cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HIV-1 infection despite immediate combination antiviral therapy after infusion of contaminated white cells

We present a sixth human case in which primary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection occurred, despite antiretroviral prophylaxis, after accidental inoculation of infected blood. In the prior five instances, variables such as large virus dose, late administration of antivirals, viral resistance to zidovudine, and pre-existent immunosuppression, may have played a role in the treatment failure. In this case, high-dosage oral zidovudine was given within minutes of the accident and replaced 2 1/2 days later with interferon alpha and dideoxyinosine (ddl). Despite aggressive treatment, HIV-1 infection was demonstrated in blood, spleen, and brain tissue at autopsy 16 days later. Of the tissues studied, detection of HIV-1 was most prominent in the spleen. Double-label immunocytochemistry confirmed the morphologic impression that while some of the infected spleen cells were CD3-positive T cells, the majority were macrophages. Thus, current single or dual (zidovudine, ddl-interferon) therapies for accidental HIV-1 inoculation may not be effective in preventing early infection. Further trials in animals appear warranted to evaluate protection by other strategies, such as passive immunity or combinations of agents that penetrate the brain and attack HIV-1 viral replication at differing sites.
Binding of the lipocalin C8γ to human complement protein C8α is mediated by loops located at the entrance to the C8γ ligand binding site

Abstract Human C8 is one of five complement components (C5b, C6, C7, C8 and C9) that interact to form the membrane attack complex (MAC). C8 is composed of a disulfide-linked C8α-γ heterodimer and a noncovalently associated C8β chain. C8α and C8β are homologous to C6, C7 and C9, whereas C8γ is the only lipocalin in the complement system. Lipocalins have a core β-barrel structure forming a calyx with a binding site for a small molecule. In C8γ, the calyx opening is surrounded by four loops that connect β-strands. Loop 1 is the largest and contains Cys40 that links to Cys164 in C8α. To determine if these loops mediate binding of C8α prior to interchain disulfide bond formation in C8α-γ, the loops were substituted separately and in combination for the corresponding loops in siderocalin (NGAL, Lcn2), a lipocalin that is structurally similar to C8γ. The siderocalin-C8γ chimeric constructs were expressed in E. coli , purified, and assayed for their ability to bind C8α. Results indicate at least three of the four loops surrounding the entrance to the C8γ calyx are involved in binding C8α. Binding near the calyx entrance suggests C8α may restrict and possibly regulate access to the C8γ ligand binding site.
Quantitative evaluation of the chilled-ammonia process for CO2 capture using thermodynamic analysis and process simulation ☆

Abstract There is strong world-wide interest in developing new and improved processes for post-combustion capture of CO 2 , often using chemical absorption. Developers of new processes make positive claims for their proposals in terms of low energy consumption, but these are usually difficult to validate. This paper demonstrates that rigorous application of thermodynamic analysis and process simulation provides a powerful way to quantitatively estimate the energy requirements of CO 2 -capture processes by applying the methodology to the analysis and evaluation of the chilled-ammonia process.
New High Temperature Carbon Fibre Composite

WE have prepared in this laboratory carbon composites reinforced with carbon fibres which have flexural strengths of 120,000 to 140,000 pounds per square inch at room temperature and 125,000 to 150,000 pounds per square inch at 1,500° C (in helium). The composites are reinforced unidirectionally with carbon fibres which make up 75–80 per cent of the total by weight. Densities range from 1.4 to 1.64 g/ml.
Analysis of proposed three-class classification decision rules in terms of the ideal observer decision rule

Abstract We analyze recently proposed decision rules for three-class classification from the point of view of ideal observer decision theory. We consider three-class decision rules proposed by Scurfield, by Chan et al., and by Mossman. Scurfield's decision rule is shown to be a special case of the three-class ideal observer decision rule in three different situations. Chan et al. start with an ideal observer model and specify its decision-consequence utility structure in a way that causes two of the decision lines used by the ideal observer to overlap and the third line to become undefined. Finally, we show that, for a particular and obvious choice of ideal-observer-related decision variables, the Mossman decision rule cannot be a special case of the ideal observer decision rule. Despite the considerable difficulties presented by the three-class classification task, the three-class ideal observer provides a useful framework for analyzing a variety of three-class decision strategies.
Inflammatory biomarkers increase with severity of upper-extremity overuse disorders

