cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mergers, Taxes, and Historical Realism

Under the Internal Revenue Code, mergers and acquisitions qualifying as "reorganizations" are treated as non-events for tax purposes. Neither the shareholder nor the corporation recognizes gain or loss on the exchange of stock or securities in such transactions. In the midst of the largest merger movement in this country's history, this Article asks why we provide this generally favorable tax treatment. The long-accepted answer, set forth in a 1957 Harvard Law Review article entitled "Mergers, Taxes, and Realism," is that while several rationales were offered originally, changed circumstances have left few plausible justifications. This Article disagrees, arguing that there is an historical and continuing explanation rooted in our conceptual understanding of income that has been largely ignored by commentators. The reorganization provisions were enacted at the height of a conceptual and practical debate between supporters of the consumption and accretion models. Taxpayers worried about the calculation of income based upon paper gains while the government worried about the indefinite deferral of taxation. The tax-free reorganization provision, enacted at a time when the legal status of the government's treatment of capital gains and stock dividends was still uncertain, effected a compromise between these two models of taxation. Given that the struggle between the accretion and consumption tax visions continues to this day, this Article concludes the tax-free reorganization remains an integral part of this compromise.
CD45 alternative exon expression in murine and human CD4+ T cell subsets.

Leukocytes express a family of high m.w. glycoproteins called leukocyte common Ag (CD45), which are involved in phosphotyrosine signal transduction. Antibodies to different CD45 isoforms distinguish functionally different CD4+ T cell subsets in humans, rats, and mice. Selected protein isoforms are expressed through a process of exon splicing that is cell-type and differentiation-state specific. Splicing of the three variable exons, A, B, and C, which encode amino acids located near the extracellular amino terminus of the protein, potentially results in generation of eight different mRNA transcripts. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relative levels of all eight different CD45 transcripts present in a panel of murine CD4+ T cell lines and normal murine and human CD4+ T cell subsets separated with antibodies to CD45 variable exons. We show, as expected, that the broad features of CD45 surface isoform expression in these cells can be accounted for by the relative amounts of the eight differentially spliced transcripts. Unexpectedly, all the differences in CD45 isoform expression among the CD4+ T cell subpopulations that we measured could be accounted for by differences in the overall level of variable exon expression. We did not see differences among T cell populations in the relative expression of particular variable exons. Exon B was always found in greater abundance than exons C or A. Of the dual exon species, only AB and BC were found in CD4+ T cells. The AC species was undetectable. Human CD4+ T cells, especially those in the naive subset, express higher levels of CD45 variable exons than murine CD4+ T cells.
A heteroduplex template circumvents the energetic requirement for ATP during activated transcription by RNA polymerase II

Unlike most eukaryotic and prokaryotic RNA polymerases, promoter-specific transcription by RNA polymerase II requires hydrolysis of the ATP beta-gamma phosphoanhydride bond. Here we show that a template containing a 10-base pair DNA mismatch encompassing the start site circumvents this requirement such that the non-hydrolyzable ATP analogues, ATP gamma S (adenosine 5'-O-(thiotriphosphate)) and AMP-PNP (adenyl-5'-yl imidodiphosphate), support both basal and GAL4-VP16-activated transcription in a reconstituted HeLa cell in vitro transcription system. The results imply that ATP regulates either opening of the template at the start site or a closely associated step.
Biochemistry of vaccinia-infected mouse fibroblasts (strain L-M). II. Properties of the chromosomal DNA of infected cells.

Abstract The properties of L-M fibroblast DNA were investigated following cell infection by vaccinia (IHD). The DNA isolated from cells at 15.5–21 hours post inoculation (PI) was indistinguishable from DNA of control cells with respect to the molecular extinction coefficient and the banding in CsCl density gradients. The intrinsic viscosity was only slightly lowered. DNA isolated from autolyzed cells 2 days after vaccinia addition was considerably degraded. The effect of vaccinia upon the DNA of cells prelabeled with thymidine-H 3 was studied. The total DNA radioactivity of infected cells declined by less than 10% in 24 hours, and there was no accumulation of radioactivity in the acid-soluble pool. No radioactivity was detected in partially purified vaccinia harvested 14.5 hours PI from prelabeled cells. The effect of bromodeoxyuridine (BUDr) on propagation of vaccinia in normal L-M cells and in L-M cells resistant to BUDr [L-M (BU-25)] has been investigated. Although L-M (BU-25) and L-M cells appear to be equally susceptible to infection with vaccinia and undergo similar pathological changes, the infectious virus yield from both cell lines in medium containing BUDr was about 2% of that in normal medium.
Discourse, identity, and China's internal migration: The long march to the city, by Dong, J.

