cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Fiber Reinforcement Geometry on Single-Shear and Fracture Behavior of Three-Dimensionally Braided Glass/Epoxy Composite Pins

Optimization of single-shear properties through controlled microstructure of composite pins was studied. This research established a processing science based con cept for making near-net-shape three-dimensionally braided circular preforms as well as transforming them into composites by impregnating with resin. The effect of fiber rein forcement geometry (FRG) was related to transverse single-shear and fracture behavior of composite pins. Eight different fiber reinforcement geometric variations were chosen. Single-shear properties of three-dimensionally braided composite pins were measured using a single-shear test. Shear strength varied between 144.48 MPa and 182.62 MPa, shear strain varied between 7.26 and 14.7%, and initial modulus varied between 1.47 GPa and 2.98 GPa. The effect of FRG on the shear stress-strain properties was not pronounced, but had an influence on the failure mechanism of the samples. The nature of shear stress- strain curves was mostly linear except for CBLC-2080 and CBLC-5050, wher...
Poroelastography: imaging the poroelastic properties of tissues

In the field of elastography, biological tissues are conveniently assumed to be purely elastic solids. However, several tissues, including brain, cartilage and edematous soft tissues, have long been known to be poroelastic. The objective of this study is to show the feasibility of imaging the poroelastic properties of tissue-like materials. A poroelastic material is a material saturated with fluid that flows relative to a deforming solid matrix. In this paper, we describe a method for estimating the poroelastic attributes of tissues. It has been analytically shown that during stress relaxation of a poroelastic material (i.e., sustained application of a constant applied strain over time), the lateral-to-axial strain ratio decreases exponentially with time toward the Poisson's ratio of the solid matrix. The time constant of this variation depends on the elastic modulus of the solid matrix, its permeability and its dimension along the direction of fluid flow. Recently, we described an elastographic method that can be used to map axial and lateral tissue strains. In this study, we use the same method in a stress relaxation case to measure the time-dependent lateral-to-axial strain ratio in poroelastic materials. The resulting time-sequenced images (poroelastograms) depict the spatial distribution of the fluid within the solid at each time instant, and help to differentiate poroelastic materials of distinct Poisson's ratios and permeabilities of the solid matrix. Results are shown from finite-element simulations.
Continued validation of the Symptom Inventory in multiple sclerosis

Abstract Objective This study examined the construct, discriminant, and incremental validity of scores from the short (SI-S) and long (SI-L) forms of the Symptom Inventory in persons with MS. Methods The sample included 133 individuals with MS who completed the SI-L, Performance Scales (PS), EDSS, Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12), Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale-29 (MSIS-29), and Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) and then wore an accelerometer for 7 days. The data were analyzed using SPSS, version 16.0. Results There were large correlations between SI-S and SI-L total and subscale scores and between SI-S, SI-L, and PS total scores. The correlations were similar in magnitude between SI-S, SI-L, and PS scores with EDSS and MSIS-29 scores, but not with MSWS-12, accelerometer, and GLTEQ scores. Discriminant function analysis indicated that SI-S scores better differentiated groups with minimal, moderate, and severe disability than did SI-L and PS scores. Regression analysis indicated that SI-S and SI-L scores explained incrementally more variance in EDSS, MSWS-12, and MSIS-29 scores after accounting for PS scores alone. Conclusion Such findings provide additional support for the validity of both SI-S and SI-L scores in individuals with MS and support the adoption of either the SI-S or SI-L by clinical MS researchers.
The Social Sciences and the Population Problem

Four essentially independent conceptions of the population problem are visible in current discussions. One is derived from macroeconomics, one from microeconomics, one from the health sciences, and one from ethical concerns about the just relation between man and nature. After describing these conceptions, this paper addresses the population problem principally using the economic definitions. It cites five reasons why discussions of the economic hazards posed by population growth have become markedly less alarmist in the past decade. Failures of highly quantified input-output models to account for human progress are emphasized. The paper presents examples of how technical demography has shed light on the dimensions of and solutions to the population problem and concludes with a brief discussion of contemporary population problems in the U.S. The real world consists not of numbers but of shapes and sizes. It is topological rather than quantitative. Quantification for the most part is a prosthetic device of the human mind, though certainly a very useful one. Anyone who thinks that numbers constitute the real world, however, is under an illusion, and this is an illusion that is by no means uncommon (Boulding, 1980:833).
C‐GLYCOSYLFLAVONES IN THE GNETOPSIDA: A PRELIMINARY REPORT

