cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identifying and Predicting the Goals and Concerns Prioritized by Individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background and aims In order to provide high-quality care, providers need to understand their patients' goals and concerns. This study aims to identify and predict the goals and concerns prioritized by patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the outpatient setting. Methods Mixed-methods analysis was performed to identify the types, frequencies, and predictors of IBD patients' goals and concerns using 4,873 surveys collected between 2016-2019 at 25 gastroenterology clinics across the United States participating in the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's IBD Qorus Learning Health System. Results Patients with IBD most often prioritized goals and concerns related to symptoms/disease activity (50%) and clinical course/management (20%), while psychosocial/quality of life (12%) and medication (6%) concerns were less frequent. Females (OR 22.1, 95% CI 5.3-91.5) and patients in clinical remission (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-4.1) were more likely to prioritize family planning. Patients >60 years old (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.5-6.5) and patients with active disease (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.4-7.6) were more often concerned about traveling. Smokers were more often concerned about nutrition (OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.9-9.2). Surgery was more often a concern of patients with perianal Crohn's disease (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.5), active disease (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1-3.4) and those with recent hospitalizations (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2-5.4). Conclusions IBD patients prioritized the remission of physical symptoms as treatment goals and that they were less frequently concerned about medications and their side effects. Patients' demographics, IBD characteristics, and healthcare utilization patterns can predict specific types of concerns/goals.
The three-spin intermediate at the O-O cleavage and proton-pumping junction in heme-Cu oxidases.

Understanding the mechanistic coupling of molecular oxygen reduction and proton pumping for adenosine triphosphate synthesis during cellular respiration is the primary goal of research on heme-copp...
Developing Lifelong Learning Skills through Self-Directed Learning in the Gross Anatomy Laboratory using Narrated Digital Slideshows

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education has identified self-directed learning as a critical process in developing lifelong learning skills. Gross anatomy laboratories present an opportunity to i...
Molecular Cloning of a Portion of the Gene for the Abundant Rubber Particle Protein of Guayule

Natural rubber is considered a vital raw material by developed countries and is valued particularly for its high performance characteristics. Products made from synthetic rubber are less elastic and resilient than those made from natural rubber. The only commercial source of natural rubber, at the moment, is Hevea brasiliensis, the Brazilian rubber tree. Rubber is harvested by tapping into the pipe-like network of latex-containing laticifers that runs beneath the bark, a labor-intensive procedure. The expense of tapping and the tree’s tropical growth requirements make H. brasiliensis unsuitable for cultivation within the United States. Because natural rubber is second in import costs only to petroleum there is strong commercial incentive to develop an alternative domestic rubber crop.
Does physician specialty affect the survival of elderly patients with myocardial infarction

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of treatment by a cardiologist on mortality of elderly patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI, heart attack), accounting for both measured confounding using risk-adjustment techniques and residual unmeasured confounding with instrumental variables (IV) methods. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: Medical chart data and longitudinal administrative hospital records and death records were obtained for 161,558 patients aged > or =65 admitted to a nonfederal acute care hospital with AMI from April 1994 to July 1995. Our principal measure of significant cardiologist treatment was whether a patient was admitted by a cardiologist. We use supplemental data to explore whether our analysis would differ substantially using alternative definitions of significant cardiologist treatment. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective cohort study compared results using least squares (LS) multivariate regression with results from IV methods that accounted for additional unmeasured patient characteristics. Primary outcomes were 30-day and one-year mortality, and secondary outcomes included treatment with medications and revascularization procedures. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Medical charts for the initial hospital stay of each AMI patient underwent a comprehensive abstraction, including dates of hospitalization, admitting physician, demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, severity of clinical presentation, electrocardiographic and other diagnostic test results, contraindications to therapy, and treatments before and after AMI. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Patients admitted by cardiologists had fewer comorbid conditions and less severe AMIs. These patients had a 10 percent (95 percent CI: 9.5-10.8 percent) lower absolute mortality rate at one year. After multivariate adjustment with LS regression, the adjusted mortality difference was 2 percent (95 percent CI: 1.4-2.6 percent). Using IV methods to provide additional adjustment for unmeasured differences in risk, we found an even smaller, statistically insignificant association between physician specialty and one-year mortality, relative risk (RR) 0.96 (0.88-1.04). Patients admitted by a cardiologist were also significantly more likely to have a cardiologist consultation within the first day of admission and during the initial hospital stay, and also had a significantly larger share of their physician bills for inpatient treatment from cardiologists. IV analysis of treatments showed that patients treated by cardiologists were more likely to undergo revascularization procedures and to receive thrombolytic therapy, aspirin, and calcium channel-blockers, but less likely to receive beta-blockers. CONCLUSIONS: In a large population of elderly patients with AMI, we found significant treatment differences but no significant incremental mortality benefit associated with treatment by cardiologists.
Applying the Controlled Active Vision Framework to the Visual Servoing Problem

