cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differences between African American and European American first-year college students in the relationship between self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and academic achievement

First-year African American and European American college students were surveyed to examine ethnic differences in how their social cognitive beliefs (self-efficacy and outcome expectations) influenced their academic achievement. It was hypothesized that outcome expectations may better explain academic achievement for African Americans due to the fact that they may perceive that external factors such as discrimination may influence their academic outcomes. Because European Americans are less likely to anticipate discrimination, they are more likely to believe that their outcomes would be the result of their own behavior. Higher levels of self-efficacy were related to better academic achievement for both ethnic groups. However, African Americans with negative outcome expectations (e.g. my education will not lead to a well paying job) had better achievement than those with more positive outcome expectations. This pattern was not found for European Americans. Potential explanations for the relationship between outcome expectations and academic achievement for African Americans such as racial socialization for preparation for bias are discussed and implications for interventions are addressed.
Abstract 2336: Assessment of mechanisms of action (MOAs) of the Fc-engineered integrin α5β1 targeting antibody PF-04605412 in human integrin α5 knock-in mice.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Integrin α5β1 plays an important role in tumor angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Overexpression of α5β1 has been associated with poor prognosis in various types of cancers, and also plays a critical role in the resistance of cancers to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. We have previously reported that PF-04605412 (PF-5412), a fully human Fc-engineered IgG1 mAb against human α5β1, displayed robust and dose-dependent antitumor efficacy in multiple preclinical tumor models. Assessment of PF-5412 mechanism of action (MOA) in standard mouse xenograft models has been limited, however, because this antibody does not cross-react with murine integrin α5. To further our understanding of PF-5412 MOAs, we generated human integrin α5 knock-in mice (ITGA5 KI) in which the entire murine coding sequence of integrin α5 was replaced with the corresponding human coding sequence. Mice that were homozygous for human integrin α5 were viable and no abnormal phenotype or behavior was observed. qPCR and FACS analyses showed that human integrin α5 was expressed in various types of tissues and peripheral blood in ITGA5 KI mice, whereas no mouse integrin α5 was detected. Murine integrin β1 expression in ITGA5 KI mice was comparable to wild type mice. Growth of MC38 murine CRC tumors engineered to express human α5 was inhibited by treatment with PF-5412 in a dose-dependent manner. Tumor regression was observed at high doses of PF-5412 but not at comparable dose levels of α5 antibodies lacking ADCC activity (IgG4). IHC analyses of CD31 positive vessels showed that PF-5412 significantly inhibited blood vessel density and induced greater macrophages infiltration into tumors than non-ADCC-inducing antibodies. Notably, parental MC38 tumors lacking endogenous human α5 expression were also controlled by PF-5412 treatment (60% TGI) in ITGA5 KI mice. PF-5412 efficacy in this model also exceeded that of non-ADCC-inducing antibodies. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analyses showed that PF-5412 treatment significantly decreased blood vessel density in the parental MC38 tumors. These results demonstrate that PF-5412 benefit does not depend on integrin α5β1 expression by the tumor cell itself, and support the hypothesis that ADCC-mediated killing of tumor endothelium will confer clinical benefit. The results showed here indicate that ITGA5 KI mouse is a relevant model for evaluating anti-human integrin α5 antibody MOA. Citation Format: Lianglin Zhang, Jeffrey L. Stock, Mark W. Elliott, Enhong Chen, Thao Nguyen, Anthony Wong, Craig B. Davis, James G. Christensen. Assessment of mechanisms of action (MOAs) of the Fc-engineered integrin α5β1 targeting antibody PF-04605412 in human integrin α5 knock-in mice. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2336. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2336
Isolation and characterization of dinucleotide microsatellites in greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili

Thirteen nuclear-encoded dinucleotide microsatellites were characterized from a genomic DNA library of greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili. The microsatellites include 12 perfect-repeat motifs and one imperfect-repeat motif. The number of alleles at the 13 microsatellites among a sample of 29 fish ranged from 3 to 25; gene diversity (expected heterozygosity) ranged from 0.296 to 0.948, while observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.276 to 0.897. Following Bonferroni correction, genotypes at all 13 microsatellites fit expectations of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. One pairwise comparison of microsatellites deviated significantly from expectations of genotypic equilibrium, suggesting that these two microsatellites may be linked. Greater amberjack support commercial and recreational fisheries along both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S. and represent a species with potential for worldwide aquaculture. The microsatellites developed will be useful for conservation and population genetic studies of ‘wild’ and domesticated populations of greater amberjack.
The Fugitive's Gibraltar: Escaping Slaves and Abolitionism in New Bedford, Massachusetts

How did New Bedford come to be seen as a haven for fugitives, and was antislavery truly, as one whaling merchant put it, the ruling sentiment of the town? This book addresses these questions and the author documents fugitive traffic in and around New Bedford and analyzes it on several levels.
Slow electrons in condensed matter

