cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Economic Function for the Crown? On Tallage, Taxation, and the Legal Status of the Jews

The image of Jews as a “royal milch cow” has been sustained by a web of interpretations linking Jewish taxation, the exchequer of the Jews, and Jewish legal status. In the most schematic accounts, tallage works to extort, and the exchequer of the Jews, to protect. The exchequer of the Jews and its subsidiary system of local loan chests are seen as protecting and privileging Jewish moneylending. By registering loans to Jews and providing them with a special court to collect their loans, the crown allowed Jewish moneylenders to swell with profit. The crown milked the Jews’ profits on moneylending by extorting arbitrary taxes, in other words, tallages. Several metaphors have been deployed by historical interpreters. Cecil Roth favored the domesticated cow swollen with milk after chewing the green grass of merry old England. Other less sympathetic imagery has drawn on the stereotype of the blood-sucking capitalist.
Retreat or Rebuild: Exploring Geographic Retreat in Humanitarian Practices in Coastal Communities

This chapter identifies an emerging discourse among humanitarian actors with regard to the planning and design of post-disaster geographic retreat of coastal communities. This chapter attempts to synthesize transdisciplinary knowledge in geography, landscape ecology and climate adaptation in order to offer insight into the unrecognized factors shaping the planning and design of the environments and landscapes of coastal retreat. This chapter evaluates the proposition that managing the cultural, environmental and economic byproducts of the former inhabited coastal geography are central to transformative adaptation. Particularly in light of sea level rise, autonomous landscape processes are central to these transformations. Beyond mere relocation, this chapter seeks to expand the definition of coastal retreat by examining the consequences and implications of existing frames defined by disaster resilience and housing, land and property issues. This chapter highlights two external case studies from Japan and the Philippines that provide qualitative evidence in an affirmation of the underlying theoretical proposition.
Large Scale Analytics of Vector+Raster Big Spatial Data

Significant increases in the volume of big spatial data have driven researchers and practitioners to build specialized systems to process and analyze this data. Existing efforts focus on either big raster data, e.g., remote sensing data or medical images, or big vector data, e.g., geotagged tweets or trajectories. However, when raster and vector data mix, one dataset must be converted to the other representation requiring vector-to-raster or raster-to-vector transformation before processing, which is extremely inefficient for large datasets. In this paper, we advocate a third approach that mixes the raw representations of both vector and raster data in the query processor. As a case study, we apply this to the zonal statistics problem, which computes the statistics over a raster layer for each polygon in a vector layer. We propose a novel method, called Scanline method, which does not require a conversion between raster and vector. Experimental evaluation on real datasets as large as 840 billion pixels shows up to three orders of magnitude speedup over the baseline methods.
Neurohormonal Aspects of Gallbladder Contractility in Gallstone Disease: The Role of Cholecystokinin

In recent decades, studies examining the pathogenesis of gallstone disease have predominantly addressed changes in the physicochemical properties of bile. Disturbances of the equilibrium between biliary levels of bile acids, phospholipids, and cholesterol are well-established factors promoting gallstone disease [1, 7, 47, 51, 140]. Considerable progress has also been made in our understanding about biliary nucleation and antinucleation factors [11, 14, 50, 53, 75, 78–80, 147, 174]. The gallbladder mucosa plays an important role in the synthesis and secretion of nucleation factors as well as in modifying bile composition via epithelial absorption.
The Principles of Metabolic Control

Theoretical biology attempts to construct basic principles of biology and, by derivation therefrom, to describe the behavior of biological systems. As such, the principles of metabolic control form a subset of the basic principles of theoretical biology.
Review of experimental study on melt pool natural convection behavior

Abstract In a hypothetical severe accident that happens in a light water reactor (LWR), the melt pool could be formed in the lower plenum of reactor pressure vessel (RPV). Remaining these molten materials inside RPV and preventing further leakage of these melt materials from RPV are treated as one of the severe accident management methods. In this aspect, one of the key issues is that the heat transfer from melt pool to RPV wall should be less than the corresponding critical heat flux (CHF) outside the vessel. The natural convection behavior in melt pools plays an important role in determining the heat flux from the melt pool to the RPV wall. Up to now, various experiments have been conducted to study the internally heated natural convection behavior in melt pools. In 1970s, several experiments were conducted, and mainly investigated the mechanism of internally heated natural convection phenomena. After TMI-2 and Chernobyl-4 severe accidents, such kinds of experiments were conducted worldwide, mainly aimed to further investigate the melt pool natural convection behavior in the lower plenum and conduct the experiment closer to the prototypical condition that may happen in a hypothetical severe accident. Some of these experiments were used to provide the data for severe accident management method assessment of their corresponding reactor types, and to solve the problems that were found or not solved by previous experiments. Especially the COPRA (COrium Pool Research Apparatus) experiment, of which the test section was the full scale and nitrate salt of which the physical properties are close to the prototypical material was used as the simulant material, improved the theoretical knowledge of the transient and steady-state phases of melt pool natural convection behavior. However, there are still uncertain and unclear phenomena related to the natural convection behavior in internally heated melt pools. This paper mainly summaries the melt pool natural convection experiments chronologically, and then points out the main remaining issues regarding the natural convection behavior in the melt pools in the RPV lower plenum.
Viking ’s ‘Semantic Gaps’

