cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physical Women, Emotional Men: Gender and Sexual Satisfaction in Midlife

In late midlife, heterosexual women report markedly lower levels of sexual satisfaction than heterosexual men. This article explored the social factors contributing to this difference, using data from 1,035 sexually-active heterosexual adults, aged 40–59 years, who participated in the National Health and Social Life Survey (NHSLS). Conducted in 1992, NHSLS interviewed a nationally representative random sample of U.S. adults about diverse aspects of sexual life (Laumann et al., 1994, The social organization of sexuality: Sexual practices in the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago Press). Contrary to gender stereotypes, women’s emotional satisfaction was closely associated with bodily sexual practices, whereas men’s physical pleasure was linked to relational factors. Lower levels of sexual satisfaction at older ages appeared to stem from differences between the Baby Boom and older generations rather than from aging per se.
Response of the urban boundary layer to heat addition and surface roughness

A two-dimensional numerical model is used to determine the sensitivity of the urban climate of mid-latitude cities to heat addition and surface roughness. Nocturnal winter conditions are considered. Artificial heating is found to be the major factor in controlling the urban temperature field, and roughness the controlling factor for the wind field. Present rates of heat addition are found to warm the urban air by 2 to 4K. Results from the model are compared with observational data for Montreal. The effects of varying the heights of heat addition and the use of greenbelts are also examined.
Detecting occult cardiac disease in athletes: history that makes a difference

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the leading cause of mortality in young athletes during exercise and is triggered by intense exertion in those individuals with occult cardiovascular abnormalities.1 All major medical and sporting organisations recommend cardiovascular screening prior to competitive athletics.2–5 As such, primary care physicians routinely perform preparticipation physical examinations with the goal of promoting health and safety in the athlete. Regardless of the often-polarising debate surrounding the inclusion (or not) of an ECG to the traditional history and physical examination, it is crucial for physicians to avoid minimising findings that may be suggestive of cardiac pathology in an effort to appropriately identify affected individuals. Widely available cardiovascular disease (CVD) treatments and therapies can lead to significant prevention in morbidity and mortality. In a recent article, Ranthe et al 6 presented …
hnf1b genes in zebrafish hindbrain development.

The Hnf1b transcription factor acts during formation of rhombomeres (r) 5 and 6 in the hindbrain. To determine if hnf1b is absolutely required in r5/r6, we examined the hnf1bhi2169 and hnf1bhi1843 retroviral insertion alleles. Hnf1bhi2169 shows highly variable residual expression of several genes in r5/r6, but this is not due to full-length hnf1b transcripts persisting in hnf1bhi2169 embryos, nor to hnf1bl, a novel hnf1 family member expressed in r5 that we identified. Instead, we find evidence for a virus-hnf1b fusion transcript in hnf1bhi2169 embryos and demonstrate that morpholino-mediated knockdown of this transcript leads to near-undetectable r5 gene expression. The hnf1bhi1843 allele has a more severe phenotype with near-undetectable expression of r5/r6 genes. We next examined if hoxb1b, which functions upstream of hnf1b in r5/r6 formation, can induce expression of r5/r6 genes in hnf1b mutants. We find that microinjected hoxb1b mRNA induces ectopic gene expression anterior to the hindbrain in hnf1bh...
Evidence for a recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C from pharmacokinetics: a comment and analysis.

The current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, as proposed by the Food and Nutrition Board/National Research Council in 1980 and reconfirmed in 1989, is 60 mg daily for nonsmoking adult males. Levine et al. [Levine, M., Conry-Cantilena, C., Wang, Y., Welch, R. W., Washko, P. W., et al. (1996) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93, 3704–3709], based on a study of vitamin C pharmacokinetics in seven healthy men, have now proposed that the RDA should be increased to 200 mg daily. I have examined, in brief, the experimental and conceptual bases for this new recommendation and its implications for public health and nutrition policy and programs. Using, for illustrative purposes only, data extracted from each of two recent dietary surveys of noninstitutionalized adult males living in households in the Netherlands and the United States, it is predicted that the prevalence of intakes inadequate to meet the individual’s own requirement would be about 96% or 84%, respectively, if the criteria of adequacy used for derivation of the 200 mg RDA are accepted. Depending upon the particular average requirement value for ascorbic acid that might be derived from their data, the proposal by Levine et al. would mean a desirable increase in mean intakes in these two populations by as much about 2- to 3-fold. Hence, before an action of this kind is to be recommended, an answer must be sought to the question whether current experimental data including the criteria selected (saturation kinetics) are adequate to establish a new set of requirements for vitamin C, which then carry such profound policy implications. This will require critical assessment of all of the available evidence emerging from laboratory, clinical, and epidemiological studies to determine whether it provides a sufficient rationale for accepting criteria of vitamin C adequacy such as those proposed by Levine et al. and the requirement estimates so derived.
MOCVD (BaxSr1−x)Ti1+yO3+z (BST) thin films for high frequency tunable devices

