cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A prospective study of leukocyte telomere length and risk of phobic anxiety among women

We prospectively examined the relation of relative telomere lengths (RTLs), a marker of biological aging, to phobic anxiety in later-life. RTLs in peripheral blood leukocytes were measured among 3194 women in the Nurses' Health Study who provided blood samples in 1989/90. The Crown-Crisp Phobic Index (CCI, range=0–16) was assessed in 1988 and 2004. Only participants with CCI≤3 (consistent with no meaningful anxiety symptoms) in 1988 were included. We related baseline RTLs to odds ratios (ORs) of incident high phobic anxiety symptoms (CCI≥6). To enhance clinical relevance, we used finite mixture modeling (FMM) to relate baseline RTLs to latent classes of CCI in 2004. RTLs were not significantly associated with high phobic anxiety symptoms after 16 years of follow-up. However, FMM identified 3 groups of phobic symptoms in later-life: severe, minimal/intermediate, and non-anxious. The severe group had non-significantly shorter multivariable-adjusted mean RTLs than the minimal/intermediate and non-anxious groups. Women with shorter telomeres vs. longest telomeres had non-significantly higher likelihood of being in the severe vs. non-anxious group. Overall, there was no significant association between RTLs and incident phobic anxiety symptoms. Further work is required to explore potential connections of telomere length and emergence of severe phobic anxiety symptoms during later-life.
Lessons on aging: Hopes and concerns of Japanese women at midlife

Japan is leading the global trend of decreasing birth rates and the graying of society. In this study we examine women's changing gender and intergenerational relationships and how these affect their concerns and hopes for their futures. Many of the 121 midlife women (aged 45-55) interviewed viewed themselves as sandwiched between their mothers-in-law and actual or potential daughters-in-law, at the nadir of intergenerational status within their families, in large part due to changing social patterns in marriage and birth rates. Doubts about the marriageability of their sons arising from role expectations for brides to care for parents-in-law cause concern for many and highlight the gendered and intergenerational nature of aging concerns. Yet, midlife in the 21st century, with changing gender and intergenerational roles, appears to create opportunities for many Japanese women to reflect on the meaning of the next stage of their lives. Changing gender and intergenerational relationships may contribute to their hopes to live a life of self-actualization and to be true to one's self (jibun rashiku ikiru).
Portfolio Balance Effects and the Equity Market

Many monetary studies on the portfolio balance effect omit its impact to equity returns. Motivated through a simple general equilibrium model, we study how changes in the bond supply affect the overall equity market. Our model predicts that exogenous increases (decreases) in the bond supply coincide with a lower (higher) equity price, all else equal. A historical investigation from 1952-2014 discovers asymmetric effects, both leading to higher equity prices. While the portfolio balance channel explains how unexpected downward shifts in the bond supply lead to higher equity prices, empirical evidence suggests unexpected upward shifts coincide with higher inflation.
Impact of Intervention Measures on MRSA Clonal Type and Carriage Site Prevalence

We read with great interest the article by Senn and others (1) as a prime example of how detailed molecular analysis can unravel the epidemiological patterns that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains follow in the colonizing process and the usefulness of extranasal sampling to uncover MRSA prevalence and spreading pathways. Screening of MRSA on multiple body sites is well known to greatly enhance isolation sensitivity. However, the study by Senn et al. is among the first to open a new awareness about qualitative differences in the behavior of specific MRSA strains. Based on our …
Laboratory Biology of Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) puertoricensis (Acari: Argasidae)

The laboratory biology of Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) puertoricensis Fox was studied over a 2-yr period. Approximately 100-150 ticks were reared individually at each of four temperatures: 22, 27, 33, and 40 degrees C and 90-95% RH. The mean egg incubation periods at those temperatures were 20.3, 11.1, 7.3, and 6.1 d, respectively. The average larval feeding period was 5.8 +/- 1.5 d for 15,875 larvae that fed on guinea pigs. The development times for first to fourth nymphal instars were as follows: 11.7, 48.5, 75.1, and 92.1 d, respectively, at 22 degrees C; 5.8, 18.8, 38.0, and 36.0 d, respectively, at 27 degrees C; 4.2, 10.5, 14.9, and 38.1 d, respectively, at 33 degrees C; and 5.8, 10.7, 21.2, and 35.3 d, respectively, at 40 degrees C. Males usually eclosed after three or four molts, and females usually eclosed after four or five molts. Approximately 10% of all nymphs required more than one blood meal per instar at least once during development. Twenty pairs of adults were held at each of three temperatures (22, 27, and 33 degrees C) for a year to study reproductive behavior. The number of gonotrophic cycles per female per year was 6.9, 9.8, and 10.8 at 22, 27, and 33 degrees C, respectively. The mean duration of the gonotrophic cycle was 42.3 d at 22 degrees C, 25.5 d at 27 degrees C, and 20.5 d at 33 degrees C. Mean egg production per female per gonotrophic cycle was 151 at 22 degrees C, 117 at 27 degrees C, and 130 at 33 degrees C and was not affected by temperature. O. puertoricensis did not exhibit autogeny or parthenogenesis. Hyperparasitism was observed in immatures and adults.
Control of Two Holonomic Robots Using a Camera- Referenced Specification of Motion

