cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychological factors related to delay in consultation for cancer symptoms.

This research investigated psychological characteristics associated with delay in seeking help for symptoms of rectal cancer. Sixty nine subjects reconstructed pivotal events beginning with symptom onset and ending with medical consultation, and completed the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The mean delay time was around 6 months, with about 1 out of 6 subjects waiting one year or more. Subjects estimated the lengths of two sequential segments of total time to consultation: (1) Symptom Appraisal time (from symptom onset to recognition of possible seriousness), and (2) Action Appraisal time (from recognition of seriousness to medical consultation). Symptom Appraisal time accounted for over two-thirds of total time and was associated with low scores on the TCI Harm Avoidance scale (TCI-HA), indicating dispositional insensitivity to threat, and marginally associated with less education and younger age. Action Appraisal time was not associated with any demographic or psychological variables. Low TCI-HA scores were also associated with lower likelihood of previous cancer screening, and with better judgments of premorbid health. Low STAI Trait scores were associated with better judgments of premorbid health and fewer doctor visits. Results are discussed regarding the importance of understanding dispositional characteristics related to health behavior. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of Native American Navajo Bender-Gestalt Performance with Koppitz and Sompa Norms.

The authors compare Koppitz error scores of a large group of referred Navajo children with the 1974 Koppitz and SOMPA total sample norms. Results suggest that the 1974 Koppitz and SOMPA white norms may have utility as an aide to psychological assessment of Native American Navajo children. Recommendations are made regarding effective methods of differential diagnosis and for further validation studies to confirm the relevance of Koppitz and SOMPA norms as they are used with Navajo children.
Sparse approach to simultaneous analysis and design of geometrically nonlinear structures

This method to increase the efficiency of the opimization process for nonlinear structures considers the equilibrium equations as equality constraints of the nonlinear mathematical programming problem.
The role of childhood abuse in Axis I and Axis II psychiatric disorders and medical disorders of unknown origin among irritable bowel syndrome patients.

Objective: High rates of early abuse and psychopathology are commonly reported among treatment-seeking patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The purpose of this study is to further explore the relations among IBS, early abuse, Axes I and II psychopathology, and other medically unexplained disorders. Methods:Onehundredandninety-sixIBSpatientsseekingnondrug treatment for their symptoms were characterized in terms of their gastrointestinal (GI) status, psychiatric status (Axis I and Axis II), early abuse status, and the presence of other functional disorders. Patients were divided into two groups based on early abuse status. Results and conclusion: No significant differences emerged between abused and nonabused groups on either the presence of Axis II disorders or other functional health conditions, although there were high levels of both in the IBS population. Patients with a history of abuse were significantly more likely to meet criteria for an Axis I disorder, especially substance abuse disorders, dysthymia, and generalized anxiety disorder.
Rights flow downhill

This chapter discusses about the the romantic idea of the century of the child. It examines Ellen Key's Century of the Child and argues that her book was less focused on the interest of the child, as is generally believed, as well as on the pursuit of progress. The chapter also argues that another process, namely disenchantment of the child, was also influential in the Century of the Child. With child and education seem to happen what already from the 16th century did happen with science and theology, namely the process for which Max Weber coined the concept Entzauberung [disenchantment]. The chapter also examines the introduction of Child Acts and the emergence of Child Science. It concludes that the 20th century should not be coined as The Century of the Child, but rather as The Child-Oriented Century. Keywords:century of the child; Child Acts; Child Science; Child-Oriented Century; disenchantment; Entzauberung ; Max Weber
Laparoscopic treatment of small-bowelobstruction following laparoscopic lymphadenectomy

Laparoscopic pelvic lymph node dissection followed by radical perineal prostatectomy has become the treatment of choice for selected patients at our institution with clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate. We describe 2 cases in which bowel obstruction caused by incarceration of a loop of small bowel into a trocar site was managed with laparoscopic techniques.
Discordant effects of nisoldipine on coronary vascular resistance and permeability changes during reflow after ischemia in isolated rabbit hearts.