This chapter is part of a forthcoming edited volume exploring alternative approaches and readings of decisions of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) within their political, economic and legal contexts. This contribution focuses on the Viking judgment of December 2007, which, together with the Laval decision of the same month, is famous for subjecting the right to strike under national law to certain potential limitations deriving from European law. In the case of Viking specifically, those limitations flowed from the need to balance the right to strike against the freedom of establishment under ex Article 43 EC (now Article 49 TFEU). The specific holding in the case, however, as well as the ensuing controversy in the EU legal literature, are not really our concern here, or at least not directly. Rather, the focus of this chapter is on what the judgment does not say — on its 'semantic gaps', so to speak — most importantly between the ECJ's emphasis on balancing 'rights' in a constitutional/legal sense versus the European Commission's more technocratic/political role as manager of the Cohesion Policy — the EU's internal development policy for economically disadvantaged regions and member states. By focusing on these differing institutional and policy perspectives, this chapter seeks to refocus our attention on the broader challenge of legal, political, and economic 'convergence' that lies at the heart of the integration process, particularly after the EU’s enlargement to the east in 2004. The attempt at a combined perspective here also seeks to understand the tensions flowing from enlargement in the context of the political economy of market integration, with an eye to the historical experience in the North Atlantic world stretching back to the nineteenth century. The chapter concludes by reflecting on the relationship of the Viking controversy to a theory of institutional change along three dimensions — functional, political, and cultural — as well as on what this episode suggests for the continued tension between the national and the supranational (that is, between 'democracy' and 'demoi-cracy') in the ongoing crisis of European integration.
Heritage, Islam, and the Vernacular

AbstractThis special issue examines the mobilization of heritage preservation concerns as part of different processes of construction of tradition in Muslim contexts. Through contributions from archaeological, ethnographic, historical, archival, visual, and discursive analysis in Afghanistan, Ghana, Mali, Bahrain, as well as in museum institutions elsewhere, the discussions in this issue consider where and how heritage value is created, located, and mobilized by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, the management and preservation practices that are deployed to support it, and the ways in which different scholarly disciplines and power structures are implicated in the authorization of different types of preservation of heritage.
From Behaviorism to Constructivism: A Philosophical Journey from Drill and Practice to Situated Learning

Both behaviorism and constructivism stem from centuries of philosophical musing concerning the nature of reality, our perceptions of reality, and even whether reality, as we perceive it, actually exists. The first and third of these issues are perhaps more than we might want to discuss here, but the second seems fair game. It allows us to progress from philosophy to experimental psychology and, finally, to what we might say about one aspect of constructivist thinking, namely, the situation of learning in authentic experiences. This chapter suggests that constructivist prescriptions for situated learning may be derived from our philosophical roots, empirical findings from experimental psychology, and experiences with situated-learning environments that rely on simulations. Much of the empirical support that is reported here derives from the use of simulation in military training, but let’s start with some philosophers.
Odin Teatret, uma Força Propulsora: Ur-Hamlet no Castelo de Kronborg

Ur-Hamlet e uma producao de Eugenio Barba apresentada em 2006 no castelo de Elsinore, Dinamarca. O Odin Teatret trabalhou em colaboracao com muitos atores, bailarinos e musicos de diferentes culturas e tradicoes teatrais. O artigo descreve as relacoes que o Odin Teatret tem estabelecido com outros grupos teatrais do mundo inteiro, suas trocas e o conceito de Terceiro Teatro. Analisa as praticas artisticas usualmente aplicadas pelo Odin Teatret e como a integracao de atores com diferentes origens ocidentais e orientais foi marcada por suas trajetorias profissionais. Havia uma clara distincao entre os atores com diferentes formacoes e tempo de experiencia teatral e aqueles mais jovens, ocidentais, que participaram de oficinas do Odin Teatret.
Renal Manifestations in Lupus Pregnancy

The management of pregnancy in patients with SLE, lupus nephritis, and APS is complex and should start well before conception by evaluating maternal and fetal risks and medication adjustment. Interdisciplinary collaboration between the rheumatologist, nephrologist, and high-risk obstetrician is very important, and a careful treatment plan has to be drafted with close monitoring by involved specialties throughout the course of pregnancy.
Otoplasty Using Dermoperichondrial Flap as an Adjunct to Mustarde Suture Technique

Prominent ears are congenital deformities that are challenging to correct due to the risk of postoperative recurrence. While they have been traditionally reconstructed with cartilage excision or sc...
Participant Satisfaction with Computer-Delivered Intervention Components and Its Relation to Alcohol Outcomes

Few computer-delivered brief intervention (CDBI) studies have evaluated participant satisfaction with individual elements of the intervention, or whether participant satisfaction impacts interventi...
Spinopelvic Parameters Do Not Predict the Sagittal Orientation of the Acetabulum.

