cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ATP-Activated Channels in Excitable Cells

There is increasing evidence that ATP may play a role as an extracellular chemical messenger, probably even a true neurotransmitter. The strongest evidence for ATP being used as a synaptic transmitter has come from studies on sympathetic transmission to smooth muscle targets in the vas deferens and various blood vessels. For example, ATP applied to rat or guinea pig vas deferens muscle depolarizes the muscle and produces a twitch like that elicited by nerve stimulation. Both the ATP-induced depolarization and the nerve-evoked excitatory junction potential can be inhibited by structural analogues of ATP like arylazido aminopropionyl ATP (ANAPP3) and α,β-methylene ATP (Sneddon et al., 1982; Sneddon and Burnstock, 1984; Sneddon and Westfall, 1984). Recently, it has been shown that isolated vas deferens smooth muscle cells contain cation-selective channels that are opened by micromolar concentrations of ATP (Nakazawa and Matsuki, 1987; Friel, 1988). The channels have a reversal potential near 0 mV so that they have an excitatory effect on the cell. It seems very likely that a component of fast, nonadrenergic, noncholinergic transmission is mediated by nerve-released ATP opening these channels.
ADHERENCE TO GUIDELINE-DIRECTED MEDICAL THERAPY OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: CAN WE IMPROVE QUALITY OF CARE IN PATIENTS ADMITTED WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION?

It is estimated that 3 million people have atrial fibrillation (AF) in the United States. Despite oral anticoagulation (OAC) guidelines, gaps in care exist. We assess methods for improving physician documentation and prescription of OAC in patients with at least moderate stroke risk based on ACC/AHA
Link-Prioritized Network State Information Collection in SDN

Routing in Software Defined Networking (SDN) requires the SDN controllers to obtain the current dynamic network state information (NSI) as accurately as possible while reducing protocol overhead. To balance the trade-offs between the accuracy and protocol overhead, the SDN controllers usually implement a periodic NSI collection design where they obtain the dynamic link-state information from each switch at a predetermined rate. To improve the accuracy of NSI while minimizing the protocol overhead and providing better load balancing among multi-controllers, we propose a link-prioritized NSI collection design and compare it against the existing periodic NSI collection design. Using a dynamic routing algorithm on RYU SDN controller and the Mininet emulator, we compare our design against existing periodic NSI collection design. We observe that the proposed link-prioritized NSI collection design significantly reduces the protocol overhead without sacrificing the routing performance in terms of throughput or accepted bandwidth request. Moreover, our design results in better packet loss because it can quickly and accurately obtain NSI.
Where Do We Go from Here? Comments from the Research Team: How Can You Apply What We Learned to Your Own After-School Reading Program?

How can we improve reading instruction nationwide? The methods that work to teach children to read are well understood. Since the political and economic pressures on schools are so great, it seems unlikely that schools will change. After-school community programs are most likely the answer to helping children learn to read. There is no limit to what we can accomplish if we put disproven, wrong ideas aside and work for the best interests of children. This chapter gives five steps that can lead to success.
Mitochondrial GSDMD Pores DAMPen Pyroptosis.

Noncanoncial inflammasome activation by cytosolic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) causes pyroptotic cell death facilitated by gasdermin D (GSDMD) pore formation. In this issue of Immunity, Huang et al. describe how cytosolic LPS in endothelial cells does not cause cell death but restrains endothelial cell proliferation.
Natural History of Aerosol Induced Lassa Fever in Non‑Human Primates

Lassa virus (LASV), an arenavirus causing Lassa fever, is endemic to West Africa with up to 300,000 cases and between 5000 and 10,000 deaths per year. Rarely seen in the United States, Lassa virus is a CDC category A biological agent inasmuch deliberate aerosol exposure can have high mortality rates compared to naturally acquired infection. With the need for an animal model, specific countermeasures remain elusive as there is no FDA-approved vaccine. This natural history of aerosolized Lassa virus exposure in Macaca fascicularis was studied under continuous telemetric surveillance. The macaque response to challenge was largely analogous to severe human disease with fever, tachycardia, hypotension, and tachypnea. During initial observations, an increase trend of activated monocytes positive for viral glycoprotein was accompanied by lymphocytopenia. Disease uniformly progressed to high viremia followed by low anion gap, alkalosis, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. Hypoproteinemia occurred late in infection followed by increased levels of white blood cells, cytokines, chemokines, and biochemical markers of liver injury. Viral nucleic acids were detected in tissues of three non‑survivors at endpoint, but not in the lone survivor. This study provides useful details to benchmark a pivotal model of Lassa fever in support of medical countermeasure development for both endemic disease and traditional biodefense purposes.
Original contributionThe colon single-stripe sign and its relationship to ischemic colitis

