cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
iPod use and the perception of social introversion

The recent proliferation of Apple iPods begs the question: what effect does iPod use have on society and social interaction? An experimental research design was utilised to examine iPod use and degree of extroversion on the perception social interaction. At a small Christian university in the south, 105 college students participated in this study, first completing a personality inventory and then answering questions based on one of two scenarios. The first hypothesis was that participants would view iPod users as less likely to engage in social interaction. The second hypothesis was that extroverted participants would perceive iPod users as less socially engaging than would introverted participants. The results support the hypothesis that people view iPod users as less likely to engage in social interaction than non-iPod users. Participants rated iPod users as less likely to engage in social behaviours such as making eye contact. The results did not support the hypothesis that extroverted participants wou...
Correcting DFT Codes with Modified Berlekamp-Massey Algorithm and Syndrome Extension

Real number block codes derived from the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) are corrected by coupling a very modified Berlekamp-Massey algorithm with a syndrome extension process. Enhanced extension recursions based on Kalman syndrome extensions are examined.
On the Teaching of Performance Evaluation and Assessment of a Combined Cycle Cogeneration System

Performance evaluation and assessment of combined cycle cogeneration systems are not taught well in academia. One reason is these parameters are scattered in the literature with each publication starting and ending at different stages. In many institutions professors do not discuss or even mention these topics, particularly from a second law perspective. When teaching combined cycle cogeneration systems to undergraduates, the professor should introduce pertinent parameters in a systematic fashion and discuss the usefulness and limitations of each parameter. Ultimately for a given situation, the student should be able to determine which parameters form the most appropriate basis for comparison when considering alternative designs. This paper provides two approaches, one based on energy (the First Law of Thermodynamics) and the other based on exergy (the Second Law of Thermodynamics). These approaches are discussed with emphasis on the “precise” teaching of the subject matter to undergraduates. The intent is to make coverage of the combined cycle cogeneration systems manageable so that professors can appropriately incorporate the topic into the curricula with relative ease.
Reliability and construct validity of the pain distress inventory.

We conducted three studies to evaluate further the reliability and construct validity of a new self-report instrument, the Pain Distress Inventory (PDI; Osman et al., 2003, The Pain Distress Inventory: Development and initial psychometric properties, J. Clin. Psychol. 59: 767–785). In Study I, exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic results confirmed the replicability of the four-factor oblique solution of the PDI in a mixed sample of students and nonstudents. We also found strong evidence for criterion-related validity of scores on this instrument. In Study II, multisample analyses results found further evidence for equivalence of structure of the PDI across African American and Caucasian young adults. Ethnic and gender group differences were obtained on two of the PDI scale scores. Internal consistency reliability estimates on the PDI total and scale scores were good in both Studies I and II. In Study III, additional analyses of internal consistency and known-groups validity established strong support for construct validity of the PDI.
Fabrication of Freestanding Carbon Nanotube Arrays in Large Scale

We have successfully fabricated many freestanding carbon nanotube arrays on silicon substrates. Two sizes of nickel dot arrays have been made by E-beam lithography. It has been found that the size of the carbon nanotubes is closely related to the size of the dot. Compared with our previous report on diameters of about 300 –400 nm, much thinner carbon nanotubes of 100 –150 nm have been made. With even smaller dots, it is expected that even thinner nanotubes of a few tens of nanometers could be made. The nanotube height is controlled by the growth time and nanotube uniformity has been greatly improved by introduction of a two-phase process of nucleation and growth.
Maximum probability estimators for ranked means

Suppose tha t observations f rom populations ,~1," "' , ~ (k>_2) are normally distributed with unknown means #~, . . . , #~ (respectively) and a common known variance o ~. Let ~ c 1 ~ _ . . . ~ denote the ranked means. Several ranking and selection procedures take n independent observations from each population, denote the sample mean of the n observations from ~ by .~ ( i = 1 , . . . , k), and utilize the ranked sample means Xcl j_~. . .~X~l . (See Dudewicz [3] for details.) We assume throughout tha t both the numerical values of ~1,-.-, pk and the pairings of the Pro,'" ", pr~ with the populations z~,.. , ~ are completely unknown and consider problems of estimation of p~ ( l ~ i _ k ) based on the statistics provided by the single-stage rule stated above, and utilizing recent work of Weiss and Wolfowitz. Generalized maximum likelihood estimators (GMLE's), introduced by Weiss and Wolfowitz [5], provide (where available) asymptotically efficient estimators, whereas this is not always t rue for MLE's even if the lat ter can be found. Most classical MLE theory assumes i.i.d, observations and is therefore not applicable in our case; the theory of Weiss and Wolfowitz [5] allows for more general situations (although most of their applications are to i.i.d. "non-regular" cases). (Corrections to Weiss and Wolfowitz [5] are contained in Weiss and Wolfowitz [6], in Weiss and Wolfowitz [8], and in Dudewicz [2]. An additional example is given in Weiss and Wolfowitz [7].) Maximum probability estimators (MPE's) were introduced by Weiss and Wolfowitz [6] for much the same reason as GMLE's were introduced by Weiss and Wolfowitz [5]. Weiss and Wolfowitz [6], pp. 202-203, proved that , for the case of m = l parameter , every GMLE is an MPE; thus MPE's extend the notion of GMLE's (and by finding a GMLE we find a f o r t i o r i an MPE). Below we study the extension of this result to m ~ l parameters, first summarizing Weiss and Wolfowitz's results.
Electrochemical and reactivity comparisons among isoelectronic oxo, imido, and nitrido complexes of rhenium and osmium