Multi-robot systems have the potential to improve the cost-effectiveness of robotic operations. While significant research work is focused on fully autonomous and supervisory control systems for robot clusters, some applications may benefit from “piloted” clusters in which a single pilot interactively “drive s” the cluster with significant involvement in the realtime dynamic control of the multi-robot system. This paper considers the first phase of a study involving two-robot systems that work together to image a target, with a camera on one robot and auxiliary lights on the second robot. In this phase, an interactive simulation environment has been developed and used to provide initial data regarding the effectiveness of the single-pilot approach. Contributions include the development of the simulation architecture that includes the generation of a three-dimensional virtual reality scene, the design of a simple automated algorithm for converting visual requirements to robot drive commands, and the comparative evaluation of one -pilot vs. two-pilot control for a simulated mission profile. Results from this work support the hypothesis that the implementation of single-pilot aids for multi-robot clusters is a potentially useful capability; these results also highlight specific improvements that must be implemen ted in order to realize the potential of this approach.
Concerning reflex summation

A simple, linear, noninteractive model of the reflex control of blood pressure was developed to demonstrate that simple linear addition of the responses of the baroreceptor reflexes can produce observations that appear to have resulted from a redundant control system. Our analysis indicated that common experimental paradigms such as hemorrhage with sequential reflex ablation, which are often used to evaluate reflex interactions, can be simply interpreted. Complex nonlinear interactions need not be postulated to explain data that appear to indicate a redundant control system.
The Persistent Career of Jim Crow: Lower Federal Courts and the “Separate but Equal” Doctrine, 1865–1896

"In my opinion, the judgment this day rendered will, in time, prove to be quite as pernicious as the decision made by this tribunal in the Dred Scott Case."1 These words written in dissent by Supreme Court Justice John Harlan in Plessy v. Ferguson now seem completely justified. Justice Harlan's lone stand against the constitutionality of a Louisiana statute mandating separate accommodations on trains for blacks and whites has enshrined him as a prophet of the equality of civil rights as we understand them today.2 It is interesting, however, that while Plessy is considered now "one of the pivotal decisions of the Supreme Court," the Court's opinion aroused little reaction when it appeared in 1896.3 Except for indignation expressed in some black newspapers, the American public was largely silent. The case was not even mentioned in many legal publications.4
The effect of the ductless glands on growth and development.

The endocrine glands which affect skeletal growth and development are the anterior pituitary, thyroid, gonads, adrenal cortex, pineal, thymus and parathyroids. Study of osseous development and skeletal variations aids the understanding of endocrine activity and the diagnosis of endocrine disorders.
The Four-Fold Way

Chapter 2 begins to establish the rigorous foundation by defining four “views” of a mathematical model: (1) set theoretic, (2) submodel family, (3) bipartite graph, and (4) constraint matrix. The first two views are full models; the last two views are metamodels. Then, rigorous definitions of consistency and computational allowability are made in the context of these views.
Calpain-14 and its association with eosinophilic esophagitis

Calpains are a family of intracellular, calcium-dependent cysteine proteases involved in a variety of regulatory processes, including cytoskeletal dynamics, cell-cycle progression, signal transduction, gene expression, and apoptosis. These enzymes have been implicated in a number of disease processes, notably for this review involving eosinophilic tissue inflammation, such as eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic inflammatory disorder triggered by allergic hypersensitivity to food and associated with genetic variants in calpain 14 (CAPN14). Herein we review the genetic, structural, and biochemical properties of CAPN14 and its gene product CAPN14, and its emerging role in patients with EoE. The CAPN14 gene is localized at chromosome 2p23.1-p21 and is most homologous to CAPN13 (36% sequence identity), which is located 365 kb downstream of CAPN14. Structurally, CAPN14 has classical calpain motifs, including a cysteine protease core. In comparison with other human calpains, CAPN14 has a unique expression pattern, with the highest levels in the upper gastrointestinal tract, particularly in the squamous epithelium of the esophagus. The CAPN14 gene is positioned in an epigenetic hotspot regulated by IL-13, a TH2 cytokine with increased levels in patients with EoE that has been shown to be a mediator of the disease. CAPN14 induces disruptive effects on the esophageal epithelium by impairing epithelial barrier function in association with loss of desmoglein-1 expression and has a regulatory role in repairing epithelial changes induced by IL-13. Thus CAPN14 is a unique protease with distinct tissue-specific expression and function in patients with EoE and is a potential therapeutic target for EoE and related eosinophilic and allergic diseases.
Drug eluting grafts for hemodialysis access

