cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of alcohol on clopidogrel metabolism: Identification of a new alcohol-dependent metabolic pathway (1141.14)

The majority of orally administrated clopidogrel, a platelet aggregation inhibitor, is hydrolyzed by human carboxyesterase-1 (CES1) to the inactive clopidogrel acid metabolite with the remainder metabolized by CYP450 enzymes into the inactive intermediate, 2-oxo-clopidogrel, that is further oxidized to the active thiol metabolite. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of alcohol, a known CES1 inhibitor, on the metabolism of clopidogrel. Clopidogrel metabolism was studied in human recombinant CES1, human liver S9 fractions (HLS9), and in plasma-carboxylesterase knockout mice. Liquid chromatography/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was utilized for the quantification of clopidogrel and its metabolites. Alcohol-derived metabolites were identified by product ion scan using LC-MS/MS. The addition of alcohol resulted in the formation of the transesterified clopidogrel metabolite, ethyl-clopidogrel in CES1 and HLS9 incubations. Similar to clopidogrel, ethyl-clopidogrel was metaboli...
Information quality of commericial web site home pages: an explorative analysis

In the search for substantive relationships in the use of emerging technology, information quality is often difficult to assess. This research explores user perceptions of presentation, navigation, and quality of Web home pages for approximately 200 selected Fortune 500 companies across 10 industries. An instrument is developed to measure these constructs and is assessed for convergent and discriminant validity as well as reliability. Company Web home pages are clustered using 24 Web site features. Interpretations of the type of Web home page within a cluster are based on their characteristics. An explorative analysis is performed between types of Web home pages and user perceptions of these sites. This study provides empirical evidence of relationships between companies at different positions in the supply chain and the information quality of their Web home pages.
Nitric Oxide, Superoxide, and Peroxynitrite in CNS Injury

This chapter explores the role of nitric oxide, superoxide, and peroxynitrite in central nervous system (CNS) injury. Nitric oxide has well recognized roles in the vasculature for controlling cerebral blood flow, reducing thrombosis, and reducing adherence of inflammatory cells. However, nitric oxide has important but less well understood roles in the central nervous system, where neurons express as much as 20 times more nitric oxide synthase activity than all of the endothelium in the body. Nitric oxide has an unpaired electron and reacts at near diffusion limited rates with the oxygen radical superoxide to form peroxynitrite anion (ONOO − ). Peroxynitrite is known to inactivate mitochondrial respiration and to cause mitochondria to dump calcium. Nitric oxide produced in large quantities contributes to oxidative injury by its diffusion limited reaction with superoxide. The products of this oxidative attack in central nervous system (CNS) tissues, such as nitrotyrosine, provide important clues to identify cellular targets damaged by peroxynitrite. These markers can also be used as biochemical endpoints to evaluate therapeutic efficacy of different interventions in CNS injury.
Prime Ideals in Noetherian Rings: A Survey

We consider the structure of the partially ordered set of prime ideals in a Noetherian ring. The main focus is Noetherian two-dimensional integral domains that are rings of polynomials or power series.
Regulation of the HPA Axis by Cytokines

Cytokines are a group of polypeptide mediators, classically associated with the regulation of immunity and inflammation. However, these peptides regulate not only local immune/inflammatory responses, but also elicit many CNS-mediated responses which accompany such immune/inflammatory reactions. This article reviews the evidence that interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) produce hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation in response to various threats to homeostasis. To aid such an examination, and to gain insights into the potential mechanisms by which these cytokines influence the HPA axis, experimental findings are discussed within a framework of criteria. If a particular cytokine plays a significant role in the regulation of the HPA axis in response to a particular pathophysiology, then necessarily: (1) receptors for that cytokine should be present within tissues associated with the HPA axis; (2) administration of that cytokine should elicit HPA activation; (3) the HPA axis should be exposed to that cytokine; and (4) inhibition of the action of that cytokine should prevent HPA activation. The evidence discussed indicates that some, if not all, of these criteria are met for each of IL-1, IL-6, and TNFalpha. However, the extensive interactions between different cytokines, the broad spectrum of pathophysiologies associated with increased cytokine production (including inflammatory and non-inflammatory stresses), and the number of tissues/cells capable of either synthesizing or responding to cytokines, suggest that multiple mechanisms mediate the influence of cytokines on the HPA axis.
On the residence time distribution for systems with open boundaries

Abstract Tracer tests cannot in general be used to determine the residence time distribution in systems with open boundaries. However the most commonly employed model for such systems, the diffusion model, turns out to be exceptional in this respect: its residence time distribution is derived and found to resemble closely the impulse response function. The general problem is then viewed with reference to the lifespan and drop-out distributions which, together with the residence time distribution, characterize flow through open boundaries. The familiar result for closed systems that the mean residence time is equal to the ratio of system hold-up to flow rate is shown to apply also for open systems.
Numerical solution of a non-linear model for self-weight solids settlement

