cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the fatty acyl elongation reactions involved in hydrocarbon biosynthesis in the housefly, Musca domestica L.

Abstract The elongation of fatty acyl-CoAs, reactions involved in hydrocarbon biosynthesis, were examined in microsomal preparations from the housefly, Musca domestica L. The products of the elongation reaction were assayed by radio-HPLC and consisted of 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 carbon acyl moieties. The elongation activity at 30°C was slightly higher than at other temperatures, and there was maximum elongation activity with an acyl-CoA concentration of 50 μM. An increase in the elongation activity was observed with an increase in the incubation time and protein concentration up to 15 min and 3 mg/ml, respectively. Malonyl-CoA and either NADPH or NADH were required for elongation of stearoyl-CoA and oleoyl-CoA. Of the total elongation activity in the housefly, 78–80% was in the abdomen, 15–16% in the thorax and 6–7% in the head. Using abdominal tissues, greater rates of elongation were observed in microsomes prepared from the integument compared to those from the fat body. Stearoyl-CoA was elongated more efficiently than oleoyl-CoA in microsomes from both males and females.
Roughness Measurements of Soil Surfaces by Acoustic Backscatter

The measurement of the roughness of soil surfaces on centimeter scales is important to modeling local soil erodibility. An acoustic backscatter technique was examined for its ability to quantify the roughness of porous soil on centimeter scales. Acoustic backscatter offers the possibility of an inexpensive, mobile, and rapid means of estimating statistical properties of soil surfaces. Four soil plots were constructed with varying amounts of roughness. Surface roughness of the four soil plots was measured with the acoustic backscatter technique and a laser microreliefmeter. The roughness power spectra for the surface plots were obtained from surface profiles measured by the laser microreliefmeter and by the acoustic backscatter technique. Statistical values of the RMS (root mean square) height and correlation length of surface roughness for each plot were calculated from the acoustic backscatter power spectra and laser microreliefmeter power spectra and compared. Agreement between the two techniques for estimating roughness statistics was shown to be good (<13% difference) when an adequate amount of data points were used to map out the roughness power spectra. The acoustic backscatter technique appears to be a potential alternative to rapidly and inexpensively quantify the roughness of soil surfaces.
Imaging Chirality with Surface Second Harmonic Generation Microscopy

Chirality is a fundamental construct in nature which arises from an antisymmetric arrangement of atoms, molecules, or larger structures, resulting in the formation of nonsuperimposable mirror images. Bulk chiral effects can easily be measured using circular dichroism (CD) or optical rotary dispersion (ORD). However, the imaging of chirality originating from molecular surface films cannot be obtained with these linear optical methods. By using chiral second harmonic generation (C-SHG), with its inherent surface sensitivity and ability to discriminate between the symmetry of surface adsorbed species in combination with a counter-propagating optical geometry, we have developed the first nonlinear chiral microscope. In the study presented here, the intrinsic chirality of R- and S-(+)-1,1'-bi-2-naphthol (RBN, SBN) has been used to image a patterned planar supported lipid bilayer (PSLB) of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) using C-SHG. Spatial resolution of the patterned PSLB is visible when either RBN or SBN is intercalated into the membrane. No image is observed when a racemic mixture of RBN and SBN is present. The C-SHG images are compared with those obtained from fluorescence microscopy to verify the C-SHG imaging technique. The results presented here demonstrate that C-SHG possesses the requisite surface selectivity and sensitivity to detect interfacial chirality and provides a direct route for the visualization of chirality originating from molecular surface films.
Photodecarboxylation and photohydration of pyrimidine derivatives

Abstract Thymine-1-acetic acid is shown to undergo photodecarboxylation while uracil-1-acetic acid is subject to photohydration and photodecarboxylation. In contrast, no photodecarboxylation was observed for thymine-1-propionic acid and uracil-1-propionic acid. With the esters and amides of these acids, only photohydration occurred. In no instance was lactonization or azalactone formation detected in these photoreactions. Irradiation of these compounds in the dry solid state resulted in little change; however, in frozen aqueous solutions cyclobutyl dimers were isolated without decarboxylation. Detailed mechanistic study revealed that photohydration and photodecarboxylation of these pyrimidines probably are simultaneous processes which may occur from the vibrationally excited levels of the ground state.
Extensive Translational Regulation of Gene Expression in an Allopolyploid (Glycine dolichocarpa)

