cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
App-Based Mindfulness Training for Adolescent Rumination: Predictors of Immediate and Cumulative Benefit

Rumination is a transdiagnostic risk factor for depression and anxiety, which surge during the adolescent years. Mindfulness training—with its emphasis on metacognitive awareness and present-moment attention—may be effective at reducing rumination. Mindfulness apps offer a convenient, engaging, and cost-effective means for accessing mindfulness training for teens. Despite their increasing popularity among adolescents, no study to date has investigated which teens are well-suited to app-based mindfulness training. Eighty adolescents (M age = 14.01 years, 45% girls) with elevated rumination were enrolled in a 3-week trial of app-based mindfulness training. Repeated daily ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys assessed problem-focused and emotion-focused rumination immediately prior to and following each mindfulness exercise. Elastic net regularization (ENR) models tested baseline predictors of “immediate” (post-mindfulness exercise) and “cumulative” (post-3-week intervention) benefit from app-based mindfulness training. Ninety percent (72/80) of adolescents completed the 3-week trial, and the mean number of mindfulness exercises completed was 28.7. Baseline adolescent characteristics accounted for 14–25% of the variance in outcomes (i.e., reduction in problem-focused or emotion-focused rumination). Higher baseline rumination, and lower emotional suppression, predicted better immediate and cumulative outcomes. In contrast, female gender and older age predicted better immediate, but not cumulative, outcomes. Differences in results across outcome timeframes (immediate vs. cumulative) are discussed. Findings from this study highlight the potential of data-driven approaches to inform which adolescent characteristics may predict benefit from engaging with an app-based mindfulness training program. Additional research is needed to test these predictive models against a comparison (non-mindfulness) condition.
HLA Loci and Recurrence of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis in Pediatric Kidney Transplantation.

Recurrent focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) after kidney transplantation accounts for the majority of allograft failures in children with primary FSGS. Although current research focuses on FSGS pathophysiology, a common etiology and mechanisms of disease recurrence remain elusive. Methods We performed a retrospective review of the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients to determine the association of specific HLA recurrence of FSGS. Kidney transplants recipients under the age of 19 who were diagnosed with FSGS, who were transplanted after January 1, 2000, and who had complete HLA data were included in the study. We performed simple logistic regression on all HLA A, B, C, DR, and DQ represented in the dataset and FSGS recurrence and then determined those associated with recurrence using the Benjamini-Hochberg method for multiple comparisons. For those HLAs that were associated with recurrence, we further determined the effect of matching recipient and donor HLA with recurrence. Results HLA DR7, DR53, DQ2, DR52, and DQ7 were associated with increased or decreased risk of recurrent disease after transplantation. We identified a risk haplotype consisting of HLA-DR7, DR53, and DQ2 that was consistently associated with an increased risk of recurrence (odds ratio 1.91; 95% confidence interval, 1.44-2.54, P < 0.001). We also found that donor/recipient concordance for HLA-DQ7 was associated with a decreased risk of recurrence (odds ratio 0.42; 95% confidence interval, 0.37-0.53, P = 0.009). Conclusions HLA profiles may be used for risk stratification of recurrence of FSGS in pediatric kidney transplant recipients and deserves further study.
Evolution and the Conscious Self

We are participants in the evolutionary process of life, yet only in the last 100 years has man realized his evolutionary origin. The full implications of this re-orientation of man to nature have not yet been lived with long enough for them to be assimilated to man’s conceptual thinking about himself. The emotional controversies of last century continued into this century and have delayed a wise evaluation of the evolutionary story in relation to man. However, in the last few years there have been publications by leading biologists (Dobzhansky, 1962, 1967; Simpson, 1964; Lack, 1961 ; Thorpe, 1962) that reveal the beginning of an evolutionary philosophy based upon a mature understanding of the evolutionary process as it is at present formulated.
Fractionation of human lymphocytes with plant lectins: I. Structural and functional characteristics of lymphocyte subclasses isolated by an affinity technique using Lens culinaris lectin

Abstract We have fractionated human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) into subclasses with an affinity technique that takes advantage of the specific interaction between the plant lectin, Lens culinaris agglutinin (Lentil-PHA), and its cell surface receptors. PBL were incubated in plastic tubes or petri dishes coated with a gelatin layer to which lentil-PHA had been coupled using a water soluble carbodiimide compound. Adherent cells were recovered by melting the gelatin, and bound lectin was removed by exposing the cells to an appropriate sugar hapten. Approximately 25 to 50% of PBL specifically adhered to gelatin-coated tubes derivatized with lentil-PHA. Binding studies with 125I-labeled lentil-PHA showed that, compared to unfractionated PBL which bound 2.0 × 106 lentil-PHA molecules per cell, adherent cells bound more (3.7 × 106/cell), and nonadherent cells bound less (1.1 × 106/cell) lentil-PHA. By contrast, there were no differences among these groups for binding of other plant lectins. When stimulated in vitro by optimal mitogenic concentrations of lentil-PHA, lymphocytes adherent to lentil-PHA responded better than their nonadherent counterparts whereas the two groups responded the same to stimulation by the leukoagglutinin from Ph. vulgaris. The data indicate that plant lectins may be used to isolate PBL subclasses with different structural and functional properties.
Toxicity of Peroxisome Proliferators

