cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Allergic rhinitis in Rochester, Minnesota residents with asthma: Frequency and impact on health care charges ☆ ☆☆ ★

Abstract Background: Asthma is a common and costly condition. Concomitant asthma and allergic rhinitis (AR) have been shown to increase the medication costs for people with asthma. No studies have compared medical care costs of those with and without concomitant AR. Objectives: We sought to determine the prevalence and incremental medical care costs of concomitant AR. Methods: For each member of a population-based asthma cohort, we used all their medical charts within Olmsted County to record age at first diagnosis of asthma; the presence and age of any diagnosis of AR; and the total, ambulatory, and respiratory care–related costs of medical care. Costs were compared for age- and sex-specific strata of people with asthma who did and did not have AR. Results: AR was most commonly diagnosed in people whose asthma was diagnosed before age 25 (prevalence of 59%) and uncommonly diagnosed in anyone after age 40 (prevalence Conclusions: Physicians should consider the diagnosis of AR (prevalence >50%) in all symptomatic children and young adults with asthma. Further evaluation is necessary to evaluate the ability of treatment to decrease the incremental costs of AR in persons with asthma. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;103:54-9.)
Study of thermal flows from two-dimensional, upward-facing isothermal surfaces using a laser speckle photography technique

A laser specklegram or speckle photography technique allows a direct measurement of surface temperature gradients and provides a full field interrogation with an extremely high resolution from a single data taking. The specklegram technique has been successfully applied to investigate the natural convection heat transfer from an upward-facing isothermal plate. For a plate with a large aspect ratio of 15, both local and global Nusselt numbers have been determined from the direct measurement of local temperature gradients. The Rayleigh number, based on the length scale equivalent to the ratio of the surface area to the perimeter, has been varied from 9.0 × 103 to 4.0 × 104. The present result for the global heat transfer has shown that a 1/5-power law, i.e., Nu = C1 Ra 1/5, correlates the data more properly whilst previously published results showed a large scatter in the exponent, ranging from 1/8-power to 1/4-power. The proportional constant, C1 has been determined to be 0.56 which shows a fairly good agreement with previously published theoretical results. The laser specklegram technique has shown a strong potential as a powerful and convenient method for an experimental assessment of natural convection heat transfer problems. The specklegram technique at the same time has eliminated the deficiencies of both the mass transfer analogy technique and the classical heat transfer measurement technique.
A bacterial hemerythrin domain regulates the activity of a Vibrio cholerae diguanylate cyclase.

The first demonstrated example of a regulatory function for a bacterial hemerythrin (Bhr) domain is reported. Bhrs have a characteristic sequence motif providing ligand residues for a type of non-heme diiron site that is known to bind O2 and undergo autoxidation. The amino acid sequence encoded by the VC1216 gene from Vibrio cholerae O1 biovar El Tor str. N16961 contains an N-terminal Bhr domain connected to a C-terminal domain characteristic of bacterial diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) that catalyze formation of cyclic di-(3′,5′)-guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) from GTP. This protein, Vc Bhr-DGC, was found to contain two tightly bound non-heme iron atoms per protein monomer. The as-isolated protein showed the spectroscopic signatures of oxo/dicarboxylato-bridged non-heme diferric sites of previously characterized Bhr domains. The diiron site was capable of cycling between diferric and diferrous forms, the latter of which was stable only under anaerobic conditions, undergoing rapid autoxidation upon being ...
Performance of journal bearings with semi-compressible fluids

Cryogenic fluids in isothermal rigid surface and foil type journal bearings can sometimes be treated as semicompressible fluids. In these applications, the fluid density is a function of the pressure. At low pressures, the fluids can change from a liquid to a saturated liquid-vapor phase. The performance of a rigid surface journal bearing with an idealized semicompressible fluid is discussed. Pressure solutions are based upon a Reynolds equation which includes the effects of a compressibility via the bulk modulus of the fluid. Results are contrasted with the performance of isothermal constant property incompressible fluids.
Unusual responses of nocturnal pineal melatonin synthesis and secretion to swimming: attempts to define mechanisms.

: The effect of swimming at night on rat pineal melatonin synthesis was compared with that of light exposure at night. Rats were forced to swim at 0030 hr (lights out at 2000 hr) and sacrificed by decapitation 15 and 30 min later, immediately after swimming. Other groups of animals were exposed to white light (650μW/cm2) for 15 and 30 min at same time. Swimming caused a rapid and highly significant drop in the melatonin content in the pineal gland; however, the activity of N-acetyltransferase (NAT), the supposed rate limiting enzyme in the melatonin production, was not changed. Despite the drop in pineal melatonin levels, serum concentrations of the indole remained elevated in the rats that swam. In contrast, melatonin levels in the pineal and serum of light exposed rats fell precipitously, accompanied by a significant suppression of NAT activity. Since we anticipated that the strenuous exercise associated with swimming may induce release of artrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) from the heart, which in turn could cause the release of pineal melatonin, in a second study we injected physiological saline intravenously to stretch the cardiac muscle and release ANP. Three milliliters of normal saline was injected during the day into the jugular vein of anesthetized rats that were pretreated with isoproterenol to stimulate pineal melatonin production. Animals were killed 15 min after the saline injection, and pineal NAT activity and pineal melatonin levels were measured. The saline injections caused no alteration in the elevated levels of either NAT or melatonin. These data suggest that the disparity in pineal NAT activity (which was high) and pineal melatonin (which was low), in animals swum at night, may not be caused by ANP which is released during strenuous exercise such as swimming.
Electron Microscopic Changes in Hepatocytes of Patients with Homocystinuria

