cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Economic and Environmental Footprints of Transportation

This chapter explores both passenger and freight transportation for a recent year in the United States and over time where data are available. The focus is on commercial transport: (1) Sales, ton-miles or passenger miles, employment for each industry; (2) fuel use and CO(2) emissions for each industry; (3) air pollution emissions for each industry; (4) injuries and deaths by industry; (5) direct resource use and environmental discharges and the full life cycle; and (6) social cost in dollars of the externalities, compared to the industry revenue. Passenger and freight transportation, from commuting to oil pipelines, play an essential role in the economy and lifestyles. Mass-transit strikes all but shutter major cities; winter storms interrupt truck and air traffic, which reduces food choices. Americans are mobile people who prefer to choose where they want to live, work, and shop, assuming that inexpensive transportation will be available to get for one place to another. The chapter describes how the transportation sector is energy intensive. When the modes were largely uncontrolled, prior to 1970, they emitted large quantities of air pollution. Eliminating lead from gasoline permitted the use of catalytic converters, which led to reductions of 90 percent or more in emissions. The achievement of motor vehicles in reducing air pollution emissions has been immense, and the manufacturers are to be commended. The transportation sector is to be commended for its essential contributions to lives, from food and transport of goods to personal mobility. While consumers will continue to demand this level of performance, society will demand major reductions in environmental externalities, from air pollution emissions to CO(2) emissions.
Facilitating Deep Learning in a Learning Community

The purpose of this study is to explore how the integration of online discussion into a mathematics methods course affected pre-service teachers' learning. Students' transcription of online discussion was analyzed using a mixed methods approach, combining computer-mediated discourse analysis and Chi-square test analysis. The data revealed that the online discussion helped pre-service teachers not only deepen their learning of mathematics methods, but also demonstrated their abilities to teach mathematics in different ways. It also indicated that the depth of their learning depended on the levels of threads and topics of discussion. Deep learning occurs 1 more often in the first level thread than subsequent level threads, and 2 in discussion topics, primarily those related to practice-based issues rather than theory-based topics.
Factors Related to School Absence Among Children With Cardiac Conditions

• This study compared psychosocial and health factors related to school absence among 62 children with cardiac disease and 62 age-, sex-, and racematched peers without chronic health conditions. Parents of children with cardiac conditions perceived their children as more vulnerable and rated themselves and their children as having less control over improving their children's health status than did parents of the well children. Increased school absentee rates for the cardiac group were associated with measures of illness severity, parental patterns of absenting their child from school for minor illnesses, and decreased belief in their child's ability to improve his or her health status. For the well comparison group, increased absence was related to external health iocus of control beliefs, increased maternal sick days, and demographic factors. School absence was not significantly related to social adaptation, self-esteem, or school achievement for either the well or cardiac groups. ( AJDC 1987;141:1317-1320)
Freedom and Responsibility, Global and Local

A note on conflicts of interest: The media ethics world is growing, but it is still a small one. Many of us who do scholarship in the area know each other and have worked together on various projec...
A Brazilian program for interlibrary bibliographic exchange (COMUT)

COMUT (Banco de Comutacao Bibliografica) est l'aboutissement de l'effort bresilien pour mettre au point des outils de controle bibliographique permettant l'echange entre bibliotheques a l'echelon national
Training in Spatial Ability: A Test of Sherman's Hypothesis:

This study examined the hypothesis that differential experience is an explanation of sex differences in spatial ability. The results yielded unclear conclusions concerning training. Both the experi...
Social and Psychological Factors in Human Procreation: A Survey Approach

(1954). Social and Psychological Factors in Human Procreation: A Survey Approach. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 245-257.
The shape of the cell and the velocity field in electrodialysis desalination

Abstract The mean velocity in an electrodialysis cell is shown to satisfy the potential flow equations. Two examples are solved: Rectangular cell and a Circular cell. A method of design is suggested to eliminate almost-stagnation regions. The results obtained may also be used to represent analytically the cell shape in more general design considerations.
Wrist kinetics after scapholunate dissociation: the effect of scapholunate interosseous ligament injury and persistent scapholunate gaps