Effects of a low dose (5 nm) of nisoldipine on vascular and ventricular function were assessed in isolated rabbit hearts during 2 h of reperfusion after 40 min of global, zero-flow ischemia. External detection of bolus injections of 125I-BSA and pressure data generated during the experiment provided repeated estimates of albumin permeation and vascular hemodynamics (resistance, vascular volume, and fractional rate of intravascular washout of 125I-BSA (k01)). In control hearts perfused continuously for 3.5 h, vascular resistance, vascular volume, LVEDP, and k01 remained constant, while maximum +dPdt and −dPdt increased 25% above baseline values, and estimates of albumin permeation increased 1.7 × baseline. Addition of 5 nm nisoldipine to the perfusate after the baseline period produced sustained decreases in vascular resistance (16% vs mean baseline value) without significantly affecting any other parameter. Postischemic perfusion of hearts increased vascular resistance and vascular volume ∼50% above baseline, decreased k01 by 25% (intravascular washout of 125I-BSA was prolonged), and increased albumin permeation ∼5 × baseline. While LVEDP remained elevated 3 × baseline, maximum +dPdt and −dPdt recovered 100% of baseline values (75–80% of untreated control values at comparable time points). Addition of 5 nm nisoldipine to the perfusate prior to ischemia prevented the increased vascular resistance during reflow, prevented the decrease in k01 and the increase in vascular volume, but did not affect the increased albumin permeation and, in general, did not affect the rate of recovery of left ventricle function. These results indicate that a low dose of nisoldipine preserves postischemic coronary vascular hemodynamics, but has little or no effect on the increased vascular leakage of albumin.
Hybrid reflecting objectives for deep-tissue functional two-photon imaging

Most microscope objectives commonly used for two-photon imaging of neurons are optimized for high image quality under wide-field illumination and for long working distance, constraints that are at odds with the need for high fluorescence collection efficiency and large field of view dictated by the low fluorescence intensity and the scattering properties of brain tissue. We present a de novo design of an objective intended specifically for deep-tissue functional two-photon imaging. Our design has separate imaging and non-imaging pathways for incident and emitted light, making use of the optical sectioning intrinsic in non-linear fluorescence excitation, which relaxes a number of design constraints. We show through modeling that a twofold to fourfold improvement in fluorescence collection efficiency over traditional objective designs is easily achievable while maintaining nearly diffraction-limited performance within a 200-micron field of view and a long working distance.
Mentoring in the Information Age

Presents mentoring as a valuable social development phenomenon that has endured historical paradigm shifts and will survive the present transition from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. Views mentoring as one of several types of developmental relationships that will be important to people in the new age. Raises questions about how mentoring might be shaped by the operating realities of the new paradigm and offers some preliminary suggestions.
Self-Folding Cavitands

A novel class of resorcinarene-based cavitands 2a−e that fold into a deep (8 × 10 A dimensions) open-ended cavity by means of intramolecular hydrogen bonds has been synthesized. As follows from the FTIR and 1H NMR spectral data in apolar solvent, a seam of eight intramolecular hydrogen bonds is stitched along the upper rim of the structure 2a−e; the amide CO...H−N interactions bridge adjacent ringsinterannular bindingand are held in place by the seven-membered intraannular hydrogen bonds. The self-folding in 2a−e is reversibly controlled by solvent and temperature. Complexation of self-folding cavitands 2a−e with organic molecules such as (1-substituted) adamantanes, lactams, and cyclohexane derivatives was demonstrated by 1H NMR spectroscopy in CDCl3, benzene-d6 and p-xylene-d10; the binding energy -ΔG° values of 2−4 kcal mol-1 in p-xylene-d10 at 295 K were calculated. The exchange between complexed and free guest species is slow on the NMR time-scale, and it is proposed that hydrogen bonds are responsib...
Patient selection for transplantation in the myelodysplastic syndromes

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation remains the only known curative procedure for the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Because the median age at diagnosis for MDS is in the late seventh decade of life, despite the curative potential, transplantation is not undertaken routinely, and careful consideration must be made regarding the appropriateness of the transplant recipient. This article focuses on appropriate patient selection for transplantation for MDS.
Filial Piety, Patrilineality, and China's One-Child Policy

This study examined the effects of China's one-child policy on two traditional aspects of Chinese family life: filial piety and patrilineality. Eighty-four graduating university seniors, who were part of the first cohort born under the onechild policy, were interviewed about their life plans. Comparisons between only children and those with siblings showed that only children were as likely to plan on helping their parents as were those with siblings and were more likely to intend to reside in the same city. The only children seemed to feel especially responsible for their parents’ happiness because of their singleton status. Among only children and those with siblings, patrilineal norms seemed weak. Students’mentions of family structure to explain their decisions suggest that the one-child policy is undermining patrilineal norms.
A new fire management policy on Forest Service lands

A new Forest Service policy, effective February 1978, allows some wildfires to burn under prescribed conditions, urges a multidisciplinary approach to fire control, and has applications to rural and urban situations.
A REVIEW OF VIOLENCE STATISTICS AMONG CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN THE UNITED STATES

This article defines the violence and data on juvenile homicide rates and arrest rates for violent crimes in the United States. Mortality data associated with juvenile violence from the United States and similar data from other industrial countries are also compared.
Encouraging Gender Analysis in Research Practice

