cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alteration of Postural Responses Due to Chronic Recurrent Low Back Pain

This study characterized postural responses in subjects with (n=26, 39 ± 13 yrs) and without (n=24, 32 ± 10 yrs) chronic ( >6 months), recurrent low back pain (LBP) in response to support surface translations, randomly delivered in 12 different horizontal directions. Using kinematic, force plate and anthropometric data, the net center of pressure (CP), total body center of mass (CM), and net joint torques (sagittal and frontal planes) at the ankle, knee, hip and trunk were examined to characterize the neuromuscular responses in the two subject groups. LBP subjects exhibited larger anterior and posterior CM displacements compared to NLBP (p = 0.0267) and smaller anterior and posterior CP displacements (p <0.0001). Overall, torque responses in persons with LBP were smaller, delayed and developed more quickly compared to NLBP subjects and the responses were non-directionally specific. These data suggest the automatic postural control of subjects with LBP is altered such that there is an overall stiffening strategy for LBP subjects, which is reflected in the reduced CP displacement and the smaller and delayed torque responses.© 2004 ASME
Canonical parallel tempering simulations of Arn–HCl clusters (n=1–12)

Abstract A systematic investigation of the thermodynamic and structural properties of Ar n –HCl clusters in the n =1–12 range by classical parallel tempering is carried out. We find considerable solid to solid mixing isomerizations that take place at temperatures well below the melting range. Unlike the related system of Ar n –HF clusters we have studied recently, the HCl is preferentially on the surface at low temperatures ( T
Variability in the Dose of Intravenous Vitamin E Given to Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Vitamin E is required by very low birth weight (VLBW) infants to prevent vitamin E deficiency. However, prolonged intravenous intakes of vitamin E >4 international units (IU)/kg/day often yield potentially toxic serum tocopherol levels. This study was designed to assess the frequency of potentially inadequate or excessive doses of intravenous vitamin E in parenteral nutrition for VLBW infants in the US. A questionnaire was sent to the 100 neonatal–perinatal training program centers listed in the 2003 directory (American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)). Using the information provided for each neonatal unit, we calculated the doses of vitamin E (IU/kg/day) that would have been given to infants with body weights of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 kg in that unit. The doses were then recoded as inadequate if less than recommended (2.8 IU/kg/day, maximum 7 IU/day) by the American Society for Clinical Nutrition and the AAP, and excessive if >4 IU/kg/day, and frequencies were compared using χ2 analysis. The 65 centers that responded were predominantly among those that offered the highest level of subspecialty neonatal intensive care (level IIID). The predicted dose of vitamin E had a median value of 2.8 IU/kg/day for all three weights, and was no significantly different among the three weights. VLBW infants with weights of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 kg were predicted to receive doses 4 IU/kg/day in 40, 31 and 10% of the NICUs, respectively. Excessive doses were significantly associated with body weight, with more frequent excessive doses at lower weight (p=0.0008). This survey showed a lack of uniformity of dosing of intravenous vitamin E in VLBW infants. The smallest infants (<1.0 kg) were receiving excessive, potentially toxic doses of vitamin E in a significant number of NICUs in the US in 2003.
Roles for the WOC nurse in a disaster.

We have all heard that history repeats itself and that we should learn from past experiences. Now I truly understand and appreciate that concept, having lived through Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath. The entire experience has been a journey. In states accustomed to hurricanes, emergency preparation is a way of life. We know the drills. But in this disaster, there were many lessons learned and I feel obliged to share my story and the results of that fateful lesson. This article offers personal and professional actions that could be taken by anyone subject to a disaster, suggestions for WOC employers, and unique roles for WOC nurses that can benefit victims of any disaster. Language: en
Soluble Jagged 1 Represses the Function of Its Transmembrane Form to Induce the Formation of the Src-dependent Chord-like Phenotype

We have previously demonstrated that the expression of the soluble extracellular domain of the transmembrane ligand for Notch receptors, Jagged 1 (sJ1), in NIH 3T3 cells results in the formation of a matrix-dependent chord-like phenotype, the loss of contact inhibition of growth, and an inhibition of pro-α1(I) collagen expression. In an effort to define the mechanism by which sJ1 induces this phenotype, we report that sJ1 transfectants display biochemical and cytoskeletal alterations consistent with the activation of Src. Indeed, cotransfection of sJ1 transfectants with a dominant-negative mutant of Src resulted in the loss of matrix-dependent chord formation and correlated with the restoration of type I collagen expression and contact inhibition of growth. We also report that the sJ1-mediated induction of Src activity and related phenotypes, including chord formation, may result from the inhibition of endogenous Jagged 1-mediated Notch signaling since it was not possible to detect an sJ1-dependent induction of CSL-dependent transcription in these cells. Interestingly, NIH 3T3 cells transfected with dominant-negative (but not constitutively active) mutants of either Notch 1 orNotch 2 displayed a similar Src-related phenotype as the sJ1 transfectants. These data suggest that the ability of sJ1 to mediate chord formation is Src-dependent and requires the repression of endogenous Jagged 1-mediated Notch signaling, which is tolerant to the destabilization of the actin cytoskeleton, a mediator of cell migration.
The remarkable hydration of the antifreeze protein Maxi: a computational study.

