cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quality conversion of non-acoustic signals for facilitating human-to-human speech communication under harsh acoustic conditions

Harsh acoustic conditions limit the effectiveness of human speech communication to a great extent. There is a consensus that even at moderate SNR levels, traditional speech enhancement techniques tend to improve the perceptual quality of speech rather than its intelligibility. As an alternative, non-acoustic contact sensors have recently been developed for noise-robust signal capture. Although relatively immune to ambient noise, due to alternative pickup location and non-acoustic principle of operation, signals measured from these sensors are of lower speech quality and intelligibility when compared to those obtained from a conventional microphone in clean conditions. To facilitate human-to-human speech communication under acoustically adverse environments, in this study we present and evaluate a probabilistic transformation framework to improve perceptual quality and intelligibility of signals acquired from one such sensor entitled: physiological microphone (PMIC). Results from both objective and subjective tests confirm that incorporating this framework as a post-processing stage yields significant improvement in overall quality and intelligibility of the PMIC signals.
SV40-Mediated immortalization.

Human diploid cells have a limited life span, ending in replicative senescence, in contrast to cell lines derived from tumors, which show an indefinite life span and are immortal, suggesting that replicative senescence is a tumor suppression mechanism. We have utilized introduction of SV40 sequences to develop matched sets of nonimmortal and immortal cell lines to help dissect the mechanism of immortalization and have found that it has multiple facets, involving both SV40-dependent and -independent aspects. These studies have led to the identification of a novel growth suppressor gene (SEN6) as well as providing a model system for the study of cellular aging, apoptosis, and telomere stabilization among other things. It is anticipated that SV40-transformed cells will continue to provide a very useful experimental system leading to insights into the behavior of cells with altered expression of oncogenes and growth suppressor gene products.
Synthesis of Deoxyradicinin, an Inhibitor of Xylella fastidiosa and Liberibacter crescens, a Culturable Surrogate for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus.

Pierce’s disease of grapevine and citrus huanglongbing are caused by the bacterial pathogens Xylella fastidiosa and Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), respectively. Both pathogens reside wit...
Either Bandwagon Effect or Need for Uniqueness? Motivational Factors Driving Young Adult Consumers’ Luxury Brand Purchases: An Abstract

As young adult consumers have driven much of the growth in the luxury goods market, they become an important target group for luxury brand managers. As more young adult consumers gain access to luxury, it is imperative to understand key determinants that impact their luxury brand purchases. Based on the “Functional Theories of Attitudes,” this study aims to examine the impact of both need for uniqueness and bandwagon effect on multi-motivational functions of attitudes and purchase intentions toward luxury brands with a focus on young adult consumers in order to expand the general understanding of this emerging market and develop appropriate marketing strategies to enhance business success. A total of 711 college students at a Midwestern and a Southern university in the United States participated in the online survey. Respondents who had purchased at least one luxury good (n = 540) were used for this study. Using structural equation modeling, this study finds that both young adult consumers’ need for uniqueness and bandwagon effect of luxury brands positively influenced their functions of attitudes and purchase intentions toward luxury brands. Bandwagon effect can be explained through the conspicuous consumption behavior. In the case of luxury brands with high bandwagon effect, consumers would consume more conspicuous luxury fashion goods to communicate their conformity toward the noticeable branded goods. The need for uniqueness concept in luxury fashion goods consumption reflects one’s self-directed hedonic pleasure attained from using of the luxury goods. This hedonic experience would be heightened through expressing one’s individuality through unique and different luxury goods than others. Interestingly, compared to the direct effect of need for uniqueness, bandwagon effect had much stronger impact on both attitudes and purchase intentions toward luxury brands. This means that young adult consumers tend to have a stronger drive to conform to others by following trends or imitating popular styles and brand choices. Adopting luxury goods allows them to stand out from others by expressing their individualistic or unique style when they shop for luxury brands. This result does not reject the importance of need for uniqueness, yet highlights the greater importance of bandwagon effect in the luxury brand consumption context. These findings offer marketing insights that highlight the greater importance of bandwagon effect in the luxury brand consumption when focusing on young adult segment of luxury consumers.
Craniofacial and Long Bone Development in the Context of Distraction Osteogenesis.