Few resources for practical teaching or fieldwork exercises exist which address gender in geographical contexts. This paper adds to teaching and fieldwork resources by describing an experience with designing and implementing a ‘gender intervention’ for a large-scale, multi-university, bilingual research project that brought together a group of (non-gender specialist) researchers and student research assistants. Providing detailed descriptions of a facilitated workshop and a field log exercise, the aim is to offer specific examples of how researchers can keep gender on the research agenda. Substantive reporting of such details also works toward an open research process that allows for debate, methodological critique and ongoing revision. This in turn contributes to maintaining a relevant and rigorous qualitative research practice within geography.
Processing Citizens' Disputes Outside the Courts: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation

Citizen dispute processing programs are becoming more common in the United States as an alternative to expensive, time-consuming litigation in court. Although no empirical evidence has been presented to date on the effectiveness of this type of mediation program, policy makers are calling for an increase in the number of such programs. This article reports on the results of an outcome evaluation of the Orange County (Florida) Bar Association's Citizen Dispute Settlement Project. The results indicate that complainants, respondents, and hearing officers are generally very satisfied with the hearings. In a three-week follow-up, complainant satisfaction increased, while respondent satisfaction stayed at the original high level. A quasi-experimental comparison of hearing and no- hearing groups of disputants indicated that mediation programs of this type may not be particularly effective for long-term solutions of underlying problems. The implications of these results are discussed for public policy-making and ...
Interannual variations in global SST deviations through SMMR from 1978 to 1987

We study variability of global sea surface temperature (SST) utilizing the data of scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) on board the NASA Nimbus 7 satellite from 1978 to 1987. First, we model, and then remove from the SMMR SST data, the seasonal cycle by using an intercept, a trend and first five harmonics of the annual cycle to fit the data at each grid point by the method of least squares. A general negative nine‐year trend was observed. In order to analyse the deviations in the global SSTs, we calculate and remove zonally averaged temperatures. We then show Hoffmueller diagrams for the deviations along paths in different oceanic regions over the globe. These paths include a quadrangle in the south Pacific and paths in the north Pacific, Atlantic and along the equatorial Pacific. Both 1983 and 1987 El Nino events as well as the 1984–85 La Nina event are clearly depicted. During these events, the SSTs in the equatorial Pacific and Atlantic are completely out of phase. We also demonstrate spa...
Application of the cramer-rao bound to target motion analysis

Theoretical limits to the accuracy with which target trajectory parameters can be estimated from stochastic data are derived via the Cramer-Rao bound. As examples of their use, the limits are applied to a simple one-dimensional tracking exercise and to a more complicated bearings-only tracking problem.
Evolution of dielectric response in polyaniline

Summary form only given. We report the optical reflectance from thin films of polyaniline with camphor-sulfonic acid as a counter ion (PAN-CSA). The films, which are cast out of blends of chloroform and m-cresol, show a change in crystallinity and dc conductivity with increasing m-cresol content. /sup 1/ Kramers-Kronig analysis shows that the optical absorption increases in the far IR with increasing order. Comparison of these samples with the earlier non-stretched HCl doped materials shows that the real part of the dielectric function evolves from being postive to showing multiple zero crossings in PAN-CSA, becoming negative in the mid-IR, then positive again in the far IR. Microwave measurements show a negative dielectric constant for the more metallic of the PAN-CSA samples./sup 2/ Analysis of the energy loss function also shows a clear plasma resonance peak at ~1.1 eV, unlike non-stretched PAN-HCl materials. Additionally, the loss function shows stronger phonon peaks and higher loss in the least conducting samples. These results will also be compared to other PAN-CSA (m-cresol) optical data/sup 3/, and to stretched PAN-HCl materials and PAN-MSA (methyl sulfonic acid) cast from m-cresol, to discuss the key role of inhomogeneous disorder.
Domino effect in a catastrophic solid oxidizer fire

This case study examines a succession of three separate fires which occurred in a period of 4 days at an agricultural chemical manufacturing facility. The facility was located in a small chemical park. The succession of fires illustrates the concept of the domino effect: the first fire caused the second fire, and the second fire caused the third. The final fire was responsible for the total destruction of two businesses and the interruption of a third business. Each fire involved the solid oxidizer sodium chlorate. Despite having manufactured agricultural chemicals for over 25 years, the owner and management of the facility had lost their sense of vulnerability to the hazards of sodium chlorate. The fundamental root cause of these fires was the facility owner's inadequate control of the hazards of sodium chlorate. Workers at the facility had little comprehension of the ability of sodium chlorate to cause organic materials to spontaneously ignite. Housekeeping at the facility was poor. And finally, too large of a quantity of sodium chlorate was stored inside the facility, and this large inventory of solid oxidizer was placed adjacent to combustible materials. Simple procedural safeguards would have been sufficient to prevent the ultimate property damage. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 34: 167–171, 2015
No association between ischemic heart disease and periodontitis in women.

