cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Miscibility and crystallization of semicrystalline nylon 6 and amorphous nylon 6IcoT blends

Abstract Injection-moulded semicrystalline nylon 6 and amorphous nylon 6IcoT blends were homogeneous (single glass transition, T g ) but metastable. Annealing above T g ) increased crystallinity and induced phase separation probably due to crystallization and differences in polymer stiffness and spatial geometry. Crystallization of the nylon 6 component was greater than that of the pure nylon 6 in some blends since dilution with nylon 6IcoT would have decreased the number of tie molecules and increased the mobility of nylon 6 molecules. Microcrystals formed during annealing and their melting temperature and melting energy depended on composition. There was no evidence for significant transamidization between nylon 6 and nylon 6IcoT during injection moulding and annealing.
A different perspective on the radiologist's involvement in management.

The article in this issue titled "Changing Roles: The Radiologist in Management" very nicely explores the opportunities for radiologists to become more involved in the management of the hospital departments in which they work (1). This commentary will attempt to address a number of related issues raised by that article. In their article, Dr Siegle and Mr Nelsen describe, as one of the primary changes made at their hospital, the empowering of section chiefs to supervise directly the hospital staff in their sections. Certainly the section chiefs are in the ideal position to manage the affairs in their section, and the day-to-day oversight of the section activities should be under their direction. However, the tasks of hiring, firing, and direct supervision are a different matter. Who is best equipped to supervise the technologists? Are section chiefs or dedicated supervisors the correct answer? Siegle and Nelsen report the transition of supervisory tasks from lead technologists to the section chiefs. To be effective, supervisors of hospital personnel must be trained in personnel affairs, must keep abreast of hospital policies, must devote substantial attention to training and mentoring staff, and must participate in hospital committees and other activities dealing with personnel. To be respected and to understand the tasks under their direction, supervisors should have a number of years of experience with the skills required for their employees. A new technologist in general radiology needs to be taught positioning, radiographic technique, departmental
Estimation and inference in functional single-index models

We propose a functional single-index model (FSiM) to study the link between a scalar response variable and multiple functional predictors, in which the mean of the response is related to the linear predictors via an unknown link function. The FSiM serves as a good tool for dimension reduction in regression with multiple predictors and it is more flexible than functional linear models. Assuming that the functional predictors are observed at discrete points, we use B-spline basis functions to estimate the slope functions and the link function based on the least-squares criterion, and propose an iterative estimating procedure. Moreover, we provide uniform convergence rates of the proposed spline estimators in the FSiM, and construct asymptotic simultaneous confidence bands for the slope functions for inference. Our proposed method is illustrated by simulation studies and by an analysis of a diffusion tensor imaging data application.
Regulation of RGS3 and RGS10 Palmitoylation by GnRH

Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) play a pivotal role in cellular signal transduction. RGS3 or RGS10 were overexpressed in GGH(3) cells [GH(3) cells stably expressing the GnRH receptor (GnRHR)]. Responsiveness to a GnRH agonist was assessed because RGS proteins attenuate production of inositol phosphates (IP) and/or cAMP, molecules believed to be involved in GnRH signaling. In addition, site-directed mutagenesis of a potentially palmitoylated Cys(60) residue of RGS10 was used to assess the significance of this site. We observed maximum inhibition of GnRH-stimulated IP responses by RGS3 and by the conserved domain of RGS10 at both 48 and 72 h after transfection, indicating their involvement in G(q)alpha mediated signaling. Significantly diminished cAMP production was observed at all times when cells overexpressed the conserved domain of RGS10; no effect was observed with RGS3 on G(s)alpha-mediated signaling. Palmitic acid incorporation into RGS3 was dependent on agonist occupancy of GnRHR, whereas palmitoylation of RGS10 was constitutive. Mutation of the conserved Cys(60) residue of RGS10 obviated its negative regulatory action on GnRH-stimulated responses, indicating that this site is crucial for its activity on this system. This study is the first demonstration of a role for palmitoylation of this conserved Cys(60) in mammalian G protein signaling.
Hygroscopicity, phase solubility and dissolution of various substituted sulfobutylether β-cyclodextrins (SBE) and danazol–SBE inclusion complexes

Abstract The aim of the present work was to characterize hygroscopicity, phase solubility and dissolution properties for various substituted sulfobutylether β-cyclodextrins (SBEs) and danazol–SBE inclusion complexes. Moisture sorption was measured using a symmetric gravimetric analyzer. The complexes were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Moisture sorption isotherms for the SBEs and the complexes showed low moisture sorption at RH SBE 4>SBE 5 at 95% RH. Powder XRD data for complexes showed the disappearance of characteristic crystalline peaks for danazol or the formation of amorphous entities and DSC showed the disappearance of the peak of fusion of danazol indicating complex formation. Phase solubility of danazol with various substituted SBEs indicated 1:1 stoichiometry of complexes. The apparent stability constant, as determined by the method of Higuchi and Connors, increased as the degree of substitution of SBEs increased and decreased as the temperature increased. The dissolution of the complexes was significantly greater than that of the corresponding physical mixtures indicating that the formation of amorphous complex increased the solubility of poorly soluble danazol. More than 85% of danazol was released in
The Surgical Management of Stage I and Stage II Lung Cancer