Our pervious work has introduced the framework of Controlled Active Vision that provides a bridge between Computer Vision and Control. This paper presents some of the vision techniques that were employed in order to automatically select features, measure features' displacements, and evaluate measurements during the various applications of the Controlled Active Vision framework. We experimented with a lot of different techniques, but the most robust proved to be the Sum-of-Squared Differences (SSD) optical flow technique. In addition, several techniques for the evaluation of the measurements are presented. One important characteristic of these techniques is that they can also be used for the selection of features for tracking in conjunction with several numerical criteria that guarantee the robustness of the servoing. These techniques are important aspects of our work since they can be implemented either on-line or off-line. An extension of the SSD measure to color images is presented and the results from the application of these techniques to real images are discussed. Finally, the derivation of depth maps through the controlled motion of the hand-eye system is outlined.
PTB DOMAINS OF IRS-1 AND SHC HAVE DISTINCT BUT OVERLAPPING BINDING SPECIFICITIES

PTB domains are non-Src homology 2 (SH2) phosphotyrosine binding domains originally described in the receptor tyrosine kinase substrate, Shc. By serial truncation, we show that a 174-residue region of Shc p52 (33-206) has full PTB activity. We also show that a 173-residue region of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1; residues 144-316) has related PTB activity. In vitro both domains bind directly to activated insulin receptors. Binding is abrogated by substitution of Tyr-960 and selectively inhibited by phosphopeptides containing NPXY sequences. Phosphopeptide assays developed to compare PTB domain specificities show that the Shc PTB domain binds with highest affinity to psi XN beta 1 beta 2 pY motifs derived from middle T (mT), TrkA, ErbB4, or epidermal growth factor receptors (psi = hydrophobic, beta = beta-turn forming); the IRS-1 PTB domain does not bind with this motif. In contrast, both the Shc and IRS-1 PTB domains bind psi psi psi XXN beta 1 beta 2pY sequences derived from insulin and interleukin 4 receptors, although specificities vary in detail. Shc and IRS-1 are phosphorylated by distinct but overlapping sets of receptor-linked tyrosine kinases. These differences may be accounted for by the inherent specificities of their respective PTB domains.
Life History Evolution and Demographic Stochasticity

Can demographic stochasticity bias the evolution of life history traits? Under a neutral version of the Cole-Charnov-Schaffer model, variance in offspring number for both annuals and perennials depends on the precise values of fitness components. Either annuals or perennials may have the larger variance (for equal λ), depending on the importance of random survivalversus fixed reproduction. By extension, the variance in offspring number should generally depend on whether λ is mainly composed of highly variable elements or elements with limited variation. Thus, data about the variability of demographic parameters may be as important as data about their mean values.
Bipolar cells specific for blue cones in the macaque retina

A distinct subpopulation of bipolar cells in macaque monkey retina was labeled with antisera that recognize glycine-extended cholecystokinin precursors. The labeled bipolar cells were found throughout the retina and had dendrites contacting a subpopulation of cone pedicles and axons ramifying in the fifth stratum of the inner plexiform layer. Several lines of evidence indicate that the labeled bipolar cells are a single type despite some variations in their morphology. First, the density of perikarya and their diameters varied continuously as a function of eccentricity. Second, the positions of perikarya within the inner nuclear layer and the level at which the axons branched in the inner plexiform layer were constant at all eccentricities. Bipolar cells with similar morphology have been described previously as “blue cone bipolar cells” (Mariani, 1984b), but there was no direct evidence that this was the case. In this study, we show by light microscopy that labeled bipolar cells have dendrites ending exclusively upon presumptive blue cones labeled by Procion black dye. All blue cones were contacted by labeled bipolar cells, and virtually all bipolar cells contacted blue cones, the only exceptions being in regions where blue cones had been lost. Approximately 20% more labeled bipolar cells than blue cones were found at every eccentricity; thus, connections between blue cones and labeled bipolar cells were not strictly one to one. The mean number of cones presynaptic to each bipolar cell was 1.2, and the mean number of bipolar cells postsynaptic to each cone was 1.8. By an electron microscopic study of labeled bipolar cell dendrites, we determined that they became central elements of ribbon synapses in blue cones. Some of their ribbon synapses were unusual: in one type, a single, large labeled dendrite was postsynaptic to two or more ribbons, while in the other type, ribbons had two or more central elements. The presence of these invaginating contacts and the axonal terminals in the proximal inner plexiform layer suggest that the labeled bipolar cells depolarize to short-wavelength stimuli and function to relay information from blue cones to the inner plexiform layer. There were also other, unlabeled bipolar cell dendrites that received inputs from blue cones at basal junctions and triad-associated flat contacts, which suggests that there are additional types of bipolar cells conveying information from short- wavelength cones in the primate retina.
Loss of the world: A philosophical dialogue (1)

Humanity has begun to move from the natural world into the cyber world. Issues surrounding this mental migration are debated in philosophical dialogue. The lead character is Becket Geist, a romantic philosopher with views tempered by 20th century science. He opens with a monologue in which he argues that `loss of the world' in exchange for the cyber world is dark and inevitable. His chief adversary is Fortran McCyborg, a cyborg with leanings toward Scottish philosophy. The moderating force is Nonette Naturski who champions naturalism, conservation of humanist ideals, and prudent conclusions. The ensuing dialogue examines eight counter-arguments to Geist's vision. The arguments and Geist's replies lead to unanticipated changes in position that cascade to a chilling close.
Strawberry Variety Trial

