cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of benzo[a]pyrene on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA damage in Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) from a creosote-contaminated and reference site

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a known genotoxicant that affects both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA (mtDNA, nDNA). Here, we examined mtDNA and nDNA damage in the Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) from a highly contaminated Superfund site (Elizabeth River, VA, USA) and from a reference site (King's Creek, VA, USA) that were dosed with 10 mg/kg BaP. Using the long amplicon quantitative PCR technique, we observed similar increases in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA damage in King's Creek fish treated with BaP. Killifish from the Elizabeth River showed high levels of basal nDNA and mtDNA damage compared to fish from the reference site, but the level of damage induced due to BaP treatment was much lower in Elizabeth River killifish compared to King's Creek fish. Laboratory-reared offspring from both populations showed increased BaP-induced damage in mtDNA, relative to nDNA. Similar to the adult experiment, the Elizabeth River larvae had higher levels of basal DNA damage than those from the reference site, but were less impacted by BaP exposure. Measurements of oxidative DNA damage (8-oxo-deoxyguanine by LC-MS/MS) showed no differences among treatment groups, suggesting that the majority of DNA damage is from covalent binding of BaP metabolites to DNA. This study shows for the first time that mitochondria can be an important target of BaP toxicity in fish, indicating that BaP exposures could have important energetic consequences. Results also suggest that multi-generational exposures in the wild may lead to adaptations that dampen DNA damage arising from BaP exposure.
An empirical financial accelerator model: Small firms’ investment and credit rationing

Abstract According to the financial accelerator model, a small monetary or other shock is amplified through credit market restrictions on small firms, and swings in balance sheets over the business cycle cause swings in small firms’ spending. This paper incorporates these notions in an empirical model of firm behavior. We use unit transaction cost of debt and rationed credit as indicators of balance sheets and credit market conditions. Since a firm’s credit may or may not be rationed, the empirical model is formulated as a multi-equation switching regression model. This model is estimated for two different groups of small firms in the machinery and equipment industry as reported in the Compustat database.
Alkaline phosphatase activity of incisures and nodes during degeneration and regeneration of peripheral nerve fibers

Abstract Burstone's simultaneous coupling method using Naphthol AS phosphates was employed in visualizing changes in alkaline phosphatase in the nodes and incisures of fibers during degeneration and regeneration in transected sciatic nerves of rats. In one group of transected and repaired nerves, a Millipore sheath was added, and in another the suture line was left exposed. In a third group, repair was not attempted in order to study neuroma formation and degeneration in the isolated distal stump. Degenerating fibers in distal segments of early repaired specimens and in isolated distal stumps showed a decrease in alkaline phosphatase activity, until there were only scattered clumps of stained material visible in degenerating myelin by the tenth day. Regenerating fibers showed an increase in alkaline phosphatase after 5 days in the proximal stump and the transected area. During reinnervation of the distal stump, the alkaline phosphatase staining increased as the fibers became myelinated. Increase in enzyme activity in the transected area was associated with capillary budding. Prominence of the enzyme at incisures and nodes, where neurilemma cytoplasm is relatively abundant, may have metabolic significance.
Microscopy: X-ray nanovision.

Startling three-dimensional images of nanoparticles have been obtained with an X-ray microscope, showing crystal deformation in unprecedented detail. The trick is not to focus the X-rays, but to diffract them.
Inactivation of E. Coli affected by medium conductivity in pulsed electric field

Pulsed electric field PEF is effective in inactivating microorganisms in liquids such as saline water, phosphate buffer, milk and others. PEF treatment efficacy is influenced by number of parameters. Medium conductivity has been a subject of investigation because of the contrary reports. Present study was undertaken to systematic evaluate the effect of medium conductivity on the inactivation of E. coli. The experiments were conducted on E-coli innoculted phosphate buffer (2 to 4.5 mS/cm) in a continuous-flow co-field treatment chamber with an applied electric field strength of 60 kV/cm and 50 Hz pulse frequency. In the first set of experiments, the effect of medium conductivity on E-coli inactivation was evaluated at 49 μs treatment time. In the second set of experiments, the effect of medium conductivity was evaluated at constant specific energies of 54, 77 and 135 J/mL. For the same treatment time, the microbial inactivation was higher in the buffer with higher electivity conductivity. Sub-lethal injury to E. coli. was observed in buffer PEF treatment. Even though the treatment times were different there was no significant effect of on the microbial inactivation to the different conductivity medium when the same specific energy was applied.
Metabolic mapping in mammalian retina: a biochemical and 3H-2-deoxyglucose autoradiographic study.

