cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Species trees for the tree swallows (Genus Tachycineta): An alternative phylogenetic hypothesis to the mitochondrial gene tree

The New World swallow genus Tachycineta comprises nine species that collectively have a wide geographic distribution and remarkable variation both within- and among-species in ecologically important traits. Existing phylogenetic hypotheses for Tachycineta are based on mitochondrial DNA sequences, thus they provide estimates of a single gene tree. In this study we sequenced multiple individuals from each species at 16 nuclear intron loci. We used gene concatenated approaches (Bayesian and maximum likelihood) as well as coalescent-based species tree inference to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of the genus. We examined the concordance and conflict between the nuclear and mitochondrial trees and between concatenated and coalescent-based inferences. Our results provide an alternative phylogenetic hypothesis to the existing mitochondrial DNA estimate of phylogeny. This new hypothesis provides a more accurate framework in which to explore trait evolution and examine the evolution of the mitochondrial genome in this group.
PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF 3-METHYLCROTONYL-COENZYME-A CARBOXYLASE FROM LEAVES OF ZEA MAYS

3-Methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase has been purified to near homogeneity from maize leaves. The resulting preparations of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase have a specific activity of between 200 and 600 nmol.min-1.mg-1 protein, representing an approximately 5000-fold purification of the enzyme. The purified 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase has a molecular weight of 853,000 +/- 34,000 and is composed of two types of subunits, a biotin-containing subunit of 80 +/- 2 kDa and a non-biotin-containing subunit of 58.5 +/- 1.5 kDa. These data suggest that the enzyme has an alpha 6 beta 6 configuration. The optimum pH for activity is 8.0. The kinetic constants for the substrates 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA, ATP, and HCO3- are 11 microM, 20 microM, and 0.8 mM, respectively. Kinetic studies of the 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase reaction with variable concentrations of two substrates confirmed that ATP and HCO3- bind sequentially to the enzyme and that ATP and 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA bind in ping-pong fashion. However, similar analyses indicate that the binding of HCO3- at the first site is affected by 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA. Kinetic studies of the role of Mg2+ in the 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase reaction establish that Mg.ATP is the substrate for the enzyme, that free ATP is an inhibitor, and that free Mg2+ is an activator. Both Mn2+ and Co2+ can substitute somewhat for Mg2+, but Zn2+ is unable to do so. In addition to carboxylating 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA, the maize carboxylase can carboxylate crotonyl-CoA, but not acetoacetyl-CoA. In fact, acetoacetyl-CoA is a potent, noncompetitive inhibitor, which indicates that the enzyme contains an acetoacetyl-CoA binding site that is independent of the active sites. The monovalent cations K+, Cs+, Rb+, and NH4+ activated 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase activity, with Rb+ being the most potent activator. The inhibition of 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase by sulfhydryl and arginyl modifying reagents could be partly alleviated by the substrates ATP and 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA, which suggests that sulfhydryl and arginyl residues may be involved in catalysis.
Diagnosis of gastric malignancy by blind gastric biopsy

Two cases have been reported in which a histologic diagnosis of carcinoma of the stomach was made by means of biopsy by the Wood's tube.
Maternal deaths in the less developed world: preventable tragedies

A half million women die yearly around the world as a result of pregnancy. Many of these deaths are inaccurately classified and many others are not reported at all, but new demographic techniques have clarified causes of maternal mortality and improved estimates of rates. New data from several less developed countries suggest that many maternal deaths could be prevented by measures already demonstrated to be effective elsewhere. These include better antenatal and intrapartum care, contraception for women who want no more pregnancies, legal abortion to terminate unwanted pregnancies, and uterine aspiration and antibiotics for treatment of septic abortion.
Unconventional Rac-GEF activity is mediated through the Dock180–ELMO complex

Mammalian Dock180 and ELMO proteins, and their homologues in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster, function as critical upstream regulators of Rac during development and cell migration. The mechanism by which Dock180 or ELMO mediates Rac activation is not understood. Here, we identify a domain within Dock180 (denoted Docker) that specifically recognizes nucleotide-free Rac and can mediate GTP loading of Rac in vitro. The Docker domain is conserved among known Dock180 family members in metazoans and in a yeast protein. In cells, binding of Dock180 to Rac alone is insufficient for GTP loading, and a Dock180 ELMO1 interaction is required. We can also detect a trimeric ELMO1 Dock180 Rac1 complex and ELMO augments the interaction between Dock180 and Rac. We propose that the Dock180 ELMO complex functions as an unconventional two-part exchange factor for Rac.
American Catholic arts and fictions : culture, ideology, aesthetics

Preface Part I. Old Icons in a New Land: Part II. The Ironies of Modernism: Part III. Poetry of Confession and Apostasy: Part IV. Iconography and the Cinema of Catholicism: Part V. Postmodernism and the Novel of Displacement: Part VI. Legalism and the Fictions of Society.
Information Technologies and Collection Development

