cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pricing ecological beauty under Dichotomous choice framework: the case of Taman Negara national park in Malaysia

Taman Negara is Malaysia’s premier national park and the largest in the country covering over 4343 square kilometers (434,300 hectares) of primary forest, spans across three states Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang - and is situated in the center of the Peninsula Malaysia. It is home to much wildlife and is a popular tourist attraction to both local and foreign tourists. This study attempts to determine the economic value of Taman Negara National Park by eliciting visitors’ willingness to pay (WTP) using contingent valuation method followed by single bounded dichotomous choices. A stepwise backward binary multivariate logistic regression model was used to measure WTP and to determine the factors that influence the variation in WTP. Primary data were obtained from 368 local and foreign visitors who have been interviewed in TN Park. The study found that both local and foreign visitors were willing to pay more than the current charges for entrance permit and nature based activities provided by TN Park. On average visitors are willing to pay for entrance permit RM 16.71 ($ 5.4) per person. The existing rate is RM 1 ($ 0.32) per person. Beside, WTP for all other activities such as fishing license, camera license, camping fee, canopy walkway and hide fee is much higher than the existing rates. The optimum pricing strategy should be a combination of policy objectives and information gathered from local and foreign visitors on WTP. In conclusion, this study can be used as a tool for revising pricing policies on TN national park in Malaysia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/suslj.v11i1.5888 Sabaragamuwa University Journal 2012; V. 11 No. 1 pp 75-93
274 Extensive- and Pandrug-Resistant (XDR/PDR) Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) and KPC-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC) Primarily Cause Pneumonia (PNA) among Lung and Heart Transplant (LTR, HTR) Recipients, and Outcomes May Be Improved by Treatment with a Carbapenem + Colistin (CBM+COL)

followed by an ELISA to detect influenza A(H1N1)2009 antigen on infected cells. Geometric mean (GM) titers were determined at subject level by individual GM of quadruplicates at each timepoint as were individual and group level titer ratios (day 30/day 0) with 95% confidence intervals. Seroconversion was defined as 4-fold increases in SN titer. HLA and MICA Abs were assessed by Luminex. Results: The GM titer ratio for healthy volunteers, CF patients and LTx recipients was 38 (22-56), 15 (7.4-32) and 8.5 (4.4-16), respectively. Twenty of 21 (95%) healthy participants, 16/19 (84%) CF patients and 20/30 (67%) LTx recipients seroconverted. The differences in GM titer ratio and seroconversion rate between healthy volunteers and LTx patients were significant (p 0.05). In LTx recipients, the prevalence of HLA class I and II and MICA Abs was 6.4%, 9.7%, and 9.7% at day 0 and 30. Only one patient developed de novo HLA class I Abs. None of the LTx patients experienced accelerated graft loss. Conclusions: Seronconversion after vaccination with the influenza A/H1N1-adjuvanted vaccine occurred in 2/3 of LTx recipients. Vaccination did not induce de novo HLA or MICA immunisation.
Recovery of an unknown specific heat by means of overposed data

In this paper we consider a class of inverse problems in which an unknown function, c(.), is to be determined from a parabolic initial-value problem, with overposed Dirichlet data along a portion of the boundary. A mapping between the overposed data and the unknown coefficient is obtained in the form of a singular integral equation. This is solved by iteration, and the resulting fixed point is shown to be the solution of the inverse problem. Sufficient conditions for convergence of this method, as well as an extension to the case of an unknown thermal conductivity, are given.
Ly49 gene expression in different inbred mouse strains

Mouse natural killer cells express receptors for class IMHC in the form of the Ly49 family of proteins. The Ly49 family contains at least 13 expressed members (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L, O, and P) and is further subdivided into activating and inhibitory subfamilies based on intracellular and transmembrane characteristics. The level of sequence identity between different members varies dramatically. However, comparison of the extracellular domain has revealed that several of the Ly49 molecules also form “pairs,” where one member is activating and the other is inhibitory. Until recently, most Ly49 molecules described have come from the C57B1/6 strain of inbred mice. Using molecular cloning and immunochemical analysis we have found that different mouse strains express novel Ly49 molecules. Comparison of the allelic forms of some Ly49 molecules has shown that the dividing line between different genes and different alleles is blurred.
Analyses of Autofocusing Schemes for Indoor Imaging with Unknown Walls

The quality and reliability of through-the-wall radar imagery is governed, among other things, by the knowledge of the wall characteristics. Ambiguity in wall characteristics has a two-fold effect. It smears and blurs the image, and also shifts the imaged target positions. In this paper, we consider the smearing effect and present an autofocusing technique, based on higher order statistics, which corrects for errors under unknown walls. This is achieved by tuning the wall variables until the sharpest image is obtained. Simulation results show that the proposed technique provides high-quality focused images with target locations in close proximity to the true target positions
Activating PIK3CA alleles and lymphangiogenic phenotype of lymphatic endothelial cells isolated from lymphatic malformations

