cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Y-shaped polymer brushes: Nanoscale switchable surfaces

We report a first observation of nanoscale surface structures of segregated pinned micelles of grafted Y-shaped molecules and their reversible structural reorganization. We designed a novel type of Y-shaped molecules combining two highly incompatible polymer chains (arms) attached to a single focal point capable of chemical grafting to a functionalized silicon surface. We demonstrated that spatial constraints induced by a chemical junction of two dissimilar (hydrophobic and hydrophilic) polymer arms in such Y-shaped molecules lead to the formation of a novel type of segregated pinned micellar structures in chemically grafted brush layers. We propose a model of segregated pinned micelles and corresponding reverse micelles featuring different segregation states of polystyrene and poly(acrylic acid) arms. These arms are capable of local reversible rearrangements leading to reversible surface structural reorganization in different solvents.
Dietary interventions and quality of life: a systematic review of the literature.

Abstract Objective To systematically review the literature to examine whether there has been adequate assessment of the effects of dietary intervention on quality of life (QOL) independent of weight loss, assess which instruments are being used to measure nutrition-related QOL, identify gaps in the literature, and suggest future directions. Design Systematic review guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement. Results A total of 24 studies were eligible for inclusion. The Short Form–36 Health Survey was the most widely used instrument to assess QOL. Other disease-specific instruments were used. Several different dietary approaches (eg, low carbohydrate, low calorie, low fat, combinations) were recommended. Across studies, QOL generally improved after participating in behavioral weight loss interventions, but findings revealed a lack of evidence to definitively determine whether reported changes in QOL were a result of weight loss or independent of it. Conclusions and Implications It is important to consider how making broad dietary recommendations for all individuals might affect overall QOL in both positive and negative directions when considering factors other than weight loss and health improvement. If dietary interventions are adversely affecting QOL in other domains (eg, social, economic) and this relationship is not being detected or reported by current research practices, barriers for successful and sustainable dietary changes may not be fully understood.
Effect of Freezing, Thawing and Storing Broilers on Spoilage, Flavor and Bone Darkening

Abstract WITH the current trend toward marketing broilers frozen in tray-packs, there was a need to study the effect on shelf-life, flavor, appearance, and bone darkening of broilers so processed when they have been stored frozen for varying lengths of time, thawed, and held at refrigerator temperatures. Newell et al. (1948) reported no statistically significant difference in shelf-life between birds frozen, thawed and held at 34°F. and non-frozen birds. The birds used in their study were semi-scalded, whole-eviscerated, and unpackaged. The effect of varying lengths of storage in the frozen state prior to thawing was not investigated nor was the effect of this treatment on flavor observed. Tressler and Evers (1947) stated that the shelf-life of poultry meat frozen and subsequently thawed is not greatly different from the shelf-life of fresh poultry meat. Using eviscerated fowl and roasters, Carlin et al. (1949) found no differences in flavor between birds aged and…
TIME-DEPENDENT APOPTOSIS OF ALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES FROM RATS EXPOSED TO BLEOMYCIN: INVOLVEMENT OF TNF RECEPTOR 2

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is produced by alveolar macrophages (AM) in response to bleomycin (BLM) exposure. This cytokine has been linked to BLM-induced pulmonary inflammation, an early drug effect, and to lung fibrosis, the ultimate toxic effect of BLM. The present study was carried out to study the time dependence of apoptotic signaling pathways and the potential roles of TNF receptors in BLM-induced AM apoptosis. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to saline or BLM (1 mg/kg) by intratracheal instillation. At 1, 3, or 7 d postexposure, AM were isolated by bronchoalveolar (BAL) lavage and evaluated for apoptosis by ELISA. The release of cytochrome c from mitochrondria, the activation of caspase-3, -8, and -9, the cleavage of nuclear poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and the expression of TNF receptors (TNF-R1/p55 and TNF-R2/p75), TNF-R-associated factor 2 (TRAF2), and cellular inhibitor of apoptosis 1 (c-IAP1) were determined by immunoblotting. The results showed that BLM exposure induced A...
Equilibria of the anomeric and ring forms of ammonium 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonate in deuterium oxide

Abstract The tautomeric composition of a solution of ammonium 3-deoxy- d - manno -octulosonate (KDO, 1a ) in D 2 O at 28° was assessed by means of 13 C-F.t.-n.m.r. spectroscopy. The results revealed the presence of 60 and 11 % of the α and β anomers of the pyranose, and 20 and 9 % of the two furanoses, and suggested, but did not unequivocally prove, that the major furanose form is the α anomer. To facilitate interpretation of the spectral results for 1 , ammonium 3,5-dideoxy- d - arabino (or ribo )-octulosonate ( 3a ) was prepared by the reaction of 5-deoxy- d - erythro -pentose with sodium oxalacetate at pH 11. A chromatographically homogeneous, noncrystalline sample of 3 was obtained by lyophilization, and characterized as its (4-nitrophenyl)hydrazone (m.p. 162-163°). The 13 C-n.m.r. spectrum of a solution of 3a in D 2 O revealed it to be substantially all in the α-pyranose form. No signals were obtained for the possible 1,4-lactone of 3 . As the 1,5-lactone and furanose forms are impossible for 3 , it exhibited no signals analogous to those attributed to furanoid 1 . On the basis of these results for 3 , the two lactone forms of 1 were excluded from consideration, and the three pairs of 13 C-n.m.r. signals observed at ≈45, 86, and 104 p.p.m. were assigned to the furanose forms of 1 .
Social Traps in Second Life

