cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microbiological and Visual Effects of Trimming and/or Spray Washing for Removal of Fecal Material from Beef

Microbiological and visual evaluations were performed to compare the efficacy of hand trimming, spray washing, or a combination of treatments, in the removal of bacteria and fecal material from beef adipose tissue. Subcutaneous adipose samples with intact fascia from the surfaces of briskets (obtained within 15 min postmortem) were inoculated on different sizes of surface areas (0, 0.3125, 0,625, 1.25, 1.875, or 2.50 cm2) with a bovine fecal paste containing a culture of streptomycin-resistant Escherichia coli ATCC 11370. The samples were then spray washed with water at 35°C in a specially designed automated spray washing cabinet at pressures of 2.76, 13.79, 20.68, or 27.58 bar and at chain speeds equivalent to 100, 200, or 300 carcasses per hour (exposure times of 36, 18, or 12 s). Total aerobic mesophilic plate counts, streptomycin-resistant bacterial plate counts and visual scores for fecal contamination were obtained. There was a reduction (P < 0.05) in microbiological counts on the treated samples compared with those on the unwashed and/or untrimmed inoculated (control) samples. The variation in removal of fecal material from, and in reduction of microbiological contamination on, different sizes of surface areas of fecal material contamination and with different chain-speeds was minor under the conditions of the study. Hand trimming followed by spray washing compared to spray washing alone were similiar in their effectiveness for reduction of microbiological contamination and slightly different in the extent of fecal material removal. Overall, however, higher spray washing pressures (20.68 or 27.58 bar) were more effective (P < 0.05) than the lower spray washing pressures (2.76 or 13.79 bar) in removing fecal material from and reducing bacterial numbers on adipose tissue samples.
The relationship between resting arterial blood pressure and acute postoperative pain in endodontic patients.

Aims: To evaluate the relationship between preoperative resting arterial blood pressure and postoperative pain in patients undergoing nonsurgical root canal therapy. Methods: Written informed consent was obtained from normotensive patients seeking treatment for teeth with a preoperative diagnosis of pulpal necrosis and periradicular periodontitis. Preoperative resting blood pressure was recorded, and nonsurgical root canal therapy was initiated using a standardized protocol. Patients recorded their pre- and postoperative pain intensity on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) for 7 days after the procedure. A linear regression model to predict postoperative VAS intensity used preoperative pain and blood pressure values as covariates. Pearson correlations were calculated to assess the relationship between the measures of preoperative blood pressure and both pre- and postoperative pain. Results: After controlling for preoperative pain, significant correlations were observed between preoperative systolic blood pressure and postoperative pain (P < .05), as well as between preoperative pulse pressure and postoperative pain (P < .005) on day 1. Conclusion: This study has provided further evidence of a functional interaction between the cardiovascular and trigeminal pain regulatory systems. Understanding this complex relationship may lead to enhanced pain management strategies. J Orofac Pain 2012;26:321–327
Tensor operators as an extension of the universal enveloping algebra

A global, coordinate-free, algebraic formulation of SU3 tensor operator structure is presented. This structure is shown to contain the universal enveloping algebra of SU3 and to resolve the multiplicity problem in conceptual terms.
US Electoral Assistance to El Salvador and the Culture of Politics, 1982–1984

This chapter examines US involvement in the 1982 constituent assembly elections and 1984 presidential elections in El Salvador, with an emphasis on management procedures and technologies designed to legitimate the transition from military to civilian rule. Using newly declassified sources and interviews with previously unexamined actors, the chapter investigates the sprawling enterprise that US political intervention entailed, including a roughly $12 million effort to bolster the Salvadoran Central Elections Committee’s strategy for ‘purifying’ the vote with a digitized electoral registry and modernized means of fraud prevention. The chapter sheds new light on a crucial case study of the Reagan administration’s turn to democracy promotion while contributing new perspectives on how changing attitudes towards elections in US political culture were reflected in US electoral assistance programmes abroad.
Do Career and Technical Education Programs of Study Improve Student Achievement? Preliminary Analyses from a Rigorous Longitudinal Study.

This longitudinal study examines the impact of programs of study on high school academic and technical achievement. Two districts are participating in experimental and quasi-experimental strands of...
How Does Patent Litigation Affect New Venture Funding

Patent litigations have been one of the most vital factors affecting firms in technology industries. Recent years have witnessed a surge of patent litigations often involving entrepreneurial firms....
Inhibitory effect of oral feeding of pomegranate fruit extract on UVB-induced skin carcinogenesis in SKH-1 hairless mice

