cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Validity of two retrospective questionnaire versions of the Consensus Sleep Diary: the whole week and split week Self-Assessment of Sleep Surveys.

Abstract Objective/Background Prospective, daily sleep diaries are the gold standard for assessing subjective sleep but are not always feasible for cross-sectional or epidemiological studies. The current study examined psychometric properties of two retrospective questionnaire versions of the Consensus Sleep Diary. Participants/Methods College students (N = 131, mean age = 19.39 ± 1.65; 73% female) completed seven days of prospective sleep diaries then were randomly assigned to complete either the Self-Assessment of Sleep Survey (SASS), which assessed past week sleep (n = 70), or the SASS-Split (SASS-Y), which assessed weekday/weekend sleep separately (n = 61). Participants also completed psychosocial/sleep questionnaires including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Sleep parameters derived from SASS, SASS-Y, PSQI, and sleep diaries were assessed via Bland Altman plots, limits of agreement, mean differences, and correlations. Results SASS-Y demonstrated stronger correlations with prospective sleep diaries and slightly less biased estimates (r = 0.51 to 0.85, α = −0.43 to 1.70) compared to SASS (r = 0.29 to 0.84, α = −1.63 to 2.33) for terminal wakefulness (TWAK), sleep onset latency (SOL), sleep efficiency (SE), and quality (QUAL). SASS resulted in slightly less bias for total sleep time (TST) and wake after sleep onset (WASO) (α = −0.65 and 0.93, respectively) compared to SASS-Y (α = 14.90 and 1.05, respectively). SASS and SASS-Y demonstrated greater convergence with sleep diary than PSQI. Conclusions Results demonstrated good psychometric properties for the SASS and SASS-Y. When prospective sleep diaries are not feasible, the SASS and SASS-Y are acceptable substitutes to retrospectively estimate sleep parameters. Retrospective estimation of sleep parameters separately for weekdays/weekends may offer advantages compared to whole week estimation.
Sexual initiation among Canadian youth: A model comparison approach of evolutionary hypotheses shows greatest support for extrinsic mortality cues, intergenerational conflict, and early life psychosocial stressors

Abstract Early life factors are associated with the timing of reproductive events in adolescence, but a variety of hypotheses (such as psychosocial acceleration theory, paternal investment theory, extrinsic mortality, internal prediction, and intergenerational conflict) propose different explanations for why this may occur. To compare between these theories, we use the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, an extensive, longitudinal survey of Canadian male and female youth (aged 14-15 in last wave) to identify variables that uniquely support these different models (n≈1200). We identify the best predictors of sexual initiation for each hypothesis and then use a model selection procedure to determine which set of variables has the most support. Results show that variables representing extrinsic mortality cues, intergenerational conflict, early life psychosocial stressors, and prenatal factors are included in the top models, while variables representing social support and unpredictability are represented in some of the top models. Variables representing the paternal investment theory were not included in any of the top models, suggesting limited support for this hypothesis. These results support many of the hypotheses that have been previously presented in the literature, suggesting that timing of sexual initiation may have multiple causal pathways.
Breaking up the Budget Process

The current budget process is asked to resolve too many issues that are both debatable and difficult to resolve using the current framework. This includes how the overall budget fits into the economic policy of the country. In the 1940s, the architects of the Employment Act established an infrastructure for establishing economic policy that should be expanded to include debate over the principles of policy as related to the budget. Congress should be required to decide on these principles before they can proceed to writing the budget or considering appropriations bills. Therefore, the economic policy can inform budget policymakers. This will allow the process to work out some of the aggregational problems before dealing with the distributional challenges.
Tight Frame Wavelets, their Dimension Functions, MRA Tight Frame Wavelets and Connectivity Properties

This is a continuation of our study of generalized low pass filters and MRA frame wavelets. In this first study we concentrated on the construction of such functions. Here we are particularly interested in the role played by the dimension function. In particular we characterize all semi-orthogonal Tight Frame Wavelets (TFW) by showing that they correspond precisely to those for which the dimension function is non-negative integer-valued. We also show that a TFW arises from our MRA construction if and only if the dimension of a particular linear space is either zero or one. We present many examples. In addition we obtain a result concerning the connectivity of TFW's that are MSF tight frame wavelets.
Racialized Sexual Risk Perceptions of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in Men Who have Sex with Men

This study examined the effect of race and preexposure prophylaxis antiviral medication (PrEP) status on sexual-risk and personality perceptions. Utilizing a 2 × 2 factorial design, 177 men who have sex with men (MSM) were recruited through social networking websites and randomly assigned to one of four conditions involving a profile vignette of a MSM. MSM displayed in the profile vignettes differed in terms of race (Black or White) and PrEP status (on PrEP or not on PrEP). Participants viewed a vignette and completed measures assessing sexual- and STI-risk perceptions, personality, and potential for engagement in risky sex. Analyses revealed individuals on PrEP were perceived as more warm/trustworthy and more likely to have had sex without a condom in the preceding 3 months compared to individuals who were not on PrEP. Additionally, participants perceived White MSM as more likely of engaging in condomless group sex compared to Black MSM. Findings of this research suggest a need to further explore racialized sexual-risk perceptions among MSM.
Memristors as Synapses in Artificial Neural Networks: Biomimicry Beyond Weight Change