The development of new methods for drug elution of graft material, biofiber films and resurfacing of prosthetic graft surfaces offers new opportunities for improvement of graft function in arteriovenous (AV) access. Three areas of research include developing grafts that reduce the development of neointimal hyperplasia, reducing infection and reducing thrombogenicity. The only drug eluting graft presently being used, is the heparin coated expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) graft, which has been shown to decrease the incidence of early thrombosis. New drug eluting grafts include those with paclitaxel and those with antibiotics. The development of a hybrid coated prosthetic graft that can deliver targeted gene therapies holds great promise in the field.
Soft-switched bidirectional buck-boost converters

A bidirectional buck-boost converter with a new soft-switching active-snubber cell that reduces switching losses is introduced. Soft-switching cell consists of an active snubber switch, a snubber inductor, and a two-winding transformer with associated magnetizing current reset circuit. The soft-switching cells enable the buck and boost rectifier to turn off with a controlled turn-off rate of their current to minimize corresponding reverse-recovery losses. In addition, in the introduced soft-switching cell, the power-controlling buck and boost switches turn on with zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and the snubber switches turn off with zero-current switching (ZCS). The performance of the proposed bidirectional converter was evaluated on a 5-kW prototype exchanging energy between a 400-V bus and a battery with voltage range between 200 V and 300 V. The 100-kHz prototype circuit exhibits the maximum full-load efficiency of 99.1% in the boost-mode and 98.2% in the buck-mode operation.
Temperature-Dependent k∞ for a ThO2-PuO2 HTGR Lattice

The temperature dependence of k∞ for a graphite-moderated ThO2-PuO2-fueled lattice has been measured in the high temperature lattice test reactor. Values of measured at equilibrium temperatures fro...
Use Of Curved Slits To Increase The Throughput Of A Hadamard Spectrometer

The throughput of a Hadamard spectrometer is directly proportional to the length of the slits. However, optical aberrations limit the slit length that can be used. The usable length of curved and straight slits are theoretically and experimentally compared for a typical singly-encoded Hadamard spectrometer that has a Czerny-Turner plane-grating mounting. For this Hadamard spectrometer the optical throughput can be increased by a factor of ten by using properly curved slits.© (1979) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Differential responsiveness of MET inhibition in non-small-cell lung cancer with altered CBL

Casitas B-lineage lymphoma (CBL) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase and a molecule of adaptor that we have shown is important for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We investigated if MET is a target of CBL and if enhanced in CBL-altered NSCLC. We showed that CBL wildtype cells have lower MET expression than CBL mutant cells. Ubiquitination of MET was also decreased in CBL mutant cells compared to wildtype cells. Mutant cells were also more sensitive to MET inhibitor SU11274 than wild-type cells. sh-RNA-mediated knockdown of CBL enhanced cell motility and colony formation in NSCLC cells, and these activities were inhibited by SU11274. Assessment of the phospho-kinome showed decreased phosphorylation of pathways involving MET, paxillin, EPHA2, and VEGFR. When CBL was knocked down in the mutant cell line H1975 (erlotinib-resistant), it became sensitive to MET inhibition. Our findings suggest that CBL status is a potential positive indicator for MET-targeted therapeutics in NSCLC.
Factors That Influence Neural Development in Nematodes

Neurons in nematodes are generated by invariant cell lineages. The lineage history of a cell appears to limit its developmental potential, often to a unique fate. Some cells have multiple potential fates; the fate each expresses depends either upon interactions with other cells or upon specific genetically controlled temporal signals. If the principles of neural development in nematodes are similar to those in other organisms, specific conditions involving available cell types and positional and/or temporal cues must be satisfied for neural regeneration to be possible.
mTOR'ing across the Cortex by Chopping the Cilia.

Somatic mutation of the MTOR gene is a genetic etiology of focal malformations of cortical development. In this issue of Neuron, Park et al. (2018) identify defective autophagy-dependent ciliogenesis/Wnt signaling as an underlying mechanism affecting neuronal migration and cortical lamination.
Great Powers, International Order and Stability: Transformation?

This chapter examines the rise of Great Powers and their consequence, and outlines which states have been considered Global Powers; they have included Portugal, Spain, UK, France, Netherlands, Russia/USSR, Germany, Japan and the United States. Because the Great / Global Powers have dominated global politics, for example between 1945 and 1990 during the Cold War, their rivalry, which extended to the whole world, are examined. The collapse of the USSR in 1991 left the United States as the hegemon, which started creating a new world order. It examines the challenges that have begun to rise, some parallel with the establishment of global hegemony. The notion of state failure/failed states is one that is examined in detail, including the characteristics of failed states, how they affect world order (harboring terrorists and pirates), and how the United States, the current global hegemon, has started to deal with (or failed to deal with) the phenomenon.
Thought as a determinant of political opinion.