Abstract The present study proposes a 1D model that describes the solids consolidation process occurring in a saturated sediment column due to its own weight. The governing consolidation equation, a second order non-linear transient partial differential equation of the parabolic type with the effective stress as the dependent variable, is solved by using the finite element and finite difference methods. In the spatial discretization of the problem, the Petrov–Galerkin method is used to obtain the weak form of the equation. For the model's time discretization, two timing step schemes are used for the sake of comparison: the Crank–Nicolson and the backward-difference schemes. The contribution of the non-linear terms is determined by employing the standard Newton–Raphson iteration method. The present formulation and numerical approach are examined by using the results of two consolidation tests, an attapulgite solids column and a mixture of kaolin–bentonite solids column. The comparison shows that the consolidation rate and the distribution of the volume fraction of solids within the columns can be accurately predicted by the present model. In addition the results of the non-linear model are compared with those of the corresponding linear consolidation model. It is shown that the linear model significantly overpredicts the rate of consolidation. Finally, the effect of the initial conditions on the model predictions is also examined.
LXVIII. The deflexion of a ray of light in the solar gravitational field

(1922). LXVIII. The deflexion of a ray of light in the solar gravitational field. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science: Vol. 43, No. 255, pp. 580-588.
The Concept of Limitation as the First Step in Understanding Chester Barnard's Organizational Theory: A Systems Approach.

Chester Barnard has never been fully appreciated or fully understood. Most of present day theories in administration stem from Barnard's writings. In this article the author attempts to show that although Barnard's theory is complex, the key to understanding it is “the concept of limitation,” itself quite unique. The functional nature of limitation is shown and its relationship to current system analyses.
Disordered eating and food cravings among urban obese African American women

Abstract Objective The prevalence of night eating syndrome (NES), binge eating disorder (BED), and bulimia nervosa (BN) and the general experience of food cravings were examined in 88 obese urban African American women. Method Participants were administered The Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns-R, the Night Eating Syndrome Questionnaire, and the State and Trait Food Cravings Questionnaire, Trait version (FCQ-T). Results Twenty-eight percent reported symptoms of eating disorders (18.9% NES, 6.4% recurrent binge eating, 2.2% both NES and recurrent binge eating). Those reporting disordered eating had significantly higher total FCQ-T scores than those not reporting disordered eating. Persons endorsing recurrent binge eating had the highest mean score, followed by those reporting NES. Those who identified themselves as binge eaters and night eaters were not significantly different from each other, but both groups were significantly different than the no eating disorder symptoms group on various subscales of the FCQ-T. Discussion Obese African American women report significant levels of NES and binge eating which may contribute to the development and/ or maintenance of obesity.
Transient analysis of electrical charge injection into charge-coupled devices

A detailed study of signal-charge injection into surface channel CCDa as a response to a gate-voltage step was carried out. The analysis is based on the time dependent diffusion equation with the fringing field term included. With the appropriate boundary conditions, this equation was applied to the input diffusion, input gate and succeeding gate of a CCD. It was found that injection of signal-charge into the device is characterized by three distinct processes, First is the transient-time required by the input diffusion to establish a constant injection-current under the input gate, then, the input stage enters into a constant current injection mode, and finally when the surface potentials of the input and receiving gates equalize, the injection current decays to zero. An analytical expression for the transient component, and for the total time required to inject a packet of charge into the CCD is derived.Experimental results carried out on a CCD shift register with various methods of charge injection, su...
Increasing round trip efficiency of hybrid Li–air battery with bifunctional catalysts

Abstract Previously it was shown that Pt as cathode catalyst has a large overpotential during charge in rechargeable hybrid Li–air battery with sulfuric acid catholyte. This article demonstrates that a bifunctional catalyst composed of Pt and IrO 2 supported on carbon nanotubes can address this problem. The specially designed and synthesized bifunctional catalyst showed significant overpotential reduction and achieved a round trip energy efficiency of 81% after 10 cycles, higher than many achieved in aprotic Li–O 2 batteries. The hybrid Li–air battery was discharged and recharged for 20 cycles at 0.2 mA/cm 2 , showing a fairly stable cell performance. A specific capacity of 306 mAh/g and a specific energy of 1110 Wh/kg were obtained for the hybrid Li–air battery in terms of acid weight.
Attributions of the Test-Anxious Student Self-Assessments in the Classroom

In the present study, an attributional analysis of cognitions associated with the test-anxiety response is reported Late in the semester, 433 undergraduates in introductory level courses (who had scored high, moderate, or low on a test-anxiety inventory) completed a questionnaire that required (l) a self-assessment of success or failure in the course, (2) open-ended attributions about the causes of that success or failure, and (3) that subjects then rate their open-ended responses on several relevant dimensions. A content analysis of students' written accounts suggested that unsuccessful, highly test-anxious students blamed their character (as opposed to their behavior or the environment) for their failure. Consistent with earlier work, there also emerged a general tendency for successful students to emphasize internal over external attributions, while failing students showed an opposite pattern.
The Health Ideation Pictures (HIP): reliability and internal consistency.

