cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Battered Women’s Evaluations of Their Intimate Partners as a Possible Mediator Between Abuse and Self-Esteem

This study examined whether battered women’s evaluations of their intimate partners mediate the relationship between the abuse they experience and their self-esteem. The sample consisted of 196 battered women seeking services from seven shelters. Results provide empirical evidence against theoretical postulates about battered women’s idealization of their abusive partners and against the hypothesized mediating role of partner evaluations in the association between intimate partner violence and women’s self-esteem. The overall findings imply ongoing changes in a battered woman’s internal state as she goes through different developmental stages in her process of breaking away from the cycle of intimate partner violence.
The behavior of the weakening and failing myocardium

Use of an electrical model of the left ventricle of the heart and the arterial system permits analysis of the changes which take place as the capacity of the myocardium for generation of force decreases. The model is simple in structure, and its construction and practical testing would not be difficult. It demonstrates that, as the heart muscle weakens, the peak of intracardiac force occurs later in systole, and the difference between the intracardiac pressure and the aortic pressure in the second half of systole is much greater than for the normal heart. The feedback mechanisms which are proposed to affect myocardial contractility would affect this compensation for cardiac weakening. Indices to categorize the behavior of the normal, compensated though weakened, and decompensated myocardium are proposed.
The ‘Transgressor’ and the ‘Curse of the Law’: The Logic of Paul's Argument in Galatians 2–3

The nearly three decades since the publication of E. P. Sanders's work on Paul and Judaism have witnessed a spate of new proposals for reading Gal 3.10, one of the most difficult and contested passages in Paul's letters. For some, the ‘traditional’ interpretation is still preferred, though the ‘exile/restoration’ reading has gained some momentum recently. The following article will critique both of these readings, proposing a new interpretation of this passage, one that regards Paul as citing Deut 27.26 in continuity with its meaning in its narrative setting and that finds an interpretive grid in the logic he unfolds in Gal 2.15–21.
Comparison of liquid chromatographic separations of geometrical isomers of substituted phenols with β- and γ-cyclodextrin bonded-phase columns

Abstract The capacity factors (k′) of several substituted phenols were measured by using β- and γ-cyclodextrin bonded-phase columns with mobile phases varying from the classical normal-phase conditions (e.g., heptane/2-propanol) to the reversedl-phase conditions (e.g. water/2-propanol). The cyclodextrin columns have unusual selectivities in both normal- and reversed-phase separations because of their large number of hydroxyl functional groups and their ability to form inclusion complexes with substrates. The occurrences of minima in plots of log k′ vs. percent organic modifier for various substituted phenols are considered to result from solute/solvent competition for interaction with the stationary phase and from the relative hydrophobicity of the stationary and mobile phases.
Can self-healing software cope with loitering?

Garbage collectors automatically free memory previously allocated by applications. Generally, they discard unreachable objects from memory, leaving reachable objects intact. However, object reachability does not necessarily imply usability, as an object may be obsolete and still reachable. Such objects are usually referred to as loitering objects. Loitering objects introduce a form of memory leak in a Java application. Predicting, tracing and eliminating loitering objects is a difficult problem. In this paper we address this problem. We present a self-healing approach for dealing with loitering objects. Specifically, the paper proposes an algorithm that can be integrated within the Java garbage collector. The algorithm prevents memory leaks resulting from loitering objects by "paging" suspected live objects to disk and reloading them if they are required. As a proof-of-concept, we have implemented and validated the algorithm for the Java Virtual Machine. This could be a first step towards genuine self-healing of memory management problems.
Nanometer scale gap made by conventional microscale fabrication: Step junction

This paper describes a simple way to build a nanometer scale gap, using conventional microscale fabrication techniques such as optical lithography, electron-beam evaporation, and lift-off. Using electron-beam evaporation and lift-off of a metal line, it is possible to transfer the positive slope at the developed pattern edge in positive photoresist to a corresponding negative (undercut) slope in the resulting edge of the metal line. This negative slope on the metal pattern edge is subsequently used as a shadow for a second, thinner metal layer. Using this shadow, we demonstrate that a nanometer scale gap, denoted as a step junction, can be built between the two metal layers. The current−voltage characteristics of the resulting gaps have been characterized and the gaps have been imaged using scanning electron microscopy. To illustrate the application of a step junction structure as a nanoscale gap electrode, conductive bridges consisting of organic monolayers and nanoscale gold clusters were formed between...
Wraparound Services: Infusion Into Secondary Schools as a Dropout Prevention Strategy

For more than 20 years, the efficacy of using the wraparound approach to support high-risk youth has been examined in educational and community settings. Few studies show the value of wraparound se...
1101 THE RENAL HANDLING OF PHOSPHATE (P) IN THE NEWBORN CANINE KIDNEY

