cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Self-Presentation in Entrapment

A variety of social-psychological factors may influence people’s tendency to escalate commitment to a failing course of action. Three such factors were discussed in the preceding chapter: the nature of the opponent, the presence of models, and the effect of group decision making. This chapter is concerned with yet another fundamental social determinant of entrapment—the need to save face.
Task quality optimization in collaborative robotics

This paper addresses commonsense knowledge (CSK) to enhance human-robot collaboration (HRC) in large scale smart manufacturing. As big data in collaborative robotics grows, CSK in useful to achieve task optimization as depicted in our simulation studies and laboratory experiments, extendable to real-world applications.
Electrical Tests for Counterfeit Detection

The two previous chapters have discussed the defects or anomalies that appear in counterfeit components and the physical tests that can be used to detect a subset of these defects. Also highlighted were the limitations of physical tests including their high test time and cost, destructive nature, and limitation to certain defects and certain counterfeit types. Tests such as material analysis and scanning electron or acoustic microscopy require extensive sample preparations, during the course of which the component under test becomes ineligible for further use. Added to the destructive nature, most physical tests are extremely time-consuming and above all, they cannot be used to test the functionality of an IC. Since it is desirable to be able to test as many components as possible, if not all, quick and efficient test methods are required to ensure that ICs pass stringent acceptance tests and that they meet functionality, quality, authenticity and reliability requirements.
Variable persistence of the contagious equine metritis organism in the genital tract of CBAJ, CBAN, LAF1J, BALBc and congenitally thymus-deficient (nude) mice

Abstract Five inbred strains of mice, CBA J , CBA N , LAF1, BALB c and congenitally thymus-deficient nude mice of BALB c background, varied considerably in their susceptibility to the contagious equine metritis organism (CEMO). Whereas all the strains were virtually refractive to vaginal challenge, LAF1 and CBA N mice were readily infected by intra-uterine inoculation. Based on infection rate and nature of the bacteriological response, CBA N mice appeared the more susceptible of the 2 strains. Attempts to transmit CEMO to thymus-deficient nude mice were unsuccessful by both of these routes of challenge and by intraperitoneal inoculation, indicating that host resistance to the causal agent is independent of thymus-mediated immune phenomena. No clinical evidence of infection was observed in any of the experimentally infected mice. Although persistence of CEMO in the female reproductive tract varied widely, it could be isolated from some of the CBA N mice for as long as 19 weeks after challenge by the intra-uterine route. The organism was cultured from the ovaries and/or oviducts of a high percentage of one group of CBA N mice after 50 days, when it could no longer be recovered from the remainder of the genital tract. Limited attempts to achieve venereal transmission of CEMO between culture-positive female and companion male CBA N mice were unsuccessful. The relative susceptibility of the CBA N strain of mice to CEMO would suggest that host resistance to this infection is at least partly dependent on the presence of a fully functional B lymphocyte system. Further studies in this experimental model may elucidate some of the immunological mechanisms underlying development of resistance in the horse, more specifically as they relate to the occurrence of the carrier state in this disease.
Improved survival with coronary bypass surgery in patients with three-vessel coronary disease and abnormal left ventricular function: Matched case-control study in patients with potentially operable disease

Abstract Recent studies have suggested that patients with three-vessel coronary disease and abnormal left ventricular function have better survival rates with bypass surgery than with medical therapy alone. Case-control studies may give accurate survival estimates, but to be valid, selection biases must be taken into account. A matched case-control method was used to compare survival patterns in patients treated medically or surgically during the 1980s. Fifty medical patients with potentially operable coronary disease and 46 surgical patients were matched for significant three-vessel disease and abnormal ventricular function. These two groups had no significant differences with regard to 24 variables, including age (64 ± 8 versus 63 ± 10 years), chest pain class, congestive heart failure signs, ejection fraction (36 ± 8 versus 37 ± 9 percent), segmental wall score, or a coronary score evaluating lesion site and severity. There were slight differences between the two groups with regard to congestive heart failure symptoms (p = 0.04). Patients undergoing bypass surgery had improved four-year survival rates compared with the medical group (89 versus 55 percent; p=0.01). Thus, this study used an effective case-control method to suggest that, in the 1980s, coronary surgery improves prognosis substantially in surgically approachable patients with severe coronary disease and ventricular dysfunction.
Randomized detection for spread-spectrum watermarking: defending against sensitivity and other attacks [image watermarking applications]

Spread spectrum (SS) has been a well-studied technique in signal processing. As a tool for watermarking in an adversarial context, however, this methodology needs caution and new variations. We suggest SS variants where the detection rule is randomized in the sense of having the watermark detector use secret coin flips to choose subsets of the watermarked data and perform correlation tests. We then form a pool of such estimates and pick the median value. We study the effect of such detection methods on sensitivity and estimation attacks, which suggest that randomization is a necessary tool to prevent these types of potentially debilitating adversarial methodologies. We also present other schemes for improving the robustness of SS methods, along with experimental results. Though we recognize the limitations of SS in the face of adversarial attacks, our methods attempt to maximize the potential of SS watermarking in such scenarios.
Acute and chronic effects of carotid body denervation on ventilation and chemoreflexes in three rat strains.

