cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trajectories of Dating Violence Victimization and Perpetration among Rural Adolescents

Research is inconclusive about the trajectory of dating violence during adolescence and whether there are differences across gender and race/ethnicity. We examined dating victimization and perpetration trajectories among a diverse sample of rural youth (N = 580, 52.7% female, 49% Black, 39% White, 11% Hispanic or other minorities) in middle and high school who were surveyed annually across four years and explored the influences of gender and ethnicity. The results based on cohort-sequential latent growth modeling revealed that for boys, victimization peaked at 11th grade, and then declined. For girls, victimization was stable throughout adolescence. Perpetration was reported less frequently and increased steadily for males and females. For White youth, victimization peaked at grades 9 and 10, followed by a decline. For Black youth, victimization followed a linear increase. Perpetration trajectory followed a linear increase for White and Black but not Hispanic youth. The findings indicate that the developmental progression of dating violence during adolescence varies by demographics. The discussion focuses on future directions for research on teen dating violence among rural youth and implications for prevention and interventions initiatives.
Sustainable Cycling For All? Race and Gender‐Based Bicycling Inequalities in Portland, Oregon

Amidst findings of increased bicycling in the United States, research continues to demonstrate that women and racial minorities are underrepresented as cyclists in the United States (Buehler and Pu...
Low-Energy Protons—Where and Why “Rare Events” Matter

Failures (or upsets) of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices, due to direct ionization from protons, were first predicted in 1982 and subsequently realized in 2007 for low-energy (1 MeV) protons (LEPs). For terrestrial applications, secondary LEPs, generated during collision events, may cause upsets, especially in cells far away from the initial strike location than their heavier spallation-fragment cousins. However, direct ionization may be more important in space and high-altitude environments due to the large flux of primary high-energy protons impinging on nearby spacecraft (and local device) shielding. In this article, a brief review of the relevant literature will be followed by a discussion of the sensitivity to direct ionization of typical CMOS devices. It will be shown that a significant number of LEPs are generated by cosmic radiation spallation events, suggesting that track structures and exact device hit locations need to be understood and effectively modeled, especially for modern devices. Also, the rate of multiple cell upsets, and hence multiple bit upsets, in these environments will be explored, with possible mitigation techniques discussed. The published work on muons and delta electrons, in addition to LEPs, will be reviewed as potential single-event upset (SEU) sources with the future scaling of CMOS devices.
Mitigating Exploitation: Indie Game Developers' Reconfigurations of Labor in Technology

Much HCI research seeks to contribute to technological agendas that lead to more just and participative labor relations and practices, yet that research also raises concerns about forms of exploitation associated with them. In this paper, we explore how U.S. independent [indie] game developers' socio-technological practices inject forms of labor, capital, and production into the game development industry. Our findings highlight that indie game development 1) seeks to promote an alternative to business models of game development that depend on free and immaterial labor; 2) builds offline networks at different scales to develop collectives that can sustain their production; and 3) emphasizes how distributed collaboration, co-creation, and the use of free tools and middleware make game production more widely accessible. The research contributes to HCI research that seeks to explicate and mitigate emerging forms of exploitation enabled by new technologies and processes. Our critical review of indie developers' practices and strategies also extends the current conceptualization of labor and technology in CSCW.
Parental psychological control and adolescent cyberbullying victimisation and perpetration: the mediating roles of avoidance motivation and revenge motivation

This study aims to (1) explore adolescents’ online behaviours and experiences of cyberbullying, (2) examine the associations between parental psychological control and cyberbullying victimisation a...
Role of Surface Acidity in the Surface Stabilization of the High-Voltage Cathode LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2.

Metal oxide coatings have been reported to be an effective approach for stabilizing cathode interfaces, but the associated chemistry is unclear. In this work, thin films of TiO2, ZnO, and Cr2O3, wh...
A Rigorous Approach to Designing Reflectarrays

A new approach for the rigorous design of reflectarray antennas is presented. Traditionally, reflectarray antennas are designed assuming local periodicity in which the mutual coupling is modeled as though each element is embedded in an infinite array of identical elements. This allows the fields to be expanded in terms of a Floquet series expansion. The design approach is approximate since reflectarrays are in fact aperiodic. Here, we present a new design approach which avoids any local periodicity assumption. Each element is modeled as a distinct element, and coupling calculated for the true array. Thus, the approach is rigorous. Simulation results are presented that verify the design method.
Adaptive Control System for Technological Type Control Objects.