The long four-helix bundle antifreeze protein Maxi contains an unusual core for a globular protein. More than 400 ordered waters between the helices form a nano-pore of internal water about 150 A long. Molecular dynamics simulations of hydrated Maxi were carried out using the CHARMM27 protein forcefield and the TIP3P water model. Solvation in the core and non-core first hydration shell was analyzed in terms of water-water H-bond distance-angle distributions. The core had an increased population of low-angle H-bonds between water pairs relative to bulk water. Enhancement of low angle H-bonds was particularly pronounced for water pairs at the interfaces between apolar and polar regions inside the protein core, characteristic of the anchored clathrate solvation structure seen previously in the ice-nuclei binding surfaces of type I, type III, and beta-helical antifreeze proteins. Anchored clathrate type solvation structure was not seen in the exterior solvation shell except around residues implicated in ice binding. Analysis of solvation dynamics using water residence times and diffusion constants showed that exterior solvation shell waters exchanged rapidly with bulk water, with no difference between ice-binding and non-binding residues. Core waters had about ten-fold slower diffusion than bulk water. Water residence times around core residues averaged about 8 ps, similar to those on the exterior surface, but they tended to exchange primarily with other core water, resulting in longer, >40 ps residence times within the core. Preferential exchange or diffusion of the water along the long axis of the water core of Maxi was not detected.
Adolescents' reported reasons for alcohol and marijuana use as predictors of substance use and problems in adulthood

Objective:The aim of this study was to examine how reasons for substance use at age 18 relate to alcohol and marijuana use at ages 18 and 35 and to symptoms of alcohol use disorder and marijuana use disorder at age 35.Method:Bivariate correlation and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine the prediction of substance use and misuse by social/recreational, coping with negative affect, compulsive, and drug effect reasons for alcohol and marijuana use. Control variables included gender, race/ethnicity, parent education, and previous substance use (for age 35 outcomes).Results:Social/recreational, coping, and drug effect reasons for drinking predicted symptoms of alcohol use disorder 17 years later. Reasons for marijuana use were generally associated only with concurrent marijuana use; an exception was that drug effect reasons predicted marijuana use disorder at age 35.Conclusions:The long-term longitudinal predictive power of reasons for alcohol use (and, to a lesser extent, for marijuana ...
Digital quantification eliminates intraobserver and interobserver variability in the evaluation of coronary artery stenosis

A leading problem with subjective interpretation of coronary angiography is high intraobserver and interobserver variability. Four experienced angiographers independently determined percent diameter narrowing of 36 stenoses using 3 methods: by subjective analysis of single-frame cine film images (film), by subjective analysis of digitized nonenhanced single-frame images (digital), and by using a semiautomated digital caliper quantification system (Corona). The reproducibility of interpretations was assessed by comparison of estimated intraclass correlation coefficients. Digital and Corona readings correlated well with subjective interpretation of film (r greater than 0.85 for both). In contrast to Corona, the angiographers systematically overestimated the magnitude of stenoses in the intermediate (50 to 75%) range. Corona markedly improved intraobserver (p less than 0.005) and interobserver (p less than 0.001) reproducibility. Corona less frequently misclassified individual observations than did film when categories of less than 50%, 50 to 75% and more than 75% diameter stenosis were used (3.7% vs 31.5%, p less than 0.001). Our results suggest that digitization of a coronary angiogram in a 512 X 512 matrix has no significant adverse effects on the perception and quantification of stenosis by angiographers. Additionally, automatic measurement of coronary stenosis has 2 major advantages: It is accurate compared with a group of experienced angiographers and for the practical purpose of clinical decision-making, it eliminates intraobserver and interobserver variability.
Outcome of kidney transplants for adults with hemolytic uremic syndrome in the U.S.: a ten-year database analysis.

BACKGROUND There is currently no large study of the U.S. transplant registry comparing the outcome of kidney transplantation for adults with and without hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). To date, information on the outcome of transplants for HUS in the U.S. is derived from single or combined-centers studies, but none has been of a nationwide scope. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively studied a US registry for the outcome of 323 kidney transplants in adults with HUS and of 121,311 transplants in adults with other renal diseases during the period 1999-2009. We analyzed patient, over-all, and death-censored graft survival in the 5 years following transplantation using Kaplan-Meir curves and Cox hazard models. RESULTS In the 5 years following kidney transplantation, patient mortality was not significantly different [Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.27, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.78-2.08], but death-censored graft loss was twice as common (HR 2.05, 95% CI 1.53-2.73) for allograft recipients whose native kidney disease was HUS compared to other transplant recipients. The subgroup (n=40 cases) with post-transplant HUS recurrence had a 5-year graft loss rate 5 times that of the subgroup (n=283 cases) without HUS-recurrence (graft survival 14.7% vs.77.4%, log rank 116.5; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS In the largest US series to date of kidney transplants for adults with HUS, 5-year patient survival was not different, but graft outcome was inferior in recipients whose native renal disease were HUS compared to recipients with other kidney diseases. Native kidney HUS is associated with a 2-fold increased risk of death-censored graft loss after kidney transplantation.
Profit Sharing and Productivity: Microeconomic Evidence from the United States

