cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
3-D Fourier Series Based Digital Predistortion Technique for Concurrent Dual-Band Envelope Tracking With Reduced Envelope Bandwidth

In this paper, the design, implementation, and measurement results of a new digital predistortion (DPD) method for a concurrent dual-band envelope tracking (ET) power amplifier (PA) system is presented. The PA gain is represented using a set of 3-D orthogonal Fourier series basis functions, which accounts for the distortions introduced by the two signal bands, as well as the supply modulation voltage. Here, the new Fourier series basis is shown to substantially outperform the traditional memory polynomial approach in terms of its linearization capability for subsequent data for which it was not trained for (prediction) due to its well-defined numerical rank and stability. The new DPD system was implemented using a 10-W peak gallium–nitride (GaN) ET PA operating with a dual-band input based on long-term evolution and WCDMA signals center frequency (1.89 and 2.2 GHz) spaced by 310 MHz. The linearization results are compared to the 3-D memory polynomial in two steps: extraction and prediction. In the DPD coefficient extraction phase, tested under the same signal, the traditional memory polynomial and the Fouries series reach close results in both normalized mean square error (NMSE) and adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR). In the prediction phase, however, the proposed method provides a significant performance improvement. A performance improvement as high as 17 dB in terms of NMSE and 4.6 dB in terms of ACPR in comparison to the conventional dual-band 3-D memory polynomial method implementing ET. Furthermore, the well-defined numerical rank of the Fourier series approach allows for a substantial reduction in coefficients using principal component analysis without detrimenting performance.
Some physical growth standards for white North American children.

In another paper1 the author has commented upon physical growth and discussed the use of standards, growth charts, and indicators of growth progress and maturity. If the principles covered in this paper are kept in mind, the pediatrician and scientists investigating growth may find it useful to refer to a set of standards suitable for assessments of North American white children. To produce a set of standards for the evaluation of growth in the United States poses many large problems. First, in such a large country, geographic considerations are important; comparing a Californian child to Eastern seaboard standards may be misleading. Second, children today are maturing earlier and earlier, and thus they are bigger age for age than children of yester year2-7; hence, it is important to use recently collected data. Third, ethnic factors must be considered; there really is no such things as a typical "North American white child" but data from studies of specific racial groups cannot be used. Clearly, then, with these, and with many other biometric considerations, we are not going to find any data published or unpublished that will give us exactly what we need. The standards that will be given here are therefore a compromise. They represent a collection of the best presently available data, and they are for guidance only, representing patterns of growth. The sources used are listed in Appendix I. It has been shown1 that known ranges of a measurement are more useful criteria in evaluating growth than are norms. Much attention has been given to such ranges in the production of these standards.
Laser Produced Optically-Thin Strongly Coupled Plasmas

Publisher Summary This chater presents a technique by which optically-thin strongly coupled plasmas with ne ≈1020 cm–3, Te ≈ 2–6 eV, and Γ = .3–1.5 (where Γ = (Γ =e2 Z5/3 (3Ne /4π)1/3/T) is the ion coupling parameter) can be produced under controlled conditions. These plasmas are produced by laser ionization and heating of a dense Al vapor and the plasma temperature and density are independently measurable. As a result, experiments with these plasmas are suitable for straightforward tests of theoretical predictions. The results that are found are compared with the Saha equation of state and the Coulomb logarithm is determined from the measured absorption coefficient. It is found that the measured value for Ln(A) agrees almost exactly with that of the classical result based on Debye shielding even though the classical theory is not considered to be valid for Γ > 1.
Photonic crystal fibers

While the field of photonic crystals has been focused on optical components, there has been a group of researchers exploring the idea of using photonic band-gaps to provide confinement in optical fibers. Although the precursors of this technology can be found in the mid to late 1970s (Kaiser and Astle, 1974; Yeh et al., 1978), this earlier work did not recognize the full potential of air-clad or Bragg fibers. However, the idea of a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) (Birks et al., 1995) was revived soon after the introduction of the generalized concept of photonic band gaps (Yablonovitch, 1987; John, 1987) in the late 1980s. Unlike the original all silica-based Bragg fiber, the proposed PCF generated a band gap with a silica cladding containing a periodic lattice of air holes. Although it was several years before a true photonic band-gap.fiber (PBGF) was demonstrated (Knight et al., 1998; Cregan et al.'s, 1999), the original PCFs displayed some very unusual properties (Birks et al., 1997) that generated sufficient interest to distract the research from its original goal. In this paper, we examine the relationship between the early PCFs and the more recent PBGFs.
Aging and gastrointestinal neuromuscular function: insights from within and outside the gut.

