cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the location of the free ends of the insoluble block in micelles formed by diblock copolymers

Nonradiative singlet energy transfer has been used to monitor the formation of micelles by diblock copolymers of poly(styrene) and poly(oxyethylene). The acceptor is placed at the junction between the two blocks in sample A1. The donor is placed either at the junction point between the blocks (D1) or free end of the block of poly(styrene) (D2). The experiment finds similar efficiencies of nonradiative singlet energy transfer in micelles formed by D1 and A1, and micelles formed by D2 and A1. This result implies that the free ends of the insoluble blocks do not seek out the center of mass of the micelle, but instead have a distribution throughout the micelle that is similar to the distribution of the junction points. Therefore the result confirms a crucial prediction from a recent simulation of the internal structure of the micelle formed by diblock copolymers in a selective solvent.
Dispersion population models discrete in time and continuous in space.

We analyze a discrete-time model of populations that grow and disperse in separate phases. The growth phase is a nonlinear process that allows for the effects of local crowding. The dispersion phase is a linear process that distributes the population throughout its spatial habitat. Our study quantifies the issues of survival and extinction, the existence and stability of nontrivial steady states, and the comparison of various dispersion strategies. Our results show that all of these issues are tied to the global nature of various model parameters. The extreme strategies of staying-in place and going-everywhere-uniformly are compared numerically to diffusion strategies in various contexts. We approach the mathematical analysis of our model from a functional analysis and an operator theory point of view. We use recent results from the theory of positive operators in Banach lattices.
The renogram and the renal tract in spina bifida.

SUMMARY The method of taking a renogram is described. Renograms are performed routinely on various groups of children at the Children's Hospital, Sheffield, including all new babies with spina bifida. The results of over 250 renograms are given. The procedure has many advantages in the follow-up of children with spina bifida and its results correlate very highly with those of an intravenous pyelogram. RESUME Renogramme et tractus renal dans le spina bifida Les auteurs derivent la facon d'effectuer un reogramme. Les renogrammes sont realises de facon regulere dans des groupes varies d'enfants au Children's Hospital de Sheffield; en particulier, ils sont pratiques chez tous les nouveaux nes atteints de spina bifida et les resultats obtenus sont trks bien corr6lCs avec ceux de l'urographie intra-veineuse.
Poetry therapy: An investigation of a multidimensional clinical model

Abstract The tripartite practice model for poetry therapy developed by Mazza (2003) is composed of receptive/prescriptive, expressive/creative, and symbolic/ceremonial modes (RES). The structure of this model was investigated by means of an online survey of therapists across disciplines. Analysis of the data collected supported the components of the RES as a suitable framework for describing the range of language arts-based methods used therapeutically, and for classification of therapists in relation to this application.
Beating duration of cultured rat heart cells as affected by drugs and other factors.

Summary The beating duration of cultured rat heart muscle (M) cells was prolonged by inhibiting the growth of nonmuscle cells. Colchicine, actinomycin D, hydrocortisone, arginase and cellophane all slowed the rapid overgrowth of M cell cultures and extended the duration of beating. Most of these agents produced some signs of toxicity in the muscle cells. Modifications in the medium and method of addition were also shown to affect beating duration. The substitution of gamma globulin-free serum in the medium for fetal calf serum was found to be the most promising of the treatments.
Genetic control of polyketide biosynthesis in the genus Streptomyces.

The genetic control of polyketide metabolite biosynthesis inStreptomyces sp. producing actinorhodin, daunorubicin, erythromycin, spiramycin, tetracenomycin and tylosin is reviewed. Several examples of positively-acting transcriptional regulators of polyketide metabolism are known, including some two-component sensor kinase-response regulator systems. Translational and posttranslational control mechanisms are only briefly mentioned since very little is known about either of these processes. Examples of how enzyme levels and substrate supply affect polyketide metabolism also are discussed.
Idiocy in Virginia, 1616-1860

Like the English, Virginians tended to think that idiocy, a condition analogous to intellectual disability in the twenty-first century, was congenital, untreatable, and incurable, and they adopted legal remedies that corresponded closely to the laws of England. In addition, concepts of idiocy reflected some of the unique aspects of Virginia's social system, which was dominated by a coterie of powerful men. With a need to preserve social order and maintain decorum, the Virginia legislature established in 1769 the Eastern State Hospital to house unruly and objectionable people who were mentally disabled. Although idiots were among the hospital's first patients, they were eventually banished due to their presumed failure to respond to treatment. The social stigma attached to idiocy extended from Virginia's city streets and jails to the private homes of prominent families. Personal reticence regarding shameful family matters hid the identity of people thought to be intellectually disabled. Even Thomas Jefferson, a prolific author, entered only cryptic notes about the limitations of his sister, Elizabeth. In summary, Virginians' response to idiocy suggests a two-tiered approach: public disclosure and disdain of poor and dependent people with intellectual disabilities, and silent avoidance of the problem in prominent families. In both situations, idiocy represented images of shame and humiliation that threatened the social order.
Organic thin film structures for high-sensitivity imaging of contact stress distributions

