cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wide Sense Stationary Random Processes

Having introduced the concept of a random process in the previous chapter, we now wish to explore an important subclass of stationary random processes. This is motivated by the very restrictive nature of the stationarity condition, which although mathematically expedient, is almost never satisfied in practice. A somewhat weaker type of stat ionarity is based on requiring the mean to be a constant in time and the covariance sequence to depend only on the separation in time between the two samples. We have already encountered these types of random processes in Examples 16.9-16.11. Such a random process is said to be stationary in the wide sense or wide sense stationary (WSS). It is also termed a weakly stationary random process to distinguish it from a stationary process, which is said to be strictly stationary. We will use the form er terminology to refer to such a process as a WSS random process. In addition, as we will see in Chapter 19, if the random process is Gaussian, then wide sense stationarity implies stationarity. For this reason alone, it makes sense to explore WSS random processes since the use of Gaussian random processes for modeling is ubiquitous.
The internal structure of the moon and the terrestrial planets

The known internal structure of the Earth is the logical starting point for discussions of the terrestrial planets and the Moon. Until we have direct data, the most reasonable assumption regarding these bodies is that they are similar in composition to the Earth.
S(blue) cone pathway vulnerability in retinitis pigmentosa, diabetes and glaucoma

A variety of retinal disease lead to a decrease in the sensitivity of the S (blue) cone pathways. To determine the possible sites and mechanisms of this loss we compared the sensitivities of an S (blue/pi-1) and an M (green/pi-4) cone pathway in patients with retinal diseases that differ as to their primary locus of sensitivity loss. The sensitivities of an S and an M cone pathway were assessed in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and open-angle glaucoma using Stiles two-color increment threshold technique. A greater loss in sensitivity of an S than an M cone pathway was found for all three disease groups; however, the diabetic patients showed a more selective loss. The results suggest that multiple sites are involved and that the combined effects of metabolic abnormalities and hypoxia contribute to the selective loss.
The properties of large amplitude whistler mode waves in the magnetosphere: Propagation and relationship with geomagnetic activity

Wepresent resultsof a studyof the characteristicsof very large amplitude whistler mode waves inside the terrestrial magnetosphere at radial distances of less than 15 RE using waveform capture data from the Wind spacecraft. We observed 247 whistler mode waves with at least one electric field component (105/247 had !80 mV/m peak!to!peak amplitudes) and 66 whistler mode waves with at least one search coil magnetic field component (38/66 had !0.8 nT peak!to!peak amplitudes). Wave vectors determined from events with three magnetic field components indicate that 30/46 propagate within 20 of the ambient magnetic field, though some are more oblique (up to "50 ). No relationship was observed between wave normal angle and GSM latitude. 162/247 of the large amplitude whistler mode waves were observed during magnetically active periods (AE > 200 nT). 217 out of 247 total whistler mode waves examined were observed inside the radiation belts. We present a waveform capture with the largest whistler wave magnetic field amplitude (^8 nT peak!to!peak) ever reported in the radiation belts. The estimated Poynting flux magnitude associated with this wave is ^300 mW/m2, roughly four orders of magnitude above estimates from previous satellite measurements. Such large Poynting flux values are consistent with rapid energization of electrons.
A discrete divergence-free basis for finite element methods

The divergence-free finite element method (DFFEM) is a method to find an approximate solution of the Navier–Stokes equations in a divergence-free space. That is, the continuity equation is satisfied a priori. DFFEM eliminates the pressure from the calculations and significantly reduces the dimension of the system to be solved at each time step. For the standard 9-node velocity and 4-node pressure DFFEM, a basis for the weakly divergence-free subspace is constructed such that each basis function has nonzero support on at most 4 contiguous elements. Given this basis, weakly divergence-free macroelements are constructed.
Comprehensive Transformative Amendments – Theory and Practice: Rethinking the Nineteenth Amendment and the Place of Women’s Rights in the Constitution

This article brings together two of the most contested issues in contemporary constitutional law: how to theorize the impact of constitutional amendments upon the broader field of constitutional law and interpretation, and how to understand the place of women’s rights and sex equality in the Constitution. I propose a new typology of constitutional amendments, and then apply it to the Nineteenth Amendment. Traditionally, scholars have classified constitutional amendments into two types: declaratory and transformative. I will deepen this distinction by arguing that transformative amendments may be either political or comprehensive, and that the difference matters to constitutional adjudication. I will then argue that the comprehensive transformative nature of the Nineteenth Amendment requires synthesizing it with the Fourteenth in a manner that justifies a number of constitutional rights, in the domain of sex equality, that the Supreme Court has controversially found – or declined to find – in the last few decades. The paper, therefore, consists of two parts. The first part is theoretical. I begin by explaining the traditional distinction between declaratory and transformative amendments (I). I then distinguish between political transformative amendments, that are limited to changing a set of legal norms, and comprehensive transformative amendments, that repudiate not only legal norms, but a set of cultural and other societal assumptions that underlie the pre-transformation status quo. (II) I conclude by arguing on various principled grounds (III), that Courts must take into account the repudiation of comprehensive moral or ethical systems of values as reflected by comprehensive transformative amendments. (IV) In the second part, I argue that a historical analysis of the American suffrage movement justifies treating the Nineteenth Amendment as a comprehensive transformative amendment (V) I then contend that a synthesis of the Nineteenth and the Fourteenth requires reading into the Fourteenth Amendment’s proscriptions of caste-codes and arbitrary distinctions, those differences that can be traced back to the cultural and ethical assumptions that the Nineteenth Amendment was enacted to repudiate (VI). I conclude by examining certain areas of women’s rights law – e.g., labor regulations, abortion, sex discrimination and disparate impact – and analyze how this theory applies to actual practice, (VII) before briefly concluding (VIII).
Fragmentation based D-MAC protocol in wireless ad hoc networks