MSDs (musculoskeletal disorders) from overuse are common occupational health problems that cause pain, functional loss and loss of work time. The aim of the present study was to determine whether a relationship exists between the severity of early-onset overuse-related MSDs of the upper extremity and serum levels of IL-1beta (interleukin-1beta), TNF-alpha (tumour necrosis factor-alpha), IL-6 (interleukin-6) and CRP (C-reactive protein). Twenty-two subjects with upper-extremity MSDs due to overuse for no longer that 12 weeks were stratified according to the severity of upper-extremity signs and symptoms as determined by a UBMA (upper-body musculoskeletal assessment). Nine asymptomatic subjects also participated. Serum cytokines were analysed using ELISA, and CRP was analysed using a laser nephelometry technique. CRP was strongly correlated, and TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 were moderately correlated, with UBMA scores. Only CRP and TNFalpha were significantly associated with UBMA scores in an ordinal logistic regression analysis in which age and BMI (body mass index) were covariates. These results are of clinical importance as they suggest that early-onset overuse-related MSDs may have an inflammatory component. The possibility of using a combination of serum biomarkers to follow the progression of overuse-related MSDs or their response to therapeutic intervention may be of interest to clinical practitioners and should be the focus of future research.
Deformations and thermal response of active flexible rods with embedded shape memory alloy actuators

The problem of plane deformations of flexible rods with embedded SMA line actuators is considered. A simple formula for calculating the shape change of flexible rods under uniform prestrain of an embedded actuation wire is given. The results are compared with previously obtained results based on a shear-lag model for the evaluation of actuation force, a finite element solution and experimental data. It is shown that the present model gives very good accuracy and simplicity. A thermal analysis of the SMA cool-down from the austenitic finish temperature is also considered in this paper. A solution for heat conduction in a cylindrical rod with off-center heat source is presented. The results show that for common elastomeric flexible materials the rate of heat conduction is slow. As a result frequency control of the thermal cycle in flexible rods is not as efficientas the mechanical shape control.
Effects of Two Levels of Attention Demand on Vigilance Performance under Marihuana

Summary.-12 Ss under marihuana performed a modified version of the Mackworth clock-vigilance task with two levels of attention and response demands. Similar conunuous declines in signal detections over time were found for both experimental conditions indicating that the vigilance decrements induced by rnarihuana (200 mcg./Kg. B.W.) are unrelated to arousal level. An earlier study of the effects of marihuana upon perception reported increasing performance decrements in successive time periods (Sharma & Moskowitz, 1973). The experiment required Ss to detect infrequent signals which occurred in a circular sequential pattern of lights, a variation of the Mackworth clock-technique (Mackworth, 1961). With the low level of information processing demand generated by experimental conditions, there was a large continuous decline in vigilance over the l-hr. test session. The present experiment was designed to examine the relationship between the marihuana-induced decline in vigilance over time and the arousal demands of the experimental task. Arousal level was manipulated by changes in the attention and response requirements of the experimental task utilized by Sharma and Moskowitz ( 1973). Ss were 12 paid male students, aged 21 to 34 yr. They were marihuana users having at least 10 previous experiences with marihuana but currently not smoking it more than twice a week. NO S had used "hard" drugs for at least 1 yr. prior to the experiment. All were screened for emotional deviance by interview and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. They were asked not to take any drugs outside the experimental situation during the study period and not to consume any food for 4 hr. prior to a test session. Ss signed release forms which described potential effects of smoking marihuana. The marihuana used in this scudy was obtained from the Center for Studies of Narcotics and Drug Abuse, NIMH. Two treatment levels were used consisting of 200 mcg. A-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) /Kg. bodyweight (B.W. ) and 0 mcg. THC/Kg. B.W. (placebo). The placebo consisted of detoxified mari
Aggressive treatment of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis: 38 patients with 25 survivors.

Abstract Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis was first described by Genersich 1 in 1891. Although there have been several descriptive reports of this entity in the European literature, until recently there were fewer than 80 cases reported in the English literature, with about 15 survivors. With the exception of two papers from Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, in 1965 and 1967, reporting 25 cases with six survivors; 2,3 the University Hospital in Seattle, in August 1969, reporting 21 cases and 14 survivors; 4 and the Los Angeles Children's Hospital's report, in November 1969, of 16 cases with four survivors, 5 most of these earlier papers appeared as individual case reports. In newborn nurseries and premature centers where the pediatricians are alerted to this condition the incidence is about 2 per cent of the admissions. Unfortunately, in most instances, it still is a condition that goes unrecognized by pediatricians, surgeons, and pathologists alike. Unless recognized and treated, necrotizing enterocolitis is a highly lethal disease in most cases. Although the etiology of this condition is not known, the pathogenesis is probably due to decreased mesenteric blood flow during periods of hypotension or stress in the perinatal period. The mesenteric ischemia may be secondary to a redistribution of blood flow to more vital organs. Since mesenteric arterioles terminate as preferential channels, most of the mucosal blood flow may be shunted away from capillary beds as mesenteric arteriolar resistance increases and mesenteric arteriolar pressure falls below critical closing pressure. Hypoxia results in secondary muscle spasm further reducing effective blood supply to the mucosa with resulting necrosis. 2–6
Small population effects in stochastic population dynamics

The discreteness of units of small populations can produce large fluctuations from a classical continuous representation, especially when null populations play a crucial role. These belong to what are here referred to as emergent and evanescent species. A few model biological systems are introduced in which this is the case, as well as a toy model that suggests a path to avoid the associated mathematical complexities. The corresponding division into null and non-null population sectors is carried out to leading order for the model systems, with promising results.
Conceptualizing Parent-Adolescent Conflict: Applications from Systems and Attachment Theories.

