cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Function of the C. elegans T-box factor TBX-2 depends on SUMOylation

T-box transcription factors are critical developmental regulators in all multi-cellular organisms, and altered T-box factor activity is associated with a variety of human congenital diseases and cancers. Despite the biological significance of T-box factors, their mechanism of action is not well understood. Here we examine whether SUMOylation affects the function of the C. elegans Tbx2 sub-family T-box factor TBX-2. We have previously shown that TBX-2 interacts with the E2 SUMO-conjugating enzyme UBC-9, and that loss of TBX-2 or UBC-9 produces identical defects in ABa-derived pharyngeal muscle development. We now show that TBX-2 is SUMOylated in mammalian cell assays, and that both UBC-9 interaction and SUMOylation depends on two SUMO consensus sites located in the T-box DNA binding domain and near the TBX-2 C-terminus, respectively. In co-transfection assays, a TBX-2:GAL4 fusion protein represses expression of a 5xGal4:tk:luciferase construct. However, this activity does not require SUMOylation, indicating SUMO is not generally required for TBX-2 repressor activity. In C. elegans, reducing SUMOylation enhances the phenotype of a temperature-sensitive tbx-2 mutant and results in ectopic expression of a gene normally repressed by TBX-2, demonstrating that SUMOylation is important for TBX-2 function in vivo. Finally, we show mammalian orthologs of TBX-2, Tbx2, and Tbx3, can also be SUMOylated, suggesting SUMOylation may be a conserved mechanism controlling T-box factor activity.
HIF-2α promotes hypoxic cell proliferation by enhancing c-Myc transcriptional activity

Summary HIF-2α promotes von Hippel-Lindau ( VHL )-deficient renal clear cell carcinoma (RCC) tumorigenesis, while HIF-1α inhibits RCC growth. As HIF-1α antagonizes c-Myc function, we hypothesized that HIF-2α might enhance c-Myc activity. We demonstrate here that HIF-2α promotes cell-cycle progression in hypoxic RCCs and multiple other cell lines. This correlates with enhanced c-Myc promoter binding, transcriptional effects on both activated and repressed target genes, and interactions with Sp1, Miz1, and Max. Finally, HIF-2α augments c-Myc transformation of primary mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs). Enhanced c-Myc activity likely contributes to HIF-2α-mediated neoplastic progression following loss of the VHL tumor suppressor and influences the behavior of hypoxic tumor cells.
Exploring the Relationship Between Leisure and Health of Senior Adults with Orthopedic Disabilities Living in Rural Areas

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to explore the association between leisure-related variables and the perceived physical and mental health of senior adults with orthopedic disabilities who lived in rural areas. Participants were 48 men and women with acquired disabilities who lived in rural areas of the Midwest. They averaged 61 years of age. All were interviewed using an instrument that included (a) two health-related questions, (b) The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, (c) Mastery Scale, (d) The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, (e) The Leisure Satisfaction Scale-Short Form, (f) The Recreation Preference Scale, and (g) The Leisure Barriers Scale. Analysis of variance techniques revealed that there were no significant differences between men and women on measures of health, depression, mastery, self-esteem, or leisure satisfaction. Linear regression analyses indicated that positive health perceptions had significant correlations with the predictor variables of mastery, self-es...
Vasoactive intestinal peptide increases tyrosine hydroxylase activity in normal and neoplastic rat chromaffin cell cultures

Abstract Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) acutely increases tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in cultures of dispersed normal adult rat chromaffin cells and of PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells. High concentrations of VIP (10 μM) produce about 3-fold increases in TH activity in both cell types. VIP also increases the content of cyclic adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate (cAMP) in PC12 cells. VIP may increase TH activity by promoting the cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the enzyme. Nerve fibers containing VIP-like immunoreactive material have been reported in the adrenal medulla and in other catecholamine (CA)-storing tissues. This VIPergic innervation may regulate CA synthesis and other cAMP-dependent processes in these tissues.
Attitude Control of an Object Commonly Held by Multiple Robot Arms: A Lyapunov Approach

Multiple robot arms moving a commonly held object can be viewed as complex actuators whose purpose is to provide net forces and moments to the object. These forces and moments can be used to control the orientation, or attitude, of the object via the Euler equation describing attitude evolution in response to applied moments at the mass center. In contrast to the common approach that feedback linearizes the attitude dynamics to a double integrator form with respect to some 3-parameter local representation of orientation, we control the object using a globally nonsingular representation. Using an energy motivated Lyapunov function, globally stable control of attitude can be shown.
Cone-based geophysical imaging A proposed solution to a challenging problem

