cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensor network localization by eigenvector synchronization over the euclidean group

We present a new approach to localization of sensors from noisy measurements of a subset of their Euclidean distances. Our algorithm starts by finding, embedding, and aligning uniquely realizable subsets of neighboring sensors called patches. In the noise-free case, each patch agrees with its global positioning up to an unknown rigid motion of translation, rotation, and possibly reflection. The reflections and rotations are estimated using the recently developed eigenvector synchronization algorithm, while the translations are estimated by solving an overdetermined linear system. The algorithm is scalable as the number of nodes increases and can be implemented in a distributed fashion. Extensive numerical experiments show that it compares favorably to other existing algorithms in terms of robustness to noise, sparse connectivity, and running time. While our approach is applicable to higher dimensions, in the current article, we focus on the two-dimensional case.
Flutamide withdrawal and concomitant initiation of aminoglutethimide in patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer.

Total androgen deprivation is by many clinicians considered to be the optimal therapeutic regimen for hormone sensitive prostate cancer (1-2). Complete androgen blockade is usually accomplished with either orchiectomy or an LHRH agonist such as leuprolide, that inhibits testicular androgen production, together with an antiandrogen such as flutamide. Flutamide is a pure antiandrogenic compound that prevents the androgen receptor from binding testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) without exhibiting hormonal acivity of its own (3, 4).
Aircraft performance optimization.

Using the calculus of variations, the solutions to various fixed end point flight-path optimization problems are developed. These include the minimum fuel-fixed range problem, the minimum time-fixed range problem, and the minimum fuel-fixed range-fixed time problem. Altitude profiles and throttle control laws are presented. A variety of aircraft mathematical models is initially examined, and the existence of a classically optimal controller is verified for a simple model. For this model, the first integral condition is used to eliminate the requirement of integrating the Euler Lagrange adjoint differential equations. The resulting computational algorithms are attractive for both laboratory investigations and airborne implementations.
Firefly mate-rivals mimic their predators and vice versa

Fireflies, beetles of the family Lampyridae, use flashes of bioluminescent light for sexual communication—by means of coded patterns, males and females identify and locate each other in darkness1. In sexual signalling of Photinus macdermotti (eastern United States) the male emits two flashes separated by ∼2 s and the female then waits ∼1 s before replying with a single flash (Figs 1a, 2a)2. Females of Photuris versicolor and Photuris ‘B’ mimic the reply of P. macdermotti females thus attracting P. macdermotti males, which they eat (Fig. 1b, c). When the predators are decoying P. macdermotti males, they sometimes produce ‘extra’ flashes that mimic the ‘competition’ flashes used by the males when competing for females (compare Fig. 1d with e)3. I suggest here that the male competition flashes (that the predators mimic) might also be mimics of the predator's own mimicry.
Therapy: Anecdote, experience, or evidence?

In dentistry, most changes in therapy come from new techniques and products that are introduced to the market. Clinicians (and patients) can be overwhelmed by advertisements and marketing, some obvious and some (e.g., paid clinical reports in non-peer-reviewed journals) not so obvious. Because most advances are made with small case studies, which are at a lower level of evidence, it is imperative that data clinicians read or see have the greatest validity possible. This validity is imperative to achieve evidence-based dentistry that uses relevant, high-quality, clinically oriented research that provides better information for the clinician and better treatment for the patient.
Attachment and culture of dissociated cells from rat embryo cerebral hemispheres on polylysine-coated surface.

INTRODUCTION hemispheres from 16 to 18-day old rat embryo were treated with a solution of 0 .125% (wt/vol) trypsin for 5 min, and the resulting cell suspension was aspirated through a Pasteur pipette to complete the dissociation . The cells were centrifuged at 400 g for 5 min and the supernate was discarded . The pellet was then resuspended in the growth medium (13), and the suspension was centrifuged for I min at 200 g . The supernate containing the dissociated single cells was transferred to a sterile bottle, final cell concentration was adjusted to 0 .1 0 .3 x 106 cells per I ml medium, and 3 ml of the above suspension was placed into polylysine-coated Petri dishes . After 30 min incubation at 37uC in an atmosphere of 95% air, 5% CO 2 , the medium containing the nonadhered cells was removed and replaced by fresh medium which was then changed every 3-4 days, depending on its acidity . Phase-contrast microscopy was employed for observation of cultures during their growth period . Cultivation of neural tissue in vitro has been employed in the recent years for studying brain metabolism, isolated from influence by the whole organism. The complex intercellular relationship of the heterogeneous cell types present in the neural tissue have led to the use of several experimental approaches such as tissue explants (I 3) or dissociated single cells prepared by either enzymatic or mechanical means (4-6) . The rationale behind the latter approach is based upon the ability of cells to reassociate and to form well organized aggregates which may acquire some of the characteristics of the original neural tissue (7-10) . However, one of the major disadvantages of the dissociation technique is possible selection for cell types. This could be due either to the dissociation treatment itself or to the inability of certain cell types to attach to the surface when monolayer cultures are employed (11, 12) . In a previous publication (13) we reported that reaggregation of cells from rat cerebral hemispheres occurs before the attachment process . A high percentage of cells which fail to aggregate and to adhere to the plastic surface will then be eliminated operationally at the first change of medium . In this report we present a method for circumventing this selection problem by allowing the majority of cells to adhere . This is achieved by the use of a polylysine pretreated surface, and it is based upon previous observations on the electrostatic interaction of the polycation with the negative charges of the cell membrane (14) .
A heuristic-systematic processing analysis of the effectiveness of product warning labels.

