cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthesis and electrospun fiber mats of low Tg poly(propylene fumerate‐co‐propylene maleate)

Many publications have examined the biodegradable polymer poly(propylene fumate) (PPF) for use in tissue engineering applications. We have examined a similar crosslinkable polymer system, poly(propylene fumerate)-co-(propylene maleate) (PPFcPM), derived from maleic anhydride (MA) and 1,2-propylene diol (PD). This copolymer system uses a less expensive monomer as well as leads to varied ratios of fumerate to maleate groups, allowing tuning of the crosslinked polymer properties such as degradation rate. Two different reaction conditions were used to synthesize the copolymer from MA and PD. In the first case (Method A), toluene was used as a solvent to azeotropically (85°C) remove water to drive the acid catalyzed esterification reaction. In the second case (Method B), the initial ring opening reaction was conducted, followed by addition of catalyst and removal of water to produce polymer of higher molecular weight. Both polymer systems had glass transition temperatures (Tg) below room temperature. The low Tg PPFcPM was dissolved in chloroform along with the photoinitiator phenylbis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)-phosphine oxide (BAPO) and electrospun. The polymer fibers were crosslinked soon after they formed to produce noncalendaring 3D porous scaffolds. Control experiments without the BAPO photoinitiator did not produce fiber mats. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Some aspects of phospholipid metabolism in the red cell.

Abstract 1. (1) Long-chain carnitine acyl transferase activity in red cell membranes was demonstrated by their capacity to incorporate [1- 14 C]oleic acid and [1- 14 C]linoleic acid into the respective acylcarnitines. The addition of (−)-carnitine to red cell membranes enhanced [1- 14 C]palmitate incorporation into palmitylcarnitine, whereas (+)-carnitine was without effect. (+)-Palmitylcarnitine resulted in a depression of [1- 14 C]palmitate incorporation into palmitylcarnitine, and this inhibition was reversed by the addition of (−)-carnitine. 2. (2) Fatty acylcarnitine derivatives were shown not to be obligatory intermediates in the incorporation of fatty acyi CoA into lecithin, and the addition of (−)-carnitine increased incorporation of [1- 14 C]palmitate into palmitylcarnitine while decreasing incorporation of [1- 14 C]palmitate into lecithin. 3. (3) ‘Methyltransferase’ activity was demonstrated in human and sheep erythrocytes. Significant incorporation into lecithin, sphingomyelin, methylated phosphatidylethanolamine derivatives and lysolecithin was found with S -[ Me - 14 C]adenosylmethionine. Methionine-activating enzyme activity was absent.
Qualitative and quantitative heterogeneity in Pgp-1 expression among murine thymocytes

Abstract A proportion of Pgp-1+ cells in the thymus have been shown to have progenitor activity. In adult AKR/Cum mice the total Pgp-1+ population in the thymus differs from that of the bulk of thymocytes and is antigenically heterogeneous when examined by flow cytometry. Pgp-1+ thymocytes are enriched for several minor cell populations compared to total thymocytes: B2A2−, interleukin-2-receptor+ (IL-2R+), and Lyt-2−, L3T4−. However, these subsets are still a minor proportion of the Pgp-1+ cells, the majority being Lyt-2+ and/or L3T4+ and B2A2+. Pgp-1+ thymocytes also differ from the bulk of thymocytes in having lower amounts of Thy-1 and in showing a higher proportion of single positive (Lyt-2+, L3T4− or Lyt-2−, L3T4+) cells. Populations of adult thymocytes that are enriched in progenitor cells can be isolated by cytotoxic depletion using either anti-Thy-1 antibody (Thy-1 depletion) or anti-Lyt-2 and anti-L3T4 antibody (Lyt-2, L3T4 depletion). Pgp-1+ cells in progenitor cell-enriched populations are also phenotypically heterogeneous. Pgp-1+ cells in both populations may be IL-2R+ or IL-2R− and B2A2+ or B2A2−. The population of Pgp-1+ cells in progenitor cell-enriched populations in the adult differs from that of the fetus at 14 days of gestation in that in the 14-day fetus, most Pgp-1+ cells are IL-2R+. By Day 15 of gestation, distinct populations of Pgp-1+, IL-2R−; Pgp-1+, IL-2R+; and Pgp-1−, IL-2R+ cells are observed. In the 15-day fetus, as in the adult, many Pgp-1+ thymocytes express low to moderate levels of Thy-1. The total percentage of Pgp-1+ cells in the thymus varies among different mouse strains, ranging from 4 to 35% in the thymus of young adult mice. Pgp 1.1 strains contain more detectably Pgp-1+ thymocytes than Pgp 1.2 strains; however, there is variability in the proportion of Pgp-1+ cells, even among Pgp 1.2 strains. In contrast to AKR/ Cum mice, the Pgp-1+ thymocyte population in BALB/c mice, which contain a high proportion of Pgp-1+ thymocytes, closely resembles the total thymocyte population.
Assessing Regional Muscle Mass with Segmental Measurements of Bioelectrical Impedance in Obese Women during Weight Lossa,b

