cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychometric development of a multidimensional measure of weight-related attitudes and behaviors.

Most weight control programs facilitate weight loss by encouraging participants to adopt healthy eating patterns and increase physical activity. There is a need for a relatively brief measure of eating habits and physical activity that could be used to evaluate changes in behavior during weight loss treatment. The purpose of this series of four studies was to develop and validate such a measure, which was subsequently named the Weight Loss Behavior Scale (WLBS). Study 1 (n = 533) included item and scale development and examination of the WLBS's factor structure and internal consistency. Study 2 (n = 226) evaluated the test-retest reliability and convergent validity of its subscales. Study 3 examined their reliability and internal consistency scales in a predominantly overweight sample (n = 36). Study 4 evaluated the WLBS as a treatment outcome measure in a weight loss intervention (n = 50). Study 1 found that the WLBS contained five internally consistent and stable factors: 1) Concern with Dieting and Weight, 2) Exercise, 3) Overeating, 4) Avoidance of Fattening Foods and Sweets, and 5) Emotional Eating. Study 2 found convergent validity for the WLBS by assessing the correlation of its factors/scales with established inventories of comparable constructs, e.g., dietary restraint, disinhibited eating, and physical activity. Test-retest reliability of the five scales was also supported in this second study. In Study 3, support for the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the WLBS among overweight individuals was found. Study 4 found that all scales significantly changed in the expected directions after a 5-month behavioral weight loss treatment. The findings from this series of studies suggest that the WLBS is a reliable and valid self-report inventory of cognitive and behavioral scales associated with weight control that can be utilized as an outcome measure for weight loss interventions.
Evidence of Genetic Locus Heterogeneity for Familial Bicuspid Aortic Valve

Objective We sought to determine if the gene responsible for bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) in an extended family corresponds to previously reported loci for inherited forms of the disorder. Background Loci at 15q25.1-26 and 9q34 have been reported to be associated with cardiovascular abnormalities involving BAV. Methods Linkage analysis was performed on DNA collected from a large multigenerational family in which BAV disease segregates in an autosomal dominant manner, using microsatellite markers from the regions previously reported to segregate with the phenotype. Results Lod scores were determined for genetic markers near the NOTCH1 gene and for a locus on chromosome 15q25.1-26 previously reported as being linked to BAV. The lod scores were negative or less than 1.0 for all markers tested. Conclusions There is no evidence of linkage of BAV in our pedigree to either the NOTCH1 gene or to the chromosome 15 locus. The disorder in this family appears to be caused by a gene at a novel locus.
Circadian rhythms in house sparrows: Lighting ad lib

House sparrows, Passer domesticus, have circadian rhythms of locomotor activity that can be entrained by light-dark cycles. Perch-hopping activity was studied in house sparrows that were given control of their own lighting. In one series of experiments, sparrows permitted to select their own lighting most commonly chose circadian freerunning cycles. The period of the selected freerunning cycles was 23.2 hr (0.9 hr shorter than the period length the sparrows exhibited in constant dark). The average self-imposed "photoperiods" in the selected freerunning cycles ranged from 8.2-10.0 hr. In a second series of experiments, sparrows were exposed to LDLD1:6:1:16. This cycle can be interpreted ambiguously as the skeleton of a short photoperiod, LD8:16, or of a long photoperiod, LD18:6. All the birds (13 birds; 23 trials) interpreted the skeleton cycle as a short photoperiod because they entrained to it as they would to LD8:16.
Differences in breast cancer stage at diagnosis between non-Hispanic white and Hispanic populations, San Diego County 1988–1993

The incidence of breast cancer in the U.S. is lower among Hispanic women than non-Hispanic white women. However, population-based studies show that Hispanic women are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage than non-Hispanic whites. We aimed to determine whether: 1) a lower proportion of breast cancer was diagnosed at early vs. late stages in Hispanic compared to non-Hispanic white women from 1988–93 in San Diego County, and 2) lower income is related to later stage at diagnosis for both groups. All incident cases of breast cancer in San Diego County from the California Cancer Registry (10, 161 cases) were stratified by ‘early’ (in situ or localized) or ‘late’ (regional or distant) stage, and by race/ethnicity. Annual average age-adjusted incidence rates/100,000 (AAIR) were calculated. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) (AAIR for early stages divided by AAIR for late stages) were used as a surrogate of early detection. AAIRs for early and late stage disease were significantly higher for non-Hispanic whites (89.3, 42.3) than Hispanic women (46.7, 27.2). The IRR was significantly higher for non-Hispanic whites than Hispanics, (2.11 vs 1.72, p=0.01). This difference was greatest among women under 50 years old (IRR difference 0.63), and not apparent for women 65 or older (IRR difference 0.06). There was also an association between increasing census tract per capita income and higher rates of early stage disease among non-Hispanic whites but not Hispanics. Results suggest that Hispanic women and lower income women should be targeted for early detection.
Sex dimorphism and hormonal regulation of rat tissue kallikrein mRNA