In this article we present the heuristic-systematic model (Chaiken, 1980, 1987; Chaiken, Liberman, & Eagly, 1989) as a theoretical framework for research on product warning labels. The model proposes two fundamental information processing modes. When processing systematically, perceivers access, scrutinize, and integrate all useful information to reach their judgment. In contrast, heuristic processing involves the use of learned knowledge structures in the form of simple decision rules, or cognitive heuristics, to reach judgments. In addition to proposing when either or both of these processing modes will occur, and with what effect, the model also specifies three different underlying types of processing motivations, termed accuracy, defense, and impression, each with implications for information processing and judgments. This model is used to explain past findings on the effectiveness of product warning labels, and to suggest new areas for future research as well as practical guidelines for the design of warning labels. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Marangoni Mechanism in Pulsed Laser Texturing of Magnetic Disk Substrates

This paper proposes a mechanism for topographical features formed during pulsed laser texturing of Ni-P magnetic disk substrates. A salient feature of the process is the ability to raise a central peak in the irradiated spot, providing a low contact area bearing for the slider-head of a computer hard drive. Formation of topography is believed to involve gradient capillary forces acting at the surface of the molten pool (Marangoni effect). However, the central peak cannot be explained with thermo-capillary forces alone. Therefore, it is suggested that a compositional gradient due to the depletion of a surfactant at the molten surface provides the necessary condition to reverse the capillary force in the central region. This perspective is investigated using finite element modeling of the Lagrangian fluid mechanics coupled with heat and mass diffusion.
The role of the serum vitamin D binding protein in the actions of the vitamin D analog eldecalcitol (ED-71) on bone and mineral metabolism

The vitamin D analog ED-71 (eldecalcitol) has been shown to be superior to calcitriol and its precursor alfacalcidol in maintaining or increasing bone mass in women and animal models with osteoporosis. The mechanism for the greater effectiveness of ED-71 is unknown. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the higher activity of ED-71 is due to its higher affinity for the serum vitamin D binding protein (DBP) by comparing the activities of orally administered ED-71, calcitriol and 22-oxacalcitriol (OCT) in wild type (WT) and DBP-ablated (DBPko) mice. In 8-week-old male WT mice, the effects of the analogs on serum and urinary calcium and phosphate were ED-71 > calcitriol > OCT. The results in DBPko mice were identical to those of the WT mice for all parameters tested. In ovariectomized mice, ED-71 was more effective than calcitriol in increasing bone mineral density, but again, there were no differences in the responses of the WT versus DBPko OVX mice. This lack of an effect of DBP ablation on the activities of oral ED-71 occurred despite the finding that peak circulating levels of ED-71 were 100 times lower and disappeared quickly in the DBPko mice while the peak levels at 1 h in WT mice were maintained for at least 24 h. These findings indicate that although DBP has a major influence on circulating levels of vitamin D compounds, it is not responsible for the greater efficacy of ED-71 on bone and mineral metabolism.
Measurement of time dependent optical gain using frequency modulation spectroscopy

Abstract Frequency modulation (FM) spectroscopy is demonstrated to be an attractive tool for gain analysis. It offers the three major features: a) potential high sensitivity in absolute gain measurement, b) high spectral resolution allowing the determination of the spectral gain profile, c) high temporal resolution capable of monitoring gain in short-pulsed systems. As an example, results of a gain analysis of the 6328 a line in a He-Ne discharge are presented.
Copulatory activity of the male rat following placement of preoptic-anterior hypothalamic lesions

Following bilateral destruction in the medial region of the preoptic-anterior hypothalamus of male rats copulation was eliminated completely in 5 and drastically reduced in 3 animals. Unilateral destruction of the same region did not affect the level of copulatory drive. Effects of bilateral lesions in the lateral zone of the preoptic-anterior hypothalamus could not be tested adequately because of poor survival of the subjects. The discussion notes that although sex drive can be influenced by various regions in the brain, primarily structures in the limbic system, complete elimination of copulatory behavior has only been achieved by destruction of medial structures in preoptic and anterior hypothalamic areas. Furthermore, only in this general region will hormone implantation bring about a return of copulatory behavior in the castrate rat.
ACR: Active Collision Recovery in Dense Wireless Sensor Networks