C-Glycosylflavones appear to be the only detectable flavonoids in representative species of Gnetum, Ephedra and Welwitschia. Ephedra antisyphilitica contains mixed 6,8-di-C-glycosides of apigenin and luteolin and Welwitschia mirabilis produces 6-C-glycosylchrysoeriol and 6,8-di-C-glycosylchrysoeriol. Recently it was reported that Gnetum gnemon contains 6-C-, 8-C and 6,8-di-C-glucosyl derivatives of apigenin, luteolin and their 7-0-methyl ethers. Based on the present preliminary survey the apparent absence of other flavonoid types indicates that C-glycosylflavones may be a unifying characteristic of the Gnetopsida. THE GNETOPSIDA is a small group of quite distinct seed plants represented by three extant genera: Gnetum, Ephedra and Welwitschia. Although quite distinct from each other the three genera do share the following morphological features: vessels in the secondary xylem, a well-defined tunica of the shoot apices, decussate phyllotaxis, compound megasporangiate and microsporangiate strobili, an extended micropylar tube and embryos with two cotyledons (Martens, 1971; Foster and Gifford, 1974). Even though these plants have the above unifying features their actual relationship remains unsettled. The three genera have been treated as comprising a single family, the Gnetaceae (Chamberlain, 1935), or as representing three separate families within the Gnetales (Lawrence, 1951), or as belonging to three distinct orders, the Ephedrales, Gnetales and Welwitschiales (Martens, 1971; Foster and Gifford, 1974). However, it should be
Anaerobic Digestion: The Rate-Limiting Process and the Nature of Inhibition

Although attractive as a method for creating preferred fuel from cellulose wastes, the anaerobic digestion process is very slow. A new hypothesis is that phase transfer of products is rate-limiting...
Student Engagement in U.S. Urban High School Mathematics and Science Classrooms: Findings on Social Organization, Race, and Ethnicity

This paper reports results of intensive field work in urban high school mathematics and science classrooms based on research with students attending eight high schools located in large, disparate urban sites across the U.S. During the course of our observations and interviews we recorded students’ activities as well as their impressions of classroom processes over the course of a week in each classroom using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM). ESM allows students to record information about their classroom experiences at intervals during daily mathematics and science classroom lessons. We measured levels of student engagement and examined relationships between student engagement and an array of predictors. We take a social organizational approach to interpreting classroom processes, examining the extent to which classroom activities influence student perception of class and communication among students and how these intervening factors affect student engagement during on-going classroom activities. Results suggest that there is variation between group members’ reactions to classroom activities. Specifically, as an example, Latino Students in Chicago, Miami and El Paso were far more engaged and responsive to classroom lessons during the time they spent in small problem-solving groups during class. Student Engagement in High School Mathematics and Science.
Luteinizing hormone receptors are associated with non-receptor plasma membrane proteins on bovine luteal cell membranes.

Biophysical studies of the bovine luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor on luteal cell membranes suggest that this receptor may be part of a larger molecular weight structure. We have used 5-iodonaphthyl-1-azide (INA) to identify plasma membrane proteins near LH receptors on plasma membranes from bovine corpora lutea. Following binding of eosin isothiocyanate-derivatized ovine LH or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), five proteins with molecular weights of 71, 57, 55, 49 and 36 kDa were selectively derivatized with [125I]-INA following 2 h exposure at 22 degreesC to 514 nm light. However, there was no fluorescence energy transfer between LH receptors occupied by ovine LH or hCG indicating that LH receptors were not self-associated in these membrane preparations. Together these results suggest that, following hormone binding, single copies of the LH receptor may exist in large molecular weight structures that include non-receptor proteins.
Metabolic dysregulation in the SHROB rat reflects abnormal expression of transcription factors and enzymes that regulate carbohydrate metabolism.

Abstract The Koletsky (SHROB) strain of rats is spontaneously hypertensive and displays insulin resistance, hyperglucagonemia and hypertriglyceridemia but is normoglycemic under fasting conditions. The aim of this study was to unravel the pattern of expression of genes encoding key regulatory enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism in the liver and kidney that may be impacted in this strain. We found that SHROB animals have decreased β-adrenergic receptor density and, consequently, blunted increases in cAMP levels in response to β-adrenergic agonists. They also have lower levels of hepatic as well as renal phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) mRNA and protein than their lean littermates. Expression of the genes for glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen synthase was also decreased. Hepatocytes from the SHROB animals exhibited glycogen depletion of only 50% compared to 86% by hepatocytes from lean littermates when challenged with either glucagon or forskolin to stimulate adenylyl cyclase. The expression of C/EBPα and C/EBPβ, two key transcription factors that are essential for the coordinated expression of genes involved in glucose homeostasis, was depressed in livers of the SHROB rats, as were levels of HNF-4α, PPARα and PGC-1α. We conclude that overproduction of glucose is prevented in the SHROB rats by decreased expression of the genes for glycogen phosphorylase and the gluconeogenic enzymes PEPCK and G6Pase, which may prevent progression to diabetes in this model.
Experimental Operation and Characterization of a Free Piston Compressor