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cutting of the scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) and persistent widening of the scapholunate (SL) joint on changes in moment arms of the principal wrist motor tendons. In seven fresh frozen cadaveric upper extremities, excursions of the extensor carpi radialis longus (ECRL) and brevis (ECRB), extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU), flexor carpi radialis (FCR), and flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) were recorded simultaneously with wrist joint angulation during wrist flexion–extension and radioulnar deviation. Tendon excursions were measured in intact wrists, then in the wrists with complete SLIL sectioning and in those with moderate or severe persistent SL joint widening. The data were converted to moment arms of the tendons. The results showed that moment arms of the ECRL and ECRB tendons after SLIL sectioning were, respectively, 110±6% and 105±3% of those in the intact wrist. In the wrists with moderate or severe SL joint widening, moment arms of the flexors significantly increased (P<0.01 and P<0.001, respectively). During radioulnar deviation, moment arms of the ECRL, ECRB, ECU, and FCU tendons decreased after SLIL sectioning and the SL joint widening. However, moment arms of the FCR tendon significantly increased 122±23% after the SLIL section, 133±28% after the moderate SL joint widening, and 138±24% after the severe SL joint widening compared with those of the intact wrists. This study demonstrated that integrity of the SLIL and appropriate SL joint space are important for mechanics of wrist motor tendons. Loss of integrity of the SLIL and persistent SL joint widening increase mechanical effects of the radial side wrist motor tendons, which may contribute to the pathomechanics of scaphoid malrotation, scapholunate advanced collapse, and early osteoarthritis in the radioscaphoid joint interface seen in SL dissociation. The results also suggest that reduction of the displaced SL joint is imperative to the recovery of wrist kinetics after SL dissociation.
Assigning Membership in a Fuzzy Set Analysis

This article provides a largely nontechnical discussion of the acquisition of membership values in fuzzy set analyses. First the basic properties of a membership are discussed. Then the three common strategies of membership assignment—direct subjective assignment, indirect subjective assignment, and transformation—are critically examined in turn. Examples are used to illustrate the techniques. The connection with existing psychometric and statistical methods is particularly emphasized, focusing on the notion of a membership value as a random variable as a means to assess uncertainty in assignment.
Design of a loading plan format for an expert cargo loading system

Many computer systems assist users in the performance of tasks by providing metaphors for the tasks themselves. The success of such systems hinge on how accurately and effectively the user interface represents those tasks. In this paper we describe such a representation for the task of loading boxed appliances into truck trailers. This representation was used to provide the format for the loading plans generated by an expert system constructed to plan the loading of such products. These plans tell the warehouse personnel that actually load the trucks just where each product is to be placed in the truck, how it is to be oriented, as well as where extra padding and filler material should be placed.
The extrusion rheology of dehydrated potato

Abstract The rheologies of different dehydrated potato granules are often compared using the Brabender viscoamylograph. The resulting pasting characteristics are not readily applicable to low moisture extrusion-cooking, particularly in combination with starch-based additives. This paper describes the rheological behaviour of different potato granule types singly and when mixed with additives at low moisture contents using capillary rheometry and compaction techniques. The pilot-scale, single-screw extrusion of these materials shows the marked effect of the additives on the operating conditions. The relationship between the frictional properties of the feed material and the pressure generation in the extruder is emphasized.
Developmental rate as a function of temperature in northern corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Development of immature northern corn rootworm, Diabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence, was studied at 7 constant temperatures ranging from 15 to 31.5°C. Development occurred at all temperatures, however, survival was lowest at 15 and 31.5°C for both males and females. The proportion of time spent in each life stage from hatch to adult emergence was independent of sex and ≈15% for 1st instars, 18% for 2nd instars, 41% for 3rd instars, and 25% for the pupal stage. Developmental times, from hatch to adult emergence, between males and females were substantially different. A developmental threshold of 10.2°C was estimated for development from hatch to adult emergence. Development from hatch to adult emergence was fastest at 30°C, taking ≈28 d, and slowest at 15°C taking 98 d.
Rare-earth-based hydrogen storage alloys for rechargeable nickel-metal hydride batteries

Abstract The cycling lives of metal hydride electrodes using mischmetal (Mm)-based alloys were significantly impaired by a stoichiometric deviation to the Mm-deficient side, because elements such as manganese and aluminum were preferentially precipitated at grain boundaries. Heat treatment at 1000 °C was effective for improving the cycling lives.
The effective potential and symmetry breaking in theO(N) xO(N) model

We compute the finite temperature effective potential in theO(N)xO(N) symmetric model for largeN in spacetime dimensionsd=4, 3, 2 and discuss the spontaneous symmetry breaking patterns. Ford=3 we find that the symmetry, if broken at zero temperature is restored at arbitrarily small nonzero temperature. Ford=4 the model is plagued by an intrinsic instability; in particular, there is no stable ground state at high temperature.
Rate adaptation algorithms for IEEE 802.11 networks: A survey and comparison

Rate adaptation is the determination of the optimal data transmission rate most appropriate for current wireless channel conditions. It consists of assessing channel conditions and accordingly adjusting the rate. Rate adaptation is fairly challenging due to wild channel conditions fluctuations. In the last decade, rate adaptation for IEEE 802.11 networks has been extensively investigated. This paper presents a comprehensive and detailed study of the advances of rate adaptation schemes proposed for IEEE 802.11 networks, and summarizes their characteristics. We also categorize these rate adaptation schemes based on their support of loss differentiation and their methods to sense the channel conditions. Then, this paper compares the performance of three representative schemes through simulations. Finally, open issues for rate adaptation are raised.
Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis of the Orbit: A Need for Interdisciplinary Dialogue