Background:The orientation of the acetabulum has a fundamental role in impingement and instability of the hip, and the spinopelvic parameters are thought to predict the sagittal orientation of the ...
Socialist and post-socialist urbanisms: critical reflections from a global perspective

Post-socialist cities possess qualities that often puzzle the urban studies reader since they unsettle common tropes of the modern Eurocentric urban condition. The question of whether we can make a...
Inflammation, Bone Healing and Osteonecrosis: From Bedside to Bench

Osteonecrosis of the epiphyseal and metaphyseal regions of major weight-bearing bones of the extremities is a condition that is associated with local death of bone cells and marrow in the afflicted compartment. Chronic inflammation is a prominent feature of osteonecrosis. If the persistent inflammation is not resolved, this process will result in progressive collapse and subsequent degenerative arthritis. In the pre-collapse stage of osteonecrosis, attempt at joint preservation rather than joint replacement in this younger population with osteonecrosis is a major clinical objective. In this regard, core decompression, with/without local injection of bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), is an accepted and evidence-based method to help arrest the progression and improve the outcome of early-stage osteonecrosis. However, some patients do not respond favorably to this treatment. Thus, it is prudent to consider strategies to mitigate chronic inflammation concurrent with addressing the deficiencies in osteogenesis and vasculogenesis in order to save the affected joint. Interestingly, the processes of inflammation, osteonecrosis, and bone healing are highly inter-related. Therefore, modulating the biological processes and crosstalk among cells of the innate immune system, the mesenchymal stem cell-osteoblast lineage and others are important to providing the local microenvironment for resolution of inflammation and subsequent repair. This review summarizes the clinical and biologic principles associated with osteonecrosis and provides potential cutting-end strategies for modulating chronic inflammation and facilitating osteogenesis and vasculogenesis using local interventions. Although these studies are still in the preclinical stages, it is hoped that safe, efficacious, and cost-effective interventions will be developed to save the host's natural joint.
Hydrogeophysical comparison of hillslope critical zone architecture for different geologic substratesHydrogeophysical comparison of CZ

ABSTRACTThe belowground architecture of the critical zone (CZ) consists of soil and rock in various stages of weathering and wetness that acts as a medium for biological growth, mediates chemical r...
Acceptability of Risk: Vinyl Chloride and RCRA Subtitle D, Potential Decision Framework

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently proposed to use risk-based performance standards in determining requirements for facility design, groundwater monitoring and corrective action for municipal solid waste landfills under Subtitle D of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Such standards could serve as a precedent for future Subtitle D rulemakings, i. e., for industrial nonhazardous waste management facilities. This paper proposes that the use of the policy framework established by the U.S. Court of Appeals on Section 112 of the Clean Air Act could be applied to other regulatory programs, including RCRA.
Automated Peritoneal Dialysis Symposium: Role of APD in Compliance with Therapy

Lack of compliance with prescribed treatment is an important cause of inadequate dialysis in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). The reported prevalence of noncompliance with treatment in PD varies from 5 to 38%. The predictors of noncompliance, its consequences, methods to identify and monitor compliance, differences in frequency between continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD) and automated PD (APD), and management are reviewed. The risk of noncompliance is greater in CAPD than in APD. Noncompliance should be managed by patient education and appropriate modification of therapy, including consideration of APD.
LIBOR’s Poker: Interbank Borrowing Costs and Strategic Reporting

The recent LIBOR scandals have demonstrated that the panel banks did not report in good faith, leading some to question whether LIBOR was ever accurate. This article derives the equilibrium LIBOR reporting strategy and quantifies the LIBOR bias. It finds that the current trimming mechanism cannot prevent LIBOR rigging, although LIBOR bias goes down with the cross-sectional dispersion of the panel banks' borrowing costs. This explains why LIBOR earned wide adoption before the financial crisis. Additionally, signaling caps LIBOR. However, hiding individual banks' report to the market blocks signaling altogether. Finally, there exists a mechanism that induces truthful reporting.
Data stream mining and resource adaptive computation

