cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maximum likelihood estimation of endogenous switching regression models

This article describes the movestay Stata command, which implements the maximum likelihood method to fit the endogenous switching regression model.
Effects of Appliance Standards on Product Price and Attributes: An Hedonic Pricing Model

The tradeoffs between energy efficiency gains and product attributes as a result of the implementation of federal energy performance standards are examined. Hedonic pricing relationships are used to estimate changes in standardized marginal attribute prices for freezer volumes, food volumes, and annual energy consumption for refrigerators and refrigerator/freezers. From 1987/88 to 1993, energy performance standards significantly reduced energy consumption and at the same time, a historical decline in "quality-adjusted" real prices continued without disruption and consumers appeared to experience a welfare gain as a result of improving levels of energy efficiency.
Chapter 15 Labor markets in low-income countries

Publisher Summary Labor being by far the most abundant resource in low-income countries, the determination of the returns to labor plays a central role in models of development. The chapter discusses the operation of low-income labor markets with reference to the models that have been and continue to be influential in shaping the study of such markets. These models are evaluated in terms of their ability to shed light on the realities of the allocation, pricing, and employment of labor in low-income countries. The chapter discusses models directly concerned with and evidence on the employment and pricing of labor in the rural (agricultural) sector. The chapter also discusses the process of determining rural wages are and their rigidity, the social and private costs of reallocating labor from agriculture to other activities, labor supply behavior, labor market dualism, and unemployment determination. The chapter describes risk-mitigating and effort-eliciting contractual arrangements involving rural labor and the organization of the agricultural enterprise in an environment characterized by incomplete markets. The chapter discusses the issue of whether labor is efficiently allocated across sectors and across geographical areas and problems of barriers to mobility. Models of migration incorporating human capital investments, information and capital constraints, uncertainty with respect to employment, riskiness in annual incomes, temporary migration, remittances, and heterogeneity in preferences and abilities among workers are discussed. The chapter also discusses urban labor markets, and addresses issues concerning the duality of urban labor markets and unemployment determination. The chapter highlights issues of importance to the study of developing economies—in particular, life cycle and intergenerational labor market mobility.
Going to scale: dissemination and implementation of EBPs across large publicly-funded health care systems - initiatives targeting system-level change

This panel will examine strategies and outcomes across three initiatives aimed at translating evidence-based care models and practices in the treatment of low-income, disadvantaged patients with behavioral health and other complex conditions at scale, across states and cities. The initiatives include translation across states of measurement-driven QI initiatives in mental health in the six-state MEDNET consortium; translation across cities of the care coordination model developed for low-income super-utilizers by Brenner and colleagues in Camden; and the implementation across 91 California sites of the Full Service Partnership (FSP) model for persons with severe mental illness who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The discussion will initially be framed by a brief overview from the organizer/discussant placing the three interventions within an overall conceptual model. Following the presentations, comments from the discussant will compare and contrast the effectiveness of the alternative strategies utilized across care processes and sites. Common themes across the three initiatives will be discussed, in terms of types of barriers and facilitators experienced in the process of dissemination at scale. We will discuss the barriers and facilitators experienced with respect to sustainability of the interventions beyond the initial project period; e.g., variations in successful incorporation metrics for evidence-based practices into ongoing management processes in public programs, and in incorporating guidelines for the use of evidence-based practices into state and health plan clinical guidelines, such as the Texas foster care psychotropic prescribing parameters and clinical guidelines promulgated by health plans across sites. We will discuss the important distinction between the types of barriers and facilitators experienced in the translation of specific program models across sites at small to medium scale, and the different set of barriers and facilitators that are encountered in efforts to bring these translational efforts to statewide and other large-scale systems with sustained impact. Meaningful antipsychotic metrics for state medicaid programs: strategies for sustainable change and quality mental health care Safe and effective use of antipsychotic medications across multiple populations, often off-label, presents many challenges for Medicaid programs. We will discuss the experience of a 6-state consortium, the Medicaid Mental Health Network for Evidence Based Care (MEDNET), in developing consensus quality metrics for safe and judicious antipsychotic use and translating measurement-driven QI initiatives at scale in large statewide populations. The presentation of barriers and facilitators experienced in development and use of metrics and translation of interventions across states with different policy and organizational environments.
Full-length nucleotide sequences of 30 common SLC44A2 alleles encoding human neutrophil antigen-3

