cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of warning statements in e-cigarette advertisements: an experiment with young adults in the United States.

Background and aims This on-line experiment examined whether the addition of ingredient- or industry-themed warning statements in television advertisements for e-cigarettes would affect young adults’ craving for and risk perceptions of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes, as well as intent to purchase e-cigarettes. Design Advertisements for two leading e-cigarette brands were edited to contain a warning statement about product ingredients or about the tobacco industry. Participants were assigned randomly to one of eight treatments or one of two brand-specific control conditions without any warning statement. Participants Young adults (n = 900, aged 18–34 years) in a web panel were recruited from three groups: recent e-cigarette users, current smokers who used combustible cigarettes exclusively and non-users of either product. Measurements Craving and risk perceptions (addictiveness, harmful to health in general, harmful to others) were measured separately for e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes. The Juster scale measured intention to purchase e-cigarettes. Findings Exposure to both types of warnings was associated with lower craving for e-cigarettes among e-cigarette users and smokers who experienced any craving (P < 0.01) and lower intention to purchase among all participants (P < 0.001). Only exposure to ingredient-themed warnings was associated with lower craving for combustible cigarettes (P < 0.05). Participants who saw industry-themed warnings reported greater perceptions of general harm (P < 0.001), but also rated e-cigarettes as less addictive than the control conditions (P < 0.05). Conclusion The addition of ingredient- or industry-themed warning statements to e-cigarette television advertising similarly reduces craving and purchase intent for e-cigarettes, but has inconsistent effects on perceived risks.
Solid‐Phase Microextraction and its Application to Natural Products

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) is a simple, fast, and efficient sample preparation technique that eliminates the need for solvents and integrates sampling, isolation, and enrichment in one step. Fibers or capillary tubes coated with an appropriate stationary phase are key players in the process. By controlling the polarity and thickness of the coating on fibers or tubes, sampling time, and other extraction parameters, an analyst can achieve very reliable, accurate, and highly quantifiable robust results at subfemtogram level, for gaseous to macromolecular target solutes, with a shorter analysis time compared to conventional extraction methods. This solvent-free technique requires small samples, saves sample preparation time as well as solvent purchase and disposal costs. Moreover, it is environmental friendly and poses low health hazard risk to the laboratory associates. Today, SPME has been integrated to gas chromatography (GC), gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC or LC), LC–MS, or capillary electrophoresis (CE) for analysis of complex mixtures of samples that include environmental, chemical, biochemical, biological, pharmaceuticals, clinical, biomedical, natural products, food abstracts, plant extracts, and organic compounds in media containing nanoparticles. Keywords: solid-phase microextraction; SPME; sample preparation technique; natural products; solvent-free extraction
Leadership or Management: Expectations for Head of Reference Services in Academic Libraries

Abstract This paper considers leadership and management issues affecting libraries in general. Specific attention is devoted to academic libraries and their reference departments. It focuses on the dynamics of leadership and management of academic library reference services and what is expected of the reference department head of the 21st century. It explores the changing roles of reference librarians and those of their leaders or department heads. It examines the leadership skills, traits, and competencies and attributes expected of the department head of reference in the new millennium. The paper also examines the paradox of leadership and management and draws distinction between the two terms. It finally looks into whether it is appropriate to have a manager from outside the library profession to be the head of an academic library reference department.
Subjective well-being among African-Americans with spinal cord injury: an exploratory study between men and women.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify gender differences in subjective well-being among 309 African-American participants with spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: A Southeastern specialty hospital. PARTICIPANTS: There were a total of 309 participants, all of whom were African-Americans. All participants had traumatic SCI, were at least 18 years or older at the time of the study, and a minimum of one year had passed since SCI onset. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures of subjective well-being included the Life Situation Questionnaire--Revised, Purpose in Life scale, and the Older Adult Health and Mood Questionnaire. RESULTS: Multiple gender differences were observed, with women reporting higher scores on depressive symptoms and negative affect, but lower scores on purpose in life. Other significant findings were observed related to self-reported problems, with men reporting greater problems with pressure ulcers and sexual issues and women reporting greater problems in several areas related to coping and affect. The only gender difference in life satisfaction indicated greater satisfaction with sex life among women. CONCLUSION: It is clear from the findings that differences do exist among male and female African-Americans with spinal cord injuries. More research is needed to definitively outline differences. Language: en
Parallel VLSI architectures for a class of LDPC codes

This paper presents high-performance encoder and decoder architectures for a class of low density parity check (LDPC) codes. The codes considered here are based on the parallelly concatenated parity check encoder structure. A major advantage of these codes is that the generator matrix and the parity check matrix are both sparse, which leads to efficient VLSI implementations for the encoder and the decoder. Our designs use 6-bit quantization with a code rate of 8/9 and a block size of 576 bits. An evaluation of the speed and hardware complexity is given, and simulation results for the bit error rate are obtained.
Influence of flood history and hydrology on transport of organic matter in a frequently flooded river

