cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How believing in affirmative action quotas protects White men's self-esteem

Abstract We propose that White men derive a psychological benefit from believing that affirmative action is a quota-based policy. Three studies provide evidence that quota beliefs protect White men’s self-esteem by boosting their sense of self-competence. Study 1 found a positive relationship between quota beliefs and self-esteem that was mediated by self-perceived competence. In Studies 2 and 3, the belief in affirmative action quotas—whether measured or experimentally manipulated—protected White men’s self-esteem from self-image threatening feedback. Only participants who did not believe in quotas reported a lower self-esteem after being told they had performed poorly on an intelligence test. As in Study 1, this effect was mediated by self-perceived competence. In all, these studies suggest that the belief that affirmative action is a quota policy may persist, in part, because it benefits White mens’ self-esteem.
Post-burn reproduction of woody plants in a neotropical savanna: the relative importance of sexual and vegetative reproduction

1. Burning typically occurs at intervals of 1–3-years in the Brazilian cerrado, a rate that exceeds the precolonization fire regime. To determine if woody plants of the cerrado successfully reproduce within the short span of time between burns, experimental burns were used to quantify the effects of fire on sexual and vegetative reproduction of six species of resprouting trees and shrubs. 2. Four of the six species reproduce vegetatively by producing root suckers. For three of these species, Rourea induta, Myrsine guianensis and Roupala montana, sucker production was seven to 15 times greater in burned plots than in unburned controls. 3. Fire had a negative impact on sexual reproduction. Fire caused an immediate reduction in sexual reproductive success by destroying developing reproductive structures and seeds. Additionally, five of the six study species exhibited overall reductions in seed production in the years following fire. Fire had this effect by reducing the individual size of all species and, for three species, by reducing size-specific reproductive output. Only the tree Piptocarpha rotundifolia exhibited increased seed production following burning. 4. Fire caused substantial mortality to both seedlings and suckers. Suckers were larger than seedlings and experienced lower mortality rates for two of three species. Fire-induced mortality of seedlings varied greatly among species, ranging from 33% to 100%. 5. The results indicate that vegetative reproduction is much more successful than sexual reproduction under the high fire frequency typical of current fire regimes. It is concluded that current fire regimes must be causing a shift in species composition, favouring species capable of vegetative reproduction.
Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Asymmetric Multi-Story Wood-Frame Building

The presented research focuses on large-scale seismic testing under multi-directional ground motion of a three-story high, wood-frame residential building representing late 1960's California construction. Earthquake lateral resistance is provided by plywood shear walls around the perimeter of the building with an open front in the first story for tuck-under parking. Accordingly, the as-built structural configuration is asymmetric in plan and discontinuous in elevation with tendency to twist about a vertical axis and to form a weak story mechanism. The test results confirm this tendency. They also reveal the sensitivity of the response to multi-direction ground motion. Asymmetric damage patterns are induced by the multi-component motions in the walls oriented perpendicular to the open front for the as-built test structure, with or without finish materials. However, the observed damage remained noncritical as far as structural integrity is concerned even for ground accelerations exceeding 120% of that recor...
School-based group psychotherapy for at-risk adolescents.

(2011). School-Based Group Psychotherapy for At-Risk Adolescents. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy: Vol. 61, The Village Well Revisited: Honoring Anne Alonso, pp. 311-317.
Complaint, patience, and neglect: responses to a dissatisfying service experience

This study examines the responses of complainers and non-complainers after a service failure in the auto repair and medical service contexts. In particular, this study focuses on differentiating the two types of dissatisfaction responses of non-complainers, patience and neglect, from complaint. The results, based on a survey of 230 respondents, indicate that attitudes toward complaining and emotional bonding differentiate neglect from complaint, and the criticality of the service failure differentiates patience from complaint. The findings suggest that patience customers have higher return intentions than neglect customers, and as high as those of complainers with satisfying service recoveries.
Attitudes and Environmental Management

Attitude studies are useful for environmental managers because they provide (1) information about public support and beliefs, (2) information about goals necessary to set standards, and (3) information about the current and future behavior of relevant parties. Three cases are described to show how attitude studies can play a role in environmental management—helping to set user limits for float trips on the Colorado River, establish the feasibility of an earlier deer-hunting season in northwestern Wisconsin, and develop a plan to clean up a polluted lake. Because of their utility, it is predicted that the demand for attitude studies as part of environmental management will increase. Information about specific attitudes and beliefs, based on actual experience, is most helpful, and experimental designs in field research can augment information from surveys. In spite of the attitudinal information, two of the projects described here were stopped by organized opposition of a particular interest group. Thus, simple user attitude studies are not sufficient, and a broader array of social science research on environmental management is needed to deal with such influences.
Capsaicin does not attenuate bombesin-induced suppression of operant responding for food reward.