It has long been known that mammalian retinas metabolize glucose aerobically to lactic acid and carbon dioxide. The classical view holds that glucose is the primary substrate for energy metabolism in all retinal cells, and that photoreceptor cells have the highest rates of glycolysis and respiration. A different and more recent view is that the Muller cells are the principal, if not sole aerobic producers of lactate, which then serves as the primary fuel for the mitochondria in photoreceptor cells and other retinal neurons. In this paper, we have examined these two competing hypotheses in rat and guinea pig retinas by identifying the cellular sites of glucose uptake and phosphorylation via hexokinase by means of autoradiographic studies with 3H-2-deoxyglucose (3H-2DG). The rat retina serves as a vascular model and the guinea pig retina serves as an avascular model. Rat and guinea pig eyecups were incubated in oxygenated, bicarbonate-buffered media containing glucose in the presence of labeled and unlabeled 2DG. Biochemical measurements of lactate production and ATP content were made on rat retinas incubated with different concentrations of glucose and 2DG in order to establish the optimal condition for conducting the autoradiographic studies with 3H-2DG. The optimal substrate concentrations were 1mM glucose and 0.25 mM 2DG. Results showed that following incubation of dark-adapted rat eyecups for 1 hr in media containing 1mM glucose/0.25 mM 2DG and supplemented with 3H-2DG, the label was distributed throughout all the layers of the retina, from the ganglion cell layer to the retinal pigment epithelium, with denser label associated with the outer retina (photoreceptors) relative to the density of label in the inner retina, as evaluated by counts of silver grains in individual retinal layers. Exposure of rat eyecups to light did not alter the relative distribution of label, but did increase total grain counts by 70%. However, uptake of labeled 2DG, as measured by scintillation counting of radioactivity in trichloroacetic acid extracts, was not significantly different between light- and dark-adapted rat retinas. In guinea pig eyecups, labeled 2DG was distributed throughout all the retinal layers. Addition of 10mM lactate or pyruvate to the glucose/2DG media produced no measurable change in the density or distribution of label in the eyecups. Measurements of the activity of hexokinase in rat retinas revealed that this enzyme was present in both the mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions. The present results suggest that as long as the availability of ambient glucose is adequate, retinal neurons use glucose, rather than glial-derived lactate, as the major substrate for the production of high energy phosphates.
The fallacy of the null-hypothesis significance test.

The theory of probability and statistical inference is various things to various people. To the mathematician, it is an intricate formal calculus, to be explored and developed with little professional concern for any empirical significance that might attach to the terms and propositions involved. This chapter examines a dogma of inferential procedure which, for psychologists at least, has attained the status of a religious conviction. The null hypothesis significance test treats acceptance or rejection of a hypothesis as though these were decisions one makes on the basis of the experimental data. The traditional null hypothesis decision test unrealistically limits the significance of an experimental outcome to a mere two alternatives, confirmation or disconfirmation of the null hypothesis. Acceptance or rejection of a hypothesis is a cognitive process, a degree of believing or disbelieving which, if rational, is not a matter of choice but determined solely by how likely it is, given the evidence, that the hypothesis is true.
Ethnic awareness in the cognitive behavioral treatment of a depressed African American female

This case depicts an African American female who is currently depressed and experiences what appear to be anger attacks where she responds to perceived threat with verbal aggressiveness. As a result of these problems, the patient has experienced occupational and interpersonal difficulties. The following case formulation represents a blend of traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with cultural sensitivity and cultural competence. Consistent with traditional CBT, the primary problems are first partitioned into their cognitive, behavioral, and affective components. Then, specific CBT techniques (e.g., behavioral activation, role-playing, and cognitive restructuring) are employed to manage the patient's depression and anger attacks. Along with these traditional techniques, several factors related to the patient being African American are discussed, specifically, the relationship between the patient's ethnicity, early termination, and the necessity of therapist flexibility. In addition, consideration is given to the role that culture may play in the expression of anger as well as to the relationship between culture and the utilization of techniques to decrease attrition and increase the patient's perceived empowerment. The combination of CBT and cultural sensitivity/competence are conceptualized as necessary for the successful treatment of African Americans in general, and this patient in particular.
Optically Programmable Self-Assembly of Heterogeneous Micro-Components on Unconventional Substrates

Self-assembly is a promising technique for fast and cost-effective integration of microcomponents especially at smaller scales. Methods are needed to program the self-assembly process so that we can assemble heterogeneous components necessary to build a complex system. Here we present a new method of programming the self-assembly process which is based on optically removing blocking polymer from designated receptor sites. In order to perform the self-assembly process we need to fabricate free-standing microcomponents and templates. Templates were fabricated on both plastic and glass. We have shown successful assembly of four types of silicon microcomponents on plastic. The blocking AZ4620 resist was removed from the designated receptor sites immediately prior to the assembly of the desired microcomponents by using optical masks, UV exposure, and resist developer. 98% yield of proper positioning of microcomponents on a plastic template was achieved within ~10min of pipetting the components onto a template in a fluidic medium.
Ciclosporin aerosol in lung transplantation.