Extract: Liver biopsy specimens from four patients with homocystinuria were examined by electron microscopy before and after treatment with massive doses of pyridoxine. The chief abnormalities found were as follows: unusually shaped mitochondria, hypertrophy of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum, and numerous pericanalicular lysosomes. Several of the mitochondria in each cell in the various zones of the liver lobule had narrow projections and breaks in the outer mitochondrial membrane. Mitochondria were normal in size, but the mitochondrial dark granules appeared larger than normal. Two patients responded biochemically to treatment by disappearance of hyper-methioninemia and homocystinemia. No recognizable differences in hepatocellular structure resulted from treatment in any of the patients. Speculation: Patients with homocystinuria who respond to pyridoxine treatment by disappearance of hypermethioninemia and homocystinemia exhibit no change in ultrastructural aberrations following treatment. This suggests that “toxic” accumulation of metabolites proximal to an enzymatic block may not account for all the phenotypical manifestations of inborn errors of the metabolism of amino acids.
A hierarchical method for real-time distance computation among moving convex bodies

Abstract This paper presents the Hierarchical Walk , or H-Walk algorithm, which maintains the distance between two moving convex bodies by exploiting both motion coherence and hierarchical representations. For convex polygons, we prove that H-Walk improves on the classic Lin–Canny and Dobkin–Kirkpatrick algorithms. We have implemented H-Walk for moving convex polyhedra in three dimensions. Experimental results indicate that, unlike previous incremental distance computation algorithms, H-Walk adapts well to variable coherence in the motion and provides consistent performance.
Cooperative Jahn-Teller Phase Transition in the Nickel-Zinc-Chromite System

Results of thermal expansion and sound velocity measurements are presented for the Nickel-Zinc-Chromite system (Ni x Zn 1- x Cr 2 O 4 ). It is found that for x >0.6 this system exhibits a cooperative Jahn-Teller phase transition which occurs at a temperature T a higher than the magnetic phase transition at T N . Both transitions at T a and T N are of first order. The temperature dependence of the soft mode c 11 – c 12 could only be measured for T > T a . From its temperature dependence, we conclude that the electronic state of the Ni 2+ ion couples predominantly to the macroscopic strains. A comparison between our sound velocity data and the Kataoka-Kanamori theory gives only fair agreement for T > T a . It is found that the low temperature magnetic phase transition influences the cooperative J-T-transition considerably.
A Cautionary Note on the Use of Principal Components Analysis

Principal components analysis and common factor analysis can provide similar results; however, to assume the results will be similar can lead to serious error. A simple example is provided to show how results can be substantially different.
“To Honor the Ashes of Their Forebears”: The Rise and Crisis of African Nations in the Post-Independence State of Buenos Aires, 1820-1860 *

During most of the nineteenth century, more than fifty organized African nations existed in Buenos Aires with the official name of African Associations. They were also known by the popular names of tambos, tangos and, later on and more loosely, of candombes. Beginning in 1822, the provincial government chartered ten African Associations with the goal of encouraging the emancipation of slaves by appealing to mutual aid and self-reliance. Along the way, the African Associations were expected to pay for the education of the recently emancipated freemen, delivering them from illiteracy and turning them into self-governing citizens of the new republic. To the dismay of liberal politicians, the African Associations defied government expectations and chose more autonomous directions. The purpose of this article is to analyze the interplay of government officials and candombe leaders in an attempt to reveal the internal organization of such associations. Although Buenos Aires was never a major destination of the African diaspora in the Americas, the rare quality of the records produced by the local police department, in charge of looking after the African nations, sheds light on a phenomenon of hemispheric dimensions.
The Delicacy of the Sense of Taste

AT the Philadelphia meeting of the American Association, in 1884, we presented a paper upon the general subject of the “Sensitiveness of the Special Senses.” We have since continued our investigations,1 and have the honour to present at this time the results of some experiments upon the sense of taste.
High efficiency poplar transformation.

