cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coping with urban crime: Women's use of precautionary behaviors

SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION The results of the present study indicate that the three (neighborhood, psychological, and demographic) sets of predictor variables employed here are differentially useful for predicting women's use of precautionary behavior. Overall, a greater proportion of the variance can be accounted for in the use of avoidance than in risk-management. Psychological variables, in particular fear, explain the largest proportion of variance in avoidance. However, the psychological and neighborhood variable sets account for equal, albeit small, proportions of variance in risk-management behaviors. When we consider the utility of each of the variables individually for predicting use of each type of precautionary .behavior, fear is the best predictor of both avoidance and risk- management. In addition, perceptions of physical competence, race, and amount of education are related to avoidance, while fear and perceptions of social disorder are the most powerful predictors of the use of risk-management tech- niques. Some cautions are in order in generalizing from these results. The low (although acceptable) reliability levels of some of the scales employed here may have attenuated the strength of correlations. Since our data are correla- tional in nature, conclusive identification of causal relationships is inappropriate. It is likely, furthermore, that the relationship among fear and precautionary behaviors is reciprocal in nature. That is, fear may enhance the use of precau- tions, but in turn the isolation and wariness inherent in the use of precautions may escalate feelings of fear (cf. Bem, 1970). Finally, these findings are based on the responses of women only. The determinants of men's reactions to crime may differ, especially in light of sex-role proscriptions limiting expressions of fear or timidity.
Multi-Cell Homogenization of Elastic Periodic Domains

Recently, much attention has been devoted to the application of homogenization methods for the prediction of the dynamic behavior of periodic domains. One of the most popular techniques consists in the application of the Fourier Transform in space which allows the application of Taylor series approximations for low frequencies/long wavelengths. This method provides continuum equations which approximate the dynamic behavior of the considered periodic domain over a range of frequencies which is defined by the order of the considered Taylor series expansion. This technique is very effective, but suffers from two major drawbacks. First, the order of the Taylor expansion, and therefore the frequency range of approximation, is limited by the corresponding order of the continuum equations and by the number of boundary conditions which may be imposed in accordance with the physical constraints on the system. Second, the approximation at low frequencies does not allow capturing the band gap characteristics of the periodic domain. An attempt at overcoming the latter can be made by applying the Fourier series expansion to a macro cell spanning two (or more) irreducible unit cells of the periodic medium. This multi-cell approach allows the description of both average and intra-cell behavior of the domain, and approximates dispersion relations and corresponding dynamic properties at low frequencies and at frequencies close to the lower band gap. The resulting continuum equations are therefore capable of reproducing in part the band-gap characteristics of the structure. The proposed methodology is tested on simple one-dimensional and two-dimensional structures, which illustrate the method and show its effectiveness.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Core professional nursing values of baccalaureate nursing students who are men

Background:The perceptions of core professional nursing values of men in baccalaureate nursing programs are poorly understood.Objective:The study purpose was to understand and interpret the meaning of core professional nursing values to male baccalaureate nursing students.Research design and context:One-to-one interviews were conducted with male nursing students from a public university in the Midwest, following interpretive phenomenology.Ethical considerations:Measures to protect participants included obtaining Institutional Review Board approval, obtaining signed informed consent, and maintaining confidentiality.Findings:The study revealed five themes and several subthemes under an overarching finding of caring. Acquisition of professional nursing values began prior to the nursing program and continued to varying degrees throughout the program.Discussion:Several implications are offered for nursing education, nursing practice, research, and public policy. These include identification of common values, t...
Antihypertensive activity of an alkyl ether analog of phosphatidylcholine.

Summary An alkyl ether analog of phosphatidylcholine was prepared from choline plasmalogen of fresh beef heart by reducing the alk-1-enyl moiety to an alkyl group and by hydrolyzing the sn -2 acyl moiety and replacing it with an acetoyl group. The basis for preparing and testing this compound resulted from experience with antihypertensive lipids derived from the renal medulla and from experience with ether lipid biochemistry. The alkyl lipid analog was found to possess powerful antihypertensive properties in the one-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats when given either intravenously or orally. This activity induced acute and prolonged depressor effects. These actions were similar to those of a glycerophosphate obtained from fresh renal medulla and designated as APRL (antihypertensive polar renomedullary lipid).
Compact HV-Capcitor Charger

Summary form given only. We are reporting on a compact high power charger which is integrated into compact Marx Generators for rep. rated High Power Microwave generators and other Pulsed Power Applications. The charger uses rectified AC mains input voltages of 120V single Phase or 208V three phase and produces output voltages of up to 50 kV with HV output power levels of 10 kW. The rep. rate capability is up to 100 Hz. Major advancements over previous designs are current mode control of the main inverter, improved efficiency through advanced transformer design and improved feedback control.
Tobacco prevention and cessation in pediatric patients.