Dong Jie's Discourse, Identity, and China's Internal Migration: The Long March to the City is a multifaceted, lingua-centric exploration of rural–urban migrant identity formation. This book demonst...
Fluorescent nanoparticles for the accurate detection of drug delivery.

Introduction: The application of intravenously administered nanoparticle (NP) therapies is increasingly being explored for a variety of diseases. The key to their success lies in a thorough understanding of nanoparticle pharmacological behavior, specificity and elimination kinetics. Fluorescent imaging techniques provide exciting opportunities to gain insight into such NP behavior in complex biological systems, at macroscopic as well as microscopic levels.Areas covered: In this review, we will summarize NP labeling methods in relation to their established and emerging fluorescent imaging modalities for in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo studies of NP behavior. We will highlight novel applications and discuss recent developments in techniques such as fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT), Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET), and Raman imaging. Finally, we will provide a perspective on the challenges and future directions of NP-based fluorescent labeling and imaging in nanotherapeutics.Expert opinion: Co...
MIWI2 and MILI Have Differential Effects on piRNA Biogenesis and DNA Methylation

In developing male germ cells, prospermatogonia, two Piwi proteins, MILI and MIWI2, use Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) guides to repress transposable element (TE) expression and ensure genome stability and proper gametogenesis. In addition to their roles in post-transcriptional TE repression, both proteins are required for DNA methylation of TE sequences. Here, we analyzed the effect of Miwi2 deficiency on piRNA biogenesis and transposon repression. Miwi2 deficiency had only a minor impact on piRNA biogenesis; however, the piRNA profile of Miwi2-knockout mice indicated overexpression of several LINE1 TE families that led to activation of the ping-pong piRNA cycle. Furthermore, we found that MILI and MIWI2 have distinct functions in TE repression in the nucleus. MILI is responsible for DNA methylation of a larger subset of TE families than MIWI2 is, suggesting that the proteins have independent roles in establishing DNA methylation patterns.
Performance of Portable Automatic Wastewater Composite Sample Collectors

A summary of the reliability of eleven commercially available wastewater sample collectors is presented. Installation procedures are reported which resulted from about 90 000 h of operation with sampling equipment at municipal and industrial waste treatment facilities under summer and winter conditions. Water chemistry data, primarily five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD,), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and nonfilterable solids (NFS), for time and flow-proportional samples collected concurrently by piston pump, peristaltic pump, vacuum, and pressure operated compositors were compared to results obtained with manual sampling techniques. Variations in nonfilterable solids levels exceed 100 percent in some instances for composite samples collected at the same point and over the same time span by different models of commercially available compositor equipment. Variations in five-day biochemical oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand levels were also significant but ranged, generally, from 35 to 50 percent. A proposal is presented for the development of a standardized test procedure for evaluation of sampler performance based on suspended solids recovery. Equipment features which the "ideal" sampler would incorporate are recommended.
An Efficient Modeling and Meshing Method for the Finite Element Calculation of the Ship Magnetic Field

Geometry modeling and meshing are directly related to the effectiveness and accuracy of the finite element calculation. In order to improve above two key technologies, small size ferromagnetic objects on the ship deck are simplified, and the parametric idea is introduced into the ship model meshing. A typical ship model is set up on the platform of software FLUX. The above improved technologies are tested in FLUX in the earth magnetic environment. The experimental results show that the simplified modeling can greatly reduce the amount of calculation, and parametric meshing can effectively improve the computational efficiency, which proves that the above improved method is an efficient method for the finite element calculation of the ship magnetic field.
Dynamic Ultrasound With Varus Stress Used to Diagnose a Previously Concealed Medial Meniscus Extrusion

A 51-year-old man with a history of bilateral knee osteoarthritis presented with new posterior right knee pain and swelling refractory to intra-articular corticosteroid injections, viscosupplementation, and a medial unloader brace. Previous radiographs demonstrated medial compartment narrowing, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed medial meniscus posterior horn degenerative tearing but no ligamentous injury. Despite consistently palpable posterior knee fullness on physical examination, neither repeat MRI nor conventional diagnostic musculoskeletal ultrasound revealed intra-articular effusion, a Baker cyst, or another mass lesion. TECHNIQUE Diagnostic ultrasound was repeated, this time with provocative knee maneuvers, with the use of a SonoSite M-Turbo ultrasound machine (SonoSite Inc., Bothell, WA) with a high-frequency linear transducer at a frequency of 17 MHz. When varus stress was applied with the knee in 30° of flexion, ultrasound revealed an obvious posterior horn medial meniscus extrusion that was previously undetectable in traditional, neutral knee positions. Furthermore, we observed no obvious joint opening in varus or valgus stress, suggesting no underlying medial collateral ligament injury. Figure 1 shows diagnostic ultrasound images in short axis (transverse relative to the medial meniscus) in both neutral and varus positions, with the corresponding illustrations below depicting the dynamic extrusion.
Temperature Dependence of Hyperfine Coupling of S -State Ions in Cubic Environment