Abstract Cyclic voltammetry has been used to study the electrochemical properties of 29 isoelectronic and isostructural osmium(VI)nitrido, rhenium(V)oxo, and rhenium(V)imido complexes of the form Tp (*) M(E)(X)(Y) [Tp (*) =Tp, HB(pz) 3 ; or Tp * , HB(3,5-Me 2 pz) 3 ]. Oxidations from d 2 to d 1 species are typically reversible or quasi-reversible, while reductions to d 3 species are usually irreversible. The E 1/2 values for oxidation vary from >+2 V for TpOs(N)(Cl) 2 to −0.11 V for TpRe(Ntolyl)(Ph)(Me) (vs. Cp 2 Fe +/0 in MeCN/ n Bu 4 NPF 6 ). The potentials follow simple trends, Os(N)>Re(O)>Re(Ntolyl) and Tp>Tp * . Potentials for TpM(E)(X)(Y) are also affected by the X and Y ligands, with OTf>Cl≅I>Ph>alkyl, correlating with the Hammett σ values for X and Y. In contrast, peak potentials for reduction of the compounds (ca. −1.0 to −1.5 V) do not follow simple patterns. The reactivity of these complexes as inner-sphere oxidants does not correlate with their peak reduction potentials. Rather, the ease of oxidation of the compounds better parallels their reactivity as oxidants.
Comparing passive angle–torque curves recorded simultaneously with a load cell versus an isokinetic dynamometer during dorsiflexion stretch tolerance assessments

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to compare the passive angle–torque curves and the passive stiffness (PS, N m ° − 1 ) values recorded simultaneously from a load cell versus an isokinetic dynamometer during dorsiflexion stretch tolerance assessments in vivo. Nine healthy men (mean ± SD age = 21.4 ± 1.6 years) completed stretch tolerance assessments on a custom-built apparatus where passive torque was measured simultaneously from an isokinetic dynamometer and a load cell. Passive torque values that corresponded with the last 10° of dorsiflexion, verified by surface electromyographic amplitude, were analyzed for each device ( θ 1, θ 2, θ 3, …, θ 10). Passive torque values measured with the load cell were greater ( p ≤ 0.05) than the dynamometer torque values for θ 4 through θ 10. There were more statistical differentiations among joint angles for passive torque measured by the load cell, and the load cell measured a greater ( p ≤ 0.01) increase in passive torque and PS than the isokinetic dynamometer. These findings suggested that when examining the angle–torque curves from passive dorsiflexion stretch tolerance tests, a load cell placed under the distal end of the foot may be more sensitive than the torque recorded from an isokinetic dynamometer.
Theoretical substruction: establishing links between theory and measurement of military women’s attitudes towards menstrual suppression during military operations

Title. Theoretical substruction: establishing links between theory and measurement of military women’s attitudes towards menstrual suppression during military operations. Aim. The aim of this paper is to establish a theoretical model for the exploration of the phenomenon of menstruation and women’s attitudes towards menstrual suppression during military operations. Background. In the emerging field of literature that explores menstruation among military women, there are indications that menstrual symptoms and hygiene are problematic under the circumstances of deployment to military operations. While menstrual suppression may be a solution to problems that women encounter with menstruation during deployment, there is little research exploring the phenomenon. Data sources. CINAHL and Medline were used to locate peer reviewed journal papers published from 1977 to 2007. International military reports were obtained through an internet search engine (Google™). Discussion. Issues that military women encounter surrounding menstruation during deployment are framed according to components of human ecology and social ecology theories, creating a theoretical model for the study of military women’s menstrual health. Theoretical substruction is then used to evaluate the proposed theoretical and operational systems for measuring military women’s attitudes during deployment. The process of theoretical substruction validates the model and the theoretical integrity of the proposed research on women’s attitudes towards suppression. Conclusion. A theory-based model for women’s health under challenging environmental conditions will enhance the holistic consideration of women’s health issues by care providers. The theoretical model clearly explicates the phenomenon of menstruation during deployment and the theoretical and operational systems are soundly linked in the proposed measurement model of military women’s attitudes towards menstrual suppression.
Bioenabled Surface‐Mediated Growth of Titania Nanoparticles

Mimicking the growth and assembly processes found in natural materials enables new routes for the design of synthetic materials with controlled nanoscale features. Biomimetic or bioenabled syntheses generally occur under benign reaction conditions such as room temperature, aqueous environment, and neutral pH, and thus are advantageous compared to traditional chemical syntheses. In addition, the use of biomolecules as templates for the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles has the potential to enable precise control over particle size, aggregation state, and spatial arrangement. Previously, biomolecules have been used for syntheses of metal-oxide nanostructures such as ZnO, CuO2, TiO2, and MoO3. [8–15]
Human hepatocyte culture systems for the in vitro evaluation of cytochrome P450 expression and regulation.