Peroxisome proliferators (PPs) are an important group of chemicals that include certain hypolipidemic drugs, plasticizers and pollutants. Chemicals that are classified as PPs are known rodent liver tumor promoters, although there is debate whether humans are at increased cancer risk upon exposure. The effects observed upon long-term treatment of rodents to PPs include hepatic peroxisome proliferation, hepatomegaly, regulation of gene expression, alteration in cell cycle control and ultimately, carcinogenesis. The majority of the physiological, toxicological and carcinogenic effects induced by PPs are mediated by a nuclear hormone receptor, Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-α (PPARα). Although humans respond to PPs via PPARα activation resulting in altered lipid metabolism, there is little evidence for peroxisome proliferation or liver cancer. In the present chapter, the current understanding of how PPARs are involved in tumorigenesis, and what this may mean to human risk assessment, will be discussed. Keywords: peroxisome; peroxisome proliferator; nuclear hormone receptor; PPAR; gene expression; oxidative stress; knock-out mice; carcinogenesis; toxicology
Asm-1(+), a Neurospora Crassa Gene Related to Transcriptional Regulators of Fungal Development

This report describes the identification, cloning, and molecular analysis of Asm-1(+) (Ascospore maturation 1), the Neurospora crassa homologue of the Aspergillus nidulans stuA (stunted A) gene. The Asm-1(+) gene is constitutively transcribed and encodes an abundant, nucleus-localized 68.5-kD protein. The protein product of Asm-1(+) (ASM-1), contains a potential DNA-binding motif present in related proteins from A. nidulans (StuA), Candida albicans (EFGTF-1), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Phd1 and Sok2). This motif is related to the DNA binding motif of the Swi4/Mbp1/Res family of transcription factors that control the cell cycle. Deletion of Asm-1(+) destroys the ability to make protoperithecia (female organs), but does not affect male-specific functions. We propose that the APSES domain (ASM-1, Phd1, StuA, EFGTF-1, and Sok2) defines a group of proteins that constitute a family of related transcription factors involved in the control of fungal development.
Adaptive nonuniform PSK signaling in CDMA wireless communications

In a code-division multiple-access (CDMA) wireless communication system, the channel characteristics fluctuate for many reasons, including movement of the radios, changes in propagation, and variations in interference. Adaptive signaling can be used to deliver a higher rate of information during good channel conditions while ensuring that a basic level of information is received under all channel conditions. We show that adaptive signaling schemes that employ nonuniform M-ary phase-shift-key (PSK) modulation can be used to increase the throughput in CDMA wireless communication systems with time-varying channels. The signaling method we propose supports the simultaneous transmission of multiple messages with different quality-of-service requirements.
Assessing traumatic brain injuries using EEG power spectral analysis and instantaneous phase

Although mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) occurs commonly, little is known about how multiple mTBI incidents accumulate over time to produce serious morbidity or how the extent of injury can be quantified. This work presents a rat model that combines deceleration-induced brain trauma with an implantable EEG system for recording injury-induced changes in brain activity. Specifically, we present an analysis method to assess and quantify mTBI by combining information derived from EEG power spectral analysis and EEG phase shifts. We found that in different frequency bands, the correlation coefficient before the crash was notably different from the same coefficient after the crash. This study shows that EEG analysis can be used as a tool to identify and assess brain related injuries.
Label Free Fluorescence Lifetime FRET Imaging

Multiphoton microscopy with endogenous contrasts in biological tissues have primarily focused on detecting signals from the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleatide (NADH), its dinucleatide phosphate (NADPH), riboflavins, and tryptophan. All these fluorophores have emission in the wavelength range of 400-600 nm. According to an earlier studies on the autofluorescence spectroscopy of ex vivo leukocyte samples under linear (one photon) excitation conditions, signals from the tryptophan (TRP) moieties in cellular proteins should be much stronger than signals from NAD(P)H on the per cell basis. In recent years, considerable interest has been developed in the effect of various diseases upon the metabolic pathway of L-tryptophan and its derivatives. We describe a new method for imaging tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic cell lines by 3-photon exciting of the endogenous protein fluorescence in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral region, where tryptophan is the major fluorophore. Through systematic analysis of FLIM data from live cells, a statistically significant decrease in the fluorescence lifetime of TRP was observed in response to the increase in protein-bound NADH as cells were treated with glucose. Addition of glycolytic substrates significantly quenches tryptophan lifetime. The results demonstrate the potential use of 3P-FLIM-FRET as a tool for label free screening of the change in metabolic flux occurring in human diseases or other clinical conditions.
Duration of television watching is associated with increased body mass index