1. Jonathan D. Klein, MD, MPH* 2. Deepa R. Camenga* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine, and the AAP Center for Child Health Research, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. List the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. 2. Describe the potential effects of environmental or passive smoke exposure in children. 3. Delineate when smoking usually begins. 4. Describe the roles of pediatricians in counseling patients and parents about tobacco use and smoke exposure. Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. Despite major efforts to prevent and reduce smoking, initiation of tobacco use among children and adolescents remains high (Table 1). More than 2,000 young people become regular smokers every day, as many as one in three adolescents currently smokes, more than 15% of high school students report having smoked a cigar in 2001, and 8% of all teens report smokeless tobacco use. Additionally, many children are exposed to environmental or secondhand smoke. | | ||
Effects of large mass fermions on MX and sin2θW

Abstract Some effects of heavy quarks and leptons are analyzed in the standard SU(5) model. We evaluate the two-loop corrections to the SU(3), SU(2), and U(1) β-functions incorporating the effects of large Yukawa couplings of the fermions to the Higgs bosons. The corrections to M X and sin 2 θ W are found to be small for fermion masses less than ∼240 GeV.
Relevance of different antibody detection methods for the prediction of antibody-mediated rejection and deceased-donor kidney allograft survival

Presensitizing alloantibodies may represent a grave danger in organ transplantation, increasing the risk of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and graft loss. However, not all antibodies are harmful to the graft. In our study of a cohort of 325 deceased-donor renal allograft recipients, the patients were determined eligible to receive an allograft based on a negative complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) crossmatch (XM). Yet at the time of transplantation, many candidates displayed donor-specific antibodies (DSA) by more sensitive methods, such as solid-phase assays (SPA, Luminex) or flow cytometry crossmatch (FCXM). The majority of the patients who were DSA positive by either SPA (67%) or FCXM (66%) presented an AMR-free clinical course posttransplantation. Among the patients who developed AMR (N = 29), 76% proved clinically manageable and did not lose the graft. Analysis of the DSA mean fluorescence intensities (MFI) of Luminex indicated no statistically significant difference between patients who experienced AMR episodes and those who did not. Importantly, many of the patients with AMR did not test positive for DSA by SPA (20/29) or FCXM (14/29). Despite false-positive and false-negative results, the detection of DSA by SPA or FCXM was positively associated with AMR, but not with actuarial graft survival. The field of organ transplantation has always struggled to reconcile two opposing goals: improving transplantation outcome while increasing access to transplantation. SPA and FCXM appear to be oversensitive and defining patients as "sensitized" according to these methods would block access to transplantation for many candidates who would otherwise benefit greatly from receiving the allograft. Nevertheless, SPA and FCXM are invaluable tools, assisting clinicians in gauging AMR risk and tailoring immunosuppression of the posttransplantation immunological monitoring accordingly.
On the mechanism of interaction of steroids with human glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase.

Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated that certain 17- and 20-ketosteroids are potent inhibitors of the NADP-linked oxidation of glucose 6-phosphate by mammalian glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenases, This inhibition is uncompetitive with respect to both NADP + and glucose 6-phosphate, In order to elucidate the detailed mechanism of this rare type of inhibition, we examined the effects of steroids on human glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase catalyzing the reverse reaction, i,e,, the reduction of the gluconolactone by NADPH. To circumvent problems associated with the known instability of 6-phospho-δ-gluconolactone, the natural product of glucose 6-phosphate oxidation, the more stable 6-phospho-γ-gluconolactone was used. Dehydroepiandrosterone, epiandrosterone, 16α-bromoepiandrosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate all inhibited the reverse reaction uncompetitively with respect to both NADPH and the γ-lactone. The K i values for each of these steroids, determined by varying either coenzyme or substrate in both the forward and the reverse reactions, are very similar, These results demonstrate that steroids inhibit glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase by binding to the ternary enzyme-coenzyme-substrate ternary complex(es). This is the first direct demonstration that uncompetitive inhibition of a two-substrate enzyme, by compounds other than its substrates or products, can occur by binding of the inhibitor to a ternary enzyme complex.
A three-dimensional finite element analysis of hydrostatic bulging of an integral polyhedron into a spherical vessel

Abstract The recently developed integral hydro-bulge forming (IHBF) process has been introduced as a novel method of manufacturing single- and multi-layered spherical pressure vessels. The process of manufacturing spherical vessels using IHBF is rather simple in application but complex in analysis. Thus far, all studies and analyses have been experimental. The interaction of welds and flat plate elements during the hydrostatic bulging process and the ensuing state of stress and large deformation constitute a complex three-dimensional metal forming process that is not understood well. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element model of the IHBF process used in manufacturing of spherical pressure vessels is developed using the ABAQUS finite element code. The results of the forming simulation and its comparison with experimental observations as well as the deformation history in the flat plate elements are presented in this paper.
Critical behavior of an unusual ferromagnet