Abstract We have investigated the structural and electrical characteristics of (BaxSr1−x)Ti1+yO3+z (BST) thin films synthesized at 650°C on Pt/SiO2/Si substrates using a large area, vertical metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactor equipped with a liquid delivery system. Films with a Ba/Sr ratio of 70/30 were studied, as determined using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). A substantial reduction of the dielectric loss was achieved when annealing the entire capacitor structure in air at 700°C. Dielectric tunability as high as 2.3:1 was measured for BST capacitors with the currently optimized processing conditions.
Sources of Non‐ideal Flow Distribution and Their Effect on the Performance of Hollow Fiber Gas Separation Modules

Abstract Hollow fiber membrane gas separation modules are used predominantly in membrane gas separation processes. The performance of these modules is often captured by simple flow and mass transfer models. However, as processes are pushed to the limits of their commercial viability, non‐ideal performance is often observed. Potential sources of this non‐ideality due to non‐uniform flows through the module are summarized and their effect on module performance evaluated.
Electron–phonon interaction studies in an In0.52Al0.48As/In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As quantum well structure

Joule heating measurements are carried out over a wide range of temperatures on a two-dimensional electron gas fabricated in an In0.52Al0.48As/In0.53Ga0.47As/In0.52Al0.48As heterostructure system that has a 25nm wide In0.53Ga0.47As quantum well region. The energy loss rate is observed to be an indicator of the electron–phonon coupling processes in these systems. The temperature dependence of the energy loss rate is studied from 30mK to 30K and points toward a possible dominant unscreened piezoelectric coupling to the acoustic modes over temperatures of 1–30K, with boundary scattering in the ohmic contacts gaining importance at very low temperatures. The temperature decay of the energy relaxation time exhibits a T−3 behavior at high temperatures that transitions to a T−1 at lower temperatures and tends to saturation at millikelvin levels.
Combining AFM and FRET for studies at the cellular level

We report on the development of a Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) enabled atomic force microscope (AFM) for the study of biomechanics and mechanobiology at the cellular level. The hybrid microscopy system combines the spatial resolution and control of the AFM with the nanoscale sensing capabilities of FRET to enable simultaneous detection of cell mechanical responses and correlation of those responses with cellular biochemistry. Here, we show FRET signal from donor-coated microspheres, that are attached to an AFM cantilever, to acceptor-labeled integrins in a fixed cell system. Additionally, we demonstrate and discuss the attachment of quantum dots to silica microspheres as the FRET donor.
Nursing students’ cultural immersion in Kenya: A case for a clinical capstone site

Awareness of cultural concepts is an important component of nursing education and cultural immersion experiences are invaluable in fostering understanding of them. These types of experiences take students out of their comfort zone and challenge them both personally and professionally. For several years, students on all levels have been participating in a 10-day trip to Kenya led by nursing faculty. Undergraduate students who go on the trip receive clinical credit for their community health course and are required to journal daily about their experiences while on the trip and write a reflection paper for the course when they return. The content of these papers was analyzed for common themes to determine what students learned from the trip and to see if it was worthwhile to allow students to do their clinical capstone experience in Kenya, that would be part of the schools new curriculum. Four main themes emerged from the student reflection papers. They were: “Making a difference”, “Not knowing what to expect”, “Feeling like a real nurse” and “Renewing my Identity”. The Kenya experience has fostered student growth in various ways and our school of nursing will continue to support this learning experience by encouraging senior students to complete their clinical capstones in Kenya.
Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Vertically Acquired Group B Streptococcus (GBS) 1464

Penicillin G and ampicillin are the recommended antibiotics for prevention of early-onset GBS disease (EOGBS). We studied the antibiograms of 111 colonizing and 8 invasive strains of GBS to penicillin G, ampicillin, clindamycin, cefazolin, gentamicin, and erythromycin using both minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and Kirby-Bauer (KB) methods because: 1) Widespread use of penicillin G and ampicillin has increased the likelihood of emergence of resistance; and 2) The methods used to determine antibiotic susceptibility may influence the perception of antibiotic resistance and subsequent choice of prophylactic antibiotics. GBS strains were collected prospectively between 1/1/96 and 9/30/97 as part of an NICHD sponsored study of the association between passively acquired anti-GBS antibody and the risk of EOGBS. MICs were performed using prepared test panels (Microtech Medical Systems, Aurora, CA) and KBs were done in the standard fashion using antibiotic impregnated filter paper discs. MIC results showed that all colonizing strains were sensitive (MIC ≤ 0.12 mcg/ml) or moderately sensitive (MIC = 0.25-2 mcg/ml) to penicillin G and ampicillin. These levels are easily achieved in fetal blood using current regimens. In contrast, 82% of strains were of intermediate sensitivity to ampicillin and 12% were intermediate to penicillin G using the KB method. Frank resistance was noted by at least one strain to each of the other antibiotics; all were resistant to gentamicin while 9 were resistant to erythromycin, 3 to clindamycin, and one to cefazolin by MIC. All invasive strains were sensitive to ampicillin, penicillin G, clindamycin, and cefazolin by MIC, one was intermediate to erythromycin and all were resistant to gentamicin. We conclude that: 1) Continued sensitivity of GBS to members of the penicillin family, plus occurrence of at least one resistant strain for each of the other antibiotics supports continued use of penicillin G or ampicillin in prophylactic treatment regimens against EOGBS; and 2) Use of the KB method by clinical labs could lead to the erroneous conclusion that GBS are becoming resistant to penicillin G and ampicillin. Furthermore, when beta lactam antibiotics are contraindicated, clindamycin appears to be a better alternative drug than erythromycin, because of the reduced frequency of resistance.
Disruption of the diaphragmatic echoes: A sonographic sign of diaphragmatic disease