Most studies of organic matter transport have been conducted on small headwater streams and have found that floods strongly influence downstream transport. We studied five sites on four rivers, each with different hydrographs and flood frequencies, in the Adirondack Mountains, New York, USA, during the summer and autumn of 2005. Sites on three rivers had more natural hydrographs, whereas recreational releases in the Indian River increased discharge 10-fold and to a lesser extent in the upper Hudson River below their confluence. Fine and coarse particulate organic matter (FPOM and CPOM, respectively) transport decreased from June to August at base flow in most rivers, concurrent with summer decreases in discharge; however, during releases CPOM transport increased in the Indian River and at the downstream Hudson River site below the confluence with the Indian River. Also, in the summer there was a shift from terrestrial POM in transport in June to more filamentous algae in July and August because of sloughi...
Adaptation as a Water Resource Policy Challenge —Institutions and Science

Adaptation is the pursuit of active, deliberate measures to enhance humankind’s capacity to manage water supply and attenuate demand in the face of climate uncertainty. This article contends that worsening constraints upon freshwater due to climate variability demand concerted, imaginative, science-based solutions. These solutions must join creative management to co-production of climate knowledge. Through a series of case studies, we analyze the need for adaptation approaches to prevail over climate variability, and the role of these factors to facilitate their implementation. We also examine how translation of climate knowledge is helping spur adaptation at various spatial levels. These experiences point to the challenges in adaptation, and the adversity various regions will be faced if we do not.
PREDICTIVE FEATURES OF MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY DUE TO GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL (GBS) MENINGITIS

PREDICTIVE FEATURES OF MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY DUE TO GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL (GBS) MENINGITIS
Real-time, 3-Dimensional Echocardiography Acquires All Standard 2-Dimensional Images from 2 Volume Sets: A Clinical Demonstration in 45 Patients

To test the hypothesis that real-time, 3-dimensional (3-D) echocardiography can obtain all standard 2-dimensional (2-D) views from acquisition of 2 volume sets, we scanned 45 patients (24 men, 21 women; mean age 49 +/- 17 years). This real-time 3-D device (VOLUMETRICS Medical Imaging, Durham, NC) uses a matrix phased array transducer in a 60 degree pyramidal volume. Images are displayed as 2 steerable, intersecting, conventional 2-D image sectors that can be oriented throughout 3-D space. By using this equipment, we were able to obtain 93.3% of standard views from a parasternal volume set and 85.2% of standard views from an apical volume set. The mean scanning time was 91 +/- 19 seconds for the parasternal volume set and 86 +/- 22 seconds for the apical volume set. We conclude that standard 2-D views can be obtained in the majority of patients by using this method. This equipment has the potential to substantially decrease the imaging time compared with the standard 2-D echocardiography.
Comparison of protein fractions of citrus buds during flower formation or its inhibition by gibberellin

Abstract Proteins of buds and leaves of orange trees, periodically treated with gibberellin during the flower formation period or left untreated as controls, were extracted and separated by acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Salt-extractable proteins of buds showed differences in patterns between gibberellin treated and controls both at evocation time and during floral histogenesis. In each treatment, bands absent from the other could be detected. Results are compatible with the hypothesis that protein fractions present in buds producing flowers are different from those where flower formation has been prevented by gibberellin.
The Roles of Reward, Default, and Executive Control Networks in Set-Shifting Impairments in Schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia (SZ) show deficits on tasks of rapid reinforcement learning, like probabilistic reversal learning (PRL), but the neural bases for those impairments are not known. Recent evidence of relatively intact sensitivity to negative outcomes in the ventral striatum (VS) in many SZ patients suggests that PRL deficits may be largely attributable to processes downstream from feedback processing, involving both the activation of executive control task regions and deactivation of default mode network (DMN) components. We analyzed data from 29 chronic SZ patients and 21 matched normal controls (NCs) performing a PRL task in an MRI scanner. Subjects were presented with eight pairs of fractal stimuli, for 50 trials each. For each pair, subjects learned to choose the more frequently-rewarded (better) stimulus. Each time a criterion was reached, the better stimulus became the worse one, and the worse became the better. Responses to feedback events were assessed through whole-brain and regions-of-interest (ROI) analyses in DMN. We also assessed correlations between BOLD signal contrasts and clinical measures in SZs. Relative to NCs, SZ patients showed comparable deactivation of VS in response to negative feedback, but reduced deactivation of DMN components including medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The magnitudes of patients' punishment-evoked deactivations in VS and ventromedial PFC correlated significantly with clinical ratings for avolition/anhedonia. These findings suggest that schizophrenia is associated with a reduced ability to deactivate components of default mode networks, following the presentation of informative feedback and that motivational deficits in SZ relate closely to feedback-evoked activity in reward circuit components. These results also confirm a role for ventrolateral and dorsomedial PFC in the execution of response-set shifts.
Variances and covariances of international stock returns: the international capital asset pricing model revisited

