cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Child Maltreatment Prevalence and Mental Disorders Outcomes among American Indian Women in Primary Care.

Abstract Objective: To examine (1) the prevalence, types, and severity of child abuse and neglect (CAN) and (2) the relationship between CAN and lifetime psychiatric disorders among American Indian women using primary care services. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 234 American Indian women, age 18–45 who presented for outpatient ambulatory services at a community-based Indian Health Service Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dependent measures included mood, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. CAN was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Results: Approximately three-quarters of respondents (76.5%; 95% CI=70.4, 81.7) reported some type of childhood abuse or neglect; over 40% reported exposure to severe maltreatment. Severity of child maltreatment was associated in a dose response manner with lifetime diagnosis of mental disorders. After adjusting for social and demographic correlates, severe child maltreatment was strongly associated with lifetime PTSD (prevalence ratio [PR]=3.9; 95% CI=1.9, 8.0); and was moderately associated with lifetime substance use disorders (PR=2.3; 95% CI=1.6, 3.3); mood disorders (PR=2.1; 95% CI=1.4, 3.2); and with two or more disorders (PR=2.3; 95% CI=1.6, 3.4). Conclusion: CAN was common in our sample of American Indian women in primary care and was positively associated with lifetime psychiatric disorders outcomes. Screening for CAN and psychiatric disorders would enhance the treatment of patients seeking primary care services. Primary prevention of child maltreatment might reduce the high prevalence of mental disorders among American Indian women.
Selective attention to stressful distracters: effects of neuroticism and gender

This study examined the influence of trait neuroticism and gender on selective attention, under the hypothesis that neurotic individuals would be more likely to direct attention towards stress-related distracters. Eighty-seven undergraduates completed a dichotic listening task paired with visual probes in a dual-task paradigm. The task was to shadow neutral passages in the attended ear and respond to visual probes, while ignoring distracters (neutral, academic stress, or social stress words) in the unattended ear. Analysis of reaction times to the visual probes indicated that, consistent with predictions, neurotic individuals were slower to respond to probes in the presence of stressful distracters, but, counter to predictions, this pattern was only evident in males. High neurotic females exhibited the reverse pattern, responding more quickly to probes in the presence of stressful distracters. Thus, results reveal that the relationship between neuroticism and selective attention bias is moderated by gender, indicating possible gender differences in strategies applied to the task.
Lefschetz Fixed Point Theorem and Intersection Homology

This article is a summary of the essential ingredients in [3]. We will consider a placid self-map with isolated fixed points on a subanalytic pseudomanifold and show that the trace of the induced homomorphism on intersection homology may be interpreted as a sum of certain linking numbers at the fixed points.
Overexpression of CEACAM6 promotes insulin-like growth factor I-induced pancreatic adenocarcinoma cellular invasiveness

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked immunoglobulin superfamily member that is overexpressed in a variety of human cancers. We have recently reported that suppression of CEACAM6 expression impairs pancreatic adenocarcinoma progression in vivo. In order to characterize the mechanisms through which CEACAM6 influences the malignant phenotype, CEACAM6-overexpressing Capan2 pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells were established by stable transfection. We determined the effect of CEACAM6 overexpression on cellular invasiveness towards insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), a peptide of critical importance in pancreatic cancer malignant cellular behavior and tumor progression. IGF-I-induced cellular invasiveness and IGF-IR expression were significantly increased in clones overexpressing CEACAM6. Using inhibitory anti-IGF-IR antibody, a requirement for IGF-IR signaling in the enhanced invasiveness towards IGF-I induced by CEACAM6 overexpression was confirmed. CEACAM6-overexpressing clones exhibited increased Akt and c-Src kinase activities, as well as higher levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression and activity in the presence of IGF-I. While Akt kinase is both necessary and sufficient to induce IGF-IR upregulation, c-Src kinase activity is necessary, but alone is insufficient to upregulate IGF-IR expression. CEACAM6 is an important determinant of pancreatic adenocarcinoma malignant cellular behavior and, together with its downstream targets, warrants further investigation as a therapeutic target in this disease.
THE RELATION BETWEEN CATALASE ACTIVITY AND VIGOR IN INBRED STRAINS AND CROSSES OF CORN SEEDLINGS