This report describes a new ultrasonographic finding of disruption or interruption of the right hemidiaphragmatic echoes. Etiologies discussed include tumor invasion, metastatic implantation of tumor and diaphragmatic rupture secondary to trauma and infection.
The Synthesis of Brominated Tetrafluoro[2.2]paracyclophanes

The bromination of the two isomeric tetrafluoro[2.2]paracyclophanes was investigated under various conditions.We found selective conditions for mono- and dibrominationof 1,1,9,9-tetrafluoro[2.2]paracyclophane in high yields. Furthermore, three tetrabromo isomers were characterized. The para-dibromide of 1,1,10,10-tetrafluoro[2.2]paracyclophane was prepared in high yields. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2006)
Long-lasting desensitization of bladder afferents following intravesical resiniferatoxin and capsaicin in the rat

The present study was conducted to determine whether long-lasting desensitization of bladder afferents could be achieved using a single local application of the capsaicin (CAP)-like irritant resiniferatoxin (RTX), and to compare the effects of RTX and CAP on behavioral and histological endpoints. While rats were anesthetized, vehicle (VEH), RTX (10-100 nmol) or CAP (10-100 mumol) was instilled in the bladder (intravesical, i.ves.) via a cannula surgically implanted into the bladder dome. Beginning 1 week after treatment, once per week for 4 weeks, rats were tested behaviorally for desensitization to i.ves. RTX (10 nmol) using the abdominal lick test. Rats pretreated with low doses of RTX and CAP were partially desensitized at week 1; desensitization diminished over weeks 2-3. In contrast, rats pretreated with high doses of RTX or CAP were more completely desensitized at week 1, and desensitization did not diminish by week 4. Separate groups of rats tested 8 weeks after treatment showed substantial recovery. Rats pretreated with RTX but tested only with VEH for the first 3 weeks showed desensitization at week 4 approximately equivalent to that of RTX-treated rats tested with RTX every week. Sensitivity of corneal afferents to RTX (1.0 microgram/ml) at week 4 was not different between VEH- and RTX- or CAP-treated rats. Gross and histological examination of bladder tissue indicated that both RTX and CAP produced inflammation, which diminished in a dose- and time-dependent manner (1-8 weeks post-treatment).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Signal exploitation by time and frequency correlation

We address two classical problems relating to harmonic signals. The first of these is the blind recovery of the carrier of a single sideband-AM communication signal, and the second is the isolation and blind estimation of the fundamental of a time-varying harmonic signal. The methods are based on cross-spectra estimated from the short time Fourier transform, a generalization of the Chinese remainder theorem and joint Fourier and autocorrelation representations of the signal spectrum. These tools are developed, and their utility is demonstrated in the solutions of the two problems. By an additional application of a frequency-lag autocorrelation function, it is demonstrated that the harmonic fundamental can be recovered, even if it is not present in the original spectrum.
Impacts of Technology and Structural Change on Agricultural Economy, Rural Communities, and the Environment

Recent advances in biotechnology and information technology could revolutionalize U.S. agriculture. Through embryo transfers, gene insertion, growth hormones, and other genetic engineering techniques, cattle, swine, sheep, and poultry in the year 2000 would produce more meat per pound of feed, dairy cows would produce more milk per cow, major crops would be genetically altered to resist insects and diseases and to produce their own fertilizers and herbicides, and computers and electronics would be widely used on farms to increase management efficiency. These are only a few of more than 150 emerging technologies in 28 areas forecasted in an ongoing study by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). These areas of technologies range from plant and animal genetic engineering, plant growth regulators, and animal reproduction, to monitoring and controlling technology and telecommunication. Many of these technologies, such as growth hormones, monoclonal antibodies, super ovulation, embryo transfers, and slow-release insecticides are already in the marketplace, while others are still in the laboratory. When these technologies are adopted by farmers and put into the agricultural production system, they could alter drastically the structure of U.S. agriculture, which has been evolving toward a dual structure, where a few large and very large farms produce most of the total output and capture the majority of net farm income while very many small subsistence and part-time farms produce a small portion of the total'output and receive a very small share of net farm income. (For a more detailed discussion of the movement toward a dual structure, see chap. 4 of the OTA report.) Commercialization of new technologies would further stimulate expansion of farm size and accelerate resource concentration in agriculture for two reasons: (a) the biasness of technology adoption and (b) the downward slope of the average cost curve. Although most of the new technologies are scale neutral, i.e., they are equally applicable to large as well as small farms, their adoption tends to favor large farms. Typically, new technologies are first adopted by large farms because these farms have more access to information and
Absence of localization in a random-dimer model