Packet collision causes packet loss and wastes resources in wireless networks. It becomes even worse in dense WSNs, due to burst-traffic and congestion around sinks. In this paper, we propose a novel protocol to recover collided packets. Our experiments on a testbed reveal that collisions between long packets and short packets cause a partial error pattern on collided packets, which can be used for efficient recovery. We give a theoretical analysis that demonstrates that combining such collision recovery with CSMA protocols achieves a significant performance improvement. Then, we design ACR, an Active Collision Recovery protocol, which actively converts most potential collisions into LS-collisions, and then applies a lightweight FEC scheme to recover collided packets with such partial error patterns. We implement ACR on a Tmote testbed, and compare its performance with other packet recovery schemes. Results show that ACR significantly reduces the number of retransmissions, and achieves around 25% improvement on transmission efficiency over other schemes.
Reducing the number of setups for CNC punch presses

Abstract Large computer numerical control (CNC) punch presses are widely used for punching holes in heavy gage sheet metals. The turret of such presses has limited tool capacity, and any tool changes require dismantling the turret. Dismantling and reloading the turret generally takes several hours and is the dominant element of the total flow time for a batch of sheet metals. Reducing the turret setup time requires judicious grouping of the required tool set. We formulated an integer program to obtain the minimum number of setups. However, since the problem is nondeterministic polynomial-time hard (NP-hard), we offer three heuristics to solve the problem. We compare solutions obtained from the three heuristics with their respective optimal solutions using three simulated data sets and an industrial data set.
Quantitative and dynamic telethermometry-a fresh look at clinical thermology

Among the different defense health care technologies that were discussed in a series of minisymposia at the 16th EMBS Annual International Conference in November 1994, special attention was given to infrared telethermometry, i.e., the use of infrared emission from the human body for diagnosis and management of a large number of acute and chronic clinical problems. While advanced computerized infrared technology was developed in the defense industry for surveillance, targeting and homing devices, there was minimal cross fertilization with the development of infrared imaging for nonmilitary purposes-testing of materials, evaluation of industrial processes, and medical diagnoses. Nonmilitary users of infrared did not benefit from the substantial investments made by the Department of Defense in R&D of infrared systems. In the United States the progression of medical uses of infrared imaging has suffered, however, not only from the lack of advanced infrared technology, but also from a low social status in the medical community. Clinical diagnosis of the numerous pathological conditions affecting the distribution of temperature over the skin of one or more parts of the human body have been the most important aspect of clinical thermology. New, more effective methodologies are now evolving using the temporal thermal behavior as a clinical tool. Yet, thermology has remained a controversial technique in the U.S., especially in certain areas of neurological applications where clinical protocols have not been firmly established and diagnostic criteria have been rather vague and subjective. >
Ethanol-induced analgesia in rats selectivity bred for ethanol sensitivity

Two rat lines selectively bred for ethanol-induced depression of locomotor activity were studied for ethanol-induced analgesia. The effects of ethanol on startle amplitude, extent of overt movements and incidence of audible vocalizations in response to intermittent, noncontingent foot shock. All three responses were dose-dependently depressed by ethanol (0.66 to 2.0 g/kg, IP), and to greater extent in the "most affected" line (MA) than in "least affected" (LA) rats. Ethanol-induced response decrements were reinstated at higher shock intensities, indicating a sensory (i.e., analgesic) rather than a motoric or analgesic basis for these effects. Genes which influence ethanol's motoric effects might, in part, influence sensitivity to its sensory effects.
Optimal design methodologies for configuration of supply chains

This paper describes a methodology developed for designing an optimal configuration for a supply chain. A typical configuration for a supply chain consists of defining components of the system, assigning values to characteristics parameters of each component and setting operation policies for governing the interrelationships among these components. As such, each configuration will be defined by a set of values for quantitative parameters of the system as well as a set of policy and qualitative characteristics. Examples of quantitative variable include inventory levels and frequency of ordering where as location of distribution centres and mode of transportation between suppliers and the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are the decision variables of policy and qualitative nature. The methodology presented here consists of a supply chain model builder coupled with two optimisation algorithms that automatically build a sequence of configurations that systematically move towards an optimum design. A com...
Anterior S-T segment depression in acute inferior myocardial infarction: Indicator of posterolateral infarction