All flowering plants have experienced repeated rounds of polyploidy (whole-genome duplication), which has in turn driven the evolution of novel phenotypes and ecological tolerances and been a major driver of speciation. The effects of polyploidy on gene expression have been studied extensively at the level of transcription and, to a much lesser extent, at the level of the steady state proteome, but not at the level of translation. We used polysome profiling by RNA-Seq to quantify translational regulation of gene expression in a recently formed (∼100,000 years ago) allotetraploid (Glycine dolichocarpa) closely related to the cultivated soybean (Glycine max). We show that there is a high level of concordance between the allopolyploid transcriptome and translatome overall but that at least one-quarter of the transcriptome is translationally regulated. We further show that translational regulation preferentially targets genes involved in transcription, translation, and photosynthesis, causes regional and possibly whole-chromosome shifts in expression bias between duplicated genes (homoeologs), and reduces transcriptional differences between the polyploid and its diploid progenitors, possibly attenuating misregulation resulting from genome merger and/or doubling. Finally, translational regulation correlates positively with long-term retention of homoeologs from a paleopolyploidy event, suggesting that it plays a significant role in polyploid evolution.
An effective ergodic theorem and some applications

This work is a synthesis of recent advances in computable analysis with the theory of algorithmic randomness. In this theory, we try to strengthen probabilistic laws, i.e., laws which hold with probability 1, to laws which hold in their pointwise effective form - i.e., laws which hold for every individual constructively random point. In a tour-de-force, V'yugin proved an effective version of the Ergodic Theorem which holds when the probability space, the transformation and the random variable are computable. However, V'yugin's Theorem cannot be directly applied to many examples, because all computable functions are continuous, and many applications use discontinuous functions. We prove a stronger effective ergodic theorem to include a restriction of Braverman's "graph-computable functions". We then use this to give effective ergodic proofs of the effective versions of Levy-Kuzmin and Khinchin Theorems relating to continued fractions.
Protosalvinia Dawson and Associated Conodonts of the Upper Trachytera Zone, Famennian, Upper Devonian, in the Eastern United States

Protosalvinia first occur in association with conodonts of the Upper trachytera Zone and below the Three Lick Bed in the Ohio Shale and the Ellicott Shale of the central and northern Appalachian Basin, as well as in the Clegg Creek Member of the New Albany Shale of the Illinois Basin. In the Chattanooga Shale of the southern Appalachian Basin, Protosalvinia are found no lower than the Upper marginifera Zone or associated with obviously reworked conodonts in the Middle expansa Zone. Regionally Protosalvinia are associated with a disconformity and may be found with conodonts of the Lower expansa Zone.
Reproducibility of functional network metrics and network structure: a comparison of task-related BOLD, resting ASL with BOLD contrast, and resting cerebral blood flow.

Network analysis is an emerging approach to functional connectivity in which the brain is construed as a graph and its connectivity and information processing estimated by mathematical characterizations of graphs. There has been little to no work examining the reproducibility of network metrics derived from different types of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data (e.g., resting vs. task related, or pulse sequences other than standard blood oxygen level dependent [BOLD] data) or of measures of network structure at levels other than summary statistics. Here, we take up these questions, comparing the reproducibility of graphs derived from resting arterial spin-labeling perfusion fMRI with those derived from BOLD scans collected while the participant was performing a task. We also examine the reproducibility of the anatomical connectivity implied by the graph by investigating test–retest consistency of the graphs’ edges. We compare two measures of graph-edge consistency both within versus between subjects and across data types. We find a dissociation in the reproducibility of network metrics, with metrics from resting data most reproducible at lower frequencies and metrics from task-related data most reproducible at higher frequencies; that same dissociation is not recapitulated, however, in network structure, for which the task-related data are most consistent at all frequencies. Implications for the practice of network analysis are discussed.
A Method for Identification of Electrically Stimulated Muscle

We present a model structure and a method for identifying the dynamics of electrically stimulated muscle. The model structure is sufficiently rich to describe a wide set of muscle behavior. It consists of (i) an input static nonlinearity representing the muscle's recruitment properties, (ii) a linear dynamical system representing the contraction dynamics, (iii) an output static nonlinearity representing generalized force-length and force-velocity relationships, and (iv) prefilters for the mechanical input that capture impedance and history dependence properties of the muscle. It is assumed that each of the subsystems is linearly parameterized. We present parameter estimation methods, and verify via simulation successful convergence of the estimates to their true values with small variances
Stability of linear time-delay systems with block-diagonal uncertainty

The stability problem of linear time-delay systems with block-diagonal uncertainty is considered using a quadratic Lyapunov functional. The guaranteed stability condition is written as a linear matrix inequality for any given number of divisions N in discretization. The result can also be interpreted as guaranteed H/sub /spl infin// performance under uncertainty.
SPATIOTEMPORAL IMAGINGWITH PARTIALLY SEPARABLE FUNCTIONS

Spatiotemporal imaging, including both dynamic imaging and spectroscopic imaging, has a wide range of applications from functional neuroimaging, cardiac imaging to metabolic cancer imaging. A practical challenge lies in obtaining high spatiotemporal resolution because the amount of data required increases exponentially as the physical dimension increases (curse of dimensionality). This paper describes a new way for Spatiotemporal imaging using partially separable functions. This model admits highly sparse sampling of the data space, providing an effective way to achieve high Spatiotemporal resolution. Practical imaging data will also be presented to demonstrate the performance of the new method
Worker Displacement and Occupation-Specific Human Capital