Brown Norway (BN) rats have a relatively specific deficit in CO2 sensitivity. This deficit could be due to an abnormally weak carotid body contribution to CO2 sensitivity. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that CBD would have less of an effect on eupnoeic breathing and CO2 sensitivity in the BN rats compared to other rat strains.We measured ventilation and blood gases at rest (eupnoea) and during hypoxia (FIO2 =0.12) or hypercapnia (FICO2 =0.07) before and up to 23 days after bilateral or Sham CBD in BN, Sprague–Dawley (SD) and Dahl Salt-Sensitive (SS) rats. In all three rat strains, CBD elicited eupnoeic hypoventilation (PaCO2 +8.7–11.0 mmHg) 1–2 days post-CBD (P 0.05). In contrast, CBD had no effect on CO2 sensitivity (˙VE/PaCO2) in all strains (P>0.05). Eupnoeic PaCO2 returned to pre-CBD values within 15–23 days post-CBD. Thus, the effects of CBD in rats (1) further support an important role for the carotid bodies in eupnoeic blood gas regulation, (2) suggest that the carotid bodies are not a major determinant of CO2 sensitivity in rats, and (3) may not support the concept of an interaction among the peripheral and central chemoreceptors in rats.
Neural darwinism and a conceptual crisis in psychoanalysis.

The idea of memory as a retranscription is central to a theory of the therapeutic action of psychoanalysis, and through the retranscription of memory, the present can alter the past. This chapter describes neural Darwinism and a conceptual crisis in psychoanalysis. One of the means through which psychoanalysis alleviates psychic pain is the recreation of old traumatic experiences within the context of the new relationship with the analyst in current time. In the chapter, the term “affect” is used for what is ordinarily referred to as feelings. It is necessary to include affects in the sequence between value, consciousness, and meaning, inasmuch as affects are the internal value-generated signals that ensure survival, because affects can be thought of as amplifiers of value. This loss of contact with the deeper structures of the self can be observed in its most severe form in the so-called borderline case—a very severe personality disturbance on the border between neurosis and psychosis. Moreover, total dissociation from the deep structures of the self is an unparalleled psychic catastrophe, because one loses contact with this inner core of the self—there is an inability to attribute meaning to experience.
The foreign born in the American healthcare workforce: Trends in this century’s first decade

This study describes the native and foreign born in US healthcare in the first decade of this century. Immigrant women are more likely than natives to be employed in long term care where they are most concentrated among professional practitioners and lesser skilled direct care workers. The foreign born are similar to natives in their average age, education and the dominance of women. They differ in being more likely to reside in metropolitan areas and in central cities. The foreign born earn more than natives and this appears to be both significant and inexplicable by way of differences in experience or education.
Real Arrow-Securities for All: Just and Efficient Insurance Through Macro-Hedging

As a new hurricane season opened in June of 2006, it emerged that a number of online gaming sites were offering bettors the opportunity to wager on whether New Orleans might suffer another Katrina calamity. Commentators condemned the announced practice with howls of disgust, labeling it both tasteless and heartless. Perhaps they were right. All I could think about as one who grew up in New Orleans, however, was how risk pools might hereby be broadened to include all the world’s bettors. We shouldn’t condemn these people, we should use them – while requiring that they maintain margin accounts at their betting sites. For to bet on an event’s happening is a way to insure against it, and there are currently more things we’re able to bet on than to purchase ordinary insurance policies against. This essay elaborates and draws consequences from that observation. In a manner I hope is more concretely appreciable and intuitively graspable than in more technical work I did some years back, I work to show that we have it within our power to spread risks both more justly and more efficiently than we do now – in effect by designing new hedging instruments suitable for “ordinary Janes and Joes.” In this sense the essay amounts to a contribution to the project of “democratizing” finance. Working along such lines now seems particularly worthwhile, as more and more people below the tops of our income and wealth distributions face more and more uninsurable risks – both to labor incomes and to that one form of wealth which they hold when they hold anything more than mere “human capital” – namely, their homes.
Neonatal Phosphate Nutrition Alters in Vivo and in Vitro Satellite Cell Activity in Pigs

Satellite cell activity is necessary for postnatal skeletal muscle growth. Severe phosphate (PO4) deficiency can alter satellite cell activity, however the role of neonatal PO4 nutrition on satellite cell biology remains obscure. Twenty-one piglets (1 day of age, 1.8 ± 0.2 kg BW) were pair-fed liquid diets that were either PO4 adequate (0.9% total P), supra-adequate (1.2% total P) in PO4 requirement or deficient (0.7% total P) in PO4 content for 12 days. Body weight was recorded daily and blood samples collected every 6 days. At day 12, pigs were orally dosed with BrdU and 12 h later, satellite cells were isolated. Satellite cells were also cultured in vitro for 7 days to determine if PO4 nutrition alters their ability to proceed through their myogenic lineage. Dietary PO4 deficiency resulted in reduced (P < 0.05) sera PO4 and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations, while supra-adequate dietary PO4 improved (P < 0.05) feed conversion efficiency as compared to the PO4 adequate group. In vivo satellite cell proliferation was reduced (P < 0.05) among the PO4 deficient pigs, and these cells had altered in vitro expression of markers of myogenic progression. Further work to better understand early nutritional programming of satellite cells and the potential benefits of emphasizing early PO4 nutrition for future lean growth potential is warranted.
Safety in numbers.