With the completion of the poplar tree genome database, Populus species have become one of the most useful model systems for the study of woody plant biology. Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) is the most wide-spread tree species in North America, and its rapid growth generates the most abundant wood-based biomass out of any other plant species. To study such beneficial traits, there is a need for easier and more efficient transformation procedures that will allow the study of large numbers of tree genes. We have developed transformation procedures that are suitable for high-throughput format transformations using either Agrobacterium tumefaciens to produce transformed trees or Agrobacterium rhizogenes to generate hairy roots. Our method uses Agrobacterium inoculated aspen seedling hypocotyls followed by direct thidiazuron (TDZ)-mediated shoot regeneration on selective media. Transformation was verified through β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene expression in all tree tissues, PCR amplification of appropriate vector products from isolated genomic DNA, and northern hybridization of incorporated and expressed transgenes. The hairy root protocol follows the same inoculation procedures and was tested using GUS reporter gene integration and antibiotic selection. The benefit of these procedures is that they are simple and efficient, requiring no maintenance of starting materials and allowing fully formed transgenic trees (or hairy roots) to be generated in only 3–4 months, rather than the 6–12 months required by more traditional methods. Likewise, the fact that the protocols are amenable to high-throughput formats makes them better suited for large-scale functional genomics studies in poplars.
Analyticity of the Positions and Residues of Regge Poles

The amplitude a(1,k) for scattering by a superposition of Yukawa potentials is considered as a meromorphic function of angular momentum 1 and linear momentum k. An N/D representation is explicitly given, and is then used to show that the position, alpha (k), and the residue, BETA (k), of its poles in 1---the so-called Regge poles---are holomorphic functions of k, under a certain assumption. Further considered as functions of energy, alpha and BETA /k/sup 2 alpha / are shown to be realanalytic with no left-hand cut. (auth)
Diffusion of Cyclohexane and Alkylcyclohexanes in Silicalite

The diffusion of cyclohexane and several alkylcyclohexanes in silicalite was studied using a simultaneous thermal analyzer. This apparatus allowed for the determination of heats of sorption and diffusion coefficients. Zero length chromatography was also used to determine diffusivities of some of the adsorbates. The trend in diffusion rates observed was trans-1,4-dimethylcyclohexane ≫ methylcyclohexane > cyclohexane > ethylcyclohexane, cis-1,4-dimethylcyclohexane. This is in qualitative agreement with the previous results of Chon and Park. A comprehensive interpretation of the experimental results was developed, using the basic qualitative arguments of transition state theory. The fast diffusion of trans-1,4-dimethylcyclohexane is associated with a relatively low energy barrier for channel crossing. The transition entropy for diffusion appears to be the reason for the more rapid diffusion of methylcyclohexane relative to cyclohexane.
Molecular analyses of the mitotic checkpoint components hsMAD2, hBUB1 and hBUB3 in human cancer.

During the metaphase-anaphase transition, the spindle checkpoint prevents segregation of chromosomes if the spindle assembly is perturbed. Critical components of this checkpoint are the MAD and BUB families of proteins, which prevent the proteolysis of Pds1 and B cyclins, producing mitotic arrest. In the present study, we first intended to resolve the role of the hsMAD2 gene in human cancer by determining the potential presence of hsMAD2 mutations in 44 primary bladder tumors, 42 soft-tissue sarcomas and 10 hepatocellular carcinomas. The entire coding region of the hsMAD2 gene was analyzed using PCR-SSCP and sequencing. One of the bladder tumor samples showed a point mutation consisting of a transition, ATC-->GTC (Ile-->Val) in codon 190 of hsMAD2. However, no differences were found in the mitotic arrest between cells transfected with mutant and wild-type MAD2 cDNA. We also identified mobility shifts in hsMAD2 in both normal and tumor DNA in 3 bladder tumors, 3 soft-tissue sarcomas and 1 hepatocellular carcinoma, consistent with a polymorphism at codon 143, CCA-->CCG (Pro-->Pro). Another polymorphism was identified in a hepatocellular carcinoma case at codon 22, GAG-->GAA (Glu-->Glu). In addition, a subgroup of 67 primary tumors was analyzed by Southern blot hybridization. No deletion or visible re-arrangements were detected by comparing tumor and normal DNA band signals. Two other important components of the spindle mitotic checkpoint, hBUB1 and hBUB3, were also screened for mutations: hBUB1 in 43 bladder tumors and 9 bladder cell lines and hBUB3 only in the cell lines. Two polymorphisms were found in hBUB1 at positions 144, CAG-->CAA (Gln-->Gln) in 1 primary tumor and 1 bladder cell line, and 913 (ATC-->ATT, Ile-->Ile) in 1 primary tumor. We did not find sequence alterations in hBUB3. These results suggest that mutations of the hsMAD2, hBUB1 and hBUB3 genes are very rare in bladder tumors and that hsMAD2 alterations are also infrequent in soft-tissue sarcomas and hepatocellular carcinomas.
Ultrasound-guided cannulation of the caudal vena cava in the bovine for selective sampling of ovarian effluent.