The experiments of Walsh, Jeener, and Bloembergen on ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{2+}$: MgO exhibit a hyperfine-coupling constant $A$ which decreases with increasing temperature, contrary to the contribution from lattice thermal expansion. This paper proposes a mechanism in which excited $s$-like configurations are admixed into the $3{d}^{5}$ configuration by the orbit-lattice interaction. The hyperfine field resulting from such admixtures is opposite to the $T=0$ (primarily core polarization) hyperfine field. As the amplitude of phonon vibrations is thermally increased, a net decrease of $A$ is predicted, the temperature dependence of which is in agreement with the results of Walsh et al. An estimate of the magnitude of this mechanism using a near-neighbor point-charge model falls somewhat short of the observed magnitude, but the discrepancy is shown to originate in the evaluation of the orbit-lattice coupling constant. In view of the primitive model currently used to compute these coupling constants, agreement in magnitude of the calculated and observed shift is as good as can be expected.
The relative merits of altered fractionation in lung cancer with some emphasis in small cell lung cancer

Although some have negated the progress that has been achieved in the last decade, there has been steady improvement in the median survivals and two-year survivals as compared to trials published and presented from the Ashford Castle, Ireland Meeting in 1983 [l]. In that year, the median survivals approximated one year; 2-year survivals were at best 14 to 17 per cent. There are a number of explanations for this including stage migration and selection factors, all of which influence patient entry onto trials. However, better chemotherapeutics with platinum etoposide-based programs (instead of cyclophosphamide doxorubicin-based programs) and improved abilities to deliver radiotherapy in concurrent or alternating schemes may have contributed to these improved results. A major reason to add radiotherapy to combined modality trials in small cell lung cancer is the approximately 80% local failure rate with chemotherapy alone. Even with the addition of radiotherapy in low doses, the failure rate still approximates 80% and in higher doses it remains at roughly 30% [2]. The best local control rate published is 97% after 60 Gy was used with an infrequently used chemotherapy regimen [3]. The median and 2-year survival were too short, perhaps reflecting poor systemic control with this chemotherapy program.
MicroRNAs in Cholangiopathies.

Cholangiocytes, the cells lining bile ducts, comprise a small fraction of the total cellular component of the liver, yet perform the essential role of bile modification and transport of biliary and blood constituents. Cholangiopathies are a diverse group of biliary disorders with the cholangiocyte as the target cell; the etiopathogenesis of most cholangiopathies remains obscure. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. These small RNAs may not only be involved in the etiopathogenesis of disease, but are also showing promise as diagnostic and prognostic tools. In this brief review, we summarize recent work regarding the role of microRNAs in the etiopathogenesis of several cholangiopathies, and discuss their utility as prognostic and diagnostic tools.
The Ames Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity assay

The Ames Salmonella/microsome mutagenicity assay (Salmonella test; Ames test) is a short-term bacterial reverse mutation assay specifically designed to detect a wide range of chemical substances that can produce genetic damage that leads to gene mutations. The test employs several histidine dependent Salmonella strains each carrying different mutations in various genes in the histidine operon. These mutations act as hot spots for mutagens that cause DNA damage via different mechanisms. When the Salmonella tester strains are grown on a minimal media agar plate containing a trace of histidine, only those bacteria that revert to histidine independence (his(+)) are able to form colonies. The number of spontaneously induced revertant colonies per plate is relatively constant. However, when a mutagen is added to the plate, the number of revertant colonies per plate is increased, usually in a dose-related manner. The Ames test is used world-wide as an initial screen to determine the mutagenic potential of new chemicals and drugs. The test is also used for submission of data to regulatory agencies for registration or acceptance of many chemicals, including drugs and biocides. International guidelines have been developed for use by corporations and testing laboratories to ensure uniformity of testing procedures. This review provides historical aspects of how the Ames was developed and detailed procedures for performing the test, including the design and interpretation of results.
Noncoding RNAs and enhancers: complications of a long-distance relationship

Spatial and temporal regulation of gene expression is achieved through instructions provided by the distal transcriptional regulatory elements known as enhancers. How enhancers transmit such information to their targets has been the subject of intense investigation. Recent advances in high throughput analysis of the mammalian transcriptome have revealed a surprising result indicating that a large number of enhancers are transcribed to noncoding RNAs. Although long noncoding RNAs were initially shown to confer epigenetic transcriptional repression, recent studies have uncovered a role for a class of such transcripts in gene-specific activation, often from distal genomic regions. In this review, we discuss recent findings on the role of long noncoding RNAs in transcriptional regulation, with an emphasis on new developments on the functional links between long noncoding RNAs and enhancers.
Investigation of the structural properties of lead-iron phosphate glasses using liquid chromatography and Raman scattering spectroscopy

