cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An examination of psychosocial factors associated with malicious online trolling behaviors

Abstract Objective Trolling, that is, triggering disruption and conflict for one's own amusement, is a malicious online behavior that causes substantial, negative consequences for its victims. Research is needed to better understand, and ultimately to prevent, trolling behavior. To this end, the current study examined potential demographic and psychosocial predictors of social media trolling behavior in a collegiate population. Methods College students (N = 504; 82% female) completed an online survey in which they provided demographics, information about their social media habits, and responses to validated personality and psychosocial assessment instruments. Participants were categorized as positive or negative for trolling behavior based on their self-reported social media habits. Results Based on the final regression model, significant predictors of trolling included male gender, greater need for participation in social media, and greater likelihood to make downward social comparisons on social media. Conclusions Taken together, these results provide new information that may help to identify those at risk of engaging in trolling behavior. These findings contribute to a developing literature that may lead to prevention and intervention strategies to reduce negative outcomes and to improve online experiences for everyone.
A pilot study on architecture and vulnerabilities: lessons learned

Finding and preventing software vulnerabilities re-quires analyzing their root causes. Numerous cases of vulnerabilities are caused by architectural decisions, or lack thereof. Solutions for issues such as user authentication are crafted at the architectural level, and they are linked to many instances of vulnerabilities. Despite this, there are few studies conducted that try to explore the connection between the architectures of systems, their evolution and vulnerabilities. Moreover, there is a gap in empirical knowledge on how to conduct such studies. In this paper, we aim to close that gap by providing guidelines on how to conduct studies that focus on architecture and vulnerabilities by proposing architecture recovery techniques, metrics to represent architecture change, generating representative datasets and ways to interpret results. To do this, we conducted a pilot study with Tomcat and several of its vulnerabilities.
Weakly bound molecular dimers: Intramolecular vibrational fundamentals, overtones, and tunneling splittings from full-dimensional quantum calculations using compact contracted bases of intramolecular and low-energy rigid-monomer intermolecular eigenstates

We present a method for the efficient calculation of intramolecular vibrational frequencies, and their tunneling splittings, in weakly bound molecular dimers, together with the intermolecular vibrational states within each intramolecular vibrational manifold. The approach involves the partitioning of the dimer's vibrational Hamiltonian into two reduced-dimension Hamiltonians, a rigid-monomer one for the intermolecular vibrations and the other for all intramolecular vibrational degrees of freedom, and a remainder. The eigenstates of the two reduced-dimension Hamiltonians are used to build up a product contracted basis for the diagonalization of the full vibrational Hamiltonian. The key idea is that because of weak coupling between inter- and intra-molecular vibrational modes, the full-dimensional eigenstates in the low-energy portions of the manifolds associated with the intramolecular vibrational excitations can be computed accurately in a compact basis that includes a relatively small number of rigid-monomer intermolecular eigenstates, spanning a range of energies much below those of the intramolecular vibrational states of interest. In the application to the six-dimensional (6D) problem of (HF)2, we show that this approach produces results in excellent agreement with those in the literature, with a fraction of the basis states required by other methods. In fact, accurate energies of the intramolecular vibrational fundamentals and overtones are obtained using 6D bases that include 4D rigid-monomer intermolecular vibrational eigenstates extending to only 500-1000 cm-1, far below the HF-stretch fundamental of about 4000 cm-1. The method thus holds particular promise with respect to calculations on complexes with greater numbers of vibrational degrees of freedom.
Effects of nano-hydroxyapatite on the formation of biofilms by Streptococcus mutans in two different media.

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the effect of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) on biofilm formation by Streptococcus mutans, which is actively involved in the initiation of dental caries. Design The effects of nHA on growth and biofilm formation by S. mutans were investigated in two media: a saliva analog medium, basal medium mucin (BMM); and a nutrient-rich medium, brain heart infusion (BHI); in the presence and absence of sucrose. Results Sucrose enhanced the growth of S. mutans in both media. In the presence of sucrose, nHA enhanced bacterial growth and biofilm formation more in BMM medium than in BHI. nHA also affected the transcription of glucosyltransferase (gtf) genes and production of polysaccharide differently in the two media. In BHI medium, the transcription of all three gtf genes, coding for enzymes that synthesize soluble and insoluble glucans from sucrose, was increased more than 3-fold by nHA. However, in BMM medium, only the transcription of gtfB and gtfC, coding for insoluble glucans, was substantially enhanced by nHA. Conclusions nHA appeared to enhance biofilm formation by increasing glucosyltransferase transcription, which resulted in an increase in production of insoluble glucans. This effect was influenced by the growth conditions.
Single-Cell Optogenetic Control of Calcium Signaling with a High-Density Micro-LED Array.