Objectives Endoscopic findings may assist in the clinical diagnosis of ischemic colitis but have not been systematically characterized. We noted that a single linear colonic ulcer could on occasion be found endoscopically after hypotension and proceeded to investigate its relationship to ischemic colitis.
Revisiting the social stigma of loneliness

Abstract In past studies examining the stigmatization of loneliness, perceivers evaluated hypothetical targets who were lonely and socially inept or reclusive. For example, Lau and Gruen (1992) described the lonely target as a person who “pretty much keeps to himself.” This is problematic because recent research shows that lonely people do not have deficient social skills, and they spend no more time alone than nonlonely people. The purpose of the current research was to replicate Lau and Gruen's well-cited findings and then examine current perceptions of lonely individuals without confounding loneliness and sociability. We began, in Study 1, with a replication of Lau and Gruen. In Study 2, we asked college students to make judgments about targets who varied in their feelings of loneliness but not in their social behaviors. In a final study, we examined the perceptions among a larger and more diverse sample of U.S. adults. We found that college students, in general, disparaged lonely targets, but the stigma was more apparent when the lonely targets were described as reclusive. We found little evidence of stigmatization among the more diverse sample of U.S. adults. Our results highlight the need for additional research on the stigma surrounding loneliness.
Detection of unknown maneuverability hazards in low-altitude UAS color imagery using linear features

Deep learning approaches have very quickly become the most popular framework for both semantic segmentation and object detection/recognition tasks. Especially in object detection, however, supervised models like deep neural networks are inherently prone to find only classes from the training data in the testing set. In domains where the safety and security of operators are entrusted to machine learning algorithms, it is often infeasible or impossible to train supervised models on all possible classes; thus, a supplementary unsupervised approach is needed. For the specific problem of detecting potential maneuverability hazards within road segmentation networks, we propose an unsupervised solution using linear features with a voting scheme at each pixel within a pre-supplied road segmentation map, yielding a consensus-based confidence of how unlike a pixel is to surrounding road pixels. This approach is verified on UAS imagery collected by the U.S. Army ERDC.
A Replication of “The Robust Relationship between Taxes and US State Income Growth” (National Tax Journal 2008):

Using state-level data from 1970 to 1999 and a five-year interval approach, Reed provides robust evidence that taxes have a negative effect on state economic growth. Subsequent work by Gale, Krupki...
Perceptions and knowledge of air pollution and its health effects among caregivers of childhood cancer survivors: a qualitative study.

Emerging research suggests that survivors of childhood and adolescent cancers are at risk for morbidity and mortality associated with air pollutants. However, caregiver perceptions of the effects of air pollution are unknown. Thus, to address this gap we described caregivers’ perceptions of air pollution’s impact on general population health and specifically on childhood cancer survivors, and caregivers’ air pollution information-seeking and exposure reduction behaviors. Participants were Utah residents, ≥18 years, and caregiver of a childhood cancer survivor who had completed treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with caregivers to describe their perspectives on air quality, how air pollution impacts health (general population and survivor health), and their information seeking and exposure reduction behaviors. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through two rounds of structured coding. Caregivers (N = 13) were non-Hispanic white and primarily females (92.3%) between 30 and 49 years old (46.2%). Most families lived within the Wasatch Front (69.2%), the main metropolitan of Utah. Two categories emerged pertaining to caregiver’s perceptions of air pollution: 1) Limited awareness about the health effects of air pollution, and 2) Unsuccessful information seeking and minimal exposure reduction behaviors. All caregivers held negative perceptions of air pollution in Utah, but most were unaware of how pollution affects health. While some families limited air pollution exposure by avoiding outdoor activity or physically leaving the region, few practiced survivor-specific exposure reduction. Nearly half of caregivers worried about potential effects of air pollution on survivor health and wanted more information. Despite negative perceptions of air pollution, caregivers were divided on whether air pollution could impact survivor health. Few caregivers engaged in exposure reduction for their cancer survivor. As air pollution levels increase in the U.S., continued research on this topic is essential to managing cancer survivor respiratory and cardiovascular health.
MN Determinations in Bloodstains—Selective Destruction of Cross-Reacting Activity

By definition, serology is the study of antigen-antibody reactions in vitro [1]. Forensic serology is, however, an expansion of this study and encompasses not only serology but the essentials of biochemistry, immunohematology, immunology, and immunochemistry. The forensic serologist is faced with the dual responsibility of performing analyses within this framework of disciplines and functioning as a criminalist faced with the science of identifications [2]. It is the forensic serologist's ultimate goal to link evidence to a source of origin, if possible.
Engineering high-k La x Zr 1−x O y dielectrics for high-performance fully-solution-processed transparent transistors

