cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interactions among fungal endophytes, grasses and herbivores

The interaction between two species often depends on the presence or absence of a third species. One widespread three-species interaction involves fungal endophytes infecting grasses and the herbivores that feed upon them. The endophytes are allied with the fungal family Clavicipitaceae and grow systemically in intercellular spaces in above-ground plant tissues including seeds. Like relatedClaviceps species, the endophytes produce a variety of alkaloids that make the host plants toxic or distasteful to herbivores. A large number of grass species are infected, especially cool-season grasses in temperate areas. Field and laboratory studies have shown that herbivores avoid infected plants in choice trials and suffer increased mortality and decreased growth on infected grasses in feeding experiments. Resistance to herbivores may provide a selective advantage to infected plants in competitive interactions with noninfected plants. Recent studies have shown that differential herbivory can reverse competitive hierarchies among plant species. Both endophyte-infected and noninfected tall fescue grass (Festuca arundinacea) are outcompeted by orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata) in the absence of insect herbivory. However, when herbivores are present infected tall fescue outcompetes orchardgrass. These results suggest that the frequency of infection in grass species and grassland communities will increase over time. Several studies are reviewed illustrating increases in infection frequency within grass populations subject to herbivore pressure. Endophytic fungi may be important regulators of plant-herbivore interactions and so indirectly affect the structure and dynamics of plant communities.
Do Rat Strain Differences in Ethanol Consumption Reflect Differences in Ethanol Sensitivity or the Preparedness to Learn

Abstract Three strains of rats (Wistar, Sprague-Dawley, Long-Evans; n = 10/strain) were trained to drink various concentrations of ethanol (ETOH) in the rats' home cage in daily 30-min drinking sessions using a modified "Samson" sucrose-fading procedure. Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats were similar in their voluntary intake of a wide range of ETOH concentrations and both of these strains drank considerably more ETOH than the Long-Evans strain. For comparison purposes only, pharmacological pretreatment tests were later conducted with the Sprague-Dawley strain of rats using a maintenance concentration of 20% w/v ETOH. Low-dose ETOH pretreatments increased (125% of control), and high-dose ETOH pretreatments decreased the subsequent voluntary consumption of ETOH. Low-dose nicotine pretreatments increased ETOH consumption to 148% of control intake, and high doses of nicotine decreased ETOH consumption. Both opiate antagonists, naloxone and naltrexone, produced dose-dependent decreases in ETOH consumption. The dopamine antagonist, haloperidol, produced dose- and time-dependent increases in voluntary ETOH consumption. The strain differences in voluntary ETOH consumption described in the present study differ from those previously described by other labs. We suggest that this strain-dependent disparity between laboratories, with respect to ETOH consumption/preference tasks, may reflect genetic differences in the preparedness to condition (learn) voluntary ETOH consumption rather than genetic differences in ETOH's reward/reinforcement attributes.
Bile Acids Enhance Invasiveness of Cryptosporidium spp. into Cultured Cells

Bile salts such as sodium taurocholate (NaTC) are routinely used to induce the excystation of Cryptosporidium oocysts. Here we show that NaTC significantly enhanced the invasion of several cultured cell lines by freshly excysted Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis sporozoites. A variety of purified bile salts or total bile from bovine also enhanced the invasion of cultured cells by C. parvum. Further studies demonstrated that NaTC increased protein secretion and gliding motility of sporozoites, the key processes for successful invasion. These observations may lead to improved Cryptosporidium infectivity of cultured cells and help future studies on the host-parasite interaction.
CT-Diagnostik von Sprunggelenk- und Fußwurzelfrakturen

Zusammenfassung Bei der bildgebenden Diagnostik von Sprunggelenk- und Fuswurzelfrakturen stost die konventionelle Rontgendiagnostik an ihre Grenzen. Die Arbeit gibt eine Ubersicht uber die Einsatzgebiete der CT in der Frakturdiagnostik an Sprunggelenk und Fuswurzel sowie die daraus resultierende Strahlenbelastung. Am Sprunggelenk kommt die CT bei Pilon tibial- und Ubergangsfrakturen zum Einsatz, an der Fuswurzel bei Talus- und Calcaneusfrakturen sowie bei Chopart- und Lisfranc-Luxationsfrakturen. Mit einem modernen Mehrzeilen-Spiral-CT lassen sich oftmals diskrete, in der konventionellen Diagnostik nicht erkennbare Frakturen und Luxationen darstellen. Auserdem ist die Frakturmorphologie besser zu beurteilen.
Fractionated proton beam irradiation of pituitary adenomas