Summary Precise optogenetic control, ideally down to single cells in dense cell populations, is essential in understanding the heterogeneity of cell networks. Devices with such capability, if built in a chip scale, will advance optogenetic studies at cellular levels in a variety of experimental settings. Here we demonstrate optogenetic control of intracellular Ca2+ dynamics at the single cell level using a 16-μm pitched micro-light emitting diode (LED) array that features high brightness, small spot size, fast response, and low voltage operation. Individual LED pixels are able to reliably trigger intracellular Ca2+ transients, confirmed by fluorescence microscopy and control experiments and cross-checked by two genetically coded Ca2+ indicators. Importantly, our array can optogenetically address individual cells that are sub-10 μm apart in densely packed cell populations. These results suggest the possible use of the micro-LED array toward a lab-on-a-chip for single-cell optogenetics, which may allow for pharmaceutical screening and fundamental studies on a variety of cell networks.
Spontaneous splenic hemorrhage in a patient on apixiban

Abstract Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are increasingly popular. Spontaneous splenic rupture is rare and life-threatening, especially if it is not immediately recognized. Prior work has demonstrated an association with NOAC use and spontaneous splenic rupture in unusual clinical circumstances. We present the case of spontaneous splenic hemorrhage in a largely healthy 57-year old female who was recently started on apixiban for a provoked PE. She had been discharged from an outside facility, and presented just hours after discharge to our emergency department in extremis: unconscious, pale, hypotensive, and tachycardic. Her abdomen on arrival was noted to be distended with positive fluid wave, and bedside ultrasound confirmed massive peritoneal fluid. Prompt diagnostic peritoneal aspirate confirmed hemoperitoneum, and a massive transfusion protocol was initiated. The patient's blood pressure and heart rate improved, and she was stabilized for imaging. Computed tomography demonstrated large subcapsular splenic hematoma with active extravasation at the periphery of the spleen. The patient was taken emergently to interventional radiology suite where splenic artery embolization was performed and an IVC filter was placed. She subsequently developed acute respiratory distress syndrome and persistent low urine output with hypotension despite resuscitation, and was taken to the operating room for splenectomy and abdominal washout. She improved thereafter and was discharged 12 days later. Prompt diagnosis and aggressive early resuscitation contributed to this patient's outcome.
Reducing Extreme Economic Inequality

This chapter will focus on the Grand Challenge of extreme economic inequality and the ways in which it manifests in older age groups. Extreme economic inequality refers to considerable imbalances between the highest economic strata and the lowest in the distribution of both wealth and income in a nation. The chapter begins with a description of the contributing factors to extreme economic inequality in the United States, including political, social, and economic factors. The relationship between extreme economic inequality over the lifespan and income security in retirement is discussed. Strategies for mitigating the effects of long-term poverty are presented. Finally, the chapter highlights international models that could be applied to the United States and makes recommendations for policy changes that could be spearheaded by social workers to reduce extreme economic inequality and enhance income security in retirement.
Design and Performance Analysis for Short Range, Very Low-Power Communications

We are interested in a communication system that operates under stringent power constraints, but is flexible with bandwidth constraints. Our approach is to consider some of the key elements in a transceiver and optimize them for low power consumption, as opposed to optimizing them to minimize, say, average probability of error. An obvious consequence of this is that high complexity components of the system, such as matched filters, forward error correction that employs iterative decoders, coherent demodulators, and bandwidth-efficient modulation formats, are not feasible for this research. Rather, our system is designed using $M$ -ary FSK with non-coherent detection, optimized two-pole bandpass filters (BPF), and Reed-Solomon (RS) codes with hard-decision decoding. Among other things, we show that by properly optimizing the key parameters of the BPFs and RS codes, we can design the system to be significantly less complex than an optimal one, and only lose about 1.2 ( $M$ =16) to 1.5 ( $M$ =2) dB in terms of performance.
Learning Communities Engage Medical Students: A COVID-19 Virtual Conversation Series

Context Challenges to medical education have been pervasive during the COVID-19 pandemic, and medical students, in particular, have faced numerous obstacles as a result. One of the greatest losses for medical students was the inability to gather with their peers and a lost sense of community. The Learning Community (LC) program at Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSU SoM) expanded our offerings through the use of the Zoom platform to increase a sense of connectedness among medical students. The first initiative of its kind at WSU SoM, the Virtual Conversation series enabled students to share their pandemic challenges while also connecting with physicians on the COVID-19 frontlines. Students were offered eight online sessions with physicians and residents who were able to share insight regarding (1) how to succeed as a medical student on rotation during COVID-19, (2) potential implications of the pandemic on residency applications, (3) the utility of telemedicine, (4) tips for patient encounters, and (5) realities of serving as a physician during a global health crisis. Methods Residents and clinical physicians on the COVID-19 frontlines participated in 40-minute discussions with WSU SoM students through Zoom. Electronic Qualtrics surveys were distributed to medical student attendees of the Virtual Conversation series and responses were received via Likert scale, open text, and ranking questions. Results Qualtrics results demonstrated 55% of medical students (n=55) reported they learned new information about the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of physicians. Additionally, 62% of medical students described the Virtual Conversation series as 'extremely useful'. Conclusion The Virtual Conversation series emphasizing different medical aspects of COVID-19 provided a unique benefit to medical students' understanding of the current landscape of healthcare, the anticipation of their future roles as physicians, connectedness with their community, and opportunity to practice flexibility as they begin to apply online learning with real-world situations in the health system.
Resistance to Neuromuscular Blockade by Rocuronium in Surgical Patients with Spastic Cerebral Palsy.