Abstract The susceptibility near the critical point for the Ising ferromagnet, Fe(Cl)[S 2 CN(C 2 H 5 ) 2 ] 2 , is reported. Analysis of the data for three samples leads to values of the parameter γ substantially less than the value 1.25. Several possible explanations for this result are discussed, among them magnetic dipole-dipole interactions, randomly distributed exchange interactions and multi-spin exchange interactions. However, the existence of two ferromagnetic sublattices canted 42° apart, and the possibility of a non-diverging antiferromagnetic contribution to the susceptibility, seems the most plausible explanation.
Accrued capital gains and ex‐dividend day pricing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how recent capital gains affect ex‐dividend stock pricing. Traditional models assume that investors are motivated to sell a stock before its ex‐date to avoid paying higher taxes on dividends. However, if a stock has appreciated significantly, stockholders have an offsetting incentive to delay the realization of capital gains by continuing to hold the stock in spite of the higher dividend tax rate.Design/methodology/approach – This paper develops a model showing that ex‐dividend price drops should be greater in the presence of larger accrued capital gains. The model was tested by regressing ex‐day pricing measures on the relative size of the recently accrued gain, along with other control variables.Findings – Empirical tests confirm that accrued gains reduce the magnitude of the ex‐day effect, increasing the price drop ratio (ΔP/D) and reducing ex‐day returns. Also documented was that ex‐day price drops are larger for stocks that have recently experienced posi...
Hierarchical text summarization for WAP-enabled mobile devices

We present WAP MEAD, a WAP-enabled text summarization system. It incorporates a state-of-the art text summarizer enhanced to produce hierarchical summaries that are appropriate for various types of mobile devices, including cellular phones.
Cigarette smoking topography in smokers with schizophrenia and matched non-psychiatric controls.

Abstract Smoking is highly prevalent among people with schizophrenia, and little is known about factors that affect smoking in these patients. One basic question is whether smoking behavior differs for smokers with schizophrenia compared to equally nicotine-dependent smokers who do not have a major mental illness. In this study, 20 smokers with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SCZ) and 20 non-psychiatric smokers (CON) underwent smoking topography assessments. The groups were matched on age, gender, daily smoking rate, years of regular smoking and nicotine dependence rating. Results indicate that, compared to the CON participants, the SCZ participants smoked significantly more total puffs (SCZ: 58.5 ± 48.3; CON: 21.3 ± 9.4) and puffs per cigarette (SCZ: 12.3 ± 6.0; CON: 8.9 ± 2.3) and had shorter inter-puff intervals (SCZ: 21.9 ± 9.7 s; CON: 42.0 ± 21.5 s), larger total cigarette puff volumes (SCZ: 583 ± 169 ml; CON: 429 ± 159 ml) and higher carbon monoxide boosts (SCZ: 3.8 ± 5.4 ppm; CON: 1.0 ± 2.5 ppm). Test–retest reliabilities were good to excellent for most smoking measures in both groups. These findings suggest that smokers with schizophrenia smoke more intensely than matched non-psychiatric smokers and that their smoking behavior is reliable when assessed under laboratory conditions.
Rural Justice: Country Lawyers and Legal Services in the United States and Britain

Landon's Country Lawyers and Blacksell, Economides, and Watkins's (BEW) Justice outside the City both focus on lawyers and legal services in the countryside. Since most of the research has taken place in urban settings, this is a timely adjustment of the dominant research perspectives. Still, their approaches differ. Landon's book fits well into the tradition of legal profession studies. He attempts to describe the social forces that form the rural bar and to understand the "contextual forces shaping the work of lawyers" (Landon at xix). BEW offer a policy-oriented analysis aimed at improving rural justice, examining the work of solicitors as well as that of Citizen Advice Bureaux, paralegals, and informal advisers. The studies both use surveys as the main data source. Landon uses three sets of data. The two of his own were gathered in rural Missouri in 1982-83 and in a middle-sized city-Springfield, Missouri (population 150,000). The rural Missouri data includes interviews with 201 lawyers practicing in 94 counties and 116 communities. He compares his data to
Effect of pregnancy on the rat ovary transplanted to the spleen.