This article describes how parent-adolescent conflict can be conceptualized from a systems-based attachment model. This conceptualization shifts the focus of conflictual interactions from blaming the parent or the adolescent to viewing the conflict as an attempt to reestablish security needs of the adolescent. Case examples are provided to illustrate how various types of insecure behaviors may be manifested in adolescence.
GSH-dependent regulation of Fas-mediated caspase-8 activation by acrolein

Activation of the cysteine protease caspase-8 by the death receptor Fas (CD95/APO-1) in B lymphoblastoid SKW6.4 cells or Jurkat T cells is associated with GSH depletion. Conversely, GSH depletion by the aldehyde acrolein (3–30 μM) was associated with inhibition of Fas-induced caspase-8 activation, although GSH depletion by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) did not affect caspase-8 activation. In contrast to BSO, acrolein caused a loss of caspase-8 cysteine content in association with direct alkylation of caspase-8. Our findings indicate that inhibition of caspase-8 by thiol-reactive agents such as acrolein is not due to GSH depletion but caused by direct protein thiol modifications.
Barista: An implementation framework for enabling new tools, interaction techniques and views in code editors

Recent advances in programming environments have focused on improving programmer productivity by utilizing the inherent structure in computer programs. However, because these environments represent code as plain text, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to embed interactive tools, annotations, and alternative views in the code itself. Barista is an implementation framework that enables the creation of such user interfaces by simplifying the implementation of editors that represent code internally as an abstract syntax tree and maintain a corresponding, fully structured visual representation on-screen. Barista also provides designers of editors with a standard text-editing interaction technique that closely mimics that of conventional text editors, overcoming a central usability issue of previous structured code editors.
Cytogenetic effects of extremely low doses of plutonium-238 alpha-particle irradiation in CHO K-1 cells

Abstract CHO K-1 cells were irradiated during the G1 phase with 0.5–6 rad of alpha particles. There was no appreciable cell killing in this low dose range. Significantly increased frequencies of sister-chromatid exchanges were induced by doses as low as 0.5 rad of alpha-particle irradiation, whereas increased numbers of chromosomal aberrations were observed following exposure to 2 rad. These results suggest that very low doses of alpha radiation may lead to radiation-induced genetic alterations.
Indentation studies on two-phase bicrystals of alpha-beta brass with various phase boundary geometries

Indentation studies were carried out on a two-phase model system of alpha-beta brass so as to understand the role of phase boundary on the propagation of deformation. Unlike in the case of uniaxial loading, the phase boundary acts as a very effective barrier for slip propagation, irrespective of its geometry.
Immunoreactivity and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate activating actions of various molecular forms of human B-type natriuretic peptide.

Recent studies support the speculation that different molecular forms of the cardiac hormone BNP with differential biological activity may circulate in heart failure and be detected by conventional...
EXUBERANT EXPRESSION OF CHEMOKINE GENES BY ADULT HUMAN ARTICULAR CHONDROCYTES IN RESPONSE TO IL-1β

Summary Objective To provide a more complete picture of the effect of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) on adult human articular chondrocyte gene expression, in contrast to the candidate gene approach. Design Chondrocytes from human knee cartilage were cultured in medium containing IL-1β. Changes in gene expression were analyzed by microarray and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. The ability of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1), fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-18, and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) to alter the effects of IL-1β was analyzed. Computational analysis of the promoter regions of differentially expressed genes for transcription factor binding motifs was performed. Results IL-1β-treated human chondrocytes showed significant increases in the expression of granulocyte colony stimulating factor-3, endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule 1 and leukemia inhibitory factor as well as for a large group of chemokines that include CXCL1, CXCL2, CXCL3, CXCL5, CXCL6, CXCL8, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, CCL8, CCL20, CCL3L1, CX3CL1 and the cytokine IL-6. As expected, the mRNA for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 and BMP-2 also increased while mRNA for the matrix genes COL2A1 and aggrecan was down-regulated. A subset of chemokines increased rapidly at very low levels of IL-1β. The phenotype induced by IL-1β was partially reversed by TGF-β1, but not by BMP-2. In the presence of IL-1β, FGF-18 increased expression of ADAMTS-4, aggrecan, BMP-2, COL2A1, CCL3, CCL4, CCL20, CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCL6, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 and decreased ADAMTS-5, MMP-13, CCL2, and CCL8. Computational analysis revealed a high likelihood that the most up-regulated chemokines are regulated by the transcription factors myocyte enhancer binding factor-3 (MEF-3), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). Conclusion IL-1β has a diverse effect on gene expression profile in human chondrocytes affecting matrix genes as well as chemokines and cytokines. TGF-β1 has the ability to antagonize some of the phenotype induced by IL-1β.
Steerlets: a novel approach to rigid-motion covariant multiscale transforms