Complications arise during automatic control of technological type control objects which are linked to their properties variations. They are caused by changes in raw material parameters, energy carriers, equipment degradation, etc. These changes have an influence on not only controlled variables but change the specifics of closed loop control system own motion. In mathematical models these changes are considered as parametric disturbances and often are represented by variable transition coefficient of the control object. The range of its change can reach and even exceed the value of ten. Common automatic control systems with constant controller parameters, in this case, loose stability and are switched to positional mode.
A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Hybrid Course Modality to Increase Student Engagement and Mastery of Course Content in Undergraduate Research Methods Classes

An undergraduate Research Methods in Criminal Justice class was taught in two different modalities, traditional and hybrid, over 8 semesters. The hybrid course sought to increase student engagement...
A constitutional approach to cacao money

Abstract Money in Mesoamerica has a long history and many forms; cacao, a tree seed, was one kind of currency. Abundant archaeological evidence of cacao money in Mesoamerica contributes to broader theoretical debates about money and monetization. Among many competing theories of money, the constitutional model of money particularly emphasizes materiality as well as the importance of money in relationships of governance and finance in ways distinct from both classical and chartalist theoretical approaches. The propositions of this theory bear up when tested with Mesoamerican examples. In particular, the Izalcos polity located in what is today western El Salvador is an important late prehispanic to colonial case study because it relied upon cacao money to an unusual degree and had extraordinary levels of cacao production. Archaeological evidence of Izalcos region settlement patterns, built environment, and material culture patterning indicate the political and economic consequences of cacao money for configuring authority, state finance, agricultural production, and commercial systems. This evidence accords with constitutional model expectations, including governance seeking to measure and mobilize material resources and labor in order to deploy their power in public projects as well as contexts of well-developed markets, some degree of commodity trade, and complex household economies.
Bone metastatic breast cancer cells display downregulation of PKC-ζ with enhanced glutamine metabolism

Abstract Background Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women and its metastases results in poor survival rates in patients. The ability to alter metabolism is a key attribute cancer cells use to survive within different metastatic microenvironments and cause organ failure. We hypothesized that evaluation of metabolic alterations within tumor cells could provide a better understanding of cancer metastasis. Therefore, to investigate underlying metabolic alterations during metastases, we utilized human MDA-MB-231 and mouse 4T1 models that closely mimic human breast cancer metastasis. Methods The glycolysis and glutamine pathway-related changes were examined in bone metastatic cells by XF-24 extracellular flux analyzer and western blotting. The expression levels of genes related to metabolism were examined by PCR arrays. Results The MDA-MB-231 cells isolated after bone metastases showed reduced glucose uptake and glycolysis compared to parental cells, suggesting that these cells could alter metabolic requirements for survival. To understand these metabolic changes, we investigated glutamine, a common and naturally occurring non-essential amino acid. Interestingly, in reduced glucose conditions both cell lines showed dependence on glutamine for cell survival, and with glutamine withdrawal significantly increasing apoptotic cell death. Glutamine was also critical for normal cell proliferation even in the presence of high glucose concentrations. To further understand this metabolic switch in metastatic cells, we examined the genes related to metabolism and identified a more than seven-fold downregulation of protein kinase C zeta (PKC-ζ) expression levels in bone-derived MDA-MB-231 cells compared to the parental population. The PKC-ζ levels were also significantly reduced in metastatic 4T1 cells compared to non-metastatic MT1A2 cells. Since PKC-ζ deficiency promotes glutamine utilization via the serine biosynthesis pathway, we examined glutamine metabolism. The ectopic expression of PKC-ζ inhibited glutamine conversion to glutamate, while mutant PKC-ζ reversed this effect. Furthermore, the gene expression levels of enzymes involved in serine biosynthesis, phosphoserine phosphatase (PSPH), phosphoserine aminotransferase (PSAT1), and phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) showed upregulation following glucose deprivation with PKC-ζ deficiency. The PHGDH upregulation was inhibited by ectopically expressing wild type but not mutated PKC-ζ in glucose-deprived conditions. Conclusions Our results support the upregulation of serine biosynthesis pathway genes and downregulation of PKC-ζ as potential metabolic alterations for bone metastatic breast cancer cells.
Silenced violence in the feminine: a reading of Yara Monteiro’s Essa Dama Bate Bué!

Based on the most recent research on women and violence during the colonial and civil war periods which defined post-independence Angola, I analyze Essa Dama Bate Bue! , a novel written by writer Yara Monteiro. My objective is to show, on the one hand, how the novel tells us that writing about personal matters means writing about politics. On the other hand, it is my intention to explore how the writer explores the issue of female violence by creating female characters who enact violence on other women, specifically their own children. Monteiro’s novel demonstrates the interconnectedness of violence, public and private, and its effect on social and psychic life. In sum, my goal is to highlight the silenced forms of familial violence within the broader context of colonial and civil conflicts in Angola and their repercussions in the country’s post-independence.
Antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines in pregnant women and their neonates

Pregnant women were excluded from initial clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines1-2, thus the immunologic response to vaccination in pregnancy and the transplacental transfer of maternal antibodies are just beginning to be studied4-5.
Leaderless Swarm Formation Control: From Global Specifications to Local Control Laws