Abstract Systemic treatment with capsaicin, a neurotoxin which damages unmyelinated peptide-containing sensory neurons, has been shown to attenuate bombesin (BBS)-induced suppression of food intake. To determine whether capsaicin-sensitive fibers mediate the effect of BBS on appetitive motivation, we examined BBS-induced suppression of operant responding in rats pretreated neonatally with capsaicin (50 mg/kg; SC) or control vehicle. At 8–10 weeks of age, rats were trained to bar press for food. After achieving a stable level of performance, the animals were injected with BBS (10 μg/kg), normal saline, or prefed with 20 Noyes 45-mg pellets. Animals were then tested in an operant chamber on an FR 5 schedule of reinforcement for one hour. The results indicated that BBS suppressed bar pressing, regardless of whether animals were pretreated with capsaicin or control vehicle. These findings are inconsistent with the hypothesis that BBS induces satiety via capsaicin-sensitive neurons. The results suggest the possibility that more than one mechanism may mediate the effects of BBS: a neural mechanism involved in consummatory responses and a humoral mechanism involved in the operant response.
Urinalysis in Western culture: A brief history

Today physicians use urine to diagnose selective conditions but from ancient times until the Victorian era, urine was used as the primary diagnostic tool. Laboratory medicine began with the analysis of human urine, which was called uroscopy and today is termed urinalysis. Uroscopy was the mirror of medicine for thousands of years. From a liquid window through which physicians felt they could view the body's inner workings. Numerous, somewhat accurate, physiologic theories arose from uroscopy. Then the importance of urinary diagnosis became exaggerated, and increasingly complex, until physicians required only the presence of urine, not patients, to diagnose disease. Uroscopy then escaped medical control, becoming first a home health aid and then a tool of uneducated practitioners. Thomas Brian led a medical rebellion against all uses of uroscopy and published the Pisse Prophet, a book that devastated uroscopy.
Yield enhancement in micromechanical sensor fabrication using statistical process control

Statistical process control (SPC) has gained wide acceptance in recent years as an essential tool for yield improvement in the microelectronics industry. In both manufacturing and research and development settings, statistical methods are extremely useful in process control and optimization. Here we describe the recent implementation of SPC in the micromachining fabrication process at Draper. A wide array of micromachined silicon sensors, including gyroscopes, accelerometers, and microphones, are routinely fabricated at Draper, often with rapidly changing designs and processes. In spite of Draper's requirements for rapid turnaround and relatively small, short production runs, SPC has turned out to be a critical component of the product development process. This paper describes the multipronged SPC approach we have developed and tailored to the particular requirements of an R & D micromachining process line. Standard tools such as Pareto charts, histograms, and cause-and-effect diagrams have been deployed to troubleshoot yield and performance problems in the micromachining process, and several examples of their use are described. More rigorous approaches, such as the use of control charts for variables and attributes, have been instituted with considerable success. The software package CornerstoneR was selected to handle the SPC program at Draper. We describe the highly automated process now in place for monitoring key processes, including diffusion, oxidation, photolithography, and etching. In addition to the process monitoring, gauge capability is applied to critical metrology tools on a regular basis. Applying these tools in the process line has resulted in sharply improved yields and shortened process cycles.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Yield criterion and loading function for concrete plasticity

Abstract The findings of our continuing efforts during the last decade to develop a rational plasticity-based numerical model for the response and failure prediction of reinforced concrete structures are summarized. Several plasticity-fracture models are implemented in two general purpose finite element codes to evaluate the effect of yield criterion and loading function selections. Four sets of experimental data were considered in the comparative study. The significance of properly modeled loading functions is illustrated by homogeneous deformations as well as two reinforced concrete structural problems. Accurate modeling of stress-strain relationships is shown to be of critical importance in the prediction of concrete structural failure.
The effects of cyanide plus beta-hydroxybutyrate on changes in mitochondrial absorbancy and ultrastructure induced by hypotonicity and inorganic phosphate.

Absorbancy measurements and electron microscopy of isolated rat liver mitochondria show that simple osmotic swelling is not prevented by cyanide plus β-hydroxybutyrate. Similarly, electron microscopy shows that these two agents do not prevent the swelling induced by inorganic phosphate. However, the absorbancy decrease induced by inorganic phosphate is inhibited by cyanide plus β-hydroxybutyrate.
Alarm Substances and Fright Reaction in Some Fishes from the Southeastern United States

Abstract Alarm substances and fright reactions were found in three species of Cyprinidae from the southeastern United States (Notropis venustus, N. texanus and Hybopsis aestivalis). Three types of fright reactions were observed corresponding to the vertical distribution of the test species in the natural habitat (top-water, mid-water and bottom). Evidence was found that Gambusia affinis and Fundulus olivaceus (Poeciliidae and Cyprinodontidae) respond to skin extract from their own species with a reaction that may be comparable to the fright reaction known in the Ostariophysi and Gonorynchiformes. A predator odor capable of eliciting a fright response in local prey species was found in three North American predatory fishes \[Lepomis macrochirus, and Micropterus punctulatus (Centrarchidae); Esox niger (Esocidae)\] and in two South American fishes, Astronotus ocellatus and Cichlasoma severum (Cichlidae). The reactions to predator odor by the prey were similar in appearance to those observed in experiments us...
Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy compared with soil clay and organic matter content for estimating within-field variation in N uptake in cereals