The ongoing design evolution of a free piston compressor (FPC) is presented in this paper. The FPC is a proposed device that utilizes combustion of a hydrocarbon fuel to compress air into a high-pressure supply tank. This device is designed to extract chemically stored energy from the fuel and convert it to potential energy of compressed air, while achieving high conversion efficiency relative to other small-scale portable power supply systems. The chemically stored energy of the hydrocarbon fuel is first converted into kinetic energy of the free piston by the end of the combustion phase. Subsequently, the moving piston acts as a pump and air compressor during a compression phase. The proposed technology is intended to provide a compact and efficient pneumatic power supply source appropriate for human-scale robots. The design and implementation of this version of the FPC is shown, and experimental results relating all phases (combustion, expansion and pumping) are discussed. The total efficiency of the system is experimentally measured and compared to its theoretical prediction.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Organic field-effect transistors based on a crosslinkable polymer blend as the semiconducting layer

For fabrication of top-gate polymer-based organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), it is essential that the semiconducting layer remain intact during spin coating of the overlying dielectric layer. This requirement severely limits the applicable solvent and materials combinations. We show here that a crosslinkable polymer blend consisting of a p-type semiconducting polymer {e.g., TFB; poly[9,9-dioctyl-fluorene-co-N-(4-butylphenyl)-diphenylamine]} and an electroactive crosslinkable silyl reagent {e.g., TPDSi2; 4,4′-bis[(p-trichloro-silylpropylphenyl)phenylamino]biphenyl} is effective as the semiconducting layer in a top-gate bottom-contact OFET device. The TFB+TPDSi2 semiconducting blend is prepared by spin-coating in ambient. The crosslinking process occurs during spin-coating in air and is completed by curing at 90 °C, which renders the resulting film insoluble in common organic solvents and allows subsequent deposition of dielectric layers from a wide range of organic solvents. We also show that the pr...
Wide-Angle Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging: Models and algorithms for anisotropic scattering

Advances in radar hardware have enabled the sensing of ever-wider synthesized apertures. In this article, radar video?a sequence of radar images indexed on subaperture?is discussed as a natural, convenient, and revealing representation to capture wide-angle scattering behavior of complex objects. We review the inverse problem of recovering wide-angle scene reflectivity from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) measurements, survey signal processing approaches for its solution, and introduce a novel Bayesian estimation method. Examples from measured and simulated scattering data are presented to illustrate scattering behavior conveniently revealed by the SAR video framework.
Feelings of Deprivation, Death Anxiety, and Depressive Symptoms among Funeral Directors

Objective indicators (personal and work characteristics) and subjective assessments (feelings of deprivation and death anxiety) were examined in relation to depressive symptoms among 163 funeral directors. The findings from a multivariate analysis supported theorizing about the salience of subjective assessments relative to objective indicators for psychological well-being. Death education, death anxiety, and deprivation were most important in explaining depressive symptoms. Death anxiety and depressive symptoms were independent of the amount of contact with the dead and bereaved.
Sterols of the brown alga Sargassum fluitans

Abstract The sterol composition of the warm-water brown alga Sargassum fluitans Borgesen of the Gulf of Mexico was determined by TLC, GLC and IR measurements. The presence of over ten sterols was suggested, of which four (fucosterol, cholesterol, 24-methylenecholesterol, and trans - 22-dehydrocholesterol) were identified and four (a 24-methylcholesterol, a 24-ethylcholesterol, a 24-methyl- trans -22-dehydrocholestero 1 and a 24-ethyl- trans -22-dehydrocholesterol) were recognized but not definitively identified. Saringosterol and 24-ketocholesterol were not found. The crude sterol mixture from S. fluitans was oxidized by osmium tetroxide to 24-ketocholesterol in poor yield.
Effects of alcohol extraction and heat treatment on the utilisation of soya bean protein by growing rats and pigs

Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of alcohol extraction and heat treatment on the nutritional quality of soya bean protein. In experiment 1, 144 weanling rats were used to determine the effects of different alcohol and heat treatments of defatted raw soya bean flakes (SF) on protein utilisation. Treatments were: (1) solvent extraction (water or 50% alcohol/water mixtures of methanol, ethanol and n-propanol), and (2) heat treatment (no heat, heating before extraction and heating after extraction). Solvent extraction consisted of soaking the SF in the solvents for 48 h. Heat treatment was autoclaving for 15 min at 121°C and 1.1 kg cm−2 steam pressure. Regardless of solvent used to extract the SF, rats fed SF that had been autoclaved grew faster (5.3 versus 3.4 g day−1)and were more efficient (gain:feed, 0.35 versus 0.27) than rats fed SF that had not been autoclaved (P 0.05). Alcohol extraction improves the utilisation of protein from defatted raw SF by rats and pigs, but changes in protein utilisation due to alcohol extraction of properly heated SF are minimal.
Defining the Role of FDG PET in Head and Neck Cancer.