Social traps are examples of social dilemma situations, where an individual acts for personal advantage that is damaging the group as a whole. Traps can be avoided, nevertheless, by the proper cooperation between the group members. A laboratory analog of social traps was implemented by Brechner in the 1970's. We built a a Second Life analog for Brechner's experiment to explore social traps and how coordination takes place in a 3D virtual world. While some of the groups that were not allowed to communicate succeeded in avoiding the trap, communication had a significant effect on how the participants regulated their resource. We observed very similar response patterns compared to the original experiment. That, in turn, shows a great potential for using virtual worlds as collaborative tools. We also analyzed the social traps experiment using game theory and the results of the experiments match the game theory predictions.
On the solution of conical shells of linearly varying thickness subjected to lateral normal loads

Asymptotic and particular solutions of conical shells subjected to lateral normal loads, discussing membrane forces, bending effects and boundary conditions for moments and shearing force
Specific heat of SrTiO3 near the structural transition

Abstract The specific heat of SrTiO 3 near T a ( T a ≈ 106K) has been measured using an ac technique. It is found that at T a the specific heat discontinuity Δ Cp / CP ≈ − 1%.
Computer-Based Self-Help Groups for Sexual Abuse Survivors

The growth of the self-help movement and the rapid expansion of computer communications has led to a variety of computer- based self-help/mutual aid (CSHMA) groups, including computer- based self-help groups for those with issues related to recovery from sexual abuse. Preliminary data are analyzed to determine the extent of use, participation patterns, and norms of these groups. The potential advantages of CSHMA groups for sex abuse survivors include: providing greater access to support, diffusing dependency needs, meeting the needs of those with esoteric concerns, reducing barriers related to social status cues, encouraging participation of reluctant members, promoting relational communication, and enhancing communication of those with interpersonal difficult~es. Potential disadvantages, including destructive interactions, lack of clear and accountable leadership, superficial self disclosure, promoting social isolation, limited access to noncomputer-using populations, and lack of research about benefits ...
Comparative calcification of native articular cartilage matrix vesicles and nitroprusside-generated vesicles

Abstract Objective Articular cartilage matrix vesicles generate calcium pyrophosphate- and basic calcium phosphate-like mineral in vitro . We sought to determine the morphologic features and calcifying capacity of sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-induced vesicles for comparison to those of controls. Methods Porcine articular cartilage was exposed to 1mM SNP for 24h and vesicles were isolated by enzymatic digestion and serial ultracentrifugation. Control vesicles were derived from an equal weight of untreated articular cartilage. Vesicles-containing fractions pelleted at 2×10 5 g ·min (pellet I), 3×10 6 g ·min (pellet II, the heavy vesicle fraction) and 8×10 6 g ·min (pellet III, the light vesicle fraction) were analysed for Lowry protein content, nucleoside triphosphate pyrophosphohydrolase specific activity (NTPPPH) and ATP-dependent calcifying capacity. Results Electron micrographs (EM) revealed two populations of vesicular structures in both SNP and control pellets. In most experiments, there were no significant differences between the protein contents or ATP-dependent calcium accumulation of SNP vesicles compared to control vesicles. SNP vesicles in pellets I and II had lower NTPPPH activities than their respective controls, P≤ 0.01. Conclusions Our data confirmed that 24-hour treatment with the apoptosis-inducing agent did not increase matrix vesicle protein or alter the calcifying activity of vesicles compared to those from control cartilage. SNP did generate vesicles with lower NTPPPH specific activity in most experiments. SNP vesicles, although morphologically similar to controls, are not biochemically identical to them. Copyright 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of OsteoArthritis Research Society International
Electroactive and soluble polyheterocycles and transition metal complex polymers

Abstract We have employed three different methods to obtain soluble electroactive polymers. A series of pendant substituted polythiophenes have been prepared and studied, using various ethylmercapto and alkyl substituents. Results of electrical conductivity, optical spectroscopy and theoretical modeling will be presented. N-propane sulfonate substituted pyrrole has been polymerized to yield water soluble, self-doped polymers. Electrochemical analyses show these materials, as copolymers with pyrrole, to behave as cation specific membranes. Charged transition metal bisdithiolene linkages have been incorporated into polymer main chains, along with flexible linkages, by utilizing the ionic ligand derived from bis-(4-styryldithiocarbonate) oxide. In solution the polymers have electrochemical characteristics comparable to transition metal bisdithiolenes.
Ultrafast vibrational relaxation of liquid H2O following librational combination band excitation