A cross-sectional study was conducted. A random sample of women was used from the participants in a Prospective Population Study of women in Gothenburg that had been initiated in 1968. Dental examinations were conducted by dentists and included panoramic radiography; a clinical inspection of the teeth, gums and oral mucosa; colour photography of the dentition, and a questionnaire. Myocardial infarction was diagnosed if at least two of the following criteria were present: 1) central chest pain >30 min; 2) transient rise of transaminase activities; and 3) typical electrocardiogram changes of recent onset. Angina pectoris was diagnosed using a questionnaire. The other independent variables were obtained from the medical part of the study and constituted other well-known risk factors for IHD. Among the dentate women in this study (N = 847), 74 had ischemic heart disease (IHD) and 773 did not. There was no statistically significant difference between numbers of pathological gingival pockets between these groups (58.1% had one or more pathological pockets in the IHD group versus 57.6% in the non-IHD group). Bivariate analysis of dentate individuals showed significant associations between IHD and number of missing teeth, age, body mass index, waist/ hip ratio, life satisfaction, hypertension, and levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. In the final multivariate logistic regression model, however, with the exception of age, only number of teeth [B17 teeth; odds ratio, 2.13; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.20–3.77] was found to be significantly associated with IHD. Moreover, edentulous women had an odds ratio of 1.94 (95% CI, 1.05–3.60) in relation to IHD (age-adjusted model). In the present study, periodontitis did not seem to have a statistically significant relationship with IHD. The number of missing teeth showed a strong association with IHD, and this may act as a proxy variable tapping an array of different risk factors and behaviours.
Finding Affordable Health Workforce Targets In Low-Income Nations

To raise the awareness of a global crisis in human resources for health care, the World Health Organization has suggested a minimum target for all countries: 2.3 health professionals per 1,000 people. Many countries cannot afford to meet the target; in fact, funding the proposed number of health workers would require some countries to devote 50 percent of their gross domestic product to health. We offer an alternative solution that would allow governments to set targets that are realistic and achievable within their financial constraints.
Distributed calculation of linear functions in noisy networks via linear iterations

Given a fixed network where each node has some given initial value, and under the constraint that each node receives noisy transmissions from its immediate neighbors, we provide a distributed scheme for any node to calculate an unbiased estimate of an arbitrary linear function of the initial values. Our scheme consists of a linear iteration where, at each time-step, each node updates its value to be a weighted average of its own previous value and those of its neighbors. We show that after repeating this process with almost any set of weights for a finite number of time-steps (upper bounded by the size of the network), any node in the network will be able to calculate an unbiased estimate of any linear function by taking a linear combination of the values that it sees over the course of the linear iteration. For a given set of weights, this linear combination can also be optimized to minimize the variance of the unbiased estimate calculated by each node.
Volume overload as a mechanism for obstructive sleep apnea in CKD

The prevalence rate of sleep apnea in the hemodialysis (HD) patient population is >50% [1, 2] as compared to only 2–4% in the general population [3]. Not only does sleep apnea contribute to hypertension (HTN) and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population, but it also significantly impairs their quality of life. However, large gaps in knowledge exist in our understanding of the potential mechanisms for increased sleep apnea in this vulnerable population. Traditional risk factors such as age and body mass index (BMI) do not fully account for the significant increased risk of sleep apnea in these patients [4]. As HTN and fluid overload occur almost universally in HD patients, it is possible that fluid retention may increase the risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). If, indeed, fluid overload contributes to sleep apnea and poor sleep efficiency in HD patients, then the treatment of sleep apnea among those with ESRD could be targeted to improving volume control rather than using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or an oral device, which many patients are unable to tolerate or comply with. In this issue of Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, Elias et al. [5] addresses this important issue in their study evaluating the relationship of rostral fluid shift with OSA 1291
Risk factors and outcomes for 'vasoplegia syndrome' following cardiac transplantation.

Objective: Vasoplegia syndrome after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) is a rare but highly lethal syndrome of unknown etiology, characterized by severe refractory hypotension, metabolic acidosis, and decreased systemic vascular resistance (SVR). The objective of this retrospective study was to identify the risk factors contributing to the development of vasoplegia syndrome after OHT in order to provide potential algorithms for its management. Methods: Between October 1992 and July 2001, 187 consecutive patients underwent OHT. Complete pre- and post-data were available in 147 patients (78%). Mean age was 49 ^ 11 years, 82% (120/147) were male, and donor ischemic time was 117 ^ 62 min. Twenty-eight of 147 (19%) developed vasoplegia syndrome, defined as SVR ,800 dyn s per cm 5 with serum bicarbonate , 20 mEq/l. Results: Patients who developed vasoplegia syndrome demonstrated greater hospital mortality (25 vs. 9%, P ¼ 0:031) compared to those who did not. Multivariate logistic regression identified pre-operative use of intravenous heparin (OR 2.8, CI 1 – 7.4, P ¼ 0:039) and body surface area .1.9 m 2 (OR 7, CI 0.98 – 50, P ¼ 0:052) as independent predictors for the development of postoperative vasoplegia syndrome. Pre-operative use of inotropic support conferred protection against the development of post-operative vasoplegia syndrome (OR 0.25, CI 0.08 – 0.79, P ¼ 0:018). Pre-operative use of ACE inhibitors was not associated with increased risk (55 vs. 59%, P ¼ 0:441). Conclusions: Vasoplegia syndrome following OHT is associated with high early mortality. The development of a risk stratification profile may help in patient selection as well as the post-operative management of vasoplegia syndrome following OHT. q 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Diffeomorphic Matching of Diffusion Tensor Images