Decades of research have consistently demonstrated the long-term earnings losses associated with job displacement. Despite the pervasiveness of this result, there has been limited research explaini...
Directional antenna arrays in CDMA ST-Rake receiving

In this paper, the effects of directive antennas and the array structure on ST-Rake receivers in direct-sequence CDMA (DS-CDMA) communication are studied. Conformal arrays with individual directional antennas are proposed. Using these arrays, the full-dimension ST adaptive receiver can be divided into multiple reduced-dimension receivers; therefore, computational requirements can be significantly reduced and fewer training data are needed to estimate the environment. In this paper, we demonstrate optimum system performance of directive antennas assuming known interference and noise statistics.
Myeloperoxidase-targeted imaging of active inflammatory lesions in murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Inflammatory demyelinating plaques are the pathologic hallmark of active multiple sclerosis and often precede clinical manifestations. Non-invasive early detection of active plaques would thus be crucial in establishing pre-symptomatic diagnosis and could lead to early preventive treatment strategies. Using murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis as a model of multiple sclerosis, we demonstrate that a prototype paramagnetic myeloperoxidase (MPO) sensor can detect and confirm more, smaller, and earlier active inflammatory lesions in living mice by in vivo MRI. We show that MPO expression corresponded with areas of inflammatory cell infiltration and demyelination, and higher MPO activity as detected by MPO imaging, biochemical assays, and histopathological analyses correlated with increased clinical disease severity. Our findings present a potential new translational approach for specific non-invasive inflammatory plaque imaging. This approach could be used in longitudinal studies to identify active demyelinating plaques as well as to more accurately track disease course following treatment in clinical trials.
Identification of the neutral products from the unimolecular dissociation of singly and multiply charged C60 fullerene ions

The neutral products eliminated upon the collisionally acticated dissociation (CAD) of C 60 +z ions (z=1-4) are post-ionized to cations or anions and collected in neutral fragment-reionization ( + N f R +.- ) mass spectra. These spectra provide conclusive evidence that the decompositions C 60 +z →C x +z +C 2n (where x>30 and 2n<30) proceed by cleavage of whole C 2n clusters, not consecutive losses of nC 2 . As the charge of the fullerene precursor ion increases, the largest detectable neutral loss decreases, from C 28 for z=1 to C 12 for z=4. Post-ionization of C 2n to cations preferentially produces odd-carbon cluster ions (e.g., C 5 + , C 7 + , C + 11 , C + 15 ) whereas post-ionization to anions yields abundant even-carbon cluster ions (C 6 - , C 8 - )
Mechanism for Transition from Initial to Stable Cell-Cell Adhesion: Kinetic Analysis of E-Cadherin-Mediated Adhesion Using a Quantitative Adhesion Assay

A centrifugal force-based adhesion assay has been used to quantitatively examine the kinetics of formation of cell-cell contacts mediated specifically by expression of E-cadherin under the control of a glucocorticoid-inducible promoter in mouse fibroblasts. Analysis of cells expressing maximal or minimal levels of E-cadherin showed that the strength of E-cadherin-mediated adhesion developed in a single exponential step over a short time (half-maximal adhesion, 13-17 min). At 37 degrees C, adhesion strength increased rapidly in the first 20 min without an apparent lag phase. After 90 min, adhesion strength reached a plateau. Differences in final strengths of adhesion were commensurate with the level of E-cadherin expression. Strengthening of adhesion was temperature dependent. At 19 degrees C, strengthening of adhesion was delayed and subsequently developed with a slower rate compared to adhesion at 37 degrees C. At 4 degrees C, adhesion was completely inhibited. Strengthening of adhesion was absolutely dependent on a functional actin cytoskeleton since adhesion did not develop when cells were treated with cytochalasin D. Together, our current and previous (McNeill et al., 1993.J. Cell Biol. 120:1217-1226) studies indicate that the rate of initial strengthening of E-cadherin-mediated adhesion is neither dependent on the amount of E-cadherin expressed nor on long-range protein diffusion in the membrane to the adhesion site. However, initial strengthening of adhesion is dependent on temperature-sensitive cellular activities that may locally couple clusters of E-cadherin to the actin cytoskeleton.
Effects of Intercollegiate Athletics and Intramural Participation on Self-Esteem and Physical Self-Description: A Pilot Study:

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of intercollegiate athletics and intramural participation on self-esteem and physical self-description. Subjects were given the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale to measure each variable. A total of 52 responses from three different groups of students at a small, private, Christian university: 1) athletes (n = 14), 2) intramural participants (n = 20), and 3) students who did not participate in either type of activity (n = 18)—were collected through the on-campus mail system. Chi square statistics were run using SPSS software, version 21. Results showed statistically significant differences (p < .05) in two subcategories of the PSDQ: Global Physical Self-Concept and Strength. Although no statistical significance was found in comparing total PSDQ and Rosenberg scores between the different groups, athletes scored higher than intramural participants on both tests, and both active groups scored higher than s...
TVA — Symbol and Reality

