cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptive rejection of multiple sinusoids of unknown frequency

This tutorial paper is part of an invited session at the 2007 European Control Conference that was organized to review methodologies available for the adaptive rejection of unknown multiple narrowband disturbances. In the paper, two types of schemes are discussed. The first scheme is based on a magnitude phase-locked loop approach, where the magnitudes, frequencies, and phases of the sinusoidal components are estimated together in an integrated algorithm. The second scheme uses an indirect approach where a frequency estimator is combined with a control law for the rejection of disturbances of known frequency. The design of the discrete-time algorithms and their implementation are discussed in detail, and simulation results are presented to illustrate the application of the methodologies.
Commentary on Cheuvront's “High-Risk Sexual Behavior in the Treatment of HIV-Negative Patients”

ABSTRACT This paper discusses Cheuvront's High-Risk Sexual Behavior in the Treatment of HIV-Negative Patients. Unprotected sexual behavior between gay men evokes powerful feelings as the AIDS epidemic continues to expand. Simple notions of unprotected sex as self-destructive belie the complex and varied meanings of sexual behavior in men who grow up in a homophobic and alienating society. The very concept of risk-taking as pathological, rather than a manifestation of self-care, must be examined in a cultural and social context. Therapists have an obligation to look beyond formulaic interpretations of behavior to help gay men understand whether engaging in unprotected sex is a reasonable calculated risk in the interest of psychological and spiritual self care, or a consequence of some internal struggle or unmet needs which are indeed destructive of the self.
Neuropharmacology of HIV/AIDS

Publisher Summary The development of antiretroviral therapies has had a significant impact on the neurological manifestations of HIV/AIDS. The development of additional antiretroviral agents—including other nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), and protease inhibitors (PIs)—has changed HIV/AIDS from an acute/subacute fatal infection to a chronic disease. Therapeutic agents cross the blood–brain barrier and the blood–cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier by a variety of mechanisms, including passive diffusion, transcytosis, receptor-mediated absorptive endocytosis, or facilitated/active transport systems. Drug accumulation in the brain can be further impaired by a number of mechanisms, including passive efflux in the bulk flow of the CSF (sink effect), metabolic degradation, and active efflux transport including those involving the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance–associated protein (MRP) systems. At the level of the blood–brain barrier, tight junctions among endothelial cells prevent drug passage among cells. Although the blood–CSF barrier also has tight junctions, some intercellular transport of drugs may occur. The nucleoside analogs used in treating HIV infection are not carried by nucleotide transporters present at the blood–brain barrier. The modification of the 3'-sugar moiety alters the substrate availability of the nucleoside analogs for the nucleoside transporters.
Effect of Foreign Aid on Development: Does More Money Bring More Development?

Developing countries face challenges of massive poverty, slow GDP growth, high mortality rates from illnesses, and low levels of education. The governments in these countries do not have sufficient financial resources to fight these challenges effectively. Foreign aid has played an instrumental role in the implementation of development programs to combat poverty. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether foreign aid has a positive impact on development. Development in this paper is measured using the human development index that incorporates a knowledge index, health index, and standard of living index. Social aid is used to capture foreign aid towards development purposes. The hypothesis that foreign aid has a positive effect on HDI is tested using ordinary least squares regression. Regression results show that foreign aid has a negative relationship with development. The findings of the study indicate that foreign direct investment and domestic investment playa significant role in a country's development.
Competition policy and merger analysis in deregulated and newly competitive industries

Contents:1. Introduction and Overview Peter C. Carstensen and Susan Beth Farmer2. Mergers in the US Electric Power Industry Richard J. Pierce3. Natural Gas Pipelines: Can Merger Enforcement Preserve the Gains from Restructuring?Diana L. Moss4. Telecommunications Mergers Jim Chen5. Merger Analysis in the Post-Staggers Railroad Industry Curtis M. Grimm6. Airline Mergers - Second Best Results in a Change Environment Peter C. Carstensen7. Hospital Mergers Thomas L. Greaney8. Mergers and Competition Policy in the Banking Industry Bernard Shull9. The European Experience with Merger and Deregulation Susan Beth Farmer10. Reflections on Mergers and Competition in Formerly Regulated IndustriesPeter C. CarstensenIndex
Ecologically and Culturally Informed Educational Reforms in Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies

As people across the country are now experiencing the extreme weather conditions predicted in scientific reports, it is now time for teacher education and curriculum studies faculty to begin introducing reforms that enable classroom teachers to recognize when students are being socialized to take for granted ecologically unsustainable patterns of thinking. In addition to the toxic chemicals introduced by our consumer-dependent lifestyle, there is another major change that is altering the life prospects of students that also needs to be addressed in reforming teacher education and curriculum studies. That is, the long-standing tradition of replacing workers and their craft knowledge with machines has now reached a new stage of development where computer-driven production processes, as well as the outsourcing of work to the low-wage regions of the world, are now eliminating the need for workers who perform routine tasks in offices and on factory floors. Life-time employment and traditional careers, according to recent studies in the United States and Europe, will only be available for the small class of highly educated individuals. Work for the rest of the population will be low paying and characterized by continual uncertainty. This book, from which this excerpt is drawn, suggests how teacher education and curriculum studies programs can begin to address both of these life-altering changes.
Interpretation of Partial Utterances in Virtual Human Dialogue Systems

Dialogue systems typically follow a rigid pace of interaction where the system waits until the user has finished speaking before producing a response. Interpreting user utterances before they are completed allows a system to display more sophisticated conversational behavior, such as rapid turn-taking and appropriate use of backchannels and interruptions. We demonstrate a natural language understanding approach for partial utterances, and its use in a virtual human dialogue system that can often complete a user's utterances in real time.
Characterization of rainfall distribution and flooding associated with U.S. landfalling tropical cyclones: Analyses of Hurricanes Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne (2004)

[1] Rainfall and flooding associated with landfalling tropical cyclones are examined through empirical analyses of three hurricanes (Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne) that affected large portions of the eastern U.S. during September 2004. Three rainfall products are considered for the analyses: NLDAS, Stage IV, and TMPA. Each of these products has strengths and weaknesses related to their spatio-temporal resolution and accuracy in estimating rainfall. Based on our analyses, we recommend using the Stage IV product when studying rainfall distribution in landfalling tropical cyclones due to its fine spatial and temporal resolutions (about 4-km and hourly) and accuracy, and the capability of estimating rainfall up to 150 km from the coast. Lagrangian analyses of rainfall distribution relative to the track of the storm are developed to represent evolution of the temporal and spatial structure of rainfall. Analyses highlight the profound changes in rainfall distribution near landfall, the changing contributions to the rainfall field from eyewall convection, inner rain bands and outer rain bands, and the key role of orographic amplification of rainfall. We also present new methods for examining spatial extreme of flooding from tropical cyclones and illustrate the links between evolving rainfall structure and spatial extent of flooding.
Relationship between the dipole moments and the electron affinities for some polar organic molecules

Abstract The electronic and geometrical structures of fourteen polar molecules are investigated with the Hartree-Fock (HF) method and the second-order Moller-Plesset (MP2) perturbation theory. The molecules are: formaldehyde, H 2 CO, propanol, CH 3 CH 2 CHO, pivalaldehyde, (CH 3 ) 3 CCHO, butanal, CH 3 CH 2 CH 2 CHO, acetaldehyde, CH 3 CHO, 2-butanone, CH 3 CH 2 COCH 3 , trifluoromethylbenzene, C 7 H 5 F 3 , cyclohexanone, C 6 H 10 O, acetone, CH 3 COCH 3 , cyclopentanone, C 5 H 8 O, cyclobutanone, C 4 H 6 O, methylacrylonitrile, CH 2 CCH 3 CN, acrylonitrile, CH 2 CHCN, acetonitrile, CH 3 CN. The electron affinities corresponding to the formation of the dipole-bound states of the anions are calculated. For all the molecules considered, except formaldehyde, the molecules are found to be able to support dipole-bound states.
Regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression in depolarized non-transformed bovine adrenal medullary cells: second messenger systems and promoter mechanisms

Activation of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene in the adrenal medulla during stress is mediated by trans-synaptic mechanisms and may involve cholinergic receptors. Stimulation of nicotinic receptors in adrenal medullary cells induces cell depolarization, influx of Ca2+ ions and increases levels of cAMP. We have shown that both cAMP and membrane depolarization produce an increase in the expression of the TH gene in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells (BAMC). Others have proposed that transcriptional activation of the TH gene by cAMP is mediated through the sequence homologous to a cAMP responsive element (CRE) located in the proximal region of the TH gene promoter. In the present study we have examined the mechanisms by which membrane depolarization increases the TH gene activity. Treatment of serum-free BAMC cultures with the depolarizing agent, veratridine, increased the extracellular concentration of catecholamines, Met5-enkephalin, and the relative abundance of TH mRNA. Veratridine treatment also increased the levels of mRNAs for the catecholamine biosynthetic enzyme phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT), and proenkephalin A (PEK). Treatment for longer than 3 h was required to increase TH mRNA levels. By contrast, our previous studies indicated that cAMP stimulation for 2 h produces a maximal increase in TH mRNA levels in BAMC. The effects of veratridine and forskolin on TH mRNA levels were additive, further indicating that depolarization and cAMP activate TH gene expression via different pathways. Calmidazolium, an antagonist of calmodulin, had no effect on the veratridine-induced increase in TH mRNA levels. Similarly sphingosine treatment or preincubation with PMA, which reduce protein kinase C (PKC) activity and attenuate the induction of TH mRNA by PMA or the hormone, angiotensin II, did not affect the induction by veratridine. To identify promoter mechanisms of TH gene activation in depolarized cells we transfected BAMC with a plasmid pTHgoodLuc and treated with veratridine for 24 h. pTHgoodLUC contains a luciferase reporter gene linked to a -428/+21 bp fragment of the bovine TH gene promoter (relative to the transcription start site). Veratridine increased the expression of luciferase from the TH promoter 2.5-fold. Deletion of the -194/-54 bp promoter region containing SP-1 and POU/Oct sites reduced veratridine stimulation by 40%. Additional deletion of the -269 to -190 bp promoter segment, including an AP-1 element, further reduced veratridine stimulation to a statistically non-significant level. In conclusion, activation of TH gene expression upon depolarization is not mediated by calmodulin and PKC. Promoter sequences involved in this activation are located upstream from the CRE. Depolarization may activate TH gene transcription by acting on more than one regulatory region.
On the neural organization of language: thalamic and cortical relationships.