Primary cultures of human hepatocytes have been used extensively by both academic and industrial laboratories for evaluating the hepatic disposition of drugs and other xenobiotics. Their primary utility has been for assessing the induction potential of new chemical entities (NCEs) and they continue to serve as the gold standard. Primary considerations for conducting in vitro drug testing utilizing cultures of human hepatocytes, such as the effects of culture and study conditions, are discussed. The maintenance of normal cellular physiology and intercellular contacts in vitro is of particular importance for optimal phenotypic gene expression and response to drugs and other xenobiotics. Significant advances in our understanding of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme regulation have been made with the recent identification of the nuclear receptors mediating the induction of CYP2B and CYP3A enzymes. In particular, the activation of pregnane X receptor (PXR) by prototypical inducers of CYP3A has been found to correlate well with the species-specific modulation of CYP3A by various drugs and other xenobiotics. Concomitant with the discovery of PXR has been the identification of compounds that may act synergistically or antagonistically on multiple receptors (e.g., co-repressors and/or co-activators of the receptor) introducing novel mechanisms of drug-drug interactions. Differential expression of the individual isoforms of the major CYP450 enzymes over time in culture suggest that this model system is not reflective of in vivo profiles and, therefore, may be limited in its application for drug metabolism studies. Overall, primary cultures of human hepatocytes can serve as a sensitive and selective model for predicting the regulation of CYP450 modulation by drugs and other xenobiotics. Considerations and recommendations for standardizing testing conditions and choosing relevant endpoint(s) are presented.
A comparison of standard and high-dose regimens for the initiation of amiodarone therapy

The effects of two regimens for the initiation of amiodarone therapy were compared in 92 patients with inducible sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) at baseline electrophysiologic testing. Two groups of 46 patients each received a total of 16.8 gm of oral amiodarone before follow-up electrophysiologic testing. Group A (standard dose) received 1200 mg/day for 14 days, and group B (high dose) received 2400 mg/day for 7 days. Amiodarone suppressed the induction of sustained VT in six subjects (13%) in group A versus 10 (22%) in group B (p = NS). In subjects who continued to have inducible VT after amiodarone loading, the mean increase in cycle length of induced VT was similar in group A (delta = 85 +/- 73 msec) and group B (delta = 78 +/- 59 msec). The mean increase in sinus cycle length, AH and HV intervals, paced QRS duration, and ventricular refractory periods was also not significantly different between the two groups. Side effects developed in 10 (22%) patients in group B but were serious only in one, and one patient required a reduction in dosage. Thus compared to the 14-day standard-dose regimen, the 7-day high-dose regimen was well tolerated and had similar effects on VT inducibility and electrophysiologic variables. Its use may significantly shorten the duration of hospitalization in patients with life-threatening inducible VT who are undergoing loading with amiodarone on an inpatient basis.
Limits of perfection

Abstract This personal narrative is an introduction to a collective effort by a number of scientists and artists to examine the role and significance of symmetry in the most diverse domains of nature and human activity. Material symmetry, devoid of the rigor of geometrical symmetry, is viewed applicable to material objects as well as abstractions with limitless implications.
Sustained hyperexcitability elicited by repetitive electric stimulation of organotypic hippocampal explants.

Sustained or complex evoked extracellular slow-wave field potentials were recorded in the CA3/2 areas of organotypic hippocampal explants following stimulation of the dentate area. After repetitive electric stimulation, these discharges became more complex and/or self-sustaining. Self-sustaining discharges continued to occur for the duration of the experiment (15 min-10 h). These slow-wave discharges were evoked (or occured spontaneously) over a wide range of extracellular K+ concentrations (3–9 mM) without addition of pharmacologic inhibitory antagonists, whereas in some explants raising extracellular K+ from 5.9 to 8–9 mM resulted in spontaneous discharges. The observation that epileptiform discharges in hippocampal explants often occurred spontaneously, were elicited by repetitive electric stimulation, and were recorded at K+ levels which are generally ineffective in acute adult hippocampal slices, indicates that excitability of these CNS explants may be significantly increased following altered neuronal synaptic development (and/or reorganization) under isolated conditions in culture.
Emerging developmental model systems

