cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reliability evaluation of reinforced concrete beams

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the time-invariant reliability of reinforced concrete beams designed under the provisions of the ACI Building Code. A wide range of practical design situations is considered. The beams are subjected to bending, shear, and torsion. The interaction between shear and torsion is considered via an elliptical failure surface defined in the shear-torsion stress space. No interaction is assumed between flexural resistance and resistance in both shear and torsion. Representative statistics and appropriate probability distributions of the basic resistance and load variables are selected from previous related work. The reliability analysis is performed using modern reliability methods, in which the formulation of the limit-state functions is consistent with the underlying design criteria. Reliability indices for various failure modes are compared and a system reliability analysis is performed to include all failure modes. It is found that the reliability indices are most sensitive to live load, model uncertainties, and material strengths. For the failure modes considered, the reliability indices are found to be rather insensitive to design parameter values, indicating that the ACI Building Code achieves its desired objective of uniform reliability across a wide range of design situations.
Uniqueness of the Veneziano representation

Abstract Infinite product representations possessing meromorphy in s and t as well as polynomial residues are investigated. The representations found turn out to have Regge behavior and non-linear trajectories and to include the Suzuki-Veneziano form as a limiting case.
Einfluß von Schutzfremdströmen auf die Wirkung von Kühlwasserinhibitoren

In Fallen, wo der kathodische Schutz eines Kuhlsystems schwer durchfuhrbar ist, erweist sich eine Kombination von kathodischem Schutz und Inhibierung als vorteilhaft. Die Verfasser untersuchten mogliche Einflusse von Gleichstrom auf die Wirksamkeit von Inhibitoren; bei diesen Versuchen arbeiteten sie mit einer Stromstarke, welche der maximalen in der Praxis verwendeten Schutzstromstarke entsprach. Mit Hilfe von potentiokinetischen Methoden wurde gefunden, das die zahl der unter diesen Bedingungen verwendbaren Inhibitoren sehr klein ist. Im Falle von Inhibitoren auf Basis von Nitriten oder Aminen verringert sich schon nach einigen Stunden Gleichstromeinwirkung die Schutzwirkung und in manchen Fallen zeigt sich sogar eine stimulierende Wirkung. Die Inhibitoren auf Basis von Chromaten oder Korrosionsschutzolemulsionen sind hingegen elektrochemisch gut bestandig im Falle der Ole ist jedoch damit zu rechnen, das die Emulsion schon nach verhaltnismasig kurzer Betriebsdauer bricht. The influence of imposed protection currents on the efficiency of inhibitors for cooling waters In case where the cathodic protection of a cooling system is not feasible a combination of cathodic protection and inhibition may be of advantage. The authors have studied the potential influence of a direct current on the efficiency of an inhibitor; during the experimental work they have used a current intensity corresponding to the maximum intensity of the protection current used in practice. Using potentiokinetic methods they have found that the number of inhibitors which may be used in such conditions is rather small. In the case of inhibitors based on nitrites or amines the protecting efficiency is rather reduced after some hundred hours' operation under direct current, and in some case even a corrosion stimulation has been experienced. Inhibitors based on chromates and anticorrosion oil emulsions exhibit improved electrochemical stability, though, in the case of oils emulsion breaking must be taken into account after relatively short durations of operation.
Thymic carcinoid. A histologic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural study of 12 cases

Twelve cases of thymic carcinoid were studied by electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Clinically, all of them presented either as asymptomatic, radiographically detected mediastinal masses or as neoplasms producing symptoms of thoracic structural displacement or Cushing's syndrome. By light microscopic examination, the carcinoids manifested an organoid growth pattern, being composed of uniform polygonal cells with central, oval nuclei and finely dispersed chromatin. Immunohistochemical analysis disclosed the presence of cytoplasmic adrenocorticotropic hormone in four cases (three associated with Cushing's syndrome), of somatostatin in seven cases, and of serotonin in one case. Ultrastructurally, these tumors generally showed short, blunt, interdigitating cell processes; focal, scanty basement membrane material; infrequent but well-formed junctional complexes; moderate to large numbers of dense-core granules; and lipoautophagosomes. Six tumors contained small numbers of type I microfilaments, and three demonstrated perinuclear whorls of type II microfilaments. Rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum was well developed in each tumor, the smooth form being prominent in cases with clinical Cushing's syndrome.
Otoplasty Technique: How I Do It

This article describes the combined conchal cartilage resection and mattress suture technique for the treatment of protruding ears. It is a reproducible, versatile, and safe procedure. The technique improves the protrusion, symmetry, and form of the ear by addressing the poorly developed or absent antihelical fold and the abnormally large concha. It has been used for many years and has produced consistently good long-term results.
Sorption and diffusion in asymmetric membranes

Polyethylene membranes with nearly linear gradients of grafted poly(vinyl acetate) from one surface to the other have been prepared by radiation-initiated polymerization of sorbed vinyl acetate monomer. Transport of methanol through the modified membrane proceeds at different rates, depending on the direction of flow relative to the gradient of grafted PVAc. A mathematical model has been derived, which gives a quantitative description of the directional transport process. The relationship can be used to predict the transport behavior for single penetrants through asymmetric membranes from knowledge of the properties of the individual components.
Molecular and functional characterization of GnRH receptors cloned from rat pituitary and a mouse pituitary tumor cell line.

