cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Practical Model-Based Monetary Policy Analysis: A How-To Guide

This paper provides a how-to guide to model-based forecasting and monetary policy analysis. It describes a simple structural model, along the lines of those in use in a number of central banks. This workhorse model consists of an aggregate demand (or IS) curve, a price-setting (or Phillips) curve, a version of the uncovered interest parity condition, and a monetary policy reaction function. The paper discusses how to parameterize the model and use it for forecasting and policy analysis, illustrating with an application to Canada. It also introduces a set of useful software tools for conducting a model-consistent forecast.
Debugging of heterogeneous parallel systems

The Agora system supports the development of heterogeneous parallel programs, e.g. programs written in multiple languages and running on heterogeneous machines. Agora has been used since September 1986 in a large distributed system [1]: Two versions of the application have been demonstrated in one year, contrary to the expectation of two years per one version. The simplicity in debugging is one of the reasons of the productivity speedup gained. This simplicity is due both to the deeper understanding that the debugger has of parallel systems, and to a novel feature: the ability to replay the execution of parallel systems built with Agora. A user is able to exactly repeat for any number of times and at a slower pace an execution that failed. This makes it easy to identify time-dependent errors, which are peculiar to parallel and distributed systems. The debugger can also be customized to support user defined synchronization primitives, which are built on top of the system provided ones. The Agora debugger tackles three set of problems that no parallel debugger in the past has simultaneously addressed: dealing with programming-in-the-large, multiple processes in different languages, and multiple machine architectures.
Institutional Shaping of Cultural Memory: Digital Library as Environment for Textual Transmission

The emerging trends in digital(ized) collection development from 1997 are examined using a sample of projects accessible through Web‐based registries of the Association of Research Libraries and the Digital Library Federation. The analysis focuses on thematic repertoire, narrative structuring, underlying historiographic principles, presentation, and the context of institutionalization, combining empirical and interpretive approaches to understand how digital libraries are involved in the production of knowledge and how memory institutions are currently shaping this record in the digital environment. Digital collections are presently showcasing material previously restricted to scholarly uses, making it available for broader educational purposes. Nevertheless, they resemble the sixteenth‐ and seventeenth‐century Cabinets de curiosites in their limited ability to support scholarship or address information needs of defined communities of users. Programmatic statements for developers in the conclusion of the ...
Resilient control design for polynomial nonlinear systems with controller gain variations

In this paper, we consider the resilient (non-fragile) controller design problem for polynomial nonlinear systems. The designed state feedback controller is capable of tolerating some level of controller gain variations. Based on the Lyapunov stability theorem and S-procedure, the synthesis condition will be formulated in polynomial but bilinear form of Lyapunov function and the controller gain jointly. An iterative scheme will be proposed to separate the joint search of two variables and convert the bilinear condition to linear form. Sum-of-Squares (SOS) programming will be utilized to obtain the tractable solution and gradually augment the Lyapunov function and the nonlinear control law to higher order polynomial forms so that the robust margin of control gain is optimized. An examples will be used to materialize the design scheme and demonstrate the improved robust stability margin against the controller gain variations.
Effects of Propranolol and Exercise Training in Children with Severe Burns

Objectives To investigate whether propranolol administration blocks the benefits induced by exercise training in severely burned children. Study design Children aged 7-18 years (n = 58) with burns covering ≥30% of the total body surface area were enrolled in this randomized trial during their acute hospital admission. Twenty-seven patients were randomized to receive propranolol, whereas 31 served as untreated controls. Both groups participated in 12 weeks of in-hospital resistance and aerobic exercise training. Muscle strength, lean body mass, and peak oxygen consumption (VO 2 peak) were measured before and after exercise training. Paired and unpaired Student t tests were used for within and between group comparisons, and χ 2 tests for nominal data. Results Age, length of hospitalization, and total body surface area burned were similar between groups. In both groups, muscle strength, lean body mass, and VO 2 peak were significantly greater after exercise training than at baseline. The percent change in VO 2 peak was significantly greater in the propranolol group than in the control group ( P Conclusions Exercise-induced enhancements in muscle mass, strength, and VO 2 peak are not impaired by propranolol. Moreover, propranolol improves the aerobic response to exercise in massively burned children.
Relationships between Brucella ovis semen culture and various semen and serology parameters.

Abstract Semen and blood samples from 154 rams from two Montana range flocks (Flock A, vaccinated for Brucella ovis ; Flock B, nonvaccinated) were evaluated to determine the relationship between Brucella ovis ( B. ovis ) semen culture results and various semen and blood parameters. All rams utilized in this study exhibited no palpable ram epididymitis lesions. Thirteen and 25.6% of the rams tested in Flocks A and B, respectively, had positive B. ovis semen cultures. Only age of ram and ram condition scores differed (P 0.05) for any of the parameters evaluated. Age of ram, ram condition score, and spermatozoa rate from forward movement were unrelated (P>0.05) to B. ovis culture results. Rams with positive B. ovis semen cultures had lower sperm motility (P
Age-related impairment of early and late events of signal transduction in mouse immune cells.