This primer briefly describes four emerging animal model systems that promise to provide insights into specific aspects of developmental biology. Highlighted here are two relatively well-characterized model systems, Gasterosteus aculeatus (three-spine stickleback fish) and Schmidtea mediterranea (planarian), as well as two organisms on which research is in its infancy, Carollia perspicillata (short-tailed fruit bat), and the basal metazoan, Trichoplax adhaerens. Scientists who helped develop these species into model systems discuss why they chose to research these animals.
Building Blocks, Cohort Genetic Algorithms, and Hyperplane-Defined Functions

Building blocks are a ubiquitous feature at all levels of human understanding, from perception through science and innovation. Genetic algorithms are designed to exploit this prevalence. A new, more robust class of genetic algorithms, cohort genetic algorithms (cGA's), provides substantial advantages in exploring search spaces for building blocks while exploiting building blocks already found. To test these capabilities, a new, general class of test functions, the hyperplane-defined functions (hdf's), has been designed. Hdf's offer the means of tracing the origin of each advance in performance; at the same time hdf's are resistant to reverse engineering, so that algorithms cannot be designed to take advantage of the characteristics of particular examples.
Time Interval Between Concussions and Symptom Duration

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that children with a previous history of concussion have a longer duration of symptoms after a repeat concussion than those without such a history. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of consecutive patients 11 to 22 years old presenting to the emergency department of a children9s hospital with an acute concussion. The main outcome measure was time to symptom resolution, assessed by the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPSQ). Patients and providers completed a questionnaire describing mechanism of injury, associated symptoms, past medical history, examination findings, diagnostic studies, and the RPSQ. Patients were then serially administered the RPSQ for 3 months after the concussion or until all symptoms resolved. RESULTS: A total of 280 patients were enrolled over 12 months. Patients with a history of previous concussion had a longer duration of symptoms than those without previous concussion (24 vs 12 days, P = .02). Median symptom duration was even longer for patients with multiple previous concussions (28 days, P = .03) and for those who had sustained a concussion within the previous year (35 days, P = .007) compared with patients without those risk factors. In a multivariate model, previous concussion, absence of loss of consciousness, age ≥13, and initial RPSQ score >18 were significant predictors of prolonged recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Children with a history of a previous concussion, particularly recent or multiple concussions, are at increased risk for prolonged symptoms after concussion. These findings have direct implications on the management of patients with concussion who are at high risk for repeat injuries.
Ultrasound-Targeted Microbubble Destruction Can Repeatedly Direct Highly Specific Plasmid Expression to the Heart

Background— Noninvasive, tissue-specific delivery of therapeutic agents would be a valuable clinical tool. We have previously shown that ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction can direct expre...
Routine Chest Roentgenography Is Unnecessary in the Work-Up of Stage I and II Breast Cancer

PURPOSE: Clinical practice guidelines of many professional societies call for routine staging chest x-rays (SCXR) for all patients with invasive cancer. Given the estimated 157,000 patients annually for whom this recommendation pertains, this screening examination represents a considerable health care expenditure. If it were shown that SCXR rarely changed the management of low-risk subsets of this population, it might be possible to selectively omit this practice from the care of these patients with substantial resultant cost savings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients with clinical stage I and II breast cancer presenting to the Baystate Medical Center from 1989 through 1997 were identified through the Tumor Registry. Their hospital records were reviewed for clinical presentation and documentation of SCXR. RESULTS: One thousand four hundred ninety-four patients were identified with clinical stage I and II disease. SCXR were available for review on 1,003 patients. Only one asymptomatic patient was upstaged...
Estimates of the Impact of Crime Risk on Property Values from Megan's Laws

Abstract We estimate the willingness to pay for reductions in crime risk using the location and move-in dates of sex offenders. We find significant effects of sex offenders' locations that are geographically localized. House prices within 0.1 miles of a sex offender fall by 4 percent on average. We then use this finding to estimate the costs to victims of sexual offenses, and find costs of over $1 million per victim—far greater than previous estimates. However, we cannot reject the alternative hypotheses that individuals overestimate risks posed by offenders or that living near an offender poses significant costs exclusive of crime risk. (JEL K42, R23, R31)
Using antibodies in tumour immunotherapy.

The role of antibodies as therapeutic cancer vaccines includes two distinct approaches, which are summarised in this review, namely anti-idiotypic vaccines and antigen–antibody complex therapies. Bispecific antibodies directed against T cells or antigen-presenting cells are also referenced. The report focuses on theoretical issues, laboratory data on the mechanism of action, examples of humoral and cellular immune induction, and novel therapeutic advances in vaccine development. The biology of antigen processing and recent advances in the field of dendritic cell biology are critical to understanding the potent immune response induction. Future directions include combination therapies to manipulate immune regulatory mechanisms and to enhance clinical effects. Additional applications of antibodies targeting costimulatory or regulatory receptors on antigen-presenting cells and T cells, neutralising immune suppressive cytokines, and depleting T regulatory cells hold promise for future mono- and particularly c...
Calcific Aortic Valve Disease: Cellular Origins of Valve Calcification

