cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ONBOARD: A Feasibility Study of a Telehealth-Based Continuous Glucose Monitoring Adoption Intervention for Adults with Type 1 Diabetes.

Background: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) can improve glycemic control for adults with Type 1 diabetes but certain barriers interfere with consistent use including: cost; data overload; alarm...
Ending genetic essentialism through genetics education

Summary Genetic concepts are regularly used in arguments about racial inequality. This review summarizes research about the relationship between genetics education and a particular form of racial prejudice known as genetic essentialism. Genetic essentialism is a cognitive form of prejudice that is used to rationalize inequality. Studies suggest that belief in genetic essentialism among genetics students can be increased or decreased based on what students learn about human genetics and why they learn it. Research suggests that genetics education does little to prevent the development of genetic essentialism, and it may even exacerbate belief in it. However, some forms of genetics education can avert this problem. In particular, if instructors teach genetics to help students understand the flaws in genetic essentialist arguments, then it is possible to reduce belief in genetic essentialism among biology students. This review outlines our knowledge about how to accomplish this goal and the research that needs to be done to end genetic essentialism through genetics education.
Complications following total hip arthroplasty and hemiarthroplasty for femoral neck fractures in patients with a history of lumbar spinal fusion.

Introduction The purpose of this study was to examine whether previous lumbar spinal fusion (LSF) was an independent risk factor for complications in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) or hemiarthroplasty for displaced femoral neck fractures. Methods and materials An administrative database was queried from 2010 to Q2 of 2019 to analyze and compare complications in patients undergoing either THA or hemiarthroplasty for femoral neck fracture with a history of LSF versus no history of LSF. Joint complications including periprosthetic fracture, prosthetic joint infection (PJI), prosthetic joint dislocation (PJD), aseptic loosening, and prosthetic revision were examined at 90 days and 1 year post-operatively. Results In the THA cohort, patients with prior LSF had significantly higher likelihood of aseptic loosening at 90 days and 1 year post-operatively in comparison to those without prior LSF (90-day: OR 2.22; 1-year: OR 1.95). Patients in the hemiarthroplasty cohort with prior LSF had significantly higher likelihood of PJI (90-day: OR 2.18; 1-year: OR 2.37), aseptic loosening (90-day: OR 3.42; 1-year: OR 4.68), and prosthetic revision (90-day: OR 2.27; 1-year: OR 2.25) in both the 90-day and 1-year postoperative period in comparison to those without prior LSF. Additionally, for the same cohort, periprosthetic fracture (1-year: OR 2.32) and PJD (1-year: OR 2.31) were significantly higher at 1-year postoperative. Conclusion Presence of LSF was found to be an independent risk factor for increased joint complications in patients undergoing either a THA or hemiarthroplasty for displaced femoral neck fractures.
Forgiveness: A Philosophical Exploration

Nearly everyone has wronged another. Who among us has not longed to be forgiven? Who has not struggled to forgive? Charles Griswold has written the first comprehensive philosophical book on forgiveness in both its interpersonal and political contexts, as well as its relation to reconciliation. Having examined the place of forgiveness in ancient philosophy and in modern thought, he discusses what forgiveness is, what conditions the parties to it must meet, its relation to revenge and hatred, when it is permissible and whether it is obligatory, and why it is a virtue. Griswold argues that forgiveness (unlike apology) is inappropriate in politics, and analyzes the nature and limits of political apology with reference to historical examples (including Truth and Reconciliation Commissions). The book concludes with an examination of the relation between memory, narrative, and truth.
Chapter 21. The Serum Complement System

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the physicochemical properties and biological effects of the serum complement system. Complement was discovered when it was recognized that the bactericidal activity of fresh serum required the participation of at least two factors, which include a heat-stable factor, specific for the particular organism and a second, nonspecific, heat-labile factor designated complement. The binding and cleavage of C4, a beta globulin of molecular weight approximately 250,000, by C1 apparently uncovers another enzymatic site on the C1s fragment, which affects the cleavage of the C2 molecule into at least two fragments. One of the C2 fragments can combine with a fragment of C4 to form a new enzyme, C3 convertase (C42). This C42 enzyme is extremely unstable under physiologic conditions but if C3 is available, it splits the C3 into two fragments, C3a and C3b. C3, a genetically polymorphic protein, is the complement component present in highest concentration in normal serum. Activation of the complement system under appropriate conditions leads to the generation of a number of biologically active fragments that participate in the inflammatory response.
Depression and modernization : A cross-cultural study of women