Although patients with acute inferior myocardial infarction often manifest S-T segment depression in precordial electrocardiographic leads, the pathophysiologic abnormalities associated with this finding are poorly understood. To examine this problem, electrocardiographic findings on admission were compared with results of radionuclide cineangiography performed within 38 hours of the onset of symptoms in 25 patients with inferior infarction. Summation of S-T depression in leads V1 through V4 permitted the separation of patients into two groups: Group A (11 patients with 0.20 mV or less of S-T depression) and Group B (14 patients with 0.45 vM or more of S-T depression). The radionuclide cineangiogram revealed inferior wall dysfunction in all patients. Additional posterolateral dysfunction was seen in 13 patients, all in Group B. Patients in Group B had a relatively larger infarction (peak creatine kinase Units - 756 +2- 358 in Group A versus 1,566 +/- 983 units in Group B, p less than 0.01) and greater functional impairment (ejection fraction - 45 +/- 12 in Group A versus 33 +/- 12 in Group B, p less than 0.01). The relation between precordial S-T segment depression and posterolateral dysfunction appears to be largely independent of electrocardiographic evidence of "true posterior infarction." Thus moderate or severe anterior precordial S-T depression in patients with acute inferior infarction is a sensitive and specific indicator of relatively extensive myocardial damage, primarily involving the posterolateral region.
Backside Storage Non-Volatile Memories: Ultra-Thin Silicon Layer on a Complex Thin Film Structure

Backside storage memories present an alternative to the conventional front-floating gate geometries by storing charge in defects on the back of a thin depleted silicon channel. This paper focuses on the fabrication of these devices using a modified Smart-Cut™ substrate preparation process followed by standard CMOS processing. The substrate is a complex silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate where instead of the buried oxide alone a charge trapping multi-layer stack of oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) is used as the buried insulator. We demonstrate here the operation of these device structures at ultra-short length scales and summarize the characteristics of their operation.
NEAR‐DEATH EXPERIENCES AND SPIRITUALITY

Abstract. Some individuals when they come close to death report having experiences that they interpret as spiritual or religious. These so-called near-death experiences (NDEs) often include a sense of separation from the physical body and encounters with religious figures and a mystical or divine presence. They share with mystical experiences a sense of cosmic unity or oneness, transcendence of time and space, deeply felt positive mood, sense of sacredness, noetic quality or intuitive illumination, paradoxicality, ineffability, transiency, and persistent positive aftereffects. Although there is no relationship between NDEs and religious belief prior to the experience, there are strong associations between depth of NDE and religious change after the experience. NDEs often change experiencers' values, decreasing their fear of death and giving their lives new meaning. NDEs lead to a shift from ego-centered to other-centered consciousness, disposition to love unconditionally, heightened empathy, decreased interest in status symbols and material possessions, reduced fear of death, and deepened spiritual consciousness. Many experiencers become more empathic and spiritually oriented and express the beliefs that death is not fearsome, that life continues beyond, that love is more important than material possessions, and that everything happens for a reason. These changes meet the definition of spiritual transformation as “a dramatic change in religious belief, attitude, and behavior that occurs over a relatively short period of time.” NDEs do not necessarily promote any one particular religious or spiritual tradition over others, but they do foster general spiritual growth both in the experiencers themselves and in human society at large.
Advances in the Management of Tachyarrhythmias

Recent developments of both diagnostic and therapeu tic techniques in the management of tachyarrhythmias have broadened the options available to physicians car ing for patients with tachyarrhythmias. Newer diag nostic methods allow more precise identification of the arrhythmia and better understanding of its mechanism. Long-term epidemiologic studies have identified groups of patients who do and do not require antiarrhythmic therapy. Antitachycardia pacemakers and automatic im plantable defibrillators allow effective treatment for pa tients for whom drugs were ineffective or in whom in tolerable side effects developed. Finally, several new antiarrhythmic agents have become available recently. Proper use of these new techniques and drugs requires greater understanding of the pathophysiology of cardiac arrhythmias.
DEAD box unwinding caught in the act.

In this issue of Structure , Sun and colleagues describe the link between the dynamic conformational cycle and RNA unwinding activities of the DEAD box helicase, eIF4AI.
A pharmacologic study of calcium methionate

Abstract Calcium methionate has certain advantages over calcium gluconate from the phar-maceutical manufacturer's viewpoint, including an almost 50 per cent higher calcium content, greatly increased water solubility, and elimination of the need for stabilizers. It offers the clinician a potential therapeutic usefulness parallel to calcium gluconate. Calcium methionate affords a relatively nontoxic, apparently well- tolerated form of calcium medication for oral and intravenous administration, with little concomitant anion effect.
CD99 Is a Key Mediator of the Transendothelial Migration of Neutrophils