Several new strawberry varieties have been released in the last several years by the USDA and other breeding programs. The purpose of this multi-year study is to compare the performance of these newer varieties against the current widely used varieties in Iowa under soil and environmental conditions existing at the Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm.
Epitaxial ferromagnetic Mn5Ge3 on Ge(111)

Ferromagnetic Mn5Ge3 thin films were grown on Ge(111) with solid-phase epitaxy. The epitaxial relationship between the alloy film and substrate is Mn5Ge3(001)//Ge(111) with [100]Mn5Ge3//[110]Ge. The alloy films exhibit metallic conductivity and strong ferromagnetism up to the Curie temperature, TC=296 K. These epitaxial alloy films are promising candidates for germanium-based spintronics.
Comparison of restriction enzyme analysis and pulsed-field gradient gel electrophoresis as typing systems for Candida albicans.

Candida species are an important cause of infection in immunocompromised hosts and the leading cause of nosocomial fungal infections. Study of the epidemiology of Candida infection has been difficult because of lack of a reliable typing system. We describe a typing system utilizing contour-clamped homogeneous electric fields (CHEF), which is a modified version of pulsed-field gradient gel electrophoresis, and compared it with restriction enzyme analysis (REA) of genomic DNA. The study was done with 35 Candida albicans clinical isolates from separate patients. CHEF and REA were performed on each isolate, and the patterns were compared. The REA procedure revealed 17 strain types while the CHEF procedure was able to distinguish 23 strain types of C. albicans. The CHEF technique yields unique patterns of chromosomal bands that can be used to distinguish clinical isolates and demonstrates greater sensitivity than REA. Images
Nucleotide sequence of a gene coding for a saliva-binding protein (SsaB) from Streptococcus sanguis 12 and possible role of the protein in coaggregation with actinomyces.

Abstract The nucleotide sequence of a 2.9-kb streptococcal DNA fragment which codes for two proteins with MrS of 36,000 (Streptococcus sanguis adhesin B [SsaB]) and 20,000 has been determined. The ssaB gene is 927 bp and codes for a 34,684-Da protein. The open reading frame coding for the 20-kDa protein is 489 bp and codes for a protein of 17,885 Da. The SsaB protein has a putative hydrophobic 19-amino-acid signal sequence resulting in a 32,620-Mr secreted protein, whereas the 20-kDa protein has no signal sequence. Both proteins are hydrophilic, and neither appears to have a hydrophobic membrane anchor sequence in the carboxy-terminal region. A DNA sequence homology of 73% exists between the cloned fragment containing the ssaB gene from S. sanguis 12 and the cloned fragment containing the type 1 fimbrial gene of S. sanguis FW213 (J.C. Fenno, D.J. LeBlanc, and P. Fives-Taylor, Infect. Immun. 57:3527-3533, 1989). Amino acid comparisons of the SsaB and type 1 fimbrial proteins show 87% homology, indicating a close similarity of the two proteins. Antiserum raised against the cloned SsaB protein cross-reacts with a 38-kDa protein identified from Streptococcus gordonii (S. sanguis) PK488 which was proposed to mediate coaggregation with Actinomyces naeslundii PK606 (P.E. Kolenbrander and R.N. Andersen, Infect. Immun. 58:3064-3072, 1990). The SsaB adhesion may play a role in oral colonization by binding either to a receptor on saliva or to a receptor on actinomyces.
Impact of Preprocedural B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels on the Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

There are limited data on the effect of baseline B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) on the outcome after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We investigated the influence of baseline BNP levels on the short-term and midterm clinical outcomes after TAVI. During a 3-year period, 780 patients with severe aortic stenosis underwent TAVI at our institute and had baseline BNP levels. We compared the high, mid, and low tertiles of BNP levels. TAVI end points, device success, and adverse events were considered according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 definitions. Device success was significantly lower for patients with high BNP (98.1% vs 96.2% vs 91.9% for the low, mid, and high BNP tertiles, respectively; p = 0.003). All-cause mortality up to 30 days was 1.2% (3 of 260) versus 2.3% (6 of 260) versus 5% (13 of 260), respectively (p = 0.03). Six-month mortality rate was 4.1% (10 of 241) for the low BNP tertile, 5% (12 of 239) for the mid BNP tertile, and 17.1% (40 of 234) for the high BNP tertile (p
ENZYMES OF THE PYRIMIDINE PATHWAY IN ESCHERICHIA COLI II. Intracellular Localization and Properties of Dihydroorotic Dehydrogenase