The wide distribution of catalase in the plant and animal kingdoms led Loew (I90I) to assume that it had some definite function and to suggest that it might be associated with the respiratory processes. These processes have to do with energy release which in turn is associated with protoplasmic activity and possibly rate of growth. The rate of growth may be increased by the addition of nitrogen as may also the rate of catalase activity of apple leaves. The latter was demonstrated by Heinicke (I923) who found that the addition of sodium nitrate to a sod soil in which apple trees were growing was accompanied by an increase in the catalase activity of the leaves. The relative catalase activity was used as a basis for a viability test of various varieties of lettuce seed by Davis (I926). The test depended upon a retention or a reduction of the catalase of soaked seed as compared with that of dry seed of the same sample. Any considerable reduction in catalase was taken to indicate poorer quality of seed. In the animal kingdom Burge and Burge (I92I) found that catalase activity paralleled development in potato bugs and mice. Low oxidation in the newly born is attributed to the low catalase content while the intense metabolism characteristic of youth and adult life is attributed to high catalase content. In these determinations Burge and Burge macerated the whole eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults of potato bugs while the mice were skinned and all tissue except the skin used. This association of catalase activity with viability of seed and an increased rate of growth is not always present, as some workers have pointed out, but it leads to the suggestion that there may be a parallel between the intensity of catalase activity and the vigor of seedlings. In view of this suggestion inbred strains of corn were studied in the hope of being able to determine the vigor of a strain while in the seedling stage. The seed were from inbred strains and from crosses between them, the vigor of which, as measured by the total yield of dry matter expressed as a percentage of the total yield of the commercial stock and yield of grain, had been determined in field tests. In the present study only two partial measures of vigor were taken, each being considered independently. The first is the relative fresh weight of the tops of the seedlings and the second is the dry weight of the mature offspring of the inbred strains expressed as a percentage of the dry weight of the commercial stock from which the inbred 696
Gender Scripts in Professional Writing Textbooks

A script-based semantic theory is used to examine selected professional writing textbooks published during the 1930s through the 1950s to show how they reflect and perpetuate sexual stereotypes. In...
Effects of Household Fabric Softeners on Thermal Comfort of Cotton and Polyester Fabrics After Repeated Launderings

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of household fabric softeners on the thermal comfort of fabrics after repeated laundering cycles. Several textile properties can influence thermal comfort of a garment. This study focuses on two of these properties, air permeability and water vapor transmission. A 3 × 2 × 3 experimental design was developed with three fabric softener treatments (i.e., rinse-cycle softener, dryer-sheet softener, and no softener), two fabric types (i.e., 100% cotton and 100% polyester), and three laundering cycles (i.e., 1, 5, and 25). Results showed that both rinse-cycle softener and dryer-sheet softener did not have a significant influence on the air permeability and water vapor transmission of polyester specimens. Significantly different results, however, were found in cotton specimens. The rinse-cycle softener significantly decreased the air permeability of cotton specimens, but the dryer-sheet softener did not. Repeated launderings had a greater effect on the reduction of air permeability of cotton specimens treated with the rinse-cycle softener than the dryer-sheet softener. For the water vapor transmission, both rinse-cycle softener and dryer-sheet softener treatments significantly decreased the water vapor transmission of cotton specimens. The influence of softener treatment started right after the first laundering cycle. Repeated launderings did not cause significant differences in the effect of fabric softener treatments on water vapor transmission.
Elevated arterial base deficit in trauma patients: a marker of impaired oxygen utilization

Abstract Background: In trauma patients, the admission value of arterial base deficit stratifies injury severity, predicts complications, and is correlated with arterial lactate concentration. In theory, elevated base deficit and lactate concentrations after shock are related to oxygen transport imbalance at the cellular level. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that an elevated base deficit in trauma patients is indicative of impaired systemic oxygen utilization and portends poor outcomes. Methods: This study was a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database. The study population included all patients admitted to the trauma intensive care unit at a Level 1 trauma center during a 12-month period who were monitored with a pulmonary artery catheter and serial measurements of lactate and base deficit, and who achieved a normal arterial lactate concentration ( Results: One-hundred patients (mortality 20%) were monitored with a pulmonary artery catheter and achieved a normal arterial lactate concentration. The mean age ± SD (SEM) of the group was 37 ± 17 years and the Injury Severity Score was 25 ± 11. Subgroup analysis revealed that patients with a persistently high base deficit (n = 26) had higher rates of multiple organ failure (35% versus 5%, p Conclusions: In trauma patients, a persistently high arterial base deficit is associated with altered oxygen utilization and an increased risk of multiple organ failure and mortality. Serial monitoring of base deficit may be useful in assessing the adequacy of oxygen transport and resuscitation.
An automated approach to improve efficacy in detecting residual malignant cancer cell for facilitating prognostic assessment of leukemia: an initial study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of applying automatic interphase FISH cells analysis method for detecting the residual malignancy of post chemotherapy leukemia patients. In the experiment, two clinical specimens with translocation between chromosome No. 9 and 22 or No. 11 and 14 were selected from the patients underwent leukemia diagnosis and treatment. The entire slide of each specimen was first digitalized by a commercial fluorescent microscope using a 40× objective lens. Then, the scanned images were processed by a computer-aided detecting (CAD) scheme to identify the analyzable FISH cells, which is accomplished by applying a series of features including the region size, Brenner gradient and maximum intensity. For each identified cell, the scheme detected and counted the number of the FISH signal dots inside the nucleus, using the adaptive threshold of the region size and distance of the labeled FISH dots. The results showed that the new CAD scheme detected 8093 and 6675 suspicious regions of interest (ROI) in two specimens, among which 4546 and 3807 ROI contain analyzable interphase FISH cell. In these analyzable ROIs, CAD selected 334 and 405 residual malignant cancer cells, which is substantially more than those visually detected in a cytogenetic laboratory of our medical center (334 vs. 122, 405 vs. 160). This investigation indicates that an automatic interphase FISH cell scanning and CAD method has the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the prognostic assessment for leukemia and other genetic related cancer patients in the future.
Profile: An investigation of sex‐role stereotyping in music videos