Abstract The purpose of this article is to elucidate the role of 2-[ 18 F] Fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in evaluating patients with head and neck cancer. This will include background information on patient preparation and image acquisition. Normal patterns of uptake will be described in reference to computerized tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to illustrate the relationship of physiology to the anatomic landmarks. Common clinical scenarios will be discussed, including staging, identifying recurrence, monitoring therapy, and secondary cancers. The fundamental basis of this imaging modality is the altered metabolism of tumor tissue, which includes an increase in glycolysis. FDG is a glucose analog, which is essentially trapped within tumor cells with increased glycolysis, and allows these malignant cells to be localized. Conventional methods, such as CT and MRI, are dependent on distortion of the normal anatomy in identifying the presence or absence of tumor. CT scanning for example is essentially dependent on nodal enlargement criteria for localizing lymph node metastasis and is less specific in identifying tumor in normal sized lymph nodes or in enlarged nodes not involved by tumor. Following surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy, the normal anatomy is distorted and these conventional methods become less specific in distinguishing recurrence from post treatment changes. FDG PET can provide more accurate information in identifying tumor before and after treatment. This improvement in specificity augments our current ability to stage the extent of disease at presentation and monitor response to therapy. 1 However, the anatomic resolution of these conventional methods are superior to FDG PET, and this advantage should be used to accurately localize both the normal and abnormal findings on FDG PET.
The development of the concepts of masculinity and femininity in young children.

Sex-role concepts in 140 children aged 3 to 7 were assessed by means of an instrument that allowed children to categorize attributes as being characteristic of males only, females only, both males and females, or nobody. The children sorted attributes once for adult peer stimulus figures and once for peer stimulus figures. The relationship of gender conservation to the degree of stereotyping of children's response was also investigated. The overlap children saw between characteristics of males and females increased with age over the age span studied. Girls were less sex-typed than boys, particularly those girls whose mothers were employed. Gender conservation was associated with decreased sex-typing. The tendency of children to assign positive attributes to their own sex and negative attributes to the other sex peaked at age 5. Subjects overall were less sex-typed in their views of adults than peers.
Role for DNA methylation in the regulation of miR-200c and miR-141 expression in normal and cancer cells.

Background The microRNA-200 family participates in the maintenance of an epithelial phenotype and loss of its expression can result in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, the loss of expression of miR-200 family members is linked to an aggressive cancer phenotype. Regulation of the miR-200 family expression in normal and cancer cells is not fully understood. Methodology/Principal Findings Epigenetic mechanisms participate in the control of miR-200c and miR-141 expression in both normal and cancer cells. A CpG island near the predicted mir-200c/mir-141 transcription start site shows a striking correlation between miR-200c and miR-141 expression and DNA methylation in both normal and cancer cells, as determined by MassARRAY technology. The CpG island is unmethylated in human miR-200/miR-141 expressing epithelial cells and in miR-200c/miR-141 positive tumor cells. The CpG island is heavily methylated in human miR-200c/miR-141 negative fibroblasts and miR-200c/miR-141 negative tumor cells. Mouse cells show a similar inverse correlation between DNA methylation and miR-200c expression. Enrichment of permissive histone modifications, H3 acetylation and H3K4 trimethylation, is seen in normal miR-200c/miR-141-positive epithelial cells, as determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to real-time PCR. In contrast, repressive H3K9 dimethylation marks are present in normal miR-200c/miR-141-negative fibroblasts and miR-200c/miR-141 negative cancer cells and the permissive histone modifications are absent. The epigenetic modifier drug, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine, reactivates miR-200c/miR-141 expression showing that epigenetic mechanisms play a functional role in their transcriptional control. Conclusions/Significance We report that DNA methylation plays a role in the normal cell type-specific expression of miR-200c and miR-141 and this role appears evolutionarily conserved, since similar results were obtained in mouse. Aberrant DNA methylation of the miR-200c/141 CpG island is closely linked to their inappropriate silencing in cancer cells. Since the miR-200c cluster plays a significant role in EMT, our results suggest an important role for DNA methylation in the control of phenotypic conversions in normal cells.
Watershed Sediment Losses to Lakes Accelerating Despite Agricultural Soil Conservation Efforts

Agricultural soil loss and deposition in aquatic ecosystems is a problem that impairs water quality worldwide and is costly to agriculture and food supplies. In the US, for example, billions of dollars have subsidized soil and water conservation practices in agricultural landscapes over the past decades. We used paleolimnological methods to reconstruct trends in sedimentation related to human-induced landscape change in 32 lakes in the intensively agricultural region of the Midwestern United States. Despite erosion control efforts, we found accelerating increases in sediment deposition from erosion; median erosion loss since 1800 has been 15.4 tons ha−1. Sediment deposition from erosion increased >6-fold, from 149 g m−2 yr−1 in 1850 to 986 g m−2 yr−1 by 2010. Average time to accumulate one mm of sediment decreased from 631 days before European settlement (ca. 1850) to 59 days mm−1 at present. Most of this sediment was deposited in the last 50 years and is related to agricultural intensification rather than land clearance or predominance of agricultural lands. In the face of these intensive agricultural practices, traditional soil conservation programs have not decelerated downstream losses. Despite large erosion control subsidies, erosion and declining water quality continue, thus new approaches are needed to mitigate erosion and water degradation.
Correlating molecular orientation distributions and electrochemical kinetics in subpopulations of an immobilized protein film.