Cyberthreat security is a rapidly evolving landscape, where the diversity and number of attacks is constantly changing, requiring new approaches to defense. In the past, it was sufficient to predict likely attack methods and to monitor potential vulnerabilities, however, today the attacks are too varied and change too quickly for the traditional defenses to be effective. We need structures that are capable of identifying probable attacks and responding without human intervention. Due to the increasing rate of new attack methodologies, these structures need to be able to identify and respond to attacks that have never been seen before. That is, we need structures which are capable of learning.
Poly-victimization among Adolescents Adjudicated for Illegal Sexual Behavior: A Latent Class Analysis

Justice-involved youth are characterized by higher rates of victimization compared to non-justice-involved youth. Prior research has elucidated the importance of examining cumulative trauma rather ...
Surgery Clerkship Curriculum Changes at an Academic Institution during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Problem The COVID-19 pandemic has suspended the surgery clinical clerkship for third-year medical students at numerous institutions across the world. As a result, educators and students have adapted rapidly. There is a paucity of precedents regarding urgent and brusque formal curricular changes for medical students enrolled in surgical clinical rotations. Approach The University of California, San Francisco Department of Surgery created a surgically focused extended mastery learning rotation (EMLR). The surgery clerkship leadership designed a curriculum consisting of multiple learning strategies compatible with virtual learning environments. The primary aims of the newly developed EMLR were to help students consolidate their foundational science knowledge before their return to clinical medicine in an altered learning environment. The EMLR is currently underway, and further studies are necessary to evaluate its effectiveness.
Crabby commotions: visual not vibrational-orientated searching behaviours guide aggregation formation around key resources

Incidental stimuli produced by animal aggregations may be utilised by conspecifics to locate key resources in areas, where resources are patchily distributed and temporally irregular. However, few studies have investigated the roles of vibrational stimuli in aggregation formation when compared to other stimuli such as visual and tactile. Experimental manipulations were undertaken with Coenobita compressus, a terrestrial hermit crab of the tropics, which is constantly forming and re-forming aggregations around highly contested shell resources in a beach landscape. The commotions of jostling crabs, which may be up to hundreds of crabs at a time, produce a number of different incidental sensory stimuli during formation. Aspects of these stimuli were simulated, visual and vibrational, using playbacks and models. The visual simulation attracted significantly more crabs than the vibrational treatment, with the crabs also staying for a significantly longer period of time. The vibration simulation also did not attract more crabs when compared to a control, but visitors spent significantly less time in vibration-exposed quadrats, indicating reception of the stimulus. Taken together these findings indicate that visual public information promoted social aggregation formation, whereas vibrational information alone was inadequate.
Association between industry sponsorship and author conflicts of interest with outcomes of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of interventions for opioid use disorder.

Abstract Introduction Author conflicts of interest (COI) and industry sponsorship may lead to biased research results and conclusions. Considering the direct influence that systematic reviews have on patient care, including the management of patients being treated for opioid use disorders (OUD), these studies should be free of industry bias. Thus, we sought to determine whether a relationship exists between COI and the favorability of systematic review outcomes using a sample of systematic reviews regarding OUD interventions. Methods We searched MEDLINE and Embase for systematic reviews and meta-analysis related to OUD treatment. The study team performed all data extraction in a masked duplicate fashion. We searched for undisclosed COI for each systematic review author in 3 databases––the CMS Open Payments database, Dollars for Profs, and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The research team quantified results using descriptive statistics. We evaluated associations between review characteristics using Fisher's exact tests, when possible. Results This article includes seventeen systematic reviews and meta-analyses with 81 authors. We found that 25 authors (30.9%) had some form of COI, and 22 (of 25, 88.0%) authors had an undisclosed COI. However, no significant association existed between COI and favorability of results and conclusions. Notably, two systematic reviews (of 17; 11.76%) were industry-sponsored. Similarly, we found no association between the study sponsor source and the favorability of systematic review results and conclusions. Conclusions Our results suggest the favorability of systematic review results and conclusions are not influenced by author COI or industry sponsorship. However, nearly one-fourth of authors had an undisclosed COI, further emphasizing the need for standardization and adherence to COI disclosure policies within addiction medicine literature.
NUMERICAL PLASTIC-FRACTURE MODELS FOR CONCRETE