Purpose To explore specialty-related perceptions and treatment strategies in Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) of the orbit. Design A perspective. Methods We reviewed the reported ophthalmic experience with unifocal LCH of the orbit, analyzed current oncologic clinical trial protocols, and provided a brief summary of contemporary knowledge and theory of LCH pathogenesis. Results Ophthalmic literature indicates that unifocal LCH of the orbit is usually responsive to local intervention. Current international oncologic protocols identify orbital LCH as a "central nervous system–risk" lesion (at risk for delayed-onset diabetes insipidus) and mandate a 6-month course of chemotherapy. Analysis suggests that the latter strategy is based on cases of orbital involvement in multifocal and multisystem disease. The pathologic Langerhans cell continues to define and unite the LCH variants, but cytokine activation of that cell may be an earlier pathogenetic determinant. Despite a common cellular mediator, LCH may be a heterogeneous process, with severity related to varied "upstream" trigger events. Conclusion Treatment perspectives in LCH are influenced by dissimilar patient encounters and varied interpretations of the basic disease process. Pending documentation of linkage between unifocal orbital LCH and diabetes insipidus, we recommend local intervention, with systemic treatment reserved for incomplete response or local reactivation or the appearance of lesions elsewhere. LCH underscores the need for close interaction between specialists with intersecting clinical interests.
Infection of differentiating muscle cells with influenza and Newcastle disease viruses.

REPLICATION of influenza viruses is believed to require functions provided by the host cell nucleus because first, influenza replication is inhibited by actinomycin D and α amanitin, which prevent transcription of complementary RNA from virion RNA in the first few hours following infection1–4; and second, migration of viral proteins between host cell cytoplasm and nucleus occurs during the virus replicative cycle5–8.
Pulsed photothermal spectroscopy applied to lanthanide and actinide speciation

The Water Window Imaging X-Ray Microscope is currently being developed by a consortium from the Marshall Space Flight Center, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Baker Consulting, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Stanford University. The high quality solar images achieved during the Stanford/MSFC/LLNL Rocket X-Ray Spectroheliograph flight conclusively established that excellent imaging could be obtained with doubly reflecting multilayer optical systems. Theoretical studies carried out as part of the MSFC X-Ray Microscope Program demonstrated that high quality, high resolution multilayer x-ray imaging microscopes could be achieved with spherical optics in the Schwarzschild configuration and with Aspherical optical systems. Advanced Flow Polishing methods have been used to fabricate substrates for multilayer optics. On Hemlite grade Sapphire, the authors have achieved microscope mirror substrates on concave and convex spherical surfaces with 0.5 A rms surface smoothness, as measured by the Zygo profilometer. In this paper the current status of fabrication and testing of the optical and mechanical subsystems for the Water Window Imaging X-Ray Microscope is reported.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Free volumes and the anomalous self-diffusivity of attractive colloids

Free volume theories for the dynamics of dense fluids commonly assume (i) that diffusivity increases with average free volume per particle and (ii) that the size distribution of free volumes can be approximated by that of an equivalent hard-sphere reference system. We use molecular simulations to demonstrate that these assumptions break down when one considers concentrated suspensions of particles with short-range attractions. In these systems, self-diffusivity shows nonmonotonic dependencies on both average free volume and the strength of the interparticle attraction. Moreover, when interparticle attractions are strong, the shape of the free volume distribution is qualitatively different than that of the corresponding hard-sphere reference fluid. We propose a conceptual revision to the traditional free volume perspective that takes into account both the size distribution and the persistence time of the free volumes, and we demonstrate that it can qualitatively capture the disparate behaviors of a model fluid with short-range attractions and its hard-sphere reference fluid.
Implant uniformity evaluation using a Varian/Extrion scan compensator module on an electrostatic scanning ion implanter

Abstract With the ever-increasing demands upon processes used in VLSI technology and trends toward increased wafer size, proportionate demands are being placed on ion implanter manufacturers for improvement in areas such as machine automation, dosimetry, wafer cooling, particle reduction, beam purity, channeling control and wafer charging effects, to name a few. This paper will discuss an experimental evaluation of a scan compensator module developed by Varian/Extrion for the purpose of improving implant uniformity. This module is utilized on their medium current, electrostatic scanning, serial ion implanters and is offered as a retrofit. Gains in uniformity are evident for an earlier machine; however, optimum performance may vary from one situation to another.
The public affairs function in American corporations: Development and relations with corporate planning

Abstract The increase of social and political turbulence has led to the development of new organizational response mechanisms. Public affairs units are among the most widely adopted forms in U.S. companies. This paper reports findings from a major research study of the public affairs function in American corporations. Analysis of the public affairs function in several hundred firms strongly suggests that a critical stage in the organization's response to environmental change involves the integration of the corporate planning and public affairs perspective. This paper reviews data from the study and discusses the planning/public affairs relationship in terms of survey and case research data.
Re: The future of computers and writing: A multivocal textumentary