Background Bone retains regenerative potential into adulthood, and surgeons harness this plasticity during distraction osteogenesis. The underlying biology governing bone development, repair, and regeneration is divergent between the craniofacial and appendicular skeleton. Each type of bone formation is characterized by unique molecular signaling and cellular behavior. Recent discoveries have elucidated the cellular and genetic processes underlying skeletal development and regeneration, providing an opportunity to couple biological and clinical knowledge to improve patient care. Methods A comprehensive literature review of basic and clinical literature regarding craniofacial and long bone development, regeneration, and distraction osteogenesis was performed. Results The current understanding in craniofacial and long bone development and regeneration is discussed, and clinical considerations for the respective distraction osteogenesis procedures are presented. Conclusions Distraction osteogenesis is a powerful tool to regenerate bone and thus address a number of craniofacial and appendicular skeletal deficiencies. The molecular mechanisms underlying bone regeneration, however, remain elusive. Recent work has determined that embryologic morphogen gradients constitute important signals during regeneration. In addition, striking discoveries have illuminated the cellular processes underlying mandibular regeneration during distraction osteogenesis, showing that skeletal stem cells reactivate embryologic neural crest transcriptomic processes to carry out bone formation during regeneration. Furthermore, innovative adjuvant therapies to complement distraction osteogenesis use biological processes active in embryogenesis and regeneration. Additional research is needed to further characterize the underlying cellular mechanisms responsible for improved bone formation through adjuvant therapies and the role skeletal stem cells play during regeneration.
Health Disparities in Calorie Knowledge and Confidence Among the U.S. Adult Population

PurposeObesity prevalence has reached an all-time high in the US, affecting >40% of the population. This study’s objective was to evaluate associations between demographics and self-reported calori...
Teenagers’ Perceptions of the Influence of Advertising and Price Versus Peers, Parents, Social Context, and Personal Choice on Their Consumer Behavior

This study examined the differences in the degree of perceived influence among teenagers regarding marketer- and nonmarketer controlled factors in the product categories of alcohol and clothing purchases. Results showed that personal choice and peer influence were crucial in both categories, especially during the pre--teen and early teen years; price was very important for current purchases; advertising was notably unimportant for alcohol but much more important for clothing.
Adding injury to insult: fracture risk after stroke in veterans.

Aim:To determine fracture risk in U.S. stroke patients and identify patient characteristics that predict highest fracture risk in two complementary cohorts. Secondary analyses of two prospective cohorts. Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers. The VA Acute Stroke (VASt) cohort includes 1,073 veterans admitted to nine VA hospitals for stroke between April 1995 and March 1997. The Integrated Stroke Outcomes Database (ISOD) includes 6,578 veterans who received inpatient rehabilitation for stroke at 121 VA facilities during fiscal years 2001 and 2002. Fractures detected using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, codes in the VA computerized patient record system; baseline patient characteristics and stroke features; Functional Independence Measures scores in ISOD. Estimated 2-year fracture rates after stroke in the VASt and ISOD cohorts were 6.1% and 4.7%, respectively. Longer hospitalizations for stroke (P=.06) and new motor or sensory impairment (P=.09) showed trends toward greater risk in the VASt cohort. Female sex (P <.001), cognitive impairment (P=.01), and nonblack race (P=.04) were associated with higher fracture risk in the ISOD. Intermediate functional impairment conferred higher fracture risk than mild or severe functional impairment. Veterans who suffer a stroke are at high risk of subsequent fracture, which can lead to further disability. Women, nonblacks, and those with intermediate functional impairment were at particularly high risk of fracture. Future study should investigate therapies to decrease fracture risk in stroke patients. Language: en
RA and DA satellite access schemes: a survey and some research results and challenges

This paper surveys the most popular random access RA, demand assignment DA, and hybrids schemes for satellite broadband access networks. In addition, we present some recent research results that we obtained when a reliable transmission control protocol, that is, TCP, is coupled with the most promising RA methods foreseen in the second generation of Digital Video Broadcasting-Return Channel via Satellite standard. In fact, the necessity to support a wider range of IP-based traffic, as in the case of either Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition systems or Machine-to-Machine communications, fosters the introduction of RA schemes for information transport able to cope with large network sizes and low duty cycle bursty traffic with frequent inactivity periods on the return link. As an indication of future research aspects, we also offer, in the Conclusions section, a list of items to be investigated so that the satellite can become an integral part of the Future Internet. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Genes of Lettuce and Closely Related Species

Nomenclature rules are proposed for naming and symbolizing genes for lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). To date, 59 loci have been identified, including 6 influencing anthocyanin, 10 chlorophyll genes, 11 affecting leaf morphology, 4 genes influencing heading, 7 genes for flower and seed characteristics, 7 male sterile genes, 1 gene affecting sensitivity to chemicals, and 13 genes for disease resistance. Several cases of multiple alleles and gene linkage are known.
For-Credit Bar Exam Preparation: A Legal Writing Model