Abstract We studied the responses of the electrical and optical characteristics of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with green fluorescent and phosphorescent dyes doped in a polymer matrix to compressive stresses. The phosphorescent OLED converted stresses into measurable and reversible changes in both current density and electroluminescence (EL) intensity. The current showed a nearly linear characteristic response with sensitivity up to 205 μA kPa−1, whereas EL decreased by over three orders of magnitude at 107 kPa. In contrast, the fluorescent OLED exhibited much smaller stress-induced modulations in current and light intensity, and the responses were saturated at stresses above 26 kPa. The discrepancy has been attributed to stress-enhanced back exciton energy transfer between guest and host molecules, which quenches the EL of the phosphorescent OLED, but has a much smaller impact on the performance of the fluorescent OLED.
Surface Spectroscopy of Room-temperature Ionic Liquids on a Platinum Electrode: A Sum Frequency Generation Study

Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements have been conducted on the ionic liquid/platinum electrode system. The room-temperature ionic liquid investigated is 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium [BMIM]+ with [PF6]- or [BF4]- anions. SFG spectra are taken in situ under potential control from 2750 to 3300 cm-1 (C−H stretching region). Polarization-dependent SFG spectra are used to extract orientation information for the cation at the electrode surface. The SFG spectra indicate that the cation changes orientation as the electrode potential is changed within the double-layer region. The plane of the imidazolium ring tips from 35° at positive surface charge to ∼60° from the surface normal at negative surface charge. Further, the orientation change is different for [BMIM][PF6] than for [BMIM][BF4]. A model for ions at the surface is presented based on these spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements.
The effect of water on the ion trap analysis of trimethylsilyl derivatives of long-chain fatty acids and alcohols.

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), with an ion trap mass analyzer, was used to examine the very-long-chain cuticular acid and certain non-acid wax constituents on the leaf sheath surface of Sorghum bicolor before and during 36 hours of light exposure. The mass spectra of the trimethylsilylated acids and alcohols did not match any of those published in searchable mass spectral libraries. The observed differences can be related to the interaction between water and the trimethylsilylated acids and alcohols. Understanding the observed mass spectra of the very-long-chain plant waxes is critical for studies that employ GC/MS with the ion trap mass analyzer to elucidate cuticular wax compositions on plants. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Armed Forces and the Arab Uprisings: The Case of Jordan

The 2011 uprisings across the Arab world have highlighted the importance of civil-military relations across the region. As uprisings against bleak economic conditions and authoritarian rule spread from Tunisia to Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria, the decisions made by Arab armies and security services have been key to the outcomes in every case.
Arrays of Geiger-Mode Avalanche Photodiodes for Ladar and Laser Communications

Arrays of photon-counting Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes bump-bonded to CMOS read-out integrated circuits with per-pixel timing and counting capabilities have been developed for both deep-space laser-communications and for laser radars.
Physically separated references for diffusion coefficient-formula weight (D-FW) analysis of diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) in water.

Development and application of physically separated references for aqueous 1H DOSY diffusion coefficient-formula weight (D-FW) correlation analysis is reported. Commercially available biological buffers (Tris and HEPES) and a water-soluble alcohol (tert-butanol) were used as physically separated references for a Ru and a Mn complex in D2O. This extension of DOSY D-FW analysis expands its applicability to a wide variety of water-soluble molecules or metal complexes, with particular application to green chemistry.
Visual Synthesis of RRR- and RPR-Legged Planar Parallel Manipulators Using Constraint Manifold Geometry

In this paper, we present our ongoing work on development of a visual design tool for designing planar parallel manipulators that satisfy a given rational motion. Although in this paper, we have restricted ourselves to RRR- and RPR-type legs, the approach presented here is general enough to accommodate other leg topologies. The basic idea is to represent the kinematic constraint of such parallel manipulators as an algebraic manifold and the given motion as a one-parameter curve in the image space of planar displacements. The algebraic manifold is projected in the three-dimensional space and a simple set of relationships are obtained that couple the geometry of the projected manifold to the design parameters of the parallel manipulators. Simple geometric transformations in the projected space allow a user to visually contain the image curve inside the manifold, thus satisfying the kinematic constraints. This interactive process, at the end, gives the dimensions of the links of the legs and the location of the fixed and moving frames. This is an extension of our previous work on the dimensional synthesis of planar 6R closed chains.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
The M7 - A Computer for on-Line Track-Finding

The M7 is a small fast computer with an instruction set designed to match the on-line pattern recognition problems of a high energy physics experiment. It has been used as a trigger processor in a photoproduction experiment at Fermilab. The full off-line track-finding program is being moved to the M7 to allow on-line selection of events based on detailed information and to relieve the burden on the central laboratory computer facility. The hardware, support software, and applications programs are discussed.
Outcomes and quality of life in conductive hearing loss.