Abstract The accuracy of real-time, B-mode ultrasonography was assessed in the visualization and placement of the cannula tip, cranial to the entrance of the ovarian veins as they enter the caudal vena cava of the bovine. A cannula containing a wire guide was introduced into the coccygeal vein via a 14-gauge needle, and was then directed cranially into the caudal vena cava. Once the caudal vena cava was successfully cannulated (7 of 14 cows), ultrasonography allowed for the visualization of the cannula in 7 out of 7 cows. The tip of the cannula was successfully placed cranial to the entrance of the ovarian effuent into the vena cava in 6 of these 7 animals using ultrasound guidance. This was confirmed using progesterone or prostaglandin F 2α radioimmunoassay (RIA). The primary limitation to this technique was the initial catherization of the coccygeal vein which was not achieved in 7 of 14 cows attempted in this study. Successful cannulation was limited to large framed Holstein cows that had at least one calf. Results from this study indicate that real-time, B-mode, ultrasonography is an effective tool for the visualization and accurate placement of the cannula tip within the caudal vena cava. This finding could have implications for research in ovarian hormonal physiology in the cyclic, postpartum or anestrous cow.
Commentary on issues in data quality analysis in life cycle assessment

Purpose For compliance with the ISO standard 14044, comparative life cycle assessments are required to address data quality for time-related coverage, geographic coverage, technology coverage, precision, completeness, representativeness, consistency, reproducibility, sources of the data and uncertainty of the information. As the community of practitioners and data developers grows, the purpose of this commentary is to initiate discussion of current issues and opportunities for improvement in data quality analysis.
Policy tools for building health education and preventive counseling into managed care

Abstract Content: Six policy tools for building health education and preventive counseling into managed care are presented, and the opportunities and barriers to implementing each are described based largely on managed care plans operating in California in 1998. The six policy tools include (1) covering health education and preventive counseling as defined benefits, (2) increasing access to and use of health promotion programs, (3) incorporating health education into disease-management programs, (4) defining quality performance measures for health education and preventive counseling, (5) defining performance targets and guarantees for health education and preventive counseling to hold health plans accountable for providing these services, and (6) building collaboration between public health agencies and managed care on public health education and health promotion. For each of these, the policy option is described, examples of current practice are provided, and the problems and limitations associated with each are discussed.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Connective Tissue Disorders: Pathophysiology and Implications for Treatment

It has been postulated that in patients with connective tissue disorders (CTD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), esophageal function is generally deteriorated, often with complete absence of peristalsis. This belief has led to the common recommendation of avoiding antireflux surgery for fear of creating or worsening dysphagia. We hypothesized that in most patients with CTD and GERD: (a) esophageal function is often preserved; (b) peristalsis is more frequently absent when end-stage lung disease (ESLD) is also present; (c) a tailored surgical approach (partial or total fundoplication) based on the findings of esophageal manometry allows control of reflux symptoms without a high incidence of postoperative dysphagia. Forty-eight patients with CTD were evaluated by esophageal manometry and 24-hour pH monitoring (EFT). Twenty patients (group A) had EFT because of foregut symptoms, and 28 patients with ESLD (group B) had EFT as part of the lung transplant evaluation. Two hundred and eighty-six consecutive patients with GERD by pH monitoring served as a control group (group C). A laparoscopic fundoplication was performed in two group A patients (total), eight group B patients (three patients total, five patients partial) and in all group C patients (total). Esophageal peristalsis was preserved in all patients with CTD and GERD. In contrast, peristalsis was absent in about half of patients when ESLD was also present. A tailored surgical approach resulted in control of reflux symptoms in all patients. One patient only developed postoperative dysphagia, which resolved with two Savary dilatations. These data show that esophageal motor function is preserved in most patients with CTD, so that they should be offered antireflux surgery early in the course of their disease to prevent esophageal and respiratory complications. In patients with ESLD in whom peristalsis is absent, a partial rather than a total fundoplication should be performed, as it allows control of reflux symptoms while avoiding postoperative dysphagia.
On fairness and conflicts in Petri nets

The notions of fairness and conflicts in live, bounded, and strongly connected Petri nets (PNs) are formally related. The PN model of a resource-sharing concurrent system (RSCS) is conflict free when the firing of an enabled transition does not disable another transition in the net. Conflicts in the PN represent unresolved resource allocation conditions. The PN is fair when the firing of any transition more than a given number of times is a sufficient condition for all the transitions in the net to have fired. When the PN is fair, no process in the system can be starved; that is resources are allocated so that all tokens progress through the net. Although these concepts are not equivalent, it is shown that they are strongly related to each other when the PN model is live, bounded, and strongly connected. A computational method for finding conflicts is presented, and the concepts are illustrated with an example of buffer allocation in a sorting algorithm. >
Pregnancy does not cause systemic lupus erythematosus to worsen