This study concerns depression among women living in developing and developed parts of the world. Using a continuum of environments conceptualized as ranging from traditional to modern, the goal is to explore the hypothesis that the prevalence of depression will be higher among those living in modern compared to traditional societies. This issue is examined among samples from West Africa and North America. The subjects are 657 women who reside in four locations. An operational definition of modernization is used to place the locales as a continuum in the following order: rural Yorubaland in Nigeria, Yorubas living in urban Nigeria, rural Canada, and urban United States. Variables employed include education, religious orientation, and the role of women as mothers and workers. Depression is assessed using an algorithm based on generally acknowledged criteria. Multivariate logistic regression is used to generate point estimates and confidence intervals for prevalence odds ratios, to adjust for potential confounders, and to assess effect modification. The prevalence of depression was lowest among rural Nigerians and highest among urban residents in the United States. The association of depression with the proposed continuum was strongest among women under the age of 45 who had living children (Odds Ratio: 2.1; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.6–2.9). In the areas studied, a traditional way of life seems to offer protection against some of the stresses associated with modernization although it does not appear to compensate for the adversity of childlessness. Level of modernization may be a useful concept for understanding differences in rates of depression in different parts of the world.
Gene Expression and Early Cell Fate Specification in Embryos of the Purple Sea Urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus)

This chapter focuses on cellular and molecular basis of the initial specification processes that occur in normal embryogenesis. A number of spatially regulated genes of the sea urchin embryo have relatively simple regulatory systems, consisting of a single module. Many of these are expressed in autonomously specified territories. Spatially distinct territories are established relatively early in sea urchin embryogenesis. The four main territories initially specified by blastula stage comprise the skeletogenic territory, the vegetal plate (or endomesodermal) territory, and the oral and aboral ectoderm territories. The cells of a fifth territory, the small micromeres, cease to divide early in embryogenesis but contribute to the coelomic pouches that give rise to the adult rudiment later in development. Founder cells for each territory have been identified and territory-specific genes have been cloned. The large micromeres that result from the second of two consecutive unequal divisions at the vegetal pole are the founder cells of the skeletogenic territory. The large micromeres are irreversibly committed to the skeletogenic pathway from the time they are formed, which is demonstrated by their unalterable pathway of differentiation in standard embryological tests.
COMLEX syntax : A large syntactic dictionary for natural language processing

This article is a detailed account of COMLEX Syntax, an on-line syntactic dictionary of English, developed by the Proteus Project at New York University under the auspices of the Linguistics Data Consortium. This lexicon was intended to be used for a variety of tasks in natural language processing by computer and as such has very detailed classes with a large number of syntactic features and complements for the major parts of speech and is, as far as possible, theory neutral. The dictionary was entered by hand with reference to hard copy dictionaries, an on-line concordance and native speakers‘intuition. Thus it is without prior encumbrances and can be used for both pure research and commercial purposes.
Federal information centers

Abstract The purpose of the Federal Information Center program is to provide the public with a means of access to the government. After a brief summary of the Federal Information Centers Act and the history of the program, the results of a survey questionnaire sent to the 38 FICs are examined as to volume of inquiries handled, source of inquiry and method of inquiry. Also examined is the type of reference tools used, choice and training of personnel, use of government publications and user satisfaction.
Effects of Mass on Wrist Velocities and Accelerations

Upper Extremity Cumulative Trauma Disorders (UECTD) have been linked to risk factors such as frequency, forcefulness, posture and time for rest/recovery. More recently, wrist and forearm movement velocities and accelerations have been identified as significant correlates to UECTD in industrial tasks. In earlier work with biomechanical analysis of Sign Language Interpreting (SLI), we found that SLI involves frequencies, velocities and accelerations of wrist and forearm motions that greatly exceed those noted as UECTD high risk jobs. A primary difference between the workers in the industrial studies and our studies of SLI is that industrial workers typically hold objects in their hands, while in SLI, the hand is empty. In SLI, we have found the maximum velocities and accelerations reach as much as 70 to 80% of the maximum possible values.This study looks at the effect of holding graduated masses on the maximum velocities and accelerations for the wrist joint for the flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviat...
Four steps toward the control of aging: following the example of infectious disease

The biotechnological task of controlling human aging will evidently be complex, given the failure of all simple strategies for accomplishing this task to date. In view of this complexity, a multi-step approach will be necessary. One precedent for a multi-step biotechnological success is the burgeoning control of human infectious diseases from 1840 to 2000. Here we break down progress toward the control of infectious disease into four key steps, each of which have analogs for the control of aging. (1) Agreement about the fundamental nature of the medical problem. (2) Public health measures to mitigate some of the factors that exacerbate the medical problem. (3) Early biotechnological interventions that ward off the more tractable disease etiologies. (4) Deep understanding of the underlying biology of the diseases involved, leading in turn to comprehensive control of the medical problems that they pose. Achievement of all four of these steps has allowed most people who live in Western countries to live largely free of imminent death due to infectious disease. Accomplishing the equivalent feat for aging over this century should lead to a similar outcome for aging-associated disease. Neither infection nor aging will ever be entirely abolished, but they can both be rendered minor causes of death and disability.
Investigating the emotional response to room acoustics: A functional magnetic resonance imaging study