This study investigated sex‐role stereotyping of occupational roles and the behaviors of music‐video characters in a random sample of 182 MTV music videos. It was found that both male and female characters were shown in sex‐typed occupations. Male characters were more adventuresome, domineering, aggressive, violent, and victimized than female characters, while females were more affectionate, dependent, nurturing, and fearful than males. It was also found that a large percentage of female characters wore revealing clothing and that they initiated and received sexual advances more often than males.
Middle atmosphere electrical structure during MAC/EPSILON

Extensive use of rocket-launched probes during the the MAC/EPSILON campaign at the Andoya Rocket Range, Norway, has enabled the characterization of the region's electrical environment for all four flight series. The first rocket salvo was conducted during daylight (October 15, 1987) and the subsequent three occurred at night (October 21 and 28 and November 12, 1987), all of them during geomagnetically disturbed conditions. Measurements of polar electrical conductivity, ion mobility, and number density are presented, and their associated structure is investigated for local auroral ionization effects. This is believed to be the first time that Gerdien condenser mobility measurements have indicated a heavy-ion presence (positively charged aerosols) in the auroral mesopause region.
Response: Working-Class Dissolution

One of the pitfalls of analysis at the megahistorical level is "overdetermina tion"?not in the Althusserian sense of the "superstructure" as an inde pendent source of causation; rather, more generically, in the impossibility of narrowing down explanation to the sort of economic causal nexus called for in theory construction. Tilly's stimulating essay is a case in point. While there is no doubt labor's rights in the region where they originated are declining, and while this region, together with the rest of the world, is indeed experiencing "globalization," the decline can be accounted for just as well by an epochal transformation of basic economic activity. As Daniel Bell suggested two decades ago, we are at the dawn of "post-industrial society."1 Driven by an unprecedented avalanche of technological innovations, contemporary changes amount to an evolutionary step in the development of the "pro ductive forces" to which Marx attributed explanatory primacy.2 Whether or not one subscribes to Marx's theory of history, there is every reason to expect that such a profound transformation will bring about fundamental changes in class structure. While we may not be able to discern precisely what the new day will bring, one thing is quite certain: Much as the advent of industrial capitalism brought about conditions that fostered the formation of the distinctive social formation we term "working class," the waning of these conditions undermines its continued existence. In short, while engaged in his whirlwind tour d'horizon, Tilly fails to see that the "workers" to whose struggles we owe the "rights of labor" are rapidly disappearing and today constitute a residual endangered species.3
Plume splitting in pico-second laser–material interaction under the influence of shock wave

Abstract In this work, molecular dynamics simulations are conducted to study the physics of plume splitting in pico-second laser material interaction in background gas. The velocity distribution shows a clear split into two distinctive components. Detailed atom trajectory track reveals the behavior of atoms within the peaks and uncovers the mechanisms of peak formation. The observed plume velocity splitting emerges from two distinguished parts of the plume. The front peak of the plume is from the faster moving atoms and smaller particles during laser–material ablation. This region experiences strong constraint from the ambient gas and has substantial velocity attenuation. The second (rear) peak of the plume velocity originates from the larger and slower clusters in laser-material ablation. These larger clusters/particles experience very little constraint from the background, but are affected by the relaxation dynamics of plume and appear almost as a standing wave during the evolution. Density splitting only appears at the beginning of laser–material ablation and quickly disappears due to spread-out of the slower moving clusters. It is found that higher ambient pressure and stronger laser fluence favor earlier plume splitting.
Urothelial carcinoma with abundant myxoid stroma