Individuals with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) often exhibit altered sensitivities to neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) used for surgical intubation. We assessed usage of the NMBA rocuronium in patients with spastic CP and evaluated potential modifiers of dosing including gross motor function classification system (GMFCS) level, birthweight, gestational age, and the use of anticonvulsant therapy. In a case-control study, surgical patients with spastic CP (n = 64) or with idiopathic or non-neuromuscular conditions (n = 73) were enrolled after informed consent/assent. Patient data, GMFCS level, anticonvulsant use, and rocuronium dosing for intubation and post-intubation neuromuscular blockade were obtained from medical records. Findings reveal participants with CP required more rocuronium per body weight for intubation than controls (1.00 ± 0.08 versus 0.64 ± 0.03 mg/kg; p 2.5 kg in the CP cohort required more rocuronium than preterm and low birthweight counterparts. Individuals with CP exhibited highly varied and significant resistance to neuromuscular blockade with rocuronium that was related to GMFCS and gestational age and weight at birth.
Transpiration efficiency of corn hybrids at different growth stages

Understanding transpiration efficiency (TE), especially in water-limited environments, is likely to result in increased crop yield. Two successive greenhouse experiments were conducted in 2017 to d...
The Use of Telemedicine in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology

Abstract Study Objective To study the feasibility of virtual visits for ambulatory encounters in pediatric and adolescent gynecology Design A retrospective review Setting Boston Children's Hospital Participants Patients who were seen virtually through the Division of Gynecology between January 1, 2020 and June 1, 2020 Main Outcome measure(s) Patient demographics, visit diagnoses, and operational characteristics of the completed visits Results There were a total of 654 virtual visits for 614 patients. Ninety-one percent (n=558) of patients were in-state, and the median age of patients was 17 years (range 0 – 37 years). The majority were return visits (n=502, 76.8%), 115 (17.6%) were new patient visits, and 32 (4.89%) were post-operative visits. The median virtual visit duration was 12 minutes and 39 seconds (range 5 minutes to over 1 hour). The most common gynecologic diagnoses were dysmenorrhea/endometriosis (n=485, 74.2%), abnormal uterine bleeding (n=225, 34.4%), and pelvic pain (n=82, 12.5%). The percentage of virtual visits which required an in-person follow-up visit within 90 days was low (n=14, 2.1%). Five of these were within 30 days from the initial virtual visit, 6 were within 60 days, and 3 were within 90 days. Conclusion Telemedicine is a feasible method for expanding access to, and healthcare delivery for, pediatric and adolescent gynecology, with low rates of short interval in-person follow-up required. Virtual visits can be conducted for a range of patients with a variety of gynecologic conditions, upon initial presentation and follow-up.
Mild-Hyperthermia Generation and Control with a Ring-based Ultrasound Tomography

Hyperthermia-enhanced chemo- and radiation therapies have been used in the treatment of various types of cancers such as breast, and soft-tissue sarcoma. Localized hyperthermia can increase the effectiveness of treatment and reduce the dosage requirements. Simultaneous temperature monitoring has generally required the use of additional modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ultrasound (US) offers the potential for an all-in-one solution for heat induction and temperature monitoring through speed of sound (SOS) measurements. Such a system would ease the utility of hyperthermia-enhanced therapies and minimize the required hardware/costs, thereby presenting an attractive alternative. In this study, we present the results for 1) all-acoustic, in-silico, localized heating of a numerical breast phantom with embedded tumor, and 2) ex-vivo thermometry results, which look at monitoring the changes in water sound speed at 25, 35, and 45 °C in a heterogeneous lamb tissue phantom. The measurements from the thermometry experiment were then compared against the known values from the literature. The results from this study show successful all-acoustic induced localized heating and good agreement between the measured water sound speed values and their literature counterparts, which represent a significant step toward the development of a real-time US hyperthermia system.
Observation of Induced Modulation Instability of an Incoherent Optical Beam

We observe induced modulation instability (MI) of a partially spatially incoherent beam by seeding noise through cross-phase-modulation. Experiments revealed the existence of a threshold for such induced incoherent MI, which depends on the degree of spatial coherence as well as the strength of the nonlinearity. Above the threshold, the MI leads to formation of ordered and disordered patterns of incoherent light.
A Qualitative Investigation of IS Offshore Sourcing

The present study is a qualitative empirical investigation of the underlying decision process to offshore IT projects. The study is based on interviews of executives in fifteen large to medium size companies. Transactions Costs Theory and a process view of offshore sourcing provided the framework for studying the decision process. The data revealed several factorsthe client’s core competency, offshore vendor’s local presence, virtual team management, employee turnover rate, negative publicity in the popular media, modularity of projects, and internal efficiencies achieved as a result of offshore sourcinginfluenced the decision making process.
Nuclear Fragmentation in Therapeutic and Diagnostic Studies with Heavy Ions