Understanding the effects of aging on the gut neuromuscular axis is of growing and profound importance in light of demographic data demonstrating a steady increase in the aged population globally. Likely areas of significant importance include the potential effects of aging on the extrinsic and intrinsic innervations, smooth muscle function in the human colon, and determination of whether specific biomarkers can be identified in the gut neural plexi, ICC, glial cells or smooth muscle that predict the onset of neurodegeneration. Age-related neuronal losses occur in both the myenteric plexus and submucosal plexus. In general, these losses start in adulthood and progress during the lifespan and involve cholinergic neurons predominately. Parallel age-dependent loss of enteric glia is also observed. The drop-out of these cell populations follows an oral-anal gradient, with greater losses noted distally. Dystrophic axonal swelling and dilated varicosities also increase in an age-dependent manner in the extrinsic innervations (vagal, DRG and sympathetic pathways), as well as, nitrergic neurons in the gut. Advanced age is associated with increased oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction at the cellular level, culminating in disequilibrium between cytoprotective and cytotoxic pathways favoring the latter. Caloric restriction and/or diets supplemented with specific nutrients may help attenuate the effects of aging on neuromuscular function.
The effect of additional testing on conservation of number performance

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of response climate, by examining the effects of an additional testing experience, on the conservation of number performance of 4- and 5-year-old lower socioeconomic status children. A second purpose was to determine if there is a differential effect of response climate for children at various stages of development and/or for each sex. Results indicated that when compared with a control group, participation in an additional testing session resulted in significantly higher conservation of number performance scores for both male and female 4- and 5-year-old lower socioeconomic children at Level III of development. The greatest difference in this performance, however, was exhibited by males. Additional testing did not significantly affect the performance of males and females at Levels I and II of development.
Mental health, discrimination, and trauma in Arab Muslim women living in the US: A pilot study

In recognition of the need to identify groups of women who may be at high risk for mental disorders and contribute to the knowledge base about ethnic and cultural minority mental health, this paper provides an overview of findings obtained from a small pilot study of mental health in Muslim women living in the US. Findings indicate that Muslim women face numerous stressors that threaten their mental health including discrimination, acculturative stress, and trauma.
VMH lesions in vagotomized rats: A note of caution

Abstract Transections of the vagus nerve immediately below the diaphragm in female rats resulted in a high percentage of deaths by starvation and/or dehydration. Those that did survive had to be chronically maintained on a high fat diet. Transections midway between the stomach and diaphragm usually allowed recovery of normal food intake with a pellet diet, although body weight remained below that of sham-vagotomized animals. VMH lesions in these recovered (90 days) midlevel vagotomized rats caused either marked weight gains, marked weight losses, or wide fluctuations in body weight, results which would not be predicted by hypotheses which attribute VMH obesity to increased vagally mediated insulin secretion. We previously found that VMH lesions in rats with vagal transections just above the stomach resulted in a high percentage of rats that displayed hyperphagia and obesity, and conclude that the level of transection is of critical importance to the manifestation of VMH obesity. Autopsies revealed that midlevel vagally transected rats which failed to gain weight after VMH lesions suffered a loss of esophageal tonus or obstruction at the pyloric sphincter. We believe that the failure to observe hyperphagia in vagotomized rats following VMH lesions is at least partially due to overloading the capacity of the stomach and/or the accumulation of food in the esophagus (resulting in choking) with attempts at overeating.
An interactive, discipline‐independent data visualization system

Critical to the understanding of data is the ability to provide pictorial or visual representations of that data. Given the ability to access data via an appropriate, easy‐to‐use interface, a researcher must employ tools to visualize data as one important mechanism in the data analysis process. Visualization, then, is a method of computing that gives visual form to complex data utilizing graphics and imaging technology. To support correlative data analysis (i.e., working with data from a variety of sources to study a problem of scientific interest), there is an obvious focus on generic visualization via the development of discipline‐independent visualization techniques. The NSSDC (National Space Science Data Center) Graphics System (NGS) has been developed to provide an interactive discipline‐independent toolbox for nonprogrammers to achieve such visualization of data. The NGS supports displays of any arbitrary multidimensional subset of any data set by providing a large variety of different representation schemes, all of which are supported by implicit animation (i.e., slicing of a data set into sequences). In addition, the design of the NGS provides an open‐ended framework for data visualization, so that new capabilities can be added. New tools have been implemented as a result of NSSDC’s research in several areas of computer science, including novel computer graphics rendering techniques and data structures.
The effect of interferences and calbiration design on accuracy: Implications for sensor and sample selection

Methods of multivariate calibration use models that relate spectral data or sensor array responses to the concentrations of analytes. The goal is to insure that the calibration model can accurately estimate analyte concentrations in unknown samples not contained in the calibration set. The sensors or spectral channels (e.g. wavelengths) selected for incorporation in the model, as well as the samples selected for the calibration step, are known to have an effect on the accuracy of analysis for unknown samples. This work provides a fundamental treatment of this effect and derives criteria for optimal selection. Additionally, a proof is given for the advantage of having more sensors and calibration samples than analytes—the overdetermined case.
Review on Surgical and Imaging Anatomy of 7 segments of the Internal Carotid Artery