Purpose: Various radiation techniques and modalities have been used to treat pituitary adenomas. This report details our experience with proton treatment of these tumors. Methods and Materials: Forty-seven patients with pituitary adenomas treated with protons, who had at least 6 months of follow-up, were included in this analysis. Forty-two patients underwent a prior surgical resection; 5 were treated with primary radiation. Approximately half the tumors were functional. The median dose was 54 cobalt-gray equivalent. Results: Tumor stabilization occurred in all 41 patients available for follow-up imaging; 10 patients had no residual tumor, and 3 had greater than 50% reduction in tumor size. Seventeen patients with functional adenomas had normalized or decreased hormone levels; progression occurred in 3 patients. Six patients have died; 2 deaths were attributed to functional progression. Complications included temporal lobe necrosis in 1 patient, new significant visual deficits in 3 patients, and incident hypopituitarism in 11 patients. Conclusion: Fractionated conformal proton-beam irradiation achieved effective radiologic, endocrinological, and symptomatic control of pituitary adenomas. Significant morbidity was uncommon, with the exception of postradiation hypopituitarism, which we attribute in part to concomitant risk factors for hypopituitarism present in our patient population.
Crevice Corrosion Stabilization and Repassivation Behavior of Alloy 625 and Alloy 22

Abstract The crevice corrosion resistance of Alloy 625 (UNS N06625) and Alloy 22 (UNS N06022) was compared based on critical potentials for stabilization and repassivation as well as crevice stabilization rates derived from critical potential data. The effects of temperature and anion composition in 5 M lithium chloride (LiCl) brine-type electrolytes were examined. Repassivation potentials measured at 95°C were similar for both alloys and were not greatly influenced by bulk electrolyte composition, pH, or accumulated anodic charge associated with crevice attack. However, a decrease in temperature increased repassivation potentials to a greater extent for Alloy 22 in comparison to Alloy 625. Crevice corrosion stabilization properties of Alloy 625 and Alloy 22 were influenced by temperature and electrolyte composition but not bulk solution pH ranging from 2.75 to 7.75. Crevice stabilization occurred at more active critical potentials in 5 M LiCl electrolytes with a molar ratio of chloride ions to total oxya...
Reply to comment by T. N. Narasimhan on ''A method to estimate groundwater depletion from confining layers''

] We thank T. N. Narasimhan for his comment on ourpaper [Konikow and Neuzil, 2007] and for extending thediscussion with a historical perspective, additional exam-ples, and some considerations we did not discuss, includingimplications for water management. We support and agreewith the thrust of his comments.[
Coagulation changes in the newborn with respiratory failure

Abstract These studies involved clinical and laboratory investigations in 24 infants. Eleven healthy premature and term babies were used to establish a normal laboratory range. Thirteen consecutive infants requiring ventilatory assistance were compared to the normal group according to a broad range of clinical and laboratory measurements. Clinical parameters of the two groups were obviously different. However, the laboratory measurements of clotting appears to be close in each group only within the first 12 hours of extrauterine life. The fibrinolytic system appeared to be the most significantly activated parameter as seen by the initial deviations of the plasminogen and fibrin split products in the ill infants. Related changes in complement C′3 and C′4 were also noted. Two of the study infants survived and their data is shown for prognostic purposes. The earliest results that appeared to discriminate between survivors and fatalities were the plasminogen levels at 12 to 24 hours. We conclude from these data that activation of coagulation, fibrinolytic, and complement systems occurs in all newborns with respiratory failure and is detectable in their laboratory measurements.
Did regulatory actions discourage consumer demand for treasury bills

Abstract This paper studies the demand for Treasury bills by consumers during each period of significant regulatory change intended to discourage such demand. The results show that there were significant changes in the structure of the public's demand, although the changes were not always in the direction intended by the regulatory authorities.
Characterization of the fluorescent dansylamide complex with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii carbonic anhydrase

Abstract The characteristics of the fluorescent complex between carbonic anhydrase from the unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and the fluor
The sublime and the other

What is the philosophical significance of the “sublime”, and does this concept still have any relevance to contemporary life? In this essay, I argue that the experience of the sublime is exceptionally important, insofar as it presents us with a general model for the experience of otherness, the encounter with transcendence itself, which might reasonably be viewed as impossible. As Rudolf Otto suggested, the experience of the sublime is closely related to the experience of the sacred; and even in Burke and Kant, the sublime is to be grasped as both an aesthetic and a religious experience which finally opens the individual to that which is greater than herself. Thus, the sublime has become a major theme in postmodern theory, precisely because it gives us access to the sacred and that which is wholly “other.”
A variable-precision square root implementation for field programmable gate arrays

Applications requiring variable-precision arithmetic often rely on software implementations because custom hardware is either unavailable or too costly to build. By using the flexibility of the Xilinx XC4010 field programmable gate arrays, we present a hardware implementation of square root that is easily tailored to any desired precision. Our design consists of three types of modules: a control logic module, a data path module to extend the precision in 4-bit increments, and an interface module to span multiple chips. Our data path design avoids the common problem of large fan-out delay in the critical path. Cycle time is independent of precision, and operation latency can be independent of interchip communication delays.
A novel pathway for cytochromes c biogenesis in chloroplasts.