In solid organ transplantation, the graft is generally inaccessible to localized pharmacologic therapy. Lung transplantation represents the exception, however, in that aerosolized pharmacologic agents have direct access to the donor graft, and the technology for delivering medication by the inhalational route is well developed for other pulmonary disorders. In 1988, a team of investigators at the University of Pittsburgh made the decision to pursue aerosolized immunosuppression for lung transplant recipients based upon the success of other experimental models of localized immunosuppression.
Performance comparison and system modeling of a compton medical imaging system and a collimated anger camera

The objective of this research is to compare performance of a well modeled dual-planar silicon-based Compton imaging system with that of a collimated Anger camera for imaging higher energy photons emitted from 131I using statistical methods. The analysis uses modified uniform Cramer-Rao bound algorithms we developed and verified along with Monte Carlo calculations and system modeling. Calculations show that the effect of Doppler broadening is the limiting factor for Compton camera performance for imaging 364.4keV photons emitted from 131I. The performance of the two systems was compared and analyzed by simulating a two dimensional disk with uniform activity for the same number of detected events. The performance of the proposed Compton imaging system is superior to the collimated Anger camera especially as the desired spatial resolution is better than 12mm FWHM. The ratio of the lower bounds for the two systems at 5mm and 10mm desired point source response is 1000 and 15, respectively in favor of the Compton device. Moreover, the detection sensitivity of the proposed Compton imaging system is 15–20 times higher than the collimated Anger camera.
Reliable modulo systolic arrays for DSP algorithms

The algebraic and structural properties of a residue number system (RNS) to optimize the design of DSP (digital signal processing) systolic arrays is discussed. RNS establishes parallelism on the algorithmic level by decomposing the original computational field into a set of finite fields, in which arithmetic operations are performed independently for each field. The impact of the moduli size on the structural choices is analyzed. Three different structures, namely, word-parallel, bit-parallel, and bit-serial, are presented. Redundant RNS has fault tolerance capabilities. An efficient fault-detection technique is developed as an alternative to the standard procedure based on a mixed radix algorithm. A finite-impulse-response (FIR) filter algorithm is used as a case study. >
Routing virtual circuits with temporal QoS requirements in virtual path-based ATM networks

Real-time communication with performance guarantees is expected to become an important feature of future computer networks used for embedded real-time systems and/or for interactive multimedia services. Given an ATM network topology, its virtual path (VP) layout, and its traffic demands, we consider in this paper the problem of selecting for each virtual circuit (VC) with user-specified end-to-end temporal QoS requirements a route (i.e., a sequence of VPs) along which sufficient resources are available to meet the delay requirements. Our objective is 1) to provide the temporal QoS guarantee for each VC to be established while not jeopardizing the QoS guarantees to other existing VCs and 2) to reduce the call blocking probability for future VCs by using the minimum possible resources. We adopt the real-time channel model to characterize the traffic characteristics and the temporal QoS requirement of a VC. We impose a deterministic guarantee that every message generated at the source node be delivered to the destination node in a time period no longer than the relative deadline. We then propose a VC routing scheme based on the distributed Bellman-Ford algorithm to identify an "appropriate" route through the network. By "appropriate", we mean that the route traverses a minimum number of VPs among all possible routes that have sufficient resources to fulfill the end-to-end temporal QoS requirement of the VG to be established. To ensure that sufficient bandwidth is available over all the VPs along the selected route, we incorporate in our proposed scheme a priority assignment method to calculate the worst-case delay which messages of a VC will experience on a VP along which the VC is routed. We study the performance of, and the message overhead incurred in, the proposed scheme. We also discuss how to extend the proposed routing scheme to accommodate multicast routing.
Effects of Environmental Complexity and Temporary Captivity on Foraging Behavior of Wild-Caught Meadow Voles

Increased housing of wild nonhuman animals in captivity for conservation, research, and rehabilitation has revealed the importance of systematically analyzing effects of the captive environment on behavior. This study focused on the effects of complexity and time held in captivity on foraging behaviors of wild-caught, adult meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Forty-six individuals captured from a meadow outside Oshkosh, WI, were assigned to 1 of 4 captive treatment groups: simple/ 50 days, complex/ 50 days. Number of dish visits, proportion foraging, and frequency of nonforaging behaviors recorded during a 15-min foraging trial were measured for all subjects. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U Tests were conducted to analyze 4 different comparisons within this behavioral data. Overall, neither time in captivity or environmental complexity affected nonforaging behaviors. In contrast, foraging behaviors did change with treatment: Voles were less active at food dishes and visited control dishes more in treatment group SS than in the other treatment groups. In addition, sex-related differences in foraging behaviors were maintained when voles were exposed to environmental complexity. This article includes options for wildlife managers to adapt captive environments to meet the welfare and behavioral needs of translocated wild nonhuman mammals.
Multimodel inference and adaptive management