BACKGROUND Human neutrophil antigen-3a (HNA-3a) alloantibodies can cause severe transfusion-related acute lung injury. The frequencies of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) indicative of the two clinically relevant HNA-3a/b antigens are known in many populations. In this study, we determined the full-length nucleotide sequence of common SLC44A2 alleles encoding the choline transporter–like protein-2 that harbors HNA-3a/b antigens. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS A method was devised to determine the full-length coding sequence (CDS) and adjacent intron sequences from genomic DNA by eight polymerase chain reaction amplifications covering all 22 SLC44A2 exons. Samples from 200 African American, 96 Caucasian, two Hispanic, and four Asian blood donors were analyzed. We developed a decision tree to determine alleles (confirmed haplotypes) from the genotype data. RESULTS A total of 10 SNPs were detected in the SLC44A2 CDS. The noncoding sequences harbored an additional 28 SNPs (one in the 5′-untranslated region [UTR]; 23 in the introns; and four in the 3′-UTR). No SNP indicative of a nonfunctional allele was detected. The nucleotide sequences for 30 SLC44A2 alleles (haplotypes) were confirmed. There may be 66 haplotypes among the 604 chromosomes screened. CONCLUSIONS We found 38 SNPs, including one novel SNP, in 8192 nucleotides covering the CDS of the SLC44A2 gene among 302 blood donors. Population frequencies of these SNPs were established for African Americans and Caucasians. Because alleles encoding HNA-3b are more common than non-functional SLC44A2 alleles, we confirmed our previous postulate that African American donors are less likely to form HNA-3a antibodies compared to Caucasians.
Homotypic Interactions Mediated by Slamf1 and Slamf6 Receptors Control NKT Cell Lineage Development

Commitment to the T and NKT cell lineages is determined during αβ T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated interactions of common precursors with ligand-expressing cells in the thymus. Whereas mainstream thymocyte precursors recognize Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) ligands expressed by stromal cells, NKT precursors interact with CD1d ligands expressed by cortical thymocytes. Here, we demonstrate that such homotypic T-T interactions generate ‘second signals’ mediated by the cooperative engagement of the homophilic receptors Ly108 and SLAM and downstream recruitment of the adaptor SAP and the Src kinase Fyn, which are essential for the lineage expansion and differentiation of the NKT lineage. These receptor interactions are required during TCR engagement and therefore only occur when selecting ligands are presented by thymocytes rather than epithelial cells which do not express Ly108 or SLAM. Thus, the topology of NKT ligand recognition determines the availability of a co-signaling pathway that is essential for NKT lineage development.
Power semiconductors extend control horizons

New developments in power-semiconductor technology are extending the capabilities of such devices not only as discrete components but also towards integration with logic circuitry. This article reviews some recent innovations and predicts some future trends
Unveiling viral enablers.

Global RNA interference screens uncover the host genes that support infection by HIV, West Nile virus and influenza virus.
The inter-relationship between grain boundary sliding and cavitation during creep of polycrystalline copper

High-temperature creep tests were conducted on polycrystalline copper of commercial purity in order to investigate the inter-relationship between the extent and the rate of grain boundary sliding (GBS) and the development of internal cavitation. An image processing technique was used to provide quantitative information on the size and shape of the cavities formed over a range of stresses and at temperatures from 673 to 873 K. The results demonstrate that cavity development is inhomogeneous within any specimen, such that there is an increase in the level of cavitation in regions of higher local strain. It is shown by quantitative measurements that the total cavitated area increases at the faster sliding rates, but the number density of cavities decreases at the highest sliding rates because of cavity interlinkage. When interlinkage is taken into account, the results confirm that the overall level of cavitation is related to the occurrence of GBS.
Characterization of a monoclonal antibody, RTE-21, that binds to keratohyalin granule-associated proteins in epithelial cells of human skin and thymus

Abstract The role of skin and thymic epithelium in the promotion of T-cell activation and maturation is currently an area of great interest. In thymus. epithelium is located in the cortex, medulla, and in medullary epithelial swirls called Hassall's bodies. During studies of antigens shared by skin and thymic epithelial cells, we produced a murine monoclonal antibody (RTE-21) raised against the rat thymic epithelial cells line, IT26R21, that identified an antigen present in terminally differentiated epithelium of normal human skin and thymus. In indirect immunofluorescence studies, antibody RTE-21 identified cytoplasmic granules located in the stratum granulosum of normal human skin. Hassall's bodies of human thymus, and in a subset of cells of the IT26R21 rat thymic epithelial cell line. Moreover, the granular reactivity pattern of antibody RTE-21 in the stratum granulosum could be extracted by 1 M potassium phosphate (1 M KPO4). A 1 M KPO4 extract of epidermis containing keratohyalin granule proteins was dialyzed against distilled water, solubilized in reduced sample buffer and subjected to polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western immunoblot analysis. In this assay, antibody RTE-21 recognized proteins of 70, 36, 34, and 30 kDa. Using antibody RTE-21 and indirect immunofluorescence, we demonstrated that keratohyalin granules in human thumus were localized exclusively to Hassall's bodies. These data support the notion that human thymic Hassall's bodies result from terminal differentiation of medullary thymic epithelium. Thus, antibody RTE-21 should be an important probe for the study of skin and thymic epithelial cell maturation in vitro and in vivo.
Air pollution vulnerability of 22 midwestern parks

