cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contraceptive hormones and congenital heart disease

PIP: 4 retrospective case-control studies and a retrospective cohort study in addition to an ongoing prospective study of the relationship between contraceptive hormones and congenital heart disease have been conducted. The following observations are reported. No patient with transportation of the great arteries (TGAs) has been found in any VACTERL patient. In the first 100 patients of the prospective study there were no TGAs but there was 1 VACTERL syndrome. An increase of TGAs in 1 retrospective study was thought to be related to exposure in early gestation rather than to specific drug malformation. No unusual increase in TGAs was found in the other retrospective studies. It was thought that a history of drug exposure during pregnancies terminating more than a year prior to taking the history were unreliable especially with missed medication, menstrual irregularities, and hormonal agents used as pregnancy tests. In the Yasuda study a hypothetical teratogen producing malformations in only .6-1% of pregnancies would have been unnoticed.
Synthesis of L-kedarosamine in protected form and its efficient incorporation into an advanced intermediate to kedarcidin chromophore.

An efficient route to the complex l-kedarosamine α-glycosidic ether 2, a synthetic precursor to kedarcidin chromophore, is described. Central to the route, which is suitable for the preparation of multigram amounts of material, is a short synthetic sequence from d-threonine to protected l-kedarosamine derivatives and methodology for their α-selective coupling with appropriate hydroxyl acceptors.
The overgeneralization of morphological forms as a function of experience

Abstract Eighty children ranging in age from three to nine years were exposed to puppets who used a novel regular suffix (− ip ) and a variety of irregular forms to express large relative size (i.e. the larger of two objects). Each child was exposed to ten regular forms and ten irregular forms. However, half of the children in each age group heard the regular suffix used in conjunction with phonetically similar base forms, while the remaining children heard the regular suffix used in conjunction with phonetically dissimilar base forms. All of the children were exposed to the same set of irregular forms. Following the exposure session, children were given a production task in which they were asked to describe large relative size “the same way that the puppet had”. The regular and irregular base forms that had been used in the exposure condition were used in the production task. The results indicated that children found it somewhat easier to learn the regular suffix when they had heard it used in conjunction with phonetically similar base forms. However, except for the three-year-olds, children were more likely to overgeneralize the regular suffix to irregular forms when they had heard it used in conjunction with phonetically dissimilar base forms. These results suggest that the generality of the linguistic rules that children learn as they acquire their first language may depend on the nature of the instances that children hear. This in turn suggests that the input to language learning children interacts with their language learning predispositions to yield children's hypotheses about the regularities of their mother tongue.
Blends of two poly(aryl ether ketones)

Abstract Miscibility in the amorphous and the crystalline phases of a blend of poly(oxy-1,4-phenyleneoxy-1,4-phenylenecarbonyl-1,4-phenylene) [poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK)] and poly(oxy-1,4-phenylenecarbonyl-1,4-phenylene) [poly(ether ketone) (PEK)] has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (d.s.c.) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). Our results indicate that the polymers cocrystallize on quenching from the melt but do not cocrystallize when other thermal histories are imposed. Conclusions regarding miscibility in the amorphous phase cannot be drawn on the basis of the presence of a single glass transition. However, it can be inferred from results obtained for the crystalline phase that the two polymers are miscible in the amorphous phase.
Accuracy Analysis of Point Laser Triangulation Probes Using Simulation

Point Laser Triangulation (PLT) probes are relatively new noncontact probes being integrated with Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs). Two prominent advantages of PLT probes are fast measuring speeds (typically 100 to 1000 times faster than touch probes) and no contact force is required to take measurements making soft or fragile objects measurable, These advantages have motivated the integration of PLT probes onto CMM. However, because the PLT probe is an electro-optics device, many factors related to optics affect its Operation, such as sensor-to-surface orientation and surface reflectivity. To study and better understand these error sources, PLT probe models are needed to simulate observed measurement errors. This article presents a new PLT probe model, which simulates observed measurement errors and shows the effects of placement and orientation of internal components. This PLT probe model is a combination of internal component models developed usin g geometrical optics. The model successfully simulates measurement errors from specular reflection observed experimentally with real PLT probes. The model also allows the parameters of internal components to be studied.
Surgical options in the treatment of interhemispheric arachnoid cysts

