cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How Personality and Reward Relate to Automobile Drivers' Judgments of Affordances Using Their Own Vehicles

This article reports on a study of motor vehicle safety factors that are based in ecological theory. The authors designed their study to test factors that might influence motor vehicle drivers' judgments of passability and fit-ability affordances. The authors tested personality and behavioral reinforcement as factors that might influence automobile drivers' judgments of affordances in three tasks: driving forward through a gap, driving backward through a gap, and fitting into a parallel-parking spot. Their results suggest that personality does not relate to judgment of driving environment affordances, but institution of a behavioral reward system causes drivers to judge affordances in different ways. The authors conclude with a discussion of the implications of this research for automobile safety intervention.
Exploring and Conceptualizing International Business Ethics

Given a huge variety of international relations in the age of globalization, business ethics needs to take them seriously in a differentiated way with great sensitivity and sophisticated understanding. This essay proposes to structure the field of business ethics by distinguishing three levels of analysis and four types of international relations. It builds on Richard T. De George’s pioneering work as an early leader in the field of business ethics. It is hoped that such differentiation may help to better identify the ethical responsibilities of all actors in business and the economy. The first part explains the extended three-level conception of business ethics with four types of international relations. The second part shows De George’s contribution to substantiate this conceptual framework. And the third part discusses the significance of this framework for better ways of securing human rights in international relations.
A 16-year follow-up of a case of severe anorexia nervosa

Abstract A 16-year follow-up of a case of extreme anorexia nervosa treated exclusively by operant conditioning techniques is presented. The present status of the patient is reviewed with respect to her eating habits, weight, physical and social activity and her general adaptation to life.
Basis of income support for children: a time for change

Abstract The Family Support Act of 1988 is part of the congressional drive to mainstream AFDC mothers into the American labor force. However, the act has failed to deal with the development of capital among children who grow up in AFDC families. If lawmakers are concerned about the future generation of productive workers, it seems imperative that the basic economic needs of these children are met through adequate AFDC payments, while their parents go through basic-skills training. With this background, this article presents the diverging trends in the levels of children's benefits under AFDC and under social security and questions the basis for treating children differently, depending on the backgrounds of their parents. It advocates an alternative basis for treating children: the investment in all children.
Controlling C–O, C–C and C–H bond scission for deoxygenation, reforming, and dehydrogenation of ethanol using metal-modified molybdenum carbide surfaces

For biomass-derived oxygenate molecules to be fully utilized for chemicals and fuels, control of the bond scission sequence is necessary. Particularly, the C–O, C–H, and C–C bonds must be selectively broken to produce hydrocarbons, aldehydes, and syngas, respectively. Molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) and metal-modified Mo2C may be used to tune the selectivity towards different bond scission pathways. We have investigated how the admetal modification of Mo2C can shift the selectivity towards breaking certain bonds, using ethanol as a probe molecule. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to predict the binding energies of ethanol and reaction intermediates on the Mo2C surfaces. Ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) techniques such as temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) were used to verify the activity and reaction pathways on Mo2C and metal-modified Mo2C surfaces. It was seen that the bare Mo2C surface was active for C–O cleavage to produce ethylene. Surface modification with Ni resulted in the preferential C–C bond scission to form syngas, while modification by Cu led to the C–H scission to produce acetaldehyde.
The formamidopyrimidines: purine lesions formed in competition with 8-oxopurines from oxidative stress.

DNA is constantly exposed to agents that induce structural damage, from sources both internal and external to an organism. Endogenous species, such as oxidizing chemicals, and exogenous agents, suc...
Analytical chemistry of α-benzoinoxime complexes of molybdenum, tungsten and vanadium

MolybdenumVI is precipitated by α-benzoinoxime as MoO2(C14H12O2N)2 from acid solutions from pH 2 to 5 % by volume sulphuric acid. The procedure of Knowles for molybdenum in steel is modified to yield precipitates which can be weighed without ignition to the oxide. In extraction of this molybdenum complex into chloroform the interference of tungsten and vanadium is eliminated by adding dihydrogen phosphate ion and ferrous ion. TungstenVI forms WO2(C14H12O2N)2 on addition of α-benzoinoxime to tungstate solutions freshly acidified with sulphuric acid. Precipitation of tungsten as this complex is not complete even in the presence of fluoride or phosphate ions. Extraction of the tungsten complex into chloroform is not feasible because of its limited solubility. VanadiumV with α-benzoinoxime forms a yellow precipitate at pH 3, and on long standing at pH 1.5 a white precipitate. The yellow precipitate changes to the white precipitate with time. The white precipitate has the composition VO2(C14H12O2N) but is always contaminated with excess reagent. Using the α-benzoinoxime complex, vanadiumV can be extracted at pH 2.2 into chloroform and converted into the 8-quinolinol complex for measurement. Bismuth, antimonyIII and uranyl ions interfere slightly. ChromiumVI in acid solution oxidises α-benzoinoxime so rapidly that studies were not possible.
Sensing qualitative events to control manipulation