SummaryIn 24 rats the left ovary was transplanted to the spleen, and between 40 and 50 days later they were permitted to become pregnant. Six animals were sacrificed at the termination of pregnancy, and in all the intrasplenic ovary showed distinct proliferation of new follicles, and only one of these in addition contained a corpus luteum. Nine animals were sacrificed at intervals up to 60 days post partum, and in these the intrasplenic ovary showed progressive atrophy. In another series, the normal right ovary was removed at the termination of pregnancy and groups of 3 animals were sacrificed 10, 31, and 62 days later. The intrasplenic ovary of this series showed progressive enlargement with the continuous formation of new follicles and corpora lutea, and there was no evidence of involution of the latter. In this experiment, the gonadotrophic hormones of pregnant rats produced primarily follicular activity in the intrasplenic ovary, while simultaneously in the normally situated ovary corpora lutea were f...
Complex decision-making: initial results of an empirical study

A brief survey of key literature on emotions and decision-making introduces an empirical study of a group of university students exploring the effects of decision-making complexity on error risk. The results clearly show that decision-making under stress in the experimental group produces significantly more errors than in the stress-free control group.
An Individual Study Course for Facilitating Advanced Oral Skills

hanced because the number of questions for each concept on the pretest and post test varied. However, by inspection of the total gain scores obtained for each section, the authors observed that the program seemed to be most effective in teaching nouns and articles. It was quite effective in teaching adjectives and least effective in teaching direct and indirect object pronouns. This last result may have been influenced by the relatively few questions asked on direct and indirect object pronouns on the pretest and post test. It can be concluded from this pilot study that linear programs can be effective in terms of achiev ment in teaching Spanish grammar concepts when used as a self-study aid to classroom instruction. This conclusion is, of course, limited by the fact that this study was a pilot one, and the population involved was small. More studies with larger samples are needed to verify the findgs of this experiment. However, there is an indication that linear programs might be a valuable aid o foreign language instruction. The results of his study should be encouraging to Spanish teachers and students who are searching for assistance in facilitating the learning of Spanish grammar. chievement in teaching Spanish grammar conepts when used as a self-study aid to cl ssroom truction. This conclusion is, f course, limited y th fact tha this study was a pilot one, and e popul tion involved was small. More studies ith larger samples ar needed to verify the findings of t s exp riment. However, ther is an incation that linear programs might be a valua le id to foreign la guage instruction. The results f this tudy should be encouraging to Spanish eachers and students who are searching for asistance in facilitating he learning of Spanish
Chimera Analysis of the Clock Mutation in Mice Shows that Complex Cellular Integration Determines Circadian Behavior

Abstract The Clock mutation lengthens periodicity and reduces amplitude of circadian rhythms in mice. The effects of Clock are cell intrinsic and can be observed at the level of single neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. To address how cells of contrasting genotype functionally interact in vivo to control circadian behavior, we have analyzed a series of Clock mutant mouse aggregation chimeras. Circadian behavior in Clock/Clock ↔ wild-type chimeric individuals was determined by the proportion of mutant versus normal cells. Significantly, a number of intermediate phenotypes, including Clock /+ phenocopies and novel combinations of the parental behavioral characteristics, were seen in balanced chimeras. Multivariate statistical techniques were used to quantitatively analyze relationships among circadian period, amplitude, and suprachiasmatic nucleus composition. Together, our results demonstrate that complex integration of cellular phenotypes determines the generation and expression of coherent circadian rhythms at the organismal level.
Diffusion of Liquid and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide into a Chitosan Sphere

The diffusion and loading of liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide into chitosan spheres with a diameter of 0.5 cm and a mass of 0.055 g was experimentally explored at temperatures of 25, 35, and 45 °C and at fixed carbon dioxide densities of 0.65, 0.75, and 0.85 g/cm3. Loading as high as 1.25 g of carbon dioxide/g of chitosan was achieved. Carbon dioxide loading increased as the carbon dioxide density and temperature each increased. By modeling the loading as unsteady-state radial Fickian diffusion, a diffusion coefficient of carbon dioxide into the chitosan sphere could be obtained at a given exposure temperature and pressure. These diffusion coefficients were on the order of 10-7 m2/s and increased with temperature. Carbon dioxide density did not seem to have a significant effect on the diffusion coefficients, but it did influence the maximum achievable loading.
Contextual modulation of social and endocrine correlates of fitness: insights from the life history of a sex changing fish.

Steroid hormones are critical regulators of reproductive life history, and the steroid sensitive traits (morphology, behavior, physiology) associated with particular life history stages can have substantial fitness consequences for an organism. Hormones, behavior and fitness are reciprocally associated and can be used in an integrative fashion to understand how the environment impacts organismal function. To address the fitness component, we highlight the importance of using reliable proxies of reproductive success, when studying proximate regulation of reproductive phenotypes. To understand the mechanisms by which the endocrine system regulates phenotype, we discuss the use of particular endocrine proxies and the need for appropriate functional interpretation of each. Lastly, in any experimental paradigm, the responses of animals vary based on the subtle differences in environmental and social context and this must also be considered. We explore these different levels of analyses by focusing on the fascinating life history transitions exhibited by the bi-directionally hermaphroditic fish, Lythrypnus dalli. Sex changing fish are excellent models for providing a deeper understanding of the fitness consequences associated with the behavioral and endocrine variation. We close by proposing that local regulation of steroids is one potential mechanism that allows for the expression of novel phenotypes that can be characteristic of specific life history stages. A comparative species approach will facilitate progress in understanding the diversity of mechanisms underlying the contextual regulation of phenotypes and their associated fitness correlates.
Total Freedom: Toward A Dialectical Libertarianism. By Chris Matthew Sciabarra. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000. 390p. $65.00 cloth, $24.50 paper.