Lymphatic malformations (LMs) are developmental anomalies of the lymphatic system associated with the dysmorphogenesis of vascular channels lined by lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). Seeking to identify intrinsic defects in affected LECs, cells were isolated from malformation tissue or fluid on the basis of CD31 and podoplanin (PDPN) expression. LECs from five unrelated LM lesions were characterized, including cells derived from one patient previously diagnosed with CLOVES. CLOVES-related LECs carried a known, activating mutation in PIK3CA (p.H1047L), confirmed by direct sequencing. Activating PIK3CA mutations (p.E542K and p.E545A) were identified in lesion-derived cells from the other four patients, also by direct sequencing. The five LM-LEC cultures shared a lymphangiogenic phenotype distinguished by PI3K/AKT activation, enhanced sprouting efficiency, elevated VEGF-C expression and COX2 expression, shorter doubling times and reduced expression of angiopoietin 2 and CXCR4. Nine additional LM-LEC populations and 12 of 15 archived LM tissue samples were shown to bear common PIK3CA variants by allele-specific PCR. The activation of a central growth/survival pathway (PI3K/AKT) represents a feasible target for the non-invasive treatment of LMs bearing in mind that background genetics may individualize lesions and influence treatments.
Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: Emergence of Multidrug-Resistant Strains during Therapy and in an In Vitro Pharmacodynamic Chamber Model

Emergence of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as a nosocomial pathogen is becoming increasingly apparent. Pleiotropic resistance characterizes S. maltophilia. Furthermore, a slow growth rate and an increased mutation rate generate discordance between in vitro susceptibility testing and clinical outcome. Despite original susceptibility, drug-resistant strains of S. maltophilia are often recovered from patients receiving beta-lactams, quinolones, or aminoglycosides. Given the disparity among various in vitro susceptibility methods, this study incorporated a unique pharmacodynamic model to more accurately characterize the bacterial time-kill curves and mutation rates of four clinical isolates of S. maltophilia following exposure to simulated multidose regimens of ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and ticarcillin-clavulanate. Time-kill data demonstrated regrowth of S. maltophilia with all four agents. With the exception of ticarcillin-clavulanate, viable bacterial counts at the end of 24 h exceeded the starting inoculum. Ciprofloxacin only reduced bacterial counts by less than 1.0 log prior to rapid bacterial regrowth. Resistant mutant strains, identical to their parent strain by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, were observed following exposure to each class of antibiotic. Mutant strains also had distinct susceptibility patterns. These data are consistent with previous reports which suggest that S. maltophilia, despite susceptibility data that imply that the organism is sensitive, develops multiple forms of resistance quickly and against several classes of antimicrobial agents. Standard in vitro susceptibility methods are not completely reliable for detecting resistant S. maltophilia strains; and therefore, interpretation of these results should be done with caution. In vivo studies are needed to determine optimal therapy against S. maltophilia infections.
Genome Organization of More Than 300 Defensin-Like Genes in Arabidopsis

Defensins represent an ancient and diverse set of small, cysteine-rich, antimicrobial peptides in mammals, insects, and plants. According to published accounts, most species' genomes contain 15 to 50 defensins. Starting with a set of largely nodule-specific defensin-like sequences (DEFLs) from the model legume Medicago truncatula, we built motif models to search the near-complete Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) genome. We identified 317 DEFLs, yet 80% were unannotated at The Arabidopsis Information Resource and had no prior evidence of expression. We demonstrate that many of these DEFL genes are clustered in the Arabidopsis genome and that individual clusters have evolved from successive rounds of gene duplication and divergent or purifying selection. Sequencing reverse transcription-PCR products from five DEFL clusters confirmed our gene predictions and verified expression. For four of the largest clusters of DEFLs, we present the first evidence of expression, most frequently in floral tissues. To determine the abundance of DEFLs in other plant families, we used our motif models to search The Institute for Genomic Research's gene indices and identified approximately 1,100 DEFLs. These expressed DEFLs were found mostly in reproductive tissues, consistent with our reverse transcription-PCR results. Sequence-based clustering of all identified DEFLs revealed separate tissue- or taxon-specific subgroups. Previously, we and others showed that more than 300 DEFL genes were expressed in M. truncatula nodules, organs not present in most plants. We have used this information to annotate the Arabidopsis genome and now provide evidence of a large DEFL superfamily present in expressed tissues of all sequenced plants.
Interference-aware topology control for wireless sensor networks

Topology control has been well studied in wireless ad hoc networks. However, only a few topology control methods (e.g. (1)) take into account the low interference as a goal of the methods. Some researchers tried to indirectly reduce the interference by reducing the transmission power or by devising low degree topologies, but none of those protocols can guarantee low interference. In this paper we present several algorithms to construct network topologies such that the maximum (or average) link (or nodal) interference of the topology is either minimized or approximately minimized. The algorithms and definitions introduced in this paper are not based on any geometry information about the nodes and they work for any graph models of wireless communication. The theoretical results are corroborated by simulation studies.
A 45.6μ2 13.4μw 7.1v/v resolution sub-threshold based digital process-sensing circuit in 45nm CMOS