Abstract The effects of aging were studied on both early and late [subsequent to activation of protein kinase C (PKC)] events of signal transduction in mouse T cell subsets. Aged C57B1/6 mice showed significant suppression of Con A-stimulated Ca 2+ mobilization in both CD4+ and CD8+T cells compared to young mice. When early signaling was bypassed by stimulating cells with the combination of a calcium ionophore and a phorbol ester. [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation was comparable between young and aged mice while Con A-stimulated [ 3 H]thymidine uptake remained depressed in aged mice. These results suggest that impairment of early (but not late) events may be responsible for the suppression of T cell proliferation in aged animals. Further, aged mice exhibited a significant increase in spontaneous proliferation resulting in a robust reduction of the stimulation index of both Con A and PMA/A23187-induced proliferation. Similarly, aged mice exhibited a significant increase in spontaneous IL-2R expression in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. No differences in IL-2 secretion were found between young and aged mice. The change in IL-2R expression was positively correlated with increased spontaneous proliferation. Overall these results suggest that: 1) impaired early (pre-PKC) rather than later (post-PKC) events of signaling may be responsible for poor proliferation of T cells, and 2) endogeneous activation of cells related to increased level of IL-2R expression may play an important role in aging-associated immunosuppression.
The Relationship of Ability and Satisfaction to Job Performance

Cette etude examina la relation entre satisfaction et performance, testant specialement les effets interferents des aptitudes. Utilisant une analyse de travail pour determiner les aptitudes propres a leur tâche, 95 agents de services techniques passerent un test standardise d'aptitude cognitive frequemment utilise en selection industrielle. La satisfaction au travail n'etait pas reliee significativement a la performance. Cependant, l'interaction aptitude x satisfaction agissait fortement sur le modele de regression, ameliorant statistiquement la validite. Les individus avec a la fois de hauts niveaux de satisfaction au travail et de hauts niveaux d'aptitudes propres a la tâche atteignaient des taux de performance significativement plus eleves que les autres travailleurs
PHOTOREACTIVATION AND PHOTOPROTECTION

Summary Survival after far ultraviolet irradiation can be greatly increased in most cells by a posttreatment with near ultraviolet or violet-blue radiation (photoreactivation) or, in some cells, by a pretreatment with near ultraviolet radiation (photoprotection). In addition, many cells recover from some lethal far ultraviolet damage by posttreatments not involving light (dark recovery), and it seems likely that considerable recovery of this type occurs even under ‘normal’ postirradiation conditions that do not involve any special ‘treatments’. In this paper, three aspects of photoreactivation of lethal damage are considered: (1) the nature of photoreactivable damage, including the possibility of cytoplasmic and RNA, as well as DNA, damage; (2) the mechanism of direct (photoenzymatic) photoreactivation, with special reference to dose-rate saturation and temperance dependence; and (3) relations among photoprotection, dark recovery, and photoreactivation, with particular reference to the phenomenon of ‘indirect photoreactivation’, which is similar in mechanism to photoprotection. The general approach is broad, an attempt being made to point out some gaps and inconsistencies in our knowledge of these phenomena.
AZOTEMIA, HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA, WITH MINIMAL RENAL MICROANGIOPATHY IN A PATIENT WITH COMBINED IMMUNODEFICIENCY (CID), AND RHEOVIRUS (RV) INFECTION

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) has been rarely reported in CID. A 3 month old male infant presented with 3 day history of vomiting, diarrhea, cough and 24 hr. oliguria. Two weeks prior to this episode patient was (pt) admitted and treated for diarrhea, dehydration, oligurea and azotemia. On second admission pt. had 10% dehydration, acidosis and oral thrush. A normal platelet count, coombs negative hemolytic anemia (Hct 33%, retic count 25%, burr cells), elevated BUN (62mg%), and creatinine (12mg%), metabolic acidosis (CO212mm/1, BE-15), microscopic hematuria and proteinuria were observed on admission. Subsequently the patient developed severe thrombocytopenia, moderate anemia and decreased GFR. These changes normalized in two weeks. A chest roentgenogram revealed pneumonitis and absence of thymus gland. Immunoglobulin electrophoresis and T-cell function were consistent with CID. Stool, CSF fluid and bone marrow cultures were positive for RV. oliguria, azotemia and hyponatremia responded to conservative therapy. However, pt. subsequently developed extensive dermatitis (D), generalized edema and recurrent bouts of diarrhea. Ten weeks later despite hyperalimentation and gammaglobulin therapy pt. expired. Autopsy revealed generalized RV infection, parainfluenza pneumonitis, hypoplasia of thymus, spleen and lymph nodes, graft vs. host D, and minimal glomerular histological changes. Whether mild renal histological changes seen in this pt. with other evidence of HUS is in part due to concomitant CID, is a matter of conjuncture.
Fission gas disposition in decay heat environment