Profit sharing has often been suggested as a potential solution to principal/agent problems in the workplace. The relationship between productivity and profit sharing is examined using a panel dataset drawn from 2,976 publicly-held companies over the 1971-85 period. Alternatively using firm-intercept and first-difference specifications, the regression results indicate that the adoption of profit sharing is associated with a 2.5-4.2 percent increase in productivity. In addition, the size of the effect increases with the proportion of employees participating in profit sharing. These results hold under a variety of specifications and do not appear to be explained by accompanying changes in management or personnel policies. Copyright 1992 by Royal Economic Society.
Synergistic induction of tumor necrosis factor α by bacterial lipopolysaccharide and lipoteichoic acid in combination with polytetrafluoroethylene particles in a murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7

The induction of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) by polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles (5-50 microns) and by bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) was examined in RAW cell cultures. Twenty-four-hour culture supernatants from the treated and control cells were assayed for TNF-alpha using a mouse L929 cell cytotoxicity assay. Untreated RAW cells produced low levels of endogenous TNF-alpha in the culture supernatants. Addition of 0.5 ng to 1 microgram/ mL LPS or 1 ng to 1 microgram/ml LTA increased the TNF-alpha production by 7-3570-fold and 2-815-fold, respectively. Addition of 1-5 mg PTFE increased the TNF-alpha production by 6-17-fold over the untreated control cell levels. The cells exposed to PTFE and 0.5 ng/mL LPS or 5 ng/mL LTA produced TNF-alpha levels that were significantly higher than those produced by any inducer alone. Thus, both LTA, a Gram-positive bacterial cell wall component and LPS, a Gram-negative bacterial cell wall component, can induce TNF-alpha production, which is further enhanced by PTFE particles in RAW cells.
A Feasibility Study of JIT Purchasing Implementation in a Manufacturing Facility

The just‐in‐time (JIT) purchasing system has been demonstrated as a mechanism to reduce inventory carrying cost and improve the quality of incoming materials. One major limitation of the JIT purchasing system is that it demands a major change in people′s attitudes and work habits. While leading an organisation towards the complete implementation of a JIT system, management must have creative and innovative ideas to ensure co‐operation of all concerned. A feasibility study of implementing a JIT purchasing system conducted in a large manufacturing plant is reported.
Independence of reinforcer amount and delay: The generalized matching law and self-control in humans

Abstract Six adult human females chose between pairs of different amounts and delays of reinforcement scheduled according to concurrent variable-interval schedules. Consistent with previous results obtained using pigeons, the present findings were described by a version of the generalized matching law in which the relative effects of amount and delay on preference are independent and multiplicative. Therefore adult humans' greater tendency than pigeons to show self-control (i.e., adult humans' greater tendency to choose larger, more delayed over smaller, less delayed reinforcers) cannot be explained by an interaction between the effects of reinforcer amount and delay. Further, the generalized matching law can be a useful tool in scaling adult humans' sensitivity to variation in relative reinforcer amount and variation in relative reinforcer delay.
Re-Engineering Monovalent Cation Binding Sites of Methylamine Dehydrogenase: Effects on Spectral Properties and Gated Electron Transfer†

Methylamine dehydrogenase (MADH) is a tryptophan tryptophylquinone (TTQ)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the oxidative deamination of primary amines. Monovalent cations are known to affect the spectral properties of MADH and to influence the rate of the gated electron transfer (ET) reaction from substrate-reduced MADH to amicyanin. Two putative monovalent cation binding sites in MADH have been identified by X-ray crystallography [Labesse, G., Ferrari, D., Chen, Z.-W., Rossi, G.-L., Kuusk, V., McIntire, W. S., and Mathews, F. S. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 25703−25712]. One requires cation−π interactions involving residue αPhe55. An αF55A mutation differentially affects these two monovalent cation-dependent phenomena. The apparent Kd associated with spectral perturbations increases 10-fold. The apparent Kd associated with enhancement of the gated ET reaction becomes too small to measure, indicating that either it has decreased more than 1000-fold or the mutation has caused a conformational change that elimi...
Asymmetric flux pinning in a regular array of magnetic dipoles

The effect of a regular array of magnetic dipoles embedded in a superconducting film was investigated. A large asymmetry in critical currents was found between when the magnetic dipoles are aligned and antialigned with respect to an externally applied magnetic field. Enhanced pinning effects were observed when the flux lattice and the dipole lattice were commensurate. The data are used to infer pinning mechanisms, strengths, and sites.
Bleomycin-induced cutaneous toxicity in the rat: analysis of histopathology and ultrastructure compared with progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).