Perhaps the most striking characteristic of today's information environment is the pace of technological innovation. The phenomenal increase in computer memory capacity and speed of access, and the development of ever more powerful but less expensive computer chips, stimulate creation of expanded applications. The changing nature of automated systems requires continuous adjustment to cycles of expanding, ever‐changing information systems.
Potential importance of alterations in hydrogen sulphide (H2S) bioavailability in diabetes

Despite its long-standing reputation as a foul smelling and toxic gas that is associated with the decay of biological matter,hydrogen sulphide (H2S) has emerged as an important regulator of cardiovascular homoeostasis. H2S promotes a number of cellular signals that regulate metabolism, cardiac function and cell survival. Endogenous H2S bioavailability is regulated by several enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of cysteine. This study by Brancaleone et al. in the current issue of the British Journal of Pharmacology provides novel insights into the impairment of H2S biosynthesis in the setting of diabetes mellitus. The authors report that enzymic H2S biosynthesis is impaired in a murine model of type 1 diabetes and the attenuation in H2S bioavailability is associated with impaired vascular reactivity. This study has profound implications for the use of pharmacological agents to augment endogenous H2S synthesis or agents that release H2S to augment the levels of this gaseous signalling molecule in cardiovascular disease.
The Family Map: A Tool for Understanding the Risks for Children in Families with Substance Abuse.

This article reviews the findings from our assessments of children and their families in two Head Start programs using the Family Map. Specifically, we used the Family Map assessment tool to identify risks to children associated with alcohol and drug use in families with young children. Practical suggestions are offered to administrators about the importance of identifying such risks to children. Understanding specific risks and knowing how to address them are keys to providing the best outcomes for the children in such families.
Microcomputers big and little: Selecting a low-cost laboratory computer network

Characteristics of microcomputers are described affecting suitability for low-cost laboratory network use. Assuming a network of small microcomputers with interfaces for applications and a larger one for program development, 6502-based hobbyist computers appear cheapest at this time, while microcomputers imitating minicomputers have the best hardware and software support.
Resonance-enhanced Raman scattering by aggregated 2,2′-cyanine on colloidal silver

The Raman scattering spectrum of 2,2′-cyanine on colloidal silver metal particles is discussed. Preliminary assignments of some of the vibrational Raman bands to the motions of specific chromophoric units are presented and multiplet character of some bands is discussed. Enhanced Raman scattering of 2,2′-cyanine occurs when the laser radiation is tuned to the J-aggregate absorption feature at 575 nm. The enhancement in Raman intensity is the result of a diminution of fluorescence intensity, as well as a quantitative increase in Raman scattering intensity, and is distinct from other types of enhancement phenomena (e.g., resonance Raman of monomeric solution dye, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)). The resonance Raman enhancement, due to excitation at the frequency corresponding to the J-aggregate absorption, is found to be 2 × 10+3.
MODEL S, a sampled-data simulation language

Existing general purpose simulation software is not adequate for studying large, flexible spacecraft with digital controllers because it will not accept sampled-data equations or link to state-of-the-art structural modeling software. The MODEL S sim ulation language was developed to handle the first of these problems. It will accept mathematical models involving both differential equations and sampled-data equations. Computa tional delays can also be included. This makes MODEL S useful for the simulation of many digital controllers. Simple examples and an actual spacecraft controller show the language's power, flexibility, and ease of use. Planned enhancements include multirate sampling capability, software mode control and event sensing, and linkage to complex plant models.
Effects of 2,5-di(tert-butyl)-1,4-Hydroquinone, an Endoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+-ATPase Inhibitor, on Agonist-Stimulated Phasic Myometrial Contractions

Phasic myometrial contractions utilize mechanisms involving the cycling of calcium into and out of intracellular calcium stores. These studies were performed to determine the effects of 2,5-di(tert-butyl)-1,4-hydroquinone (tBHQ), an endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor, on in vitro isometric myometrial contractions. These studies demonstrated that low concentrations of tBHQ (eg. 10 microM) appear to inhibit intracellular calcium cycling, whereas higher concentrations also inhibit extracellular calcium influx. These combined tBHQ effects markedly suppressed myometrial contractions stimulated in response to various agonists including oxytocin, PGF2 alpha, KCl, ionomycin, and Bay K 8644.
Reactive ormogels: a new class of hybrid materials for photonics