: Internal carotid artery arises from the common carotid artery and anatomically is divided into seven segments which are: C1 cervical, C2 petrous, C3 lacerum, C4 cavernous, C5 clinoid, C6 ophthalmic, and C7 communicating. In clinical practice both surgically and radiologically, knowing the precise anatomy of each segment has importance in avoiding surgical complications. Using radiological methods to study the detailed anatomy of the artery enables the surgeons to approach the lesions of the artery or the adjacent structures which involve the artery more precisely, and consequently, such approaches cause less side effects for the patients. As knowing the surgical and imaging anatomy of this important anatomical structure is very critical in surgical approaches specifically in the setting of skull base surgeries, in this study we reviewed the anatomy of this important structure in more details from both points of views of neurosurgery and neuroradiology and outlined some important anatomical and surgical hints. In clinical practice, knowing the precise anatomy of each segment of internal carotid artery has importance in avoiding surgical complications.
Modeling active constrained-layer damping using Golla-Hughes-McTavish approach

Viscoelastic material (VEM) adds damping to structures. In order to enhance the damping effects of the viscoelastic material, a constraining layer is attached. If this constraining layer is a piezoelectric patch, the system is said to have active constrained layer damping (ACLD). In this paper, the damping effects due to viscoelastic material which has an active constraining layer is modeled using the Golla-Hughes-McTavish (GHM) damping method. The piezoelectric patch and structure are modeled using a Galerkin approach in order to account for the effect of the constraining layer on the beam.
Optimization-based layout design

The layout problem is of importance to ergonomists, vehicle/cockpit packaging engineers, designers of manufacturing assembly lines, designers concerned with the placement of levers, knobs, controls, etc. in the reachable workspace of a human, and also to users of digital human modeling code, where digital prototyping has become a valuable tool. This paper proposes a hybrid optimization method gradient-based optimization and simulated annealing to obtain the layout design. We implemented the proposed algorithm for a project at Oral-B Laboratories, where a manufacturing cell involves an operator who handles three objects, some with the left hand, others with the right hand.
The effect of exogenous follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and endogenous plasma leptin concentrations on the pregnancy rate of beef heifers subjected to fixed-timed artificial insemination (FTAI)

In this study, 53 crossbred beef heifers were used to test the hypotheses that administration of exogenous FSH 2 days following CIDR insertion and administration of estradiol would increase the pregnancy rate in heifers synchronized for FTAI and that plasma leptin concentrations in beef heifers would be higher for heifers that became pregnant to FTAI. The heifers used in this study had a median age of 440 days, an average weight of 324 kg, an average body condition score of 5.1 and a mean reproductive tract score of 3.1. Heifers were stratified by weight and BCS into two groups and then treatments were randomly allotted to each group: (1) control (n=28) or (2) FSH (n=27). Both groups were administered 200mg estradiol benzoate (EB) and received an intravaginal controlled internal drug-releasing device (CIDR) on day 0. On day 2, females in the FSH treatment group were administered 20 mg of FSH, while the control group received 1 ml of saline. On day 7 all females were administered 25 μg PGF2α and the CIDR was removed. Then 24h following CIDR removal all females were administered 1mg EB and 24h later were subjected to FTAI. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed via transrectal ultrasonography 43 days following insemination. Blood samples were collected via jugular venipuncture on days 2, 6-10, 13 and 52 and plasma leptin concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. Pregnancy rates were higher (P=0.01) for FSH-treated females (60%) compared with females not receiving FSH (25%). Circulating plasma leptin concentrations were higher (P=0.0051) for pregnant females compared with females that did not become pregnant following FTAI during the experiment. Mean plasma leptin concentration was also higher (P=0.04) from day 2 to day 9 during the synchronization protocol in heifers that became pregnant compared with heifers that did not become pregnant from FTAI. There was no difference (P=0.38) in reproductive tract scores for heifers that became pregnant compared with heifers that did not become pregnant from FTAI. Circulating leptin concentrations were not different (P=0.11) for females receiving FSH compared with females in the non FSH-treated group. Circulating leptin concentrations were affected by sampling day (P<0.0001). However, there was no interaction between sampling day and pregnancy status (P=0.80), treatment and pregnancy status (P=0.14) or treatment and sampling day (P=0.12). These results indicate that the administration of FSH on day 2 of the synchronization protocol may increase pregnancy rates in beef heifers and that increased circulating concentrations of plasma leptin during the synchronization protocol may be indicative of subsequent pregnancy outcome.
When “data” are not data: the pitfalls of post hoc analyses that use stock assessment model output

The practice of treating stock assessment model output as data in subsequent modeling efforts is becoming more common, aided in part by the growing availability of online repositories of assessment...
Unilateral inferior olive NMDA lesion leads to unilateral deficit in acquisition and retention of eyelid classical conditioning