Abstract A computer code is developed to model fission gas disposition in UO2 fuel during nearly isothermal heating, as would result from decay heat. The intragranular analysis, random diffusion model, uses a spatial solution for random migration and bubble coalescence. Nonequilibrium bubble growth and interactions between bubbles as well as nonequilibrium bubblegrain boundary interactions are considered. In the intergranular analysis, grain growth is allowed until tunnels have formed; this is set at 6% grain edge swelling. Grain face bubbles are assumed uniform in size and distribution. Grain edge tunnels are approximated in toroidal geometry. The model (a system of two grains, one shrinking and one growing but with total volume conserved; each grain originally contained 50% of the total fission gas) is applied to a “postulated” LMFBR accident condition involving a slow “nearly isothermal” heating of the fuel. The intragranular release is computed at 3.4% without grain growth, but at 14% with grain growth. Intragranular release is found to be dominated by grain growth. The analysis was applied also to the FGR-34 transient of HEDL. It is pointed out, however, that in the FGR-34 experiment thermal gradients were present whereas in the present code, only isothermal heating is considered. In spite of this significant difference between the modeled and the observed thermal state of the fuel, the comparison was carried out with a purpose to examine the existence of nonequilibrium attractive forces, between bubbles and grain boundaries, which were suggested by HEDL as perhaps responsible for the bubble denuding observed on both sides of the grain boundary. The computations did demonstrate the existence of nonequilibrium conditions, but the computed intragranular bubble radii, with only random diffusion as the operative mechanism, were well below the reported values. It is likely that this descrepancy between computed and observed bubble radii is due to (1) the presence in FGR-34 tests of thermal gradients, which would make bubble biased migration operative, and/or (2) the possibility of very strong enhancement, significantly more than two orders of magnitude, of the diffusion coefficient due to the prevailing nonequilibrium bubble conditions. The present code treats nonequilibrium conditions, but contains no physical mechanism for diffusion enhancement.
A Spline Group – Korovkin Approximation Theorem

In this paper, using homogeneous groups, we prove a Korovkin type approximation theorem for a spline groupby using the notion of a generalization of positive linear operator.
Use of fluorescence genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) to detect the presence of alien chromatin in wheat lines differing in nuclear DNA content.

Background Many times small differences in genome size are reported between or within plant species in which no cytologic confirmation is made. Attempts to repeat these studies have met with limited success. The controversy then becomes whether or not these small differences that were not confirmed cytologically are real. The present study was undertaken to determine if the ≈1% nuclear variation seen by flow cytometry among wheat lines selected for aluminum response was due to actual chromatin differences. Methods The three parental wheat cultivars used in the aluminum selection along with the isolines resulting from the selection were analyzed. One parental line had previously been reported to have alien chromatin substituted for the corresponding wheat homoeologous chromatin. Genomic in situ hybridization was used to determine the presence or absence of rye chromatin in three cultivars and six near-isolines of wheat. Results Upon observing metaphase chromosomes of the Century parent and its isolines, two of the chromosomes were observed to be one-half yellow-orange, indicating rye chromatin with the remaining portion of the chromosomes and the other 40 wheat chromosomes having no label indicating wheat chromatin. In the Chisholm parent and its isolines, none of the chromosomes were labeled, indicating the absence of rye chromatin. In addition, none of the third parents' chromosomes had the rye yellow-orange signal. Conclusions The wheat lines with the larger DNA contents were observed to have alien DNA present. DNA differences between the normal wheat chromosomes and the substituting alien chromatin were calculated based on total chromosome length. The increase in genome size of the wheat lines containing the alien chromatin appears to be the result of the alien chromatin having ≈43% more DNA than the wheat chromatin it is replacing. Thus, the small DNA difference previously reported by flow cytometry was demonstrated to be a real DNA variation due to the presence of small fragments of alien chromosomes added to the wheat genome. Cytometry 41:36–40, 2000 © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Significance of abutment tooth angle of gingival convergence on removable partial denture retention

The angle of gingival convergence is one of the many factors that influence the retention capability of removable partial denture clasps. A geometric evaluation of the retention properties of this angle has been presented.
Flow behavior impact on the suppression effectiveness of sub-10-μm water drops in propane/air co-flow non-premixed flames

Abstract Extinction concentrations in a non-premixed propane/air co-flow flame were measured for piezoelectrically generated water mist containing sub-10-μm drops. Based on comparison to flame extinction with nitrogen, it was determined that 66% of the total available water mist enthalpy (27% of available enthalpy of vaporization) is used in flame suppression. Flow field analysis, using particle image velocimetry, and simultaneous flame imaging show that the water drops evaporate well outside the flame front and primarily travel vertically past the flame. Sub-micrometer particle imaging data support the assumption that water vapor resulting from drop evaporation near the flame follows the entraining airflow and interacts with the flame. In concert, the extinction and imaging experiments suggest that, due to the proximity and flow direction of the drops relative to the flame as they evaporate, the flame experiences only a portion of the cooling effect induced by drop evaporation. The majority of the evaporating drops likely exchange heat with the neighboring bulk water mist and contribute to flame suppression primarily by providing water vapor as a heat sink.
The difficulty of “length × width”: Is a square the unit of measurement?