A newly emerging class of inorganic-organic hybrids is presented as promising materials for passive and active components of photonic devices. Reactive (photopolymerizable) ormogels (organically modified gels) are inorganic-organic macromers equipped in reactive groups capable of heat or radiation induced polymerization. They are similar to reactive oligomers, components of UV-curahle formulations, but differ in that their main backbone is inorganic in nature. Strategies leading to the synthesis of reactive ormogels include: hydrolytic and non-hydrolytic sol-gel processing of organosilanes, and metal alkoxide and functional silylation of colloidal inorganic oxides. Potential applications of the photopolymerizable ormogels are discussed. The most promising applications include: Host materials for rare earth ions and organic laser dye dopants. UV-imprinted channel and planar waveguides for IO devices. Protective coatings and claddings for optical fibers.
Performance analysis of microcomputer based differential protection of UHV lines under selective phase switching

The effects of primary and residual faults, as well as of couplings of the neighboring phases or lines, on the sensitivity of operation and threshold settings of microcomputer-based differential protection of UHV lines were investigated. The microcomputer-based differential protection appears to have poor performance when applied to uncompensated lines employing selective pole switching. A computer-based method which, for improved accuracy, utilizes the ABCD generalized line constants has been developed and used to deduce a set of analytical expressions for computing the residual fault currents, recovery voltages, and coupling effects of neighboring lines under varying isolated and connected fault conditions. The performance analysis and digital simulation of UHV lines ranging from 345 kV through 1500 kV have revealed that the residual faults, recovery voltages, and coupling of neighboring lines are rather large and have an adverse effect on the performance, sensitivity of operation, and threshold settings of differential protection and other protection algorithms. A microcomputer-based single-equation algorithm, independent of fault types, for per-phase differential protection without restraint is described. Shunt inductive and capacitive compensation has been proposed for improved performance. >
MODELS FOR BACTERIAL PHOTOSYNTHESIS: ELECTRON TRANSFER FROM PHOTOEXCITED SINGLET BACTERIOPHEOPHYTIN TO METHYL VIOLOGEN AND m‐DINITROBENZENE

. As a model for the primary reactions of photosynthesis, we studied photochemical electron transfer from bacteriopheophytin (BPh) to methyl viologen (MVC12) and to m-dinitrobenzene (m-DNB) in solution. Both MVC12 and m-DNB cause reductions in the lifetime of the first excited singlet state of BPh (BPh*), in the fluorescence quantum yield, and in the quantum yield of the triplet state, BPh +. The quenching of BPh* probably results from electron transfer, which generates short-lived radical pairs involving the BPh radical cation (BPh+) and the reduced form of the quencher. Electron transfer from BPh* is thermodynamically favorable, but that from BPhT is not. From the magnitude of the quenching, we calculate rate constants for electron transfer in collision complexes formed between BPh* and MVC12 or m-DNB. Measurements of the quantum yield of the free BPh+ radical indicate that about 3/4 of the [BPh+ MV+] radical pairs decay by reverse electron transfer, rather than dissociating to give the free radicals. Essentially all of the [BPh+m-DNB +] radical pairs must decay by reverse electron transfer, because free BPh+ cannot be detected in this case. From these data, we estimate the rate constants for the reverse electron transfer reactions. The higher probability of dissociation in the [BPh+ MV+] radical pair can be explained by coulombic repulsion. The rate of the primary electron transfer reaction in photosynthetic bacteria is comparable to that of forward electron transfer in the BPh* collision complexes. Reverse electron transfer, however, is at least 103-times slower in the radical pair formed in the bacterial reaction center than it is in [BPh+m-DNB−], and more than 104-times slower than in [BPh+ MV+]. The explanation for this dramatic and crucially important difference remains unclear, but several possibilities are discussed.
The role of (bio)surfactant sorption in promoting the bioavailability of nutrients localized at the solid-water interface

Bioavailability is herein defined as the accessibility of a substrate by a microorganism. Further, bioavailability is governed by (1) the substrate concentration that the cell membrane “sees,” (i.e., the “directly bioavailable” pool) as well as (2) the rate of mass transfer from potentially bioavailable (e.g., nonaqueous) phases to the directly bioavailable (e.g., aqueous) phase. Mechanisms by which sorbed (bio)surfactants influence these two processes are discussed. We propose the hypothesis that the sorption of (bio)surfactants at the solid-liquid interface is partially responsible for the increased bioavailability of surface-bound nutrients, and offer this as a basis for suggesting the development of engineered in-situ bioremediation technologies that take advantage of low (bio)surfactant concentrations. In addition, other industrial systems where bioavailability phenomena should be considered are addressed.
Improved efficiency CDMA by constant envelope SQAM

In order to reduce the interference into the adjacent channel and to increase the processing gain of the CDMA system, a power and spectral efficient superposed-quadrature-amplitude-modulation code-division-multiple-access (SQAM-CDMA) system is proposed. In the hard-limited power amplified channel, SQAM-CDMA has about 12-16 dB lower out-of-band power interference into the adjacent channel than that of QPSK-CDMA, and 11-15 dB lower than that of BPSK-CDMA. Assuming a 30 dB lower out-of-band interference power is required in a given RF bandwidth, the processing gain of SQAM-CDMA is increased by 7 dB over QPSK-CDMA and 9.5 dB over BPSK-CDMA in the hard-limited amplified channel. >
Superplastic forming and diffusion bonding of Inconel 718