New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)were trained for acquisition (N=21) or retention (N=10) of classical eyelid conditioning with unilateral or bilateral N-methyl- dl -aspartate chemical lesions of the rostromedial dorsal accessory inferior olive (rmDAO; multiple injections totaling 76 to 342 nmol). In all instances, subjects were unable to learn or retain, conditioning on the side contralateral to the lesion. Learning rates were comparable for lesions outside of the rmDAO and sham operates. These findings demonstrate a specific unilateral deficit whereas in previous research the answer to this question was ambiguous since electrolytic lesions effectively cause bilateral olivary lesions. This research agrees with the concept that the inferior olive, projects essential information about the unconditioned stimulus to a cerebellar locus of learning and memory for classical conditioning.
A dynamic theory of sandwich plates with anisotropic facings

Abstract This paper treats the small motion of a rectangular sandwich plate with anisotropic facings and an homogeneous orthotropic core. Equations of motion are derived using Hamilton's Principle in conjunction with the Reissner Variational Theorem under the assumption of anisotropic membrane facings of identical thickness but different elastic properties. The derived system of equations reflects the coupling between extensional, shearing, bending and twisting motion typical of layered anisotropic structures and also includes the effect of transverse shear deformation of the core and rotatory and translatory inertia of the core and facings. It is shown that for the special case of general orthotropic facings the solution of the corresponding static equations may be obtained by solving a sequence of orthotropic sandwich plate equations.
Form Follows Function: Designs for Prevention Effectiveness and Diffusion Research

Prevention research is at a stage where evidence-based programs and strategies have been identified, and the next question is how to diffuse them. However, the context in which evidence-based programs were first tested and found to be effective may have changed, raising the question of whether the current burden of proof of effectiveness of these programs should be examined before, or at least in conjunction with, diffusion research. This paper discusses, first, contextual changes in testing the effectiveness of prevention programs that have been hitherto identified as evidence-based, and then suggests designs for the next generation of effectiveness trials. Following this, gaps in current diffusion research are discussed according to the four stages of diffusion: adoption, implementation, dissemination, and sustainability, with the major focus on implementation. Designs that may address these gaps in future research are considered, with particular application to prevention research in schools.
Calculations for cancer radiotherapy with pion beams.

Clinical trials with negative-pion beams for cancer radiotherapy will begin soon at four special facilities in the USA, Canada, and Switzerland. Negative pions are elementary particles which can be produced in high energy accelerators and which have properties that make them seem promising as a new way of treating tumours. The complex interactions that pions undergo in matter make it difficult to calculate dose patterns produced in a body irradiated by a pion beam and to solve that problem a unique combination of research in high energy physics and medicine is needed. Monte Carlo computer codes developed for radiation shielding and radiation protection studies have been adopted for use in dosimetry and treatment planning with negative pions. In this paper we briefly compare the properties of negative pions with those of other types of radiation and describe some calculations that we have made to help assess the potential of negative pions for cancer radiotherapy.
Maturation of hamster oocytes under chemically defined conditions and sperm penetration through the zona pellucida

This study aimed to achieve high frequencies of nuclear maturation and penetrability through the zona pellucida of hamster oocytes cultured under protein-free conditions. Completion of nuclear maturation by cumulus-intact, immature oocytes (79% metaphase II stage) was depressed (37%; p < 0.05) by adding four amino acids (glutamine, isoleucine, methionine and phenylalanine) reported necessary for nuclear maturation of cumulus-free oocytes. Following in vitro maturation, cumulus cells were removed and oocytes were inseminated with capacitated sperm, but after 6 h sperm:egg co-incubation, only 24% of in vitro matured oocytes were penetrated compared with 60% of in vivo matured oocytes (p < 0.05). Time required for zona lysis by alpha-chymotrypsin was not significantly different among in vitro and in vivo matured oocytes and 1-cell embryos. Addition to the maturation medium of soybean trypsin inhibitor or fetuin, both known to inhibit the zona reaction in vitro, did not improve penetrability of in vitro matured oocytes, implying that in hamsters, unlike other rodent species, a premature zona reaction is unlikely to be responsible for inhibiting sperm penetration. When oocytes were incubated with 20% periovulatory oviductal fluid (OF) for another 3 h after maturation, penetration was significantly improved (60% vs 37% with and without OF, respectively; p < 0.05), but was not equivalent to penetration of in vivo matured follicular oocytes similarly treated with OF (84%, p < 0.05). However, zona penetration was further improved by increasing sperm concentration from 1.0 x 10(4) (66%) to 5.0 or 10.0 x 10(4) sperm/ml (89%, p < 0.05). This study shows that nuclear maturation of hamster oocytes can occur in chemically defined medium, and indicates that a deficiency in the zona of in vitro matured oocytes can be overcome by preincubation with OF and insemination at high sperm concentration.
One-dimensional quark gas

Based on a recently developed method, the thermodynamic properties of a one-dimensional quark gas are investigated. The quarks are treated as classical particles except for their SU(N ) spin. General formulations as well as specific calculations for SU(2) and SU(3) are given.
Theory and Research Needs in the Study of American Educational Politics.