Camera cuts back and forth between close-ups of writing activity in what appears to be aclassroom computer space. Shots (e.g., of hands typing, mousing; screens with text editors,email, web browsers open; groups viewing documents on an overhead screen, etc.) don’t allowus to see exactly where we are. From opening-sequence montage, fade to Ball State UniversityinMuncie,Indiana,siteofthe2001ComputersWfadetoNormal,Illinois,site of the 2002 Computers & Writing Conference; fade to West Lafayette, Indiana, site of the2003 Computers & Writing Conference.Scene 1: Context for the question(Steve Krause, Bill Hart-Davidson, Nick Carbone, Trish Harris, and Ted Nellen sit on foldingchairs at Computers & Writing 2001, at the front of a large and generic lecture-hall styleclassroom. Krause stands up.)Krause: The resolution for our debate today goes like this (Carbone, Harris, Hart-Davidson,Krause,&Nellen,2001):Resolved:Inthenearfuture,theﬁeld/interest/sub-disciplineofcomputersandwritingwillceasetobedifferentfromtheﬁeld/interest/largerdisci-pline composition and rhetoric because all composition specialists shall be expectedto understand the importance of using computers and other technologies to teachwriting. All right, let’s begin
An estimate of the global distribution of radon emissions from the ocean

[1] There is a need for improved estimates of the radon (222Rn) flux density from the ocean for use in the modeling and interpretation of atmospheric radon in global climate and air pollution studies. We use a modification of a frequently used model of gas transfer to generate global predictions of ocean radon flux density for each month of the year (climate averaged) on a 192 by 94 global grid. Compared with the often-used approximation of a constant radon flux from the ocean, the model's predictions indicate large variations over regions of the ocean (a factor of ten is not uncommon). For example, latitude bands near the equator and Southern Ocean are predicted to emit relatively high average radon flux compared with other latitude bands. The predicted annually-averaged flux density from the ocean is 0.0382 mBq m−2 s−1 (0.00182 atoms cm−2 s−1), smaller than some commonly-used estimates.
Transcellular Calcium Transport in Mammary Epithelial Cells

The time-honored paradigm for mammary gland transepithelial calcium transport into milk is centered on the view that most, if not all, calcium enters milk through the secretory pathway, and no ionic calcium directly crosses the apical plasma membrane. Data from several recent studies all strongly suggest that most calcium, in fact, is extruded across the apical plasma membrane directly by the plasma membrane calcium-ATPase isoform 2 (PMCA2). In this review we break down transcellular calcium transport into the tasks of calcium entry, calcium sequestration and compartmentalization, and calcium extrusion. We compare and contrast the steps of calcium transport into milk by mammary epithelial cells, and the specific molecules that might perform these tasks, with well-characterized calcium transport mechanisms in other epithelia, such as the kidney, small intestine, and salivary gland. Finally, we suggest an updated model for calcium transport into milk that incorporates calcium transport across the apical plasma membrane.
The effects of associative and coding processes on organization in free recall

The effects of associative and coding processes on organization in multi-trial free recall were investigated. Two variables, formal similarity and list length, were manipulated. The results showed that high formal similarity and shorter list lengths led to less organization in S s' recall. Both associative and coding effects were demonstrated, suggesting that S s can process verbal information of this type at two levels. At one, S detects and stores information concerned with the “codability” of the items while at another he attempts to form associative connections among the items of each coded category.
Setting parameters: operational budget size and allocation of resources

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine how festivals allocated their funds among various expense categories.Design/methodology/approach – Festival managers from across North and South Carolina were asked to specify the percentages of their expense budgets allocated to each of the following categories: marketing, administrative, entertainment and operations.Findings – It was found that “smaller” festivals spend a significantly greater proportion of their budgets on marketing (23 percent) and a far smaller share on administrative expenditures (5 percent) than do their “larger” counterparts that spend only 15 percent on marketing and triple the “smaller” festival's administrative costs (15 percent). The differences related to their spending for entertainment (35 versus 28 percent) and operations (36 versus 41 percent) are not as dramatic in relation to their proportion of total spending. The data herein suggest that festival size plays an important role when it comes to such allocations.Original...
Fate of Steroidal Hormones During Soil‐Aquifer Treatment