In 1947, during the Eightieth Congress, a Republican member visited the Tennessee Valley to learn about TVA and its regional program. In justification of his trip, the Congressman explained that as a membber of a committee which had traveled to various foreign countries, he had been embarrassed by his ignorance of TVA, for it had been the subject about which he was most frequently questioned. This visit of a Congressman, and his reasons for it, suggest the impact which TVA has had throughout the world. Most recent treatises or texts on American government and administration contain some reference to TVA, its programs, policies, and procedures. Unquestionably, TVA represents a significant contribution to the theory and practice of modern government. Yet, as has been suggested, a "measured appraisal of TVA . . . still eludes the social sciences."I In the last several years the number of critical analyses of TVA has been on the increase,2 and it is to be hoped that we are nearing the time when this important agency will be evalued in its proper perspective. It is, of course, impossible in the space of this article to do more than suggest a basis for analyzing and appraising the TV7A experience. A major premise of this paper is that the contribution of TVA to modern government can best be analyzed by distinguish-ing between TVA as a symbol and TVA as reality. In many respects, moreover, it is contended that its symbolic significance may be more lasting and more important than its actual accomplishments in the development of the Tennessee Valley, however impressive the latter may be.
Distal triceps knotless anatomic footprint repair is superior to transosseous cruciate repair: a biomechanical comparison.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the biomechanical properties of a method of repair using bone tunnels with multiple high-strength nonabsorbable sutures and one knotless suture anchor compared with the standard transosseous technique for repair of the distal triceps. Methods: The triceps tendon footprint was measured in 18 cadaveric elbows (9 matched pairs), and a distal tendon rupture was created. Eighteen elbows (9 matched pairs) were randomly assigned to one of 2 repair groups: transosseous cruciate repair group or knotless anatomic footprint repair group. Cyclic loading was performed for a total of 1,500 cycles and displacement was measured. Data for load at yield and peak load were obtained. Results: The average bony footprint of the triceps tendon was 466 mm 2 . Cyclic loading of tendons from the 2 repair types showed that the knotless anatomic footprint repair produced less displacement when compared with the transosseous cruciate repair (P < .05). Load at yield and peak load were also greater in the knotless anatomic footprint repair group (P < .05). Conclusions: Distal triceps knotless anatomic footprint repair in a cadaveric model had a significantly higher load and cycle to failure when compared with the traditional transosseous cruciate repair and produced less repair site motion. Clinical Relevance: The increased biomechanical strength and resistance to displacement at the tendon-bone interface may lead to improved clinical outcomes with the knotless anatomic footprint repair technique and warrants further clinical study.
Health care use and at-work productivity among employees with mental disorders

This study examines the differential medical care use and work productivity of employees with and without anxiety and with other mental disorders at a large national firm. A unique aspect of this study is that we integrate medical claims and employer-provided, objective productivity data for the same employees. We find extensive mental health comorbidities among anxious employees. Although medical care use differs considerably among employees having no, one, or several treated mental disorders, in most cases their annual average absenteeism and average at-work productivity performance do not differ. Differences among subgroups are observed for job tenure and maternity claims. We discuss these long-term average productivity findings in relation to other literature encompassing shorter time periods.
IONIC CONDUCTANCES IN GASTROINTESTINAL SMOOTH MUSCLES AND INTERSTITIAL CELLS OF CAJAL

Ion channels are the unitary elements that underlie electrical activity of gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells and of interstitial cells of Cajal. The result of ion channel activity in the gastrointestinal smooth muscle layers is a rhythmic change in membrane potential that in turn underlies events leading to organized motility patterns. Gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells and interstitial cells of Cajal express a wide variety of ion channels that are tightly regulated. This review summarizes 20 years of data obtained from patch-clamp studies on gastrointestinal smooth muscle cells and interstitial cells, with a focus on regulation.
Use of two-colour flow cytometry to assess killing of Giardia muris trophozoites by antibody and complement.

A two-colour flow cytometry technique was used to assess killing of Giardia muris trophozoites by rabbit anti-trophozoite antibodies and complement. Binding of rabbit antibody to trophozoites and killing of trophozoites were documented by flow cytometry, after incubating the organisms with fluorescein-conjugated anti-rabbit IgG and propidium iodide (PI). Percentages of PI+ (dead) trophozoites ranged from >80%, after incubation with rabbit antiserum and complement, to <30%, after incubation with complement alone. The assay technique may be applicable to studies aimed at determining whether intestinal antibodies from Giardia-infected mammals can kill Giardia trophozoites.
Confocal FRET microscopy to measure clustering of ligand-receptor complexes in endocytic membranes.