Newborn animals of many species demonstrate hyperphosphatemia (HP) relative to adult animals. We studied the renal response to this relative HP in beagle puppies age 5-10 days. Animals were divided into 2 groups: phosphate loaded group (PL,n=7) received 320 mg phosphorus daily as a neutral P solution by nasogastric feeding; phosphate restricted group (PR,n=8) received aluminum hydroxide gel. After 3 days P titration studies were performed. Control plasma phosphate concentration (PP) was not significantly different between the 2 groups (PL 12.2mg/d1, PR 8.6mg/d1), although the highest values were in the PL group. GFR (PL 1.9, PR 1.4m1/min) and the rate of phosphate reabsorption (PL 0.077, PR 0.085mg/min) were not different and were not correlated with PP. At comparable filtered loads, however, P reabsorption was greater in PR. There were striking differences in P excretion (PL 0.118, PR 0.030mg/min), fractional excretion P (PL 0.605, PR 0.250), and percent reabsorption P (PL 39.8, PR 74.0%). Maximal rates of phosphate reabsorption were similar (PL 15.3, PR 18.1 mg/100ml GFR). Negative values for P reabsorption were seen in 4 animals at very high PP, suggesting tubular secretion of P. The previously described decrease in TmP with continued P infusion may represent decreased net reabsorption due to P secretion. These data demonstrate that the young beagle kidney alters tubular P reabsorption in response to changes in dietary P so as to maintain PP higher than that in the adult. This represents a physiologic response and not renal functional immaturity.
Production of human nerve-growth factor in a patient with a liposarcoma.

Abstract A neuroma developed at the site of a cholecystectomy in a patient with liposarcoma of the buttock. Blood and tumour tissue from the patient and the growth media of cultured tumour cells contained nerve-growth factor (N.G.F.) by biological assay. This is the first report of a human tumour producing N.G.F. and apparently the first report of a patient with abnormal nerve growth secondary to humoral stimulation from a tumour.
Keeping things in perspective

Scientific realism holds that scientific representations are utterly objective. They describe the way the world is, independent of any point of view. In Scientific Representation, van Fraassen argues otherwise. If science is to afford an understanding of nature, it must be grounded in evidence. Since evidence is perspectival, science cannot vindicate its claims using only utterly objective representations. For science to do its epistemic job, it must involve perspectival representations. I explicate this argument and show its power.
Large-Deformation Constitutive Theories for Structural Composites: Rate Dependent Concepts and Effect of Microstructure

Continuous-fiber reinforced structural composite materials are typically classified as “brittle,” with strains to break in the principal fiber directions of only a percent or so. However, fiber architectures and material choices provide“ ductility” that is highly dependent on microstructure. Woven glass-reinforced polymer systems, for example, with strains to break on the order of 20 percent for uniaxial loading in off-axis directions are now in common use in a variety of applications, including Naval structures. An example of such behaviour for three different strain rates is shown in Fig. 1.
Evaluation of solid-supported room-temperature ionic liquids containing crown ethers as media for metal ion separation and preconcentration.

Abstract Extraction chromatographic (EXC) resins incorporating an appropriate crown ether in an oxygenated organic solvent such as 1-octanol are well established as sorbents for the analytical-scale separation and preconcentration of radiostrontium from a variety of sample types. Recent solvent extraction studies employing crown ethers in various 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based (CnC1im+) room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) indicate that under certain conditions, distribution ratios (DSr) for strontium far in excess of those observed with conventional organic solvents are observed. To determine if this increase in liquid–liquid extraction efficiency will lead to improved strontium sorbents, several EXC resins and sol-gel glasses incorporating di-tert-butylcyclohexano-18-crown-6 (DtBuCH18C6) in either 1-decyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide (C10C1imTf2N) or the related hydroxyalkyl-functionalized IL 1-(12-hydroxydodecyl)-3-butylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide (C12OHC4im Tf2N) were prepared and characterized. Unexpectedly the performance of these materials was not uniformly better than that of a conventional EXC resin, an apparent result of the greater viscosity of the ionic liquids and the lower solubility of the crown ether in ILs versus conventional organic solvents.
Posttraumatic posterior tibialis tendon insertional elongation with functional incompetency: a case report

We present a case report and literature review of distal intrasubstance rupture of the posterior tibial tendon with progressive pes planovalgus secondary to tendon incompetence. Three months after a severe ankle sprain, a 25-year-old basketball player presented with ankle weakness and pain. Treatment by advancement of the posterior tibial tendon to the navicular and medial displacement osteotomy of the calcaneal tuberosity restored alignment, strength, and full function.
The structure of an integral monoid and integer programming feasibility

Abstract Testing an integer programming problem for feasibility is equivalent to testing whether or not the right-hand side belongs to a certain integral monoid. Results on the structure of an integral monoid are discussed in relation to the integer programming feasibility problem.
Resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy of jet-cooled RuC