Metal oxide thin-film transistors based on high-k dielectrics (ZrO x , HfO x , Al 2 O x ) are a promising technology with attractive performance (µ eff ∼ 10–100 cm2/Vs, On/Off > 107) and high transparency (80–90%) [1]. Solution-processed routes to oxide TFTs can potentially leverage printing technologies to enhance material utilization and throughput. However, realizing the true benefits of solution-processed oxide TFTs requires integrating dielectrics, semiconductors, and conductors that are printable and transparent. To date, there have been few reports of fully solution-processed, transparent oxide TFTs [2]. Full oxide integration is difficult because solution-processed transparent conducting oxides (TCO), such as ITO (Tin-doped indium oxide) and ATO (Antimony-doped tin oxide), reach acceptable conductivity (100–1000 S/cm) only after annealing at 400°C – 500°C, while promising high-k dielectrics, such as ZrO x , crystallize at these temperatures, resulting in high leakage and poor reliability. Here, we demonstrate that doping zirconia with lanthanum can reduce leakage and improve low-frequency dispersion, resulting in a robust dielectric for printed oxide TFTs. We apply these dielectrics in ZnO TFTs, achieving mobilities > 6 cm2/Vs and On/Off ratios > 106.
Production and characterization of transgenic maize plants designed to improve iron nutrition

The increasing need to find alternative solutions to the devastating effects of iron deficiency anemia has led to the generation of crops with improved nutritional quality traits. Iron is one of the required but limited mineral elements in most diets consumed by people in developing countries who have limited access to supplements or iron-rich diets. With much of the world’s population dependent on maize as a major source of their daily calorie intake, research toward improving its nutritional value is deemed necessary. The major objective of this research was to produce and characterize transgenic maize lines with improved iron content. To do this, two studies were carried out. In the first study, maize seed endosperms expressing the soybean ferritin (SoyFer1, GenBank accession number M64337) and the E. coli phytase (appA, Genbank accession number L03375) transgenes, individually and in combination, were produced by stable genetic transformation using particle bombardment. The endosperm-specific super gamma zein promoter was used to drive transgene expression. Transgene presence was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), while transgene expression was confirmed in seed samples by western blot analysis. The activity of the phytase enzyme was determined using enzyme bioassays specific for the phytase. The PCR analyses results confirmed the presence of the soybean ferritin and E. coli phytase transgene DNA, implying successful integration into the maize genome. Protein analysis results further confirmed the expression of the transgenes in the maize seed endosperms. The highest phytase enzyme activity obtained from maize seeds
Running to the Right: Effects of Campaign Strategy on Mass Opinion and Behavior

In this chapter we draw on evidence from the 2008 general election to evaluate the effects of Republican John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as a vice-presidential running mate. Our interest is not in Palin, nor in vice-presidential candidates, per se, but rather in what this particular case tells us about the electoral effects of an abrupt change in a presidential candidate’s perceived ideological position. Immediately after Palin’s selection, the relatively stable perceptions of McCain’s ideology shifted in a more conservative direction. Palin’s selection served as an effective ideological cue, signaling that the candidate was more conservative than previously thought. McCain’s choice was widely interpreted by the press as a purposeful abandonment of the center in favor of energizing the conservative Republican base, a move that flies in the face of median voter theory. But whether his shift in perceived ideological position served as a net plus to energize those already in his camp, or a net negative – distancing him from a larger group of potential supporters – remains to be seen. Using panel data, we analyze the effects of this perceived shift on candidate preference and turnout.
A Lymph Node-Derived Cytopathic Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Mne Variant Replicates in Nonstimulated Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells

Lymph nodes (LNs) are sites of active human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication and disease at both early and late stages of infection. Consequently, variant viruses that replicate efficiently and subsequently cause immune dysfunction may be harbored in this tissue. To determine whether LN-associated SIVs have an increased capacity to replicate and induce cytopathology, a molecular clone of SIV was isolated directly from DNA extracted from unpassaged LN tissue of a pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina) infected with SIVMne. The animal had declining CD4+ T-lymphocyte counts at the time of the LN biopsy. In human CD4+ T-cell lines, the LN-derived virus, SIVMne027, replicated with relatively slow kinetics and was minimally cytopathic and non-syncytium inducing compared to other SIVMne clones. However, in phytohemagglutinin-stimulated pig-tailed macaque peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), SIVMne027 replicated efficiently and was highly cytopathic for the CD4+ T-cell population. Interestingly, unlike other SIVMne clones, SIVMne027 also replicated to a high level in nonstimulated macaque PBMCs. High-level replication depended on the presence of both the T-cell and monocyte/macrophage populations and could be enhanced by interleukin-2 (IL-2). Finally, the primary determinant governing the ability of SIVMne027 to replicate in nonstimulated and IL-2-stimulated PBMCs mapped to gag-pol-vif. Together, these data demonstrate that LNs may harbor non-syncytium-inducing, cytopathic viruses that replicate efficiently and are highly responsive to the effects of cytokines such as IL-2.
Immigrant Women Tell Their Stories, by Roni Berger