Abstract In this paper we examine a conditional version of the international capital asset pricing model allowing for a time and state varying factor of proportionality or beta. Betas are allowed to change with an unobserved state variable. Return variances differ across the different states so that betas differ on account of differences in variance regimes of the return series. This method allows us to accommodate a non-linear relation between returns and variances. For six markets, we find that the world beta is a non-linear function of domestic volatility. In the Pacific and North American markets we find strong evidence for a time and state varying beta coefficient. We find that for the European markets, with the exception of Switzerland, the world beta is not related to the state of the domestic market's volatility.
Effects of Tri-, Di- and monobutyltin on heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria from surficial estuarine sediments

Four heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria—two Bacillus spp., an unidentified gram-positive rod and a gram-negative rod tentatively identified as a Pseudomonas sp.—were isolated from surficial sediments from Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. None of the organisms produced a detectable level of NO 3 − . Nanomolar levels of tributyltin (TBT) and its degradation products dibutyltin (DBT) and monobutyltin (MBT) were examined for their effects on growth, NH 4 + - uptake and N-oxidation by the organisms. TBT inhibited growth of all four isolates. DBT inhibited growth of Bacillus sp. SC-2 and the unidentified gram-positive rod. Growth of the Pseudomonas sp. was inhibited by exposure to 100 nM MBT. NH 4 + uptake was inhibited, even by butyltin species that did not inhibit growth. Free NH2OH production and NO 2 − production were inhibited by TBT but varied from being inhibited to being stimulated with different DBT or MBT exposure regimes. Nitrite production was affected differently from free NH2OH production for Bacillus sp. SC-2 and the unidentified rod. DBT appears to be particularly toxic to NH2OH oxidation by these four organisms. At the concentration used, TBT was more toxic than DBT or MBT. The results suggest that butyltins have the potential to affect nitrification by heterotrophic bacteria in the aquatic environment at nanomolar levels and that degradation of TBT to DBT and MBT does not necessary detoxify it.
Crystal and molecular structures of trans-bis(acetonitrile)bis(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) perchlorate and trans-diamminebis(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) perchlorate

The structures of trans-[(MeCN)2(bpy)2Ru](ClO4)2(I) andtrans-[(NH3)2(bpy)2Ru](ClO4)2(II) have been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. (I) forms monoclinic crystals in the space groupP21/c witha=8.399(2),b=10.406(2),c=15.590(3) A,β=93.78(2)° andZ=2 atT=293 K. The final refinement gaveR=0.040 for 2448 reflections withF 2 >3σ(F 2 ). (II) crystallizes in the triclinic space groupP¯1 witha=1.702(1),b=8.439(2),c=10.525(2) A,α=107.56(2),β=104.63(1), γ=100.89(2)° andZ=1 atT=293 K. Refinement using 1878 reflections withF 2 >3σ(F 2 ) produced a finalR value of 0.036. Both of these structures have the ruthenium atom located on a crystallographic inversion center. The bipyridine ligands in both structures are in the bowed conformation as a means of circumventing the steric problems associated with the trans arrangement of the bipyridine ligands. The Ru-N(monodentate) distance is longer for the ammonia complex (2.106(3) A) than for the acetonitrile complex (2.008(4) A); there are no significant differences in the distances and angles of the two Ru(bpy)2 frameworks.
Implementing New Manufacturing Technology: The Related Effects of Technology Characteristics and User Learning Activities

This study of 157 users of new technologies implemented in manufacturing demonstrates complex relationships between technology characteristics, users' learning activities, and implementation outcom...
Endometrial adenocarcinoma in Stein-Leventhal syndrome.

Descriptions are given of 4 cases of sclerocystic ovaries in patients 21-34 years of age in whom the endometrium was morphologically indistinguishable from well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. In 2 cases immediate hysterectomy revealed lesions confined to the endometrium. Another patient underwent wedge resection of the ovaries with resulting resumption of menses. The 4th patient was treated by wedge resection which led to successful resumption of menses for several months but abnormal bleeding resumed and was controlled with clomiphene therapy. When abnormal bleeding again recurred the patient underwent hysterectomy (26 months after the original diagnosis) which revealed adenocarcinoma superficially invading the myometrium. As a result of this experience and an analysis of previously reported cases a conservative management approach based on clinical factors the patients desire to have children and followup endometrial biopses is suggested for patients with Stein-Leventhal syndrone. The delay in removing what may prove to be an invasive lesion has not been shown to be harmful as no cases of extrauterine metastases have been reported.
Amisulpride-induced hyperprolactinemia is reversible following discontinuation