The irreversible thermalization of energy lost by an electron in amorphous condensed matter makes successive losses incoherent. This allows us to extend a stochastic treatment of electron degradation down to the thermal range. The probability of a given momentum and energy transfer is viewed as a macroscopic property of each material, which reduces to the structure factor $S(\mathbf{q},\ensuremath{\omega})$ in the Born approximation. The identification of such bulk properties presents novel challenges for experimentalists.
A Monte-Carlo model for the passive diffusion of drugs through the stratum corneum

Abstract The diffusion of solute molecules through the stratum corneum has been described using a Monte-Carlo random walk model. The results obtained are in agreement with the solutions obtained from Fick's first and second laws. The method is computationally simple to apply, can handle time variation of the stratum corneum's thickness and diffusion coefficient, and provides physical insight into the process of diffusion on a molecular level.
Growth hormone therapy alone or in combination with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog therapy to improve the height deficit in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Short stature in the adult patient with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is commonly seen, even among patients in excellent adrenal control during childhood and puberty. In this study we examine the effect of GH therapy on height prediction in children with both CAH and compromised height prediction. Leuprolide acetate, a GnRH analog (GnRHa), was given to patients with evidence of early puberty. GH (n = 12) or the combination of GH and GnRHa (n = 8) was administered to 20 patients with CAH while they continued therapy with glucocorticoids. Each patient in the treatment group was matched according to age, sex, bone age, puberty, and type of CAH with another CAH patient treated only with glucocorticoid replacement. The match was made at the start of GH treatment. Of the 20 patients, 12 have completed 2 yr of therapy. After 1 yr of GH or combination GH and GnRHa therapy, the mean growth rate increased from 5 ± 1.9 to 7.8 ± 1.6 cm/yr vs. 5.4 ± 1.7 to 5 ± 2 cm/yr in the group not receiving GH (P < 0.0001)....
Use of dominant negative nuclear receptors to study xenobiotic-inducible gene expression in primary cultured hepatocytes.

Abstract Introduction: To determine the feasibility of using dominant negative nuclear receptors to dissect the regulation of inducible gene expression in primary cultured hepatocytes, a series of dominant negative nuclear receptor expression plasmids were designed with truncated AF-2 subdomains. Methods: Plasmids expressing dominant negative or wild-type constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), pregnane X receptor (PXR), farnesoid X receptor (FXR), liver X receptor (LXR), or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) were transiently cotransfected into primary cultured rat hepatocytes, together with an appropriate reporter plasmid. Results: Treatment with prototypic inducers, 10 −4 M phenobarbital (CAR activator), 10 −5 M pregnenolone 16α-carbonitrile (PXR activator), 3×10 −5 M chenodeoxycholate (FXR activator), or 10 −4 M ciprofibrate (PPARα activator), significantly activated expression from the corresponding reporter plasmid. Treatment with 22( R )-hydroxycholesterol (LXR activator) only weakly activated the LXR-responsive reporter, while pregnenolone 16α-carbonitrile treatment significantly activated this reporter. Cotransfection with wild-type LXRα strongly enhanced 22( R )-hydroxycholesterol-inducible expression from the LXR-responsive reporter. Cotransfection of hepatocyte cultures with each of the dominant negative nuclear receptor plasmids significantly inhibited inducible expression of the corresponding reporter while, with one exception (LXRα), cotransfection with the wild-type receptor moderately enhanced or had little effect on reporter expression. When each dominant negative nuclear receptor was cross-examined against all inducer–reporter pairs, effects on multiple inducer–reporter pairs were frequently observed. However, in general, only cotransfection with the appropriate dominant negative inhibited inducible reporter expression to a greater extent than did cotransfection with the corresponding wild-type receptor. Discussion: We suggest that the application of dominant negative nuclear receptors has utility in transient transfection studies aimed at discerning the regulatory role of individual nuclear receptor transcription factors in inducible hepatic gene expression, provided that appropriate controls are employed.
Constitutive expression and function of cyclooxygenase-2 in murine gastric muscles.

Abstract Background & Aims: Cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX) generate intermediates in the prostaglandin (PG) cascade. COX-1 is constitutively expressed in many cells, and COX-2 is typically thought to be an inducible isoform. Methods: We evaluated constitutive expression and function of COX-2 in murine gastric muscles. Results: Immunohistochemistry showed COX-2–like immunoreactivity (COX-2–LI) in myenteric neurons. Half the neurons with COX-2–LI expressed nitric oxide synthase (NOS). COX-2–LI was not observed in smooth muscle cells. Interstitial cells of Cajal within muscle layers (IC-IM) expressed COX-2–LI, suggesting a novel role for IC-IM. Molecular studies verified expression of COX-2 in gastric muscles. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) showed equal expression of COX-1 and COX-2 in the antrum. COX-2 was more abundant in fundus. Indomethacin and GR253035X, a COX-2 inhibitor, increased antral phasic contractions and potentiated responses to ACh. Indomethacin, but not GR253035X, increased contractions and potentiated responses in tissues of COX-2 knockout mice. Indomethacin and GR253035X reduced tone in the fundus. Conclusions: COX-2 is constitutively expressed by IC-IM and neurons in the stomach and at levels similar to COX-1. Prostanoids produced by COX-2 regulate mechanical activities of fundus and antral muscles. GASTROENTEROLOGY 2002;122:1442-1454
Effect of sample filtration on the quality of monitoring data reported for organic compounds during wastewater treatment.