BACKGROUND Arachnoid cysts located within the interhemispheric fissure are a matter of discussion as to the surgical indication and the choice of the most appropriate surgical procedure. In fact, in spite of the large dimensions that they can reach, the clinical manifestations may remain subtle and apparently stable over the years. On the other hand, the larger utilization of prenatal ultrasound investigations has increased the number of lesions detected before they can provoke clinical manifestations. As far as surgery is concerned, two main options are available-an extrathecal shunting procedure or a direct approach to the lesion, with excision of its wall. METHODS In this report, we analyze the results obtained in 25 children harboring an interhemispheric arachnoid cyst, surgically treated in the period 1978 to 1994. Mean age at diagnosis was 18.8 months (10 days to 15 years). RESULTS The main clinical manifestations included macrocrania, mild to moderate signs of increased intracranial pressure, cranial bulging, developmental delay, and neurologic signs. In 14 cases, the diagnosis had been obtained prenatally. The cyst was located in one hemicranium in 16 cases, whereas it was on the midline, with bilateral extension, in the remaining 9 cases; in the latter cases, variable degrees of callosal agenesis were also observed. All 25 children were operated on. In 16 of them, the treatment consisted of a craniotomy with wide excision of the cyst lining and marsupialization into the subarachnoid spaces of the midline (and/or into the ventricular system). In 6 children, the surgical procedure was a cystoperitoneal (CP) shunt. The last 3 children of our series underwent craniotomy and cyst excision after having been treated by means of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt. At follow-up examination, 17 children are normal, and the remaining 8 disclose mild to moderate psychomotor retardation. CONCLUSIONS Although both craniotomy and CP shunt are associated with good results, the first surgical procedure offers the advantage of avoiding the insertion of a permanent cerebrospinal fluid shunt device and the known complications of this type of procedure.
HIGH-TEMPERATURE COMBUSTION IN AUTOIGNITING NON-HOMOGENEOUS HYDROGEN/AIR MIXTURES

The burning modes (premixed vs. diffusion burning) in autoigniting non-homogeneous mixtures of hydrogen in heated air are studied using direct numerical simulations (DNS). The simulations show that high-temperature combustion follows an initial autoignition stage in fuel-lean, low-dissipation kernels. These kernels propagate initially as lean premixed fronts. As they expand into richer mixtures, diffusion flames develop in the wake of rich premixed flames along stoichiometric isocontours. These flames are initially stabilized by diffusion of radicals (H) and excess fuel from the rich premixed flames' side against excess radicals (O and OH) and oxidizer from the earlier passage of lean premixed fronts. In time, diffusion flames detach from the rich premixed flames, and their burning intensity is reduced accordingly. Triple flames also form at the interfaces of the rich and lean premixed flames with the stoichiometric mixture isocontours. However, their contribution to the stabilization and burning intensity of the diffusion branches is insignificant. Analysis of the contribution of lean and rich premixed flames and that of the diffusion flames to the volumetric heat release show that the dominant contribution is attributed mainly to the premixed flames: while the dominant contribution to NO formation is attributed to diffusion flames. The results also show that the relative contribution of the different burning modes is strongly dependent on the mixture distribution and the scalar dissipation rate field. We believe that these parameters affect the diffusion flames' structures and their rates of detachment from the rich premixed flames.
AN EASILY CONSTRUCTED, VERY INEXPENSIVE, SOLAR CELL TRANSMISSOMETER (SCT)

Suspended sediment concentration (SSC), one of the standard measures of water quality in aquatic systems, is of widespread interest because of its role in particulate flux and light attenuation. The conventional method of sampling and filtration to determine SSC is rather slow and cumbersome, and does not allow resolution of high-frequency variations. In contrast, the beam transmissometer has been used as a convenient way to obtain time-series estimates of SSC in environments ranging from the deep ocean to the continental shelf and estuaries. In situ observation of suspended particles in fluvial, estuarine, lagoonal, and inner-shelf environments has in fact revealed that most of the volume of material in suspension exists as aggregates (> 50--100 {micro}m diameter) of smaller components and that aggregate properties may change on time scales of only a few minutes and length scales of less than one meter. Here, the authors describe a very inexpensive, easily constructed solar cell transmissometer (SCT) that has been developed for use with an in situ suspended-sediment photography system. Conventional optical SSC sensors can provide excellent predictive capability when deployed during conditions of relatively uniform aggregate characteristics. However, this system may provide better results than commercially available systems because it disaggregates suspendedmore » material prior to measurement of light attenuation, thereby reducing the effects of aggregation and changes in aggregate characteristics, which can occur over very short temporal and spatial scales. This paper describes the solar cell transmissometer and gives results of laboratory calibration, design, construction, and field testing alongside an optical backscatter sensor (OBS).« less
Distribution of Interstitial Salts in Drill Cores from Atlantic Ocean Floor off Florida: ABSTRACT