Ecology is an inherently complex science coping with correlated variables, nonlinear interactions and multiple scales of pattern and process, making it difficult for experiments to result in clear, strong inference. Natural resource managers, policy makers, and stakeholders rely on science to provide timely and accurate management recommendations. However, the time necessary to untangle the complexities of interactions within ecosystems is often far greater than the time available to make management decisions. One method of coping with this problem is multimodel inference. Multimodel inference assesses uncertainty by calculating likelihoods among multiple competing hypotheses, but multimodel inference results are often equivocal. Despite this, there may be pressure for ecologists to provide management recommendations regardless of the strength of their study’s inference. We reviewed papers in the Journal of Wildlife Management (JWM) and the journal Conservation Biology (CB) to quantify the prevalence of multimodel inference approaches, the resulting inference (weak versus strong), and how authors dealt with the uncertainty. Thirty-eight percent and 14%, respectively, of articles in the JWM and CB used multimodel inference approaches. Strong inference was rarely observed, with only 7% of JWM and 20% of CB articles resulting in strong inference. We found the majority of weak inference papers in both journals (59%) gave specific management recommendations. Model selection uncertainty was ignored in most recommendations for management. We suggest that adaptive management is an ideal method to resolve uncertainty when research results in weak inference.
Homogeneous transition metal catalysis: from the water gas shift reaction to nuclear waste vitrification

Abstract A US–Hungarian cooperative research project between Professor R. Bruce King at the University of Georgia and Professor Laszlo Marko at the University of Veszprem during the period 1977 to 1986 was a major stimulus in extending the scope of Professor King’s research at the University of Georgia from synthetic transition metal organometallic chemistry to homogeneous catalysis. Since that US–Hungarian cooperative research project, a major emphasis of the work on homogeneous catalysis at the University of Georgia has been on applications of homogeneous transition metal catalysis to carbon monoxide, formate, and formic acid chemistry. This started with a joint project of Professor R. Bruce King with Professor Allen D. King Jr., which led to the discovery of an interesting mechanistic duality for the metal carbonyl-catalyzed water gas shift reaction (CO+H2O=CO2+H2) where use of M(CO)6 (M=Cr, Mo, W) catalyst precursors leads to a dissociative mechanism through formato metal carbonyl intermediates whereas use of an Fe(CO)5 catalyst precursor leads to an associative mechanism through metallocarboxylate intermediates. Subsequent scientific interaction of Professor R. Bruce King with Dr Charles M. King, then of the Westinghouse Savannah River Technical Center, led to a study of related formic acid reactions occurring during pre-treatment of nuclear wastes arising from catalytic activities of noble metal species in the wastes generated from uranium fission. Thus research at the University of Georgia during the period 1991–1994, supported through funding from the Savannah River and Hanford nuclear sites, led to the identification of a homogeneous nitrorhodium-catalyzed process for hydrogen liberation from formic acid with an apparent mechanism similar to the dissociative mechanism for the water gas shift reaction.
Embedded wavelet image compression based on a joint probability model

We present an embedded image coder based on a statistical characterization of natural images in the wavelet transform domain. We describe the joint distribution between pairs of coefficients at adjacent spatial locations, orientations, and scales. Although the raw coefficients are nearly, uncorrelated, their magnitudes are highly correlated. A linear magnitude predictor coupled with both multiplicative and additive uncertainties, provides a reasonable description of the conditional probability densities. We use this model to construct an image coder called EPWIC (embedded predictive wavelet image coder), in which subband coefficients are encoded one bit-plane at a time using a non-adaptive arithmetic encoder. Bit-planes are ordered using a greedy algorithm that considers the MSE reduction per encoded bit. We demonstrate the quality of the statistical characterization by comparing rate-distortion curves of the coder to several standard coders.
Literacy links: Issues in the relationship between early childhood development, health, women, families, and literacy

Abstract The goal of this paper is to review some of what is known about relationships between literacy, early childhood development, families, and women's issues, and to explore how best to capitalize on this knowledge to create more effective development programs. The paper provides a conceptual model of the relationships between the factors, then individually discusses the topics of early childhood development and literacy, women and literacy, family issues in literacy, and literacy and health. The paper stresses the need to take into account the transactional nature of the relationship between literacy and various social variables, whereby social and cognitive variables affect each other and literacy over time, and literacy itself affects each of the social and cognitive variables over time. Another major theme of the paper is the importance of recognizing and utilizing traditional structures when introducing educational interventions.
A new approach for mixture separation using NMR spectroscopy: Blind iterative source identification