Abstract Objective: The goal was to measure quality of life (QOL) and hearing-specific functional status before and after treatment of conductive hearing loss (CHL). Study Design and Setting: A prospective, longitudinal, outcomes-based study was performed at an academic medical center. Results: Mean baseline QOL scores in CHL patients were comparable with those of the general population. Audiometric studies indicated significant improvements in hearing threshold in all treated patients. There was no significant improvement in mean global QOL scores after treatment of CHL, although there was little room for improvement over baseline. The hearing-specific instrument did demonstrate significant improvements in emotional and social/situational hearing status after treatment. Patients treated with hearing aids had poorer baseline QOL and hearing status than patients treated with surgery and tended to show declines in QOL and only partial improvement in hearing-specific functional status after treatment. Conclusions: Treatment of CHL resulted in improvements in hearing-specific functional status, although changes were difficult to detect with a global QOL instrument. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2000;123:527-3.)
Why the World Needs to Get Serious About Adolescents: A View From UNICEF

This article makes the case that there has been insufficient global attention to the health and development of children in the second decade of life. The author uses her vantage point of UNICEF to identify that institution's history of accomplishments for younger children and the opportunity to increase its work on adolescents, in collaboration with the research community. She notes that evidence-based programs for adolescents have the potential to consolidate global gains in early and middle childhood, such as reductions in under-five mortality and gains in improving access to and quality of primary schooling, safe water, and routine immunizations. A distinct opportunity in working with this older cohort is the potential for engaging adolescents as social actors in their communities.
Topical Treatment of Vaccinia Virus Infection with an Interferon Inducer in Rabbits

Ointment containing 1.7 mg/g of the interferon inducer poly (ICLC) (a complex of polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid and with poly-L-lysine and carboxymethylcellulose) was effective both prophylactically and therapeutically against vaccinia virus infection in rabbit skin. Poly (ICLC)-treated animals developed higher titers of local interferon and of circulating virus-neutralizing antibodies than placebo-treated animals. Serum levels of greater than 100 units of interferon/ml were found 24 hr after application of the poly (ICLC) ointment to the skin of uninfected rabbits.
Energization of osmotic shock-sensitive transport systems in Escherichia coli requires more than ATP

Abstract Utilizing a temperature-sensitive mutant of Escherichia coli K-12 defective in the coupling of metabolic energy to active transport, we have demonstrated that the uptake systems for arabinose, galactose, valine, histidine, and glutamine, which are sensitive to the osmotic shock treatment of L. A. Heppel (1965) (J. Biol. Chem.240, 3685), are all totally defective at the nonpermissive temperature (42 °C) whereas the intracellular ATP levels increase twofold. Phosphate bond energy alone is therefore not sufficient to energize the transport of these substrates. We have confirmed the findings of E. A., Berger and L. A. Heppel (1974) (J. Biol. Chem. 249, 7747) regarding a severe arsenate I inhibition of the uptake of substrates belonging to osmotic shock-sensitive transport systems and therefore conclude that both ATP and a functional ecf gene product are required for the coupling of energy to the transport of these solutes.
Mapping the magma conduit for the Shinmoe‐dake volcano

Near the southern end of Kyushu, the most southerly of Japan's major islands, a complex of more than 20 small volcanoes together form the Kirishima volcanoes. In January 2011, approximately 20 million cubic meters of material spewed from one of the volcanoes, Shinmoe-dake. Before this most recent activity, Shinmoe-dake had previously erupted in 2010, 1991, 1962, and 1959, with the 2011 eruption being the biggest.
Projection of Flat-Plane Fluxmap Images Onto Non-Flat Receiver Surfaces

When designing or evaluating a dish concentrator system, it is desirable to determine the incident flux profile on the receiver surface, regardless of the absorber surface geometry. During the design process, analytical tools are used to predict flux profiles. During product evaluation, a flux-mapper (beam characterization system) can be used to measure the flux profile on a flat target surface. Radiosity concerns typically limit flux mapping measurements of dish-engine systems to a flat plate target. We propose and demonstrate an analytical method to project such a measured flat-target flux profile onto a non-flat receiver surface. We analytically estimate the angular content of the flux profile, and use this estimate combined with the measured flat-plate flux profile to project an estimate of the flux pattern onto another receiver surface. In this paper, we analytically demonstrate the technique. We first model a dish concentrator using CIRCE2. We then develop an analytic flux-map, in CIRCE2, on a flat target, simulating a flux-mapper output. Next, we use our new software tool and the CIRCE2 angular flux binning to project this flux pattern onto a non-flat receiver surface. Finally, we run a CIRCE2 model of the same dish with the non-flat target geometry, and compare this CIRCE2 output to the projected data. We also demonstrate the technique using a measured flux-map from a dish system in the field.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Evaluation of 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine staining as a sensitive and reliable method for studying cell proliferation in the adult nervous system