Urothelial carcinomas with abundant myxoid stroma have thus far been only briefly reported in a couple of textbooks yet not in the peer-reviewed literature. Thirteen cases of urothelial carcinoma with myxoid features were collected over 9 years. Cases with any distinct adenocarcinoma component were excluded from the study. The mean age of the patients was 64 years (range, 45-84 years). Nine of the 13 were male. All cases involved the bladder with one of the cases involving a bladder diverticulum. Treatment included transurethral resection of the bladder only in 6 patients, transurethral resection of the bladder with subsequent intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment in 4 patients, radical cystectomy only in 2 patients, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by cystectomy in 1 patient. In all cases, the myxoid stroma was associated with invasive urothelial carcinoma. The 2 most common patterns of cancer with myxoid stroma were small- or medium-sized nests seen in 10 cases followed by filiform cancer seen in 4 cases. Other patterns of invasive cancer associated with myxoid stroma were short cords and individual cells. The percentage of invasive urothelial carcinoma that had myxoid stroma ranged from 5% to 95% (mean, 50%). An unusual finding was the presence of invasive low-grade urothelial carcinoma associated with myxoid stroma in 5 cases, 4 of which had an overlying low-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma component. All cases were uniformly positive for cytokeratin 7 and negative for CDX2 with 5 cases also positive for cytokeratin 20. Urothelial carcinoma associated with the extracellular myxoid matrix was positive for MUC5 in 3 cases and for MUC2 in 2 cases. Two of the MUC5-positive cases were also positive in the urothelium for polyclonal CEA. Histochemical stains for Alcian blue with and without hyaluronidase, periodic acid-Schiff, and mucicarmine showed positivity in the areas of myxoid differentiation. The current study describes a rare variant of urothelial carcinoma that may be confused with primary or secondary adenocarcinoma of the bladder, which can have therapeutic and prognostic implications.
Medulloblastoma in childhood-King Edward Memorial hospital surgical experience and review: Comparative analysis of the case series of 365 patients

Aim: Medulloblastoma is one of the most common posterior fossa tumors in childhood. The treatment-related side effects as well as predictive outcome still remain as a major challenge. The improved understanding of the disease and advances in molecular biology is changing the treatment paradigms from Chang's staging system to molecular risk stratification. However, surgery still remains as an important mainstay of therapy and is formidable. The role of radical surgery has always been a crucial factor in the outcome of these patients, the best survival being reported in patients who had total excision of the tumor and with no metastasis. Patient and Methods: An analysis of 365 patients (age<18 years) of medulloblastoma who underwent treatment at the Seth G.S. Medical College and King Edward VII Memorial hospital (KEM), Mumbai over a 25- year period (1985-2000 and 2001-2010) is presented. The clinical profile, radiological features, pathology and surgical nuances are discussed. Results: The most common age group affected was between 3 and 12 years. 75.3% presented with headaches, vomiting and 63.2% with papilledema. Sitting position was used in majority of cases. A total of 8 patients underwent shunting; all of them were in the postoperative period (5.19%). 92.2% (142 cases) had classical medulloblastoma, 5.1% (8 cases) had desmoplastic variant, 1.9% (3 cases) had anaplastic changes and 0.6% (1 case) had glial differentiation. The 5-year and 10-year progression free survival rate was 73 and 41% for average risk disease while for high risk disease rate it was 34%. The mortality rate was 2%. The quality of life was enhanced in patients who survived 5-10 years after treatment. Conclusion: Surgery for medulloblastoma is formidable. The option of sitting position for medulloblastoma surgery is still viable. A vigilant neuroanesthesiologist and a safe surgery are necessary to achieve a good postoperative result. Radiological characteristics are helpful adjuncts for determining effective surgical strategy. Permanent CSF drainage can be avoided in majority of patients and can be definitively considered in progressive symptomatic hydrocephalus. A safe maximal resection and a good Karnofsky score are paramount to ensure compliance with adjuvant therapy and contribute to an overall survival advantage.
Single-Molecule Analysis for Molecular Haplotyping

In the genome era, there is great hope that genetic approaches such as linkage equilibrium mapping can be used to study common human disorders using a case-control population association study design. Ideally, the parental chromosomes are marked so that chromosomal regions in the form of haplotypes are compared in these studies to increase the power of association. Determining the haplotypes in a diploid individual is a major technical challenge in genetic studies of complex traits. A molecular approach to haplotyping is therefore highly desirable. Recent advances in DNA preparation, separation, labeling, and image analysis provide hope that a strategy of using a three-dye system coupled with DNA distance measurements between alleles will yield haplotype information of sufficiently high quality for genetic studies. In this work, we present the outline of the major challenges one must meet in developing a robust strategy for SNP detection and molecular haplotyping using single molecule analysis.
A Roadmap for Designing a Personalized Search Tool for Individual Healthcare Providers

Each year, a large percentage of people change their physicians and other individual healthcare providers (IHPs). Many of these people have difficulty identifying a replacement they like. To help people find satisfactory IHPs who are likely to be good at managing their health issues and serve their needs well, in a previous paper we proposed a high-level framework for building a personalized search tool for IHPs. There are many issues regarding designing a personalized search tool for IHPs, of which only a small portion are mentioned in our previous paper. This paper surveys various such issues that are not covered in our previous paper. We include some preliminary thoughts on how to address these issues with the hope to stimulate future research work on the new topic of personalized search for IHPs.
Comparison of Chemical Vapor Deposited Hafnium Dioxide and Silicon Doped Hafnium Dioxide using either O2, N2O, H2O, O2 plasma, or N2O plasma, and Hf (IV) t-butoxide

Hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ) and silicon containing hafnium oxide (HfSi x O y ) thin films were deposited by thermal and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using Hf (IV) t-butoxide and either O 2 , N 2 O, H 2 O, O 2 plasma or N 2 O plasma as an oxygen source. Silane, 2% in He, was added to the reactant gas mixture to incorporate Si. Deposition rate and composition dependence on substrate temperature was studied and the deposited films were annealed in air for 30 min at 1100°C to observe changes in crystallinity and composition. Silicon incorporation was higher for H 2 O deposited HfSi x O y films (5 at.%) than O 2 and N 2 O deposited films (2 at.%) and had a lower deposition rate. Arrhenius plots reveal a non-simplistic reaction scheme since higher temperatures result in lower deposition rates due to precursor desorption. XRD indicate that as-deposited films using H 2 O are amorphous while O 2 and N 2 O deposited films are microcrystalline with a monoclinic phase.
Immune-mediated migration of neutrophils into the uterine lumen of guinea pigs

Metritis was elicited by intrauterine infusion of tuberculin or killed Campylobacter fetus ssp. venerealis into vaccinated guinea pigs and lipopolysaccharide or immune complexes into normal animals. The local inflammatory response to intrauterine infusion of antigens, lipopolysaccharide, and immune complexes was determined by changes in differential cell counts in the uterine lavage fluid and by histopathological examination of uterine tissue. The percentage of neutrophils was significantly (p less than 0.01) greater in uterine lavage fluid collected at 4 hr after infusion of tuberculin into animals vaccinated locally (intrauterine) with M. tuberculosis than in animals vaccinated parenterally (subcutaneously). In contrast, the local response to infusion with C. fetus ssp. venerealis was approximately the same in animals vaccinated intrauterine and subcutaneously with Campylobacter. The systemic response, measured by the delayed type hypersensitivity cutaneous reaction to intradermal injection of tuberculin, was significantly (p less than 0.01) greater in animals vaccinated subcutaneously than intrauterine. Similarly, the concentration of Campylobacter antibody in the serum of animals vaccinated subcutaneously was significantly (p less than 0.01) greater than in guinea pigs vaccinated intrauterine. The intrauterine infusion of immune complexes, composed of C. fetus ssp. venerealis and corresponding antibody, into the uterus of normal guinea pigs stimulated neutrophil migration into the uterine lumen. Infusion of lipopolysaccharide also stimulated neutrophil migration into the uterine lumen. A correlation between an increased percentage of neutrophils in uterine lavage fluid and infiltration of the uterine epithelium with neutrophils was observed.
The effects of acute and chronic amiodarone on activation patterns and defibrillation threshold during ventricular fibrillation in dogs

Abstract Objectives The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of acute and chronic amiodarone on activation patterns during ventricular fibrillation (VF), ventricular effective refractory period (VERP) and defibrillation threshold (DFT). Background Acute and chronic amiodarone may act through different mechanisms. Methods The VERP, VF activation patterns and DFT were determined in 24 dogs. Twelve dogs received acute intravenous amiodarone (10 mg/kg, n = 6) or saline (n = 6), and 12 dogs received chronic oral amiodarone (20 mg/kg/day, n = 6) or placebo (n = 6). Epicardial VF activation patterns were recorded with 504 electrodes. Quantitative descriptors of VF were calculated. Results The DFT was unchanged by acute or chronic amiodarone. Although chronic amiodarone significantly extended the VERP, acute amiodarone did not. In the mapped region, acute and chronic amiodarone decreased the number of VF wavefronts by 42% and 60%. Acute amiodarone decreased conduction block by 22%, while chronic amiodarone increased block by 41% but decreased wave fractionation by 50%. Both chronic and acute amiodarone increased the size of the core of re-entrant circuits and decreased the incidence of re-entry by 44% and 57%; however, chronic amiodarone increased wavelength, while acute amiodarone did not. Conclusions Neither acute nor chronic amiodarone change the DFT. While both acute and chronic amiodarone decrease the number of wavefronts, decrease the incidence of re-entry and increase the size of re-entrant cores in the mapped region during VF, they achieve these antiarrhythmic effects through different electrophysiologic mechanisms. Chronic amiodarone prolonged the VF cycle length and slowed conduction velocity, indicating it increased the wavelength and/or the excitable gap.
T1 and T2 effects during radio-frequency pulses in spoiled gradient echo sequences.