There are many locations throughout the world where subsurface contamination impacts the natural environment, with potentially serious consequences for the quality of our water and for human heath. At U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites alone there are estimated to be “about 6.4 billion cubic meters of contaminated soil, groundwater and other environmental media” (DOE Environmental Management Science Program announcement 02–03). One of the initial steps in dealing with a contaminated site is that referred to as site characterization. During site characterization, measurements are made that allow for the development of an accurate model of the physical, chemical, biological, and hydrogeological properties of the subsurface. Such a model is required to design an appropriate plan for remediation of a contaminated site and can also be used, and continually updated, for short-term or long-term monitoring of the site. Site characterization can involve locating and identifying a known or suspected contaminant, and can also involve determining the properties of the subsurface controlling the fate and transport of the contaminant. The challenging problem we face, at many sites, is identifying an approach to site characterization that provides the required information about the subsurface while minimizing the risks associated with contacting the contaminated region. The most common approach to site characterization involves drilling and directly sampling the near surface (top ∼100 m) of the earth. Boreholes are used to extract samples for laboratory analyses, for borehole logging, and to conduct on-site testing. Examples of on-site testing include water sampling for the direct detection of contaminants and pump tests, slugs tests, and tracer tests to estimate hydraulic conductivity. While the borehole-based methods can provide direct and accurate measurement of subsurface properties of interest, they are limited in terms of the spatial density of the sampling (dictated by the number of boreholes) and the volume of …
Evidence that increased 12-lipoxygenase expression impairs pancreatic β cell function and viability

Abstract Leukocyte type 12-lipoxygenase (12-LO) is an enzyme specifically expressed in the β cells of the pancreas. 12-LO oxidizes fatty acids such as arachidonic acid and linoleic acids to their respective hydroperoxides. Increased concentration of lipid hydroperoxides causes oxidative stress and this could lead to cellular dysfunction. Increased expression of 12-LO in β cells has been observed with use of inflammatory cytokines and during the prediabetic phase of β cell dysfunction in the Zucker diabetic fatty rat model. Also mice deficient in 12-LO expression show a decreased incidence of immune-mediated diabetes. To further understand the role of 12-LO in β cell metabolism, we over-expressed mouse leukocyte type 12-LO in INS-1 cells (transformed rat β cell line) using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector system. In 12-LO over-expressing cells, cell-associated 12-HETE levels increased ∼5- and ∼3-fold in the culture supernatant. In the cells over-expressing 12-LO, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) decreased by 25–30% one hour after exposure to high glucose (15 mM). By 2 h, GSIS decreased by 50–54% at high glucose levels. These data suggest that increased 12-LO products can reduce the synthesis, processing or secretion of insulin in β cells. We next examined the effect of 12-LO over-expression on mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) by Western blot analyses using antibodies specific for different phospho-MAP kinases. Over-expression of 12-LO led to an activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase while it markedly reduced Erk1 and 2 phosphorylation (4-fold). Further, over-expression of 12-LO led to induction of apoptosis in β cells as determined by DNA ladder assay. These results suggest that increased 12-LO plays a key role in altering β cell metabolism. Thus, increased 12-LO expression can have a detrimental effect on pancreatic β cell function and viability, suggesting that blockade of 12-LO activity or expression could provide a novel way to protect β cells from inflammatory injury.
Building and Burying Fear Memories in the Brain

The world is a dangerous place. Whether this danger takes the form of an automobile careening toward you or a verbal threat from a stranger, your brain is highly adapted to perceive such threats, organize appropriate defensive behaviors, and record the circumstances surrounding the experience. Indeed, memories of fearful events serve a critical biological function by allowing humans and other animals to anticipate future dangers. But these memories can also feed pathological fear, yielding crippling clinical conditions such as panic disorder. In this review, the author will examine how the brain builds fear memories and how these memories come to be suppressed when they no longer predict danger. The review will focus on the fundamental role for synapses in the amygdala in acquiring fear memories and the function of neural circuits interconnecting the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex in modulating the expression of such memories once learned. The discovery of the neural architecture for fear memory highlights the powerful interplay between animal and human research and the promise for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of other complex cognitive phenomena.
Fruit Choice by Woolly Monkeys in Tinigua National Park, Colombia

I combined morphological fruit data, phenological, and demographic information for 128 plant species, with nutritional information for 78 species, to assess feeding preferences of woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagothricha lugens) in Tinigua National Park, Colombia. I used multiple and simple regression analyses to predict fruit feeding time and one index of fruit preference from 20 independent variables presumed to affect fruit choice. The results of the independent regressions indicated a trend to spend more time consuming good tasting fruits from abundant plants that produce large quantities of fruits and produce large crops. Among these variables, abundant fruit production and the astringency index are the most important variables explaining feeding times when other variables are statistically controlled in a multiple regression analysis. Furthermore, the preference index showed that woolly monkeys prefer fruits from large trees that produce in periods of fruit scarcity, with high pulp/seed ratios, low lipid contents, and clumped spatial distributions. The results suggest that woolly monkeys are primarily generalized, opportunistic frugivores that avoid some fruits with secondary compounds. Their feeding behavior is determined by many factors, but the predictive power of each one is always low ( 69% of the variation in feeding time. I suggest that a detailed quantification of secondary compounds might increase the predictive power of the models to explain fruit choice by frugivorous primates.
1H NMR Analysis of Chain Unsaturations in Ethene/1-Octene Copolymers Prepared with Metallocene Catalysts at High Temperature