Accurate quantification of organic wastewater compounds (OWCs) is essential for assessing their removal efficiency in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and for calculating discharge rates into effluent-receiving surface waters. In this study, we undertook a theoretical evaluation of the effect of sorption and sample filtration on data quality. Filtration of samples, while commonly practiced, may preclude a potentially significant fraction of chemical mass from both chemical measurements and mass flow analyses for WWTPs. Sorption theory dictates that analyte losses from sample filtration are notable for hydrophobic organic compounds (HOCs) featuring a pH-dependent logarithmically transformed organic carbon–water distribution coefficient (log DOC) of ≥3.0. Among a total of 33 organic wastewater compounds considered, the extent of sorption to filterable materials ranged from 22% for bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) to 99% for di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). Sample filtration also was demonstrated to have a profound impact on the outcome of chemical fate and behavior studies. When the chemical mass residing on filterable particulates was considered, the concentration spread (range) doubled between maximum and minimum concentrations reported for raw wastewater. Furthermore, removal efficiencies of WWTPs calculated for HOCs increased by as much as 62% just by changing the method of accounting. We conclude that some of the data spread reported in the literature concerning chemical mass loadings, contaminant concentrations in raw sewage, and removal efficiencies of similarly designed WWTPs is driven not by actual differences in sewage composition, geographic locations and treatment units but by sample processing protocols and the method of mass accounting.
Regional Variation in the Determinants of Food Stamp Program Participation

In this paper I investigate the degree to which determinants of participation in an American welfare program operate differentially throughout the country to create disparities in program use. A sp...
Production responses in early lactation to additions of soybean meal to diets containing predominantly corn silage.

Abstract Responses in yield of milk and intake of dry matter to increased concentrations of dietary crude protein by cows in early lactation were modeled from published data. The data base was 625 Holstein cows in second or later lactation fed diets primarily composed of corn grain and a combination of corn silage and alfalfa. Dietary crude protein as a percent of dry matter ranged from 9.5 to 20.2% and was varied with soybean meal. Exponential models were developed to predict changes in milk yield and dry matter intake per unit change in dietary crude protein. The consequence of changes in concentration of dietary crude protein on performance can be predicted with the models. The dose-response relationships can be used with relevant price information to estimate the concentration of crude protein that maximizes returns over feed costs. Profitability is improved by adjusting concentration of dietary crude protein for changes in the price of soybean meal. Present feeding Standards could be enhanced by incorporation of information on dose-response and economics.
An EPR-ENDOR study of the [Li]° center in crystalline and ceramic BeO

The primary paramagnetic hole trap that is X-ray induced in the BeO ceramics, Thermalox 995 and 998, is identified by ENDOR as a [Li]° center. This center is previously identified in BeO single crystals as a hole trapped at an oxygen ion adjacent to a lithium impurity. These results are confirmed by an ENDOR study of the [Li]° center in single crystals of BeO from two different sources. In addition, the ENDOR study of the single crystals gives quadrupole coupling tensor values for n.n. 9Be nuclei and magnetic hyperfine and quadrupole coupling constants for a n.n.n. axial 9Be nucleus which are not reported previously for the [Li]° center in BeO. Annealing studies of the EPR signals reveal different behavior for the [Li]° center in the ceramic and the crystals. Implication of these results for the thermoluminescence and thermally stimulated exoelectron emission from the ceramic are discussed. Der primare paramagnetische Lochertrap, der durch Rontgenstrahlung in den BeO-Keramiken Thermalox 995 und 998 induziert wird, ist durch ENDOR als ein [Li]°-Zentrum identifiziert worden. Dieses Zentrum ist fruher in BeO-Einkristallen als ein bei einem Sauerstoff-Ion in der Nahe einer Lithiumstorstelle gefangenes Loch identifiziert worden. Diese Ergebnisse werden durch eine ENDOR-Untersuchung des [Li]°- Zentrums in zwei BeO-Einkristallen verschiedener Herkunft bestatigt. Die ENDOR-Untersuchung der Einkristalle ergibt auserdem fur n.n. 9Be-Kerne die Werte des Quadrupolkopplungstensors und fur einen n.n.n. axialen 9Be-Kern die Konstanten der magnetischen Hyperfein- und Quadrupolkopplung, die fur das [Li]°-Zentrum in BeO noch nicht berichtet worden sind. Temperungsuntersuchungen der EPR-Signale zeigen verschiedenes Verhalten des [Li]°-Zentrums in der Keramik und in den Kristallen. Die Bedeutung dieser Ergebnisse fur Thermolumineszenz und thermisch stimulierte Exoelektronen-Emission aus der Keramik wird diskutiert.
Comparison of [(99m)Tc]tilmanocept and filtered [(99m)Tc]sulfur colloid for identification of SLNs in breast cancer patients.