Abstract Background Although amisulpride is considered to be a prolactin-raising atypical antipsychotic drug, a limited number of studies have documented the extent of its prolactin-elevating properties. In the present study the effect of amisulpride on plasma levels of prolactin and the reversibility of this untoward side effect were investigated. Methods 17 patients with various diagnoses received amisulpride (50–800 mg/day) or a combination of amisulpride plus other medication as needed. Plasma prolactin was determined 26.7 ± 9.4 days (range: 13–50 days) after initiation of treatment and in 3 cases after a much longer period, and 14–51 days following its withdrawal. Results All patients on amisulpride had hyperprolactinemia (mean ± S.D. prolactin levels: 62.5 ± 33.0 ng/ml) with females exhibiting considerably higher prolactin levels than males. Following amisulpride discontinuation prolactin levels were significantly (p Conclusion Amisulpride has a pronounced prolactin-elevating effect which appears to be independent of dosage and duration of administration. Hyperprolactinemia rapidly reverses following amisulpride discontinuation.
Familial and socioeconomic influences on children's well-being : An examination of preschool children in Kenya

As patterns of family formation change, it is important to know how children's lives are affected by their parents' marital and socioeconomic circumstances. Using data from the 1993 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, this study shows that children of never married and formerly married mothers have significantly higher probabilities of polio dropout and acute undernutrition than those of monogamously married mothers. The number of male household members of working age greatly enhances the chances of full immunization and the nutritional status of children whose mothers were previously married. For children of never married mothers, the benefits of residing with males of working age are largely a function of ethnicity. The results also show that, although children are not disadvantaged nutritionally when their fathers have more than one wife, polygyny is associated with a higher probability of polio dropout and lower probability of full immunization than monogamy. Higher socioeconomic status is associated with a greater probability of full immunization and a lower probability of malnutrition but socioeconomic factors do not explain the effects of mothers' marital status. The findings underscore the complex realities of family interaction and the importance of the broader social context in accounting for variations in child welfare across diverse marital situations.
Outcomes are key but not the whole story

This article draws a connection among four assessment concepts: inputs, outputs, outcomes, and expectations (service quality and satisfaction), identifying those that should be more prominent.
System calibration and part alignment for inspection of 2-D electronic circuit patterns

This paper describes a system calibration and part alignment approach for inspection of 2D electronic circuit pattems. Fast and robust techniques for measuring image features in these procedures are presented. The approach and techniques have been validated on a prototype system implementation consisting of a PC-AT, a stationary microscope with a CCD camera interfaced to a commercial frame grabber board, and a rotation platform mounted on an X-Y stage that transports the part during inspection. System calibration finds the parameters that map pixels into physical units and that map X-Y stage units into physical units. Each mapping is modeled with a 2D affine transformation obtained by least-squares fitting measured image features to physical units. System calibration also determines the axis of the rotation platform accurately and corrects for nonuniformity in pixel sensitivity. Features of a calibration part are detected with robust techniques that reduce the likelihood of spurious detection and hence relax constraints for a completely contamination-free calibration part. Subpixel measurements are conducted in edge profiles of row and column projections of image sections. Edges of opposite polarity and similar magnitude which are sufficiently close to each other are grouped into pairs and considered spurious. Feature detection is conducted at two different image regions to verify authenticity and obtain a more accurate measurement. The axis of the rotation platform is calculated by rotating CW and CCW and measuring corresponding features of the calibration part after each rotation. Measurement of rotation during this step and in the alignment procedure is obtained by mapping a quadrilateral in 2D measurement space onto a rectangle. This compensates for minor global variations in height that the part may exhibit due to placement. It also makes the alignment procedure independent of knowledge of the physical coordinates of the features that defme the vertices of the rectangle. Analytical solutions for the measurement of rotation and the axis of the rotation platform are presented.
Radiation Exposure from Diagnostic Imaging Studies Among Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a Safety-Net Health-Care System

Radiographic imaging studies are important in the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but are associated with radiation exposure. IBD patients in a safety-net health-care system may be at risk of high exposure to radiation. Our purpose was to identify associations of high-dose radiation exposure among an ethnically diverse cohort of IBD patients in a safety-net health-care system. A study was performed on patients with IBD receiving care from the Harris County Hospital District. Radiation exposure was calculated using total number of imaging studies performed between from 2000 and 2010 and estimates of radiation dose per study. Associations of high-dose radiation exposure, defined as a cumulative effective dose (CED) >50 mSv, were identified by using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The study cohort of 278 patients with IBD was ethnically diverse, with 30 % Caucasian, 44 % African–American, and 26 % Hispanic. The median CED was 10.40 mSv (SD 20.02). Annualized radiation doses were 3.45 mSv/year among patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 1.27 mSv/year among patients with ulcerative colitis, p 50 mSv. There were no differences in radiation exposure based on age, gender, or race/ethnicity. A small proportion of IBD patients in a safety-net health-care system received high doses of diagnostic radiation exposure. Use of diagnostic imaging studies that limit radiation exposure should be encouraged.
Spatial and Temporal Association of As and Fe Species on Aquatic Plant Roots