It is common knowledge that air pollution increases in United States national parks as sources grow closer. It follows that, as this happens, biota in the parks will be increasingly affected, as has occurred in cities. Given that there are about 360 national park units in this country, can it be determined in advance which parks will be more impacted by these air pollutants than others? Can parks be ranked for vulnerability to air pollutants, and, if so, what variables would be used? Are air pollutant data sufficient for ranking, or are data also needed on sensitive resources? This study of 22 park units in the midwestern United States attempted to answer these questions. Plant lists were compiled for the 22 parks, relative abundances of all species (common, intermediate, rare) estimated, their sensitivities from their life cycle types (annual, perennial-deciduous, perennial-evergreen) determined, and overall vulnerability as the average product of the two was calculated using a 3—2—1 scale for weighting the abundances. Scotts Bluff National Monument in western Nebraska was the most vulnerable park in the region, while Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior was the least. This difference was due to the higher abundances of annual plant species in Scotts Bluff. Changing the values used for abundances changed the order of park vulnerabilities. Three air pollutants (ozone, sulfur dioxide, and sulfate) were found to increase from west to east in the midwest. Overlaying these patterns on the park vulnerabilities, and a cluster analysis of the data, resulted in a determination of the air pollution risks to groups of parks. The parks most at risk (high vulnerability + high pollution levels) were two in Ohio (Hopewell Culture National Historical Park and Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area) and one in Indiana (Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial). Ten parks were grouped at lowest risk and were found in an arc from Lake Superior, northern Minnesota, and Wisconsin through Nebraska and Kansas. Parks were clustered in the same risk groups, regardless of whether or not vulnerability was included. Thus, the determination of risk can be made using air pollutant data only. Slightly different risk groups were found using vulnerability alone, without the air pollutant data. For various reasons, it may still be desirable to calculate park vulnerabilities, but it is a formidable and difficult task using the complete flora for an area. Of three different surrogate methods tested for a relationship with overall vulnerability, only one appeared to be useful. Vulnerability could be directly calculated if a park's vegetative structure was known without assembling the complete flora.
PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION IN MOLLUSCS

In the primitive type of reproductive sys? tem found in Amphineura, in many bivalves, and in certain archaic Prosobranch gastropods, the germ cells are shed directly into the surrounding water and the fertili? zation of eggs takes place outside the ma? ternal organism. A more elaborate system for the transmission of spermatozoa by means of copulatory organs has developed to various degrees of complexity in gastro? pods. Essentially this system is formed by the extension and differentiation of the
Effect of metabolic intermediates on the accumulation of polyamines in detached soybean leaves

Abstract The effects of various nitrogen and carbon compounds on polyamine levels were examined using a detached leaf system in soybean. Leaves from 21-day-old
Lecanora antiqua , a new saxicolous species from Great Britain, and the nomenclature and authorship of L. albescens , L. conferta and L. muralis

Lecanora albescens (Hoffm.) Branth & Rostr. is the correct authorship of this species, and the combination cannot be attributed to Florke. Lecanora antiqua J. R. Laundon is described for the lichen previously, but wrongly, known in Britain as L. conferta; it is remarkable in occupying the interface between acid and calcareous surfaces on the vertical walls of medieval churches. The nomenclature of the lobed Lecanora, which has had two alternative Latin names since the early 19th century, namely L. muralis Rabenh. and L. saxicola (Pollich) Ach., has been studied and the latter was found to be correct.
Metaphysics for an enlightened public: The controversy over monads in Germany, 1746-1748.

ABSTRACTThis essay analyzes the controversy that attended the prize essay question on monads proposed by the Berlin Academy of Sciences in 1746. The controversy was first touched off by an anonymous pamphlet published by the mathematician Leonhard Euler, the academy's most well known member, that attacked the doctrine of monads. It peaked with the awarding of the prize to Johann Heinrich Gottlob Justi, whose winning essay closely followed Euler's arguments. This essay discusses the controversy as one instance in a broader quarrel in the German academic community over the suitability of Christian Wolff's philosophy as the foundation for a broad range of academic disciplines, including natural philosophy. It also analyzes the controversy as displaying the central role of the periodical press in the emergent German public sphere.
Polymer-based microfluidic devices for biomedical applications

Two types of Microfluidic bioanalytical systems were designed and fabricated in polymer substrates using the LIGA process. A continuous flow polymerase chain reaction (CFPCR) Microfluidic device was fabricated in polycarbonate (PC), which utilized isothermal zone and shuttling the sample through each zone to achieve amplification. A 20-cycle PCR amplification of a fragment of a plasmid DNA template was achieved in 5.3 min. The results were comparable to those obtained in commercial laboratory-scale PCR system. The second system consisted of a microchip contating a low-density array assembled into the Microfluidic channel, which was hot-embossed in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The detection of low-abundant mutations in gene fragments (K-ras) that carry point mutations with high diagnostic value for colorectal cancer was successfully performed. The array accessed microfluidics in order to enhance the kinetic associated with hybridization.
Cattanach's translocation [Is(7:X)Ct] corrects male sterility due to homozygosity for chromosome 7 deletions.