Interstitial water from five Paleocene to Recent core series, taken on the J.O.I.D.E.S. offshore drilling project, has been analyzed for chloride and major cations. The cores were obtained at depths to 300 meters below the sea bottom on the continental shelf, the Florida-Hatteras slope, and the Blake plateau. Samples from several holes show a marked downward increase in chloride concentrations, with maximum Cl- greater than 26 ^pmil, equivalent to a salinity greater than 47 ^pmil. It appears that forces End_Page 625------------------------------ tending to concentrate brines in deeper parts of many older sedimentary basins may operate at depths of only a few hundred feet in young sediments. The downward increases in salinity can not be accounted for easily by such mechanisms as molecular filtration. However, a combination of pressure-induced diffusion and migration induced by the geothermal gradient (Soret effect) tends to pump salts downward and appears to be a promising explanation for the increase in salt content with depth. Total water content in the cores is uneven, partly because of irregular carbonate cementation. The cementation may be related partly to changes in ionic composition noted in the interstitial waters. Fresh waters have been detected in marine strata under the Atlantic Ocean as far as 60 miles from shore. The water-bearing zones are believed to be extensions of land aquifers and may discharge in the slope regions. End_of_Article - Last_Page 626------------
The proto-Gulf of California

Abstract Extensional zones behind trench-arc systems lying along continental edges take the form of volcano-tectonic rift zones. These are characterized by ignimbrite sheets errupted simultaneously with, but behind, the andesite centers. Slightly later, a trough with basin-range structures is formed by crustal extension. The known geology of the Gulf of California region indicates that a trench, andesite chain, and ignimbrite province co-existed in Mid- to Late Tertiary time in the same tectonic pattern as observed in trench-arc systems. Extension and formation of a broad volcano-tectonic rift zone, the proto-Gulf of California, occurred in Mid- to Late Miocene time, creating a zone of weakness subsequently used for strike-slip faulting and inter-plate extension.
Experiences of religious minorities in public school settings: findings from focus groups involving Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, and Unitarian Universalist youths

A number of case studies and legal briefs describe very troubling incidents faced by secondary school students because of their minority religious group affiliation. The purpose of the study described in this article was to understand the lived experiences of minority religious youths who attend public schools in an area of the United States where the majority of students are affiliated with one dominant religious tradition. Semistructured focus groups were conducted with 50 adolescents (in grades 6 to 12) affiliated with religious minority groups (11 students were Jewish, 11 Muslim, 18 Catholic, and 10 Universalist Unitarian). Analysis was conducted using grounded theory methodology, and a method of constant comparative analysis was applied. The data yielded four major themes: (1) minority status, (2) precursors, (3) teacher and adult roles, and (4) perception of peer intent. Several of the incidents described by the participants were congruent with the definition of hate crime or bullying; other experiences were representative of the concept of microaggression. One of the most unanticipated findings from this study was participants' reports of teachers as perpetrators in several incidents. FINDINGS from this study point to the need for the implementation of strategies designed to increase religious tolerance in our increasingly diverse public schools. Language: en
SO(2,1) conformal anomaly: Beyond contact interactions

The existence of anomalous symmetry-breaking solutions of the SO~2,1! commutator algebra is explicitly extended beyond the case of scale-invariant contact interactions. In particular, the failure of the conservation laws of the dilation and special conformal charges is displayed for the two-dimensional inverse square potential. As a consequence, this anomaly appears to be a generic feature of conformal quantum mechanics and not merely an artifact of contact interactions. Moreover, a renormalization procedure traces the emergence of this conformal anomaly to the ultraviolet sector of the theory, within which lies the apparent singularity.
DETERMINING REPORTING SCHEDULES FOR ONGOING MANAGERIAL PROCESSES

Setting up a system for maintaining control over an ongoing administrative process involves the problem of determining how frequently control information should be obtained. In this article a model for determining optimum reporting frequencies is described and explored from a managerial point of view emphasizing the data inputs and interpretations necessary to make the model operationally meaningful. Several forms of reporting schedules are discussed and procedures are given for determining optimum schedules under various operating conditions. An appendix contains a detailed statement of the mathematics and computations of a recursive procedure for determining an optimum schedule for a particular reporting situation and flow charts of the computer programs used for calculating optimum schedules for general use.
Pneumoperitoneum from orogenital insufflation: An incidental finding resulting in nontherapeutic celiotomy

The report investigates an accident that involved a restrained 16-year old female driver whose motor vehicle struck a tree. The driver admitted falling asleep at the wheel and suffered a transient loss of consciousness. The patient underwent exploratory surgery that revealed seatbelt distribution ecchymosis across her lower abdomen and chest, and indicated a small amount of free air located near the duodenum. A majority of similar cases presented in the literature indicate the need for abdominal exploration for the cause of free air to avoid possible short-term complications.
Kidney complications: Why don't statins always work?