The efficacy of sentinel lymph node (SLN) surgery requires targeted removal of first-draining nodes; however, frequently more nodes are removed than necessary. [99mTc]tilmanocept (TcTM) is a molecular-targeted radiopharmaceutical specifically designed for SLN mapping. We evaluated technical outcomes of SLN biopsy in breast cancer patients mapped with TcTM + vital blue dye (VBD) versus filtered [99mTc]sulfur colloid (fTcSC) + VBD. There were 84 versus 115 patients in the TcTM versus fTcSC cohorts, respectively. Main measures were the number of SLNs removed per patient and factors influencing number of nodes removed. We also evaluated whether the radiotracer injected affected the proportion of positive nodes removed in node-positive patients. Fewer nodes were removed among patients mapped with TcTM compared to fTcSC (mean TcTM: 1.85 vs. fTcSC: 3.24, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis adjusted for tumor characteristics showed that injection of fTcSC (p < 0.001) independently predicted removal of greater than 3 nodes. A similar proportion of patients was identified as node-positive, whether mapped with TcTM or with fTcSC (TcTM: 24 % vs. fTcSC: 17 %, p = 0.3); however, TcTM detected a greater proportion of positive nodes among node-positive patients compared with fTcSC (0.73 vs. 0.43, p = 0.001). Patients undergoing SLN biopsy with TcTM required fewer SLNs to identify the same rate of node-positive patients compared with fTcSC in breast cancer patients with similar risk of axillary metastatic disease. These data suggest that a molecularly targeted mechanism of SLN identification may reduce the total number of nodes necessary for accurate axillary staging.
Infrared spectrometer for Voyager.

The Voyager IR investigation is described, which uses a Michelson interferometer in the 180-2500/cm range, and a single-channel radiometer for the visible and near-IR, sharing a 50-cm diameter telescope. Emphasis is placed on the differences between the Voyager and the previous designs, including reductions in the field of view and in the noise equivalent spectral radiance of the instrument. Attention is given to the optical layout, the electronics module, power supply placement, thermal control heaters and flash heaters, data reduction, and calibration. A sample spectrum of Jupiter is also discussed.
Frameworks for coping with post-normal times: A response to Ziauddin Sardar

Abstract This paper is a response to Ziauddin Sardar's “Welcome to postnormal times”. It agrees that times are indeed post normal, and discusses the reasons why this will continue. The paper then suggests three frameworks for helping people (and managers) recognise and deal with these times: a four level complexity hierarchy, scenarios, and the purposeful self-renewing organisation architecture.
Interspecific competition influences reproduction in spotted hyenas

Interspecific competition among carnivores is an important determinant of predator population dynamics, and it may also affect lower trophic levels. Whereas considerable research has focused on effects of interspecific competition on threatened carnivore populations, here we examine the effects of interspecific competition on the most abundant large carnivore in Africa, the spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta. Specifically, we compared two populations of spotted hyenas to examine the sources of variation in fitness, including effects of competition with lions Panthera leo. Hyenas living in Amboseli National Park and the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, were monitored from 2003 to 2005 and 1988 to 1992, respectively. Females reproduced at significantly higher rates in Amboseli, due to shorter lactation periods, though neither juvenile survival nor litter size differed between populations. Differences in reproduction were estimated to result in 24% greater lifetime reproductive success among Amboseli than among Mara females. We then tested alternative ecological hypotheses to explain these differences in fitness measures between populations. We found little support for hypotheses suggesting that population differences were due to variation in prey availability or dispersion, or to intraspecific competition either within or between hyena groups. Our results were most consistent with the hypothesis that population differences were due to variation in interspecific competition with lions. Hyenas in Amboseli lived at lower lion density, enjoyed higher rates of food intake despite less abundant prey, and scavenged more food from lions than did Mara hyenas. Our results indicate that competition with lions operated primarily via food competition, rather than direct killing, to generate the fitness differences.
Label-free imaging of semiconducting and metallic carbon nanotubes in cells and mice using transient absorption microscopy