The formation of an Fe(III) precipitate (plaque) on the surface of aquatic plant roots may provide a means of attenuation and external exclusion of metals. Presently, the mechanisms of metal(loid) sequestration at the root surface are unresolved. Accordingly, we investigated the mechanisms of Fe and As attenuation and association on the roots of two common aquatic plant species, Phalaris arundinacea (reed canarygrass) and Typha latifolia (cattail) using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray fluorescence microtomography. Iron plaque of both P. arundinacea and T. latifolia consist predominantly of hydrated iron oxides (ferrihydrite) with lesser amounts of goethite and minor levels of siderite. Typha latifolia, however, differs from P. arundinacea by having a significant contribution from lepidocrocite as well as a greater proportion of crystalline minerals. Coexistence of goethite and lepidocrocite suggests the presence of chemically diverse microenvironments at the root surface. Arsenic exists as a combination of two sorbed As species, being comprised predominantly of arsenate- (approximately 82%) with lesser amounts (approximately 18%) of As(III)-iron (hydr)oxide complexes. Furthermore, both spatial and temporal correlations between As and Fe on the root surfaces were observed. While the iron (hydr)oxide deposits form a continuous surficial rind around the root, As exists in isolated regions on the exterior and interior of the root. Root surface-associated As generally corresponds to regions of enhanced Fe levels and may therefore occur as a direct consequence of Fe phase heterogeneity and preferential As sorption reactions.
Phase Transformations in Nickel-Aluminum Alloys During Ion Beam Mixing

The effect of ion beam mixing of nickel-aluminum alloys with 500 keV krypton ions has been investigated over a range of temperature, composition, ion dose, and post-irradiation thermal treatments. Samples were formed by alternate evaporation of layers of aluminum and nickel. A portion of these samples was subsequently annealed to form intermetallic compounds. Irradiations were performed at both room temperature and 80/sup 0/K using the 2MV ion accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory. Phase transformations were observed during both in situ irradiations in the High Voltage Electron Microscope (HVEM) at Argonne, and also in subsequent analysis of an array of irradiated samples. Electron diffraction indicates the presence of metastable crystalline structures not present in the conventional nickel-aluminum phase diagram. Transformations occur at doses as low as 5 x 10/sup 14/ cm/sup -2/ and continue to develop as the irradiation progresses up to 2 x 10/sup 16/ cm/sup -2/. Layer mixing is followed through Rutherford Backscattering analysis. Samples are also checked with x-rays and Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS). A thermodynamic argument is presented to explain the phase transformations in terms of movements on a free energy diagram. This analysis explains the interesting paradox concerning the radiation hardness of the NiAl phasemore » and the amorphous structure of mixed Ni-50% Al layers.« less
Solid-phase synthesis of tris-benzamides as α-helix mimetics.

Small molecules mimicking α-helices are of great interest since numerous protein−protein interactions use helical structures at the interface. With a goal of generating libraries of α-helix mimetics, an efficient solid-phase synthetic method was developed to produce tris-benzamides. The tris-benzamide scaffold was designed to place three side-chain functional groups found at the i, i + 4, and i + 7 positions of an α-helix, emulating one helical face. The synthetic strategy involves simple and iterative reactions of removal of an allyl ester, formation of an amide bond via an O → N acyl migration, and an O-alkylation. A small library of twenty tris-benzamides containing a variety of functional groups was prepared in high purity (83−99%) to demonstrate the versatility of the synthetic approach. This methodology allowed the facile and rapid construction of α-helix mimetics that would facilitate the identification of small molecules for target proteins.
Different forms of pig liver esterase.

Abstract Trimeric molecules of pig liver esterase of low, intermediate, and high isoelectric point do not give molecules with significantly different isoelectric points upon dissociation and reassociation. The heterogeneity of esterase preparations, therefore, cannot be explained by random combinations of a small number of different subunits to form trimeric molecules. There is an increase with increasing isoelectric point of activity toward ethyl thiolacetate, as well as for the reaction with methanol of the acetyl-enzyme intermediate formed from phenyl acetate. The high-isoelectric point fraction dissociates more easily into subunits. A different type of heterogeneity is responsible for nonlinear first-order kinetics in the inactivation of esterase by bis( p -nitrophenyl) phosphate monoanion. Phenol causes a timedependent decrease in the amount of the slowly reacting form, presumably by inducing a change to a different conformer. Ethyl thiolacetate protects against inactivation and causes an increase in slowly reacting enzyme. The enzyme is not inactivated by bisphenyl phosphate, but is an excellent catalyst for the hydrolysis of bisphenyl carbonate. The enzyme is resistant to complete denaturation by 8 m urea. Circular dichroism and infrared spectra indicate that the protein contains a large amount of β-sheet structure.
A semidefinite programming approach to tensegrity theory and realizability of graphs

Recently, Connelly and Sloughter [14] have introduced the notion of d-realizability of graphs and have, among other things, given a complete characterization of the class of 3-realizable graphs. However, their work has left open the question of finding an algorithm for realizing those graphs. In this paper, we resolve that question by showing that the semidefinite programming (SDP) approach of [11, 32] can be used for realizing 3-realizable graphs. Specifically, we use SDP duality theory to show that given a graph G and a set of lengths on its edges, the optimal dual multipliers of a certain SDP give rise to a proper equilibrium stress for some realization of G. Using this result and the techniques in [14, 31], we then obtain a polynomial time algorithm for (approximately) realizing 3-realizable graphs. Our results also establish a little-explored connection between SDP and tensegrity theories and allow us to derive some interesting properties of tensegrity frameworks.
Structural criteria for the rational design of selective ligands. 3. Quantitative structure-stability relationship for iron(III) complexation by tris-catecholamide siderophores.