The vasculature suffers damage as a result of diabetes, often leading to conditions such as kidney failure. In bench to bedside, Christian Rask-Madsen and George King examine endogenous factors that protect against damage of the vasculature, such as vascular-endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Recent studies report that VEGF is expressed by kidneys and fends off renal failure; such findings have implications for the development of treatments that harness endogenous factors and sound a note of caution for the therapeutic use of VEGF inhibitors. People with end-stage renal disease often die of cardiovascular complications and clinical studies have shown that one popular class of drugs, statins, does not work in this population. In bedside to bench, S. Ananth Karumanchi and Ravi Thadhani show how this clinical finding is spurring research into the biological mechanisms behind cardiovascular death in people with kidney disease.
PyLOM: a language and run-time system for planning applications

Controlling software systems autonomously has been a challenging research area. Modern autonomous systems are guided by a plan, which is a sequence of actions to take to achieve a goal. Many planning algorithms exist today to produce plans given a problem definition and goal. To ease programmability of autonomous systems, many languages have been developed for defining problems and goals. However, planning algorithms tend to need to be customized not only for the problem definition language, but also for the problem definition itself. This work presents a new problem definition language called PyLOM, an interpreted, object-oriented language. The PyLOM run-time system uses generic algorithms, which do not need to be customized for each problem definition. Thus, PyLOM separates problem definitions from planning algorithms to ease programmability and software reuse. The choice of an object-oriented language also is intended to aid programmability, since prior problem definition languages adopt a functional programming style.
Why intracellular parasitism need not be a degrading experience for Mycobacterium

The success of mycobacteria as pathogens hinges on their ability to infect and persist within the macrophages of their host. However, activation of host macrophages by cytokines from a productive c...
Capital market integration

Abstract Liberalization in the EC in 1992 should produce perfect capital market integration. To show the short- and long-run effects of perfectly integrated capital markets, we develop a tractable growth model where investment flows to earn the highest rate of return. The economy first goes through potential, and then actual, integration, before and after rates of return are equalized. We show relative changes of capital intensities, outputs per capita, rates of return and the real exchange rate during both stages of integration.
NOISE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MICROWAVE PLASMA TORCH (MPT) SOURCE

Noise characteristics of emission signals from the Ar microwave plasma torch (MPT) discharge have been analyzed. Noise spectra are reported with the use of a nebulizer sample introduction system for desolvated and undesolvated aerosols, for varying analyte concentrations, and for background emission from argon and water vapor. The analytical system appears to be flicker-noise limited at frequencies below about 1 Hz. White noise was found to be dominant below 100 Hz, but discrete noise peaks were detected in the frequency region extending to 300 Hz. The noise frequency characteristics are independent of the plasma viewing position, analyte concentration, and sample introduction method but strongly dependent on the argon carrier flow rate and on the introduction of water vapor. The discrete-frequency peaks presumably have a fluid-dynamics origin, caused by flow fluctuations as argon exits the top of the torch. Noise from the measurement system and from external sources was not significant compared with the noise level observed from the plasma.
Automated detection of venous beading in retinal images

The purpose of this paper is to present a method for automatic detection of venous beadings in the spatial domain. The method consists of three steps: (1) creating an accurate vein map, (2) creating an accurate vein width map where the width of every vein indicated by a string of numbers, each of which indicates the width of the vein in pixels at that location, and (3) introducing an automatic venous beading detection algorithm. The parameters used in the beading detection algorithm include the widths of the veins at two adjacent local maxima and minima, the difference between the two widths, and the lengths of the broad and narrow sections. The ranges of the values of these parameters were obtained empirically. Standard Photographs 6B were used to test the algorithm and the result was quite satisfactory.
Removal of a skin-reactive component in ragweed pollen extract by human serum protein present as an immunologic precipitate.

I N THIS article the allergenic activity of a fraction of ragweed pollen is shown to be removable by means of a precipitate made by mixing rabbit anti-humangamma-globulin serum and serum from a patient or subject who had received a series of injections of ragweed pollen extract. The procedure depends on the capacity of antibody to combine with antigen when the antibody itself is present as an insoluble immunologic precipitate. It has been shown by others t,hat rabbit antiequine serum will precipitate soluble equine tetanal antitoxin and that rabbit antiequine serum does not bring about dissociation of diphtheric toxinantitoxin complexes,l, 2 nor does precipitated antit,oxin lose its antitoxic activity.” More recently it was shown that a precipitate made with rabbit antiequine serum and equine ant,iovalbumin serum would combine with ovalbumin4 but that in similar experiments equine antihemocyanin serum, presumably because of stearic hindrance, failed to combine with hemocyanin.”
Control of Kinematically Redundant Robots Using {1}-Inverses

Resolved motion rate control of kinematically redundant manipulators using the simplest of the generalized inverses, the {1}-inverse, is investigated. For the case of a planar articulated coordinate redundant robot with an arbitrary number of axes, closed-form equations for the joint rates are developed. The structure of these equations is such that the redundant joint velocities can be arbitrarily specified. Simple constraints are presented which ensure that closed trajectories in gripper configuration space generate closed trajectories in joint space. A strategy for controlling the redundant joint rates that is applicable to obstacle avoidance is examined and illustrated with examples.
Operational Meteorological Satellite Products For Agricultural Monitoring