The dynamics of protein distribution in endocytic membranes are relevant for many cellular processes, such as protein sorting, organelle and membrane microdomain biogenesis, protein-protein interactions, receptor function, and signal transduction. We have developed an assay based on Fluorescence Resonance Energy Microscopy (FRET) and novel mathematical models to differentiate between clustered and random distributions of fluorophore-bound molecules on the basis of the dependence of FRET intensity on donor and acceptor concentrations. The models are tailored to extended clusters, which may be tightly packed, and account for geometric exclusion effects between membrane-bound proteins. Two main criteria are used to show that labeled polymeric IgA-ligand-receptor complexes are organized in clusters within apical endocytic membranes of polarized MDCK cells: 1), energy transfer efficiency (E%) levels are independent of acceptor levels; and 2), with increasing unquenched donor: acceptor ratio, E% decreases. A quantitative analysis of cluster density indicates that a donor-labeled ligand-receptor complex should have 2.5–3 labeled complexes in its immediate neighborhood and that clustering may occur at a limited number of discrete membrane locations and/or require a specific protein that can be saturated. Here, we present a new sensitive FRET-based method to quantify the co-localization and distribution of ligand-receptor complexes in apical endocytic membranes of polarized cells.
Analysis of a Vibrating Interventional Device to Improve 3-D Colormark Tracking

Ultrasound guidance of interventional devices during minimally invasive surgical procedures has been investigated by many researchers. Previously, we extended the methods used by the Colormark tracking system to several interventional devices using a real-time, three- dimensional (3-D) ultrasound system. Those results showed that we needed to improve the efficiency and reliability of the tracking. In this paper, we describe an analytical model to predict the transverse vibrations along the length of an atrial septal puncture needle to enable design improvements of the tracking system. We assume the needle can be modeled as a hollow bar with a circular cross section with a fixed proximal end and a free distal end that is suspended vertically to ignore gravity effects. The initial results show an ability to predict the natural nodes and antinodes along the needle using the characteristic equation for free vibrations. Simulations show that applying a forcing function to the device at a natural antinode yields an order of magnitude larger vibration than when driving the device at a node. Pulsed wave spectral Doppler data was acquired along the distal portion of the needle in a water tank using a 2-D matrix array transesophageal echocardiography probe. This data was compared to simulations of forced vibrations from the model. These initial results suggest that the model is a good first order approximation of the vibrating device in a water tank. It is our belief that knowing the location of the natural nodes and antinodes will improve our ability to drive the device to ensure the vibrations at the proximal end will reach the tip of the device, which in turn should improve our ability to track the device in vivo.
THE HISTORICAL CONTRACTION OF PERIODICAL CICADA BROOD VII (HEMIPTERA: CICADIDAE: MAGICICADA)

We discuss periodical cicada (Magicicada) Brood VII, which is becoming extinct from much of its historically-reported range in upstate New York. During searches in June of 2001, we found Magicicada adults in only 10 of 37 sites (and two of eight counties) where periodical cicadas had been reported previously, and dense populations were restricted to a small region south of Syracuse and centered on the Onondaga Nation. We suggest possible explanations, including land clearing and climate change, for the decline of this brood and the extinction of other Magicicada broods.
Bathyplectes stenostigma, a Parasite of the Alfalfa Weevil in Europe

Bathyplectes stenostigma (Thomson), a univoltine parasite of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyllenhal), discovered in Europe in 1961, is apparently native to northern and central Europe and is probably host-specific to the alfalfa weevil. Field studies near Paris and in southern Sweden showed that alfalfa weevil larvae are attacked in sequence through the season by B. anurus (Thomson), B. curculionis (Thomson), and B. stenostigma with minimal competition between these parasite species. Over 98,000 cocoons of B. stenostigma were mass collected in Europe (1961–70) and shipped to the United States for emergence and release. European surveys, collections, and shipments were made at a cost of about $0.06 per cocoon.
Quantification of the Effectiveness of Various Conductive and Non-Conductive Epoxies as an Attachment Method for Small SMA Wires