SUMMARY Rats injected with bleomycin over a 58-week period developed weight loss, alopecia, hyperpigmentation, skin thickening and skin tautness when compared with saline-injected control animals. The only significant abnormality in laboratory blood tests was an increased sedimentation rate in the bleomycin-treated rats compared with controls. Histological examination of dorsal skin showed atrophied sebaceous glands and increased collagen fibres, with diameters ranging from 37·5 to 75 nm as compared with 72·5 to 100 nm in control animals. Chronic bleomycin exposure produces clinical, histological and ultrastructural skin changes similar to those found in human progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).
Accounting in the fifth grade—is it too early?

Abstract This paper describes a project that teaches principles of accounting and Microsoft Excel to gifted and talented fifth graders. The course material was adapted from a college course usually taught at the sophomore level. Students learned about business transactions, financial statements, and business decision-making. Score differences on pretests and posttests showed learning at a statistically significant level ( P P >0.05) from college sophomores who took the same test. The importance of this project is that elementary age students can form very favorable impressions of accounting, which may be beneficial to the students and to the accounting profession. Almost all of the fifth grade students desired to learn more about accounting. This project is also an excellent opportunity to involve Beta Alpha Psi in a rewarding service experience.
Structural models of extraversion, communication, and team performance

Abstract We consider the degree to which the Five Factor Model characteristic of individual extraversion is predictive of the overall performance of dyadic teams. An Anti-Air Warfare Coordinator (AAWC) simulation is employed in an experimental environment wherein dyads are required to communicate key information to complete a series of tasks. Communication is monitored with respect to the number of utterances, number of words per utterance, and the durations of each utterance. Several structural equation models are considered to examine the direct and indirect effects of individual extraversion on team performance. Notably, the degree of extraversion did not directly affect team performance. However, there are several models that indicate significant relationships between extraversion and team performance with communications as mediators. The current results contribute to the literature by adding to our understanding of the mediating variables that exist within the personality–performance team dynamic. Relevance to industry Industry can use this research to better inform managers on metrics for team formation. This has the potential to improve the performance of teams and groups of teams. Our results reinforce the need for certain forms of communication to foster high performing team behavior.
Ethylene, Seed Germination, and Epinasty

Ethylene activity in lettuce seed (Lactuca satina) germination and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) petiole epinasty has been characterized by using heat to inhibit ethylene synthesis. This procedure enabled a separation of the production of ethylene from the effect of ethylene. Ethylene was required in tomato petioles to produce the epinastic response and auxin was found to be active in producing epinasty through a stimulation of ethylene synthesis with the resulting ethylene being responsible for the epinasty. In the same manner, it was shown that gibberellic acid stimulated ethylene synthesis in lettuce seeds. The ethylene produced then in turn stimulated the seeds to germinate. It was hypothesized that ethylene was the intermediate which caused epinasty or seed germination. Auxin and gibberellin primarily induced their response by stimulating ethylene production.
Externally dispersed interferometer: Implementation on a 2d echelle spectrograph

A fixed delay interferometer is placed at the slit of the Lick Obs. 2d-echelle spectrograph to imprint a periodic sinusoidal fringe comb against the input spectrum. This boosts the effective resolution by a factor of 2-3.
EFFECTS OF KAINIC ACID ON ION DISTRIBUTION AND ATP LEVELS OF STRIATAL SLICES INCUBATED IN VITRO

— To determine the mechanism of neurotoxicity of kainic acid, striatal slices (350μ) were incubated in oxygenated Krebs buffer with kainic acid and other depolarizing agents; and the alterations in the uptake and retention of 22Na+, 86Rb+ (as a measure of K +), 3HzO and the levels of ATP were determined. The excitatory amino acid, L-glutamate (10 mM) increases striatal slice uptake and retention of Na+, K+ and H2O but decreases ATP levels whereas the neuroexcitant, A'-methyl aspartate, increases only Na+ and H2O. Veratridine (100μM), which opens electrogenic sodium channels, and ouabain (100μM), which inhibits Na+-K+ ATPase, both elevate striatal Na+ and H2O but considerably reduce K+ and ATP. The effects of these different depolarizing agents on the parameters examined are consistent with their mechanisms of actions and support the validity of this in vitro method. Although 10mM-kainate significantly depresses striatal K+ and ATP, lower concentrations of kainate (5mM-0.1μ) elevate striatal uptake of Na+ but do not markedly affect H2O, K+ or ATP. Kainate (10mM-lμM) does not exhibit additivity with 10 mM-glutamate with respect to Na+ permeability but does significantly potentiate glutamate's ATP depleting effects. Injection of 10 nmol of kainate into the striatum in vivo causes a reduction in striatal ATP 1 h afterward which is comparable to that occurring in vitro with 10mM-kainate alone or with lower concentrations of kainate (≥1/μM) with 10 mM-glutamate. These results suggest that kainate alone is directly neurotoxic at 10mM or neurotoxic at lower concentrations in combination with the high intrasynaptic levels of glutamate on neurons receiving glutamatergic innervation.
Current Paradigm and Future Directions for Treatment of Helicobacter pylori Infection