There is increasing concern that endocrine disrupting compounds such as steroidal hormones present in treated waste water effluents can affect ground water quality where waste water is used to recharge local ground water. Little is known how efficiently steroidal hormones are removed or transformed during percolation through the subsurface. The scope of this study was to examine the fate of hormones during soil-aquifer treatment (SAT) leading to ground water recharge in controlled laboratory soil-column studies and at two water reuse field sites where treated waste water is fed to ground water recharge basins. The selected steroidal hormones represented estrogens (17β-estradiol and estriol) and androgens (testosterone). Composite samples of treated waste water and from ground water monitoring wells were collected and analyzed for steroidal hormones using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The study revealed that the mobility of the selected hormones in subsurface systems was low, and estriol and testosterone were both not detected (< 0.6 ng/L) in ground water monitoring wells or shallow lysimeters representing water samples after 1.5 m of travel through porous media. 17β-estradiol, however, was consistently detected at concentrations < 2 ng/L in monitoring wells after travel of 1.5 m through porous media. Results from field sites that have been operational for more than 13 years indicated no breakthrough of the target compounds in ground water samples collected downstream of the surface spreading operation. These findings were confirmed by controlled laboratory studies simulating SAT in soil-column experiments. It appeared that the majority of attenuation was due to adsorption of the three target compounds to the porous media matrix, and additional attenuation to below the detection limit occurred due to the presence of bioactivity regardless of dominating redox conditions (aerobic vs. anoxic) or the type of organic carbon matrix present (hydrophobic acids, hydrophilic carbon vs. colloidal carbon).
Stochastic validation for automated tuning of neural network's hyper-parameters

Abstract In this paper we describe a new method for automated tuning of hyper-parameters of supervised learning systems. It uses memory-based learning principles, follows certain ideas of experimental design and employs an alternative approach to resampling called stochastic validation. The described method allows not only for an efficient search through a decision space, but also for a corcurrent validation of the learning algorithm performance on a given data. Potential usefulness of the proposed approach is illustrated with the Fuzzy-ARTMAP neural network application to learning a qualitative positioning of an indoor mobile robot equipped with ultrasonic range sensors. Automatically selected neural network setpoints reach a comparable performance to those achieved by human experts in two-dimensional parameter optimization cases. Migration of the proposed method to higher-order optimization domains bears a big promise and requires further research.
Asymmetric peak broadening in photoemission of surface states as a consequence of lateral electron confinement

Abstract In addition to the inverse lifetime, the photoemission peak width of a surface state depends on the quality of the surface. For a stepped surface, in particular, there is an energy shift of the surface state owing to the confinement of electrons. A random distribution of steps causes an asymmetric peak broadening, which is examined as a function of the shift parameter, the inverse lifetime and the mean terrace width. The model is discussed for the Cu(111) sp-surface state for which an influence of steps on the peak shape is obtained particularly for mean terrace widths less than 100 A.
The chemistry of cyclic enaminoketones. III. Synthesis of bi- and tricyclic enaminoketones from enamine esters and nitriles†

The cyclization of enamines derived from β-aminoesters and β-aminonitriles into bi- and tricyclic enaminoketones (6,9,13 and 24) has been investigated. The enamines derived from aminonitriles cyclize smoothly with magnesium perchlorate in benzene or toluene, whereas the enamines derived from aminoesters cyclize spontaneously during their formation. The scope and limitation of this process is discussed.
Natural Gas Partial Oxidation and Reforming for Lean NOx Trap Catalysis Regeneration

Program goals for the Advanced Reciprocating Engine Systems (ARES) program of the Department of Energy include efficiency and environmental goals. Lean-burn natural gas engines offer higher efficiency than engines that operate with Stoichiometric air-to-fuel mixtures; however, the excess oxygen in the exhaust of lean engines makes NOx reduction with catalytic aftertreatment difficult. Thus, advancing efficiency via lean combustion results in challenges to meet environmental goals. The lean NOx trap catalyst technology is capable of reducing NOx in lean exhaust and, thereby, enables the potential for lean combustion to meet both efficiency and environmental goals. During lean NOx trap catalysis, NOx in oxygen-rich exhaust is trapped on the catalyst by alkali or alkaline earth-based sorbate materials; then, upon exposure to oxygen-depleted exhaust, the NOx is released and reduced to nitrogen in a process called regeneration. The regeneration process renews the catalyst for more NOx trapping; the cyclic process repeats at periods on the order of a minute. Oxygen depletion during regeneration is accomplished by temporarily operating the catalyst at rich air-to-fuel ratios; traditionally, a variety of methods have been utilized to achieve rich conditions for the catalyst. In this presentation, research of a lean NOx trap on a lean natural gas engine will be presented. Natural gas from the engine supply was used to provide the reductant for the lean NOx trap regeneration process. The natural gas is injected into the exhaust system where oxidation and reforming catalysts partially oxidize and/or reform the natural gas into reductants suitable for lean NOx trap regeneration. Studies of the natural gas oxidation and reforming processes and their relation to NOx reduction performance will be presented.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
A convenient mixed immunobeads screen for antisperm antibodies during routine semen analysis.