Abstract The cytochromes c are a useful model for the study of the pathways and mechanisms of assembly of the cofactor-containing components of energy transducing membranes. Genetic analyses have identified proteins that are required for the assembly of c -type cytochromes in mitochondria, bacteria and chloroplasts. The components of the pathway operating in fungal and animal mitochondria, i.e. the cytochrome (cyt) c and c 1 heme lyases in the intermembrane space, were identified over a decade ago through the study of cytochrome deficiencies in Neurospora crassa and Saccharomyces cerevisiae . More recently, a large number of membrane or membrane-associated components were identified in various α- and γ-proteobacteria as c -type cytochrome assembly factors; they comprise an assembly pathway that is evolutionarily and mechanistically distinct from that in fungal and animal mitochondria. The components function not only in the lyase reaction but also in the delivery and maintenance of the substrates in a state that is suitable for reaction in the bacterial periplasm. Yet a third pathway is required for cytochrome maturation in chloroplasts. Genetic analyses of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii ccs mutants, which are pleiotropically deficient in both the membrane-anchored cytochrome f and the soluble cytochrome c 6 , revealed a minimum of six loci, plastid ccsA and nuclear CCS1 through CCS5 , that are required for the conversion of the chloroplast apocytochromes to their respective holo forms. Sequence analysis of the cloned ccsA and Ccs1 genes indicates that the predicted protein products are integral membrane proteins with homologues in cyanobacteria, some gram-positive bacteria ( Bacillus subtilis , Mycobacterium spp.), β-proteobacteria ( Neisseria spp.) and an e-proteobacterium ( Helicobacter pylori ). CcsA and Ccs1 require each other for accumulation in vivo and are therefore proposed to function in a complex, possibly with the products of some of the other CCS loci. A tryptophan-rich motif, which has been proposed to represent a heme binding site in bacterial cytochrome biogenesis proteins (CcmC and CcmF), is functionally important in plastid CcsA. As is the case for CcmC and CcmF, the tryptophan-rich sequence is predicted to occur in a loop on the p -side of the membrane, where the heme attachment reaction occurs. Conserved histidine residues in the CcsA and Ccs1 may serve as ligands to the heme iron. A multiple alignment of the tryptophan-rich regions of the CcsA-, CcmC- and CcmF-like sequences in the genome databases indicates that they represent three different families.
Fallacy and controversy about base rates

Koehler's target article attempts a balanced view of the relevance of knowledge of base rates to judgments of subjective or credal probability, but he is not sensitive enough to the difference between requiring and permitting the equation of probability judgments with base rates, the interaction between precision of base rate and reference class information, and the possibility of indeterminate probability judgment.
125I-Labeled 1-(2′-acetyl-4′-[ortho-iodobenzoyl]-aminophenoxy)-3-isopropyl- aminopropan-2-ol

The preparation of the iodine-125 labeled beta adrenergic antagonist, 1- (2′-acetyl-4′-[ortho-iodobenzoyl] -aminophenoxy)-3-isopropylamino-propan-2-ol, suitable for biodistribution studies is described. Synthesis of the unlabeled precursor proceeds in a 44% yield and the iodine-125 exchange results in 89% incorporation of label. The final product is radiochemically pure (98-99%) with a specific activity of 3.2 Ci/mmol.
Heart rate, a measure of metabolism in blue-winged teal.

Abstract 1. 1. Both existence metabolism (Y) and heart rate (HR) varied linearly with temperature, enabling one to formulate an equation for predicting metabolism from heart rate (Y = 37·35+0·268HR ± 11·934). 2. 2. In relation to existence metabolism, oxygen pulse decreased with decreasing temperature. 3. 3. Heart rates of teal living under semi-controlled free conditions were 52·6±12·6 ( X ± S.E. ) beats higher than under controlled conditions. This represented a metabolic increase of 14·3 ± 3·4 kcal/bird per day. 4. 4. The ecological implications of this research are discussed.
The role of cardiac catheterization in Trisomy 21 and pulmonary hypertension

Abstract Children with Trisomy 21 are at increased risk for pulmonary hypertension. The reasons for this are multi-factorial but include an abnormal pulmonary vascular bed with increased propensity for congenital heart disease and upper airway obstruction. And although the association of pulmonary hypertension with Trisomy 21 is well established, this case report highlights the complexity of pulmonary hypertension in this vulnerable population, the limitations of echocardiography and critical contribution of cardiac catheterization in informing clinical management.
Q&A: The digital knitter

Genevieve Dion works at textile engineering's cutting edge at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ahead of the Smart Fabrics conference in San Francisco, California, she talks about knitting robots, permanently pleating silk and charging mobile phones from shirts.
Nerve growth factor receptors in human neuroblastoma cells

