cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of the influence of paper formation on the fluorescence contribution to brightness

Paper was produced under controlled conditions with a range of resultant formation and a constant level of fluorescent dye. Brightness and CIE-Whiteness and the fluorescent contribution to brightness or whiteness were measured by directional and diffuse illuminations. Brightness, whiteness, and fluorescence variability were evaluated as the illuminated sample aperture diameter was varied from a maximum of 12.7 mm to a minimum of 6.0 mm over a broad range of paper formation. an increase in the variance of CIE-Whiteness both including and excluding fluorescence is observed as formation degrades. the variance of the fluorescent contribution also increased, but not in a manner to suggest it is independent of the whiteness including or excluding fluorescence measurements. A higher level of instrument noise prevented a similar definitive concl usion for the fluorescent contribution to directional brightness, even though similar trends were observed. an increase in variance was observed for all whiteness and brightness measurements as viewing aperture size diminished. This suggests an opportunity to understand subjective appearance as a function of viewing aperture size. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Distal Retinal Pigment of the Fiddler Crab, Uca pugilator: Release of the Dark-Adapting Hormone by Methionine Enkephalin and FMRFamide

The neuropeptides methionine enkephalin and FMRFamide, when injected into intact fiddler crabs, Uca pugilator, produce dark adaptation of the distal retinal pigment. Furthermore, both neuropeptides stimulate release of distal retinal pigment dark-adapting hormone activity from the isolated eyestalk neuroendocrine complex. It is hypothesized that both neuropeptides, when injected into intact fiddler crabs, act only indirectly on the distal retinal pigment, by stimulating release of this dark-adapting hormone.
HMGA2, MicroRNAs, and Stem Cell Aging

Mammalian aging results from a replicative decline in the function of somatic stem cells and other self-renewing cells. Recent studies (Monzen et al., 2008; Nishino et al., 2008; Sanna et al., 2008; Weedon et al., 2008) link a chromatin-associated protein, HMGA2, to development, height, and mouse stem cell aging during late fetal development and young adulthood.
Stability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and stratification in a zonally averaged ocean model: Effects of freshwater flux, Southern Ocean winds, and diapycnal diffusion

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a crucial component of the global climate system. In this study, using a zonally averaged ocean model, we reexamine the sensitivity of this circulation, and ocean density structure in general, to several types of external forcing. The basin of the model extends from northern high latitudes to Antarctica and includes an implicit representation of a circumpolar channel in the South, and ocean circulation is driven by surface buoyancy fluxes and wind forcing. In contrast to earlier two-dimensional studies of the AMOC, our approach involves a careful treatment of the residual mean circulation (comprising the Eulerian-mean and eddy-induced flows), which is especially important for the Southern Ocean dynamics. Using boundary conditions consistent with present-day observations the model reproduces realistic ocean stratification and meridional overturning. The structure, intensity, and stability of the overturning are then extensively studied using three control parameters: the strength of westerly wind stress over the Southern Ocean, the magnitude of freshwater fluxes imposed on the northern Atlantic, and ocean diapycnal diffusivity. In a realistic parameter range, we estimate the AMOC sensitivity to changes in the Southern Ocean winds on the order of 1 Sv per 20% increase in the wind stress. The overturning also increases with diapycnal diffusivity, but the dependence is weaker than in the absence of the winds. The model can undergo a shutdown of the overturning (subject to a hysteresis) when either the freshwater forcing gradually increases or the wind stress decreases. The hysteresis loop disappears for large values of isopycnal diffusivity. Changes in the AMOC intensity are accompanied by changes in the volume transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Specifically, the AMOC collapse leads to a strengthening of this transport. Ultimately, our calculations produce stability maps for the steady states of the meridional overturning circulation and provide a general framework that potentially can be used to compare different models, or to understand past abrupt climate changes related to reorganization of the AMOC.
Miliary Tuberculosis: Diagnostic Methods with Emphasis on the Chest Roentgenogram

The initial chest roentgenogram was reported to be normal in 12 of 14 episodes of miliary tuberculosis. On review, miliary lesions were seen on ten films. The four normal roentgenograms exhibited miliary infiltrations after periods of seven days to one month. Liver and bone marrow biopsies were more reliable diagnostic methods than sputum cultures. The initial chest roentgenograms may frequently be interpreted as normal in miliary tuberculosis, particularly when the radiologist does not have detailed clinical information, but with careful review of initial and follow-up films miliary lesions will become apparent in almost all cases. The early roentgenographic detection of miliary tuberculosis depends upon clinical suspicion, technically adequate films, and close cooperation between clinician and radiologist.
Microstructural Features and Dislocations on Thermally Etched Sapphire Surfaces

Basal-, prism-, and rhombohedral-plane specimens cut and polished from flame-grown sapphire boules developed fine surface textures during heat-treatment in the range 1700° to 1900°C. Microscopic examinations of such surfaces revealed low-angle grain boundaries, dislocations, and other crystal imperfections. Thermally etched textures apparently were generated by three overlapping processes, namely annealing, etching, and decoration. Thermal etching gave evidence of high-temperature relaxation of residual strain energy introduced at low temperature (analogous to cold work in metals), including that introduced by fracture, microindentation, and cutting and polishing during surface preparation.
Same Door, Different Closet: A Heterosexual Sissy's Coming-Out Party:

One way to problematize heterosexuality is to acknowledge the tacitly assumed connection between heterosexual preference in males and their `masculinity', i.e. their dissimilarity to women in personality and behaviour. The political implications of the `masculinity' construct are central to what makes heterosexual participation by women a volatile subject for feminists. By analyzing and disentangling the ideological equivocation between men who are not sexually attracted to women and men who are considered to resemble women in personality and behaviour, it is possible to theorize a feminist heterosexuality that would involve women with males but which need not involve them with `men'.
Social Structure and Situations: The effects of Roles, Actions, and Situations on Interpersonal Perception*

This study examines the structural and situational approaches to social action by analyzing the effects of roles, action, and situations on people's perceptions of others. College students were given questionnaires containing short descriptions of interaction between an adult and an adolescent boy. These questionnaires were designed to examine the effects of roles (malefemale and employer-parent), actions, and several concrete situations on two dependent variables: (1) behavior predictions for the adult in each hypothetical situation. and (2) ratings of the adults on expressive and instrumental attributes. The results support both structural and situational approaches. The parent role has a strong effect on how the adults are predicted to behave and the situation has little effect. But the respondents' rating of the adults is determined primarily by actions not roles.
A Neo-Boasian Conception of Cultural Boundaries

For the past 30 years, anthropology's critics have repeatedly questioned the notion of “cultural boundaries,” arguing that concepts of culture inappropriately posit stable and bounded “islands” of cultural distinctiveness in an ever-changing world of transnational cultural “flows.” This issue remains an Achilles' heel—or at least a recurring inflamed tendon—of anthropology. However, in the conception of boundaries, we still have much to learn from Boasian anthropologists, who conceived of boundaries not as barriers to outside influence or to historical change, but as cultural distinctions that were irreducibly plural, perspectival, and permeable. In this article, I retheorize and extend the Boasians' open concept of cultural boundaries, emphasizing how people's own ideas of “the foreign”—and the “own” versus the “other” distinction—give us a way out of the old conundrum in which the boundedness of culture, as conceived in spatial terms, seems to contradict the open-ended nature of cultural experience.
The Death Poetry of Emily Dickinson

The topic of death is an important theme in the work of Emily Dickinson, one of America's greatest poets. Dickinson scholars debate whether her focus on death (one quarter of all her poems) is an unhealthy and morbid obsession, or, rather, a courageous recognition that life itself cannot be understood fully except from the vantage point of the grave (just as light cannot be fully appreciated without the recognition of its opposite, i.e., darkness). Following the latter view, Dickinson's penetrating insights into death are examined. Some of her best known death poems are presented and briefly discussed (reference is also made to many other Dickinson poems, and insights are also drawn from her many letters). Brief comparisons of Dickinson's views to certain philosophers (for example, Nietzsche) are made, in order to provide a wider context of exploration into these important themes. In the end, Dickinson contends that affirmation of life is impossible without an examination of death—the article therefore en...
EXPANDING THE CONTEXT OF UTILITY: THE STRATEGIC IMPACT OF PERSONNEL SELECTION

Others have demonstrated that traditional applications of the Brogden-Cronbach-Gleser (BCG) selection utility formula are deficient in responding to the financial context of managerial decisions (Boudreau, 1983a, 1983b; Cronshaw & Alexander, 1985, 1991). We demonstrate that traditional estimates of selection utility also fail to reflect the strategic context faced by managerial decision makers. We modify the traditional BCG model to yield an estimate of total utility derived from human resources (Utotal) that can be directly compared to firms' strategic need at a particular point in time (Utarget)-Further, we demonstrate that, while strategic need is rarely constant over time, the capacity of a selection system to meet that need is also likely to change as rxy and SDy change over time. Re-examination of what is important to strategic human resource decision makers (selection utility vs. total utility and strategic need) and changing selection system contributions over time yields a more realistic view of how firms benefit from personnel selection.
Motility of a biflagellate sperm: waveform analysis and cyclic nucleotide activation.

The sperm of the freshwater clam Corbicula fluminea are unusual in that they have two flagella, both of which are capable of beating. When Corbicula sperm are removed from the gonad and placed into freshwater, most remain immotile. Video microscopy was used to assess signaling molecules capable of activating Corbicula sperm motility. Experiments using the cAMP analogs dbcAMP or 8-Br-cAMP show that elevating cAMP activates flagellar motility. Treatments with 8-Br-cGMP activated motility in similar numbers of sperm. Treatments with the selective cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) inhibitor H-89 block activation by 8-Br-cAMP but not by 8-Br-cGMP. Similar treatments with the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) inhibitor Rp-8-pCPT-cGMPS block activation by 8-Br-cGMP but not by 8-Br-cAMP. These results suggest that cAMP and cGMP each work through their specific kinase to activate flagellar motility. Analysis of spontaneously activated freely swimming sperm shows that the two flagella beat with different parameters. The A flagellum beats with a shorter wavelength and a higher frequency than the B flagellum. The observed differences in flagellar waveform indicate that the flagella are differentially controlled. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 59:120–130, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cosmological density fluctuations on 100 Mpc scales and their isw effect