Mice carrying particular deletions of chromosomal material at and around the colour (C) locus on chromosome 7 (c3H/c6H) are viable but sterile. An insertional translocation of chromosome 7 into the X (Cattanach's) has been previously used to rescue females carrying deletions of chromosome 7 which are ordinarily lethal. We studied the ability of this translocation to correct the sterility found in the presence of the two partially complementing deletions. We predicted that the sterility would be corrected in females who would be mosaics because of X-inactivation. The result in males was uncertain since the sterility had been shown to be due to defective spermatogenesis, and the X chromosome is inactivated early in the course of spermatogenesis. The c3H/c6H male and female deletional sterility were rescued by Cattanach's translocation.
α1-adrenergic agonists act on the ventromedial hypothalamus to cause neuronal excitation and lordosis facilitation: electrophysiological and behavioral evidence

To see if activation of central alpha 1-adrenergic receptors can cause facilitation of lordosis in rats, the behavioral effects of centrally administered alpha 1-agonists, methoxamine (MA) and phenylephrine (PhE), and related agents were studied. In ovariectomized rats treated with estrogen, infusion of MA, PhE, or a beta-agonist isoproterenol, into the lateral ventricle, or bilateral infusions of MA or PhE into the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) facilitated lordosis. Conversely, intra-VMH infusion of the alpha 1-antagonist prazosin (PZ) inhibited lordosis. Intra-VMH infusion of isoproterenol or an alpha 2-agonist clonidine, had no effect. Neither was the intra-VMH infusion of MA effective if: (i) the rats were not primed with estrogen; (ii) the tips of the cannulae were outside the VMH; or (iii) it was preceded by an intra-VMH infusion of the alpha 1b-antagonist, chloroethylclonidine (CEC). These results not only verify implications from recent studies that alpha 1-receptors in the hypothalamus are important for lordosis facilitation, but further show that the adrenergic facilitatory effect are: (i) mediated specifically by alpha 1b-subtype of the alpha 1-receptor, (ii) estrogen-dependent, and (iii) site-specific to VMH. To investigate neural mechanisms potentially underlying the lordosis-facilitating effect of alpha 1-activation, the actions of MA and PhE on the electrical activity of single neurons of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN) in vitro were studied.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The role of hemoglobin based blood substitutes in transfusion medicine

A cell-free oxygen transporting blood substitute would obviate many of the current concerns about conventional red cell transfusion therapy. Moreover, a stable oxygen-carrying solution could have benefits and applications not possible with red cell transfusions, such as the treatment of acute hypovolemic shock in acute care settings, the treatment of patients such as Jehovah's Witnesses who refuse blood transfusions, the priming of blood oxygenation pumps, ex vivo organ perfusion prior to transplantation, and in vivo perfusion in order to enhance sensitivity to radiation therapy. Among potential blood substitutes that transport oxygen, attention has focused on perfluorocarbons and a variety of hemoglobin preparations, either in free solution or encapsulated into lipid vesicles. In the design and production of hemoglobin solutions the following criteria must be met: low toxicity and antigenicity; efficacy as a plasma expander; prolonged survival in the circulation; adequate oxygen carrying capability and efficient oxygen unloading to tissues; long shelf life. Extensive preclinical testing and recent clinical trials have been performed on human and bovine hemoglobin chemically crosslinked to present rapid leakage of hemoglobin through the kidneys. Bovine hemoglobin has intrinsically low oxygen affinity simulating that of human hemoglobin in red cells. An alternative and attractive strategy is the production of human hemoglobin in E. Coli, thus enabling appropriate genetic mutations to optimize function. These include creation of peptide linkers to enhance plasma survival and amino acid replacements that permit a finely regulated lowering of oxygen affinity.
Dielectrophoresis assisted immuno-capture and detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria in biochips.

Abstract This study integrated dielectrophoresis (DEP) with non-flow through biochips to enhance the immuno-capture and detection of foodborne pathogenic bacteria. It demonstrated two major functions provided by DEP to improve the chip performance: (i) concentrating bacterial cells from the suspension to different locations on the chip surface by positive and negative DEP; (ii) making the cells in close contact with the immobilized antibodies on the chip surface so that immuno-capture efficiency can be dramatically enhanced. The microchip achieved the immuno-capture efficiencies of ∼56.0% and ∼64.0% to Salmonella cells with 15 and 30 min DEP, respectively, which were considerably higher than those of ∼10.4% and ∼17.6% for 15 and 30 min immuno-capture without DEP. The immuno-captured bacterial cells were detected by the sandwich format ELISA on the chips. The final absorbance signals were enhanced by DEP assisted immuno-capture by 64.7–105.2% for the samples containing 103–106 cells/20 μl. The integration of DEP with the biochips has the potential to advance the chip-based immunoassay methods for microbial detection.
Lipolytic sensitivity and response to fasting in normotensive and hypertensive obese humans