Abstract A cDNA for a GnRH receptor (mtGnRH-R) was obtained from a mouse gonadotropic pituitary cell line (αT3-1) by expression cloning. This full-length cDNA was subsequently used as a probe to clone a rat pituitary GnRH receptor (rGnRH-R). The two receptors differ by 13 amino acids and are 100% identical to those recently reported. The analysis of the cloned receptors by photoaffinity-labeling followed by SDS-PAGE reveals a major hand of ∼70 kDa. This is in contrast to the native rat pituitary and mouse αT3-1 receptors whose major labeled species migrate with an apparent size of ∼45 kDa. Functional studies reveal that both receptors, when transiently expressed in COSM6 cells, can hind GnRH with high affinity and transduce the stimulation of IP 3 accumulation in response to GnRH.
Gambling on the Lottery: Sociodemographic Correlates Across the Lifespan

Two representative U.S. telephone surveys of gambling were conducted—an adult survey of adults aged 18 years and older (n = 2,631) and a youth survey of young people aged 14–21 years old (n = 2,274). Because the questions and methods were the same or similar in both surveys, the data from these two surveys were combined into a single dataset to examine the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of gambling and problem gambling across the lifespan. The present work focused specifically on gambling on the lottery which is the most prevalent form of gambling in the U.S. The frequency of gambling on the lottery increased sharply from mid adolescence to age 18 which is the legal age to purchase lottery tickets in most states; lottery play continued to increase into the thirties when it leveled off and remained high through the sixties and then decreased among those 70 years and older. Considering multiple sociodemographic factors together in a negative binomial regression, the average number of days of lottery gambling was significantly predicted by male gender, age, neighborhood disadvantage and whether or not lottery was legal in the state where the respondent lived. These findings can be used to inform policies regarding lotteries in the U.S.
Computing Stackelberg strategies in stochastic games

Significant recent progress has been made in both the computation of optimal strategies to commit to (Stackelberg strategies), and the computation of correlated equilibria of stochastic games. In this letter we discuss some recent results in the intersection of these two areas. We investigate how valuable commitment can be in stochastic games and give a brief summary of complexity results about computing Stackelberg strategies in stochastic games.
A role for Th2 T-memory cells in early airway obstruction.

Abstract The role of T-cell memory in late-phase allergic lung inflammation is not well defined. To evaluate the role of systemic T-cell memory in allergic late-phase lung inflammation, BALB/c mice were injected intraperitoneally with ovalbumin (OVA) or ragweed (RW) allergens (Test I and Test II groups) or saline (control groups C I and C IV) and then challenged intratracheally with the allergen. Late-phase allergic lung inflammation was defined by: (i) recruitment of eosinophils to airways, (ii) IL-5 mRNA upregulation in BAL fluid cells, and (iii) detection of a Th2 cell cytokine profile in BAL fluids. The number of eosinophils recruited in allergic mice following intratracheal challenge with allergen was at least 300-fold higher P ≤ 0.01) in mice with allergen-specific T-memory cells in BAL fluid (Test I and Test II) than in control mice without allergen-specific T-memory cells (C I and C IV). Further, the number of eosinophils recruited in Test I and II correlated with the magnitude of in vitro T-cell memory responses ( r = 0.93, P ≤ 0.04). Moreover, IL-5 mRNA upregulation in BAL cells and Th2 cytokine production in BAL fluids were observed only in Test I and Test II, and not in any of the control groups. Further, results from pulmonary function tests performed on the same allergic animals indicated that only animals from Test I and Test II groups had impaired lung function after allergen challenge. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that allergen-specific Th2-type T-cell memory is required for the development of allergic asthma. That is, without T-cell memory responses, no eosinophil recruitment and release of EPO (which is known to induce bronchoconstriction) occurred in the airways, and no Th2 cytokine profile was detected in the BAL fluid. Furthermore, if the Th2 cytokine profile was absent, then pulmonary functions remained normal.
Postmodernism and the Parody of Argument

Argument, in any full sense of the word, needs resources and assumptions that postmodernism does not provide. Postmodernism is not a phenomenon that emerged ‘after modernism,’ as it were, to replace it; postmodernism is just an ultimate expression of the nihilistic tendencies of modernism, tendencies which were present from its beginning and have continued to the present. A radical critique of modernism undercuts postmodernism as well and clears the way for a revival of realist foundations for argument and rhetoric.
Sulfonolipids are localized in the outer membrane of the gliding bacterium Cytophaga johnsonae