Once easily eradicated with triple or quadruple therapy, Helicobacter pylori infection has become increasingly resistant to traditional first-line treatment regimens because of emerging antibiotic resistance coupled with poor patient compliance with completing the treatment course. Given decreasing H. pylori eradication rates, there is considerable interest in evaluating new antibiotic combinations and regimens, the addition of probiotics, and the development of new paradigms such as concomitant, sequential, and hybrid medication dosing strategies. Unfortunately, efforts thus far have not universally improved treatment responses, as promising early results were often not extrapolated to wider populations. This is probably due largely to regional variation in H. pylori resistance patterns. Ideally, the standard of care should be dictated by knowledge of local H. pylori antimicrobial resistance patterns and clinical success rates rather than by empiric extrapolation from the literature. Unfortunately, such knowledge is usually lacking in the USA. The expectation of a first-line regimen is a minimum 80 % eradication rate in the local population. Standard triple therapy with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), amoxicillin, and clarithromycin may still be effective in some areas; however, in populations with high clarithromycin resistance, quadruple therapy with a metronidazole-based regimen may be a better choice, and concomitant, sequential, or hybrid dosing schedules should also be considered as possible first-line choices. Second- and third-line treatment regimens consist of levofloxacin-based and rifabutin-based therapies, respectively. Further work should be directed at establishing local resistance patterns and eradication rates, developing H. pylori-specific antibiotics, and starting culture-guided treatment programs. Ultimately, the development of an H. pylori vaccine would bypass any issues with antibiotic resistance by preventing the acquisition of infection altogether.
Distinct roles of the ERK pathway in modulating apoptosis of Ras-transformed and non-transformed cells induced by anticancer agent FR901228

Ectopic expression of oncogenic H-Ras in cells results in increases of cell susceptibility to the anticancer agent FR901228. Investigating the roles of Ras-induced pathways in FR901228-induced apoptosis, we have found that the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway plays an anti-apoptotic role, whereas the stress-activated protein kinase p38 pathway plays a pro-apoptotic role in FR901228-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway plays an anti-apoptotic role in non-transformed cells; however, it plays a pro-apoptotic role in Ras-transformed cells in response to FR901228 treatment. An essential role of the ERK pathway in regulating caspase-3 contents may contribute to its pro-apoptotic role in Ras-transformed cells.
Small-world characteristics on transportation networks: a perspective from network autocorrelation

Studies on small-world networks have received intensive interdisciplinary attention during the past several years. It is well-known among researchers that a small-world network is often characterized by high connectivity and clustering, but so far there exist few effective approaches to evaluate small-world properties, especially for spatial networks. This paper proposes a method to examine the small-world properties of spatial networks from the perspective of network autocorrelation. Two network autocorrelation statistics, Moran’s I and Getis–Ord’s G, are used to monitor the structural properties of networks in a process of “rewiring” networks from a regular to a random network. We discovered that Moran’s I and Getis–Ord’s G tend to converge and have relatively low values when properties of small-world networks emerge. Three transportation networks at the national, metropolitan, and intra-city levels are analyzed using this approach. It is found that spatial networks at these three scales possess small-world properties when the correlation lag distances reach certain thresholds, implying that the manifestation of small-world phenomena result from the interplay between the network structure and the dynamics taking place on the network.
A multidomain model of thermoremanence

A multidomain model of thermoremanence (TRM) is proposed based on an energy expression incorporating interactions between a domain wall and an external field, the demagnetizing field, and lattice defects. The temperature dependence of the first two interactions is incorporated using the Weiss molecular field construction, while that of the defect interactions is represented by a power law. Thermal activation energy is also taken into account, yielding an alternative explanation of Neel's thermal agitation field. The model has the same physical basis as Neel's multidomain model as generalized by Everitt and by Dunlop and Waddington, but is cast in a more basic form in which the coercive force is a derived quantity. The model explicitly predicts a strong dependence of the blocking temperature on the external field, a feature that is inherent in Neel's model, but lacking in multidomain theories based on Stacey's model.
Landscape‐scale indicators of biodiversity's vulnerability to climate change