Abstract Dispersed pump–probe responses excited by ∼165 fs pulses resonant with the bend–libration combination band in neat H 2 O centered at 2130 cm −1 are reported. This is the first IR pump–probe study of the energy relaxation dynamics in this region of the liquid water spectrum. The observed transient responses are best described by a kinetic model where the initial combination band energy relaxes via a concerted process to a bend fundamental and low frequency modes. The bend subsequently decays to another intermediate vibrational level, presumably the librational band, before this energy is distributed to low frequency modes and appears as heat as well in the sample volume in accordance with the results of Lindner et al. [L. Lindner, P. Vohringer, M.S. Pshenichnikov, D. Cringus, D.A. Wiersma, M. Mostovoy, Chem. Phys. Lett. 421 (2006) 329]. The lifetime of the bend–libration combination band is determined to be 140 ± 15 fs and the lifetime of the libration levels, leading to the hot ground state from the delayed heating route, is 840 ± 100 fs. This libration decay rate is consistent with the results of previous IR pump–probe measurement analyses for the appearance of heat following excitation resonant with the bend or stretch fundamentals. An additional pulse width limited absorption component is seen in all responses which may be attributed to the underlying continuum of intermolecular states in this region of the H 2 O spectrum.
Activity budgets of captive Laysan ducklings (Anas laysanensis)

This study examined how diurnal activity budgets, visibility to observer, and distance to parents changed during the day and during three stages of development of captive Laysan ducklings. All behaviors except feeding, swimming, and terrestrial locomotion varied significantly across the stages of development. There was a significant time of day effect for 5 behaviors: stationary, flying, swimming, under female, and lying. A significant interaction between stage and time of day for 4 behaviors, viz., stationary, flying, under female, and out of sight, was also found. Young ducklings followed the female, were under the female, or were out of sight significantly more often than older ducklings. Older ducklings performed maintenance behaviors or boundary walking, or were stationary, flying, social, lying, or lying out of sight significantly more often than younger ducklings. Swimming and flying were most often performed late in the day, and the ducklings were stationary most often in early and late periods of the day. They were also most often under the female during early and late periods of the day. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Effects of Bilingualism on Theory of Mind Development.

This research examines whether an individual's linguistic knowledge, either as a speaker of a particular language or as a bilingual, influences theory of mind development. Three- and four-year-old English monolinguals, Mandarin Chinese monolinguals, and Mandarin-English bilinguals were given appearance-reality, level 2 perspective-taking, and false-belief tasks. All children were tested twice, a week apart; the bilinguals were tested in each of their languages. The 4-year-olds in each group performed significantly better than the corresponding 3-year-olds. Both monolingual groups performed similarly on the tasks, and the bilinguals performed significantly better than the monolingual groups, although when the two testing times were examined separately, they had only a near-significant tendency to perform better at the second testing time. Possible explanations for this evidence of a bilingual advantage are greater inhibitory control, greater metalinguistic understanding, and a greater sensitivity to sociolinguistic interactions with interlocutors.
Differential sensitivity of human, avian, and equine influenza A viruses to a glycoprotein inhibitor of infection: selection of receptor specific variants.

Abstract Human and animal (avian and equine) influenza A virus isolates of the H3 serotype exhibit marked differences in their ability to bind specific sialyloligosaccharide sequences that serve as cell surface receptor determinants. ( G. Rogers and J. Paulson, 1983 , Virology 127 , 361–373). Whereas human isolates of this subtype strongly agglutinate enzymatically modified human erythrocytes containign the terminal SAα2,6Gal sequence, avian and equine isolates preferentially agglutinate erythrocytes bearing the SAα2,3Gal sequence. As shown in this report, a glycoprotein found in horse serum, α 2 -macroglobulin, is a potent inhibitor of viral adsorption to the cell surface for human H3 isolates. In contrast, avian and equine isolates are poorly inhibited suggesting a correlation between receptor specificity and inhibitor sensitivity. Growth of a human H3 isolate (A/Memphis/102/72) on MDCK cells in the presence of horse serum resulted in an overall shift in the virus receptor specificity from preferential binding of the SAα2,6Gal linkage to preferential binding of the SAα2,3Gal linkage characteristic of avian and equine isolates. Clonally isolated variants of A/Memphis/102/72 grown in the presence or absence of horse serum exhibited binding properties that account for those observed in the file disolates. Clones which preferentially bound the SAα2,6Gal linkage, like the parent human virus, were very sensitive to inhibition of hemagglutination by horse serum and equine α 2 -macroglobulin. In contrast, receptor variants which preferentially bound the SAα2,3Gal linkage, like the avian and equine isolate, were insensitive to such inhibitors. None of the variants was very sensitivie to inhibition of hemagglutination by human α 2 -macroglobulin. These results suggest that the presence, in vivo , of a glycoprotein inhibitor such as equine α 2 -macroglobulin could suppress infection of influenza viruses bearing an H3 hemagglutinin with a SAα2,6Gal specific, inhibitor sensitive phenotype, allowing gorwth to predominance of a virus which is SAα2,3Gal specific and inhibitor insensitive as found in avian and equine isolates.
Silicic acid column chromatography for the microdetermination of cholesterol, cholesterol ester, and phospholipid from human cerebrospinal fluid.