Receptors for the nerve growth factor protein (NGFR) present in the human neuroblastoma cell line LAN-1 were characterized. LAN-1 cells display high-affinity (type I, with KD value of 5.9 X 10(-11) M) and low-affinity (type II, with KD value of 9.2 X 10(-9) M) binding to NGF. NGFR were fractionated by preparative isoelectric focusing in a granulated gel (PEGG). High-affinity binding was found in the 5.9-6.2 pH region of the PEGG, and low-affinity binding in the 4.6-4.8 and 8.8-9.3 pH ranges. After further analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) we observed both 92.5- and 200-kDa molecular species associated with NGF binding activity. The 200-kDa protein was found in fractions displaying high-affinity NGF binding and the 92.5-kDa protein in fractions displaying low-affinity NGF binding. Equilibrium binding analysis of NGF in PEGG fractions confirmed the presence of two specific saturable binding sites with KD values similar to those observed for whole dissociated cells. When NGFR II activity from the acidic region of the PEGG chromatogram was incubated with NGFR II from the basic region of the PEGG chromatogram, there was no change in NGF binding or in the number of apparent NGF receptors. However, incubation of these same fractions with a fraction having only NGFR I showed an apparent increase in high-affinity NGF binding and a decrease in low-affinity NGF binding. Immunoprecipitation of this "mixed" fraction and analysis on SDS-PAGE under reduced and nonreduced conditions showed 200-kDa and 92.5-kDa proteins under nonreduced conditions and a 92.5-kDa protein under reduced conditions. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that there are two distinct NGF receptors in NGF-responsive cells. The interconvertibility of low- and high-affinity receptors and the possible existence of a modulator type protein or of "silent" type receptors are also in agreement with our findings.
Remediation of soils contaminated with wood preserving wastes : Crosscurrent and countercurrent solvent washing

Abstract Solvent washing was evaluated as a method to remove pentachlorophenol (PCP) from aged field soils contaminated with wood treating wastes. Several soil:solvent contact ratios were considered. Solvent washing processes were evaluated based on the removal of PCP from the soil throughout the process. Mixtures with at least 50% (mass) ethanol extracted statistically equivalent amounts of PCP, removing as much as 730 mg/kg for one soil. Kinetic experiments demonstrated that soil–solvent contact times of approximately 1 h were adequate to remove a majority of the PCP. A crosscurrent soil washing procedure was developed to determine the solvent volume required to remove PCP from field soils. Consecutive wash stages with the 50% ethanol solvent were followed by water rinse stages. The crosscurrent washes were performed in three- and two-stage processes where soils were washed with the 50% ethanol solvent in three- and two-successive stages followed by water rinse stages. Ethanol recoveries were greater than 90% for both the three- and the two-stage wash trains. In addition to PCP, hydrocarbons were removed from the field soils by the 50% ethanol solvent. Effective removal of PCP by the 50% ethanol solvent was not impeded by the presence of hydrocarbons in the soils. Three-stage countercurrent soil washing with 50% ethanol was successful in reducing PCP contamination on the soil from 785 to less than 40 mg/kg.
Formulation of a macroscale corrosion damage internal state variable model

Abstract A new consistent formulation coupling kinematics, thermodynamics, and kinetics with damage using an extended multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient that accounts for corrosion effects is proposed. The corrosion model, based upon internal state variable (ISV) theory, captures the effects of general corrosion, pit nucleation, pit growth, pit coalescence, and intergranular corrosion. The different geometrically-affected rate equations are given for each mechanism after the ISV formalism and have a thermodynamic force pair that acts as an internal stress. Pit nucleation is defined as the number density that changes as a function of time driven by the local galvanic electrochemical potential between base matrix material and second phase material. Pit growth is defined as pit surface area growth. Pit coalescence is the interaction of the pits as they grow together and is often characterized by transgranular corrosion and is mathematically constructed from Coulomb’s Law and the Maxwell stress. General corrosion is signified by thickness loss of the material and is characterized by a modified Faraday’s Law. The intergranular corrosion rate is related to the grain boundary effects so that it is characterized by the misorientation between grains. The total damage (void volume or area fraction) is the addition of the general, pitting, and intergranular corrosion. The ability of the model to predict aspects of the corrosion mechanisms and aging history effects of an engineering material are then illustrated by comparison with experimental data of an extruded AZ31 magnesium alloy.
Near-field localization of acoustic sources with imperfect spatial coherence, distributed processing, and low communication bandwidth

Multiple sensor arrays distributed over a region provide the means for accurate localization of the (x,y) position of a source. When microphone arrays are used to measure aeroacoustic signals from ground vehicles, random fluctuations in the air lead to frequency-selective coherence of the signals that arrive at widely-separated arrays. We have shown previously that even in cases of imperfect spatial coherence, improvements in source localization accuracy are possible when the data from widely-separated arrays are processed jointly by a fusion center. Further, we have shown that a distributed processing scheme involving bearing estimation at individual arrays and time-delay estimation (TDE) between pairs of widely-separated sensors performs nearly as well as the optimum scheme, with significantly lower communication bandwidth. These results were obtained by studying the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) on source localization accuracy based on a statistical model for the data measured at the sensors. Refined bounds (Ziv-Zakai) are presented in this paper that imply a threshold value of coherence is needed to achieve accurate TDE between widely-separated sensors. The threshold coherence is a function of the signal to noise ratio, fractional bandwidth, and time-bandwidth product of the observed signals. Results are presented from measured aeroacoustic data that illustrate TDE with widely-separated sensors.
Substituted Barium Hexaferrite Films for Planar Integrated Phase Shifters

Thick films of scandium-substituted BaScxFe12−xO19 (x=0, 0.4, 0.6) were deposited by pulsed laser ablation deposition onto A-plane (1120) sapphire (Al2O3) substrates to yield highly oriented films having the crystallographic c-axis ([0001]) in the film plane. Selected films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, magnetometry and torque magnetometry measurements. These structural and magnetic measurements show that dense films have excellent in-plane uniaxial anisotropies and good square loop behaviors. Such films will be useful for planar latched phase shifters that can be integrated into microwave integrated circuits.
Kinetics of methane production from the codigestion of switchgrass and Spirulina platensis algae.