The problem of data streams has gained importance in recent years because of advances in hardware technology. These advances have made it easy to store and record numerous transactions and activities in everyday life in an automated way. The ubiquitous presence of data streams in a number of practical domains has generated a lot of research in this area. Example applications include trade surveillance for security fraud and money laundering, network monitoring for intrusion detection, bio-surveillance for terrorist attack, and others. Data is viewed as a continuous stream in this kind of applications. Problems such as data mining which have been widely studied for traditional data sets cannot be easily solved for the data stream domain. This is because the large volume of data arriving in a stream renders most algorithms to inefficient as most mining algorithms require multiple scans of data which is unrealistic for stream data. More importantly, the characteristics of the data stream can change over time and the evolving pattern needs to be captured. Furthermore, we need to consider the problem of resource allocation in mining data streams. Due to the large volume and the high speed of streaming data, mining algorithms must cope with the effects of system overload. Thus, how to achieve optimum results under various resource constraints becomes a challenging task. In this talk, I'll provide an overview, discuss the issues and focus on how to mine evolving data streams and perform resource adaptive computation.
Pelvic arteriography in the differential diagnosis of pelvic mass.

Abstract In an attempt to define reliable arteriography criteria for specific pelvic masses, 22 patients with large pelvic masses were studied by retrograde pelvic arteriography as part of their preoperative evaluation. Technique, findings, safety, and conclusions are discussed.
Statistical Significance as an Aid to System Performance Evaluation

Using forensic fingerprint identification as a testbed, a statistical framework for analyzing system performance is presented. Each set of fingerprint features is represented by a collection of binary codes. The matching process is equated to measuring the Hamming distances between feature sets. After performing matching experiments on a small data base, the number of independent degrees of freedom intrinsic to the fingerprint population is estimated. Using this information, a set of independent Bernoulli trials is used to predict the success of the system with respect to a particular dataset.
The Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Verification of Climate Change Projects

Because of concerns with the growing threat of global climate change from increasing emissions of greenhouse gases, the United States and other countries are implementing, by themselves or in cooperation with one or more other nations, climate change projects. These projects will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or sequester carbon, and will also result in non-GHG benefits (i.e., environmental, economic, and social benefits). Monitoring, evaluating, reporting, and verifying (MERV) guidelines are needed for these projects to accurately determine their net GHG, and other, benefits. Implementation of MERV guidelines is also intended to: (1) increase the reliability of data for estimating GHG benefits; (2) provide real-time data so that mid-course corrections can be made; (3) introduce consistency and transparency across project types and reporters; and (4) enhance the credibility of the projects with stakeholders. In this paper, we review the issues involved in MERV activities. We identify several topics that future protocols and guidelines need to address, such as: (1) establishing a credible baseline; (2) accounting for impacts outside project boundaries through leakage; (3) net GHG reductions and other benefits; (4) precision of measurement; (5) MERV frequency and the persistence (sustainability) of savings, emissions reduction, and carbon sequestration; (6) reporting by multiple project participants; (7) verification of GHG reduction credits; (8) uncertainty and risk; (9) institutional capacity in conducting MERV; and (10) the cost of MERV.
Ion irradiation damage effects in δ-phase Y6W1O12

Abstract Polycrystalline Y6W1O12 samples were irradiated with 280 keV Kr2+ ions to fluences up to 2 × 1020 ions/m2 at cryogenic temperature (100 K). Ion irradiation damage effects in these samples were examined using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The pristine Y6W1O12 possesses rhombohedral symmetry (structure known as the δ-phase), which is closely related to cubic fluorite structure. GIXRD and TEM observations revealed that the irradiated Y6W1O12 experiences an ordered rhombohedral to disordered cubic fluorite transformation by a displacement damage dose of ∼12 displacements per atom (dpa). At the highest experimental dose of ∼50 dpa, the uppermost irradiated region was found to be partially amorphous while the buried damage region was found to contain the same fluorite structure as observed at lower dose.
What users need in parallel tool support: survey results and analysis

Considerable effort and expense have been devoted to developing tools that support parallel programming. Recent evidence has show that users do not find the current generation of tools useful far their program development needs, but offers no guidance on how that problem might be addressed. This paper reports the results of a survey applied to a significant cross-section of the parallel user community (448 participants). The responses establish a number of general patterns in program development and tool use among scientists, engineers, and computer scientists. Our analysis suggests several likely directions for future tool development efforts. >
New algorithms for learning in presence of errors