Abstract Objective To assess the effect of television viewing on subsequent change in body mass index (BMI=kg/m 2 ) percentiles (BMI%) in adolescence. Study design Data were drawn from the California Teen Longitudinal Survey of adolescents 12 to 17 years old with baseline assessment in 1993 and follow-up in 1996. Self-reported height and weight were used to calculate BMI and derive age-specific and sex-specific BMI%. Hours of television watched per day were obtained at baseline (BTV). The relations of BTV and BMI percentiles both at baseline and after 3 years were assessed with linear regression modeling. Results Of 2223 adolescents (52% male, 68% white), 5.85% (n=130) were overweight (BMI ≥95th percentile) at baseline and 5.40% (n=120) at follow-up. Mean BTV was 2.85 (SD, 1.98). In adjusted models, with each additional hour of BTV, the baseline BMI% increased by .9, and the follow-up BMI% increased by .47. Adolescents who watched more than 2 hours of television a day were twice as likely to be overweight at follow-up as adolescents who watched ≤2 hours. Conclusions Television viewing leads to a subsequent increase in BMI percentiles and overweight. Efforts to decrease overweight should consider interventions to reduce television time.
Electroretinographic Measurements for Comparison of Visual Sensitivity of Wild and Mass-Reared Screwworm Flies, Cochliomyia Hominivorax (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Visual sensitivity of wild and mass-reared screwworm flies, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), was compared by use of the electroretinographic technique. Wild females and field-captured mass-reared females were visually more sensitive than females taken directly from the mass-rearing facility. Females were more sensitive than males. Some difference in sensitivity was found due to age of both males and females, but not when male and female responses were combined. Large variations were found among individual flies. There was no significant difference between irradiated and nonirradiated mass reared flies.
Accuracy of assessment of the extent of examination by experienced colonoscopists

One hundred colonoscopies were done. The colonoscopist noted whether the cecum had been intubated as well as the markers used to make this determination. With the colonoscope in position at maximum penetration, a radiologist independently determined its position using fluoroscopy, with a contrast agent delivered through the colonoscope. The cecum was entered in 86 of 100 cases. The tip of the colonoscope was at the level of the ileocecal valve in nine additional cases; the colonoscopist judged that the cecum was well seen in five of these nine. In one case, the colonoscopist overestimated the extent of the examination when transillumination in the right lower quadrant was the only confirming marker. When the more reliable markers (ileocecal valve, appendiceal orifice, converging indentations of the taenia coli in the cecal pole) were seen, no errors were made. Experienced colonoscopists are accurate in assessing the extent of colonoscopy and fluoroscopic confirmation is not routinely needed. When reliable markers are not seen during the examination, a barium enema, preferably with air contrast, should be done.
The Extracellular Domain of the β1 Subunit Is Both Necessary and Sufficient for β1-like Modulation of Sodium Channel Gating

The type IIA voltage-gated sodium Na+ channel from rat brain is composed of a large, pore-forming α subunit and the auxiliary subunits β1 and β2. When expressed in Xenopus oocytes, the β1 subunit modulates the gating properties of the type IIA α subunit, resulting in acceleration of both inactivation and recovery from inactivation and in a negative shift in the voltage dependence of fast inactivation. The β1 subunit is composed of an extracellular domain with a single immunoglobulin-like fold, a single transmembrane segment, and a small intracellular domain. A series of chimeras with exchanges of domains between the Na+ channel β1 and β2 subunits and between β1 and the structurally related protein myelin P0 were constructed and analyzed by two-microelectrode voltage clamp in Xenopusoocytes. Only chimeras containing the β1 extracellular domain were capable of β1-like modulation of Na+ channel gating. Neither the transmembrane segment nor the intracellular domain was required for modulation, although mutation of Glu158 within the transmembrane domain altered the voltage dependence of steady-state inactivation. A truncated β1 subunit was engineered in which the β1 extracellular domain was fused to a recognition sequence for attachment of a glycosylphosphatidylinositol membrane anchor. The β1ec-glycosylphosphatidylinositol protein fully reproduced modulation of Na+ channel inactivation and recovery from inactivation by wild-type β1. Our findings demonstrate that extracellular domain of the β1 subunit is both necessary and sufficient for the modulation of Na+ channel gating.
Excitation, Inhibition and Rhythmical Activity in Hippocampal Pyramidal Cells in Rabbit

Euler, C. V. and J. D. Green. Excitation, inhibition and rhythmical activity in hippocampal pyramidal cells in rabbit. The activity pattern of single hippocampal pyramidal cells has been studied in rabbit under light urethane anaesthesia and with encephale isolein response to various stimuli. Deep depolarization leading to initial excitation followed by in-activation of spike generation has been found to be a commonly operating mechanism in the hippocampal pyramids. Such ‘inactivation processes’ have appeared spontaneously as well as in response to various stimuli. They may be driven with great precision as well as appearing rhythmically in after discharges. The ‘inactivation process’ was commonly followed by a hyper-polarization. Thus two different mechanisms of inhibition followed each other. Prolonged septal stimulation provoked trains of rhythmically recurring inactivation processes with bursts of declining spikes at the rising phase of each depolarizing wave. Close similarities between the theta rhythm and rhythmically recurring inactivation processes are described and it is suggested that the former is built up by the latter synchronously occurring in several neurones. The inactivation process was also found to be a commonly occurring cellular event during seizure activity.
Mapping of beta-tubulin genomic sequences in hexaploid oat (Arena sativa L.)

