cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preference for Flexibility and Random Choice: an Experimental Analysis

People may be uncertain about future preferences, leading to both a preference for flexibility in choice between menus and stochastic choice from menus. This paper describes an experimental test of preference uncertainty in a realeffort task. We observe subjects’ preferences over menus of work contracts, along with their choices of effort levels from those contracts. Our results suggest that preference uncertainty is important: 48% of our subjects exhibited strict preference for flexibility. A model of preference uncertainty (Ahn and Sarver (2013)) well describes the relationship between choice of and from menus: subjects willing to pay to include an option in a contact were more likely to use that option, and those that used an option were prepared to pay for it. We show that the introduction of an explicit stochastic element to the contract increased preference for flexibility, suggesting a causal role for uncertainty in menu preferences
Autonomic Nervous System Response to Speech Production in Stuttering and Normally Fluent Preschool-Age Children

Purpose We studied speech-related sympathetic nervous system arousal of preschool-age children who do (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS) and its association with children's proclivity to experience ne...
Association Between Early Childhood Caries and Colonization with Streptococcus mutans Genotypes From Mothers.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate Streptococcus mutans genotypes (GT) between mother and child (M-C) in a high caries risk cohort to explore the association with early childhood caries (ECC). Methods Sixty-nine infants (each approximately one year old) had periodic oral examinations (dmfs) and microbial samples collected from dental plaque, saliva, and other oral surfaces. Their mothers had an examination and plaque collected. S mutans isolates were genotyped using repetitive extragenic palindromic-PCR (rep-PCR). Statistical analyses were conducted for associations of S mutans in M-C dyads with caries outcomes. Results Twenty-seven S mutans genotypes (GT) from 3,414 isolates were identified. M-C were categorized as GT match (n equals 40) or no-match (n equals 29). When modeling the severity of ECC at 36 months (approximately four years old), the estimated dmfs in the match group was 2.61 times that of the no-match group (P=.014). Conclusions Colonization of children with Streptococcus mutans genotypes that matched with mothers was shown to be highly associated with early childhood caries. Although the data suggest vertical transmission of S mutans in 40 of 69 children that shared GT with their mother, it is possible that other individuals transmitted the S mutans. Nonetheless, these findings support the importance of the mother's oral microbial status as a contributing influence to their children's oral health.
2,3-Dimethyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium benzene­sulfonate–1,2-dimethyl-1H-imidazole co-crystal

In the title co-crystal, C5H9N2+·C6H5O3S−·C5H8N2, the two 1,2-di­methyl­imidazole rings exist as partially protonated moieties in the asymmetric unit as a two-part disordered unit wherein the acidic hydrogen atom is bound to each ring. The two imidazolium cations share a strong hydrogen bond via the acidic hydrogen atom, which is disordered between two positions, being bonded to the first versus second imidazole ring in a 0.33 (2) to 0.67 (2) ratio. A benzene sulfonate anion is present for charge balance and inter­acts with the aromatic H atoms on both imidazole rings as well as with the methyl groups on the rings.
Vessel Schedule Recovery in Liner Shipping: Modeling Alternative Recovery Options

Disruption occurrences in liner shipping operations affect schedule reliability and may increase the total cost of delivering cargoes at ports. If a vessel experiences disruption occurrences either at ports of call or in sea, the liner shipping company is required to decide on the schedule recovery action to execute in order to recover the resulting delays. This study formulates a novel mathematical model for the vessel schedule recovery problem (VSRP) in liner shipping. The objective aims to minimize the total profit loss, suffered by the liner shipping company due to disruption occurrences at a given liner shipping route. A total of four recovery strategies are considered in the model, which include: (1) vessel sailing speed adjustment; (2) vessel handling rate adjustment; (3) port skipping without container diversion; and (4) port skipping with container diversion. The proposed mathematical formulation for the nonlinear VSRP model is solved to the global optimality using BARON. A set of computational experiments are further performed for the Middle East/Pakistan/India-West Mediterranean (WM3) route, which is served by the OOCL liner shipping company, for various scenarios of disruption occurrences in sea and at ports. The results from the performed analyses demonstrate potential benefits for liner shipping companies from using the proposed methodology for various realistic scenarios of disruptions.
Evidence for a Very Slow X-Ray Pulsar in 2S 0114+650 from Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer All-Sky Monitor Observations

Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) all-sky monitor (ASM) observations of the X-ray binary 2S 0114+650 show modulations at periods close to both the optically derived orbital period (11.591 days) and proposed pulse period (~2.7 hr). The pulse period shows frequency and intensity variability during the more than 2 years of ASM observations analyzed. The pulse properties are consistent with this arising from accretion onto a rotating neutron star, and this would be the slowest such period known. The shape of the orbital light curve shows modulation over the course of the entire orbit, and a comparison is made with the orbital light curve of Vela X-1. However, the expected phase of eclipse, based on an extrapolation of the optical ephemeris, does not correspond with the observed orbital minimum. The orbital period derived from the ASM light curve is also slightly longer than the optical period.
Foreword: Symposium Current Issues in Disability Rights Law