Process optimization and yield enhancement techniques rely on physical sensors to provide them with feedback to perform accurate process-characterization across the die. The increased susceptibility of circuit performance characteristics to parameter variations in deep sub-micron technologies motivates the need for low-overhead (area/power) and high-sensitivity process monitoring circuits which can be used by compensation schemes to tune the process and meet frequency targets or power-budgets. To this end, we have proposed and implemented in 45nm CMOS-SOI, a novel, digital, on-chip process sensing circuit with a high sensitivity of 7.1V per volt variation in NMOS Vth, low power dissipation of 13.4¼W and a compact layout occupying 45.6¼2. The design is robust towards temperature variations and supply induced noise incurring an accuracy loss of 5mV (worst-case) and 4mV (1-A) respectively of the NMOS threshold-voltage.
Determination of cadmium copper, iron, nickel, lead and zinc in crawfish [Procambrus clarkii] by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry: a study over the 2009 season in Southwest Louisiana

Abstract Following a mini-review of crawfish aquaculture, the concentrations (mean in micrograms of analyte per gram of dried sample ± 95% confidence interval, range) determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry of cadmium (0.49 ± 0.14, 0.34–0.79 ), copper (34.9 ± 5.3, 23.8–44.2), nickel (1.83 ± 0.54, 1.08–3.39), lead (18.0 ± 4.0, 9.9–23.), iron, and zinc (47.3 ± 4.6, 41.3–55.8) were relatively constant with a slight increase in iron (620.4 ± 205.8, 328.8–1072.8) in whole crawfish in a season of 4 months (February through May 2009) in Southwest Louisiana. The temperature of the crawfish ponds was monitored weekly but had no effect on the metal concentration in the crawfish trial. The copper and zinc concentrations in the crawfish pond soil decreased with increasing temperature. The other four metals showing no effect of temperature variations (increase). A comparison with a previous study showed no significant changes in the metal concentrations in the crawfish.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Influence of Intermittent Versus Continuous Bladder Catheterization on Labor Outcomes

Paper Presentation Objective To determine the influence of continuous urinary catheterization (CC) versus intermittent catheters (ICs) (only as needed) on duration of second stage of labor, incidence of postpartum urinary tract infections (UTIs), and the likelihood of cesarean births. Design Randomized controlled trial. Setting Large medical center in the Southwest. Sample English speaking primiparas > 37‐weeks gestation with low‐risk vertex singletons who requested epidural analgesia were eligible for participation. The final sample size included 120 participants: 55 in the CC group and 65 in the IC group. Methods Women were randomized to receive either IC or CC prior to epidural placement, and cervical status was documented. Results There was a significantly increased likelihood of cesareans in women who had CCs ( p Conclusion/Implications for Nursing Practice Intermittent catheters only as needed appear to be best practice for bladder management in laboring women with epidurals.
Personalizing influence diagrams: applying online learning strategies to dialogue management

We consider the problem of adapting the parameters of an influence diagram in an online fashion for real-time personalization. This problem is important when we use the influence diagram repeatedly to make decisions and we are uncertain about its parameters. We describe learning algorithms to solve this problem. In particular, we show how to modify various explore-versus-exploit strategies that are known to work well for Markov decision processes to the more general influence-diagram model. As an illustration, we describe how our techniques for online personalization allow a voice-enabled browser to adapt to a particular speaker for spoken dialogue management. We evaluate all the explore-versus-exploit strategies in this domain.
Perspectives on Racial Phenotypicality Bias

This article reviews research examining racial phenotypicality bias--within-category stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination based on race-related phenotypic characteristics of the face. A literature review of research examining skin tone bias, drawing largely from work examining perceptions of Blacks in the United States, reveals that individuals with features typical of members of their racial category are perceived and treated more negatively by social perceivers. Furthermore, this treatment has broad implications for social status and health. Despite this evidence, the tendency to attend to and use within-race variation in phenotypic appearance has been overlooked in social psychological models of impression formation. However, several theoretical frameworks have recently been proposed to explain the role of phenotype-based expectancies in social representation and judgment. Drawing on the strengths of each perspective, a rudimentary model of racial phenotypicality bias is proposed. This analysis suggests that future examinations guided by the current framework (or similar others) can complement existing evidence toward a greater understanding of the role of phenotypic variation in social perception.
Size-effects in the dissolution of hydroxyapatite: an understanding of biological demineralization

A comprehensive dissolution theory that integrates size effects and surface energy control into the overall reaction rate has been developed. This model is successfully applied to the dissolution of hydroxyapatite (HAP) at different undersaturations, using the highly reproducible Constant Composition (CC) method. It is found that the commonly used rate law is not suitable for the dissolution of nanoscale particles where the sizes of the crystallites must be taken into account. Dissolution is induced by the formation of pits and continues with the spreading of their stepwaves. However, only the larger pits (of size greater than a critical value, r*) are active, with stepwaves contributing to dissolution and the spreading velocities are also dependent on the pit sizes, decreasing with decreasing pit size. Size effects dominate the reaction when the crystallite sizes are of the same order as r*, resulting in self-inhibition of dissolution and even reaction suppression. A metastable zone of undersaturation manifests itself when particle and pit critical sizes approach each other. These findings are also applicable for in vivo demineralization of biological materials such as tooth enamel. As the biomaterials select nanosized particles as their basic building blocks, the size-effects are magnified and the materials are insensitive to demineralization. These effects confer on biominerals the ability to be stabilized against dissolution in the undersaturated biological milieux.
Influence of Intravenous Opioid Dose on Postoperative Ileus