Directional antennas have been recently suggested to be used in wireless ad hoc networks to reduce interference outside the antenna direction and to increase spatial reuse of wireless channels. Several MAC schemes that exploit directional antennas have been proposed, among which the two D-MAC schemes proposed in [5] may have received the most attention. In this paper, we carefully analyze how the second D-MAC scheme proposed in [5] operates in the hidden/exposed terminal scenarios and show that it not only introduces new collisions, but also reduces spatial reuse to some extent. To remedy these problems, we propose an enhanced version of the second D-MAC scheme, called fragmentation based D-MAC (FD-MAC), to reduce collision, to achieve better spatial reuse (than the second D-MAC scheme), and to improve fairness. Through ns-2 simulation, we demonstrate the effectiveness of FD-MAC, and in particular, we show that in complex scenarios such as multihop forwarding and mesh topologies, FD-MAC significantly outperforms DCF with RTS/CTS and the two D-MAC schemes, both in terms of throughput and fairness.
Interpersonal Family Stress in Alzheimer's Disease

The presence and correlates of Interpersonal Family Stress (IFS) were examined among 56 outpatients (mean age 74) meeting DSM-III-R (APA, 1987) criteria for primary degenerative dementia of the Alzheimer's type (Alzheimer's disease, AD), and their caregivers. Patient and caregiver perceptions of IFS were assessed with six representative questions. Information about functional status (ADL's and IADL's), behavior problems, cognitive status, and the social worker's assessment of the degree of interpersonal stress in the family was also obtained. Both patients and caregivers report the presence of IFS in several areas including: disrupted relationships attributed to anger and frustration; interference with normal activities; feelings of uneasiness in the presence of family member; and the use of caution in communication. Caregivers reported IFS more frequently than patients. Among the variables most strongly associated with patients' perception of IFS were behavioral and emotional changes experienced by the p...
Identification of a Gs Coupling Domain in the Amino Terminus of the Third Intracellular Loop of the α2A-Adrenergic Receptor EVIDENCE FOR DISTINCT STRUCTURAL DETERMINANTS THAT CONFER Gs VERSUS Gi COUPLING

alpha2-Adrenergic receptors (alpha 2AR) functionally couple not only to Gi but also to Gs. We investigated the amino-terminal portion of the third intracellular loop of the human alpha 2AAR (alpha 2C10) for potential Gs coupling domains using site-directed mutagenesis and recombinant expression in several different cell types. A deletion mutant and four chimeric receptors consisting of the alpha 2AAR with the analogous sequence from the 5-HT1A receptor (a Gi-coupled receptor) and the beta 2AR (a Gs-coupled receptor) were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, Chinese hamster fibroblasts, or COS-7 cells and examined for their ability to mediate stimulation or inhibition of membrane adenylyl cyclase activity or whole cell cAMP accumulation. In stably expressing Chinese hamster ovary cells, deletion of amino acids 221-231, which are in close proximity to the fifth transmembrane domain, eliminated alpha 2C10-mediated stimulation of adenylyl cyclase activity, while alpha 2C10-mediated inhibition was only moderately affected. This suggested that this region is important for Gs coupling, prompting construction of the chimeric receptor mutants. Substitution of amino acids 218-235 with 5-HT1A receptor sequence entirely ablated agonist-promoted Gs coupling, as compared with a 338 +/- 29% stimulation of adenylyl cyclase activity observed with the wild-type alpha 2C10. In contrast, Gi coupling for this mutant remained fully intact (57 +/- 2% versus 52 +/- 1% inhibition for wild-type alpha 2C10). Similar substitution with beta 2AR sequence had no effect on Gi coupling but did reduce Gs coupling. Two additional mutated alpha 2C10 containing smaller substitutions of the amino-terminal region with 5-HT1A receptor sequence at residues 218-228 or 229-235 were then studied. While Gi coupling remained intact with both mutants, Gs coupling was ablated in the former but not the latter mutant receptor. Similar results were obtained using transfected Chinese hamster fibroblasts (which exclusively display alpha 2AR-Gi coupling) and COS-7 cells (which exclusively display alpha 2AR-Gs coupling). Thus, a critical determinant for Gs coupling is contained within 11 amino acids (218-228) of the amino-terminal region of the third intracellular loop localized directly adjacent to the fifth transmembrane domain. Taken together, these studies demonstrate the presence of a discrete structural determinant for agonist-promoted alpha 2AR-Gs coupling, which is distinct and separable from the structural requirements for alpha 2AR-Gi coupling.
When Time Is of the Essence: Averaging, Aspiration, and the Short Run