1246 Preventive approaches advocated for skin cancer such as the use of sunscreens and wearing protective clothing have not yielded the desired decline in skin cancers diagnosed. For this reason, additional approaches are needed to more effectively prevent photocarcinogenesis through a process we call photochemoprevention such as with the use of dietary antioxidant substances. Consistent with this notion there has been considerable interest in the identification of natural non-toxic dietary agents that are capable of affording protection to skin from the adverse effects of solar ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation. Pomegranate (Punica granatum L) fruit possesses strong anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties. We earlier reported that oral feeding of pomegranate fruit extract (PFE) inhibited both single and multiple UVB radiation-induced short-term biomarkers of photocarcinogenesis in SKH-1 hairless mouse skin. Here, we determined whether oral feeding of PFE can inhibit UVB-mediated skin tumorigenesis. We used a UVB initiation-promotion protocol in which the control mice were subjected to UVB exposure of 180 mJ/cm2, twice a week for thirty weeks. The experimental animals received the same exposure protocol but also received PFE (0.2% w/v) ad libitum in drinking water starting 14 days before UVB exposure and continuing till the termination of the experiment. Compared to non PFE-treated animals, oral feeding of PFE resulted in reduced skin cancer development when expressed in terms of percent of mice with tumors and tumor multiplicity. Tumor appearance in UVB alone group occurred at the 12th week, which was delayed by 3 weeks in mice that received PFE. This inhibitory trend persisted throughout the course of the experiment. Additional studies were performed to examine the associated mechanisms of these inhibitory effects. STAT3 and NF-κB are constitutively active in many human tumors and contribute to photocarcinogenesis. Oral feeding of PFE showed a significant decrease in the phosphorylation of STAT3 (Tyr705) and NF-κB/p65 (Ser536) in uninvolved-skin from tumor-bearing mice and skin tumors compared to non PFE-treated animals. We also found a concomitant decrease in the protein expressions of iNOS, and COX-2, which are potential downstream targets of STAT3 and NF-κB. Moreover, there was a decrease in the protein levels of HIF-1α in tumors of mice that received PFE. Since HIF-1α is associated with neovascularization, we next examined the expression of VEGF and CD31, and observed a significant decrease in their protein levels. These data suggest that PFE has the potential to protect against skin tumorigenesis in mouse model of photocarcinogenesis, at least in part, by modulating transcription factors STAT3, NF-κB and HIF-1α leading to decrease in inflammatory and angiogenic responses, and provide a molecular basis for its photochemopreventive effect.
Disinfestation of Wheat Infested with Sitophilus oryzae Using Ozone Gas

The use of non-conventional methods in the management of stored product insect pests is gaining popularity, particularly due to problems associated with chemical control. The effect of ozone on Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), an internal feeder of stored wheat and other grains, was investigated using dose-response experiments. Eggs, immature stages within wheat kernels, and adults were exposed to an ozone concentration of 200 ppm for 6, 18, and 30 h. Insect life stages were placed at a depth of 5, 15, and 25 cm in wheat filled in PVC pipes. Effect of ozone on S. oryzae life stages was evaluated as the percent mortality of treated eggs, immature stages, and adults. Egg mortality was recorded as the percentage of eggs that failed to hatch 10 d after treatment (DAT), and mortality in immature stages was recorded as the percentage of immature insects that failed to develop into adults 28 DAT at 28°C. Mortality of adults was recorded as the percentage that died 0, 1, and 2 DAT. Egg mortality at the 5 cm depth in wheat exposed to ozone for 30 h was significantly higher than the mortality when exposed for 18 h. When the three depths were compared, at 18 h and 30 h exposure times, fewer adults emerged from immature insects placed at 5 cm compared with insects placed at 15 or 25 cm depths. Adult mortality in insects placed at the 5 cm depth for all exposure times was significantly higher than at 15 and 25 cm at 2 DAT. Findings from this study suggest that ozone may be an effective fumigant; however, mortality of S. oryzae life stages is dependent on the exposure time, depth of occurrence in the wheat mass, or post treatment time (DAT).
Direct laser writing below the diffraction limit using spatially and temporally tuned ultrashort pulses

We report on the experimental and theoretical study of direct laser writing on dielectrics with reduced feature size by using temporally and spatially separated pulses. Features on the front surface of fused silica within the overlapping area of two laser pulses are obtained by tuning the delay time between the two pulses. The observed dependence of feature position on delays longer than the free-carrier lifetime indicates an ionization pathway initiated by self-trapped excitons. The sensitivity of feature size with the increase of laser intensity is studied by simulating the free-carrier density distribution for different temporal and spatial separation of two laser pulses. It is found that the sensitivity is influenced by the spatial and temporal separation of the two pulses.
The Ability of the Invasive Asian Longhorned Tick Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) to Acquire and Transmit Rickettsia rickettsii (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae), the Agent of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Under Laboratory Conditions.