Over the past few decades, the American legal system has made substantial progress in recognizing and protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. Nevertheless, much work remains to be done, within the legal system and, more generally, within American society, to promote awareness, acceptance, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities. The articles in this Symposium Issue of the Touro Law Review, dedicated to exploring current issues in disability rights law, present a compelling sampling of the scholarship and advocacy undertaken by leaders in the field, reflecting, at once, both the success that has been achieved and the sense of frustration that more has not been accomplished.
Blepharoplasty Approach to the Orbital Rim: A Novel Approach for Select Patients Presenting for Gender Affirming Facial Plastic Surgery.

BACKGROUND Gender affirming facial surgery is a valuable option for patients with gender dysphoria. Traditionally, procedures for the upper third of the face focus on hairline position and contour of bony prominences via a coronal or trichophytic incision. These traditional approaches require large incisions and extensive dissection, which is not desirable for many patients and potentially avoidable in specific situations. METHOD We utilized a standard blepharoplasty approach to access the superior orbital rim in patients who desired isolated lateral orbital contouring as part of their gender affirming facial surgery. CONCLUSION A subset of patients who require bony contouring of the orbital rim as part of their treatment for gender dysphoria will benefit from a less invasive approach to the upper face. A standard blepharoplasty incision is safe and effective to access the orbital rims in select patients, with decreased recovery and comparable results to traditional approaches.
Usefulness of a Novel Risk Score to Predict In-Hospital Mortality in Patients ≥ 60 Years of Age with ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Numerous algorithms are available to predict short-term mortality in ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) but none are focused on elderly patients or include invasive hemodynamics. A simplified risk score (LASH score) including left ventricular end diastolic pressure > 20 mm Hg, age > 75 years, systolic blood pressure 100 bpm was tested in a retrospective, single-center study of 346 patients ≥ 60 years old who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). The median age was 70 years [IQR: 64, 79], 60.1% were men, and 77.8% identified as White. In-hospital all-cause mortality was 10.1%. Patients with a LASH score ≥ 3 (n = 34) had an in-hospital mortality rate of 44.1% compared to 6.4% for LASH score ≤ 2 (p
In-Situ Scanning Tunneling Microscopy of the Oxidation-Induced Orientation Change of Phenol on Au{111} Electrodes

A Summary Report to The Electrochemical Society for a 1994 Department of Energy Summer Research Fellowship.
Power Struggles: Scientific Authority and the Creation of Practical Electricity Before Edison

In 1882, Thomas Edison and his Edison Electric Light Company unveiled the first large-scale electrical system in the world to light a stretch of offices in a city. This was a monumental achievement, but it was not the beginning of the electrical age. The first electric generators were built in the 1830s, the earliest commercial lighting systems before 1860, and the first commercial application of generator-powered lights (in lighthouses) in the early 1860s. In Power Struggles, Michael Brian Schiffer examines some of these earlier efforts, both successful and unsuccessful, that paved the way for Edison. After laying out a unified theoretical framework for understanding technological change, Schiffer presents a series of fascinating case studies of pre-Edison electrical technologies, including Volta's electrochemical battery, the blacksmith's electric motor, the first mechanical generators, Morse's telegraph, the Atlantic cable, and the lighting of the Capitol dome. Schiffer discusses claims of "practicality" and "impracticality" (sometimes hotly contested) made for these technologies, and examines the central role of the scientific authority--in particular, the activities of Joseph Henry, mid-nineteenth-century America's foremost scientist--in determining the fate of particular technologies. These emerging electrical technologies formed the foundation of the modern industrial world. Schiffer shows how and why they became commercial products in the context of an evolving corporate capitalism in which conflicting judgments of practicality sometimes turned into power struggles.
Worldwide Distribution of a PolymorphicAluInsertion in the Progesterone Receptor Gene

Alu repetitive elements represent the largest family of short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs) in humans as there are an excess of 500,000 copies per haploid genome. Of this, only a few thousand are thought to be polymorphic exhibiting both the insertion and lack of insertion alleles. The probability of independentAluinsertion events at the same site is remote. The ancestral state of anAlurepeat represents the absence of the insertion while the presence of an insertion, at a particular locus, is the derived state. In the present study, 1,533 unrelated individuals from 38 worldwide populations have been screened for a polymorphicAluelement using PCR technology with a novel pair of primers. ThisAluinsertion is located within intron G of the human progesterone receptor gene. Our results indicate that thisAlupolymorphic insertion is population specific since it is absent in most of the sub-Sahara African and Central/East Asian groups examined. Furthermore, this element is very rare in sub-Sahara Africa; hence, it may constitute the firstAlupolymorphism known to have resulted from a retroposition outside Africa subsequent to modern man migration out of Africa approximately 200,000 years ago. The low frequency of this insertion in Northern Asia and its absence in Central and South Asia may suggest that native American’s ancestors might have had contributions in their gene pool from Caucasian groups.
Dyclonine hydrochloride as a topical anesthetic in dentistry; a preliminary report.