Summary.-A series of 11 picmres was developed to provide a method of : measuring health ideation and adaptive health behavior. Responses were ob- . mined from 31 Cub Scouts aged 8 to 10 yr. Coding procedures established for 3 dimensions, general perceptual awareness, health ideation and adaptive health behavior, proved to be highly reliable, and the pictures were found to provide internally consistent measures within each dimension.
The totally self-supporting tooth replica polymer implant.

Abstract Through gradual modification of the polymer composition and techniques, a self-supporting polymer implant has evolved and become a reality. Such implants have remained firm, with a healthy surrounding periodontium. Animal research with the use of these ingredients is continuing, since the long-sought-after self-supporting implant appears to have been successfully demonstrated in initial studies.
Morphogenesis in Schizophyllum commune. II. Effects of Monochromatic Light

The photoinduction of fruiting bodies by light of defined wavelengths was studied in the fungus Schizophyllum commune Fr. Several properties of the induction were established. (1) The exposure-response relationship for induced fruiting was determined for light of 448 nm. (2) The Bunsen-Roscoe Law of Reciprocity was found to hold for the photoinduction of fruiting bodies for the interval 36 to 2000 sec with light of 448 nm. (3) Light of wavelengths from 320 nm to 525 nm induced fruiting bodies. Although the photoreceptor is unknown, it may be a flavin rather than a carotenoid, because light in the near ultraviolet (350 nm-400 nm) was inductive. (4) Neither red light (660 nm) nor far-red light (730 nm) induced fruiting bodies or affected the sensitivity of the fungus toward photoinduction by blue light (448 nm).
Static and dynamic parasitic magnetizations and their control in superconducting accelerator dipoles

Abstract Long dipole magnets guide the particle beams in synchrotron-type high energy accelerators. In principal Cu-wound DC-excited dipoles could be designed to deliver a very uniform transverse bore field, i.e. with small or negligible harmonic (multipolar) distortion. But if the Cu is replaced by (a) superconducting strand that is (b) wound into a Rutherford cable carrying a time-varying transport current, extra magnetizations present within the windings cause distortions of the otherwise uniform field. The static (persistent-current) strand magnetization can be reduced by reducing the filament diameter, and the residue compensated or corrected by strategically placed active or passive components. The cable’s interstrand coupling currents can be controlled by increasing the interstrand contact resistance by: adjusting the level of native oxidation of the strand, coating it, or by inserting a ribbon-like core into the cable itself. Methods of locally compensating the magnetization of NbTi and Nb3Sn strand and cable are discussed, progress in coupling-current suppression through the use of coatings and cores is reviewed, and a method of simultaneously reducing both the static and dynamic magnetizations of a NbTi cable by means of a thin Ni core is suggested.
A four-dimensional digital image archiving system for cell lineage tracing and retrospective embryology

The paper describes a digital image archiving system for time-lapse microscopy. The system uses an MS-DOS compatible computer to store video images while simultaneously controlling a stepping motor. In a typical experiment, images might be taken at 30 s intervals in each of 25 consecutive focal planes. A system with 2.5 Gbyte disk capacity can store approximately 18,000 full frame images: 6 h recording at maximum resolution. Once recorded, images series stored on disk can be 'played back' in any order. Generally, images from a single focal plane are displayed consecutively in either forward or reverse time. The focal plane can be shifted during playback, allowing individual cells to be followed as they move between focal planes. To facilitate the annotation and interpretation of the real-time images, a mouse-driven interface allows users to define and follow individual objects (e.g. cells). The recorded image series can be achieved inexpensively using standard digital tape backup hardware. In this laboratory, the system has been particularly useful for tracing embryonic cell lineages and cell migrations. Detailed system specifications, including source code, compiled programs, hardware requirements and users manual are available directly from the author or by anonymous FTP (ciw1.ciwemb.edu).
SU-GG-T-476: Effect of Film Orientation on Proton Beam Dosimetry

Purpose: To evaluate the dosimetric effect of film irradiations in a pelvis phantom treated with protons.Method and Materials: A CT simulation of an anthropomorphic pelvis phantom was performed and the Hounsfield Units were converted to the measured relative stopping power for each material. A protontreatment plan with lateral fields was devised. TLD and Gafchromic© EBT film were inserted in the phantom with the film orientation at 0° and 90° relative to the beam axes and the plan was delivered. The process was repeated twice more. The phantom was re‐loaded with the film rotated 10° from the beam axes. The treatment plan was delivered three more times. Dose calculations from the planning system were compared to the measured dose from the TLD and film. Profiles along the film planes were compared to calculations from the planning system. An acceptable displacement was defined as < 3 mm. Results: The film aligned along the axes of the beams showed a displacement between the measured and calculated dose profiles of −7 mm on the left side and 5 mm on the right side. After rotating the film 10°, the new displacements were −4 mm on the left side and 3 mm on the right side. Conclusion: Rotating the film from the axis of the beam reduced the displacements between the measured and calculated dose profiles in the right‐left direction by as much as 3 mm. The difference in density between the film and phantom material is believed responsible for the differences in the dose profiles. The planning system did not account for the density of film and underestimated the range of the protons. This work was supported by PHS CA010953 and CA081647, awarded by NCI, DHHS, and funds from the RTOG.
Ocular Notes on Lethargic Encephalitis, with Two Case Reports