Patient Safety Leading Article Series, 2004. Continuing BJS's 2004 series on patient safety, Murray Brennan of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center considers the effects of specialisation and surgical volume, from the viewpoint of both the surgeon and the institution. The numbers are interesting—and informative—but the whole picture is far from simple and the future is far from clear. Copyright © 2004 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Supraglottic Airway Device Use as a Primary Airway During Rapid Sequence Intubation

Abstract Introduction This study compared first-attempt placement success rates of the King LTS-D as a primary airway for patients requiring medication-assisted airway management (MAAM) against historical controls. Setting Rotor-wing division of a single critical care transportation company Methods 53 providers (RNs/EMT-P) consented to participation and were trained in the use of the King LTS-D. All patients in need of MAAM per agency treatment guidelines were screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria. After each placement attempt, providers completed data collection via telephone. The primary endpoint was comparison of first-attempt placement success rate between the King LTS-D and historical control endotracheal intubation (ETI) MAAM patients. Overall placement success, time to placement, pre- and post-placement SaO 2 , ETCO 2 at 2 minutes after placement, and complications were also analyzed. Results 38 patients received rapid sequence intubation with the King LTS-D by 23 of 58 consented providers. First-attempt success rate was 76% (29/38), with an overall success rate of 84% (32/38). The primary endpoint analysis showed no difference in first-attempt success rate between historical control ETI MAAM data and King LTS-D (71% vs 76%; OR=0.1.34 [95% CI Intubation time to insertion was 26 seconds (IQR = 12–46). Pre- and post-insertion SaO 1 2 values were 88.9 ± 12.6% and 92.1 ± 12.7%, respectively. Mean ETCO 2 at 2 minutes after placement was 34.8 ± 4.0. Vomit in the patient's airway was the most frequently reported complication (46%). Conclusion Success rates with the King LTS-D were not significantly different from historical control ETI data. Time to placement was comparable to previous reports.
Soft-input soft-output linear programming decoding for spread spectrum underwater acoustic communications

This paper presents the soft-input soft-output (SISO) linear programming (LP) decoder. It is shown that the soft information gleaned from a pseudo-codeword solution to the LP optimization is not only useful, but that it can be used to form a superior channel estimate compared to the output from a SISO belief propagation (BP) decoder in certain situations.
Autologous transplantation of CD133 selected hematopoietic progenitor cells for treatment of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia

A 21-year-old white male with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) developed an invasive Zygomycosis infection 3 weeks after beginning re-induction chemotherapy. Because of the high risk of fatal recurrence of the fungal infection, neither long-term maintenance chemotherapy nor allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) was considered appropriate. Because his ALL blasts expressed CD34 but lacked CD133, he received a CD133 selected autologous graft following high-dose consolidation chemotherapy. The patient survives in remission 19 months after HSCT.
Application of the microbond technique: Effects of hygrothermal exposure on carbon-fiber/epoxy interfaces☆

Abstract The authors have used the microbond technique to study the effect of hygrothermal exposure on carbon-fiber/epoxy microcomposites. Immersion of T300/Epon 828 or AS4/Epon 828 composites in water at 80°C for several hours resulted in lower interfacial shear strengths for both materials within the first hour of exposure. After 6 h in hot water, the interfacial shear strength of T300/Epon 828 samples was reduced by 41% while the AS4/Epon 828 samples suffered a loss of 20% in interfacial strength. The frictional component of the sheared droplet sliding along the fiber after debonding was twice its original value for AS4/Epon 828 composites while the frictional component of T300/Epon 828 fibers tripled for the same exposure to hot/wet conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated little change in the concentration of functional surface groups on the fibers following hygrothermal exposure. The diminution in shear strength is probably related to plasticization of the resin by water as well as reduction in mechanical interlocking pressures arising from thermal expansion mismatching of the fiber and matrix.
Acute and chronic morphine treatment and the hydroxylation of (1-14C)-L-tyrosine in the mouse brain.