This paper first reviews some of the evidence concerning a possible role of thalamus in language organization (part I). This is followed by an account of certain aspects of the brain: language problem (part II). Specifically, an evolutionary account of thalamic-cortical relationships is discussed from the standpoint of the ontogeny of language lateralization and cognitive microgenesis. For a general review of cognitive-linguistic alterations associated with thalamic lesion the reader is referred to Brown (1974b).
Nonrandom chromosome arrangements in germ line nuclei of Sciara coprophila males: the basis for nonrandom chromosome segregation on the meiosis I spindle.

Meiosis I in males of the Dipteran Sciara coprophila results in the nonrandom distribution of maternally and paternally derived chromosome sets to the two division products. Based on an earlier study (Kubai, D.F. 1982. J. Cell Biol. 93:655-669), I suggested that the meiosis I spindle does not play a direct role in the nonrandom sorting of chromosomes but that, instead, haploid sets are already separated in prophase nuclei well before the onset of spindle formation. Here I report more direct evidence that this hypothesis is true; this evidence was gained from ultrastructural reconstruction analyses of the arrangement of chromosomes in germ line nuclei (prophase nuclei in spermatogonia and spermatocytes) of males heterozygous for an X-autosome chromosome translocation. Because of this translocation, the maternal and paternal chromosome sets are distinguishable, so it is possible to demonstrate that (a) the two haploid chromosome sets occupy distinct maternal and paternal nuclear compartments and that (b) nuclei are oriented so that the two haploid chromosome sets have consistent relationships to a well-defined cellular axis. The consequences of such nonrandom aspects of nuclear structure for chromosome behavior on premeiotic and meiotic spindles are discussed.
On the modeling of quiescent crystallization of polymer melts

In this paper we present a way of modeling crystallization in polymers within the confines of a new general framework that has been developed to describe materials undergoing dissipative processes. Crystallization in polymers is in general an irreversible process, and a characteristic of all such processes is the production of entropy. In addition to postulating constitutive forms for the internal energy and entropy, we prescribe a constitutive relation for the entropy production. This in turn aids in deriving the crystallization rate equation from the second law, under the constraint that all real processes tend to maximize the rate of entropy production. After developing the general framework, we derive specific models and compare the predictions of the model against experimental data available for quiescent crystallization in the literature. The predictions of the theory compare very well with the available experimental data for nylon-6 obtained by Patel and Spruiell (1).
Envisioning the History of Sociological Thought

As befits the editor of a venerable institution, Chicago's Heritage of Sociology series, Donald Levine in this volume has brought out his interpretation of sociology's historical patrimony, its development, and its mission. The book is a testimony to a scholar whose appreciation and concern for the history of sociological thought are exemplary. As much of an Africanist as a theorist, Levine easily navigates and explores the various theoretical currents that have taken us this far. He is, of course, not the first to provide an account of sociology, and he himself notes up front that there are many ways of telling such a good story. Following Comte, he provides us in the first two parts with visions of yesterday and tomorrow as frames of today. First, visions of the past as narratives: here he singles out six of these "histories in search of a tradition"--from positivist and pluralist to humanist and contextualist to points in between, namely "synthetic narratives" (such as Parsons, Alexander, and Habermas). The next journey takes him to visions of the future, in the form of seven national traditions in search of the good society: Hellenic, British, French, German, Marxian, Italian, and American. Appendices B and C (334f.) provide the reader with a good visual summary of these two journeys. Having with relative ease crossed the channel connecting the Anglophone and continental traditions, Levine like Orpheus remembers that there is a grander purpose to telling the history of sociology: there is the mission of bringing back to the present the missing Eurydice. In the latter instance, Levine argues in the final chapter that we have to recall the mission for the social sciences begun by Aristotle: a "Quest of a Secular Ethic."
Photo- and Thermionic Emission From Potassium-Intercalated Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Arrays