The invasive Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, was first detected in the United States in 2017. It has since been found in 12 states, and there is concern that the tick's parthenogenetic ability and wide variety of host species may allow for broader dissemination. Of the tick-borne diseases endemic to the United States, Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), a rapidly progressive and potentially fatal disease caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, is the most severe. There is considerable geographical overlap between spotted fever rickettsioses cases, which include RMSF, and the currently known distribution of H. longicornis, providing the potential for this tick to encounter this pathogen. We have evaluated the ability of H. longicornis to acquire and transmit R. rickettsii under laboratory conditions. Haemaphysalis longicornis as larvae and nymphs acquired the pathogen while feeding on infected guinea pigs. The infection persisted through every life stage, all of which were able to transmit R. rickettsii to naive hosts. The pathogen was also transmitted at a low frequency between generations of H. longicornis through the ova. While H. longicornis was demonstrated to be a competent vector for R. rickettsii under laboratory conditions, the probability of its involvement in the maintenance and transmission of this pathogen in nature, as well as its potential impact on human health, requires further study.
Vibrotactile Threshold Testing in Occupational Health: A Review of Current Issues and Limitations1

Quantitative cutaneous vibrotactile threshold measurement has been proposed as a useful method for assessing peripheral nervous system function in occupational and environmental neuroepidemiology. It allows rapid, quantitative, and nonaversive assessment of peripheral nervous system function. Acceptance of this method is currently limited, however, because of poor standardization of methods, the lack of data regarding the effects of age, gender, and other covariates, and minimal demonstration of association between vibrotactile threshold and conventional measures of peripheral nerve function. Data from a series of validation studies intended to address some of these problems are presented and relevant literature is discussed. Specifically, results of studies in which reliability and time efficiency of testing protocols were measured, the effects of covariates on measurement of vibrotactile threshold were estimated, and vibrotactile thresholds were compared to physical examination and electrophysiologic evaluation are discussed. Recommendations are made regarding choice and standardization of testing protocol, covariates, and issues for future research. © 1993 Academic Press, Inc.
Hydrodynamic and frictional modulation of deformations in switchable colloidal crystallites

Displacive transformations in colloidal crystals may offer a pathway for increasing the diversity of accessible configurations without the need to engineer particle shape or interaction complexity. To date, binary crystals composed of spherically symmetric particles at specific size ratios have been formed that exhibit floppiness and facile routes for transformation into more rigid structures that are otherwise not accessible by direct nucleation and growth. There is evidence that such transformations, at least at the micrometer scale, are kinetically influenced by concomitant solvent motion that effectively induces hydrodynamic correlations between particles. Here, we study quantitatively the impact of such interactions on the transformation of binary bcc-CsCl analog crystals into close-packed configurations. We first employ principal-component analysis to stratify the explorations of a bcc-CsCl crystallite into orthogonal directions according to displacement. We then compute diffusion coefficients along the different directions using several dynamical models and find that hydrodynamic correlations, depending on their range, can either enhance or dampen collective particle motions. These two distinct effects work synergistically to bias crystallite deformations toward a subset of the available outcomes.
China’s Rise, World Order, and the Implications for International Business

It is increasingly clear that China's economic and political power rivals that of the US. This is potentially a serious problem for multinational companies, since China's rise could lead to more US-China trade conflict and disruption of supply chains, threatening new and ongoing foreign direct investment, and drawing other countries into the jostling for power. However, we argue that globalization is not necessarily endangered by China's emergence as a comparable power to the US. The US and China both have vested interests in maintaining the open economic order, and these two countries are each providing the global public goods that incentivize economic openness among other countries of the world. In this paper, we develop a theory corresponding to this argument and provide evidence that globalization has not declined even as the global distribution of power has shifted. While global integration is likely to persist, disruptive skirmishes between the US and China will occur with some regularity. Therefore, we suggest that international company strategies today should focus more on risk management related to policy shifts stemming from China's rise and less on achieving least-cost global supply chains. We present a risk management framework for this purpose.
Minority Stress and Relationship Well-Being in Sexual Minorities: The Varying Role of Outness on Relationship and Sexual Satisfaction

Objectives: Empirical inquiry has targeted how same-sex couples grapple with unique stressors in their romantic relationships. Meta-analyses demonstrate that the adverse link between minority stres...
Implicit Bias and Caring for Diverse Populations: Pediatric Trainee Attitudes and Gaps in Training.

The objective of this study was to determine the attitudes, skill level, and preferred educational interventions of pediatric residents related to implicit bias and caring for diverse patient popul...
Spectroscopic and Electrical Studies of Pulse Width on Oh Radicals in a Pulsed He Plasmajet in Contact with Water

Hydroxyl radical plays an important role in many biomedical applications (e.g. wound disinfection and cancer treatment) due to its strong oxidation potential. This study investigated the effects of pulse width ranging from 200 ns to 4 μs on generation and evolution of OH radicals in a pulsed helium plasma jet interacting with a water-covered ground electrode under 6 kV pulses at 1 kHz via emission spectroscopy and electrical measurements. Integrated optical emission spectroscopy revealed that total OH yield along the discharge gap increased with pulse width up to 800 ns and decreased with pulse width increasing from 800 ns to 4 μs. Terephthalic acid (TA) was used to trap OH radicals forming 2-hydroxyterephthalic acid (HTA) from which the fluorescence can be measured for determining OH aq concentration in liquid. It is found that the highest OH yield in liquid phase was at a pulse width of 200 ns. These results suggest that higher production efficiency for OH radicals in both gas- and liquid- phase can be obtained with pulse widths in the nanosecond-range under studied experimental conditions. In addition, temporally and spatially resolved gas-phase OH is discussed. Correlations between the OH emission intensity and its correspondent electrical parameters under various pulse widths are discussed.
Contesting Cultural Authority: Essays in Victorian Intellectual Life