Background:Intravenous opioids represent a major component in the pathophysiology of postoperative ileus (POI). However, the most appropriate measure and threshold to quantify the association between opioid dose (eg, average daily, cumulative, maximum daily) and POI remains unknown.Objective:To evaluate the relationship between opioid dose, POI, and length of stay (LOS) and identify the opioid measure that was most strongly associated with POI,Methods:Consecutive patients admitted to a community teaching hospital who underwent elective colorectal surgery by any technique with an enhanced-recovery protocol postoperatively were retrospectively identified. Patients were excluded if they received epidural analgesia, developed a major intraabdominal complication or medical complication, or had a prolonged workup prior to surgery. Intravenous opioid doses were quantified and converted to hydromorphone equivalents. Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used to determine the dosing threshold for ...
Non-blocking timeout in scalable queue-based spin locks

Queue-based spin locks allow programs with busy-wait synchronization to scale to very large multiprocessors, without fear of starvation or performance-destroying contention. Timeout-capable spin locks allow a thread to abandon its attempt to acquire a lock; they are used widely in real-time systems to avoid overshooting a deadline, and in database systems to recover from transaction deadlock and to tolerate preemption of the thread that holds a lock.In previous work we showed how to incorporate timeout in scalable queue-based locks. Technological trends suggest that this combination will be of increasing commercial importance. Our previous solutions, however, require a thread that is timing out to handshake with its neighbors in the queue, a requirement that may lead to indefinite delay in a preemptively multiprogrammed system.In the current paper we present new queue-based locks in which the timeout code is non-blocking. These locks sacrifice the constant worst-case space per thread of our previous algorithms, but allow us to bound the time that a thread may be delayed by preemption of its peers. We present empirical results indicating that space needs are modest in practice, and that performance scales well to large machines. We also conjecture that constant per-thread space cannot be guaranteed together with non-blocking timeout in a queue-based lock.
Probabilistic considerations of the growth and detection of delaminations for repeated impact on composites

Repeated impact of foreign bodies on laminated composites may give rise to delamination damage. In this paper, experimental information is employed to formulate a growth law for delamination damage...
Expanding the Genetic Code for Biological Studies

Using an orthogonal tRNA-synthetase pair, unnatural amino acids can be genetically encoded with high efficiency and fidelity, and over 40 unnatural amino acids have been site-specifically incorporated into proteins in Escherichia coli, yeast, or mammalian cells. Novel chemical or physical properties embodied in these amino acids enable new means for tailored manipulation of proteins. This review summarizes the methodology and recent progress in expanding this technology to eukaryotic cells. Applications of genetically encoded unnatural amino acids are highlighted with reports on labeling and modifying proteins, probing protein structure and function, identifying and regulating protein activity, and generating proteins with new properties. Genetic incorporation of unnatural amino acids provides a powerful method for investigating a wide variety of biological processes both in vitro and in vivo.
Efficient distributed recovery algorithm using non-FIFO channel in distributed network

This paper presents a recovery algorithm using a vector clock for distributed networks. The main idea of our recovery algorithm started from two concepts. The first concept is the use of global local time for dependency tracking. We can get the maximal state with the global local time. The second concept is the snapshot algorithm. We can have a complete view of global state with the snapshot algorithm. In this algorithm, each process maintains a global local time for n processes using a vector clock. Since global local time is obtained by the snapshot algorithm, each process keeps its own maximal state. The maximum consistent state can be tracked using only global local time and it requires neither a unique timestamp nor any index tables. Also, it does not need O(n) additional information for dependency tracking in normal operation. >
Methionine Peptides as Potential Food Supplements: Efficacy and Susceptibility to Maillard Browning

Three experiments were conducted with young chicks fed purified diets to ascertain the bioefficacy of six different methionylmethionine (Met-Met) dipeptides, differing only in isomerie configuration, an oligopeptide (n = 8) of L- methionine, and also N-glycyl-L-methionine. DL/LD-Met-Met (50% D-Met-L-Met and 50% L-Met-D-Met), D-Met-L-Met, L-Met-D-Met, L-Met-L-Met, and N-Gly-L-Met were utilized as well as L-Met based on weight gain per millimole of sulfur consumed from each experimental compound. DD/LL-Met-Met(50% D-Met-D-Met and 50% L- Met-L-Met), D-Met-D-Met and L-oligo-Met were utilized less efficiently for chick growth. When the Met compounds were pretreated to facilitate Maillard browning (incubated at 37.6Â°Cwith dextrose at pH 9.5), all Met sources (except JV-acetyl-L- Met, which was used as a positive control) exhibited reduced efficacy relative to an equivalent dietary addition of unreacted L-Met. The Met-Met peptides which when unreacted had been equivalent in efficacy to L-Met were, however, superior to L-Met when each compound, including L-Met, had undergone browning. N-Gly-L-Met was very reactive when heat-treated with dextrose, producing an almost black color after the 14-day incubation period, and its efficacy after browning was reduced by an even greater extent than was the case for L-Met. J. Nutr. 114: 292-297, 1984.
A cis-eQTL in PFKFB2 is associated with diabetic nephropathy, adiposity and insulin secretion in American Indians