Recently, a novel method for detection of DNA synthesis has been developed based on the incorporation of 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), a thymidine analogue, into cellular DNA and the subsequent reaction of EdU with a fluorescent azide in a copper-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition ("Click" reaction). In the present study, we evaluated this method for studying cell proliferation in the adult central nervous system in comparison with the "gold standard" method of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) staining using two behavioral paradigms, voluntary exercise and restraint stress. Our data demonstrate that the number of EdU-positive cells in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus (DG) slightly increased in an EdU dose-dependent manner in both the control and voluntary exercise (running) mouse groups. The number of EdU-labeled cells was comparable to the number of BrdU-labeled cells in both the control and running mice. Furthermore, EdU and BrdU co-localized to the same cells within the DG. Voluntary exercise significantly increased the number of EdU- and BrdU-positive cells in the DG. In contrast, restraint stress significantly decreased the number of EdU-positive cells. The EdU-positive cells differentiated into mature neurons. EdU staining is compatible with immunohistochemical staining of other antigens. Moreover, our data demonstrated EdU staining can be combined with BrdU staining, providing a valuable tool of double labeling DNA synthesis, e.g., for tracking the two populations of neurons generated at different time points. In conclusion, our results suggest that EdU staining is a fast, sensitive and reproducible method to study cell proliferation in the central nervous system.
Transperineal versus endovaginal ultrasonographic examination of the cervix in the midtrimester: A blinded comparison

Abstract Objective: Shortening of the cervix that occurs early in gestation as determined by ultrasonography has been correlated with subsequent spontaneous preterm birth. Because previous studies have compared transperineal and endovaginal ultrasonographic assessment of the cervix over a wide gestational age range, we compared these methods in the midtrimester. Study Design: We performed a prospective, blinded comparison of endovaginal and transperineal cervical ultrasonographic assessment. Unselected gravid women at 15-23 weeks' gestation were sequentially examined by 2 experienced sonographers using an endovaginal probe and a curvilinear probe. For each patient the initial sonographer and examination method were randomly assigned. The sonographer who performed the second examination was blinded to the results and images from the first examination. Results: One hundred two women were studied at a mean of 19.6 weeks' gestation. The overall intermethod correlation was poor ( R = 0.38). In 12 cases a transperineal measurement could not be obtained because of poor visualization of the required landmarks. In 33% of cases the intermethod difference in cervical length was ≥20%. There was no correlation in the identification of funneling at the internal os and very small correlation for the identification of a poorly developed lower uterine segment. Conclusion: Transperineal ultrasonographic imaging of the cervix is an unsatisfactory alternative to an endovaginal assessment in the midtrimester. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;181:780-3.)
Employee involvement: An effective strategy for reducing workers' compensation costs

Costs associated with workplace injuries and illnesses continue to be a major concern for apparel manufacturers. A major cost is that of workers' compensation insurance, the social insurance programme that provides a means of paying for costs associated with work‐related injuries and illnesses. The purpose of this study was to examine the practice by US apparel companies of involving employees on safety teams or committees as a strategy for reducing workers' compensation costs. Data were generated from responses to a mailed questionnaire by 134 upper level managers in apparel companies located throughout the USA. Results indicated that 60 per cent of the respondents involved employees on a safety team or committee. Chi‐square analysis showed a significant difference in observed frequencies and expected frequencies for change in workers' compensation costs when employees were involved in safety teams or committees. Employee involvement was reported as a component of ergonomics and safety programmes by over two‐thirds of the companies that were developing and implementing such programmes. The findings from this study provide support for involving employees on safety teams or committees as a cost reduction strategy.
Separation of Church and State: Impact on Faith-Based Services

SUMMARY Legal advocates, clergy and politicians have all been challenged by the concept of the separation of church and state since the first European set foot on the American continent. Two schools of thought have been developed for this unique problem in the United States. Roger Williams took the position that there needs to be a separation of church and state in order to keep the church pure from the politics and every day work of the state. Thomas Jefferson, who is often attributed with developing this concept, took the position that the need for this separation was to protect the state from the church. Both positions often get articulated as if they are one concept in the United States. However, they are very different. This debate has carried itself in the current millennium into the work of the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives as well as the legislation known as Charitable Choice.
Determination of Manganese with Triethanolamine Using Long-Path Photometry