The techniques of high performance liquid chromatography and Raman scattering spectroscopy have been employed in investigations of the structural properties of a series of lead-iron phosphate glasses: [1 - x]Pb(PO3)2 +[x]Fe2O3, 0
Immunohistochemical fate of ochratoxin A in mice

By a highly specific antibody against ochratoxin A (OA), the immunohistochemical fate of po administered OA in Swiss mice given a single dose of 25 mg/kg was examined by light microscopy with two immunoperoxidase methods, an indirect method and a peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. Immunohistochemical staining for OA was demonstrated in the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, kidneys, and liver. OA was most intense in the gastrointestinal tract, intermediate in the kidneys, and least in the liver. In the gastrointestinal tract, OA was demonstrable: (i) in the squamous layer of the esophagus, (ii) in the surface mucus and within macrophages and neutrophils of the stomach lamina propria, (iii) within the cytoplasm of duodenal and jejunal surface epithelial cells as well as within macrophages and neutrophils of the duodenal and jejunal lamina propria. Maximal gastrointestinal tract staining was evident from 5 min to 3 hr, while the esophagus remained stained for 24 hr postdosing. No evidence of OA was obtained in the ileum. In the kidneys, the vast majority of OA was localized within the cytoplasm of the proximal convoluted tubular cells as brown-stained vacuoles, whose size became largest at 3 hr postdosing. Staining for OA was also demonstrated within the epithelium of distal convoluted tubules, the macula densa, the loop of Henle, and sometimes within the epithelium of Bowman's capsule and glomerulus. OA in hepatocytes was most intense between 40 min and 3 hr postdosing. Stained hepatocytes were slightly more concentrated in the periportal area than in the area of the central vein and typically exhibited strong cytoplasmic but weak and infrequent nuclear staining. Biliary excretion of OA was demonstrated, since OA was localized in the lumina of biliary ducts but not within biliary cells.
Geminal poly(silyl ester)s: Highly labile degradable polymers

Geminal silyl ester linkages were used for the backbone construction of linear polymers, which exhibit rapid cleavage in the presence of atmospheric water. A series of poly(gem-silyl ester)s with two ester groups flanking each silicon atom were synthesized, in order to probe the effects of different silyl-substituted side-chain groups upon the physical and chemical properties. The transsilylation condensation reaction of bis(trimethylsilyl) terephthalate with dichlorodiisopropylsilane, dichlorodicyclohexylsilane, dichloromethyl-n-octadecylsilane, and dichloromethyl-4-methylphenethylsilane gave the four poly(gem-silyl ester)s with two isopropyl, two cyclohexyl, one methyl plus one octadecyl, and one methyl plus one 4-methyl-phenethyl side-chain groups per silicon, respectively. The polymers were characterized by NMR (1H, 13C, and 29Si), infrared spectroscopy (IR), size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Hydrolytic degradation studies of the polymers solvated in tetrahydrofuran and as bulk samples in the solid state were performed in the presence of atmospheric water as the nucleophilic cleavage agent, and the molecular weight loss was monitored by SEC. Poly(diisopropylsilyl terephthalate) (1a) and poly(dicyclohexylsilyl terephthalate) (1b) were found to be more stable towards nucleophilic degradation in comparison to poly(methyl-n-octadecylsilyl terephthalate) (1c) and poly(methyl-4-methylphenethylsilyl terephthalate) (1d), due to the presence of sterically bulky isopropyl or cyclohexyl groups attached to the silicon atoms. All of the polymers degraded into small molecules upon hydrolysis, with the exception that the degradation products of 1c and 1d self-condensed in the solid state to form the respective polysiloxanes. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3606–3613, 1999
Amine quinone polyurethane polymers for improved performance in advanced particulate media

Abstract The magnetic layer used in commercial, high density, metal particle recording media consists of sub-micron sized Fe particles suspended in a polyurethane polymer binder. New amine-quinone polymers, AQPU15 and AQPU100, have been developed for improving corrosion resistance of the particles. A fundamental study of the nature of the AQ polymer/metal oxide interface and its relationship to corrosion resistance is reported. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to evaluate corrosion behavior of Fe substrates coated with two different thicknesses of each polymer. The extent of corrosion of Fe particles coated with AQ polymers was also measured via the loss in M S with time of immersion in an acid solution. AQ coated particles showed significant improvement in corrosion resistance. FTIR-RA and XPS data show an interaction between AQM14A, a simple model for a portion of the polymer, and metal (Fe, Cu, Al) surfaces which occurs through the π system of the AQ functional group.
Factors Associated with Parent Labeling of Children Referred for Conduct Problems.