Adjusting fertiliser applications to within-field variations in nitrogen (N) mineralisation during the growing season can increase yields, improve crop quality, reduce costs and decrease nutrient losses to the environment. Predicting such variations at a reasonable cost is therefore important. In a three-year study, Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy was compared with soil organic matter (SOM) and clay content as predictors of plant N uptake using cross-validated PLS (Partial Least Squares) regression models. Plant N uptake was measured as total nitrogen in aboveground plant parts at harvest, in plots without N fertilisation within three different fields in southern Sweden. NIR spectroscopy and combined clay and SOM content resulted in equally good estimations of plant N uptake in fields with large variation in SOM content. Cross-validated NIR calibrations for plant N uptake within fields for separate years resulted in r2 values of 0.75-0.85 and average cross-validation errors of 11-16 kg N ha-1 for two fields (one year excluded at one field because of farmyard manure application). No significant improvements were seen when NIR-spectra, clay and SOM were included in the same model, suggesting that the additional predictive capacity of NIR over SOM relates to soil texture variations. NIR calibrations also performed poorly in one field where plant N uptake could not be explained by SOM or clay content. Predictions within fields between years produced r2 values of 0.54-0.92 and prediction errors of 8-20 kg N ha-1 for one field. These results confirm that N uptake prediction accuracy can be improved by using NIR spectroscopy in fields with large SOM variations. However, good estimations could not be made between fields, indicating difficulties in creating more general calibration models for large geographical areas.
Prediction of dermal absorption from complex chemical mixtures: incorporation of vehicle effects and interactions into a QSPR framework.

Significant progress has been made on predicting dermal absorption/penetration of topically applied compounds by developing QSPR models based on linear free energy relations (LFER). However, all of these efforts have employed compounds applied to the skin in aqueous or single solvent systems, a dosing scenario that does not mimic occupational, environmental or pharmaceutical exposure. We have explored using hybrid QSPR equations describing individual compound penetration based on the molecular descriptors for the compound modified by a mixture factor (MF) which accounts for the physicochemical properties of the vehicle/mixture components. The MF is calculated based on percentage composition of the vehicle/mixture components and physical chemical properties selected using principal components analysis. This model has been applied to 12 different compounds in 24 mixtures for a total of 288 treatment combinations obtained from flow-through porcine skin diffusion cells and in an additional dataset of 10 of th...
Enzymatic mechanisms of resistance to alkylating agents in tumor cells and normal tissues

The presence in tumor cells and in normal cells of enzymes which metabolize and inactive alkylating agents appears to play a major role in determining the effectiveness of alkylating agents against human tumors and the toxicities of these agents to normal tissues. The enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase appears to protect bone marrow and the gastrointestinal tract against toxicity from cyclophosphamide and other closely related oxazophosphorine agents. The presence of this enzyme in bone marrow stem cells facilitates the elimination of tumor cells from bone marrow suspensions, with preservation of the ability of the marrow suspension to reconstitute normal hematopoiesis in a patient. A variety of mouse and human tumors has been shown to be resistant to cyclophosphamide on the basis of an elevated aldehyde dehydrogenase content. The clinical significance of this type of resistance is currently being explored. Increased levels of glutathione-S-transferase have been shown to be associated with cellular resistance to a variety of alkylating agents. We have identified and characterized the conjugates of nitrogen mustards with glutathione. The formation of these conjugates is catalyzed by glutathione-S-transferase. The further study and characterization of these specific reactions should contribute to the understanding and quantitation of this type of alkylating agent resistance.
Cis-trans radical photoisomerization—A pulse radiolysis-flash photolysis study

Abstract The combination of pulse radiolysis and laser flash photolysis is a very useful tool to study radical photochemistry. The criteria for designing such double pulse experiments are discussed and a typical system is described. The technique is illustrated with recent results from the study of olefin radical photoisomerization.
Quality Insights: Global Quality Research, Thoughts, and Perspectives

This inaugural write-up of Quality Insights presents a variety of global quality research, thoughts, and perspectives into what quality is all about and why it is important for us never to let up in our pursuit of better quality, no matter how elusive it might appear at first glance. Quality is achievable and there is always room for better quality of products and services. Even behavioural outputs and interpersonal interactions can benefit from better quality.
Phase diagrams of multilayer adsorbed methane