This paper presents the results of a program designed to delineate the capabilities of Inconel 718 for superplastic forming (SPF) and diffusion bonding (DB) as low cost, weight saving processes for fabricating rocket engine parts. Elevated tem- perature total elongation and step-strain rate tests indicated that specially processed, fine-grained Inconel 718 behaved sufficiently superplastically to indicate the potential for the SPF of parts of con- siderable complexity. This was further confirmed with the SPF of a model part and a section of an actual rocket engine part. 718 can be diffusion bonded using a nickel interface layer to form high shear strength bonds. It was shown that Inconel
Sharpening the focus of viewpoints between higher education and employers of the expertise required for contemporary and future technical managers

Sharpening the focus between what employers require for technical managers and what universities are delivering is deemed to be an urgent strategic and policy issue. Technical managers must understand the technology that they are managing and the requirements of the customers that they serve. Technical managers have wide and varied responsibilities in any enterprise; major areas are design, production facilities, manufacturing, product reliability, managing technical personnel, managing technical resources, and determining the customer's present and future requirements. Fundamental strategic issues discussed are employer's vision for forecasting future needs, the compatibility of university curricula with required employer job classification, and availability of graduate-level job-focused short courses, symposia, and workshops to maintain currency of technical managers for contemporary and future job demands. It is suggested that in-depth forecasts of needs by employers and a sharper focus of viewpoints interpreting these and how they can be fulfilled must be achieved to erase or allay concerns. >
A new species of Santinezia (Opiliones: Cranaidae) from Panama

A new species, Santinezia noctiscansor, most similar to members of the S. festae group, is described from central Panama; this species is the only member of the genus that occurs in Central America. Our examinations of adults and nymphs collected from Coclea nd Panama Provinces revealed that males are sexually mature as penultimate nymphs. The subadult strongly resembles the adult with respect to coloration, scutal outline, armature of femora III-IV, and penis morphology, but differs in having fewer tarsomeres on each leg, a smaller body size (scutal length and width), and a much smaller tubercle on the ventral surface of coxa IV. Natural history observations are provided for specimens collected from the field site in CocleP rovince.
Failure of Benzydroflumethiazide and Hydrochlorothiazide to Influence Plasma Potassium in Nephrectomized Dogs.

SummaryBenzydroflumethiazide and hydrochlorothiazide did not have any effect on plasma sodium or potassium levels when administered intravenously to acute nephrectomized dogs. These results indicate that under the conditions described benzydroflumethiazide and hydrochlorothiazide do not have an extrarenal effect on sodium or potassium which could explain the mechanism of their antihypertensive action.
Evaluating the Feasibility of Decommissioning Residential Water Infrastructure in Cities Facing Urban Decline

Water infrastructure provides services essential for the health and economic well-being of societies. These systems pose potential vulnerabilities, such as their inability to provide service when a disruptor alters the network. In shrinking cities, the per capita cost for maintaining infrastructure increases due to the reduced population maintaining an infrastructure footprint designed for a larger population. Decommissioning water infrastructure may potentially reduce costs and improve a community's public health by decreasing the presence of stagnant water and slowing pipeline deterioration rates that result from reduced flows. However, decommissioning presents challenges, such as maintaining adequate services and emergency demands. Additionally, criteria such as future land use and network connectivity must be considered to determine if decommissioning is appropriate. This paper examines the feasibility of decommissioning water infrastructure in shrinking cities. Decommissioning strategies were examined in the context of two Midwestern cities in the U.S. using water infrastructure models developed in EPANET. The disruptors modeled included decommissioning and demand decline to evaluate the systems' ability to provide adequate service and emergency demands. This study demonstrates that decommissioning water infrastructure is a viable option for potentially reducing maintenance costs within these fiscally-strained cities.
Signature pedagogies in the professions