We measure the matter probability distribution function (PDF) via counts in cells in a volume-limited subsample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Luminous Red Galaxy Catalog on scales from 30 h ?1 Mpc to 150 h ?1 Mpc and estimate the linear Integrated Sachs-Wolfe effect produced by supervoids and superclusters in the tail of the PDF. We characterize the PDF by the variance, S 3, and S 4, and study in simulations the systematic effects due to finite volume, survey shape, and redshift distortion. We compare our measurement to the prediction of ?CDM with linear bias and find a good agreement. We use the moments to approximate the tail of the PDF with analytic functions. A simple Gaussian model for the superstructures appears to be consistent with the claim by Granett et al. that density fluctuations on 100 h ?1 Mpc scales produce hot and cold spots with ?T 10 ?K on the cosmic microwave background.
Dramatic RV volume reduction following atrial septal defect closure demonstrated by multi-slice CT volume rendering

A 57-year-old woman with an atrial septal defect (ASD) underwent a multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT, Lightspeed 16, GE Systems) scan demonstrating a right ventricular (RV) volume of 269 cc by a three-dimensional volume-rendered image (Fig. 1). Six weeks following ASD closure with a 24-mm Amplatzer device (Fig. 2A), the patient’s MSCT RV volume decreased to 129 cc (Fig. 2B). To our knowledge, this report is the first using MSCT to demonstrate RV volume reduction following ASD closure. Estimating RV volumes with other technologies can be problematic.1 Multislice computed tomography may improve the evaluation of the complex RV structure.
Methoxychlor effects on hepatic storage of vitamin A in rats

Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing 0, 10, 100, 1,000, and 10,000 ppm of methoxychlor for 16 weeks underad libitum- and restricted-feeding regimens. Methoxychlor at 10,000 ppm was lethal to some rats, reduced food consumption and growth, and increased liver weight relative to body weight. Methoxychlor at 1,000 ppm reduced food consumption and growth of rats fedad libitum but did not reduce growth of restricted-fed rats. Reduced hepatic storage of vitamin A was detectable when methoxychlor was fed at levels of 100 ppm or higher.
AN EXAMINATION OF URBAN OZONE TRENDS IN THE NORTHEASTERN U.S. (1973-1983) USING A ROBUST STATISTICAL METHOD

Abstract Stringent volatile organic compounds (VOC) control measures for both mobile and stationary sources have been introduced in the U.S. in an attempt to reduce ambient concentrations of ozone (O 3 ). Despite the expense of billions of dollars to implement these measures, the impact on O 3 air quality is still unknown, and most major metropolitan areas are still in violation of the daily 1-h National Ambient Air Quality Standard for O 3 of 120 ppb. This study was initiated to examine the trends of O 3 from 1973 to 1983 at eight major population centers in the northeastern U.S. using a robust statistical method. The effects of the late 1970s change in O 3 calibration methodology and meteorology on these trends were also examined. The 75th percentile was shown to be a good statistic for determining trends and was used for analysis of the trends before and after the calibration change was applied. The surface temperature and upper air temperature variables were found to be the best predictors of O 3 behavior. Two regression procedures, the fixed-range and fixed-value techniques, were performed to remove the variability of meteorological conditions conducive to high O 3 (i.e. O 3 > 80 ppb). Finally, a robust, nonparametric statistical procedure, which does not require specific statistical assumptions to be met, was used for each set of estimates derived above. The results of these analyses show there has been a decrease of a few ppb on a yearly basis for the majority of the sites.
On the role of chance in imitation-comprehension-production test results

Between-task comparisons of the sort typically made with imitation-comprehension-production test scores are shown to be inappropriate because the necessary conditions, equal or controlled a priori probabilities of chance success for each task under the null hypothesis, are not met. Therefore the obtained differences resulting from such comparisons may reflect different chance success rates rather than true differences in the difficulties of the tasks.
Balancing Game with a Buffer

We consider a two person perfect information game with a buffer. On each round, Player I selects a [email protected]?R^nwith |v|@?1, where |.| is thel"2-norm, and Player II can either put the vector in the buffer or choose a sign @e"i=+/-1 for a given vectorv"i. There are no more thandvectors that can be put in the buffer. Player II's object is to keep the cumulative sum |@[email protected]"iv"i| as small as possible. We prove that the value of the game goes to infinity [email protected]?n-2. We give an upper bound of the value ifd>=n-1. The same results hold for a generalized problem.
Considerations in the Use of Coplanar Waveguide for Millimeter-Wave Integrated Circuits

Using a full-wave analysis, coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line is compared to microstrip in terms of conductor loss, dispersion, and radiation into parasitic modes. It is shown that, on a standard 0.1-mm semiconductor at 60 GHz, the dimensions of CPW can be chosen to give better results in terms of conductor loss and dispersion than microstrip. A calculation of parasitic mode generation is presented for CPW on a semiconductor for an open substrate, for a substrate suspended above a ground plane, and for substrates separated from a ground plane by quartz.
Fine structure superplastic intermetallics