Taylor, W. Herman (Portland State College, Portland, Ore.), and Mary L. Taylor. Enzymes of the pyrimidine pathway in Escherichia coli. II. Intracellular localization and properties of dihydroorotic dehydrogenase. J. Bacteriol. 88:105–111. 1964.—Intracellular localization of three enzymes of the pyrimidine pathway in Escherichia coli was studied. Dihydroorotic dehydrogenase was found to be associated with the membrane portion of lysed spheroplasts. Centrifugal fractionation of cell-free extracts showed all the dihydroorotic dehydrogenase activity to be associated with large structures, probably cell wall-membrane fragments. In contrast, all orotidylic decarboxylase activity was found in the cytoplasm in both lysed spheroplasts and cell-free extracts. Aspartate transcarbamylase activity appeared to be particulate in repressed cells, but only 25% was particulate in derepressed cells. Dihydroorotic dehydrogenase was shown to be bound to oxidative particles by oxygen uptake and orotate production from dihydroorotate. A ferricyanide reduction assay, suitable for measuring soluble and particulate enzyme, was devised for dihydroorotic dehydrogenase. Soluble dihydroorotic dehydrogenase was prepared by use of deoxycholate. A 20-fold purification of the enzyme compared to whole-cell activity was achieved by ammonium sulfate fractionation of the deoxycholate-soluble enzyme. Although cytochromes were implicated by cyanide inhibition of aerobic orotate production by particles, the purified enzyme appeared to be separated from the cytochromes, as shown by lack of cyanide inhibition in the ferricyanide assay. The purified soluble enzyme did not react in the aerobic assay previously used by others for assay of this enzyme. In contrast to the degradative dihydroorotic dehydrogenases reported by other workers, the biosynthetic dihydroorotic dehydrogenase of E. coli did not link to pyridine nucleotides.
Gate-voltage dependence of low-frequency noise in GaN/AlGaN heterostructure field-effect transistors

The gate-voltage dependence of low-frequency noise in GaN/AlGaN heterostructure field-effect transistors has been investigated in the linear and subsaturation regions. Analysis of experimental data for different transistors indicates that for all examined biases the noise spectrum is dominated by the channel noise rather than noise originating in the series resistors. The obtained results shed new light on the noise sources and may lead to improvements in the noise performance of GaN transistors.
Science and engineering case studies in introductory computing courses for non-majors

This paper relates experience in exploiting a science and engineering case study approach to teach introductory computing concepts in a course for non-majors. It describes how a case study is structured and implemented using hypermedia. It also discusses experience gained in using the case studies in the course.
Relaxation oscillations of a Josephson contact

The Josephson equation with constant current input has been solved in the adiabatic approximation in the limit of vanishing capacitance. In analogy to dissipative mechanical models with zero mass, the system undergoes discontinuous relaxation oscillations, except for large currents. The change in the topology of the phase trajectories manifests itself as a voltage discontinuity at a finite current. Time-average voltage-current characteristics are reported for various temperatures.
Sexual Aggression Experiences Among Male Victims of Physical Partner Violence: Prevalence, Severity, and Health Correlates for Male Victims and Their Children

Although research has documented the prevalence and health correlates of sexual aggression among women who have experienced severe partner violence (PV), no research has documented the parallel issues among male victims of severe PV. Research also suggests that children of female victims of both physical and sexual PV have worse mental health than children of female victims of physical PV only, but no research has assessed the mental health of children whose fathers experienced both physical and sexual PV. We surveyed 611 men who experienced physical PV from their female partners and sought help. We assessed the types and extent of various forms of PV, the men’s mental and physical health, and the mental health of their oldest child. Results showed that almost half of the men experienced sexual aggression in their relationship, and 28 % severe sexual aggression. Increasing levels of severity of sexual aggression victimization was associated with greater prevalence and types of other forms of PV. In addition, greater levels of severity of sexual aggression victimization among the men was significantly associated with depression symptoms, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, physical health symptoms, and poor health, and attention deficit and affective symptoms among their children. These associations held after controlling for demographics and other violence and trauma exposure. Discussion focused on the importance of broadening our conceptualization of PV against men by women to include sexual aggression as well.
Holocene soil chronofunctions, Southern Alps, New Zealand

Abstract Field and laboratory data for two soil chronosequences from the high country of the South Island of New Zealand suggest rapid soil formation rates. The areas studied are the Ben Ohau Range and the Mt. Cook area, where mean annual precipitation is about 1 and 4 m, respectively. Most soil ages are estimated from the thicknesses of rock weathering rinds. Soil chronofunctions are derived for indices that depict field profile and color development, and a modified index of profile anisotropy for laboratory data. Out of a possible 21 chronofunctions, 16 are statistically significant (at the 0.05 level) and 8 are from each area. Most (13) of the chronofunctions best fit a power model, and the remaining ones are split between linear (2) and exponential (1) models. Although problems exist in the purity of the chronosequences because other soil-forming factors are not constant, duration of pedogenesis seems to be the most significant factor in explaining the trends. Despite the large differences in mean annual precipitation between the two areas, many of the derived curves for property vs. time are quite similar.
Dismantling the Tower of Babel in Computer Documentation

Whether to hire technical graduates or liberal arts graduates to train as technical writers has always been a problem in the computer industry. The technical graduate takes much longer to train as ...
Validation of the Piezoelectric Rosette Technique for Locating Impacts in Complex Aerospace Panels