Abstract Objective: To determine if leftover unused IgG, IgA, and IgM immunobeads could be combined as a convenient screen for antisperm antibodies in unwashed sperm. For comparisons, the mixed antiglobulin reaction (SpermMar) and immunobead test were performed. Design: Prospective comparative study. Setting: Clinical and academic research environment. Subject(s): Donor human sperm negative for antisperm antibodies. Intervention(s): Sperm specimens (n = 9) were equally divided and sera with antisperm antibodies added to one portion (positive control). Main Outcome Measure(s): Assessment of antisperm antibodies in sperm. Result(s): The mixed immunobeads screen qualitative results were the same for both the SpermMar and immunobead tests. The mixed immunobeads screen (positive when ≥10% motile sperm was bound) had a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. The percentages of bound sperm for the mixed immunobeads screen correlated with the SpermMar but not the immunobead test. The mixed immunobeads screen intraassay and interassay coefficients of variation were 28.9% and 45.6%, respectively. Conclusion(s): Matching results between the mixed immunobeads screen and the SpermMar or immunobead test suggested that the screen could be used to detect antisperm antibodies in unwashed sperm. There was no advantage to washing the sperm, although the screen was flexible and applicable for both unwashed and washed sperm.
Euler-Lagrange Elasticity: Differential Equations for Elasticity without Stress or Strain

Differential equations to describe elasticity are derived without the use of stress or strain. The points within the body are the independent parameters instead of strain and surface forces replace stress tensors. These differential equations are a continuous analytical model that can then be solved using any of the standard techniques of differential equations. Although the equations do not require the definition stress or strain, these quantities can be calculated as dependent parameters. This approach to elasticity is simple, which avoids the need for multiple definitions of stress and strain, and provides a simple experimental procedure to find scalar representations of material properties in terms of the energy of deformation. The derived differential equations describe both infinitesimal and finite deformations.
Nurturing Peaceful Children to Create a Caring World: The Role of Families and Communities.

(2004). Nurturing Peaceful Children to Create a Caring World the Role of Families and Communities. Childhood Education: Vol. 81, No. 1, pp. 2-8.
Fibrinogen Chapel Hill II: Defective in reactions with thrombin, factor XIIIa and plasmin

Summary. Fibrinogen Chapel Hill II is a hereditary, abnormal fibrinogen which is characterized by poor substrate reactivity toward thrombin, factor XIIIa and plasmin. The patient has a low plasma level of clottable protein with normal antigen concentration, high amounts of fibrinogen related material in serum, and prolonged thrombin and reptilase clotting times. Fibrinopeptide release was decreased with both thrombin and ancrod, indicating that release of fibrinopeptide A from the abnormal fibrinogen was impaired. Sequence analysis indicated that the A peptide was normal. Light scattering indicated that the fibrils formed by thrombin were unusually short and thick. When clotted under crosslinking conditions γ dimers formed normally but α polymer formation was defective. Under conditions which yielded complete plasmin digestion of normal fibrinogen only half of the patient fibrinogen was degraded beyond the fragment X stage. The rate of fibrinopeptide release from patient fragment X and NH2-terminal disulphide knot (N-DSK) was similar to that from the fibrinogen, indicating that the defect was contained within the N-DSK. A simple amino acid substitution could result in a conformational defect in the N-DSK sufficient to perturb the reactions involving thrombin, factor XIIIa and plasmin and also polymerization.
Synthesis, evaluation and Tc-99m complexation of a hydrazinonicotinyl conjugate of a GP IIb/IIIa antagonist cyclic peptide for the detection of deep vein thrombosis

Abstract A cyclic peptide GP IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist containing the N-Me-Arg-Gly-Asp motif has been derivatized with the technetium chelating hydrazinonicotinyl group (Hynic). The Hynic derivative, and the Tc-99 diazenido complex, retain the high receptor affinity of the parent peptide. The Tc-99m complex shows high thrombus uptake, and rapid clearance of background, producing excellent images in under 1 h.
Discussion of “Evaporation from and stabilization of Salton Sea water surface”rdquo;

The rise and fall of the Salton Sea can be explained on the basis of inflow and evaporation. This fact is clearly demonstrated by the author. As shown in Table 7, there was an excess of inflow over evaporation of 823,400 ac ft from 1945 to 1953, and during this period the level of the sea rose from −240.5 to −236.2, a total of 4.3 ft. However, the excess inflow of 823,400 ac ft should have caused a rise of only 3.9 feet on the basis of the average surface area of the Salton Sea in that range of elevation. This discrepancy can be explained by the fact that neither the inflow nor the evaporation can be precisely determined.
Oligomerization of nitrophorins

Rhodnius prolixus is a blood-sucking insect that uses a mixture of nitrophorin (NP) proteins to deliver nitric oxide (NO) from the insect saliva to the hosts via a ferric heme coordinated to the protein, causing vasodilatation and anticoagulation to support their feeding. R. prolixus NPs 1-4 are very similar proteins ( approximately 20 kDa) with different NO affinities for stepwise NO release triggered by pH increase and histamine binding in hosts. Ultra-high-resolution X-ray structures of native and mutant NPs and their kinetic analysis already have revealed the fundamental steps of NO binding and release. In this study, we found that NPs can exist in multiple oligomerization states at higher concentrations. The oligomers are characterized by a combination of multiple biophysical methods. The intrinsic features of the oligomerization revealed here led us to propose that this intensive, moderately pH- and ligand-dependent oligomerization of NPs has physiological implications in the facilitation of the efficient storage and release of the highly reactive NO in the insect saliva and the victim, respectively.
The sensitivity of muscle force predictions to changes in physiologic cross-sectional area.