Earlier work in our laboratory demonstrated that gliding bacteria of the Cytophaga-Flexibacter group contain, in their cell envelopes, large quantities of unusual sulfonolipids (N-fatty acyl 2-amino-3-hydroxyisoheptadecane-1-sulfonic acids). Recently, it has been shown that these lipids are necessary for the gliding motility of C. johnsonae. As one approach to determining the role of the lipids in motility, methods have now been developed for separating the inner (cytoplasmic) and outer membranes of a strain (ATCC 43786) of this Gram-negative bacterium. Sulfonolipid is at least five times as abundant in the outer membrane as in the inner. The inner membrane has properties similar to those found for other Gram-negative bacteria; it has a buoyant density of 1.14 g/ml and is highly enriched in cytochromes and succinate dehydrogenase. The outer membrane (1.18 g/ml) is enriched in bound carbohydrate and sulfonolipid, but contains little or no 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate (such as is found in the enterobacteria). The localization of the sulfonolipids in the outer membrane permits focus on the possible roles these unusual substances may play in gliding motility.
Android market reconstruction and analysis

With the rise in both personal and official smartphone use by the military, large scale application store analysis is an appealing idea, but until now there has been no real method of quickly accumulating a large library for analysis. In this paper we present a population study of permission and library use in Android apps, obtained from the Google Play Store. To accomplish this, we present a novel method for quickly reconnoitering a large database using a novel wordlist approach. Employing this method we compiled a library of over 700, 000 applications. By leveraging program analysis and data mining techniques, we analyzed how permissions and libraries are used in real world settings on a population-wide level. From this we were able to make several claims about the health and apparently direction of the Android ecosystem.
Assembly Dynamics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis FtsZ

We have investigated the assembly of FtsZ from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtbFtsZ). Electron microscopy confirmed the previous observation that MtbFtsZ assembled into long, two-stranded filaments at pH 6.5. However, we found that assembly at pH 7.2 or 7.7 produced predominantly short, one-stranded protofilaments, similar to those of Escherichia coli FtsZ (EcFtsZ). Near pH 7, which is close to the pH of M. tuberculosis cytoplasm, MtbFtsZ formed a mixture of single- and two-stranded filaments. We developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay to measure the kinetics of initial assembly and the dynamic properties at steady state. Assembly of MtbFtsZ reached a plateau after 60-100 s, about 10 times slower than EcFtsZ. The initial assembly kinetics were similar at pH 6.5 and 7.7, despite the striking difference in the polymer structures. Both were fit with a cooperative assembly mechanism involving a weak dimer nucleus, similar to EcFtsZ but with slower kinetics. Subunit turnover and GTPase at steady state were also about 10 times slower for MtbFtsZ than for EcFtsZ. Specifically, the half-time for subunit turnover in vitro at pH 7.7 was 42 s for MtbFtsZ compared with 5.5 s for EcFtsZ. Photobleaching studies in vivo showed a range of turnover half-times with an average of 25 s for MtbFtsZ as compared with 9 s for EcFtsZ.
"You Don't Know What They Translate": Language Contact, Institutional Procedure, and Literacy Practice in Neighborhood Health Clinics in Urban Flanders

This article examines how local, institutional communicative economies adjust to changes in multilingual client populations of immigrants and refugees in a health clinic in the Flemish city of Ghent. The focus of the article is on how language ideologies in a context of multilingual diversity bear on the development of institutional procedures and interactional routines through the planning and use of print materials. These ideologies include assumptions about language competencies, multilingual repertoires, and their efficiency, and are shown to shade over into forms of social categorization and indexicalities of noncomprehension. Solutions to perceived problems of noncomprehension take the form of literacy artifacts that have unintended consequences in their use.
Supplementary host specificity testing of the sawfly Heteroperryia hubrichi, a candidate for classical biological control of Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolius, in the USA

Supplementary host specificity tests were conducted with the defoliating sawfly Heteroperreyia hubrichi (Hymenoptera: Pergidae), a candidate for classical biological control of Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolius (Sapindales: Anacardiaceae), in the United States. These tests were conducted as part of the environmental assessment required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The suitability of the federally listed endangered native plant Rhus michauxii (Anacardiaceae) and the economically important Litchi chinensis (Sapindaceae) as potential host plants for H. hubrichi was evaluated in a series of no-choice larval development tests conducted in a Florida quarantine laboratory. Neonate larvae transferred to individual test plants failed to develop to the pupal stage on R. michauxii or L. sinensis, whereas Brazilian peppertree supported development of the sawfly to pupation. The results of the additional host specificity tests indicated these critical non-target plants are not at risk from attack by H. hubrichi if it were released in Florida, USA.
Characterization of the tropical diurnal fire cycle using VIRS and MODIS observations

Abstract Seven years of data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Visible and Infrared Scanner (VIRS) were used to characterize the average diurnal fire cycle in 15 regions of the tropics and sub-tropics. Bias errors in the resulting diurnal cycles were either avoided or removed through a combination of judicious region selection and the application of corrections to compensate for cloud obscuration and time-dependent “blind spots” in the fire-detection capability of the VIRS sensor. Supplementary data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA's Terra satellite aided this process. In all regions, the local time of peak burning fell between 13:00 and 18:30, with fire activity peaking distinctly earlier for the heavily forested regions. The time period of the central 50% of total daily fire activity varied from a minimum of 1.3 h in North Central Africa to a maximum of 5.5 h in Eastern Australia. In general, shorter periods of burning were associated with greater tree cover. Using the diurnal cycles obtained for each region, an analysis of the drift in the local overpass times of the NOAA-7 through NOAA-14 afternoon satellites was performed. Results show that very large, spurious trends are likely to occur in a long-term Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) fire record due to differences in diurnal sampling over time.
Assessing risk for depression among immigrants at two-year follow-up.