Calcific aortic valve disease is the most common indication for surgical valve replacement in the world.1 For years this disease was thought to be a passive degenerative phenomenon. Understanding of the cellular mechanisms of this valve lesion will present new cellular therapeutic options to slow disease progression. In this study by Egan et al,2 they identify for the first time in human calcifying aortic valves a population of circulating osteogenic precursor cells (COP) in calcified human aortic valves. Their finding of these CD45+ OCN+ COP cells in areas of calcification and not in the unaffected calcified tissues provides another level of evidence that mesenchymal derived cell populations are responsible for the development of osteogensis in the calcified aortic valve. Specifically, the study demonstrated that these cells were localized to areas of confirmed endochondral ossification and bone formation. Within the regions of interest there were areas of mature bone with the characteristic architecture including osteocytes and bone lining cells. However, within the limits of the study there was no consistent involvement of the valve leaflet layers as the areas of endochondral ossification …
Emergent Specialization in Swarm Systems

Distributed learning is the learning process of multiple autonomous agents in a varying environment, where each agent has only partial information about the global task. In this paper, we investigate the influence of different reinforcement signals (local and global) and team diversity (homogeneous and heterogeneous agents) on the learned solutions. We compare the learned solutions with those obtained by systematic search in a simple case study in which pairs of agents have to collaborate in order to solve the task without any explicit communication. The results show that policies which allow teammates to specialize find an adequate diversity of the team and, in general, achieve similar or better performances than policies which force homogeneity. However, in this specific case study, the achieved team performances appear to be independent of the locality or globality of the reinforcement signal.
THE ROLE OF ESTROGEN IN THE PREVENTION OF OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis in most (but not all) societies is more common among aging women than aging men, even when differences in life expectancy are taken into account. In fact, in the United States, about 80% of osteoporotic fractures occur in women, and the age-specific incidence of all osteoporotic fractures is higher in women than in men. 34 Although descriptions of osteoporosis can be found in the medical literature extending as far back as the reports of Hippocrates, probably the first description of the increased frequency of osteoporotic fracture in women is that of Bruns 6 in 1882 who noted that hip fractures were six times more common in women than in men. The relationship of osteoporotic fracture and vertebral fracture in particular to the loss of ovarian function was not established until 1940 by Albright. 3 Since that time, a vast body of literature has confirmed the importance of ovarian hormone deficiency in the development of osteoporosis.
Development of a haptic virtual environment

Haptics is a technology that creates a sense of touch in a multi-modal media. The availability of force feedback, haptics, requires the formation of haptic virtual objects. To aid in the creation of the haptic objects we have developed G/sub 2/H, an interface between a commercial graphics and animation software package and the PHANToM haptic device. G/sub 2/H is a modifier type plug-in that can be applied to any virtual object (created or imported). Application of the modifier converts objects into haptic objects. The objects can then be immediately touched with the haptic device in a number of configurable view-ports provided by the graphics software. G/sub 2/H also allows the dynamic changing of haptic object properties, such as stiffness and static and dynamic friction A physical medical model is used to develop haptic virtual 3D objects on a PC/NT platform. A commercially available digitizer and the graphics package are used to create virtual 3D objects. The application of G/sub 2/H then converts these objects into haptic objects. The process makes it possible to develop complex and precise haptic virtual objects without writing code, thus allowing developers to work at a higher level than that offered by current labor-intensive techniques. For PC/NT based haptic virtual applications, this capability allows touchable objects, including volumetric objects, to be quickly created with a high degree of resolution.
Mutagenicity of coal-dust and smokeless-tobacco extracts in Salmonella typhimurium strains with differing levels of O-acetyltransferase activities

Epidemiological studies have indicated an increased incidence of gastric neoplasia in coal miners. Because smokeless tobacco use is prevalent in the mining industry, nitrites or other components of these products may be etiologically associated with these gastric neoplasms. In this study both nitrosated and non-nitrosated coal-dust (from West Virginia and New Mexico) as well as smokeless-tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco) extracts were examined for the presence of aromatic amines and nitroarenes by comparing the activities of these extracts in the pre-incubation variant of the Ames assay. Salmonella strains with differing O-acetyltransferase activities (TA98 and YG1024) were utilized in this investigation. The results of the examination of the coal-dust extracts indicated positive activity only in the nitrosated extracts. Both nitrosated extracts elicited an increased number of revertants (2-4-fold) on YG1024 without S9 in comparison to TA98, suggesting the presence of nitroarenes in these extracts. Additionally, the nitrosated West Virginia coal extract showed higher levels of activity on YG1024 with S9, indicating the possible presence of aromatic amines in this complex mixture. The non-nitrosated smokeless-tobacco extracts showed activity only on YG1024 in the presence of S9, with the highest amount of activity occurring in the snuff sample. Except for the chewing-tobacco extract on TA98 without S9, positive activity was found in both nitrosated tobacco extracts on YG1024 and TA98. As with the coal extracts, the presence of nitroarenes was inferred for these nitrosated materials. A comparative study of the non-nitrosated snuff extract across 5 tester strains with varying sensitivities to aromatic amines and nitroarenes (TA98NR, TA98/1,8-DNP6, TA98, YG1021 and YG1024) indicated that aromatic amines were a probable source of the mutagenic activity. The curing process and/or the addition of certain flavorants are potential sources of the mutagenic aromatic amines suggested to be present in the non-nitrosated snuff extract. These findings are consistent with an etiologic role supplementary to the nitroso compounds for mutagenic nitroarenes and aromatic amines in the development of gastric neoplasia in coal miners.
Testing intraguild predation theory in a field system: does numerical dominance shift along a gradient of productivity?