Abstract Anaerobic batch digestion of four feedstocks was conducted at 35 and 50 °C: switchgrass; Spirulina platensis algae; and two mixtures of both switchgrass and S. platensis . Mixture 1 was composed of 87% switchgrass (based on volatile solids) and 13% S. platensis . Mixture 2 was composed of 67% switchgrass and 33% S. platensis . The kinetics of methane production from these feedstocks was studied using four first order models: exponential, Gompertz, Fitzhugh, and Cone. The methane yields after 40 days of digestion at 35 °C were 355, 127, 143 and 198 ml/g VS, respectively for S. platensis , switchgrass, and Mixtures 1 and 2, while the yields at 50 °C were 358, 167, 198, and 236 ml/g VS, respectively. Based on Akaike’s information criterion, the Cone model best described the experimental data. The Cone model was validated with experimental data collected from the digestion of a third mixture that was composed of 83% switchgrass and 17% S. platensis.
Vendor studies redux: evaluating the approval plan option from within

Abstract Exploring the question, “Once approval plans are established, how does one know whether they are preferable to firm ordering?”, this paper questions traditional assumptions about discounts and staff savings in a library with numerous approval plan agreements. Analyzing the acquisitions patterns of four different groups of selectors at a large research library, it concludes that approval plans profiled to obtain core essentials are preferred by many selectors over firm ordering these materials. Profiles implementing this approach appear to be more difficult to establish for European than for domestic materials. Levels and types of services expected from vendors in a budgetarily constrained environment are enumerated.
Some analytic aspects of a 2.5-D wave equation

A recently proposed 2.5-D wave equation is transformed to the frequency domain where WKBJ analysis is applied. This analysis assumes a general c(x, z) velocity field. Eikonal and transport equations are derived and compared to their 2-D and in-plane 3-D counterparts. The implied eikonal equation is shown to be identical to the 2-D and in-plane 3-D eikonal. This assures traveltime accuracy of the 2.5-D wave equation for any velocity model. The implied transport equation is shown to be consistent with 3-D theory in a constant velocity region containing a point source.
Quantitative electrocorticography in patients undergoing temporal lobectomy

We studied quantitative electrocorticography (ECoG) in 33 patients with medically refractory partial seizures who underwent temporal lobectomy. Preresection of ECoG revealed epileptiform abnormalities in areas that were not involved on scalp EEG in 8 patients. Twenty-six patients had epileptiform activity on ECoG posterior to the anticipated surgical margin. There were no significant outcome differences between patients with and without epileptiform activity on postresection ECoG. However, patients with 5 or less spikes on postresection ECoG had a better outcome (72.7% grade I or II) versus those with more than 5 spikes (54.5%).
Fabrication of low defect density 3C-SiC on SiO 2 structures using wafer bonding techniques

This paper reports on a process to fabricate single-crystal 3C-SiC on SiO2 structures using a wafer bonding technique. The process uses the bonding of two polished polysilicon surfaces as a means to transfer a heteroepitaxial 3C-SiC film grown on a Si wafer to a thermally oxidized Si wafer. Transfer yields of up to 80% for 4 inch diameter 3C-SiC films have been achieved. Homoepitaxial 3C-SiC films grown on the 3C-SiC on SiO2 structures have a much lower defect density than conventional 3C-SiC on Si films.
Epigenetic Effects of Early Environmental Exposures on Whole Genomes and Repetitive Elements

Abstract Increasing evidence suggests that environmental exposures during in utero development impact adult health through epigenetic modifications of the genome. High production-volume chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), and known toxins including lead (Pb), are ubiquitous in the environment and may contribute to disease susceptibility through epigenetic mechanisms. Developmental and adult exposure to environmentally relevant levels of BPA has been shown to affect both global and gene-specific DNA methylation patterns. Preliminary studies also indicate that Pb exhibits epigenetic effects that may contribute to its known neurotoxic and obesogenic activities. During early embryogenesis, epigenetic marks, including DNA methylation, are reset at specific times in both rodents and humans. Utilizing the viable yellow agouti (Avy) mouse as a biosensor, we assess the impact of BPA and Pb on the DNA methylation status of the genome by examining coat color shifts, whole genome methylation, and repetitive element ...
A qualification concerning the efficiency of tax expenditures

Abstract This paper examines a problem in a welfare loss model of tax expenditures. This problem forces us to reconsider the normative efficiency argument for tax expenditures. A reformulation highlights an implicit assumption of improper government allocation contained in the original model. The reformulation suggests that subsidization is an inappropriate marginal policy tool in the charity context.
Asymptotics for estimation and testing procedures under loss of identifiability