Tyrosine hydroxylase activity in slices of caudate nucleus was increased by morphine (100 mg/kg i.p.) administered to naive mice. During chronic treatment with morphine tolerance developed to this effect and 36 h after the final chronic morphine injection there was a decrease in enzyme activity in this area. There was no change in tyrosine hydroxylase activity in slices of diencephalon, brainstem or parietal cortex from either naive or morphine tolerant mice. There- fore, changes in tyrosine hydroxylase activity, measured in vitro, could account for the changes in dopamine synthesis, but not noradrenaline synthesis, produced by morphine in vivo.
Synthesis of bimetallic carbonyl complexes of manganese, rhodium, and ruthenium from 1,4-bis(cyclopentadienylthallium)-1,4-butadione

Abstract 1,4-Bis(cyclopentadienylsodium)-1,4-butadione was prepared from reaction of sodium cyclopentadienide and diethylsuccinate and converted into its thallium analog by metal exchange using thallium ethoxide. Reaction of the thallium reagent with BrMn(CO) 5 yielded 1,4-bis(cymantrenyl)-1,4-butadione, while reaction with [ClRh(CO) 2 ] 2 gave both a bis(cyclopentadienylrhodiumdicarbonyl) complex and a small amount of a bis(cyclopentadienylrhodiumcarbonyl)-μ-carbonyl species. This latter material was found to undergo slow exchange on the NMR time scale which is believed to involve a side-to-side movement of both the μ-carbonyl and interring bridge. A complete variable temperature analysis of this motion was carried out. Reaction of the thallium reagent with [Cl 2 Ru(CO) 3 ] 2 resulted in the formation of a bis(cyclopentadienylrutheniumdicarbonyl) complex and small quantities of two other materials which have not yet been characterized. With the exception of these last two, all transition metal compounds have been fully characterized with Ir, 1 H and 13 C NMR, mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis.
Second-order asymptotic theory for calibration estimators in sampling and missing-data problems

Abstract Consider three different but related problems with auxiliary information: infinite population sampling or Monte Carlo with control variates, missing response with explanatory variables, and Poisson and rejective sampling with auxiliary variables. We demonstrate unified regression and likelihood estimators and study their second-order properties. The likelihood estimators are second-order unbiased but the regression estimators are not. For the missing-data problem and survey sampling, no estimator studied always has the smallest second-order variance even after bias correction. However, the calibrated likelihood estimator and bias-corrected, calibrated regression estimator are second-order more efficient than other bias-corrected estimators if a linear model holds for the conditional expectation of the response or study variable given explanatory or auxiliary variables.
Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Poly(para-phenyleneethynylene)s

Abstract For the first time, MALDI-TOF MS was utilized for the determination of the structures of four partially soluble poly(p-phenyleneethynylene)s (PPEs) used to disperse single-walled carbon nanotubes in polymers. The spectra obtained indicated that the synthesis of the PPEs resulted in the formation of a co-oligomer with two different repeat groups. Various methods were employed to obtain an optimum spectrum. The evaporation-grinding sample preparation method (E-G method) combined with dithranol as matrix and KTFA as cationizing agent appeared to be the best method for obtaining a MALDI-TOF MS spectrum. AgTFA was the most effective cationizing agent for one sample that contained a high carbon-to-oxygen ratio.
Mesolimbic 7-OH-DPAT affects locomotor activities in rats.

Abstract This study tested the hypotheses that the dopamine D3 receptor is both an autoreceptor and a postsynaptic receptor and has an affinity for dopamine at the nanomolar level. The effect of bilateral microinjections of a dopamine D3-like agonist, 7-OH-DPAT, into the nucleus accumbens and into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) was tested with rats in activity monitors. Horizontal movement, rearing, and stereotypy times in seconds were automatically measured during 12 consecutive 10-min time blocks. Intraaccumbens 7-OH-DPAT (0.0001–10.0 μg/side) resulted in a highly significant dose by time block interactions. The dose of 0.0001 μg/side resulted in the potentiation of horizontal movement time during the time blocks 10–40 min; whereas, 0.001–1.0 μg/side potentiated locomotion during the early blocks following the 10-min interval. However, 10.0 μg/side resulted in a biphasic effect, attenuation followed by potentiation. 7-OH-DPAT (0.0001–1.0μg/ side) potentiated rearing time in the early time blocks and (0.001–10.0μg/side) attenuated stereotypy time during the first 20 min time blocks. On the other hand, intra-VTA 7-OH-DPAT (10.0 μg/side) attenuated horizontal movement time during the first 20-min time blocks and (0.01 and 0.0001 μg/side) potentiated movement time at the 20-min time block. Intraventral tegmental area 7-OH-DPAT had no effects on rearing and stereotypy times. These data support the hypothesis that the D3 receptor has an affinity for dopamine at the nanomolar level and question the hypothesis that the D3 receptors are both autoreceptors and postsynaptic receptors.
763-1 Assessment of Left Ventricular Function by Circumferential Stress-Midwall Shortening Relations in Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Echocardiographic stress endocardial shortening relations provide estimates of LV contractility that do not uniformly detect myocardial dysfunction in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Recently it has become apparent that midwall (mid) fractional shortening and circumferential (c) end-systolic stress (ESS) provide the most appropriate paired afterload and function measures. Both meridional (m) and cESS were related to both endocardial (e) FS and midFS in 42 patients with DCM (98% dead during follow-up; eFS = 4% in the survivor) and in 140 normals. Eight patients (19%) fell into the 95% confidence interval of the normal relation of eFS to mESS (top panel), 14% had apparently normal midFS-mESS relations but midFS was depressed in relation to cESS in 100% of patients (lower panel). Thus, (1) use of cESS-shortening relations improves the ability to identify patients with depressed LV function; (2) use of midFS or eFS are equivalent in DCM with LV dilatation and wall thinning. Download : Download high-res image (2MB) Download : Download full-size image
Exact solution of a realistic model for two-photon ionization