This paper introduces a distributed leaderless swarm formation control framework to address the problem of collectively driving a swarm of robots to track a time-varying formation. The swarm's formation is captured by the trajectory of an abstract shape that circumscribes the convex hull of robots' positions and is independent of the number of robots and their ordering in the swarm. For each robot in the swarm, given global specifications in terms of the trajectory of the abstract shape parameters, the proposed framework synthesizes a control law that steers the swarm to track the desired formation using the information available at the robot's local neighbors. For this purpose, we generate a suitable local reference trajectory that the robot controller tracks by solving the input-output linearization problem. Here, we select the swarm output to be the parameters of the abstract shape. For this purpose, we design a dynamic average consensus estimator to estimate the abstract shape parameters. The abstract shape parameters are used as the swarm state feedback to generate a suitable robot trajectory. We demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed control framework by providing the simulation of coordinated collective navigation of a group of car-like robots in the presence of robots and communication link failures.
First Results From a Custom Low-Noise Silicon Pixel Detector Designed for Use With X-ray Capillary Optics

We present the first results of a custom low-noise silicon pixel detector designed for use with X-ray capillary optics, coupled with an ultra low-noise front-end application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). This system is intended to perform as a smaller, lighter, more sensitive, and low-powered alternative to currently existing X-ray telescope technologies. The detector has an active area of 100 microns, and its small size leads to a low capacitance of well under 1 pF and a leakage current of less than 1 pA. The front-end ASIC, developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory, was designed for low capacitance detectors but had not been previously tested with a detector. Here we discuss the detector design, the experimental setup of this detector and ASIC, and preliminary results. Using radioactive lab sources, we measure a FWHM of 211±8 eV at 5.9 keV and are able to set the threshold as low as 0.6 keV.
A high-throughput predictive method for sequence-similar fold switchers.

Although most experimentally characterized proteins with similar sequences assume the same folds and perform similar functions, an increasing number of exceptions is emerging. One class of exceptions comprises sequence-similar fold switchers, whose secondary structures shift from α-helix β-sheet through a small number of mutations, a sequence insertion, or a deletion. Predictive methods for identifying sequence-similar fold switchers are desirable because some are associated with disease and/or can perform different functions in cells. Here, we use homology-based secondary structure predictions to identify sequence-similar fold switchers from their amino acid sequences alone. To do this, we predicted the secondary structures of sequence-similar fold switchers using three different homology-based secondary structure predictors: PSIPRED, JPred4, and SPIDER3. We found that α-helix β-strand prediction discrepancies from JPred4 discriminated between the different conformations of sequence-similar fold switchers with high statistical significance (P < 1.8*10-19 ). Thus, we used these discrepancies as a classifier and found that they can often robustly discriminate between sequence-similar fold switchers and sequence-similar proteins that maintain the same folds (Matthews Correlation Coefficient of 0.82). We found that JPred4 is a more robust predictor of sequence-similar fold switchers because of (a) the curated sequence database it uses to produce multiple sequence alignments and (b) its use of sequence profiles based on Hidden Markov Models. Our results indicate that inconsistencies between JPred4 secondary structure predictions can be used to identify some sequence-similar fold switchers from their sequences alone. Thus, the negative information from inconsistent secondary structure predictions can potentially be leveraged to identify sequence-similar fold switchers from the broad base of genomic sequences.
International Marketing Ethics: Challenges in Developing Global Code of Ethics

The dramatic advances in technology, decreased restrictions on transportation and financial flows has facilitated the rapid growth of international business in the last decade. While global marketing poses several challenges in designing and developing marketing strategies, it has also created new challenges in dealing with ethical/unethical issues. Several studies examined the pervasiveness of unethical marketing practices in different cultures (Armstrong 1992; Dubinsky et al. 1991) and concluded that the pervasiveness of unethical behavior in international marketing arena creates an urgent need for a common global code of conduct. The ethical/unethical issues have brought the role of multinational corporations to the forefront. Multinational corporations are faced with a choice between designing a code of conduct uniform across all the subsidiaries in different nations or develop individual code suited for each country. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the two choices - global code of ethics and individualized code of ethics. We will examine the pertinent literature in discussing the challenges in developing code of ethics in an international marketing arena.
Predicting the Toxicokinetics of Trifluralin in Rainbow Trout Using Clearance-Volume Pharmacokinetic Models

Trifluralin (TF) is a lipophilic, pre-emergent herbicide widely used in agriculture and known to bioconcentrate in fish. We have characterized the accumulation of TF in rainbow trout under a variety of experimental conditions. Our approach has been to use static water exposure systems and intravascular dosing in combination with clearance-volume pharmacokinetic (CV-PK) models to obtain quantitative estimates of uptake clearance, apparent volume of distribution and elimination due to xenobiotic metabolism. This paper will briefly discuss pertinent physicochemical data for TF and review the toxicokinetics of TF in rainbow trout. Emphasis will be placed on physiological interpretations of TF model parameters and practical aspects of modeling TF toxicokinetics with CV-PK models.
Calmodulin stimulates adenylate cyclase activity and increases dopamine activation in bovine retina