We present steerlets, a new class of wavelets which allow us to define wavelet transforms that are covariant with respect to rigid motions in d dimensions. The construction of steerlets is derived from an Isotropic Multiresolution Analysis, a variant of a Multiresolution Analysis whose core subspace is closed under translations by integers and under all rotations. Steerlets admit a wide variety of design characteristics ranging from isotropy, that is the full insensitivity to orientations, to directional and orientational selectivity for local oscillations and singularities. The associated 2D or 3D-steerlet transforms are fast MRA-type of transforms suitable for processing of discrete data. The subband decompositions obtained with 2D or 3D-steerlets behave covariantly under the action of the respective rotation group on an image, so that each rotated steerlet is the linear combination of other steerlets in the same subband.
Myocardial viability: seeking relevance and redefinition.

More than any other discipline, nuclear cardiology has contributed to understanding of myocardial viability, including the concepts of hibernation and stunning. It must be recognized, however, that these concepts are used as models to drive the process of scientific inquiry. These models may describe components of the pathophysiology of ventricular dysfunction in CAD. Integration of the models of hibernation and stunning may represent the next step toward a more complete understanding of how CAD causes ventricular dysfunction. As such, we are now poised to redirect the field of viability assessment. Although the development of improved instrumentation, new tracers, and better software are important, the areas of investigation that will have the most significant effect on cardiology as a whole are those that will elucidate the pathophysiologic components of LV dysfunction in CAD. The knowledge can then be applied to clinical processes such as viability assessment, with attention to how new techniques affect prognosis and cost of health care. The nuclear imaging community should strive to develop techniques that are complementary to “competing” technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging and echocardiography, providing incremental information. Significant contributions to these lines of investigation will require cooperative studies to achieve adequate statistical power, including collaboration with the PET community. With studies addressing both the pathophysiology and the impact on clinical outcomes of myocardial viability and its assessment, the nuclear cardiology community will have much to contribute to our understanding of CAD.
Independent front-end and back-end dynamic voltage scaling for a GALS microarchitecture

In recent years, Globally Asynchronous Locally Synchronous (GALS) designs and dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) have emerged as some of the most popular approaches to address the ever increasing microprocessor energy consumption. In this work, we propose two on-line algorithms for adjusting dynamically, and independently, the voltage and frequency of the front-end and back-end domains of a novel two-domain microprocessor. We evaluate our mechanisms for both internal and external voltage regulators, and we present optimal dynamic voltage scaling results for the proposed microarchitecture. Our schemes achieve average improvement of 12% of the energy-delay2 metric, when using internal voltage regulators.
Mutations of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and their association with ADNFLE

Abstract Elucidating the origin of epileptic seizures represents one of the many ways by which today’s scientists are approaching this devastating neurological disorder. Although epilepsies have several different origins ranging from head trauma to genetically transmissible affections, common neuronal network dysfunction can be recognised between these many forms of the disease. Thus, understanding the basic mechanisms underlying some genetically transmissible epilepsies should bring new and important knowledge that is readily applicable to other types of epilepsies. In this work we review our current knowledge of one genetically transmissible form of nocturnal epilepsy, the ADNFLE. In the light of the most recent findings obtained on five mutants of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors associated with ADNFLE, we discuss the effects of these spontaneous genome alterations on the receptor function. The only common trait identified so far between these mutant receptors is an increase in acetylcholine sensitivity. Based on our understanding of the receptor distribution in the different brain areas, their development and the neuronal network circuitry, we hypothesise that increased acetylcholine sensitivity causes an unbalance in the fine tuning of the cortico-reticular thalamic and thalamo-cortical loops. In addition, we illustrate how spontaneous mutations in the gene coding for a receptor provoke a change in its pharmacological profile and thereby might account for the inter-individual therapeutic sensitivity.
High-performance liquid chromatography with light-scattering detection and desorption chemical-ionization tandem mass spectrometry of milk fat triacylglycerols

The utility of reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), desorption chemical-ionization mass spectrometry (DCI-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) for the characterization of triacylglycerols in complex mixtures has been further explored. Triacylglycerols of anhydrous bovine milk fat were separated by using two reversephase C18 HPLC columns, and eluents were monitored with an evaporative light-scattering detector. Fifty-eight fractions were resolved and analyzed by positive ion isobutane DCI-MS. The formation of protonated molecules and of major fragments corresponding to the random loss of any one of the constituent fatty acids readily identified acyl carbon numbers and the number of double bonds within each fatty acid. MS/MS was only required when the original mass spectra indicated the presence of more than one triacylglycerol or of impurities in a fraction. Protonated molecules produced by DCI were fragmented using high energy collisional activation, and the resulting ions were detected by MS/MS. Odd-chain triacylglycerols were also readily distinguished using this methodology. The positive ion DCI and MS/MS techniques described here demonstrate the usefulness of this approach for the characterization of triacylglycerols in complex mixtures.
Allergic rhinitis induces anxiety-like behavior and altered social interaction in rodents