To evaluate risk for exacerbation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) during pregnancy, we prospectively evaluated 80 pregnant women with SLE for manifestations of disease activity. Fifty-three of these women were not taking prednisone at the time of conception. Disease activity was scored in 4 ways: global assessment, prednisone therapy, cumulative number of organ systems with abnormalities, and display of abnormalities of each organ system. No patient received prophylactic therapy to prevent disease exacerbation. Thrombocytopenia, proteinuria, and hypocomplementemia were the most common abnormalities and were usually attributable to the pregnancy complications of preeclampsia and anticardiolipin antibody syndrome rather than to SLE. If all possible abnormalities were attributed to SLE, disease exacerbation occurred in less than 25% of all patients; if only SLE-specific abnormalities were counted, disease exacerbation occurred in less than 13%. Worsening of SLE is uncommon in pregnancy, and prophylactic prednisone therapy is unnecessary.
Vibration localization in multi-coupled and multi-dimensional near-periodic structures

The vibration localization of multi-coupled 2-D and 3-D lattices are parametrically investigated. The lattices are made of slightly randomly disordered masses embedded in an elastic medium, the nearest-neighbor interaction potential of the lattices gives rise to the weak central and angular coupling forces within neighboring masses of each mass. It is observed that the first normal mode of a 2-D lattice has a strong tendency to localize. Both free and forced vibration localization due to random mass disorder exist, but are otherwise abated with the increase of the dimension of the lattices. Disorder also tends to increase energy leakage from one degree-of-freedom to another degree-of-freedom at the vibration localization sites.
Some issues for single address space systems

We previously described Opal, an OS environment that has a single virtual address space common to all protection domains, rather than the usual private virtual address space per protection domain (e.g., a Unix process). All threads on an Opal node see the same mapping of virtual to physical addresses; any thread can reference any virtual address, but access to the data is determined by the thread's protection domain. The single address space approach is made feasible by the large virtual address spaces of the newest RISC processors. It allows protection domains to pass and share memory segments by mutual consent, while preserving the meaning of pointers. At the time Opal was a paper design, with only a few pieces of implementation. Since that time the key features of Opal have been prototyped. While the current prototype runs on 32-bit MIPS systems, it demonstrates that the model is both workable and useful. Yet the single address space idea remains a difficult adjustment, both conceptually and practically, for those of us long accustomed to per-process address spaces. Having spent much of the past year arguing the benefits of the model, our purpose now is to outline some of its limitations and complications. The goal is to separate the real problems from the false ones, and to focus the debate on the areas that we think are most important, based on our experience. >
Two contrasting outcomes of weight loss surgery: Positive impact on the heart, negative impact on the liver

Bariatric surgery results in significant weight loss in severely obese patients and is associated with beneficial as well as unintended negative consequences. Here we highlight the divergent impact of rapid weight loss in two individuals who underwent bariatric surgery. The first patient is a 58-year-old severely obese [body mass index (BMI) of 48.8 kg/m 2 ] Caucasian woman with metabolic syndrome and impaired left ventricular systolic function [preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 29%]. After undergoing gastric banding, the LVEF improved to 65% at 24 months. This, along with a marked reversal of obesity-related comorbidities following surgery highlight the beneficial impacts that have popularized bariatric surgery. The second patient is a 27-year-old extremely obese (BMI = 81.0 kg/m 2 ) Hispanic man without metabolic syndrome and with normal preoperative cardiac and end organ function. One year after undergoing Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, his BMI had decreased to 28 kg/m 2 . The initial weight loss was rapid and paralleled by a loss of lean mass, muscle wasting and the development of cachexia with progressive liver failure and a diagnosis of crytopgenic hepatic cirrhosis. Herein we discuss the cases in detail and provide insight into the divergent impact of rapid weight loss on metabolic homeostasis, the heart, and end organ function. We hope this will aid with the preoperative risk/benefit assessment of severely obese patients being considered for weight loss surgery.
Low-Temperature, Strong SiO 2 -SiO 2 Covalent Wafer Bonding for III–V Compound Semiconductors-to-Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuits

We report a low-temperature process for covalent bonding of thermal SiO2 to plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) SiO2 for Si-compound semiconductor integration. A record-thin interfacial oxide layer of 60 nm demonstrates sufficient capability for gas byproduct diffusion and absorption, leading to a high surface energy of 2.65 J/m2 after a 2-h 300°C anneal. O2 plasma treatment and surface chemistry optimization in dilute hydrofluoric (HF) solution and NH4OH vapor efficiently suppress the small-size interfacial void density down to 2 voids/cm2, dramatically increasing the wafer-bonded device yield. Bonding-induced strain, as determined by x-ray diffraction measurements, is negligible. The demonstration of a 50 mm InP epitaxial layer transferred to a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate shows the promise of the method for wafer-scale applications.
Machine Learning Approaches Distinguish Multiple Stress Conditions using Stress-Responsive Genes and Identify Candidate Genes for Broad Resistance in Rice