Statistical analyses commonly make use of models that suffer from loss of identifiability. In this paper, we address important issues related to the parameter estimation and hypothesis testing in models with loss of identifiability. That is, there are multiple parameter points corresponding to the same true model. We refer the set of these parameter points to as the set of true parameter values. We consider the case where the set of true parameter values is allowed to be very large or even infinite, some parameter values may lie on the boundary of the parameter space, and the data are not necessarily independently and identically distributed. Our results are applicable to a large class of estimators and their related testing statistics derived from optimizing an objective function such as a likelihood. We examine three specific examples: (i) a finite mixture logistic regression model; (ii) stationary ARMA processes; (iii) general quadratic approximation using Hellinger distance. The applications to these examples demonstrate the applicability of our results in a broad range of difficult statistical problems.
Grades 1 and 2 hypothyroidism in a state mental hospital: Risk factors and clinical findings

Thirty-six chronically psychotic patients (nine men and 27 women, mean age 56.7+/−S.D. 13.4 years) were found to have elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels during review of thyroid function screening tests of 1150 patients over a 15 month period in a 700 bed state mental hospital. This study population of 36 patients was more likely to be female and older than the general hospital population. The spectrum and frequency of psychiatric diagnoses included dementia (3); schizoaffective disorder (12); bipolar disorder (6); schizophrenic disorder (4); organic affective disorder (7); major depression (3); and mental retardation (1). Only nine of these 36 patients failed to receive the goitrogens lithium (LI), carbamazepine (CBZ) and/or phenytoin (PTN) and five of those nine patients had a history of thyroid disease. Sex did not predict age, thyroxine (T4) level, triiodothyronine (T3) uptake, or TSH. The distribution of psychiatric diagnoses were the same for both sexes. Expectedly, there was an inverse relationship between TSH and T4 and T3 uptake. Using T4 to separate grades 1 and 2 hypothyroidism revealed that six (17%) patients had grade 1 disease. Men were more likely to have a seizure disorder and receive LI, CBZ, and PTN. Women were more likely to have a history of thyroid disease. The goitrogenic effects of LI+CBZ seemed additive compared with patients receiving LI alone. While T4, T3 uptake, and LI levels were the same for the two groups, patients receiving LI+CBZ had higher TSH values (p=0.028) than did patients receiving LI alone. A history of thyroid disease did not alter T4 or T3 uptake but was associated with a higher TSH (p=0.039). The clinical implications of our findings are discussed.
Influence of maternal age on incidence of pupal diapause in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga bullata

. Females of the flesh fly, Sarcophaga bullata Parker, produce an increasingly higher number of diapausing progeny in successive broods. Though a maternal effect completely eliminates the capacity for diapause in the first brood of females with an embryonic and larval history of short day, diapause is restored at low levels in later broods. Exposure to long daylength at the onset of adult life does not alter the diapause response of later broods, thus suggesting that the age effect cannot be modified by daylength manipulation. The age response implies that changes in maternal physiology exert an important regulatory control on the diapause fate of the pupa.
Three dimensional reconstruction (shape and motion) of tricuspid annulus in normals and in patients after tricuspid annuloplasty with a flexible ring

Knowledge of tricuspid annular shape, size and motion is critical for surgical repair of the tricuspid valve. However these characteristics for the valve are poorly understood. The authors reconstructed the three dimensional shape and motion of the tricuspid annulus in 2 normals and 2 patients who underwent tricuspid valve repair using a flexible annuloplasty ring. The data were acquired with EKG and respiratory gating. The algorithm allows for quantitative analysis of annular area and excursion over a cardiac cycle. The preliminary results show that the shape and motion of tricuspid annulus is preserved by the flexible tricuspid valve annuloplasty ring.
Maximum-likelihood-based multipath channel estimation for code-division multiple-access systems

The problem of estimating the channel parameters of a new user in a multiuser code-division multiple-access (CDMA) communication system is addressed. It is assumed that the new user transmits training data over a slowly fading multipath channel. The proposed algorithm is based on maximum-likelihood estimation of the channel parameters. First, an asymptotic expression for the likelihood function of channel parameters is derived and a re-parametrization of this likelihood function is proposed. In this re-parametrization, the channel parameters are combined into a discrete time channel filter of symbol period length. Then, expectation-maximization algorithm and alternating projection algorithm-based techniques are considered to extract channel parameters from the estimated discrete channel filter, to maximize the derived asymptotic likelihood function. The performance of the proposed algorithms is evaluated through simulation studies. In addition, the proposed algorithms are compared to previously suggested subspace techniques for multipath channel estimation.
Multiuser diversity for a dirty paper approach

Multiuser diversity has attracted significant attention recently. In this letter, we propose a greedy algorithm based on QR decomposition of the channel and dirty paper precoding to exploit the multiuser diversity of the Gaussian vector broadcast channel. Simulations show the approach provides performance which is extremely close to a well-known upper bound on the sum rate. Further, exploiting multiuser diversity can provide large gain over approaches ignoring this resource.
Miniaturized high-resolution wide-field contact lens for panretinal photocoagulation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE We describe a miniaturized lightweight high-refractive-index panretinal contact lens for diagnostic and therapeutic visualization of the peripheral retina. INSTRUMENT DESIGN The miniaturized high-resolution wide-field contact lens includes three optical elements in a light (15 g) and miniaturized (16 mm footplate, 24 mm external aperture, and 21 mm vertical height) casing contributing to a total dioptric power of +171 diopters. This lens provides up to 165° visualization of the retina for diagnostic and therapeutic applications while allowing easier placement due to its miniaturization. CONCLUSION This new lens (50% lighter and 89% smaller) improves upon earlier contact lenses for visualization of the peripheral retina.
Differences in arrhythmogenicity between the canine right ventricular outflow tract and anteroinferior right ventricle in a model of Brugada syndrome