Although ecological theory exists to predict dynamics in communities with intraguild predation (IGP), few empirical tests have examined this theory. IGP theory, in particular, predicts that when two competitors interact via IGP, with increasing resource productivity: (1) the IG predator will increase in abundance as the IG prey declines, and (2) increasing dominance of the IG predator will cause resource density to increase. Here, we provide a first test of these predictions in a field community consisting of a scale insect and its two specialist parasitoids, Aphytis melinus (the IG predator) and Encarsia perniciosi (the IG prey). The shared resource, California red scale, is a pest of citrus, and its productivity varies across a threefold range among citrus cultivars. We examined both absolute and relative densities of parasitoids along this natural gradient of scale productivity in three citrus cultivars (orange, grapefruit and lemon). Although both parasitoid species were found in all three cultivars, their abundances reflected those predicted by IGP theory: the IG prey species dominated at low productivity and the IG predator dominated at high productivity. This relationship was caused by an increase in Aphytis density with productivity. In addition, the density of scale increased with the dominance of the IG predator. These results from a field system demonstrate the important dynamic outcomes for food webs with IGP.
Household food waste to wastewater or to solid waste? That is the question:

Decision makers need sound analyses of economic and environmental impacts of options for managing household food waste. Food waste impacts public health (it rots, smells, and attracts rodents) and costs (it drives collection frequency). A life cycle inventory is used to quantify total materials, energy, costs and environmental flows for three municipal solid waste systems (collection followed by compost, waste-to-energy or landfill) and two wastewater systems (kitchen food waste disposer followed by rural on-site or municipal wastewater treatment) for food waste management. Inventory parameters are expressed per 100 kg of food waste (wet weight) to place data on a normalised basis for comparison. System boundaries include acquisition, use and decommissioning. Parameters include inputs (land, materials, water) and output emissions to air, water and land. Parameters are ranked simply from high to low. Ranking highest overall was the rural wastewater system, which has a high amount of food waste and carrier water relative to the total throughput over its design life. Waste-to-energy was second; burning food waste yields little exportable energy and is costly. Next, municipal wastewater tied with landfill. Municipal wastewater is low for land, material, energy and cost, but is highest for food waste by-product (sludge). Landfill ranks low for air emissions and cost. Compost ranks lowest; it has the lowest material and water inputs and generates the least wastewater and waterborne waste.
Prediction models for software fault correction effort

We have developed a model to explain and predict the effort associated with changes made to software to correct faults while it is undergoing development. Since the effort data available for this study is ordinal in nature, ordinal response models are used to explain the effort in terms of measures of fault locality and the characteristics of the software components being changed. The calibrated ordinal response model is then applied to two projects not used in the calibration to examine predictive validity.
Adaptive QoS Decomposition and Control for Storage Cache Management in Multi-server Environments

Poor I/O performance can prevent an application from scaling to a large number of nodes even if the computation is parallelized appropriately. Therefore, improving I/O performance of large-scale parallel applications is very important. Caching recently and frequently accessed I/O blocks in memory is a widely used technique for improving I/O performance of these applications on high-end machines. However, simultaneous storage cache accesses of multiple applications may lead to unacceptable degradations in application performance due to interferences at the storage cache layer. As a result, efficient management of storage cache space across multiple I/O servers among competing applications is critical in order to ensure performance quality of service (QoS) to individual applications. In this paper, we propose a novel two-step approach to the management of the storage caches to provide predictable performance in multi-server storage architectures: (1)An adaptive QoS decomposition and optimization step uses max-flow algorithm to determine the best decomposition of application-level QoS to sub-QoSs such that the application performance is optimized, and (2) A storage cache allocation step uses feedback control theory to allocates hared storage cache space such that the specified QoSs are satisfied throughout the execution. Our experimental evaluation indicates that, on an average, our approach improves the I/Othroughput of applications by 48.6%, 29.2%, and 20.7%, respectively, over the uncontrolled partitioning, fair share and uniform decomposition schemes. We also observed 31.4%, 20.2%, and 44.7% improvements by our approach, in our global metric, called the fair speedup metric, against the fair share, uncontrolled partitioning and uniform decomposition schemes, respectively.
GLP-1 (7-36) amide restores myocardial insulin sensitivity and prevents the progression of heart failure in senescent beagles

