cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polarization Decoupling for Oblique Scattering by Penetrable Cylinders of Arbitrary Cross Section

A plane electromagnetic wave is incident on an infinitely long cylinder of arbitrary cross-sectional shape, made of penetrable material characterized by scalar permittivity and permeability. It is shown that with the exception of a planar interface, polarization decoupling may occur only if the cylinder is either isorefractive or antiisorefractive to the surrounding medium.
Data synchronization for throughput maximization in distributed transmit beamforming

In distributed transmit beamforming, two, or more, spatially separated communications nodes act as elements of an antenna array to beamform common data to a destination node. Spatially separated cooperating nodes synchronize their carrier frequencies and control their transmission phases so that at the destination node the received signals combine constructively. An important example is cooperative communications from a cluster of small satellites to a ground station. The focus of this paper is on optimizing the number of packets that each cooperative node should send to others during each data sharing time interval in order to maximize the data throughput during distributed transmit beamforming stage. The problem is formulated as an optimization problem and a novel heuristic method is proposed to obtain the optimum solutions, as an alternative to the exhaustive search with high computational complexity. Simulation results show that the proposed heuristic method has excellent performance compared to the exhaustive search but with very low computational complexity.
Driven Diffusive Systems: a Tutorial and Recent Developments

The first part of these lectures will be devoted to a general introduction to the statistical mechanics of driven diffusive systems. As models for non-equilibrium steady states, they provide fertile grounds for investigating surprising co-operative behavior absent from systems in thermal equilibrium. The distinctive differences between equilibrium and non-equilibrium steady states will be emphasized. The specific, unexpected properties of the latter will be presented in the context of several varieties of the driven Ising lattice gas. Despite their simplicity and two decades of investigations, many new surprises continue to surface. After a brief summary of the status of these systems, the more recent discoveries will be presented.
Epidemiology and outcome of chronic high Epstein-Barr viral load carriage in pediatric kidney transplant recipients.

The development of EBV infection and PTLD is normally associated with a high EBV viral load in peripheral blood. Observations have previously identified existence of a CHL carrier state that demonstrated variable outcomes based upon the organ which was transplanted. Data defining the incidence and outcome of CHL in pediatric KTx are not well described. The charts of children undergoing isolated KTx at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh between January 2000 and December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. EBV loads in the peripheral blood were routinely measured as part of surveillance protocols at our center. CHL was defined as the presence of high load for >50% of samples for ≥6 months. PTLD was defined histologically using WHO definitions. Of 188 isolated KTx recipients, we identified a total of 16 (8%) children who developed CHL carrier state. No patient developed EBV-driven late-onset PTLD. Age at the time of KTx was significantly lower in the CHL group (median 3.9 years, interquartile range: IQR 2.9-6.6, P = .0004). Children in the CHL group were more likely to be EBV-seronegative prior to KTx (94%, 15/16), compared to the UVL and LVL groups (55% and 50%, respectively, P < .002). The median duration of CHL carrier state was 20 months (IQR 10.7-35.8). Fifteen of the 16 CHL carriers experienced spontaneous resolution of CHL carrier state. Children in the CHL group were younger at the time of primary EBV infection (P = .023). Finally, antiviral medication was not effective in either preventing or decreasing the EBV viral load in blood (P = .84). Overall incidence of late-onset PTLD is very low compared to heart and intestinal transplant, even though KTx recipients can develop CHL carrier state. The CHL carriers in KTx recipients were EBV-seronegative prior to transplant and were younger both at the time of KTx and at the time of primary EBV infection compared to those in the UVL and HVL groups. Antivirals did not prevent EBV infection or decrease EBV viral loads.
Biofilms in fresh fruit and vegetables.

Abstract: Bacteria can attach to surfaces and form biofilms, which have a characteristic structure consisting of microcolonies enclosed in a hydrated matrix of microbially produced proteins and polysaccharides. In this complex biofilm network, the cells act less as individual entities and more as a collective living system, often with channels to deliver water and nutrients to the cells in the inner portion of the biofilm. Human pathogens form biofilms on food and food contact surfaces, which enhances their ability to survive harsh environments, to resist antimicrobial treatments, and to spread and persist in the food processing environment. The formation of biofilms is a food safety concern since persistent low-level contamination of foods can occur.
Methodology for Estimating Nondestructive Evaluation Capability

This paper outlines a proposed methodology for using combinations of physical modeling of an inspection process along with laboratory and production data to estimate Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) capability. The physical/statistical prediction model will be used to predict Probability of Detection (POD), Probability of False Alarm (PFA) and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) function curves. These output functions are used to quantify the NDE capability. The particular focus of this work is on the use of ultrasonic methods for detecting hard-alpha and other subsurface flaws in titanium using gated peak detection. This is a uniquely challenging problem since the inspection must detect very complex subsurface flaws with significant “material” noise. However, the underlying framework of the methodology should be general enough to apply to other NDE methods.
Public vs. publicized: content use trends and privacy expectations