Dexterous robotic hands have numerous sensors distributed over a flexible high-degree-of- freedom framework. Control of these hands often relies on a detailed task description that is either specified a priori or computed on-line from sensory feedback. Such controllers are complex and may use unnecessary precision. In contrast, one can incorporate plan cues that provide a contextual backdrop in order to simplify the control task. To demonstrate, a Utah/MIT dexterous hand mounted on a Puma 760 arm flips a plastic egg, using the finger tendon tensions as the sole control signal. The completion of each subtask, such as picking up the spatula, finding the pan, and sliding the spatula under the egg, is detected by sensing tension states. The strategy depends on the task context but does not require precise positioning knowledge. We term this qualitative manipulation to draw a parallel with qualitative vision strategies. The approach is to design closed-loop programs that detect significant events to control manipulation but ignore inessential details. The strategy is generalized by analyzing the robot state dynamics during teleoperated hand actions to reveal the essential features that control each action.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Comment on "Metallization of fluid nitrogen and the Mott transition in highly compressed low-Z fluids".

A Comment on the Letter by R. Chau et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 245501 (2003). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.
Structural aspects of the ferroelectric phase transition in lanthanum-substituted lead titanate

The structural characteristics and ferroelectric phase transition behaviour of chemically derived lanthanum-substituted lead titanate powders have been investigated by high-temperature X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Using X-ray line profile analyses and precise lattice parameter determinations, the important influence of strain coupling through lanthanum/vacancy-induced defect fields on the first-order character of the ferroelectric phase transition was demonstrated. The relaxation of the lattice to the defects as observed in the X-ray measurements was correlated with the onset of diffuse phase transition behaviour revealed by the calorimetry experiments. The lattice relaxation mechanism was connected with the appearance of mesoscopic modulations of the ferroelectric domain structure, and with anomalies in the dielectric behaviour near the transition.
High‐Precision Equation‐of‐State Formalisms for Solar and Stellar Modeling

For solar and stellar modeling, a high-quality equation of state is crucial. In addition, however, helioseismic and asteroseismic observations put constraints on the physical formalisms. Thus they effectively turn the Sun and the stars into laboratories for dense plasmas. Currently, the main astrophysical beneficiary of a good equation of state is the seismic determination of the chemical composition of the interior of the Sun and stars (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Evaluation of IgM, IgG, IgA, IgD, and IgE secretion by human peripheral blood lymphocytes in cultures stimulated with pokeweed mitogen and Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I.

Abstract Sheep erythrocytes coated with staphylococcal protein A were used as target cells in a reverse hemolytic plaque assay. Monospecific antisera to human immunoglobulins G, M, A, D, and E were used to detect each of these classes in cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with the polyclonal B-cell activators pokeweed mitogen and Staphylococcus aureus (Cowan I). Both mitogens induced substantial increases in the numbers of cells actively secreting immunoglobulins; in time-course experiments, the peak response was seen on Day 5. The numbers of cell secreting IgM, IgE, and IgD were usually higher in cultures stimulated with S. aureus than with pokeweed mitogen.
Affinity Methods for Purification of DNA Sequencing Reaction Products for Mass Spectrometric Analysis

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry has the potential to replace gel electrophoresis for rapid and accurate analysis of DNA sequencing mixtures. However, impurities in the Sanger sequencing reaction solutions can complicate and degrade the mass spectrometric performance. Therefore, a fast purification procedure is necessary for mass spectrometric analysis. Two affinity methods were tested for the capture of the target fragments: a probe strand, complementary to the primer used to initiate synthesis of the Sanger fragments, is immobilized to a solid support either before or after hybridization so that the impurities are readily separated by filtering and washing the support material. The approaches were tested using mock sequencing mixtures assembled from synthetic DNA strands, to which representative impurities could be added. The results showed that the latter method has better overall yield. The recovered fragments were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization.
Selective retention of oestradiol by cell nuclei in specific brain regions of the ovariectomized rat.