Daedalus Summer 2005 The psychoanalyst Erik Erikson once observed that if you wish to understand a culture, study its nurseries. There is a similar principle for the understanding of professions: if you wish to understand why professions develop as they do, study their nurseries, in this case, their forms of professional preparation. When you do, you will generally detect the characteristic forms of teaching and learning that I have come to call signature pedagogies. These are types of teaching that organize the fundamental ways in which future practitioners are educated for their new professions. In these signature pedagogies, the novices are instructed in critical aspects of the three fundamental dimensions of professional work –to think, to perform, and to act with integrity. But these three dimensions do not receive equal attention across the professions. Thus, in medicine many years are spent learning to perform like a physician; medical schools typically put less emphasis on learning how to act with professional integrity and caring. In contrast, most legal education involves learning to think like a lawyer; law schools show little concern for learning to perform like one. We all intuitively know what signature pedagogies are. These are the forms of instruction that leap to mind when we 1⁄2rst think about the preparation of members of particular professions–for example, in the law, the quasi-Socratic interactions so vividly portrayed in The Paper Chase. The 1⁄2rst year of law school is dominated by the case dialogue method of teaching, in which an authoritative and often authoritarian instructor engages individual students in a large class of many dozens in dialogue about an appellate court case of some complexity. In medicine, we immediately think of the phenomenon of bedside teaching, in which a senior physician or a resident leads a group of novices through the daily clinical rounds, engaging them in discussions about the diagnosis and management of patients’ diseases. I would argue that such pedagogical signatures can teach us a lot about the personalities, dispositions, and cultures Lee S. Shulman
The catabolic fate of glucose in Bacillus subtilis.

It has been shown by Gary and Bard (1) that the catabolic pathway of glucose in Bacillus subtilis changes with the cultural conditions, particularly the type of nitrogen source employed for the incubation. These authors reported that cells grown on tryptone-yeast extract-glucose medium (C-cells) rely heavily on the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway for glucose dissimilation, whereas cells grown on ammonium-salts-glucose medium (S-cells) utilize glucose predominantly via the hexose monophosphate pathway. The variation in catabolism has been explained by Gary, Klausmeier, and Bard (2) as due to the reduced levels of glyceraldehyde phosphate and lactate dehydrogenase present in S-cells and the absence of cytochrome oxidase in C-cells. The relative participation of catabolic pathways with respect to glucose utilization by B. subtilis cells grown on ammoniumsalts-glucose-yeast extract medium has subsequently been examined by Wang et al. (3). The results showed that under the described cultural conditions, glucose is catabolized mainly (65%) by way of the glycolytic pathway and to a limited extent (35%) via the hexose monophosphate pathway. Yet to be understood are several facets of the over-all catabolic mechanism. They are: (a) a quantitative evaluation of the variation in pathway participation as caused by changes in cultural conditions; (b) the fate of substrate glucose traversing the hexose monophosphate pathway, particularly with respect to the catabolic fate of fructose 6phosphate derived from substrate glucose. Better understanding of these facets is of great importance in evaluating the function of individual catabolic sequences with respect to respiration and synthesis and in elucidating the role played by the pentose cycle pathway in microbial catabolism. In this work, glucose and gluconate specifically labeled with Cl4 have been used as substrates for proliferating B. subtilis cells in a series of radiorespirometric studies. The findings provide much information with regard to the nature and function of the hexose monophosphate pathway in this organism. On the basis of an understanding reached in this study, the equations devised previously (3) for the estimation of glucose pathways in microorganisms have been modified.
Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic studies of HLA-A*1101 complexed with an HIV-1 decapeptide.

A major goal of vaccine research for the prevention of AIDS is to determine the immune correlates of protection against HIV-1 infection. In this context, it is of interest to understand how HLA-­A*1101, a significantly more prevalent class I allele in a cohort of highly HIV-1-exposed persistently seronegative individuals, functions in relation to protective immunity to HIV-1. Towards this goal, a soluble recombinant HLA-A*1101 molecule has been expressed and used to assemble a complex with β2-microglobulin and a Nef decapeptide. The HLA-A*1101/β2m/Nef complex was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapor-diffusion method. The crystal formed in the monoclinic space group P21, with unit-cell parameters a = 77.2, b = 88.5, c = 64.8 A, β = 90.1°, and contains two molecules in the asymmetric unit. A data set to 2.2 A resolution was collected and structure determination by molecular replacement is currently in progress. Understanding the three-dimensional structure of the HLA-A*1101/β2m/Nef complex may provide insight into the functional role of this class I allele in relation to protective immunity to HIV-1.
Breaking the Mold

Women who have chosen to invest in multiple roles as wife, mother, and professional often experience difficulty in balancing these roles. However, research shows that spousal support for women investing in multiple roles can be an important factor in their experience of distress. The authors conduct qualitative interviews designed to gather experiential information with 30 women who are both faculty members at Christian universities around the country and mothers of children living in the home. Information on the participants’ relationships with their husbands and their experiences of spousal support, both practically and emotionally, are determined. Participants report that their spouses help them practically through child care, household chores, and availability in a crisis. Additionally, spouses help their wives through emotional support, including mutual respect, pride in their wives’ accomplishments, and interest in their wives’ work.
An 8.5mW 5GS/s 6b flash ADC with dynamic offset calibration in 32nm CMOS SOI