Immigrant Women Tell Their Stories is a valuable contribution to the literature on the experience of immigrants. In particular, Berger focuses on how emigrating from one's country of origin alters ...
Information Seeking in Uncertainty Management Theory: Exposure to Information About Medical Uncertainty and Information-Processing Orientation as Predictors of Uncertainty Management Success

Uncertainty management theory outlines the processes through which individuals cope with health-related uncertainty. Information seeking has been frequently documented as an important uncertainty management strategy. The reported study investigates exposure to specific types of medical information during a search, and one's information-processing orientation as predictors of successful uncertainty management (i.e., a reduction in the discrepancy between the level of uncertainty one feels and the level one desires). A lab study was conducted in which participants were primed to feel more or less certain about skin cancer and then were allowed to search the World Wide Web for skin cancer information. Participants' search behavior was recorded and content analyzed. The results indicate that exposure to two health communication constructs that pervade medical forms of uncertainty (i.e., severity and susceptibility) and information-processing orientation predicted uncertainty management success.
Neonatal 6-hydroxydopamine treatment eliminates cholinergic sympathetic innervation and induces sensory sprouting in rat sweat glands

Previous studies of the development of cholinergic sympathetic innervation of sweat glands in rat footpads suggested that these terminals initially exhibit noradrenergic properties which are lost as the glands and their innervation mature. We have treated neonatal and adult rats with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a toxic congener of norepinephrine, and compared its effects on the cholinergic sympathetic innervation of sweat glands and the noradrenergic sympathetic innervation of the iris, salivary gland, and blood vessels. As reported by others, 6-OHDA treatment of neonates caused the destruction of noradrenergic fibers in the iris and salivary gland but did not affect other fibers projecting to these targets that stain for acetylcholinesterase (AChE). We found that 6-OHDA treatment of neonatal animals also caused the destruction of the sympathetic axons in immature sweat glands that possess catecholamine histofluorescence and tyrosine-hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity. Furthermore, when such animals were examined as adults, we found no AChE staining, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-like immunoreactivity, or characteristic sympathetic axonal varicosities. However, the denervated glands were invested by a plexus of sensory axons, some of which exhibited substance P-like immunoreactivity (SP-IR). An increase in the number of SP-IR fibers also occurred in the sympathetically denervated irides of these animals. Chronic treatment of neonates with guanethidine, another adrenergic sympathetic neurotoxin, resulted in similar loss of cholinergic sweat gland innervation. Treatment of adults rats with doses of 6-OHDA identical to those used to treat neonates caused the loss of noradrenergic fibers from the iris, salivary gland, and many blood vessels but did not noticeably affect AChE and VIP staining or axonal ultrastructure in the sweat glands. However, treatment with higher doses of 6-OHDA did cause significant axonal degeneration. The response of the sympathetic innervation of developing but not mature sweat glands to 6-OHDA provides evidence for a transition from noradrenergic to cholinergic phenotype during the development of sympathetic neurons in vivo similar to the transition observed in cell culture. The sprouting of sensory axons may be caused by NGF-like trophic influences present in some sympathetically denervated tissues.
Climbing the Administrative Career Ladder: Who Goes Up Might Come Down

The pathway to career advancement and success for school administra tors is littered with obstacles and potholes, some of which relate to individual deficiencies and others to the unpredictable influences in public schools. Nevertheless, if the attributes of success in a prior position are to transfer into success in a new leadership position, they must do so in concert with five elements of leadership behavior.
Stability of a hierarchical clustering

Abstract Clustering algorithms have the annoying habit of finding clusters even when the data are generated randomly. Verifying that potential clusterings are real in some objective sense is receiving more attention as the number of new clustering algorithms and their applications grow. We consider one aspect of this question and study the stability of a hierarchical structure with a variation on a measure of stability proposed in the literature.(1,2) Our measure of stability is appropriate for proximity matrices whose entries are on an ordinal scale. We randomly split the data set, cluster the two halves, and compare the two hierarchical clusterings with the clustering achieved on the entire data set. Two stability statistics, based on the Goodman-Kruskal rank correlation coefficient, are defined. The distributions of these statistics are estimated with Monte Carlo techniques for two clustering methods (single-link and complete-link) and under two conditions (randomly selected proximity matrices and proximity matrices with good hierarchical structure). The stability measures are applied to some real data sets.
Extreme Values from a Nonstationary Stochastic Process: An Application to Air Quality Analysis