The results of finite-element analyses of concrete structures utilizing a plasticity-based concrete model are summarized. The complete plastic-fracture model assumes a four-parameter failure criterion and a plasticity model with mixed hardening rule for the irreversible deformations induced by micro-cracks. A crushing coefficient is utilized to identify the failure mode either as cracking, crushing or as a mixture of cracking and crushing. Anisotropic post-failure behaviors corresponding to the failure modes, including aggregate interlock effects, are accounted for. The development of several codes is briefly described, and typical numerical results are provided.
Validity of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale in an Acute Psychiatric Sample

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is one of the most prevalent psychiatric presentations; however, GAD has the lowest diagnostic reliability of the anxiety disorders and is poorly recognized in clinical practice. A more reliable assessment of GAD could lead to earlier detection and treatment of the disorder, which has an otherwise debilitating course and significant associated impairment. The 7-item GAD Scale (GAD-7) has shown promise as a measure with good clinical utility and strong psychometric properties in primary care and community settings but has yet to be assessed in acute psychiatric populations. This study examined the validity of the GAD-7 in a sample of 232 patients enrolled in a partial hospital programme. Patients completed a diagnostic interview and a battery of self-report measures before and after treatment. Findings suggest that the GAD-7 has good internal consistency and good convergent validity with worry, anxiety, depression and stress, and the measure was sensitive to change over the course of a short intensive cognitive–behavioural therapy partial hospital programme. However, the confirmatory analysis failed to support the hypothesized unidimensional factor structure; and although the GAD-7 demonstrated good sensitivity (.83), specificity was poor (.46) in identifying patients with GAD. Overall, the GAD-7 appears to be a valid measure of generalized anxiety symptoms in this sample, on the basis of good internal consistency, convergent validity and sensitivity to change, but does not perform well as a screener for GAD. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message The GAD-7 Scale is an easy-to-score, self-report measure of core generalized anxiety disorder symptoms. The GAD-7 Scale has good internal consistency and convergent validity with depression, anxiety, stress and worry, and is sensitive to change. The GAD-7 Scale appears to be a good measure of generalized anxiety symptoms in an acute psychiatric sample. The GAD-7 Scale does not perform well as a screener for GAD and should not be used to identify cases of GAD in acute psychiatric samples.
A micro sensing probe for detecting individual biological cells

While detecting individual biological cells is essential in cytometry for counting cells and analyzing the cellular contents, miniaturized cell-detecting devices are desirable not only for on-site biomedical analysis but also for in situ monitoring of cell dynamics. To study the electrical detection mechanism, a micro sensing probe has been developed on silicon wafers using microfabrication technology. The device consists of an array of through-holes in diameter of 20, 60, and 100 /spl mu/m, with gating electrodes around the holes for cell sensing. An interfacing system including demodulation and signal processing circuitry is built to convert impedance change into electrical pulses. The pulse signals were acquired by a Lab View program for automatic pulse detection and analysis. The sensing mechanism has been tested on microbeads with high-frequency AC excitation and preliminary results indicate that the pulse amplitude distributions correlate with the size of beads. Further refinement on the sensor design and testing of the device for cell detection and analysis are expected.
Is Fructose the Optimal Low Glycemic Index Sweetener

Fructose is a monosaccharide which is abundant in nature. It is the sweetest naturally occurring carbohydrate. The availability of fructose increased substantially when it became possible in the 1960s to economically produce high fructose syrups from corn starch and other starches. Such high fructose syrups are now used to sweeten soft drinks, fruit drinks, baked goods, jams, syrups and candies. The most recent data available suggest that fructose consumption is increasing worldwide. Fructose presently accounts for about 10% of average total energy intake in the United States. Studies in both healthy and diabetic subjects demonstrated that fructose produced a smaller postprandial rise in plasma glucose and serum insulin than other common carbohydrates. Substitution of dietary fructose for other carbohydrates produced a 13% reduction in mean plasma glucose in a study of type-1 and type-2 diabetic subjects. However, there is concern that fructose may aggravate lipemia, particularly in men. In one study, daylong plasma triglycerides (estimated by determining the area under response curves) in healthy men was 32% greater during a high fructose diet than during a high glucose diet. There is also concern that fructose may be a factor contributing to the growing worldwide prevalence of obesity. Increasing fructose consumption is temporally associated with the increase in obesity. Moreover, on theoretical grounds, dietary fructose might increase energy intake. Fructose stimulates insulin secretion less than does glucose and glucose-containing carbohydrates. Since insulin increases leptin release, lower circulating insulin and leptin after fructose ingestion might inhibit appetite less than consumption of other carbohydrates and lead to increased energy intake. However, there is not yet any convincing experimental evidence that dietary fructose does increase energy intake. Although evidence that fructose has adverse effects is limited, adding fructose in large amounts to the diet may be undesirable, particularly for men. Fructose that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables is a modest component of energy intake and should not be of concern.
The influence of environmental hazard maps on risk beliefs, emotion, and health-related behavioral intentions.

