cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving sampling and response rates in children's health research through participatory methods.

Background: Children’s health is an important indicator of community health because children are especially vulnerable to disease. The school setting is ideal for assessing these vulnerabilities and prevalence of disease, yet the methods that produce high participation among students and their families are not usually described or evaluated. This is important because high participation rates increase reliability of data and interpretation of results. Methods: In order to determine which methods produce the highest response rates in a parent-report school-based survey, a child-focused protocol, consisting of a brief classroom presentation and incentives for participation, was compared to a parent/teacher outreach method and a teacher-only outreach protocol. Methods were implemented in schools matched on student demographics and neighborhood socioeconomic level. The child-focused method was found to yield the highest response rate; thus, it was deployed in 26 schools to determine its effectiveness in schools of varying socioeconomic levels. Results: Response rates were highest using the child-focused protocol when compared to those resulting from the parent/teacher outreach or the teacher-only protocols (80.5% vs 74.7%, 83.4% vs 45.8%, respectively). After full deployment, the response rate of the child-focused protocol was 76.9% (70.8-82.8%), with 46.9% of classrooms achieving a response rate of 80% or greater. The sample obtained was highly representative in racial/ethnic distribution, as evidenced by its strong correlation with the individual school enrollment, the 5- to 12-year-old population of surrounding ZIP codes, and the New York City public school population. Conclusion: Participatory research methods that engage schoolchildren and school staff directly in the research process yield the highest response rates for school-based studies and provide educational benefits for the school community.
Functional sites in F1-ATPases: location and interactions.

This review focuses on the location and interaction of three functional sites in F1-ATPases. These are catalytic sites which are located in β subunits, noncatalytic nucleotide-binding sites which are located at interfaces of α and β subunits and modulate the hydrolytic activity of the enzyme, and a site that binds inhibitory amphipathic cations which is at an interface of α and β subunits. The latter site may participate in transmission of conformational signals between catalytic sites in F1 and the proton-conducting apparatus of F0 in the intact ATP synthases.
An Efficient Adaptive Distribution-Free Test for Location

Abstract An adaptive distribution-free test procedure for location based on a one-parameter family of score functions is proposed. The family of score functions is derived from the symmetric lambda distributions introduced by Tukey. The resulting test attains Pittman efficiency one for a large set of underlying lambda distributions. In addition, the test has Pitman efficiency 3/π at the normal alternative. The procedure can easily be extended to the multisample problem.
A metal halide high pressure discharge lamp with warm white colour and high efficacy

A Na, Tl, In, Sn high pressure discharge lamp of warm white colour was developed for an efficient energy utilization in indoor illumination. The lamp is characterised by:(1) low colour temperature (CCT = 3300 K) with good colour rendering (Ra = 85).(2) high luminous efficacy of approx. 90 lm/W, corresponding to the 5- to 6-fold of an incandescent lamp,(3) high life time of approx. 4000 h, corresponding to the 4-fold of an incandescent lamp,(4) arbitrary burning position as with an incandescent lamp.These data were achieved through utilization of strongly pressure broadened line radiation (Na, Tl, In) combined with molecular radiation (SnI, SnBr, HgI, HgBr). The main features of the lamp are discussed, in particular a deviation from local thermal equilibrium in the mantle of the discharge.
Incidental memory for parts of scenes from eye movements

Incidental memory for parts of scenes was examined in two search experiments and one memory control experiment. Eye movements were recorded during the search experiments and used to select gaze-contingent sections from search scenes for a surprise memory recognition task. Results from the recognition task showed incidental memory was better for sections viewed longer and with multiple fixations. Sections not fixated during search were still recognized above chance as well. Differences in sections did not affect memory performance in a control experiment when viewing time was held constant. These results show that memory for parts of scenes can occur incidentally during search and encoding of tested sections is better with longer viewing time and with multiple fixations.
Microbodies and glyoxylate-cycle enzyme activities in filamentous fungi

Microbodies were observed in the hyphal tips of all 14 fungi investigated. Their morphology varied among the fungi and their numbers were influenced by the growth medium. Microbodies were closely associated with mitochondria in one fungus and with the endoplasmic reticulum in several fungi. Catalase was not detected in microbodies with the diaminobenzidine cytochemical procedure even though catalase activity was present in extracts of these fungi. The activities of the glyoxylate-cycle enzymes isocitrate lyase and malate synthase were affected by the growth medium and were particulate in the two fungi studied by differential centrifugation. Microbodies are abundant, and they are ubiquitous among the fungi and in some cases they may contain glyoxylate-cycle enzymes.
Factor analysis of the Adolescent Reinforcement Survey Schedule (ARSS) with college freshmen.