While previous research has demonstrated the powerful influence of pleasant and unpleasant music on emotions, the present study utilizes functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess the positive and negative emotional responses as demonstrated in the brain when listening to music convolved with varying room acoustic conditions. During fMRI scans, subjects rated auralizations created in a simulated concert hall with varying reverberation times. The analysis detected activations in the dorsal striatum, a region associated with anticipation of reward, for two individuals for the highest rated stimulus, though no activations were found for regions associated with negative emotions in any subject.
A formal approach for reverse engineering: a case study

As a program evolves, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand and reason about changes in the source code. Eventually, if enough changes are made, reverse engineering and design recovery techniques must be used in order to understand the current behavior of a system. In this context, the effective use of complementary approaches can facilitate program and system understanding by taking advantage of the relative benefits of different approaches. This paper presents an approach to reverse engineering that combines the use of both informal and formal methods and describes a case study project involving the reverse engineering of a mission control system used by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to command unmanned spacecraft.
Botnets as an Instrument of Warfare

The use of botnets for malicious activities has grown significantly in recent years. Criminals leverage the flexibility and anonymity associated with botnets to harvest personal data, generate spam, distribute malware and launch distributed denial-of-service attacks. These same attributes readily translate to applications that can support operations in warfare. In 2007, distributed denial-of-service attacks launched by botnets targeted IT assets belonging to Estonian banks, newspapers and parliament. This paper explores the use of botnets as instruments of warfare. Seven scenarios are used to demonstrate how traditional applications of botnets such as spam, theft of resources and distributed denial-of-service attacks can have implications across the spectrum of warfare. Additionally, the paper discusses the ethical and political concerns associated with the use of botnets by nation states.
Food Components and Caries

For many decades, sugars have been the dietary constituents receiving the most attention in relation to their effects on dental caries. Frequently, however, there is little relationship between the amount of sugar in a food and its ability to induce caries. Therefore, it is clear that constituents in the diet can influence the ability of plaque to lower the pH of sugar solutions. For instance, replacing sugar in foods with xylitol, sorbitol, saccharin, or aspartame may lead to a reduction in the incidence of dental caries. All these sugar substitutes are non-cariogenic, and some may possess cariostatic properties. The presence of arginine-rich proteins in the diet may provide a ready source of this amino acid, which is the substrate for the arginine deiminase pathway which can result in a rapid elevation of plaque pH values. Proline can act as an acceptor for protons from lactate in the Stickland reaction. This is a major but much-neglected metabolic pathway in dental plaque. The presence of fat in experimental diets has been shown to affect their cariogenicity. The effects have been ascribed to enhanced clearance of sugars from the mouth. It is also conceivable that several fatty acids express a potent antibacterial effect. The presence of calcium and phosphorus has been shown to influence the cariogenicity of foods; the effect, however, is restricted to the food containing the minerals. Evidence suggests that pyridoxine (vitamin B6) may exert a cariostatic effect by enhancing decarboxylation activity in dental plaque. It is clear that sugar alone is not the sole determinant of whether food is cariogenic. Furthermore, myriad substances may hinder or enhance the caries-promoting properties of sugars in the diet.
Adapted Tango Improves Mobility, Motor-Cognitive Function, and Gait but Not Cognition in Older Adults in Independent Living.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of adapted tango for improving mobility, motor-cognitive function, and gait; to determine whether former dance experience was associated with improvements; and to evaluate participant satisfaction, changes in depression, and quality of life. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental, two-group, repeated-measures preintervention, postintervention, and 3-month postintervention study. SETTING: Diverse senior independent living communities in an urban metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 59 to 95 (73% aged 80 and older; 31% nonwhite, 72% female) (N = 74). INTERVENTION: Participants were assigned to 20 sessions of 90-minute tango (n = 62) or health education (n = 12) classes over 12 weeks. MEASUREMENTS: Mobility, motor-cognitive function, gait, cognition, and psychosocial function were evaluated before, immediately after, and 3 months after the intervention. Two (groups) by two (before and after) repeated-measures analyses of variance with post hoc comparisons were used to evaluate differences in primary analyses. Secondary analyses from immediately after to 3 months after were used to examine the data for retention of any gains. RESULTS: Forty-four tango and 10 education participants completed 20 sessions. Significant group by time interactions revealed that tango improved mobility (P =.006), backward and fast gait speeds (P CONCLUSION: Adapted tango may improve mobility, gait and motor-cognitive function more than health education classes in older adults. Further research is necessary to confirm these findings. Language: en
Photographic depictions of the self: Gender and age differences in social connectedness