—Cell nuclei were isolated from four regions of the brains of ovariectomized female rats 2 hr after the injection of [3H]oestradiol. By light microscopy, the nuclear pellets contained highly purified nuclei of neuronal and glial cells with little cytoplasmic contamination. Tritium was concentrated in cell nuclei from the preoptic-hypothalamic area, to a lesser extent in nuclei from the amygdaloid region and hippocampus, and least of all in cerebral cortical nuclei. In comparison with whole homogenates (= 1-0), the nuclear concentrations of radioactivity were 12·9, 4·7, 1·9 and 0·8, respectively. Approximately 40 per cent of the radioactivity in homogenates of the preoptic-hypothalamic area was present in cell nuclei, and upon TLC more than 85 per cent of the radioactive material in the nuclei exhibited the RF of oestradiol-17β. Pretreatment of ovariectomized females with 1 mg of unlabelled oestradiol 30 min before the injection of labelled hormone abolished the nuclear uptake of [3H]oestradiol in all four regions of the brain. A concurrent injection of 10 μg of unlabelled oestradiol-17β significantly reduced nuclear uptake, while a similar injection of testosterone or oestradiol-17α had no significant effect. One mg of oestradiol-17α, but not testosterone, did reduce nuclear uptake. The retention of [3H]oestradiol by the preoptic-hypothalamic area decreased exponentially in the tissue from 30 min to 4 h after an intraperitoneal injection; however, nuclear binding reached a peak at 1-2 h and still showed high retention at 4 h. These results, together with observations in other laboratories of morphological changes induced by oestrogens, establish that certain regions of the brain are bona fide targets for the action of oestradiol.
Pioglitazone and metformin for increased small low-density lipoprotein in polycystic ovary syndrome : Counterpoint

t o p t w t izzo and colleagues, in this issue of the Journal, reemphasize that small low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles re part of an atherogenic dyslipidemia in women with polyystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). They suggest because women ith PCOS cluster cardiovascular risk factors, consideration hould be given to using insulin-sensitizing agent combinaions. They point out that diet and exercise often fail for obese omen. To prevent vascular consequences LDL particles hould be normalized. The authors are to be congratulated for bringing this issue to ttention. We are facing an epidemic of obesity in most indusrialized countries. Women with PCOS are likely to develop a etabolic syndrome (MBS) with atherogenic dyslipidemia. ost believe origins in utero and genetic endowment and xcessive caloric intake lead to childhood obesity. Gynecoloists often see patients for menstrual dysfunction, hyperandroenism, and/or infertility. We are in an ideal position to diagose these problems and to help in prevention. Atherogenic dyslipidemia is a summary statement for low igh-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (less than 50 g/dL in women), high fasting triglycerides (greater than 150 g/dL), and LDL cholesterol levels often not markedly abnoral. Excess LDL particles arise from impaired triglyceride meabolism often associated with insulin resistance. Pattern B or mall LDL particle increase can happen with normal LDL levls. Mechanistically, this pattern confers atherogenic activity n conjunction with a host of risk factors including hypertenion, inactivity, smoking, altered carbohydrate metabolism, entral obesity, etc. We agree that this problem needs diagnosis and prevention. any issues need to be worked out, however, before we can uggest with confidence the best steps for treatment. Ideally ur interventions are based on solid evidence-based recomendations most often driven by large quality, randomized, linical trials with hard endpoints (like cardiovascular disease eath or stroke). This entire area is hampered by a paucity of linical trial outcome data for optimum medications for lipid ontrol for women in general, let alone for young women who ave an atherogenic lipid profile. They may or may not have
Identification of carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons through computer programming.

A computer program has been developed for rapid screening and identification of carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The program utilizes the ultraviolet absorption spectra for these hydrocarbons. It uses three classification schemes based on tolerance limits of 1, 2, and 5 nanometers and lists ten possibilities at each tolerance level in the decreasing order of probability. The number of probabilities at each tolerance level provides a measure for identification of hydrocarbons. The shifts in the absorption peaks due to the solvent, and the usefulness of the program and its application are discussed.
A Knowledge Management Based Approach to Quality Management for Large Manufacturing Organizations

Abstract:This research article provides valuable insights for practicing engineering managers on improving a firm's performance by applying a knowledge management (KM) based approach to quality management (QM). Traditional quality management systems do not provide sufficient knowledge management and knowledge creation opportunities for manufacturing firms to stay competitive in today's fast paced, unpredictable, complex, and rapidly changing global business environment. The world's body of knowledge does not include a quality management strategy where KM is integrated in QM, and where the effectiveness of such a KM/QM strategy is determined through quantitative empirical research over a defined time frame, thus omitting important performance improvement opportunities for manufacturing firms. The objective in addressing this research topic is to present a KM/QM strategy and to demonstrate its effectiveness. Engineering management areas, such as knowledge management and quality management, are leveraged thr...
The Stroop effect: its relation to personality

Abstract The Stroop Color-Word Procedure was administered on three separate occasions to a sample of 14-year-olds (52 females, 51 males). The several Stroop performances proved psychometrically to be highly reliable and, for reliability enhancement, were aggregated. A Resistance to Interference (RI) score, refined to control for verbal ability, was generated. Stroop RI was then related to independently evaluated personality characteristics, for the sexes separately. For girls, RI signified a well-functioning, psychologically complex, confident, and interpersonally satisfied individual, and, separately, was independently related to the theory-based construct of Ego-resiliency. In boys, RI signified a containment of impulses, submissiveness, and conservativeness, an anxious sense of vulnerability, and, separately, was related to the theory-based construct of Ego Over-control. The findings are briefly discussed.
A new mobilizable cosmid vector for use in Vibrio cholerae and other gram - bacteria ☆