This paper describes a 5GS/s 6bit flash ADC fabricated in a 32nm CMOS SOI. The randomness of process mismatch is exploited to compensate for dynamic offset errors of comparators that occur during high speed operation. Utilizing the proposed calibration, comparators are designed with near-minimum size transistors and built-in reference levels. The ADC achieves an SNDR of 30.9dB at Nyquist and consumes 8.5mW with an FoM of 59.4fJ/conv-step.
Breeding Biology of Red-winged Blackbirds in South Florida

Abstract We studied the breeding biology of two Agelaius phoeniceus (Red-winged Blackbird) populations in south Florida. Red-winged Blackbirds in our study bred at low relative abundance in a wide variety of habitats, were rarely socially polygynous, and were highly aggressive toward intruders. The breeding season extended from March through August and coincided with the rainy season. Nesting periods were similar to those reported for other subspecies of Red-winged Blackbirds, but clutch sizes were small, with 2- and 3-egg clutches predominating. Nesting success varied from 28% on Sanibel Island to 63% on the Florida Keys. Both populations accepted a majority of artificial eggs into their nests, although cowbird parasitism has been rarely reported in south Florida.
Keys to meeting the operational enhancement needs of the air traffic management system

Managing the evolution of the U.S. aviation system is a daunting task. The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) at the MITRE Corporation has been working with industry and the FAA on solving problems associated with managing large systems, leveraging technology to meet operational needs, and using new system engineering management structures to solve institutional issues. This paper discusses five key principles that are guiding the system engineering activities and summarizes the efforts to date. >
Advances in Neuropsychoanalysis, Attachment Theory, and Trauma Research: Implications for Self Psychology

In 1971, Heinz Kohut, trained in neurology and then psychoanalysis, published The Analysis of the Self, a detailed exposition of the central role of the self in human existence. This classic volume of both twentieth century psychoanalysis and psychology was more than a collection of various clinical observations—rather it represented an overarching integrated theory of the development, structuralization, psychopathogenesis, and psychotherapy of disorders of the self. Although some of these ideas were elaborations of previous psychoanalytic principles, a large number of his concepts, including an emphasis on self rather than ego, signified an innovative departure from mainstream psychoanalysis and yet a truly creative addition to Freud's theory.
Current Crowding Effects at Aluminun-Silicon Contacts

The magnitude of current crowding and its effects on failure mechanisms at aluminum-silicon contacts have been studied by using an enlarged contact. Current was found to decrease exponentially with distance from the leading edge of the contact. Joule heating in the contact when stressed at high currents caused diffusion of silicon into the aluminum metallization. Accelerated testing at low currents to minimize this effect resulted in diffusion barrier type failures.
Mass attrition: An analysis of drop out from principles of microeconomics MOOC

ABSTRACTIn this article, the authors describe their Massive Open Online Course in microeconomics principles. Using the Cox proportional hazard model, they analyze the high attrition rate and relate it to demographic data, finding that younger students, U.S. participants, and females are less likely to complete the course. When designing a course, it may be appropriate to put more emphasis on the committed learners, as they have the most to gain from it. The challenge is to develop a flexible course that allows students to choose their pace and yet keeps the sense of community and sufficient structure to help completion.
Development Recommendations for Knowledge Management/ Organizational Memory Systems

Information systems (IS) developers are facing the task of building and maintaining systems that manage organizational knowledge and memory. However, since there is no clear understanding of what constitutes organizational knowledge and memory, or how it is used, the task at hand is extremely difficult. The purpose of this paper is to assist IS developers by providing a set of recommendations for building and maintaining Knowledge Management/Organizational Memory Systems (KMS/OMS). These recommendations are based on an intensive analysis of an OMS and an action research study that reported the construction of a KMS.
The changing profile of the American family.

There has been much speculation recently in both the popular and professional literature about the status of the American family. Accounts of family life in the United States are generally pessimistic, focusing on high divorce rates and other indicators of instability. This paper briefly examines the development of research on the family. The state of the contemporary American family is then discussed, pointing especially to indicators both of the family's stability and the family's ill health. Finally, some speculations are presented about future directions for research in the field. Language: en
Preoperative halo-gravity traction with and without thoracoscopic anterior release for skeletal dysplasia patients with severe kyphoscoliosis.