A resonant two-photon ionization study of the jet-cooled RuC molecule has identified the ground state as a 1Σ+ state arising from the 10σ211σ25π42δ4 configuration. The 3Δi state arising from the 10σ211σ25π42δ312σ1 configuration lies very low in energy, with the 3Δ3 and 3Δ2 components lying only 76 and 850 cm−1 above the ground state, respectively. Transitions from the X 1Σ+, 3Δ3, and 3Δ2 states to the 3Π2, 3Π1, 3Φ3, 3Φ4, 1Φ3, and 1Π1 states arising from the 10σ211σ25π42δ36π1 configuration have been observed in the 12 700–18 100 cm−1 range, allowing all of these states to be placed on a common energy scale. The bond length increases as the molecule is electronically excited, from r0=1.608 A in the 2δ4, X 1Σ+ state, to 1.635 A in the 2δ312σ1, 3Δ state, to 1.66 A in the 2δ36π1, 3Π and 3Φ states, to 1.667 A in the 2δ36π1, 1Φ and 1.678 A in the 2δ36π1, 1Π state. A related decrease in vibrational frequency with electronic excitation is also observed. Hyperfine splitting is observed in the 2δ312σ1, 3Δ3 state for...
Comment [on “Sea level rise shown to drive coastal erosion”]

Leatherman et al. [2000] (Eos, Trans., AGU, February 8, 2000, p.55) affirm that global eustatic sea-level rise is driving coastal erosion. Furthermore, they argue that the long-term average rate of shoreline retreat is 150 times the rate of sea-level rise. This rate, they say, is more than a magnitude greater than would be expected from a simple response to sea-level rise through inundation of the shoreline. We agree that sea-level rise is the primary factor causing shoreline retreat in stable coastal areas.This is intuitive. We also believe, however, that the Leatherman et al. [2000] study has greatly underestimated the rate of coastal recession along most low slope shorelines. Slopes along the North Carolina continental shelf/coastal plain approach 10,000:1. To us, this suggests that we should expect rates of shoreline recession 10,000 times the rate of sea-level rise through simple inundation of the shoreline.
The influence of surface passivation on electronic energy relaxation dynamics of CdSe and CdSe/CdS nanocrystals studied using visible and near infrared transient absorption spectroscopy

Charge carrier relaxation dynamics of electronically excited CdSe and CdSe/CdS core/shell nanocrystals (NCs) were studied using femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy, employing both visible and near-infrared (NIR) probe laser pulses. Following 400 nm excitation, the combination of visible and NIR laser probe pulses were used to determine the influence of surface passivation on electronic relaxation dynamics for nanocrystals overcoated with either organic ligands or inorganic semiconductors. In particular, low-energy NIR photons were used to isolate transient absorption signals due to either electron and hole intraband transitions. Four relaxation components were detected for CdSe NCs passivated by organic molecules: (1) picosecond hole relaxation; (2) electron deep trapping; (3) electron surface trapping; and (4) exciton radiative recombination. Based on TA data collected over a broad energy range, electron deep trapping at Se2− sites was suppressed for CdSe NCs passivated by inorganic (CdS) semiconducting materials. By comparing the time-dependent transient absorption data of a series of CdSe/CdS NCs with different shell thicknesses, evidence for the transition from Type-I to quasi Type-II NCs was obtained. These data illustrate the sensitivity of femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption measurements carried out over visible and near infrared probe energies for determining the influence of nanocrystal structure on electronic relaxation dynamics.
Theory of spin torque due to spin-orbit coupling

The combined effect of spin-orbit coupling and exchange interaction in a single ferromagnetic layer is investigated. It is shown that, in nonequilibrium regime, the spin-orbit interaction (SOI) gives rise to a transverse spin density that exerts a torque on the local magnetization. The spin torque depends on the symmetry properties of the SOI. For the inversion-symmetry-preserved SOI such as the impurity SOI and the Luttinger spin-orbit band, the spin torque is a high-order effect too small to lead to a reasonable critical switching current density. For the inversion-symmetry-broken SOI, e.g., Rashba and Dresselhaus SOIs, the torque is on the first order of the SOI parameter and can be effectively used to control the magnetization direction using critical switching current densities as low as ${10}^{4}--{10}^{6}\text{ }\text{A}/{\text{cm}}^{2}$. We also address the relation between the spin torque and the anisotropic magnetoresistance. Finally, a number of systems are proposed for the experimental observation of the SOI-induced torque.
Left Ventricular Assist Device Management and Complications

Patients on long-term left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support present unique challenges in the intensive care unit. It is crucial to know the status of end-organ perfusion, which may require invasive hemodynamic monitoring with a systemic arterial and pulmonary artery catheter. Depending on the indication for LVAD support (bridge to decision or cardiac transplantation vs destination therapy), it is important to readdress goals of care with the patient (if possible) and their family after major events have occurred that challenge the survival of the patient.
Retention Deficit Correlated with a Deficit in the Corticoid Response to Stress

Previous research has indicated that intracerebral injection of potassium chloride, and the resultant electrical silence of the brain, lead to the attenuation of a previously conditioned emotional response; this response may reflect conditioned fear. The data reported here indicate that the normal mobilization of corticosteroids, perhaps a second index of emotionality, is also attenuated by such injections.
Amniotic fluid levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein in fetal rats with retinoic acid induced myelomeningocele: a potential marker for spinal cord injury.