In this paper, we report the full resonance assignments in the olefinic region of the 600 MHz 1H NMR spectra of a typical ethene/1-octene copolymer (4.0 mol % of octene units) produced with a metallocene catalyst at high temperature, and of an ethene homopolymer prepared under similar conditions for comparison. The assignments were based on a thorough analysis of 1D (1H, 1H{1H}, 13C) spectra and of 2D 1H−1H (COSY, TOCSY) and 1H−13C (HSQC, DEPT-HSQC) maps. Thirteen different olefinic structures were identified, and their formation explained in terms of plausible mechanistic paths associated with the high polymerization temperature. The fraction of internal chain unsaturations traceable to allylic activation turned out to be comparable to that of terminal ones in both samples. Despite its complexity, the said spectral region is now amenable to deconvolution and full simulation in terms of known and recognizable patterns, and usable for fast (possibly on-line) measurements of chain unsaturation degree, as we...
Central place theory and intercommunity input-output analysis

This paper explores trade hierarchies and interindustry relationships, first in theory, then in the empirical context of a western United States timber economy facing a large reduction in its timber harvest. Principles of central place theory guide construction of a hybrid intercommunity input-output model. A nonsurvey technique for estimating central place trade is developed, and is compared with MRIO methods. The effect of central place dominance on intercommunity multipliers is examined theoretically, as is the nature of feedback linkages in a central place hierarchy. The empirical magnitude of feedback effects is small, and although effects vary in magnitude from community to community, neglect of central place considerations can understate intercommunity sawmill multipliers by as much as 36 percent.
New Isotopes of Thorium Studied with an Improved Helium-Jet Recoil Transport Apparatus

Five neutron-deficient isotopes of thorium lighter than mass 218 were studied at the Berkeley Heavy Ion Linear Accelerator by bombardment of enriched $^{206}\mathrm{Pb}$ with $^{16}\mathrm{O}$. Silicon (Au) surface-barrier detectors were used in on-line measurements performed to determine $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-decay characteristics. Mass-number assignments of $^{213}\mathrm{Th}$ through $^{217}\mathrm{Th}$ were made on the basis of excitation functions and systematic trends in $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-decay properties. Half-lives and $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-particle energies were determined. New information was also obtained about the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-decay characteristics of $^{216}\mathrm{Ac}$, $^{215}\mathrm{Ra}$, $^{214}\mathrm{Fr}$, and $^{212}\mathrm{At}$. Systematic occurrence of complex structure in the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ decay of even-$Z$ 125-neutron nuclei is discussed, and spins and parities are suggested for three lowest-energy levels of $^{211}\mathrm{Ra}$, $^{209}\mathrm{Rn}$, and $^{207}\mathrm{Po}$. Systematic occurrence of isomerism in odd-$Z$ 127-neutron nuclei is also discussed, and spins and parities are suggested for several levels. On the basis of the extreme regularity of the experimental $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ energies, predictions are made for the energies of several unknown neutron-deficient isotopes of thorium, protactinium, uranium, and neptunium. In the experimental work, the helium-jet transport method was used to remove the $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-emitting products from the target region. Technical details concerning the application of the method to millisecond activities are discussed.
Nation and race: Two destructive concepts

(1979). Nation and race: Two destructive concepts. The Philosophy Forum: Vol. 16, No. 1-2, pp. 67-86.
A Simple and Accurate Interferometric Fringe Analysis Tool for Skin Friction Measurements

Oil film interferometry (OFI) is a measurement technique used to evaluate local wall shear stress and limiting streamline direction. It has been applied to aircraft wings in wind tunnel testing and in turbine cascade testing. The accuracy of the technique is largely dependent on the analysis of interferograms. A new technique for interferogram analysis is presented that is simple and particularly well suited to analyzing interferograms characterized by few fringes. For example, limited fringe definition can occur from dust contamination on the pressure surface of turbine airfoils during cascade wind tunnel testing. The new technique is described and illustrated with examples.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Widespread Morbilliform Eruption Associated With Telaprevir: Use of Dermatologic Consultation to Increase Tolerability