Transendothelial migration of leukocytes is a critical event for inflammation, but the molecular regulation of this event is only beginning to be understood. PECAM (CD31) is a major mediator of monocyte and neutrophil transmigration, and CD99 was recently defined as a second mediator of the transmigration of monocytes. Expression of CD99 on the surface of circulating polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) is low compared with expression of CD99 on monocytes or expression of PECAM on PMN. We demonstrate here that, despite low expression of CD99, Fab of Abs against CD99 blocked over 80% of human neutrophils from transmigrating across HUVEC monolayers in an in vitro model of inflammation. Blocking CD99 on either the neutrophil or endothelial cell side resulted in a quantitatively equivalent block, suggesting a homophilic interaction between CD99 on the neutrophil and CD99 on the endothelial cell. Blocking CD99 and PECAM together resulted in additive effects, suggesting the two molecules work at distinct steps. Confocal microscopy confirmed that CD99-blocked neutrophils lodged in endothelial cell junctions at locations distal to PECAM-blocked neutrophils. The CD99-blocked PMN exhibited dynamic lateral movement within endothelial cell junctions, indicating that only the diapedesis step was blocked by interference with CD99. Anti-CD99 mAb also blocked PMN transmigration in a second in vitro model that incorporated shear stress. Taken together, the evidence demonstrates that PECAM and CD99 regulate distinct, sequential steps in the transendothelial migration of neutrophils during inflammation.
Changes of serum-induced ornithine decarboxylase activity and putrescine content during aging of IMR-90 human diploid fibroblasts

The roles of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC, EC 4.1.1.17) and polyamines in cellular aging were investigated by examining serum-induced changes of these parameters in quiescent IMR-90 human diploid fibroblasts as a function of their population doubling level (PDL) and in human progeria fibroblasts. Serum stimulation caused increases of ODC and DNA synthesis in IMR-90 human diploid fibroblasts, with maximal values occurring, respectively, 10 hr and 22 hr after serum stimulation. Both serum-induced ODC activity and DNA synthesis in IMR-90 cells were found to be inversely related to their PDL. Maximal ODC activity and DNA synthesis in young cells (PDL = approximately 18-22) were, respectively, five-fold and six-fold greater than that in old cells (PDL = approximately 50-55), which in turn were comparable or slightly higher than that in progeria fibroblasts. Polyamine contents (putrescine, spermidine, and spermine) in quiescent IMR-90 cells did not show significant PDL-dependency. The putrescine and spermine contents in quiescent progeria cells were comparable to those in quiescent IMR-90 cells. The spermidine content in quiescent progeria cells, however, was extremely low, less than half of that in quiescent IMR-90 cells. Serum stimulation caused a marked increase in putrescine content in young cells but not in old cells or in progeria cells. The spermidine and the spermine content in IMR-90 cells, either young or old, and in progeria cells did not change significantly after serum stimulation. Our study indicated that aging of IMR-90 human diploid fibroblasts was accompanied by specific changes of polyamine metabolism, namely, the serum-induced ODC activity and putrescine accumulation. These changes were also observed in progeria fibroblasts derived from patients with Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome.
Functional sizes of hepatic enzymes of cholesteryl ester metabolism determined by radiation inactivation.

Cellular cholesteryl ester metabolism is regulated largely by the balance between intracellular esterification cata- lyzed by acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase and cholesteryl es- ter hydrolysis catalyzed by the cholesteryl ester hydrolases. The hydrolases include both cytosolic and membrane-associated ac- tivities; acidic and neutral activities have been described in both compartments. Esterification via the acyltransferase is membrane-associated. Neither the acyltransferase nor the membrane-associated hydrolases have been purified and charac- terized, and little is known about their genes. Thus, nothing is known about their sizes or structures. Radiation inactivation was used to determine the functional sizes in situ of acyl- coenzyme Axholesterol acyltransferase, fatty acyl-CoA hydro- lase, and acidic and neutral membrane-associated cholesteryl es- ter hydrolase activities. The functional M, SD of the acyltransferase was 213 * 35 kD; for the acidic membrane- associated hydrolase, 48 * 2 kD; for the neutral membrane- associated hydrolase, 94 & 15 kD; and for the fatty acyl-CoA hydrolase, 65 * 15 kD. Monoexponential curves were observed in all cases using radiation exposures that inactivated enzyme activities to 5 10% of control values. I Substrate specificity and inhibition studies suggested that the active sites of the acyltransferase and fatty acyl-CoA hydrolase were different, sup- porting the .concept that the hydrolase is not part of the func- tional unit required for cholesterol esterification.-Erickson, S. K., S. R. Lear, and M. J. McCreery. Functional sizes of hepatic enzymes of cholesteryl ester metabolism determined by radiation inactivation. J. Lipid Res. 1994. 35: 763-769.
Combined Genealogical, Mapping, and Expression Approaches to Identify Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Hypertension Candidate Genes