Abstract Manganese(II) in strongly alkaline medium in presence of triethanolamine (TEA) is readily oxidized to form an emerald green Mn(III)-TEA complex. The complex, long ago proposed by Bruno for a photometric determination, has a molar absorptivity of about one-tenth that of permanganate. However, when measured in a long-path cell this deficiency can readily be compensated for and the enormous advantages over the conventional method result, that chloride is no interference and boiling is not required. In order to employ the simplest available suitable instrument, especially for field work, an LED was used as a light source. Its peak wave length is somewhat off the absorbance maximum and a reinvestigation of linearity and interferences became necessary. Also investigated were some modifications proposed by Nightingale. They were found only to complicate but not to improve Bruno's simple procedure.
HOW LIKEABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS RATINGS OF COLLEGE PROFESSORS BY THEIR STUDENTS ARE AFFECTED BY COURSE DEMANDS AND PROFESSORS' ATTITUDES

Summary.-40 subjects were asked to evaluate the likeability and effectiveness of four professors who were described as either demanding or easy and as either positive or negative to their students. Analysis showed that subjects liked the demanding, positive professor better than the easy, positive professor. Subjects evaluated the demanding professor and the positive professor as more effective than the easy professor and negative professor. Professors may be considered easy in two ways, because they teach easy courses in the sense that they don't demand much of their students and because they are easy to get along with in the sense that they have a positive attitude toward, are open to, and interact easily with students. On the first issue of easy versus demanding it is, as Marsh (1980) pointed out, commonly assumed by college professors that they "need only give higher grades and demand little work of students to be evaluated favorably" (p. 234). However, Marsh's finding in that 1980 study was that the demanding professors got higher evaluations from students, not the easy professors. Coleman and McKeachie (1981) presented students enrollment choices among three courses evaluated as good the previous year and another course evaluated as higher but whch was also evaluated as demanding more work. "Students chose the most highly rated course despite the greater amount of work reported" (p. 225). This discrepancy between the common professorial belief and research findings may be explained by the fact the professorial belief is probably based on what students say among themselves-~ublic information-whereas research findings are based on end-of-term evaluations-private information. If, then, students are allowed to make their ratings of professors anonymously, they should rate the demanding professor as more effective than the easy professor. While students may prefer the demanding professor more than the easy professor in the sense that, in private, they give the demanding professor more favorable evaluations than the easy professor, students may not actually like the demanding professor more than the easy one. Students may appreciate that they are learning more because more demands are being made of them but they may not like the professor who makes these demands. If, however, a professor is not only demanding but is, at the same time, positive
CDS Auctions and Informative Biases in CDS Recovery Rates

Introduced in 2005 to identify recovery rates and so facilitate cash settlement in the multi-trillion dollar credit default swap market, credit-event auctions have a novel and complex two-stage structure that makes them distinct from other auction forms. Examining the efficacy of the auction's price-discovery process, we find that the auction price has a significant bias relative to pre- and post-auction market prices for the same instruments, and that volatility of market prices often increases after the auction. Nonetheless, we find that the auction generates information that is critical for post-auction market price formation. Auction outcomes are heavily influenced by strategic considerations and "winner's curse" concerns that could explain the observed biases. Structural estimation of the auction carried out under some simplifying assumptions suggests that alternative auction formats could reduce the bias in the auction final price.
Nitrogen fixation by algae in a Massachusetts salt marsh 1

Over a 3-year period, Nt fixation on the surface of a Cape Cod salt marsh was highest in siimmcr, with overall rates of about lo-20 mg N mm2 d-‘. This average, coupled with Nz fixation in the rhizosphere (ca. 80 mg N m-” d-l), compared favorably with the highest N, fixation rates mcasurcd anywhcrc. Thcrc wcrc significant variations from one rnarsh habitat to another; the blue-green algal mat had the highest rate of Nz fixation per unit area (100-200 ng N crne2 h-l), but due to its large area, the low marsh with short Spurtinn contributed the greatest amount of fixed N. Nitrogen is fixed on the marsh surface primarily by blue-green algae.
Learning human actions via information maximization

In this paper, we present a novel approach for automatically learning a compact and yet discriminative appearance-based human action model. A video sequence is represented by a bag of spatiotemporal features called video-words by quantizing the extracted 3D interest points (cuboids) from the videos. Our proposed approach is able to automatically discover the optimal number of video-word clusters by utilizing maximization of mutual information(MMI). Unlike the k-means algorithm, which is typically used to cluster spatiotemporal cuboids into video words based on their appearance similarity, MMI clustering further groups the video-words, which are highly correlated to some group of actions. To capture the structural information of the learnt optimal video-word clusters, we explore the correlation of the compact video-word clusters. We use the modified correlogram, which is not only translation and rotation invariant, but also somewhat scale invariant. We extensively test our proposed approach on two publicly available challenging datasets: the KTH dataset and IXMAS multiview dataset. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to try the bag of video-words related approach on the multiview dataset. We have obtained very impressive results on both datasets.
Two-photon Rydberg series in atomic boron