This account of the disease with the report of two cases points out the difficulty in discriminating between lethargic encephalitis and syphilis as the cause of the ocular symptoms.
Remediation of leaking USTs : A system for accessing case histories and related documents

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regulations require corrective action to be taken in response to a leaking underground storage tank (UST). Increasingly active state-run programs and the introduction of new cleanup technologies make UST corrective actions a multidisciplinary effort. The diversity of experience among personnel involved with this type of work has increased. The EPA's Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory has made its databases available to the public to help support this diverse audience. Its Computerized On-Line Information System (COLIS) allows for the quick and simple retrieval of data relating to UST incidents, as well as other hazardous-waste-related information. This paper describes the development and features of two important COLIS subsystems: the Case History File and the Library Search System. Sample search sessions are used to illustrate features of particular interest to personnel involved with UST sites.
The immunochemistry of sandwich ELISAs--III. The stoichiometry and efficacy of the protein-avidin-biotin capture (PABC) system.

Abstract The protein-avidin-biotin capture (PABC) system was developed to decrease the adsorptioninduced loss of antigen capture capacity (AgCC) of capture antibodies (CAb) used in sandwich ELISAs. This system involves immobilization of biotinylated CAbs through linkage by streptavidin (SA) to biotinylated carrier proteins adsorbed on polystyrene. Studies reported here describe the stoichiometry of the system and the influence of biotinylation of different carrier proteins and CAbs on the reaction stoichiometry and the AgCC of CAbs. Because of the widespread use of sandwich ELISAs to measure the concn of multivalent protein antigens, the AgCCs of monoclonal and polyclonal CAbs to pig IgG in the PABC system were compared with the AgCCs of these Abs immobilized on the plastic by direct adsorption. Optimal assay conditions for the carrier were obtained when 1 μg/ml of the biotinylated protein was added to the polystyrene solid phase. An increasing degree of biotin substitution in three carrier proteins was paralleled by an increasing AgCC until a constant maximum was reached. Under conditions of maximal AgCC, 120ng of the carrier rabbit gamma globulin (RGG; i.e. RGG 25biot ) was bound to polystyrene, which in turn yielded the maximum amount (i.e. 100 ng) of bound streptavidin (SA; Bd ng max ) when 20 μg/ml of SA was added. Under conditions giving the Bd ng mas for SA, CAb 12biot yielded a higher Bd ng max than did CAb 25biot or CAb 2biot . When the AgCC of equal amounts of differentially biotinylated CAbs were compared, the following order of AgCC was observed: CAb 2biot > CAb 12biot > CAb 25biot . Hence, while the maximal amount of CAb is immobilized on SA when CAb 12biot is used, optimal AgCC is achieved with CAb 2biot . The carrier: SA: CAb 2biot ratio was 1:2:1 while that for carrier: SA: CAb 12biot was 1:2:2. The same ratio was obtained using IgG 2biot , from four different species. Monoclonal antibodies to swine IgG showed a 5–6-fold increase in Bd % max when immobilized as CAbs using the PABC system versus when adsorbed on polystyrene. Plots of these data suggest that the differences result from a loss of functional affinity. On the contrary, no significant differences in Bd % max and hence functional affinity were observed when a polyclonal antibody to pig IgG was compared using the two assay configurations. Furthermore, when the globulin fraction of the anti-pig polyclonal was adsorbed on plastic, it behaved nearly as well as its affinity-purified counterpart immobilized by the PABC system. The PABC system appears to offer significant advantages for sandwich ELISAs utilizing monoclonal antibodies as the CAb, and may offer some advantages in other systems.
Cerebral ischemia: Changes in monoamines are independent of energy metabolism

The relationship of neurotransmitters and neuroeffectors to the energy state of the brain was examined in the gerbil model of ischemia after 5 and 15 min of bilateral common carotid artery occlusion only or with 1 hr of reperfusion. The gerbil brains were fixed by microwave irradiation and a total of 15 metabolites were measured from a single piece of tissue from either the hippocampus or the striatum. The rapid alterations in energy-related compounds and cyclic nucleotides appeared to be directly related both to the loss of oxygen and glucose during ischemia and the resupply of these nutrients during reflow. Significant reduction in the level of monoamines occurred prinicipally during reflow, at a time when the energy-related metabolites were restored. It is proposed that the changes in monoamines were triggered by other ischemic-induced events unrelated to energy depletion.
Religiosity, Religious Doubt, and the Need for Cognition: Their Interactive Relationship with Life Satisfaction