Abstract In individual interviews, 220 students in grades 4, 6, 8, and 9 were given one task, and 72 eighth graders were given three tasks to answer two questions: (a) Is a square the unit of measurement for an area for students in grades 4–8? and (b) Does a square have a space-covering characteristic for students in grade 8? The answers to both questions were No (except for eighth (and ninth) graders in advanced sections of mathematics). The difficulty of “length × width” is explained in light of Piaget's theory, and educational implications are discussed.
Properties of a phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine N-methyltransferase from Neurospora crassa

Abstract A soluble preparation was obtained from microsomes of Neurospora crassa that catalyzed the two-step methylation of phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine to phosphatidylcholine with S -adenosylmethionine as the methyl donor. Both the phosphatidyl- N -monomethylethanolamine and the phosphatidyl- N , N -dimethylethanolamine N -methyltransferase activities had optima near pH 8.0 and showed similar heat denaturation characteristics. The ratio of the two activities remained essentially the same in fractions obtained by precipitation with (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 . The results of these studies are consistent with the conjecture based on previous work that one enzyme catalyzes the methylation of both phosphatidyl- N -monomethylethanolamine and phosphatidyl- N , N -dimethylethanolamine.
Fighting Injustice through Education.

Brian Simon’s life work brought together a set of themes that cross the Atlantic in interesting ways: race and class, contests over education’s aims and structures, equity and equality as different...
Laser sample stage-based image resolution enhancement method for SEMs

The development of a very fast, very accurate laser stage measurement system facilitates a new method to enhance the image and line scan resolution of scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). This method, allows for fast signal intensity and displacement measurements, and can report hundreds of thousands of measurement points in just a few seconds. It is possible then, to account for the stage position in almost real time with a resolution of 0.2 nm. The extent and direction of the stage motion reveal important characteristics of the stage vibration and drift, and helps to minimize them. The high accuracy and speed also allows for a convenient and effective technique for diminishing these problems by correlating instantaneous position and imaging intensity. The new measurement technique gives a possibility for significantly improving SEM-based dimensional measurement quality.
Invertebrate muscles: Thin and thick filament structure; molecular basis of contraction and its regulation, catch and asynchronous muscle

This is the second in a series of canonical reviews on invertebrate muscle. We cover here thin and thick filament structure, the molecular basis of force generation and its regulation, and two special properties of some invertebrate muscle, catch and asynchronous muscle. Invertebrate thin filaments resemble vertebrate thin filaments, although helix structure and tropomyosin arrangement show small differences. Invertebrate thick filaments, alternatively, are very different from vertebrate striated thick filaments and show great variation within invertebrates. Part of this diversity stems from variation in paramyosin content, which is greatly increased in very large diameter invertebrate thick filaments. Other of it arises from relatively small changes in filament backbone structure, which results in filaments with grossly similar myosin head placements (rotating crowns of heads every 14.5 nm) but large changes in detail (distances between heads in azimuthal registration varying from three to thousands of crowns). The lever arm basis of force generation is common to both vertebrates and invertebrates, and in some invertebrates this process is understood on the near atomic level. Invertebrate actomyosin is both thin (tropomyosin:troponin) and thick (primarily via direct Ca(++) binding to myosin) filament regulated, and most invertebrate muscles are dually regulated. These mechanisms are well understood on the molecular level, but the behavioral utility of dual regulation is less so. The phosphorylation state of the thick filament associated giant protein, twitchin, has been recently shown to be the molecular basis of catch. The molecular basis of the stretch activation underlying asynchronous muscle activity, however, remains unresolved.
Incubation of nicotine seeking is associated with enhanced protein kinase A-regulated signaling of dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of 32 kDa in the insular cortex