Abstract Recent political events around the world, including the apparently sudden rise of populism and decline of democratic zeal, have surprised many of us and offered a window onto how people form beliefs and attitudes about the wider world. Cognitive scientists have tended to view belief and attitude formation from one of three perspectives: as a process of deliberative reasoning, as a gut reaction modulated by feelings, or as a cultural phenomenon grounded in partisan relationships. This special issue on the cognitive science of political thought brings a variety of voices to bear on the issue. The upshot is that each perspective captures part of the dynamics of opinion change, but the underlying processes operate in an integrated way. Individuals’ affective reactions are conditioned by the social world, and therefore reflect their community norms. They often precede processes of reasoning, but not always. In turn, reasoning is generally motivated in the service of transmitting beliefs acquired from citizens’ communities of belief. Cognition is largely a filter for attending to and sharing community norms.
A new Ru catalyst for alkenealkyne coupling

Abstract [CpRu(CH3CN3)]+PF6− proves to be an effective catalyst for an intermolecular Alder ene type reaction that provides considerable broadening of scope of the process.
Machine Intelligence Mixture of Experts and Bayesian Networks

In Chap. 6, we introduced Bayesian networks and some of the traditionAbstractal methods for designing them from data and pointed out some of the challenges with these approaches. In this chapter, we introduce a much simpler approach that escapes some of these challenges. This approach, we admit, will clearly not be an adequate substitute for all BN applications, but may well be adequate for many classification tasks. This approach uses a simple three-tier network, with the central node (or nodes) for the classification, an input layer for variables that influence the probability of membership in each class, and an output layer for variables whose probability is influenced by the class. We did not invent this approach, but we show how the MI methods in previous chapters, particularly feature subset selection, can greatly simplify the task of specifying the BN topology by reducing the available features to a small and fairly uncorrelated set. This does two things. By reducing the number features, we reduce the data requirements—maybe to manageable levels. By finding uncorrelated features, the assumptions of the simple three-tier design are less likely to be violated.
Resolvin D-series regulates Phospholipase D both during inflammation and resolution by modulating phagocyte functions

ABSTRACT A successful acute inflammatory response results in the elimination of infectious agents by neutrophils and monocytes, followed by resolution and repair by tissue-resident and recruited macrophages. D-series resolvins are pro-resolving mediators involved in resolution and tissue repair, their intracellular signaling mechanism(s) are of interest. Here, we report that D-series resolvins activate phospholipase D (PLD), a ubiquitously expressed membrane lipase in modulating phagocyte functions. The mechanism for PLD-mediated actions of RvD5 in polarizing macrophages (M1-M2) was found to be two-pronged: (a) RvD5 inhibits post-transcriptional modifications, by miRs and 3’exonulceases that process PLD2 mRNA, thus increasing PLD2 expression and activity; (b) RvD5 enhances PLD2-S6K signaling and Actin expression required for membrane expansion and efferocytosis. In addition, investigating RvD5’s actions in second organ reflow injury, we found that RvD5 did not reduce lung neutrophil myeloperoxidase levels in PLD2-/- mice compared to WT and PLD1-/- mice, pointing to a unique role of PLD2 as the relevant isoform in RvD5-mediated resolution. These results demonstrate that RvD5-PLD2 are attractive targets for therapeutic interventions in vascular inflammation such as I/R injury and cardiovascular diseases.
The Influence of Smoking Motivation on the Associations Among Cigarette Craving, Attentional Bias to Smoking Cues, and Smoking Behavior.

Introduction Theory and data suggest that attentional bias (AB) to drug-related cues should be associated with craving when smoking motivation is high, and that AB should be predictive of drug use when immediate use is possible. The current study is the first to test these propositions in smokers in a controlled laboratory environment. Methods Ninety daily smokers were randomly assigned to a high smoking motivation (nicotine-deprived/smoking cue exposure) or low smoking motivation (non-deprived/control cue exposure) condition. Participants engaged in an AB task in which they viewed smoking and matched control pictures while their eye movements were continuously monitored. Participants were then given the option to smoke, and latency to first puff and number of puffs were coded. Results High motivation smokers had significantly higher urges to smoke (p .45). As predicted, the association between dwell time bias scores and urge to smoke was stronger in the high (r=.47) than low (r=.18) smoking motivation condition, but this difference failed to reach significance (p=.068). Contrary to predictions, neither AB measure was significantly associated with smoking behavior (SB). Internal reliability was excellent for dwell time bias scores (alpha=.90) but very low for initial fixation bias scores (alpha=.20). Conclusions Maintenance of attention on drug-related cues may be a valid index of incentive motivation. Importantly, however, these dwell time bias scores were not predictive of actual SB. Implications This study tested key predictions made by theoretical accounts of addiction that emphasize attentional bias (AB) to drug-related cues as fundamental components of the development and maintenance of drug use. Namely, this is the first experimental study in smokers to test whether AB to smoking-related cues is associated with craving when smoking motivation is high and whether AB predicts smoking behavior assessed immediately after the AB task. As predicted, the association between AB and craving was stronger in smokers randomly assigned to a high rather than a low smoking motivation condition. Contrary to predictions, AB did not predict smoking behavior.
Resistance to Antiplatelet Drugs