Fast heavy ions previously could be studied only in the outer space where they form important components of primary cosmic rays. Recent developments in accelerator technology have made it possible to obtain energetic heavy ions in the laboratory. In August 1971, the Princeton Particle Accelerator (1, 2) and the Berkeley Bevatron (3) produced penetrating deflected beams of nitrogen nuclei. Following these achievements, heavy ion beams of much higher intensity than ever produced before were accelerated in Berkeley in August 1974 by using the existing Super HILAC (HILAC modified to accelerate all ions through uranium to an energy of 8.5 MeV/n) as preaccelerator and injecting its low-energy heavy-ion beams for synchrotron acceleration in the Bevatron: the BEVELAC project. A complete description of the BEVALAC project is described elsewhere (4). Particles accelerated in BEVALAC can have a maximum energy of 2.1 GeV/nucleon.
Predicative Recurrence in Finite Types

We consider the functionals defined using an extension to higher types of predicative recurrence, introduced in [Lei90b, BC92, Lei93b]. Three styles of predicative recurrence over a free algebra A are examined: equational recurrence, applicative programs with recurrence operators, and purely applicative higher-type programs. We show that, for every free algebra A and each one of these styles, the functions defined by predicative recurrence in finite types are precisely the functions over A that are computable in a number of steps elementary in the size of the input. This should be contrasted with unrestricted higher type recurrence over ℕ, which yields all provably recursive functions of first order arithmetic [God58].
Changing Patterns of Cervical Disease in a Student Population

Abstract The Cytology Service at UCLA Center for Health Sciences has examined some four thousand pap smears yearly from the UCLA Student Health Service over the past six years (1973–1978). An apparently significant increase in abnormal pap smears in young college age women is reported.
Distributed maintenance of a spanning tree using labeled tree encoding

Maintaining spanning trees in a distributed fashion is central to many networking applications. In this paper, we propose a self-stabilizing algorithm for maintaining a spanning tree in a distributed fashion for a completely connected topology. Our algorithm requires a node to process O(1) messages of size O(log n) on average in one cycle as compared to previous algorithms which need to process messages from every neighbor, resulting in O(n) work in a completely connected topology. Our algorithm also stabilizes faster than the previous approaches.
Data-Intensive HPC Tasks Scheduling with SDN to Enable HPC-as-a-Service

Advances in Cloud Computing attracted scientists to deploy their HPC applications to the cloud to benefit from the flexibility of the platform such as scalability and on-demand services. Nevertheless, HPC programs can face serious challenges in the cloud that could undermine the gained benefits. This paper first compares the performance of several HPC benchmarks on a commodity cluster and Amazon public cloud to illustrate the confronted challenges. To mitigate the problem, we have introduced a novel approach called ASETS, "A SDN Empowered Task Scheduling System", to schedule data-intensive High Performance Computing (HPC) tasks in a Cloud environment. In this paper, we focus on the implementation and performance analysis of ASETS and its first algorithm called SETSA, (SDN Empowered Task Scheduling Algorithm). ASETS uses the "bandwidth awareness" capability of SDN to better utilize the bandwidths when assigning tasks to virtual machines. This approach aims to improve the performance of HPC programs and provides an efficient HPC-as-a-Service (HPCaaS) platform. The paper briefly describes the architecture and the algorithm, and then focuses on the details of the implementation and performance analysis of ASETS and SETSA. Preliminary results indicate that ASETS delivers substantial performance improvement for HPCaaS as the degree of multi-tenancy increases. This result is significant since it indicates both the users and the cloud service providers can benefit from ASETS.
Punitive Damages -- Developments in Section 1983 Cases

This article examines recent developments concerning punitive damages in section 1983 civil rights cases. We will focus upon three major issues: first, the due process requirements for punitive damages claims in federal court section 1983 actions; second, issues relating to evidence of the defendant's net worth; and third, the propriety of summation references to the Rodney King case.
Adolescent Suicide: A Call for Parental Liability

What is worse?: Discovering that your 12-year-old son took his own life or having it take almost a full day before realizing he had done so? Both of these disturbing fates met Judith Scruggs when, on January 2, 2002, she discovered that her 12-year-old son, Daniel, had committed suicide by hanging himself in his closet with a necktie. Judith made the grisly discovery more than twelve hours after Daniel had died.2 In 2003, Connecticut prosecuted Judith Scruggs on a risk of injury theory based on the fact she neglected to take any parental action when her son failed to shower or to attend school, and regularly soiled himself in order to get sent home from school.3 The high court in Connecticut overturned the conviction against Scruggs, finding the state statute to be unconstitutionally vague.4 Despite this reversal, the case is still remarkable, because it represents the first time a parent has been held legally responsible for a child’s suicide.5
Molar tooth structures of the Neoarchean Monteville Formation, Transvaal Supergroup, South Africa. II: A wave‐induced fluid flow model