This paper proposes a method to match diffusion tensor magnetic resonance images (DT-MRI) through the large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping of tensor fields on the image volume, resulting in optimizing for geodesics on the space of diffeomorphisms connecting two diffusion tensor images. A coarse to fine multi-resolution and multikernel- width scheme is detailed, to reduce both ambiguities and computation load. This is illustrated by numerical experiments on DT-MRI brain and images.
Mining frequent sequential patterns with first-occurrence forests

In this paper, a new pattern-growth algorithm is presented to mine frequent sequential patterns using First-Occurrence Forests (FOF). This algorithm uses a simple list of pointers to the first-occurrences of a symbol in the aggregate tree [1], as the basic data structure for database representation, and does not rebuild aggregate trees for projection databases. The experimental evaluation shows that our new FOF mining algorithm outperforms the PLWAP-tree mining algorithm [2] and the FLWAP-tree mining algorithm [3], both in the mining time and the amount of memory used.
In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio

In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio. Phillippe Bourgois. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. xvi + 392 pp., figures, notes, references, index.
DIVERSITY-BASED, MODEL-GUIDED CONSTRUCTION OF SYNTHETIC GENE NETWORKS WITH PREDICTED FUNCTIONS

Engineering artificial gene networks from modular components is a major goal of synthetic biology. However, the construction of gene networks with predictable functions remains hampered by a lack of suitable components and the fact that assembled networks often require extensive, iterative retrofitting to work as intended. Here we present an approach that couples libraries of diversified components (synthesized with randomized nonessential sequence) with in silico modeling to guide predictable gene network construction without the need for post hoc tweaking. We demonstrate our approach in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by synthesizing regulatory promoter libraries and using them to construct feed-forward loop networks with different predicted input-output characteristics. We then expand our method to produce a synthetic gene network acting as a predictable timer, modifiable by component choice. We use this network to control the timing of yeast sedimentation, illustrating how the plug-and-play nature of our design can be readily applied to biotechnology.
Regional myocardial functional patterns: Quantitative tagged magnetic resonance imaging in an adult population free of cardiovascular risk factors: The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA)

Purpose To characterize the left ventricular (LV) regional deformation patterns and identify normal values of left ventricular strains from tagged magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a population with low-risk-factor (LRF) exposure. Materials and Methods Tagged CMR on three LV short axis slices was performed in participants of the MESA study who were free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. Images were analyzed by the harmonic phase imaging method to obtain: peak torsion, circumferential (Ecc) and radial (Err) strains, and systolic (SRs) and early-diastolic (SRe) strain rates. An LRF group was created from the overall population based on strict exclusion criteria (n = 129) based on risk factors and events observed over a 10-year follow-up. Results The normative prediction intervals for the averaged peak Ecc (%) and torsion (deg/cm) measures were: in 45–59-year-old women: (–20.8, –13.2) and (2.1, 6.3); 60–84-year-old women: (–20.6, –12.8) and (2.2, 6.9); 45–59-year-old men: (–21.3, –13.5) and (1.9, 5.7); 60–84-year-old men: (–20.5, –12.5) and (1.5, 5.2). In general, African-Americans (Ecc = –15.9, torsion = 3.3) had lower strains as compared to Chinese (Ecc = –17.1, torsion = 3.9), while Caucasians and Hispanics were intermediate and not significantly different. Circumferential shortening increased spatially from the epicardium to the endocardium (–16.9 to –18.2 at the mid-ventricle) and from the base to the apex (–15.1 to –17.5 at the midwall). Conclusion The present study provides reference ranges and deformation patterns of deformation values from a large healthy population free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;42:153–159. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Communication at Low Data Rates--Oscillator Models and Corresponding Optimal Receivers

For virtually any model of an unstable oscillator, at low signal-to-noise ratios, the maximum-likelihood ratio receiver is asymptotically quadratic. A quadratic receiver roughly corresponds to a weighted spectral analysis of the received signal. Two major models of unstable oscillators which seem reasonable for low data rate communication using orthogonal signals are considered. The first assumes that the signal is a stationary narrow-band Gaussian process. The second assumes that the oscillator phase is a random process. Optimal receivers are obtained for the first model and several examples of the second. These receivers are all noted for their inordinate degree of nonlinearity and complexity.
Correlations of the amount of gluten protein types to the technological properties of wheat flours determined on a micro-scale