A project is underway at the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service to develop products derived from satellite data that will be useful to USDA for agricultural monitoring. The products fall into two categories: meteorological observations and direct observations of vegetation. The meteorological-type measurements are to supplement conventional ground-based weather observations from data sparse areas of the world. These include estimation of precipitation, maximum/minimum temperature, solar radiation, and snowcover. The algorithms to retrieve these quantities were developed to work from operationally available data and designed to be implemented in a near real-time operation. Direct observations of vegetation are interpreted by means of indexes consisting of mathematical combinations of observations in visible and near infrared bands. This paper briefly describes the algorithms used to estimate these quantities from operational data, discusses the expected accuracy of the products, and reviews current problems.
Effects of corticosterone on responses of murine splenic B and T cells to phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A, and lipopolysaccharide.

Spleen cells of C57BL/6 mice injected with corticosterone were compared with cells from mice injected with saline in their ability to respond to the mitogens PHA, Con A, and LPS. Both unseparated cells and cells separated into T-enriched and B-enriched fractions were studied. After either seven daily injections or four injections every other day of up to 100 μmoles hormone/kg body weight, the ability of both T and B cells to respond to mitogens was affected, the unseparated cells being more affected than the separated cells. In the whole spleen preparations, corticosterone seemed to inhibit the B cells more than the T cells, whereas when the cells were separated into T and B fractions, only the response of the cells in the T fraction was significantly reduced by the hormone. This suggests that this hormone may have a greater effect on the responsiveness of T cells than on B cells, whereas it reduces B cell number more than T cell number.
Cyanidin-3-β-glucoside, a newly recognized basis for resistance in cotton to the tobacco budwormheliothis virescens (Fab.) (lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Cyanidin-3-β-glucoside was shown to be an important factor of resistance in cottonGossypium hirsutum L. leaves to the tobacco budwormHeliothis virescens (Fab.). This provides a potential basis for achieving insect resistance in non-glanded cotton and other crops infested byHeliothis.
Nanoscale fabrication of a plasmonic dimple lens for nano-focusing of light

The extent to which light can be focused with conventional optics is limited to λ/2 by the phenomenon of diffraction. Optical energy needs to be focused to less than 100nm to enable improvement and innovation in nanoscale applications. A novel lens structure to focus surface plasmons to a few tens of nanometer with high throughput is described here. This paper outlines the theoretical design and fabrication considerations of this novel plasmonic lens structure.
On the Decline of Age Grading in Rural Hippie Communes1

Ethnographic data from a study of rural hippie communes suggest a clear attenuation of the normative differences usually ascribed to children on the grounds of their age. The participation of children in drug use and sex, as well as their autonomy in the settlement of their disputes, are cited as examples of this decline in age grading. Interpretations are offered of the ways in which this equalitarian conception of children is systematically sustained by other facts of communal life and by the ideological postures of parents. Finally, inferences are made from the decline of age grading in the communes of the counterculture for possible changes in the relations between the generations in the future.
A Simple and Effective Method of Preventing Inadvertent Occlusion of Chest Tube Drains: The Corrugated Tubing Splint

Inadvertent occlusion of tube thoracostomy drains by normal patient positioning can be not only a nuisance but also a potentially life-threatening problem. A method of splinting the pliable chest tube drains by using corrugated ventilator circuit tubing is described. This relatively simple and quick technique can help to prevent this undesired and potentially dangerous occlusion of chest tube drains.
A comparison of the texture development in pure and simple shear and during path changes

Textures after simple shear (idealized torsion) and pure shear (idealized sheet rolling, or channel die tests) have been measured for a long time, particularly in materials of the face-centered cubic lattice structure. simulations of these textures, according to the Taylor model of polycrystal plasticity or various modifications of it, have reached reasonable agreement with the experiments; in this sense, these two cases are (separately) understood. In the present paper, the authors wish to study the similarities and differences between simple and pure shear textures, and relate the differences to cases of texture development during concurrent path changes. It has been observed that the latter shows features similar to simple-shear textures, even though here the principal strain rate axes remain fixed with respect to the laboratory, and the spin is constant. In this paper, the authors' aim is to understand better the effect of various kinds of path change, especially when accompanied by rigid-body spins. An understanding of the interaction between rotations and path changes is especially important in the study of non-uniform deformation in heterogeneous materials.
Computational approach to steady-state eutectic growth

Abstract We formulate a boundary integral approach to the determination of periodic steady-state eutectic growth patterns. The numerical implementation of this method allows us to compute the band of allowed velocities for a given undercooling. We illustrate how this works in a simplified symmetric eutectic solidifying exactly at the eutectic composition.
The ontogeny of aggregation-enhanced toxicity.