A factor analysis of the Adolescent Reinforcement Survey Schedule (ARSS) with a male and female college freshman (N = 231) population yielded 10 interpretable factors: Heterosexual Dating, Peer Interaction, Sibling/Family Interaction, Sexual Pleasure, Anti-School/Work, Leisure/Work Activity, Drugs/Acting Out, Entertainment/Social Activity, Home Avoidance, and Romantic Fantasy Activity. The first three factors are similar to a Positive Social interaction factor identified in a study that used the adult form of the Reinforcement Survey Schedule with a male and female college population. Suggestions are made from the ARSS responses of the college freshmen re interventions to facilitate social skill competency and the relationship aspects of sexual activity. A recommendation is made to replicate the current study with groups of early and mid-adolescents in order to study reinforces during different periods of adolescent development. Language: en
Stress-related alcohol consumption in heavy drinkers correlates with expression of miR-10a, miR-21, and components of the TAR-RNA-binding protein-associated complex.

Background Alterations in stress-related gene expression may play a role in stress-related drinking and the risk of alcohol dependence. Methods Microarrays were used to measure changes in gene expression in peripheral blood in nonsmoking, social drinking subjects exposed to 3 types of personalized imagery: neutral, stressful (but not alcohol related), and alcohol-related cues. Gene expression was measured at baseline, immediately after, and 1 hour after stimulus presentation. Subjects were allowed to drink up to 750 cc of beer in a “taste test” following stimulus presentation in each imagery condition, and the amount of beer consumed was recorded. Gene-expression levels were compared in 2 groups of nonsmoking subjects (n = 11/group): heavy drinkers (HD; defined as regular alcohol use over the past year of at least 8 standard drinks per week for women and at least 15 standard drinks per week for men), and moderate drinkers (MD; defined as up to 7 standard drinks per week for women and 14 standard drinks per week for men). Expression of microRNA-10a (miR-10a) and microRNA-21 (miR-21) was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results After correction for multiple testing (false discovery rate 1.3-fold in the HD group, but not the MD group, following exposure to stress. No changes were observed for any of these genes in either group following exposure to neutral or alcohol-related imagery. Pathway analysis suggested that many of these genes, form part of the transactivation responsive (TAR)-RNA-binding protein (TRBP)-associated complex and are positively regulated by miR-10a and miR-21. Expression of both miR-10a and miR-21 was up-regulated following psychological stress in HD, but not MD subjects; however, the differences between groups were not statistically significant. Expression levels of both microRNAs was correlated (miR-10a, R2 = 0.59, miR-21 R2 = 0.57) with amount drunk in HD, but not MD subjects. Conclusions Expression of miR-10a, miR-21, and several of their target genes is regulated by acute psychological stress and is correlated with stress-induced drinking in a laboratory setting. Alterations in miRNA expression may be one mechanism linking psychological stress with changes in gene expression and increased alcohol intake in binge/HD.
Medication-overuse headache in children: is initial preventive therapy necessary?

Chronic daily headaches can be a difficult problem in children as well as adults. Over half of the cases of chronic daily headaches in adults are thought to be due to medication-overuse headache, a...
Single Assignment Compiler, Single Assignment Architecture: Future Gated Single Assignment Form*; Static Single Assignment with Congruence Classes

We present a new static single assignment form which can be used by an optimizing compiler as its internal representation and the micro-architecture as its instruction set. This representation, Future Gated Single Assignment Form (FGSA), directly represents the use-def relationship of variables by employing the concept of congruence classes and the concept of future dependencies. We show that FGSA is efficiently computable by using a series of T1/T2 transformations, yielding an expected linear time algorithm for the construction of single assignment form. Our interval analysis method includes a novel transformation TR which eliminates irreducible loops without node splitting and combines computation of single-assignment form with irreducible loop elimination. The algorithm produces pruned single assignment form, rendering a separate pruning step unnecessary. In practice, the FGSA approach results in an average reduction of 7.7%, with a maximum of 67% in the number of gating functions compared to the pruned SSA form on the SPEC2000 benchmark suite, owing to its ability to represent dataflow within a congruence class by using a single gating function. We illustrate that FGSA is convenient to use as an internal representation in an optimizing compiler by presenting two case studies of optimization algorithms on FGSA.
Chemically Sensitive Surface Acoustic Wave Devices Employing a Self-Assembled Composite Monolayer Film: Molecular Specificity and Effects Due to Self-Assembled Monolayer Adsorption Time and Gold Surface Morphology

The selectivity, sensitivity, and reproducibility of SAW chemical sensors functionalized with a carboxylate-coordinated Cu2+-terminated surface are examined in relation to the interfacial properties of these organomercaptan self-assembled monolayer (SAM) films, prepared from the solution phase for adsorption times of 36, 84, or 180 h on Au surfaces having variable, controlled grain sizes. SAM adsorption time and the grain size of the Au film can dramatically affect the response to adsorption from the vapor phase onto the composite monolayer-modified SAW device. It is proposed that the varied response results from differences in molecular packing and, particularly, in the ordering of the end groups of the monolayer film that provide the chemically sensitive interface. These studies provide an important step toward reliably fabricating chemical sensors that respond to specific classes of organic analytes.
Quantitative bone mineral density assessment in malignant infantile osteopetrosis.