Platelet activation and aggregation are central events in arterial thrombosis underlying acute coronary syndromes and progression of atherosclerotic vascular disease, and constitute complex processes involving multiple interdependent pathways. Aspirin remains the most well-studied antiplatelet agent and the backbone of therapy for patients with atherothrombosis. The thienopyridines (i.e., clopidogrel) have emerged as important additions for the management of patients with atherothrombotic diseases including those with acute coronary syndromes, those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, and selected patients with known vascular disease. Despite the use of these agents alone or in combination, a proportion of patients will continue to experience recurrent events. Some of these patients may be considered “resistant” to the currently available antiplatelet agents. Once thought of as simply a laboratory phenomenon, antiplatelet resistance has more recently been associated with adverse clinical events. Therefore, an understanding of the mechanism(s) behind treatment failure and therapeutic regimens needed to remedy them remain an area of essential research and of significant clinical importance.
Mechanistic Connections between Glucose/Lipid Disturbances and Weight Gain induced by Antipsychotic Drugs

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on possible molecular mechanisms by which the drugs affect the metabolic function. There appears to be a connection between the drug‐induced lipid and glucose disturbances and weight gain in patients. The relationship between these metabolic effects stems from operation of the glucose‐fatty acid cycle and the cooperative regulation of energy metabolism at the level of signaling pathways, including Akt and AMPK, which converge on forkhead and C/EBP transcription factors. Genetic studies have provided some insight into the possible pharmacological basis for drug induced weight gain with apparent contributions by histamine H1 and serotonergic (5‐HT2C) receptors. A better understanding of the drug‐induced side effects may ultimately allow identification of risk factors in patients and prevention of weight gain and glucose disturbances with adjunctive approaches. The knowledge of the molecular basis of these emergent syndromes may inspire the development of the next generation of antipsychotic drugs with minimal metabolic liability.
Software Perspectives: The System Is the Message

Here is a unique book that delves into the underlying nature and quality of software and the processes used to create it. Software Perspectives: The System is the Message describes and explains the process of creating software systems, presented in a way intended to be useful to technical and non-technical people alike.This book, written by a well-known leader in the field of software engineering, will be of interest to anyone who wants to understand or improve software systems and the processes used to create them. 0201119692B04062001
Model of sprite luminous trail caused by increasing streamer current

[1] This study investigates a possible physical mechanism responsible for the occurrence of the luminous trail of sprite streamers, which is also known as “afterglow.” According to streamer modeling results, when sprite streamers propagate with expansion, acceleration and brightening, the total current flowing through the streamer body also increases. The increasing current results in the rise of the electric field in the streamer channel far behind the streamer head, which leads to effective production of N2 excited states by electron impact excitation and then the glowing trail.
Endocrine Disruption and Human Reproductive Effects: An Overview

Humans of all ages interact with their environment on a daily basis and are thus exposed to a variety of both man-made and naturally occurring chemicals through the air they breath, the water they drink and the food they eat. The potential for exposure to environmental contaminants to impact the function of the reproductive system and affect normal development of the reproductive tract has become an area of increasing concern at all levels of society. Environment Canada and Health Canada jointly organized a workshop to review the current state of knowledge on endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and to establish a national science agenda on the scientific assessment of EDCs. This report summarizes the key scientific literature pertaining to the role of EDCs in a number of selected human reproductive/developmental outcomes. Change in the frequency of health outcome trends, epidemiological evidence of an association between the health outcome of concern and exposure to EDCs, and mechanistic evidence of receptor-mediated effects were the criteria used to evaluate the strength of the evidence. While it cannot be concluded that EDCs cause reproductive effects in the general Canadian population, the weight of evidence provides cause for continued concern.
Transmission of a bacterial consortium in Eisenia fetida egg capsules.

Summary The earthwormEisenia fetidaharboursVerminephrobacter eiseniaewithin their excretory nephridia. This symbiont is transferred from the parent into the egg capsules where the cells are acquired by the developing earthworm in a series of recruitment steps. Previous studies definedV. eiseniaeas the most abundant cell type in the egg capsules, leaving approximately 30% of the bacteria unidentified and of unknown origin. The study presented here used terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis together with cloning and sequencing of 16S rRNA genes to define the composition of the bacterial consortium inE. fetidaegg capsules from early to late development. Newly formed capsules ofE. fetidacontained three bacterial types, a novelMicrobacteriaceaemember, aFlexibacteriaceaemember and the previously describedV. eiseniae. Fluorescentin situ hybridization (FISH) using specific and general rRNA probes demonstrated that the bacteria are abundant during early development, colonize the embryo and appear in the adult nephridia. As the capsules mature, Herbaspirillumspp. become abundant although they were not detected within the adult worm. These divergent taxa could serve distinct functions in both the adult earthworm and in the egg capsule to influence the competitive ability of earthworms within the soil community.
Mutations affecting genetic recombination in bacteriophage T4D: II. Genetic properties