There have been recent advances in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Surgical resection remains the cornerstone in the treatment of patients with stages I and II NSCLC. Anatomic lobectomy combined with hilar and mediastinal lymphadenectomy constitutes the oncologic basis of surgical resection. The surgical data favor video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy over open lobectomy and have established VATS lobectomy as a gold standard in the surgical resection of early-stage NSCLC. However, the role of sublobar pulmonary resection, either anatomic segmentectomy or nonanatomic wedge resection, in patients with subcentimeter nodules may become important.
Direct Kinetic Evidence for the Formation of an Acylpyridinium Intermediate in Synthetic p-Nitrophenyl Esterase-Catalyzed Hydrolysis Reactions.

The kinetics of the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl alkanoates 2 C n-1 H 2n-1 COOPhNO 2 catalyzed by 1 ([(CH 2 ) 3 -N(C 5 H 4 N)-(CH 2 ) 3 SiMe 2 OSiMe 2 ] n ) were investigated in aqueous Tris buffer solution. Direct evidence for the existence of an N-acylpyridinium intermediate 3 was obtained for 1-catalyzed hydrolysis of 2 (n = 2-10). Increase of the alkyl chain length leads to an increase in the acylation rate, which reaches a maximum for 2 (n = 6). The acylation rate then decreases progressively with further increases of alkyl chain length in substrate esters. The deacylation rate was also found to exhibit a maximum for the same substrate 2 (n = 6). These results are similar to those previously reported with cholesterol esterase as catalyst for the same hydrolysis reaction. The acylation reaction is first order in catalyst concentration and exhibits saturation kinetics at high substrate concentration in accordance with the Michaelis-Menten model for enzyme reaction kinetics.
Antibody preference for the catalytically active form of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase.

The catalytically inactivating subset within rabbit serum polyclonal antibody to the solubilized, purified 55,000 to 60,000 dalton active fragment of rat liver microsomal β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase immunoinactivates this enzyme with little or no diminution of effect by enzyme catalytically inactivated by incubation of microsomes with ATP,Mg++. Reactivation of inactive enzyme with ethanol-treated rat liver phosphatase restores antibody affinity showing that the catalytically inactivating subset of antibody exhibits marked or complete affinity for the active enzyme over the ATP,Mg++-inactivated form. This means that immunoinactivation using this antibody is not a valid way of measuring changes in the specific activity of the enzyme via phosphorylation-dephosphorylation. Preference for the active enzyme has not been obvious because when different amounts of enzyme activity are used in immunotitrations of samples of low activity, apparent differences in specific activity are observed when none actually exist. If precautions are not taken, results are obtained supporting phosphorylation by using an antibody that is not capable of distinguishing it.
Factors associated with oral contraceptive use among sexually active adolescent females

Background Little is known about the factors associated with oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use among sexually active adolescent females, including the effect on use among teens seeking care at school-based health clinics. The objective of this study is to identify factors associated with OCP use among adolescents. Methods Data were analyzed from a questionnaire administered between December, 1994 and October, 1995 to 826 adolescents from a hospital-based adolescent clinic and 116 from a school-based clinic as part of study measuring compliance with the hepatitis B vaccination series. In addition to sexual activity and OCP use, other measures included age, race, health insurance coverage, medications, chronic illnesses, academic achievement, substance use, sharing needles, condom use at last intercourse, sexually transmitted disease history, date of last well check-up, and travel time to the clinical site. The data from 327 sexually active females were analyzed including 272 participants from the hospital-based adolescent clinic and 55 participants from the school-based clinic. 27 additional females who reported using OCPs and reported no sexual activity were excluded from the analysis. The associations of independent variables with OCP use were measured with chi square for categorical variables, Kruskall-Wallis for ordinal variables, and t-tests for continuous variables, followed by a logistic regression analysis. For ordinal variables, the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) reflect the change in the odds of using OCPs associated with a change in each ranked category for that variable. Results 37.6% of the sexually active females reported using OCPs. The independent variables associated with OCP use include being more likely to be taking iron pills (p = 0.038), less likely to have used a condom at last intercourse (p = 0.025), more likely to have had a well check-up within the past year (P = 0.002), older age (P Conclusions Adolescent OCP users are less likely than non-users to smoke tobacco and are more likely to have had a more recent well check-up and to have graduated from high school. Importantly, sexually active females who receive care in a school-based clinic are significantly less likely to be taking OCPs.
“T-odd effects” in unpolarized Drell–Yan scattering