From a semantic standpoint, there is a clear differentiation between the meanings of public and publicized content. The former includes any content that is accessible by anyone, while the latter emphasizes visibility - publicized content is actively made available. As a user's on-line experience becomes more personalized and data is increasingly pushed rather than pulled, the line between public and publicized content is inevitably blurred. In this position paper, we present quantitative evidence that despite this trend, in some settings users do not anticipate the use of public content beyond the narrow context in which is was disclosed; they do not anticipate that the content may be publicized. While providing a "publicized" option for data is an important counterpart to the ability to limit access to data (e.g. through access control lists), such an option must be accompanied by both greater user awareness of the ramifications of such an option and by transparency into data usage.
Abstract 4946: The association between antihypertensive medication, sRAGE, and risk of pancreatic cancer: Results from the Women's Health Initiative Study

Background: Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. With its anti-inflammatory property, soluble receptor for advanced glycation end-product (sRAGE) has been associated with lower risk of pancreatic cancer. Antihypertensive medications were shown to modulate sRAGE levels and AGE/RAGE signaling pathway. However, few large-scale population-based studies have evaluated the associations between antihypertensive medications and risk of pancreatic cancer.Methods: A total of 145,553 postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years with no prevalent cancer from Women9s Health Initiative (WHI) were included in our prospective cohort study with a mean follow-up of 13.8 years. Medication data including product and generic name, duration of use, and dosage form were collected at baseline recruitment (1993-98). We interrogated four antihypertensive drugs including β-blockers, diuretics, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and calcium channel blockers (CCBs). Serum levels of sRAGE were measured in a subset of 842 study participants using immunoassay. Cox proportional hazard regression model was performed to obtain hazard ratio (HR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) for each antihypertensive medication use and its duration of use in association with risk of pancreatic cancer. We additionally used Fine and Grey method to account for competing risk of nonpancreatic cancer deaths.Results: By August 29, 2014, a total of 841 incident pancreatic cancer cases were ascertained through annual self-administered questionnaires and confirmed by central adjudication. A 33% increased risk of pancreatic cancer was found among ever users of CCBs compared with never users (HR=1.33, 95% CI: 1.06-1.67) after adjusting for age, ethnicity, BMI, smoking status, diabetes history, use of β-blockers, ACEi or diuretics. The association remained after accounting for competing risks (HR=1.36, 95% CI: 1.30-1.42). Compared with never users of CCBs, long-term users (>3 years) had a 48% higher risk of pancreatic cancer (HR=1.48, 95% CI: 1.13-1.95, P trend = 0.005) and the association slightly attenuated but remained significant in the competing risk model (HR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.28-1.42, P trend Citation Format: Zhensheng Wang, Donna White, Liang Chen, Peter Richardson, Hashem B. El-Serag, Li Jiao. The association between antihypertensive medication, sRAGE, and risk of pancreatic cancer: Results from the Women9s Health Initiative Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4946.
In, out, and fluctuating: obesity from adolescence to adulthood.

Abstract Purpose While high levels of obesity prevalence and incidence have been well documented, there is less research on obesity dynamics over time. In this article, we sought to understand the body mass index (BMI) trajectories in and out of obesity from adolescence to adulthood. Methods We used the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to explore American obesity dynamics from mean ages 15–28 years. We analyzed six BMI trajectories from 1994 to 2008 and examined their contextual sociodemographic correlates using ordinal logistic regression models. Results More than 50% of adolescents with normal BMI moved to overweight/obesity by adulthood; only 8% of overweight and 2% of obese adolescents achieved normal BMI in adulthood. While some sociodemographic characteristics such as sex, race/ethnicity, place of residence, and parents’ education were associated with being in certain BMI trajectories among adolescents with normal BMI, they were not so associated among adolescents starting at obesity. Conclusions Transitioning to higher BMI categories was common, whereas the opposite direction was rare. Pathways to obesity prevention might be easier to identify than those to reversal, as contextual factors had more explanatory power for youths with normal BMI than for those with obese BMI.
Multi-resolution CNN for brain vessel segmentation from cerebrovascular images of intracranial aneurysm: a comparison of U-Net and DeepMedic