As interest in the potential biomedical applications of carbon nanotubes increases, there is a need for methods that can image nanotubes in live cells, tissues and animals. Although techniques such as Raman, photoacoustic and near-infrared photoluminescence imaging have been used to visualize nanotubes in biological environments, these techniques are limited because nanotubes provide only weak photoluminescence and low Raman scattering and it remains difficult to image both semiconducting and metallic nanotubes at the same time. Here, we show that transient absorption microscopy offers a label-free method to image both semiconducting and metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes in vitro and in vivo, in real time, with submicrometre resolution. By using appropriate near-infrared excitation wavelengths, we detect strong transient absorption signals with opposite phases from semiconducting and metallic nanotubes. Our method separates background signals generated by red blood cells and this allows us to follow the movement of both types of nanotubes inside cells and in the blood circulation and organs of mice without any significant damaging effects.
Explaining the Decline in Southern per Capita Output after Emancipation

Abstract County-level census data are used to evaluate the decline in southern per capita output from 1860 to 1880. Two explanations have been offered. The slave-labor hypothesis argues that per capita output declined because of a fall in African-Americans′ labor supply (as former slaves reduced their labor force participation and hours of work). The plantation-efficiency hypothesis argues instead that the productive efficiency of southern agriculture fell with the collapse of the plantation system, as former plantation slaves escaped gang labor and collective living arrangements. Econometric tests strongly support the plantation-efficiency hypothesis, but not the slave-labor hypothesis.
A note on simultaneous estimation of eigenvalues of a multivariate normal covariance matrix

The problem of simultaneous estimation of the eigenvalues of a covariance matrix is considered under a sum of squared errors loss. A new class of estimators which is a generalization of Dey's (1988) class of estimators is given. As an immediate consequence, a new class of estimators of trace of the covariance matrix is obtained.
Attitudes Toward Risk: Theoretical Implications of an Experiment in Rural India

In economics, empirical work with models of behaviour under risk whether security based or utility based usually involves comparing the models' predictions with the real world decisions of a sample of individuals or firms (for utility-based examples in agriculture, see Anderson et al., I977, or Halter and Dean, I97I; for a safety-based example, see Roumassett, I973). The advantage of this approach is that the analysis focuses on decisions that people actually must make in the course of their economic activities. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to determine the relative influence of risk and other factors on these decisions. This difficulty has led experimental psychologists and, to a much lesser extent, economists to design specific experiments to test the implications of utility theories in the laboratory. (For reviews of this experimental work, most of which has been confined to utility-based theories, see Luce and Suppes, I965, and Grether, I978.) This paper, following the lead of the experimental psychology literature, discusses a relatively simple but fairly large-scale experiment in ruralIndia that the writer and colleagues at ICRISAT designed to measure attitudes toward risk. We chose an experimental approach when it became clear that we could not obtain reliable estimates of risk aversion by the usual interview techniques of eliciting certainty equivalents. (For details of the difficulties encountered in this study and a description of the entire experiment see Binswanger, I980.) We have validated our experimental measures of risk aversion by showing that a portion of the observed variation among individual farmers' agricultural decisions can be related in a systematic manner to variations in the same farmer's experimentally measured degrees of risk aversion, the more risk averse choosing more conservative options (Binswanger et al. i980).1 This observed relationship between experimental behaviour and actual farm decisions suggests the importance of examining the significance of our findings for a number of models of behaviour under risk, focusing on the consistency of our findings
Super high dielectric constant carbon black-filled polymer composites as integral capacitor dielectrics

In this paper, carbon black-filled high dielectric constant composites were evaluated as the candidate materials for embedded capacitors. Carbon black was selected as the filler due to its large surface area and its wide range of electrical properties based on its surface chemistry, particle size and aggregate structure. Six different types of carbon blacks were evaluated. With a proper filler loading level and good dispersion, high dielectric constants over 1000 were observed for four out of the six types of carbon. The dispersion of carbon black is critical to obtain high dielectric constant carbon black composites. When the carbon black is well dispersed, the large surface area of tiny carbon black aggregates serve as the electrode surfaces of numerous small capacitors. The capacitor network within the composite can thus give a large capacitance and dielectric constant. For a highly conductive carbon black CBD3, a high dielectric constant over 13,300 (@10 kHz) was achieved, and for a relatively low conductivity carbon black CBC2, a dielectric constant of about 2,300 (@10 kHz) was obtained. A higher conductivity carbon black usually gives a higher dielectric constant; however, its composites are more difficult to process since the composites have a narrower composition window near the percolation threshold due to its high structure and large surface area. The filler loading level required to reach high dielectric constant is much lower than that of ceramic composites, which enable carbon black composites to have good mechanical properties. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the structure of carbon and their composites, respectively, in order to correlate the structure of carbon blacks and the morphology of their composites with the corresponding material dielectric properties.
Quantification of rotator cuff tear geometry: the repair ratio as a guide for surgical repair in crescent and U-shaped tears.