A recent clinical study demonstrated that damage to the insular cortex can disrupt tobacco addiction. The neurobiological mechanisms for this effect are not yet understood. In this study we used an animal model of nicotine addiction to examine the possibility that changes in insular cortex levels of dopamine (DA)- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of 32 kDa (DARPP-32), a phosphoprotein enriched in DA neurons containing DA D1 receptors, may be associated with changes in vulnerability to nicotine addiction. Once rats acquired self-administration, they were given unlimited access to nicotine (0.01 mg/kg/infusion) for 23 h/day for a total of 10 days. Each infusion was paired with a visual cue (stimulus light) and auditory cue (sound of pump). Nicotine seeking, as assessed under a cue-induced reinstatement paradigm, and markers of DARPP-32 signaling, as assessed using western blot analysis, were examined in separate groups of rats at two different abstinent intervals: 1 and 7 days. Consistent with findings with other drugs of abuse, rats in the 7-day abstinence group took longer to extinguish and responded at higher levels during reinstatement testing as compared with rats in the 1-day reinstatement group. Relative to saline controls, rats in the 7-day but not the 1-day abstinence group had higher levels of DARPP-32 phosphorylated at the protein kinase A site in the insular cortex. These results demonstrate incubation of drug seeking following extended access to nicotine self-administration and suggest that enhanced protein kinase A signaling in the insular cortex via phosphorylation of DARPP-32 at Thr34 is associated with this effect.
The spin-1/2 implementation of the Gibbs/Band-Park model of thermodynamic equilibrium

Abstract Band and Park enunciated some fifteen years ago the problem of estimating a Gibbs distribution over the totality of possible states of a quantum system, so as to yield the expected value of a Hamiltonian. The apparent lack of a suitable prior distribution over these states, as well as the difficulty of parameterizing them, has impeded the implementation of their program. Here - considering the continuum of spin- 1 2 states, parameterized by points of the Riemann sphere - their program is implemented using the principles of (Bayesian) multivariate analysis to find the suitable prior. This turns out to be the square root of the determinant of the Fisher information matrix associated with a complex multivariate normal distribution having the density matrix of a state as its covariance matrix and a priori zero mean vector. For comparison purposes, the model is estimated using a (naive) uniform prior over the Riemann sphere. Relations to the Jaynesian program of finding the state having the expected value of the Hamiltonian and the maximum value of the von Neumann entropy have yet to be resolved.
Quiet pride: the experience of chronic illness by rural older adults.

Purposes: To explore how chronic illness is experienced and managed by rural Hispanic and non-Hispanic older adults and their families, and to identify how the health care system and community facilitate or inhibit the ability to manage chronic illness in a changing health care environment. Design: Descriptive ethnography with purposive sampling. Methods: Data-generation methods included audiotaped interviews from 42 Hispanic and White, non-Hispanic participants, participant observations, examination of documents and artifacts, and photography in rural Colorado. Interpretive ethnographic methods were used to identify an overarching cultural theme. Findings: Living with chronic illness was a proactive, reciprocal learning process shaped by interrelationships in the context of multiple, diverse communities. Participants expressed living with chronic illness as a quiet pride on the journey toward living a meaningful life. Conclusions: Findings provide an understanding of the webs of relationships that constitute the experience of elders living with chronic illness in rural communities. Viewing life as meaningful in the context of a broader understanding of health and well-being is important for nursing practice and future models of care.
How prevalent are diabetes-related complications in patients with youth-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus?

How prevalent are diabetes-related complications in patients with youth-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus?
Pharmacological antagonism of the toxic manifestations of amitriptyline and protriptyline in dogs

Abstract In unanesthetized dogs intoxication with amitriptyline produced tachycardia and neurologic changes characterized chiefly by agitation and restlessness. The chronotropic actions of such intoxication were reduced by inhibitors of cholinesterase (physostigmine, pyridostigmine), by mecamylamine, a ganglionic blocking agent, and by propranolol, a β-receptor blocking agent. Neurologic patterns were favorably influenced only by physostigmine. Protriptyline, given in toxic doses, produced a lesser degree of tachycardia, did not cause neurologic disturbances and was less susceptible to physostigmine reduction of heart rate changes than amitriptyline. The data suggest that the weak anticholinergic activities of amitriptyline and protriptyline may be responsible for some of the toxic manifestations. Activation of the sympathetic nervous systems may participate to some extent in the tachycardia.
The Center for Social Work Research at the University of Texas at Austin: A profile

The Center for Social Work Research (CSWR) in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin demonstrates how interdisciplinary research collaborations between faculty, social work practitioners, and administrators can enhance social work practice and policy development. With limited infrastructure funding since 1974, CSWR has operated with grant monies renewed through contracts with state agencies and foundations seeking program evaluation, data collection, and/or data analyses. Research has focused on topics such as at-risk youth, teenage pregnancy, open adoptions, foster care, child abuse, child care services, welfare reform, and many others. CSWR is now utilizing federal funding opportunities to expand its functions and obtain infrastructure funds necessary for supporting investigator-initiated research.
Effect of electrochemotherapy on muscle and skin.

The efficient delivery of drugs to tumors is an important tool for the treatment of a variety of cancers. Electric pulses have been shown to facilitate the uptake of molecules through the cell membrane. This procedure has been successful in increasing the effectiveness of antitumor agents (electrochemotherapy; ECT). Response rates of >80% have been obtained in both animal and human trials for several types of skin malignancies. The study reported here examined the effect of ECT on normal tissue. The hind limbs of Sprague Dawley rats were treated with 1–3 electroporation sequences in the presence or absence of the drug (bleomycin) which was administered at 4, 8 or 16 units/ml. The treated sites were examined histologically 3, 14 and 56 days later. Limb function was not affected by the treatment and skin and muscle necrosis was only seen at the higher doses.
Differential effects of flavonoid compounds on tumor promoter-induced activation of the human CYP1A2 enhancer.