This article reports findings from a longitudinal study of what predicts depression 2 years later in a sample of former Soviet immigrants. Study aims were to: (1) investigate change in depression scores and (2) determine the relative contribution of initial depression scores, select demographic and migration characteristics and common demands of immigration to depression at 2-year follow-up. Data were collected at two time points from 468 former Soviet immigrants who had been in the US 5 years or less at the time of the first data collection appointment. Linear regression was used to predict depression at 2-year follow-up. There was little improvement in depression for the sample as a whole over time. Baseline depression, unemployment, novelty, and not having relatives in the local resettlement area were significant predictors of depression at 2-year follow-up. Initial depression in relatively recent immigrants should be treated aggressively and not assumed to be a transient problem. Immigrants should be assisted to find early employment and overcome novel aspects of their new environment. Immigrants without local families will likely need additional support.
Vasotocin innervation and modulation of vocal-acoustic circuitry in the teleost Porichthys notatus.

Arginine vasotocin (AVT) and its mammalian homologue arginine vasopressin (AVP) modulate reproduction-related and other social behaviors in a broad range of vertebrate species. These functions of AVT/AVP may be in part achieved through the modulation of sensorimotor integration, although experimental evidence supporting this hypothesis remains limited. In the present experiments, we demonstrate (1) AVT innervation of candidate vocal-acoustic brain regions, and (2) AVT modulation of vocal-motor physiology in the plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus), which uses vocalizations in both mate attraction and agonistic contexts. AVT distribution was compared with known vocally active brain regions and to central auditory and vocal pathways. AVT-immunoreactive fibers and putative terminals descend almost exclusively from the preoptic area and are found in two primary candidate sites for vocal-acoustic integration - the anterior tuberal hypothalamus and paralemniscal midbrain tegmentum. AVT immunoreactivity is also located in several other vocally active regions, including the ventral tuberal nucleus, periaqueductal gray, and paraventricular regions of the isthmus and rostral hindbrain. The parvocellular preoptic area itself is also vocally active, although thresholds are substantially higher than for other regions. The functional significance of AVT input to vocal-acoustic regions was demonstrated in the paralemniscal midbrain where local delivery of AVT modulated electrically evoked, rhythmic vocal-motor output, which precisely mimicked natural vocalizations. AVT produced dose-dependent inhibitions of parameters associated with call initiation (burst latency and number of vocal-motor bursts elicited) but not of vocal-motor patterning (fundamental frequency and burst duration). Together, these findings provide support for the proposal that AVT modulates sensorimotor processes underlying social/acoustic communication.
Genetic association studies and the effect of misclassification and selection bias in putative confounders

Genetic epidemiology studies often adjust for numerous potential confounders, yet the influences of confounder misclassification and selection bias are rarely considered. We used simulated data to evaluate the effect of confounder misclassification and selection bias in a case-control study of incident myocardial infarction. We show that putative confounders traditionally included in genetic association studies do not alter effect estimates, even when excessive levels of misclassification are incorporated. Conversely, selection bias resulting from covariates affected by the single-nucleotide polymorphism of interest can bias effect estimates upward or downward. These results support careful consideration of how well a study population represents the target population because selection bias may result even when associations are modest.
CYP2D6 genotype should not be used to determine endocrine therapy in postmenopausal breast cancer patients.

The antiestrogen tamoxifen is an effective treatment for all stages of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer.1 Tamoxifen blocks estrogen-dependent breast cancer growth by competing with estrogen for binding to its receptor. Tamoxifen itself has antiestrogenic properties, but it is metabolized by a number of cytochrome P450 enzymes into many different metabolites that have varying degrees of antiestrogenic activity. Studies have consistently shown that cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6), a highly polymorphic drug-metabolizing enzyme, is the enzyme primarily responsible for the production of one of the most potent metabolites, endoxifen (4-hydroxy-N-desmethyl-tamoxifen). Preclinical studies of estrogen-dependent breast cancer have shown that endoxifen is an approximately 100-fold more potent antiestrogen than tamoxifen or the major tamoxifen metabolite, N-desmethyl-tamoxifen. Patients who are homozygous for two null CYP2D6 alleles, and are therefore poor metabolizers (PMs), as well as patients who are taking medications that are CYP2D6 inhibitors, have lower serum endoxifen concentrations as compared with patients who have one or more wild-type CYP2D6 alleles (intermediate metabolizers (IMs) and extensive metabolizers (EMs), respectively) (reviewed by Hertz et al.2).
Heritable protein variants induced by exposure to ethylnitrosourea: heritability, subcellular location, and tissue distribution