Sciabarra's book attempts to conjoin dialectics with libertarianism to produce total freedom. He is led to this seemingly odd conjunction by a concatenation of concerns. He sees dialectics as the logic or method most attentive to contexts and libertarianism as a radical political ideology of freedom. He sees the opportunity to free dialectics of its totalitarian (including Marxist) overtones and libertarianism of its apparent irrelevance, which is the more galling now that once-popular Marxism has failed as radical social theory. He wishes to combine his own academic appreciation of the dialectical elements of Marx's method with his long-standing love of libertarian ideas. Primarily, he hopes to expand libertarian thought from a narrow concentration on economic self-interest and the state as repressive to a broader concern with the cultural, social, and historical preconditions of freedom, and he sees dialectics, with its emphasis on contexts, dynamism, and relations, as a method that can be appropriated by libertarians to realize these broader concerns and to propound a comprehensive and radical social theory. No longer need libertarian thought be seen as atomic individualism struggling for freedom against state violence; building on dialectical thinking shorn of its Marxist content, libertarians can embrace whole individuals living in rich social environments that can carry out, without violence, the social powers that the state has illegitimately appropriated.
Do Benefits of U.S. Food Assistance Programs for Children Spillover to Older Children in the Same Household

The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program targets low-income individuals in nutritionally vulnerable groups in the U.S. The food benefits individuals receive could be shared with other family members or may free a portion of the family budget. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data are used to examine whether children who are age-ineligible for WIC (age 5–17), that live in WIC-participating families have healthier diets than similar children in nonparticipating families. Results show children in WIC-participating families score higher on the Healthy Eating Index than children in non participating families. This association is stronger for children in families with two or more WIC participants compared with children living with only one or no WIC participants.
Rapid suppression of growth hormone concentration by overeating: potential mediation by hyperinsulinemia.

Only a few days of overeating in humans reduces plasma GH concentration by about 80% prior to any gain in body weight.
Host resistance of virus infection in the fetus: I. Interferon (IF) production

The mechanisms underlying impaired host resistance of the fetus and newborn infant to virus infections are poorly understood. Immaturity of the IF system has been suggested as one major determinant of this enhanced susceptibility. Our previous studies demonstrated that the third trimester (140–117 days) fetal lamb (normal gestation 150 days) produced markedly higher levels of serum IF (27,000–250,000 units/ml) than adult sheep (180–250 μ/ml) following intravenous (IV) inoculation with Chikungunya virus (CV). The present report extends these studies to fetuses in the second and first trimester, the period during which greatest damage from virus infection occurs. Second and third trimester fetuses were inoculated by the IV, and first trimester by the intraperitoneal route. Highest IF titers (μ/ml of serum or gram of tissue) were present 2–4 hours following inoculation: During the second trimester, fetel animals (68–97 days) continue to produce high levels of IF. Although fetal immaturity is the likey explanation for the significantly lower levels of IF observed in the first trimester animals, the route of inoculation could be a factor. The data clearly indicate, however, that the capacity to produce interferon is present during early stages of fetal development.
Preliminary studies on the effect of the Burkard alternate orifice on airborne fungal spore concentrations

The Burkard 7-day spore trap with standard orifice is commonly used by researchers in sampling outdoor air. The alternate orifice is reported to have higher efficiency in collecting small airborne fungal spores; however, no previous studies compared Burkard samplers with different orifices. This study was conducted to study the effect of the alternate orifice on the concentration of airborne fungal spores. Air samples were collected from July to October 2005 with two Burkard spore traps, one had the standard orifice and the second had the alternate orifice. The two spore traps were located on the roof of a building (12 m height) at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Burkard daily slides were analyzed for airborne spores by light microscopy. The data from the two samplers were statistically analyzed using t-tests. The results indicated that the alternate orifice had significantly higher concentrations of Penicillium/Aspergillus-type spores and basidiospores than the standard orifice. By contrast, the standard orifice had significantly higher concentrations of Alternaria, ascospores, and other spores than the alternate orifice. The alternate orifice can be used to increase the efficiency of trapping small spores, which can be underestimated by using the standard orifice. However, additional comparison in other months of the year is recommended.
Evolving a Better Adversary: A Case Study in a German Castle