Tetrapolar bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) offers the possibility of determining the bioconductor volume in discrete segments of the body, because the resistivities of bone, fat, and skeletal muscle differ considerably. We tested this hypothesis by measuring BIA and anthropometry of defined segments of the right thighs of women before and during a controlled weight-loss program. Eight women, aged 22 to 32 years, with a body mass index of 37.8 +/- 1.6 (mean +/- SE) kg/m2 underwent determinations of body composition with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and regional BIA measurements (800 microA at 50 kHz) before the program, and monthly thereafter for four months during weight loss. BIA measurements were made with spot-detector electrodes positioned 10 cm apart on the anterior of the thigh, and source electrodes placed on the right hand and foot. The physical volume of the thigh segment decreased by 29 +/- 3% (p < 0.0001), with a modest change in its electrical volume (8 +/- 0.2%; p < 0.05) during weight loss. Muscle (181 +/- 49 g; p < 0.05) and fat mass (702 +/- 95 g; p < 0.001) also declined. The electrical or bioconductor volume correlated with DXA determinations of muscle mass (r = 0.91, p < 0.0001), whereas physical volume correlated with fat mass (r = 0.95, p < 0.0001). These findings support the hypothesis that BIA is a valid method to assess regional muscle mass in humans.
Polarization-resolved laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

It is shown that plasma polarization measurements can be used to enhance the sensitivity of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The polarization of the plasma emission is used to suppress the continuum with only slight attenuation of the discrete atomic and ionic spectra. The method is demonstrated for LIBS detection of copper and carbon samples ablated by pairs of femtosecond laser pulses.
Likely features and costs of mature biomass ethanol technology.

Analysis is undertaken motivated by the question: “What are the likely features and cost of a facility producing ethanol from cellulosic biomass at a level of maturity comparable to a refinery?” This question is considered with respect to cost reductions arising from increased scale, lower-cost feedstock, and process improvements in pretreatment and biological conversion, but not other process steps. An “advanced technology” scenario is developed that represents our estimate of the most likely features of mature biomass ethanol technology. A “best-parameter” scenario, intended to be indicative of the potential for R&D-driven cost reductions, is also developed based on the best values for individual process parameters reported in the literature. Both scenarios involve large plants (2.7 million dry t feedstock/yr). Feedstock costs are taken to be $38.60/delivered dry t for the advanced scenario and $34.00/delivered dry t for the best-parameter scenario. Projected selling prices, including operating costs and capital recovery corresponding to a 14.2% return on investment, are 50¢/gal (pure ethanol basis) for the advanced technology case and 34¢/gal for the best-parameter case. These are markedly lower than the 118¢ /gal selling price projected for base-case technology, with the largest share of cost reductions due to improved conversion technology. Key conversion technology improvements include, in order of importance, consolidated bioprocessing, advanced pretreatment, elimination of seed reactors, and faster rates. First-law thermodynamic efficiencies based on the biomass high heating value and production of ethanol and electricity are 61.2% for the advanced case and 69.3% for the best-parameter case, as compared to 50.3% currently. Combining advanced ethanol production technology of the type presented here with advanced gas turbine-based power generation is a promising direction for future analysis and may offer still further cost reductions and efficiency increases.
The quantum efficiency of the primary processes in formaldehyde photolysis at 3130 Å and 25°C

The mechanism of the photolysis of formaldehyde was studied in experiments at 3130 A and in the pressure range of 1–12 torr at 25°C. The experiments were designed to establish the quantum yields of the primary decomposition steps (1) and (2), CH2O + hν H + HCO (1): CH2O + hν H2 + CO (2), through the effects of added isobutene, trimethylsilane, and nitric oxide on ΦCO and Φ. The ratio ΦCO/Φ was found to be 1.01 ± 0.09(2σ) and (Φ + ΦCO)/2 = 1.10 ± 0.08 over the range of pressures and a 12-fold change in incident light intensity. Isobutene and nitric oxide additions reduced Φ to about the same limiting value, 0.32 ± 0.03 and 0.34 ± 0.04, respectively, but these added gases differed in their effects on ΦCO. With isobutene addition ΦCO/Φ reached a limiting value of 2.3; with NO addition ΦCO exceeded unity. The addition of small amounts of Me3SiH reduced Φ to 1.02 ± 0.08 and lowered ΦCO to 0.7. These findings were rationalized in terms of a mechanism in which the “nonscavengeable,” molecular hydrogen is formed in reaction (2) with ϕ2 = 0.32 ± 0.03, while the “free radical” hydrogen is formed in reaction (1) with ϕ1 = 0.68 ± 0.03. In the pure formaldehyde system these reactions are followed by (3)–(5): H + CH2O H2 + HCO (3); 2HCO CH2O + CO (4); 2HCO H2 + 2CO (5). The data suggest k4/k5 ≅ 5.8. Isobutene reduced Φ by the reaction H + iso-C4H8 C4H9 (20), and the results give k20/k3 ≅ 43 ± 4, in good agreement with the ratio of the reported values of the individual constants k3 and k20.
Electrochemical responsive arrays of sulfonatocalixarene groups prepared by free radical polymerization