The heritability, subcellular location, and tissue distribution of liver protein alterations found in the two-dimensional electrophoresis patterns of 4 offspring from male mice treated with N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) were studied. Mice homozygous for each of the 4 ENU-induced protein variants were found to be viable and fertile, although the number of homozygous offspring from crosses between heterozygous carriers of one variant (ENU 2) was less than that expected for a nondetrimental trait. Two of the proteins altered by ENU-induced mutations were associated with the crude mitochondrial fraction, another was found predominantly in the microsomal fraction, and the fourth was associated with the mitochondrial, microsomal, and cytosol fractions. All of the ENU-induced mutations affected proteins that were not liver-specific; i.e., the proteins were found in other tissues in addition to the liver.
Pleasure and Complexity: Berlyne Revisited

Abstract D. E. Berlyne (1960, 1974) posited an increasing linear function for complexity with an inverted U-shaped function for pleasure. Berlyne's theory of aesthetic response was tested through the presentation of 6 color reproductions of paintings to 92 participants and the gauging of their responses. When participants' pleasure was compared with interest, that hypothesis was upheld. However, when complexity was compared with pleasure, Berlyne's theory was not supported.
Information support systems for experimental investigation

Information support system for physiological studies of human performance, including indexing approach for references categorization, microfiche file and data bank
Characterization and Pharmacology of the GHB Receptor

Radioligand binding using [(3)H]NCS-382, an antagonist of the GHB receptor, revealed specific binding sites in the rat cerebrocortical and hippocampal membranes. Scatchard analysis of saturation isotherms revealed two different populations of binding sites. NCS-382 was about 10 times more potent than GHB in inhibiting [(3)H]NCS-382 binding. A variety of ligands for other receptors did not affect [(3)H]NCS-382 binding. Quantitative autoradiographic analysis of [(3)H]NCS-382 binding revealed similar characteristics. Thus [(3)H]NCS-382, being more potent and selective, offers advantage over [(3)H]GHB as a radioligand. Unlike GHB, several analogues of GHB such as UMB68 (a tertiary alcohol analogue of GHB), UMB86 (4-hydroxy-4-napthylbutanoic acid, sodium salt), UMB72 [4-(3-phenylpropyloxy)butyric acid, sodium salt], UMB73 (4-benzyloxybutyric acid, sodium salt), UMB66 (3-chloropropanoic acid), gamma-hydroxyvaleric acid (that is, GHV, a 4-methyl-substituted analogue of GHB), 3-HPA (3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid), and ethers of 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (UMB108, UMB109, and UMB119) displaced [(3)H]NCS-382 without affecting [(3)H]GABA binding to GABA(B) receptor. Thus these compounds offer an advantage over GHB as an experimental tool. Our study, aimed at exploring the potential involvement of the GHB receptor in the pharmacology of ethanol, indicated that ethanol does not affect [(3)H]NCS-382 binding in the rat brain, thereby suggesting that ethanol does not interact directly with the GHB receptor. Our study, aimed at exploring the involvement of the GHB receptor in the pathology of succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency, which is known to cause elevation of GHB levels, revealed no change in the affinity, receptor density or displacement potency as determined by using [(3)H]NCS-382 as a radioligand in Aldh5a1(-/-) vs. Aldh5a1(+/+) mouse brain.
The Effects of the Spacing of Test Trials and Study Trials in Paired‐association Learning

The learning effects due to test and study trials after the initial presentation were examined in a paired‐associate learning paradigm. In Experiment 1 both the spacing and retention intervals were systematically varied. The results showed advantages of spacing for both test and study trials. However, the spacing function of test trials interacted significantly with the retention interval. At a short retention interval, the second recall was a decreasing function of spacing and paralleled closely the initial recall. As the retention interval increased, the spacing‐of‐test function assumed an inverted U‐shape. Performance after repeated studies was on the average better than after test trials. Experiment 2 confirmed that when an initial presentation was followed by two test trials, an increasing spacing interval between each successive test trial produced optimal long‐term performance. In the case where a second study trial was coupled with a test trial, a pattern with equal interval length was better than...
Parametric concavity in stochastic dynamic programs

e study a family of dynamic programs that are characterized by a deterministic vector of cost parameters. We show that if the single period cost function is concave with respect to this vector, then the optimal costs of the family of dynamic programs are also concave in the vector of costs. We also establish that the optimal cost inherits other properties, namely, super-additivity, +~-star-shaped, 0-star-shaped, concavity-along-rays and monotonicity. When the vector of cost parameters evolves as a stochastic process and the single period cost is concave with respect to this vector, we show that the optimal cost is bounded above by the optimal cost for the dynamic program in which these stochastic cost parameters are replaced by their expectations in each period. We provide examples to illustrate how our results can be used to derive bounds which are either easy to compute or have analytical expressions. We also explain why such bounds are useful.
Prohibitin antiproliferative activity and lack of heterozygosity in immortalized cell lines