Flour samples of 14 wheat cultivars previously characterised by rheological measurements and by baking tests on a micro-scale (Kieffer et al.: Journal of Cereal Science27 (1998) 53–60) were analysed for the relative amounts of gluten protein types using a combined extraction/HPLC procedure. Regression analysis was used to find relations between wheat properties and protein quantities. The results indicated that the maximum resistance of dough and gluten and the gluten index were strongly dependent on the quantity of glutenin subunits (GS) in flour; additionally they were influenced by the ratio of gliadin to glutenin subunits. Within the family of glutenin proteins, the correlation coefficients for high-molecular-weight (HMW) and low-molecular-weight (LMW) GS were in a similar range, but twice the amount of LMW GS was necessary to get the same resistance as with HMW GS. Among HMW GS, the contribution of x-type GS was more important than those of y-type GS. The extensibility of dough and gluten was mainly dependent on the ratio of gliadin to total glutenin subunits, to HMW GS and LMW GS. Dough development time showed the highest correlation with total HMW GS and x-type HMW GS. Bread volume was influenced by the total amount of gluten protein more than by the amount of protein in different groups or of different types, probably because of the rather low range of flour protein content (8·7–12·0 %) within the set studied. Significant differences between gliadins and glutenins with respect to their effects on bread volume could not be detected. The correlation between bread volumes and the quantity of gluten proteins was higher, when dough was mixed to optimum.
Self-pollination in island and mainland populations of the introduced hummingbird-pollinated plant, Nicotiana glauca (Solanaceae).

Traits associated with self-pollination are common in island plants. This pattern could simply reflect the vestige of selection during colonization. Alternatively (or in addition), the ability to self-pollinate may provide a reproductive assurance benefit in established island plant populations due to inferior island pollinator service. To test these alternatives I studied an introduced plant ( Nicotiana glauca; Solanaceae) on the California mainland and on two Channel Islands colonized at different times (approximately 30 and 100 yr ago). I compared these populations in terms of (1) capacity for self-pollination (self-compatibility, autogamy, stigma‐anther distance, and incidence of a crumpled floral morph) and (2) current selection for the ability to self-pollinate (pollinator service by hummingbirds and the effect of emasculation on reproductive success). In general, island plants exhibited a higher capacity for self-pollination than mainland plants, especially on the most recently colonized island. However, island plants were not visited less frequently or more variably, nor did I detect current selection for selfing on islands. This supports the hypothesis that selfing traits in island plants are the product of a filter to successful establishment during colonization and not of selection for selfing in established island populations.
The foraging tunnel system of the Namibian Desert termite, Baucaliotermes hainesi

The harvester termite, Baucaliotermes hainesi (Fuller) (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae), is an endemic in southern Namibia, where it collects and eats dry grass. At the eastern, landward edge of the Namib Desert, the nests of these termites are sometimes visible above ground surface, and extend at least 60 cm below ground. The termites gain access to foraging areas through underground foraging tunnels that emanate from the nest. The looseness of the desert sand, combined with the hardness of the cemented sand tunnels allowed the use of a gasolinepowered blower and soft brushes to expose tunnels lying 5 to 15 cm below the surface. The tunnels form a complex system that radiates at least 10 to 15 m from the nest with crossconnections between major tunnels. At 50 to 75 cm intervals, the tunnels are connected to the surface by vertical risers that can be opened to gain foraging access to the surrounding area. Foraging termites rarely need to travel more than a meter on the ground surface. The tunnels swoop up and down forming high points at riser locations, and they have a complex architecture. In the center runs a smooth, raised walkway along which termites travel, and along the sides lie pockets that act as depots where foragers deposit grass pieces harvested from the surface. Presumably, these pieces are transported to the nest by a second group of termites. There are also several structures that seem to act as vertical highways to greater depths, possibly even to moist soil. A census of a single nest revealed about 45,000 termites, of which 71% were workers, 9% soldiers and 6% neotenic supplementary reproductives. The nest consisted of a hard outer “carapace” of cemented sand, with a central living space of smooth, sweeping arches and surfaces. A second species of termite, Promirotermes sp. nested in the outer carapace.
Segmentation of the left ventricle in cardiac MR images using graph cuts with parametric shape priors

The left ventricle in MR images presents many challenges for automated segmentation including poor contrast at desired tissue boundaries. Segmentation methods based on information from the image alone do not work well in such cases and additional constraints are necessary. In this paper, we propose a novel segmentation method that incorporates parametric shape priors, which do not require statistical training, to the graph cuts technique for robust and efficient segmentations of the left ventricle in cardiac images. We introduce novel terms accounting for shape prior/segmentation and shape prior/image fit to the graph cuts representation. The latter prevents a vicious cycle of bad segmentation/shape priors. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method on real cardiac images with ground truth segmentations.
Affective decision-making predictive of Chinese adolescent drinking behaviors