We give new algorithms for a variety of randomly-generated instances of computational problems using a linearization technique that reduces to solving a system of linear equations. These algorithms are derived in the context of learning with structured noise, a notion introduced in this paper. This notion is best illustrated with the learning parities with noise (LPN) problem --well-studied in learning theory and cryptography. In the standard version, we have access to an oracle that, each time we press a button, returns a random vector a ∈ GF(2)n together with a bit b ∈ GF(2) that was computed as aċu+η, where u ∈ GF(2)n is a secret vector, and η ∈ GF(2) is a noise bit that is 1 with some probability p. Say p = 1/3. The goal is to recover u. This task is conjectured to be intractable. In the structured noise setting we introduce a slight (?) variation of the model: upon pressing a button, we receive (say) 10 random vectors a1, a2, ... , a10 ∈ GF(2)n, and corresponding bits b1, b2, ... , b10, of which at most 3 are noisy. The oracle may arbitrarily decide which of the 10 bits to make noisy. We exhibit a polynomial-time algorithm to recover the secret vector u given such an oracle. We think this structured noise model may be of independent interest in machine learning. We discuss generalizations of our result, including learning with more general noise patterns. We also give the first nontrivial algorithms for two problems, which we show fit in our structured noise framework. We give a slightly subexponential algorithm for the well-known learning with errors (LWE) problem over GF(q) introduced by Regev for cryptographic uses. Our algorithm works for the case when the gaussian noise is small; which was an open problem. Our result also clarifies why existing hardness results fail at this particular noise rate. We also give polynomial-time algorithms for learning the MAJORITY OF PARITIES function of Applebaumet al. for certain parameter values. This function is a special case of Goldreich's pseudorandom generator. The full version is available at http://www.eccc.uni-trier.de/report /2010/066/.
Monitoring the initial delivery of an oncolytic measles virus encoding the human sodium iodide symporter to solid tumors using contrast-enhanced computed tomography.

Background We aimed to determine the feasibility of monitoring viral delivery and initial distribution to solid tumors using iodinated contrast agent and micro-computed tomography (CT). Methods Human BxPC-3 pancreatic tumor xenografts were established in nude mice. An oncolytic measles virus with an additional transcriptional unit encoding the sodium iodide symporter (NIS), as a reporter for viral infection, was mixed with a 1:10 dilution of Omnipaque 300 (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA) contrast agent and injected directly into tumors. Mice were imaged with micro-CT immediately before and after injection to determine the location of contrast agent/virus mixture. Mice were imaged again on day 3 after injection with micro-single-photon emission CT/CT to determine the location of NIS-mediated 99mTcO4 transport. Results A 1:10 dilution of Omnipaque had no effect on viral infectivity or cell viability in vitro and was more than adequate for CT imaging of the intratumoral injectate distribution. The volume of tumor coverage with initial CT contrast agent and the 3-day postinfection measurement of virally infected tumor volume were significantly correlated. Additionally, regions of the tumor that did not receive contrast agent from the initial injection were largely devoid of viral infection at early time points. Conclusions Contrast-enhanced viral delivery enables a rapid and accurate prediction of the initial viral distribution within a solid tumor. This technique should enable real-time monitoring of viral propagation from initially infected tumor regions to adjacent tumor regions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A functional description of the buffered telemetry demodulator for the Galileo mission to Jupiter

The paper functionally describes a novel buffered telemetry demodulator (BTD) for the Galileo spacecraft's upcoming encounter with Jupiter. Due to an inoperative high gain antenna the Galileo signal is characterized by low data rates and an extremely weak space-to-ground communication link. The extremely weak downlink is expected to result in an unusually long acquisition time and frequent cycle slips. In this case, the BTD is most useful as it operates on recorded (or buffered) digital samples to extract symbols from the received signal. The key features of the BTD are (1) its ability to reprocess the signal to reduce acquisition time and enable resynchronization, (2) its ability to use future information about the signal and perform smoothing in the past to recover symbols lost during acquisition and resynchronization, (3) its minimized recording bandwidth as each harmonic of a square-wave subcarrier is recorded individually, and (4) its parallel architecture that enables a multi-processor implementation. The paper discusses baseband recording and demodulation schemes, as well as, the computational speed required to implement the BTD in software. Several general purpose computers that can be used for implementation are identified. >
The Survival of Public Alternative Schools: A Symbolic Perspective.

San Francisco's alternative schools have been maintained by management of symbols and adept administration.
Protein disulfide topology determination through the fusion of mass spectrometric analysis and sequence-based prediction using Dempster- Shafer theory

Background Disulfide bonds constitute one of the most important cross-linkages in proteins and significantly influence protein structure and function. At the state-of-the-art, various methodological frameworks have been proposed for identification of disulfide bonds. These include among others, mass spectrometry-based methods, sequence-based predictive approaches, as well as techniques like crystallography and NMR. Each of these frameworks has its advantages and disadvantages in terms of pre-requisites for applicability, throughput, and accuracy. Furthermore, the results from different methods may concur or conflict in parts.
The water vapor plumes of Enceladus