A new mobilizable cosmid vector, pCOS5, was engineered for use in Vibrio cholerae (Vc). Plasmid pCOS5 is small in size (7286 bp), contains the oriT from plasmid RK2, and has several unique restriction sites. The complete nucleotide sequence of pCOS5 was deduced from the DNA fragments used in its construction. Biparental matings using Escherichia coli (Ec) SM10 and triparental matings using Ec DH5α[pRK2013] were used to measure the conjugation frequency of pCOS5 and pAJM1, a clone containing a 40-kb insert of chromosomal DNA from Vc ligated into pCOS5. Transfer of pCOS5 or pAJM1 to Vc occurred at a frequency of between 10−2–10−3 transconjugants per recipient cell. The promiscuous nature of RP4/RK2 transfer functions makes pCOS5 a potentially useful vector for mobilizing large fragments of cloned DNA between different Gram− bacteria that support replication of ColE1 plasmids or as a mobilizable suicide vector in Gram− bacteria where replication of ColE1 plasmids is not supported.
Integrating a software architecture-centric method into object-oriented analysis and design

The choice of methodology for the development of the architecture for software systems has a direct effect on the suitability of that architecture. If the development process is driven by the user's functional requirements, we would expect the architecture to appropriately reflect those requirements. We would also expect other aspects not captured in the functional specification to be absent from the architecture. The same phenomenon is true in development approaches that stress the importance of systemic quality attributes or other non-functional requirements; those requirements are prominent in the resulting architecture, while other requirement types not stressed by the approach are absent. In other words, the final architecture reflects the focus of the development approach. An ideal approach, therefore, is one that incorporates all goals, expectations, and requirements: both business and technical. To accomplish this we have incorporated, into a single architectural development process, generalized Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD) methodologies with the software architecture-centric method, the Quality Attribute Workshop (QAW) and Attribute Driven Design (ADD). OOAD, while relatively intuitive, focuses heavily on functional requirements and has the benefit of semantic closeness to the problem domain making it an intuitive process with comprehendible results. Architecture-centric approaches, on the other hand, provide explicit and methodical guidance to an architect in creating systems with desirable qualities and goals. They provide minimal guidance in determining fine-grained architecture, however. The integrated approach described in this paper maximizes the benefits of the respective processes while eliminating their flaws and was applied in a eight university, global development research project with great success. A case study from that experiment is included here to demonstrate the method.
Salmonella survival and differential expression of fatty acid biosynthesis-associated genes in a low-water-activity food

UNLABELLED The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in expression of fatty acid biosynthesis genes and survival of different serotypes of Salmonella when incubated in a low-water-activity (aw ) food over a 14-day period. Stationary cells of five strains of Salmonella enterica belonging to 3 different serovars (Typhimurium ATCC 2486, Enteritidis H4267, Tennessee ARI-33, Tennessee S13952 and Tennessee K4643) were inoculated into granular sugar (aW = 0·50) and held aerobically over a 14-day period at 25°C. Survival was determined by enumerating colonies on TSA and XLT-4 plates at 0, 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days. Correspondingly, gene expression was evaluated for three selected genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis and modification (fabA, fabD and cfa). After 14 days of incubation, the population was reduced from 2·29 to 3·36 log for all five strains. Salmonella Tennessee ARI-33 and Salm. Tennessee K4643 displayed greater survival than Salm. Typhimurium and Salm. Enteritidis. The increased expression of the cfa gene (involved in cyclopropane fatty acid biosynthesis) over 14 days was found associated with strains with a lower survival rate. The fabA gene (involved in unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis) was observed up-regulated for all strains for at least one sampling time and for Salm. Tennessee ARI-33 for all time points tested, suggesting its potential role in enhancing Salmonella survival in low aw foods. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY Numerous outbreaks of salmonellosis associated with low-water-activity foods have been reported. Therefore, the adaptive mechanisms utilized by Salmonella to survive in low-water-activity foods for prolonged periods of time need to be better understood. The results in this study showed that low-water-activity environments increase expression of gene fabA, which is involved in unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis of Salmonella, while the increased expression of cfa, associated with cyclopropane fatty acid synthesis, was associated with decreased survival over 14 days.
Prenatal weight gain and postpartum weight loss patterns in adolescents

The standard weight gain curve for pregnant females is used for all ages but its suitability for pregnant adolescents has not been satisfactorily examined. The purpose of this project was to compare prenatal weight gain patterns of 80 adolescents (13–17 yr old) with those of the standard curve. Girls who were chronologically and physiologically younger tended to gain less weight prenatally then older girls. Girls who were underweight prior to pregnancy gained more weight prenatally than other girls. Term weight gain averaged 37 lb. Increase in height was not recorded during the course of the investigation. The development of standard curves for adolescents must be based on a larger study population, but the curves presented here are an important initial step toward achieving this goal.
Dairy and Vegetable Protein Blends by Co‐Extraction and Co‐Ultrafiltration