Abstract The regulation of rat tissue kallikrein mRNA levels was investigated by RNA filter hybridization using a kallikrein cDNA probe and by in vitro translation of isolated RNA. The synthesis of a 37 kDa polypeptide has been hybrid-arrested by the tissue kallikrein cDNA in cell-free translation assays directed by submandibular mRNA and the quantitation of this protein was used as a measure of translational activity of kallikrein mRNA. In Northern blot analyses, relative kallikrein mRNA levels were found to be 60-fold higher in submandibular gland than in pancreas and 20-fold higher than in kidney. In addition, it was noted that kallikrein mRNA is differentially regulated in tissues from male and female animals. Rat submandibular gland kallikrein mRNA is 2-times more abundant in male animals as in females. This trend is reversed in kidney, where the kallikrein mRNA in females is twice that in male animals. Relative submandibular gland kallikrein mRNA levels were found to be responsive to hormonal manipulation as measured by both Northern blotting and cell-free translation assays. Castration of male animals resulted in a decrease of kallikrein mRNA which could be partially restored by treatment with thyroxine and almost completely restored by testosterone treatment. The submandibular gland kallikrein mRNA in normal female rats was increased up to 30% by administration of testosterone or thyroxine. Adrenalectomized female rats showed a decrease in submandibular kallikrein mRNA which was significantly increased by testosterone, thyoxine, aldosterone and cortisol, with the largest effect being a 2- to 2.4-fold increase in cortisol-treated rats. These results indicate that hormones regulate tissue kallikrein synthesis in the rat submandibular gland, at least in part, by altering kallikrein mRNA accumulation.
Ecological conditions that determine when grazing stimulates grass production

We report the results of a pot experiment that examined the effects of three ecologically important factors controlling plant growth rates in savanna grasslands: defoliation, soil nitrogen and soil water availability. The experiment was conducted in the Amboseli region in east Africa, and was designed to simulate natural conditions as far as possible, using local soils and a grass species that is heavily grazed by abundant large herbivores. Productivity by different plant components was reduced, stimulated or unchanged by defoliation, depending on specific watering and fertilization treatments. Total above-ground production was stimulated by defoliation and was maximized at moderate clipping intensities, but this was statistically significant only when plants were watered infrequently (every 8 days), and most important, periods between clipping events were extended (at least 24 days). Under these conditions, plant growth rates were limited by water availability at the time of clipping, and soil water conserved in clipped, compared to unclipped plants. Within a given fertilization treatment, whole-plant production was never stimulated by defoliation because root growth was unaffected or inhibited by clipping. However, when fertilization was coupled to defoliation, as they are in the field, whole-plant production by fertilized and moderately clipped plants exceeded production by infertilized, unclipped plants. Under this interpretation, maximum whole-plant production coincided with optimum conditions for herbivores (maximum nitrogen concentration in grass leaves) when watering was frequent, and plants were moderately defoliated. However, these conditions were not the same as those that maximized relative above-ground stimulation of growth (infrequent watering and clipping).The results indicate that above-ground grass production can be stimulated by grazing, and when that is likely to occur. However, the results emphasize that plant production responses to defoliation can vary widely, contigent upon a complex interaction of ecological factors.
Plugging a Space Leak with an Arrow

The implementation of conceptually continuous signals in functional reactive programming (FRP) is studied in detail. We show that recursive signals in standard implementations using streams and continuations lead to potentially serious time and space leaks under conventional call-by-need evaluation. However, by moving to the level of signal functions, and structuring the design around arrows, this class of time and space leaks can be avoided. We further show that the use of optimal reduction can also avoid the problem, at the expense of a much more complex evaluator.
Meningitis caused by multiply antibiotic-resistant viridans streptococci.

Two patients are described with meningitis caused by multiply antibiotic-resistant strains of viridans streptococci; both isolates were resistant to penicillin (MIC>3 μg/ml) (4.8 U/ml) and to several other antimicrobial agents. Our findings underscore the importance of doing in vitro sensitivity testing with clinical isolates of viridans streptococci to determine appropriate therapy for infected patients. Multiply antibiotic-resistant strains of viridans streptococci have also been recently isolated in the same populations in South Africa in which the prevalence of resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae is high. Therefore, isolation of resistant clinical strains of viridans streptococci may suggest the need for in vitro surveillance of emerging antibiotic resistance in both streptococcal species.
The Relationship Between Syntactic and Semantic Processes in Sentence Comprehension.