D YCLONINE hydrochloride, a new and different chemical compound with local anesthetic properties, has come to our attention and has been studied to determine its usefulness as a topical anesthetic for dentistry. These observations have proved this new drug to have most of the properties which an ideal topical anesthetic should have : (1) potency (comparable with cocaine) ; (2) low sensitization potential; (3) no apparent incompatibilities with other local anesthetic agents; (4) safety, even if absorbed; (5) stability in usable form; and (6) it is not injurious to tissues, its use being free from escharotic, astringent, or caustic changes. In addition, it has the added advantage of a potent antiseptic action. 1, ~ A topical anesthetic should be rapid in its onset. While the action of dyclonine begins within about one minute, good, deep, penetrating anesthesia needed for SOlnC procedures (for example, the t, pening of an abscess) requires three to six minutes; however, the duration of one hour or more is a definite advantage.
The formation of estrogens by central neuroendocrine tissues

Much of what I will discuss here today relates to brain differentiation in rodents. This subject was the interest of two outstanding British scientists, Geoffrey Harris and Peter MacDonald. Harris spent his scientific life and considerable intellectual powers observing and enlarging upon this very interesting phenomenon, which was originally described so brilliantly by Carroll Pfeiffer in 1936. Peter MacDonald was an outstanding young man who had already shown the key role of estrogens in central steroid actions by experiments such as the use of antiestrogens to block the action of androgens on brain differentiation, as described below. Geoffrey Harris’ life ended at the pinnacle and fruition of a career that included the elucidation of the neurovascular and chemical links between the brain and pituitary and the isolation of the LH releasing factor. Peter MacDonald's life and continued work were prematurely lost in the recent Paris air disaster; we can only guess what he might have contributed in years to come. However, both of these men left important scientific and intellectual legacies, part of which you have already heard about. If a man's work is what others judge him by, these two will stand up well to any test, any time. We owe them our gratitude and continued remembrance.
Curricular integration for next generation in microsystem design education

Rapid advances in microelectronic technologies increasingly require microsystem designers to be also system architects. At the same time architecting systems for submicron technologies can no longer be done in isolation from technology limitations and capabilities. To train future engineers, an effective integration of design technology and architecture is needed at a time when additional demands are being placed due to expanded offering in software/web-centric courses. In this paper, we discuss how this integration can be achieved by teaching microsystem organization and architecture that brings together existing courses in VLSI, CAD and Computer Architectures into a coherent theme.
Impact of a primary care based intervention on breast cancer knowledge, risk perception and concern: A randomized, controlled trial.

Abstract Purpose To estimate the effects of a tablet-based, breast cancer risk education intervention for use in primary care settings (BreastCARE) on patients' breast cancer knowledge, risk perception and concern. Methods From June 2011–August 2012, we enrolled women from two clinics, aged 40–74 years with no personal breast cancer history, and randomized them to the BreastCARE intervention group or to the control group. All patients completed a baseline telephone survey and risk assessment (via telephone for controls, via tablet computer in clinic waiting room prior to visit for intervention). All women were categorized as high or average risk based on the Referral Screening Tool, the Gail model or the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium model. Intervention patients and their physicians received an individualized risk report to discuss during the visit. All women completed a follow-up telephone survey 1–2 weeks after risk assessment. Post-test comparisons estimated differences at follow-up in breast cancer knowledge, risk perception and concern. Results 580 intervention and 655 control women completed follow-up interviews. Mean age was 56 years (SD = 9). At follow-up, 73% of controls and 71% of intervention women correctly perceived their breast cancer risk and 22% of controls and 24% of intervention women were very concerned about breast cancer. Intervention patients had greater knowledge (≥75% correct answers) of breast cancer risk factors at follow-up (24% vs. 16%; p = 0.002). In multivariable analysis, there were no differences in correct risk perception or concern, but intervention patients had greater knowledge ([OR] = 1.62; 95% [CI] = 1.19–2.23). Conclusions A simple, practical intervention involving physicians at the point of care can improve knowledge of breast cancer without increasing concern. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01830933.
Drafting Enforceable Employee Non-Competition Agreements to Protect Confidential Business Information: A Lawyer's Practical Approach to the Case Law