Abstract A chromatographic fractionation procedure has been devised for the separation of cholesterol, cholesterol ester, and phospholipide from a lipid mixture of 20 μg. A chromatographic determination of human CSF (non-neurological) total cholesterol, esterified cholesterol, and total phospholipid has been made. The values are 463 ± 154, 258 ± 101, and 549 ± 170 μg %, respectively. According to the chromatographic results, esterified cholesterol in human CSF comprises 56% of the total cholesterol.
Expected performance of m -solution backtracking

This paper derives upper bounds on the expected number of search tree nodes visited during an m-solution backtracking search, a search which terminates after some preselected number m problem solutions are found. The search behavior is assumed to have a general probabilistic structure. The results are stated in terms of node expansion and contraction. A visited search tree node is said to be expanding if the mean number of its children visited by the search exceeds 1 and is contracting otherwise. It is shown that if every node expands, or if every node contracts, then the number of search tree nodes visited by a search has an upper bound which is linear in the depth of the tree, in the mean number of children a node has, and in the number of solutions sought. Also derived are bounds linear in the depth of the tree in some situations where an upper portion of the tree contracts (expands), while the lower portion expands (contracts). While previous analyses of 1-solution backtracking have concluded that the expected performance is always linear in the tree depth, the model allows superlinear expected performance.
An experimental investigation of factors influencing compressional- and shear-wave velocities and attenuations in tight gas sandstones

Results are presented for compressional and shear velocities and attenuations in fully brine-saturated tight gas cores with porosities from 3 to 11.9 percent and clay contents from 1 to 38 percent. The influence of porosity, clay content, frequency, and stress on velocities and attenuations were examined using the amplitude spectra of P- and S-waves in the frequency domain. Attenuations of samples were obtained using the spectral ratio method. For a few selected samples the attenuations were also measured using the length correlation method and these results were compared with the spectral ratio results. In tight gas sandstones, the attenuations obtained were 2 to 5 times greater than the attenuation obtained for Berea sandstone. In general, the presence of clay softens the rock grain contacts causing smaller values of compressional (V{sub P}) and shear (V{sub S}) velocities as the clay content increases. However, the V{sub P}/V{sub S} ratio was found to increase with clay content. Compressional- and shear-wave amplitude spectra exhibited a shift in peak frequency toward lower frequencies for samples with higher clay content when compared to clean samples. Velocities and attenuations were found to be frequency dependent, but the positive slope of both compressional and shear attenuations indicate thatmore » scattering starts to dominate at the lower frequency end of the ultrasonic measurements. Both V{sub P} and V{sub S} increased while both compressional and shear attenuations decreased when stress was increased.« less
A 13C study of hydroxymethyl derivatives of five-membered ring heterocycles

The 13C spectra of the hydroxymethyl derivatives of pyrrole, furan, 5,5-dimethylhydantoin, imidazole, thiophene, pyrazole, and phenol have been studied and assigned. The substituent parameters for the hydroxymethyl group in pyrrole, thiophene, furan, and imidazole were determined.
Spatial prediction from networks

Abstract Cressie, N., Gotway, C.A. and Grondona, M.O., 1990. Spatial prediction from networks. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems , 7: 251–271. This article defines a random-field model that can be used for the prediction of pollutants at locations where no data are available, based on data taken from a spatial network of monitoring sites. Acid deposition data collected from the UAPSP network in 1982 and 1983, are analyzed in two stages. Bias-resistant and outlier-resistant techniques are used to determine the spatial dependence; then a spatial model is built that is made up of a quadratic trend surface and the spatially correlated error. Spatial sampling plans and optimal designs for selecting monitoring sites are summarized and discussed. The question of the location of additional sites (and deletion of existing ones) is also addressed.
Sample survey of smart grid approaches and technology gap analysis

Research and development in the field of “smart grids” is advancing at an ever expanding rate, with an increasing number of industry participants and other key constituents internationally, including government entities and educational institutions. It is vital to understand the approaches being taken by these various entities in order to determine the optimal method by which to proceed with defining the smart grid and associated future developments. This survey was undertaken with the intent of determining representative approaches from various participants, and combining them into an overarching view of the industry as a whole. As a result, the more practical and efficient methods of improving the electrical grid were revealed, as well as gaps within the existing technology and standards. The most apparent gaps were determined to be in the following main areas: common communications; improved transmission and distribution controls; real-time information and incentives for both the end-user and the utility; self-healing grids; energy storage and renewable integration; and improved standards for the industry. In particular, future work into the development of improved control software for renewable integration utilizing energy storage is discussed, which will contribute to further research within the field.
Paternal age and sporadic schizophrenia: evidence for de novo mutations.