Preface Part I. Shifting Boundaries: 1. The religious and the secular in Victorian Britain 2. Cultural apostasy and the foundations of Victorian intellectual life 3. The crisis of faith and the faith that was lost 4. The secularization of the social vision of British natural theology Part II. Science and the Wider Culture: 5. Victorian scientific naturalism and Thomas Carlyle 6. Rainfall, plagues, and the Prince of Wales 7. The Victorian conflict between science and religion: a professional dimension 8. Public science in Britain: 1880-1919 Part III. Moderns and Ancients: 9. British politics and the demise of the Roman public: 1700-1939 10. Ancient materialism and modern science: Lucretius among the Victorians 11. Virgil in Victorian classical contexts 12. The triumph of idealism in Victorian classical studies Index.
Regular Formal Evaluation Sessions are Effective as Frame-of-Reference Training for Faculty Evaluators of Clerkship Medical Students

Background Face-to-face formal evaluation sessions between clerkship directors and faculty can facilitate the collection of trainee performance data and provide frame-of-reference training for faculty.
Conflict Prevention: Toward More Effective Multilateral Strategies

How well do multilateral institutions perform in preventing armed conflict? What challenges exist in tapping into their full potential, and how can these stumbling blocks be overcome? This paper analyzes the implications of recent changes in the capabilities, working methods, and normative framework of multilateral institutions for the prospects of successful conflict prevention. Following a brief overview of the concept and politics of multilateral conflict prevention, the paper identifies timely and accurate early warning and assessment as a precondition for effective preventive action. The paper subsequently addresses perennial obstacles, current shortcomings, and potential paths for two sets of instruments for multilateral conflict prevention, namely preventive diplomacy and structural prevention. Coordination within and between governments and international organizations undertaking conflict prevention is identified as a particularly salient challenge. Three case studies of recent and ongoing efforts to prevent conflict in Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Kyrgyzstan are presented in an annex to the paper.
More Details on Thermal Pulses and the Third Dredge-Up Process in Intermediate-Mass Stars

A review of work in progress of a comprehensive study of intermediate-mass stellar models undergoing the thermal pulse phase is presented. Data from other investigations is combined with this study to show how the maximum strength of the thermal pulse, the maximum temperature reached at the base of the convective shell, the degree of overlap in mass between successive convective shells, and the maximum mass contained in the convective shell varies with the core mass. Finally, a brief discussion concerning the occurrence of the third dredge-up phase is presented.
Partial Purification and Some Properties of Tyrosine Phenol-Lyase from Aeromonas phenologenes ATCC 29063.

Abstract Tyrosine phenol-lyase was purified 32-fold from Aeromonas phenologenes ATCC 29063, the organism that produces phenol in refrigerated haddock. The purification procedure included ammonium sulfate fractionation, protamine sulfate treatment, and column chromatography with Sephadex G-200, diethyl-aminoethyl-cellulose, and hydroxyapatite. The enzyme was found to be thermally inactivated at temperatures above 40°C. The optimum pH of the enzyme was found to be pH 8.5. The Michaelis constants for l-tyrosine and pyridoxal phosphate were 2.3 × 10-4 M and 3.2 × 10-5 M, respectively. The molecular weight of tyrosine phenol-lyase was found by gel filtration and electrophoresis to be approximately 380,000.
Metabolism of Amino Acids and Organic Acids

Investigations into the metabolism of amino acids and their organic acid catabolites can be seen to have followed a few new and old paths during the interval covered by this chapter. Whereas the 1960’s seemed to regale us with a new “aminoacidopathy” or “organic acidemia” monthly, recent years have witnessed a definite slowing in the rate of appearance of such “new” diseases. The field has, we believe, moved off its heady descriptive trail, in which a good nose (literally and figuratively), an alert house staff, and an expensive amino acid analyzer or gas chromatograph assured the investigator of at least a modicum of success. It is now traversing an equally exciting, albeit more demanding, analytical route. This route emphasizes pathophysiology, enzymology, and regulation. It asks “how” rather than “what.” Its tools include cell culture, enzyme characterization, and mass spectrometry, thereby emphasizing its dependence on, and linkage to, the basic biomedical sciences of biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology.
Discrete dynamical systems: theory and applications

Introduction to dynamical systems first order linear dynamcial systems introduction to nonlinear dynamical systems complex behaviour for nonlinear dynamical systems higher order linear dynamical systems dynamical systems of several equations nonlinear systems of several equations.
Diffusion in Solids

The sections in this article are 1 Introduction 2 Spin Relaxation and Diffusion 3 Direct Measurement of Diffusion Coefficients Using Magnetic Field Gradients 4 Applications of NMR to Diffusion in Solids 5 Further Reading 6 Biographical Sketch Related Articles
Technology Affordances for Intersubjective Meaning-Making