Mixture separation can be a challenging but an engaging problem in a wide variety of fields. It is of particular interest for identification of compounds using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Currently, NMR data is most often acquired from isolated purified compounds as it can become very challenging to identify the components in a complex mixture system. NMR can identify individual samples with respect to their unique fingerprint spectra; however it has been traditionally poor at handling mixtures. Robustly designed techniques for separation of NMR spectra into subspectra from individual components would be of great interest in, for example, the pharmaceutical industry. Structural information about promising candidates from the drug design process must be extracted from samples that contain side products and impurities in addition to the target molecule. Diffusion ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) is one of the few NMR techniques that can be used for mixture separation [1]. It uses translational diffusion to effect a partial separation but requires that individual compounds have a substantial difference in their diffusion constants. In addition, the separation problem becomes more difficult when the component molecules have similar chemical functional group and overlap in their NMR spectra. Alternatively, blind source separation (BSS) is a technique that can be used to extract an individual NMR subspectrum from mixture spectra; further, if the molecules do not interact strongly — these individual subspectra are nearly identical to those of the corresponding pure compounds acquired under the same conditions [2,3]. BSS has been successfully demonstrated for separation using NMR [2,3]. However, application remains problematic for certain cases in which the data are of limited quality. Here, we present a new approach that can operate in the presence of phase or baseline imperfections in the NMR data which can affect the fidelity of the results when using the conventional BSS algorithm. Coined as blind iterative source identification (BISI), the method will be benchmarked against both conventional BSS and DOSY (Fig. 1). Our initial results showed that the reliability and quality of the results were improved greatly compared to previous methods (Fig.1).
Glu-192----Gln substitution in thrombin mimics the catalytic switch induced by thrombomodulin.

Abstract In serine proteases, residue 192, three residues prior to the active site Ser-195, plays an important role in determining substrate specificity. In trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4) and most trypsin-like enzymes with relatively broad specificity, this position is occupied by Gln. In thrombin (EC 3.4.21.5), an enzyme with restricted specificity, position 192 is occupied by Glu. The potential importance of Glu-192 in restricting the specificity of thrombin was investigated by isosterically replacing Glu-192 with Gln. Unlike trypsin, thrombin cleavage of peptides with acidic residues in positions P3 and P'3 [where P3 and P'3 refer to three residues removed from the Arg (P1) cleavage site on the amino and carboxyl side, respectively] is inefficient. Protein C, an anticoagulant zymogen, has Asp residues in positions P3 and P'3. Thrombomodulin, an endothelial cell protein, complexes with thrombin to activate protein C rapidly thus altering the specificity of thrombin. Compared to thrombin, the Glu-192----Gln mutant thrombin activates protein C 22 times more rapidly and cleaves the P7-P'5 peptide from the protein C activation site 19 times faster. Enhanced protein C activation results primarily from an increase in the catalytic rate constant rather than an improved Michaelis constant, a property that is shared by the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex. The Glu-192----Gln mutation does not influence fibrinopeptide A release and only increases the rate of fibrinopeptide B release 2.7-fold. These results demonstrate that Glu-192 plays a critical role in restricting the specificity of thrombin and suggest that thrombomodulin may function in part by altering the enzyme-substrate interaction near residue 192 in thrombin.
Consultation with the specialist: dental care.

1. Andrew Martof, DDS* 1. 2. *Department of Dentistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA. Dental care for children often is an underrecognized responsibility for new parents. Health care practitioners need to inform parents of the appropriate measures to care for their children’s teeth until the children can clean them effectively. We also should prescribe fluoride for those individuals living outside fluoridated drinking water supplies (Table⇓ ). Fluoride should be supplemented until age 16 years or later if teeth eruption is delayed. View this table: Table 1. Recommendations for Daily Fluoride Supplementation Primary teeth start to form in utero, and permanent teeth begin formation shortly after birth. Primary incisors can be present at birth and should be differentiated from natal teeth or keratinized remnants. Parents should begin caring for their child’s teeth simply by watching for tooth eruption. The child should be examined for teeth at each visit, especially at about the 6-month health supervision visit and all examinations thereafter. Usually the lower anterior teeth come in first, followed by the upper opposing teeth. The standard is usually one tooth erupted by 6 months of age and six teeth by 1 year, but the variation from normal can be as great as 12 months. Eruption of teeth generally does not interfere with nursing; children typically learn very quickly not to bite because the breast will be withdrawn. Early dentition care involves cleaning the mouth and teeth at bath-time with a washcloth prior to washing the rest of the body. Teeth can be cleaned with a washcloth very effectively without disturbing the child. Toothbrushing can begin as soon as the child is ready and depends on the child’s development and ability to tolerate other hygiene activities. Children who are allowed to watch parents and older siblings brushing their teeth are likely to want to emulate …
QUANTIFYING EVOLUTIONARY POTENTIAL OF MARINE FISH LARVAE: HERITABILITY, SELECTION, AND EVOLUTIONARY CONSTRAINTS