Epidemiological and clinical studies report higher incidences of anxiety and increased emotional reactivity in individuals suffering from respiratory allergies. To evaluate if respiratory allergies are capable of promoting anxiety-like behavior in rodents, we used models of allergic rhinitis and behavioral evaluations followed by assessment of mRNA for cytokines in relevant brain regions. Mice and rats were sensitized to ovoalbumin or pollen, respectively, following standard sensitization and challenge protocols. After challenge, the animals were evaluated in the open field, elevated plus-maze and resident-intruder tests. Cytokines and corticotropin-releasing factor expression were assessed in several brain regions by real-time RT-PCR and plasma corticosterone concentrations by radioimmunoassay. Mice and rats sensitized and exposed to allergen showed increased anxiety-like behavior and reduced social interaction without any overt behavioral signs of sickness. T-helper type 2 (T(H)2) cytokines were induced in both rats and mice in the olfactory bulbs and prefrontal cortex and remained unchanged in the temporal cortex and hypothalamus. The same results were found for CRF mRNA expression. No differences were observed in corticosterone concentrations 1h after the last behavioral test. These results show that sensitization and challenge with allergens induce anxiety across rodent species and that these effects were paralleled by an increased expression of T(H)2 cytokines and CRF in the prefrontal cortex. These studies provide experimental evidence that sensitized rodents experience neuroimmune-mediated anxiety and reduced social interaction associated with allergic rhinitis.
A model of regulated open access resource use

Abstract This paper develops a model of regulated open access resource exploitation. The regulatory model assumes that regulators are goal oriented, choosing target harvest levels according to a safe stock concept. These harvest quotas are implemented by setting season lengths, conditioned on the industry fishing capacity. The industry enters until rents are dissipated, conditioned on season length regulations. Harvest levels, fishing capacity, season length, and biomass are determined jointly. Using parameter estimates from the long-regulated North Pacific Halibut fishery, predictions of these variables from the regulated open access model are compared to predictions that arise from the Gordon model.
Dual function of novel pollen coat (surface) proteins: IgE-binding capacity and proteolytic activity disrupting the airway epithelial barrier.

Background The pollen coat is the first structure of the pollen to encounter the mucosal immune system upon inhalation. Prior characterizations of pollen allergens have focused on water-soluble, cytoplasmic proteins, but have overlooked much of the extracellular pollen coat. Due to washing with organic solvents when prepared, these pollen coat proteins are typically absent from commercial standardized allergenic extracts (i.e., “de-fatted”), and, as a result, their involvement in allergy has not been explored. Methodology/Principal Findings Using a unique approach to search for pollen allergenic proteins residing in the pollen coat, we employed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to assess the impact of organic solvents on the structural integrity of the pollen coat. TEM results indicated that de-fatting of Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) pollen (BGP) by use of organic solvents altered the structural integrity of the pollen coat. The novel IgE-binding proteins of the BGP coat include a cysteine protease (CP) and endoxylanase (EXY). The full-length cDNA that encodes the novel IgE-reactive CP was cloned from floral RNA. The EXY and CP were purified to homogeneity and tested for IgE reactivity. The CP from the BGP coat increased the permeability of human airway epithelial cells, caused a clear concentration-dependent detachment of cells, and damaged their barrier integrity. Conclusions/Significance Using an immunoproteomics approach, novel allergenic proteins of the BGP coat were identified. These proteins represent a class of novel dual-function proteins residing on the coat of the pollen grain that have IgE-binding capacity and proteolytic activity, which disrupts the integrity of the airway epithelial barrier. The identification of pollen coat allergens might explain the IgE-negative response to available skin-prick-testing proteins in patients who have positive symptoms. Further study of the role of these pollen coat proteins in allergic responses is warranted and could potentially lead to the development of improved diagnostic and therapeutic tools.
Rorty's critique of foundationalism

Rorty's critique concentrates on one aspect of foundationalism: the claim that nonpropositional sensory awareness serves as the basis for propositional justification. This claim is an essential component of classical foundationalism, though not necessarily of the more moderate versions of foundationalism that have been proposed. Thus even if it were a successful critique it would tell against only one type of foundationalism. But nothing in Rorty's argument provides any reason to doubt the plausibility of a classical foundationalist explanation of why sensory awareness justifies ordinary nonbasic propositions. Even classical foundationalism, then, remains untouched by Rorty's critique.
The second law in four-dimensional Einstein?Gauss?Bonnet gravity