This article employs a system analytic framework to categorize the available research literature on the politics of education in order to explain the inter‐relationship of private and public interests and of different levels in primary and secondary American schools. The objectives are several: to explain and develop the analytical framework of David Easton; to illustrate its heuristic utility by categorizing empirically‐based research within the components of that framework, and to suggest and encourage future research directions in the subject. Education has escaped application of traditional policy analysis in America because educators have convinced scholars and laymen that they are “non‐political,” a label which even most political scientists have accepted without challenge. However, during the 1960s, a few scholars in education and political science began to apply political analytical methods to public school conflict. This research has begun to change perceptions of education and to provide a beginning set of research projects whose data support tentative generalization about the policy‐making process and the total system of public schools. This orientation is bound to increase because of increasing national government intervention in local schools, both through integration and financial policies. These have provoked growing conflict locally over the proper direction of school policies. In this article, we see how such stress is transmitted in the form of “demands” and “supports” into the “political system”, that persistent social mechanism known in all societies in different forms provides an “authoritative allocation of values and resources”. The political system, in this case public school bodies, “converts” such “inputs” into “outputs” of public policy, which in their administration create outcomes which later cause a “feedback” into the political system as the material for new policy demands. For each component of this Eastonian system, this article examines relevant research, providing an extensive annotated bibliography. From this review, it is possible to suggest lines of needed research.
Volume registration using the 3D core

The core is a multiscale object description extracted directly from an image in which the significance of object features depends on the scale at which the object is currently being considered. Core descriptions extracted from the same object using different imaging modalities display remarkable similarities despite noise and variations imposed by the imaging devices. Core based registration methods have been successfully employed in examples of 3D registration that would have caused boundary or contour based methods to fail. In this paper, we present an overview of the core, and describe its properties that make it a promising approach toward registration. Our current core-based method of registration is also presented. Results of the registration of 3D volumes from both a single imaging modality and from two different modalities are given.
Reducibility and Thermal and Mass Scaling in Angular Correlations from Multifragmentation Reactions

Intermediate-mass-fragment (IMF, 3 {le} Z {le} 20) emission probabilities and IMF charge distributions were recently shown to be reducible to the corresponding one fragment quantities. Furthermore, a strong thermal scaling was shown to control the energy dependence of the same quantities. The multifragmentation scenario painted by these experimental observations is that of a process controlled by a largely independent emission of individual fragments, which, in turn is dominated by phase space. Fragment-fragment angular correlations have been used to study the space-time extension of the emitting source. In particular, small angle repulsion (the Coulomb hole) has been interpreted in terms of the Coulomb repulsion of fragments emitted near each other, both in space and time. We will show in this paper that, except at small angles, the particle-particle angular correlations and their dependence on excitation energy are interpretable in terms of nearly independently emitted fragments whose angular distributions are controlled by phase space. Thus we show that the angular correlations are reducible and thermally scalable. A mass scaling of the angular correlations will also be demonstrated and its possible implications discussed.
Thermal Characterization of Test Techniques for FinFET and 3D Integrated Circuits

Power consumption has become a very important consideration during integrated circuit (IC) design and test. During test, it can far exceed the values reached during normal operation and, thus, lead to temperatures above the allowed threshold. Without appropriate temperature reduction, permanent damage may be caused to the IC or invalid test results may be obtained. FinFET is a double-gate field-effect transistor (DG-FET) that was introduced commercially in 2012. Due to the vertical nature of FinFETs and, hence, weaker ability to dissipate heat, this problem is likely to get worse for FinFET circuits. Another technology rapidly gaining popularity is 3D IC integration. Unfortunately, the compact nature of a multidie 3D IC is likely to aggravate the temperature-during-test problem even further. Hence, before temperature-aware test methodologies can be developed, it is important to thermally analyze both FinFET and 3D circuits under test.In this article, we present a methodology for thermal characterization of various test techniques, such as scan and built-in self-test (BIST), for FinFET and 3D ICs. FinFET thermal characterization makes use of a FinFET standard cell library that is characterized with the help of the University of Florida double-gate (UFDG) SPICE model. Thermal profiles for circuits under test are produced by ISAC2 from University of Colorado for FinFET circuits and HotSpot from University of Virginia for 3D ICs. Experimental results indicate that high temperatures result under BIST and much less often under scan, and that both power consumption and test application time should be reduced to lower the temperature of circuits under test, just reducing the power consumption is not enough.
Effects of isothiocyanates on purple (Cyperus rotundus L.) and yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.)