A procedure for using air quality data to estimate the mean value of the maximum concentration in a year-long sequence of lognormally distributed air pollutant concentrations has been described by Larsen. This procedure and analogous procedures for non-lognormal concentrations implicitly assume that sequences of pollutant concentrations are stationary. However, air pollutant concentrations often vary systematically in response to seasonal and other factors and, therefore, are nonstationary. In this paper it is shown that application of procedures, such as Larsen's, that assume stationarity to a nonstationary sequence of concentrations can produce seriously erroneous results. Two methods for using air quality data to estimate the distributional properties of maxima of nonstationary sequences of concentrations are illustrated. One method involves identifying a nonstationary stochastic process that explains the data and computing the probability distributions of maxima of sequences generated by this stochast...
Tropospheric chemistry: Global change and urban neglect

During the past decade, major advances have been made in the field of tropospheric chemistry, especially with regard to ozone and associated species (reactive nitrogen, peroxides, and OH). These advances have been driven largely by a series of field measurement campaigns in locations ranging from Brazil and Hawaii to Greenland and Nova Scotia. There is a major gap in the coverage of the tropospheric research program, however. Ozone chemistry is not measured in urban and downwind locations in the United States that are subject to violations of air quality standards.
Epidemiology and diagnosis of alcoholism in the elderly (a review)

The authors review the research on alcoholism in the elderly. There is evidence that prevalence studies underestimate its extent. Geriatric alcoholism often eludes detection as diagnostic criteria generally used for the adult may not apply to the elderly population. Issues pertaining to clinical features, classification and pattern of use are discussed.
Mutagenesis reveals structure-activity parallels between human A2A adenosine receptors and biogenic amine G protein-coupled receptors.

Structure–affinity relationships for ligand binding at the human A2A adenosine receptor have been probed using site-directed mutagenesis in the transmembrane helical domains (TMs). The mutant receptors were expressed in COS-7 cells and characterized by binding of the radioligands [3H]{"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"CGS21680","term_id":"878113053","term_text":"CGS21680"}}CGS21680, [3H]NECA, and [3H]XAC. Three residues, at positions essential for ligand binding in other G protein-coupled receptors, were individually mutated. The residue V(3.32) in the A2A receptor that is homologous to the essential aspartate residue of TM3 in the biogenic amine receptors, i.e., V84(3.32), may be substituted with L (present in the A3 receptor) but not with D (in biogenic amine receptors) or A. H250(6.52), homologous to the critical N507 of rat m3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, may be substituted with other aromatic residues or with N but not with A (Kim et al. J. Biol. Chem. 1995, 270, 13987–13997). H278(7.43), homologous to the covalent ligand anchor site in rhodopsin, may not be substituted with either A, K, or N. Both V84L(3.32) and H250N(6.52) mutant receptors were highly variable in their effect on ligand competition depending on the structural class of the ligand. Adenosine-5′-uronamide derivatives were more potent at the H250N(6.52) mutant receptor than at wild type receptors. Xanthines tended to be close in potency (H250N(6.52)) or less potent (V84L-(3.32)) than at wild type receptors. The affinity of {"type":"entrez-protein","attrs":{"text":"CGS21680","term_id":"878113053","term_text":"CGS21680"}}CGS21680 increased as the pH was lowered to 5.5 in both the wild type and H250N(6.52) mutant receptors. Thus, protonation of H250-(6.52) is not involved in this pH dependence. These data are consistent with a molecular model predicting the proximity of bound agonist ligands to TM3, TM5, TM6, and TM7.
Effect of temperature and electrolytes on the viscosity of aqueous dispersions of mustard seed (Sinapsis alba) mucilage

Abstract The effect of temperature and electrolytes on the viscosity of dilute dispersions of yellow mustard ( Sinapsis alba ) mucilage have been investigated. Mustard mucilage behaved as a polymeric electrolyte. Excessive heating reduced dispersion viscosity, as did an electrolytic solution of 3.5% NaCl and 3.4% acetic acid.
The influence of individual characteristics and severity of harassing behavior on reactions to sexual harassment

Differences in reactions to 18 scenarios depicting potentially sexually harassing situations were studied as a function of harassment severity and individual level factors. The scenarios illustrate a continuum of behavior, with some situations depicting overt sexual harassment and others portraying more innocuous behaviors. The individuals' reactions were strongly influenced by the perceived severity of the incidents. Reactions were influenced to a lesser extent by the individual level factors of gender, attitudes toward women, religiosity, and locus of control. Among these factors, gender had the strongest effect on reaction types. Findings indicate that harassment severity and individual level factors may combine to influence reactions to sexual harassment.
Differences in milk and butterfat production and test of Ayrshire cow families.