Abstract Purpose Recent work has shown the safety and efficacy of halo-gravity traction as an operative adjunct. However, there are no reports specifically looking at halo-gravity traction in patients with skeletal dysplasia. Our purpose was to assess the safety and efficacy of traction in children with skeletal dysplasia who present with severe kyphoscoliosis. Methods We retrospectively reviewed eight consecutive children with skeletal dysplasia who were treated with halo-gravity traction preoperatively. Six of the patients had a thoracoscopic anterior release prior to the halo-gravity traction. All patients were ambulatory and presented with severe, rigid kyphoscoliosis. Results The mean duration of traction was 32 days. There were no neurologic complications with traction or after posterior spinal instrumentation. The majority of kyphoscoliosis correction was with the halo-gravity traction alone: major curve (MC) Cobb angle improved 41 %; C7–center sacral vertical line, 75 %; C7–MC apex, 21 %; and T2–T...
A review of human disturbance effects on nesting colonial waterbirds

-We reviewed 64 published investigations concerning effects of human disturbance on nesting colonial waterbirds. We summarized and reviewed articles, based on taxonomy, examining investigator, ecotourist, recreator, watercraft, and aircraft activity effects on physiology, reproductive behavior, reproductive success, and population trends of waterbirds. Though most studies found significant negative effects, taking careful measures minimized impact on some species. Guidelines for minimizing investigator and visitor disturbance are outlined. Little practical information for visitor management is available. Increasing pressure from the ecotourism industry to visit waterbird colonies makes research that develops scientifically-defensible tourism policies imperative. Received 27 December 1997, accepted 27 April 1998.
Changes in Knowledge and Beliefs About Human Papillomavirus and Cervical Cancer Screening Intervals in Low-Income Women After an Educational Intervention

Introduction: Women have been reluctant to adopt longer than annual intervals for cervical cancer screening, despite guidelines recommending screening every 3 to 5 years. Our study assessed patient...
Occupant traffic estimation through structural vibration sensing

The number of people passing through different indoor areas is useful in various smart structure applications, including occupancy-based building energy/space management, marketing research, security, etc. Existing approaches to estimate occupant traffic include vision-, sound-, and radio-based (mobile) sensing methods, which have placement limitations (e.g., requirement of line-of-sight, quiet environment, carrying a device all the time). Such limitations make these direct sensing approaches difficult to deploy and maintain. An indirect approach using geophones to measure floor vibration induced by footsteps can be utilized. However, the main challenge lies in distinguishing multiple simultaneous walkers by developing features that can effectively represent the number of mixed signals and characterize the selected features under different traffic conditions. This paper presents a method to monitor multiple persons. Once the vibration signals are obtained, features are extracted to describe the overlapping vibration signals induced by multiple footsteps, which are used for occupancy traffic estimation. In particular, we focus on analysis of the efficiency and limitations of the four selected key features when used for estimating various traffic conditions. We characterize these features with signals collected from controlled impulse load tests as well as from multiple people walking through a real-world sensing area. In our experiments, the system achieves the mean estimation error of ±0.2 people for different occupant traffic conditions (from one to four) using k-nearest neighbor classifier.
Consideration on design of clinical trials for acute bacterial conjunctivitis

This article is likely to help understanding comprehensive meaning of appropriate clinical trial design of acute bacterial conjunctivitis,and further help designing the better protocol as well as carrying on clinical trial successfully.
Students’ conceptions of reflection: Opportunities for making connections with perpendicular bisector

Abstract Given the current emphasis on the use of transformations for the teaching and learning of geometry, there is opportunity to consider how students’ understanding of geometric transformations can be used to build connections with interrelated concepts. We designed a sequence of three problems, collectively referred to as “the pottery lesson,” to elicit evidence of students’ understanding of reflections. We asked: What conceptions of reflection did students use while working on the pottery lesson? How did students’ work on a sequence of problems requiring reflecting create opportunities for establishing connections between reflections and perpendicular bisector? We identified opportunities for the use of perpendicular bisector to shift between an operation of students’ work and a measure of control. The characterization of students’ conceptions of reflection, and students’ related use of perpendicular bisector, provide a resource for the teaching of these concepts to build upon students’ prior knowledge to promote learning.
Ciliopathy variant burden and developmental delay in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

To test the hypothesis that patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) and developmental delay will have a higher average summative C-score in ciliopathy genes than patients with HLHS without developmental delay. Ciliopathy gene variant burden was determined utilizing a summative C-score for 14 ciliopathy genes in children with HLHS (n = 24). Mean summative C-scores were compared between children with and without developmental delay. Genome-wide randomizing gene sets were evaluated as a scoring control. Children with developmental delay had a mean summative C-score of 4.05 in ciliopathy genes as compared to a mean summative C-score of 2.02 for children without developmental delay. This difference in means was higher than 99.1% (empirical P value <0.01) of 2 million random lists of 14 genes. Genetically complex disorders such as ciliopathies can be assessed to determine phenotypic risk with summative C-score in appropriately chosen gene sets. If these results are replicated in subsequent cohorts, a diagnostic gene panel could identify risk for developmental delay and other ciliopathy-related comorbidities in infants with congenital heart disease. Genet Med advance online publication 27 October 2016
Contributions of wood smoke and vehicle emissions to ambient concentrations of volatile organic compounds and particulate matter during the Yakima wintertime nitrate study.