The broad field of “computers in education” includes a diversity of approaches to using computers for learning. Each approach is based on an epistemology: a theory of how knowledge is gained. In this presentation, I will characterize the uses of technology and their corresponding epistemologies. I will single out intersubjective epistemologies as timely for research and practice, and call for development of technologies that offer social affordances and resources for meaning-making. The study of intersubjective meaning-making requires interactional analyses, but in new forms that transcend some of the assumptions and limitations of microanalysis and that can be coupled with other methodologies. The presentation illustrates these ideas with my research program on representational affordances for collaborative learning.
Integrating expert systems and decision support systems

Expert systems are emerging as a powerful tool for decision making. Integrating expert systems with decision support systems may enhance the quality and efficiency of both computerized systems. This article examines possible connections between the two technologies and discusses some issues related to their integration.
B-lymphocyte responses to trinitrophenyl-Ficoll: II. Decreased splenic adherent cell function in mice expressing the xid gene

Abstract These studies were done to assess the functional competence for trinitrophenyl (TNP)-Ficoll plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses of T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and splenic adherent cells (SAC) from xid-defective male mice. Splenic T cells from xid-defective (N X B/c)F1 males were as efficient as T cells from normal (N × B/c)F1 females in reconstituting PFC responses in vitro to TNP-Ficoll and TNP-GAT ( l -glutamic acid60- l -alanine30- l -tyrosine10) when added to anti-Thy 1.2 + complement (C)-treated splenocytes. B lymphocytes from mice expressing the xid genetic defect, even in the presence of functional (N × B/c)F1 female adherent cells and T lymphocytes, did not develop in vitro PFC responses to TNP-Ficoll. SAC from defective male mice and normal female mice reconstituted a PFC response to TNP-GAT equally well when added to adherent-cell-depleted (N X B/c)F1 female splenocytes. Yet SAC prepared from such male mice were consistently less efficient than SAC from female mice in reconstituting PFC responses by adherent-cell-depleted female splenocytes to TNP-Ficoll. This finding of a selective SAC abnormality in xid-defective mice provides evidence for a functional heterogeneity among antigen-presenting cells.
Embolization of an Intracranial Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Using Ultrasound-Guided Puncture of a Pericranial Venous Pouch

Endovascular treatment of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas can be very challenging. Conventional endovascular treatment approaches include transarterial or transvenous access from the common femoral artery or vein, respectively. A novel approach is described for endovascular treatment of an aggressive type 4 dural arteriovenous fistula. This patient, who had recently suffered an associated intracranial hemorrhage, harbored a dural arteriovenous fistula involving his transverse dural venous sinus that did not allow for conventional transarterial or transvenous embolization routes. The clinical history and technical details are provided.
Effects of pH and temperature on recombinant manganese peroxidase production and stability.

The enzyme manganese peroxidase (MnP) is produced by numerous white-rot fungi to overcome biomass recalcitrance caused by lignin. MnP acts directly on lignin and increases access of the woody structure to synergistic wood-degrading enzymes such as cellulases and xylanases. Recombinant MnP (rMnP) can be produced in the yeast Pichia pastoris αMnP1-1 in fed-batch fermentations. The effects of pH and temperature on recombinant manganese peroxidase (rMnP) production by P. pastoris αMnP1-1 were investigated in shake flask and fed-batch fermentations. The optimum pH and temperature for a standardized fed-batch fermentation process for rMnP production in P. pastoris αMnP1-1 were determined to be pH 6 and 30 °C, respectively. P. pastoris αMnP1-1 constitutively expresses the manganese peroxidase (mnp1) complementary DNA from Phanerochaete chrysosporium, and the rMnP has similar kinetic characteristics and pH activity and stability ranges as the wild-type MnP (wtMnP). Cultivation of P. chrysosporium mycelia in stationary flasks for production of heme peroxidases is commonly conducted at low pH (pH 4.2). However, shake flask and fed-batch fermentation experiments with P. pastoris αMnP1-1 demonstrated that rMnP production is highest at pH 6, with rMnP concentrations in the medium declining rapidly at pH less than 5.5, although cell growth rates were similar from pH 4–7. Investigations of the cause of low rMnP production at low pH were consistent with the hypothesis that intracellular proteases are released from dead and lysed yeast cells during the fermentation that are active against rMnP at pH less than 5.5.
Critical Diagnostic Thinking in Respiratory Care: A Case-Based Approach

By James K. Stoller, Eric D. Bakow, and David L. Longworth. Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders, 2002; 398 pp; $34.95
Adolescents, young adults and AIDS: A study of actual knowledge vs. perceived need for additional information