Abstract Finite pulse durations in diverse pulse schemes lead to the reduction of the magnitude of the magnetization vector due to T 1 and T 2 effects during the radio-frequency pulses. This paper presents an analysis of the steady state signal in the presence of relaxation effects during radio-frequency pulses in MRI spoiled gradient echo sequences. It is shown that minor attenuations of the magnetization vector can have dramatic consequences on the measured signal, and may thus entail a loss in SNR benefits at high static magnetic fields if a careful analysis is not performed. It is emphasized that it is the time-integrated magnetization vector trajectory that matters for these effects and not only the pulse duration. Some experimental results obtained on a phantom at 3 T verify this analysis.
Transient analysis of laminated composite plates with embedded smart-material layers

The transient response of laminated composite plates with embedded smart material layers is studied using a unified plate theory that includes the classical, first-order, and third-order plate theories. The simple velocity feedback control is used. The finite element method is used for numerical simulations, and numerical results are presented to study the effects of the lamination scheme, boundary conditions, and loading. As a specific example, Terfenol D magnetostrictive material layers are used to control the vibration suppression. The effect of material properties, smart layer position, and smart layer thickness on the vibration suppression is also investigated.
Elementary Excitations and Crossover Phenomenon in Liquids

The elementary excitations of vibration in solids are phonons. But in liquids phonons are extremely short lived and marginalized. In this Letter through classical and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of the liquid state of various metallic systems we show that different excitations, the local configurational excitations in the atomic connectivity network, are the elementary excitations in high temperature metallic liquids. We also demonstrate that the competition between the configurational excitations and phonons determines the so-called crossover phenomenon in liquids. These discoveries open the way to the explanation of various complex phenomena in liquids, such as fragility and the rapid increase in viscosity toward the glass transition, in terms of these excitations.
Cultural values depicted in Indian television advertising

During the last decade, television has diffused rapidly through Indian society. While this television boom has provided ample opportunities for the Indian government to propagate development commun...
Laboratory and full-scale studies of liquid stream viscosity and streaming current for characterization and monitoring of dewaterability

Abstract Many laboratory tests are available to evaluate the dewaterability of a given sludge with a specific type of conditioner. However, most of these are empirical and shed little light on dewaterability mechanisms. The most common laboratory measurements are also not amenable to continuous or flow-through use for actual process application. Viscosity and streaming current are two methods of characterizing the effectiveness of sludge conditioning which may be advantageous in these aspects. Both can be used as measurements characterizing the liquid stream—centrate or filtrate—from the dewatering process. Thus, this study assessed the utility of determining the liquid stream viscosity or streaming current using both lab and full scale experiments. Results were compared to other laboratory measurements of dewaterability, such as the capillary suction time (CST), the conditioned sludge streaming current (SC), and centrate total solids. They were also compared to CST, cake solids content, filtrate turbidity, and percent solids recovery in full-scale dewaterability evaluations. A significant correlation between the centrate viscosity and CST was established, with both related to dewaterability as shown by other parameters. There was also a clear relationship between the CST, the filtrate SC, and these with other dewaterability measures, such as the solids recovery, in the full-scale testing. A minimum CST, SC values near-zero for both centrate and conditioning sludge, and minimum centrate or filtrate viscosity all correlate with maximum solids recovery. These results are of significance both in explaining conditioning and dewatering mechanisms and for possible application in feedback control of polymer dose.
Targeted gene deletion demonstrates that the cell adhesion molecule ICAM-4 is critical for erythroblastic island formation

Erythroid progenitors differentiate in erythroblastic islands, bone marrow niches composed of erythroblasts surrounding a central macrophage. Evidence suggests that within islands adhesive interactions regulate erythropoiesis and apoptosis. We are exploring whether erythroid intercellular adhesion molecule 4 (ICAM-4), an immunoglobulin superfamily member, participates in island formation. Earlier, we identified αV integrins as ICAM-4 counterreceptors. Because macrophages express αV, ICAM-4 potentially mediates island attachments. To test this, we generated ICAM-4 knock-out mice and developed quantitative, live cell techniques for harvesting intact islands and for re-forming islands in vitro. We observed a 47% decrease in islands reconstituted from ICAM-4 null marrow compared to wild-type marrow. We also found a striking decrease in islands formed in vivo in knock-out mice. Further, peptides that block ICAM-4/αV adhesion produced a 53% to 57% decrease in reconstituted islands, strongly suggesting that ICAM-4 binding to macrophage αV functions in island integrity. Importantly, we documented that αV integrin is expressed in macrophages isolated from erythroblastic islands. Collectively, these data provide convincing evidence that ICAM-4 is critical in erythroblastic island formation via ICAM-4/αV adhesion and also demonstrate that the novel experimental strategies we developed will be valuable in exploring molecular mechanisms of erythroblastic island formation and their functional role in regulating erythropoiesis.
Sedimentation of Spermatozoa and Settling of Diluter Solids and their Effects upon Survival of Spermatozoa during Storage

Summary Minor changes in procedure of preparing and mixing egg yolk media were found to have a marked effect on the settling of egg yolk and semen plasma solids. The visible settling of egg yolk and semen plasma solids during the storage or shipping of a diluted specimen of bull semen apparently has no influence on the duration of motility or survival of the spermatozoa. The sedimentation rate of the spermatozoa in most of the common semen-diluting media is very rapid under storage conditions. Apparently, at storage temperatures, the minute spermatozoa are behaving as inert particles, since the sedimentation rates of live and of dead cells were almost identical. In view of the rapid sedimentation rate of spermatozoa during storage, a diluted semen specimen should be thoroughly mixed prior to evaluation by the usual techniques or to utilization for artificial insemination. The evidence presented indicates that the rapid sedimentation of the spermatozoa during storage does not affect spermatozoan survival.
ATP synthase – the structure of the stator stalk