A variety of experiments have demonstrated that people's choices among gambles differ according to whether the gamble is to be played just once (the unique case) or multiple times (the repeated case). The reason for this difference appears to be that people are acting in each case so as to increase the likelihood that the chosen alternative will leave them better off than the nonchosen alternative. This paper explores four themes that bear on the difference between unique and repeated gambles. The first traces the historical and theoretical role of weighted averaging in risky choice. The second defends the usefulness of probability-based rules for choices involving aspiration levels. The third presents the idea that choices under risk may reflect dual criteria, one based in weighted averaging and the other based in stochastic control. The fourth challenges the conventional criteria by which choices are judged to be rational or irrational.
Complex analyses of variance: General problems

Problems in applying the analysis of variance are discussed. Emphasis is placed on using the technique to understand the data. The scale of the dependent variable is important for the analysis. Crossed and nested categories must be recognized. The error terms in the analysis depend on whether the classes of each independent variable are (1) all out of a few or (2) a few out of many. To simplify the analysis, mean squares should be aggregated with their error term when they are less than twice its size. An illustrative example is discussed in detail.
A p56lck-independent Pathway of CD2 Signaling Involves Jun Kinase *

The p56 Src family non-receptor tyrosine kinase has been shown to be critical for T lymphocyte differentiation and activation. Hence in the absence of p56, T cell receptor triggered activation does not occur. We now provide evidence for a CD2-based signaling pathway which, in contrast to that of the T cell receptor, is independent of p56. CD2-mediated interleukin-2 production occurs via activation of Jun kinase in cell lines lacking p56. Jun kinase then facilitates the binding of c-Jun/c-Fos heterodimers to the AP-1 consensus site and the subsequent transcriptional activity of the interleukin-2 promoter. These data elucidate differences between TCR and CD2 signaling pathways in the same T cells.
The psychology of telling murder stories: do we think in scripts, exemplars, or prototypes?

According to the story model of Pennington and Hastie, jurors collect information at trial and modify it with general knowledge to create case stories. Schank and Ableson argue that human memory is organized to tell and understand stories. However, Finkel and Groscup questioned the use of manipulated, experimenter-constructed narratives to demonstrate the existence of multiple prototypical crime stories. We interviewed 76 jury eligible, death qualified citizens and asked them to imagine a first-degree murder scenario, describing the events that led to the killing. We coded the presence of dichotomous variables in the resulting stories and identified at least three shared story prototypes using cluster and profile analysis. We conclude that people do not store crime stories as simple prototypes and comment on the implications of this finding for legal decision-making. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Paleohydrology of the upper Laurentian Great Lakes from the late glacial to early Holocene

Abstract Between 10,500 and 9000 cal yr BP, δ18O values of benthic ostracodes within glaciolacustrine varves from Lake Superior range from − 18 to − 22‰ PDB. In contrast, coeval ostracode and bivalve records from the Lake Huron and Lake Michigan basins are characterized by extreme δ18O variations, ranging from values that reflect a source that is primarily glacial (∼ − 20‰ PDB) to much higher values characteristic of a regional meteoric source (∼ − 5‰ PDB). Re-evaluated age models for the Huron and Michigan records yield a more consistent δ18O stratigraphy. The striking feature of these records is a sharp drop in δ18O values between 9400 and 9000 cal yr BP. In the Huron basin, this low δ18O excursion was ascribed to the late Stanley lowstand, and in the Lake Michigan basin to Lake Agassiz flooding. Catastrophic flooding from Lake Agassiz is likely, but a second possibility is that the low δ18O excursion records the switching of overflow from the Lake Superior basin from an undocumented northern outlet back into the Great Lakes basin. Quantifying freshwater fluxes for this system remains difficult because the benthic ostracodes in the glaciolacustrine varves of Lake Superior and Lake Agassiz may not record the average δ18O value of surface water.
Proton induced resonances on 21Ne

Abstract Excitation curves for the 21 Ne ( p , γ) 22 Na , 21 Ne ( p, p ′γ) 21 Ne and 21 Ne ( p, p ) 21 Ne reactions have been obtained for Ep = 0.4–1.6 MeV. Neon gas enriched to 92 % in 21Ne was recirculated in a differentially pumped gas target system. The fifteen previously reported (p, γ) resonances were established and nineteen new (p, γ) resonances found. Anomalies in the elastic scattering yield were observed for fourteen resonances. The reported state at Ex = 7278 ± 7 keV in 22Na was resolved into a doublet separated by 1 keV. All unbound states in 22Na, observed previously in other reactions, have been confirmed as resonance states in the energy range covered, with the exception of the Ex = 7942 ± 7 keV state. The new Ep = 663, 694, 1235, 1432 and 1543 keV resonances correspond to new unbound states in 22Na. Excitation energies, γ-ray decay schemes, resonance widths and strengths as well as limits on Jπ assignments are reported for all the resonances. From the Coulomb excitation of the Ex = 350 keV, first excited state in 21Ne a value of B(E2) = 0.014 ± 0.002 e2 · b2 is deduced. The astrophysical as well as the nuclear structure implications of the present results are discussed.
A framework for low overhead hardware based runtime control flow error detection and recovery