Analysis of the litigation demonstrates that care must be exercised in drafting and implementing employee non-competition agreements in order to ensure that the employer’s goal of preventing the dissemination to competitors of confidential business information by its former employees is to be achieved. This article, after discussing the reasons why employees non-competition agreements are greatly utilized, endeavors to provide the basic background and legal guidelines needed by the practitioner who is desirous of drafting an agreement that will be upheld and enforced by the courts. However, the article does not seek to reconcile that apparent inconsistencies in the cases, nor does it attempt to canvass all the possible areas that should be covered in employment contracts.
Immunological and structural relatedness of isozymes and genetic variants of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase from the mouse

Isozymes (PGK-1 and PGK-2) and genetic variants (PGK-2A, PGK-2B, and PGK-2C) of 3-phosphoglycerate kinase were purified by affinity chromatography using an 8-(6-aminohexyl)-amino-ATP-Sepharose column as the key step. Antisera raised against purified PGK-1 and PGK-2A were tested for specificity and cross-reactivity by application of double immunodiffusion and enzyme immunoinactivation methods. By double immunodiffusion, no precipitin lines were observed between anti-PGK-2A and PGK-1, but a weak cross-reactivity between anti-PGK-1 and PGK-2A was detected. In addition to specific inhibition of PGK-1 and PGK-2A by their respective antisera, anti-PGK-1 was shown to inhibit PGK-2 activity at high antiserum concentrations, whereas no inhibition of PGK-1 activity by anti-PGK-2A was observed. The amino acid compositions of PGK-1 and PGK-2 revealed a certain degree of homology. However, tryptic peptide maps showed no obvious similarity in the peptide spots between these two 3-phosphoglycerate kinase isozymes. Three electrophoretic variants of PGK-2 were compared biochemically and immunologically. PGK-2C from C57L/J mice, a low activity variant, was shown to be the result of a structural gene mutation that affects the active site of the enzyme.
Regulating OP pesticide residues for farmworker protection

The hazard to fieldworkers from the residues of organophosphate pesticides is a classic occupational health issue. Traditionally, the historical development of such issues has three phases or concerns, viz., recognition, evaluation, and control. In an ideal occupational health program, these three phases are cyclic and repetitive in that occupational health problems are typically first recognized by an unusual pattern of morbidity or mortality within an occupational group; the working environment is then evaluated via such samples and measurements as may be available and appropriate to identify and quantify the levels of exposure; control strategies and technologies are then brought into play to reduce these exposures; and in the ideal case, this process is repeated by follow-up biological and environmental monitoring to ensure that the controls are efficacious and sufficient. In the broad history of occupational diseases, these phases have typically spanned many years and rarely if ever have they progressed in a cohesive sequence or from a well-developed plan (Hunter 1978).
A pilot study: portable out-of-center sleep testing as an early sleep apnea screening tool in acute ischemic stroke.

Prompt diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is critical for optimal clinical outcomes, but in-laboratory conventional polysomnograms (PSG) are not routinely practical. Though portable out-of-center type III cardiopulmonary sleep studies (out-of-center cardiopulmonary sleep testing [OCST]) are widely available, these studies have not been validated in patients who have recently suffered from AIS. We hypothesized that OCST in patients with AIS would yield similar results when compared to conventional PSG.Patients with AIS had simultaneous type III OCST and PSG studies performed within 72 hours from symptom onset. The accuracy of OCST was compared to PSG using: chi-square tests, receiver operatory characteristic curves, Bland-Altman plot, paired Student's t-test/Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and calculation of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV).Twenty-one out of 23 subjects with AIS (age 61±9.4 years; 52% male; 58% African-American) successfully completed both studies (9% technical failure). Nearly all (95%) had Mallampati IV posterior oropharynx; the mean neck circumference was 16.8±1.6 in. and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 30±7 kg/m(2). The apnea hypopnea index (AHI) provided by OCST was similar to that provided by PSG (19.8±18.0 vs 22.0±22.7, respectively; P=0.49). On identifying subjects by OCST with an AHI ≥5 on PSG, OCST had the following parameters: sensitivity 100%, specificity 85.7%, PPV 93%, and NPV 100%. On identifying subjects with an AHI ≥15 on PSG, OCST parameters were as follows: sensitivity 100%, specificity 83.3%, PPV 81.8%, and NPV 100%. Bland-Altman plotting showed an overall diagnostic agreement between OCST and PSG modalities for an AHI cutoff >5, despite fine-grained differences in estimated AHIs.Compared with PSG, OCST provides similar diagnostic information when run simultaneously in AIS patients. OCST is a reliable screening tool for early diagnosis of OSA in AIS patients.
Metabolic effects of the major component of bovine growth hormone.