Sensitivity to the lethal effects of methamphetamine was observed under grouped conditions relative to isolated conditions in rats 25 and 30 days old but not in rats 7, 10, 15, or 20 days of age. Results are interpreted in terms of the development of the central catecholaminergic systems through which methamphetamine is thought to induce toxicity.
Denitrification enzyme activity of Douglas-fir and Red Alder Forest soils of the Pacific Northwest

Abstract Nitrogen-fixing red alder ( Alnus rubra Bong.) increases soil organic matter and N content of forest soils. This study compared denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) to related N-cycling and microbial indicators in adjacent stands of alder and Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) in two Pacific Northwest U.S.A. research forests over 16 months. Laboratory denitrification rates were measured in non-amended soils and soils amended with combinations of water, NO 3 − , and glucose. The NO 3 − -and glucose-amended soils provided estimates of DEA. DEA in alder soils was greater than or equal to that in corresponding Douglas-fir soils. Denitrification in alder soils was occasionally limited by energy source (glucose) but not by NO 3 − , whereas in Douglas-fir soils, it was frequently limited by both NO 3 − and glucose. For a given soil, DEA was generally not well related to respiration potential, anaerobic mineralizable N, or exchangeable ammonium over time, but it was well related to nitrification potential across different soils and over time within two soils.
Selective growth of vertical ZnO nanowire arrays using chemically anchored gold nanoparticles.

A selective growth method for ZnO vertical nanowire arrays is demonstrated using self-assembled gold nanoparticles as the growth catalyst. Gold nanoparticles functionalized with bifunctional (thiol-phosphonic acid) ligands assemble rapidly and selectively onto a patterned ZnO seed layer. Vertical ZnO nanowire arrays are grown by the vapor−liquid−solid (VLS) deposition method from the ZnO seed layer through the catalytic effect of the bound gold nanoparticles. This synthesis method offers a number of advantages for producing ZnO nanowires because it permits selective placement through directed self-assembly of gold nanoparticles, enables rapid growth, eliminates vacuum deposition processing, and minimizes the amount of gold waste when compared to traditional methods that require vapor deposition of gold films.
How Lesbian and Heterosexual Parents Convey Attitudes about Gender to their Children: The Role of Gendered Environments

We studied associations among parents’ gender role attitudes, gender stereotyping in children’s environments, and children’s gender role attitudes and whether these associations were similar for families with lesbian and heterosexual parents. Fifty-seven 4- to 6-year-olds and 114 parents from the US participated. Parents completed self-report questionnaires and responded to interview questions. Researchers collected data regarding the child’s environment and attitudes about gender. Results revealed that children with lesbian mothers had less stereotyped environments and less traditional attitudes. Parental attitudes were associated with stereotyping in children’s environments and with children’s attitudes about gender. Both for lesbian and heterosexual parents, the impact of parents’ attitudes on children’s attitudes was partially mediated by the nature of children’s environments.
Assessing accuracy of a continuous screening test in the presence of verification bias

Summary. In studies to assess the accuracy of a screening test, often definitive disease assessment is too invasive or expensive to be ascertained on all the study subjects. Although it may be more ethical or cost effective to ascertain the true disease status with a higher rate in study subjects where the screening test or additional information is suggestive of disease, estimates of accuracy can be biased in a study with such a design. This bias is known as verification bias. Verification bias correction methods that accommodate screening tests with binary or ordinal responses have been developed; however, no verification bias correction methods exist for tests with continuous results. We propose and compare imputation and reweighting bias-corrected estimators of true and false positive rates, receiver operating characteristic curves and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for continuous tests. Distribution theory and simulation studies are used to compare the proposed estimators with respect to bias, relative efficiency and robustness to model misspecification. The bias correction estimators proposed are applied to data from a study of screening tests for neonatal hearing loss.
Fetuin-A and BMD in Older Persons: The Health Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study

Fetuin-A is a hepatic secretory protein that promotes bone mineralization in vitro. Whether fetuin-A levels are associated with BMD in humans is unknown. The Health Aging and Body Composition study enrolled 3075 well-functioning black and white persons 70–79 yr of age and measured BMD. This cross-sectional study measured serum fetuin-A using ELISA among a random sample of 508 participants within sex and race strata. Multivariate linear regression analysis evaluated the associations of fetuin-A with BMD. Among women (n = 257), higher fetuin-A levels were significantly associated with higher total hip (p = 0.02), lumbar spine (p = 0.03), and whole body BMD (p = 0.01) in models adjusted for age, race, diabetes, alcohol and tobacco use, physical activity, body mass index, C-reactive protein levels, calcium supplement, and estrogen use. For example, each SD (0.38 g/liter) higher level of fetuin-A was associated with 0.016 g/cm2 higher total hip areal BMD. The association was of similar magnitude and direction for femoral neck BMD but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.11). In contrast, among men (n = 251), fetuin-A had no significant associations with total hip (p = 0.79), lumbar spine (p = 0.35), whole body (p = 0.46), or femoral neck BMD (p = 0.54) in multivariable models. We conclude that higher fetuin-A levels are independently associated with higher BMD among well-functioning community-dwelling older women but not older men. Future studies should evaluate whether fetuin-A may refine fracture risk assessment in older women.
Analysis of genes differentially expressed in astrocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide using cDNA arrays.