Abstract A styrene based water soluble polymer containing pendant sulfonated calix[4]arene groups has been synthesized by using free radical polymerization combined with post-polymerization sulfonation chemistry. The monomer 25-(4-vinylbenzyl)-26, 27, 28-hydroxy-calix[4]arene (VBC4A) was prepared in 3 steps: (1) reduction of 4-vinyl benzoic acid to the respective alcohol (2) formation of the bromide by the Appel reaction and (3) synthesis of the respective ether by Williamson O-alkylation reaction with calix[4]arene. Polymerization was accomplished by azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) initiated free radical polymerization technique to afford P(VBC4A) with Mn value of 7090 g/mol and moderate polydispersity. The resulting P(VBC4A) was subsequently reacted with acetyl sulfate to afforded the sulfonated polymer. The reaction was followed by nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy, and the results suggest that the sulfonation reaction lead to nearly quantitative functionalization of the calixarene functional polymer. Elemental analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed these findings on the degree of sulfonated functionalization. Electro-responsive properties of the sulfonated polymer were studied by cyclic voltammetry and isothermal titration calorimetry in phosphate buffer saline solution. A response to electrochemical stimulus is observed where guest molecules of methyl viologen incorporate and dissociate with P(VBSC4A).
Safety and Biologic Response of Pre-operative Autophagy Inhibition in Combination with Gemcitabine in Patients with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Autophagy is a cell survival mechanism that plays a critical role in pancreatic carcinogenesis. Murine studies have previously demonstrated that treatment with the late-autophagy inhibitor chloroquine in combination with chemotherapy limited tumor growth. In this phase 1/2 trial, we examined treatment with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and gemcitabine for patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The primary endpoints were safety and tolerability, evaluated by Storer’s dose escalation design. Secondary endpoints were CA 19-9 biomarker response, R0 resection rates, survival, and correlative studies of autophagy. Thirty-five patients were enrolled. There were no dose-limiting toxicities and no grade 4/5 events related to treatment. Nineteen patients (61 %) had a decrease in CA 19-9 after treatment. Twenty-nine patients (94 %) underwent surgical resection as scheduled, with a 77 % R0 resection rate. Median overall survival was 34.8 months (95 % confidence interval, 11.57 to not reached). Patients who had more than a 51 % increase in the autophagy marker LC3-II in circulating peripheral blood mononuclear cells had improvement in disease-free survival (15.03 vs. 6.9 months, p < 0.05) and overall survival (34.83 vs. 10.83 months, p < 0.05). No outcome differences were demonstrated in the 81 % of patients with abnormal p53 expression assessed by immunohistochemistry in the resected specimens. Preoperative autophagy inhibition with HCQ plus gemcitabine is safe and well tolerated. Surrogate biomarker responses (CA 19-9) and surgical oncologic outcomes were encouraging. p53 status was not associated with adverse outcomes.
Review of Transmission Planning with Large-scale Wind Power Integration

Wind power is stochastic, intermittent, and low-controllable. Firstly, the effects of large-scale wind power integration on transmission planning were analysed, and then the correlative achievements on transmission planning with large-scale wind power integration were reviewed. Finally, some suggestions about transmission planning with large scale wind power were proposed.
Othello, Thorello, and the Problem of the Foolish Hero

OTHELLO IS TOO OFTEN regarded as a figure of fun. In the view of many modern critics, the hero is a foolish victim of pride, of an immense capacity for self-deception.' A man "endeavouring to escape reality," guilty of "bovarysme, the human will to see things as they are not"-T. S. Eliot's famous description of Othello has set the tone for much modern interpretation.2 Seeking to replace the earlier view of the unambiguously "noble Moor" with a more complex assessment of Othello's strengths and flaws, Eliot and others, notably F. R. Leavis and Robert B. Heilman, have seized upon and emphasized the potentially ridiculous strain in Othello's speech and manner. In the tradition of sarcasm initiated by Rymer, they treat the hero's error as if it were the subject of satire rather than of tragedy. Othello thus comes to resemble the jealous husband of Elizabethan comedy. This implied parallel, calculated to denigrate, fosters an understanding of the play that is as limited as the simple Bradleyan viewpoint.3 It is possible to see Othello as a dignified figure, fully capable of eliciting our respect and sympathy, even as we recognize that the jealous husband motif in the play does derive, in part, from the conventions of Elizabethan comedy. I shall argue that Shakespeare created Othello in the image of a popular comic figure, the "imaginary cuckold"; that he expected the original audience to accompany its recognition of the type with a conventional set of responses; and that he devised a collision between the audience's normally scornful reaction to the "imaginary cuckold" and the response dictated by the tragic nature of Othello's story. The function of such a dramatic strategy was to intensify the power of the action.
Lack of species discrimination based on chemical cues by male sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna

When making mating decisions, individuals may rely on multiple cues from either the same or multiple sensory modalities. Although the use of visual cues in sexual selection is well studied, fewer studies have examined the role of chemical cues in mate choice. In addition, few studies have examined how visual and/or chemical cues affect male mating decisions. Male mate choice is important in systems where males must avoid mating with heterospecific females, as is found in a mating complex of Poecilia. Male sailfin mollies, Poecilia latipinna, are sexually parasitized by gynogenetic Amazon mollies, P. formosa. Little is known about the mechanism by which male sailfin mollies base their mating decisions. Here we tested the hypothesis that male sailfin mollies from an allopatric and a sympatric population with Amazon mollies use multiple cues to distinguish between conspecific and heterospecific females. We found that male sailfin mollies recognized the chemical cues of conspecific females, but we found no support for the hypothesis that chemical cues are by themselves sufficient for species discrimination. Lack of discrimination based on chemical cues alone may be due to the close evolutionary history between P. latipinna and P. formosa. Males from populations sympatric with Amazon mollies did not differentially associate with females of either of the two species when given access to both visual and chemical cues of the females, yet males from the allopatric population did associate more with conspecific females than with heterospecific females in the presence of both chemical and visual cues. The lack of discrimination by males from the sympatric population between conspecific and heterospecific females based on both chemical and visual cues suggests that these males require more complex combinations of cues to distinguish species, possibly due to the close relatedness of these species.
American Salons: Encounters with European Modernism, 1885-1917

This book is a study of the beginnings of the modernist tradition in American culture, with special emphasis on the interchange of Americans with modernism in Europe. The first section discusses American precursors of modernism including Whistler, William and Henry James, and James Gibbons Huneker. There is a section on the influence of specific US cities on modernism. The final section concentrates on the interaction of Americans in European culture, first in London (with emphasis on Ezra Pound), Paris (the photographer Edward Steichen and the Stein family), and finally New York (the salon scene and the 1913 Armory Show of modern art).
Heterocontact effects in point-contact electron-phonon spectroscopy of the alkali metals

Abstract : For a small contact between two different materials (a heterocontact), we derive the free electron expression for the electron-phonon spectral function determined from the measured I-V characteristic. The heterocontact spectral function differs strikingly from the homocontact spectral function in that it excludes scattering through angles less than a minimum angle in the larger bandwidth material. We calculate realistic heterocontact spectra for pairs of alkali metals. If in a given pair of alkalis the smaller bandwidth material is replaced by one with a still smaller bandwidth, the size of the signal from the larger bandwidth material decreases (sometimes dramatically), and the part of the spectrum due to scattering by 2k sub F phonons is relatively enhanced. (Author)
Analysis of Short-Circuit Oscillograms

METHODS of analyzing the oscillograms of short circuit currents of synchronous machines, in accordance with the two reaction theory, are presented in this paper. Differences between the results found here and the more generally accepted equations, based on symmetrical components, are pointed out.
Control strategies for Rhagoletis mendax disrupt host-finding and ovipositional capability of its parasitic wasp, Diachasma alloeum

Abstract Diachasma alloeum (Muesebeck) is a braconid parasitoid of Rhagoletis mendax Curran and Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh). Laboratory choice tests using a Y-tube olfactometer compared behavioral responses of D. alloeum to various olfactory stimuli. More than 25% of naive D. alloeum females, never having experienced R. mendax or blueberries, were ‘innately’ attracted to volatiles emitted from uninfested blueberry fruit. Experience with R. mendax -infested blueberry fruit approximately doubled the proportion of D. alloeum that subsequently responded to volatiles from uninfested blueberry fruit and decreased the time required to elicit this behavior compared with naive wasps. Volatiles emanating from infested blueberry fruit, that were oviposited into by R. mendax 16–19 d prior to the assay, attracted four and two times more naive and experienced D. alloeum , respectively, than uninfested fruit or fruit one day post- R. mendax oviposition. Although parasitoids were found to be attracted to blueberry volatiles in the lab, we hypothesized that insecticide applications targeting R. mendax could interfere with the wasps’ normal host-finding behavior. In field studies, blueberry fruit treated with the neonicotinoid insecticide imidacloprid (Provado 1.6 F) and the kaolin-clay particle film Surround WP, eliminated parasitization of R. mendax by feral D. alloeum . Blueberry fruit treated with the kaolin-clay particle film was equally attractive to D. alloeum as untreated and infested fruit. But, the use of kaolin clay prevented wasps from ovipositing into berries after alighting. The results of this study imply that current management tools for R. mendax may negatively impact the importance of D. alloeum as a biocontrol agent of Rhagoletis flies.
Use of Pd–Fe and Ni–Fe–Nb as Soft Magnetic Layers in Ferromagnetic Josephson Junctions for Nonvolatile Cryogenic Memory

Josephson junctions containing ferromagnetic layers are under consideration as the basic elements for cryogenic random access memory. For memory applications, either the amplitude of the critical current or the phase shift across the junction must be controllable by changing the direction of magnetization of one or more of the ferromagnetic layers in the junction. We have measured the critical currents in large-area Josephson junctions containing three ferromagnetic layers. These junctions carry spin-triplet supercurrent. This work addresses the choice of material and optimum thickness for the one soft magnetic layer in such junctions. We have used either a Pd-Fe or Ni-Fe-Nb alloy for the soft layer, and find hysteresis in the low-field “Fraunhofer patterns” due to magnetic switching of the soft layer. The critical current is one order of magnitude smaller in the junctions containing the Ni-Fe-Nb alloy compared to those containing Pd-Fe alloy, which is probably due to strong spin-memory loss in the former. While the large-area junctions studied here are not suitable for memory applications, these experiments lay the groundwork for future studies of submicron junctions where the magnetic state of the junction can be controlled by shape anisotropy.
A dyadic assessment of how couples indicate their commitment to each other