Vacuum thermionic electron emission has been considered for many years as a means to convert heat or solar energy directly into electrical power. However, an emitter material has not yet been identified that has a sufficiently low work function and that is stable at the elevated temperatures required for thermionic emission. Recent theoretical models predict that photonic and thermal excitation can combine to significantly increase overall efficiency and power generation capacity beyond that which is possible with thermionic emission alone. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) intercalated with potassium have demonstrated work functions as low as 2.0 eV, and low electron scattering rates observed in small diameter CNTs offer the possibility of efficient photoemission. This study uses a Nd:YAG laser to irradiate potassium-intercalated single-walled CNTs (K/SWCNTs), and the resultant energy distributions of photo- and thermionic emitted electrons are measured using a hemispherical electron energy analyzer for a wide range of temperatures. We observe that the work function of K/SWCNTs is temperature dependent and has a minimum of approximately 2.0 eV at approximately 600 K. At temperatures above 600 K, the measured work function K/SWCNTs increases with temperature, presumably due to deintercalation of potassium atoms.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Biomedical Ethics: An African-Centered Psychological Perspective:

Biomedical ethics examine questions of right and good action that arise in biological and medical settings. In the biomedical, ethical universe, continental Africans and the diasporic descendants tend to react differently than the ordinary Westerner. African American psychology is particularly concerned with the ethical dimensions and cultural competence of systems of health care. The quantity and quality of psychological health care delivered to African Americans raise deeply pervasive and troubling ethical questions. The significance of African consciousness, skin color, religion, education, racism, and the sociopolitical and economic posture of African people cannot be ignored. In a world culture where the rationing of resources is determined along a color line, the medical and mental health status of continental and diasporic Africans is adversely affected. A psychological perspective on the biomedical ethics of the African communities, particularly in America, is urgently needed. This exposition is i...
Induction and complementation of lysine auxotrophs in Saccharomyces.

Four chemical agents, EMS1, MNNG, NA, ICR-170, as well as UV were used to induce mutations in the wild-type haploid strain X2180-1B (α) of Saccharomyces. A total of 2053 (EMS, 427; MNNG, 444; NA, 469; ICR-170, 456; UV, 257) lysine-requiring mutant clones were isolated from many independent treatments and by nystatin enrichment technique. Mutants were classified into various functional groups on the basis of complementation analysis with 14 tester strains (lys 1 to lys 15 except lys 3). Of the clones analyzed, the number of isolates unable to complement with a given tester strain ranged from 2 for lys 5 to 918 for lys 4. Three of the mutually complementing lysine loci (lys 1, lys 2, and lys 4) accounted together for over 85% of the mutant clones whereas lys 6, lys 7, lys 8, and lys 14 had less than 10 noncomplementing isolates each. Mutants for lys 4 were most frequent with all of the mutagens tested except with NA in which case the mutants for lys 2 were most frequent. A total of 56 isolates failed to complement with lys 10, lys 11, and lys 12. Similarly, 47 isolates failed to complement with lys 9 and lys 13 simultaneously. Only 44 isolates complemented with all of the tester strains used.
Fluid Shear Stress and Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Activate Calpain to Promote Membrane Type 1 Matrix Metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) Membrane Translocation and Endothelial Invasion into Three-dimensional Collagen Matrices

The vascular endothelium continually senses and responds to biochemical and mechanical stimuli to appropriately initiate angiogenesis. We have shown previously that fluid wall shear stress (WSS) and sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) cooperatively initiate the invasion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells into collagen matrices (Kang, H., Bayless, K. J., and Kaunas, R. (2008) Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol. 295, H2087–2097). Here, we investigated the role of calpains in the regulation of endothelial cell invasion in response to WSS and S1P. Calpain inhibition significantly decreased S1P- and WSS-induced invasion. Short hairpin RNA-mediated gene silencing demonstrated that calpain 1 and 2 were required for WSS and S1P-induced invasion. Also, S1P synergized with WSS to induce invasion and to activate calpains and promote calpain membrane localization. Calpain inhibition results in a cell morphology consistent with reduced matrix proteolysis. Membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) has been shown by others to regulate endothelial cell invasion, prompting us to test whether calpain acted upstream of MT1-MMP. S1P and WSS synergistically activated MT1-MMP and induced cell membrane localization of MT1-MMP in a calpain-dependent manner. Calpain activation, MT1-MMP activation and MT1-MMP membrane localization were all maximal with 5.3 dynes/cm2 WSS and S1P treatment, which correlated with maximal invasion responses. Our data show for the first time that 5.3 dynes/cm2 WSS in the presence of S1P combine to activate calpains, which direct MT1-MMP membrane localization to initiate endothelial sprouting into three-dimensional collagen matrices.
Techniques of cervical discectomy with and without fusion

