cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Financial Analysts' Forecast Accuracy and Dispersion: High-Tech versus Low-Tech Stocks

This study focuses on systematic differences in security analysts' forecast accuracy and dispersion between high- and low-tech firms. In line with the recent development in theoretical models and empirical findings, it posits that security analysts' unsigned forecast error and forecast dispersion are expected to differ between high-tech and low-tech firms. The results of this study provide evidence of lower unsigned error and dispersion for high-tech firms vis-a-vis low-tech firms. The higher forecast accuracy and forecast convergence for high-tech firms relative to low-tech firms in financial analysts' forecasts of earnings can be attributed to the information effect prevailing over the noise effect. Given the lack of empirical studies that compare analysts' forecast accuracy and dispersion between high-tech and low-tech sectors, the results of this paper provide a fresh basis for assessing how market participants vary in their treatment of New Economy stocks and factors that affect such decisions. In the light of the fact that the 1990s is a period characterized by the start of the Information Revolution through the Internet, the results of this study shed light on the usefulness of examining factors that differentiate between high-tech firms (New Economy stocks) and low-tech firms (Old Economy stocks) in financial analysts' forecasting earnings.
Contracting Boundaries as Institutional Infrastructure: Efficacy, Adaptation, and Obsolescence: Commentary on La Croix and Ghiselin's Comments

The New Institutional Economics (NIE) emphasizes that different governance structures generate a rich variety of observed institutional arrangements. In Yarbrough & Yarbrough (1999), we extended this reasoning to argue that different governance structures also carry implications for the sets of acceptable contracting partners or ‘insiders’. Here we discuss various contracting groups as institutional infrastructures and evaluate their efficiency, ability to adapt, and longevity or possible obsolescence in the face of changes in the nature of transactions or of the transactional environment. The fact that, despite their many shortcomings, private institutional infrastructures continue to be built, to adapt, and to function, even in modern societies with well-developed state-based legal systems, provides a measure of the centrality and complexity of the task of assuring contractual integrity.
Impact of day care on parents and family

In addressing the impact of day care on parents and families, including the children who are in day care, one must first acknowledge the wide heterogeneity of the families who use day care. They include single parents who need to work to support themselves; single parents who are engaged in work-preparation programs in an effort to end their reliance on Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC); single parents receiving AFDC who do not work and who, for various reasons, may have little hope of working, but where it is agreed that they need day care as respite or structure or as an educational or socioaffective experience for the child (a common but often vain intervention, given the quality of care such children are likely to receive); two-parent families who could not afford the most basic expenses without two incomes; two-parent families who could not afford the things they need and want without two incomes; two-parent families where both parents find great pleasure in working; two-parent families where neither really wants to be at home; two-parent families whose careers would suffer grievously if disrupted; and two-parent families where only one parent works but where the parents still choose to have their child in day care. There are certainly many more scenarios, but the point is that one must be careful when talking about the impact of day care because its quality, the reasons for which it is used, and by whom are key factors in determining what the impacts are.
Chipping away at chromatin.

When DNA-binding proteins are tethered to dam methylase from Escherichia coli, adenine methylation is directed to eukaryotic target sites in vivo. Hybridization of methylated DNA to microarrays allows binding sites to be displayed genome-wide, providing a versatile alternative to chromatin immunoprecipitation.
Chapter 16 Marketing decision models: From linear programs to knowledge-based systems

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a critical perspective on one of the new developments, namely, artificial intelligence (AI) modeling, as it compares to decision modeling using conventional OR/MS techniques. Decision models are playing an increasingly important role in supporting management decision-making. Little has noted that a problem-solving technology is emerging that consists of people, knowledge, software, and hardware successfully wired into the management process'. Even since then, developments in modeling and computer technologies have created new opportunities for marketing scientists to develop decision models that can significantly influence marketing decision-making. The chapter describes how decision models and characterizing differ from theoretical models. It also identifies and summarizes some key concepts underlying conventional decision models in marketing.
Effect of allopurinol on iron mobilization.

The obligatory role of xanthine oxidase in the mobilization of hepatic iron stores was investigated. The effect of dietary iron deficiency was compared with the influence of an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase activity on iron mobilization and hepatic iron stores in rats. Suppression of xanthine oxidase activity in those rats on allopurinol was demonstrated by a continuous depression of serum uric acid through the course of the experiment and lower hepatic xanthine oxidase activity at the time of killing (P
An Overview of Synchrotron Radiation Research

The outpouring of research results using synchrotron radiation during the past ten years and the explosive growth of interest in this extraordinary research tool constitutes a major event in the recent history of scientific instrumentation. This is not surprising when one considers that, for many types of experiments, synchrotron radiation provides five orders of magnitude more continuum vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) and x-radiation than conventional sources such as x-ray tubes. Normally a factor of two to ten improvement is considered a major breakthrough.
Sleep Deprivation and Decision-Making Teams: Burning the Midnight Oil or Playing with Fire?