Purpose To investigate the use of quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and dual energy absorptiometry (DXA) for assessing bone mineral density (BMD) in the evaluation of children with malignant infantile osteopetrosis (MIOP). Methods and Patients We retrospectively reviewed QCT- and DXA-determined BMD in six patients with infantile osteopetrosis and correlated BMD measured during the initial evaluation with patient characteristics. Results Five male and one female infant met the eligibility criteria. BMD was markedly elevated in all patients as determined by each modality, QCT or DXA. For QCT, in which age-specific normal values are known, the BMD was found to be 22.4–32.6 standard deviations above the mean. Using DXA, the estimated BMD of the lumbar spine ranged from 0.45 to 0.8 g/cm2; children with similarly appearing bone radiographs had quite disparate BMD. While the qualitative trend of BMD among the patients was similar for both measures, the units and numerical values of BMD differed. We found no correlation between BMD results and hematopoiesis observed in the bone marrow or with visual evaluation of the radiographs. Conclusion Both QCT and DXA are effective quantitative measures of BMD in children with MIOP. However, the same modality should be employed for longitudinal evaluation of a given patient. Each technique has unique advantages and disadvantages and may complement one another in the evaluation of MIOP or other bone disorders. Quantitative assessment of BMD in children with MIOP will likely serve to further characterize this disease. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2007;48:181–185. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Predicting bank failures and intertemporal assessment of bank risk

Abstract Two concepts currently under consideration that may be used by regulators to compensate for the actuarial differences in risk among insured depository institutions are risk-based capital requirements and risk-based deposit insurance premia. Both concepts, however, require a methodology to assess the riskiness of the institution. This study develops and tests factors in an intertemporal framework that may be used to appropriately assess risk. The results of the study indicate that the time frame prior to possible insolvency of the institution is critical for both the appropriate factors and the weighting of the factors in a discriminant-type model.
Effects of thyroid state on ornithine decarboxylase activity of the adenohypophysis of the rat and chicken.

Abstract In White Leghorn chickens, 0.5 ng/kg of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) increased ornithine decarboxylase activity in the rostral lobe of the adenohypophysis without any alteration of enzyme activity in the caudal lobe. In rats, administration of TRH (250 ng/100 g body weight) increased thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) release but did not increase ornithine decarboxylase activity in the adenohypophysis. However, surgical thyroidectomy performed on rats resulted in declining levels of T3 and T4 in the plasma, an increase in the plasma level of TSH, and a twofold increase in ornithine decarboxylase activity in the adenohypophysis. In the chicken, administration of both methimazole and thyroxine caused elevated ornithine decarboxylase activity in the rostral and caudal lobes of the adenohypophysis. The hormone stimulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity, an early indicator of new biosynthesis, is suggested as a marker to study control mechanisms in the adenohypophysis.
Development of post-tetanic potentiation at identified inhibitory and excitatory synapses in Aplysia.

1. The development of post-tetanic potentiation (p.t.p.) was studied at three identified synapses in the abdominal ganglion of Aplysia californica. They are (1) the excitatory synapse made onto R(15) by an axon in the right connective (RC(1)-R(15)), (2) the inhibitory synapse made by L(10) onto one of its follower cells in the rostral quadrant of the left abdominal ganglion (L(10)-LUQC), and (3) the excitatory synapse made by L(10) onto RB cells (L(10)-RB). Animals examined ranged from stage 11 juveniles weighing 2 mg to stage 13 adults weighing 300 g.2. Despite a marked decrease of the input resistance (34-fold) and a marked increase in the capacitance of the cells of the LUQC, the amplitude of i.p.s.p. measured at 50 mV more negative than its reversal potential decreases only 4-fold, between juvenile animals (25-65 mg) and adult animals (100 g). This suggests a marked increase in the synaptic current. A similar discrepancy in the extent of decrease between the input resistance and e.p.s.p. amplitude was found in the RC(1)-R(15) synapse during development.3. The amount of p.t.p., after tetanization at 5 Hz for 30 sec, increased with development. At the excitatory RC(1)-R(15) synapse, p.t.p. (defined as the percent of the maximal post-tetanus p.s.p. over the control p.s.p.) increased from 135+/-11% (mean+/-s.d., n = 7) to 334+/-72% (n = 10). At the inhibitory L(10)-LUQC synapse, p.t.p. increased from 99+/-11% (n = 6) to 276+/-58% (n = 7).4. At both types of synapses, the time course of p.t.p. decay was measured by fitting a single exponential function, showing no systematic developmental change in the time constant of p.t.p. decay from the time p.t.p. was first measured onwards. The time constant was 129+/-52 sec (n = 39) for RC(1)-R(15), and 45+/-7 sec (n = 20) for L(10)-LUQC.5. Divergent connexions made by the same presynaptic neurone L(10) on the inhibitory follower cells (L(10)-LUQC) and on the excitatory cells (L(10)-RB) showed the same amount of potentiation in the same animal after an L(10) tetanus. Convergent connexions onto the RB cells from the axon in the right connective and from L(10) produced completely independent potentiation. These results provide an independent support for the well established finding that p.t.p. results exclusively from presynaptic changes.6. At each of these several synapses which show robust p.t.p. in adult animals, p.t.p. appears as a late step in their development. There is thus a discrete and considerable interval of time between the establishment of functional connexions and the emergence of synaptic plasticity in these excitatory and inhibitory synapses in Aplysia.
North Central Sociological Association Presidential Address. I Didn't Build That: Life Chances, Life Course, Habitus, and Dumb Luck—a Life in Sociology