The discovery of thermoelastic behavior in shape memory alloys (SMA) such as Nitinol enabled the conceptualization of many applications where actuators and sensors are embedded into a structural component. These so called “adaptive structures” can be extremely compact and energy efficient. SMA wires show characteristics similar to that of muscle fibers, and thus enable replication of an animal’s musculoskeletal system. Also, SMA wires are extremely attractive in the biomedical field where compact robotic elements can reduce the invasiveness of some surgical procedures. Unfortunately, widespread implementation of adaptive structures actuated by small SMA-wires in industry has been hindered by two significant challenges. First, SMA wires exhibit hysteretic behavior during heating and cooling that can be difficult to model without substantial computation. Second, attaching a small (∼50–100 μm diameter) SMA wire is extremely difficult because standard methods such as crimping are infeasible. The goal of this study is to quantify the effectiveness of using adhesives to hold a small SMA wire. A wide range of commercially available adhesives are tested under the conditions relevant to an application where SMA-wires are embedded directly within a structure. Epoxies are tested so that the adhesive will bond to both plastic and metallic elements. The experimental setup is designed to test the failure shear stress between an SMA wire and adhesive. A wire is encapsulated in a small drop of adhesive. Then the area of the wire that is exposed to the adhesive is measured under a microscope and the wire is pulled as a load cell measures the tensile load. The force that causes failure of the bond is recorded and used to calculate the failure shear stress between the adhesive and wire. The effects of using wires with different surface temperatures, and handling procedures (i.e. washing with acetone and handling with latex gloves) are also tested. Measurements under each set of parameters are repeated and quantitative results are obtained.© 2009 ASME
Temporal Distribution of Woodchuck Interburrow Movements

A telemetrically recorded temporal distribution of 223 interburrow movements by woodchucks, Marmota monax rufescens , is described and compared with general activity records for two other marmot populations. Frequency of interburrow movements was low following morning emergence, declined less than total activity at midday, and continued later in the evening than all activity in the other two populations. Behavioral variation of observation efficiency could cause some of these differences but this is not demonstrated. A relationship between agonistic behavior and interburrow movements is suggested.
The status quo of cultural teaching of college English in the art colleges and universities and countermeasures for improvement

Cultural teaching is an indispensable part of English education in art colleges.The paper makes a concise analysis on the current situation of language teaching in those colleges under the guidance of the idea of how to improve the college English teaching effect,then composes a frame of how to put cultural teaching into practice systematically and effectively from the following aspects: to enhance the teacher's understanding of cultural teaching and their cross-cultural communicative competence and to optimize the teaching pattern.Moreover,the writers put forward the measures accordingly on the basis of language teaching experience.
The Study of Current Status of AIDS/HIV Knowledge Attitude and Practice Related and Health Education Needs among Peasant-workers

Objective To understand the knowledge attitude and practice related on AIDS,in the base of AIDS.In order to strengthen AIDS education in peasant-worker.Methods 412 peasant-workers of Jining city were investigated by cluster sampling.A questionnaire survey was conducted.Results Knowledge of the Peasant-workers is of the lower-level,aiming only 43.9%.In the AIDS attitude,negative sexual attitude is still larger proportion;in individual behavior,while 40.7% of people expressed their willingness to use condoms,there are still 41.4% had never used condoms,and only 63.0% of those surveyed believe that proper use of condoms to prevent AIDS.Conclusion The male peasant-workers with low levels of literacy and low-income should be seen as the focus groups of AIDS health education.
Intraoperative consultation for gynecologic disorders.

SUMMARY A careful history and pelvic examination will allow a more meaningful and thorough preoperative evaluation. It will also greatly reduce the need for subsequent intraoperative consultation for unexpected gynecologic disorders. Medicolegal disasters resulting from unconsented castration or loss of reproductive function may be avoided as well. When unpredictable circumstances are encountered, the urologist should be able to recognize them and know when further expertise is required. In most situations an exact diagnosis can usually be established without sacrificing reproductive or endocrinologic function. Although definitive therapy may need to be delayed and further surgery performed, this is more acceptable in the face of life-threatening disease than the consequences of unnecessarv gynecologic surgery or debilitation.
Nutritional problems of hospitalized patients. A preliminary survey.

Nutritional practices—or the lack of them—were surveyed in two teaching hospitals for six weeks. The discouraging findings, reported here, could (hopefully) spur action toward improvement.
Sexuality, Parenthood, and Cognitive Disability in Brazil

This article will review the different methods used to control the sexuality and fertility of Brazilian women with cognitive disabilities throughout the twentieth century, and how practices such as eugenic sterilization, institutionalization, and other repressive measures of social control grew out of cultural notions of gender, race, class, sexuality, and disability. The article will first outline eugenics practices and the vulnerability of women with cognitive disabilities in the United States and Europe. It will then trace the historical treatment of Brazilian women with cognitive disabilities. Finally, it will describe modern cultural perceptions and practices related to the sexuality and fertility of Brazilian women with cognitive disabilities.
Blood Pressure, Sexual Activity, and Dysfunction in Women With Hypertension: Baseline Findings From the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT).