With primarily (88%) Caucasian participants, the autophotography method [R. C. Ziller (1990), Photographing the Self, Newbury Park, California: Sage] was used to test for gender differences in social connectedness as hypothesized by a number of scholars [e.g., M. F. Belenky, B. M. Clinchy, N. R. Goldberger, and J. M. Tarule (1986), Women's Ways of Knowing, New York: Basic Books; N. Chodorow (1978), The Reproduction of Mothering, Berkeley: University of California Press; C. Gilligan (1982), In a Different Voice, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; J. V. Jordan (1991), “The Relational Self: A New Perspective for Understanding Women's Development,” in J. Strauss and G. R. Goethals (Eds.), The Self: Interdisciplinary Approaches, New York: Springer-Verlag; N. P. Lyons (1983), “Two Perspectives: On Self, Relationships, and Mortality,” Harvard Educational Review, Vol. 53, pp. 125–145]. Relative to men (N=59), women (N=142) included more pictures of self-with-others, people smiling, people touching, groups of people, and family in their autophotographic essays. Relative to women, men had more photos of the self-alone and more photos involving physical activity and motor vehicles. Age trends suggested (a) increasing connectedness among women but not among men, and (b) greater transcendence of temporal and material concerns for both genders. When taken together with past findings employing more verbal methods, the results provide compelling evidence that women define themselves in more socially connected terms whereas men's self-definitions emphasize the quality of separateness.
Modeling and genetic-algorithm-based piezoelectric actuator configuration optimization of an adaptive circular composite plate

This paper presents an advanced strategy to determine the optimal configuration of piezoelectric actuators embedded in an adaptive circular composite plate (ACCP) with one central support and three simply supports on the edges for active vibration suppression. The modeling strategy combines the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and the transfer function estimation technique taking into account the effects of piezoelectric patches on the dynamics of the structures. To obtain the optimal actuator locations coupled with the control law, the linear quadric regulator (LQR) is chosen as a controller to achieve maximum structural vibration suppression with minimum control energy consumption, where the norm-2 of the LQR optimal feedback gain vector is set as the objective function of the optimization strategy. Due to their effectiveness in searching optimal design parameters and obtaining globally optimal solution, the Genetic Algorithms (GAs) are applied to fmd the optimal actuator configuration and placement among 8 possible configurations. Finally, several simulations are performed using the LQR with five typical actuators configurations including the optimal configuration given by the GAs. The results show that a substantial saving in the objective function as well as a significant vibration reduction can be obtained when the optimal configuration of the actuators is adopted.
The use of antenatal vitamin K in the prevention of early neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage.

To establish the effect of antenatal vitamin K on the incidence and severity of intraventricular hemorrhage, 92 patients destined to deliver infants 1 intramuscularly every 5 days until delivery. Group II received no antenatal vitamin K 1 therapy. There were 100 neonates p p
Extrapolation methods for setting ecological standards for water quality: statistical and ecological concerns

: Extrapolation methods form the basis for most recent techniques used to set 'safe' levels of toxicants for ecosystems. Most methods use information from several single species toxicity tests to predict safety factors for protecting all species in all communities in a nation or group of nations. There are a number of statistical and ecological concerns with this approach. These include assumptions about the shape of the distribution of tolerance to a toxicant, the ability to extrapolate information on laboratory species and condition to field species and condition and to the condition of communities and ecosystems, and assumptions about the appropriateness of laboratory measures relative to ecosystem measures. The approach has not been validated for safety and, before the approach is fully applied, needs to be validated. Other methods can be used with the extrapolation approach to reduce uncertainties.
Effects of natural and field-simulated blooms of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum upon hemocytes of eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, from two different populations

Oysters, Crassostrea virginica, from two populations, one from a coastal pond experiencing repeated dinoflagellate blooms (native), and the other from another site where blooms have not been observed (non-native), were analyzed for cellular immune system profiles before and during natural and simulated (by adding cultured algae to natural plankton) blooms of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum. Significant differences in hemocytes between the two oyster populations, before and after the blooms, were found with ANOVA, principal components analysis (PCA) and ANOVA applied to PCA components. Stress associated with blooms of P. minimum included an increase in hemocyte number, especially granulocytes and small granulocytes, and an increase in phagocytosis associated with a decrease in aggregation and mortality of the hemocytes, as compared with oysters in pre-bloom analyses. Non-native oysters constitutively had a hemocyte profile more similar to that induced by P. minimum than that of native oysters, but this profile did not impart increased resistance. The effect of P. minimum on respiratory burst was different according to the origin of the oysters, with the dinoflagellate causing a 35% increase in the respiratory burst of the native oysters but having no effect on that of the non-native oysters. Increased respiratory burst in hemocytes of native oysters exposed to P. minimum in both simulated and natural blooms may represent an adaptation to annual blooms whereby surviving native oysters protect themselves against tissue damage from ingested P. minimum.
Mechanisms for interactions between organic molecules and paramagnetic relaxation reagents