In this paper an approach based on an array of macro-fiber composite (MFC) transducers arranged as rosettes is proposed for high-velocity impact location on isotropic and composite aircraft panels. Each rosette, using the directivity behavior of three MFC sensors, provides the direction of an incoming wave generated by the impact source as a principal strain angle. A minimum of two rosettes is sufficient to determine the impact location by intersecting the wave directions. The piezoelectric rosette approach is easier to implement than the well known time-of-flight based triangulation of acoustic emissions because it does not require knowledge of the wave speed in the material. Hence the technique does not have the drawbacks of time-of-flight triangulation associated to anisotropic materials or tapered sections. The experiments reported herein show the applicability of the technique to high-velocity impacts created with a gas-gun firing spherical ice projectiles. The experimental testing involved the following six specimens: an aluminum panel, a quasi-isotropic CFRP composite panel, a highly anisotropic CFRP composite panel, a stiffened aluminum panel, a stiffened quasi-isotropic CFRP composite panel, and a stiffened anisotropic CFRP composite panel
The effects of methylene-substituents in crown ether backbones. Crystal structures of [Na(OH2)(methylene-16-crown-5)]I, [Na(NO2)(methylene-16-crown-5)]·0.5 (H2O), 3,16-dimethylene-26-crown-8,[Na4I4(3,16-dimethylene-26-crown-8)], and [Na2(OH2)4(3,16-dimethylene-26-crown-8)]I2

Abstract The crystal structures of five methylene substituted crown ether compounds were investigated. [Na(OH2)(methylene-16-crown-5)]I is orthorhombic, P212121 with a = 7.920(9), b = 10.787(3), c = 20.870(5)A, and Dcalc = 1.54 g cm−3 for Z = 4. The sodium cation is coordinated to all five etheric oxygen atoms and a water molecule giving it a coordination number of six. [Na(NO2)(methylene-16-crown-5)]·0.5(H2O) is monoclinic, P21/n with a = 20.566(6), b = 8.605(9), c = 20.821(7)A, β = 115.66(3)·, and Dcalc = 130 g cm−3 for Z = 8. Each sodium cation is seven-coordinate, coordinated to all five etheric oxygen atoms and a bidentate nitrite anion. One crown molecule is severely disordered. The macrocycles in both methylene-16-crown-5 structures have essentially the same conformations. 3,16-dimethylene-26-crown-8 is orthorhombic, Pccn with a = 18.061(4), b = 14.320(4), c = 8.659(7)A, and Dcalc = 1.20 g cm−3 for Z = 4. The crown ether has an elongated cavity generated by a series of six consecutive anti torsion ...
A quantitative electroencephalographic comparison of some benzodiazepines in the primate.

Abstract Eleven benzodiazepines were tested for their effects on the spontaneous EEG in the monkey, Macaca nemestrina . Dose-response studies made it possible to separate these compounds into 3 distinct groups. While all the benzodiazepines produced α-slowing and an increase in low frequency components at comparatively high doses, they differed in their capability to induce spindle-like activity in the frontal and to a lesser extent in the parietal, cortices. Some of the compounds, including diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, and nitrazepam at certain doses, produced a selective enhancement of spindle-like activity which completely dominated the frontal EEG. Others including prazepam did not produce a significant appearance of spindles. Some were intermediate in their characteristics. Spindle-like activity could be differentiated from barbiturate spindles and they behaved qualitetively like control β-activity. Chronic diazepam administration produced different effects from acute administration. Dominant frequencies re-stabilized across the cortex at a frequency significantly higher than control-α. After 11 days of behaviorally effective chronic administration, an additional 12 recovery days elapsed before control activity was re-established.
Partially controlled demand and inventory control: An additive model

The primary goal of this paper is to establish properties of the inventory and advertising policy minimizing the expected discounted cost over a finite horizon in a dynamic nonstationary inventory model with random demand which is influenced by the level of goodwill. Under linearization of the cost associated with the maximum inventory and the advertising effect on demand, the model is shown to be equivalent to an inventory model with disposal. Many results of this paper are extended to cover convex ordering cost of inventory and time lag in delivery of stocks.
The Population Dynamics and Community Ecology of Root Hemiparasitic Plants

abstract: Root hemiparasitic plants and their host plants interact directly, through parasitism, as well as indirectly, through scramble competition for resources. To understand the population dynamics and community ecology of root hemiparasitic plants and their hosts, models of resource‐based competition have been extended to include resource parasitism. Parasitism provides a mechanism for parasitic plants to overcome deficits in their ability to compete for soil resources. The interaction ranges from competitive to exploiter‐victim, depending on whether the benefits of parasitism overshadow the costs of competition. These models predict that as productivity in the system increases, parasitic plants should become more abundant. In diverse host communities, differences in the impact that parasites have on their hosts and the benefits that they receive from parasitizing different hosts may lead to nontransitive competitive relationships and a sort of apparent competition. The possible dynamics include pape...
Formation of asymmetric polysulfone membranes by immersion precipitation. Part I. Modelling mass transport during gelation