Allelic expression in genes has become recognized as a heritable trait by which phenotypes are generated. We have examined gene expression in the rat kidney using genome-wide microarray technology (Affymetrix). Gene expression was determined across 4 rat strains, 3 hypertensive spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) substrains (SHR-A3, SHR-B2, and SHR-C), and a normotensive strain (Wistar-Kyoto [WKY]). Expression measurements were made in multiple animals from all strains at 4 time points (4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 18 weeks of age), covering the prehypertensive period in SHR (4 weeks), and the period of rapidly rising blood pressure (8 and 12 weeks) and of sustained hypertension (18 weeks). Regression analysis revealed a close relationship across all strains during the first 3 time points, after which SHR-A3 became a substantial outlier. SHR-B2 and SHR-C demonstrated a very close relationship in gene expression at all times but also showed increased differences compared with the other strains at 18 weeks of age. We identified genes that were consistently different in expression, comparing all SHR substrains at each time point with WKY. The resulting list of genes was compared with blood pressure quantitative trait loci reported for SHR to refine a number of genes consistently differentially expressed between SHR substrains and WKY, persistently differentially expressed across multiple time points, and located in SHR blood pressure–determinative regions of the genome. Genealogical relationships and SHR substrain intercrosses suggest that genes responsible for heritable hypertension in SHR are shared across SHR substrains. The present approach identifies a number of genes that may influence blood pressure in SHR by virtue of allelic effects on gene expression.
Intermetropolitan Variation in the Labour Force Participation Rates of White and Black Men in the United States

We decompose the variance in black and white male labour force participation rates across US metropolitan areas in 1990 into three effects: that due to variation in labour force participation within labour force categories across metropolitan areas (local labour market effects); that due to variation in the distribution of those categories across metropolitan areas (labour force structure effects); and that due to the covariation between these two effects. Variation in labour force participation rates within labour force categories (local labour market effects) accounts for 56 per cent of the variance in labour force participation rates across metropolitan areas for white men but over 75 per cent for black men. Variation in the frequency of membership in each labour force category is a relatively unimportant factor for both groups. The covariance between labour force effects and local effects is negligible for black men but accounts for 25 per cent of the intermetropolitan variance in white male participa...
Maternal genotype and gestational diabetes

Objective To determine whether genetic variants associated with glucose homeostasis are associated with gestational diabetes (GDM). Study Design We genotyped 899 self-identified Caucasian women and 386 self-identified African-American women in the Pregnancy, Infection and Nutrition (PIN) Studies cohorts for 38 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with type II diabetes (T2DM) and/or glucose homeostasis in European populations. Results GDM was diagnosed in 56 of 899 (6.2%) Caucasian and 24 of 386 (6.2%) African-American women. Among Caucasian women, GDM was associated with carriage of TCF7L2 rs7901695, MTNR1B rs10830963 and GCKR rs780094 alleles that are associated with T2DM and fasting glucose in nonpregnant populations. Among African-American participants, we found an increased risk among TSPAN8 rs7961581 C allele homozygotes and reduced risk among carriers of the JAZF1 rs864745 T allele. Conclusion We found several SNPs that are associated with GDM risk in the PIN cohorts. Maternal genotyping may identify women at risk for impaired gestational glucose tolerance.
Three stages in the history of land reclamation in the Netherlands

The Netherlands has faced unique water management challenges. Much of the western part of this country is covered by compressible peat or clay soils. Historic land use practices resulted in loss, decay, and consolidation of these soils and subsequent land subsidence. This, along with the sea level rise, tides, and storms, resulted in a country where one-third of the land lies below mean sea level and without dunes, dikes, and pumps, 65% would be under water at high tide. Over many centuries the Dutch have fought against this loss of land. Three stages in the historical development of land drainage and reclamation activities are presented. The first stage was in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when many lakes north of Amsterdam were drained and reclaimed for agricultural use. Windmills were used to pump these lakes dry. Next, in the nineteenth century, Lake Haarlem became the largest lake drained in the Netherlands and the one of the first to be drained using steam-powered pumps alone. Finally, in the twentieth century the Zuiderzee tidal estuary was drained and reclaimed, resulting in an additional 1650 km2 of new land for agriculture, recreation, and urban expansion. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genus topology and cross-correlation of BICEP2 and Planck 353 GHz B-modes: further evidence favouring gravity wave detection

We have analyzed the genus topology of the BICEP2 B-modes and nd them to be Gaussian random phase as expected if they have a cosmological origin. These BICEP2 B-modes can be produced by gravity waves in the early universe, but question has arisen as to whether these B-modes (for 50 < l < 120) may instead be produced by foreground polarized dust emission. The dust emission at 150 GHz observed by BICEP2 should be less in magnitude but similar in structure to that at 353 GHz. We have therefore calculated and mapped the B-modes in the BICEP2 region from the publicly available Q and U 353 GHz preliminary Planck polarization maps. These have a genus curve that is dierent from that seen in the BICEP2 observations, with features at dierent locations from those in the BICEP2 map. The two maps show a positive correlation coecient of 15.2% 3.9% (1 ). This requires the amplitude of the Planck (50 < l < 120) dust modes to be low in the BICEP2 region, and the majority of the Planck 353 GHz signal in the BICEP2 region in these modes to be noise. We can explain the observed correlation coecient of 15.2% with a BICEP2 gravity wave signal with an rms amplitude equal to 54% of the total BICEP2 rms amplitude. The gravity wave signal corresponds to a tensor-to-scalar ratio r = 0:11 0:04 (1 ). This is consistent with a gravity wave signal having been detected at a 2:5 level. The Planck and BICEP2 teams have recently engaged in joint analysis of their combined data|it will be interesting to see if that collaboration reaches similar conclusions.
Native Valve Endocarditis Due to Corynebacterium striatum: Case Report and Review

