at the end of the year only. The experiment was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a research-based classroom management program and to determine if local site personnel could deliver the program. Results showed that the treatment group teachers exceeded the control group in use of key management principles taught in the workshops, had better student task engagement, and had less inappropriate behavior. This study supports similar findings in secondary classrooms.
Experimentally Derived Resistivity for Dielectric Samples From the CRRES Internal Discharge Monitor

Resistivity values were experimentally determined using charge-storage methods for six samples remaining from the construction of the internal discharge monitor flown on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES). Three tests were performed over a period of three to five weeks each in a vacuum of ~5times10-6 torr with an average temperature of ~25degC to simulate a space environment. Samples tested included FR4, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and alumina with copper electrodes attached to one or more of the sample surfaces. FR4 circuit-board material was found to have a dark-current resistivity of ~1times1018 Omegamiddotcm and a moderately high polarization current. Fiber-filled PTFE exhibited little polarization current and a dark-current resistivity of ~3times1020 Omegamiddotcm. Alumina had a measured dark-current resistivity of ~3middot1017 Omegamiddotcm, with a very large and more rapid polarization. Experimentally determined resistivity values were two to three orders of magnitude more than found using standard American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) test methods. The 1-min wait time suggested for the standard ASTM tests is much shorter than the measured polarization current-decay times for each sample indicating that the primary currents used to determine ASTM resistivity are caused by the polarization of molecules in the applied electric field rather than charge transport through the bulk of the dielectric. Testing over much longer periods of time in vacuum is required to allow this polarization current to decay away and to allow the observation of charged-particle transport through a dielectric material. Application of a simple physics-based model allows separation of the polarization current and dark-current components from long-duration measurements of resistivity over day- to month-long time scales. Model parameters are directly related to the magnitude of charge transfer and storage and the rate of charge transport
Protein phosphatase inhibitors arrest cell cycle and reduce branching morphogenesis in fetal rat lung cultures.

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a key signal transduction intermediate in the regulation of cellular proliferation and differentiation in vitro. However, the role of PP2A in the context of a devel...
Cyclic and Reciprocal Sedimentation in Virgilian Strata of Southern New Mexico

Virgilian cycles of the Holder Formation in the shelf area on the northeast side of the Pennsylvanian Oro Grande basin contrast lithologically with the cycles in equivalent basinal sediments cropping out to the south and west. Basin cycles begin with cross-bedded sandstone and grade upward through relatively thick shale to a dark tidal-flat lime mudstone and shale. Shelf cycles contain a variable sandstone and shale lower member, with local channel-fill conglomerate. This grades upward through normal marine limestone and shale to a massive capping bed of shoal-water lime grainstone of algal-foraminiferal lime mud mound facies. The two sequences may be correlated by considering that sea level fluctuated repeatedly over the whole basin, and that major sedimentation alternated between the shelves and the basin. At periods of low stand, shelf areas were dry, sediment crossed the shelf, and terrigenous clastic materials began filling in the basin. Argillaceous sedimentation continued as sea level rose. The shelves were drowned, and deeper, turbid, and partly euxinic water in the basin made the basin inhospitable for organisms. Late in each cycle, clastic influx diminished, and thick shoal limestones formed in clear water on the shelves whereas, perhaps, little or no sedimentation took place in the basin. Regression regularly occurred during this period of carbonate shelf sedimentation. Limestone beds capping the cycles commonly possess leached or oxidized surfaces, indicating that their tops were exposed subaerially. Limestone was deposited in the basin only when sea level had dropped enough to turn its level floor into tidal flats and evaporitic ponds. The basin-shelf margin area may be examined in detailed cross section on the western front of the northern Sacramento Mountains. These studies help document a sedimentational theory first published in 1958 by Van Siclen who pointed out that late Paleozoic carbonate shelf margins were built up around the east side of the Midland basin in north-central Texas, and that the basin was reciprocally filled with clastic sediments at times of lowered sea level. In the Sacramento-Oro Grande case periodic sea-level drops at a minimum of 100-150 feet can be estimated. Such fluctuations probably occurred here at least 20 times during latest Pennsylvanian time.