We propose multilayer phase diagrams based on recent observations of methane adsorbed on graphite and gold (111). Methane wets graphite at all temperatures observed, but it fully wets gold only above the bulk triple point. Possible reasons for this difference in behavior are discussed. The methane-graphite phase diagram also includes layer by layer condensation with critical points leading to a predicted bulk roughening temperature, and an extension of the bulk melting curve into the multilayer film region where it closes at a triple point with a compressed incommensurate first layer solid phase. Experimental evidence for these features is presented and discussed.
Adaptation of maximum entropy capitalizer: Little data can help a lot

Abstract A novel technique for maximum “a posteriori” (MAP) adaptation of maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and maximum entropy Markov models (MEMM) is presented. The technique is applied to the problem of automatically capitalizing uniformly cased text. Automatic capitalization is a practically relevant problem: speech recognition output needs to be capitalized; also, modern word processors perform capitalization among other text proofing algorithms such as spelling correction and grammar checking. Capitalization can be also used as a preprocessing step in named entity extraction or machine translation. A “background” capitalizer trained on 20 M words of Wall Street Journal (WSJ) text from 1987 is adapted to two Broadcast News (BN) test sets – one containing ABC Primetime Live text and the other NPR Morning News/CNN Morning Edition text – from 1996. The “in-domain” performance of the WSJ capitalizer is 45% better relative to the 1-gram baseline, when evaluated on a test set drawn from WSJ 1994. When evaluating on the mismatched “out-of-domain” test data, the 1-gram baseline is outperformed by 60% relative; the improvement brought by the adaptation technique using a very small amount of matched BN data – 25–70k words – is about 20–25% relative. Overall, automatic capitalization error rate of 1.4% is achieved on BN data. The performance gain obtained by employing our adaptation technique using a tiny amount of out-of-domain training data on top of the background data is striking: as little as 0.14 M words of in-domain data brings more improvement than using 10 times more background training data (from 2 M words to 20 M words).
Phage P1 temperature-sensitive mutants with defects in the lytic pathway.

Abstract We have partially characterized the first 10 mutants of bacteriophage P1 that are temperature sensitive in functions required for lytic growth. The 10 mutants fall into six different complementation groups, one of which includes a previously described amber mutant. The approximate position of these five groups was established by deletion mapping. Based on temperature shift experiments with the is mutants, each of the six affected genes is required for lytic growth only later than 30 min after infection. Two of these genes, 11 and 12, probably code for structural proteins of the Pi virion since temperature-sensitive mutants in these genes show greater thermolability than wild type P1 phage. One of the ts mutations is suppressed by the presence of an amber suppressor in the host.
Enthalpies of alkyl sulfonates in water, heavy water, and water-alcohol mixtures and the interaction of water with methylene groups

The heats of solution of the sodium n-alkyl sulfonates from methyl to octyl have been measured at 25°C in water, D2O, and three alcohol-rich mixtures with water, all at solute concentrations low enough so that solute-solute interaction is negligible. Methylene-group contributions to the enthalpies of transfer are readily identified. Collation with the results of earlier studies of enthalpies of transfer leads to the conclusion that methylene-group enthalpies of transfer can be identified as follows: 0.87 kcal-mole−1 for transfers to the gas phase from water and −0.035 kcal-mole−1 for transfers to D2O from H2O, independent of the solute type provided only that methylene-group contributions can be identified in the data. Compared to other solvents, water is about as lipophilic as dimethylsulfoxide or a mixture of 27 moles of water with 73 moles of methanol. However, the range of the interactions between different groups on a given solute molecule seems to be much greater in water than in any of the other solvents studied, making it more difficult to identify group contributions to solvation in water. Another example of the complexity of the solvation of alkyl groups in water is encountered when one compares the solvation enthalpy of hexane in various solvents with some of the above results.
School motivation and high school dropout: The mediating role of educational expectation

Background A good deal of evidence indicates that students' motivational beliefs and attitudes play a critical role in their academic success. Research studies on how motivational factors may help determine whether students remain in high school or drop out, however, are relatively few. More specifically, there is a lack of research examining the dynamics of whether students' motivational beliefs from earlier in high school might be used to predict their status as a dropout in their final year. Aims The aim of the present study was to examine the mediating role of students' educational expectations in linking students' school motivation to their dropout status by utilizing a nationally representative dataset. Sample The present study used data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002). The final sample consisted of 16,194 students, with approximately 54% White, 13% Black, 16% Hispanic, and 10% Asian students, and the rest were Native American, Hawaiian, multiracial, or of other races. Method Structural equation modelling was employed to conduct the mediational analysis. Results The results of the present study demonstrated that the relationships between student ability beliefs in math and English and student behaviour of dropping out were fully mediated by students' educational expectations. The results also revealed that student intrinsic value in math and English had significant indirect relations with student behaviour of leaving school through students' educational expectations. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that explanations for student dropout status that rely solely on students' social background and school behaviours without considering their motivation are incomplete. The study expands the extant research by showing possible pathways that motivate students to persist in high school. These pathways are specifically rooted in students' ability beliefs and intrinsic interest in learning through their relationships with students' expectations for their education.
Knowledge and educational needs of individuals with the factor V Leiden mutation.