Adolescents and young adults today are increasingly knowledgeable about AIDS and HIV transmission. However, in several studies substantial confusion is observed especially concerning how HIV is not transmitted and the prophylaxis against AIDS. Additional efforts to answer specific knowledge lacks are still useful. There is, however, no evidence that the actual knowledge level influences the interest in additional information. The aim of this study was to obtain a detailed investigation of the AIDS- and HIV-related knowledge level and the perceived need for additional information and to assess the (absence of an) association between both. Results of factor analysis and canonical correlation analysis confirmed the hypothesized incongruence between actual knowledge and need for additional information. Although respondents indicated that they had received sufficient information or that they were rather indifferent with regard to additional information, answers on knowledge questions showed important misconceptions. Moreover, associations between a specific knowledge scale and a specific information need factor were weak and not significant. The results contradict the importance of a detailed assessment of specific needs for additional information as an explanation for this incongruence and leave the possible role of an overestimation of one's own knowledge level. This study could not answer the question about the failure of traditional school-based sex education to provide youngsters with the information they need. However, a possible explanation for the overestimation of one's knowledge level could be the use of unreliable information sources—such as peers—in combination with a feeling of indifference towards traditional school-based sex education.
An Inhibitor of the F1 subunit of ATP synthase (IF1) modulates the activity of angiostatin on the endothelial cell surface.

Angiostatin binds to endothelial cell (EC) surface F1-F0 ATP synthase, leading to inhibition of EC migration and proliferation during tumor angiogenesis. This has led to a search for angiostatin mimetics specific for this enzyme. A naturally occurring protein that binds to the F1 subunit of ATP synthase and blocks ATP hydrolysis in mitochondria is inhibitor of F1 (IF1). The present study explores the effect of IF1 on cell surface ATP synthase. IF1 protein bound to purified F1 ATP synthase and inhibited F1-dependent ATP hydrolysis consistent with its reported activity in studies of mitochondria. Although exogenous IF1 did not inhibit ATP production on the surface of EC, it did conserve ATP on the cell surface, particularly at low extracellular pH. IF1 inhibited ATP hydrolysis but not ATP synthesis, in contrast to angiostatin, which inhibited both. In cell-based assays used to model angiogenesis in vitro, IF1 did not inhibit EC differentiation to form tubes and only slightly inhibited cell proliferation compared with angiostatin. From these data, we conclude that inhibition of ATP synthesis is necessary for an anti-angiogenic outcome in cell-based assays. We propose that IF1 is not an angiostatin mimetic, but it can serve a protective role for EC in the tumor microenvironment. This protection may be overridden in a concentration-dependent manner by angiostatin. In support of this hypothesis, we demonstrate that angiostatin blocks IF1 binding to ATP synthase and abolishes its ability to conserve ATP. These data suggest that there is a relationship between the binding sites of IF1 and angiostatin on ATP synthase and that IF1 could be employed to modulate angiogenesis.
Data filtering for robust modal identification using SOD and DSPI

Modal analysis is a well developed field with many applications. The multi-output approaches in particular are well suited for system identification and online damage detection because they use the natural excitations the system undergoes in its normal operation. In this work two multi-output approaches are analyzed, compared, and improved upon. The first method is smooth orthogonal decomposition (SOD). SOD was originally developed as a tool for detecting features of chaotic dynamical systems. Recently, it has been used as a time-based multioutput modal analysis approach. SOD has been demonstrated effectively for the free vibration case and for random excitations. The second method is direct system parameter identification (DSPI). DSPI was developed as a time-based multi-input multi-output modal analysis approach. When the inputs are not measured DSPI can handle the free vibration case and random excitations like SOD. If the inputs are measured then DSPI works with arbitrary excitations. In addition to comparing SOD and DSPI, novel filtering algorithms are introduced to improve each method's performance when working with noisy data. Numerical simulations are carried out to compare the two methods and demonstrate the effectiveness of the filtering algorithms in improving frequency and mode shape extraction.
Fayalitic halos around inclusions in forsterites from carbonaceous chondrites

Abstract Spindle-shaped fayalitic halos occur in forsterites of the Allende, Kaba, Mokoia, Vigarano, and Ningqiang carbonaceous chondrites. The halos have (1) ellipsoidal or, less commonly, rounded shapes; (2) long axes parallel to each other within given host crystals; (3) round, bleb-like inclusions of Ni-rich metal and sulfide in their centers; and (4) compositional gradients that are most Fe-rich near the inclusions. The Fe and Mg compositional profiles are well approximated by the error function, which, in combination with halo shapes, indicates a diffusional origin. The high Ni contents, relative to kamacite, of the metal inclusions suggest Fe loss. We propose that the halos formed by oxidation of the Fe-Ni metal in the inclusions and Fe 2+ diffusion into adjoining forsterite. The halo dimensions suggest they formed between 1000 and 1250 K. Carbonaceous chondrites are characterized by, among other features, minerals and some organic molecules that are only stable at relatively low temperatures, probably less than 500 K and certainly lower than 800 K. The conditions required to form the fayalitic halos by diffusion are inconsistent with such low temperatures. This combination leads us to conclude that the halos formed prior to their incorporation in the parent body(ies) of their host meteorites. Possibilities are that the halos formed in the nebula or within a prior parent body from which material was dispersed and reaggregated.
Gastric protection by misoprostol against 1,300 mg of aspirin: An endoscopic dose-response study