Purple and yellow nutsedge are two of the most troublesome weeds in the world. In the south-eastern USA, both weeds are common in vegetable crops and are the most difficult weeds to control in this region. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the herbicidal activity of five liquid isothiocyanates (ITCs) (benzoyl, o-tolyl, m-tolyl, tert-octyl, and 3-fluorophenyl) on purple and yellow nutsedge. All ITCs were applied to soil in jars at 0, 100, 1000, 5000, and 10 000 nmol g−1 of soil and sealed for 72 h to prevent gaseous losses, followed by nutsedge growth evaluations after an additional 18 days. All ITCs reduced purple and yellow nutsedge shoot density and shoot biomass over the concentrations evaluated, with differences in the effectiveness on each species apparent among the compounds. Based on the lethal concentration values for shoot density, all ITCs were more effective in suppressing purple nutsedge than yellow nutsedge. Benzoyl and 3-fluorophenyl were generally the most effective of the five ITCs evaluated.
Stimulation of group II phospholipase A2 mRNA expression and release in an immortalized astrocyte cell line (DITNC) by LPS, TNF alpha, and IL-1 beta. Interactive effects

Astrocytes are immunoactive cells in brain and have been implicated in the defense mechanism in response to external injury. Previous studies using cultured glial cells indicated the ability of astrocytes to respond to bacteria endotoxin and cytokines, resulting in the release of phospholipase A2. In this study, we examined the interactive effects of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha) to stimulate phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in an immortalized astrocyte cell line (DITNC) with many properties of type I astrocytes. Northern blot analysis using oligonucleotide probes derived from the cDNA encoding the rat spleen group II PLA2 indicated the ability of DITNC cells to respond to all three factors in the induction of gene expression and the release of PLA2. After an initial lag time of 2 h, PLA2 release was proportional to time, reaching a plateau by 12 h. This event occurred at a time period preceding any signs of cell death. Cycloheximide at 1.25 microM completely inhibited cytokine-induced PLA2 release. When suboptimal amounts of TNF alpha were added to the DITNC culture together with IL-1 beta or LPS, a synergistic increase in the induction of PLA2 release could be observed. On the other hand, combination of IL-1 beta and LPS resulted only in an additive increase in PLA2 release. Antibodies to IL-1 beta and TNF alpha completely neutralized the effects of these two agents on PLA2 release. However, neither antibody was able to inhibit the PLA2 release induced by LPS, suggesting that the effect of LPS was not complicated by the release of IL-1 beta or TNF alpha. Taken together, results show that the immortalized astrocyte cell line (DITNC) can be used for studies to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying the cytokine signaling cascade and subsequent induction of PLA2 synthesis.
New directions in electric power financing

This paper argues that it is necessary to raise the eyes from the current focus on independent power projects, buttressed by guarantees, to the longer horizon of electric power financing in open markets. Transitional strategies will need to move beyond the commonly seen IPP activity that occurs without fundamental sector reform, and demand-side incentives that introduce further market distortions. These efforts will have to focus on macroeconomic stabilization, removal of price distortions, as well as sector and corporate reform. Mobilization of domestic capital will be essential for sustainable sector financing. Although guarantees to encourage power sector investment can be designed to selectively cover risks, their elimination through fundamental sector reform should be the ultimate goal. Over the longer-term traditional corporate finance should become a more common financing strategy than project finance. Innovations in performance risk management and consumer credit will be crucial to the financing of energy efficiency.
Neuraminidase treated homologous IgG and immune deposit rental disease in inbred rats.

SummaryImmune deposit renal disease followed intravenous or intraperitoneal injections of neuraminidase treated homologous IgG or neuraminidase alone. No alterations were associated with several groups of controls. This preliminary study suggests that one mechanism by which microorganisms may be involved in the development of immune renal disease is by chemical alteration of immunoglobulin.
An analysis of lung cancer on a microgeographical level.

Abstract Mortality from cancers of the lung-bronchus-trachea show large variations in geographical distribution within the United States. Jefferson County, Kentucky shows significantly high mortality rates for this type of cancer. The focus of this study was to divide the country into small homogeneious areas to determine if there are geographical variations of mortality within the county as a whole. The results indicate that two areas of the county consistently show excess mortality for this particular type of cancer. Several possible explanations of the variations within the county are explored.
Evaluation and treatment of central pain syndromes

Central pain syndromes represent a form of neuropathic pain that is associated with lesions of the brain or the spinal cord after a stroke or other traumatic injury. Although spinal cord injury (SCI) pain and central post-stroke pain (CPSP) are both classified as central pain syndromes, they may have differing etiologies. The pathophysiology of SCI pain and CPSP has yet to be completely elucidated, but both spinal and supraspinal pathways may be involved. Pain resulting from an injury to the CNS may be vague or difficult to classify or characterize, and patients may describe painful sensations that are poorly localized or that change over time. Pharmacologic interventions that have demonstrated efficacy in central pain syndromes include iv lidocaine and opioids as well as the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline and the AEDs gabapentin and lamotrigine. Nonpharmacologic interventions have also demonstrated benefit in some patients who are refractory to pharmacologic treatments. Additional studies are needed to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments for central pain syndromes.
Relative Deprivation and the Gender Wage Gap