A prior genome-wide association study (GWAS) in Pima Indians identified a variant within PFKFB2 (rs17258746) associated with body mass index (BMI). PFKFB2 encodes 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase isoform 2, which plays a role in glucose metabolism. To follow-up on the GWAS, tag SNPs across PFKFB2 were genotyped in American Indians (AI) who had longitudinal data on BMI (n = 6839), type 2 diabetes (T2D; n = 7710), diabetic nephropathy (DN; n = 2452), % body fat (n = 555) and insulin secretion (n = 298). Two SNPs were further genotyped in urban AI to assess replication for DN (n = 864). PFKFB2 expression was measured in 201 adipose biopsies using real-time RT-PCR and 61 kidney biopsies using the Affymetrix U133 array. Two SNPs (rs17258746 and rs11120137), which capture the same signal, were associated with maximum BMI in adulthood (β = 1.02 per risk allele, P = 7.3 × 10(-4)), maximum BMI z-score in childhood (β = 0.079, P = 0.03) and % body fat in adulthood (β = 3.4%, P = 3 × 10(-7)). The adiposity-increasing allele correlated with lower PFKFB2 adipose expression (β = 0.81, P = 9.4 × 10(-4)). Lower expression of PFKFB2 further correlated with higher % body fat (r = -0.16, P = 0.02) and BMI (r = -0.17, P = 0.02). This allele was also associated with increased risk for DN in both cohorts of AI [odds ratio = 1.64 (1.32-2.02), P = 5.8 × 10(-6)], and similarly correlated with lower PFKFB2 expression in kidney glomeruli (β = 0.87, P = 0.03). The same allele was also associated with lower insulin secretion assessed by acute insulin response (β = 0.78, P = 0.03) and 30-min plasma insulin concentrations (β = 0.78, P = 1.1 × 10(-4)). Variation in PFKFB2 appears to reduce PFKFB2 expression in adipose and kidney tissues, and thereby increase risk for adiposity and DN.
A framework for the automated generation of power-efficient classifiers for embedded sensor nodes

This paper presents a framework for power-efficient detection in embedded sensor systems. State detection is structured as a decision tree classifier that dynamically orders the activation and adjusts the sampling rate of the sensors (termed groggy wakeup), such that only the data necessary to determine the system state is collected at any given time. This classifier can be tuned to trade-off accuracy and power in a structured, parameterized fashion. An embedded instantiation of these classifiers, including real-time sensor control, is described.An application based on a wearable gait monitor provides quantitative support for this framework. The decision tree classifiers achieved roughly identical detection accuracies to those obtained using support vector machines while drawing three times less power. Both simulation and real-time operation of the classifiers demonstrate that our multi-tiered classifier determines states as accurately as a single-trigger (binary) wakeup system while drawing as little as half as much power and with only a negligible increase in latency.
Depression Attributes Among White Non-Hispanic and Mexican-Origin Older Men.

Objective Depression is associated with poor quality of life, higher healthcare costs, and suicide. Older, especially minority, men suffer high rates of depression under-treatment. Illness attributes may influence depression under-treatment by shaping help-seeking and physician recognition in older and minority men. Improved understanding of depression attributes may help to close gaps in care for older men. The study aims are to describe the range and most frequent attributes of depression in a diverse sample of older men and to describe ethnic similarities and differences in depression attributes between white non-Hispanic and Mexican-origin older men. Methods In this qualitative study of white non-Hispanic and Mexican-origin older men who were recruited from outpatient primary care clinics in central California, 77 (47 white non-Hispanic and 30 Mexican-origin) men aged 60 and older who were identified as depressed and/or receiving depression treatment in the past year completed in-depth interviews covering their experiences of depression. Transcribed interviews were analyzed per established descriptive qualitative techniques. Results Twenty-one depression attributes were identified and 9 were present in at least 17% of the interviews. Men often attributed their depression to stressors such as grief/loss and spousal conflicts, feelings of moral failure, and poor health. Although there were similarities in depression attributes between the groups, we found several differences in the frequency of certain attributes. Conclusion Similarities and differences in depression attributes between Mexican-origin and white non-Hispanic older men suggest the confluence of various sociocultural factors. Awareness of the variety of ways that older men understand depression can help clinicians identify and engage them in depression treatment.
Mate-acquisition and Parental-Care Systems

Courtship in wildlife has always been fascinating to study (Brown 1973). Some questions that can be posed are: Why are some species monogamous and others promiscuous or polygamous? Why do males fight over females in some species but not in others? Why is courtship so elaborate in some species but not in others? What factors influence mate choice and who does the choosing (males or females)?
Cross-Testing Adaptive Hypotheses: Phylogenetic Analysis and the Origin of Bird Flight1