Background: Vascular segmentation of cerebral vascular imaging is tedious and manual, hindering translation of imagebased computational tools for neurovascular disease (such as intracranial aneurysm) management. Current cerebrovascular segmentation techniques use classic model-based algorithms, but such algorithms are incapable of distinguishing vasculature from artifacts. Deep Learning, specifically the widely accepted U-Net architecture, could be an effective alternative to conventional approaches for cerebrovascular segmentation, but has been shown to perform poorly in segmentation of smaller yet critical vessels. Methods: In this study, we present a methodology using a specialized convolutional neural network (CNN) architecture— DeepMedic—which uses multi-resolution inputs to enhance the field of view of the architecture, thereby enhancing the accuracy of segmentation of smaller vessels. To show the capability of this architecture, we collected and segmented a total of 100 digital subtraction angiography (DSA) images of cerebral vessels for training, internal validation, and testing (n=80, n=10, and n=10, respectively). Results: The DeepMedic architecture yielded high performance with a Connectivity-Area-Length (CAL) of 0.84±0.07 and a dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of 0.94±0.02 in the independent testing cohort. This was better than U-Net optimized for the patch-size and %-overlap in predictions, which performed with a CAL of 0.79±0.06 and a DSC of 0.92±0.02. Notably, our work demonstrated that DeepMedic (CAL: 0.45±0.12) outperformed U-Net (CAL: 0.59±0.11) for segmentation of smaller vessels. Conclusions: Our work showed DeepMedic performs better than the current state-of-the-art method for cerebrovascular segmentation. We hope this study begins to bring a high fidelity deep-learning based approach closer to clinical translation.
Revisiting the Central California Meganos Intrusion with New Stable Isotope and Radiocarbon Analyses at El Sobrante (CA-CCO-151)

James Bennyhoff proposed a “Meganos intrusion” of people from the California Delta into the San Francisco Bay Area. Using new radiocarbon and stable isotope data, we re-examine stratigraphic and mo...
Sets and Maps

In the last chapter we studied sequences which are used to keep track of lists of things where duplicate values are allowed. For instance, there can be two sixes in a sequence or list of integers. In this chapter we look at sets where duplicate values are not allowed. After examining sets we’ll move on to talk about maps. Maps may also be called dictionaries or hash tables.The term hash table actually suggests an implementation of a set or map. The primary focus of this chapter is in understanding hashing. Hashing is a very important concept in Computer Science because it is a very efficient method of searching for a value. To begin the chapter we’ll motivate our interest in hashing, then we’ll develop a hashing algorithm for finding values in a set. We’ll also apply hashing to the building of sets and maps. Then we’ll look at an important technique that uses hashing called memoization and we’ll apply that technique to a couple of problems.
Detecting firmware modification on solid state drives via current draw analysis

Abstract Solid State Drives (SSDs) have gained significant market share among data storage options in recent years due to increased speed and durability. But when compared to Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), SSDs contain additional complexity which must be managed in firmware. Some manufacturers make firmware updates available, but their proprietary protections leave end users unable to verify the authenticity of the firmware post installation. This means that attackers who are able to get a malicious firmware version installed on a victim SSD are able to operate with impunity, as the owner will have no tools for detection. We use a method for performing side channel analysis of the current drawn by an SSD to compare its behavior while running genuine firmware against its behavior when running modified firmware. We further test this method for robustness against changes in external factors such as temperature and supplied power. In each case, we train a binary classifier with samples of genuine as well as modified firmware activity and are able to discriminate between them with over 90% accuracy in most experiments. Solid State Drives are trusted to store and protect critical data, so verification of SSD firmware is an important step towards having trust and confidence in the growing landscape of embedded devices used for critical operations.
Using serology to investigate reproductive failure due to Neospora caninum in beef herds

In late November 2013, a diagnosis of abortion due to Neospora caninum was made in a fetus aborted from a coming second-calf cow in a north-central South Dakota beef herd. The cow was 1 of 81 bred cows purchased at a sale earlier that month. Following the abortion, the purchased group was re-examined for pregnancy and 21/81 cows previously confirmed pregnant were found open. Nine other South Dakota ranchers were identified as having purchased bred cows from the same sale. The sale was held on November 19, 2013 at a north-central South Dakota auction market. All cows originated from a single North Dakota ranch. The heifers were bred to calve in May 2014, and were ultrasounded to confirm pregnancy by a veterinarian on October 17, 2013.
Saving private W. H.: The surgical experiences of Dugald Blair Brown (1847-1896): Lieutenant-Colonel, FRCS, Edin., AMD.

