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Abstract Target-date mutual funds are unique because the fund manager is expected to maintain the most efficient allocation for the investor in different investment climates. Using a bootstrap simulation with [...]

The neural mechanisms through which the state of anesthesia arises and dissipates remain unknown. One common belief is that emergence from anesthesia is the inverse process of induction, brought about by elimination of anesthetic drugs from their CNS site(s) of action. Anesthetic-induced unconsciousness may result from specific interactions of anesthetics with the neural circuits regulating sleep and wakefulness. Orexinergic agonists and antagonists have the potential to alter the stability of the anesthetized state. In this report, we refine the role of the endogenous orexin system in impacting emergence from, but not entry into the anesthetized state, and in doing so, we distinguish mechanisms of induction from those of emergence. We demonstrate that isoflurane and sevoflurane, two commonly used general anesthetics, inhibit c-Fos expression in orexinergic but not adjacent melaninconcentrating hormone (MCH) neurons; suggesting that wakeactive orexinergic neurons are inhibited by these anesthetics. Genetic ablation of orexinergic neurons, which causes acquired murine narcolepsy, delays emergence from anesthesia, without changing anesthetic induction. Pharmacologic studies with a selective orexin-1 receptor antagonist confirm a specific orexin effect on anesthetic emergence without an associated change in induction. We conclude that there are important differences in the neural substrates mediating induction and emergence. These findings support the concept that emergence depends, in part, on recruitment and stabilization of wake-active regions of brain. anesthetic hypnosis | arousal | narcolepsy | NREM sleep circuits | volatile anesthetics

A report on a female patient with a de novo balanced translocation, 46,X,t(X;2)(p11.2;q37)dn is presented. The2q37 breakpoint observed in association with the seizure phenotype is studied as lies near loci implicated in epilepsy in humans and mice.

An existing method is generalized for deriving probability models of manufacturing quality metrics, especially for deriving the probability models for the inertia tensor of a rotor. The results depend only on transformational properties of vectors and matrices and hence the framework is applicable to modeling other engineering systems involving second-order tensors, such as the stress tensor, or strain tensor.

This article examines how trial courts should address complex issues of an aging society. More older people, living longer, will enter courthouses with underlying problems that will impede effective access and court processes and will require judges to enhance linkages with community health, mental health, and social services providers. The article analyzes how court systems perceive these issues and explores how they have begun to address them. It concludes with an argument in support of innovative new approaches to assist courts in responding to emerging issues of older adults. KEYWORDS. Elders, courts, community linkages, judicial policy

It has been established that selective induction of delta-FosB in dynorphin/substance-P-containing neurons of the NAc and dorsal striatum in the adult is sufficient to boost an animal's responsiveness to the rewarding and locomotor-activating effects of cocaine. It is possible that induction of delta-FosB by chronic cocaine exposure is a mechanism for quite long-lasting rises in sensitivity to the stimulant and rewarding effects of the drug. This research also showed that increased GluR2 expression in the NAc can explain the enhanced sensitivity to cocaine's rewarding effects noted in the delta-FosB-expressing mice.

The role of protein kinase C (PKC) in cardiovascular response to ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury was investigated in an isolated crystalloid-perfused rat heart model. IR experiments showed that PKC mediates cardioadaptation to IR injury through a mechanism which involves preischemia calcium loading from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.

A statistical lifetime model for engineering systems exploits information about failure mechanisms to establish a relationship between lifetime data for similar components used under varied operating conditions. A tribological application of the model makes explicit use of wear information since stress, strain, and wear directly influence failure more than the component's age. This model offers better interpretability than the parameter-fit technique, especially during accelerated lifetime testing, and is suitable for a range of mechanical and electrical engineering problems.

Intrinsic cardiac bradykinin (BK) receptor stimulation is necessary for transient ischemia (TI) mediated cardiac preconditioning, indicating the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in mediating BK activity and transient ischemia preconditioning. Infusion of B2 receptor antagonist inhibits the preconditioning process and BK activity. Isolated rat heart is used to evaluate the effects of bradykinin, TI, and PKC antagonism on the cardiac functional recovery after a global ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Experimental results of the optical calculation of potential-field maps suitable for mobile robot navigation are presented and described. The optical computation employs two write modes of a microchannel spatial light modulator. In one mode, written patterns expand spatially, and this characteristic is used to create an extended two-dimensional function representing the influence of the goal in a robot's workspace. Distinct obstacle patterns are written in a second, nonexpanding, mode. A model of the mechanisms determining microchannel spatial light modulator write-mode characteristics is developed and used to derive the optical calculation time for full potential-field maps. Field calculations at a few hertz are possible with current technology, and calculation time versus map size scales favorably in comparison with digital electronic computation.

The use of a gaseous dielectric dopant for reducing plasma electron density in a gas ionized by an electron was investigated. The results showed that electron beam instabilities, which can severely affect beam propagation, can be limited by decreasing the density of unbound electrons and making the micropulse duration of the beam much shorter than the inverse of the plasma frequency.

A higher-order neural network (HONN) can be designed to be invariant to changes in scale, translation, and in-plane rotation. Invariances are built directly into the architecture of a HONN and do not need to be learned. Consequently, fewer training passes and a smaller training set are required to learn to distinguish between objects. The size of the input field is limited, however, because of the memory required for the large number of interconnections in a fully connected HONN. By coarse coding the input image, the input field size can be increased to allow the larger input scenes required for practical object recognition problems. We describe a coarse coding technique and present simulation results illustrating its usefulness and its limitations. Our simulations show that a third-order neural network can be trained to distinguish between two objects in a 4096 X 4096 pixel input field independent of transformations in translation, in-plane rotation, and scale in less than ten passes through the training set. Furthermore, we empirically determine the limits of the coarse coding technique in the object recognition domain.