Experiments were performed to determine whether prohibitin, an evolutionarily conserved gene with antiproliferative activity, has a role in cellular immortalization. A cell proliferation assay was used to examine one human cell line from each of four established immortal complementation groups, termed A, B, C, and D, and a normal human diploid fibroblast line. Only normal and Group B cells were inhibited from traversing the cell cycle after introduction of wild-type prohibitin transcript. All of the immortalized cells expressed elevated levels of prohibitin mRNA and protein. Prohibitin gene structural characterization using Southern and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses distinguished two alleles. One is cleaved at a polymorphic intronic EcoRI site, exhibits an exon 6-associated SSCP, and is homozygous only in Group B cells. The other is not cleaved at the EcoRI site, has a different exon 6 SSCP pattern, and is homozygous in Groups A, C, and D. In contrast, normal cells are heterozygous for the alleles. These results suggest that prohibitin may play a role as a tumor suppressor in the immortalization of Group B cells.
The effects of different levels of dietary restriction on neoplastic pathology in the male Sprague-Dawley rat.

Background and aims: The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of varied levels of dietary restriction (DR) on neoplastic pathologies in rodents at 58 and 110 weeks of age. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into four nutritional groups; an ad libitum (AL) control group, and three dietary restricted (DR) groups that were fed the NIH-31 diet reduced in amount by 10, 25, and 40%. Results: At 110 weeks of age, compared to AL rats, the incidence of benign tumors was significantly lower in all DR groups while primary tumors were significantly lower in the 10 and 40% DR groups; no malignant tumors were detected in the 10% DR group. Most defined mortalities were caused by neoplastic lesions. All levels of DR reduced the percentage of tumor-bearing animals, the incidence of skin tumors (combined), and the total number of tumors. Pituitary, skin, and pancreatic tumors were the most prolific lesions; pituitary and skin tumors were the most fatal. Compared to AL rats, the time to onset of skin and pancreatic tumors was longer in all of the DR groups. Conclusion: In many cases, the incidences of neoplastic lesions were similar among the DR groups, clearly indicating that the DR effect is not linear and that even a very low level of DR (10%) can have a significant effect on many important neoplastic lesions and tumor burden. The main effect of DR was to decrease the incidence of some neoplastic lesions and to increase the time to onset and/or decrease the progression of tumors, thereby increasing the 110-week survival rate of DR rats.
Bleaching a dialectal voice in political discourse: Sociolinguistic choices in re-writing political speeches

In 1973, former President of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba delivered nine speeches in which he recounted episodes of the national movement. Even though delivered in an official setting and to a highly educated audience, the semi-planned speeches were delivered in the dialectal variety of Arabic, i.e. Tunisian Arabic. The speeches were brought together in a book form titled ḥayātī, ’ārā’ī, jihadi (My Life, My Opinions, My Jihād). Their publication in a book form meant that the original performed texts were modified from a spoken mode to a written mode and ‘translated’ from Tunisian Arabic, a dialectal form of Arabic, to fuṣḥā, the High variety of Arabic (Ferguson 1959). The rewriting of the speeches led to strategic sociolinguistic choices. In the translation process, the linguistic product was regulated by a web of competing institutions of power, sites of linguistic ideologies, and linguistic practices; each of which represents an institution of power whose interests shift strategically between moments of ideological convergence and/or divergence, if not rivalry and connivance, among and between them. The present essay is an attempt to explore those sociolinguistic choices translated into erasures, shifts, modifications, and polishing of the original text. The carefully orchestrated changes in the original text, I believe, aim at re-establishing the authoritative presidential voice, restoring the institutional linguistic status quo, and rendering Bourguiba’s personal ‘ḥkāyāt’, stories, to ‘tārīkh as-saʿb t-tūnsi’, ‘the history of the Tunisian people’.
SPECT reconstruction using a backpropagation neural network implemented on a massively parallel SIMD computer

The feasibility of reconstructing a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) image via the parallel implementation of a backpropagation neural network is shown. The MasPar MP-1 is a single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) massively parallel machine, composed of a 128*128 array of 4-bit processors. The neural network is distributed on the array by dedicating a processor to each node and each interconnection of the network. An 8*8 SPECT image slice section is projected into eight planes. It is shown that, based on the projections, the neural network can produce the original SPECT slice image exactly. Likewise, when trained on two parallel slices, separated by one slice, the neural network is able to reproduce the center, untrained image to an RMS (root mean square) error of 0.001928. >
Whitewash: white privilege and racialized landscapes at the University of Georgia

This paper examines racialized landscapes at the University of Georgia to better understand the ways that whiteness—or more specifically white privilege—is positioned in and uses landscapes. Given a history of segregation, violently contested desegregation, and a contemporary student body that is disproportionately white (compared to the population of the entire state of Georgia), we investigate the meanings and contradictions of the University's historic ‘North Campus’. Using a multi-method qualitative approach—including open-ended interviews and ‘roving focus groups’—we argue that privileged, white landscapes operate through a kind of whitewashing of history, which seeks to deploy race strategically to create a progressive landscape narrative pertaining to ‘race’.
Differences in the fatty acid profile and β-oxidation by heart homogenates of rats fed cis and trans octadecenoic acids