“There is no private life that is not determined by a wider public life.” George Eliot (1819--1880) “It is a sad fate for a man to die too well known to everybody else and still unknown to himself....
Graphical structure of many-particle transition operators

A new graphical derivation is given of the nested Rosenberg equations which reveals the simple structural reasons for their validity. The graphical techniques are shown to apply in other contexts in nuclear reaction theory.
The Reliability and Validity of a Chair Sit-and-Reach Test as a Measure of Hamstring Flexibility in Older Adults

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability and the criterion validity of a newly developed chair sit-and-reach (CSR) test as a measure of hamstring flexibility in older adults. CSR performance was also compared to sit-and-reach (SR) and back-saver sit-and-reach (BSR) measures of hamstring flexibility. To estimate reliability, 76 men and women (M age = 70.5 years) performed the CSR on 2 different days, 2–5 days apart. In the validity phase of the study, scores of 80 men and women (M age = 74.2 years) were obtained on three field test measures of hamstring flexibility (CSR, SR, and BSR) and on a criterion test (goniometer measurement of a passive straight-leg raise). Results indicate that the CSR has good intraclass test-retest reliability (R = .92 for men; r = .96 for women), and has a moderate-to-good relationship with the criterion measure (r = .76 for men; r = .81 for women). The criterion validity of the CSR for the male and female participants is comparable to that o...
3,4-Alkylenedioxypyrrole-Based Conjugated Polymers with Finely Tuned Electronic and Optical Properties via a Flexible and Efficient N-Functionalization Method

The poly(3,4-alkylenedioxypyrrole) family of conjugated polymers (the PXDOPs) shows potential for widespread applications due to their unique electronic and optical properties; however, progress has been limited due to synthetic limitations. We report an optimized synthetic route for a new compound, 3,4-propyledioxypyrrole-N-acetic acid (ProDOP-N-AcOH), which utilizes inexpensive reagents, high yielding steps that require little or no purification (and no chromatography), and which can be converted, using either one or two facile synthetic transformations, to a variety of ester, alcohol, and ether derivatives. The derivatives were electropolymerized onto Pt button working electrodes, and it was found that the polymers containing ester N-pendant groups exhibited a peak monomer oxidation potential 100 mV higher than that of the ethers, suggesting an inductive effect. Polymer E1/2 values were measured to be between −0.24 and 0.01 V and were highly dependent on polymer pendant group structure and electrochemi...
The critical concentration at which interaction between polymer molecules begins in dilute solutions

Abstract A critical concentration C∗ is identified at which interaction or overlapping of the domains of polymer molecules in solution first occurs. Thirty-three experimental values of C ∗ from eight different systems, drawn from 10 literature sources and using seven different detection procedures, were correlated with an average absolute deviation of 22.1%. The correlation is particularly useful because, in contrast to other procedures, it requires no physical measurements and involves a new application of molal volume estimates from standard tabulations. Extension of the study to wider ranges of polymer and solvent types is advocated.
Milton re‐membered, graved and press'd: William Blake and the fate of textual bodies

This essay explores William Blake's complex textual and spiritual rendering of John Milton in his illuminated book, Milton a Poem. Responding to authorial anxieties within John Milton's own poetry and prose works, Milton reveals within its allegorical structure a purposeful conflation of corporeal, technological, agricultural and religious lexicons. The work reflects the material means of its own production while simultaneously revealing much about how Blake conceived his own radicalized visionary and artistic mission. Emphasizing the material, Christological and symbolic dimensions of Blake's linguistic play, the essay thus examines the relationship between these vocabularies – more specifically between the world of the print shop and the author's vision within the poem. In doing so my reading of the work highlights the political dangers associated with resurrecting the Miltonic corpus in an era when Milton's republican legacy sat uneasily alongside his literary achievements. By materializing Milton's bo...
ABCDE Steps to Prevent Heart Disease in Breast Cancer Survivors

Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer diagnosed in women. Of every 8 women, 1 woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. In 2013, more than 230 000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States alone, resulting in nearly 40 000 deaths. Breast cancer can also occur in men, although the incidence is much lower, with a total of 2240 men diagnosed in 2013 (accounting for less than 1% of all breast cancers). Over the past 2 decades, death resulting from breast cancer has been declining each year. This decrease in mortality is due in part to improvements in cancer treatment. These treatments have come about as a result of collaborations among physicians in various specialties. These physicians include medical oncologists (who give systemic treatments like chemotherapy and hormonal therapy), surgeons (who perform surgery such as mastectomy and lumpectomy), and radiation oncologists (who treat patients with radiation therapy). Radiation therapy, in particular, has increasingly become an important part of management of most patients with breast cancer. Radiation therapy has been demonstrated not only to prevent recurrence of cancer in the breast or chest wall area but also to improve long-term survival in women. In addition, radiation therapy allows women to undergo a less radical form of surgery in which the breast tissue is conserved, thus improving body image for breast cancer survivors without compromising survival. As a result of this progress in treatment and improved detection of early breast cancer, in 2012, there were nearly 3 million breast cancer survivors in the United States alone, a number that will increase in the coming years. Women who survive breast cancer may face many health challenges, but the number 1 cause of death in breast cancer survivors (and, in fact, all women) remains heart disease. Unfortunately, although systemic …
Trends in hospital and surgeon volume and operative mortality for cancer surgery.

Background We measured 13-year trends in operative mortality for six cancer resections. We then examined whether these trends are driven by changes in hospital and surgeon volume or by changes that occurred among all providers, regardless of volume.
The effects of gamma radiolysis on the pH of WIPP brine A

Abstract The effect of gamma radiolysis on pH changes in acidic WIPP Brine A has been studied. After a total gamma radiation dose of 1 Grad (at 2.4 Mrad/h), the solution pH approaches a value closer to neutral, thus suggesting possible beneficial effects of radiation on the localized corrosion of metallic containers for use in nuclear waste disposal. In agreement with earlier investigations G(H2) is found to be 0.31–0.41. Results for other gases are also presented.
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF URBAN ISSUES: PERCEPTIONS BY MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS IN A SUNBELT AND A FROSTBELT STATE

This comparative study of Texas and Pennsylvania municipal officials seeks to determine on what urban issues there is the greatest divergence and convergence. Based on states representative of the Sunbelt and the Frostbelt, the study demonstrates that Pennsylvania officials view urban problems as much more critical than their Texas counterparts, and these different perspectives may well translate into political action at the national level.
Molecular Mechanism of Rhodopsin Photoactivation

Rhodopsin is a highly specialized GPCR that is activated by the rapid photochemical isomerization of its covalently bound 11-cis retinal chromophore. Using two-dimensional solid-state NMR spectroscopy, we define the position of the retinal in the active metarhodopsin II intermediate and the protein conformational changes that couple retinal isomerization to breaking of the “ionic lock” between transmembrane (TM) helices H3 and H6. Retinal isomerization leads to steric strain within the retinal binding site between the β-ionone ring and helix H5, and between the C19/C20 methyl groups and EL2. These interactions trigger the displacement of EL2, deprotonation of the Schiff base nitrogen and protonation of Glu113. Motion of the β-ionone ring leads to rearrangement of the hydrogen bonding network centered on H5, while interactions of the C19 and C20 methyl groups are involved in rearrangement of the EL2. Motion of the β-ionone ring is also coupled to the motion of Trp265, which triggers the shift of helices H6 and H7 into active conformations and the rearrangement of the hydrogen bonding network centered on the conserved NPxxY sequence. Motion of helices H5, H6 and H7, in turn, is coupled to the rearrangement of electrostatic interactions involving the conserved ERY sequence at the cytoplasmic end of H3, exposing the G protein binding site on the cytoplasmic surface of the protein. The location of the retinal and reorganization of the protein upon receptor activation provides a structural basis for understanding the action of agonists and antagonists in the large family of class A GPCRs.
A Cutpoint Cellular Associative Memory

Due to the rapidly growing technological ability to batch fabricate a large number of components on one substrate, it is economical and reliable to implement an associative memory by cellular arrays. Such an associative memory is presented in this paper. The proposed memory is word-organized, and its basic building blocks are cutpoint cells with various indices. All the bit-memories, word-sequential-control networks, word-match tag-networks, and bit-output networks have identical structures, and the proposed memory system is especially compatible with the manufacture of integrated circuit. The memory can perform the comparison, tag, writing and nondestructive reading processes in the parallel-by-bit form, as well as Lewin's sorting scheme for ordered retrieval. The dematching process is completely automatic. The memory sequential-control ontrol system does not use any ladder structure which is commonly employed in previous associative memory systems; hence the operation speed is largely increased. The stage delays for various operations are given, and may be employed to estimate the speed of the associative memory.
Type I supernovae and galactic production of iron