Abstract We consider the leading twist “T-odd” contributions as the dominant source of the cos 2 ϕ azimuthal asymmetry in unpolarized p p ¯ → μ − μ + X di-lepton production in Drell–Yan scattering. This asymmetry contains information on the distribution of quark transverse spin in an unpolarized proton. In a parton-spectator framework we estimate these asymmetries at 50 GeV center of mass energy. This azimuthal asymmetry is interesting in light of proposed experiments at GSI, where an anti-proton beam is ideal for studying the transversity properties of quarks due to the dominance of valence quark effects.
Laparoscopic versus open posterior adrenalectomy: A case-control study of 100 patients

Background. Few controlled studies have compared laparoscopic transabdominal adrenalectomy (LA) to conventional open posterior adrenalectomy (PA). Methods. Fifty patients have undergone successful LA at our institution between 1992 and 1996. A matched case-control study of 50 PA patients was performed during a similar time period. Results. Follow-up was complete in 82% of patients with a mean follow-up time of 25 months. There were no statistically significant differences between the LA and PA groups with regard to the following demographic features: age, gender, endocrine disorder, side and size of tumor, and body habitus. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05), however, were present (LA vs PA) when we compared the following results: mean hospital stay (3.1 versus 5.7 days), narcotic equivalents (28 versus 48), return to normal activity (3.8 versus 7 weeks), patient satisfaction (9 versus 7 [scale 1 to 10, 10 being most satisfied]), late morbidity (0 versus 54%), and operating room time (167 versus 127 minutes). Median hospital charges ($7,000 versus $6,000) were slightly higher in the LA group (p = 0.05). Conclusions. Although LA is technically more demanding and slightly more expensive to perform, advantages appear to exist for LA with regard to patient comfort, patient satisfaction, hospital stay, and return to normal daily activities. Late incisional complications are dramatically less in the LA group.
Population projection of US adults with lifetime experience of depressive disorder by age and sex from year 2005 to 2050.

Objective To estimate the projected population of US adults aged 18 years or older with lifetime experience of doctor-diagnosed depressive disorder from 2005–2050. Methods Based on nationally representative survey data from the year 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS), prevalence estimates of doctor-diagnosed depression (minor or major, and dysthymia) were weighted to incorporate the complex sampling design and increase generalizability of the findings. The weighted prevalence data by age and sex in 2006 were then used to estimate the projected adult population with lifetime experience of depressive disorder based on the sex-specific US Census national population projections from year 2005–2050. Results In year 2006 the (weighted) prevalence of lifetime experience of depressive disorder was 15.7% among 188,292 respondents aged 18 years or older. Female prevalence was 20.6%, which was about twice as high as the prevalence among males (11%). From year 2005–2050, the total number of US adults with depressive disorder will increase from 33.9 million to 45.8 million, a 35% increase. The increase is projected to be greater in the elderly population aged ≥65 years (3.8–8.2, a 117% increase) than in the young population aged <65 years (30.1–37.7, a 25% increase). Conclusions By year 2050, approximately 46 million US adults aged 18 years or older will be diagnosed with a depressive disorder. The increase will be more pronounced in adults aged 65 or older. Prevention, detection, and treatment of depressive disorders might attenuate the magnitude of this estimate. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Catholic and Evangelical voting: 1992 and 1994

Uses Voter Research and Survey General Exit Polls to compare the political orientation of Catholics and Evangelicals. Since aggregates reveal, but also conceal, the data are disaggregated by race‐ethnicity (white and non‐white) and church attendance (weekly attenders and non‐weekly attenders). Shows that a majority of all voters and all three religious groups are white (85 per cent or more); about 40 per cent of all voters attend religious services at least once a week (48 per cent for Catholics, 46 per cent for Protestants, and a striking 74 per cent for Evangelicals). Catholics were a solid Democratic vote at the presidential level from 1932 to 1976, but defected to the Republicans in 1980, 1984, 1988. Shows that they were plurality Democrats in the three‐way presidential contest of 1992, although white Catholics and weekly church attenders were slightly less Democratic than non‐whites and non‐weekly church attenders. Catholics were solidly Democratic in House elections from 1932 to 1992. Thus, the 1994...
Computer analysis of tracer kinetic data from a human hematopoietic cell line during different phases of growth

Abstract Experiments carried out on a cell line in three phases of growth were analyzed with the aid of a mathematical model of proliferating cell populations. The model incorporates the concepts of both “resting” cells which resume proliferating with constant probability per hour, and quiescent cells which have permanently left the cell cycle. We found that cell loss was significant (about 1 percent per hour) even in log phase populations. In most experiments, few resting cells were present, even in the plateau phase. The mean generation time (excluding the transit time of cells through the resting state) increased from about 20 hr in log phase to about 90 hr in plateau phase, while the mean duration of the G1 phase increased from six to nearly 50 hr. We have also shown how the model can be used to investigate the sensitivity of the results to error or uncertainty in some of the assumptions and parameter values.
Cucumber Volatile Blend Attractive to Female Melon Fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett)

The melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), is a serious crop pest throughout the Asia Pacific sub-continent and Southeast Asia, causing damage to tree fruits, cucurbits, and related crops. Attractants for female melon flies are of particular interest as they could be used in control tactics to reduce pest levels. Previous work has shown that freshly sliced cucumbers are attractive to female melon flies, but the compounds responsible for this attraction were not identified. The objective of the present study was to create a synthetic lure for female B. cucurbitae based on its close association with Cucurbitaceae. Coupled gas chromatography-electroantennogram detection (GC-EAD) analysis of fresh and aged pureed cucumbers identified 31 compounds that were detected by females. Compounds that elicited EAD responses initially were screened as single components in glass McPhail traps in outdoor rotating olfactometer experiments. Four criteria were used to select compounds for testing in blends: a) strength of EAD response elicited; b) amount of compound present; c) relative attractiveness of a single compound; and d) compound novelty to Cucurbitaceae. Several synthetic blends attracted significant numbers of females in outdoor rotating olfactometer experiments; a nine-component blend (lure #7) was the most attractive. Field captures of female B. cucurbitae in traps baited with lure #7 were twice those in traps baited with Solulys protein bait. Besides having a female-biased attraction, this lure may have several advantages over protein baits: it can be used with a dry trap, is long lasting, and it captured low numbers of non-target species. Possible applications of this lure include trapping (for detection and/or monitoring/delimitation) and control/eradication (e.g., mass trapping, attract-and-kill, or as an attractant for existing protein insecticide bait sprays such as GF-120).
Pion elastic and inelastic scattering from 48,50Ti, 52Cr, and 54,56Fe at 180 MeV: Determination of neutron and proton multipole matrix elements.

Differential cross sections were measured for pion elastic and inelastic scattering from /sup 48,50/Ti, /sup 52/Cr, and /sup 54,56/Fe at T/sub ..pi../ = 180 MeV. Elastic scattering data were analyzed using a standard Kisslinger potential. Inelastic scattering data were analyzed using distorted-wave impulse-approximation calculations with collective-model transition densities. Ground-state neutron density parameters and matrix elements for some of the transitions were extracted and ..pi../sup +//..pi../sup -/ differences investigated.
EFFECT OF VARIATION OF LINE VOLTAGE OF PHOTOTHERAPY LAMPS ON BILIRUBIN DEGRADATION IN VITRO AND IN VIVO

Previously we reported that irradiance from phototherapy lamps vary linearly with change in line voltage (Ped. Res. 9:373, 1975). The effect of this variation of line voltage on bilirubin photo-oxidation in vitro was studied by observing the rate of bilirubin degradation in test tubes containing bilirubin in concentrations of 20 and 10 mg/100 ml standard solution (Hyland), placed 45 cm below an Air Shield Phototherapy Unit with daylight fluorescent lamps. Line voltage to the unit was controlled by a Variac Autotransformer W20MT 3A and varied to provide 110, 115, 120 and 125 volts. The rate of bilirubin degradation was found to vary linearly with line voltage - t½ of bilirubin at 1, 2, 3 and 4 hours varied linearly with line voltage. Effect of variation of line voltage on bilirubin degradation was also studied in vivo in 7 infants who required phototherapy for clinical reasons. The line voltage to phototherapy unit was alternated at 110 and 125 volts at 24 hour intervals. Fall in serum bilirubin after 24 hours of phototherapy was found to be 13% and 31% for line voltage of 110 and 125 volts, respectively. Since line voltage varies from place to place and at different times from the same outlet, the irradiance from phototherapy units will also vary depending upon variations in line voltage. These data underscore the need to define line voltage in photoirradiation studies.
First Report of Grapevine Kober Stem Grooving in the United States

The last decade has brought extensive new plantings of grapevines (Vitis vinifera L.) to California vineyards. In some vineyards, severe viruslike problems have been observed (2). To ascertain possible causal agent(s), extensive testing for grapevine viruses was initiated. Testing included a 2-year woody index on indicators V. rupestris cv. Saint George, LN 33, V. vinifera cv. Cabernet Franc, and Kober 5BB. To our knowledge, this is the first field survey for grape virus diseases in the United States that includes woody indexing on Kober 5BB, a relatively new indicator for the grapevine rugose wood diseases (1). A Sonoma County field selection of Sauvignon Blanc grafted to the rootstock Freedom was included in these tests; the 2-year-old vines exhibited stunting, leaf rolling, leaf yellowing, wood necrosis, and pitting symptoms at the graft union. When indexed on the four indicators, the following disease symptoms were observed: stem pitting on V. rupestris; corky bark on LN 33; leafroll on Cabernet Franc...
Comparison of Visual-Spatial Performance Strategy Training in Children with Turner Syndrome and Learning Disabilities