Adenylate cyclase activity in bovine retina is highly responsive to Ca2+ and the endogenous Ca2+-binding protein, calmodulin (CaM). CaM stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in washed particulate fractions of bovine retina by 6.6-fold in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Activation of adenylate cyclase activity by CaM was maximal at 0.12 microM free Ca2+. The apparent Ka for calmodulin stimulation of adenylate cyclase was 67 nM and the apparent Vmax was 116 pmol/min/mg of protein above basal activity. Adenylate cyclase activity in bovine retina was stimulated approximately 50% by guanosine 5'-triphosphate (GTP), but the nonhydrolyzable GTP analogue, guanosine-5'-(beta, gamma-imido)triphosphate (Gpp(NH)p), was able to activate the enzyme nearly 5-fold. CaM and Gpp(NH)p appeared to be partially competitive activators of adenylate cyclase in the retina particulate fraction. Dopamine stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the presence of GTP with an apparent Ka of 1.0 microM and an apparent Vmax of 66 pmol/min/mg of protein. Ca2+ and CaM increased the apparent Vmax of the dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity more than 2-fold to a level of 146 pmol/min/mg of protein but did not alter the apparent Ka. This suggests that CaM is an endogenous modulator of dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the retina. CaM-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity may be a common component to retina since we found this activity in retinas from rabbit, rat, and goldfish as well as cow.
Juvenile Justice: Transfer to Adult

In the past, judges have not been able to consistently identify the most serious offenders, and there has been a tendency toward harsher sentencing that often reflected racial discrimination. If new models are not offered to judges, the same problems will recur. What is needed is a better method to distinguish between cases in which the community must be protected from predatory youth and those in which delinquent youth must be protected from the negative effects of incarceration. Keywords: trial of juveniles as adults; judges decision making in juvenile cases
Classics in oncology: Asbestos exposure and neoplasia

Building trades insulation workers have relatively light, intermittent exposure to asbestos. Of 632 insulation workers, who entered the trade before 1943 and were traced through 1962, 45 died of cancer of the lung or pleura, whereas only 6.6 such deaths were expected. Three of the pleural tumors were mesotheliomas; there was also one peritoneal mesothelioma. Four mesotheliomas in a total of 255 deaths is an exceedingly high incidence for such a rare tumor. In addition, an unexpectedly large number of men died of cancer of the stomach, colon, or rectum (29 compared with 9.4 expected). Other cancers were not increased; 20.5 were expected, and 21 occurred. Twelve men died of asbestosis.
Chapter 11. Subsecond analyses of G-protein coupled-receptor ternary complex dynamics by rapid mix flow cytometry.

Abstract The binding of full and partial agonist ligands (L) to G‐protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) initiates the formation of ternary complexes with G‐proteins (LRG complexes). We describe the assembly of detergent‐solubilized LRG complexes on beads. Rapid mix flow cytometry is used to analyze the subsecond dynamics of guanine nucleotide–mediated ternary complex disassembly. Ternary complexes were assembled with three formyl peptide receptor constructs (wild type, FPR‐Gαi2 fusion, and FPR‐GFP fusion) and two isotypes of the α subunit (αi2 and αi3) and βγ dimer (βi1γ2 and β4γ2). Experimental evidence suggests that thermodynamic stability of ternary complexes depends on subunit isotype. Comparison of assemblies derived from the three constructs of FPR and G‐protein heterotrimers composed of the available subunit isotypes demonstrate that the fast step is associated with the separation of receptor and G‐protein and that the dissociation of the ligand or of the α and βγ subunits was slower. These results are compatible with a cell activation model involving G‐protein conformational changes rather than disassembly of Gαβγ heterotrimer.
Identification of α-Ketoglutaramate in Rat Liver, Kidney, and Brain: RELATIONSHIP TO GLUTAMINE TRANSAMINASE AND ω-AMIDASE ACTIVITIES

Abstract The presence of α-ketoglutaramate was shown in rat liver, kidney, and brain by application of an isotope dilution procedure; concentrations of 7.6, 4.7, and 10.7 µmoles per kg were found, respectively. The finding of increased concentrations of α-ketoglutaramate in cerebrospinal fluid in patients with hepatic coma was verified. Studies on rat kidney preparations, together with other considerations, provide no evidence for a physical linkage between glutamine transaminases and ω-amidase. The data suggest that α-ketoglutaramate is a normal tissue constituent formed by transamination of glutamine. Its accumulation in the cerebrospinal fluid in hepatic coma seems to reflect increased utilization of ammonia for glutamine synthesis and increased transamination of glutamine, as well as the relatively low ω-amidase activity of brain.
Quantitative in vitro studies on the nerve growth factor (NGF) requirement of neurons: II. Sensory neurons☆