Importance Telaprevir, combined with pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin, is an efficacious approach to treat hepatitis C virus infection. A morbilliform eruption associated with telaprevir is a common adverse effect experienced by patients. Current guidelines mandate telaprevir discontinuation in any patient with a severe, progressive, or unresponsive cutaneous eruption. Observations Eight patients with a grade 3 (severe) widespread morbilliform eruption associated with telaprevir were referred to dermatology for evaluation and treatment. Each patient received a combination of antihistamines, topical corticosteroids, and thick emollient creams, rendering their eruption tolerable for the duration of treatment. No patients had evidence of a systemic or life-threatening drug reaction, developed a systemic drug eruption, or had to prematurely stop triple therapy secondary to a cutaneous eruption. Conclusions and Relevance Patients with an uncomplicated grade 3 (severe) widespread morbilliform eruption associated with telaprevir may be able to continue triple therapy with close monitoring and dermatologic consultation. Given our findings, we propose an additional clinical classification of the telaprevir-associated eruption to better reflect the dermatologic classification of drug eruptions.
Use of Performance Measures for Surface Transportation in Different Institutional and Cultural Contexts: Cases of Australia, Japan, and New Zealand

This paper examines the use of performance measures in three countries: Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. The organizational context for the use of performance measures, the identification of key performance measures, and observations on interesting aspects of the performance-based planning approach used are discussed for each case. Attention is given in particular to performance measures relating to safety, congestion, and freight movement. The paper concludes by noting common characteristics of each case, including the use of a common framework for performance measurement, the importance of collaboration among different agencies for performance categories that transcend one policy area, the use of performance measures at different levels of planning and decision making, the vertical integration of information flow in agencies, the distinction between outcomes and outputs, the importance of data collection capability and the use of information technologies, the importance of performance measurement as a means of providing greater accountability and visibility to the public, and the need for top management leadership and commitment in the development and use of a performance measurement scheme.
A floral meristem identity gene influences physiological and ecological aspect of floral organogenesis

The architecture of a flower is tightly linked to the way a plant pollinates, making it one of the most physiologically and ecologically important traits of angiosperms. Floral organ development is proposed to be governed by the activity of three different classes of organ identity genes (the ABC model), and the expression of those genes are regulated by a number of meristem identity genes. Here we use a transgenetic strategy to elucidate the role of one floral meristem identify gene,LEAFY (LFY), in the evolution of floral organogenesis of a self pollinatorIdahoa scapigera and a obligatory out-crosserLeavenworthia crassa in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. By introducing theLFY genes from these two types of pollination habit into the genetic model speciesArabidopsis thaliana, we provide evidence that changes inLFY influenced flower architecture probably by controlling the downstream organ identity genes.
An Informal Sketch of a Formal Architecture for Construction Grammar

A formal architecture for Construction Grammar (CG) is sketched. Modeling domain objects (constructs) are constituent structures with feature structures at the nodes, aka Feature Structure Trees (FTs). Constructions are partial descriptions of FTs, expressed as sets of constituent structure equations and path equations. Unification of constructions is defined. A construct c is licensed by a grammar G iff G contains a set of constructions whose unification fully describes c.
PUTTING THE LEARNING IN SERVICE LEARNING From Soup Kitchen Models to the Black Metropolis Model

Results of the Black Metropolis Model (BMM) of service learning are analyzed and illustrated in this article to explain how to “put the learning in service learning.” There are many soup kitchens or nontransforming models of service learning where students are asked to serve needy populations but internalize and learn little about the service in their service learning. The results of a successful transforming model of service learning are presented to demonstrate how to put the learning in service learning for all students. The model integrates community institutions, residents, university faculty, staff, and undergraduate and high school students in hands-on service learning experiences that document uneven changes in the Black Metropolis of Chicago. The results reveal that the information and knowledge acquired by students transforms student knowledge as they internalize how uneven development in housing impacts community residents and their future in the original Black Metropolis of Chicago.
When courtesy offends: Effects of positive and negative behavior by the physically disabled on altruism and anger in normals1

The initial hypothesis was that physically disabled help-seekers will receive more aid from normal people than will help-seekers when both types of actors display positive personal qualities, whereas the reverse outcome will occur when both display negative qualities. In the first experiment a wheelchair-bound or normal confederate was either friendly and achievement oriented (positive condition) or caustic and apathetic (negative condition) while administering verbal tasks to subjects who were later asked to help the confederate. Contrary to prediction, subjects offered more help to the normal than to the disabled tester in the positive condition, and showed the reverse pattern in the negative condition. It was conjectured that subjects in the positive condition were annoyed by the disabled person's display of "normal" characteristics, whereas in the negative condition they sympathetically accepted the disabled person's inadequacies as befitting a victim of severe misfortune. A new experiment was done, which replicated the independent variables of the first study, but substituted two new dependent variables: covert anger arousal and perception of the confederate as happy-unhappy. As expected, covert anger was greater in the wheelchair-positive condition than in the normal-positive condition, and greater in the normal-negative condition than in the wheelchair-negative condition. Regardless of the confederate's physical status, subjects perceived negative behavior as a sign of unhappiness.
Stimulation of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-1 Synthesis by Interleukin-1β: Requirement of the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway1