Schizophrenia is an etiologically heterogeneous syndrome. It has a strong genetic component and exists in clinically indistinguishable familial and nonfamilial (sporadic) forms. A significant role for de novo genetic mutations in genetic schizophrenia vulnerability is suggested by a strong monotonic increase in schizophrenia risk with advancing paternal age. However, an alternative explanation for the paternal age effect in schizophrenia is that childbearing is delayed in fathers who themselves have genetic schizophrenia vulnerability. In this study, we compared paternal birth ages between patient groups with familial (n = 35) and sporadic (n = 68) patients with DSM-IV schizophrenia from an inpatient schizophrenia research unit. If later age of fathering children is related to having some genetic schizophrenia vulnerability, then paternal birth age should be later in familial schizophrenia cases than in sporadic cases, and any association of father's age and schizophrenia risk in offspring would be a spurious finding, unrelated to etiology. However, if de novo mutations cause sporadic schizophrenia, then patients without a family history of schizophrenia would have older fathers than familial patients. We found that patients without a family history of schizophrenia had significantly older fathers (4.7 years) than familial patients; so later childbirth was not attributable to parental psychiatric illness. These findings support the hypothesis that de novo mutations contribute to the risk for sporadic schizophrenia.
Django unpacked: A student forum on Django Unchained

Discussions of America’s history of slavery can lead to paralysis in contemporary audiences who prefer the wish-fulfilling fantasy of films like Django Unchained that, like myths of a postracial society, suppress the trauma of this history and its ongoing legacy. The slave narratives, historical fiction and secondary materials in my course, “Peculiar Intimacies,” counter such depictions and enable students to move past their stultifying guilt toward productive analysis of trauma and its repercussions. A recent class led a public forum on Tarantino’s Django to encourage discussion and awareness of our affective responses to historical trauma rather than their suppression.
Hope in sight for retinoblastoma

The retinoblastoma gene (RB) was the first tumor suppressor gene cloned. But, until recently, little clinical progress had been made to target human tumors deficient in RB function. A new approach emerges from studying retinoblastoma tumors.
A Methodology for Comparing Service Policies Using a Trust Model

The rapid growth of the Internet and associated technologies has created a new business environment. Ecommerce can offer personalization, high quality customer service and improved supply chain management. The success of e-commerce strongly depends on building and maintaining trusted customer relationships. The retention of customers is extremely important to the longevity of an organization. Companies that do a better job of maintaining their customers generate superior financial results. The cost of acquiring a new customer is significant in most industries in terms of advertising, promotion, closing, and initial setup. E-consumer trust can reduce the perceived risk of an on-line transaction. This allows electronic consumers to consider a more manageable service providers based on their service behaviors. From the standpoint of a firm that is offering eservices online, increasing market-share depends heavily on the way it manages e-consumer trust. The present concern is to achieve competitive superiority for attracting and retaining the online customer community. Entrepreneurs are in need of a methodology to compare the performance of their policies that serve customers with widely differing risk attitudes. This thesis offers a methodology that permits comparison of service policies for managing a customer base and the available resources. This methodology relies on an experience based
Games That Teach the Fundamentals of Computer Operation

One who wishes to give a group of laymen a feeling for the way we computer engineers can coax sophisticated information-handling behavior from an organization of simple physical elements can provide a striking on-the-spot example by training his laymen to simulate various kinds of simple elements and by organizing them into a network whose behavior is obviously more sophisticated than that of any element. Each individual watches the up-down hand position of one or two others, and adjusts his own hand position according to a response task which is equivalent to that of an AND, OR, NOT, or flip-flop element?although task assignments are made in such a way that the participants don't hear a single esoteric word, nor realize that they might be doing ``logic.'' Counters, shift registers, and adders may be organized and operated in a way which proves very entertaining to participants and on-lookers, and yet which provides them with very realistic basic concepts about how a computer might work.
Strategies for Postmarketing Surveillance of Drugs and Devices in Patients with ESRD Undergoing Dialysis

The lack of evidence on the effectiveness and safety of interventions in chronic dialysis patients has been a subject of continuing criticism. New technologies are often introduced into the market without having specifically studied or even included patients with advanced kidney disease. Therefore, the need to generate valid effectiveness and safety data in this vulnerable subpopulation is of utmost importance. The US Food and Drug Administration has recently placed an increased focus on safety surveillance, and sponsors must now meet this additional postmarketing commitment. In patients with ESRD, the unique data collection environment in the United States allows for creative and efficient study designs to meet the needs of patients, providers, and sponsors. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the methodological and practical aspects of the different options for postmarketing study design in this field, with critical appraisal of their advantages and disadvantages.
Emotional and sensory stress factors in myocardial pathology: Neurogenic and hormonal mechanisms in pathogenesis, therapy, and prevention☆