To test a theoretical explanation of how attributes of mapped environmental health hazards influence health-related behavioral intentions and how beliefs and emotion mediate the influences of attributes, 24 maps were developed that varied by four attributes of a residential drinking water hazard: level, proximity, prevalence, and density. In a factorial design, student participants (N = 446) answered questions about a subset of maps. Hazard level and proximity had the largest influences on intentions to test water and mitigate exposure. Belief in the problem's seriousness mediated attributes' influence on intention to test drinking water, and perceived susceptibility mediated the influence of attributes on intention to mitigate risk. Maps with carefully illustrated attributes of hazards may promote appropriate health-related risk beliefs, intentions, and behavior. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health. Language: en
Effects of epinephrine on human muscle glucose and protein metabolism

Systemic epinephrine infusion causes hypoaminoacidemia and inhibits whole body leucine flux (proteolysis) in humans. Its specific action on muscle protein is not known and is difficult to assess du...
Four ‘Cousins-in-Law’: (1) Substantive Due Process & State-Based Prohibition; (2) Slavery in the Federal Territory; (3) Polygamy and the Fight over Mormon Statehood; & (4) Public School Prayer & Bible Reading Decisions. Who Knew They Were ‘Related’?"

This essay compares four religious, political, and legal controversies in 19 th and early 20 th century America. Each was grounded in the sharp division between the Republican and Democratic Parties’ perspectives on public policy, and all four were fired by religious differences involving the active use of “positive” law and judicial fiat. Several scholars have addressed the emergence in the state courts of substantive due process, as well as the fight in those courts over the use of the bible and school prayer in the public schools. But no one has noted the similar political division there, nor has anyone examined the political or religious affiliations of the state court justices who decided tests of the constitutionality of the early substantive due process cases, or those involving bible reading and school prayer. Two other related issues - the first regarding slavery in the territories; the second, regarding Mormon polygamy and Statehood - will receive briefer attention. The four issues constitute what this essay offers to our understanding of how religiously inspired party politics determined the outcome of these controversies in both state and federal legislatures and state and federal courts. I begin with a well-known judicial controversy, set in the 1840s & ‘50s: the emergence of substantive due process, and I relate it to state efforts to prohibit the sale of alcohol.
Digital Apparel Design Process: Placing a New Technology Into a Framework for the Creative Design Process:

Design methodology and process are studied in different contexts and diverse fields. Designing has the potential to generate new knowledge and is intimately tied to new technologies, such as digita...
Classical Hamiltonian perturbation theory without secular terms or small denominators

Abstract We consider perturbation theory in ϵ for the classical Hamiltonian H = H 0 + ϵH 1 , where H 0 gives rise to a known motion and ϵ is small. First we demonstrate how the usual secular terms and small denominators arise from a straightforward expansion in ϵ and argue that they are artifacts of the method. Then we present an alternative perturbation theory based on an analysis of the operator ( s − L ) −1 , where s is a complex number and L is the Liouville operator corresponding to H . This perturbation series contains neither secular terms nor small denominators. In the case of almost multiply periodic systems we show, to lowest non-trivial order in ϵ, how our series reproduces the standard results both in the resonant and nonresonant regions — all in one analytic formula. As a final exercise we demonstrate that energy is conserved at order ϵ n +1 when the accuracy of the theory is order ϵ n .
THE EFFECTS OF ANDROGEN DEFICIENCY ON MURINE BONE REMODELING AND BONE MINERAL DENSITY ARE MEDIATED VIA CELLS OF THE OSTEOBLASTIC LINEAGE

Both estrogens and androgens act on bone marrow stromal/osteoblastic cells to inhibit the production of local factors that promote osteoclast development. Based on this and the evidence that loss of sex steroids up-regulates not only osteoclastogenesis but also osteoblastogenesis, we have hypothesized that cells of the osteoblastic lineage are the mediators of the adverse effects of sex steroid deficiency on bone. To test this hypothesis, we used the senescence-accelerated mouse (SAMP6), a model of defective osteoblast development, and examined the effects of orchidectomy on static and dynamic histological features of bone remodeling and on bone mineral density. After orchidectomy in SAMP6 mice, the expected increases in osteoblast precursors, cancellous osteoclasts and osteoblasts, frequency of remodeling events, trabecular spacing, and rate of bone formation were absent or greatly attenuated. Moreover, whereas bone mineral density decreased in orchidectomized controls, it did not change in SAMP6. Our data indicate that when osteoblast development is defective, orchidectomy fails to result in bone loss. This evidence suggests that cells of the osteoblastic lineage are essential mediators of the changes in the rate of bone remodeling and loss of bone mass that ensue following loss of androgens.
Beam-envelope theory of ionization cooling