This study examined the effects of a verbal mediation strategy on three groups of subjects who had visual-spatial deficits. Thirteen females with Turner syndrome, 13 females with nonverbal learning disabilities, and 14 males with nonverbal learning disabilities, who ranged in age from 7 to 14 years, were taught via a cognitive behavioral modification approach to verbally mediate a spatial matching task. Pretest and posttest performance differences on parallel forms of a visual-spatial orientation task were examined. All three groups showed significant improvement in visual-spatial task performance after the training. There were no significant differences in the degree of improvement among the three groups. The results suggest that children with Turner syndrome may benefit from problem-solving strategy training in a manner similar to children with nonverbal learning disabilities.
Study of Argon Adsorbed on Open-Ended Carbon Nanotube Bundles

The adsorption of Ar on open-ended single-walled carbon nanotube bundles was studied. The amount of argon, which corresponds to the first coverage adsorbed on open-ended carbon nanotube bundles, was about 3 mmol/g. The isosteric heat of adsorption was obtained from the isothermal adsorption measurement in the low coverage region performed at temperatures ranging from 120 to 135 K. The estimated heat of adsorption of argon in the low-coverage region was 182 meV and was comparable to that of nitrogen.
Reduction of blocking artifacts using side information

Block-based image and video coding systems are used extensively in practice. In low bit-rate applications, however, they suffer from blocking artifacts. Reduction of blocking artifacts can improve visual quality and PSNR. Most methods in the literature that are proposed to reduce blocking artifacts apply post-processing techniques to the compressed image. One major benefit of such methods is no modification to current encoders. In this paper, we propose an approach where blocking artifacts are reduced using side information transmitted by the encoder. One major benefit of this approach is the ability to compare the processed image directly with the original undegraded image to improve the performance. For example, we could process an image with different methods and transmit the most effective method as part of the side information. A major question in using our proposed approach and compare it with a post-processing type of system and illustrate that the proposed approach has the potential to be beneficial in both visual quality and PSNR for some range of coding bit-rates.
SOME REMARKS ON ROSEN'S QUANTUM-MECHANICAL APPROACH TO GENETICS.

It has been suggested by Robert Rosen (Bull. Math. Biophysics,22, 227–255, 1960) that multiple alleles or pseudoalleles correspond to multiple cites of degenerate states of some quantum mechanical observable which acts as a source of primary genetic information. It is pointed out here that if the quantum mechanical states are determined by the different sequences of the purine and pyrimidine bases in the DNA molecule, the expected number of pseudoalleles would be much too large. The expected number is considerably reduced if we assume that a quantum mechanical state determines the coupling between a molecule of transfer RNA and the corresponding amino acid.
Cost-effective analysis of influenza vaccination in the elderly

We analyzed the cost-effectiveness of vaccinating all elderly persons against influenza A on an annual basis. Our model included direct cost attributable to implementing the vaccination program and the cost of medically treating those who remained vulnerable despite vaccination (30%) and later required treatment for disease-related complications in either the hospital or ambulatory setting. Ten and 30% of those susceptible to influenza A were assumed to be infected with the virus of which 30% were considered to require medical treatment. This was compared to a model where no vaccination was given assuming the same rates of infection and required treatment. We found significant potential savings resulting from the implementation of an influenza control program in both the community and nursing home setting. Savings were most significant when vaccination prevented hospitalization. When vaccination cost was kept to a minimum, however, savings were also noted when medical treatment was able to be accomplished at least in part outside of the hospital.
Transactional perspectives on subjective rating scales.

(2002). Transactional perspectives on subjective rating scales. Ergonomics: Vol. 45, No. 14, pp. 1001-1004.
Polanyi-Based Models for the Competitive Sorption of Low-Polarity Organic Contaminants on a Natural Sorbent

The development of appropriate equilibrium sorption relationships for anthropogenic organic contaminants with soils and sediments is essential to predicting the extents and rates of solid−water interactions in the environment. In this context, we previously reported results that showed how nonlinear sorption isotherms with nine low-polarity organic chemicals on a silty aquitard material could be modeled as a combined adsorption-partitioning process. The adsorption component was ascribed to presumed traces of a carbonaceous adsorbent, for which adsorption was well described by a Polanyi-based isotherm. In this work, we report competitive sorption behavior on the same material, as observed from batch experiments in binary solute systems that contain combinations of the previously studied sorbates (chorinated benzenes and polyaromatic hydrocarbons) over wide ranges of concentra tion. The results confirmed our expectation that partitioning is an increasingly dominating contribution to overall sorption when co...
La enseñanza de la ergonomía en México