Abstract Introduction Sexual function, an important component of quality of life, is gaining increased research and clinical attention in older women with hypertension. Aim To assess the association between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and other variables, and sexual activity and sexual dysfunction in hypertensive women. Methods Baseline analysis of 635 women participants of a larger randomized clinical trial of 9361 men and women. Main Outcome Measures Self-reported sexual activity (yes/no), and sexual function using the Female Sexual Function Inventory (FSFI). Results 452 participants (71.2%) reported having no sexual activity during the previous 4 weeks. The mean (SD) FSFI score for sexually active participants was 25.3 (6.0), and 52.6% of the sample reported a FSFI score ≤26.55 designating sexual dysfunction. In logistic regression models, SBP was not significantly associated with sexual activity (AOR = 1.002; P > .05). Older age (AOR = 0.95, P P P P P > .05). Higher depressive symptoms from the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was associated with higher odds of sexual dysfunction (AOR = 1.24, P P P Conclusion Younger age, higher education, living with others, and higher weekly alcohol consumption were significantly associated with higher odds of being sexually active in a sample of middle-aged and older women with hypertension. Increased depressive symptoms and increased physical comorbidities were significantly associated with increased odds of sexual dysfunction. SBP was not significantly associated with sexual activity or sexual dysfunction.
Extremism in survey measures of ideology

Research on mass political behavior relies extensively on ideology scales. The majority of political science surveys use a unique, and potentially problematic, word to anchor the endpoints of these scales (“extremely”). However, political science has surprisingly little evidence on the effects of using this anchor over others. We utilize an older, but ignored, survey experiment on the 1989 American National Election Study (ANES) Pilot Study to analyze the consequences of the choice between using “very” or “extremely” endpoint labels. Theoretically, our results illustrate how a seemingly negative question anchor helps optimally measure a key concept (ideology) that is fundamental to understanding phenomena such as mass polarization.
Encore: Francesca da Rimini Rhetoric of Seduction — Seduction of Rhetoric

Im 5. Gesang der Holle, dem beliebtesten der Divina Comedia, inszeniert Dante der Dichter die Verfuhrung Dantes des Wanderers durch Francesca, Allegorie der Rhetorik. Ironischerweise entgeht dem modernen Leser, das Dante Francesca die Worte im Mund herumdreht, und wie der Wanderer erliegt er Francescas verfuhrerischem Wort. Die Macht der Rhetorik zeigt sich resistent gegen alle Aufklarung.
Retrograde well and epitaxial thickness optimization for shallow- and deep-trench collar merged isolation and node trench SPT DRAM cell and CMOS logic technology

A comprehensive study of design point constraints on n-well and epitaxial design for a CMOS trench DRAM/SRAM/logic process is presented. Design criteria and guidelines, derived from experimentation and process/device simulation, are based on the following considerations: trench DRAM storage node capacitance, DRAM leakage mechanisms, retention time, n-well electrical parametrics, pnp bipolar current gain, latchup, and electrostatic discharge (ESD) performance. The methodology is discussed for achieving optimum power, signal, retention time, performance, reliability and ESD performance. >
Minimizing inappropriate or "unnecessary" implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shocks: appropriate programming.

Life-saving shocks are the raisons d'etre of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). Paradoxically, shocks also cause much of the morbidity associated with ICDs. Consistently, shocks reduce quality of life,1,2 and rarely, they may cause proarrhythmia.3,4 Additionally, shocks have been reported to be associated with excess mortality.5 Experts disagree about whether shocks are responsible for this excess mortality,6 but they do agree that ICDs should deliver the fewest shocks necessary to protect patients from ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF). Minimizing ICD shocks requires a comprehensive approach, beginning with patient selection,7 general medical care (eg, preventing electrolyte abnormalities), and general cardiac care (preventing ischemia and treating heart failure). It includes the use of antiarrhythmic drugs and catheter ablation both to prevent VT or supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and to control the ventricular rate in atrial fibrillation (AF) as well as the appropriate choice of hardware and device programming. This review focuses on ICD features and programming to minimize shocks. Figure 1 summarizes the sequential processes required for an ICD to deliver a shock. The sense amplifiers convert the continuous electrogram (EGM) from the tip of the right ventricular (RV) lead into a series of instantaneously sensed events representing ventricular depolarization. This series of sensed events is processed by ICD algorithms, including those for initial detection; SVT-VT discrimination; and in some models of ICDs, enhancements to minimize oversensing. If the rhythm is classified as a VT, antitachycardia pacing (ATP) can be delivered. The ICD then performs a redetection process, which results in determination that the device-defined VT either has terminated or persists. If VT is redetected, the process iterates until all programmed ATPs are delivered. The ICD then charges the high-voltage capacitors, during which time a final round of ATP may be delivered. After capacitor …
The Benefit of a Switch: Answer-Changing on Multiple-Choice Exams by First-Year Dental Students