We introduce the construct of sleep deprivation to the team-level management literature by integrating theory and research on sleep deprivation and group behavior. We propose that sleep deprivation has a negative monotonic, but nonlinear, influence on team decision-making accuracy and problem solving. We then propose that task, structural, and social characteristics accentuate or attenuate the influence of sleep deprivation on team decision-making accuracy and problem solving.
Contexts for Change in Alpine Tundra

Because alpine tundra is responding to climate change, a need exists to understand the meaning of observed changes. To provide context for such interpretation, the relevance of niche and neutral theories of biogeography and the continuum and classification approaches to biogeographic description are assessed. Two extensive studies of alpine tundra, from the Indian Peaks area, Colorado and Glacier National Park, Montana, are combined. The data are ordinated to describe relations. The pattern that emerges is one of a continuum of vegetation, but with the distinctions one might expect from distant sites. The relationships of the similarity of vegetation on all possible pairs of sites to the environmental differences and geographic distances are analyzed using Mantel correlations. Because distance and environmental differences in climate between the two sites are correlated, partial correlations are weak but still significant. More advanced analyses are suggested for this environment prior to interpretation o...
A study in forms of organisational change induced by enterprise resource planning

The form of an organisational change may be described as evolutionary, revolutionary or as some other perspectives. This research seeks to uncover the form of an ERP-related organisational change, as perceived by different stakeholders. Through a qualitative longitudinal case study, an alternative view on the form of change is uncovered, which view distinguishes between degree and pace of change.
Chromophore formation in resorcinarene solutions and the visual detection of mono- and oligosaccharides.

The colorimetric properties of resorcinarene solutions had not been investigated since Baeyer's initial synthesis. We recently reported that solutions containing resorcinarene macrocycles develop color upon heating or standing. In the presence of saccharides, these solutions exhibit significant color changes which are easily seen. We herein present strong evidence that the solution color is due to macrocycle ring opening and oxidation. The optical responses to saccharides are due to complexation of the sugar with the acyclic chromophores. We apply these mechanistic insights toward the challenging problem of the visual detection of neutral oligosaccharides by simple chromogens. In addition, we also report the first single-crystal X-ray crystal structure determination of a rarely observed “diamond” resorcinarene stereoisomer.
Probing oxygen activation sites in two flavoprotein oxidases using chloride as an oxygen surrogate.

A single basic residue above the si-face of the flavin ring is the site of oxygen activation in glucose oxidase (GOX) (His516) and monomeric sarcosine oxidase (MSOX) (Lys265). Crystal structures of both flavoenzymes exhibit a small pocket at the oxygen activation site that might provide a preorganized binding site for superoxide anion, an obligatory intermediate in the two-electron reduction of oxygen. Chloride binds at these polar oxygen activation sites, as judged by solution and structural studies. First, chloride forms spectrally detectable complexes with GOX and MSOX. The protonated form of His516 is required for tight binding of chloride to oxidized GOX and for rapid reaction of reduced GOX with oxygen. Formation of a binary MSOX·chloride complex requires Lys265 and is not observed with Lys265Met. Binding of chloride to MSOX does not affect the binding of a sarcosine analogue (MTA, methylthioactetate) above the re-face of the flavin ring. Definitive evidence is provided by crystal structures determi...
Transmission of a Sugarcane yellow leaf virus resistance transgene to sexual progeny and screening by kanamycin inoculation

Sugarcane (a complex Saccharum hybrid) yellow leaf is caused by the Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) and is endemic in many growing regions. Inadequate sources of SCYLV resistance limit conventional breeding for resistance. Although transgenics offer the potential for improving SCYLV resistance, previous studies have shown that agronomic performance may be negatively impacted in primary (T0) transgenic lines due to somaclonal variation or transgene position effects. These problems could be overcome or reduced by transgene transfer to sexual progeny. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the utility as parents of two sugarcane genotypes (6-1 and 6-2) previously transformed with the nptII selectable marker and U-SCYLV-CP inserts and to examine the potential of kanamycin sensitivity as a selectable marker in progeny derived from these crosses. 6-1 and 6-2 were used as parents in 31 crosses in four crossing seasons. Flowering characteristics and germination rates of the resulting true seed were comparable with those for the untransformed parent, CP 92-1666, and with other crosses made in the same seasons. Inheritance and function of the nptII insert were tested in 215 seedlings from three crosses through the application of a solution containing 3.0 g L−1 kanamycin. Diagnostic PCR confirmed the presence of the nptII insert transgene in 158 (98.1%) of the 161 kanamycin-resistant progeny. Segregation analysis of the data suggests that the nptII insert is independently integrated at two linked loci in 6-1 one of which carries a functional copy of the nptII insert and the U-SCYLV-CP insert. Whereas for 6-2, nptII is inserted at a single, functional loci carrying the U-SCYLV-CP insert. ΔΔCt values were determined from real-time PCR data of each insert among progeny testing positive for both inserts using diagnostic PCR. This novel application of the ΔΔCt method allowed the determination of copy number relative to the T0 clone without the use of an exogenous control and showed that all copies of the U-SCYLV-CP insert were inherited among almost all progeny of either 6-1 or 6-2. These results demonstrate the utility of T0 transformed sugarcane genotypes for transmission of transgenes to additional sugarcane genotypes and the effectiveness of kanamycin application for screening sexual progeny and will be useful in guiding breeding strategies to improve resistance to the SCYLV through transgenics.
Activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) controls tolfenamic acid-induced ATF3 expression via MAP kinase pathways