Sedimentological, morphological, and geochemical characteristics of molar tooth (MT) structures in the ca 2·6 Ga Monteville Formation suggest a new fluid flow model for MT formation: (i) intercalated shales and carbonate sands were deposited near to above storm wave base; (ii) sediments cracked, forming an interconnected network of MT cracks that were also open to pores in sand lenses; (iii) storm waves pumped sea water into open MT crack networks, causing rapid microcrystalline carbonate nucleation, Ostwald ripening of nuclei, and growth of granular carbonate cores; some of these cores were transported by water flowing through the cracks; (iv) unfilled MT cracks collapsed, and filled MT ribbons deformed plastically as host sediments compacted and dewatered; (v) carbonate cores were overgrown by polygonal rims; and (vi) MT structures deformed brittlely with additional compaction and produced pebbly lags if reworked. MT cracks may have formed by multiple mechanisms; however, expansion of gas from organic decay and sediment heaving due to wave loading best explain MT crack morphology and are most consistent with the fluid flow model for MT CaCO3 presented here.
Epidemiology and cost of ventral hernia repair: making the case for hernia research

Purpose Ventral hernia repair (VHR) lacks standardization of care and exhibits variation in delivery. Complications of VHR, notably recurrence and infection, increase costs. Efforts at obtaining federal funding for VHR research are frequently unsuccessful, in part due to misperceptions that VHR is not a clinical challenge and has minimal impact on healthcare resources. We analyzed national trends for VHR performance and associated costs to demonstrate potential savings resulting from an improvement in outcomes.
Effect of protein to energy ratio in purified diets on growth performance, feed utilization and body composition of Mozambique tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters)

A 3 × 3 factorial experiment was conducted with Mozambique tilapia. Oreochromis mossambicus (Peters), using satiate feeding with 25%, 30% or 35% dietary protein concentrations each with three energy concentrations 10.5,12.6 or 14.7 kJ per g of purified diets. Protein-to-energy ratios (P/DE ratio) ranged from 17 to 33.4 mg protein kJ−1 of digestible energy (DE). Diets were fed to triplicate random groups of 15 fingerlings for 62 days in glass aquaria. Improvement in both weight gain and feed conversion rate (FCR) was achieved when dietary protein increased (P < 0.05), while increasing dietary energy concentration reduced feed consumption and increased mortality (P < 0.05). Protein efficiency ratio (PER) increased as dietary protein decreased and as dietary energy increased (P < 0.05). P/DE ratio correlated positively with gain, energy retention (ER) and feed consumption (r= 0.96,0.96 and 0.73 respectively) and negatively with feed conversion rate (FCR), protein productive value (PPV), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and mortality (r= -0.93, -0.95. -0.91 and -0.84 respectively). Weight gain had a positive relation with feed consumption (r= 0.82). The optimum P/DE ratio in purified diets for Mozambique tilapia for rapid growth, efficient feed conversion and maximum retention of protein and energy appears to be approximately 23.8 mg of protein kJ−1 of DE.
7′-hydroxy (−)-R-abscisic acid: A metabolite of feeding (−)-R-abscisic acid to Xanthium strumarium

Abstract Feeding of(±)-abscisic acid to leaves of Xanthium strumarium resulted in formation of a new metabolite. The compound was identified as 7′-hydroxy (−)-R-abscisic acid by high resolution mass spectrometry of its methyl ester and monoacetate, and by optical rotary dispersion. The numbering system for abscisic acid has been extended to include the exocyclic methyl groups. Feeding racemic [2-14C]abscisic acid to Xanthium leaves resulted in ca 20% conversion of the radiolabelled compound into the new metabolite. Evidence is presented that, in Xanthium, only the synthetic (−)-R-enantiomer of abscisic acid is hydroxylated at the 7′-position.
Multistage Optimization Model for Dairy Production

Abstract Multistage linear programming representing 13 and 15-mo calving intervals (production cycles) of Holstein cows in northeast Texas was used to estimate income-over-feed cost for 5900, 6800, 7700, and 8600 kg of 3.5% milk per lactation and six calving seasons. The linear program model directly accounted for loss or gain by stages of body weight during calving intervals. Milk and feed prices for each stage were corresponding means for 1971 to 1978. The response of income over feed cost to increased milk yield was essentially linear. Optimal solutions included weight losses that increased with yield of milk. Optimal repletion schedules varied by yield, with all gain during lactation for low milk yields and 40 to 75% during dry period for high yields of milk. Optimal rations for the region included corn, sorghum grain, cottonseed meal, wheat bran, defluorinated rock phosphate, urea, alfalfa hay, and Coastal bermudagrass hay and pasture. Energy concentrations of rations across the calving interval were more uniform, suggesting higher net income by reducing average ration cost, for weight loss or gain than for no weight loss strategies. Land requirements for forage were small and indicated many land use-capital investment paths for dairymen of this region. Income over feed cost for each milk yield did not differ between 13- and 15-mo calving intervals, indicating that the immediate penalty of extending calving interval can be hedged by multistage management.
Cytotoxicity, cellular transformation and DNA adducts in normal human diploid fibroblasts exposed to 1-nitrosopyrene, a reduced derivative of the environmental contaminant, 1-nitropyrene