We consider here a 1D tight-binding model with two uncorrelated random site energies ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{\mathit{a}}$ and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{\mathit{b}}$ and a constant nearest-neighbor matrix element V. We show that if one (or both) of the site energies is assigned at random to pairs of lattice sites (that is, two sites in succession), an initially localized particle can become delocalized. Its mean-square displacement at long times is shown to grow in time as ${\mathit{t}}^{3/2}$ provided that -2V${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{\mathit{a}}$-${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{\mathit{b}}$2V. Diffusion occurs if ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{\mathit{a}}$-${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}_{\mathit{b}}$=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2V and localization otherwise. The dual of the random-dimer model is also shown to exhibit an absence of localization and is shown to be relevant to transmission resonances in Fibonacci lattices.
A Suspended Laser Interferometer Determination of the Newtonian Constant of Gravitation

We are completing an experiment to measure the Newtonian constant of gravitation, G, with a suspended Fabry-Perot laser interferometer. The apparatus is operational and systematic errors have been found and eliminated. A result for G is hoped for in summer 2004 with an accuracy of roughly 30 ppm
Variable feed allowance with constant protein input for channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) cultured in ponds

A study was conducted to determine if channel catfish yield in ponds can be maintained with reduced feed allowance, while increasing protein concentration in the diet. Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fingerlings (16.7 g average wt.) were stocked in twenty 400-m2 earthen ponds at a density of 13,750 fish/ha. Diets were prepared to contain three percentages of protein (P) at constant and variable digestible energy (DE) concentrations. One group of diets contained 28%, 32% or 36% protein and a constant level of DE, 3.08 kcal/g of diet. Another group of diets contained the same series of protein percentages and variable levels of DE, 2.70, 3.08 and 3.41 kcal/g, so that DE/P ratio was constant at 9.6 kcal/g. The diet containing 28% protein and 3.08 kcal DE/g diet was the control which was fed at satiation rate. The daily allowance of all the other diets was based upon the amount of protein consumed by the control fish; all treatments received the same daily protein allowance. Therefore, fish fed with the 32% protein diet received 12.5% less feed than the control and those fed with 36% protein diet received 22.2% less than the control. The feeding trial lasted 19 weeks, from June 1 to October 5. When DE level of the diets was constant at 3.08 kcal/g, weight gain of fish was not different (P>0.05) from the 28% protein treatment (satiation fed) and the 32% protein treatment (87.5% of satiation), but weight gain was lower (P 0.05) from the 28% protein treatment (100% of satiation). Feed efficiency ratio (FER) improved (P 0.05) as protein level increased from 28% to 36%, with a 22.2% reduction in feed allowance. There was no difference (P>0.05) in total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), nitrite nitrogen, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chlorophyll a or soluble phosphorus in pond water among treatments; however, TAN, nitrite nitrogen, and BOD5 changed (P<0.05) over time as feed allowance increased. Among the treatments evaluated, commercial fish farmers may find the 32% protein, 3.08 kcal/g DE and 87.5% satiation regimen, the most practical since they can feed to less than satiation, obtain a better FER, and optimize production.
Domestic and Global New Building Construction: A Tool for Selecting Green and Sustainable Building Systems and Components

This paper provides an overview of how to design a cost effective and environmentally responsible, green and sustainable, commercial building. Specifically included is the selection process for proper building components which will identify all factors that must receive design phase consideration and ultimately lead to the desired outcome. The process takes into consideration the appropriate aspects of various green building environmental assessment tools, such as, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Globes (GG), Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), to identify important elements for design, construction, operation and maintenance of a building. Such a selection process involves many building components, but the focus of this paper is roofing systems. Specifically, the roofing system selection process will use a weighting scheme, which will be described later in this paper. This example selection process will illustrate how to identify all important factors that must be considered when choosing the best environmentally responsible and sustainable building components that are appropriate for the specific design and construction project. The weighting scheme will be useful and applicable not only for specific projects at the local level but globally as well. Factors taken into consideration are building use; geographic location and climate; budget; and any additional considerations deemed necessary by the design and construction project team.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Kipling's 'The White Man's Burden' and the british newspaper context, 1898-1899