The topological contribution of a Gauss–Bonnet term in four dimensions to black hole entropy opens up the possibility of a violation of the second law of thermodynamics in black hole mergers. We show, however, that the second law is not violated in the regime where Einstein–Gauss–Bonnet holds as an effective theory and black holes can be treated thermodynamically. For mergers of anti-de Sitter (AdS) black holes, the second law appears to be violated even in Einstein gravity; we argue, however, that the second law holds when gravitational potential energy is taken into account.
Conditions for unity and action: A collective vision

Abstract This paper is a collaborative effort that describes a theoretical framework for understanding the diversity of women's experiences by focusing on the lives of the four authors. The model developed looks at individual women within the social contexts of academia and community. Factors put forth that influence women's lives are: the history of each woman, the principles she lives by, the issues she recognizes as important, and the action strategies she develops to survive in an oppressive society. As a collaborative project, this paper also reflects a bond of friendship among the writers that has deepened through their collaboration.
The Radiation Budget and Cloud Cover of the East-Asian Continent as Observed by the Nimbus-7 Satellite

Radiation budget estimates from the Earth Radiation Budget (ERB) Experiment, as well as the cloud amount and cloud top temperature estimates from the Temperature Humidity Infrared Radiometer (THIR) and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMs) instruments on the Nimbus-7 Satellite have been used to Study the temporal variability of cloud and earth radiation budget parameters for the month of July from the four-year period, 1980–1983. In particular, the relationships between cloud amount, cloud top temperature and longwave cloud radiative forcing have been examined. It is concluded that: (1) maxima in longwave cloud radiative forcing occur over Southeast Asia, north equatorial Africa and Central America; (2) the interannual variability of longwave cloud radiative forcing is greatest in the western and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean;(3) anomalies in longwave cloud radiative forcing are well correlated with anomalies in cloud amount and cloud top temperature; and (4) July 1981, a non-El Nino/Southern Oscillation year, appears to be the most anomalous July in the 1980–1983 period.
International Trade and United States Economic Development: 1827–1843 *

The decades of the 1820's, 1830's and early 1840's form a fascinating period i n the process of American nineteenth-century development. In many ways that era represents a classic case of interdependence between developed and underdeveloped economies through the movements of factors, goods and specie. During these formative years in American development, the United States was predominantly a single primary product exporter, her rate of economic expansion very much a function of the state of the external market for cotton. The flow of capital moves in the classic fashion, from capital-rich Great Britain to capital-scarce America, but varying with relative degrees of expected returns; that is, varying with the relative rate of development between the two countries. But the period from the 1820's to 1840's exhibits another interesting aspect as well: it reveals the first substantial evidence of a long swing in the rate of American economic development.
Ethnography and the Politics of Prisoners in Palestine-Israel

Between 1987 and 1994, well more than one hundred thousand Palestinians were incarcerated as “security” prisoners by Israeli occupation forces. The experiences of these men presented particular problems of representation. While the author tried to empathetically write about their human experiences of suffering, he discovered that trauma can be appropriated by different groups and invested with different emotional and political meanings. During the uprising called the Intifada of the 1980s and early 1990s, the nationalist youth described prisoners (often themselves) as a vanguard in the Palestinian struggle. After the arrival of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, the prisoners were recast as victims in need of rehabilitation, and many became rank-and-file members of Palestinian security. The process of ethnographic discovery described here suggests that ethnography aimed only at providing a “native's point of view” is insufficient. Politically engaged anthropology can and should do more than trying to huma...
Learning, Beliefs, and Products: Students' Perspectives with Project-Based Learning.

Project-based learning offers promise as an instructional method that affords authentic learning tasks grounded in the personal interests of learners. While previous research has presented results of learning gains, motivations, and teacher experiences, limited empirical research has presented student perspectives in project-based learning. This research sought to explore how learners created projects. A qualitative case study design was employed with five purposively selected participants from eighth grade geography at a private day school. From interviews, observations, and document collection, five themes emerged from what influenced participants’ projects and what the participants learned: (1) internal influences, (2) external influences, (3) beliefs about projects, (4) tools for technology-rich environments, and (5) learning outcomes and products. The first four themes describe influences to shape the fifth theme, learning products. The term learning products was used to describe both the learning acquired by the participants and the learning artifacts the participants produced as part of the instructional unit. Implications for practice and future research are considered. http://dx.doi.org/10.7771/1541-5015.1254 The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning • 38 M. M. Grant
Corner reflector antennas with arbitrary dipole orientation and apex angle

This paper is concerned with the determination of corner reflector characteristics for reflectors of arbitrary apex angle excited by any infinitesimal dipole source which is tangent to a circular cylinder having the reflector axis as its axis. Use is made of the dyadic Green's functions for the perfectly conducting wedge recently given by Tai, and the results are obtained as infinite series of Bessel functions. The quantities of interest are the relative phase and magnitude of vertical and horizontal components of electric field, the directive gain of the antenna, and the radiation resistance of the dipole source. These have been computed for a continuous range of apex angles from 30\deg to 180\deg for dipole-to-axis spacings up to about a wavelength. The results of this general analysis are useful not only for the determination of reflector characteristics for apex angles not subject to image analysis, but also for the obtaining of certain limiting forms for small apex angles which are not readily apparent from the image analyses.
Response modulation by texture surround in primate area V1: correlates of "popout" under anesthesia.