Female Wistar rats were fed a fat-free diet containing either 5% partially hydrogenated corn oil (52.2% elaidate) or 5% oleic acid (67% oleate) with 8.6% linoleate providing 1% of calories 2 weeks before mating and were maintained on this diet throughout pregnancy and lactation. Fatty acid analysis of the developing organs as well as beta-oxidation by heart homogenates with [1-14C]palmitate, [1-14C]elaidate and [1-14C]oleate of the developing male and female progeny were determined and compared with age-matched controls on a stock diet. Results show that irrespective of the cis and trans 18:1 in the diet, the maternal plasma at term contained mostly cis 18:1, with 5% trans for the rats on the trans diet. The placenta and fetal liver contained 40 and 60% less trans, respectively, than did the maternal plasma. trans 18:1 was not detected in fetal brain or heart. Regardless of diet or sex, the order of preference for the heart was palmitate greater than elaidate greater than oleate. There was an increase in the rate of beta-oxidation of all the substrates, especially in the females on the trans diet, suggesting a stimulation of one or more of the enzymes involved. Above all, the myocardium showed a unique capacity to retain n-6 and n-3 fatty acids when the levels of these decreased in the serum.
The use of trans-vinylene formation in quantifying the spatial distribution of electron beam penetration in polyethylene. Single-sided, double-sided and shielded irradiation.

Abstract The use of the quantification of trans-vinylene unsaturations in irradiated ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in determining the spatial distribution of electron beam penetration was investigated. UHMWPE was irradiated with a 10 MeV linear electron beam accelerator to 100 kGy at both room temperature and 125°C in air. The irradiation was carried out in shielded and unshielded single-sided and unshielded double-sided irradiation modes. Dose–depth profiles were measured by quantifying the yields of trans-vinylene unsaturations as a function of depth away from the e-beam incidence surfaces using infrared spectroscopy. The extent of beam penetration increased with increasing irradiation temperature as was manifested by the increase in the iso-dose penetration with the unshielded single-sided irradiation and increased dose overlap with the unshielded double-sided irradiation. The optimum thickness with maximum uniformity in dose–depth distribution for double-sided irradiation was 85 and 90 mm for 25°C and 125°C irradiation temperatures, respectively.
The Validity of Self-Reported Cocaine Use in a Criminal Justice Treatment Sample

Recent studies comparing self-admitted cocaine use with hair and urine test results have raised concerns about underreporting due to variations across situations and settings. Because of the frequent need for self-report data in conducting treatment evaluations, more information is needed on factors that affect the credibility of this information. the present study examines records of cocaine use collected as part of an evaluation of prison-based treatment (N = 396). Specifically, self-reported cocaine use from 6-month postrelease follow-up interviews, completed with treatment graduates and a comparison sample of parolees who were eligible but not sent to treatment, was examined in relation to urine and hair test results. Overall, cocaine use was underreported when compared to hair test results, but underreporting was lower for program graduates than for the untreated comparison group. Furthermore, program graduates originally admitted to prison on a drug-related arrest were the most likely to underre-por...
Endogenous retinoid X receptors can function as hormone receptors in pituitary cells.

Retinoids regulate gene transcription by interacting with both retinoic acid (RA) receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs). Since unliganded RXRs can act as heterodimerization partners for RARs and other nuclear hormone receptors, it is unclear whether ligand binding by RXRs actually regulates the expression of naturally occurring genes. To address this issue, we synthesized the RXR-selective retinoid SR11237 and confirmed its specificity in transient transfection and proteolytic susceptibility assays before using it to assess the contribution of ligand-activated RXRs to retinoid action. Unlike RAR ligands, SR11237 did not increase endogenous RAR beta mRNA levels in F9 embryonal carcinoma cells, even though it activated transcription of an RXR-responsive reporter gene in these cells. Thus, it is likely that RARs mediate the induction of RAR beta gene expression by RA. In contrast, the RXR-specific ligand induced rat growth hormone mRNA in GH3 pituitary cells, indicating that the effects of RA on growth hormone gene expression at least in part involve ligand binding to endogenous RXRs in vivo. Our results indicate that in addition to serving as cofactors for other nuclear hormone receptors, endogenous RXRs can function as ligand-dependent regulators of gene expression, i.e., classical nuclear hormone receptors.
tert-Butylbicycloortho[3H]benzoate (3H-TBOB) toxicokinetics and disposition in rats.