Mainstream video games are increasingly benefiting from more sophisticated adversarial artificial intelligences. The quality of these synthetic opponents is becoming a significant competitive advantage that was once exclusively reserved for graphics. This new generation of synthetic opponent relies on dynamic planning systems such as STRIPS to realize realistic and challenging adversarial behavior. Such systems have been embraced by game developers as they provide for transparent representation of agent state and behavior, have low CPU utilization and are available in toolkit form. Concurrently, the dramatic proliferation of parallel computational units in modern hardware architectures is also facilitating the use of connectionist models of artificial intelligence in gaming. However, significant barriers such as neural network training set generation and turnaround time for neural network development have inhibited widespread adoption of such techniques. To overcome these barriers, we present an infrastructure that automates neural network development through the use of a genetic algorithm to evolve the behavioral training set of an adversarial artificial intelligence. The infrastructure uses an existing game, Wolfenstein 3D, as a simulation environment. We compare the effectiveness of the neural network generated by this system against a manually constructed neural network and the original game AI. All three models are pitted against human players
Surface properties of phycocyanin

Abstract The change of surface pressure (π) during adsorption and compression of phycocyanin film at the air-water interface indicates that this phycobiliprotein is strongly attracted to the interface. It behaves like a flexible molecule but is not completely unfolded. The steep slope of the curve of π as a function of the bulk concentration ( C b ), when ( C b −3 mg/ml, may be attributed to the high number of hydrophobic amino acid residues and other structural features of the protein. At ( C b > 10 -3 mg/ml the π vs ( C b curve is interpreted as being characteristic of aggregation of the protein. Analysis of the curves of π vs ( C b and π vs molecular area ( A ) indicate that the phycocyanin's tetrapyrrole chromophores make only a small contribution to the surface properties of the protein.
Comparing the Relative Efficacy of Narrative vs Nonnarrative Health Messages in Reducing Health Disparities Using a Randomized Trial

Objectives. We compared the relative efficacy of a fictional narrative film to a more traditional nonnarrative film in conveying the same health information.Methods. We used a random digit dial procedure to survey the cervical cancer-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of non-Hispanic White, Mexican American, and African American women, aged 25 to 45 years, living in Los Angeles, California, from 2011 to 2012. Participants (n = 704) were randomly assigned to view either a narrative or nonnarrative film containing the same information about how cervical cancer could be prevented or detected, and they were re-contacted 2 weeks and 6 months later.Results. At 2 weeks, both films produced a significant increase in cervical cancer-related knowledge and attitudes, but these effects were significantly higher for the narrative film. At 6 months, viewers of both films retained greater than baseline knowledge and more positive attitudes toward Papanicolaou (Pap) tests, but women who saw the narrative were sig...
Biofeedback-assisted EMG reduction and subsequent self-disclosure.

A male E and a female E each conducted a single session of EMG biofeedback training with 24 male and 24 female Ss (N =96) under one of three conditions: verbal reinforcement presented contingently on EMG reduction, yoked noncontingent verbal reinforcement, and no verbal reinforcement. After the biofeedback session, all Ss completed a Journard Self-disclosure Scale. Sex of S and verbal reinforcement conditions did not affect EMG biofeedback performance, but Ss treated by the male E decreased EMG mean and standard deviation more than Ss treated by the female E (p less than .01). Ss who received noncontingent verbal reinforcement reported being least willing to disclose to the E (p less than .05). These results are discussed in terms of the interpersonal influences that may affect biofeedback performance and self-disclosure.
Modeling the effects of alternative management strategies on forest carbon in the Nothofagus forests of Tierra del Fuego, Chile

The impact of forest management activities on the ability of forest ecosystems to sequester and store atmospheric carbon is of increasing scientific and social concern. The nature of these impacts varies among forest ecosystems, and spatially and temporally explicit ecosystem models are useful for quantifying the impacts of a number of alternative management regimes for the same forest landscape. The LANDIS-II forest dynamics simulation model is used to quantify changes to the live overstory and coarse woody debris pools under several forest management scenarios in a high-latitude South American forest landscape dominated by two species of southern beech, Nothofagus betuloides and N. pumilio. Both harvest type (clearcutting vs. partial overstory retention) and rotation length (100 years vs. 200 years) were significant predictors of carbon storage in the simulation models. The prompt regeneration of harvest units greatly enhanced carbon storage in clearcutting scenarios. The woody debris pool was particularly sensitive to both harvest type and rotation length, with large decreases noted under short rotation clearcutting. The roles of extended rotations and partial overstory retention are noted for enhancing net carbon storage on the forest landscape.
A 1.3 GSample/s 10-tap full-rate variable-latency self-timed FIR filter with clocked interfaces

A 6 b 10-tap digital FIR filter has a self-timed datapath, clocked interfaces, and variable latency. The architecture of the filter is full rate, distributed arithmetic with signed-digit offset binary (SDOB) number representation. The 0.45 mm/sup 2/ circuit, in 0.18 μm CMOS technology, is operational from 1.2 V to 2.1 V power supply, and has 80 mW dissipation at 300 MSample/s and 4 cycles of latency, and 500 mW at 1.3 GSample/s and 7 cycles of latency.
PASTE at Microsoft