Treatment of normal human diploid fibroblasts with 0.3-22 microM 1-nitrosopyrene resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in relative cloning efficiency and an increase in anchorage-independent growth in soft agar. When compared to previous experiments, 1-nitrosopyrene was 10- to 20-fold more cytotoxic and 5- to 10-fold more potent at inducing morphological transformation than 1-nitropyrene. Incubation of the fibroblasts with 8 microM 1-nitropyrene in the presence of xanthine oxidase, a mammalian nitroreductase, resulted in the formation of one major DNA adduct, N-(deoxyguanosin-8-yl)-1-aminopyrene, at a level of 1.1 adducts per 10(6) nucleotides. Fibroblasts treated with 1-nitrosopyrene formed the same DNA adduct; however, only a 0.3 microM concentration was required to give 0.7 adducts per 10(6) nucleotides in the fibroblast DNA. These data indicate that a limiting step in the cellular toxicity and transformation of normal human diploid fibroblasts by 1-nitropyrene is the initial reduction to 1-nitrosopyrene.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy attenuates nociceptive responding in patients with fibromyalgia: a pilot study.

Objective To explore the possibility that cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) influences fibromyalgia symptoms via descending inhibition of nociception, we evaluated the effects of CBT on the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) threshold, an objective measure of spinal nociceptive transmission. Methods Female fibromyalgia patients (n = 32) were randomized to 6 weekly sessions of telephone-delivered CBT or usual care (UC). Assessments of the NFR threshold and clinical outcomes were conducted at baseline, week 6 (post-CBT), and week 12. Results From baseline to week 6, the NFR threshold increased in the CBT group and decreased in the UC group (mean ± SD 4.4 ± 13.7 mA versus −10.2 ± 9.9 mA; P = 0.005). This difference was also apparent at week 12 (mean ± SD 7.3 ± 9.2 mA for CBT versus −5.4 ± 13.5 mA for UC; P = 0.01). The groups reported similar reductions in NFR pain ratings at week 6 (mean ± SD −20.2 ± 23.9 for CBT versus −14.9 ± 16.4 for UC; P = 0.8) and week 12 (mean ± SD −8.9 ± 25.3 for CBT versus −10.8 ± 24.1 for UC; P = 0.4). Conclusion Compared with UC, CBT reduced nociceptive responding in fibromyalgia patients. Moreover, while the UC group exhibited longitudinal decreases in both the stimulation level and pain associated with the NFR threshold, those receiving CBT required more intense stimulation to elicit the NFR as well as rated that stimulation as less painful than at baseline. These data indicate the need for a larger study to confirm that changes in nociceptive responsivity may underlie the benefits of CBT in fibromyalgia patients.
Echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function

There is increasing interest in left ventricular diastolic function, which can be profoundly influenced by many disease states, such as hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. infiltrative cardiomyopathy and ischemic heart disease. In some of these conditions, altered diastolic filling of the left ventricle is the principal functional abnormality and is responsible for the patient’s symptoms. M-Mode echocardiographic techniques. Since it was first developed, echocardiography has been used to study left ventricular filling. The initial widely accepted clinical application of echocardiography was the M-mode appearance of the mitral valve in mitral stenosis. Edler (1) observed that normally the mitral valve opened abruptly with the onset of diastole. closed rapidly during early diastole and then reopened with atria1 systole. This early investigator noted that with mitral stenosis this closing pattern of the valve was altered. and the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve no longer closed rapidly in early diastole. This finding, which was measured by the rate of mitral valve closure or the diastolic E to F slope, was believed to be diagnostic of mitral stenosis and was quantitatively related to the severity of the stenosis (2). The mitral E to F slope proved not to be specific for mitral stenosis (3); this altered motion of the mitral leaflet essentially reflected left ventricular filling. Reduced E to F slopes were found in other disease states that were characterized by reduced left ventricular compliance (4,.5). Thus the M-mode echocardiographic mitral valve E to F slope was one of the first clinically useful measures of left ventricular filling. Another M-mode c~chocLlrdioXraphic ohsertwtion that M‘NS related to diastolic left ventricular firnction was mitral wrll~~ closare ajier atria1 systole (6). Normally, mitral closure is initiated by left atria1 relaxation and is completed with
Do mothers prefer helpers? Birth sex-ratio adjustment in captive callitrichines