Abstract Examining Kipling's 'The White Man's Burden' within the rhetorical context of pro-imperialist British newspapers in the 1898–9 period demonstrates that the poem itself is both product and cause of the relationship these publications were constructing between Great Britain and its erstwhile colony. The Times (London), the Spectator, The Economist, and the Daily Mail all supported US imperialism, but they also perceived the necessity for Great Britain to control a potential rival. To facilitate a mentoring relationship they constructed a set of arguments concerning US responsibilities in the aftermath of its victory over Spain in 1898–9 and suggested that the USA should model its colonial policies after Britain's own imperial administration. Kipling's poem comes directly out of these arguments; moreover, once published, the papers instantly recycled it to support their points. Together with the newspapers' arguments, the poem constituted a clear intervention into debates over the course of US imper...
Ionic strength effects on hexadecane contact angles on a gold-coated glass surface in ionic surfactant solutions

Abstract As aqueous surfactant cleaning becomes increasingly prevalent in industry, an understanding behind surfactant cleaning behavior is needed to improve the systems. Improvements in these aqueous surfactant solution systems can reduce the impact of the industrial cleaning systems on the environment and improve their efficiency. Studying various parameters of the cleaning systems can provide useful insight into surfactant behavior. The contact angle of the soil to the solid surface is strongly related to cleaning system performance and is a relatively simple parameter to measure. For this study, a simplified cleaning system was studied to investigate the effects of modifications to the surfactant system. The contact angle of hexadecane on a gold-coated glass surface in aqueous surfactant solutions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) were determined up to and above the critical micelle concentrations. The effects of modifying the ionic strength of the aqueous surfactant solution by the addition of sodium chloride (NaCl) have been studied. Similar trends in contact angle behavior of the oil droplet to the gold-coated surface were found for both the anionic (SDS) and cationic (CTAB) surfactant systems. The addition of NaCl to the aqueous surfactant systems resulted in a significant increase in the contact angles over the surfactants concentration ranges. The increasing trend in the contact angles was observed for NaCl concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 0.5 mM, while little effect was noted for the higher NaCl concentrations. The observed effect is consistent with literature on electrostatic-charge-induced changes in surfactant adsorption at the solid surface.
X-ray structure and13C NMR assignments of indole alkaloids fromAspidosperma cruenta

The leaf tissue ofAspidosperma cruenta was studied for alkaloid content. Two alkaloids were isolated and shown by a combination of MS, X-ray, and high field NMR analysis to be obscurinervine and obscurinervidine. X-ray analysis of obscurinervine provided the first quantitative structural information on this compound. Obscurinervine (C25H30N2O5) crystallized in the monoclinic space groupP21 with unit cell parametersa=12.863(3)A,b=9.646(2)A,c=18.484(3)A,β=105.14(5)°,V=2213.8(8)A3,Dc=1.316 Mg/m3, andZ=4. The structure was solved by direct methods and refined toR=0.054 for 3468 observed reflections. The 2D INADEQUATE NMR experiment provided the first13C chemical shift assignments for obscurinervine. Nineteen of the 2313C-13C connections present were detected. Corresponding13C assignments for obscurinervidine were made by comparison to the spectrum of obscurinervine. The average natural concentrations of the alkaloids were determined to be 0.780% (obscurinervine) and 0.737% (obscurinervidine) by HPLC analysis. Obscurinervine was tested for antiviral and cytotoxic effects. Noin vitro activity was observed.
Ab initio and finite-temperature molecular dynamics studies of lattice resistance in tantalum

We explore the apparent discrepancy between experimental data and theoretical calculations of the lattice resistance of bcc tantalum. We present an empirical potential calculation for the temperature dependence of the Peierls stress in this system and an ab initio calculation of the zero-temperature Peierls stress, which employs periodic boundary conditions, those best suited to the study of metallic systems at the electronic-structure level. Our ab initio value for the Peierls stress is over five times larger than current extrapolations of experimental lattice resistance to zero temperature. Although we find that the common techniques for such extrapolation indeed tend to underestimate the zero-temperature limit, the amount of the underestimation we observe is only 10%-20%, leaving open the possibility that mechanisms other than the lattice resistance to motion of an isolated, straight dislocation are important in controlling the process of low-temperature slip.
Pondermotive acceleration of ions by relativistically self-focused high-intensity short pulse laser

We report on the observation of high energy ions with energies up to 1 MeV accelerated ponderomotively by a relativistically self-focused intense 5 TW, 400 fs laser pulse in a supersonic He gas jet on the distance of a laser spot size. Probing interferometry was used to observe on-axis electron-ion cavitation followed by the plasma expansion with a high radial velocity of /spl sim/3.8.10/sup 8/ cm/s. Using the nuclear track detector CR-39, we confirmed that the ions are preferentially accelerated in the radial direction and the total energy in high energy ions is about 1% of the laser energy. Developed kinetic modeling provides a reasonable description of a plasma channel formation and ion acceleration.
COMPOSITION AND COLOR ALTERATION OF SMALL STRIPS OF CHICKEN DARK MEAT1