Adaptive scenarios in evolutionary biology have always been based on incremental improvements through a series of adaptive stages. But they have often been justified by appeal to assumptions of how natural selection must work or by appeal to optimality arguments or notions of evolutionary process. Cladistic methodology, though it cannot logically falsify hypotheses of process, provides hypotheses of evolutionary pattern independent of other considerations and so provides a useful test of consilience with genealogy. I illustrate the cross-test of hypotheses of the evolution of several functions and adaptations related to the origin of bird flight with independently derived phylogenetic analysis. Consilience does not support ideas that the close ancestors of birds were arboreal or evolved flight from the trees, nor that they were physiologically intermediate between typical reptiles and living birds, nor that feathers evolved for flight. Rather, the ancestors of birds were terrestrial, they were fast-growing, active animals, and the original functions of feathers were in insulation and coloration.
An integrated urban systems model with GIS

The main purpose of this paper is to explore a possible integration for the entire transportation modeling procedure – from data inventory to future demand forecasting – by implementing integrated land use and transportation models with a geographic information system (GIS). In order to make an integrated, procedural modeling system possible, Land Use and Transportation modeling system with GIS (LUTGIS) has been developed and presented in this paper.
Genetic Variation in Packed Cell Volume Associated with Variation in Response to Cold Temperature

Abstract The heritability of packed red blood cell volume (PCV) and its correlation to gain in chicks brooded at a relatively cold (26.7 C) and a normal (32.2 C) environmental temperature were compared. The PCV of progeny from 28 sire families brooded at 26.7 C was 32.7% compared to 30.9% for progeny from the same sire families brooded at 32.2 C. The respective PCV heritabilities for the 26.7 C and 32.2 C groups were .51 and .57. There were no significant differences in gain for the groups brooded at different temperatures, and PCV was not correlated with gain.
Fabrication, characterization, and energetic properties of metallized fibers.

Polystyrene fibers loaded with an energetic blend of nanoaluminum (n-Al) and perfluoropolyether (PFPE) were successfully fabricated via electrospinning producing nanothermite fabrics. Fibers were generated with loadings up to 17 wt % n-Al/PFPE incorporated into the fiber. Microscopy analysis by SEM and TEM confirm a uniform dispersion of PFPE treated n-Al on the outside and inside of the fibers. Metallized fibers were thermally active upon immediate ignition from a controlled flame source. Thermal analysis by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) found no change in glass transition temperature when comparing pure polystyrene fibers with fibers loaded up to 17 wt % n-Al/PFPE. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed a shift in decomposition temperatures to lower onsets upon increased loadings of n-Al/PFPE blends, consistent with previous studies. Flame propagation studies confirmed that the metallized fibers are pryolants. These metallized fibers are a recent development in metastable intermolecular c...
Cass Gilbert, Architect: Conservative at Bay

Among the dissolving boundaries of historical inquiry, the line between architectural history and political history has become as blurred and inviting as any. Architecture, the most social of the arts, demands for its practice an ability to meet the felt needs of clients and users and to satisfy their urge to find meaning in the space they occupy. When the client is the state, and the space public, the symbolic functions of the architect's creation touch issues of social purpose and collective self-worth as surely as the laws and policies debated inside the space. No architect understood this better, or tried harder to impose his reading of national identity on the public buildings of his generation, than Cass Gilbert (1859-1934). The effort won him a prominent place in the organizational structure governing his profession, an establishment of deeply conservative habits and assumptions. That structure came apart, politically and architecturally, toward the end of the 1920s. Gilbert ended his career fighting the collapse. Along with Henry Bacon, Charles A. Platt, and John Russell Pope, Gilbert was a leading practitioner of neoclassical architecture, the idiom of the "American Renaissance" that dominated taste in public places during the decades following the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. When he died in 1934, the obituary notices were not merely respectful but lavish. The Times of London said that "a list of his most important buildings only would be long enough to prove him the most remarkable architect of his generation in America." The New York Times, announcing that "New York City has lost the prophet of her architectural distinction among the cities of the earth," observed that "Sir Christopher Wren could have said with especial fitness of the buildings of Cass Gilbert that, being an ornament of his country, they help to establish a nation, draw people together and make them love the more their native land."' It was the assumption behind the latter claim-that
A comparison of thermal transitions in dip- and spray-assisted layer-by-layer assemblies.