Understanding the relationship between the structure and electrochemical activity of a protein film immobilized on an electrode surface is a prerequisite to the rational design of protein-based bioelectronic devices. In a monolayer of horse heart cytochrome c (cyt c) adsorbed to an indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode, only about half of the film is electroactive, which makes it difficult to correlate the broad orientation distribution (measured spectroscopically on the entire film) with the electron transfer rate constant (measured electrochemically on the electroactive portion of the film) [Runge, A. F.; Mendes, S. B.; Saavedra, S. S. J. Phys. Chem. B 2006, 110, 6732−6739]. To address this problem, a novel form of electroreflectance spectroscopy, potential-modulated, attenuated total reflectance (PM-ATR), is used to monitor changes in the absorbance of a cyt c while a modulated potential is simultaneously applied to the ITO-coated, planar waveguide electrode. From measurements as a function of the light pol...
Oceanography: Detecting sea-level rise

Over short periods of time, it can be difficult to isolate sea-level increase in observations as it is hidden by natural shifts in rainfall quantities over ocean and land, which cause temporary drops in the global sea-level curve. Now research shows how to detect the signal, even in short records, by estimating these variations.
The effects of race and ethnicity on thyroid cancer incidence.

Importance The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased over the past 30 years. Thyroid cancer is less common in blacks than in persons of white descent, and it has been most common in Asians/Pacific Islanders until recently. Objective To determine whether the incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing at disproportionate rates for different races and ethnicities. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective review. Study participants were individuals with thyroid cancer in the US National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 13 database from 1992 through 2010. The SEER 13 registry consists of records from Atlanta (Georgia), Connecticut, Detroit (Michigan), Hawaii, Iowa, New Mexico, San Francisco–Oakland (California), Seattle–Puget Sound (Washington), Utah, Los Angeles (California), San Jose–Monterey (California), rural Georgia, and the Alaska Native Tumor Registry. Main Outcomes and Measures The SEER*Stat Joinpoint Regression Program was used to determine the average annual percentage change in thyroid cancer incidence for different races and ethnicities from 1992 through 2010. Trends in thyroid cancer incidence were compared between groups using comparability testing. Results During the study period, the average annual percentage change for thyroid cancer was 5.3% (95% CI, 4.8%-5.7%) per year. Stratification of the study population by race revealed that whites experienced the largest increase in age-adjusted thyroid cancer incidence (5.6% per year), followed by blacks (4.8% per year), American Indian/Alaskan natives (3.2% per year), and Asians/Pacific Islanders (2.3% per year). Joinpoint regression comparability testing showed that the increase in disease incidence was not significantly different between whites and blacks ( P = .25). However, the increase in incidence for Asians/Pacific Islanders was significantly lower than that for whites and blacks ( P Conclusions and Relevance The incidence of thyroid cancer continues to increase in all races and ethnicities. No significant difference was observed between the increase in incidence for whites and blacks. However, the increase in incidence for non-Hispanics was significantly larger than that for Hispanics. The increase in incidence of thyroid cancer was greater in whites than in Asians/Pacific Islanders, so whites now have a higher incidence of thyroid cancer than persons of Asian/Pacific Islander descent.
The mercedes-benz approach to γ-ray astronomy

Abstract The sensitivity requirements for ground-based γ-ray astronomy are reviewed in the light of the most reliable estimates of stellar fluxes above 100 GeV. Current data strongly favor the construction of detectors with the lowest energy thresholds. Since improvements in angular resolution are limited by shower fluctuations, better methods of rejecting hadronic showers must be found to reliably observe the known astrophysical sources. Several possible methods for reducing this hadronic background are discussed.
Characteristics and outcome of enhancing foci followed on breast MRI with management implications

Aim To evaluate the risk of cancer of an enhancing focus identified at breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by determining the positive predictive value (PPV) associated with specific characteristics of an enhancing focus. Materials and methods Retrospective, institutional review board-approved review of the database identified 111 consecutive patients who underwent short-term follow-up of 136 enhancing foci in 2008. Kinetic analysis (delayed enhancement pattern) and other characteristics, such as interval change and T2 signal intensity, were evaluated to calculate the PPV for malignancy. Results The overall malignancy rate of an enhancing focus was 2.9% [4/136, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.9–7.6%]. Kinetic analysis showed no statistical difference in PPV between foci with washout enhancement [5.1% (2/39)] versus persistent enhancement [3.2% (2/62); Fisher's exact test, p = 0.6180]. PPV of a T2 hypointense focus was 8.7% (4/46); PPV of a new focus was 13.6% (3/22); PPV of an enlarging focus was 6.7%, (1/15). The combination of a focus being new and T2 hypointense had the highest PPV for malignancy (27.2%, 3/11, 95% CI: 9.2–57.1%). Conclusion Kinetic analysis was not specific for malignancy and should not be used solely to guide management. A new enhancing focus with T2 hypointensity had a high PPV for malignancy and may warrant immediate biopsy.
Catecholamines inhibit lipid peroxidation in young, aged, and Alzheimer's disease brain.