The mechanical effects of a muscle are related in part to the size of the muscle and to its location relative to the joint it crosses. For more than a century, researchers have expressed muscle size by its 'physiological cross-sectional area' (PCSA). Researchers mathematically calculating muscle and joint forces typically use some expression of a muscle's PCSA to constrain the solution to one which is reasonable (i.e. a solution in which small muscles may not have large forces, and large muscles have large forces when expected or when there is significant electromyographic activity). It is obvious that muscle mass (and therefore any expression of PCSA) varies significantly from person to person, even in individuals of similar weight and height. Since it is not practical to predict the PCSA of each muscle in a living subject's limb or trunk, it is important to generally understand the sensitivity of muscle force solutions to possible variations in PCSA. We used nonlinear optimization techniques to predict 47 muscle forces and hip contact forces in a living subject. The PCSA (volume/muscle fiber length) of each of 47 lower limb muscle elements from two cadaver specimens and the 47 PCSA's reported by pierrynowski were input into an optimization algorithm to create three solution sets. The three solutions were qualitatively similar but at times a predicted muscle force could vary as much as two to eight times. In contrast, the joint force solutions were within 11% of each other and, therefore, much less variable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
TGF-β1 alters the healing of cutaneous fetal excisional wounds

Abstract Background/Purpose: In a number of species, fetal wound healing differs from the adult in the absence of inflammation, fibrosis, scar formation, and excisional wound contraction. The lack of inflammation also may explain the relative absence of any cytokine levels at the wound site, such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, and therefore the unique characteristics of fetal wound healing. The authors hypothesized that exogenous TGF-β1 would induce contraction, inflammation, fibrosis, and scar formation in cutaneous excisional wounds in the fetal rabbit. Methods: Cellulose discs (3 mm in diameter) were formulated with either 1.0 μg TGF-β1 (n = 6) or bovine serum albumin (BSA; n=7), as a control, for sustained-release over 3 days. Each disc was implanted into the subcutaneous tissue on the backs of fetal New Zealand White Rabbits in utero on day 24 of gestation (term, 31 days). A full-thickness, 3-mm excisional wound (7.4 mm 2 ) was then made next to the implanted cellulose disc. All wounds were harvested 3 days later. Results: At harvest, the excisional wounds in the TGF-β1 group had contracted (5.6 ± 2.0 mm 2 ), whereas those in the control group had expanded (13.5 ± 1.2 mm 2 , P P Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the cytokine TGF-β1 can induce fetal excisional wounds to contract, stimulate fibrosis, and increase procllagen type 1α1 gene expression. These findings further suggest that the absence of TGF-β1 at the wound site may be responsible in part for the lack of a postnatal healing response.
Approximation of stationary statistical properties of dissipative dynamical systems: Time discretization

We consider temporal approximation of stationary statistical properties of dissipative infinite-dimensional dynamical systems. We demonstrate that stationary statistical properties of the time discrete approximations, i.e., numerical scheme, converge to those of the underlying continuous dissipative infinite-dimensional dynamical system under three very natural assumptions as the time step approaches zero. The three conditions that are sufficient for the convergence of the stationary statistical properties are: (1) uniform dissipativity of the scheme in the sense that the union of the global attractors for the numerical approximations is pre-compact in the phase space; (2) convergence of the solutions of the numerical scheme to the solution of the continuous system on the unit time interval [0,1] uniformly with respect to initial data from the union of the global attractors; (3) uniform continuity of the solutions to the continuous dynamical system on the unit time interval [0,1] uniformly for initial data from the union of the global attractors. The convergence of the global attractors is established under weaker assumptions. An application to the infinite Prandtl number model for convection is discussed.
Fluoxetine Discontinuation in Elderly Dysthymic Patients

A group of 23 elderly outpatients with dysthymic disorder participated in a 13-week fluoxetine trial. Twelve re-sponders received open continuation treatment and subsequently discontinued fluoxetine (mean: 32 weeks on medication). During the 24 weeks after discontinuation, 6 of the 12 patients relapsed. Clinical features, dose, and duration of fluoxetine treatment were not predictive of relapse. The 50% relapse rate in this small sample is lower than that reported in young adult dysthymic patients but is high enough to warrant clinical caution.
Developmental treatment with bisphenol A causes few alterations on measures of postweaning activity and learning.