Research on gender and pay satisfaction indicates that women are equally satisfied with less pay than men receive—the paradox of the contented working woman. Relative deprivation theory provides a framework for understanding how women's paradoxical contentment may contribute to the gender wage gap: Women may be content because they do not perceive a discrepancy between the pay they “want” and the pay they receive. A review of research on gender and the value of pay, and on gender and pay expectations, indicates that a value-based explanation is needed to account for women's paradoxical contentment with their low pay. Research is described testing the hypothesis that gender differences in the meaning of money influence the value of pay and pay satisfaction, and a preliminary model of pay satisfaction is offered that integrates value-based and comparative-referent explanations of the paradoxically contented woman worker. Implications of gender differences in the value of pay for the issue of comparable worth are discussed.
Self-assembly of a CuTIM(S2O7) polymer: synthesis and crystallographic studies

Abstract A novel self-assembled polymer of Cu(TIM)+2 (where TIM=Me4[14]1,3,8,10-tetraeneN4, a macrocyclic ligand) with disulfate bridges has been synthesized and investigated by X-ray crystallography, IR, electronic and ESR spectroscopy. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with cell parameters a=16.745(4), b=7.4288(13), c=16.657(4) A, β=115.789(19)°. The coordination geometry around the Cu(II) center is axially elongated distorted octahedral. The basal plane around the Cu center is planar with zero deviation from the weighted least square plane comprising four nitrogen atoms (N1, N2, N1′ and N2′) of the macrocyclic ligand. Two axial positions are occupied by the O atoms of the S2O7 2− molecules. The Cu⋯Cu distance is quite long (8.328 A) along the chain. The X-band ESR spectra of a powdered solid sample of [CuTIM(S2O7)]n polymer, recorded at room temperature gives a isotropic spectrum with a g value of 2.22.
An infinitary paradox of denotation

Aristotle. De interpretatione. Translated by E. M. Edghill from The Works of Aristotle, ed. W. D. Ross. 1952. Chicago: Encyclopxdia Britannica, Inc. Bochvar, D. A. 1938. Ob odnom trehznacnom iscislknii i ego primenenii k analizu paradosov klassi66skogo rascirennogo funkcjonal'noga issislenia (On a three-valued calculus and its application to analysis of paradoxes of classical extended functional calculus). Matematicdskij Sbornik 4: 287-308. Grice, H. P. 1989. Studies in the Way of Words. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press. Hallden, S. 1949. The Logic of Nonsense. Uppsala: Uppsala Universitets Arsskrift. Jackson, E 1987. Conditionals. Oxford: Blackwell. Kneale, W. and M. 1962. The Development of Logic. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Lukasiewicz's, J. 1920. On three-valued logic. In Polish Logic 1920-1939, ed. S. McCall, 1967: 16-18. Oxford: Clarendon Press; and in Selected Works, ed. L. Borkowski, 1970: 87-88. Amsterdam: North Holland. Prior, A. N. 1953. Three-valued logic and future contingents. Philosophical Quarterly 3: 317-26.
Electrophysiological correlates of rapid escape reflexes in intact earthworms, Eisenia foetida. II. Effects of food deprivation on the functional development of giant nerve fibers.

Noninvasive electrophysiological recording methods were used to study the effects of prolonged food deprivation on the postembryonic patterns of giant fiber growth, as indicated by age-dependent changes in giant fiber conduction velocity and diameter, in the earthworm, Eisenia foetida. In addition, giant fiber growth was compared to patterns of somatic growth, as indicated by increases in body weight. Within a wide range of food deprivation levels, normal age-dependent increases in conduction velocity and diameter occurred in spite of marked stunting of somatic growth. Stunting of giant fiber velocity and diameter occurred only during severe food deprivation, but giant fiber spikes and associated rapid escape responses were still readily evoked. The stunting effects of prolonged and severe food deprivation upon giant fiber conduction velocity and diameter were readily reversed by replenishing food. The results demonstrate the persistence of rapid escape reflex functioning, as well as the priority of giant fiber growth relative to somatic growth, during severe and prolonged food deprivation. As a consequence of the priority of giant fiber growth during limited food availability, giant fiber conduction velocity appears to be a more reliable predictor of animal age than body size.
Competitive adsorption of alkylbenzene and water vapors on predominantly mineral surfaces