Abstract Measurements of 13C spin—lattice relaxation times for a number of representatives organic compounds in the presence of paramagnetic β-diketone derivatives of Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, and Gd are reported and discussed in terms of several possible interaction mechanisms. Hydrogen bonding, metal—ligand coordination, and electrostatic effects modulated by contributing steric effects are indicated as causes for substrate—chelate complexation. When no specific complexation occurs, the observed relaxation results from electron-nuclear dipole—dipole interactions modulated by translational motion and also under some conditions, the electronic relaxation. Specific complexation or orientation of the substrate around the chelate leads to enhanced relaxation rates dependent on the degree of substrate—chelate interaction. This can be modified by other competitive interactions around the chelate or in the bulk of the solution. At practical doping concentrations the limiting relaxation rate is dependent only on the chelate concentration and the substrate-chelate complex equilibrium constant.
Hospitality Undergraduate Students' Career Choices and Factors Influencing Commitment to the Profession

Given the high turnover rates in the hospitality industry, there is a need to better understand our potential employees - hospitality undergraduate students and their career expectations. This study collected data from 360 hospitality undergraduate students and identified factors that impact their career choices and commitment to the profession. Regression analysis revealed four variables (gender, current employment status, career decision self-efficacy, and career outcome expectation) as strong indicators in predicting hospitality graduates' retention in the industry. Results also indicated that hospitality students who believed they have compatible competence skills and relevant work experiences were more committed to their career choices.
Automated angular momentum recoupling algebra

Abstract We present a set of heuristic rules for algebraic solution of angular momentum recoupling problems. The general problem reduces to that of finding an optimal path from one binary tree (representing the angular momentum coupling scheme for the reduced matrix element) to another (representing the sub-integrals and spin sums to be done). The method lends itself to implementation on a microcomputer, and we have developed such an implementation using a dialect of LISP. We describe both how our code, called RACAH, works and how it appears to the user. We illustrate the use of RACAH for several transition and scattering amplitude matrix elements occurring in atomic, nuclear, and particle physics.
Microscale testing of the strut in open cell aluminum foams

This paper presents the results of micro-tensile testing of the individual struts that were extracted from open cell aluminum foams in the as-fabricated (F), annealed (O) and T6-strengthened (T6) conditions. The results reveal that foam struts are generally stronger and more dutile than the corresponding solid alloys under the same heat treatment conditions. The distinguished strut properties are attributed to the unique grain structures of the struts typically consisting of one grain or having bamboo-like grain structure. The measured strut strengths are also incorporated into mechanics models to estimate foam strengths. A comparison of the predicted and measured foam strengths shows that direct measurement of strut properties is critical to make precise estimation of foam strengths.
Scanning infrared radiometer for measuring the air-sea temperature difference.

We describe a vertically scanning infrared radiometer for measuring the air–sea temperature difference without disturbing the water skin layer. The radiometer operates with a single wavelength channel that is 1.1 µm wide, centered on 14.2 µm, on the short-wavelength edge of a CO2 atmospheric absorption band. The resulting high atmospheric absorption enables calibration of the horizontal-viewing signal with an in situ air-temperature sensor. The signal at all other scan angles is measured relative to that at the horizontal, providing a differential air–sea temperature measurement that is nearly independent of calibration offsets that can be a problem with independent air- and water-temperature sensors. We show data measured on a ship in the Tropical Western Pacific Ocean during July 1999, which exhibit important discrepancies from in situ data using bulk air- and water-temperature sensors. These discrepancies illustrate important differences between bulk versus skin water temperature.
Modeling river/reservoir system management, water allocation, and supply reliability

The state of Texas has implemented a modeling system for assessing the availability and reliability of water resources that consists of a generalized simulation model called the Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP) and input datasets for the state's 23 river basins. Reservoir/river system management and water allocation practices are simulated using historical naturalized monthly streamflow sequences to represent basin hydrology. Institutional systems for allocating streamflow and reservoir storage resources among numerous water users are considered in detail in evaluating basinwide impacts of water management decisions. The generalized WRAP model is a flexible tool that may be applied to river basins anywhere. The Texas experience in implementing a statewide modeling system illustrates issues that are relevant to water management in many other regions of the world.
The Wool Industry in New England

(1951). The Wool Industry in New England. Review of Social Economy: Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 137-145.
Heterostructured fluorohectorite clay as an electrochemical sensor for the detection of 2,4-dichlorophenol and the herbicide 2,4-D