Abstract Obese persons with hypertension are at greater risk for diabetes and hyperlipidemia than normotensive obese persons. It has been postulated that increased lipolytic rates contribute to these metabolic diseases. Therefore, we evaluated the glycerol rate of appearance (Ra) in plasma, an index of whole-body lipolytic activity, during basal conditions and during 60 minutes of epinephrine infusion after 12 and 84 hours of fasting in six normotensive (body mass index [BMI], 39.9 ± 1.8 kg/m 2 ) and six hypertensive (BMI, 38.7 ± 1.6 kg/m 2 ) obese persons. Basal glycerol Ra was lower in hypertensive than in normotensive subjects at both 12 hours (1.58 ± 0.21 v 2.27 ± 0.26 μmol/kg/min, respectively; P v 2.50 ± 0.13 μmol/kg/min, respectively; P P
Analysis of an interacting particle method for rare event estimation

We present a large deviations analysis for the performance of an interacting particle method for rare event estimation. The analysis is restricted to a one-dimensional setting, though even in this restricted setting a number of new techniques must be developed. In contrast to the large deviations analyses of related algorithms, for interacting particle schemes it is an occupation measure analysis that is relevant, and within this framework many standard assumptions (stationarity, Feller property) can no longer be assumed. The methods developed are not limited to the question of performance analysis, and in fact give the full large deviations principle for such systems.
Microbial Counts and Thermal Resistance of Salmonella oranienburg in Ground Turkey Meat

The microbial content of unfrozen and frozen ground turkey meat (GTM) in retail markets and the thermal resistance of Salmonella organienburg in GTM was determined. The unfrozen product had an average total aerobic count of 53 X 10(4) cells per g. These counts reduced slightly when held in a display case for one and two days at 1-2 degrees C. The frozen GTM contained 25% protein, 8% fat, 63% moisture and had a pH of 6.2. Microbial counts averaged 58 X 10(4). The time and temperatures to kill ca 10(4) S. oranienburg cells were determined. A thermal destruction curve can be defined as F60 degrees C. = 3.5 min. with Z = 7.4 degrees C.
Use of risk analysis in North Sea projects

Abstract Risk analysis, as applied to North Sea oil projects, is described. Two projects in particular are presented as examples: the Murchison and Hutton fields. The unpredictable North Sea weather conditions make risk analysis particularly suited to these projects. The advantages of the technique are outlined, along with some of its disadvantages.
Improving validation coverage metrics to account for limited observability

In both pre-silicon and post-silicon validation, the detection of design errors requires both stimulus capable of activating the errors and checkers capable of detecting the behavior as erroneous. Most functional and code coverage metrics evaluate only the activation component of the testbench and ignore propagation and detection. In this paper, we summarize our recent work in developing improved metrics that account for propagation and/or detection of design errors. These works include tools for observability-enhanced code coverage and mutation analysis of high-level designs as well as an analytical method, Coverage Discounting, which adds checker sensitivity to arbitrary functional coverage metrics.
Diffusion tensor imaging during recovery from severe traumatic brain injury and relation to clinical outcome: a longitudinal study.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been proposed as a sensitive biomarker of traumatic white matter injury, which could potentially serve as a tool for prognostic assessment and for studying microstructural changes during recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, there is a lack of longitudinal studies on TBI that follow DTI changes over time and correlate findings with long-term clinical outcome. We performed a prospective longitudinal study of 30 adult patients admitted for subacute rehabilitation following severe traumatic brain injury. DTI and conventional MRI were acquired at mean 8 weeks (5–11 weeks), and repeated in 23 of the patients at mean 12 months (9–15 months) post-trauma. Using a region-of-interest-based approach, DTI parameters were compared to those of healthy matched controls, scanned during the same time period and rescanned with a similar interval as that of patients. At the initial scan, fractional anisotropy was reduced in all the investigated white matter regions in patients compared to controls ( P ≤ 0.01) due to decreased diffusivity parallel ( λ ∥) and increased diffusivity perpendicular ( λ ⊥) to axonal fibre direction. Fractional anisotropy in the cerebral peduncle correlated with ∼ 1 year Glasgow outcome scale score ( r = 0.60, P < 0.001) and in this sample predicted dichotomized outcome with 76% accuracy when taken alone, and with 100% accuracy in combination with clinical evaluation by functional independence measure at the time of the first scan. At follow-up DTI, fractional anisotropy in patients had increased in the internal capsule and in centrum semiovale ( P ≤ 0.01) due to an interval increase of λ ∥ with unchanged λ ⊥. In these regions, fractional anisotropy and λ ∥ reached normal or supranormal levels, primarily in patients with favourable outcome. In the cerebral peduncle and in corpus callosum, λ ∥ and λ ⊥ both increased during the scan interval and, particularly in patients with unfavourable outcome, fractional anisotropy remained depressed. No significant DTI parameter changes over time were found in controls, or in CSF of patients. These findings support that DTI is a clinically relevant biomarker in TBI, which may have prognostic value and also might serve as a tool for revealing changes in the neural tissue during recovery.
A general local existence theorem for quasi-linear evolution equations in nonreflexive banach spaces