Climate change will increase the vulnerability of species across the globe to population loss and extinction. In order to develop conservation strategies to facilitate adaptation to this change, managers must understand the vulnerability of the habitats and species they are trying to manage. For most biodiversity managers, conducting vulnerability assessments for all of the species they manage would be prohibitively costly, time consuming, and potentially misleading since some data required does not yet exist. We present a rapid and cost-effective method to estimate the vulnerability of biodiversity to climate change impacts across broad areas using landscape-scale indicators. While this method does not replace species-specific vulnerability assessments, it allows biodiversity managers to focus analysis on the species likely to be most vulnerable and identify the categories of conservation strategies for implementation to reduce biodiversity's vulnerability to climate change. We applied this method to California, USA to map the portions of the state where biodiversity managers should focus on minimizing current threats to biodiversity (9%), reducing constraints to adaptation (28%), reducing exposure to climatic changes (24%), and implementing all three (9%). In 18% of the state, estimated vulnerability is low so continuing current strategies and monitoring for changes is likely sufficient, while in 12% of the state, vulnerability is so high that biodiversity managers may have to reassess current conservation goals. In combination with species-specific vulnerability assessments or alone, mapping vulnerability based on landscape-scale indicators will allow managers to take an essential step toward implementing conservation strategies to help imperiled species adapt to climate change.
Comparison of CH, C3, CHF, and CF2 surface reactivities during plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of fluorocarbon films.

The overall character of films deposited using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition relies on the interactions of gas-phase molecules with the depositing film surface. The steady-state surface...
Far infrared spectrum, barrier to internal rotation, and ab initio calculations for 3,3,3-trifluoropropene

Abstract The far infrared spectrum of gaseous 3,3,3-trifluoropropene, CH 2 CHCF 3 , between 350 and 30 cm −1 has been recorded at a resolution of 0.10 cm −1 . The torsional fundamental for the CF 3 rotor is observed at 83.52 cm −1 . There are three and possibly four “hot bands”, which accompany this fundamental falling to lower wavenumbers with decreasing intensities. Utilizing these torsional data along with structural parameters obtained from MP2/6-311+G** ab initio calculations to calculate the kinetic constant F , the barrier to internal rotation has been determined to be 630±10 cm −1 (7.54±0.12 kJ/mol) and the V 6 term is relatively small with a value of −30±5 cm −1 (−0.36±0.06 kJ/mol). These results are compared to the CH 3 barrier of propene as well as to those of several CF 3 rotors. The harmonic force fields, infrared intensities, Raman activities, and depolarization ratios have been obtained from both ab initio RHF/6-31G* and MP2/6-31G* calculations and the results compared. Additionally, predicted quantities are compared to the corresponding experimental values when appropriate as well as with some corresponding results for some similar molecules.
Multiple paternity is a shared reproductive strategy in the live‐bearing surfperches (Embiotocidae) that may be associated with female fitness

According to Bateman's principle, female fecundity is limited relative to males, setting the expectation that males should be promiscuous, while females should be choosy and select fewer mates. However, several surfperches (Embiotocidae) exhibit multiple paternity within broods indicating that females mate with multiple males throughout the mating season. Previous studies found no correlation between mating success and reproductive success (i.e., a Bateman gradient). However, by including samples from a broader range of reproductive size classes, we found evidence of a Bateman gradient in two surfperch species from distinct embiotocid clades. Using microsatellite analyses, we found that 100% of the spotfin surfperch families sampled exhibit multiple paternity (Hyperprosopon anale, the basal taxon from the only clade that has not previously been investigated) indicating that this tactic is a shared reproductive strategy among surfperches. Further, we detected evidence for a Bateman gradient in H. anale; however, this result was not significant after correction for biases. Similarly, we found evidence for multiple paternity in 83% of the shiner surfperch families (Cymatogaster aggregata) sampled. When we combine these data with a previous study on the same species, representing a larger range of reproductive size classes and associated brood sizes, we detect a Bateman gradient in shiner surfperch for the first time that remains significant after several conservative tests for bias correction. These results indicate that sexual selection is likely complex in this system, with the potential for conflicting optima between sexes, and imply a positive shift in fertility (i.e., increasing number) and reproductive tactic with respect to the mating system and number of sires throughout the reproductive life history of females. We argue that the complex reproductive natural history of surfperches is characterized by several traits that may be associated with cryptic female choice, including protracted oogenesis, uterine sac complexity, and sperm storage.
Stage of Readiness and Role Modeling of Dietary Patterns to Children by African American Parents

Abstract The dietary patterns and intake of preschool children are impacted by their parents. The importance of parental modeling of positive nutrition behaviors to their children is a principle of the High 5, Low Fat Study, a quasi-experimental, nested cohort study involving 1440 African American adults implemented through a national parent education program. We hypothesized that parents who are in action stages (action and maintenance) for engaging in low fat eating patterns will model positive nutrition behaviors to their children more frequently than those in preaction stages (precontemplators, contemplators, preparation stages). Baseline telephone interviews conducted with 457 African American parents (99% female; ages 18 – 65) included two measures: Stage of Readiness to Change 6 Low Fat Dietary Patterns and the Parental Modeling Measure of frequency with which parents report engaging in positive dietary behaviors for their children (alpha = 0.82). Parents reported being in preaction stages of readiness to: use low fat dairy products (82%), low fat condiments (77%), avoid fat as flavoring (76%), bake instead of fry foods (52%), eat lean cuts of meat (56%), and eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (60%). Preaction parents role modeled the following patterns to their children significantly less frequently (p
Disability Humor: What's in a Joke?