ATP synthase synthesizes ATP from ADP and inorganic phosphate using a unique rotary mechanism whereby two subcomplexes move relative to each other, powered by a proton or sodium gradient. The non-rotating parts of the machinery are held together by the "stator stalk". The recent resolution of the structure of a major portion of the stator stalk of mitochondrial ATP synthase represents an important step towards a structural model for the ATP synthase holoenzyme.
Auditory nerve fiber activity influenced by contralateral ear sound stimulation.

Abstract Modulation of efferent olivo-cochlear bundle activity by heterolateral ear sound stimulation suggests that acoustic stimulation may modify contralateral auditory afferent activity. Therefore, changes in auditory nerve fiber activity elicited by contralateral ear sound stimulation were studied. Low sound intensities prevented cross talk between both ears, while response averaging enabled the demonstration of small effects. Heterolateral tonal stimulation decreased the homolateral sound-evoked activity of about 25% of the units studied. To elicit this effect heterolateral tones had to be at least 20 dB above the threshold for homolateral activation of the unit and had to last more than 100 ms. Frequency-response curves of the decrease in homolateral sound-evoked activity elicited by heterolateral stimulation were in most cases V-shape. Homolateral and contralateral frequency-response curves had similar characteristic frequencies. Occasionally W-shape curves were found. The effect also depended on the characteristics of the homolateral tone, being greater if it was at the characteristic frequency and of low intensity. Heterolateral white noise stimulation elicited an increase in the homolateral responses in about 88% of the units which showed decreased responses with heterolateral tone stimulation; other units were not influenced by low-intensity heterolateral white noise stimulation. Modifications of the “spontaneous” activity by heterolateral tones were observed in about 46% of the units which showed decreased responses with heterolateral tonal stimulation. The degree of contralateral modulation depended on the characteristics of the homolateral and heterolateral sounds. The described effects may act to enhance the perception of differences between sounds stimulating both ears.
Molecular cloning of transcripts that accumulate during the late G1 phase in cultured mouse cells

Abstract To identify previously undetected genes that might be involved in later stages of the transition from a quiescent state (GO) to the DNA synthetic phase (S) of murine cells, we set out to isolate cDNA clones derived from mRNAs that appear late in G1 phase in serum-stimulated cells. A λ-cDNA library was prepared using poly(A)+ RNA from chemically transformed Balb/c 3T3 cells (BP/A31) that had been brought to quiescence and subsequently stimulated for 12 h with serum. From the first screening of approximately 21,000 recombinant phage plaques, about 100 clones were isolated that hybridized to a single-stranded cDNA pool derived from stimulated-cell RNA but not to DNAs made from resting-cell RNA. Eventually, six different clones were identified. The mRNAs from five of these genes increased gradually during the GO to S transition, in contrast to the “immediate-early” rise of c-myc mRNA or the later rise of thymidine kinase mRNA. These six clones were sequenced and compared to the GenBank database. Clones LG-80, LG-2, and LG-69 are highly homologous to β-actin, lactate dehydrogenase, and α-tubulin. Clones LG-5, LG-61, and LG-74 had no significant homologies to known sequences. A subtractive cDNA library was used to isolate two additional clones, Sub-S1 and Sub-S2; these have homologies to enolase and ribosomal protein L32. Additional studies that examine the function and regulation of these newly identified “late response” genes in the pre-DNA synthesis pathway are in progress.
Cohort or developmental determinants of well‐being: A test of competing hypotheses

The focus of this study is a comparison of Levinson's and Easterlin's hypotheses concerning personal well‐being in adulthood. The analysis examines each author's concerns independently and integrates the two in a broader age, period, and cohort analytical framework. Data for the analysis are from two nationwide “Americans View Their Mental Health” surveys (1957, 1976). Indicators of personal distress from these data are analyzed using logistic regression techniques. Results of the analysis offer little support for either Levinson's or Easterlin's theories as stated. However, the results reflect an age effect that is slightly different from Levinson's hypothesis.
Morphological and genetic differentiation and reproductive isolation among closely related taxa in the Ipomoea series Batatas.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Identifying recently diverged taxa can be useful for studying the process of speciation. Ipomoea lacunosa and I. cordatotriloba, along with a putative homoploid hybrid, I. ×leucantha, are closely related taxa, which are promising for investigating the early stages of speciation. The objectives of this investigation were to determine how distinct these purported taxa are morphologically and genetically, and to assess the magnitude of reproductive isolation among the taxa. METHODS We measured morphological characteristics and determined genotypes at four microsatellite loci in several populations of each of the taxa in North Carolina and South Carolina to quantify genetic and morphological differentiation. We also included a previously undescribed fourth taxon, which we term 'I. austinii'. KEY RESULTS Our study revealed that all four taxa had distinct but overlapping geographical ranges, and had significantly distinct morphologies. Patterns of microsatellite variation and the results of crosses indicate that I. ×leucantha and I. austinii are morphologically and genetically distinct taxa. Each exhibits substantial reproductive isolation from the other three taxa. By contrast, microsatellite markers indicate that I. lacunosa and I. cordatotriloba exhibit little differentiation at neutral markers, despite substantial morphological differentiation, and exhibit some reproductive isolation. CONCLUSION I. ×leucantha and I. austinii should be considered separate species. Our results provide no evidence that either species originated through homoploid hybrid speciation. I. cordatotriloba and I. lacunosa should be considered incipient species, but may be experiencing considerable reciprocal gene flow.
The Association Between Perceptions of Social Support and Maternal Mental Health: A Cumulative Perspective