Studies were carried out in dissociated cell cultures on the nerve growth factor (NGF) requirement of chick embryo dorsal root ganglionic (DRG) neurons. Findings were: (i) The minimum level of 2.5 S NGF required to sustain the survival of maximal numbers of process-bearing cells derived from 8-day (E8) embryonic DRGs is 0.5 ng/ml (∼2 × 10−11 M). (ii) Cultures derived from chick embryos of increasing ages (E8 to E18) showed a progressive increase in the proportion of process-bearing cells which survived in the absence of NGF. While few process-bearing cells survived in cultures of E8 ganglia in the absence of NGF, survival of neurons in cultures derived from E17 and E18 ganglia was not affected by the absence of the factor. Comparable results were obtained with cultures in which the number of non-neuronal cells was greatly reduced. (iii) Neurons derived from E8 ganglia lost their NGF requirement in culture at a conceptual age similar to that which they appear to do so in vivo. These results are discussed with respect to the role of NGF in development of sensory neurons.
Phospholipid Bilayer Membranes: Deuterium and Carbon‐13 NMR Spectroscopy

Solid-state 13C and 2H NMR measurements allow characterization of lipid membrane structure and dynamics and offer unique insights into their biophysical properties. Structural and dynamical formalisms provide a model-free reduction of 2H and 13C NMR lineshape and relaxation measurements in terms of mean-square amplitudes (order parameters) and reduced spectral densities (correlation times). Segmental order parameters are obtained from residual quadrupolar couplings (RQCs) and residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) that provide direct information about bilayer structural properties. Application of a mean-torque model gives the area per lipid and volumetric hydrocarbon thickness, and is important for validating molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Moreover, NMR relaxation rates yield complementary information about multiscale bilayer dynamics if treated in a unified manner. Combination of frequency-dependent spin–lattice relaxation rates and anisotropic spin couplings allow unified interpretations of complementary 2H and 13C NMR experiments. Relaxometric measurements show that lipid mobility and collective order fluctuations are implicitly governed by the viscoelastic nature of the liquid-crystalline ensemble. Notably, the bilayer interior has a microviscosity similar to liquid hydrocarbons. Collective bilayer excitations emerge over mesoscopic length scales between the molecular and bilayer dimensions and are important for lipid organization and protein interactions. Keywords: magnetic dipolar coupling; molecular dynamics; nuclear spin–lattice relaxation; order parameter; phospholipid bilayer; quadrupolar coupling; solid-state NMR
Film Review: Masculinity & Interracial Intimacy in 'Star Trek' and 'Gran Torino'

Race has long been a central object of political reflection. The salience of racial difference remains hotly debated, figuring in both “utopian” and “dystopian” visions of America’s political future. If race is a primary configuration of “difference” and inequality in the nation, then intimacy between the races is often construed as either a bellwether of equality and political utopia or a re-inscribing of political dominance, typically represented as sexual predation by men against women. Quite expectedly, these political fantasies and fears are often played out at the multiplex, and we can see them in stark relief in two recent films that seem to have nothing in common, Clint Eastwood’s highly acclaimed but Oscar-snubbed Gran Torino and last summer’s high-octane blockbuster, Star Trek. This film review explores how both films render conventional (white) masculinity as in crisis, threatened by alternative masculine forms. In both films this crisis of masculinity translates into a political one that threatens the values and viability of the community. In both, a carefully negotiated interracial intimacy redeems masculinity, and, in the process, the political future. While interracial intimacy is often configured as heterosexual coupling, in both films, women of color expedite interracial intimacy, but the meaningful and redemptive intimacy is homo-social, between men.
Is there a long-term protective effect of mood-altering agents in unipolar depressive disorder?

Major depression is common, often severe, and usually recurrent, and it carries an excess risk of mortality due to medical illness as well as suicide. At referral centers, recurrence risk averages 85% within 2–3 years of full recovery from an acute episode. The natural history of major depression is highly variable, but typically episodes last ca. 6 months, with cycles of ca. 2 years. Yet, most long-term treatment studies are limited to the year or two following recovery from an acute episode. Accordingly, available evidence best supports a relapse-preventing effect of tricyclic antidepressants or lithium within the first months after apparent recovery but is less compelling regarding prevention of later recurrences of new episodes. Other treatments have not been evaluated systematically. The hypothesis that bipolarlike, but apparently unipolar, patients might respond selectively to lithium maintenance requires further testing. Knowledge of long- term dose-benefit and dose-risk relationships is starting to emerge for lithium, but these relationships remain inadequately tested for antidepressants. Actual levels of clinical treatment of major depression appear to fall short of the ideal, and much additional research and education is required to improve care in this very common disorder.
Personalized contact strategies and predictors of time to survey completion: analysis of two sequential randomized trials