For many marine fish, intense larval mortality may provide considerable opportunity for selection, yet much less is known about the evolutionary potential of larval traits. We combined field demographic studies and manipulative experiments to estimate quantitative genetic parameters for both larval size and swimming performance for a natural population of a common coral-reef fish, the bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus). We also examined selection on larval size by synthesizing information from published estimates of selective mortality. We introduce a method that uses the Lande-Arnold framework for examining selection on quantitative traits to empirically reconstruct adaptive landscapes. This method allows the relationship between phenotypic value and fitness components to be described across a broad range of trait values. Our results suggested that despite strong viability selection for large larvae and moderate heritability (h(2) = 0.29), evolutionary responses of larvae would likely be balanced by reproductive selection favoring mothers that produce more, smaller offspring. Although long-term evolutionary responses of larval traits may be constrained by size-number trade-offs, our results suggest that phenotypic variation in larval size may be an ecologically important source of variability in population dynamics through effects on larval survival and recruitment to benthic populations.
Does race make a difference among primary care patients with alcohol problems who agree to enroll in a study of brief interventions

This study describes the severity, alcohol consumption, consequences, readiness to change, and coping behaviors of African-American and white primary care patients enrolled in a trial of brief interventions for problem drinking. In multivariate analysis, unemployment but not race was associated with clinical indicators of alcohol problems. African-Americans reported no difference in alcohol consumption and similar quality of life scores. African-American race and unemployment were both associated with increased identification and resolution of alcohol problems. There was no difference in readiness to change, but African-Americans reported more problems related to alcohol and greater use of coping behaviors to avoid drinking. African-Americans may be better equipped to manage drinking problems when they do occur due to increased familiarity with coping mechanisms.
A small slot dipole loaded with CRLH TL unit cells

A coplanar-waveguide (CPW) fed small slot dipole operating in the 2.45 GHz ISM band is presented. The slot dipole is loaded with the composite right/left-handed (CRLH) transmission line (TL) unit cells to achieve the size reduction by utilizing the zeroth-order resonance (ZOR). To realize a design that can be conveniently scaled for higher frequency applications, the CRLH TL unit cells are implemented using interdigital capacitors and inductors. The CRLH slot dipole is 28 mm (λ 0 /4.4 at 2.45 GHz) in length and 57% shorter than the traditional CPW-fed slot dipole printed on the same 1.27 mm thick Rogers RO3010 e r = 10.2 substrate. The antenna exhibits 1.3% |S11| &#60; −10 dB bandwidth and 3.5 dB gain with 80% realized radiation efficiency A second slot dipole design is also carried out over a lower contrast, 1.524 mm thick Rogers RO4003C e r = 3.55 substrate to demonstrate the performance of the CRLH TL based miniaturization technique with various substrate materials.
A note on optimal solutions to quadratic knapsack problems

In this note we report our success in applying CPLEX's mixed integer quadratic programming (MIQP) solver to a set of standard quadratic knapsack test problems. The results we give show that this general purpose, commercial code outperformed a leading special purpose method reported in the literature by a wide margin.
Impacts of elevated CO2 and O3 on aspen leaf litter chemistry and earthworm and springtail productivity

Human alteration of atmospheric composition affects foliar chemistry and has possible implications for the structure and functioning of detrital communities. In this study, we explored the impacts of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone on aspen (Populus tremuloides) leaf litter chemistry, earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) individual consumption and growth, and springtail (Sinella curviseta) population growth. We found that elevated carbon dioxide reduced nitrogen and increased condensed-tannin concentrations in leaf litter. These changes were associated with decreases in earthworm individual growth, earthworm growth efficiency, and springtail population growth. Elevated ozone increased fiber and lignin concentrations of leaf litter. These changes were not associated with earthworm consumption or growth, but were associated with increased springtail population growth. Our results suggest that changes in litter chemistry caused by increased carbon dioxide concentrations will have negative impacts on the productivity of diverse detritivore taxa, whereas those caused by increased ozone concentrations will have variable, taxon-specific effects.
Defects and charge transport in β-Ta2O5. I: Analysis of the conductivity observed in nominally pure β-Ta2O5

Une theorie simple des defauts ioniques n'a pas permis de decrire les defauts observes et le transport ionique dans β-Ta 2 O 5 . On passe en revue les donnees disponibles et on propose un modele revise qui decrit de facon plus adequate le comportement de β-Ta 2 O 5 pur ou legerement dope
The Public Policy Issues Involved in Dealing with Environmental Degradation: A Dynamic Approach