The one-color, 2+1 resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) spectrum of boron atoms ( 2p P2j∘) is studied between 304 and 350 nm. The most intense peak is at 346.10 nm for 4p P2J∘ ←←2p P23/2∘. The recorded spectrum includes a new np Rydberg series. We report laser wavelengths and new atomic energy levels and suggest 2+1 REMPI as a convenient method for the detection of atomic boron.
Localization of a GABA transporter to glial cells in the developing and adult olfactory pathway of the moth Manduca sexta

Glial cells have several critical roles in the developing and adult olfactory (antennal) lobe of the moth Manduca sexta. Early in development, glial cells occupy discrete regions of the developing olfactory pathway and processes of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons extend into some of these regions. Because GABA is known to have developmental effects in a variety of systems, we explored the possibility that the glial cells express a GABA transporter that could regulate GABA levels to which olfactory neurons and glial cells are exposed. By using an antibody raised against a characterized high-affinity M. sexta GABA transporter with high sequence homology to known mammalian GABA transporters (Mbungu et al. [1995] Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 318:489-497; Umesh and Gill [2002] J. Comp. Neurol. 448:388-398), we found that the GABA transporter is localized to subsets of centrally derived glial cells during metamorphic adult development. The transporter persists into adulthood in a subset of the neuropil-associated glial cells, but its distribution pattern as determined by light-and electron-microscopic-level immunocytochemistry indicates that it could not serve to regulate GABA concentration in the synaptic cleft. Instead, its role is more likely to regulate extracellular GABA levels within the glomerular neuropil. Expression in the sorting zone glial cells disappears after the period of olfactory receptor axon ingrowth, but may be important during ingrowth if GABA regulates axon growth. Glial cells take up GABA, and that uptake can be blocked by L-2,4-diaminobutyric acid (DABA). This is the first molecular evidence that the central glial cell population in this pathway is heterogeneous.
Prevalence and Predictors of Internet Bullying

Abstract Purpose With the Internet quickly becoming a new arena for social interaction, it has also become a growing venue for bullying among youth. The purpose of the present study was to contrast the prevalence of Internet bullying with physical and verbal bullying among elementary, middle, and high school boys and girls, and to examine whether key predictors of physical and verbal bullying also predicted Internet bullying. Methods As part of an ongoing, statewide bullying prevention initiative in Colorado, 3,339 youth in Grades 5, 8, and 11 completed questionnaires in 78 school sites during the fall of 2005, and another 2,293 youth in that original sample participated in a follow-up survey in 65 school sites in the spring of 2006. Questionnaires included measures of bullying perpetration and victimization, normative beliefs about bullying, perceptions of peer social support, and perceptions of school climate. Results The highest prevalence rates were found for verbal, followed by physical, and then by Internet bullying. Physical and Internet bullying peaked in middle school and declined in high school. Verbal bullying peaked in middle school and remained relatively high during high school. Males were more likely to report physical bullying than females, but no gender differences were found for Internet and verbal bullying. All three types of bullying were significantly related to normative beliefs approving of bullying, negative school climate, and negative peer support. Conclusions Preventive interventions that target school bullying by changing norms about bullying and school context may also impact Internet bullying, given the shared predictors.
An ex vivo bacteriologic study comparing antiseptic techniques for natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) via the gastrointestinal tract.

NOTES via the gastrointestinal tract raises the specter of intra-peritoneal infection. Various anti-microbial techniques have been employed in animal and human survival studies, including saline lavage, intravenous and topical antibiotics, and povidone-iodine, although there is a paucity of data regarding their general effectiveness. To assess the effectiveness of existing sterilization techniques for NOTES by quantifying and speciating colony-forming units (CFUs) before and after treatment. Ex vivo animal studies; bacteriological study. Stomachs and distal colons were harvested en bloc from ten fasted adult white pigs following euthanasia. Half received cefazolin 1 g intravenously prior to killing. Multiple tissue samples were obtained from each resected organ. Each tissue sample was then assigned to one of five treatment arms: (1) normal saline, (2) Betadine, (3) cefazolin/metronidazole suspension, (4) chlorhexidine, (5) no treatment. Fifteen samples were used per arm. After treatment, the mucosal surface of each sample was swabbed and inoculated in normal saline, followed by serial dilutions, which were then plated onto sheep’s blood agar plates and incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. CFUs were quantified and speciated. Median bacterial density was estimated to be 8.0 × 105 CFUs/ml (stomach) and 1.9 × 106 CFUs/ml (colon). The predominant organisms were Escherichia coli (stomach) and both E. coli and Enterococcus sp. (colon). Saline and antibiotic suspension lavages caused a 1-log reduction in stomach and colon. Betadine/chlorhexidine lavage resulted in a 4-log reduction. Intravenous antibiotics alone resulted in a 4-log reduction. Combining intravenous antibiotics and either Betadine or chlorhexidine decreased counts to the 101 level. By Kruskal–Wallis method, differences were statistically significant (p = 0.001). The use of intravenous antibiotics in addition to topical Betadine or chlorhexidine effectively reduced microbial burden in both gastric and colonic mucosa in this porcine model to the 101 level.
The European distaste for US budget deficits: A regime shift explanation