Abstract Some catecholamines and indolamines inhibit lipid peroxidation. Recent studies indicate that catecholaminergic inhibition of lipid peroxidation may be receptor mediated in vivo and in cell cultures. Because oxidative stress is one of the hypothesized pathogenic mechanisms for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we hypothesized that catecholaminergic and indolaminergic inhibition of lipid peroxidation would be altered in AD as compared to age-matched non-AD. To test this hypothesis we studied the effect of a variety of neurotransmitters and their antagonists on ascorbate-stimulated lipid peroxidation in membrane fragment preparations derived from postmortem human brain. In this in vitro system, the inhibition of lipid peroxidation by dopamine and serotonin did not appear to be receptor mediated. Further, our findings indicate that there is no apparent effect of age or AD on the inhibition of lipid peroxidation by catecholaminergic and indolaminergic agents.
Economic development and income distribution

The Kuznets’ U-shaped hypothesis, which postulates that income inequality first increases and then decreases during development, has been extensively tested and empirically confirmed. The reason that income inequality first rises and then falls during the development process, however, has not been adequately analyzed and explained. In this paper, we construct a two-sector, two-goods model of a developing economy with sectoral income inequality resulting from labor productivity and real wages being higher in the modern sector than in the traditional sector. Higher wages in the modern sector attracts labor from the traditional sector as long as the expected wage in the modern sector exceeds the actual real wage in the traditional sector, as postulated by the Harris and Todaro (1970) model. When real wages in both sectors have been equalized and unemployment in the modern sector and throughout the economy has fallen to the natural rate of unemployment, income inequality falls to zero. Our paper shows that the Gini coefficient is zero when there is no modern sector, becomes positive with the introduction of a modern sector, reaches a unique maximum, and then declines and reaches zero when real wages in the modernized traditional sector and in the original modern sector have become equal and unemployment throughout the economy has fallen to the natural rate. We then introduce a Monte Carlo simulation of a country passing through four stages of development, starting at stage 1 of a low-wage, labor-intensive country to stage 4 which is a high-wage developed country. Transition to each stage is based upon the introduction of a new modern sector which sets the country on a new potential GDP path. The simulation randomizes
Numerical simulations of the performance of solar fired flash pyrolysis reactors

Abstract Numerical simulations of free falling and entrained flow, solar fired, biomass flash pyrolysis reactors are described. Good agreement with experimental results was obtained. Magnification factors exceeding 5 were predicted for some experimental conditions.
Control of Force Distribution in Robotic Mechanisms Containing Closed Kinematic Chains

Control of the force distribution in locomotion and manipulation systems containing closed kinematic chains is an important problem since many tasks such as walking or grasping depend upon it. The basic problem is to solve for the input joint torques for a particular system trajectory and is usually underspecified. As such, linear programming has been used to obtain a solution which optimizes a weighted combination of energy consumption and load balancings. Inequality constraints on the maximum actuator torques and reaction forces at the tip of each chain of the system are imposed, in addition to equality constraints which specify movement in a desired system trajectory. An example is given in which the joint torques to drive a hexapod locomotion vehicle in a tripod gait are computed.
Inter-Agency Collaboration and Hazards Education in American Communities

SUMMARY There is a growing literature on hazards education and its effectiveness in prompting appropriate mitigation, preparedness and response activities on the part of individuals and families. There has been virtually nothing written, however, on what factors tend to account for such hazards education activities in the first place. Factors that may account for varying levels of hazards education activities, such as prior disaster experience, hazards risk, and coordination between emergency management and planning offices, are examined in three separate multiple regression analyses. Generally, we found that (1) the frequency of engaging in oral and written hazards education activities is significantly affected only by the level of preparedness activities on the part of emergency managers that involve some sort of exchange with other city agencies; (2) the frequency of conducting hazards education workshops is affected by the level of inter-agency preparedness efforts (above), the breadth of hazards risk...
A single nucleotide polymorphism in the alcohol dehydrogenase 7 gene (alanine to glycine substitution at amino acid 92) is associated with the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

BACKGROUND: The authors conducted a hospital-based study of 1110 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) and a control group of 1129 patients to replicate the associations reported by a recent, large European study between 2 potentially functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) genes, a substitution in ADH1B at amino acid 48 from arginine to histidine (R48H) (reference SNP number [rs]1229984; guanine to adenine [GA]) and a substitution in ADH7 at amino acid 92 from alanine to glycine (A92G) (rs1573496; cytosine to guanine [CG]), and the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). METHODS: Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). False-positive report probabilities (FPRPs) also were calculated for significant findings. RESULTS: The ADH7 A92G GG and combined CG + GG genotypes were associated with a decreased risk of SCCHN (GG: adjusted OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.13-0.82; CG + GG: adjusted OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.59-0.94; FPRP, .098) compared with the CC genotype. This association was also evident in subgroups of older patients (aged >57 years), men, former smokers, patients with oral cancer, and patients with N) lymph node status (P < .05 for all); however, such associations were not observed for the ADH1B R48H SNP. CONCLUSIONS: The current results support the ADH7 A92G SNP as a marker for the risk of SCCHN in non-Hispanic white populations. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Loss of M2 muscarine receptors in the cerebral cortex in Alzheimer's disease and experimental cholinergic denervation