Summary. Background: Genetic testing for factor (F)V Leiden is widely performed in an effort to prevent thrombosis-related morbidity. The implications of a positive test for patients' health perception and the extent of patients' understanding of results are not known. Objectives: This study examined patient experience of genetic testing for FV Leiden. Patients and methods: The study was a cross-sectional, mailed survey of 110 patients who tested positive for the FV Leiden gene mutation at an academic medical center between 1995 and 2001. Patient knowledge about FV Leiden, satisfaction with available information, and psychosocial reactions to testing were assessed and the influence of demographic and clinical characteristics on outcome measured. Results: The magnitude of thrombosis risk associated with FV Leiden was incorrectly estimated by 79% of participants. Many patients (64%) stated that they had not been given much information about FV Leiden and 68% still had many questions. Most patients (53%) felt that their healthcare providers do not understand FV Leiden. Patients who had been seen by a hematologist or in a specialized thrombosis clinic were more knowledgeable and had less information need. Most patients (88%) were glad to know genetic test results, despite negative psychosocial implications such as increased worry (43%). Conclusions: Knowledge of genetic status increases awareness of thrombosis risk among patients, but magnitude of risk is often overestimated. Affected individuals indicate that there is a lack of available information about FV Leiden and that additional educational resources are needed.
A3-A3 anastomosis and superficial temporal artery-radial artery graft-A3 bypass to treat bilateral ACA steno-occlusive hemodynamic ischemia with cognitive and executive dysfunction: a technical note

Executive functions are complex cognitive control functions that include cognitive flexibility, inhibition (self-control, self-regulation), and working memory. Bilateral frontal lobe ischemia is associated with cognitive impairment, especially in the context of dysexecutive syndrome. This report describes two patients who underwent bilateral anterior cerebral artery (ACA) reconstruction by A3-A3 anastomosis in conjunction with superficial temporal artery (STA)-radial artery (RA) graft-A3 bypass to treat bilateral ACA steno-occlusive hemodynamic ischemia accompanying cognitive and executive dysfunction. A 74-year-old woman and a 73-year-old woman were admitted to our hospital for unilateral cerebral infarction in the frontal lobe. Magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) demonstrated severe bilateral ACA steno-occlusive pathology in both patients. Considering the presence of impaired cognitive function with dysexecutive syndrome as well as hemodynamic compromise shown by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), we proceeded with A3-A3 anastomosis in conjunction with STA-RA-A3 bypass. Various neuropsychiatric tests were performed before and after the surgery. We confirmed good bypass patency without periprocedural complications. One patient recovered from apallic and bedridden status and regained ambulatory condition and ability to take in an oral diet. Another patient demonstrated improved scores in several cognitive tests with some persistent executive dysfunction. Bilateral ACA revascularization was technically feasible in two patients. This bypass surgery could have some positive effects in some basic cognitive function, such as memory, attention, and concentration by bilateral ACA hemodynamic improvement, although executive function, which is specific to prefrontal function, might not be reversible.
Is There Moral High Ground

As a bit of empirical data with which to begin, a recent internet search using the Google search engine on the quoted phrase “moral high ground” yielded links to 27,500 webpages. Undoubtedly, there will not be a single sense of the phrase upon which all completely agree, but the concept of one party’s having “the moral high ground” in a dispute is indisputably a part of commonsense moral discourse and thought. In lieu of a universally univocal definition, it may still be helpful to metaethical debate to try to capture the driving force behind what superficially is merely a metaphor. The thesis to be explored is that the notion of “moral high ground” is a bit of commonsense metaethics: that a belief in moral high ground is best understood as an attempt to capture a naive form of moral realism. I will argue here that the denial of a belief in moral high ground is a particularly undesirable form of moral relativism that I will call “metaethical relativism.” Moreover, I will argue that many forms of moral non-realism (irrealism, prescriptivism, and emotivism) are all tacitly committed to metaethical relativism. The contrast between believing in moral high ground and metaethical relativism can be pursued by way of enriching the original metaphor of “moral high ground.” We may engage in what might be called the “theoretical topology” of normative ethical positions or theories. The question that arises is whether or not the metaphysical underpinnings of morality, at bottom, place all moral positions (or theories) on a “flat two dimensional
Hyperactivity and alterations in iron homeostasis in mu opioid receptor knockout mice: possible implications for restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease

Introduction Restless legs syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a neurological disorder that is manifested generally at rest by an urge to move and is often accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the legs. Studies have demonstrated that the degree of opioid receptor binding is inversely proportional to the severity of RLS symptoms and there is a decrease in thalamic beta-endorphin and met- enkephalin, which are endogenous opioid peptides, in RLS patients. Furthermore, μ - opioid receptor agonists have been used to treat RLS patients. In this study we examined the relevance of the mu opioid receptor to RLS. Materials and methods To test the hypothesis that the μ -opioid receptor plays a role in RLS pathophysiology we have taken advantage of a previously generated μ -opioid receptor knockout (KO) mouse. We analyzed the KO mice for RLS-like phenotypes, including spontaneous activity levels, voluntary wheel running levels during the day and night, and sleep structure. Additionally, we measured the levels of neurotransmitters and their metabolites in the striatum using high performance liquid chromatography. Lastly, we examined the KO mice and mice treated with a potent irreversible antagonist for the μ -opioid receptor for alterations in iron homeostasis in the brain, liver, spleen, and serum using atomic absorption spectroscopy, colorimetric assays, and Western blot analysis. Results We have found that mice deficient for the μ -opioid receptor have increased wheel running activity during the rest phase, parallel to human RLS. Furthermore, we have found that loss of the μ -opioid receptor or pharmacological blockade of the mu opioid receptor using an antagonist leads to alterations in iron homeostasis in the periphery, in particular in the serum and spleen. However, we did not observe any alterations in the dopaminergic, serotonergic, or iron systems in the striatum of the μ -opioid receptor KO mice. Conclusion Taken together, while the μ -opioid receptor knockout mice do not match human RLS perfectly, they do have sleep period hyperactivity as expected of an animal model of RLS. Furthermore, the data suggest an interesting role of the mu opioid receptor in iron homeostasis that will need to be investigated in detail in future studies. Acknowledgements We thank Chad C. Cheetham, Atbin Doroodchi, Miki Jinno, Ning Peng, and J. Michael Wyss for their technical assistance and stimulating discussions. This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants NS37409, NS47466, NS47692, NS54246, NS57098, NS65273, NS72872 and NS74423) and startup funds from the Departments of Neurology at UAB and UF.
Cesium-129 Myocardial Scintigraphy to Detect Myocardial Infarction

Cesium-129 is concentrated in the myocardium after intravenous administration permitting myocardial imaging. The dosage used was 2-2.5 mCi in dogs and 3-4 mCi in patients. Four or more views with 200,000 counts per view were obtained 30 to 90 minutes after administration. Control images were obtained in 30 dogs. In two dogs anatomic landmarks were obtained using technetium-99m markers. In 24 dogs, either the anterior descending or circumflex coronary artery was ligated. An area of absent uptake of 129Cs was seen involving the anterior wall and apex or the inferior-posterior wall, respectively. At postmortem this represented a myocardial infarction (MI) averaging 4x5 cm. Smaller MI (2x3 cm) at postmortem were seen as defects of the anterior wall. Evolution of an acute MI was followed in four dogs. The defect appeared at one hour and gradually increased on serial images. Fifty patients were studied. Each of 20 patients without evidence of MI had the normal horseshoe or doughnut appearance of the left ventri...
Relationship of Confidence Level and Perception of Healthiness of Food to Accuracy of Reported Dietary Intake

Abstract The accuracy with which respondents reported dietary intake when using two different sets of measuring aids was investigated. Participants (n=120) were served roast beef, macaroni and cheese, green beans, french fries, salad, corn bread, cake, ice cream, beverage and condiments. Amounts eaten were calculated. Respondents were assigned to an interview group that used either 2- or 3-dimensional (2D or 3D) aids. All were interviewed the following day using the three pass recall method. The respondents' confidence level with the amount they reported having eaten and their perception of the healthiness of each food (l=very healthy or confident to 5=not at all healthy or confident) was recorded. Data were analyzed using SAS-PC. In this study, persons more frequently over reported than under reported their intake, especially when using 2D aids. On average, all groups of respondents over reported the amount of cake, salad dressing, and water by more than 20%. 2D groups over reported consumption of green beans, ice cream, macaroni and cheese, and iced tea by more than 20%, but amounts were more accurate with the 3D aids for macaroni and cheese, ice cream, and tea. Amount of beef, salad, and corn bread eaten was reported within 20% accuracy with either set of aids. Respondents' felt more confident in the amounts reported consumed when using the 3D aids. Although 3D aids tended to produce slightly more accurate estimation than 2D aids, differences were not significant. Mean confidence scores were high (1.24-2.06); however confidence in reported intakes did not correlate with the accuracy of the reporting for any of the foods. Mean healthiness scores ranged from 1.08 for water to 3.85 for margarine. Respondents did not significantly under report their intake of "less healthy" foods or over report the intake of "healthy" foods.
The effect of a single oral dose of ethanol on hepatic blood flow in man