From a public policy standpoint, the issues of environmental degradation are unique in that they involve making decisions under conditions of “strong uncertainties.” No one can calculate in probabilistic terms either the risks to societies of environmental degradation or the costs that will be encountered to bring about a lower rate. With respect to the risk, there is no way of calculating to what extent the lives of people might be shortened by living in a densely populated and multifariously polluted city such as Los Angeles. Physicians have only a very rough idea of how respiratory and heart diseases are affected by certain kinds of contaminants. However, the more that is learned about the risks of environmental degradation, the more serious they appear. This has been proven true with respect to radioactivity as well as with respect to cigarette smoking. And there is no reason to suppose it will not be true with respect to other pollutants.
The generation and characterization of a radiation-resistant model system to study radioresistance in human breast cancer cells

Abstract Pearce, A. G., Segura, T. M., Rintala, A. C., Rintala-Maki, N. D. and Lee, H. The Generation and Characterization of a Radiation-Resistant Model System to Study Radioresistance in Human Breast Cancer Cells. Radiat. Res. 156, 739–750 (2001). To systematically study the selection of radioresistant cells in clinically advanced breast cancer, a model system was generated by treating MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells with fractionated γ radiation. A clonogenic assay of the surviving cell populations showed that 2–6 Gy per fraction resulted in a rapid selection of radioresistant populations, within three to five fractions. Irradiation with additional fractions after this initial increase did not increase the radioresistance of the surviving population significantly. Doses of 0.5 and 8 Gy per fraction were not effective in selecting radioresistant cells. To further determine the cause of the changes in radiosensitivity, 15 clones were isolated from the cell populations treated with 40 or 60 Gy with 2 or 4 G...
Demography of Rural Aging

Population aging as a demographic phenomenon, not an individual one, is described in this chapter, in tandem with a description of the demographic characteristics of the rural elderly. Population aging occurs when the population of a place as a whole has fewer births while life expectancies in older ages increase. This process is exacerbated in rural places by the out-migration of rural youth and, in rural retirement areas, by the in-migration of elders. Aging in rural places presents special challenges first and foremost because greater distances between places result in a lower density of services and the associated strain of providing those services for the aged. However, older people can also be a boon to rural areas when they themselves become a source for economic or social development.
SHORT COMMUNICATION Cordia gerascanthus (Boraginaceae) produces stem domatia

The production of domatia is a crucial step in the evolution of myrmecophytism (Fiala – Maschwitz 1992). Current models for the evolution of domatia predict that the ancestral state is one in which domatia production occurs later in a plant's ontogeny, while more derived ant-plants produce precocial domatia (Brouat – McKey 2000). I report that the neotropical tree Cordia gerascanthus L. represents a case of the former, in which domatia appear in mature trees. Through field and herbarium investigations, I have discovered that some C. gerascanthus individuals produce swollen, hollow, stem cavities that are ant-inhabited, while other C. gerascanthus individuals produce only solid stems. I suggest that C. gerascanthus, a species that produces domatia later in ontogeny, is an ideal system in which to investigate the basis of domatia evolution.
The Contingent Internet

The Internet is so omnipresent and pervasive that its form may seem an inevitability. It is hard to imagine a “different” Internet, but the character of the Internet as we experience it today is, in fact, contingent on key decisions made in the past by its designers, those who have invested in it, and those who have regulated it. With different choices, we might have a very different Internet today. This paper uses past choices made during the emergence of the early Internet as a lens to look toward its future, which is equally contingent on decisions being made today: by industry, by governments, by users, and by the research community. This paper identifies some of those key choices, and discusses alternative futures for the Internet, including how open, how diverse, how funded, and how protective of the rights of its users it may be.
Last Gasp Estate Planning: The Formation of Family Limited Liability Entities Shortly Before Death

Family limited partnerships have been popular gift and estate tax planning vehicles for many years. In recent years, family limited liability companies (LLCs) have also become common, particularly in those states that have updated their statutes to take the check-the-box regulations into account. LLCs with more than one member are usually classified as partnerships for federal income tax purposes. In a typical structure, when there is adequate planning, the donors form a limited partnership or an LLC (jointly, 'family limited liability entity' or FLLE), to which they contribute assets expected to appreciate in value. This article will focus on such use of FLLEs as found in the Strangi case and offer proposals for reform.
Brownian Continuity Modulus Via Series Expansions

Beginning with the series representation in terms of Haar functions, we give a simplified proof of the Levy modulus of continuity for standard Brownian motion.
Locating The Journalism in Citizen Photojournalism

The proliferation of cameras on cellphones and access to high-quality digital cameras has increased the ability of average citizens to capture and share photographs and video. The inclusion of user-generated visual content by news organizations, especially at a time of newsroom contraction, has been a source of consternation for professional photojournalists, who have emphasized their professional training and skill. Though scholars have explored the perceptions photojournalists and citizen photographers have of photojournalism and of each other, little attention so far has been directed to the visual content of citizen photojournalism, the extent to which it adheres to established photojournalism conventions, and its incorporation by mainstream news organizations. This research addresses this absence. Drawing on a content analysis of user-generated images, this study finds that in a situation involving coverage of an ongoing story of significant impact in a community, there was little citizen photojourna...
Identification of Winthemia of America North of Mexico, with a Revised Key to the Females (Diptera, Tachinidae)