We previously demonstrated that older beagles have impaired whole body and myocardial insulin responsiveness (MIR), and that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1 [7–36] amide) improves MIR in young beagles with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Here, we sought to determine if aging alone predisposes to an accelerated course of DCM, and if GLP-1 [7–36] amide would restore MIR and impact the course of DCM in older beagles. Eight young beagles (Young-Control) and sixteen old beagles underwent chronic left ventricle (LV) instrumentation. Seven old beagles were treated with GLP-1 (7–36) amide (2.5 pmol/kg/min) for 2 weeks prior to instrumentation and for 35 days thereafter (Old + GLP-1), while other 9 served as control (Old-Control). All dogs underwent baseline metabolic determinations and LV biopsy for mitochondria isolation prior to the development of DCM induced by rapid pacing (240 min−1). Hemodynamic measurements were performed routinely as heart failure progressed. At baseline, all old beagles had elevated non-esterifed fatty acids (NEFA), and impaired MIR. GLP-1 reduced plasma NEFA (Old-Control: 853 ± 34; Old + GLP-1: 531 ± 33 μmol/L, p < 0.02), improved MIR (Old-Control: 289 ± 54; Old + GLP-1: 512 ± 44 mg/min/100 mg, p < 0.05), and increased uncoupling protein-3 (UCP-3) expression in isolated mitochondria. Compared to the Young-Control, the Old-Controls experienced an accelerated course of DCM (7 days versus 29 days, p < 0.005) and excess mortality, while the Old + GLP-1 experienced increased latency to the onset of DCM (7 days versus 23 days, p < 0.005) and reduced mortality. Aging is associated with myocardial insulin resistance, which predispose to an accelerated course of DCM. GLP-1 treatment is associated with increased MIR and protection against an accelerated course of DCM in older beagles.
Why No Shop Committees in America: A Narrative History

This article explores the origins of the prohibition against shop committees in modern labor law. It identifies World War I as the crystallizing moment and argues that shop committees might have become a permanent feature of American industrial relations at that time but for a series of contingent events arising in particular from the great steel strike of 1919. Historians have missed this linkage, the article concludes, because in the intervening 1920s, employee representation became disassociated from industrial democracy, with the notable exception of the railroads, where blatantly antiunion use of employee representation prompted the judicial condemnation of employer domination of labor organizations that provided the doctrinal foundation for Section 8a(2) of the National Labor Relations Act.
The Effect of Orientation on Electrically Conducting Polymer Composite Properties

Conductive polymer matrix composites have been a focus of research for the past 30 years, due to applications such as electromagnetic shielding. The electrical resistance of these materials can be broken into three major categories: the intrinsic resistance of the filler and matrix, the particle-particle contact resistance, and the tunneling resistance. Both the particle-particle contact and tunneling resistance in nickel filled low density polyethylene (LDPE) composites can be reduced by the addition of an ultrathin polypyrrole (PPy) coating on the nickel surface. Coating the nickel particles with PPy leads to increases in conductivity as much as three order of magnitude at concentrations well above the percolation threshold without significantly changing the mechanical properties. We believe at concentrations above the critical region PPy forms “molecular wires” reducing the loss of conductivity associated with the uniaxial orientation of the polymer matrix.
Serum Concentrations of Steroids, Parathyroid Hormone, and Calcitonin in Postmenopausal Women During the Year Following Hip Fracture: Effect of Location of Fracture and Age

Background. Hip fracture in the aged is a major health problem, especially considering the increasing proportion of the el­ derly in the population. This study examines changes in circulating levels of hormones, which are purported to affect bone metabolism, in response to hip fracture in postmenopausal women. Methods. Patients consisted of women ages 65 and older who had surgery within 2 days of fracture. Serum samples were obtained at 3, 10, 60, 180, and 360 days postfracture.Healthy women without hip fractures from the same age range served as a control group (n= 17). Hormones were determined by radioimmunoassay. Subjects with fractures in the neck region of the femur (n=78) were compared to subjects with fractures in the trochantericregion (n=88). Results. Estrone concentration (47.6 ± 5.7 pg/ml.; mean ± SEM) at 3 days postfracture was elevated (p<.OOl) compared to control levels of 20.7 ± 4.6 pglmL. By 2 months, levels had declined to control levels. Androstenedione and the adrenal hor­ mones, DHEAS and cortisol, displayed similar responses. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were not significantly different from the control concentration at 3 days followingfracture, but increased (p<.OOl) during the year followingfracture. Calcitonin concentrations were much higher (p<.OOl) 3 days postfracture (42.1 ± 3.7 pglmL) compared to controls without fracture (9.8 ± 3 pg/ml.), Except for testosterone, no differencescould be attributedto fracture location. Only JYfH, with concentrationshigher in the older age groups (p<.OOl), showed an age-related response. Conclusions. Following hip fracture, there are some dramatic responses in hormones that purportedly are mechanistically important in bone metabolism. These changes include transient increases in steroid hormones, chronic elevations in calcitonin, and rising levels of JYfHduring the year after fracture.
Phytophthora species associated with diseased woody ornamentals in Minnesota nurseries.