Previous research has found a consistent, negative relationship between holding religious doubts and mental well-being, and a small positive relationship between religiosity and mental well-being. To assess the interrelationship between religious doubt, religiosity, and need for cognition on life satisfaction, a survey was administered to an almost exclusively Christian sample of 192 Americans drawn from undergraduates and alumni of a small mid-western college, undergraduates from a small south-eastern college, and several churches from the metro-Detroit area. Zero-order correlations revealed relationships between religiosity and life satisfaction, as well as religious doubt and life satisfaction. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that the three-way interaction of religiosity, religious doubt, and the need for cognition was predictive of life satisfaction. Significant two-way interactions also emerged for both gender and religiosity, and gender and religious doubt as predictors of life satisfaction. Based upon these findings, counseling applications are discussed, and the importance of probing for interactions in research on religious influences on well-being is espoused.
Latent Agonist Activity of the Steroid Antagonist, RU486, Is Unmasked in Cells Treated with Activators of Protein Kinase A

RU486 is a glucocorticoid and progesterone antagonist. In glucocorticoid-responsive fibroblasts, it mediates little or no induction of a truncated, hormone-responsive mouse mammary tumor virus promoter; moreover, it abrogates the induction mediated by the glucocorticoid agonist, dexamethasone. However, when the fibroblasts are treated with activators of protein kinase A, 8-Br-cAMP or forskolin, along with RU486, the steroid now acts as a partial agonist, capable of mediating an induction of hormone-responsive reporter genes. In addition, the ability of RU486 to block the action of the glucocorticoid agonist, dexamethasone, is compromised by concomitant treatment with 8-Br-cAMP. Activators of protein kinase C fail to elicit these phenomena. Induction of gene expression in the presence of 8-Br-cAMP is dependent on the dose of RU486 over a range consistent with a glucocorticoid receptor-mediated mechanism. An antagonist, ZK98 299, which unlike RU486 is not thought to permit receptor binding to DNA, is not ac...
Perceiving speech from inverted faces.

We examined whether the orientation of the face influences speech perception in face-to-face communication. Participants identified auditory syllables, visible syllables, and bimodal syllables presented in an expanded factorial design. The syllables were /ba/, /va/, /δa/, or /da/. The auditory syllables were taken from natural speech whereas the visible syllables were produced by computer animation of a realistic talking face. The animated face was presented either as viewed in normal upright orientation or inverted orientation (180° frontal rotation). The central intent of the study was to determine if an inverted view of the face would change the nature of processing bimodal speech or simply influence the information available in visible speech. The results with both the upright and inverted face views were adequately described by the fuzzy logical model of perception (FLMP). The observed differences in the FLMP’s parameter values corresponding to the visual information indicate that inverting the view of the face influences the amount of visible information but does not change the nature of the information processing in bimodal speech perception
Alate Trap-Based Assessment of Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) Dispersal Flight Phenology Associated with an Urbanized Barrier Island Ecosystem

During 2009, 2010, and 2011, the reproductive dispersal flight phenology of Formosan subterranean termites (Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki) was assessed on Galveston Island, TX, via LED light-based termite alate traps. In all three years, traps were deployed at sampling sites before the initiation of C. formosanus dispersal flights, and retrieved weekly until the cessation flights. In total, 45, 102, and 90 traps were deployed during 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively. In all years, C. formosanus flights began during the second full week of May; however, peak dispersal flight activity occurred 2 wk earlier in 2009 and 2011 than in 2010. Significantly more alates were collected during the 2009 flight peak than in 2010 and 2011 despite the fact that greater than twice the number of traps were deployed in 2010 and 2011, versus 2009. Additionally, a greater percentage of traps collected C. formosanus alates in 2009 (71.1%) than in 2010 (38.2%) or 2011 (20.0%). A relatively inexpensive trap design (∼US$25.00 per trap) was developed for this project. The traps used in this work yielded results that were similar to those of other researchers using a variety of different trap designs. It is hoped that these results will allow for more targeted surveillance of C. formosanus dispersal flights by residents and pest management professionals at this location and elsewhere.
The effects of truncation in nuclear Hartree-Fock calculations

Abstract Hartree-Fock calculations were carried out for the doubly even nuclei with A = 4 to A = 80 in a space consisting of the 1 s 1 2 to the 1 i 1 2 harmonic oscillator states inclusive. The results are compared to results of a previous HF calculation in which the space was truncated at the top of the 2p-1f shell. The effects of the truncation are found to be more pronounced for deformed nuclei than for the spherical nuclei, where convergence has been previously studied. As expected, the quadrupole moment is found to be quite sensitive to this extension of the space, while the binding energy, r.m.s. radius and the kinetic energy per particle are not. Center-of-mass effects, compressibility and deformability are also studied, and a few nuclei with 80 ≦ A ≦ 208 are considered.
Enzymatic 5-hydroxylation of 3-methoxytyramine