Linear beam-envelope theory of ionization cooling in 6D phase space has been systematically established in the past few years. In this paper, we briefly review the general formalism as well as the specific theories for a quadrupole channel and a bent-solenoidal channel with symmetric focusing. These channels play important roles in the design of cooling channels for the envisioned neutrino factories and muon colliders. The analytical solutions of these channels are relatively simple yet provide good understanding of cooling and heating mechanisms in both transverse and longitudinal phase spaces. Furthermore, the resulting formulae can be used to evaluate cooling channel designs the same way as the radiation integrals are used in storage ring designs.
Texture and microstructural development in gelcast barium hexaferrite

The development of texture in barium hexaferrite by templated grain growth was studied as a function of the Fe2O3/BaCO3 ratio, B2O3 additions in the starting materials, and sintering temperature. A magnetic field was used to orient the template particles during the gelcasting process. Excess BaCO3 resulted in abnormal grain growth and maximized texture, while B2O3 additions promoted coarsening, but no abnormal grain growth.
Trait anger, cynical hostility and inflammation in Latinas: variations by anger type?

Abstract Anger and hostility are psychological factors that appear to play a salient role in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk; however, their association with risk within the Latino population remains relatively unexplored. The current study examined associations between overall trait anger, anger subdimensions (i.e., anger temperament and anger reaction) and cynical hostility with sICAM-1, a marker of cellular adhesion and systemic inflammation related to CVD risk, in a sample of 294 middleaged Mexican–American women. Results showed no association between trait anger or anger temperament and sICAM-1. Anger reaction was marginally associated with sICAM-1 (β = 4.77, p = .06). Cynical hostility was significantly associated with sICAM-1 (β = 5.89, p = .04) even after controlling for demographic, biological and behavioral covariates. The current study provides evidence that specific aspects of anger and hostility relate to physiological pathways that potentially influence CVD risk. Findings are discussed in light of contextual cultural factors.
Application of distributed traffic simulation for passing behavior study

The suitability of a prototype distributed traffic simulation for passing behavior studies was examined. The prototype was based on the High Level Architecture and was designed to combine the microscopic traffic simulation program VISSIM with the driving simulator DriveSafety. Specifically developed for the passing behavior application, the prototype was capable of modeling traffic on two-lane, two-way rural roads. Vehicle information was transferred from the VISSIM federate to the DriveSafety federate to control the creation of vehicles and their speeds. The passing experiment had a repeated-measure, factorial design with two levels of impeding vehicle length and two levels of impeding vehicle speed. Twenty-four test drivers, each with at least 5 years of driving experience, successfully completed a pass under each experimental condition. The passing time and passing distance were observed to be significantly greater when the impeding vehicle was a truck than when it was a passenger car. The mean distance traveled in the left lane and the mean end gap distance were found to be approximately double those reported previously. Likewise, the mean start gap distance was found to be triple that reported previously. These differences were likely due to drivers' propensities to underestimate distances in simulated environments. This study methodology had the advantage of capturing detailed driver information, but concerns about the validity of the methodology and the transferability of the results to the real world warrant further examination.
Appropriateness of empiric therapy in patients with suspected Clostridium difficile infection

AbstractObjective:The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that many patients with suspected Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) receive inappropriate empiric therapy and/or receive continued therapy despite negative test results.Methods:We performed a 3 month prospective cohort study at the Cleveland Veteran Affairs Medical Center to assess the appropriateness of empiric CDI therapy for all patients with stool samples submitted for CDI testing. Empiric therapy for CDI was considered appropriate if patients with suspected CDI had findings suggestive of severe or complicated illness.Results:Of 251 patients tested for CDI, 53 (21%) received empiric treatment, including 45 (85%) treated with metronidazole and 8 (15%) treated with vancomycin. Of the 53 empirical therapy regimens, only 20 (38%) were deemed appropriate based on criteria for severe or severe, complicated CDI and 39 (74%) had negative laboratory testing for CDI. Twenty-one of 39 (54%) patients with negative testing were continued ...
Putting a "big-data" platform to good use: training kinect

In the last 7 years at Microsoft Research in Silicon Valley we have constructed the DryadLINQ software stack for large-scale data-parallel cluster computations. The architecture of the ensemble is depicted in Figure 1. The goal of the DryadLINQ project is to make writing parallel programs manipulating large amounts of data (terabytes to petabytes) as easy as programming a single machine. DryadLINQ is a batch computation model, optimized for throughput; since it is targets large clusters of commodity computers faulttolerance is a primary concern. A primary tenet is that moving computation close to the data is much cheaper than moving the data itself. Here we discuss briefly the current architecture of the system (but more research is ongoing). Our software runs on relatively inexpensive computer clusters, using unmodified Windows Server. Our software makes minimal assumptions about the underlying cluster, and has
Family interaction, gender, and status attainment value

Past research on adolescent attainment has virtually ignored the interactional aspects through which children learn attainment values. Using a simulated career game, parent-child interaction (father, mother, and adolescent son or daughter) was coded to assess its impact on the child's attainment value. Encouragement patterns, parental opportunity awareness, and family affect were examined. Results revealed differences in these family interaction variables as sources and determinants of adolescent attainment value, depending upon sex of child. The variables were able to account for considerably more of the variation in sons' attainment value than daughters'.
Reproductive Performance of Caged Beltsville Small White Turkeys as Affected by Choline, Bird Density and Forced Molting