Effective strategies for contacting and recruiting study participants are critical in conducting clinical research. In this study, we conducted two sequential randomized controlled trials of mail- and telephone-based strategies for contacting and recruiting participants, and evaluated participant-related variables’ association with time to survey completion and survey completion rates. Subjects eligible for this study were survivors of acute lung injury who had been previously enrolled in a 12-month observational follow-up study evaluating their physical, cognitive and mental health outcomes, with their last study visit completed at a median of 34 months previously. Eligible subjects were contacted to complete a new research survey as part of two randomized trials, initially using a randomized mail-based contact strategy, followed by a randomized telephone-based contact strategy for non-responders to the mail strategy. Both strategies focused on using either a personalized versus a generic approach. In addition, 18 potentially relevant subject-related variables (e.g., demographics, last known physical and mental health status) were evaluated for association with time to survey completion. Of 308 eligible subjects, 67% completed the survey with a median (IQR) of 3 (2, 5) contact attempts required. There was no significant difference in the time to survey completion for either randomized trial of mail- or phone-based contact strategy. Among all subject-related variables, age ≤40 years and minority race were independently associated with a longer time to survey completion. We found that age ≤40 years and minority race were associated with a longer time to survey completion, but personalized versus generic approaches to mail- and telephone-based contact strategies had no significant effect. Repeating both mail and telephone contact attempts was important for increasing survey completion rate. NCT00719446 .
Subjective Pilot Workload Assessment

Traditional subjective pilot workload measures have stressed postflight questionnaires. An alternative method that is less dependent on memory was evaluated in two experiments. In the first study, pilots and nonpilots made workload evaluations each minute during a critical tracking task. Results indicate that their responses were directly related to the experimentally controlled difficulty level, whereas posltask questionnaire responses were much less accurate. In a second study, the workload assessment device was introduced into the cockpit of a general aviation cockpit simulator, to detennine if pilots could differentiate between three flights in which the level of difficulty varied. It was found that pilot workload judgments and response latencies were related to the experimentally induced difficulty level. As hypothesized, the more difficult flights generated higher mean workload responses and longer latencies.
Abstract 608: A locus on Chromosome 6 in Diversity Outbred Mice Suggests Osteogenic Regulation of Dystrophic Cardiac Calcinosis

Introduction: Dystrophic cardiac calcinosis (DCC) is an age-related cardiomyopathy that involves myocardial injury, necrosis, and calcification. The genetic factors contributing to myocardial calcification are complex, and several loci for DCC have been identified. However, only 1 gene, Abcc6, has been cloned and confirmed to regulate DCC. Our current studies were designed to study the genetic architecture of DCC. Methods and Results: Recently, the Diversity Outbred (DO) population was developed from 8 inbred strains of mice. The DO mice are mosaics of 8 progenitor strains: C57BL6/J, A/J, NOD/ShiLtJ, NZO/HiLtJ, WSB/EiJ, CAST/EiJ, PWK/PhJ and 129S1/SvImJ. Our initial studies examined the effects of diet and genetic background on the development of DCC in the 8 progenitor strains. At 24 weeks of age, the hearts of mice from these 8 strains were collected, and a colorimetric assay was used to measure calcium levels in heart tissue. ANOVA tests indicated a significant effect (p < 0.05) of the underlying genet...
Platinum-group elements in rocks from the voikar-syninsky ophiolite complex, Polar Urals, U.S.S.R.

Analyses of platinum-group elements (PGE) in rocks collected from the Voikar-Syninsky ophiolite in the Polar Urals suggest that the distribution and geochemistry of PGE in this Paleozoic ophiolite are similar to those in Mesozoic ophiolites from elsewhere. Chondrite-normalized PGE patterns for chromitite, the tectonite unit, and ultramafic and mafic cumulate unit have negative slopes. These results are similar to those found for chromitites from other ophiolites; stratiform chromities show positive slopes. If the magmas that form both types of chromitite originate from similar mantle source material with respect to PGE content, the processes involved must be quite different. However, the distinct chondrite-normalized PGE patterns may reflect differing source materials.
Spectral wave dissipation over a barrier reef

[1] A 2 week field experiment was conducted to measure surface wave dissipation on a barrier reef at Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. Wave heights and velocities were measured at several locations on the fore reef and the reef flat, which were used to estimate rates of dissipation by wave breaking and bottom friction. Dissipation on the reef flat was found to be dominated by friction at rates that are significantly larger than those typically observed at sandy beach sites. This is attributed to the rough surface generated by the reef organisms, which makes the reef highly efficient at dissipating energy by bottom friction. Results were compared to a spectral wave friction model, which showed that the variation in frictional dissipation among the different frequency components could be described using a single hydraulic roughness length scale. Surveys of the bottom roughness conducted on the reef flat showed that this hydraulic roughness length was comparable to the physical roughness measured at this site. On the fore reef, dissipation was due to the combined effect of frictional dissipation and wave breaking. However, in this region the magnitude of dissipation by bottom friction was comparable to wave breaking, despite the existence of a well-defined surf zone there. Under typical wave conditions the bulk of the total wave energy incident on Kaneohe Bay is dissipated by bottom friction, not wave breaking, as is often assumed for sandy beach sites and other coral reefs.
Vorticity and Divergence of Surface Velocities Near Shore