Four experiments investigated the relationship between syntactic and semantic processing. The first two experiments, which used a word-by-word reading paradigm with a makes-sense judgem ent, demonstrated that verb argument structure is used to construct provisional interpretations at points in a sentence where the syntactic structure is ambiguous, and that resolution of syntactic ambiguity occurs even when it is not necessary for interpretation of the input. The last two experiments used a cross-modal integration paradigm and found evidence that multiple syntactic representations are accessed or constructed at points of syntactic ambiguity just as multiple meanings are accessed at points of lexical ambiguity. The experim ental results are evaluated with regard to serial autonomous models, strongly and weakly interactive models, and a hybrid model proposed here.
Laser‐Assisted Uvulopalatoplasty for Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) can reduce snoring by sequentially removing excessive vibratory tissue of the velopharynx. The procedure can be performed under local anesthesia in an office setting. Since the appearance of the soft palate is similar after both LAUP and uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, LAUP may also be efficacious in the management of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). LAUP was performed in 34 consecutive prospectively evaluated patients with OSAS. Of the 34 patients, 28 (82%) were male; the mean age was 53 years, and the mean body mass index was 31.1. In the study population of 13 patients who completed preoperative and postoperative sleep studies, the apnea index decreased from 19.4 to 4.2 (P = .006), the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) decreased from 31.2 to 15.7 (P = .092), and mean lowest oxyhemoglobin saturation increased from 82.3% to 85.0% (P = .581). The RDI fell to 10 or lower in 38.5% of patients and was reduced by at least 50% in 53.8% of the study group. Snoring was significantly reduced in 92.3% of patients (P < .001). These early results suggest that LAUP may be efficacious in the management of OSAS.
The Cost of Nominal Rigidity in NNS Models

We present a model with Calvo wage and price setting, capital formation, and estimated rules for government spending and monetary policy. Our model captures many aspects of U.S. data, including the volatility that has been observed in various efficiency gaps. We estimate the cost of nominal rigidity—welfare under flexible wages and prices minus welfare with nominal rigidities—to be as much as 3% of consumption each period. Since there are interest rate rules that virtually eliminate this cost, our model suggests that—contrary to Lucas’s (2003) assertion—there is considerable room for improvement in demand management policy.
In-Flight Estimation of the Cassini Spacecraft's Inertia Tensor

A new methodology for estimating the spacecraft 3-by-3 inertia tensor is proposed in this study.
1,25-Dihydroxy-16-ene-23-yne-vitamin D3 prolongs survival time of leukemic mice

The 1,25-dihydroxy-16-ene-23-yne-vitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne-D3] is a vitamin D analog that is very potent in inhibiting proliferation and inducing differentiation of myeloid leukemic cells in vitro. Also, 1,25(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne-D3 is 300 times less active in mediating intestinal calcium absorption and bone calcium mobilization as compared to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], the physiologically active metabolite. Furthermore, 1,25(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne-D3 is 10-25 times less potent than 1,25(OH)2D3 in causing hypercalcemia in BALB/c mice injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) every other day (q.o.d.) for 6 weeks. We explored the therapeutic potential of 1,25(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne-D3 by developing and using the following three leukemia models. (i) Injection of 2.5 x 10(5) myeloid leukemic cells (WEHI 3BD+) into syngeneic BALB/c mice resulted in leukemic death of all diluent-injected mice by day 26. Mice who received the same number of leukemic cells and also received 1,25(OH)2D3 (0.1 micrograms q.o.d., i.p.) had nearly an identical survival curve. Those who received the leukemic cells and 1,25(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne-D3 (1.6 micrograms q.o.d., i.p.) had a significantly (P = 0.003) longer survival, with the last mouse dying of leukemia on day 50. (ii) Injection of 50% fewer leukemic cells (1 x 10(5) cells) into syngeneic BALB/c mice resulted in 86% dead of leukemia at 51 days. Experimental mice who received the same number of leukemic cells and 1,25(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne-D3 (0.8 microgram q.o.d.) had a significantly (P = 0.0006) longer survival than controls; only 53% of the mice were dead by day 100. (iii) After injection of 1.5 x 10(4) leukemic cells, 13% of syngeneic BALB/c mice were free of disease at day 180. In contrast, 43% of mice who received leukemic cells and 1,25(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne-D3 (1.6 micrograms q.o.d.) were still free of disease at day 180. In summary, 1,25(OH)2-16-ene-23-yne-D3 is a vitamin D analog that significantly increased survival of mice who had myeloid leukemia.
Intelligent tutoring system for CS-I and II laboratory

A Web-based adaptive tutoring system which dynamically adapts to each student's needs and gives a student immediate feedback is being developed for our CS-I and CS-II closed laboratories. The system currently contains the question tutor, the program tutor, and the course management components. The tutoring components help students learn programming concepts through hands-on, self-paced exercises. The course management component helps teachers prepare and maintain the lab materials. Experiments have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this new tutoring system and promising preliminary results were obtained.
Electrostatic control and chloride regulation of the fast gating of ClC-0 chloride channels.