Tolfenamic acid (TA) is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug associated with anti-tumorigenic and pro-apoptotic properties in animal and in vitro models of cancer. However, the underlying cellular mechanisms by which TA exerts its effects are only partially understood. Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) is a member of the ATF/CREB subfamily of the basic region-leucine zipper family and has been known as a tumor suppressor in human colorectal cancer cells. The present study was performed to observe whether ATF3 mediates TA-induced apoptosis and to elucidate the molecular mechanism of ATF3 transcription induced by TA. TA treatment and ectopic expression of ATF3 increased apoptosis, whereas knockdown of ATF3 resulted in significant repression of TA-activated apoptosis. The TA treatment also induced ATF3 promoter activity. Internal deletion and point mutation of the predicted ATF/C/EBP binding site in ATF3 promoter abolished luciferase activation by TA. Overexpression of ATF2 resulted in significant increase in ATF3 promoter activity, and electrophoretic mobility shift assay identified this region as a core sequence to which ATF2 binds. TA treatment resulted in an increase in ATF2 phosphorylation, which was followed by a subsequent increase in ATF3 transcription. Knock down of ATF2 abolished TA-induced ATF3 expression. We further provide evidence that TA leads to increases in phospho-p38 MAPK, JNK and ERK levels. Inhibition of these pathways using selective inhibitors and dominant negative constructs ameliorated TA-induced ATF3 expression and promoter activities. The current study shows that TA stimulates ATF3 expression and subsequently induces apoptosis. These pathways are mediated through phosphorylation of ATF2, which is mediated by p38 MAPK-, JNK- and ERK-dependent pathways.
Further characterization of the in vitro assay for inhibitors of metabolic cooperation in the Chinese hamster V79 cell line

12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) has been previously shown to inhibit metabolic cooperation in Chinese hamster V79 cells. An in vitro assay, based on this phenomenon, has been developed to study tumor promoters. Several parameters concerning the metabolic cooperation assay using V79 Chinese hamster cells were further investigated in this report. Pretreatment of the cells with TPA in situ for different periods of time did not result in any detectable change in the inhibition of metabolic cooperation. If cells were replated after TPA treatment, a different result was obtained. There was an apparent decrease in the ability of TPA to inhibit metabolic cooperation when TPA was added back to the TPA-pretreated cultures. However, when TPA was omitted from the TPA pretreated cultures after replating, the inhibition of metabolic cooperation remained high. It was also found that pretreatment of the cells with another chemical, aldrin, exhibited the same pattern as the in situ TPA pretreatment effect on inhibition of metabolic cooperation. In order to obtain a high level of inhibition of metabolic cooperation when using aldrin in this assay, it was determined that the chemical needed to be present for more than one day. Our studies also showed that a 24 h treatment with 6-thioguanine did not kill 6-thioguanine-sensitive cells quickly, nor did it prevent them from performing metabolic cooperation. The relationship of cell density and TPA concentration was also studied. It was observed that a higher cell density required higher TPA concentration to inhibit, maximally, metabolic cooperation. A 'down regulation' type effect was noted when culture was challenged with different concentrations of TPA. These results were interpreted to be consistent with the hypothesis that inhibited gap-junctional intercellular communication is one of the components of tumor promotion.
Surface area and swellability of coal

Sorption data have been obtained for a range of vapours on a Kentucky No.12 coal. The data at high relative vapour pressures (P/P0 > 0.3) are interpreted in terms of coal swelling. The sorption data at low relative vapour pressures (P/P0 < 0.3) are used to obtain information on surface area. The results indicate that surface areas obtained in this way are influenced by vapour-induced swelling effects.
Late acquisition of a germ line antibody specificity.

THE humoral immune response to most antigenic determinants is characterised by a highly heterogeneous population of antibody molecules derived from a large array of precursor cell clonotypes1–3. The response to certain antigenic determinants, however, is relatively restricted and may be dominated by a single homogeneous antibody species. In inbred strains of mice, such dominant antibody specificities are present in all individuals of a strain4–9, are characterised by identical idiotypic determinants4–8, and are linked to heavy chain allotype markers7–10. Thus, these clonotypes are presumed to be a direct reflection of genetic information present in the germ line. A good example of an antibody specificity considered to be ‘germ line’ is the major clonotype responsive to phosphorylcholine in BALB/c mice, which is identical in its combining region to the TEPC 15 and SI07 plasmacytoma proteins4–5. Representatives of the cell clone producing this phosphoryilcholme-specific antibody have been found in high frequency (19±6 per 106 bone marrow-derived antibody-forming cell precursors (B cells)) in both conventionally reared and germ-free BALB/c mice11.
Annotating Discourse Connectives in the Chinese Treebank