Les homogenats de foie de rat et de foie de lapin contiennent un systeme enzymatique capable d'hydroxyler en position 5 la 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-phenethylamine. Ce type d'oxydation pourrait representer une voie biologique pour la transformation de catecholamines en substances analogues a la mescaline.
Assessing the Playing Field: A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Internet Sports Gambling Behavior

Internet gambling is growing rapidly, as is concern about its possible effect on the public's health. This paper reports the results of the first prospective longitudinal study of actual Internet sports gambling behavior during eight study months. Data include re- corded fixed-odds bets on the outcome of sporting contests and live-action bets on the outcome of events within contests for 40,499 Internet sports gambling service subscribers who enrolled during February 2005. We tracked the following primary gambling behav- iors: daily totals of the number of bets made, money bet, and money won. We transformed these variables into measures of gambling involvement. We analyzed behavior for both fixed-odds and live-action bets. The median betting behavior of the 39,719 fixed-odds bettors was to place 2.5 bets of €4 (approximately $5.3 US) every fourth day during the median 4 months from first to last bet. This typical pattern incurred a loss of 29% of the amount wagered. The median betting behavior of the 24,794 live-action bettors was to place 2.8 wagers of €4 every fourth day during the median duration of 6 weeks at a loss of 18% of the amount wagered. We also examined the behavior of empirically determined groups of heavily involved bettors whose activity exceeded that of 99% of the sample.
NOTE ON THE TWO-NUCLEON STRIPPING PROCESS

Abstract An expression is derived for the angular distribution of a process in which a neutron and a proton are captured from an incident He3 neucleus and the stripped proton imparts an extra unit of angular momentum to the system target nucleus+captured neutron and proton by flipping its spin. No comparison with experiment is made because of the unavailability of experimental data for such a process at present. An expression for the differential cross section of a process, in which two nucleons are captured from an incident He3 or similar nucleus is derived in the zero-range approximation and compared with the already published theoretical results.
Interstrand crosslinks in DNA of phage lambda after exposure to 8-methoxypsoralen and trimethylpsoralen in the presence of light.

Two medically useful photosensitizing furocoumarins, 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and 4,5′8-trimethylpsoralen (TMP) were compared with respect to their abilities to produce interstrand crosslinks in DNA. DNA from bacteriophage lambda, labeled with 32 P, was subjected to sedimentation in alkaline sucrose gradients following exposure to several concentrations of 1 of the 2 psoralens and irradiation (UV-A, 360 nm) for various times. In alkaline sucrose gradients, crosslinked DNA molecules sediment about 1.4 times faster than undamaged DNA strands and the proportion of molecules carrying crosslinks can be estimated with reasonable accuracy. At equimolar psoralen concentrations (2 × 10 −7 M, or 4 × 10 −5 M) and with increasing irradiation times, the rate of production of crosslinked DNA was 4 to 30 times greater for TMP than for 8-MOP. Differences in the therapeutic efficacy of 8-MOP and TMP in various clinical situations may be accounted for by the types of photoadducts formed by each drug as well as by their solubilities, rates of absorption and rates of metabolic degradation.
Issues management and organizational accounts: An analysis of corporate responses to accusations of unethical business practices

When external groups accuse a business organization of unethical practices, managers of the accused organization usually offer a communicative response to attempt to protect their organization's public image. Even though many researchers readily concur that analysis of these communicative responses is important to our understanding of business and society conflict, few investigations have focused on developing a theoretical framework for analyzing these communicative strategies used by managers. In addition, research in this area has suffered from a lack of empirical investigation. In this paper we address both of these weaknesses in the existing literature. First, we explicate Impression Management Theory as an appropriate framework for studying organizational communicative responses, paying particular attention to the concept of “accounts.” Second, we critique previous investigations of organizational accounts and discuss the major contributions of our study. Third, we propose a coding system and content analyze the accounts offered by managers from 21 organizations that were recently the targets of consumer boycotts. Finally, we report the results of our empirical investigation and discuss ethical issues related to organizational accounts.
An Exploratory Comparison of Native American and Caucasian Students' Attitudes toward Teacher Communicative Behavior and toward School.

This is an exploratory study comparing Native American and Caucasian students' perceptions of teacher good will and delivery communication competence as well as attitude toward school. Native American students perceived teachers to have less good will and delivery competence and had more negative attitudes toward school compared to Caucasian students.
A study of the crustacean axon repetitive response. I. The effect of membrane potential and resistance.