Given the ABA's recent decision to permit law schools to offer a bar exam preparation course for credit, schools now have an enhanced opportunity to increase the percentage of their students who pass the profession's all-important licensing exam. For many law schools, an effective means of taking advantage of this opportunity could be a for-credit course focusing exclusively on the written portions of the bar exam and targeting primarily those students whose law school grades place them at the greatest risk of failing the exam. Offering a for-credit course on only the written portions of the exam, in lieu of a comprehensive bar exam preparation course, taps a strength of law schools - teaching the skills of legal reading, analysis and writing. It also leaves to the omnipresent commercial preparation courses what they best provide and what law schools are disinclined or ill-equipped to provide: comprehensive outlines and rote lecturing on substantive law, and practice multiple-choice questions from the Multistate Bar Exam. Providing a for-credit course specifically on writing for the bar exam makes particular sense at schools whose graduates take the bar exam mostly in jurisdictions that place greater scoring weight on the written portions of the exam, and at schools whose graduates tend to perform better on the multiple choice questions than on the written ones. Both of these factors hold true at the school where I teach, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, which offers a two-credit bar writing course. Through invitation letters and a priority enrollment procedure, the law school ensures the course includes a large percentage of students whose academic performance places them at higher risk of failing the bar exam. In the course, students write answers to several practice essays and a performance test under test-taking conditions and receive extensive feedback through various means. Initial lay statistical analysis suggests the course has had a positive impact on the law school's bar passage rate.
Fuel-Air Mixing and Combustion in a Two-Dimensional Wankel Engine

A two-equation turbulence model, an algebraic grid generalization method, and an approximate factorization time-linearized numerical technique are used to study the effects of mixture stratification at the intake port and gaseous fuel injection on the flow field and fuel-air mixing in a two-dimensional rotary engine model. The fuel distribution in the combustion chamber is found to be a function of the air-fuel mixture fluctuations at the intake port. It is shown that the fuel is advected by the flow field induced by the rotor and is concentrated near the leading apex during the intake stroke, while during compression, the fuel concentration is highest near the trailing apex and is lowest near the rotor. It is also found that the fuel concentration near the trailing apex and rotor is small except at high injection velocities.
Epilogue: New Levels of Complexity in the Functional Roles of Modular Protein Interaction Domains: Switches and Sockets in the Circuit Diagrams of Cellular Systems Biology

It has not been that long since the modular interaction domains presented in this book appeared merely as multicolored, oddly shaped beads on linear strings representing multidomain proteins. As the chapters of the book document, however, sustained efforts during the past decade have imparted to each of these beads a specific 3D structure at atomic resolution and a specific character reflecting their individual biochemical properties and cellular functions. And yet, as noted by Elia and Yaffe in Chapter 8 on phosphoserine/threonine binding domains, these modules can also exhibit “a remarkable amount of functional and structural diversity” in the various genomes, so that the study of such domains provides insights into the manner in which their function “has been repeatedly rediscovered during evolution”, embedded in different structural contexts. Conversely, it is also clear from the description of the modules throughout this book that most of them cannot be considered to be monofunctional. Even after being educated by this compendium about the remarkable functional plasticity of the individual domains, it is still striking to witness in the rapidly growing literature evidence for additional varieties of unexpected functions that can be achieved by combinations of the modules described in this book. This remarkable new development in the functional understanding of modular domains comes both from artificial constructs produced by protein engineering of module combinations and from the discovery and analysis of combinations brought together by evolution. These findings generate a new image of the modular interaction domains – already discernable in the wealth of structural and functional information contained in every chapter of this book – that suggests that they function as organizing units for protein–protein interactions in the cell. Unlike other protein families involved in processes requiring regulated protein–protein interactions, these modular domains may not exhibit intramolecular allosteric behavior, since most of them are likely to lack the flexibility and dynamic properties exhibited by other types of conserved modules, such as the nucleotide binding subunit (Gα) of the heterotrimeric G proteins [1] (see, however [2]). Together, the interactive selectivity and functional versatility of these domains, their compact and parsimonious structures, and the fact that the sequences of multidomain proteins contain repetitive (albeit not always identical) copies of such modules,
Poor hand hygiene by college students linked to more occurrences of infectious diseases, medical visits, and absence from classes.

Background Proper hand hygiene has been linked to lower susceptibility to infectious diseases in many types of communities, but it has not been well established on college campuses. This study investigated the hand hygiene statuses of college students and their occurrences in relation to infectious diseases, medical visits, and absence from classes or work. It also examined the effects of education on handwashing technique to improve hand hygiene. Methods College students enrolled at a university in Northwestern Ohio were recruited as study subjects. Microbial samples were collected 3 times from each of the 220 valid volunteers before washing their hands, after washing with their own procedures, and after washing with a procedure recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Each volunteer also answered a survey including questions on their health conditions, medical visits, and absence from classes or work. Results Hands of 57.7% volunteers were colonized by an uncountable number of microbial colonies, which were significantly linked to more occurrences to infectious diseases ( P P P = .09). The handwashing procedure provided by the CDC significantly improved hand hygiene. Conclusion It is critical to promote education on proper handwashing in colleges, in grade schools, and at home to improve health and learning outcomes.
ANALYTIC THEORY OF RELATIVISTIC INTERACTIONS.