Spray-assisted layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is far more rapid than conventional dip-assisted assembly methods and has gained widespread interest recently. Even so, it has remained unclear as to how the structure and properties of the resulting LbL film vary with processing method. Here, we compared the thermal properties of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and PEO/poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) hydrogen-bonded LbL assemblies prepared using both dip-assisted and spray-assisted deposition methods. While the surface morphologies of PEO/PAA LbL assemblies were similar, those of PEO/PMAA LbL assemblies were greatly influenced by deposition method. In both PEO/PAA and PEO/PMAA LbL assemblies, glass transition temperatures were not influenced by deposition method, but the transition’s breadth was consistently larger for the spray-assisted LbL films. These results indicate that the internal structure of spray-assisted LbL films is slightly more heterogeneous, possibly arising from the shorter t...
Serum Enzyme and Histopathologic Changes in Rats after Gold Exposures

SummaryExposure of 2 groups of dry rats 16 hours to 1.7 and −5°C and a third group of wet rats 5 hours to 1.7°C on 2 successive days significantly increased levels of serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase, serum aldolase and blood urea nitrogen. The blood urea nitrogen in all 3 groups and serum enzyme values in the 1st group were normal in 24 hours. The serum enzyme values in the 2nd and 3rd groups were normal in 3 and 6 days respectively. Mean body temperatures in the 3 groups at the end of the cold exposures were 38.2, 36.7 and 33°C respectively. The transient rise in serum enzymes coincided with a transient decrease in mean hematocrit and in glycogen in liver and muscle and lipid in the adrenal cortex, and leukocytosis. Many rats also showed transient fatty changes in the liver and, less frequently, in the kidney and heart
Automatic detection and quantitative assessment of peculiar galaxy pairs in Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We applied computational tools for automatic detection of peculiar galaxy pairs. We rst detected in SDSS DR7 400,000 galaxy images with i magnitude <18 that had more than one point spread function, and then applied a machine learning algorithm that detected 26,000 galaxy images that had morphology similar to the morphology of galaxy mergers. That dataset was mined using a novelty detection algorithm, producing a short list of 500 most peculiar galaxies as quantitatively determined by the algorithm. Manual examination of these galaxies showed that while most of the galaxy pairs in the list were not necessarily peculiar, numerous unusual galaxy pairs were detected. In this paper we describe the protocol and computational tools used for the detection of peculiar mergers, and provide examples of peculiar galaxy pairs that were detected.
Physiological effects of Na+/Ca2+ exchanger knockdown by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides in arterial myocytes.

Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (AS-oligos) targeted to the Na+/Ca2+exchanger (NCX) inhibit NCX-mediated Ca2+ influx in mesenteric artery (MA) myocytes [Am. J. Physiol.269 (Cell Physiol. 38): C1340...
Arne Fisher's 'Review' of J M Keynes's A Treatise on Probability: Fiasco Number Three

Arne Fisher attempted a cover up of an important footnote in chapter 29 of the A Treatise on Probability (1921), in which Keynes made it clear that he was not going to use the modern Method of Moments, which used a Moment Generating Function approach based on a Taylor Series expansion very similar to the Maclaurin Series, a special case of the Taylor series expansion, used by Keynes in chapter 17 of the A Treatise on Probability. Cumulants and semi-invariants, which A. Fisher claimed Keynes had no inkling of and did not understand, are simply terms used to describe particular parts of the Taylor series expansion carried out to provide the optimal estimate of a series using the Moment Generating Function technique.A. Fisher attempted to create the illusion that Keynes had made a number of very critical comments about the mathematical capabilities of Laplace, Bernoulli, and Poisson on pp. 358-361 of the A Treatise on Probability. These are figments of Fisher’s own imagination. A. Fisher’s “review” is really about one section of one chapter, chapter 29, sections 16-18, pp. 358-361, of the A Treatise on Probability. Nowhere in these pages will a reader find any such comments.A. Fisher, in his “review,” also sought to create the illusion that there were many mathematical errors in the A Treatise on Probability in these sections. In reality, there are no mathematical errors in these sections. Keynes simply used an older method of generating values for the Poisson distribution instead of using the most modern approach, the Method of Moments, which used the Moment Generating Function, with which Keynes was well acquainted with.A. Fisher gambled that no one reading his “review” would go back and check to see if his comments were correct. His gambit worked for nearly 94 years.
Biochemical and Structural Insights into the Preference of Nairoviral DeISGylases for Interferon-Stimulated Gene Product 15 Originating from Certain Species.

UNLABELLED The regulation of the interferon type I (IFN-I) response has been shown to rely on posttranslational modification by ubiquitin (Ub) and Ub-like interferon-stimulated gene product 15 (ISG15) to stabilize, or activate, a variety of IFN-I signaling and downstream effector proteins. Unlike Ub, which is almost perfectly conserved among eukaryotes, ISG15 is highly divergent, even among mammals. Since zoonotic viruses rely on viral proteins to recognize, or cleave, ISG15 conjugates in order to evade, or suppress, innate immunity, the impact of ISG15 biodiversity on deISGylating proteases of the ovarian tumor family (vOTU) from nairoviruses was evaluated. The enzymatic activities of vOTUs originating from the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Erve virus, and Nairobi sheep disease virus were tested against ISG15s from humans, mice, shrews, sheep, bats, and camels, which are mammalian species known to be infected by nairoviruses. This along with investigation of binding by isothermal titration calorimetry illustrated significant differences in the abilities of nairovirus deISGylases to accommodate certain species of ISG15. To investigate the molecular underpinnings of species preferences of these vOTUs, a structure was determined to 2.5 A for a complex of Erve virus vOTU protease and a mouse ISG15 domain. This structure revealed the molecular basis of Erve virus vOTU's preference for ISG15 over Ub and the first structural insight into a nonhuman ISG15. This structure also revealed key interactions, or lack thereof, surrounding three amino acids that may drive a viral deISgylase to prefer an ISG15 from one species over that of another. IMPORTANCE Viral ovarian tumor domain proteases (vOTUs) are one of the two principal classes of viral proteases observed to reverse posttranslational modification of host proteins by ubiquitin and interferon-stimulated gene product 15 (ISG15), subsequently facilitating downregulation of IFN-I signaling pathways. Unlike the case with ubiquitin, the amino acid sequences of ISG15s from various species are notably divergent. We illustrate that vOTUs have clear preferences for ISG15s from certain species. In addition, these observations are related to the molecular insights acquired via the first X-ray structure of the vOTU from the Erve nairovirus in complex with the first structurally resolved nonhuman ISG15. This information implicates certain amino acids that drive the preference of vOTUs for ISG15s from certain species.
Enhancing an International Experience for Students through Reflective Writing Exercises and Self-Directed Learning