Abstract Experiments were performed to assess the effects of mutations in genes 46–47, 58, 59, w, x , and y on the correlation of genetic exchanges, on the production ofheterozygotes, and on the extent of high negative interference in bacteriophage T4D. Mutations in these genes of T4 which alter genetic recombination also alter the relative ratio of double to single crossover events and the frequency of heterozygotes for a point mutation in the r IIA cistron. In contrast, the frequency of heterozygotes for a small deletion in the r IIA cistron is essentially constant in wild-type and mutant infections. The reduction in the index of interference caused by substituting a deletion for a point mutation as the central marker in a three-factor cross is eliminated in 46 − –47 − , 59 − , w − , and y − infections.
Adaptive optical system for improved activation of PDT photosensitizers

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a very exciting treatment modality that offers the possibility of a highly targeted treatment for cancer and other diseases. A major issue in the use of PDT is the inability to deliver the required dose of light to deep areas of the tumor. The turbid nature of tissue causes the light to be highly scattered before reaching the base of the tumor. In this paper, we first present the basics of PDT for an interdisciplinary audience only vaguely familiar with PDT. We will then examine the use of a complex adaptive system to increase the penetration depth and control of light in the tissue. By using a feedback mechanism, the light path can be adjusted to yield superior illumination within the tissue.
A Comparison of Attitudes Towards Typical Recreational Activities versus the Special Olympics

This study compared the attitudes of college students towards a woman with disabilities participating in either the Special Olympics or typical recreational activities.
The effects of heterogeneity on asynchronous panmictic genetic search

Research scientists increasingly turn to large-scale heterogeneous environments such as computational grids and the Internet based facilities to satisfy their rapidly growing computational needs. The increasing complexity of the scientific models and rapid collection of new data are drastically outpacing the advances in processor speed while the cost of supercomputing environments remains relatively high. However, the heterogeneity and unreliability of these environments, especially the Internet, make scalable and fault tolerant search methods indispensable to effective scientific model verification. An effective search method for these types of environments is asynchronous genetic search, where a population continuously evolves based on asynchronously generated and received results. However, it is unclear what effect heterogeneity has on this type of search. For example, results received from slower workers may turn out to be obsolete or less beneficial than results calculated by faster workers. This paper examines the effect of heterogeneity on asynchronous panmictic (single population) genetic search for two different scientific applications, one used by astronomers to model the Milky Way galaxy and another by particle physicists to determine the existence of theory predicted, yet unobserved particles such as missing baryons. Results show that for both applications results received from slower workers while overall less beneficial are still useful. Additionally, a modification of asynchronous genetic search shows that different parameter generation strategies change their effectiveness over the course of the search.
Threshold and asymptotic behavior of the N D equations

Abstract Two important problems involved in obtaining solutions of partial wave dispersion relations (by the N D method) are having (i) the correct threshold behavior, and (ii) an acceptable high energy behavior. Various physical and numerical approximations have been made to insure (i) and (ii). We numerically investigate the sensitivity of the solutions of the N D equations to these approximations. For this purpose, we consider J = 1 π-π scattering, employing elastic unitarity and assuming that the left hand cut is dominated by the exchange of the ϱ resonance. Two significant features we find are: (a) The values of the cutoffs needed to product a resonance are quite sensitive to the input “strength” of the left hand cut, e.g., a change of the input width of the ϱ by a factor of two changed the value for a “straight cutoff” to produce a resonance at a given energy by a factor of ten. Due to the results of (a) we wish to emphasize the possible danger in employing a single cutoff in the calculations of SU 3 multiplets. (b) If one introduces a pole on the left hand cut in order to insure the threshold behavior (i), then the ranges in values for the cutoffs (to insure (ii)) for which any resonance occurs are extremely narrow. On the other hand, a solution in which the phase shift does not become large is insensitive to the position of this pole.
Clinicians' perceptions of usability of an electronic medical record over time

The study evaluated clinicians' usability perceptions of an electronic medical record (EMR) over time in a large east coast research medical center. The descriptive retrospective longitudinal design used secondary data obtained from a performance measurement plan. Electronic survey data were collected at five different points in time over four years. The anonymous responses made matching of the 1148 individuals impossible so thirty cases were defined grouping clinicians by age category, gender, and role. Each response was considered to be a repetition of measurement of the case. The research questions explored the overall patterns of change in usability related to an EMR implementation, the short term and long term change in usability, and if the patterns of usability were influenced by frequency of use, gender, age, length of service (LOS), or role. The short term impact included evaluations at baseline, four months, and 16 months after the implementation of an EMR. The long term impact included evaluations before, four months, and 16 months following a system upgrade. Linear mixed model analysis was used to examine patterns of change over time including the contribution of frequency of use and user characteristics on the outcome variables. Each variable had curvilinear and linear patterns following the initial EMR implementation but not after the system upgrade. Usefulness, ease of use, supports clinical care, and supports research had significant linear and/or quadratic changes over the short term but no significant changes in long term except for ease of use. Frequency of use was a significant predictor for usefulness and supports clinical care but not for ease of use. Age, LOS, and role contributed significantly to usefulness, ease of use and supports clinical care but gender did not. Role and LOS combined were significant predictors for usefulness, supports clinical care, and ease of use over the short term. The findings indicate significant short term changes related to the initial EMR implementation but not the upgrade. This had implications for system development related to education, clinical practice and research.
A numerical procedure for independent check of finite element solutions