Disability humor raises a hidden paradox that makes people feel uncomfortable. What is so funny about having a disability when others think that it is a tragedy? This article analyzes the social creation, context, purposes and consequences of disability humor. Disability humor is seen to be anchored simultaneously in tragedy and comedy so that both literary vehicles give meaning to the disability experience.
The effect of microarray image compression on expression-based classification

Current gene-expression microarrays carry enormous amounts of information. Compression is necessary for efficient distribution and storage. This paper examines JPEG2000 compression of cDNA microarray images and addresses the accuracy of classification and feature selection based on decompressed images. Among other options, we choose JPEG2000 because it is the latest international standard for image compression and offers lossy-to-lossless compression while achieving high lossless compression ratios on microarray images. The performance of JPEG2000 has been tested on three real data sets at different compression ratios, ranging from lossless to 45:1. The effects of JPEG2000 compression/decompression on differential expression detection and phenotype classification have been examined. There is less than a 4% change in differential detection at compression rates as high as 20:1, with detection accuracy suffering less than 2% for moderate to high intensity genes, and there is no significant effect on classification at rates as high as 35:1. The supplementary material is available at http://gsp.tamu.edu/web2/Compression.
Mitigating attacks on open functionality in SMS-capable cellular networks

The transformation of telecommunications networks from homogeneous closed systems providing only voice services to Internet-connected open networks that provide voice and data services presents significant security challenges. For example, recent research illustrated that a carefully crafted DoS attack via text messaging could incapacitate all voice communications in a metropolitan area with little more than a cable modem. This attack highlights a growing threat to these systems; namely, cellular networks are increasingly exposed to adversaries both in and outside the network. In this paper, we use a combination of modeling and simulation to demonstrate the feasibility of targeted text messaging attacks. Under realistic network conditions, we show that adversaries can achieve blocking rates of more than 70% with only limited resources. We then develop and characterize five techniques from within two broad classes of countermeasures - queue management and resource provisioning. Our analysis demonstrates that these techniques can eliminate or extensively mitigate even the most intense targeted text messaging attacks. We conclude by considering the tradeoffs inherent to the application of these techniques in current and next generation telecommunications networks.
Male trait distribution determined alternative mating tactics in guppies

The distribution of the percentage of the body of male guppies Poecilia reticulata covered with orange coloration influenced alternative mating tactics. At 15% mean coverage, male guppies interfered with other courting males more and engaged in courtship activities longer than males with 10% mean coverage. When males were tested in a situation with a wide variety of male types, males switched among females less frequently than when the variance among males was low.
Development and Evaluation of the Abortion Attributes Questionnaire

This paper describes the development and evaluation of the Abortion Attributes Questionnaire (AAQ), an instrument designed to assess the perceived importance of specific characteristics of abortion methods. Women receiving medical abortions (n=186) and women who chose surgical procedures (n=118) completed the AAQ. Participants were asked to rate how important each of 21 characteristics would be "when choosing between surgical and medical abortion." Factor analyses revealed that the AAQ consists of four factors and, as subscales, the factors have good internal reliability. The validity of the AAQ was established through discriminant function and analysis and results indicated that three of the four factors predicted choice. Taken together, these findings provide empirical support for the constructs measured by the AAQ.
Carbon monoxide rescues heme oxygenase-1-deficient mice from arterial thrombosis in allogeneic aortic transplantation.

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) catalyzes the conversion of heme into carbon monoxide (CO), iron, and biliverdin. In preliminary studies, we observed that the absence of HO-1 in aortic allograft recipients resulted in 100% mortality within 4 days due to arterial thrombosis. In contrast, recipients normally expressing HO-1 showed 100% graft patency and survival for more than 56 days. Abdominal aortic transplants were performed using Balb/cJ mice as donors and either HO-1+/+ or HO-1−/− (C57BL/6×FVB) mice as recipients. Light and electron microscopy revealed extensive platelet-rich thrombi along the entire length of the graft in HO-1−/− recipients at 24 hours. Treatment of recipients with CORM-2, a CO-releasing molecule (10 mg/kg of body weight intravenously), 1 hour prior and 1, 3, and 6 days after transplantation, significantly improved survival (62% at >56 days, P < 0.001) compared with HO-1−/− recipients treated with inactive CORM-2 (median survival 1 day). Histological analyses revealed that CO treatment markedly reduced platelet aggregation within the graft. Adoptive transfer of wild-type platelets to HO-1−/− recipients also conferred protection and increased survival. Aortic transplants from either HO-1−/− or HO-1+/+ C57BL/6 donors into HO-1+/+ (Balb/cJ) mice did not develop arterial thrombosis, surviving more than 56 days. These studies demonstrate an important role for systemic HO-1/CO for protection against vascular arterial thrombosis in murine aortic allotransplantation.
Automatic generation of membership function and fuzzy rule using inductive reasoning