Parental investment theory predicts that natural selection will favour a parental ability to bias the offspring sex ratio in favour of that which will yield the highest benefit–cost payoff. The local resource enhancement hypothesis posits that in cooperative breeders, parents may favour offspring that will mitigate parental effort by helping to raise younger siblings. Conversely, the fragile male hypothesis suggests that parents will adjust the sex ratio in favour of the sex that experiences higher mortality. We examined international studbook data of two cooperatively breeding primate species with differing reproductive strategies: golden lion tamarins, Leontopithecus rosalia , which typically give birth to twins, and callimicos, Callimico goeldii , which almost always give birth to singletons. The tamarins showed a stronger secondary sex-ratio bias in favour of males than did the callimicos, as predicted by the local resource enhancement hypothesis, because tamarins sustain higher per-parturition costs and because sons may invest more effort in caring for their younger siblings than do daughters. However, a generalized linear regression failed to reveal factors that may influence this variation. There was no significant predictor of male bias based on mother's age, mother's number of previous parturitions or group size. Contrary to predictions of the fragile male hypothesis, sons were no less likely to survive the postnatal period of parental investment than were daughters. A greater understanding of this phenomenon is needed because the adult sex-ratio bias in favour of males has become so pronounced, especially in golden lion tamarins, as to cause management difficulties for the conservation of these endangered species.
Uptake and subcellular distribution of aflatoxin B1 by excised, cultured soybean roots and toxin effects on root elongation

Aflatoxins (AFTs), potent hepatocarcinogens, mutagens and teratogens, are secretions of Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus which can grow upon Glycine max beans. As previously reported, AFTs can inhibit both the elongation of excised soybean roots and uptake as well as incorporation of [14C]-leucine by and into cultured roots. This suggests that the AFTs may gain entrance into the roots. Here, we report both the uptake and distribution of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) by and within the roots as well as the effects of the toxin upon time-dependent changes in root dry weight. Excised roots (from 3-day-old imbibed seeds) were incubated 18 hr with either 30 μg/ml unlabeled AFB1 or 695,381 dpm [3H]-AFB1 and subcellular fractions (1000, 40,000 and 80,000 g) pellets and 80, 000 g supernatant) prepared by differential centrifugation of Miracloth filtrates of root homogenates. Both growth media and resuspended fractions were partitioned against chloroform and the organic phase chromatographed upon Adsorbosil + 1 soft and hard thin layer chromatoplates in chloroform: acetone: water (8.0 + 12.0 + 1.5). The separated unlabeled and labeled AFB1 were quantified by u.v.-spectroscopy at 362 nm and liquid scintillation counting, respectively, after their removal from the chromatoplates. Inclusion of AFB1 within the growth medium inhibited the time-dependent increase in root dry weight which occurred during culturing. Upon completion of culturing, roots took-up 24–66% of the AFB1 within the growth medium. Of the AFB1 taken up, 5.9–8.6, 9.5–10.3, 2.4–9.1 and 60.7–77.1% were found in the 1000, 40,000 and 80,000 g pellets and as well as the 80,000 g supernatant, respectively, which were obtained by centrifugation. Based upon limited marker enzyme analyses and electron microscopy as well as previous chemical data, the organelle contents of the fractions were tentatively identified as 1000 (nuclei with nuclear envelope-endoplasmic reticulum connections), 40,000 (dictyosomes-mitochondria with nuclie and plasmalemma) and 80,000 (plasmalemma with mitochondria, dictyosomes and endoplasmic reticulum) g pellets and 80,000 g supernatant (ribosomes and cytosol). Thus, most of the AFB1 which taken-up by roots, remains in a presumed ribosome-cytosol fraction.
A database of COBE-normalized cold dark matter simulations

We have simulated the formation and evolution of large-scale structure in the universe, for 68 different COBE-normalized cosmological models. For each cosmological model, we have performed between one and three simulations, for a total of 160 simulations. This constitutes the largest database of cosmological simulations ever assembled, and the largest cosmological parameter space ever covered by such simulations. We are making this database available to the astronomical community. We provide instructions for accessing the database and for converting the data from computational units to physical units. The database includes tilted cold dark matter (TCDM) models, tilted open cold dark matter (TOCDM) models, and tilted Λ cold dark matter (TΛCDM) models. (For several simulations, the primordial exponent n of the power spectrum is near unity, hence these simulations can be considered as "untilted.") The simulations cover a four-dimensional cosmological parameter phase space, the parameters being the present density parameter Ω0, cosmological constant λ0, and Hubble constant H0, and the rms density fluctuation σ8 at scale 8 h-1 Mpc. All simulations were performed using a P3M algorithm with 643 particles on a 1283 mesh, in a cubic volume of comoving size 128 Mpc. Each simulation starts at a redshift of 24 and is carried up to the present. More simulations will be added to the database in the future. We have performed a limited amount of data reduction and analysis of the final states of the simulations. We computed the rms density fluctuation, the two-point correlation function, the velocity moments, and the properties of clusters. Our results are the following: 1. The numerical value σ of the rms density fluctuation differs from the value σ obtained by integrating the power spectrum at early times and extrapolating linearly up the present. This results from the combined effects of discreteness in the numerical representation of the power spectrum, the presence of a Gaussian factor in the initial conditions, and late-time nonlinear evolution. The first of these three effects is negligible. The second and third are comparable, and can both modify the value of σ8 by up to 10%. Nonlinear effects, however, are important only for models with σ8 > 0.6, and can result in either an increase or a decrease in σ8. 2. The observed galaxy two-point correlation function is well reproduced (assuming an unbiased relation between galaxies and mass) by models with σ8 ~ 0.8, nearly independently of the values of the other parameters, Ω0, λ0, and H0. For models with σ8 > 0.8, the correlation function is too large and its slope is too steep. For models with σ8 0.9, it has a U shape, which is probably a numerical artifact caused by the finite number of particles used in the simulations. For all models, clusters have densities in the range 100-1000 times the mean background density, the spin parameters λ are in the range 0.008-0.2, with the median near 0.05, and about of the clusters are prolate. Rotationally supported disks do not form in these simulations.
A longitudinal field assessment of employee perceptions of equitable treatment