A realistic model for resonant two-photon ionization of an atom is developed which can be solved exactly to give the ionization probability as a function of time, photon intensity, and a few atomic parameters. The exact solutions are compared to various commonly used perturbation results in order to ascertain the regions of validity of the perturbation calculations. It is shown that there are combinations of the parameters for which ionization rates cannot accurately describe the correct results, and that one commonly used perturbation development is not generally applicable to resonant two-photon ionization. Extension of the model to $(n+m)$-photon ionization having an $m$-photon resonance is discussed. The model is applied to two- and three-photon ionization in Cs.
Hypothalamic apolipoprotein A-IV is regulated by leptin.

Apolipoprotein A-IV (apo A-IV) is a satiety factor involved in the control of food intake and body weight. Our previous studies demonstrated that apo A-IV is present in areas of the hypothalamus where leptin acts to influence energy homeostasis. In the present studies, we found that leptin-deficient obese (ob/ob) mice have significantly reduced hypothalamic apo A-IV mRNA levels. Intragastric infusion of a lipid emulsion significantly stimulated hypothalamic apo A-IV gene expression in lean controls but not in ob/ob mice. Daily ip administration of leptin (3 μg/g) for 5 d significantly increased hypothalamic apo A-IV mRNA levels of ob/ob mice relative to pair-fed controls. In addition, centrally administered leptin raised the reduced apo A-IV gene expression induced by fasting. Using immunohistochemistry, we demonstrated that apo A-IV is present in leptin-sensitive phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (pSTAT3)-positive cells of the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. Knockdown...
Electromagnetic jets from compact objects

The possibility that at least some astrophysical jets are initially electromagnetic in origin is examined. Subsequent pick-up of ionization would convert such electromagnetic jets into hydrodynamic jets. In such a model, relativistic outflow is formed into highly collimated beams simply through the interaction with the surrounding medium. Forming jets under such general circumstances is encouraging in view of the range of scales that appear to be involved. The overall properties of such jets are largely determined by a single dimensionless parameter: the characteristic electrostatic potential drop rewritten as a particle Lorentz factor. Consequently, the determination of any one observable, such as the total power output, also determines the particle energy scale, the electromagnetic field strengths, etc.
Lack of effects of continuous positive airway pressure on vagal control of breathing in term and preterm newborn lambs.

Lack of Effects of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Vagal Control of Breathing in Term and Preterm Newborn Lambs
Control software for the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous laser rangefinder

The near earth asteroid rendezvous (NEAR) laser rangefinder (NLR), an instrument on the NEAR spacecraft, was designed to measure range from the NEAR spacecraft to the surface of the asteroid 433 EROS. The instrument consists of a laser transmitter, a calibration fiber, an optical receiver, analog electronics, power converting and conditioning electronics, and a digital processing unit. The digital processing unit controls configuration and operation of the transmitter and analog electronics. Software running in the processor handles communication between the spacecraft data bus and the NLR. The software includes functions for command handling, telemetry data formatting and data transfer to the command and data handling computer, transmitter control, measurement of the receiver noise floor, and correction of some timing delays. A brief overview of the software is given along with descriptions of auto-calibration sequences and test results.
Nonlinear absorption and refraction of linearly polarized nanosecond laser radiation by liquid crystals in the transient regime

This work aims at understanding how the liquid crystal device geometry affects its transient nonlinear response to 6-9 ns laser radiation, 10-Hz repetition rate. Results reported here are from Z-scan measurements at 0.532-micrometers laser wavelength of two pure liquid crystals with 'rod-like' molecules of similar chemical composition, but distinguished by conformal differences, i.e., 5CB and chiral CB15.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Further characterization and N-terminal sequence of cobra venom phospholipase A2

N-terminal amino acid sequence data on cobra venom phospholipase A2 (Naja naja naja) demonstrate the absence of histidine at positions 10 and 20, in contrast to most other Naja enzymes. The presence of three tryptophans was demonstrated by p-toluenesulfonic acid hydrolysis, and the location of two of these at positions 18 and 19 parallels other Naja phospholipase A2 sequences. Based on the amino acid composition of the enzyme, the theoretical E278 0.1% should be 2.2, which is consistent with dry weight determinations, refractometry and amino acid analysis. Unusually high reactivity of the enzyme toward the protein assay of Lowry et al. gives an erroneously low E278 0.1% value of 1.45 when compared to bovine serum serum albumin as a protein standard. Using an E278 0.1% of 2.2, this enzyme is inactivated by the active site reagent p-bromophenacyl bromide with a stoichiometry of 1 mol reagent per mol enzyme. Chromatography on Affi-Gel Blue provides further purification of this phospholipase A2.
Susceptibility of Bordetella pertussis to five quinolone antimicrobic drugs.