Transient errors during execution of a process running on a processor can lead to serious system failures or security lapses. It is necessary to detect, and if possible, correct these errors before any damage is caused to the system. Of the many approaches, monitoring the control flow of an application during runtime is one of the techniques used for transient error detection during an application execution. Although promising, the cost of implementing the control flow checks in software has been prohibitively high and hence is not widely used in practice. In this paper we describe a hardware based control flow monitoring technique which has the capability to detect errors in control flow and the instruction stream being executed on a processor. Our technique achieves a high coverage of control flow error detection (99.98 %) and has the capability to quickly recover from the error, making it resilient to transient control flow errors. It poses an extremely low performance overhead (~ 1 %) and reasonable area cost (<; 6 %) to the host processor. The framework for runtime monitoring of control flow described in this paper can be extended to efficiently monitor and detect any transient errors in the execution of instructions on a processor.
Tachykinin receptor antagonists for asthma and COPD

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common, severe inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract for which there is an enormous pharmaceutical market. Current therapy for asthma is for the most part effective and comprises bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory glucocorticosteroids. In contrast, pharmacotherapy of COPD is much less effective. In addition, there are potentially undesirable side effects of current treatment of both conditions. Consequently, there are legitimate reasons for seeking alternative or additional therapies for asthma and COPD. There are theoretical reasons, supported by experimental evidence in animals, that sensory-efferent nerves and tachykinins, principally substance P and neurokinin A, contribute to the pathophysiology of asthma and COPD. In contrast, clinical studies to date using tachykinin receptor antagonists do not support a role for tachykinins in these conditions, most particularly asthma. However, confounding influences hinder adequate interpret...
Electrically Pumped Photonic Crystal Distributed Feedback Quantum Cascade Lasers

In parallel with the effort to improve the efficiency of Quantum cascade lasers (QCL) for high power continuous wave (CW) operations, the peak power in pulsed mode operation can be easily scaled up with larger emitting volumes, i.e., processing QCLs into broad area lasers. However, as the emitter width increases, multi-mode operation happens due to poorer lateral mode distinguishability. By putting a two dimensional photonic crystal distributed feedback (PCDFB) layer evanescently coupled to the main optical mode, both longitudinal and lateral beam coherence can be greatly enhanced, which makes single mode operation possible for broad area devices. For PCDFB laser performance, the linewidth enhancement factor (LEF) plays an important role in controlling the optical coherence. Being intersubband devices, QCLs have an intrinsically small LEF, thus serves better candidates over interband lasers for PCDFB applications. We demonstrate electrically pumped, room temperature, single mode operation of photonic crystal distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers emitting at λ ∼ 4.75 μm. Ridge waveguides of 50 μm and 100 μm width were fabricated with both PCDFB and Fabry-Perot feedback mechanisms. The Fabry-Perot device has a broad emitting spectrum and a broad far-field character. The PCDFB devices have primarily a single spectral mode and a diffraction limited far field characteristic with a full angular width at half-maximum of 4.8 degrees and 2.4 degrees for the 50 μm and 100 μm ridge widths, respectively.
5‐HT2 receptor‐controlled modulation of medullary respiratory neurones in the cat.

1. The effects of the 5-HT2 receptor agonist alpha-methyl-5-HT were studied on the membrane of expiratory (E2) and post-inspiratory (PI) neurones, by intracellular recordings in the caudal medulla of anaesthetized cats. 2. Ionophoresis of alpha-Me-5-HT depolarized membrane potential and increased action potential frequency in a majority of neurones tested. Depolarization of neurones by alpha-Me-5-HT was accompanied by increased input resistance throughout all phases of the respiratory cycle. These effects were antagonized by ionophoresis of cinanserin, a receptor-blocking agent with high affinity for 5-HT2 receptors. 3. E2 neurones were voltage clamped to measure membrane current changes induced by alpha-Me-5-HT ionophoresis. alpha-Me-5-HT induced a net inward current by reducing inspiratory-phase outward currents and increasing expiratory-phase inward currents. These changes were equivalent with steady membrane depolarization, decreased inspiratory phase membrane hyperpolarization and increased expiratory drive potential recorded from the same neurones in current clamp. 4. The effects of alpha-Me-5-HT are consistent with activation of 5-HT2 receptors on E2 and PI neurones leading to blockade of synaptically activated and persistent conductances to potassium ions.
Mitigating Mutational Meltdown in Mammalian Mitochondria