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) is a 28-kDa plasma protein that binds to IGF-I and IGF-II with high affinity. IGFBP-1 is elevated in the blood as a result of sepsis, AIDS, excessive alcohol consumption, and diabetes and may, in part, be responsible for the wasting observed during these pathophysiological conditions. The liver is the principal site of IGFBP-1 synthesis, and we have previously shown that proinflammatory cytokines can directly stimulate IGFBP-1 secretion in a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of the MAP kinase pathway in regulating IGFBP-1 synthesis by IL-1β. We show that IL-1β stimulates the phosphorylation of ERK-1 and -2 in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In addition, the MAP kinase-kinase MEK-1 and the ribosomal S6-kinase RSK-1 are also phosphorylated in response to IL-1β. The transcription factor CREB, a potential substrate of both protein kinase A (PKA) and RSK-1, is phosphorylated in response ...
CESR-C: Performance of a Wiggler-Dominated Storage Ring

Until August 2003, CESR was operating as a electron-positron collider at 5.3 GeV/beam energy providing luminosity at Y resonances. In parallel, Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) laboratory used synchrotron radiation in parasitic regime. In 2001 we decided to extend CESR operating range to low 1.5 GeV/beam energy. To provide adequate damping at low energy, we designed, fabricated and during two shut downs in 2003 and in 2004 installed 12 super-ferric wiggler magnets [1]. Now CESR operates 60% of time as electron-positron collider at 1.88 GeV/beam energy and the rest 40% as synchrotron radiation source at 5.3 GeV/beam energy. This paper discusses low en ergy regime called CESR-c. CESR-c beam parameters presented in Table 1 show absolute domination of the wiggler magnets in radiation damping, in forming horizontal beam emittance, beam energy spread and machine vertical octupole-like nonlinearity. In the first part of paper we discuss issues linked to damping rings. Here are presented results of verification of beam parameters formed by wigglers, the wigglers magnetic field non-linearity testing and result of the CESR-c dynamic aperture tracking study. The second part describes CESR-c operation as an electron-positron collider. Here we report luminosity and beam-beam interaction performance, present recent results of beam dynamics studies and discu ss our improvement plan. Table 1: CESR-c beam parameters No wigglers With wigglers Hor. emittance [nm-rad] 30 220 Damping time [ms] 570 55Energy spread [
Feature-based methods for large scale dynamic programming

Summary form only given. We develop a methodological framework and present a few different ways in which dynamic programming and compact representations can be combined to solve large scale stochastic control problems. In particular, we develop algorithms that employ two types of feature-based compact representations; that is, representations that involve feature extraction and a relatively simple approximation architecture. We prove the convergence of these algorithms and provide bounds on the approximation error. As an example, one of these algorithms is used to generate a strategy for the game of Tetris. Furthermore, we provide a counter-example illustrating the difficulties of integrating compact representations with dynamic programming, which exemplifies the shortcomings of certain simple approaches.
Washing of the liquid retained by granular solids

A mathematical model termed the blind side channel model is developed to describe the washing performance of liquid retained in a bed of granular solids. The effects of operating variables and system's parameters, such as the flow rate of wash liquor, the diffusivity of the liquid system, and the thickness of the bed, are discussed. The experimental washing study was carried out with granular solids such as glass beads, sand, and crystalline solids, and application of wash liquors miscible in all cases with the residual liquid in the bed, drained by centrifuging. Results from the developed model showed very good agreement with the experimental results. The developed model would be valuable in analyzing the washing performance for process improvement and in designing washing systems.
A mixture approximation to the distribution of a weighted sum of chi-squared variables

The problem of Computing the Values of the distribution functions of linear combinations of chi-squared random variables and their percentile points was previously studied by Grad and Solomon (1955), Imhof (1961). Jensen and Solomon (1972). Solomon and Stephens (1977) and others. All the methods available in the literature either demand lengthy computations or are insufficiently accurate. In the present paper a new method is proposed which reduces the amount of needed computations and yet yields sufficiently accurate results.
Measuring Flow Complexity in Videos

In this paper a notion of flow complexity that measures the amount of interaction among objects is introduced and an approach to compute it directly from a video sequence is proposed. The approach employs particle trajectories as the input representation of motion and maps it into a `braid' based representation. The mapping is based on the observation that 2D trajectories of particles take the form of a braid in space-time due to the intermingling among particles over time. As a result of this mapping, the problem of estimating the flow complexity from particle trajectories becomes the problem of estimating braid complexity, which in turn can be computed by measuring the topological entropy of a braid. For this purpose recently developed mathematical tools from braid theory are employed which allow rapid computation of topological entropy of braids. The approach is evaluated on a dataset consisting of open source videos depicting variations in terms of types of moving objects, scene layout, camera view angle, motion patterns, and object densities. The results show that the proposed approach is able to quantify the complexity of the flow, and at the same time provides useful insights about the sources of the complexity.
Parametric Modeling in Mitigating the I/Q Mismatch: Estimation, Equalization, and Performance Analysis