El presente trabajo ubica a la ergonomia en el transcurso de la historia mundial y de Mexico, desde su aparicion hasta nuestros dias. El desarrollo de esta disciplina involucra su ensenanza en los centros de estudio superiores, particularmente en las licenciaturas de Diseno Industrial, Ingenieria Industrial y Administracion. En cada una de ellas el enfoque y la importancia en los planes y programas de estudio varian de acuerdo al enfasis de cada disciplina. La ensenanza ha ido variando de acuerdo al avance y difusion que la ergonomia ha tenido en los campos de aplicacion y en el grado de importancia que ha tomado para las organizaciones.
A Minimal Technology Routing System for Meals on Wheels

A novel routing system based on a new travelling salesman heuristic was successfully implemented to handle the efficient daily routing of a varying number of vehicles to more than 200 delivery points whose locations change daily. The system had to be easily mantained by one person and require no resources for example, no computer. Our system achieved these objectives, cost less than $50, and, moreover, shortened average travel times by 13% compared to previous performance.
An evaluation of the role of smoking context on a biobehavioral index of distress tolerance.

Abstract The present study evaluated the effect of smoking deprivation on a biobehavioral index of distress tolerance, breath-holding duration, among 43 adult smokers in a repeated measures test (Session 1 = smoking-as-usual, Session 2 = 12-h smoking deprivation). We theorized that distress tolerance is a context-dependent individual difference variable whose expression varies prospectively, within-individuals, as a function of smoking context. As predicted, participants' breath-holding duration was significantly shorter during an experimental session that immediately followed a 12-h smoking deprivation period than during a smoking-as-usual session. Furthermore, we theorized that among individuals with a pre-existing diathesis (i.e., psychiatric symptoms), smoking deprivation may activate a vulnerability process that decreases capacity to tolerate distress; in the absence of this stressor, these psychiatrically vulnerable smokers may express variable levels of distress tolerance. As predicted, we observed that level of psychiatric symptoms was significantly negatively correlated with breath-holding duration during the smoking deprivation, but not the smoking-as-usual session. These data advance our understanding of smoking and distress tolerance and the context-dependent phenomenology of distress tolerance.
Production of CO2 in Soil Profiles of a California Annual Grassland

Soils play a key role in the global cycling of carbon (C), storing organic C, and releasing CO2 to the atmosphere. Although a large number of studies have focused on the CO2 flux at the soil–air interface, relatively few studies have examined the rates of CO2 production in individual layers of a soil profile. Deeper soil horizons often have high concentrations of CO2 in the soil air, but the sources of this CO2 and the spatiotemporal dynamics of CO2 production throughout the soil profile are poorly understood. We studied CO2 dynamics in six soil profiles arrayed across a grassland hillslope in coastal southern California. Gas probes were installed in each profile and gas samples were collected weekly or biweekly over a three-year period. Using soil air CO2 concentration data and a model based on Fick’s law of diffusion, we modeled the rates of CO2 production with soil profile depth. The CO2 diffusion constants were checked for accuracy using measured soil air 222Rn activities. The modeled net CO2 production rates were compared with CO2 fluxes measured at the soil surface. In general, the modeled and measured net CO2 fluxes were very similar although the model consistently underestimated CO2 production rates in the surficial soil horizons when the soils were moist. Profile CO2 production rates were strongly affected by the inter- and intra-annual variability in rainfall; rates were generally 2–10 times higher in the wet season (December to May) than in the dry season (June to November). The El Nino event of 1997–1998, which brought above-average levels of rainfall to the study site, significantly increased CO2 production in both the surface and subsurface soil horizons. Whole profile CO2 production rates were approximately three times higher during the El Nino year than in the following years of near-average rainfall. During the dry season, when the net rates of CO2 flux from the soil profiles are relatively low (4–11 mg C– CO2 m−2 h−1), 20%–50% of the CO2 diffusing out of the profiles appears to originate in the relatively moist soil subsurface (defined here as those horizons below 40 cm in depth). The natural abundance 14C signatures of the CO2 and soil organic C suggest that the subsurface CO2 is derived from the microbial mineralization of recent organic C, possibly dissolved organic C transported to the subsurface horizons during the wet season.
The ductile fracture of metals: A microstructural viewpoint

Abstract A review of the literature on the ductile fracture of metals and alloys reveals almost immediately that the majority of investigations approach the topic from a fracture mechanics point of view and that papers based entirely on microstructural research are rare. In a substantial number of papers the two viewpoints are combined. Correspondingly, Section 2 covers some aspects of continuum theory which would be of value in regard to this review and also includes a few points on the other extreme, namely the atomic approach to fracture. The microstructural regime covers the broad area between these two concepts. Since ductile fracture depends on the history of plastic deformation in the specimen, an outline of a successful theory of work hardening has been included. Also, it should not be overlooked that the experimental tools for microstructural investigations developed rapidly during the past decade and are briefly reviewed in Section 2.4. Section 3 addresses rupture since this mechanism includes the fundamental processes which govern ductile fracture generally and in particular the final separation. The most common mode, fibrous fracture, is reviewed in Section 4. Continuum mechanics still plays the major role in fibrous fracture research, although microstructural considerations are becoming a greater part of this work. In the final section a variety of topics which have a bearing on a more comprehensive understanding of ductile fracture (such as delamination and cleavage fractures, the role of voids in microcrack initiation, the energy of dislocation cell walls, and the thickness of microtensile specimens and the rate of straining for in situ experiments) are emphasized and discussed critically. A brief perspective summary pointing out the significant role of rupture processes which also govern the final separation of fibrous fracture concludes Section 5.
The Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valve (PARTNER) Trial A Health Economic and Policy Perspective