Abstract Misoprostol at a dose of 200 μg inhibits gastric acid secretion and protects the gastric mucosa against the injurious effects of a single 1,300-mg dose of aspirin. The purpose of this study was to determine whether lower subantisecretory doses of misoprostol protect the gastric mucosa in this single-dose aspirin model. Protection was defined as no more than 10 hemorrhagic spots and no more than two hemorrhagic streaks. A total of 140 men participated in the two phases of the study. In the first phase, groups of 10 subjects each received placebo or misoprostol in doses of 200 μg, 100 μg, 50 μg, or 25 μg in a double-blind design. All misoprostol doses protected 50 to 70 percent of subjects as compared with 20 percent of subjects in the placebo group. To expand the number of observations, 90 additional subjects in groups of 30 each were evaluated after receiving misoprostol 50 μg or 25 μg or placebo. Misoprostol 50 μg protected 14 of 30 subjects (47 percent), 25 μg protected 11 of 30 (37 percent), and placebo protected six of 30 (20 percent). The dose-response trend was statistically significant (p
Effects of Inbreeding on Skeletal Development of Rattus villosissimus

In a species of Australian native rat, Rattus villosissimus, which experiences extreme population fluctuations and possibly episodes of local inbreeding in the wild, generations of inbreeding in a laboratory colony led to altered skull shape and increased fluctuating asymmetry in some skeletal characters. Although inbreeding was closely associated with the number of generations in captivity, the effect of inbreeding after controlling statistically for the generation number was to decrease skull length and width. The effect of generations in captivity after controlling for inbreeding was to increase skull length and width. The joint effect of these confounded determinants was to produce rats with increasingly broad and short skulls through generations of inbreeding. Developmental anomalies of the incisors and feet appeared in the population. The average effects of inbreeding on fluctuating asymmetry were not strong, as most inbred and noninbred rats were not detectably asymmetric. Asymmetry appeared to be a threshold phenomenon, as significantly asymmetric animals were more prevalent among the more highly inbred rats of later generations. We detected no trend for a lessening impact of inbreeding after many generations, as would have been expected if selection had been purging the population of its genetic load. Individual heterozygosity across five polymorphic allozyme loci was correlated with size and asymmetry metrics, but only in so far as could be accounted for by the correlation of sample heterozygosity with the level of inbreeding and the effect of inbreeding on size and asymmetry.
Microcomposite electroforming for MEMS technology

Effective methods to improve hardness and thickness uniformity in electroforming for the LIGA process to produce metallic microstructures are described. The result shows the internal stress of Ni-Co alloy deposit can be well tuned between 2 to −2 kg/mm2 by adding a stress release agent into the electroplating bath. A secondary cathode is applied to improve the thickness uniformity in electroforming without loss plating rate at the center of the features.
Chronic treatment with trimetazidine reduces the upregulation of atrial natriuretic peptide in heart failure

Trimetazidine (TMZ) is effective for the treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy; however, little is known about the effect of TMZ in established injury-induced heart failure. When rats with established infarct-induced heart failure were treated for 12 weeks with TMZ there was no effect on left ventricular function or dilation, or on mRNA expression of fatty acid oxidation enzymes. On the other hand, TMZ significantly reduced atrial natriuretic peptide mRNA levels compared with untreated rats.
Preventing the popeye deformity after release of the long head of the biceps tendon: an alternative technique and biomechanical evaluation.

Purpose: The purpose of this biomechanical study is to compare the pullout strength of a traditional biceps release with an alternative method of releasing the biceps in which a portion of the superior labrum is included in the release. Methods: Five pairs of shoulders were arbitrarily separated into 2 groups: biceps tendons to be released "without labrum" or "with labrum." The biceps tendons of shoulders in the without-labrum group were released at the tendon-labrum junction. In the shoulders in the with-labrum group, the biceps was released with a portion of the superior labrum equal to twice the width of the biceps tendon and half the height of the superior labrum. The force required to pull the biceps tendon through the bicipital groove was then measured with a servohydraulic frame (858 Bionix; MTS Systems, Minneapolis, MN). The mean force required to pull the tendon out of the groove was compared by use of parametric and nonparametric statistical tests. Results: The mean force required to pull the tendon through the bicipital groove was 25.0 N (95% confidence interval, 8.8 to 41.1) in the without-labrum group and 73.2 N (95% confidence interval, 57.1 to 89.3) in the with-labrum group ( P = .001 by paired t test and P = .042 by Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Conclusions: Release of the biceps tendon with a portion of the superior labrum significantly increases the force required to pull the biceps tendon through the bicipital tunnel. Clinical Relevance: The described method of releasing the biceps tendon with some of the superior labrum may prevent complete biceps retraction and may result in fewer Popeye deformities after biceps release.
The relationship of income inequality to mortality : Does the choice of indicator matter?