In this work, we, using a mapping, transform the mismatch compensation problem into an estimation and equalization problem. By doing so, the in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) system mismatch parameters, i.e., the amplitude gains of I/Q channels and the phase imbalance, can be first estimated reliably and then mitigated by equalization. We also derive the Cramer? Rao lower bounds (CRLBs) of the parameters and study the performances of different phase imbalance estimates. Simulation results show that the mean square errors of the estimated parameters follow the trends of their corresponding CRLBs. Hence the I/Q mismatch can be mitigated by equalization successfully.
Seamless integration of wireless access, free space optical, and fiber-based backbone networks

Typical fiber-based backbone networks support the transport of a tremendous amount of bandwidth. Free space optical technology is quickly deployed and is based on standardized protocols, compatible with fiber-based networks. Modern wireless technology and protocols allow for multiservices, end-user flexibility and for mobility in the access regime. In this paper we describe the seamless protocol integration of these three technologies and their protocols.
Extension of finite-support extrapolation using the generalized series model for MR spectroscopic imaging

In magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, limited data sampling in /spl kappa/-space leads to the well-known Fourier truncation artifact, which includes ringing and blurring. This problem is particularly severe for MR spectroscopic imaging, where only 16-24 points are typically acquired along each spatial dimension. Several methods have been proposed to overcome this problem by incorporating prior information in the image reconstruction. These include the generalized series (GS) model and the finite-support extrapolation method. This paper shows the connection between finite-support extrapolation and the GS model. In particular, finite-support extrapolation is a limiting case of the GS model, when the only available prior information is the support region. The support region refers to those image portions with nonzero intensities, and it can be estimated in practice as the nonbackground region of an image. By itself, the support region constitutes a rather weak constraint that may not lead to considerable resolution gain. This situation can be improved by using additional prior information, which can be incorporated systematically with the GS model. Examples of such additional prior information include intensity estimates of anatomical structures inside the support region.
Imaging cortical absorption, scattering, and hemodynamic response during ischemic stroke using spatially modulated near-infrared illumination

We describe a technique that uses spatially modulated near-infrared NIR illumination to detect and map changes in both optical properties absorption and reduced scattering parameters and tissue composition oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin, total hemoglobin, and oxygen saturation during acute ischemic injury in the rat barrel cortex. Cerebral ischemia is induced using an open vascular occlu- sion technique of the middle cerebral artery MCA. Diffuse reflected NIR light 680 to 980 nm from the left parietal somatosensory cortex is detected by a CCD camera before and after MCA occlusion. Monte Carlo simulations are used to analyze the spatial frequency depen- dence of the reflected light to predict spatiotemporal changes in the distribution of tissue absorption and scattering properties in the brain. Experimental results from seven rats show a 17±4.7% increase in tissue concentration of deoxyhemoglobin and a 45±3.1, 23±5.4, and 21±2.2% decrease in oxyhemoglobin, total hemoglobin concen- tration and cerebral tissue oxygen saturation levels, respectively, 45 min following induction of cerebral ischemia. An ischemic index Iisch=ctHHb/ctO2Hb reveals an average of more then twofold con- trast after MCAo. The wavelength-dependence of the reduced scatter- ing i.e., scatter power decreased by 35±10.3% after MCA occlu- sion. Compared to conventional CCD-based intrinsic signal optical imaging ISOI, the use of structured illumination and model-based analysis allows for generation of separate maps of light absorption and scattering properties as well as tissue hemoglobin concentration. This potentially provides a powerful approach for quantitative monitoring and imaging of neurophysiology and metabolism with high spatiotem- poral resolution. © 2009 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. DOI: 10.1117/1.3116709
Organizational Correlates of the Goals of Business Managements

Summary This paper presents the goals of business managements as expressed by the chief executives or deputy chiefs of 145 business establishments. The goals most frequently expressed by management are profits, public service in the form of good products, and employee welfare. But other goals are also important such as growth, efficiency, meeting competition, and operating the organization. Managers of large businesses more often speak of public service than do managers of small businesses, probably because they are relatively secure and because they are in the public eye. If they are unionized, large businesses show more interest in the welfare of their employees than do small businesses. If nonunion, the relationship is reversed. The explanation of these findings regarding expressed interest in employee welfare is probably complex, involving the psychological distance between manager and employee, the varying nature of collective bargaining, and the ideologies of owners and professional managers. The higher the proportion of white-collar employees, the fewer the managers who mention profits. Similarly, the higher this proportion the more managers mention growth as a goal (but still not more than the number mentioning profits). These findings appear to reflect the varying cultural milieu of white-collar and blue-collar establishments. The finding becomes all the more important in view of the long-term trend toward greater upgrading and professionalization of labor. Managers of “successful” growing businesses, like large businesses, more frequently speak of good products than do managers of declining businesses. They are also more interested in meeting and staying ahead of competitors. Their orientation is outward; they express less interest in such internal matters as running the organization. Although these findings do not directly contradict the position of Adam Smith that the public interest is best served by the pursuit of “own self-interest,” they do suggest that the success of the business itself is furthered not by the pursuit of own self-interest but by the pursuit of public service in the form of good products. On the other hand, there is no evidence in the present data that the managers' pursuit of broader social responsibilities, such as employee or community welfare, furthers the growth of the business. These data suggest that understanding and evaluation of organizations and institutions require a consideration of their broad functions and characteristics. It is the characteristics of the total organization and of all its members that determine its goals. If it has a function outside its membership, it is this function that must be given attention, rather than the rewards it offers its leaders, its owners, or its members.
Abnormal coagulation tests obtained in the emergency department are associated with mortality in patients with suspected infection.