Background The Brugada syndrome is characterized by ST-segment elevation on the ECG, especially in the right precordial leads sensitive to the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that right ventricular electrophysiologic heterogeneity caused arrhythmogenicity in the Brugada syndrome. Methods Action potentials (APs) were mapped on the epicardium of 14 RVOT preparations and on the transmural surfaces of 15 pairs of RVOT and right ventricular anteroinferior (RVAI) preparations isolated from canine hearts. Brugada ECG and arrhythmias were induced with pilsicainide (2.5–12.5 μmol/L), pinacidil (1.25–12.5 μmol/L), and terfenadine (2.0 μmol/L). Results Low doses of drugs elevated the J-ST segment and induced APs with both short and long action potential durations (APDs) in contiguous RVOT epicardial regions. In addition, APs in the RVOT had a larger phase 1 notch and longer APD than in RVAI. The longest APDs were in the epicardium in RVOT but in the endocardium in RVAI regions. High doses of drugs eliminated the phase 2 dome of the AP and abbreviated APDs in the epicardium but not in endocardium and reduced the epicardial heterogeneity of APs but increased the transmural gradient of APD in 14 (93%) of the RVOT preparations. In contrast, abbreviations of epicardial APDs occurred in only 4 (27%) of the RVAI preparations. Ventricular tachycardia occurred more frequently in the RVOT (47%) than in paired RVAI preparations (7%). Blocking the transient outward current reduced the heterogeneity of APs and eliminated arrhythmogenicity in all preparations. Conclusion Compared with the RVAI region, the RVOT has greater electrophysiologic heterogeneity that contributes to arrhythmogenicity in this model of Brugada syndrome.
Policosanol is ineffective in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia: a randomized controlled trial

Background Policosanol is one of the fastest growing over-the-counter supplements sold in the United States. The use of policosanol to treat elevated cholesterol is based on clinical trials conducted in Cuba, which showed sugar cane-derived policosanol to be similar in efficacy to statins. Recent studies have challenged these findings, but there have been no trials conducted in North America that have examined the ability of sugar cane-derived policosanol to lower cholesterol. Objectives This study investigated the efficacy of sugar cane-derived policosanol in healthy adults with mild hypercholesterolemia. The primary outcome was the percentage change in LDL cholesterol after 8 wk of therapy. Secondary outcome measures included changes in total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triacylglycerols, C-reactive protein, and nuclear magnetic resonance-determined lipoprotein profile. Dietary habits, weight, and blood pressure were also monitored. Design Ambulatory, community-dwelling healthy adults with mild hypercholesterolemia (n = 40) were assigned to receive oral policosanol (20 mg) or placebo once daily for 8 wk. This was a double-blind, randomized controlled trial conducted from January through August 2005. Results No significant differences in the change in LDL cholesterol were observed between the placebo (n = 20) and policosanol (n = 20) groups. Also, no significant changes in secondary outcome measures, including total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triacylglycerol, C-reactive protein, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy-determined profiles were observed. Policosanol was well tolerated, and no significant adverse events were noted. Conclusion Policosanol does not alter the serum lipid profile over an 8-wk period in adults with mild hypercholesterolemia.
Pragmatic Sustainability: Translating Environmental Ethics into Competitive Advantage

In this article, I propose a business paradigm that allows and enables the integration of environmental ethics into business decisions while creating a competitive advantage through the use of an ethical framework based on classical American pragmatism. Environmental ethics could be useful as an alternative paradigm for business ethics by offering new perspectives and methodologies to grant consideration of the natural environment. An approach based on classical American pragmatism provides a superior framework for businesses by focusing on experimentation and innovation, driving a long-term focus, and providing actionable clarity. Under a pragmatic approach to ethics, the choice for sustainability becomes self-evident for business performance and moral reasons.
Systemic lupus erythematosus in three ethnic groups: III A comparison of characteristics early in the natural history of the LUMINA cohort:

Aim: To determine and contrast the socioeconomic-demographic and clinical features of patients with recent onset (5 y) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from three ethnic groups, Hispanic, African-American and Caucasian (H, AA, C).Subjects and methods: SLE cases (American College of Rheumatology criteria) (incident (n ‘ 56), prevalent (n ‘ 173)), were enrolled in a longitudinal study at The University of Alabama at Birmingham, The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center and The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Socioeconomic-demographic, clinical, immunological, behavioral and psychological data were obtained using validated instruments and standard laboratory techniques, and compared.Results: 70 H, 88 AA and 71 C SLE patients constitutethis cohort. H and AA patients were younger and of lower socioeconomic-demographic status. They also had evidence of more frequent organ system involvement (renal, cardiovascular), more auto-antibodies, more active disease (after adjusting for dis...
Localized electromagnetic fields in nondispersive media. I