The article identifies a student-centered approach to generating meaningful learning outcomes in a study-abroad program. It details how Reflective Writing Exercises (RWE) were incorporated into a course involving international travel. A group of students in a short-term study abroad course was subject to a specific reflective writing process designed to limit the potential cultural and logistic obstacles of the travel experience, and enhance the students’ overall experience. This process included three distinct reflective writing periods: prior to travelling, during the trip, and after the trip. The RWEs required the students to think deeply and take partial ownership of the quality of their learning experiences through a self-directed learning component while abroad. Qualitative data collection revealed that students benefited from the overall reflective writing experience. The evaluated effects of the student-selected activities that emerged from the RWEs, and how other instructors may incorporate RWEs for study abroad, are also discussed.
Can ultraviolet light C decrease the environmental burden of antimicrobial‐resistant and ‐sensitive bacteria on textiles?

Background The environment is important in transmission of bacteria. Textiles are difficult and time consuming to clean; ultraviolet light C (UVC) is germicidal and may be an effective disinfection method for textile surfaces. Objective This study evaluated the efficacy of UVC, a commercial quaternary ammonium compound antimicrobial spray (FAS) and UVC+FAS combined for reducing bacterial colonization on experimentally contaminated textiles. Methods Microfibre, cotton and polyester were inoculated with meticillin-sensitive and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA and MRSA), Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MSSP and MRSP), Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Escherichia coli. ATCC® strains were used except for MRSP, for which ten canine clinical isolates were collected. Textiles were treated with three doses of UVC (13 mJ/cm2, 54 mJ/cm2 or 270 mJ/cm2), FAS or both (FAS and UVC at 270 mJ/cm2). UVC was delivered using a modified mercury-based lamp. Bleach (8.25%) was used as a positive control. Negative controls received no treatment. Surface bacterial counts were determined 24 h post-treatment. Results The lower dosages (13 mJ/cm2 and 54 mJ/cm2) of UVC had >90% colony forming unit (CFU) reduction, 270 mJ/cm2 had >99% CFU reduction and combined UVC+FAS had 100% CFU reduction against all bacterial strains on all surfaces (P < 0.05). Ten experiments showed that treatment with UVC had a greater CFU reduction when compared to FAS alone (P < 0.05). A majority of those experiments (seven of 10) involved Gram-negative species (P. aeruginosa or E. coli). Conclusion UVC quickly reduced the bacterial burden on textiles to greater than 90%; UVC may be a better disinfecting agent than FAS for Gram-negative species.
A Grateful Tribute and Comprehensive Memoir

This is a seminal chapter from Bentley University history, which spotlights one heck of a previously untold story. It's about the roles of two entrepreneurs, who by chance came together in 1974: pioneering President Gregory H. Adamian and pathfinding Professor Emeritus Frank Wolpe. What makes it a timely tale to tell is the Centennial Celebration of the100th Anniversary of the 1917 founding of the Harry C. Bentley School of Accounting and Finance. My name is Frank Wolpe, one of the two players in this event; and for this moment, I am your voice from Bentley past with a compelling 1974 Graduate School founders’ year story. For newer colleagues who don’t know me, and for others who don’t know me as well as they may think, I am writing about an exciting Chapter in our University history to share with folks in Bentley present. The full story of just how it all happened is told in the linked paper entitled: A “Grateful Tribute” and “Comprehensive Memoir” --- CELEBRATING A WANNABE 1974 GRADUATE SCHOOL THAT BECAME AN EXTRAORDINARY REALITY As its author, I also reflect upon my nearly four-decade odyssey at Bentley, which starts out with my first and remarkably-momentous meeting between then Bentley President Greg Adamian and me on February 15, 1974. His predicament was what led to our reaching out for each other. I had already learned that the hard-earned 1973 Bentley authority to activate a Graduate School had never yielded a single operationally-ready academic program. This was despite earnest faculty efforts and a well-intentioned public announcement for a September 1974 grand opening, albeit without any programs and courses ready to deliver. Now, for the rest of the story, you can access this paper on SSRN at: http://ssrn.com/author=2305510"