AbstractRecent advances in the basic understanding of fine structure superplasticity and the superplastic forming of intermetallics are reviewed. Superplastic characteristics in the nickel base (e.g. Ni3 Al and Ni3 Si), titanium base (e.g. Ti3 Al and TiAl), and iron base (e.g. Fe3 Al, FeAl, and Fe3 Si) intermetallics are individually described. Deformation mechanisms are addressed as well as microstructural requirements and effects such as grain size, second phases and their distributions, and grain boundary structures. Two of the most interesting recent observations are also included for discussion: one is the observation of low temperature superplasticity in TiAl, and the other is coarse grained superplasticity in Fe3 Al and FeAl. In addition, several examples of superplastic forming, including isothermal forging and biaxial gas-pressure forming, of several intermetallics are presented with comments on the likelihood of commercial application. Comparisons are made on the differences among superplastic b...
Studies of membrane formation in Tetrahymena pyriformis. VIII. On the origin of membranes surrounding food vacuoles.

SYNOPSIS. A procedure was devised for the isolation of purified food vacuoles from Tetrahymena pyriformis fed particles of ferric oxide. Phospholipids extracted from vacuolar membranes were more similar in composition to the lipids of microsomes than to lipids of whole cells, cilia or post-microsomal supernatant. Fractionation of cells grown in the presence of [14C]palmitic acid or [32P]inorganic phosphate also revealed similarities in the specific radioactivities of microsomes and vacuolar membranes. The data suggested that vacuolar membranes arise from a pool of cytoplasmic membranes.
Abnormalities in lipoprotein metabolism in Gaucher type 1 disease

We have previously described an association between Gaucher type 1 disease and reduced levels of total, low density lipoprotein (LDL), and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Plasma concentrations of apolipoprotein B and apolipoprotein AI were reduced in these subjects, while plasma apolipoprotein E (apoE), which can be synthesized and secreted by macrophages, was increased. To study the pathophysiologic basis for these changes in lipoprotein and apolipoprotein levels, we studied very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), LDL, and HDL metabolism in-depth in four subjects with Gaucher disease. Gel filtration of their plasma revealed that apoE was present in essentially a single population of lipoproteins in the large HDL range. In subject no. 4, studied presplenectomy and post-splenectomy, plasma apoE levels fell after surgery in association with a redistribution of apoE among the plasma lipoproteins to a pattern seen in normal subjects. Determination of the rates of secretion and catabolism of VLDL apoB and triglyceride were within normal limits. The reduced plasma levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol, and of both plasma apoB and apoAI, were associated with increased fractional catabolic rates of these apolipoproteins in LDL and HDL. These results indicate that the hypocholesterolemia present in subjects with Gaucher type 1 disease is associated with increased fractional catabolism of LDL and HDL. These findings, together with the evidence for alternations in plasma apoE metabolism in this disorder, suggest a role for the macrophage as the basis for these abnormalities.
Bilirubin (B) Oxidation by Brain Mitochondrial Membranes (MM) is Minimally Changed by Listeria Monocytogenes (LM) Infection 6

Background: We have recently confirmed that B is oxidized by brain MM via a cytochrome c dependent mechanism. Septic neonates may be at increased risk of B encephaiopathy. Endotoxinemia is associated with a relative increase of brain B concentrations in rats. We hypothesized that LM infection would decrease brain B oxidation.
“Be Your(Real Lesbian)Self”: Mobilizing Sexual Formula Stories through Personal (and Political) Storytelling

This article investigates the ways individuals tell their life stories as a means of social movement activism. The authors rely on the participant observation fieldwork of one author, wherein she participated on “ panels” of a local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) organization as they spoke to classes and organizations ostensibly to inform audiences about panelists’ experiences as LGBT people. Using analytic bracketing, they look at the kinds of meanings being conferred in these settings and the strategies used to accomplish the goal of undoing stereotypes. They find that although panelists are encouraged to “be themselves”—unique, nonstereotypical individuals—the auspices of the setting and the coming-out formula story call on panelists to typify what it means to be LGBT, albeit in ways that contradict popular stereotypes. The authors place the analysis within a broader historical trend of latemodern sexual storytelling and discuss some implications for storying identities in social movement work.
Transnational resistance and fictive truths: Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, Agnes Smedley and the Indian nationalist movement

This article traces the biographies of Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, Agnes Smedley and Somerset Maugham to map a global network of Indian nationalist resistance to the British Empire. Maugham and Smedley fictionalized their experiences with the British Secret Intelligence Service and the Ghadar Party, respectively. I analyse the representation of Chattopadhyaya in Smedley's autobiographical novel Daughter of Earth and Somerset Maugham's short story ‘Giulia Lazzari’ to consider the limitations of fiction in the production of historical knowledge of the Indian nationalist movement abroad.
Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis with Marine and Botanical Oils: Influence on Serum Lipids