The anterior approach to the cervical spine is an excellent technique for resection of ventral discogenic or osteophytic disease. This approach also provides the spine surgeon with ample exposure for reconstruction and intermal fixation if needed. The indications and diagnostic work-up of degenerative disease of the cervical spine are reviewed, and the surgical technique is detailed.
Mechanisms of nuclear magnetic relaxation in cyanoacetylene

Abstract The nuclear magnetic relaxation of 13 C, D and 14 N in cyanoacetylene in toluene solution has been measured as a function of temperature. Contributions from various relaxation mechanisms have been determined, from which values of chemical shift anisotropies and spin rotation constant for carbons 2 and 3 and quadrupole coupling constants for D and 14 N have been obtained. The reorientation of cyanoacetylene in toluene solution appears to be small step rotational diffusion between +30 and −20°C.
The everyday politics of “cultural citizenship” among North African immigrant school children in Spain

Abstract In this paper, I examine cultural citizenship not as a stable fact but as the product of everyday practice. The analysis focuses on educational discourses and classroom interactions in the school of a rural town in Spain and in relation to Moroccan immigrant children’s membership and identity. I show how teachers engage in distinction, authentication, and authorization practices, playing on essentialist notions of children’s ethnolinguistic identities and upholding notions of belonging to the nation that are predicated on homogeneity. This paper also examines how Moroccan immigrant children contest teachers’ essentialist formulations by asserting multiple, hybrid forms of membership and belonging.
Modular High Density Large Focal Plane Concepts

Staring sensor systems require large fields-of-view with fine resolution. This combination requires systems which contain several million detector elements, or pixels, on the focal plane. A modular approach for this focal plane assembly has been deve,loo,:Ld at Rockwell International. The assembly is romnrised of detector chips mounted on carriers which in turn are placed ',TILL, sqbmodules. The submcduLe: ara modules and the modules into a focal plane. It is desirable to have a very low, inactive, or dead, area in the total focal plane array. The assembly must address at least three interfaces: mechanical, electrical, and thermal. The mechanical tolerances in obtaining the appropriate focal surface are very critical. The focal surface must be maintained at a low temperature with a very small variation during operation. Low dead space demands multiple lead fan-in and many signals being transmitted simultaneously thus the electrical interface is quite critical. This paper will describe a prototype assembly which was developed to evaluate the major assembly and interface areas. Tooling and assembly fixtures were built as required. Assembly tolerance measurements made and checked after thermal cycling and launch environment vibrations and shock will be presented.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Representation of Principled Connections : A Window Onto the Formal Aspect of Common Sense Conception

Nominal concepts represent things as tokens of types. Recent research suggests that we represent principled connections between the type of thing something is (e.g., DOG) and some of its properties (k-properties; e.g., having four legs for dogs) but not other properties (t-properties; e.g., being brown for dogs). Principled connections differ from logical, statistical, and causal connections. Principled connections license (i) the expectation that tokens of the type will generally possess their k-properties, (ii) formal explanations (i.e., explanation of the presence of k-properties in tokens of a type by reference to the type of thing it is), and (iii) normative expectations concerning the presence of k-properties in tokens of the type. The present paper investigates the hypothesis that representing principled connections requires representing properties as aspects of being the relevant kind of thing (Aspect Hypothesis). Experiment 1 provides a direct test of the Aspect Hypothesis. Experiments 2 and 3 provide indirect tests of the Aspect Hypothesis. All three experiments provide support for the Aspect Hypothesis. Experiment 4 investigates a prediction of the Aspect Hypothesis concerning the manner in which formal explanations are licensed by principled connections. Finally, Experiment 5 investigates a prediction of the Aspect Hypothesis concerning the nature of the normative expectations licensed by principled connections. Together these results provide strong evidence for the idea that representing principled connections involves representing a property as being an aspect of being a given kind of thing. The results also help clarify the manner in which formal explanation differs from other modes of explanation. Finally, the results of the experiments are used to motivate a proposal concerning the formal structure of the conceptual representations implicated by principled connections. This structure provides a domain-general way of structuring our concepts and embodies the perspective we take when we think and talk of things as being instances of a kind.
Distinct Functional Surface Regions on Ubiquitin

The characterized functions of the highly conserved polypeptide ubiquitin are to target proteins for proteasome degradation or endocytosis. The formation of a polyubiquitin chain of at least four units is required for efficient proteasome binding. By contrast, monoubiquitin serves as a signal for the endocytosis of plasma membrane proteins. We have defined surface residues that are important for ubiquitin's vital functions inSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Surprisingly, alanine scanning mutagenesis showed that only 16 of ubiquitin's 63 surface residues are essential for vegetative growth in yeast. Most of the essential residues localize to two hydrophobic clusters that participate in proteasome recognition and/or endocytosis. The others reside in or near the tail region, which is important for conjugation and deubiquitination. We also demonstrate that the essential residues comprise two distinct functional surfaces: residues surrounding Phe4 are required for endocytosis, whereas residues surrounding Ile44 are required for both endocytosis and proteasome degradation.
Predictors of Intracranial Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis: Duration of Cigarette Smoking and Hypertension Are More Powerful Than Serum Lipid Levels