Clinicians have suggested that in some cases normal children have been inappropriately labeled as deviant by their parents and taken to psychological clinics for treatment. Reasons given for such inappropriate labeling have included factors such as the parents' marital distress and intolerance of normal child behavior. This study provided an empirical examination of the appropriateness or inappropriateness of parent labeling of 5--12-year-old children referred by their parents for treatment of conduct problems. The definition of inappropriate labeling derived by the present investigators required that the relationship between the child's actual behavior and the parent's negative label be so imperfect as to raise questions about the justification for the label, and that some identifiable factors other than the child's behavior account for the negative label. Three parent factors evaluated for their contribution to the parent negative label were martial distress, parent negative behavior toward the child, and parent distress about child deviant behavior. The statistical model of hierarchical multiple regression permitted analysis of this definition. The association found between observed child deviant behavior and the parent negative label suggested that parents of this sample perceived their children reasonably accurately. The three parent factors were found to be negligibly related to the parent label. Therefore, the conditions for inappropriate labeling of the children by the parents of this sample were not met.
Implementation of Solder-bead Probing in High Volume Manufacturing

Solder-bead probing is a test technology primarily targeting high-speed/high-density printed circuit boards. It is a promising complement to traditional probing solutions, because test access points are placed directly on board traces, thus addressing shrinking board real estate without compromising test quality. This paper summarizes the design, manufacturing, and test parameters Intel will use to implement the technology in a high volume manufacturing environment.
Reliability curve fitting for aging helicopter components

This paper presents a comparison of alternative reliability curve fitting techniques for components of two model types of helicopters. Both mathematical function-based and neural network models were investigated. Preliminary results suggest that the neural network models compare very favorably with standard curve fitting techniques, and may provide better curve fitting for component reliability data from sparse data sets where the hazard rates are either constant or monotonically increasing.
Seedless synthesis of patterned ZnO nanowire arrays on metal thin films (Au, Ag, Cu, Sn) and their application for flexible electromechanical sensing

The synthesis of high quality ZnO nanowire (NW) arrays on a range of conventional conductive substrates has important applications in LEDs, nanogenerators and piezotronics. In this paper, using ammonium hydroxide as the reactant, together with zinc nitrate hexahydrate, ZnO NW arrays have been grown on various patterned metal layers, such as Au, Ag, Cu and Sn, without pre-depositing a seed layer. The mechanism for this novel synthesis route has been discussed and the effect of parameters such as ammonia concentration and solution/container volume ratio on the nanowire growth has also been investigated. Preferentially selective nucleation and the subsequent growth of ZnO NW arrays was demonstrated on patterns of different metals without a ZnO seed. Electrical characterization was subsequently performed to reveal the characteristics of the contacts formed between the ZnO NWs and the underlying metal layer . Further demonstration of the as-fabricated ZnO NW arrays on flexible substrates as an electromechanical switch in response to externally applied strain exhibits the potential applications of the demonstrated seedless synthesis of patterned ZnO NW arrays in areas ranging from sensing, and energy harvesting to interfacing piezotronics with silicon based technologies.
Iterative restoration of noisy elastically distorted periodic images

Abstract This paper presents several improvements to an approach that corrects for spatial distortion in quasi-periodic structures in order to achieve noise reduction by averaging. The warping function is represented by quasi-hermite two-dimensional polynomials, a representation that allows great flexibility in the choice of fiduciary points. The estimation of the warping function is refined iteratively. At each iteration, the polynomial coefficients are evaluated from the current position of the reference points; the latter are then relocated by a cross-correlation technique. This procedure is intended to maximize significant improvement in signal quality when compared with a previous approach. The new method is also shown to be insensitive to the initial position of the reference points.
Studies on the substrate specificity of the fatty acid 5-desaturase by use of methyl branched isomers of eicosa-8,11,14-trienoic acid and the metabolism of these acids in rat liver

Abstract Seven radioactive methyl branched isomers of eicosa-8,11,14-trienoic acid (20:3) in which the methyl branch was located at carbons 2, 5, 10, 13, 17, 18, and 19, were injected into rats to determine how methyl branching influenced desaturation at the 5-position when compared with the conversion of 20:3 to arachidonate and also to determine how the radioactive substrates and the respective desaturated products were incorporated into liver lipids. When the methyl branch was at positions 18 or 19 these isomers were desaturated to the same extent as 20:3 was converted to arachidonate. These two methyl branched isomers and their respective desaturation products were incorporated into total liver lipids, triacylglycerol (TG) and phosphatidyl choline (PC) in the same way as was 20:3 and arachidonate. When the methyl branch was at carbons 17 and 13 there was a decline in the amount of desaturated product produced. Negligible amounts of desaturated product were produced when the methyl branch was at positions 10 and 5. A small amount of desaturated product was produced when the methyl branch was at the 2-position. When the methyl branch was at positions 5, 10, 13 and 17 a greater percentage of the recovered radioactivity was found in the TG fractions and a smaller percentage was found in the PC fractions when compared with the radioactive distribution pattern obtained after injecting 20:3. Significant amounts of these four methyl branched isomers were esterified at the 1-position of PC. When the isomeric branched substrates were incubated with rat liver microsomes only the 19-methyl branched isomer was desaturated at a rate equal to that found for the conversion of 20:3 to arachidonate. As the methyl branch was moved towards the site of desaturation, the rate of desaturation at the 5-position declined showing that methyl branching between positions 2 through 18 alters the substrate so that these isomers are not desaturated as well as is 20:3.
Skin conductance responses to real and imagined snakes among avoidant and non-avoidant college students.