Abiotic and biotic stress responses are traditionally thought to be regulated by discrete signaling mechanisms. Recent experimental evidence revealed a more complex picture where these mechanisms are highly entangled and can have synergistic and antagonistic effects on each other. In this study, we identified shared stress-responsive genes between abiotic and biotic stresses in rice (Oryza sativa) by performing meta-analyses of microarray studies. About 70% of the 1,377 common differentially expressed genes showed conserved expression status, and the majority of the rest were down-regulated in abiotic stresses and up-regulated in biotic stresses. Using dimension reduction techniques, principal component analysis, and partial least squares discriminant analysis, we were able to segregate abiotic and biotic stresses into separate entities. The supervised machine learning model, recursive-support vector machine, could classify abiotic and biotic stresses with 100% accuracy using a subset of differentially expressed genes. Furthermore, using a random forests decision tree model, eight out of 10 stress conditions were classified with high accuracy. Comparison of genes contributing most to the accurate classification by partial least squares discriminant analysis, recursive-support vector machine, and random forests revealed 196 common genes with a dynamic range of expression levels in multiple stresses. Functional enrichment and coexpression network analysis revealed the different roles of transcription factors and genes responding to phytohormones or modulating hormone levels in the regulation of stress responses. We envisage the top-ranked genes identified in this study, which highly discriminate abiotic and biotic stresses, as key components to further our understanding of the inherently complex nature of multiple stress responses in plants.
GIS Methodology for Characterizing Historical Conditions of the Willamette River Flood Plain, Oregon

river flood plain; river channel mapping; historical mapping; Willamette Valley, Oregon Abstract Recent environmental developments have stimulated an interest in conservation and restoration of the historical Willamette River flood plain, both to protect against flooding and to provide wildlife habitat. In order to best utilize scarce resources, we characterized historical and modern river channel and flood-plain conditions to evaluate changes and help prioritize restoration sites. Using cartographic and photographic data sources, we developed a Geographic Information System (GIS) to map active channels, side channels, islands and tributaries for four separate dates, as well as riparian and flood-plain vegetation characteristics for pre-European settlement and modern time periods. Coverages based on flood records and other boundaries were used to partition the flood plain into spatial subsets for analysis. The GIS allowed comparisons between historical and present conditions for a variety of environmental factors. Much of the pre-settlement channel complexity has been removed. Total channel length in 1995 was 26% less than in 1850, with almost 58% of the river's side channels disconnected from the system. In addition, we found a 72% loss of flood-plain forest from 1850 to 1995, since it was converted to agricultural and urban land uses. Selected river and flood-plain variables were made available for a spatial model to prioritize potential locations for flood-plain restoration.
Neural dynamics, bifurcations, and firing rates in a quadratic integrate-and-fire model with a recovery variable. i: Deterministic behavior

We study the dynamics of a quadratic integrate-and-fire model of a single-compartment neuron with a slow recovery variable, as input current and parameters describing timescales, recovery variable, and postspike reset change. Analysis of a codimension 2 bifurcation reveals that the domain of attraction of a stable hyperpolarized rest state interacts subtly with reset parameters, which reposition the system state after spiking. We obtain explicit approximations of instantaneous firing rates for fixed values of the recovery variable, and use the averaging theorem to obtain asymptotic firing rates as a function of current and reset parameters. Along with the different phase-plane geometries, these computations provide explicit tools for the interpretation of different spiking patterns and guide parameter selection in modeling different cortical cell types.
An empirical comparison of ID3 and HONNs for distortion invariant object recognition

The authors present results of experiments comparing the performance of the ID3 symbolic learning algorithm with a higher-order neural network (HONN) in the distortion invariant object recognition domain. In this domain, the classification algorithm needs to be able to distinguish between two objects regardless of their position in the input field, their in-plane rotation, or their scale. It is shown that HONNs are superior to ID3 with respect to recognition accuracy, whereas, on a sequential machine, ID3 classifies examples faster once trained. A further advantage of HONNs is the small training set required. HONNs can be trained on just one view of each object, whereas ID3 needs an exhaustive training set. >
Phase Equilibria and Structural Species in MgF2‐MgO, MgF2‐CaO, and MgF2‐Al2O3 Systems

Partial equilibrium phase diagrams for the systems MgF2-MgO, MgF2-CaO, and MgF2-Al2O3 were determined by differential thermal analysis. Simple eutectics were observed at 8.5 mol% MgO and 1228°± 3°C in the MgF2-MgO system, at 7.5 mol% CaO and 1208°± 3°C in the MgF2-CaO system, and at 2.5 mol% Al2O3 and 1250°± 3°C in the MgF2-Al2O3 system. On the basis of agreements between the activities calculated by the Clausius-Clapeyron equation and Temkin's model using the present data, the eutectic melt consists of Mg2+, F-, and O2- ions in the MgF2-MgO system; Mg2+, Ca2+, F-, and O2- ions in the MgF2-CaO system; and Mg2+, Al3+, F-, and AlO2¯ ions in the MgF2-Al2O3 system. Well-defined long needles of MgO in the MgF2-MgO system, less defined needles of CaO in the MgF2-CaO system, and Al2O3 grains in the MgF2-Al2O3 system were observed by optical microscopy.
The functional consequences of random vs. ordered species extinctions