A model describing the formation of asymmetric membranes by immersion precipitation is presented. The model is used to predict the type of liquid-liquid phase separation (instantaneous or delayed) that occurs when polysulfone-N,N-dimethylacetamide-2-propanol casting solutions are immersed in a gelation bath. The model includes the thermodynamic interaction parameters determined in earlier work and the transport parameters determined by measuring solvent release and nonsolvent uptake of the cast film immersed into a gelation bath for different initial compositions of the cast film and gelation bath. The predictions of the model agree with the experimental observations.
Using machine learning to speed up manual image annotation: application to a 3D imaging protocol for measuring single cell gene expression in the developing C. elegans embryo

Background: Image analysis is an essential component in many biological experiments that study gene expression, cell cycle progression, and protein localization. A protocol for tracking the expression of individual C. elegans genes was developed that collects image samples of a developing embryo by 3-D time lapse microscopy. In this protocol, a program called StarryNite performs the automatic recognition of fluorescently labeled cells and traces their lineage. However, due to the amount of noise present in the data and due to the challenges introduced by increasing number of cells in later stages of development, this program is not error free. In the current version, the error correction (i.e., editing) is performed manually using a graphical interface tool named AceTree, which is specifically developed for this task. For a single experiment, this manual annotation task takes several hours. Results: In this paper, we reduce the time required to correct errors made by StarryNite. We target one of the most frequent error types (movements annotated as divisions) and train a support vector machine (SVM) classifier to decide whether a division call made by StarryNite is correct or not. We show, via cross-validation experiments on several benchmark data sets, that the SVM successfully identifies this type of error significantly. A new version of StarryNite that includes the trained SVM classifier is available at http://starrynite.sourceforge.net. Conclusions: We demonstrate the utility of a machine learning approach to error annotation for StarryNite. In the process, we also provide some general methodologies for developing and validating a classifier with respect to a given pattern recognition task.
CTH04-4: Capacity Bounds for Training-Based UWB Systems

The achievable rate of training-based UWB systems is investigated. Assuming a block-fading model and the IEEE 802.15.3a channel model it is found that training-based UWB systems, that restrict the transmitted signals in their power- spectral density, are able to utilize the available bandwidth efficiently. This is in contrast to recent results for power limited systems which predict a diminishing mutual information with increasing bandwidth if white-like signals are used. The bounds developed are independent of the particular channel estimator used. An optimization of the training sequence length shows that a training sequence length of about 2% of the coherence interval is optimal independent of the signal bandwidth.
Business Improvement Districts and the “New” Revitalization of Downtown

Downtown renewal is occurring throughout the United States. Increasingly, the revitalization process is more about incremental, entrepreneurial efforts to make downtowns enjoyable and less about comprehensive projects that physically alter large swaths of property. A leader in this “new” revitalization of downtown is the business improvement district (BID). To understand how BIDs are improving downtown life, this article presents the results of a national survey of 264 independently managed BIDs operating in 43 states. Among other things, the survey discovered that BIDs in large and small communities are most involved with marketing downtown districts, providing supplemental sanitation and security services, and advocating public policies that promote downtown interests. Although this research did not measure the impact of BIDs, it suggests that they are playing an important role in downtown renewal because of their extensive involvement with the delivery of services that are elementary yet consequential.
Multicomponent determinations in flow-injection systems with square-wave voltammetric detection using the kalman filter

Abstract Electrochemical detection in flow-injection systems has become increasingly popular. Scanning electrochemical methods of detection have received less attention. The use of rapid square-wave voltammetric detection for flow injection is described. Experimental considerations for the use of square-wave voltammetric detection are discussed. Results of the application of this combination are shown for dopamine in 0.28 M sulfuric acid, and for lead(II) and thallium(I) in 0.9 M nitric acid. A linear, recursive estimator known as the Kalman filter is used to resolve overlapping responses. Empirical models consisting of the square-wave voltammetric responses of single species are used. Results are shown for mixtures of lead(II) and thallium(I) in 0.9 M nitric acid.
European Film Noir

European Film Noir ANDREW SPICER (ed.) Manchester and New York, Manchester University Press, 2007 xi + 279 pp., illus., $26.00 (paperback) James Naremore (More Than Night, 1998) has used the term ‘...
Management of end-of-life care and of difficult behaviors associated with borderline personality disorder.

Psychologicalsufferingisoneofthemostdis-concertingissuesthatpatientsandfamiliesmayexperience attheendoflife(EOL). Inthefaceof a terminal illness, it is natural for patients tofeelgrief,sadness,despair,anger,pain,andanx-iety. Many are able to achieve acceptance, com-fort, and coping through the dying process.However,thedyingprocesscanbecomplicatedfor those with preexisting psychiatric disordersthat make them more vulnerable to distressandmayamplifytheirpsychological,emotional,physical, and spiritual suffering.Caring for patients with psychiatric and per-sonality disorders at the EOL is complex, giventhe nature of psychopathology and its impacton interactions between the patients and theproviders. We present a case of a patient witha terminal illness and comorbid borderlinepersonality disorder (BPD) and discuss man-agement challenges from palliative and psychi-atric perspectives.
Sedimentation from buoyant fine-grained suspensions