Bovine growth hormone, subjected to DEAE-cellulose chromatography, yielded one major and several minor components. The various chromatographic fractions of bovine growth hormone were compared with the parent material for their ability to promote hormone effects in vivo and in vitro. The major component of bovine growth hormone was homogeneous by acrylamide-gel electrophoresis, rechromatography and sedimentation equilibrium. Its amino acid composition was similar to that of the parent hormone. The major component possessed all the qualitative activities present in the original heterogeneous material, including promotion of acute hypoglycaemia and hypolipaemia. In studies in vitro in adipose-tissue segments the major component of the hormone increased entry of glucose and its oxidation to CO2, conversion of glucose into glyceride glycerol, release of glycerol and incorporation of histidine into adiposetissue protein. Other chromatographic fractions of bovine growth hormone were not homogeneous and possessed some but not all of the metabolic activities attributed to the hormone preparations or its major component. Thus, the metabolic effects obtained with bovine growth-hormone preparations in vivo and in vitro can be obtained with the major homogeneous component of the hormone. This observation precludes the possibility that the metabolic effects obtained with bovine growth-hormone preparations are due to the combined actions of a number of components found therein.
Women and willingness to participate in clinical trials: results from a hypothetical randomized control trial

Purpose The U.S. Congress, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health have all expressed great concern about insufficient representation of women in medical research, particularly within large-scale cohort and clinical safety and efficacy trials. Despite federal mandates requiring adequate representation and enrollment of women in such healthcare research, gender-related participation disparities often persist. We asked whether underrepresentation of women in clinical trials could be due to a lesser willingness to participate (WTP) on the part of women relative to men. Methods We randomly approached patients from 13 Maryland outpatient clinics to self-complete a survey of their WTP in a hypothetical cardiovascular chemoprevention randomized control trial (RCT). After participants rated their WTP on a five-point Likert scale (+WTP = very likely, likely), impact of gender on WTP was analyzed from logistic regressions, adjusted for potential sociodemographic and clinical confounders. Interactions between gender and covariates were also evaluated. Results Of 1132 eligible individuals, 70% responded. By gender, 31% of women were WTP in the hypothetical RCT, compared with 38% of men. In crude analysis, women were marginally less willing to participate in the trial (odds ratio OR = 0.74, 95% confidence interval CI = 0.55–1.00, P = 0.049). In the adjusted model, women indicated a significantly lower WTP than men (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.49–0.77, P P = 0.001), having a sick family member ( P = 0.03), being current smoker ( P = 0.08), Caucasian race ( P = 0.10), having greater income (>$30,000/yr; P = 0.09), and rating religion as being less important in their lives ( P = 0.04). Conclusion Women appear less willing to participate in randomized control trials than men. This gender disparity in trial participation may be an obstacle to federal mandates requiring adequate representation of women in cohorts and clinical trials.
Building Developmental Integration into Functional Systems: Function-Induced Integration of Mandibular Shape

The mammalian mandible is a developmentally modular but functionally integrated system. Whether morphological integration can evolve to match the optimal pattern of functional integration may depend on the developmental origin of integration, specifically, on the role that direct epigenetic interactions play in shaping integration. These interactions are hypothesized to integrate modules and also to be highly conservative, potentially constraining the evolution of integration. Using the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) mandible as a model system, we test five a priori developmental hypotheses that predict mandibular integration and we also explore for correlations between shapes of mandibular regions not anticipated by any of the developmental models. To determine whether direct epigenetic interactions are highly conserved in rodents, we examine the correlation structure of fluctuating asymmetry, and compare integration patterns between fox squirrels and prairie deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii). In fox squirrels, we find a correlation structure unanticipated by all a priori developmental models: adjacent parts along the proximodistal jaw axis are correlated whereas more distant ones are not. The most notable exception is that the shape of the anterior incisor alveolus is correlated with the shape of the ramus (FA component) or coronoid (symmetric component). Those exceptions differ between species; in prairie deer mice, the molar alveolus is connected to more parts, and the incisor alveolus to fewer, than in fox squirrels. The structure of integration suggests that the mandible cannot be decomposed into parts but rather is a single connected unit, a result consistent with its functional integration. That match between functional and developmental integration may arise, at least in part, from function-induced growth, building developmental integration into the functional system and enabling direct epigenetic interactions to evolve when function does.
Neutral metal chelator-sensitive protease in insect moulting fluid.

Abstract Proteolytic activity in moulting fluid from the sphingid Manduca sexta has at least two pH optima; these occur at pH 7 and at pH 7·7. The latter activity is shown to be trypsin-like in that it is susceptible to inhibition by diisopropylfluorophosphate. By contrast, the peak at neutral pH consists of proteolytic activity not hitherto described in invertebrates. This activity shows little or no inhibition with diisopropylfluorophosphate or p -hydroxymercuribenzoate but is strongly inhibited by chelators such as 1,10-phenanthroline, 8-hydroxyquinoline, and EDTA. The neutral metal chelator-sensitive activity requires calcium but the inhibitor data permit the conclusion that the metal ion inhibited by the chelators belongs to the first transition series and thus cannot be calcium. The neutral protease appears to be similar to proteases previously characterized from bacteria and snake venom. In moulting fluid from Manduca , proteolytic activity in vitro is very low in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline at every pH studied except pH 7·7; in vivo , ecdysis is inhibited in Manduca larvae fed on diet containing a sufficient level (0·02 per cent or higher) of 1,10-phenanthroline. The metal chelator-sensitive proteolytic activity appears to be an essential moulting protease in Manduca .
Fast Physically Accurate Rendering of Multimodal Signatures of Distributed Fracture in Heterogeneous Materials