The gap in mortality between patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the general population (1.5-3.0 fold risk) is increasing. This disparity is attributable mainly to cardiovascular disease (CVD), as the CVD risk is comparable to patients with diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study is to determine whether borage seed oil rich in gamma-linolenic acid, fish oil rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or the combination of both oils are useful treatments for dyslipidemia in patients with RA. We randomized patients into a double blind, 18 month trial. Mixed effects models were used to compare trends over time in serum lipids. No significant differences were observed between the three groups: All three treatment groups exhibited similar meaningful improvement in the lipid profile at 9 and 18 months. When all groups were combined, these treatments significantly reduced total and LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides, increased HDL-cholesterol, and improved the atherogenic index. All improvements observed at 9 months persisted at 18 months (P < 0.001 verses baseline). Conclusion. Marine and botanical oils may be useful treatment for rheumatoid arthritis patients who are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease compared to the general population.
Rhetoric and paradox in scientific revolutions

In this paper we argue that scientists intending to be revolutionary face certain rhetorical constraints. These constraints contain contradictory requirements, forcing a rhetorical paradox on the would‐be revolutionaries. We examine the nature of this paradox and the available resolutions to it.
1,6-Bis(ferrocenyl)-1,3,5-hexatriyne: Novel Preparation and Structural Study

1,6-Bis(ferrocenyl)-1,3,5-hexatriyne (Fc(C⋮C)3Fc) was prepared from the reaction between 3-(dibromomethylidene)-1,5-bis(ferrocenyl)penta-1,4-diyne and BuLi via an alkynyl migration in a vinylidene carbenoid mechanism. Both the title compound and its precusors were thoroughly characterized, and the electronic couplings between two ferrocenyl units were assessed with voltammetric techniques.
The spinnability of polymer fluid filaments

A theoretical study of the stability of extending liquid filaments has been carried out. The interaction of surface tension and different fluid rheological properties is investigated. It is also hypothesized that cohesive failure or fracture will occur if a critical stress level is reached. It is predicted that viscosity and viscoelasticity tend to stabilize the filaments. However, even extremely high viscosity filaments will neck and exhibit ductile failure. In highly viscoelastic fluids, defects tend to heal during stretch. Highly viscoelastic fluid filaments fail by fracture. The theory is used to predict the failure of molten polymer filaments as a function of molecular weight. The extensibility or spinnability of filaments is predicted to exhibit a maximum at intermediate molecular weights with capillarity-ductile failure occurring at low molecular weights and cohesive fracture, at high molecular weights. The results are compared to experiments on polyethylenes. There is general qualitative agreement especially with the behavior of low and high molecular weights where capillarity and fracture occur. The tendency to necking and ductile failure differs considerably among melts and is more pronounced in high-density than in low-density polyethylenes. The application to continuous spinline behavior is discussed, and draw resonance is suggested to be the continuous process analogue of ductile failure.
mcrA-Targeted Real-Time Quantitative PCR Method To Examine Methanogen Communities

Methanogens are of great importance in carbon cycling and alternative energy production, but quantitation with culture-based methods is time-consuming and biased against methanogen groups that are difficult to cultivate in a laboratory. For these reasons, methanogens are typically studied through culture-independent molecular techniques. We developed a SYBR green I quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to quantify total numbers of methyl coenzyme M reductase α-subunit (mcrA) genes. TaqMan probes were also designed to target nine different phylogenetic groups of methanogens in qPCR assays. Total mcrA and mcrA levels of different methanogen phylogenetic groups were determined from six samples: four samples from anaerobic digesters used to treat either primarily cow or pig manure and two aliquots from an acidic peat sample stored at 4°C or 20°C. Only members of the Methanosaetaceae, Methanosarcina, Methanobacteriaceae, and Methanocorpusculaceae and Fen cluster were detected in the environmental samples. The three samples obtained from cow manure digesters were dominated by members of the genus Methanosarcina, whereas the sample from the pig manure digester contained detectable levels of only members of the Methanobacteriaceae. The acidic peat samples were dominated by both Methanosarcina spp. and members of the Fen cluster. In two of the manure digester samples only one methanogen group was detected, but in both of the acidic peat samples and two of the manure digester samples, multiple methanogen groups were detected. The TaqMan qPCR assays were successfully able to determine the environmental abundance of different phylogenetic groups of methanogens, including several groups with few or no cultivated members.
Macro Determinants of Cause-Specific Injury Mortality in the OECD Countries: An Exploration of the Importance of GDP and Unemployment