The allohexaploid nature of Avena sativa L. (2n=6x=42) and the availability of aneuploid lines was exploited in designing a strategy for mapping beta-tubulin sequences in the oat genome. Evidence for a minimum of eight beta-tubulin genes was obtained by Southern-blot analysis. Three betatubulin sequences were localized to chromosomes using DNA from monosomic and nullisomic lines in the variety Sun II. One sequence was localized to the chromosome missing in nullisome I. Two other sequences were mapped to satellite chromosome 2, the chromosome that is missing in nullisome VIII and to which one ribosomal RNA gene cluster had previously been mapped. Restriction fragments carrying these two beta-tubulin genomic sequences and the cluster of ribosomal RNA sequences were missing in DNA from nullisomics VIII, IX and X, suggesting that all three nullisome classes are deficient for an identical chromosomal segment that includes these three loci. This study demonstrates how molecular analyses can be used to characterize aneuploid stocks and to better define their genetic constitution.
Explaining causal closure

The physical realm is causally closed, according to physicalists like me. But why is it causally closed, what metaphysically explains causal closure? I argue that reductive physicalists are committed to one explanation of causal closure to the exclusion of any independent explanation, and that as a result, they must give up on using a causal argument to attack mind–body dualism. Reductive physicalists should view dualism in much the way that we view the hypothesis that unicorns exist, or that the Kansas City Royals won the 2003 World Series: false, but not objectionable in any distinctively causal way. My argument turns on connections between explanation, counterfactuals, and inductive confirmation.
Human Pleural Effusions Are Rich in Matrix Metalloproteinases

We identified and characterized type IV collagenase and gelatinase activity in pleural fluid from 32 patients. The capacity to substantially degrade type IV collagen was demonstrated in every pleural sample. Comparable results were also noted for the degradation of a radiolabeled gelatin substrate. Gelatin gel zymography of the pleural fluids revealed two prominent zones of lysis at 66 kDa and 92 kDa. These were identified by specific polyclonal antibodies as human matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9. The concentration of MMP-2 in pleural fluid, as measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay, averaged 1,622 ng/ml whereas those of MMP-9 were 210 ng/ml. Substrate degradation activity was compared in both serum and pleural fluid from three patients and found to be similar. In serum this enzymatic activity was primarily due to MMP-9 whereas in pleural fluid, the predominant gelatinase was MMP-2. This was confirmed by immunoassay that showed that MMP-2 levels were two to five times higher in pleural fluid than in serum. We conclude that substantial amounts of MMP-2 and, to a lesser degree, MMP-9 are present in pleural effusions. The bioactivity and the immunoactivity of these enzymes did not help to distinguish among pleural fluids characterized as transudates, nonmalignant exudates, or malignant exudates. The differences in the distribution of these enzymes in pleural fluid and blood suggest that their presence is not due simply to the ultrafiltration of plasma, but rather to synthesis by the resident cells at the pleural surfaces.
Community characterization of anaerobic methyl tert‐butyl ether (MTBE)‐degrading enrichment cultures

Use of the fuel oxygenate methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) has led to widespread environmental contamination. Anaerobic biodegradation of MTBE observed under different redox conditions is a potential means for remediation of contaminated aquifers; however, no responsible microorganisms have been identified as yet. We analyzed the bacterial communities in anaerobic-enriched cultures originating from three different contaminated sediments that have retained MTBE-degrading activity for over a decade. MTBE was transformed to tert-butyl alcohol and the methyl group used as a carbon and energy source. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA genes showed that the MTBE-utilizing microcosms established from different sediment sources had substantially different community profiles, suggesting that multiple species are capable of MTBE biodegradation. The 16S rRNA genes from one enrichment culture were cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis showed a diverse community, with phylotypes belonging to the Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Chloroflexi and Thermotogae. Continued enrichment on MTBE further reduced the community to three predominant phylotypes, as evidenced by T-RFLP analysis, which were most closely related to the Deltaproteobacteria, Firmicutes and Chloroflexi. These three common operational taxonomic units were detectable in the enrichments from Atlantic and Pacific coastal samples. Identification of the microorganisms important in mediating anaerobic MTBE transformation will provide the foundation for developing tools for site assessment and bioremediation monitoring.
A study of MODE dynamics

Abstract The feasibility of estimating horizontal divergence from variations of ( ∂ρ ∂z ) along density surfaces is examined. Regions of divergence are deduced from ( ∂ρ ∂z ) distributions and corroborated by independent evidence. One event of convergence in the near-surface layers leads to ‘pooling’ and also appears in the bottom pressure records. Some features in the deep water are related to regions of divergence in the main thermocline. The deep flows, in turn, are important in modifying features in the main thermocline. Vorticity changes in the near surface layers are as large as 30% of 2 Ω sin θ while those in the main thermocline and in deep water are about 10% of 2 Ω sin θ.
Factors that influence lexical and semantic fast mapping of young children with specific language impairment.