We present an extended MM3 model for catecholamide ligands and their Fe3+ complexes and the application of this model to understand how ligand architecture effects Fe3+ binding affinity. Force fiel...
Cooperation during cultural group formation promotes trust towards members of out-groups

People often cooperate with members of their own group, and discriminate against members of other groups. Previous research establishes that cultural groups can form endogenously, and that these groups demonstrate in-group favouritism. Given the presence of cultural groups, the previous literature argues that cultural evolution selects for groups that exhibit parochial altruism. The source of initial variation in these traits, however, remains uninformed. We show here that a group's economic production environment may substantially influence parochial tendencies, with groups formed around more cooperative production (CP) displaying less parochialism than groups formed around more independent production (IP) processes. Participants randomized into CP and IP production tasks formed cultural groups, and subsequently played hidden-action trust games with in-group and out-group trustees. We found CP to be associated with significantly greater sharing and exchanging behaviours than IP. In trust games, significant parochial altruism (in-group favouritism combined with out-group discrimination) was displayed by members of IP groups. By contrast, members of CP groups did not engage in either in-group favouritism or out-group discrimination. Further, we found the absence of out-group discrimination in CP to persist even following ‘betrayal’. Finally, belief data suggest that members of CP are not more intrinsically generous than IP members, but rather more likely to believe that out-group trustees will positively reciprocate. Our results have important implications for anyone interested in building cooperative teams, and shed new light on connections between culture and cooperation.
Cortical visual impairment: etiology, associated findings, and prognosis in a tertiary care setting.

Purpose To evaluate the etiology, prognosis, and associated neurological and ophthalmologic findings of children with cortical visual impairment (CVI) at a tertiary care referral facility. Methods Records from patients visiting the Vanderbilt University Pediatric Ophthalmology Center during 2002 to 2005 were reviewed, and 98 patients were identified with an International Classification of Disease (9th ed.) coding of CVI (377.75). The charts were reviewed to assess presenting symptoms. The clinic and imaging notes were correlated with visual function (graded on a scale of I to VI). Results The most common etiologies were perinatal hypoxia (35%), prematurity (29%), hydrocephalus (19%), structural central nervous system abnormalities (11%), and seizures (10%). Many children (69%) had multiple etiologies. Associated ophthalmic abnormalities included esotropia (19%), exotropia (40%), nystagmus (21%), and optic atrophy (42%). Significant refractive error (> +3.00 D or Conclusions The major risk factors for CVI are perinatal hypoxia, premature birth, and hydrocephalus. Most patients have associated serious neurological and ophthalmologic abnormalities. While many patients have some recovery in vision acuity, most never see well. Patients with the most improvement in visual function were those having better initial acuity.
Tuning the Rate‐Dependent Stiffness of Materials by Exploiting Néel Relaxation of Magnetic Nanoparticles

The effective stiffness of materials that are impregnated with magnetic nanoparticles can be modulated by magnetic fields if the nanoparticle Neel relaxation rates are slower than the characteristic deformation rates. A numerical analysis indicates that the deflection of magnetic dipoles against the applied magnetic field on deformation of the material provides the energy absorption necessary for the enhanced stiffness observed in drop ball impact tests. The penetration depth, fraction of the impact energy that is absorbed by the rotating dipoles, and the effective increase in stiffness are shown to depend uniquely on the ratio of the characteristic magnetic energy density relative to the elastic energy density, and on the shape of the impacting object.
An X chromosome locus in Drosophila melanogaster that enhances survival of the triplo‐lethal genotype, Dp‐(Tpl)

Only a single locus (Tpl) is known in the Drosophila melanogaster genome that leads to early lethality when present as a heterozygous duplication (three doses) or deficiency (one dose). We report the recovery of third instar larvae (and of occasional adults) carrying a duplication for the triplo-lethal locus, Dp(Tpl). Karyotype analysis of the larvae showed that the individuals surviving were almost entirely 3X;2A metafemales. We examined the question of whether the entire X or a single X locus was a major factor permitting survival. X-Y translocations were used to produce females hyperploid for different portions of the X and carrying Dp(Tpl). Analysis of metaphase chromosomes by quinacrine fluorescence pattern indicates that the X chromosome region between 6D and 7DE must be present in an extra copy to enhance the survival of Tpl duplication-bearing females. Another type of experiment suggests that it is the region between 7C and 7DE which is essential.
Optimization of Holding Current in 4H-SiC Thyristors