A process was developed for the manufacture of blends of dairy and vegetable proteins by co-extraction and co-ultrafiltration. Defatted soy flour proteins were extracted using either acid or sweet whey as the solvent. The whey/soy slurry was separated in a two stage extraction process using a centrifugal desludger. The proportion of whey protein in the blend was determined by the number of extractions and the total amount of whey used. The combined extracts were processed by ultrafiltration to increase the protein content of the blends. Solubility characteristics of the blends indicate potentially good functional properties.
MMP9 potentiates pulmonary metastasis formation

Tumor cell dissemination to distant organ sites is a complex process involving multiple cell types, soluble growth factors, adhesion receptors, and tissue remodeling. A new study in this issue of Cancer Cell shows that MMP9-expressing tumor-associated macrophages play a key role in prepping premetastatic sites for eventual malignant cell growth in a manner dependent upon vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1).
The role of non-thermal transient plasma for enhanced flame ignition in C2H4–air

Transient plasma ignition, involving short ignition pulses (typically 10–50 ns), has been shown to effectively reduce ignition delays and improve engine performance for a wide range of combustion-driven engines relative to conventional spark ignition. This methodology is therefore potentially useful for many engine applications; however, at present there is limited understanding of the underlying physics. Evidence is presented here for two distinct phases of the plasma-ignition process: an initial non-equilibrium plasma phase, wherein energetic electrons transfer energy into electronically excited species that accelerate reaction rates, and a spatially distributed thermal phase, that produces exothermic fuel oxidation reactions that result in ignition. It is shown that ignition kernels are formed at the ends of the spatially separated streamer channels, at the cathode and/or anode depending on the local electric field strength, and that the temperature in the streamer channel is close to room temperature up to 100 ns after the discharge.
THE INFLUENCE OF WORK VALUES ON TEACHER SELECTION DECISIONS: THE EFFECTS OF PRINCIPAL VALUES, TEACHER VALUES, AND PRINCIPAL–TEACHER VALUE INTERACTIONS

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of work values on teacher selection decisions. The comparative emphasis scale served to measure the dominant work values of school principals (N=115). A between-within factorial design and stepwise multiple regression were used to regress principal rating of a teacher candidate (dependent variable) on principal and teacher dominant work values and on principal–teacher work value interactions. A linear combination composed of four work value interactions and the teacher work value achievement accounted for a significant amount of variance in principal ratings of teachers. These results suggest that principal work values influence teacher selection decisions.
Parallel induction and synthesis of PDC and ADH in anoxic maize roots

The activity of pyruvate decarboxylase, PDC (EC 4.1.1.17), in the primary roots of maize seedlings exposed to anoxic conditions was examined: such treatment resulted in a time-dependent increase of enzymatic activity. We identified the polypeptide associated with PDC activity by two dimensional gel electrophoresis of electrophoretic mobility variants. The incorporation of radioactive amino acids into this polypeptide under anoxic conditions indicated that the increase in enzymatic activity was accompanied by the de novo synthesis of the PDC polypeptide and therefore identified PDC as one of the anaerobic proteins of maize. The increase in PDC activity paralleled that of alcohol dehydrogenase, ADH. Since PDC and ADH catalyze sequential reactions of the Embden-Meyerhoff pathway, our results define a system of apparent coordinate regulation of the expression of two metabolically related enzymatic activities in maize.
Validating the use of 137Cs measurements to estimate rates of soil redistribution by wind

Abstract Wind erosion has degraded over one-half billion hectares of land worldwide. 137 Cesium ( 137 Cs) has been used as a tracer to study long-term rates of soil redistribution by water and, to a lesser extent, by wind. Early studies assumed that the decline in 137 Cs activity for a potentially eroded soil relative to that for an uneroded soil was linearly proportional to soil loss. More recently, models have emerged that consider the effects of soil cultivation and the particle surface area-dependent partitioning of 137 Cs on soils. We investigated the partitioning of 137 Cs in wind-eroded sediments and with soil surface samples sieved into contiguous ranges of particle sizes. We also compared the 137 Cs activities and stratification of several adjacent soils with known wind erosion and deposition histories. Finally, we tested 137 Cs-based soil loss models with measured data from sites with documented histories. 137 Cs activities and mean particle diameters of aeolian samples agreed well with the 137 Cs activities and respective mean diameters of the sieved surface soil samples. Good agreement between model estimations and measured data indicated that 137 Cs models developed to estimate soil redistribution by water were also applicable to soil redistribution by wind provided that the models contained an appropriate particle size correction parameter.
Survey of antibiotic susceptibility among gram-negative bacilli at a cancer hospital