Abstract Five quinolone antimicrobic agents were tested to determine the mean inhibitory concentration (MIC) of each of 17 clinical strains of Bordetella pertussis by the agar dilution method. Ciprofloxacin demonstrated the best in vitro activity with an MIC 90 of 0.06 μg/ml. Norfloxacin, ofloxacin and enoxacin were also highly active with MIC 90 s of 0.25, 0.25, and 0.5, respectively. Cinoxacin was only moderately active (MIC 90 4.0 μg/ml).
Design of FSMA spring actuators

A new spring actuator composing of two parts: driving unit and ferromagnetic shape memory alloy (FSMA) spring, is designed based on hybrid actuation mechanism. The driving unit, which is based on hybrid magnet, consists of coil, yoke, and ring shape permanent magnet (PM); the FSMA spring can be either composite material, which is made of shape memory alloy of superelastic grade, and soft ferromagnetic material, or FSMAs such as FePd. In this design, driving units are inserted in between ferromagnetic springs. This will provide the actuator with larger force and stroke. FEM analysis under axis symmetric model has been used to optimize the driving components. According to the numerical results, the iron blocks, both on the top and the bottom, can provide larger magnetic forces facing downwards and upwards respectively due to the gradient of magnetic flux density. Advantages of this design are simple, robust, and compact yet providing relatively large force (20N) and stroke (30mm).
Segmental Relaxation Characteristics of Cross-Linked Poly(ethylene oxide) Copolymer Networks

The segmental relaxation characteristics of UV cross-linked networks based on poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate [PEGDA] copolymerized with either poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate [PEGMEA] or poly(ethylene glycol) acrylate [PEGA] were investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis. The molecular weights of the PEGDA cross-linker and acrylate comonomers were selected to obtain rubbery, amorphous membrane materials with constant ethylene oxide content. The introduction of PEGMEA or PEGA in the reaction mixture was used to control cross-link density and led to the insertion of flexible oligomeric branches within the resulting networks. For both copolymer series, the introduction of acrylate comonomer led to a decrease in glass transition temperature (Tg) and a systematic reduction in cross-link density; the downward shift in Tg was much more pronounced for the PEGDA/PEGMEA copolymers. Time−temperature superposition was used to construct modulus master curves across the glass transition, and these co...
Considerations on unsupervised spectral data unmixing and complexity pursuit

Hyperspectral sensors carry the distinctive advantage of recording hundreds of contiguous spectral images for the same scene providing an extraordinary amount of information that leads to precise differentiation of materials present in the scene even when such materials contribute only to few pixels [1]. With the advent of more and more powerful sensing platforms, coupled with reduction in manufacturing costs and diversification of technologies, hyperspectral imaging has become a powerful approach in remote sensing with applications spanning all traditional fields (such as agriculture, mining, military, resource management, etc.) as well as new ones (manufacturing quality control, pollution detection, health and life sciences, food safety etc.)
Computational Estimates of Fluoride Affinity of Boron-Based Anion Receptors

Coin cells were prepared using a metallic lithium anode, a Li4Ti5O12 cathode, and a 1.2 M LiPF6/ethylene carbonate:ethyl methyl carbonate (30:70 wt %) electrolyte. The cells were cycled galvanostatically between 1 and 2 V vs Li/Li+ (i=2.0 mA/cm2) at a 2C rate. After a specific number of cycles, the cells were disassembled and the morphology of the lithium anode was characterized using scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that the surface morphology of the lithium metal electrode transitioned from a flat and smooth morphology to a microscopically rugged structure that shows three distinct layers: a top dendritic layer, an intermediate porous layer, and a residual metallic lithium layer. Morphological and electrochemical evidence points to the depletion of the electrolyte and the active metallic lithium that reacted to produce the porous layer as the most likely cause of cell failure under the conditions studied.
Unmasking of Spiral Ganglion Neuron Firing Dynamics by Membrane Potential and Neurotrophin-3

Type I spiral ganglion neurons have a unique role relative to other sensory afferents because, as a single population, they must convey the richness, complexity, and precision of auditory information as they shape signals transmitted to the brain. To understand better the sophistication of spiral ganglion response properties, we compared somatic whole-cell current-clamp recordings from basal and apical neurons obtained during the first 2 postnatal weeks from CBA/CaJ mice. We found that during this developmental time period neuron response properties changed from uniformly excitable to differentially plastic. Low-frequency, apical and high-frequency basal neurons at postnatal day 1 (P1)–P3 were predominantly slowly accommodating (SA), firing at low thresholds with little alteration in accommodation response mode induced by changes in resting membrane potential (RMP) or added neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). In contrast, P10–P14 apical and basal neurons were predominately rapidly accommodating (RA), had higher firing thresholds, and responded to elevation of RMP and added NT-3 by transitioning to the SA category without affecting the instantaneous firing rate. Therefore, older neurons appeared to be uniformly less excitable under baseline conditions yet displayed a previously unrecognized capacity to change response modes dynamically within a remarkably stable accommodation framework. Because the soma is interposed in the signal conduction pathway, these specializations can potentially lead to shaping and filtering of the transmitted signal. These results suggest that spiral ganglion neurons possess electrophysiological mechanisms that enable them to adapt their response properties to the characteristics of incoming stimuli and thus have the capacity to encode a wide spectrum of auditory information.
Stress-induced hyperglycemia.