The magnitude and time course of changes in hepatic blood flow following oral ingestion of a single (0.6 g/kg) dose of ethanol was studied using the model compound indocyanine green (ICG). Hepatic blood flow was not significantly different at 40, 90, 150 and 210 minutes following ethanol as compared to baseline values measured 20 and 70 min prior to alcohol ingestion. These results suggest that ethanol, at concentrations commonly associated with social drinking, has minimal effects on liver blood flow and would be expected to contribute little to changes in either the bioavailability or clearance of drugs highly extracted by the liver.
Exactly solvable models for the radiofrequency size effect. II. Small-angle scattering

The effect of small-angle scattering on the line shape of the radiofrequency size effect is calculated for the Fermi surface models discussed in Part I. By considering a model scattering probability that is uniform up to a maximum angle α and zero thereafter, it is shown that the line shape undergoes a pronounced narrowing as α is varied from the effective regime (α > δ) to the ineffective regime (α < δ), where δ is the skin depth relative to the plate thickness. Further, it is shown that scattering by Debye phonons leads to similar results. In the effective regime the resonance amplitude is proportional to T 3and the width is temperature independent. In the ineffective regime the resonance structure is confined to a region about the onset with its amplitude and width varying as T 3and T, respectively. This structure is followed by an exponentially decaying “tail” whose amplitude varies as T 5. Because of the manner in which the scattering angles are distributed, the transition region between regimes is about an order of magnitude larger than predicted by the first scattering model and encompasses approximately two decades in temperature.
Improvements in the Bias and Precision of Sample Quartiles

The sample quartiles, which are common in robust inference and nonparametric statistics, have many prevailing definitions, all with the same asymptotic distribution. In this note we examine the higher order terms in the asymptotic expansions for the bias, variance and M.S.E. of the commonly used quartiles, defined as the linear interpolant of two adjacent order statistics. The expansions are used to develop simple improvements of the interpolation based definition by removing the O(n -1) term in the bias and by minimizing the variance and M.S.E. up to order O(n -2). It is noted that the variances of the traditional quartiles, instead of decreasing monotonically as the sample size increases, exhibit a periodic behavior. This is analogous to a property of sample medians observed by Hodges (1967), and discussed by Hodges and Lehmann (1967).
Development and psychometric assessment of the function-neutral health-related quality of life measure.

ABSTRACTObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the conceptual framework, item pool, and psychometric properties of a new function-neutral measure of health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL).DesignThis is an expert panel review of existing measures of HRQOL and development of a conceptual mode
Dynamic tensile strength of polyurea

Dynamic tensile strength of polyurea is measured at an ultrahigh strain rate of 1.67 × 107 s−1 by generating spall failures inside thick polyurea coatings bonded to steel plates using laser-generated stress waves of several nanoseconds in duration. Specifically, thick polyurea films were cast on a steel plate whose backside was provided with water glass–covered Al film. The Al film was melted by focusing a high-energy Nd:YAG laser pulse over 3-mm-diameter area. Exfoliation of the Al generated a compressive stress wave toward the polyurea coating, which turned tensile upon reflection from the free surface. At a threshold laser energy, the amplitude of the returning tensile stress wave exceeded the dynamic tensile strength of polyurea. The stress wave profile inside the steel plate was interferometrically recorded at the threshold laser fluence and was used in a wave mechanics simulation to calculate the peak tensile stress. The polyurea was modeled as a viscoelastic solid.
Kinetic studies of human endometrial hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.

Abstract Human endometrial hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) in microsomal and mitochondrial fractions was characterized by the kinetic analysis of eight steroids: estradiol† (E2), estrone (E1), testosterone (T), androstenedione (A), 5-ene-androstene-3β,17β-diol (Adiol), dehydroepiandrosterone (D), 20α-dihydroprogesterone (20α-DHP) and progesterone (P). The enzyme activity was estimated from the initial rate of the formation of the product in the presence of various concentrations of [3H]-steroid and an excess amount of cofactor NAD for the oxidation and NADH for the reduction. The oxidation of E2 had a smaller km and a larger vmax than the reduction of E1, indicating that the enzyme favors oxidation. This observation correlates with the previous findings that in the intact cell the interconversion between E2 and E1 is favored toward the formation of E1. The effect of various steroids on the rate of oxidation of E2 and 20α-DHP was examined kinetically. The reaction was found to be competitively inhibited, suggesting that various HSD activities may derive from a single enzyme. The inhibitor constant, kiK, is similar to the km value for each steroid. The relative ki values indicate that E2 has the highest affinity to the enzyme followed in order by 20α-DHP, Adiol, T and A. The endometrial HSD in particulate fractions was treated with trypsin, phospholipase A2 and detergents. The HSD activity was significantly lost after incubation with these enzymes, especially with phospholipase A2, and detergents, indicating that HSD is tightly associated with the particulate components and the activity is stabilized by binding to the membrane.
Low-Temperature Dielectric Bolometer