This study investigated the behaviors couples use to indicate their commitment in romantic relationships and explored the complex ways in which these behaviors are interconnected. Survey data were collected from 121 romantically involved couples in the United States. Dyadic analysis of the data revealed that the greater the levels of commitment, the more frequent the use of certain behaviors to indicate commitment. In addition, couples were similar in their use of the indicators, tended to project their self-perceptions onto their partners, and had a degree of accuracy in perceiving their partners’ use of indicators. The research sheds light on some of the complex ways intimate couples experience and express commitment in the everyday lives.
Health, Illness, and Optimal Aging: Biological and Psychological Perspectives (2nd ed.)

An update to the 2003 original release, Health, Illness and Optimal Aging, provides a modernized revision to promoting foundational knowledge to students on topics in aging. The text, which primari...
Science indicators and policy analysis

This paper discusses the use of science indicators by public policy analysts with limited time and resources. Using the example of innovation policy, it describes what kind of policy relevant propositions can be extracted from science indicators and shows the inherent limits of indicators as instruments for policy making. It shows how science indicators can and must be combined with other sources to construct alternative strategies for decision making. It closes with a discussion of the use of science indicators in constructing consistent lines of argument and reasoning for making policy and for checking past policy.
A DEMONSTRATION OF FRONTS AND FRONTAL WAVES IN ATMOSPHERIC MODELS

Abstract The remarkable similarity between the motions in a heated rotating tank of water (dishpan experiments) and the large-scale motions of the atmosphere has raised the question of the similarity of the details of the motion. It has been found possible to demonstrate visually the existence of frontal systems and associated wave cyclones. Analyses and photographs showing the relationships of these systems to the large-scale circulations are presented. It is concluded that similarity in laboratory models is not confined to that scale of motion commonly referred to as the general circulation.
Peakons and coshoidal waves: traveling wave solutions of the Camassa-Holm equation

Abstract Camassa and Holm [1] have recently derived a new integrable wave equation. For the special case κ = 0, they showed it has solitary waves of the form c exp(−|;x − ct|;) which they named “peakons”. In this work, we derive a perturbation series for general κ which converges even at the peakon limit. We also give three analytical representations for the spatially periodic generalization of the peakon, the “coshoidal wave”. The three representations are (i) a closed form, analytical solution, (ii) a Fourier series with coefficients that are explicit rational functions, and (iii) an imbricate Fourier series, which is the superposition of an infinite number of peakons, each separated from its neighbors by distance P where P is the spatial period. Lastly, we have numerically tested the soliton superposition principle. Although the Camassa-Holm equation is integrable for general κ, it appears that imbricating solitary waves generates an exact spatially periodic solution only for the special cases κ = 0, κ/c = 1 2 . However, the imbricate-soliton series is a very good approximate solution for general κ, even when the spatial period is small and the solution resembles a sine wave more than a solitary wave.
Insider Ownership and the Decision to Go Public

This paper focuses on the role of an initial public offering (IPO) in maximizing the proceeds an initial owner obtains in selling his company. In deciding whether to undertake an IPO, and what fraction of ownership to retain, the initial owner must balance two factors. By selling to dispersed shareholders, he maximizes his proceeds from the sale of cash flow rights. However, by directly bargaining with a potential buyer, he maximizes his proceeds from the sale of control rights. Whether a company should be private or public, as well as the insider's ownership in public companies, depends on the particular combination of majority control and dispersed ownership which maximizes the incumbent's wealth. The model provides implications on the strategy to be followed in selling a company as well as on the timing of IPOs and going-private transactions. The initial public offering (IPO) is frequently the largest equity issue a corporation ever makes. Every year an average of one-third of all the funds raised through common equity is raised through IPOs. The IPO is also an important channel through which an entrepreneur or venture capitalist gets rewarded for his initial effort. Our understanding of the process of "going public" is critical to any attempt both to increase equity financing and to stimulate entrepreneurial and venture capitalist activities. The latter has been stated as an objective in the public policy debate over the capital gains tax (see Poterba (1989)). Until the beginning of the 1980's the decision to go public was considered a simple stage in the growth process of a corporation. This interpretation can no longer hold. In the 1980's the U.S. experienced a major wave of large and mature firms going private. The result was that, despite a growing economy and a long bull market, in the 1980's the U.S. share in world market capitalization shrank from 53.3% to 29.9%. Very little is known about why companies choose to revert back to private ownership and whether this is a temporary or a permanent situation. According to Kaplan (1991) these neo-private companies are "neither short lived nor permanent." He estimates that only 50% of large leveraged buyouts (LBO) become public again within seven years after the LBO transaction. Furthermore, 7% of those companies in his sample that returned to public offering went private again later. Starting with Pagano (1993), existing models emphasize some aspects of the traditional trade-off between the costs and benefits of going public.' On the cost side, there are the registration and underwriting costs (on average 14% of the funds raised, according to Ritter (1987)), the underpricing cost (on average 15%, Ritter (1987)), the annual disclosure costs, and the agency problems generated by a separation between ownership and control (Jensen and Meckling (1976)). On the benefit side, there are diversification, the possibility of equity financing beyond the initial entrepreneur's limited wealth, a less costly access to
The confluence of perfectionism, body dissatisfaction, and low self-esteem predicts bulimic symptoms: Clinical implications