Abstract Widespread bisphenol A (BPA) exposure necessitates increased knowledge of its potential effects for better risk assessment and regulatory guidance. Here, female Sprague–Dawley rats, reared in low exogenous estrogen environments and bred at adulthood, were gavaged on gestational days 6–21 with vehicle (VEH), 2.5 or 25.0 μg/kg/day BPA, or 5.0 or 10.0 μg/kg/day ethinyl estradiol (EE2). Offspring were orally treated on postnatal days (PNDs) 1–21 with the same dose their dam received. A naive control group (NC) was not gavaged. Post-weaning, one offspring/sex/litter (n = 11–12/sex/group) was assessed for the typical behaviors measured in developmental neurotoxicology studies. At PND 29, novelty preference was unaffected by treatment; however, relative to the VEH group, males and females of both EE2 groups were more active. VEH males appeared somewhat hypoactive in open field assessments at PNDs 40–42 and, as a result, males of the BPA and EE2 groups were significantly more active. Latency to locate the Barnes maze escape box at PNDs 47–50 was increased in males and females of the 5.0 μg/kg/day EE2 group. Relative to other male groups, VEH males exhibited an increased startle response on the first trial block at PND 54 and thus, males of both BPA groups and the 10.0 μg/kg/day EE2 group exhibited a significantly decreased startle response. PNDs 43–44 motor coordination and PNDs 75–79 water maze performance were unaffected by treatment. These results indicate few consistent or dose-related effects resulting from developmental treatment with BPA at these doses. Few of these behaviors, however, were sexually dimorphic which may prove more sensitive.
Genetic variation among apple and hawthorn host races of Rhagoletis pomonella across an ecological transition zone in the Mid-Western United States

In previous studies, we have shown that apple and hawthorn populations of Rhagoletis pomonella (Diptera: Tephritidae) represent partially reproductively isolated and genetically differentiated host races; a result consistent with predictions of sympatric speciation models. The geographic pattern of allozyme variation for these flies is complex, however, as inter-host differences are superimposed on latitudinal allele frequency clines within the races. In addition, pronounced allele frequency shifts exist among R. pomonella populations across three major ecological transition zones in the mid-western United States. This suggests that selection related to environmental heterogeneity is responsible for the allele frequency shifts, but does not rule out secondary contact as an alternative possibility. Resolution of this issue is important, because if secondary contact is involved, then we would have to reassess the relationship host race formation has with speciation in the R. pomonella group. Here, we present results from a detailed genetic analysis of fly populations spanning the deciduous/prairie transition zone near the border between the states of Wisconsin and Illinois. Allele frequencies for hawthorn populations within the zone formed ‘spikes’, rather than the expected steps, and these frequency peaks correlated with variation in local ambient temperature conditions. Ambient temperature, and not secondary contact, therefore appears to be an important determinant of the shape of R. pomonella allele frequency clines. Allele frequency heterogeneity was also observed among apple populations, but was less pronounced compared to that for hawthorn flies. This suggests that ambient temperature differentially affects the host races, possibly through differences in the fruiting phenologies of apple and hawthorn trees. Several pairs of linked loci displayed concordant allele frequency changes and were in disequilibrium among both apple and hawthorn populations along the Wisconsin/Illinois transect. Although we do not know the reason for the observed pattern of disequilibrium, site to site variation in levels of inter-host migration, coupled with selection, seem the most likely explanations. We conclude by discussing how host specific adaptations, such as those associated with ambient temperature, may interact with host recognition traits to drive the sympatric speciation process for R. pomonella group flies.
Molecular Structure and Dynamics in Thin Water Films at the Silica and Graphite Surfaces

The structure and dynamic properties of interfacial water at the graphite and silica solid surfaces were investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The effect of surface properties on the characteristics of interfacial water was quantified by computing density profiles, radial distribution functions, surface density distributions, orientation order parameters, and residence and reorientation correlation functions. In brief, our results show that the surface roughness, chemical heterogeneity, and surface heterogeneous charge distribution affect the structural and dynamic properties of the interfacial water molecules, as well as their rate of exchange with bulk water. Most importantly, our results indicate the formation of two distinct water layers at the SiO2 surface covered by a large density of hydroxyl groups. Further analysis of the data suggests a highly confined first layer where the water molecules assume preferential hydrogen-down orientation and a second layer whose behavior and characteri...
Sexually transmitted diseases in the elderly: what you need to know.

Many nurses might be surprised by the existence of STDs in elderly persons, but the incidence of STDs in this population is significant in terms of newly acquired diseases and residual complications from prior infections.1 Ageist attitudes cause many people—health care personnel not excepted—to assume that elderly persons are not sexually active or at risk for an STD. Sexual histories on older adults are often incomplete or completely lacking.² Failure to address the possibility of an STD in any patient could lead to lack of treatment and further transmission of the disease. Additionally, counseling on the prevention of STDs is imperative for all sexually active adults, of whatever age.