The opening and closing of chloride (Cl−) channels in the ClC family are thought to tightly couple to ion permeation through the channel pore. In the prototype channel of the family, the ClC-0 channel from the Torpedo electric organ, the opening-closing of the pore in the millisecond time range known as “fast gating” is regulated by both external and internal Cl− ions. Although the external Cl− effect on the fast-gate opening has been extensively studied at a quantitative level, the internal Cl− regulation remains to be characterized. In this study, we examine the internal Cl− effects and the electrostatic controls of the fast-gating mechanism. While having little effect on the opening rate, raising [Cl−]i reduces the closing rate (or increases the open time) of the fast gate, with an apparent affinity of >1 M, a value very different from the one observed in the external Cl− regulation on the opening rate. Mutating charged residues in the pore also changes the fast-gating properties—the effects are more prominent on the closing rate than on the opening rate, a phenomenon similar to the effect of [Cl−]i on the fast gating. Thus, the alteration of fast-gate closing by charge mutations may come from a combination of two effects: a direct electrostatic interaction between the manipulated charge and the negatively charged glutamate gate and a repulsive force on the gate mediated by the permeant ion. Likewise, the regulations of internal Cl− on the fast gating may also be due to the competition of Cl− with the glutamate gate as well as the overall more negative potential brought to the pore by the binding of Cl−. In contrast, the opening rate of the fast gate is only minimally affected by manipulations of [Cl−]i and charges in the inner pore region. The very different nature of external and internal Cl− regulations on the fast gating thus may suggest that the opening and the closing of the fast gate are not microscopically reversible processes, but form a nonequilibrium cycle in the ClC-0 fast-gating mechanism.
Faculty Attitudes Regarding Student's Preparedness for Culturally Sensitive Social Work Practice in the United States

In the United States, social work education has a mandate to train students for culturally sensitive social work practice. This mandate is becoming increasingly important as the United States becomes increasingly multicultural. This study presents data that assesses the degree to which social work education is fulfilling this mandate by exploring faculty perceptions regarding the preparedness of Master of Social Work students for culturally sensitive social work. In addition to the presentation of data, a literature review explores the history and role of culturally sensitive social work education in the United States.
Psychological Anomie and Religious Identity in Two Adolescent Populations

This study compared the differences, as measured by the Elmore Scale of Anomie and forced-choice questions on religious belief and school, between two groups of adolescents. Group 1 (N = 112), a representative high school sample in a rural North Carolina community, had significantly lower alienation scores on anomie than Group 2 (N = 50), adolescents referred to the community mental health center. Adolescents in the representative high school group who reported positive feelings about school and/or religious belief had significantly lower anomie than adolescents who reported negative feelings about these factors. Findings are discussed in terms of the meaningful identification a person may derive from having a connection with both an established system and a system of beliefs which are reinforced by the community.
Physical layer characterization of smart-antenna equipped mobile ad-hoc network nodes in an urban environment

Mobile ad-hoc networks in which each network node is equipped with a smart antenna offers connectivity and high capacity in dynamic and complex battlefield environments. Characterizing the performance of these networks, however, is challenging due to the complex relationship between the propagation environment and node location. Consequently, performance predictions for mobile ad-hoc networks often make simplistic assumptions about the physical layer and thus the rate-delay characteristics of each communication link. In this paper we use computational electromagnetic modeling techniques to study the variation of the link quality as a function of propagation environment between nodes in urban battlefield mobile ad-hoc network nodes where each node is equipped with a smart antenna array. This technique makes use of the method of moments (MoM) to consider near-field scattering and mutual coupling effects as well as electromagnetic ray tracing (ERT) to model far-field propagation in a site-specific environment specified by computer-aided design (CAD) model. Large scale simulation results in a model corresponding to Philadelphia, PA, shows substantial variation in capacity while also motivating an electromagnetic approach for network characterization.
Accelerated Fermentation of Cheese Whey. Developing the System

Abstract A system for accelerated fermentation of cheese wheys is presented. The system requires a mixed yeast and lactose-fermenting bacterial culture. Air flow required, 110ml of air per minute per liter per 1% of lactose, was proportional to the concentration of wheys in the media. Yeast cell mass production by accelerated fermentation was equal to or greater than the whey concentration factor when compared with yeast production of single yeast strain production on unconcentrated wheys. Generally, on triple strength wheys, yeast production was approximately one pound per gallon of medium. Fermentation media formulae for this system were developed with whey analyses, shake cultures, and fermentor trials. The formula used with a specific whey must be adequate to supplement the mineral deficiencies in the whey and to provide trace elements and nutrients essential for maximum microbial growth. High rate aeration was required for both respiration of the microbial culture and to purge the ferment of volatile metabolites, whose presence depressed microbial cell synthesis.
Testicular Degeneration and Necrosis Induced by Dietary Cobalt