Flavonoids, a family of naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds found in many fruits, nuts, vegetables, and beverages, appear to inhibit tumor promotion as part of their chemopreventive properties. To investigate at the molecular level the ability of flavonoids to inhibit tumor-promoting activity, we developed a cell line designed to screen for flavonoids that block the tumor promoter-mediated induction of activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcriptional activity. This cell line, T2Luc, is a HepG2-derived cell line stably integrated with a region of the human CYP1A2 5'-flanking gene containing two AP-1 binding sites linked to the thymidine kinase promoter-driven firefly luciferase reporter gene. Treatment of T2Luc with a commercial extract of green tea alone had no effect on luciferase activity, but did block the induction of luciferase when cells were further challenged with the tumor promoter phorbol 12-O-tetradecanoate 13-acetate (TPA). In contrast, treatment of cells with the flavonoid quercetin alone activated luciferase activity in a concentration-dependent manner and enhanced the TPA-induced transcription of luciferase. Gel mobility shift assays using nuclear extracts from cells treated with green tea extracts or TPA alone revealed induced binding of AP-1 proteins to the CYP1A2 3'AP-1 site. Pretreatment with green tea extracts did not inhibit the TPA-induced formation of AP-1 complexes. Quercetin treatment alone slightly enhanced binding of AP-1 complexes to this site. Our results suggest that these dietary chemopreventive agents may work through different pathways to modulate gene expression.
Carbon-metal graded composites for permanent osseous attachment of non-porous metals

Abstract The recently devised REPLAMINEFORM process for imparting controlled pore microstructures to metals, ceramics, and plastics now makes it possible to join materials which differ greatly in chemical, physical, mechanical, or biological properties, by means of composite bonding at the interface. A solution to the long-standing problem of attaching metal to bone is proposed as one application. The join would be accomplished with a porous carbon intermediary permitting a transition from solid, non-porous metal to metal-carbon composite to carbon-bone composite to bone. As a result, advantage can be taken of the superior biocompatibility qualities of carbon which is otherwise of limited value for implant purposes because of its poor strength characteristics. Additional advantages include reduction or elimination of problems arising from metal corrosion or toxicity, and the formation of a much more desirable stress distribution pattern. A carbon-composite intermediate will minimize the poor match of mechanical properties at a bone-metal interface, thus preventing the development of large stress concentrations which cause tissue necrosis, bone resorption, deterioration of implant attachment, and other adverse effects.
Seniority‐based promotion in Thailand: it’s time to change

Defines and compares the differences in management styles and performance measures in Eastern and Western global business operations. The cultural differences between Thailand and the USA specifically, will be analyzed to determine their impact on the selection of a seniority v. merit promotion system. The methodology used was a questionnaire consisting of 12 questions distributed to 50 Thai companies and 50 US companies. The respondents were asked to identify the promotional structure as seniority or merit based, distinguish the benefits, and/or negative impact of the promotional structure within their respective firms, and define the effects of the structure on promotion, benefits, and corporate decision making. A summary of the findings, inclusive of statistical data comparison, is also included. Conclusions and recommendations are provided based upon the data, which suggest that the seniority‐based promotion system should change for Thailand to remain competitive in a hyper‐intensive, dynamic global marketplace.
The zero-reject policy in special education A moral analysis

This article analyzes the zero-reject policy at the core of American special education law from the standpoint of morality, by examining the policy in terms of the following three moral theories: utilitarianism, Rawlsian Kantianism (justice as fairness) and neo-Aristotelianism, as developed recently by Martha Nussbaum in her capabilities account of social justice.Although on first impression, none of these theories seems to provide a framework within which to develop a plausible defense of the zero-reject policy, on deeper analysis there are plausible arguments in support of the policy from the perspectives of all three theories. The analysis supporting this conclusion leads to an enhanced appreciation of the conceptual resources that major philosophical theories of morality provide to understand the moral bases of the most important educational rights, under American special education law, of children with severe to profound physical and cognitive disabilities.
Dynamic modulation of intracellular glucose imaged in single cells using a FRET-based glucose nanosensor