The goal of the current investigation was to address whether affective decision making would serve as a unique neuropsychological marker to predict drinking behaviors among adolescents. We conducted a longitudinal study of 181 Chinese adolescents in Chengdu city, China. In their 10th grade (ages 15-16), these adolescents were tested for their affective decision-making ability using the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and working memory capacity using the Self-Ordered Pointing Test. Self-report questionnaires were used to assess academic performance and drinking behaviors. At 1-year follow-up, questionnaires were completed to assess drinking behaviors, and the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale was used to examine four dimensions of impulsivity: urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking. Results indicated that those adolescents who progressed to binge drinking or exhibited consistent binge drinking not only performed poorly on the IGT but also scored significantly higher in urgency compared to those who never or occasionally drank. Moreover, better IGT scores predicted fewer drinking problems and fewer drinks 1 year later after controlling for demographic variables, the previous drinking behaviors, working memory, and impulsivity. These findings suggest that deficits in affective decision making may be important independent determinants of compulsive drinking and potentially addictive behavior in adolescents.
Voces gay en la narrativa costarricense

Se analiza la postura de diferentes autores costarricenses (Carmen Naranjo, Alfonso Chase, Uriel Quesada y Jose Ricardo Chavez) con respecto a la homosexualidad a traves de un estudio de sus obras.
Featured Article: Transcriptome profiling of expression changes during neuronal death by RNA-Seq:

The molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal death are poorly understood. One of the most widely used models to study neuronal death are cultured cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) which undergo apoptosis when switched from a medium containing depolarizing levels of potassium (HK) to a medium with low non-depolarizing levels of potassium (LK). Previously, other labs have used DNA microarray analysis to characterize gene expression changes in LK-treated CGNs. However, microarray analysis is only capable of measuring the status of known transcripts, and expression of low-abundance mRNAs is often not detected by the hybridization-based approach. We have used RNA-sequencing to conduct a more detailed and comprehensive analysis of gene expression changes in CGNs induced to die by LK treatment. RNA-seq investigates the status of both known transcripts as well as exploring new ones and is substantially more sensitive than the microarray approach. We have found that the expression of 4334 genes is significantly altered in LK-treated CGNs with 2199 being up-regulated while 2135 are down-regulated. Genes functioning in cell death and survival regulation, cell growth and proliferation and molecular transport were most affected by LK treatment. Further, a large number of genes involved in nervous system development and function were also deregulated. Analysis of signaling pathways that were affected in LK-induced death included but were not limited to mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative phosphorylation, consistent with a number of studies showing perturbations of these pathways in neurodegenerative disorders. Thus, our study identifies a large number of new genes that are affected during the process of neuronal death. While a majority of these changes may reflect consequences of the induction of neuronal death, many of the genes that we have identified are likely to be critical and potentially novel mediators of neuronal death, including death associated with neurodegenerative disease.
Integrated Control of Airport and Terminal Airspace Operations

Airports are the most resource-constrained components of the air transportation system. This paper addresses the problems of increased flight delays and aircraft fuel consumption through the integrated control of airport arrival and departure operations. Departure operations are modeled using a network abstraction of the airport surface. Published arrival routes to airports are synthesized to form a realistic model of arrival airspace. The proposed control framework calculates the optimal times of departure of aircraft from the gates, as a function of the arrival and departure traffic as well as airport characteristics such as taxiway layout and gate capacity. The integrated control formulation is solved using dynamic programming, which allows calculation of policies for real-time implementation. The advantages of the proposed methodology are illustrated using simulations of Boston’s Logan International Airport.
Therapeutic efficacy of silibinin on chemically-induced mouse lung tumors