This paper proposes a fast, physically accurate method for synthesizing multimodal, acoustic and haptic, signatures of distributed fracture in quasi-brittle heterogeneous materials, such as wood, granular media, or other fiber composites. Fracture processes in these materials are challenging to simulate with existing methods, due to the prevalence of large numbers of disordered, quasi-random spatial degrees of freedom, representing the complex physical state of a sample over the geometric volume of interest. Here, I develop an algorithm for simulating such processes, building on a class of statistical lattice models of fracture that have been widely investigated in the physics literature. This algorithm is enabled through a recently published mathematical construction based on the inverse transform method of random number sampling. It yields a purely time domain stochastic jump process representing stress fluctuations in the medium. The latter can be readily extended by a mean field approximation that captures the averaged constitutive (stress-strain) behavior of the material. Numerical simulations and interactive examples demonstrate the ability of these algorithms to generate physically plausible acoustic and haptic signatures of fracture in complex, natural materials interactively at audio sampling rates.
Food Security Status and Produce Intake Behaviors, Health Status, and Diabetes Risk Among Women With Children Living on a Navajo Reservation

This study of adult women living on a Navajo reservation with at least one child less than 18 years old attending a primary school on the reservation investigated the relationship of food security to produce intake and behaviors, health status, and diabetes risk of these adult women. Of the 42 participants completing the survey, 8 (19.0%) were living in fully food secure households, and 10 (23.8%), 12 (28.6%), and 12 (28.6%) were living in marginally food secure, low food secure, and very low food secure households, respectively. Adult food insecurity was related to increased age (r = 0.260, P = .024); increased household size (r = 0.255, P = .034); decreased education level (r = −0.300, P = .013); obtaining a high school diploma (r = −0.347, P = .011); decreased reliable transportation (r = −0.282, P = .038); receiving food distribution (r = 0.342, P = .012); household participation in the Special Supplemental Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC; r = 0.315, P = .020); receiving benefits from sen...
Cold-licking in guinea pigs as a function of temperature.

Water-deprived guinea pigs spent a large proportion of each 30-min session orally palpating a cold, dry drinking tube maintained at temperatures from 12°C to 32–36°C. In order to be sustained by the higher temperatures, the “cold-licking” behavior first had to develop at relatively low temperatures (12–15°C); it would not develop at 20–23°C. The guinea pigs cold-lick by first taking the tube well into the mouth; then they appear to move the tongue back and fourth over it, and to suck and pull on it. It is concluded that the reason why guinea pigs are such vigorous cold-lickers is because the style of their normal drinking behavior is such as to bring the drinking tube well into contact with the posterior part of the tongue and/or nonlingual oral tissues. Stimuli which cool these tissues are rewarding to water-deprived rodents.
Differential activation of system A and betaine/GABA transport in MDCK cell membranes by hypertonic stress.

Abstract Accumulation of osmolytes by renal cells is due in part to increased uptake via specific transporters. These include amino acid transport system A and the betaine/GABA transporter (BGT1). Transport changes have been characterized using intact cells which makes the intracellular mechanisms difficult to determine. In this study the hypertonic upregulation of system A and BGT1 was studied directly at the membrane level in Madin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Both system A and BGT1 transport systems were detected in an isolated membrane fraction containing plasma membranes. System A transport was increased in membranes prepared from cells after 6 h hypertonic stress (449 mosmol/kg) but BGT1 activity was minimal and not different from isotonic controls. The increase in system A was blocked by inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis. BGT1 transport was induced in membranes prepared after 24 h hypertonicity. At this time system A activity in the membrane fraction remained increased, unlike the downregulation observed in intact MDCK cells. We conclude that differential upregulation of system A and BGT1 by hypertonic stress is due to intrinsic changes in these transporters at the membrane level. In contrast, the downregulation of system A in intact cells when hypertonicity is prolonged for 24 h is likely due to the action of an intracellular repressor that is not present in the isolated membranes.
Housing market segmentation: An application of convergence tests to Los Angeles region housing

Various techniques have been offered to measure the extent of a market. This paper uses a technique that has gained momentum in the economic growth literature, namely time-series convergence, to identify housing markets in the LA region. Using single-family housing price data over the 1992:1 to 2001:3 period, we find that convergence of housing prices is specific to various county clusters. This suggests that there are unique housing markets throughout the LA region.
Clinical aspects of inflammation in Alzheimer's disease