Summary The milk production, butterfat test and butterfat production records of 401 Animals that were members of 19 cow families were analyzed by the analysis of variance. The results showed that there were significant differences between the cow families in the three production figures studied. Most of the variations could be attributed to sire differences between families. When the sire differences were removed, the remaining variations between families were too small to be statistically significant.The differences between sires for the production figures were highly significant. Yearly variations contributed to the differences between sires.The average genetic relationship between members of the same cow family was 15 per cent. Three methods of selection of breeding females on the basis of family su 3 1 + \( n − 1 \) r n \[ 1 + \( n − 1 \) t \] n = number of individuals in each family . r = genetic relationship between members of the same family . t = phenotypic correlation between members of the same family . periority in milk production were compared with selection on individual performance as a means of improving the production of the herd. Individual selection for milk production was superior to selecting females on a family basis. Family selection appeared to be more effective where some individual selection was practiced within the family than where all members of the best families were retained for breeding purposes.
Quantum gravity at two loops

We show that the S matrix of pure Einstein gravity diverges at the two-loop order in four dimensions.
Peer status and aggression in boys' groups: developmental and contextual analyses.

The social transactions of popular, rejected, neglected, and average first- and third-grade boys were examined during their initial encounters with peers. 23 groups of 5 or 6 boys each were observed for 45-min free-play sessions conducted on 5 consecutive days, with sociometric interviews following each session. Social preference in the play groups correlated significantly with classroom social preference after the third and subsequent play sessions for the third graders, and after the fourth and subsequent sessions for the first graders. The observational coding system distinguished 4 types of aggressive behavior that were hypothesized to relate to peer status in different ways. The first, rough play, was not related to peer status. However, rejected boys at both ages displayed significantly higher rates of angry reactive aggression and instrumental aggression than average boys. The relation between bullying and peer status varied with the age of the child. Popular first graders engaged in more bullying than average first graders, but popular third graders did not differ from average in bullying. Other questions concerned the temporal relation between play group behaviors and social preference scores within the group. Socially interactive behaviors anteceded high preference by peers, and low preference in turn led to social isolation in subsequent sessions. Language: en
What's in a Name? Reflections on Using, Not Using, and Overusing the “G-Word”

Churchill described the atrocities committ ed by Nazi troops and police under the German att ack on the Soviet Union as something unprecedented: ‘‘Since the Mongol invasions of Europe in the sixteenth century, there has never been methodical, merciless butchery on such a scale, or approaching such a scale. And this is but the beginning. . . .We are in the presence of a crime without a name.’’1 A few years later, at Nuremberg, because of the lack of international legislation on this very
Stability analysis of generalized epidemic models over directed networks

In this paper we propose a generalized version of the Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Vigilant (SEIV) disease spreading model over arbitrary directed graphs. In the standard SEIV model there is only one infectious state. Our model instead allows for the exposed state to also be infectious to healthy individuals. This model captures the fact that infected individuals may act differently when they are aware of their infection. For instance, when the individual is aware of the infection, different actions may be taken, such as staying home from work, causing less chance for spreading the infection. This model generalizes the standard SEIV model which is already known to generalize many other infection spreading models available. We use tools from nonlinear stability analysis to suggest a coordinate transformation that allows us to study the stability of the origin of a relevant linear system. We provide a necessary and sufficient condition for when the disease-free equilibrium is globally exponentially stable. We then extend the results to the case where the infection parameters are not homogeneous among the nodes of the network. Simulations illustrate our results.
Analysis of Partial Melting in Metal Powder Bed with Constant Heat Flux

Rapid melting of a subcooled single-component metal powder bed in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is analyzed in this paper. Under irradiation of a pulse laser beam, the surface of the powder particle is molten first while the core of the particle remains solid. The temperature of the liquid layer is higher than the melting point, while the temperature of the solid core is below the melting point. Therefore, the mean temperature of the partially molten particle is within a range of temperature adjacent to the melting point. In addition, the powder bed experiences a significant density change during melting because the interstitial gas initially in the pore space is driven out as melting progresses. Melting in SLS of single-component metal powder can therefore be modeled as that occurring in a range of temperature with significant density change. The temperature distributions in the solid, liquid, and mushy zones and locations of the various interfaces are obtained by using an integral approximate method. The effects of initial porosity, dimensionless initial temperature, and dimensionless thermal conductivity of the interstitial gas on the surface temperature and locations of the interfaces are investigated.
Inhibition of receptor-coupled phosphoinositide hydrolysis by sulfur-containing amino acids in rat brain slices.