Abstract The nearshore environment is complex, with many competing dynamical elements. Surface waves and edge waves (a form of surface wave trapped to the shore) can generally be separated from other forms of motion because of their fast propagation speeds. However, other motions such as internal waves, shear waves, density flows, and isolated vortex pairs can move at comparable speeds. A tool to help separate these dynamical elements is decomposition of the surface 2D flow into two parts, one nondivergent and the other irrotational (solenoidal and potential flows, respectively). Here, an efficient algorithm for this separation is developed and applied, and two examples are examined from data taken at Duck, North Carolina, in 1997 as part of the SandyDuck experiment. The first example is a fresher-water density flow propagating downcoast (probably from the Chesapeake Bay). It is seen that 1) the wave-driven alongshore flow leads the flow, generating a “surge” of offshore surface flow in its wake; 2) the i...
Myocardial and serum lactate changes during isoproterenol-induced infarction.

Abstract Adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were given two daily injections of the potent beta-adrenergic stimulating agent, isoproterenol. Cardiac and plasma lactic acid levels were measured as an index of the degree of myocardial ischemia induced by isoproterenol. The first injection (Day 1) produced a prompt increase in both lactic acid levels which returned to normal in the blood but remained elevated in the heart tissue. The second injection (Day 2) did not cause any unusual increase in cardiac or plasma lactic acid levels. Histochemical fuchsinophilia, used as an index of glycolysis, acidosis, or lactic acid, coincided with the pattern of lactic acid changes determined chemically. These findings suggest that the myocardium of these animals has some capacity to make metabolic adjustments to compensate for the initial duress of isoproterenol stimulation. However, the second injection appears to be overwhelming, causing irreversible damage which progresses, unabated, to overt necrosis.
A new multi-object image thresholding method based on correlation between object class uncertainty and intensity gradient.

Purpose: Image thresholding and gradient analysis have remained popular image preprocessing tools for several decades due to the simplicity and straight-forwardness of their definitions. Also, optimum selection of threshold and gradient strength values are hidden steps in many advanced medical imaging algorithms. A reliable method for threshold optimization may be a crucial step toward automation of several medical image based applications. Most automatic thresholding and gradient selection methods reported in literature primarily focus on image histograms ignoring a significant amount of information embedded in the spatial distribution of intensity values forming visible features in an image. Here, we present a new method that simultaneously optimizes both threshold and gradient values for different object interfaces in an image that is based on unification of information from both the histogram and spatialimage features; also, the method works for unknown number of object regions. Methods: A new energy function is formulated by combining the object class uncertainty measure, a histogram-based feature, of each pixel with its image gradient measure, a spatial contextual feature in an image. The energy function is designed to measure the overall compliance of the theoretical premise that, in a probabilistic sense, image intensities with high class uncertainty are associated with high image gradients. Finally, it is expressed as a function of threshold and gradient parameters and optimum combinations of these parameters are sought by locating pits and valleys on the energy surface. A major strength of the algorithm lies in the fact that it does not require the number of object regions in an image to be predefined. Results: The method has been applied on several medical image datasets and it has successfully determined both threshold and gradient parameters for different object interfaces even when some of the thresholds are almost impossible to locate in the histogram. Both accuracy and reproducibility of the method have been examined on several medical image datasets including repeat scan 3D multidetector computed tomography(CT)images of cadaveric ankles specimens. Also, the new method has been qualitatively and quantitatively compared with Otsu’s method along with three other algorithms based on minimum error thresholding, maximum segmented image information and minimization of homogeneity- and uncertainty-based energy and the results have demonstrated superiority of the new method. Conclusions: We have developed a new automatic threshold and gradient strength selection algorithm by combining class uncertainty and spatialimage gradient features. The performance of the method has been examined in terms of accuracy and reproducibility and the results found are better as compared to several popular automatic threshold selection methods.
NMR linewidths in d=3 random field ising systems: FexZn1-xF2

Abstract The critical divergence of the inhomogeneously broadened 19 F NMR was studied in Fe x Zn 1- x F 2 ( x = 0.46; 0.60) above T c The second moment of the line profile I ( H ) behaves as M 1 2 2 ∼ t -p with p ≈ 0.27 and is to be compared with Heller's prediction of p = v /2-η (0.32; random exchange: 0.25; random field). With H | c , I ( H ) changes from Gaussian towards Lorentzian for t ≲10 -2 .
Abiotic processes influencing fipronil and desthiofipronil dissipation in California, USA, rice fields