Abstract Competitive adsorption of ethylbenzene (EB) and water on bentonite and of p-xylene (pXYL) and water on kaolin and silica gel was studied using a technique that allowed the amount of adsorbed water and alkylbenzene to be measured independently. EB adsorption on bentonite was not affected by water at relative humidities (RH) near 0.23 but was reduced significantly at RH's near 0.50. pXYL adsorption on kaolin and silica gel decreased with increasing RH, especially above a RH of about 0.2. Increasing RH not only decreased the amount of alkylbenzene adsorption but also resulted in a change from Type-II adsorption isotherms to ones that were essentially linear. Linear isotherms for the adsorption of hydrophobic organic compounds on hydrated soil have generally been attributed to partitioning into organic carbon (OC). However, since the clays and oxide used here had very low to trace amounts of OC, it is suggested that processes involving only mineral surfaces can give rise to linear isotherms. Based on solubility considerations alone, partitioning of EB and pXYL into adsorbed water films was not considered to be an important adsorption mechanism in this study. The effect of cation hydration on the amount of water adsorbed from a mixture of water and pXYL vapors was evaluated by comparing adsorption on Li- and Na-saturated kaolin.
Single-pulse nanoelectrospray ionization.

A new electrospray ionization (ESI) source that provides a means of generating single packets of ions for mass spectrometric analysis is presented. Sample solution held at a high potential is ejected from a glass capillary with a small dispensing aperture (20-μm i.d.) by constriction of a cylindrical piezoelectric element. Unlike conventional ESI sources that are continuous, this source dispenses fixed volumes of solution as small as 10 pL and provides detection sensitivity in the attomole range when coupled to an orthogonal time-of-flight mass spectrometer. In addition to picoliter-level control over the dispensed volume, the source permits control of the frequency with which ionization pulses are generated as well as the ability to start and stop the pulses without altering the applied solution potential. The source was characterized by analysis of both protein and DNA samples from a variety of different solution compositions. This source design should be compatible with virtually any ESI mass analyzer.
Hypoxic Pulmonary Vasoconstriction Is Not Endothelium Dependent

AbstractFeline intrapulmonary arteries (mean diameter, 0.9 mm) were equilibrated in Earle's solution at constant tension in a chamber bubbled with an hyperoxic gas mixture (30% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide, balance nitrogen). The endothelium was removed from half the vessels by gentle rubbing. The isometric response to the addition of acetylcholine (1∗10−6M) was dilator in the vessels with endothelium and constrictor in those without endothelium. Intermittent exposure to a hypoxic gas mixture (0% oxygen, 5% carbon dioxide, balance nitrogen) for 20 min with five repetitions demonstrated sustained constrictor responses in the presence or absence of endothelium. Endothelial cells are, therefore, not required for the mediation of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. [P.S.E.B.M. 1992, Vol 201]
Domestic energy policy effects on the US biomass market

Abstract This study develops and applies a structural, partial-equilibrium model of United States biomass supply and demand. The aim is to examine the biomass price and expenditure effects of domestic biofuel policies. The results indicate that the cellulosic biofuel sub-mandate alone could increase biomass prices by an average of 50%–100% over the baseline values. Biomass expenditures including those by biofuel producers increase by an average of 140% relative to the baseline. A sensitivity analysis focusing on supply response indicates that the results are fairly sensitive to the supply elasticity. This study contributes to the literature by providing policymakers and other energy policy stakeholders with a forward looking analysis of potential policy effects on the US biomass market.
Comparative costs of negotiated versus competitive bond sales: new evidence from state general obligation bonds

Abstract Previous work on the interest cost implications of the municipal bond underwriting method of sale decision has produced results asserting that competitive bid sales result in lower interest costs. However, negotiated offerings still dominate the municipal market. This paper invokes financial certification theory to explain the apparent paradox. After correcting for selection bias which is predicted by the theoretical model, empirical estimates show that for a sample of state general obligation bonds, negotiated offerings have at worst no higher and perhaps lower interest costs.
RALFs: peptide regulators of plant growth.

Peptide signaling regulates a variety of developmental processes and environmental responses in plants.1–6 For example, the peptide systemin induces the systemic defense response in tomato7 and defensins are small cysteine-rich proteins that are involved in the innate immune system of plants.8,9 The CLAVATA3 peptide regulates meristem size10 and the SCR peptide is the pollen self-incompatibility recognition factor in the Brassicaceae.11,12 LURE peptides produced by synergid cells attract pollen tubes to the embryo sac.9 RALFs are a recently discovered family of plant peptides that play a role in plant cell growth.
The Hedgehog signalling pathway and cancer.

The Hedgehog signalling pathway is important in embryological development and is highly conserved through evolution. Recently Patched, a member of the pathway, was found to be important in Gorlin's syndrome. Inherited Patched gene mutations underlie the syndrome, in which a key feature is multiple basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). The gene is also mutated in sporadic BCCs as well as in sporadic occurrences of other tumours seen in Gorlin's syndrome. The precise mechanism whereby Patched gene mutation leads to tumour development is not known, but BCC is characterized by relentless local invasion and only rarely metastasizes. This suggests that abnormalities of the Hedgehog pathway account for these features. This proposal is discussed in the context of what is already known about the normal function of the Hedgehog pathway and its deregulation in cancer.