In this paper we examine the issues that arise from the annotation of the discourse connectives for the Chinese Discourse Treebank Project. This project is based on the same principles as the PDTB, a project that annotates the English discourse connectives in the Perm Treebank. The paper begins by outlining range of discourse connectives under consideration in this project and examines the distribution of the explicit discourse connectives. We then examine the types of syntactic units that can be arguments to the discourse connectives. We show that one of the most challenging issues in this type of discourse annotation is determining the textual spans of the arguments and this is partly due to the hierarchical nature of discourse relations. Finally, we discuss sense discrimination of the discourse connectives, which involves separating discourse connective from non-discourse connective senses and teasing apart the different discourse connective senses, and discourse connective variation, the use of different connectives to represent the same discourse relation.
Improved SAR interferometric processing using local phase-slope correction

SAR interferometry is a technique used to reconstruct detailed terrain height maps. The technique requires two SAR images of the same patch of ground. In order for the interferometric process to succeed, the imaging collection geometry must be within tightly held constraints. The two images are registered and the phases are compared using a 2-dimensional averaging box of several pixels. This phase difference is then proportional to the terrain height at the location of the center of the averaging box. This local averaging process is important because it reduces phase-noise and subsequently produces better height maps. The process, however, assumes that the phase difference is constant over the averaging box. In areas where steep slopes exist, this assumption is violated and the resulting phase difference measurements are in error, resulting in corrupted height maps. This paper presents a technique, which extends the model fo the phase in the averaging box to allow a 2-dimensional linear phase slope to exist. The process estimates the constant phase (the phase that is a measure of the local terrain height) and the phase slope (which is a measure of the terrain slope) in an individual averaging box. Extending the model to include the linear phase slopes greatly improves the constant phase difference estimates, especially in areas of steep terrain. This results in muc more accurate and reliable terrain products. This paper presents a technique, which extends the model of the phase in the averaging box to allow a 2-dimensional linear phase slope to exist. The process estimates the constant phase (the phase that is a measure of the local terrain height) and the phase slope (which is a measure of the terrain slope) in an individual averaging box. Extending the model to include the linear phase slopes greatly improves the constant phase difference estimates, especially in areas of steep terrain. This results in much more accurate and reliable terrain products. This paper demonstrates the viability of the technique on actual SAR data.
The process of crack initiation and effective grain size for cleavage fracture in pearlitic eutectoid steel

The process of cleavage crack initiation and the character of the effective grain size which controls the fracture toughness of pearlitic eutectoid steel has been investigated using smooth tensile and precracked Charpy impact specimens. The results demonstrated that initial cracking in both specimens was largely the result of shear cracking of pearlite;i.e., localized slip bands in ferrite promoted cracking of the cementite plates, which was then followed by tearing of the adjacent ferrite laths. Such behavior initially results in a fibrous crack. In the tensile specimen, the initiation site was identified as a fibrous region which grew under the applied stress, eventually initiating an unstable cleavage crack. In precracked impact specimens, this critical crack size was much smaller due to the high state of stress near the precrack tip. Fracture mechanics analysis showed that the first one or two dimples formed by the shear cracking process can initiate a cleavage crack. Using thin foil transmission electron microscopy, a cleavage facet was found to be an orientation unit where the ferrites (and the cementites) of contiguous colonies share a common orientation. The size of this orientation unit, which is equal to the cleavage facet size, is controlled by the prior austenite grain size. The influence of austenite grain size on toughness is thus explained by the fact that the austenite grain structure can control the resultant orientation of ferrite and cementite in pearlitic structures.
Prediction of cancer potency using a battery of mutation and toxicity data

Correlations between the carcinogenic potencies of 146 known mouse carcinogens and potency estimates determined from (i) Ames test results, (ii) a battery of mutation test results, and (iii) a battery of mutation and toxicity data are presented. The lowest correlation was found using Salmonella mutagenic potency (r = 0.37). The highest correlations were found using the battery of mutation and toxicity data to predict the potency of lung carcinogens (r = 0.94) and liver carcinogens (r = 0.91). The results suggest that short-term batteries which include tests for both mutagenicity and toxicity will be able to predict carcinogenic potency better than current batteries relying solely on mutagenicity tests.
The candidate tumor suppressor gene Ecrg4 as a wound terminating factor in cutaneous injury.