Summary form only given. The authors presented a direct scattering theory for localized electromagnetic fields in three dimensions. Many localized solutions to the 3-D time-dependent wave equation can be derived from group-theoretical considerations. These solutions can be generalized to the vector wave equation to obtain solutions to the classical electromagnetic field equations. The authors related such solutions to Maxwell's equations to the long-standing problem of finding an adequate linear wave formalism to describe relativistic particles. In particular, vector fields satisfying E=h omega and phk simultaneously were derived and related to the directive model of atomic radiation, without recourse to nonlinearities to explain the localization phenomenon. Engineering applications derived from this approach include the synthesis of miniaturized superdirective antennas, and the launching of electromagnetic waves that can approximate with arbitrary precision the localization properties of particles in free space and in linear dispersive media. >
A Novel Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate–Responsive Luciferase Reporter Incorporating a Nonpalindromic Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Response Element Provides Optimal Performance for Use in G Protein–Coupled Receptor Drug Discovery Efforts

The authors report the characterization of a novel cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)–responsive luciferase (Luc) reporter that exhibits optimal performance in high-throughput screens of agonist binding at G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). This reporter (RIP1-CRE-Luc) incorporates a nonpalindromic cAMP response element (CRE) originally identified within the 5′ promoter of the rat insulin 1 gene (RIP1). When multimerized and fused to the coding sequence of firefly luciferase, the CRE of RIP1 allows for the efficient activation of luciferase expression by cAMP-elevating agents or by cAMP itself. Of primary importance is the demonstration that RIP1-CRE-Luc does not exhibit the relatively high levels of basal luciferase activity inherent to reporters incorporating the palindromic CRE first identified in the somatostatin gene promoter. Furthermore, studies of HEK cells expressing class II GPCRs for the cAMP-elevating hormones GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon demonstrate that RIP1-CRE-Luc affords a much wider dynamic range of activation upon exposure to agonist. Such properties of RIP1-CRE-Luc indicate its usefulness as a new and powerful tool for the identification of small-molecule compounds with receptor-stimulating actions or for the identification of constitutively active orphan receptors with cAMP-signaling properties. (Journal of Biomolecular Screening 2007:740-746)
On fourier coefficients of automorphic forms of GL(n)

It is a well-known theorem, due to J. Shalika and I. Piatetski-Shapiro, independently, that any non-zero cuspidal automorphic form on GLn(A) is generic, i.e. has a non-zero WhittakerFourier coefficient. Its proof follows from the Fourier expansion of the cuspidal automorphic form in terms of its Whittaker-Fourier coefficients. In this paper, we extend this Fourier expansion to the whole discrete spectrum of the space of all square-integrable automorphic forms of GLn(A) and determine the Fourier coefficients of irreducible non-cuspidal (residual) automorphic representations of GLn(A) in terms of unipotent orbits.
The Loma Prieta Earthquake of October 17 1989: Introduction to the special issue

The southern Santa Cruz Mountains segment of the San Andreas fault that ruptured in the large (M{sub s}=7.1, M{sub w}=6.9) earthquake of October 17, 1989 (October 18, universal time) last slipped 84 years ago when it formed the southern terminus of the great 1906 break which extended from Cape Mendocino to San Juan Bautista. Being the most significant reactivation of a major fault segment in California during the modern instrumental era, the Loma Prieta earthquake has justifiably attracted considerable attention. It is, therefore, appropriate to devote a Special Section of Geophysical Research Letter (GRL) to the preliminary scientific findings about the quake. The Loma Prieta event was especially challenging. Unlike the textbook illustration of a right lateral fault, slip in this earthquake was not shallow nor uniform; indeed, rupture did not even reach the surface. More amazing still, a significant component of displacement on this supposed strike slip fault was vertical. As many pre-conceptions went up in smoke, many new questions materialized: How and where is strain energy stored along the fault Is the San Andreas beneath the Santa Cruz Mountains complicated, with several intersecting strands which break differently at different times How are lateral and vertical motion accommodated versusmore » depth and time To what extent can a broad spectrum of proposed fault zone heterogeneities and structures be imaged Is the Loma Prieta failure characteristic for this section of the San Andreas and should it be grouped with the 1865 and 1906 events for hazard estimation Finally, just how predictable was the 1989 quake« less
Similar long-term survival of elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with lobectomy or wedge resection within the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database.

Study objectives: To determine the effect of age and type of surgery on long-term survival in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Design and patients: A total of 14,555 patients who were > 20 years of age with stage I or II primary NSCLC and had been registered in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Database from 1992 to 1997 were analyzed. Age was grouped into the following three categories: 75 years (n 3,425; 23%). Log-rank tests and Cox regression models were used for crude and adjusted survival analyses. Measurements and results: A total of 8,080 men (55%) and 6,475 women (mean [ SD] age, 67.3 9.8 years) with stage I NSCLC (83%) or stage II NSCLC were analyzed. Curative surgery was performed in 4,669 patients (92%) who were 75 years of age (elderly) [p 75 years of age (p 71 years of age. (CHEST 2005; 128:237–245)