The theory of the low-temperature ac capacitance bolometer is developed, and it is shown that both the responsivity and detectivity are maximized by the bias current if ∂∊/∂T and ∂ tanδ/∂T are positive. Certain SrTiO3 glass-ceramics meet these conditions at helium temperatures, and the optimum bolometric characteristics are estimated using literature data for the dielectric and thermal properties. Assuming a 16-Hz chopping frequency and 10-ms time constant (which is shown to be consistent with the thermal data), the results are that the responsivity (times the square root of the detector area) varies from 3×106 to 2×105 V W−1 cm from 0.3 to 10 K. The corresponding variation of the detectivity is from 7×1012 to 6×1010 cm W−1Hz−12. Comparisons with other low-temperature thermal detectors are given.
Gas Phase Reactivity of Carboxylates with N-Hydroxysuccinimide Esters

N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters have been used for gas-phase conjugation reactions with peptides at nucleophilic sites, such as primary amines (N-terminus, e-amine of lysine) or guanidines, by forming amide bonds through a nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl carbon. The carboxylate has recently been found to also be a reactive nucleophile capable of initiating a similar nucleophilic attack to form a labile anhydride bond. The fragile bond is easily cleaved, resulting in an oxygen transfer from the carboxylate-containing species to the reagent, nominally observed as a water transfer. This reactivity is shown for both peptides and non-peptidic species. Reagents isotopically labeled with O18 were used to confirm reactivity. This constitutes an example of distinct differences in reactivity of carboxylates between the gas phase, where they are shown to be reactive, and the solution phase, where they are not regarded as reactive with NHS esters.
Validation of cloud forcing simulated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate Model using observations from the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment

Satellite measurements of the effect of clouds on the top of atmosphere radiative energy budget are used to validate model simulations from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate Model (NCAR CCM). The ability of the NCAR CCM to reproduce the monthly mean global distribution and temporal variability on both daily and seasonal time scales is assessed. The comparison reveals several deficiencies in the CCM cloud representation. Most notable are the difficulties in properly simulating the effect of clouds on the planetary albedo. This problem arises from discrepancies in the model's portrayal of low-level cloudiness and leads to significant errors in the absorbed solar radiation simulated by the model. The CCM performs much better in simulating the effect of clouds on the longwave radiation emitted to space, indicating its relative success in capturing the vertical distribution of cloudiness. The daily variability of the radiative effects of clouds in both the shortwave and longwave spectral regions is systematically overestimated. Analysis of the seasonal variations illustrates a distinct lack of coupling in the seasonal changes in the radiative effects of cloudiness between the tropics and mid-latitudes and between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Much of this problem also arises from difficulties in simulating low-level cloudiness, placing further emphasis on the need for better model parameterizations of boundary layer clouds.
A tribute to George Plafker

Abstract In a long and distinguished career, George Plafker made fundamental advances in understanding of megathrust tectonics, tsunami generation, paleoseismology, crustal neotectonics, and Alaskan geology, chiefly by means of geological field observations. George discovered that giant earthquakes result from tens of meters of seismic slip on subduction megathrusts, and he did this before the theory of plate tectonics had become a paradigm. The discovery was founded on George's comprehensive mapping of land-level changes in the aftermath of the 1964 earthquake in Alaska, and on his follow-up mapping, in 1968, in the region of the 1960 earthquakes in Chile. The mapping showed paired, parallel belts of coseismic uplift largely offshore and coseismic subsidence mostly onshore – a pattern now familiar as the initial condition assumed in simulations of subduction-zone tsunamis. George recognized, moreover, that splay faulting can play a major role in tsunami generation, and he also distinguished carefully between tectonic and landslide sources for the multiple tsunamis that accounted for nearly all the fatalities associated with the 1964 Alaska earthquake. George's classic monographs on the 1964 earthquake include findings on subduction-zone paleoseismology that he soon extended to include stratigraphic evidence for cyclic vertical deformation at the Copper River Delta, as well as recurrent uplift evidenced by flights of marine terraces at Middleton Island. As a geologist of earthquakes, George also clarified the tectonics and hazards of crustal faulting in Alaska, California, and other areas worldwide. All the while, George was mapping bedrock geology in Alaska, where he contributed importantly to today's understanding of how terranes were accreted and modified. Especially important was his documentation of the origin, movement, subduction, and collision of the Yakutat terrane in southern Alaska.
The Iwasawa $\mu$-invariant of $p$-adic Hecke $L$-functions

For an odd prime p, we compute the μ-invariant of the anticyclotomic Katz p-adic L-function of a p-ordinary CM field if the conductor of the branch character is a product of primes split over the maximal real subfield. Except for rare cases where the root number of the p-adic functional equation is congruent to ―1 modulo p, the invariant vanishes.
Social Plasticity in the Acorn Woodpecker

Acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus) in southeastern Arizona exhibited two different types of social organization: one of highly cooperative and resident groups and another of birds that migrated and formed only temporary male-female pairs during reproduction. The occurrence of both patterns in the same population indicates a high degree of social flexibility in this species.