CURRENT models of galactic chemical evolution (see ref. 1) assume that heavy elements are produced by massive stars, that is, in type II supernova events. We show here that Fe may have a different source from other heavy elements—in type I supernovae which result from the deaths of moderately long lived stars.
Self-accelerating warped braneworlds

Braneworld models with induced gravity have the potential to replace dark energy as the explanation for the current accelerating expansion of the Universe. The original model of Dvali, Gabadadze, and Porrati (DGP) demonstrated the existence of a 'self-accelerating' branch of background solutions, but suffered from the presence of ghosts. We present a new large class of braneworld models which generalize the DGP model. Our models have negative curvature in the bulk, allow a second brane, and have general brane tensions and localized curvature terms. We exhibit three different kinds of ghosts, associated to the graviton zero mode, the radion, and the longitudinal components of massive graviton modes. The latter two species occur in the DGP model, for negative and positive brane tension, respectively. In our models, we find that the two kinds of DGP ghosts are tightly correlated with each other, but are not always linked to the feature of self-acceleration. Our models are a promising laboratory for understanding the origins and physical meaning of braneworld ghosts, and perhaps for eliminating them altogether.
Biogeography of scorpions in the Pseudouroctonus minimus complex (Vaejovidae) from south‐western North America: implications of ecological specialization for pre‐Quaternary diversification

Aim The aim of this study was to assess the impact of pre-Quaternary tectonics and orogeny relative to that of Pleistocene climate change on diversification within the Pseudouroctonus minimus complex, a group of vaejovid scorpions with stenotopic habitat requirements. Location South-western North America (United States and Mexico). Methods Multilocus sequence data (1899 base pairs from two mitochondrial and two nuclear genes) were generated from 65 samples of scorpions in the minimus complex. Phylogeographical structure within the minimus complex was explored using model-based phylogenetic methods and a general mixed Yule coalescent model to identify independent geographical clusters. A time-calibrated multilocus species tree was reconstructed using a multispecies coalescent approach. Ancestral areas were estimated at divergence events across the tree using a probabilistic Bayesian approach. Results Extensive geographical structure was evident within two well-supported clades. These clades probably diverged over 25 million years ago (Ma), based on estimated mean divergence dates, followed by 14 divergences in the Miocene (25–5 Ma) and 4 divergences in the Pliocene and Pleistocene (< 5 Ma). The ancestral origin of the minimus complex was reconstructed to be across California and the Mexican Highlands. The Chihuahuan Desert was colonized twice from the Mexican Highlands, and one dispersal event occurred from the Mexican Highlands back to California. Main conclusions Spatial and temporal patterns of evolution in the minimus complex support predictions that stenotopy promoted pre-Quaternary diversification. Miocene and Pliocene geomorphology, perhaps in concert with climate change, induced allopatric divergence across the heterogeneous landscape of south-western North America. Stenotopic scorpions such as the minimus complex provide a model for exploring correlations between Earth history and biological diversification.
Deficits in probabilistic classification learning and liability for schizophrenia.

Patients with schizophrenia show deficits in skill learning. We tested the hypothesis that impaired skill learning is associated with liability for schizophrenia by determining if it is present in non-affected siblings of patients. This study examined cognitive skill learning in adolescent siblings of patients with childhood onset schizophrenia (COS), who are at high genetic risk for the disorder, and age-matched controls. A probabilistic classification task was used to assess cognitive skill learning, which has been shown to be impaired in patients with striatal dysfunction or schizophrenia. Differences between the groups emerged within the first 50 trials of training: the controls showed significant learning while the COS siblings did not. Furthermore, after extended training over 800 additional trials the siblings of COS probands reached a lower level of asymptotic performance than controls. These results suggest that a behavioral impairment in probabilistic classification learning in healthy, unaffected siblings mirrors the deficits seen in patients and thus may reflect genetic liability for the disease
A defect/error-tolerant nanosystem architecture for DSP

Emerging technologies such as silicon NanoWires (NW) and Carbon NanoTubes (CNT) have shown great potential for building the next generation of computing systems in the nano ranges. However, the excessive number of defects originating from bottom-up fabrication (such as a self-assembly process) poses a pressing challenge for achieving scalable system integration. This article proposes a new nanosystem architecture that employs nanowire crossbars for Digital Signal Processing (DSP) applications. Distributed arithmetic is utilized such that complex signal processing computation can be mapped into regular memory operations, thus making this architecture well suited for implementation by nanowire crossbars. Furthermore, the inherent features of DSP-type computation provide new insights to remedy errors (as logic/computational manifestation of defects). A new defect/error-tolerant technique that exploits algorithmic error compensation is proposed; at system level different trade-offs between correctness in output and performance are established while retaining low overhead in its implementation. As an instance of its application, the proposed approach has been utilized to a generic DSP nanosystem performing frequency-selective filtering. Simulation results show that the proposed nanoDSP introduces only a minor performance degradation under high defect rates and at a range of operational conditions. The proposed technique also features good scalability and viability for various DSP applications.
Near-Field Fluorescence Cross-Correlation Spectroscopy on Planar Membranes