It is the general consensus that the chief stimulus to the European recovery from the 1982 recession was exports to the United States. It is therefore paradoxical that European official circles were critical of the swingeing US budget deficits throughout the 1980–85 period even though the budget deficits were the driving force behind the high US import demands. This paper argues that the European government had become more concerned with price stability and hence was obliged to pursue contractionary macro policies in order to offset the supply-side price pressure caused by the strong dollar. The Europeans were unhappy with the US budget deficits because they would have benefited more if the US recovery had been maintained by looser monetary but tighter fiscal policies. The contributions of this paper are: one, showing how a standard macro model can be modified to accomadate the endogenous European policy response; and two, testing the joint hypothesis of ‘new’ European concerns and of induced contraction ...
Context effects on tempo and pleasantness judgments for Beatles songs

Context effects on tempo and pleasantness judgments of different tempos were demonstrated in three experiments using Beatles songs. In Experiments 1 and 2, we explored how listening to versions of the same song that were played at different tempos affected tempo and pleasantness ratings. In both experiments, contrast effects were found on judgments of tempo, with target tempos rated faster when context tempos were slow than when they were fast. In both experiments, we also showed that the peak of the pleasantness rating function shifted toward the values of the context tempos, reflecting disordinal context effects on pleasantness relationships. Familiarity with the songs did not moderate these effects, and shifts in tempo ratings did not correlate with shifts in most pleasant target tempos when context was manipulated within subjects. In Experiment 3, we examined how manipulations of context tempos for one song affected judgments of the same song as compared with judgments of other more or less similar songs. For tempo ratings, contrast effects transferred to ratings of a similar song, but for pleasantness ratings, assimilative shifts of ideals were found only for the same song and not for similar songs. This pattern of results was supportive of independent bases for the two context effects.
Efectos microbiológicos producidos por un evento de surgencia costera en Chile central

An upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon which produces a nutrients enrichment of euphotic zones resulting in a phytoplankton bloom crucial for productivity in many coastal zones in Chile. In this research we present information concerning the microbiological effect of an upwelling event. In regard to other studies performed in Chile, we include a novel variable: the changes in virus concentrations in relation with the upwelling and the abundances of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton. The samples were collected at Valparaiso bay (32o57'S; 71o34'W) during spring 2006. Species composition and high phytoplankton concentrations are according with an upwelling event. After the upwelling, phytoplankton, bacteria and virus increased 24, 6 and 15 times, respectively. Shortly after, phytoplankton and bacterioplankton declined but, in contrast, virus increased 5 more times. This latter is consistent with the idea that virus is important, at least, in the decline of the bacterioplankton
The efficacy of tailored interventions

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of Tailored Informational Interventions (TIs) compared to Standard Informational Interventions (SIs) and to determine whether efficacy varies by type of behavior, use of feedback, type of delivery channel, dose of the intervention, or time. Methods: Cooper's method of literature integration (Cooper, 1989; Cooper & Hedges, 1994) was used. Eighty-five articles were located that contained the word tailoring in the title or abstract; 20 met criteria for inclusion. Findings: Participants preferred TIs to SIs, perceived that the TIs were personal, and read and remembered more of the TI information. TIs were more effective than were SIs in 50% of studies. The effects of tailored and standard interventions were equivocal in the remaining 50% of studies. TIs had small increases in effect sizes compared to SIs. The efficacy of TIs differed by type of behavior. TIs had greater efficacy when ipsative feedback (comparing current to past behavior) was included as part of the intervention than when the intervention did not include such feedback. Repeated versus single administration of TIs did not affect health behaviors. The efficacy of TIs changed over time in some studies, but the pattern of change was not consistent. Conclusions: Tailored interventions could be improved by (a) identifying the most salient characteristics to be tailored, (b) further delineating essential components of TIs, (c) determining the efficacy of different delivery channels, (d) determining factors that moderate effects of TIs, and (e) clarifying whether the efficacy of TIs changes over time.
The dynamics of risk perceptions and precautionary behavior in response to 2009 (H1N1) pandemic influenza