We studied the effects of contextual modulation in area V1 of anesthetized macaque monkeys. In 146 cells, responses to a single line over the center of the receptive field were compared with those to full texture patterns in which the center line was surrounded by similar lines at either the same orientation ( uniform texture )o r the orthogonal orientation (orientation contrast). On average, the responses to single lines were reduced by 42% when texture was presented in the surround. Uniform textures often produced stronger suppression (7% more, on average) so that lines with orientation contrast on average evoked larger responses than lines in uniform texture fields. This difference is correlated with perceptual differences between such stimuli, suggesting that physiological mechanisms contributing to the saliency (“popout”) of textural stimuli operate, at least to some degree, even under anesthesia. Significant response modulation by the texture surround was seen in 112 cells (77%). Fifty-three cells (36%) responded differently to the two texture patterns; response preferences for orientation contrast (35 cells; 24%) were seen more often than preferences for uniform textures (18 cells; 12%). The remaining 59 cells (40%) were similarly suppressed by both texture surrounds. Detailed analysis of texture modulation revealed two major components of surround effects: (1) fast nonspecific (“general”) suppression that occurred at about the same latency as excitatory responses and was found in all layers of striate cortex; and (2) differential response modulation that began about 60‐70 ms after stimulus onset (about 15‐20 ms after the onset of the excitatory response) and was less homogeneously distributed over cortical layers.
Changes in albumin, globulin, glucose and cholesterol concentrations in the blood of dairy cows in late pregnancy and early lactation and relationships with subsequent fertility

Weekly blood samples were collected from 42 Friesian cows between 5 weeks before and 10 weeks after calving, and analysed for serum cholesterol, albumin, total protein, glutamate-dehydrogenase, sorbitol-dehydrogenase and ornithine-carbamyl-transferase and blood glucose.Cholesterol concentrations increased 2½-fold during the first 8 weeks of lactation. There was also a transient decrease in glucose concentration at calving, but there was no relationship between conception rate and the concentrations of these two constituents.Albumin concentrations decreased at calving in some but not all cows and remained low for up to 2 weeks. Average concentrations of albumin determined by two analytical methods, a HABA dye-binding and a single radial diffusion assay method, were significantly lower (P < 0·05) between 0 and 2 weeks post-partum in eight cows which required four or more services than in 32 cows which conceived after fewer services. Similarly, the average decrease in concentration over calving was greater in those cows which conceived only after four or more services (P < 0·01).Globulin concentrations (total protein minus albumin) decreased during the 5 weeks before, and increased in the 3 weeks following calving. The net change over calving was significantly related to conception rate, and the albumin/globulin ratio was reduced (P < 0·001) in the eight cows requiring four or more services.Activities of all three enzymes doubled after calving, but there was no correlation between these increases and the decreases in albumin concentration, suggesting that, if liver insufficiency is a factor, it is probably due to malfunction rather than tissue damage.
Colonization of the Intestinal Tract by Clostridium Perfringens and Fecal Shedding in Diet-Stressed and Unstressed Broiler Chickens

Abstract Commercial broiler chicks were given a three-strain composite of bacitracin-resistant Clostridium perfringens by oral gavage and were sampled periodically to determine the dynamics of C. perfringens colonization of the intestinal tract of broiler chickens and fecal shedding. After gavage, the chicks were divided into two groups and placed in isolators, one group received a traditional corn-based diet, and the other group received the same diet supplemented with 50% rye to place the birds under dietary stress. The numbers of bacitracin-resistant C. perfringens in various parts of the intestinal tract, liver, and feces were determined using a selective plating medium containing bacitracin. In chickens on the corn-based or 50% rye diet, C. perfringens was isolated infrequently from the various parts of the intestinal tract, liver, or fecal droppings during the first 36 h following the last gavage. For the 24 chickens on each of the two diets that were sampled from 2 to 21 d after gavage, C. perfringens was recovered more frequently from the crop, proventriculus, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, ceca, and feces, but not the gizzard, of birds on the 50% rye diet as compared to those on the corn-based diet. From 2 to 21 d, the intestinal numbers of C. perfringens in contaminated birds on the corn-based diet were ≤log10 6.2 and did not increase in any portion of the intestinal tract. Numbers of C. perfringens during this time period increased 3.3 to 4.9 log factors in the ileum, ceca, and feces of birds on the 50% rye diet to as high as log10 7.1 to 7.9 at 21 d. This study confirms that addition of rye to the diet of chickens can increase the numbers of C. perfringens in the ceca of broiler chickens and extends these findings to demonstrate increases in the numbers and frequency of recovery of C. perfringens in other parts of the intestinal tract.
MODEL-ERROR CONTROL SYNTHESIS USING APPROXIMATE RECEDING-HORIZON CONTROL LAWS