A mixed-ion, amphiphilic fluorohectorite heterostructure, wherein the galleries are regularly interstratified by hydrophilic inorganic ions (Na + ) and lipophilic onium ions, is shown to be an efficient electrochemical sensor for the specific determination of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and the pollutant 2,4-dicholorophenol (2,4-DCP) when incorporated at the 5 wt % level into a carbon paste electrode (CPE). The clay-modified electrode was substantially less sentive to herbicides that lack the aromatic hydroxyl groups needed for oxidation to a quinone (e.g., Illoxan and Furore). Conventional homoionic organoclays with all galleries exclusively occupied by an onium ion surfactant exhibited a lower electrochemical response to 2,4-D and 2,4-DCP oxidation when incorporated into a CPE. Similarly, low current responses were observed for a CPE modified with a homostructured mixed-ion montmorillonite clay with both inorganic ions and organic onium ions cooccuping each clay gallery. The electrochemical response observed for the mixed-ion fluorohectorite heterostructure was attributed to the ability of this unique clay intercalate to achieve electrical neutrality upon oxidation of the dichlorophenoxy moiety through the facile ejection of sodium ions from the segregated inorganic galleries.
Territorial rank in starlings

Abstract The starling ( Sturnus vulgaris ) presents some unusual aggressive behaviour patterns that may clarify the relation of territorial behaviour to rank behaviour. Birds were observed (600 hours) under natural conditions throughout the year at nest boxes. In addition birds in large cages were examined. The vocabulary is varied. The male has two aggressive calls and three calls to attract the female. In addition each male has an individual song and of course alarm and flock calls. The female has several calls as well as the alarm and flock calls. The aggressive behaviour in captivity consists of “crowing” and puffing the throat while the birds are perched side by side. This occurs in the absence of a nest box and occasionally may culminate in a fight. In wild birds the same behaviour occurs at various places but usually near a box. “Wing-waving” is a means of advertisement to a male or to a female that the nest hole belongs to a bird. Defensive behaviour begins in September and is maintained at low intensity till March. It increases before pairing in April and then declines. Pairing occurs about five days before laying. No territorial behaviour of the conventional kind has been observed. The males and females drive other males away from nest holes in the same manner that is used to establish rank in cages. From this evidence it is suggested that territory is really a special case of social rank.
Red-backed vole brain promotes highly efficient in vitro amplification of abnormal prion protein from macaque and human brains infected with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease agent.

Rapid antemortem tests to detect individuals with transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) would contribute to public health. We investigated a technique known as protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) to amplify abnormal prion protein (PrPTSE) from highly diluted variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)-infected human and macaque brain homogenates, seeking to improve the rapid detection of PrPTSE in tissues and blood. Macaque vCJD PrPTSE did not amplify using normal macaque brain homogenate as substrate (intraspecies PMCA). Next, we tested interspecies PMCA with normal brain homogenate of the southern red-backed vole (RBV), a close relative of the bank vole, seeded with macaque vCJD PrPTSE. The RBV has a natural polymorphism at residue 170 of the PrP-encoding gene (N/N, S/S, and S/N). We investigated the effect of this polymorphism on amplification of human and macaque vCJD PrPTSE. Meadow vole brain (170N/N PrP genotype) was also included in the panel of substrates tested. Both humans and macaques have the same 170S/S PrP genotype. Macaque PrPTSE was best amplified with RBV 170S/S brain, although 170N/N and 170S/N were also competent substrates, while meadow vole brain was a poor substrate. In contrast, human PrPTSE demonstrated a striking narrow selectivity for PMCA substrate and was successfully amplified only with RBV 170S/S brain. These observations suggest that macaque PrPTSE was more permissive than human PrPTSE in selecting the competent RBV substrate. RBV 170S/S brain was used to assess the sensitivity of PMCA with PrPTSE from brains of humans and macaques with vCJD. PrPTSE signals were reproducibly detected by Western blot in dilutions through 10-12 of vCJD-infected 10% brain homogenates. This is the first report showing PrPTSE from vCJD-infected human and macaque brains efficiently amplified with RBV brain as the substrate. Based on our estimates, PMCA showed a sensitivity that might be sufficient to detect PrPTSE in vCJD-infected human and macaque blood.
Implications of new findings in the lamina cribrosa

Advances in ocular imaging have permitted increasingly improving visualization of the lamina cribrosa (LC). Newer imaging methods including enhanced depth imaging (EDI) optical coherence tomography...
Aging and Caloric Restriction Affect Mitochondrial Respiration and Lipid Membrane Status: An Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Investigation