Dietary cobalt (265 ppm Co) induced polycythemia and consistent degenerative and necrotic lesions in the seminiferous tubules of rats. Cyanosis and engorgement of testicular vasculature on day 35 and thereafter was followed on day 70 by degenerative and necrotic changes in the germinal epithelium and Sertoli cells. Spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes and round spermatids were markedly affected, while elongated spermatids, spermatozoa, and sertoli cells were more resistant. Damaged tubules, often present side by side with normal tubules, contained multinucleated giant cells composed of degenerated and necrotic spermatocytes and/or spermatids, sloughed germinal and Sertoli cells, and calcified necrotic debris. Necrotic tubules were frequently collapsed and devoid of epithelium except for occasional spermatogonia and surviving Sertoli cells. Lesions were not observed in the Leydig cells, cauda epididymis or seminal vesicles.
New Tools for Investigating Electromagnetic Hot Spots in Single‐Molecule Surface‐Enhanced Raman Scattering

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is quickly growing as an analytical technique, because it offers both molecular specificity and excellent sensitivity. For select substrates, SERS can even be observed from single molecules, which is the ultimate limit of detection. This review describes recent developments in the field of single-molecule SERS (SM-SERS) with a focus on new tools for characterizing SM-SERS-active substrates and how they interact with single molecules on their surface. In particular, techniques that combine optical spectroscopy and microscopy with electron microscopy are described, including correlated optical and transmission electron microscopy, correlated super-resolution imaging and scanning electron microscopy, and correlated optical microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy.
PolA1, a Putative DNA Polymerase I, Is Coexpressed with PerR and Contributes to Peroxide Stress Defenses of Group A Streptococcus

The peroxide stress response regulator PerR coordinates the oxidative-stress defenses of group A Streptococcus(GAS). We now show that PerR is expressed from an operon encoding a putative DNA polymerase I (PolA1), among other GAS products. A polA1deletion mutant exhibited wild-type growth but showed reduced capacity to repair DNA damage caused by UV light or ciprofloxacin. Mutant bacteria were hypersensitive to H2O2, compared with the wild type or a complemented mutant strain, and remained severely attenuated even after adaptation at sublethal H2O2levels, whereas wild-type bacteria could adapt to withstand peroxide challenge under identical conditions. The hypersensitivity of the mutant was reversed when bacteria were grown in iron-depleted medium and challenged in the presence of a hydroxyl radical scavenger, results that indicated sensitivity to hydroxyl radicals generated by Fenton chemistry. The peroxide resistance of a perR polA1double mutant following adaptation at sublethal H2O2levels was decreased 9-fold relative to a perRsingle mutant, thus implicating PolA1 in PerR-mediated defenses against peroxide stress. Cultures of the polA1mutant grown with or without prior H 2O2exposure yielded considerably lower numbers of rifampin-resistant mutants than cultures of the wild type or the complemented mutant strain, afinding consistent with PolA1 lacking proofreading activity. We conclude that PolA1 promotes genome sequence diversity while playing an essential role in oxidative DNA damage repair mechanisms of GAS, dual functions predicted to confer optimal adaptive capacity and fitness in the host. Together, our studies reveal a unique genetic and functional relationship between PerR and PolA1 in streptococci.
Lysis timing and bacteriophage fitness.

The effect of lysis timing on bacteriophage (phage) fitness has received little theoretical or experimental attention. Previously, the impact of lysis timing on phage fitness was studied using a theoretical model based on the marginal value theorem from the optimal foraging theory. An implicit conclusion of the model is that, for any combination of host quantity and quality, an optimal time to lyse the host would exist so that the phage fitness would be the highest. To test the prediction, an array of isogenic λ-phages that differ only in their lysis times was constructed. For each phage strain, the lysis time, burst size, and fitness (growth rate) were determined. The result showed that there is a positive linear relationship between lysis time and burst size. Moreover, the strain with an intermediate lysis time has the highest fitness, indicating the existence of an optimal lysis time. A mathematical model is also constructed to describe the population dynamics of phage infection. Computer simulations using parameter values derived from phage λ-infection also showed an optimal lysis time. However, both the optimum and the fitness are different from the experimental result. The evolution of phage lysis timing is discussed from the perspectives of multiple infection and life-history trait evolution.
Are Government Revenues From Financial Repression Worth the Costs

A new perspective on financial repression has recently been developed that stresses the public finance aspects of this policy. In this view, financial repression is seen as an implicit tax that generates "benefits" for government in the form of substantial amounts of government revenues, especially under high inflation. However, once it is granted that financial repression is a tax, it must also be granted that there are "costs" of repression, in the form of an array of distortions. In this article, the authors present estimates of the welfare costs of financial repression for Turkey, a country that recent work shows has been heavily taxed by such means. A simple computable general equilibrium model is constructed and calibrated to obtain estimates of the efficiency costs of this implicit tax. The analysis shows that financial repression creates very high welfare costs whose magnitude may well exceed the revenues generated. Consequently, although financial liberalization measures should always be cautious...
A release-competent influenza A virus mutant lacking the coding capacity for the neuraminidase active site.