The Esophageal cancer-related gene-4 (Ecrg4) is a candidate tumor suppressor gene whose secreted protein product has been implicated in the development and progression of epithelial cancers, neuroprogenitor cell activation after central nervous system injury, cell senescence in neurodegeneration, and the survival of hematopoietic stem cells. Here, we investigated the temporal and spatial localization of Ecrg4 expression in healthy and injured mouse skin, and evaluated the biological activity of Ecrg4 using viral-mediated gene delivery in cutaneous wound healing models. Using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we found both Ecrg4 mRNA and its protein product localized to the epidermis, dermis, and hair follicles of healthy mouse skin. Upon cutaneous injury, Ecrg4 redistributed to the wound margins where gene microarray and quantitative RT-PCR showed an increased gene expression 5–10 days post-injury as a late phase injury response gene. Ecrg4 over-expression inhibited the directional migration of fibroblasts in modified Boyden chambers in vitro, but had no effect on rates of fibroblast proliferation. Ecrg4 over-expression in vivo at the wound margins delayed the rate of wound closure at 1 and 2 days after full-thickness punch injury. These findings point to the candidate tumor suppressor gene Ecrg4 as a novel, biologically active, constituent of skin and skin injury. The possibility that Ecrg4 serves as a wound termination factor during wound resolution is discussed.
Proteins encoded by the trans-acting replication and maintenance regions of broad host range plasmid RK2

Abstract The broad host range plasmid RK2 has previously been found to contain three separate regions of the genome involved in replication and maintenance in Escherichia coli ( C. M. Thomas, R. Meyer, D. R. Helinski, 1980 , J. Bacteriol.141, 213–222). They include the origin of replication (oriRK2) and the trfA region which encodes a trans-acting function required for replication. The third region (trfB), although not essential for replication, supplies a function involved in the maintenance of plasmid RK2. Using the maxicell system of labeling plasmid-specific proteins, we have identified all of the proteins encoded by two miniplasmid derivatives of RK2 which contain only the regions oriRK2, trfA, and trfB. To determine which region specifies each protein, RK2/mini-ColE1 hybrid plasmids were used which contain various restriction fragments of the mini-RK2 replicon. The trfA region appears to encode three proteins designated A1 (39,000 MW), A2 (31,000 MW), and A3 (14,000 MW). Analysis of proteins synthesized by plasmids containing deleted forms of the trfA region indicates that the A2 protein is the essential trfA-encoded replication protein of plasmid RK2. The proteins A1 and A3 may be the products specified by the genes tra3 (involved in transmissibility) and kilB1 (involved in host-cell viability) which also map in the trfA region. The trfB region specifies two proteins designated B1 (36,000 MW) and B2 (30,000 MW). These may be the products of the two kil-override (kor) genes located in the trfB region which have been implicated in plasmid maintenance.
The Role of Manufacturers' Salespeople in Inducing Brand Advocacy by Retail Sales Associates

As retail sales associates play a critical role in influencing in-store customer decisions by providing brand recommendations, manufacturers attempt to use a variety of strategies to induce brand advocacy of their respective brands. Toward this end, manufacturers have traditionally deployed their salespeople to cultivate and maintain brand-centric relationships with retail sales associates. However, little is known on how manufacturers' salespeople build such relationships and induce brand advocacy by retail sales associates, especially in retail environments where commissions and incentives are prohibited. This study develops and tests a theoretical model of the antecedents of relationships between manufacturers' salespeople and retail sales associates and the subsequent impact of such relationships on brand advocacy by retail sales associates.
Some sampling properties of common phase estimators

The instantaneous phase of neural rhythms is important to many neuroscience-related studies. In this letter, we show that the statistical sampling properties of three instantaneous phase estimators commonly employed to analyze neuroscience data share common features, allowing an analytical investigation into their behavior. These three phase estimators-the Hilbert, complex Morlet, and discrete Fourier transform-are each shown to maximize the likelihood of the data, assuming the observation of different neural signals. This connection, explored with the use of a geometric argument, is used to describe the bias and variance properties of each of the phase estimators, their temporal dependence, and the effect of model misspecification. This analysis suggests how prior knowledge about a rhythmic signal can be used to improve the accuracy of phase estimates.
Solid and Liquid Cattle Manure Application in a Subarctic Soil: Bromegrass and Oat Production and Soil Properties

An experiment was conducted in subarctic Alaska from 1999 to 2001 to determine the effect of liquid and solid cattle (Bos taurus) manure application rates on smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) and oat (Avena sativa L.) biomass production, nutrient uptake, and soil properties. One-time manure application of 100 and 200 kg N ha 21 was made in May 1999 in comparison with annual fertilizer application of 50, 100, and 200 kg N ha 21 . In the first year, liquid manure at 100 and 200 kg N ha 21 generated 3036 and 4292 kg ha 21 smooth bromegrass biomass, respectively, statistically (p $ 0.05) similar to that of fertilizer application (3654 kg ha 21 ) at 200 kg N ha 21 but greater (p # 0.05) than control (1572 kg ha 21 ). Similar results were found with oat. The 200 kg N ha 21 liquid manure application continued to benefit crop growth in the second and third years. Solid manure did not influence biomass production of either crop in most crop/year combinations. Cumulatively, in 3 yr, smooth bromegrass recovered 59% of nitrogen from liquid manure, compared with 37% by oat. Soil Mehlich 3–P accumulation was found in some liquid and solid manure treatments for both crops. High soil exchangeable K was found in 1999 after liquid manure application but declined over time. Our results suggest that 100 kg N ha 21 liquid manure can replace nitrogen fertilizer at a similar rate. Liquid cattle manure was better than solid cattle manure in promoting bromegrass and oat production.
MDM2 SNP285 does not antagonize the effect of SNP309 in lung cancer