To study intracellular glucose homeostasis, the glucose nanosensor FLIPglu-600μM, which undergoes changes in fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) upon interaction with glucose, was expressed in four mammalian cell lines: COS-7, CHO, HEK293, and C2C12. Upon addition of extracellular glucose, the intracellular FRET ratio decreased rapidly as intracellular glucose increased. The kinetics were fast (τ = 5 to 15 s) in COS and C2C12 cells and slow (τ = 20 to 40 s) in HEK and CHO cells. Upon removal of extracellular glucose, the FRET ratio returned to its initial value at similar rates (τ = 15 to 40 s) in all cell types. In all cell types, the glucose uptake FRET signal was blocked by the glucose transporter (GLUTx) inhibitor cytochalasin B and was not affected by the Na/glucose transporter inhibitor phlorizin. Glucose clearance was inhibited by the glycolytic inhibitor iodoacetate. Using β-escin to permeabilize the cell, we found that the glucose gradient across the membrane was strongly dependent on the rates of glucose uptake versus glucose clearance. With 10 mM extracellular glucose and a high rate of glucose clearance, intracellular glucose level fell below 100 μM when glucose uptake rate was low, whereas it exceeded 0.5 mM when glucose uptake was high. Cells cultured in high glucose maintained lower basal intracellular glucose levels than cells cultured in low glucose, attributed to “reciprocal regulation” of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis. Basal glucose level also increased with elevated temperatures. Experiments performed with C2C12 cells demonstrated a shift from fast glucose uptake to slow glucose uptake in the absence of insulin during differentiation.
Human Aging and Spatial Vision

The ability to see spatial structures of a wide range of sizes was measured for two groups of observers (mean ages, 18 and 73 years). All observers had good visual acuity. Although older and younger observers did not differ in ability to see targets with fine structure (high spatial frequencies), older observers were only one-third as sensitive to targets with coarse structure (low spatial frequencies) as were younger observers or to changes in criterion. Older observers were also less able than younger observers to see moving targets. The reduced sensitivity of the older observers may adversely affect routine perceptual activities, such as face recognition and visually guided postural behavior, that depend upon low spatial frequencies.
Study of multilayer surface oxidation of platinum by electrical resistance technique

Abstract Multilayer surface oxidation of polycrystalline Pt wire is studied for the first time at moderate oxygen pressures using a high precision electrical resistance technique. The dependence of the oxidation rate on pressure, temperature, and time is investigated. Oxide films of up to 90 nm thickness are grown, and the temperature region for rapid dissociation of the oxide is identified. The dissociation pressure-temperature relationship for the oxide is determined in the region 450–600°C, yielding high precision values for the heat of decomposition and entropy change. A two zone model for the electrical resistance is developed and shown to agree qualitatively with the experimental results. The oxide is identified as the β phase of PtO 2 on the basis of its heat of decomposition, electron diffraction pattern, and acid solubility properties.
Characterizations and computational complexity of systolic trellis automata

Abstract Systolic trellis automata are simple models for VLSI. We characterize the computing power of these models in terms of Turing machines. The characterizations are useful in proving new results as well as giving simpler proofs of known results. We also derive lower and upper bounds on the computational complexity of the models.
Synthesis, NMR Characterization, and Cation Binding of Metallacrown Ethers with Asymmetric Bis(phosphinite) and Bis(phosphite) Ligands Derived from 2-Hydroxy-2‘-(1,4,7-trisoxo-9-nonanol)-1,1‘-biphenyl

Chlorodiphenylphosphine and 2,2‘-biphenylylenephosphorochloridite react with 2-hydroxy-2‘-(1,4,7-trisoxo-9-nonanol)-1,1‘-biphenyl to yield the new α,ω-bis(phosphorus-donor)polyether ligands Ph2PO(CH2CH2O)3-2-C12H8-2‘-OPPh2 and (2,2‘-O2C12H8)P(CH2CH2O)3-2-C12H8-2‘-P(2,2‘-O2C12H8). These ligands react with Mo(CO)4(nbd) to form the monomeric cis-metallacrown ethers cis-Mo(CO)4{Ph2PO(CH2CH2O)3-2-C12H8-2‘-OPPh2} and cis-Mo(CO)4{(2,2‘-O2C12H8)P(CH2CH2O)3-2-C12H8-2‘-P(2,2‘-O2C12H8)}. The X-ray crystal structure of cis-Mo(CO)4{(2,2‘-O2C12H8)P(CH2CH2O)3-2-C12H8-2‘-P(2,2‘-O2C12H8)} indicates that in the solid state three of the four metallacrown ether ring oxygens point away from the cavity in the cis-metallacrown ether ring. Both metallacrown ethers undergo cis−trans isomerization in the presence of catalytic amounts of HgCl2 but yield quite different products, cis-Mo(CO)4{Ph2PO(CH2CH2O)3-2-C12H8-2‘-OPPh2}·HgCl2 and trans-Mo(CO)4{(2,2‘-O2C12H8)P(CH2CH2O)3-2-C12H8-2‘-P(2,2‘-O2C12H8)}·HgCl2, when reacted with a stoi...
The solubility of hen egg-white lysozyme