Previous studies have indicated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are likely involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). ROS, generated by succinate-stimulated mitochondria, have been reported to be spin trapped and detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Our aim in the current study was to study the impact of aging on the effect of increased metabolic stimuli on mitochondrial respiration in terms of oxy-radical generation and possible lipid peroxidative changes in brain neocortical membranes. A mixed population of brain synaptosomes and mitochondria from brown norway male rats of differing ages being fed either ad lib (AL) or a caloric-restricted diet (DR) was prepared and labeled with 5-nitroxyl stearate (5-NS), a membrane lipid-specific spin label. The changes in anisotropic motion of the intercalated 5-NS spin probe also allows one to evaluate the status of the membrane fluidity in the lipid microenvironment via the order parameter. Upon succinate stimulation of mitochondria, the ROS generated resulted in a decrease in the EPR signal amplitude of the 5-NS reporter molecule indicative of the flux of oxy-radicals produced and possible peroxidation-induced changes in the synaptosomal lipid membrane. The line width remained constant, indicating that the overall intensity was reduced. The results showed a significant overall age effect in the ability to generate oxygen-derived radicals following metabolic stimulation (p < .0001). Stimulation of state 4 mitochondrial respiration with 20 mM succinate resulted in greater oxy-radical production in 25-month-old animals as compared to younger animals, suggesting increased mitochondrial leakage with age. Free radical stress induced by metabolic stimulation also causes a concomitant increase in membrane fluidity (p < .0001). There was also a significant age effect (p < .0007) on the order parameter of the mixed population of membranes. Although caloric restriction attenuated the membrane rigidization caused by aging, it was found to play a role in limiting the oxy-radical production following metabolic stimulation of mitochondria. The overall effect of age on membrane spin-label intensities EPR signal upon succinate stimulation suggests that progressive mitochondrial dysfunction may be a key factor in the aging process and in development of age-associated diseases.
Observations on the etiology of acute bronchiolitis in infants

The etiology of acute bronchiolitis was investigated by comparing the viruses and bacteria isolated from the upper respiratory tract of 58 children with bronchiolitis and 128 healthy controls. The only virus demonstrated in significant relation to this syndrome was respiratory syncytial virus which was isolated from 55 per cent of the bronchiolitis patients and from none of the controls. Pneumococci, hemolytic streptococci, and Hemophilus influenzae were found with comparable frequency in both groups. There was significantly less frequent isolation of alpha hemolytic streptococci and Staphylococcus aureus and more frequent isolation of organisms of the coli-aerogenes group from the patients with bronchiolitis as compared with the controls.
Modeling the electrode–neuron interface of cochlear implants: Effects of neural survival, electrode placement, and the partial tripolar configuration

The partial tripolar electrode configuration is a relatively novel stimulation strategy that can generate more spatially focused electric fields than the commonly used monopolar configuration. Focused stimulation strategies should improve spectral resolution in cochlear implant users, but may also be more sensitive to local irregularities in the electrode-neuron interface. In this study, we develop a practical computer model of cochlear implant stimulation that can simulate neural activation in a simplified cochlear geometry and we relate the resulting patterns of neural activity to basic psychophysical measures. We examine how two types of local irregularities in the electrode-neuron interface, variations in spiral ganglion nerve density and electrode position within the scala tympani, affect the simulated neural activation patterns and how these patterns change with electrode configuration. The model shows that higher partial tripolar fractions activate more spatially restricted populations of neurons at all current levels and require higher current levels to excite a given number of neurons. We find that threshold levels are more sensitive at high partial tripolar fractions to both types of irregularities, but these effects are not independent. In particular, at close electrode-neuron distances, activation is typically more spatially localized which leads to a greater influence of neural dead regions.
Autonomous Detection of Dust Devils and Clouds on Mars

Acquisition of science in space applications is shifting from teleoperated gathering to an automated on-board analysis with improvements in the use of memory, CPU, bandwidth and data quality. In this paper, we describe algorithms to autonomously detect dust devils and clouds from a rover and summarize the results. The algorithms meet high hit-to-miss ratios and satisfy strict resource constraints. Both detectors have been uploaded to the Mars exploration rovers (MER). These are the first autonomous science processes in the rovers.
The Function of Brachioradialis