1. Toxicokinetics of tert-butylbicycloortho[3H]benzoate (3H-TBOB) administered into the right atrium of rat heart can be described by the biexponential equationct=Ae−1.6t+Be−0.013t.2. The fast initial phase of 3H-TBOB decline in blood (t1/2=0.5min) is due to its absorption by lungs. 3H-TBOB is then transferred into liver, the primary organ of its metabolic detoxication. The high apparent distribution volumes for 3H-TBOB (1.3 and 7.1 1/kg for the initial and the terminal phase, respectively) are probably due to its lipophilicity and partitioning into lipoid tissue membranes.3. Acid-labile TBOB is not completely hydrolysed in gastric fluid. A portion of 3H-TBOB administered into the stomach is absorbed within 3 min into the circulatory system.4. Intra-arterially administered 3H-TBOB distributes in the brain in a lateral and regional pattern.5. Two types of 3H-TBOB metabolites are excreted in urine and faeces. Both are more polar than the parent compound. The major components of the fraction were tentatively...
Advancements in MWIR window materials and structures

To advance an area of technology requires an understanding of the current state of the art. For the past thirty years the standard material for durable window applications has been single crystal sapphire. Sapphire has proven to be a difficult material to replace although many attempts have been made. A variety of polycrystalline materials have been developed and characterized. Also, engineered structures such aerodynamic outer shapes with corrective optics to replace hemispherical shapes have been studied. Recently polycrystalline materials with nanometer-sized grains have been developed. A review of midwave optical window material development is presented with an emphasis on optical properties.
Pilot in vivo study of an absorbable polydioxanone vena cava filter.

Objective The objectives of this study were to evaluate tensile strength retention of polydioxanone as a function of time in a swine venous system and to assess the feasibility of an absorbable inferior vena cava (IVC) filter made from polydioxanone in a pilot swine study. Methods Twenty strands (60 cm each) of size 1 polydioxanone absorbable suture (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) were placed in the central venous system of domestic swine. Strands were harvested at weekly intervals during 10 weeks for tensile strength testing. Results were compared with control samples obtained from an in vitro engineered circulation system containing sodium phosphate buffer solution. Three IVC filters braided from polydioxanone suture were also catheter deployed in three swine to assess absorbable IVC filter feasibility. Results Polydioxanone retained 82% tensile strength in vitro vs 79% in vivo at 35 days (P > .22), the desired prophylactic duration. For IVC filters made from polydioxanone, technical success of placement was achieved in all three filters deployed (100%). Autologous thrombus deployed inferior to the filter remained trapped in the filter until thrombus resorption, with no evidence of pulmonary emboli on follow-up computed tomography. There were no instances of caval penetration, filter-induced IVC thrombosis, filter migration, or tilt >15 degrees with imaging and clinical follow-up carried out to 32 weeks. Conclusions Strength retention of polydioxanone suture placed in the venous system of swine is similar to earlier in vitro studies out to 10 weeks (P > .06 for all weeks) and is more than sufficient (8.20 ± 0.37 kg mean load at break for size 1) to trap thrombus. Pilot animal study suggests that an absorbable polydioxanone IVC filter can be catheter deployed to capture and to hold iatrogenically administered autologous thrombus through resorption.
Co-option of EDM2 to distinct regulatory modules in Arabidopsis thaliana development

Strong immunity of plants to pathogenic microorganisms is often mediated by highly specific mechanisms of non-self recognition that are dependent on disease resistance (R) genes. The Arabidopsis thaliana protein EDM2 is required for immunity mediated by the R gene RPP7. EDM2 is nuclear localized and contains typical features of transcriptional and epigenetic regulators. In addition, to its role in immunity, EDM2 plays also a role in promoting floral transition. This developmental function of EDM2, but not its role in RPP7-mediated disease resistance, seems to involve the protein kinase WNK8, which physically interacts with EDM2 in nuclei. Here we report that EDM2 affects additional developmental processes which include the formation of leaf pavement cells and leaf expansion as well as the development of morphological features related to vegetative phase change. EDM2 has a promoting effect of each of these processes. While WNK8 seems not to exhibit any vegetative phase change-related function, it has a promoting effect on the development of leaf pavement cells and leaf expansion. Microarray data further support regulatory interactions between WNK8 and EDM2. The fact that the effects of EDM2 and WNK8 on leaf pavement cell formation and leaf expansion are co-directional, while WNK8 counteracts the promoting effect of EDM2 on floral transition, is surprising and suggests that WNK8 can modulate the activity of EDM2. We propose that EDM2 has been co-opted to distinct regulatory modules controlling a set of different processes in plant immunity and development. WNK8 appears to modulate some functions of EDM2.
Bilateral pallidal deep brain stimulation for X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism.

Background X-linked dystonia-parkinsonism (XDP) is a progressively debilitating movement disorder that begins with focal dystonia and eventually generalizes. It exclusively affects Filipino inhabitants of the island of Panay. We report a case of XDP successfully treated by deep brain stimulation (DBS) and review the literature. Methods A 36-year-old man with XDP failed medical management and underwent bilateral globus pallidus internus DBS. A search of the PubMed database was performed to identify all articles discussing DBS and XDP. "Stimulation," "DYT3," "Lubag," "torsion dystonia," and "dystonia-parkinsonism" were used as MeSH headings. Results The patient's postoperative course was notable for delayed emergence from anesthesia. When stimulation was started, he had immediate improvement in his symptoms, and at 6-month follow-up, he is able to ambulate with the assistance of a walker. Review of the literature revealed 5 previously reported cases of XDP treated with DBS. Conclusions The published experience with globus pallidus internus DBS for XDP has been very positive to date. Although long-term follow-up data are needed, early results provide optimism for patients with this debilitating disorder.