This paper discusses the automatic generation of membership function and fuzzy rule. The generation of them are accomplished by utilizing the essential characteristic of the inductive reasoning which derives a general consensus from the particular. The induction is performed by the entropy minimization principle which clusters most optimally the parameters corresponding to the output classes. The rule derivation also provide the average probability of each step of rule, which is no other than the rule weight. The generation scheme is illustrated for practical use. >
Timing local streams: improving timeliness in data prefetching

Data prefetching technique is widely used to bridge the growing performance gap between processor and memory. Numerous prefetching techniques have been proposed to exploit data patterns and correlations in the miss address stream. In general, the miss addresses are grouped by some common characteristics, such as program counter or memory region they belong to, into localized streams to improve prefetch accuracy and coverage. However, the existing stream localization technique lacks the timing information of misses. This drawback can lead to a large fraction of untimely prefetches, which in turn limits the effectiveness of prefetching, wastes precious bandwidth and leads to high cache pollution potentially. This paper proposes a novel mechanism named stream timing technique that can largely reduce untimely prefetches and in turn increase the overall performance. Based on the proposed stream timing technique, we extend the conventional stride prefetcher and propose a new stride prefetcher called Time-Aware Stride (TAS) prefetcher. We have carried out extensive simulation experiments to verify the design of the stream timing technique and the TAS prefetcher. The simulation results show that the proposed stream timing technique is promising in reducing untimely prefetches and the IPC improvement of TAS prefetcher outperforms the existing stride prefetcher by 11%.
Two virtual memory mapped network interface designs

In existing multicomputers, software overhead dom inates the message-passing latency cost. Our research on the SHRIMP project at Princeton indicates that appropriate network interface support can significantly reduce this software overhead. We have designed two network interfaces for the SHRIMP multicomputer. Both support virtual memory mapped communication allowing user processes to communicate without doing expensive buffer management, and without using sys tem calls to cross the protection boundary separating user processes from the operating system kernel. This paper describes and compares the two network in terfaces, and discusses performance tradeoffs between them.
COLOR PERCEPTION AND FOOD QUALITY

Color may be the most important sensory attribute of food and as such holds a preeminent position in overall food quality. It effects consumer judgement of other sensory characteristics such as flavor, sweetness and saltiness as well as being an important predictor of nonsensory quality attributes like moisture content, over-processing and pigment content. In order to maximize the use of color as a measure of food quality it is essential to understand the theoretical basis of colorimetry and be able to apply it in a consistent and meaningful way. This approach may be simplified by the use of a quality measurement model which considers the object to be measured, the synthetic and analytical processes of measurement and the use of the analytical process as a predictor of the synthetic process. Such a model allows the application of this important quality tool to almost any food or food production system.
A Note on Josephus, Antiquities 15:136

In my recent monograph entitled Torah in the Messianic Age and/or the Age to Come, I sought particularly to examine the question whether Judaism anticipated a New Torah in its ideal future, however conceived. One passage in Josephus, Antiquities, 15:136 has been suggested as relevant to this purpose because it contains the idea that “the Law was given through angels, an idea which in Acts 7:53, Gal. 3:19, Heb.2:2 is associated with the notion that it was to change?” (See Morton Smith, J. B. L., Vol. LXXII, September 1953, pp. 192) Strack-Billerbeck cite the passage in their comment on Gal. 3:19 and take it to refer to the mediation of angels, as do also Grundmann in the Theologisches Worterbuch (Ed. Kittel), I, p. 74, and Walter Bauer in his Worterbuch, 1952, col. 13. It is the first aim of this note to follow up a suggestion made to me by Dr. Ralph Marcus that the passage may not refer to angels but to prophets.
Regional Resilience: Prospects for Regional Development Research

This article reviews the prospects and potential problems of incorporating the resilience concepts into regional development research. A growing interest in regional resilience may be interpreted as a reflection of the rising awareness of increased socio-economic and environmental uncertainties, as well as a reaction to the disproportionate theoretical focus on regional growth in the past regional development research. Regional resilience research is still in its infancy, characterized by lively debates over conceptual definitions, research methodology, theoretical significance and practical utility. The paper first addresses conceptual dimensions of the regional resilience research, and explores how the regional development research may incorporate resilience concepts beyond a metaphor. The panarchy framework is then reviewed as an example of a broad framework, originally developed by ecologists, gaining attention in regional research. The paper then explores opportunities and challenges of empirical assessment of regional resilience. Despite the potentially exciting intellectual cross-fertilization of resilience research across diverse fields, I emphasize that the value of regional resilience research should be ultimately based on whether the explanations and insights from the study can be connected to, and consistent with, the views and experiences of those who are affected locally, rather than its theoretical consistencies with the broader resilience literature.