Both influenza A virus surface glycoproteins, the haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), interact with neuraminic acid-containing receptors. The influenza virus A/Charlottesville/31/95 (H1N1) has shown a substantially reduced sensitivity to NA inhibitor compared with the A/WSN/33 (H1N1) isolate by plaque-reduction assays in Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. However, there was no difference in drug sensitivity in an NA inhibition assay. The replacement of the HA gene of A/WSN/33 with the HA gene of A/Charlottesville/31/95 led to a drastic reduction in sensitivity of A/WSN/33 to NA inhibitor in MDCK cells. Passage of A/Charlottesville/31/95 in cell culture in the presence of an NA inhibitor resulted in the emergence of mutant viruses (delNA) whose genomes lacked the coding capacity for the NA active site. The delNA mutants were plaque-to-plaque purified and further characterized. The delNA-31 mutant produced appreciable yields (∼106 p.f.u./ml) in MDCK cell culture supernatants in the absence of viral or bacterial NA activity. Sequence analysis of the delNA mutant genome revealed no compensatory substitutions in the HA or other genes compared with the wild-type. Our data indicate that sialylation of the oligosaccharide chains in the vicinity of the HA receptor-binding site of A/Charlottesville/31/95 virus reduces the HA binding efficiency and thus serves as a compensatory mechanism for the loss of NA activity. Hyperglycosylation of HA is common in influenza A viruses circulating in humans and has the potential to reduce virus sensitivity to NA inhibitors.
The effects of radiation on angiogenesis

The average human body contains tens of thousands of miles of vessels that permeate every tissue down to the microscopic level. This makes the human vasculature a prime target for an agent like radiation that originates from a source and passes through the body. Exposure to radiation released during nuclear accidents and explosions, or during cancer radiotherapy, is well known to cause vascular pathologies because of the ionizing effects of electromagnetic radiations (photons) such as gamma rays. There is however, another type of less well-known radiation – charged ion particles, and these atoms stripped of electrons, have different physical properties to the photons of electromagnetic radiation. They are either found in space or created on earth by particle collider facilities, and are of significant recent interest due to their enhanced effectiveness and increasing use in cancer radiotherapy, as well as a health risk to the growing number of people spending time in the space environment. Although there is to date, relatively few studies on the effects of charged particles on the vascular system, a very different picture of the biological effects of these particles compared to photons is beginning to emerge. These under researched biological effects of ion particles have a large impact on the health consequences of exposure. In this short review, we will discuss the effects of charged particles on an important biological process of the vascular system, angiogenesis, which creates and maintains the vasculature and is highly important in tumor vasculogenesis.
Hepatitis, rash and eosinophilia following trichloroethylene exposure: a case report and speculation on mechanistic similarity to halothane induced hepatitis.

Case Report: A previously healthy 30-year-old male began work as a degreaser. The solvent used in the degreasing operation was trichloroethylene. Over the next month he experienced symptoms of weakness, dizziness, decreased appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, chills, dry skin, red rash with bumps, peeling face, and itching. At that time he had marked liver enzyme elevation without evidence of cholestasis. CBC was remarkable for a significant number of atypical lymphocytes. Two weeks later his liver enzymes showed a marked reduction inALTfrom a peak of 1250 W to 717IU. Tests for Hepatitis A, B, and C, CMV, HTVl were all negative. The night following his first day back at work he had a recurrence of a red, diffuse rash without any consumption of alcohol. The rash caused tremendous itching. Over the next few days off work the rash continued and peeled. Physical examination one week after re-exposure was remarkable for diffuse, erythematous rash; some peeling skin and pitting edema to the knees...
A Longing for Perfection: Neoclassic Fashion and Ballet

(2002). A Longing for Perfection: Neoclassic Fashion and Ballet. Fashion Theory: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 369-386.
ORANGE PYRUVATE DECARBOXYLASE: ISOLATION AND MECHANISTIC STUDIES

Pyruvate decarboxylase, isolated from orange vesicle tissue, was purified 66-fold by Carbowax®-4000 and ammonium sulfate precipitations, and carboxymethylcellulose chromatography. The enzyme was characterized for optimum pH, stability, and divalent cation and inhibitor effects. Kinetic studies indicated that the orange enzyme is mechanistically similar to yeast pyruvate decarboxylase, having separate binding sites for Mg++ and thiamine pyrophosphate. The enzyme differs from its yeast counterpart, in having only one active site. It is specific for pyruvate and 2-ketobutyrate, and is competitively inhibited by 2-ketononanoate. The enzyme apparently exists in the fruit, primarily as an inactive cyclizable ternary complex of apo-enzyme, Mg++, and thiamine pyrophosphate. Cycli-zation to the active holo-enzyme is apparently controlled by the available pyruvate concentration.
SenseLess: A database-driven white spaces network