Ecologic studies in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world have demonstrated that income inequality is strongly related to mortality and life expectancy: the greater the dispersion of income within a given society, the lower the life expectancy. However, these empirical studies have been criticized on the grounds that the choice of indicator may have influenced positive findings. Using a cross-sectional, ecologic design, we tested the relationships of six different income inequality indicators to total mortality rates in the 50 U.S. states. The following summary measures of income distribution were examined: the Gini coefficient; the decile ratio; the proportions of total income earned by the bottom 50%, 60%, and 70% of households; the Robin Hood Index; the Atkinson Index; and Theil's entropy measure. All were highly correlated with each other (Pearson r > or = 0.94), and all were strongly associated with mortality (Pearson r ranging from 0.50 to 0.66), even after adjustment for median income and poverty. Thus, the choice of income distribution measure does not appear to alter the conclusion that income inequality is linked to higher mortality. Furthermore, adjustment for taxes and transfers, as well as household size (using equivalence scales), made no difference to the income inequality/mortality association. From a policy perspective, the alternative income distribution measures perform differently under varying types of income transfers, so that theoretical considerations should guide the selection of an indicator to assess the impact of social and economic policies that address income inequality.
Structure of equilibria in N -person non-cooperative games

Here we study the structure of Nash equilibrium points forN-person games. For two-person games we observe that exchangeability and convexity of the set of equilibrium points are synonymous. This is shown to be false even for three-person games. For completely mixed games we get the necessary inequality constraints on the number of pure strategies for the players. Whereas the equilibrium point is unique for completely mixed two-person games, we show that it is not true for three-person completely mixed game without some side conditions such as convexity on the equilibrium set. It is a curious fact that for the special three-person completely mixed game with two pure strategies for each player, the equilibrium point is unique; the proof of this involves some combinatorial arguments.
Resonance of Rubber Tubes Generated by Air Force Ultrasound Transducers

In paper, we report our recent results of using the air force ultrasound transducer to study the resonance of rubber tubes. Experiments were carried out on a rubber latex tube. Seven resonant frequencies were measured between 50 Hz and 200 Hz. Theoretical calculation of the resonant frequency on the tube was done with the wave propagation approach. The relative differences of the seven resonant frequencies between the experiment and the theory are less than 6 %. This research shows that the air force ultrasound transducer can be used for tube resonance measurement.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
A PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF TACROLIMUS AND PREDNISONE VERSUS TACROLIMUS, PREDNISONE, AND MYCOPHENOLATE MOFETIL IN PRIMARY ADULT LIVER TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS AN INTERIM REPORT

Background Tacrolimus (Tac) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) are newly approved immunosuppressive agents. However, the safety and efficacy of the combination of MMF and Tac in primary liver transplantation has not been determined.
Nd isotopic excursion across Cretaceous ocean anoxic event 2 (Cenomanian-Turonian) in the tropical North Atlantic

Late Cretaceous fish debris from Demerara Rise exhibits a dramatic positive excursion of 8 ϵ Nd units during ocean anoxic event 2 (OAE2) that is superimposed on extremely low ϵ Nd(t) values (−14 to −16.5) observed throughout the rest of the studied interval. The OAE2 ϵ Nd excursion is the largest yet documented in marine sediments, and the majority of the shift is estimated to have occurred over Nd values on Demerara Rise are explained as the Nd isotopic signature of the South American craton, whereas eruptions of the Caribbean large igneous province or enhanced mixing of intermediate waters in the North Atlantic could have caused the excursion.
Adrenergic Regulation of ICER (Inducible Cyclic AMP Early Repressor) and β1-Adrenergic Receptor Gene Expression in C6 Glioma Cells

ICER (inducible cyclic AMP early repressor), a member of the cyclic AMP response element (CRE) modulator (CREM) family of transcription factors, is a powerful repressor of cyclic AMP-mediated transactivation. Our studies characterize the regulation of ICER in C6 glioma cells and investigate its role in repressing transcription of the beta1-adrenergic receptor (beta1AR) gene. Incubation with isoproterenol (100 nM) results in a rapid induction in levels of mRNA for ICER and its splice variant ICERgamma, with maximal induction occurring after 2 h of treatment. Incubation with isoproterenol also increased levels of CREM isoforms within 1 h; this was unexpected given previous reports that these isoforms are not rapidly induced. Increased expression of ICER and CREM was accompanied by induction of two CRE-binding complexes. The presence of ICER in these two CRE-binding complexes is demonstrated by their disruption with CREM antibody and by their comigration with recombinant ICER. Because the time course for isoproterenol induction of ICER mRNA and CRE binding corresponds to that for down-regulation of beta1AR mRNA levels in C6 glioma cells, the influence of ICER beta1AR transcription was directly examined. Coexpression of ICER significantly decreased transcriptional activity of a rat beta1AR promoter-luciferase reporter construct that contains a CRE. In contrast, coexpression of ICER did not influence two truncated rat beta1AR promoter constructs that lack the CRE site. These data demonstrate that ICER can interact at the beta1AR promoter to repress transcription.