Conflicting reports exist regarding the contribution of SNP309 in MDM2 to cancer risk. Recently, SNP285 was shown to act as an antagonist to SNP309 by overriding the effect of SNP309 on SP1-mediated transcription. Moreover, SNP285 modified the relationship between SNP309 and risk of breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer. We assessed whether SNP285 confounded the effect of SNP309 in lung cancer in a cohort of 720 controls and 556 cases. Our cohort included both Caucasians and African Americans. Neither SNP309 nor SNP285 was associated with lung cancer risk or survival. In addition, removal of individuals who carried the variant C allele of SNP285 did not modify the association between SNP309 with either lung cancer risk or survival. Although an effect of SNP285 has been demonstrated in breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer, our findings do not support a role for this SNP in lung cancer and raise the possibility that the effect of SNP285 is restricted to cancers in women.
Multivariate Nonparametric Resampling Scheme for Generation of Daily Weather Variables

A nonparametric resampling technique for generating daily weather variables at a site is presented. The method samples the original data with replacement while smoothing the empirical conditional distribution function. The technique can be thought of as a smoothed conditional Bootstrap and is equivalent to simulation from a kernel density estimate of the multivariate conditional probability density function. This improves on the classical Bootstrap technique by generating values that have not occurred exactly in the original sample and by alleviating the reproduction of fine spurious details in the data. Precipitation is generated from the nonparametric wet/dry spell model as described in Lall et al. [1995]. A vector of other variables (solar radiation, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, average dew point temperature, and average wind speed) is then simulated by conditioning on the vector of these variables on the preceding day and the precipitation amount on the day of interest. An application of the resampling scheme with 30 years of daily weather data at Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, is provided.
Mosquito feeding modulates Th1 and Th2 cytokines in flavivirus susceptible mice: an effect mimicked by injection of sialokinins, but not demonstrated in flavivirus resistant mice

Culex pipiens and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were fed on C3H/HeJ mice and systemic cytokine production was quantified from stimulated lymphocytes harvested four to ten days after feeding. Mosquito feeding on C3H/HeJ mice significantly down regulated IFN gamma production seven to ten days post feeding by Cx. pipiens and seven days after Ae aegypti feeding. Th2 cytokines, IL-4 and IL-10, were significantly up regulated 4-7 days after Cx. pipiens and Ae. aegypti feeding. The immunosuppressive effect of Cx. pipiens feeding on systemic cytokine production was not evident in congenic flavivirus resistant (C3H/RV) mice, as systemic IFN gamma and IL-2 were significantly up regulated at days 7 and 10, correlating with a significant decrease in IL-4 10 days after feeding by Cx. pipiens mosquitoes. Inoculation of 5-1000 ng of sialokinin-I into C3H/HeJ mice mimicked the effect of Ae. aegypti feeding by down regulating Th1 cytokines and significantly up regulating Th2 cytokines four days post inoculation. Injections of sialokinin-II resulted in only moderate effects on IFN gamma and IL-4 production seven and ten days after injection. Thus natural feeding by two arbovirus vectors had a profound T cell modulatory effect in vivo in virus susceptible animals which was not demonstrated in the flavivirus resistant host. Moreover, sialokinin-I and sialokinin-II mimicked the effect of mosquito feeding by modulating the host T cell response. These results may lend new insight into specific aspects of the role of the mosquito vector in potentiating virus transmission in the mammalian host.
The influence of end-capping on the enantioselectivity of a chiral phase

The effect of end-capping chiral stationary phases (CSP's) derived fromN-(2-naphthyl)alanine undecyl ester has been examined using either trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS), hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), or bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA) as end-capping reagents. The separation factor (α) and capacity factor (k′) of the enantiomers ofN-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)leucine octadecyl amide andN-(3,5-dinitrobenzoyl)alanine butyl ester were evaluated on three columns all packed with material from the same batch of stationary phase. These columns were essentially identical before, but not after end-capping with the above reagents. TMCS and HMDS were found to be superior to BSTFA, which appears to cause a significant loss of bonded phase from the silica surface. It seems that residual silanols affect the retention either by interacting with the analyte or by interacting with strands of stationary phase. End-capping usually increases enantioselectivity, sometimes by decreasing k′ for the first enantiomer and increasing k′ for the second enantiomer. The enhancement in enantioselectivity is greatest in relatively nonpolar mobile phases and occurs to a greater extent for phases having incomplete surface coverages.
On some generalizations of a mean voter theorem