A survey was conducted of the susceptibility of gram-negative bacilli to selected broad-spectrum antibiotics. The organisms were isolated from all patient specimens submitted to the routine microbiology laboratory during two three-month periods. Overall, the least resistance was observed against imipenem and ciprofloxacin. Considering all of the gram-negative bacilli, differences in susceptibilities to the other antibiotics (aztreonam, cefoperazone, ceftazidime, piperacillin) were minimal. Significant increases in resistance to some antibiotics occurred during the latter period.
IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA AND ABNORMAL URINARY CATECHOLAMINE EXCRETION

Iron deficiency in infants and children is often accompanied by anorexia, irritability, inattentiveness, and poor school performance. Chronic iron deficiency in rats results in decreased monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity both in vitro and in vivo. Since MAO is an important enzyme in inactivation of catecholamines, evidence for defective catecholamine degradation secondary to MAO inhibition was looked for in 11 children with iron deficiency anemia. Urinary excretion of Dopamine (DA), Norepinephrine (NE), Epinephrine (E), Metanephrine-normetanephrine (MN-NMN) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy mandelic acid (VMA) was measured in 24-hour samples before and after treatment with intramuscular iron. Pretreatment NE excretion was abnormally high. NE excretion decreased significantly (p < .001) and returned to normal within one week of therapy, well before hemoglobin levels had increased substantially. VMA excretion was also higher pre than post-treatment (p < .05). There was no difference between pre and post-treatment levels of DA, E, and MN-NMN. These variations in catecholamine pathways may be responsible for the behavioral changes observed in iron deficiency and provide the first biochemical link between iron deficiency and its multiple symptoms.
The inadvertent use of prior knowledge in a generative cognitive task.

In four experiments with 332 participants, participants were asked to generate novel nonwords for English categories. When participants were shown examples embedded with regular orthographic structures, participants’ nonwords tended to conform orthographically to the examples, despite instructions to avoid using features of the examples. The effect was found with immediate testing (Experiment 1) and delayed testing (Experiment 2). The effect was also found with arbitrary features (Experiments 1–4), as well as with naturally occurring orthographic regularities (Experiment 4). Participants had difficulty avoiding the use of this prior knowledge, despite being able to list the features they were asked to avoid (Experiment 3). The results are discussed in terms of the inadvertent use of prior knowledge in generative cognitive tasks.
Numerical simulations of glacial-valley longitudinal profile evolution: Comment and Reply

Numerical simulations are useful where field evidence is impossible, as in astronomy. In geomorphology numerical simulations are also used, but a model's assumptions can be verified with field evidence. [MacGregor et al. (2000)][1] present six assumptions that follow [Davis' (1906) glacial-landscape
Stimulated graciloplasty for treatment of intractable fecal incontinence: critical influence of the method of stimulation.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with end-stage fecal incontinence, in whom all standard medical and surgical treatment has failed or is not expected to be effective, can be treated by stimulated graciloplasty. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of stimulated graciloplasty by both direct nerve and intramuscular perineural stimulation techniques and to evaluate various parameters relative to outcome. METHODS: A prospective analysis of all patients who underwent this procedure was undertaken. All patients were preoperatively investigated by anal manometry, electromyography, pudendal nerve terminal motor latency assessment, endoanal ultrasound, and an enema retention test. They were further assessed with an incontinence scoring system and a Quality of Life Questionnaire. Postoperative evaluation included anorectal manometry, incontinence score registry, and a Quality of Life Questionnaire. In our initial experience the stimulation system electrodes were fixed directly to the nerve (direct nerve stimulation graciloplasty); later in the study the stimulation system electrodes were fixed intramuscularly close to the nerve branches (intramuscular perineural stimulation graciloplasty). RESULTS: From May 1993 to February 1998, 27 patients underwent 33 gracilis transpositions for fecal incontinence, 30 of which were stimulated. Six of the patients with direct nerve stimulation graciloplasty eventually had the direct nerve stimulator removed and replaced with an intramuscular electrode stimulator. After an mean follow-up (until the time of exit from study) of 12.5 (range, 1–23) months for direct nerve stimulation graciloplasty and 21 (range, 8–27) months for intramuscular perineural stimulation graciloplasty, 13 graciloplasties (43 percent) were successful. There was no correlation between outcome of surgery and age, duration or cause of symptoms, body habitus, manometric or electromyographic parameters, prior sphincter repair, the presence of a pre-existing stoma, or any immediate postoperative complications. However, the number of patients with intramuscular perineural stimulation graciloplasty who had a successful outcome (continent, 69 percent; improved but not fully continent, 23 percent; incontinent, 8 percent) was significantly higher than patients with direct nerve stimulation graciloplasty (improved but not fully continent, 10 percent; incontinent, 90 percent). CONCLUSION: The success of stimulated graciloplasty is dependent on the method of nerve stimulation, whereas surprisingly, none of the many other factors assessed influenced outcome.
Lot Sizing in Serial Assembly Systems with Multiple Constrained Resources

We present a heuristic for lot sizing in serial assembly systems with multiple contrained resources. This procedure, the Coefficient Modification Heuristic CMH, exploits a special problem structure by solving repetitively a small linear programming restriction of the original problem. The key idea is to modify the constraint coefficients of certain variables in the LP restriction to implicitly account for the capacity consumed in setups. We compare the performance of the CMH with the commercial code, Optimization System Library OSL, on three families of test problems. The first set is a collation of small-scale random problems that are solved to optimality to provide known benchmarks. The second is a set of problems based on a real printed circuit board manufacturing situation. The third group is a set of medium-scale randomly generated problems based on the underlying structure of the printed circuit board set. Overall, the CMH found solutions that averaged 18% better than time constrained OSL runs in a small fraction of the corresponding CPU times.
Developmental programming: impact of prenatal exposure to bisphenol-A and methoxychlor on steroid feedbacks in sheep.