• The effect of cigarette smoking on intracranial internal carotid artery atherosclerosis (ICAS) was studied by obtaining cigarette smoking histories and data on other potential predictors, including serum lipid estimations, for consecutive patients undergoing carotid arteriography. The duration of cigarette smoking was the most significant independent predictor of the presence of ICAS. Other independently significant predictors of ICAS were hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and current systolic blood pressure. The interaction of diabetes and duration of smoking was a significant negative predictor. In patients for whom serum lipid values were available, lower levels of apolipoprotein A-I were associated with a higher risk of having ICAS. However, the effect of apolipoprotein A-I as a predictor of the presence of ICAS was far outweighed by the effects of duration of smoking and hypertension.
Peripheral nerve injury sensitizes neonatal dorsal horn neurons to tumor necrosis factor-α

Little is known about whether peripheral nerve injury during the early postnatal period modulates synaptic efficacy in the immature superficial dorsal horn (SDH) of the spinal cord, or whether the neonatal SDH network is sensitive to the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα under neuropathic conditions. Thus we examined the effects of TNFα on synaptic transmission and intrinsic membrane excitability in developing rat SDH neurons in the absence or presence of sciatic nerve damage. The spared nerve injury (SNI) model of peripheral neuropathy at postnatal day (P)6 failed to significantly alter miniature excitatory (mEPSCs) or inhibitory (mIPSCs) postsynaptic currents in SDH neurons at P9-11. However, SNI did alter the sensitivity of excitatory synapses in the immature SDH to TNFα. While TNFα failed to influence mEPSCs or mIPSCs in slices from sham-operated controls, it significantly increased mEPSC frequency and amplitude following SNI without modulating synaptic inhibition onto the same neurons. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in the paired-pulse ratio of evoked EPSCs, suggesting TNFα increases the probability of glutamate release in the SDH under neuropathic conditions. Similarly, while SNI alone did not alter action potential (AP) threshold or rheobase in SDH neurons at this age, TNFα significantly decreased AP threshold and rheobase in the SNI group but not in sham-operated littermates. However, unlike the adult, the expression of TNFα in the immature dorsal horn was not significantly elevated during the first week following the SNI. Developing SDH neurons become susceptible to regulation by TNFα following peripheral nerve injury in the neonate. This may include both a greater efficacy of glutamatergic synapses as well as an increase in the intrinsic excitability of immature dorsal horn neurons. However, neonatal sciatic nerve damage alone did not significantly modulate synaptic transmission or neuronal excitability in the SDH, which could reflect a relatively weak expression of TNFα in the injured spinal cord at early ages. The above data suggest that although the sensitivity of the SDH network to proinflammatory cytokines after nerve injury is present from the first days of life, the profile of spinal cytokine expression under neuropathic conditions may be highly age-dependent.
pH-dependent changes in properties of concanavalin A in the acid pH range

Properties characteristic of the structure and function of dimeric concanavalin A have been studied as a function of pH in the acid pH range using preparations comprising intact subunits or enriched in fragmented chains. For intact subunits, the glycogen binding ability falls to zero with a midpoint of pH 4.7, the release of Mn+2, Ca+2 and the fluorescent ligand 4-methylumbelliferyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside from the lectin coincides over a pH range centered at pH 3.9, and the CD spectra of the aromatic amino acid residues increase sharply in amplitude between pH 4.0 and 1.5. Nevertheless, the sedimentation coefficient and peptide CD spectrum change insignificantly in the pH range 5 to 2, indicating that dimeric concanavalin A retains its secondary structure and overall hydrodynamic shape essentially unchanged upon acidification. The behavior of concanavalin comprising primarily fragmented chains is not significantly different from that of intact subunits, although it precipitates glycogen less efficiently. It is concluded that dimeric concanavalin A does not undergo a concerted change in structure upon acidification, but rather that it passes through a series of states differing from one another in their local conformations. The distinction in binding between the monosaccharide and the polysaccharide is attributed to participation of a secondary binding site in the latter case. A change in optical activity at 283 nm in the pH range 5-6 is ascribed to disruption of intersubunit interactions of Tyr 67 as the protein undergoes the dimer-tetramer equilibrium.
Lesions of the stria terminalis attenuate the enhancing effect of post-training epinephrine on retention of an inhibitory avoidance response.