Abstract Sulfur-containing amino acids were found to inhibit norepinephrine-stimulated [ 3 H]phosphoinositide hydrolysis in rat cortical slices. Of the amino acids tested, l -cysteine was the most potent, inhibiting the response by 42 and 85% at concentrations of 50 and 500 μM respectively. l -Cystine and l -serine- O -sulfate also inhibited the response to norepinephrine, but to a lesser degree than did l -cysteine. l -homocysteic acid slightly potentiated phosphoinositide hydrolysis at a concentration of 100μm, but caused inhibition at 500 μM. l -cysteine sulfinate produced effects intermediate to those of l -cysteine and l -homocysteic acid, having no effect on the response to norepinephrine at 50 μM, but causing 84% inhibition at 500 μM. The d -isomers of cysteine and homocysteic acid were much less potent than were the l -isomers. Examination of the time course of the inhibition of norepinephrine-stimulated [ 3 H]phosphoinositide hydrolysis by l -cysteine showed that it was inhibited almost completely after 15, 30, 45 and 60min of incubation. l -Systeine and l -homocysteic acid caused similarly strong inhibitions of the production of [ 3 H]inositol monophosphate, [ 3 H]inositol bisphosphate and [ 3 H]inositol trisphosphate. The hydrolysis of [ 3 H]phosphoinositides stimulated by norepinephrine in slices from rat hippocampus and striatum were inhibited by l -cysteine to an extent similar to that occurring in cortical slices. These results demonstrate that several sulfur-containing amino acids, some of which have been proposed to be endogenous excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters, effectively modulate the response to norepinephrine of the phosphoinositide second messenger system in rat brain.
Phase-resolved acoustic radiation force optical coherence elastography

Many diseases involve changes in the biomechanical properties of tissue, and there is a close correlation between tissue elasticity and pathology. We report on the development of a phase-resolved acoustic radiation force optical coherence elastography method (ARF-OCE) to evaluate the elastic properties of tissue. This method utilizes chirped acoustic radiation force to produce excitation along the sample's axial direction, and it uses phase-resolved optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure the vibration of the sample. Under 500-Hz square wave modulated ARF signal excitation, phase change maps of tissue mimicking phantoms are generated by the ARF-OCE method, and the resulting Young's modulus ratio is correlated with a standard compression test. The results verify that this technique could efficiently measure sample elastic properties accurately and quantitatively. Furthermore, a three-dimensional ARF-OCE image of the human atherosclerotic coronary artery is obtained. The result indicates that our dynamic phase-resolved ARF-OCE method can delineate tissues with different mechanical properties.
Humor comprehension, humor production, and insight: An exploratory study

The relation between humor comprehension and humor production was examined. Unlike earlier studies that used comprehension tasks requiring a productive component, here participants simply decided whether cartoons were matched or mismatched to presented “latent content” (i.e., the implied meaning of the cartoon). To test humor production, the same participants devised humorous captions for photographs, which judges reliably rated on funniness. Performance on the two tasks showed a significant positive correlation. Relations between response time, confidence, and funniness ratings in the comprehension task were consistent with an “insight” view of humor comprehension: correct responses were made more quickly, and matched latent content trials were identified faster and were rated as funnier than mismatched trials. In the humor production task, judged funniness showed a reliable (but rather small) positive correlation with response time, offering little support for an “insight” view of humor production. Limitations of the study and possibilities for future research on humor production, modeled on creativity research, are discussed.
A stepping switch for use in neurophysiologic research.

Abstract An electronic stepping switch utilizing reed switches and integrated circuits is described. The circuit is useful for applications requiring automatic repetitive switching of the output of an electrical stimulator to individual electrodes in a multiple-electrode array for brain stimulation in neurophysiological studies.
The distribution and abundance of pelagic gammarid amphipods on Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals

In this study, long-term, broad-scale zooplankton survey data were used to estimate the temporal and spatial distribution and abundance of gammarid amphipods present in the water column on Georges Bank. Delta-mean abundances computed from 10 years of data showed that gammarid amphipod abundances peaked in summer and again in fall. The amphipods were also most numerous in water less than 50 m deep. The statistical tests employed revealed no conclusive evidence for diurnal vertical migration. Interannual delta-mean abundances fluctuated approximately 5-fold between 1977 and 1986, ranging from 217 to 1181 amphipods 100 rnp3. Peak amphipod biomass occurred in July and was estimated to be 2.8 kcal m-'. Using production-to-biomass ratios from the literature, mean annual production of amphipods in these samples was estimated to be between 1.6 and 9.8 kcal m-'. Production in shallow areas was especially high, 22 kcal m-' year- '. Copyright 0 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd
Duality and Hankel operators on the Bergman spaces of bounded symmetric domains

Soit Ω un domaine symetrique borne dans C n avec dV la mesure de volume normalisee. L'espace de Bergman L a P (Ω) est le sous espace clos de L P (Ω,dV) constitue des fonctions holomorphes. On decrit le dual et le predual de L a 1 (Ω) pour tous les domaines symetriques bornes
Parallel implementations of a finite element formulation for fluid-structure interactions in interior flows