Purpose This purpose of this study was to investigate the lexical and semantic fast mapping ability of young children with specific language impairment (SLI) and normal language (NL), with a specif...
Responses of psychotic adolescents to PPVT-R items of human versus nonhuman content.

Earlier research (Atlas, 1986) suggested that children with severe emotional disturbance (autism or schizophrenia) may have greater difficulty with Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test items featuring human versus nonhuman content, consistent with social detachment. The present research examined this pattern in a more diverse group of adolescents, with the prediction that schizophrenic-spectrum disordered youngsters would show greater difficulty with human content than youngsters showing other subtypes of psychoses. Successive admissions to an Acute Adolescent Unit of 44 adolescents carrying a diagnosis of psychosis were administered the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, Forms M or L, in counterbalanced order. The comparison groups were Schizophrenic Disorder (n = 12), Psychotic Depression (n =9), and Atypical Psychosis (n = 23). As scores of the last two groups were very similar, they were combined into one group for analyses. The adolescenrs ranged in age from 11.5 to 18.3 yc, with a mean of 15.2 yr. Parental education and occupations available for 33 of 44 cases showed the typical participant as coming from a family in which at least one parent worked in a position of service or unskilled labor and the highest education achieved was nine to 12 years of school. There were no significant between-group chfferences in age or parental socioeconomic data. The revised Peabody test-forms feamre plates containing four pictures of human beings or of inanimate objects or animals. The examinee is required to point to or otherwise indicate the picture which illustrates the meaning of a word stated by the examiner Indices of item difficulty for the revised Peabody tests yield a human to nonhuman item difficulty ratio of 1.1:1, indicating that human-content items are more difficult by a factor of .1. The mean content ratio for the schizophrenic group was .95, corrected to 1.05, with a SD of .17. This is not significantly different from the standardization group but significantly lower (t,, = 3.22, p<.01, two-tailed) than the combined Depressed Psychotic and Atypical Psychotic group (mean of 1.26, corrected to 1.38, with a SD of .52). The two groups did not differ significantly on mean Peabody standard scores (64.8 vs 76.7; SDs = 15.1 and 19.3). The results suggest a parallel, if not a continuity, between the phenomenology of childhood and adolescent schizophrenic psychoses. The avoidance of human contact or detachment common in schizophrenic-spectrum disorders, reflected in more impaired responsivity to human stimuli, contrasts with other types of psychoses which otherwise share with schizophrenia the feature of a breakdown in ordered perception of the environment. Further research supporting this contrast may yield implications for differential psychotherapeutic approaches.
Elia Kazan: A Life

Stage director of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "On The Waterfront" among others, tells of his background from a Greek immigrant family in New York to the heights of success and his controversial relationships with legendary figures like Marlon Brando, Tennessee Williams and James Dean. With his director's eye for the telling scene, Kazan shares the joys and complications of production, his insights on acting, directing and producing. He talks with candor about himself as husband and, in the many years when he obsessively sought adventure outside marriage, as lover. He discusses the Communist Party years and his wrenching decision in 1952 to be a co-operative witness before HUAC. He also gives a revealing portrait of Marilyn Monroe.
Effect of Pneumatic Suction Ring Placement on Intraocular Pressure in Cats

Purpose: To determine the effect of placing a pneumatic suction ring on intraocular pressure (IOP) in the cat and to design an improved method to generate a stable elevation of IOP.
Preventing and Alleviating Milk Fat Depression By Feeding 1,3-Butanediol to Cows

Abstract Two trials determined effects on milk composition of feeding 5% 1,3-butanediol (BD) diets to lactating cows. The first trial with seven cows tested whether BD would alleviate milk fat depression. The second trial with 12 cows was designed to determine if BD would prevent fat depression. Comparisons were between a preliminary period on a normal diet and an experimental period on a fat-depressing diet with and without BD. In both trials, milk fat percentage and total fat production were higher for the cows fed BD than for the controls but were slightly lower than during the preliminary period when a normal ration was fed. Fat-depression diets increased milk protein percentage compared with the preliminary period in Trial 1, but there was no difference in either trial caused by BD feeding. Cows fed BD maintained milk production at the preliminary period average, but controls declined slightly. 1,3-Butanediol feeding had no consistent effect on rumen pH or rumen volatile fatty acid concentrations. Blood ketone concentrations were higher for the cows fed BD, but BD feeding had little effect on blood glucose. 1,3-Butanediol seems to have strong possibilities as a feed additive to prevent or alleviate milk fat depression in lactating cows.
INADMISSIBILITY OF THE MAXIMUM-LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATOR OF THE INVERSE GAUSSIAN MEAN