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and unemployment has a strong documented impact on injury mortality. The aim of our study is to investigate the relationship of GDP per capita and unemployment with gender- and cause-specific injury mortalities in the member nations of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Country-based data on injury mortality per 100,000 population, including males and females aged 1–74, for the 4 year period 1996–1999, were gathered from the World Health Organization’s Statistical Information System. We selected fourteen cause-specific injury mortalities. Data on GDP, unemployment rate and population growth were taken from World Development Indicators. GDP and unemployment rate per 100 separately were regressed on total and cause-specific injury mortality rate per 100,000 for males and females. Overall in the OECD countries, GDP per capita increased 12.5% during 1996–1999 (P = 0.03) where as unemployment rate decreased by 12.3% (P = 0.05). Among males, most cause-specific injury mortality rates decreased with increasing GDP except motor vehicle traffic crashes (MTC) that increased with increasing GDP (coefficient = 0.75; P < 0.001). Similar trend was found in females, except suicidal injury mortalities that also increased with increasing GDP (coefficient = 0.31; P = 0.04). When we modeled cause-specific injury mortality rates with unemployment, injuries due to firearm missiles (coefficient = 0.53; P < 0.001), homicide (coefficient = 0.36; P < 0.001), and other violence (coefficient = 0.41; P < 0.001) increased with increase in unemployment rate among males. However, among females only accidental falls (coefficient = 0.36; P = 0.01) were found significantly associated with increasing unemployment rate. GDP is more related to cause-specific injury mortality than unemployment. Injury mortality does not relate similarly to each diagnosis-specific cause among males and females. Further research on causation with more predictors is needed.
Number as a stimulus in a card-sorting task

Human Ss performed a card-sorting task and were asked afterward to report the number of responses they had made in a sequence. Ability to give the correct number was found to vary as a function of the size of the number and as a function of the dissimilarity of the sequence-ending card. Ss who did not count the sequence length overestimated the length. The results are discussed in terms of the concept of number as a stimulus in psychophysical investigation.
Genetic instabilities of (CCTG)·(CAGG) and (ATTCT)·(AGAAT) disease‐associated repeats reveal multiple pathways for repeat deletion

The DNA repeats (CTG)·(CAG), (CGG)·(CCG), (GAA)·(TTC), (ATTCT)·(AGAAT), and (CCTG)·(CAGG), undergo expansion in humans leading to neurodegenerative disease. A genetic assay for repeat instability has revealed that the activities of RecA and RecB during replication restart are involved in a high rate of deletion of (CTG)·(CAG) repeats in E. coli. This assay has been applied to (CCTG)·(CAGG) repeats associated with myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) that expand to 11 000 copies and to spinocerebellar ataxia type 10 (SCA10) (ATTCT)·(AGAAT) repeats that expand to 4500 copies in affected individuals. DM2 (CCTG)·(CAGG) repeats show a moderate rate of instability, less than that observed for the myotonic dystrophy type 1 (CTG)·(CAG) repeats, while the SCA10 (ATTCT)·(AGAAT) repeats were remarkably stable in E. coli. In contrast to (CTG)·(CAG) repeats, deletions of the DM2 and SCA10 repeats were not dependent on RecA and RecB, suggesting that replication restart may not be a predominant mechanism by which these repeats undergo deletion. These results suggest that different molecular mechanisms, or pathways, are responsible for the instability of different disease-associated DNA repeats in E. coli. These pathways involve simple replication slippage and various sister strand exchange events leading to deletions or expansions, often associated with plasmid dimerization. The differences in the mechanisms of repeat deletion may result from the differential propensity of these repeats to form various DNA secondary structures and their differential proclivity for primer–template misalignment during replication. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effect of chromium picolinate on insulin sensitivity in vivo

This study assessed the effect of chromium (Cr) supplementation on insulin sensitivity and body composition in subjects at high risk for Type 2 diabetes because of family history and obesity. Twenty-nine subjects (14 men, 15 women) were evaluated in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial using chromium picolinate (CrPic) (1,000 μg/day), or placebo for 8 months of study. Clinical and metabolic evaluations consisted of insulin sensitivity (SI) and glucose effectiveness (Sg); measurement of glucose tolerance and insulin response to an oral glucose tolerance test (75 g OGTT); and 24-hour glucose and insulin profiles. Anthropometric measures and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessed abdominal fat distribution. Fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels and measures of glycemia (glycated hemoglobin and fructosamine) were also assessed. The CrPic group showed a significant increase in insulin sensitivity at midpoint (P < .05) and end of study (P < .005) compared with controls, which had no significant changes. No change in Sg was seen in either group. There was no effect of CrPic on body weight, abdominal fat distribution, or body mass index. However, CrPic significantly improved insulin sensitivity in these obese subjects with a family history of Type 2 diabetes. Improvement in insulin sensitivity without a change in body fat distribution suggests that Cr may alter insulin sensitivity independent of a change in weight or body fat percentage, thereby implying a direct effect on muscle insulin action. Definitive double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials are currently being conducted to confirm this observation in Type 2 diabetic subjects and evaluate the effects of Cr supplementation on insulin action and glycemic control. J. Trace Elem. Exp. Med. 12:71–83, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
On Men and Work Taking the Road Less Traveled

The purpose of this article is to review the literature related to men who pursue nontraditional career choices such as gender atypical occupations outside the home or being stay-at-home fathers. K...
Blood grouping with the Olympus PK7100 testing system.