Reproductive performance was determined on Beltsville Small White hens housed 2 or 3 per cage for 10 weeks and then changed to 1 or 2 per cage for 10 additional weeks. Hens were then molted and data collected for a second production cycle of 18 weeks. Hens were fed a basal diet calculated to contain 1230 mg./kg. of choline, or supplemented with choline chloride to provide 1900, 2570 or 3240 mg. of choline per kg. of diet. Variations in production, fertility and hatch were observed between the first and second 10 week periods of the first laying cycle, but differences were affected more by two high choline levels than by number of hens per cage. When data was combined to show the effects of choline supplements for the entire 20 weeks, there were no significant differences in egg production or hatch of fertile eggs due to choline levels. However, significantly lower fertility resulted in groups fed choline at the level of 2570 or 3240 mg./kg. during this 20 wk. laying cycle. During the second production cycle (one hen per cage), choline supplements improved egg production, increased egg weight, depressed fertility and had no effect on hatch of fertile eggs. When data from the first and second production cycles were combined, there was no significant effect of choline on production or hatchability, but all groups supplemented with choline had significantly lower fertility than the basal group, indicating that 1230 mg./kg. of choline was adequate.
Prediction of nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of polymeric composites using an artificial neural network

Abstract Creep tests at constant stress are performed for the carbon-fiber reinforced epoxy composite at various temperatures and initial stresses. A nonlinear viscoelastic constitutive model is developed, and its material parameters are determined by fitting it to creep test data. Model results are found to agree very well with the experimental data at low temperature and low stress conditions. However, the agreement deteriorates at high temperatures, particularly in the vicinity of the glass transition temperature. An alternative model based on an artificial neural network (ANN) is developed to predict the stress relaxation of the polymer matrix composite. The ANN model is trained and validated with 9000 experimental data sets obtained from stress relaxation tests performed at various constant strain (initial stress) and constant temperature conditions. Training of the ANN employs a scaled conjugate gradient method. The optimal brain surgeon algorithm is employed to optimize the topology. The optimal ANN configuration has 88 processing elements (3 in the input layer, 45 in the first hidden layer, 39 in the second hidden layer, and 1 in the output layer) and 410 links. The predictions of the ANN model are found to be more accurate over a wider range of stress and temperature conditions than those of the explicit nonlinear viscoelastic model, in particular near the glass transition temperature.
Numerical investigation of quasi-coplanar plasmonic waveguide-based photonic components.

Using 3-dimensional numerical simulations, we investigated the characteristics and performance of essential photonic components based on the recently proposed quasi-coplanar waveguide (QCPW) including bends, couplers, and splitters. The results confirmed the QCPW’s potential in high density photonic integration. We also explored the application of various RF-originated concepts and techniques to QCPW-based photonic components to enhance and enrich their functionalities.
Institutionalist Perspectives on Immigration Policy: An Update

This paper provides an institutionalist analysis of the impasse over labor issues that has stalled much needed reform of U.S. immigration policy. While it is unlikely that institutional economics can dislodge a century of conventional wisdom regarding the impact of immigrants on the labor market, a more modest goal is to refute the mainstream economic assertion that what the United States needs to do is to reduce the supply of immigrants, a conclusion that fuels the disgraceful "war on immigrants" that has long plagued reasonable debate over immigration policy.
Linking of N-Myc to Death Receptor Machinery in Neuroblastoma Cells

The oncogene MYCN is amplified in aggressive neuroblastomas in which caspase-8, an essential component of death receptor pathways, is frequently inactivated, suggesting a critical role of death receptor-mediated apoptosis in suppression of N-Myc oncogenic activity. Elevated levels of N-Myc sensitize neuroblastoma cells to apoptosis induced by various death ligands. Using tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis as a model, we define the mechanism underlying the sensitization effect. In neuroblastoma cells with increased expression of N-Myc, TRAIL triggers high levels of caspase-8 activation and Bid cleavage, leading to release of cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO from mitochondria. However, the apoptotic process requires Smac/DIABLO, but not cytochrome c-mediated caspase-9 activation. N-Myc sensitizes neuroblastoma cells to TRAIL by up-regulating TRAIL receptor-2/DR5/KILLER and Bid. Moreover, DR5 mRNA is increased after N-Myc overexpression, and the human DR5 promoter contains two noncanonical E-boxes critical for the transcriptional activation by N-Myc. These findings establish a mechanistic link between N-Myc and death receptor machinery, which may serve as a checkpoint to guard the cell from N-Myc-initiated tumorigenesis.
Effect of Gas Evolution on Current Distribution and Ohmic Resistance in Electrolyzers