A recent revision of the important parasite genus Winthemia (Guimara;es 1972 Arg. Zool. Sao Paulo, 1972) recognizes 27 species in America north of Mexico, with keys for males of 23 species but females of only 17. Females have fewer useful taxonomic characters than males; in addition positive specific association of males and females is necessary for additional work on the latter. Females of 5 additional species are described, with a key for 22 species. W. argentifrons Guimaraes is synonymized with W. deilephilae (Osten Sacken), and the suggestion is made that W. sabroskyi Guimaraes is the hitherto unrecognized female of W. abdominalis (Townsend). Females remain unknown for only 3 species: duplicata Reinhard, floridensis Guimaraes, and reinhardi Guimaraes.
Development of a Full-Scale Soil-Borehole Thermal Energy Storage System

This study involves an evaluation of the design and construction process for a soil-borehole thermal energy storage (SBTES) system installed in a sandy-silt deposit. A series of simplified numerical simulations were performed to understand the role of different variables on the heat storage in the SBTES system. The results indicate that soils with lower thermal conductivity have less lateral heat loss, and that arrays with smaller borehole spacings permit more concentrated storage of heat at higher temperatures. INTRODUCTION Soil-borehole thermal energy storage (SBTES) systems are an approach to provide efficient renewable resource-based thermal energy to heat buildings (Gabrielsson et al. 2000; Sibbit et al. 2007; Zhang et al. 2012; McCartney et al. 2013). They function in a similar way to conventional ground-source heat pump (GSHP) systems, where a fluid is circulated within a closed-loop pipe network installed in vertical boreholes to shed or absorb heat from the surrounding subsurface. Different from conventional GSHP systems, SBTES systems are configured to store thermal energy collected from solar thermal panels during the summer, and discharge the heat to buildings during the winter. The boreholes are typically spaced much closer together in an SBTES system than in a conventional system. The temperature of the ground within the borehole array increases from its ambient temperature (approximately 10-20 °C) to 60-90 °C during heat injection. SBTES systems are a convenient alternative to other energy storage systems as they are relatively inexpensive, involve storage of renewable energy (solar thermal energy), and are space efficient as they are underground. Most SBTES systems involve direct circulation of fluid through the closed-loop boreholes during heat injection and extraction, without the use of a heat pump. Although soil-borehole thermal energy storage (SBTES) systems have been shown to be an effective tool for storing thermal energy collected from renewable sources such as solar panels (Sibbit et al. 2012), their transient response during heat injection is not well understood. The lack of understanding of their response prevents evaluation of strategies to minimize the lateral loss of heat from the borehole array, improving the efficiency of heat storage (i.e., difference between heat injected and heat extracted), and improving the rates of heat injection and extraction. Sizing of the borehole field is critical as an undersized borehole field may not provide the required heat capacity, while too large of a field will result in higher costs and a lower rate of heat transfer. To better understand 1608 IFCEE 2015 © ASCE 2015
Atomistic Simulation of Vapor-Phase Nanoparticle Formation

In order to understand from a fundamental view how nanoparticles form and grow, classical molecular dynamics simulations of cluster growth and energy accommodation processes have been conducted for clusters of silicon (< 1000 atoms), over a wide temperature range. Simulations involved solution of the classical equations of motion constrained with the three body Stillinger-Weber potential. The results show the large heat release and resulting cluster heating during a cluster-cluster collision event, and the corresponding time evolution of the internal energy to a more stable state. Dynamic effects associated with the temperature of the cluster and the impact parameter are also clearly evident. In particular, clusters show a large sensitivity to temperature in the rate of coalescence, particularly at low temperature. Calculated diffusion coefficients are significantly larger than surface diffusion constants stated in the literature. Phonon density of states spectra do not seem to show size effects.
Conjoint Behavioral Consultation: Community–School Collaboration and Behavioral Outcomes Using Multiple Baseline

ABSTRACTA plethora of literature suggests that collaborative partnerships among families, educators, and outside service providers are necessary and beneficial to address behavior problems, but there continues to be a lack of coordination among these stakeholders. The current study used conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) to facilitate the development and implementation of collaborative intervention plans. Parents, teachers, and an outside mental health provider worked together to create and support behavioral intervention plans that were implemented at home and school. The results of this multiple baseline study indicate that collaborative interventions developed through the CBC process were effective in improving behavior at home and school. More specifically, visual analysis of the data, along with calculated effect sizes, showed an increase in the percentage of time that all 3 participants complied with expectations during problematic routines at home and school. Implications, limitations, and futu...