Based on the Lie algebra of the Poincar\'e group, a method for constructing relativistic interactions is proposed. This approach sheds light on previous difficulties and opens the way to the treatment of others that have resisted solution by the traditional approach.
In situ observation of the generation of isothiocyanates from sinigrin in horseradish and wasabi

Abstract Sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been used to determine the chemical identity of the sulfur-containing species in horseradish (Armoracia lapthifolia) and wasabi (Wasabia japonica) in situ, before and after cell disruption. The major sulfur-containing species in the intact root is sinigrin (1-thio-β- d -glucopyranose 1-N-(sulfoxy)-3-buteneimidate) and related congeners. Disrupting the cells by applying local pressure allowed the conversion of the sulfur moieties in sinigrin to isothiocyanates and sulfate in approximately equimolar amounts. In contrast to previous suggestions, no detectable thiocyanates were formed, but an unusual thio intermediate may have been identified for the first time.
External Quality Assurance in Estonian Higher Education: its glory, take‐off and crash

Abstract This article gives an overview of the recent developments in external quality assurance in Estonian higher education. The author has rejected a common approach to deal with the recent changes in Central and Eastern Europe as revolutionary ones and demonstrates how the newly established procedures represent an unfortunate mixture of traditional thinking within the region with a radical rejection of the recognition of the existence of this legacy. Describing the former authoritarian quality assurance measures of the Soviet Union, the breakdown of the former system, and the introduction of new procedures advocated within the region by various international organisations and consultants, the author shows how the procedures, not internalised by the academic community and not related to the character of the particular higher education system, led to the recovery of the former concentration of power at the highest possible level.
Cotranslational Folding Increases GFP Folding Yield

Protein sequences evolved to fold in cells, including cotranslational folding of nascent polypeptide chains during their synthesis by the ribosome. The vectorial (N- to C-terminal) nature of cotranslational folding constrains the conformations of the nascent polypeptide chain in a manner not experienced by full-length chains diluted out of denaturant. We are still discovering to what extent these constraints affect later, posttranslational folding events. Here we directly address whether conformational constraints imposed by cotranslational folding affect the partitioning between productive folding to the native structure versus aggregation. We isolated polyribosomes from Escherichia coli cells expressing GFP, analyzed the nascent chain length distribution to determine the number of nascent chains that were long enough to fold to the native fluorescent structure, and calculated the folding yield for these nascent chains upon ribosome release versus the folding yield of an equivalent concentration of full-length, chemically denatured GFP polypeptide chains. We find that the yield of native fluorescent GFP is dramatically higher upon ribosome release of nascent chains versus dilution of full-length chains from denaturant. For kinetically trapped native structures such as GFP, folding correctly the first time, immediately after release from the ribosome, can lead to lifelong population of the native structure, as opposed to aggregation.
Imaging of the esophagus in children

The main role of the esophagus is to facilitate passage of food from the mouth to the stomach. A number of conditions can alter esophageal structure or function including congenital anomalies, trauma, infection, and neoplasm. This article reviews the anatomy, imaging evaluation, and common problems seen in the pediatric thoracic esophagus.
Comparison of growth rates in the enrollments and numbers of graduates for US medical and pharmacy schools.

To the Editor. The statement by Brown and the follow-up statement by Knapp and Schommer in a recent issue of the Journal are informative and thought-provoking for the academy, as well as for the profession of pharmacy as a whole.1,2 Brown opines that the growth in the number of pharmacy graduates since the beginning of the 21st century will result in “looming joblessness” for pharmacy graduates. Knapp and Schommer acknowledge that “pharmacy education expansion is a key issue,” and that the academy “likely overshot the ideal balance” between demand and supply with reference to pharmacy graduates since the start of the 21st century. With these concerns in mind, it is enlightening to consider the growth in medical school enrollments over a comparable period of time as reported in a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine.3 Data summarized in the New England Journal of Medicine report that the 10-year growth rate in first-year enrollments in US medical schools (both allopathic and osteopathic) between 2002 and 2012 was 30%. The projected 15-year first-year enrollment growth rate between 2002 and 2017 is 44%. These percentages can be viewed as reasonably consistent with the recommendation in 2006 by the Association of American Medical Colleges for a 30% increase in medical school enrollments over a 10-year period.3 Data reported by Brown are in terms of the number of pharmacy graduates rather than first-year enrollments.1 However, since the attrition rates in US medical schools are historically below 10%, first-year medical school enrollment data can serve as a reasonable surrogate for number of graduates.4 Data reported in Brown’s article indicate that the 10-year growth rate in the number of US pharmacy graduates between 2001 and 2011 was 71%. The projected 15-year growth rate between 2001 and 2016 is 105%. These comparisons make it clear that the growth rates in enrollments and graduation numbers in US pharmacy colleges and schools during the first 2 decades of the 21st century have been more than double the comparable rates of growth in US medical schools. This seems to provide further credence to the points made by Brown, and by Knapp and Schommer in their articles.
Diffraction by macromolecular fluids

X-Ray diffraction data on n-alkane fluids ranging from n-butane to polyethylene are analysed to yield the relative contributions from intra- and inter-molecular scattering. The intramolecular contributions are calculated from an exact rotational-isomeric-state model at short length scales, and approximated by a semiflexible chain model on global scales. With increasing chain length, the intermolecular pair distribution functions show a general decrease in short-range structure along with the predicted self-screening, or de Gennes ‘correlation hole’, whereby sites on different chains are partially excluded from close approach to sites on a given chain.
Factors affecting interactions between prion protein isoforms.