Cerebral cortex samples from patients with Alzheimer's disease and from rats after experimental cholinergic denervation of the cerebral cortex exhibited reductions in the presynaptic marker choline acetyltransferase activity and in the number of M2 muscarine receptors, with no change in the number of M1 receptors. These results are in keeping with evidence that M2 receptors function in cholinergic nerve terminals to regulate the release of acetylcholine, whereas M1 receptors are located on postsynaptic cells and facilitate cellular excitation. New M1-selective agonists and M2-selective antagonists directed at post- or presynaptic sites deserve consideration as potential agents for the treatment of the disease.
C 1 s excitation studies of diamond (111). I. Surface core levels

By comparing the C 1s photoemission intensities from a clean diamond (111) surface to those obtained from a fluorine-covered surface, we conclude that a single (111) layer of atoms participates in the diamond 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1 surface reconstruction. The data interpretation presented does not rely on assuming an electron mean free path, but, in fact provides an independent measurement of its value. For clean diamond (111) a surface core-level peak is observed at 0.80\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05 eV lower binding energy than the bulk-C 1s peak at 285.0 eV below ${E}_{F}$. After fluorine exposure a single chemically shifted carbon peak is observed at 1.85\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.05 eV higher binding energy than the bulk peak, indicating the presence of CF units at the surface.
Support Networks of Single Puerto Rican Mothers of Children with Disabilities

The social support networks of 25 Puerto Rican single mothers of young children with disabilities were examined and compared with current models of family support for children with disabilities. This study was designed to assess the support systems of Latino single mothers in light of dominant models of family support. The Family Support Scale, the ECOMAP, and responses to open-ended questions were employed to describe the characteristics of Puerto Rican single mothers’ support systems. Study findings suggest that members of the children’s immediate and extended kinship system, including non-blood relatives (e.g., madrinas), play a strong role in the support network of the mothers interviewed. Implications for early childhood professionals who work with Latino parents of children with disabilities are examined.
Cardiac abnormalities in patients with acute subdural hemorrhage.

Background Although cardiac abnormalities are well described among patients with acute brain injury, they have not been investigated systematically for acute subdural hemorrhage (SDH). We sought to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of cardiac abnormalities in patients with SDH.
Motion-capture-like phenomena produced with oppositely drifting gratings

Previous research has shown that the apparent motion of a sine-wave grating can be captured by the apparent motion of a second grating with a lower spatial frequency. The present experiments demonstrate that similar capture phenomena can be observed with gratings displaced in real movement. Two gratings that drifted in opposite directions were presented, one of which had constant spatial and temporal frequency and contrast. The subject adjusted the contrast of the second grating until its motion caused the apparent direction of the standard grating to reverse. Four experiments showed that the contrast at which reversal occurred was a minimum when the spatial frequency of the capturing grating was lower than that of the standard and when its temporal frequency was higher than that of the standard. High temporal frequencies of the standard also facilitated capture. It is suggested that capture represents a high-order perceptual strategy.
Pinus jeffreyi establishment along a forest-shrub ecotone in eastern California, USA

Abstract We examined large-scale climatic and small-scale biotic and abiotic factors affecting Pinus jeffreyi (Pinaceae) seedling establishment at its low-elevation boundary along the conifer forest-sagebrush steppe ecotone in eastern California, USA. In three successive growing seasons, P. jeffreyi seedlings were planted in three microhabitats (under Artemisia tridentata or Purshia tridentata canopies, and in open intershrub spaces) at a site within the ecotone (2300 m) and at a lower-elevation site (2200 m). We measured Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR; 400–700 nm), soil moisture and temperature, and air temperature in the three microhabitats, and monitored seedling survival, drought stress, and herbivory. At both sites, soil moisture decreased two- to six-fold between May and August of each summer. Maximum and minimum daily air temperatures were higher and lower, respectively, in intershrub areas, as were maximum daily soil temperatures and maximum daily PAR. At the ecotone site, mean P. jeffreyi seedling survival was longest following a very wet winter and shortest following a dry winter. For both elevations, seedlings had shorter survival times in intershrub microsites as compared to shrub microsites. Drought and herbivory both influenced seedling mortality within each microhabitat, but drought was the major determinant of seedling mortality by the end of each summer.
Is all perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for stroke equal? The temporal evolution of multiple hemodynamic parameters after focal ischemia in rats correlated with evidence of infarction.