Purpose The function of the brachioradialis muscle is controversial. The objective of this study was to determine primary and secondary functions of the brachioradialis under various loading tasks as measured by EMG. Methods Ten healthy individuals (9 men, 1 woman; average age, 34 years ± 10; average height, 175 cm ± 7; average weight, 76 kg ± 13) performed elbow flexion with the forearm in 1 of 3 positions (neutral, pronation, and supination) with 4 different loads (0, 22, 45, and 67 N). The elbow was flexed to 90° as the volunteers performed 2 separate movements: (1) from full supination to neutral and (2) from full pronation to neutral using 4 different loads (0, 9, 18, and 27 N). Each movement started and ended in supination and pronation, respectively. Fine-wire EMG electrodes were placed in the brachioradialis, and kinematic data were collected using an electromagnetic motion analysis system. The EMG data were reported as a percentage of maximal voluntary isometric contraction and were ensemble averaged from 5 trials of each exercise condition for statistical analysis. Results No difference in muscular activation was found during elbow flexion tasks in the 3 forearm positions. Significantly greater activation was found during concentric (23% maximal voluntary isometric contractions ± 5% maximal voluntary isometric contractions) than during eccentric (11% maximal voluntary isometric contractions ± 5% maximal voluntary isometric contractions) phases during elbow flexion. Brachioradialis mean activity during concentric pronation and eccentric supination with the heaviest loads 18 and 27 N was significantly greater than activity during concentric supination and eccentric pronation. Conclusions The greatest EMG activity recorded from the brachioradialis occurs during elbow flexion tasks regardless of forearm position indicating that the primary function of the brachioradialis is as a consistent elbow stabilizer during flexion tasks. During rotational tasks, more EMG activity was recorded during pronation compared with that during supination tasks indicating a secondary function of the brachioradialis as a pronator.
Assessing patient wellness: new perspectives on quality of life and compliance

Hypertension remains a major contemporary health problem in the United States despite being one of the most prevalent chronic diseases for which treatment is readily available. In spite of increased public awareness, active preventative campaigns, and notable progress in antihypertensive pharmacologic therapies, many patients remain untreated or inadequately treated. The reasons for this relative management failure are complex and multifactorial, and include the effects that pharmacologic agents have on quality of life. A patient's overall level of well-being and perception of functional capacity may be more sensitive to the pharmacologic effects of antihypertensive agents than previously recognized. Compliance, frequently related to a patient's sense of deterioration in quality of life secondary to medical treatment, may well be the ultimate determinate of success with any antihypertensive regimen. Therefore, it is essential that clinicians implement pharmacologic therapy that balances biophysiologic needs with quality-of-life considerations to achieve the most successful and viable patient outcomes.
Effects of mammalian corticotropin and progesterone on corticoid production by chicken adrenal tissue in vitro

Mammalian ACTH and/or progesterone increased both corticosterone and aldosterone production by chicken adrenal tissue in vitro. Corticosterone secretion under the several treatments was of the following order: control < ACTH < progesterone < ACTH and progesterone; aldosterone secretion was of the following order: control < progesterone < ACTH ≤ ACTH and progesterone. The data indicate that the ability of ACTH to increase aldosterone secretion is not an artifact of the in vitro method of investigation reflecting an increased pool of corticosterone in the medium and its conversion to aldosterone, but instead represents, at least in part, a direct action of ACTH on aldosterone secretion.
Childhood Obstructive Sleep Apnea Associates with Neuropsychological Deficits and Neuronal Brain Injury

Background Childhood obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with neuropsychological deficits of memory, learning, and executive function. There is no evidence of neuronal brain injury in children with OSA. We hypothesized that childhood OSA is associated with neuropsychological performance dysfunction, and with neuronal metabolite alterations in the brain, indicative of neuronal injury in areas corresponding to neuropsychological function. Methods and Findings We conducted a cross-sectional study of 31 children (19 with OSA and 12 healthy controls, aged 6–16 y) group-matched by age, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Participants underwent polysomnography and neuropsychological assessments. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging was performed on a subset of children with OSA and on matched controls. Neuropsychological test scores and mean neuronal metabolite ratios of target brain areas were compared. Relative to controls, children with severe OSA had significant deficits in IQ and executive functions (verbal working memory and verbal fluency). Children with OSA demonstrated decreases of the mean neuronal metabolite ratio N-acetyl aspartate/choline in the left hippocampus (controls: 1.29, standard deviation [SD] 0.21; OSA: 0.91, SD 0.05; p = 0.001) and right frontal cortex (controls: 2.2, SD 0.4; OSA: 1.6, SD 0.4; p = 0.03). Conclusions Childhood OSA is associated with deficits of IQ and executive function and also with possible neuronal injury in the hippocampus and frontal cortex. We speculate that untreated childhood OSA could permanently alter a developing child's cognitive potential.
Variational calculations of the excited-state fusion parameters of the (dt micro) system.

The energies, muon--alpha-particle sticking probabilities, and the fusion rates have been calculated for the J=0, \ensuremath{\nu}=1 and the J=1, \ensuremath{\nu}=1 states of the (dt\ensuremath{\mu}) system. The results for the J=0, \ensuremath{\nu}=1 state generally agree with previous calculations using the adiabatic representation basis. The muon--alpha-particle sticking probability is obtained for the J=1, \ensuremath{\nu}=1 state for the first time. A small muon--alpha-particle sticking probability obtained for this state raises interesting possibilities for muon-catalyzed fusion.