Objective The objective of this study was to determine whether amniotic fluid levels of glial acidic fibrillary protein (GFAP) would reflect myelomeningocele-related neurodegeneration in the rat model of retinoic acid–induced myelomeningocele, which is a model that is very similar to human myelomeningocele and develops the entire spectrum of disease severity including features of the Chiari II malformation. Study Design Time-dated (embryonic day 10) pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were gavage fed 60 mg/kg/bodyweight retinoic acid that had been dissolved in olive oil or olive oil alone. Myelomeningocele, retinoic acid–exposed no myelomeningocele, and control fetuses were harvested at specific time points throughout gestation. A standard set of pinching tests was performed to interrogate the sensorimotor reflex arc of hindpaws and tails. Amniotic fluid–GFAP levels were analyzed by standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay techniques. Results Amniotic fluid–GFAP levels were similar between groups at embryonic days 14, 16, and 18, respectively. Compared with control fetuses, amniotic fluid GFAP levels were significantly increased in myelomeningocele fetuses at embryonic days 20 and 22 ( P P P = .0004), and absence of sensorimotor function ( P Conclusion Amniotic fluid–GFAP levels appear to correlate with spinal cord injury as gestation proceeds in fetal rats with myelomeningocele.
The persistent plague of plagiarism

Purpose – This article aims to introduce the numerous library web sites devoted to the issue of plagiarism.Design/methodology/approach – Surveys several web sites devoted to the issue of plagiarism and compares them against each other. The author notes the intended audience and approach in each site.Findings – Many web sites examining the issue of plagiarism have been developed and are maintained by libraries. The topic of plagiarism has clearly entered the purview of librarians.Originality/value – Even though all web sites examined were created by libraries, not all sites are equal. Some clearly state what plagiarism is, while others provide tutorials as the method of instruction. As such, this survey provides many options from which to choose so that one can determine which approach is appropriate for their own institution to use.
A helper thread based EDP reduction scheme for adapting application execution in CMPs

In parallel to the changes in both the architecture domain - the move toward chip multiprocessors (CMPs) - and the application domain - the move toward increasingly data-intensive workloads - issues such as performance, energy efficiency and CPU availability are becoming increasingly critical. The CPU availability can change dynamically due to several reasons such as thermal overload, increase in transient errors, or operating system scheduling. An important question in this context is how to adapt, in a CMP, the execution of a given application to CPU availability change at runtime. Our paper studies this problem, targeting the energy-delay product (EDP) as the main metric to optimize. We first discuss that, in adapting the application execution to the varying CPU availability, one needs to consider the number of CPUs to use, the number of application threads to accommodate and the voltage/frequency levels to employ (if the CMP has this capability). We then propose to use helper threads to adapt the application execution to CPU availability change in general with the goal of minimizing the EDP. The helper thread runs parallel to the application execution threads and tries to determine the ideal number of CPUs, threads and voltage/frequency levels to employ at any given point in execution. We illustrate this idea using two applications (Fast Fourier Transform and MultiGrid) under different execution scenarios. The results collected through our experiments are very promising and indicate that significant EDP reductions are possible using helper threads. For example, we achieved up to 66.3% and 83.3% savings in EDP when adjusting all the parameters properly in applications FFT and MG, respectively.
Text Messaging During Simulated Driving

Objective: This research aims to identify the impact of text messaging on simulated driving performance. Background: In the past decade, a number of on-road, epidemiological, and simulator-based studies reported the negative impact of talking on a cell phone on driving behavior. However, the impact of text messaging on simulated driving performance is still not fully understood. Method: Forty participants engaged in both a single task (driving) and a dual task (driving and text messaging) in a high-fidelity driving simulator. Results: Analysis of driving performance revealed that participants in the dual-task condition responded more slowly to the onset of braking lights and showed impairments in forward and lateral control compared with a driving-only condition. Moreover, text-messaging drivers were involved in more crashes than drivers not engaged in text messaging. Conclusion: Text messaging while driving has a negative impact on simulated driving performance. This negative impact appears to exceed the impact of conversing on a cell phone while driving. Application: The results increase our understanding of driver distraction and have potential implications for public safety and device development.
Factors That Influence University Employees to Commute by Bicycle