Abstract In the complex but increasingly perceptible pluricausal pathogenesis of degenerative (so-called “coronary”) disease of the heart muscle, emotional and sensory stresses play a prominent, even though usually only contributory, role. Scrutiny of the pertinent contemporary transdisciplinary world literature provides abundant experimental and clinical evidence for a potentially cardiotoxic over-production of sympathogenic catecholamines and adrenocortical steroids, resulting from emotional and sensory stress-induced stimulations of the central nervous system and the pituitary gland. Fear, anger, and frustration, as well as, to a lesser extent, optical, acoustical, and thermal annoyances act as the most common potentially pathogenic stimuli. These stimuli disturb, via the sympatho-adrenomedullary system, the oxygen economy of the myocardium (particularly in conjunction with predisposing coronary atherosclerosis, and with the often associated additional adrenergic manifestations of physical inactivity and of nicotine). Intramyocardial electrolyte shifts, due to catecholamine-induced local hypoxia, and superimposed corticoid-induced depletion of myocardial potassium may be assumed to constitute the most fundamental metabolic derangements involved. There is only sparse evidence in favor of a significant contribution of emotional and sensory stimuli to coronary atherogenesis. However, stress-induced sympathetic and adrenal cortical overaction seems to affect the myocardium also indirectly by way of elevations of blood pressure and resulting hemodynamic strain. Prevention and counteraction of emotional and sensory detriments to the myocardium are feasible through psychotherapy, environmental adjustments, physical reconditioning, and tranquilizing and/or directly antiadrenergic medication.
Masculinity of Men Communicating Abuse Victimization

This study explored, through in]depth interviews, the experiences of men sexually, psychologically, and/or physically victimized by female romantic partners. Menfs narratives were analyzed to determine how masculinity and construction of victim] identities were related. Results show that abused men construed victimization as precipitated internally through self]blame and externally via societal]blame. Gendered masculinity was demonstrated for most men in the form of hegemonic]striving via complicit rationalizations; however, a minority of men constructed victimization in terms of protest masculinity.
Monitoring quantity and quality of sleeping using WISPs

It is very important to monitor quantity and quality of sleeping of elderly people. This paper presents a novel sleeping monitoring system based on RFID-based sensors called WISPs (Wireless identification and Sensing Platform). Main advantages of our system are that these WISP devices are noninvasive, inexpensive and do not require batteries. Our system provides feedback to the users/doctors about irregularity in sleeping. Results from our initial experiments show that our system can successfully detect sleeping periods and movements during sleeping.
Context Comparison of Bursty Events in Web Search and Online Media

In this paper, we conducted a systematic comparative analysis of language in different contexts of bursty topics, including web search, news media, blogging, and social bookmarking. We analyze (1) the content similarity and predictability between contexts, (2) the coverage of search content by each context, and (3) the intrinsic coherence of information in each context. Our experiments show that social bookmarking is a better predictor to the bursty search queries, but news media and social blogging media have a much more compelling coverage. This comparison provides insights on how the search behaviors and social information sharing behaviors of users are correlated to the professional news media in the context of bursty events.
The maize viviparous15 locus encodes the molybdopterin synthase small subunit

A new Zea mays viviparous seed mutant, viviparous15 (vp15), was isolated from the UniformMu transposon-tagging population. In addition to precocious germination, vp15 has an early seedling lethal phenotype. Biochemical analysis showed reduced activities of several enzymes that require molybdenum cofactor (MoCo) in vp15 mutant seedlings. Because MoCo is required for abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis, the viviparous phenotype is probably caused by ABA deficiency. We cloned the vp15 mutant using a novel high-throughput strategy for analysis of high-copy Mu lines: We used MuTAIL PCR to extract genomic sequences flanking the Mu transposons in the vp15 line. The Mu insertions specific to the vp15 line were identified by in silico subtraction using a database of MuTAIL sequences from 90 UniformMu lines. Annotation of the vp15-specific sequences revealed a Mu insertion in a gene homologous to human MOCS2A, the small subunit of molybdopterin (MPT) synthase. Molecular analysis of two allelic mutations confirmed that Vp15 encodes a plant MPT synthase small subunit (ZmCNX7). Our results, and a related paper reporting the cloning of maize viviparous10, demonstrate robust cloning strategies based on MuTAIL-PCR. The Vp15/CNX7, together with other CNX genes, is expressed in both embryo and endosperm during seed maturation. Expression of Vp15 appears to be regulated independently of MoCo biosynthesis. Comparisons of Vp15 loci in genomes of three cereals and Arabidopsis thaliana identified a conserved sequence element in the 5' untranslated region as well as a micro-synteny among the cereals.
Genitocrural agminated papules