Volume fraction of gases in electrolyzers increases in the direction of net movement of gases, causing a corresponding variation in the ohmic resistance between electrodes. The resulting nonuniformity in current distribution and the increase in over‐all resistance is shown to be characterized by a single dimensionless parameter which incorporates the key process variables. The leveling effect of polarization is shown to be significant.
Factors influencing regeneration of soybean from mature and immature cotyledons

Soybean (Glycine max L.) plantlets were e?ciently regenerated from mature and immature cotyledons of?ve different genotypes by studying various parameters affecting regeneration. Green organogenic noduleswere induced at the proximal end, which subsequently differentiated into shoot buds on modi?ed MS(Murashige T. and Skoog F. 1962. Physiol. Plant. 15: 473-497) medium. The presence of 6-benzylaminopurine(BAP) and thidiazuron (TDZ) in the medium exerted a synergistic effect, in that regenerationeffciency was higher than for either cytokin alone. The regenerated shoot buds elongated and rooted onMS medium containing 0.29 lM gibberellic acid (GA3) and 2.69 lM a-naphthaleneaceticacid (NAA),respectively. Rooted plants were established in the greenhouse with 87% success and produced viable seeds.Preliminary studies with Agrobacterium show great promise for soybean transformation based on theregeneration protocol reported here.
Using feedback letters to influence the use of antiulcer agents in a Medicaid program.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of printed patient-specific feedback regarding potential misprescribing of antiulcer agents (AUAs). Measures of impact included improvements in patients’ dispensing profiles, assessed according to predetermined criteria, and decreases in cost and quantity of AUAs dispensed.
My Body Had a Mind of Its Own: On Teaching, the Illusion of Control, and the Terrifying Limits of Governmentality (Part I)

This essay examines control discourse in and out of educational settings, arguing that illusions of control are among the means by which governance is accomplished in domains far from schools. The tactical productivity of such illusions in non-school settings "necessitates" and explicates their prevalence in education. The first installment of this essay identifies some assumptions undergirding dominant control and management discourse; analyzes discussions of control in fields other education; and briefly examines the role that social location plays in fostering specific understandings of control. A later installment will focus more narrowly on education, music education specifically. The author maintains that recognizing the limits of governmentality, bankrupting illusions of control, and uncoupling associations between uncertainty and terror, are powerful political disruptions. Acknowledging that classroom control may be neither achievable nor desirable may open the door to different understandings of classroom power relations and to re-articulations of the purposes of schooling.
Mechanisms of antiwear tribofilm growth revealed in situ by single-asperity sliding contacts

Zinc dialkyldithiophosphates (ZDDPs) form antiwear tribofilms at sliding interfaces and are widely used as additives in automotive lubricants. The mechanisms governing the tribofilm growth are not well understood, which limits the development of replacements that offer better performance and are less likely to degrade automobile catalytic converters over time. Using atomic force microscopy in ZDDP-containing lubricant base stock at elevated temperatures, we monitored the growth and properties of the tribofilms in situ in well-defined single-asperity sliding nanocontacts. Surface-based nucleation, growth, and thickness saturation of patchy tribofilms were observed. The growth rate increased exponentially with either applied compressive stress or temperature, consistent with a thermally activated, stress-assisted reaction rate model. Although some models rely on the presence of iron to catalyze tribofilm growth, the films grew regardless of the presence of iron on either the tip or substrate, highlighting the critical role of stress and thermal activation.
Dispersal, landscape occupancy and population structure in the butterfly Melanargia galathea

Dispersal is a key ecological process linking metapopulation dynamics in the landscape to distribution patterns at larger spatial scales. In this study, we investigated the landscape occupancy and genetic population structure of a butterfly species, Melanargia galathea. Several, landscapes differing in composition and structure were sampled as well as populations at different spatial. scales. We found that M. galathea occupied 91.3 % of all habitat patches available within a particular landscape, probably due to a dominance of landscape scale processes such as rescue effect and recolonisation. A high level of genetic polymorphism within the sampled populations and a very low amount of genetic differentiation between populations was observed (G(st) = 0.034), characteristic of species with high dispersal capacity and/or high density. High dispersal rates ensured considerable gene mixing at the landscape scale while the influence of distance on dispersal success was detected at the regional and continental scales by a significant amount of isolation by distance. We also found that, at the landscape scale, the dispersal of this butterfly species was influenced by the spatial, distribution of its habitat patches. (C) 2004 Elsevier GmbH. All. rights reserved.
Compartmentalized grammar: The variable (non)-integration of Turkish verbal conjugation in Romani dialects