Interactions between normal, protease-sensitive prion protein (PrP-sen or PrP c ) and its protease-resistant isoform (PrP-res or PrP sc ) are critical in transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) diseases. To investigate the propagation of PrP-res between cells we tested whether PrP-res in scrapie brain microsomes can induce the conversion of PrP-sen to PrP-res if the PrP-sen is bound to uninfected raft membranes. Surprisingly, no conversion was observed unless the microsomal and raft membranes were fused or PrP-sen was released from raft membranes. These results suggest that the propagation of infection between cells requires transfer of PrP-res into the membranes of the recipient cell. To assess potential cofactors in PrP conversion, we used cell-free PrP conversion assays to show that heparan sulphate can stimulate PrP-res formation, supporting the idea that endogenous sulphated glycosaminoglycans can act as important cofactors or modulators of PrP-res formation in vivo . In an effort to develop therapeutics, the antimalarial drug quinacrine was identified as an inhibitor of PrP-res formation in scrapie-infected cell cultures. Confirmation of the latter result by others has led to the initiation of human clinical trials as a treatment for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. PrP-res formation can also be inhibited using a variety of other types of small molecule, specific synthetic PrP peptides, and an antiserum directed at the C-terminus of PrP-sen. The latter results help to localize the sites of interaction between PrP-sen and PrP-res. Disruption of those interactions with antibodies or peptidomimetic drugs may be an attractive therapeutic strategy. The likelihood that PrP-res inhibitors can rid TSE-infected tissues of PrP-res would presumably be enhanced if PrP-res formation were reversible. However, our attempts to measure dissociation of PrP-sen from PrP-res have failed under non-denaturing conditions. Finally, we have attempted to induce the spontaneous conversion of PrP-sen into PrP-res using low concentrations of detergents. A conformational conversion from α-helical monomers into high-β-sheet aggregates and fibrils was induced by low concentrations of the detergent sarkosyl; however, the aggregates had neither infectivity nor the characteristic protease-resistance of PrP-res.
A male murine model of partial bladder outlet obstruction reveals changes in detrusor morphology, contractility and Myosin isoform expression.

ABSTRACTPurpose: Mice with gene deletion or targeted over expression are important for understanding the remodeling that follows partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO). This condition predominates in males. We produced PBOO in male mice and now report the physiological, histological and molecular consequences.Materials and Methods: Male C57bl/6 mice were surgically obstructed or subjected to sham surgery and unoperated mice served as controls. Four weeks later the bladders were excised and their function was assessed with in vitro whole bladder cystometry. The optimum volume for pressure generation was determined and isometric pressures were measured for field stimulation and depolarization with KCl. Bladder hypertrophy was classified as severe—bladder mass greater than 50 mg or mild—bladder mass less than 50 mg. The percent muscle fraction was determined by histological analyses. The expression of C-terminal (SM1 and SM2) and N-terminal (SM-B and SM-A) isoforms of myosin heavy chain was analyzed by re...
Regioselective inhibition of benzo(a)pyrene metabolism by corticosterone in comparison with metyrapone and α-naphthoflavone

Corticosterone was investigated for its ability to inhibit benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) metabolism and was compared to metyrapone and alpha-naphthoflavone. Corticosterone inhibited aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity nonlinearly in hepatic microsomes from uninduced, phenobarbital-induced, or 3-methylcholanthrene-induced rats. When compared to the classic inhibitors metyrapone and alpha-naphthoflavone, corticosterone had inhibitory properties similar to each. Metabolism of BaP to dihydrodiols was inhibited at the K-region by corticosterone only in uninduced microsomes. Dihydrodiol formation at the Bay region, which leads to the putative ultimate carcinogen, was not affected by corticosterone in uninduced or phenobarbital-induced microsomes but stimulated in 3-methylcholanthrene-induced microsomes. These findings suggest that corticosterone regioselectively inhibits cytochrome P-450 mediated oxidation of BaP to less mutagenic metabolites while stimulating the formation of highly mutagenic products.
CD4‐independent binding of HIV‐1 to the B lymphocyte receptor CR2 (CD21) in the presence of complement and antibody