Abstract This paper deals with the following problems: Given a matrix-displacement solution of a structural system 1. (1) how can the analysis be tested for its correctness; 2. (2) how can the total error of the finite element solution be estimated and 3. (3) its convergence accelerated? The proposed technique is essentially a finite-difference-based variational approach which utilizes displacements (computed by an F.E. approach) in higher-order finite difference expressions for the total potentials pertinent to individual nodal subdomains. Numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique. Although these sample problems are limited to static, linear-elastic, small-deflection structural theories, the present method has much broader applicability [1].
Effect of Superplasticizers on the Workability of Concrete as Evident from Apparent Viscosity, Yield Stress and Zeta-Potential

Modem concrete technology projections indicate a great expansion in low-cost and time efficient construction. Mixture designers will likely be more concerned with the developments in concrete making materials. Among those is the effective use of chemical admixtures and superplasticizers which will lower the water to cement ratio but will still give a dense workable concrete. An investigation of the workability of fresh concrete and the effect of superplasticizers should, therefore, constitute an essential part of modem concrete durability studies. In this paper we report part of the work on rheological properties of fresh concrete. Various concrete samples covering a range of compositions that are commonly used for highway pavements are prepared. The proportioning parameters are: cement content, aggregate size, gradation and sphericity-roundness, and water and superplasticizer contents. The individual solid ingredients were characterized and the fresh concrete properties were assessed by the slump, two-point workability (Tattersall's) apparatus, air pressure and unit weight methods. The effects of superplasticizer on the apparent viscosity and yield stress of concrete are discussed and the relevance of the findings for field applications (handling of fresh concrete) are discussed. Also discussed are the implications for microstructural development.
On the recursive sequence

We investigate the global stability, and the periodicity of the recursive sequence where the parameters α,β and A and the initial condition x-1 and Xo are non negative real numbers.
Prevalence and Correlates of ADHD Symptoms in the National Health Interview Survey

Objective: Study the prevalence and correlates of ADHD symptoms in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Methods: NHIS includes 10,367 children ages 4 to 17. Parents report lifetime diagnosis of ADHD and complete the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Prevalences of clinically significant ADHD and comorbid symptoms by race and ethnicity, gender, and age are presented. Results: Prevalence of clinically significant SDQ ADHD symptoms is 4.19% (males) and 1.77% (females). Male prevalence by race is 3.06% for Hispanics, 4.33% for Whites, and 5.65% for Blacks. Significant differences in prevalence occur across gender (p < .01) and among males across race (p < .01), age (p < .01), and income (p < .02). In the full sample, 6.80% of males and 2.50% of females have a parent-reported lifetime ADHD diagnosis but are negative for SDQ ADHD. Likewise, 1.59% of males and 0.81% of females are positive for SDQ ADHD but negative for parent report of ADHD diagnosis. SDQ ADHD positive children have substan...
Absorption Edge of Impure Gallium Arsenide

The exponential absorption edge of GaAs may be interpreted as reflecting the presence of tails of states extending both intrinsic bands into the energy gap. The distribution of these tail states seems exponential, varying with energy as $\mathrm{exp}(\frac{E}{{E}_{0}})$ where ${E}_{0}$ increases with doping. ${E}_{0}$ starts rising rapidly with doping at lower concentrations in $n$-type material than in $p$-type GaAs. The temperature dependence of the absorption edge is larger than that of the energy gap; this can be attributed to a strongly temperature-dependent shift of the Fermi level in agreement with the model of tailing of states.
Macromolecular binding of aldosterone in the toad bladder

Abstract Protein-bound aldosterone has been extracted by sonication of nuclei from the mucosal cells of toad bladder. After incubation of hemibladders in 10 and 100 nM (+)-[ 3 H]aldosterone, 1.5·10 −14 and 7.7·10 −14 moles bound aldosterone per 100 μg DNA can be extracted, respectively. Most of the bound aldosterone dissociates rapidly, and 4 h after isolation only a stable component of 20% remains. Dissociation is accelerated at room temperature. The stability of the complex is unaffected by dithiothreitol but enhanced by 25% glycerol. An excess of deoxycorticosterone, hydrocortisone, spirolactone (SC 14266) and unlabeled aldosterone, when added to the incubation medium, displace bound aldosterone while testosterone has no effect on binding by purified nuclei. This suggests mineralocorticoid specificity for the binding protein. [ 3 H]Hydrocortisone (100 nM), a less active mineralocorticoid than aldosterone, binds primarily to the nonspecific, nondissociable binding sites at this concentration. One high-molecular-weight component and one component of molecular weight of approx. 100 000 were demonstrated by agarose column chromatography. Both components are stable and unaffected by deoxycorticosterone. The mineralocorticoid-specific complex can be equated with the rapidly dissociable fraction. When nuclei are sonicated and (+)-[ 3 H]aldosterone is then added a nonsaturable nonspecific binding occurs which is increased with time and unaffected by temperature. Thus three aldosterone binding complexes have been isolated from toad-bladder mucosal-cell nuclei one of which is rapidly dissociable and mineralocorticoid specific.
Progressive indexing, retrieval, and transmission of wavelet-compressed image database