KATO’S [4] general existence theorem for quasilinear evolution equations in reflexive Banach spaces is local in time, and so are the theorems obtained in papers [l] and [3] for nonreflexive Banach spaces. However, it turns out that using the method developed in both papers mentioned above as well as the simplified approach to linear evolution equations presented in paper [2] one can prove an existence theorem for quasilinear evolution equations with simpler time estimate. It was also shown in paper [3] that it suffices to utilize the approximate evolution operators constructed in paper [2] in order to solve the auxiliary linear equation for each iteration step. This is also the case here and we have to take advantage of the corresponding evolution operator while solving the appropriate linear equation at each iteration step. Let X, Y, Z be Banach spaces and denote by 11. I/x, I/. IIy, 11. I/= the norms in X, Y, Z, respectively. We assume that the embedding Z C Y C X is continuous and Y, Z are dense in X, Y, respectively. Let W,J be an open ball in Y with center x0 = 0 E Y and radius Y > 0, and denote by W its closure in Y, and let Z0 be an open ball in Z with the same center x0 = 0 and radius R > 0. Given 0 < b, denote by C(0, b; X), C(0, b; Y), C(0, b; Z) the spaces of all continuous functions x = x(t), y = y(t), z = z(t) defined on the interval [0, b] with values in X, Y, Z and norms
Melanocortins regulate the electric waveforms of gymnotiform electric fish.

The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal/interrenal axis couples serotonergic activity in the brain to the peripheral regulators of energy balance and response to stress. The regulation of peripheral systems occurs largely through the release of peptide hormones, especially the melanocortins (adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH] and alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone [α-MSH]), and beta-endorphin. Once in circulation, these peptides regulate a wide range of processes; α-MSH in particular regulates behaviors and physiologies with sexual and social functions. We investigated the role of the HPI and melanocortin peptides in regulation of electric social signals in the gymnotiform electric fish, Brachyhypopomus pinnicaudatus. We found that corticotropin releasing factor, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, and α-MSH, three peptide hormones of the HPI/HPA, increased electric signal waveform amplitude and duration when injected into free-swimming fish. A fourth peptide, a synthetic cyclic-α-MSH analog attenuated the normal circadian and socially-induced EOD enhancements in vivo. When applied to the electrogenic cells (electrocytes) in vitro, only α-MSH increased the amplitude and duration of the electrocyte discharge similar to the waveform enhancements seen in vivo. The cyclic-α-MSH analog had no effect on its own, but blocked or attenuated α-MSH-induced enhancements in the single-cell discharge parameters, demonstrating that this compound functions as a silent antagonist at the electrocyte. Overall, these results strongly suggest that the HPI regulates the EOD communication signal, and demonstrate that circulating melanocortin peptides enhance the electrocyte discharge waveform.
SYNTHESIS AND STRUCTURE OF AN AIR-STABLE, FREE-RADICAL COBALT(III) SEMIQUINONE COMPLEX

The air-stable, free-radical, low-spin Co(III) complex, (Bu4N)2 [3,5-Co(DBSQ)(CN)4]·1/2H2O·1/4CH2Cl2 (1), where 3,5-DBSQ is the semiquinone anion derived from the one-electron reduction of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone, has been synthesized by the reaction of the cobalt(II) tetramer [Co(3,5-DBSQ)2]4 with Bu4NCN in THF. This is a cyanide-induced redox reaction resulting in the formation of cobalt (II) and cobalt(III) products as follows, where 3,5-DBCat is the respective catecholate dianion: [Co(3,5-DBSQ)2]4 + 8CN- → 2[Co(3,5-DBSQ)(CN)4]2- + 2[Co(3,5-DBSQ)2(3,5-DBCat)]2-. The Co(III) product, (Bu4N)2 [Co(3,5-DBSQ)(CN)4], is insoluble in THF while the Co(II) product remains in solution. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction of (1) reveals octahedrally coordinated cobalt(III) and C−O and C−C bond lengths indicative of semiquinone. The cyanide ligands occupy the remaining four sites with essentially linear Co−CN bond angles and average Co−C and Co−O bond distances of 1.89(2) A and 1.97(2) A, respectively. Th...
Assessment of models proposed for the 1985 revision of the international geomagnetic reference field

Abstract Geomagnetic measurements from land, marine and aerial surveys conducted in the years 1945–1964 were used to test the 14 models proposed as additions, for that period, to the series of definitive geomagnetic reference field (DGRF) models. Overall, NASA's ‘SFAS’ models and the BGS (British Geological Survey) models agree best with these data. Comparisons of the two proposed definitive main-field models for 1980.0, with each other and with the existing IGRF 1980 main-field model, show mostly close agreement, with the greatest absolute differences (several tens of nanotesla) occurring in the region of Antarctica. Comparison of the the three proposed forecast secular-variation models for 1985–1990 with estimates of recent rates of change at 148 magnetic observatories shows that the IZMIRAN (U.S.S.R.) and USGS models are in closest agreement with these data.
Solvent effects on the UV/VIS absorption spectrum of bis-(dimethylamino)-heptamethinium chloride [(BDH)+Cl−]