The question of how to best measure family processes so that longitudinal experiences within the family are accurately captured has become an important issue for family scholars. Using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 2,158), this article focuses on the association between trajectories of perceived supportiveness from biological fathers and mothers’ mental health problems 5 years after a birth. The relationship status between mothers and biological fathers is significantly related to her perceptions of his supportiveness, with married mothers reporting the highest levels of supportiveness followed by mothers in cohabiting unions, romantic non-coresidential unions, and, finally, mothers not in a romantic relationship. Controlling for both time-varying and time-invariant maternal and relationship characteristics, a positive slope of perceived supportiveness from biological fathers is associated with fewer subsequent mental health problems 5 years after the birth. The discussion calls atte...
New results on SNR estimation of MPSK modulated signals

Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is an important parameter in many receivers. In a previous letter B Li et al., (2002) we derived a maximum-likelihood amplitude estimator and obtained a low bias SNR estimation algorithm for a binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) modulated signal. We now extend the result and obtain a low bias SNR estimator for multiple phase-shift keying (MPSK) modulation. We compare our algorithm with others, such as a decision-directed approach. Simulations show that the new algorithm provides not only much lower bias and but also much smaller mean square error (MSE).
Secure collaboration using Slepian-Wolf codes

The problem of secure collaboration between two agents, A and B, with limited mutual trust is considered. Specifically, we consider a formulation wherein agent A would like to share information with agent B but only if B has correlated information. Our solution is based on the principles of source coding with decoder-only side information. The key idea is that agent A can encode its information by using a Slepian-Wolf code at a rate which enables agent B to correctly decode only if the information which B has satisfies a conditional entropy constraint. Furthermore, our solution allows the two agents to interact and negotiate the rate on the fly. It is shown that such interaction not only reduces the transmission rate, but also allows secure collaboration to be established even when neither agent knows the joint statistics of their information. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of our solution in a simple medical imaging application.
Testing Tradeoff and Pecking Order Predictions About Dividends and Debt

Confirming predictions shared by the tradeoff and pecking order models, more profitable firms and firms with fewer investments have higher dividend payouts. Confirming the pecking order model but contradicting the tradeoff model, more profitable firms are less levered. Firms with more investments have less market leverage, which is consistent with the tradeoff model and a complex pecking order model. Firms with more investments have lower long-term dividend payouts, but dividends do not vary to accommodate short-term variation in investment. As the pecking order model predicts, short-term variation in investment and earnings is mostly absorbed by debt.
COMMENTS ON THE ACOUSTIC-REFLEX RESPONSE FOR BONE-CONDUCTED SIGNALS

Previous studies which have measured acoustic-reflex responses to bone-conducted signals have not effectively differentiated reflex responses from artifacts. A convenient method for identifying such artifacts was developed and employed on some acoustic-reflex measures for bone-conducted signals. The findings indicated that artifacts result when a frequently-used acoustic admittance meter (Grason-Stadler 1720B) and a conventional bone vibrator were used to measure reflex responses for tonal and noise-activating signals. It was suggested that the method be employed in future studies which investigate the acoustic reflex in response to bone-conducted signals.
The Origins of Race-conscious Affirmative Action in Undergraduate Admissions A Comparative Analysis of Institutional Change in Higher Education

What explains the rise of race-conscious affirmative action policies in undergraduate admissions? The dominant theory posits that adoption of such policies was precipitated by urban and campus unrest in the North during the late 1960s. Based on primary research in a sample of 17 selective schools, we find limited support for the dominant theory. Affirmative action arose in two distinct waves during the 1960s. A first wave was launched in the early 1960s by northern college administrators inspired by nonviolent civil rights protests in the South. A second wave of affirmative action emerged in the late 1960s, primarily as a response to campus-based student protests. Most late-adopting schools were those most favored by the Protestant upper class. Our findings are most consistent with a theoretical perspective on institutional change in which social movements’ effects are mediated by the moral and ideological beliefs of key administrators.