Abstract Experiment I compared the extent to which, at the physiological level, behaviorally avoidant and non-avoidant S s respond differently to in vivo exposure to a snake. Experiment II tested an hypothesis about possible confounding in the procedures of Experiment I. Experiment III was a replication of Experiment II except that an imagined snake was substituted for the real snake. The three experiments were designed to permit simultaneous comparisons involving the skin conductance reactions of avoidant and non-avoidant volunteer Ss to a snake and to a neutral stimulus. In Experiments II and III differential responsivity in the expected direction was found. These differences were discussed in connection with the methodology of snake-avoidance therapy analogues.
Cost constrained spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networks

This paper addresses optimal spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networks considering its system level cost that accounts for the local processing cost of sensing (sample collection and energy calculation at each secondary user) as well as the transmission cost (forwarding energy statistic from secondary users to fusion center). The optimization problem solves for the appropriate number of samples to be collected and amplifier gains at each secondary user to minimize the global error probability subject to a total cost constraint. In particular, closed-form expressions for optimal solutions are derived and a generalized water-filling algorithm is proposed when number of samples or amplifier gains are fixed and additional constraints are imposed. Furthermore, when jointly designing the number of samples and amplifier gains, optimal solution indicates that only one secondary user needs to be active, i.e., collecting samples for local energy calculation and transmitting energy statistic to fusion center.
Finding the Site of the First Soviet Nuclear Test in 1949

Efforts by the U.S. government to detect the first Soviet atomic test began at least as early as 1946. Interception of radioactive debris from the first test was made by the Air Weather Service B-29 weather reconnaissance aircraft, which was equipped to filter particles from the air, on 3 September 1949 at 500 mb east of Kamchatka. The U.S. Weather Bureau was charged with trying to find the likely testing grounds from this first interception and a few later ones. The test site was found using backward air trajectories from the radioactivity detection line and a time of detonation to determine where to stop the backward trajectories. The explosion time, with large error bars, was obtained from radiochemical analysis of the particulate debris. In 1949, best time was estimated to be about 1500 UTC on 27 August. This was then combined with 500-mb backward trajectories to place the likely test site, incorrectly, near the northern part of the Caspian Sea. The uncertainties in the test time and in the calculated...
A risk assessment framework for the evaluation of skin infections and the potential impact of antibacterial soap washing.

Antibacterial soaps may have an important role in the control of skin infection. However, quantitative estimation of their benefit is difficult because of the problems associated with conducting epidemiologic studies. An alternative benefit estimation approach, quantitative microbial risk assessment, has application to this problem. This article sets forth the quantitative microbial risk assessment method and applies it specifically to the estimation of the reduction in risk of dermal infection from Staphylococcus aureus resulting from use of antibacterial soaps. A dose-response model was formulated by using available information on growth kinetics of the organism on the skin and dose data based on the inoculation of the forearm skin in volunteers. A predictive relationship for microbial growth on the skin was developed. These data were limited, and clearly more studies are needed on inoculation at more than one site and growth leading to infection on the skin with and without the use of germicidal soaps.However, by using relationships based on extant data sets, it was estimated that the use of germicidal soap could result in a substantial reduction in the risk of infection by S aureus. The estimated risk reduction was in general concordance with published results from epidemiologic studies conducted on military cadets. The methodology of quantitative microbial risk assessment has thus been shown to be applicable to this problem and may have broader applicability in other personal hygiene contexts.
Using An Efficient Collision Detector In The Solution Of The Find-Path Problem Of Industrial Robots

In this paper an efficient approach to collision detection is proposed. Its incorporation in two approaches for the solution of the find-path problem is also presented. Collision detector is based on representing objects by a hierarchy of bounding spheres. Features of the collision detector are that computation time depends on the proximity of the objects and that the method concentrates its efforts on the parts of objects most likely to have geometric interference as determined by collision information. The use of this representation for collision detection in two approaches for the solution of the find-path problem, namely a generate and test approach and a free space representation based approach, are presented. The paper is organized as follows. First, a review of the literature is given. Second, details of the collision detector and its incorporation in a solution for the find-path problem are presented. Third, the implementation of this approach on a LISP machine and the preliminary performance tests performed using a PUMA 560 robot are discussed. Finally, conclusions and potential extensions are outlined.
Controlling cell cycle and cell fate: Common strategies in prokaryotes and eukaryotes