Treatment of small strips of poultry thigh tissue with water or solutions of 1% hydrogen peroxide or 1% sodium bisulfite increased (P < 0.05) moisture and reduced (P < 0.05) protein and ash contents in the raw and cooked product states when compared to the contents in the respective untreated thigh and breast control products. The highest percentage reductions (52–71%) in concentration for various nitrogen fractions of treated thigh tissues occurred in the water soluble, nonprotein nitrogen fraction. No differences (P < 0.05) were found for color properties of lightness (L values) and redness (+ a, a/b ratio and θ values) between raw breast strips and thigh strips treated with peroxide or bisulfite solutions. The percentage shifts in lightness (%ΔL), total color difference (%ΔE) and visual lightness-to-darkness ranking (% rank change) of cooked products of treated thigh strips, calculated on the basis of differences between products of untreated thigh and breast strips, ranged from 20–24% (water treatment) to 43–54% (peroxide or bisulfite treatment).
Are Comparisons the Answer to Understanding Behavioral Aspects of Aging in Racial and Ethnic Groups

The knowledge gained from studying diverse populations should help to address inequities and prepare us to deal with the needs of the increasing number of older minorities in this country. At the same time, research that is not properly conducted threatens to lead us astray and misconstrue relationships and outcomes related to behavioral aspects of aging. In this article, we propose that simple comparisons between groups are neither necessary nor sufficient to advance our understanding of ethnic minorities. We discuss common pitfalls conducted in group-differences research, including a specific treatment on the issue of statistical power issues. Our goal is to encourage the use of multiple methodological designs in the study of issues related to racial and ethnic minorities by demonstrating some of the advantages of lesser employed approaches.
Solvatochromic study of basic cosolvents in supercritical ethane

This article uses the methodology associated with the linear solvation energy relationship to study hydrogen bonding interactions between several basic cosolvents and 4-nitrophenol in supercritical (SCF) ethane (T c =305.4 K, P c =48.8 bar), which cannot participate in specific interactions. The results reported are the maximum wavelength of absorption of several probes in SCF ethane and cosolvent-modified SCF solutions from 50 to 100 bar at 35°C.
The "infectious" nature of human prostate cancer: a cautionary note.

Karen S. Sfanos 1 , John T. Isaacs 2,3 1 Department of Pathology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, MD 2 Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, MD 3 Department of Urology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, MD Commentary on: Barykova, Y., Logunov, D., Shmarov, M., Vinarov, A., Fiev, D., Vinarova, N., Rakovskaya, I., Baker, P., Shyshynova, I., Stephenson, A., Klein, E., Naroditsky, B., Gintsburg, A., & Gudkov, A. (2011). Association of Mycoplasma hominis infection with prostate cancer. Oncotarget, 2(4). Received: April 22, 2011; Accepted: April 25, 2011; Published: April 25, 2011; Correspondence: John T. Isaacs, e-mail: // //
Adenoviral inhibition of AT1a receptors in the paraventricular nucleus inhibits acute increases in mean arterial blood pressure in the rat

Brain and peripheral renin-angiotensin systems are important in blood pressure maintenance. Circulating ANG II stimulates brain RAS to contribute to the increase mean arterial pressure (MAP). This ...
Supersymmetry at ordinary energies. Masses and conservation laws

An assessment is made of the general problems encountered in formulating a realistic supersymmetric theory in which the spontaneous breakdown of supersymmetry occurs at ordinary energies accessible to accelerators. As a starting point, three problems are identified in SU(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}SU(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}U(1) supersymmetric models with only quark and lepton chiral superfields: the up quarks get no masses, baryon and lepton ($B$ and $L$) conservation are violated by renormalizable and hence unsuppressed interactions, and the scalar counterparts of the quarks and leptons are too light. An interesting SU(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}SU(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}U(1) model of Dimopoulos and Georgi that avoids these problems is considered; it is found that this model contains $B$- and $L$-nonconserving effective interactions of dimensionality 5 that lead to proton decay at too rapid a rate. To guarantee natural $B$ and $L$ conservation in effective interactions of dimensionality 4 and 5, it is suggested that the gauge group that describes physics at ordinary energies contains a factor, such as another U(1), in addition to SU(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}SU(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}U(1). Such theories do not contain dimension-5 $L$-nonconserving interactions which could produce an observable neutrino mass, but they do allow dimension-6 $B$- and $L$-nonconserving interactions that would lead to proton decay at an observable rate. Supersymmetry is found to constrain the matrix elements for proton decay in a phenomenologically interesting way. A general explanation is given of how such theories naturally avoid the problem of light scalars, as found by Fayet. The formalism is used to derive general approximate mass relations for the scalar superpartners of the quarks and leptons. The problem of anomalies in the new U(1) current is considered, and one attractive scheme for avoiding them is offered, in which the anomalies cancel for precisely three generations of quarks and leptons.
Modeling annealed proton-exchanged directional couplers with nonlinear diffusion theory

The coupling lengths of annealed proton exchanged directional couplers are calculated using a recently proposed nonlinear diffusion model and compared with experiment. The coupling lengths were predicted using the matrix effective refractive index (MERI) method and found to agree with experiment within measurement error for anneal times of 5 h. Some moderate amount of systematic error appears for longer anneal times; however, the new model is still far more accurate than the traditional linear diffusion model, which results in a large overestimation of the coupling length. >
Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Is a Depressor in NG-Nitro-l-Arginine Methyl Ester-Induced Hypertension During Pregnancy