Abstract We used cDNA arrays to investigate differentially expressed genes in astrocytes challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Astrocyte cultures were prepared from 1-day-old rat brains. Purified astrocytes were treated with LPS (1 μg/ml) for 2, 8 and 48 h. Differentially expressed genes in these astrocytes were examined with Atlas rat cDNA arrays. At all the three time points studied, three genes were found consistently up-regulated: I-κB α chain, NF-κB, and interferon induced protein. In addition to these three, six other genes were also up-regulated at 2 and 8 h. They were genes encoding vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM-1), interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), mitochondrial hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase (HMG-CoA synthase), aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, macrophage inflammatory protein 1 (MIP-1) and neurotensin receptor 2. At these two time points, three genes were down-regulated: copper–zinc-containing superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3). Expression of several differentially expressed genes in cDNA array (I-κB, VCAM-1 and MIP-3) were further confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction study. The prominently modulated genes could be classified into three categories: nuclear transcription factors, pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and metabolic enzymes. Application of pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, an inhibitor of nuclear factor-kB (NF-κB), prior to LPS stimulation not only prevented up-regulation of NF-κB gene expression, but also completely blocked up-regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes (TNF-α and interleukin-1β) and two chemokine genes: CXC chemokine LIX and CC chemokine MIP-3 alpha. These results indicate that both up-regulation of inflammatory cytokine expression and down-regulation of growth factor expression are probably involved in the response of astrocytes upon exposure to LPS.
Sexual Aggression: Mad, Bad, and Mad

Legal institutions in the Western liberal tradition ordinarily rely primarily on the criminal justice system to address conduct by some individuals that deliberately harms other individuals. The mental health system provides an alternative institutional structure through which societies can address such harmful behavior. Those who deliberately engage in conduct that causes harm to others are traditionally addressed through either the criminal justice or mental health systems on the basis of their being categorized as either "bad or mad." This paper examines some of the relevant reasons for categorizing sexual aggression as bad or mad. It emphasizes the significance of such categorization for the broader set of legal institutions of coercive social control and for the manner in which we respond to persons within those institutions.
Bovine viral diarrhea virus infection affects the expression of proteins related to professional antigen presentation in bovine monocytes.

Abstract The complete annotation of the cattle genome allows reliable protein identification by tandem mass spectrometry (MS 2 ) and greatly facilitates proteomics. Previously, we reported that differential detergent fractionation (DDF) analysis of bovine monocytes reveals proteins related to antigen pattern recognition, uptake and presentation to immunocompetent lymphocytes. Here we have identified 47 bovine proteins, involved in immune function of professional antigen-presenting cells (APC) that have been significantly altered after cytopathic (cp) Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) infection. In particular, proteins related to immune responses such as cell adhesion, apoptosis, antigen uptake, processing and presentation, acute phase response proteins, MHC class I- and II-related proteins and other molecules involved in immune function of professional antigen presentation have been significantly altered after BVDV infection. Our data suggest that cp BVDV, while promoting monocyte activation and differentiation, is inhibiting their antigen presentation to immunocompetent T cells, thus resulting in the uncontrolled inflammation mediated by activated macrophages, enhanced viral spread, and impaired anti-viral defense mechanisms in the host.
Poverty suburbanization: theoretical insights and empirical analyses

Today almost every major metropolitan area in the U.S. has experienced rising poverty at a rate that surpasses its urban core (Kneebone & Berube, 2013, p. 2). Poverty suburbanization has accelerated about 3.3 percentage points over the last decade. In this article, factors associated with the growing share of poor in suburbs in the 100 largest metropolitan areas were examined. The analysis sought to address the overarching question: what metropolitan factors are associated with poverty suburbanization? Poverty suburbanization growth rates and temporal changes in metropolitan level factors for 2000 and 2008 are highlighted. Change regression results reveal important macro level and within suburb effects illuminating recent changes in the spatial distribution of the poor. Positive changes in housing affordability appear to open up access to suburban neighborhoods, while metropolitan job decentralization and residential segregation have countervailing effects on the suburbanization of the poor. Findings from this paper suggest that it is appropriate to place the suburbanization of poverty in the contemporary period within an urban political economy framework of urban growth and change.
Porcelain-veneered full-crown restorations made with cadmium patterns