Recent work suggests that the effect of extinction on ecosystem function depends on whether or not species have identical extinction risks. Here, we use a simple model of community dynamics to predict how the functional consequences of random and non-random extinction may differ. The model suggests that when resource partitioning or facilitation structures communities, the functional consequences of non-random extinction depend on the covariance between species traits and cumulative extinction risks, and the compensatory responses among survivors. Strong competition increases the difference between random and ordered extinctions, but mutualisms reduce the difference. When diversity affects function via a sampling effect, the difference between random and ordered extinction depends on the covariance between species traits and the change in the probability of being the competitive dominant caused by ordered extinction. These findings show how random assembly experiments can be combined with information about species traits to make qualitative predictions about the functional consequences of various extinction scenarios.
Bordetella holmesii Bacteremia Cases in the United States, April 2010–January 2011

We describe the first report of temporally related cases of Bordetella holmesii bacteremia. Demographic and clinical data were collected through chart abstraction and case-patient interviews. Twenty-two cases were identified from 6 states. Symptom onset dates ranged from April 2010 to January 2011. Median age of patients was 17.1 years and 64% had functional or anatomic asplenia. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis profiles of a sample of isolates were identical. These cases occurred during a peak in pertussis outbreaks with documented cases of B. holmesii/Bordetella pertussis respiratory coinfection; whether there is a link between B. holmesii respiratory and bloodstream infection is unknown.
Comparative study of three-phase PWM rectifiers for wind energy conversion

This paper presents a study of alternative PWM rectifier topologies that can meet power conditioning requirements of induction as well as permanent-magnet synchronous generators for wind energy conversion. The studied topologies use three bidirectional switches in combination with a three-phase diode bridge, and are previously used only for unity power factor rectification. This paper first shows that these topologies can also operate with either leading or lagging input power factor, hence can be used to supply reactive power to induction and permanent-magnet synchronous generators while extracting active power from them. The topologies are further compared to the conventional six-switch PWM voltage-sourced converter (VSC) in terms of switching and conduction losses. Additionally, the common-mode voltage generated by these topologies under different modulation methods is analyzed and shown to be significantly lower than that generated by the conventional six-switch VSC.
The Effect of the Context of Learning on the Use of Communication Strategies by Learners of Spanish as a Second Language

This study investigates the effect of the context of learning—“at home” (AH) classroom versus study abroad (SA)—on the number and types of communication strategies (CSs) used by learners of Spanish as a second language. Oral data from 46 learners—20 AH and 26 SA—were analyzed before and after the treatment period, to discern the effect of various factors on the learners' levels and choice of CS usage: type of CS category (L1 or L2 based, direct or interactional, and problem-orientedness [resource deficit, other performance, and self-performance]) and measures of language use. Posttest results showed a significant effect for context for CS categories and language use: Students in the SA context consistently used fewer CSs than their classroom counterparts, and their CS use correlated negatively with higher use of Spanish outside the classroom and with the host family. It is posited that the pragmatic exigencies of the AH and SA contexts may account for these findings.This research would not have been possible without the support of the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), which sponsored this team project, headed by Barbara F. Freed and Norman Segalowitz, to study the effects of the SA experience on L2 learners. I am very grateful to the members of the CIEE project team: Joe Collentine, Barbara Freed, Norman Segalowitz, and Manuel Diaz-Campos, for their insightful commentary on earlier versions of this work. Special appreciation also goes to Nicole Lazar for her expert assistance with the methodology and data analysis sections of this paper. My sincere appreciation also goes to Julie Sykes, Rosalind Freeman, and Sharma Martineau, graduate students in Spanish SLA and applied linguistics at Arizona State University, for their assistance with the partial transcription and the coding of the CS data.
Development of tactical deception from 4 to 8 years of age

One hundred eighteen children, divided into three age groups (4-, 6-, and 8-year-olds) participated in a competitive game designed to explore advances in children's deceptive abilities. Success in the game required children to inhibit useful information or provide misinformation in their communication with an adult opponent. Age trends were evident for all dependent variables, including success at the task, strategic behaviours, and interview data. Four-year-olds were non-strategic and rarely successful, 6-year-olds were increasingly strategic and successful, and 8-year-olds were significantly more subtle in their strategies, more successful at the task, and more likely to verbalize an understanding of their opponent's expectations than younger age groups.
Choice of substrate material for epitaxial CdTe solar cells