The most recent FCC ruling proposes relying on a database of incumbents as the primary means of determining white space availability at any white spaces device (WSD). While the ruling provides broad guidelines for the database, the specifics of its design, features, implementation, and use are yet to be determined. Furthermore, architecting a network where all WSDs rely on the database raises several systems and networking challenges that have remained unexplored. Also, the ruling treats the database only as a storehouse for incumbents. We believe that the mandated use of the database has an additional opportunity: a means to dynamically manage the RF spectrum. Motivated by this opportunity, in this paper we present SenseLess, a database driven white spaces network. As suggested by its very name, in SenseLess, WSDs obviate the need to sense the spectrum by relying entirely on a database service to determine white spaces availability. The service, using a combination of an up-to-date database of incumbents, sophisticated signal propagation modeling, and an efficient content dissemination mechanism ensures efficient, scalable, and safe white space network operation. We build, deploy, and evaluate SenseLess and compare our results to ground truth spectrum measurements. We present the unique system design considerations that arise due to operating over the white spaces. We also evaluate its efficiency and scalability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that identifies and examines the systems and networking challenges that arise from operating a white space network, which is solely dependent on a channel occupancy database.
Executive Function, Identity, and Career Decision-Making in College Students

This study examined the relationship among executive function, identity, and career decision-making as self-reported by 82 college students. Participants were administered measures of executive function, identity status, career decisionmaking, and an index of verbal intelligence. After controlling for intelligence, self-reported difficulties with the metacognitive component of executive function were related to lower levels of identity achievement and higher levels of moratorium and diffusion. Difficulties with behavioral regulation were associated with higher levels of moratorium and foreclosure. Hierarchical multiple regressions with backward elimination indicated that individual differences in career certainty was best explained by metacognitive control and identity achievement. In contrast, variation in career uncertainty was predicted by verbal intelligence, behavior regulation, and low and high scores on identity achievement and diffusion, respectively. These preliminary results fill a gap in the current literature on career decision-making, suggesting the importance of executive function skills to this milestone process in the lives of emerging adults.
Abstract 40: Integrative Genomics Analysis Reveals Novel Mechanisms For Plasma Lipid Regulation

Dysregulation of plasma lipids, especially cholesterol levels, has been identified as a critical risk factor for various complex human diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and Alzheimer’s disease. Recent genome wide association studies (GWAS) have implicated a number of susceptibility loci for complex traits of lipid metabolism. However, these loci only explain a limited proportion (25-30%) of the genetic heritability and a comprehensive understanding of the underpinning regulatory mechanisms has not been achieved. To better understand the mechanisms and to identify potential novel regulators, in this study, we utilized an integrative genomics approach that leveraged multiple genetic and genomic datasets including 1) GWAS from Global Lipids Genetics Consortium (GLGC) for four lipid traits (high density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDLC], low density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDLC], triglycerides [TG], and total cholesterol [TC]), 2) expression quantitative trait loci(eQTLs) from genetics of gene expression studies of human tissues related to lipid metabolism(such as liver and adipose tissues), 3) knowledge-driven biological pathways, and 4) data-driven regulatory gene networks. The integration of these diverse data sources enabled tissue-specific investigations on whether the genetic variants associated with lipid traits from GWAS were concentrated on specific parts of gene regulatory networks, termed “subnetworks”, and whether novel key regulators of the lipid subnetworks could be identified based on data-driven network structures.We identified 17, 16, 18, and 14 subnetworks for HDLC, LDLC, TC, and TG, respectively. Among these, subnetworks associated with lipid metabolism, protein modification, response to external stimulus, receptor activity, and neurophysiological process were shared among the four lipid traits. Among the trait-specific subnetworks, those involved in glutathione metabolism, and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism were found to be HDLC-specific while cadherin-associated subnetworks were LDLC-specific. Finally, by utilizing the gene-gene relationships revealed by the network architecture, we detected key regulator genes, both known (e.g.APOE, APOA5,and ABCA1) and novel (e.g.NCAM1, and F2), in these lipid-associated subnetworks. Our results shed lights on the complex mechanisms underlying lipid metabolism and highlight potential novel targets for lipid regulation.
The influence of stakeholder-firm power difference on corporate social responsibility of Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises

Recent CSR research proposed the construct of stakeholder-firm power difference, that is, the net difference between a stakeholder's power over a firm and a firm's countering power to this stakeholder and established the significant role of stakeholder-firm power difference in firms' environmental performance. Extending this line of research and drawing upon the framework of basic institutional prerequisites for CSR, we investigate how regional economic development, state ownership, neo-Confucian business style and entrepreneurial orientation impact the relationship between stakeholder-firm power difference and CSR engagement of Chinese SMEs. Implications of our propositions and suggestions for future research are offered in the end.
Which Preschool Mathematics Competencies Are Most Predictive of Fifth Grade Achievement