Abstract Caplin and Nalebuff (Econometrica, 1991, 59, 1–23) established the existence of an unbeatable proposal in a super-majority voting problem. We show this result holds for more general parametric representations of voters' preferences.
Teaching multiple regression in elementary statistics

This is a starting point for those instructors who desire to enhance their teaching of elementary business statistics. The course must cover the fundamentals and there is not always time to discuss applications effectively. The discussion of applications is essential for the business student to be able to realise the relevance of statistical methods in decision-making. Therefore, the course is reorganised in order to exploit the dependence among topics. A modified outline for the business statistics course and a rationale are presented. Some of the benefits derived from the modified outline and feedback obtained from students and faculty are discussed.
WEST AFRICAN URBANIZATION: WHERE TOLLEY'S MODEL FAILS

The purpose of this paper is to investigate urbanization in West Africa using a model proposed by Tolley. Pribadi and Berry developed this model then successfully tested it on Indonesia. Our analysis shows the model fails to explain West African urbanization when applied to individual nations. The performance of the model improves when applied on a regional scale because at this scale migration is internalized. Despite the improved fit much of the rapid urbanization in some nations remains unexplained by the model suggesting the importance of other incentives such as the pull of primate cities and the push from drought and changing environmental conditions. (EXCERPT)
Inhibition of steroidogenesis in Leydig cells by Müllerian-inhibiting substance

Mullerian-inhibiting substance (MIS), a member of the transforming growth factor-beta family of cytokines that signal through a heteromeric complex of single-transmembrane serine/threonine kinase receptors, is required for Mullerian duct regression and normal reproductive tract development in the male embryo. However, the continued expression of MIS at high levels in males until puberty and its induction in females after birth suggested other roles for MIS. Additionally, Leydig cell development and steroidogenic capacity and ovarian follicle recruitment were abnormal in MIS-knockout or MIS-overexpressing mice. We have shown that MIS inhibits the cAMP-induced expression of cytochrome P450 C17alpha-hydroxylase/C17-20 lyase (Cyp17) mRNA both in vitro and in vivo. Our current efforts are to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating both MIS type II receptor (MISRII) expression and its signaling in rodent Leydig cell lines. MISRII expression in R2C cells requires both steroidogenic factor-1 and an unknown protein to bind to its proximal promoter in the context of 1.6 kb 5'-flanking DNA. When bound by MIS, signaling by the receptor in MA-10 cells blocks the protein kinase A-mediated induction of Cyp17 expression by a cAMP regulatory element-binding protein independent mechanism. We continue to investigate the molecular mechanisms of MISRII expression and possible interactions between MIS-regulated SMAD activation and cAMP signaling. These studies will provide a better understanding of the role played by MIS during postnatal life.
Thyrotropin and Prolactin Responses to Thyrotropin‐Releasing Hormone in Young Men at High or Low Risk for Alcoholism

A reduced thyrotropin (TSH) response to TSH-releasing hormone (TRH) has been reported in a portion of abstinent alcoholic men without evidence of cirrhosis of the liver. It is not known whether this neuroendocrine change is a precursor of alcoholism or a sequelae of heavy alcohol consumption. Three of four published studies have found evidence for differences in TRH-induced TSH response in subjects at high risk for alcoholism, based on family history, compared with subjects at low risk for alcoholism. To test further the hypothesis that the TRH-induced TSH response is a vulnerability marker for alcoholism, we tested 25 young men with an alcoholic father [family history-positive (FHP)] and matched them, on alcohol consumption, to 25 young men with no identified first- or second-degree relatives with alcoholism [family history-negative (FHN)]. FHP subjects were further categorized based on whether their father had shown signs of alcohol problems before age 25 years (FHP-Early, n = 10) or after age 24 years (FHP-Late, n = 12). FHP subjects did not differ from FHN subjects in their baseline levels of thyroid hormones, glucose, cortisol, or TSH. However, the distribution of TSH responses in the FHP subjects was skewed toward lower values, compared with FHN subjects (p = 0.12). Furthermore, FHP-Late subjects had lower TSH responses than FHN subjects (p = 0.02), whereas the TSH response of FHP-Early subjects was not different from FHN subjects. Prolactin responses to TRH were similar across all groups. These findings support the hypothesis that the TRH-induced TSH response may be a marker of vulnerability to alcoholism and suggest an association between the marker and risk for late-onset alcoholism.
Vibrational analysis of crystalline diketopiperazine—I. Raman and i.r. spectra

Abstract Raman and i.r. spectra have been obtained of diketopiperazine and five of its isotopic derivatives: (CONDCH 2 ) 2 , (CONHCD 2 ) 2 , (CONDCD 2 ) 2 , ( 13 CONHCH 2 ) 2 and ( 13 CONDCH 2 ) 2 . In addition to solution spectra and powder spectra at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures, polarized Raman spectra were obtained on single crystals. These data have permitted an essentially complete assignment to be made of the Raman and i.r. modes of the crystal, a necessary step in the refinement of an intramolecular force field for this molecule [13].
Widely tunable (>100 nm) continuous-wave narrow-linewidth high-power thulium fiber laser

Eye-safe, high power, tunable, narrow linewidth lasers are key technologies for a number of applications, including atmospheric propagation measurements. Since the atmosphere has narrow line transmission windows it is important to have a tunable linewidth source which can be matched to the transmission window. We have developed a stable narrow-linewidth (0.3 nm), tunable (from 1947 nm to 2108 nm) large mode area thulium doped fiber laser. Using this as a seed source, a master oscillator power amplifier with ~100 W output power will be presented.
Some Dynamical Aspects of Precipitating Convection.