Introduction Surgical repair of symptomatic, retracted rotator cuff tears unresponsive to non-operative treatments requires closure of the tear without undue tension and reattaching the torn tendon to its former insertion site. In this study, the length of the torn tendon edge was hypothesized to be longer than the length of the humeral insertion site. The objective of this study was to quantify the discrepancy in length of the torn tendon edge and the length of the avulsed humeral insertion site.
Morphology of neurons in the torus semicircularis of the northern leopard frog, Rana pipiens pipiens.

The neuronal morphology of the torus semicircularis of the northern leopard frog, Rana pipiens pipiens, was examined in Golgi-impregnated material. Neurons in each of the five subdivisions of the torus semicircularis (Potter, '65a) have distinct morphologies which are characteristic of the subdivision. Laminar nucleus neurons are mostly multipolar with spherical or ovoidal somata and smooth dendrites oriented primarily parallel and perpendicular to the cell laminae. Principal nucleus neurons have variable soma shapes with short dendrites (less than 100 micrometers) radiating in all directions. In the magnocellular nucleus, there are three major cell types: neurons characterized by small, spherical-shaped somata, with short, thin, radiating dendrites and many varicosities; bi- or tripolar neurons with ovoidal somata, and long (100-200 micrometers) and smooth dendrites orienting primarily dorsoventrally and mediolaterally; and multipolar neurons with triangular-shaped somata and very long (200-350 micrometers) dendrites, which are either smooth or highly spiny. Neurons in the commissural nucleus are mostly multipolar cells with ovoidal somata and beaded dendrites projecting mostly dorsally and ventrally. The subependymal midline nucleus contains mostly uni- or bipolar neurons with small ovoidal somata and straight, spiny dendrites. In addition to revealing the morphological features of neurons in the torus, the counterstained material shows further cytoarchitectural organization of the principal nucleus, i.e., the presence of a circular lamellar organization. The functional significance of these anatomical features is discussed.
Using intrinsic images for shadow handling

The ability to detect shadows is a critical feature of any intelligent transportation system (ITS). The improper handling of shadows can be the cause of erroneous conclusions in traffic analysis. As vision-based ITS applications are becoming more popular, it is important to minimize the effects of shadows. Here, we present a novel method for shadow handling in a sequence of images. Following recent work motivated by studies of the statistics of natural images, we show that this new method is a reliable detector of shadows and can be easily implemented in real-time.
Molecular dissection of a major gene effect on a quantitative trait : the level of alcohol dehydrogenase expression in Drosophila melanogaster

A molecular mapping experiment shows that a major gene effect on a quantitative trait, the level of alcohol dehydrogenase expression in Drosophila melanogaster , is due to multiple polymorphisms within the Adh gene. These polymorphisms are located in an intron, the coding sequence, and the 3′ untranslated region. Because of nonrandom associations among polymorphisms at different sites, the individual effects combine (in some cases epistatically) to produce “superalleles” with large effect. These results have implications for the interpretation of major gene effects detected by quantitative trait locus mapping methods. They show that large effects due to a single locus may be due to multiple associated polymorphisms (or sequential fixations in isolated populations) rather than individual mutations of large effect.
Dry matter yield differences of five common cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium) biotypes grown at a common site

Five common cocklebur biotypes from southern Minnesota, central Iowa, southern Iowa, and Ohio were grown at the Iowa State University Curtiss Research Farm in 1995 and 1996 to examine intraspecific variations. Maximum plant heights were measured, and anthesis dates and day of bur set were recorded. At the end of the growing season, all plants were excised at the soil surface and weighed. Common cocklebur biotypes did not differ significantly in height. Flowering date was associated strongly with photoperiod and varied little between years within a biotype. But flowering date and bur set date differed among biotypes. The highest dry matter yields occurred in later flowering biotypes.
Control of video processing algorithms based on measured perceptual quality characteristics

Most consumer electronic devices include a suite of video post-processing algorithms that process the output of the video decoder to drive the video display. In this paper, we propose the use of non-reference video quality metrics to improve the Quality of Experience (QoE) of the user on-the-fly by controlling the parameters of the video post-processing pipeline. We utilize non-reference and real-time measurements of perceptual contrast, sharpness and noise to control denoising and contrast enhancement algorithms in the video post-processing pipeline. We propose methods to ensure consistency of the post-processing across the different frames of the video to avoid creation of flickering artifacts due to variable post-processing. We show that video quality can be improved by identifying the specific quality characteristics that are altered by a video post-processing method and using measurements of these characteristics to improve overall user QoE.
Taskville: visualizing tasks and raising awareness in the workplace

Taskville is an interactive visualization that aims to increase awareness of tasks that occur in the workplace. It utilizes gameplay elements and playful interaction to motivate continued use. A preliminary study with 37 participants shows that Taskville succeeds at being a fun and enjoyable experience while also increasing awareness. A strong correlation was also found between two major study groups demonstrating its potential to increase awareness and stimulate task-based activity across work groups.
Treatment of HeLa cells with bacterial water extracts inhibits Shigella flexneri invasion.