Abstract Background: Early recognition of acute organ dysfunction in emergency department (ED) patients with suspected infection may help select patients at increased risk of mortality. The hematologic system is often overlooked in the evaluation and management of patients with infection because it is poorly circumscribed and serves a multitude of functions. Study Objectives: We examine the hypothesis that abnormalities in commonly and easily obtained markers of coagulation function (international normalized ratio [INR], partial thromboplastin time [PTT], and platelet count [PLT]) are associated with mortality in ED patients admitted to the hospital with suspected infection. Methods: Design: Secondary analysis of a prospective observational cohort study. Setting: Urban tertiary care university hospital with 50,000 annual ED visits. Patients: Included patients: adults (age 18 ≥ years) evaluated in the ED for a suspected infection, had an INR, PTT, and PLT obtained during the ED stay, admitted to the hospital. Excluded patients: on oral anticoagulant therapy, received heparin, or pre-existing severe liver disease. Results: There were 1688 patients included. The in-hospital mortality rate was 5.9%. After adjusting for elderly status, comorbid illness burden, and severity of illness, elevated INR was associated with a 2.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6–5.2) increased odds of death, and a low platelet count (
The Bigger They Are: Cross-State Variation in Federal Education and Medicaid Waivers, 1991–2008

Federal waivers to state governments from conditions attached to grants-in-aid and other programs have become a critical factor in U.S. intergovernmental relations, yet no systematic empirical analysis has considered which factors make some states more likely to receive waivers. This article presents results of model estimations of time-series panel data that use as dependent variables measures of waivers to federal Medicaid and education policy from 1991 to 2008. Different factors influence the waivers states receive to different federal programs, suggesting that the waiver process varies greatly from policy to policy. These results do suggest that scholars of future waiver processes look to the capacity of each state's government and the relative size of populations the federal program most affects.
Primate Ranching – Results of an Experiment

It is becoming increasingly difficult for biomedical research workers to get the wild primates they consider essential for their work. Successful primate ranching could help solve the problem. In 1967 a well-known animal dealer in Colombia, Mike Tsalickis of Leticia, released over 5000 squirrel monkeys on an island in the Amazon in the hope of quick breeding results. Five years later he estimated the island monkey population at over 20,000, and the experiment appeared to have been very successful; later counts, however, suggested considerable errors in the figures and that the monkeys had in fact decreased catastrophically. The authors describe this and other experiments, some successful, but only as a result of expensive supplemental feeding.
Climate and predation dominate juvenile and adult recruitment in a turtle with temperature-dependent sex determination

Conditions experienced early in life can influence phenotypes in ecologically important ways, as exemplified by organisms with environmental sex determination. For organisms with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), variation in nest temperatures induces phenotypic variation that could impact population growth rates. In environments that vary over space and time, how does this variation influence key demographic parameters (cohort sex ratio and hatchling recruitment) in early life stages of populations exhibiting TSD? We leverage a 17-year data set on a population of painted turtles, Chrysemys picta, to investigate how spatial variation in nest vegetation cover and temporal variation in climate influence early life-history demography. We found that spatial variation in nest cover strongly influenced nest temperature and sex ratio, but was not correlated with clutch size, nest predation, total nest failure, or hatching success. Temporal variation in climate influenced percentage of total nest failure and cohort sex ratio, but not depredation rate, mean clutch size, or mean hatching success. Total hatchling recruitment in a year was influenced primarily by temporal variation in climate-independent factors, number of nests constructed, and depredation rate. Recruitment of female hatchlings was determined by stochastic variation in nest depredation and annual climate and also by the total nest production. Overall population demography depends more strongly on annual variation in climate and predation than it does on the intricacies of nest-specific biology. Finally, we demonstrate that recruitment of female hatchlings translates into recruitment of breeding females into the population, thus linking climate (and other) effects on early life stages to adult demographics.
Essential, Nonredundant Role for the Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase p110δ in Signaling by the B-Cell Receptor Complex