Abstract A simple linear model is developed with the idea of demonstrating the basic physical processes that serve to distinguish the dynamics of precipitating convection from those of the nonprecipitating variety. In particular, it is shown that the hypothesis advanced by Seitter and Kuo to explain the slope and propagation of squall lines in the context of a fully nonlinear numerical model operates also within a linear model. With a hierarchy of linear models, it is demonstrated that 1) precipitating convection in a basic state consisting of a resting, uniform, unstable cloud can propagate and exhibit sloping up- and down-drafts; 2) subcloud evaporation of falling precipitation leads to modifications of the aforementioned instabilities and the formation of a new mode that travels rapidly and has peak amplitude in the subcloud layer; and 3) the introduction of a shear layer at the cloud base serves to couple the subcloud layer mode mentioned here with the cloud layer and yields a deep, rapidly growing, d...
A Birkhoff-like Axiomatizability Result for Hidden Algebra and Coalgebra

A characterization result for behaviorally definable classes of hidden algebras shows that a class of hidden algebras is behaviorally definable by equations if and only if it is closed under coproducts, quotients, morphisms and representative inclusions. The second part of the paper categorically generalizes this result to a framework of any category with coproducts, a final object and an inclusion system; this is general enough to include all coalgebra categories of interest. As a technical issue, the notions of equation and satisfaction are axiomatized in order to include the different approaches in the literature.
Assessment in Simulation and Gaming

This article examines the state of assessment in simulation and gaming over the past 40 years. While assessment has come slowly to many disciplines, members of the simulation and gaming community have been assessing the educational effectiveness of their experiential activities for years, in part because of skepticism from more traditional quarters that gaming and simulation are appropriate techniques to use in the classroom. These past efforts to demonstrate educational value usually went by names other than âassessment.â This article reviews research published in this journal using the keyword âassessmentâ plus a sample of pre-1990 meta-studies on evidence of educational effectiveness. The authors conclude with a discussion of two games, one familiar (SIMSOC) and one new (GLOBAL JUSTICE GAME) that may assist the reader in thinking about assessment strategies and related issues that need to be considered, in particular the role of agency versus structure.
Petrologic constraints on rift-zone processes - Results from episode 1 of the Puu Oo eruption of Kilauea volcano, Hawaii

The Puu Oo eruption in the middle of Kilauea volcano's east rift zone provides an excellent opportunity to utilize petrologic constraints to interpret rift-zone processes. Emplacement of a dike began 24 hours before the start of the eruption on 3 January 1983. Seismic and geodetic evidence indicates that the dike collided with a magma body in the rift zone. Most of the lava produced during the initial episode of the Puu Oo eruption is of hybrid composition, with petrographic and geochemical evidence of mixing magmas of highly evllved and more mafic compositions. Some olivine and plagioclase grains in the hybrid lavas show reverse zoning. Whole-rock compositional variations are linear even for normally compatible elements like Ni and Cr. Leastsquares mixing calculations yield good residuals for major and trace element analyses for magma mixing. Crystal fractionation calculations yield unsatisfactory residuals. The highly evolved magma is similar in composition to the lava from the 1977 eruption and, at one point, vents for these two eruptions are only 200 m apart. Possibly both the 1977 lava and the highly evolved component of the episode 1 Puu Oo lava were derived from a common body of rift-zone-stored magma. The more mafic mixing component may be represented by the most mafic lava from the January 1983 eruption; it shows no evidence of magma mixing. The dike that was intruded just prior to the start of the Puu Oo eruption may have acted as a hydraulic plunger causing mixing of the two rift-zone-stored magmas.
Integrated arrays of silicon photodetectors for image sensing

Development of linear and area arrays of silicon photodetectors operating in a photon flux integration mode is described. This mode of operation, which permits the trade of gain for bandwidth, is reviewed. It is possible to obtain full frame storage at commercial TV frame rates from area arrays of silicon phototransistors. Practical integrated structures of both diode and transistor arrays will be shown, and a method of coincidence sampling of an area array of photodetectors, which eliminates the need for isolation by the use of integrated MOST AND gates in the detector array, is described. This structure provides the following advantages: 1) High sensitivity and broad spectral response--photons absorbed far below the surface are not lost because of isolation barriers. 2) Reduced cross modulation. 3) A single video output terminal is required, thus avoiding the need to switch externally a large number of video channels to a common load, as is the case where isolation of photoelements is employed.