Abstract The traditional estimator of the mean of an inverse Gaussian distribution is the sample mean, which is the maximum likelihood estimator and the best unbiased estimator. In this paper alternative estimators of this parameter are introduced. They are shown to improve under quadratic loss on the sample mean which establishes the inadmissibility of the latter. To illustrate the extent of the improvement some numerical results are given.
Improved Integer Ambiguity Resolution Technique for Fixed Arrays

A method for quickly and accurately determining the integer ambiguities associated with carrier phase measurements on a rigid antenna array is presented. Residuals generated from the difference between the global positioning system measurements and the hypothesized value have been used in the multiple-hypothesis Wald sequential probability test (MHWSPT) to resolve the integer ambiguities. The new technique involves augmenting these residuals with new residuals constructed from the known baseline distances between the antennas in the array. Experimental results using this augmented set of residuals in the MHWSPT demonstrate an approximately eightfold reduction compared to that using only the residual set without augmentation in the time required to determine the integer ambiguities to desired levels of certainty.
A detailed examination of boronic acid–diol complexation

Abstract Boronic acids bind with compounds containing diol moieties with high affinity through reversible boronate formation. However, the conditions that foster tight binding between the diol and the boronic acid are not well understood. Also, due to the multiple ionic states of both the boronic acid and boronate ester, the equilibrium constants reported in the literature have not always been strictly defined, and therefore there is a lack of ‘comparability’ between the reported values. To address these issues, we have developed a method for examining boronate ester stability using the fluorescent reporter Alizarin Red S. We have used this system to determine the binding constants of a series of diols, and as a basis from which to derive a number of relationships that correlate the various equilibrium constants in the literature.
Secure communications over hybrid military networks

Stealthiness can be described as a disposition to be sly and to do things surreptitiously. This paper presents a new architecture for flexible and secure networking in battlefields that enables stealthy and covert communication in the presence of node mobility. Our architecture is based on the combination of optical (fiber) and wireless links. Our objective is to be able to carry on undeterred communication without the attack/eavesdropping nodes being able to detect the presence of any communication. This objective is not only crucial for successful completion of the operation, but also for the safety of our mobile nodes, by not giving out their locations. We combine the advantages of optical links, such as high bandwidth, low delays, low error rates, good security, with the advantages of wireless links, such as mobility and flexibility, along with directional antennas for communication. From security point of view, we also assume presence of red zones, which are the ones controlled by the adversary or where the adversary can trace wireless activities.
Relation of ice formation to ultrastructural cryoinjury and cryoprotection of rough endoplasmic reticulum.

Abstract Ultrastructural observations on the frozen state of pancreatic acinar cells were correlated with results of parallel studies before freezing and after thawing, as to cryoinjury and cryoprotection. Data support an hypothesis of freezing injury based upon intracellular ice and solution effects during rapid and slow freezing, respectively. The basis for superiority of extracellular over intracellular glycerol in cryoprotection was demonstrated in terms of these factors. Evidence is offered to explain the ultrastructural cryoinjury and cryoprotection of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) seen after thawing, relative to the combined effects of freezing rate and glycerol. Slow freezing, in combination with the presence of extracellular glycerol, provided sufficient dehydration to almost completely suppress intracellular ice formation, yielding minimal ultrastructural alteration of RER. Greatest cryoinjury, expressed as extensive conversion of RER into sphere-like vesicles, was induced by the extensive intracellular ice formation which accompanied rapid freezing. A mechanism is suggested to explain physical damage of RER by intracellular ice.
Refinement of an Organizational Skills Intervention for Adolescents with ADHD for Implementation by School Mental Health Providers

The purpose of the study was to modify, test, and refine the Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS) intervention for adolescents with ADHD for use by school mental health (SMH) providers. Ten SMH providers from three school districts implemented the HOPS intervention with 11 middle school students with ADHD. Parent and teacher ratings of materials organization and homework management were collected pre- and post-intervention and treatment fidelity was assessed. SMH providers and teachers participated in focus groups and provided feedback on ways to improve the feasibility and usability of the HOPS intervention. Students made large improvements in organizational skills (d = 1.8) and homework problems (d = 1.6) according to parent ratings; however, no improvements were observed on teacher ratings. Qualitative data generated from coding the focus groups and audio-recorded HOPS sessions were combined with the quantitative results to systematically refine the HOPS intervention for further evaluation of intervention effectiveness and disseminability.
Terrestrial Planet Finder cryogenic delay line development

Delay lines provide the path-length compensation that makes the measurement of interference fringes possible. When used for nulling interferometry, the delay line must control path-lengths so that the null is stable and controlled throughout the measurement. We report on a low noise, low disturbance, and high bandwidth optical delay line capable of meeting the TPF interferometer optical path length control requirements at cryogenic temperatures.
Prod Production Typewriting with Drills

(1976). Prod Production Typewriting with Drills. The Journal of Business Education: Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 178-183.
Atorvastatin induces apoptosis in vitro and slows growth of tumor xenografts but not polyp formation in MIN mice.