[1] The Cassini E3, E5, and E7 encounters with Enceladus probed the south polar plumes, where the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) measured neutral H2O molecular densities up to ∼109 cm−3. We have constructed a physical model for the expected water density in the plumes, based on supersonic radial outflow from one or more of the surface vents. We apply this model to possible surface sources of water vapor associated with the multiple jets observed in the visible dust plumes. Our model predictions fit well with the INMS measurements of neutral H2O density along the E3, E5, and E7 trajectories. The fit is optimized by values of outflow velocity in the range ∼550–750 m/s and values of total source rate in the range ∼1.5 − 3.5 × 1028 H2O molecules/s. The model can be extended to incorporate the jet features within the plume observed during the E7 encounter.
Quality Competition in the Security Software Market

Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented growth in the security software market. This market is fiercely competitive with about seven dozen vendors, yet, the price is high and coverage low. Although current research has examined these idiosyncrasies and has found the existence of a negative network effect as a possible explanation, an important question still remains: what possibly discourages product differentiation in this competitive market? We develop a comprehensive quantitative model to answer this question. Our analyses reveal that the negative network effect makes quality differentiation less likely, as well. Hence, our contributions are two-fold: (i) we explain why quality differentiation is often suboptimal for vendors in this market, and (ii) we generalize prior work to include asymmetric equilibriums and find that the presence of the negative network effect still provides insights into the unique structure of this market, with important strategic implications for vendors.
Effects of N-demethylated Carbachol on Iris and Ciliary Muscles

The tertiary nitrogen derivative of carbachol, N-demethylated carbachol, was synthesized to produce a drug that could be used as an alternative to pilocarpine in the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. Unlike pilocarpine, N-demethylated carbachol appeared to be stable in alkaline solutions. Since pilocarpine has to be dissolved in an acidic medium (pH 5.5) to prevent its destruction, 10%) in an unionized, penetrable form than does pilocarpine in high pH media. N-Demethylated carbachol acted as a full agonist on isolated dog iris and ciliary muscle preparations, whereas pilocarpine produced only 49 and 38% of the maximum tissue responses, respectively. These findings suggest that N-demethylated carbachol may be able to affect the outflow facility to a greater extent than is achievable with pilocarpine at high doses.
The central nervous system and atherogenesis: endothelial injury

Although it has been widely acknowledged that endothelial injury is an important contributing factor to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, and may even represent an initiating event, morphologic documentation of its occurrence both in humans and animals has been difficult to obtain. However, electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus in conscious, unrestrained animals on normal diets induces severe endothelial damage with cell loss and denudation in both aortas and coronary arteries. Continued stimulation results in intimal lesions with features of atherosclerotic plaques. The mechanism by which stimulation leads to endothelial injury is discussed and involves the induction of vasospasm. These observations are considered in the light of recent clinical and epidemiological studies, in which the role of neuropsychological and behavioral responses to psychosocial stimuli have been considered important risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis.
Creation of an Autocrine Model of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I Action in Transfected FRTL-5 Cells*

Although there is much evidence that insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is delivered to its target tissues via the circulation from distal sites of synthesis, many other observations suggest that it is synthesized in or near its target tissues and acts by autocrine and/or paracrine modalities. Studies of the mechanisms of such local actions, however, have been problematic, because in vivo studies of a single tissue are technically difficult and confounded by many variables, whereas in vitro studies of autocrine/paracrine actions have been limited by low levels of IGF-I expression and/or lack of dramatic or clearly defined responses to IGF-I. We, therefore, set about to create IGF-I expression in FRTL-5 cells, a diploid nontransformed line of rat thyroid follicular cells that have been extensively studied as a model of TSH action. The modest increase in thymidine incorporation stimulated by TSH in wild type FRTL-5 cells is markedly increased in the presence of exogenous IGF-I. By transfecting these cells...
A Basis for the Quantitative Comparison of Computer Number Systems

This paper describes aspects of an arithmetic design system (ADS) to support the quantitative evaluation of alternate number systems with respect to a given application and realization technology. In computer arithmetic we are concerned with establishing a correspondence between abstract quantities (numbers) and some physical representation (symbols), and with simulating the operations on these symbols. The ADS is intended to help study the cost and performance of alternate simulations. A finite number system is a triple consisting of a symbol set (elements are called "digit-vectors"), an interpretation set, a mapping between these two sets, and a set of operators (digit-vector algorithms) defined on its symbol set. A set of these digit vector algorithms are proposed for conducting arithmetic design. A number system matrix defines the digit vector algorithm for numerous number systems and a method for computing time and space complexity of compositions of these algorithms is proposed. An example of how the system could be used to compare addition, with and without out-of-range detection, for three number systems is given.
Generation of sequence-tagged sites from Xp22.3 by isolating common Alu-PCR products of radiation hybrids retaining overlapping human X chromosome fragments.