The transmembrane electrical properties of the crustacean axon have been examined by a new technique which allows for quantitative evaluation of the electrical and excitable characteristics across a microscopic area, “patch,” of fiber membrane using external electrodes. Data from repetitive firing and from non-repetitive firing fibers compare as follows: (1) Membrane potential, resting, 82 mv repetitive; 67 mv non-repetitive; 70–75 mv transition level repetitive to non-repetitive. (2) Membrane potential, active, 132 mv, 50 mv overshoot repetitive; 100–120 mv, 30–50 overshoot, non-repetitive. (3) Membrane resistance, 7.6 × 106 ohms or 2300 ohms cm2 repetitive; 2.8 × 106 ohms or 880 ohms cm2 non-repetitive. (4) Membrane time constant, 2.5 ms repetitive; 1.5ms non-repetitive. (5) Membrane capacity 1.0μf repetitive; 1.7 μf non-repetitive. (6) Repetitive firing property may be restored to non-repetitive axons by increasing the Vm value with a polarizing inward current. This increases Rm also. (7) Non-repetitive fibers show considerable inactivation, give rise to “more or less” spikes particularly during refractory period following a spike, and respond to anode-break stimulation. Repetitive firing axons do not. (8) The action potential has two active components, one to depolarize (sodium) one to repolarize (potassium), both of which drive the membrane potential. toward predetermined levels. (9) The repetitive firing axons show little or nc inactivation with weak prolonged depolarization producing trains of spikes. There is a slow rise in critical firing level which ultimately causes the spike train termination. There is a slow increase in the undershoot (diphasic repolarization) amplitude.
Absence of preserved glucosamine and amino acids in fossil crustacean exoskeletons

Abstract No glucosamine and only traces of amino acids were detected in kerogen prepared from fossil crustacean exoskeletons. The elemental C/N ratios of the kerogen samples were above 20, indicating that most of the organic nitrogen was eliminated from the chitin biopolymer during diagenesis. Our results contradict earlier reports of the stability of chitin during fossilization.
Integrative Modeling of Protein Conformational Ensembles using Limited Data

Protein structure determination by X-ray crystallography can be time consuming and expensive. Several important classes of proteins, such as membrane proteins and those containing intrinsically disordered regions, are severely underrepresented in the PDB because they are difficult to crystalize. However, there are other sources of information about protein structure, including as experiments (e.g. cross-linking experiments, solid state NMR, EPR), bioinformatics (e.g. secondary structure predictions, homologous proteins), and evolution (e.g. residue-residue contacts predicted from coevolution). These types information share two properties. First, the information can be sparse. For example, an experiment may give us a few residue-residue contacts, but we may know little about the rest of the structure. Second, this information can contain errors and ambiguities. Predictions from bioinformatics may have errors and experimental results sometimes lack resolution and can be ambiguous. A successful method must be able to reliably integrate such sparse and noisy data into a reasonably accurate structural model. We are developing an algorithm, called MELD: ModEling with Limited Data, that can deal with such data within a sound statistical mechanical framework. I will outline how the method works and present several examples of results obtained using MELD, including structural models constructed from limited solid-state NMR data and protein structures modeled from evolutionary contact predictions.
Soil: A Natural Sink for Carbon Monoxide

A potting soil mixture depleted carbon monoxide in a test atmosphere from a concentration of 120 parts per million to near zero within 3 hours. Maximum activity occurred at 30 degrees C. Steam sterilization of the soil, the addition of antibiotics or 10 percent (by weight) saline solution, and anaerobic conditions all prevented carbon monoxide uptake. Sterilized soil inoculated with nonsterile soil acquired activity with time. Samples of various natural soils differed in their ability to remove carbon monoxide from the air. Acidic soils with a high content of organic matter were generally the most active. The soil's ability to remove carbon monoxide from the atmosphere is ascribed to the activity of soil micro-organisms.
Separase: a conserved protease separating more than just sisters.

Abstract Separase is a protease that is essential for mitotic progression. At the metaphase-to-anaphase transition, separase dissolves the cohesion between sister chromatids, allowing the chromosomes to be partitioned to the two daughter cells. Several recent studies expand the repertoire of separase functions and shed light on the conservation of separases throughout evolution.
High power diode lasers emitting from 639 nm to 690 nm

There is increasing market demand for high power reliable red lasers for display and cinema applications. Due to the fundamental material system limit at this wavelength range, red diode lasers have lower efficiency and are more temperature sensitive, compared to 790-980 nm diode lasers. In terms of reliability, red lasers are also more sensitive to catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD) due to the higher photon energy. Thus developing higher power-reliable red lasers is very challenging. This paper will present nLIGHT’s released red products from 639 nm to 690nm, with established high performance and long-term reliability. These single emitter diode lasers can work as stand-alone singleemitter units or efficiently integrate into our compact, passively-cooled Pearl™ fiber-coupled module architectures for higher output power and improved reliability. In order to further improve power and reliability, new chip optimizations have been focused on improving epitaxial design/growth, chip configuration/processing and optical facet passivation. Initial optimization has demonstrated promising results for 639 nm diode lasers to be reliably rated at 1.5 W and 690nm diode lasers to be reliably rated at 4.0 W. Accelerated life-test has started and further design optimization are underway.
Total neutron emission generation and characterization for a Next Generation Safeguards Initiative spent fuel library