Schwingle, B. W., Smith, J. A., and Blanchette, R. A. 2007. Phytophthora species associated with diseased woody ornamentals in Minnesota nurseries. Plant Dis. 91:97-102. Phytophthora species are responsible for causing extensive losses of ornamental plants worldwide. Recent international and national surveys for the detection of P. ramorum have led to the finding of previously undescribed Phytophthora species. Since no previous Phytophthora surveys have been carried out in Minnesota, surveys of ornamental nurseries were performed over 4 years to isolate and identify the Phytophthora species causing diseases of woody plants in Minnesota. Species were identified by direct sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA, β-tub, and mitochondrial coxI genes. Species associated with diseased ornamental plants include P. cactorum, P. cambivora, P. citricola, P. citrophthora, P. hedraiandra, P. megasperma, P. nicotianae, and the previously identified but undescribed taxon P. Pgchlamydo. The most common species encountered were P. cactorum, P. citricola, and P. citrophthora. Two additional isolates obtained did not match known species. One was similar to P. alni subsp. alni, and the other appeared to be a new species and is referred to as P. sp. MN1. In addition, species are reported for the first time from several hosts. Results indicated that several Phytophthora species were more widespread in the nursery industry than previously thought, and undescribed species were causing disease in Minnesota ornamental nurseries.
Prospective Comparative Study to Evaluate the Sonographic Visibility of Five Commercially Available Breast Biopsy Markers

The demand for highly sonographically visible breast biopsy markers is growing as an increasing number of physicians are using sonography for preoperative localization and single-step intraoperative ultrasound-guided excisional procedures. The objective of this study was to directly compare the sonographic visibility of five commercially available breast biopsy site markers. A single-site prospective comparative study was performed with 25 female participants, each assigned to receive one of five biopsy markers. Postdeployment, 6-week, and 12-week follow-up sonographic images were obtained and a survey was e-mailed to members of the Society of Breast Imaging asking them to grade marker visibility on a 1- to 5-point Likert-type scale. At the time of deployment, the SecurMark (Hologic, Bedford, Massachusetts) was rated with the highest sonographic visibility. At both 6 and 12 weeks after deployment, the HydroMARK (Biopsy Sciences, Clearwater, Florida) was found to be the most visible by sonography. The resu...
Sluggish and Brisk Ganglion Cells Detect Contrast With Similar Sensitivity

Roughly half of all ganglion cells in mammalian retina belong to the broad class, termed “sluggish.” Many of these cells have small receptive fields and project via lateral geniculate nuclei to vis...
Dissociable components of short-term memory and their relation to long-term learning

Short-term memory (STM) includes dissociable phonological and semantic components (R.C. Martin, 1993). Previous findings indicate that phonological STM capacity supports learning of novel phonological forms, such as new vocabulary (e.g., Baddeley, Gathercole, & Papagno, 1998). It was hypothesised that semantic STM capacity would support the learning of novel semantic information. Five aphasic patients were tested who demonstrated deficits in the short-term retention of either phonological or semantic information. Four of the five patients demonstrated learning deficits in a paired associate paradigm that corresponded to their STM deficits. One patient with a severe deficit in phonological STM but a better-preserved ability to retain semantic information showed better learning of new semantic information than new phonological information. Three patients with a greater deficit in semantic than phonological STM showed the reverse. A fifth patient with a severe semantic STM deficit failed to show learning for either type of material. Results suggest that the semantic and phonological components of STM are essential for the long-term learning of corresponding representations in long-term memory.
Analysis of electric grid security under terrorist threat

We describe new analytical techniques to help mitigate the disruptions to electric power grids caused by terrorist attacks. New bilevel mathematical models and algorithms identify critical system components (e.g., transmission lines, generators, transformers) by creating maximally disruptive attack plans for terrorists assumed to have limited offensive resources. We report results for standard reliability test networks to show that the techniques identify critical components with modest computational effort.
Novel vector beamformers for EEG source imaging

This paper introduces two novel vector beamforming algorithms, namely the Vector Weight Normalized and Vector Standardized Minimum Variance beamformers, for brain source localization and reconstruction. Our mathematical analysis shows that the Vector Weight Normalized Minimum Variance beamformer (V-WNMVB) is the true vector version of the Synthetic Aperture Magnetoencephalography (SAM). Our Monte-Carlo simulation results with fixed and rotated dipole sources show that the two new vector beamformers give better source localization errors than the existing ones, including SAM, linearly constrained minimum variance beamformer and vector Borgiotti-Kaplan beamformer. Finally, the multiple dipole source simulation studies show that the performance of V-WNMVB is as good as that of SAM, however, it does not require any assumption on the source orientation.