Animal mitochondrial genomes have high rates of sequence evolution, and should decay from the accumulation of deleterious mutations. But the purging of mutant mtDNAs in a pedigree of "mutator mice" reveals the speed and power of purifying selection to maintain mitochondrial function.
Compatibility of Safety and Comfort in Vehicles

Surveys were conducted with respondents from four different groups in three states in an effort to determine how people recognize common hazards involved in driving and riding in their vehicles. Some items are associated with both comfort and safety such as the head restraint and air bags. Unfortunately, use for comfort may often present safety hazards, as in not using seat belts with air bags. The survey examined respondents' descriptions of their behaviors regarding several items involving tradeoffs between safety and comfort. Some behaviors result from lack of knowledge about the hazards involved. In general, formal driver training did not produce differences in knowledge or putative behaviors. These results suggest the need for additional information to be provided via educational campaigns.
Application of theoretically optimal sampling schedule designs for fiber digestion estimation in sacco.

Three different geometrically spaced sampling schedule designs, a theoretically optimal design, and a design that included all sampling times were evaluated by comparing parameter estimates, half-life, R2, and an indicator of variance-covariance space. Alfalfa and oat hays were tested using nylon bags placed in the rumen of a fistulated, non-lactating cow, and the amount of NDF remaining was measured at specified times. Parameters were estimated from f(t, phi) = Ae-K(t-lag) + U, where f (t, phi) = NDF at time t (h), A = degradable NDF, U = undegradable NDF, lag = time before digestion, and K = rate constant (h). A, U, and f(t, phi) are expressed as a fraction of DM at time 0. Estimates A and U did not fluctuate, whereas K and lag varied across designs. All R2 were over .96 and did not vary across designs. Comparison of designs that had the same number of observations showed that the indicator of the variance-covariance space was statistically similar across designs, although the optimal design was ranked best. Parameter estimates were similar when using different sampling schedule designs, but some estimates differed by 29%. The optimal design sampling schedule provided sufficient information to estimate parameters without loss of accuracy when compared with other designs.
Differentiation of the thyroid in the hypophysectomized chick embryo

Abstract The influence of hypophyseal hormones on the normal development of the thyroid gland was investigated by decapitating chick embryos at a time before the hypophysis has begun to form. Thyroids from decapitated embryos were compared with thyroids of normal embryos from shortly after decapitation to the time when the embryo should hatch. The thyroids were examined for ultrastructural differences and for accumulation of thyroglobulin. Thyroxine levels in the blood were also examined. It was concluded that the thyroids in decapitated embryos develop normally up to about 12 days of development, by which time morphogenesis and differentiation of the gland is essentially complete. The rates of thyroid growth and accumulation of thyroglobulin are diminished after 12 days of development. The amount of thyroxine in the blood is decreased by about one-half. Thyroxine was found in the yolk of unincubated eggs at levels sufficient to sustain blood thyroxine levels throughout embryonic development. We conclude that hormones that are synthesized by the embryonic hypophysis affect thyroid development only through their influence on generalized growth and metabolic activity.
Students’ Perceptions of Unsafe Schools: An Ecological Systems Analysis

In the aftermath of several school shooting incidents in recent years, students’ perceptions of unsafe schools has been a major concern for parents, teachers, school officials, school practitioners, and policy-makers. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems framework, we examined the micro-, meso-, and exosystem level factors associated with perceptions of unsafe school environments in a nationally representative sample of 10- to 15-year-old youth in the United States. We found that for the socio-demographic characteristics, students who were older, male, and poor had increased risks of perceiving higher levels of unsafe school environments. Within the microsystem of the family, our results indicate that parent-youth discussions of school activities/events decreased the risk of students perceiving unsafe schools. All of the school environment variables—ease of making friends, teachers’ involvement, observed weapon carrying, and school rule enforcement—were related in the expected direction to students’ perceiving their schools as unsafe. At the mesosystem level, findings from our study demonstrate that variables measuring parental school involvement were unrelated to perceptions of school safety. Finally, at the exosystem level, we found that students’ perceptions of residing in a safer neighborhood and residence in a non-central city metropolitan area, compared with a central city, decreased the odds of perceiving school environments as unsafe. School policy and practice implications are discussed.
Social Cognition: Feeling Voices to Recognize Emotions

Our understanding of how we simulate other people's actions and feelings to recognize their emotional states is extended by a new study which finds that premotor and somatosensory cortices are required to process the emotional meaning of sounds.
Experimental Rationale for the Therapeutic Use of Neurotrophins in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Current therapeutic efforts to treat chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease include, for the first time, attempts to regenerate affected nervous tissue using neurotrophic factors. The rationale for using trophic factors includes the understanding that they support neuronal survival and regrowth processes. The potential benefits of trophic factor therapy will be no more realized in the near future than in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is pathologically characterized by the selective degeneration of specific populations of cranial and spinal motoneurons. Evidence for the existence of factors that support motoneurons has come from studies demonstrating that motoneurons receive trophic influences from various tissues, both central and peripheral, within their local environment. Although the identity of these putative tissue-derived factors has remained enigmatic, recent studies have demonstrated that several previously characterized trophic factors exhibit trophic influences on motoneurons. Among these are several members of the neurotrophin family, most notably brain-derived neurotrophic factor. These neurotrophins meet most of the criteria to be considered motoneuron trophic factors: they are locally available to motoneurons in vivo; motoneurons express specific receptors for these factors; and exogenous application of these factors mimicks the effects of the uncharacterized endogenous agents. The clinical use of these factors for the treatment of ALS, therefore, appears to be scientifically justified.
Reduced operant ethanol self-administration and in vivo mesolimbic dopamine responses to ethanol in PKCε-deficient mice