Several human diseases have been mapped to Xp22.3 on the distal short arm of the human X chromosome, and many genes in this area have been found to be expressed from the inactive X chromosome. To facilitate physical mapping and characterization of this interesting region, we have constructed a battery of radiation hybrids containing human X chromosomal fragments, and isolated two hybrid clones with overlapping fragments of Xp22.3.Alu-PCR on these hybrids and identification of sequences common to both hybrids allowed the isolation of six sequence-tagged sites (STSs) from Xp22.3. Five of the STSs were mapped to individual YACs comprising a recently constructed contig of this region. These novel STSs are useful markers for further physical characterization of this part of the genome.
Immunology: adaptable innate killers.

Natural killer cells are versatile white blood cells that act in the innate immune system. Quite how adaptable they can be in the absence of other, more specialized, immune cells comes as a surprise.
Attempts to produce achlorhydria in dogs by repeated gastric injury with heat and cold

Up to 21 gastric “freezing” treatments were given to 11 dogs with gastric fistulas and up to 11 heating treatments were given to 8 dogs in an attempt to induce sustained hypochlorhydria. A profound and sustained reduction of histamine response occurred in only 1 dog. Although endoscopic and histologic evidence of repeated and severe mucosal damage was observed, recovery occurred quickly. The recovery was quicker and more complete with heating than with freezing. The gastric mucosa of the dog has remarkable ability to recover from repeated, severe thermal injury.
A meta-analysis of comparative studies on Chinese and US students’ mathematics performance: Implications for mathematics education reform and research

Abstract US and China are reforming mathematics teaching by shifting from students’ attainment of facts and procedures toward development of competencies in reasoning, communication, connections, and problem solving, and application of these in real life contexts. Differences in students’ overall performance, curricula, and teachers’ knowledge and instruction between US and Eastern Asian countries are often used to support US reform with two obvious limitations. First, their performance has not been delineated into specific areas which raise questions about whether overall higher Asian mathematics performance over US is also evident in the specific US reform competencies. Second, Asians are often used as an indiscriminate group with inattention to different schooling and non-schooling factors between countries that might contribute differently to performances. This meta-analysis examines US and Chinese student mathematics performance studies and identifies the strengths and weaknesses in overall and specific competencies. It raises questions about theoretical assumptions, discusses limitations of research designs, and proposes research that may lead to a critical understanding of the quality of mathematics learning.
The integration of lean management and Six Sigma

Purpose – To eliminate many misconceptions regarding Six Sigma and lean management by describing each system and the key concepts and techniques that underlie their implementation. This discussion is followed by a description of what lean organizations can gain from Six Sigma and what Six Sigma organizations can gain from lean management.Design/methodology/approach – Comparative study of Six Sigma and lean management using available literature, critical analysis, and knowledge and professional experience of the authors.Findings – The joint implementation of the programs will result in a lean, Six Sigma (LSS) organization, overcoming the limitations of each program when implemented in isolation. A thorough analysis of the two programs provides some likely reasons why the programs alone may fail to achieve absolute perfection.Practical implications – A lean, Six Sigma (LSS) organization would capitalize on the strengths of both lean management and Six Sigma. An LSS organization would include three primary t...
Purification and characterization of novel glycosidases from the bacterial genus Xanthomonas

Enzymatic analysis of oligosaccharides using exoglycosidases has become a powerful tool for determining the sequence and structure of sugar chains. The principal limitation to these methods has been the lack of highly purified and well-characterized enzymes. Using fluorescently labelled carbohydrate substrates and TLC, we have developed a method to identify glycosidases with novel specificities. This screening method led to the discovery that bacteria of the genus Xanthomonas are a rich source of exoglycosidases. From Xanthomonas manihotis, eight novel exoglycosidases have been isolated and characterized. A novel beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase has been purified that, unlike those previously described, will cleave N-acetylglucosamine without cleaving N-acetylgalactosamine residues. A novel beta-galactosidase has been isolated that preferentially hydrolyses beta(1-->3) galactosyl linkages. Three alpha-mannosidases have been isolated that serve as useful reagents in the analysis of high-mannose oligosaccharide structures: alpha 1-3,6 mannosidase, alpha 1-6 mannosidase and alpha 1-2,3 mannosidase. An alpha 1-3,6 galactosidase has been purified that does not hydrolyse terminal alpha 1-4 galactose residues. Two fucosidases, alpha 1-3,4 fucosidase and alpha 1-2 fucosidase, are similar to enzymes purified from other sources. Together, these glycosidases provide powerful reagents for determining the sequence of complex carbohydrates. Equally important is their usefulness in selectively removing specific sugar residues and thereby creating novel carbohydrates for analysing the biological roles of oligosaccharides.
Hierarchical Selection Theory and Sex Ratios I. General Solutions for Structured Populations