Fipronil insecticide dissipated in California rice fields, producing half-lives of 10.5 to 125 h in water and 44.5 to 533 h in soil, depending on the formulation applied and the resulting differences in water solubility. The major degradation products were desthiofipronil in water and fipronil-sulfide in soil, while the sulfone and amide were less abundant. Fipronil was photolyzed rapidly to desthiofipronil in deionized water in the laboratory (t1/2 = 7.97-9.42 h) and even faster in the presence of H2O2 (t1/2 = 0.874-4.51 h). Fipronil was also hydrolyzed to amide in base (t1/2 = 542 h at pH 9) and volatilized slowly from water (H = 6.60 x 10(-6) m3.atm/mol), properties not explaining its rapid field water dissipation. Desthiofipronil was more stable than fipronil to direct photolysis (t1/2 = 120-149 h), was indirectly photolyzed in the presence of H2O2 (t1/2 = 0.853-3.76 h), and was nonvolatile from water. The desthiofipronil observed in field water was formed photochemically from fipronil, accumulated due to slower photolysis and lack of volatility from water, but eventually dissipated.
Nicotinic Receptor Contributions to Smoking: Insights from Human Studies and Animal Models

It is becoming increasingly evident that a variety of factors contribute to smoking behavior. Nicotine is a constituent of tobacco smoke that exerts its psychoactive effects via binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in brain. Human genetic studies have identified polymorphisms in nAChR genes, which predict vulnerability to risk for tobacco dependence. In vitro studies and animal models have identified the functional relevance of specific polymorphisms. Together with animal behavioral models, which parse behaviors believed to contribute to tobacco use in humans, these studies demonstrate that nicotine action at a diversity of nAChRs is important for expression of independent behavioral phenotypes, which support smoking behavior.
Localism‐Cosmopolitanism: Prolegomenon to a Theory of Social Participation

Tins PAPER examines some theoretical and empirical problems in localcosmopolitan analysis. Although this distinction has been popularized through exploratory studies conducted by Merton (1957), Gouldner 1957-58), and others, the theoretical status of this distinction and empirical knowledge acquired through its use remain obscure. Judged by the frequency with which this distinction gets used in ad hoc interpretation of research findings (e.g., Glock and Stark, 1965:280), it would appear that localism-cosmopolitanism constitutes a well-established explanatory principle in sociology. In fact, frequent use of the localcosmopolitan distinction is a poor indicator of either explanatory power or empirical knowledge about the social relations or processes these terms may be taken to represent. Usage is often vague, e.g., regarding the nature of the theory or what, if anything, is to be explained by it (cf. Blau and Scott, 1962:64-71). This paper makes problematic what is sometimes assumed about localism-cosmopolitanism, and attempts, through analysis of empirical findings and propositions, to assess the prospects for a theory of localism-cosmopolitanism. Of concern here are: (i) whether writings on localism-cosmopolitanism consist only of an elaboration of an insightful distinction, or whether these writings contain empirical discoveries that through refinement can be worked into a theory of explanatory power; (ii) whether various interpretations of social events in terms of localism-cosmopolitanism focus on some common empirical referents about which a single theory is appropriate; and (iii) what the content and nature of local-cosmopolitan theory should be.
URBAN PASSENGER TRANSPORT IN THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC POLICIES. PART 1. TRAVEL BEHAVIOUR, URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND AUTOMOBILE USE

This two-part article describes recent developments in urban passenger transport in the USA and Europe, focusing on the different roles and impacts of the public sector as these have varied by country and over time. The first part of the two-part series examines public policies for roadway systems and automobile transport, whereas the second part concentrates on public transport. After a review of demand and supply trends, the article evaluates government policies in terms of public versus private ownership and operation of transport systems, public regulation, financing responsibility by government level, types and amounts of subsidy, and impacts of ownership, regulation and financing arrangements on costs and productivity. Emphasis is on comparative analysis of the current situation and emerging developments, but historical trends are reviewed as background. (A)
Changes in poly[d(T-G).d(C-A)] chirality due to Hg(II)-binding: circular dichroism (CD) studies.

The conformation of poly[d(T-G).d(C-A)] in aqueous solution (0.1 M NaClO4, 5 mM cacodylic acid buffer, pH 6.9) was studied by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy in the ultraviolet. The conformation of the polynucleotide, as reflected by its chiroptical signature, changes in a highly cooperative fashion in the presence of Hg(ClO4)2. The CD changes signal transitions first from the B to a modified B-state (B*), or to a non-B structure termed X, and finally to a form that is presumably Z. The alterations are totally reversible subsequent to the removal of mercury with the help of a suitable complexing agent such as sodium cyanide, indicating that mercuration does not disrupt Watson-Crick hydrogen bonding to any extent.
Neurobehavioral toxicity as a basis for risk assessment.

Abstract Health risks posed by chemical exposure have usually been modeled on the basis of carcinogenesis. Other endpoints, however, are now gaining attention. Functional criteria, such as behavioral toxicity, pose some novel problems for risk assessment. These include: progressive and cumulative toxicity, reversibility, multiple measures and endpoints, silent damage, and unique expressions of risk. Bernard Weiss indicates that more advanced methods of evaluation are required to deal with such issues than are necessary for simple hazard identification.