Inhibition of nitric oxide production with N g -nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) increases blood pressure and fetal mortality in pregnant rats. We previously reported that administration of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) reduces the blood pressure and fetal death produced by L-NAME. To determine the hemodynamic role of endogenous CGRP in this setting, CGRP 8–37 , a CGRP receptor antagonist, was used. In addition, CGRP mRNA and peptide levels were determined in dorsal root ganglia. L-NAME or control rats had intravenous (for drug administration) and arterial (for continuous mean blood pressure monitoring) catheters surgically placed and were studied in the conscious unrestrained state. Baseline blood pressure was higher in the L-NAME than the control rats on days 19, 20, and 21 or pregnancy and postpartum day 1. Vehicle administration did not change blood pressure in any group, and CGRP 8–37 (100 μg) did not change blood pressure in control groups. However, CGRP 8–37 administration to the L-NAME rats further increased blood pressure ( P
Educational Theory in the Metalogicon of John of Salisbury

PERIODS of quickened intellectual activity in occidental history have stimulated the pulse of speculation concerning education. The 'Golden Age' of the Greeks gave birth to the educational philosophies of Plato and Aristotle; that of their intellectual tyros, the Romans, to the pedagogical theories of Cicero and Quintilian; while the Renaissance produced Vittorino and Erasmus. The twelfthcentury was no exception. A contemporary, John of Salisbury, could remark, not without a touch of irony, that 'everyone is priding himself on being a logician,'" and 'all are lecturing on and discussing the arts.'2 Notable among treatises on education in that day were the Didascalion3 of Hugh of St Victor the Eptateuchon4 of Thierry of Chartres, and Conrad of Hirschau's Dialogue on the authors or Didascalion,5 in addition to John's own Metalogicon.6 Twelfth-century interest in education hence gave birth, not merely to an ulnprecedented concourse of students to lecture rooms, but also to spirited discussions relative to pedagogical principles and practices.7 Acrid and persisting debate on this topic flamed recurrently in the influential 'Canterbury circle,' focal point of English learning in the era.8 According to John of Salisbury, a killing blight of reaction against sound and thorough learning, which had already attacked education in France, was threatening to spell death for the promising blossoms of scholarship in her cultural satellite, England.9 Here a group, dubbed by John 'Cornificians,' had inaugurated a skeleton liberal arts curriculum, wherein grammar and logic, trimmed to the vanishing point, were skimmed through in hasty survey fashion.10 While the trivium of grammar, logic, and
Effects of local environmental conditions on nestling growth in the great tit Parus major L.

Daily weight increments of nestling Great Tits are expressed as ratios of observed increment divided by the increment expected under favourable conditions. We used this ratio to examine the effects of local environmental conditions on nestling growth. We demonstrate a positive relationship between nestling growth and food availability at that time and location. This relationship is stronger with the maximum rather than the median prey availability for the three to five trees sampled at a location. Residuals of the regression of the realized growth ratio on age are used to demonstrate a 10 to 20% reduction of growth on days with some daytime rain above one millimeter per hour, relative to growth in the same brood on dry days. Our trapping of the adults had an effect on nestling growth similar to that of two to three hours of rainfall. Finally, we show significantly later fledging in broods with slow growth. [KEYWORDS: Subsequent growth; breeding biology; sigmoid growth; body size; food; weight; survival; reproduction; swallow; model]
Metscape 2 bioinformatics tool for the analysis and visualization of metabolomics and gene expression data

Motivation: Metabolomics is a rapidly evolving field that holds promise to provide insights into genotype–phenotype relationships in cancers, diabetes and other complex diseases. One of the major informatics challenges is providing tools that link metabolite data with other types of high-throughput molecular data (e.g. transcriptomics, proteomics), and incorporate prior knowledge of pathways and molecular interactions. Results: We describe a new, substantially redesigned version of our tool Metscape that allows users to enter experimental data for metabolites, genes and pathways and display them in the context of relevant metabolic networks. Metscape 2 uses an internal relational database that integrates data from KEGG and EHMN databases. The new version of the tool allows users to identify enriched pathways from expression profiling data, build and analyze the networks of genes and metabolites, and visualize changes in the gene/metabolite data. We demonstrate the applications of Metscape to annotate molecular pathways for human and mouse metabolites implicated in the pathogenesis of sepsis-induced acute lung injury, for the analysis of gene expression and metabolite data from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and for identification of the candidate metabolites involved in cancer and inflammation. Availability: Metscape is part of the National Institutes of Health-supported National Center for Integrative Biomedical Informatics (NCIBI) suite of tools, freely available at http://metscape.ncibi.org. It can be downloaded from http://cytoscape.org or installed via Cytoscape plugin manager. Contact:metscape-help@umich.edu; akarnovs@umich.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Insured women and payment for elective abortion.