The Windows division of Microsoft Corporation is in the midst of a massive effort to improve the security and reliability of the next release of the product - Windows Vista. In this talk, I will explain how the Center for Software Excellence at Microsoft has used program analysis technology to build the tools that enable this effort. Along the way, I will cover the current Windows engineering process and the role of the tools in the process, the core program analysis techniques we have invented and used in the tools, business and environment issues that govern the engineering process, and research directions suggested by our experience so far.
Toward Proper Specification of the Effects of Leader Punitive Behavior: A Research Note

Two samples totaling 457 nursing department employees from four metropolitan hospitals were employed to test the impact of leader punitive behavior on employee satisfaction. With the correlated effect of leader reward behavior statistically controlled for, there remained neither the direct positive effect of leader punitive behavior nor the moderating impact of role ambiguity, which have been suggested by previous research. Also discussed are the importance of considering spuriousness in leader punitive behavior research, some possible explanationsfor the positive relationship between the two dimensions of leader behavior, and some suggested conditions under which punishment may be satisfying to an employee.
Changing concepts in the management of advanced prostate cancer

Abstract Objective To offer a perspective on the need for newer paradigms to expand current wisdom about advanced prostate cancer and to improve on current therapeutic modalities. Methods Review of issues regarding the appropriate definition of advanced prostatecancer, when to treat prostate cancer as advanced, how best to treat the various manifestations of advanced disease, and how long treatment modalities should be continued. Results Advanced prostate cancer should no longer be solely considered as widelydisseminated metastatic disease. Increasing numbers of patients diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer now enter treatment long before presentation with large-scale bony metastases. Patients diagnosed with minimally advanced disease are experiencing lengthening survival. Conclusions The use of prognostic factors, particularly prostate-specific antigen,becomes much more critical in determining the extent of disease on diagnosis and estimating the time to disease progression. Treatment protocols are beginning earlier in the course of advanced disease, and new randomized trials seek to improve on the gold standard of combined androgen blockade. The challenge to physicians is to use an evaluation procedure that integrates objective, therapeutic factors with critical dimensions of a patient's physical and psychologic functional status.
21-Hydroxylase deficiency and Turner's syndrome: a reason for diminished endometrial receptivity

Abstract Objective: To report a case of cryptic 21-hydroxylase deficiency identified at the time of ovum donation in a patient with Turner's syndrome. Design: Case report. Setting: University IVF practice. Patient(s): A 28-year-old woman with Turner's syndrome who presented for ovum donation. Intervention(s): Four cycles of donor IVF. Main Outcome Measure(s): Pregnancy, endometrial appearance, progesterone, and 17-hydroxyprogesterone values. Result(s): The patient failed two fresh and two frozen ET cycles with donated oocytes. The appearance of the endometrium suggested elevated progesterone before progesterone supplementation. An elevated progesterone was detected but not suppressed by leuprolide acetate. Progesterone was suppressed by adding dexamethasone. The diagnosis of cryptic 21-hydroxylase deficiency was confirmed biochemically. Conclusion(s): Patients with Turner's syndrome reportedly have poorer outcomes with donor IVF than other women. They also have an increased incidence of carrying a defective 21-hydroxylase gene. We suggest that some of the poorer outcomes may be explained by the presence of elevated progesterone and recommend evaluation of possible congenital adrenal hyperplasia in patients with Turner's syndrome who want oocyte donation.
Constructing the (m)other: A-prefixing, stance, and the lessons of motherhood

The present study examines two unprompted versions of the same story, related by a mother and daughter in separate sociolinguistic interviews. Following a quantitative intraspeaker comparison of their use of grammatical features associated with Appalachian English within the entirety of their interviews, this study undertakes a close reading of the narratives (along with additional passages from the daughter) to demonstrate the manner in which the two women construct their identities as “mother” and as “other” through conversational narrative and the use of local dialect features. Specifically, this article addresses the use of regional grammatical variables to enact speaker stances toward mothering, focusing on two women's independent recollections of a single incident and how these narratives dialogically construct the (m)other. (Language variation, Appalachian English, stancetaking, motherhood)*
Explaining the Cambrian "Explosion" of Animals

The Cambrian “explosion” is a unique episode in Earth history, when essentially all the animal phyla first appear in the fossil record. A variety of environmental, developmental (genetic), and ecological explanations for this complex and somewhat protracted event are reviewed, with a focus on how well each explains the observed increases in disparity and diversity, the time of onset of the radiation, its duration, and its uniqueness. The increase in disparity (the origin of the phyla) and diversity are best understood as being the result of the interplay of the combinatorial bilaterian developmental system and the increase in the number of needs the first bilaterians had to meet as complex ecological interactions developed. The time of onset is constrained by the evolution of the environment, whereas its duration appears to be controlled primarily by rates of developmental innovation. The uniqueness of the event is either due to ensuing developmental limitation, to ecological saturation, or simply to the exhaustion of ecologically viable morphologies that could be produced by the nascent bilaterian developmental system.
Comment on the studies of oxygen isotope fractionation between calcium carbonates and water at low temperatures by Zhou and Zheng (2003; 2005)