Pathogenesis mediated by Shigella flexneri requires invasion of the gastrointestinal epithelium. It has been previously shown that HeLa cells challenged with S. flexneri show alterations in their phosphotyrosine-containing protein profile. In this report, we demonstrated that bacterial water extracts (WE) abrogated the invasion of HeLa cells by S. flexneri in a dose-dependent manner. A proteinaceous component of S. flexneri was shown to be responsible for this inhibitory activity. Proteins encoded on the 140-MDa plasmid were not responsible for the observed inhibition. WE from other Gram-negative bacteria also inhibited Shigella invasion of HeLa cells. HeLa cells pretreated with WE showed changes in the profile and the intensity of phosphotyrosine-containing protein bands. These data were consistent with a surface protein component in WE which initiated aberrant host cell signaling at the membrane which may account for the inhibition of bacterial entry.
The Effect of Purposeful Activity on Pain Tolerance

Purposeful and nonpurposeful tasks were performed by 30 normal college-age students (15 male, 15 female) in a study examining the effectiveness of the two types of activity in prolonging tolerance to electrically induced pain. The subjects acted as their own controls, indicated their own threshold for stimulation, and were monitored for peripheral skin temperature and heart rate. Duration of tolerance was measured in seconds from attainment of threshold until the request by the subject that stimulation be stopped. Results indicated that the subjects tolerated pain significantly longer (p = .02) while performing the activity designated as purposeful. No significant differences in peripheral skin temperature or heart rate were found under the two conditions.
Calculation of the Stability and the Polarizability of Isolated Fullerene Molecules as a Function of Charge State

We present first-principles local density functional calculations of the electronic structure and energetics of neutral and negatively charged fullerene molecules. We find thatthe negatively charged -1 state is stable relative to the neutral molecule and that the -2 state is stable relative to the neutral molecule but not to the -1 state of the molecule. We have also performed calculations of the electronic polarizabilities for different charged states and developed a simple model to estimate the dielectric constant of fullerene based crystals.
Single- and Multicelled Composite Thin-Walled Beams

structed from a general variational-asymptotic framework. The results of the theory are contained in closed-form expressions for the stiffness matrices of single- and double-celled composite thin-walled beams. The accuracy of the approach is demonstrated by several examples. The most important feature of these solutions,which distinguishes them from those previously published in the literature,is that shell bending strain measures are consistently taken into consideration. This is shown to be important for correct treatment of certain closed-cell configurations,the torsional stiffness of which can be off by a factor of two when bending strain measures or hoop moments are neglected. Correlation of the present formulae with finite element analysis is demonstrated to be excellent.
A mixed model data association for simultaneous localisation and mapping in dynamic environments

This paper presents a feasible and robust approach which handles the real-time data association problem for robotic simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) in clutter and dynamic environment. Unlike most of proposals that are based on a single model to estimate the dynamics of a scenario and thus fall short of the variation of environmental complexity which may need different models to estimate the modes of behaviour, in this paper, we propose an integrated schema which mixes the interactive multiple model (IMM) and joint probabilistic data association (JPDA), with the asymmetric assignment optimisation algorithm to generate the optimal feasible hypothesis. Because of its adaptability and cost-effectiveness, this approach can be applied for real-time SLAM applications. Simulation is performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method.
Estimating the accuracy of psychological scales using longitudinal data

SUMMARY This article presents a method for estimating the accuracy of psychological screening scales using receiver operating characteristic curves and associated statistics. Screening scales are typically semi- continuous within a known range with distributions that are nearly symmetric when the target condition is present and highly skewed when the condition is absent. We model screening scale outcomes using truncated normal distributions that accommodate these different distributional shapes and use subject- specific random effects to adjust for multiple assessments within individuals. Using the proposed model, we estimate the accuracy of the Symptom Checklist as a measure of major depression from a repeatedly screened sample of patients. Screening scales play an important role in both clinical mental health care and mental health research. In clinical settings, screening scales are part of initial evaluation and treatment follow-up. Screening scales are also used for epidemiologic, effectiveness and efficacy studies. Because psychological screening scales approximate clinical diagnoses, the usefulness of these scales depends on both their ease of administration and their accuracy relative to more complicated 'gold standard' assessments. In this paper, we focus on estimating the accuracy of a depression screening test. We also estimate cutpoints on the screening scale that yield dichotomized results with particular characteristics, such as a target sensitivity or positive predictive value. Estimating the accuracy of screening scales can be difficult because the distributions of test results are often very different in affected and unaffected populations. Screening scales generally include an inventory of symptoms, with scale scores increasing with both the number and severity of symptoms. Because these scales are bounded, they are subject to both floor and ceiling effects. Floor effects occur when unaffected individuals are completely asymptomatic. As a result, scale scores tend to be right- skewed in unaffected populations. Ceiling effects can similarly result in left-skewness of the scale score distribution among severely affected populations, though scale scores often have an approximately symmetric distribution among affected individuals. We present a parametric method for estimating the accuracy of a screening scale that allows differences in distributional shapes for affected and unaffected populations. Our approach estimates the accuracy ∗ To whom correspondence should be addressed
Traversing a boreal forest landscape: Summer movements of Tule Greater White-fronted Geese