Abstract A technique with cadmium for direct metal patterns has been described. Previously, the use of this technique was limited to full gold crowns and acrylic resin veneer crowns. Clinical experience has shown that it can be used for making porcelain fused-to-metal restorations. The technique is not intended to supplant other techniques, but it will eliminate the need for copper band impressions, transfers, copings, and extensive occlusal registration procedures. Because patterns are preformed and are No. 30 gauge in thickness, it is possible to minimize the cutting necessary for preparing the tooth. Therefore, thermal sensitivity is reduced. The technique conserves time for both the dentist and the patient.
Attraction Responses to Female Assertiveness in Heterosexual Social Interactions

Summary Male (n = 178) and female (n = 239) university students were shown one of four videotaped versions of a female stimulus person representing a nonassertive, moderately assertive, assertive, or aggressive approach to a man in a brief social interaction. Subjects who had previously been given a sex-role conformity measure, the Bern Sex Role Inventory, completed a measure of their attraction to the female stimulus person immediately after viewing the tape. Only those subjects whose BSRI scores categorized them as either androgynous or sex-typed (n = 278) were included in the final data analysis. Results indicate significantly greater attraction to the moderately assertive and assertive stimulus persons than to other stimulus persons, with the nonassertive and aggressive stimulus persons viewed as least attractive by both male and female subjects. Contrary to predictions, subjects' sex-role conformity (whether they were androgynous or sex-typed in their personality characteristics) had no significant e...
Analysis of multiple equilibrium positions in magnetostatic field

This work is a part of a larger research project to understand the challenges in creating MultiStable Equilibrium (MSE) devices. MSE devices are those that have more than one stable position or configuration which can be maintained with no power input. The study of potential energy minima in magnetic systems can be used to create novel and efficient MSE mechanisms. This research focuses on using the magnetic energy in space as the main criteria for analysis of MSE devices. Permanent magnets are used to create a 2D magnetostatic field. The magnetic energy density in air is then plotted along a path through the field. For a piece of iron following a specified path, the stable equilibrium positions correspond to the locations of maximum air energy density. Furthermore, the stiffness at each of the equilibrium positions can be correlated to a pseudo-stiffness of the energy density. This information can help one design systems for multiple stable positions with minimal computational time and effort without simplifying the problem geometry.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Parallel reduced area multipliers

As developed by Wallace and Dadda, a method for high-speed, parallel multiplication is to generate a matrix of partial products and then reduce the partial products to two numbers whose sum is equal to the final product. The resulting two numbers are then summed using a fast carry-propagate adder. This paper presents Reduced Area multipliers, which employ a modified reduction scheme that results in fewer components and less interconnect overhead than either Wallace or Dadda multipliers. This reduction scheme is especially useful for pipelined multipliers, because it minimizes the number of latches required in the reduction of the partial products. The reduction scheme can be applied to either unsigned (sign-magnitude) or two's complement numbers. Equations are given for determining the number of components and a method is presented for estimating the interconnect overhead for Wallace, Dadda, and Reduced Area multipliers. Area estimates indicate that for non-pipelined multipliers, the reduction in area achieved with Reduced Area multipliers ranges from 3.7 to 6.6 percent relative to Dadda multipliers, and from 3.8 to 8.4 percent relative to Wallace multipliers. For fully pipelined multipliers, the reduction in area ranges from 15.1 to 33.6 percent relative to Dadda multipliers, and from 2.9 to 9.0 percent relative to Wallace multipliers.
Camera calibration: a quick and easy way to determine the scale factor

The author presents a quick and easy solution to the camera calibration problem of finding the scale factor that arises because of a difference between the scanning frequency of the camera sensor plane and the scanning frequency of the image capture board frame buffer. The method presented is based on the observation that the scale factor is related to the distortion in an image of a circle: this is a distortion that can easily be measured by considering the occluding boundary of a precisely fabricated sphere, such as a ball bearing. Implementation results are presented. >
Social and Scientific Influences on the Measurement of Criminal Victimization

The National Crime Victimization Survey has been informed by decades of methodological research on the measurement of victimization. Yet most criminologists have little knowledge of the process or outcomes of this research or its effects on the characteristics of the survey. Using in-house reports, conference papers, agency memoranda, and other documents, this paper describes some of the important methodological research that has taken place since the 1992 redesign of the survey. Much of the more recent research is the consequence of new initiatives for the survey, such as the measurement of hate crime victimization and victimization among the developmentally disabled, as well as periodic supplements. This research finds that the current characteristics of the NCVS reflect decisions made on the basis of methodological research, broader social and political factors, and budgetary constraints.