Abstract Laboratory experiments were performed to observe the sedimentation of natural sediment in buoyant turbulent suspensions. A series of experiments were conducted in a flume modified to investigate sedimentation from a steady, stratified shear layer. Ambient salinity stratification in the lower fluid allowed the upper layer to remain buoyant, while turbulence induced by free shear in the water column produced instabilities between the two fluids. These experiments showed that convective plumes dominated sedimentation. These convective plumes had vortex tips and vertical velocities of 1–2 cm/s. The velocities observed are two orders of magnitude larger than those predicted by Stokes settling of the constituent particles. Surface plume concentrations as low as 380 mg/l were documented to support robust mixing-induced convective sedimentation. At high concentrations (>6000 mg/l), the experiments produced a divergent plume with a considerable amount of the sediment-laden fluid being diverted along the bottom of the flume. Our observed vertical sediment fluxes demonstrated a 50% increase as compared to previous studies of double-diffusive sedimentation. A simple scaling analysis using the dissipation rate of turbulent energy and the surface plume sediment concentration was able to collapse the experimental data and indicated a positive correlation between turbulent energy and sedimentation. The empirical scaling relationship accurately predicted effective settling velocities measured on the Eel River margin in 1997–1998. The quality of the agreement between the laboratory and field measurements provides strong evidence that sedimentation by mixing-induced convection may be the dominant mode of sediment removal from energetic, highly concentrated, buoyant river plumes.
What is “Grammar”?

The very "foreignness" of speaking a foreign language is another matter deserving further attention. For many linguistically unsophisticated people the fact of speaking a given language and belonging to its corresponding nationality stand in an implicational relationship. If an American shows, for example, a Russian that he can speak his language, the Russian may have one of several reactions: he may refuse to admit the fact that the American does, in reality, speak Russian; he may accept the fact, but insist that the American is either Russian or Russian in background, as if the ability to speak foreign languages is somehow transmitted either genetically or through some kind of "racial memory"; he may seemingly accept the fact that the American does in fact speak Russian, even compliment him on his command of that language, all the time continuing to speak to the American in English if he unconsciously cannot accept what he consciously admits. When two people enter into a relationship there generally is at the same time established the lan uage in which that relationship will be maintained. If a native American professor of Ru sian establishes a relationship with a Russian-bor colleague in which the language of c mmunication is English, it will be extremely difficult for the native Russian to communicate
Method for rapidly screening revertants of reovirus temperature-sensitive mutants for extragenic suppression

Abstract A method for rapidly screening revertants of “leaky” temperature-sensitive ( ts ) mutations of reovirus for extragenic suppression is described. This method depends on the separation of a ts lesion from its suppressor in a backcross with wild type, and the subsequent appearance of the ts lesion as a leak plaque at restrictive temperature. The method gives reliable results in 6 days.
recA-dependent DNA repair in UV-irradiated Escherichia coli.

UV-radiation-induced lesions in DNA result in the formation of excision gaps, daughter-strand gaps (DSG) and double-strand breaks (DSB), which are repaired by several different mechanisms. Postreplication repair. The recA gene is a master gene that controls all of the pathways of postreplication repair. The repair of DSG proceeds by one pathway that is also recF dependent, and one pathway that is constitutive and independent of the recF and recBC genes. A small fraction of the recF recB-independent repair of DSG is dependent upon the umuC gene, and may define an error-prone pathway of postreplication repair. Unrepaired DSG can be converted to DSB, which are normally repaired by the RecBCD pathway. However, in the recBC sbcB background, these DSB are repaired by a recF-dependent process. The RecF pathways of postreplication repair appear to utilize DNA containing a single-stranded region (either a gap or a DSB with a single-stranded end), while the RecBCD pathway appears to utilize the blunt ends of duplex DNA to promote the recombinational repair of DSB. The polA gene (especially the 5'----3' exonuclease activity of DNA polymerase I) functions in pathways of postreplication repair (both for the repair of DSG and DSB) that are largely independent of the recF gene. Nucleotide excision repair. The repair of excision gaps is independent of the recA gene in cells with unreplicated chromosomes, but is recA dependent in cells with partially replicated chromosomes at the time of UV irradiation. This recA-dependent repair of excision gaps appears to be analogous to the recF- and recB-dependent pathways of postreplication repair, i.e. the RecF pathway repairs DNA gaps, and the RecBCD pathway repairs the DSB that arise at unrepaired gaps.
Hypersonic Thermal Environment of a Proposed Single-Stage-to-Orbit Vehicle

The thermal environmentof a representative single-stage-to-orbitwinged body vehicle has been investigated at a Mach number of 21.89 and an altitude of 233,000ft, which corresponds to the peak heating condition on a nominal re-entry trajectory. Both surface heating and temperatures are mapped for the baseline con guration and for control surfaces both  xed (tip  ns) and de ected (body  ap and elevons). The thermal environment is predicted for angles of attack of 28, 32, and 36 deg; for body  ap de ections of 10 and 20 deg; and for a matrix of tip  n parameters based on leading-edge radius and leading-edgesweep angle. The analysis is based on laminar  ow in chemical equilibrium and chemical nonequilibrium including catalytic surface effects. The analysis shows that, in the vicinity of the wing fuselage juncture and tip  n leading edge, the localized heating can be as much as three times and temperatures asmuch asone-third greater than those found at the stagnationpoint.These extremes are the result of shock interactions that are in uenced by vehicle aerolinesandattitude, as well as the chemical state of the gas in the  ow eld.
Subcutaneous frenulum flap (SCUFF) for iatrogenic or primary megameatus and reoperative hypospadias repair.