Abstract In March of 2009 the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy began a nominal five year spent fuel research effort with the goal of: (1) quantifying plutonium content in spent nuclear fuel through the use of non-destructive assay (NDA) techniques; (2) quantifying the capability of these NDA techniques to quantify burnup, cooling time, and initial enrichment, as well as detect pin diversions, for spent fuel assemblies. These NDA techniques were first scoped in computation space in order to understand detection limitations and down select for further testing. Multiple Monte Carlo based spent fuel libraries (SFL's) were developed to be used as source terms for assessing the detection limitations of each of these techniques. The characterization of the SFL's provide an analysis of different burn strategies used for spent fuel, functional fits for state point analysis, and the components of the neutron signal. This paper details both a methodology for generating the spatially dependent gross neutron emission (GNE) as well as a characterization of the GNE for a particular NGSI SFL for two different shuffle patterns. The GNE was characterized by examining three major components: (1) the total neutron emission; (2) the ( α , n ) and spontaneous fission emissions; and (3) the main contributors to the spontaneous fission and ( α , n ) emission signals. The total neutron emission was characterized by looking at two different shuffle patterns and using three different pin analysis techniques. The pin analysis techniques used were: (1) sum all the pins in the assembly; (2) create four pin zones to be summed; and (3) examine specific pins. These characterizations provide a large set of data with integral values (cooling time vs emission and burnup vs emission) and derivative values (isotopic percent composition) with visual depiction and detailed explanation. The characterizations also provide a comparison of the effects of shuffle schemes on the neutron emission signal for two different shuffle patterns. This data can be used in the development of time and burnup dependent normalized functions to describe the trends displayed in the data. This study also shows that the information which can be obtained from the GNE depends upon how the information is grouped and analyzed. Summing all the pins of the assembly or assuming a uniform burnup results in the loss of valuable neutron emission information. By splitting the pins into zones, trends such as the total emissions across the assembly become evident. By evaluating individual pins trends such as the effect of water rods on the neutron emission become evident. This type of analysis can be of great use to safeguards. Evaluating the GNE on a pin by pin basis leads to a much clearer picture of the constituents of the assembly.
Noninvasive Assessment of Gender Differences in Coronary Plaque Composition with Multidetector Computed Tomographic Angiography

To date, sparse data are available with regard to gender differences in plaque morphology and composition. The aim of the present report was to assess the differences in coronary plaque burden and composition in a noninvasive manner between women and men using multidetector computed tomographic angiography. The study population consisted of 416 patients (61 ± 13 years), with 148 women (36%). A stenosis of ≥70% in at least one coronary segment was found in 11% of women compared to 25% of men (p
Neural correlates of tic severity and cognitive control in children with Tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by involuntary motor and phonic tics. It is hypothesized that excess dopamine leads to an imbalance in the pathways through the basal ganglia, resulting in unchecked movements via thalamic disinhibition. It has been unclear whether TS is associated with cognitive control deficits as well as pure motor control deficits, or whether cognitive deficits are associated with the presence of comorbid conditions. Furthermore, little is known about the neural underpinnings of TS in childhood, prior to the long-term effects of medication on brain function. Here, children with TS and typically developing children performed a cognitive control task during event-related fMRI data acquisition. The study included 18 native English-speaking 7-13-year-old children with TS (M = 10.42; 15 males), and 19 healthy, age-matched native English-speaking volunteers (M = 10.33; 11 males). The task involved three separate manipulations of cognitive control. Behaviourally, higher tic severity was correlated with slower task performance on the most demanding task conditions. Neurally, higher tic severity was associated with enhanced activation of dopaminergic nuclei (substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area) and cortical, striatal and thalamic regions in the direct pathway. Heightened tic severity was also associated with greater engagement of the subthalamic nucleus area, suggestive of a compensatory mechanism. Overall, patients engaged left prefrontal cortex more strongly than typicals during task performance. These data suggest that children aged 7-13 unmedicated for TS exhibit increased activation in the direct pathway through the basal ganglia, as well as increased compensatory activation in prefrontal cortex and the subthalamic nucleus.
A population-based study of salivary lysozyme concentrations and candidal counts

The relationship between salivary lysozyme concentration and oral candida load was examined in 595 adults. Unstimulated whole saliva, and citrate-stimulated parotid and submandibular/sublingual saliva were collected from each participant. Candida colony-forming units (c.f.u.) in unstimulated whole saliva were determined. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for lysozyme using commercially available antibodies was developed. This assay showed a linear relation of salivary lysozyme concentrations from 0.5 to 4.0 ng/ml. Significant negative relations were observed between lysozyme concentration and flow rate: r = -0.16 (p or = 1000 c.f.u./ml) group than in the zero and moderate candida categories in stimulated parotid saliva (p < 0.001): there were no concentration differences in stimulated submandibular/sublingual saliva. These results suggest that parotid lysozyme concentration increases as candida load increases.