AACR Annual Meeting-- Apr 14-18, 2007; Los Angeles, CA 4969 Silibinin, a flavanone from milk thistle, inhibits the growth of tumors in several chemically-induced rodent models, including mouse lung. We previously showed that dietary silibinin markedly reduced growth, progression, and angiogenesis of urethane-induced lung tumors in A/J mice when fed to mice 2 weeks after carcinogen administration in a model of chemoprevention. To determine whether silibinin could also act as a chemotherapeutic agent in this system, we examined the effects of silibinin treatment on established mouse lung tumors. A/J mice, injected with urethane (1 mg/g body weight), were allowed to develop lung tumors for 33 wks. Tumors at this stage have characteristics of a malignant phenotype, i.e. they are invasive, exhibit nuclear dysmorphology, and are heterogeneous in appearance. Silibinin (or the vehicle control) was then administered by gavage (5 days/week, 742 mg/kg, a dose determined to be equivalent to the 1% wt./wt. dietary dose previously shown to be effective) for 10 wks. When mice were sacrificed and their lung tumor number and burden determined, those mice receiving silibinin by gavage had 33% fewer tumors and 37% less tumor burden (pooled tumor wt/mouse) than mice receiving vehicle. Immunohistochemical analysis of fixed lungs showed that silibinin-treated mice had 62% fewer PCNA positive cells compared to the vehicle-treated controls, indicating that silibinin decreased tumor cell proliferation. Tumor microvessel density (as determined by counting CD31 positive cells in tumors), an indicator of neovasularization, decreased by 67% in silibinin-treated mice over controls. There was 72% less COX-2 expression in tumors, an enzyme associated with lung neoplasia and angiogenesis, in silibinin-treated mice. These results indicate that silibinin is effective in slowing the growth of, and perhaps stimulating regression of, established mouse lung tumors. This implies that dietary silibinin may be useful in preventing the neoplastic progression of early lesions in humans. This work was supported by CA 33497 and CA113876.
Synthesis, characterization, and application of polysodium N-alkylenyl α-d-glucopyranoside surfactants for micellar electrokinetic chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Sugar-based ionic surfactants forming micelles are known to suppress ESI of various compounds due to decrease in surface tension upon micelle formation . For the first time, poly (sodium N-undecylenyl-α-d-glucopyranoside 4,6-hydrogen phosphate, (poly-α-d-SUGP) based surfactants with different chain lengths and head groups have been successfully synthesized, characterized, and applied as compatible chiral selector for MEKC-ESI-MS/MS. First, the effect of polymerization concentration of the monomer, α-d-SUGP, was evaluated by enantioseparation of one anionic compound (1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'diyl-hydrogen phosphate) and one zwitterionic compound (dansylated phenylalanine) in MEKC-UV to find the optimum molar surfactant concentration for polymerization. Next, MEKC-UV and MEKC-MS were compared for the enantioseparation of 1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'diyl-hydrogen phosphate. The influence of polymeric glucopyranoside based surfactant head groups and carbon chain lengths on chiral Rs was evaluated for two classes of cationic drugs (ephedrine alkaloids and β-blockers). Finally, enantioselective MEKC-MS of ephedrine alkaloids and β-blockers were profiled at their optimum pH 5.0 and 7.0, respectively, using 20 mM NH4 OAc, 25 mM poly-α-d-SUGP at 30 kV and 25°C under optimum spray chamber conditions. The LOD for most of the enantiomers ranges from 10 to 100 ng/mL with S/N of at least ≥3.0.
How to Find Good Apps: An Evaluation Rubric for Instructional Apps for Teaching Students With Learning Disabilities

Computers can be an effective teaching method for students with learning disabilities (LD). The use of mobile devices as education tools for students with disabilities has received considerable attention in special education recently. Parents, teachers, and professionals look for effective applications (i.e., apps) that meet the needs of their children and students. This is often challenging for them due to the large number of education apps that are available in the market. This article introduces and describes an evaluation rubric developed to help parents, teachers, and other professionals evaluate apps for students with LD.
Gastric emptying of liquid test meals of various temperatures in the dog.

AbstractLiquid test meal emptying characteristics at various temperatures were studied by implanting a thermistor temperature probe within the gastroduodenal junction of three chronic dog preparations. Three hundred-milliliter test meals of 200 mOsm citrate and citrate + oleic acid were administered to unanesthetized dogs via a gastric tube. Each meal, at 5, 15, 25, and 45° was replicated three times in each dog. Meals at 5° and 45° entered the small bowel at 10.6° and 42.2°, respectively. The rate of return of the test meal temperature to body temperature of the citrate meal was not affected by meal temperature. In contrast, the return of the citrate–fat meal was rapid at 5°. With both meals, meal temperature did not alter the initiation of emptying. The emptying rate (t1/2) showed a significant, but weak correlation with temperature. Our study indicates that liquids can enter the duodenum at temperatures significantly different from body temperature.
Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle Surface Reactivity with Atmospheric Gases, CO2, SO2, and NO2: Roles of Surface Hydroxyl Groups and Adsorbed Water in the Formation and Stability of Adsorbed Products

The reactivity of O–H groups on titanium dioxide nanoparticle surfaces with gas-phase carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide is compared. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide react with ca. 5, 50, and nearly 100%, respectively, of all hydroxyl groups on the surface at 298 K. As shown here, the surface reactivity of O–H groups with these three triatomic gases differs considerably due to different reaction mechanisms for adsorption and surface chemistry. In addition to investigating O–H group reactivity, the role of adsorbed water in the stability of different surface species that form from adsorption of carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide on hydroxylated TiO2 nanoparticles is probed as a function of relative humidity as is quantitative measurements of water uptake on TiO2 nanoparticles before and after surface reaction. These water uptake studies provide insights into the stability of adsorbed species on oxide surfaces under atmospherically relevant conditions...