Dugald Blair Brown, a military surgeon and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, published twelve papers containing 77 case studies of gunshot wounds that he had treated in the Anglo-...
The Hole in the Wall Gang View of Life and America's Racial Future

Uses a classic Western movie to make predictions about America's racial future. As the U.S. approaches a demographic tipping point a few years from now, will it follow the path trod by California in the last few decades of the twentieth century and the first few years of the current one? That of the American South as it struggled to come to terms with Latino immigration? Of South Africa during Apartheid?
Mid-infrared intersubband absorption in strain-balanced non-polar (In)AlGaN/InGaN multi-quantum wells

Mid-infrared intersubband transitions in strain-balanced m-plane (In)AlxGa1-xN/In0.16Ga0.84N (0.19≤x≤0.3) multi-quantum wells are reported for the first time in the range of 3.4–5.1 µm (244–360 meV). Direct and attenuated total-reflection infrared absorption measurements are interpreted using structural information revealed by high-resolution x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microanalysis. The experimental intersubband energies are better reproduced by calculations using the local-density approximation than the Hartree-Fock approximation for the exchange-correlation correction. The effect of charge density, quantum well width, and barrier alloy composition on the intersubband transition energy is also investigated to evaluate the potential of this material for practical device applications.
Increasing Consistency of Evoked Response in Thalamic Nuclei During Repetitive Burst Stimulation of Peripheral Nerve in Humans.

Objective. Peripheral nerve stimulation has been proposed as a noninvasive treatment for patients with movement disorders such as essential tremor, Parkinson’s disease, and dystonia. While the outcomes have shown clinical effect, the mechanism behind the effect is not yet clear. The goal of this work was to study the brain’s responses to peripheral stimulation bursts and explain the therapeutic results. Approach. We performed peripheral stimulation of the median nerve(s) in 12 pediatric patients undergoing deep brain stimulation for dystonia. Stimulation was given in bursts (50–200 Hz stimulation in blocks of 100 ms, separated by 100 ms without stimulation) and intracranial activity was simultaneously recorded from deep brain stimulation leads implanted in thalamic nuclei. After using a novel method to remove stimulus artifacts, sequences of neural responses during and after the bursts were analyzed. Results. Peripheral burst stimulation induced increasing consistency of successive evoked responses in thalamic nuclei. Significance. We propose that this phenomenon is due to progressive synchronization of small populations of thalamic neurons, so that over time there is phase locking of the response in an increasing number of neurons in the population. Clinical efficacy could thus be due to “synchronization blockade”, in which the synchronized response of the population prevents transmission of intrinsic abnormal signals due to tremor or dystonia. Further studies are necessary to confirm this model of clinical effect. Enhanced understanding will increase the potential for use of peripheral stimulation as a noninvasive alternative or adjunct to deep brain stimulation.
Diagnostic Criteria for Acute Kidney Injury: Present and Future

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a clinical diagnosis guided by standard criteria based on changes in serum creatinine, urine output, or both. Severity of AKI is determined by the magnitude of increase in serum creatinine or decrease in urine output. Patients manifesting both oliguria and azotemia and those in which these impairments are persistent are more likely to have worse disease and worse outcomes. Short- and long-term outcomes are worse when patients have some stage of AKI by both criteria. New biomarkers for AKI may substantially aid in the risk assessment and evaluation of patients at risk for AKI.
Photoluminescence and recombination mechanisms in GaN/Al0.2Ga0.8N superlattice

A detailed study of photoluminescence (PL) of GaN(1 nm)/Al0.2Ga0.8N(3.3 nm) twenty periods superlattice grown via metal-organic chemical vapor deposition is presented. The dependence of the PL emission energy, linewidth, and intensity on temperature, in the low temperature regime, is consistent with recombination mechanisms involving bandtail states attributed to a small degree of interfacial disorder. The activation energy of the nonradiative centers in our superlattice agrees well with the value we derive for the width of the tail-state distribution. Moreover, we find that the average phonon energy of the phonons that control the interband PL energy at high temperatures is larger for the superlattice than for a high-quality GaN film. This observation is consistent with model calculations predicting the phonon mode properties of GaN–AlN-based wurtzite heterostructures.
Reconsidering Cybor: A Hybrid Standard of Appellate Review of Patent Claim Construction Rulings

This brief contends that the Federal Circuit's Cybor plenary de novo standard of appellate review of claim construction rulings misapprehends the mixed fact/law nature of patent claim construction and has frustrated district courts’ distinctive capabilities for apprehending and resolving the factual disputes inherent in claim construction determinations, undermined the transparency of the claim construction process, discouraged detailed and transparent explanations of claim construction reasoning, and produced alarming levels of appellate reversals. These effects have cast doubt on the predictability of patent litigation, discouraged settlements following claim construction and trial, delayed resolution of patent disputes, and run up the overall costs of patent litigation. The brief shows that the Supreme Court's Markman decision supports a balanced, structurally sound, legally appropriate, hybrid standard of appellate review that would promote more accurate, efficient patent dispute resolution.
Sensitivity of Image Intensifier-Film Systems for Observing Weak Light Sources