We present a brief overview of empirically supported risk factors of bulimic behavior. We then propose an empirically supported, interactive, three-factor model of bulimic symptom occurrence from which we derive clinical implications for assessment, treatment, and prevention. Our research finds that perfectionism, body dissatisfaction, and self-esteem interact to predict bulimic symptoms. In particular, women who consider themselves overweight and who have elevated levels of perfectionism and lower levels of self-esteem show the greatest risk for bulimic symptoms. Thus, our model identifies three theoretically related targets for intervention: perfectionism, body dissatisfaction, and low self-esteem. Assessment of these factors is recommended. The extent to which cognitive-behavioral therapy for bulimia and interpersonal therapy for bulimia address these factors is reviewed and evaluated, and theory-based recommendations are made for prevention efforts.
The Term Structure of Interest Rates: Comment

tensive theoretical and empirical study of the determinants of the term structure of interest rates. He has interpreted his findings as supporting the earlier, expectational theory of the structure of interest rates and as contradicting Culbertson's. Culbertson contends that his data both support his own theory and contradict this expectational theory. Meiselman has shown that the analysis which Culbertson made of his data, which data we shall examine in some detail below, does not bear on the expectational theory under certainty. I will be concerned with the separate problem of bringing Culbertson's data to bear as a test of the expectational theory. I shall show that Culbertson's data, quite contrary to his analysis of them, lend support to this theory. On Lutz's argument, under certainty, any given long-term interest rate plus unity will be the geometric mean of a set of terms composed of unity plus each future short-term interest rate which will prevail through the duration of the long-term debt whose yield is under consideration. Meiselman extends this argument to conditions of uncertainty about the future course of short-term interest rates. (This kind of uncertainty is different from that deriving from the risk of default. Meiselman confines his attention to defaultfree contracts.) On Meiselman's hypothesis, the forward short-term interest rates implicit in the term structure at a given point in time are unbiased estimates of the short-term interest rates "the market" expects to prevail during each of the future periods to which these
EDIF: A Mechanism for the Exchange of Design Information

The need for a standard format for the interchange of electronic design information has become critical. Past efforts to standardize have failed or have only partially succeeded for a variety of reasons. The proponents of four such efforts formed a committee in late 1983 to cull the best from their previous work and propose a unified format as a standard. The Electronic Design Interchange Format, EDIF, initially targets information exchange between designer and foundry. Macro cells, net lists, schematics, layout information, and stimulus/response information can be expressed in EDIF version 1.0. As the original committee continues its development activity, several subcommittees of experts address behavioral description, testing, technology, procedural layout, and printed circuit boards.
Perception and management of superior-subordinate conflict

Abstract This study investigated interpersonal conflict that occurred on the job. Members of 36 superior-subordinate dyads representing 10 organizational subunits completed the Employee Conflict Inventory (ECI). An independent sample of employees ( N = 169) from the same subunits completed the Profile of Organizational Characteristics which was used to measure organizational climate. Results from the ECI indicated that dyad members held similar perceptions concerning the topics and sources of superior-subordinate conflict; technical and administrative issues were the most frequent topics, and differences in perception and knowledge were the primary reasons. Although perceptions of the other party's management of conflict were similar to the respondent's description of self, they differed significantly from the other's own self description. Conflict management was related to status differences as well as to attitudes toward conflict and corresponded to response styles predicted to emerge in consultative organizational climates.
The threats and benefits of GM fish.

If there ever was a major improvement in human life in the last millennium, it may well have been the green revolution of the twentieth century. The massive use of fertilizers, pesticides and improved seeds and livestock brought an enormous increase in agricultural production, more than enough to feed the population in the developed regions of the world such as Europe and North America. For the people on these continents, famine and hunger almost ceased to exist, thanks to the application of science and technology to food production. But all of these developments have benefited only agriculture. Fish, an important protein source for the majority of people on the planet, is still primarily gathered from the wild, with serious consequences. Heavy investments into fishing fleets and technology, and ever‐increasing yields, put the ocean's fisheries under increasing stress. Many fishing grounds are already overfished to the point that their future viability is threatened. Fish consumption increased by 31% from 1990 to 1997 but the supply from marine fisheries grew by only 9% (FAO, 1999). And the unfettered growth of the human population will put them under even more stress. ![][1] > Meeting the increasing demand for fish while protecting marine fish supplies can only be achieved by applying the experience from the agricultural revolution to increase the contribution of aquaculture Meeting the increasing demand for fish while protecting marine fish supplies can only be achieved by applying experience from the agricultural revolution to increase the contribution of aquaculture (Tidwell & Allan, 2001). In fact, worldwide production of farmed fish is now at about 30% of global fish production and is expected to reach 50% in 2030 (FAO, 2000), but the expansion of aquaculture has met with growing resistance due to environmental concerns. And although there is much room for improvement (Tidwell & Allan, … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
New Tricks for Animal MicroRNAs: Targeting of Amino Acid Coding Regions at Conserved and Nonconserved Sites