The environmental, economic, and health benefits of bicycling provide motivation for policy makers to promote bicycling as a means of transportation. Research has linked sociodemographic factors, individual attitudes, and characteristics of the social and physical environments to the decision to bicycle. A study was conducted to identify and estimate the effects of individual and sociodemographic factors on the decisions of university employees to bicycle to work in the context of a bicycle-friendly community with historically high bicycling rates. Results of binary logistic regression with data from an annual campus travel survey at the University of California, Davis, indicated that for university employees, individual attitudes and preferences were key determinants of bicycling, whereas sociodemographic factors such as age, income, and gender did not have direct effects on bicycling. Because many studies have found gender to influence bicycling significantly behavior, gender-specific models were developed, and several significant interaction effects were identified in the final model. Having a graduate degree and rating parking costs as important had positive effects on bicycling for women, whereas only rating travel costs as important had positive effects for men. For both genders, bicycling comfort and liking to bicycle increased the likelihood of commuting by bicycle, whereas general need for a car, need for a vehicle for work activities, liking driving, and rating travel convenience as important decreased the likelihood of bicycling.
Advances in information extraction techniques

Sundry recent developments are presented which show some potential for affecting the automatic extraction of information from remotely sensed data. Pattern representations more abstract than Euclidean vector spaces offer some hope of unifying structural and decision theoretical approaches. The estimation of expected classification error rates is becoming more sophisticated and rigorous, but useful finite-sample results for nonparametric distributions appear unobtainable. Focus on computational complexity allows comparison of algorithms, while software engineering techniques reduce the effort necessary to develop and maintain complex image processing systems. Advances in computer systems architecture, commercial database technology, and man-machine communications should be closely monitored by the remote sensing community. A NASA-sponsored recommendation for research directions in mathematical pattern recognition are offered.
Perceptual and Neural Plasticity of Odor Quality Coding in the Human Brain

Current neurobiological models of odor perception tend to emphasize the “bottom-up” contributions of odorant chemistry in determining the perceptual features of an odor. However, increasing research suggests that “top-down” effects related to learning and experience play equally important roles in human olfactory perception, implying that a given set of olfactory receptors activated by an odorant does not neatly map onto a given odor percept. Rather, odor perception may rely on more synthetic mechanisms subserved by higher order brain regions. This review article focuses on the modulatory effects of learning, context, and experience on human odor perception. Recent psychophysical and neuroimaging work from our laboratory indicates that sensory-specific information about odor quality is not static within human piriform and orbitofrontal cortices but can be rapidly updated by mere sensory exposure. This experience-dependent neural plasticity parallels behavioral improvements in odor perception, providing direct evidence for the role of learning in shaping neural representations of odor quality in the human brain.
Mechanical stability optimization of Flemion-based composite artificial muscles by use of proper solvent

Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) is a promising candidate for artificial muscles and other bio-related applications. Compared with the widely reported Nafion, Flemion-based IPMC has some more attractive advantages. To improve its mechanical stability in dry environments, the organic solvent glycerol was applied. The mechanical characteristics such as tip displacement, tip force and durability were measured and analyzed. The results showed that Flemion-based IPMC with glycerol as solvent has optimum mechanical stability in dry conditions and will be a good candidate for artificial muscles working in air.
Description of the novel perchlorate-reducing bacteria Dechlorobacter hydrogenophilus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Propionivibrio militaris, sp. nov.

Novel dissimilatory perchlorate-reducing bacteria (DPRB) were isolated from enrichments conducted under conditions different from those of all previously described DPRB. Strain LT-1T was enriched using medium buffered at pH 6.6 with 2-(N-morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid (MES) and had only 95% 16S rRNA gene identity with its closest relative, Azonexus caeni. Strain MPT was enriched in the cathodic chamber of a perchlorate-reducing bioelectrical reactor (BER) and together with an additional strain, CR (99% 16S rRNA gene identity), had 97% 16S rRNA gene identity with Propionivibrio limicola. The use of perchlorate and other electron acceptors distinguished strains MPT and CR from P. limicola physiologically. Strain LT-1T had differences in electron donor utilization and optimum growth temperatures from A. caeni. Strains LT-1T and MPT are the first DPRB to be described in the Betaproteobacteria outside of the Dechloromonas and Azospira genera. On the basis of phylogenetic and physiological features, strain LT-1T represents a novel genus in the Rhodocyclaceae; strain MPT represents a novel species within the genus Propionivibrio. The names Dechlorobacter hydrogenophilus gen. nov., sp. nov and Propionivibrio militaris sp. nov. are proposed.
New algorithms for parallelizing relational database joins in the presence of data skew