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a representative systematic evaluation of an image intensifier-film system. The parameters of tube gain, cathode efficiency, noise, film sensitivity, image quality, and signal-to-noise ratio have been discussed. Important types of observations in biological research are made under conditions where for some reason or other the total light energy provided by the specimen is limited. For example: processes that must use low intensity illumination in order not to interfere with the biological processes under observation; processes changing very rapidly and requiring rapid sequence recording; processes providing only a limited number of photons per event, such as bioluminescence; and processes utilizing radioactive tracers in which it is desirable to observe the radioactivity at low specific activity or for short time intervals. Although individual parameters and criteria will vary from problem to problem, the principles described afford a means of determining the factor of improvement that may be realistically assigned to the image intensifier system over unaided film recording, in particular when applied to the observation of weak light sources. Several examples have been given of the application of the technique to the study of bioluminescence. Preliminary investigation in which an image intensifier was incorporated in the system used to observe the representative processes classified, demonstrated the advantages of image intensification and also showed the limitations of image information content due to statistical fluctuations in the photon flux at low light levels.
The Five Whys Method: A Tool for Developing Problem Definitions in Collaboration with Children†

Participatory action research with young people (yPAR) involves youth and adults in a collaborative process of research, reflection, analysis and action. An important part of the research cycle is the identification of a problem definition. Yet, there is relatively little research addressing the process of how young people develop a problem definition on which to focus their analysis and intervention and what methods might exist to facilitate this process. This article draws upon a yPAR project with fifth-grade working-class young people, primarily young people of colour, to demonstrate how the Five Whys method for reflecting on lived experiences facilitated the development of problem definitions in line with second-order change. The Five Whys method, when used within a participatory framework, offers both a context and a structure for young people to critically examine social problems they identify and to seek out root causes. The article highlights changes in the participant's formulation of problems in the context of using the Five Whys method, from a primarily individual level of analysis to a more structural level of analysis. It also outlines the subsequent changes in proposed actions to address the identified problems. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of replication control protocols

In recent years, many replication control protocols have been proposed, but too often these protocols are presented with insufficient evidence to demonstrate superiority over existing protocols. Some simple analytical tools that allow replication control protocols to be compared are presented. Markov analysis is used to estimate both availability and reliability performance measures. A dynamic voting protocol is used as an example. >
EU and US Regulations for Handling and Transporting Genetically Modified Grains: Are Both Positions Correct?. Les reglements relatifs a la manipulation et au transport des OGM en Europe et aux Etats 6. Unis sont-ils justifies?. EU- und US-Richtlinien fur die Handhabung und den Transport von gentechnisch verandertem Getreide: Sind beide Positionen korrekt?

Differences in the way GM grains are treated in the US and the EU motivate the question of whether there is a single correct policy towards identification of such products. This issue is addressed here, based on a mathematical model that assumes that the cost of maintaining identity on non-GM markets is borne by the non-GM industry. The economic welfare impacts of introducing GM technology depend on the levels of consumer concern and production cost savings, and the cost of maintaining non-GM grain identity. The introduction of a new cost-reducing GM technology often increases total welfare as one might expect. However, society loses when GM production cost-savings are small and consumers are highly concerned about GM grain because introducing GM technology creates a need to preserve the identity of non-GM grain. Taken together, the results suggest that the US may have maximized welfare by not requiring labeling of GM corn and soybeans, and that the recently approved EU legislation enforcing labeling of GM crops also makes sense in the EU. The reason for this is that consumer concern in the EU appears to be greater than in the US, and fewer EU producers stand to benefit from cost savings in GM corn and soybean production.
The Effects of Radiofrequency Energy Treatment on Chondrocytes and Matrix of Fibrillated Articular Cartilage

BackgroundThere is no consensus regarding the safety of radiofrequency energy treatment for chondroplasty.HypothesisUse of a radiofrequency thermal probe will produce a dose-dependent detrimental effect on chondrocytes in a setting mimicking the arthroscopic procedure.Study DesignControlled laboratory study.MethodsPaired patellae from 11 horses were fibrillated; one served as the control while the contralateral patella was treated with 20, 40, and 60 watts of radiofrequency energy for 4 minutes. Proteoglycan synthesis, proteoglycan degradation, and cell viability were measured. Explant histologic sections were scored for cellular characteristics, metachromatic matrix staining intensity, and tissue architecture and were quantitatively analyzed for cell death.ResultsMean peak surface articular cartilage temperatures were 35.47°C (20 watts), 40.76°C (40 watts), and 44.81°C (60 watts). Treatment at all three settings significantly decreased proteoglycan synthesis of the chondrocytes. Proteoglycan degradation ...
C-terminal juxtamembrane region of full-length M2 protein forms a membrane surface associated amphipathic helix.