MicroRNAs (miRNA) are short RNAs that affect the expression of a protein-coding gene either by directing the degradation of its "target" mRNA or by disrupting its translation into amino acids. Target selection depends on the underlying sequence as well as other, currently not understood, factors. In plants, miRNAs typically interact with the amino acid coding region of the target mRNA. However, in animals, research has been nearly exclusively confined to studying miRNA interactions with the 3' untranslated region of their mRNA targets. This region-limited view of animal miRNA activity, together with the assumption that bona fide animal miRNA targets ought to be conserved across organisms, have been in effect for many years. Recent work has shown that miRNAs can target extensively the amino acid coding region of animal mRNAs and can do so at locations that are not necessarily conserved across organisms.
Functional Analysis of the Putative Peroxidase Domain of FANCA, the Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group A Protein

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal recessive disorder manifested by chromosomal breakage, birth defects, and susceptibility to bone marrow failure and cancer. At least seven complementation groups have been identified, and the genes defective in four groups have been cloned. The most common subtype is complementation group A. Although the normal functions of the gene products defective in FA cells are not completely understood, a clue to the function of the FA group A gene product (FANCA) was provided by the detection of limited homology in the amino terminal region to a class of heme peroxidases. We evaluated this hypothesis by mutagenesis and functional complementation studies. We substituted alanine residues for the most conserved FANCA residues in the putative peroxidase domain and tested their effects on known biochemical and cellular functions of FANCA. While the substitution mutants were comparable to wild-type FANCA with regard to their stability, subcellular localization, and interaction with FANCG, only the Trp(183)-to-Ala substitution (W183A) abolished the ability of FANCA to complement the sensitivity of FA group A cells to mitomycin C. By contrast, TUNEL assays for apoptosis after exposure to H2O2 showed no differences between parental FA group A cells, cells complemented with wild-type FANCA, and cells complemented with the W183A of FANCA. Moreover, semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis for the expression of the peroxide-sensitive heme oxygenase gene showed appropriate induction after H2O2 exposure. Thus, W183A appears to be essential for the in vivo activity of FANCA in a manner independent of its interaction with FANCG. Moreover, neither wild-type FANCA nor the W183A mutation appears to alter the peroxide-induced apoptosisor peroxide-sensing ability of FA group A cells.
Subpixel resolution in maximum-likelihood image restoration

A number of algorithms have been developed for three- dimensional (3D) deconvolution of fluorescence microscopical images. These algorithms use a mathematical-physics model for the process of image formation and try to estimate the specimen function, i.e. the distribution of fluorescent dye in the specimen. To keep the algorithms tractable and computational load practical, the algorithms rely on simplifying assumptions, and the extent to which these assumptions approximate the actual process of image formation and recording has a strong effect on the capabilities of the algorithms. The process of image formation is a continuous-space process, but the algorithms must be implemented using a discrete-space approximation to this process and render a sampled specimen function. A commonly-used assumption is that there is one pixel in the specimen for each pixel in the recorded image and that the pixel size in the recorded image is small compared to the size of the diffraction limited spot or Airy disk, a condition necessary to satisfy Nyquist sampling criterion. Modern CCD cameras, however, have large wells that integrate into a single pixel an area of the image that is significantly larger than the Airy disk. We derived a maximum-likelihood-based algorithm to accommodate for these large CCD pixel sizes. In this algorithm we assume that each pixel in the recorded image integrates several pixels that satisfy Nyquist criterion. The algorithm then attempts to estimate the specimen function at a resolution better than that allowed by the CCD camera. Preliminary results of this sub-pixel resolution algorithm are encouraging.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Allosteric regulation of uridine diphosphoglucose: D-fructose-6-phosphate-2-glucosyl transferase (E.C.2.4.1.14).

Abstract Kinetic studies of wheat germ sucrose-P synthetase indicate that both substrates, fructose-6-P and UDP-glucose, exhibit sigmoidal saturation curves in the presence or absence of 22 mM MgCl2. MgCl2 stimulates the maximal velocity about 2-fold and decreases the apparent affinity of UDP-glucose, 3-fold. In view of these data, sucrose-P synthetase may be considered an allosteric enzyme involved in regulating the biosynthesis of sucrose.
Iridium and dinocysts at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary on Seymour Island, Antarctica: Implications for the K-T event

A single iridium anomaly (40 times background concentration), correlated with the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary, is present within an interval of unconsolidated glauconitic silty sands in a marine clastic sequence on Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula. Dinocysts provide the basis for biostratigraphic identification of a 20-30 cm K-T transitional interval; calcareous microfossils have not been preserved in the glauconitic beds. Dinocysts also record an earliest Danian transgressive event 10 cm above the transition interval. The Ir spike is near the base of the dinocyst transition interval and 30 cm below the flooding horizon. The Seymour Island site, located at a high latitude (63°S) at the end of the Cretaceous, provides no compelling evidence for mass extinction at the K-T boundary.
Chronic ethanol exposure increases 3H-GABA release in rat hippocampus by presynaptic muscarinic receptor modulation.