Generating cells of different fate within a group of equipotent cells is the underlying principle of the development of complex multicellular organisms. Cell–cell signaling or environmental differences may cause two equipotent daughter cells to assume different fates. Alternatively, asymmetric distribution of cell fate determinants during cell division can generate two cells with different fates. In either case, developmental cues have to be interpreted correctly by the machinery that controls cell cycle progression and by the programs that induce cell specification. Despite great advances in identifying the proteins that govern cell cycle progression, little is known about how their activity is modulated by developmental signals. In this issue of the Proceedings , Quon et al. (1) provide new insights into understanding this fundamental problem. They identified an inhibitor of DNA replication whose activity is temporally and spatially regulated, thereby restricting its activity during development. However, these findings were not made, as one might have expected, in a eukaryotic organism, but in the eubacterium Caulobacter crescentus . The similarities in the regulation of this bacterial cell cycle regulator and cell fate determinant and that of eukaryotic cell cycle regulators and cell fate determinants will be discussed in this commentary. Cell division in Caulobacter is asymmetric (2). A sessile stalked cell divides to give rise to two daughter cells, a stalked cell and a motile swarmer cell (Fig. 1 A ). The stalked cell is capable of immediately replicating its chromosome and subsequently dividing, whereas the swarmer cell must differentiate into a stalked cell before it can initiate DNA replication and cell division. The generation of a stalked cell and a swarmer cell during cell division and the initiation of DNA replication after the transition of a swarmer cell into a stalked cell are ultimately controlled by the CtrA protein (for cell cycle …
Prevalence of Suspected Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Hispanic/Latino Individuals Differs by Heritage

Background & Aims Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was shown to disproportionally affect Hispanic persons. We examined the prevalence of suspected NAFLD in Hispanic/Latino persons with diverse backgrounds. Methods We studied the prevalence of suspected NAFLD among 12,133 persons included in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. We collected data on levels of aminotransferase, metabolic syndrome (defined by National Cholesterol Education Program–Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines), demographics, and health behaviors. Suspected NAFLD was defined on the basis of increased level of aminotransferase in the absence of serologic evidence for common causes of liver disease or excessive alcohol consumption. In multivariate analyses, data were adjusted for metabolic syndrome, age, acculturation, diet, physical activity, sleep, and levels of education and income. Results In multivariate analysis, compared with persons of Mexican heritage, persons of Cuban (odds ratio [OR], 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57–0.85), Puerto Rican (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.52–0.87), and Dominican backgrounds (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.54–0.93) had lower rates of suspected NAFLD. Persons of Central American and South American heritage had a similar prevalence of suspected NAFLD compared with persons of Mexican heritage. NAFLD was less common in women than in men (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.40–0.60). Suspected NAFLD associated with metabolic syndrome and all 5 of its components. Conclusions On the basis of an analysis of a large database of health in Latino populations, we found the prevalence of suspected NAFLD among Hispanic/Latino individuals to vary by region of heritage.
Peripheral Rheumatoid Ulceration and Evidence For Conjunctival Collagenase Production

Two patients with rheumatoid arthritis and peripheral corneal ulcerations were successfully treated by conjunctival resection. The tissues removed were assayed by a variation of the radial diffusion method for tissue collagenases. We used an agarose matrix containing lathyritic rat skin collagen. Wells 3 mm deep were punched in the agarose-collagen and surgical specimens were placed in the wells. Spaces remaining in the wells were filled with balanced salt solution. The assay dishes were incubated for four days at 32 degrees C near 100% humidity. Under these conditions release of collagenase was detected by the clearing of diffuse zones in the gel surrounding the well. Conjunctiva proximal to the ulcer produced definite zones of lysis, whereas control specimens taken remote to the ulceration produced no lysis. This direct evidence for collagenase involvement offers an exploration for the beneficial effects of conjunctival resection.
Bioethics and the Philosophy of Medicine: A Thirty-Year Perspective