A multiple linear regression (MLR) chemical mass balance model was applied to data collected during an air quality field experiment in Yakima, WA during January, 2013to determine the relative contribution of residential wood combustion (RWC) and vehicle emissions to ambient pollutant levels. Acetonitrile was used as a chemical tracer for wood burning and nitrogen oxides (NOx) as a chemical tracer for mobile sources. RWC was found to be a substantial source of gas phase air toxics in winter time. The MLR model found RWC primarily responsible for emissions of formaldehyde (73%), acetaldehyde (69%), and black carbon (55%) and mobile sources primarily responsible for emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) (83%), toluene (81%), C2 – alkylbenzenes (81%), and benzene (64%). When compared with the EPA's 2011 winter emissions inventory, the MLR results suggest that the contribution of RWC to CO emissions was underestimated in the inventory by a factor of 2. Emission ratios to NOx from the MLR model agreed to within 25% with wintertime emission ratios predicted from the Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) 2010b emission model for Yakima County for all pollutants modeled except for CO, C2 – alkylbenzenes, and black carbon. The MLR model results suggest that MOVES was over predicting mobile source emissions of CO relative to NOx by a factor of 1.33 and black carbon relative to NOx by about a factor of 3.
Percutaneous obliteration of left ventricular cavity to eliminate aortic regurgitation and presumed coronary steal in an infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome

The phenomenon of coronary steal is well known in the setting of HLHS (Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome) early after the Classical Norwood Operation. We report a rare case of an infant with HLHS [Severe Aortic Stenosis (AS), Mitral Stenosis (MS) and small Left Ventricle (LV)], who developed aortic regurgitation and presumed coronary steal late after the Sano Modification of the Norwood Procedure. Coronary steal developed secondary to progressive aortic and mitral regurgitation and resulted in poor right ventricular function and severe tricuspid regurgitation. We describe a novel interventional approach for obliteration of the LV cavity by using hydrogel coils. LV obliteration eliminated the presumed steal and resulted in improvement in ventricular function, tricuspid regurgitation and clinical course.
The impact of alcohol and marijuana use on academic achievement among college students

Abstract The present study explored the direct and indirect relationship between substance use, specifically alcohol and marijuana use, and academic achievement among college students, using skipping class as a mediator. Online self-administered surveys were distributed to undergraduate students at a mid-size university in the southeast. Individually, both alcohol and marijuana use significantly predicted GPA; as the frequency of students’ reported alcohol and marijuana use increased, GPAs decreased. However, when included in the same model, marijuana use appeared to mediate the relationship between alcohol use and GPA. Additionally, it was found that skipping class partially mediated the relationship between both alcohol use and GPA and marijuana use and GPA. Given the negative relationship that was found between substance use and academic achievement for all students in our sample, we highlight the importance of substance use prevention efforts that target students throughout the entirety of their college careers. We also discuss the limitations of current prevention efforts across college campuses that focus on alcohol use alone. We recommend that prevention efforts include a focus on marijuana use, in addition to alcohol use, especially given our current findings for marijuana use.
A Short Proof of the Bolzano–Weierstrass Theorem

We present a short proof of the Bolzano–Weierstrass theorem on the real line which avoids monotonic subsequences, Cantor's intersection theorem, and the Heine–Borel theorem.
Context-dependent detection via Alarm-Set Fusion and segmentation

A COntext-DEpendent (CODE) detection method is described. Detectors are run in separate image segments, and the detector outputs are aggregated to produce a system output. The process of aggregating outputs is called Alarm-Set Fusion (ASF). A Run Packing (RP) ASF technique is described for training an ASF algorithm. The RP ASF algorithm uses dynamic programming to optimize area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Experimental results are presented using real hyperspectral images segmented using hyperspectral and LiDAR features. Context-dependent and -independent Hybrid Sub-pixel Detector (HSD) and Adaptive Cosine Estimator (ACE) detectors were compared. The CODE method yielded better performance. A comparison to an ACE-RX detector was conducted. Detection performance was similar but the CODE computational requirements are lower. Experiments also show that the ASF algorithm can learn non-obvious threshold combinations.
Preoperative Evaluation of a Pancreas Mass: Diagnostic Options

As modern abdominal imaging equipment advances, pancreatic lesion detection improves. Most of these lesions are incidental, and present a conundrum to the clinician and create great anxiety to the patient until a final diagnosis is made. For the practicing physician, the plethora of diagnostic options is overwhelming. The relevant question is, what is the most efficient algorithm to follow and to arrive at a timely and accurate diagnosis. This article presents a logical approach to the initial evaluation of a pancreatic lesion to get the most information possible with the least amount of testing, and to avoid duplicative measures.
Design analysis of subwavelength grating mirror for GaN based VCSELs structure

A GaN subwavelength grating is designed that can exhibit ultrahigh reflectivity for blue spectral regime opening the door for implementation in GaN based VCSELs with practical reflector design.