The influenza A M2 protein is a 97-residue integral membrane protein involved in viral budding and proton conductance. Although crystal and NMR structures exist of truncated constructs of the protein, there is disagreement between models and only limited structural data are available for the full-length protein. Here, the structure of the C-terminal juxtamembrane region (sites 50–60) is investigated in the full-length M2 protein using site-directed spin-labeling electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in lipid bilayers. Sites 50–60 were chosen for study because this region has been shown to be critical to the role the M2 protein plays in viral budding. Continuous wave EPR spectra and power saturation data in the presence of paramagnetic membrane soluble oxygen are consistent with a membrane surface associated amphipathic helix. Comparison between data from the C-terminal juxtamembrane region in full-length M2 protein with data from a truncated M2 construct demonstrates that the line shapes and oxygen accessibilities are remarkably similar between the full-length and truncated form of the protein.
From behavior to structure: high-level synthesis

This paper shows how high-level synthesis bridges the gap between behavioral specifications and hardware structure by automatically generating a circuit description from a netlist. The resulting description can be used for other design automation tools, such as logic synthesis and layout. As opposed to logic synthesis, which optimizes only combinational logic, high-level synthesis deals with memory elements, the interconnection structures, (such as buses and multiplexers), and the sequential aspects of a design. The steps in the process of synthesizing synchronous digital hardware are explained. They consist of compilation, high-level transformations, scheduling, and allocation. Design representation is discussed, and problems remaining to be solved are indicated. >
Apec’s evolving role as a regional economic agreement

Outlines the development of the Asia Pacific Economic Co‐operation Forum (APEC), which began as a deliberately informal discussion group in 1989, and traces the evolution of its membership and organizational structure. Summarizes the research and planning work undertaken to date, pointing out that decisions are consensus‐based and not binding on members. Lists the issues identified as crucial to the Asian economic crisis by the 1998 APEC meeting and discusses its role in Asia and in the global economy. Admits that significant, tangible results have been few so far and considers the reasons why; but believes it has the potential to “establish itself as a viable force in dealing with the economic problems of its members”.
Targeted deletion of T-cell clones using alpha-emitting suicide MHC tetramers

Abstract Immunosuppressive agents in current use are nonspecific. The capacity to delete specific CD8 T-cell clones of unique specificity could prove to be a powerful tool for dissecting the precise role of CD8+ T cells in human disease and could form the basis for a safe, highly selective therapy of autoimmune disorders. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) tetramers (multimeric complexes capable of binding to specific CD8 T-cell clones) were conjugated to 225Ac (an alpha-emitting atomic nanogenerator, capable of single-hit killing from the cell surface) to create an agent for CD8 T-cell clonal deletion. The “suicide” tetramers specifically bound to, killed, and reduced the function of their cognate CD8 T cells (either human anti–Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or mouse anti-Listeria in 2 model systems) while leaving the nonspecific control CD8 T-cell populations unharmed. Such an approach may allow a pathway to selective ablation of pathogenic T-cell clones ex vivo or in vivo without disturbing general immune function.
Excitatory amino acid receptor regulation after subthalamic nucleus lesions in the rat

The subthalamic nucleus plays a pivotal role in the regulation of basal ganglia output. Recent electrophysiologic, lesion and immunocytochemical studies suggest that the subthalamic nucleus uses an excitatory amino acid as a neurotransmitter. After complete ablation of the subthalamic nucleus, we have examined the NMDA, AMPA, kainate and metabotropic subtypes of excitatory amino acid receptors in two major subthalamic projection areas (globus pallidus and substantia nigra pars reticulata) with quantitative autoradiography. Two weeks after ablation, binding sites for [3H]AMPA and [3H]kainate increased in substantia nigra pars reticulata ipsilateral to the lesion. In globus pallidus on the lesioned side, [3H]glutamate binding to the NMDA recognition site decreased. The results suggest that glutamate receptors regulate after interruption of subthalamic nucleus output.
Constitutive model for brain tissue under finite compression.

While advances in computational models of mechanical phenomena have made it possible to simulate dynamically complex problems in biomechanics, accurate material models for soft tissues, particularly brain tissue, have proven to be very challenging. Most studies in the literature on material properties of brain tissue are performed in shear loading and very few tackle the behavior of brain in compression. In this study, a viscoelastic constitutive model of bovine brain tissue under finite step-and-hold uniaxial compression with 10 s –1 ramp rate and 20 s hold time has been developed. The assumption of quasilinear viscoelasticity (QLV) was validated for strain levels of up to 35%. A generalized Rivlin model was used for the isochoric part of the deformation and it was shown that at least three terms (C10, C01 and C11) are needed to accurately capture the material behavior. Furthermore, for the volumetric deformation, a two parameter Ogden model was used and the extent of material incompressibility was studied. The hyperelastic material parameters were determined through extracting and fitting to two isochronous curves (0.06 s and 14 s) approximating the instantaneous and steady-state elastic responses. Viscoelastic relaxation was characterized at five decay rates (100, 10, 1, 0.1, 0 s � 1 ) and the
Distal-less homeobox transcription factors regulate development and maturation of natural killer cells