There is increasing evidence that individual protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes mediate specific effects of ethanol on the nervous system. In addition, multiple lines of evidence suggest that the mesoaccumbens dopamine reward system is critically involved in the rewarding and reinforcing effects of ethanol. Yet little is known about the role of individual PKC isozymes in ethanol reinforcement processes or in regulation of mesolimbic systems. In this study, we report that mice lacking the epsilon isoform of PKC (PKCepsilon) show reduced operant ethanol self-administration and an absence of ethanol-induced increase in extracellular dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. PKCepsilon null mice exhibited a 53% decrease in alcohol-reinforced operant responses under basal conditions, as well as following ethanol deprivation. Behavioural analysis revealed that while both genotypes had the same number of drinking bouts following deprivation, PKCepsilon null mice demonstrated a 61% reduction in number of ethanol reinforcers per bout and a 57% reduction in ethanol-reinforced response rate. In vivo microdialysis experiments showed that, in contrast to wild-type mice, PKCepsilon null mice exhibited no change in extracellular levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens following acute administration of ethanol (1 and 2 g/kg i.p.), while mesolimbic dopamine responses to cocaine (20 mg/kg i.p.) or high potassium (100 mM) in these mice were comparable with that of wild-types. These data provide further evidence that increases in extracellular mesolimbic dopamine levels contribute to the reinforcing effects of ethanol, and indicate that pharmacological agents inhibiting PKCepsilon may be useful in the treatment of alcohol dependence.
Calcitropic hormones, bone turnover, and lead exposure among female smelter workers.

To study the association between levels of lead in blood and bone among female former smelter workers in Bunker Hill, Idaho, the authors performed a longitudinal study using home-ostatic regulators of calcium and biomarkers of bone turnover. The authors measured participants' blood lead levels (by means of a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometer) and tibia-bone lead levels (by means of the 109Cd K x-ray fluorescence system) in 1994 and again in 2000; serum ionized calcium, parathyroid hormone, osteocalcin, urinary deoxypyridinoline, pyridinoline, and 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D were measured. After controlling for weight and age, significant predictors of changes in blood lead levels from 1994 to 2000 in postmenopausal women were duration of employment, higher ionized calcium levels, alcohol consumption, and higher parathyroid hormone levels. Predictors of change in tibia-bone lead levels in the same group of women were employment in a technical job such as mining and higher urinary pyridinoli...
Thermal stability of ammonium dinitramide

Abstract The low temperature thermal stability of ammonium dinitramide (ADN) and efforts to improve the thermal stability are presented. The decomposition rates of ADN at 60, 70, 80, and 90 °C were investigated. Several potential thermal stabilizers were investigated to suppress the low temperature decomposition (60–90 °C) of ADN. The potential stabilizers investigated were potassium fluoride, potassium dinitramide, a 6-member ring or polymeric phosphorous compound [P(C6H5)]6,polymer, and perhydro-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-trione, commonly known as Verkade’s super base (VC). Comparison of the decomposition of pure ADN and 1–2% by mass mixtures of ADN and the potential stabilizers are presented. Finally, the low temperature stabilizers are compared to hexamethylene tetramine (commonly known as urotropine or hexamine). Verkade’s super base is found to be most effective.
Proposed standards for the NBS retroreflection MAP

A proposed Measurement Assurance Program (MAP) service for retroreflectance is under development at the National Bureau of Standards. A package for the MAP consists of high- and low-intensity bead-sheeting retroreflectors, a prismatic retroreflector, and seven colored glass filters. The retroreflectors are being measured using the NBS reference retroreflectometer. The glass filter measurements are based on spectral data obtained using a high-accuracy reference spectrophotometer. The luminous transmittances are calculated from the spectral transmittances using CIE Illuminant A and a CIE V(λ)-type detector, and can be used to check the combined spectral distribution of source and responsivity of the receiver. Computations are mentioned which show that if a color-correction filter is not chosen carefully, large errors may result. Preliminary results for pressure and temperature effects on two types of retroreflectors indicate small changes. Temperatures used were nominally 15, 25, and 32°C. Pressures used were nominally 0.85, 1.0, and 1.25 bars. Results showing the sensitivity of the coefficient of luminous intensity (C.I.L.) of the retroreflectors to various geometrical parameters are described. These parameters include the observation angle α, the entrance angles β1 and β2, the source and receiver apertures δ, and the rotation angle ϵ.
Reconstructing phase space from PDE simulations