Parallel processing is an attractive option for relational database systems. As in any parallel environment however, load balancing is a critical issue which affects overall performance. Load balancing for one common database operation in particular, the join of two relations, can be severely hampered for conventional parallel algorithms, due to a natural phenomenon known as data skew. In a pair of recent papers (J. Wolf et al., 1993; 1993), we described two new join algorithms designed to address the data skew problem. We propose significant improvements to both algorithms, increasing their effectiveness while simultaneously decreasing their execution times. The paper then focuses on the comparative performance of the improved algorithms and their more conventional counterparts. The new algorithms outperform their more conventional counterparts in the presence of just about any skew at all, dramatically so in cases of high skew. >
Magnetoelastic Materials as Novel Bioactive Coatings for the Control of Cell Adhesion

Interfacial fibrosis is known to dramatically decrease the lifespan, stability, and function of biomedical implants and bone-anchored prosthetics. Bioactive coatings aimed at mitigating fibrous adhesions are one of the approaches to alleviate the problem. In this paper, we are developing a bioactive coating based upon a magnetoelastic (ME) material that vibrates in response to an ac magnetic field. In order to establish these coatings for this purpose, the ME material was first rendered bioactive through the sequential addition of polyurethane and chitosan thin films. Indirect live/dead assays were performed showing increased cell viability for polyurethane and chitosan-coated sensors compared to the uncoated controls. Direct adhesion experiments were performed to test the response of fibroblasts cultured on static and vibrated ME materials. Results showed cells adherent to static but not vibrated coatings. Detached cells showed no viability loss compared to controls. The finding that submicrometer ME vibrations can prevent cell adhesion in vitro without inducing cell death suggests the potential of these coatings to effectively control interfacial fibrosis. Future work will address the effect of vibrations on cell morphology and local gene expression in vitro, as well as fibrous tissue formation in vivo.
Detection-Threshold Calibration and Other Factors Influencing Digital Measurements of Ground Cover

New methods of image acquisition and analysis are advancing rangeland assessment techniques. Most image-analysis programs require users to adjust detection thresholds for color or object classification, a subjective process we postulated would be influenced by human error and variation. We developed a ground-cover–measurement calibration procedure, the digital grid overlay (DGO), which is similar to image point sampling (dot grid) advanced by earlier researchers. We asked 21 rangeland professionals to measure ground cover using 2 subjective visual-estimate methods (threshold adjustment process, or TAP, and external [to the software] visual estimate, or EVE) and the DGO on 5 different nadir-view images of rangeland. We also compared cover measurements made by DGO-calibrated software in automated batch processing against DGO manual-only measurements. We found an unacceptable range of variation among rangeland professionals using TAP. The DGO and EVE values were more closely aligned. We discovered an age-related bias in bare-ground measurements: all users over 50 years of age classified more bare ground than did all users under 50 years of age when using TAP. One explanation for this bias is age-related yellowing of the eye lens. Manual DGO measurements required up to 15 minutes per image compared to about 1 second per image for automated computer analysis after software calibration. The greatest bare-ground difference between the DGO-calibrated software and manual DGO measurements for the data sets analyzed was 5.6% and the correlations imply that reasonably accurate automated measurements can be used for bare-ground measurements from digital-image data sets. The exception is where the software cannot adequately separate litter and bare ground. The digital methods we tested need improvement. However, external calibration (DGO or EVE) of current-generation image-analysis algorithms bring economical, statistically adequate monitoring of extensive land areas within the realm of practical application.
Authority and inequality under capitalism and socialism

In this stimulating survey, Barrington Moore, the distinguished author of many seminal works, adopts an historical approach to describe and explain the principal similarities and differences in the systems of authority and inequality in the USA, the USSR, and China, and to explore the prospects for a free and rational society in the foreseeable future. He concludes that the tyranny of socialism with its all-powerful bureaucracies, and the shortcomings of liberal capitalism in which economic inequality has led to widespread unemployment, have tarnished both systems as ideals for the future. Religious fundamentalism and chauvinism, at times accompanied by terrorism, are attempts to fill the partial moral vacuum which has been created. Readership: amcademics, students, and the general public; courses in comparative economics systems; contemporary politics.
A synthetic Escherichia coli predator-prey ecosystem.

We have constructed a synthetic ecosystem consisting of two Escherichia coli populations, which communicate bi-directionally through quorum sensing and regulate each other's gene expression and survival via engineered gene circuits. Our synthetic ecosystem resembles canonical predator–prey systems in terms of logic and dynamics. The predator cells kill the prey by inducing expression of a killer protein in the prey, while the prey rescue the predators by eliciting expression of an antidote protein in the predator. Extinction, coexistence and oscillatory dynamics of the predator and prey populations are possible depending on the operating conditions as experimentally validated by long-term culturing of the system in microchemostats. A simple mathematical model is developed to capture these system dynamics. Coherent interplay between experiments and mathematical analysis enables exploration of the dynamics of interacting populations in a predictable manner.
Social Support and Depressive Symptoms: Differential Patterns in Wife and Daughter Caregivers