Departments of Dermatology and Pathology, er Medical Center, Danville. urces: None. f interest: The authors, editors, and peer reviewers have ant financial relationships. quests: Nektarios I. Lountzis, MD, Department of ology, Geisinger Medical Center, 115 Woodbine Ln, de 52-06, Danville, PA 17822. E-mail: nilountzis@ r.edu. Dermatol 2010;62:e1. /$36.00 the American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. /j.jaad.2009.06.079
Strategic assessment—A rational response to university cutbacks

Abstract Effective strategic assessment and planning is required if public higher education is to cope with the problems of the next two decades. This article suggests an approach that can be easily adapted to most public post-secondary institutions, based on a strategic plan devised to combat decline in enrolment and fiscal reduction in a State educational institution.
17-Alpha-hydroxyprogesterone-caproate: a new substance with prolonged progestational activity; a comparison with chemically pure progesterone.

IT IS the purpose of this paper to compare the progestational activity of a new substance, 17-alpha-hydroxyprogesterone-17-caproate, with the activity of chemically pure progesterone. 17-Alpha-hydroxyprogesterone-caproate is of interest because of the following factors: 1. 17-Alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, without esterification, has no progestational activity (1, 2). 2. The 17-ester (caproate or acetate), however, shows marked progestational activity in animal experiments (1). 3. The 17-ester (caproate or acetate), however, shows marked progestational activity in animal experiments (1). 4. Esterification of sex hormones generally causes a prolongation and, to some extent, an increase of their effects. The character of these effects (inert to highly active), however, is not changed by esterification (3, 4). 17-Alpha-hydroxyprogesterone seems to be an exception to this general rule. 5. 17-Alpha-hydroxyprogesterone is not metabolized to pregnanediol in the human (5). 6. The metabolism of 17-alpha-hydroxyprogest...
Organochlorine and trace element contamination in wintering and migrating diving ducks in the Southern Great Lakes, USA, since the zebra mussel invasion.

Because of the potential for increased trophic transfer of contaminants by zebra mussels (Dreissena sp.) to higher trophic levels, we collected four species of waterfowl (n = 65 ducks) from four locations in Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, and Lake Michigan, USA, between 1991 and 1993 for organochlorine contaminant and trace element analyses. Geometric mean concentrations of total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and p, p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) were 1.35 and 0.15 μg/g wet weight in lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) carcasses and were below known effect levels. Total PCBs in 80% of carcasses, however, were above the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's threshold of 3.0 μg/g lipid weight for consumption of poultry. With the exception of selenium, trace elements were also at background or no-effect levels. Selenium concentrations in livers of 95% of lesser scaup, 90% of bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), and 72% of common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) were in the elevated (>10 μg/g dry wt) or potentially harmful range (>33 μg/g dry wt). The effects of these high selenium concentrations are unknown but should be investigated further based on reproductive effects observed in field and laboratory studies of dabbling ducks and because lesser scaup populations are declining. Concentrations of total PCBs in dreissenid mussels in western Lake Erie were 10 times higher than in the upper Mississippi River but were similar to concentrations in other industrialized rivers in Europe and the United States. Metal concentrations were similar to other industrialized sites where zebra mussels have been sampled.
Collocation and Galerkin Time-Stepping Methods

[Abstract] We study the numerical solutions of ordinary differential equations by one -step method s where t he solution at n t is known and that at 1 + n t is to be calculated . The approache s employed are col location, continuous Galerkin (C G) and discontinuous Galerkin (D G). Relations among these three approaches are establish ed . A quadrature formula using s evaluation points is employed for the Galerkin formulation s. We show that with such a quadrature , the CG method is identical to the collocation method using quadrature points as collocation points. Fur thermore, if the quadrature formula is the right Radau one (including 1 + n t ), then the DG and CG methods also become identical, and they reduce to the Radau IIA collocation method . In addition , we present a generalization of DG that yield s a method identical to CG and collocation with arbitrary collocation points . Thus, the collocation , CG, and generalized DG methods are equivalent, and the latter two methods can be formulated using the differential instead of integral equation . Finally, a ll scheme s discussed can be cast as s -stage implicit Runge -Kutta methods.
Improvements in the performance of commercial broilers in the USA: analysis for the years 1997 to 2001

The performance of commercial broilers reported by broiler production units in the USA from 1997 to 2001 has been evaluated. There was a linear decrease in calorie conversion (CC) and number of days to produce a 2.27 kg bird (DAYS) but no change in percentage mortality. By contrast, there was a linear increase in final bird weight (FBW) during this period. There was a linear increase in the percentage of production units rearing birds to more than 2.5 kg and a decrease in those rearing birds to less than 2.0 kg or 2.0 to 2.5 kg. There were no differences in CC or DAYS during the first half of the year (January to June), but these traits showed a significant increase in July followed by a steep decline during August, September, and October. FBW was similar from January to June but showed a significant decrease in July. No consistent variation in monthly mortality was noted. It is concluded that improvements in the productivity of broilers have been achieved from 1997 to 2001 but that more attention should be given to the problem of broiler management during the summer months.
Enterococcus faecalis pheromone‐responsive protein PrgX: genetic separation of positive autoregulatory functions from those involved in negative regulation of conjugative plasmid transfer