This study investigated the effect of the stria terminalis (ST) lesions on the retention facilitation produced by post-training epinephrine. Rats with sham or bilateral ST lesions were trained on a one-trial step-through inhibitory avoidance task and, immediately after training, received saline or one of 3 doses (0.01, 0.1 or 1.0 mg/kg, s.c.) of epinephrine. In the rats with sham ST lesions, all 3 doses of epinephrine significantly enhanced retention performance. Lesions of the ST did not affect retention significantly. However, the lesions attenuated the facilitating effect of epinephrine on retention. These findings suggest that the integrity of the ST, which connects the amygdala and other brain structures, is essential for the effect of epinephrine on memory processes. The possible involvement of the brain structures processing visceral information in the memory modulatory effect of epinephrine is discussed.
Heart Transplantation in Patients 65 Years of Age and Older: A Comparative Analysis of 40 Patients

Background. Advanced age has traditionally been considered a relative contraindication to heart transplantation because of the potential for increased morbidity and decreased long-term survival. Methods. We analyzed the results in 40 patients 65 years of age and older who underwent heart transplantation and compared them with those in 138 patients younger than 65 years. Results. The older age group had a higher incidence of diabetes mellitus ( p = 0.01), donor-recipient weight mismatch ( p = 0.004), lower donor-recipient weight ratio ( p = 0.02), and longer allograft ischemic time ( p = 0.008), among other differences. However, the 30-day operative mortality was similar in both groups (2.5% in older versus 2.2% in younger patients). Actuarial survival at 12, 24, and 36 months was not statistically different between the older and younger patients (86% ± 6% versus 93% ± 2%, 78% ± 8% versus 89% ± 3%, and 72% ± 9% versus 81% ± 4%, respectively; p = 0.26). The posttransplantation intensive care unit stay, total hospital stay, and associated hospital costs were also similar. The incidence of rejection during the first posttransplantation year was similar in both groups. Conclusions. Heart transplantation in selected patients 65 years of age and older can be performed successfully, with a morbidity and mortality comparable with those seen in younger patients. Advanced age should not be an exclusion criterion for heart transplantation, but selective criteria should be applied that identify risks and benefits individually.
Combined and diffeo-quadratic Hebbian neural systems: initial concepts

Summary form only given, as follows. Unsupervised learning laws could carry the greatest promise for the future of neural computing. These laws allow a system to adapt to its environment with the least amount of external information. Common unsupervised learning laws include signal Hebbian learning, differential Hebbian learning, and competitive learning. The author extends this list to include two more classes of autoassociative adapters-combined neural systems and diffeo-quadratic Hebbian neural systems. The learning and recall dynamics of these systems are extensions of existing systems. In addition to the mathematical characterization of these new systems, a preliminary stability analysis has been made. >
Distributions with maximum entropy subject to constraints on their L-moments or expected order statistics

We find the distribution that has maximum entropy conditional on having specified values of its first r L-moments. This condition is equivalent to specifying the expected values of the order statistics of a sample of size r. The maximum-entropy distribution has a density-quantile function, the reciprocal of the derivative of the quantile function, that is a polynomial of degree r; the quantile function of the distribution can then be found by integration. This class of maximum-entropy distributions includes the uniform, exponential and logistic, and two new generalizations of the logistic distribution. It provides a new method of nonparametric fitting of a distribution to a data sample. We also derive maximum-entropy distributions subject to constraints on expected values of linear combinations of order statistics.
The adaptive lasso and its oracle properties

The lasso is a popular technique for simultaneous estimation and variable selection. Lasso variable selection has been shown to be consistent under certain conditions. In this work we derive a necessary condition for the lasso variable selection to be consistent. Consequently, there exist certain scenarios where the lasso is inconsistent for variable selection. We then propose a new version of the lasso, called the adaptive lasso, where adaptive weights are used for penalizing different coefficients in the l1 penalty. We show that the adaptive lasso enjoys the oracle properties; namely, it performs as well as if the true underlying model were given in advance. Similar to the lasso, the adaptive lasso is shown to be near-minimax optimal. Furthermore, the adaptive lasso can be solved by the same efficient algorithm for solving the lasso. We also discuss the extension of the adaptive lasso in generalized linear models and show that the oracle properties still hold under mild regularity conditions. As a bypro...
How important is the phosphatase activity of sensor kinases

In two-component signaling systems, phosphorylated response regulators (RRs) are often dephosphorylated by their partner kinases in order to control the in vivo concentration of phospho-RR (RR∼P). This activity is easily demonstrated in vitro, but these experiments have typically used very high concentrations of the histidine kinase (HK) compared to the RR∼P. Many two-component systems exhibit exquisite control over the ratio of HK to RR in vivo. The question thus arises as to whether the phosphatase activity of HKs is significant in vivo. This topic will be explored in the present review.
Psychological Well-Being and the Human Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity

Research in human social genomics has identified a conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA) characterized by up-regulated expression of pro-inflammatory genes and down-regulated expression of Type I interferon- and antibody-related genes. This report seeks to identify the specific aspects of positive psychological well-being that oppose such effects and predict reduced CTRA gene expression. In a new confirmation study of 122 healthy adults that replicated the approach of a previously reported discovery study, mixed effect linear model analyses identified a significant inverse association between expression of CTRA indicator genes and a summary measure of eudaimonic well-being from the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form. Analyses of a 2- representation of eudaimonia converged in finding correlated psychological and social subdomains of eudaimonic well-being to be the primary carriers of CTRA associations. Hedonic well-being showed no consistent CTRA association independent of eudaimonic well-being, and summary measures integrating hedonic and eudaimonic well-being showed less stable CTRA associations than did focal measures of eudaimonia (psychological and social well-being). Similar results emerged from analyses of pooled discovery and confirmation samples (n = 198). Similar results also emerged from analyses of a second new generalization study of 107 healthy adults that included the more detailed Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-being and found this more robust measure of eudaimonic well-being to also associate with reduced CTRA gene expression. Five of the 6 major sub-domains of psychological well-being predicted reduced CTRA gene expression when analyzed separately, and 3 remained distinctively prognostic in mutually adjusted analyses. All associations were independent of demographic characteristics, health-related confounders, and RNA indicators of leukocyte subset distribution. These results identify specific sub-dimensions of eudaimonic well-being as promising targets for future interventions to mitigate CTRA gene expression, and provide no support for any independent favorable contribution from hedonic well-being.
The Monetary Value of a Housewife: A Replacement Cost Approach

As AN ECONOMIST and as one who has served as an expert witness in the courtroom, I welcomed Professor Pyun's analysis of the economic value of a housewife (1). I believe, however, that, unfortunately, there were some serious flaws in his exposition which led to several incorrect conclusions. This article will point to these seeming errors and present an alternate method for dealing with the measurement of a housewife's economic contribution to her family.
Growth rate and morphology for ceramic films by pulsed-mocvd

Abstract Titania films were deposited on nickel substrates from a dilute solution of titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) in toluene in order to study the growth rate and degree of microstructure control attainable with a metalorganic chemical vapor deposition system called pulsed-MOCVD. This novel system employs pulsed liquid injection with ultrasonic atomization to deliver the precursor to the low-pressure reactor. The film growth rate was studied as a function of temperature and precursor injection rate. An Arrhenius behavior was evident for susceptor temperatures below 500°C. At higher temperatures, the growth rate was nearly equal to the injection rate. Films 45±0.1-μm thick were deposited at rates of up to 0.5±0.008 μm/min. Two methods were employed for measurement of film growth rate, direct in situ observation of color-fringe evolution and calculation from final film thickness measurements using an optical microscope. The influence of deposition parameters on morphology was studied. The microstructure was characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). At temperatures below 500°C the film was dense with small equiaxed crystals. At higher temperatures films were textured and columnar. With the combination of high injection rate and high temperature, fully dense oriented films were produced.
Cortical implants for the blind

Arrays of stimulating electrodes can be placed in the brain itself, in the visual cortex, to bring vision to the profoundly blind. However, when designing such devices one needs to take into consideration the fact that the visual pathway maps images onto cortical structures in a complex and unpredictable way.
Effect of mechanical alloying on the microstructure and properties of Al–Sn–Mg alloy

Abstract Aluminum–tin–magnesium alloys have emerged as one of the most effective alloying compositions for enhanced sinterability. However, to-date the effect of mechanical modification of powders on the phase development, sintering and properties of these alloys has not been the subject of appropriate scientific attention. The present paper therefore discusses the influence of mechanical alloying of Al–8Sn–5Mg elemental powders on the microstructure and properties of the sintered product. Sintered mechanically alloyed products were found to be harder and denser than sintered products using un-milled powder. The initial green density was also found to play a significant role in the phase content of the sintered products made from mechanically alloyed powder.
Imaging the permeability structure within the near-surface sediments by acoustic crosswell tomography

Abstract The geotechnical structures of permeability, porosity and shear strength within the near-surface sediments of Tokyo area are imaged by analytically inverting the acoustic wave velocity and attenuation fields. The acoustic velocity and attenuation fields were previously measured by a Pseudo Random Binary Sequence (PRBS)-based crosswell acoustic tomography device. A quadratic equation of permeability derived from the Biot theory is used for the permeability inversion of the measured acoustic velocity–attenuation fields. The porosity and shear modulus images are also extracted from the velocity and attenuation fields using the newly derived quadratic dispersion equation and an empirical shear modulus–porosity–depth of burial relation. The acoustically measured images of permeability, porosity and shear modulus are favorably compared with the engineering tests performed on the cores and boreholes.