This cross-sectional study examined how three types of social support — social participation, emotional support, and caregiving support — were related to depressive symptoms in wives caring for their elderly husband and daughters caring for their elderly parent. We investigated whether different dimensions of social support affect mental health via different mechanisms and whether the context in which the support is needed and received will temper its effects. We found that social participation had a main effect on depressive symptoms for daughters but not for wives. Emotional support buffered the stress emanating from the husband's behavior problems for wives. For daughters, emotional support buffered the stress emanating from both the behavior problems and the ADLJIADL limitations of the parent care recipient. Using caregiving as the example, our data suggested that social support does not have uniform effects; rather, the type ofstressor, the type of social support, and the individual context interact to result in the specific effect of support. HPHE stress of caregiving has been well-documented in X the literature, with higher rates of depressive symptoms observed among caregivers than among their age peers who are not caring for aged relatives (Aneshensel et al., 1995; Dura, Stukenberg, and Kiecolt-Glaser, 1990; Haley et al.,
Intradiscal electrothermal coagulation and percutaneous neuromodulation therapy in the treatment of discogenic low back pain.

: Low back pain (LBP) is a major physical and socioeconomic entity. A significant percentage of LBP is attributable to internal disc disruption. The management of internal disc disruption has traditionally been limited to either conservative treatment or spinal fusion. Intradiscal electrothermal coagulation (IDET) and percutaneous neuromodulation therapy (PNT) are now being performed as an alternative to these therapies. Scientific data regarding the pathophysiology, biologic effects, and clinical results are relatively scarce. Early biomechanical and histologic investigations into the effects of IDET are conflicting. However, in early prospective human trials, IDET seems to provide some benefit with little risk. PNT represents a new less invasive technique for the treatment of discogenic pain, but limited research is available to determine long-term clinical efficacy. IDET and PNT are potentially beneficial treatments for internal disc disruption in carefully selected patients as an alternative to spinal fusion. More basic science and clinical research with long-term follow-up evaluation is necessary.
Cell Wall Alterations Associated with the Hyperproduction of Extracellular Enzymes in Neurospora crassa

A pleiotropic mutation in Neurospora (exo-1), which confers derepression of alpha-amylase, glucoamylase, beta-fructofuranosidase, and trehalase, appears to also affect the composition of the cell wall. Segregants resulting from the backcross of exo-1 to the wild-type strain from which it derived are altered in the ratio of galactosamine to glucosamine in hydrolysates of isolated cell walls. Conidial cell walls exhibit a marked decrease in the amount of galactosamine in both exo-1 and exo-1(+) strains. Increased levels (approximately sevenfold) of amylase are found in conidia of exo-1, as compared with those of exo-1(+).
Supercontinuum generation in dispersion-tailored lead-silicate fiber taper

In this paper we numerically study the coherence properties of the supercontinuum generated in a lead-silicate microstructured fiber taper, with an increasing core radius along the propagation distance which tailors the dispersion property. Simulations are conducted by adding quantum noise into the input pulse at 1.55 μm, and the complex degree of first-order coherence function and the overall spectral coherence degree are both calculated. Although the spectral broadening is comparable, the coherence degree is shown to vary with different pumping conditions. It decreases with higher peak power and longer duration due to the significant competition between the soliton-fission process and the noise-seeded modulation instability. By controlling the input pulse parameters, it is possible to generate perfectly coherent supercontinuum with a flat broadened spectrum extending to ~5μm in this fiber taper.
Oxygen diffusion coefficient and solubility in n-hexadecane

Oxygen transfer rate in a fermentation system is controlled by the oxygen transfer coefficient, k L , of the medium, which is strongly influenced by the corresponding oxygen diffusion coefficient, D. Krieger et al. reported a datum of oxygen diffusion coefficient in cyclohexane. An exhaustive literature search failed to find other values of oxygen diffusion coefficients in hydrocarbons. This work aims at measuring oxygen diffusion coefficient and solubility in n-hexadecane
Crowdlines: Supporting Synthesis of Diverse Information Sources through Crowdsourced Outlines

Learning about a new area of knowledge is challenging for novices partly because they are not yet aware of which topics are most important. The Internet contains a wealth of information for learning the underlying structure of a domain, but relevant sources often have diverse structures and emphases, making it hard to discern what is widely considered essential knowledge vs. what is idiosyncratic. Crowdsourcing offers a potential solution because humans are skilled at evaluating high-level structure, but most crowd micro-tasks provide limited context and time. To address these challenges, we present Crowdlines, a system that uses crowdsourcing to help people synthesize diverse online information. Crowdworkers make connections across sources to produce a rich outline that surfaces diverse perspectives within important topics. We evaluate Crowdlines with two experiments. The first experiment shows that a high context, low structure interface helps crowdworkers perform faster, higher quality synthesis, while the second experiment shows that a tournament-style (parallelized) crowd workflow produces faster, higher quality, more diverse outlines than a linear (serial/iterative) workflow.
Surgical Ultrasound of the Pediatric Head and Neck

Pediatric surgical ultrasound of the head and neck allows the clinician real-time access to data that can aid in the care of the patient. It improves the timeliness of care and is an integral part of office- and hospital-based practice. Expertise in medical knowledge as well as the performance and interpretation of imaging is critical for the clinician to have optimal patient outcomes. Ultrasound represents one modality of imaging and is part of a continuum. Ultrasound has limitations and other modalities may be essential. The best care for these patients require all physicians involved in imaging of our patients to collaborate more than ever before.
Psychological challenges of bioterror: containing contagion.