Complement and antibody contribute to infection-enhancement and possible expanded cellular tropism of HIV-1 in vitro through a process requiring complement receptors. Until now, however, the ability of HIV-1 to bind complement receptors has not been documented or characterized. We investigated whether antibody and complement permitted HIV-1 to bind to the B lymphocyte receptor, CR2 (CD21), in an effort to learn more about infection-enhancement, and also because CR2 can mediate B cell proliferation and antigen localization in lymphoid organs in other systems. HIV-1 incubated with antibody and fresh human serum as a source of complement bound approximately 10-fold greater to cells expressing CR2 than to HIV-1-permissive cells lacking this receptor. A similar effect was observed using cells which expressed CR2 but no CD4. This binding was minimal in heat-inactivated and C3-deficient sera, and was significantly reduced by the anti-CR2 MoAb, OKB7, but not by the anti-CD4 MoAb, OKT4a. Thus, complement and antibody acted in concert to facilitate the binding of HIV-1 to CR2 independently of CD4. CD4-independent binding of HIV-1 to CR2 was not sufficient to produce infection in Raji-3 cells. Titres of antibodies mediating CR2 binding correlated with antibody titres as measured by immunofluorescence (P < 0.01) and infection-enhancement (P < 0.05) but were discordant with titres of neutralizing antibodies, a result consistent with the utilization of CR2 for enhanced infection of cells. The ability of complement and antibody to facilitate the binding of HIV-1 to CR2 in the absence of CD4 provides new insights into mechanisms of HIV-1-induced immunopathogenesis and infection-enhancement.
Primary biliary cirrhosis: relation between hepatic function and pulmonary function in patients who never smoked.

We studied the relationship between selected variables of hepatic and pulmonary function in 47 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, who were participating in a prospective study to assess sequential pulmonary function at yearly intervals. An additional 20 patients with primary biliary cirrhosis, who were liver transplant candidates awaiting transplantation, were studied. None of the 67 patients ever smoked cigarettes. Severity of primary biliary cirrhosis was characterized by histological stage and the Mayo risk score derived from a Cox regression model that used the following variables: serum bilirubin and serum albumin levels, age, prothrombin time and clinical severity of edema. Pulmonary function assessment included key variables describing expiratory airflow (forced expiratory volume in 1 sec divided by forced vital capacity) and efficiency of gas exchange (steady-state diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide). We found a significant relationship between histological stage of primary biliary cirrhosis and steady-state diffusing capacity (p = 0.02) and between the Mayo risk score for disease severity and steady-state diffusing capacity (p = 0.03). Progressive deterioration of steady-state diffusing capacity was associated with increasing severity of primary biliary cirrhosis. No relationship existed between pulmonary function and the presence of sicca complex or Sjogren's syndrome or the clinical manifestations of portal hypertension (e.g., esophageal varices, ascites and splenomegaly). No significant relationship existed between expiratory airflow and severity of primary biliary cirrhosis. We conclude that in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis who have never smoked, a statistically significant relationship exists between the severity of the liver disease and the efficiency of gas exchange measured by steady-state diffusing capacity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Nuclear collective motion and the Born-Oppenheimer approximation

Abstract This paper attempts to implement the analogy between nuclear collective dynamics and the dynamics of molecular rotation and vibration. The procedure used is illustrated for the case of a single canonical pair Q , K of collective operators. It contains two essential steps. First, the construction of a factorable trial function modelled after the well-known Born-Oppenheimer ansatz. Redundant degrees of freedom are eliminated by projection. Second, a decomposition of the hamiltonian into a series, each term being the product of a power of the collective momentum K and of a cofactor which commutes with the collective position operator Q . This decomposition is unique. These two steps, used in conjunction, lead to an expression for the mean energy in terms of a collective hamiltonian H (p, q) . Two optimization conditions are applied, which jointly determine both the intrinsic wave function and the exact form of the collective operator Q (given its general nature). As a result of several well-defined approximations in the evaluation of H (p, q) , a self-consistent cranking-type expression energes for the inertial parameter. Small amplitude oscillations near the unconstrained equilibrium are described by RPA-type equations.
The Risk of Emerging Hedge Fund Managers

This study analyzes the risk profile of emerging hedge funds and managers using a clean definition of age that is not affected by backfill bias. Emerging funds and managers have particularly strong financial incentives to create investment performance but, because of the concavity of performance fees, may also have incentives to assume greater risk. We find that the typical fund volatility, whether adjusted for the sector or not, tends to be higher in the early years. This result, however, is entirely driven by the sample of dead funds. We also find that funds that belong to a multi-fund family tend to have less risk, as do funds run by managers who have previously run another hedge fund. Both findings confirm the importance of reputation effects. Finally, we find that smaller funds have higher risk and greater attrition.
Psychophysics. Putting plaids in perspective.