With this volume, the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy enters into its fourth decade. This issue begins, as the Journal began, with an article by Edmund D. Pellegrino, the founding editor (Pellegrino, 1976). He understood that the Journal should take seriously the exploration of the intellectual assumptions of medicine and the biomedical sciences (Pellegrino, 1986). From the beginning, Pellegrino was committed to locating bioethics and the medical humanities within the philosophy of medicine. He recognized that the Journal should support the critical examination of the concepts and arguments underlying the field of bioethics. Only then, he realized, could one adequately address the challenges of the complex and heterogeneous cluster of fields that went under the rubric of bioethics (Engelhardt, 1990). Bioethics needed what only a philosophy of medicine could supply: a critical, intellectual perspective. In his contribution to this issue, Pellegrino continues this commitment through developing a distinction between politics in the sense of a political philosophy concerned with the nature and structure of a good society, and politics in the sense of partisan, agenda-driven political maneuvering. Through this distinction, he indirectly brings the reader’s attention to two major concerns facing bioethics: First, his reflections point to the danger of seduction. The field is often invited to offer intellectual support for particular political ideologies. For example, despite the substantive diversity of philosophical accounts of justice, fairness, and equality, there is a temptation to
When patients and pediatricians say good-bye in a pediatric resident continuity clinic.

Pediatric residency programs require a 3-year continuity clinic experience for residents. To our knowledge, no authors have examined the impact of termination at the end of the residency among the child, parent, and pediatrician. This article discusses an exploration that evolved in response to the questions that third-year pediatric residents asked concerning how to say good-bye to their primary care patients in the context of their continuity clinic. The first panel addressed parental and patient issues, and the second addressed the impact on the pediatrician. The parents on the panel stated that it was important that they be notified in advance of their pediatrician's departure, that they believed they had played an important role in the resident's education, and that they wanted a voice in the selection of their child's future pediatrician. The pediatricians on the panel all felt sadness, relief, and guilt as a result of the termination, but guilt that the family would feel abandoned was the strongest emotion. Few pediatricians on the panel acknowledged the impact of the relationship on themselves and the importance of including the parents in the decision to choose the child's future pediatrician. The issue of termination needs more deliberate attention in pediatric training programs. A structured system for teaching residents to manage the termination process is proposed. (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1995;149:812-816)
HAIM OMLET: An Expert System For Research In Orthomodular Lattices And Related Structures

This paper describes research towards the construction of an expert system combining the brute force power of algorithmic computation and the inductive reasoning power of a rule-based inference engine in the mathematical area of discrete structures. Little research has been conducted on extending existing expert systems' technology to computationally complex areas. This research addresses the extension of expert systems into areas such as these, where the process of inference by itself will not produce the proper results. Additionally, the research will demonstrate the benefits of combining inference engines and mathematical algorithms to attack computationally complex problems. The specific aim is to produce an expert system which embodies expert level knowledge of orthomodular lattices, graphs, structure spaces, boolean algebras, incidence relations, and projective configurations. The resulting system, implemented on a micro-computer, will provide researchers a powerful and accessible tool for exploring these discrete structures. The system's "shell" will provide a structure for developing other expert systems with similar capabilities in such related areas as coding theory, categories, monoids, automata theory, and non-standard logics.
Governing International Common Pool Resources: the international watercourses of the Middle East

Abstract This paper focuses on the applicability of the approaches of Common Pool Resource studies in relation to the cooperation and emergence of international regimes in managing International Common Pool Resources, specifically the international watercourses of the Middle East. It emphasizes the need for the determination of property rights as well as enforcement mechanisms and constraints on watercourse states as paramount in International Common Pool Resources disputes, which are exacerbated by high levels of complexity, transactional costs and lack of predictability, information, and trust among watercourse states.
Random Response of a Plate Partially Covered By a Constrained Layer Damper

Abstract An analysis is presented of the random vibration of a plate which is partially covered by a constrained layer damper that incorporates a spacer layer to enhance damping effectiveness. The spacer layer is assumed to be rigid in shear and to have no bending stiffness. The spacer enhances the damping effectiveness by inducing additional shear deformation in the adhesive layer. The analytical model accounts for both shear and thickness deformation of the adhesive layer. A parametric study is conducted to optimize the position, coverage area and the thickness of the damper. It is found that the incorporation of the spacer layer permits the use of a damper having reduced coverage area and, hence, less added weight without compromising damping effectiveness.
Mode of action of sulfenylated carbamates: Rapid conversion of N,N′-thiodicarbamates to parent carbamate measured by neurophysiological bioassay

Abstract Four N,N′-thiodicarbamate derivatives of carbofuran induced uncoupled convulsions with similar latencies following topical application to the cuticle of tethered SNAIDM house flies, despite considerable differences in their lipophilic properties. There was a small but statistically significant delay in the latency to response to the derivatives compared to carbofuran, but when perfused directly on the exposed thoracic ganglia to assess intrinsic activity, carbofuran acted up to 4.4 times faster than the derivative. It is suggested that the NS bond of the derivatives is cleaved soon after application to the house fly cuticle and carbofuran is released from each derivative in sufficient quantities to accumulate toxic concentrations in the central nervous system at similar rates.