Models of sex-ratio evolution in structured populations are derived withG. R. Price's covariance form for the hierarchical analysis of natural selection (1970, Nature 227, 520–521). Previous work on competition among related males for mates (local mate competition), competition among related females for a limiting resource (local resource competition), inbreeding, group selection, and asymmetry of genetic inheritance between males and females, are subsumed under a general formulation for sex-ratio biases in structured populations. I found that the evolutionarily stable strategy sex ratio (males:females) for diploids is 1 − ϱm:1 − ϱf, where ϱm is the regression coefficient of relatedness of the controlling genotypes on males competing for mates, ϱf is the regression of controlling genotypes on females that compete for a fixed, limiting resource, and there is no inbreeding. For inbreeding and no competition among females, the evolutionarily stable strategy is 1 − ϱm:1 + ϱmf, where ϱmf is the regression of controlling genotypes on females' mates.
Subacute endocarditis caused by Gemella haemolysans and a review of the literature

We report the first documented case of Gemella haemolysans endocarditis in the United States in a patient following denture fixation. G. haemolysans was isolated form the patient's blood cultures. The patient was treated with ampicillin for 6 weeks with significant clinical improvement. This case highlights the fact that endocarditis prophylaxis should be considered in denture fixation for high risk patients.
A Web-Based Instructional Module for Teaching Middle School Students Engineering Design with Simple Machines*

The current work describes an instructional module that emphasizes integrative design using six simple machines: the lever, the wheel and axle, the pulley, the inclined plane, the screw, and the gear. The emphasis of this module is to have students investigate the underlying scientific and mathematical properties of the “machines,” and then integrate this knowledge to design creative solutions to problems. This simple machines module makes use of an original web-based multimedia learning environment as well as off-line, hands-on building activities with the LEGOTM Technic I set. The current instructional module was used in a pilot study in an Introduction to Engineering class, and we include preliminary results from this study.
The MAPK cascade in equally cleaving spiralian embryos.

Abstract Spiralian development is shared by several protostome phyla and characterized by regularities in early cleavage, fate map, and larva. Experimental evidence from multiple spiralian species implicates cells in the D quadrant lineage as the organizer of future axial development of the embryo. However, the mechanisms by which the D quadrant is specified differ between species with equal and unequal spiral cleavage. Equally cleaving mollusc embryos establish the D quadrant via cell–cell interactions between the micromeres and macromeres at the 24- to 36-cell stage. In unequally cleaving embryos, the D quadrant is established at the 4-cell stage via asymmetries in the first 2 cell divisions. We have begun to explore the molecular mechanisms of D quadrant patterning in spiralians. Previously, we showed that, in the unequally cleaving embryo of the mollusc Ilyanassa obsoleta, the MAPK pathway is activated and functionally required in 3D and also in the micromeres known to require a signal from 3D. Here, we examine the role of MAPK signaling in 4 spiralians with equal cleavage. In 3 equally cleaving molluscs, the chiton Chaetopleura, the limpet Tectura, and the snail Lymnaea, the MAPK pathway is activated in the 3D cell but not in the overlying micromeres. In the equally cleaving embryo of the polychaete annelid Hydroides, MAPK activation was not detected in the 3D macromere but was observed in one of its daughter cells, 4d. In addition, inhibiting Tectura MAPK activation disrupts differentiation of 3D and cells induced by it, supporting a functional role for MAPK in axis specification in equally cleaving spiralians. Thus, MAPK signaling may have a conserved role in the D quadrant organizer cell 3D in molluscs. However, there have been at least 2 evolutionary changes in the activation of the MAPK pathway during spiralian evolution. MAPK function in the Ilyanassa micromeres is a recent cooption and, since the divergence of annelids and molluscs, there has been a shift in onset of MAPK activation between 3D and 4d. We propose that this latter shift correlates with a change in the timing of specification of the secondary embryonic axis.
Unitarity and the mandelstam representation

The three particle terms in the unitarity expansion for a scattering amplitude are examined on the assumption that the relevant production amplitudes satisfy single dispersion relations. It is shown that they can be made to satisfy the Mandelstam representation within the freedom which seems to be allowed by the unitary equation. The proof is extended to the four particle terms.
Response variability in pigeons in a Pavlovian task.

Instrumental response variation is inversely related to reward probability. Gharib, Derby, and Roberts (2001) theorized that individuals behave more variably when their expectation of reward is low. They postulate that this behavioral rule assists the discovery of alternative actions when a target response is unlikely to be reinforced. This suggests that response variability may be unaffected in a situation in which an animal’s behavior is inconsequential to outcome delivery. We trained 6 pigeons in a within-subjects Pavlovian autoshaping procedure. On any given trial, the pigeons were presented with one of six colored discs on a touchscreen; each stimulus was associated with a particular probability of food, ranging from 100% to 0.6%. Pecking was more variable with low probabilities of food delivery, thus extending the rule relating variability and expectation to a Pavlovian situation.