Natural killer (NK) cells constitute a subpopulation of lymphocytes that develop from precursors in the bone marrow (BM), but the transcriptional regulation of their development and maturation is only beginning to be understood, in part due to their relatively rare abundance, especially of developmental subsets. Using a mouse model in which NK cells are arrested at an immature stage of development, and a gene expression profiling approach, we uncovered transient normal NK cell expression of a homeobox transcription factor (TF) family, called Distal-less (Dlx), which had been primarily implicated in murine CNS, craniofacial, limb, and skin development. Our studies demonstrate that Dlx1, Dlx2, and Dlx3 are transiently expressed in immature Mac-1lo NK cells within the BM, with Dlx3 being the predominantly expressed member. These genes are expressed in a temporally regulated pattern with overlapping waves of expression, and they display functional redundancy. Expression is extinguished in fully mature splenic NK cells, and persistent expression of Dlx genes leads to functionally immature NK cells arrested at the Mac-1lo stage. Whereas conventional splenic NK cells develop but are arrested at an immature stage, there appears to be a complete failure to develop CD127+ thymic NK cells when Dlx genes are persistently expressed. We also observed that T and B cells fail to develop in the context of persistent Dlx1 expression. Thus, these studies indicate that Dlx TFs play a functional role in lymphocyte development.
Synthesis in the design of chemical processes

Until recently, the subject of chemical process synthesis was largely ignored in the chemical engineering literature despite its importance in chemical engineering practice. However since 1968, attention to the subject has greatly increased and important progress has been made. This review article critically surveys the readily accessible literature in chemical process synthesis from two points of view: theory and applications. It is concluded that a number of effective synthesis tools are now available for application in industrial chemical process design. However, much more remains to be done, particularly with regard to the development of synthesis procedures which can lead to novel processing system structures.
A triangulation of the n-cube

This paper is concerned with estimating @f(n), the minimum number of n-simplices required to triangulate an n-cube.
After the Revolution: Post‐Neolithic Subsistence in Northern Mesopotamia

Over the past two decades there has been a proliferation of studies that reveal a far greater diversity in the pathways to food production worldwide than would have been predicted by traditional models of the Neolithic Revolution. It would now appear that, while there are certain universal elements in the origins of food production, each instance of the incorporation of domestic resources into the subsistence economy is shaped by highly localized social and natural forces. It is perhaps not surprising, then, to find that the times after the Neolithic Revolution do not conform to earlier uniformitarian conceptions of the origin of food production as either a technological blessing or an environmental blight that locked people into an economy based solely on domestic resources. This examination of subsistence at Umm Qseir, one small post-Neolithic community in the Khabur Drainage of Northern Mesopotamia, highlights the remarkable degree of flexibility and individualized response in post-Neolithic economies in the Near East, especially in marginal areas. The incorporation of both domestic and wild resources into the economy of inhabitants of this site is further shown not to be just an isolated curiosity. Rather, Umm Qseir joins a number of other post-Neolithic communities situated in marginal areas, persisting several millennia after the first introduction of domestic crops and animals, that also fashioned highly individualized subsistence economies based on both wild and damestic resources. In the Khabur Drainage, the blending of domestic and wild resources in the subsistence of people situated in more arid areas is replaced by a more “conventional” agropastoral economy only with development of urbanism and the imposition of an agricultural economy of scale on this fragile environment.
Measurement of Hydrodynamic Interaction Matrices of Boiler Feed Pump Impellers

Evaluation des matrices d'interactions hydrodynamiques dans les rotors de pompes d'alimentation de chaudieres
Peripheral thermal responsivity to facial cooling during sleep

A recently developed technique for examining thermal sensitivity during sleep was used to assess whether skin and core temperature responses to thermal stimulation were altered by sleep state. The technique was designed to probe thermal responsivity without altering core body temperature or inducing awakening. Twenty-seven young men and women were studied during a sleep deprivation night and a sleep night three nights later. Cold water stimulation of the face alternated with an equal period of rewarming across a 40-min cycle throughout the night. Skin temperature from the finger and rectal temperature were continuously assessed. Sleep continuity and architecture were largely uninfluenced by the thermal stimulation. Finger skin temperature decreased during cold facial stimulation in both sleep and waking states. Skin temperature changes during sleep were approximately one-fifth the magnitude of those during waking. Core temperature was minimally influenced. REM sleep was associated with a greater amplitude decrease in finger temperature than was non-REM (NREM) sleep. The results support the utility of the technique as a probe of thermal responsivity during sleep and suggest a reduction of thermal responsivity during sleep and, more tentatively, an altered responsivity during REM versus NREM sleep.
A portable raindrop recorder for semi-continuous determination of size distributions