A complete wavelet-based image storage and indexing system for progressive coding, indexing, retrieval, and transmission of images over the network is proposed in this research. New wavelet domain features which include subband significance, decomposition structure, luminance and chrominance histograms, and the significance map of the lowest frequency channel are used to achieve content-based indexing and retrieval. The proposed indexing features take into account of the color, brightness, texture, frequency, and spatial information of a given query image. All features can be naturally extracted as a byproduct during the image compression stage with wavelets. Since coding and indexing are integrated in an unified framework in the proposed system, the database management is greatly simplified. Extensive experimental results are given to demonstrate the retrieval performance of the new approach.
Transgenic Murine Dopaminergic Neurons Expressing Human Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase Exhibit Increased Density in Culture, but No Resistance to Methylphenylpyridinium‐Induced Degeneration

Primary dopaminergic neuronal cultures with increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were established for studying the role of superoxide anion (O 2 - ) in 1 -methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP + )-induced degeneration of dopamine (DA) neurons. Mean SOD activity in cultures prepared from transgenic (human) Cu/Zn SOD (hSOD1) mice was 2.46-2.60 times greater than in cultures prepared from nontransgenic control mice. After 1 and 2 weeks in culture, the mean density of DA neurons [number of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-ir) cells per visual field] was significantly higher in cultures prepared from transgenic mice compared with those prepared from nontransgenic control mice (4.55-5.63 TH-ir neurons per field in hSOD1 cultures vs. 2.66-2.8 TH-ir neurons per field in control cultures). However, uptake of [ 3 H] DA relative to uptake of [ 3 H] GABA was only slightly greater in hSOD1 cultures than in normal cultures (14.1 nmol of DA/100 nmol of GABA vs. 12.1 nmol of DA/100 nmol of GABA). Resistance to MPP + toxicity was not significantly different from that in normal cultures when based on density of surviving TH-ir cell bodies (EC 50 = 0.54 μM in hSOD1 and EC 50 = 0.37 μM in normal cultures). A more sensitive measure of DA neuron integrity and function ([ 3 H] DA uptake) also failed to demonstrate increased resistance of hSOD1 cultures to the toxin (EC 50 = 73.7 nM in hSOD1 and EC 50 = 86.2 nM in controls). These results do not support the hypothesis that neurotoxicity of the active metabolite of MPTP, MPP + , is mediated by generation of O 2 - in the cytoplasm. Nevertheless, mesencephalic cultures with increased hSOD1 activity appear to survive better than normal control cultures in the oxidatively stressful environment of cell culture incubators, and such mesencephalic cells may be useful for cell grafting studies in animal models of Parkinson's disease.
Neutron transmutation of 10B doped diamond

Free standing {sup 10}B isotope doped diamond films deposited by chemical vapor deposition in a microwave chamber were irradiated to thermal neutron fluence values of 0.32 x 10{sup 19}, 0.65 x 10{sup 19}, 1.3 x 10{sup 19}, and 2.6 x 10{sup 19} n/cm{sup 2}. Cooling of the diamond films was maintained during irradiation. In a separate experiment, neutron irradiation to a total fluence of 2.4 x 10{sup 20} n/cm{sup 2} with equal fast and thermal neutrons was also performed on a diamond epilayer without cooling during irradiation. The formation of defects in the diamond films was characterized using Raman, FTIR, photoluminescence, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. It was found that defect configurations in diamond responsible for an increase in continuum background in the one-phonon region of Raman spectrum were absent in the films that have been cooled. The FTIR peak at 1530 cm{sup -1} annealed in the sample irradiated to a fluence of 2.6 x 10{sup 19} n/cm{sup 2} indicating that the sample reached a temperature of 300 C during irradiation. Absence of characteristic infrared absorption peaks that were observed only upon annealing neutron irradiated diamond is used to conclude that the temperature of the sample during neutronmore » irradiation to a fluence of 2.6 x 10{sup 19} n/cm{sup 2} was well below 650 C needed for mobility of defects and accumulation of stable unrecoverable damage. On the other hand, results from diamond epilayer subjected to equal thermal and fast neutron fluence of 2.4 x 10{sup 20} n/cm{sup 2} and without cooling showed that defects formed from displaced carbon atoms became mobile and formed complex configurations of irrecoverable damage. Electrical conductance of the unirradiated and irradiated diamond samples was measured as a function of temperature to determine the compensation of the p-type by the n-type charge carriers.« less