Farell has described1 a “new view” of the stereo-matching problem. He claimed that occlusion relationships in natural scenes introduce interocular positional shifts in all two-dimensional (2D) directions, which putatively demonstrates that “horizontal disparity is not a reliable cue to depth” in natural scenes. Farell argued that the visual system must therefore search locally in all 2D directions to establish correspondence.
The H-1 and the RV viruses and pregnancy: Serological study of certain groups of pregnant women

The recent reports of the isolation of the H-1 and H-3 viruses from human fetuses suggest that these “rat viruses” may be responsible for human fetal morbidity and mortality. In addition, experimental studies in hamsters have shown these viruses to be capable of producing fetal death or mongoloid-like changes when injected during pregnancy or in the neonatal period. To determine the possible significance of human infection with the H-1 and RV virus (serologically related to H-3 virus), serial serum specimens from 130 women whose pregnancies terminated in either (1) spontaneous abortion, (2) stillbirth, (3) mongolism, or (4) congenital defects involving bone and cartilage, were tested for antibody along with specimens from 260 matched controls. Two patients demonstrated antibody against the H-1 virus. One patient had serological evidence of infection with the H-1 virus during pregnancy; however, there appeared to be no caused relationship between infection and the abnormal outcome of the pregnancy.
The effect of tension during drying on the structure and mechanics of poly(p‐phenylene benzobisthiazole) fibers

The effect of tension during drying on the structure and mechanics of poly(p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBT) fibers has been investigated. The application of tension during drying on PBT fibers spun from anisotropic solutions of PBT/Polyphosphoric acid (PPA) results in an enhancement of tensile modulus and yield strength with a reduction in strain to break. The alterations in the tensile properties can be attributed to the straightening of the wet fibrillar network and the reduction in the axial compressive stresses which develop during drying. Modifications in the mechanical behavior of PBT fibers through tension drying can be achieved regardless of the initial spin draw ratio of the fiber. Additionally, tension drying provides a means to maximize the potential stiffness of PBT fibers which have a low spin draw ratio. Lastly, these investigations show that in the processing of PBT fibers, preventing the onset of buckling and aligning the wet fibrillar network with tension during drying is more effective in enhancing the tensile properties than straightening the dried buckled fibers.
Adaptive energy-management features of the IBM POWER 7 chip

The IBM POWER7® processor implements several new adaptive power-management techniques that, in concert with the EnergyScalei firmware, allow it to proactively take advantage of variations in workload, environmental conditions, and overall system utilization to meet customer-directed power and performance goals. These features build on the support and the capabilities provided by its predecessor, i.e., the IBM POWER6™ processor. Among these are per-core frequency scaling with available autonomous frequency controls, per-chip automated voltage slewing, power-consumption estimation, soft power capping, and hardware instrumentation assist.
SOME REMARKS ABOUT LIQUID METALS

Abstract This paper proposes that the liquid state in metals consists of clusters, or globs, of ordered material separated by very thin layers of defects. The nature of the defects surrounding each glob and separating it from neighboring globs is the main feature of the theory. The volume of each defect and the energy to produce it is found to be only a fraction of that required to produce an ordinary vacancy in a solid. A close correlation is shown to exist between this theory and Eyring's theory of significant structures.1-7 The heats of fusion and the volume changes on melting can be computed, as can be the coordination numbers in the liquid state.
A stock-market-driven approach to managing the finances of a multinational corporation

Abstract Large multinational companies (MNCs) were designed originally to be priced in only one stock market, namely that of the headquarters country. With financial signals coming from many national capital markets in which they operate, financial managers of MNCs have difficulty in making financial decisions which maximize value. Particularly in the case where MNCs generate more value through financial means than from goods and services, managers should adopt a strategy alternative, namely to make financial value an explicit objective by moving closer to individual markets in countries in which they operate. Specifically, John Edmunds and David Ellis recommend that MNCs should list their subsidiaries on the local stock exchanges in the countries where they operate. This financial `repackaging' should create value by making the value of the sum of the parts greater than the whole. A numerical example illustrates.
Hydroxylation of prostaglandin E1 by kidney cortex microsomal monooxygenase in the guinea pig

Abstract The incubation of [5,6-3H]prostaglandin E1 ([3H]PGE1) with guinea pig kidney cortex microsomes in the presence of NADPH in an atmosphere of air, resulted in chromatographically polar metabolites. The incubation products were treated with base which converted PGE1 derivatives into PGB1 derivatives, with a λmax = 278 nm and the products were analyzed by TLC and high pressure-liquid chromatography (HPLC). Based on UV absorption, mobility on TLC and retention time in HPLC, as compared with authentic compounds, it was concluded that the two polar UV-absorbing peaks in HPLC represented 19-hydroxy-PGB1 (19-OH-PGB1) and 20-hydroxy-PGB1 (20-OH-PGB1). Further identification of the metabolites was obtained by derivatizing the incubation products as methyl esters and t-butyldimethylsilyl ethers, followed by co-injection with similarly derivatized authentic compounds in HPLC and gas chromatography. Finally, the derivatized metabolites were identified by comparing their mass fragmentation with that of similarly derivatized authentic compounds. There was an absolute requirement for NADPH, and NADH did not significantly support the hydroxylation of PGE1. Inhibitors of microsomal monooxygenase (SKF 525A, metyrapone, and cytochrome c) inhibited the hydroxylation of PGE1 by kidney cortex microsomes. By contrast, carbon monoxide at a CO:O2 ratio of 5:1 did not inhibit the hydroxylation of PGE1, pointing to a low or lack of CO sensitivity of the hydroxylation of PGE1. The addition of PGE1 or laurate to guinea pig kidney cortex microsomes elicited Type I spectral changes. The spectral dissociation constant (Ks) for PGE1 was 2.4 × 10−4 m . The kinetic constants for 19- and 20-hydroxylations of PGE1 were determined. The KM values for the 19- and 20-hydroxylation pathways were found to be identical, being 3.3 × 10−4 m , suggesting that the same enzyme is involved in both hydroxylations; however, the Vmax values for 19-hydroxylation and 20-hydroxylation of PGE1 were 50 nmol/hr and 20.8 nmol/hr respectively. These results demonstrate that PGE1 is a substrate for the kidney cortex microsomal monooxygenase. The similarities and differences of the kidney monooxygenase in the guinea pig with that in the rat are discussed.
Obesity and its comorbid conditions