We report the first known case of native valve endocarditis due to Corynebacterium striatum and review 51 previously reported cases of native valve endocarditis due to non-diphtheriae corynebacteria. Of the 52 patients with corynebacterial endocarditis, 11 (21%) had no predisposing conditions and 27 (52%) had structural heart disease; endocarditis in the remaining 14 patients (27%) was associated with noncardiac predisposing factors including injection drug use, chronic hemodialysis, vasculitis, alcoholism, liver transplantation and hemodialysis, a peritoneovenous shunt, and prior aspiration of a noninfected bursa. The mortality rate associated with corynebacterial endocarditis was 31%. The majority of corynebacteria in this series were sensitive to penicillin, erythromycin, gentamicin, and vancomycin. Non-diphtheriae corynebacteria are capable of producing acute valvular damage, even in patients without conditions that are predisposing for endocarditis. The occurrence of bacteremia due to non-diphtheriae corynebacteria in the appropriate clinical setting should alert physicians to the possible diagnosis of endocarditis. Empirical antibiotic therapy with vancomycin, with or without an aminoglycoside, should be initiated pending antibiotic susceptibility testing.
Studies of the Effects of Actuator Errors on the HCIT/PIAA Contrast Performance

The High Contrast Imaging Testbed Phase Induced Amplitude Apodization (HCIT/PIAA) coronagraph system at JPL relies on an Electric-Field Conjugation (EFC) wavefront correction algorithm to obtain the required high contrast. This algorithm works with one deformable mirror (DM) to estimate the electric-field to be controlled, and with one or multiple DM's to create a "dark-hole" in the image plane. We have investigated the effects of DM actuator errors on the efficiency of the EFC algorithm. The structural design of the optical system as well as the parameters of various optical elements used in the analysis are drawn from those of the HCIT/PIAA system that have been and will be implemented with one or two DM's. The simulation takes into account the surface errors of various optical elements. In this paper, we report our findings in the case of narrowband wavelength light.
A model of contextual interactions in primary visual cortex: examining the influence of corticogeniculate feedback

The current view of visual processing in the mammalian brain is based on the general idea that the information is transmitted from retina to neocortex via a feedforward sequence of hierarchical levels that create a detailed topographic map of the visual world. However, in reality, anatomical data show that the feedforward visual pathways are far outnumbered by corticofugal projections [1] which terminate in the LGN of the thalamus. Furthermore, electrophysiological data [2] show that the massive cortical feedback is able to modulate the processing of sensory information by determining the sensitivity of LGN neurons to visual stimuli. Despite this overwhelming neuroanatomical and neurophysiological evidence, the role of cortical feedback has not been addressed yet in relation to mechanisms of orientation selectivity and context effects. The current views completely neglect the role of recurrent feedback in favor of feedforward and horizontal connections [3, 4]. The aim of this study, therefore, is to investigate whether models that incorporate the effect of cortical feedback, in addition to feedforward and horizontal connections, can explain neurophysiological data reporting context-dependent distortions in the orientation tuning and firing pattern of cells in primary visual cortex (V1).
Just Enough Requirements Traceability

Even though traceability is legally required in most safety critical software applications and is a recognized component of many software process improvement initiatives, organizations continue to struggle to implement it in a cost-effective manner. This panel addresses the problems and challenges of requirements traceability and asks questions such as "How much traceability is enough?" and "What kinds of traceability provide cost effective solutions?" Traditional, automated, and lean traceability methods are all discussed.
Residual neuropsychological effects of illicit 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in individuals with minimal exposure to other drugs.

Abstract Background: A substantial literature suggests that users of illicit 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or “ecstasy”) display residual cognitive deficits. Most MDMA users, however, use other illicit drugs as well, so it is difficult to be certain that these deficits are due to MDMA, as opposed to other drug use or additional confounding factors. Methods: We administered a battery of neuropsychological tests to 23 young MDMA users who reported minimal exposure to any other drugs, including alcohol, and to 16 comparison individuals equally involved with the rave subculture, but reporting no MDMA use. We compared the groups by regression analyses adjusting for numerous potentially confounding variables. To test for a possible dose–response effect, we also performed a median split of 12 moderate MDMA users (22–50 lifetime uses) and 11 heavy users (60–450 uses), and compared these subgroups with non-users. Results: MDMA users as a whole performed worse than non-users on most test measures, but these comparisons rarely reached statistical significance. This picture changed markedly in the subgroup analysis: although moderate users displayed virtually no differences from non-users on any measures, the heavy users displayed significant deficits on many measures, particularly those associated with mental processing speed and impulsivity. These differences did not appear explainable by differences in family-of-origin variables, verbal IQ, levels of depression, or time since last MDMA use. Conclusions: The presence of residual cognitive deficits, even among unusually “pure” frequent users of illicit MDMA, analyzed with adjustment for confounding variables, augments the evidence that MDMA itself, rather than some associated factor, is responsible for the deficits observed.
Characteristics of Special Education Placements: Findings From Probability Samples in Five Metropolitan School Districts