Abstract We monitored the movement, distribution and site affinities of radio-marked Tule Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons elgasi) during spring and summer in Alaska, 1994-1997 and 2004. Our assessment of summer movements was comprehensive, as locations were obtained during prenesting, nesting, and molt for over 90% of geese with active radios captured during winter or the previous summer in Alaska. Geese arrived to coastal and interior marshes in the Cook Inlet Basin (CIB) from mid April to early May, after which they moved to nesting areas in the upper CIB. Nesting birds used coastal staging areas in close proximity to eventual nest site location. Molting sites included a sub-glacial lake system in the upper CIB, although up to 50% of geese underwent a molt migration to wetlands across the Alaska Range, 400-600 km west of the CIB. Geese that molted at distant sites returned to the CIB before autumn migration. Length of stay in the CIB varied among years from 108-119 days, and averaged 116 da...
The use of heterogenous bovine bone implants in the treatment of periodontal pockets. An experimental study in humans.

The heterogenous bone implant used is a sterile processed bovine bone* aseptically obtained from young calves or calf embryos (Fig. 1 ). It is processed to reduce antigenicity by reducing cellular and lipid content to a minimum without affecting the structural integrity or strength of the bone matrix. The material is supplied in vacuum packed glass vials with a rubber stopper and an aluminum tear seal to keep the enclosed material sterile and protected from the outside environment. After removing the tear seal the vial is immersed in 70 percent alcohol for 15 minutes before using. Then an aseptic technique is utilized to take the vial out of the alcohol. The rubber stopper is removed
Validation of the National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Survey as a Quality-of-Life Instrument for Patients with Malignant Brain Tumors and Their Caregivers

At present there is a lack of well-validated surveys used to measure quality of life in patients with malignant brain tumors and their caregivers. The main objective of this pilot study was to validate the National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (NIH PROMIS) survey for use as a quality-of-life measure in this population. This article presents the rationale for using the NIH PROMIS instrument as a quality-of-life measure for patients with malignant brain tumors and their caregivers.
Three level block truncation coding

A block truncation coding (BTC) method employing a three-level image coding technique, is presented and studied. The method is applied to actual images and compared with other BTC techniques in terms of mean squared error (MSE), compression ratio, and processing time. This comparison is based on a 4*4 block size with pixel values ranging from 0-255 (8 b/pixel). The method compares favorably with other BTC image coding methods in terms of MSE and speed of execution, but it has a lower compression ratio. >
Technical Section: Scaffolded learning with mixed reality

Scaffolding is a widely used educational practice in which directed instruction gradually decreases as student competence increases-resulting in increased independent learning. This research introduces and evaluates an MR-based system for technology-mediated scaffolding in anesthesia education. Through merging real and virtual objects, the system addresses a vital problem in merging abstract and concrete knowledge. To evaluate the system, a user study was conducted (n=130). Results suggest that MR's merging of real and virtual spaces can offer (1) a unique level of educational scaffolding, and (2) an improved learning-transfer from abstract to concrete domains. To classify the presented system, the virtuality continuum is extended to include scaffolding. The presented scaffolding-space continuum classifies technology-mediated scaffolding tools along three orthogonal continuums: (1) virtuality, (2) information (e.g. abstract, concrete), and (3) interaction. Using these 3 orthogonal continuums, effective engineering approaches for technology-mediated educational scaffolding are described.
The inhibition of putrefactive spore-bearing anaerobes by bacterium acidophilus

There is available, however, no definite information in regard to the biologic or chemical factors which permit these aciduric organisms to become predominant. The investigations of Kendall,2 Torrey,3 Rettger and his co-workers 4 and others have established the fact that diets containing liberal amounts of lactose are particularly effective in stimulating the overgrowth of B. acidophilus in the intestine, and one of us 3 has also recently demonstrated that dextrin is equally efficacious. Further, through the studies of Hull and Rettger4 and Rettger and Cheplin,5 it has been shown that lactose and dextrin are so slowly absorbed from the digestive tract that a part of the amount fed reaches the lower bowel, the normal habitat of these bacilli. This, as Rettger has emphasized, provides a favorable pabulum for B. acidophilus and permits the rapid development of this organism. It would seem, however, that these conditions might be equally favorable for the growth of such fermentative organisms as B. coli and streptococci and that the predominance of B. acidophilus is probably attained through factors other than or additional to more mechanical overgrowth. Kopeloff7 in an inquiry into the cause for the improvement in obstinate cases of constipation following the ingestion of large amounts of B. acidophilus milk cultures with a consequent simplification of the intestinal flora,