The trajectory of an infectious disease outbreak is affected by the behavior of individuals, and the behavior is often related to individuals' risk perception. We assessed temporal changes and geographical differences in risk perceptions and precautionary behaviors in response to H1N1 influenza. 1,290 US adults completed an online survey on risk perceptions, interests in pharmaceutical interventions (preventive intervention and curative intervention), and engagement in precautionary activities (information seeking activities and taking quarantine measures) in response to H1N1 influenza between April 28 and May 27 2009. Associations of risk perceptions and precautionary behaviors with respondents' sex, age, and household size were analyzed. Linear and quadratic time trends were assessed by regression analyses. Geographic differences in risk perception and precautionary behaviors were evaluated. Predictors of willingness to take pharmaceutical intervention were analyzed. Respondents from larger households reported stronger interest in taking medications and engaged in more precautionary activities, as would be normatively predicted. Perceived risk increased over time, whereas interest in pharmaceutical preventive interventions and the engagement in some precautionary activities decreased over time. Respondents who live in states with higher H1N1 incidence per population perceived a higher likelihood of influenza infection, but did not express greater interests in pharmaceutical interventions, nor did they engage in a higher degree of precautionary activities. Perceived likelihood of influenza infection, willingness to take medications and engagement in information seeking activities were higher for women than men. Perceived risk of infection and precautionary behavior can be dynamic in time, and differ by demographic characteristics and geographical locations. These patterns will likely influence the effectiveness of disease control measures.
Impairment of the chemical defence of the beetle, Tenebrio molitor , by metacestodes (cysticercoids) of the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta

The defensive glands of beetles, Tenebrio molitor, infected with metacestodes (cysticercoids) of Hymenolepis diminuta are everted less frequently upon stimulation, and contain less toluquinone (methylbenzoquinone) and m-cresol, than glands of uninfected controls. These differences, as shown in predation trials with wild rats, increase the likelihood that both cysticercoids and beetles will be ingested by the tapeworm's definitive host. This is the first documented case of a parasite inhibiting the chemical defence of an intermediate host, and one of only a few reports of parasite-induced manipulation of host biology supported by empirical evidence implicating facilitated parasite transmission between host species.
Reduction of Computational Complexity for Guidance of Unmanned Aircraft Through Strong Wind Fields

In the interest of providing online guidance for unmanned aircraft in strong wind elds,a method for decomposing grid-based wind data into an unstructured mesh is analyzedfor its e ectiveness in simplifying the computational complexity of the problem. Thedecomposition method is applied to a simulated severe storm data set, resulting in a setwith a signi cantly reduced amount of points. Path planning is performed on both theraw data set and the simpli ed set using Ordered Upwind Methods combined with a costfunction that considers both ight time and precipitation exposure. The results of the pathplanning are analyzed for required computational time and path accuracy.
Effect of nifedipine on renal function in liver transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus

The effect of nifedipine on renal function in liver transplant recipients who were receiving tacrolimus was evaluated between January 1992 and January 1996. Two groups of patients receiving tacrolimus were compared over a period of 1 year, one group comprising hypertensive patients who were receiving nifedipine, and the other comprising nonhypertensive patients not receiving nifedipine. The time from transplant to baseline was similar in all patients. Nifedipine significantly improved kidney function as indicated by a significant lowering of serum creatinine levels at 6 and 12 months. The observed positive impact of nifedipine on reducing the nephrotoxicity associated with tacrolimus in liver transplant recipients should be an important factor in selecting an agent to treat hypertension in this population.
Computer visualization of long genomic sequences

Human beings find it difficult to analyze local and global oligonucleotide patterns in the linear primary sequences of a genome. In this paper, we present a family of iterated function systems (IFS) that can be used to generate a set of visual models of a DNA sequence. A new visualization function, the W-curve, that is derived from this IFS family is introduced. Using W-curves, a user can readily compare subsequences within a long genomic sequence --- or between genomic sequences --- and can visually evaluate the effect of local variations (mutations) upon the global genomic information content.
Gate control of mechanical itch by a subpopulation of spinal cord interneurons

Light mechanical stimulation of hairy skin can induce a form of itch known as mechanical itch. This itch sensation is normally suppressed by inputs from mechanoreceptors; however, in many forms of chronic itch, including alloknesis, this gating mechanism is lost. Here we demonstrate that a population of spinal inhibitory interneurons that are defined by the expression of neuropeptide Y::Cre (NPY::Cre) act to gate mechanical itch. Mice in which dorsal NPY::Cre-derived neurons are selectively ablated or silenced develop mechanical itch without an increase in sensitivity to chemical itch or pain. This chronic itch state is histamine-independent and is transmitted independently of neurons that express the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor. Thus, our studies reveal a dedicated spinal cord inhibitory pathway that gates the transmission of mechanical itch.