Of the roughly 1.3 million abortion procedures performed in the United States in 2003, only 25% of patients used their health insurance to pay for the medical expenses, even though 82% of all women between the ages 18 and 64 had some form of insurance that year (Finer & Henshaw, 2003; Kaiser Family Foundation, 2004). This finding is interesting in light of another study, which found that 87% of a nationally representative sample of 205 private health insurers covered abortion services by 2002, an increase from 70% of insurers sampled in 1993 (Sonfield, Gold, Frost, & Darroch, 2004). This evidence suggests that women who have health insurance and pay out of pocket (OOP) for abortion may be encountering obstacles to using health insurance for abortion procedures, an issue that has not yet been fully examined in the prior research literature. Our objective was to examine the evidence regarding insured women’s OOP payment for abortion. We first consider possible reasons for women’s uncertainty about insurance coverage for abortion procedures and the impact that privacy concerns, abortion clinics, and a limited decision-making timeframe have on this uncertainty. We then compare the abortion case study to another medical procedure, BRCA genetic screening, where some insured patients choose to pay OOP whereas others do not for these procedures. We conclude that the limited evidence suggests that there are barriers to women’s use of their health insurance plans for abortion procedures that should be addressed.
A Standardized Patient Program in a Mandatory Geriatrics Clerkship for Medical Students

This article describes the development and implementation of a new standardized patient program in a required geriatrics clinical clerkship for fourth-year medical students. A student survey was also conducted to provide evaluations of the program and to determine the frequency with which students' clinical skills are directly evaluated by faculty. Thirty-six percent reported never having been observed while obtaining a history and 24% having been observed only once; 26% had never been observed while completing a physical examination and 39% had been observed only once. The implementation of a standardized patient program provided students with direct feedback on their clinical skills and was rated positively, (good, very good, or outstanding) by 76% of the students.
Effect of Acyclovir on Viral Protein Synthesis in Cells Infected with Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

Abstract The effect of the antiviral agent 9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl)guanine (acyclovir) on herpes simplex virus type 1 protein synthesis during virus replication was examined. Treatment of infected cells with acyclovir markedly affected the amounts of the four major glycosylated and certain non-glycosylated viral polypeptides synthesized; other viral polypeptides were made in normal amounts. The reduced amount of late protein synthesis was most likely due to the inhibition of progeny viral DNA synthesis by acyclovir.
Performance Evaluation of a Novel Converged Architecture for Digital-Video Transmission Over Optical Wireless Channels

A robust channel coding architecture for multigigabit-per-second digital-video transmission over the optical wireless channel is introduced and evaluated. The proposed scheme combines low-density parity-check coding with channel interleaving to improve the transmission over turbulent temporally correlated optical wireless channels while satisfying real-time video delay constraints. Frame error rates of the presented code design are evaluated via simulation for intensity-modulation/direct-detection optical wireless links in both lognormal- and Rayleigh-fading channels. Results indicate that the performance of the proposed system is effective across a large range of atmospheric turbulence strengths and achieves significant temporal diversity in moderately long (10 ms) temporal correlation times while satisfying a 0.3-s real-time delay constraint. Moreover, the proposed design is shown to outperform the Reed-Solomon codes prevalent in the legacy fiber and wireless digital-television distribution systems.
The photochemistry of acetone in the upper troposphere: A source of odd-hydrogen radicals

This paper summarizes measured photodissociation quantum yields for acetone in the 290-320 nm wavelength region for pressures and temperatures characteristic of the upper troposphere. Calculations combine this laboratory data with trace gas concentrations obtained during the NASA and NOAA sponsored Stratospheric Tracers of Atmospheric Transport (STRAT) field campaign, in which measurements of OH, HO_(2), odd-nitrogen, and other compounds were collected over Hawaii, and west of California during fall and winter of 1995/1996. OH and HO_(2) concentrations within 2 to 5 km layers just below the tropopause are ∼50% larger than expected from O_(3), CH_(4), and H_(2)O chemistry alone. Although not measured during STRAT, acetone is inferred from CO measurements and acetone-CO correlations from a previous field study. These inferred acetone levels are a significant source of odd-hydrogen radicals that can explain a large part of the discrepancy in the upper troposphere. For lower altitudes, the inferred acetone makes a negligible contribution to HO_(x) (HO+HO_(2)), but influences NO_(y) partitioning. A major fraction of HO_(x) production by acetone is through CH_(2)O formation, and the HO_(x) discrepancy can also be explained by CH_(2)O levels in the 20 to 50 pptv range, regardless of the source.
SOI-Specific tri-state inverter and its application

The initial-cycle parasitic bipolar effect reduces the noise margin and degrades the performance of the floating body partially depleted silicon-on-insulator (PD/SOI) pass-transistor circuits. To solve the problem, the floating body charge monitor technique was proposed by Saccamango et al (2000) and Kuang et al (2001). In this paper, we show the limitations of the charge monitor technique and propose a new robust PD/SOI tri-state inverter.