Obese patients are at an increased risk for developing many medical problems, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, stroke, sleep apnea, gallbladder disease, hyperuricemia and gout, and osteoarthritis. Certain cancers are also associated with obesity, including colorectal and prostate cancer in men and endometrial, breast, and gallbladder cancer in women (1-6). Excess body weight is also associated with substantial increases in mortality from all causes, in particular, cardiovascular disease. More than 5% of the national health expenditure in the United States is directed at medical costs associated with obesity (7). In addition, certain psychologic problems, including binge-eating disorder and depression, are more common among obese persons than they are in the general population (8.9). Finally, obese individuals may suffer from social stigmatization and discrimination, and severely obese people may experience greater risk of impaired psychosocial and physical functioning, causing a negative impact on their quality of life (10).
Mast cells on the mind: new insights and opportunities.

Mast cells (MCs) are both sensors and effectors in communication among nervous, vascular, and immune systems. In the brain, they reside on the brain side of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), and interact with neurons, glia, blood vessels, and other hematopoietic cells via their neuroactive prestored and newly synthesized chemicals. They are first responders, acting as catalysts and recruiters to initiate, amplify, and prolong other immune and nervous responses upon activation. MCs both promote deleterious outcomes in brain function and contribute to normative behavioral functioning, particularly cognition and emotionality. New experimental tools enabling isolation of brain MCs, manipulation of MCs or their products, and measurement of MC products in very small brain volumes present unprecedented opportunities for examining these enigmatic cells.
Future Device Modeling Trends

Good transistor models are essential for efficient computer-aided-design (CAD) of nonlinear microwave and RF circuits, monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), power amplifiers (PAs), and nonlinear RF systems. Increasingly complicated demands of the various semiconductor technologies (e.g., GaAs pHEMTs, InP double heterojunction bipolar transistors (DHBTs), silicon on insulator (SOI), LDMOS, GaN HFETs, etc.), and their applications in terms of power and frequency of operation and complexity of applied signals (e.g., modern communication signals with high peak-toaverage ratios) have placed commensurate requirements on the accuracy and generality of the device models used for design. New semiconductor material systems (e.g., GaN) have been developing at such a fast rate that conventional compact modeling approaches may not be able to keep up. These and other challenges have spawned much research into the advanced nonlinear device modeling techniques that are the focus of this article.
Presynaptic inhibition of sympathetic neurotransmision by adenosine in the rat kidney

Abstract The effect of adenocine on response to sympathetic nerve stimulation was studied in the isolated perfused rat kidney. Adenosine al 1, 3 and 10 μg/ml caused significant impairment of renal sympathetic neurotransmission as evidenced in a dose-dependent induction in the vasoconstrictor response elicited by periarterial nerve stimulation at 2, 4 and 8 Hz. Vasoconstriction to exogenous norepinephrine was unaffected by adenocine except at 10 μg/ml where there was a slight reduction in response to norepinephrine. Theophyline. an adenocine receptor antagonist, inhibited the above action of adenosine at the frequencies of 2 and 4 Hz. At 2 Hz. 10 M theophylline completely blocked the effect of 1 and 3 μg/ml adenosine and reduced by 50% the inhibitory action of 10 μg/ml. Higher concentration of theophylline (50 μM) was required to antagonize the action of adenosine at 4 Hz. These results indicate that adenosine can inhibit sympathetic neurotransmission in the rat kidney through a presynaptic purinergic mechanism. The physiological and pharmacological significance of this presynaptic action of adenosine is discussed.
Small fatigue crack propagation from micronotches in the cast aluminum alloy W319

Abstract A methodology of creating defects in a cast aluminum alloy, using femtosecond pulsed lasers has been described. Small fatigue crack growth behavior of cracks initiated from these defects was examined as a function of temperature. The variation in growth rate with temperature was related to the extent of crack-tip plasticity.