In Alzheimer's disease (AD) there is increasing evidence that neurotoxicity is mediated by CNS inflammatory processes. These processes involve activation of microglia by amyloid-beta leading to release of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha among others. Neurotoxic processes mediated by these cytokines may include direct neuronal death by enhancement of apoptosis, decreased synaptic function as evidence by inhibition of long-term potentiation, and inhibition of hippocampal neurogenesis. Central nervous system (CNS) inflammation may predate the development of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in AD and may prove to be a more sensitive marker of prodromal AD. New developments in measuring CNS inflammation include measuring cytokine release by peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the development of PET markers of microglial activation. There is epidemiological evidence that circulating serum IL-6 is associated with poorer cognition. While epidemiological studies suggest a protective effect of NSAIDs against development of AD, controlled trials of NSAIDs to date have not shown any protective effect of drug. New anti-inflammatory agents for treating or preventing AD may include novel NSAIDs and opioid antagonists. These developments provide an alternative or potential adjunct to anti-amyloid therapies for AD.
Elfriede Jelinek's Die Kinder der Toten: Representing the Holocaust as an Austrian Ghost Story

(2006). Elfriede Jelinek's Die Kinder der Toten: Representing the Holocaust as an Austrian Ghost Story. The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory: Vol. 81, No. 4, pp. 360-382.
STEREO SECCHI COR1-A/B Intercalibration at 180° Separation

The twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft reached a separation angle of 180 degrees on 6 February 2011. This provided a unique opportunity to test the intercalibration between the Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) telescopes on both spacecraft for areas above the limb. So long as the corona is optically thin, at 180 degree separation each spacecraft sees the same corona from opposite directions. Thus, the data should appear as mirror images of each other. We report here on the results of the comparison of the images taken by the inner coronagraph (COR1) on the STEREO Ahead and Behind spacecraft in the hours when the separation was close to 180 degrees. We find that the intensity values seen by the two telescopes agree with each other to a high degree of accuracy. This validates both the radiometric intercalibration between the COR1 telescopes, and the method used to remove instrumental background from the images. The relative error between COR1-A and COR1-B is found to be less than 10(exp -9) B/B solar over most of the field-of-view, growing to a few x 10(exp -9) B/B solar for the brighter pixels near the edge of the occulter. The primary source of error is the background determination. We also report on the analysis of star observations which show that the absolute radiometric calibration of either COR1 telescope has not changed significantly since launch.
Genetic polymorphisms in PTPN22 , PADI-4 , and CTLA-4 and risk for rheumatoid arthritis in two longitudinal cohort studies: evidence of gene-environment interactions with heavy cigarette smoking

PTPN22, PADI-4, and CTLA-4 have been associated with risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We investigated whether polymorphisms in these genes were associated with RA in Caucasian women included in two large prospective cohorts, adjusting for confounding factors and testing for interactions with smoking. We studied RA risk associated with PTPN22 (rs2476601), PADI-4 (rs2240340), and CTLA-4 (rs3087243) in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHSII. Participants in NHS were aged 30 to 55 years at entry in 1976; those in NHSII were aged 25 to 42 years at entry in 1989. We confirmed incident RA cases through to 2002 in NHS and to 2003 in NHSII by questionnaire and medical record review. We excluded reports not confirmed as RA. In a nested case-control design involving participants for whom there were samples for genetic analyses (45% of NHS and 25% of NHSII), each incident RA case was matched to a participant without RA by year of birth, menopausal status, and postmenopausal hormone use. Genotyping was performed using Taqman single nucleotide polymorphism allelic discrimination on the ABI 7900 HT (Applied Biosystems, 850 Lincoln Centre Drive, Foster City, CA 94404 USA) with published primers. Human leukocyte antigen shared epitope (HLA-SE) genotyping was performed at high resolution. We employed conditional logistic regression analyses, adjusting for smoking and reproductive factors. We tested for additive and multiplicative interactions between each genotype and smoking. A total of 437 incident RA cases were matched to healthy female control individuals. Mean (± standard deviation) age at RA diagnosis was 55 (± 10), 57% of RA cases were rheumatoid factor (RF) positive, and 31% had radiographic erosions at diagnosis. PTPN22 was associated with increased RA risk (pooled odds ratio in multivariable dominant model = 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02 to 2.08). The risk was stronger for RF-positive than for RF-negative RA. A significant multiplicative interaction between PTPN22 and smoking for more than 10 pack-years was observed (P = 0.04). CTLA-4 and PADI-4 genotypes were not associated with RA risk in the pooled results (pooled odds ratios in multivariable dominant models: 1.27 [95% CI = 0.88 to 1.84] for CTLA-4 and 1.04 [95% CI = 0.77 to 1.40] for PADI-4). No gene-gene interaction was observed between PTPN22 and HLA-SE. After adjusting for smoking and reproductive factors, PTPN22 was associated with RA risk among Caucasian women in these cohorts. We found both additive and multiplicative interactions between PTPN22 and heavy cigarette smoking.
CULTURE AND GROWTH: SOME EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE

Using Hofstede’s cultural data set, this paper examines the impact of cultural characteristics on a nation’s economic performance. Using a two-step estimation procedure, we first estimate a panel growth regression and obtain estimates of each nation’s fixed effects, which reflect idiosyncratic differences in growth performance. In the second step, we regress the fixed effects on invariant cultural and institutional variables. Our estimation results suggest that individuality and tolerance for uncertainty are the most important cultural factors in explaining nation-specific growth performance. Furthermore, our findings suggest that political and property rights play a major role in determining idiosyncratic growth.
The plancherel formula for the infinite XXZ Heisenberg spin chain

In this Letter we discuss the explicit Plancherel formula for the Bethe Ansatz eigenstates for the Hamiltonian of the infinite XXZ Heisenberg-Ising spin chain in the N-magnon sectors: N=2, 3,... In particular, we shall point out that a striking spectral phenomenon occurs when the coupling constant c is such that 0<|c|<1.
Just loving these people: Extraverts implicitly associate people with reward

Abstract Several prominent theories have suggested that extraverts implicitly associate people with rewards. Two studies involving 268 participants were conducted in order to test this prediction. Study 1 utilized a traditional implicit association test, and Study 2 utilized a single-category implicit association test capable of providing separate indices for different associations in memory. Across both studies, extraverted participants displayed a more robust association between people and reward. Study 2 also indicates that extraversion was unrelated to the association between punishments and the absence of people. These studies therefore confirm an important prediction following from reward sensitivity theories of extraversion and may help to explain extraverts’ increased sociability.
On stability analysis with disequilibrium awareness

Abstract Most models of general equilibrium stability require agents stupidly to believe that prices are Walrasian and transactions will be completed. This paper considers models where agents, while naive about prices, are fully informed about transaction difficulties. Agents fully understand the workings and outcome of a deterministic trading mechanism mapping expressed demands into actual trades. They have rational expectations (perfect foresight) about the outcome of that mechanism. Prices respond as long as actual trades differ from notional demands. The result is shown to be an Edgeworth process and hence globally stable, converging to a Walrasian equilibrium.
Differential sucking by neonates of depressed versus non-depressed mothers

Abstract Forty-two neonates ( M = 39-h old) of depressed and non-depressed mothers sucked on cold (50 °F) and warm (78 °F) nipples on alternating trials. Half the infants received the cold nipple on the first of the eight trials (20 s each) and the other half received the warm nipple first. Neonates of depressed mothers sucked twice as much as neonates of non-depressed mothers, suggesting arousal dysregulation, overactivity or greater hedonic behavior in the newborns of depressed mothers. Although the newborns did not show a preference for cold or warm nipples, a temperature order effect revealed that neonates who received the cold nipple on the first trial sucked significantly more on trials 2–8 than those who received the warm nipple on the first trial, suggesting that an initially cold nipple might elicit greater sucking. More research is needed on maternal mood effects and temperature of objects to determine how these factors affect neonatal sucking behaviors.
Scaling of mass and morphology in plants with minimal branching: an extension of the WBE model

Summary 1Understanding the general principles governing the impressive diversity of plant morphology has long been a goal of botanists. However, the broad variability of plant growth forms has challenged the development of general models of plant growth. 2A recent theoretical model, the fractal branching model of West, Brown and Enquist (WBE), purports to explain the scaling of plant form in a variety of taxa; however, its applicability to clades that do not meet its underlying assumptions, particularly plants that lack volume-filling branching, has been unclear. 3Here we show how an extension of the WBE model, the minimal branching model, can quantitatively predict the scaling of form in plants lacking volume-filling branching. We then test the model's predictions with data from a biometric database on Sonoran Desert plants. 4As predicted, empirical data support the ubiquity of the 3/4-power scaling of photosynthetic surface area in plants, but nevertheless show that the morphological dimensions (height, spread) in plants with minimal branching scale with exponents differently from those in plants with fractal-like external branching. 5We then compare expectations under the minimal branching model with those of geometric similitude and fractal branching models, which make predictions that are close to those of the minimal model. Confidence intervals for empirical data sometimes include all three models. However, unanimous agreement in interspecific cases, and greater support in intraspecific cases, appear to favour the minimal model. 6It is generally thought that succulents, particularly cacti, exhibit morphological adaptations that limit water loss via surface areas while increasing the capacity for water storage. Our model and supporting empirical data strongly suggest that the succulent morphology has evolved from selection to minimize external branching but not necessarily the scaling of external surface areas. 7Our work demonstrates that a common body of allometric theory, based on the scaling of resource-exchange networks, provides a theoretical baseline that can account for much diversity in land plant form and architecture.