Although perfusion-weighted imaging techniques are increasingly used to study stroke, no particular hemodynamic variable has emerged as a standard marker for accumulated ischemic damage. To better characterize the hemodynamic signature of infarction, the authors have assessed the severity and temporal evolution of ischemic hemodynamics in a middle cerebral artery occlusion model in the rat. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and total and microvascular cerebral blood volume (CBV) changes were measured with arterial spin labeling and steady-state susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), respectively, and analyzed in regions corresponding to infarcted and spared ipsilateral tissue, based on 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride histology sections after 24 hours ischemia. Spin echo susceptibility contrast was used to measure microvascular-weighted CBV, which had a maximum sensitivity for vessels with radii between 4 and 30 μm. Serial measurements between 1 and 3 hours after occlusion showed no change i...
A single phase model of mechanisms effecting miscible surfactant oil recovery

Abstract The concept of volume averaging is used to theoretically study the mechanisms of mass dispersion, adsorption, and dead-space volume. These mechanisms are important to the understanding of miscible surfactant flooding. After simpiffication based on order-of-magnitude scaling, a linear core model is solved using state variable finite-difference techniques. Mass dispersion and adsorption are shown to be important model parameters while dead-space volume is a rather insensitive model parameter.
Complexity of hereditarily decomposable continua

Abstract The purpose of this short note is to show that the set of hereditarily decomposable subcontinua of I n (2≤n≤ω) is a coanalytic and non-Borel subset of C(I n ) , the space of all subcontinua of I n endowed with the Hausdorff metric. As a simple corollary to this result, we obtain that there is no model for A , the set of arcwise connected continua in I n .
Analysis of some optimistic concurrency control schemes based on certification

Optimistic Concurrency Control-OCC schemes based on certification are analyzed in this paper. We allow two types of data access schemes referred to as static and dynamic. According to the first (second) scheme a transaction reads all the required data items at the beginning of its processing (on demand during its processing), respectively. After completing its processing, each transaction is checked as to whether it has encountered a data conflict. Validated transactions commit; otherwise, they are restarted. A variant of the regular (silent) commit scheme where a committing transaction notifies conflicted transactions to restart immediately (broadcast commit scheme) is also considered. We use an iterative method to analyze the performance of OCC schemes in the framework of a system with a fixed number of transactions in multiple classes with given probabilities for their occurrence. The iterative method is validated against simulation and shown to be highly accurate even for high data contention. We present graphs/tables, which are used to determine how system performance is affected by: (i) various OCC schemes, (ii) transaction size, i.e., number of data items accessed, (iii) number of transactions, (iv) the distribution of transaction processing time requirements, (v) the throughput characteristic of the system, and (vi) granule placement.
Some effects of CB1 antagonists with inverse agonist and neutral biochemical properties.

Abstract The CB1 inverse agonist/antagonist SR141716A recently has been introduced for the management of obesity (rimonabant; Acomplia) and appears to have beneficial effects. However, its utility may be hampered in some individuals by adverse effects including nausea or emesis or by mood depression. The recent development of biochemically ‘neutral’ antagonists such as AM4113 (Sink et al., 2007) has allowed an initial evaluation of the proposition that adverse effects of SR141716A are associated with its inverse agonist activity. Thus far, data comparing SR141716A and AM4113 across several species indicate that both drugs produce dose-related direct effects on operant behavior within the same range of doses that serve to antagonize the behavioral and hypothermic effects of a CB1 agonist. However, initial observations suggest that AM4113 may not produce preclinical indications of nausea or emesis. Further studies with AM4113 and other novel CB1 antagonists differing in efficacy should amplify our understanding of the relationship between the pharmacological activity of CB1 antagonists and their behavioral effects.
CRAYFISH FEEDING PREFERENCES FOR FRESHWATER MACROPHYTES: THE INFLUENCE OF PLANT STRUCTURE AND CHEMISTRY

The omnivorous crayfish Procambarus clarkii fed selectively on several species of macrophytes, preferring delicate fresh plants that had filamentous or finely-branched architectures. When the macrophytes were dried, powdered, and reconstituted into an alginate gel (thus eliminating among-species differences in physical characteristics). crayfish preferences were altered; previously tough plants that were high in nitrogen and protein were preferred over previously delicate plants that were low in nitrogen and protein. Even though plant structure influences feeding decision of crayfish, the structurally identical macrophyte gels were fed upon differently, demonstrating that nonstructural traits are important feeding determinants. However, plant tissue constituents such as nitrogen, protein, phenolics, lignin, cellulose, or ash were not significantly con-elated with feeding preferences. Two high-nitrogen plants that were avoided by crayfish as fresh and as reconstituted tissue (Nuphar luteum macrophyllum and Alternanthera philoxeroides) possessed extracts that reduced crayfish feeding in laboratory assays, demonstrating that macrophyte metabolites can deter some herbivores. As is often observed with large generalist herbivores and omnivores in terrestrial and marine systems, the freshwater crayfish made feeding decisions based upon multiple plant cues (structure, nutrition, chemical defenses).