Epitaxial CdTe with high quality, low defect density, and high carrier concentration should in principle yield high-efficiency photovoltaic devices. However, insufficient effort has been given to explore the choice of substrate for high-efficiency epitaxial CdTe solar cells. In this paper, we use numerical simulations to investigate three crystalline substrates: silicon (Si), InSb, and CdTe itself. Potential problems, especially the non-ideal band alignment of Si and InSb substrates with a CdTe absorber, are found to be a limitation on cell performance. In addition, commercially available CdTe substrates have excessive series resistance leading to a FF loss, and Si has a significant lattice mismatch with CdTe, creating interfacial traps. Possible solutions to overcome the drawbacks of each substrate material are generally discussed.
Two Small Clouds: The Emergence of a New Physics

During the summer of 1900, David Hilbert, widely recognized for his ability to see mathematics as a whole, delivered the keynote address at the Mathematics Congress in Paris. Speaking in a hall a few blocks away from the laboratory in which Madame and Pierre Curie were tending their vats of radioactive material, Hilbert set the agenda for the study of mathematics in the twentieth century. There were, he said, twenty-three unsolved problems in mathematics and all of them were amenable to solution in the near future. As Hilbert put it, “There is always a solution. There is no ignoramus.”1
L-tryptophan in supraphysiologic concentrations stimulates collagenase gene expression in human skin fibroblasts

BACKGROUND Collagenase plays a critical role in regulating connective tissue breakdown in physiologic and pathologic processes. The expression of collagenase is modulated by a variety of biologic and pharmacologic agents. L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid with diverse biologic effects not shared by other amino acids. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN In this study, we examined the effects of L-tryptophan on collagenase gene expression in normal human skin fibroblasts using Northern hybridizations and transient transfection assays. RESULTS The results indicate that L-tryptophan at supraphysiologic concentrations caused a marked increase in collagenase gene expression. The increase in collagenase mRNA levels was reversible, time- and dose-dependent, and was accompanied by enhancement of procollagenase synthesis and secretion. Parallel accumulation of mRNA for tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase was also noted, whereas stromelysin mRNA levels remained undetectable. The enhancement of collagenase mRNA was specific for L-tryptophan, and was abrogated by alpha-amanitin or dexamethasone. The apparent half-life of collagenase mRNA transcripts was similar in cultures exposed to interleukin-1 beta or L-tryptophan. In contrast to interleukin-1 beta, L-tryptophan-induced increase in collagenase mRNA was not preceeded by expression of c-jun or c-fos. Transient transfection of human skin fibroblasts with a collagenase promoter, chloramphenicol acetyl transferase construct indicated marked dose-dependent increase in promoter activity with L-tryptophan. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that L-tryptophan in supraphysiologic concentrations is a potent inducer of collagenase gene expression in vitro at a transcriptional level by human skin fibroblasts.
Character varieties of (−2,2m + 1,2n)-pretzel links and twisted Whitehead links

We consider some families of links which include (−2, 2m + 1, 2n)-pretzel links and twisted Whitehead links. We calculate the SL2(ℂ)-character varieties of these families, and determine the number of irreducible components of these character varieties.
Towards a morphological metric of assemblage dynamics in the fossil record: a test case using planktonic foraminifera.

With a glance, even the novice naturalist can tell you something about the ecology of a given ecosystem. This is because the morphology of individuals reflects their evolutionary history and ecology, and imparts a distinct ‘look’ to communities—making it possible to immediately discern between deserts and forests, or coral reefs and abyssal plains. Once quantified, morphology can provide a common metric for characterizing communities across space and time and, if measured rapidly, serve as a powerful tool for quantifying biotic dynamics. Here, we present and test a new high-throughput approach for analysing community shape in the fossil record using semi-three-dimensional (3D) morphometrics from vertically stacked images (light microscopic or photogrammetric). We assess the potential informativeness of community morphology in a first analysis of the relationship between 3D morphology, ecology and phylogeny in 16 extant species of planktonic foraminifera—an abundant group in the marine fossil record—and in a preliminary comparison of four assemblages from the North Atlantic. In the species examined, phylogenetic relatedness was most closely correlated with ecology, with all three ecological traits examined (depth habitat, symbiont ecology and biogeography) showing significant phylogenetic signal. By contrast, morphological trees (based on 3D shape similarity) were relatively distantly related to both ecology and phylogeny. Although improvements are needed to realize the full utility of community morphometrics, our approach already provides robust volumetric measurements of assemblage size, a key ecological characteristic.
Appendiceal perforation in children diagnosed in a pediatric emergency department.

ObjectiveTo determine the incidence of appendiceal perforation (AP) among children with acute appendicitis (AA) and determine factors associated with AP.DesignRetrospective chart review.SettingEmergency department (ED) of Primary Children’s Medical Center (PCMC).Patients131 children less than 17 yea