Background Despite the availability of effective surveillance for colorectal cancer with colonoscopy, relatively few at-risk individuals utilize this option. Colon cancer chemoprevention might be a more acceptable alternative. Some epidemiologic studies have suggested that statins may have chemopreventive effects without the risks of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, but other epidemiologic studies have found no effect of statins.
Acoustic and olfactory behaviour of Ips pini (Say) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) during host invasion and colonisation1

The vertex-pronotal stridulatory apparatus of the female is described; the male lacks this sound producing apparatus. Females stridulated in stress, attraction, in-gallery, and rivalry contexts. In contrast to some Dendroctonus species, I. pini (females) had similar attraction and rivalry chirps, which differed from stress chirps. In-gallery chirps were longer and had a slower pulse rate than all other chirps, and were multiply interrupted. Their function was not ascertained. Attraction chirps produced by females attempting to enter a hole containing a male plus three females had more pulses/chirp and a faster pulse rate than chirps produced during attempts to enter galleries with either more or fewer females. Olfactory studies showed that the decrease in secondary attraction depended on the relation between the number of females/male in the gallery and elapsed time since the last female entered. However, these results do not indicate whether the aggregation retarding mechanism was the release of an antiattractant or merely cessation of production of the aggregative pheromone. The mean female/male sex ratio of the I. pini attracted to the test situations was 1.4/1.0, indicating a selective advantage to attracting excess males. Early colonisation observations showed that, in Oregon, nuptial chamber construction was completed within 1.4 days and the male accepted three females by 3.3 days. Zusammenfassung Das chemoakustische Verhalten von Ips pint (Say) (Col: Scolytidae) wahrend des Befalles und der Kolonisation des Wirtsbaumes Der Lauterzeugungsapparat des Weibchens von Ips pint wird beschrieben; das Mannchen besitzt keinen solchen Apparat. Die Weibchen stridulieren wahrend eines Stres-, Attraktions- und Rivalenverhaltens. Im Gegensatz zu einigen Arten der Gattung Dendroctonus produzieren die Weibchen von Ips pint Attraktion- und Rivalensignale, die akustisch ahnlich sind, sich jedoch von den Stres-Signalen unterscheiden. Die Verhaltensuntersuchungen uber die Wahrnehmung der Lockstoffe im Freiland haben gezeigt, das die Abnahme in der sekundaren Attraktion von der Zahl der Weibchen per Mannchen im Frasgange abhangig ist sowie auch von dem Zeitabschnitt, seitdem das letzte Weibchen in den Frasgang eindrang. Es ist noch nicht klar, ob diese Attraktionsabnahme durch die Abgabe eines anti-attraktiven Pheromons oder durch die Beendigung der Pheromonproduktion verursacht wird.
Effects of Exchange Interaction in Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor Quantum Wells

The presence of transition metal ions (typically Mn2+) in diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) results in a strong spin-spin coupling between localized magnetic moments and band electrons. This leads to considerable modifications of the semiconductor band structure in the presence of strong magnetic fields, e.g., to large spin-dependent shifts of the electronic states at the band edge. This feature is of particular interest in the context of quantum wells involving DMS. Starting with the original idea of a “spin-superlattice”, we concentrate on various opportunities which arise due to the tunability of the depth of the quantum wells by the magnetic field and/or temperature associated with the aforementioned spindependent effects. Thus, we discuss boil-off and freeze-out of electrons to and from quantum wells, selective spin tunneling across the barriers, tunable infrared emitters, enhancement of electronic g-factors in shallow non-magnetic wells surrounded by DMS barriers, the possibility of transition from a type-1 to a type-il superlattice induced by the magnetic field, and quantum oscillations anomalies in DMS quantum wells.
Lactation mastitis: a descriptive study of the experience.

This descriptive study of 31 women diagnosed with lactation mastitis in the midwestern United States investigated mastitis symptomatology, self-care and treatment, burden of mastitis, and symptom r...
Factors Limiting Colonization of Western New York Creeks by the Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

Abstract The New York State Erie Barge Canal was first colonized by the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) in 1989. Canal water supplements flows in many creeks in western New York, including six creeks in Monroe County that have not been colonized by zebra mussels. We chose Salmon Creek to study why zebra mussels have not colonized regional creeks because the rocky substrate of the creek appears ideal for colonization, yet 100 meters downstream from the input of canal water to the creek adult zebra mussel densities drop to less than one mussel m−2. In the summer of 1993 veliger counts in the canal averaged 52 times greater than they were in Salmon Creek, yet water quality, current velocity, and particulate organic carbon concentrations in the creek and the canal were very similar. Chlorophyll a in the canal was higher than in the creek. Given the appropriate physical habitat and water quality conditions and an abundant source of veligers, the factors limiting zebra mussel colonization in Salmon Creek re...
TM-LDA: efficient online modeling of latent topic transitions in social media