Two designs (A and B) of 4H-SiC thyristors for pulse power applications were implemented and characterized in this work. Both designs have the same layout and epi-layer stack except for the anode layers: thyristors with design A (baseline) had a thin (~0.5 um) anode while devices with design B (optimized) consisted of a heavily doped cap layer (~0.5 um, ~1019/cc) and ~1.5 um p-type layer with lower doping (~1018/cc). All devices were fabricated in 4” 4H-SiC subSuperscript textstrates (three wafers per each design) and were fully characterized at the wafer level including measurements of forward voltage, blocking voltage, leakage current, and holding current. It was shown that the mean value of the holding current in the thyristors with thin anode was significantly higher (0.7A) than that of the thyristors with thick anode (0.1A), while other parameters had practically the same values. The open circuit voltage decay (OCVD) method was used for measurements of the minority carrier lifetime in order to correlate it with the holding current. Impact of material properties and device design parameters on the holding current is discussed as well.
Conceptual and ethical issues in therapy for the psychological problems of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals

Reviewed here are a number of conceptual and ethical issues surrounding the study and treatment of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals (GLB), with particular emphasis on the frequently overlooked political and ethical dimensions of what therapists choose to treat, indeed, on the goals patients themselves want to work towards. Several issues are discussed, including the relevance and irrelevance of sexual orientation and the role of therapist biases in assessment and treatment planning, the need for better understanding of how the problems of GLB patients are construed and the associated dangers of stereotyping, the challenges of coming out and the ways therapists can help patients make the decision and how to implement it, the extra effort required to be a GLB person in terms of the formation of an unconventional social and sexual identity, the trust issues that can arise when one partner in a committed relationship requests protected sex, the challenges and rewards of parents "coming out" as family members of a gay son or daughter, the social invisibility of lesbians and the deleterious effects this can have on them, social support issues for GLB youth, and the need for professionals to take a broad, institutional community psychology perspective to their study and treatment of GLB individuals.
Videogames and the Ethics of Care

Videogames have the potential to create ethical experiences and encourage ethical reflection. Usually, this potential is understood in the context of the dominant moral theories: utilitarianism and Kantianism. However, it has been argued that a complete moral theory must also include the concept of an ethics of care. This paper utilizes the ethics of care as an alternative lens for examining the ethical frameworks and experiences offered by videogames. The authors illustrate how this perspective can provide insights by examining Little King's Story and Animal Crossing: City Folk. Little King's Story's fictive context, gameplay, and asymmetrical power relationships encourage the player to care for the citizens of his or her kingdom. In Animal Crossing: City Folk, the player is a member of a community that encourages him or her to care for his or her neighbors as part of a larger interconnected social ecosystem. Both games encourage players feeling an emotional attachment to the game's characters, and the value placed in these relationships becomes the motivation for further ethical player behavior. The conclusion outlines future research questions and discusses some challenges and limitations of a care ethics perspective.
A SIMPLIFIED ALGORITHM FOR COMPUTING THE VARIATION IN OXYHEMOGLOBIN SATURATION WITH pH, PCO2, T AND DPG

We have modified a model for the oxyhemoglobin equilibrium curve (OHEC) and developed an algorithm for which the nonstandard OHEC can be computed. The model requires 2 parameters and a scaling factor (Sm.) The model parameters are: P*, the oxygen partial pressure where the slope of the OHEC is at its maximum, and a rate parameter K. We estimated P* = 2.76 ± 0.04 SE kPa and K = 0.544 ±0.044 (SE) kPa−1 from ten previous literature reports for the human OHEC at standard conditions (T = 37°C, pH = 7.4, PCO2 = 5.33kPa and the molar concentration ratio [DPG7sol;Hb] = 0.9). We also determined how P* and K vary under nonstandard conditions by comparing the modified model with two previous nonstandard OHEC algorithms in the literature. These variations can be characterized by an additional 4 parameters. The dimensionless parameter product KP* was found to be relatively insensitive to deviations from standard conditions. We propose a new algorithm for the nonstandard OHEC which requires a total of 7 parameters, is ...
The NheA component of the non-hemolytic enterotoxin of Bacillus cereus is produced by Bacillus anthracis but is not required for virulence.