Of the many languages with which Romani is in contact, Turkish occupies a special place in that the copying of entire Turkish verbal paradigms into a variety of Romani dialects in the Balkans is reminiscent, in some respects, of the position of the influence of Greek on Early Romani. The phenomenon in question affects only certain Romani dialects spoken in the Balkans, and is manifested in different dialects to varying degrees. In this article I shall bring together data from the Romani morpho-syntactic database and other sources of information on Turkish verbs in Romani dialects to show that there is a hierarchy of the distribution of borrowed features. Moreover, the phenomenon of Turkish conjugation in Romani challenges the notion that linguistic matrices must be either single (i.e. non-composite) or somehow defective (imperfect, shifting) and represents a phenomenon that I call ‘code compartmentaliztion’.
Probing Nanoscale Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering Fluctuation Dynamics using Correlated AFM and Confocal Ultramicroscopy

We have studied the laser-excitation-intensity-dependent and Ag-nanocluster interstitial-site-dependent SERS intensity fluctuations under low molecule surface coverage of rhodamine 6G and cytochrome c. A new two-channel photon time-stamping system coupled with atomic force microscopic (AFM), Raman spectroscopic, and imaging microscopy was developed and applied to record Raman intensity fluctuation trajectories at sub-microsecond resolution correlated with in situ characterization of the nanoparticle clusters. Our experimental results suggest that the nanoconfinement of the local electromagnetic-field enhancement and the interaction of the local field with the molecules, presumably under rotational motions, result in nano-Raman fluctuations. The SERS spectral fluctuation was pertinent to the nanoscale local enhancement and local interaction of the molecules with the surface when the surface coverage of the nanoparticles was less than a monolayer, and the nanoscale interstitial space controlled the finite number of molecules to contribute the microscopic Raman signal collected from a diffraction-limited focus spot. The fluctuation amplitude significantly decreased with the number of molecules confined at the nanolocal field. The nano-SERS fluctuation dynamics were both photo-induced and spontaneous for rhodamine 6G, but only the photo-induced component was observable for cytochrome c. The fluctuation dynamics were also found to be highly inhomogeneous at interstitial sites with heterogeneous geometries. To interpret the observed nano-SERS fluctuation dynamics, we used computer simulation of optical multiple scattering, based on multi-sphere scattering Mie theory, and rotational diffusion of molecules at an interstitial site, based on a random walk in orientation space.
A Comparative Analysis of Export Price Pass-through in Three Open Asian Economies: Korea, Singapore and Thailand

Abstract The degree of exchange rate pass-through is of paramount importance to small and open economies as it has a direct impact on domestic inflation as well as the effectiveness of exchange rate as an adjustment tool. High exchange rate pass-through (ERPT) is often cited as a reason for a “fear of floating”. This article analyzes the degree of ERPT into the export prices of three Asian economies—Korea, Thailand and Singapore for the period 1980: Q1–2006: Q4 using both US dollar bilateral rates as well as nominal effective exchange rates. The study also examines whether there are asymmetries in ERPT between exchange rate appreciation and depreciation.
Temporal Processing in the Visual Brain

In conclusion these three results taken together--the single-unit data, the Gerstein and Mandelbrot model, and the modeled collection of neurons--suggest that the analysis of the temporal dynamics of neural systems can be furthered by the application of nonlinear dynamical theory. Furthermore, it appears that the range of temporal dynamics possible in visual cortex is quite broad, encompassing simple oscillations and more complex, perhaps chaotic, dynamics. Lastly, it appears that there are powerful principles at work that are leading to the organized behavior of a population of neurons. We suggest that these principles are constrained not only by the biological properties of the nervous system, but by profound mathematical principles that have already been described in many physical nonlinear systems under the aegis of chaos theory. If such constraints exist, we may have available to us mathematical and physical constructs that will allow us to study, model, and predict the behaviors of large collections of neurons that ultimately underlie the neural functioning of the brain.
Structural analysis of tris(tetra-n-butylammonium) hexakisisothiocyanatolutetinate(III)

Abstract The structural analysis of [(n-C4H9)4N]3[Lu(NCS)6] (I) using single-crystal diffraction data and full-matrix least-squares refinement has yielded reliability factors of R=0.060 and Rw=0.071 based on 5578 observed reflections. The hexaisothiocyanate complex crystallizes in the centrosymmetric triclinic space group P 1 with unit cell dimensions a=12.405(2), b=12.830 (2), c=22.699(2) A, α=90.87(1), β=92.10(1), γ=96.67(1)°, V=3585.1(8) A3 and Z=2. The observed density is 1.16(1) g cm−3 (Dcalc=1.159 g cm−3). The molecular unit consists of three separate cationic tetra-n-butylammonium groups and an independent hexakisisothiocyanatolutetium anionic group in which the six thiocyanate ligands octahedrally coordinate through the N atom to the Lu central atom. Selected bond distances and angles are presented as well as references to the synthesis of I and peripheral studies.
Generation of ten-cycle pulses from an ytterbium fiber laser with cubic phase compensation

We demonstrate the use of a prism-grating sequence to reduce third-order dispersion inside a mode-locked Yb fiber laser. This laser generates pulses as short as 33 fs with extremely clean temporal and spectral profiles. Nanojoule pulse energies are possible.