Abstract The nature of the solvent has a small influence on the position of the longest wavelength absorption band and the oscillator strength (S 0 →S 1 transition) of (BDH) + Cl − . A linear correlation between the molar excitation energy of (BDH) + Cl − and the refractive index function f ( n ) = ( n 2 −1) / (2 n 2 +1) proves that dispersion forces are mainly responsible for the position of the longest absorption wavelength. Furthermore, the oscillator strength decreases with a rising value of the mentioned refractive index function. This means that dispersion forces cause a small disturbance of the ideal polymethine state in the first excited singlet state and lead to a decrease in the transition probability.
Large deviations for U- statistics

Abstract A large deviation principle for U -statistics is presented. It relies on the large deviation for B -valued r.v. and on the spectral decomposition of the kernel of the U -statistic.
Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR) Studies of Trions in Organic Light-Emitting Materials and OLEDs, and Their Possible Relation to Long-Term OLED Degradation

ABSTRACT Some recent photoluminescence (PL)- and electroluminescence (EL)-detected magnetic resonance (PLDMR and ELDMR, respectively) studies of the negative (PL- and EL-quenching) spin 1/2 resonance are reviewed. These include the resonances in poly[2-(N-carbazolyl)-5-(2'-ethyl)-hexoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (CzEh-PPV) films, rubrene films, tris(quinolinolate) Al (Alq 3 ) OLEDs, rubrene-doped Alq 3 OLEDs, and fac tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium [Ir(ppy 3 )]-doped poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVK) polymer LEDs (PLEDs). The resonances are all assigned to quenching of SEs by trions, which are bipolarons stabilized by a counterpolaron or counterion. As bipolarons are spinless, their formation from two like-charged polarons is spin-dependent, and hence enhanced at resonance. This enhanced formation, and the resulting enhanced quenching of SEs, yields the negative spin 1/2 PLDMR and ELDMR. As previously shown, since trion formation also reduces the mobility of the trapped carriers, this process also results in a negative spin 1/2 electrical current-detected magnetic resonance (EDMR). Importantly, since the counterpolaron is usually trapped, e.g., at organic/cathode or organic/organic interfaces, or at impurity sites such the oxygen center in rubrene, it is suspected that the trions might be responsible for the long term degradation of OLEDs and PLEDs associated with abrupt junctions or impurities. Keywords : OLEDs, photoluminescence quenching processes, electroluminescence quenching processes, bipolarons, trions, OLED degradation.
A discriminative model based entity dictionary weighting approach for spoken language understanding

Spoken language understanding (SLU) systems use various features to detect the domain, intent and semantic slots of a query. In addition to n-grams, features generated from entity dictionaries are often used in model training. Clean or properly weighted dictionaries are critical to improve model's coverage and accuracy for unseen entities during test time. However, clean dictionaries are hard to obtain for some applications since they are automatically generated and can potentially contain millions of entries (e.g. movie names, person names) with significant noise in them. This paper proposes a discriminative model based approach to weight entities in noisy dictionaries using multiple knowledge resources. The model makes use of features extracted from query click logs, knowledge graph and live search results for accurate entity weighting. Experiments for both intent detection and slots tagging tasks in entertainment search covering five domains show significant gains over the baselines.
Multimodality therapy offers a chance for cure in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma deemed unresectable at first operative exploration.

Background Patients identified at surgical exploration with unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma receive palliative, noncurative therapy. We hypothesized that accurate radiographic restaging, multimodality treatment, and advanced surgical technique can offer patients deemed unresectable at previous exploration the possibility for curative salvage pancreatectomy. Study Design Review of a prospectively maintained pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma database identified all patients (1990 to 2010) evaluated after being deemed unresectable at first exploration elsewhere. Referring hospitals were categorized per National Cancer Data Base criteria as academic, community, or international. Patients were restaged using objective imaging (CT) criteria and classified based on anatomic resectability. Clinicopathologic factors and cancer-related outcomes were assessed. Results We evaluated 88 patients who underwent previously unsuccessful resection attempts at academic (n = 50), community (n = 25), and international (n = 13) centers. Radiographic restaging confirmed that 7 (8%) patient tumors were locally advanced and unresectable, but 81 (92%) were resectable (n = 61) or borderline resectable (n = 20). Using a surgery first (9%) or preoperative chemoradiation (91%) approach, successful reoperative pancreatectomy was performed in 66 (81%) patients, with 94% receiving R0 resections. Vascular resection/reconstruction was required in 30 (46%) patients and 50 (76%) required complex revision of previously created biliary/gastrointestinal bypass. The major complication rate was 20% and 3 (4.5%) patients died perioperatively. Median overall survival was 29.6 months for successfully resected patients vs 10.6 and 5.1 months (p Conclusions In this very selected cohort of high-risk patients, the majority had anatomically resectable tumors on restaging. Accurate radiographic restaging, a multimodality treatment strategy, and advanced surgical techniques can provide an opportunity for cure in a substantial proportion of select patients who were deemed unresectable at exploration.
Control systems with minimum spectral bandwidth of plant input

A design method for control systems that minimizes the spectral bandwidth of the plant input signal is discussed. The plant input signal is minimized subject to the constraint that the integral square error for deterministic inputs or the mean square error for random inputs be limited to a known desired value. The control system transfer function that satisfies these requirements is derived, and the functions used in bandwidth shaping are discussed. An example of a system design using this technique is given.
Carbon utilization patterns in the heterotrophic blue-green alga Chlorogloea fritschii.