Abstract A non-hemolytic enterotoxin (NHE) is one of the two enterotoxins thought to cause diarrhea produced by Bacillus cereus . We identified genes in Bacillus anthracis homologous to the B. cereus nheAB genes encoding proteins of the NHE complex. The NheA component was detected immunologically in culture supernatants from B. anthracis but not from a NheA − mutant, suggesting that B. anthracis produces and secretes the NheA subunit of NHE. A NheA deletion mutant was not attenuated in the guinea pig suggesting that NheA is not absolutely required for virulence.
Influence of Support Conditions on Vertical Whole-body Vibration of the Seated Human Body

The vibration transmission to the lumbar and thoracic segments of seated human subjects exposed to whole body vibration of a vehicular nature have been mostly characterised without the back and hand supports, which is not representative of general driving conditions. This non-invasive experimental study investigated the transmission of vertical seat vibration to selected vertebrae and the head along the vertical and fore-aft axes of twelve male human subjects seated on a rigid seat and exposed to random vertical excitation in the 0.5-20 Hz range. The measurements were performed under four different sitting postures involving combinations of back support conditions and hands positions, and three difference magnitudes of vertical vibration (0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 m/s(2) rms acceleration). The results showed significant errors induced by sensor misalignment and skin effects, which required appropriate correction methodologies. The averaged corrected responses revealed that the back support attenuates vibration in the vertical axis to all the body locations while increasing the fore-aft transmissibility at the C7 and T5. The hands position generally has a relatively smaller effect, showing some influences on the C7 and L5 vibration. Sitting without a back support resulted in very low magnitude fore-aft vibration at T5, which was substantially higher with a back support, suggestive of a probable change in the body's vibration mode. The effect of back support was observed to be very small on the horizontal vibration of the lower thoracic and lumbar regions. The results suggest that distinctly different target body-segment biodynamic functions need to be defined for different support conditions in order to represent the unique contribution of the specific support condition. These datasets may then be useful for the development of biodynamic models.
Media asset management — Analysis and methodology overview

This paper highlights some of the key activities and tasks that must be conducted first, on any media asset management project, and further details the main methodology components to identify and attain the fundamental and strategic business goals.
Incorporation of thiolate donation using 2,2′-dithiodibenzaldehyde: synthesis of Ni, Fe, and Cu complexes. Crystal structures of [M(tsalen)] (tsalen= N,N′ -ethylenebis(thiosalicylidene)imine); M=Cu, Ni) showing a tetrahedral distortion of Cu(tsalen)

Ethylenediamine complexes of Ni(II), Fe(III), and Cu(II) are combined with 2,2′-dithiodibenzaldehyde ( DTDB ) to form complexes with mixed N/S coordination spheres, demonstrating the generality of this synthetic methodology for metals other than Ni(II). Fe(en) 3 3+ reacts with DTDB to give Fe(Haetsaln) 2 + (Haetsaln= N -(2-aminoethyl)thiosalicylideneimine), stemming from the addition of a thiobenzaldehyde moiety from DTDB to one of the ethylenediamine N atoms. Ni(en) 3 2+ and Cu(en) 2 2+ react with DTDB to give Ni(tsalen) and Cu(tsalen) (tsalen= N,N′ -ethylenebis(thiosalicylideneimine), stemming from the addition of a thiobenzaldehyde moiety to both ethylenediamine N atoms. A new crystal structure for Ni(tsalen) is reported, as well as the first crystal structure of Cu(tsalen), which shows a significant deviation from planarity in the N 2 S 2 coordination sphere.
The oncofetal protein glypican-3 is a novel marker of hepatic progenitor/oval cells

Glypican-3 (Gpc3), a cell surface-linked heparan sulfate proteoglycan is highly expressed during embryogenesis and is involved in organogenesis. Its exact biological function remains unknown. We have studied the expression of Gpc3 in fetal and adult liver, in liver injury models of activation of liver progenitor cells: D-galactosamine and 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF) administration followed by partial hepatectomy (PH) (2-AAF/PH); and in the Solt-Farber carcinogenic model: by initiation with a single dose of diethylnitrosamine and promotion with 2-AAF followed by PH treatment. Gpc3 expression was studied using complementary DNA microarrays, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, in situ hybridization (ISH); ISH combined with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescent microscopy. We found that Gpc3 is highly expressed in fetal hepatoblasts from embryonic days 13 through 16 and its expression gradually decreases towards birth. Dual ISH with Gpc3 and α-fetoprotein (AFP) probes confirmed that only hepatoblasts and no other fetal liver cells express Gpc3. At 3 weeks after birth the expression of Gpc3 mRNA and protein was hardly detected in the liver. Gpc3 expression was highly induced in oval cell of D-gal and 2-AAF/PH treated animals. Dual ISH/IHC with Gpc3 riboprobe and cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) antibody revealed that Gpc3 is expressed in activated liver progenitor cells. ISH for Gpc3 and AFP performed on serial liver sections also showed coexpression of the two-oncofetal proteins. FACS isolated oval cells with anti-rat Thy1 revealed expression of Gpc3. Gpc3 expression persists in atypical duct-like structures and liver lesions of animals subjected to the Solt-Farber model of initiation and promotion of liver cancer expressing CK-19. In this work we report for the first time that the oncofetal protein Gpc3 is a marker of hepatic progenitor cells and of early liver lesions. Our findings show further that hepatic progenitor/oval cells are the target for malignant transformation in the Solt-Farber model of hepatic carcinogenesis.