Abstract Bisphenol-A (BPA), a polymer used in plastics manufacturing, and methoxychlor (MXC), a pesticide, are endocrine disrupting compounds with estrogenic and anti-androgenic properties. Prenatal BPA or MXC treatment induces reproductive defects in sheep with BPA causing prepubertal luteinizing hormone (LH) hypersecretion and dampening of periovulatory LH surges and MXC lengthening follicular phase and delaying the LH surge. In this study, we addressed the underlying neuroendocrine defects by testing the following hypotheses: 1) prenatal BPA, but not MXC reduces sensitivity to estradiol and progesterone negative feedback, 2) prenatal BPA, but not MXC increases pituitary responsiveness to gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), and 3) prenatal BPA dampens LH surge response to estradiol positive feedback challenge while prenatal MXC delays the timing of the LH surge. Pregnant sheep were treated with either 1) 5 mg/kg/day BPA (produces approximately twice the level found in human circulation, n = 8), 2) 5 mg/kg/day MXC (the lowest observed effect level stated in the EPA National Toxicology Program's Report; n = 6), or 3) vehicle (cotton seed oil: C: n = 6) from days 30 to 90 of gestation. Female offspring of these ewes were ovariectomized at 21 months of age and tested for progesterone negative, estradiol negative, estradiol positive feedback sensitivities and pituitary responsiveness to GnRH. Results revealed that sensitivity to all 3 feedbacks as well as pituitary responsiveness to GnRH were not altered by either of the prenatal treatments. These findings suggest that the postpubertal reproductive defects seen in these animals may have stemmed from ovarian defects and the steroidal signals emanating from them.
Empirical directional wave spectra for computer graphics

In this paper, we describe the practical application of several empirically-based, directional ocean wave spectra for use in the Fourier synthesis of animated ocean height fields. We use the Texel MARSEN ARSLOE (TMA) empirical model for the non-directional component of the wave spectrum, and compare a selection of empirically-based directional spreading functions. Additionally, we introduce a novel, normalized parameter called "swell" which modifies the directional spreading to produce wavelength-dependent elongation of waves into parallel wave trains.This paper builds upon the spectral ocean synthesis techniques popularized for computer graphics in Jerry Tessendorf's popular SIGGRAPH Course, "Simulating Ocean Water" and the accompanying course notes. The advancement of our spectra over the spectrum described by Tessendorf is that it readily gives plausible, attractive results for a wide range of wind speeds, ocean depths, and other physical parameters, without requiring artists to manually adjust gain and filter parameters to compensate for model inaccuracies. Our "swell" parameter additionally provides an intuitive interface for smoothly varying between choppy seas due to local storms and swells from distant weather events.
Re: Clinical Predictors of Testicular Torsion in Children

Objective To distinguish the prognostic factors that decrease the probability of a negative exploration for “acute scrotum.” In some institutes, patients with “acute scrotum” undergo immediate exploration after clinical evaluation. Because testicular torsion (TT) accounts only for a fraction of these cases, most infants can be treated conservatively. Methods We performed a retrospective study of all patients treated at our institute from January 2008 to December 2009 for the diagnosis of “acute scrotum.” Differences between groups were calculated using the chi-square test or analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test for univariate or multivariate analysis, expressed as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results The data from 138 patients were analyzed. The mean age was 9 years, 8 months. Of the 138 patients, 19 (13.8%) had TT. This group was compared with the boys without TT at exploration. The patients with TT were older on average (11 years, 1 month vs 9 years, 1 month, p = .035). Pain for Conclusion TT is uncommon among the group of boys treated for “acute scrotum.” In particular, a pain duration
REMOTE SENSING FOREST BIOMASS: AN EVALUATION USING HIGH RESOLUTION REMOTE SENSOR DATA AND LOBLOLLY PINE PLOTS

Eight-year-old Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plots located in South Carolina were evaluated using high resolution aircraft multispectral scanner data to determine if biomass could be accurately measured. Sixteen pine plots located on both sandy and clay soils were treated with 0, 180, or 360 kg. (approximately 0, 400, or 800 lb.) of nitrogen per plot. Indices of biomass from remote sensing data were significantly correlated with in situ biomass measurements made in each plot. A ratio of infrared (.9–1.1 μm) and red (.65–.70 μm) channels yielded the best correlation. The indices were not sensitive to differences in soil type (sandy or clay).
The highly polymorphic region near the human insulin gene is composed of simple tandemly repeating sequences