Abstract In the study of organizational behavior several theorists have proposed models for the determination of equitable treatment by an organization. Each theory has assumed that employees perceive a fair, just, or equitable return for what they contribute to their jobs. A primary problem of equity research has been its overabundance of laboratory studies utilizing student subjects and a specific comparison subject. The purpose of this research was to examine possible support of the equity concept in a naturally occurring field experiment. The results provide strong field support for the existence of perceived equity by employees which can be affected by an organization. The equity proposition that employees will strive to reduce perceived inequity over time was also supported.
Hospitalization Cost per Case of Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Infection From Claims Data

The purpose of this study was to estimate the average excess inpatient cost of neonatal herpes simplex virus (NHSV) infection from 2005 to 2009 insurance claims data. The estimated adjusted average excess inpatient cost for neonate admissions with HSV diagnosis and >7 days of hospitalization was $40,044 [95% confidence interval (CI), $33,529-$47,775]. When disaggregated by the days of admission, cost estimates were: 8-13 days, $23,918 [CI, $19,490-$29,282]; 14-21 days, $44,358 [CI, $34,654-$56,673]; >21 days, $68,916 [CI, $49,905-$94,967]). Although these estimates are not representative of the entire US, they can inform future economic evaluation studies on NHSV interventions.
Engines of progress: Designing and running entrepreneurial vehicles in established companies—The enter-prize program at Ohio Bell, 1985–1990

In the 198Os, entrepreneurs became culture heroes in American business (Drucker 1984) at the same time that established companies were chastised for lagging in innovation (Peters and Waterman 1982; Kanter 1983). In the second half of the decade, in response to internal business pressures and external exhortations to become more innovative and entrepreneurial, many companies developed corporate entrepreneurship programs to stimulate new ideatermed “newstreams” (Kanter 1989band to capture their benefits by channeling them into new products or new ventures. Interest in corporate entrepreneurship was not new, of course. There had been previous waves of interest that produced decidedly poor results (Hanan 1976). Fast (1979) estimated that between 1965 and 1975 about one-quarter of the Fortune 500 firms had a special unit devoted to the development of new ventures, most of which had disappeared or evolved into either an operating unit (if one new venture was successful enough to become an ongoing operation) or a general strategic planning department. Whereas the concept of corporate entrepreneurship was not new, the 1980s added their own flavor. In some companies, the corporate entrepreneurship concept was tied to#nancial
Effects of outcome matrix and partner's behavior in two-person games

Abstract Wyer's (1969) formulation of behavior in two-person games, which predicts responses as a function of three descriptive parameters of the payoff matrix and the expectancy for how the other (O) will respond, was tested by systematically manipulating payoff values in the matrices to which subjects were exposed, and by using a simulated O who responded in a predetermined random sequence. The effects of these manipulations on subjects' responses over a series of 50 trials were generally consistent with predictions. However, quantitative predictions of individual subjects' behavior were fairly inaccurate. Additional data indicated that, at least in Prisoner's Dilemma games, quantitative predictions of behavior were substantially more accurate when subjects interacted with real O's that when they interacted with simulated O's whose overall probabilities of responding were similar. Moreover, the tendency for subjects to reciprocate cooperative behavior appeared to be less when O was simulated rather than real. These differences occurred despite the fact that between-group comparisons showed no differences between the effects of playing with real and simulated Os. These differences were tentatively attributed to a decreased utility attached by subjects to the points received by O under simulated conditions.
Doppler echocardiography and ultrafast cine computed tomography during dynamic exercise in chronic parenchymal pulmonary disease

Abstract In an effort to better understand the cardiac contribution to exercise limitation in chronic lung disease, 21 patients with advanced chronic pulmonary parenchymal disease and 10 normal control subjects were evaluated for changes in right ventricular (RV) pressure, volume and function during incremental, symptom-limited supine bicycle exercise. Patients underwent sequential exercise tests with Doppler echocardiography and ultrafast cine computed tomography (CT). RV systolic pressure during exercise was determined by saline-enhanced Doppler of tricuspid regurgitation. RV ejection fraction, end-diastolic volume, stroke volume and cardiac index were obtained by CT at rest and peak exercise. Sixteen of the 21 study patients also exercised on high-flow oxygen. In the control subjects RV systolic pressure increased from 21 ± 6 mm Hg (mean ± standard deviation) at rest to 32 ± 8 mm Hg at peak exercise, whereas in patients with lung disease, RV systolic pressure increased from 42 ± 17 to 81 ± 26 mm Hg (both p