Transfected glucocorticoid receptor and certain GR fragments evoke cell death in malignant lymphoid, not myeloid cell lines

We compared the data from four growth hormone (GH) immunoassays for analyzing 24-h GH profiles in four apparently normal subjects and four obese subjects (508 serum samples). The detection limit was 0.02 microgram/L for one immunochemiluminometric assay (ICMA), 0.1 microgram/L for two IRMAs, and 0.4 microgram/L for one RIA. All GH pulses with a peak ICMA value > 1 microgram/L were detected by each of the other methods. Overall, the correlation coefficient between the values obtained with all four assays exceeded 0.90. However, for GH concentrations < or = 0.25 microgram/L, acceptable concordance (r2 > or = 0.80) was reached only between the ICMA and one IRMA; between the ICMA and the RIA, concordance was acceptable only for GH concentrations > or = 10 micrograms/L. In the normal subjects, the percentage of undetectable values was 0% with the ICMA but 29% with one of the IRMAs; in obese subjects, the corresponding values were 12% and 38%.     

Finances and Well-Being: A Dynamic Equilibrium Model of Resources.

This study of 513 Dutch farmers tested a dynamic equilibrium model of resources (an extension of the conservation of resources theory; S. E. Hobfoll, 1989, 1998, 2001). With structural equation modeling, the advantages of a 3-wave longitudinal design were comprehensively used, such as addressing bidirectional causal effects and within-individual vs. between-individual change. This allowed for a careful analysis of the management function of resources in the stress process. Results showed that well-being had stronger within-person stability than finances. Increased levels of financial problems temporarily increased psychological distress but not self-reported illness. Conversely, farmers with higher stable baselines of psychological distress also had higher baselines of self-reported illness and experienced more negative changes in their financial situation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of outcome in LAAM, buprenorphine, and methadone treatment for opioid dependence.

This study examined (1) predictors of treatment outcome for opioid-dependent participants in a single-site controlled trial comparing methadone, buprenorphine, and LAAM treatments and (2) the extent to which various subpopulations of patients may have more successful outcomes with each medication. The relationships between patient demographics, drug use history, and psychological status and outcome measures of treatment retention, opiate use, and cocaine use were assessed. We believe this study to be the first to demonstrate that predictors of treatment success appear to be largely similar in LAAM, buprenorphine, and methadone treatment for opioid dependence. We did not find any factors that would strongly guide selection of one medication over others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

铜布线面临生产实际挑战

铜布线工艺 在集成电路布线中,铝被广泛使用,其布线工艺较为简单。1997年9月,IBM公司率先推出一种称为CMOS7S的新技术,该技术在集成电路设计中采用铜代替铝作为外部导电材料,使电路布线的尺寸更加微小,芯片处理逻辑运算的能力更强。     

Neural network payload estimation for adaptive robot control

A concept is proposed for utilizing artificial neural networks to enhance the high-speed tracking accuracy of robotic manipulators. Tracking accuracy is a function of the controller's ability to compensate for disturbances produced by dynamical interactions between the links. A model-based control algorithm uses a nominal model of those dynamical interactions to reduce the disturbances. The problem is how to provide accurate dynamics information to the controller in the presence of payload uncertainty and modeling error. Neural network payload estimation uses a series of artificial neural networks to recognize the payload variation associated with a degradation in tracking performance. The network outputs are combined with a knowledge of nominal dynamics to produce a computationally efficient direct form of adaptive control. The concept is validated through experimentation and analysis on the first three links of a PUMA-560 manipulator. A multilayer perceptron architecture with two hidden layers is used. Integration of the principles of neural network pattern recognition and model-based control produces a tracking algorithm with enhanced robustness to incomplete dynamic information. Tracking efficacy and applicability to robust control algorithms are discussed.     

Approximate channel identification via δ‐signed correlation

A method of approximate channel identification is proposed that is based on a simplification of the correlation estimator. Despite the numerical simplification (no multiplications or additions are required, only comparisons and an accumulator), the performance of the proposed estimator is not significantly worse than that of the standard correlation estimator. A free (user selectable) parameter moves ‘smoothly’ from a situation with small sum‐squared channel estimation error but hard‐to‐identify channel peaks, to one with a larger sum‐squared estimation error but easy‐to‐identify channel peaks. The proposed estimator is shown to be biased and its behaviour is analysed in a number of situations. Applications of the proposed estimator to sparsity detection, symbol timing recovery and to the initialization of blind equalizers are suggested. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intelligent handling of data by integration of commonsense reasoning

Any intelligent problem solving system should be able, given the known data on a case, to decide whether some item of information is true, false or unknown. In this paper the way in which various forms of commonsense reasoning can be integrated to provide such decisions is described. To this end three structural types of knowledge defined over data, and four strategies for exploiting these structures, are identified. ‘Decide-Status’ integrates the reasoning strategies into a task frame. This frame structure not only integrates the reasoning but also affords the appropriate facilities for providing strategic justifications for its conclusions, if required.