We propose the Karhunen-Loeve (K-L) decomposition as a tool to analyze complex spatio-temporal structures in PDE simulations in terms of concepts from dynamical systems theory. Taking the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation as a model problem we discuss the K-L decomposition for 4 different values of its bifurcation parameter α. We distinguish two modes of using the K-L decomposition: As an analytic and synthetic tool respectively. Using the analytic mode we find unstable fixed points and stable and unstable manifolds in a parameter regime with structurally stable homoclinic orbits (α=17.75). Choosing the data for a K-L analysis carefully by restricting them to certain burst events, we can analyze a more complicated intermittent regime at α=68. We establish that the spatially localized oscillations around a so called “strange” fixed point which are considered as fore-runners of spatially concentrated zones of turbulence are in fact created by a very specific limit cycle (α=83.75) which, for α=87, bifurcates into a modulated traveling wave. Using the K-L decomposition synthetically by determining an optimal Galerkin system, we present evidence that the K-L decomposition systematically destroys dissipation and leads to blow up solutions.
A nonspecific inhibitor of leukocyte migration in serum from rats bearing large fibrosarcomata.

Abstract A 3 M KCl crude extract of the syngeneic benzpyrene-induced fibrosarcoma termed BP 238 specifically inhibits migration out of glass capillary tubes of immune spleen cells from tumor amputee and small tumor-bearing rats, as does supernatant medium from tumor cells grown in culture. Serum from rats bearing small ( 3 ) tumors does not inhibit migration of immune spleen cells, while serum from rats with larger tumors (>4 cm 3 ) nonspecifically inhibits migration of both immune and nonimmune spleen cells, thoracic duct lymphocytes, and thymocytes. This nonspecific inhibition increases with increasing tumor size, does not correlate with the presence of bacterial infection, and is presumably due to a circulating factor produced in vivo during tumor growth. Production of macrophage inhibitory-like factor (MILF) by neoplasms in vivo may offer a mechanism for tumors to escape immunosurveillance by systemic immobilization of cytotoxic lymphocytes. From Sephadex and ultrafiltration fractionation experiments, the molecular weight of MILF in serum is polydisperse (30,000–100,000 daltons), and is heat and chymotrypsin resistant, in contrast with the properties reported for LIF (leukocyte inhibitory factor) and MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor) produced in vitro .
Preoperative Anemia and Postoperative Outcomes

WHEN IT COMES TO READING research reports, we all hope for something straight forward. We want a clearly stated purpose, easy-to-follow methodology, and uncomplicated statistical analysis. Ultimately, we would like to skip to the Implications section and trust that what is reported is accurate. This is no different than the average person who avoids legal jargon and fine print. We may assume that those details are unimportant. Regardless, we do not have time to weed through the foreign language, so we quickly mark the ‘‘I accept the terms’’ statement and get on our way.
Restructuring Resilience: Emerging Voices

This study presents a qualitative analysis of the subjective voice of minority women in which the women revealed three constitutional factors that enhanced their resilience: strong measures of self-efficacy, well-defined faith lives, and the ability to reframe barriers and obstacles. Relational factors that mediated success were close maternal relationships and positive relationships that served as sources of support within and outside the family at various developmental junctures.
Vanishing Points: When Narrative Is Not Simply There

The narrative turn in the social sciences and the ethical turn in the humanities that occurred in the 1990s converged in the study of human rights and social justice. Human rights, it was argued, were about and dependent upon modes of storytelling; torture was often cited as a paradigmatic example of the ways in which narrative and human rights were co-implicated. The centralization of torture in the prosecution of the “War on Terror” and the recent declassification of documents authorizing the use of torture by US personnel offers an important occasion to reconsider some of the tenets of the arguments about human rights and narrative. This essay considers the problem of declassification as a process of un-narration and examines some of the ways that art and literature have attempted to deal with the stories of torture that are actively untold.
Pitfalls in protein quantitation using acid-catalyzed O18 labeling: hydrolysis-driven deamidation

Proteolysis combined with O18 labeling emerged recently as a powerful tool for quantitation of proteins for which suitable internal standards cannot be produced using molecular biology methods. Several recent reports suggested that acid-catalyzed O18 labeling may be superior to the commonly accepted enzymatic protocol, as it may allow more significant spacing between the isotopic clusters of labeled and unlabeled peptides, thereby eliminating signal interference and enhancing the quality of quantitation. However, careful examination of this procedure reveals that the results of protein quantitation assisted by acid-catalyzed O18 labeling are highly peptide-dependent. The inconsistency was found to be caused by deamidation of Asn, Gln, and carbamidomethylated Cys residues during prolonged exposure of the proteolytic fragments to the acidic environment of the labeling reaction, which translates into a loss in signal for these peptides. Taking deamidation into account leads to a significant improvement in th...
Pragmatism and bioethics: diagnosis or cure?