In an effort to promote best practices regarding mathematics teaching and learning at the preschool level, national advisory panels and organizations have emphasized the importance of children's emergent counting and related competencies, such as the ability to verbally count, maintain one-to-one correspondence, count with cardinality, subitize, and count forward or backward from a given number. However, little research has investigated whether the kind of mathematical knowledge promoted by the various standards documents actually predict later mathematics achievement. The present study uses longitudinal data from a primarily low-income and minority sample of children to examine the extent to which preschool mathematical competencies, specifically basic and advanced counting, predict fifth grade mathematics achievement. Using regression analyses, we find early numeracy abilities to be the strongest predictors of later mathematics achievement, with advanced counting competencies more predictive than basic counting competencies. Our results highlight the significance of preschool mathematics knowledge for future academic achievement.
International Politics and History

Our present task is one of definition. We are students of political science in its international phase, and we use history as a means. We operate in a marginal area that overlaps two fields, government as that term is usually understood, and the history of international affairs. How shall we bound this marginal area, what are its relations to those other two, more familiar conceptions? We are forced to this study by the World War. Modern history has had an immemse expansion for the reason that a tremendous political event has taken place and the world must know why it happened, the causes as well as the occasions and events. A voluminous literature is appearing on the doings and motives of Great Powers, on the rise of nationalities and their crude strivings, on the remapping of state boundaries, and the development of spheres of economic influence. We welcome, for instance, Mr. Gibbons' recent book on World Politics , a clear and useful summary of the recent history of certain political entities called world powers and their policies. It is the story as he calls it of “the struggle of European nations for world power.” The struggle is there. More power to him in his description of the contestants and the contest. But we view all this as only preparatory for our task.
Protallagma Runtuni N. Sp. of Dragonfly from Ecuador with Notes on the Genus

Well over a thousand specimens of this little red and blue dragonfly have been sent up from the region about Banos, Prov. Tungurahua, Rep. del Ecuador by the collector, William Clarke-Macintyre, Esq. The largest series has come from Lake Runtun, which “is a small lake on the top of a hill overlooking Banos, near Mt. Tungurahua. The surface of the lake is about 2,000 meters elevation.” I might add the high area about the lake is also called Runtun, and its elevation has been given variously as 2,000, 2,200 and 2,500 meters.
Illusory Superiority and Schizotypal Personality: Explaining the Discrepancy Between Subjective/Objective Psychopathology

An interesting paradox has emerged from the literature regarding schizotypy – defined as the personality organization reflecting a putative liability for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. Across certain cognitive, emotional, quality of life and other functional variables, individuals with schizotypy report experiencing relatively severe levels of pathology. However, on objective tests of these same variables, individuals with schizotypy perform largely in the healthy range. These subjective impairments are paradoxical in that individuals with schizotypy, typically recruited from undergraduate college populations, should be healthier in virtually every conceivable measure compared to chronic, older outpatients with severe mental illness. The present study evaluated the idea that the subjective deficits associated with schizotypy largely reflect a lack of illusory superiority bias – a normally occurring bias associated with an overestimation of self-reported positive qualities and underestimation of negative qualities compared to others. In the present study, both state – measured using laboratory emotion-induction methods – and trait positive and negative emotion was assessed across self (e.g., “how do you feel at this moment”) and other (e.g., “how do most people feel at this moment”) domains in 39 individuals with self-reported schizotypy and 39 matched controls. Controls demonstrated an illusory superiority effect across both state and trait measures whereas individuals with schizotypy did not. These results were not explained by severity of mental health symptoms. These results suggest that a cognitive bias, or lack thereof, is a marker of schizotypy and a potential target for further research and therapy.
Analysis on Epidemiological Characters of Hepatitis A in Dalian from 1990 to 2013

Objective: To analysis the epidemic trend of Hepatitis A in Dalian from 1990 to 2013,and offer the scientific basis for prevention and controlling of the disease. Methods: Data of Hepatitis A from 1990 to 2013 were analyzed by descriptive epidemiology. Results:The annual morbidity of HAV was 1. 79 /100 000 to 192. 30 /100 000,and the average morbidity was 68. 73 /100 000. There were four peaks and declined year by year from 2002,and maintained a low level in recent years. There were more male patients than female,and more patients occurred in winner and spring. Famers,unemployments and workers were the most popular occupation. Conclusion: We had achieved remarkable results in prevention of Hepatitis A,but it was possible that HAV broke out in a limited region as well. So we should continue to carry out integrated control strategy to protect the vulnerable populations and cut off the transmission.