Abstract In this paper, shared-memory parallel implementations of a finite element formulation for unsteady interior flows with fluid-structure interactions are presented. The parallel computing platforms targeted are the CRAY C90, the Silicon Graphics (SGI) ONYX and the SGI Power Challenge. The formulation is based on the stabilized space-time finite element method developed earlier for a more general class of flow problems involving moving boundaries and interfaces. The specific test problem used in the performance evaluations involves fluid-structure interactions between a barotropic working fluid and one of the two pistons surrounding this fluid. We demonstrate that advanced formulations applicable to complex problems can be implemented in a parallel computing environment without resulting in a significant distraction from the scientific objectives of solving such complex problems.
Penile edema in childhood gonorrhea

A two-year-old boy with painless penile edema was seen in our emergency department. No discharge was present initially, but palpation of the urethra expressed a drop of material from the meatus. Neisseria gonorrhoeae was isolated, and the edema resolved rapidly following penicillin treatment. This report provides, to our knowledge, the first description of penile venereal edema in a child and discusses the diagnostic considerations in penile swelling.
Asymptotic regulation with H/sub 2/ disturbance rejection

The problem of optimal H/sub 2/ rejection of stochastic disturbances while achieving asymptotic tracking of uncertain commands and asymptotic rejection of uncertain deterministic disturbances is considered. The internal model principle is used to ensure that the expected value of the tracking error approaches zero asymptotically. Necessary conditions are given to characterize controllers that minimize a performance measure consisting of an H/sub 2/ disturbance rejection cost plus an upper bound on the integral square error cost for transient performance. The necessary conditions provide expressions for gradients of the cost with respect to each of the which can be utilized via numerical methods to determine optimal control gains. >
An improved transductor for measuring large direct currents

Transductors, sometimes called dc current transformers, are in widespread use for the measurement of large direct currents, of the order of 1000 amperes and above. The transductor described in this paper has errors of much less than 10-4over most of its current range. In addition, this transductor requires considerably less core material than a standard transductor of the same current rating.
Intellectual ability and aggressive behavior in nonclinical-nonforensic males

The purpose of this study was to test the relationship between IQ and physical aggression in a nonclinical-nonforensic male sample in a laboratory setting. Thirty males completed an abbreviated version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised. Aggression was measured using a modified version of the Taylor reaction-time (RT) aggression paradigm in which subjects competed on a RT task and both received and delivered shocks to a fictitious opponent in provoking and nonprovoking conditions. Provocation conditions (High and Low) were defined by the intensity of shocks the subjects received. Results demonstrated strong inverse correlations between IQ and aggressive behavior under both High and Low Provocation conditions.
Determine the Critical dimension in data mining (experiments with bioinformatics datasets)

The "curse of dimensionality" problem, which occurs in many applications involving data mining such as biomedical informatics, digital forensics, risk management, etc., makes it difficult to develop accurate learning machine classifiers when the dataset includes too many irrelevant or insignificant features. Therefore, finding the smallest set of features necessary to obtain the most accurate classifier is an issue of great theoretical and practical interest. In efforts toward developing formal methods for finding the "critical dimension", this paper presents an empirical study of the minimum number of features that are required for a learning machine to perform accurately. The dataset is first featured ranked; then, iteratively, the least important feature is removed and the performance is plotted against the number of features; the point at which the performance curve drops significantly and does not rise again gives the critical dimension, which is a unique number for each specific combination of learning machine and feature ranking method. It is shown in this paper that the critical dimension phenomenon indeed exists for several of the bioinformatics datasets studied.
Shorebirds Forage Disproportionately in Horseshoe Crab Nest Depressions

Abstract. Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus) eggs are an important shorebird food during the Delaware Bay spring stopover, and shorebird management plans aim to increase and monitor this resource. If shorebirds focus their foraging on Horseshoe Crab nesting depressions they may find richer food supplies than if they forage randomly on the beach. The amount of shorebird sign in quadrats centered on Horseshoe Crab nest depressions was compared with the amount of sign in paired beach areas with no Horseshoe Crab nests. Horseshoe Crab nest depressions had more pecks, probes, digit marks, Ruddy Turnstone excavations, Horseshoe Crab eggs and a greater coverage by shorebird sign than paired beach plots with no Horseshoe Crab nests. Foraging disproportionately within Horseshoe Crab nesting depressions may facilitate the rapid mass gain needed to prepare shorebirds for their flight to the breeding grounds. Horseshoe crab egg monitoring currently estimates mean egg abundance per beach. However, birds are able to f...
Why does government produce national defense

Economists argue that government produces national defense because it is a public good, and markets fail to produce public goods optimally. This argument has two shortcomings. First, it relies on different assumptions of individual behavior in the private and public sectors. Second, it assumes that government has a comparative advantage in the production of public goods, despite evidence to the contrary. Employing the standard assumption of self-interested behavior for both private sector and public sector individuals, government has an incentive to produce national defense because by doing so it is protecting its source of income: its tax base. Incidentally, citizens benefit from the exchange of protection for tribute because their assets are protected.