The aim of this study was to determine if dental students would benefit from changing their initial responses to what they have deemed to be more suitable answers during high-stakes multiple-choice examinations. Students are often advised to stay with their first answers despite evidence from other fields suggesting this is not the best course for obtaining optimal final exam scores. Data were collected for 160 first-year DMD students in fall 2013 for three operative dentistry and four biochemistry exams at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. As students take all of their exams through ExamSoft, a test-taking software application that tracks and records all changes students make during the exam period, the subjective nature of previous studies on answer changing was eliminated. The results showed that all students changed their answers on a minimum of nine questions over the seven exams, with an average of 26.55 (SD=8.8) questions changed per student. Answers changed from an incorrect to a correct response comprised nearly 65% of total answer changes, while changes from a correct to an incorrect answer encompassed slightly above 10% of answer changes. Nearly all students (99.4%) benefitted from answer-changing with a net gain of at least two correct questions, with only one student not increasing the final score. Overall, the students greatly benefitted from changing their answer choice, suggesting that dental students could be advised to change their answers from their first choice if they identify a better option when taking multiple-choice exams.
Expectations, the Real Rate of Interest, and Labor Market Behavior in a Macromodel

Recent studies1 have attempted to develop alternative approaches to the Hicksian IS-LM analysis by relaxing many of its restrictive assumptions and by introducing new elements into the framework. The objective of these studies is to demonstrate the theoretical weaknesses in the structure of the traditional analysis and hence its inadequate explanation of the short-run fluctuations in the rate of change of economic activity. The deficiencies of the model for determining the response of real output and prices to exogenous shocks, are then, interpreted as an inadequate framework for the formulation and implementation of stabilization policies.
Functional/Clinical Significance of 5-Hydroxytryptamine Binding Sites

In light of the finding that certain serotonergic agents are not as selective as previously considered, the functional/clinical significance of various populations of 5-HT binding sites is reviewed.
Multi-Doppler resolution automotive radar

Automotive radars operate in challenging environments that include objects with similar position and speed as well as objects with diverse positions and velocities. Automated driving requires the radar to discriminate close objects and also to accurately estimate the position of the objects in the field-of-view. Doppler filtering is essential to fulfill this goal. In conventional automotive radars the Doppler processing has a fixed and predetermined filtering integration time and hence a fixed Doppler resolution. However, in this case, setting the Doppler resolution is a tradeoff between high resolution that enables discrimination of close objects and accurate estimation of their position. In this paper we develop a multi-resolution Doppler processing method that resolves this tradeoff. The performance advantages of multi-resolution Doppler processing compared to the conventional fixed Doppler resolution are evaluated in an automotive scenario. It is shown that the multi-resolution Doppler processing attains better discrimination of close objects as well as more accurate position estimation of the objects.
Correction to: The Police Officer Perception Project (POPP): An experimental evaluation of factors that impact perceptions of the police

As part of the production process, the numerical values for negative and positive police contact in Table 1 were erroneously swapped.
Integrating Kanban Control with Advance Demand Information: Insights from an Analytical Model

This paper investigates the benefits of integration of advance demand information (ADI) with the Kanban Control System (KCS). ADI shared by customers is integrated into production release policies thereby enabling simultaneous improvements in service levels and reductions in inventory and costs. Under Markovian assumptions, an exact analysis of the production system is carried out. Through numerical studies, the system performance is compared to those obtained from classical Kanban control system and base stock system with ADI.
Health communication and navigating the health system.

The Patient Navigator Outreach and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2005 supports entities that provide counseling and health care coordination to low-income patients who suffer from cancer or other chronic diseases. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
The Cell Analytic-Numerical Method for Solution of the Two-Dimensional Advection-Dispersion Equation

Abstract A new numerical method, called the Cell Analytic-Numerical Method, is developed for solution of the Two-Dimensional Advection-Dispersion Equation by using a transverse integration technique followed by analytical solution of the transverse- integrated local equations. Continuity of the mass flux is then used to obtain a set of coupled tridiagonal equations which can be efficiently solved. This new method is demonstrated to have high accuracy, even when applied on coarse meshes, and to have minimal grid orientation error.
Coupled Space-Angle Adaptivity for Radiation Transport Calculations

- This paper describes the development of a coupled space-angle a posteriori error analysis and adaptive method for radiation transport calculations based on the second-order, even-parity form of the transport equation discretized by a variational finite element-spherical harmonics method (FE-P N ). Rigorous a posteriori error estimates for the global L 2 norm in the even-parity angular flux are derived by utilizing duality arguments. Separate error components for the spatial and angular discretizations are obtained by the adaptive algorithm by first seeking convergence in the spatial variable and then by projecting the spatially converged solution onto the higher-order P N equation to estimate the angular truncation error. The validity of the developed coupled space-angle adaptive refinement strategy is assessed by comparing the developed error indicator with the true error for representative problems in one and two dimensions. The method of manufactured solutions and alternative transport solution methods are used to provide the true error. Comparisons indicate that the space-angle adaptivity framework is capable of guiding the FE-P N method toward the true solution.
Pipistrellus subflavus subflavus (Eastern pipistrelle)

One pair of the small subtelocentric autosomes bears a secondary constriction on the long arm. The identification of the X is equivocal, since one or two pairs of autosomes show similar morphology.