The equilibrium solubility of chicken egg-white lysozyme in the presence of crystalline solid state was determined as a function of NaCl concentration, pH, and temperature. The solubility curves obtained represent a region of the lysozyme phase diagram. This diagram makes it possible to determine the supersaturation of a given set of conditions or to achieve identical supersaturations by different combinations of parameters. The temperature dependence of the solubility permits the evaluation of Delta-H of crystallization. The data indicate a negative heat of crystallization for the tetragonal crystal form but a positive heat of crystallization for the high-temperature orthorhombic form.
Auditory Perception of Geometry-Invariant Material Properties

Accurately modeling the intrinsic material-dependent damping property for interactive sound rendering is a challenging problem. The Rayleigh damping model is commonly regarded as an adequate engineering model for interactive sound synthesis in virtual environment applications, but this assumption has never been rigorously analyzed. In this paper, we conduct a formal evaluation of this model. Our goal is to determine if auditory perception of material under Rayleigh damping assumption is 'geometryinvariant', i.e. if this approximation model is transferable across different shapes and sizes. First, audio recordings of same-material objects in various shapes and sizes are analyzed to determine if they can be approximated by the Rayleigh damping model with a single set of parameters. Next, we design and conduct a series of psychoacoustic experiments, in subjects evaluate if audio clips synthesized using the Rayleigh damping model are from the same material, when we alter the material, shape, and size parameters. Through both quantitative and qualitative evaluation, we show that the acoustic properties of the Rayleigh damping model for a single material is generally preserved across different geometries of objects consisting of homogeneous materials and is therefore a suitable, geometry-invariant sound model. Our study results also show that consistent with prior crossmodal expectations, visual perception of geometry can affect the auditory perception of materials. These findings facilitate the wide adoption of Rayleigh damping for interactive auditory systems and enable reuse of material parameters under this approximation model across different shapes and sizes, without laborious per-object parameter tuning.
Daily Subcutaneous Ultra-Low-Dose Interleukin 2 with Daily Low-Dose Interferon-α in Patients with Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

A limited institution Phase II pilot study was performed using a very low-dose combination of daily s.c. interleukin (IL)-2 with IFN-alpha-2b in patients with advanced renal cancer in an attempt to duplicate or increase the response documented with higher dose schedules without the attendant toxicity profile. We selected a dose of IL-2 with documented immunological activity and combined it with clinically active low-dose IFN. Between August 1994 and September 1996, 19 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, who had been judged incapable of tolerating high-dose i.v. IL-2, were treated with IL-2 (1 million units/m2/day) and IFN (1 million units/day), administered s.c. daily. All treatments were administered on an outpatient basis. Virtually all patients had bulky tumor burden with multiple sites of involvement, including five patients with bone metastases. No major objective responses were observed; however, one patient experienced a minor response lasting 13 months, with an associated improvement in performance status. Median survival was 6 months, and 1-year survival was 16%. Toxicity was generally mild and consisted almost entirely of constitutional symptoms. No serious grade 3 or 4 toxicity was observed, although two patients withdrew from treatment due to treatment-related fatigue. On therapy, mild eosinophilia but no lymphocytosis was noted; in fact, peripheral lymphocyte counts decreased, only to rebound after treatment was discontinued. No toxic deaths occurred. Despite the reasonable tolerability of this daily low-dose s.c. regimen, we conclude that this regimen is an ineffective treatment in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients who are incapable of tolerating high-dose i.v. IL-2.
Personality Neuroscience and the Biology of Traits

Personality neuroscience involves the use of neuroscience methods to study individual differences in behavior, motivation, emotion, and cognition. Personality psychology has contributed much to identifying the important dimensions of personality, but relatively little to understanding the biological sources of those dimensions. However, the rapidly expanding field of personality neuroscience is increasingly shedding light on this topic. This article provides a survey of progress in the use of neuroscience to study personality traits, organized using a hierarchical model of traits based on the Big Five dimensions: Extraversion, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness ⁄Intellect. Evidence is reviewed for hypotheses about the biological systems involved in each trait.
The Development of Inducibility for Glutamine Synthetase in Embryonic Neural Retina: Inhibition by BrdU

The hydrocortisone-mediated induction of glutamine synthetase (GS) in the neural retina of the chick embryo is a characteristic and unique feature of differentiation of this tissue. The induction involves genomic activity elicited by the inducer resulting in synthesis and accumulation of the enzyme. We describe correlations between the growth of embryonic retina tissue in vivo and in vitro and the development of its inducibility for GS, and demonstrate that this development proceeds through two phases: competence-acquisition phase(before the 7th day of development), and maturation phase. BrdU applied for 24 h to retinas of 5-day embryos irreversibly suppresses the development of induction-competence. However, BrdU does not affect the progressive maturation of inducibility when applied to retinas that already are fully induction-competent (8 days and older). The short treatment with BrdU of 5-day retinas also causes defective histogenesis resulting in drastic malformation of the tissue. The nature of the processes involved in competence-acquisition and in the maturation of inducibility for GS are examined. Possible mechanisms by which BrdU prevents the development of induction-competence for GS in the early embryonic retina and elicits defective histogenesis are discussed.