Stress-induced hyperglycemia is a common problem in patients admitted to the ICU, even when glucose homeostasis has previously been normal. Hyperglycemia is a near-universal finding in diabetic persons suffering catabolic illnesses and may worsen prognosis, although this possibility is controversial. The presence of hyperglycemia is associated with an increased risk of infectious complications in surgical patients, and indirect evidence indicates that maintenance of euglycemia can reduce the risk of infection. The causes of stress hyperglycemia include the presence of excessive counterregulatory hormones (glucagon, growth hormone, catecholamine, and glucocorticoid, either endogenous or exogenous), high circulating or tissue levels of cytokine (in particular tumor necrosis factor-α [TNα] and interleukin-1). This metabolic milieu results in failure of insulin to suppress hepatic gluconeogenesis despite hyperglycemia; in addition, insulin-mediated glucose uptake into skeletal muscle is impaired. Patients given excessive nutritional support, especially by the intravenous route, are particularly likely to encounter hyperglycemia. Insulin remains the obvious treatment for hyperglycemia, although evidence documenting the clinical benefit of aggressive insulin therapy in the ICU is sparse.
Nuclear cluster motion in a deformed harmonic oscillator potential

Abstract A general formula for the Talmi coefficients for two particles of unequal masses in an axially symmetric oscillator potential is derived. As an example, a wave function describing an alpha cluster in such a deformed potential is expanded, by means of these coefficients, in terms of single-particle oscillator wave functions.
Long-term Retention of Smoking Cessation Counseling Skills Learned in the First Year of Medical School

Background Tobacco use is a significant cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States, yet clinicians underutilize smoking cessation counseling. Medical schools are increasingly including training for smoking cessation skills in preclinical curricula. Information about long-term retention of these skills is needed.
Aortic augmentation index is inversely associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in men without known coronary heart disease.

Background We investigated whether the aortic augmentation index (AIx), a measure of arterial wave reflection and stiffness, is associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in men without known coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods Asymptomatic men ( n = 201, mean age 51 ± 9.2 years) referred for a screening exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) underwent applanation tonometry to obtain radial artery pulse waveforms, and an ascending aortic pressure waveform was derived by a transfer function. The AIx is the difference between the first and second systolic peak of the ascending aortic pressure waveform, expressed as a percentage of the pulse pressure. Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed by maximal oxygen consumption (VO 2 max mL/min/kg) during a symptom-limited graded exercise test. Multivariable regression analyses were used to identify significant independent determinants of AIx and of VO 2 max . Results Diabetes was present in 2.5% of subjects, 34.8% had history of smoking, and 29% were hypertensive. Mean (± SD) AIx was 19.9% ± 9.0% and mean VO 2 max was 33.9 ± 6.4 mL/min/kg. In a multivariable linear regression model, AIx was positively associated with age, hypertension, and history of smoking and inversely with heart rate, height, and body mass index (BMI). The VO 2 max was significantly inversely related to AIx after adjustment for age, heart rate, height, and BMI ( r = −0.22, P = .002), after further adjustment for CHD risk factors (total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, history of smoking, diabetes, hypertension) ( P = .006), and after additional adjustment for behavioral factors (physical activity score, alcohol intake, and percent body fat) ( P = .022). Conclusions These findings indicate that AIx, a measure of arterial wave reflection and stiffness, is inversely associated with cardiorespiratory fitness in men without CHD.
Helium isotopic variations in volcanic rocks from Loihi Seamount and the Island of Hawaii

Helium isotopic ratios ranging from 20 to 32 times the atmospheric 3He/4He(RA) have been observed in a suite of 15 basaltic glasses from the Loihi Seamount. These ratios, which are up to four times higher than those of MORB glasses and more than twice those of nearby Kilauea, are strongly suggestive of a primitive source of volatiles supplying this volcanism. The Loihi glasses measured span a broad compositional range, and the 3He/4He ratios were found to be generally lower for the alkali basalts than for the tholeiites. The component with a lower 3He/4He ratio appears to be associated with olivine xenocrysts, within which fluid inclusions are probably the carrier of contaminant helium. One Loihi sample has a much lower isotopic ratio (<5 RA), but a combination of low He concentration, high vesicularity, and presence of cracks lined with clay minerals suggests that the low ratio is due to gas loss and contamination by atmospheric helium. Crushing and melting experiments show that for modest vesicularities (<5% by volume) the Loihi glasses obey a MORB-type partitioning trend, but at higher vesicularities the data show considerably more scatter due to volatile mobilization. The high vesicularities, low extrusion pressure and generally low helium concentrations are consistent with a considerable degree of degassing. Analyses of dunites, plus a correlation between total helium concentrations with xenocryst abundances also suggest that xenocrysts are a significant carrier of contaminating (low 3He/4He) helium. 3He/4He ratios from samples of other Hawaiian volcanoes (Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Hualalai, and Mauna Kea) show a smooth decrease in 3He/4He with increasing volcano age and volume. We interpret this to be a synoptic picture of the time evolution of a hot-spot diapir: the earliest stage is characterized by primitive (> 30 RA) helium with some (variable) component of lithospheric contamination added during “breakthrough”, while the later stages are characterized by a relaxation toward lithospheric 3He/4He ratios (∼ 8 RA) due to isolation of the diapir from the mantle below (as the plate moves on), and subsequent mining of the inherited helium and contamination from the surrounding lithosphere. The abrupt contrast in 3He/4He ratios between Kilauea and Loihi, despite their close proximity, is indicative of the small lateral extent of the plume.
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN OSTRICH, STRUTHIO CAMELUS AUSTRALIS