The recorder was designed to obtain adequate drop samples, in the size range of 50 to 2000 microns diameter, at about two-minute intervals for a period in excess of 24 hrs. Successful field use of several instruments in a cloud physics study is indicated and they are described in some detail.
A theory of cellular-function pathology: further development of Virchow's theory of cellular pathology.

A new theory of pathology is introduced. The human cell is an organism in itself. It fulfills both cell-oriented and organism-oriented functions. Impairment of either one of these functions may lead to disease. This means that a structural lesion of a cell is not a sole and necessary cause of the beginning of disease. When a cell-oriented function is impaired the cell suffers, but the overt symptoms at the organ-organism level might be absent for a very long time. This is how a chronic asymptomatic disease starts. Measures of prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment should be centered upon maintenance and restoration of a balance between the cell-oriented and organism-oriented cellular functons.
Union Wages, Rents, and Skills in Health Care Labor Markets

We examine the effect of unions on the earnings of health care workers, with emphasis on the measurement and sources of union wage premiums. Using data constructed from the 1973 though 1994 Current Population Surveys, standard union premium estimates are found to be substantially lower among workers in health care than in other sectors of the economy, and to be smaller among higher skill than among lower skill occupational groups. Longitudinal analysis of workers switching union status, which controls for worker-specific skills, indicates a small impact of unions on earnings within both high and low skilled health care occupations. Evidence is found for small, but significant, union threat effects in health care labor markets. It has been argued that recent legal changes in bargaining unit determination should enhance union organizing and bargaining power. Although we cannot rule this out, such effects are not readily apparent in our data.
Glycine methoxyamide, acyclic analog of cycloserine.

Methoxy-glycinamid, ein offenkettiges Isomeres von Cycloserin, wurde hergestellt. Seine physikalischen Eigenschaften sind von denjenigen des Cycloserins stark verschieden. Es besitzt keine antibiotische Eigenschaft mehr.
How the need for money and the need for security influence migration and economic diversification in the Papua New Guinea highlands.

The author began studying migration between rural areas of the Papua New Guinea highlands under the premise that commitment to the cash economy and to capitalist investment could be investigated by concentrating largely upon peoples coffee-growing activities. Coffee as a small-holder cash crop is the most evident and in some areas the only significant means by which money is earned. His cases concerned migration from a high-altitude homeland where land for growing coffee was scarce to lower resettlement areas in locations ideal for coffee growing. During an earlier period of fieldwork both migrants and non-migrants insisted that the motivation to move was based upon a desire to grow more coffee and earn more cash. Changes in the local division of labor in the Simbu and Western Highlands Provinces are discussed with the work strategies undertaken by the migrants in the study illustrated by brief case studies presented after a general description of the research.
Molecular dynamics analysis of conserved hydrophobic and hydrophilic bond-interaction networks in ErbB family kinases

The EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor)/ErbB/HER (human EGFR) family of kinases contains four homologous receptor tyrosine kinases that are important regulatory elements in key signalling pathways. To elucidate the atomistic mechanisms of dimerization-dependent activation in the ErbB family, we have performed molecular dynamics simulations of the intracellular kinase domains of three members of the ErbB family (those with known kinase activity), namely EGFR, ErbB2 (HER2) and ErbB4 (HER4), in different molecular contexts: monomer against dimer and wild-type against mutant. Using bioinformatics and fluctuation analyses of the molecular dynamics trajectories, we relate sequence similarities to correspondence of specific bond-interaction networks and collective dynamical modes. We find that in the active conformation of the ErbB kinases, key subdomain motions are co-ordinated through conserved hydrophilic interactions: activating bond-networks consisting of hydrogen bonds and salt bridges. The inactive conformations also demonstrate conserved bonding patterns (albeit less extensive) that sequester key residues and disrupt the activating bond network. Both conformational states have distinct hydrophobic advantages through context-specific hydrophobic interactions. We show that the functional (activating) asymmetric kinase dimer interface forces a corresponding change in the hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions that characterize the inactivating bond network, resulting in motion of the αC-helix through allostery. Several of the clinically identified activating kinase mutations of EGFR act in a similar fashion to disrupt the inactivating bond network. The present molecular dynamics study reveals a fundamental difference in the sequence of events in EGFR activation compared with that described for the Src kinase Hck.