The organization and dynamics of plasma membrane components at the nanometer scale are essential for biological functions such as transmembrane signaling and endocytosis. Planarized nanoscale apertures in a metallic film are demonstrated as a means of confining the excitation light for multicolor fluorescence spectroscopy to a 55 ± 10 nm beam waist. This technique provides simultaneous two-color, subdiffraction-limited fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy on planar membranes. The fabrication and implementation of this technique are demonstrated for both model membranes and live cells. Membrane-bound proteins were observed to cluster upon the addition of a multivalent cross-linker: On supported lipid bilayers, clusters of cholera toxin subunit B were formed upon cross-linking by an antibody specific for this protein; on living cells, immunoglobulin E bound to its receptor (FceRI) on the plasma membranes of RBL mast cells was observed to form clusters upon exposure to a trivalent antigen. The formation of membrane clusters was quantified via fluorescence intensity vs time and changes in the temporal auto- and cross-correlations above a single nanoscale aperture. The illumination profile from a single aperture is analyzed experimentally and computationally with a rim-dominated illumination profile, yielding no change in the autocorrelation dwell time with changes in aperture diameter from 60 to 250 nm. This near-field fluorescence cross-correlation methodology provides access to nanoscale details of dynamic membrane interactions and motivates further development of near-field optical methods.
Conservative modeling of 3-D electromagnetic fields, Part I: Properties and error analysis

Conservation of electric current and magnetic flux can be explicitly enforced by modeling Maxwell’s equations on a staggered grid, where the different field components are sampled at points offset relative to each other. A staggered finite‐difference (SFD) approximation gives divergence‐free magnetic fields and electric currents ensuring good behavior at all periods. Comparisons of SFD solutions with 2-D quasi‐analytic solutions are very good (∼1% rms error). When a modeled region can be subdivided into uniform subdomains, comparison of analytic solutions and SFD approximations show that the greatest differences occur near the Nyquist wavenumbers; the SFD solutions do not attenuate in space as rapidly as the analytic solutions. The accuracy of a computed SFD solution can be estimated from its wavenumber content. For test cases the accuracy estimates are surprisingly close to the actual accuracies. Grid requirements for modeling short horizontal wavelength components of a solution seem more demanding than ...
Sleep and kindling: I. Effects of initial afterdischarge threshold determination.

Abstract Recent work indicated a significant correlation between seizure latencies following exposure to the convulsant drug monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and afterdischarge (AD) thresholds obtained at the beginning of basolateral amygdala kindling in cats. A profound alteration in state physiology is an early and sustained feature of the prodrome with MMH but has not been shown in relation to initial AD thresholds. The present experiment examined state variables during the earliest phase of kindling in an effort to determine if other similarities exist between these two experimental models of epilepsy. Eighteen cats (experimental, N = 12; control, N = 6) were surgically prepared for basolateral amygdala stimulation and for the evaluation of standard state variables. Postoperatively, two baseline, 12-h, polygraphic recordings were obtained in the experimental group. AD thresholds were then established using a method of limits procedure, after which a third 12-h polygraphic recording was obtained as long as 48 h later. Control animals underwent the same polygraphic recording sequence but never received amygdala stimulation. AD thresholds in experimental animals varied considerably. Threshold values were not systematically related either to histologically verified electrode sites throughout the basolateral amygdala or to changes in the sleep-waking cycle. State evaluation indicated that the experimental animals showed a sustained facilitation of waking and a suppression of slow-wave sleep during the poststimulation recording compared with their own baseline and with controls. These findings indicate a further resemblance between the MMH and kindling models of epilepsy, which, in conjunction with other similarities, could be indicative of a common pathological mechanism.
Activation of EVI1 gene expression in human acute myelogenous leukemias by translocations spanning 300-400 kilobases on chromosome band 3q26.

Abstract Retroviral activation of Evi-1 gene expression is one of the most common transforming events in murine myeloid leukemias. To evaluate the role of the EVI1 gene in human acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), leukemic blasts or cell lines from 116 patients were examined. In eight patients the EVI1 gene was expressed and all but one had cytogenetically detectable translocations of chromosome 3q26 where the EVI1 gene has been localized. To identify breakpoints, a restriction map that spans 1700 kilobases (kb) of the EVI1 locus was developed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. In one case, t(3;3)(q21;q26), a rearrangement was localized to 170-330 kb 5' of the gene. In a second case, t(3;3)(q21;q26), there was a rearrangement 13 kb 5' of the gene. This rearrangement was cloned and shown to be due to the fusion of sequences from 3q21-22 with the EVI1 locus. In the third case, ins(3)-(q21q25q27), there was a rearrangement that mapped 150 kb downstream from the 5' end of the gene.
Evaluation and Validation of Equivalent Circuit Photovoltaic Solar Cell Performance Models