Lymphocyte development and function are regulated through the coordinated action of receptors of the cytokine receptor superfamily and the B-cell antigen-specific receptor (BCR) or T-cell antigen-specific receptors (TCR). Engagement of either receptor complex initiates tyrosine phosphorylation of a variety of intracellular substrates, including receptor chains, resulting in the initiation of cellular responses. Members of the cytokine receptor superfamily utilize JAK family cytoplasmic kinases (14), while the BCR and TCR complexes utilize members of the Src, Tec, and Zap70/Syk families of tyrosine kinases. In BCR signal transduction, the Tec family kinase Btk plays a critical role as evidenced by the loss of a proliferative response to BCR engagement in Btk-deficient B cells (15, 16). Among the substrates typically phosphorylated and recruited to hematopoietic receptor complexes are the regulatory subunits for phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) (9, 10, 30). In mammals there are three genes that encode adapter proteins for PI3K catalytic subunits, including p85α, p85β, and p55γ. The adapter proteins facilitate association of the catalytic subunits with the receptor complex and are proposed to regulate enzyme activity. The disruption of the p85α gene, in a manner that deletes the p85 isoform as well as two splice variants of p55 and p50, results in defective BCR signaling comparable to that seen with Btk deficiency (11, 26). This strongly suggests that PI3K activity is critical in BCR signal transduction. Three of the known PI3Ks, i.e., PI3Kα, PI3Kβ, and PI3Kδ, are regulated through their interaction with regulatory subunits (30). The fourth PI3K, PI3Kγ, functions in the context of heterotrimeric G-protein-coupled receptors and is essential for leukocyte function (12). The critical, nonredundant role that PI3Kα plays in cellular responses has been demonstrated through the derivation of mice lacking the gene. This deficiency results in an embryonic lethality at E9.5 to E10.5 due to a severe proliferative defect in many tissues (2). Similarly, deletion of the PI3Kβ gene alone results in a very early embryonic lethality (1, 2). In contrast to PI3Kα and PI3Kβ, PI3Kδ is expressed primarily in hematopoietic cells (32). To identify proteins that are recruited to cytokine receptor complexes, we have used affinity columns containing phosphopeptides corresponding to the major sites of tyrosine phosphorylation of JAK2. Two complexes which bound to a phosphopeptide affinity column derived from the amino acid sequence surrounding Jak2 Y966 were p85α/p110δ and p85β/p110δ. In order to determine the potential role of PI3Kδ in signaling, we derived a strain of mice in which the gene was disrupted in a manner to yield a protein null mutant. As demonstrated here, a deficiency in PI3Kδ results in a very specific loss of function of the BCR complex, while signaling through the cytokine receptor complexes is unaffected.
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Magnetic Properties of a New Polymorphic Sodium Cobalt Phosphate with Trigonal Bipyramidal Co2+and a Tunnel Structure

Abstract A new sodium cobalt phosphate with a three-dimensional framework structure has been prepared by hydrothermal methods and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The framework can be described as interconnected identical layers stacked along the crystallographica-axis. The layer is built from half of the Co2+trigonal bipyramids and half of the P5+tetrahedra and can be classified as a distorted (4.82) net commonly found in zeolite frameworks. The structure has one-dimensional channels where charge-balancing sodium cations are situated. The Co–O–Co linkages give rise to a tetramer of Co2+bipyramids which may be related to the low-temperature magnetic behavior. The magnetic susceptibility measurements show that the compound displays Curie–Weiss behavior down to a temperature of 15 K at which an antiferromagnetic phase transition occurs. The structural features and magnetic properties are compared with two other polymorphs of sodium cobalt phosphates which are built from tetrahedral and octahedral Co2+, respectively. Crystal data for NaCoPO4:M=176.89, space groupP21/c(No. 14),a=5.7856(1),b=11.0954(2),c=9.9228(3),β=92.668(2),V=636.29(2) A3,Z=8,Dc=3.693gcm−3, dark red needle, MoKα,λ=0.71073 A,μ=5.867 mm−1, 2θmax=56.54°,R(F)=2.07% for 128 parameters and 1471 reflections withI>2σ(I).
Acquisition in direct-sequence spread-spectrum communication networks: an asymptotic analysis

The effect of multiple-access interference on the acquisition of direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DS/SS) signals is studied. A passive matched filter approach is used, and the acquisition window length, which is the length of the matched filter, determines the complexity of the acquisition scheme. The acquisition-based capacity of a DS/SS system is defined to be the maximum number of simultaneous transmissions permissible while maintaining acceptable acquisition performance. The performance of the acquisition scheme is evaluated for large acquisition window length, and the asymptotic analysis yields the capacity as a function of the acquisition window length. If this length is linearly related to the processed gain, the acquisition-based capacity is smaller than that obtained by consideration of post-acquisition criteria only (e.g., bit-error probability for the demodulated signal). The results indicate the relative importance of the acquisition problem and suggest directions for further research. >