Abstract Objectives. Megameatus, whether primary or iatrogenic, can be managed by one of several tubularization techniques. Repair after prior circumcision or after failed hypospadias repair can occasionally be challenging because of the lack of local vascularized tissues. The use of an inferiorly based frenulum flap as a buttressing layer for these unusual repairs is described. Methods. An inferiorly based island flap of frenulum skin is de-epithelialized and advanced over the urethral repair. Results. The procedure has been used in 5 cases: two reoperative hypospadias repairs, one primary megameatus repair, and two repairs of traumatic fistula/megameatus after circumcision. Overall, the cosmetic results were excellent, with one postoperative fistula. Conclusions. This is a straightforward technique providing added vascularity in these relatively unusual cases in which a dorsal or meatal-based flap is not convenient or feasible.
Synthesis, stereoselective enzymatic hydrolysis, and skin permeation of diastereomeric propranolol ester prodrugs

Four diastereomeric propranolol ester prodrugs (1S2S, 1S2R, 1R2S, 1R2R) were synthesized by treating pure R‐ and S‐propranolol hydrochloride with pure enantiomers R‐ and S‐phenylbutyryl chloride. A HPLC technique using α‐1 acid glycoprotein (chiral AGP) column was developed to study the racemization of propranolol enantiomers during synthesis and hydrolysis studies. A reversed phase HPLC method was also developed to simultaneously analyze propranolol and the ester prodrug. Hydrolysis of these esters was studied in different rat tissue homogenates, i.e., liver, intestine, plasma, skin, brain, and pure plasma cholinesterases, i.e., butyryl cholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.8) and acetyl cholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7). In vitro percutaneous permeation studies across full thickness shaved rat skin were performed using standard side‐by‐side diffusion cells at 37 °C. The disappearance of the diastereomeric ester prodrugs in rat tissue homogenates followed apparent first‐order kinetics and was stereoselective. The ratio of brain to plasma hydrolytic rate constants are 27.8, 5.58, 6.07, and 2.97 for 1S2S, 1R2R, 1R2S, and 1S2R esters, respectively. Hydrolysis of all four diastereomeric ester prodrugs was faster by acetyl cholinesterase than butyryl cholinesterase and is stereoselective. The permeability coefficients [Kp ± 103 (cm h−1)] are 1.40 ± 0.30, 1.41 ± 0.27, 42.20 ± 1.24, 29.26 ± 3.41, 16.27 ± 3.12, 12.99 ± 2.84 for (R)‐propranolol, (S)‐propranolol, 1S2S, 1R2S, 1S2R, and 1R2R ester prodrugs, respectively. The results indicate that the 1R2S diastereomeric ester prodrug of propranolol shows greatest stability in liver and intestinal tissues while it exhibits fairly rapid conversion in plasma. The results also suggest the configuration on the second chiral carbon atom to be the determinant in the rate of hydrolysis of all the diastereomeric prodrugs in all biological media examined. The Kp of all four prodrugs markedly increased compared to that of the parent drug, with 1S2S showing a 30‐fold increase in skin permeability, the highest among all four prodrugs.
The Functions of Landscape in Jorge Isaacs and Soledad Acosta de Samper

Jorge Isaacs's Maria (1867) and Soledad Acosta de Samper's “Un crimen” (1869) encode landscape in ways that establish or undermine, respectively, hierarchies of class. Isaacs and Acosta de Samper represent landscapes as conveyors of meaning about relationships of dominance and subjugation, and they show how landscapes impose restrictions on their inhabitants in their narratives. Using concepts from cultural geography, this article argues that while Isaacs's text seeks to reproduce existing social conditions of inequality via a nostalgic reproduction of the landscape, Acosta de Samper's story calls into question the complicity of landscape with power and undermines the idyllic, pastoral narrative that Maria seeks to advance.
A Novel N of 1 Trial Design and Proposed Utility in Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research

An N of 1 trial is a multiple crossover study in a single participant. N of 1trials can combine the benefits of individualized patient practice and evidence-based medicine and are amenable to complementary and alternative medicine practice and research. This article will review the basic structure of N of 1trials, discuss how they are commonly used, and review their limitations and statistical considerations. The authors also propose a novel use of the N of 1 trial in the form of mixed-methodology add-on N of 1 trials targeted to a parent trial’s responders. This design can help uncover evidence of subgroup effects in small trials, address issues surrounding the small study effect, and explore the role of interparticipant variability and random chance in the parent trial.