Abstract Experimental and theoretical aspects of oxygen isotope fractionation in the system calcite–water at low temperatures were critically examined. Contrary to the claim made by Zhou and Zheng [Zhou G.-T., and Zheng Y.-F. (2003) An experimental study of oxygen isotope fractionation between inorganically precipitated aragonite and water at low temperatures. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 67 , 387–399], there is excellent agreement between fractionation factors that were experimentally determined by means of slow, inorganic precipitation of calcite from solutions and those obtained largely from theoretical, statistical–mechanical calculations of the reduced partition function ratios. This agreement strongly suggests that calcite was precipitated from a solution very close to isotopic equilibrium. However, recently Zhou and Zheng [Zhou G.-T., and Zheng Y.-F. (2005) Effect of polymorphic transition on oxygen isotope fractionation between aragonite, calcite and water: a low-temperature experimental study. Am. Miner. 90 , 1121–1130] presented, without any explanation, conclusions on these major aspects that contradict the previous statements of Zhou and Zheng (2003). The apparent discrepancy in calcite–water oxygen isotope fractionation between experimental and theoretical studies discussed by Zhou and Zheng (2003) originates from the “mineral–water interaction” term in the modified increment method, which was developed by one of the authors (Y.-F. Zheng). We call for evidence for the theoretical nature of the modified increment method, which has never been presented in any of Zheng’s papers. Without such evidence, great caution must be exercised in using fractionation factors derived from the modified increment method.
Advances in Prenatal Screening: Maternal Serum Screening for Down Syndrome

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Assess the screening performance of second-trimester serum screening markers. 2. Assess the screening performance of first-trimester screening by maternal serum screening and nuchal translucency ultrasonography. 3. Characterize the current status of first- versus second-trimester screening for Down syndrome. 4. Identify elements of good clinical practice with prenatal screening for Down syndrome. Prenatal screening for Down syndrome and other aneuploidies is a reality for almost two thirds of pregnant women in the United States today. By far the most common approach involves maternal age in combination with multiple serum marker analysis between 14 and 22 weeks of pregnancy. Serum screening functions on the principle that levels of certain analytes in the maternal bloodstream are, on average, abnormal in a Down syndrome pregnancy. A risk result greater than a specified cutoff (eg, 1 in 270) warrants the option of prenatal diagnosis through genetic amniocentesis. Although both patients and physicians accept this practice, it is hardly ideal. Dissatisfaction with the current screening program generally stems from the late time in gestation in which it is performed, coupled with a desire for a higher detection rate of Down syndrome, fewer false-positive results, and a consequent reduction in the amniocentesis rate and its associated risk of pregnancy loss. Research in prenatal screening has focused primarily on these issues, and new testing options in the first trimester are on the horizon. Much has changed in prenatal screening from the original era of maternal age-based risk assessment for Down syndrome. Women 35 years or older at their estimated date of delivery were offered the option of amniocentesis because their age-related risk of having a chromosomally abnormal child was sufficiently high to justify the risk of miscarriage that came with the procedure. Screening by age alone could only detect 15% of Down …
Competition Between Gettering by Implantation-Induced Cavities in Silicon and Internal Gettering Associated with SIO2 Precipitation

Dissolved or metallic impurities can degrade silicon integrated circuit (IC) device yields when present in the near surface, active device region. This is such a critical issue that the IC community has set specifications for the reduction of metallic impurities down to 2.5 {times} 10{sup 9} atoms/cm{sup 3}. The exceptionally high diffusivity and solubility of Cu and Fe in silicon and their presence in many processing tools makes these impurities of particular interest. Additionally, Cu is being considered as an interconnect material because of its low electrical resistivity which creates a high potential for contamination. Here, the gettering behavior of Cu and Fe was investigated in CZ silicon which contained both internal-gettering sites in the bulk due to SiO{sub 2} precipitation and a device-side layer of cavities formed by He implantation and annealing. The objective was to quantify the effectiveness of impurity gettering at cavities relative to the widely used internal-gettering process. Both rapid thermal anneals and furnace anneals were used during the gettering sequences to reveal transient effects as well as the final, thermodynamically-equilibrated condition. For temperatures of 700, 800 and 850 C, the cavity gettering was observed to predominate over internal gettering as indicated both by the number of gettered atoms in the cavities and the residual solution concentration in the device region. The results are interpreted in detail by numerically solving the diffusion equation with sink-related source terms based on earlier, fundamental studies of the underlying mechanisms of internal and cavity gettering.