Les paradigmes de la bioethique sont analyses par rapport a des criteres de jugement appropries a la resolution des polemiques morales, par rapport aux implications de l'autorite politique et morale et en fonction de leur relation avec d'autres approches theoriques
A 15,000 year record of vegetation and climate change from a treeline lake in the Rocky Mountains, Wyoming, USA

Future climate projections predict warming at high elevations that will impact treeline species, but complex topographic relief in mountains complicates ecologic response, and we have a limited number of long-term studies examining vegetation change related to climate. In this study, pollen and conifer stomata were analyzed from a 2.3 m sediment core extending to 15,330 cal. yr BP recovered from a treeline lake in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming. Both pollen and stomata record a sequence of vegetation and climate change similar in most respects to other regional studies, with sagebrush steppe and lowered treeline during the Late Pleistocene, rapid upward movement of treeline beginning about 11,500 cal. yr BP, treeline above modern between ~9000 and 6000 cal. yr BP, and then moving downslope ~5000 cal. yr BP, reaching modern limits by ~3000 cal. yr BP. Between 6000 and 5000 cal. yr BP sediments become increasingly organic and sedimentation rates increase. We interpret this as evidence for lower lake levels ...
Decreased parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the cortex and striatum of mice lacking the CB1 receptor

Cortical and striatal regions of the brain contain high levels of the cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptor, the central neuronal mediator of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity evoked by endocannabinoids. The expression levels of parvalbumin, a calcium-binding protein found in fast-spiking interneurons of both regions, may be controlled in part by synaptic activity during critical periods of development. However, there is currently no evidence that CB1 receptor expression affects parvalbumin levels in either cortical or striatal interneurons. To assess this possibility, we examined parvalbumin immunoreactivity in the dorsolateral striatum, primary motor cortex (M1), and prefrontal cortex (PFC) of CB1 knockout and wild-type C57/BL6 mice. Quantitative densitometry showed a significant decrease in parvalbumin immunoreactivity within individual neurons in each of these regions of CB1 knockout mice relative to controls. A significantly lower density (number of cells per unit area) of parvalbumin-labeled neurons was observed in the striatum, but not the cortical regions of CB1 knockout mice. These findings suggest that CB1 receptor deletion may elicit a compensatory mechanism for network homeostasis affecting parvalbumin-containing cortical and striatal interneurons.
Disfiguring Gender: Masculine Desire in the Old French Fabliau

AbstractOld French fabliaux frequently invoke a traditional gender binary associating masculinity with reason and femininity with desire, but even the most conservative examples of the genre unsettle this normative distribution. By taking comic advantage of men's inability to regulate women's desires, fabliaux challenge gender's ability to order bodies according to conventional structures. As the contests of these stories attest, desire founded upon lack produces competitive, alienated, and oppositional sexual relations. Other fabliaux undermine this model of sexuality altogether, primarily by including masculinity within the domain of erotic plentitude. In focusing on the polymorphous possibilities of desire, these tales imagine erotic relations that move beyond gender's differential fixities. Rather than condemning men for failing to curb desire, these fabliaux take advantage of prescriptive regulations, disfiguring gender as a front for sexual abandon. Across the genre, the Old French fabliau uncovers ...
Building and Sustaining Community-Based Youth Development Collaboratives

Two youth development collaboratives were examined to better understand their formation and sustainability. These collaboratives were started with the purpose of promoting a positive approach toward youth development in their communities and were considered to be successful in their efforts. Employing a qualitative approach, the strategies utilized in building and sustaining these two collaboratives were explored. Although the collaboratives are different in many respects and are located in dissimilar communities, similar themes emerged that provide important lessons about building and maintaining community-based collaborations. These include (a) the style of the founder(s), (b) the significance of continual engagement of new participants, (c) the role of funds and other resources, and (d) the creative tension of control and capacity building. In addition, the same five-step strategy was employed to build and sustain the collaboratives. The findings of this study are potentially useful for other collabora...
SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON CAMPUS: DEFINITION AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES

.. And from my standpoint as a black American, as far as I'm concerned, it is a high‐tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured, by a committee of the U.S. Senate rather than hung from a tree. (Clarence Thomas)
Dissociated \frac{1}{3}\langle 0\bar{1}11\rangle dislocations in Bi2Te3 and their relationship to seven-layer Bi3Te4 defects

We investigate the structure of $$ \frac{1}{3}\langle 0\bar{1}11\rangle $$ dislocations observed in Bi2Te3 nanowires. This particular type of dislocation is interesting because it has a large Burgers vector (b = 1.048 nm) with a component normal to the basal planes equal to the thickness of one full Bi2Te3 quintuple unit (i.e., c/3). Atomic-resolution high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy observations show that the dislocations form with a complex dissociated core structure. This structure consists of two partial dislocations that separate a defected region consisting of a seven-plane-thick septuple unit, consistent with a local patch of Bi3Te4, rather than the normal Bi2Te3 quintuple layer structure. As we discuss, details of the core structure can be understood from an analysis of the crystallographic parameters of the observed partial dislocations. This analysis suggests a mechanism to accommodate the loss of tellurium through the heterogeneous nucleation and growth of seven-layer defects at $$ \frac{1}{3}\langle 0\bar{1}11\rangle $$ —type dislocations.