Race as a moderator in a model of sexual harassment: An empirical test.

L. F. Fitzgerald, C. L. Hulin. and F. Drasgow (1995) proposed that victim characteristics, such as race, might moderate the relationships between sexual harassment and its job, psychological, and health status outcomes. This study describes 2 theoretical positions, tokenism and double jeopardy, that could account for this possible moderation by race, as well as the alternative view that no moderating effects exist. The effects of race are empirically examined through simultaneous path analysis. Results indicate that whereas, mean levels of harassment differ across race, the phenomenon of sexual harassment unfolds similarly across races; race is not a moderator of the relationships between sexual harassment and the variables proposed as its antecedents and outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of bending strength between adhesive and steel reinforced concrete with steel only reinforced concrete

Cracking of brittle cementitious composites subjected to excessive loading causes a potential reduction in material performance. Steel bars or metal fibers typically act as tensile reinforcing in concrete composites to increase the material's structural capacity in bending and to delay or prevent matrix cracking.The goal of this research is to determine whether the performance in bending strength and material integrity of a typically reinforced cementitious composite may be improved through the release of “healing” chemicals, such as adhesives, from hollow fibers into cracks induced by loading in addition to the metal reinforcing. Adhesive-filled repair fibers are intended to break immediately upon cracking in the concrete thereby activating the healing process with the release of a sealing or adhering substance. This self-repair occurs whenever and wherever cracks are generated.     

A Demonstration of High-Throughput Electrophoresis

Automating electrophoresis significantly reduces the time required for loading a large number of samples, increases the speed of electrophoresis analysis, and maximizes the resolution power (clear separation of fragments) of this technique. In addition, automation increases the precision of electrophoresis analysis. Here we demonstrate an automated, high-throughput method of loading 96 samples simultaneously onto an electrophoresis gel, using the Apogent Discoveries Tango™ system and the Invitrogen™ E-Gel® 96 system.     

Dietary intake of Senegalese adults

The aim of this work is to identify major food sources and dietary constituents of Senegalese adults. We conducted a cross-sectional study, using a single 24-hour dietary recall interview. Foods were classified into food groups based on similarities in nutrient content or use. Food groups included foods consumed individually, or as part of food mixtures such as stews, soups, or sandwiches. Median consumption (amount/day) of each food was determined and examined by relevant subgroups. Participants were 50 healthy Senegalese men, aged 20-62 years recruited at the Hôpital Général de Grand Yoff in Dakar, Senegal and from Sendou village, a rural area outside Dakar. A total of 90 foods and beverages were identified and classified into 11 groups. Sixty-five percent of foods identified could be classified as meats, grains, or fruits/vegetables. Fruits and vegetables comprised 42% (38/90) of all foods; meats 12% (11/90); and grains 11% (10/90). Sauces (6%, 5/90), sweets (4%, 4/90), and desserts (4%, 4/90) were also reported. The most common fruits/vegetables reported were potato, carrot, mango, and lettuce; commonly reported grains were bread and rice; and commonly reported meats were fish, beef, and ox. There were no differences in reported daily intake of each food by age, ethnicity, education, or residence. Most foods reported were traditional to the Senegalese diet, despite the increasing availability of Western foods in Senegal.     

Intra-amygdala infusion of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist AP5 blocks acquisition but not expression of fear-potentiated startle to an auditory conditioned stimulus.

The fear-potentiated startle paradigm, in which the amplitude of the startle reflex is enhanced in the presence of a stimulus previously paired with footshock, was used to measure aversive conditioning after intra-amygdala infusion of the competitive N-methyl-{d}-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist {dl}-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5). Infusion of 2.5 μg/side AP5 immediately before 5 noise–footshock pairings on each of 2 consecutive days dose-dependently blocked acquisition or consolidation of auditory fear-potentiated startle, consistent with previous results obtained with a visual stimulus. Somatosensory or auditory transmission deficits do not appear to be induced by intra-amygdala AP5, because rats reacted normally to footshocks and showed reliable potentiated startle expression after pretesting AP5 infusion at a dose that blocked acquisition. Together with earlier reports, these data suggest that an NMDA-dependent process localized in or near the amygdala may be necessary for the acquisition of conditioned fear across different sensory modalities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measurements of isoprene-derived organosulfates in ambient aerosols by aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry - part 1: single particle atmospheric observations in Atlanta

Organosulfate species have recently been identified as a potentially significant class of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) species, yet little is known about their behavior in the atmosphere. In this work, organosulfates were observed in individual ambient aerosols using single particle mass spectrometry in Atlanta, GA during the 2002 Aerosol Nucleation and Characterization Experiment (ANARChE) and the 2008 August Mini-Intensive Gas and Aerosol Study (AMIGAS). Organosulfates derived from biogenically produced isoprene were detected as deprotonated molecular ions in negative-ion spectra measured by aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry; comparison to high-resolution mass spectrometry data obtained from filter samples corroborated the peak assignments. The size-resolved chemical composition measurements revealed that organosulfate species were mostly detected in submicrometer aerosols and across a range of aerosols from different sources, consistent with secondary reaction products. Detection of organosulfates in a large fraction of negative-ion ambient spectra - ca. 90-95% during ANARChE and ~65% of submicrometer particles in AMIGAS - highlights the ubiquity of organosulfate species in the ambient aerosols of biogenically influenced urban environments.     

Implementation of targeted interventions to control Escherichia coli O157:H7 in a commercial abattoir

The objective of this study was to define locations on the carcass with highest contamination of E. coli O157 throughout the harvest process and implement targeted interventions to reduce or eliminate contamination. To establish a pathogen baseline, samples were collected at the foreshank, hindshank, inside round, neck and midline area and evaluated for E. coli O157:H7 presence. Environmental samples were also collected in the harvest area and the fabrication area of the facility. E. coli O157:H7 prevalence was highest on the foreshank, hindshank and inside rounds in the baseline study and steam vacuums/cones were implemented as an intervention in these specific areas on the harvest floor. At pre-evisceration, foreshank prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was significantly (P<0.05) reduced from 21.7% to 3.1% after the application of steam interventions. At the final rail, foreshank prevalence in the baseline study was 4.2% while no E. coli O157:H7 was detected post-intervention implementation. E. coli O157:H7 on hindshanks and inside rounds was significantly reduced after intervention implementation from 24.2 to 11.5% and 37.5 to 16.7%, respectively at the final rail. Pathogen contamination of environmental samples collected in fabrication declined from 6.7% to 0.7% after slaughter interventions were implemented. Data indicate the identifying areas of contamination on the carcass and implementing interventions can significantly reduce E. coli O157 on the carcasses and in the fabrication environment.     

Diameter-dependent coloration of silver nanowires

Silver nanowires were synthesized with a green method and characterized with microscopic and diffractometric methods. The correlation between the colors of the nanowires deposited on a solid substrate and their diameters was explored. Silver nanowires that appear similar in color in the optical micrographs have very similar diameters as determined by atomic force microscopy. We have summarized the diameter-dependent coloration for these silver nanowires. An optical interference model was applied to explain such correlation. In addition, microreflectance spectra were obtained from individual nanowires and the observed spectra can be explained with the optical interference theory. This work provides a cheap, quick and simple screening method for studying the diameter distribution of silver nanowires, as well as the diameter variations of individual silver nanowires, without complicated sample preparation.