Has Hosiery Become Your Hobby?

All year long, when one pauses to remember that futures are bound to occur, the anticipation of a new wardrobe is a source of tingling wee thrills

The Art of Garnishing Foods

Good pictures deserve good frames, and the success of dinners depend largely upon the way in which they are put onto the table. Linens, glassware, china and silver all are necessary accompaniments and in the arrangement of foods in an attractive way, the artistic taste of the hostess is shown

Analysis of Whistling Patterns in the Eastern Bob-White, Colinus v. virginianus L.

The cheery whistle of the male bob-white, Colinus v. virgmzanus L., is a familiar and welcome sign of spring wherever this species occurs. Game biologists have made practical use of the bob-white\u27s whistle by using roadside counts of whistling bob-whites as a means of estimating changes in relative abundance from year to year (Bennitt, 1951) . As devised by Bennitt for use in Missouri, the roadside whistle counts required the services of a large number of observers. Each obsnver was assigned a predetermined station consisting of about thirty miles of all-weather road within a major soil type. Counts were made during the first hour after sunrise on any two calm, dry days between July 13-19. The first observation was made at the starting point at sunrise. The observer recorded the number of bob-whites heard whistling. Thereafter the observer stopped at one-mile intervals along his assigned route during the hour, counting the whistling birds at each stop. At the beginning and end of the hour he recorded air temperature, cloudiness, and wind velocity, and at each stop he recorded type of road, time, and mileage

Dimensionality Reduction for k-Means Clustering and Low Rank Approximation

We show how to approximate a data matrix $\mathbf{A}$ with a much smaller sketch $\mathbf{\tilde A}$ that can be used to solve a general class of constrained k-rank approximation problems to within $(1+\epsilon)$ error. Importantly, this class of problems includes $k$-means clustering and unconstrained low rank approximation (i.e. principal component analysis). By reducing data points to just $O(k)$ dimensions, our methods generically accelerate any exact, approximate, or heuristic algorithm for these ubiquitous problems. For $k$-means dimensionality reduction, we provide $(1+\epsilon)$ relative error results for many common sketching techniques, including random row projection, column selection, and approximate SVD. For approximate principal component analysis, we give a simple alternative to known algorithms that has applications in the streaming setting. Additionally, we extend recent work on column-based matrix reconstruction, giving column subsets that not only `cover' a good subspace for \bv{A}, but can be used directly to compute this subspace. Finally, for $k$-means clustering, we show how to achieve a $(9+\epsilon)$ approximation by Johnson-Lindenstrauss projecting data points to just $O(\log k/\epsilon^2)$ dimensions. This gives the first result that leverages the specific structure of $k$-means to achieve dimension independent of input size and sublinear in $k$

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThis research describes the male sexual self-schema, or the way men conceptualize their sexual identity. The study uses as its basis Brooks' five-theme description of heterosexual male sexuality referred to as "The Centerfold Syndrome," namely, voyeurism, objectification, the need for validation, trophyism, and the fear of true intimacy. Self-schemas derive from past experience, affect current experiences, and facilitate the processing of sexual information. Using these concepts, this study addressed the question: how do men understand their own sexual self-schemas? Perspectives 20 gay, 20 bisexual men, and 20 heterosexual men were drawn together using a grounded theory methodology. In addition, 29 of the interviewees participated in three focus-group discussions to confirm the relevance of the evolving model with their experiences. These men discussed elements of relationships with men, relationships with women, and also attitudes about themselves that contribute to their ideas about sexuality. A detailed model emerged that depicted the behaviors and attitudes participants experienced as part of the male script. Additionally, men discussed the situations that caused them to consider reconstruction of these schemas. The resulting model may be used by clinicians to conceptualize men's presenting problems, as well as plan treatment that produces the most benefit and the least harm to male clients

The alchemy of ideas

This article presents an assessment of the power of ideas and their role in initiating change and progress. The enormous potential cascade effect is illustrated by examining the movement of Modernism in the arts. Next, the immense scope and capabilities of the modern scientific endeavor—with robotic space exploration at the scale of 10⁹ meters at one extreme and the wonders of nanoscience at the scale of 10⁻⁹ m at the other—are examined. The attitudes and philosophies of neurological surgery are related to those involved in the Modernist movement and placed on the defined scale of contemporary scientific activity

Neurological impacts from inhalation of pollutants and the nose–brain connection

The effects of inhaled particles have focused heavily on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Most studies have focused on inhaled metals, whereas less information is available for other particle types regarding the effects on the brain and other extra-pulmonary organs. We review here the key available literature on nanoparticle uptake and transport through the olfactory pathway, the experimental data from animal and in vitro studies, and human epidemiological observations. Nanoparticles (\u3c0.1µm in one dimension) may easily reach the brain from the respiratory tract via sensory neurons and transport from the distal alveoli into the blood or lymph as free particles or inside phagocytic cells. These mechanisms and subsequent biologic responses may be influenced by the chemical composition of inhaled particles. Animal studies with ambient particulate matter and certain other particles show alterations in neuro-inflammatory markers of oxidative stress and central neurodegeneration. Human observations indicate motor, cognitive, and behavioral changes especially after particulate metal exposure in children. Exposure to co-pollutants and/or underlying disease states could also impact both the biokinetics and effects of airborne particles in the brain. Data are needed from the areas of inhalation, neurology, and metal toxicology in experimental and human studies after inhalation exposure. An increased understanding of the neurotoxicity associated with air pollution exposure is critical to protect susceptible individuals in the workplace and the general population

Epidermal growth factor receptor (ErbB1) expression in prostate cancer progression: Correlation with androgen independence

BACKGROUND The role of the epidermal growth factor receptor (ErbB1) in the progression of prostate cancer is incompletely understood. METHODS Tissue microarrays from hormone-naive and advanced androgen-independent tumors were used to investigate the role of ErbB1 in prostate cancer progression. RESULTS ErbB1 expression in tumor tissues was strongly associated with hormone-refractory status (odds ratio = 6.67, 95% CI = (2.6, 17.4), P  = 0.0001). However, ErbB1 overexpression was not a statistically significant covariate in a multivariate proportional hazards model for biochemical failure of hormone-naÏve prostate cancer. Moreover, ErbB1 overexpression was not associated with tumor differentiation ( P  = 0.44), positive margins ( P  = 0.53), seminal vesicle invasion ( P  = 0.69), extraprostatic extension ( P  = 0.10), or preoperative PSA ( P  = 0.18) in the hormone-naÏve group. CONCLUSIONS These findings are consistent with a model in which ErbB1 expression increases during the development of the androgen-independent state, and suggest that drugs targeted toward ErbB signaling could be of therapeutic relevance in the management of advanced prostatic carcinoma. Prostate 66: 1437–1444, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55786/1/20460_ftp.pd