In this article, we have introduced the concept of shielding as a public mental health intervention. Shielding addresses the core elements of bioterrorism when we consider that bioterrorism is best understood as terrorism, i.e., psychological warefare, which merely employs biologic agents, not to kill, but to terrorize. It is, therefore, to some degree dependent upon widespread contagion. Shielding is not a panacea. It is one aspect of an overall response plan. Nevertheless, it represents a potentially useful "antidote" for the bioterrorist assault. Perhaps most significant among its putative mechanisms of action appears to be controlling contagion, both physical and psychological. In the final analysis, in the wake of a terrorist attack, physicians can physically immunize and treat those who require such attention. Engineers can reconstruct buildings and roads. But who rebuilds the essence of humanity which has been violently ripped away from those who suffered the terrorist attack? How do we reconstruct a belief in justice and safety in the wake of a mass terrorist attack? Without attention to mental health, i.e., the "psychological side of terrorism," we run the risk of rebuilding a nation without a spirit, without a vitality, without a sense of humanity. Language: en
Command Limiting for Full-Envelope Guidance and Control of Rotorcraft

Performance and agility of rotorcraft can be improved using envelope protection systems (or carefree maneuvering systems), which allow the aircraft to use the full flight envelope without risk of exceeding structural or controllability limits. Implementing the constraints generated by this system in automatic feedback system places saturation limits inside closed loop feedback path which causes problems with integrator wind-up, closed-loop stability, and flight control performance. This paper evaluates the integration of an envelope protection system for a rotorcraft with full-envelope guidance and control using a typical inner loop/ outer loop architecture. A torque limit protection system was implemented to generate constraints on inner loop commands of pitch angle in longitudinal axis and descent velocity in vertical axis. The inner loop constraints were converted to the constraint on the outer loop command of forward velocity and altitude. This procedure eliminates the problems associated with saturation limits in feedback path. The system was tested using a high-fidelity simulation model of the UH-60 helicopter. The performance was evaluated for multiple maneuvers in longitudinal and vertical axis and also for off-axis control input of roll angle. Results showed that the system was effective in avoiding the coupled longitudinal and vertical axis constraints corresponding to the torque limit.
Pellagra and Vitamin Deficiency

ConclusionsFour cases of moderately severe pellagra have been presented, which improved strikingly on a diet of 2,300 calories deficient in mineral content and vitamins “C” and “B” (including pellagra-preventive factor). The patients showed no return of signs or symptoms during the six to seven weeks they received this diet.
Stakeholder influence and the diffusion of eco-efficiency practices in the natural gas exploration and production industry

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically investigate the motivations behind eco-efficiency sustainability measures of firms active in natural gas exploration and extraction from deep shale formations in the north-eastern USA. Design/methodology/approach – The research design leverages a combination of semi-structured firm interviews with an online industry survey. Instead of pre-defining stakeholder categories, this study uses an emergent analytical framework to ascertain the stakeholder groups relevant to companies in this unconventional energy sector. Findings – Results show that these practices tend to be primarily influenced by internal stakeholders, but that regulatory, community and industry stakeholders also play a role. Managers also assigned a relatively high importance to the role of regulatory and community stakeholders in informing these practices. Research limitations/implications – Though limited in generalizability beyond the energy sector and accounting for rival causal influences beyond s...
Taxonomic implications of the comparative morphology of cockroach proventriculi.

A comparative study of slide-mount preparations of proventriculi (gizzards) of 168 species of 99 genera of cockroaches revealed a wide variety of structural detail ranging from large, heavily sclerotized teeth and interdental structures in the Blattidae to greatly reduced structures in scattered groups and an absence of structural differentiation in certain Polyphagidae and Blaberidae. Based solely on proventricular characters, a key to the subfamilies of Blattaria was constructed and found useful for those groups with proventriculi bearing an adequate number of structural details, but less useful in the minority of groups with proventriculi bearing few sclerotizations. With few exceptions, proventricular anatomy confirms the McKittrick system of taxonomic arrangement of Blattaria and often clarifies tentative placements. However, the proventriculus by itself offers insufficient evidence for systematic arrangement, since in exceptional situations proventricular characters seem to have evolved in directions divergent from other organ systems.