(1966). SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN OSTRICH, STRUTHIO CAMELUS AUSTRALIS. Ostrich: Vol. 37, No. sup1, pp. 183-191.
Innovation adoption as facilitated by a change-oriented workplace

One of the unique contributions of this study is a glimpse into the process by which counselors decide to try new innovations in their clinical work. Data were collected from 421 counseling staff from 71 outpatient treatment programs in 4 U.S. regions. Using hierarchical linear modeling, results reveal that the propensity to adopt workshop-based interventions is facilitated by two important mechanisms: (a) an innovative organization with creative leadership and (b) change-oriented staff attributes (i.e., seeking professional growth, efficacy, adaptability, and influence on others). Innovative leaders and a climate receptive to change also bolster the development of these change-oriented attributes. One implication of these findings is the cascading effect of leaders' support of innovative thinking and action resulting in employees strengthening their own adaptive skills and carrying this innovative thinking into individual adoption.
Forecasting Components of Consumption with Components of Consumer Sentiment

We present new evidence that existing, but long-ignored, measures of consumer sentiment can reduce errors in forecasting total consumption expenditures and its components. The component questions of the aggregate Index of Consumer sentiment improve forecasts, not only of consumer expenditures on durables but also on non-durables and services. Empirical studies have historically focused on whether consumer sentiment improves one-quarterahead forecasts of consumer expenditures. In fact, we document that measures of consumer sentiment are especially predictive at the longer, four-quarter-ahead horizon. In addition, they typically contribute at least as much to one-quarter-ahead and four-quarter-ahead forecasts of consumption as do income and wealth variables. Out-ofsample forecasts for the 2000-2005 period further substantiate that measures of consumer sentiment can reduce consumption forecasting errors appreciably.
Squeeze Flow Study of a Colloidal Paste

Crucial to the development and characterization of thermal interface materials (TIMs) is an understanding of the squeeze flow process that is commonly used to form thin bond layers in micro-electronic assemblies. A single model TIM, a dense, fairly monomodal suspension of submicron alumina particles suspended in a silicone-based resin, is first characterized as a Bingham fluid using a parallel disk rotational viscometer. Next, the model TIM is squeezed from ∼1 mm initial thickness to ∼.01 mm limiting thickness under nominally constant applied load (68 to 345 kPa) between 20 mm diameter aluminum plates in an axial compression test apparatus (the type commonly used for materials testing). The test plates are flat (∼10 μm flatness deviation over the plate) and smooth (Ra ∼ 20 nm), and are fixed in the test column with epoxy for optimum parallelism. Bond layer thickness is estimated using the LVDT built into the compression tester. The thickness measurement resolution is limited by LVDT noise of 10–20 microns. Squeezing forces are well above the ∼.02 N noise level of the 100 N load cell. Of the test system compliance, inertia, and friction, only the compliance is significant to our testing, and is corrected for. Squeeze flow tests of Newtonian standards are used to qualify the test process. In the case of the model paste, Bingham fluid model parameters from rotational viscometry are used in a lubrication model of squeeze flow that shows good agreement with the measured gap vs. time behavior during squeezing. Improved agreement is obtained by including plate flatness deviation and time-dependent force in the lubrication model. Parallel disk viscometry and squeeze flow testing of the base resin of the model TIM shows Newtonian behavior.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Victims of Community Violence and HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors Among African American Adolescent Males

ABSTRACT Objectives: This study examined the relationship between community violence and HIV sexual risk behaviors among African American adolescent males. Methods: A sample of 120 male high-school students completed a survey, which included questions on demographics, community violence, social network, self-efficacy and HIV risk assessment. Results: Of the total sample, more than half (55.8%, n = 67) experienced being robbed or mugged and almost a quarter (22.5%, n = 27) indicated they were forced by another person to have sexual contact before age 13. Two thirds (65.8%, n = 79) engaged in one or more HIV risk behaviors in the last 12 months (i.e., sex without condoms, sex after drug use, sex with concurrent partners and tested positive for STDs). Multivariate analyses confirmed that males who were victims of community violence were more likely than their counterparts to engage in HIV sexual risk behaviors. These findings have critical implications for HIV prevention among African American adolescent males.