0752 08 1. The metabolic patterns of Chlorogloea fritschii, a blue-green alga capable of growing both heterotrophically and autotrophically, were analyzed in cells grown with different carbon and energy sources. 2. The distribution of isotopic carbon incorporated into cells grown on combinations of CO2, sucrose and acetate in the light or in the dark was determined after cell fractionation and amino acid isolation. Fractionation studies indicated that C. fritschii utilizes organic substrates both in the light and the dark, but that the pattern of incorporation in the light is more similar to that seen in other bluegreen algae grown in the light than to its own pattern in the dark. 3. CO2 is also incorporated into both light-and dark-grown cells, but sucrose is the preferred substrate when CO2 and sucrose are both present. 4. Label from radioactive sucrose and acetate was distributed into all amino acids separated. Large amounts of label appeared in both the glutamate and aspartate families, suggesting that the Krebs cycle, which appears to be incomplete in other blue-greens, may be fully functional in C. fritschii in the light and in the dark.
Was privatisation necessary and did it work? The case of South Africa

‘Why structural adjustment is necessary and why it doesn't work’ published by Gavin Williams in ROAPE in 1994, highlighted the paradoxical nature of structural adjustment policies. Drawing on Williams's insights, this article examines the adoption and outcome of privatisation policies in South Africa from 1994 to 2010. The paper makes two claims that reinforce Williams's earlier arguments. First, privatisation was central to the effort by the post-apartheid government to secure a marriage between the state and capital through the expansion of black ownership. Yet, second, concerns over employment equity, preferential procurement, and unemployment forced the state to depend on parastatals after the turn of the century and in doing so, to abandon the privatisation of state assets. State-owned enterprises have now become an integral component of the state's developmental project in South Africa. [Est-ce que la privatisation etait necessaire et a-elle fonctionne ? Le cas de l'Afrique du Sud]. « Pourquoi l'ada...
Gauss composition over an arbitrary base

Abstract The classical theorems relating integral binary quadratic forms and ideal classes of quadratic orders have had important applications in number theory, and many authors have given extensions of these theorems to rings other than the integers. However, such extensions have always included hypotheses on the rings, and the theorems involve only binary quadratic forms satisfying further hypotheses. We give a complete statement of the relationship between binary quadratic forms and modules for quadratic algebras over any base ring, or in fact base scheme. The result includes all binary quadratic forms, and commutes with base change. We give global geometric as well as local explicit descriptions of the relationship between forms and modules.
Interpretation of Raman Spectra of Nitro-Containing Explosive Materials. Part II: The Implementation of Neural, Fuzzy, and Statistical Models for Unsupervised Pattern Recognition

The implementation of neural, fuzzy, and statistical models for the unsupervised pattern recognition and clustering of Fourier transform (FT)-Raman spectra of explosive materials is reported. In this work a statistical pattern recognition technique based on the concept of nearest-neighbors classification is described. Also the first application of both fuzzy clustering and a fuzzified Kohonen clustering network for the analysis of vibrational spectra is presented. Fuzzified Kohonen networks were found to perform as well as or better than the traditional fuzzy clustering technique. The unsupervised pattern recognition techniques, without the need for a priori structural information, yielded results which were comparable with those obtained by using a combination of a priori structural information and manual group-frequency analysis. This work demonstrates, via the use of a nitro-containing explosive data set, the utility of unsupervised pattern recognition techniques for the clustering, novelty detection, prototyping, and feature mapping of Raman spectra. The results of this work are directly applicable to the characterization of Raman spectra of explosives recorded with fiberoptic sampling.
Border Crossing to Inject Drugs in Mexico Among Injection Drug Users in San Diego, California

We examined correlates of ever injecting drugs in Mexico among residents of San Diego, California. From 2007 to 2010, injecting drug users (IDUs) in San Diego underwent an interviewer-administered survey. Logistic regression identified correlates of injection drug use in Mexico. Of 302 IDUs, 38% were Hispanic, 72% male and median age was 37; 27% ever injected in Mexico; 43% reported distributive syringe sharing there. Factors independently associated with ever injecting drugs in Mexico included being younger at first injection, injecting heroin, distributive syringe sharing at least half of the time, and transporting drugs over the last 6 months. One-quarter of IDUs reported ever injecting drugs in Mexico, among whom syringe sharing was common, suggesting possible mixing between IDUs in the Mexico-US border region. Prospective studies should monitor trends in cross-border drug use in light of recent Mexican drug policy reforms partially decriminalizing drug possession.
Use of probiotics in humans : An analysis of the literature

Although probiotics are prescribed and used widely, their use has not been analyzed clearly. This article provides a review of the literature from 1980 and 2004. It describes 185 references in the literature and 20 different types of studies. The authors also analyze the most common clinical studies evaluated and attempt to add to those studies any meta analysis or significant analysis done by other authors.