The "five-parameter model" is a performance model for photovoltaic solar cells that predicts the voltage and current output by representing the cells as an equivalent electrical circuit with radiation and temperature-dependent components. An important feature of the five-parameter model is that its parameters can be determined using data commonly provided by module manufacturers on their published datasheets. This paper documents the predictive capability of the five-parameter model and proposes modifications to improve its performance using approximately 30 days of field-measured meteorological and module data from a wide range of cell technologies, including monocrystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous silicon, and copper indium diselenide (CIS). The standard five-parameter model is capable of predicting the performance of monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon modules within approximately 6% RMS but is slightly less accurate for a thin-film CIS and an amorphous silicon array. Errors for the amorphous technology are reduced to approximately 5% RMS by using input data obtained after the module underwent an initial degradation in output due to aging. The robustness and possible improvements to the five-parameter model were also evaluated. A sensitivity analysis of the five-parameter model shows that all model inputs that are difficult to determine and not provided by manufacturer datasheets such as the glazing material properties, the semiconductor band gap energy, and the ground reflectance may be represented by approximate values independent of the PV technology. Modifications to the five-parameter model tested during this research did not appreciably improve the overall model performance. Additional dependence introduced by a seven-parameter model had a less than 1% RMS effect on maximum power predictions for the amorphous technology and increased the modeling errors for this array 4% RMS at open-circuit conditions. Adding a current sink to the equivalent circuit to better model recombination currents had little effect on the model behavior.
Downtown malls and the city agenda

A shopping mall, new office towers, a convention center, an atrium hotel, a restored historic neighborhood. These are the civic agenda for downtown development in the last third of the twentieth century, a trophy collection that mayors want. Add a domed stadium, aquarium, or cleaned-up waterfront to suit the circumstances, and you have the essential equipment for a first-class American city. The showpieces on this list are useful as well as trendy. They help a city keep up with its competitors while also meeting some local need such as getting rid of an eyesore, saving a landmark, or creating a civic symbol. Although the projects rarely result from systematic forethought, they often fit together surprisingly well. Most serve a common function: restoring downtown as a center of economic activity. Baltimore illustrates the way a retail center links into a chain of projects spanning the decades. Its new downtown became an instant success with the opening of the Harborplace shops in 1980, but that success was 30 years in the making. Shoreline improvements around the Inner Harbor a new bulkhead, a landfill, marina, piers, public parks, and promenades date from a bond issue voted in 1948. Other projects that remade the core of Baltimore in stages include the 33-acre Charles Center office complex built in the 1960s; the Maryland Science Center, World Trade Center, and Convention Center in the 1970s; and the National Aquarium and Hyatt Regency Hotel that opened within a year after Harborplace. This was a costly series of projects, with the public sector bill along totalling more than $200 million. And although each has its special history, they feed off each other. The downtown agenda was more than a grab-bag of pet projects because of the steady interest of elected officials and business executives in strengthening the downtown economy. Business coalitions especially had a large stake in revitalizing the city center, and their support was unusually crucial for launching any large project. In deciding which projects to push, they usually threw their weight behind those that served an economic development purpose. The dozens of downtown retail centers built after 1970 were part of this total agenda, adding a fresh acrobatic act to a three-ring circus in the making. They thrilled the crowds, but their long-run impact at the box office is hard to separate from the rest of the show.
Selenium: geochemical distribution and associations with human heart and cancer death rates and longevity in China and the United States.

The geochemistry of available soil Se varies enormously in different localities, and the corresponding amounts moving up through crops to food vary accordingly. In a belt extending from northeastern to south central China, the available soil Se was measured by human blood Se levels. Severe deficiency occurred at 8–26 ng/mL; subadequate amounts occurred in large areas with 32–83 ng/mL; adequate amounts of 200–300 ng/mL occurred in large cities; and toxic amounts of 3000–7800 ng/mL occurred in terrace areas where runoff from the uplands evaporated, and in certain other soils. Some heart deaths (Keshan Disease) occurred in children 1 to 10 yr of age in the most deficient areas, but were prevented by 230–900 µg/wk Se supplementation. One mg Se/wk was the adult dosage. In Se deficient areas, the life span of adults was lowered severely (35 to 45 yr), with heart muscle damage common at autopsy. Se and Zn deficiencies are apparently associated with stomach cancer. The geochemistry of Se in the USA is also highly variable, blood Se ranging from 100–350 ng/mL. Se data for individuals are limited; however, ischemic heart death correlated inversely with blood Se in 25 cities of 22 states (r = -.70; p < .01). Counties of Wisconsin and Florida are highly variable in human heart death and cancer death rates, as are the 50 states, suggesting Se geographic variability.