Characteristics of classroom placements were studied for a probability sample of approximately 950 special needs children enrolled in kindergarten through sixth grade in five major metropolitan school districts. Across all special education students, 58% spent the majority of their school day in a regular class, 38% spent the majority of their school day in a special class, and 4% attended special schools. The regular classes in which special education children were enrolled resembled other regular classes in overall size and student composition. By contrast, special classes were smaller and more heterogeneous, and classes in special schools were especially small and heterogeneous. The proportion of time spent in regular education varied significantly both by the child's primary handicap and the school district in which the child lived, but sizable variations also were found within disability groups and within districts. For learning-disabled, mentally retarded, and physically/multiply handicapped childre...
Psychosocial treatment within sex by ethnicity subgroups in the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE Intervening in depression and/or low perceived social support within 28 days after myocardial infarction (MI) in the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease (ENRICHD) clinical trial did not increase event-free survival. The purpose of the present investigation was to conduct post hoc analyses on sex and ethnic minority subgroups to assess whether any treatment subgroup is at reduced or increased risk of greater morbidity/mortality. METHODS The 2481 patients with MI (973 white men, 424 minority men, 674 white women, 410 minority women) who had major or minor depression and/or low perceived social support were randomly allocated to usual medical care or cognitive behavior therapy. Total mortality or recurrent nonfatal MI (ENRICHD primary endpoint) and cardiac mortality or recurrent nonfatal MI (secondary endpoint) were analyzed as composite endpoints by group for time to first event using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS There was a trend in the direction of treatment efficacy for white men for the primary endpoint (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.61-1.05; p =.10) and a significant (p <.006, Bonferroni corrected) effect for the secondary endpoint (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.46-0.87; p =.004). In contrast, the HRs for each of the other three subgroups were nonsignificant. The magnitude of differences in treatment effects between white men and the other subgroups remained significant for the secondary endpoint (p =.04) after adjustment for age, education, living alone, antidepressant use, comorbidity score, cardiac catheterization, ejection fraction, history of hypertension, and major depression. CONCLUSIONS White men, but not other subgroups, may have benefited from the ENRICHD intervention, suggesting that future studies need to attend to issues of treatment design and delivery that may have prevented benefit among sex and ethnic subgroups other than white men.
Syntactically-informed models for comma prediction

Providing punctuation in speech transcripts not only improves readability, but it also helps downstream text processing such as information extraction or machine translation. In this paper, we improve by 7% the accuracy of comma prediction in English broadcast news by introducing syntactic features inspired by the role of commas as described in linguistics studies. We conduct an analysis of the impact of those features on other subsets of features (prosody, words…) when combined through CRFs. The syntactic cues can help characterizing large syntactic patterns such as appositions and lists which are not necessarily marked by prosody.
The missions of the Viking orbiters

A description of the orbiter science instruments is presented and the chronology of the two Viking missions is reviewed. The design of the Viking orbiter spacecraft is discussed, taking into account the propulsion subsystem, the attitude control subsystem, the planetary scan platform, aspects of command processing, problems of instrument operation and data processing, and data quantity limitations. Details concerning the Viking orbits and the visibility of the planet are also considered and the future of the Viking orbiter missions is evaluated. If the orbiters continue to perform well, all the orbiter science investigations will continue to acquire data for another year and perhaps somewhat longer.
Bounded deviation trajectory interpolation for robot manipulators

An algorithm for interpolating workspace trajectories in the jointspace of a manipulator having revolute joints is described. The algorithm generates an interpolation so that a user-specified tolerance is maintained. In the process of developing this algorithm, it is shown that a particular induced pseudonorm of the Jacobian is bounded by the length of the manipulator and that a similar result holds for all derivatives of the forward kinematic map. The bounds obtained are used in the error analysis of the interpolation algorithm. >
A technique to increase the efficiency of high-voltage charge pumps

A charge pump that utilizes a MOSFET body diode as a charge transfer switch is discussed. The body diode is characterized and a body diode model is developed for simulating the charge pump circuit. A 10% increase of voltage gain has been achieved in the proposed switching technique when compared with a traditional Dickson charge pump. The top plate and bottom plate switching technique have also been illustrated to improve the efficiency of the charge pump. A six-stage Dickson charge pump was designed to produce a 19 V output from a 3.3-V supply, using a 4 MHz, two-phase nonoverlapping clock signal driving the charge pump. The design was fabricated in a 0.35-/spl mu/m SOI CMOS process. An efficiency of 79% is achieved at a load current of approximately 19 /spl mu/A.