Beginning with a finite population of units and the judgment of exchangeability for units with respect to lifetime, we argue that measures of similarity lead to the appropriate probabilistic models for aging. This in turn implies that Schur-concavity of the joint probability function (or, more generally, the joint survival distribution) provides the correct probabilistic description of aging. Following this argument and using the principle of indifference, we argue that the appropriate probability models for life distributions conditional on average life are in a family of distributions that we call the generalized gamma distributions. If, on the other hand, we are interested in probabilistic models for aging conditional on average lifetime maintenance cost, it follows from our development that generalized Weibull distributions are appropriate. KEY WORDS: Aging; Bayes; Finite populations; Life distributions; Majorization; Schur-concave., 1. INTRODUCTION Aging is an observable physical and biological process and methods for assessing probability models to predict lifetime with this in mind are of great interest. What then is [...]

The discovery of opioid substances in new sources including foods, has added to the expanding complexity of opiates and opioids derived from plant alkaloids and synthesized opiates. Socially acceptable opiates have been found in exorphin-containing foods such as milk, chocolates, coffee, wheat products, meat and cheese. The process whereby dietary opioids are synthesized and absorbed by the human body is still unclear and under research.

Biologic mechanisms mediate protection against metabolic insults. Oxygen free radicals such as peroxides are neutralized by biological enzyme traps to prevent oxidation of the cellular milieu. Despite all these compensatory systems, the continuous exposure to oxygen radicals may have long-term effects. The vulnerability of such biologic systems is typified by the influence of hyperoxic environment on sperm cell survival and the intricate biochemical process in the synthesis of the integumentary pigment, melanin.

How efficacious are central political actors in building local institutions that help to rationalize the nation-state? In an earlier article, wv showed that policies emanating from the Parisian state fueled construction of French secondary schools, spurred local demand for education, and reinforced class distinctions following the Third Republic (1870). Primary school enrollments, however, rose long before the fragile central state gained prominent institutional strength. We find that spending by local village councils, rather than central government action or changing economic demands, was consistently associated with the spread of primary schooling. The emerging strength of heretofore fragile states may be rooted more in their capacity to capture, rather than to create, local institutions and to mediate competing local demands, thereby advancing central-state formation.

Phosporylcreatine makes up the high-energy pool in human skeletal muscles while phosphagens which are phosphorylated guanidino compounds act as secondary energy sources for intracellular phosphorylation. Nonmammalian phosphagens' distinction from creatine is the lack of a methyl group on the guanidino function and this reflects biochemical imperfection and restraints in evolution. The Mediterranean art of fresco or paintings on freshly plastered walls, such as those done by Florentine Renaissance artist Cimabue, displays immense practical knowledge of inorganic chemistry despite the absence of theoretical basis.

Here we study the optical phase errors introduced into an optical correlator by the input and filter plane magneto-optic spatial light modulators. We measure and characterize the magnitude of these phase errors, evaluate their effects on the correlation results, and present a means of correction by a design modification of the binary phase-only optical-filter function. The efficacy of the phase-correction technique is quantified and is found to restore the correlation characteristics to those obtained in the absence of errors, to a high degree. The phase errors of other correlator system elements are also discussed and treated in a similar fashion.

Herbs and spices have become permanent ingredients in cookery because of their ability to add variety and enhance the taste, color and odor of food. Unknown to many people, spices contain little amounts of toxins that may present serious health concerns if ingested in large doses. The action of spices on the human body is largely concentrated in the nervous system through the function of the gut system, which enables people to smell and taste food.

The staunch position taken by Giordano Bruno regarding his cosmological views during the period of Inquisition could serve as a message for pharmacologists showing that certain beliefs should not be compromised just to conform to the majority. Bruno's legacy opened new ideas into scientific learning and replaced pre-conceptualized medieval beliefs that blocked scientific progress.

Isotopic ratio application is useful as a measuring procedure for determining the age of different materials in various fields. Since the discovery of the carbon (sub 3) pathway, carbon isotopes have been developed as gauge to indicate age of carbon-containing compounds. Carbon dating has found usage in analyzing bioorganic materials such as collagen to determine the dietary patterns and food sources of our ancestors. Carbon-13 and oxygen-18 isotopes are being used to authenticate marble sculptures from the Greek and Roman periods.

Stomach cancer investigations have provided different theories for the prevalence of the disorder in some people, but not a single theory substantiates its occurrence. Food intake, genetic background, lifestyle and environment are examined to understand effects on stomach cancer. The continuous replacement of theories regarding incidence of stomach cancer further diversifies the range of factors that underlie the disorder. Even the latest theory involving Helicobacter pylori invasion of the gastric mucosa is as reliable as the theory it has displaced.

The statistics of the welfare reform are mostly of aggregate data on caseloads, employment, and income. Yet a slightly more consideration of the data throws a doubt on the triumphs of the policy where the data contain indications of serious harm suffered by a minority of welfare recipients.

Here are four options for tax relief that are better and fairer than the Bush plan. Big tax cuts are in the offing. The high priests of fiscal discipline find […]

Countering the generally reactive community approach to prevention and treatment of elder abuse, this study employs analysis of local elder abuse case data to estimate the incidence of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation and to measure the risk factors, including co-location of other forms of abuse, that predict elder abuse in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The authors also compare the model of intervention used in Florida and elsewhere to best practice models that incorporate. elements of domestic violence treatment models. They present a series of specific recommendations for improving local abuse data-collection, analysis, and training so that local policy makers, planners, and practitioners can make proactive, community-specific, culturally-sensitive preventive efforts effective. The findings and recommendations have direct relevance for policy and practice in any community in the United States. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: Website: [C] 2000 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]