Summary The Olympus PK7100, an automated microtitre blood typing machine, identifies, aliquots, and dilutes samples, adds reagents, photometrically detects agglutination, and records reaction results, with a throughput of 240 samples/h. A total of 20 147 donors was tested in parallel with the Groupamatic 360. Of these, 207 could not be ABO typed after two runs. Three samples typed as B by the Olympus were found to be A2B. Seventy-seven could not be typed for D after two runs. Of these, 55 were Rh positive and 22 negative. The Olympus identified 37 of 48 Du positive samples as Rh positive, while it typed three as Rh negative, and eight as ‘uncertain’. None of these samples was identified as Rh positive by the Groupamatic 360. The Olympus PK7100 is accurate, reliable, easy to operate, and capable of high throughput with minimal operator intervention.
Partitioning of 14C-labeled photosynthate to allelochemicals and primary metabolites in source and sink leaves of aspen: evidence for secondary metabolite turnover.

Theories on allelochemical concentrations in plants are often based upon the relative carbon costs and benefits of multiple metabolic fractions. Tests of these theories often rely on measuring metabolite concentrations, but frequently overlook priorities in carbon partitioning. We conducted a pulse-labeling experiment to follow the partitioning of 14CO2-labeled photosynthate into ten metabolic pools representing growth and maintenance (amino acids, organic acids, lipids plus pigments, protein, residue), defense (phenolic glycosides, methanol:water and acetone-soluble tannins/phenolics), and transport and storage (sugars and starch) in source and importing sink leaves of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). The peak period of 14C incorporation into sink leaves occurred at 24 h. Within 48 h of labeling, the specific radioactivity (dpm/mg dry leaf weight) of phenolic glycosides declined by over one-third in source and sink leaves. In addition, the specific radioactivity in the tannin/phenolic fraction decreased by 53% and 28% in source and sink leaves, respectively. On a percent recovery basis, sink leaves partitioned 1.7 times as much labeled photosynthate into phenolic glycosides as source leaves at peak 14C incorporation. In contrast, source leaves partitioned 1.8 times as much 14C-labeled photosynthate into tannins/phenolics as importing sink leaves. At the end of the 7-day chase period, sink leaves retained 18%, 52%, and 30% of imported 14C photosynthate, and labeled source leaves retained 15%, 66%, and 19% of in situ photosynthate in metabolic fractions representing transport and storage, growth and maintenance, and defense, respectively. Analyses of the phenolic fractions showed that total phenolics were twice as great and condensed tannins were 1.7 times greater in sink than in source leaves. The concentration of total phenolics and condensed tannins did not change in source and sink leaves during the 7-day chase period.
Alterations in the expression of DEAD-box and other RNA binding proteins during HIV-1 replication

Recent results showed that certain DEAD box protein RNA helicases, DDX3 and DDX1, play an important role in the HIV infection cycle by facilitating the export of long, singly spliced or unspliced HIV RNAs from the nucleus via the CRM1-Rev pathway. Close examination of an extensive microarray expression profiling dataset obtained from cells latently infected with HIV induced to undergo lytic viral replication indicated that additional DEAD box proteins, beyond DDX3 and DDX1, exhibit differential expression during lytic HIV replication, and in latently infected cells prior to induction into active replication. This finding provides additional evidence that the involvement of DEAD box proteins and other RNA-binding proteins may play roles in active HIV replication and in the control of viral latency. Agents targeting these functions may offer new approaches to antiretroviral therapy and the therapeutic manipulation of HIV latency.
Pediatric Pain Management

Over the years, significant advances have been made in the understanding and practice of pediatric pain management. Previous myths such as the inability of infants to experience pain or the inessential need to treat perioperative nociception or postoperative pain have been debunked by the evidence of mature nociceptive pathways by 30 weeks of gestation (Lowery et al. 2007) and the unquestionable benefits of treating noxious stimuli with analgesics (Anand et al. 1987, Anand and Hickey 1992).
Two New RAIM Methods Based on the Optimally Weighted Average Solution (OWAS) Concept

ABSTRACT: This paper presents two new RAIM methods that achieve higher availability using a weighting concept. Although a recently published method called NIORAIM likewise does this (by applying numerically derived weights to the range measurements), these two new methods use weights analytically derived in the position domain. The first one of these methods, named OWAS-1, works with a single constellation assuming a single fault at a time. The other method, named OWAS-2, works with two independent constellations (e.g., GPS and Galileo) and provides integrity monitoring even in the presence of a common mode fault affecting multiple satellites in either one of the two constellations. OWAS-2 has been motivated by recent interest in possibly providing vertically guided approaches using RAIM when both GPS and Galileo constellations become fully populated with new satellites. The analysis shows that both methods significantly improve availability compared to previously developed methods of their respective kinds.
Active exploration of robotic workcell

A description is given of research efforts directed towards the development of an active exploration system performing acquisition, processing, and integration of sensory inputs from vision, point laser range, tactile, and force/torque sensors. An attempt is made to bring out the rationale that robotic workcell exploration can benefit by utilizing noncontact (e.g., vision, range, and proximity) as well as contact (e.g., tactile and force/torque) sensors while accomplishing tasks such as object identification, object localization, object grasping and object manipulation. The experimental results presented indicate that the rationale utilized in the design of the multisensory robotic active exploration scheme can work successfully. >
Functional Studies on the Candidate ATPase Domains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MutLα