Major advances in medicine have the curious property of simultaneously being the cause of both great excitement and great anxiety. Clinicians embrace the power of science to reduce human suffering and prolong life in ways that their forbearers could hardly have imagined. Patients, knowing little of the enormous theoretical and practical challenges to be surmounted in producing real medical breakthroughs, have been conditioned by the media to expect dramatic headlines in each morning's news reports as they sip their coffee. Healthcare payers and policy makers, reading those same reports, worry that consumers' enthusiasm for high-tech solutions to the chronic health problems of modern society is fueling a destructive growth rate in medical spending. Although cardiovascular medicine has no unique claim to technological innovation, the sheer number of patients affected with cardiovascular disease means that major technological advances addressing important clinical problems have measurable effects on the annual healthcare bill for the country. Over the last few decades, cardiovascular medicine has seen a series of remarkable, but expensive, therapeutic innovations evolve into guideline-endorsed standard care (eg, drug-eluting stents, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, left ventricular assist devices). In each of these cases, the early dissemination phase of these technologies was marked by predictions that cardiovascular physicians, unable to restrain their enthusiasm for therapeutic novelty, would sink the national economy by adding billions of extra dollars to the already excessive annual healthcare bill. The apparent failure of such predictions to come true has left physicians increasingly inured to the voices of the Cassandras who make them. Administrative inefficiency and overuse of tests and therapies partially explain why the United States spends more than any other country on health care (17% of the gross domestic product at last accounting) but not why the spending continues to grow every year. Of the factors that account for the …
Striatal volumes in pediatric bipolar patients with and without comorbid ADHD

The most prevalent comorbid disorder in pediatric bipolar disorder (BD) is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As caudate volume abnormalities have been demonstrated in both BD and ADHD, this study sought to determine whether these findings could be attributed to separable effects from either diagnosis. High resolution anatomical magnetic resonance (MRI) images were obtained from youth in 4 groups: BD with comorbid ADHD (n=17), BD without comorbid ADHD (n=12), youth with ADHD alone (n=11), and healthy control subjects (n=24). Caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus volumes were manually traced for each subject using BrainImageJava software by a reliable rater blinded to diagnosis. There was a significant effect of diagnosis on striatal volumes, with ADHD associated with decreased caudate and putamen volumes, and BD associated with increased caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus volumes. Thus, the presence or absence of comorbid ADHD in patients with BD was associated with distinct alterations in caudate volumes, suggesting that these groups have different, but related, mechanisms of neuropathology.
Effects of Online Comments on Smokers' Perception of Antismoking Public Service Announcements

On YouTube antismoking PSAs are widely viewed and uploaded; they also receive extensive commentary by viewers. This study examined whether such evaluative comments with or without uncivil expressions influence evaluations by subsequent viewers. Results showed PSAs with positive i.e. antismoking comments were perceived by smokers as more effective than PSAs with negative prosmoking comments. Smokers in the no-comment condition gave the highest perceived effectiveness score to PSAs. Smokers' readiness to quit smoking moderated the effect of comments on PSA evaluation. Smokers reading negative uncivil comments reported more negative attitude toward quitting and a lower level of perceived risk of smoking than those reading negative civil comments but positive civil and positive uncivil comments did not elicit different responses.
Size dependence of courtship effort may promote male choice and strong assortative mating in soldier beetles

Large males of the soldier beetle, Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus (Cantharidae), exercise choice for larger females in the field and laboratory. The length of copulation limits the maximum mating rate to once per day. This may afford more competitive males the opportunity to reject females early in the day without significantly reducing their mating rate. Males copulate if they secure evasive females. Body size correlates with the abilities of males to secure females, and of females to evade males. Thus, agonistic courtship gives larger males a mating advantage and may ensure the availability of larger females late into the daily courtship period. Also, larger males spend more time searching for mates and courting than do smaller males which could increase their likelihood of encountering and mating a large female, even after rejecting a smaller one. Stochastic simulations of agonistic courtship indicate that the benefits of male choice are limited to larger males, who are more likely to successfully court a female after having rejected one. Simulations also indicate that strong assortative mating, as observed in the field, requires male choice in combination with agonistic courtship. Both males and females benefit from larger mates, as the fecundity of females is a function of both their own size and the size of their mates. Thus, strong assortative mating magnifies the fecundity advantage of large females through mate effects on fecundity.
Scale-specific automated line simplification by vertex clustering on a hexagonal tessellation