Model-Error Control Synthesis employs an optimal real-time nonlinear estimator to determine model error corrections to a nominal controller. Control compensation is achieved by using the estimated model error as a signal synthesis adaptive correction to the nominal control input so that maximum performance is achieved in the face of extreme model uncertainty and disturbance inputs. In this paper the capability of the model-error control synthesis is expanded by combining a nonlinear predictive filter using an approximate receding-horizon optimal solution with a Kalman filter in the overall control design. A robust stability analysis using the interlacing property from the HermiteBiehler theorem is presented for the new approach. Simulation results for linear systems are shown to verify theoretical predictions.
Effect of spatial smoothing on the performance of noise subspace methods

The effect of using a spatially smoothed forward-backward covariance matrix on the performance of noise subspace-based methods like MUSIC and the minimum-norm method for the direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation problem is analyzed. In particular, asymptotic results for the mean-squared error in the estimates of the signal zeros and the DOA are derived. An important outcome of this analysis is that for MUSIC the error in the signal zeros is shown to exhibit a different trend compared to the error in the DOA estimates, leading to difficulty in interpreting the spatial spectrum. For instance, when smoothing is used, the peaks in the spatial spectrum become sharper, giving the impression of higher resolution, whereas in reality the estimates of the DOA may, in fact, have deteriorated compared with the ones obtained using minimal or no smoothing. With regard to the minimum-norm method, the errors in the signal zeros exhibit the same trend as the DOA estimates causing no such problem. The relative comparison of the methods shows that proper spatial smoothing enables the performance of the minimum-norm method to be made comparable to MUSIC. >
Orthotic Hand-Assistive Exoskeleton

Many people suffer from diseases that impair muscle function, resulting in decreased hand strength and a significant reduction in hand function. The objective of this project is to design and fabricate a powered exoskeleton that assists hand function and reduces the amount of muscular force needed to pinch and grasp. This device will be portable and easily manufactured, consisting of four major sub-systems: a mechanical exoskeleton, forearm support structure, biofeedback sensor array, and motor control system. The exoskeleton will be comprised of aluminum bands incorporated into a tight fitting glove. The mechanical exoskeleton will be actuated using braided polymer cables attached to three linear actuators via a simple pulley system that connects the most distal finger bands to the motors. The control system of the hand will incorporate a microcontroller that is coded to integrate data from the finger tip sensors to actuate the motors. A light weight, portable battery will be utilized as the power supply.
Wnt-dependent spindle polarization in the early C. elegans embryo

Correct orientation of the mitotic spindle is crucial for the proper segregation of localized determinants and the correct spatial organization of cells in early embryos. The cues dividing cells use to orient their mitotic spindles are currently the subject of intensive investigation in a number of model systems. One of the cues that cells use during spindle orientation is provided by components of the Wnt signaling pathway. Because of its stereotypical cleavage divisions, the availability of Wnt pathway mutants and the ability to perform RNAi, and because cell-cell interactions can be studied in vitro, the C. elegans embryo continues to be a useful system for identifying specific cell-cell interactions in which Wnt-dependent signals polarize the mitotic spindle. This review discusses the evidence for involvement of Wnt signaling during spindle orientation in several contexts in the early C. elegans embryo, a process that involves upstream Wnt effectors but does not involve downstream nuclear effectors of Wnt signaling, and places this Wnt spindle orientation pathway in the larger context of other known modulators of spindle orientation in animal embryos.
Homoclinic tubes and chaos in perturbed sine-Gordon equation

Abstract Sine-Gordon equation under a quasi-periodic perturbation or a chaotic perturbation is studied. Existence of a homoclinic tube is proved. Established are chaos associated with the homoclinic tube, and “chaos cascade” referring to the embeddings of smaller scale chaos in larger scale chaos.
Gender Differences in the Motivation for and Selection of Courses in a Summer Program for Academically Talented Students

In this study, we examined gender differences in course enrollment patterns, reasons for course choice, and enjoyment of course. Participants consisted of 804 academically talented students (433 females, 371 males) attending a summer program. Data were self-reported and were collected on a program evaluation questionnaire. Males enrolled in traditionally male (TM) courses in significantly greater numbers than they enrolled in traditionally female (TF) courses, but female enrollment in the two types of courses was more equal. Asian American students' course enrollmnent in TM and TF courses was more balanced than non-Asian American student enrollment, and Asian American students endorsed fewer internal reasons than non-Asian students did. Students in TM classes endorsed more external reasons for course choice than their colleagues in TF classes. Finally, students who gave more internal reasons for course choice reported enjoying classes more than students who gave more external reasons. No gender difference...