Latent topic analysis has emerged as one of the most effective methods for classifying, clustering and retrieving textual data. However, existing models such as Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) were developed for static corpora of relatively large documents. In contrast, much of the textual content on the web, and especially social media, is temporally sequenced, and comes in short fragments, including microblog posts on sites such as Twitter and Weibo, status updates on social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, or comments on content sharing sites such as YouTube. In this paper we propose a novel topic model, Temporal-LDA or TM-LDA, for efficiently mining text streams such as a sequence of posts from the same author, by modeling the topic transitions that naturally arise in these data. TM-LDA learns the transition parameters among topics by minimizing the prediction error on topic distribution in subsequent postings. After training, TM-LDA is thus able to accurately predict the expected topic distribution in future posts. To make these predictions more efficient for a realistic online setting, we develop an efficient updating algorithm to adjust the topic transition parameters, as new documents stream in. Our empirical results, over a corpus of over 30 million microblog posts, show that TM-LDA significantly outperforms state-of-the-art static LDA models for estimating the topic distribution of new documents over time. We also demonstrate that TM-LDA is able to highlight interesting variations of common topic transitions, such as the differences in the work-life rhythm of cities, and factors associated with area-specific problems and complaints.
Study of the Effect of Pinning Particles on Grain Size Distributions

The present paper studies grain growth in the presence of inert particles by performing large-scale simulations using a parallel Monte Carlo Potts model. The effect of the second phase particles on the grain size distribution (GSD) is analyzed. The GSDs diverge markedly from log-normal distribution for normal grain growth case. For the cases with low volume fraction of particles, we find that the grain size distributions approach log-normal as stagnation takes hold. For the cases with a high volume fraction of particles, however, medium-size grains reach the log-normal distribution but both lower and upper tails diverge noticeably from the log-normal distribution over time.
Effects of a new tetrahydroisoquinoline (NC-7197) in experimental cardiogenic shock.

Abstract Intravenous administration of 1·0 mg/kg of NC-7197 to open and closed-chest anaesthetized dogs immediately after induction of cardiogenic shock by miliary coronary embolization resulted in significant haemodynamic improvement and prolonged survival. These results suggest that NC-7197 may prove to be valuable in the initial management of myocardial infarction complicated by hypotension and shock.
The pharmacology of calcium channel antagonists: a novel class of anti-migraine agents?

SYNOPSIS, The calcium channel antagonists are a recently developed class of vasodilators that prevent the influx of calcium into vascular smooth muscle. The unique pharmacologic effects of these agents provide a theoretical basis for their use in the treatment of migraine. First, the calcium channel antagonists inhibit the actions of all vasoactive substances on intracerebral smooth muscle via a blockade of the "final common pathway" of cellular contraction. Secondly, the vascular effects of the calcium channel antagonists are selective for intracerebral versus peripheral vessels. Clinically, two specific calcium antagonists (flunarizine, cinnarizine) and two non-specific antagonists (cyproheptadine, amitriptyline) are effective in the treatment of migraine. Further studies will determine whether the calcium channel antagonists, as a class of agents, are effective in the treatment of migraine and other forms of vascular headache. This novel class of vasodilators also provides a powerful tool for the critical evaluation of the vascular theory of migraine.
Kronecker Deltas in Angular Momentum for Weak Processes

Kronecker deltas in angular momentum for weak processes are shown to be required by current algebra and conspiracy relations. Theoretical and experimental consequences of such nonanalytic pieces are discussed.
Groups Admitting a Kantor Family and a Factorized NormalSubgroup

We study the structure of a finite group G admitting a Kantor family \kf of type (s,t) and a nontrivial normal subgroup X which is factorized by {\cal F} \cup {\cal F}^*. The most interesting cases, giving necessary conditions on the structure of G and the parameters s and t, are those where a further Kantor family is induced in X, or where a partial congruence partition is induced in the factor group G/X. Most of the known finite generalized quadrangles can be constructed as coset geometries with respect to a Kantor family. We show that the parameters of a skew translation generalized quadrangle necessarily are powers of the same prime. Furthermore, the structure of nonabelian groups admitting a Kantor family consisting only of abelian members is considered.
An hypothesis test technique for determining a difference in sampled parts defective utilizing Fisher's exact test IC production

The result of sample testing during the production of integrated circuits is often a very small number of parts defective out of a sample which is itself very small compared to its population. The ability to determine a statistically significant difference when comparing the results of two such samples is critical in correctly evaluating the outcome of experiments. Fisher's exact test can be used in this situation because it is a method for testing the difference between two proportions of parts defective when the proportions are relatively small in comparison to the sample size. The results of the test are very accurate when the populations are at least ten times the sample size. The result of the test is independent of the order of the samples. However, because the test is one-sided, care must be taken to state the alternative hypothesis based upon the order of the magnitudes of the sample fractions defective. >