Saccharomyces cerevisiae MutL homologues Mlh1p and Pms1p form a heterodimer, termed MutLalpha, that is required for DNA mismatch repair after mismatch binding by MutS homologues. Recent sequence and structural studies have placed the NH(2) termini of MutL homologues in a new family of ATPases. To address the functional significance of this putative ATPase activity in MutLalpha, we mutated conserved motifs for ATP hydrolysis and ATP binding in both Mlh1p and Pms1p and found that these changes disrupted DNA mismatch repair in vivo. Limited proteolysis with purified recombinant MutLalpha demonstrated that the NH(2) terminus of MutLalpha undergoes conformational changes in the presence of ATP and nonhydrolyzable ATP analogs. Furthermore, two-hybrid analysis suggested that these ATP-binding-induced conformational changes promote an interaction between the NH(2) termini of Mlh1p and Pms1p. Surprisingly, analysis of specific mutants suggested differential requirements for the ATPase motifs of Mlh1p and Pms1p during DNA mismatch repair. Taken together, these results suggest that MutLalpha undergoes ATP-dependent conformational changes that may serve to coordinate downstream events during yeast DNA mismatch repair.
Radiation dose reduction in soft tissue neck CT using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR).

Abstract Purpose To compare objective and subjective image quality in neck CT images acquired at different tube current–time products (275 mA s and 340 mA s) and reconstructed with filtered-back-projection (FBP) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR). Materials and methods HIPAA-compliant study with IRB approval and waiver of informed consent. 66 consecutive patients were randomly assigned to undergo contrast-enhanced neck CT at a standard tube-current–time-product (340 mA s; n = 33) or reduced tube-current–time-product (275 mA s, n = 33). Data sets were reconstructed with FBP and 2 levels (30%, 40%) of ASIR-FBP blending at 340 mA s and 275 mA s. Two neuroradiologists assessed subjective image quality in a blinded and randomized manner. Volume CT dose index (CTDIvol), dose-length-product (DLP), effective dose, and objective image noise were recorded. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was computed as mean attenuation in a region of interest in the sternocleidomastoid muscle divided by image noise. Results Compared with FBP, ASIR resulted in a reduction of image noise at both 340 mA s and 275 mA s. Reduction of tube current from 340 mA s to 275 mA s resulted in an increase in mean objective image noise (p = 0.02) and a decrease in SNR (p = 0.03) when images were reconstructed with FBP. However, when the 275 mA s images were reconstructed using ASIR, the mean objective image noise and SNR were similar to those of the standard 340 mA s CT images reconstructed with FBP (p > 0.05). Subjective image noise was ranked by both raters as either average or less-than-average irrespective of the tube current and iterative reconstruction technique. Conclusion Adapting ASIR into neck CT protocols reduced effective dose by 17% without compromising image quality.
Rheological controls on the emplacement of extremely high-grade ignimbrites

Extremely high-grade, lava-like welded ignimbrites are produced by many large explosive eruptions with volumes typically 101–103 km3. However, understanding of the physical properties of these unusual deposits, and their transport and depositional mechanisms, is incomplete. The lava-like and rheomorphic Grey’s Landing ignimbrite, Idaho (western United States), provides abundant field evidence supporting the upward migration of a transient, <2-m-thick, sub-horizontal ductile shear zone at the interface between the pyroclastic density current and the deposit, through which all of the aggrading pyroclastic material passed. Here we use a combination of rheological experiments and thermo-mechanical modeling to test the syndepositional shear zone model. We show that syndepositional welding and ductile flow are achievable within a very restricted field of likely temperature–strain rate space, where rapid deformation is favored by higher emplacement temperatures (≥850 °C). The field of ductile deformation is broadened significantly by accounting for strain heating, which permits a sustained temperature increase of up to 250 °C within the shear zone and helps to explain the enormous extents of lava-like lithofacies and the intense rheomorphism recorded in extremely high-grade ignimbrites. Recognition of strain heating within rheomorphic ignimbrites suggests that large pyroclastic density currents may travel over a hot substrate, potentially hotter than the density current itself.
Energy Harvesting Based on PZT Nanofibers

Energy harvesting technologies that are engineered to miniature sizes, while increasing the power delivered to wireless electronics [1, 2], portable devices, stretchable electronics [3] and implantable bio-sensors [4, 5] are strongly desired. Piezoelectric nanowire- and fiber-based generators have potential uses for powering such devices through conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy [6]. However, the piezoelectric voltage constants of the semiconductor piezoelectric nanowires of the reported nanogenerators [7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12] are low. Here we introduce a piezoelectric nanogenerator based on lead zirconate titanate (PZT) nanofibers [13]. The PZT nanofibers, with diameters and lengths of approximately 60 nm and 500 μm, respectively, were aligned on interdigitated electrodes of platinum fine wires and packaged using a soft polymer on a silicon substrate. The measured output voltage and power under periodic stress applications to the soft polymer were 1.63 V and 0.03 μW, respectively.