A new method of cartographic line simplification is presented. Regular hexagonal tessellations are used to sample lines for simplification, where hexagon width, reflecting sampling fidelity, is var...
Adaptive regulation of sparseness by feedforward inhibition

In the mushroom body of insects, odors are represented by very few spikes in a small number of neurons, a highly efficient strategy known as sparse coding. Physiological studies of these neurons have shown that sparseness is maintained across thousand-fold changes in odor concentration. Using a realistic computational model, we propose that sparseness in the olfactory system is regulated by adaptive feedforward inhibition. When odor concentration changes, feedforward inhibition modulates the duration of the temporal window over which the mushroom body neurons may integrate excitatory presynaptic input. This simple adaptive mechanism could maintain the sparseness of sensory representations across wide ranges of stimulus conditions.
Abnormal Neurotransmitter Release Underlying Behavioral and Cognitive Disorders: Toward Concepts of Dynamic and Function-Specific Dysregulation

Abnormalities in the regulation of neurotransmitter release and/or abnormal levels of extracellular neurotransmitter concentrations have remained core components of hypotheses on the neuronal foundations of behavioral and cognitive disorders and the symptoms of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, therapeutic drugs for the treatment of these disorders have been developed and categorized largely on the basis of their effects on neurotransmitter release and resulting receptor stimulation. This perspective stresses the theoretical and practical implications of hypotheses that address the dynamic nature of neurotransmitter dysregulation, including the multiple feedback mechanisms regulating synaptic processes, phasic and tonic components of neurotransmission, compartmentalized release, differentiation between dysregulation of basal vs activated release, and abnormal release from neuronal systems recruited by behavioral and cognitive activity. Several examples illustrate that the nature of the neurotransmitter dysregulation in animal models, including the direction of drug effects on neurotransmitter release, depends fundamentally on the state of activity of the neurotransmitter system of interest and on the behavioral and cognitive functions recruiting these systems. Evidence from evolving techniques for the measurement of neurotransmitter release at high spatial and temporal resolution is likely to advance hypotheses describing the pivotal role of neurotransmitter dysfunction in the development of essential symptoms of major neuropsychiatric disorders, and also to refine neuropharmacological mechanisms to serve as targets for new treatment approaches. The significance and usefulness of hypotheses concerning the abnormal regulation of the release of extracellular concentrations of primary messengers depend on the effective integration of emerging concepts describing the dynamic, compartmentalized, and activity-dependent characteristics of dysregulated neurotransmitter systems.
Pulsed NMR studies in solid H2. I. Solid echoes and nuclear spin-spin relaxation times after a two-pulse sequence

We describe a systematic pulsed NMR study on several solid H2 samples with ortho concentration X between 10% and 70% at temperatures between 0.08 and 2 K, where the intramolecular dipole-dipole interaction is the dominant spin-spin interaction. Nuclear spin echoes from a two-pulse sequence are studied using a rf phase-coherent spectrometer and they show the quasiquadrupolar nature of the echo formations. A density matrix method applied to the system of ortho-H2 molecules can account for most of the observed properties of the echoes. From the decay of the echo envelope we obtain information on the static intermolecular nuclear interactions and the local inhomogeneous magnetic field distribution. Details of the density matrix calculation are presented in an appendix.
Love in Africa

Jennifer Cole and Lynn M. Thomas, Chicago and London, The University of Chicago Press, 2009, 280 pp., US$ 63.00 (clothback), US$23.00 (paperback), ISBN 978-0-2261-1352-4 (clothback), 978-0-2261-135...
Efficient Solar Energy Storage Using A TiO2/WO3 Tandem Photoelectrode in An All-vanadium Photoelectrochemical Cell

Using a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell to convert solar energy to either electricity or chemical fuels has attracted much attention in the last four decades. However, two major obstacles that hinder wide-spread application of this approach lie in the relatively wide bandgap of chemically stable semiconducotrs, e.g., TiO2, and the rapid recombination of photogenerated charge carriers once they are generated within the semiconductors. We reported herein a method that utilized vanadium redox pairs, which are commonly used in vanadium redox-flow batteries (VRB), to mitigate charge carrier recombination and thus to improve photoresponse in regenerative solar energy storage for the first time. The results showed significant improvement in photocurrent during photo-charging of the all-vanadium PEC storage cell with the addition of a very low morlarity of vanadium redox species (0.01 M) to the acid electrolytes. Additonally, the photocurrent was almost doubled even with a TiO2 electrode when two vanadium redox species were used in a full-cell configuration instead of a half-cell setup. To further enhance the light absorption, a TiO2/WO3 tandem electrode was studied and compared to the TiO2 electrode in various vanadium redox electrolytes. The tandem electrode showed higher photoresponse in all electrolytes investigated. Furthermore, the important role of vanadium redox species and WO3 have been discussed.