The pCF10 plasmid in Enterococcus faecalis transfers from donor cells to recipients upon induction via peptide pheromone. Two plasmid-encoded negative regulators produced from the same transcript, PrgX protein and Qa RNA, repress conjugation genes in uninduced donor cells. PrgX positively autoregulates production of both itself and mature Qa RNA, and is believed to repress the prgQ promoter in a pheromone-sensitive fashion. Previous analysis of PrgX was complicated because mutations in prgX affecting regulation of conjugation also disrupted PrgX autoregulation, suggesting the two functions might be inseparable. In this study, we isolated 14 single amino acid substitutions in PrgX that reduced or eliminated repression of prgQ, without affecting autoregulation or DNA binding. PrgX was shown to bind to its cognate pheromone, cCF10, and most of the mutations lowered the affinity of PrgX for cCF10. Dimerization was affected by five of the mutations and the data indicate that it is required, but insufficient for pheromone induction. We propose a new model for the mechanism used by PrgX for regulation of the prgQ promoter, PrgX autoregulation, and Qa RNA processing.
Rethinking the recommender research ecosystem: reproducibility, openness, and LensKit

Recommender systems research is being slowed by the difficulty of replicating and comparing research results. Published research uses various experimental methodologies and metrics that are difficult to compare. It also often fails to sufficiently document the details of proposed algorithms or the evaluations employed. Researchers waste time reimplementing well-known algorithms, and the new implementations may miss key details from the original algorithm or its subsequent refinements. When proposing new algorithms, researchers should compare them against finely-tuned implementations of the leading prior algorithms using state-of-the-art evaluation methodologies. With few exceptions, published algorithmic improvements in our field should be accompanied by working code in a standard framework, including test harnesses to reproduce the described results. To that end, we present the design and freely distributable source code of LensKit, a flexible platform for reproducible recommender systems research. LensKit provides carefully tuned implementations of the leading collaborative filtering algorithms, APIs for common recommender system use cases, and an evaluation framework for performing reproducible offline evaluations of algorithms. We demonstrate the utility of LensKit by replicating and extending a set of prior comparative studies of recommender algorithms --- showing limitations in some of the original results --- and by investigating a question recently raised by a leader in the recommender systems community on problems with error-based prediction evaluation.
Men are much Harder: Gendered Viewing of Nude Images

Drawing on 45 interviews, this article addresses how heterosexual men and women respond to and discuss opposite and same-sex nude images in distinctive ways. Viewing both female and male nudes provides an opportunity to observe the sexual and gender identity work men and women perform when confronted with this cultural object. Both men and women have access to shared, readily available cultural scripts for interpreting and responding to female nude images. Neither men nor women are culturally adept at the interpretation and use of nude male images, particularly the man in the soft porn frame. Men respond to this male nude with overt rejection and stated disinterest. Women are more likely to reject the seductive advance or welcome it with attached feelings of guilt.
Emerging therapy-related kidney disease.

Abstract Context.—Many new therapies have emerged within the last 5 to 10 years to treat a variety of conditions. Several of these have direct or indirect renal toxicities that may go undiagnosed w...
Levels of nutrients in relation to fish consumption among older male anglers in Wisconsin

Fish is an important source of nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, which may reduce risk of adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease; however, fish may also contain significant amounts of environmental pollutants. The Wisconsin Departments of Health Services and Natural Resources developed a survey instrument, along with a strategy to collect human biological samples to assess the risks and benefits associated with long-term fish consumption among older male anglers in Wisconsin. The target population was men aged 50 years and older, who fish Wisconsin waters and live in the state of Wisconsin. Participants provided blood and hair samples and completed a detailed (paper) questionnaire, which included questions on basic demographics, health status, location of catch and species of fish caught/eaten, consumption of locally caught and commercially purchased fish, and awareness and source of information for local and statewide consumption guidelines. Biological samples were used to assess levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA); vitamin D; and selenium in blood. Quantile regression analysis was used to investigate the associations between biomarker levels and self-reported consumption of fish from the Great Lakes and other areas of concern, other locally caught fish, and commercially purchased fish (meals per year). Respondents were largely non-Hispanic white men in their 60's with at least some college education, and about half were retired. Fish consumption was high (median of 54.5 meals per year), with most fish meals coming from locally-caught fish. Multivariate regression models showed that the effect of supplement use was much greater than that of fish consumption, on nutrient levels, although consumption of fish from the Great Lakes and areas of concern was significantly associated with higher levels of vitamin D even after controlling for supplement usage.