Background: Chronic ethanol treatmcnt (CET) for 28 weeks significantly increases electrically-stimulated 3H-GABA release from hippocampal slices. This increase in GABA release may be one of the mechanisms by which CET decreases the magnitude of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus. The present study examined whether CET increases GABA release via an alteration in heterologous presynaptic cholinergic regulation. Methods: Animals were treated with ethanol or sucrose diet for 28 weeks followed by either no withdrawal or a 48-hr withdrawal period. The electrically-stimulated 3H-GABA release from preloaded superfused hippocampal slices of naive and CET rats was measured. Results: Carbachol increased 3H-GABA release in a concentration-dependent manner, and atropine modulated 3H-GABA release in a biphasic concentration-dependent manner. Atropine (10 μM) significantly blocked the effects of carbachol. Oxotremorine, a selective muscarinic receptor agonist, also incrcased 3H-GABA release. Mecamylamine, a selective nicotinic antagonist, did not modulate 3H-GABA releasc and did not block the effects of carbachol. The effects of these agents were also tested in rats 0 or 48 hrs after withdrawal from CET. The biphasic effects of atropine were decreased, whereas the facilitating effects of carbachol were significantly incrcased. There were no changes in the effects of these agents on 3H-acetylcholine release from hippocampal slices of CET rats compared to sucrose-treated rats. Conclusion : These results suggest that presynaptic muscarinic receptors facilitate GABA release, whereas nicotinic receptors do not play a significant role in modulating GABA release in hippocampus. CET selectively alters presynaptic muscarinic regulation of GABA release in hippocampus and may help us to further understand the mechanism underlying the disruption of LTP by CET.
An Effective Exercise for Teaching Cognitive Heuristics

This article describes a brief heuristics demonstration and offers suggestions for personalizing examples of heuristics by making them relevant to students. Students complete a handout asking for 4 judgments illustrative of such heuristics. The decisions are cast in the context of students' daily lives at their particular university. After the professor tallies responses to each question, students discuss their choices and the reasons for them during a subsequent class meeting. Student feedback indicated that this exercise is informative, interesting, and enjoyable. Results from a pretest-posttest study confirmed that student learning improved from before to after the administration of the exercise.
The Bodhisattva Ideal in Theravāda Buddhist Theory and Practice: A Reevaluation of the Bodhisattva-Śrāvaka Opposition

In the academic study of Buddhism the terms "Mahayana" and "Hinayana" are often set in contradiction to each other, and the two vehicles are described as having different aspirations, teachings, and practices. The distinctions made between the Mahayana and the Hinayana, however, force the schools into neat, isolated, and independent categories that often undermine the complexities that exist concerning their beliefs, ideologies, and practices. While some of the categories used to differentiate the Mahayana and the Hinayana are helpful in the study and interpretation of Buddhism, these distinctions must continually be reviewed. This article attempts to review one such distinction: the commonly held theoretical model that postulates that the goal of Mahayana practitioners is to become buddhas by following the path of the bodhisattva (bodhisattva-yana), whereas the goal of HTnayana practitioners is to become arahants by following the path of the Hearer or the Buddha's disciples (riavaka-yina). In demonstrating the oversimplifications inherent in this model, this article will investigate the presence and scope of the bodhisattva ideal in Theravada Buddhist theory and practice. By raising issues surrounding the Mahdyana-Hinayana opposition, however, I am not suggesting that distinctions cannot be made between the two vehicles, nor am I proposing to do away with the terms "Mahayana" and "Hinayana." Rather, in exploring the oversimplifications inherent in the Mahayana-HTnayana dichotomy, it is my intention to replace the theoretical model that identifies (1) Mahayana Buddhism with the bodhisattva-yana and (2) HTnayana Buddhism with the sravakayina with a model that is more representative of the two vehicles. In doing so, the implied purpose of this article, as is John Holt's study of the place and relevance of Avalokiteivara in Sri Lanka, is to "raise questions among students of Buddhism regarding the very utility of the terms Mahayana ... and Theravada as designating wholly distinctive religiohistorical constructs"' (emphasis added). Before turning to the presence and scope of the bodhisattva ideal in Theravada Buddhism (the only extant school of HTnayana Buddhism), it may be beneficial to investigate briefly the sources that identify the bodhisattva-yana with Mahayana Buddhism and the ?ravaka-yana with HTnayana Buddhism. Instead of looking at how this model is appropriated by scholars of Buddhism, I will turn to the writings of three Mahayana Buddhists in which this bifurcation is suggested. Jeffrey Samuels