The sequence of the highly polymorphic region near the human insulin gene, which begins 363 base pairs before the start of transcription and extends upstream, indicated that it is generated by variation in the number and arrangement of members of a family of tandemly repeating nucleotides whose structure is related to ACAGGGGTGTGGGG. Another 15-base pair sequence, repeated twice near the human gene, is located ∼325 base pairs on either side of the polymorphic region. One member is in the transcriptional control region.
Sparse Linear Operator identification without sparse regularization? Applications to mixed pixel problem in Time-of-Flight/Range imaging

In this paper, we consider the problem of Sparse Linear Operator identification which is also linked with the topic of Sparse Deconvolution. In its abstract form, the problem can be stated as follows: Given a well behaved probing function, is it possible to identify a Sparse Linear Operator from its response to the function? We present a constructive solution to this problem. Furthermore, our approach is devoid of any sparsity inducing penalty term and explores the idea of parametric modeling. Consequently, our algorithm is non-iterative by design and circumvents tuning of any regularization parameter. Our approach is computationally efficient when compared the l 0 /l 1 -norm regularized counterparts. Our work addresses a problem of industrial significance: decomposition of mixed-pixels in Time-of-Flight/Range imaging. In this case, each pixel records range measurements from multiple contributing depths and the goal is to isolate each depth. Practical experiments corroborate our theoretical set-up and establish the efficiency of our approach, that is, speed-up in processing with lesser mean squared error. We also derive Cramer-Rao Bounds for performance characterization.
Suicide in the subway: psychodynamic aspects.

: Fifty-one cases of suicide attempts in the subway have been investigated to examine the question of whether the method used has psychodynamic significance or is merely adventitious. We found that no single characteristic distinguished subway suicide from all other suicide modalities, although as a group the subway cases had a higher proportion of psychotic and previously suicidal patients than other series quoted in the literature. However, there were important differences between subway suicide cases seeking a “traumatic” death (jumping in front of a train; lying across the track awaiting destruction) and those seeking a “nontraumatic” death (electrocution on the live “third rail”). The traumatic group had histories of exposure to violence, other traumatic suicide attempts, hostile or destructive delusions, and many “destroy” words on psychological test protocols. The smaller nontraumatic group had no such history of exposure to violence; their previous suicide attempts were nontraumatic; delusions, when present, were not menacing; and the psychological tests showed more “escape” words than “destroy” words.
Cellulase Activity, Endogenous Abscisic Acid, and Ethylene in Four Citrus Cultivars during Maturation.

At maturity, the fruit of two early maturing orange cultivars, Hamlin and Pineapple (Citrus sinensis [L.] Osbeck), contained more ethylene and abscisic acid than the late maturing Valencia and Lamb Summer (C. sinensis [L.] Osbeck) cultivars. Ethylene (up to 95 nl/l in internal atmosphere) and abscisic (50 μg/kg dry weight flavedo) increased most rapidly in Pineapple, leading to increased cellulase activity and loosening of the fruit. Fruit of the two late maturing cultivars contained less than 25 nl/1 ethylene and 40 μg abscisic acid/kg dry weight of flavedo at peak maturity. Cellulase activity and loosening of the fruit of these late maturing cultivars was slight.
Effects of amino acid substitutions in the -10 binding region of sigma E from Bacillus subtilis.

The sigma subunit of bacterial RNA polymerase is required for specific binding to promoters. One region in most sigma factors makes sequence-specific contacts at the -10 region of its cognate promoters. To test the role of the amino acids in this -10 binding region, we examined the effects of 49 single-amino-acid substitutions in sigma E from Bacillus subtilis. We assayed the effect of each amino acid substitution on spore formation because sigma E is essential for endospore formation in B. subtilis. Our results showed that substitutions at several positions, including the highly conserved aromatic amino acid at position 102, had little or no detectable effect. Substitutions at another position, position 117, produced dominant negative mutations; we suggest that these mutations allow RNA polymerase containing the mutant sigma factor to bind specifically to promoters but prevent transcription initiation. Of the recessive defective alleles, those that produced substitutions at positions 113, 115, and 120 produced the most defective sigma factors. These results suggest that the residues at or near these positions in wild-type sigma E play important roles in sigma E function. Images
Phantoms for elastography

Several viscoelastic properties of gelatin materials used in sonography and elastography phantoms are reported. Also reported is a device that was designed and built to make these measurements. Measurement precision with this device is typically within 1%. Finite element analysis was used to study boundary conditions and compressor size (compared to sample size) effects on the estimated elastic modulus. Results of these measurements indicate that gelatin gels are a good choice for elastography phantoms, but that the stiffness of these materials increases with time.